THANKS TO THE REVIEWERS:
Mae: I promise to update within the week. The next chapter is written, just needs proofing!
The Lady Morgaine: Wow- major positive review! And once again my fave bits of the chapter were the same as my readers! I love Snape put downs:) Thanks for reviewing!
Charmed-angel4: It is a classic BtVS line! The next update is up within the week! Thanks for reviewing oh loyal reader!
Damia- Queen of Gypsis: blushes Thanks for the compliment! All I'm saying is there will be some Scooby shaped editions to the plot in chapter eleven, so not long to wait and Faith is one of my favourite characters so I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions… I want to include Dumbledore's comeuppance, but it's proving very difficult to write for the Dawn/Lily character. Maybe I'll let Buffy hit him ;) My favourite colour? I'm rather partial to lemon yellow, it's so summer-y! Thanks for reading and reviewing, hope you like this chapter as well!
Gabrielle Dark: I will include more. I've put in a few more and my beta has suggested where I can add some next chapter. Constructive criticism rocks, so thanks a lot for that!
MaryAnn: Whoa- lots of reviews! Snape and Dawn do rock! Thanks a lot and welcome to the story.
Matt: Heya- thanks for the review. I'm working on the scenes. I'll email you soon!
A/N: Sorry about the wait, but at the time of posting the next chapter is complete. It's still got to be beta-ed, but I'll have it up within the week- promise!
Disclaimer: 'The Evil Overlord List' belongs to Peter Anspach.
CHAPTER NINE: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
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31st October 1994 –5:53 pm
"So who do you think we should pick?" Lily asked her husband, bouncing her year old baby on her lap.
"One of the marauders" James immediately suggested.
"They're the best choice, it's not like we can go to my sister and she's our only family. So…Mooney?" Lily liked the quietest marauder best. "I know we haven't seen him for a while, but he's always been good to us."
James shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think that's such a good idea Lils."
"Why not?"
"Well, you know there's a spy in the order…"
"You don't think it's...? No-way! He wouldn't do that!" Lily said certainly.
"Look at the facts. You said yourself that we hadn't seen him in a while, we've barely seen him since Harry was born. Plus we know Voldemort's calling werewolves and other creatures to his side. Do you really want to take the risk?"
Lily looked down at the gurgling baby she was holding. "No."
"Me neither. What about Padfoot?"
Lily frowned. "Too obvious. They'd hunt him down within a day."
James shrugged. He couldn't argue with that. "So I guess it's Wormtail then."
"I guess." Lily agreed.
"They'd never suspect him, not in a million years and he doesn't have that much to do in the order so it shouldn't distract him." James said seriously. He had matured since his early school days, and he put most of that down to Lily's calming influence and then the responsibility of Harry later on.
"We can't tell anyone, not even Dumbledore. The more people who know means the more chance there is of people finding out."
"Agreed. I have to tell Sirius though. I told him we were getting a secret keeper and he volunteered and I kinda accepted. He won't mind it being Peter when I explain."
"Okay. Could Sirius perform the spell? You're right about him having to know; the entire order will think that he's going to be our secret keeper so we'll have to tell him otherwise. When should we do the spell?" Lily asked nervously. The moment Dumbledore had told them about the prophecy at the Order headquarters, they had gone to 'Godric's Hollow' in hiding. But they knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered so they were to activate the Fidelius Charm immediately.
"I'll ask Padfoot and Wormtail to come over this afternoon. Dumbledore heard the prophecy this morning, as did one of the death eaters so I want Harry safe for tonight and I don't think we should go to Eddie's Halloween party."
"Somehow I'm not in the mood for partying." Lily said dryly, looking down at her son.
James got up from his seat and went over to his wife and son. Harry hadn't been planned, but now he was here James wouldn't change him for the world. He squatted down and tilted Lily's head up so he was looking into her big eyes. "It'll be okay Lil; we just have to keep Harry safe. Everything will work out just fine, you'll see."
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Hagrid strode up towards the castle. He had to get to Dumbledore's office! He'd heard Dawn shout and looked out of his window just in time to see her dive into a group of death eaters and for all of them to disappear.
He reached Dumbledore's office quickly, his long legs covering the ground quickly. The gargoyle moved and he ran up the stairs.
Dumbledore stood to greet one of only three members of the order of the phoenix as he burst into the office. The aged headmaster took one look at Hagrid's face and knew what the problem was. "Come on, we have to hurry if we want to trace that port key."
Hagrid didn't argue, he wasn't even surprised; Dumbledore always knew what was happening in his castle. He was just surprised that Dumbledore hadn't found a way to stop it before it had happened.
They went out to the edge of the dark forest where Hagrid had seen the incident take place. Dumbledore pulled some kind of contraption out of his robes and set it on the floor.
A moment later the devise started glowing golden orange and rose into the night air. As it reached about waist height it flashed brightly once and then fell into Dumbledore's outstretched hand. The headmaster looked at a small screen and took in all the information there.
It showed the port key had been spelled to teleport the group inside a magical ward, but that would take days for Dumbledore to re-create, so they would have to go to the edge of the wards and then go the rest on foot.
Dumbledore hurried back inside, Hagrid not far behind him. They would need help for this, and not from those idiots at the ministry. They had no idea how to handle something like this; subtlety wasn't exactly their strong point and anything but that would get the missing trio killed. No; they were going to have to call in the experts.
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"Come on Harry, time to wake up now." Dawn shook the young wizard gently and he started to rouse.
Dawn herself had woken from the effects of the stunning spell a couple of minutes ago. As far as she could see in the little light that emitted from a flaming torch right at the other end of the hall, neither Harry nor Ron had any injuries and there was no chance of escape.
Harry grunted and woke up. "What happened?"
"You and Ron were kidnapped by Death Eaters; I just came along for the ride. "
Harry seemed to be adjusting to his surroundings quite quickly. "Where are we? What's the matter with Ron?"
"He's just knocked out; I guess I woke up first 'cause I have a lot more experience being knocked out than you guys." Dawn went over to try and wake Ron. "I have no idea where we are, I don't suppose you do, do you?"
Harry shrugged uselessly.
"Right, thought not." Dawn sighed in agitation as Ron began to stir. "Time to get up, sleeping beauty."
"Five more minutes, mum." Ron mumbled.
Harry laughed waking Ron so that he was almost fully awake. "Harry? Professor Summers? What are you doing here?"
"Being kidnapped, same as you."
Ron rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What? Why? Where? Who?"
"Kidnapped, dunno, dunno, Death Eaters." Dawn summed up. "I'm guessing they're after Harry, some kind of revenge for nearly killing their master or something."
"Oh great. Bloody marvellous! What now?"
"I don't- wait!" Dawn's eyes lit up as she reached to her left ankle. She'd dropped her first dagger when she dove into the Death Eaters, but its mate was still securely strapped around her ankle.
"I've still not one of my daggers." She told the boys relieved and feeling more confident now she had a weapon. "I can't believe they didn't search me! Honestly, if brains were dynamite then they wouldn't have enough to blow off a hat!"
Harry sniggered at that, but Ron looked confused; what the heck was dynamite? And why was their professor carrying muggle weaponry?
The big door at the end of the hall opened and two Death Eaters entered and made their way to Harry, Ron and Dawn's cell. Dawn quickly stuffed the dagger down the back of her trousers and pulled her top over it.
"Well, well, well; what do we have here?" One of them sneered from under his mask.
Dawn stepped forward in the hope of protecting the boys to some extent, trying to stop the voice, Lily's voice, inside her head that was telling her: 'that didn't work last time'.
The Death Eaters seemed to notice her. "Who are you?"
They didn't know about her; she still had the upper hand here. "Dawn Summers, professional kidnappee. And you are…?"
If the mask weren't in the way, Dawn would see that he was glaring at her. "We are followers of the Dark Lord."
"Right. Okay. So do we get to meet your 'Lord'?" Dawn said, putting air quotes around the Lord.
The second Death Eater gripped his wand. "He will arrive tonight, and then you will see him."
"Looking forward to it." Dawn said sarcastically, but she'd pushed them too far.
"You will speak of the Dark Lord with respect! Cruico!"
Dawn doubled over, biting her tongue to stop from shouting out. Harry and Ron watched the scene anxiously.
"And you…" The taller Death Eater turned to Harry laughing cruelly; "our Lord is looking forward to seeing you."
The other Death Eater chuckled evilly and the duo left the room.
"Professor Summers? Are you okay?" Harry asked anxiously. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. Why was he so concerned for his professor's safety?
"Just dandy." Dawn said through gritted teeth. She winced as she managed to straighten up. "Well that hurt. Remind me not to be on the receiving end of one of those puppies again."
Ron smiled weakly as did Harry. Seeing the Death Eaters had made everything seem more real… and deadly.
"At least he's not actually here." Ron said relieved.
"Who, Voldemort?" Dawn asked forgetting the wizarding world's name phobia. "Yeah, that's one thing in our favour."
"What's going to happen to us?" Harry asked and Dawn could hear a note of fear in his voice although he was mastering it well.
Things didn't look that good, Dawn had to admit. No-one knew they were missing and probably wouldn't until morning, they could be anywhere not just in some close by warehouse like in Sunnydale and they had no weapons against evil wizards. Still she summoned a smile for her students.
"Don't worry; we'll be rescued. I've been kidnapped loads and it always goes the same way; captured, locked up in the dark for hours, taken to the leader, they blurt out their big plan and then some hero saves you at the very last minute. You could set your watch by it." Dawn said reassuringly.
"You've been in this position before?" He looked at her somewhat accusingly.
"Yes."
It was a simple answer, Harry thought, but it didn't give anything away. It was much like her whole personality, or what he had seen of it while she had been at Hogwarts- nothing was given away. But that didn't explain why he felt he knew her better than any other teachers, even better than the Dursley's who he'd lived with for ten years. Well, perhaps to say he knew her would be a bit strong. He understood her- the way her mind worked…it was like a strange, completely unfounded connection, and he felt she understood him. It was totally discomforting to find you understand one person more than people you'd known your entire life.
"What if we don't get rescued. No-one knows where we are."
Dawn pushed the worries of that very fact to the back of her mind. "I won't let them hurt you."
Harry was surprised at the amount of comfort her whispered words brought him. He knew deep down that he could trust her. He just knew it, but he didn't know why.
"Besides, they'll be here."
Ron twisted his neck round to look at her. "You really think they'll come for us?"
"Is the pope Catholic?" She said confidently.
"The what?" Apparently the Weasley's weren't very up on muggle religion.
"Never mind- they'll be here." Dawn said firmly.
She wondered if Harry believed her story any more than she did right now.
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Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid had now been joined by Snape, Nyphandora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt, that latter two being aurors and members of the order. The reason the rescue party had been kept so small was a) to stop the ministry getting wind of it and b) so that the group could go in and get out as quickly as possible.
Professor Dumbledore had taken mere minutes to trace the energy that the port key had left behind and had narrowed down the search to the closest muggle settlement to Hogwarts. It was about eight miles away from the edges of the forbidden forest and fairly small, all there was in the village was a small high street, a couple of farms and a cluster of houses.
Dumbledore had been surprised to find the Death Eaters setting up camp in a muggle village, but they seemed to want to keep their whereabouts secret at the moment; and a large group of influential wizards coming in and out of a wizarding mansion would no doubt raise suspicion.
The five wizards each took hold of the old shoe presented to them and were transported to the other side of the forbidden forest; magical wards prevented them from going any further.
The group set off towards the village, keeping an eye open for any suspicious activity. They estimated that it would take three to four hours for them to get to the village and when you added on the hour that the preparations had taken, it would be five hours later and past sunrise before they would find the village.
"Do yer think we'll find 'em alive?" Hagrid asked gruffly.
Dumbledore's silence had given him his answer. The headmaster had always been a firm believer in the truth and wanted to be honest with his staff; but right now he'd have traded his soul for a convincing lie.
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31st October 1994 –2:17 pm
"Professor Dumbledore!" Lily shifted Harry on her hip and beamed upon opening the door of her and James' little cottage just outside Hogsmede. "Are you here for the order meeting?"
"I'm afraid not, my dear. May I talk to you and James in private?"
Lily immediately guessed the seriousness of the situation. "We can go upstairs. The meeting's taking place in the kitchen so no-one should overhear us. I'll get James."
Dumbledore nodded and waited at the foot of the stairs for the young couple to return. He didn't want to do this, Lily and James were only nineteen and twenty, but they were still parents and had a right to know.
Lily soon returned. Behind her was James who was now holding his son, and then bringing up the rear was Sirius.
"Perhaps it should just be Lily and James, to start with?" He suggested.
James opened his mouth to protest, but Lily beat him to it. "No, he's family. Besides James will tell him anyway."
Sirius looked a bit surprised at Lily sticking up for him, but they had got a lot closer since he was made Harry's godfather. Dumbledore nodded his consent and they went upstairs into a drawing room.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked fearfully.
"It may be nothing. But as I was in the Hog's Head today interviewing a prospective member of staff, she had a premonition…" Dumbledore told them about the prophecy. He noticed James unconsciously tightening his hold on Harry and Sirius put a hand of comfort on Lily's shoulder. They truly were a family.
"So what does it mean for us?" James asked strongly.
Dumbledore sighed. "There was somebody listening to our conversation, they did not hear all of the prophecy, but they heard enough for us to worry about. I have reason to believe that it was a death eater; the Hogs Head's reputation speaks for itself and the person wore a robe which covered their face."
"We have to keep Harry safe." Lily said with a slight tremor in her voice.
"I suggest you choose a secret keeper, immediately. There are only two families that the circumstances mentioned apply too, and I have advised the Longbottom's to do the same, that is why they did not attend the meeting this afternoon. I am sorry, but I have to leave now. These are hard times for all of us and I have to break some rather devastating news to some friends." Dumbledore said regrettably.
As Dumbledore got up, James shifted so that he could give his wife a reassuring hug without letting go of Harry. Before leaving, Dumbledore turned once more to the three friends and Harry who were silently comforting each other in the room.
"Our greatest strength is love, and there is no small amount of that present in this room right now. It is that love that will save your son."
He just didn't know how right he was.
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Harry walked up and down like a caged tiger. It worried him that he wasn't worried. Why? Because of the reason he wasn't worried; because his professor was there. Some irrational, or so he thought, part of his mind was telling him that she'd already protected him once- and she would do it again. Another part was saying that Dumbledore would rescue them...after Professor Summers had risked everything to save them. It was very confusing.
Dawn sat on the hard floor, her back leaning against the wall. Ever since their first visit, the captives had remained undisturbed and Harry and Ron were getting restless.
Ron sat in one of the cells corners, leaning against one side and kicking the other wall with his foot. He'd been kicking it steadily for the last thirty minutes and it was starting to drive Dawn insane. She stared at the foot thudding away for another minute before turning to the other occupant of the room.
Harry was pacing; up and down and back again. Dawn studied him for a moment. She'd been told he looked like James with Lily's eyes. From the memory snatches she remembered that defiantly seemed so. Lily's big, green eyes with James' lithe figure and that mop of dark hair.
She was distracted from Harry's messy hair by something metallic glinting in the wavering fire light. It was about three inches above her head and probably a two foot square wide but the lack of light and dark walls that almost camouflaged it made it difficult to see. Feeling the need to do something, anything; she got up and investigated.
It was some sort of ventilation cover and, much to Dawn's surprise, it came off easily. Ron and Harry walked over to see what she was doing.
"What's that?"
"Looks like an air vent…" Dawn replied. She grabbed for a hand hold and lifted herself up to take a look…and almost laughed at what she saw. Directly in front of the hole was a space that was big enough to hold all three of them and then a couple of tunnels led off, each wide enough for them to crawl though. How cliché!
"Looks like this is our ticket out of here, boys!" Dawn said as she jumped back down. "There're ventilation tunnels up there that we could easily fit through."
"What's a ventilation tunnel?" Ron asked.
"You don't know?" Ron shook his head. "Then this must be a muggle building." Dawn reasoned. "They're basically to help air circulate."
Ron nodded. "So we can follow them and they'll lead us out?"
"Yup, trust me."
Ron looked up doubtfully, but Harry spoke without even realising. "I do."
Dawn stopped in her tracks, noticeably rocked by the quiet admission. But the flickering light and ripening smell soon brought her attention back to the present. "Harry you get up there first and wait for Ron and me."
Harry, with a boost from Ron and Dawn, made it into the space behind the wall and then helped pull Ron up. Just as Dawn was about to climb up, the door creaked open once more and one Death Eater stood framed by the light.
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Although Professors Dumbledore and Snape, aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt and Hagrid had finally entered the little village a while ago, they still had not found anywhere they believed a Death Eater would hide.
The evil wizards would certainly not 'lower themselves' to staying in one of the petite cottage type buildings, yet that seemed to be all that was about.
The group walked up the silent streets, trying to prevent themselves from being seen as much as possible. They peered into windows at first to try and determine if the Death Eaters could be hiding in that building, but seeing all the bodies of men, women and children who had been shot down as they tried to flee their homes became too much.
As dawn began to peek over the horizon, the wizards put out the light that emitted from their wands. They had not started out jumping for joy, but as the time went on they all became noticeably disheartened; they were losing hope.
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The Death Eater made its way towards the cell in which the three prisoners should be held, not knowing anything to be wrong.
Dawn soundlessly slid over to the entrance, getting out her dagger that was still down her waistband. She'd have to be fast or he'd be able to curse her again and Harry and Ron would be discovered.
The Death Eater was obviously a bit dim. He didn't look into the cell before opening it and didn't think it odd that it were totally silent in there. He slid the door back quite slowly and stepped inside; what damage could two wandless children and a muggle do?
He was about to find out.
As soon as the moment arose, Dawn grabbed the Death Eater and slid her blade across his throat fatally. He didn't even have a chance to scream and she was across the cell before his body touched the ground.
Harry and Ron pulled Dawn into the vent and stared at her in surprise. She'd killed someone without a second thought and, Ron thought, in a very messy way compared to the wizards' simple curse.
Dawn hurriedly put the cover back over the hole. The cell door was still open so when their escape was discovered, the Death Eaters would assume that they had gone that way. They probably didn't even know these vents existed. She turned round so that if it weren't too dark to see she'd be looking at Harry and Ron. "Let's go."
"You killed him!" Ron blurted out.
"Shhh! It was him or us and I'm not going to let that happen again! Get going, Now!"
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"Look!" Tonks pointed ahead.
There was a large mansion on the outskirts of the village. Some of the windows were lit up and there was smoke coming from one of the chimneys.
"That must be it." Shacklebolt reasoned.
Dumbledore nodded in agreement and the group sped up having their goal in sight. But they still had to get in undiscovered, find Harry, Ron and Dawn and then get them out and to safety. Would they be in time?
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"I can't believe that we're actually escaping through an air vent. Guys, promise me if you ever become an evil overlord your vents will be too small to crawl through?"
"Err… okay." Harry said casting Ron a confused look. This professor was weird.
"Oh and never put any two captives in the same room, and if you employ advisers then could you at least occasionally listen to their advice?"
Ron decided to humour her. "Sure."
"And never make a sentient computer that's smarter than you are, and never turn into a snake. It doesn't help. Or if you capture someone, make sure you take their key-stealing, rope-untying monkey and put it a long way away from them…like in another country. Or if you try to poison your arch nemesis at dinner and then leave the table, for the love of God, just order new drinks instead of trying to decide whether or not to swap with him. And if you're involved in a fight to the death, make sure you go to the toilet before you start…"
Harry looked back at Ron wearily. This was going to be a long crawl.
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Dawn, Harry and Ron listened to a conversation through one of the vent openings that opened into a sitting room. From what they heard, it seemed that the Death Eaters had realised that the trio had escaped from their cell. It seemed the Death Eaters were confident that the prisoners were still in the building somewhere as the exits were all being guarded, even more heavily now the captives had escaped.
Dawn motioned the boys forward, they had to try and get out of this quickly before the vent was discovered.
They may have escaped their cell, but it wasn't over yet.
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