James Castle
Chapter 17: Black and Blue
Tonks was bored. She was on guard duty for Hermione that night and had come into her Head Girl room after Hermione had invited her. She had since then been lightly dozing in a chair by the fireplace as Hermione concentrated on her homework. She jerked awake after she let loose a snore that woke her up. "Har har," she grumbled as Hermione laughed at her. "Aren't you bored?" she asked as the Head Girl put her book away and took the other chair by her fireplace.
"A little, but I need to stay busy," Hermione admitted, playing with a throw pillow uncomfortably. "It helps me not thing about it," she sighed, looking at the fire.
Tonks nodded, realizing what she meant. James had gone off earlier that night after he ditched the Quiddich celebration, off on a mission.
Sirius winced as he watched the Quiddich match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. "I think we should talk to him about this," he poked Remus in the side as they watched James score another goal. The game was going very close to script as the Syltherin game had; James had scored the first five goals against the Hufflepuffs who seemed scared to stop him after he ran them over in the first minute. He watched as James flew over to Ron and yelled something at him. The redhead quickly called a timeout and called his whole team, besides James huddle around him.
"What the hell is he doing?" Sirius asked as Remus cocked his head, trying to use his enhanced senses to listen to James who was nose to nose with the Hufflepuff captain. "He's the best player out there, he's destroying them, why'd he call a timeout?" Sirius frowned.
"He's angry at them, said they aren't even trying," Remus winced as James pushed the captain in the chest and flew off before Madam Hooch could penalize him. "Yeah, it seems they're scared that he'll hurt them like he did the Syltherin team last game," Remus nodded. "James told them to come at him with everything, or he would put them all in the hospital wing," Remus repeated as Sirius chuckled.
"A bit overconfident, isn't he, I know he's good and all, but…" Sirius stopped when Remus snorted. "What? You can't be telling me what Ron told us about the first game was true, that kid exaggerates more than…" Sirius stopped as the game started again and James ran over one of the opposing Chasers, nearly knocking him off his broom. James seemed furious at the other team, ignoring trying to score goals, using his physical advantage to wear down every member of their team. After the other two Chasers had run the score up to 100-0, Hufflepuff called their time out and gathered again. "What're they saying?" Sirius asked.
"They're agreeing they have to go after James, like he told them to, no more playing nice and pulling punches," Remus smiled. "He'd want a fair match, not like how they almost ran from him on those first two goals," he chuckled.
"Ron wasn't exaggerating, was he?" Sirius watched as the match resumed and James was constantly dodging Bludgers and the opposing players, smiling for the first time in the match.
"No Padfoot, he wasn't," Remus sighed in relief when James knocked a Puff of his broom, but the cushioning charms on the turf broke his fall. "Hooch and Dumbledore increased the power of the cushioning charms on the pitch after the Slytherin match when James sent a dozen Slytherins to the hospital wing in half an hour. Ron was understating James' Quiddich play, if anything," Remus winced as James was cracked in the back of the head with a Bludger, but only paused to shake his head a moment and gather his bearings.
"Tough little bugger isn't he?" Sirius laughed as James quickly stole the Quaffle and scored a goal, giving the Beater that shot the Bludger a pat on the back as he flew by.
"This is not a good idea," Frank glared at James who was wrapping his midsection in medical tape. Madam Pomfrey had gone to attend the other injured and exhausted players from the game. "You were out there for three hours, it's the first weekend in February in Scotland, it was not good weather out there," Frank helped him wrap the sore ribs.
"Can't help it when the damn Snitch decided to hide for so long," James coughed and shivered a little. "Besides, this is as good a chance we're gonna get," he winced slightly as he got up from his hospital bed. "I need on my side with this Frank," James said quietly as he pulled a fresh shirt and his 'special' robes on.
"Go, I'll tell her you went to go get doctored up by Hermione," he jerked his head at the door. "Which is where I better find you tomorrow morning," Frank grasped his hand, pulling him into a quick hug. "Get going," he ordered, releasing the boy, going to intercept the Healer that was shooting a death glare at him.
"He shouldn't have gone out tonight, not after the game and all that," Hermione frowned, strangling the pillow. "He's hurt and sick, he should be here resting," she threw the pillow at the wall, glaring at the fireplace.
"Don't worry about him Hermione, he knows what he's doing," Tonks tried to comfort the girl who angrily got to her feet and went back to her homework. "Back to being bored…" she sighed deeply, counting cracks on the ceiling.
Hermione awoke a few hours later as she heard something land on the ground in front of her with a thump. "Whuzzat?!" Tonks shouted as she jerked awake from her nap on her chair before noticing the figure on the carpet in front of the fireplace. "Oh shite!" she swore, using her wand to send a message to Shack.
Hermione's eyes opened wide as she saw James recovering from changing back from his Animagus form of a bat. She dove to the carpet as he finished, wrapping him in a hug. She let go as she heard Tonks swear and finally got a good look at James. "Oh James," she cried and started tearing bits of her shirt off to bandage the wounds.
"So Shacklebolt, a bit of a step back for you isn't this? Guarding a school full of kids, rather than hunting down dangerous wizards," Moody commented as he and Kingsley sat in his quarters that night sharing a drink of Firewhisky.
"I prefer to think of it as a step up, at least no one is trying to kill me in this school, not like bloody Fudge," Kingsley swore, taking a drink. "And we're here to keep James safe more than anything else, I'm sure Dumbledore told you that at the last Order meeting," Kingsley stared at the older wizard.
"The meetings that you, Tonks, Black, and Lupin stopped attending when the news about the boy came out," Moody countered.
"We were busy watching the boy, we were attacked over Christmas when on holiday with Hermione's parents," Kingsley repeated, knowing Dumbledore already shared the edited version of the attack with the Order. "Why'd you ask me down here Moody?" he cut straight to the chase.
"I may be paranoid, but I am not stupid, that boy knows more about what Frank Castle is doing than he is letting on," Moody slammed his drink down. "I don't know how he beat the Veritaserum, but I'm not stupid, and Dumbledore will figure this out on his own," he glared at Kingsley. "Has he told you the truth about what the Punisher is doing and his knowledge of it?" his eye whirled as he asked the question.
"Yes he has Alastor," Kingsley stopped when a silver wolf patronus burst through the door. "Tonks?" he frowned immediately.
"Need you up here Shack, now! Bring a field kit!" Tonks' voice came from the patronus before it faded away.
"I must go Alastor, something has happened," Kingsley frowned at the potential mess they were in.
"I'm sure it has, I'll be interested in hearing what exactly it was after you have dealt with it Kingsley," Moody got up from his chair and grabbed a bag from his open closet. "Here, your room is out of the way, I assume you are going to the Gryffindor tower," he commented, tossing the standard Auror field kit over.
"Moody," Kingsley frowned as the man waved him off.
"Explain later, get going now, I'll wait up," Moody hobbled over to his favorite chair by his own fireplace and ran through scenarios in his mind as to what actually happened and what he would be told happened as Kingsley quickly shut the door behind him.
James watched from under his invisibility cloak, frowning as things kept deviating from the plan that he had built from the information Sirius and the other had got him. The original plan had been to sneak into and set Fiendfyre bombs in half a dozen different businesses in Knockturn Alley that were owned by Voldemort supporters. Things had gone according to the plan for the first two stores, the Potions supply shop had been closed as usual on Saturdays. The second shop was a clothing shop, specializing in dueling attire, closed as well for the day.
James swore in his mind as he followed the woman he was trailing into his next target store, Borgin and Burkes. He ducked off to the side carefully as the owner of the store locked the door, closed the blinds, and turned the store's sign to closed. The man ushered the woman towards the back of the store, closing the door behind them. He snuck next to the door and pulled out a small Muggle listening device from his Punisher robes, pressing it to the door.
"Why did you want to talk to me Delores?" he heard the owner ask the woman he realized was Umbridge from the stories Ron, Hermione, and the others told him.
"It is common knowledge who you support in this war Mr. Borgin, the Minister has an offer for you to pass along to your master," Umbridge explained as James pulled out a tape recorder and listened intently.
"I'm listening," Borgin replied.
"Minister Fudge would be willing to entertain peace talks with the Dark Lord to end this war," Umbridge told him.
"I'm not stupid, what would be the Minister's conditions, so that I may pass the word along," he asked her.
"The Minister is willing to give him a seat on the Wizengamot, and the Hogwarts Board of Directors, as well as various land parcels throughout England and Scotland, this is the list," James heard her talk and pass something to the man. "In return all Death Eaters will be pardoned and released and all attacks on half-blood and pureblood will cease immediately," she continued.
"What of the Muggles and mudbloods?" Borgin asked.
"What about them?" she laughed. "What are you doing?" she squeaked in a terrified voice.
"Oh, you didn't think we'd have this meeting alone, did you? I believe you know my associates, Rodolphus and Rabastan LeStrange," James sighed, pocketing his devices, pulling out his pistols and squaring himself against the door.
"Crucio!" James winced as he heard the woman scream on the other side of the door under the spell. He pulled off his invisibility cloak and quickly set the guns to reducto-mode.
"Another day in paradise," he tucked the cloak away and opened fire on the door. "Howdy," he nodded at the surprised wizards. "Tell your wife I send my regards when you see her," he taunted before firing at the two of them. The one on the right was the quicker of the two and immediately levitated Umbridge to take the shots, spraying blood all over the room as they returned fire.
"Kill him!" Borgin shouted as the three dark wizards let loose spells that tore apart the walls and the store behind James who had ducked to the side to avoid their spells. James ducked behind the store's counter and kept firing back as the three dark wizards spread out into the room, trying to surround him.
"I'm going to gut you for what you did to my wife Castle!" he heard one of them yell, pointing a gun and firing a couple shots at the area of the sound without sticking his head out. "You're outnumbered three to one, give up and I swear it will be a quick death," Rodolphus shouted.
"Sure you will, catch," James laughed, tossing a pair of grenades in the general direction of the wizards as he heard them put up shielding charms before the explosions. "That kill any of you?" he shouted over the counter, counting three green blasts of light go over his head. "Guess not," he muttered, trying to think of a plan. His thoughts were interrupted by another explosion, this one being the front door exploding inward as a squad of four Aurors busted into the shop, taking cover.
"Throw down your wands and lay down on the ground!" the lead Auror shouted. "Where's Umbridge?" he demanded from the dark wizards.
"Dead, it wasn't from us though," Rabastan yelled back.
"Oh come on, you used her as a shield after you hit her with a Crucio," James spat as he popped to his full height and fired a few shots at the dark wizards before dodging one spell from the Aurors and taking a full hit from a slicing curse from another Auror in the arm, dropping to the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you, there's a pair of Azkaban escapees right there and you shoot spells at me?" James screamed at them, inspecting his coat. "Can't take much more of that," he frowned, the spells from his missions so far having pushed his armor to its limit. "Christ, it got through," he frowned as he pulled his hand away from the sleeve, feeling the blood on his hand.
"You're all wanted with orders to kill on sight!" one of the Aurors shouted back before there was a sound of his body falling to the ground.
"Jackson!" James heard one of the other Aurors call out, figuring the first Auror was dead. He jumped up firing at the Death Eaters, trying to give the Aurors some cover, ducking down again as the Aurors and the Death Eaters all concentrated their fire on him, taking a couple bludgeoning and slicing hexes before dropping to the floor.
"Are you out of your damn minds?" he shouted as he dug some potions out of his coat and quickly chugged them down. He rolled on pain for a minute as the pepper up potions took effect and pulled his wand, quietly bandaging his wands. "You Aurors fire on me again and I'll treat you like the damn Death Eaters!" he threatened as he felt a couple more spells impact the counter he was behind.
"You're a murderer, just like them!" the lead Auror responded.
"Yeah, and I'm the one not trying to you!" James responded, swearing as he pulled his last grenade from his pocket and chucked it at the LeStranges. He peeked around after he heard the explosion, seeing only two spells coming back at him. "That kill one of them?" he shouted to the others.
"I think it was Borgin, he's not moving," one of the Aurors replied before more spells were shot at the Death Eaters.
"Thanks for the heads up," James shouted back as he heard the team leader yelling at the Auror. "You do realize, we outnumber them four to two now, we can take them out then you can deal with me afterwards," James pointed out as more spells were shot at him from all directions. "Great," he grumbled, taking stock of his injuries, trying to slow the flow of blood and wrap his injured ribs tighter.
He took care of his injuries as the Aurors and Death Eaters exchanged a few more spells and he heard another Auror hit the ground from the Avada Kedavra. "We're gonna be at this all day if we don't work together," he screamed at the remaining Aurors as he took aim and kept fire on the Death Eaters.
"Crucio!" he heard the spell but could not get out of the way in time, seeing the spell coming for him.
James screamed as he dropped to his knees and the spell washed over him reopening all the wounds that he had closed and making him feel every injury he had experienced already today. He rolled to his side, coughing and ejecting the blood that had pooled in his mouth as the Death Eater had to release the curse to defend himself from the Aurors.
"You okay?" he heard the Auror who had talked to him earlier yell over.
"Yeah, that your boss that got it?" James shouted back after gathering his bearings.
"Yes, just two of us left on this side," the Auror replied before some more spells impacted their side of the room and he had to duck for cover. "Make that one," the Auror shouted back, rolling over the lifeless body of his companion.
"Wonderful," James grunted as he bled out. "I'm not gonna make it much longer, we need to finish this quick, what's your name?" James asked as he snuck a glance at the Death Eaters, spotting their positions quickly before hiding again.
"Oliver Wood, we've met, in the book store," Wood replied.
"Ah, didn't know you were an Auror," James winced as he pulled a chunk of shrapnel from his side. "That is gonna leave a mark," he frowned as he applied some bandages to the area.
"I wasn't, I quit my job and joined the Aurors after you saved my family from LeStrange," Wood shouted back, shooting a spell at the Death Eaters.
"Ah, what did you do before?" James asked, trying to keep his mind off the pain as he prepared himself for one last rush.
"Was the backup Keeper for Puddlemore," Wood shouted back, steadying himself. "Want the one on the right or the one on the left?" Wood shouted back across.
"I'll take the one on the right," James got to his knees, gathering his strength. "Gryffindor, weren't you?" James asked as he planned his attack.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Wood asked, rubbing his wedding band.
"Had a feeling," James replied. "We go on three, and by god, I hope you know your Quiddich," James sighed, preparing himself. "Ready? One!" he shouted along with Wood as they both ignored the count and got to their feet and fired where the Death Eaters were hiding.
The LeStrange brothers moved fast as they realized their opponents were tricking them, diving away from their positions as Wood and James fired at them with all they had. James trailed his target as he took aim, finally squeezing a shot off with the gun he left on bullet mode, nailing one brother between the eyes.
"Avada Kedavra!" James instinctively dropped to the ground when he heard the words, dropping right below the green spell that the surviving brother had thrown at him.
"Avada Kedavra!" he heard Wood's voice ring out as he took advantage of the Death Eater's eagerness to kill James, dropping the last surviving LeStrange with a thud. James shuddered on the ground, listening for movement. "You alive?" he heard Wood ask.
"Nah, you?" James turned to his side and coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"Stone cold," James heard him stumble over, getting to his own feet, resting most of his weight on what was left of the counter.
James grunted, grabbing onto the counter with his hand, wincing as Wood pulled him up the rest of the way. "You gonna arrest me?" James asked, his free hand brushing one of his guns.
"Too tired and hurt," the Auror replied. "You gonna kill me?" he glanced at the gun James was touching.
"I'm a bit tired of death today," James relaxed, nearly collapsing. "I need to get out of here, I'm assuming you Aurors had this all set up as a sting to catch Borgin?" James asked before pulling a few vials from his pockets and swallowing the contents.
"No, we were alerted to come here when an Unforgivable was detected being cast on Umbridge, all higher ups in the Ministry had tracking charms placed on them to keep track," Wood explained.
"Wonderful," James sighed, pulling the recording he made earlier out of a pocket. "Find a Muggle tape player, you'll want to hear this and get it to the right people," his knees gave out for a moment as he handed it over to Wood. "But right now, we need to get out of here," James summoned up what was left of his strength and grabbed Wood by the arm, leading them to what was left of the door.
"Accio your team, quickly," James ordered as he angrily threw a package at the LeStranges, smiling when he heard the squishing. "Got them all?" he asked as Wood nodded at the three bodies.
"What was that you threw in there?" Wood asked.
"Just a little toy, sorry about this by the way, can't be letting you in on all my secrets," James laughed as he palmed his wand and quickly stunned the Auror. He used his wand and quickly moved Wood and the dead Aurors across to the other side of the alley before pulling a device from his coat. "Boom," he whispered as he pressed the single button and transformed to fly off.
James blinked his eyes, shaking himself awake, noting the lack of agony he was expecting. He felt the warm shape beside him, knowing immediately who it was. "Hermione," he whispered, shaking her a little. "Hermione, wake up," he said a little louder as he struggled to stay awake.
"James," she whispered as she woke up. "I'm so sorry, we did all we could, but you're going to be hurting for a while," she cried as she held onto him. "You were bleeding so much when you came back," she sniffed as James hugged her back and pulled her head up beside his.
"I came back though," James whispered in her ear before falling asleep again.
"Have a fun night there Kingsley?" Moody asked as Kingsley took the other chair near the fireplace.
"It was enlightening," Kingsley took the drink Moody offered him. "How long have you suspected?" he asked the veteran Auror.
"Since I saw the Punisher dropping off Bellatrix LeStrange at the castle gates," Moody downed his whole glass. "What happened?"
"Mission went bad, he was supposed to be knocking out businesses of Death Eaters," Kingsley explained. "At Borgin and Burkes, there were some Death Eaters, as far as I can tell, somehow the Aurors got wind and attacked. The only ones that made it out were him and Oliver Wood, a green recruit," he frowned. "Then he knocked Wood out and detonated Fiendfyre bombs in the stores, destroying the buildings and making the Unspeakables work overtime to contain the fires," Kingsley stopped as the old Auror laughed.
"Boy has some guts," Moody laughed. "He gonna be okay?" Moody asked as he noticed Kingsley vanishing some traces of blood from his robes.
"I hope so, he took a Crucio and god knows how many severing and bludgeoning hexes," Kingsley frowned. "I don't know how he even made it back here, he should be dead," Kingsley admitted.
"Sign of a good Auror, coming back when there is no reason you should be alive," Moody stomped his peg leg in laughter, planning his next DADA class in his head.
A/N: I know he gave Hermione one of the pistols, doesn't mean he can't make more. Also, I don't think I killed R+R off earlier in Malfoy's place. At least if I did, I can't find it when skimming over.