25th October 1986 - Rescue

The Niffler popped into Hogwarts just as Albus and Severus were making their way out of the doors. Severus did not expect the small creature and so when his path was suddenly impeded, he tripped over the Niffler. Albus caught his son so he did not fall all the way down.

G'neef was not concerned by his abrupt arrival. He had a message to convey and so without a breath he began his beep and chatter. Albus was the one to receive images from the Niffler, and though he was curious, he could not indulge as he saw the images of an injured Remus and Sirius flash into his mind.

"What is it, Albus?" Severus demanded.

"Remus and Sirius have been terribly injured in an attack, my boy, they need…" Albus was interrupted.

"Where are my children?!"

Albus held up his hand so he could interpret all of the images that G'neef was throwing at him. The plethora of information was enough to spark a migraine and the older wizard closed his eyes.

"Father?" Severus lifted the old man's chin. Albus opened his eyes but the pain of the headache was clear in his blue eyes. "I shall get you a headache potion."

"And Blood Replenisher," Albus managed. "Both young men need it. Hurry."

Severus Summoned the potions needed from the Infirmary that he still supplied with potions. He also Summoned his Potion's bag he now stashed in the Headmaster's office. As the bag and then the potions arrived he handed the Headache Potion to his father and tucked the others into his bag. He shrunk the bag, and tucked it into his pocket.

"How do we…?" Severus began to inquire.

G'neef began running around Albus and Severus until they were gone.

Running In Circles

Both Sirius and Remus were exhausted. Remus bent over, trying to catch his breath while Sirius leaned against the bark of a blue and green tree.

"This is ridiculous!" Sirius added a curse to his frustration. "We're never going to reach that bloody hut!"

"Some sort of magic is keeping the hut away, Sirius. Or us away," stated Remus breathlessly as he straightened himself. "We need a way…"

The abrupt arrival of Albus, Severus, and the Niffler startled the two young wizards. Severus had his wand out and was wavering it between the two men that had been his bullies in school.

"What have you done with my children?" he demanded.

Remus pointed, "There!" Severus glanced toward the strange pair of chicken legs upon which a crude hut perched. It was that weird abode he had seen in the old journal his father had shown him. The construct could not be more than a half a kilometer away.

Sirius, feeling the weakness of his blood loss, sank to his knees. Severus grimaced as he ignored the hut. He then took out his Potion's bag and unshrunk it. In a moment he had the bottle of Blood Replenisher out and he broke the seal. "Black. Drink this. Lupin? How are you?"

Remus nodded and held up his hand. "The wolf in me is rather good at regeneration, Severus. I could use a pain killer or headache potion if you have one?" He glanced hopefully at the potions bag. Without a word, Severus hand the other wizard a small vial. Remus swallowed it down. He smiled serenely. "Thank you, Severus."

Severus shrunk his potions bag and put it back into his pocket. Albus had run Diagnostic Spells over Sirius and Remus. "Are they functioning, Father?"

"They could both use some sleep, Severus," replied Albus, "but they can aid us."

"Good. Now why haven't you two useless cretins rescued my children?" snarled Severus.

Black snarled right back, "Because we've spent a half hour going round in circles trying to get to that bloody chicken hut, you annoying bat. We… can't… get to it."

Albus looked down at the Niffler, "G'neef? Are you able to get to the hut?"

G'neef sighed and shook his head. "Beep pep," he apologised.

"Father, can you not…" Severus began to question.

"Alas not, my boy," replied Albus. He then tried to step closer to the 'chicken hut'. The venerable wizard cast an obscure spell of revelation which produced a bluish mist. He then tried to step towards the hut again. The mist shifted and showed the land in front of him shifting. "Ahhh. The obscuring of the path through a shifting illusion."

"Can you find the path, Albus?" asked Sirius.

"Not with this spell, unfortunately. If there were something within… part of… the garden that could walk along the path then it would be revealed to us," explained Albus.

"There are animals here," observed Remus. "I can hear and sense them." He shook his head sadly. "I cannot see them."

'RIBBIT!'

The men and the Niffler looked about and soon saw the strange 'unicorn' toad that Neville had found on the edge of a pond.

The toad croaked strongly a few more times until G'neef patted its back. G'neef then beeped happily. It was Severus that received images that oddly interpreted the toad's croaking.

"I think the information our world has on Nifflers needs to be updated," drawled Severus. "G'neef told me that the toad likes Neville and wants to know where he is."

Sirius' face brightened. "Albus, could the toad lead us to the chicken hut?"

Albus nodded. "As it is part of the garden it is not subject to the obscuring spells. G'neef, would you ask your little friend to lead the way to the… er, chicken hut?"

G'neef nodded and quickly beeped to the toad. In answer the toad croaked in varying tones and then hopped until it was standing where Albus had cast his revealing spell.

'RIBBIT' the toad ordered.

The unicorn toad hopped and the path was slowly revealed as the animal of the garden travelled along it. The toad was followed by the Niffler, and then the four wizards.

Luna

Luna Lovegood might resemble a delicate flower but the moment the witch grabbed her by her hair she became a whirling dervish of fists, feet, teeth and ear-splitting screams. Luna managed a few good licks before the witch side-swiped her in the face with her fearsome, iron fingernails.

"Misbehaving little girl," tsked the witch as though none of Luna's rebellion had touched her. "It is quite obvious your parents did not teach you any manners." The witch laughed as she tossed Luna's body onto a long, wooden table. The table was scored with hundreds of scars that only a knife chopping meat could give it.

Harry struggled in Tinga's arms. Tinga only gripped him tighter. "Don't you hurt her you ugly, evil, thing!"

Neville was about to go to his brother and help him but the burnt, skinny monkey waved a hand and ivy shot up all around Neville. He was drawn down to the floor as the ivy tightened.

"Neville!" Harry cried.

"I… c….n't… moooo….Harrrrrr… awp!" Neville managed one cry of anguish as his face was mashed to the floor.

Tinga pinched Harry's cheeks and he tried to bite its offensive fingers. "I am… very hungry. You are nice… and fat!"

"No I'm not!" protested Harry. "Mum and Dad always tell me to eat more!" He struggled and managed to loosen a leg that he shot backwards into Tinga's stomach.

Tinga grunted and fell away from the boy. Harry jumped up and immediately ran to where Luna was. As soon as he tried to wake her his wrists were grabbed by the clawed, thin fingers of the witch who lifted him. The claws let him go and Harry found himself floating in the air. The witch poked his belly. To Harry's horror the iron nail actually punctured him. The witch cackled as she licked the blood upon her finger.

"As you wish, little one," hissed the witch into Harry's face. He grimaced at the odor of rot she breathed. "You are first." With a swipe of her hand Luna's body was swept off the table. Harry then fell into her place.

Luna blinked as her head hit the floor just inches from Neville. She glanced up at Harry without moving her head. The witch was poking him and pinching him; drawing blood and cries of pain. The witch cackled with every bit of damage.

"'Yuuuna…" Neville tried.

Luna blinked her large, grey eyes slowly. Neville did his best to nod. Luna slowly rose to her feet. Before Tinga woke Luna frowned at the monkey-burnt thing and whispered, "You need to stay put."

In the blink of an eye Luna spun around, leapt up, and planted both feet into the witch's back. The witch fell over Harry who pushed her away just as one of the skulls with a candle fell and cracked her hard on the head.

Tinga woke at that moment and tried to move but found itself stuck fast. No matter how much it grunted, squirmed or wriggled it was well and truly attached to the floor.

The witch stirred abruptly not caring of the maelstrom of damage in her anger at the two children that hurt her. Her magic became a whirlwind that rattled or threw objects to the floor. Harry jumped off the table and sprinted over to Neville. He tried yanking at the ivy but could not make a dent in it.

"Luna…!" Harry cried as he attempted to get her to help.

Luna could not move as she felt herself rising up off the floor. A bolt of awful, yellow magic shot from the witch's fingers and the little girl began to jerk and twist as though she were being hit by a Cruciatus Curse. Harry screamed and Neville grunted out a screech. After a minute Luna fell to the floor.

Harry rushed to Luna's side. He turned her onto her back. She was silent. Her chest was not moving. She wasn't breathing.

"You killed her!" Harry's magic burst from the center of his body as if lightning struck.

Slow Hops

Following the toad was not easy. Even though it hopped its pacing was not as long as a man's. Therefore, the four men would walk a few feet, wait, and then walk a few more. Sirius had tried to shortcut the path by striding directly to the 'chicken hut' only to find himself unceremoniously dumped back to the beginning of the path shown by the presence of the unicorn toad. He did not try to shorten the path again.

"I cannot hear the children," murmured Severus as he walked beside his father in front of the two reprobates.

"They could be dead by now," snapped Sirius.

Severus wheeled about and nearly punched Sirius but was stopped by Albus. "Don't, my boy. We need our attention on the children. As for you, Sirius, stop thinking so negatively… at least out loud. None of us need to hear it."

They all stepped forward a few feet then stopped as the toad hopped ahead. "Do you know what to expect, Father?" Severus asked almost hopefully.

"Do you know where we are, Albus?" asked Remus.

"If you do, why's that hut on chicken legs?" Sirius demanded.

"Shush, boys," Albus spoke softly but firmly. "I do know where we are. The moment I saw the hut on the chicken legs I did." The younger wizards were expectant but quiet as they waited for Albus to continue. "Are any of you familiar with the mythology in our history?"

"Binns was too stuck on Goblins," sighed Sirius with impatience.

"I've read a bit," remarked Remus, "but I was looking into werewolf lore mainly."

"The witch that eats children," muttered Severus. As he recalled the illustrations he had just seen in his father's office. "From the journal you showed me, Father."

Remus frowned, "You mean Baba Yaga of the Muggle myths?"

"You know their stories, Remus?" asked Albus with a slight twinkle to his eyes. "What do Muggles say of Baba Yaga?"

Remus related what he remembered, "Baba Yaga is told of in the Muggle Slavic myths which have spread throughout the Muggle world. She is said to be the Mother Crone who lives in a magnificent garden. She flies in her cauldron around the world and her hut walks upon chicken legs all around the garden. Those that find her might be found worthy for a reward." Remus then huffed softly. "Or she'd eat them."

Albus chuckled. "Well, the Muggles obviously elaborated and tamed the story somewhat. Our legend is much more grim and unfortunately factual. Baba Yaga is a crone who wielded the Female Dark Arts and gifted such ability to her "sisters" that worshipped her. She held sway over the wizarding world for a century before being caught by a hero of the age; Godric Gryffindor in the last decade of his life captured the evil witch. He imprisoned Baba Yaga without her cauldron and held her within the Impossible Garden." For emphasis, Albus spread his arms, and then lowered them as he continued his story. "Godric Gryffindor and the other three Founders cast the Wall of Thorns around the brick wall that housed the garden. The thorns were meant to prevent the curious…" and here Albus paused his recitation to scowl at both Sirius and Remus, "...from going further."

"Fascinating, Father, but what truly matters to me is that I trusted two idiots to take care of my children," Severus sneered.

"I'm not an idiot, Snape," Sirius growled. "The children were in no danger…"

Severus spun back to face the man, caught him by his shirt, and yanked him close. He pointed at the hut on chicken legs. The angry wizard hissed, "You are lucky I do not kill you…!"

'RIBBIT'! The toad announced the end of the path.

The End

A ridiculous argument about who would ascend the ladder first delayed the wizards at the foot of Baba Yaga's hut. When Harry screamed, "You killed her!" that ended the argument. Without a by-your-leave Severus rose like a shot up to the door of the hut and with a spell the door blew outward - he did not want the door to blow inward and hurt one of the children. The Potions Master stepped over the threshold and everything escalated.

Down at the base of the ladder Sirius gaped in astonishment. "He flew!"

Remus pushed his friend, "Nobody cares, Padfoot! Climb that ladder! I'm staying down here with Albus."

In the hut Harry's accidental magic was a lightning burst of anger, fear, and pain. Tinga was incinerated on the spot. No one saw this, of course. The old crone had been slammed against her magical sphere. The crystal ball cracked; a red, smoky haze squirmed through the crack. If anyone had been listening they would have heard several, tiny voices crying out, "We're free!"

Harry's burst of magic did not harm Luna or Neville but it did cause the vines trapping his brother to wither and turn to dust. Neville scrambled away from where he had been held. The evil witch was screaming as she saw the mist from her crystal ball escape through the broken door. It did not, yet, register that his father had just stepped into the witch's hut.

In her supreme anger Baba Yaga turned her emotions upon the small boy that sought to defy her with his magic. "You're dead, little boy," she growled.

Neville shot up from the floor to attack the witch. She did not see him as he launched himself at her hand. Neville only thought to bite the hand pointed at his brother. The witch screeched and shook him off like a bug. Neville went flying until he bounced on the floor.

Severus was in the hut by then and without thinking he cast a strong spell to instantly cause the witch to double over. At least, that should have been the result. The Potions Master cursed as he cast three more spells that slid off the creature as if she were a troll.

Baba Yaga's hand whipped toward the Potions Master where she sent a force of magic so hard at him that he was propelled through the wall of her hut.

Sirius, who was ascending the ladder, looked up as the wall above exploded. His eyes widened as the wizard in black fell like a stone to the ground. Trying not to wonder what could have happened Sirius continued to climb the ladder faster. Beneath the screeching of the witch he heard the tortured cry of his godson. Now it was Sirius' turn to fairly fly; he climbed up the ladder faster until he fell through the open door.

The scene that greeted him was a silent, possibly dead Luna, on the floor, an unconscious Neville in a cluttered corner, and Harry was again suspended in the air as the witch spun him about like a ball. Harry's screams came when Baba Yaga pointed a terrible claw at him and stung his body as he spun with a cruel spell.

Harry's Thoughts

Harry had tried to wake Luna after his accusing outburst. She was as limp as a noodle. He then tried to scoot Luna's body away from the witch. He managed an inch or two but that was all. He wanted to cry as he futilely stroked her hair.

"Please," he whispered, "don't be dead, Luna."

Harry heard a shout and looked up just as his brother dove for the witch's arm. He grinned sharply as Neville's teeth sank into her arm. All too soon though the witch threw Neville aside. His brother crashed into a stack of journals and odds and ends.

"Maximus Cardimona!"

'Daddy!' Harry's thoughts shouted as his head whipped around. Just when Harry was certain rescue was on the horizon the witch let out a bone-jarring screech that hurt his ears. Harry's father was propelled through the flimsy wall and was gone.

'What am I going to do?' Harry's heart cried. 'Luna's dead. Neville's crunched up, and Shadow has been slapped out of the hut. And, the hut's so very high in the air!'

There was so much more thinking Harry wanted to do but the plain truth was there was nothing he could do against this evil witch. She was going to eat them all.

"Noo-awp!" Harry yelped as magic lifted him into the air. To the distress of his stomach he began to spin. And then the wasps started to sting him. Unlike a Stinging Hex that wore off these stings hurt right down to his bones. He screamed again and started to cry. "Daddy!"

Harry felt abandoned as blood ran in trickles from various "nail-claw" sized punctures and the stings of thousands of wasps spread down to his toes and through his brain. He wanted to cry but had no idea he already was.

"Harry!" Sirius barked as he practically fell into the hut. "Let go of my godson, you hag!"

Sirius had kept the long sword of Godric Gryffindor in its scabbard over his shoulder. He used a silent Summoning spell to draw the sword into his hands quickly. He did not hesitate by engaging his opponent as one might in a duel. He swung the sword with deadly aim and severed the iron clawed hands from the forearms.

Baba Yaga's anger was a screeching roar that shook the timbers of her hut. Harry had dropped to the floor, but as he remembered escaping from his cousin Dudley and their friends when he was very little he scrabbled out of the way.

Sirius did not rest after his first blow. He struck the witch again and sliced egregiously across her abdomen.

"You are not Godric Gryffindor!" Baba Yaga accused as she stemmed the blood flow of the wound in her belly with her copiously bleeding arms. With a deep breath she threw out her arms as she growled in a guttural language a curse.

Sirius did not have time to dive away from whatever magical threat the witch had cast but he felt an even stronger magic surround him. It was a shield!

"Sectumsempra!" shouted Severus who had returned from his breath-shaking fall to the ground. He would have fared worse had his father and Remus not been on the ground below to catch him with Cushioning Charms and a spell to slow his fall.

As a vicious magical slice tore across the crone's chest a tumultuous whirlwind rose up in the hut. Everything, skulls, candles, papers, tools of Baba Yaga's Dark Arts all were picked up by the small tornado.

Luna had wakened and was woozy as Harry yanked her to the corner where Neville still lay. The corner was the safest place for the children with the maelstrom whipping about.

"Luna," Harry hissed softly. "Are you all right?"

Slowly she lifted her gaze. "I hurt, Harry."

Harry pulled Luna closer as he snuggled in against his brother. In case they might need it, he kissed both children on the forehead and then tucked his head so he and his brother and Luna did not have to watch to fight.

Severus and Sirius fought hard against the terrible witch until Sirius, still wielding the Sword of Gryffindor with a proficiency he never expected, noticed something diabolical. "Her hands are growing back, Snape!"

The Potions Master cast a Blasting Curse that knocked Baba Yaga into her split crystal ball. It shattered and her back and legs were scored viciously by the fragmented glass.

"Every time I cut her, Black, it heals. Take her bloody head!" ordered Severus as he sent another Sectumsempra across the witch's nose.

"Her head," muttered Sirius to himself. He swung and rarely missed his target but swipes to the witch's arms, legs, even her chest healed rapidly. He had been concerned at the beginning of the battle but now he did not let that distract him.

Sirius kept swinging the sword, striking when he could while Severus kept casting spells that cut her or blasted Baba Yaga further into the remains of her crystal ball. When Sirius found his time had come he actually forced his magic into the sword as he swung. This time, when the Sword of Gryffindor struck, Baba Yaga's head was completely, and sort of cleanly, sheared from her neck.

The whirlpool stopped abruptly and for a moment there was utter silence.

"Daddy!" Harry looked up when the silence fell. "Luna's hurt!"

Neville's eyes blinked open and he found himself looking upon the head of the now dead evil crone. "Where's her body?"

a/n: The next chapter may be longer in being posted as I am a bit stuck with this story. I do have some plots that need to be addressed so I am trying to recall all those that are important. If you think of something you want me to resolve in this story, leave a review. Thank you. ~etherian.