Forsaken
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,137
Reviews:
4
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
50
Views:
2,137
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.
Making Contact
Disclaimer: HP belongs to JK Rowling. kthx.
~~+~~+~~+~~
Chapter 5 - Making Contact
Kingsley awoke fairly early on Sunday morning, despite it being his day off. He walked into the main room of his flat, making his way over to the cluttered card table that served as both a desk and a dining table. He sat down heavily and drew his wand. He tapped it on the edge of the table, debating with himself.
He needed to know. Perhaps if he was alone with the man, he’d actually get some explanations from him. He unrolled a bit of clean parchment and cut it from the roll. He inked an eagle feather quill.
We need to meet today. Send word when and where. No guests allowed.
He tapped the parchment, storing it in his wand. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at the opposite wall and shot off his patronus.
~~+~~+~~+~~
Severus stood at his front window, slowly sipping on a cup of lukewarm black tea. His inability to sleep well had come back with a vengeance the past few months. He had hoped being at home would help, but it hadn’t. He had begun reading through all of the old school textbooks on his shelves, with the hope that reading about elementary spells and basic magical theory would bore him to sleep. His restlessness remained; however, he did find an interesting section on Defensive potions that he had forgotten was in the back of Confronting the Faceless. He would have loved to teach that to the seventh years.
He drank the last of his tea and turned to go to the kitchen when a luminescent cobra burst through the wall. The empty mug dropped from his limp hand, shattering on the floor as the cobra slithered on the air towards him. He drew his wand but paused, reluctant to accept the message. He would not fall for a trap. He couldn’t afford it, not after the Dark Lord had elevated him above the Inner Circle to be his personal counselor. But if he could get just one person to believe him, one person to do something - anything -- to prevent the bloodshed --
He touched his wand to the white snake’s nose. A slip of parchment shot out of his wand. His fingers twitched slightly in anticipation as he flicked open the note. Some of the tension left his body as read. He walked over to his desk to grab a quill and flipped over the parchment in his hand.
Meet me in front of the Serpentine Gallery in London. 9am today. No phoenixes.
He tapped it with his wand and sent his fox patronus through the wall. Ignoring the part of his mind that was screaming at him for being too trusting of the Auror, he went upstairs to shower and dress.
~~+~~+~~+~~
At a few minutes to nine, Kingsley walked slowly down the path, meandering past the muggles walking through Hyde Park. He found an empty bench and sat down, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his grey trousers. He placed one between his lips and patted down his front for a lighter. He found one in the breast pocket of his jacket and quickly lit his cigarette.
“Could I trouble you for a light?” asked a quiet voice behind him. Kingsley turned slowly and hesitantly smiled.
“No trouble at all,” said Kingsley, handing Severus his lighter as the man sat beside him on the bench. Kingsley snorted softly at the sight of Severus dressed in black suit over a blue shirt, complete with a black fedora and his hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
“What’s so funny?” said Severus around his cigarette. He quickly flicked the lighter and pulled on his cigarette, handing the lighter back to Kingsley as his eyes darted quickly back and forth.
“What is it with you and those hats?” asked Kingsley.
“In case you haven’t noticed,” said Severus a bit snidely. “I happen to have extremely fair skin. Burning to a crisp is not my idea of a good day.”
“Well, then, what is your idea of a good day?” asked Kingsley lightly, beating around the bush as much as he could. Severus sighed and rested his elbows on the back of the bench.
“I can’t really remember anymore,” he said softly. “I haven’t had a good day in quite some time.”
“Neither have I,” said Kingsley. They sat in silence, smoking and losing themselves in thought.
“Do you remember,” said Severus suddenly, “back when we were in the Academy, there was a day that Dawlish and Robards came in to teach us Bludgeoning hexes?” Kingsley burst out laughing.
“And you broke four of Dawlish’s ribs after he dared you to hit him with a full-strength hex,” he said. “God, that feels like so long ago.”
“That was a great day,” said Severus nostalgically. “I worked for an entire week to get that hex to where I could blow apart a wall without speaking the incantation.” Kingsley hesitated before asking his next question, glancing at Severus out of the corner of his eye.
“How long did it take you to teach yourself how to break Aurory-level wards?”
Severus turned his head sharply. Kingsley stared straight ahead, feeling ripples of magic pour off the irate man. Severus threw his cigarette to the ground and stood up.
“Fuck you, Shacklebolt,” growled Severus. Kingsley got to his feet, stopping Severus with a hand on his chest.
“We need your help,” hissed Kingsley. “I need your help. Just give me one more minute before you storm off.”
“You have one minute,” snarled Severus. Kingsley waved his hand in front of him and started to walk slowly down the path towards the Gardens.
“I know it was you who sent me the warning about Azkaban,” he said softly. “And I’m sorry for being overly cautious, but you’ve got to admit, it was pretty dodgy of you to send an anonymous tip!”
“There is a difference between caution and disregard, Kingsley,” said Severus curtly. “You erred on the wrong side.”
“I obviously know that now,” said Kingsley, “but sadly, the prison break is beside the point. Severus, the Council has gone mental with trying to find you. They haven’t talk about protective measures for the Order or for Harry since the funeral.” Severus grabbed his arm, frightening Kingsley slightly with the fierceness in his eyes.
“We need to go somewhere private,” he said softly. He pulled Kingsley behind a batch of trees, making sure they weren’t spotted. “I’ll have to Apparate you there.”
“Can’t you just tell me where we’re going?” asked Kingsley warily.
“No,” hissed Severus sharply. “It would take me too long, and you would still end up in the wrong place. Just trust me for a split second.” Kingsley groaned, but grabbed onto Severus’s left arm.
“If you screw me over, I swear to God I will strangle you with my bare hands,” muttered Kingsley. Severus grinned smugly and turned on his heel, Apparating to the bridge near Spinner’s End.
“Welcome to outskirts of Liverpool,” said Severus. He took off swiftly, maneuvering through the labyrinth of deserted streets, leaving Kingsley to jog behind him.
“I hope you can appreciate the huge risk I’m taking in bring you here,” said Severus quietly, his eyes constantly roving. “There are only four other people who know where this house is, two of whom are now dead. Albus didn’t even know exactly where it was.”
“Duly noted,” murmured Kingsley, staring aghast at the many decrepit buildings and their windows covered with plywood. Severus stepped up to his front door and unlocked it. He pushed open the door, waving Kingsley in front of him. Kingsley ducked inside quickly, Severus on his heels.
“Jesus,” murmured Kingsley as he stared at all of the bookshelves.
“Would you like something to drink?” asked Severus tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he shut the door. “Coffee? Tea?”
“Coffee’s fine, thanks,” said Kingsley. He sat down on the threadbare sofa and noticed all of the cigarette butts in the ashtray on the table. A few minutes later, Severus walked back into the room, carrying two steaming mugs. He handed one to Kingsley and sat down in the armchair.
“Potter is in trouble,” said Severus simply. “His muggle caretakers have reneged on their promise to keep him from harm, choosing to inflict it upon the boy themselves.”
“What?” gasped Kingsley. “How do you know this?”
“I have seen it with my own eyes,” said Severus, scowling. “Is the Order not continuing guard duty over the house in Surrey?”
“No,” said Kingsley, his stomach plummeting. “Harry told us he has some secret mission from Dumbledore to do this summer. We decided to give him space. Moody taught him the Messaging Charm, but we haven’t heard a thing from him since.” Severus ran a hand over his face.
“The task he was set will take him longer than just the summer,” said Severus softly. “He is ill prepared and he needs a proper environment so that he can have a little freedom but be carefully supervised. He needs -“ he looked up at Kingsley, “-he needs a mentor, someone to teach him how to duel a wizard of our caliber or better beofre he goes haring off into the great unknown.”
“I’m not a professor, Severus!” cried Kingsley immediately. “I couldn’t housebreak my dog, let alone teach a headstrong sixteen year old Defense. And I’ve got to go and get him, which is exactly what we told him we weren’t going to do. You’ve got to be joking.”
“Unfortunately, I am not joking about getting him out,” said Severus, “and you wouldn’t be able to teach him everything he needs to know. He needs to be brought to me.”
“To you?” laughed Kingsley. Severus raised an eyebrow at him.
“You’re - you’re serious,” said Kingsley, his face falling. Severus nodded slowly, tracing his lips with a long finger.
“Potter is in possession of a small box of memories and a pensieve,” he said after a brief pause. “He needs to view the contents of that box. With a bit of luck, and maybe some prompting from someone he trusts,” - here, Severus looked significantly at Kingsley, “I think he will eventually consent to training with me. It is of utmost importance that he be somewhere the Dark Lord cannot find him very easily. This would be the very last place he would think to look.” Kingsley furrowed his brow, noticing that Severus was no longer meeting his gaze.
“There’s something else,” said Kingsley softly. “What is it?” Severus rose up from his chair and walked over to the front window.
“The Dark Lord is pressing his advantage,” said Severus quietly. “He has ordered the murders of Lupin and the Weasleys. However, he wants Ginny taken captive. I’m sure I need not explain his reasoning for that.”
“Bloody hell,” muttered Kingsley, sitting back heavily against the sofa. He ran a hand over his smooth head. “Do you have a day or a time?”
“Not specifically,” said Severus apologetically. “I know Greyback will be attacking Lupin after the next full moon. Bellatrix and Lucius are in charge of the attack on the Weasleys, so only God knows if they will ever agree on a date. It could be tomorrow or two months from now.” Kingsley sighed and stood up, setting his mug on the table.
“So what are we going to do?” Severus turned and met Kingsley’s gaze.
“We?” repeated Severus cautiously. Kingsley nodded and held out his hand.
“We,” said Kingsley firmly. Severus smiled smugly and grabbed Kingsley’s hand.
“We go and get Potter.”