Author's Note: Here's the second round of the chapter update blitz! Enjoy!
We're getting painfully close to when all the action starts!
Disclaimer: Things haven't changed since the last chapter. Jo still owns all the Harry Potter shiz-nit.
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away
Crawford and the woman had helped gather up the groceries and apparated back to headquarters with Tonks and Remus. They had left Remigio and Aidan to give their statements and help the government responders clean up the site of the fight.
When they opened the door, Godiva was standing just inside along with Beatriz.
"Is everyone alright?" Beatriz asked, looking the group over and letting a flash of panic appear in her dark eyes, "Where's Remigio?"
"He's back with Aidan, cleaning up," Crawford informed the nurse.
Godiva came forward and smacked her husband's arm, "Damn it, Crawford! You didn't tell me there were Death Eaters! What the hell were you thinking? Going in without any cover!"
The woman who had apparated with them held up her hand, "Excuse me. I believe I count as cover."
"I didn't even know you were here, Juliet," Godiva said, noticing the woman for the first time.
"I had just came in from New Orleans when Aidan's patronus came in," Juliet said.
Crawford mumbled something about fixing a sandwich and took the grocery bags into the kitchen, levitating the pile in front of him. The rest of the group followed and seated themselves at the table.
Juliet looked at Tonks and Remus and said, "Good to see you made it."
They both gave her strange looks in return. "E-excuse me?" Remus questioned.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Juliet Trent. I sent you the letter with the portkey. I believe you met my husband in New Orleans."
"Oh! Yes, now I remember," Remus said, remembering reading Juliet's name at the end of the first letter they had received on the previous night. He introduced himself, Tonks, and Teddy.
Crawford, now holding a sandwich, seated himself at the table next to Godiva and across from Remus.
"I thought you told us we were safe here, Crawford," Remus stated.
"I thought you were, too," Crawford sighed, sitting down his food.
"If we're safe than why are Death Eaters attacking us outside of muggle grocery stores?" Remus questioned, beginning to let some of his anger show. Dora reached over and put a hand on her husband's arm.
"Listen, if I had known that there were Death Eaters-"
"Why didn't you know? I thought you said that you had people on the lookout? I thought that the point of this group was to monitor things like this. Shouldn't you know of a Death Eater rally just down the road?" Remus said angrily.
"We can't know everything," Crawford stated, not betraying any emotions.
Remus pounded his hand on the table, "What do you know, then?"
Teddy let out a scream and began crying at the sound of his father's raised voice, Dora put the baby up to her shoulder and tried to soothe him and spoke to her husband in a hushed tone, "Remus, you're scaring Teddy."
Remus turned to his wife, "We're fortunate that Teddy is even alive at this point, Dora. Apparently, these people cannot even manage to notice things happening right in front of them," his words dripped with poison ire.
"But he isn't," Dora forcefully interjected, "Crawford, Juliet, and Remigio came and helped us. We're fine now, Remus. Everything's fine now."
Remus gave a huff of discontent and fixed a harsh glare on Crawford.
"You're right," Crawford conceded, "We should have known. That's what we're here for. We should have known."
Godiva put a hand on her husband's arm, mirroring Remus and Tonks, and looked with concern upon his lined face.
"Juliet, did anything seem off when you were in New Orleans?" Crawford asked, rubbing his chin in thought and not looking up from the table.
Juliet shook her head, "I never left the building, but you know Greyson, if there was a threat, he wouldn't have even allowed me to visit."
Crawford took a deep breath and continued to stare at a spot on the table.
Within moments, a silvery white bear cub, someone else's patronus charged into the room and spoke with Keegan's voice, "Death Eaters have been spotted around town. Word on the street is that they're gathering down on the lakeshore. We're working with the Chicago branch. I think we'll have it undercontrol." Then the patronus vanished.
Crawford looked up at the spot where the cub had been standing.
Not five minutes passed before another patronus, this one a rooster, flew in and spoke with Gunnar's voice. "We've been called in by the team in Toronto. Apparently, there's some Death Eaters on the move. We'll keep you in the loop."
Crawford's eyes still had not moved.
Godiva looked flustered, but tried to find some way of calming the group. So, in a fashion not unlike Molly Weasley, she began making sandwiches. As she began spreading mustard on the fourth slice of bread, a patronus shaped like a shark rushed in and said, "This is the Wyoming team reporting in. We've been asked to go down to Denver and assist. Big Death Eater movement in the middle of town."
"We're going to be alright, aren't we, Crawford?" Godiva asked, stacking another sandwich.
Crawford did not speak.
"Crawford!" Godiva shouted. Her husband's head snapped up and he gave her a helpless look.
Dora tugged at Remus's sleeve, he turned to her, "Remus, what's happening."
He shook his head, "I don't know. I wish I knew what was going on back in Britain-"
Remus was interrupted by a silvery monkey swinging into the room and speaking with Justin's voice, "Death Eaters on the move dawn on Bourbon Street. Crazy dahn heah, y'all. Muggles don' even know wha's happ'nin'. We got de Louisiana group with us, but if y'all can spare a hand or two, that'd be appreciated."
"Greyson!" Juliet gasped.
"Juliet-" Crawford began.
"I'm going," she said, apparating away.
"Remus," Tonks looked at him with eyes full of concern and a little fear.
He sighed, "I don't know."
"Was it like this the last time?" she asked.
"The attack wasn't nearly as global the last time. A lot's changed in seventeen years, Dora."
"It won't be as bad here, right?" she said, clinging to their infant son.
"I- I can't know for certain. No one can. This time is...so different from the last time," he said sounding defeated.
Within moments, a patronus shaped like a gorilla charged into the room and spoke with a young man's voice, "They've got reports of Death Eaters massing in Miami. We're headed there now."
"Zeno!" Godiva shouted, dropping the knife with a clatter, as she ran forward to the spot where the gorilla had stood as if she could catch it, "Crawford! Our son is charging off to fight Death Eaters! What's going on?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a patronus in the shape of a ram galloping into the room, it spoke with the voice of a young man they had never heard before, "Death Eaters on the move in Hogsmeade. Looks like they're going for the school. We're going to check it out."
Tonks and Remus shared a look of concern with flashes of fear.
"Crawford," Godiva said again, forcefully, "What's going on?"
Crawford drew a deep breath, "It's starting."