She paused at the fireplace, staring as what was left of the pages curled and crisped in the flames. She tried to focus on her research that day, but it was no use. So she spent the rest of her day meditating. When night fell, she pulled a chair by her window, staring at the dark windows of the room next door until she drifted to sleep.

She woke up the next morning with a crick in her neck and panic in her chest. When no paper arrived with her coffee, Hermione went straight to the dining room without changing out of her pajamas.

She found Narcissa standing over the table, glaring down at the newspaper. Blood rushed in her ears.

"What's happened," Hermione croaked. "What did Skeeter say?"

A light scoff. "I've had enough of Miss Skeeter for one lifetime, thank you very much," Narcissa replied, and as Hermione inched forward. Her mouth fell open when she realized it wasn't the Prophet spread out on the table, but pages of The New York Ghost.

"Mippy took a trip to New York City this morning," said Narcissa.

Hermione blinked, her neck craning to get a better look.

"Start there." Narcissa pointed to the pages on the other side of the table.

Hermione moved quickly to those pages, and found the evening edition from Tuesday, when hundreds of rebels failed in their mission to take Basel back.

But that wasn't what she found in the Ghost.

SMALL BAND OF REBELS CAUSE TROUBLE IN BASEL
by Gertie Gumley

French and Swiss fighters from "the True Order" coalition caused a stir in Basel, Switzerland this morning when a series of explosives detonated outside the Basel Town Hall. Swaths from the Dark Lord Voldemort's army of so-called "Death Eaters" were dispatched to Basel instantly, and according to sources, spent the whole day fighting maybe twenty-five soldiers.

Hermione frowned, but before her mind could compare Skeeter and Gumley's takes, her eyes caught on Wednesday's paper.

FRENCH SUCCESSFULLY INVADE ZÜRICH
by Gertie Gumley

After drawing hundreds of Death Eaters to Basel yesterday, the True Order has claimed territory on the east side of Zürich. The city was sparsely occupied after Tuesday's attack on Basel, creating a window of opportunity for the army of Swiss rebels and their allies.

According to eyewitnesses, the rebels moving on Zürich vastly outnumbered the Death Eaters left in the city, catching the Dark Lord Voldemort's army unawares.

"It was a classic Wronski Feint," said an anonymous source. "Thousands of French in Zürich all at once. Only I can't quite make sense of how they invaded from the southeast."

Hermione's eyes popped wide as she read, her vision jumping from page to page, looking for any mention of familiar names. The rebels were taking ground. This was good news. But—

"Is there any mention…?" She trailed off, running her fingers over her lips.

"Here." Narcissa extended a paper to her, and Hermione plucked it more quickly than was polite.

It was today's Prophet. A picture of Draco, Lucius, Mulciber, and Bellatrix was at the center of the front page beneath the headline, "REBELS THWARTED IN ZÜRICH."