CAGED IN HIDING
A/N: Alright! Welcome to Chapter Gojuuyon! (54) here's a little present for being so patient with me and giving me the right encouragement. It's also an, 'I'm sorry' gift. I'm sorry for taking Severus out of the picture for a while, but here's something to at least ease your pain. I know it can't replace or fix what I've done but It might make you guys happy.
Harry lay in his cot, his hands idly rubbing the small baby-bump that had formed over the last few months. He had gone home with Ron and stayed at the Weasley's. Dean had visited Ginny for a week towards the beginning of summer. The first chance he had, he had pulled Hermione, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley aside. He told them about the pregnancy. Besides the obvious 'how' questions, they asked who the father was. But Harry still couldn't remember. He did remember that he hadn't had the chance to tell him before Dumbledore was killed. They each agreed to stay quiet about it and help when needed. Harry had given the book that McGonagal had given him to Hermione that night. By the end of the week the bushy-haired girl was an expert on the topic.
They prepared for Fill and Fluer's wedding, which was to be held on Harry's birthday. A lawyer came and read Dumbledore's will. He gave Ron his Deluminator, which was the former Head Master's own invention. He gave Hermione an old children's book which seemed to have little significance. And to Harry he gave him the first snitch he had ever caught. Dumbledore had also left him the Sword of Gryffindor, which the lawyer made very clear, was not his to give away.
Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said about the sword and that he had given the real one to Snape to hide. When he told Hermione and Ron about this their hatred for the man grew.
The night the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow was the night the trio ran away. Because of Harry's 'condition' they didn't apparate. They were forced to use muggle transportation to get to Grimmauld Place.
Once there, they discovered the traps Mad Eye Moody had placed for Snape. Harry couldn't lie, they shook him up something awful.
They decided to all stay together in the same room; sleeping side by side. Harry couldn't sleep, though. So he stayed up and moved his hands over his stomach.
He tried to remember…he knew he was in love with someone, but he just didn't know who. He went through all the possibilities. He knew it had to be a Slytherin because Harry was always in the dungeons for some reason, which surprised him. He wasn't sure where to start when he thought about the Slytherin males. He looked over at Ron and Hermione, who were holding hands in their sleep, and smiled. It was sweet, and he hoped that he had done that with his lover. Whoever he was, Harry hoped that he still loved him.
Just then Harry heard a door open and close; and Moody's traps go off. He was alert in an instant. The second he heard the first steps he was up. His wand was ready and he moved to stand next to the door ready to get the ump on anyone who entered. Wordlessly he used his magic to pull the covers off the other two. Hermione woke up looking around. She saw Harry, who motioned for her to stay quiet and get her wand. She did so and quietly woke Ron as well. They both stood up and listened to the footsteps as whoever they belonged to explored the house.
When the sounds grew closer it became easier to tell that there was at least two pairs of foot falls.
Harry didn't like that. It was fine with just one, but two Death Eaters against two undergraduates and one pregnant undergraduate, wasn't good odds.
The door handle turned the three grew tense as it slowly opened. Two whispering voices floated in.
"…going to scare them half to death." said one.
"Nah," said another. "They probably already know we're here. Don't sell my 'pup' out so easily."
Just as Harry was about to attack, Sirius Black stepped into the room.
"Expelli-Sirius!" Harry dropped his offensive posture and closed the distance instantly.
Sirius wrapped his arms around his godson, he was so happy to see him. "Pup!"
Remus Lupin smiled as he stepped past the two.
"I'll get the lights." said Ron as he opened the Deluminator. The light escaped and fled back into the lamps around the room.
"Whoa" said Sirius pulling away. "Getting a little tubby there, aren't we Pup?" is Hermione's cooking that great?"
They ignored what the ex-convict said Keeping the promise to keep Harry's situation a secret no matter what.
"Sirius…how?"
"Remus." His godfather answered. He knew what Harry had meant. How had he gotten free? "I don't know how he managed it."
Harry and the others turned to look at the werewolf. "We took a handful of volunteers and stormed Black Manor." Lupin answered. "We knew, now that Dumbledore was dead, it was only a matter of time before they decided to kill Sirius as well."
"And he wasn't about the let that happen." They shared an expression which Harry felt was very familiar and very private.
"Honestly, it was incredibly dangerous." Lupin confessed.
"Damned stupid, if you ask me." Sirius retorted.
"Yes well, everyone knew the risks."
"Including Alastor, right?"
"What happened to Moody?" asked Hermione. She of course picked up on the meaning of Sirius' words.
"He didn't survive the mission." Lupin answered with remorse in his voice. It was clear that he felt responsible. "And Ron," he turned to face the red head. "Your brother George lost an ear."
"Bloody hell." said Ron. "But he's alright?"
"Yeah, said something about being holy now." Sirius said with a chuckle. "The others are fine too."
Ron heaved a large sigh, "That's a relief."
They sat down and talked about what was going on, and what was likely to happen.
Harry was glad to have Sirius back and in one piece. No one broached the subject of what happened to him while he was a prisoner. No one wanted to know.
"Ms. Lovegood was there as well." Lupin said remorsefully. "We had no idea there were multiple prisoners, we weren't prepared."
"And shit hit the fan real fast." Sirius added.
"Well," Harry said, "We have to go rescue her."
"We can't." Lupin objected. "It's too dangerous. And besides, they will have strengthened their security."
"We can't just leave her."
"Leave the suicide missions to us, Pup." Sirius said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Why did they kidnap her anyway?" asked Hermione. "What could they possibly need her for?" she had asked Lupin but the man didn't have an answer.
"It had something to do with her dad." Sirius replied. After all he was the one that was there with her.
After talking for a while longer, and exchanging theories as to why they needed MR. Lovegood, they all went to bed. Harry still couldn't sleep. So when morning came he was the first one up and about.
Sirius and Lupin had decided to occupy the vacant bedrooms up stairs; while the trio stuck with their already made cots.
Harry wandered the house, choosing to fully investigate the elf heads on the wall. The newest addition was in much better condition than its brothers. Kreacher's scowl was just as angry as it had been when he was alive. The Order must have arranged it since the house elf was still alive when Sirius was captured.
Harry heard muffled voices from further up the stairs. Sirius and Lupin must have been awake. The teen followed the voices and ended up at Sirius bedroom door.
"…surprised they're even here." said Lupin.
"Why?" asked Sirius. "It's the safest place for them right now."
"I know that. You know that. And so does the Dark Lord." The werewolf concluded. "it's the first place he'll look for them.
"But he can't get in. so what's the problem?"
"The problem is we have to not only find these Horcruxes but also find a way to destroy them, other than the sword. And none of us could leave this house, not really, without risking all our lives. So they'd be prisoners here."
"So where do you expect them to go?" Sirius challenged.
"I don't know…but they can't stay here."
"Throw me a bone Remus. We're drowning here. They can't stay but they can't leave."
"Sirius…" there was something in the man's voice that made that one word sound so desperate. "Does it always have to be this hard? Why can't anything just…be?"
There was silence after that and Sirius didn't break it with a response. Harry lifted his hand and knocked on the door.
"Pup?" Sirius called.
"Yeah." Harry answered.
Sirius chuckled, "Come on in."
When Harry opened the door he was faced with two men. His god father was shirtless and trying to shake the wrinkles out of a clean top. The tawny-haired man gave the teen a small polite smile.
"Good morning." He said.
"Morning." Harry answered. But his attention was temporarily stolen from him. "Sirius," he said. "How did you get that scar?"
"Hm? Which one?" the man asked. His body was covered in scars and tattoos; Harry was surprised he had even noticed the new addition.
"the one that looks like it's still healing. He answered. The scar in question, was crescent shaped and on his left shoulder. If Harry didn't know any better he would've thought it was a bite mark. It was bright pink while all the others were faded.
"Oh, that one. Pretty cool, huh?" Sirius beamed stepping closer so Harry could get a better look.
"No sure I'd call it that." Harry chuckled. "Did you get it at Back Manor?"
"This? No, besides, it's a good scar."
"A 'good scar'? How?" Harry asked curiously.
"Well you see, Re-"
"Harry." Lupin interrupted. "What's your plan?"
"Huh?" the teen was a little confused because of his interruption.
"To destroy the locket." Lupin clarified.
"Oh, um…we don't really…" Sirius pulled the wrinkled shirt on, over his head, even though it was a button up. He left the top buttons undone showing his chest. "I mean there's the sword, but then there's the problem of finding it."
"Well, we'll talk about it over breakfast." The werewolf smiled. "Shall we?" he took the lead out of the room; Sirius following him.
"So which room did you sleep in?" harry asked Lupin, making light conversation.
"Oh, um this one." The man said, pointing to a closed door as they passed it.
Harry pretended to take inters tint he elf heads and let the two men go on to the kitchen without him. When they were out of sight Harry went back up stairs. On a hunch he checked said bedroom only to find that the bed didn't even have a mattress. Ron and himself had thrown it out earlier that week because it was full of doxies. "Uh-huh," Harry said to himself. "That's what I thought."
