Disclaimer: 'Tis not mine
A/N: 20 chapters in... I didn't know I was capable of such a thing.. o_O'
*wipes away a tear – The amount of bromance in this, I swear…
The chapter everyone's been waiting for!
I hope you enjoy!
Teddy could admit that he was being a bit too anxious. He'd been feeling jittery the entire day (the entire week, more like), even without the aid of any caffeine product. The worn-down cushions of the Dursleys' couch suddenly seemed springier than ever, simply begging Teddy to bounce his leg up and down while they went over the plan for the forty-second time.
Shacklebolt sat beside him, and always observant, saw his premature spike in adrenaline. She laid a hand on his knee to steady him, hand squeezing firmly enough for him to get the message. "Quit it," She said too quietly for anyone else to hear, "I'm trying to listen."
He sent her an apologetic half-smile, but couldn't bring himself to listen as she did. He felt so, so ready that listening to Harry's authoritative voice going over the tiniest of details wouldn't prepare him any more than he already was.
His ocher eyes kept darting from the boss to the fireplace, where the flames danced almost mockingly cheerfully. The subtle light from them in the already-bright room seemed to be jumping towards him as an ever-teasing reminder of every excess moment spent in the living room when Malfoy Manor was (figuratively) just on the other side of the brick enclosure.
"Do we all understand?" Harry's voice asked, tearing Ted's gaze away from the blue-burning-orange inside the brick enclosure.
There were nods and murmurs of agreement; the Lupin was the only one who let out an excited, "Yes,"
"Williamson, what's the time?"
"Six-forty," The older man replied.
"Five minutes, then." Harry stood from the couch and crossed to the fireplace.
Teddy all-but skipped as he followed him. Savage clapped a hand on his shoulder from behind, trying to steady him, but everyone in the room shared a silent agreement that there was no way that Teddy was about to be sedated in any way.
Those may as well have been the longest five minutes of Teddy's entire life. He waited restlessly, fiddling with his hands or his hair until he was unconsciously turning it bright green and black with yellow polka-dots just to pass the time more quickly. He naturally earned a few nasty looks from Williamson and some concerned glances from Harry, but Teddy didn't even notice them. As much as he wanted time to pass, doing anything in his power to make it hurry, he was focused. He knew exactly what he was to do, how he was to do it, what to do when he got it done. There wasn't a single gap in the plan, other than the when he had to improvise to convince Draco and the other Death Eaters. He could handle that much. Being an overly-impressive actor hardly mattered when there was a flawless disguise in place.
"Six forty-five," Williamson grumbled.
Teddy jumped in both surprise and anxiety, blood suddenly racing in his veins as if it was made of water.
"Ted, are you ready?" Harry asked him seriously, green eyes boring into his own.
He nodded, demeanor flipping to equal seriousness, brow furrowing just slightly in concentration.
"You know what to do?"
"I've got this, Boss." He said with pure confidence.
"I'm trusting you, Teddy. We'll be there soon, just know that."
"I know. Don't worry, Harry. I won't mess it up, I promise."
Harry then nodded, squeezed his shoulder with a strong, reassuring hand, and gestured for him to take a handful of the black Floo Powder.
It sifted through his fingers as he stepped into the flames, grainy and fine all at once, feeling so different in his hands because of what it all suddenly meant.
He gave a determined look to the general group, lingering a bit on Shacklebolt, if he was to be honest, before he said, "Malfoy Manor—West Wing," and threw the powder down.
The familiar sensation of spinning overtook him, and he felt like he was being pulled forcefully back into equilibrium and reality when his feet landed firmly on the ground of Malfoy Manor.
His first instinct was the put his hands up in a defensive stance, unsure of where he really was or who could possibly be there. Much to his relief, there didn't seem to be anyone or anything in the dark corridor.
Teddy stepped out and dusted his all-black, overdressed-feeling clothes off with black-gloved hands. Straightening up, posture impeccable, he changed his features to those of Draco Malfoy (perfected with practice) and began stalking down the hallway in his best lazy, smug saunter.
The place was unfamiliar and unwelcoming, and he instantly knew why Scorpius detested it so much. There was so much… darkness and bitterness and lack-of character in everything surrounding him in the never-ending hallway. There were paintings, all portraits of characteristically blond men and women, expensive-looking sconces, and other halfhearted decorations on the walls, but everything was so similar that it was simply… dull. The doors that he passed (some odd fifty of them, it seemed) all blended together, none looking any different than the last.
Halfway down the hall, Teddy saw a splash of shining gold against the stony color scheme of the house, a doorknob that stood out from the rest. Some intuition deep inside told him that it was Scorpius's bedroom (he never would know that he was correct), but he didn't have any time to investigate the fact.
It was too corridors, two haphazard right turns, and a staircase later that Teddy happened upon another life in the manor.
The House-Elf looked terrified to just be in the same ten-meter radius of what it was convinced was Draco Malfoy, but the moment Teddy caught sight of the creature, he slightly altered his confident walk to a more stumbling version, criss-crossing his feet and holding onto the wall for support. His cheeks tinted the most subtle of pinks, and though he wasn't sure when he'd become so comfortable with acting, he was the picture of a drunk Draco Malfoy.
"You there, Elf," He called out, a smile in his expertly-mimicked drawl.
"Y-yes?" It squeaked.
"Tell me the way to the sitting room, would you?" The Lupin chuckled at how his words slurred together. "I must admit that I'm not in the right mind, and all of the corridors are beginning to look the same, so… if you would. Directions." He waved the elf to begin, but immediately interrupted the wrinkly thing when it opened its wide-lipped mouth, "And keep it simple, all right? I already have a headache as it is," He pressed his fingers to his temples for proof.
The elf nodded nervously. "The front sitting room, sir?"
He swayed slightly, looking quite like he was trying to focus on the rather unattractive creature in front of him. "What? Front, yes, front." He nodded.
"It's just down this hall, a left turn, down the stairs, one more right, and then you're there, Sir."
"Go down here, then left, down, right," Teddy muttered more for his personal benefit than for the act. "You're positive, elf?"
"Yes Master Malfoy, Sir." It nodded so hard its hairy, bat-like ears flapped.
He didn't acknowledge the elf anymore—how suspicious would it have been for Draco Malfoy, no matter how drunk, to thank a House Elf?—and continued down the hallway, repeating the directions in his mind over and over.
By the time he descended the stairs, Teddy's pace slowed considerably. He was on constant alert, because the closer he got, the more chance there was that someone or something would be nearby. His steps were silent, his breath measured as he listened intently to his surroundings.
There was the sound of laughter as he turned the final right and slinked halfway down the long corridor. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his blood felt like ice flowing through his body.
They were there… They were right there. They didn't suspect that they were about to be blown up from the inside out… It felt sweet. So, so sweet.
Teddy held his breath and waited, pressed flat against the wall, just barely able to see the end of the hallway leading to the metal-gray sitting room. The voices mingled and mixed into each other, making it ten times more difficult to pick the missing one out.
The first one he recognized was Draco Malfoy, barking some order to what he presumed to be a house-elf to get another bottle of mead.
There was more talking, more laughing that suggested that they were more than just a bit under the influence. Scorpius wasn't lying when he said that they spent this night getting drunk… Unfortunately for Teddy, it made everyone a bit louder, a bit more prone to slurring and not making any sense.
If he'd been counting the time, Teddy would have counted seventeen minutes and twenty-three seconds until he got his lead.
"Where is Macnair?" A slightly-grumbly voice he recalled belonging to the younger of the Crabbes asked.
There was a pause. Teddy's heart jumped and pounded, leaving him to have to step a few steps forward in order to hear what was being said.
"He said that he worked late again tonight. He should be coming later." Avery replied, making Teddy's lips curl in disgust. Regardless of the fact that Draco Malfoy was the ringleader of the whole operation, Avery was easily the nastiest and cruelest out of the group.
There was a general murmur of assent, and Teddy took his opening.
Recalling the man's appearance to the best of his memory (made rather easy by now with all of the specialized training he was put through, studying each Death Eater's features and mannerisms until he could replicate them down the tiniest of scars on his cheek), he transformed himself into the man. He suddenly felt rather greasy, and could only attribute it to the fact that he now resembled the Death Eater.
Now, he did count exactly seven minutes (seven of the hardest, most self-discipline-inducing minutes he'd ever suffered through) before he stepped out of the hallway into the sitting room with an unparalleled adrenaline rush.
"Macnair! You've finally arrived," Draco greeted him as he came into view.
Teddy took a minute to survey the area. It was a sitting room just like any other, holding a few sofas that matched the dark theme of the entire house, with paneled walls of a deep mercury-gray. Upon momentary inspection, his chest gave a squeeze when he spotted the only panel with a snake design.
It took every bit of Teddy's self-control not to simply cross straight to the door, force it open, and begin the rescue mission before the others even had a chance to know what was happening.
Instead, he nodded cordially and carefully took a seat next to an equally-overdressed Goyle on one sofa.
The conversation started up around him once again, all mentioning the most mundane of everyday things; if he was to be honest, he would have figured that a meeting of the Death Eaters would be much more exciting than it actually was. The news, the weather, current Quidditch standings… not the most evil of things. It reminded Teddy that they were all still human, whether or not they acted like it.
His eyes darted around in a way he could only hope was surreptitious, taking in his surroundings fully. The snake panel was straight in front of him; the front door was to his right. His eyes lingered longer there, as he knew the rest of the Aurors were just on the other side of it, all waiting for Teddy's signal to enter and begin the attack.
Teddy refrained from bouncing his leg once again in nervousness. It was so incredibly different, talking about the plan and actually being in the room, surrounded by Death Eaters, and waiting for eight o'clock to hit so he could enter the room with the cells. There was pressure on his shoulders beyond anything he'd ever felt (and though he hadn't been an Auror for too long, Teddy had an idea of great pressure), nerve-wracking beyond words. The smallest misstep could raise suspicion, could ruin everything. One simple misfire could raise hell and nullify everything that they'd worked toward. All of the months of waiting, of planning, of suffering could be lost with a single wrong move from Teddy.
He internally cringed and looked at the clock. The trek from the West Wing to the sitting room had been longer than he thought, apparently, because eight o'clock was less than five minutes away.
There was an uproar of laughter that shocked Teddy out of his thoughts. Goyle's goblet sloshed with his flailing arms and splashed onto Teddy's cloak. Avery was clapping obnoxiously. Draco actually snorted, causing only another round of laughter.
Teddy tried his best to join in, but even to him it seemed forced. Luckily enough, they were all too drunk to notice or care.
The older of the Crabbes wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, the last of rumbling chuckles escaping his lips. "Eight o'clock already, is it?"
Draco blinked bleary eyes and looked toward the clock. "It looks like it,"
Teddy straightened in his seat.
"Whose turn tonight? Avery and Goyle, right?" Draco asked halfheartedly.
An immediate nasty smile stretched along Avery's thin lips, and Teddy felt his stomach heave. He swallowed thickly before he finally spoke up.
"Goyle, think I could take your turn tonight?" He asked, praying that the Goyle in mention was the one sitting next to him, and not the one across the room.
The man's heavy brow furrowed. "What is it, Macnair?"
He kept up his best illusion of confidence. "There's overtime all next week at work, see, and I'm so close to the promotion that I can taste it." He appealed straight to Draco, who seemed even drunker than Teddy pretended to be to the elf earlier, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to make my turn next week."
Goyle looked contemplative.
Teddy held his breath.
"No."
His heart sank further than the floor. "Why not?" He demanded.
"It's my turn, Macnair." The man grunted.
"We'll swap turns, Goyle," He tried his hardest not to sound desperate. The Goyle was so immature that Ted was almost at a loss for words.
"Could we hurry this up a bit? I'm getting impatient." Avery's voice was like ice that trickled straight through Teddy's bones. He stood by the panel with crossed arms and perfect posture.
"Goyle." He said with finality.
"Just let him have your turn, Goyle." Draco sighed.
Goyle snapped his head toward the blond man as Teddy's heart lifted.
The Lupin simply raised an eyebrow condescendingly at the fuming man before he stood up and crossed the room with legs that felt quite like lead.
"Evening, Macnair," Avery said.
"Evening, Avery," He responded, meeting the man's sharp eyes with a challenge.
The man turned toward the panel and opened it without another word.
Teddy held his breath once again, reminding himself of the immediate plan instead of the fact that the boys were only a short distance away and squeezing his eyes shut for just a moment as he followed the man and the opening closed behind them.
Stealthily as he could manage (an expert at stealth, actually), Teddy fished his wand out of his coat pocket and held it by his side at waist-level, so that Avery wouldn't be able to see it if he looked behind him.
Malice spiking through his system, Teddy pointed the wand at his back and wordlessly cast a Silencio on the man.
He stiffened slightly in front of him, clearly noticing that something was off.
Quietly as he could, Teddy whispered, "Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus!" in quick succession.
His wand flew across the small room and clattered to the ground somewhere around the corner. The man went stiff all over, limbs snapping to center like a board. He began to fall forward, and Teddy didn't make any move to try to help him as he hit the ground face-first. A resounding crack was heard in the room, and a wave of sick satisfaction ran through Teddy.
He walked to his side and turned him over carelessly with the toe of his shoe. His face was covered in blood from a broken nose, dripping down the sides of his cheeks and catching in the wrinkles of his skin.
Teddy stood over top of him with a grimace. He pointed his wand straight at his startled, terrified, livid face and snarled, "Stupefy,"
Avery's body gave a twitch before his eyes fell closed. Had he not been under a Full Body-Bind, he would have gone limp under the Stunning Spell.
Teddy was quite sure that he'd never felt more fulfilled in his life than he did in the few seconds as he watched the man's blood pooling around his head.
He deserved so much worse.
But that wasn't his task.
The Lupin all-but sprinted around the corner to the cells.
His heart swelled; tears sprung to his eyes. He put every ounce of his effort into not collapsing onto the ground.
It was too much.
He had a clear view of all three boys, all so abused and broken and so much worse than the camera could ever possibly translate. It could show the sequence of their days, every night at eight o'clock, but nothing could properly communicate the dead feeling in the stale, freezing air, the blank look in the three pairs of eyes, the stench of hopelessness and human rot that hung over the space.
James was alone, leaned up against the wall, and it was all so strange, because he'd seen the boy in the same place every day, but suddenly it was real and he was there and Teddy was actually going to save him.
He didn't take any extra time to take in his appearance, because if he did, then he would have undoubtedly broken down right there. Instead, he pressed against the bars of Scorpius and Al's cells (both against opposite walls) and whispered, "Scorpius! Scorpius!" until the blond boy looked his direction.
There was pure confusion on his dirty, otherwise lifeless face.
Realizing that he was still Macnair to them, but too afraid that he wouldn't be able to perfect the look again if he turned back to normal, he hurriedly said, "It's me, Teddy!"
Al's head snapped up towards him, and he heard rustling from James's cell. He felt like he was on a high; he was so determined, but so ready to snap at any second.
Scorpius's eyes widened and he inched forward cautiously. "Teddy?"
"Yes, Teddy. Tell me how to open these cells."
"It's just alohomora," Scorpius said quickly.
Teddy nodded and pointed his wand at the padlock, muttering the spell.
There was a moment of extreme tension where they were all deathly afraid that it wouldn't work.
The lock clicked, and Ted wrenched it open with violently shaking hands.
He didn't hesitate to do the same to James's cell as Al and Scorpius crawled out, though the older Potter was still stock-still once it was open, looking up at Teddy with wild eyes.
"Teddy? You're… you're here?" He whispered, crawling forward.
He coughed to cover his sob. "Yeah, James. Come on, we're getting out of here," He extended his hand into the entrance of the cell, and was taken completely by surprise as James bolted up and into his arms, squeezing him tightly around the back and burying a now-wet face into his shoulder.
"I knew you'd come, Teddy. I knew you would."
Teddy couldn't stop his own tears as he hugged James back just as tightly, uncaring of the fact that it was probably just wasting time, and there were things that he needed to get back to doing.
He just spent almost an entire year away from his best friend, in constant search of him. He deserved a moment of happiness with him, dammit.
Teddy wasn't sure how long that moment stretched, exactly, but he was shaking with sobs and James was shaking with sobs and babbling incoherently and their hands were fisted in each other's clothes as they poured out every bit of emotion he had in him.
It was all a bit surreal.
"I'm here, James. I'm finally here." He choked with a weak smile, patting his back with a trembling hand.
"What do we do, Teddy? Where's Dad?" The younger man backed away, eyes wild once again, scanning the room as if he expected Harry Potter to be right behind him.
"He's coming, James, don't worry. He'll be here." He turned back towards Al and Scorpius, who were caught up in their own embrace. His heart tugged painfully and a smile turned the corners of his lips.
At the very least, they were finally out of the damned cells. Now, they just had to get out of the Manor.
As the thought sunk in, he switched back to his concentrated state. "You have to stay here, okay? Stand over against that wall and just wait for me to come back in." He looked at all three of them separately, getting a nod from each one before continuing. "If anyone comes …" He bit his lip unsurely.
Scorpius bent down and picked up Avery's wand from just beside him.
Teddy nodded with pride at Scorpius's quick thinking. "Do what you have to do, Scorpius."
The blond's face looked just as focused as Teddy felt, brow furrowed as he nodded once again. One of his arms linked around Al's waist, and suddenly Ted felt absolutely secure in the fact that the Potters would be safe under Scorpius's guard.
"What do you have to do, Ted?" James asked, one hand still on his shoulder.
"I have to go out and signal your dad and the team to come in, and try to get the Anti-Apparation Charm lifted so that we don't have to worry about Floo Powder again." He recited the plan like lines from a play that he'd memorized.
"All right. We'll wait here." James said, clapped his hand on his shoulder firmly, and dropped it.
Ted took one long, burning look at each of them (still not allowing his mind to notice how horrible they all looked, with sunken-in cheeks and sallow skin and dark rings around their eyes and dried blood at the corners of their lips, and trying his hardest to will himself away from them) before he turned his back and went back through the secret passageway.
"Macnair, you're back." Draco said with a lopsided grin, goblet full once again.
"Where's Avery?" Nott asked, noticing the man's absence.
"He's in there, finishing up," Teddy lied smoothly. "What time is it now?"
"Around…" Draco held up his wristwatch to his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his eyes. "Eight forty? Eight forty-five?"
He sighed. "I'd best be going then."
"Another early day tomorrow?" Nott asked rather mockingly.
Teddy shot him a glare. "Yes, actually. If any of you lazy bastards were actually getting anywhere, you'd know what it feels like to be tired at the end of the day."
A few of the men looked shocked; a few looked like rage was about to boil over in their stomachs. Draco was actually rather impassive.
Teddy turned toward him. "Malfoy, would you mind terribly if you lifted the Anti-Apparation Charm from the Manor for just a little while?"
Draco's finger traced the lip of the goblet. "Why?" He asked, less suspicious than Ted would have thought, acting more whiny, as if lifting the spell was a great strain on his life.
Teddy's brain formulated the response faster than he probably ever had on the spot. "I have to stop at the office before I head home to talk to my boss, and I'd rather not arrive with a double dose of soot on my clothing." He made a face and a show of shaking out his cloak onto the floor, little grains of dust flying everywhere.
"Watch it," Draco mumbled as he waved his hand in the air, fanning the soot away.
"You're the one who's always said appearance is key, Draco." He spoke straight to the man's hypocrisy.
It seemed to strike a nerve in the older Malfoy. Sluggishly, he trailed his fingers to the end of his sleeve to get his wand.
Ted's heart pounded in the moments of anticipation. Only one more clever excuse to go back behind the snake panel, and the boys would be out of there forever. He held his breath.
Something changed abruptly in the atmosphere, and Teddy's eyes widened in alarm.
Draco's did the same, wincing as his hand swiftly clutched his left forearm.
Trepidation washing over him, Teddy glanced around the room to see the rest of the men doing the same thing. He copied them, right hand on his left arm, so not to raise suspicion, though he still looked intently at the others for the cause of their reactions.
"What's this?" Crabbe asked thickly.
Draco's brow furrowed as he looked around. "Who activated it? We're all here."
"Avery," The Senior Goyle said.
"Or Scorpius," The younger added.
The blond waved him off. "Scorpius hasn't got a wand, idiot."
"I'll go check on Avery," Teddy volunteered immediately, deciding that it was less dangerous to leave the room than for someone else to find Avery Stunned on the ground with the three boys huddled together out of their cells.
The others nodded without a second thought, and Ted crossed to the door and swung it open, leaving it cracked just a bit to hear what was going on outside.
"Crabbe, you stay here. Everyone else, let's see what's going on," Draco seemed to sober up rather quickly and immediately took hold of the situation.
Teddy's mind raced for an alternate plan.
Shit shit shit shit—
Harry's voice invaded his thoughts with his characteristic authority as he recalled something he'd said before, "Teddy, whatever goes wrong, just get them out."
He nodded to himself and to the Harry in his memory, mind suddenly piecing together solutions that he was sure the others would be able to handle if he wasn't there.
He just had to get them out.
Teddy whipped around toward the three, body warming momentarily as his entire disguise was dropped and he returned to the familiar face with ocher eyes and honey-colored hair. He shrugged off his cloak and outer jacket, leaving himself dressed in only a dark shirt and pants, which would be much easier to move in when he needed to.
The three were pressed against the wall, Scorpius standing slightly in front of Al, the smaller boys hands clutched in the fabric at the blond's waist, James protectively poised in front of both of them.
"Scorpius, where's the nearest fireplace from here?" He asked hurriedly.
Scorpius jumped in surprise before his brows knitted together. "In a study just a few corridors over,"
Teddy nodded again, taking in and releasing a deep breath. "Okay. Something happened, and we're not following the original plan anymore."
"I felt the Mark burning, Teddy, what happened?"
His heart plummeted in pity. He'd forgotten that Scorpius had a Dark Mark too. "You didn't set it off, did you?" Teddy asked somewhat desperately.
He shook his head, eyes wide. "I just felt it."
"Okay." He breathed again. "I don't know what happened. But it's my job to get you out of here. We have to go to the fireplace, and get to…" He wracked his brain. Nowhere seemed safe, so he had to settle, "The Dursleys' house as fast as you can. Once we're all there, then we're going to Apparate to St. Mungo's and wait for everyone else. All right?"
The three in front of him nodded, faces betraying nerves and the same fraction of hysteria that Teddy felt.
He breathed in and out to steady himself. The jitters he felt earlier had turned into full-out quakes inside his body, wracking him and making his focus waver because this was really, really too much to be asking of them. They'd just spent—how long?—nine months in the cells. Suddenly they were just expected to be able to run at full speed halfway across a Manor and then Apparate all while trying not to get caught in the crossfire, and Teddy felt terrible about it. How long had it been since they even stood up completely straight, much less walked around… and now they had to run. They had to run as fast as their weak legs would carry them; they couldn't stumble, they couldn't fall, or else they would be right back here or somewhere even worse.
The guilt was heavy. Teddy sighed deeply. "I'm so sorry, guys. Just… we just have to go as fast as we possibly can. Don't stop, don't fall behind. You're going somewhere safe, okay?"
They nodded, but it was all a bit unsteady.
"If I stop, you keep going. Scorpius, you have to show us where to go." He was asking too much of him.
"All right," One of his hands moved one of Al's from his waist to twine their fingers together.
Clenching his jaw tight, wishing there was another way they could do this, a way that was less risky, he took a last worried look at the three before turning back to the door.
Subtly as he could, Teddy peeked through the small crack of the door. At once unsure of how he didn't notice the change in noise before, his lungs gave a small jolt as he saw the frenzy in the sitting room.
Sparks and jets of light streamed in every direction, Aurors and Death Eaters paired up or otherwise grouped into duels. Teddy saw Harry duck under a spell gone array and shoot a bright blue curse straight at Draco Malfoy. Teddy felt a small thrill when he saw Draco stumble back, clutching his side.
Williamson was holding his own against both of the Goyles, and Shacklebolt dominating a quick-fire battle with Nott, sporting a fresh dripping cut on her cheek.
We have to go through that, Teddy reminded himself. His limbs tingled with anticipation and a slight serving of dread.
"Are they all out there?" James asked, breaking Ted out of his trance.
He nodded solemnly.
Al made to step forward in excitement and stumbled on unstable legs. "Dad too? Dad's out there?"
"And the Death Eaters?" Scorpius was much more down-to-Earth and Ted fully appreciated the fact.
"They're all out there fighting. We can't interfere no matter what, do you understand me? We're going straight to the fireplace, and they'll all meet us later." He looked at them with hard, serious eyes. He could understand how much they wanted to see their father, how much they wanted to help, but they just couldn't. They had to leave.
"All right," James muttered in behalf of them all, and a weight rose from Ted's tightened chest.
"Scorpius, you have to lead. Just run as fast as you can to the fireplace. Keep up, and don't stop. When you're there, start going immediately. What order are you going?" He asked pointedly.
"Whatever order we get there," James replied confidently.
Teddy's faith in them skyrocketed tenfold, as James gave just the answer he was seeking. He nodded. "Stay quiet, stay low." He gave his final piece of advice before moving aside so Scorpius could go out first.
The blond still held Al's hand tightly, pulling him into step as he peeked through the door to the battle. Eyes shining with moisture as he saw the room just outside, the gray eyes darted around in search of the fastest route. He inhaled, exhaled, and slowly pulled the door open, just wide enough for the skinny boys to fit through.
Teddy watched anxiously as the young Malfoy took one step, two, and then started at a sprint, Al at his side. James was less than three steps behind, legs gangly and shaking, and Ted was out the door before they had a chance to breathe.
The chaos surrounding them was unbelievable, the peek from the doorway doing it absolutely no justice whatsoever. The level of noise from shouts and curses and incantations blended with the racket of sofas being flipped, glass being shattered, bodies thudding heavily against the walls or the ground. The air was alive with magic, tension high, everyone on relentless alert of rebounding spells. The constant movement, the constant confusion was enough for anyone to get lost in.
Teddy may as well have downed a gallon of Felix Felicis that afternoon with his lunch, because somehow everyone was too caught up in what they were doing and didn't even notice the three escapees and their Metamorphmagus companion dashing through the sitting room to the hallway opposite.
"DUCK, AL!" Teddy yelled as a very recognizable jet of green light flew just a bit off from Al's shoulder.
He immediately did just that, bringing Scorpius down with him, still holding his hand in a white-knuckled vice grip; they both knew to keep moving.
Suddenly shaking, almost having swallowed his tongue at the close-call, he cast a Shield Charm over the three in front of him for as long as they were in the middle of the combat.
It was much quieter once they were in the hallway, the only noise coming from their torturously labored breaking and out-of-sync footsteps.
"All right, everyone?" Ted asked between pants.
"Yeah," They all breathed out respectively.
"How much longer, Scorpius?" The oldest asked more for their benefit than his own.
"Two and a half hallways," He called back.
"Don't stop, or else you won't be able to start again." Teddy's side was beginning to burn, his body rather out of shape… he really couldn't imagine how bad the boys had it.
The breathing only grew heavier and more ragged, the sound of the fight quieter as they went further. Ted's eyes trained on the heads of the three boys, still quite shocked that this was actually happening. They were less than a corridor away from being free forever.
Scorpius came to an abrupt stop some way down a hall after a left turn, nearly causing the rest of them to fall over their own feet.
He wrenched the door open, crossing the threshold into what looked like a small library, with a lone chair, table, and fireplace gently crackling from across the room.
"Al, go." Scorpius said, nudging Al in front of him.
The younger Potter whirled around to protest, "But Scorpius—"
"Go." The serious command in the blond's tone was enough to make even Teddy wince.
Albus nodded, took a handful of powder from what looked mysteriously like an urn, and stooped into the fireplace. He was looking straight at Scorpius as he said the address, threw the powder down, and spun out of sight.
One, safe. Teddy's heart felt like it was being compressed.
"Scorpius," James gestured for him to go next as the flames died back down.
The blond hesitated. "Are you—"
"Scorpius." James's voice held finality, as if Scorpius's prior tone had simply been passed along.
Scorpius exhaled noisily and said the address.
The hairs on the back of Teddy's neck stood up just as Scorpius began to spin. Fright weaved over his skin like a thin, freezing spider web, and his heart sank lower and lower into his gut. He spun toward the door in time to see the knob turn and another person enter.
His wand went to the ready as he was met by Avery's cruel smile.
"Stuns don't last forever, Macnair." He said icily.
"Go, James," He said softly, Avery advancing.
"Teddy—"
"As soon as you can. Go."
The Death Eater slipped a sliver of wood from his sleeve and tauntingly held it up for admiration. "You know, you shouldn't go dropping something like this… Could come back to haunt you." His nostrils flared with eagerness.
Ted heard the fireplace still blazing with Scorpius's departure. Scorpius dropped Avery's wand while we were running, his mind stated for the sake of connecting some dots. He stayed steady, watching Avery carefully on defense, because he knew that the Death Eater was going to cast something soon enough.
It was only a second or two of bated breath before the Death Eater stepped into his stance and wordlessly cast what the Lupin recognized as a Stun.
Reacting quickly, he deflected it with a Shield Charm before sending off a Disarming Spell to no avail.
All senses hyperaware of his surroundings, he heard James step into the fireplace.
"Muffilato!" Ted caught Avery off guard just in time for him to miss the destination.
The man looked discomforted and confused, but recovered and shot another wordless, unrecognizable spell his way.
Teddy ducked out of the line of fire, kneeling into a quick roll and sending a Body-Bind at him. The flames flared behind him. James was safely spinning away.
The man hopped out of the way. "Throwing First Year stuff out, Lupin, really?" He taunted and flicked his wand.
The Severing Charm just barely grazed his shoulder, sending a wave of white heat through his entire arm and drenching it in sticky crimson. He gritted his teeth and stood up. "If they weren't effective, then you would have gotten here a while ago, Avery." His cockiness was surprising even to himself.
A smirk quirked Avery's lips.
Ted raised one eyebrow.
They sent spells flying at the same time in jets of gold and green.
The Lupin slid out of the way, banging his hip against the corner of the only table, knocking it over while also forming a huge, nasty bruise on his skin. Holding the spot, he furrowed his brow and looked toward Avery.
It seemed that his years of training paid off and his aim was immaculate. The light absorbed straight into Avery's chest.
His limbs snapped to his sides and he fell backward, slamming into a bookshelf. Rows and rows of the books to toppled down all around him.
Avery fell victim to the Full Body-Bind for the second time that night, this time buried in books and barely conscious.
Feeling smug beyond words, Teddy strolled over and kicked some books away so that he could stand properly just over his head. There were small cuts from pages and bruises from hardcovers already littering the aged skin, and Ted couldn't help but feel gratified at seeing him helpless in that state.
"The Full Body-Bind. Second time a First Year trick has gotten to you. How do you feel, Avery?" He asked mockingly, watching the way that his razor-sharp eyes burned with hatred and his lips twitched in their set line from wanting to speak.
He smirked. "Stupefy."
The man's eyes closed, but his body didn't go limp from the other spell still in effect.
The Auror dodged the avalanche of tomes as he made his way to the fireplace. The fire was back to its calm state, only to be changed again when Teddy stepped in and, heart pounding, said the address of the house that he was so familiar with.
The feeling of Floo Powder was dizzying, and felt mostly like the world shouldn't be moving that fast, but Teddy wanted nothing more than for it to hurry as glimpses of other openings flashed in his eyes and he needed to get to Privet Drive.
He all-but tumbled out of the opening when he arrived, looking around wildly.
The boys were right there on the couches. Scorpius and Al were curled up together, looking at the older Potter, who was laid out on his own sofa, eyes half-lidded, a hand on his chest as it rose up and down faster than was normal.
"St. Mungo's," Teddy panted, suddenly feeling winded again, "We need to Apparate."
"You take James,"
"Can you handle Apparating, Scorpius?" The Lupin didn't mean to be skeptical; he was just being realistic. He knew that the boy was practiced in it, though illegal as it was, but he'd already exerted himself too much that night. He was afraid that if he was to Apparate, he would end up Splinching himself, and that would be an extra complication that no one needed.
"I'm fine, Teddy." He said vehemently, making to stand up.
"I can just come back and get you," He suggested.
"No, just go. I can do it. We'll be right behind." The Malfoy shook his head.
Though worry still cast a film over his heart, Teddy nodded. He crossed to James and helped sit him up, holding his shoulders firmly.
"All right, James?" He asked; the boy felt quite stiff, chest still rising and falling at an alarming pace.
His eyes opened again as he looked up. They were bleary, unfocused. "Teddy," He said weakly.
Teddy read it as exhaustion. Not everyone was resolute (stubborn) as Scorpius, so it made perfect sense for him to nearly pass out at this point. Ted knew where he was coming from.
"Come on, James. We're going to St. Mungo's right now," He heaved the younger boy up to standing, looping James's arm over his shoulder and holding on tightly.
"You're sure you're all right to do this?" He asked a final time to Scorpius, who now held Al's waist.
"Yes, I'm fine." Scorpius said with confidence.
With a final nod, Ted concentrated hard on his destination. There was the familiar sensation of compression, and then there was bustling all around. The Healers had already been warned that they were going to show up, so as soon as they did, they barely had time to blink before being fussed over.
"No, no, take care of them," Teddy shrugged off one Healer who tried to get him into a stretcher. The older woman nodded and then scampered off.
A small crowd formed in front of him; all of his strength left his body and Ted fell back; luckily there was a wall there to catch him. Everything in front of him was suddenly a blur of color, of light, of sound. He briefly caught a glimpse of Al and Scorpius being put onto their own separate stretchers, and tears welled into his eyes.
Finally. Finally they were out. They were safe. They were free.
It was all over.
He covered his mouth to muffle his sobs as the tears flowed relentlessly. It was… it was really over.
They'd done it.
They'd saved the boys.
And then, the sound around him started to sound less like a headache and more like a celebration, because the Healers all buzzing around meant that James and Albus and Scorpius were about to be treated and cared for. The blurs of color and vague outlines of bodies were the reminders that they were here, not there.
He closed his eyes and drank everything in, wetness still staining his face and catching in his eyelashes.
The flurry was all so… comforting.
He very nearly fell asleep. He tottering over the fine line when, like before in the Manor, his skin began to crawl.
Slowly, again drenched in fear, Teddy's eyes snapped open to see the same small group with maybe a quarter of the motion and even less of the noise.
Of their own accord, his feet began to drag toward the group, pushing through with his sluggish body.
Even when he got sight of the inner circle, his sudden worry wasn't answered. Scorpius and Albus were still sitting on their respective stretchers, pushed together now, so that they could reach each other if they held their hands out, but now they were looking towards the third white, wheeled bed, where Ted could barely see James's legs from behind three Healers' backs.
Teddy's heart and his eyes went wild, because everything was suddenly going too slow. The Healer backed away from James's body at an almost lethargic pace. There was a light intake of air from Al, and Scorpius ran just one of his hands from his shoulder to the crook of his elbow. It was like everyone was slowing down time to a stop, and he didn't know why.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, his own voice seeming like the only thing that was moving at a normal speed.
"Mister Lupin, I—" The Healer began, straightening his posture, though his eyes were etched with deep sadness.
"What?" Teddy's heart was threatening to break through his ribs and jump right out of his chest. What was with everything all of a sudden? It was too slow, too slow, and James and Al and Scorpius needed immediate care, not a bunch of people standing around and gawking!
He took it upon himself to push through the small barrier created by the other two Healers in front of him and clutch on the metal railing of the bed for support.
It was then that he caught clear sight of James.
Teddy's body froze deeper than his bones, his breath was forced from his lungs, and he suddenly knew why everything was suddenly too slow.
James wasn't breathing.
A/N: Look forward to next week!
Till next time,
KitKat-Pyrophobia