Fifth part of my never-ending series, you know the drill. Oh, BTW- Jake belongs to me, `ite? *laughs wildly at the thought of anyone wanting to use her stupid character*
"I feel really stupid," Draco whined. Sirius and I ignored him. It had been decided that Harry should stay behind, with Dumbledore and Snape, while Sirius, Draco, and I went to get Jake. We'd snuck out the back door and circled around, so we were behind Voldemort's army. Now all we had to do was find Jake and leave. Easier said than done. After a few minutes we decided that the only way to find Jake would be to have one of us go in there and get him. Which also led to a huge argument.
"You can't go. No way," Sirius protested. He'd been going on like that for the last ten minutes. However, the only way he would go in there would be over my dead body. Since it was my friend we were trying to save, I considered it no less then my bounden duty to do the dangerous part of what we were attempting. Sirius and I continued to argue, but we were interrupted by Draco's drawling voice.
"Can we go now?" Startled, I looked over at him. Taking advantage of our argument, Draco had sneaked past the guards, found Jake, and dragged him back out to where we were. Embarrassed, Sirius and I suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the ground. Draco simply laughed.
"That's pitiful, you know. But forget it. Let's just go, before they realize we're here." Cautiously, the four of us started walking back toward Hogwarts' back door. Halfway there we were spotted.
"Get them!" yelled a guard, and we bolted. They realized where we were attempting to go, however, and cut us off.
"Looks like we're going for the direct approach," Sirius remarked, trying a feeble joke. It wasn't working.
"GET THEM!" I heard someone yell, and I recognized the voice instantly. Voldemort. "DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY! IF YOU HAVE TO, LET THE OTHERS GO, BUT GET. THAT. WEREWOLF!!!" Great.
"Isn't it wonderful to know that you're the prime target for a mad man?" I asked Sirius as we ran. He rolled his eyes.
"If it's any consolation, you're not his main concern. Harry is the one he really wants." It was not a consoling thought. We made it to the front doors and Harry and Snape unlocked them in a hurry. We stepped inside and immediately collapsed into chairs that Harry had thoughtfully conjured up. Safe at last. From where I was, I could hear Voldemort's roars of rage, and I felt quite pleased with myself for being such a cause of irritation for the guy.
"What did you do now?" Jake teased me.
"Not much," I told him. "Just went back to Harry, turned my back on Voldemort for good, and thoroughly teed him off."
"And then you very thoughtfully came and got me," he added.
"Yep. And that's about it."
"Well, I have to say that I'm very thankful for your concern. I probably never would have had the courage to leave Voldemort on my own, because of my daughter." He looked around at all of us. "I'm very grateful, and I'll do whatever I can to help you."
"You just said the magic words," Draco remarked. "We need all the help we can get."
"I don't know, you seem to be doing well enough on your own."
"Looks can be deceiving," Harry said matter-of-factly. "We're in trouble. It wouldn't be bad if it was just us, but this is a school, and there are hundreds of helpless children we have to think about." Harry spoke with the air of command, and I smiled as I watched him. He seemed to be growing up so fast, with his huge responsibilities forcing him to be more mature than he ordinarily would have been.
"He's right," I spoke up. "It wouldn't be bad if it was just us, but we have innocent children to think about. We have to protect them, at all costs."
"What kind of `all costs' are you thinking, Remus?" Sirius asked.
"I mean what I said. I don't care what we have to do, we have to protect them."
"Well then, we'd better call a meeting of all the teachers. You go get Hermione and Ron, and meet me in my office," Albus ordered. Harry ran for the Gryffindor common room, and Sirius and I watched him go. I watched Sirius's hand tighten on his wand, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: how much longer could we protect him? How much longer could we keep him safe? I wasn't sure, but I made a silent vow that I'd die before I'd let Voldemort get anywhere close to Harry. Snape abruptly snapped his fingers in front of my face, effectively snapping me out of my reverie.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked. "If it's that compelling, then tell me." But he knew exactly what I'd been thinking about, and I had no doubts that he'd been wondering the same thing. I wondered if he'd reached the same conclusion I had.
"We'd better get going," Dumbledore muttered. He headed for the teacher's lounge, leaving Snape, Sirius, Draco, Jake, and me standing there. After a few minutes he returned with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as Madam Pomfrey. We met up with the famous trio at the entrance to Dumbledore's office, and walked inside. We conjured up a few chairs and sat down.
We began to outline plans for the defense of Hogwarts, and Jake and Hermione came up with several helpful comments. We soon realized, though, that whether or not we could hold out here was unimportant. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort broke through the spells that had been protecting the castle, and then what were we going to do? Flitwick suggested that, if it came down to that, we could surrender and Voldemort would probably spare the children.
"He wouldn't," I said slowly. "He spares nothing. Not even his own followers. You mess up once, and Voldemort'll never forget it. Ditch that idea."
"Would you know that from personal experience, Remus?" McGonagall asked, not unkindly.
"You mean, did I ever mess up anything for Voldemort? Obviously no, I didn't, I'm still breathing, aren't I? Peter, however, messed up several times on purpose, and I just barely convinced Voldemort to let Pettigrew stay among the living."
"Why on earth did you bother doing that?"
"Because, if you'll remember, Harry saved Peter's life. He owes him. That may come in handy one of these days, should Harry become captured." Harry gave me a sideways glance as though to say, "Finally admitted the inevitable, have you?" I hadn't, though, despite what he thought.
I was still determined that Harry would never be captured, and I knew Sirius shared my sentiments. What I wasn't sure about was how long those ideas would last. How much longer would it be before the twelve of us were ten? Or five? Or none?
"I feel really stupid," Draco whined. Sirius and I ignored him. It had been decided that Harry should stay behind, with Dumbledore and Snape, while Sirius, Draco, and I went to get Jake. We'd snuck out the back door and circled around, so we were behind Voldemort's army. Now all we had to do was find Jake and leave. Easier said than done. After a few minutes we decided that the only way to find Jake would be to have one of us go in there and get him. Which also led to a huge argument.
"You can't go. No way," Sirius protested. He'd been going on like that for the last ten minutes. However, the only way he would go in there would be over my dead body. Since it was my friend we were trying to save, I considered it no less then my bounden duty to do the dangerous part of what we were attempting. Sirius and I continued to argue, but we were interrupted by Draco's drawling voice.
"Can we go now?" Startled, I looked over at him. Taking advantage of our argument, Draco had sneaked past the guards, found Jake, and dragged him back out to where we were. Embarrassed, Sirius and I suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the ground. Draco simply laughed.
"That's pitiful, you know. But forget it. Let's just go, before they realize we're here." Cautiously, the four of us started walking back toward Hogwarts' back door. Halfway there we were spotted.
"Get them!" yelled a guard, and we bolted. They realized where we were attempting to go, however, and cut us off.
"Looks like we're going for the direct approach," Sirius remarked, trying a feeble joke. It wasn't working.
"GET THEM!" I heard someone yell, and I recognized the voice instantly. Voldemort. "DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY! IF YOU HAVE TO, LET THE OTHERS GO, BUT GET. THAT. WEREWOLF!!!" Great.
"Isn't it wonderful to know that you're the prime target for a mad man?" I asked Sirius as we ran. He rolled his eyes.
"If it's any consolation, you're not his main concern. Harry is the one he really wants." It was not a consoling thought. We made it to the front doors and Harry and Snape unlocked them in a hurry. We stepped inside and immediately collapsed into chairs that Harry had thoughtfully conjured up. Safe at last. From where I was, I could hear Voldemort's roars of rage, and I felt quite pleased with myself for being such a cause of irritation for the guy.
"What did you do now?" Jake teased me.
"Not much," I told him. "Just went back to Harry, turned my back on Voldemort for good, and thoroughly teed him off."
"And then you very thoughtfully came and got me," he added.
"Yep. And that's about it."
"Well, I have to say that I'm very thankful for your concern. I probably never would have had the courage to leave Voldemort on my own, because of my daughter." He looked around at all of us. "I'm very grateful, and I'll do whatever I can to help you."
"You just said the magic words," Draco remarked. "We need all the help we can get."
"I don't know, you seem to be doing well enough on your own."
"Looks can be deceiving," Harry said matter-of-factly. "We're in trouble. It wouldn't be bad if it was just us, but this is a school, and there are hundreds of helpless children we have to think about." Harry spoke with the air of command, and I smiled as I watched him. He seemed to be growing up so fast, with his huge responsibilities forcing him to be more mature than he ordinarily would have been.
"He's right," I spoke up. "It wouldn't be bad if it was just us, but we have innocent children to think about. We have to protect them, at all costs."
"What kind of `all costs' are you thinking, Remus?" Sirius asked.
"I mean what I said. I don't care what we have to do, we have to protect them."
"Well then, we'd better call a meeting of all the teachers. You go get Hermione and Ron, and meet me in my office," Albus ordered. Harry ran for the Gryffindor common room, and Sirius and I watched him go. I watched Sirius's hand tighten on his wand, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: how much longer could we protect him? How much longer could we keep him safe? I wasn't sure, but I made a silent vow that I'd die before I'd let Voldemort get anywhere close to Harry. Snape abruptly snapped his fingers in front of my face, effectively snapping me out of my reverie.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked. "If it's that compelling, then tell me." But he knew exactly what I'd been thinking about, and I had no doubts that he'd been wondering the same thing. I wondered if he'd reached the same conclusion I had.
"We'd better get going," Dumbledore muttered. He headed for the teacher's lounge, leaving Snape, Sirius, Draco, Jake, and me standing there. After a few minutes he returned with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as Madam Pomfrey. We met up with the famous trio at the entrance to Dumbledore's office, and walked inside. We conjured up a few chairs and sat down.
We began to outline plans for the defense of Hogwarts, and Jake and Hermione came up with several helpful comments. We soon realized, though, that whether or not we could hold out here was unimportant. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort broke through the spells that had been protecting the castle, and then what were we going to do? Flitwick suggested that, if it came down to that, we could surrender and Voldemort would probably spare the children.
"He wouldn't," I said slowly. "He spares nothing. Not even his own followers. You mess up once, and Voldemort'll never forget it. Ditch that idea."
"Would you know that from personal experience, Remus?" McGonagall asked, not unkindly.
"You mean, did I ever mess up anything for Voldemort? Obviously no, I didn't, I'm still breathing, aren't I? Peter, however, messed up several times on purpose, and I just barely convinced Voldemort to let Pettigrew stay among the living."
"Why on earth did you bother doing that?"
"Because, if you'll remember, Harry saved Peter's life. He owes him. That may come in handy one of these days, should Harry become captured." Harry gave me a sideways glance as though to say, "Finally admitted the inevitable, have you?" I hadn't, though, despite what he thought.
I was still determined that Harry would never be captured, and I knew Sirius shared my sentiments. What I wasn't sure about was how long those ideas would last. How much longer would it be before the twelve of us were ten? Or five? Or none?