Family Matters

Caly only turned to face Professor Hardingly when she heard the footsteps that signalled the return of the smiling Professor Hardingly. She put down Mrs Malfoy, unable to hold her up anymore. Mrs Malfoy just sat there, completely unmoving.

"Professor Hardingly, Professor Hardingly."
"Please." said the smiling one. "I am Gerald."
"Everret."
"We do not believe that the formalities are necessary anymore. The teacher, student relationship hardly counts here, Caly."
"I noticed, you have used my first name, my nick name no less, several times." Gerald smiled even wider. Everret, did not, seem to be enjoying the chatter.

"Less talk." he muttered. He crossed the distance to her and took her arm. Mrs Malfoy was being floated away from her. She suddenly noticed that Mrs Malfoy was in tears. She'd started crying completely silently. Caly hadn't noticed but she had a nasty hunch she knew why. She swallowed and tried not to think about it.

"Now then Caly." said Gerald. "How about you give it to us."

James swore out loud when the last brick fell still. "Malfoy! Malfoy!" There was no response. "Malfoy! Scorpius!" he groaned and punched the rock, cursing again, he rubbed his sore knuckles. He knelt down next to his little brother. He was still breathing and he had a pulse. God Al just had to be exactly like dad and then there was Rose. Was she even alive? He rubbed his eyes. It was just the dust that was causing them to sting and water, he lied to himself. God he was even crying for Malfoy, Scorpius. What should he do? He didn't know how to revive his brother and he certainly wasn't going to leave him. He had to know whether his cousin was alive. It looked like that Scorpius had given his life to try and save Rose's. Friendship, they were family to each other. He pulled himself back to his feet, he could look for Caly but he knew that he would be useless to her. She wouldn't want that if she were in danger. She wouldn't want him there. His hands moved over the rocks until they found a loose one. He pulled it out and started to work.

"Erm." said Caly as she wrenched her arm from Everret and backed away. "I would if you just, told me what it was!" They looked at each other.
"Your wand."
"My wand?" said Caly, she furrowed her brow. There were pieces falling into place in her mind but it was all confused, like someone was covering the answer.

Caly weighed up the choices. She was outnumbered two to one against two adult wizards who could perform complex magic, basically she was doomed. Her only hope was that she bought time and that someone would notice the open door. People patrolled the corridors, if someone stumbled across the entrance they were saved. It was part of the reason they left it open, it drew attention to itself. Also Scor and Al shared a dorm with three other boys if any of them woke up in the night and found them missing they'd raise the alarm. There was a chance.

Everret flicked his wand and Caly found herself dangling in the air. Great she thought now they're going to torture me. It was only after that thought had flitted through her head in a sort of whiny tone that one might use to complain about homework did she understand the seriousness of what she had said. He was going to torture her or k..kill Mrs Malfoy. Caly struggled but it was no use, she was fighting magic. The blood was rushing to her head it was getting harder and harder to think.

Everret dropped Caly back onto the floor. She landed in a heap with a faint oof of pain. He bent down and tried to take the wand but Caly rolled over and put her hand underneath her. Everret scrabbled around on the floor trying to snatch the wand but he couldn't reach it. Caly flipped onto her back and kicked out at Everret. Both her feet connected with his stomach and sent him flying off her. He skidded away and then ran back for more. She rolled to the side just in time, Everret connected with the ground with a painful crunch. He let out a howl of pain. Caly got to her feet and began to kick him. She wanted to hurt this man beyond anything. Her friends were probably dead all because of him. She had never felt so much hatred.

"STOP!" Caly looked up to see Gerald pointing his wand at Mrs Malfoy. He was still smiling like a maniac, despite the fact his brother was being beaten up. He was completely calm, but then again it wasn't like there was anything Caly could do about it. She was trapped in this place. He motioned for her to step back. She did so obediently.

"Get up." he spoke with such disdain in his voice Caly was shocked. Everret got up and walked towards Gerald, straightening his clothes and brushing of the dirt.
"It is not my fault. How was I to know she was psycho. She seemed sane when I looked in her mind. If irritatingly clever."
"Actually I'm not." Caly had no idea what made her say this, she guessed she was just trying to buy her and Mrs Malfoy more time. "If I was I'd have worked out who the other man in the cauldron was in relation to Madon's." Everret and Gerald exchanged a glance and Caly knew exactly what they were thinking. They wanted this over with quickly but it couldn't hurt and they hadn't had this much fun in ages.
"The man in the cauldron is the man who 'reconciled' us; Healer Jackson Winters."
"So he's not their father, darn I thought I had this whole thing figured out."
"Oh quite to the contrary."
"He is their father! But…oh. They grew up with their mother in America, their parents aren't married. That's why he fled to the States, to seek refuge with their family and you picked on his children, who are in Hogwarts because their mother thinks it's better, I remember James saying, to scare him and prove him that you were not someone to be messed with."
"Congratulations again, Caly. Now give me the wand or I will kill Astoria, here." His wand was trained very steadily on her and Caly had absolutely no doubt in her mind that he would kill her without batting an eyelid, unless he was blinking. She shook her head ever so slightly. She needed to stop panicking and thinking those irrelevant thoughts. She looked at Mrs Malfoy. Her eyes were large with fear. She was crying, tears were spilling fast and entirely silently down her face. Her body was shaking with fear. Caly almost sighed, almost.

"Why? I don't get why you need my wand?"
"Because it's special!" spat Everret. "It's the three cores blended together. There is only one in existence. Just like we are the only true Siamese twins in a Millennia."
"True Siamese twin?"
"I told you." said Gerald, placing a restraining hand on his brothers shoulder. "We have a connection beyond anything you can understand." Caly thought about it, then remembered what he had said about him seeing into her mind when actually Everret had done the seeing.

"You can see into each others thoughts?"
"Well to put it crudely, yes, but it is much more complicated than that."
"So the potion will only work on you with my wand?"
"Yes."
"I don't remember reading about that."
"Because true Siamese twins are so rare people don't believe we exist."
"Okay." She looked at Mrs Malfoy once more. Her tears had increased. Caly stepped forward holding out her wand. Mrs Malfoy was practically rocking backward and forward. Caly didn't know what Gerald and Everret were going to do once they were joined together but she would bet her guitar that it wouldn't be good. Both of them could of them gained her wand by perfectly legal ways, they could have just asked to borrowed it. The way they went about it was so well vicious that the future just couldn't bode well. Caly was also pretty sure that the pining away and the constant voices inside their heads had driven them both slightly crazy.

"Wait." she said, holding back the wand from the men. Gerald was physically restraining Everret who was trying to rip the wand out of her hand. He looked deranged, he was like an animal that had scented blood. She stood corrected it had not driven them slightly crazy it had driven them completely insane. She could not believe that this man had taught her for a year. He'd seemed perfectly sane at the beginning, maybe it was being near the wand that was causing him to go crazy.
"What?"
"I want to know what's happened to my friends." Mrs Malfoy's head shot up.

"The Potter and the Weasley children are both stunned and, hopefully, crushed by the ceiling though I can't say." Caly felt like her insides were imploding. Her heart beat was slowing down, her head was pounding, this wasn't happening. No, this was all wrong, all her fault. She blinked away the tears.

"And Scor?" Mrs Malfoy was rigid in fear.

"I don't know, I think he was unconscious but I didn't stun him so, if all went to plan, he should be crushed by rocks." Mrs Malfoy collapsed. She let out a silent moan. Her fingers raked down her face so hard it drew blood. She sobbed onto the floor. Caly didn't even bother this time she cried a few tears then tried to get a grip, he had said hopefully. They could still be alive. Caly had to take that chance, had to believe in that wildest hope. She gave him the wand. Gerald smirked. Everret looked like he might have some sort of fit, his face was contorted with joy and happiness. Everret spun on the spot and screamed.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

James had shifted quite a lot of rocks but he was always met with more. Then he heard a scream. He whipped around. It had to be Caly! Merlin, it sounded like she was in real trouble. He deliberated for a moment. They were all unconscious or… and he wasn't doing them much good and despite knowing that Caly was the kind of person who would not want him to come save her he didn't have a choice. He laid his dressing gown over his brother and ran off.

The tunnel he had come in via led him to a wall of rocks, he knew that so instead he picked another one. James had always been told he had a one track mind when he was a kid; trouble. Now he knew his mind was on loop; save Caly, save Caly, save Caly. He couldn't think about anything else. He knew his dad had always told him to not do anything stupid that was also dangerous but right now he didn't have a choice. God he wished his dad was here, hell he'd even want his cousin Molly here. He'd never felt so scared.

James came charging out from between two pillars. He saw Professor Hardingly, then another one. James stumbled and tripped over his own feet. He landed on the cold ground confused. How could there be two Professor Hardinglys? It didn't make any sense. He looked up and saw that both of them were looking at him with looks of shock and confusion. Caly was pale, but completely unharmed, well physically at least. On the floor was the body of Mrs Malfoy, dead. Caly looked like she was seconds away from having some sort of break down.

"What the?" stuttered one of the Professors, he was smiling in a creepy, muggle clown way. "When did he get in here?"
"It doesn't matter, he's not a big threat. Let's just perform the ceremony. Then we can kill them both."

All this time James was sliding himself across the floor towards Caly. She seemed frozen, she looked petrified, like what had happened to Aunt Hermione, he'd seen a memory once. The bickering… twins?, he was guessing, were walking towards the cauldron. James had absolutely no idea what was going on but he recognised the wand. It was Caly's, it was also the wand on the door. He also did not like it one bit. He drew his wand from his pocket as the two men began chanting in a strange language. He pointed it in the general direction of the cauldron and said

"Stupefy." he whispered. They both reacted just in time to stop it hitting the cauldron. Both men drew their wands and conjured a shield. The curse bounced off and hit a pillar causing it to break and fall onto the floor with a resounding crash next to Everret who divided out of the way. The crash was the signal for two things to happen. Firstly Caly came out of her trance and all hell broke loose. James had hidden himself behind a large bit of rock and was firing spells at the two professor who were both dumbfounded at how their plans had been derailed by a few pre-teens. 1st and 2nd years, who had torn holes in their carefully laid plans.

James may be a 2nd year but James also prided himself on being one thing and that was a Potter and if there was one subject at Hogwarts the Potters were good at it was Defence Against the Dark Arts. He wasn't a match for the Professors, not in anyway, he hadn't landed a single hit, but he was certainly keeping them occupied. In all the confusion of spells flying everywhere. No one noticed Caly's wand rolling out of Everret's pocket. Then a particularly violent spell blew up the rock behind which he was hiding. James scrambled to his feet, backing away in plain view. Caly had spotted for her wand, and unnoticed by the others dived for it. Gerald and Everret advanced on James, who was fast running out of ideas. Gerald raised his wand and James realised he was going to die at the age of 12. He closed his eyes and thought of all the good times and tried not to worry about the pain. Then a shout came.

"James get down!" His eyes flew open and he saw Caly standing there with her wand pointing at Gerald. Her hand was shaking. Caly couldn't believe she was about to do this but she didn't have another option, he was going to kill James unless she stopped him. Was there another way? James dropped to the floor as he heard two cries.

"Expelliarmus!"
"Avada Kedavra."

Caly watched as the green beam shot towards the place James had just been. The red beam was completely on target. She could see James' confused face. Then the red collided with green and knocked it off course. When the two jets of lights met an explosion occurred that knocked the three people standing onto the floor and James spun back into the rock wall, Caly was now pretty sure he was unconscious. Caly was thrown into one of the pillars. She felt excruciating pain in the back of her head as she slid down the pillar. In fact she was pretty sure she'd been cut. The whole world was spinning and there was a killing curse ricocheting off the dungeon walls. She watched the two Professors, in her disorientated state she couldn't tell them apart, shout at each other. One ran towards the rocks, the other towards the cauldron. The last thing Caly saw was one man blasting a hole in the rock wall whilst the killing curse connected with the cauldron, it melted drenching one man, who screamed whilst the other abandoned his family and left.

Caly felt really groggy. She was pretty sure she'd had a rough night and not in the way the older kids would talk about 'having a rough night'.

"Caly. Caly. Caly." She could hear someone calling her name. She began to pry her eyes open feeling them to be ten times heavier than before. She looked and saw a boy kneeling before her.
"Al?"
"No. I'm James." Caly blinked several times and suddenly the room, or should she say dungeon came into focus. In front of her was James, with a very concerned look on his face.

"Caly how are you feeling?"
"I don't know. My head hurts."
"Yeah I would imagine, you hit it pretty hard. You've been out for hours."
"Hours?"
"Yeah it's 8:30. Pm."
"Pm! It's Sunday evening!" James nodded. Caly sat up straighter and examined him. James looked very pale and his eyes were slightly red but he didn't seem very upset. Caly closed her eyes and let everything come back to her. There were two things she was unsure about.

"Which of the twins died, Everret or Gerald?"
"Er I have no idea." Caly nodded, she hadn't expected him to. "How do you know their names?"
"Oh we were becoming quite well acquainted." she said bitterly.
"I see." Caly swallowed and prepared to ask the big question.

"What happened to Al, Rosie and Scor?"
"Al and Rose are both out cold, they were stunned and I don't know the spell to revive them."
"But he said they were being crushed with rocks."
"Yeah, well Scorpius saved them. He must levitated Al out and then he protected Rose.""He-did you just call him Scorpius?" James looked away so that she couldn't see his face.
"James, what happened to Scor?" James sighed and looked back at her his eyes were shimmering.
"I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do. He saved Rosie's life. He threw himself on top of her when the ceiling came down." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Caly he's dead."

Caly went numb. Physically numb she couldn't feel anything. She couldn't even think anymore. Though she could see and hear James trying to attract her attention she did not register nor respond to it. James sighed and got to his feet. They needed to get out. He had the bodies in the dungeon, just to the left. He could levitate three people but that meant he couldn't take Mrs Malfoy. He would have to leave her in the dungeon. He didn't particularly like the idea of leaving her with the man who had helped murder her but he didn't have a choice. Caly was incapacitated. She didn't look capable of standing. It was just like when he the Professors had told her what had happened. She had looked petrified and she looked the same now but maybe if he could just get her to stand they could get out of here.

Caly felt someone pull her to her feet. She wobbled and felt James steady her. The motions had broken some of her numbness and she walked, zombie like towards the body of one of the Professors. She looked down into his face, trying to work out which one he was. The man had a scowl on his face that she was sure that Gerald was not capable off performing.

"Everret." she muttered. She had said it to herself but James had heard.
"What?"
"That one is Everret."
"How can you be sure?"
"The expression on his face."
"Okay let's go."
"What about Mrs Malfoy?"
"I can't take her, I can't levitate four people at once and you can't lift one and I wouldn't let you if you could. We'll have someone come fetch her."
"Why didn't you get help?"
"Erm. Well you see I shut the door behind me and I couldn't get out. I noticed later the wand marked on the door was yours. Hang on, how did those two get in then?"
"They're true Siamese twins."
"So?"
"The door would have let them in, they're the living counter parts of the wand."
"I see."

James shot her a worried look. She was speaking in a monotone that was so unlike her. Then again he reasoned she had just lost her best friend. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel if he lost Colin. James knew he would still have the twins but half the time they were in a world of their own and he was sure he wouldn't be able to put up with them if he wasn't mad himself.

The walk up to McGonagall's office was the worst of the trying ordeal for James. He was levitating three people, reading a map, avoiding contact with all people and supporting Caly who was like a dead weight. He had never been more grateful for the Marauders Map, he didn't want to walk into anyone when he had two unconscious bodies of his cousin and brother and the… dead body of their best friend. James had to practically carry Caly, had to do everything for her. When they came to the door in the place he thought was dungeon six she had tried three times to open it and eventually James had to take her hand and say the incantation for her. He had been surprised it had worked but it seemed her holding the wand was enough.

James gave the gargoyle the password and tucked the map away in his shoe. Scorpius had his dressing gown draped over him now, James couldn't look at his face without feeling guilty and he hadn't thought it a good idea to let Caly see him, she'd probably have another breakdown. He paused outside McGonagall's office and looked at Caly. She was so pale in the light, her clothes were torn, and she was lucky not to be covered in blood. He floated Al and Rose in front and then knocked on the door. There was a tired call of 'enter'. James looked at Caly leaning against the wooden door and felt a serge a déjà vu, just like the beginning of the year. He pushed the door open.

"JAMES!"

Caly was brought out of her final stages of numbness by the shouts as they opened the door. Everyone seemed to have noticed Al and Rose were fine she could see them hovering in front and then she realised that the 'everyone' she was referring to was James' whole family. She was pushed away as they all surged to hug him. Caly felt lost both physically and emotionally as she was pushed from James. She stumbled from James. She knocked into the pillar and leant against it. No one had noticed Scor yet. That did it for her, the fact that she had been responsible for his death came crashing down on her. She sank to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. At the same time Lily screamed.

The entire Potter/Weasley family turned to see what Lily was screaming about. There behind James was a body covered in red and gold dressing gown embodied with the letters JSP. There was white blonde hair hanging down from the neck. No one needed to be told who it was. Professor McGonagall collapsed into her seat behind her desk and reached for her handkerchief. Professor Flitwick was crying into Professor Slughorn's arm who was shaking his head. Professor Sprout too was in tears. Both Hagrid and Neville couldn't believe it. They stared at him. All the Potters gazed at his limp form. James detached his mothers arms that were around him and walked over to where Caly was rocking back and forth. She weeping and she was out of control. James didn't know how to comfort people so he simply put his arms around her hunched form and let her cry.

"Winky." Professor McGonagall's summons were barely audible. There was a crack and a house elf appeared.
"Yes ma'am."
"Kindly take these three to the hospital wing. The third body is…dead. Please be respectful." Winky bowed.
"Wait." called James, everyone looked at him. "There are two more bodies." Everyone looked at him "His mother, and one of the people who is responsible for this."
"Take his mother's body to the hospital wing. Leave the other, I think it would be unwise for them to wake up with one of the people who did this in the same room. Where is she?"
"If you go to dungeon six, you should find a hole in the wall go through and you should find another dungeon, she's in there I didn't want to leave her but I couldn't take her." He shrugged. Professor McGonagall nodded. Winky bowed and took the bodies and left with a crack. There was a silence in which Caly continued to sob into her knees and the family watched her whilst the cousins that knew him, especially Roxy tried to control themselves.

"Well I'd love to say I'd miss him." said Ron after a pause "But I can't think of many who will."

Something in Caly snapped when she heard that. All the people in Ron's family were turning on him with varying degrees of shock, horror or disgust but she didn't notice. She flew at him and pinned him against the wall. Caly was much stronger than she looked especially as she was enraged. James stepped forward and tired to calm her out she shrugged him off. Her ears were filled with this sort of buzzing.
"Listen to me!" she hissed. "I don't if you're a war hero! I don't care how many battles you fought in! I don't care how much you suffered, how much you lost! Nothing gives you the right to say that! There are people that care, that miss him. I do, we do. He's one of the most selfless people I knew. He had to go through his whole life with people like you judging him without meeting him and he never complains, he never lashes out. He's never turned sour. I'd like to see you try it. Do you want to know how he died? He saved Rose's life! James saw it!" Ron was frozen with shock. His eyes travelled to James who nodded. Harry stepped forward and separated them. He sat her down and gave her a hug. Caly gripped him back very tightly. It was the closest thing she'd had to an embrace from a parent.

They were broken apart by a crack as Winky returned.

"Sorry for disturbing you sirs and misses but I have an update."
"Let's hear it." said McGonagall who looked much older, angry and upset.
"Master Albus and Miss Rose were revived and have been given a dreamless sleep draft each. They will wake up tomorrow morning." Caly watched as all the many cousins and siblings breathed sighs of relief and all the adults muttered things like thank god, too much like their parents.

"However Master Scorpius will be out for a long time for he is re-growing every bone in his body." There was a pause.
"What?" asked Caly, she twisted around in her seat to stare at the house elf. She cowered slightly.
"Master Scorpius will take a long time to recover, miss."
"But he was dead."
"I cannot explain miss but he was dead miss, but then he began to breath, very labouredly."
"But will he live?"
"Yes miss." Caly grinned from ear and leapt up to hug James, who looked just as relived. It seemed all hard feelings James had felt towards Scor had evaporated.

"What is the point?" asked Ron who looked slightly resentful "He's got no family. No one that loves him."
"Shut up!" snapped Caly. "Weren't you listening? He's my brother, he's our brother. He was prepared to give his lives for them! You're obviously stuck in the past so why don't you just leave?" Ron gaped at her. The Headmistress got to her feet.

"I have always welcomed you in Hogwarts Ron but if you continue to insult and distress my students I must ask you to leave." Ron shrank back, his anger quelled by his old professors stern glare. "Now, sit James, Caly. I think it is time we heard the story." Caly sunk into a chair and opened her mouth to explain.

She spoke for half an hour, explaining everything that had happened since the start of the year to her and her friends. She explained about hw she'd walked in on the professors and her reasons for being quiet. Caly told them about the letters, the threats and the decision it was Mrs Malfoy. She told them about what had happened last week, Professor Longbottom looked surprised that he hadn't noticed Scor or Caly down there. All the parents looked shocked that their children had lied about something as important as that. They had really believed they hadn't felt special, instead they had just being trying to wheedle out of detention, save their friend from detention and get his mother saved. Eventually they reached tonight. Caly told her story quickly as she could whilst still being coherent. She explained how everything fitted together and how she'd figured it all out. She started crying again when she got to the part when Mrs Malfoy died. James reached over and rubbed her arm. She started talking about how James had turned up and they'd been interrupted by Ginny who had asked how James had got there. James said he'd explain when Caly was done. Caly finished in a rush and James took up the narrative.

He told them how he had been in bed and had been looking at his map of Hogwarts when he noticed Al vanish in the anti chamber of dungeon six.

"Map?" asked McGonagall.
"Our, mine and Teddy's, grandparents created it." He sighed and took it out of his shoe. "I saw them and I noticed Caly, Rose and Scorpius were gone too. I got worried so I followed them. I got there when-"
"Wait did you have this on the first day?" asked McGonagall very seriously.
"Yes but don't worry I tipped off dad." Professor McGonagall looked up and sighed
"Very well but you should have told me."
"I know. I'm sorry. Anyway I got there when the ceiling fell in. I heard Scorpius and yell so I ran off to help him. I got there and he had levitated Al's body to safety. The ceiling was coming down really fast, he had a chance to run. He told me to stay where I was and then he threw himself over Rose, to protect her. Then the ceiling came down. I started taking the apart the rocks but then I heard Caly scream so then I ran to her and you heard the rest."

"And why did it take so long for you to get here?"
"Well like she said it was a special and I couldn't get out. Caly was unconscious, as were Rose and Al and I thought Scor was dead. But before that I had been knocked unconscious, I was out till about half 12. I came round and I realised I couldn't leave till Caly came round"
"So what did you do?"
"I checked Caly wasn't hurt and then levitated Al back to the main dungeon. I then went back to shifting rock. It took me till 11 in the morning to get to Scor and Rose. I found Rose unconscious and well Scorpius. I think I passed out with tiredness because the next thing I knew it was half 7. I moved Scor and Rose back to the main dungeon. I waited at 8 Caly began to show signs of waking then at 8:30 she woke up." They nodded.

"Right I think we should get you all to bed. You could all use dreamless sleep drafts and don't worry about Scorpius." said Harry, he looked at Teddy very meaningfully "He's not quite as family less as you may think."