Title: ARGONAUT
Author: obalesque
Summary: Tonks visit's the Delecour home while George and Whimsey seek out the tunnels that Colin tipped them off to.
Rating: M or R
Feedback: Please.
Main characters: Argonauts and Fluer.
Notes: Characters may fall out of character, though since the books are seen through the thoughts of Harry ninety-nine percent of the time it is hard to understand what is exactly OOC and what is not.
Disclaimer: I do not own, though like many other's I wish I did. I am earning nothing off of this except a release of creative energies.
A/N: Bold print represent French conversation.
March 31, 2000
George and Whimsey wrapped themselves in their coats and threw two invisibility cloaks over them so they could walk to the gates of Malfoy Estates without drawing any unwanted attention to themselves. Whimsey opened the gates and they both stepped out onto the quiet forest road on the other side. They then apparated from there to the city limit's of Colin's home town.
The city limit's sign showed the population to be only two thousand people in the warn down, old industrial town. During the second world war it had been a booming city responsible for the production of several types of engine for the war planes used in defense against the Luftwaffe, but when the Germans bombed the city the government moved the production underground and the city dwindled into nothing.
"Just west of the city," Whimsey said, cold air created steam from his mouth to billow out as he tried to suppress a shiver.
"Right. There's the city, we go that way," George pointed west. They wrapped their cloaks tighter around them as they began walking. The sea air coming in from thirty miles east made the area feel much colder than it really was. They walked for half an hour until they came upon a small gas station. Just passed the station they could see the moldering towers of the once prominent industrial site.
They apparated forward to reach their destination faster. Standing at the east fence surrounding the area they looked over the site they noticed, as Colin said, the factory had fallen.
"Best get to work. From the look's of those ruin's we'll be here a while," Whimsey said.
They apparated once more, this time directly in front of the fallen building. "Start that way, we'll meet there then move through the middle," Whimsey said as he pointed to a partial standing wall in the north.
George nodded and went of to his left, Whimsey taking the right. It took them almost an hour to round the whole building, and by the time they'd reached the far side they were frozen.
"You know, I think we should have asked exactly where the tunnel entrance used to be," Whimsey said.
"Just another act of failed planning. We have to stop doing that or someone is going to die one of these times," George shuttered at the thought of how he almost lost his twin earlier that day. "Let's hurry. I'm too cold to stand still for long."
"Right," Whimsey shivered. They started shifting through the rubble in front of them, and two hours later they caught the faint whiff of sewage rot.
Whimsey moved the rubble some with a quick flick of his wand then suddenly fell through a plank of rotted wood down into the forgotten basement of the factory. Brick and asbestos fell down after him with a crash and he cried in pain and shock.
"Whimsey," George cried out. He ran the best he could through the rubble until he came to the hole. Through the darkness he could see nothing.
Tonks descended on the small chateau surrounded by vineyards. She was pleased that it had not taken long to reach the Delacour home.
She watched from above as a woman left the home, her shift apparently over. She recognized the woman as being a maid from Bill and Fluer's wedding here a few years ago. Tonks landed and stashed her broom in a bush before shifting into the image of the maid. She walked up behind the woman.
"Excuse me, mademoiselle," Tonks said in perfect French.
"Oui," the woman said as she turned to greet whoever was behind her. Her face twisted into shock when she came face to face with herself.
Tonks grinned as she stupefied the woman and stashed her in her carriage. She warmed the air within so the woman did not freeze then ran to the side door and entered the chateau into the kitchen where the chef looked up from his confectionous delights and gave her a wide smile.
"Could not stay away from me, eh, Monique," he flirted.
"I left my wand up in Mistress Fluer's room," Tonks smiled sweetly.
"But, of course you are just trying to tempt me into that ménage à trois with the Mistress even though you know I prefer men."
"I can dream, can I not," Tonks played along. She continued through the kitchen and up the servant's stairs, making her way to the room she knew Fluer probably still resided in. She knocked on the door and waited.
"I do not want to be bothered," a woman snapped from within the room. Tonks ignored the woman and entered the room, quickly closing the door behind her.
Fluer looked up from her pinpoint at the intruder and leapt from the chair. Her hair was held together in a tight ponytail and her color had faded. Dark circles encompassed her eyes and premature wrinkles marred her face, proof of her obvious worrying.
"Monique, I will have you fired for this. I told you I do not want to be bothered," Fluer yelled.
"Shut up, Fluer," Tonks said. Fluer's jaw dropped.
"How dare you," She snapped.
"You need to calm down and listen to me."
"And why should I do that," Fluer demanded.
"Because you and your son will be in danger soon and the Weasley's and I want to make sure you both are protected."
"You. You are not Monique. Who are you," Fluer demanded as she drew and pointed her wand at Tonks. Tonks, realizing she should have removed her disguise long before, did so. Fluer stood in shock for a moment then dropped her wand to her side. She recognized who stood before her.
"Why would Artie and I be in danger, Tonks. We have done everything the Death Eaters demanded of us," She said in a very deep French accent, her demeanor falling into a depressive state.
"The war is not over. There is still a resistance going on. If they even think for half a second that a Weasley is involved the Ministry will punish them all. Including you and Arthur."
"But we are not involved. We can prove it."
"Do you think the Ministry would listen," Tonks said sadly.
"I know," Fluer asked as her eyes fell on her son. Tonks followed Fluer's line of sight and saw a small todler with creamy skin and bright copper hair playing on the floor a few feet away from her. "What do I need to do."
"Whimsey," George called again.
"Bloody hell, George," Whimsey's voice echoed up. "Lumos."
"Hang on, Whimsey. I'll get you out."
"Don't bother, boy. This is what we were looking for. Just get down here."
"Just a second," George said, he crouched down to jump into the hole.
"Take the damn stairs," Whimsey hollered up as George's movements dropped more rubble down on his head.
"Where?"
"To your left about six feet. Looks like there's some planks lying over them."
George started moving the rubble away from the place Whimsey directed him to. Sure enough after moving a pile of broken plank's the stairs came into view.
George climbed down, almost tripping twice and having to jump halfway down because of missing steps. Once on the ground he moved in the direction he thought Whimsey was in.
"Over here, George," Whimsey called out. "I need your help."
George turned in the direction of Whimsey's voice. He found Whimsey sitting under the hole he'd fallen through.
"I need your light," he said. "I think I broke my leg."
George brought his glowing wand down towards Whimsey's leg.
"Nox," Whimsey whispered and waved his wand in the motions akin to mending a broken leg. A few charms later Whimsey lit his wand back up and George helped him to his feet.
"You alright," George asked when Whimsey gasped at a sharp pain that surged through his leg.
"I'll live. Let's find that entrance and get the hell out of here."
The cellar smelled much stronger than the feint whiff they'd caught earlier. They then separated and moved through the cellar in search of the tunnels.
"The smell is stronger over here, George," Whimsey called after a few minutes. George turned towards Whimsey and followed him into a web filled room. An old, rusted boiler sat against the south wall. As they moved closer to the boiler they examined it and found a very small steel grate just beside it.
"Maybe that's it," Whimsey said. "Wingardium Leviosa."
The heavy steel cover slowly moved away from the shaft and was set down next to it. George looked down into the hole. Webs practically created another door, interweaving with one another down the entire shafts depth. George waved his wand to banish the webbing and peered down into the darkness. He could see a ladder attached to one side and descending into the darkness.
"I'll go first," George said. He climbed down a rusty ladder to a tunnel with a concrete floor. The red and black brick walls were covered in moisture. Whimsey was behind him in a moment.
They started down the straight path, walking for ten minutes until they reached stairs going down. At the bottom water flooded the floor.
"How deep do you reckon it is," George asked.
"Not very, judging by the height of the ceiling above us and the height of the one down there," Whimsey answered. They descended the steps, stopping just above the water.
"Tell you the truth, George," Whimsey pointed at the black water, "I'm more afraid of what might be floating in that than I am about how deep it is."
George nodded in agreement before taking a tentative step into the water. His first thought was that it was very sludgy and his stomach turned when his active imagination dreamt up images of what it might have been. It certainly smelt like it.
The water came up to his ankles as he took several steps forward. Whimsey followed him into it and they continued ahead for a quarter mile til they reached a heavy, twelve inch thick, rusted steel door that was cracked open an inch.
George tried to push through but it was so badly rusted it wouldn't budge. Whimsey pointed his wand at the hinges and muttered a charm that dissolved the rust allowing the door to swing open as effortlessly as the sludgy water would permit.
Through the door they found a large room with rusted desks and rotting wood. Rats were swimming around the water filled floor and nocturnal water plants were growing up the walls. There were also four rusted doors in the room like the one they just came through.
"This is definitely the place," Whimsey said. "Let's find the source of the water and try to block it off."
George nodded and walked to the nearest door. "Water seems to be flowing out through here."
"So the water is not entering from that direction. Check that door back there. See which way the water flows."
Whimsey moved toward's the door on his right. "Never mind, George. Water's coming from here."
"What if it's coming from multiple directions," George asked as he moved towards Whimsey.
"Then we isolate the multiple leaks and try to block them. I just hope it doesn't take til morning," Whimsey answered before he preformed the anti-rust spell again.
They opened the door to a narrow hall not unlike the tunnel they used to enter the area. The hall was thirty feet long and had only two doors, one at the very end and another halfway through and off to the left. George checked the side door.
"The waters flowing in, Whimsey."
"Right, let's open it."
They opened the door and stepped through, finding themselves standing on a wrought iron platform looking down at a completely flooded sewer passage. A sign on the wall had a warning wrote on it that mentioned that the passage lead into the city sewage lines. A piece of machinery laid dormant on the far corner of the platform.
Whimsey examined the machinery then turned to George, "This must be the source. I'm not a genius on muggle machinery, but I'd bet this device is a pump that allow's you to control the water level here."
"So what do we do," George asked.
"Give it a spoon full of sugar and let it do it's job. However I like the anti-water charm better," Whimsey waved his wand and the water level dropped down to nothing.
"Will that keep the medicine down," George couldn't help it. Whimsey caught the joke and chuckled.
"No, but with a few wards we can ensure the sewer's never flood the area again," Whimsey pointed at the door, "I think it best this door be closed and the wards be put on it. I see little reason to enter the sewer's at this time."
"But eventually?"
"It might be necessary as an escape route if we decide to stick around," Whimsey said as he led George back out into the hall. "Let me show you some excellent wards used by the Colonial Men in Black that are perfect for this situation."
Whimsey showed George the wards as he placed them on the door to the sewers and George did a repeat performance as perfectly as he could first time round.
Whimsey did a twice over and was temporarily satisfied that the wards were firmly in place. He then directed George to evaporate the water in the hall which he did so with ease.
"You're pretty good at that, Weasley."
"Fred and I had lot's of practice cleaning up messes back when we had our joke shop."
"You should tell me about your shop over a bottle of fire whiskey some time," Whimsey smiled. George agreed as he followed Whimsey through the door at the end of the hall.
They entered a large antechamber to what looked to be a barracks. Old beds littered the unkempt rooms that branched off of several halls extending from the antechamber. Once again with a wave of the wand the water were gone.
"We'll deal with the rubbish soon enough," Whimsey said.
They headed back to the first room where they'd originally entered the complex and purged it of water, furniture and rats. Then moved to the first door George had checked.
It lead down several steps to a completely flooded medical lab with several storage and patient rooms accessible by doors that lines the far walls. They cleaned these then went to the third door where they found stairs leading up to a large, un-flooded storage area and the power generator.
Fluer packed an ornate seven lock trunk full of Artie's belongings and her most sensible clothing for the trip. Tonks stood on the balcony with her broom and a unbreakable bunch of rope waiting to secure the trunk to the broom. Fluer opened the final compartment and peered down into a nice looking room.
Fluer waved her wand over her sons crib and moved it into the small room, it shrank down to fit perfectly against a wall. She then moved her favorite chair down against the opposite wall.
Tonks walked in and watched as Fluer bundled up Artie's sleeping form in his heavy blankets and carefully set him down in the crib.
"You ready," Tonks asked. Fluer looked up at her and nodded briskly before stepping into the chest herself and sinking down into it's abyss. Tonks stepped over to the chest and looked down to Fluer. "Just keep the room warm for a few hours. Once we enter England I'll check on you, ok?"
"That is fine."
Tonks waited for Fluer to get settled in with her pinpoint and a lit lantern hanging above before she closed the lid to the trunk and locked it. She stuffed the key into her front pocket and zipped it shut then levitated the chest out the door and secured it firmly to the broom. She closed the door to Fluer's room then pulled out a flask of fire whiskey, downing some for warmth before mounting the broom and lifting off.
The final door in the main area led to a flooded office area with a hall that took George and Whimsey to stairs up to an un-flooded war room with several meeting areas. The furniture was not rotted and still usable. They also found in the office area a tunnel leading out to the surface through a small manhole covered by bushes in the nearby forest.
They climbed up out of the hole and breathed in the crisp and clean winter air.
"I admit I am not happy about the smell, but the place would serve well as a base for now," Whimsey said as dried his boot's magically and scourgified his pants clean. "Four hour's we've been gone. Tonks should be with Fluer by now and probably on her way back. The other's should be ready. What do you think, George?"
"We need furniture and a few anti-stench charms."
"I agree. You want to do that or go after the other's?"
"I'll go after the other's."
"We'll use this entrance if we absolutely must," Whimsey said after he created a portkey. "The factory one might attract too much attention. I'm going to ward it, and maybe recover the cellar. Last thing we need is curious muggles. I'll set up a portkey to take you directly to the war room from the manor. I think twelve forty-five is good. That will give you half an hour."
"Right."
Draco had everything the group packed loaded up in one pile on a large rug in the entry hall. It might take several trips, but the items they were taking were not necessarily unneeded. All that was left was the kitchen, and Ginny was working on that at the moment.
He heard someone knock on the front door and drew his wand. He approached the door cautiously and opened it with a charm, keeping his wand pointed at the person on the other side.
"Hey, watch it, Malfoy."
"Weasley," Draco sighed. "Get in here and close the damn door."
George did as he was told and stepped in quickly, closing the door behind him.
"How did the expedition fair," Draco asked then his face twisted up into a sour scowl. "What the hell is that smell?"
"That, Malfoy, is the heavenly stench of the sewage Whimsey and I had to forage through to clear out the complex. The place was a mess, but we got it water cleaned up. It should do for now."
"Good. When can we start moving," Draco asked as he slowly inched away from George.
"Immediately."
"Excellent. Does it still smell like that."
"Sorry, Malfoy, but the sewage has been fermenting for Merlin knows how long and we can't air it out. It's going to take more than a few flower scented charms to clean the air."
"Right. Well, we're about ready," Draco grumbled.
"Let's get everyone. We're going to portkey altogether with the supplies in twenty minutes."
"This place stinks," Ginny cried, her face turning green.
"I'm still working on that," Whimsey said as he came in from behind them. "Hermione, give me the two way mirror. I'm going to call Tonks."
"This place need's a lot of work," Hermione said as she handed him the mirror then began cleaning the air.
"You think this is bad," George grinned. "You should have seen it before."
"I want to explore this place then get some sleep," Fred said.
"Righto, brother. Everyone gather around and board Weasley Brother's Tour Line. Today we will see the many intriguing sites of the flooded muggle bomb shelter-"
"Just get on with it, Weasley," Malfoy snapped.
Two hours later Hermione and Ginny had the War Room set up in at very least fair condition. The majority of the smell in the area was gone after many charms and it was properly lighted. Cots were transfigured in two rooms, one for the guy's and the other for the girl's. A walk in closet branching off the girl's room was thoroughly cleaned for Fluer.
Ginny had charmed a small kitchen area in a storage room off the war room that consisted of a shelf, a table, and a chaldron for the stew dinner she was making in celebration of their new home. Hermione and George set up a large hearth in the main war room.
Tonks finally arrived on the broom with a large trunk tied to it from below. Whimsey helped Tonks down safely to the cleaned area of the tunnels where she gladly assisted Fluer and Artie out of the trunk.
"What is this. . . smell," Fluer said. She looked around the room in disgust. "My son cannot stay in such a filthy place, he will get sick."
"We are cleaning it up as fast as we can, Fluer," Ginny sighed.
"There's a room back here that is cleaned up the best we could on short notice just for you and your son," Hermione said. She lead Fluer from the room.
"Ew," Tonks said as she covered her nose.
"I take it all the cleaning charms are not working," Whimsey said. "We will work on it more extensively in the morning."
"Right," Tonks agreed. "Let's just eat dinner, if we can stomach it, and ensure the sleeping area's are free of gross air."
Fluer returned to the main room then slid into the kitchen where Ginny was cooking dinner. Ginny was slightly shocked when Fluer began to help her cook.
It was rare for them to get along, Ginny had still thought her sister in law was superficial, but when she saw how life had treated her through the last two years Ginny found herself feeling more sympathetic towards her sister-in-law.
Fred and George found themselves entertaining Artie with glee in Fluer's room while Hermione and Draco whispered in the corner with Whimsey and Tonks. Colin decided to go to bed, his body still weak from his trials with Lucius.
Tomorrow was a brand new day, and plans needed to be made and carried out.
A/N: Finally, another chapter up. I'm trying to keep them coming but as you all may very well know, lifes a bitch. Next chapter within the next two weeks.