Disclaimer: In this one, no one is mine… All are either JK Rowling's or Tamora Pierce's.
Plotting
A tall dark figure forced his way bodily into the small room, followed by a rat-like character. The sights they encountered shocked both of them. Whatever sight it was, it seemed to about to get worse.
A man, with a bare chest, cast his pitch, black eyes around the circle of forbidding DeathEaters. Everyone the man laid eyes on backed away from his gaze as if they ran from a living death. Probably the most shocking aspect of him was that he was similar to a centaur, only he was half bird.
The talons dug into the ground, breaking easily through the planking of the wooden floor. A closer inspection of the bird's gleaming feathers revealed them to be made of some sort of metal. The bird-man turned to stare at the two newcomers.
"Why have you brought me here after spending so much time in the Chaos realms?"
Throwing back his hood, the man looked more like a snake than a human. He smiled maniacally. "I thought you would be of some help to me, considering I made it so you would not fall into the Black God's realm and die." The snake-like man paused to watch the other's face, awaiting his answer.
The bird-man shifted nervously from one taloned foot to the other before speaking again. "You… brought me back? How did you do this, mage, with no portal or opals?" He paused, pondering his own words before muttering as her continued. "Thinking of my earlier statements makes even me think I was being somewhat childish…" Grudgingly, he continued. "You must be a very powerful mage to do such…"
The other man smiled. "Good… I am Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord… and I believe there is someone in you time and place that does not belong there." He paused dramatically once more, to allow this to sink in. The DeathEaters who still circled both men moved restlessly and slowly around the bird-man. Both of the men knew they feared him but did nothing to calm their fears. The rat-like creature hovered around his lord, but refused to come any closer to the fearsome bird.
As if to display his power over the men, his medal wings flared suddenly, and made the circle hastily retreat a step or two. He smiled to himself, black eyes staring into the snakes. "Fine, Lord Voldemort, I will see what I can do for you… My name is Ozorne…"
A sigh escaped Harry as he looked out the window into the rain. Ever since Sirius had… Disappeared… the rain had not stopped. Never before had he felt such rage against a single being as Bellatrix. She was the one to send Sirius through the curtain. He shook his head to be rid of the thought, only for another to appear.
Tomorrow, he and his two friends, Hermione and Ron, would be returning to the Ministry to talk to Fudge and Dumbledore. He really didn't know why. Neither did anyone at 12 Grimmauld Place, where everyone seemed to be today. Arguments could be heard from downstairs.
Tonks' voice was the first to be heard, very shrill and loud. "What do you mean we have to go back there?! Has he not been through enough, Remus?!" There was pause where Harry guessed Remus explained his point on it. Tonks' voice raised in a wordless cry of rage, that wasn't aimed at Remus, but had a direct effect none the less. The painting of Mrs. Black began once more to scream the insults at her unseen son.
Harry sighed again and began to trudge down the stares to see what was to be done. The painting was wrestled behind the curtains as Harry made an appearance. Everyone looked haggard and old, as if their years had suddenly doubled within the last summer. They wearily greeted Harry, all feeling the same anguish as he.
He suppressed a sigh; it seemed too quiet without Padfoot around. The other person who seemed to feel the same pain just as deeply was Remus. His long and tired face had become more so lately.
Harry entered the kitchen to find Remus gently stowing foodstuffs into a pack. "What are you doing, Remus?" Kind of direct for him, but Harry didn't care at the moment.
It was Remus's turn to sigh. "Tonks replied to Fudge's message… He wants us to come now instead of tomorrow to ramble on about nothing that can be helped." Harry arched an eyebrow. "Like what?" Remus shook his head. "I don't know nor do I want to know… All I know is that is concerns you three and Dumbledore…No one else will be present."
A slightly shocked look passed over Harry's face as a bushy-haired girl walked in. "Did I just hear what I though I did?" She asked. Remus bit a lip wearily before speaking to her.
"More than likely you did, Hermione. Only you, Ron, and Harry will be talking to Fudge... Err, and Dumbledore will be there as well." He shrugged unhappily at her dismayed look. "I don't like it any better than either of you, for I think he is going to ask some questions that none of you will want to answer."
Hermione's glare became more menacing as she spoke. "He probably still doesn't believe that Voldemort is back and in power… He is probably thinking it was a bad dream that everyone is sharing, or that everyone is lying to him." Remus smiled despite himself. "I wouldn't doubt it, Hermione, but nonetheless we must go… Harry, can you go find Ron?" Harry nodded and trudged back up the stairs.
He hesitated at Ron's door before boldly walking in. the room was almost identical to Ron's actual room. It made him smile to think of the Burrow. Pig hooted wanly, depressed by being kept inside too long.
Ron sat up from his bed and yawned. "'Ello, Harry… What's going on?" Harry grinned. "And why are you still asleep, Ron? Didn't your mum wake you up earlier?"
Ron gave a disgruntled snort. "Yes, she kept me up most of the night with her bloody banter then expected me to be rested three hours later…" After a moment of silence, they both burst into laughter until Harry remembered regretfully, why he was there.
"Come on, Ron, we have to go to the Ministry."
Ron's face sobered slightly at the serious look on Harry's face. "What for? It can't be for the You-know-who thing again…" Harry shrugged. "I really don't know… Let's go downstairs and meet Hermione and Remus so we can get going."
A disgruntled Fudge continued to pace impatiently across the floor as a calm Dumbledore sat sipping tea.
"Where are they?!"
They will be here shortly, Cornelius, so please be patien—"
The grand door at the end of the hall opened with a bang. Rain mingled with wind as it rushed into the room. Five cloaked figures hurried in to escape the biting wind. Fudge smiled slightly to himself. "Finally." He breathed before speaking more loudly.
"Welcome Harry, Ron, Hermione." Looking at each as he greeted them, and then he looked at Tonks and Remus. "I think you two should go… Thank you for getting them here safely."
Remus gently ushered Tonks from the building as she gave Fudge dirty glares. Once the two were out of earshot and mind, Fudge's glare returned to Harry. Harry returned it with a blank stare.
"He can't be back, can he?" Fudge's eye seemed to twitch.
Harry blinked in disbelief but it was Ron who spoke up first. "What the bloody hell are you talking about, man?! Where else would You-know-who be when you just saw him in this very hall!?" Even Hermione's face had grown darker with rage, but before anyone could speak again, a horrible scream split the air.
In a second or less, everyone knew who the voice belonged to.
Tonks.
'Who does that git think he is?' Tonks grumbled to herself as Remus led her out of the Ministry, for the moment, and back into the rain. Her entertaining outfit of blues and greens, accompanied by blue and green spiky hair, did nothing to brighten her spirit. Usually, she was able to laugh many things off, but with Sirius's disappearance/death (She was still somewhat unsure as to which it really was) she had a hard time feeling as happy and bright as her clothing choices. And the damnable rain did not help.
She turned to express her anger to Remus only to wake up on the ground with Dumbledore cradling her head.
With large eyes, Tonks spoke to the surrounding people. "Remus is gone… They took Remus!"
A/N: So… How did you like it? I know this one is still not that long but it is hard to think once you believe the fic to be dead… And sorry about not posting more often as well… some of these ideas have been swimming in my brain but too much stuff to do can make you forget what you are actually doing… Hope to see you come back and read the next chapter!!!!