Hog's Head Inn - Hogsmeade
Hermione turned her head slowly to look at her team in the dim basement light of Hogsmeade's less reputable inn. Vastra's maid Jenny was looking a little wobbly after her trip through the floo network, but Ginny had her hand on the other woman's elbow to help her keep her balance. Harry quickly took Jenny's other arm to help his new friend. Vastra had her head turned towards the dark areas of the basement where the feeble torchlight didn't penetrate.
"We are not alone," Vastra whispered to Hermione as she drew one of her swords with practiced grace. She had used her pit organs to sense the surrounding area's heat signatures and "saw" a humanoid shape crouching behind what she assumed to be a crate of some kind and another person standing next to it. Vastra used her sword to point to where the people were.
Harry stepped forward, drew his wand, and looked over at Hermione who had drawn her sonic pistol instead. His smirk at her choice of weapons caused Hermione to stick out her tongue at him. To her it was a perfectly logical choice. She knew that even though she was better at the technical aspects of magic than he was, Harry's spells were much, much stronger than hers. Besides, her training with Jack and the Pyramid of Pain had greatly improved her shooting skills.
Harry and Hermione smiled at each other even as they positioned themselves to fight if necessary. When Harry saw that Hermione had taken up a good position relative to the crate, he raised his wand into the air and said, "LUMOS." Bright light shot out of his wand to drive back the shadows.
Harry took an involuntary step backwards when the light revealed a man with long white hair and brilliant, blue eyes staring at him. It took Harry a moment before he noticed the differences between this man and the headmaster he loved so dearly. The first thing he noticed was that this man had a straight nose instead of Prof. Dumbledore's crooked one. The next thing Harry noticed was that where his surrogate grandfather's hair was a brilliant silver in places, this man's hair was a lackluster gray. Barring those and a few other minor discrepancies, the men were almost identical. This man had to be Prof. Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth.
Hermione holstered her pistol and stepped towards the man, her hand out stretched. "Hello again, Mr. Dumbeldore," she stated.
Aberforth Dumbledore looked down at Hermnione's offered hand for a tense moment as if he was deciding what the act of shaking it might cost him. His eyes looked her over from top to bottom and paused briefly when they focused on the pistol holstered on her hip. Hermione thought she saw the faintest of smiles on the old man's lips when he met her eyes again. Eventually he made up his mind and shook her hand. "Miss Granger," he replied in a non-committal fashion.
Hermione leaned around Aberforth and looked at the man crouching behind him. She rushed past the inn owner as soon as she recognized the huddled form. "Mr. Tonks?!" she exclaimed worriedly. A loud, rattling cough was the only response she got from Ted Tonks. Hermione brushed his blond hair away from his face, which earned her a small smile from Ted.
"Hello, Hermione. Fancy meeting you at this fine establishment," Ted joked. He coughed again and then used the crate next to him to stand. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny had all met Ted on several occasions at different gatherings at the Burrow. The last time any of them had seen him was two years ago a Christmas party. Since then, it looked like he had aged over 20 years.
Hermione helped ease Ted to a dusty chair near the crate while Aberfoth used the only burning torch to light the others that were spaced evenly along the walls. Harry lowered his wand once the light of the torches took over so that they could see clearly. Vastra and Jenny tried to look non-threatening, but kept wary eyes on the strangers none the less.
Aberforth finished lighting the torches and turned to scowl at Hermione. "I should have known you weren't actually doing a paper on Hogsmeade architecture when you asked to poke around my basement," he snarled. He turned his head to look at the others in her group. "Let's see... red hair and neck deep in trouble... she must be the Weasley girl," he commented. "And everybody knows the famous Mr. Potter," he scoffed. Aberforth stared at Vastra as he spoke again. "What I don't know is who are these other folk you've brought under my roof," he stated. The fact that Vastra was clearly reptilian in nature didn't seem to phase him one bit.
Before Vastra could respond, Ted pulled Aberforth over to him and whispered something quickly in his ear. Aberforth's frown deepened for a moment, but then went away to be replaced by a look of complete indifference. "Fine, but they better not poke even a nose up top, or I'll turn them over to the Death eaters myself," he warned and then stomped off to go up the stairs to the tap room.
"Sorry, he's plenty rough around the edges, but his heart is the right place," Ted told them. "He likes to come across as the surly barkeep, but truth be told, he's helped smuggle more Muggle born witches and wizards out of Hogwarts than anyone else I know," he assured them. "Old grumpy does have a point though," Ted said. "Who are your new friends, Hermione?" he asked warmly.
Jenny stepped forward and performed a quick curtsy. "My name is Jenny and this is my employer, the Lady Vastra," she said, introducing her and her lover.
Hermione thought she saw a small grin tug at the corners of Ted's mouth, but she wasn't sure. The grin was gone when he turned his face towards her again. "Mr. Tonks, what happened to you?" Hermione asked. "And what are you doing here?" she added, gesturing around the basement.
Ted frowned and pretended to look himself over. "What do you mean?" he responded, his brows scrunched up together in confusion.
Hermione blushed in embarrassment. "Um... what I mean is..." she stammered and looked over her shoulder at her friends for help. Ted's laughter made her turn around and realize where her pink haired friend got her sense of humour.
"Got ya," Ted chortled. "I know I look like hell, 'Mione," he told Hermione. "Let's answer that last question first," he suggested. "A bunch of Death Eaters led by my beloved sister-in-law raided our house a couple of months ago," he told her. "I was able to escape through the floo network, but I haven't been able to return home out of fear they might hurt Andromeda," he stated. "They can't touch my wife on the grounds that she and Bellatrix share the same full blood ancestry, but harboring a fugitive Muggle born is something all together different," he explained.
"As to what's wrong... let's just say that everyone has an expiration date and I'm approaching mine," Ted said cryptically. He raised his hand to silence Hermione's questions. "You're here with Harry, Ginny, and two ladies with big whacking swords, so I'm guessing you've a schedule to keep," he pointed out. He gestured towards the painting hanging over the fireplace. "Before you go off and do what ever mischief it is you lot have planned, promise me one thing," he requested.
"What is it, Mr. Tonks?" Harry asked.
Ted smiled again and sighed. "Next time you see my lovely Dora give her my love, but don't tell her how bad I've gotten. She's got enough on her mind what with her new husband, the baby on the way, and the war and all," he replied. "Just tell her I love her and that her mother and I will be seeing her soon enough," he suggested.
Harry nodded to Ted. "We'll tell her just so long as you promise to hold up your end and see her soon," he offered. Ted smothered a cough and then nodded in agreement.
Hermione wished she could spend more time with Mr. Tonks and find out what was really wrong with him, but she agreed that they were on a schedule. The sooner they created their distraction, the sooner her boyfriend and his team could get Prof. McGonagall out of Azkaban. She felt along the painting's gold frame for the hidden catch she had discovered the last time she was in this particular dive. Her fingers found the catch and the painting swung aside. Harry and Vastra slid a large crate over to the fireplace to make it easier for everyone to climb into the tunnel. Harry led the way followed closely by Ginny and then Vastra. Jenny followed her lover and Hermione took up the rear. As she closed the painting behind her, Hermione saw Ted give her a final wink and nod of approval.
Neville Longbottom walked up and down the rows of cots that lined the Room of Requirement. The Death Eaters had stepped up their patrols as well as what they considered a true witch or wizard to be. He had decided to move all the half-blood witches and wizards into the room to keep them out of the Carrows' hands. His left arm was in a sling and right eye was swollen shut because he had refused to tell Alecto Carrow where the students had vanished to.
The painting hanging on the far side of the room swung open, startling Neville. He wasn't prepared for who he saw climbing out of the tunnel. He watched in confusion as first Harry and then Ginny climbed down from the painting. Neville's eyes widen in shock when a tall woman with green scales jumped from the tunnel to the floor below. She was wearing a pair of tight brown, leather riding pants, a white shirt, and a gray vest. She had a pair of swords crossed behind her back. The dragon woman turned and helped a woman wearing what looked like a Victorian gown out of the tunnel. This woman had only one sword strapped across her back. Hermione was the last one out of the tunnel and she closed the painting behind her.
Harry and Ginny rushed over to Neville and gave him a quick hug before they were swamped by the other students, all yammering questions. Neville held up his good hand for silence and slowly the din dropped away. "I'm glad to see you're OK, Harry, but what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded. "Prof. McGonagall needs your help," he reminded his friend.
Harry smirked at Neville and waited for Hermione to walk over to them before replying. "Don't worry, we've got that covered. The Doctor's leading a team to get her back," he said, his voice brimming with confidence for his future father-in-law. "We're here to make a diversion to give them a better chance at pulling it off," he stated, smiling coldly.
Neville matched his smile. He remembered his first encounter with the Doctor and how he had stood up for him to a group of Slytherin and Prof. Snape himself. He couldn't think of anyone other than Harry he would trust to get Prof. McGonagall back.
Vastra tilted her head to the side as she caught sight of something on a table behind Neville. "Pardon me," she said politely as she walked past Neville. She picked up a pair of matching restraint cuffs of clearly Silurian manufacture. "What are these doing here?" she demanded.
Neville spun around and looked at the manacles. "Um... I suppose the Room of Requirement decided that they were needed," he explained, a little confused himself. He looked over at Harry and asked, "What kind of diversion were you guys planning?" he inquired.
Vastra answered for Harry. "We're going to strike back at the Death Eaters for not only sending your teacher to that hell hole, but also for everything they've done to you and your friends here at the school," she replied. "We're going to capture these Carrow monsters and make a lot of noise doing it," she explained with a cold, reptilian smile.
That smile sent chills down Neville's spine, but he answered it with one of his own. "How can I help?" he offered.
The woman called Jenny stepped up next to Vastra and whispered something in her ear. Vastra looked back down
at the restraints in her hands and replied, "Later my dear, I promise." This earned her a naughty smile from her maid and bright red blushes from those who knew of their relationship.
********DrW********
Amycus Carrow whistled a jaunty tune as he made his way up tho the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom. Lucious Malfoy had sent him a package full of new torture devices that he was just itching to try out. He was so wrapped up in his dark fantasies that he almost didn't notice the lone student standing at the end of the hallway where it branched off in a T-intersection. Amycus pulled up sharply when he saw the boy was proudly sporting the red and gold scarf of the Gryffindors. The boy had his face tilted to the ground. When the boy looked up, both his crooked smile and famous lightning bolt scar were clearly visible. The Potter boy met Amycus' eyes and then darted off down the left hand passage.
Amycus flicked his wand three times and swirled it around his head once, setting off the alarms he and his sister had set up at the school. As soon as he heard the warbling screams of the alarm, he gave chase after "Public Enemy #1".
The first thing Amycus noticed when he rounded the corner was a sharp pain in his wand hand as a booted footed kicked him in the wrist, shattering the small bones in his hand. As he instinctively cradled his broken wrist to his body with his good hand, he caught a flash of bright red hair before a second kick struck him the chest. That kick sent him sailing down the hallway to land on the other side of the T`intersection flat on his back.
When Amycus' vision cleared from the impact, he looked up to see a bushy haired witched pointing some sort of strange object at him. He had paid attention to Lucious' briefing and knew that this witch was none other than "Public Enemy #2", Hermione Granger. Relief flooded through him as he remembered that the Potter boy and his closest friends clung to the stupid notions of decency and honor. Amycus almost smiled as he said, "I surrender and beg mercy."
Hermione's jaw tightened and she briefly thought about switching the setting on her pistol. "Mercy?!" she scoffed in reply. "Like the kind you showed my friend Neville or are you talking about the kind you and your sick friends showed when destroying the Burrow?" she demanded. She thought about the lessons Jack had taught her... the ones she knew the Doctor wouldn't approve of and put on the most homicidal looking grin she could muster. "Yes, I think I'll show you the exact same mercy you lot have shown us," she mused as she pointed the pistol at his face.
Amycus tried to scuttle back using his one good arm and shouted, "Mercy! Please..." His voice was cut off as Hermione shot him the face with a stun blast, guaranteeing him a supernova sized headache when he awoke.
Ginny skipped over to Hermione and gave her friend a high five. "You know... that was kind of fun," Hermione admitted.
Harry stayed where he was and pointed an accusing finger at Hermione. "You are starting to scare me," he told her.
Ginny skipped back to Harry's side and took his hand in hers. "Girl power... you better get used to it if you're going to marry me," she warned him playfully.
Harry pretended to think things over and then smiled at Hermione. "She's got a good point," he said. "Just remind me not to piss you off," he requested. He walked over to the stunned Death Eater, rolled him over with a not so gentle kick, and fished out the restraint cuffs Vastra had given him. After he slapped the cuffs on Amycus, Harry pointed his wand at him, muttering, "WINDGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"
********DrW********
Alecto Carrow scowled down at the scrolls in front of her. She had assigned a three foot scroll on why Muggles were obviously a clear sign that evolution had regressed and only the Slytherins had turned theirs in. The new Muggle Studies teacher tried to figure out if she had enough free time in her schedule to torture all of the students who hadn't turned in the assignment and decided to just start off with those annoying Gryffindor students and see what time she had left after that. Her now happy musing where cut off when the alarm screams she and her brother had set up sounded out through the castle.
Alecto sprang out of her chair and raced out the door into the hallway. She drew her wand as she ran to where the alarm was coming from. Her race to her brother's aid came to a sudden stop when she found that stubborn boy, Neville Longbottom, standing in the middle of the hallway blocking her way. He was standing just beyond a four way intersection, his wand resting in a holster at his waist.
Neville smirked at Alecto, happy to be finally paying her back for at least a little of the pain she had inflicted on him and the students he stood up for. "You know, I just realized you just might be even uglier than Dolres Umbridge," he taunted the female Death Eater as she passed the darkened hallways branching off to the sides. Had she been less focused on Neville, Alecto might have wondered why the passageways were dark when the rest of the castle was brightly lit.
Alecto was so surprised and insulted by what Neville had said that she drew in a breath that sounded like a hiss. "You little shit!" she spat while leveling her wand at Neville. "I've had all I can take of you and your goody two shoe ways!" she shouted. She briefly ran through a list of painful and rather fatal curses in her head before settling on the one she wanted. Her train of thought was derailed however when a flash of silver spun out from the darkened side passage to her right. Alecto had just enough time to register the flash as a sword before it sliced through her wand, sending a spray magical sparks in all directions.
The Muggle Studies teacher took an involuntary step back as Vastra stepped out of the shadows, her sword flicking back and forth. Alecto found her backwards motion halted when she ran into someone. She felt a cold prick on her neck and could see a sword held there out of the corners of her eyes. A soft, feminine voice said from behind her, "Don't move." Alecto froze as she felt the pressure on her neck increase just slightly. The voice spoke again. "Now if I were you, I would drop what remains of your wand," Jenny suggested. Vastra gently traced her own sword down Alecto's wand arm and rested the tip against her wrist. "My mistress is quite fond of 'lady fingers'," Jenny said in an off hand manner. Vastra turned her sword a little so it drew a small drop of blood and she graced the Death Eater with one of her most blood hungry, reptilian smiles.
The remains of Alecto's wand bounced on the stone floor as it slid from its owner's hand. As soon as it landed, Alecto started babbling pleas for her life and offering up other Death Eaters in exchange for her. Vastra rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her tongue shot out across the distance and struck her prisoner in the neck. Jenny lifted her sword away as the unpleasant woman slid to the ground unconscious. Vastra watched her fall and then looked up at her maid. "I do hope the Doctor is having as much fun as we are," she said pleasantly.