Forsaken
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,176
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,176
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Busy Night at the Ministry
Chapter 42- Busy Night at the Ministry
“Mum?” whispered Harry, hesitant to believe his ears.
“Hi love,” said Lily’s voice. Harry choked out a half sob, half chuckle.
“Lily, what is this thing?” asked Severus sternly, tightening his grip on Harry.
“As best we can tell, it’s some kind of portal,” she said. “Cool, huh?”
“Not the word I would use,” said Severus. “More like - disturbing and dangerous.”
“Well, there is that,” muttered Lily.
“We don’t know how it works,” said Sirius. “We can sense a bit of whoever come in here, but if it’s someone we know - someone we were close to - then sometimes it will let us come close enough to speak. It’s pretty unpredictable and doesn’t always let us through.”
“Yes, I think James and Albus are trying to get through as we speak,” said Lily, her voice ringing with wry amusement. “Perhaps the next time you’re -“
“There won’t be a next time!” said Severus incredulously. “This is insane. You’re dead! You’re both - Come on, Harry. We’re going.”
“What?” said Harry, snapping out of his daze. “What do you mean, we’re going?”
“We have a job to do, remember?” said Severus. “We are not here to solve the mysteries of the afterlife. Now, move it!”
“Severus,” said Lily soothingly. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“Woman, you have no idea what I’m thinking!” cried Severus shakily, thoroughly rattled. “I don’t know what this damn thing is. All I know - all I need to know -- is that it’s dangerous and Harry does not need to be here. The temptation is too great.” He gently grabbed Harry’s arm and pulled him farther away from the dais.
“You feel it, don’t you?” asked Sirius softly. “It tugs at your chest - like a weak portkey or something.” Harry frowned slightly and turned his head slowly to look at Severus’s ashen face, feeling the man’s hand tremble violently on his arm.
“I will not give in tonight,” whispered Severus fiercely. “It can pull on me all it wants. I have a job to do and I will not leave it unfinished.”
“Go then,” said Lily sadly. “Goodbye, Harry.”
“Wait!” cried Harry. Severus lunged forward and just barely caught the boy before he was completely out of his reach. “Wait!”
“See ya, kiddo,” said Sirius, his voice faint. “Keep watch over the Map.” Severus’s brow furrowed as he kept an arm around Harry. He filed the information in the back of his mind.
Harry stood completely frozen to the spot, his mother and godfather’s voices ringing in his ears. He blinked several times, just then noticing the torches that gave a little light to the room.
“There’s a door,” he said dully, pointing towards a heavy wood door with rusted hinges. Severus moved forward cautiously, flicking his wand into his hand as he approached it. The door opened easily under his touch, the hinges squealing loudly. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure Harry was following him, he tapped the hinges to silence them and opened the door wider.
“Stairs,” whispered Severus. He sighed softly, staring at the thick layer of dirt and grim on the walls. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to get them to adjust to the dark. It didn’t do him any good. The stairwell had no windows, no handrail, no discernable means of light and no way to get down without crawling very slowly.
“The fates seem to be utterly confused about helping or hindering us tonight,” muttered Severus. “If my thinking is correct, this leads down to the holding cells. I’ll go first. I’ll flash my wand when it’s all clear. Stay here and do not move. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” whispered Harry shakily. Severus eyed Harry for a moment before putting his hand to the wall and began slowly stepping down the staircase.
Harry crouched down beside the wall, watching as Severus disappeared. His mind fluttered aimlessly though memories of Sirius he had pushed to the very back of his mind, almost as if he had occluded them from himself. They slipped like water through his fingers, all of them tinged with bittersweet.
He blinked at seeing a tiny flash of light at the bottom of the stairs. Pull it together, Potter, he said to himself. You can sit and think later. He swallowed thickly and carefully felt down the gritty steps. The air got colder as he moved towards Severus’s light, chilling him through his cloak and robes. He gasped as Severus grabbed his arm, steadying him as he stepped off the last stair.
“This way,” whispered Severus, pulling him down the corridor. They moved silently, hearing the dripping of water down the walls. After a minute, they came to an intersection. Severus pressed Harry against the wall with his arm and peeked around the corner. He eyed an Auror sleeping in a chair and shook his head.
“Just the one,” he said, his lips barely moving. “You keep an eye on him. I’ll go find our guys.” He pointed his finger at Harry face. “Do not call out my name.”
Harry nodded and drew his wand, pointing it at the Auror as Severus snuck in the opposite direction. Severus glanced between the various doors set into the wall, metal bars covering the tiny window towards the top. He looked in one door but couldn’t see anything. He rapped his knuckles ever so softly on the door. Nothing moved.
He went to the next door, looked inside, and knocked. Again, nothing. He cursed to himself, glancing over his shoulder towards the sleeping Auror.
A soft knock came from the next door down. Severus narrowed his eyes and stepped over in front of the door. He lit his wand and set it against the wood to dim it. Kingsley’s puffy and bruised face smiled at him
“Jesus, you look awful,” said Kingsley in a hoarse whisper. Severus smiled as he killed his light and began casting detection charms.
“Good to see you too,” whispered Severus, quickly dismantling the Locking and Alert charms on the door. “Have you seen Arthur?”
“Psst,” hissed a voice from farther down the corridor. “Hey! Lemme out of here!” Severus opened Kingsley’s door, frowning slightly.
“That isn’t Arthur,” said Kingsley very quietly, taking the door from Severus.
“Hey!” said the voice louder. “Let me out!”
“Shit,” hissed Severus. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a sickle. “Have they got Anti-Portkey wards down here?”
“Not that I know of,” said Kingsley. Severus tapped the coin and handed it to Kingsley.
“Tell Minerva we’re on our way,” said Severus. He aimed his wand down the corridor as Kingsley disappeared.
“Stupify!” hissed Severus. He barely heard the thud of the felled prisoner before alarums sounded in the corridor. Red flashing lights went off above his head.
“Hey!” cried the Auror, sitting up straight in his chair. Harry stunned him and ran towards Severus.
“Arthur!” shouted Severus, careful to disguise his voice so the other Death Eaters wouldn’t recognize him.
“We’ve got company coming!” said Harry, hearing footsteps above them.
“What in the hell is going on?” shouted a voice from behind another door.
“Arthur! Where are you?” snarled Severus. He jumped at hearing a noise from the door behind him. Harry ran over and lit his wand, shining it into the cell.
“Over here,” said Harry swiftly. He stepped aside as Severus set his wand to the hinges.
“Reducto,” hissed Severus. “Reducto. Reducto.” He rammed his shoulder against the door, breaking through the hinges. Harry sent several stunners towards the other end of the hallways and dove into the room as the Aurors returned fire. He kicked the door shut.
“Colloportus!” he shouted. He turned and scrambled over to where Severus was kneeling beside Arthur. “Is he alright?”
“I don’t know,” said Severus worriedly. “Arthur? Arthur, can you hear me?” Arthur coughed violently, clutching weakly onto Severus’s arm.
“Get me out of here,” he gasped. “Please.”
“Alright, we’re going,” said Severus. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another coin. He quickly tapped it with his wand and seized Harry’s arm, pulling him close. Harry touched the coin and took Arthur’s finger, pressing it to the coin as well.
BANG!
“OPEN UP!” screamed a voice outside the door. Harry nailed the door with another Sealing spell right before the portkey activated. They fell unceremoniously onto the pavement outside Grimmauld Place. Harry jumped up and looked around, his wand at the ready.
“Get him up, Snape,” said Moody, hurrying down the sidewalk with his wand drawn. Severus quickly pulled Arthur’s arm around his neck and lifted the man over his shoulder. He shifted Arthur’s weight and jogged up the walk.
“Come on, Potter,” growled Moody. “I don’t like it out here.” Harry ran towards the house, Moody’s wooden leg thunking loudly behind him.
~+~
Minerva rushed into the hallway, lifting the skirt of her robes as she ran upstairs after Severus. Severus kicked open the door to Harry and Ron’s old room and gently lowered Arthur onto one of the beds. He stepped aside to allow Minerva to run her diagnostics.
“He hasn’t eaten in at least a week,” said Minerva. She pressed her hand to Arthur’s forehead. “And he’s got a fever.” She touched her wand to his chest and cast a spell, hearing the man wheeze with every breath. A greenish-blue image popped up in front of her, showing her the man’s lungs. She sighed and waved her wand through the image. “Pneumonia.”
“What do you need?” asked Severus, unclasping his cloak. He quickly unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.
“Fever Reducer to start with,” said Minerva. “There’s a cauldron in the corner.”
~~+~~+~~+~~
Caitlyn tightened the blindfold around Cassandra Yaxley’s eyes and made sure the Binding charm was cast properly.
“You’re a big, ugly whore!” said Caitlyn loudly, testing the Muffling charm Harry had shown them. Yaxley didn’t react. Caitlyn poked her in the arm, causing Yaxley to start violently. She looked up at Neville, whose wand was pointed at the window across the narrow alleyway.
“What’s happening?” asked Caitlyn. Neville shook his head.
“I can’t tell,” he answered tersely. “Just a lot of --“ he choked. “He kissed her!”
“What?” hissed Caitlyn, aiming her wand at Yaxley. She stood and walked backwards towards the window of the abandoned flat they had been using during their stakeout.
“And she’s kissing him back!” said Neville incredulously. “What in the hell is she doing?”
“She’s doing her part of the mission,” said Caitlyn. “Pansy has to make Carmichael believe she’s really Yaxley or we’re screwed.”
“She didn’t have to kiss him,” muttered Neville bitterly, watching as a Polyjuiced Pansy was seated at a dining table by Eddie Carmicheal.
“Well, you can tell her that when we’re done,” snapped Caitlyn. “Merlin!”
~+~
“So, how was work today, Cassie?” asked Carmichael, slicing Pansy a piece of beef tenderloin.
“Same old thing,” answered Pansy. She smiled at him as she slid her watch around her wrist under the table. She glanced down at the time as she emphatically inhaled over her plate. “Smells wonderful.”
“My mum’s recipe,” said Eddie proudly. “Bit of sage and rosemary make all the difference.” Pansy laughed softly and picked up her silverware. She cut into her meat and placed a bite in her mouth, looking up to meet Carmichael’s frowning gaze.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, inwardly panicking. Blaise, Ginny, where are you?
“Why are you eating with your right hand?” asked Carmichael sharply. Pansy saw the look in his eyes just before he drew his wand.
“Stupify!” said another voice. Carmichael fell forward, his face hitting the edge of his plate. Pansy jumped up and grabbed his wand from his limp hand.
“You spent all day yesterday watching her and didn’t happen to see she was left-handed?” cried Blaise. He tapped his head with his wand to cancel his Disillusionment charm. “You’re lucky he didn’t find you out sooner.”
“Cut it out, Blaise,” said Ginny, flipping back the hood of Harry’s Invisibility Cloak. “She did fine.”
“She was found out in five minutes!” said Blaise.
“Thank you, Professor Perfection!” hissed Pansy. “Would you just tie him up so we can get out of here?” She pulled up the sleeves of her cashmere sweater and walked over to the end table next to the armchair. Several letters sat unopened in a wire basket. She rifled through them, pulling out one from a T. Greengrass.
“Hey, look at this,” said Pansy. She quickly turned the envelope over and ran her finger under the red wax seal. Ginny appeared at her shoulder, watching as she pulled out a beautiful parchment invitation.
“It’s an invitation to the Greengrass’s annual Christmas gala,” said Pansy, skimming over the details. “This party will be huge. My parents have been invited every year, but we always went to the Malfoy’s instead.” Ginny gently took it from her hand and read it over.
“I’ll take it to Harry and Severus,” she said. “This would be a great place to hit, but we’ll need everybody we can get in on it.” She stuck the invitation back in the envelope and slipped it into her pocket. Pansy glanced over at Blaise and gently rubbed Ginny’s arm.
“Are you doing okay?” whispered Pansy. Ginny bowed her head, tucking a stand of red hair behind her ear.
“Yeah,” she lied. Pansy quirked her lips. She turned to Blaise. “Are you finished yet?”
“Yes,” answered Blaise smartly. “If you ladies would like to lead the way, we’ll go get the other two.” Before they reached the door, it opened to reveal Neville and Caitlyn. Caitlyn waved her wand into the room and directed it to the floor in front of her. There was a soft thud as she dropped Yaxley on the ground.
“That is not as easy as you would think it would be,” said Caitlyn, shaking out her wand hand. Neville stalked over to Pansy and fiercely pressed his lips to hers.
“He didn’t like her kissing him,” said Caitlyn in an exaggerated whisper. Ginny’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter, glancing over at Blaise.
“Alright, Romeo, you made your point,” said Blaise firmly. Neville broke away from Pansy and gently stroked her face.
“Let’s go,” said Neville. He bent and felt on the floor for Yaxley’s disillusioned body. He tapped it with his wand to cancel the spell and pulled his hood over his head. He pulled a black handkerchief from his pocket and tied it across his face, leaving just his eyes visible.
“You girls be careful getting home,” said Blaise, lifting his own handkerchief and looking around for some parchment and ink.
“We’re always careful,” said Caitlyn, lifting her hood. “It’s you two that seem to get into trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Neville, his eyes smiling. Blaise finished the short note as the girls disapparated from the apartment.
“So where are we delivering to tonight?” asked Neville. Blaise sighed.
“Security has gotten even tighter around the building itself,” he said. “I doubt we can just apparate in with them, since they’re branded.”
“The phone booth entrance then?” asked Neville. “It’s a little slow, but we could at least get in.” Blaise nodded and grabbed his charge, his disapparation cracking loudly in unison with Neville’s. They appeared in front of a battered phone booth. Neville lifted Yaxley over his shoulder and squeezed into the booth. Blaise levitated Carmichael inside and grabbed the receiver off the hook. He quickly dialed ‘62442’.
“Please state your name and the reason for your visit,” said a monotone female voice. Blaise rolled his eyes.
“Albus Dumbledore delivering Christmas presents,” he said, grinning mischievously at Neville.
“Please take your badge and affix it firmly to your robes,” said the female voice. “Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic.” Blaise shook his head and hung the receiver back up as the booth slowly descended. After about a minute, they finally reached the Atrium. The door opened to Aurors running in all directions.
“This doesn’t look good,” muttered Neville.
“Tie them up together and let’s get out of here,” said Blaise. They quickly bound Yaxley to Carmichael with thin, black ropes. Blaise affixed his note to Yaxley’s robes with a Sticking charm.
“Hey you!” cried Neville, getting the attention of several Junior Aurors running through the room. “A little help here?” Blaise took out an Invisibility Ball and popped it in his mouth, catching Neville’s eyes. Neville nodded and reached into his pocket as the Aurors ran over to him.
“Bloody hell,” said one Auror, pointing at Yaxley’s exposed left arm. He looked up and jumped when he saw no one there. “Hey! Where’d they go?” The lift doors opened mysteriously, the up arrow lit up on the panel next to the doors.
“Now what?” asked Neville watching the doors close on the shocked Aurors. The lift slowly climbed upwards.
“We’re going to have to make a portkey,” said Blaise.
“Have you ever made a portkey before?” asked Neville.
“No,” said Blaise casually, despite his slight apprehension. “Have you?”
“No,” said Neville worriedly. “I know the incantation is Portus, and you have to have a clear idea of where you want to end up, but -“
“No problem, then,” said Blaise confidently. He quickly pressed the button for the next floor and waited as the lift ground to a jerky halt. The doors parted, showing them cubicles plastered with Quidditch posters and flyers for matches. Blaise lit his wand so Neville could follow him and began searching for something he could use for a portkey.
“Here, this will work,” he said, picking up a quill off one of the many desks. He waved out the light and touched his wand to the quill, thinking very clearly of Neville’s bedroom. “Portus.” The quill glowed blue for a second.
“Grab it now,” said Blaise. “I don’t know how long -“ Neville just touched his finger to it when they both felt a hard tug, followed by the swirling sensation of portkey travel.