Chapter 18
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Evening was falling rapidly as Sirius, Lupin and Snape made their final preparations. The clouds overhead were beginning to thicken, much to Sirius' delight. The dark skies would give them an extra measure of cover. They checked and rechecked their equipment. Snape was reluctant to reveal everything he had brought with him. He would only say that he would prefer not to be responsible for someone's injury due to unfamiliarity with his devices.
"When we get where we are going, I will brief you on their operation and effects." He promised.
"All right." Sirius ordered, "Let's mount up."
Snape climbed aboard Midnight and Lupin on Buckbeak. Sirius changed into the dog and then into the owl.
"You are sure you know where you are going, don't you?" Snape jabbed. Sirius gave a disdaining hoot in response. "Just asking." Snape replied.
They took off into the darkening skies. Sirius in the lead followed by Lupin and Snape astride the two winged mounts. They flew into the clouds to hide their approach. The large wings of the hippogriff and the Thestral were creating a backwash of air making it difficult for the small owl to maintain his attitude.
"I'm glad I didn't try to fly from Azkaban to Mooney's house." Sirius thought to himself. "I probably never would have made it. Pig must be in a lot better condition than me to cover the distance he can. I'm going to have to work on that. My respect for Pig has just gone up a lot more than it was already. He's one tough little owl."
They flew for about forty-five minutes when Sirius' built in directions told him to start descending.
"Are we there?" Lupin called. Sirius gave a hoot over his shoulder.
"Guess that means yes." He muttered to Snape.
They came out of the clouds and at once saw the dim lights of, what appeared to be a medium sized, one story warehouse surrounded by thick woods with a narrow access road leading to it through the dense forest. They circled the structure silently, looking for sentries. They found a small clearing a short distance away and landed.
Sirius changed back to human form and almost collapsed. Lupin and Snape ran to him and held him up.
"Padfoot, are you all right." asked Lupin.
"Yes, just give me a few minutes." Sirius gasped. "I must be out of shape. Between flying that distance and fighting the turbulence that Beaky and Midnight create, it takes a little something out of you."
"Here." Offered Snape reaching into his bag of tricks and withdrawing a vial of glowing purple fluid. "Take this."
"What is it?" Sirius questioned.
"Rejuvenation potion." Snape answered, "It'll make you feel like a million galleons."
Sirius drank the potion and made a face. "That stuff is disgusting." He complained. "But it does work. I feel better already."
"It's also good for removing rust from caldrons." Snape mused idly as Sirius almost choked.
"How many sentries did you see?" Lupin interjected. "I believe I counted three."
Sirius and Snape nodded in agreement. "Let's do a reconnaissance and make sure we did not miss anything." Sirius said. "I don't want to be wrong about this."
The three made their way through the forest toward the clearing.
******************************************************
An alert was sounding in the Minister of Magic's office.
"Sir," reported an aide. "We have just received word that the wand we are tracking is on the move."
"Is it still moving?" Asked Fudge.
"No sir." Replied the aide. "They have stopped in this area." He took out a map and indicated a section of it.
"Not much there." Fudge murmured. "That area is heavily wooded. It would make a good hideout. You are sure of the coordinates?"
"Yes, sir." Said the aide. "They have been double confirmed."
"Very well." Commanded Fudge. "Send in the team."
************************************************************
Sirius, Lupin and Snape crept quietly around the perimeter of the building staying out of sight in the woods. They confirmed that there were three sentries. There was one by the door of the building, one at the road where it entered the woods and the other on the side of the building opposite the door.
"We have to take out those sentries." Sirius observed. "I'll take the one by the road. You two take the two nearest the building. All right? Move out."
Sirius went toward the Deatheater guarding the road. Lupin and Snape hurried in the other direction.
Lupin and Snape crept around to the side of the building opposite the door. They saw a Deatheater lounging carelessly against the side of the building, obviously bored silly. Who was going to bother them out here?
"How far away from him do you reckon we are?" Lupin whispered.
"I'd make it about fifteen meters." Snape grunted. "It will take some good shooting to get him and we will probably not get a second chance."
"Observe." Said Lupin taking careful aim with his wand. "Stupefy!"
A bright beam flashed from Lupin's wand hitting the Deatheater squarely in the chest. He froze into an immovable statue unable to move or speak. Lupin looked pleased with himself.
"Not bad." Snape admitted grudgingly. "The next one is mine."
They crept around to the other side of the building where another sentry, somewhat more alert, was posted at the entrance. Snape casually strolled out of the woods toward the Deatheater.
"Snape." Hissed Lupin, "Are you mad? Get back here!"
"Excuse me." Said Snape casually to the guard. "Do you have the time?"
"What?" Exclaimed the guard. "Who are you. Show your identification."
Snape rolled up his sleeve to display his Deatheater tattoo. The guard relaxed. "Thanks." He said. "Can't be too careful."
"No, you can't." Snape agreed swinging a clenched fist from the ground. He connected right on the point of the Deatheaters chin. The guard's eyes went glassy and he crumpled to the ground. Snape stood over him rubbing his hand. Lupin came running out to help drag the disabled lookout into the woods.
"Well." Lupin observed. "There is always the direct approach."
Meanwhile, Sirius was making his way toward the road at the entrance to the forest and the last sentry. Just as he thought he was about to come upon the guard's position he heard a voice from behind him.
"Halt! Crucio!"
At that instant the world exploded into intense white light and every nerve ending on Sirius' body felt like it was on fire. He had never felt such intense pain.
"Cruciatus curse." He thought numbly. "..Have to stay focused." The pain was so severe he could not stand up. Sirius fell to his knees.
An earsplitting screech invaded Sirius' pain fogged brain and just as suddenly, the torture vanished.
"No, no!" Screamed the guard.
Sirius struggled to his feet and shook his head to clear his mind. Buckbeak had come out of the forest and had the Deatheater gripped in his razor sharp talons.
"He doesn't like people pointing things at me." Sirius calmly informed the Deatheater. Buckbeak shook him hard to make the guard drop his wand.
"Please." The guard croaked. "Please. Don't let him kill me."
"All right, Beaky." Said Sirius to the hippogriff. "Let him go."
Buckbeak held the Deatheater inches away from his intense, orange eyes regarding him coldly. Buckbeak then casually flung him into the trunk of a nearby tree. The man slid to the ground and lay still. Sirius gave Buckbeak a disapproving look. Buckbeak's expression turned slightly embarrassed almost as if to say "Oops! Sorry. But not too much." Buckbeak took one last look at the Deatheater and snorted.
"Good boy." Said Sirius patting Buckbeak on the head. "Understand, we are not going to kill anybody unless we absolutely must. Okay? Let's get back to base."
Sirius and Buckbeak made their way back toward the clearing to meet Lupin and Snape. On their way they heard the whoosh of brooms. Flying over them they counted at least a dozen black clad figures riding state of the art stealth broomsticks. They watched as they landed in the woods on the other side of the building. Sirius and Buckbeak hurried back to their base. Lupin and Snape met them excitedly.
"Did you see that?" Said Lupin breathlessly. "Who are those guys?"
"Must be ministry." Sirius replied. "Who else could it be with hardware like that? I'll take Midnight and check it out."
Sirius grabbed Midnight's bridle and climbed on his back. "Absensia." He commanded. The invisible horse and rider took off into the air. Sirius and Midnight flew around the edge of the clearing where the building stood and found the black clad men some little distance inside the woods. They seemed to be gathering equipment and pointing to deploy their forces. They returned to the clearing.
"Well?" Said Snape.
"It's ministry, I'd bet on it." Sirius said acidly. "That means we have to get inside before they do. If they go in blasting, something might happen to Petigrew and we must get him alive. Looks like they are going to move as soon as they get in position."
"So what do we do?" Asked Lupin.
"We go in now." Replied Sirius resolutely. "The guards are down so there is nothing to stop us."
"Other than what might be waiting for us inside." Snape pointed out.
"We'll deal with that as it comes." Sirius retorted. "One thing at a time."
They moved quietly through the forest to the edge of the clearing. When they saw all was clear they sprinted to the building. They crept up to the door and tried it. "Locked." Groaned Sirius.
"What did you expect?" Snape snapped. "An engraved invitation? Here, allow me." He pointed his wand at the door and said "Alohomora."
The lock sprang open and the three carefully entered the building.
Evening was falling rapidly as Sirius, Lupin and Snape made their final preparations. The clouds overhead were beginning to thicken, much to Sirius' delight. The dark skies would give them an extra measure of cover. They checked and rechecked their equipment. Snape was reluctant to reveal everything he had brought with him. He would only say that he would prefer not to be responsible for someone's injury due to unfamiliarity with his devices.
"When we get where we are going, I will brief you on their operation and effects." He promised.
"All right." Sirius ordered, "Let's mount up."
Snape climbed aboard Midnight and Lupin on Buckbeak. Sirius changed into the dog and then into the owl.
"You are sure you know where you are going, don't you?" Snape jabbed. Sirius gave a disdaining hoot in response. "Just asking." Snape replied.
They took off into the darkening skies. Sirius in the lead followed by Lupin and Snape astride the two winged mounts. They flew into the clouds to hide their approach. The large wings of the hippogriff and the Thestral were creating a backwash of air making it difficult for the small owl to maintain his attitude.
"I'm glad I didn't try to fly from Azkaban to Mooney's house." Sirius thought to himself. "I probably never would have made it. Pig must be in a lot better condition than me to cover the distance he can. I'm going to have to work on that. My respect for Pig has just gone up a lot more than it was already. He's one tough little owl."
They flew for about forty-five minutes when Sirius' built in directions told him to start descending.
"Are we there?" Lupin called. Sirius gave a hoot over his shoulder.
"Guess that means yes." He muttered to Snape.
They came out of the clouds and at once saw the dim lights of, what appeared to be a medium sized, one story warehouse surrounded by thick woods with a narrow access road leading to it through the dense forest. They circled the structure silently, looking for sentries. They found a small clearing a short distance away and landed.
Sirius changed back to human form and almost collapsed. Lupin and Snape ran to him and held him up.
"Padfoot, are you all right." asked Lupin.
"Yes, just give me a few minutes." Sirius gasped. "I must be out of shape. Between flying that distance and fighting the turbulence that Beaky and Midnight create, it takes a little something out of you."
"Here." Offered Snape reaching into his bag of tricks and withdrawing a vial of glowing purple fluid. "Take this."
"What is it?" Sirius questioned.
"Rejuvenation potion." Snape answered, "It'll make you feel like a million galleons."
Sirius drank the potion and made a face. "That stuff is disgusting." He complained. "But it does work. I feel better already."
"It's also good for removing rust from caldrons." Snape mused idly as Sirius almost choked.
"How many sentries did you see?" Lupin interjected. "I believe I counted three."
Sirius and Snape nodded in agreement. "Let's do a reconnaissance and make sure we did not miss anything." Sirius said. "I don't want to be wrong about this."
The three made their way through the forest toward the clearing.
******************************************************
An alert was sounding in the Minister of Magic's office.
"Sir," reported an aide. "We have just received word that the wand we are tracking is on the move."
"Is it still moving?" Asked Fudge.
"No sir." Replied the aide. "They have stopped in this area." He took out a map and indicated a section of it.
"Not much there." Fudge murmured. "That area is heavily wooded. It would make a good hideout. You are sure of the coordinates?"
"Yes, sir." Said the aide. "They have been double confirmed."
"Very well." Commanded Fudge. "Send in the team."
************************************************************
Sirius, Lupin and Snape crept quietly around the perimeter of the building staying out of sight in the woods. They confirmed that there were three sentries. There was one by the door of the building, one at the road where it entered the woods and the other on the side of the building opposite the door.
"We have to take out those sentries." Sirius observed. "I'll take the one by the road. You two take the two nearest the building. All right? Move out."
Sirius went toward the Deatheater guarding the road. Lupin and Snape hurried in the other direction.
Lupin and Snape crept around to the side of the building opposite the door. They saw a Deatheater lounging carelessly against the side of the building, obviously bored silly. Who was going to bother them out here?
"How far away from him do you reckon we are?" Lupin whispered.
"I'd make it about fifteen meters." Snape grunted. "It will take some good shooting to get him and we will probably not get a second chance."
"Observe." Said Lupin taking careful aim with his wand. "Stupefy!"
A bright beam flashed from Lupin's wand hitting the Deatheater squarely in the chest. He froze into an immovable statue unable to move or speak. Lupin looked pleased with himself.
"Not bad." Snape admitted grudgingly. "The next one is mine."
They crept around to the other side of the building where another sentry, somewhat more alert, was posted at the entrance. Snape casually strolled out of the woods toward the Deatheater.
"Snape." Hissed Lupin, "Are you mad? Get back here!"
"Excuse me." Said Snape casually to the guard. "Do you have the time?"
"What?" Exclaimed the guard. "Who are you. Show your identification."
Snape rolled up his sleeve to display his Deatheater tattoo. The guard relaxed. "Thanks." He said. "Can't be too careful."
"No, you can't." Snape agreed swinging a clenched fist from the ground. He connected right on the point of the Deatheaters chin. The guard's eyes went glassy and he crumpled to the ground. Snape stood over him rubbing his hand. Lupin came running out to help drag the disabled lookout into the woods.
"Well." Lupin observed. "There is always the direct approach."
Meanwhile, Sirius was making his way toward the road at the entrance to the forest and the last sentry. Just as he thought he was about to come upon the guard's position he heard a voice from behind him.
"Halt! Crucio!"
At that instant the world exploded into intense white light and every nerve ending on Sirius' body felt like it was on fire. He had never felt such intense pain.
"Cruciatus curse." He thought numbly. "..Have to stay focused." The pain was so severe he could not stand up. Sirius fell to his knees.
An earsplitting screech invaded Sirius' pain fogged brain and just as suddenly, the torture vanished.
"No, no!" Screamed the guard.
Sirius struggled to his feet and shook his head to clear his mind. Buckbeak had come out of the forest and had the Deatheater gripped in his razor sharp talons.
"He doesn't like people pointing things at me." Sirius calmly informed the Deatheater. Buckbeak shook him hard to make the guard drop his wand.
"Please." The guard croaked. "Please. Don't let him kill me."
"All right, Beaky." Said Sirius to the hippogriff. "Let him go."
Buckbeak held the Deatheater inches away from his intense, orange eyes regarding him coldly. Buckbeak then casually flung him into the trunk of a nearby tree. The man slid to the ground and lay still. Sirius gave Buckbeak a disapproving look. Buckbeak's expression turned slightly embarrassed almost as if to say "Oops! Sorry. But not too much." Buckbeak took one last look at the Deatheater and snorted.
"Good boy." Said Sirius patting Buckbeak on the head. "Understand, we are not going to kill anybody unless we absolutely must. Okay? Let's get back to base."
Sirius and Buckbeak made their way back toward the clearing to meet Lupin and Snape. On their way they heard the whoosh of brooms. Flying over them they counted at least a dozen black clad figures riding state of the art stealth broomsticks. They watched as they landed in the woods on the other side of the building. Sirius and Buckbeak hurried back to their base. Lupin and Snape met them excitedly.
"Did you see that?" Said Lupin breathlessly. "Who are those guys?"
"Must be ministry." Sirius replied. "Who else could it be with hardware like that? I'll take Midnight and check it out."
Sirius grabbed Midnight's bridle and climbed on his back. "Absensia." He commanded. The invisible horse and rider took off into the air. Sirius and Midnight flew around the edge of the clearing where the building stood and found the black clad men some little distance inside the woods. They seemed to be gathering equipment and pointing to deploy their forces. They returned to the clearing.
"Well?" Said Snape.
"It's ministry, I'd bet on it." Sirius said acidly. "That means we have to get inside before they do. If they go in blasting, something might happen to Petigrew and we must get him alive. Looks like they are going to move as soon as they get in position."
"So what do we do?" Asked Lupin.
"We go in now." Replied Sirius resolutely. "The guards are down so there is nothing to stop us."
"Other than what might be waiting for us inside." Snape pointed out.
"We'll deal with that as it comes." Sirius retorted. "One thing at a time."
They moved quietly through the forest to the edge of the clearing. When they saw all was clear they sprinted to the building. They crept up to the door and tried it. "Locked." Groaned Sirius.
"What did you expect?" Snape snapped. "An engraved invitation? Here, allow me." He pointed his wand at the door and said "Alohomora."
The lock sprang open and the three carefully entered the building.
