The vibration of the amulet was the sign that a person was initiating the contact from the other amulet. Normally, I wouldn't think twice before answering the call and connecting via some reflecting surface, but now I am doubting.
I left amulet without any explanation whatsoever. Even an experienced wizard will spend at least a week on deciphering enchantment on it and understanding its usage.
So the fact, that she learned it so soon, even with the help of some adult wizards is simply unrealistic.
To take or not to take the call is a very hard question.
Block of the load function, my intuition rings danger and she suspiciously calls me soon after the block. Too many coincidences, if you ask me. But to ignore a call is also a bad idea. I don't want to really lose a connection with Hermione. She is a smart wizard and a loyal friend. Yes, stupid and annoying, but loyal nonetheless. Plus, I want to keep in touch with the plot actors.
While I was thinking, the amulet stopped echoing.
I needed the solution and I needed it quick.
After ten minutes of pondering, I finally thought of an idea.
*A bit earlier in the Burrow*
"I know we agreed to use this world's plot against progeny, but I think rushing is not an answer. He will certainly feel that something is wrong. Or at the very least Athena won't let him enter such an obvious trap."
"That's why there is no point to trap him." Dark laughed.
"Hm?"
"I honestly don't give a crap if that cursed progeny escaped. He is bound in the world with a God who has access to the ultimate weapon of death. As long as I reach him, he is dead. He can't be escaping forever, while we have plot armor and centuries ahead."
"I still don't get it. If you know that he will escape, then why would you give away our presence to an enemy? We can catch him ..."
"Unaware?" Dark finished for Markus, then he cheerfully continued, "Impossible. The moment Universe was blocked, progeny knew that something was wrong. What we need to do is to affect his mentality. If a person he trusts betrays him and sells him to us, he will suffer. Mental war is what we need to use. Physically catching him will be hard now. One thing I am sure of is that Athena is not fully in control, which means that we can pressure the boy mentally to the brink of insanity. And the betrayal will be the first step. Then you will start the hunt. Put on the target on his head. Publish his face and information. Make the world believe he is a demon king if need be."
"Well, he might not care about such things like these. Some people prefer solitude."
"Ahahaha, bullshit. That's the mistake of you humans. You think you can just turn off the need for communication. Think you can control emotions. Laughable. No matter how uncaring a human is, he will break under constant pressure and absence of communication. This is a fact. You, humans, are fragile. The need for communication is a physical necessity born in the process of evolution when nature understood that lone monkey is a dead monkey. After a year he will be losing himself. After five, he will become deranged. After more, his brain will be losing it. As for Athena, she has no powerful enough energy source to keep in touch with her progeny on a regular basis."
"I know people who meditate for decades alone, without any need for communication. I don't think you are right. Plus it is a big world and there is the Internet."
"Show me a person who had no conversation for more than 3 years and I assure you, that the person will be a madman. As for the problem of the big world, making somebody famous in such a world is even easier. After all, what we are looking for is not find him, but to break him."
"Can't you just honestly say that all you want is just to torture the boy as much as possible and in any way possible, just to make your vengeance sweeter?"
"I never said, I am not personally interested in these actions. But let's not play hypocrites here. You are here for the sole reason of getting your revenge, just like me. No need for bullshit righteousness. Okay?"
"I want revenge. Yes. But I am not going to do something so... immoral. I am doing this to save our Universe, from a future, where she comes back. As for you... You truly are an unfilling and crazy being."
"That's a definition of a God, Markus," Dark smirked.
"Maybe that's so for your world, but in mine, Caesar was a god. And he was neither unfilling or crazy."
"Maybe. Maybe not." Dark only weakly smiled, "So? Let's begin."
Markus only sighed, before answering:
"Let's."
After that, both men erased memories of them coming to the house. Then they both exited the house, only to return a few minutes later. But this time, both of them had nice looking suits with coats over and hat on top. The very definition of a gentleman of that century stood outside of the Burrow, getting ready to knock on the door.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Who might it be?"
"Sweetie, can you open the door for me please."
"Okay, mom" then a young girl's voice came from behind the door, "Coming! Wait a second."
Soon door was opened and young Ginny Weasley saw 2 middle-aged men, both with cases in their hands.
Two of them tipped their hats down in greetings and then the one with sunglasses asked in a mild but deep voice:
"Can we by any chance, find a person, named Magnus in your house?"
The girl looked at them and then turn her head back to scream:
"MOM?!"
"What, Sweetie?"
A middle-aged woman came in. She then looked at her guests and was surprised.
"And who might you be?"
"Hello, Miss..."
"Weasley. Molly Weasley. And it's missis. And you?"
"Hello, Missis Weasley. My name is... Derek and this is my colleague Markus. We are part of the magical government, similar in job to what you call in England, Aurors. We looking for dark arts users and criminals with a dark past in magic use. We are here looking for a boy, you might know as Magnus. Can we talk?"
This really surprised Molly, but soon she recollected her thoughts and said:
"Uhm, well come in. Let me lead you to the living room. We can talk there."
*A few minutes later*
"He left, well that's a shame. We've been looking for him and now that he was so close, we missed him."
The man called Derek said, and that's when Harry mentioned the amulet, that most people already forgot about.
"Hermione, didn't Magnus left some amulet for you to talk with him?"
"He did? That's great! Can we contact him?"
Markus happily asked, while little Granger accusingly looked at the Potter.
"You want to talk to him?"
"Yes, Miss Granger. We need to talk to him, so if you can contact him, this will help us a lot."
"But... what do you want to talk to him about?" She inquired.
Derek looked at her for a long time, before he answered:
"We want to convince him to come back. He is a suspect in multiple crimes. However, I can't divulge the information on these crimes, but believe me when I say that, they are not light acts of lawbreaking."
Everyone in the house was stunned, while Hermione agitated, said:
"But he is not a bad person and we lived together for the past 3 years. He couldn't have committed any crimes."
"3 years?"
"Yes!"
"And what about before?"
"Before? What do you mean?"
"Do you know anything about his past? His parents? His home country?"
Now everyone started to have some doubts, but Granger continued, albeit weaker:
"He-e-e is an orphan! An-and he is from Asia and ..."
Markus who was standing in the corner, interrupted:
"Basically you know nothing, young lady."
"I..."
"Don't you find this suspicious at all? A young boy from a faraway country, suddenly appears so far in Europe and becomes a student of Hogwarts? No past, no parents, no background and yet he somehow was able to get here alone without any help."
"I... don't know..."
"Please, miss Granger, cooperate with us. You are helping him. If he is not coming back on his own, then he will become a true criminal and will be hunted down like one."
"Even if I wanted to help you, I don't know how to use the amulet, so I am sorry, but I can't help you."
"Can we have a look at it? We are from the same country. We might know how it works."
"Okay?"
*An hour later*
He didn't answer the call.
"As expected. He ignored it." Harry commented.
Even though Hermione was confused, she still considered Magnus to be her closest friend, so she was quite angered by his words.
"What do you know!"
An argument broke out. Hermione blamed Harry, while he started accusing her in defending a possible criminal. Some may say that this was uncharacteristic of Harry, but Magnus touched his weak spot. Sirius Black. His one and only relative. Moreover, how could have Potter known that Magnus saved Sirius from the life of constant hiding.
In his mind, Magnus was a "monster" since that eventful night when he crippled Pettigrew, who was unarmed and ready to surrender.
As for Ron, he was the best friend of Harry, so it would be strange if he stood up against him. So, 2 boys argued with one girl.
Strangely, adults didn't interfere with this argument and only quietly discussed something with 2 ... Aurors? This was a most questionable part, but thanks to Markus's technologies and Dark's divine powers they fooled them both. Now everyone was sure that Derek and Markus were inspectors from the American Wizarding Government.
However, everyone was interrupted by a sudden vibration of the amulet, lying on the table.
Hermione, forgetting all about the argument, rushed to pick up the amulet. Then she ran to a long mirror prepared beforehand and touched its surface with the amulet. Then she fixed her hand to hold the amulet in constant contact with the mirror.
Soon, in place of her reflection, a young boy appeared, but something was terribly wrong there. The boy was Magnus, yes! Yet, he was full of bleeding wounds all over his body, his clothes were ragged and dirty, his hair was messy and his breathing was rapid.
"Hermione!"
He looked tired and concerned, looking often to his left and right.
"Magnus? What happened to you?"
"My past caught up to me. Those bastards want me dead. They even sent some people to kill me. Although, I still have no idea how they tracked me down. I didn't leave any traces. I didn't use magic or magic artifacts, except for the amulet of contact I have on me. But you hold it so it is impossible for them to track me. Moreover, they attacked me while I was having a shower, so I had to run with whatever I could grab on me. Thank god I still have the amulet and a wand."
Inspectors exchanged glances, and Markus showed some sign to Derek, who then quietly left the scene, without anyone noticing. In the meantime, Magnus in the mirror, looked left and right as if afraid of something coming. Some loud crashing sounds were heard in the background, so Magnus continued:
"Anyway, I need your help ASAP! Honestly, I didn't expect to be the first to use this artifact and to even use it so soon, but now is not the time to ask questions. These people are true monsters. Report this to the Ministry of Magic and request some help for me. I am in ..."
"Magnus? Magnus?!"
Suddenly, reflection became blurry, while sound grew static, but after a few seconds, everything stabilized.
"One of the retranslators for the signal has been destroyed? Strange, this should be... impossible. They..."
Magnus slowly paused and looked at her. Then as if realization hit him, he paled.
"Hermione!? You ...?"
His whole face was a depiction of how betrayed he felt.
"You helped them? You helped these cold-blooded murderers track me down? Why?! I... thought you were my friend?!"
Magnus with tears streaming down his face was the last thing the mirror has ever shown, because after that it became dull and dark, never to reflect again.
Everyone looked back at the inspectors, finally noticing the absence of the second one, they took out their wands and pointed them at the inspector, named Markus, who only had one thought in his mind:
'Huh? Shouldn't he be the bad guy in this play? How the heck did I become a villain?!'
*No progress*