Chapter 13
Crofter was waiting exactly where Remus told him to, on the quiet road outside the cemetery. No one else was around, which was a good thing considering he was dressed as a pirate.
"Give me strength," Remus groaned when she caught sight of him through the windshield. at the very least, it was enough to distract her from the pain in her hand and the itch of exposure, the circular thoughts of Sirius and Harry and where they were, if they were safe, when they had left the hostel, if they were looking for her, if they'd been caught...
"That's who you're meeting?" Judd asked dubiously as he pulled up on the curb and killed the engine, shrinking back in his seat a little when Crofter's gaze snapped over to them.
"That's him." Remus turned to face Cathy and Judd in turn. "Thank you for this. Really, thank you. But you really need to go now."
"We'll wait here and keep an eye," Cathy said doggedly. "You still look like you're about to pass out, and he looks like he belongs in a true crime show. Also, he's dressed like a pirate."
"Fair points. But what will you do if he actually tries anything? You don't have magic, no offense-"
"None taken-"
"And neither of you seem like fighters, no offense-"
"None taken-"
"So really, what's your plan? Phone the police and tell them there's a sketchy pirate threatening the wolf-girl you attacked last night?"
"Well sure, when you put it that way," Judd started, but Cathy stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on," she said. "What if we did get the police? Not the muggle ones, obviously, but you said you wanted to be near an auror office, didn't you? What was that for?"
Remus frowned. "That was just to put Crofter on his guard, give me a few options for things to threaten him with. Maybe have a chance at accessing a floo network, I'm not steady enough for apparition right now and whatever wand he's got for me is going to be shite. Why, what's your idea?"
"Just that it might be nice to have some backup from people who are trained to catch criminals," Cathy said, blinking at her. "That didn't occur to you?"
"I'm... more used to working around the aurors than with them. Also, the ones I have worked with are a little eccentric."
"Of course," Cathy sighed. "Just go and get your wand. We'll drive around the corner and wait there if it makes you feel better."
Outside the van, Crofter was scowling. "Haven't got all day, Lupin!" he called.
Remus suppressed a frustrated growl and flipped him off through the windshield while Cathy and Judd looked at her with renewed interest. "Don't repeat that name," she told them.
"Understood. We'll be right around the corner. Be careful."
"I will. Thanks."
Remus gave them the best approximation of a smile she could muster, and got out of the van. She took a minute to ignore Crofter and breathe through the renewed pain and dizziness as she watched the camper trundle away down the road and out of sight.
"What happened to your arm, then?" Crofter asked, sauntering up to her with his arms folded like he was trying to look bigger than he was, wand tight in his grip.
"None of your business. What the fuck are you wearing?"
"Muggle clothes," Crofter said defensively. "I found them at a muggle shop and all. Lucky I did too, the sign said they only sold fancy dresses and it's not like you gave me much time."
Remus pinched the bridge of her nose. "How you're not dead already is beyond me. Do you have it?"
"Depends what it's worth to you."
"Oh right, so you want to keep that favour hanging over your head then? I'm happy to cash it in another time if you want to keep drowning in debt."
Crofter glared. Remus met his gaze evenly and didn't let her expression waver. After a long moment, he cursed and jammed his hand up his sleeve, producing a second wand, short and brittle-looking with the wood chipped in several places. He tossed it to her and smirked when she fumbled the catch.
"Bad day?" he asked, watching her stoop to pick it up off the ground, pausing halfway through while she tried not to black out.
"Bad enough that my patience is razor thin right now, so watch yourself." She twirled the wand between her fingers, testing out the feel of it, and fired off a few experimental spells at the pavement, doing her best to exercise some control over the unfamiliar connection and secretly pleased when Crofter flinched away from the uncontrolled spray of magic.
"What happened to the owner?" she asked.
"Stupid prick got himself pushed out of a window a few weeks back. Managed to get it off his body before he was taken away."
"Fair enough," Remus said, and before Crofter could get his guard back up, barked, "Expelliarmus!"
Crofter shouted in fury as his wand went spinning away into the trees and out of sight, and made to swipe at Remus. She ducked just in time, but the sudden movement sent the world whirling and she staggered out into the road, reeling as he grabbed the back of her jumper and hauled her back towards him.
"You'll pay for that," he snarled, but stopped when she wrested her good arm up enough to get the point of her wand jammed up against the underside of his jaw.
"Fucking try it," she hissed.
Crofter seethed for a beat longer, but then shoved her away from him and stormed off in the direction his wand had gone. Remus took the opportunity to immediately start re-casting her protection spells, cursing when the borrowed wand gave her more than one false start, the magic sputtering out before it would hold properly. By the time she felt properly covered, Crofter had re-emerged from the bushes and was watching her strangely.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
"Why the fuck would I tell you?" Remus shot back on autopilot, busy feeling out the boundaries of the spells and taking some slow breaths, reassured at last. The certainty that she was safe and out of sight settled over her shoulders like a blanket, heavy and comforting. She was safe. Harry was safe, wherever he was. Sirius would be keeping him safe. They were all safe.
Crofter sighed obnoxiously and spat on the ground. Remus rolled her eyes.
"Well, aright," she said. "I won't say thank you, because dealing with you is always a fucking chore."
"Wouldn't expect you to. I'll be off now, I've got places to be."
He turned to walk away, but something about his tone caught Remus' ear. Self-satisfied, but also tense. A note of trepidation that hadn't been there before.
"Hold on," she said, and waited while he dragged himself back around to face her.
"What."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What have you got?"
"Nothing you need to know about," he sing-songed. Then he caught the look on her face and backed up a step. "Seriously, nothing."
"Bullshit. Tell me." She twitched her wand and paced towards him.
"Now listen - this doesn't need to get violent, you're working with one hand and a borrowed wand here."
"Yeah, but it's you. I'd still win. So why don't you tell me what it is you've been hearing in your rat holes that's got you so wound up?"
"Nothing, just - just rumours, Merlin!"
"What rumours?"
"Nothing that matters! Just - someone was recruiting in Knockturn Alley this morning, I was going to see if I could make some money."
"Who's recruiting?"
"I don't know!"
"You didn't get a name? A face?"
"I don't-"
"Right, you don't know, fine. Did you at least catch what it was you were signing up for?"
"Some stupid thing, an attack out in the countryside," he said haltingly. "They just wanted bodies, people who were willing to get a bit roughed up for some cash. I swear that's all I heard, they said we'd get more information when we turned up."
Remus glared at him, tapping the borrowed wand against her thigh.
It was probably nothing. She needed to go and find Sirius and Harry. She needed to find a healer. But Crofter's eyes were darting around shiftily, and he kept jerking his hands towards his face like he was resisting the urge to chew on his nails. Anxious to get away from her, but also anxious to get somewhere else, somewhere specific. She studied the flicker of fear deep in his eyes, the agitated twitch in his limbs. She recognised this.
"It's Death Eaters," she surmised. "They're recruiting for an attack? What are they planning?"
"I'm not a fucking Death Eater," he snarled, and threw a stunning spell at her.
She met it with her own, only just managing to duck when they smashed together with a thunderous crash. She kept low and grit her jaw until the flash blindness and dizziness subsided, managed to eke out a body-bind under Crofter's assault of badly-aimed curses. He crashed comically to the ground, growling as she stalked over to snatch his wand out of his rigid grasp.
"You're not a Death Eater," she agreed, and dropped his wand to stomp on it until it snapped, tensing through the crack of energy that burned hot through the sole of her boot. "But you're a slimy little fuck who makes money tracking down victims for Greyback when he's feeling lazy - yeah, obviously I know about that," she added when his eyes widened in horror. "Fucking hell, why do you think I did so much work for you, the travel opportunities? You might not be important enough for the inner circle, you shitstain, but don't think for a minute that you're not just as bad as them."
Crofter growled low between his gritted teeth, fighting and failing to form some words. In the background, the camper van came careening back around the corner and lurched to a messy halt, Cathy leaning out of the passenger side window.
"We heard a loud noise, what's - oh." She took in Crofter's prone form and Remus, standing over him with one foot on his chest, wand poised ominously over his face. "You've got things handled then."
"Just about. Wouldn't mind a hand, though. We need to go and see the aurors after all."
Bill was bored. He’d been stuck inside with Hagrid and his brothers all morning, not even allowed to go in the garden, and Mum and Dad were still arguing with the aurors and Order members in the living room.
“…they’re still interrogating him, but we have to assume an attack is imminent,” someone was saying. “It’s in your best interests to evacuate as soon as possible.”
“Evacuate to where?” Mum shot back, much louder. “I have seven children, why did none of you think about this before you invaded my home in the first place?”
“This was an unforeseen circumstance, and highly regrettable, but-”
“Don’t give me unforeseen, we had a right to know all of the risks going into this-”
“Do you think they’ll be done soon?” Charlie asked morosely, sitting on the kitchen floor staring at the closed living room door. “I left my comics in there.”
“I don’t know.” Bill glanced up at Hagrid, who was in the process of negotiating Fred down from the top of the plate cupboard, somewhat hindered by the fact that he had George climbing on his shoulders and Ron latched around his shin. “Hagrid, do you know what’s going on in there?”
“Can’t say I do,” Hagrid said distractedly, trying and failing to stop Fred eating a spider web. “Come on now young’un, down you come, just-”
Bill sighed. “Fred, come down or I’ll tell Percy you asked about his arithmancy book.”
“No!” shouted Fred, and dove off the cupboard.
“Ah!” Hagrid managed to catch him before he hit the floor, but it was close. He set Fred down and took some deep breaths. “Merlin’s beard, you lot are a handful.”
Upstairs, Ginny started wailing in her cot. Charlie rolled his eyes and hauled himself to his feet. “I’ll get her.”
The living room door cracked open and Dad poked his head out, looking frazzled. “Everything alright out here?” he asked.
“Absolutely fine Arthur, not to worry!” Hagrid said, juggling toddlers. “How’s it going in there?”
Dad grimaced. “Oh, you know,” he said in that way of his. “Bill, why don’t you take your brothers and go pack some bags?”
“Are we leaving?”
“I’m not sure. Just get some books and games, like we do when we go to see Grandma, alright?”
“Alright,” Bill said uncertainly, and set about hauling Ron away from Hagrid so he could drag him upstairs.
“And Bill?” Dad added. “No fireworks.” He pointed severely at him, then Fred, then George. “No fireworks.”
“No fireworks,” they repeated dutifully.
Dad gave them a tense smile and almost disappeared back into the lounge, but came back when Charlie called from upstairs.
“Daaaad?”
“What is it, Charlie?” Dad called back.
“There’s a man in the field!”
Dad froze. He looked actually scared. It made Bill pause.
“Dad?”
“Molly, Alastor,” Dad said over his shoulder, and then charged up the stairs.
Bill glanced at Hagrid, who looked worried, and followed.
Percy was on the landing when they got up there, pointing helpfully into Ginny’s room. “Charlie saw a man out of the window,” he said.
“Where?”
Dad sprinted over to the window where Charlie was waiting, clutching the bundle that was Ginny in his arms. Bill peered out over his shoulder and caught sight of a scraggly-looking man in the middle of the next field over, looking around in panic like he didn’t expect to be there.
“Oh Merlin, I think that’s him,” Dad said, and raced back downstairs.
Bill and Charlie exchanged a glance and hurried after him – or, Bill hurried, Charlie went as fast as he could go while carrying Ginny, which wasn’t very fast.
“…got past the wards somehow, I saw him over the hedge,” Dad was telling Mum and the others when they got down to the hallway. “He must have run into one of those spell-traps you set up yesterday.”
“He’s alone?” asked the one with the eye, Moody or something.
“As far as I could tell.”
Moody nodded grimly and banged his stick on the floor. “Alright. Here’s what we’re going to do. Johnson, Vance, get out there and apprehend, I’ll send help as soon as backup arrives. Shacklebolt, get word to the London office, tell Savage and Proudfoot what’s going on. Then contact McGonagall and your sister, get her assembling the rest of our number at the barrier, tell them to keep watch for any loyalists. I’ll track down Dumbledore and get this lot squared away.”
The young one with the fancy earring nodded and darted back to the living room. Bill could see him throwing floo powder in the fireplace and kneeling down to stick his head in. Moody turned to the rest of them.
“Weasleys, gather your essentials. It’s time to go.”
Mum didn’t say anything, just nodded and went over to take Ginny from Charlie. She was very, very pale as she gathered Ron and the twins together.
“Upstairs, quickly,” she commanded, and no one argued.
Minerva was sifting through the pantry for some ginger newts when the wards went off outside. She was up in a flash, hand flying to her wand and casting a shield over Harry before she was even aware of what she was doing.
"Stay there," she told him uselessly, and rushed to the front door to look through the peephole. She relaxed a little when she saw it was Black, currently in the process of dispelling a disillusionment charm with no other trace of illusion or concealment in sight.
She cracked the door open and waved her wand to let her through the wards. “What did I tell you on your last day of school?” she asked, for the sake of it, as Black came up the path.
“’Try not to be an idiot, Miss Black. There are people counting on you,’” Black quoted, stopping on the front step. “What was the first detention you ever gave me for?”
“I believe you set off a bag of dungbombs in great hall during the welcome feast. You didn’t mess around.”
“Still maintain it was an accident,” Black muttered, and crossed the threshold. “Where’s Harry?”
“In the kitchen.” Minerva looked her up and down, took in the state of her – dried tear tracks on her cheeks, dark stains on her clothes, shaking minutely – and frowned. “Lupin?”
Black shook her head and moved past, making straight for Harry and barely giving Minerva a chance to wave away the shield spell before she scooped him up out of the highchair to hold him close. He tugged on her hair delightedly.
“Woof!”
“We’ve been going over some animal noises. All morning, at length,” Minerva explained, summoning the teapot and filling the kettle. “You look like you need a cup of tea.”
Black didn’t really respond, just collapsed into the nearest chair with Harry in her lap, eyes closed as she hugged him and pressed her nose into his tufty dark hair.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Black was quiet for a long moment, jigging Harry on her knee, letting him tug on her hair some more. She kissed him on the head and put him back in the highchair so she could sit for a moment, tugging restlessly at the cuffs of her jacket while Harry started gnawing on his fingers to occupy himself.
“I couldn’t find her,” she said at last. “I found… something happened. There was a lot of blood. The ground was all torn up. I managed to pick up a trail, follow it across the fields, but it stopped at the road. I think she might have got in a car – or been put in a car, I don’t…”
Minerva stopped scooping tealeaves and turned to face her. “You think she was taken?”
Black shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again harder. “I don’t know, I don’t – it depends, I’m pretty sure she ran into another werewolf out there but it’s not – it could be – either they weren’t someone she’s met before and for some reason they had a car, if she was hurt they might have taken her to get help. But it could have also been – it might have been someone from. From her missions.”
A cold drop of realisation splashed in Minerva’s stomach. “Her missions.”
“She told me a while ago that Dumbledore had her on infiltration, investigating Greyback. She used to run with the packs he associated with, the ones he spread his ideas through-”
“Black…”
“And if she ran into someone she met on the job, if they fought and they recognised her, Professor-”
Black was starting to hyperventilate. Minerva put down the tea caddy and went over to take her by the shoulders. “Black. Listen.”
“I – I was just starting to – we were just starting t-” Black hung her head and wrenched out a short, rough sob. “Professor, I can’t, I can’t lose anyone else, I can’t,”
Minerva dragged her up out of her chair and wrapped her in a firm hug. Black stopped, too surprised to do anything other than stand there, arms sticking out awkwardly, until she tentatively returned the embrace. Minerva scrubbed a hand firmly up and down her spine a few times, and then let go, keeping her hand on Black’s shoulder.
“Panicking won’t solve the problem,” she said. “Something may have happened to Miss Lupin. If that’s the case, we will find out what and we will deal with it. But until we can know for sure, I need you to take all that panic and turn it into drive.”
Black took a deep breath, and then another one. She nodded slowly. Minerva squeezed her shoulder.
“We will solve the problem,” she said. “We will protect the boy. We will find Lupin. We will find an end to this entire situation, once and for all. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good. So first thing’s first-”
Before she could get any further, the fireplace sputtered in the living room, and a voice echoed out.
“Professor? Professor, are you there?”
Kingsley Shacklebolt, sounding urgent and unsure of himself. Minerva’s eyes widened and she darted through to the other room, hearing Black grab Harry out of his chair and follow her.
“Mr Shacklebolt, what’s the matter?”
“Professor, I’m at the Burrow and an attack is imminent,” said Shacklebolt’s head where it was sat in the low flames. “Peter Pettigrew is outside, he got past the barrier somehow, we think it has something to do with his animagus form-”
Black sucked in a sharp breath.
“Is he attacking now?” Minerva asked urgently.
“No, we’re stalling him – Harriet and Eleanor are right on top of him, he keeps turning into a rat but then running into the traps we laid the other day, whatever he’s planning he hasn’t gotten a chance to start it yet.”
“Good. Good. Alright.” Minerva glanced back at Black, who was staring fixedly at Shacklebolt with a dawning expression of cold, creeping fury. “What can I do?”
Shacklebolt’s head was turned off to the side, his eyes distant like he was listening to something else. “The Weasleys need to evacuate,” he said after a moment. “There’s a lot of them and nowhere safe to send them, can they…?”
Minerva paused. If the Weasleys came through, then Black and Lupin were blown. Harry’s whereabouts would become common knowledge soon enough, which increased the risk to his safety exponentially. But then again – she glanced over at Black once more. Her fury had settled into resolve, and she was holding Harry like she could protect him from a world of torments if she could only keep his head against his shoulder.
If Pettigrew was making a move, then the time for hiding was over. The only thing that would help protect the boy was to increase the number of people present and willing to defend him. And the Weasleys – they were chaotic, but they were good people. Trustworthy.
“Professor,” Shacklebolt said urgently. “Please, we don’t have much time-”
“Send them through.”
Shacklebolt nodded and disappeared. Before anything else could happen, the flames flared green, climbing higher than ever. Minerva startled backwards as a seething mass appeared in the fireplace – in the corner of her eye, Black whirled to turn Harry away from the source of the commotion while he startled into a cry and –
One, two, three – a clump of children tumbled over the hearth and onto the rug, six of them, one holding a baby, all with identical mops of ginger hair. Minerva stared at them as they separated out and pulled each other to their feet.
“Sorry!” the tallest one was saying, holding onto three of his siblings’ collars with one hand and a battered, obviously second-hand wand with the other. “Mum sent us all through at once, she didn’t have much powder left and there wasn’t much time-”
“Her and Dad said they were coming soon,” added the second tallest, struggling under the burden of an infant and a backpack stuffed with books and boardgames. “Do you have a garden?”