Chapter 4: A Daring Rescue
After all the noise and raw power that had been crackling in the air before, the quiet and stillness that followed was almost uncomfortable. No one expected a momentous event to take place in silence.
Everyone in the Order was frozen, waiting for something to happen. One minute passed, and then another and still nothing happened.
"Well, where is he?" Sirius asked.
No one answered. No one had an answer. Could it be that the spell was a dud and that they had gotten their hopes and fears up for nothing?
"Perhaps we should try it again, just to be sure that we did it correctl…" Frank Longbottom was cut off as a flash of white light streamed into the room leaving everyone in the Order momentarily blinded. Rubbing the dark spots from their eyes everyone in unison turned their gaze towards the cloaked figure that was now screaming and twitching in the middle of the room.
Acting on instinct several members of the Order went into action.
Alastor Moody sent a stunning spell at the twitching figure without hesitation, while Albus Dumbledore put up the counter-curse shaking his head at Moody.
Lily Potter and Remus Lupin had rushed towards the screaming figure to try and help relieve some of the pain he was in. While James and Sirius kept their wands at the ready just in case the figure attacked. As Lily moved her wand in a complex pattern trying to get a reading on their mystery man, Remus Lupin held the figure still to stop him from hurting himself.
'He's not as strong as I would have thought.' Remus pondered to himself. "I would have thought it would be harder to keep a hold on Voldemort's potential defeater.' Shaking himself from the thought he refocused on keeping the figure steady, ignoring an uncomfortable feeling that was settling in his stomach.
Meanwhile Lily was getting more and more frustrated as one by one her spells failed to penetrate the cloak the figure was wearing. Not only could she not get the cloak off, she couldn't seem to get any readings on what was happening to the man beneath. As a last minute effort Lily conjured a pair of scissors and attempted to cut the clock off. A few seconds later she let out a frustrated snarl as this proved as inefficient as all her previous efforts, but before she could attempt anything more drastic the cloaked man stopped screaming and his body went slack.
Seeing his wife on the verge of setting something on fire James quickly motioned pleadingly to Dumbledore for help.
No one moved or even seemed to breathe as Dumbledore kneeled down beside Lily, and began his own set of complex spells. Five minutes later, he arose and said "This man has a very complex anti-removal spell on his cloak. The spell is familiar, but it has been modified so that the only one who can remove it is the person wearing it. It's quite ingenious really."
"Ingenious? It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of! What are we supposed to do, just sit here and wait for him to either die or wake up so he can take it off? He could be seriously hurt. He was screaming as though he were under the Cruciatus when he arrived. We need to find a way to get that cloak off him NOW!" Lilly responded desperately.
"Unfortunately waiting is all we can do." Dumbledore responded.
Lily looked furious and then seemed to droop as she realized there was nothing more she could do.
The Order was once again silent. Each lost in their own thoughts.
"So that's him? That's the most powerful wizard in the universe? He doesn't look like much, does he?" Sirius remarked to no one particular. "I mean I was expecting some Hagrid sized person, with arms the size of tree trunks. This guy doesn't look like he's taller than five foot ten and he looks a bit scrawny if you ask me."
"You're making the assumption that this person is a 'He' Sirius" Alice Longbottom put in. "While 'He' could just as likely be a she."
Sirius got a far off look at that thought. "A she? A Voldemort kicking, ultra powerful, possibly super-hot she? That's a lot better than my idea. Let's hope for that."
"He, or um…she… or rather… um this person was not particularly difficult to hold down." Remus added.
"One's physical appearance rarely tells of their magical abilities." Dumbledore remarked quietly.
Once again the Order fell silent. What was there to say? What were they supposed to do?
"He's not what I expected." James said quietly. "None of this is what I expected. I don't know exactly what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't this.' Realizing he was rambling James quickly added "Did the spell mention that it was going to be painful for him Lily?"
Rather than speak Lily chose to simply shake her head.
The silence of the room was broken as an old clock chimed the hour. Several of the Order members shifted nervously. Alice Longbottom, all the while biting her lip, finally spoke up.
"Professor Dumbledore, when is this person going to wake up? It's midnight and… I know it seems trivial compared to everything that's happening… but… Frank and I have the graveyard shift for the Auror Department. We're already late."
Dumbledore sighed. "Again I'm afraid the only answer I have is that we will have to wait and find out. But if I was to hazard a guess, I'd say this person will remain unconscious for several hours at least."
Ignoring the irritated mumbles from the Order, Dumbledore continued, "Perhaps we should end the meeting here." Continuing on despite the incredulous looks he was receiving, Dumbledore explained, "Now that I think on the matter more objectively, I believe that it would be wise to be extremely cautious while dealing with this personage, at least until we can be sure of his nature. We cannot ignore the possibility that this man is an enemy. That being said I think it wise to make sure this individual doesn't see every member of the Order upon waking. We will end the meeting here, and take our normal shifts to maintain the wards on Headquarters as well as guard this being."
Minerva McGonagall raised the concerns of every Order member. "Do you think that wise Albus? Leaving only two members at headquarters? What if he wakes up? If this man is capable of defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named I hate to think what he could do to two of our members."
"I believe it to be safe." Dumbledore replied unaffected. "We will have the element of surprise and his disorientation as our advantages. Those who are on duty will watch him carefully, and if he begins to stir they can immediately stun him and summon me with their Patronus. That way we will have some control as to when this individual will wake. Now, if there are no further objections I call an end to this meeting. Gideon, Fabian, I believe it is your night to watch over headquarters.
The Order reluctantly rose to their feet and after exchanging a few halfhearted farewells began leaving.
"Bit of a letdown isn't it." Sirius said to James, Lily, Remus and Peter. "I was looking forward to seeing him... I mean her."
"We'll get our chance Sirius," Remus replied. "Personally I'm glad the meeting's over. I'm ready to fall into bed and not get out till next week. How about you James? James? What's wrong Prongs?"
James was staring transfixed as Dumbledore conjured a bed and levitated the unconscious figure onto it. "I don't know. It's just I feel… I feel … protective of this individual Remus. I feel like I don't want to leave. I feel like if I leave something is going to happen and I won't be here to help. I… Why do I feel like this?" James whispered.
"It's just the stress of the day catching up to you Prongs. You're mentally and physically exhausted" Remus responded gently. "You feel responsible for not being able to do anything to help those who were killed in today's raids. Go home. You'll feel better after a full night of sleep."
"I don't think that's it Remus… but you're right about feeling exhausted. We probably should be getting home and to bed. Lily, are you ready to go?"
Lily tore her eyes from the quietly resting figure and seeing the drained state of her husband she swallowed her objections and nodded. Together, she and James, after bidding farewell to their friends, apparated to their home in Godric's Hollow.
"I guess fire whisky will have to wait till Friday… well maybe by then this super-hot Voldemort killing babe will be awake to accompany me! Goodnight Moony. Night Wormtail." Sirius said before following James and Lily out.
Remus stayed an extra minute to check on Fabian and Gideon and make sure they were set for the night before heading out.
No one seemed to notice the pale figure of Peter Pettigrew who had remained seated trembling at the thought of what he now had to do. Shakily standing, he apparated from the Order's headquarters; his night's work had just begun.
In stark contrast to the Order's headquarters, Voldemort and his Death Eaters were currently meeting in a very comfortable manor. The atmosphere was full of triumph. Open laughter and unwitty banter were being tossed around as the Death Eaters congratulated one another on the day's accomplishments.
"Then as Bones was trying to get the bawling brat out of the house I apparated behind him and hit him with the killing curse. The muggle brat hit the ground… SPLAT! It was great. You should have seen Sirius Black's face. He looked like he was going to throw up seeing his teacher snuff it. You'll come with us next time?"
"Perhaps." Was the only thing the rigid figure being addressed said.
The Death Eater who had been telling of his murder went on… "Didn't let the wife and kids mourn too long… Wilkes, Rosier and I went over to their house half an hour ago, locked all three of them in with anti-apparation wards. Then we set the whole thing up in flames. Be interesting to see how long it takes before anyone notices."
The young Death Eater said nothing, but no one seemed to find this strange. He wasn't known as being the most sociable of people. The group he was now speaking to knew this more than most for they had all gone to school together, formed a group together and joined the Death Eaters together during their 6th year at Hogwarts. They were the closest thing to friends he had. Staring at the mask of the man he knew to be Rodolphus Lestrange, the young man contemplated how very little a mask concealed if one paid attention.
Unlike the Order, all of the Death Eaters were masked at their meetings. The Dark Lord was the only one who knew all of their identities. Few Death Eaters knew many of their fellows besides those who had joined around the same time. But Severus Snape, as he was known by the few Death Eaters who knew him, liked to think he could guess at who the majority of the Death Eaters were. He had been around many of them for years. True many had been several years ahead of him in school but that didn't mean he couldn't recognize them by their voices and mannerisms. That's the nice thing about pureblooded families he thought to himself… they all carry similar mannerisms. If you can pick out one you find out the identity of three others.
He smirked as he noticed Rodolphus's father come over to give his congratulations. It really wasn't hard at all if one paid attention. Snape took the opportunity to excuse himself from the group and move to take a seat at the middle of the table. As he sat in his recently acquired chair, which was a little closer to the front then it had been a month before; he smirked again to himself beneath his cloak. It would have been nice to see Black's face as he watched his favorite Auror teacher die. Maybe he would go on the next raid after all.
A few other Death Eaters from his group came and sat down beside him, waiting for the meeting to begin.
It was only a few minutes before midnight when the Dark Lord entered. Those who had been talking and laughing quickly hushed and promptly formed ranks around the table in their designated seats. Those, like Snape, who had been seated stood and awaited their Master.
Voldemort was the only unmasked figure in the room. It would not do to have their leader masked; he did not need to hide who and what he was.
Only after the Dark Lord had taken his seat did anybody move. Everyone quickly moved to sit down trying to remain inconspicuous. It was never a good idea to draw attention to yourself at a Death Eater meeting, something Severus Snape had learned all too well and was now an expert at.
The topic of the meeting was routine. They had been planning today and tonight for a long time. Today was meant to be the severest hit to those who opposed the Dark Lord. They were to take out as many Ministry workers and Dumbledore followers as possible. The Dark Lord had called it the day of darkness; the day the Lights go out. And many had.
"Antonin" the Dark Lord hissed to a Death Eater seated a few seats from the front. The Death Eater jumped at being addressed by name and squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Snape allowed one side of his mouth to twitch as he added yet another name to his growing list of known Death Eaters. "Is your team ready for the attack on the Order's headquarters tonight?"
"Yes. Yes of course my Lord. Everything is ready. We are just waiting for your spy to return and confirm that the Prewitt brothers are going to be there and then four Death Eaters and myself will go and take care of them."
Voldemort paused and pressed his long fingers together caressing his wand between them. "Yes my spy. He is late tonight. No doubt the meddlesome old fool and his Order had much to speak of. It will be amusing to hear his report."
Several Death Eaters chuckled nervously. Snape chose to remain silent.
As though summoned by his master's desire a short plump man wearing creased black robes staggered into the room. Severus Snape's forehead creased. Something about the spy, as he was often referred to as by the other Death Eaters, had always rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was because he was so unrespectable. From his unkempt robes to his whole demeanor, the man seemed to scream undignified.
'Definitely not a Slytherin,' Snape thought to himself.
Or perhaps it was because every time he saw him, which in truth wasn't often, Snape felt he was overlooking something extremely obvious in divining who this Death Eater was. But whatever the reason, Snape ardently disliked him, even if he couldn't put his finger on why.
"Ah… yes. Just the man we were waiting for." Voldemort said smoothly. "Do come and sit down. I trust you have good news to report?"
The spy slowly made his way to the table, wringing his hands nervously all the while. Snape raised an unseen eyebrow. Trepidation… it could only mean the news the spy had to share was not good, but how could that be? The Order and ministry had been massacred today. Looking around at the table he did a quick survey to see if there were any missing from among their ranks. There weren't.
'What could be making the spy so nervous?' Snape asked himself again.
Apparently the Dark Lord had also noted the spy's strange behavior because he immediately sat up straighter and his tone became harsher. "Sit down and give your report Worm before I lose patience."
Snape frowned. Even the Dark Lord's name for the spy seemed to hint at something Snape should know about the man. But perhaps he was looking too much into it. The name was fitting for a spy. Worm… the hated creature found in apples, slowly rotting it from the inside out.
The spy stood trembling in place. "My..my Lord" He began. "My lord, I have some… some disturbing news to report."
Several Death Eaters murmured at this, but The Dark Lord silenced them all with a raise of his hand.
"What news could possibly be disturbing today?" Voldemort asked in a deadly whisper. "Today we emptied the ministry and doubled our numbers. Today the Dementors joined our ranks leaving several Aurors soulless. Today we struck the ministry a blow from which they will not recover. And tonight we strike the Order. Today is the day of our greatest triumph. Tell me Worm, what news could possibly be disturbing today?"
The body language of the spy clearly told that he wished he could be anywhere but where he was at that moment. He seemed to be unable to speak.
"Answer me. I will not be kept waiting." Voldemort spat.
"My, my Lord. The… the Order has… has pr..pr..preformed a spell."
Voldemort's slit nostrils flared in annoyance at the stuttering mess of his spy. The spy seemed to notice because he quickly continued.
"They were desperate… after today's attacks…. Li..Lily P..Potter… she translated a spell that was to summon a… a being to our world who… who would de..de..defeat you."
The room was as quiet as a tomb. Severus Snape had tensed at the name of his once best friend, silently wishing that he could curse the spy for connecting her with such horrible news.
"Was the spell successful?" Voldemort asked in a deadly whisper.
"I… I…. I'm not sure my Lord. It did bring… someone…But… but we couldn't see his face. He was wearing a cloak that Dumbledore couldn't remove. The man… he…he is unconscious. The Order…they… they are unsure of who or what he might be… They…they fear he may be another dark wizard… and…and are taking precautions."
Voldemort sat unmoving, with his hands now tightly grasping his wand. "Precautions…. You said the spell was to summon someone who would kill me, so light or dark this wizard is my enemy." Voldemort became silent thinking to himself. "You said he was unconscious? How long did Dumbledore say he would remain so?"
The spy seemed to relax at how calmly the Dark Lord was taking the news, and, in a more confident voice, he answered "Dumbledore said he…he would not wake for several hours at least. He left the man in the care of the Prewitt twins at the Order Headquarters tonight. They are to stun him if he starts to wake."
A wicked smile spread across Voldemort's face. "Interesting. It seems that Dumbledore and his Order are even more desperate than I supposed, bringing an unknown wizard into the game. What a blow it will be when we not only kill their members tonight but their potential savior as well. I can think of nothing that will show them more that their efforts are worthless and that nothing they do will stop us. Antonin," Here Voldemort turned to the Death Eater he had been addressing before the spy had entered, "I think tonight's raid will call for a few more than five Death Eaters after all. I am giving you an extra target."
"But… my Lord… If the man should wake… do you not think it best my Lord that you…"
"Crucio." The spell hit Delohov in the chest. He began screaming in pain as the Dark Lord held the curse on him. "You would do well Antonin never to question what I see as best." Voldemort spat ending the spell. "I will send five additional Death Eaters with you. Does that suffice?" Delohov franticly nodded. "Good. You are to attack immediately, before this wizard wakes. Burn the house and this…. savior along with it. If anyone tries to interfere kill them. Report back to me here when it is finished."
With that Voldemort silently pointed at five other masked Death Eaters. Each of whom stood and walked to stand beside Antonin Delohov. Snape let out a sigh as the Dark Lords finger passed him by. Snape silently thanked his skills at remaining unnoticed. He did not want to be in this attack.
There were no more words exchanged as the chosen Death Eaters prepared to leave. Reviewing from his memory he was able to identify six of the ten chosen. But just from those six he could tell it was probably one of the most dangerous groups ever formed. Some of the Dark Lord's most experienced followers were in the group. And some of the most sadistic as well Snape thought as he noticed Bellatrix Black, soon to be Lestrange, join the group.
The clock struck the hour of 2 a.m. as the chosen Death Eaters left for the attack.
Severus Snape gathered his billowing cloak around his arms and settled into his chair. There was nothing left to do but wait now. The Dark Lord had not excused them and only a fool would think of leaving before he was excused.
'At least we can wait without him watching our every move.' Snape thought to himself as Voldemort withdrew to his private room to wait.
The Death Eaters quietly began forming their usual groups so they could discuss the latest news. Severus shook his head when invited to join his group, and chose to remain seated. He was not one to volunteer his thoughts unless there was an advantage in doing so, and at this time, he thought to himself, the wisest course is to remain silent and wait and see what happens.
"Checkmate" Gideon Prewitt said with a smile as his Queen moved and obliterated his twin's Knight after an hour of playing.
Swearing under his breath as his King threw down his crown Fabian shook his head and glanced over at the unconscious form beside them. Nothing had changed. The figure still looked dead to the world.
Responding with an adamant "No" when Gideon recommended a rematch, Fabian got to his feet and walked across the room.
Maintaining the charms on headquarters was always a tediously boring task, but it was one that had to be done. As long as one member of the Order remained in headquarters, no one outside of the Order could enter.
Feeling a need to stretch his legs more than a walk around the room could provide, Fabian told his brother he was going to make sure everything was normal outside. Taking out his wand he briskly walked out the door and started circling the shack that acted as Headquarters.
'We really need to find a better place to have our meetings.' Fabian thought to himself looking at the run down hovel. Looking up at the stars, Fabian took a few deep breaths and turned to go back inside.
He never arrived.
The silence of the evening was broken as a series of pops erupted all around him. Turning with his wand raised Fabian saw that he was surrounded by Death Eaters. Dodging several streaks of lights that flew towards him, he began firing his own spells trying to get inside headquarters. Three yards from the door Fabian's luck ran out and he was hit with the Cruciatus curse and fell screaming on the porch.
Gideon was lost in thought as he stared unthinkingly at the cloaked figure. He'd have to take a walk around the house as well when Fabian returned. He needed help staying awake. As he walked to the door to tell Fabian to 'hurry up and get his butt back inside so that he could have a turn,' he was brought back to earth by the sound of screaming.
Hurriedly looking out the window he saw his brother crumpled and screaming on the porch a Death Eater standing over him.
Not pausing to think about what would happen if he left headquarters; Gideon rushed out the door and stunned the Death Eater holding the Cruciatus curse.
Flinging himself in front of his brother Gideon fought with the speed and skill of a seasoned warrior, bringing down another Death Eater a minute later. Fabian, after recovering the best he could from the Cruciatus curse stood with his brother as the remaining Death Eaters formed a circle around them blocking off every means of escape.
Unable to apparate, and unable to escape, Fabian and Gideon stood back to back to fight the group of Death Eaters. All around them Voldemort's followers fired spells several hitting the now unprotected headquarters, lighting it on fire.
Fighting valiantly the Prewitt brothers held off the Death Eaters long enough for Fabian to cast a Patronus and let Dumbledore know that headquarters had fallen. After three minutes of dueling Gideon fell to a Cutting Hex, and Fabian followed, hit by the blasting curse.
If history had not have been changed that day, Fabian and Gideon Prewitt would have then been hit with killing curses and left to burn along with the Order's Headquarters… but it had been changed.
"I smell smoke." was the first coherent thought Harry could put together as he tried to gain control of his spinning thoughts.
Opening his eyes and looking around the smoke filled room he realized he had no idea where he was or what was happening. The last thing he remembered was walking with Ron and Hermione to the edge of Hogwarts.
'Where are they? Or better yet where am I?' Pushing back his questions, Harry pulled off the hood of his cloak, took out his wand and cast the bubble head charm on himself so he could breathe.
The clear air didn't help resolve his questions, but it did help clear his head enough to decide that it was better not to figure things out in a burning building.
Harry cautiously made his way from the room avoiding a few falling chunks of ceiling and wall. When he arrived at the front door it struck him that it looked as though it had been blasted apart.
There were sounds of fighting coming from outside. Drawn by the sound Harry glimpsed out the door. What met his sight was a scene of horror; a sight he had hoped never to see again.
Several Death Eaters, all masked and cloaked, were torturing two figures with red hair, while a few others aimed curses at the windows and walls of the building causing them to shatter and collapse.
'They're going to collapse the whole building,' Harry thought starting to panic.
Apparently the chief Death Eater noticed at the same time. "Not yet! Get in there and kill him first. We bring the building down after. There can be no mistakes!"
Four Death Eaters abandoned their places along the walls and made their way to the door where Harry was crouching.
Dashing behind the door Harry quickly turned his invisibility cloak around to the invisible side and disappeared.
Impatiently waiting as the four Death Eaters entered the house and passed by, Harry watched helplessly as one of the red haired men was hit by a cutting spell.
The moment the last of the four Death Eaters entered he snuck out the building and ran towards the Death Eaters in time to see a blasting curse hit the second red haired man.
As one of the Death Eaters raised his wand and began casting Avada Kedavra, Harry fired his own spell causing the Death Eater to crash to the ground before he could finish the curse. The remaining Death Eaters turned to where Harry was, but seeing nothing, started firing off spells in every direction screaming.
Harry dropped to the ground and crawled on all fours to where two Death Eaters lay unconscious on the ground covered in a variety of spells. 'At least the red haired men went down with a fight.' He thought desperately trying to banish unbidden thoughts of Fred from his mind.
Using the unconscious Death Eaters as cover Harry hit two other Death Eaters with a cutting curse just as the four Death Eaters who had entered the house ran out. "What are you doing?" One yelled at the unconscious Death Eater. Harry smirked and inched away. It must have looked like the unconscious Death Eater was cursing their comrades.
The one Death Eater that had remained outside and was still conscious answered. "It's him it's the wizard the spy told us about! He's out here somewhere invisible."
The Death Eaters looked around nervously. Harry furrowed his brow. They didn't know that it was him they were attacking? So then who was their target?
Deciding that now was defiantly not the time to try and figure things out Harry quickly aimed a summoning spell at the crumbling building causing the top of the already collapsed roof to come crashing down on one of the four Death Eaters.
"Apparate out!" One of the others yelled diving out of the way of flaming debris. Four loud pops sounded as the remaining Death Eaters hurriedly left, leaving behind those who were unconscious.
Soon there was no one left but two hurt and bleeding red haired men who reminded Harry of the Weasley twins and four unconscious, two dead Death Eaters.
Harry, after turning his cloak to the visible side and pulling on his hood, walked over to the two fallen red heads. Bending in front of them Harry took in their injuries in a helpless manner. He needed to get them to St. Mungo's, but he didn't think he could side-along apparate them both at the same time… But he couldn't just take one of them either. How would he get back here for the other when he had no idea where he was?
Reaching beneath his clock, he ripped off the bottom of his shirt and placed the makeshift bandage onto the rapidly bleeding cut on Gideon's chest. Pushing down he held it in place so as to slow the blood flow. While adding another layer to the soaked bandage Harry was caught off guard as several pops announced the arrival of several new wizards. Twisting around, Harry, without his wand and with bloody hands, looked up into the battle ready face of Albus Dumbledore and several members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Questions for Reviewers
This chapter had the whole Death Eater meeting added. What did you think?
Was the battle scene believable? I had four Death Eaters flee, but seeing as how they believe Harry to be capable of killing Voldemort I didn't think it was unbelievable, but I would like to know what you thought while reading it.