Collecting Allies
Severus went to the receiving room of the manor, quickly throwing a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace. “Narcissa Malfoy, Malfoy Manor,” he called out. “Sev?” his best friend asked, surprised to see Severus wasn’t calling her from his quarters at Hogwarts, but in the grand floo room of a vaguely familiar manor. “Can you come though?” Severus asked, his distress clear in his voice, “Bring your medical kit,” he added as an afterthought. Narcissa came through after summoning her medical kit, ready to get to work on whoever needed her assistance without question. Severus showed her into the makeshift hospital wing. Narcissa gasped audibly before going over to her thought long dead baby cousin. She touched his cheek, having to ensure he was real.
“Sev, what happened?” Narcissa asked, composure strained. “Albus, he’s kept them prisoner. My mates and Arthur’s mates all kept captive in our own home. My own son was raised by Lily’s muggle sister,” Severus explained between heaving sobs. Narcissa looked at him in confusion as she tried to piece everything together. “Memory blocks?” the quick witted witch asked after a minute or two. Severus nodded, solemnly. “We should really move them to St Mungo’s,” Narcissa told him after casting diagnostic spells, “Four patients in this condition is too much for one healer, even with your assistance.” “No!” Severus pleaded with her, desperately. “May I bring in another healer I trust?” Narcissa asked in an attempt at a reasonable compromise. “Who?” the snarky man asked defensively. “My sister Andromeda, I’d trust her with my own son’s life,” She promised him. Severus agreed reluctantly.
“Should I bring Arthur?” Severus asked, looking absentmindedly at the ginger twins. “Probably for the best,” Narcissa agreed, “I’ll have her bring Ted, he’s an excellent mind healer. Try to get as many of his kids here as well,” she suggested. “The older five,” Severus corrected, “Ronald and Ginevra are Dumbledore’s spawn.” Narcissa gasped, before smirking at the juicy tidbit of gossip which she squirreled away for future blackmail. Severus flooed to the ministry while Narcissa went to her sister’s home.
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Severus made his way to the lifts after ensuring there were no suspicious persons about. He took the lift down to the dingy sub basement where the tiny misuse of muggle artifacts department was located. Severus knocked hard on the door. A very frazzled Arthur Weasley opened the door, a quizzical expression on the man’s face. “Arthur, I need you and your five older sons to come with me,” Severus insisted urgently. “Bill and Charlie are out of the country,” Arthur explained, “Percy works in the minister’s office and the twins are at their shop.” Severus nods curtly, “I will collect the twins and Percy,” the potions master decided, “If you could floo Bill and Charlie the three of you can meet me at Potter Manor,” Severus practically demanded of the older man. Arthur was too confused and unsettled to put up any argument, simply nodding and doing as instructed.
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Narcissa flooed to St Mungo's, marching her way up to the front desk and insisting she had urgent business with healer Andromeda Tonks. “Of course Lady Malfoy,” the young witch led her to Andromeda’s office, knowing better than to upset one of their biggest donors. “Thank you,” Narcissa told the receptionist, effectively dismissing the girl. Once alone Narcissa knocks gracefully on her estranged eldest sister's office door. “Come in,” a brusk voice called out, clearly unappreciative of being interrupted. Narcissa entered the small room hesitantly. “Cissa?” Andromeda asked contemplatively, unsettled by seeing her baby sister after more than fifteen years. “Andy,” Narcissa whispered in a tiny shaky voice, sounding much like the shy little girl Andromeda remembered from their childhood, “I need your help, its family,” she added. Andromeda wrapped her arms around Narcissa’s shoulders, pulling her against her chest like she had when they had been children. Narcissa calmed down after a few minutes, feeling safe and reassured in her big sister’s arms. “Will you help me?” Narcissa asked again once she had regained her composure. Andromeda agreed readily and the two women flooed back to Potter Manor.
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Severus took the lift up to the main lobby of the ministry, quickly making his way up to the minister’s office. “Percy your father sent me, it's a family emergency,” the dungeon bat of a potions professor told the young undersecretary curtly. Percy went to speak with his boss who was happy to let the boy leave early considering he never asked for a day off in over two years of employment.
Percy accompanied Severus to Diagon Alley where the two serious men made their uncomfortable way into Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes joke shop. “It’s Perfect Percy and Professor Dungeon bat!” an obnoxious voice called loudly through the empty shop. “We’re closed for lunch!” an identical voice called from the opposite direction. “Fred and George,” Percy yelled back, “Dad needs us.” The two identical redheads materialized out of nowhere, ready to go. “Are we going to the burrow?” the twin in the green striped sweater asked. Percy and the other twin, who was wearing a red and white checkered button down, looked to Severus for an explanation. “Your father and older brothers will be meeting us at Potter manor,” he explained before ushering the confused boys through the floo.
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Arthur first flooed his eldest son, Bill, who worked as a cursebreaker in Egypt. “Can I help you sir?” the goblin receptionist at the Egyptian branch of Gringotts asked gruffly. “I need to speak with my son, William Weasley,” he explained. “I am not an owl,” the goblin snapped back tersely, clearly offended by the request. “Please sir,” Arthur implored, “It's a family emergency.” The goblin let out a defeated sigh before obliging to Arthur’s plea. “Dad?” Bill asked when he answered the call a few minutes later. “Bill, can you come through?” Arthur asked, desperately. Bill stepped away to speak with his boss before coming through.
Arthur next called the Romanian dragon reserve where Charlie, his second son, lived and worked. A young wizard answered in halting English, leaving quickly to find Charlie. A few minutes later a sweaty and disheveled Charlie stumbled through the floo, yawning and stretching exaggeratedly. “Why you need me at three am?” he yawned out, rubbing red rimmed eyes.