LFAM51

Disclaimer: I don't own it and make no money on it (sigh)

Chapter 51

Leandros and Stanley apparated to the nearby Scottish safehouse, Rastaban didn't like it when they apparated straight to the Riddle House. Umbridge was still immobilized by the Auror's hex, but they had to toss a Petrificus on the reporter. What a mess, they had thought the child, Andrew to be safe to buy potions from. Several werewolves who were staying at the safehouse came out to grab a potion and sneer at the captives.

They were abruptly interrupted by sixteen Aurors apparating into their hideout. Chaos ensued with curses and hexes being wildly thrown. Leandros saw they were out-numbered, and possibly outclassed, by the seasoned Aurors that had been assigned this task. He and a nearby werewolf each grabbed a captive and once again used them for shields, and flooed to the Riddle Manor and immediately closed and warded it. They sighed a bit regretfully – none of the remaining eight werewolves would be using it to escape.

Rastaban and about ten others came rushing in at the commotion, and stood staring at the two captives.

"I thought Greyback was still scouting for likely recruits. I know he's found several he intends to take at the next full moon, but I thought they were all teenagers?" Rastaban said in confusion.

Leandros quickly told him the whole sorry tale – the interrupted potions buy and being discovered by the Aurors.

Rastaban snarled and said, "Where are the potions vials? Did you bring them with you? They obviously had a tracking charm on them."

Leandros looked startled and drew out two vials. He had given out five before the raid. Rastaban cast some revealing charms and finally found the tracking spell. He cast the counter to it, and leaned back with a sigh.

The Riddle house was their last real bastion, here in Britain. As a LeStrange he could enter a few of the family homes that were 'open' for use of any of the LeStrange family, but they were all in France and Italy. If the time came to take residence there, he would do so without his…werewolf friends.

The torture he had endured at the hands of Bellatrix and their Dark Lord had taken years to heal from. He was in hiding with werewolves that had served Voldemort from necessity. If he fled Britain he hoped to never be found by anyone from either side of this hateful war.

Rastaban wandered to the captives lying on the floor. Delores wriggled ineffectually in the chain from the incarcerous spell. Skeeter stared in fear – unable to do anything else because of the petrificus. Rastaban squatted between them and snickered rather ominously.

"You've hurt Greyback's feelings with the remarks you've been quoted as saying in the papers, Delores. He's got a thick hide, but I think I saw a tear or two when he read those articles." Howls of laughter came from the onlookers. "And you…" Rastaban looked at the reporter. "Rita, Rita, Rita…Greyback will be very unhappy with your interference in our little shopping trip." Rastaban stood back up and eyed them in mock sympathy. "I don't know if he'll bite you…or just eat you."

Delores' eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted. Rita managed to break out in a sweat, even through the petrificus. She desperately wished she could faint as well. When Delores had contacted her, she had been surprised, but the ex-ministry worker was more interested in getting Remus Lupin and the others in trouble, than taking revenge on Rita. Rita thought frantically if the spell would just wear off, she could possibly get away in her animagus form. If Greyback came back – she panicked at the very thought of what he might do…she had heard stories – she prayed they weren't true.

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James and Remus apparated into the chaotic hex-fest that their carefully planned raid had become, and cursed. Several Aurors were down, and the werewolves were putting up a desperate fight.

Remus waded in, and James backed up Sirius' group. A few werewolves had flooed or apparated away, but they soon had the rest immobilized or petrified. After securing the prisoners they heard a strangled groan from Kingsley, as he leaned over a fallen Auror.

"Oh, god, no." James heard Sirius say, "Frank – he's dead, James."

James felt a cold wash of horror; he'd never had another Auror die on one of his missions. Frank Longbottom – of all the ones to lose, why him. He felt he might vomit for a moment and then heard himself say. "Get the wounded to St Mungo's Kingsley. Emmaline – get the prisoners to the ministry. Remus – take Frank to our morgue and call Scrimgeour. Sirius - cast the tracking spell again and see if any of the bottles left in the pockets with those that got away."

There was soon a flurry of activity, and James stood there in a numb fury. Someone had died – a friend – while following orders - his orders.

Sirius and he were alone when he heard Sirius yelp in excitement. "I found a trail!"

James nodded, fury brewing even higher. "Let's go, then." He snapped.

They apparated after the spell trail, and were bounced to a town.

Sirius cursed. "Target must be under fidelus. This would be the nearest town from it, then." Sirius looked around curiously, and then slowly started paling as a hazy memory drifted into his consciousness. "James…" He said hesitantly.

"Sirius, what is it." James was impatient, but could see that something was seriously bothering the man.

"This town…Little Haggleton…I remember it." Sirius was sickened at any thought of that day, the day Regulus had died. "This was where I traced Rosier to when I was lured away by Pettigrew. I followed him through this town to a mansion – the Death Eaters were gathered there. I followed Pettigrew from there to Diagonalley, where…well you know what happened, then." Sirius felt his head start to pound, and his emotions wanted to splinter – as they always did when Regulus or his death were brought to mind.

Sirius had followed Rosier, knowing he might find his brother at the end of the trail. He had felt a bit smug, at the time – his Death Eater sibling would be sorry he had hung around with Malfoy and that loser Snape. He had not really felt that those Slytherins were on the Orders side – he and James had thought that they were just playing both sides.

Then, to find that Regulus had died a hero, saving the children that had been entrusted to Sirius' care. He still got sick with the crushing guilt when he thought about it.

James cast a few more spells, hoping to narrow the location of the mansion down. Sirius tried to remember where he had followed Rosier, and got a bit closer – he remembered a particular road, but then everything got hazy. "We must be entering the fidelus' area of influence." He took careful note of the area, and then they apparated back to the Ministry.

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Severus and Andrew walked over the lawn, toward Larkin, who stood waiting by his door. The apartments were attached to the greenhouse next to the Granian's barn. The heat from the greenhouse kept them warm in the winter. Cooling charms were necessary during the summer, but they were roomy and nice.

Severus filled Larkin in on the day's events. Larkin snarled a bit. All their hard work, and racking their brains for a way to track the werewolves – blown to bits by those two twits!

Severus turned to the still-uncertain teenager. "Remember that you are welcome here, Andrew. We want to keep you safe, and we'll do all we can to help you." Andrew nodded, uncertainly and Larkin led him away to get him settled in.

Severus wandered over to the house, not sure of how to tell Lily the day's entire events. Sylvia had been an unwelcome surprise, but Lily was sure to react badly – very badly. He hated dealing with emotional fall-outs - unless the fallout was from enemies, and he had caused the emotional outburst on purpose. He paused and thought about the shrieking from James when he was trapped in the room with Tony at the S&M club during his bachelor party…that particular emotional outburst never failed to cheer him. He had a copy of the memory carefully stored for when he got old and forgetful.

Severus wandered into the living room and nodded at Irish, who blinked at him with a bored expression. Severus smiled, the kneazle should have been at the raid – he could have sniffed out Rita before she'd cocked everything up. Harry was playing with a pile of various toys, but brightened and ran to Severus when he saw him. Severus was soon listening to a string of chatter about Thistle and Nettle and 'they ate the roses again' etc.

He found Lily in her study, answering some mail from St Mungo's. Now that the she had assisted Severus with the Nerve Potion and the Immunity Booster, they had started taking her more seriously. She hoped to do more work with Runes – they had fallen out of fashion, and she hoped to do more with them.

He coughed softly, making Harry giggle. Lily looked up and smiled. Cybele was asleep on a pallet next to Lily's desk. Severus nodded toward the living room. This could get loud. He set Harry down with the toys and moved them toward to doorway. He gave a brief overview of the raid and the screw-up with Rita and Delores.

Lily helped him defame the pair's character at length. He then told her Andrew was taking the remaining apartment, and his and Larkin's hopes for the teenager. She cheered at the idea; she could help teach him the Potions, and some of the Herbology, if Jimmy or Severus got busy.

Severus took a deep breath. "Before the meeting at the Three Broomsticks, I had a run-in with someone." Lily smiled expectantly. He cringed. "The new Mrs. James Potter accosted me in Diagonalley – wanted to speak about Harry." Lily's smile disappeared and Severus flinched. "She had some mad idea that we should share custody…"

Lily exploded. "I'll hex that bitches hands off before she lays them on Harry…" Severus pushed her out into the hall at Harry's look of alarm.

"Lily, I feel the same way – but you need to remember that raised voices are never good around children – you're frightening Harry." Severus didn't enjoy causing Lily's immediate look of guilt, but her temper was something that she really hadn't learned to rein in.

She quieted at that and he gave her the run-down of the conversation. "I don't know what she thinks she can really accomplish – I know that James didn't know she was doing this – I caught that in her eyes when I said I was going to meet him after our conversation." Lily looked speculative at that.

"Well, maybe a carefully worded letter to Mr. Potter will make her keep well away from now on." Lily said with a returning smile that would have chilled Sylvia if she had seen it.

Severus also smiled; anything that put Lily back in a good mood was fine by him. He walked back over to the still uncertain Harry and dropped beside him. A few tickles had him giggling, and Severus told him a silly tale of a Granian foal that got lost in a forest until dinner was served.

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Albus sat at a desk, completing a few items. His plans for the cave were as complete as they could be now that they had the house-elves. He was completing the letters to send to the assistants he had picked for the coming year, the Slytherin boy – Damon and his Ravenclaw girlfriend Jocelyn – who had been terrorizing the school for years, now would be under his watchful eye. There was also a Hufflepuff and Gryffindor – he wanted total fairness in this. He had not found another apprentice – although he was sure that this group of four might give him one by the end of the year.

He sighed, it was only the end of July – Harry's birthday was in a few days. He had plenty of time. He picked up Corbin, who had been quietly looking at a book. The child smiled at him slowly. He still didn't talk a great deal, but seemed to listen to everything carefully.

Arabella reassured him that Corbin seemed quite happy and had a healthy appetite. Corbin would enjoy the party the Snapes were sure to throw. Draco and his kneazle would be there, running with Harry and Irish. Perhaps he should get Corbin a kneazle – or perhaps a Crup. A visit to the pet shop was called for, perhaps.

The floo sounded and Remus' face appeared. "Headmaster, I have some bad news."

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A/N – Sorry Neville, you have to be an orphan for the story.