The raid on the Armant Kennels

When Arundel used unassisted flight carrying another person she had to use a whole host of other spells to make it work. Other people were impossibly heavy and when wind chill and air resistance was taken into account it became exhausting and dangerous. Arun had spent months working out how to do it, practising with her sister once bags of flower, pillowcases and later, a friends dog, had all been successful. The easiest way was to give the other person a piggyback. The werewolf's enjoyed watching Lupin clamber onto Arun's back.

"Don't be sick on me," she told him.

"I give no guarantees," he told her.

"Have you ever done this before?"

"No."

"Wish us luck," she told Fenrir with a smile. The werewolf snarled and waved a hand at her.

"Don't mess this up."

She launched herself into the air and shot away into the Western Desert. On her back, Lupin clenched tightly but he was laughing not screaming. She landed a little later about a mile away from the Armant Kennels. At night the stars above the Western Desert looked like clouds of shimmering glitter dust. Lupin fell off her back and rolled on the floor.

"My god that was fun!" he sighed.

"Careful, scorpions," she told him, and he got up pretty quickly after that.

"Where're the Kennels?"

She pointed into the darkness. "So, this is what we are going to do…."

The Kennels were not well guarded, there were only four guards on turrets and a keeper of the keys who locked the werewolf's in at night. The werewolf's had a hex put on them to stop them appariting and the idea were that they would dehydrate in the desert if they ran before they ever reached civilisation. Arun used a spell of her own creation, a variation of the Bombarda spell to blow a section of the wall to smithereens. She whooped as rubble was shot into the air and laughed as the alarms started to sound, the guards ran for her and she kept them occupied as Lupin snuck in over the gates and made for the storerooms. She killed one guard, which upset the others and she enjoyed fending them off, buying for time as Lupin found the Wolfsbane. He was taking too long, she used a rope coil spell and tied the guards together then she took their wands with a flick of her hand. Another flick and they were wrenched into the air and the rope coiled around a beam to suspend them. She ran into the compound in search of Lupin. A series of bangs and fizzes and a flash of lightning came from the main building and Arun veered to the right and found Lupin engaged in a fierce battle with a surprisingly adept wizard. She skidded to a stop next to Lupin and she blocked a curse Lupin was about to miss and sent back a counterattack of her own which he swiped away. "We don't have time for this!" she shouted at Lupin as they dived out the way when he sent arrows shooting from the end of his wand.

"What do you suggest…"

Arun rolled out, used an air shield to deflect the next volley of attacks and then she pulled her hands wide apart, "Succido" she screamed and brought her hands together. Her spell shot a wave of white air across the room, it hit the man directly in the chest, and the effect it had on him was horrific. He shrunk from the navel outwards, like he was sucked into a black hole. His scream was gut-wrenching and he crumbled to the floor, folding in on himself until he looked like an ovarian cyst.

"Oh my god!" Lupin cried.

"Don't worry, it's reversible," Arun snapped.

He covered his mouth with his hand.

"Come on!"

The cyst man was crawling away using a tiny crooked arm. Lupin stood gawping. Arun grabbed him, "There will be more, that alarm will be going off at the ministry too."

Lupin ran his tongue over his teeth and nodded and they sprinted down a corridor looking for the wolfsbane.

Eventually, they found it in a locked storeroom by the kitchens. Arun held her bag open whilst Lupin made the bottles fly inside, they cleared out the whole reserve and then sprinted back the way they came. Shouting to their left made them realise the ministry had turned up. Somebody sent a hex over their heads that took out a chunk of the wall behind them. The ministry was not just shooting to stun. As soon as they were out of the buildings Arun grabbed Lupin and launched them into the sky.

When they touched down at the camp Lupin stumbled away from her, "I hoped the stories were false Arundel," he shouted. "I had hoped you were not the person they said you were."

"You cost us time Lupin!" Arun shouted back. "Would you rather I killed him?"

"But why that?" he spat. "Christ Arun! That was...it was horrific."

Fenrir stood by the fire with a wide grin, he was enjoying the show immensely.

Arun chucked her hands up in frustration. "You didn't need to come," she told him. "You wanted to be the hero."

She unhooked the bag from her belt and gave it to Fenrir then she stormed across to Lupin and dragged him away from everybody so they had privacy. "Let's get one thing very clear Lupin," she hissed. "A lot of my spells look awful but they are all show. Do you think I would be safe amongst fucking death eaters if I disarmed people and turned them into fucking daisies? That spell is a variation of a transfiguration charm. It's painless but it looks horrific. It's all bang and no bite."

Lupin dropped his eyes, "okay," he said quietly.

"Okay?"

He nodded and turned away. "Okay," he said again.

Arun stayed with the werewolves that night. Fenrir liked to tell stories and tonight he told stories about the ancient Egyptians who worshipped werewolves and could transform at will and keep their minds when they did it. Strong and proud werewolves who had packs of loyal dogs who ran with them. Arun watched the others listen to him like he was their priest, and realised just how easily desperate people clung to the smallest glimmer of hope when they felt like all was lost. How did it get to this? She wondered. How easily people are lead and how frightening it is to be alone in this world. Everybody needs friends.

In the early hours of the morning, Arun rolled out a matt and slept with everybody else in the second cavern. Fenrir lay down next to her, not close enough for him to touch her, but close enough that they could speak. "Arun," he said quietly, "this may not work. In five days time when the moon is full my kind will transform and we will become mindless. If your sister is in the wrong place at the wrong time she may not survive."

"If she turns…"

"I'm not talking about her becoming one of us, I'm talking about her throat being ripped out."

"I know."

"Is that so much better than the alternative?"

"Yes."

Fenrir was quiet for a moment, "You humble me."

"Why?"

"You are the only person I have met who does not pity us, and does not hate us."

"I both pity and hate you Fenrir," Arun told him with a laugh.

"Do you think my people have more of a chance with the Dark Lord? Some people say he's not dead, just biding his time to return."

Arun was quiet for a moment, "With him, sure," she said. "But not with the Death Eaters, you know they are separate from him, right? They want different things. He's a totem for them."

"But under them, we would be powerful, we would be listened to."

"More so than the Moodbloods," Arun hissed back, her teeth shining white. "And the muggles would be your food." She gnashed her teeth, and though she was joking she knew that was exactly what Fenrir wanted, to claw back some dignity by offering up others in his place. Desperation at its finest. "Tomorrow Fenrir, you need to move from here. The Ministry will be looking for werewolves now that we took the Wolfsbane and these caves will be searched."

"Are you confident we can wait until the morning?"

"On my way back here I sent a trace to Cairo, a little trick I learned in the first war. It will take them a little while to realise it's a decoy."

"What do I do next?"

Arun bit her lip, "There's a muggle mine I use sometimes when I loot tombs. it's disused but there is a spring for fresh water. It's closer to Luxor, but not so close that it will be easy for you to be spotted. I'll get you enough food to see you through to the end of your transformation. I'll take Lupin into Luxor with me, he's not wanted like you are and when we have a plan he can come back and tell you what happens. If you get spooked there's a tomb nearby that the ministry doesn't know about, it's been picked dry and it's little more than a room in the hillside but it will do to hide you, i'll walk you to it in the morning."

Fenrir nodded and rolled from his side onto his back, "I'm looking forward to Albania," he told her.

After leading the werewolfs to their new hiding place Arun and Lupin went back to the city. He was off with her, and he hardly spoke to her as they made their way back to her apartment. Lupin looked around with unease as he stood in the doorway.

"What?"

"This is nice."

Arun realised what he was getting at. "I didn't kill the muggles I got this from. I paid them in muggle money."

"From where?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where did you get the muggle money?"

She frowned at him, "What does that matter."

"You're abusing your power. You're taking what you want from people who can't protest."

"Should I live like you? Window cleaning in Yorkshire because I feel bad waving my wand and going accio money?"

"You can't accio money in England."

"You don't have to," Arun chuckled, and she sat in the seat by her window and looked out over the city, "Look at that view Remus."

He crossed to the window and looked out but something was bothering him, "it's quite something," he muttered. "So hot though."

"It's a cesspit, but I love it." she leant her head against the stonework and felt the hot air play around her chin. "We've got a while to wait until we meet my contact. I'm going to spend my time brewing healing potions. You can help, or you can relax and read but I don't recommend leaving the apartment."

Lupin nodded. "Whatever you think is best," he muttered.

"Say what you want to say, Lupin, I don't think I can deal with your sanctimonious judgment all day."

Lupin clenched his jaw, "I have nothing to say."

"Yes you do," Arun laughed at him. "You wonder who's side I'm on. You think I'm a Death Eater and it doesn't sit right to work with me, but here I am trying to foil a plot to stop the American Dark Wizards. How confusing. You feel you've compromised yourself because you're working with Greyback and he's the one who turned you. Am I on the right track? Oh, and you hate me because I played both sides in the war, and survived, and all your friends are gone. There's no justice in that at all, so you resent me." She raised an eyebrow. "You dearly want me to prove your reservations are wrong, but even though I say my magic is all show, you don't believe me. You think I'm a liar and a cheat, a powerful one at that."

Lupin scratched sweat from his sideburns and sniffed.

"I'm a terrible person, a selfish person, who has nothing she cares about unless it's concerned with her own advancement and yet here I am trying to rescue my sister. But am I?" Arun pouted. "Or am I going to sell her out, am I going to use her to get the Grants Artifacts because really I am a true-" she held her hands up to the sky, "A true follower of the Dark Lord," she called out the last bit and then fell about laughing.

Lupin didn't laugh.

"Am I?" she asked. "Am I right? Have I been weighed, measured and found wanting Lupin?"

"You're terrified, aren't you?"

Arun laughed again, but this time it sounded hollow, even to her. "Are you any good with potions?"

Lupin put his hand on her shoulder, he gave her a half smile full of pity, "I'm useless," he said.

She used her potion stores from her travel case, there wasn't enough for everybody but it was more than nothing. She studied the map with Lupin, and talked about the most likely sites, but without James Deacon's intel there was not much more that they could do. Despite Lupin's hesitance around her, she did enjoy his company. He was polite and he made a good cup of green tea. They spoke about bage things, easy things, like Prophet stories and Quidditch, their shared love for the muggle band Black Sabbath and single malt fire whisky, but they never transcended it. Six pm approached quicker than she thought it would, and they left at five thirty and made their way to the Delta Crocodile on foot. They had to wait to be seated, Arun said who they intended to meet, and they were let through. Somebody ran ahead of them to get another seat prepared. Deacon had not been expecting two.

He had a muggle gun strapped to his hip, and a cowboy hat placed over the back of his chair. He studied Remus with suspicion.

"I was not expecting company."

"You didn't think it was a date, did you James?" she asked. "How do you like me now?" She gave him a twirl.

"Just fine," he muttered. "Sit down."

They both sat, James' eyes kept switching across to Remus and back.

"Yes," Arun hissed whilst Remus studied the menu with wide eyes, "Get over it Deacon, he's part of the plan." she looked back to Lupin. "What are you looking at?"

"How much for wine?" he stammered.

Arun rolled her eyes and looked at Deacon, "Any luck?"

"As I have told you, I am a man of tenacity. I would not be sat before you now without information of the highest calibre, however, I must remind you that you are yet to uphold your part of this here bargain. I do not have in my possession the item which we agreed upon." He leaned in when he said this and Arun smiled at him and reached into her pocket. She drew out a cigarette and lit it at the table.

"Why would I give it to you now?" she asked. "You have so much time to screw me over."

"Have I not shown you my worth?"

"No. you've shown me squat. I get your notepad and map back, I put myself in danger, and you take take take and give me nothing, Deacon. Give me something to work with."

In company he was not so sure of himself, talking to Arun as a woman and not as a small Egyptian man had quite the effect on him too it seemed. Deacon picked up his cold beer and his eyes narrowed. "At least show me you have it."

"I have it."

"Show me."

Arun had expected it, she drew the spike from her drawstring purse, rather than her travel trunk, she didn't trust Deacon yet and the last thing she wanted to do was show him how she was storing the Grants Artifacts. He leaned in and studied it, as did Lupin, and then he sat back satisfied. "I have, through inexhaustible detective work, found out that The Temple of Bes, the Temple of Aten, The Tomb of Gib, and the pyramid of Khepri are the locations where the artefacts are stored. They have around twenty people guarding the artefacts at each site. The guards are a mix of Americans and local hands for hire. They have set up parameters and protections, to get close you would have to go in on foot and the shield is a strong one, so they would know you were coming. Personally, whilst the artefacts are locked down like that there is no way of you getting in. Their numbers have been somewhat inflated owing to the fact that a number of werewolves broke into a Kennel and stole a quantity of wolfsbane last night. The Americans have brought protection from the local law enforcement as they are claiming that they are 'protecting sites of national importance from a bunch of-" he leaned forward to say this specifically to Lupin "diseased monsters."

Lupin's jaw set hard and he looked down at the menu.

"And my sister?"

"Ah- well now Miss Granville, looks like you will need to give me that spike to get the rest of my information."

Arun looked across to Lupin, he met her eye and she saw his thoughts, he was furious and he felt sick, insulted. She looked back at Deacon, behind his eyes was a smug desire to one up, but also a wave of distinct anger which she had assumed was towards the Americans, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Tell me about my sister Deacon, She said you and her were close."

"Did she," He flashed her a winning smile but the anger didn't leave him. "She was a fine woman miss Granville, a fine woman." she bested him. "A woman of singular mind and superior drive." she humiliated him. "She was a force to be reckoned with indeed." She made him love her and she didn't return it.

Arun sat back and studied him, "How long until this place is overrun with Egyptian Auras?"

James' smile fixed on his face, "Come now Miss Granville," he chuckled. "All you need to do is hand the Artefacts over, the Ministry will do the rest. You're under arrest of course."

Arun snarled, Lupin had his wand out in a flash. Deacon pulled a gun and his wand. The muggles in the restaurant screamed and dove for cover and the doors banged open. Arun grabbed Lupin and tried to apparate but couldn't. "Get close to me Remus, I'm going to do something you don't like."

"Give it up Arun, you're surrounded and you're outnumbered, Give me the oran spike and the artefacts."

"Don't kill anybody," Lupin urged her as he turned to watch her back.

Arundel was hardly listening, her eyes were darting around the room, the windows, the doors, the chimney. The exits were blocked.

"Give me your wand," Deacon demanded of her. "And the spike."

She licked her tongue across her teeth.

"Give me your wand!" he demanded, swinging the gun into her face. "Muggles ahy, they make these little toys and I swear they do more damage than our fine weapons."

"Get that gun out of my face," Arun growled.

"Give me your wand Arundel."

She reached into her pocket as if to draw her wand out but with her free hand she flicked the palm up and black smoke poured out of it, hot arid and sulphuric smoke which filled the whole room. Deacon fired into it, coughing and cursing as he did. His bullets whizzed past her as she ducked and ran, still pouring black smoke into the room. One hand firmly on Lupins wrist she fumbled for an exit, but inside the room, people were shouting and she felt the first gusts of wind start to clear her thick smog. Her hand found the bottom of a flight of stairs and she launched herself up them. Behind her, a bullet smashed into the wall. Lupin was putting up a brave defence behind her, casting shields and deflection charms as they tried to get away. They raced up the stairs and into a long empty dining hall. Arun put her finger to her lips and motioned to the door on the far side of the hall, they crept towards it and Arun pushed the door open, as soon as it swung she was blasted by a stunning hex, she deflected it, a nearby table blew up. She let off a volley of curses and heard three thumps as the attackers fell. They jumped the bodies and took another flight of stairs up to the roof.

"Stop and drop your wands, you are under arrest."

Arun swung around without thinking and sent a blast of fire in the direction of the voice. The speaker defended himself but in the process, he stopped watching Arun. her grip tightened on Lupins arm and she launched herself into the sky.