(Warning: Not like anything else I've done before, so if you're a bit surprised, all I can say is that I've warned you.)
"You are three men of sin, whom destiny, that hath to instrument this lower world, and what is in't,---- the never surfeited sea hath cause to belch up; and on this island where man doth not inhabit; you 'mongst men being most unfit to live. I have made you mad; and even with such like valour, men hang and drown their proper selves."
--- Ariel, Act III, Scene III, The Tempest
THE TEMPEST
--- Every Third Thought ---
Hector's blood ran cold. He whipped around to find himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. Thunder roared and lightning split the night, illuminating the wizard's face and pale features as he stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing.
"And look!" Malfoy continued. "He's brought us some friends…they should be fun to play with, wouldn't you say, Nott?"
David and Will froze on either side of Hector as another figure appeared on the right.
"Yes, that's quite right…what a bonus! I applaud you, Bones…this should be almost as fun as murdering your brother was…although, granted, we had set out to kill all of his children…but this…" Nott's grin widened as his eyes rested on the child in Hector's arms. "This we weren't even expecting!"
Hector's face turned ashen and there was a sharp intake of breath on his left. Will had started to turn a delicate shade of green.
"Now, now, you can't have them all to yourselves, Patroclus," said yet another voice belonging to the tall figure materializing on Hector's left. "Save some for the younger generation, wouldn't you? After all, we've been waiting a long time for this…haven't we, Bones?"
This is my fault…this is all my fault…they want me and I had to drag the Grangers into this…
Hector's heart quickened. He would have moaned at their dire situation had he not been so paralysed. A stirring in his arms told him that Neenie was awake. Without looking away from Malfoy's cold eyes, he slid her slowly to the ground and set her behind him. David and Will both moved in front slightly, covering her from view.
"Whatever you want, Malfoy, they're not a part of this. Let them go," Hector demanded, his voice shaking.
The man before him gave a ruthless laugh. "Not a part of this? But they are more a part of this than even you are, my dear boy. No…I think they need to stay right here…"
"I will not be staying anywhere," David cut in abruptly. "If you would excuse me, there's somewhere I must be."
But the three Death Eaters had started to circle around them, smoothly cutting off both ways of escape. Nott and Rosier circled around to the back, cutting off the path to the village while Lucius planted himself firmly in front, right between them and the cliffs. Hector swallowed, his eyes moving from one Death Eater to the other, their wands ready and eyes alight with cruelty.
"I do not think I can allow that," Malfoy said softly.
"Well, I do not think it is your decision to allow! And I would also like to know why you keep on calling him 'Bones', sir…what did you say your name was again?" said David.
"But have we not introduced ourselves? You must forgive me…I simply forgot my manners in the face of Muggles!" This last word he spat out with vile contempt. He spread out his arms before him. "Allow me to present…Lucius Malfoy, senior Death Eater and most loyal servant of the Dark Lord. And these are my two colleagues: Patroclus Nott…and Evan Rosier.
"But we aren't quite finished yet, are we, Bones? This Muggle asked why we keep calling you by your real name…you haven't been lying to them, have you? Going by a false identity, now? But then…I suppose that can only be expected when you hang around their sort. Probably traded your wand in for paper money!" Malfoy turned back to David. "In answer to your question…sir…his real name is Hector Pandaemon Bones."
His face taut with anger, Hector gripped the hidden wand up his sleeve. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
The trees pressed in all around them. There was nowhere for them to escape…they were completely blocked off. Even if they succeeded in capturing the Death Eaters' wands --- which was impossible, he knew --- they'd still have to contend with brute force and making sure that Hermione was safe…
And something that frightened Hector more than anything else was the fact that those dangerous cliffs were right next to their clearing. If things got out of hand, he wanted to be far away from those.
He knew they might as well just be wishing for a miracle if they were to hope for any easy way out of this. And he had already ruled out Apparating away, not even considering it as an option. Saving himself would surely mean death for the Grangers…he would be a fool to think Malfoy would leave them alone…
Right then. There are three of them…and one of me, which means that we are way outnumbered in the wand department…and if I'm not careful, they'll get the Grangers as well…but I can't possibly…I couldn't possibly cover us all…
Then, to his surprise, Will stepped forward.
"Look…I don't know who you think you are, what the hell you want, or why you think that we are a part of this…but I do know that the last thing we want right now is a fight. So if you happen to have any decency --- which I highly doubt at the moment --- then you'd let us through. If not…well…" he smirked, "you would be sorely mistaken to think that I am less equipped!"
Evan Rosier, the man on the left, sneered. "How low you have sunken, Bones…having a Muggle fight your battles for you! So tell us…would you like us to kill them first and then proceed to you…or should we leave them for dessert? That little girl certainly looksbetter than an apple crisp…but let us just see if she tastes like one!"
He licked his teeth, eyeing Hermione. David growled and made a lunge at him, but Hector and Will swiftly caught his arms before he'd do something they'd all regret. Straining against the hands that held him, David glared at Rosier and whispered savagely, "Don't you dare touch my daughter!"
Malfoy's face hardened at the exchange. "I don't think you are one to be giving orders…David!" he said coldly.
David went very still. "How do you know my name?"
"Oh, we know a lot more about then you may think, believe me! Who do you think it was who referred your oafish father to Bones? Who do you think it was who sent him to the pitiful town of Brownsville-on-Somerset? Did you think that this was all by accident?" Malfoy spat.
Hector stared at him, horror growing in his heart at the very words. "You didn't…I didn't…no!" he croaked. "You couldn't have! I read about the job on the notice board at the warehouse----"
"And who did you think put it there?" Malfoy said, smirking. "I did. I knew there wasn't a chance any of the Muggles in there would be attracted to it, because the Muggle version of it was an advertisement for toilet plumbing."
"But…how did you know I would be interested in it, let alone actually take it?" asked Hector, his voice rising. "How did you know John Granger would actually take me? And why in Merlin's name do you even want me here, anyway? What is it you want?"
Although Hector knew that however confused he was, David and Will were even more so, it didn't help him any. His mind was turning around in circles, trying to remember everything he knew about his life…the tiniest details could be relevant to something he had missed…
But above everything else, a fear was growing inside of him that this wasn't even about him at all…that it was someone else Malfoy wanted the whole time…that Hector was supposed to somehow lead him to it…
But it doesn't make any sense! he shouted in his mind. They've been after me for two years now…but Malfoy basically said that he knew where I was the whole time…so if he knew where I was, why didn't he just come and kill me? Why drive me all the way out here? And what do the Grangers have to do with anything?
What in the world is he talking about?
Will and David edged closer together, keeping Hermione pressed between them.
"You want me to explain?" Malfoy lifted a shoulder in an arrogant shrug. "Very well, I shall. You are more connected with these Muggles than you think you are. And the one thing that links you all together isn't even here…the one thing that I need the most…"
"And what is that?" snapped Hector. "Is it a weapon? Some new device that your so-called 'Dark Lord' invented for you to get the job done quicker Whatever you want, the Dark Lord delivers, is that it?" Behind him, he could hear a faint whisper, but dismissed it as his imagination.
"Tsk, tsk," Malfoy said, his face sympathetic though his eyes were anything but. "What I want has nothing to do with it. The Dark Lord was very pleased I found you…we'd been searching for you for quite some time. He made a vow long ago to murder everyone in your family and you…you just escaped more easily than the others----"
Hector threw his head back and laughed. "Not all the others! You still haven't found Amelia, have you? Or Doug and his family…you have no clue where you should even begin to look for them."
David shifted so his face was just peering at Malfoy over Hector's shoulder. The next second, Hector heard the smallest of voices in his ear. "When Will says to----"
"And that is why you are going to tell me," said Malfoy dangerously.
"----We'll attack ----"
"But not yet…what I need will be coming soon----"
"---- Leaving you free to ----"
"And we shall wait until that time…"
"----Understood?"
Malfoy trailed off, looking around them as though he were expecting something. David and Will were tense beside Hector, confusion long since set aside for the conversation at hand. Hermione was still latched onto the back of Pan's leg.
"You keep saying that something is missing," David spoke up, and Hector realized that he was determined to keep Malfoy talking. "What?"
"But didn't you know already? My, my, you lot aren't very bright, are you? Now think, Bones…think really hard…something happened this morning that wasn't an accident, however it may have seemed. Something had to have happened to bring you three together, or else none of this could have happened…"
Lightning split the night once more and Hector could see the smooth features on the Death Eater's face.
This morning…what happened this morning? He said that it was an accident…but who had to be brought together? And why?
Images flashed before him as he tried to remember --- meeting the captain at his cottage…taking a break from work to buy food…the grocery store…the accident…
And then it hit him.
Cordelia glanced up from her book as above her the lights flickered, then went dead. She would have been left in darkness had she not lit all those candles before. They danced around her, their many little glows lighting up her page.
But even though she was already prepared for power outage, it did nothing to help her nerves. This storm was coming in from the sea…exactly where David was…unless, of course, they'd pulled into the harbour already, but….
No, they can't be in the harbour already. I called the harbourmaster hours ago and he said he'd let me know when The Olivia came in, and he hasn't called yet…
Of course, there was always the possibility that they hadn't even left Bowman's Isle yet…
But I rang up the Shylocks an hour ago and they said that they left long before…but then the phone went dead, and I couldn't call back, so it makes me wonder if something happened to them and David, Grandfather, and Will stayed behind to help them out or something…
Which of course was more plausible, seeing as how the storm was still very strong across the Channel…anything could have happened, really…but it didn't mean that whatever had happened involved an overturned yacht and people bobbing in the middle of the sea----
No! Cordelia, you bint, nothing's happened! Stop thinking along those lines, you'll just get worse…David and Neenie are alright…Grandfather is looking out for them, they wouldn't leave him behind, and I know that he isn't too swell on land --- what with his bad leg and cane and all --- but he's the absolute best there is on the sea!
Besides, she reasoned, Jake the harbourmaster always alerted the Bristol Coastguard when any of the ships hadn't come back after the bell had rung.
Everything will be alright…they are probably just waiting for the worse of this storm to pass by…David's always driven on the right side of caution, especially when it comes to his daughter…
Finally calm, she went back to her book. It didn't take her long to finish the other one, she'd been more than halfway through with it. She was on Shakespeare's The Tempest now…with all the talk there'd been lately about it, she'd had the familiar urgings to read one of her old favourites.
When I'm not too busy cleaning, it's always a pleasure to look in on David reading it to Hermione every night, she chuckled. That little girl absolutely adores this book…we're going to have to start on longer and more boring books when Shakespeare stops lulling her to sleep…which will be any day now…
And it was true. It was taking Neenie longer and longer to fall asleep every night, so absorbed she was in her daddy's story.
Cordelia looked down at her page number and grinned. Almost caught up with them now, and it only took me what, two hours?
She was at the marriage-feast where Iris, Juno, and Ceres, the female spirits, sing their blessings on Miranda and Ferdinand. Prospero watches all with his loyal sprite Ariel, when suddenly they remember that they must be elsewhere to deal with the savage slave, Caliban…
" 'You do look, my son, in a moved sort, as if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir: our revels are now ended: these our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits, and are melted into air, into thin air: and like the baseless fabric of this vision the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, and like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind'…" Cordelia whispered softly, quoting her favorite words, " 'We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.'"
Those were the best lines in the whole play, in her opinion…those and the ones in the fifth act when Prospero is speaking to himself about bedimming the noon-tide sun and calling forth the mutinous winds…all for some heavenly music to work his end upon their senses. And when he had done that, he would break his staff and bury it certain fathoms in the earth and, deeper than did ever plummet sound, drown his book…
She smiled at the words, but it froze on her face when Puck suddenly leapt up, fur standing on end, eyes wide and fixed in the candlelight.
"Puck, what's wrong? Settle down, you, it's just a storm…"
Thunder shook the walls of her house and she heard branches scratch the rooftop eerily as the wind whipped them around mercilessly. But as bad as it was outside, Cordelia had a strong impression that it wasn't the storm that was frightening Puck. His back arched and a soft hissing noise escaped him. He didn't respond to Cordelia's voice or touch, but stared straight at the window, teeth bared.
Calm down, Cordelia, relax…it's probably just a few teenagers toilet-papering our yard. Yes…that's what it is…there's nothing wrong…in fact, you should probably go open the door and shoo them away…yes…it's probably nothing…
Only managing to half-convince herself, she quietly got up and walked to the front door. Her footsteps were soft and cat-like, but with every step she took, the more she knew that something was wrong…something was very wrong…
She was six feet from the door when it happened.
There was a sudden blast and the door flew open amid blinding red light. Cordelia was thrown backwards, knocking her head on the wall behind her. The ferocious wind blew every single candle out and tiny Puck had no chance; he tumbled straight into the closet and the door shut behind him with a bang.
Lightning lit up the sky through the open front door, blocked from Cordelia's view as a man walked through the doorway.
"No!" Hector whispered, aghast. "No, no, no, no…."
"Oh, yes. She has something we need very much…and we thought that you would bring it…shame on us. But since you didn't…alas, Bones, thanks to you, I've had to send someone to fetch it instead, and he…well," Malfoy chuckled. "Let's just say that his methods include a more…intimate contact!"
Hector drew his head up sharply.
"What do you want with her?" he demanded, panic in his voice.
"Now, Bones, that's not how we ask----"
"What do you want with Cordelia?" Hector roared.
He gazed around the room until his eyes fell on her and tutted.
"You Muggles just seem to sink lower and lower these days," he said. "And still living in the Dark Ages, I see…"
With a wave of his----magic wand, she supposed----a single candle relit, making Cordelia give a sharp intake of breath. The man looked down at her in the dim light and chuckled.
"Dear, dear, you creatures are simple. But where are my manners? Allow me to assist you…"
He strode over to her and, for a split second Cordelia thought he was going to offer her his hand. Instead he raised his wand again, and she felt a strange pull at her navel. She half-screamed as her body was suddenly pulled off the ground by nothing,and again as she collided with him. He caught her easily, not surprised in the least…on the contrary, his face grew rather smug and he gave her a nasty grin.
"You certainly move fast, don't you?" he said. "Your husband hasn't even been gone a day and already you're jumping into another man's arms."
Cordelia stiffened. "Let go of me!" she snarled, trying to move, but his grip around her only tightened.
"I can see why you persist, but I really musn't, you know. I came here for business, not for…pleasure!"
She called him a word she had only used once before in her life, but he just threw his head back and laughed. "So the lioness does have claws! I would have been very disappointed if you didn't…very disappointed indeed…"
She squirmed as he leered at her. Then, abruptly, he let go, and she stumbled away, backing into the wall. "Now to business," he said briskly. "Where should I begin…ah, but of course! I nearly forgot…this might just take more than a few, so you'll want to get comfortable…pull up a chair…"
He raised his wand once more and Cordelia flinched. Beside her, a straight-backed, wooden chair appeared.
"Please, sit down."
She didn't move. "No, thank you," she said coldly.
His smile faltered and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "I believe I told you to sit down."
Cordelia gasped as the chair was magically shoved underneath her, making her lose her balance. She fell into it with a thud.
His smile was back again. "Now that's better! See how much more comfortable you are? I don't think we'll be having any more problems in the future…will we?"
Fear shaking her very core, Cordelia forced herself to nod.
"Good. Now, I have a proposition to make…"
Malfoy stared at Hector, his face devoid of any and all expression, but David wasn't paying attention. He had frozen at Hector's words, his heart pumping wildly. He seemed to have lost all ability to think, to feel...his mind was caught on one thing, and one thing only.
This…murderer…was talking about his wife, who was, at this moment, all alone at their house in the middle of a storm…
A murderer was after his wife.
His eyes widened as he remembered what this Malfoy had said…
'Alas, Bones, thanks to you, I've had to send someone to fetch it instead, and he…well, let's just say that his methods include a more…intimate contact!'
David's first thought was that he had to get home, no matter what happened. He had to get home and make sure she was all right. Because if she wasn't…if something bad had happened to her…
But there was no way out...no way out…
All he knew was that Malfoy was standing between him and his wife.
It only took him three strides to cross the distance between them. He moved so fast that neither Will nor Hector had time to figure out what he was doing, let alone stop him. Before Malfoy could even think about bringing his wand up in time, David had hit him in the middle of the face as hard as he could.
The others reacted in an instant.
Nott waved his wand, lips starting to perform an incantation, but Will charged at him before he could finish it. Hector stared in disbelief at the two wrestling pairs until he remembered that one Death Eater was still standing.
He turned to Rosier, ducking just in time for the other wizard's curse to hit the tree behind him. But Rosier recovered too quickly. "Accio girl!" he snarled and Hermione at once came zooming towards him.
Hector leaped forward and caught her just in time. They fell to the ground, Hector yanking his wand from his sleeve. He shot a quick Stunner in Rosier's direction, praying he'd aimed it properly, as a bunch of long brown curls in his face were blocking his view.
Caught off guard, Rosier's shield came up a second too late and he fell to the forest floor, unconscious.
Whispering a silent thanks to whatever deity was watching, Hector turned to the others and saw David on the ground, bleeding, and Malfoy standing above him, wand raised----
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Hector shouted and Malfoy was blasted off his feet, wand flying off into the darkness.
"Accio wands!" He caught the three soaring wands deftly and crouched back down next to Hermione. She stared at him, her brown eyes wide and her thumb in her mouth. "Neenie, do you remember how to play hide-and-seek?" he asked her quietly, his face pale.
She hesitated, then her head bobbed up and down.
"I…I need you to run, Hermione. Run as fast as you can, and hide. Don't let any of these men find you, alright? You have to stay hiding until I come and find you. Do you understand?" he said, talking slowly and clearly.
"Unnerstand," she said softly around her thumb.
"Take these." Hector thrust the three Death Eaters' wands into her free hand. "Do not them find you! Now run! Run!"
He watched her scamper off into the darkness, down the path that led to the village.
"How very…touching!" a voice said from behind him.
Hector turned to see a livid Lucius Malfoy; behind him, David sprawled unconscious on the ground, the area around his mouth very red. In the distance, Will and Nott were still going at it. Nott swung a tree branch furiously, but try as he might, Will was too fast for him.
"You are between me and my wand, boy!" Malfoy snarled.
Hector planted his feet firmly on the path Hermione had just taken. "Come and take it, then!"
With a roar of anger, Malfoy lunged.
For Will, it was just like the good old days, when he'd started pub brawls just for the fun of it. As soon as David had punched the blondish bloke, Will had felt a stir of the old excitement, and charged to his brother's aid.
Granted, he was surprised this guy --- Nott, was it?--- was lasting so long. He was a tall and weedy man with a look about him that suggested posh and cool finery. Yet, despite that, this man had a strength that surprised Will.
The first thing he'd done when the three men blocked their way to The Olivia was size them up. He'd been thinking that, if it came down to it, he would take the slightly bigger one of the three who did all the talking; Hector would take down the one Will had now; and David --- since he wasn't quite as impressive as Will or Hector in the brawn department --- would handle Rosier, but----
He dodged a blow just in time for Nott's fist to collide with a tree, chuckling as Nott started to swear profoundly.
---Well, even the best of us can only plan so far ahead.
"Tut, tut…I'm afraid the missus won't be too pleased when I tell her what foul language her husband's been run of these days," he taunted, dancing around Nott. "Assuming you even have one, that is. You're such a minger, I wouldn't be surprised if you had to pay to get some action. Unless, of course…she's just as ugly as you are!"
Nott swung a tree branch at his head and Will tripped in his haste to stay clear of it. They were only a few yards away form the cliff edge. Will could see where the ground suddenly dropped away in the darkness.
The branch came down at him out of nowhere and he rolled away --- right into a brutal kick at his ribs. He groaned and Nott put all his weight behind another kick at his stomach, knocking the wind right out of him.
"Someone needs to put you Muggles in your place," said Nott fiercely, bringing his foot around toward Will's head. "And I'd prefer it be me!"
In one swift move, Will brought his leg up and landed a savage kick where it counted. Nott doubled over, wheezing, leaving Will free to scramble up and back away, fists ready.
It was then that he happened to glance over at the clearing. The sight of his younger brother lying far too still in a pool of his own blood chilled him to the core.
"David!" he shouted hoarsely, and started towards him, but Nott suddenly blocked his way.
"Oh, no you don't!" Nott sneered, the branch swinging with alarming alacrity, coming straight for Will.
He didn't even have time to duck.
From far away, David heard a voice call his name. He opened his eyes, groggy and confused, then coughed and spat blood onto the ground. Movement caught his eye and he looked up.
What he saw made his heart turn colder than ice.
Will stood at the cliff edge, a stunned look on his face. As David watched in horror, Will's eyes rolled back in his head. For one heart-stopping moment, he was poised against the dangerous backdrop. Then his body arched backwards and he fell. Down…down…down to the rock-pounding waves below, with a long, horrible scream following him.
"WILL!"
Author's Note: Call me horrible. Call me evil, call me twisted, call me whatever you like. I honestly don't care. All I know is that it is SO good to be back! And I've missed you guys, and the story's missed you guys, and I'm sure you've missed us too.
So call me whatever you want. As long as it's in a review! Oh, and one more thought. Chapter fourteen will be entitled "Full Fathom Five"...now can anyone guess why?
Cheers! And happy Friday 13th!