Al Laser Eyes
We tumbled into the inn's lower floor with a rush of smoke. The normally-bustling lobby was deserted, the empty tables sheathed in shadow.
Scorpius glanced behind us, keeping his wand pointed towards the front door, and said, "Hurry. I'll stand guard."
I nodded, eying the dark interior. Three circular tables were overturned, half-emptied plates strewn on the wooden floor. I wondered dimly how the customers had heard of the Gringotts crisis. Had they been eating peacefully when a single messenger had warned them of the goblins' rebellion? Or had they merely heard the uproar in the streets? Either way, their fortunes had changed in an instant.
Stepping gingerly around a fallen glass, I made my way to the back stairs. The inn was utterly silent; I only hoped Daisy was still in her room. If she wasn't...I looked over my shoulder at Scorpius's silent form. He stood rigidly, a slash of white against a shadowed backdrop. I bit my lip, a ribbon of guilt unfurling in the pit of my stomach. What if I'd delayed our trip unnecessarily? What if Daisy was gone?
I advanced through the deserted hallway, my feet sinking into the ratty carpet. Some of the unadorned wooden doors were left gaping inward, revealing unmade beds and ransacked rooms. I increased my pace, counting seven doors before pausing on the eighth - Daisy's.
The door was tightly shut. I paused for two seconds before knocking firmly.
"Daisy? It's Adela - Adela Lancaster," I whispered, pressing my ear against the cold wood.
Silence.
I felt a trickle of sweat slide lazily down my spine. The hotel lobby might be empty for now, but the next round of looters could come at any moment. Scorpius might be a good dueler, but even he couldn't hold off dozens of greedy wizards. Besides, Rose was still at Hogwarts, and every second of delay was costly.
I swallowed, then tried again.
"Daisy? Please, I want to get you to safety; it's not safe here."
Nineteen agonisingly long seconds passed. Finally, finally, I heard a faint shuffling from within the room.
"Adela?" came a high-pitched call.
My shoulders slumped, my lips pulling into a relieved smile. "Yes! It's Adela. Come on, we need to get out of here."
The door clicked open with a loud creak, revealing a small figure with luminous eyes. Daisy nodded, her large ears flapping.
"Let us go, then," she said.
We ran back downstairs. The lobby was still quiet, but Scorpius was no longer at his post by the doorway. I faltered, threads of panic winding mercilessly around my heart.
"Scorp?" I hissed, keeping a tight grip on my wand. Had he been taken? Merlin, if I'd gotten him kidnapped…
"Missus, I am hearing words from over there," Daisy said, pointing a long, gnarled finger toward the smaller side room. Voices? Either Scorpius was talking to himself (which was more of a Seth thing to do - my brother was notorious for holding long-winded and very much one-sided dissections of Quidditch matches) or he had company.
Motioning for Daisy to hang back, I inched towards the room. I paused just outside of the double doorway, my arms hugging the wall.
"-dela."
"Adela? But why Hogwarts?" asked a soft voice.
I frowned; I recognized that voice. Stepping around the corner, I faltered for a second when I saw the woman Scorpius was speaking to.
"Kate?" I asked incredulously. Merlin, what a coincidence; I'd only just seen Xavier.
Kate grinned, rushing forward to envelop me in a warm hug.
"Adela! Merlin, it's so good to see you," she said. I nodded, dozens of questions whirling through Numberita. I hadn't spoken to Kate in months, but, judging by her red shirt emblazoned with the inn's logo, she was one of the inn's employees.
Seeing my gaze, she smiled. "I've been working at the inn since last year; they've treated me well."
Scorpius coughed and looked at me pointedly, his grey eyes narrowing.
"As nice as this touching reunion is, we do have to get going," he said.
Right. I didn't have time for idle chat. I turned to Kate.
"Er, sorry, Kate, but Scorpius and I-"
"-have to get to Hogwarts. Scorpius was beginning to tell me," she finished.
I looked at Scorpius, but he had shifted his attention to the small window looking out on the main street. He pulled aside the heavy velvet curtains, peering through the crack carefully.
A loud crash sounded from outside. I jumped, my heart racing.
We waited in heavy silence for six seconds. "Scorp?" I asked hoarsely.
He yanked the curtains closed. "Seven wizards approaching. They're six buildings down, but they're moving quickly. We have to leave now," he said grimly.
I turned to Kate. "Is there a back ex-" my words trailed off as I looked at the broomsticks Scorpius and I had brought. Even if there was a back door, it would only permit the escape of two.
Kate said, "I'm coming with you. Rose is my friend, too."
"I is wanting to go, too!" Daisy said determinedly.
I frowned; I had gone to the inn to get Daisy out of trouble, not plunge her into even greater danger.
"We can't all fit. The house-elf is small, but even that added weight will hinder our speed," Scorpius pointed out.
Another crash.
"We're not leaving them," I said firmly. Scorpius scowled but didn't protest; as eager as he was to see Rose, even he could not abandon them.
I could hear the wizards, now. They were shouting gleefully, their harsh words interspersed with the sound of breaking glass.
A splitting crack split the night air. We all jumped, our hands reaching for our wands -
"That sounded like Apparition," I whispered, my eyes fixed on the shadowed door from which the noise had emitted.
Approaching it carefully, I kept my wand firmly pointed at the front door. Then, with a swift jerk of my wand, I sent the door swinging open. It thumped soundly against the person standing directly behind it, and I heard a muffled curse.
I paused; I would recognize that voice anywhere. Dropping my wand arm, I rushed forward with a broad grin and tackled the Auror ruefully rubbing his jaw.
Wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, I smiled when I heard a surprised exhale escape his lips. Al staggered forward, his hands coming up to press against my lower back, as we entered the dark lobby. I burrowed my head into the angle between his shoulder and his neck, allowing myself two seconds of quiet happiness. He smelled like smoke and singed cloth, but underneath I could detect a familiar note of pine.
I pressed my lips against his neck in a soft kiss, and his arms tightened around me. His hand traced an idle pattern on my side. I smiled again, my lips widening against the warmth of his skin, before pulling away reluctantly.
He set me down carefully but didn't step away, smiling wearily down at me.
"How did you know I'd be here?" I asked.
His eyes flicked towards Daisy before returning to me. I flushed; his eyes were as brilliantly green as ever, and he looked like he was trying to devour me with a single look. That, or activate latent eye laser superpowers. If anyone in the Wizarding World could achieve powers akin to Cyclops's (whom Black had - inadvertently - introduced to me when I'd caught him reading the Z-Men comic), it was Al.
"Just a hunch," he said. His lips twisted into a wry smile, and he bent down, lowering his voice to a whisper that only I could hear. "You'd never abandon the house-elf; you're too bloody meddlesome."
I scowled, but the gesture lacked heat.
Scorpius cleared his throat, and I saw that he'd already grabbed his broom.
Brushing a lingering hand against my arm, Al moved towards Scorpius. They exchanged hushed words, and I heard Scorpius say "Rose" angrily.
"Why are you always everywhere?" came a dry voice from the shadows directly next to the door, pulling my attention from their hushed argument.
I blinked in surprise as Vane stepped forward.
"Er, luck, I suppose," I finally managed. She sniffed, her pale eyes moving to Kate and Daisy.
"I'm Kate," the former Hufflepuff said, holding out her hand. Vane gave her one of her (in)famous cold glares (ha. I did not miss being on the receiving end of that) and pointedly ignored the hand. Kate coughed, lowering her hand slowly, but her smile did not slip.
"Right, I have no idea how you lot thought you'd transport two witches, a wizard, and a house-elf on two racing brooms all the way to Hogwarts, but that plan ends now," Al said briskly, turning to face us.
A loud laugh spilled from the area directly outside of the inn, halting Al's rebuke. He looked at Vane, and she silently moved to the window, gripping her wand tightly.
Al pulled two small bags from his pocket and glanced down at them before returning the navy pouch. He tapped the red pouch with his wand to expand it. The velvety pouch rested heavily in the palm of his right hand, and he tipped its contents carefully onto a wooden table. The objects clinked audibly against the scratched wood, and the laugh from outside cut off.
Al glanced toward the door again before whispering fiercely, "These Portkeys will take us to a field just outside of Hogwarts. They're touch-activated."
I stepped closer, eying the collection of ceramic farm animals scattered across the table.
Something collided with the door, and I heard a loud grunt.
Kate jumped, her eyes widening. She looked frightened and awfully small in her standard inn uniform. This wasn't her fight; she didn't need to risk her life for this.
"Are you su-" I began to ask, but she cut me off with a shake of her head, her hair slapping against her dark cheeks.
"Yes," she said firmly. Then, with a meaningful look, she grabbed the nearest Portkey - a small pink pig figurine - and vanished.
A streak of red light barreled through the window, scattering glass everywhere. Vane ducked, swinging her arm upwards to send an answering volley of amber sparks.
Al surged forward, grabbing my hand and, with a wild look in his bright eyes, curled my fingers around a neon green figurine of a garden snake. The last thing I saw before swirling into the vortex was a brilliant flash of light as the door banged open, revealing a familiar figure with pale blue eyes and straw-like hair.
Then the howling wind snatched me away, leaving my arm reaching towards nothing at all.
The Portkey dropped me unceremoniously on a grassy knoll damp with fog. I flung my arms out automatically, pushing my hands through the wet ground as I skidded, face-down, to a halt. The moisture seeped slowly through my front of my trousers, and I stared unseeingly down at the crumbling dirt caked underneath my fingernails.
Numberita mulled over the figure I'd seen just before my exit. I knew the witch; I frowned down at my hands, feeling something heavy settle in my chest as Numberita named the intruder as Lillian Edgecombe, a Ravenclaw in the year under me who had once shared her last rasher of bacon back in third year. I hadn't known her very well, but she'd always been kind. What was she doing robbing the inn?
I absently clenched my hands, feeling the dirt fall listlessly through my fingertips, before forcibly pushing thoughts of Lillian Edgecombe from Numberita. After making sure my wand was still securely in my pocket, I stood carefully, wincing slightly as my knees creaked (Merlin, I was beginning to sound like Great Aunt Bertha). Kate came beside me and pointed 33˚ east.
"There," she said. I followed her arm, my stomach clenching when I saw Hogwart's familiar outline. Rose was somewhere within the stone walls.
I heard another hollow hum as Al and Vane arrived. I turned, releasing a low breath when I saw that, while they both sported shallow cuts, they weren't severely harmed.
Al quickly scanned me for injuries, his shoulders settling when he saw me equally unharmed. He strode towards me, his gaze slipping to the castle shrouded in the early evening fog.
"You ready?" he murmured.
I nodded, glancing back towards Daisy and Kate, who were huddling against the damp wind. He followed my gaze, and his eyes hardened.
"We'll protect them," he said fiercely, his hand clenching around his dark wand. He met my eyes, and I felt a shiver dart down my spine at the sheer intensity of his gaze.
"We'll protect them all," he continued. I ignored the note of desperation running through his words, instead willing myself to believe his words. We would defeat Ragnuk and Greyback. We would.
Hogwarts appeared untouched - disconcertingly so. We stood in a roughly collected group, our clothes in varying states of disarray, and stared blankly at the familiar stone walls and paintings.
"Odd," Kate murmured, voicing our unease.
A group of Gryffindor seventh years rounded the corner and faltered, staring with wide eyes at our haggard faces. One of the girls, a tall brunette who vaguely resembled my neighbor Clara Delave, stepped forward, eying Al and Vane's all-black uniforms.
"Aurors, then?" she asked, her gaze lingering appreciatively on Al.
Scorpius made an impatient sound, fidgeting as he eyed the hallway leading to the library and Rose. Al nodded distractedly, watching Scorpius carefully as he edged towards the hallway.
"Yes," Al said finally, transferring his attention to the Gryffindor. She blinked, her eyes widening as she met the full force of Al's piercing stare (I'm telling you, he could be the next member of the Y-Men or whatever they're called...or he could at least get a cool superhero name like Al Laser Eyes. Or Ol' Laser Eyes. Green Eyed Menace. Stabby Greeny. Well, the names were a work in progress).
His eyes dropped to the Head Girl badge glittering on her robes, and he said, "Direct all students to the Great Hall. There is no reason to panic; it is merely a precaution."
She blinked. "Precaution against what?"
Her question was left unanswered; Al was already moving, chasing Scorpius as he barreled down the hallway.
"I'll let the Headmaster know we're here," Vane said. She slipped a black pouch from her waist and tossed it to me. I caught it automatically (thank you, Beater Senses), feeling two small objects through the velvety cloth.
"There are two Portkeys to St. Mungo's," Vane said. I nodded, ignoring the uneasy feeling in my stomach. The blonde cast a deprecating glance at the gawking Gryffindors and strode past them, purposefully shoving past their shoulders as she walked.
Kate grinned. "Friendly, that one," she remarked cheerfully. "I'll go with her," she added. I nodded, watching as Kate hurried to follow the Auror.
"I is going to the kitchens to let the other house-elves know!" Daisy offered. I gave her a grateful smile before turning swiftly, sprinting past the chattering Gryffindors to catch up with Al and Scorpius.
As I raced through the familiar hallways, I couldn't help but remember the last time the goblins and werewolves had attacked Hogwarts. Although it had seemed like an overwhelming challenge at the time, Ragnuk only had Greyback and a few werewolves on his side. Now he had an army of goblins and, from the sounds of it, the rioting wizards on the streets were inadvertently aiding him. Stopping Ragnuk had been difficult enough the first time around; how could we defeat an even stronger version while the whole Wizarding economy was in shambles?
Luckily, my dismal train of thought was halted when, after bursting through the library doors, I found Scorpius fiercely snogging a bewildered-looking Rose while Al fidgeted uncomfortably a meter and a half from the couple. I felt a rush of relief; I hadn't seen any goblins or sign of attack on the way to the library, so I'd known it was unlikely that she was in any danger, but still - it was nice to know for sure.
I half-ran, half-stumbled through the deserted study tables (Merlin, how many hours had I spent in this library? I remembered curling up in the eastern window seat every Saturday from first to third year), stopping when I'd reached Al.
He was looking determinedly at everything but the snogging couple, and I was reminded again that Rose was his cousin. I looked at Rose again to make sure she was okay before joining Al in his "Let's pretend two of our best mates aren't snogging a meter and a half away from us" game.
After seventeen long, incredibly uncomfortable seconds, Al groaned, looking queasy. I cast a sidelong look at him, flushing slightly (ah, the Adela Tomato returned. I couldn't say that I'd missed it) when he arched a dark brow at me, a small, private smile tugging at his lips. The Adela Tomato spread down to my neck, and his smile broadened into a wicked grin.
I coughed, stepping eighteen centimeters away from the Auror.
Rose broke away at the sound, her brows furrowing in confusion when she saw me.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, but the question was more curious than harsh.
I rolled my eyes, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Well, it was supposed to be a rescue mission," I said.
She frowned. "Rescue mission? From what?"
"Ragnuk," Al said. "They attacked the ball after you left."
Rose's eyes widened. "They're moving now," she whispered. Then, turning abruptly to her table, she hurriedly sifted through the piles of parchment before lifting one triumphantly.
I took the parchment, unrolling it quickly as Al moved to look over my shoulder. I scanned Rose's neatly written notes, the sinking weight in my stomach growing with each word.
Rose caught my shell-shocked expression and nodded grimly. "I cross-referenced past Ministry transcripts and released MLE case files; thestrals were classified as XXXX in 1698 as part of the Wildedorf Magical Creature Pact of 1697."
Scorpius took the parchment from my limp hands, frowning as he read the contents.
"Thestrals? But what does that have to do with anything?" he asked finally.
Numberita was whirring furiously, snatching up various memories and piecing them together as I tried to create a logical explanation. Thestrals were omens of misfortune, but I highly doubted Ragnuk needed symbols of bad luck to secure his victory. Thestrals were attracted to blood, but that was a similarly useless quality.
But their tail hair was a completely different matter. Thestral tail hairs, while highly volatile, could be used to create powerful wands. The Elder Wand contained a Thestral tail hair, but wandmakers rarely used the material because it was so mercurial.
Wands. The phoenix, first at the pet shop and then at the Department of Mysteries (phoenix tail feathers; particularly picky when it came to choosing the wand owner). Even Victoire's hair - hadn't Dominique mentioned that someone had yanked a wad from her head? I'd written it off as the work of an overzealous fan, but perhaps it had been the scheme of a goblin-supporter desperate enough to try even diluted Veela hair. And now the Thestrals…
How had I not seen it sooner?
They must have failed to obtain sufficient wands or they wished to have an independent source of wands...either way, they must have even more fighters than I'd imagined if they required so many wands.
"Adela?" Al asked worriedly. I turned stiffly, my mouth suddenly very dry.
"We need to warn the Ministry," I rasped. "They want to create wands. Once they have an unlimited supply…" I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence.
Al stared at me for three seconds, a horrified expression on his face, before abruptly wheeling away, muttering low commands into the communication device pinned to his neckline. Scorpius uttered a steady stream of curses, his grey eyes flashing dangerously as he paced up and down the length of the table.
Rose walked slowly, stiffly, to the broad window directly behind the table. The exterior was pitch black, making it difficult to make out anything beyond the area directly under the window, but I knew from my years at Hogwarts that it faced the Forbidden Forest.
I joined her at the window, my hand slipping into hers. She looked at me blearily, her face pale but determined.
"That's why they're not in the castle," she said slowly, staring into the darkness and the forest hidden within. Her left hand tensed in mine as she brought her other hand to press against the cold glass.
She turned, her brown eyes bleak with realisation.
"They're in the forest."
Author Note: Ah, the forest. So many possibilities...c;
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