From the playlist:
Can You Feel The Heat Now - Tommee Profitt
High Voltage - Tommee Profitt
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen (continues into next chapter)
Ch. 16 - The Reunion
Around ten o'clock, Remus and Emmeline touched down in the London borough of Bexley.
To Remus's knowledge he'd never been to this address, and Dumbledore had not given specifics on a preferred method of arrival, nor had he instructed them on where to safely land without being noticed by muggles. They'd chosen to bring their brooms down in a park near their destination and left them there with a concealment charm. The darkness made it difficult to search for the house belonging to the address on Dumbledore's letter, and the light of the waning moon was of some help, but not much.
Remus stared down at the parchment periodically as they walked through the cookie-cutter suburb. When they reached Woolrich Road, they turned.
"Twelve...twelve...Ah. Here we are."
But upon first glance, the tract house seemed perplexingly uninhabited.
"...It looks like nobody's there," Emmeline confirmed, detecting no trace of light from inside the house.
"They've probably enchanted it so as not to wake up any muggles." Remus unlatched the gate and headed towards the front door, but noticed that Emmeline hung back. "What is it?"
She looked apprehensive. "...I shouldn't have come with you, I feel like I'm intruding. I'll just wait out here-"
"You're not intruding. Everyone will be happy to see you." He flashed her a reassuring smile and held out his hand.
After a moment's hesitation, Emmeline eventually walked through the gate and slipped her hand into his.
Though Remus was not one for public displays of affection, he delighted in the thought of them walking in together. No doubt James and the others would tease him, but in the end he knew how chuffed they would be. With their grand entrance scene playing out in his mind, he knocked on the door.
It creaked open, but nobody was waiting to question them on the other side. Odd.
Remus squinted into the dark foyer, but the interior of the house was as still and silent as its exterior. He listened for the voices of his colleagues, but heard nothing. Definitely odd.
Emmeline peered at the parchment still in his grasp. "...Are you positive we came to the right place?" She checked her watch. Supposedly, they were right on time. Pacing back towards the gate, she looked to see if anyone she recognized was coming down the road…
Remus stuffed the letter in his pocket and took a few steps into the house. "Lumos."
His wand illuminated the seemingly empty front room. Now he was certain; nobody else from the Order was there.
"...Something's not right."
He turned back to rejoin Emmeline outside, but before he'd made it back to the entryway, the door slammed shut.
"No-!" He threw his hand out, but wasn't quick enough to stop it, and jerked the door knob forcefully to no avail.
"REMUS!" Emmeline darted back to the door and tried to do the same on the other side. Drawing her wand, she swung it out towards the lock. "Alohomora!" She jiggled the door knob again, but it wouldn't budge. "It's not working!"
He peered over his shoulder as four dark, smoky figures began to materialize behind him. "Emmeline, it's an ambush-"
"I'll find another way in!"
"No- Get out of here!" he shrieked, slamming his palm on the door.
"I'm not leaving you-!"
"You have to-"
"Don't ask it of me!"
He heard chuckling behind him and turned.
"Remus?!"
Pressing his back up against the door, Remus raised his wand toward the people appearing before him. He quickly recognized the Lestrange brothers, as well as Bellatrix and Regulus Black. Poor kid. Fresh out of Hogwarts, and already drafted into the ranks. Sirius had never shown his brother much sympathy, but Remus always felt a bit bad for him.
"Perhaps you're not quite as clever as I thought you were in school, Lupin."
"Highly unlike you to be thinking at all, Rodolphus."
"Remus!" Emmeline cried out as she threw her body against the door, trying to break it down.
With each failed attempt, it thumped against Remus's back. Stubborn as shit-
Bellatrix's slimy grin was visible even through the tendrils of her tempestuous black hair. "Who'd you bring us? S'that Meadowes outside? We were hoping you'd have my cousin with you." As she took a step forward to peek out the sidelight window, Remus hurled a curse-
and Bellatrix deflected it expertly.
"Expelliarmus!" Rodolphus sent Remus's wand flying somewhere behind them all. The younger Lestrange lifted his wand again, but the older gripped his arm.
"Not you," Rabastan instructed. He then turned to Regulus. "Do the honors."
But as he looked at Remus, Regulus hesitated, his eyelids twitching.
Maybe his pity had paid off, Remus thought.
"...Get a grip, Reg," Rodolphus sneered.
"Weak," Bellatrix scoffed, turning her wand in her fingers, itching to use it.
Rabastan got in his face. "We brought you along so you could prove once and for all there aren't any doubts-"
"Crucio!"
Plunging to the ground and smacking the side of his head on the floor was the least of his concerns. Remus was intimately acquainted with excruciating pain, but the scorching agony stabbing through his entire being had him thrashing. He clenched his teeth so hard he thought he'd shatter them; but it was no use. He was sure Emmeline could hear his screams from outside.
The curse only lasted a few moments, but even that was too long. When he was released, he lay panting, reeling from the lingering sting, and thought he didn't feel quite so bad for Regulus anymore.
"Weak!" Bellatrix spat again. "That was short!"
"I don't want to keep him waiting."
"We're waiting on your brute of a brother anyway."
"Sirius isn't coming. He'll just have to settle for this one."
"Settle?"
Rodolphus reached for her. "Steady on, Bella-"
"You'd dare ask the Dark Lord to settle?"
"Reg's right." Rabastan interjected. "Sirius didn't show. This one was our plan B."
"Incarcerous."
Remus grunted as thick ropes appeared from thin air and forcibly bound his fatigued body. "At least buy me dinner first," he grumbled mirthlessly up at Rodolphus.
"We bring him to the Dark Lord," Rabastan continued.
There was a muffled shout from outside just before-
BOOM.
-the front room window blew to smithereens.
Vaulting over the broken glass into the house, Emmeline began hurling spells at the four Death Eaters. Since she had surprised them, she managed to stupefy both Rodolphus and Regulus before Rabastan disarmed her.
"NO- EMMELINE, RUN!" Remus shrieked from the floor, his ears still ringing from the blast.
But Emmeline had already decided that she was never leaving Remus behind again.
"Well if it isn't the Vance girl!" Bellatrix cooed, her wand poised to kill as she slinked towards her. "What a lovely surprise."
Rabastan quickly revived the other two and helped them back to their feet.
"What should we do with her?" Rodolphus growled, staring daggers into Emmeline and rubbing his sore shoulder.
"Let her go-"
"Shut up."
"You have me, you don't need her- OUGH-"
"I said shut up!"
Rodulphus had kicked Remus in the stomach.
Emmeline lunged forward, but Bellatrix's wand prevented her from traveling very far. "Touch him again, and I'll turn you inside out!"
Cocking her head and giggling darkly, Bellatrix sized her up. "It's been a while. Forgot you were feisty."
Emmeline looked her over in the same way. "I see you haven't shampooed the mop on your scalp since we last met."
"Why you filthy-!"
"Bella," Rabastan scolded her as she was about to curse Emmeline. "Bind her and be done with it."
"One Cruciatus before we go," she pleaded, sticky-sweetly. "I'll make it quick-"
"NO!" Remus screamed.
"You never 'make it quick.' Time is of the essence."
Bellatrix withheld her curse and settled for a hard slap across the face instead.
Remus sputtered and writhed as he watched her take a fistful of Emmeline's hair and shove her onto the floor next to him, binding her body too.
"Incarcerous."
"AGH!" Emmeline cried out as the ropes tightened around her, but didn't stop fighting against her bindings.
"Disgusting half-bloods," Bellatrix remarked.
"I'm sorry," Remus whispered achingly. "I'm so sorry, Emmeline. I-…I need to tell you-"
"We'll bring them both back to him," Rabastan decided. "Two for the price of one."
Rabastan motioned for Rodolphus and Regulus to pick them up, but their task was interrupted when a large fireball erupted through the front door and narrowly missed the four Death Eaters. Broomstick in hand, Alastor Moody flew in through the cavity where the window had been, wand blazing.
There came the rumble outside, then Sirius and Marlene dashed in behind him.
Spells and curses started flying through the air.
"BLOOD TRAITOR!" Bellatrix screeched, her eyes alight now that her preferred target had arrived.
"I can always count on you lot for the most fucked up family reunions!" Sirius shouted over the blasts.
Emmeline felt her bindings evaporate, and with Marlene covering her, she had a chance to crawl towards her wand. When she'd reached it, she pointed it back at Remus to release him too. "Emancipare!"
His bindings vaporized and he scrambled towards her, dodging a curse from Regulus in the process. After a quick summoning charm to reunite Remus with his wand, they stood up together to join the battle.
Bellatrix and Regulus paid special attention to Sirius and Alastor, while the Lestrange brothers had Marlene, Remus, and Emmeline to contend with. The five wizards (and, to be frank, Alastor alone counted as two or three) were too much for the four Death Eaters, and they eventually retreated. Sirius tried to launch himself into Regulus' disapparition, but Marlene held him back.
The five Order members remained, panting from the heat of the conflict.
Alastor checked to make sure all his people were still standing.
Sirius turned to Marlene. "Good?"
"Good." She nodded, pushing her hair out of her face.
He then looked at Emmeline and Remus, who were staring at each other in utter disbelief that they hadn't died. "You guys okay?"
All of the sudden, Emmeline jumped into Remus's arms and smashed her lips into his.
"What the fuck-...Well it's about bloody time," Sirius griped, not that Emmeline or Remus were listening.
Marlene stared at the pair with a slack jaw and a twinkle in her eye. Apparently, James had not shared their secret yet; or, more likely, Lily had convinced him to let them tell everyone in their own time.
Rolling his eyes, Alastor muttered something about "gantin teenagers" as he climbed outside to do any necessary damage control.
When they pulled away, they spoke simultaneously:
"I love you-"
"-I want to join the Order again-! What?"
No taking it back now. Remus looked at her restlessly. "...I just had to be sure you knew...I haven't stopped." Next time he faced death (and he imagined it wouldn't be long before there was a next time), at least he'd have all of his affairs in order.
Emmeline's response to this was preemptively cut short by Alastor. "I've just had to obliviate two muggles peepin' oot their windaes, and more are probably on their way after that ruckus." As he came back in, he directed his wand at the damaged portions house and the bricks swiftly put themselves back together. "We have to get out of here. Meet me at the Potters'. I need to have a word with them." His broomstick flew into his outstretched hand and he was off, back out through the front door.
Sirius and Marlene followed. Before he went with them, Emmeline grabbed Remus's shoulders to check him.
"I heard you scream."
"I'm alright-"
"What did they do-?"
"I'm fine, I'm alright now."
Her eyes flickered. "…Remus, I-"
"Save the snogging for later, lovebirds," Marlene called behind her.
So Emmeline swallowed her words again and trailed after them, taking Remus's hand.
"Our brooms are just up the road at a park," he explained, closing the door behind them as quickly and inconspicuously as he possibly could, checking around to make sure no more muggles had come to their windows.
"We'll take you to them. Best if we stay on the ground for a bit anyway," Sirius proposed, mounting his 'baby;' his absolute favorite item in his possession: his 1959 Triumph Bonneville motorbike. He grinned as he motioned to the sidecar. "Hop in, Muffin."
Marlene tried her best to keep herself from laughing as she climbed on behind him.
Emmeline flashed him an unfriendly finger gesture.
Remus looked begrudgingly at the sidecar, but ultimately lowered his tall frame into the seat and helped Emmeline to sit down in front of him.
Perfectly aware of how cool he looked, Sirius revved the bike and they zoomed back towards the park.
Somewhere along the way, Emmeline leaned back against Remus and murmured something in his ear. It was difficult to hear over the roar of the engine, but he got the gist of it and smiled.