Where Others Fear to Tread

Chapter 40

“I can’t believe we’re doing this. It’s complete madness.” Sirius whispered harshly beneath his breath, his body pressed flat to the grass, his head hidden behind a clump of overgrown roses.

“Perhaps but it’s the only chance we’ve got. The house is too well warded.” Dumbledore lay beside Sirius in the grass, his long beard braided in long strands to keep it from impeding his focus during the raid. It had taken them two weeks to find Harry, or rather it had taken them three days to find him but another eight days to actually think of a plan to get him out.

“And this is Draco Malfoy we’re talking about here, he might be smarter than his father but he’s inherited the same faults so it seems.” Both Sirius and Dumbledore startled as another darkened figure crept up on them and lay down in the grass beside them.

“I’m guessing he got in alright then Severus.” Dumbledore inquired quietly his eyes twinkling in the dark as he glanced across to his potions professor. Severus nodded quietly his eyes scanning the lights streaming out of the house windows in front of them.

“Aye, a little too easily I reckon but we’ll soon see if this works.” Severus sounded a little more then just concerned to those listening. Severus had been a nightmare to live with the past week. The man had had no sleep, pacing the living room of the house in Surrey until he’d worn down the carpet. Even Sirius who had doubted Severus attachment to Harry, couldn’t pick fault with the wizards unwavering concern for his mate. None who had been in Severus’ company all week could doubt the man’s devotion.

“I hope for your sake this works Snape, we’re gambling with my godson’s life here.” Sirius couldn’t help himself in making comment to Severus.

“Instead of picking fault in my plan Black, perhaps you better prepare yourself for the battle that will come when we get Harry out of there, because I assure you as soon as he breaches those wards every death eater in country is going to descend on this place, including the bastard all mighty himself.” Severus looked sharply across at Sirius who instantly shut his mouth and drew his wand out from the pocket of his cloak.

“Madness.” Sirius muttered as he tightened his fist around the hold of his wand. Severus silently sighed to himself, for the first time actually agreeing with Black’s appraise of the situation, if not admitting to it. This plan was complete madness, and it would have been better had they just stormed the house, but Severus had a niggling feeling that something wasn’t right, like he was expected and so instead he’d come up with this mad plan that was bound to fail, if it hadn’t already.

“How long to go?” Dumbledore whispered to Severus, who pulled out the little sand timer from his cloak pocket to check its progress.

“He should just be getting to the bedroom now, a few more seconds for the potion and………..” Severus was cut off, as there was an almighty popping and crackling sound behind them. All three wizards lying in the grass spun around their wands out stretched as in the field behind them two figures appeared in a bright blue flash of light. “Right on time.” Severus breathed as he leapt to his feet and took off across the garden towards the two figures, one disturbingly clutching onto the other. Behind him Severus could hear his colleagues following him but just as he’d predicted he also began to hear more sharp pops before the sky lit up with a very familiar green mark. “Shit.” Severus whispered as he ran faster towards where the pair were still standing exposed in the centre of the field. As he drew closer to the pair a bright red flash erupted from the tree line on the opposite side of the field heading like lightening towards the pair standing in the field. “DUCK!” Severus screamed watching as the taller of the two figures threw himself over the younger one the red curse barely missing the pair. Falling automatically into his old habits Severus began throwing curses at anything that moved, as did the contingent of the order members who had arrived better late than ever. Unfortunately, so to had the death eaters and in the mayhem that ensued Severus lost sight of his goal and was swept up in the fighting.

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“Jasper!” Stunned Harry watched as Severus’ brother removed a familiar thick gluggy potion from within his robes along with a singular strand of hair from another tube.

“Shhh, just drink it.” Jasper put the hair into the potion and with a half hearted shake pushed the bottle into Harry’s hand. Harry didn’t hesitate as he lifted the mixture to his lips and took one, long foul swig fighting to stop the gagging reflex as he swallowed. The polyjuice potion was just as foul as Harry remembered it to be, but now with his sensitive stomach the feeling was even worse. “Cork it Potter, we don’t have time. Put these on.” Seeing Harry beginning to heave Jasper pulled out a set of robes from within his own and pushed them into Harry’s hand. Harry nodded and swallowing another threatening heave pulled on the robes quickly, his skin already beginning to bubble, ripple and change. Harry stumbled a little as his legs elongated, and his hair thickened and lengthened. When the change was complete Harry stood up straight and went to look at his reflection in the mirror, but Jasper had already grabbed hold of him pulling him against his chest. “We don’t have time Potter, now together with me on three we’ll apperate.” Harry clutched to Jasper’s cloak but shook his head vehemently.

“No, it’ll kill me, Draco’s set the wards I’ll die….”

“Yes he set the wards for Harry Potter, not for Lucious Malfoy now together on three. One, Two………”

*POP* Before Harry could protest or even comment upon whom he’d just been transformed into they were swirling through space, before staggering out onto the grass in the darkness. Harry felt ill and doubled over the contents of his stomach including the potion he’d tried so hard to keep down resurfacing onto the grass.

“Harry? Are you alright?” A soothing hand rested on Harry’s back and the boy nodded his hand going to his stomach surprised somewhat to find his little acquired bump still there, despite his appearance as Lucious Malfoy. The pain that had come with his last apparition attempt wasn’t present and Harry assumed that was a good sign. Jasper it seemed wasn’t as foolish as he had been to neglect the child he was carrying with apperating. Movement out of the corner of Harry’s eye made the boy stand up straight instinctively reaching for his wand and then remembering Draco still had it in his possession. “Come on they should be this way.” Jasper went to head towards several figures running towards them but a cry caught up in the wind had Jasper throwing himself onto of Harry, pinning him to the ground. Harry cried out in pain at the impact of the ground Jasper’s heavy frame pinning him down but it wasn’t the pain that put fear in Harry’s chest, it was the bright flash of green above them in the sky, followed by the red curse that flew just inches from them. “Up and fight Potter.” Jasper was on his feet in an instant and before Harry could register anything he was being hauled to his feet and a strange, unfamiliar wand was being pushed into his hand. “Aim and shoot at anything that moves Harry, and stay close to me we have to find Sev.”

“But….” The scene that met Harry’s eyes was chaos figures in robes were crawling all over the countryside for as far as the eye could see. Curses and spells lit up the night sky, creating a myriad of coloured lights against the darkness. Occasionally Harry saw a face he recognised but the instant it had been there it was gone lost in the chaos of the ensuing fighting. Harry didn’t know what to do but as he stared at the battle field a pair of familiar red eyes met his own from the other side of the field and narrowed. Whether it was fear or the pure hatred that rippled through his body at that very moment Harry wasn’t sure but lifting the unfamiliar wand Harry left fly with the killing curse hoping that it wouldn’t hit anyone he knew. The curse that spiralled from the end of Harry’s borrowed wand wasn’t quite what he’d expected. Never in his entire life as a wizard had Harry even felt the recoil of a wand but as the red hued unforgivable left his lips the boy found himself on his backside the curse ripping through several bodies like a knife. The curse had lit up the sky and those near enough to have witnessed the curse paused in their individual battles to glance at the boy who lived. For a split second there was shocked silence at the power behind the curse but that silence was again replaced by the screams and shouts of those fighting. “Fucking hell, give old Tom one of those up his backside and he won’t know what’s hit him. Come on, head towards the trees where we’ve got a bit of cover.” Jasper called to Harry over the deafening roar of wizards, fighting. Harry nodded and got to his feet, sparing a second to glance in the direction where he’d seen those familiar red eyes but they were already gone.

Using all his training Harry easily fell into step beside Jasper fighting, dodging and firing his own curses as they moved towards the trees. It was strange how Harry’s brain just kicked into gear, his body automatically following instructions like Jasper and Severus were there calling them to him.

Eventually Harry and Jasper stumbled into the trees, Harry slumping breathlessly against the trunk of the nearest pine. The wand in his hand was hot and Harry loosened his grip on it for a moment hoping to get the circulation back into his fingers where he’d been strangling the wand so tightly. Jasper hadn’t rested and circled the trees before returning to Harry’s side. Looking back onto the field the coloured flashes of curses made the field look like a muggle carnival had set up camp, but where there would have been screams of delight emanating from the carnival, this scene was accompanied to screams of terror and pain.

“Are you okay?” Harry wasn’t sure if he was alright or not, after the first curse he’d let fly his body had gone numb. “You’re bleeding.” Harry didn’t even notice the blood that had pooled down his face from his scar, and it was only as Jasper dabbed away some of the fluid that the pain that accompanied his bleeding scar began to throb.

“Ow.” Harry whimpered not sure what hurt more, his stomach or his head. Jasper chuckled and rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Don’t be a sook Potter, that’s nothing compared to this.” Jasper turned around and displayed the shredded back of his cloak and the bloodied razor cuts crisscrossing his back. Harry gasped in sympathy but Jasper merely shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his young charge. “Not too painful missed the full blast of it.” Jasper looked back out on the battle before sighing heavily and glancing back at Harry. “I have to go find Severus, you need your fathers wand. Just stay out of the way here and kill anything that moves, I’ll be back.” Harry looked fearfully at Jasper who smiled and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to Harry’s bloodied forehead. “Trust me Potter, you’ll be alright and if anything does happen, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction alright?” Harry nodded quickly, with every intention of sticking to Jaspers words. Harry knew the day would come when the final battle would happen between Voldemort and the Order but he hadn’t thought it would be today, he just wasn’t ready. With a final smile Jasper ran off back into the thick of things, leaving Harry watching him go.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>