A/N: I own nothing, JKR owns the characters and everything else but the
idea - so there.
A/N: Tell me your thoughts --- share with me. Back to the stupid workweek. Oh well.
A/N: Come one - I know you want to tell me what you're hoping will happen.
CH24 Frightful Forest
"Weasley! Where are you?" Professor McGonagall asked as loudly as she dared to, maybe even a little louder. Everyone was looking every which way for Ron. It was Hermione that brought them back to focus on the task at hand.
"Professor, how long do we have before we have to go? How long will Professor Dumbledore wait for us at the location?"
She answered quickly, "You all don't have any extra time to spare. You two join hands and go when I count to two. One. Two." With that they were gone. She hoped that they went to the correct spot but she had other things to worry about. Ron and Hermione, being in the middle of a forest surrounded by Death Eaters, were still probably safer than Ronald Weasley, wherever he was.
She knew that there was nothing else she could do here. She apparated back to Hogsmeade and as quickly as was possible, she made her way back to the school grounds. She could no longer think about joining the other professors on their mission to capture Pettigrew. She had to try to find Weasley, even if she didn't know where to start looking.
When she got inside the castle she went straight to the staff room. Almost all of the other teachers were in there preparing to go. "It's time," she told them.
They all made their way to Hogsmeade. The only person on the staff left in the school was Hagrid. His job was to ensure that all the students made their way safely back to the Hogwarts Express.
Professor McGonagall went with them so she could start searching for Weasley by apparating to different places. She didn't know where she was going to look yet; she just knew that she had to do something. She couldn't have known that she would never have looked in the right place for him.
Harry the sphinx and Hermione had managed to apparate to Dumbledore with no trouble. Hermione started to ask a question but Dumbledore motioned for both of them to remain silent. He slowly and silently led them to the hiding place where he, Sirius, and Lupin were holed up waiting for the full moon.
When they finally got settled into the lair Dumbledore whispered a quick enchantment and then told everyone that they were free to speak. "I've placed a soundproof charm around our area. Everyone is free to talk, or rhyme" he added while flashing a quick smile at Harry, "but I'm afraid that I must insist on asking the first question." He turned to Harry and Hermione, "Where is Ron? Didn't he decide to come?"
Harry instinctively knew that any explanation this long was going to have to be answered by Hermione. He briefly considered transforming back so he could talk with the group more easily but he figured that Dumbledore advise him to if it was the right thing to do. He, like everyone else in the lair, turned his attention to Hermione and waited for her to explain where Ron was.
"We don't know where he is. Of course he decided to come with us. One second he was there and the next he was gone. He was with us and Professor McGonagall in Hogsmeade when we each took a hold of each other and waited for her to apparate us. When we appeared outside of the forest he was gone. We looked around in every possible direction but he wasn't there. Before we could discuss it, Professor McGonagall said that our time was up and for Harry and me to come and meet you anyway."
"I see. Well she was quite right of course. We must deal with one problem at a time and our first problem is to get everyone safely out of here. Now do both of you understand our plan?"
Harry merely nodded while Hermione answered, "Yes, she explained it to us. But professor, she had said that she was going to put enchantments on Ron and me before we got onto Harry's back. That never happened."
Sirius spoke up at this point. "Oh well that's no problem. We'll let Moony take care of that. You're going to sit on Harry's back and basically protect him, right?"
"Right, I guess."
Sirius smiled at her. "Right. Dumbledore is going to do the same thing for me. The werewolf here can look out for himself. You and the headmaster are basically going to be our defense since we can't do much in our animagus form. Although whether or not he knows it, Harry can do much more than I can. In any case, I've had people ride on my back before and it's extremely distracting. Now normally I'm all for giving my godson a hard time but he's going to have his paws full helping me keep this nocturnal lunatic in check."
Hermione giggled.
"Anyway, there are ways to make Harry more comfortable with --- er --- passengers. Moony can cast a lightness spell on you. That makes is seem to Harry like you only weigh half was much as you actually do --- "
Sirius was cut off because Hermione half play and half for real punched him in the stomach. All the other men in the lair laughed heartily. After catching his breath, Sirius continued.
"I deserved that. I know better than to EVER comment about a witch and her weight. Anyway, Moony can also cast a spell so that you won't fall off of him."
"Ooohhh like that potion Neville came up with a few weeks ago the day before our game against Slytherin."
"Yeah Hermione, something like that." Sirius smiled from the memories of simpler times. He wished the only obstacle his godson had in front of him was a quidditch match. Hermione's next question got his attention again.
"What else?"
"Oh nothing really, anything else would be a personal preference on Harry's part. Some animagi prefer for their rider to be shrunk so they don't feel them kicking all over their torso, others prefer for you to be in a saddle because it's less of a strain on the back while still others prefer that we temporarily remove your legs so their movement won't be hampered. It really all depends on the animagus and since Harry hasn't had any experience yet let's not do anything except the first two basic spells."
No one else had said anything during the entire conversation between Sirius and Hermione. When it seemed like they had finally talked themselves out, even Harry had had enough time to think of something to say.
"My look at all the pretty birds. Did you two finally run out of words? Our best friend has left our side. I'd think we should be searching far and wide. When can we get out of here? I would like a butterbeer?" Harry smiled when he was finished.
Hermione was impressed but she was a little shocked by how affected the two middle-aged wizards in the lair were by Harry's questions. She thought she knew why but made a mental note to ask someone later to confirm her suspicions.
Dumbledore answered Harry. "Very impressive; very impressive indeed. You do of course understand that we're in a pretty serious situation ourselves though. I assure you that we do not often ask three teen-aged wizards for their help. I must insist that you keep your focus here and trust in us to solve these problems in an 'orderly' fashion. Ron will find his way back to us."
Harry knew he was right, he was always right. He just seemed to be getting frustrated more and more lately; he'd have to think about it later.
"Of course you're right. I must be speaking out of fright. I'm sorry to say, I let myself get carried away." He really was sorry and he hoped he got the message across. In any case Sirius interrupted his thoughts.
"Moving right along. You need to know that this crackpot over here is a handful when he transforms. Well, truth be told he's a handful when he's normal but when he transforms he like a Hungarian Horntail when it's teething."
That comparison struck home with Harry. Actually he realized that Lupin must take quite some effort to control if Sirius couldn't do it by himself. He wished he knew more of his animagus abilities but he felt ready to help them do this. He also knew that it was wrong of him to think so, but he just didn't think Lupin would hurt him.
Hermione asked another question that Harry hadn't even thought about. He knew how smart she was but she still managed to impress him from time to time. "Ummmm, Professor Dumbledore. How are we going to leave here once we get past the Death Eaters?"
"Ahhhh, very good question. We did cut our explanation a bit short didn't we? After we get clear of the forest, we can apparate back to Hogsmeade."
Hermione didn't seem to accept this on face value.
"Ummmm, well then sir I have to ask one more thing."
"Oh my yes, ask away."
"Well sir, it seems to me that we should --- ummm that maybe we ought to --- shouldn't we have different partners? Harry and I can apparate a half mile or so but I don't know about going back to Hogsmeade. Shouldn't I ride with Sirius so he can apparate us back and you ride on Harry so you can apparate him back safely?"
Harry, though unable to voice it, was yet again amazed with her logic. He just smiled at her. He hadn't thought about that at all but after tonight he sure didn't want any more surprises getting back to Hogsmeade.
Sirius turned to the two adult wizards and smiled. "I told you that they would figure this out. They're very clever. Moony, perhaps they could teach you a thing or two."
Lupin started to answer his old friend but he was cut off. "You found us out --- very good --- very good indeed." Dumbledore did actually seem pleased that they figured out the flaw in his plan. "After we help get Lupin out, you two will need to apparate him with you to Hogsmeade. Sirius and I have a bit more work to do here. We'll be right behind you though."
Hermione looked over at Harry. Neither one of them liked the sound of this but they knew Dumbledore was not a wizard to take unnecessary risks and they trusted him. After all, there was a war going on. No one said anything else for a while until Sirius noticed it the sun start to vanish.
"Moony, you need to go ahead and charm Hermione so that we don't miss the opportunity to save our strength and have you do it."
Lupin performed the two charms and the group waited for darkness. Much sooner, than Harry expected it, he was told to get ready and Hermione was helped onto Harry's back. She had a little trouble finding a place to sit without being in the way of his wings but that was solved when Sirius reminded her that she didn't have to hold on to Harry because of the charm.
Harry and Hermione were both grateful when someone cast a small light spell. Harry thought he heard something growling. It was a low guttural growl that you only seem to hear late at night when you're already scared. He was now very sure that, given the opportunity, Lupin would hurt him. Dumbledore cast a few spells on the group and they waited for the werewolf to lead the way out.
WHOOOOOSH
In less than a second the werewolf had leaped out of the lair and was already thirty feet away. The black dog and his passenger as well the sphinx and his passenger took off after their charge. They were all moving at incredible speeds. Harry wasn't sure how he could keep up this pace without running into trees but he knew that he was here to help steer Lupin, not lag behind. Soon he had taken his place on Lupin's left and he and Sirius were steering him out of the forest in the direction Dumbledore had indicated earlier.
Harry was starting to think that this was going to be very easy. Of course, that's when they ran into a group of fifteen hooded Death Eaters. It's hard to say who was more surprised. Harry and Hermione couldn't really be prepared for this type of encounter at their age but then again the group of Death Eaters was expecting to find three wizards not two large animals bearing jockeys running alongside a werewolf. Surprise won out over numbers.
It had to. Harry didn't realize that this was where the difficulty with Lupin would come into play. He thought they could just attack a few and outrun the rest to the edge. He forgot that the werewolf's instinct was to chase and attack all the humans. Also, he didn't realize how primal his own instincts were going to be to attack these dark wizards. He wasn't in a race; he was in a brawl.
Three of the Death Eaters ran at their first sight of Lupin. Hermione and Dumbledore each hexed one. Sirius had jumped on one, knocking him to the ground, and then bit his wand hand making him drop the wand, which Dumbledore summoned before it even hit the ground. Harry had no idea what came over him. He didn't think he could stop himself from attacking even if he had wanted to, which he didn't.
He leapt at the two nearest Death Eaters, knocking them both unconscious. He was standing with his two left paws on one and his two right paws on the other. When he knew these two were no longer a threat, instinct had him leap at another that he didn't even realize was behind him. He clawed this third victim starting with the right side of his face, down his wand arm, and all down his leg. Without pausing he sprung at two more victims also rendering them unconscious. The remaining Death Eaters were no match for the werewolf and his companions. It was Harry and Lupin that disposed of the rest of the Death Eaters. He didn't think anyone was killed but he was amazed at how quickly and efficiently he and his werewolf friend defeated the remaining dark wizards. In the end, over half ended up knocked out on the ground.
"Take the left flank, you two!" Dumbledore shouted. "It's time we get going."
Harry was a little torn. He knew his job was to escort Lupin out of the forest. However what he really wanted to do was find more dark wizards to attack, and after all he did seem to be good at it. His mixed feelings confused him but he knew that he had to finish what he started for Dumbledore. He ran to Lupin's left side and helped Sirius guide him the same direction they had been running before. In less than a minute they were clear of the forest and getting ready to apparate.
"See you soon!" Dumbledore shouted as he and Sirius turned around to return to the forest. Harry didn't have any trouble catching up to the werewolf. He ran up beside him and slowed down to match him stride for stride.
"On two we apparate back to Hogsmeade." Hermione said.
"One." She leaned over and put her hand on Lupin's back. She thought to herself that there was no way she would have been to do that without those charms to keep her from falling off.
"Two." They successfully apparated with a loud POP.
Harry had never apparated while running before. That was a sensation he was definitely not eager to experience again. He and Hermione looked around and then looked at each other.
"Lupin!" Hermione shouted to no avail. The werewolf ignored her and continued chasing the two human figures in the distance. Harry tore off after him. He didn't know where they were nor did he know who those two figures were. But what we he did know was that Dumbledore didn't bring him into the plan so that he could apparate to some random location and let a werewolf eat two unsuspecting people.
As they got closer Hermione was able to recognize the two wizards that were attempting to hex the werewolf. They couldn't know that Dumbledore had recently cast several spells on the werewolf to protect it from some of the very hexes they were trying to defend themselves with.
"Mr and Mrs Weasley!" Hermione screamed out to the two figures that were now running. "Don't worry, we're coming."
It was going to be close but Harry was definitely gaining ground. He was furious at himself for not immediately locating Lupin when they first apparated and letting him get so far away. He could see the werewolf only ten feet behind the Weasleys. Harry was running faster than he ever even imagined possible. He was gaining ground on Lupin but Lupin was definitely gaining on his targets. Lupin only had a few feet left to catch up to what would probably be his dinner. Harry didn't like the growl he heard coming from his former professor --- it could only mean Lupin was getting ready to spring. And he did.
Lupin sprung at Mrs Weasley.
Harry sprung at Lupin.
A/N: So, what does everybody think? It's more entertaining writing the funny stuff but there's no story line without the suspense stuff. Next chapter should have some of both in it again.
A/N: Tell me your thoughts --- share with me. Back to the stupid workweek. Oh well.
A/N: Come one - I know you want to tell me what you're hoping will happen.
CH24 Frightful Forest
"Weasley! Where are you?" Professor McGonagall asked as loudly as she dared to, maybe even a little louder. Everyone was looking every which way for Ron. It was Hermione that brought them back to focus on the task at hand.
"Professor, how long do we have before we have to go? How long will Professor Dumbledore wait for us at the location?"
She answered quickly, "You all don't have any extra time to spare. You two join hands and go when I count to two. One. Two." With that they were gone. She hoped that they went to the correct spot but she had other things to worry about. Ron and Hermione, being in the middle of a forest surrounded by Death Eaters, were still probably safer than Ronald Weasley, wherever he was.
She knew that there was nothing else she could do here. She apparated back to Hogsmeade and as quickly as was possible, she made her way back to the school grounds. She could no longer think about joining the other professors on their mission to capture Pettigrew. She had to try to find Weasley, even if she didn't know where to start looking.
When she got inside the castle she went straight to the staff room. Almost all of the other teachers were in there preparing to go. "It's time," she told them.
They all made their way to Hogsmeade. The only person on the staff left in the school was Hagrid. His job was to ensure that all the students made their way safely back to the Hogwarts Express.
Professor McGonagall went with them so she could start searching for Weasley by apparating to different places. She didn't know where she was going to look yet; she just knew that she had to do something. She couldn't have known that she would never have looked in the right place for him.
Harry the sphinx and Hermione had managed to apparate to Dumbledore with no trouble. Hermione started to ask a question but Dumbledore motioned for both of them to remain silent. He slowly and silently led them to the hiding place where he, Sirius, and Lupin were holed up waiting for the full moon.
When they finally got settled into the lair Dumbledore whispered a quick enchantment and then told everyone that they were free to speak. "I've placed a soundproof charm around our area. Everyone is free to talk, or rhyme" he added while flashing a quick smile at Harry, "but I'm afraid that I must insist on asking the first question." He turned to Harry and Hermione, "Where is Ron? Didn't he decide to come?"
Harry instinctively knew that any explanation this long was going to have to be answered by Hermione. He briefly considered transforming back so he could talk with the group more easily but he figured that Dumbledore advise him to if it was the right thing to do. He, like everyone else in the lair, turned his attention to Hermione and waited for her to explain where Ron was.
"We don't know where he is. Of course he decided to come with us. One second he was there and the next he was gone. He was with us and Professor McGonagall in Hogsmeade when we each took a hold of each other and waited for her to apparate us. When we appeared outside of the forest he was gone. We looked around in every possible direction but he wasn't there. Before we could discuss it, Professor McGonagall said that our time was up and for Harry and me to come and meet you anyway."
"I see. Well she was quite right of course. We must deal with one problem at a time and our first problem is to get everyone safely out of here. Now do both of you understand our plan?"
Harry merely nodded while Hermione answered, "Yes, she explained it to us. But professor, she had said that she was going to put enchantments on Ron and me before we got onto Harry's back. That never happened."
Sirius spoke up at this point. "Oh well that's no problem. We'll let Moony take care of that. You're going to sit on Harry's back and basically protect him, right?"
"Right, I guess."
Sirius smiled at her. "Right. Dumbledore is going to do the same thing for me. The werewolf here can look out for himself. You and the headmaster are basically going to be our defense since we can't do much in our animagus form. Although whether or not he knows it, Harry can do much more than I can. In any case, I've had people ride on my back before and it's extremely distracting. Now normally I'm all for giving my godson a hard time but he's going to have his paws full helping me keep this nocturnal lunatic in check."
Hermione giggled.
"Anyway, there are ways to make Harry more comfortable with --- er --- passengers. Moony can cast a lightness spell on you. That makes is seem to Harry like you only weigh half was much as you actually do --- "
Sirius was cut off because Hermione half play and half for real punched him in the stomach. All the other men in the lair laughed heartily. After catching his breath, Sirius continued.
"I deserved that. I know better than to EVER comment about a witch and her weight. Anyway, Moony can also cast a spell so that you won't fall off of him."
"Ooohhh like that potion Neville came up with a few weeks ago the day before our game against Slytherin."
"Yeah Hermione, something like that." Sirius smiled from the memories of simpler times. He wished the only obstacle his godson had in front of him was a quidditch match. Hermione's next question got his attention again.
"What else?"
"Oh nothing really, anything else would be a personal preference on Harry's part. Some animagi prefer for their rider to be shrunk so they don't feel them kicking all over their torso, others prefer for you to be in a saddle because it's less of a strain on the back while still others prefer that we temporarily remove your legs so their movement won't be hampered. It really all depends on the animagus and since Harry hasn't had any experience yet let's not do anything except the first two basic spells."
No one else had said anything during the entire conversation between Sirius and Hermione. When it seemed like they had finally talked themselves out, even Harry had had enough time to think of something to say.
"My look at all the pretty birds. Did you two finally run out of words? Our best friend has left our side. I'd think we should be searching far and wide. When can we get out of here? I would like a butterbeer?" Harry smiled when he was finished.
Hermione was impressed but she was a little shocked by how affected the two middle-aged wizards in the lair were by Harry's questions. She thought she knew why but made a mental note to ask someone later to confirm her suspicions.
Dumbledore answered Harry. "Very impressive; very impressive indeed. You do of course understand that we're in a pretty serious situation ourselves though. I assure you that we do not often ask three teen-aged wizards for their help. I must insist that you keep your focus here and trust in us to solve these problems in an 'orderly' fashion. Ron will find his way back to us."
Harry knew he was right, he was always right. He just seemed to be getting frustrated more and more lately; he'd have to think about it later.
"Of course you're right. I must be speaking out of fright. I'm sorry to say, I let myself get carried away." He really was sorry and he hoped he got the message across. In any case Sirius interrupted his thoughts.
"Moving right along. You need to know that this crackpot over here is a handful when he transforms. Well, truth be told he's a handful when he's normal but when he transforms he like a Hungarian Horntail when it's teething."
That comparison struck home with Harry. Actually he realized that Lupin must take quite some effort to control if Sirius couldn't do it by himself. He wished he knew more of his animagus abilities but he felt ready to help them do this. He also knew that it was wrong of him to think so, but he just didn't think Lupin would hurt him.
Hermione asked another question that Harry hadn't even thought about. He knew how smart she was but she still managed to impress him from time to time. "Ummmm, Professor Dumbledore. How are we going to leave here once we get past the Death Eaters?"
"Ahhhh, very good question. We did cut our explanation a bit short didn't we? After we get clear of the forest, we can apparate back to Hogsmeade."
Hermione didn't seem to accept this on face value.
"Ummmm, well then sir I have to ask one more thing."
"Oh my yes, ask away."
"Well sir, it seems to me that we should --- ummm that maybe we ought to --- shouldn't we have different partners? Harry and I can apparate a half mile or so but I don't know about going back to Hogsmeade. Shouldn't I ride with Sirius so he can apparate us back and you ride on Harry so you can apparate him back safely?"
Harry, though unable to voice it, was yet again amazed with her logic. He just smiled at her. He hadn't thought about that at all but after tonight he sure didn't want any more surprises getting back to Hogsmeade.
Sirius turned to the two adult wizards and smiled. "I told you that they would figure this out. They're very clever. Moony, perhaps they could teach you a thing or two."
Lupin started to answer his old friend but he was cut off. "You found us out --- very good --- very good indeed." Dumbledore did actually seem pleased that they figured out the flaw in his plan. "After we help get Lupin out, you two will need to apparate him with you to Hogsmeade. Sirius and I have a bit more work to do here. We'll be right behind you though."
Hermione looked over at Harry. Neither one of them liked the sound of this but they knew Dumbledore was not a wizard to take unnecessary risks and they trusted him. After all, there was a war going on. No one said anything else for a while until Sirius noticed it the sun start to vanish.
"Moony, you need to go ahead and charm Hermione so that we don't miss the opportunity to save our strength and have you do it."
Lupin performed the two charms and the group waited for darkness. Much sooner, than Harry expected it, he was told to get ready and Hermione was helped onto Harry's back. She had a little trouble finding a place to sit without being in the way of his wings but that was solved when Sirius reminded her that she didn't have to hold on to Harry because of the charm.
Harry and Hermione were both grateful when someone cast a small light spell. Harry thought he heard something growling. It was a low guttural growl that you only seem to hear late at night when you're already scared. He was now very sure that, given the opportunity, Lupin would hurt him. Dumbledore cast a few spells on the group and they waited for the werewolf to lead the way out.
WHOOOOOSH
In less than a second the werewolf had leaped out of the lair and was already thirty feet away. The black dog and his passenger as well the sphinx and his passenger took off after their charge. They were all moving at incredible speeds. Harry wasn't sure how he could keep up this pace without running into trees but he knew that he was here to help steer Lupin, not lag behind. Soon he had taken his place on Lupin's left and he and Sirius were steering him out of the forest in the direction Dumbledore had indicated earlier.
Harry was starting to think that this was going to be very easy. Of course, that's when they ran into a group of fifteen hooded Death Eaters. It's hard to say who was more surprised. Harry and Hermione couldn't really be prepared for this type of encounter at their age but then again the group of Death Eaters was expecting to find three wizards not two large animals bearing jockeys running alongside a werewolf. Surprise won out over numbers.
It had to. Harry didn't realize that this was where the difficulty with Lupin would come into play. He thought they could just attack a few and outrun the rest to the edge. He forgot that the werewolf's instinct was to chase and attack all the humans. Also, he didn't realize how primal his own instincts were going to be to attack these dark wizards. He wasn't in a race; he was in a brawl.
Three of the Death Eaters ran at their first sight of Lupin. Hermione and Dumbledore each hexed one. Sirius had jumped on one, knocking him to the ground, and then bit his wand hand making him drop the wand, which Dumbledore summoned before it even hit the ground. Harry had no idea what came over him. He didn't think he could stop himself from attacking even if he had wanted to, which he didn't.
He leapt at the two nearest Death Eaters, knocking them both unconscious. He was standing with his two left paws on one and his two right paws on the other. When he knew these two were no longer a threat, instinct had him leap at another that he didn't even realize was behind him. He clawed this third victim starting with the right side of his face, down his wand arm, and all down his leg. Without pausing he sprung at two more victims also rendering them unconscious. The remaining Death Eaters were no match for the werewolf and his companions. It was Harry and Lupin that disposed of the rest of the Death Eaters. He didn't think anyone was killed but he was amazed at how quickly and efficiently he and his werewolf friend defeated the remaining dark wizards. In the end, over half ended up knocked out on the ground.
"Take the left flank, you two!" Dumbledore shouted. "It's time we get going."
Harry was a little torn. He knew his job was to escort Lupin out of the forest. However what he really wanted to do was find more dark wizards to attack, and after all he did seem to be good at it. His mixed feelings confused him but he knew that he had to finish what he started for Dumbledore. He ran to Lupin's left side and helped Sirius guide him the same direction they had been running before. In less than a minute they were clear of the forest and getting ready to apparate.
"See you soon!" Dumbledore shouted as he and Sirius turned around to return to the forest. Harry didn't have any trouble catching up to the werewolf. He ran up beside him and slowed down to match him stride for stride.
"On two we apparate back to Hogsmeade." Hermione said.
"One." She leaned over and put her hand on Lupin's back. She thought to herself that there was no way she would have been to do that without those charms to keep her from falling off.
"Two." They successfully apparated with a loud POP.
Harry had never apparated while running before. That was a sensation he was definitely not eager to experience again. He and Hermione looked around and then looked at each other.
"Lupin!" Hermione shouted to no avail. The werewolf ignored her and continued chasing the two human figures in the distance. Harry tore off after him. He didn't know where they were nor did he know who those two figures were. But what we he did know was that Dumbledore didn't bring him into the plan so that he could apparate to some random location and let a werewolf eat two unsuspecting people.
As they got closer Hermione was able to recognize the two wizards that were attempting to hex the werewolf. They couldn't know that Dumbledore had recently cast several spells on the werewolf to protect it from some of the very hexes they were trying to defend themselves with.
"Mr and Mrs Weasley!" Hermione screamed out to the two figures that were now running. "Don't worry, we're coming."
It was going to be close but Harry was definitely gaining ground. He was furious at himself for not immediately locating Lupin when they first apparated and letting him get so far away. He could see the werewolf only ten feet behind the Weasleys. Harry was running faster than he ever even imagined possible. He was gaining ground on Lupin but Lupin was definitely gaining on his targets. Lupin only had a few feet left to catch up to what would probably be his dinner. Harry didn't like the growl he heard coming from his former professor --- it could only mean Lupin was getting ready to spring. And he did.
Lupin sprung at Mrs Weasley.
Harry sprung at Lupin.
A/N: So, what does everybody think? It's more entertaining writing the funny stuff but there's no story line without the suspense stuff. Next chapter should have some of both in it again.