The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 56- Escaping

Even though they were not ready yet, Harry insisted that they broke into the Ministry the following morning.
Sabrina hated the Gryffindor part of him that made him impulsive, as it led to him not thinking things through.
But they had a basic plan, and in the end everyone agreed that it was time to get the Horcrux back.
The longer they waited, the stronger Voldemort got, and the more people suffered because of him.

Since Sabrina was not going on the mission herself, all she could do was wish the group luck before they left.
She would then sit in the kitchen, waiting for the trio to return, while Kreacher prepared lunch for them all.
Sabrina did not like waiting, and doing nothing. And as she had no idea how well the mission was going, she was extremely anxious, while she waited for Harry and the others to return from the Ministry.

When Sabrina heard a commotion outside the building, she quickly jumped to her feet and ran out into the corridor.
She expected the front door to swing open, and Harry to walk in.
But when this didn't happen, Sabrina became suspicious, so she removed her wand, in case Harry had brought trouble back with him.
She head the sound of someone disapparating outside the door, followed by the sound of an angry man shouting loudly.

The front door then swung open, and Sabrina saw a Ministry official, who she knew was a death eater, walk inside the building.
She recognised Yaxley immediately, and quickly fired off a stunning spell at him, before jumping back inside the kitchen.
Since she hadn't been in a duel in a while, she wasn't sure that she could defeat Yaxley, so she knew that she had to get out of Grimmauld Place as quickly as possible.
She just prayed that he hadn't seen her closely enough to recognise who she was.

Sabrina didn't want Kreacher to come to any harm, because of Harry.
So she grabbed hold of him and apparated them both to the park she used to play at as a child, before apparating again, and taking them both to her house.
"What's going on?" Questioned a very confused Kreacher.
"Something went wrong at the Ministry. Yaxley must have grabbed hold of the others as they disapparated back to Grimmauld Place. That means that he will be able to enter the building as often as he likes, and he will be able to bring other people with him. Grimmauld Place is no longer safe, which is probably why Harry and the others didn't stick around" replied Sabrina.

"Where is Master Harry now?" Asked Kreacher.
"I don't know. I just pray that the three of them managed to get somewhere safe" admitted Sabrina.
"Did they manage to get Master Regulus's locket?"
"I hope so. Because if they didn't, it will be almost impossible to get to again. It's a shame that you can't go to Harry unless he summons you. Which I don't think he will do, if he thinks that Ministry officials are snooping around Grimmauld Place right now. I just hope that Yaxley didn't see my face. But even if he didn't, it won't be safe for me or you to return to Grimmauld Place ever again".

"Where will Kreacher go?" Questioned Kreacher.
"Perhaps you should return to Hogwarts. There are a lot of house-elves who work in the kitchen, so you will probably be safe there" suggested Sabrina.
"But Dumbledore is not there anymore, to protect Kreacher" reminded Kreacher.
"I know. But my brother is the Headmaster now, and he won't turn you over to the authorities, trust me. If I ask him to keep you safe, then he will"
"Then Kreacher will go there later today"
"Good".

"Where was that place you took us to before we came here?" Quizzed Kreacher curiously.
"Nowhere important. I used to play at that park, when I was a child. I didn't want to apparate straight here, in case Yaxley grabbed hold of me, which he seems to have a habit of doing. Things didn't end well for me, the last time I disapparated back home, in the presence of enemies. I didn't want to make that mistake again" answered Sabrina quietly, as she thought about the events that had led to her sons death.
"Will you try and find Master Harry?" Asked Kreacher.

Sabrina sat down on her sofa, and sighed, "I wouldn't have the faintest idea of where to look. I haven't known the boy for that long, so I don't know where he'd go. He's not an idiot, so he wouldn't go anywhere obvious, which means that my chances of traking him down are almost none. Besides, I am still in hiding. I can't go looking for Harry, for the same reason that I couldn't go looking for Mundungus. It is too dangerous for me out there right now".
"Master Regulus wouldn't want you to do anything dangerous. He wanted you to be safe" replied Kreacher.

"Yes, Regulus cared more about my life than his own, which in the end, is what led to his downfall" admitted Sabrina.
"I don't think Master Regulus would have gotten out of the cave, even if you weren't there. Those things in the cave were too horrible. Master Regulus never stood a chance" said Kreacher sadly.
"The Inferi pulled him under before I could do anything... But this time I won't be a bystander. If I hear anything from my brother, or read anything in the paper about Harry's location, I will go straight there to try and find him. Regulus left me a mission. He told me to destroy the locket, and I won't stop until I find it again, and destroy that thing once and for all".