"I'll be back soon; I'm just going home for a few hours, Nicola has a dance recital, I promised I'd go see it," Katie said grinning as she walked towards the front door of Grimmauld place, she had been staying there a lot, and it was really time she spent time with her own family.
"Alright, I'll see you soon," Harry sighed, placing one last kiss on her lips before she walked out the door to Nymphadora Tonks who said she'd apparate Katie to her place.
Harry did not think much of it when Tonks did not come straight back home, assuming she'd gone somewhere that was why she volunteered, but something was clearly off an hour later.
"James, you seen Tonks? She said she'd only be half an hour tops," Remus mentioned as he walked into the kitchen as dinner was being served.
"Nah, but you know Tonks, she's probably landed herself in St Mungo's, we'll end up getting a message anytime now," James joked, trying to reassure his best mate, but no one fell for it, they all knew James too well.
"I might go check," Remus said getting to his feet while Ivy and Lily leaned towards each other, whispering quietly.
"This is the first mention of any girl since Hannah, do you think…" Lily said, not quietly enough.
"Hannah was amazing, but he does need to move on," Nathan said, feeling a little sensitive talking about his dead baby sister, and yet knowing that his friend needed someone in his life who was more than just one of his friends.
"You're talking about Aunt Hannah Aren't you?" Sophie asked as she looked at the adults. "Was Remus with her?"
Lily and the others looked at each other; they didn't often talk about the past, because it was often much too painful. But they were old enough to understand, so when these questions arose, they should really answer them.
"Yeah, Sophie, Remus and Hannah were together," Sirius answered, it was surprising, they all knew about who had passed, who had suffered in the past, but they knew very little of the good times… "They really loved each other, but she died in the attack, remember?"
"The Gringotts attack?" Harry asked. The adults nodded, it looked like they were about to say something further when there was a loud ripping like noise and suddenly Remus appeared, his clothes torn, he was covered in scratches, and looked pained.
"Sirius… James…" Before he had even said anything they were already by his side, helping him stand and asking what was happening. "It's Tonks… Katie…"
Harry could hear a rushing sound, it was something like standing beside a motorway, but painful, he could feel himself shaking, not from fear but from pure rage… There was no need for Remus to continue because Harry already knew. He knew what was happening, he knew why it was happening, all he didn't know was why those around him weren't moving.
It must have been clear to James what his son was about to do, he could not risk that, and so shoving the chairs aside; he raced to his son, and tackled him to the floor.
"DON'T YOU DARE HARRY!" He could feel Harry's rage physically causing the sixteen year old to shake, and James wondered if he should feel scared of Harry, rather then what risk he was about to put himself in. The father in him won out, and James held his son tightly, Samantha was crying, and he wanted to comfort his baby girl, but right now he had a son with more power then he realised, who was about to go out and destroy anything that got in his way.
"Harry, you're not going to do any good for Katie if you run around England trying to fight every single Deatheater on your own, in fact I think you may just find that he will kill her!" James gritted out, feeling Harry still beneath him. "Work with us, son, I promise you we'll do everything we can."
Harry started shaking once more and rather then feeling the waves of pure anger he could just feel Harry's broken heart. The feeling like he was being ripped apart, because he knew, simply knew, this was all his fault.
Lily cried out, falling to the floor beside her husband and eldest son, tears rolling down her cheeks as she saw them, James restraint turned into a hug, holding his son close, terrified that this may be the last he could take… if he lost Katie it might just be the end of his world.
The ministry seemed a lot more full then usual as the family gathered, listening to the Aurors plan what they were going to do. The action, whatever it be, needed to be quick, they could not risk leaving them for too long, there was too much chance that Voldemort would kill them…
"Dad!" Harry yelled when the first group disappeared with a resounding pop. "I have to go with you!"
James looked at his wife, who was readying to leave with the next group, she may only be a healer, but she had Auror training with the rest of the family and was part of the order.
"Let us find her first Harry; you have to let us find her," Lily said desperately, knowing her son was going to be completely irrational… he's just run off if he thought he'd find her. "I'll send someone back for you, ok, once we find her."
Minutes felt like hours as she stared unyielding at the clock on the wall opposite, Hermione had tried talking to him, but he had shrugged her off, not wanting any distractions, he wanted to focus, but in this deadly silence, with the knowledge that this was completely his fault… He could not focus on anything but the rushing of his blood and the beat of his heart…
Jonathon sat in the chair across from Harry, his eyes unmoving as he stared at his older brother… Harry was so brilliant in his eyes, so brave, so amazing. And yet before his eyes he saw his older brother almost break. There was nothing more terrifying to the now eleven year old, then knowing that his brother, one of the most brilliant people in the world, could break.
The incessant ticking was becoming draining as Mackenzie sat with her head against the wall, Ginny sat to one side, Fred to the other, in any other situation she would blush and giggle, because Fred was sitting right there next to her, but right now giggling was about the last thing she wanted to do.
James growled furiously, he had been to this place before, he knew it well, how could he not?
It was the Malfoy Manor.
About once a month for the last six months they had been doing spot checks on this property, looking for anything to do with Voldemort, but they just couldn't pin it on them. But they knew that the Malfoy's were working with Voldemort, who didn't know that… Finding physical evidence of that was the problem though…
"Where are they Malfoy!" Sirius growled, pinning Lucius Malfoy against the wall, and not caring who saw him. The blonde man smirked at Sirius, and laughed cruelly.
"Do you really think I am ever going to tell you that, Black? Be serious now," Lucius drawled, his tone mocking, and Sirius growled at the man, but he did not look frightened, not until Sirius was shoved aside.
Ivy Evans was never a girl to be messed with, not in Hogwarts and not now as a fully grown woman. She pinned Lucius against the wall, and anyone who watched may have thought it sexual if it were for the look of pure loathing on Ivy's features.
"You listen to me and you listen well, if I find even one hair on any of their heads in the slightest damaged, I swear down Lucius, I will make you pay," Lucius looked like he was going to retort, but before he'd even said anything, Ivy knew what he was going to say.
"And no, Sirius is not letting his wife do the hard work, Sirius is restrained by his profession as an Auror not to hurt you, me, I'm a house wife, and I can do what I bloody well want. You got that Malfoy, so you better start talking!" Ivy hissed, practically spitting at Lucius, and not giving a damn, because he'd hurt her family.
"You scared?" She laughed mockingly. "You should be, think I'm pissed off, wait 'til Lily gets hold of you… Mother's have always been fiercely protective of their sons."
She kneed him between the legs, wanting as his face scrunched into an expression of severe pain, allowing him to fall on the floor before stalking off towards the east wing of the house. "She's around here somewhere."
"How do you know?" Sirius asked running after his wife, who was marching towards her destination.
"His eyes flicked in this direction."
They were searching for what felt like a lifetime, ripping apart the manor room by room, and not seeming to get anywhere. What was further off putting was the fact that there seemed to be no one else in the house, the son and the wife had not been found... yet.
However as the thought entered James mind, there was a loud yelling coming from the room next door, he instantly tore down the corridor, and burst the door open, surprised at what he found.
Lying there on the floor, bruises starting to form on their bodies, magically bound with their hands behind them, and struggling around madly, trying to escape, but their mouths were free and they were yelling for help, screaming and thrashing, but when they realised they were no longer alone, the relief washed over them all, and tears of joy raced down some of the faces.
"James Potter!" Louise Bell cried out gratefully, as he pointed his wand at them, freeing them from their bonds.
"Did he just leave you here?" James asked, picking up Nicola, and carrying her, as they all ran towards the front of the house, Katie was limping and David bell was wincing with every movement, but they were still alive.
"No, someone helped us."
James looked back fleetingly, and it may have been a fragment of his imagination, but he was sure he could see a woman peering around the doorframe, watching as they ran away. Her shocking blonde hair dancing in the breeze floating through the manor, before turning away and disappearing back into the room.