Author's Note - I just want to tell you that I do NOT know when the next update for this series will be, because I currently have 3 essays that need to be completed within the next week. They are to be handed in on the 16th December and that is a week Friday (also known as the end of term for me) and they have to be 2,500 words each. So I hope you bear with me when I say that putting this story on hold is the LAST thing I want to do, but sadly University comes first. I just hope you are all here when I come back, because I have many more surprises to come.
Dedications - Chapter goes out to the following: 10th Squad 3rd Seat, ApotterFan, 0Goddess Nyx0, KingdomHeartsNerd, Fan of Fics and new reviewer: Vmarslovahhh18. Thank you all for taking the time to read and review, I really appreciate it.
There are no in responses at this time.
Again, I apologize for leaving you for what seems to be a week and a half, but I hope you understand that it is not something I want. As soon as I finish University for Christmas I will come back. You have my word!
Here is Chapter 50 –
Phoebe had never been a part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron went next, looking like contestants in six-legged race. Next came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his ties hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry and Hermione came next, supporting James. And Phoebe, Terence and Serefina brought up the rear.
Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Phoebe could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in a single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry went after Sirius, and turned to help James and Hermione into the darkness, leaving Phoebe, Terence and Serefina to follow them.
"You are in so much trouble, Phoebe," Serefina was saying in a language that only Phoebe could understand. "I specifically told you to stay in the castle! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you tonight! Do you even care that you put your friends in danger?"
Phoebe lowered her gaze to the stone tunnel beneath her feet. "In my defence, Serefina, James and Terence came looking for me. It was only me, Harry, Ron and Hermione down in Hagrid's; we had to see him before they executed Buckbeak! We couldn't leave him like that! He was so heartbroken!"
"That is beside the point, Phoebe!" Serefina scolded. "You were out of bounds after hours! You followed a murderer into the Shrieking Shack! You exposed yourself to countless of people! Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"Does this mean I have to leave Hogwarts?" Phoebe squeaked, her grandfather had always told her when she was growing up, that if she was not careful in hiding her elemental magic then she and the family would have had to move, leave everything they had behind and go find a new home in a new country. She didn't want to leave Hogwarts. She didn't want to leave her friends.
Serefina sighed and glanced over her shoulder at her goddaughter. "I do not know I will have to talk with Papa."
"But he is going to be disappointed in me!" Phoebe cried. "Please, Serefina, please don't tell Papa."
"I am sorry, Little Star," Serefina apologized. "But they must know. It is by the code."
Phoebe frowned. What was the code? "What's the code?"
"The code of the Elementals," Serefina answered. "You will understand one day."
"So far?" Phoebe said. "The code sucks!"
Meanwhile, up ahead, Sirius and Harry were having a similar conversation.
"You know what this means?" Sirius was saying to Harry. "Turning Pettigrew in?"
"You're free," said Harry.
"Yes..." said Sirius. "But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you - I'm your godfather."
"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.
"Well...your parents appointed me your guardian," said Sirius stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."
Harry waited.
"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," said Sirius. "But...well...think about it. Once my name's cleared...if you wanted a...a different home..."
"What - live with you?" Harry said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"
"Of course, I though you wouldn't want to," said Sirius quickly. "I understand. I just thought I'd -"
"Are you mad?" said Harry. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"
Sirius turned right around to look at him. "You want to? You mean it?"
"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.
Sirius's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Harry had seen upon it. The difference it had made was starting, as though a person ten years younger was shining through the starved mask; for a moment, he was recognizable as the man who had laughed at Harry's parents wedding.
No one spoke again until they reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron clambered upwards without any sound of savaging branches.
Sirius saw Snape up through the hole, and then stood back for Harry, Hermione and James to pass. Terence was next, and with the help of Harry was able to pull Phoebe up out of the hole. Next came Serefina, followed finally by Sirius.
At last, all of them were out.
The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off.
Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering.
"One wrong move Peter," said Lupin threateningly, ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.
Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Sirius, his chin bumping on his chest. And then -
A cloud shifted. There were dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight.
"You forgot to take your Potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along."
Terence collided with Phoebe, who had stopped abruptly. "What?" he asked, causing Serefina and Hermione to turn back.
Phoebe pointed at the moon and turned her gaze towards Lupin. He had gone rigid, and his limps began to shake.
"Stop!" she called.
Sirius froze. He flung out an arm to make Harry stop.
"He didn't take his Potion tonight," Phoebe stated. "That's how Professor Snape knew where we were, he saw it on the Map when he took Lupin his Potion! He's not safe!"
"Oh my -" Hermione gasped.
"Run," Sirius whispered. "Run! Now!"
But Phoebe couldn't run. Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Lupin. She darted forward but Sirius caught her around the chest and threw her back, into Harry, who caught her around the waist as she doubled over after stumbling.
"Leave it to me - RUN!"
There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks fur was on end again, he was backing away -
As the werewolf reared, snapping its long Jaws. Sirius disappeared. He had transformed. The enormous, bear-like dog bounded forwards. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backwards, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other -
There was a bang, a burst of light - and Ron lay motionless on the floor.
Hermione screamed. Pettigrew had managed to get ahold of Lupin's fallen wand, and had used it not once, but twice - once on Ron, and the second time on Crookshanks, who flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap.
"Experlliarmus!" Terence yelled, pointing his own wand at Pettigrew; Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight.
"Stay where you are!" Harry shouted, passing Phoebe over to Terence and running forwards.
Too late. Pettigrew had transformed, his bald tail whipped through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm, and scurried away through the grass.
"Damn it!" Phoebe swore, before looking up as a shrill cry joined the commotion of the fighting Black Dog and Werewolf. A Golden Eagle flew up into the air, before diving forward and started to claw at Lupin's face.
The werewolf swiped its elongated claw at the Eagle which screeched as the claws ripped through her right wing and sent her crashing into a heap on the earth.
"SEREFINA!" Phoebe yelled.
Lupin turned its attentions onto the students, all of which backtracked away from the advancing werewolf -
There was a howl and a rumbling growl, and before anyone could blink - Lupin had taken flight, he was galloping into the Forest -
"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled.
Sirius was bleeding; there were gashes across his muzzle and back, but at Harry's words, he scrambled up again, and in an instant, the sound of his paws were fading to silence as he pounded away across the grounds.
Phoebe and Hermione dashed over to Ron.
"What did he do to him?" Hermione whispered. Ron's eyes were only half-closed; his mouth hung open. He was definitely alive, they could hear him breathing, but he didn't seem to recognize them.
"I don't know."
James looked desperately around. Black and Lupin had gone...they had no one by Snape and Serefina for company. Snape was still hanging, unconscious, in mid-air, and Serefina was lying semi-conscious on the grass a few feet away; her shoulder and arm were a bloody mess from the open gash that Lupin had made when she was in her Animagus form.
"Why couldn't this have waited until we were closer to the lake?" Phoebe cried. "I can heal you if we were near a body of water,"
"I'll be fine, Pheebs," Serefina promised. "You and the others just get back to the castle, go find Dumbledore and tell him what has happened."
Phoebe shook her head. "I am not leaving you out here with a werewolf on the loose!" she stated. "They may not be that much of a deal to us, Serefina, but I am not going to risk it! You have lost too much blood; Lupin may take it as a sign of weakness and go straight for an attack."
"Phoebe, listen to me," Serefina scolded. "Go back to the castle, and get help!"
But Phoebe was stubborn. "No! Listen to me, please! I can't lose you!"
"And you won't, as long as you do as I say!"
The young Gryffindor shook her head, as fresh tears appeared in her eyes. She wasn't leaving her godmother alone on the grounds, bleeding from her arm, unable to use her powers, and with a werewolf on the loose. "I'm not leaving," she said in a final tone. "But the rest of you can!"
"Are you crazy?" Harry snapped. "We're not leaving you in the grounds with a werewolf, any more than you want to leave Professor Blackheart!"
"I can hold off a werewolf," Phoebe argued. "I'm stronger! I can do it!"
"You are supposed to be resting!" Harry responded. "You can't rest your core if you keep using it!"
Phoebe glared. "Don't argue with me Harry, just do as I say!"
"You're not in char -" Harry started, but out of the darkness, they heard a yelping, a whining of a dog in pain.
James paled. "Dad!" he exclaimed, at the same time Harry muttered "Sirius,"
"Someone has to help him," James yelped. "Please -"
There was a moment if indecision, but there was nothing he could do for Ron at the moment, and by the sound of it, Black was in trouble -
Harry set off at a run, Hermione calling after him.
"No," Phoebe yelled, pointing at Hermione as she started after Harry. "Don't move! You, Terence and James are to stay here! I'll go get Harry."
"But Phoebe -"
Phoebe shook her head and jumped to her feet, "Keep pressure on Serefina's arm, James stay off your leg, and for Merlin's sake, everyone stay together, there is safety in numbers!"
And with that she set off into the darkness after Harry.
~*Phoebe*~
The yelping seemed to be coming from near the lake. Phoebe pelted through the trees, towards the water's edge.
Suddenly, the yelping stopped abruptly, and Phoebe became aware of the sudden drop in temperature. Oh no... She thought as she realized too late what it meant.
As she reached the break in the trees, Phoebe witnessed Sirius; he had turned back into a man. He was crouched on all fours, his hands over his head.
"Nooo," he moaned. "Nooo...please..."
And then Phoebe saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them, were gliding in a black mass around the lake towards Harry and Sirius. She spun around, the familiar, icy cold penetrating her insides, fog started to obscure her vision; more were appearing out of the darkness of every side; they were encircling them.
Think of something happy Phoebe coached herself, as she reached for her wand. She had taken Defence training against Dementors when she was a younger girl, her grandfather had taught her. And although she wasn't anywhere close to a genius, as people believed her to be, she was a fast learner and was able to quickly grasp the concept of spells in their natural context. In other words; she had been able to create a corporeal Patronus since the age of 7.
The Dementors were closing in; barely ten feet from them. Phoebe sought out Harry's hand, taking the younger Gryffindor by surprise; he hadn't seen or heard her arrive.
Together the Dementors formed a solid wall around Harry and Phoebe, and were getting closer -
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A wisp of silver escaped his wand and hovered like mist before him. At the same moment, Phoebe felt her legs buckle as a small whisper of "Expecto Patronum!" escaped her lips. Her wand shone brightly, and the Dementors back off slightly from the light, but with Phoebe's brain becoming foggier by the minute, the spell didn't last long.
"Phoebe..." Harry murmured, scared as he watched Phoebe hit the cold grass. He was alone...completely alone...
"Expecto...expecto patronum..."
Harry fell his knees hit the cold grass beside his unconscious friend and godfather. Fog was clouding his eyes. With a huge effort, he fought to remember - Sirius was innocent - innocent - we'll be OK - I'm going to live with him -
"Expecto patronum!" he gasped.
By the feeble light of his formless Patronus, he saw a Dementor halt, very close to him. It couldn't walk through the cloud of silver mist Harry had conjured. A dead, slimy hand slid out from under the cloak. It made a gesture as though to sweep the Patronus aside.
"No - no -" Harry gasped. "He's innocent - expecto - expecto patronum -"
He could feel them watching him, hear their rattling breath like an evil wind around him. The nearest Dementor seemed to be considering him. Then it raised both its rotting hands - and lowered its hood.
Where there should have been eyes, there was only thin, grey-scabbed skin, stretched bleakly over empty sockets. But there was a mouth...a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death-rattle.
A paralyzing terror filled Harry so that he couldn't move or speak. His Patronus flickered and died.
White fog was blinding him. He had to fight...expecto patro-num...He couldn't see...and in the distance, he heard the familiar screaming...expecto patronum...he groped in the mist for Phoebe and Sirius, he found both of them...they weren't going to take either of them...
But a pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly wrapped themselves around Harry's neck. They were forcing his face upwards.
I wonder if this is what Phoebe felt months ago? Harry wondered. He could feel his breath...it was going to get rid of him first...he could feel its putrid breath...his mother was screaming in his ears...she was going to be the last thing he ever heard -
And then, through the fog that was drowning him, he thought he saw a silvery light, growing brighter and brighter...he felt himself fall forwards onto the grass.
Face down; too weak to move, sick and shaking, Harry opened his eyes. The blinding light was all around him, it illuminated the grass ...the screaming had stopped; the cold was ebbing away...
Something was driving the Dementors back...it was circling around him and Sirius and Phoebe...the rattling, sucking sounds of the Dementors were fading. Thy were leaving...the air was warm again.
With every ounce of strength he could muster, Harry raised his head a few inches and saw an animal amidst the light, galloping away across the lake. Eyes blurred with sweat, Harry tried to make out what it was...it was bright as a unicorn. Fighting to stay conscious, Harry watched it canter to a halt as it reached the opposite shore. For a moment, Harry saw, but its brightness, somebody welcoming it back...raising his hand to pat it...someone who looked strangely familiar...but it couldn't be...
Harry didn't understand. He couldn't think any more. He felt the last of his strength leave him, and his head hit the ground as he fainted.
The second Harry's had hit the ground, soft footfalls resounded across the grass, as a pair of black boots approached the three unconscious bodies on the grassy shore. A figure knelt beside Phoebe, touched her shoulder and rolled her over; her eyes were half-closed, and the figure could see the soft burning of cobalt blue in her irises.
"It's her," said a voice, in what sounded to be Russian. "What do we do, we cannot just leave her here!"
"They will be waking up soon," another voice answered in the same language. "Serefina will find her..."
There was a heavy pause, and -
"Pettigrew escaped...The twin cores must be united...before it's too late!"
Copyrighted ©
Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Chapter updated Wednesday, December 07, 2011 at 3:26am
