Thanks as always for my wonderful beta, who also carries a mean cattleprod.
Chapter 8 – The Battle That Never Happened
When the group entered the kitchen, both Remus and Sirius were leaning over a large map spread across the table, fingers tracing the terrain.
Sirius looked up. "Mad-Eye, there's not much cover in this area. I think it would be better to make one insertion point and then fan out from there. It'll give you more time before you're discovered."
Mad-Eye leaned over to where Sirius was pointing on the map and grunted in agreement. "Hopefully Albus will be able to get reinforcements from the Ministry in the meantime," he said without much conviction before turning to the rest of the group. "All right you lot, we're strictly back-up. Most of you are untested and I don't want you on the front lines just yet."
Tonks made a noise of protest.
"You might be an auror," Moody growled, pointing a finger at her, "but you've never seen battle before, so take it as a learning experience. Unfortunately, you'll be a veteran before you know it."
Sirius pointed down at the map. On it, small dots moved, each with a name of an Order member labeling it. "You'll all apparate in here," he indicated a small grove of trees. "Remus will be on point. If he says it's clear, you'll fan out. Mad-Eye, Molly, and Arthur will go this way and provide back-up for Sturgis and Hestia. Kingsley, you and Tonks go this way and cover for Dedalus and Emmeline. Remus, Charlie, and Bill will have the longest route, rounding this way and cover for Elphias and Dung. Elphias will probably need the help," Sirius shook his head.
"Moody is most experienced," Kingsley frowned. "Why is he not on point?"
"I can see through the back of my head, but I can't compete with the night vision or the senses of a werewolf. Let's not waste time with stupid questions. Line up for battle marks," Moody growled.
"What's a battle mark?" Charlie asked as he lined up with the others.
"It's a magical mark developed by the Order during the last war," Moody said as he went down the line, flicking his wand at each person in turn. "It's only visible to the Order members so we don't accidentally attack one of our own."
"It also allows each of you to be seen on the map," Sirius added. It had been the Marauders' idea to sync the battle marks with maps of battle areas. It was a more complex variation of the magic they'd used to make the Marauder's Map, not that they had explained that to Dumbledore. "Once you apparate in, you'll appear as a marked dot on the map so that whoever's watching will be able to keep track of where everyone is."
"That way, if one of you goes down, we'll be able to find you again," Moody added.
"Cheery Mad-Eye, really cheery," Tonks said glancing at the apprehensive faces of the Weasleys.
"It's not meant to be cheery, Missy. Signum litis!" Moody rapped his wand on her head a bit more forcefully than necessary as he applied her mark. "We never leave anyone behind."
While Moody was marking the group, Sirius pulled Remus aside and spoke quietly. "I could come with you, you know? It's dark and we'll be on the back lines."
"Sirius, no. If Albus is able to get help from the Ministry, what do you think would happen? Besides, we need you here to watch the marks on the map and make sure everyone checks in."
Sirius huffed, folding his arms across his chest. "Just be careful, all right? Don't count on them to watch your back."
"Why wouldn't they?" Remus glanced furtively up at the group.
"Well, if they're anything like their mother," Sirius snarled.
"You're nothing like your mother," Remus made his point gently.
Sirius sighed, "Just be careful, all right?"
His expression was very reminiscent of one seen on Molly Weasley's face, but Remus decided not to point that out to him. "Always." He held his fist out like they used to do long ago.
Sirius grinned and bumped his fist on top of Remus's.
"You know that's actually popular to do now," Remus grinned back.
"Of course it is, we started it," Sirius said.
The group was moving out of the kitchen towards the front door. Remus joined the end of the line, Sirius on his heels. As Remus walked out of the front door, Sirius waved his wand to put a battle mark on him before they walked down to the street, crossed it, and disapparated out of sight.
They apparated into the edge of a small grove of trees. It was strangely quiet, even to Remus's sensitive ears. He opened his eyes, and they adjusted easily to the pitch black darkness. Sirius and James had often asked him how different things looked with his night vision, but that was like trying to describe sight to a blind man. Colors were more muted, but he could still easily see the outlines of the sparse houses and barns in this rural community. He could see no movement. Drawing a slow breath through his nose, he tested the air. He detected the unique scents of each of his companions, the smells of the grass, trees, nearby crops, and the smell of deer that had recently been nearby, but nothing else.
"It's clear," he whispered softly.
Moody muttered, "Lumos signum litis." Instantly they could all see a soft purple aura around each other. "You all remember which way to go?" Moody whispered. Each person nodded. "Let's get moving then. Find your team members and stay together. If you find yourself separated, apparate back to headquarters immediately. Sirius is watching us, but if you move off the map and are ambushed, we won't be able to find you to help, understood?" There was a soft "yes" from everybody, and they split up.
Remus, Bill, and Charlie made their way slowly across the edge of the grove and began skirting a cornfield, heading towards where Elphias Doge and Mundungus Fletcher were last seen. They kept a steady pace, Bill and Charlie keeping up admirably, Remus thought, as there was only a quarter moon to light their way. They paused at the end of the cornfield, Remus peering through the night, looking for any sign of their fellow Order members, stray Muggles, and most especially Death Eaters. But once again, there was no movement and it remained silent. Remus could feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise. It was too quiet. He should at least hear the stirring of farm animals, but even the wind was still.
"All right?" He asked, turning to glance at the other two. Both Bill and Charlie nodded as they looked this way and that.
"Any sign of them?" Bill asked quietly.
"No," Remus replied with a shake of his head. "No sign of anything."
"It's awfully quiet, isn't it?" Charlie remarked.
"Yes, it is," Remus said with approval that the younger man had picked up on it, "We're going to edge along that graveyard," he pointed. "And then back around the house. That's where Elphias and Dung were positioned."
When the other two nodded, Remus set off noiselessly. There was a long stretch of ground where there was no cover. They were exactly at the halfway point, as far from cover as they could be, when Remus heard it. A low deep laugh seemed to echo from all around the three wizards.
"Quite a clever creation, those battle marks," a disembodied voice mocked from the darkness. "When Pettigrew explained them to us, it was like having a personalized target for each of you."
Remus waved his wand and the purple aura disappeared from each of them. He reached out with all his senses. Frowning, he cocked his head, listening.
"Remus, what's going on?" Charlie whispered.
"Burrowing," Remus replied, confused. "I hear something burrowing."
At that moment, a gray, rotted hand shot out from the earth, grabbing Bill's ankle. He cried out in astonishment.
"Diffindo!" Remus pointed his wand at the hand, which severed from the rest of the arm when the spell hit. Bill hurriedly pulled the hand from his leg and tossed it into the darkness rubbing his hand convulsively against his shirt. Charlie grabbed his brother's arm and both hurriedly backed away from where the inferius continued to burrow out of the ground.
Remus could see mounds of earth shifting in the graveyard.
"Back away slowly," Remus whispered. "No sudden movements. Inferi are only able to do the bidding of the wizard that enchanted them. They reacted when we tried to get past, so just keep moving away and stay calm."
"So, any advice for being scared senseless?" Charlie forced a laugh.
"Just keep moving slowly," Remus replied, his voice steady. He could hear both Weasleys breathing heavily, their heartbeats pounding ever more rapidly. They stood shoulder to shoulder behind him, one broad and stocky, one slim and tall, each with their wands at the ready. The inferi were bobbing their heads back and forth like insects moving their antennae, trying to sense where their prey had gone.
"Remus," Charlie's voice wavered uncertainly.
"Stand steady," Remus said, seeing the subtle slowing of the inferi's movements as they were losing track of them. "They're backing down."
The disembodied voice whispered on the wind, "Tarantellegra." The jinx hit Charlie causing his legs to stamp the ground in a frenzied dance and the inferi stampeded.
***
On the other side of the field, Tonks felt her breath leave her as she saw a column of flame erupt in the distance. "By Merlin, what's happened?"
Kingsley Shacklebolt opened his mouth to respond when a ball of silver mist shot up to them, materializing in a bear cub.
"Take battle marks off. Spell's 'Finite signum litis.' They're tracking us," Remus's voice said urgently. In the distance, both aurors could see other balls of mist surging towards the direction of the other groups.
With a wave of her wand, Tonks removed their battle marks. "That wall of flame, that's where Remus's group is, isn't it?"
"Yes," Kingsley replied grimly. "But we have our own mission to attend to."
"If those were fellow aurors out there, you wouldn't just leave them to fight for themselves," Tonks said angrily.
"If they were fellow aurors, they would expect us to do our part," Kingsley replied, placing a hand to her shoulder. "It is admirable to want to help your comrades, but if we do not accomplish our mission, then it is all for nothing."
Tonks set her jaw, nodding jerkily, and strode onwards.
***
Sirius paced and swore. His gaze fell on the map each time he passed, hoping the marks would rematerialize. Remus, Bill, and Charlie were the first to disappear, then slowly, all the Order members had. Even in death, their marks should still show on the map. He had tried to be patient, Remus's voice echoing in his head, "We need you here."
Sirius swore, telling Remus's nonexistent voice exactly where he could stow it.
"Mistress's ungrateful traitor is losing his mind, Kreacher thinks," the house elf muttered as he passed by on the way to his den, suddenly scrambling to avoid a kick from Sirius's boot.
"That's it! I've had it," Sirius snatched his wand up from the table and was heading towards the door when Trouble rolled through it and materialized at his feet.
"Stay!" Remus's voice said, "Had to take off battle marks. Will explain later. We need you there!" The last line was punctuated. Trouble slowly dissolved.
Sirius growled, throwing his wand back down on the table. "Stay? Stupid git acts like I actually am a dog. I oughtta…" But he wasn't able to finish what he oughtta do as he stared at the map with frustration.
It seemed as if time itself were standing still. The incessant ticking of his old pocketwatch he'd found in his room beat a steady cadence as his eyes never left the map. He had no idea how much time had passed when he heard the front door open. His head jerked up, and he picked up his wand warily as he heard footsteps coming down the hallway, one of them with a distinct step-clunk pattern. He raised his wand, pointing it at the doorway to the kitchen as it edged open and Mad-Eye came through, Arthur, Molly, Sturgis Podmore, and Hestia Jones behind him.
Mad-Eye grunted approvingly at the wand raised at his face, "At the ready," he nodded. "Good man."
"Where are the others?" Sirius asked, putting his wand down and gazing over their shoulders. "What happened?"
"Are Bill and Charlie not back yet?" Molly asked anxiously.
"No, nor Remus either. Thanks for asking," Sirius glared. "You lot are the first back. Why did you take down the battle marks?"
"Lupin sent a patronus saying they were using them to track us. Should have thought about that since Pettigrew knew about them," Moody said, whacking at the side of his head as if he had water in his ear. "Bloody Malfoy and Goyle, like I can't see through those masks," he growled, "had these two trapped down."
"Goyle got one look at Mad-Eye and ran," Hestia said satisfied. "And Malfoy wasn't about to face all of us himself. Thanks for the help Mad-Eye. We were definitely in it."
Mad-Eye merely grunted acknowledgement as he popped his eye out, cleaning it with a damp rag.
"What about the Muggles?" Sirius asked.
Sturgis shook his head, "One family dead. It's odd though, they were dead when we got there, but the Death Eaters were still around."
"Laid an ambush," Moody said, putting his eye back in and screwing his face as it rolled in its socket.
"But why?" Sturgis didn't seem to expect his question to be answered.
The kitchen door opened again and Kingsley, Tonks, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, and, surprisingly, Elphias Doge joined the group. Emmeline was cradling her left arm with her right.
"You all right?" Sirius asked, though he couldn't keep his eyes from trailing past them hopefully.
"Nothing a stiff whiskey won't cure," Emmeline grimaced.
"Did you see Bill and Charlie?" Molly asked anxiously. Sirius threw her a savage glare.
"No," Tonks shook her head, her purple hair trailing over a shoulder, "Nor Remus. Elphias was with these two."
"Fletcher froze at the first sight of the Death Eaters." Elphias explained. "We were stuck hidden in a barn when we got Remus's patronus. Well, as soon as I took Dung's mark off, he apparated out, so I made my way to where I knew Emmeline and Dedalus were, and a good thing too."
Emmeline nodded. "Six Death Eaters had us trapped and I'd gotten it in the wand arm. With Elphias, we were able to hold them off until these two got there," she nodded at the aurors in thanks.
"Alastor, could you see what was happening with Bill and Charlie?" Molly repeated, her voice wavering. "I saw that big cylinder of fire."
Mad-Eye grimaced, "I couldn't see well through the dark, but it looked like inferi silhouetted against the flames."
"Oh my heavens!" Molly covered her face with her hands. "What kind of dark magic could have made that fire?"
Arthur moved to take her in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, her hands trembling. "Molly, I'm sure they're fine." He soothed, though the look on his face was just as anxious.
"Molly, inferi are driven away by fire," Mad-Eye reassured her. "Remus probably conjured it. Damned if I know how he did that though."
"Probably some kind of dark creature magic," Molly sniffed.
"All right, I've had it!" Sirius turned to face Molly, his whole body trembling with rage. "Did you not hear what Mad-Eye just said? The fire was keeping the inferi away! I've watched you shrink away from him like he's some kind of monster and frown in disapproval when he's near the kids. Now he's using dark magic because he's a werewolf."
"Well really! What do you expect?" Molly snapped back, shrugging off a pacifying hand from her husband. "They're the worst kind of creature. The minds of men, but the instincts of an animal. Living in filth, stealing, killing. He probably abandoned my boys at the first sign of trouble. No one trusted him during the first Order, not even you! Elphias told me. He went off to join the other werewolves!"
Sirius glared fiercely at Doge who had the decency to look ashamed.
"If you couldn't even trust him why should I?" Molly asked, looking anguished. "Who knows what information he gave to You-Know-Who?"
"You are talking about the man that has been my brother since I was eleven years old," Sirius snarled, knocking the old ladder back chair he'd been seated in to the floor. "The only man left that I would trust with my life, with Harry's life, without hesitation."
"You weren't so keen to trust him last time, were you?" Molly shot back at him.
Sirius looked down, his hands curling and uncurling into fists, "I made a mistake. A horrible mistake that didn't cost me the last friend I have because Remus will forgive almost anything. I let old prejudices taught to me by my bitch of a mother get in the way. I have two great regrets in my life and both involve my betraying Remus. He never joined the other werewolves. Dumbledore asked him to spy on them."
"Black," Moody growled warningly. The tension was thick in the room, the older Order members looking particularly uncomfortable at the revelation. Sirius merely glared at Moody before continuing.
"Remus is the most decent, kind, honest, and humble man I have ever known. I've watched him put up with the prejudices of ignorant, pathetic excuses for humans like you since I've known what he is. He doesn't seem to react at all, but I've seen something in his eyes break every time. Can you imagine what it's like to be spat on by a stranger when you're just a child because of an illness? To be beaten over something that you can't control? And then to have to deal every month with your body being ripped apart, your mind torn away from you and there's nothing you can do about it. Do you have any idea the kind of bravery it takes to face that every month since the age of five? What kind of strength it takes to risk your life for people who believe that you're not even human? No one can. I've watched him do it, and I don't fully understand it. That's just the man he is. If you're what it means to be human, and he isn't, I'm not sure I want to be one either."
Before Molly could retort, a clatter and a thud sounded from the dining room. Sirius grabbed his wand and burst out of the kitchen, ready to tackle whatever it was that had managed to invade the house with all the fury he'd built up arguing. Moody was on his heels followed closely by Tonks and Kingsley. They burst through the doors only to find Bill and Charlie, both unconscious. A strap of leather with a bell on it was tied at each end to their belt loops.
"No," Molly sobbed as she came in behind them, seeing her sons on the floor. She turned into Arthur beside her, clutching at his shirt.
"Molly," Mad-Eye reached out to her. "Molly, they're just unconscious."
"What?"
She turned back to look and saw Sirius flick his wand at each of them. "Ennervate."
Both stirred, moaning slightly and reaching for their heads.
"Boys," Arthur took Molly's hand and both knelt down beside them. Charlie's nose had been broken while Bill had a nasty gash that had torn through his shirt and across his shoulder. But both were blinking and looking about in confusion.
"Dad?" Bill glanced up at him. "Are we back at Headquarters?"
Charlie glanced around, grimacing. "But where's Remus?"
"About time someone noticed," Sirius growled.
Mad-Eye bent down, untying the strap of leather from their belt loops and examining it. "Looks like Lupin made a portkey out of this cow's bell and sent you back. What happened?"
"We were surrounded," Bill said, sitting up shakily. "Inferi came bursting up out of the ground and they were rushing for us when Remus…" He trailed off, shaking his head, seeming unable to explain.
"Remus just raised his wand and circled it around his head. Fire started coming out of the tip and a wall just rose around us, blocking off the Inferi. I've never seen anything like it," Charlie said, his voice awed.
"Then Remus had us apparate to the nearest corn field so we could regroup. We started back to where we were supposed to meet up with those other Order members, but we were ambushed by Death Eaters. It was like they were waiting for us." Bill took over the story. "I don't know how many there were but it seemed like spells were coming from everywhere. I got hit with something. That's the last thing I remember."
"I saw you go down," Charlie said. "And I tried to get to you, but then I got hit. I don't know what happened next."
"Well, obviously Lupin ported you both back here," Mad-Eye said.
"We have to go back for him then!" Charlie said panicked. "There had to be at least five or six Death Eaters on us."
"Charlie, dear, try to lie still. You're hurt," Molly pushed at the strongest of her sons without much effect as he pulled himself painfully to his feet.
"None of us are going anywhere! Sirius!" Mad-Eye hit Sirius with a Full Body Bind. "We're not going to go chasing about after any one when we don't know where they are. The plan was to wait here for Dumbledore when we got back and that's what we're going to do." He flicked his wand again, releasing Sirius.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Sirius shouted. "If you think I'm going to sit around here waiting while Remus could be…"
"Could be what?" Mad-Eye challenged him. "Dead? What are you going to do if he is? Die with him and leave that godson of yours with nobody? Lupin's a bloody good duelist. We wait here."