I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters and they are the copyright property of their owner(s).
Chapter 38-The Plan
"Good morning, Albus!"
"Mum, I told you he prefers Al." Said Elise.
Albus awoke later than usual on the next day, and came downstairs to find Elise's mother, Rebecca, watching TV, and Elise over the stove making them eggs, with her hair tied up and still in pyjamas.
"Morning, Rebecca." Albus had addressed her as 'mrs. Clement' the first time he met her, but she told him upfront and quickly that she would not be addressed as such ("Do I really look like a mrs. to you? I'm not that old!) so Albus decided to stick with first names.
"You can really sleep, Al!" Said Rebecca, "It's almost eleven!"
"Is it really?" Said Albus, shocked.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I really don't give a damn how late you sleep him." She said. "And besides, Elise has only been up for a half-hour. What the hell did you two do all night?" She added, before realizing what she had just said and adding, "Wait a minute, I don't want to know. Pretend I never said anything."
Albus and Elise both burst into hysterics while her mother sat there awkwardly.
"Morning, Al." She said, as he went over to join her in the kitchen.
"Good morning! I'll put on a pot of tea." He replied.
"Great, thanks. Also, do you want toast with breakfast?" She asked.
"Yes, please." He replied. She flicked her wand and four thick slices of egg bread flew into the toaster.
They ate their breakfast and talked about what to do during the day.
"Why don't you go into town?" Asked her mother. "Perpignan is beautiful."
Perpignan was the name of the town just north of where they lived.
"That sounds like a great idea." Albus said. "Elise, what do you think?"
"I'd love to!" She said. "You mentioned you like muggle things, right?"
"Well, they sometimes fascinate me, yeah, why?" He replied.
"Have you ever heard of a muggle sport called rugby?"
"Ya, I've heard of it."
"Well Perpignan has a team who plays today, and my family goes to games sometimes and annoys the players. It's quite entertaining."
Albus was more intrigued then anything. "Okay, let's go then!"
They sat very low in the stands and brought big, long sleeve coats to conceal their wands. "So what do you mean, annoy?" He asked. He knew quite a bit about rugby, and was excited to see how Elise would change it.
"Watch." She said, as the ball was kicked high up into the air. She pointed her concealed wand at it, muttered something too quiet for Albus to hear, and watched it fall. The went right through a player's outstretched arms, and made a two foot crater in the ground.
"You made it heavier?" Albus asked, laughing.
She giggled as well. "You try something!"
He racked his mind for a something that would be funny, and finally thought of something. He pointed his own hidden wand at a player running with the ball, who was sure to score. He gave a little flick of the wand, and watched the ball go flying as the player did a half-flip a landed flat on his face.
"Doesn't your ministry know that we're performing spells on muggles?" He asked.
"No, our ministry doesn't monitor it here." She told him.
They continued doing this for a little while before getting bored and deciding to go get something to eat. They decided on a little Indian restaurant close to the stadium.
"Have you ever had indian food?" She asked.
"No, but I hear it's good."
"Here, try this." She said, getting a forkful of some appetizer she got a passing it to him. He put it in his mouth and his cheeks and ears instantly turned entirely red. He started sweating frantically, trying to swallow it. He got it down eventually.
Looking around and seeing that they were the only ones in the tiny restaurant, he had no hesitation in grabbing a jug of water from the next table over, and draining it.
Elise couldn't stop laughing. "You're trying to kill me!" He joked. "First cliffs, and now this!"
"They like spicy foods in India. And besides, the cliff was your idea." She replied.
Albus went to the bathroom to wash the sauce of his face. He was in there for just a few minutes, before he heard Elise scream.
He sprinted out of the bathroom, knocking things over as he went. Elise had been disarmed, and surrounded by about six men. He couldn't recognize any of them upon first glance.
One of the men had his own wand and Elise's, both pointed at her. There were two men guarding the door, and three pointing there wands at Albus, who's hands were in the air.
"Hello, Potter." Said one of the men. "Do you know who I am?"
Albus said nothing.
"Somebody get his wand!" the same man shouted, and another of them took Albus's wand from his shorts' pocket.
"You must be Selwyn." Said Albus. "I see everybody here obeys you like a bunch of sheep."
"Now, now, boy, let's not get carried away. Remember, we have your little girlfriend here." Selwyn told him. "Now these two here," He continued pointing to the two on his immediate right and left, "Are Amycus Carrow and Ragomir Gorski. That's Augustus Rookwood and Amycus' sister, Alecto, over by the door, and I think you know Greyback."
The werewolf smiled as he tightened his grip on Elise. Gorski was the person who killed Colby's parents. Carrow was holding his wand and Albus's. It was not surprising that he had mixed up the other Carrow for a man once he actually saw her.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"We want you, and her, to come with us." Said Selwyn, simply and in a matter of fact sort of tone. Carrow moved forward to grab Albus. As he touched his back, Albus spun around and elbowed him in the nose, and grabbed both wands.
"Stupefy!" he shouted, stunning Greyback, Rookwood and the Carrow sister. "Elise, Run!" He shouted, and she took off out the door.
"Expelliarmus!" yelled Selwyn, and caught Carrow's wand and Albus's. He tossed Carrow his. "Carrow, find her. Gorski, clear the mess and return to base."
He pointed his own wand at Albus and silently levitated him by his ankle. He guided him into the fireplace, stepped in himself, exclaimed, "sixty-seven, fallowfield path!" and they dissapeared into green flames.
Selwyn carried him around the house, and into a large room not to far from the fireplace. James was tied up, sitting unconscious in the corner.
"James!" He yelled, as Selwyn through him to the ground.
"No use, he won't wake up." Said Selwyn. "Now, how about you tell me where your father is."
"Are you really stupid as you look?" Albus asked, pulling himself up to his feet. "I wouldn't tell you where my worst enemy was."
Selwyn's maniacal smile turned into an evil stare. "You'll pay for that one, boy. Crucio!"
Albus was hit with the spell straight in the chest, and he crumpled to the ground. Scorching hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin.
"Now, how about you give me some information?" He said again.
Albus pulled himself up to his feet once more. "How about you release my brother?"
"Fine then. I see how you like to play things," Selwyn began. "Your father will turn himself over or you'll rot here with your brother."
"Why don't you just kill us now?"
"I can't kill you." He replied, without making eye contact.
"Oh, I see. Dolohov's the real boss."
Selwyn turned around and looked Albus straight in the eye, laughing. "Dolohov knows nothing, absolutely nothing, of what's to come. He is a fool, and desires only strength, whether it be physical or magical. So yes, boy, he is the boss for now, but shall not be for long."
"And what do you desire then?"
"I desire what my master desired. The dark lord wished for Harry Potter dead, and I will fulfill his wish."
"So that's what this army is for? Vengeance because your master couldn't even kill a teenager?"
"You are such a fool. It matters not however, because my master had more than one wish. Both shall be realized soon enough, and there is nothing you or your blood traitorous family can do about it, Potter."
More than one wish? What could Selwyn want?
They had this army that Dolohov had been assembling for god knows how long. But the army was under Dolohov's command first and foremost. That's why Selwyn needed him out of the way, so he could control the army. But what did he plan to do with it?
The other wish. He was going to use the army to kill Harry, and then do something else...
It all hit Albus at once. "You're going to march on the ministry?" Albus asked, fear in his voice.
Selwyn smiled. "Well, Potter, maybe you are not such a fool after all."
"But the ministry has over seventy Aurors at it's disposal; you couldn't have more than forty on your side. So you must have an inside man."
"Very high inside men, indeed. In the very heart of law-keeping."
"So what about us?" Albus asked. "What are we doing here?"
"Bait. I still need to kill your father."
"He's going to kill you, just so you know. If he comes here, you won't be the one walking away."
"We'll see." Said Selwyn with a last, evil smile, before he slammed the door shut.