Episode 16
Dumbledore
The lemon-flavored candy crushed under Albus's teeth as a smirk played across his face. The Order was upset—but not devastated. After all, Ron Weasley wasn’t universally loved, not even by his own family. His parents and younger sister were the only ones truly grieving. His old woman hadn’t shed many tears, and his older brothers seemed largely indifferent.
Albus turned his thoughts to more pressing matters. He knew exactly where Harry and Sirius were. It would be a simple operation. Moody and Shacklebolt, the cops he had on payroll, would intercept them on the road. It had to be precise—catch them both together, neutralize them before anyone else could intervene, then haul them back.
Harry
The words in Severus’s medical book were becoming a blur. Harry rubbed his temples, then pushed his glasses up onto his head. What am I doing? He had no business going through Severus’s professional texts, no matter how much the man encouraged him to consider becoming a Nurse Practitioner.
“You still nose-deep in that book?”
Sirius’s voice startled him, but Harry managed to keep the glare half-hearted. Their relationship was improving—slowly, yes, but progress was progress.
“You’ve been at it for hours. Reggie won’t be back for a while. How about we take a ride? Blow off some steam, maybe get a burger after?”
The way Sirius’s gray eyes gleamed was hard to ignore. Harry hadn’t ridden since the attack. Being stuck as a passenger on the back of Reggie’s bike had only made the frustration grow.
He sighed, shutting the book with a thud and stretching. “Fine. How bad could a ride be?”
Sirius broke into a wide grin, his youthful energy suddenly pouring through. “I’ve been waiting for this for years. I always wanted to take you to the best spots.”
As Sirius moved toward the door, Harry couldn’t help but notice how different he looked when he smiled like that. The gruff, distant exterior faded away, revealing someone who was almost... fun. Sirius was damn near impossible not to like.
“Don’t get too sappy, Sirius. It’s just a ride.”
Harry slipped on his jacket, but before he could take another step, something stirred in his mind—something from long ago.
Flashback
The world seemed smaller, fuzzier. Little Harry stood on the seat of a bike, wobbling slightly, his tiny hands gripping the handlebars as Sirius held him steady.
“That’s it, Pup. You’re doing great! One day, I’ll teach you how to really ride.”
Harry giggled, making vrooming noises with his lips.
Sirius laughed, pulling out a pair of miniature sunglasses from his pocket. “Here. Pup-size sunglasses. You look just like your godfather now, huh?”
Harry's tiny head bobbed up and down, and Sirius’s face softened. “You know, you’re the reason I get up most mornings now. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
A baby’s laugh was his only response as Harry flung his arms around Sirius’s neck. “Paddy!”
Sirius grinned, hugging the little boy tight. “I love you, Harry.”
End Flashback
The sudden hand on Harry’s shoulder brought him crashing back to reality. He jerked away, but it was just Sirius.
“Everything alright, Pup?” Sirius asked, concern shading his features.
“You called me... ‘Pup,’” Harry said, trying to process the flood of emotions welling up inside. “You’ve never called me that before.”
Sirius’s face softened again. “You’re not your father, Harry. ‘Prongslet’ doesn’t fit you. You’re your own person. ‘Pup’ was always for you.”
A flood of long-forgotten memories surged through Harry’s mind—tiny fragments of a happier time, now broken and distant.
He couldn't handle the wave of emotions surging through him. I have to get away, he thought. His mind was spinning. The last thing he wanted was to fall apart in front of Sirius when they were finally starting to get along.
“I... I think I’ll ride alone,” he muttered hastily, grabbing his keys and heading for the door.
Before Sirius could stop him, Harry was gone.
Harry
The bike engine roared beneath Harry as he sped down the back roads. The wind whipped his face, but it wasn’t enough to clear his thoughts. His mind raced, clashing memories of the past with the present. The flashes of his lost childhood, the painful betrayals, the fragments of happiness he barely remembered—they all jostled for space in his head. He leaned into the bike, pushing it faster, hoping speed would blur everything.
I need to stop thinking.
But the universe had other plans. A flash of red and blue lights blinked behind him. No, not now.
The familiar whoop of the siren confirmed his suspicions. He pulled to the side of the road, dread crawling up his spine. His hand tightened around the throttle, resisting the urge to gun it and flee.
“You know how fast you were goin’, boy?”
The voice was unmistakable. Harry gritted his teeth. Of course. Moody.
Harry kept his gaze forward, refusing to look at the scarred man approaching him. This is it, he thought grimly. Dumbledore's trap.
“Well, well, look what we have here—Harry Potter. You’ve given a lot of people sleepless nights, kid. Running off like that was downright inconsiderate.” Moody's grin was crooked, menacing. “Now, get off the bike, boy. I’m takin’ you home.”
Harry’s heart sank. He didn’t get to say goodbye to Reggie. His grip on the bike tightened.
Suddenly, the rumble of another bike filled the air. Sirius.
Relief flashed through Harry’s chest, but it was short-lived. Moody was faster than he expected. With one swift move, the older man yanked a nightstick from his belt and swung it with brutal precision. It connected with Harry’s head, and pain exploded in his skull. The world spun violently before everything went black.
Sirius
Too late.
Sirius saw it happen before he could even pull over. Moody’s nightstick struck Harry down like a hammer to a nail. By the time Sirius skidded to a halt, Harry was already crumpling into the road. He barely registered Moody dragging Harry’s limp body toward his car before fury roared to life in Sirius's chest.
But he couldn’t be reckless—not now.
He swerved hard, turning his bike back toward the clubhouse. I need backup, he thought, his heart racing with panic. Harry was gone—taken right in front of him.
The bike screamed down the streets as Sirius pushed it to its limits, the world around him blurring. When he tore into the clubhouse parking lot, he didn’t even bother turning off the engine before jumping off.
“Church! NOW!” Sirius bellowed as he stormed inside. The usual hum of voices immediately died. The seriousness in his voice brought an immediate halt to everything.
“CHURCH, NOW!” he yelled again, his eyes wild, barely holding back the tidal wave of panic.
Prez, Draco, Severus, and Fen quickly gathered in the kitchen.
“You hold no rank here,” Severus snapped, his voice low and dangerous. “Why are you calling Church?”
“I don’t have time for this, Snape!” Sirius barked, shoving him aside. “They took Harry! Dumbledore’s cops—Moody—they’ve got him! We have to move now!”
Tom, the Prez, narrowed his eyes. He wasted no time, turning to Fen. “Get Reggie, Barty, and Bast from the garage. We need every rider.”
Fen bolted from the room, and Sirius felt the seconds ticking away like an unbearable weight.
Draco was already tapping away at his laptop, setting up his tracing software. “We need to find him first, Sirius. If we rush in blind, we’ll lose him for good. Dumbledore isn’t stupid—he won’t take Harry anywhere we expect.”
The phone rang, its sharp tone cutting through the tension like a knife.
Tom picked it up, his voice a low growl. “What.”
Regulus
Something's wrong.
Reggie threw down the rag he’d been holding, unable to shake the feeling of dread that had been growing all day. Harry had been clinging to him that morning, haunted by nightmares. He never should’ve left him alone.
Fen’s bike rumbled into the garage, and Reggie’s stomach dropped the moment he saw the look on his face.
“They’ve got the Nurse,” Fen said, his voice grim.
Reggie’s blood turned cold. “Who?” He didn’t need to ask—he already knew—but the words escaped his mouth anyway.
“Dumbledore,” Fen sneered.
Reggie didn’t wait for more. He was already running for his bike, his pulse pounding in his ears as the garage roared to life.