Author's Note: Happy Easter to you all, my dear readers! Today was wonderful, what with all the chocolate and writing. Of course, my Calculus homework has yet to be finished...Well, whatever. The weekend is drawing to a close, which means the next update may have to wait for another week or so. Be patient and diligent, and I'll try to update as soon as possible.
Chapter Four: Reassurance in Chaos
"Mrs. Figg?" Wand Boy asked incredulously.
"Oooh, just wait 'til I get my hands on that scoundrel! I told him, I TOLD HIM I'd beat him myself if he left for those stupid cauldrons! I'm going to kill him! Dementors! In Little Whinging! Attacking Harry Potter, no less! Oooh, I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!" she yelled furiously, hobbling toward us.
Harry Potter. That's what Wand Boy's name was. I cleared my throat.
"Excuse me," I piped up. "Could someone please tell me what the HELL is going on here?"
Mrs. Figg eyed me curiously. "Who are you?" she said, scanning me with a questioning gaze.
"Olivia Thompson," I replied, irritated. What did it matter what my name was? I wanted an explanation, a quick, direct explanation of all this craziness.
Mrs. Figg squinted her eyes at me, inquisitive and probing, for a moment and then turned her attention to Harry. "We need to get out of here. Keep that wand out; there might be more dementors about. Get that oaf off the ground. Up, you dolt, get up!" she screeched at Dudley, who was still lying on the ground, pale and whimpering, evidently reluctant to exhibit individual movement.
"I've got it," Harry said. He seized one of Dudley's thick arms and tugged. Dudley let out a low moan and rose slightly. Honestly, I was surprised Harry had even accomplished that; Dudley was a heavy boy and his legs looked to be as sturdy as jello.
"Mind giving a hand?" Harry said, staggering and looking at me for help. I shifted my backpack and uneasily approached Dudley. Wrapping one of his arms around my shoulder, I grimaced and nodded at Harry, and we both tugged firmly. Dudley wobbled for a moment and then pressed all of his weight on us both, opting not to put any effort whatsoever into standing on his own.
Harry and I struggled for a few seconds under the new, immense weight. Dragging Dudley, one of his arms around each of our shoulders, we edged forward toward the street while Dudley groaned and Mrs. Figg continued to rant.
"Oh, there's going to be hell to pay! Breaking the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery…this is exactly what Dumbledore was afraid of. Ugh, I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!" she howled.
"Mrs. Figg, are you…are you a witch? Why didn't you ever tell me?" Harry's voice came as a surprised whisper to my side. I threw him a confused look, but he ignored it and stared intently at the old lady.
"Dumbledore's orders. I was supposed to keep an eye on you. I'm a squib," she replied, "and Mundungus bloody well knows it. Thank goodness I had Mr. Tibbles on your trail to keep up the guard, but by the time he warned me and I arrived, you'd left your house. And now- you and Olivia- oh, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER!" she shrieked.
Wow, my day had pretty much been hell, but it would have really sucked to have been Mundungus Fletcher at that moment. Mrs. Figg's wrath was something to behold.
"Wait a minute," Harry said gruffly. "Guard? This bloke Mundungus has been following me? So he's the one that Apparated right outside my house!"
"Yes, yes" Mrs. Figg answered as we walked down Wisteria Way. "Damn it, where is he? He was supposed to here until midnight and…what are we going to do? Dumbledore needs to be informed right away and I can't Apparate. An owl would be way too slow and-"
A sound like a gunshot came from right in front of me. I screamed and recoiled, nearly dropping Dudley. A grimy man, short and disheveled, appeared out of nowhere, carrying with him a silvery cloak and a strange, awful smell.
"Whasshup, Figgy?" he said bemusedly. He glanced at Harry and me, then turned to Mrs. Figg again. "What 'appened to stayin' undercover?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And whash with the girl?"
"Oh, I'll tell you what's with her, Mundungus!" Mrs. Figg snarled. "Dementors! Here!" His eyes widened, and she continued. "On your watch! You! You no-good. Useless. Slimy. Vermin!" She was hitting him now, quite violently, really, with the shopping bag she had been carrying while Mundungus cowered before her. I cringed. Harry caught my eye, and we both grimaced at each other.
Having beaten Mundungus enough for her satisfaction, Mrs. Figg straightened up and sighed heavily. "Okay," she said, regaining her composure. "You'll need to Apparate and report this…incident to Dumbledore. Before you do, though, drop this girl…Olivia off with the Order. Get Moody and then go straight to Dumbledore. Right away, you hear? No dallying with any STUPID CAULDRONS!" Her voice began to build up again, and Mundungus flinched.
"Yessum," he replied hoarsely, his bloodstained eyes lowered. He held out an arm out. "Come here and hold tight," he told me. I looked at him, cocking my head as I always did when I had no clue what was going on.
"Whoa there," I said crossly, backing slowly away from him, a difficult maneuver when you're supporting half of Dudley's weight. "What's going on? What the? This talk of Apparating and CAULDRONS and…and de-dementors?! And you!" I pointed at Mundungus. "You just came out of thin air! What the fu-"
"Olivia." Mrs. Figg said my name softly but firmly. "Go with Mundungus. You'll be good and safe. Everything will be explained later." She breathed deeply, and I began to notice her exhaustion. "Everything will be fine. I promise."
I studied her for a while and then nodded. I peeked around Dudley's head and stole a glance at Harry.
He smiled weakly but encouragingly at me. "Go," he whispered. And although I knew none of these people, although Harry didn't remember me and I barely remembered him, although I was thoroughly and utterly confused with the situation, I felt reassured for the first time since I had discovered Sasha's disappearance. At any rate, this opportunity seemed more hopeful than what waited for me back at Dad's apartment.
I fidgeted and then squirmed out from underneath Dudley. Harry assumed Dudley's full weight, and Mrs. Figg rushed over to him, taking hold of one of Dudley's arms.
"Merlin's beard," she muttered darkly. "Come on, you fat buffoon. Harry, move along, we're almost at your house."
I turned to Mundungus Fletcher, who grinned toothily at me. He extended his arm to me, and I took it.
"Yull have ta 'old it tighter, girly," he told me. I grasped his hairy arm tighter, until I was pretty sure that I was cutting off circulation.
"Good," he said, meeting my eyes. "You asked 'bout Appartin' before. Well, you're about to experience it."
Mundungus winked at me, and the next thing I knew, Little Whinging had disappeared, and the world turned black, narrowing in around me.
Hm. I may have made Mundungus sound a bit like a pirate. What I was aiming for was a Cockney accent, but ah well. Please review, my lovely readers. It would give your Wanda a ton of happiness!