Remus winced as Jenny jarred the bike through yet another rapid turn. "Slow down, will you?" he yelled to her.

"Matter of life and death, remember?" she shouted back over the roaring wind.

"Any chance you can do anything about the turbulence?"

"What?"

"Never mind," he said, letting the wind toss his hair about. He didn't mind broomsticks, but this bloody machine was quite another matter. At least Hestia Jones had believed him, though Sturgis Podmore clearly believed he was off his rocker. It wasn't much farther to the Weasley house now...

They both gasped as the all too familiar glowing green skull rose in the air.

"Oh, good Godric," he heard Jenny say. She went even faster than before, if that was possible. His mind suddenly began playing out tons of scenarios. Just because the Dark Mark was up didn't mean they were dead. Surely, someone could have let it off prematurely. There were new recruits, of course, certainly one of them could be that foolish, if the older Slytherins he'd taught at school were any indication.

From above, the Weasley house appeared to be swarming with a small cluster of ants, many of which lay motionless on the ground in their dark robes. A few noticed the bike as it began to lower for a landing, shooting curses that ranged in the electrifying spectrum from purple to the deadly green. Skillfully, Jenny avoided them, darting the bright lights that suddenly filled the sky. Remus pulled his own wand out and sent the Impediment Jinx downward as they swooped to a landing.

Jumping off the bike, the familiar heat of battle came over him. This was a scenario they had faced many times before as young members of the Order. Flashing lights from within the house confirmed that at least a few of the Weasleys were alive and kicking. Most of the Death Eaters were occupied within or trying to get in, and they surveyed the two newcomers with suprise and disdain.

"Only two," one young ruffian sneered. Remus thought he recognized him; the boy's hood was down. He'd played Quidditch against Harry- a Bole, wasn't it.

The remark couldn't help but sting slightly. They were only two, the only two left of their entire year of Gryffindors excepting Pettigrew, and of the rest of the houses, Snape alone remained. Still, these fools who chose to align themselves with darkness would soon learn what they were capable of.

Casually, Lupin leaned against the garden wall. Immediately, a curse shot at him- Imperio, he supposed. A small, simple deflecting charm sent it straight into another Death Eater. Calmly, he waited.

If Remus was a picture of serenity, Jenny was a flurry of movement. Diving, ducking, rolling, not for nothing had she been the top duelist in their year. She'd improved since he'd last seen her, reflexes incredible. She tackled one about to curse her, punched one who got to close in the jaw, all the while spouting Stunning spells, and of course, her favorite, the Disarming spell. She caught one wand deftly in her hand, used it to apply Rictusempra on its owner, then snapped it in two. Slowly, she fought her way towards the Burrow.

Remus had never been a slouch at dueling himself. Calling, "Locomotor Mortis!" he stopped another oncomer in his tracks, then smoothly shielded himself from a poorly cast Killing Curse. He couldn't help but notice most of the gentleman he was fighting were slightly disfigured. Several had streaks of freshly dried blood on their faces, other enormous, apparently painful boils. Bits of something gooey and flesh-colored littered the ground, squirming slightly like a worm. Strangely enough, it reminded him of one of the Weasley twins' joke products. One or two men had vomit dripping down their chins. And was that a swamp over there?An unsavory bunch, to be sure. Everywhere, there were pit marks from apparent explosions, and several bodies littered the ground. He wasted no time on pity for them, recalling all the horrible scenes these and their ilk had caused. One ventured too close to him, obnoxiously leering and trying to scare him. Lupin lifted a fist and caught the brute with a punch to his glass jaw. The Death Eater, an expression of suprise on his face, crumpled to the ground like a sack of watermelons.

A young voice cried out indignantly. "My nobe! Da girl ebowed be in de nobe!"

"No girl," Jenny said absently as she applied the Choking Curse, which can under certain circumstances kill, to one of his fellows. Casually, she blade-kicked a man charging her, taking out his knee. "I'm a lady."

As teenagers, they would have been fighting people they knew, and such banter would have been common, as it was in the Department of Mysteries. Here, it struck Lupin as oddly funny. He began to work his way towards the house as swiftly as possible, chasing a few of Voldemort's followers off as he did so. There was less exchanges of light from within than there had been upon their arrival.

"Finite Incanatem!" he heard Jenny bellow, stopping Avada Kedavra halfway towards her. He looked about wildly. None of these idiots, surely, could have cast such a powerful spell...

A well-built man had stepped out of the doorway, seething at them. He looked quite dangerous with half of his thick mustache missing and his usually shiny bald head erupting with boils.
"Oy, Macnair!" Jenny called out contemptously, waving her wand at him as if in greeting.

He looked puzzled for a moment, then his eyes narrowed and his lips formed the word 'you'. He stepped forward, infuriated. Remus had a clear shot at him and momentarily considered it, but watching the expression on Jenny's furious face, he decided to let her handle the infamous butcherer.

His eyes alighted on a face that looked outward for a moment, curiously. Dark hair, slighty receding from the hairline, framed the strong face. The pointy nose was unmistakeable, and Lupin would never forget the sneer of his lips, the bottom one slightly bloody and protuding from a recent hex. Hatred such as Remus hadn't felt in years boiled up in him, and the wolf rose up within him, as it did even on such nights when it was at bay.

Mulciber... who had murdered the McKinnons...particularly Marlene...

Remus abandoned his usual style of fighting, charging his way through the crowd with a vigor. Mulciber's eyes widened in recognition, and he sneered with pleasure. Suddenly, he spun around as someone cursed him from behind.

"The girl!" Mulciber yelled to one of his lackeys. "Get that silly little girl!"

Remus, though he saw red, managed to realize that meant that Ginny, at least, still lived.

Jenny bowed slighty to MacNair, deflecting a curse aimed at her back. She, at least, followed the rules of a proper duel.

Macnair pulled his hood down, grinned wickedly at her, and then rasped, "Another time, girl!"

Before she could register the statement, the anti-apparition wards were down, and he was away. His men stared in shock at the place where he had stood. Infuriated, she shoved her way through towards the house, cursing indiscriminatorily.

Remus, not far behind her, pushed his way through. She nearly stopped when she saw the expression of anger on his face. Swiveling, she caught sight of Mulciber lurking within the doorway. Well, if anyone could break Remus' calm, it was him.

She shoved someone out of her way, then knocked another down with the incredibly rudimentary Knock-About curse. "Flipendo!"

Finally, Jenny reached the doorway, and to her relief heard the hoarse voice of George Weasley attempting to stupefy Macnair. The door had long since been knocked down.

"Mulciber!" she yelled, grateful she'd gotten their first. Remus was likely to use an Unforgivable on the man to (possibly) regret it later.

"Your friend ran," she sneered at him, eyeing his followers contemptously. A breathless Lupin appeared behind her, once more under control. Mulciber gave him a vampire's toothy grin, and it took all the werewolf's self restraint not to lunge at him. Oh, if it had been a full moon tonight, he'd have torn the bastard's throat by now... But he was the man, not the beast, and there certainly was a difference he reminded herself.

"Playing with children, Mulciber?" she asked. Over a turned over table, George Weasley's head popped up, relief washing across his face. She began pacing slightly in the direction of their barricade, Mulciber turning to face her until she stood between him and the Weasley's.

"I can recall a time when we were the recruits," Jenny said, an unpleasant smile flickering across her face. "Though, certainly, we were not as pitiful as this lot."

A Death Eater, hardly older than the Weasley twins, moved to hex her, but with a slight movement Mulciber stayed his hand. "Philips, isn't it? Wormtail had told us you were dead... How nice to see it isn't true... I could hardly believe it, having been in Azkaban myself. Not far from your little boyfriend...Did you know he cried in his sleep? I suppose we all did, but his were quite pitiful...'James, forgive me! It's all my fault!'" he mimicked with a cackle. She stiffened. This was a test of wills, who would fire first... an old game, an old strategy, played what seemed like centuries ago. For whoever fired first tended to find themseleves in a disadvantage in a duel, it was a simple law. Defense always proved the better tactic than offense.

"And that great oaf friend of yours," he laughed, wickedly. "He spent a few months there, did you know that? You should have heard him blubber. He was under much less security than us, several floors down, and we could still hear him!" he remarked in faux amazement. Jenny's eyes flickered to Lupin, seeking confirmation. His nod told her more than a thousand years. The worst thing about Mulciber was that he did not lie. The man had learned ages ago that the truth cut worse than any number of lies.

"Don't bother trying to goad me, Mulciber," she said, her voice utterly calm. "After all, you yourself suffered Azkaban; it's mark remains upon you now," she laughed, studying his wizened features. "While you sat in a dank cell, I've been preparing for this day. So let we two old veterans play this game the way it was meant to, and see which one is better a decade and a half on," she challenged.

"Fire away, then," he offered. When she didn't move, he simply cackled and turned towards Lupin.

She stepped towards the barricade, hissing at George. "The wards are down, apparate out!"

"Can't," he said, strained. "I'm worn out, never manage it. Mum's hysterical, and Dad'll never leave us. Ron and Ginny don't even know how! And Fred and Bill, they're out of it." Painfully, he hesitated. "Neither of them look too good."

Meanwhile, Mulciber was taunting Lupin, who was fingering his wand unhappily.

"Hello, boy, I remember you. Killed Luther, didn't you? Ah, yes, you showed quite a penchant for the Killing Curse. A lot of anger in you, werewolf."

"Murderer," Remus hissed.

Mulciber laughed, and Lupin gripped his wand even tighter. "Yes, that pretty little girl. Feisty, wasn't she. Yes, I suppose I am a murderer, but that one did fight back. Came too late, didn't you?" He cruelly smiled.

Lupin gripped his wand, and would have cursed him had Jenny not at that moment grabbed his arm. She inclined her head slightly, and he calmed down. She held out three fingers so only he could see them, then put them down one by one. One...Two...Three...

Together, they leaped over the barricade, Remus throwing himself over it while Jenny did a delicate flip. That was new, too. Mulciber swore, and curses immediatly started bombarding the barricade once more. It was shielded well, clearly, although one of the Weasleys must have temporarily lowered the magic to allow them to enter.

Remus crashed right beside Arthur Weasley, who was bent low.

"Broken arm," Arthur informed him. "Broken wand, too."

Remus nodded, then looked about. Molly sobbed brokenly, clutching Bill, while Ron and Ginny perched right up against the furniture that formed their fort.

A determined looking George Weasley apparently had become the leader of their little band. Fred, out cold, breathed haggardly, cuts lining his torso. They'd removed his shirt in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

George and Jenny bent over the redhead, conversing. "Rem, set up the Floo to St. Mungo's. James' old trick, if you please."

Remus grinned absently at her as he rejuvenated the dying fire with a rapid, "Incendio!" Lifting the nearby pot of Floo powder, he tried to recall James' old, highly illegal habit of traveling by Floo, even to places the network didn't connect to.

"What spell is this?" George asked her worridly, ducking a bolt of purple fire that penetrated their shields.

"Slicing Spell, a derivation of the Severing Spell," she said, scrambling for something in the pocket of her robes with her free hand. She paused to shoot a curse over the side.

"Never- Stupefy- heard of it!" George said nervously.

"Old favorite of Severus Snape's at school," she said, her hand, paled by the lighting, unconsciously tracing her right cheek for some reason. "James was always getting cut up, I swear."

Ripping a lower part of her robe which brought the length halfway up her shin, she wrapped it about Fred's wound. Her other hand pulled out two dark potion vials from her pocket.

"What the hell is that?" Ron wondered, then stared at her. "Never mind that, who the hell are you?"

"A friend," she said shortly, and then continuing to speak to George, told him, "Blood Replenishing Potions. Give him one, it should restore any blood he's lost. I'll have to look at Bill, and he shouldn't need the other anyways."

George stared at her in wonderment. "And you just happen to have these with you?"

"I've carried two since I was sixteen," she answered, jaw tight as she fired a blast over the makeshift wall. "A friend died for lack of one."

He didn't ask questions, but bent over his brother, uncapping the lid of one. "C'mon, Fred old buddy, drink up. You don't really want Lee to take your place, do you? Who'll come up with all the good lines, mate? Who'll be there to get my back? C'mon, Fred, don't die on me now."

Ginny was fighting ferociously, using all the skills she'd picked up in Dumbledore's Army. "That's for Cedric Diggory!" she yelled as she stunned one. "That's for Harry's parents, and that's for Sirius Black!"

Jenny tapped her on the shoulder, causing the girl to spin around. "Try using Diffindo, the severing charm. Aim at limbs, anywhere, doesn't matter. It'll put the fear in them, trust me. You'll get a reaction."

Ginny didn't ask questions, simply nodded and turned back. "Diffindo!" she shouted, aiming at the arm of one of them. It hit, though it didn't entirely knock the arm off, though it clearly cut it terribly from the scream he gave. Mulciber, shocked, suddenly dropped his wand and for some reason clapped his hands over his ears, then recovered and started cursing again. However, several of the Death Eaters seemed disheartened by the exhibit of fear from their leader and backed away slightly. Ginny, impressed, continued casting the spell. Whoever this woman was, she knew what she was doing.

"Molly," Jenny said quietly. The red haired woman looked up, startled. Jenny gently pulled Molly's hands off her son. "I'm no healer, but I'll try to help him. You've just got to let go for a minute."

Shaking, she did so. "I-I-I'm pretty sure the bolt that hit him was green."

Jenny's insides froze. She checked. No pulse. That didn't mean anything in the wizarding world, though, so she tried to relax. "How sure?"

Molly sobbed slightly. "I'm not, just, I saw a flash of green out of the cornor of my eye, and then Bill fell..."

Bill had been such a jovial kid to baby-sit, and he looked like a nice young man. His eyes were closed, though, and he looked asleep, if anything. His face showed none of the usual features of those hit by the curse. Then again- neither had James, or the Prewetts. If he'd seen it coming and had no way to avoid it, it was possible he'd gone down the way many heroes did, determined not suprised.

Jenny choked out comforting words, accompanied by a reassuring smile. "My heartbeat stopped twice by the time I was his age, Molly, and I'm still here. Look, everyone heard I was dead, and yet here I stand. We won't know anything until we get to St. Mungo's, but try not to fret."

"It's ready," Remus called hoarsely, indicating a blaxing green fire.

Fred Weasley, briefly, opened his eyes. "Oh, good, I'm not dead then," he mumbled, causing his brother to practically weep in relief.

"You first, Molly," Jenny said calmly. "I'll bring Bill along."

"I could Apparate," Molly suggested. "Send the children first."

"Er, you sort of need the children to hold the Death Eaters off," Jenny explained, and Molly flushed, clearly embarrassed she hadn't been doing more. "Besides, you can't Apparate into St. Mungo's. Please go, Molly. I'll bring Bill, I'll see him there safely."

Molly nodded, then ducked and weaved over to the fireplace. "St. Mungo's!" she called, and disappeared with a flash.

"Oh, dear," said Jenny, sighing.

"What?" Arthur asked, rubbing his glasses.

"There's a Muggle church in France called St. Mungo's," she informed him, and his eyes widened in suprise. "Just make certain you say it's full name. Go next, Arthur. You're hurt, you're no use here. You're a great man and a valiant fighter, Arth-"

"You don't need to flatter me," he said calmly. "I can see when I can do no good. I'll have them prepare for Fred and Bill." He shuffled his way to it, anunciating clearly, "St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!"

"They're escaping by Floo powder," Mulciber hissed. "Double your efforts. I'll kill that fool MacNair!"

"George, take Fred," Remus instructed. "Hold tight to him, now, if you lose him you may lose him forever."

"Yes, Moony, sir," George answered, beaming at him. "And may I add, sir, that you are brilliant, sir-"

"Enough with the sirs and get going!" Remus ordered. He looked at some stange device Jenny was clicking as George and his twin disappeared, having said the proper words.

"What's that?" he demanded.

"Molecule transfer," she told him. "Picked it up in Canada, it was an experimental procedure about two hundred years ago that never worked right. It'd kill a person. Anyway, I just used it to send my bike to St. Mungo's..." She paused, indignant, at the expression on his face. "Did you think I was just going to leave it here!? It may arrived scraped up a little, but its better than anything these fools will do to it!" She examined the strange little silver object. "Ah, it's a one time use, I guess."

Tossing it over the side, it hit a new recruit in the chest and detonated, killing him at once.

"Ron, you next," Lupin ordered. The green dragon hide jackets had clearly served the boy well, charred marks on the front showing it had clearly dissolved quite a few attacks. The expression on his face suggested he much wished Bill had been wearing one instead.

"Yes, Professor," Ron answered, glancing back. With a faint grin, he bellowed, "Expecto Patronum!" A mighty winged horse burst forth from his wand, neighing loudly, and charged down several Death Eaters, who yelled in dismay. They weren't dementors, obviously, but it set them off balance.

"Very good, Ron," Lupin applauded, delighted. "Quickly, now, we'll hold them back. Ginny, get ready to follow him." She yelled the Severing Spell one last time, then hustled after her brother into the flames.

"Jenny?" Remus offered, gesturing with his arms to the fireplace as he yelled the Impediment Jinx over his shoulder.

"You better show up right after me," Philips warned. Lifting Bill, a full grown man, with strain and earning a raised eyebrow from Lupin, she charge at the fireplace, calling, "St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!" She vanished in a flash.

Lupin turned, facing the barricade. "Mulciber! You'll see me before the end. Expelliarmus!" His jet of red light caused an oof from someone on the other side. Casting 'Finite' into the fire, he dove into the pleasantly warm, tickling fire before it could close, repeating Jenny's words and finding himself pulled away from the battlefield of death and destruction. Passing by a group of chimneys, he hurtled safely towards St. Mungo's, the wolf receding deep within his soul.