Disclaimer: Still not mine…
A/N: Another fragmentary chapter…and just to avoid confusion, the first bit with Remus takes place at the same time as the previous chapter…you'll see what I mean. :-)
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The Color of Crimson
By Lady of Arundel
Chapter Nine: Worrying and Waiting
Remus burst through the door of Arabella Figg's home, clutching the now unconscious boy tightly to his chest. The painful jostling of their escape to safety had quickly proved too much for the poor child - Harry had fallen limp in Remus's arms by the time he had reached the end of Privet Drive.
Pausing long enough to respell the wards on the door, Remus rushed through the main hall.
"Arabella? Arabella!"
There was no answering call, but he was not very surprised. He had only left the haven a mere thirty or forty minutes prior, and as of then Arabella had not yet returned. Entering the living room, Remus swiftly crossed the room and bent to one knee, carefully laying Harry on the sofa and gently rearranging slack limbs to make the boy comfortable. Harry shifted, moaning softly, but did not open his eyes.
Remus stood and ran an unsteady hand through gray-flecked hair, turning his attention from the sickly child to their current situation. They would be safe at Arabella's, but not for long. He needed to get Harry to Hogwarts, where Dumbledore could protect him and Madame Pomphrey could see to him…
Remus began to pace.
Basil was on his way to alert the Ministry and soon, no doubt, the entire neighborhood would be flooded with witches and wizards. But could he really afford the risk of trusting the Ministry? Individuals, yes – Dumbledore had a good number of trusted contacts throughout the government. But the Dark Lord had many of his own positioned throughout the Ministry as well. Not to mention the problem posed by the Minister himself. Fudge still adamantly refused to acknowledge Voldemort's return, and as long as the Daily Prophet remained in his pocket, Dumbledore and his followers had been forced to continue their work for the Light in secret. In the last few months Fudge had gone out of his way to explain away and cover up all Dark Arts activity, lulling the wizarding world into a false sense of security just so he could retain his title. Merlin knows what Fudge would do were he to suddenly have The Boy Who Lived at his disposal…No, Remus would not entrust Harry's safety to the Ministry. He needed to contact Albus…
'Focus, Remus, focus.'
Remus drew the hand that had been nervously combing through his hair down across his face, and, as he did so, he felt the cool caress of a band of gold against his skin.
"Of course!"
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Hearing the flap of the post slot clink closed, Mundagus Fletcher looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet to glance at his companion. The younger wizard made no indication of moving, remaining slumped over the arm of the armchair, eyes searching the sky through the open window.
"Muggle post is here."
A soft grunt.
"Suppose I'll get that."
His gaze lingered on his companion a moment more before setting the paper aside and taking to his feet. Mundagus absently drew his wand as he ambled into the main hall. With a flick of Mundagus's wrist and a mumbled incantation, the pile of letters lifted off the floor and lazily floated behind the wizard as he returned to the sitting room.
Mundagus retook his seat, propping up his feet on the ottoman. The letters followed, levitating above his outstretched legs. Leaning his elbow against the arm of the chair and idly resting his cheek against his palm, Mundagus began to run through the standard series of screening and disarming spells on the mail. Satisfied that the post was clean, he removed the levitation spell and the mail dropped onto his lap. Mundagus slipped on his reading glasses and began to sort through the letters.
His companion finally turned and cleared his throat.
"Anything?"
Mundagus peered over his glasses. "Not really. Mainly Muggle junk mail. A few pieces of interest from our contacts on the continent." He offered them for perusal but was sullenly waved off. Mundagus sighed and removed his glasses, folding them and slipping them back into his vest pocket.
"Cheer up, Black, the train doesn't get there 'til nightfall anyway. Won't do any good to spend the day staring out the window. Why don't we grab lunch or –"
"Not a word, not a word all summer. I owled him at least a dozen times…I know Arabella has said there hasn't been any Dark activity there, but…"
"You should listen to Arabella. I'm sure there's a good reason why the boy hasn't written. Probably them Muggles he lives with, ya said yourself they don't like the boy gettin' and sendin' owls. The boy probably is just keeping out of trouble."
Sirius nodded but sprang to his feet and began to pace erratically about the room.
"I just hate feeling so useless, Fletch. Sitting around here all summer – no, no, I know, we've been doing important work, I know. But I wish we were out there, or at least closer to Harry…"
"I know, Black." Mundagus stood. "But I don't think wearing Remus's carpet through will do anything. Come on, let's –"
Mundagus was interrupted by a large brown barn owl sweeping through the window.
The owl landed on the arm of one of the chairs and proffered its leg. Sirius quickly removed the scroll pressed the back of his right hand against the parchment, the onyx gem of his ring aligned with the wax seal.
The scroll quickly unfurled to reveal the unmistakable handwriting of Albus Dumbledore.
Sirius sank into the chair as he began to read the hastily-written note.
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'Bloody Hell…'
Severus stood stock-still in the middle of Privet Drive, a spot of calm amid chaos. He had forced himself to look away from what had been Number Four after only a moment, blinking away memories and pushing down the panic rising in his throat. Ministry officials and Aurors swarmed the little street, shouting orders, working to restore the house, and attempting to dispel the grinning Dark Mark hovering above. Mediwizards attended huddled groups of distressingly-passive Muggles, assessing them for evidence of dark curses before casting the Obliviate charm.
Harry and Lupin were nowhere to be seen.
Severus stumbled backwards a few steps, his presence concealed by the invisibility charm he had cast upon apparating to what should have been the edge of the protective wards. Although Remus and Harry were no longer at Four Privet Drive, Severus's ring still glowed a bright yellow, meaning Remus was still able to cast the beacon charm. Severus did not dare to cast a tracing charm, not wanting to inadvertently reveal their location to the Ministry or, heavens forbid, the Death Eaters.
'Arabella's. They have to be at Arabella's.'
He resolutely turned his back on the madness on Privet Drive, mentally bottling and setting aside the warring emotions and fears threatening to bubble over. He would have time enough to deal with them once Harry….once his *son*…was safe.
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Several casts of the Cruciatus curse later, Lucius finally was allowed his leave and apparated directly to the main foyer of Yardley, the ancestral manor of the Malfoys.
"Master Malfoy, Sir! Is Sirs well? Shoulds Gingy be getting Master his potions, Sir?"
"Yes, Gingy." The blonde delicately removed his robe, which now looked rather worse for wear after the day's events. He absently cast it aside, the house elf dashing over to catch the robe just in time. "Has my wife yet returned?"
Gingy shook her head vigorously, eyes wide. "No, Sirs. Mistress is stills away bringing Young Master to London, Sir."
"Ah, yes." Lucius pursed his lips in something of a small smile. He had had time enough to see his son off to a new school year before leaving on his…mission. Lucius made his way along the hall, Gingy blindly scrambling after her Master, her vision blocked by the bulk of the discarded robe.
"Surely, Gingy, you don't believe I plan on wearing that robe again. You may discard it." Elfen cheeks flushed and the robe vanished. Lucius stifled a chuckle. He normally detested house elves - that is, when he deemed to even consider them at all – but for some inexplicable reason he had always had a soft spot for Gingy. He knew he could trust her with some of his more delicate tasks.
Lucius entered his study and paused behind his desk. He tilted his chin in the vague direction of the house elf, not bothering to turn to address her.
"I am expecting company. See them to the east wing and attend to their needs, I expect some of my guests might find use for your knowledge in healing. Alert me once they are settled."
"Yes, Sir! Gingy will attend to Master's guests, Sir!"
Lucius sat in his armchair, drinking the goblet of potion that Gingy had made ready. Sighing, he relaxed into the chair as the potion worked away the residual tensions and spasms from the Cruciatus curse.
"Oh, and Gingy? My wife has no need to know I have guests in the east wing. Do you understand, Gingy?"
The house elf bobbed her head frantically and, after Lucius nodded her dismissal, vanished out of sight.
Lucius propped his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled his fingers.
He had much to consider.
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TBC…
A/N: My, that was definitely not where I had initially thought this chapter was going! :-) So I know I said Harry would be in this chapter (well, technically he was)…I *swear* that he's in the next chapter. Blame Sirius and Lucius!
*Severitus: Plops crown on head and twirls scepter idly, in a perfect imitation of Bored!Voldemort. My, thank you very much. :-D And I didn't even think last chapter WAS a cliffhanger…perhaps I've built up a tolerance, or something. Heh heh heh heh…yeah, Harry's alive…for now…and SPEAKING OF CLIFFHANGERS…pokes Severitus with scepter, where's A Father's Sin? And An Old Man's Meddling? Huh? :-P
*summersun: Don't worry, you'll find out all about Harry in due time…
*J. Lynn: Well, I can't reveal *all* of my secrets at once, now can I? Don't worry, some things will start making more sense in a chapter or two…
*RJLL: Yeah, not quite sure where the bit about the rings came from, much like most of this chapter, but I'm running with it. :-) The rings, too, will be explained eventually. Yup, I love caring!Snape too…and it's not just random out-of-chararcterness on my part, it is part of the overall plot…
*Allocin: Thanks! :-) Heh, Voldie is most *certainly* not dead. He's alive and kicking (and cursing and plotting and…) Aside from the, like, 5 alternate stories I've half-promised, I've recently been assaulted by a new plot bunny….although I just realized I *could* incorporate it into this story…Hmm…that would be QUITE evil of me….heh heh heh….but never fear, I'm going to keep on with this story!
*Prophetess of Hearts: Hah, thanks for the leg. This chapter was 50% longer than the last one…happy? :-D Teehee…
*Sandrine Black: Harry and Sev will be in the next chapter, together, I promise! (Eeep?)
*Sev Rickman: Ahh, "The Training." You're not supposed to have any idea what I'm talking about, yet…I'm purposefully being vague. :-) T'will all be explained in due time, so don't forget about this little hint quite yet…
*Saerry Snape: Oh, oh WOW. I'm (almost) speechless. :-D And now it's my turn to jump up and down, 'cause YOU just posted more of YOUR story! Time to figure out where I left off…teehee!!
*Silver*Chime: Again…oh, WOW. Here I was thinking that chapter 8 was a rather dull chapter…oh, wow. Thank you so so so so much! As for killing off characters…smiles innocently.
*Atheis and Kyohaku Celestiale Vespertina: Oh, dear, and I didn't even really think that was much of a cliffe. Really. I thought I was being nice…
*Diana le Defonceur: Yeah, I often find myself shaking my computer monitor or screaming at ff.net.. :-D Ah, yes, Cerulean Blue…a left-over from my days as an X-Phile (there was an episode in which the color played an important part).
*Kim: The points go towards the House Cup, of course. :-D Or perhaps added R/R lobbying power? My lips are sealed about Lucius, although maybe this chapter gave you a couple of hints…and thank you so much! :-)
*Venus4280: smiles evilly and starts to whistle…
*And to Nicky, Phoenix, Ariana Deralte, and Arabwel: Thank you all so so so much, and hope you enjoyed this chapter!
A/N: Another fragmentary chapter…and just to avoid confusion, the first bit with Remus takes place at the same time as the previous chapter…you'll see what I mean. :-)
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The Color of Crimson
By Lady of Arundel
Chapter Nine: Worrying and Waiting
Remus burst through the door of Arabella Figg's home, clutching the now unconscious boy tightly to his chest. The painful jostling of their escape to safety had quickly proved too much for the poor child - Harry had fallen limp in Remus's arms by the time he had reached the end of Privet Drive.
Pausing long enough to respell the wards on the door, Remus rushed through the main hall.
"Arabella? Arabella!"
There was no answering call, but he was not very surprised. He had only left the haven a mere thirty or forty minutes prior, and as of then Arabella had not yet returned. Entering the living room, Remus swiftly crossed the room and bent to one knee, carefully laying Harry on the sofa and gently rearranging slack limbs to make the boy comfortable. Harry shifted, moaning softly, but did not open his eyes.
Remus stood and ran an unsteady hand through gray-flecked hair, turning his attention from the sickly child to their current situation. They would be safe at Arabella's, but not for long. He needed to get Harry to Hogwarts, where Dumbledore could protect him and Madame Pomphrey could see to him…
Remus began to pace.
Basil was on his way to alert the Ministry and soon, no doubt, the entire neighborhood would be flooded with witches and wizards. But could he really afford the risk of trusting the Ministry? Individuals, yes – Dumbledore had a good number of trusted contacts throughout the government. But the Dark Lord had many of his own positioned throughout the Ministry as well. Not to mention the problem posed by the Minister himself. Fudge still adamantly refused to acknowledge Voldemort's return, and as long as the Daily Prophet remained in his pocket, Dumbledore and his followers had been forced to continue their work for the Light in secret. In the last few months Fudge had gone out of his way to explain away and cover up all Dark Arts activity, lulling the wizarding world into a false sense of security just so he could retain his title. Merlin knows what Fudge would do were he to suddenly have The Boy Who Lived at his disposal…No, Remus would not entrust Harry's safety to the Ministry. He needed to contact Albus…
'Focus, Remus, focus.'
Remus drew the hand that had been nervously combing through his hair down across his face, and, as he did so, he felt the cool caress of a band of gold against his skin.
"Of course!"
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Hearing the flap of the post slot clink closed, Mundagus Fletcher looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet to glance at his companion. The younger wizard made no indication of moving, remaining slumped over the arm of the armchair, eyes searching the sky through the open window.
"Muggle post is here."
A soft grunt.
"Suppose I'll get that."
His gaze lingered on his companion a moment more before setting the paper aside and taking to his feet. Mundagus absently drew his wand as he ambled into the main hall. With a flick of Mundagus's wrist and a mumbled incantation, the pile of letters lifted off the floor and lazily floated behind the wizard as he returned to the sitting room.
Mundagus retook his seat, propping up his feet on the ottoman. The letters followed, levitating above his outstretched legs. Leaning his elbow against the arm of the chair and idly resting his cheek against his palm, Mundagus began to run through the standard series of screening and disarming spells on the mail. Satisfied that the post was clean, he removed the levitation spell and the mail dropped onto his lap. Mundagus slipped on his reading glasses and began to sort through the letters.
His companion finally turned and cleared his throat.
"Anything?"
Mundagus peered over his glasses. "Not really. Mainly Muggle junk mail. A few pieces of interest from our contacts on the continent." He offered them for perusal but was sullenly waved off. Mundagus sighed and removed his glasses, folding them and slipping them back into his vest pocket.
"Cheer up, Black, the train doesn't get there 'til nightfall anyway. Won't do any good to spend the day staring out the window. Why don't we grab lunch or –"
"Not a word, not a word all summer. I owled him at least a dozen times…I know Arabella has said there hasn't been any Dark activity there, but…"
"You should listen to Arabella. I'm sure there's a good reason why the boy hasn't written. Probably them Muggles he lives with, ya said yourself they don't like the boy gettin' and sendin' owls. The boy probably is just keeping out of trouble."
Sirius nodded but sprang to his feet and began to pace erratically about the room.
"I just hate feeling so useless, Fletch. Sitting around here all summer – no, no, I know, we've been doing important work, I know. But I wish we were out there, or at least closer to Harry…"
"I know, Black." Mundagus stood. "But I don't think wearing Remus's carpet through will do anything. Come on, let's –"
Mundagus was interrupted by a large brown barn owl sweeping through the window.
The owl landed on the arm of one of the chairs and proffered its leg. Sirius quickly removed the scroll pressed the back of his right hand against the parchment, the onyx gem of his ring aligned with the wax seal.
The scroll quickly unfurled to reveal the unmistakable handwriting of Albus Dumbledore.
Sirius sank into the chair as he began to read the hastily-written note.
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'Bloody Hell…'
Severus stood stock-still in the middle of Privet Drive, a spot of calm amid chaos. He had forced himself to look away from what had been Number Four after only a moment, blinking away memories and pushing down the panic rising in his throat. Ministry officials and Aurors swarmed the little street, shouting orders, working to restore the house, and attempting to dispel the grinning Dark Mark hovering above. Mediwizards attended huddled groups of distressingly-passive Muggles, assessing them for evidence of dark curses before casting the Obliviate charm.
Harry and Lupin were nowhere to be seen.
Severus stumbled backwards a few steps, his presence concealed by the invisibility charm he had cast upon apparating to what should have been the edge of the protective wards. Although Remus and Harry were no longer at Four Privet Drive, Severus's ring still glowed a bright yellow, meaning Remus was still able to cast the beacon charm. Severus did not dare to cast a tracing charm, not wanting to inadvertently reveal their location to the Ministry or, heavens forbid, the Death Eaters.
'Arabella's. They have to be at Arabella's.'
He resolutely turned his back on the madness on Privet Drive, mentally bottling and setting aside the warring emotions and fears threatening to bubble over. He would have time enough to deal with them once Harry….once his *son*…was safe.
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Several casts of the Cruciatus curse later, Lucius finally was allowed his leave and apparated directly to the main foyer of Yardley, the ancestral manor of the Malfoys.
"Master Malfoy, Sir! Is Sirs well? Shoulds Gingy be getting Master his potions, Sir?"
"Yes, Gingy." The blonde delicately removed his robe, which now looked rather worse for wear after the day's events. He absently cast it aside, the house elf dashing over to catch the robe just in time. "Has my wife yet returned?"
Gingy shook her head vigorously, eyes wide. "No, Sirs. Mistress is stills away bringing Young Master to London, Sir."
"Ah, yes." Lucius pursed his lips in something of a small smile. He had had time enough to see his son off to a new school year before leaving on his…mission. Lucius made his way along the hall, Gingy blindly scrambling after her Master, her vision blocked by the bulk of the discarded robe.
"Surely, Gingy, you don't believe I plan on wearing that robe again. You may discard it." Elfen cheeks flushed and the robe vanished. Lucius stifled a chuckle. He normally detested house elves - that is, when he deemed to even consider them at all – but for some inexplicable reason he had always had a soft spot for Gingy. He knew he could trust her with some of his more delicate tasks.
Lucius entered his study and paused behind his desk. He tilted his chin in the vague direction of the house elf, not bothering to turn to address her.
"I am expecting company. See them to the east wing and attend to their needs, I expect some of my guests might find use for your knowledge in healing. Alert me once they are settled."
"Yes, Sir! Gingy will attend to Master's guests, Sir!"
Lucius sat in his armchair, drinking the goblet of potion that Gingy had made ready. Sighing, he relaxed into the chair as the potion worked away the residual tensions and spasms from the Cruciatus curse.
"Oh, and Gingy? My wife has no need to know I have guests in the east wing. Do you understand, Gingy?"
The house elf bobbed her head frantically and, after Lucius nodded her dismissal, vanished out of sight.
Lucius propped his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled his fingers.
He had much to consider.
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TBC…
A/N: My, that was definitely not where I had initially thought this chapter was going! :-) So I know I said Harry would be in this chapter (well, technically he was)…I *swear* that he's in the next chapter. Blame Sirius and Lucius!
*Severitus: Plops crown on head and twirls scepter idly, in a perfect imitation of Bored!Voldemort. My, thank you very much. :-D And I didn't even think last chapter WAS a cliffhanger…perhaps I've built up a tolerance, or something. Heh heh heh heh…yeah, Harry's alive…for now…and SPEAKING OF CLIFFHANGERS…pokes Severitus with scepter, where's A Father's Sin? And An Old Man's Meddling? Huh? :-P
*summersun: Don't worry, you'll find out all about Harry in due time…
*J. Lynn: Well, I can't reveal *all* of my secrets at once, now can I? Don't worry, some things will start making more sense in a chapter or two…
*RJLL: Yeah, not quite sure where the bit about the rings came from, much like most of this chapter, but I'm running with it. :-) The rings, too, will be explained eventually. Yup, I love caring!Snape too…and it's not just random out-of-chararcterness on my part, it is part of the overall plot…
*Allocin: Thanks! :-) Heh, Voldie is most *certainly* not dead. He's alive and kicking (and cursing and plotting and…) Aside from the, like, 5 alternate stories I've half-promised, I've recently been assaulted by a new plot bunny….although I just realized I *could* incorporate it into this story…Hmm…that would be QUITE evil of me….heh heh heh….but never fear, I'm going to keep on with this story!
*Prophetess of Hearts: Hah, thanks for the leg. This chapter was 50% longer than the last one…happy? :-D Teehee…
*Sandrine Black: Harry and Sev will be in the next chapter, together, I promise! (Eeep?)
*Sev Rickman: Ahh, "The Training." You're not supposed to have any idea what I'm talking about, yet…I'm purposefully being vague. :-) T'will all be explained in due time, so don't forget about this little hint quite yet…
*Saerry Snape: Oh, oh WOW. I'm (almost) speechless. :-D And now it's my turn to jump up and down, 'cause YOU just posted more of YOUR story! Time to figure out where I left off…teehee!!
*Silver*Chime: Again…oh, WOW. Here I was thinking that chapter 8 was a rather dull chapter…oh, wow. Thank you so so so so much! As for killing off characters…smiles innocently.
*Atheis and Kyohaku Celestiale Vespertina: Oh, dear, and I didn't even really think that was much of a cliffe. Really. I thought I was being nice…
*Diana le Defonceur: Yeah, I often find myself shaking my computer monitor or screaming at ff.net.. :-D Ah, yes, Cerulean Blue…a left-over from my days as an X-Phile (there was an episode in which the color played an important part).
*Kim: The points go towards the House Cup, of course. :-D Or perhaps added R/R lobbying power? My lips are sealed about Lucius, although maybe this chapter gave you a couple of hints…and thank you so much! :-)
*Venus4280: smiles evilly and starts to whistle…
*And to Nicky, Phoenix, Ariana Deralte, and Arabwel: Thank you all so so so much, and hope you enjoyed this chapter!