Altercations

By Neurotica

Eighteen

Three days after Ron's disappearance, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had to return to Hogwarts without him. Molly had wanted to keep her only daughter close to home, but Arthur eventually convinced her that Ginny was safest at school with Dumbledore. There still hadn't been any breakthroughs in finding the lost Weasley; Auror Johnson, who Percy identified as the one who had planted the note in Ron's bedroom, claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse. A Healer was called in to examine Johnson and she confirmed that he had indeed been under somebody else's control that night.

Back at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Naomi woke in a near panic, apparently unaware that she was nowhere near Lord Voldemort. The evening after the kids left for Hogwarts, Sirius heard her screams while he, Remus, and Emmeline were having a rather tense dinner. He sprinted up the stairs, past his mother's screaming portrait, and to her side to calm her. By the time Remus and Emmeline had silenced Mrs. Black and made it to Naomi's room, she'd attached herself to Sirius, and was sobbing heavily into his chest. Madam Pomfrey was contacted to examine the witch. Upon examination, the nurse told the others that Naomi would be fine. However, whatever had been done to Naomi had traumatized her, and she couldn't seem to understand that she was safe. Until she did, it would be best if she was not left alone. Molly offered to stay with her during the day; Sirius figured it was to keep her mind off Ron.

At night, Sirius didn't leave her side. He told her everything that had happened since she'd been brought to Headquarters. Naomi told him she hadn't heard anything about Ron being kidnapped or held hostage, but promised to help in any way she could.

Her thoughts on the fight between Sirius and Remus rather surprised the Auror. "You're a moron," she said to him after he told her what happened. "I told you two months ago that you needed to tell Remus what was going on between us, and you still didn't do it."

"What was I supposed to say to him, Naomi?" Sirius asked in frustration. "'Hey, Remus, I'm shagging your ex fiancée—you know, the first woman you ever loved? Oh, and would you pass the butter?"

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Is that all I am to you? A shag?" Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but she shook her head, silencing him. "Don't... sorry..." She sighed. "How'd he find out, anyway?"

"The night Dumbledore brought you here, I came in and was talking to you. Remus walked in as I was kissing you good night."

"You kissed me when I was unconscious?"

"I kissed you all the time when you were unconscious. Do you have a problem with that?" Sirius grinned, leaning over her. She smiled and shook her head slightly, reaching up to pull him closer.

Their kiss only lasted a few seconds when someone cleared their throat at the door. They broke apart and Sirius silently groaned when he spotted Remus. "Dinner's ready," the other wizard said stiffly, not looking at either of them. "Emmeline wanted you to know."

We really need a bell charm over that door... Sirius thought, sighing as glanced at Naomi. "I'll bring something up for you," he said quietly, squeezing her hand. He stood from the edge of the bed and left the room, wordlessly passing Remus on the way out.

Remus glanced at Naomi briefly before turning to leave.

"Remus, wait!" she called. He paused at the door. "Could I talk with you for a minute?"

"The last time you asked me that, I ended up in a lot of trouble with my girlfriend," he said flatly.

"That won't happen this time," she said. "You don't even have to come near me. Please, just listen?" She could tell he was hesitating, but after a few moments, he turned to face her. He leaned against the wall expectantly. "Sirius is a moron," she began. Remus couldn't help but laugh a bit. "He wanted to tell you about us, but he didn't know how. But I mean, how would you tell him something like that, Remus?"

Remus looked down at his feet, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look, Sirius cares about you a lot. He didn't mean to hurt you and he didn't want to lie to you. He feels horrible for doing that, but he didn't see any other way."

"He could have just told me..." Remus muttered.

"And as I said, how would you have told him?"

"It doesn't matter what I would've said!" Remus whispered harshly. "I never would have lied and gone behind his back, not for anybody. I appreciate you're trying to defend him, but I can deal with this on my own."

"Is it because it's me that you're this upset?" she asked bluntly, ignoring what he said.

He finally looked up. "No," he said.

"You're lying," she said promptly. "Your eye twitches when you lie, you know. Why are you so upset that he's with me, Remus? Am I really so horrible?"

Remus stared at her for a moment, sizing her up. "I don't want you to do to him what you did to me," he said quietly.

Naomi bit her lip and nodded. "I figured as much." She sighed. "Well, it'll be rather difficult for me to leave him to join the Death Eaters now that they've tried to kill me—"

"Don't," he snapped. "Don't you dare joke about this, Naomi. You know what I'm talking about, don't act like you don't. Look, I'm very thankful to you for saving us at Christmas, and I always will be, but—"

"You told me that night that you trusted me," she interrupted. "Were you lying then?"

"No," he said honestly. "I do trust you, but this is my best friend's heart you're dealing with. And if you break it—"

"I don't intend to," she said softly. "I don't want to..."

Remus watched her for a few minutes. "Are you in love with him?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

She held his gaze steadily. "Yes," she said just as quietly.

"Good," he said simply with a small smile. "He loves you too."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What? How do you know this?"

"I heard him tell you one night when you were asleep."

"Oh," she managed to say.

"I'd better get down to dinner. I'll make sure he saves you something." He turned to leave again.

"Remus!" she called again. He turned back. "He told me about you and Emmeline... Congratulations. I really mean that."

He smiled. "Thank you, Naomi."

Hogwarts wasn't the same anymore. Since the term's start, Harry hadn't eaten or slept. He hadn't paid attention in any of the classes he hadn't skived, and he'd even forgotten to fight with Malfoy, who was suddenly back to his old self. Harry wasn't the only miserable Gryffindor, though; Hermione's studies were suffering dramatically as she spent most of her time in a daze.

It was nearing midnight and Harry had been sitting in the same armchair in the Gryffindor common room since he'd returned from dinner. The fire in front of him had been dying out for hours, though Harry hadn't noticed. His ears were full of a buzzing noise as he tried not to think of his best friend and the fact that he, Harry, was sitting at school doing nothing to help him. The Ministry had no idea where to begin on Ron's case, nor did the Order of the Phoenix. What hope was there that Harry would ever see Ron again if no one could figure out how to find him?

Harry had once overheard a conversation between Sirius and Remus about a place in Albania that had disappeared from the map they'd developed for the Order. The spot was surrounded by a forest, and on either side of this spot was where the werewolves had been slaughtered a little over a year ago. Both of Harry's guardians thought this place was where Voldemort and his Death Eaters were hiding, but they had no solid proof; neither Snape nor Naomi had any idea where they met with the Dark Lord; they Apparated directly in and out of the place, and never went outside its walls. If this blank spot in Albania was where Voldemort was hiding, what were the chances that Ron was there too? And what would be the chances of somebody going in there to rescue him? The only person in the Order who could get in there without sparking suspicion anymore was Snape. But if Snape busted Ron out to safety, his work as a spy would be jeopardized, and the Order wouldn't risk that—they'd already lost Naomi as a spy, after all...

But if Snape brought somebody into the Death Eater hideout with him, and that other person went to save Ron, Voldemort need never know that Snape was betraying him. No, that would never work; somebody would notice an intruder—unless the person was undetectable somehow. Voldemort had probably rigged his hideout to detect anybody under Invisibility Cloaks, or Disillusionment charms, though. Harry groaned in frustration. Anything he thought of, Voldemort would have thought of first.

Harry turned his head to look out the common room window at the moon that would be full in a few days. He wondered if Sirius and Remus would make up in time for Padfoot and Moony to enjoy the night together. Harry's guardians had been letting him spend the full moon with them ever since that past summer, when Harry had perfected his Animagus transformation, and they'd been some of the best experiences of Harry's life. Ron was close to completing his own transformation as well. Harry suspected only a few more months, and he would have it done. Then Ron could also join the Marauders on the full moon.

But now, he'll never get the chance, Harry thought miserably. After his talk with Remus, Harry had stopped blaming himself, but he still felt horrible that there was nothing he could do. Some savior of the wizarding world I am, he thought bitterly. Can't even save my best friend! What have I done to fight against Voldemort? Nothing! About the only thing I could do to him is peck at his eyes in my Animagus form—

Harry's thoughts stopped abruptly and his eyes widened. There was something he could do to help Ron, but he needed to talk to his guardians to get the plan moving. Tomorrow would be a Hogsmeade day. Harry could have Sirius or Remus meet him somewhere, or while everyone was out of Gryffindor tower, he could Floo back to Headquarters. Harry's heart was beating wildly in his chest as he thought the idea over in his head. They'd see Ron again, after all.

Sirius and Naomi were curled up together in Naomi's bed the next afternoon. The witch had slept for most of the day—her body and mind were both still exhausted and weak after her near death experience at the hands of the Dark Lord. Sirius remained at her side in case she woke from a nightmare and needed his comfort. She'd told him what had happened to her after the incident at the cottage, and Sirius had been forced to fight the surge of rage and disgust that had erupted in him. Voldemort hadn't only used the Cruciatus curse on his betrayer, but a number of other spells that caused pain and misery. Other Death Eaters had been allowed a chance at Naomi as well. Wands hadn't been the only tools used to torture her—many of the wizard-Death Eaters had been permitted to do any number of horrible, unspeakable things to her—things that had Naomi waking in the middle of the night screaming, pushing, and punching away from Sirius until she finally recognized him.

Naomi had no idea how she'd made it to the Hogwarts gates. She claimed that the last thing she recalled was crawling painfully across a stone floor, trying to get away from some Death Eater. She'd gone into a room, locked the door, and then passed out. At Hogwarts, she'd woken just long enough to tell Dumbledore that Voldemort knew what she'd done and that she was sorry she'd failed the Order.

Sirius opened his eyes as he felt Naomi move against his chest. He ran a hand gently across her back, hoping that if she was having a nightmare, he'd be able to wake her easily—he hated seeing her so terrified.

She sighed softly and moved her hand across his chest before lifting her head a bit and opening her eyes. "Hi," she said quietly with a weak smile.

"Hey." He smiled back. "How'd you sleep?"

"All right," she answered. "Thank you for staying with me, by the way."

"There's nothing I'd rather be doing," he said. "Besides, it's the least I can do after what you did for us. You've no idea what that meant to us, Naomi, and there's no way we could ever thank you."

"Well, I couldn't just let him kill you," she said dismissively.

"But there aren't many people who would risk their lives the way you did. You had to have known he'd figure you out when we disappeared..."

"I didn't care," she said simply. "As long as I knew you, Remus, and Emmeline got out safely, I didn't care what happened to me."

"I did," he whispered. "I'm so happy you're all right and that you'll never have to go back there to face any of them again."

She smiled slightly. "You finally got me into hiding."

He moved his hand gently across her cheek and rested it at the base of her neck. "Naomi... there's something I need to tell you."

"What?" she asked quietly.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to form his thoughts into words, but didn't have a chance to say anything—Emmeline knocked urgently on the bedroom door. Sirius fought the urge to swear and groan loudly.

"Sirius, you need to get to the kitchen," she said in a rush. "Harry's just Flooed in."

"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

Emmeline shook her hear. "I don't know, but he wants to talk to you and Remus."

He turned back to Naomi. "I'll be back." She nodded and scooted away so he could get out of bed. He rushed past Emmeline through the hallway and down the stairs. When he reached the kitchen, Harry looked up from where he'd been trying to avoid Remus' narrowed eyes. "What the hell are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to leave school—"

"I know how we can save Ron," Harry said, interrupting his godfather.

Both Remus and Sirius stared at him. "What?" Remus said a few moments later.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking about it last night and I think I've got a plan that I know can work."

Sirius exchanged a look with Remus. "Harry, listen, we know you're scared for Ron, but we're taking care of it—"

"You're still in your bloody pajamas!" Harry exploded, standing from the table. "You've both told me you haven't got a damn clue about where to even begin looking for Ron! How are you taking care of it if you're just sitting around?"

"Harry, calm down," Remus said quietly.

"No!" Harry yelled, turning on him. "Tell me, what do you plan on doing to help Ron? He could be dying right now!"

Sirius cautiously approached his godson, unable to recall ever seeing the boy this angry. He gently turned Harry around, expecting a fist in the face, and pushed Harry down into a chair by his shoulders. Sirius knelt in front of him. "Harry, listen to me," he said quietly. "We are doing everything we can, but you've got to understand that things like this take time. No, we have no idea where Ron is, and no, we don't know where to begin. But we're going to get him back, Harry—"

"Will you just shut up and listen to my idea?" Harry snapped, still red in the face from yelling. Sirius and Remus hesitantly nodded. Harry sighed and began quietly. "What if we got someone into Voldemort's hideout? What if Snape could somehow sneak somebody in and that somebody could get Ron out?"

"Harry, how would you get somebody in there without Voldemort or any other Death Eater knowing?" Remus asked patiently. "There are charms and spells and curses in place that would make your head spin, specifically to keep outsiders out. And don't you think somebody would notice a person sneaking around that doesn't belong there?"

"Not if that somebody is small enough to stay out of sight..." Harry said.

"No," Sirius said at once. "Don't even think about it."

"What? You didn't even listen!"

Sirius shook his head and stood. "Let me guess your plan, Harry. You want to go into Voldemort's hideout in your Animagus form, right?" Harry nodded. "Okay, so let's say you get in without being caught. How the hell do you think you'll be able to get out of there with Ron in whatever bad shape he could be in? Not to mention you don't know the first thing about the place. You'll never find your way out."

"If someone told me how to get out, I could," Harry argued. "Look, it's better than anything you've come up with."

Sirius rubbed his hands roughly over his face. "No," he said firmly. "Not going to happen. Just forget it."

"You can't stop me from doing this," Harry said quietly, looking directly into his godfather's eyes. "Voldemort has my best friend, and I'm going to save him. If it had been my dad or Remus that Voldemort had, you'd go after them in a second, and you know it. You wouldn't sit around at school, acting like a good boy, wondering when the news that he'd been killed was going to come."

"That's enough," Sirius said quietly, his voice wavering a bit. "Listen to me, Harry, you're sixteen years old. You may know more than any other wizard your age when it comes to Voldemort, but I'm telling you, you wouldn't make it out of there alive. Voldemort wants you to do exactly what you're thinking about doing. And I will not let you run off to your death. I'm proud that you're willing to go rescue your best friend, Harry, and you're right, I would have done the same thing had it been your father or Remus in Ron's position, but I also never had anybody who loved me enough to discourage me from doing something stupid like this. All I ever had were my friends. They were my brothers, and I would have given my life for any of them. You cannot do this. You're not ready to face Voldemort, Harry. Hell, if I had it my way, you'd never face him. If I had my way, I'd keep you safe and out of danger for the rest of your life."

"But you don't get your way," Harry said. "I do have to face him at some point, but nobody says it has to be now. I could get in and out without him ever knowing I was there." He sighed heavily. "Hermione is at school right now doing nothing. She's barely left her dorm, and she hasn't been to the library once since we went back to school. Ginny's miserable and on the verge of tears just about every other minute, and she never cries. You saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Ron's brothers. What do you think would happen to all of them if Ron died? I can do this... I want to do this..."

Sirius' jaw clenched and he started pacing around the kitchen. What more could they say to convince Harry that he had no idea what he was suggesting? Though Sirius didn't want to admit it, Harry was right; the Order had no idea how to save Ron. Harry's idea was the best thing anyone had come up with, even with all the holes in it.

"Harry, it's time you went back to school," Remus said quietly. Sirius nearly forgot he was even in the kitchen—he'd been strangely quiet. "We'll come up to see you after the full moon. Until then, you are to stay in the castle unless you're going to class. If you are caught outside the castle for any reason other than classes or Quidditch, you will be in trouble. A lot of trouble."

Harry glared hard at his guardians as he stood, kicking his chair out of his way. On the way to the fireplace, he muttered things about the older wizards that normally would have had Remus very angry, but right now, the werewolf's face remained completely blank. Harry stepped into the fireplace and called out his destination ("Gryffindor tower, Hogwarts!") and disappeared in a whirl of green flames.

Sirius and Remus turned to look at each other, both at a loss of words over what just happened. "What do you reckon?" Sirius asked, expecting Remus to agree totally with his arguments.

"It'd be a good plan if it were a little more thought out," Remus said. "But you're right, Voldemort would be expecting someone to try and get in."

"And the only way anyone could get in is if a Death Eater took them—only the Death Eaters know how to get there, right? Voldemort would know someone else had betrayed him," Sirius said.

"What if he really could get in and out without getting caught?"

Sirius looked at him incredulously. "You're not honestly considering his plan?" Judging by the look on his face, Remus was indeed considering it. "I don't believe this! You're supposed to be the rational one of us, and I'm the only one thinking this is mental!"

"Do you want to see Ron die?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't!"

"Well, if we don't figure something out very soon, he will die. I think Harry could pull this off so long as we plan it very carefully."

Sirius stared at him. "Who the hell are you?" he whispered. "You would really send Harry in there alone?"

"We've got to do something," Remus said quietly.

The strain between Sirius and Remus grew tighter after Harry returned to school. Remus told Emmeline and Naomi what had happened in the kitchen, and how, afterwards, Sirius stormed out of Headquarters without a word to anybody on where he was going. The two witches were torn between wanting to keep Harry safe and wanting to save Ron Weasley.

Naomi explained the charms and wards used on Voldemort's castle, and she didn't think there was anything that could detect an Animagus. She could draw a map of the place from memory and label nearly every room. There were only a few places Ron would be kept if he was indeed in the castle, and all were heavily guarded at all times unless the Dark Lord called a meeting—in that case, the prisoner was stunned until the guards returned.

"That would be Harry's only chance of getting around without being seen," Naomi told Remus and Emmeline. "And even then, I can't guarantee how long he would have to get out—no more than an hour, I'd imagine. If Ron is badly injured, which I'm sure he is, that's just going to slow Harry down even more."

"But do you think he'd have a chance to get them both out?" Remus asked, leaning on the wall in Naomi's room. Emmeline sat at the desk.

Naomi nodded. "Yes, I think he could," she said quietly. "If he—" She broke off, looking at the bedroom door. Remus turned and saw Sirius standing in the threshold. Remus thought he'd been crying, but he didn't say anything.

Silently, Sirius crossed the room to the bed and sat beside Naomi. "So," he said without looking at any of them. "How are we going to make sure Harry gets out of there alive?"