part twentyone
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the big two one. yay. not much to say here.
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"Hey, Where are you going?" Ron panted, regaining his breath as he caught up with Edea in the hallways. "You're wearing muggle clothes."

"Observant." Edea grinned, "You remember when we all had to go to Azkaban, and Pettigrew had torched mine and Sirius' house?"

"Yes."

"He torched my mercedes too." Edea said, with a bitter edge.

"Mersaydees?"

"My car, you know, the cream thing with the upside down peace symbol thing and wheels?"

"Oh yes," Ron nodded, "Whats up, have they found it?"

"Nono, i'm off out to get a new one." Edea grinned widely. "Did anybody tell you i have a car obsession?"

"I have heard a rumour."

"Well there you go then, i'll be back by sunset, if anybody asks- i'm in London. If Sirius asks- i'm nowhere near any car showrooms."

"Alright," Ron grinned, "By the way, i needed to ask you something on your demiguises essay, can i catch you when you're back, Professor?"

"Yeah, although demiguises is Remus's speciality- if he gets back before i do, go give him a shout."
****


"You all set?" Sirius asked, as he wrung the water out of his travelling cloak.

"I think so." Harry nodded. "Sirius?"

"Yes?"

"Before we go... Can i just... just stay here a while... alone.."

Sirius looked down at the ground, before taking a deep breath, "Of course, here, take this."
Sirius handed Harry a small bottle with a piece of silk inside. "Inside is the portkey, when you're ready it will take you to Hogsmeade, you know the way from there."

"Thanks." Harry mumbled, "It means a lot..."

"Dont think about it." Sirius smiled weakly before disapparating from the site of Harry's parents house, or the ruins of it.

Harry set down the carpet bag and walked back over to the rubble, he sat down in the space where the medi-wizards had retrieved the body of his father. "Hey Dad." Harry said slowly, "I needed to talk to you, if such a thing could even be possible, alone."

The rain had not ceased, and Harry had to admit, that however comforting it was to be sitting here, he was soaking wet, and would have to concede the battle against the rain soon.

Something to his right caught his eye. Deep brown wood, cracked in places. Harry lifted a few stones from ontop of it and gasped, hardly able to touch it.

"Dad, you left your wand behind." Harry murmured to himself, he didnt want to reach out to take it, just incase he found it wasnt real.
****


Sirius didnt go straight back to Hogwarts, instead he climbed over the style at the end of the village, pulling a small velvet wallet out of his pocket. He sat down in the field of grasses. It wasnt raining here, but still had a gloomy haze, as if it was threatening to pour down at any moment.

He sighed, and opened his wallet, an assortment of photos were in one of the sides where muggles would keep their banknotes and cheques. He pulled these out and spread them out on the grass beside him. Pictures of his youth, pictures of Remus and James,Peter and even a few of Edea and Lily. One picture beckoned to him, their first day at Hogwarts. Their first meeting together, someone in the year above had obliged to take the photo. Everyone was in it, Him and James grinning and waving like idiots. Remus smiling knowingly and Peter in the corner looking slightly worried. On the second row were the girls, Lily and Edea looking like they were about to fall over, even Anna was precariously balanced on a low table, and one other, whose name escaped him.
In the corner, next to Peter was a tall handsome prefect. The black hair falling into his eyes and the vivid blue stare was unforgettable. Almost a replica of the girl on the second row.

"Donovan DuCruet." Sirius bit his lip, one of the most volatile and ingitious prefects he had ever encountered. His younger sister refused point blank to talk about him, sometimes even denying his existence. After he left Hogwarts he disappeared, and was never seen again. Some said the death eaters had caught up with him, and murdered him, some said he was a death eater, some said he was just damn unlucky. But the era that he disappeared in was too early for the death eater murders, too early by about four years. Voldemort was still recruiting.

Sirius stopped, "Voldemort was still recruiting." he repeated his thoughts. "Thats why you disappeared you sick idiot."

Then he remembered, he'd seen that face recently, too recently for comfort, and he wasn't thinking of Edea, he'd mistaken that face for his wife but it hadnt been, but he couldnt remember where he had seen that face.
****



Edea drove her new Mercedes through the less busy country roads of north England. Unused collieries scattered the landscape, the mining towers looked ugly and black against the green of the fields. She knew the general direction of Hogsmeade, but specifics she would work out when she got in the area. She was just swapping her sunglasses for her ordinary glasses she used for looking at distaces when on instict she braked hard as something greyish white dashed out infront of the wheels.

Edea slammed open her car door and ran over to the limp creature beside her wheel, her shock dissolved as a strangely evil grin settled on her features.

"Peter, how nice of you to join me."
****



Harry stood up, holding his father's wand in his hand, and the vial containing the portkey in the other. he had slung the carpet bag over his shoulder.

"Harry? Harry Potter?"

Harry looked across at the man with the confident smile on his face, standing under an umbrella. "Yes?"

"Look at you! You must be soaked through!" The man walked up to him, "DuCruet, Donovan DuCruet."

Harry did the smallest of double takes. "DuCruet?"

Donovan nodded, "Pleased to meet you, believe me, my sister has told me so much about you."

"Edea never said anything..." Harry looked up at the man, he did indeed look just like her, maybe slightly older and haggard, but a DuCruet all the same.

"No," Donovan let out a laugh, "I didn't think she had."

Harry took a step back, Mad Eye Moody's words "constant vigilance" ringing in his ears. "I should be getting back, my godfather's expecting me..."

"Nono, dont worry." Donovan shook his head, "Sirius said it was fine, we met earlier."

"You did?"

"yes of course, goodness how that man's changed... anyway, look, i can see you dont trust me, how can i earn your trust?" Donovan looked at Harry with eyes that unnervingly resembled those of Edea.

"I... er.." Harry was at a loss, if he was Edea's brother then surely he was a good person? He looked trustworthy, and he said he'd just seen Sirius...

"Come inside Godric's gift, we can catch up a bit. I'm sure i have much to tell you." Donovan guided Harry toawrds the pub. "You're never too young to drink."

They never got any further than the entrance. Donovan had changed the door into a portkey, so the moment they both touched it, it took them to a totally different place, Harry realised his mistake only seconds too late.
****


"Donovan... Donovan... think think think... goddamn you..." Sirius hit the picture with his fist, it flew across the grass, landing next to a picture of the group outside James local- the Godric's Gift pub. Sirius's eyes widened. "Oh dear God... Harry."

He had disapparated, leaving his wallet and pictures strewn around the grass.

"Harry!" Sirius choked as he appeared to see Harry and Donovan disappear. He ran up to the door, bu it had gone, an empty frame left in its place. He turned to look at the shocked occupants of the bar- "Strong wind." he said quickly, "Took the door off its hinges, nothing to worry about."
He had to get Dumbledore, and he had to get him now. "Left no traces, goddamn him." As a professional, Donovan had masked the portkey, and had covered his chances by distorting the possible portkey residue charms, so its destination or bandwidth could not be found.

Sirius picked up a battered wand on the ground. "James?" He said incredulously. "What the hell?"
****



"What are you doing here.... and why the hell are you a rat?" Edea asked, holding the rat up by its tail. "Why aren't you a snake?"

She poked him with her wand, and he turned into a human form of Wormtail, looking decidedly worse for wear, there was no trace of Voldemort anywhere on him.

"Well?" She asked.

"I... I... He... My master..."

Edea rolled her eyes, "Sentences please."

"He worked out... what to do... he my lord..."

"yes i know he's your lord, whatever blah blah, get in the car- now." Edea pushed him through the passenger door, locking it with her wand. "You transform and you know how quick i can go after you."

"My leg.. you ran over.. my leg."

"Did i? So sorry." Edea smirked, without a trace of symapthy. "Just wait till Moony and Paddy see you..."

"You wouldn't... You can't."

"And why would i not?" Edea asked, putting the car in fourth gear, driving at a stupidly fast speed down the dirt track.

"I have information... you might w.. want."

"Really." Edea laughed, "I'm perfectly able to work out clues by myself... But first, you're going to explain why Voldemort isnt sharing your pathetic form."


TBC