so expect updates a little faster for a bit! Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter- reviews are always appreciated!
Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Nineteen Bad Moon Rising --
Harry felt the coldness of the window against his forehead on the train he and Hermione were riding. He held the sword of Gryffindor safely at his side.
Hermione had been wrong about the sword- it wasn't a
Horcrux. The spell hadn't worked. But McGonagall had
told them that she knew of a direct descendant of
Rowena Ravenclaw living in northern England, who would
be their best chance of discovering if any major
Ravenclaw heirlooms had ever been taken for such
nefarious purposes. Harry and Hermione were almost
positive if the Gryffindor sword wasn't a Horcrux,
something of Ravenclaw's must be. And after that, they
had to see if it led them to Nagini or somewhere else
entirely.
But even though the sword wasn't a Horcrux, McGonagall had given it to them "for protection," she had said sternly.
Harry closed his eyes wearily, hating the fact that Draco's little "meeting" was probably going on right now and he had no way of stopping them. He tried not to remember the note from Bellatrix. He just had to pray Ron and Ginny were still alive, and hope that Sirius and Lupin got there in time.
If it was even the right place. Harry sighed, feeling a pounding headache coming on. This task was becoming more and more complicated and overwhelming by the second.
Suddenly, Harry realized he didn't hear Hermione's slow breathing. He opened his eyes, looking over at her. She had her hand over her eyes, and Harry could see tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Hermione..." He said softly.
She looked up, her eyes glistening.
"Harry--oh, Harry, I thought you were asleep. I didn't wake you up, did I?" She said apologetically.
"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. Tell me what's wrong."
"Oh, this isn't anything out of the ordinary." She laughed sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"I do this every night. Becoming my pathetic little tradition." She wiped her cheeks, blushing.
"Crying?"
"Yes."
Harry didn't say anything.
Hermione sniffled, opening her mouth to say something,
but then stopping.
"What?"
She looked away, seemingly unable to look at Harry while appearing so weak.
"I miss him, Harry. I can't stand this. You were right- we should have tried to stop Draco. I'm tried to be logical, I tried to be practical, but I just can't! Not...not anymore."
"Hermione, yes, you can. You have to"
"I've always been able to figure things out, I've
always tried so hard to be strong- but I realized the
only reason I could help you over and over again is
because Ron was right there with me. I don't know how
to do this without him. I don't know if I can."
"Don't say that. We're getting Ron back. I promise-"
"Oh, well, that makes me feel all better." Hermione rolled her eyes.
Harry looked away.
"I'm sorry, Harry- it's just...it's always been the three of us, through everything. This just isn't right."
"I know."
"I love him." She said quietly.
"I know." Harry said again.
It was a strange reaction to her candid declaration.
But he really had known for sometime how she felt, and
it was no big surprise.
Flushed, Hermione looked away. Harry didn't fill the awkward silence.
"Go back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you." Hermione said, pulling her jacket over her and lying on her back.
Both their eyes were closed, but neither found sleep for hours.
--
Narcissa woke up late the next afternoon. A bleak sort of sunlight came in through the windows, warm on her face.
She didn't really think for a long while, just noticed things. The feeling of his arm across her stomach. The musty smell of the burnt ahes in the fireplace. Her black silk dress on the floor. She refused to put all these things together into any kind of memory merely because she had been fighting down a hot flush of shame ever since her eyes had opened.
He was still sleeping.
And he woke up alone.
--
Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle stood before Lord Voldemort, all feigning confidence.
"This is all at Hogwarts who remain faithful to me?"
"All that I could gather covertly." Draco said, hoping his voice didn't sound as high as he heard it in his head.
"This is truly pathetic." Voldemort sighed.
"My sincerest apologies." Draco said.
Pansy winced at the edge of sarcasm in his voice. He was going to get them killed.
Voldemort raised an eyebrow, or at least the skin moved on his pale face where an eyebrow should have been.
"Well, no matter. I have a very special task in mins that the four of you shall personally supervise."
"Of course, Master." Pansy said, hoping to make up for Draco's impertinence.
Voldemort looked at her.
"Who are you?" He asked coldly.
"Pansy Parkinson." She said shakily.
"Do I know your parents?"
"They died when I was young. Killed by Aurors, on one of your missions."
"Ah, yes. So many followers...they all blur together
after awhile. Your parents made a noble sacrifice"
Voldemort smiled, his horrible teeth revealed briefly.
"Yes, I agree." She said, not meeting his eyes.
"Very well. Now for the task at hand-I believe you four are better suited than anyone for this particular job..."
--
As Draco and his littlel gang left quietly discussing their new assignment, they ran right into Narcissa Malfoy.
She looked exhausted and distracted, and when she saw Draco, her face paled.
"Mother--there you are. The Dark Lord told me to ask you where Father is." Draco said, concerned at her appearance.
Narcissa's lips went into a very fine line, her blue eyes slightly glassy.
"Pansy, Gregory, and Vincent- it's good to see you all here." She said softly.
They all nodded, looking confused.
"Where's Father?" Draco repeated.
"Could you give us a moment?" Narcissa said to his three friends.
They obliged.
"Everything's okay?" Draco said, more of a statement than a question.
"No, darling. It's not." Narcissa said, wiping away an errant tear.
"Tell me what happened." Draco said, feeeling his stomach twist nervously.
Narcissa put her hand to her eyes, taking a deep breath, and trying to speak. Her voice faltered, and came out more as a sob.
"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"
"Lucius is dead, Draco. The Dark Lord killed him"
Narcissa said quickly, as if every word was a
struggle.
Draco sputtered for a moment, falling against the wall and sinking to the floor. His dark gray eyes looked at the opposite wall, not seeing a thing. He felt a loud roar building in his ears, until he began to shake with the pain of fighting down the scream in his throat.
Narcissa reached out for him, crying hysterically.
Draco slapped her hand away furiously.
"Don't...don't touch me." He was trembling all over.
"There was nothing I could have done, Draco,
please...please, believe me."
Seconds of silence stretched like an eternity between them.
Draco put his hands over his face, gagging and swallowing, having trouble breathing. Narcissa put a hand on his shoulder tentatively.
He looked at her for a long, cold moment...his eyes had a terrifying emptiness to them. They looked dead.
"I don't believe anything anymore." He finally said,
pushing her to the floor and walking off.
--
Ron woke up in the middle of the night after having a horrible nightmare. The stench of blood still flooded his nostrils as he rolled over to tell Ginny. Comfort from his little sister. How pathetic.
But she wasn't there.
He was completely alone.
For one wild moment, Ron thought she had escaped and he felt strangely relieved. But then he realized she wouldn't leave without taking him with her.
Suddenly, he saw Pansy Parkinson sitting outside,
flipping through Teen Witch Weekly. It was such a non
sequitur of images that he didn't know how to react.
His first insane thought was "How on earth did she
find a magazine like that in this place?"
She looked up, noticing him.
"Hey, Weasel." She blew a bubble.
"Where's my sister?"
"In a safe place."
"Don't give me that shit."
Pansy grinned.
"Fiesty. She's being taken care of, don't even worry about it."
"Where is she?"
"I told you, in a safe place. Once thought to be the safest place in the wizarding world." She said with a slow smile.
"Hogwarts? But w-why would she be in-"
"No idea. They're just following orders." Pansy said innocently.
"Who is?"
Pansy just flipped a page of her magazine, laughing.
She ignored the rest of Ron's questions.
--
Sirius and Lupin walked through the densely wooded forest in a slightly tense silence.
They had just realized that the full moon was tonight.
"I'm so stupid- I always remember when it's coming.
It's just everything's been so busy lately and-"
"It's okay, Moony, I'll just tie you a tree or something." Sirius laughed.
"Anything you would tie me up with I could rip apart in seconds. You know that."
"Just making suggestions." Sirius shrugged.
"Well, you're going to have to do better than that"
Lupin said irritably, snapping a twig from a tree they
were passing.
"What's with you today?" Sirius looked at him,
annoyed.
"Nothing's 'with' me, I'm just really mad at myself for not realizing this was coming."
"Everbody makes mistakes." Sirius shrugged.
"How can you be flippant about this?"
"I'm flippant about everything."
"This isn't a joke!"
"I know that! What is your problem?"
"I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT!" Lupin shouted.
The only sound for a moment was the forest around them, teeming with life and unintelligble sounds.
Sirius looked oddly touched, the lines around his eyes crinkling as he smiled, his hand on a nearby tree.
"I'll be fine, Moony. We'll figure out something."
Lupin didn't say anything, walking ahead of him.
--
Snape walked down the hall of the castle, his muscles aching and his mind very confused.
Narcissa appeared at the other end of the hallway,
walking with her head down.
She didn't notice him and he didn't say anything until they were feet from each other.
"Narcissa."
Her head snapped up, her blue eyes almost frightened at the sight of him.
Quickly, she affixed a look of indifference on her face.
"Severus. Hello." She pushed past him.
"Well, well. How fickle is woman." Severus said to her turned back.
She stopped, but didn't turn around.
"Don't do this." She said in a surprisingly harsh voice.
"Those were not your sentiments the last time we met"
Snape said, crossing his arms.
She turned around at last, her eyes flashing.
Narcissa grabbed his arm fiercely, throwing open the
first open door she could find and leading him inside.
It was a rather small closet for goblets and kitchen
utensils, and they were in uncomfortably close
quarters.
"We are not talking about last night. Ever. It was a mistake, and it...meant...NOTHING. I'm sorry if you believed otherwise." She said in a dangerous whisper.
Snape didn't say anything for a long moment.
"You're lying."
"I'm NOT!" She said petulantly, her eyes welling with tears for the second time that day.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm being honest!"
"Then tell me what last night was to you."
"SEX! That's all! Let's face it, that's all it's ever been between us."
"That's not tru-"
"Don't try to make it something else, don't try to convince me otherwise. I needed to forget what had happened, and I ended up in your room. That's it."
"That's not it!" He yelled.
She looked at the door, as if afraid of someone hearing him.
"Damn it, Narcissa, we're here again?" He said furiously.
"You and I were never anywhere. We were never anything." She said, her teeth gritted.
"Don't say that." He said furiously, blocking her as she tried to go to the door.
"I'm leaving." She said, ramming up against his chest as he blocked her again.
"No." He glared at her.
"You are so pathetic! I'm telling you that I used you!
Is that not getting through? I. USED. YOU. I needed a
good fck and I knew where to find it."
Snape faltered slightly. He'd never heard her talk like this.
"What's happened to you?"
"My husband was tortured and murdered in front of me.
My whole life that I've built up just ended because of
you. You're the one who caused all of this. And you're
not worth the price of what I've lost."
She shoved him into the shelf, glass goblets falling to the ground and shattering between them.
Stepping through the glass, she left without another word.
-
Night was falling and stilll Remus and Sirius had not
thought of anything. The best they had come up with
was to put a tracking spell on Remus and for Sirius to
climb up into a tree.
It wasn't exactly foolproof, but it was the best they had the moment.
"You doing all right so far?" Sirius said sleepily from his vantage point up in the tree.
"Yes." Lupin said, sitting against a rock in a small clearing.
"Be careful, mate." Sirius said, stifling an enormous yawn.
They had been walking for two days straight, and fatigue was beginning to set in with a vengeance.
Sirius drifted off to sleep minutes later as twilight fell around them. Lupin looked meditatively up at the clouds still hiding the moon. Any second now, they'd part, and the transformation would begin.
Suddenly, Lupin heard a low growl. And it wasn't coming from him. He jumped to his feet, turning around so fast he nearly stumbled.
"Remus...what a pleasant surprise."
Lupin looked into the hideously disfigured face of Fenrir Greyback, mid-transformation. His words came out in a barely intelligble growl.
Lupin didn't say anything, his heart beginning to speed up.
"In league with Harry Potter? Should have seen that
coming, I suppose. No one ever really changes"
Greyback let out a bone-rattling laugh, "Well, I
suppose we DO change."
Lupin felt his bones start to ache with the metamorphosis. He didn't dare call out for Sirius- it was better that Greyback had no idea his friend was here. He just prayed Sirius wouldn't wake and attempt anything heroic.
"You feel it, don't you? The animal taking over...it's amazing..." Greyback said, throwing back his head and howling.
Lupin tried to hold onto his human mind, but felt it slipping away like water in his hands.
"You're clever, Lupin.. But are strong?"
Lupin let out a low moan of pain as he fell onto all fours.
"Only one way to know for sure." Greyback said,
stalking around the clearing.
Lupin felt his skin stretching until he was sure it would break. He could barely focus on Greyback's next words.
"Rise, you pathetic excuse for our kind. Rise, and fight me."
--
A/N- All right, ladies and gents, place your bets-
Greyback vs. Lupin? Well, you'll soon find out. Also,
what on earth is Voldemort planning with Draco and
Co.? What's Ginny have to do with any of it? What is
Rowena Ravenclaw rolling over in her grave about
misplacing? And where's Narcissa's Midol for crying
out loud? Answers to all this (well, maybe not the
last one) and more in Chapter 20! We're entering the
home stretch everyone- and it's going to be a fight to
the death for some.