They crept through the front door. Talitha glanced around, it was years since she was last here, the Potter's house where she had grown up. She smiled slightly when she saw the two brooms next to the door, as that was where she and James used to leave them when they came in from playing Quidditch. Remus noticed a light was shining through the cellar door, he looked at Talitha and pointed downwards. Talitha headed to the cellar door and opened it. One by one they went down the stairs.
To their relief they found Sirius and Harry looking back at them, unharmed. Ginny ran over and hugged Harry.
"We've search the whole house and we've found nothing" Sirius told them quietly "I was sure this would be the place"
"There's just that room there" Harry added pointing to a door opposite the stairs. Talitha knew that the other side of the door was just another small cellar room but they had to check it just incase.
"You two stay back" Sirius said to Ginny and Harry. Remus opened the door and the three adults went in.
Nobody heard the footsteps on the cellar steps. Sirius, Remus and Talitha were in the other room. Ginny and Harry had their backs to the steps.
"James? Lily?" a small voice said. Harry whipped round with his wand out.
"Wormtail" He said calmly.
"I thought you were James" Wormtail said quietly "And the girl looks just like Lily"
"My parents are dead, remember!" Harry yelled at him. Sirius came back into the room.
"What are you doing here Wormtail?" Sirius demanded.
"Sirius!" I thought you were…"
"Well you thought wrong didn't you"
"Answer the question Wormtail" Remus shouted as he also came through the door "What are you doing here?"
"I erm…I" Peter tried to say.
"Still a bumbling idiot then Wormtail" Talitha said from the shadows.
"Talitha" Peter stuttered. Harry noticed Wormtail looked even more scared now he knew Talitha was there, if it was possible for him to look more scared.
"Well, we're waiting" Sirius demanded.
"My master sent me here" Peter managed to say.
"How dare you come in this house after what you did?" Sirius shouted. Suddenly Talitha started laughing. Harry and Ginny looked at her, puzzled as to why.
"Look around" she said to no one in particular. "It's like having the old gang back" Sirius and Remus smiled.
"Only, although Harry and Ginny might look like James and Lily" Talitha continued "I somehow don't think they are going to tell us to be nice to Peter like they would"
"Look what you did to thank James for his friendship Peter" Remus added calmly "Look what you did to all of us here. Sirius has spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit and then another 3 years on the run, Talitha had to almost go into hiding in another country because everyone thought she had helped him, I've had to live with the thought that I didn't really know two of my best friends. Harry had to grow up an orphan. On top of that we all had to live with the grief of losing James and Lily. All because of you Wormtail"
"You've escaped me twice now Wormtail" Sirius told him as he pointed his wand at Wormtail "and I'm not going to let it happen again. Finally, I'm going to commit the crime I served twelve years for"
"Sirius no!" Talitha yelled at him "Fudge is on his way here. We can prove your innocence at last"
"He got away last time, Tali. I'm not risking that again"
"Sirius, he won't" Talitha told him. She walked right up to Peter and looked him straight in the eye "If you as much as move, I'll kill you" she hissed "and don't think I won't. I've already done it to one of your friends tonight. Don't think I wouldn't be happy to do it again"
Talitha saw Harry and Sirius looking at her wondering who.
"Bellatrix" she told them as she turned and walked away from Peter. Wormtail had taken advantage of the distraction and started to go for his wand.
"Expellerimus" Ginny yelled. Harry caught Wormtail's wand.
"I don't trust him not to change" said Harry. Talitha thought for a minute and nodded. She turned to face Peter
"Imperio" she said calmly. Peter stood still.
"Shall we go back outside" she said as she flicked her wand. Peter turned and started to walk slowly to the stairs under Talitha's control. He reached the stairs and suddenly he fell over the first step
"Oops" Talitha laughed. Sirius laughed loudly. Harry and Ginny looked at each other unsure of what to do. Remus glared at Sirius and then at Talitha.
"Sorry" they both muttered.
They reached the street without Wormtail falling again. However, Harry did notice Talitha made him do a little twirl at the top of the cellar steps when Remus wasn't looking.
Moody had returned with Snape, Draco and a stunned and bound Lucius Malfoy. Snape's face was bleeding where he had caught it on a stone when he fell due to the Crucio curse. Harry stared at Draco wondering why he was there. Ron came running over to Harry.
"What's he doing here?" Harry asked him. Ron explained. Harry looked at Draco again. He looked different, there wasn't the hate in his eyes that was usually there and it looked like he had been crying.
"Moody just did, well I don't know what spell he did, on his dad. It must have been horrible the state Draco was in when they got back here" Ron whispered. "Draco had already done a body bind on him before Moody got there"
Talitha sat Peter down next to the bound Dolohov. The adults gathered together to decide what to do next. Ron, Ginny and Harry went over to where Hermione sat on the floor with Neville. Draco sat nearby.
"Won't they all get in trouble for doing the Avada Kedavra curse?" Ginny asked
"Remus told us that Aurors are allowed to do it on Death Eaters" Hermione told them.
"That's ok for Moody but what about Talitha" Ginny said.
"Yeah she did it on Bellatrix" said Neville
"And she's got Wormtail under Imperious" added Ron. None of them had seen Charlie come up behind them.
"Didn't you know?" He asked "Talitha is an Elite" They all looked round at him
"Elite's are the best and most powerful of the Aurors" Charlie continued "Moody's one of course. She did most of her training with him."
"That's why Wormtail was so scared of her" Harry told the others. "He knew that she was allowed to kill him"
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A/n more to follow later today. By the way this is no where near the end of the story. There is still plenty more to come
To their relief they found Sirius and Harry looking back at them, unharmed. Ginny ran over and hugged Harry.
"We've search the whole house and we've found nothing" Sirius told them quietly "I was sure this would be the place"
"There's just that room there" Harry added pointing to a door opposite the stairs. Talitha knew that the other side of the door was just another small cellar room but they had to check it just incase.
"You two stay back" Sirius said to Ginny and Harry. Remus opened the door and the three adults went in.
Nobody heard the footsteps on the cellar steps. Sirius, Remus and Talitha were in the other room. Ginny and Harry had their backs to the steps.
"James? Lily?" a small voice said. Harry whipped round with his wand out.
"Wormtail" He said calmly.
"I thought you were James" Wormtail said quietly "And the girl looks just like Lily"
"My parents are dead, remember!" Harry yelled at him. Sirius came back into the room.
"What are you doing here Wormtail?" Sirius demanded.
"Sirius!" I thought you were…"
"Well you thought wrong didn't you"
"Answer the question Wormtail" Remus shouted as he also came through the door "What are you doing here?"
"I erm…I" Peter tried to say.
"Still a bumbling idiot then Wormtail" Talitha said from the shadows.
"Talitha" Peter stuttered. Harry noticed Wormtail looked even more scared now he knew Talitha was there, if it was possible for him to look more scared.
"Well, we're waiting" Sirius demanded.
"My master sent me here" Peter managed to say.
"How dare you come in this house after what you did?" Sirius shouted. Suddenly Talitha started laughing. Harry and Ginny looked at her, puzzled as to why.
"Look around" she said to no one in particular. "It's like having the old gang back" Sirius and Remus smiled.
"Only, although Harry and Ginny might look like James and Lily" Talitha continued "I somehow don't think they are going to tell us to be nice to Peter like they would"
"Look what you did to thank James for his friendship Peter" Remus added calmly "Look what you did to all of us here. Sirius has spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit and then another 3 years on the run, Talitha had to almost go into hiding in another country because everyone thought she had helped him, I've had to live with the thought that I didn't really know two of my best friends. Harry had to grow up an orphan. On top of that we all had to live with the grief of losing James and Lily. All because of you Wormtail"
"You've escaped me twice now Wormtail" Sirius told him as he pointed his wand at Wormtail "and I'm not going to let it happen again. Finally, I'm going to commit the crime I served twelve years for"
"Sirius no!" Talitha yelled at him "Fudge is on his way here. We can prove your innocence at last"
"He got away last time, Tali. I'm not risking that again"
"Sirius, he won't" Talitha told him. She walked right up to Peter and looked him straight in the eye "If you as much as move, I'll kill you" she hissed "and don't think I won't. I've already done it to one of your friends tonight. Don't think I wouldn't be happy to do it again"
Talitha saw Harry and Sirius looking at her wondering who.
"Bellatrix" she told them as she turned and walked away from Peter. Wormtail had taken advantage of the distraction and started to go for his wand.
"Expellerimus" Ginny yelled. Harry caught Wormtail's wand.
"I don't trust him not to change" said Harry. Talitha thought for a minute and nodded. She turned to face Peter
"Imperio" she said calmly. Peter stood still.
"Shall we go back outside" she said as she flicked her wand. Peter turned and started to walk slowly to the stairs under Talitha's control. He reached the stairs and suddenly he fell over the first step
"Oops" Talitha laughed. Sirius laughed loudly. Harry and Ginny looked at each other unsure of what to do. Remus glared at Sirius and then at Talitha.
"Sorry" they both muttered.
They reached the street without Wormtail falling again. However, Harry did notice Talitha made him do a little twirl at the top of the cellar steps when Remus wasn't looking.
Moody had returned with Snape, Draco and a stunned and bound Lucius Malfoy. Snape's face was bleeding where he had caught it on a stone when he fell due to the Crucio curse. Harry stared at Draco wondering why he was there. Ron came running over to Harry.
"What's he doing here?" Harry asked him. Ron explained. Harry looked at Draco again. He looked different, there wasn't the hate in his eyes that was usually there and it looked like he had been crying.
"Moody just did, well I don't know what spell he did, on his dad. It must have been horrible the state Draco was in when they got back here" Ron whispered. "Draco had already done a body bind on him before Moody got there"
Talitha sat Peter down next to the bound Dolohov. The adults gathered together to decide what to do next. Ron, Ginny and Harry went over to where Hermione sat on the floor with Neville. Draco sat nearby.
"Won't they all get in trouble for doing the Avada Kedavra curse?" Ginny asked
"Remus told us that Aurors are allowed to do it on Death Eaters" Hermione told them.
"That's ok for Moody but what about Talitha" Ginny said.
"Yeah she did it on Bellatrix" said Neville
"And she's got Wormtail under Imperious" added Ron. None of them had seen Charlie come up behind them.
"Didn't you know?" He asked "Talitha is an Elite" They all looked round at him
"Elite's are the best and most powerful of the Aurors" Charlie continued "Moody's one of course. She did most of her training with him."
"That's why Wormtail was so scared of her" Harry told the others. "He knew that she was allowed to kill him"
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A/n more to follow later today. By the way this is no where near the end of the story. There is still plenty more to come