Aurors Part X
Well, in just over a month I've written ten parts, probably about 50,000 words. I have almost no idea what's going to happen after this part, just so you know. This is another rather short part, but with an insanely long note at the end which you don't really need to read but might like anyway.
It took Remus quite some time to get away from the Weasleys'. Molly insisted on giving him tea, and Arthur pressed him for details on a number of things, and in exchange telling him about recent goings-on at the Ministry.
"It's a very good thing that Dumbledore's there now," he remarked. "Would have just fallen to pieces otherwise, once Fudge left. There's still no sign of him anywhere, not that we've got many people looking for him. Too many other things to worry about."
"How is Dumbledore going to manage once Hogwarts starts again?" Remus asked. He thought quickly, trying to remember the date. "That's, what ten days?"
"Yes," Arthur sighed. "He said he's got everything taken care of, but I don't know… he may be a great wizard but he can't do everything."
Remus found it necessary to tell Molly and Arthur about the plan to kidnap Harry.
"That's horrible," Molly said. "How could they! Well, we'll take good care of him, don't worry." She looked a bit worried herself though.
"Will you need any help?" Arthur asked. "I could get some Hit Wizards there before midnight…"
"No, that isn't a good idea," Remus said firmly. "Voldemort would be sure to find out. I don't really like the plan," he admitted, "but it'll work." I hope, he added to himself. "I really must get back now." He stood up and put his cup down on the wooden table. "Thank you very much for the tea."
"You're quite welcome," Molly said. "Do let us know that everything's all right, won't you?" She had a 'motherly' look on her face.
"Of course," Remus assured her. He walked to the fireplace. "I forgot to bring any Floo Powder with me," he realised. "Can I borrow some?"
"Certainly," Arthur said. He took down a flowerpot from the mantle and offered it to Remus.
"Thank you," Remus said. He took a pinch and threw it into the fire. As the flames turned green, he stepped in.
A minute later he stumbled out of the grate. There was no sound in the kitchen. Long shadows fell across the floor from the late afternoon sun. It felt very still. A bit concerned, Remus went through to the living room.
Sirius looked up as he came in. "Oh, good, you're back," he said, sounding relieved. "We were starting to wonder what was taking so long."
"Well, Harry's safe now," Remus said. He sat down, feeling very tired.
"Do you need some tea?" Jenny asked, getting to her feet.
"Oh, no," Remus said hurriedly. "I had about four cups at the Weasleys', Molly just kept filling it up again."
"All right then," Jenny said with a grin, sitting back down. "I think we could all use some chocolate and a meal before too long though."
"Let's save the chocolate for after tonight, please," Remus said. "We might need it then."
"No, we won't," Sirius said, but not very convincingly.
"I told the Weasleys you were all right," Remus related. "They were quite worried, you know. They said they're glad to have Harry for as long as necessary."
"Good," Jenny said. She looked relieved. "I'm glad he's safe, at least."
"We'll all be fine," Sirius assured her. He still didn't seem very confident.
The shadows lengthened and the light slowly vanished. Jenny turned the lamps on and sat back down as they passed the time in small talk.
"When this is all over, you should talk to those Dursleys," Jenny remarked, scowling out the window at their house. "They haven't improved a bit since Lily had to deal with them, and they treat Harry abominably."
"It'll be a pleasure," Sirius said, smiling in a way that would have made Dudley faint had he seen it. "Harry told me that he, ah, told them some things about me."
"Midnight, right?" Remus said from his chair. "That's when the Death Eaters are coming, that is?"
"Yes," Sirius said. "At least Lestrange says so."
"When did you last check on her?" Jenny asked suddenly. "I keep worrying that she'll escape."
"She's completely under control," Sirius said, shrugging. "I checked back when that idiot from the Ministry was here."
"All right then," she said. "And everything we discussed is in place, I checked that already. We're about as ready as we'll ever be."
"Two more hours." Sirius looked at the clock. Time continued to trickle past, slowly but surely.
Time seemed t slow down other places, too. Harry found himself glancing at the clock (not the one with things like "you're late" on it, a normal one) continuously, worrying. What if there were too many Death Eaters? If they killed Sirius… he didn't want to think about that. Sirius was, for one thing, his last chance to have a real home. Not to mention the fact that he liked Sirius, and Remus, and Jenny though he didn't know her nearly as well. He didn't like to think of Voldemort killing any of them.
He began to think about his parents as he and Ron watched the twins argue with their mother about 'Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes' – Ron said they'd had the same discussion about twelve times this summer. He didn't know his parents, he never had. But he knew their friends, and by now he had a pretty good idea what they must have been like. It didn't seem fair that Voldemort had taken them from him.
What would it have been like to grow up with his parents? It certainly would have been better than life with the Dursleys. He might have had brothers and sisters the way Ron did. He certainly wouldn't have had to sleep in a cupboard for ten years.
"Why are you so jumpy?" Ron asked as his mother began to launch into a litany about how running a joke shop was beneath them, why couldn't they join the Ministry like Percy. Harry started.
"Just worried about Sirius," he said. He'd already told Ron everything they had planned. "And, well, I really am relieved not to be there when Vol- sorry, You-Know-Who, is coming after me."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "That'd sure scare me, all right. Why didn't you just write to Dumbledore, anyway?"
"Ah," Harry began. He stopped. "I don't think Sirius thinks that way," he said finally. "Or Remus. I mean, as far as I can tell they've both been pretty much out of society for most of the past fourteen years. I guess they just think they have to do everything by themselves."
"Maybe it's just habit," Ron said. "I guess people who hide secrets like they did are just naturally –"
Whatever he would have said was cut off by a thump against a window. Mrs. Weasley started, breaking off in mid-rant. Fred hurried over and opened the window.
"It's an owl," he said unnecessarily as he pulled the bird inside. "Addressed to dad." He handed the letter to his father, who opened it.
"From Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley said, reading the message. "Seems he knows we've got Harry and wants to make sure everything's fine. I tell you, that man knows everything." He shook his head admiringly. "Amazing man, Dumbledore. Oh, and I have to go up to London tomorrow Molly."
"Tomorrow?" She looked a bit dismayed. "We were going to go shop for the children, get them ready for school, Arthur," she reminded her husband.
"You'll have to do that alone, I'm afraid," Mr. Weasley said. "If Dumbledore needs me,"
"You've got to go, yes I know," Mrs. Weasley finished. " All right, of course you do." She looked at the clock. " Oh my! All of you, off to bed! It's nearly midnight and we want an early start tomorrow."
"Mum!" Ron said feebly, but got up and headed for the stairs, Harry trailing him.
Back at Number Six Privet Drive, Sirius, Remus and Jenny were waiting anxiously for the Death Eaters. Jenny had turned out most of the lights and pulled the curtains tightly across the windows. All three of them were standing now, near the door, wands drawn.
At five past twelve, there was a knock on the door. Remus looked at his tight-faced friends.
"I'll get it," he said softly and, taking two steps forward, pulled the door open.
Several dark, hooded shapes stood on the step. From where they were, Jenny was the only one visible.
"The boy is ready then?" one said in a cold, harsh tone. Jenny nodded.
"Come inside so the neighbors don't see," she said. They moved slowly into the house. There were five of them; not too bad odds, but not great either.
The one in the lead stopped suddenly, seeing Sirius. "What's going on?" he asked, but that was as far as he got, because Jenny stuck out her wand and screamed "Stupefy!" as loudly as she could. He fell backward into his comrades, who struggled to get clear.
Remus slammed the door shut and pointed his wand at them, trying to get a clear shot. He was about to curse the one nearest to him when Sirius put the Full-Body Bind on him.
It was three to three now, but unfortunately the Death Eaters who were left had gotten their wands out and held them level. One threw a nasty hex; Remus blocked it deftly and was glad for the time he'd spent practicing.
Suddenly another Death Eater was done; no one knew who had eliminated him.
"Put down your wands," Sirius growled as he leveled his at the throat of the nearest Death Eater.
"Black," the man said. "Snape was supposed to deal with you. He said he had." He sounded amazed that Sirius was alive, and Sirius grinned.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm quite alive." He held his wand steady. "However, I consider all of your ilk responsible for a lot of things, including my twelve years in Azkaban. If you and your friend don't drop your wands, I'm going to start evening the score."
The Death Eater seemed to consider this, then tossed the wand aside. His companion, after a moment's more hesitation, did likewise.
"Jordan Lestrange!" Jenny gasped as she saw the first Death Eater's face for the first time. "I recognize you now."
"We've got your wife too," Sirius said. "And, Lestrange, I owe you personally a good deal. So don't tempt me." As he spoke, he bound both Lestrange and the other man with cords shot from his wand. Remus had already done the same to the incapacitated Death Eaters.
"How are we supposed to get all these to Diagon Alley?" Jenny asked, prodding the petrified one with a toe. "Plus dear Marissa, of course."
"The Knight Bus?" Sirius suggested. "Do you think they'd take six bound prisoners?"
"No," Jenny said firmly. "I'd say we should call Dumbledore."
"I'll do that," Remus volunteered. "Too many questions if you did it and someone else was there, Sirius."
"Right," Sirius said.
"I'll go fetch Marissa then," Jenny said, smiling coldly as she headed for the basement. A few minutes later she returned, chivvying the reluctant Marissa at wand point. The woman took one look at her husband, bound and glaring fiercely at Sirius, and turned on Jenny. She was met with a wand in her chest.
"Go right ahead and make my day." Jenny smiled sweetly and chilling, at the same time. Marissa subsided and didn't even protest as she was tied the way her husband had been.
"Dumbledore's coming himself," Remus reported as he emerged from the kitchen. "He didn't say who he was brining with him but did say you needn't hide, Sirius."
"Good," Sirius growled, staring at their prisoners. "I am rather hoping that one of these sodding sons of –"
"Sirius," Jenny said warningly, but she didn't seem to really mean it as she too stared cold-eyed at them.
"Anyway, Dumbledore will be here soon," Remus said. "I think he was expecting my call, actually; he didn't seem too surprised to see me or to hear what we'd done."
"Well, how did he know?" Sirius asked. "We didn't tell him."
"I think he knows a lot more than he lets on," Jenny mused, wand still pointed at Marissa's head. "He – good heavens, is that him already?" She pulled open the door.
It was Dumbledore, and Snape, and several Ministry workers who had been at Dumbledore's meeting. They turned immediately to the Death Eaters, but Dumbledore looked at Sirius, Remus and Jenny. It was a gaze they all (mostly Sirius) knew from their Hogwarts days, and it seemed designed to make the recipient glance at his feet and shift uncomfortably.
"Ah, would you come in, Professor," Jenny said brightly. Dumbledore smiled and the temperature in the room seemed to increase slightly.
"Yes, thank you." The four seated themselves in the living room. Snape followed unasked and sat as well, as far as he could from Sirius and Remus.
"Well," Dumbledore said after a moment in which nobody looked at anyone else, "would you care to explain why you called me at midnight telling me you'd just captured six Death Eaters?"
"Because we'd just captured six Death Eaters," Jenny said in an odd tone. It seemed as if she were trying not to laugh. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, but his tone was firm, and Snape didn't seem to find any of this amusing at all.
"I would like you to explain just how this can about," Dumbledore said firmly. With a collective sigh, the three began taking turns, explaining everything.
"And so we called you," Remus concluded finally. The Ministry men had taken the Death Eaters off long ago, the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye was still more pronounced, and Snape's scowl was just as dark.
"You realize that had any of the Death Eaters escaped you," Dumbledore addressed himself to Sirius, "they would have told their master you are still alive, which would have resulted in some uncomfortable questions for Severus?"
Sirius opened his mouth to speak but Jenny rushed in ahead of him.
"Well, actually we never considered that," she stated. "We'd come up with our plan before we found out that he had to fake his death." She frowned at him. "You don't honestly think that any of us would actually want Voldemort to find out you're a spy, do you?" She spoke the last to Snape. He looked rather uncomfortable before speaking for the first time that night.
"I hardly know what you would wish," his eyes fixed Sirius' with a cold glare, "But I will admit that I doubt you intended to put my position in danger."
"It worked, didn't it?" Sirius said, frowning. "Harry's out of danger and we captured six Death Eaters. And everyone still thinks I'm dead."
"Yes, it worked," Dumbledore agreed. "And that's a good thing, because I need all three of you. One of my other sources – not Snape – has been in contact with a Death Eater who says she wants to help us. She insists that Remus be her 'contact' – I'm sending you to meet her tomorrow." Remus looked at Dumbledore; he felt there was something the old man was not saying, but he nodded. "Jenny, if you could keep writing articles, that's been working very well for us."
"Articles?" Sirius asked her, looking puzzled.
"I'll explain later," she said. "Of course I can. I'm rather enjoying it."
"Good. And Sirius, since you're officially dead, I think you'd better keep out of sight for a while. I've got some jobs for you to do that I think you'll find interesting." Dumbledore finally smiled. "And I must admit, you three did a fine job here tonight." He stood. "Coming, Severus?"
The End (For now, of course.)
Somewhere in the Eastern United States, a teenage girl sits hunched over a keyboard. Every now and then she glances nervously at a clock and steps up her furious typing. Finally, she sits back, sighs, and smiles.
And there we go. Another story all wrapped –
Sister: Hey! We're leaving!
Me: Just another minute – wait, it's nowhere near time yet! The flight's not until five in the morning!
Sister: We're staying at a hotel tonight, or do you want to be up at two?
Me: Right. Just a sec, almost done. Anyway, disclaimer is standard, you all know it already. I'll be-
Sister: What the heck are you doing? You want to be left behind?
Me: I've got a responsibility, you know. Can't just slope off to Hawaii without letting my readers know. It's like a contract or something.
Sister: You've really lost it. (They really do think this)
Me: Have not. Okay, sorry you won't find out what happens next for a while, but as I said I'm headed for Hawaii – Waikiki Beach, look out! I'll be back around the 23rd of August, but don't expect a story right off because I'm not taking my computer along. I might get to write, but I don't know… and then school starts again two days after I get home. Anyway, to, er, forget your name, the one who's something like 'Rowan' who's been giving me great long reviews, if you see this, I want to write to you, after I get back, so keep your eye out.
Sister: Sheesh, why don't you just tell them what's gonna happen and put them out of their misery? That way they won't have to read your stories anymore.
Me: I resent your implications. However, good readers, I shall endeavor to have something for you before September the First. And I'll be thinking of you in Hawaii, as I soak in the sun and try to forget 'Snuffles'. I'm still traumatized over that one. (WolfieTwins – facing my fear has not helped one bit yet.)
Sister: Bye, Kate. We're headed off for-
Me: NO! Wait! I'm coming already….
The girl saves her work, uploads, and rushes furiously down the driveway to catch up with the very crowded car as her siblings begin a rousing rendition of "One Million Bottles of Butterbeer on the Wall". Off key.
This is going to be a very long plane ride.