Chapter Fourteen: Equations and Dementors:
Rookwood stepped back from the blackboard and looked over the sprawling mass of number symbols and other things that were very much like physics, that is if physics used magic and Arithmancy. Ginny was here with him and she looked over the board and erased a line and added her own. Rookwood nodded and began to go over the work again. Ginny was very smart and understood the Dementors unlike so many others. Voldemort had been one of the few that could control the Dementors and he had passed some of the knowledge that Ginny was using now via the diary, (then again the Horcrux in the diary planned on her death but that had not happened, she was here now), some but not all of her knowledge came from here. She was very gifted and enjoyed working with mathematics and was top in her Arithmancy class. In fact she would be one of many in the magical world that would study Physics even while she followed her dream of playing for the Hollyhead Harpies. Ron came in eating a sandwich and watched with awe his sister working with ease with mathematics.
"I wish I was smart." Ron said as he ate his sandwich.
"You are smart, you know more defensive spells and charms than most yer age." Rookwood said pausing in his work. "Not everyone understands the swan song language of math, numbers and the spells they cast on all men."
"Hermione says I am smart, she said she would hex me if I did not start using my brains." Ron said.
"Well she is right." Ginny said stepping back and studying the board. "I wonder if this would work." Here she added a line to the end of the equation. "There I think that does it."
"Let's see." Rookwood said waving his wand just as Harry came into the room.
The equation formed into two lines of a spell and Rookwood chanted the top line while Ginny chanted the bottom line. At once an eerie otherworldly sound came from the board and Harry looked at it wide-eyed with fear. He wanted to go to the voices at run away from them all at once, they were the same voices at the Veil when he saw Moody fall and he felt tears in his eyes and would have broke down if not for a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned surprised to see Severus here and thought he had entered a parallel universe as Severus was looking at him with real concern. Harry tried to speak but Severus was steering him out of the room and once out of the classroom he shoved chocolate into Harry's hands.
"What part of do not disturb Rookwood and Ginny did you not get?" Severus warned Harry firmly.
"I thought well I could watch sir." Harry said. "I thought it would not bother them if I watched!"
"Harry in some things you are very smart like your mother, however there are times when you are like your father and not in a good way!" Severus scolded him.
"My father…" Harry began but he was cut off by Severus.
"Your father turned out to be, a, a fine man but only because your mother tamed him. If not for her love and kindness your father would not have been a good man!"
"I know sir, Remus tells me things, but sir I was being good!" Harry protested.
"You should not have been in there, you are too connected to what goes on in there." Severus said, "you…worried me."
"I did sir?" Harry said looking shocked at this.
"Yes Brat, I have always cared for you, but I thought you were so light you father, I took care of you for your mother's sake. Yet you are far more like her, accept for some things but that cannot be helped. Just do try to be more like your mother will you, your father would have agreed."
"Yes sir, they were great people, saved me, you did all you could to save others too sir." Harry said, "you still do, all I did was live, you sir are the true hero, and Cedric is and Remus is and the headmaster…"
"You forgot me." Sirius said walking up grinning.
"Oh yes the mutt has to claim his part." Severus said silkily.
"Shut up Vampire." Sirius said turning to Harry, "so how are you doing staying out of trouble?"
"No he went into the room where Ginny and Rookwood are working on the equation to get rid of the Dementors." Severus said.
Sirius was about to scold Harry a bit, something he hated doing when he heard a commotion. The doors to the castle far below opened and two men drug a struggling captive bound and hooded into the castle. They drug him up the stairs and Severus froze as he knew the man well by his gate and the fact he was swearing colorfully. Anger was all over his face as he knew this was McNair, the very same who had tortured him and used him and he shoved down the humiliation he had suffered and let raw rage come to the surface. Severus walked up and grabbed MacNair by the front of his robes and yanked him forward. He could care less about not roughing up prisoners, what this thing did to him was personal and painful and he was going to see him suffer and pay for that!
"Hello Wally remember me?" Severus said low and silkily, "Rook and I are looking forward to paying you back."
"Severus?" MacNair said stopping his struggling, "so you did enjoy our time together."
"I did not say we would do what you did to us to you personally." Severus said in a low growl, "I was thinking a rusty knife and making it very slow and painful. You will be a eunuch and you will live and I will have your manhood in a jar on my desk! Then when that is done you will have your magic bound, yes I know that is nearly impossible but I will do my best to see it done. You will be then given to the goblins as I near they really hate people like you and you will suffer under them for the rest of your worthless life."
"Unless I get a hold of him first sir." Ginny said, she had heard the commotion and had come out, "I know a few useful spells as a witch."
"I will take pictures." Harry said meaning it and as Sirius and Severus looked at him, "well to remind me not to upset her ever."
"None of you can harm him." Dawlish said grabbing MacNair again, "he is the ministry's, you may have a right but leave him to us for now."
"Yea we will have him begging for his mummy when all is said and done." Savage the other Auror replied.
The prisoner was lead to a room and secured but that was not the end it, shortly after the prisoner had been brought here the minister came into the school. He brought the one thing that Dumbledore did not want in his school a Dementor. As Scrimgeour walked up the stairs the Dementor made his way by him quietly gliding along. Unfortunately Sirius was in the hall and the Dementor sensed him as one of its own at one time. It turned and Sirius backed to the wall a chill coming over him, he had no time to protect his mind, no time to shut down or change to Padfoot before the Dementor had complete power over him. Sirius cried out in terror and fell to the floor his eyes glazed over as the Dementor glided over. There were shouts and two bright lights solidified into Patronus, one a Stag the other a Doe. Scrimgeour looked upset at the reaction of Sirius in fact he was upset at the Dementor not Sirius.
"He is not yours." Scrimgeour said to the Dementor who despite the two Patronus wanted to get at Sirius who was curled up whimpering in terror. "He does not belong to you."
"Sir let us take care of this thing." Rookwood said walking from the classroom Ginny by his side.
"What do you mean to do?" Scrimgeour asked.
"There are children here sir." Ginny replied, "that thing has to be destroyed."
"No, this thing will get that scum that was caught to talk. I will not let you destroy it." Scrimgeour said coldly.
"Even though it is a demon?" Ginny shot back, "we can destroy it, all of them, let us do this."
"You can destroy them? How, that is not possible!"
"It is sir." Rookwood said, "at least I worked it out, with help from Miss Weasley here."
"Great a barefoot ex-death eater and a sixth year girl." Scrimgeour muttered but aloud he said, "I cannot stop you."
He was torn between wanting the power the Dementor offered and wanting the foul creature destroyed. He stepped back to let Rookwood who was barefoot and clad in soft woolen brown robes and Ginny do what they had to in order to end the Dementor. She began to chant the spell and the Dementor stopped advancing on Sirius and backed from the sound. It shook its head as if to rid itself of pain and it put its rotted hands to its head. The Patronus shone brighter and the Dementor let out one high wail and with a puff it turned to dust and blew away. Scrimgeour motioned to the two Aurors who had come with him and went to interrogate the prisoner. Sirius looked up at both Harry's stag and Severus's doe with wonder and awe, Severus conjured up a stretcher as he knew there was something terribly wrong with Sirius. He managed to get Sirius onto the stretcher and he was about to banish his Patronus when Sirius said something that stopped him.
"Lily!" Sirius said.
"Yes Lily, she lives in this." Severus said.
"Prongs and Lily." Sirius said curling up on the cot starting to shiver.
"Damn, damn, damn!" Severus swore more in worry than anything else.
"What can I do?" Harry asked walking up.
"Stay by him while I get him to the infirmary." Severus replied.
Harry did and Sirius went from trembling and crying to trying to moaning and sweating and biting his hand. Severus knew what this was and it scared him, Sirius had been attacked by the Dementor full force. Unable to defend himself from the assault all Sirius could do was mentally back up from the Dementor as best he could. Unfortunately that meant shutting down as much as he could, but it clearly had hurt him and he was delirious now. Harry felt Sirius grab his arm and look at him with unfocused eyes and Harry knew that Sirius did not see Harry Potter his godson but James Potter his father. Sirius looked up and saw Severus and by him the silver doe was still walking watching Sirius with concern. Sirius curled up even tighter and sobbed even harder. Harry did his best to sooth him but this was scary to watch his godfather fall completely apart.
"Padfoot Shh it's okay, we are here for you." Harry said softly.
"Lily, she is here, where is she?" Sirius asked.
"Right next to you Padfoot." Harry said nearly choking up. "Severus is guarding her.
"James you old dog you let Severus guard Lily?" Sirius said between sobs and trembling. "Severus is a good man, be kind to him James promise?"
"I promise." Harry said softly, "Remus and I will and so will you."
They got to the hospital wing and Poppy seeing Sirius muttered darkly about Dementors and called for Dobby. She ordered chocolate for him and while Dobby got that Harry and Severus got Sirius into a nightshirt and into bed. Once the chocolate milk came Harry helped Sirius drink it down then eat the chocolate. It began to help and for good measure Severus gave him a dreamless drought. Sirius was soon fast asleep and Severus was about to head out of the door when Poppy ordered him back.
"Sit, chocolate for both of you and Severus you are not going to vent your temper on the minister no matter how you feel he deserves it." Poppy warned him.
"How was MacNair captured?" Severus asked forcing down his anger and a piece of chocolate.
"A group of death eaters tried to take Draco." Harry said and at what color was in Severus face left him "oh he is fine, I think he killed one or two. Anyway from what Fred said it was not the death eaters day to come to Hogsmeade. We got MacNair and I think five were killed."
"Five, the dark lord is not going to be happy." Severus replied.
"I know but who cares if he is?" Harry said. "He has killed and maimed so many I want him dead!"
"I know, I do too." Severus replied.
Harry wanted to stay by Sirius that night but Severus promised him he would and Harry went to try and study before he went to bed. It was hard as having seen his godfather broken like that had hurt badly. Ginny came in and did her best to make him feel better and it worked. Harry went to bed not aware that the death eaters had captured one of their own. Next morning Severus woke to find Sirius still asleep, he thought for a moment on rudely waking the insane Animagmus but Sirius woke and yawned and Severus walked over to see if he was alright. Sirius took one look at him and put the pillow over his head. After a time he removed it looking highly embarrassed.
"Harry must think I am weak and completely mad." Sirius said.
"No he was worried about you though." Severus replied. "So was I, because well Harry would be upset if anything happened to you."
"Which is why you stunned me so I could not go to the battle in the ministry." Sirius added, "though we lost Moody."
"I miss him, he did interrogate me but he was not the one who tortured me all those years ago, that was Crouch."
"Ah yes Crouch, may he and his son rot in hell!" Sirius said darkly.
He heard a commotion and got up out of the bed and turned to Padfoot so he could hear what was going on outside. He listened at the door and came back to the bed and got in just as Poppy came into the room. She saw Sirius in bed and walked out of the hospital wing to quiet those outside. Sirius looked grim and Severus knew something had happened.
"What is it Mutt?"
"Percy Weasley, the raid last night, the death eaters got him." Sirius replied.
"I know where they will take him." Severus said, "I know where Riddle manor is."
"Poppy will not let me leave." Sirius said.
"Wait until she gets back and goes to her office, then we can make a break for it." Severus said.
"You would have been a good Marauder, too damn bad I was such an ass to you in school." Sirius said.
"I was just as bad."
Sirius acted as if he was asleep when Poppy came back and Severus looked up from his reading. Poppy checked both men over getting Sirius to "wake up" for a moment before he went back to sleep. She went to her office and after a few moments Severus got up and Sirius turned to Padfoot. They got out of the hospital wing and walked to a tunnel Sirius knew well. They were the only ones who could save Percy or so Severus hoped. They left the school grounds and Apparated just outside Riddle Manor. Severus felt sick and cold at the sight of the manor but he quickly turned to his cat form and Sirius turned to Padfoot. Two animals would not be noticed on the grounds of the manor and Severus knew where the entrance had been (and would still be as Voldemort would not think a witch would just walk out and not use a port key) and went under the manor. Once near the torture chamber the animals turned human.
"You alright Severus?" Sirius asked.
"No, I will spew later though." Severus said.
"Good, let's hope he is still alive." Sirius replied.
They were careful as they entered the chamber, the very one that Severus had been in. Voldemort was expecting magic, a port key or Apparation not two wizards just walking into the dungeons under Riddle manor. It was his biggest mistake, he had thought Hermione had used magic alone to rescue Severus and so he had not thought to ward the entrance from outside to his dungeons. Then again he had not grown up in Riddle manor so he might not have known about it. Severus entered the torture chamber first and killed the death eaters with ease inside and saw Percy strung up his robes in tatters and blood was covering the floor. Sirius got him down while Severus covered the door. Percy moaned in pain and tried to stand but could not as his kneecaps were shattered.
"Percy can you hear me?" Severus asked.
"I will not tell you a damn thing." Percy said blood trickling from his mouth.
"Let's go, now." Sirius said taking out his wand, "I am leaving a calling card."
"Put it on delay you damn mutt, I don't plan on being the dark lord's entertainment ever again."
"You got it master Vampire." Sirius said.
He set the spell on delay and helped Severus take Percy from the room, they had to carry him out as using any more magic than was needful could tip off Voldemort. They came to the small exit and left sealing it as they did so that Voldemort would be puzzled as how they had got in. Then once off the grounds they Apparated to Hogwarts and Severus conjured up a stretcher. They took Percy to the hospital wing where Poppy on seeing Percy forgot about the scolding she was going to give Sirius. She got Percy to a bed and scanned him and went very pale.
"I am so sorry but there is nothing I can do." Poppy said, "I can make him comfortable but there is nothing that will keep him alive."
"I, I will get Molly and Arthur." Severus said, "and the others."
He walked out of the room forcing himself to keep his calm exterior while inside he felt as if he was breaking apart. He cursed Voldemort for this needless death and he vowed once more he would see Voldemort pay for what he had done….
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Well I figured I wanted to show a very human side to Sirius. I don't think he can cast a Patronus now as he did spend so many unjust years in Azkaban. He really had a rough life and it's good he has others around him. As for the equation and such, I see Ginny as so very bright and wanted her to be able to use her intelligence. I was thinking of keeping Percy alive and killing him really did hurt but it had to be done.