The Mutated Amagi Chronicles

Chapter Eleven: Aftermath

They were partway up the hill where the rest of the group was when Sirius gave into exhaustion. Tongue rolling, he beckoned Harry to get off.
After his burden was lifted, he dropped onto the grass, rolling in an attempt to relax his sore muscles, not bothering to care about other possible dangers. From what he had seen as he fled the fort, nothing could've survived the collapse anyways. And after all, he had just risked his life and ran over a mile at absurd speeds. He deserved a break.

Leaving Sirius be, Harry wearily trudged up the hill, using the Sword of Godric as a makeshift clutch. However, he was quickly intercepted by Hermirone and Madam Yi, and complaining to no avail, supported on both sides and literally dragged uphill.
"Come on! I can climb a hill by myself..." Harry quipped, trying to make them let him go.
"No you can't! Not in this condition." Madam Yi insisted.
"Herm... talk some sense into her!" Harry appealed to his friend.
"Nope! I'm with Hilary on this one, Harry." Hermirone smiled, yet her grip was firm.
Harry sighed in resignation, and allowed himself to be carried up the knoll.

After much hoisting and many complaints...

"So what happened, Harry?" Madam Yi inquired, after setting him down in a comfortable position.
"Yeah! And what happened to Ron?" Hermirone asked, confusion lining her face.
"Well... You see..." Harry stammered, not sure how to break the news to them.
"What, Harry?"
"Well... Ron wasn't Ron..."
"How can Ron not be Ron? You're not making sense, Harry." Madam Yi calmly stated.
"'Ron' was an imposter. He must've been switched before he ever Apparated to the meeting spot." Harry let it all out, not daring to look at Hermirone's face.
"Do you have any idea who the imposter was, Harry?" Madam Yi was suddenly rose from her crouching position.
"I don't know... He seemed to know me, though..."
"Hmm... I thought something was not quite right about him... I guess I should've known. See, Ron and I Disapparated from different places, I in my dressing room and he in his. I suppose he could've been attacked while he was there..." Hermirone was deep in thought.
"Umm... Herm? Shouldn't we be worried about Ron's relative safety?" Harry asked, puzzled at his friend's calm composure. Normally, she would've been scrambling to find Ron.
"Nah... He's fine."
"How do you know, Herm? From what Harry has been telling us, I had assumed that you thought Divination was a bunch of baloney... Unless you managed to... No, that wouldn't work... How?" Madam Yi had a perplexed look on her face.
"Oh, that... Ooops! I forgot that you can't see behind you! Turn around. Ron just Apparated over there." Hermirone couldn't suppress her snicker as both Harry and Madam Yi spun around in surprise.
"Hermirone! Harry! Man, am I glad to see you! I got ambushed! In my own dressin' room!" A very disheveled and red-faced Ron ran towards the rest of the group.
"Ron... Your hair..." Harry was too stunned to say anything.
"Oh, this? The git who Stunned me cut a bunch of it off... Did I miss anything?" Ron sat down next to the rest of the group and tried to catch his breath. "And what happened to this chap?"
"Ok... Herm, you wanna do this, or should I?" Harry asked, exasperated.
"Nah... I wasn't there. Have fun explaining!" With a grin, Hermirone went to check on 5tR463R once more.

One loooooooong story later...

"Blimey! So that's what that git needed my hair for... But what happened with the rest of you?" Ron was so intently focused on their adventure that Harry was getting a bit embarrassed.
"That I'll leave Herm and Hilary to explain. If you please, you two?"
"Sure, Harry. You rest now. You look like some one tried to use the Killing Curse on you..." Without further ado, Madam Yi made sure Harry rested before beginning her viewpoint of the events that had transpired.

Yet another looooooong story...

"Whoa... I really picked the wrong day to be attacked, Stunned, and left in a closet, didn't I?" Ron, thoroughly amazed, found that he lacked anything else to say...

"Imposter! Die!!"

Ron scarcely had time to duck and roll out of the way as Sirius flew over his head, snatching at where Ron's neck would've been.
"Sirius! Wut are you doin'?" Ron drew his wand in defense, steadying himself as he stared at Sirius, eyes full of fear and astonishment.
"Sorry, Ron. It's just that your imposter fooled most of us..." Harry apologized, rising to step between his two friends. He spoke clearly and calmly, but everyone noticed him wince slightly in pain as he rose, and realized that he was staggering from the pain. "Sirius, listen to me. This is the real Ron. The other one, an imposter using Polyjuice potion, is now a statue, buried inside the fort. Now, will you stop this?"
After what seemed to take hours of painstaking tension, Sirius lowered his wand and tucked it into his pocket. Ron, visibly relaxed, put his wand away, as well.
"I'm... sorry, Ron." Sirius muttered, resigned and clearly embarrassed. "Come on, team, let's go. We came here knowing little, and came out not knowing much more. Let us forget we ever came to this place. It has been nothing more than a nightmare, to some of us more than others." He prepared to leave, and began placing the runes for a makeshift transport spell for 5tR4N63r.
"Wha? Buh... but... I just got here!" Ron sputtered. "We're leaving NOW?"
"Yes, Ron. Something wrong?" Harry asked, fingering his wand tentatively, if this Ron proved to be another imposter, he wanted to be ready.
"No... it's just... Man, I always miss everything!"
Even Sirius let out a chuckle. The rest of the group ranged from guffawing to clutching their sides, so comical was Ron's expression.
"Come on, someone give me a hand with Seymour." Sirius bent over and gently lifted 5tR4N63r's right arm over his shoulder. The rest of the members, save for Harry, who was barely strong enough to support himself, rushed to fill the position. Strangely, Hermirone, with her small frame, reached 5tR4N63r's side several steps before anyone else had a prayer.
"Everyone, Apparate back to the Europe base. We'll analyze what we perceived there. Someone help Harry, I think he needs it." Sirius commanded. "Ready, Herm? 1... 2... 3!" And with that, they lifted 5tR4N63r, though with some difficulty on Hermirone's side.
"Come on, Snuffles, I don't need..." Harry muttered, as he was quickly grabbed and carried by an overenthusiastic Ron and a slightly calmer Madam Yi.

A few seconds later, all that remained on the surface was a grassy hill overlooking the ruins of a coastal fort.

Sry for not updating lately... Computer probs and school have really taken a lot outta me...

Shadowblade's good conscious: Excuses, excuses...

WHAP!!

(Whistling nonchalantly)What frying pan? I don't see any frying pans...

Shadowblade's good conscious: OW....