A/N: Here we go! The much-awaited Dursley chapter! This will probably be the last chapter with these characters in it, I don't particularly like writing them. This gets a little more serious, towards the end. The next chapter is going to start more of the plotting and thwarting, which will mean less fluff, but I'm open to writing oneshots that will be based in this AU. Is anyone interested in seeing that? If yes, you're welcome to leave a prompt or little idea. I can't guarantee that it will be what you had in mind (if you're into Bleach, check out my chapter "Decorating Days" in Discovery. I may have corrupted "Sitting on Santa's Lap") but I will definitely look and try writing it!
Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! It's really great to see that people are actually reading this. Thanks for supporting me!
Severus carefully tucked his wand into the pocket of his trousers before looking at the two men behind him. "Will you be joining me?"
"We're coming, we're coming. You have to give us a minute." Sirius ran his hand through his hair. "As Moony here keeps reminding us, we don't want to get arrested or anything."
"No, we do not. Harry would wind up going right back to the Dursleys and none of us want that to happen," Remus commented, dusting off his gray slacks. "Let's go. I want to get back to Harry."
The dog Animagus nodded. "So do I."
"Then shall we get moving?" Severus approached the door cautiously. The so-called "wards" Albus touted were certainly there, although not nearly at the level that he had promised they would be. These would keep out a low-level Death Eater, but someone of Lucius or Severus's caliber could blast through these wards easily. "Lupin, if you will?"
"Certainly." Taking a step forward, Remus pulled out his wand and silently opened the door. The three men crept into the house quietly, hearing the sounds of the telly in the background. It was late enough that the child was asleep, but early enough that the Dursleys would be awake, as they were.
Sirius paused in the doorway to the sitting room, surveying the two people who were responsible for the torture and tormenting of his godson. His face curled into a snarl. "Let's get on with it. Before I lose whatever self control I have left."
"Relax, mutt." With that, Severus Transfigured his clothes back to his regular robes and swirled into the sitting room. "Good evening, Tunie."
"You!" The horselike woman jumped from her seat and glared at him. "What are you doing here? You...You were on the bad side!"
Severus smoothly raised an eyebrow. "Was I? And how might you know that?"
"L-Lily sent me a letter," she stuttered. Peering behind him, she caught sight of Sirius and Remus. "And you two as well?!"
"Yeah, when we told Severus about what was going on, he decided to join us. I didn't realize he knew you from before." Sirius looked over at the Potions Master. "Were you friends?"
"Hardly. She was a petty child, jealous of everything Lily could do. She begged Albus to get into Hogwarts," the man sneered. He pulled his wand out of his robes, twirling it between his fingers. "I can understand that, perhaps. I was certainly jealous of James Potter when I saw him together with Lily. However, I was not the one who treated my flesh and blood like this. You should be thankful I have some morals, or else you would never survive the night for treating Lily's son in such a way."
Taking a step forward, Remus pointed his wand at Vernon, who was silently shaking on the couch. His nose wrinkled as a pungent scent filled the air. "Disgusting. A grown man, like yourself, reduced to this? I would have pity, but this is my cub you hurt. You will pay."
Sirius suppressed a shiver. Had anyone asked him before this encounter who he thought would be the most violent, he would have said himself or Snape. But now...he would bet on Remus. There was a gleam in his eye that matched the look he normally only had during the full moon. He rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Calm down, Moony. We can't go to Azkaban now. Harry is waiting for us."
With a visible shudder, Remus yanked his emotions under control, his eyes never leaving the Dursleys' faces. "Do what you must, Severus. Sirius and I will follow."
"Of course." Severus turned his attention to the two pathetic humans in front of him, leveling his wand first at Petunia's face. "Legilimens."
It only took ten minutes for Severus to finish looking through the minds of both of the Dursleys. When his search was complete, he turned to Sirius and Remus. "It is done. Go ahead with whatever you wanted to do."
Sirius took a step forward, nodding to Remus as he did so. "You hurt Harry," the man whispered harshly. "You beat him, and neglected him, and made him feel unwanted. You can feel the same way too."
As one, Sirius and Remus stepped forward and leveled their wands at the two Dursleys. They cast the spell silently, making the two muggles collapse on the floor.
"What did you do?" Severus asked.
"A spell to transfer all Harry's experiences in this house to them. The spell pulls memories from the house itself, then molds them to fit the mind of the person it was cast on." Remus looked at Vernon in disgust. "I felt it was appropriate and told Sirius to use it."
"I see." The Potions Master pulled a vial of silver potion from the pocket of his robe and shook it gently. "I'll get this spread around the house."
Sirius eyed the vial with interest. "What's that?"
"A potion of my own devising. It is meant to be the opposite of Felix Felicis." Severus uncapped the glass container and waved his wand. "If I spread it around the house, it should cause as much bad luck as possible to happen to these...muggles. I presume you are not against that?"
"Not at all. Are we doing anything about the boy?" Remus asked.
"No. He didn't really do anything to be punished for." Giving the house one last look, Sirius kicked Vernon's ribs. "Let's get out of here. The filth is getting to me."
As they began to exit the Dursley dwelling, Remus surveyed the scene they were leaving. "Wait...this feels rather anticlimactic," he remarked. The other two looked to him, and he
continued, "We're leaving the house in perfect condition, and we didn't even hurt those two very badly. This just does not scream the Marauders' work."
"That may be because I am not a marauder," was Severus's answer.
Sirius twirled his wand between his fingers and laughed. "Oh, no, after this? You're at least an honorary marauder, even James would agree. I say we trash the place."
"It seems that Petunia is a rather fastidious housewife." Remus exchanged a wolfish grin with Sirius, while Severus looked on with a morbid interest. The antics of the Marauders, while annoying, humiliating, and downright bullying, were still incredible. "Shall we?"
"We shall." The two men descended on the spotless kitchen with a fervor Severus had rarely seen from them. Within minutes, the formerly clean room was destroyed. China lay shattered on the dirt-covered floor, small sparkles of glass and crystal twinkling in the wreckage. Food from the refrigerator was now rotting on the counters accompanied by dirty silverware. Many of the kitchen chairs were destroyed and the table was leaning dangerously towards the left. Sirius dusted his hands off with a satisfied sigh. "There we go.
Anything you'd like to do, Snape?"
"No, I think I'm good. We should go." He looked over his shoulder towards the door. "The wards are down, now that you've completely destroyed any chance Harry will ever live here. Dumbledore will be here any minute now."
"Then let's move. Are you coming back with us, Severus?" Remus tucked his wand into his robe pocket. "You're welcome to, if you would like."
"Yes, thank you," Severus answered. "But first, let me get rid of the evidence."
The three men left the house and walked partway down the street before Disapparating into the night. Minutes after their disappearance, an old man with a long gray beard and questionable fashion sense popped into existence a few feet away. He surveyed the area thoroughly, trying to find the magical signatures of the people who had been here before, the people who had broken the wards. But it was too late. One of them must have wiped the magical traces from the area before they left. Albus would have to be careful now. Sure, it could just be a rogue Death Eater, but it could also be one of his followers who had broken free of his influence. He had gotten lazy about administering the doses of potion to the former Order, as well as other witches and wizards who could be helpful to him. It was time to rectify that mistake.
He gave the street one last look, then turned around and strode off into the darkness. The boy was certainly safe where he was, even with the broken wards. No one would come for him here. For now, Albus had much more important things to do.
