The Secret that we Keep
Chapter 3 – Dangerous and Moving
A/N: Believe it or not, the first part was actually part of chapter 2 but it didn't really fit in so…I decided to make it its own chapter! Once again, try to bear with the super late updating. Oh yeah, and I got the chapter title from a T.A.T.U. song.
Oh and for those of you who can remember my author's comment from chapter 1, I deleted Born Divided, Grown United. I literally ran out of ideas for that story and I felt that the characterization and plot were one of the poorest things I've ever written. But aside from that, on with chapter 3!
——†——
A young boy of 18 years woke up from the sun's rays through the window. He was rubbing the sleep out of his light blue eyes and ran a hand through his slightly scruffy mane of light brown hair – with a few blond high lights. He sat up and continued to stretch his upper body, getting rid of as many kinks as he can. His bedroom door opened and from it appeared a butler.
"They're awaiting your presence in the dining hall young master."
"Thanks Armand. Tell them I'll be down after I'm ready."
The butler nodded and closed the large door. The boy got out of bed, gathered up his school uniform and began to head for his washroom. After he finished bathing and cleaning up, he put on his grey slacks and shoes, a buttoned up white dress shirt underneath a formfitting grey v-neck top (adorning his schools crest and colors – white and blue) and matching tie, topped off with a dashing white blazer (also with school crest). He gathered his school bags and headed down for the dining hall. (1)
In the hall at the one end of the large table were his two guardians. Sitting at the very end reading a newspaper was a very handsome man by the name of Sirius Black, his father. His long, black hair was loose and ended just passed his shoulder blades. His stormy blue eyes were scanning over the Arts and Entertainment section.
To Sirius' right was his other guardian and 'motherly figure', Remus Lupin. His youthful hazel eyes were scanning over a few reports from work. From time to time his sandy blond hair would get into his eye sight and would therefore have to brush a few of the uncooperative strands away.
Both men looked up when they noticed their child walking near and gave him a smile.
"Good morning Romulus ready to begin the new week?"
"Don't remind me Sirius. As mandatory as it is to go to school, I'd rather stay in bed."
"Wouldn't we all love that? Well don't slack off now Romy. Even though you graduate this year, you still have post-secondary to worry about. But don't worry about it if you don't have a plan yet. We'll give you all the time necessary for you decide what you truly want to have as a profession." Remus replied with a smile.
"You mean it? Like, I can take a whole year off if I wanted?!"
"Of course! I can sympathize. It's not easy deciding on what you want to go into the work force as. Along with your senior year and only a 2 month summer holiday, that's not really much time to think about a profession if you don't have one in mind yet. Plus there is also the troublesome process of registering and buying books, it gets hectic if you do it last minute. Remember Romulus, this is your life we're talking about and we're more than willing to support any decision that you make. We want to make sure you remain happy." Both guardians smiled at their child.
"You guys…" Romulus happily sat down to Sirius' right and began to eat the prepared breakfast before him consisting of hash browns, sausages and eggs, an English muffin and an orange on the side and a nice cool glass of milk.
Sirius set down his paper and turned on the large flat screen TV that was situated behind him. He turned around in his chair with a cup of coffee in his hands.
In other news today, young President of U.K. Steel, Cedric Diggory has announced that he would like to expand the company beyond the United Kingdom's boarders. Locations of manufacturing plants are generally favouring neighbouring countries such as France and Spain.
"It's a good idea to start off small that is why we are initially extending our borders to the neighbouring countries. Once we have a steady foundation and we are comfortable with how things are being run, we will then proceed to expand to the other economic giants across the world." – President Diggory
Future locations have been disclosed, as Russia, and extending to the far western and eastern countries of America, Canada, and Japan. The reign of the promising Steel factory, founded by his late father Amos Diggory has been proven to be a valuable asset to our rapidly growing economy. Multi-million dollar automotive industries across the globe such as the America's Toyota and General Motors, Germany's Volkswagen, and Japan's Honda have been enthusiastic of acquiring U.K. Steel's metallic inventory in order to build the newer and more durable automotives of the future. Young Cedric has proven that he is more than capable of living up to the company's pride and his family name. Great promises and high hopes have been placed on this young man's strive to persevere.
"He's certainly done well for himself."
"It's been much too long. When was the last time we saw him, when he was only a 2nd year in Primary School?
"Yup. He was a cute little lad."
"Amos and Lana must've been very proud to have him for a son."
"Hey guys, I uh hate to interrupt or anything but how did you two know President Diggory?"
"His parents were friends of ours. Back then, Sirius was still a Law Student and I was an intern as a physician for the Hospital. We first met in school during our Upper Sixth year, much like you are now (2).
We were friends but then we kind of lost contact once it was time for us to be admitted in University. It wasn't until about 5 years later when both Amos and Lana got married. 3 years after that, Lana gave Birth to Cedric. During that time however, Amos was rarely home but he continued on with his life and founded The Diggory Steel Company, better known as U.K. Steel today by the time he was 32 – I believe Cedric would've been about 5 at that time.
Lana decided to become a stay-at-home mother but still offered her knowledge of business to her husband and the growing company as much as she could. And then…that night…around 3 years ago…" Remus shook his head a little bit.
"Oh dear, I seem to be rambling. Finish up your breakfast Romulus. I'll inform Armand to get the car ready."
Romulus knew that Remus was going to bring up the night of Cedric's Parent's murder but he decided to play dumb and not press on about it. "Sure thing Remus!" Within 5 minutes, Romulus had completely cleared his plate of what was supposed to be a hearty breakfast. Sirius grinned at his son's eating habits. Despite bearing a closer resemblance to Remus, his personality weighed highly on his side.
"See ya you two…don't be too lonely without me alright?" Romulus said with a wink.
"We never do. Stay out of trouble sport!"
"Sure thing Sirius! Bye guys!"
Just like that, Romulus was out the door and on his way to Academy Regalia. Remus sighed and slumped back into his chair. Sirius noticed his life partner's discomfort and gave him a reassuring hug.
"Hey, come now, it's only Thursday...I mean, I don't really like them that much since it's not Friday but there's no need to be sad about it." Sirius nuzzled Remus' neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Remus laughed a bit.
"I know you mean well Sirius but–" Remus made his way to one of the large windows of their Estate. "I can't help but feel a little guiltier every time…I mean, before we know it he won't need to depend on us anymore and decide to move out of the house to find a place of his own." Remus raised a hand to his forehead.
"He deserves the truth. Sure we gave him a home to live in, practically a castle, with all the luxuries and benefits of being so privileged…but somehow I feel like his heart is still incomplete." Sirius could not stand seeing Remus like this. He embraced the sandy blond from behind and looked out the window facing the sunlit courtyard. The gates were opening; Romulus and Armand had just left.
"Remus…we knew this day would come…"
"I know, but why did it have to come so soon?" Remus' eyes began to water. "I care for him too much Sirius and he deserves to know what lies beneath. We have waited for too long." Sirius tightened his hold.
"Tomorrow love, that way he won't have this weighing on his mind when he's at school. It's not going to be easy, but he will have to understand that we love him unconditionally."
Remus directed his attention to some white birds in the large fountain down below. "Romulus…"
——†——
It was the typical day at school: lectures and the inevitable foreboding quizzes and exams to see how much one actually cared about a future. Friends meet up with together for lunch and eventually the day was over topped off with a nice quiet ride home. The moment Romulus stepped through the doors of the Black Manor he headed straight for his room and placed his school work down next to his desk.
Good thing there's just reading to do tonight…an hour is all I will need.
Romulus closed the door to his room and headed for the far wall, where his large king-sized bed was located. He pressed a small switch on his watch which activated a hidden number panel that opened up in front of him. He inputted the correct sequence of numbers and placed his hand on the gel scanning plate that appeared shortly afterwards. Once the scan was complete, the panel closed and a hidden door slid open on the same wall but on the other side of his bed. He stepped into the elevator that had greeted him as he descended down the bottom most floor of the Black Manor. The 'ding' sound was heard and surely enough, Romulus had reached his destination. The doors opened and his sight was greeted with a high tech lab and three massive computer monitors to his right. Waiting for him in front of the center screen, were his two guardians.
"How was school today Romy?"
"Same old, same old Remy. We still had our daily squabble with Malfoy and his smelly sidekicks."
"That's my boy!" Sirius ruffled Romulus' scruffy hair.
"Well on to business…" Remus' serious tone broke the slightly happy mood. The blond man made his way to the computer screen as he pressed a single button. On the screen, appeared the image of a man in a military outfit.
"Good evening, Sergeant Kline."
"Like wise Dr. Lupin, Sirius, young Romulus."
"What have you got for us today?" said Romulus.
"We've received word that one of Lord Voldemort's right-hand men, Rodolphus Lestrange has high-jacked a Boeing 777 flying from Russia back to England. So far, we have not received word on what his intentions are, but our guess is that he is planning on endangering many lives, possibly with the notion of crashing it or detonating a planted explosive."
"How long ago Sergeant?"
"He has apparently been aboard the plane ever since it departed from St. Petersburg; however we only received news of his recent activity just half an hour ago."
"Where is the plane located now?"
"It is currently flying directly over Northern Germany and so there is still approximately 2½ hours until it arrives in London. Regardless, Lestrange might be planning on crashing the plane right now if we don't put a stop to him! As dangerous as it sounds, we request of you, to help put an end to Lestrange. He has no where to escape should he get captured. We can kill two birds with one stone with your help as well as Agent Godric – if he's willing to do so."
Romulus and his two guardians were a little on edge due to the seriousness of the mission, but either way, innocent lives were on the line and a deranged lunatic had them in his hands.
"Alright…we'll do it!"
"We shall get on it right away Sergeant."
"I knew I could count on you three. Good Luck…and God speed…"
——†——
The jet ride towards the plane was quite the trip, but Padfoot was able to quietly pilot the 'Howler' towards their desired airborne target. Thanks to new-age technology, the small black jet, in contrast with its name was able to fly soundlessly through the air. Godric and Padfoot were quite grateful that the plane was still in one piece and not in a fiery mass of millions – Rodolphus is infamously known to have quite the fetish for fire. Regardless, there wasn't anytime to waste as the plane would arrive in London in less than an hour.
"Godric! Remember, make your way in quietly and apprehend Lestrange without too much rough-housing. We don't want plane to experience any turbulence even if it's form the inside."
"I'm on it! And I'll make sure to contact you or Moony if I have any problems!"
With a nod, Padfoot went back to the controls and activated the retractable corridor from the side of the jet to attach to the door of the plane. That way, when the door was opened, nothing would be sucked out like a hurricane-force vacuum.
——†——
When Godric opened the door, the two flight attendants that were there, gasped in surprise at the dark dressed youth. He quickly hushed them and gently closed the door so that Sirius could detach from the plane and remain on stand-by. He quickly informed the young ladies that he was a member of the secret service, aboard to catch a criminal who has currently high-jacked the plane. The brunette gave a sigh of relief as she told Godric that he's at the back of the plane in First Class. He was also informed that Rodolphus threatened to blow up this plane while it was still in the air if anyone tried to be a hero. Since the plane hasn't exploded yet, Godric safely assumed that the maniac hadn't noticed Sirius nor the 'Howler' through the windows as of yet. He gave the two ladies thankful nods and made his way through the coach walkway.
As he was walking, deciding to refrain from running, Godric noticed a few people were staring at him, giving him similar looks of surprise much like the stewardesses. However, they were obviously over shadowed by the nervous fidgeting, looks of fear and the murmurs of 'we're going to die' from the less-than-calm passengers.
As he approached the velvet red curtain which separated coach from First Class, he heard Rodolphus' voice grow louder.
"The elite among the wealthy…soon you shall all succumb to the glory that is Lord Voldemort."
Godric was kneeling down next to a passenger chair while slightly leaning to his side to hear as much as possible.
Glory huh? Let's see how your Lord reacts to you once you're behind bars.
Godric then peeked through the side of the curtain ever so slightly just to see what Rodolphus was doing, other than talking. In both of the dark haired man's hands were custom made, silver, 9mm Brownings. He was dressed in a very handsome dark green Armani suit that perfectly matched Voldemort's choice of color. Godric chose to ignore the rest of Rodolphus' threatening speech as it was basically the same 'join me or die' crap, reiterated and rephrased multiple times. Instead, he decided to make his move and use a mini flash bomb to temporarily blind Rodolphus (and some of the passengers, much to his dismay) and seize him. What Godric failed to notice was someone a few seats away – who he thought was just another nervous passenger – creating a message through Morse code.
——†——
Rodolphus gently brought one of his hands up to his ears and listened carefully to the message presented through the tiny earpiece.
He's…behind…you. To…your…right…
Rodolphus smirked at the Morse coded message.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, an interesting turn of events has come to fruition…"
Although Rodolphus made a gesture that looked like he was fixing his cufflinks, he was actually activating a tiny switch in one of them.
Back behind the curtain, Godric silently shushed a few of the passengers while pulling out a flash bomb from a panel in his utility belt. He was just about to toss it through the curtain until an awful screeching sound from his head-piece communicator resonated through his ears. He couldn't help but wince and grunt at the terrible noise. He yanked it off and dropped it to the ground. He watched the piece of equipment spark and smoke up a bit.
Radio frequency interference. Hmph…Padfoot and Moony are probably having a fit right now.
Godric sighed as he looked at his sizzling communicator.
But, how could that happen? Any frequencies strong enough to destroy my communicator should be sending the plane into a nose-
Godric's last thought was cut short when the plane made a heavy jerk and began to tilt sending him flying back and landing on the floor heavily. Screams of pure terror were heard echoing all around him as the plane was indeed caught in a nosedive.
Dammit!
——†——
"Godric can you hear me? Godric! GODRIC!" Padfoot switched the channel on his communicator. "Moony, I've lost contact with Godric! The plane has lost control! It's going down!"
"It's alright Padfoot! I'm trying the best that I can to pilot the plane from the base! Although the plane is near Britain, according to its falling trajectory, we can try to have it land on top of the water without having to cause additional damage to surrounding areas. Contact Sergeant Kline at headquarters and tell him to try and intercept and assist me in operating the plane. I will be busy with the pilots, telling them what to do. Over"
As Padfoot heard the connection cut, he made a nervous sigh. There was nothing he could do other than contact the Sergeant. He couldn't leave the jet unattended nor could he help Moony and Godric in halting the doomed plane. If it crashed, then so would his entire world.
He was just about to contact Kline when something caught his eye, on the radar that is. A couple of thousand feet in the water below was a vehicle traveling impressively fast – presumably a speed boat – heading towards the direction of the falling plane. The Sergeant would definitely be interested at this new interference.
——†——
As luggage and bodies began to topple everywhere, Godric struggled to stand up, against the pull of gravity. He wanted to make his way to first class, at least to beat the crap out of Rodolphus for this hell ride. But before he was able to come close to a standing position, he was forcefully yanked up by his hair by Lestrange himself.
"You must be that special agent we've been expecting to heroically save the frightened passengers aren't you?"
Godric was mentally cursing as not only Rodolphus' grip was like pure murder to him, but he wasn't even fazed that the plane was headed towards impending death, ultimately killing him as well if he decided not to escape. Those cold grey eyes sent shivers down his spine and the sly smirk just added to Godric's dislike for the man.
"Hmm…never knew that they made their models so young. And so pretty too"
Godric made a growl and aimed a kick to Rodolphus' stomach, but the older man simply let go of Godric's black locks causing the boy to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a thud.
"And feisty too. You know, they say the creatures with the sharpest claws are the most beautiful in nature. That must make you the most beautiful of them all correct?"
"You bastard!"
Godric whipped out a TASER and activated its electric prongs but Rodolphus had the upper hand.
"Nuh uh little one. Make one wrong move and I can let this plane blow up right now!"
Godric was shocked.
"Hmph…become a martyr rather than surrender to the authorities huh Lestrange?"
"I would gladly kill myself many times over for the glory of my Lord!"
From Rodolphus' watch shot out a string of garrote wire that behaved more like a whip. The sharp thread wrapped around Godric's neck as the owner pulled him up to his feet. It must have been custom made as the razor sharp cord tore apart the turtleneck portion of his top and began to painfully dig into the partially exposed flesh of his neck. Rodolphus then brought one of Godric's hands behind his back, placing his face dangerously close to the boy's ear.
"Join us my pet."
Rodolphus tore off what was left of Godric's turtleneck and began to sensually caress the slightly bleeding skin of the boy's peach-colored neck.
"Mmm…your skills, your guts, and your ethereal beauty will most certainly render our Lord ecstatic. Become one with our Lord's cause and join us to rid this world of impure filth."
As disgusted as Godric felt being violated at the hands of this psycho, he didn't want to give Lestrange the satisfaction that he was succeeding in making him tremble. Since he could hardly move, Godric then did the one thing that he could do without further injuring himself: talk back.
"Hmph…join you guys? On a cold day in Hell!"
Rudolphus was about to retort to the boy but he was left silent as the sound of the falling plane began to lessen and the downward pull of gravity begun to lessen all around. For some strange reason, the plane felt like it was angling itself upwards towards a more horizontal position. Some of the passengers were still screaming but a few others were becoming filled with relief.
"No…"
Godric smirked at Rodolphus' dumb-founded expression.
He was about to elbow the older man in the stomach with his free arm and arrest him but the aircraft made a violent jerk causing passengers everywhere to fall to the ground or towards the nearest chair. Thankfully, the murderous grip of Rodolphus' wire loosened from his neck, allowing him to breathe properly again – albeit with a bleeding scar all around his neck. It took a few moments for Godric to regain his composure – having a few coughs – but a certain scream surprised him.
"NOOOO!!!"
Rodolphus was looking outside one of the plane's windows with the look of pure disbelief and anger on his face: the plane had landed in the water! Everyone began to jump for joy as their lives have been saved. Godric couldn't help but smirk.
Way to go Moony…
Rodolphus on the other hand made an insane growl as he fished into his pockets for the detonating switch that would blow up the entire plane right now. Unfortunately for him, Godric aimed a heavy kick to the man's stomach causing him to heave over and fall to the ground. At the same time, Godric bent over and caught the falling switch just before it hit the ground. He had never felt more proud of anything in his life.
After cuffing Rodolphus and rounding up the passengers, Godric was greeted with the most pleasant – if not surprising – sight of the day: the nearby door that opened, revealed a bunch of rescue guards, lifeboats, and Agent Brock.
"Yo!" the other agent greeted with a cheerful smile.
"Y-you!"
——†——
As Brock was helping Godric lead the passengers down to the lifeboats, he struck up a conversation with the young teen.
"Not too shabby. You managed to arrest a highly wanted criminal AND save hundreds of lives in the process."
"Hmph…sucking up already?" Godric had to admit, that being near Brock at this very moment was quite relieving and comforting.
"Just complimenting…"
Although it looked like everyone was safely off the plane, both boys decided to do one final check to see if they missed anyone.
"YOU THINK YOU HAVE WON YOU BRATS?! THINK AGAIN!"
Rodolphus amazingly ripped apart his handcuffs and beat up the guards that were holding him.
"NO!"
The man laughed again as he ripped off his suit top to reveal a very well hidden jetpack. The model was quite hi-tech as it was a full body vest with two medium sized boosters along the sides and three smaller boosters at the back. Godric would forever curse how far advanced technology had gotten through the years. Rodolphus took to the air and whipped out a detonating switch from his pocket.
"I-impossible!"
Godric had felt humiliated to overlook the idea that Rodolphus had a second backup switch in case one was destroyed or confiscated from him.
"Say goodbye!"
And just like that, the tail of the plane exploded into a fiery mass.
"Consider yourselves lucky that the explosives didn't occur all at once. But either way, you have only 5 minutes until the entire plane is destroyed! Long live our Lord!"
Rodolphus sped away as the airplane continued to explode. Brock began to shout out at the surrounding policemen.
"Ignore him for now he can be caught some other time! Get everyone here as far away from the plane as possible! We don't want any casualties!"
The life guards in all of the inflatable safety boats began to paddle towards the Coast guard ship that was a good distance away from the detonating plane. Brock grabbed Godric's arm to bring them towards the plane door and dive into the water below but the younger boy forcefully pulled it back.
"What are you doing?!"
Godric felt around his neck, wincing at the seething pain that occurred when his fingers grazed against his scars.
"My necklace! The bastard must have ripped it off!"
"Godric WAIT!"
The teen ignored Brock as he ran his way back into the coach walkways to look for his prized possession.
Five minutes huh? Well two is all I need! I can't lose that necklace! Not now!
"Dammit…" Brock cursed as he followed Godric back into plane to find him.
——†——
"Where is it? Where is it?! Dammit!"
Godric was scavenging the ground for his treasure until a fiery overhead storage lid fell down and surprised him. The opposite walkway unfortunately exploded, sending him flying back across the seats and heavily slam against the window-laden plane wall.
"Godric!"
Brock went to the fallen boy and picked him up bridal-style.
"You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"
"Wait!"
Brock followed the teen's weakened gaze and saw something on the floor. Brock gently set the boy's feet down – while still holding onto his waist – and picked up the shining object. Godric then yanked the necklace out of Brock's hands and quickly put the charm back around his neck.
"Is-"
"Yes it is! Now let's get the hell out of here!"
Godric tried to run but he stumbled a bit. Thankfully Brock was there to catch him. Without a second thought, he gathered the boy in his arms again and ran for the nearest door as fast as his feet could carry him.
Although they made it to a door, they weren't fast enough as the rest of the plane finally exploded causing the two boys to both fly out of the plane and let go of each other.
——†——
As Godric was sinking further into the cold water, causing his bodily pains to sting like no other, he began to grow tired and drained. His thoughts about his loved ones, his classmates and even Brock lingered on in his mind.
This…this is it…isn't it?
The last thing that Godric saw before he finally shut his eyes was a muscular form swimming towards him, extending out a hand.
TBC
——†——
A/N: Holy crap I actually finished it! And it's almost as long as chapter 1! Yay! Introduced to Sirius and Remus! This chapter actually had undergone an F-load of revising. I made this chapter extra long and extra suspenseful just for you guys! I hope I got you guys all excited and confused with all that has happened in this chapter! Don't worry! All of your questions – I'm assuming all – shall be answered with later chapters! Don't forget to R&R if you have the chance!
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and see you all in the New Year! Ew…it's almost 2007!
(1) Slightly confused about the school uniform? Just try and picture Fate Leingod's 4th costume from the video game, Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time. That's where I kind of got the picture from.
(2) I'm not quite clear on how Britain's system of schooling works. I did some research on it and I'm still confused but I think I got it as close to it as possible.