Disclaimer: Did I miraculously change my name to Jo? No. Did Jet? No. Then we don't own anything except for the original situations and original characters.
Author's Notes: More notes? I has to go to work now...Maybe I can get some reviews?
Chapter Eleven: Wolfnapped and Rescued
After the success of Kagumi's birthday party the day before the group had decided to throw Peter a birthday party before they went back to Hogwarts. It was, all in all, a fine idea and gave each person an excuse to do the things they liked best: Bridget got to bake, or at least plan for baking; Sirius and James got to brainstorm pranks; and Kagumi got her small, if adept hands on the menu plans. The only person missing from the planning was Remus, and they hadn't been able to get hold of him. Bridget had sent him an owl earlier, but had gotten no response; there hadn't even been a response when James Flooed.
Kagumi looked at her watch for the fifth time. "Isn't Lupin supposed to be here by now? At this rate we're never going to get Pete's birthday planned."
Sirius and James exchanged a wry look. Jet simply sighed simultaneously picking at one of the leftover brownies ("Ha! I knew I hid some," Kagumi had said, upon showing Bridget the locking mechanism she'd put on the kitchen cabinets) and reading her sixth year Potions text.
"Kagumi, darling, I think your American is showing. Again. Have some patience. He'll be here," she muttered, still looking at the Potions text. "And that sounds absolutely disgusting…." She made a thoughtful noise. "I wonder how long it'd take to make." She turned the page, grimacing as she kept reading, muttering something about making Gumi study some more.
"Actually," a weary voice said, somewhere in the vicinity of the fireplace. "He won't be here. Not without help."
Albus Dumbledore stepped into the room, surveying the assembled with a flicker of hope. He rubbed his temples, as if trying to ease an ache. Kagumi glared daggers at the Headmaster (then again, she tended to glare at just about everything and everyone when cross; once, she'd even kicked a chair, prompting it to ask, in Mr. Potter's voice, what exactly it had done to her lately). Idly, and with a familiarity that the Headmaster would never have expected to see him have with anyone outside of the Gryffindors' selective circle, Sirius pulled on the bristling girl's arm and she fell into the seat beside him. Dumbledore turned around, hands resting on either side of the fireplace for a long moment.
"Well," James said. He ran a hand through his hair. "Where is Remus? Did he get tied up doing something else?"
"Yes, in a manner of speaking, you could say that." Dumbledore sighed deeply, turning to look at each of them in the eyes. "Remus Lupin has been captured."
All four teenagers looked at Dumbledore in shock, identical looks of dismay on each face. Kagumi seemed completely horrorstruck.
Jet blinked. "Uh… wanna run that by me again, Dumbles?" she asked shakily.
"Remus Lupin has been captured," he repeated.
James asked, "Who did it?" at the same time Sirius tried to ask, "Where is he?" and both ended up jumbling their words. Kagumi sat in silence, the confusion slowly turning to anger on her petite face. Albus held up both hands, and everyone quieted. She looked expectedly at Professor Dumbledore; after all, if he didn't know, no one did.
"All we know is who took him. It was a London Anti-Werewolf group, based somewhere in Muggle London; they call themselves 'the Silver Hand.' I've been sure to keep him out of suspicion, and no one from Hogwarts knows as of yet. They've also got about five other Lycanthropes locked up in the same complex, and are threatening to identify them publicly." The elderly wizard sighed. "Veronica Lupin asked me over for tea this morning; that was when she showed me the letter she'd been sent. It was sent by Muggle Post, not Owl Post. Somehow, the WereCreature registration list was copied out of the Department for Regulation of Magical Creatures. We think that there might be an infiltrator in the Ministry. Also, he is defenseless, as his wand is here, with me. I think he must have dropped it when they took him."
Bridget's eyes dropped as she processed all of the information Dumbledore was telling them, comparing and contrasting it with what she knew from the HP books, and the books she'd bought or borrowed from the Potters. Muggle Post? They don't know how to use Muggle Post. And there's an infiltrator in the Ministry... what a big surprise. How could Dumbledore...
Kagumi nodded slowly, as if listening to some inner voice, then stood with an alarming pop of her knees. Her face was pale, and her hands seemed to shake. Taking her shaken reaction entirely the wrong way, Dumbledore looked kindly at her, and quietly said, "I know that Mr. Lupin's condition must frighten you, but I assure you: despite whatever you may think, he is as human as you or I." Kagumi looked dead at him, her narrow green eyes boring into his own.
"Let me tell you something, Professor. First of all, I have not changed my view of Lupin. He is very much human, with all the brilliance and errors that entitles; I'm sure that in the Cosmic Book of Rules, imperfection is a prerequisite for being human.
"At times, he can be a complete prat. But I think he's a good person. Remus Lupin happens to be a boy suffering from horrendous disease. Life changing, and incurable, yes, but it's certainly not monstrous, sir. Just because this disease forces his body to change shape does not mean that his humanity changes with it!" she paused for a minute, before sighing. "All right, yes it, does, but only for the time that he becomes the wolf. Other than that, he is as human as you or I, and I'll not have you assuming things about me! It's impolite, if nothing else, especially when you mistake my reaction. I'm not frightened of him, sir, I'm frightened for him."
Her vehemence startled Sirius and James; both leaned back instinctively. Bridget sighed, putting her head in her hands. She knew that insulting someone she cared about was a sure path to provoking Gumi's temper. This was not going to end well... Especially not when Kagumi was telling off Albus Dumbledore as if he were one of her little brothers; it was the same tone of voice she'd used the night she argued with her father and the same voice that Bridget had heard her use on the boys, occasionally.
"Just because he is forced, against his will, to assume a wolf's shape does not make him a monster. I've seen worse monsters walking the streets at night, and they look completely human. The only real monsters in this sad, sorry Lycanthropy business are the narrow-minded bigots who think they know what makes a human being! Strangely, I thought you were different, Professor. You didn't strike me as a bigot, nor as being unfortunately narrowminded." Kagumi held up a second finger, to match the first.
"Second of all, Professor," the students cringed as one. Even Dumbledore seemed taken aback by her flashing eyes, "I'm deeply offended that you'd assume I'd treat him as beneath me. As less than human. The lycanthrope population is horribly misunderstood, sir, and the attitude given to these victims make me want to do something. I want to help them, want to ease their suffering and I don't mean through a mercy killing! I'd like to know who wrote that stupid law about the Registration, because..." Her anger faltered for a moment, but soon her spark returned. "And truthfully, I'm surprised that my brother didn't bother to mention our views when he so conveniently dropped me in Bumhump, England!" A third finger joined the other two, and Dumbledore's shoulders, which had been rather slumped, began to rise; Jet looked closely, and noticed that the flicker of hope had grown into a full-fledged burning fire. He better know what the heck he's getting into; pissing Gumi off like that.
"Nothing at all has changed, sir, except for now, instead of waiting for an ill boy to show up for a party, we're wasting valuable time when we should be gathering information. So if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go pay a visit to Mrs. Lupin, in the hopes that she can help. And then, I will find one Remus Lupin, without or without anyone's help, and Merlin help whoever gets in my way. Good night, Albus." Kagumi nodded her head at the silent man and stomped away, up the curving staircase to her and Jet's shared room.
Dumbledore chuckled and said wryly, "One day, she might make a very frightening Auror. I suppose I deserved her ire in this case, although, I do keep forgetting that the two of you are different, Miss Griffins." ("It's not that hard. I'm the nonviolent one.") "While Miss Pheonix may well be able to bully her way into the holding area, she most certainly could use the help to get all of the victims out. I suggest all of you prepare yourselves and pick up Mr. Pettigrew."
"Sir—" James began uncomfortably. He scratched lightly at the side of his head, and the questions were plain in his eyes. Albus surveyed the remaining students with just a hint of his old twinkle; he sighed, and laced his hands in front of him.
"Ah, I did forget to mention…I believe that a Death Eater is behind the infiltration of the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures. And that if you manage to rescue the victims, it would help…a certain resistance group opposing Voldemort. Many of the hostages are either working for it or considering the opportunity." Dumbledore made shooing motions with his hands to the boys. "Miss Griffins, may I see you for a moment? There's something I should explain."
#
Jet stopped at the doorway to their room, watching her friend turn from mediocre witch to determined rescuer, and realizing that she didn't know nearly enough about this girl. Kagumi was bent over her knee, lacing up black sneakers. Pitch black jeans and a black sweater, combined with the fierce determination on her face, made Kagumi seem exceedingly dangerous. Slowly, the girl began plaiting her long hair to keep it out of the way, and as Bridget caught sight of her face, she knew that Remus couldn't have a better protector.
"Long sleeves?" Jet asked conversationally.
"My skin is too pale," Kagumi replied matter-of-factly. "It shows up too well in the dark."
"Yes, I know that. I was going to say that it was smart of you," she said, leaning against the doorframe to watch Kagumi finish her preparations.
The short girl's wand was visible in her right sleeve; something else occupied her left. Jet prepared in silence from that point, until curiosity overtook her again.
"Gumi, what did Dumbles mean about two ways to fight?" Kagumi looked up from checking the unidentified object in her left sleeve.
"What?"
"Well, I mean Dumbledore talked to me after the boys left. He said that he was sure you'd forgive him later, but that he had to make you angry enough to 'go cold.' He riled your temper on purpose."
"Oh, I figured that out the minute I got up to the room. But yes, there are generally two ways to fight. You can fight hot, where emotions rule everything you do. It's not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that emotion is what drives you. Sometimes it gives strength and sometimes it's a weakness. That's the way you fight, I think. You take everything personally, and it fuels your desire for vengeance. Right now, I can't afford the luxury of emotion. Until he's safe, every kind thought, every tender emotion is just another tool they can use against me; everything I think about him is just another hostage and so I don't think of anything except coldhearted strategy."Kagumi smiled ruefully. "And it really doesn't help that he pushed my buttons when I'm PMSing."
Bridget sank onto her bed, frowning. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense."
She didn't think it was either wise or relevant for her to explain that fighting with emotions driving her didn't mean that she didn't fight strategically; she was actually the best strategist in her school, only beatable by her chess genius brother (he'd been beating her at chess since he was five-- and she'd been eight). And she had long ago learned how to put her emotions away unless she knew they were going to give her more strength; in fact, that was one of the first things she had learned in Karate class... well, after pay attention. Pay attention had been a painful lesson.
She figured she should keep her mouth shut, and let Gumi do whatever worked for her on her own. It wasn't her place to burst the girl's bubble when it didn't really concern her. And another fight between the two girls would just put more strain on the friendship, which not conducive to a successful rescue.
#
Bridget had a habit of swinging her legs when she was nervous, Kagumi noticed as she sipped the tea, and she fiddled with whatever was closest to her long fingers. James tended to depend on Sirius for amusement, or reassurance when less than comfortable. And Peter…Peter chattered. Kagumi hid a smile behind her tea as she felt herself warming, if unwillingly, to the future traitor.
Veronica Lupin sat on the opposite end of the table, red-eyed from bouts of crying, although she wasn't anywhere near tears now. Remus's father (who looked very much like him, but with blue eyes) stood behind her, with one hand on her shoulder and the other wrapped tightly around the neck of a battered old violin, which was carved with the initials RJL; distantly, Kagumi wondered if Remus had a penchant for music.
"Mrs. Lupin, do you know of any way your son's name could be associated with this group? Can we see the letter they sent to you?" Peter asked kindly, taking a sip of milk. (He had declined her offer of tea after she broke the second cup from her shaking hands, and nearly splashed their one, aging house-elf with boiling water. It didn't seem like a safe idea to him.)
Veronica slid a Muggle style envelope over the table. Peter skimmed the letter with his eyes, and then slid it over to the boys. Finally, Kagumi held the letter in her hands, and she and Jet read it together.
Mr. and Mrs. Lupin,
We are not sure what has compelled you to raise and protect what was once your son. Whether it be fear, sympathy, or regret for what was lost, the reason is no longer important. We have taken the choice from you. The beast you call Remus has been captured along with several other hidden Lycans, both for your safety and the safety of the world.
No ransom will be taken, nor is there any way to blackmail or intimidate us into freeing it or any of the other creatures. We only do what is right. Their true forms shall be revealed to all respectable wizards as easily as they receive the paper. We expect a Hunt to follow shortly thereafter.
If you harbor any residual feelings for this monster, we can only say this to comfort you: it is not your son, nor has it been your son for years. What you know to be Remus J. Lupin is only a monster in a clever disguise.
An embossed hand was the only signature at the bottom of the parchment, done in silver foil. Kagumi rolled her eyes at Jet, who was already finished and jotting something down in her reporter's notebook, and slid the letter back to Mrs. Lupin. She smiled coldly. "Don't worry, Mrs. Lupin. By the time they receive that paper mentioned, every single victim will be home safe and sound." The girl popped her knuckles and stood, only to be tugged back down by Sirius, who seemed remarkably calm for a boy who was notoriously hot-headed.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, Gumi," he said, sprawling gracefully, still holding her cold hand.
"Yes, Kagumi, do sit down, you're worrying me," Bridget agreed, harshly crossing something out and adding more notes. She waved her quill absently. "You know, getting all poetic… and monologue-y. Before we do anything we need to figure a few things out. Where they are for one thing and at least an idea as to how many people we're talking about. Then there's the tone of the letter: it's almost sympathetic, and extremely self-righteous. They believe that they're helping us, which is not only ridiculous, but tells us that they will do what they threaten to."
Kagumi sighed, rolling her eyes, though her fear was still evident. "There's nothing more frightening than a fanatic. Those who truly believe the Thestral crap they spout, and live religiously by it. These guys sound like fanatics to me" ("Because they are, Gumi.") "and to me, it's cowardly. They can't be farther than London." She snapped her piercing gaze on James. "What's the first rule of hiding, James?"
"Hide in plain sight, in what's familiar...On your own ground." he responded instantly. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned, "But that would mean..."
"Five to two odds that they're in Diagon Alley, or near there. Probably within a mile radius." She felt herself getting angry again, letting that anger drown out the escalating fear every minute that she didn't have Remus safely in sight. Anger is good, Gumi. Anger keeps you sane, and safe when the fear is holding you by the throat. But rage steals all skill, and detracts from your abilities... These calming thoughts kept intruding on her psyche, sounding suspiciously like Remus's voice, and she stopped fighting. The voice, whoever it belonged to, had good advice.
"That's even more true if they're wizard-born, but we'll get to that later." Jet sighed and tried to reassure the Lupins while examining the letter in her head and compiling her List. "We will rescue them, though. Don't worry."
Mrs. Lupin gave the boys a watery smile, as though it were all their idea, but she seemed to staunchly ignore the two girls, almost unable to acknowledge them; Sirius filed it all away for later examination.
#
Sirius sighed in frustration as he watched James tap the wrong brick for the third time. "James, stop it; you should know this!" He grabbed his best friend's wrist and pointed it at the correct brick, the two girls watching the gate open to Diagon Alley in silence. This should've been a highlight for them, getting to see a fabled, if fictional, sight; but the cold way Veronica Lupin had treated them and the silent but pressing concern for Remus ruined the wonder of Wizarding Nightlife.
Jet frowned to herself, still a little concerned about Mrs. Lupin's absurd treatment of them, but putting that to the side for the time. She was twirling her wand in one hand absent-mindedly, which Peter was watching with a wary eye. She was thinking... an act that was more difficult for her to not do. There was something wrong about that letter, something that just didn't quite fit with Dumbledore's Death Eater theory, unless Voldemort had widened his recruiting circle. It just didn't make sense, but she had all the information she needed and Bridget did so love her puzzles.
Kagumi's mind was filled with plans, and tactics, and she was unconsciously reciting the spells she had glanced at before getting dressed. She'd examine Mrs. Lupin's treatment of her later, when she had enough energy left to dissect the situation. Like Bridget, she liked puzzles, but more physical ones, something that she could get her hands around and explore until she uncovered all of its secrets. Mental puzzles held little for her unless they were challenging enough to hold her attention. And Mrs. Lupin had been low on her Must-Impress-List from day one.
Stupefy, Reducto, Incarcerous, Impedimenta. . . Those will definitely come in handy. If there's a fight, that is. She stopped cold for a moment. Can I really fight with a wand? Alone, or with help, I'm still new to this... She paused, remembering how Raminus's voice had invaded her thoughts those first few nights. Raminus, Cordan, I don't exactly know what the two of you may be, but if either of you can help at this point, we could really use it . . .
#
Raminus sat up in his bed, his sleep disturbed. (He didn't actually need to sleep; it was simply another way to hold on to his lost humanity. Cordan enjoyed sleep as well, and they both liked to eat, even though they had no need of it either. The other Founders considered these tendencies of… well, living to prove that the two youngest were even odder than either genetics or legacies could've made them. Godric even went as far as to jokingly call them hedonists) He threw off the green blanket, looked around and sighed.
Moving down the hallway of the Dream World castle, Raminus stopped at Cordan's door. He resigned himself to humiliation and lifted the knocker. The lion's head roared, and the door opened, even after all this time it was still annoying. Cordan was sitting in a corner chair, wrapped in a scarlet blanket. Raminus smiled, and shook his friend's shoulder.
"Wha--?" Cordan discreetly wiped his mouth with the corner of the blanket, and stared sleepily at the tall man. "Wha is 't?"
"I…I can't sleep. Something woke me up." Raminus grit his teeth; out loud, the complaint sounded childish, but he pressed on. "I think the girls might be in trouble."
"Well," Cordan yawned widely. "Let's see what they're up to."
He waved a golden hand at the Mirror, and both stared: The two girls were creeping through a dark Diagon Alley with three of the four Marauders, each tense as though expecting to be attacked. Sirius and James both had their wands out, Peter was just nervous looking.
"What the hell is going on here?" Raminus asked.
"I'm not sure, really." Cordan rewound the mirror images until they arrived at the beginning.
As the two Watchers observed, they saw Remus being hauled away as he Apparated on his front doorstep, and the subsequent events. Cordan's mouth fell open exactly two and a half inches. Raminus kneaded his eyebrows, trying to get rid of the pain that was growing; it was firmly labeled 'Responsibility'.
"How is it that whenever we try to rest, we miss out on all of the excitement?" Cordan asked.
"You call our charges running around London, looking for some stupid anti-werewolf group, and risking everything we've worked for 'excitement'?" Raminus thundered incredulously.
"Well, when you say it like that..." Cordan grinned briefly, before turning back to the situation at hand, his "serious face" on. "Regardless of how we feel about it, we should really try to help them. I mean… we know where he is, but how can we do it without the boys noticing?"
Raminus shrugged. "Maybe we can affect their vision, point the two of them in the right direction."
Cordan's eyes lit up. He grabbed Raminus's arm, none too gently, and hauled him to the broom cupboard where they worked their mischief, flying past a very surprised Godric Gryffindor, and his now hot-chocolate-soaked nightrobes.
#
Kagumi blinked quickly, once, twice, three times. She was sure that either her insanity was finally catching up to her, or the sheer amount of stress she was under was playing havoc with her vision. For some reason, one of the side streets leading from Diagon Alley was glowing very faintly. She looked at Jet, saw her blink as well. Tugging on her friend's arm, Kagumi brought her to a stop.
"Do you see that?" she asked urgently, if quietly.
"Yeah, I think. That is if you think you're seeing what I think I'm seeing," Bridget answered, frowning as she gave the area an uncertain look. She sighed heavily. "Otherwise, no, I'm not."
"Well, what is it you think that I think that you think you're seeing?"
"That― wait, dude, what?" Jet looked confused and Kagumi rolled her eyes. The short girl pointed at the narrow path.
"I think we may have a bit of help from our 'family.' What about that path? Does it look somewhat brighter to you? Like maybe there's just a little more moonlight on that street instead of the next one?"
Jet nodded slowly; it did look as if the one street was a little brighter. Kagumi motioned to Sirius and asked the same question. He looked at her for a minute, and then shook his head. She sighed, and said, "Woman's intuition says it's this way."
James gave them a horridly confused look, but Bridget nodded in agreement with Kagumi, and he shrugged at his best friend. Together, the two boys went in the direction Gumi was pointing out, wands still out in case of hostilities, followed by the girls, and Peter held up the rear of the party.
#
Presently, the five stood before a row of warehouses, across the street from the entrance to Diagon Alley. The glowing trail seemed to lead right under one of the doors, where it slowly faded. Kagumi gripped her wand tightly and tried the door, which was locked.
"Alohomora!" she whispered, tapping the door. She felt, rather than heard the tumblers clicking. Slowly, she and Sirius shouldered it open, to find a gigantic pile of…junk. There was an old motorcycle, two splintering bookshelves and over four hundred boxes. Sighing, she looked skyward.
What, you couldn't have let the trail linger for just a few more minutes? Just enough to figure out WHERE - - you know what? I'm just gonna look around.
"Why would someone lock this up?" Sirius asked, disgust apparent in his voice. "It's worthless. Well, except for the bike, but that's its only redeeming feature."
"It doesn't make sense, but," Peter let his eyes rest on James, frowning uncertainly, "but I think the girls are onto something."
Sirius snorted. "There's no way Remus can be here." He gestured to absurdly packed room. "We'd be able to see him, I think."
"It's the only lead we have, Padfoot," James pointed out, poking at the motorcycle with his wand. "There's no harm in checking it out."
"Surprisingly, considering the uselessness of your arguing, you're all right," Bridget said as she searched through the nearest box. "There's no reason for it to be locked up, so we must be onto something. We just… um… we're not sure what exactly."
Kagumi looked at Jet and rolled her eyes. "If memory serves me correctly, wizards aren't very original when it comes to mundane things such as kidnapping. So let's just look around, and see what we can find."
Jet held up her finger. "Actually, in this case it would be wolfnapping," she said brightly, moving to search a tower of boxes, leaving her friend sputtering uselessly before she began checking a box herself.
#
For over two hours, the motley group searched the warehouse. Finally, Peter looked at James. "You know, Prongs, Sirius is right: this warehouse is rather small, and I doubt they can fit Moony into this small of a space." At this, Peter held up a small box, sending spiders scurrying into the four corners. James sighed and nodded.
"I know, Wormy. I know."
"Maybe we should round it up, Prongs," Sirius said softly, flopping on the old musty couch in the corner.
Jet whirled on him, glaring harshly.
"You'd leave your friend to have his life ruined?" she demanded. "Leave him in the care of Death Eaters and their self-serving, cowardly, bottom-of-the-barrel flunkies just because you've come to what seems to be a dead end? Ridiculous! I thought more of your loyalty, Sirius, a lot more. I never expected something so simple as this could make you abandon a friend in danger."
Sirius took a surprised step back, shocked by her vehemence, before he realized what she had accused him of. "No, of course not. I would never abandon my friends."
"That's what it sounds like, Sirius." She crossed her arms, outraged.
"Well, that's not what I meant."
As the pair broke into a furious, albeit quiet, argument, Kagumi lightly examined the bookshelf to the right. She stepped over a medium box, promptly tripped and fell against the second shelf. Or rather, fell against empty air where the second shelf should've been. Her cry of surprise shut the group up quickly.
"Gumi?" Sirius asked.
He'd become rather fond of her since the Brownie Incident, and she was almost positive it wasn't only because she could bake; Bridget was more apt to monopolize the oven to make sweets, anyways. They headed over her way. Gumi cursed (utilizing a few new ones that Sirius reminded himself to learn from her), and the group could practically hear the scowl in her voice. Suddenly, the cursing and struggling scuffles stopped, and a somewhat scornful cry of amazement cut the silent air.
"My God, they must think our intelligence is lower than our shoe size. It's almost insulting!" Gumi cursed again as she tried, and failed, to pull herself out of the tangle of boxes; her legs were too short to reach the ground from the crushed box she was stuck in. "Some help, please?"
"What? Did you find something?" Jet asked.
"You could say that. Rather I found something that was where something wasn't." Gumi grunted as she accepted Sirius's hand up. Jet rolled her eyes.
"Dude, you may be my friend, but you seriously have to stop talking in riddles."
"Or what, you'll throttle me?" ("Please, I don't have the time.") "Alright, to be plain, that bookcase is an illusion of some sort. Underneath is a trapdoor, and inscribed on it happens to be silver foil in the shape of a palm-out hand. So I'm guessing that there's a staircase or something under there, and chances are that it'll lead us right to Silver Hand. These people, for all their proclaimed desire not to be found, have a rather odd way of labeling their work." She looked at Jet. "I told you about the originality problem."
"So, you found an empty space where there was supposed to be something?" Jet said, either ignoring the comment or just not hearing it. "That really isn't that difficult to say. I mean, really - -"
"Bridget," James said, looking the girl in the eyes. "We need you to focus now. Argue with Gumi later."
The girl sobered up instantly. She had a small frown on her face as she nodded in response, looking like a chastised toddler. "Okay."
"Hey, hey, look at this." Peter pulled a large black book off of the real shelf and turned it around so that the group could read the lettering. "It's called The Hand. In silver. Do you think that's a coincidence?"
He grinned widely, seemingly pleased with himself. Unexpectedly, with a sound like a weary sigh, the illusory bookshelf vanished, leaving only the etched trapdoor swinging open with an ominous creak. Sirius leaned into the hole, uncharacteristically somber.
"You smell that?" James asked Peter, softly.
"Yeah. Sweat. And fear."
"Lots of fear," James whispered, eyes on Sirius, who was exploring as far as he could with his lit wand.
"All right, who's first into the dark, creepy stairwell?"
#
As it turned out, Peter was first down the stairwell, being the one with the best nighttime vision. Kagumi followed, with Sirius behind her and Jet and James holding up the rear (apparently Jet's ability to walk backwards was better than her skills in doing the opposite). With a squeak, he stopped and Kagumi collided with him. She held her hand up for silence, and with ears straining, the impromptu rescue brigade could hear soft snoring.
Peeking around the corner, they could make out two sleeping men in robes and jeans. Muggleborn? Bridget thought to herself with a frown. Half-bloods, at least. Purebloods that old just don't wear Muggles clothes, at least not during these times. A third paced sleepily and a woman apparently argued with someone while kneeling in a fire pit; the flames were an emerald green.
"I can't hold them that long. NO! I'm not going to hold them till full moon! I don't care what your orders are; I'm not risking my neck like that." She waited for an unheard reply. "I really don't care, sir, let the mobs deal with the lycanthrope population. No, I'm not going to grab a pitchfork. Yes, I realize that that was sarcasm, you tit, but still - - Whatever." Another reply. "Fine. You can come collect some photos for that morning paper you threatened," she paused again, her entire body screaming impudence. "Yeah, yeah, see you in a bit."
With an angry grumble, she swung around and wiped the ashes from her hair. She had a harsh look about her, with unkempt hair and narrow, icy eyes. From the way she was handling everything, she also seemed to be the one in charge.
Kagumi, pushing Peter behind her, committed each person's face to memory. She silently drew her wand, but stopped when James shook his head. He had his own wand out in a moment, and pointed at the woman, mouthing a spell. Ghostly streamers wrapped around her head, and it seemed to droop. She yawned widely and, stumbling over to the one empty chair, quickly began to doze.
"That's handy. What is that?" Jet asked curiously as Kagumi raged silently at being foiled.
"Modified Sleeper. More humane than a Stunner; Remus helped us come up with it." James sighed. "Come on; let's get him and the others out of here."
"Wait a tic and think. James, did you forget someone?" Peter mumbled.
"Hm. Pete's right, Prongs, and from that woman's conversation, there's someone else coming soon. We have to be gone by the time they get here; with two half-trained witches and several incapacitated werecreatures, with the full moon being so close, we'll be in no shape to fight anyone." Sirius muttered, pointing his wand; the man slowly sank to the ground, snoring loudly.
"Sirius Black," Kagumi said, amazed. "I do believe you're growing up."
He smiled halfway, and shrugged one shoulder as they edged out of the narrow hall. "Yeah, but don't tell anyone. My reputation would be irreparably ruined."
With each of them in a position of relative comfort (Peter and Kagumi were both of the opinion that the captors didn't deserve such kindness, but were quickly overruled by the others), James then bound the entire group. Kagumi checked to make sure there were no other surprises waiting for the rescuers, and then she checked each guard. One carried a scroll with scribbling on it, in some language she didn't recognize. The other three had nothing but a few Knuts, and one carried a single Galleon; she pocketed everything, but didn't find any sort of key.
Having already checked for anything important, they moved on. There was a narrow hallway at the north end of the tiny complex, with three doors on either side of it. Each of the doors had a name on it. Gumi looked back at the group, still exploring the back of the tiny station.
"There're six cell doors, and only five of us. I didn't find any keys, so…we're stuck either blowing the locks or magicking them open."
And with that, she stepped towards the first door on the left. Peter took the first one on the right, whispering the opening spell. Frowning, he tried several other spells before he looked up at the others, "It doesn't work. Neither do our other spells."
Gumi drew her wand. "I guess we'll have to blow them."
"No!" Bridget stepped in between her and the door. "We can't know what sort of booby traps they put on this, or how small the cells are, and we can safely lean towards 'tiny' as a description. Magic could kill them."
"Jet," said Sirius impatiently, his own wand half-raised, "I don't think we have any other choice."
With an annoyed sigh, Bridget turned her sharp eyes to Sirius. "Are you boys really that narrow-minded? I expected more from Hogwarts' greatest pranksters. I really expected more from you, Gumi."
"Get on with it, Jet," Gumi replied. "We don't have the time."
"Simple answer," said Jet. She turned around and examined the closest door, running her fingers lightly along the lock, hinges, and the area around both. "We use Muggle means. It'd be easier to kick them down, but we risk injuring the, um, prisoner. That means one thing." In a lower voice than the boys couldn't hear, she muttered, "Think second book, when the Weasley Twins retrieved Harry's trunk and broom."
Bridget reached into her ponytail and pulled out two long bobby pins. She pinned one to her sleeve and used the other to begin picking the lock. Less than a minute later the lock clicked open and she motioned Peter forward to open it so she could move on.
"Hey," Gumi said, "can I have one of those?"
Bridget gave her a distant look, mind somewhere else, but still handed over the other bobby pin to her friend, moving on to the next door with a small, forced smile. Peter gave her a worried glance, but she was already on the next door. He pulled the door open and found himself looking into the crying face of a six-year old. He knelt down in front of her, asking if she was Amaiah Engle. She nodded shyly, fear visible in her blue eyes.
"Hi, sweetie, we're here to save you." That was as far as he got, for the child sobbed loudly and launched herself into his arms with a death grip.
"I wanna go home!" she cried before bursting into hysterical tears.
Kagumi opened her own door, and found a silver-haired middle-aged man. "Who do you think you are, holding us here? We've done nothing wrong!" His accent was very posh, and screamed wealth.
"Can I have your name, sir? We're here to rescue you and the others." There Da, I was sure to mind my manners, much as I wanted to take that snooty expression and make him do something anatomically impossible with it.
"I am Richard Lionel the Third, and I must get home. My lady must be worried sick."
"Well, Mr. Lionel, you should go wait in the common area. But for now, we need to free the others before we can get you all back home. Oh, and don't worry about making too much noise; we've bound your captors."
Without another word, the irritated short girl made her way to the next door, trusting that the man would be able to find his own way to the others. Soon, all of the cells were emptied, except for one. Peter sat on a small couch, at the back of the main room, still comforting the crying girl; he seemed to have a knack with children. Jet was trying to keep the other victims (ranging from catatonic to sobbing) calm while Sirius and James sat on the floor, rubbing their eyes until Bridget was fussing over them, too. Kagumi had told them that she'd be right back, as soon as she got Remus out. Too weary to argue, they'd set about doing their different tasks, after Flooing Vivian and Warwick to let them know to alert the authorities.
Kagumi slowly opened the last door, looked at the half-conscious boy, and heard nothing but a strange buzzing noise filling her ears. Some part of her recognized the warning signs of a temper flare-up, and struggled to stamp it down. Concentrating on the cold logic that had filled her head since hearing about the abduction, she looked at him, assessing the danger of his immediate situation.
Remus sat in the corner, keeping as little of his body in contact with the wall as was possible without falling over. His half-conscious, sluggish state unnerved her, and her blood ran cold. True, she had helped free the others, but had pretended not to notice the silver shackles, tried to ignore the burns on the victims' wrists. But now, seeing it on a person she cared about, had cared about for as long as she could remember infuriated her.
Setting her rage aside, she knelt before the boy, gently laying her hands on his cheek.
"Rem? Remus?" She patted his cheek, alarmed at the pallor and heat of his skin; his head lolled on his neck. "Remus!" She bit her lip and shook him as hard as she dared. He didn't move. Trying to be gentle, she eased the silver manacles off his thin wrists utilizing the hair pin Jet had lent her and stifled a whimper as she saw just how severe his allergy was. Thick, oozing burns covered all sides of both wrists (worse than the others she'd seen that night; she made a mental note to ask either him or Veronica Lupin when they returned), and she noticed a thin line of smoke rising from where his neck touched the wall. "What the…"
Drawing closer to the smoking area, she realized that his heartbeat was painfully slow, and her own heart skipped a beat. "Don't die on me, please. Remus..." She ran her sensitive fingertips over the wall, and noticed the thick coating of silver flakes on her skin. "Damn them all to the deepest levels of Hell!" Her temper, seizing the opportunity, pushed and her self-control crumbled.
With her rage fueling her against her better judgment, she hauled the sleeping boy out into the hallway and told James to set up a Floo system back to the manor. As soon as James's back was turned, and Remus was safely laid on the floor with Bridget washing the majority of the silver flakes off with her wand, Kagumi turned on one of the captors and a dagger appeared in her left hand. Sirius managed to grab her from behind and wrestled the knife to the ground. A few minutes later, with much grunting and struggling, Sirius pinned her arms to her sides and hauled her away from the woman. She was growling deep in her throat, and Peter clutched the little girl; he'd never heard that sound from a human. The closest sound he'd ever heard was Moony on full moon nights, and the fact that an enraged girl could make a sound so similar sent chills down his spine.
Slowly, as his familiar scent began to work its way through her system, Kagumi's eyes lost their wildness, and her breathing, though still labored, slowed. Jet shook her head, stepping between her friend and the monsters that had done this. As much as she hated them, she'd always been of the camp that horrid people didn't deserve to die. They deserved to live long, terrible, painful lives before spending most of eternity in Hell. Besides, she wasn't about to break Gumi out of Azkaban; they had enough problems as it was.
"At least now we know a few things," she murmured wryly, twirling her wand between her fingers. "A: she's violent. B: she carries knives in her sleeves. And C: we can't trust her not to kill anyone when angry." Bridget stepped closer, the better to look into the girl's eyes, which still held a trace of that cold, if wild, rage; Kagumi made a sound of protest as she started to try and wrestle free, prompting Sirius to pull her arms tighter. James finished his firecall and joined in restraining her, each boy with one arm, and she was still growling softly. "Gumi, we can't kill them." Bridget's eyes flashed when she saw the other girl start to protest. "I'm serious, Kagumi, I won't let you kill them, no matter what they did. You will not sink down to their level. And there's no way I'm breaking you out of Azkaban."
Kagumi shook free of Sirius, and with a grudging sigh, slipped the knife back into her arm holster; Sirius was still tensed as if to tackle her, but she seemed to be herself again.
"I resent that. My fits of violence are less dangerous than yours." She was still shaking, but as her acidic sense of humor returned, she realized what she'd almost done. It scared her, but catching a glimpse of Remus' too-pale face scared her far more, and she was able to subdue her anger enough to concentrate.
"But much more common than mine. You should probably stay with Remus. No killing."
"What about maiming?" Kagumi asked, only half-joking.
Four voices answered her: "NO!"
"Damn," she said, mock sadly, kneeling by Remus's side, checking his pulse.
#
As soon as she made sure that the authorities had been notified, Vivian stuck her head out the back door. Kagumi and Jet had turned up, looking a bit peaky but otherwise unharmed, with six semi-conscious people. Jet had then passed out on the couch, curled up against an overlarge pillow that was, in turn, leaning on an equally exhausted James, and Kagumi had, after making absolutely sure that Remus was comfortably ensconced in pillows and blankets, retreated outside without informing anyone. Veronica Lupin was hovering over Remus, tearfully checking his health, and attempting to heal the burns on the other victims.
Instead of searching for the distraught girl herself, Vivian decided to send Sirius to find her (with the little girl still clinging to Peter, he was the only one not asleep or otherwise preoccupied, not to mention that he seemed to have a sense of what could keep her calm.). That was why Sirius was out in one of the fields, following a distant noise, and shivering the early morning mist. Finally he spied Kagumi, fighting with a loose Bludger.
"What are you doing? It's nearly dawn," he yawned. "We've been home for two hours, at least."
"I needed the air," she said sourly. "Did you know that Beating makes a great―" she hit the Bludger as far away from her as she could, (which was a surprising distance, for being as fragile-looking as she was) "stress reliever?"
"I suppose," he said slowly. It made sense, to someone who'd always found wide open spaces to be calming.
"Yeah. It makes a strangely satisfying thwacking noise, and that noise takes the edge off of my desire to kill those stupid, deranged, self-righteous hu'tunne for what they've done." She hit the ball again, sending it sailing into one of the tree hard enough to make a dent. Sirius flinched, somewhat afraid for anyone facing her in a real Quidditch match.
"'Hu'tuune'?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"It means coward." She proceeded to hit the obviously suicidal ball many more times. "I can't see straight, Sirius. What they did to him….It freezes my heart." Her eyes were distant when she turned to look at him for a moment, and he knew that she was reliving the rescue.
Finally, after a few more vicious hits, she Immobilized the Bludger long enough to stuff it back in its harness. When it was stored back inside the hollow tree (which James had discovered at age seven), Kagumi wrapped her arms around Sirius's neck and let him walk her back to the manor since she was shaking so hard, she could barely walk.
#
Since bringing her into his room nearly an hour ago, Kagumi had not spoken. She had just sat there, leaning against the wall of his back, staring holes into his posters. Sirius sighed. She kept shivering from the fading nausea, from seeing Remus shackled with silver deliberately, from seeing the horrifying burns on his wrists. He'd slipped into a deep sleep once they brought him home, and Kagumi hadn't relaxed yet; he knew that she needed sleep, but she was too pent up and would likely not get any rest that way. She still felt like killing someone; instead, she sat leaning against her friend, fiddling with the hem of her shirt until it frayed.
"Still feeling bad?" Sirius asked quietly. She just nodded. "You know, Silver Hand isn't the only Anti-Werewolf group in England. Several have popped up in the last few years."
She said nothing.
"Kagumi, please say something."
Making a feeble attempt to lighten her mood, she looked at him and said, "Woof."
Sirius snorted softly. Finally the forlorn girl sighed. Without a word, he extended his hand, half expecting her to rage, or whine, or at least sniffle. But to her credit, she took it gratefully and held on for dear life, but didn't collapse into hysterics. In a way, it would've been easier for him to deal with if she had; at the current state, he wasn't sure how to make things better, or if he even dared try. Seeing her attempting to murder someone, no matter what he personally thought about it, had scared him, but as she calmed down she was becoming more like the Kagumi he knew.
"It's hard," she croaked. "I know that he doesn't like me, and that I haven't really done much of anything to try to earn his trust. But for some reason, I still care about him, still care what he thinks.
"He isn't some faceless statistic to me, not just another minority facing extreme prejudice. What those damned cowards did makes me want to…" she twisted her free hand in an expression of extreme violence. "I want to use them as target practice for lead-filled Bludgers. I want to fillet them and serve them to werewolves on a golden platter. I want to do something to make them pay for this! I mean, the legal system will give them a slap on the wrist, as if just because the victims were werecreatures, that makes it all all right. 'Oh, they aren't real people, so it's fine.' I've seen the same thing in nearly every case, where it becomes 'them' versus 'us.'" She sighed, gripping his hand tighter. "Why can't we all be one bloody population? Why can't we all just...just accept each other, instead of judging? I mean, let the sinless and blameless be the first to throw the harpoon! I can guarantee that you can't find one wizard or witch like that, anywhere.
"It's all bolloxed up." She took a deep breath, and Sirius could hear the tears in her voice; he glanced at their laced hands and saw that her knuckles were white and bloodless. Letting go of his hand, she rose from the bed and began pacing, much like a caged lion. Worried, he followed her until she turned around and he held her shoulders steady.
"Gumi," Sirius asked cautiously. With her peaky skin and flashing, angry eyes, he couldn't decide if she looked more enraged or heartbroken. He decided, as he caught the angry tears that wouldn't fall, on heartbroken.
"I'm fine, Siri. I just…the adrenalin and anger just need to burn out of my system. I'm Irish. Long memories, short fuses."
"Wait, I thought you were from Wisconsin. Isn't that what Bridget said?" He was giving her a shrewd look, frowning. "If you're Irish you should have gone to Hogwarts in the first place, instead of...wherever you're from."
"Well," she said after a moment. Sirius thought that she was going to explain it all, but, instead she said, "It's a long story."
He gave her a pointed look, gesturing widely. "It's not like I'm going anywhere. You are in my room."
"I'm sorry." Gumi pulled out of his grip, backing towards the door. "I didn't mean to be trouble; you have more―"
"Kagumi." Sirius grabbed her again, and pulled her back towards him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders; she was still trembling. He sighed. "I wasn't saying that you should go; just that you should tell me. I don't mind if it's a long story. We could all use a long story to take our minds off of it. Well," he amended, "those of us who are still awake."
"Namely you, then, right?" she teased gently. He laughed a little, and shrugged out of his grip.
She shrugged. "For starters, my father's British and, technically, so am I, I guess. We moved to America about six years ago, with my brothers and my Aunt Aisliin. I live in Wisconsin, like Jet said. My mother is Irish. I spend my holidays there usually. My clan has a small homestead, and keep it up almost like one of the old stories about the 'glory days,' down to the village surrounding the keep."
"That wasn't really that long of a story," he pointed out fairly.
"That part wasn't, no, but that with the rest makes a long story."
"Well, I want to hear the rest of it," he said, trying to pull her onto his lap again; affectionate seemed to be his default setting with the two girls who had suddenly turned his life upside down. With a tired groan she pulled away from him (though watching him fall without her weight to counterbalance his was amusing) and refused to elaborate. Instead, she paced, and paced, and when that got boring, she paced some more. Sirius finally got up, stretching lazily.
It was on her forty-ninth (and three-quarters) passing of his wardrobe that her racing brain finally comprehended the glint of metal underneath one of the legs. Curiosity got the better of her, and she ducked her head underneath the dark wood. Pulling out a foot-long metal cylinder, she couldn't quite believe what she held. She turned around and looked blankly at the yawning boy by the bed. He blinked, and then looked at where she was.
"Don't go poking around under there!" Seeing that she already held it, he changed tactics. "It's uh, not mine, I'm holding it for a friend. Yeah, that's it. I'm holding it for a friend. He must've stuck it under there last time he was here. For, um, safekeeping…"
"Sirius…" She looked dead at his blushing face, and shook her head.
"What? Don't look at me like that!"
She held the metal thing out to him. "A lightsaber?" When he grinned sheepishly, she sat numbly on the carpet. "A… lightsaber…" she repeated, more to herself than to anyone.
He shrugged nonchalantly, apparently satisfied since she knew what it was, at least, that she wouldn't dismiss him as a dork out of hand.
"Well… it was on sale at one of the theaters. I've only seen it a coupla times."
She looked at him, and raised a questioning eyebrow. Hiding a lightsaber under one's wardrobe didn't sound like someone who'd only seen it 'a coupla times.' It sounded much more like a fanatic.
"Well… more like five… or seven… maybe more…" He grinned.
She looked back and forth between the fake lightsaber and Sirius's face. Just imagining Sirius, James, Peter and Remus as jedi was unbearably adorable and oddly amusing. Finally, something jogged loose in her brain and she chuckled. Five minutes later, still on the floor, Kagumi Pheonix howled with laughter, just laughed and laughed until the tears ran from her eyes, until she was holding her sides and rocking back and forth, laughing like a maniac.
The tension flowed out of her limbs, and finally she could relax. She was home. Even though she'd seen someone she cared about suffering, even though she'd lost control and scared herself...They were all home, safe and sound, and things could only go up from here.
#
James ran a hand through his hair, wondering how he'd wound up in this position twice in the same week... too bad it was with the wrong girl. He then realized that there was something he would have to go over with her before they went anywhere near Hogwarts, or he let her near Moony.
"Bridget?" he whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. She shifted, but didn't move. "Bridget! We need to talk."
"Shove off. Tired."
James fought the smile working its way onto his face. This really wasn't the time, but she was so perfect for Sirius. As much as he tried to deny it, Sirius was still of the canine variety and loved cuddling; a girl who preferred to spend her nights and mornings curled up around a warm body would be a welcome change for the other boy. Well, if he ever got over the fact that he wanted a relationship with Bridget and not a quick shag... and if he ever did do the latter, James would have to hex him. Peter and, even, Remus were fond of this stray, not to mention what Kagumi would do if he took advantage of her. James shuddered to think of it, and tried again to rouse her.
He poked her in the ribs this time. "Jet, get up. This is important."
Tired brown eyes opened and surveyed him critically. "Fine. Hurry up so I can go back to sleep. Rescuing someone's hard work, you know?" She was cranky when she was tired. James tried not to smirk, somehow sensing that it wouldn't help him. He'd probably be hit, then she'd continue to use him as a pillow.
"What do you think about werewolves? We heard what Gumi thinks, and you said some nice things at Lily's, but it's different when you know one personally."
"Not for me." Bridget yawned, and curled back up, closing her eyes. For a moment, James was afraid she'd fallen back asleep and that was all he'd get (he wasn't going to risk life and limb trying to wake her up again), then she spoke again. "Werewolves are unjustly persecuted. In reality, they're just like everyone else except for one night a month, maybe two once in a blue moon, but the perception of werewolves has created this problem. If people treated lycanthropes as people, then both treatment and research could follow. Also, acceptance would make them feel human, so they're more like to act human. That's probably what Dumbledore was going for when he accepted Remus into Hogwarts. If people could get to know him after the bite and accept him, care about him, then it would be easier to make them accept other werewolves. Of course, that's all in theory, humans are too often illogical. It's a rather bad downfall."
James blinked down at the girl, who looked quite young and delicate half-asleep. She'd said in one paragraph most of what he and Sirius had decided long ago, right before they'd started their own werewolf research. Maybe, if they proved to be trustworthy, they had found allies, and having intelligent, innovative allies with a passion for their work was invaluble. He sighed, and settled back into the couch.
"If only we could humanize them now, without revealing Remus." He'd said it more to himself, having expected Bridget to be fast asleep already, so when she sat up suddenly, eyes wide with realization and clear of any sleep residue, he was understandably shocked.
"That's it!" She turned to him, and James realized he'd just witnessed her 'Eureka!' moment. Gumi was right; it was rather captivating. "We need to make them human. If we can force others to sympathize, see them as people, like their siblings, children, spouses, or friends, we can start it. But..." she frowned, chewing on her bottom lip in a way that James was fast learning meant she was thinking, and was probably about to fix whatever problem had arisen, "I'm not sure if... James, do your parents have any connections to the Daily Prophet? I think we can turn their idea against them."
James frowned, "Um, yeah, but I don't understand what you're... oh. Oh! Jet, that's brilliant. But, you'd need them to--"
"Read it with an open mind? That is a bit of a problem. If we tell them right off that we're writing about werewolves, they'll have a--"
"Bias against the piece. At the same time we want--"
"Them to know. But, it needs to be..."
They looked at each other, identical expressions on their faces. "I got it!"
- - -
Author's Notes: Alright, so there it is and we're not terribly late. I promised the Remus would be alright, and he will. Eventually. Questions? Concerns? Comments? Anything? There's a little button at the bottom, right here, that says REVIEW. So click it. CLICK IT. CLICK IT, I plead.