Chapter 12
"Don't go mouthing it around either...I have a reputation to uphold," Sirius grinned, standing up too.
"As an idiot?"
"I worked hard for it!"
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Hermione lay exhausted, curled up on the cold, damp floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her entire body ached and her face was tear-stained. She had waited for Lord Voldemort to leave before she cried. The only thing keeping her sane was the knowledge that Firenze and Remus were coming for her. She was brought out of her daze by a strange rustling sound coming from outside the window. She knew it was too soon for Firenze to be back. Hermione stood up and just stared curiously at the window as she walked cautiously towards it. She stood on her tip-toes as she peered through the bars and listened to the strange sound get louder.
"Is someone out there?" she called, but received no answer. Hermione frowned and strained to see further. She jumped back quickly as an electric blue flash suddenly flew past the bars. There was a strange squeaking coming from outside. Hermione crept back up tot he bars and nearly called out in surprise.
"Oh my god," she whispered breathlessly. "Neptune," The bright blue Zora squealed happily and slithered closer. "Am I glad to see you," Hermione reached out and petted the happy creature.
"Are you alright?" A calm, male voice whispered in Hermione's ear. She spun around expecting to see Voldemort or a Death Eater, but instead being greeted by an even more worrying sight. Nothing. Hermione frowned and looked around the discolored room.
"What the...," she muttered to herself.
"It was me Hermione," the voice rang in Hermione's head again. She scoured the shadows for any sign of the person talking to her.
"Where are you?" Hermione asked.
"Behind you Hermione," Hermione turned back to the window, but only saw Neptune. It was then her jaw dropped and she just continued to stare at the innocent looking Zora.
"Oh my god," she breathed. "N-N-Neptune?"
"That's right," the voice chirped.
"Y-You can't talk...can you?" Hermione asked, moving closer to the window.
"Talk? No," Neptune's mouth didn't move, but Hermione could hear his voice clear as day in her head. "But, because I have chosen to guard you, we can communicate,"
"How come you've never communicated with me before?"
"I wasn't willing to risk it while Lord Voldemort was around, he knows that Zora's can talk through their minds and I could feel him trying to listen in," Neptune explained calmly. "He would have known anything I told you,"
"This is very...strange," Hermione laughed, fiddling with one of her curls.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for the abrupt introduction," Neptune laughed. "But I was talking with Firenze and he filled me in on what's been going on,"
"You can talk with Firenze?"
"Communication between magical creatures is usually pretty simple," Neptune said with a shake of his head. "The point is I'm here to help you escape,"
"You are?" Hermione asked excitedly. "How?"
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Snape and Sirius waited for the rest of the group to get up and slowly wake up in front of the fire. While everyone else got up with a bad case of bed-hair, James' looked no different.
"You're just jealous," James smirked as Sirius made yet another snide remark about his wild hair.
"You caught me," Sirius sighed dramatically. "Many a night I lay awake wishing that that I needed industrial strength hair gel to hold my hair down,"
"I knew it," James folded his arms smugly and Remus and Snape exchanged tired looks.
"Once you two have finished arguing about beauty tips," Kingsley grinned, leaning forward. "I was wondering if we have a plan for today,"
"Well I was going to ask how Sirius keeps his hair so shiny," James sneered.
"And I wanted eyeliner tips from James," Sirius retorted. "But fine we'll just talk about what you wanna talk about,"
"Remus?" Kingsley prompted and Remus sighed, looking deep into the fire.
"We need to figure out a plan for tonight, we need to know who is going where, when and what they are going to do and we need to make sure it is foolproof," Remus said calmly.
"You mean Death Eater proof," Sirius laughed.
"Same thing," James shrugged.
"Any plans of attack already stored away, Remus?" Snape asked.
"A few,"
"Like?"
"Well for one I don't want Dumbledore coming with us when we leave," Remus said, looking back up. "If he does then Voldemort will go for him straight away and will ignore the rest of us,"
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Kingsley interrupted. "But isn't that a good thing?"
"Usually, yes," Remus nodded. "But in this case, no. We want Voldemort to come for us so that James can get his revenge,"
"Oh yeah, forgot about James' thing,"
"Cheers, Kingsley,"
"Kingsley I want you to go first," Remus said seriously. "The second Voldemort sees us he will have Hermione guarded or moved,"
"Roger that captain,"
"Where do you want me?" Sirius asked.
"About three-thousand miles that-a-way," Snape pointed in a random direction.
"Least I won't be able to smell you from there," Sirius smiled.
"Good group you got here Moony," James rose to get another cup of hot cocoa that they had brewing on the headmasters' desk.
"Sirius I want you with me and James, the more back-up James has when he faces Voldemort the better," Remus answered, still sounding very serene.
"Amen," James held up his mug in agreement.
"Let me just get this straight, James can still be killed, even though he isn't technically alive?" Kingsley asked, frowning.
"He is alive," Sirius said a little defensively.
"Yeah," James sat back down. "Aren't I?"
"Sort of," Remus said, looking back into the fire. "To be alive you have to have a functioning body and a soul to give up to the Grim Reaper when you die. Now James has a functioning body, but only half a soul,"
"So what does that mean?" Snape asked and the other three listened intently.
"It means that should James die in the fight tonight or not get his revenge in time, his body will die will like everyone else and he will still have something to offer to the Grim Reaper,"
"What if he didn't have a soul to offer?" Sirius asked darkly. "What would happen?"
"Something akin to what happens after a dementors kiss," Remus said, the flames from the fire reflected in his eyes. "He would technically be alive, but unable to speak, feel, touch or care,"
"I thought that's what happened when you die," Kingsley scoffed.
"It is sort of," Remus nodded. "Except this is far worse, because you know it is happening. When you're dead, you're dead. You are not conscious of what is happening to your body or the fact you are unable to care for or touch the people you love," Everyone in the room shivered a little. "When the Reaper is offered a body with no soul he makes you experience what that would be like for all eternity, you're unable to die and to do all things a normal person would because without a soul you're not really alive," Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, trying to digest what Remus had just told them.
"So by offering James half your soul when we brought him back," Kingsley said slowly. "You made sure that if either of you die you both still have some form of a soul?"
"That's the idea," Remus sighed, jumping up to get another drink.
"What if you die and I don't?" James asked. "God forbid," he added quickly.
"Nothing," Remus said simply. "If you get revenge on Voldemort you will get your own soul back, a whole one in one piece,"
"Okay, and if he dies and you don't?" Sirius asked.
"I told you before Sirius that is not a situation any of you need to worry about," Remus sipped his drink and sank back into his red armchair.
"You mean if James dies, you don't get your soul back?" Kingsley frowned.
"Reaper takes it," Remus repeated, shaking his head as Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Well that was a cheery change of topic," Snape sneered.
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Professor McGonagall wandered down to Hagrid's cabin and was greeted with the usual booming 'hello' and bone breaking hand-shake.
"So, what brings you down here?" Hagrid asked, handing her a large mug of green-brown tea.
"Hagrid I need to talk to you about tonight," Professor McGonagall said, trying to scrunch her nose at the foul smelling tea.
"What about it, Professor?" Hagrid sat down on a creaky chair.
"I know you have...connections in the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid," McGonagall said delicately. "And I think it could be helpful if you would call in a few favors for tonight,"
"What kind o' favors?" Hagrid frowned.
"Just anyone...or anything that is willing to help tonight,"
"Probably not the best of ideas Minerva," Dumbledore's calm voice floated in from the door. "Forgive my intrusion Hagrid, I didn't know if you were awake,"
"Tha's alright Professor," Hagrid said, motioning for the headmaster to sit down.
"Why isn't it a good idea, Albus?" McGonagall asked, sounding a little offended. "We can use all the help we can get,"
"I completely agree Minerva, but I do not think it is worth Hagrid risking bodily harm for," Dumbledore said softly.
"Well of course it's not, but Albus you know as well as I do even with all the help we have it's not going to be enough," For the first time in a while Minerva sounded quite nervous. Professor Dumbledore placed his long finger-tips together and fixed his pale blue eyes on a random spot.
"We do have enough," He said softly.
"Albus I admire your positive thinking, but we really don't," McGonagall argued. "Even with the others we only have around fifty, in his manor alone Lord Voldemort has well over two hundred,"
"We only need fifty,"
"He'll out-number out four to one!" she cried. "We don't stand a chance against those odds,"
"I know," Dumbledore nodded. "I never planned on us winning,"
