Storm Child

Author: Hex

Rating: PG-13 for language

Disclaimer: As Standard

Note: (1) Antidisestablishmentarianism is the longest word in the English language and means: "The system of belief of any person who is opposed to those who want to destroy a standable thing which someone made stand." Basically, it's complicated and impressive sounding. (Anti-dis-establishment-tarian-ism)

(2) I don't have my copy of the books with me so I don't know if that is spelt correctly.

Thanks: http://www.marlboro.edu/~jfarber/sta/antidisestablishmentarianism.html --- The only website to give me a definition of this damn word! Is it stupid to want to thank JKR for getting her finger out of her arse and finishing book 5?

********

Who are you? I can see you there, within the darkness shining back at me like the light from a lantern. I see you so far away and yet can feel hot rancid breath upon my neck. Are you my demon?

Not a demon. A memory then? Taunting me from the depths of a feverish mind with things which might have been.

Oh cruel and twisted fate, that wrenched all happiness from me within the blink of an eye. With the utterance of only two words all was lost into the fettered pit of memory.

Light shines in through that darkness, the glimmer of the moon upon the blade of a knife sharpened to within an inch of it's life, paper thin and razor sharp like my personal hell.

I feel it's cold heat burning into my skin and blink blood shot eyes up into a masked face which swims in and out of focus before me.

My throat is dry and constricted but I force out words passed trembling and parched lips.

"A knife? Doesn't that lack a certain ... glamour." The figure above me was one of Them. A Death Eater.

"I could use glamour and make your death a spectacular one, or I could make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that you die."

I blink again, trying to force my brain and eyes to focus. My head was pounding again and I knew only one truth. One glass of wine would make it all so clear.

"Look at yourself Lupin, you're pathetic."

"I know who you are." Of course I knew, it was so obvious.

"Yes, I know you do. And so you'll know how much I am going to hate doing this." The masked figure leans in very close and whispers in my ear, his breath burning me. "I'm going to pull back to kill you, kick me and I will do the rest."

I blink but I understand. It's his job, isn't it, to protect the interests of the weak and ignorant. I hate him and yet pity him. How pathetic, the pity of a drunk on a man forced to kill for a cause he does not believe in.

He pulls back from me and raises the knife. I raise a leg to kick him off...

But he is frozen above me, the knife gone from his hand. A second figure in a cloak of midnight blue which falls almost to the floor and the hood pulled up to cover my saviours face holds him still, the knife to his throat. Anger radiates from this figure, it is trembling with it.

"That is not going to happen you evil little git."

The knife is pressing so hard against the suddenly exposed throat that a thin line of crimson blood trickles to the ground. My attacker is breathing heavily, clouds forming in front of his masked face laced with fear.

"You've killed to many people, I won't let you take another life."

I watch the cloaked figure pull back his hand with a flourish to kill the other and before I can speak, a gloved hand catches the wrist of the first. My eyes take in a shrouded figure in moss green. The curve of the cloth tells me this one is female and she appears to be gazing sympathetically at the first.

"Don't become like them." Her voice is lilting and has a certain musical quality to it. It washes over me like a forgotten lullaby and I try to resist the temptation to curl up and sleep.

The first growls and throws the Death Eater to the ground, taking the opportunity to kick him before he scrambles to his feet. He looks at me and I shrug. He leaves.

My saviour offers me a hand and I use it to pull myself to shaky feet. I can not even remember why I came outside now. Perhaps the moon was calling to me or perhaps fate was lending me a hand. Either way I was here now before these two figures.

I feel my head become suddenly light and know unconsciousness is waiting for me. I let my legs give out and am surprised when I fail to hit the dirt. I look up to see a familiar face peering down at me with concern.

I reach up one sweating and shaking hand and touch that jet black hair. I am vaguely aware that I am smiling.

"Harry..."

Cold darkness consumes me.

*****

The first cloaked figure stared down at the limp body in it's arms. His hood had fallen off when he had made to catch the werewolf. Now moonlight glinted from his glasses and gave a white glow to the tips of his black hair.

"Remus? Remus?"

"He's just passed out." The female said, crouching beside her companion and checking his burden for injuries. "He's not hurt. Maybe it was the shock?"

"Moony's not the sort of guy who passes out just because he's attacked. Maybe he's sick?"

"He is a little hot." The female conceded.

"How can you tell through gloves?"

"Shut it."

The first figure peered down at the prone form curiously. "He called me Harry you know, right before he passed out. Why do you suppose he did that?"

"He's feverish, he was just rambling."

"I guess... Should we take him in the house? He left the door open..."

"Alright, but then we have to leave."

The man hefted Remus up and staggered slightly under his weight. "He's heavy for a thin bloke." Slowly, they made their way back into The Burrow and lay Remus down on the scrubbed kitchen table.

"Let's go."

"Do we have too?"

The woman sighed and moved to stand in front of her companion and took his face between her hands. "James...We can't stay...We can't face them for what we did..."

"But they won't hold it against us, surely? They'll be so happy to see we're alive they might forget all about Harry-"

"Maybe, to begin with but they would remember eventually. It doesn't change the fact that we let our own son die."

James hung his head, letting out a deep sigh. "I suppose you're right..."

"Is there someone down there? I warn you, I'm armed!"

"Shit!"

Both figures only had time to turn before Mr Weasley emerged at the foot of the stairs, wand raised at the ready with Bill and Mrs Weasley behind him.

For an eternity the five of them stood totally frozen, the Weasley's eyes riveted on James' exposed face their shock more than evident.

It was his companion who broke the silence. "Ignore us. A couple of dead people just passing through."

It was Mrs Weasley who knocked them both out.

*****

It could never be said that Lillian Mary Potter was a morning person. Well, it could be said but it would be a total lie. This was also true for when she woke up to find herself trussed like a turkey to her husband on a strangers kitchen floor.

Of course her mood was not helped by the terrible surge of fear that pounded through her the moment she regained consciousness. For one thing she could not actually see her husband. What she could see was the business end of someone's wand.

For a moment, images from disjointed nightmares flashed in her mind. Her home in ruins and the bodies Transfigured into the Potters exact replicas laying dead on the floor. The huge hulking figure of Rubeus Hagrid lifting her sons broken body from the wreckage while Sirius Black sobbed over what he thought was James' corpse. Her husbands gaunt face as he led her away, tears flowing freely. That same face wreathed in shadow as they made the decision which had changed their very lives.

No one must know they had not died that night. No one must know that all they had left to protect their only child while they went out for a romantic meal were a couple of corpses under a Puppet Curse. No one must know they were the reason little Harry had been murdered.

So they had left the Wizarding world for the Muggle one and had gotten normal Muggle jobs and tried their hardest to forget.

There was no forgetting, however, how could they forget what they had done?

Someone was speaking to her, banishing those gut churning thoughts for now at least.

"I said, who are you?"

The eldest man was speaking, pointing his wand at her and shaking from head to foot. Other people had joined them now, she noticed. There were three boys and a young girl standing on the other side of the kitchen table dressed in pyjamas and flanked by two older boys. All of them had flaming red hair.

She turned her head to the side, ignoring her captor for now to try to find James. After a little bit of wriggling she managed to turn enough to find him still unconscious behind her. He was not alone however.

Very slowly, she looked up the bedraggled and thin body into the haunted eyes of Sirius Black.

"Hey, long time no see Siri-"

SMACK.

She turned her head to minimise the pain but the slap still stung like hell making her cheek feel as though it was one fire. He had hit her. Sirius Black, her husbands closest friend had hit her! Ok, so he did think she was dead and probably thought she was impersonating herself but still... He was so going to pay for that one later.

She flexed her jaw, wincing. "That hurt-"

"Stop it! Stop sounding like her! She's dead! Stop looking like her or so help me I'll -"

"You'll what?" Lilly snarled in reply, annoyed. "Hit me again? Does hitting defenceless women make you feel like a big man, Sirius? Resorting to brute force as always, you haven't changed a bit."

"How would you know, Deatheater!?"

Lilly glared at him, an angry fire in her eyes. She said nothing however just sat in total silence, her cheek burning.

"Mr Black, please calm down..."

Lilly turned her eyes on a plump red headed woman who stood backed against a stove, staring with wide and tired eyes at the bound couple on the floor. Lilly had a terrible feeling that she was going to be getting a lot more of those fearful looks before all of this was over.

"Who are all you people?" She asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Sirius' foot lashed out and caught Lilly's leg. "Shut up!"

"Sirius, stop it!" For the first time since Lilly had been revived, Remus had spoken. He was pale and thin and looked very ill, like he was ready to pass out again at any moment. She wondered when he had woken up and how long she had been out. "Sirius, hurting her won't help up ascertain who she is."

Using 'ascertain' in a sentence? Remus had not changed either. He was the only person Lilly knew who could use Antidisestablishmentarianism (1) in a sentence. Still this did not make up for the fact that, as a reward for saving him they had been stunned and tied up on someone's kitchen floor.

"Look, just revive my husband ok? He'll be far more cooperative than me."

"Meaning?" Sirius sneered, fingering the wand in his hands in a creepily loving way.

"Meaning I won't cooperate." It certainly seemed that Sirius was not as sharp on the uptake as he had once been.

Sirius scowled at her then stalked around out of her line of sight.

"Evenerate." (2)

She felt James move against her back and sought out his hands with hers, squeezing them as he came awake.

"Muh? Wha happen?" He was still a little fuzzy in the head she noticed but that would not last long. The fear would kick in soon. She closed her eyes and braced herself.

It took them a full ten minutes to calm James down after he realised their position. His captivity, his inability to see his wife and an overwhelming surge of fear had brought back memories he had fought fourteen years to banish. In the end, they had been forced to release them both and force them into kitchen chairs, keeping a watch over them with wands drawn. The presence of so many armed strangers all with such fierce looks on the faces had done little to calm James but he had forced himself to relax, clutching Lilly's hand like it was his only life line.

Now they sat at the kitchen table as Sirius paced impatiently back and forward in front of them. Just behind him, the eldest of the red headed strangers was throwing a pinch of floo powder into a newly lit fire.

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Shit." Lilly mumbled. The last thing they needed right now was a reprimand from their former Headmaster. Goodness knew what he thought of them now. Doubtless he knew the truth, he always did. She could not bare the thought of seeing the anger, disappointment and recrimination in his usually kind eyes.

There was a 'pop' from the fire place and a long missed voice filled Lilly's ears.

"Ah, Arthur, what a pleasant surprise. Is something amiss?"

"Good evening Professor Dumbledore. I am sorry to bother you so late but there has been an...incident here."

"What seems to be the problem?"

As one Sirius and Mr Weasley moved aside, giving Lilly a clear view of the bearded face hovering in the green flames a mere nine feet away.

There was a moment of silence which seemed to drag on for eternity as clear blue eyes flittered between the Potters, shock quite readily shown.

"I shall be with you directly."

*****

R&R please!

It's long! Ah I impress myself ^.^;

Laters

Hex.

2413 words! WAHOO!