An Unfortunate Miracle: Part III

Chapter Sixteen

The Fellowship of the Eagle

Author's Note: AND SHE APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE. Yes, this is an actual chapter! I won't bore you with excuses, but the main reason this took so long is because I had a major case of writer's block. Believe it or not.

I also need to work on rewriting chapter six of part one, because as EasyButton made me realize in a review, I haven't gone very much into exactly HOW Ivy and Lee are related. My reply: Please keep in mind that Lee is black, and Ivy isn't. Once I finally finish rewriting chapter six of Part I, I'll have a part where someone mentions this very obvious fact. So don't worry, it's not just you. I should have mentioned it somewhere, but I guess I forgot. Anyway, Ivy is related to the Jordans very distantly, by marriage.

I had to put in a Fellowship of the Ring joke, because, well, how could I not? Lol.

weasleytwinsjunkie: I would guess that JKR drew on a lot of Nazi Germany aspects when writing this stuff. I mean, if you want the most evil government possible, you go to Nazi Germany, right? I would. And any boy looks good in long hair. Not too long, of course. It's my weakness. Lol.

wendystwin: Liar! You know you liked it! You were laughing, I heard you.

sunshine'n'sarcasm: Hahaha. Exploding brains. Is it odd that I find that funny? Something's wrong with me...

FoxyGirl0413: I laugh maniacally as I think of my evil plans. Hehehe.

Neffa: The violent-reader-proof shelter is coming along quite nicely. I won't be needing it anytime soon, though.

EasyButton: Despite the events of this chapter, going back to America is NOT Ivy's plan. That's all I'm saying, because nothing really goes according to her plan anyway.

Tsukuda Sumiko: I rarely update soon. It is a sad fact of life. I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway.

Misssyl: Thank you, I'm glad you like it.

Heaven's Archer: Aw thanks! Sorry it took so long, but writer's block sucks.

SwiftShadows13: I'm glad you like it, and I hope you see this.

Too tired to think of 1: Nice name. Lol. But nope, no spoilers!

ordinari: THANK YOU, I WILL!

fork-spoon-fork: 1. Thank you! 2. I'm sorry! 3. I HAVE NO IDEA. People be crazy. Lol.

Ryn of Magic: Sorry it took so long. And thank you!

gemenii42: Thank you!

sophiehalliwell: Thank you!

Enchantedx: NOT UNFINISHED! Never unfinished! This story is my baby and I will never leave it unfinished. Writer's block just sucks.

Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah blah.

That evening, George and I went to the Burrow for the Order dinner. Almost everyone was there, except for Bill and Fleur, who were spending their honeymoon in their little seaside cottage in Cornwall. Much of the dinner was spent just talking about random things, anything but Order business, while Kingsley and Mr. Weasley checked the house for eavesdropping spells.

Mrs. Weasley asked Kailee about her parents, and she explained that they were back in America, and instead of returning to California, had settled on a many-acre property in Clive, Iowa, which I'd never heard of. Kailee explained that it was close to Des Moines, which was probably the only city in Iowa I knew.

Kingsley and Mr. Weasley returned to the table halfway through dessert – cinnamon rice pudding – interrupting Fred and Charlie's conversation about whether the Chudley Cannons had any better chance in the league that season.

"We seem to be safe for the moment," Mr. Weasley said as he and Kingsley sat at the table. "I would like to get through these assignments as quickly as possible. Kingsley?"

Kingsley nodded, and everyone sat up a little straighter. "As part of the silent coup that has taken place at the Ministry, Pius Thicknesse has replaced Scrimgeour as Minister for Magic. He has the Department of International Magical Cooperation keeping up the appearance that nothing has changed within the Ministry, and the threat from Voldemort is under control. Ivy."

I looked at Kingsley in surprise, frozen with a spoonful of pudding halfway to my mouth. "Huh?"

"Do you know of the Fellowship of the Eagle?"

It sounded vaguely familiar, but then, I might have been thinking of the Fellowship of the Ring. And I doubted Kingsley wanted me to drop the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. "No."

"It is a militia, older than the United States itself. The Order hasn't been in contact with the Fellowship since 1982, when a large number of remaining Death Eaters infiltrated the United States and staged massive attacks on numerous Muggle and Wizarding towns on the Eastern Seaboard. Their numbers have grown quite a bit since then, and they have bases in almost every state."

I stared at Kingsley, a little surprised. This Fellowship sounded a bit like the Army National Guard. "But – why do I have to go?"

Kingsley smiled slightly. "You are the most familiar with Muggle travel. Magical routes out of the country are being heavily watched by Ministry. Muggle boats and ferries out of the country are being watched as well, but only a couple wizards have been placed at airports, as there are precious few wizards who trust aeroplanes over broomsticks. As long as you are well-disguised and act as Muggle as possible, you should be able to get by them with no trouble."

It didn't sound like he was giving me any choice. "Where exactly am I going?"

He smiled triumphantly, leaning back in his chair. "While the Fellowship's existence is not a secret, the true location of their headquarters is closely guarded. Rumor suggests it is on South Padre Island, an island off the Gulf Coast of Texas. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that area – "

I shook my head. "My mom was from Amarillo, farther north, and I haven't been to Texas since I was nine. But I'll be able to find my way around."

Kingsley nodded. "Excellent. We will arrange Polyjuice Potion and a fake Muggle passport – "

"Can I go with her?"

Everyone looked around at George. "George, I'm perfectly capable – "

"Safety in numbers, love," he interrupted me, then looked back at Kingsley. "Kingsley?"

"That would be wise, Ivy," said Kingsley.

I shrugged, though I was quickly beginning to worry. "Sounds fine to me."

And so it was set. After a call to London's Gatwick Airport (made by me), George and I had a flight to Manchester at 6:45 the next morning. From there we'd take a flight to New York City, then Houston, then down to a smaller airport, Harlingen.

It was also decided that we should disguise ourselves. I was fairly noticeable, and George even more so. A Weasley leaving the country would be sure to raise alarm bells for any Death Eaters watching. So we were going to be John and Helen Bannister, a recently married couple going on holiday in the States.

After dinner, the Order dispersed. Remus and Hestia Jones came with George, Kailee and I to our apartment. Remus and Hestia would be going to be masquerading as George and I while we were in America, so as not to arouse any suspicions.

While Hestia and George began working on mine and George's passports, and Remus went to find some Muggles to steal some hair from, I grabbed Kailee's hand and pulled her toward the bedroom. "Come help me pack!" I said.

"What exactly – " she began as I closed the door.

"Shh! Muffliato," I said, flicking my wand at the door. "This is such a bad idea," I fretted, heading straight to my closet.

"It can't be that bad. I mean, the only people that know about Harry Potter are wizards and witches."

I sighed. "I know, but there is the fact that there's a nine-year-old me, a four-year-old Scott, and their two perfectly healthy, not-dead parents." I put my duffle bag on Kailee's bed and unzipped it.

"What?" Kailee gasped.

I glanced at her, rolling my eyes. "And there's a sixteen-year-old Britney Spears with a full head of hair. Crazy, this whole parallel dimension thing."

"You never told me that!"

I shrugged distractedly as I searched through my closet for something I could stand to wear in what was sure to be hundred-degree weather in southern Texas. "I thought you knew. And that's not really the point."

"What is the point?"

I sighed, pausing in my packing. "If I'm seen in America – if the wrong people think I'm in contact with my friends in America..." I tucked some loose hair behind my ear. "And I'm worried that if they try to dig into my life in the States, they'll find her."

She was quiet for a moment. "Surely Dumbledore did something. He must have known that if someone tried to find information about you in America, they would have found her."

I nodded. "Doesn't miss a trick, that man," I remembered Mr. Weasley saying once, in Chamber of Secrets.

"Just relax. We're going to change yours and George's appearances, Hestia will be here under Polyjuice Potion, pretending to be you, and Remus will do the same as George. No one will even know you're gone."

I frowned. "I hope so." I wasn't worried about Hestia's accent (she would get mine with the Polyjuice Potion), but she used all the British phrases and vocabulary that I didn't. Well, lately, I'd been muttering 'bloody hell' under my breath. But tonight, Kailee was going to go over my vocabulary with her.

I sighed. "This is still a really bad idea. I was nine in 1997. Other than Harry Potter, I barely know anything about Muggle popular culture in 2007, much less 1997. And I have to act like I do because George will be there."

There was a knock on the door. "Ivy?"

I raised my wand and removed the spell. "Come in, George."

He came in grinning. "Hey, love." I smiled at him.

"I'm going to see how Hestia is coming on your passports," Kailee said before hurrying out of the room.

George sat on Kailee's bed next to my duffle bag. "I've never been to America," he said. "It'll be a nice holiday."

"It's not a holiday, George, it's a mission for the Order."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "You're worried, aren't you?"

"I'm fine, George," I lied. I sifted through the hangers blindly, not really paying attention to what was on them.

A moment later, he had stood up and wrapped his arms around my waist. "It'll be fine, love. No one will know we're gone." His fingers slipped under my shirt. "I'll take care of you, darling."

I shivered as he whispered in my ear. I turned in his arms and kissed him. "I need to pack." He decided to ignore me, and he kissed me again. I let him for a moment, then I pulled away. "You need to pack too."

He sighed. "You're ruining my fun, Ivy."

I smirked. "I'm ruining my own fun, honey."

He laughed and kissed me again. "Okay, I'll go home and pack, and then I'll come back and spend the night here."

"That sounds great."

He kissed me before leaving. As I turned back to the closet to continue packing, my smile slipped from my face. Surrounded by all things American, it would be much harder to keep my mouth shut about the Harry Potter books.

Author's Note: The other part of why this took so long was because I needed to research and invent some things for the next four chapters, which comprises Ivy and George's trip to the States. Rowling doesn't give us much information about the Wizarding world in America, and I wanted to have everything set in stone.

One last thing. Pottermore, guys, OMG! I love it so much, all the exclusive content. Especially McGonagall's back-story. She's quickly become my favorite adult character. Add me, okay? StarRain191!