Chapter 23:
13 October 1981
It was a quiet and uneventful day at Linfred Hall. The weather was pleasant, and Anwen, Lily and Alice had bundled their children up and had spent most of the morning in the garden playing. They knew that nice days were limited at this time of the year and the fresh air and play would make the children sleepy. It was nice for the three mums to be alone with their children.
Alice had put Neville down in the manor house nursery today, she and her mother were planning to do some shopping in the village and this way Neville would be in capable hands until they returned. As she came down the main staircase, she was surprised to find someone on the ground floor.
"Peter?" she asked, and Peter Pettigrew turned around to face her. The surprised look on his face set her on alarm. He was his usual unkempt self, his robes in disarray, splotches of stains evident on his shirt. What struck her though, was how pale he was; it was unnatural. Also, Peter was always nervous, but Alice thought he might have jumped out of his skin upon her finding him.
"Alice, how are you?"
"I'm fine," she said with scepticism. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was looking for Remus," he said. It was obvious that he was just looking for an excuse by his hesitation before answering.
"It's Tuesday, Peter, Remus is at university today." Remus' schedule had remained virtually unchanged since he'd started his advanced studies in history. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday he took classes and was on campus.
"Oh, then I guess I'll be going. Perhaps I'll see him around the Ministry." Again, this struck Alice as odd, as Remus avoided the Ministry offices at all costs.
"Alright, let me have you escorted to the gates. Wilken," she called for the elf. The head elf was immediately present with a small pop. "Please escort Peter to the gates."
"Yes, Lady Alice," Wilken said with a short bow. Alice watched them leave and then went to inspect the ground floor. While she was not a Potter, she did grow up being frequently in this house and knew its many secrets. Fee had been her only aunt, Monty her only uncle as her mother was an only child. Nothing seemed off in either sitting room or the music room, the dining room was a bit of a mess from taking off the children's wellies and Anoraks, but otherwise untouched. Alice knew Peter was unwelcomed in Elba's kitchen, so she felt no need to check that room. She was beginning to think nothing was out of the ordinary, and Peter really was just here to see Remus when she noticed something disturbing:
The latch to the cellar door was unlocked and the door was ajar just a touch.
Because the children were all able to walk now, the cellar door was always kept closed and a simple hook and eye lock had been placed well above their reach. They had tried using a different lock, one for the knob itself, but Harry and Violet had both undone it rather easily. The parents thought they might have been using magic.
The cellar was used for storage, had access to the keep and the safe room, was where the ritual room and the ward stone was kept, and the potions lab was there. It was rare that anyone other than Lily and sometimes Eva were down working in the lab. It had a secondary lock on it, and while the adults all knew the incantation, there was no need to be in there. The potions cabinet in the kitchen was always fully stocked and automatically restocked. While they could all brew, this was Lily's domain, and they left her to it. Eva often serving as her assistant as she was the only one patient enough to have Lily constantly correcting her preparation skills.
Alarm bells went off in Alice's mind, and she quickly fired off a Patronus message to Anwen and Lily, who were both upstairs.
"What's the matter?" Anwen asked almost immediately as she'd Disapparated near silently behind Alice. The older witch jumped and squealed at her cousin.
"Can you please not sneak up on people!" Alice said waving her arms.
"Sorry, but you said it was an emergency."
"I did. I just found Peter Pettigrew in your house, and then, I found the cellar door unlocked and left open slightly," Alice reported, as if she was in Auror mode.
"That impossible," Anwen said, suddenly grave. "Peter can't enter the wards of the property alone; James removed him some time ago. He would have had to ring the bell at the gate and then be walked in. Neither of you let him in, did you?" Lily had arrived as was now next to Alice.
"No, I don't like it when he's here without one of the guys being with us," Lily said. "He's always given me the creeps."
"Yeah, he used to watch me when Sirius and I shared his bed, even as kids."
"Eeww," Lily said, wrinkling up her nose.
"No, I was upstairs with you," Alice said.
"Potter elves to me," Anwen commanded, and all four elves popped in. "Did any of you let Peter Pettigrew onto the property and into the house?" All the elves replied in the negative. "You may return to whatever you were doing, thank you."
"Could he have come in as a rat?" Lily asked.
"Not into the house," Anwen replied.
"Why?" Alice asked.
"The manor and the gardens immediately behind are charmed to keep vermin out. I do not like rodents or snakes. I grew up with three boys who liked to torment me with them. Daddy charmed the property to keep them out of the manor house and the garden behind. Sure, the boys could go into the woods and find them, but if they did, my father would punish them. When Daddy died, James renewed the charms, especially important now, with the children. Something doesn't feel right. Are all three of the guys on duty today?"
"Frank was in court and then the offices, James and Sirius were on active rounds," Alice said.
"Okay," Anwen said. "Lily, come with me, I want to inspect the cellar, and I want you to check your lab. Is Eva around?"
"She's with her mum," Lily replied. Anwen nodded and fired off a patronus to her. "Alice, please wait here. Eva and her mum should be here soon." Anwen and Lily opened the cellar door, Lily flicked her wand to turn on the lights and they descended the stairs.
Within seconds, Eva and her mother had entered through the rear doors and were surprised to find Alice as their welcoming party.
"Where's Anwen? She said there was something wrong." Eva asked.
"I found Peter Pettigrew roaming the ground floor after we laid the kids down for their naps," Alice explained. "Lily and Anwen are checking the cellar rooms for problems." Before Eva could ask another question, a primal scream was heard from below and a kestrel flew from the basement and turned into their friend.
"The ward stone has been cracked," Anwen said with fear. "Half of the ancient enchantments are tied to it. It also gives James his power as Lord of Linfred Hall. I need him here." She fired off a patronus to her brother and husband. "They will know what to do. This isn't my area of expertise, I have no manor house to be the mistress of, not until we move into a Black property. Even then, it will only be as a spouse, there is no Parker manor anymore." Anwen was muttering quickly and pacing, and her friends were shocked to see her so quickly undone.
Then the external alarm began to ring. They were under attack.
Anwen froze.
For Alice and Lily, it felt like forever waiting for their friend to come out of her stupor. This was unlike the woman who they knew was calm under pressure. Finally, Lily acted.
"Potter elves to me," she said calmly. She'd watched James, Anwen and even Sirius on occasion call them, and she knew what to say. When the four stood before her, she spoke. "We are under attack. First, take the babies to the keep, Hindsa, stay with your charges. You will then get Alice's parents and bring them to the keep. Someone come back to get Aurora. You are to stay with them."
"Mistress Lily, I feel I should stay by your side," Wilken said. "It is what Master James would want me to do."
"I will do the same with Mistress Anwen," Elba said before the popped away.
"Anwen, Anwen, I need you to wake up. You need to dress us to prepare to fight whoever is trying to break through," Lily said, standing in front of her sister-in-law. She waited a moment before she slapped Anwen gently. Anwen blinked several times and then shook her head.
"What, why did you do that?"
"You were out of it. We're being attacked. The elves are dealing with the family, but we need to get out there to fight."
"Right. Alice," said with a definitive wave and Alice was changed into her battle armour. Anwen waved a hand over herself, and then she summoned her dragon hide duster for Lily to wear. "I'm sorry we never made your armour."
"I usually don't need it," Lily said bravely as she buttoned up the coat. It only came to her knees, but it was better than no protection. "Can you summon my potions satchel?" Anwen nodded and the unassuming brown leather bag, about the size of a large handbag, appeared on her arm. She handed it to her sister.
"Eva, can you get Remus to come?" Anwen asked, and Eva nodded and showed Anwen she already had her mirror out and had contacted him. "Anything fancy I can wear?"
"Let me see what I can do." Anwen waved her hand, and Eva was in a thick protective cloak made of wool. "I made this for Sirius in our third year. It should help protect against most spells."
"That's fine, I can stay toward the back and sing," Eva said with a smirk. "I'll stun and tie up any that fall under my spell."
"You know you're frightening when you want to be," Lily remarked.
"I'm half-siren, my kind used to drive shiploads of men into rocks and then their deaths. My kind can be very dangerous."
"I contacted Frank and he and the Aurors are on the way," Alice said, putting away her communication stone that was standard issue for everyone working for the DMLE.
"James and Sirius?" Anwen asked.
"They've been summoned back," Alice stated. "Mad-Eye is looking for them as we speak."
"Alright then, ladies, let's defend our home."
Like a group of Muggle comic book heroes, capes flapping behind them, the quartet headed for the door, their two elves already awaiting them on the lawn.
"The outermost layer of enchantments was damaged by the weakening of the ward stone, Mistress Anwen," Wilken said, giving his report. "We have restored the ones we can, but there are old enchantments that are failing."
Another crack of magical lightning hit the barriers and was dissipated around the dome. While it did no damage, it was frightening. Anwen reached out to one of her own protections, a spell that would cause poisoned arrows to fire if people came within a foot of the outer walls. She strengthened it, and moved it to two feet. She didn't want anyone close.
"Your Potter blood should heal it," Wilken said.
"Wilken, I'm only a Potter by adoption. Yes, it was a blood adoption, but I lack the requisite blood to heal the stone. James is the one who will need to fix it. How could Peter have cracked it?" Anwen asked.
"There are spells, Mistress," Wilken answered. "Old spells, dark spells. It can be done." Anwen felt sick at the thought. Where the heck would Peter – the boy who only passed his classes because of others tutoring him – have learned of such spells and been able to do them.
Her musings were abandoned as there was another crack, a deep rumble to the ground and the iron gates of Linfred Hall, those that separated the manor house from the road and lands beyond, were peeled back and Death Eaters streamed in.