A Place to Hide
Everything seemed fuzzy and slow for a moment.
Arthur, Mike and Chrys jumped to their feet instantly and drew their wands.
Many were now only realising that something strange happened; heads still turned to the silver cat as it vanished.
Silence then spread outwards in cold ripples from where the Patronus landed before someone screamed.
The three all threw themselves into the now panicking crowd. Guests sprinted in all directions; many Disapparated as the protective enchantments around Merlon Manor had been broken.
"Where's David?" Chrys cried. "David!"
As they pushed their way through the dance floor, Arthur, with a sinking stomach, saw cloaked and masked figures appearing in the crowd. He then saw Lupin and Tonks with their wands raised, hearing them both shout "Protego!"; a cry that was echoed on all sides.
"David!" Chrys called, partly sobbing as she, Arthur and Mike were buffeted by terrified guests. Arthur seized her's and Mike's hands to make sure they weren't separated as a streak of light shot over their heads, whether it was a protective charm or something sinister, he didn't know.
Then David appeared. He grabbed Chrys by the arm and Arthur felt her turn on the spot; sight and sound were extinguished as darkness pressed in upon him. All he felt was Chrys and Mike's hands as he was squeezed through space and time, away from Merlon Manor and the descending Death Eaters, maybe even Voldemort himself.
"Where the hell are we?" David's voice said.
Arthur opened his eyes and found himself no longer at the wedding. Instead, he and the others were surrounded by completely different people.
"We're in Tottenham Court Road." Chrys panted. "Just walk, we need to find somewhere to get changed."
Everyone did as she said. They were halfway between walking and running up the wide, dark street that was thronged with late night revellers and lined with closed shops, stars twinkling above them in the sky.
A double decker bus rumbled past them and a group of merry pub goers ogled them as they passed; the four were still wearing dress robes, after all.
"There's nothing for us to change into, Chrys." Mike pointed out as a young woman burst into raucous giggles at the sight of the four.
"Why didn't I have my Invisibility Cloak on me?" Arthur groaned. "I always kept it with me all of last year."
"Don't worry. I got the Cloak. In fact, I got clothes for all of us." Chrys replied. "Just act natural until - here, this'll do!"
She led them down a side street and then the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.
"What do you mean you have the Cloak and clothes?" Arthur frowned at her, seeing that she only had with her was a small beaded handbag, which she was now rummaging.
"In here." She said. And much to the boys' astonishment, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a grey long sleeve shirt, some maroon socks and finally, the silvery Invisibility Cloak.
"How in the -?"
"An Undetectable Extension Charm." Chrys told David. "It's tricky, but I was able to cast it properly. I fit everything we need in here."
She shook the fragile looking bag and it echoed like a cargo hold with a number of heavy objects rolling around inside it.
"Oh, damn, the books." She muttered as she peered inside it. "And they were all stacked by subject. Whatever. Arthur, take the Cloak. David, Mike, get changed."
"When did you do all of this?" Arthur asked as Mike and David stripped out of their robes.
"I told you at Merlon Manor, remember? I had the essentials packed for days in case we needed a quick getaway. I packed your rucksack inside it this morning after you changed. I just had a feeling something would happen."
"You truly are amazing." David said as he and Mike handed their robes to her.
"Thank you." She said with a small smile as she pushed the robes into the bag. "Arthur, put the Cloak on, please!"
Arthur threw the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and pulled it over his head to completely vanish from sight.
"But what about all the others at the wedding?" Mike asked.
"We can't worry about that now." Chrys said. "They're after Arthur and we'd put them in more danger if we go back."
"Fair point." David said. "Besides, most of the Order was there, they'll look after everyone."
Arthur knew they were right, especially since he was disguised.
"Come on, let's get moving." Chrys soon said.
They all moved back up the side street and onto the main road again, where a group of men on the opposite side sang and weaved across the pavement.
"Why Tottenham Court Road?" Davud asked.
"It just popped into my head." Chrys replied. "I'm sure we're safer in the Muggle world. They may not expect us here."
"I guess so." David said as he looked around, feeling exposed.
Chrys was cringing as the men on the other side of the road wolf whistled at her.
"We can't really book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron. And Grimmauld Place is out if Snape can get there. We could try my parents' home, though they just might check there. Why can't they shut up?"
"Alright, darling?" The most drunk of the men yelled. "Fancy a drink? Ditch ginger and black and come and have a pint!"
"We should sit down somewhere." Chrys said hastily as David looked like he wanted to kill. "Here, this will do!"
It was a small and shabby looking all night cafe. A light layer of grease on all the formica topped tables, but it was empty.
Arthur slipped into a booth first before Mike joined him with David and Chrys sitting opposite, who had their backs to the entrance, which they didn't like as Chrys, in particular, glanced over.
Arthur hated being stationary. Beneath the Cloak, he felt the Polyjuice Potion ebbing away as his hands were returning to their usual length and shape and felt his feet shrink back to normal.
After a minute of silence, David said "We're not far from the Leaky Cauldron, we could -"
"No, we can't!" Chrys said.
"Not to stay there, just to find out what's going on!"
"It's obvious what's going on! Voldemort has fully taken over the Ministry!"
"Alright, alright, it's just an idea!"
They were now back to silence.
A gum chewing waitress shuffled over and Chrys ordered three cappuccinos, as Arthur was invisible. It would've looked odd to order him one.
Then a pair of burly workmen entered and squeezed into the next booth. Arthur kept his eyes on them, recognising them right away, much to his horror: Dolohov and the large blonde Death Eater that was there the night Dumbledore died. He pulled his wand out, ready to attack.
"I say we find a quiet place to Disapparate and head for the countryside. Once we're there, we could send a message to the Order." Chrys whispered.
"Are you able to make your Patronus talk?" Mike asked.
"I've practised, so I hope so." Chrys replied.
"As long as it doesn't get us into trouble" David said before taking a sip of the foamy, greyish coffee and gagged instantly. "Urgh! That's awful." The waitress heard, shooting him a nasty look before she shuffled off to take orders from the two Death Eaters. The blonde waved her away, making her stare at him affronted.
"Let's get going, then. I wouldn't want to drink that dirt." Mike said.
"Chrys, do you have Muggle money for this?" David asked.
"I do. I took all my building society savings before arriving at Merlon Manor." Chrys replied as she reached for her beaded bag.
The two Death Eaters made identical movements and Arthur shot the Stunning Spell non-verbally at the blonde right away as Mike and David realised what was going on. Mike ducked away while David pulled Chrys to the floor.
As the jet of red light hit the blonde Death Eater right in the face, making him slump sideways unconsciously, the tiled wall shattered where David's head was.
Dolohov was unable to see who cast the Stunning Spell, fired a spell at David, making shining black ropes fly out of his wand tip and bound David from head to foot. The waitress screamed and ran for it, but Arthur, hating himself for it, non-verbally cast the Stunning Spell at her, knocking her out in front of the door. She can't tell people what she saw.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Mike shouted as he aimed his wand at Dolohov, who fell forwards like a statue and landed with a crunching thud on the floor.
Arthur took his Invisibility Cloak off as Chrys crawled on the floor, brushing tile from her hair,
"Diffindo." She said, pointing her wand at the ropes that bound David, which fell away and he got to his feet as everyone else did.
Arthur walked right up to the blonde Death Eater, who was sprawled across the bench.
"He was there the night Dumbledore was killed." He said as Mike turned over Dolohov with his foot. His eyes moved rapidly between the four of them.
"Dolohov." Mike growled. "The other is Thorfinn Rowle."
"Never mind what their names are." Chrys said, panting heavily, looking concerned. "How the hell did they find us so quickly?"
"I don't know yet. Lock the door." Arthur said before he turned to David. "Turn the lights out."
He looked and Mike looked down at the paralysed Dolohov, thinking quickly as the lock clicked and David used the Deluminator to plunge the cafe into darkness. Arthur was able to hear the drunk men outside yelling at another girl in the distance.
"What do we do with them?" David asked.
"Wipe their memories. Not only would it be obvious we were here if we killed them, but also it would throw them off the scent. Not to mention it'll help keep your family safe." Arthur replied.
"Got it." David said. "But I never cast a Memory Charm before."
"Same here." Mike said.
"I haven't, but I do know the theory well enough." Chrys said.
She took a deep breath before pointing her wand at Dolohov's forehead and said "Obliviate."
Instantly, his eyes were unfocused and dreamy.
"Great." Mike said. "Take care of Rowle and the waitress while we clean up."
Knowing that the two would question what happened if the cafe remained in the state it was in now, the three restored the cafe back to how it was while Chrys dealt with Rowle and the waitress. They then heaved the waitress from the door and then the two Death Eaters back into their booth and propped them up facing each other.
"Just how the hell did they find us?" Chrys asked.
"I think it's because they put the Taboo on their master's name." Mike said after a moment's silence with a look of thought, surprising the other three, but they realised it made sense.
"Yeah, they did appear right after you said his name, Chrys." David said, which made her look guilty.
"Looks like we'll have to call him Tom Riddle now." Arthur said, which he didn't mind.
"So now that we've settled this, where do we go? We need somewhere to have time to think things through." Chrys said.
"Grimmauld Place." Arthur said instantly, making the other three gape at him.
"Are you kidding me? Snape can get us there!" Chrys said.
"Yeah, but Ben said that they put up various jinxes against him. And even if they don't work, where else can we go? It's the best chance we have. Plus, Snape is just one Death Eater." Arthur argued.
They couldn't really argue, even if they didn't like it.
When Chrys unlocked the cafe door, David clicked the Deluminator to relight the cafe.
Then, on Arthur's count of three, they reversed the spells upon the three victims and before the waitress and the Death Eaters did more than stir sleepily, the four turned on the spot and vanished into the compressing darkness again.
Seconds later, Arthur's lungs expanded as he opened his eyes: they now stood in the middle of a familiar small and shabby square. Tall, dilapidated houses looked down at them from every side.
Number twelve was visible to them, as they were told of its existence by Dumbledore, its Secret Keeper.
They rushed to it, checking every few yards to make sure they weren't being followed or observed. They raced up the stone steps and Arthur tapped the door once with his wand.
There was a series of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain before the door swung open with a creak and they crossed the threshold.
When Arthur closed the door behind them, the old fashioned gas lamps sprung to life, casting a flickering light along the length of the hallway.
It was as Arthur remembered it: eerie and cobwebbed with the outlines of house elf heads on the wall, throwing odd shadows up the staircase. There were also the long, dark curtains that concealed the portrait of Sirius' mother.
All that lay on its side was the troll's leg umbrella stand, which lay on its side like Tonks had knocked it over again.
"Someone's been here." Mike whispered quietly, pointing at it.
"Perhaps it was the Order when they left." David murmured back.
"Then where are the jinxes for Snape?" Arthur asked.
"They probably only activate when he shows up." Chrys said.
Despite that, they remained close together on the doormat with their backs pressed against the door, too paranoid to move further into the house.
"Screw it." Arthur muttered as he took a step forward.
"Severus Snape?"
Moody's voice whispered from the darkness, making all four jump in fright.
"We're not Snape!" Arthur replied before something had whooshed over him like cold air and his tongue ended up curling backwards on itself, making it impossible for him to speak.
But then his tongue unravelled again.
The other three experienced the same thing as David retched.
"Moody must've set up the Tongue Tying Curse for Snape!" Chrys said as she coughed.
"Be careful." Mike said as Arthur decided to take another step, gingerly this time.
This caused something to shift in the shadows at the end of the hall. Before any of them could say something, a figure rose up out of the carpet: tall, dust coloured and terrible. Chrys screamed along with Mrs Black, whose curtains flew open; the grey figure glided right to them, faster and faster, its waist length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless with empty eye sockets.
Arthur realised what it was as it raised a wasted arm, pointing at Arthur.
"We didn't kill you -"
When he said 'kill' the figure exploded in a cloud of dust: coughing as his eyes were watering, Arthur looked round to see Chrys crouched on the floor with her arms curled around herself, David shook from head to toe and Mike was like he was frozen into a statue with wide eyes.
"It's g-gone." David said as he patted Chrys' shoulder clumsily.
Dust swirled around Arthur like mist, catching the blue gaslight as Mrs Black screamed.
"Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonour, taint of shame on the house of my fathers -"
"JUST SHUT UP!" Arthur bellowed as he directed his wand at her. With a bang and a burst of red sparks, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her instantly.
"Was that what I think it was?" Chrys said in a whimper as David helped her to her feet.
"Yeah. Something for Snape, like a slap in the face." Arthur replied.
He wondered if it did work, or if Snape casually blasted the figure already like when he killed the real Dumbledore.
With his nerves still on edge, Arthur led the three up the hall, still expecting more terrors to reveal themselves, yet nothing moved except for a mouse that skittered along the skirting board.
"Wait, we need to check." Chrys said before raising her wand and saying "Homenum revelio."
Nothing happened.
"What was that meant to do?" Arthur asked.
"It's used to reveal any human presence, but there's no one here except for us." Chrys explained.
"Come on, let's go up." Mike said, sounding tense before they all made their way up the creaking stairs to the drawing room on the first floor.
Chrys waved her wand to ignite the old gas lamps before sitting on the sofa, shivering slightly in the draughty room.
David went to the window and moved the heavy velvet curtain aside an inch.
"I don't see anyone out there." He told the others.
Mike was about to say something when Arthur made a cry of pain: his scar was burning again as something flashed in his mind like a bright light on water. He saw a large shadow and felt a fury that wasn't his own through his whole body, as violent and brief as an electric shock.
"What did you see?" Mike asked as he was instantly on Arthur's side. "Did you see him at Merlon Manor?"
"No, I just felt anger… he's really angry."
"So either at the manor or because Rowle and Dolohov didn't get us." David said, now getting anxious.
Arthur sat down with Mike when suddenly a silver Patronus soared in through the drawing room window and land on the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the gorilla that spoke with Ben's voice.
"Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."
It then dissolved into nothingness. David let out a sigh of utter relief as he dropped onto the sofa with Chrys, who gripped his arm.
"They're okay." She whispered, making David hug her.
Arthur felt better knowing that David's family were alright, as he saw them as his own family as well.
The pain in his scar was now reaching boiling point, burning like it did at Merlon Manor.
"I need to use the bathroom." He said as David and Chrys started pulling out sleeping bags to camp in the room.
He then left the room as fast as he could.
He was barely able to make it.
Arthur bolted the door behind him with trembling hands, grasping his pounding head as he fell to the floor.
Then in an explosion of agony, he felt the rage that wasn't his possessing his soul.
He now saw a long room, lit only by firelight, and Rowle was on the floor, screaming and writhing in pain with a figure standing over him, wand outstretched, while Arthur spoke in a high, cold and merciless voice.
"More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time…. You called me back for this, to tell me that Arthur Pendergast has escaped again? Draco, give Rowle another taste of our displeasure… do it, or feel my wrath yourself!"
A log fell into the fire: flames reared with their light darting across a truly terrified, pointed white face.
And as though he emerged from deep water, Arthur drew heaving breaths and opened his eyes.
He found himself spread eagled on the cold black marble floor, his nose inches away from a serpent tail that supported the large bathtub.
He sat up, nothing but haunted by Draco Malfoy's gaunt, petrified and scared face. He was also sickened by what he had seen, that Draco was being used as some tool by Voldemort.
He heard a sharp rap on the door and jumped when Mike's voice rang out.
"Arthur, do you want your toothbrush? I have it."
"Yeah, thanks." Arthur said, doing his best to keep his voice casual, knowing he'll have to tell the others about what he just saw later.
Well, this is it. The start of the mission.