Resolutions
By Neurotica
Thirty-Seven
Night before the full moon, Emmeline still wasn't speaking to her husband. In fact, no one in Number Twelve was speaking at all. There was too much tension in the house, and no one wanted to make it worse. The children all seemed to realize something was happening; they hardly cried all day, and if they did, it wasn't for long. Dinner was a very silent affair, save the clinking of silverware against the dishes, or the occasional sigh or clearing of a throat.
Naomi had come back from Hogwarts and attempted a bit of conversation, but failed miserably when all she received in response was chirping crickets. While she was upset with Remus for going out to the werewolves, she didn't see why Emmeline wouldn't talk to him; there was a good chance the werewolves wouldn't even respond to him.
But if they do, there's an even better chance they will tear him apart, a cynical part of her mind said.
Sod off, Naomi replied. There is structure in werewolf packs; they're not as wild as a lot of people think. They have to follow rules and regulations just like the rest of us. Only one werewolf can fight Remus at a time, and Remus isn't as weak as he may seem, just because he spends his days with his nose in a book. He can take them.
Now if only she could say that to Emmeline—she was too afraid of the other witch hexing and/or cursing her. And speaking of cursing... Sirius seemed to be muttering a whole bunch of them...
Naomi looked up from her plate of food to see what was bothering her husband and her heart dropped to her feet. In his hands was an official notice from the Ministry.
"Attacks have begun," he said quietly, feeling six eyes on him—Remus and Emmeline had looked away from their food as well. "Bella and Lucius have both been sighted in different areas by an Auror and DMLE official, respectively, but they Apparated away before they could be stunned—Bella and Lucius, I mean. What else..." He scanned the notice. "Oh dear god..." he breathed, his eyes wide.
"What?" three voices asked simultaneously.
"Ollivander's..." he said, looking up. "The wand shop... It's been destroyed... Ollivander is missing... No trace of where he's gone..."
"Of course not," Remus said heavily, his eyes unusually troubled—Naomi had only seen that look on him a few times; every other time he'd been upset or worried, his face automatically reverted to the famous mask. "There's never been a trace of anything when it comes to the Death Eaters. They always manage to cover their tracks perfectly..."
Emmeline sighed. "What else has happened?"
"Death, mayhem, destruction... The usual," Sirius replied. "Mind, this has all happened in the last few hours."
"And you have to go get it all in control." Naomi closed her eyes and rested her head in her hands. Every time Sirius had to go out and do something like this, she worried. But the released prisoners were undoubtedly a part of the attacks, and since Sirius was the one who locked most of them away, they were bound to very angry with him.
Sirius put a hand on her back and began rubbing circles. "I'll be back tonight. I can't guarantee what time, but I will be back. You can either stay here or go back to Hogwarts; either way, I'll find you."
"I'll stay here. I want to be with Mira."
He nodded. "Okay. I'm sure Moony and Em will be happy for the company. Right?" he added, looking at the Lupins.
They both nodded. "Of course," Emmeline said. "And we'll even attempt to be good company until Sirius gets back."
"What then? You go back to silence? That doesn't seem fair," the Auror complained.
Remus raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have a job to do?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius said, standing up. "Don't be such a nag... I'll be back later." He kissed Naomi and Mira, grabbed his wand. "Moony, if I need you..."
"Let me know, I'll be there as soon as I can," Remus finished quietly.
Sirius nodded and headed up the stairs.
"You're just looking to get yourself killed, aren't you?" Emmeline muttered angrily, standing to empty her plate in the trash before following Sirius' footsteps upstairs.
Remus stared at her retreating back until he couldn't see her anymore, his mouth wide open. "What is going on with her?" he asked Naomi incredulously. "She's been like this for a week."
"Are you kidding?" Naomi said flatly. Remus looked back very obliviously for a man who was the smartest student in his year for seven years. "The woman is worried. The father of her newborn children is about to go off and face dozens of bitter, angry werewolves without any backup. What the hell do you think her problem is?"
"Do you think she'd feel better if those werewolves were still on the loose and loyal to Greyback, and eventually come after me and her newborn children?" Remus asked. "If I can get them under my control, really be an alpha of a werewolf pack, they will not be under Voldemort's rule anymore. They will be under the Order's control."
"They're not going to be under anyone's rule—they're dark creatures, Remus!" Naomi yelled.
"So am I!" he roared back.
The two stared angrily at one another for long minutes before Naomi sat back down—she hadn't even realized she'd stood.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have said that, I didn't mean it."
Remus nodded. "I know," he said. "We're all a little nervous about this; I'm scared out of my mind, to be honest. This is a lot different than going to the Underground; I had Aurors with me then."
"So you are nervous? You've been acting like this is a trip to the supermarket ever since you said you were going to do it," Naomi said.
"Of course I'm nervous," he said quietly. "My sons are only a few weeks old; I'd like to see them grow up some before I die."
"You're not going to die," Naomi said. "You're an excellent leader, Remus—"
"The next time someone says that, I'm going to hex them," Remus said dryly. "This isn't the same as whatever it is I do for the Order. The Order members are civilized and reasonable. I killed a man, Naomi, and this man had loads of power over one of the most dangerous groups of creatures there are in this world. They were loyal to him, they liked him as much as feral werewolves could like anybody. I'm not out to get them to like me, I would prefer they didn't, but if I can gain their respect, I can steer them to being neutralized in this war, or even get them on our side. In order to do that... well, I've got to fight any one of them that challenges me, including Greyback's beta."
"Are you ready for that?" Naomi asked quietly.
Remus sighed and looked away. "If it means that my sons will be safe from any sort of revenge they wish to take out on me, then yes, I am ready for that," he said strongly. "I've fought werewolves before, and won. I can do this."
Naomi took his hand and kissed his knuckles. "Do what you have to do, but please, come back to us safely and as unharmed as you can manage. We'll be waiting for you with healing potions and bandages and whatever you need."
"Thank you," Remus said with a small smile. "Now all I have to do is convince Emmeline of the same thing."
She snorted. "I wish you luck. And I wouldn't be surprised if you can't go to the werewolves because she's hexed you so badly. You do know that she may resort to hurting you temporarily to keep you here, right?"
He took in a very deep breath. "I'll cast a protection shield before I go in there." He stood. "If I never see you again, Naomi, I love you as a sister, you've been an amazing friend for the last twenty-five years. Give Sirius and Harry all my love as well..."
Naomi laughed at his over-dramatized tone. "Get your scrawny arse up there, Lupin."
Remus mock-glared at her. "My arse is not scrawny, thank you very much. Molly has made sure of that for twelve years." He winked at her laugh and headed up the stairs.
Naomi's smile faded after a few moments. She was naturally worried about Remus—he was one of her best friends, possibly the best friend anyone could ever have, besides one's significant other. He was tough, but if he let anything bother him while he was out there, he could let his guard down and be killed in an instant. Naomi nearly let out a whimper at the very thought.
Part of her heart was Remus', and no matter what happened or who they were married to, that would never change. The last thing she ever wanted to see was him hurt in any way. Thoughts of Remus dying nearly made her fall.
He'll be fine... He has to be fine...
Naomi sighed and stood from her chair, making her way quickly over to the cabinet for a glass and the hidden bottle of firewhiskey—it was necessary to hide it from Sirius, in case he got depressed and thought the only way to get out of it was drinking. Right now, Naomi needed a few glasses to keep her calm enough that she wouldn't head upstairs and hex Remus just bad enough that he wouldn't be able to go out tomorrow night...
Sirius crouched down behind a low wall in Sheffield with Proudfoot right beside him, having a horrible sense of déjà vu. Right in front of them were two Death Eaters—the two from the first nightmare Sirius had after the nightmares began. Bella was looking around them, as though waiting for something, while Lucius stared straight ahead, like he was seeing something Bella wasn't.
"Sirius," Proudfoot said very quietly, scooting over sideways to talk to his boss. "You do realize how close we are to where the Malfoys are, right?"
But Sirius wasn't paying much attention. He was waiting for the earthquake... and for the Inferi...
Stop it! It was only a nightmare! James and Lily and Julia are not going to come out of the ground. Harry is safe at Hogwarts. Remus, Naomi, and Emmeline are all at Number Twelve.
"You all right, Sirius?" Proudfoot whispered. "You're looking a bit like you're going to be sick. I thought you'd be thrilled about getting ready to catch these two in particular..."
Sirius nodded. "Fine," he said quietly. "I'm fine... Just remembering something I'd rather not... How do you want to do this? Each of us stun one of them?"
"Works for me," Proudfoot replied. "Who do you want?"
"Both of them, to be honest... But I'll settle for old Lucy-boy."
"Let's do it, then."
The two Aurors began to stand, their wands already drawn—
"Don't move," said a deep, raspy voice from behind them.
Sirius felt the tip of a wand in the back of his neck. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Proudfoot, finding he had the same look on his face as Sirius was sure he had on his. It was the oh shit, we've been caught look.
"We got them, Malfoy!" another, younger voice called.
Lucius and Bella turned. Bella looked thrilled to see her younger cousin at the mercy of a Death Eater, while Lucius wore his usual cold smirk. Sirius wanted nothing more than to jump this wall and punch that smirk off his face permanently.
"Well, well, well, Black, it seems we've done this before, only without so much company. Have you missed me?" Malfoy asked.
Sirius growled a few suggestions for what Malfoy could do, a few of which he wasn't even sure was actually physically possible...
Malfoy tutted. "Black, where are your manners, there is a lady present."
"I don't see one," Proudfoot said coldly. "Oh, you mean Lestrange? Funny, she'd always come across as too inbred to really tell whether she was male or female. Or that may just be me... Sirius?"
Sirius was too busy laughing. He stopped quickly when he was hit with a shock hex. A jolt of electricity shot from where the wand tip was at the back of his neck to his toes and back far too many times for him to count. When it hex finally ended, Sirius could feel blood dripping from his mouth and a number of other places.
"You just never learn, do you, ickle Sirikins?" Bella said. "You and your little Aurors... We are in control, and one of these days, you will understand that. Until then, perhaps a little more pain will help break your noble mindset. Cruc—"
"Bella, we have a mission to complete," Lucius warned, pushing Bella's wand away. He approached the wall, standing in front of Sirius. "I will ask you this only once, Black, and if I do not get a correct answer, your family—particularly your lovely young daughter—will know a whole new meaning of pain."
Sirius took a deep breath and found it hurt everywhere. "What do you want?" he rasped.
"My son and my wife."
The Head Auror looked at his second-in-command. Proudfoot answered for him. "We can't tell you were they are, Malfoy; they're under a Fidelius Charm."
"Then perhaps you can enlighten me on who can tell me."
"We don't know. All we know is that they're hidden somewhere."
"And how will I know if you're telling the truth?" Lucius asked.
"There's always torture," Bella suggested.
"Now, now, Bella, we're all civilized here."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sirius choked out. "Bella's never been all that civilized—"
He was cut off when he was hit with the same hex. Bellatrix cast it this time, and this time was worse; this time it lasted longer.
"Stop it! You're going to kill him!" Proudfoot yelled. "Neither of us knows where they are, and we don't know who their Secret-Keeper is!"
Sirius briefly saw Lucius look at Bella as the spell intensified before finally stopping. Then Lucius gave an order to the two goons holding the Aurors.
"Release them."
Sirius crumpled to the ground. Proudfoot kneeled to make sure he was still breathing. He leaned closer. "I can try to stun them," he whispered, his voice audible only to Sirius.
"No, if you miss, they'll kill us both," Sirius replied at the same volume.
"Find out what I want to know, Black, or I will get your daughter again and this time, her end will not be as pleasant as before..."
Before Sirius could really register what Lucius had said, four pops sounded, signaling the Death Eaters had Disapparated. Proudfoot cursed. "Come on, let's get you back home," he said, sounding quite angry, angrier than Sirius had ever heard him, that is. Usually Proudfoot kept his emotions to himself.
Through the continuing pain he felt, Proudfoot stood Sirius up and grabbed his arm. "I'm going to sidelong-Apparate us. Hold on..."
If possible, the pain had gotten worse after the Apparition. Sirius fell again and got sick all over the street in Grimmauld Place. He was sure all that red stuff was blood. His second-in-command cast a quick cleaning spell before forcing him to stand again, and they walked forward as Number Twelve appeared before their eyes. Proudfoot tapped his wand against the door, opened it, and the two Aurors entered. Sirius found himself sitting on the bottom stair, leaning against the wall until he heard the gasps and curses of his three best friends.
Naomi was the first to reach him. "What the hell happened to him?"
"Was it Cruciatus?" Remus asked worriedly, standing behind Naomi with Emmeline by his side. Sirius couldn't even force himself to make a smart comment about them making up.
Proudfoot shook his head. "I think that would have been a relief for him. Lestrange and another Death Eater used a shock hex on steroids on him twice. He's been coughing up blood and he got sick out on the street—that was full of blood as well."
Naomi was cleaning her husband's face while the wizard felt himself fading fast. Ten seconds later, the voices of his friends faded away and everything became black.
Ever since Emmeline's visit to Defense, most of the Hogwarts students found themselves sleeping a lot better at night. Those who couldn't or didn't bother with Occlumency still suffered from nightmares, and glared at those who were managing the new skill. It'd seemed the younger students, those in years five and below, had been the ones who couldn't, and the Slytherins just wouldn't.
Harry didn't feel at all sorry for the Slytherins; Slytherin would be playing Ravenclaw in Quidditch in two weeks, and the more tired they were, the better the chance of a Ravenclaw victory. Then of course, the better the chance there was for a Slytherin defeat, the better the general happiness of the entire school—save the Slytherins, of course, but really, after all they'd done, who cared about their happiness?
"Your move, Harry," Ron said from the other side of the chessboard.
Harry looked at the board, and the few chess players he had left, knowing he was going to lose miserably, anyway. "Isn't it nearly dinnertime?" he asked looking at his watch.
Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "Not for another twenty minutes. What's wrong, Harry, afraid of losing?"
"Ron, I've been losing chess to you since we were six; why would I just now start being afraid of it?"
"Do you mind? Just because you two don't feel the need to study, it doesn't mean the rest of us don't," Hermione said irritably from the next table.
"N.E.W.T.s are months away, Hermione, why are you making such a fuss about it?" Harry asked. "We've been working our arses off for the past two weeks, we deserve a few hours off."
"Yeah," Ron said. "Why don't you close your book for a change and join us?"
"Why don't you open a book for a change and study?" Hermione shot back. Nonetheless, she scooted her chair over to join the boys at their table. "Just a hint, Harry, if you want to win this game, I'd move that piece there..."
Harry looked up from the chessboard to his best friend. "No offense, Mione, but you've never been that good at chess."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you don't want me over here..."
"Never said I didn't want you over here, only said I don't want your help at chess."
While Harry and Hermione argued it out, Ginny came over her fiancé's shoulder and moved his chess piece for him.
"Oy! That's cheating!" Ron complained loudly. "If Harry's going to lose, he's going to lose right!"
"Ron, I just moved one piece for him," Ginny said. "But if you're so convinced Harry's going to lose, why don't you play someone with some chess talent?"
"And who might that be?"
"Me."
Ron laughed. Once he caught his breath he looked at his sister. "You're joking right? You can't play chess!"
Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry and Hermione scooted away from the table. "How would you know? You've never even played me at chess. For your information, Ronald, I happen to be a very good chess player."
"Okay, fine, sit," Ron said, grinning. "But when I win I'll take your apology in writing."
"Apology for what?" Ginny asked incredulously. "You're the one who's going to need to apologize."
Still chuckling, Ron reset the chessboard.
"She's going to massacre him, isn't she?" Harry asked Hermione.
"It'll be good for him," Hermione replied, nodding.
Twenty minutes later, while on their way to dinner, Ron was still staring at his sister in shock. "Ron, it'll be okay," Harry tried to tell him. "Everyone's got to lose sometime...
"Sod off," Ron muttered. "You've never been beaten at chess by your baby sister."
"That would be because I don't have a baby sister, Ron," Harry said, trying not to laugh at his best friend as they entered the Great Hall. "You're as bad as Sirius, mate, it's just a game, get over it."
Ron growled something under his breath and sped up ahead of his friends to the Gryffindor table. The others sat around him, avoiding looking at each other so as to not burst out laughing.
The first half of dinner was a normal affair, except Ron wouldn't participate in any conversation while he pouted over his defeat. But right as dessert was served, something caught the eyes of half the Great Hall. Harry had to stare at the pearly white form for a few seconds before he recognized it.
"That's Remus' patronus," he said quietly as the lion-Patronus approached Dumbledore and presumably delivered a message to him. Harry watched the Headmaster's face for any sign of what the patronus was telling him, but in typical Dumbledore fashion, his expression betrayed nothing. The lion faded away and Dumbledore turned to McGonagall, whispering something to her, before both stood and left the Great Hall through one of the side chambers, leaving Harry feeling confused. The rest of the hall had gone back to their meals.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head. "Don't know..."
"Do you think it might be something to do with Ollivander?" Ginny asked. "Maybe somebody's found him."
A few students had overheard some of the professors discussing the missing wandmaker earlier that evening and the news had spread around the school like wildfire.
"But why would Remus send the message? Wouldn't Aurors have been the ones looking for him?" Hermione said.
"Remus does a lot more than anyone gives him credit for," Harry said faintly, still staring at the door Dumbledore and McGonagall had disappeared through. "But I'm not sure it's anything to do with Ollivander... I don't think they would have left—Dumbledore, maybe, but not McGonagall."
Harry didn't want to say anything aloud, but only a few things came to mind as to why the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress would have left so urgently during dinner: either something happened to the Malfoys (Harry couldn't muster any sort of sympathy for that), or something had happened to one of his family members.
Or both...
The head boy rolled his eyes at himself. There you go being paranoid again, Harry. Chances are, it's nothing. Maybe Voldemort was sighted somewhere... He wasn't sure if he was comfortable that he felt better about Voldemort being sighted rather than someone in his family being hurt.
Ginny leaned over to him. "Let's finish dinner, and head back up to the tower. If something's happened, I'm sure you'll find out, but there isn't much you can do right now..."
Reluctantly, Harry agreed. In the back of his mind, he wanted nothing more than to find a fireplace and Floo back to Number Twelve, just to make sure, but all that would do is get him a detention and possibly a long lecture from several people.
"I'm heading up now," he told his friends, pushing his pudding away from him. "See you lot in a bit."
Ginny made to follow him, but Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat with a shake of his head and a whispered, "Let him be." Harry was grateful.
He was the only person in Gryffindor Tower when he arrived. Staring at the large fireplace, he debated whether he should just go satisfy his curiosity—he could be back before anyone knew he was gone. He even had Floo powder—Sirius and Remus gave him some for emergencies at the beginning of every school term, and he'd only ever had to use it once, when he needed to discuss Ron's rescue with his guardians. He wouldn't even really have to Floo all the way to the house; all he needed to do was poke his head through the fireplace, get someone's attention, and find out what was going on.
His mind made up, Harry headed up to the seventh year boys' dormitory and dug through his trunk until he found the pouch of Floo powder. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to finish before the other Gryffindors returned from their dinner, but if he knew his housemates, he knew they would be in the Great Hall until the last morsel of food was gone, which gave him about fifteen more minutes.
More than enough time...
Harry kneeled in front of the fireplace, through in a pinch of powder and said clearly, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," before sticking his head into the green flames. He enjoyed Floo more than a lot of other people he knew, particularly Remus, but he didn't think he'd ever get used to the sensation of his head spinning while the rest of his body remained stationary.
Finally the spinning stopped, and once Harry's eyes focused again, he found himself looking at the empty kitchen. "Damn," he muttered. "Hello? Anyone home?"
After a minute or so, Naomi poked her head into the kitchen curiously, then promptly rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore said you might do this," she said, coming down the stairs. "Remus didn't know you lot were still at dinner; we've kind of lost track of time..."
"Is everything all right?" Harry asked.
"That would depend on your definition of all right," she replied dryly. "Pull yourself through—I know how uncomfortable you must be right now."
Harry stuck his arms through and took hold of Naomi's hands. She helped pull the rest of his body through the fireplace and the flames.
"Did anybody see you?" Naomi asked as Harry stood and dusted himself off.
Harry shook his head. "No, everyone is still in the Great Hall. What's going on?"
"Upstairs," Naomi said with a sigh, leading Harry up through the house. "I'm sure Remus and Sirius will want to give you the quick rundown of events, but I'm not going to promise that you'll get to hear everything else."
"Okay."
They reached Sirius and Naomi's bedroom and Naomi knocked on the door. "Guess who's just arrived to join the party?" she said to the room, opening the door all the way.
Harry entered as everyone looked up. Remus was sitting with Emmeline on the side of the bed, and when he spotted Harry, he shook his head before dropping it into his hands. Sirius snorted into whatever it was he was drinking. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, and McGonagall didn't seem to know whether to yell at him or just give up.
"Well, sit down," Sirius said, gesturing to an empty seat. "Suppose you caught dear Remus' patronus in the Great Hall."
Harry nodded.
"I'll use an owl next time," Remus muttered.
Dumbledore looked at him rather sternly. "Owls are slow, Remus, and regardless of how much unwanted attention it drew, your patronus delivered your message almost instantly, which is the method of contact I prefer in situations such as this."
"I'm fine, Harry," Sirius said, answering the boy's unspoken question. "Just a little run-in with my favorite cousin and Lucius Malfoy."
"Great," Harry said sarcastically.
Sirius winked at him, finishing off his drink with a shudder. "God, that's got to be the most disgusting potion I've ever tasted."
Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "Sirius, that was pumpkin juice."
"Well, then, it's gone bad."
"It was a brand new jug," Remus said suspiciously. He conjured a glass of water. "Try this."
Sirius took a sip and made a face like he'd just swallowed dragon dung.
"I suppose that answers the question of whether the curse Bella used on him caused any side effects," Naomi said dully. "It must have messed with his taste buds."
Remus suddenly grinned and glanced over at Harry. "So does that mean he won't be eating everything in sight now? If it all tastes like sawdust, he's not going to want it."
Harry laughed. "We'll save a ton of gold on groceries..."
"Can we all stop talking about Sirius like he isn't here, and get back to discussing what we were before Harry arrived?" Sirius asked loudly over the laughing.
"Sorry, I know it's no laughing matter," Remus said, getting himself under control, "but it is fairly amusing..."
"If you say so," Sirius said, glaring at everybody. "Anyway, I think we were at the part where Malfoy wanted to know where his wife and kid were."
Dumbledore nodded. "I believe you were saying he knew his family was in the area, though he didn't know where. Do you know where he may have gotten that idea?"
"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I'm not even certain he knew they were near, maybe it was just coincidence he was there."
"And how often has anything Malfoy done been just coincidence?" Remus asked. "He knew Narcissa and Draco were in hiding, and he knew they were in that area. The one thing he doesn't know is how to get to them, because he doesn't know who the Secret-Keeper is." Harry thought he saw Remus give McGonagall the briefest of glances. The professor's face was kept expertly blank.
"He wanted to know," Sirius said, shrugging. "You know what it reminds me of? The whole philosopher's stone mess... He knew Remus was involved with its hiding, but he couldn't get any information on it."
"That's because I was able to beat him at his own game," Remus said. "He thought threatening my family would get him to tell me what the protections were, and if I hadn't told him, or attacked him, he probably would have just killed me, if for no other reason than to get me out of the way."
"You attacked him?" Harry said, impressed. "You never told me that bit."
Remus grinned a little. "As I was saying, once he finds out who the Secret-Keeper is—"
"Which he won't," Sirius muttered.
Remus nodded. "—he'll try to get the secret out of them, and get to his family. Did he say why he wanted to know where they were?"
"Nope," Sirius said, his brow furrowing as he tried to remember something. "That son of a..."
"What?" Remus asked.
"I just remembered something..." he said slowly. "I didn't really think much of it at the time; I was too busy screaming in pain for it to register... He did a lot more than hint that he had something to do with Mira's kidnapping."
"Excuse me?" Naomi said loudly. "How in the name of Godric Gryffindor could he have had anything to do with that? He was in Azkaban!"
Sirius closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as though he had a bad headache. "I understand that," he said quietly. "I'm just telling you what he said."
"And what exactly did he say, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked.
"Something about if he gets a hold of her again, her end won't be as pleasant as it was last time."
Naomi got up quickly from the bed and left the room, presumably to go find her daughter.
Sirius sighed. "Probably shouldn't have told her that, eh?" he said.
Remus patted him on the shoulder, then looked over at Harry. "I don't think I need to tell you that everything you've heard here needs to stay here."
Harry nodded, discreetly crossing his fingers so Remus couldn't see. "Of course." He had high intentions of at least telling Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.
"You know, any other student would get detention and points taken away for sneaking away from school," Sirius said thoughtfully. "But Harry Potter once again avoids punishment."
"I wouldn't be so certain of that, Mister Black," McGonagall said, looking sternly over at Harry. "Did you at least tell someone where you were going?"
The look on Harry's face must have told them he hadn't.
"I doubt Harry's friends will have any trouble deciphering where he's gone," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "As for his punishment, I see no reason for one when he's been escorted home by two professors to look into the health of a close family member."
Sirius sputtered indignantly. "Why couldn't you have been so good to us when we got in trouble? We never snuck out of school!"
Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows. He rolled his eyes. "Hogsmeade doesn't count."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Sirius, my boy, half the fun was watching you and James concoct stories and excuses as to why you hadn't done what every person in the school knew you had."
"And what about Remus? He was a part of all that too, you know," Sirius replied rather sulkily.
"And yet, I'm the one with only about a third of the detentions you had," Remus responded.
"Git."
After a few more minutes of listening to Sirius and Remus debate their troublemaking days—Harry kept in mind those days had far from ended—Dumbledore stood. "I think it is high time we return to the school, Harry, Minerva. We've all much to think about, and I'm certain Harry will need to explain his disappearance to his friends."
Harry said goodbye to his family and followed his professors back down to the kitchen where they Flooed to Dumbledore's office. From there, the Headmaster sent him back to Gryffindor Tower. McGonagall remained with Dumbledore.
It was obvious everything that had been discussed had been played down a touch due to Harry's presence, but ignoring the laughing and jokes, Harry did have a lot to think about. For one, how Lucius Malfoy had managed to get his slimy hands on Mira at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Like Naomi said, he was in Azkaban. It wasn't as though he could have broken out to kidnap her, then sneak back in. And wasn't Mira found with people Dung had known? If they were anything like Dung, they would have sold Malfoy out in a heartbeat to save themselves from prison. But they hadn't. Maybe Malfoy had paid them off...
Harry really couldn't have cared less about the fate of Draco Malfoy, or his mother, but with them laid more questions. Who was their Secret-Keeper? Judging by the look Remus gave McGonagall, it was probably her, and if it was, Malfoy would never find out where his family was hidden. Then there was the reasoning behind Malfoy's sudden interest in where his family was. Did he want to take Draco back to Voldemort? Or maybe he wanted to kill Draco for agreeing to going into hiding with the Order. Either way, Harry never wanted to be Draco Malfoy any less than he did now. He'd faced Lucius Malfoy, and though he'd never voiced it aloud, Harry had a deep fear of the Death Eater. Malfoy had haunted Harry's nightmares for years after his kidnapping, much more than Voldemort had.
Sirius caught him before and Sirius will catch him again. Either that, or Malfoy will die fighting for his freedom. Harry like the latter option much better.
When Harry left, he took the humor in the discussion with him. Sirius and Remus remained in the bedroom while Emmeline went to check on the twins and see if Naomi was all right.
Personally, Remus wasn't all that worried about Mira's safety. She was rarely taken out of Number Twelve without her parents, and as far as Remus knew, no one in the Order had any intentions of taking her. Then again, there were many people with access to Number Twelve these days, and any one of them could have fallen victim to an Imperius Curse.
We'll just have to keep a much closer eye on Mira and the twins from now on, Remus thought. Not that we don't now. Ninety percent of the time, there's someone in the room with them, or they're wherever we are.
"Tell me more about Percy Weasley," Remus said suddenly. "Do you really believe he's turned over a new leaf?"
Sirius sighed and shrugged. "I'm no Dumbledore—I can't read minds or anything—but yes, I think he has."
"This coming from the man who once said he would disown his child if said child was ever caught doing what Percy has," Remus said. "I suppose that counts for something. What's Dumbledore said?"
"He wants to talk to Percy, naturally, face-to-face, but from what I told him, he thinks Percy might deserve another chance."
"Does Molly know?"
"Are you kidding? I'm not getting her hopes up with this, then watch as Percy does something stupid again."
"So you really don't trust him," Remus said.
"Do you?" Sirius countered with raised eyebrows. "Remus, there aren't a lot of people I trust in the Order—you lot, of course, and a few others, but after everything that's happened, you can't really expect me to warm up to someone who tried to kill my godson while the rest of us were in the kitchen."
Remus hadn't been present during the twenty-four hours in which Harry nearly died. That had been the same night he and Emmeline had disappeared in France. How convenient, Remus thought. There's no better way to break Sirius than to have two of the people he cares about most in mortal danger at the same time...
"I trust Dumbledore," Sirius said quietly. "It's taken me many years to get to the point I'm at now, but I trust him with my life and the lives of my family members. If he talks to Percy, and says he's changed, I'll take Dumbledore's word for it. I won't like it, but then again, there are a lot of things Dumbledore does I don't like. But for the most part, I don't think he's steered us wrong once."
Remus nodded. "I'm happy to hear you say that, Padfoot," he said just as quietly. "Listen, as far as Mira goes, I will do everything I can to help keep her safe, and I know you'll do the same with John and Alex." Sirius nodded. "Malfoy is a threat to us, and he always has been, whether he's been on the run or in Azkaban. But whatever happens, don't do anything that's going to get you hurt. That's the last thing anyone needs."
Sirius snorted. "Look who's talking," he muttered. Before he could go on, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" he called.
Charlie Weasley poked his head through. "Evening, gents, Emmeline told me you were up here. How're you feeling, Sirius?"
The Head Auror shrugged. "I've felt worse. But I'll feel better once I can drink a sip of water without it tasting like acid."
Charlie raised an eyebrow, but let the comment go. "Remus, we just got an owl from St. Mungo's. One of the female werewolves from the Underground wants to talk to you."
"Why?" Remus asked.
"Dunno," Charlie said. "But she requested you specifically."
"When does she want to meet?"
"Tomorrow, before the full moon rises. Might have something to do with what you're planning tomorrow night."
"How'd you find out about that?" Sirius asked. "I thought we were the only ones who knew."
"I told him," Remus said before Charlie could reply. "He's been very involved in the werewolf cases, and I asked for his insight."
"Thought dragons were your specialty," Sirius said. "Getting bored with that?"
"No," Charlie sighed, "but as there aren't many dragons wandering London, I needed something else to occupy my time."
"Anyway," Remus interrupted. "This female... Who is she?"
"Well, from the files I dug up on her, she is the mate of Greyback's beta, and the mother of three of his children. She's also one of the few who agreed to Ministry help without much hesitation," Charlie said. "She could be some help when you face him, maybe she can tell you his weak points."
"Somehow I doubt it," Remus said. "I'll meet with her. Tomorrow morning, say ten o'clock. That way I'll still be able to get some rest before tomorrow night."
Charlie nodded. "I'll let her know." He stood. "Hate to cut this short, but Tonks and I are going out tonight—I've got to pick her up soon."
"Thank you for dropping by, Charlie," Remus said. "I'll come by the office tomorrow and let you know what happened."
"Sounds good. See you, Sirius."
"Bye, Charlie," Sirius replied. Once Charlie left, Sirius turned to Remus. "Any idea?"
Remus shook his head. "None," he said. "But it can't hurt to meet with her, right?"
"If you say so," Sirius said. "Just do yourself a favor, and don't mention it to Emmeline right away. I doubt she'll be all that excited to hear you're meeting with female werewolves just before you head out to face the males."
"And risk her getting upset again, like she did with the Naomi fiasco?"
Sirius gave him a look. "You know exactly why she got upset about that, Moony," he said.
"Either way..." Remus said. "Get some rest. I'm going to go have some dinner. Maybe we can find something that doesn't taste too horrible for you."
"Cheers," Sirius muttered.
Remus left the room, wanting nothing more than a few minutes alone. He was less than twenty-four hours from the full moon, and he still hadn't really made up with Emmeline. Not to mention everything that had happened that night had given him a lot to mull over.
I need Harry's pensieve, he thought dully, making his way to the kitchen. No one should have this much to worry about...
Now you know how Harry feels sometimes, said another voice. For once, Remus didn't tell it to shut up—he agreed wholeheartedly with it.