Harry Potter and the Kid and the Tiger
Chapter Twenty One-Showdown With Wormtail
Disclaimer: Well, only a few more to go! Then comes the sequel! :) God bless and enjoy! Usual disclaimers apply.
This was it, Harry thought as they walked up to the warehouse were Peter Pettigrew, AKA Wormtail was running a drug ring. harry shook his head, it was impossible to imagine meek Pettigrew as a drug lord.
When you thought about it, it was rather laughable.
Harry also worried about Arabella, was she really Remus' fiancée? Even if she was, she seemed to have a mean streak. But his parents had told him to trust her, and he wasn't going to doubt them now of all times, especially since they were dead.
"So Bella," Hobbes said, looking somewhat more worried then he had been before Arabella had pulled out a gun on her Slytherin "friend", "Now what?"
"Now the fun starts," she answered.
Harry shuddered inwardly a tad bit, and then he felt Hermione's arm on his shoulder. She leaned over and whispered into his ear,
"What's wrong?"
Hermione sighed and whispered back, "I'm getting worried about Arabella."
Harry shrugged, "Maybe her only real experience with Muggles is on the show "Cops".
Hermione sniggered quietly.
"All right people," Arabella Figg's shrill voice rang out, Harry flinched at the noise. He looked up at her and saw that her lips weren't moving!
Next to him Hermione muttered, "Thouplant Charm."
"All right," Arabella's voice continued on, "Harry, Ron, Calvin, Hermione, you will have to take Aging Potion. Hobbes has the potion with him." On cue, Hobbes whipped four vials out of his fur. Harry wondered how in the world Hobbes managed to do that.
Calvin walked over first and took a vial. After opening the top, he chugged the greenish liquid down and made a face. Suddenly, his skin began to melt and his features changed. When it was done a rather handsome boy with spiked hair stood there, and then looked at his shrunken clothing. Calvin quickly did a Growth Charm on it, and Enlarged the rips. He then grinned a perfect devil-may-care grin and sauntered back to where had been.
Ron went next, after he gulped the potion his height stayed the same, so next to Calvin he seemed pretty short. His face looked older though, Harry guessed mid-twenties.
Hermione went up next. The Aging Potion, well made her indescribably pretty. She was...well, just Hermione Granger, but older and much more beautiful. Harry found himself gazing at her, and she turned red. She was even better looking then Arabella, and now Hermione looked even more like her, although a tad younger.
Suddenly Harry was pulled out of his trance by Arabella's voice screaming in his ear, "Stop looking at Hermione, Harry! You'll have time for that later! We are outside a major drug pusher's hideout and all you do is stare at your twenty-five year old version of your girlfriend! Wake up and drink the potion!"
Face flushing Harry went over and drank the potion. After he swallowed, he felt one of the strangest experiences he had ever felt, his skin seemed to stretch and contract. He heard a drumming sound loud in his ears, and he felt his clothes get so small that his shoes squished his feet. Then suddenly it stopped, Harry sighed with relief.
Then, Harry looked down at his clothes and quickly muttered a few Growth Charms.
"Whoa," Calvin said, "I guess your hair never does get tamed, eh Harry?"
Experimentally, Harry ran a hand through his hair, he was still messed up, and wouldn't mat down.
"It's almost like a 'fro," Calvin said smirking, and Ron and Hermione laughed. Harry was unable to answer because Arabella, business as usual, said in everyone's heads to "get moving". She then tossed away her gun, ("Stupid Muggle toy.") and whipped out her wand
"OK, people. Let's move!," Arabella's voice rang through Harry's head and he winced.
"Question from the floor," Calvin stated and raised his hand.
Arabella wheeled around, "Yes?"
"Why the heck did we take Aging Potion?"
Arabella Figg sighed, "So that we won't be thought of as looking like we don't know what we're doing. We're still not sure if human bodyguards are being used."
Arabella led them through the warehouse, and walked through a golden mist. As she walked into it she paused for a second then continued on. Ron and Calvin followed suit, but Hobbes and Hermione walked right through it. Sighing, Harry walked in.
He felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and he looked down. He was standing on the ceiling! Harry grinned, at least this was something familiar. He took a step and the world righted itself. He grinned at everyone else. Ron and Calvin were chortling, making fun of Arabella who was not amused.
"People," she seethed without moving her lips, "There's no bodyguards but I'll bet probably tons of magic guards, so shut up!"
"Oh yeah," Ron replied leaning against a banister, "Do tell."
At that moment the banister fell over and Ron smacked his head against the cold and damp pavement of the warehouse. Calvin began to snigger, but then the stacks of boxes near the wall began to have white sheets of paper flowing from their sides.
"Wings!" Hobbes yelled, and Harry realized that they were indeed fluffy, white wings bursting from the sides of the box. Suddenly, the boxes lifted up, and zoomed towards them. Instinctively Harry raised his wand and shot a Stunning Spell. A bolt of red light shot from Harry's wand and hit the box square in the center.
It disintegrated.
Everybody else took Harry's line of action and began shooting Stunners. There was no sound except grunting and "Stupefy!" being yelled out. The spell made no sound and neither did the disintegration. Harry hit another box on the wing, helplessly it smashed into the ground.
Harry grimaced.
Arabella meanwhile was in her finest hour. She was a natural with her wand and knocked off more boxes then anyone else. Ron was the clumsy however, once the box got so close to him you could touch it, and yet he missed hitting the box. The box smashed into him, knocking him back. He slammed his head hard against a wall, and wouldn't get up. Harry looked over to his friend and ran over to him when he saw the state he was in.
"Ron!" Harry shook him, "Ron! Wake up man!"
Harry reached for Ron's neck and was relieved when he felt a small, slight, weak pulse. At least he's still alive.
After Hobbes plucked the last box, he ran over to Harry and Hermione, Calvin, and Arabella followed.
Hobbes pointed his wand at Ron, and Harry heard Arabella yell in his head, "Hobbes you git! Be careful!"
Hobbes, however, ignored her and after a while looked up. "He's been Comatzed."
Harry was confused, Comatzed? Was that a curse or something...or, Harry shuddered, was Ron really in a coma and wouldn't be able to wake up?
Seeing Harry's expression Hobbes explained, "It's like being Petrified, but harder to cure. I just can't heal him now. I'll need boomslang, lacesod, and few...rather illegal items. It won't take to long. I bet old Snape can conjure up a Parailsion Potion in no time. For now, we'd better leave him here. He'll weigh us down if we keep him."
Harry was outraged, "Leave Ron! Are you insane? Why-"
"He's right Harry," Hermione broke in, "We need to save Remus and Sirius. We can't carry any dead weight. Let's go."
Harry's lips pursed, but he nodded.
And onward they went.
There were several other traps as they went on. The warehouse may only have been a block long, but half of the boxes held not drugs but rather Dark burglar alarms. Their wands however did their job and Stunned the troll, the three werewolves, mutated grindylows, and a shapeless monster made of cocaine.
Arabella was easily the best shot and quickest on the draw. This was especially useful for the huge forever-getting-everyone-more-tangled-up-in-it-net, and a huge monster that looked quite a bit like a large computer keyboard, which seemed to made off nothing but rows of teeth.
Harry was panting after this encounter, and Calvin and Hobbes seemed more than bushed. In fact, Hobbes' tail was rather bushy after fighting the keyboard creature.
Calvin grinned when he saw this and leaned against the wall, "Ahhhh, was ickle Hobbiekins freaked of the toothy monster?"
Hobbes was about to reply when the wall turned green and sucked Calvin in.
Without thinking, Harry and Hermione ran towards the wall and were also zapped in.
It was the most peculiar sensation, Harry thought as he felt his body being warped around in different directions. His skin and bones seemed to stretch to the point of breaking and then...it stopped.
"Ahhh, Harry Potter...we meet again. Although you seemed to have aged a good decade."
Harry could hear, but he couldn't see, he was blind!
No, he realized after a second as he moved around on the damp floor. He had his eyes closed (A/N: Ever do that? Neither have I.).
Slowly he opened them, he was in a dark room with a cobblestone floor, white walls, and a desk. Sitting in the desk was none other then Wormtail, waving his silvery right hand cheerfully.
"Pettigrew," Harry snarled, "I should have let Remus and Sirius kill you."
Peter Pettigrew laughed, "Ahh, but Harry Potter, I'm going to kill you."
Where's Arabella and Hobbes? Harry wondered, they should be here by now...
"If you think your dear Arabella and Hobbes will come you are absolutely wrong." Pettigrew's lips twisted into a contorted smile, "I do know how to seal my own Gateway."
"Scum," Calvin said blithely.
"What did you say to the Dark Lord's chosen supporter?" Pettigrew replied waving his silver hand, emphasizing the word "chosen".
"Chosen?" Calvin replied mockingly, "You chopped off your arm to bring him back and betrayed your friends and had them killed or sent to Azkaban. You sicken me."
Pettigrew's eyes flared and picked up his wand menacingly.
"Oh yeah," Calvin replied, "Like Mr. Silver Hand Suck-Up is gonna be able to curse me. Why the spell would probably come out the wrong end, you walking flea condo!"
Peter went as red as a tomato, "Why you little-"
"I'm not little," Calvin replied, "You're little, you freak."
Pettigrew raised his wand menacingly, and Harry suddenly reacted on instinct, he pulled out his wand, aimed at Pettigrew and fired off a Stunning Spell, just as Wormtail yelled out "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Pettigrew's shot went high and smashed into the wall, turning it into smoldering rubble. Harry's curse hit Pettigrew right in the stomach and bowled him over, Stunned. Calvin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good Gryffindor," he said as he exhaled, "Harry, you could've fired before he was ready to kill me, I mean for cripe's sake, I had him completely distracted! Or Hermione, you could've shot!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and held up her wand, which was broken nearly in half, "I tried, but this broke when I landed on it."
Sheepishly, Calvin nodded, "Well, anyway, I believe we have one "Boss Wormtail" to take care of."
Hermione grinned magnificently, "Yeah, we do."
Harry went over to Wormtail's desk, hoping to find instructions on how to open the Gateway, of course, there were none.
Hermione was racking her brain while she pointed her wand at the walls in various places muttering spells and charms. She even tried to curse the wall once using the Jelly-Legs Curse.
Finally she said, "I just don't get it, it won't work at all."
Harry was suddenly struck by inspiration, "Pettigrew wasn't that great at magic was he?"
Hermione nodded her head.
"Then Herm, maybe you don't need a wand to open it!"
Calvin snapped his fingers, "Of course, great idea Harry!" Calvin walked over to the opposite wall, and was about to say something, when Hermione yelled, "You git! We got out this way!"
Calvin just winked, turned to the wall and yelled out, "Open sesame!"
Immediately the wall split open to show Remus and Sirius chained against the wall wearing only harsh sackcloth for clothing. The dye in Sirius' hair had slightly gone out making his hair seem oddly tiger-striped, red and black. Remus, on the other hand looked sort of green, and nearly deathly ill.
Hermione spent on a millisecond looking at them in awe, but then whipped out her wand and muttered a few charms and the chains fell off them. They then collapsed to the floor, and Sirius moaned.
"Sirius?" Harry said running towards his fallen godfather, "Are you OK?"
In reply Sirius Black just groaned again and ran a hand through his dirty hair.
Hermione stared at Calvin in awe, "How did you know?"
Calvin grinned smugly, "I don't do that bad in Divination, I just don't brag about it like Lav and Parvati."
Hermione nodded and ran over to help Lupin, who was vomiting heavily on the floor. She did a Cleaning Spell on the throw-up and then went over to Remus and gently touched his forehead, "He's burning up."
Sirius choked, "Pettigrew, the" he hacked again, "rat-tail little prat. Near starved us to death. Lucky he couldn't do much of a Cruitatus Curse, or Remus'd be dead. Wasn't gonna give him Wolfsbane either. Was just going to let him kill me."
"Be quiet, Sirius, you'll strain yourself. It's me Harry."
"Harry?" Sirius asked, "Where are you?"
Harry looked directly into his godfather's face, "I'm right here, Sirius, can't you see me?" Harry hoped it was his looks that were throwing off Sirius, nothing more.
"No," Sirius said confused, "In fact, everything's rather gray..."
Harry gently grabbed the sackcloth robes Sirius was wearing, and gave them a slight tug. "Can you feel that?"
Sirius nodded, and Calvin came up to him, "Mr. Black?"
"Who's that?" Sirius croaked, "Your voice is rather familiar, but I cannot place it."
"I'm Calvin," Calvin said simply, "Now what can you see?"
"Shadows," Sirius responded, "Not much else."
Calvin turned to Harry, "He's going blind, only Madam Pomfrey can help him now. Conjure up a stretcher would you?" With that Calvin walked over to the wall where the Gateway had been.
Harry tried to remember the spell for conjuring a stretcher for a few moments then performed it flawlessly.
A stretcher appeared, and Harry gently helped Sirius into it, ("Wingardium Leviosa.") After spotting Harry, Hermione did the same for Remus.
Calvin, meanwhile, began swearing at the other side of the room, "Open sesame!" hadn't worked on the Gateway, he began trying alternatives as he kicked and screamed at the wall, "Open up! Get open! Lumos! Voldemort! Pettigrew Rules! Oh let me out of here!"
The gateway shimmered a little.
"Was that it?" Calvin asked incredulously. Harry and Hermione walked up next to him carrying their "patients" on their stretchers.
Hermione nodded, "I think so."
Calvin tentatively put his hand on the Gateway...and it sucked him in. Harry blinked.
"I s'pose we should go together, hmm Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded and they walked through.
"You're OK!" Arabella gasped as Harry and Hermione walked through, carrying Remus and Sirius on their stretchers. Remus moaned.
"Remus!" Arabella yelled and she rushed over to Remus' stretcher and gave him a kiss, "Are you all right honey?"
"B-Bella?" Remus managed to croak out.
Arabella ran her fingers across Remus' forehead, "Yes, it's Bella."
Hobbes grinned as he saw Arabella and Remus, but then turned to Harry, Calvin, and Hermione, "Where's Pettigrew?"
For a second Harry was confused, then realization dawned on him, "He's still in the Gateway..."
Hobbes looked at the Gateway, "I'll get him. What's the spell to get out?"
"No spell," Hermione answered, "Just say 'Oh, let me out of here!" and it'll work."
Hobbes nodded. He walked into the Gateway, and returned a few seconds later with Pettigrew suspended in mid-air, "Let's go get Ron."
Harry nodded and they ran back to where Ron was. As Arabella was the only one without a stretcher, she conjured up one and Levitated Ron it.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they walked out into the warm Los Angeles air, slum or not. It was much better being outside then in Wormtail's hideout. Wordlessly, Arabella pulled out the Quikgo.
"Why hello there once again,
You seemed to have picked up a few new friends.
I wonder where you wish to go,
Hopefully not a place with snow,
So, tell me where,
To go, and I'll take you there.
Faster then a flame eats a candle wick,
It'll be quick, so please don't get sick!"
"Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts Castle, near Hogsmeade, England."
"Ahh ahh ahhh," spake the Quikgo chidingly, "I can take you from Hogwarts, but alas not inside, perhaps the Hogwarts-Hogmeade border?"
Hobbes nodded, "Yes."
There was the usual clap of thunder and a pink light enveloped them all, once again.
Hermione stumbled back in Harry's arms, and he instinctively wrapped them around Hermione. Next to him he heard Sirius laugh slightly. Harry sent him a quizzical look, "You can see?"
"A little bit, Harry. Like I said, just shadows. And I see Harry and Hermione Potter as they'll look in ten years."
Hermione cleared her throat nervously, "Um, Sirius. I'm Hermione Granger, remember?"
"Of course," Sirius said grinning, "But you won't be for long!"
"Cut it out Sirius," Hobbes said as he came up grinning, "You nearly scared off Lily and James doing that."
"And what happened Hobbes? I believe they were married and Lily had Harry?"
Hobbes rolled his eyes, "Sirius, you also thought Lucius Malfoy and Bella were written in the stars."
"OK," Sirius admitted, "I was wrong on one count."
"More then one," Hobbes said, his grin getting wider, "You were sure Mundungus and Rachel were in love, and that I would fall for Devon Harritiger."
"She was the only tigress at Hogwarts! Give me a break!"
Hobbes was about to retort when Arabella cleared her throat. "I strongly suggest we get these people back to Hogwarts."
There was no arguing.
