Disclaimer: J.K Rowling owns everything.
The Secret Keeper VIII
Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily. He found himself in semi-darkness huddled into a corner of the Weasley's living room sofa, the only light emanating from the dying embers of the log fire. The mantlepiece clock showed that it was a liitle after midnight and that two hours had passed since Sirius had raised the alarm about Wormtail having made it inside the Burrow. Sirius' dark shadow stood riveted by the window, almost statue-like in its stillness, as it's owner gazed longingly out into the black garden. Remus was sitting in an armchair by the fire, apparently asleep. The entire house was bathed in an unearthly silence, as if its very walls were listening for the sounds of an intruder.
"Has anything happened yet?" Harry whispered.
"No, 'seems quiet enough. He's probably out there skulking in the dirt under some bushes. I can't see Arabella or-"
The door opened suddenly and Mundungus Fletcher bustled into the room, a cross look on his bulbous face.
"This is ridiculous. We can't see anything! I say we let Pettigrew come to us. He has to be looking for one of you three-"
"Oh, great idea, Fletcher. We'll just wait for him to find Harry, shall we?"
"Sirius…" Remus warned quietly, but recollected himself at the memory of Dumbledore's instructions. "Where's Arabella? Dumbledore said you were to stay together."
"I told her I was coming in. She didn't follow. Don't look at me like that! She's old enough to look after herself; I shouldn't have to run after her like a demented
child-"
"You idiot! Get out there now and find her before something happens!" Sirius snapped, advancing threateningly on the other man.
Mundungus glared at Sirius, but retreated submissively. He looked uncertainly at the stern expression on Remus's face and realised he would receive no support from that quarter.
"Fine." He muttered, before turning to leave. He halted momentarily with his hand on the doorknob as Sirius spoke, awed by the inherant fury in his words.
"And make sure you get the right man, this time!"
Mundungus said nothing, but left promptly, slamming the door shut behind him. Harry raised quesioning eyes to Sirius, confused at his godfather's last comment, but thought better of asking about it since Sirius' face still hadn't lost that expression of loathing and revulsion it had developed at Fletcher's arrival. Instead, Harry turned to Remus, only to be met with a forced blank expression. There's something going on here that I haven't been told about. What did Sirius mean by 'getting the right man'? Harry couldn't understand what his godfather could possibly have against Mundungus Fletcher, who had, afterall, been a good friend of his father. But then so was Wormtail… Remus got up slowly and walked over to Sirius. He whispered something in his ear that Harry didn't catch, but at length Sirius' features softened and he left the window to sit next to Harry.
"'Sorry about that. I've never really liked Fletcher."
"I'd never have guessed", Harry stated sarcastically, "why were you so rude to him?"
Sirius seemed uncomfortable, "'Just a personality clash, you see; we were enemies at Hogwarts, like you and Draco Malfoy. He was one of Snape's little friends at school, and I never had any time for the Slytherins. 'But unfortunately we chose the same careers as aurors, and so I was forced to work with him…That was before I went to Azkaban…I can't see that he's changed a bit, though. 'Still as conniving and selfish as he ever was-"
"Good to see that you haven't lost your Gryffindor patriotism, Padfoot, but I think you're being too harsh on him. He was a good auror, and always loyal to the Order, if not to you. ", Remus stated mildly, ignoring the indignant look on Sirius's face. "Try to ignore Padfoot, Harry, but you should bear in mind for future reference that your godfather is definitely one to bear a grudge."
"'Only when I have good cause."
"Why? What happened?" Harry asked eagerly.
"He was the one who arrested me, after Wormtail blew up the street. He was the first on the scene…'Wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. It was thanks to him that I was imprisoned without a trial-"
Harry was appalled. He had expected the animosity between Sirius and Fletcher to have its origins in some silly childhood disagreement, but this was a chilling revelation. He suddenly understood his godfather's anger at having been twice betrayed, and it seemed perfectly reasonable. Indeed, even a discussion of his arrest brought an angry, wounded expression to Sirius's face.
"He was just upset, Sirius. You know how close he was to James... I saw him that day and he was in a dreadful state of shock. I've never seen him so upset. He was determined to make you suffer for your apparent betrayal of Lily and James, and I think that, had you been in his position, you would have felt exactly the same way."
"I would never be so quick to doubt a friend."
An uncomfortable silence followed this indignant remark, broken only by the soft crackling of the dying embers and the periodic ticking of the clock. Remus, who had been standing in the centre of the room, sank back into his armchair and seemed ready to go back to sleep, when Sirius suddenly broke the silence.
"Its nearly 1 a.m. You'd better get some sleep, Harry. I'll wake you if anything happens."
Harry lay back on the sofa and closed his eyes, but no longer felt tired. His mind was too alert and stimulated by recent events. The more time he spent with Sirius, the more vivid the photograph of his parents' wedding became in his mind's eye. He was gradually beginning to understand the personalities and attitudes that had shaped the terrible events of his childhood up to the death of his parents, and the closer he came to this understanding, the less distant and hypothetical these events became. He was beginning to grasp the enormity of the injustices that had shaped his life, from the loss of his parents, to the imprisonment of his godfather, to his life with the Dursleys, the death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Voldemort. And now Percy…It could have been so different. Why did everything go wrong? No…There's no point in thinking like that. Harry quickly banished these depressing thoughts from his head, knowing that they would only lead him in circles and make him upset. He relaxed into the suede sofa and tried to sleep, lulled by the sound of Remus' steady breathing from across the room. He soon fell into a heavy slumber.
***
Harry was strolling through the woods, listening to the peaceful gushing of a nearby stream hidden somewhere to his right. The gigantic autumnal horse chestnuts and sycamores formed an arch overhead, admitting a fine meshwork of golden light onto the leafy path. Harry walked ahead with confidence as it was a path he had often followed and he knew the way. The ground was soft and springy underfoot and he walked with a light step, happy to be returning home after so long.
Presently Harry stepped off the forest path onto a brighter, more worn-looking path. Here, a long row of blackberry bushes stretched along the length of the path, which Harry followed, plucking the occasional berry as he went.
At length a pair of granitic towers peeped above the bushes ahead, their mica glinting dazzlingly in the afternoon sun, a familiar sight that Harry always admired on his return. Eventually an opening appeared in the hedges, through which Harry entered. Before him stretched a straight dusty path, at the end of which stood a romantic grey stone house with Georgian windows and the pair of towers he had seen earlier, one at either end of the two-storey building. He felt unnaturally drawn to the house and walked at a brisk pace towards it, admiring the well-kept, pretty borders adorning its sweeping lawn. The imposing mahogany front door came into view, with a young ivy beginning to creep charmingly up the walls on either side of it. Harry stepped forward to grasp the handle-
"What was that?"
Harry woke suddenly and reluctantly at the sound of a hushed but unmistakably tense voice. He opened his eyes to see Remus hurrying to the living room door, where he stopped and began listening intently. Sirius didn't move from his position by the window, but watched Lupin silently. Suddenly, the realisation returned to Harry of his predicament and he stiffened in his seat, straining to make out whatever sounds Lupin had heard, his dream forgotten. Unfortunately, he could distinguish nothing in the dead silence.but the sound of his own breathing. Remus stood up straight and turned from the door.
"I thought I heard something moving upstairs, but its gone now. 'Probably a ghost-"
Suddenly a loud hum emanated from the garden and a bright white flash of light filled the room. Sirius ran for the door, but Remus restrained him-
"Sirius, no! We have to stay with Harry. Arabella and Mundungus will catch him."
Sirius looked at Harry, a torn expression on his face. He desperately wanted to pursue Wormtail and help Arabella, but he knew that Harry's safety was paramount. He couldn't risk leaving him with just Moony for protection. There was another hum, and Harry became aware of the Weasleys moving about upstairs, the floorboards echoing dully beneath them. Sirius gripped Harry by the shoulder to reassure himself of his presence, while staring transfixed at the now completely black garden.
"Damn it! What's happening out there?"
The three stood in silence until Mundungus returned, a defeated look on his face, followed by Arabella, who glanced apologetically at Sirius. Dumbledore came down with a pyjama-clad Arthur Weasley. He turned immediately to Arabella.
"What did you see?"
"Just a man, standing at the end of the garden. I couldn't tell if it was Pettigrew or not as it was too dark. When he saw me coming he seemed to vanish; perhaps he transformed into the rat… Somehow he got through the defences…but, how? I put those wards up myself. They were unbreakable…"
"Perhaps he had help", Remus muttered under his breath.
Sirius stepped protectively in front of Arabella, glaring at Remus. Dumbledore looked at him sharply.
"Perhaps, however, I would prefer to think that that help came from Death Eaters rather than from one of our own. Nevertheless, we should all be on our guard.
Now, I wish to know what his reasons were for coming here. Remus, go outside with Arabella and make sure the house is secure. Mundungus, will you and Arthur check the rooms and see if anything is missing? Sirius-"
Everyone turned as Ginny ran into the room, her face pale except for the red rings surrounding her eyes.
"Percy's room", she gasped breathlessly, "Everything's gone!"
***
Remus got up slowly from the damp ground, an expression of satisfaction on his tired face. Behind him, the sun was beginning to rise, illuminating the Burrow, which now seemed calm and peaceful, all tracesof the previous night's excitement having vanished. He pocketed his wand and joined Arabella on the dry stone wall at the end of the garden.
"Well, that should do it. I'm sorry if I seemed to be accusing you last night. I assure you I didn't mean to do so. You know I trust you completely…I'm just concerned that Peter might be getting help from the inside, perhaps a member of the Order, or one of the Weasleys, though that seems unlikely. "
"I know. Everything we do, the Death Eaters seem to be two steps ahead. It does seem unlikely that he would be able to enter the Burrow and your house without assistance, since both were so well protected. And then there's Privet Drive...How on earth did they manage it? Dumbledore's charms aren't exactly easy to break, mine maybe, but not his. I dread to think that someone we trust is betraying us. Its just like with Lily and James, not knowing who to trust…I feel so sorry for Harry, getting caught up in all of this. This hasn't been a good year for him".
"No. I'd like to say this year was a character-building experience for him, but I think it's gone way beyond that. 'But he'll get through it as he always does. I'm sure having you and Sirius for a family will help-"
"You're getting ahead of yourself, Moony. Sirius and I aren't a family-"
"…yet."
"Oh alright, "yet", and there's no guarantee that we will ever be a family. So much has changed. He might not want to-"
"Ha! Really, 'Bella, I thought you knew Padfoot better than that. He's dying to get some normality back into his life. I'm sure that as soon as he gets his pardon he'll propose to you all over again."
Arabella laughed sarcastically, "..and perhaps this time there'll actually be a wedding!"
"I hope so, else that big house in Devon he has his eye on will go to waste…"
"What house in Devon?"
Remus grinned conspiratorially, but refused to answer, suddenly looking thoughtful. "Don't you think its interesting, however, that we get evidence against Fudge and it is the Death Eaters who try to retrieve it? I think Percy must have gotten wind of some kind of arrangement between You-Know-Who and Cornelius Fudge."
" 'But Fudge won't even acknowledge the existence of You-Know-Who. He still claims that the Death Eaters were acting independently when they attacked Privet Drive. "
"Fudge is no fool, and I'm sure he'll do anything to hold onto power now that everyone is turning to Dumbledore for guidance."
"Hmmm, maybe you're right. I know Albus is keeping an eye on him."
"Good. It's almost morning. Lets go in-"
Arabella nodded and jumped swiftly down from the wall. Remus groaned as his feet reached the ground.
"I'm getting too old for this! I thought my marauding days were long over."
"You've always been old, Moony! Let me guess, full moon tonight?"
Remus nodded grimly. Arabella looked at him sympathetically.
"Where will you stay? I presume you haven't been taking the Wolfsbane potion with Snape away-"
"No. I'll go back to my old haunt, the shrieking shack. There's not much choice, really, since I can't go home. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Snape. He really knows how to brew a potion."
"Do you think he'll survive?"
"I don't know. Voldemort's no fool…It's very risky. 'But much as I detest him, I don't want to see him die."
Arabella nodded sadly in agreement as they entered the house. They walked into the empty living room and threw themselves down onto some chairs, falling quickly asleep.
***
It had only been a few hours since
Wormtail had successfully breached the security of the Burrow and the contents
of Percy's bedroom had mysteriously disappeared, but Sirius was still in a
rage. He had followed Dumbledore's advice and stayed well away from his godson,
who was now asleep in Ron's room, deciding to wait until he calmed down a bit
until he spoke to him. He didn't want to upset Harry anymore than he already
had over the last week. Instead he was sitting in the kitchen, a mug of coffee
in his hand, thinking. He couldn't believe that he had come so close to
catching Wormtail only to have him escape, and he didn't know if he would ever
have that opportunity again. All the plans he had made on his journey to
contact the old crowd had been ruined: to capture Wormtail, marry Arabella, to
adopt Harry and be as good a godfather to him as James was his father…Not a
single one of them had come to fruition. Perhaps I'm expecting too much too
soon, but I've waited long enough…Sighing, Sirius glanced at the calendar. Less
than a week to Harry's birthday. 'Can't
have the party at Moony's now, though…and we certainly can't have it at the
Burrow under the circumstances…Well, I'll come up with something…
***
Harry reached out and grasped the door-knob, smiling as the familiar scent of baked bread reached him. It was good to be home. He strolled happily into the kitchen, but it was empty. Looking around curiously he started into the living room. This was a warm, comfortable room that Harry felt instantly drawn to it as it seemed very familiar. The walls were intricately panelled with dark mahogany and upon them hung many old, scratched oil portraits of elderly witches and wizards, whom he didn't recognise. The carpets and curtains were dark maroon with a now-faded gold lion motif printed over them. The walls felt cold to the touch, which seemed strange in the stifling warmth of the room, but Harry took no further notice of it. As he turned from the wall, a large portrait hanging over the fireplace attracted his attention. It depicted an old man in maroon robes standing against a dark background. The man winked and smiled at him playfully, reminding Harry of something that just barely hovered on the edge of memory…He'd met that man before. There was something very familiar about him, but in his dream-state, Harry quickly lost his train of thought and returned to his search for the occupants of the house. Nobody seemed to be home. Harry became vaguely uneasy as this was an unexpected turn of events.
"Hello! Is anyone home?…" he called.
There was no response. Feeling sad and bitterly disappointed, Harry left the house and began the long journey back through the woods; however, he couldn't help but feel that he had forgotten something important…
A/N: Sorry for the delay with this part but (a) I had to go and waste my time and money going to see that useless new Mel Gibson film, (b) I had to go shopping before my holiday next month and (c)ff.net's server was down all day Sunday so I didn't bother rushing to finish it. Anyway, I hope this was okay. I think I have the next few parts worked out in my head so it shouldn't take me too long to write them. Karone16 asked how long the series would be…Good question, got me thinking…Um, I think we're about halfway through now. It will probably be about 15 to 20 chapters long, depending on whether I can stop myself from making the plot more complicated. Well, we'll see. Hope that isn't too long for you, but as this ridiculously long A/N shows, I tend to waffle and write a lot of fluff…Right, I'll stop now. Next part up mid-week.
Thanks to all who reviewed:
Arabella Figg, Phoenix, someone2, Rain in Fire (Hey, you write long reviews; not related to Firecross, are you J? As sexy as Percy's undies undoubtedly are, I don't think even Wormtail would want to creep around the Burrow under them, especially considering the thoughts Percy'd been having about Penelope Clearwater while bored at the ministry!…), me, JULIE, Caitlyn (I'll have to start paying you for all these ego-expanding reviews! Now be a good girl and turn off your computer and go to class. I won't be held responsible for your failing Biology (says the girl who barely scraped a pass in biology in last years summer exams…)), Rede (similarly, I can't afford to pay you people for this, but thanks! Please keep reading, and if I do something dreadful that completely spoils my fic let me know. I'm forever asking myself how much I can get away with!), Harry's Mum Lily (Wow, I only found out today that its you writing Harry Potter and the Dark Sigil. It's seriously one of my favourite fics. You've actually taken Harry away from all the familiar characters, except Fawkes, and still made it impulsive reading. I hope part 13 is up soon…), PEZ (Yup, I hate Percy too, but how could anyone hate Voldie? He's my hero!…), LunarBard, ryuu kaze (Hooray, someone who likes cliffies! Most of my reviewers keep giving out to me for including them…) and last but not least, Adelina (thanks again, you always review…).
Pleiades
