Disclaimer: Erm...I haven't claimed any ownership of anything except myself and Gordo on Lizzie McGuire, because I lurve him.
A/N After a six month hiatus...I am back. Who's really still reading this story, I don't know...
I'm trying to keep the story moving along - not moving too slow...Please forgive me if this sucks. But, thank me, if you are a non R/S ship. I had a hell of a time not slashing those boys. ;-)
Flirting With the Enemy
By
Sierra Sitruc
Chapter 32 Confrontations
"I smell something Sirius." Remus said quietly, the silence that had reigned over them broken.
"Smell what?" The raven headed man had always understood that if Remus said he smelled something, it meant something other than bodily odors.
"Another werewolf, in the areathis way." Remus turned, quickening his pace. The scent grew stronger now, no longer just a tingle in his nose like it had been on top of the hill, but a full blown odor. The closer he got the more familiar it was as well.
His lycanthropy allowed him to remember scents of humans, werewolves...He had a complete catalogue of everyone he'd met in his life that was connected to his sense of smell. He knew that Dumbledore smelled like lemon drops, and Sirius smelled like recklessness with hot peppers and James smelled like courage and fear all at once.
This werewolf...smelt of fur and an earnest craving for attention. He could smell youth on him, for it was most definitely a younger boy... But what young boy did he know in this area that carried this curse upon himself?
"Move faster, Sirius." Remus told the other man, as the werewolf began to run.
"What is it?" Sirius panted, struggling to keep up with his quicker friend.
"I smell others now...James is one of them." Remus whispered, "They're deep in that forest and by the smell of things, they're not alone."
"Are we too late?" Sirius asked, looking anxiously at his friend.
"Not yet we aren't." Remus said and with that, there was no more speaking, only running, running, running.
"Bring them here! Drag those dirty vermin right where I can see them..." James' eyes shot open as he heard the familiar drawling voice. He scrambled about, remembering where he was. "I never thought I'd have the chance to kill the infamous Marauders all in one night."
James was suddenly alert.
"Apparating is so convenient, isn't it Lupin?" Malfoy asked, smugness in his tone, "The only way you can surprise attack a werewolf."
The only answer Malfoy got was a muffled angry insult.
Malfoy continued to speak, "I can't express in words how delighted I was to find you two in front of me the moment I apparated, maybe I'll just - show you. Crucio!"
James struggled weakly to get on his feet, using the tree for support. He stumbled towards the screaming of his friend, and the cackling of his enemy.
"Let him go!" Another familiar voice shouted. Sirius, James thought with a shiver of terror. "Stop it! Stop!" But if anything, Remus' screaming got louder.
"Leave him alone." James said hoarsely, finally coming into his childhood friends' view. He saw Lupin on the forest floor, struggling against the curse, wrenching himself about on the ground, and Sirius beside him, face as white as a sheet. James went unnoticed by all present.
"Leave him ALONE!" James repeated, louder, forcefully.
Lucius turned, James could not see his expression under the Death Eater's hood, but he could imagine the confusion.
"Potter! You've escaped." Lucius ended the Cruciatus Curse on Remus, and pointed his wand at James, casting a body binding spell on him, not that James would have been able to put up much of a fight anyway, in his condition.
"Oh God." Sirius moaned, examining the winded, but unconscious Lupin. He glared up at the Death Eater, barely keeping his mouth shut.
"The Dark Lord shall be here soon, and you will all be dead." He paused, putting his hand on the shoulder of a silent Death Eater who had been quietly observing the scene, "Watch them while I see to the others. We can't have them ruining our little party."
"Wake up Remus, Moony..." Sirius called, shaking his friend's shoulder, but the werewolf was completely unconscious.
------
"Don't harm him - " The Irish accented man yelled, stepping protectively in front of young Darcy, "He's just a child - "
"A child who stands between me, and a pack of werewolves as allies." The Death Eater hissed.
"My family would never join you. They'd sooner die by a thousand silver bullets - "
"SHUT up, my dear boy. I see your creature of a mother, did not teach you manners." He instructed threateningly.
Behind the Irish Man, Darcy fought to get at the Death Eater, amber eyes widened as he looked at something behind the Death Eater who followed the boy's gaze, turning around just in time to find himself being slammed against a tree. Strong arms and a lot of French caught him in the face.
"Monsieur - ?" Jacques asked, while giving the enemy a heavy hit in the stomach.
"Call me Milo." The Irish Man interrupted, "We have to get this kid out of here." A rustling in the bushes made him turn around.
Azalee and Xavier appeared, trampling through the nettles. "We heard loud voices." Xavier said, eyeing the Death Eater against the tree, "Sounded like trouble, looks like trouble - I think it is trouble."
The Death Eater fought off the Frenchmen and promptly apparated, knowing he was outnumbered, armed or not, he was no match for four grown men, a woman and a child werewolf.
"He'll be back - with others." Azalee said, looking at the space the Death Eater had just occupied.
"We'd better get moving then." Milo said, "This time, I think we should stay together. We're stronger together than we are apart."
"I agree, with no one with a wand..." Xavier stated, looking at those who were around, "We can't really do much as two, but as more - then we have something to go from."
"Shh!" Darcy hissed suddenly, holding up his hand. "I hear something."
"What?"
"There it is again, do you hear that? Those screams." Darcy said, and the others let their ears perk up to listen to the night.
"Sounds like someone was caught."
Darcy's eyes lit up with recognition, "Mr. Lupin?! It's - Remus Lupin! I know him!" The boy said excitedly.
"Only a werewolf would recognize their friend's screams and get excited about it..." Xavier muttered almost disdainfully. Darcy paid him no attention. "Remus Lupin? Are we even sure he's on our side? He's always been a private character - "
"Ah! Yes, of course! He's stayed at my home before - "
"Why the bloody hell would Lupin be in Australia?" Xavier argued with the boy.
"I don't know, but it had something to do with his friends..."
"Black and Potter no doubt, always got him in trouble as a boy." Azalee had spoken up finally, "They were a few years below me at Hogwarts." She explained to questioning stares.
"We have to help him! Please - no doubt those rotten Death Eaters are torturing him! He's my friend; I want to save him..." The little boy, who was not really a little boy, looked up into the eyes of the adults around him, "We owe it, to James if anyone."
The others sighed, knowing that their decisions had already been made. "Let's go."
-----
The flock of six flew through the forest, even after the sounds resulting in the Cruciatus had stopped. "This way, this way." Darcy kept whispering, his ears perked up to the maximum limit. They crept upon a clearing, past the bushes and nettles and trees that grew thick around it.
In the clearing they found Remus Lupin, sprawled out on the damp dirt and leaves, quite obviously unconscious and Sirius Black angrily hexing an unarmed Death Eater. Nearly unseen was James Potter, the jinx he'd been under wearing off slowly.
"Never," Sirius could be heard growling, "Fucking mess," A wild fist at the face of the Death Eater, "With my friends again!" His opponent crumbled to the ground, so that it was only Sirius left standing.
Without a thought to tact, Darcy darted out, "Excuse me sir - but - "
Sirius whirled around, a wand pointed at the boy, "Who the hell are you!?"
"Darcy, of Australia, I'm a friend of Remus'." He explained, the adults rushed out behind him, eager to sort the confusion out.
"Death Eaters are crawling the place Black; we need to get your friends out of here fast." Xavier said, recognizing Sirius.
"I know that, but - do they seem fit to be apparating at the moment to you?" Sirius said scathingly, "What brings you lot to this neck of the woods?"
"Who else? You-Know-Who." Milo told him, "We're all in some elaborate plot of his, and I think it will only end with someone - or all of us - dead."
"None of you have any wands?" Sirius asked, getting shaking heads in reply. "No help there...And we're sure to be swarmed soon."
"If we're going to do anything, let's leave, we're sitting ducks just standing here." Xavier grumbled, fidgeting where he stood.
"I need help, Remus and James...aren't exactly mobile, you know?" Sirius said, looking worriedly towards his friends. A resounding crack and a Death Eater appeared, soon followed by a dozen others. "Oh. Damn."
"That's what I love about these do-gooders," A female voice giggled, "They always try to make sure everyone gets out safe."
The group of said do-gooders, huddled together for protection, back to back somehow Darcy ended up shoved into the center of their cluster.
The battle was over, before it begun, hexes flew, and soon all seven of the rebels were tied against one another or to convenient trees. One of the two female Death Eaters, strolled up to Remus, and kicked at his shoe, "This one's still alive - kill him?"
Sirius' breath hitched. "No." One of them drawled and Sirius relaxed slightly, "Just wait until the Dark Lord gets here, he'll set it up how he wants."
"I call dibs on this one; I've always despised werewolves..." The female petted Lupin's head with delicate hands, she spoke with a tone that implied she didn't despise this werewolf particularly, at all.
"Enough, away from him." It was definitely Malfoy, Sirius concluded.
It was as if they were all waiting for something, not so different from being in the delivery room of a hospital when a loved one has been fatally injured and awaiting the conclusion on their future. The Death Eaters stood around, some paced, their prisoners hung their heads in defeat, occasionally struggling against their ties.
A dark silence enveloped them, seeming to swallow every sound.
It was broken with a sharp crackle, and Voldemort himself appeared, the verdict had arrived.
"Starting without me, Lucius?" He asked, his eyes surveying the scene.
"No, my lord, the prisoners...simply got a bit out of hand, but all is under control, it's ready for you." Lucius said, falling to the ground with his fellow Death Eaters.
"Good, good, I finished my preparations, and it is time now to finish what we began." Voldemort grinned ruthlessly, "It is time to kill." He eyed his minions, "Lucius and Morgana, you stay here with me - the rest of you - " He waved his hand carelessly, "Round up the filth about the forest and bring them here, dead, preferably."
"Yes my lord." They each muttered, wandering off, or apparating away to do his bidding.
"Lucius, my vampire?"
"Slain sir, just as you'd wanted."
"By the Meuniers, no doubt?"
"The brothers? I believe so - I brought you this." Lucius held up a vial of black liquid, "His blood."
"Wonderful." Voldemort instantly grabbed up the vial and gulped it down. Lucius bowed his head, and stepped away, Morgana, the woman beside him, watched with unhidden interest.
"What does it do, Master?" She asked, curiously.
Voldemort smirked, "It quenches my thirst, since I'm hardly human now...any human food does nothing for me, I want blood."
"Is that why we're collecting blood tonight - as well?" Morgana asked tentatively.
"Indeed."
Sirius felt a turning in his stomach, a grotesque ball of disgust about to explode inside him. These were a demented people that should not be touched, surely such vile creatures should not be allowed to walk the face of the earth.
"Where are the werewolves?" Voldemort asked suddenly, immediately looking for Lupin and Darcy.
"There, my Lord." Lucius says, pointing each of the dark creatures out. Remus is still unconscious, but Darcy was a feisty little boy, and had been fighting at the magical cords around him the whole time. Lupin was laid out right beside Darcy, who was looking fearfully to his hero.
Voldemort seemed to glide up to them, he raised his wand slowly, but deliberately. Sirius began to shout out, "No! Don't - "
With a moment's indecision, he struck."Oppetoitum1!" Voldemort commanded, a whoosh of pale green leaving his wand and entering Remus' chest. Where there had been erratic breaths of post-Cruciatus, was only a dull silence.
Voldemort than grasped Darcy's wrist, shoved it to Lupin's body and held it there. He mumbled a spell and it appeared that the small, boyish hand of his, was now fastened to the dead form on the ground.
Darcy looked on in horror, "What are you doing?" His high voice was terrified.
"Watch, boy, watch." Voldemort said, in a teaching manner. A burning sensation began at Darcy's fingertips and tingled its way up his arm. The burning increased, and he began to scream in pain.
"Stop, please...please stop!" The young boy whimpered, curling in on himself in agony.
"Not yet...It's nearly finished." Voldemort said, grinning maliciously. The others at the scene were in similar states of shock, Sirius was red with rage, kicking out at anything and everything at once.
For several more minutes, Darcy continued to yell and writhe on the forest floor, attached to Lupin's dead body. Then it went quiet as Darcy froze altogether, Sirius stilled his movements too. Voldemort and his Death Eaters watched Darcy carefully.
"What do you want, Riddle?" An eerie voice growled, it took Sirius a moment to realize it was coming from Darcy, but it was no little boy's voice, but a man's voice. Not one he knew.
"Motavius, we speak at last." Voldemort greeted, his persuasive tone soaking his words. "You know what it is I want, don't you?"
"Of course, and you should know I won't give it."
"What, over your dead body?" The Dark Lord chuckled humorlessly. "I'm sure you know the consequences if you defy me..."
"I'm well aware of that, but you should know, we will not go down without a fight." Motavius spoke through Darcy's mouth.
"I was counting on it."
-----
At Motavius' Kingdom...
"Motavius, what will he do?" Gwyneth asked, looking to her leader.
Motavius made a very werewolf like sound, "I don't know..." He looked to his other friend, who was sitting beside him, "Remus, are you sure you're alright? You look like you've been paralyzed."
Remus looked at Motavius and Gwyneth, shaking himself from the trance he'd been in. "When the connection between Darcy and I was up, and you used it to speak to Voldemort...I saw something. Something really strange." The young man didn't seem to believe he'd seen it himself.
"What, Remus?" Gwyneth questioned, looking interested.
"I saw Lily." He whispered, the other two looked confused, "I know she's dead! I know she's gone for good, but...I saw her, she was here...on one of the planes of emptiness..."
There was silence in the room, "Motavius, should we look for her?"
"We don't have time, Voldemort's planning an attack on us as we speak. He's found a way to get to us, he's contacted me to get us frightened..." The man looked lost in thought, "I don't know what he's planning precisely, but he wants to use us against the Wizarding World."
"Merlin..." Gwyneth gasped, "And he's immortal..."
The three were each lost in their own thoughts, what would happen to Motavius' kingdom? What would Voldemort do?
Lily...Lily should be gone, but if she's not...Remus thought, There may be hope yet, "He's not."
"Pardon?" Motavius asked, snapping out of this thoughts. "What do you mean? Of course Voldemort's immortal..."
"I don't think he is...not completely. Very, very close...I think it all began with one little Animagus surviving a werewolf attack." Remus was suddenly inspired, ideas came raining down on him. "Voldemort thought I'd killed James, but James was an Animagus and we all know werewolves don't attack regular animals...I think, a requirement for the werewolf in the spell, was for it have had blood on its hands. And I didn't. The Ceremony was not complete, very close...But not. It was why I lived when I should have died with the other dark creatures."
"So...There's still a way to defeat Voldemort?" Gwyneth asked hopefully.
"It will be hard, but I think there is." Remus said, "And maybe...that same mistake can save Lily's soul...I'm going to look for her."
"Don't be an idiot, I'm the only one who can get around the planes." Motavius scolded, "I'll go...besides, if she's intact...When Voldemort sees her." Remus and Gwyneth smiled. "While I'm gone, I want you two to work on a way to give us the upper hand on that dark lord, alright? Your two brains together will be something." He exited, transforming into his wolf form and racing out of the kingdom.
--------
Back in the forest in Wales, James Potter was finally conscious and very confused. The others were still alive, he noted, except...for Remus. He felt tears stinging his eyes, but blinked them away furiously. He looked to see Sirius, fighting his bindings angrily.
The Death Eaters were in a huddle, listening to Voldemort. James couldn't hear what was being said, but he doubted it would be any good to him. They were probably discussing the muggles.
Muggles...there were so many, most of them unconscious...all scared out of their wits. They'd been hidden in the forest, held prisoner like James and the others had been earlier, brought back by the Death Eaters to this area.
James watched through his crooked glasses, as the Death Eaters broke away from the group and descended on the muggles, slashing a few throats before catching the blood in many vials they were conjuring. It felt surreal, but James knew that Voldemort was capable of this...this and more.
Was that growling? James thought, almost incoherently. He looked lazily around and saw Padfoot where Sirius had been. Maybe Sirius has the right idea, he thought, while watching Padfoot escape from his tree. James instantly transformed into a stag, it broke off the binds he'd had. He watched Padfoot take off running at top speed into the forest, and followed hurriedly after.
The Death Eaters were too stunned to react.
The dog and stag ran. Ran on and on at a perilous speed. Prongs willed himself to go as far as he could, but he was weak from injuries and they'd only just got out of the forest before he collapsed, transforming back into James.
He was surprised at the comfort the ground brought him. Nice, hard ground...He thought tiredly.
His sleep was interrupted by Sirius in his face, "Gah! Sirius...just let me sleep."
"We've got to get out of here and tell Dumbledore!" Sirius yelled, "We can still save the others - we just have to move!"
"Headmaster Dumbledore, has already been informed." James looked up half-consciously to see his old Headmaster standing above him.
"I think I'm going to be ill." James gasped, clutching his head in pain.
------
End Author's Note: Amazing what wonders the Lord of the Rings soundtrack can do for one's writers block. It was what I normally used to write this story, but...I guess I forgot, when I opened the old trusty LOTR music files on my computer...well, it was like BAM, I remembered where the bloody hell I was going with this story, and here we are. Finally. Six months later....
1. Oppetoitum [to encounter death, to die] Latin, by Sierra's standards, the translator may have been a bit shaky though.
Who informed Dumbledore? Snape.
And does this chapter particularly suck? Yes, but hey - six month break will do that to you. You're lucky I managed to get this up. And with more than 2,000 words too! I think I hit 3,000 something for this chapter.