Disclaimer: Please see Chapters 1 and 2 for full disclaimers
Shout outs…
Evenstar Elanor… Lucius is just being himself; he's always up for a little psychological gamesmanship and torture
Mercury Gray… Lucius is discreet. He's never been caught doing anything wrong (at least not with any concrete evidence)… and who is to say that he isn't just playing games with Narcissa?
Angoliel… Useful? Your suggestions are more than useful, my friend!
Sammie-b… Welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed "Thunderstruck" and that you've gotten so far through "Panther."
Wyall Jared… As always, I'm terribly pleased you like my story… (and I hope I got my UK slang right in this chapter!)
Chapter 25: Unexpected Angel
While Draco tried to figure out what his parents were hiding from him, Grimmauld Place was bustling with activity. Nearly every member of the Order of the Phoenix was there. They had forbidden Serena to come; she needed to rest and not be away from Hogwart's until the trial, and Lupin had to be there to fill in for her the following day.
"So," said Dumbledore. "What do we know?" He ran his long fingers over his beard and looked at the Order of the Phoenix members scattered about the living room.
"Not a bloody, flippin' thing," snorted Tonks. Her hair was shoulder length and an odd shade of rusty red with yellow tips.
"Thank you for that concise description," said Sirius Black with a bored sigh.
"Don't start, either of you," ordered Molly Weasley. "I've had enough of your bickering and foolishness for one night."
"What we know," said Mad-Eye Moody, "is that the Death Eaters are up to something. They've all been terribly quiet since Severus was imprisoned. We can only assume that they're still working to bring You Know Who back."
"They're using the trial as a front. Everyone is so caught up in that, they're not paying attention to anyone else," said McGonagall.
"And something odd is going on with the Malfoys," said Tonks.
"They're always odd," said Sirius.
"No, Tonks is right," said Arthur. "Lucius has been very, very interested in the trial."
"Well, his brother is the main accuser," growled Moody. "Makes sense that he'd be interested."
"It's more than that," said Tonks. "I've seen Lucius around the Ministry and he's been… flirtatious." She couldn't hide her distaste.
"It almost seems like he's trying to provoke his wife," said Arthur. "I've seen them a few times and something's wrong. They try to hide it but…"
"Well, hopefully their little marital spat will keep him out of the thick of whatever mischief is brewing," said Minerva McGonagall.
"As if that would ever bloody happen," grumbled Tonks. "He's got too much invested in making sure Snape is found guilty, and his brother's got too much invested in watching Serena suffer."
"She likes to suffer; she wakes up to Snape's beak every morning." Sirius thought he kept his voice low as he whispered to Arthur. He was wrong and in an instant the three female heads in the room snapped their attention to him like hawks on a mouse.
"You gormless ponce! Prat!" shrieked Tonks. "How dare you be so insulting?"
"You really have no class sometimes, Sirius," said Minerva coldly. "Haven't you ever heard the old adage of 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all…"
"None of my children would EVER speak like that in a situation like this!" Molly's voice was shrill. "Would they Arthur?"
"No, dear," he said, looking anywhere but at his wife. They just wouldn't do it so you could hear it…
While all this went on, Dumbledore merely watched with his eyebrows raised. "Ladies," he finally said, "I think you have thrashed Sirius enough and I'm sure he'll think before he speaks next time. Won't you, Sirius?"
"Indeed," he mumbled.
"We need to be getting back home," said Arthur. "We all need to be there for the start of the trial tomorrow."
"Yes," agreed Minerva as they all walked towards the door.
"Severus never wanted our help; he doesn't need our help," grumbled Sirius.
McGonagall turned to look over her shoulder just before she left and said, "What Severus needs is a guardian angel, and last I looked none of us have wings. Not even Serena."
The door shut and the Manor was engulfed in silence. A guardian angel? A guardian angel! Sirius ran down to his library and started pulling books off the shelves. He looked at title after title, throwing each over his shoulder in frustration. Finally he dragged out a dust-covered tome from behind a few other books. He blew the dust off the cover and flipped it open.
"That's it. If there are no other choices, this could be the answer," he said to himself. He cast a quick spell on the book that would allow anyone who held it to travel at unbelievable speeds. He transformed into his dog form and picked the book up in his mouth. As he ran out the door, he turned into a black blur.
Just before midnight, Serena's eyes blinked open. Outside a dog was barking fiercely. She lay in bed for a moment waiting for the annoying creature to quiet down. Of all the nights she wanted to sleep, tonight was the one. But the dog didn't stop.
"What the bloody hell is that beast's problem," she snarled as she flung the covers back and stormed to the front door, wand in hand. Outside was a huge, shaggy black dog. He growled and cocked his head at Serena. She lowered the wand slowly as she realized who it was.
What on earth are you doing here, Sirius? She took great care not to say his name out loud. The dog barked again and pawed the ground. Then Serena realized his front paws rested on an old book.
"A book?" She took a few steps forward and the dog backed away from the tome. She bent down and picked it up. It was very old, so old that she could barely see the print on the cover. Sirius barked once more and disappeared into the woods. An old bookmark with a gold tassel marked a particular page. Serena took the book inside and sat down. She opened to the marked page and started to read. As she did, her eyes lit up.
"Hellfire, Sirius! You may have just saved Severus' life."
Hope you liked it… next chapter we get to the trial. Please read/review and let me know what you think!