Return of the Man

James Potter considered himself a patient man. From a young boy he never let anyone get to him and always held a high level of confidence that kept him guarded and level-headed whenever confronted. He never acted rash or uncouth; never did anything that was uncalled for or unnecessary. He always thought things through fully; always thinking before acting. Even when the war between him and Arthur began, he never did anything without considering all possibilities and never ordered anything unless Arthur made himself the target. For the past twenty years, he has tried to maintain a level of tolerance so to prevent any true harm from coming to him.

But this time, he wasn't too sure he could be as patient. Arthur Weasley had gone too far.

Sure there were times when James thought that Arthur had acted out of context and had done things that could have been avoided; but this time, he wasn't too sure he could wait to exact his revenge. And who could blame him? His wife had been cruelly murdered right before his eyes. It shouldn't be expected that he would just sit back and do nothing!

Clenching his fists, James paced the length of the sun room. It was the one room in the house that Lily always loved. She would spend hours upon hours inside it, staring at the various murals and seeking peace from the calming light the sun casted inside. It was her room and so it only made sense that James would find himself in it while concentrating on the task he felt he had to complete.

Arthur Weasley needed to be destroyed. For years the man has done nothing but make James' life miserable, putting him on edge for fear that his family would be wiped out. And, as much as he hated to admit it, that is exactly what was happening. His son had been taken away from him and killed; his wife was killed brutally. The only people he had left was his best friend, Sirius, and his son, Harry. He had to put an end to all of this before he lost them too, and the only way to do that was to put an end to Arthur Weasley.

As if his thoughts could call them forth, Sirius and Harry both entered the sun room. James spun around to look at them as they made their way towards him.

"How are you, dad?" Harry asked, pulling his father into a tight hug.

"As best that can be expected." James adjusted his glasses and looked at Sirius. "I didn't expect to see you two, today."

"I thought I should check up on you," Sirius replied, putting his hands in his pockets. "To make sure you weren't doing anything…stupid."

"Stupid?" James repeated. "I'm not doing anything stupid. I'm just planning my revenge on Arthur Weasley." His tone was so even that it surprised even him.

Sirius sighed. "Do you really think that it's worth getting into another fight? You saw what happened last time."

"Which is exactly why I'm doing this," James said, turning to face one of the murals. It was the most recent one – a replica of picture of Lily that had been taken shortly before her death. James traced the lines of Lily's face. "My wife and son are gone and I refuse to allow this war to take anyone else away from me." He looked at Harry. "I don't want to lose another son." Then he faced Sirius again. "Or you, Sirius."

"Dad," Harry said after a few moments of silence, "what exactly are you planning on doing?"

James turned to look at his son again. He couldn't read the expression on Harry's face but he saw the eagerness lingering behind his eyes. He knew that Harry wanted to put a stop to this war almost as bad he did. He had found out from Sirius that Harry had a theory of there being someone else who had started things but he found that hard to believe. After all, it was Arthur Weasley himself who had entered his home and killed his wife. From that day he knew that no one else was involved. It was just him and Arthur.

"I'm planning on going after Arthur Weasley." He twirled his wand in his hands. "Plain and simple."

"I want to help you, dad."

Both James and Sirius looked at Harry, shock and surprise evident on their faces. But it was James who spoke first. "I don't want you getting yourself into danger, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "There's nothing you can say that's going to stop me, dad. I'm going to fight by your side, whether you want me to or not."

James looked at his son and exhaled. He should have known Harry would not just stand aside. His son was not that type of person. He preferred to be the one acting rather than waiting for something to happen.

Conceding, James nodded. "Alright, Harry. If that's what you want." He sighed. "I have a few things to complete beforehand. I'll come for you when I'm ready." He squeezed Harry's shoulder and exited the room.

Harry sighed and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. He wasn't tired but he felt ashamed at himself for lying to his father. But he knew he had no choice. Accompanying him was the only way to make sure that he could prevent any real harm from coming to his father. It was also part of the plan – for Harry to be with his father and try to get him to talk with Arthur Weasley. It was a long shot but it if it worked, it could change everything.

"What's going on, Harry?"

Harry spun around to look at his godfather. Sirius looked angry. His hands were jammed into his pockets but Harry could see that they were balled into a fist and his face was scrunched into an expression of disbelief mixed with aggravation.

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Sirius stepped closer to Harry and dropped his voice, trying to remain calm until he got the full story. "I thought you were trying to uncover the truth behind all of this mess? I thought you knew that someone else was involved? How could you tell your father that you would help him go after Arthur when you know he really didn't start all of this?"

Harry sighed. "Look, Sirius, it's not what you think."

"Then, do you want to explain it to me?"

"It's all just part of our plan," Harry said, turning to make sure his father had not returned.

"Our plan?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry looked at him and realized that Sirius did not know the full truth. Sure he was keeping his god-father posted with whatever news he found out but Sirius thought that Harry was working alone.

"Yes, Sirius, our plan. There's a group of people I'm working with."

"And who are these people?"

"Well, Neville of course," Harry said, putting his glasses back on. "There's also Ginny and Ron Weasley."

At this, Sirius' eyes bulged. "Weasley? You're working with two of Arthur's kids?"

Harry nodded. "Ginny wants to stop this war just as much as I do and she managed to convince one of her brothers to help us. A friend of hers, Hermione is helping, too."

Sirius folded his arms. "And how did you manage to find these people?"

"Ginny and Hermione were attacked by Greyback right after I was," he replied. "When they fled, they ended up in the woods where Molly Weasley's body had been found. I was there as well and, after a couple minutes of talking, they agreed to help me discover the truth."

"And she agreed?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow. "Just like that."

"Well, yes." Upon seeing the disbelief on Sirius' face, Harry explained, "See, Ginny had separated herself from her family because of the war. But, when she realized that people were after her, she agreed to help."

Sirius nodded. "Ah, I see. Understandable. So," he added, "anything else I should know?"

It was at that point that Harry begun to explain everything. He told Sirius about Neville and Ginny being kidnapped and about the rescue mission that resulted in them not only getting the pair back, but also saving Luna Malfoy from her own father. He told Sirius about how it was Luna who alerted them about Lucius and how he wanted to destroy both families. Then, with a heavy heart, he managed to tell Sirius what Ginny had discovered about his mother and Arthur's relationship and their plan to get both men together so that the truth can be revealed. At the end of the tale, Sirius' expression mirrored Harry's own reaction when he himself had first heard about everything.

"My God," Sirius exclaimed. "Lily and…and Arthur? I never even imagined…never even thought…wow."

"My sentiments exactly."

"But it makes sense, now," Sirius said, rubbing at his chin. "I think the theory you guys came up with is the truth."

Harry nodded. "So, the only thing left is getting dad and Arthur to see the truth."

"I'll help," Sirius said, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "I know I told you that I wanted no active part in this but I can't stand aside any longer. Not when things are this close to being over."

"Thanks, Sirius."

The pair shared a hug and then exited the sun room in search of James. All the while, Harry was praying that their plan would work. If all went well, the rift between Arthur and James would be lifted, the true culprit revealed and destroyed and his life could go on with anymore worry.

Hermione leaned against the kitchen sink, staring down at her shoes with her arms wrapped around herself. She felt ashamed and a little distraught. She knew that her focus should be where everyone else's was – on the war – but her mind would not let go of the fact that she had hurt Ron. She still did not understand why she had thought he would suggest torturing Lucius. Maybe a part of her feared that Ron would turn out like his father.

'But you know he's not like that', she thought.

Sighing, Hermione lifted her head to see what the others were doing. Neville had returned about an hour ago after receiving Luna's letter. With a little help from her, Ginny had managed to tell Neville everything they had found out and explain their plan to him. Now, he, Ginny and Luna were seated at the table just talking and waiting. They couldn't do anything until Ron and Harry sent word about what was going on.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione focused her eyes to find Ginny standing in front of her. "Huh?"

"I asked if you're alright," Ginny repeated. "You seem distracted."

"I am…just a little."

Ginny turned to lean against the sink next to Hermione and folded her arms. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well," she started, "I think I might have said something to Ron that hurt his feelings." When Ginny didn't say anything, Hermione continued. "Well, you were there. You saw how I acted when he was telling us about getting Lucius to talk. I freaked out, thinking he was hinting at torturing him."

"Any particular reason you thought that?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I think maybe...maybe I'm scared he's going to end up like your father."

"Ah, so that's it." Ginny unfolded her arms and flung one across Hermione's shoulder. "Look, Ron may have done whatever my father told him too but he's nothing like him. He wanted to get out of dad's clutches just as badly as I did. He would never mistreat a human being, intentionally or otherwise."

"I know that," Hermione replied. "I have no idea why I even thought it."

"Just apologize," Ginny said. "Ron is a very understanding person and I'm sure once you talk it out with him, everything will be fine."

"Yeah. I'm sure everything will-"

"Did anyone hear that?"

Ginny and Hermione looked up to see Luna standing by the kitchen window. The curtain was pulled back slightly, showing that the sun had already set. The sky was dark and relatively starless, giving an extra sense of foreboding to the night. Luna peered outside, looking left and right before stepping away from the window and turning back to face everyone.

"Hear what?"

Luna looked at Ginny. "I thought I heard something outside. I'm not sure what exactly."

"It could have just been an animal or something," Neville said, standing up. "There are a lot of creatures running around outside."

"But with the way things are going, I don't want to take any chances." Luna quickly shut the curtains back. "Maybe we should try putting up some more defensive spells around-"

Luna went quiet as the lights inside the house suddenly shut off. The quartet was blinded by the gloom, barely managing to discern the silhouettes of each other. Ginny and Hermione were still by the kitchen sink, separated from Neville and Luna by the stove-island situated in the middle of the kitchen. No one spoke; they just waited for whatever was coming their way. There was no denying that something was about to happen. First Luna heard indiscernible sounds and then the house was plunged into complete darkness; it was a like a scene out of a bad horror film - where everything bad that could happen does happen, right before the monster shows up and kills everyone. Only this time, it was real.

The only thing that could be heard was everyone's breathing that was becoming more erratic and panicked as the seconds flew past. Then, there was a loud 'boom' and 'crash' and all four of them were knocked to their feet. Ginny barely managed to catch herself, falling hard on her side. Hermione fell gracelessly next to her. The two did not know what happened to Neville or Luna because their vision was obscured by the island as well as the raining shards of glass and debris. They tried their best to shelter themselves against the flying pieces. Despite the effort, glass swiped against their skin and pieces of wood and brick tumbled into them, causing immediate bruises.

Once everything cleared, Hermione managed to sit up a bit but when she tried to stand, a jabbing pain shot through her leg. She looked down to see that a big chunk of glass was embedded in her calf, blood staining the legs of her jeans and dripping thickly onto the floor. She tried to remove it but the pain only increased and an involuntary scream escaped her lips. A figure crawled towards her and Ginny's face, although blackened by the darkness, came into view.

"Are you ok?" she asked, lighting the tip of her wand.

Hermione inhaled a sharp breath. "N-no…piece of glass…in my leg."

Ginny shone her light on Hermione's leg and gasped when she saw the glass sticking up. When Hermione saw it in the light, she felt her heart sink. The piece was far bigger than she had originally thought. It looked as though it was the width and length of a miniature picture frame, the edge slightly chipped. Ginny shuffled closer to Hermione's leg, trying to figure out the best way to remove the glass without causing further damage. Just as she was about to reach for it, a sudden force knocked her backwards a few feet, causing her to bang so hard against the cupboard that her wand flew from her grip and her head collided painfully against the cabinet's handle.

"Where is she?" a voice said, causing Ginny to freeze.

She looked up and could only distinguish a massive shadow standing over Hermione. She didn't need to see the person to know who it was, though. She could tell by the voice. Greyback. She recognized the deep, demanding pitch and growling tone that accompanied every word. Flashes of being flung and pinned against the wall of her apartment and hanging upside down in the art studio flicked through her mind, alerting her to the kind of danger they were in. She blinked a few times, trying to erase the desire to fall into unconsciousness; the blow to her head had been brutal and if she gave in, there was no guarantee she would wake back up. Grabbing her wand, Ginny struggled to her feet, ignoring the stabbing ache from various cuts and scrapes along her arms and legs as well as the throbbing pain in her back and head.

Aiming her wand at him, Ginny managed to mumble a weak, 'Stupefy!' It was not strong enough to stun the werewolf but it did manage to propel him back into the table that crashed under his weight. Recovering quickly, Greyback looked at Ginny, a grim smile taking over his face.

Ginny fell back against the counter, her legs ready to give way underneath her. She lifted her wand again but a flash of light blinded her and she watched as Greyback was flung against the wall. She looked to her right to see Neville standing, albeit weakly, by the kitchen door. His wand arm was shaking and she knew that, like hers, whatever spell he had hit Greyback with was not strong enough to stop him.

Before Ginny could make any movements, Greyback lunged forward. She tried to scream but it only came out as a feeble groan. She watched as Neville was tackled to the ground. Another spell shot out of nowhere and Greyback was once again hit, tumbling off of Neville and into the doorframe, causing it to tremble. She felt a hand touch her leg and saw that Hermione had managed to scramble towards her.

"Luna," she said faintly, her wand rolling from her grip. "He's after Luna."

Ginny nodded, and then helped Hermione lean against the counter before trying to move forward. Her head swung and she fell to her knees. Using what little strength and faculties she had, she crawled around the island and immediately spotted Luna. She was lying wilted on the floor. A large gash was on her forehead; blood was caked in the roots of her hair and her breathing was light and uneven, like she was swimming in and out of consciousness.

Looking up, she saw that Neville was trying to hold of Greyback as best as he could. Spells were spewing from his wand, illuminating the entire scene while he was simultaneously trying to wrestle the werewolf. Ginny knew his efforts were relatively useless. Greyback was already a force to be reckoned with when they were all alert and ready, but with Neville shaken and weak, the odds were even worse. They had to get out of here or else they would be killed mercilessly.

Turning her focus back to Luna, Ginny crawled to her side. She fingered the gash on her head before aiming her wand at it, intending to heal it. However, Greyback's voice drew her attention.

"Don't even think about it, witch." Ginny looked up to see Greyback had Neville pinned against the wall, his hand locked around his throat. Through the light of her wand, she could see the evil gleam in his eye and shuddered as he stared at her. "Do not touch her or your friend here loses whatever life he has left."

Ginny looked at Neville. Although he was facing what could very well be his death, he had determination in his eye and she knew he was willing to forgo himself to save Luna. But she was sure his sacrifice would be in vain. She barely had enough energy to save herself much less someone else. Her vision was getting blurry and any movement was proving difficult. Her head injury was taking its toll. They had managed to save themselves countless times before but this was one fight she wasn't sure they could get out of.

She turned her focus back to Greyback. Although she was weak, her voice did not waver one bit when she said, "You can't have her."

The grip on Neville's neck tightened, causing him to choke. Greyback released a profound snarl, pulled Neville off the wall and flung him towards Ginny. She watched as Neville flew through the air. He did not have enough strength to absorb the impact and collided with the island harshly. A sickening crunch and snap sounded right before he landed on the ground, completely motionless.

As she stared horrified at Neville's limp form, a shadow loomed over her. She was pulled from the ground by her hair and it was her turn to be pinned against the wall. Greyback leaned into her. His breath smelt horrible and his nails dug into her neck and chin.

"I'm tired of having to deal with you," he grumbled. "If it was up to me, you'd face the same fate as that traitor."

Ginny spat in his face and uttered a rather strong, "Fuck you!"

Releasing another snarl, Greyback pulled Ginny slightly away from the wall before slamming her back into it. He let her go and watched satisfied as she slid feebly to the ground. Through hazy vision, Ginny watched helplessly as Greyback walked towards Luna. He was moving so slowly that it was as if he was savoring every minute of his victory. He crouched next to Luna and trailed a rather long, yellow nail along her chin and down her neck. He stopped and smiled maliciously as he traced a circle on Luna's collarbone before tightly gripping her arm. His wicked and malevolent grin was the last thing Ginny saw before darkness took over and all level of consciousness evaded her.