By Admiral Albia
In which King Chaos reigns supreme...
Disclaimer; I own nothing except the plot and any characters you don't recognize from the books. It's very simple. Jiggy McCue (and the other Musketeers) belong to the great god Michael Lawrence, the rest belongs to the great goddess J.K. Rowling. All lyrics from the musical Anything Goes belong to whoever owns Anything Goes.
My heartfelt gratitude to Caitlin Black. A better beta-reader I could not ask for.
Chapter 12; The Rescue Mission
The sun was just setting as the rescue party climbed
out of the Knight Bus. Remus gulped and fished in his bag for a painkiller
before leading the way to a sheltered clearng where he could transform
without too much hassle from Stan and Ernie.
Behind them, Ron, Hermione, Indus and Anna stepped
off the bus and headed to a different clearing, Anna handing Indus another
painkiller as they went. It was full moon.
A-WOO-OO-OOOooooo!
From where they sat, James and Sirius could see Stan and Ernie clutch
at each other as Remus howled his heart out. Then, however, it was their
turn to jump as two answering howls came from almost directly behind them.
"Wha?" Sirius asked. "Riddle House is down there!"
He pointed.
Anna, Remus said crossly. And Indus. A/n;
Remember, Remus in this form is an animal =)>
"WHAT?"
"What? What's going on?" Sirius stormed over to
the edge of the clearing, disappeared down a hitherto-unnoticed path and
reappeared a few minutes later, dragging Ron and Hermione by the scruffs
of their necks and being followed by two young wolves, the female of which
was brown like Remus and the male of which was black.
"That's what's going on," he said crossly, depositing
Ron and Hermione in front of everyone. "I don't know how they got here,
but I'm sure glad Anna answered Remus' howl..." Anna cringed as only a
canine can cringe.
"RON!" Mrs Weasley made them all jump by speaking
up for the first time since the bus had arrived. "WHAT ON EARTH
DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Ron glared at his mother.
"We're not leaving our friends - and siblings -
on the line, none of us."
"If you send us back, we'll just follow you again,"
Hermione added.
"Neville? Wha' jus' happ'n'd?"
"You collapsed. I've been trying to wake you up for almost ten minutes now. Paul and Mona were helping, but... well." Harry looked at the aforementioned pair; they had both transformed and were standing at the window as if waiting for something. Wormtail, Harry noticed, was keeping his distance from them. Suddenly, spontaneously, they both threw their heads back and howled.
"They've been doing that every two minutes or so," Neville said as he helped Harry sit up.
"Great... as if I didn't already have a headache. God, I'm sleepy..."
"It's the virus," Wormtail said, speaking up for the first time. "Knocks you out completely. I could fix you a Waking Potion..."
"You fix him a Waking Potion?" Neville asked incredulously. "Do you think we're nuts or something? You Death Eater. Him Harry Potter. Over my dead body!"
"Fine. I was only trying to help." And Wormtail retreated into his corner, pouting.
"You never helped me in your life," Harry mumbled through the blue-and-green haze which seemed to be surrounding everything. "Not once. Even Scabbers never helped me..."
"I bit that bully for you," Wormtail said sulkily.
"Harry and Ron could have managed Goyle any day," Neville said. "Now why don't you just shut up?"
"They won't leave us alone, James, you know that. Now shut up and move."
"I'm moving, I'm moving... what's that?" James pointed to a small dark lump which was sitting by the side of the path and sobbing.
"It's a child!" Mrs Weasley hurried forward, all glaring at Ron forgotten. "Are you all right, sweetie?" The little girl - for girl she was - looked up and sobbed.
"M-m-m-MUUUUUUMMMMMMYYYYYY!" She burst into tears.
"You've lost your mummy?"
"`es." The girl looked up at Mrs. Weasley, eyes filled with trust. "Will you help me find my mummy?"
"Oh, of course I w-"
"No." Everyone stared at Sirius. "Not without doing a check." He squatted down next to the girl. "What's your name, little girl?"
"`Abwadowa."
"Labradora. And your surname?"
"Not s'posed to tell you dat."
"But if you don't tell us how are we meant to find your mummy?"
"Oh. A'right den. S'Black."
"Labradora Black." Sirius looked up at them all triumphantly. "A decoy."
"How do you know?"
"I used to do it myself. It's a way of teaching the kids to act. Invaluable if you're going to spend your entire adult life dodging the law. I'll bet you anything Mummy dear is pretty close, with at least twenty Death Eaters. The whole thing's a trap."
"Oh." James paused. "Which way do we go then?"
"We stick to the path, and when Mummy calls Labradora we send her back by herself. They'll almost certainly be somewhere in the woods."
"OK."
"But what if she really is lost?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"She isn't, trust me. Look at this." Sirius gently drew back Labradora's right sleeve to reveal a small blue blob on her wrist, which was pulsing gently and glowing. "See? Tracking spell."
"Oh."
"They teach the kids to do that?" Ron asked, sounding repulsed.
"Yep. Come on, let's go."
"MUMMY!" Labradora looked up at Sirius, who was holding her hand. "C'n we go see Mummy?"
"You go by yourself, Labradora. We've got things to do."
"But you've gotta come wiv me!"
"Labradora, you're a big girl, aren't you?"
"`es."
"Well, big girls don't need people to help them find their mummies, do they? You go by yourself."
"O-K." And Labradora toddled off into the woods purposefully. Sirius sighed.
"Well, that's got her out of the way. What? What are you all staring at me like that for?"
"Sirius..." Mike stopped and shook his head. "Had it ever occurred to you that you're just cut out to be a father?"
"Not on your life."
"Well, you like kids..." Behind James, Emilily looked up.
"Actually..."
"I like kids, yes, but not in the same house as me."
"Oh, dear."
"Et tu, Emilily?" Lily asked. Emilily nodded. "Great! No, wait. Not great. That means they'll be at school together..." She shuddered. "Those poor teachers." Up ahead, Remus whimpered and came running back to the group, tail between his legs.
"What?" Sirius looked down. "Remus says there's some kind of giant dog blocking the gate to the house."
"How many heads?" Ron asked.
"Three, he says.... oh, no."
"Oh, no, what?"
"It's a Cerberus."
"Established. So?"
"So, that means my dad's around."
"So?" Hermione asked.
"So, Muggle-borns keep your heads down, and James get ready with the restraints. It's always worse when it's him..."
"You can sing them to sleep," Ron volunteered.
Great, Tkaa said. Twinkle, twinkle, little star...
"Tkaa, has anyone ever told you you have a death wish?"
Who let the dogs out?
"Which one's he singing?"
"At the moment? Who let the dogs out. Two seconds ago? Twinkle, twinkle, little star."
"You sure? I mean, it's not tinkle, tinkle, little star or anything?"
"James!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Mike pushed his way to the front of the group, dragging Emilily with him, and began to sing.
Startled, Sirius joined in, and the whole group began to walk slowly towards the gates of the Riddle House.The night is young
The skies are clear
So if you want to go walking dear
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
It began to rain.I understand the reason why you're
Sentimental `cos so am I,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
You can tell at a glance
What a swell night this is for romance
And now it was Emilily's turn. She filled it beautifully.You can hear dear Mother Nature murmuring low,
Let yourself go!
So please be sweet, my chickadee,
When I kiss you just say to me,
It's delightful, it's delicious,
It's delectable, it's delirious,
It's dilemma, it's de-limit,
It's de-lots, it's de-lovely!
Mike and Sirius came back in;I feel a sudden urge to sing
The kind of ditty that invokes the Spring.
"OK, we're through now," James said, "You can stop." They stopped, and realised that the group was missing a member.I'll control my desire to curse
While you crucify the verse...
"What... REMUS! Stop sniffing that dog's butt and get over here!" Remus obeyed, whining.
Just as they walked into the kitchen of the house, which was deserted apart from a few house-elves, Lily stopped.
"James..."
"Yeah?"
"My waters just broke."
"What? You're not pregnant!"
"Not technically, no. Technically, I'm in labour..."
"Oh, God... why me? WHY ME?"
"I dropped enough hints!" Lily said crossly. "Anyway, the fact remains that I'm going to have a baby in the next twenty-four hours or so, which means we'd better hurry up."
"Or, you could turn back. Disapparate up to the Knight Bus, they've got beds there at least."
"No."
"GO!" With a sigh and a small pop, Lily went.
"Shall I go with her?" Mrs Weasley offered. "You know, to help."
"Please." Mrs Weasley went. "Now, does anyone else have any surprises up their sleeve? Does the potion wear off, Remus? Is Ron Peter Pettigrew in disguise? Is there, perchance, any likelihood of a rabid rabbit attacking us?"
"Well..." Sirius began.
"No. I don't want to know. Let's just get in, get the kids, get out. Sirius, Emilily, Mike, it sounds like they're all having dinner through there, so if you'd like to go and distract them we'll get the kids." The three named nodded and went. "Right. Remus, find Harry! Find him! And Mona, and Neville, and Paul..." Remus wagged his tail and put his nose to the ground, before leading them all straight up the stairs.
"It was a nice door?" Hermione asked.
"Stand back." James walked down to the end of the corridor, transformed, put his head down and charged. The door collapsed. "Yep. It was a nice door," he said once he'd changed back.
"Oh." Hermione smiled. "I see what you mean."
"Hermione!" A familiar voice said from inside. "Ron!"
"Neville! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, but Harry's ill... what happened to him?"
"Well, he thinks I'm dead," James said reasonably. "Unfortunately, it goes against my morality to curse a man who's on the floor in a dead faint." He sighed and reached into his sleeve, withdrawing a small box which had air holes in the lid. "Wands, kiddies? They were in his pocket."
"Aren't you going to do anything about him?" Ron asked, pointing at Wormtail.
"Yep. This." There was a flash of blue light, and a small grey rat was lying where Wormtail had been. James scooped him up and stuck him in the box, before shoving the whole thing back up his sleeve. "Wonderful things, spelled sleeves. Don't know what I'd do without them. Come on, let's get out of here... what's up with Harry?"
"Sleepy," Harry muttered.
"He's ill," Neville supplied.
"Oh, typical. And the only person qualified to treat him is off having a baby. Just typical. Binary? Do you mind carrying Harry?" Binary shook her head. "Right. Help me get him on, then." Once they'd got Harry onto the unicorn, James conjured up ropes to tie Harry to her back and they began to retrace their steps.
"Destino immente," James muttered suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Oh, sorry. It mean impending doom. I just have this feeling that it's all been too easy..."
A/n; Well, there you are =) THIS STORY IS NOT FINISHED YET! It's getting there, but it's not done =)
Now, everyone review! Go on! They're my life force!
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