Your responsibility

"Have you figured out how they escaped from Azkaban yet?" Rose wanted to know.

"No, we have no idea so far. We've sent our best investigators to find out, but other than figuring out that the creatures were in fact a form of chameleon ghouls, they have made no progress. They came in on a boat, but no one seems to be able to determine when they arrived or even who was on the boat. It is all very confusing." Harry seemed annoyed at this.

"Maybe you are going about it all wrong. Have you considered having someone going undercover in Azkaban and finding out how they escaped?" Rose asked.

"Yes, we've considered it, but it is too dangerous. Most of the Aurors are too well known by the prisoners there. We would send them into unknown territory. No, we should leave it to the trained investigators."

"Why? They aren't likely to find out anything, if they haven't so far. And you can't send the Death Eaters back there until you know how they escaped. Can you keep them somewhere else?"

"Listen, Rose, you don't need to worry about it. We will figure it out."

"It doesn't sound like you will. I want to go to Azkaban. Maybe I can figure it out. I'm not known to them."

"What? No. I said it was too dangerous for a trained Auror, it is worse for you, a civilian and a known target. No, I will not allow it. There is no reason for you to go."

"There is. I don't want this to happen again. I need to be sure that it cannot happen again." Rose couldn't really explain why this was so important to her. She just felt that this was something she needed to do. She hoped she would be able to persuade Harry about that. If not, she would have to find another way.

"You need to be here, Rose," Ginny said. "Scorpius will need you, when he gets better."

"Scorpius won't be better for a long time and the Healer made it clear that I am the last person he should see." Rose said. "I need something else to do in the meantime, and just sitting around feeling sorry for myself isn't going to make anything better."

"No." Harry said. "No, I am not going to let you do that. It is too dangerous. Besides, the Death Eaters may recognise you."

"I can disguise myself. Besides, the ones that are there now only saw me from afar."

"They're not going to just tell you the secret." Albus said from the bed.

"I'm not going to ask them. But a new guard, put in charge of them, may offer them some assistance, for some favours."

"No. We've considered that plan, and it is much too risky. There are so many things that can go wrong."

"Please, Uncle Harry. This is a chance for me to do something useful while Scorpius recovers. I'll be careful, I promise."

"You cannot promise that. There is no telling what could happen. These are dangerous people Rose, cunning people. They may even expect something like that. No, I will not allow it."

"I wasn't aware that that was your decision to make," a voice said from the door. They all startled and looked up. As usual, Hermione had entered the room without anyone noticing.

"Your responsibility is to find that last Death Eater." Hermione continued. "So why are you here?"

"Excuse me if I take time from my lunch break to visit my son in the hospital." Harry said. He did not look happy to see her. "But I will go and check on the progress now, Madam Minister." And with a stern look at Hermione, he was out the door. Rose didn't understand that exchange between them. Normally, they were not so formal with each other.

"Was that necessary?" Ginny asked indignantly from the other side of the bed. "He is clearly doing all he can."

"Yes, it was." Hermione replied shortly. "Because, as you heard, Harry would never even consider the ideas that I am about to propose. He hates it when anyone other than he himself is the one taking risks. Especially if it involves members of his family."

Rose looked up. Did that mean that her mother would actually allow her plan? She had at first hoped that Uncle Harry would let her go without involving her mother but maybe she had underestimated her.

"You mean you are actually considering allowing Rose to go off to Azkaban?!" Ginny said incredulously.

"Perhaps." Hermione replied. "I need someone to go there and find out what is going on, on that island. And while you wouldn't be my first choice Rose, if you really want to, I can have you sent there."

Ginny's mouth fell open. "But why her? Surely, if this is really needed, you can send someone else? There is no reason for her to go, and many reasons why she should not go!"

"Yes, that is true." Hermione said. "But I currently don't have many people to spare. She can clearly take care of herself, as she has just proven. Harry is right when he said that most Aurors or Law Enforcement would be recognised."

Rose was speechless, but she smiled at her mother. It was nice to be taken seriously.

"There are some conditions." her mother said as she looked over at Rose again.

Rose was ready to accept almost any conditions, so long as she could go to Azkaban with the Ministry behind her, instead of sneaking in some other way.

"First off, you will need a secret identity. Apart from the people present in this room, only Harry and a few other people will know where you are. And you will pass for a male. Female guards are not common in Azkaban, and you would stand out."

Rose nodded. That didn't really sound like a condition.

"And I want your word, your word, that if at any time the Death Eaters or anyone else there seems to suspect that you are not who you say you are, you will extract yourself from there at once. Do not risk exposing yourself just to track them. Is that clear?"

"Yes." Rose said with a nod. She had not expected anything else.

"Good. Third, you will obey any order given from me or another one of my trusted employees. If I deem that this job is too dangerous, or that you cannot do this, you will obey my order to extract from the situation. That will be my choice, not yours. Is that clear?"

Rose nodded again, though slightly more reluctantly. She supposed this was the least she should expect. Ginny and Albus both looked stunned. Ginny looked like she was trying to think of more arguments, but Hermione didn't give her time to come up with any.

"Good. Now that that is settled, we need to get to the preparations. I will probably be with you for the first few days, so we will see how this works out as we go along."

"You'll be there too?" Rose asked, surprised. Maybe that was why her mother allowed her to go.

"Yes. It is clear that the whole guard system needs a complete rearranging, so I will go there myself to fix it. I have no trust that Perrot will get anything done. And I will not send the Death Eaters back there until I am satisfied that they will be secure there."

"I'm sorry, Perrot?" Draco butted in. "You still have Perrot in charge? No wonder you are having security issues. That man has been there for ages, he must have a touch of the Dementors on him still. My father mentioned how he had blind spots the size of Wales when it came to prisoner security. You could get anything past him, as long as it passed the Secrecy Sensors."

"Your father?" Hermione asked incredulously. "He's been there that long? That can't be. Perrot isn't more than 50…"

"Then it must be someone in the family. But I wouldn't trust a Perrot with security."

"Thank you, Draco, I will keep that in mind. Did…" Hermione seemed to hesitate for the first time since entering. "Did your father ever mention how he and the others escaped in 1997? Or back in 96, when Bellatrix and the others escaped the first time?"

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. No one liked to be reminded how they and Draco had been on opposite sides for most of the war.

"The Dark Lord made a deal with the Dementors, so he and a few other Death Eaters simply walked in and released them. So, the only thing that can be learned from that would be to not trust Dementors." Draco said with some reluctance.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. That is one of the many, many reasons why I won't have Dementors free anywhere near a place with humans, and certainly not in charge of other people. But it is still an island in the middle of the North Sea, it should be secure. I need to get to the bottom of it."

Rose went with her mother out of the hospital room, leaving two stunned Potters and one slightly uncomfortable Malfoy behind.