A/N - Hello everyone. So things are about to get crazy once again, although you will get some more answers in this chapter. One thing I will say, those that are distrustful of Luvenia, she has no ulterior motive. She is truly as she presents herself to be. Originally she was not going to play a big part in the story, but the more I write her the more I like her, so I may keep her around for awhile. :) Enjoy this chapter and as always, thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 14
Shock
27 December 1996
"Black, you might want to have a look at this," Proudfoot said coming in to the room. He handed Sirius a piece of parchment.
"This looks like instructions for a potion," Sirius said as he read down the page. "But there's no name or explanation of what it does."
"Based on the ingredients, it doesn't look like anything good," Proudfoot said. Catherine's heart started pounding in her chest.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked guardedly.
"I mean, it looks like some kind of poison," Proudfoot replied. Jane gasped and Catherine clenched her hands into fists. "I can't read this bit though." Proudfoot pointed to a small notation in the bottom corner. Sirius squinted to read the cramped script.
"Slow-acting, little, what does that say?" he said to no one in particular. Tonks looked around his shoulder, squinting as well.
"Little evidence remains," she finally said. Sirius looked up at Catherine whose eyes had widened in fear.
"He's going to poison him slowly," Catherine choked.
"We don't know it's a poison," Sirius said immediately. "We don't even know that whatever this is, is in that vial or that it's even for Rory."
"What else could it be Sirius?" Catherine said with a grim laugh. "Slow-acting, little evidence remains. Oh god." She put her head in her hands and Sirius knelt next to her chair and pulled her into his arms.
"We'll find him," he said again. "And there were only two vials missing. It will be all right."
"You don't know that," she said thickly. "Maybe he had more."
"Do you know something about this?" Tonks asked Luvenia, holding out the page.
"No, I'm sorry, but I do not know much about potions," Luvenia admitted. "It was never something I was good at in school."
"How long will it take the elf to search the properties?" Proudfoot questioned.
"I am not sure," Luvenia said. "There are at least fo-three that I know of." She paused, her brow furrowed and then shook her head. Catherine glanced up at Sirius, but he didn't question it. "One is the main house of course and then another in England and one in France. But there may be others. Aldridge does not deem it necessary to share all of his business with me."
"An international Portkey isn't easy to get or make," Tonks pointed out. "He's probably still in the UK."
"I'm sure Hargrove isn't above a little bribery or blackmail," Sirius said harshly.
"Still, it doesn't make sense," Tonks said. "If in fact the potion is a poison and his plan was to do it slowly over time, why step in now and take Rory out of the country? He had to know we'd look for him."
"I'm sure he did not anticipate that I would be helping you," Luvenia pointed out.
"True, but he knows Sirius is an Auror and that we would have jumped on this as soon as we discovered Rory was missing," Tonks continued. "He takes them from a park in front of witnesses, obviously by magic?"
"He was getting desperate," Luvenia said, but she too was frowning in thought.
"But Rory is only twelve," Tonks said. "It will be five years before he inherits. I don't understand the sudden urgency." Truthfully, Catherine didn't understand it either. It would have made much more sense to wait until the summer holiday when Daniel would be seeing Rory more often to put his plan into action.
"I don't know, something tells me there is more to this," Tonks said, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"Maybe it has something to do with this," Dawlish said as he came into the kitchen. He held a piece of parchment in his hand.
"What's that?" Sirius asked.
"A letter from what appears to be a Potions Master in Albania to Hargrove," Dawlish said handing it to Sirius. Sirius read through the letter, frown on his face.
"What is it?" Catherine questioned. Dawlish was the one that answered.
"Looks like Hargrove was searching for an antidote to some kind of potion," the Auror said. "This Potions Master wanted an unbelievable amount of galleons for it."
"An antidote to what?" Remus asked. Dawlish shrugged. Sirius finished the letter and passed it to Tonks. He had a contemplative look on his face and Catherine waited for him to speak. Tonks finished the letter and looked at Sirius in confusion.
"Do you think this is an antidote for whatever is in that other vial?" she asked.
"No," Sirius said. He took the letter back from Tonks. "See here where he says that time is running short for the antidote to actually work and if Hargrove still wants it, this Master Dushku needs the other half of the money by the first of March. The letter is dated the beginning December, so that would seem to indicate that whatever potion the antidote is for was given already. If that potion was indeed for Rory, he definitely hadn't been given it before December."
"What then?" Tonks asked.
"I don't know," Sirius mused looking at the letter again. Catherine could tell that there was something prodding at his mind, he just couldn't seem to grasp it.
"May I?" Remus asked holding his hand out for the letter. Sirius passed it to him and Catherine moved closer to Remus so she could read it as well. Her eyes widened at the sum of money the Potions Master had asked for, but he indicated that many of the ingredients he needed were very rare, even hinting that some were illegal, meaning the cost would be significant.
"Sirius, this sounds rather dark," Remus said glancing up at his friend. Sirius nodded absent-mindedly.
"If it's not an antidote for the unknown potion, why was this letter with everything else pertaining to Catherine and the children?" Tonks asked.
"I don't know," Sirius said. "There's something I know that I'm missing. Something I feel like I should know." He took the letter back from Remus and read it again. Finally he turned to Luvenia. "Does any of this mean anything to you?" he asked and she took the letter from him. She read it silently her brow furrowed. When she reached the end she started to shake her head and then stopped, going back and rereading part of it, running her finger under a line in the letter. Her hand started to shake.
"No," she whispered.
"What is it?" Sirius asked sharply and Catherine's heart once again began its staccato beat.
"He swore to me," Luvenia said more to herself than anyone. "He promised."
"Promised what Luvenia?" Jane asked quietly.
"Celia," she said all color draining from her face. "Celia, she…it's his fault." And then her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.
Both Remus and Sirius reached for Luvenia before she could slip from the chair she was sitting in. They pulled her back into a sitting position and Remus tried to gently wake her. Catherine was only focusing on the woman's words however.
"What did she mean?" Catherine demanded. "What did she mean about Celia?" She looked at Sirius whose face had gone white as well. "Sirius?"
"Sweet Merlin," he whispered.
"What?" Catherine prodded. Sirius stayed mute, staring off into the distance, his face still white. Catherine walked to his side and grabbed his arm. "Sirius you're scaring me."
"He gave her the potion," Sirius finally said.
"Who?" Tonks asked. "What potion?" Remus had finally resorted to Ennervating Luvenia. She awoke with a gasp and looked in terror around the room. The letter had fallen forgotten to the floor and she bent over and picked it up, her hands both shaking rather violently.
"Sirius what the bloody hell is going on?" Tonks demanded, her hands on her hips. Sirius ignored her and turned to Catherine instead.
"Do you remember when you found that book, Nature's Nobility, and I told you about the Pureblood practice to determine if their children had magic before their eighth birthdays?" he asked. Catherine nodded.
"Yes, you said there was a spell but it was extremely painful and there was also a potion," she trailed off and looked up at Sirius in horror. He nodded grimly.
"Dear god," Catherine whispered. Luvenia was crying now and Remus was trying to comfort her, which was difficult given his own revulsion to what he now clearly understood. Dawlish knew as well, as he stood with his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide. Everyone else in the room just looked confused.
"Would someone please explain what is going on?" Tonks begged. Sirius sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.
"Purebloods need heirs, usually male heirs, and they must be magical," Sirius said. Tonks nodded, knowing as much. "There's a spell and a potion that can test for magical ability much earlier than age eight. But there are drawbacks to both. The spell is extremely painful, not quite as bad as the Cruciatus, but close. And the potion," Sirius paused and drew in a breath. "The potion can cause madness." Tonks' eyes widened in realization. Luvenia wept harder.
"So Hargrove gave this potion to his own child?" Edward asked, his jaw tightening in anger. "And this is what caused her to go mad?"
"It appears so," Sirius said. He turned to Luvenia. "Mrs. Hargrove, I'm sorry, but I need to ask you a few questions." She continued to weep, but nodded her head. "Do you know why this letter would be with the information related to Catherine and the children?"
"The money," Luvenia managed.
"The money," Sirius repeated. Luvenia nodded but seemed unable to continue. Catherine summoned her kit and pulled out a vial of Calming Draught. She rose and offered it to Luvenia who drank it down and took a few breaths, then looked Sirius in the eye.
"Aldridge manages the Fawley estate, but because he is not Fawley blood he does not have full access to it," she explained in the flat affect that the Calming Draught sometimes induced. "We are given a large monthly allowance and the household expenses are paid but he cannot take anything else. The Hargrove fortune was nearly gone when I married him, something he was able to hide from my father else I know my father would not have agreed to the contract. I did not discover it until after Celia's birth. All that remained was the house we now live in and a few family heirlooms, most of which are more sentimental than valuable. The only way he could get the kind of money that Potions Master is asking for is if he had full access to the Fawley vault."
"There's your motive for going after Rory now," Dawlish said. "He needs the money by March. He wouldn't be able to wait until the summer hols."
"Yes, but even if Rory were out of the picture, how would that give Hargrove full access?" Tonks asked. "He's still not Fawley blood." Sirius stood in thought for a moment.
"We need to see the will," he said. He turned to Luvenia. "Do you have a copy?"
"No, but our solicitor does," she replied.
"Who won't speak with us without Hargrove's permission," Dawlish huffed.
"Gringotts," Sirius said. Catherine looked at him quizzically. "The goblins should have a copy," he said. "They would need it to verify any claims on the estate as well as to distribute the appropriate monies."
"Yes," Luvenia acknowledged. "They would have one as well."
"Then I guess we're making a trip to Diagon Alley," Tonks said. "Mrs. Hargrove, are you all right?" Luvenia looked at Catherine.
"The Calming Draught will last for at least an hour at full strength," Catherine said.
"Then let us go," Luvenia said rising from her chair and looking every bit the stately pureblood.
"Tonks, you and Dawlish go with her," Sirius directed. "Make a copy of the will and bring it back with you. I'll stay and go through anything that's left with Proudfoot." Tonks nodded and she and Dawlish took Luvenia with them through the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Proudfoot was shaking his head as they left.
"We've looked through the rest of the documents," he said. "There's nothing else that seems relevant, save the list of properties. It makes no sense to send teams out if the house-elf is looking at them for us. So there's nothing we can do but wait." There was silence again before Jane spoke.
"Lunch," she said. "We can have lunch."
After a quick lunch, Catherine found herself in the lounge with Sirius, her mother and Edward and Remus. Proudfoot had taken the unidentified potion to St. Mungo's to have it analyzed. Deskin still had not returned and there was a palpable undercurrent of tension in the room. Catherine had forced herself to eat under Sirius' watchful gaze, but the food was sitting in her stomach like a rock. Her mind kept going over everything that they knew and kept returning to the one thing that she couldn't wrap her mind around, that Aldridge Hargrove had knowingly inflicted the very real possibility of madness on his own daughter. If he could be so callous with his own flesh and blood what was to prevent him from killing Rory outright? She shuddered and Sirius looked at her in concern as the Floo flared.
Tonks stepped out first, her face grim. She handed Sirius a roll of parchment which Catherine assumed was the will. When Luvenia emerged, she looked stricken, her face deathly pale and Remus and Edward instantly rose and directed her into an armchair. Sirius had begun looking through the will, but looked up when Dawlish came through.
"Want to give me a summary so I don't have to try and slog through all this?" Sirius said.
"There's an emergency clause," Dawlish said when he realized that Tonks wasn't going to answer. Catherine looked at the young Auror and saw her jaw working and her hands clenched.
"Emergency clause?" Sirius repeated. Dawlish nodded.
"If no male heir exists twenty-five years after the last male heir's death, the clause can be invoked," Dawlish explained. "It gives the current male head of the family full control of the estate, regardless of his blood. If there is no current male head, the oldest Fawley female is given control." Sirius turned to Luvenia.
"When did your grandfather die?" he asked.
"Twenty-seven January, 1972," she replied. Sirius asked another question, but Catherine didn't hear what it was over the roaring in her ears.
One month. Exactly one month from today, the emergency clause would go into effect and if Aldridge Hargrove wanted to have control of the Fawley estate by then, he needed to get rid of Rory. The thought made Catherine's blood run cold. What if the slow-acting potion, that she was now positive was some kind of poison, was too slow-acting? Would he kill Rory outright? There were many ways to make death look like an accident. She put a hand over her mouth and jumped up, making it to the loo just in time to lose the contents of her stomach.
As she stood shakily and swiped the back of her hand across her mouth, Sirius opened the door. She saw his reflection in the mirror above the sink and Catherine let go a sob as she turned to him. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly while she wept.
When she had recovered enough, Sirius continued to hold her while he explained that Aldridge had probably discovered the existence of the clause nearly a year ago, when it would have made its existence known on the original document that his solicitor held. However, actual Fawley blood was needed in order to read it. Given the less than scrupulous nature of his new solicitor, not that Washburn was all that much better in Catherine's opinion, Sirius assumed that the solicitor accompanied Aldridge on a visit to Celia and was able to read the clause once she was holding the will. Or perhaps they had actually taken some of her blood and smeared it on the document, tricking the magic that way. Either way, it appeared that once Aldridge Hargrove knew of the clause he began to put his plan to find Daniel into action.
They still didn't know just when Hargrove had discovered the Potions Master from Albania and his claim to be able to cure Celia's madness. Hargrove had obviously managed to procure enough funds for half the cost, the how was still in question, however. Sirius was still skeptical that the cure was even a real one, but Catherine understood exactly why Aldridge would have wanted to try it regardless.
"Luvenia has gone to lie down," Sirius said. "The Calming Draught was starting wear off." Catherine nodded. "Perhaps you should follow her example."
"I couldn't Sirius," Catherine said. Sirius kissed her forehead and rubbed her back looking at her in concern. She put a hand to his cheek. "I'll go and sit down and rest. Just give me a minute to clean up a little." Her mouth still tasted foul.
"I'll wait for you love," Sirius said and Catherine smiled at him before turning back to the loo. She braced herself against the sink with her hands, pulling in a few deep breaths before cleaning her teeth and finger-combing her hair as best she could. When she emerged again, Sirius wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and led her back into the lounge.
Everyone was still gathered there, Edward with his arm around Jane and Dawlish and Tonks discussing something quietly. Remus gave her a smile and took her hand when she reached him. Catherine squeezed it in return.
There was a pop and Deskin appeared in the room. Catherine's breath caught in her throat as the elf bowed low.
"Deskin has done as Mistress requested," he said.
"Let me get Luvenia," Jane said and hurried from the room.
"Did you find them?" Catherine asked.
"Yes," Deskin replied. Catherine felt her knees buckle and Sirius put an arm around her and drew her close to him.
"Is Rory all right?" she questioned.
"Young Master Fawley seems tired," the house elf said. Jane and Luvenia hurried into the room. Luvenia's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, but she addressed her house-elf nonetheless.
"Deskin, you have found them?" Luvenia asked.
"Yes, Mistress," Deskin replied.
"And?" she prodded.
"They are in the hunting cottage," Deskin said.
"Hunting cottage?" Luvenia asked, clearly not familiar with it.
"Yes Mistress," Deskin replied. She looked up at Sirius and Tonks.
"I was not aware that we had a hunting cottage," she said in confusion. Her brow furrowed and it looked as if she were trying to remember something. Sirius scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration. Catherine knew he did not like going into places blind.
"Mistress does know about the cottage," Deskin insisted. "Mistress has been there many times, just last month in fact."
"Deskin, I haven't, I," Luvenia looked thoughtful again. Catherine saw Sirius and Remus exchange a glance. "I feel like I should remember it but," she trailed off shaking her head.
"Bloody hell," Sirius swore.
"Obliviated?" Tonks asked and Remus nodded.
"Seems that way," he replied.
"Obliviated?" Luvenia repeated. "You think I was Obliviated?"
"It would make sense," Tonks said with a shrug. "If your husband wanted to hide out somewhere and didn't want you to know about it or even remember the place existed."
"May I?" Catherine asked approaching Luvenia with her wand drawn. "I can check," she explained at Luvenia's wary expression.
"All right," the other woman agreed. Catherine waved her wand in a distinct pattern around Luvenia's head. The diagnostic that appeared showed a blank spot. Catherine cancelled the spell with a sigh.
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Can you reverse it?" Remus asked. Catherine shook her head.
"I haven't had nearly enough training for that," she said. "If it were poorly done I probably could, but this was not."
"How long would it take if we took her to St. Mungo's?" Sirius asked.
"More time than you would like," Catherine replied. "And there is always a risk that there will be more damage during a reversal." Sirius swore again.
"Fine, we go with the house-elf then," he said. "Who is at the cottage?"
"Master Hargrove, young Master Fawley and another man, Muggle," Deskin replied.
"No one else?" Sirius questioned. Deskin shook his head.
"You weren't seen?" Tonks said.
"No," the house-elf confirmed.
"Tell me about the cottage," Sirius requested.
"Deskin does not understand," the house-elf said.
"How many rooms?" Sirius said. The house-elf began to describe the layout of the cottage and Jane came and sat down next to Catherine, putting an arm around her.
"We'll get him back," Jane assured her.
"Deskin said he looked tired," Catherine said, worrying her lip between her teeth. "What if that's a result of the potion?"
"They've only been gone for a few hours," Jane pointed out. "Even if they had given it to him and it is a poison, all evidence indicates it's a slow-acting one."
"Yes, but now that we know what we do, Hargrove could have changed his mind and given Rory more or," but Jane interrupted her.
"Have faith darling," Jane said giving Catherine's shoulder a squeeze.
"Tonks, go to the Ministry and get anyone who's available," Sirius said, having gotten all the information he could from the house-elf. "Dawlish go to Mungo's and find Proudfoot. We'll meet you at the Ministry." Tonks nodded and disappeared through the Floo, Dawlish following quickly behind.
"Luvenia," Sirius said turning to her. "Can you instruct your house-elf? I'll need him to come with me to the Ministry to take us to the cottage and to listen to me while we're there."
"Of course," Luvenia replied giving Deskin the instructions.
"I want to come with you," Catherine said rising from the couch.
"No," Sirius said immediately.
"Sirius, please," Catherine begged tears beginning to form in her eyes. "He needs me." Sirius sighed and pulled her into his arms.
"You can't come," he said quietly. "First of all, we have to apparate there. I know it's with a house-elf and that's different from regular apparition, but it's still apparition. Secondly, I don't know what we're going to be walking into. I can't worry about your safety on top of trying to get Rory out."
"Foxglove," Luvenia said suddenly.
"Sorry?" Sirius replied in confusion.
"Foxglove, it's the Floo password for the cottage," she said. "I don't, I don't know why that is, but I know it's the password."
"How in Merlin's name do you know that?" Sirius demanded.
"Because it was stored somewhere else," Catherine said in excitement. "Floo passwords would be stored together in the brain, not necessarily with the memories of the cottage." Sirius looked confused, but Remus was nodding.
"It's the way the brain organizes information," Remus said. "Like with like."
"Whatever, you're still not coming," Sirius said.
"Why not?" Catherine demanded hands on her hips.
"I'm not Flooing blind into a cottage I've never been to," he argued. "We don't even know where the Floo comes out or where Hargrove is in the house."
"The drawing room," Deskin said. They all turned to look at him. "The Floo is in the drawing room. Master Hargrove was in the study."
"That doesn't mean he'll still be in the study when we get there," Sirius said tightly. "No Cat."
"Once you've secured things then," she said. Sirius made a noise of exasperation. "Please Sirius."
"Fine," he said throwing his hands up in defeat. "I'll send you a Patronus when it's safe." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Keep him safe," she said and she gripped Sirius tightly.
"He'll be home with us by dinner," Sirius assured her, giving her a smile. "Moony," he said looking to his old friend.
"You don't even have to ask Padfoot," Remus said. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Thank you," Sirius replied. He turned back to Catherine.
"Be careful," Catherine said softly, tears forming in her eyes.
"Everything will be fine," Sirius said kissing her softly. Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him more forcefully, needing him to know just how much she needed him to come back safely. When they broke apart, Sirius rested his forehead against hers and they were both breathing heavily.
"I swear to you I will bring him home," Sirius vowed. Catherine could only nod and Sirius stepped back, kissed the back of her hand and then disapparated. She started to slump, but Remus was at her side and guiding her to the couch before she could. He sat down next to her and she leaned into him as he put an arm around her. Neither said a word as Remus knew she did not want any empty platitudes. Jane and Edward sat in a similar position on the wide armchair on the other side of the room, Jane's head resting on Edward's shoulder, her eyes closed.
Luvenia sat alone in another chair, her stoic expression disguising the anguish Catherine knew she must be feeling. Catherine wanted to comfort the other woman somehow, but she couldn't find the energy to do so. Deskin remained behind, standing close to his mistress in a silent vigil. The only sound in the room, save their soft breathing, was the ticking of the clock on the mantel.
Catherine wasn't sure how long they sat in silence, but when the Floo flared to life she was startled to see that everyone had left the room save she and Remus. She looked expectantly at the Floo and Molly Weasley's face appeared in front of her.
"Molly," Catherine said in concern. "Is everything all right?"
"Oh yes dear, it's just fine," she assured Catherine. "The children were just getting a bit anxious as we hadn't heard any news yet. I held them off as long as I could, but I think little Miranda especially would like to speak with you."
"Oh Molly, I'm so sorry," Catherine said. "I should have checked on them ages ago." She immediately felt guilty.
"Now you just stop that right now," Molly admonished as if knowing exactly what Catherine was feeling. "They have been perfectly fine here and they all understand why you haven't called. Sometimes they just need a bit of reassurance that's all."
"I'll come through right away," Catherine said.
"All right dear," Molly replied. "We'll see you shortly." She pulled her head from the fire and Catherine stood taking the container of Floo powder from the mantel.
"Remus," she said.
"I'll stay and contact you if anything happens," he assured her with a smile. Catherine smiled and kissed his cheek before she threw the powder into the grate and stepped through.
"Mummy!" she heard as soon as she had her footing. Miranda was a blur as she rushed to her mother, pulling up short at the last moment so as not to knock her over.
"Hello sweetheart," Catherine said wrapping her in a hug and kissing the top of her head.
"Is Rory home?" she asked as Ellie and Harry both hurried into the room.
"No, but we've found him," Catherine told the three of them. "Sirius has gone to get him."
"Oh that's wonderful news," Molly said as she followed the children into the room.
"Is he okay?" Harry asked at the same time Ellie said "Can we come home now?"
"Yes, it appears so," Catherine said to Harry having no intention of voicing her worries about the potion to her children. "And no," she told her daughter. Ellie's face fell.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because I want to wait until Rory is home safely before we bring the three of you back," Catherine explained. "I might have to go there or they may have moved somewhere else by the time Sirius gets there."
"But Mum," Ellie began but Catherine held up a hand and walked up to her older daughter, hugging her tightly.
"Please El," Catherine said quietly. "It won't be much longer." Ellie sighed, but nodded. Catherine let her go after a kiss to the forehead and then turned to Harry.
"Watch over them for me?" she asked him and he nodded stoically. Catherine hugged him as well and was happy to see that Harry didn't stiffen at first as he always had before, but hugged her back instantly. She patted his cheek before she let him go and then bent down to Miranda.
"What's the matter?" she asked as she saw the tears in her daughter's eyes.
"Is Dad gonna be okay?" Miranda asked her lip quivering.
"He's had lots of training and he knows what to do," Catherine said cupping Miranda's chin gently in her hand. She couldn't lie to her daughter, nor put voice to her own fears, so she reassured her as best she could. Miranda seemed to accept it as she nodded and then hugged her mother.
"I promise we'll come and get you as soon as Rory's home," Catherine said. "I love all of you." She hugged all three of them again, then thanked Molly and returned through the Floo once more.
"Are they all right?" Remus asked once he had helped her out of the fireplace.
"They're worried," Catherine said. "But yes, they'll be fine."
"Are you sure you don't want to bring them back here now that we know where Rory is?" Remus asked. Catherine shook her head.
"If something happens," her words caught in her throat and Remus pulled her into his arms. "If something happens," she said again. "I don't want them here to hear it." Remus nodded and tightened his hold on her.
"Everything is going to be fine," he insisted. Catherine knew that he was just as worried about Tonks as he was about Sirius and Rory.
"Of course it is," Catherine agreed.
They spent another tense half hour in near silence in the lounge. Jane had brought in the tea things and Luvenia had rejoined them from wherever she had been. She had sent Deskin back to the house just in case Aldridge left the hunting cottage and came home for some reason. They all held cups of tea in their hands or had one nearby, but no one drank much and the biscuits on the tray went untouched.
Finally a silvery white dog came through the wall and spoke in Sirius' voice.
"I've got him," Sirius said. "Everything seems fine. I verified the Floo password. You can come through."
"Oh thank god," Jane said as she began to cry. Edward hugged her and kissed her temple and Luvenia smiled. Catherine just sat in frozen silence, staring at the fading Patronus.
"Catherine," Remus said softly, putting a hand on his arm. Catherine turned and looked at him in shocked surprise.
"It's over?" she asked. "He's all right?"
"It appears so," Remus said with a smile. Catherine's breath hitched and her vision became blurry. Remus pulled her into an embrace. "He's all right," Remus said into her hair. "All of them are all right." Catherine pulled back and quickly wiped her eyes.
"I've got to go," she said rising from the couch. "I've got to go to him." Remus rose as well and walked with her to the Floo. "You'll stay?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied with a nod. "Now, go and bring your son home." She kissed him quickly on the cheek and threw the Floo powder into the grate, calling out the name of the cottage and then the password.
Sirius was waiting for her when she arrived, holding out a hand to help her from the Floo. Catherine threw her arms around him when she had gotten her balance.
"Where is he?" she asked.
"There," Sirius said pointing to the other side of the room. Rory sat on a bench, Tonks next to him. Catherine did not even register the presence of anyone else in the room as she locked eyes with her son. He stared at her in longing, then looked back at his lap. Catherine hurried across the room and dropped to her knees in front of him.
"Rory," she said taking his hands in hers. "Thank Merlin you're all right." Tonks stood and made her way back to Sirius.
"Mum," he mumbled but did not look up. Catherine gathered him into her arms, but he held his body stiffly and she pulled back quickly. Putting a finger under his chin, she tipped his face up to look at her.
"What's going on?" she asked. He shook his head and tried to look away, but she held fast. "Rory."
"I'm sorry," he said hardly above a whisper.
"For what?" she asked in confusion.
"For wanting to go with Dad," he said. "This is all my fault."
"No, it isn't," Catherine insisted. "None of this is your fault."
"But," Rory began to protest, but Catherine shushed him with a finger to his lips.
"No," she simply said. She pulled him to her again and he relaxed this time, finally allowing the tears he had been holding in all this time to escape. Catherine rubbed his back and soothed him as he cried, much as she had when he was small and had fallen and hurt himself.
"I just, I wanted," Rory choked out through his tears.
"I know what you wanted Rory," Catherine said. "I'm so sorry you can't have it." Her own tears joined those of her son and the two simply held each other in the quiet of the drawing room, Sirius standing silent guard over them. When Rory finally quieted Catherine pulled back from him and smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too Mum," Rory said quietly. "Can we go home now?" Catherine turned to look at Sirius.
"We just need to ask you a few questions Rory," Sirius said. Rory nodded in resignation.
"Do you have to do it now Sirius?" Catherine questioned. "Surely he's been through enough."
"Better to get it over with than let it linger," Sirius said and she sighed, but nodded all the same. Catherine awkwardly got to her feet, Sirius hurrying forward to help her. She took Rory's hand and led him from the bench. The three walked from the room and into the corridor where Tonks and Proudfoot stood.
"Savage is with Hargrove, waiting on you," Proudfoot reported. "And Dawlish is questioning Cooper."
"I want to see him," Catherine said.
"No," Sirius replied immediately.
"Yes," Catherine hissed at her husband, her anger growing. Sirius looked at her and then turned to Tonks.
"Tonks, take Rory into the kitchen and get him something to eat, will you?" Sirius directed. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Sure Sirius," Tonks said. "Come on Rory." Rory looked at Catherine who nodded, then reluctantly let go of her hand and followed Tonks down the corridor.
"Catherine," Sirius began but she interrupted him.
"Let me do this Sirius," she said her magic crackling around her.
"You're getting too worked up love," Sirius said softly. Catherine pulled in a deep breath and willed her magic back down.
"I'm fine," she said. "I have to do this." Sirius glanced at Proudfoot who shrugged as if to say it was Sirius' decision. It wasn't protocol by any means, but then again, arresting Muggles wasn't protocol either.
"Fine," he finally ground out. "Five minutes. He's through here." He directed Catherine to a room across the hall. When Sirius opened the door she found Daniel magically bound to a chair in the middle of a bedroom. Sirius said something to Dawlish who nodded and left the room. Catherine stood in the doorway and stared at Daniel for a few seconds, then walked across the room and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. He head snapped to the side and he looked back at her incredulously for a moment before hanging his head. Her anger surging, she drew her wand and jabbed it into his throat. He choked and looked up at her in fear, his eyes sliding to Sirius who stood in the doorway. Sirius simply closed the door, then turned and crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back against the door.
"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right now," she hissed. Daniel's eyes jumped from Catherine to Sirius before he swallowed audibly.
"Because that's not who you are," Daniel said. Catherine laughed and it sounded rather mad.
"You have no idea who I am," she said.
"The kids, think of them," Daniel said.
"Considering that Sirius is the only other one here, I think I could probably get away with it," she said. "You got free of your bonds somehow and came at me. Simple self-defense. Believe me, after what you've done, no one is going to cry too much about it."
"Catherine, listen to me, I didn't know," Daniel said. "I swear to you, he lied to me."
"Who?" she demanded.
"Hargrove," Daniel said. "I didn't know he was going to come for us this morning. I planned to bring Rory back to you, just like I promised. I was as shocked as anyone when he showed up at the park."
"How did he know you were going to be there?" Catherine asked.
"I don't know, I swear," Daniel said. She removed her wand tip from his throat, but kept it pointed at him. She glanced back at Sirius.
"Tracking charm," Sirius said. "Hargrove put it on him the last time they met." Daniel's eyes widened.
"I had no idea, you have to believe me," Daniel begged.
"Even if I do, that doesn't make you blameless," Catherine snapped. "What did Hargrove promise you?"
"He told me he'd help me get custody of the kids as long as I took them back to the States once I did," Daniel said. Catherine studied him for a few seconds.
"You're lying," she said.
"No, I'm not, I," he yelped as Catherine shot a stinging hex at his hand.
"You are," she said through gritted teeth.
"Okay fine, he also promised me money," Daniel said. "He told me about the inheritance and said that he'd still give us a part of it if I did what he asked." Catherine sent another stinging hex at him, this one to his leg and Daniel cried out again.
"What else?" she snarled. She could feel her magic building again. Her hair was stirring on the back of her head.
"Love," Sirius warned. Catherine ignored him and focused on Daniel.
"What else?" she repeated.
"No-nothing," Daniel stuttered. Another stinging hex, this one dangerously close to a part of his anatomy that Catherine was sure he didn't want to lose. He looked up at her in horror.
"What did he tell you the potion was for?" she asked and Daniel blanched. "Yes, we know about it, now what did he tell you it was for?" Daniel seemed to having some internal battle with himself, eyeing her wand warily but biting his lip as if to keep himself from saying anything.
"Do you know how many things I can do to you that won't show up to anyone just looking at you?" she said, her voice dangerously low. She dragged her wand down his cheek and let it come to rest over his heart. "Things that will kill you slowly that no one will ever know about until it's too late." He gulped. "Now tell me before I lose my patience." Her hair had begun to swirl in earnest now and Daniel's eyes had widened further. Sirius had come up behind her and Catherine could feel his hand on her back, but she was completely focused on her ex-husband.
"He, he said," Daniel swallowed thickly. "He said it would take away his magic." His voice had lowered to a whisper and Catherine had to strain to hear him. "He said it would make him like me. I just wanted things to be normal."
Catherine stepped back and raised her wand, pointing it at his face once again. Daniel looked terrified and she opened her mouth to speak the incantation, the one she'd never let pass her lips before, but one she knew would hurt him more than anything else she could ever do to him. She was more than angry enough to do it and she knew it would be painful, more painful than anything he had ever felt. Just as she started to speak, Sirius wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her wand arm down with the other.
"Don't," he said in a choked voice.
"Let me go," she hissed through her teeth. "He needs to suffer."
"Yes," Sirius agreed. "He does. But not like this."
"I think this is the perfect way to make him suffer," Catherine said, her anger completely consuming her.
"No love," Sirius said trying to soothe her. "He's a complete fucking bastard, but he was right about one thing. This isn't you." She struggled in Sirius' arms but he was far stronger than she was. "The kids, you have to think about them." He moved the hand that was holding her wand hand down to her belly. "Don't taint this one before she's even born." With his last words, Catherine slumped in his arms. He turned her around and she buried her face in his neck, sobs wracking her body.
"I want him to hurt," she whispered. "I want him to hurt as much as Ellie hurts, as much as Rory is going to hurt."
"I know love," Sirius said. "I know." She pulled in a few shuddering breaths and felt her hair settle around her. Sirius pulled back from her slightly. "All right?" She pulled in one more breath and nodded. Sirius let her go. She turned back to Daniel and looked at him in disgust.
"Catherine, I'm sorry," Daniel said looking at her beseechingly.
"I no longer care to hear anything you have to say," she retorted. Saying nothing else, she left the room, followed by Sirius.
"Come," he said. "Let's go talk to Rory." He wrapped an arm around her and led her to the kitchen. Rory sat with his cheek in his hand staring at the sandwich in front of him. Tonks was talking quietly to him, but Rory didn't seem to hear her. He looked up when Catherine and Sirius came through the doorway and jumped up and ran to his mother. She wrapped an arm around him and led him back to his chair and pulled hers up right next to his, keeping her arm around him when they sat down.
Sirius began to ask him questions about what had happened in the park and once they arrived at the cottage. He confirmed Daniel's story as he reported that his father was just as surprised as Rory was to see Hargrove in the park. Daniel had also gotten into an argument with Hargrove when they arrived about needing to have Rory home before dinner.
"Did they give you any potions to drink Rory?" Sirius asked. Rory shook his head. "What about any food or anything they gave you to drink? Did anything taste strange?"
"The tea tasted different," Rory said. "But that man, Hargrove, said that it was just a different kind than I was used to. He said it was cultured people's tea." Rory's brow furrowed. "And the juice at lunch too. I thought it was pumpkin juice but it didn't taste right. I figured it must be a different kind of juice." He shrugged. Catherine, however, was worried. He'd had at least two doses in a short period of time. Sirius seemed to echo her concern as he asked another question.
"How much tea and juice did you drink?" Sirius asked.
"I just had one cup of tea, but I had two glasses of juice," Rory reported. "Why? Did they give me something bad?" His eyes widened and he gripped Catherine's hand tightly.
"We're not sure," Sirius said. "I'm just trying to be thorough."
"Mum?" Rory asked, his lip trembling. Catherine tightened her arm around his shoulders and forced herself to smile at him.
"Don't worry just now, all right?" she said. "You'll be fine." Rory nodded but Catherine didn't think he looked too convinced.
"Sirius," Savage said from the doorway. Sirius looked up and acknowledged the other wizard. "I've gotten as much from Hargrove as I'm going to without Veritaserum. We're ready to move both of them to the Ministry holding cells."
"Portkey?" Sirius asked. Savage shook his head.
"He's put up wards against it," Savage explained. "It will take too long to pull them down, so we're just going to go through the Floo."
"All right, I'll be there in a moment," Sirius said. Tonks rose to follow Savage.
"Can we go home now?" Rory asked.
"Yes, sweetheart, just as soon as the Aurors are done with the Floo," Catherine said. She looked down at her son and didn't like how pale he looked. She pulled him closer to her side and he sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head against her. She looked up at Sirius in concern.
"I'll hurry everything along," Sirius said. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "You two stay here." Catherine watched as he left the kitchen, then turned back to Rory. His breathing seemed to have gotten a bit faster and when she ran a hand over his forehead, she realized he was quite warm.
"Rory," she said. "Sweetheart, look at me." Rory leaned away from her and tried to focus on her face, but his eyes kept closing. "Rory," Catherine said more sharply. Rory's eyes snapped open and he stared at her for a moment.
"Mum, I don't feel so good," he whispered. And then his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped against her.
"Rory!" Catherine exclaimed, pushing him back from her and shaking him slightly. She stood quickly and laid him back on the two chairs that were pushed together, his legs dangling over the edge of one. Catherine pulled out her wand and ran a diagnostic over him. His heart rate was elevated, as was his pulse and temperature. His skin felt clammy and he was paler than Catherine had ever seen him. He didn't respond when she tried to wake him again, not even with an 'ennervate'. She needed to get him to St. Mungo's.
Levitating him from the chair, she hurried into the corridor, Rory floating behind her. She saw no one as she walked quickly down the hall towards the drawing room where she had first arrived. She assumed they were all in the drawing room supervising the transport of Daniel and Hargrove to the Ministry.
As she reached the doorway, she realized that was exactly what everyone was doing. She gently lowered Rory to the floor in the hall, then cast a cushioning charm beneath him and hurried into the room. Dawlish stood to the side of the fireplace holding one of Daniel's arms, his upper body still bound by the Incarcerous, only part of his fingers able to move. Tonks and Proudfoot flanked the fireplace as Savage stood in front of it, Aldridge Hargrove, bound as Daniel was, at his side. Sirius stood surveying the scene, but turned when he heard Catherine's footsteps. He gave her a chastising look which faded as he saw the fear on her face.
"It's Rory," she said before he could speak. Proudfoot was holding the jar of Floo power out to Savage, but looked up at Catherine's voice. "Something's wrong. We've got to get him to St. Mungo's." As she spoke, Hargrove looked back over his shoulder, sneer on his face until he caught sight of her. His eyes widened and came to rest on her belly. Catherine met his gaze and brought a hand to her stomach protectively. There was a snarl and a shout and before any of them could even realize what was happening, Hargrove had wrenched himself from Savage's grasp. He muttered an 'Accio' and Savage's wand was in his hand. Both Proudfoot and Tonks moved, but they were too late to stop him from casting the spell.
Catherine stood transfixed as the light hurtled toward her. She saw Sirius moving in some sort of slow-motion approximation of himself, but even he was too late to stop it. Catherine turned to the side and cradled her belly, putting a hand up as if she could ward it off with a mere flick of her fingers. Just when she expected the spell to impact she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Someone called her name and jumped in front of her. There was a grunt and then something grazed her side. She shut her eyes as she heard a large thud in front of her and then the world disappeared.