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Entry tags:
Scars, Part 28
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa; also a little Theodore/Blaise, Dylan/Hermione, and Aric/Takeshi
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III. (These stories are archived on my website and also on Moonshadow.)
Summary: Ash is held captive by the Macnairs while his friends try to locate him.
Part 27
Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa; also a little Theodore/Blaise, Dylan/Hermione, and Aric/Takeshi
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III. (These stories are archived on my website and also on Moonshadow.)
Summary: Ash is held captive by the Macnairs while his friends try to locate him.
Part 27
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ash woke in pain to the sound of arguing voices. He felt bruised and battered, and his neck was stiff and sore, his throat throbbing with a dull, persistent ache. He tried to recall what had happened, then remembered the sensation of Greyback's jaws crushing his throat. He wondered for a moment if he was dead and this was the afterlife, but he hadn't thought that being dead could hurt so much. Then again, what did he know about death? For all he knew, this was some kind of purgatory.
"...should have killed that little Ministry clerk!" a man's voice was shouting. "He must be the one who sent the Aurors after us!"
"I never mentioned your name or my Lady's!" a familiar deep, rumbling voice protested--it was unmistakably Greyback's. "It's not because of me that the Aurors were set on you!"
"Oh, and I suppose it was just a coincidence that they came after us right after you grabbed Randolf?" the man asked sarcastically.
"It might be that Arthur Weasley has finally abandoned his idealism in the interest of self-preservation, and issued an arrest warrant even though there is no solid evidence against us," a woman's voice interjected calmly.
"I handled things as I saw fit!" Greyback said defensively. "The boy was helpless as a puppy; no challenge to me as prey at all. It was hardly worth my while to kill him, and we needed someone to carry word to Diggory. Besides, leaving one survivor to spread word of an attack has always been an acceptable Death Eater tactic, to inspire fear in the wizarding world."
"That is true," the woman said coolly. "But the Death Eaters were many, and we are but few. It might have been wiser to kill the witness and simply send a letter to Diggory."
"You see?" the man sneered triumphantly. "Next time leave the thinking to us, and don't try getting creative!"
"Then next time be more specific about your orders!" Greyback retorted.
"However," the woman added in a sharp voice, obviously running out of patience with both speakers, "we cannot reverse the past, and fighting with each other is not productive. We must salvage what we can from the situation at hand. The Aurors came to arrest us, Warren, so however it happened, they know we are guilty. We have no choice now but to throw in our lot with Greyback."
"I swear, my Lady, with a werewolf army I will quickly restore you to power!" Greyback exclaimed, with more earnestness than Ash would have expected from the sadistic former Death Eater. He had never met Greyback before this, but a few of his older pack brothers and sisters had been turned by him, and the stories they told of him were all horrific. It was said that he hated humans and regarded them as inferior, so he didn't seem like the type who would pledge to serve a human "Lady".
Ash turned his head in the direction of the voices to get a look at his captors. He was in a dark, torchlit room, but he could make out a young man and woman who appeared to be in their early twenties. They both had dark hair and a strong facial resemblance, so Ash assumed that these must be the Macnair twins that Shacklebolt had been suspecting all along. Greyback was there as well, of course, although he now looked fully human.
He tried to move, then realized that he was bound: there were silver shackles locked around his neck, wrists, and ankles, all attached to silver chains that were wrapped tightly around his body, binding his legs together and his arms against his torso. There was no way he would be able to stand unassisted, let alone walk or run; at most, he could wriggle along the floor like a worm.
Although it was usually safe for werewolves to handle silver when they were human, it would burn them painfully in wolf form, and for a few particularly sensitive individuals, prolonged skin contact even in human form could cause a rash. Most werewolves tended to avoid it altogether out of superstition, because of all the legends about silver being poisonous to lycanthropes. Maybe it was because the chains had been put on him while he had still been a wolf, or perhaps he had a sensitivity that he had been unaware of, but his wrists and neck chafed and itched where the silver touched his skin directly, although it didn't seem to affect the parts of his body that were clothed.
The wolf hated being bound, and its instinctive reaction was to struggle, even though Ash's human mind knew that it was useless. He strained against his bonds, but they would not give, and if anything, grew even tighter, the silver collar around his neck constricting and making it painful to breathe.
The rattle of the chains caused his trio of captors to turn in his direction. "Ah, the puppy is awake," the woman...Imogen Macnair...said casually.
The man, who must be her brother Warren, moved closer and looked down at Ash, frowning critically. "He doesn't look like much," he said scornfully. "Can he really be related to us?"
"To be fair, it's difficult to make out any family resemblance with all that blood on his face," Imogen said coolly, and Ash realized that there was a thick layer of dried blood caked on his right cheek where Greyback had slashed him. It no longer hurt, though, so it must have healed. He glanced down at his right hand, which was also bloody from the spell Greyback had used to disarm him, and he tentatively flexed it. It still hurt a little, but his flesh had fused together and the bleeding had stopped, so the wound had mostly healed.
"Scourgify!" Imogen said, and Ash felt a painful sensation, like steel pads scouring his skin. But a few moments later, his face was clean and free of blood, although it felt as though he had been scrubbed nearly raw.
"Hello, dear brother," Imogen said mockingly. "We finally have a chance to welcome you to the family."
Ash found that when he stopped struggling, the chains and shackles slackened slightly, at least enough to allow him to breathe easily again. "Why?" he croaked in a hoarse voice. "Why have you gone through all this trouble, to kill my parents and frame me for murder? I was no threat to you; I never knew who my real father was."
"The mere fact that you exist is reason enough," Imogen replied with a cool indifference that was somehow more disturbing than Greyback's sadism. "We could not permit your polluted blood to stain the Macnair honor, even unwittingly."
"And of course, we could not take the chance that your mother might someday reveal your true identity to the world," Warren added. His hatred, at least, was obvious; scorn and anger colored both his face and his voice.
"Rosalind would never have done that," Ash said bitterly. "She was as ashamed of me as you are--even more, perhaps."
"It doesn't matter," Warren declared. "We cannot allow Macnair blood to exist in a beast! Besides, getting rid of you was only half the reason for the murders. The other half was to stir up fear and make people realize just how foolish Dumbledore's and Weasley's idealistic, bleeding-heart ways are. To make them realize that a stronger hand is needed to keep order in the wizarding world."
"The pack will never follow you!" Ash snarled defiantly at Greyback. "Not that you could ever beat Lukas in the first place!"
"Oh, I think I can, and I think they will," Greyback said with a nasty grin. "It will break their spirit when I show up with your dear pack leader's head on a pike. He was the one who created the pack by sheer force of will and kept you together all these years. It will all fall apart when he dies, and I will be there to pick up the pieces."
"You can't beat Lukas," Ash repeated. "He'll send you running off with your tail between your legs!"
"I beat you easily enough," Greyback taunted, and Ash flushed.
"Only because you caught me by surprise," he snarled. "Lukas will be more careful, and anyway, he's stronger than me--stronger than any wolf in the pack!"
"Ah, but is he stronger than me?" Greyback asked with a smirk. He kicked Ash hard in the side, and Ash cried out in pain as he felt his ribs crack. Then Greyback knelt down and grabbed Ash's head and began slowly twisting it to one side, his long, yellowish fingernails digging into Ash's face hard enough to break the skin. Ash tried to resist, but he was hampered by the chains and was no match for the other werewolf's strength. In another moment or two, if Greyback did not let up, he would snap Ash's neck, and the wolf whimpered in fear.
At that involuntary sound, Greyback's eyes lit up in triumph, and Ash realized to his horror and shame that his inner wolf had submitted to Greyback, if only for a brief moment. He almost wished that Greyback would kill him then, but Imogen said, "We need him alive, Greyback, at least for now. But you can do whatever you want with him after you kill Diggory."
"Yes, my Lady," Greyback replied meekly enough, but his eyes were still silently gloating as he released Ash.
{Lukas will beat him,} Ash tried to tell himself, but a seed of doubt had taken root in his mind. Greyback was incredibly strong in his hybrid form, possibly--just possibly--stronger than a transformed Lukas. Of course, physical strength did not count for everything; Lukas was surely much more clever than that crude beast.
But even if Lukas was a match for Greyback one-on-one, Ash knew that the former Death Eater would not fight fair; the Macnairs would surely be ready to back their pet werewolf up if it looked like he was losing. Ash tried to tell himself that Lukas wouldn't walk blindly into an obvious trap, but he knew that his pack leader would never abandon one of his wolves, not even if it meant risking his own life. Hopefully Lukas would at least get Tonks and Shacklebolt or Snape and Lupin to back him up, but Ash was terribly afraid that his stubborn and loyal friend would not take the risk that Greyback would carry out his threat to kill the hostage if he didn't show up alone.
His despair must have shown on his face, because Greyback and the Macnairs laughed at him mockingly. He almost welcomed the pain when Warren and Greyback began casting Cruciatus Curses on him to amuse themselves, because at least it distracted him from his fear that he might end up being the cause of his pack leader's death. Eventually, Imogen called her two cohorts away, saying that they still had work to do, and Ash lapsed almost gratefully back into unconsciousness.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"What do you mean, they got away?!" Lukas shouted.
"I'm sorry," Tonks apologized, looking rather shamefaced. "It seems that one of the curators is a friend of the family, and she saw us arrive and told Imogen about it. Imogen must have realized that we were on to her and Warren, and she fled before we could arrest her."
"And she must have warned her brother, because he was gone by the time we arrived at the Macnair mansion," Harry added. "They had a lot of wards and traps set up, and it took us time to disarm them all."
"Well, what about this curator?" Snape asked. "I assume that you interrogated her. Do you think that she's involved with Macnairs' plot?"
"No," Kingsley replied disgustedly, shaking his head. "She claims that she was just trying to prevent the evil Aurors from persecuting poor little Imogen, and unfortunately, I believe her. She seems to think of Imogen as a delicate little flower of a girl who would never get involved with anything so scandalous as murder and werewolves."
"It seems to be an image that she's cultivated," Snape said dryly. "Even Bletchley was shocked when I told him that Imogen was most likely involved with the murders. He had actually felt sorry for her because she only got her job out of pity--a favor from the same curator you mentioned, as a matter of fact. He said that she seemed meek and cowed, almost beaten down by the scorn of the wizarding world." Snape snorted derisively. "Obviously he doesn't know her as well as I do, or he would know that she would never be cowed by anyone short of the Dark Lord and possibly her father, but as I mentioned before, she's good at behaving like a 'proper' pureblood girl, and I doubt that many people see beyond that facade."
"You botched the arrest!" Lukas snarled, grabbing Kingsley by the front of his robes and shaking him. "What do you intend to do about getting Ash back?!"
"Take it easy, Lukas," Lupin urged, trying to calm his friend down and pull him away from Kingsley. "I know you're upset, but this isn't helping."
Lukas snarled again, changing the focus of his anger to Lupin, which caused Snape to frown and take a step forward as he reached for his wand. However, Tsubasa interceded before any blood could be spilt.
"Remus is right," he said quietly. "This isn't helping. You won't be able to go and rescue Ash if you're locked up in a prison cell for attacking an Auror, or lying in a hospital bed because Professor Snape hexed you for threatening his mate." Snape flushed slightly and glared at Tsubasa, who didn't seem to notice--or at least, discreetly pretended not to. "However," he continued, turning towards Kingsley, "Lukas does raise a valid point. What are you--we--going to do?"
Kingsley sighed, straightening his robes. "We did a brief search of the mansion, but didn't find any obvious clues as to the Macnairs' whereabouts. Doing a thorough search could take days, even weeks, which we obviously don't have. You know the Macnairs best of anyone here, Snape. Do you have any idea where they might hide? Any family or friends they might go to for help?"
Snape frowned and slowly shook his head. "Not in England, no. Their relatives and so-called family friends have been keeping their distance ever since Walden was sentenced to Azkaban. I believe that his late wife's family owns a summer cottage in the Cotswolds, which would be uninhabited at the moment, so it's a remote possibility that they might have fled there, but I seriously doubt it. It's much more likely that Walden has a safe house or refuge that he set up in case of emergencies; many of the Death Eaters did, but such locations are usually kept secret from anyone but their immediately families. Walden and I weren't close, and he never confided in me about a safe house. The only other possibility I can think of is Warren's mentor in Romania. He seems to have some loyalty towards the Macnairs, and he isn't bound by the laws of the British Ministry."
"Greyback's message makes it sound like they're still in England, though," Harry objected. "Surely he wouldn't expect Master Diggory to travel all the way to Romania for their fight, would he?"
"I didn't say that I thought the Macnairs were in Romania, Potter," Snape replied testily. "I only mentioned it as a possibility, however remote. The most likely scenario is that they are still here in England, hidden in the hypothetical safe house that I mentioned."
"Yes, but we still need to follow up all possible leads," Tonks said soothingly. "And since we don't know where the safe house is, we'll have to start with the summer cottage and Warren's mentor."
"We have no jurisdiction in Romania, but I'll notify the Romanian Ministry that the Macnairs are fugitives and might seek refuge there," Kingsley said. "Whether they'll actually follow up on it is anyone's guess, but since it's such a remote possibility, I don't want to waste time actually traveling to Romania unless we find some real evidence indicating that they went there."
"Bill is still in the hospital, but his condition is stable," Tonks said. "We could ask Charlie if he's willing to go back to Romania and keep an eye on things there. We don't have to mention Ash, just tell him that we suspect the Macnairs."
"Good idea," Kingsley said with an approving nod.
Lukas's eyes were still filled with a combination of agonized frustration and helplessness. "Isn't there anything else we can do?" he pleaded.
"I have spoken to Henry Bletchley," Snape replied coolly, with just a touch of sympathy in his eyes, unnoticeable to anyone except those who knew him very well. "He has not yet completed his research on the ring, but he has learned enough that he is willing to attempt to use it to locate Greyback. However, he needs to make a few magical preparations first."
"Damn it, we can't afford to waste time!" Lukas growled. "We can't trust a couple of would-be Death Eaters or a maniac like Greyback to keep their word! What if they decide to kill Ash before they contact me? What if they decide to just cut their losses and run to Romania?"
"Bletchley is working with Dark Magic, which can backfire fatally upon the wizard using it if not handled properly," Snape said sharply, with less patience this time. "He is already taking a substantial risk in working with an unknown Dark artifact that has not been thoroughly tested. Just be grateful that he is willing to help us at all."
"Everyone is doing their best, Lukas, though I know it doesn't seem like enough," Lupin said sympathetically, patting his friend on the shoulder.
"I know, I know," Lukas sighed wearily. "Sorry, Snape. I appreciate your friend's help; I just hope that it doesn't come too late to save Ash."
Snape nodded, looking mollified. "Bletchley should be here within the half-hour, according to his estimates; he understands the need for urgency and is working as fast as he safely can."
"Thanks," Lukas said gruffly. "I'll go wait in my office before I bite anyone's head off, figuratively or literally. You'll call me as soon as you find out anything?"
"Of course," Lupin replied, and the other werewolf left the room.
Kingsley gazed after Lukas, a worried look in his eyes. "I've set a monitor on the Owl Post and the Floo Network; I still don't trust him not to go off on his own."
"Hopefully he won't do anything foolish, but we'll try to keep an eye on him," Dumbledore said, while Snape muttered something under his breath about stubborn werewolves.
"All right, then, we'll be off," Kingsley said. "Let us know when Bletchley arrives, if we're not back here by then."
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Lukas was pacing back and forth in his office restlessly when a tentative tap on the door caused him to lunge forward and yank the door open.
"Did you hear anything--?" he started to demand, expecting Lupin or one of the Aurors, but instead he found Laura Madley standing outside his door. The girl jumped slightly, startled by the intensity in his voice and eyes.
"Oh, it's you, Miss Madley," Lukas said, trying not to sound too disgruntled. "What can I do for you? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"It's lunchtime," she replied, smiling up at him nervously. "Er...is something wrong, sir? Physical Defense class was canceled, and so was Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"I can't really talk about it, Miss Madley, but everything's under control," Lukas replied gruffly, trying to sound more reassuring than he felt. "We're assisting the Aurors with a little project."
"Oh, I see," Laura said solemnly, probably assuming that they were helping with the murder investigation--which was true, in a manner of speaking. "Is Ash helping, too?" she asked innocently.
"No, he's at work right now," Lukas lied, praying that they'd be able to rescue Ash before Laura found out that her brother was missing. He decided that he'd better send the girl on her way before she started asking too many questions that he couldn't answer. "I don't mean to be rude, Miss Madley, but I'm a little busy right now..."
"Oh yes, of course, sir!" Laura said hastily. "I didn't mean to bother you, honestly, but for some reason, I received this package by owl with a note that says to give it to you."
"For me?" Lukas asked, his heart suddenly beating faster. This must be the message from Greyback! That damned Shacklebolt probably didn't trust him, and was watching to see if he received any owl deliveries. Greyback--or more likely, the Macnairs--had probably guessed that the Aurors would monitor the mail, and had decided to send the message to him indirectly.
"Yes, sir," Laura replied, handing him a small parcel. "It was addressed to you, so I didn't open it, of course, but I don't understand why it was sent to me instead of you."
"Ah yes," Lukas said, thinking quickly. "I was expecting a package from a friend. It's a surprise gift for my wife, you see, so I didn't want it sent to my home in case she found it. So I told him to send it to the school, but it seems that my friend went a little more cloak-and-dagger than was really necessary, but he does love spy novels. He probably decided that it would be clever to send it to me indirectly, and he must have chosen you because you're the sister of my pack brother."
"Oh, I see," Laura said politely, although she still looked confused. Well, it wasn't a very convincing story, but it was the best he could come up with on the spot. And fortunately, Laura was too naive to be suspicious of his story, or perhaps just too well-behaved to call her teacher a liar.
"Thank you, Miss Madley," Lukas said, feigning an unconcerned smile. "Now you'd best get to the Great Hall before you miss lunch."
"Yes, sir," Laura said obediently, and ran off down the hall, although she did cast one last puzzled glance at him before she left.
Lukas was about to close the door when he noticed an oversized pair of bat-like ears sticking out from behind the statue of some famous, long-dead wizard, one of several that decorated the corridor. He shut the door, pretending not to notice, but silently cursed the Headmaster. Dumbledore must have set one of the house-elves--probably Dobby--to make sure that he didn't sneak out of the castle, which probably meant that the Floo was being monitored, too. Damn the meddling old wizard! He wasn't sure if he should go after Ash alone, but he wanted to at least have the option open to him.
Well, first things first; he'd read the message and then decide what he should do. He unwrapped the parcel and found that it contained a roll of parchment and a small velvet pouch. Setting the pouch aside for the moment, he unrolled the parchment, which read, "The pouch contains a Portkey that will transport you to the site of our duel. It will transport only one person, so do not think to bring the Aurors or anyone else with you. Even if your friends find a way to follow you, we will kill Ash Randolf at the first sign of trickery." The letter wasn't signed, but that was hardly necessary, since it was obvious who must have sent it.
Lukas carefully opened the pouch and spilled its contents onto his desk without touching them. A small gray stone etched with runes tumbled onto the desk; that must be the Portkey. But his heart nearly stopped at the sight of the second object, a lock of brown hair tied with a ribbon--and the hair was matted with dried blood.
"I will personally rip your throat out, Greyback," Lukas growled in a low voice. He hesitated for a moment; he knew that Shacklebolt was right and that this was undoubtedly a trap that Greyback and the Macnairs had set for him. He knew that it would be stupid to go in blindly without reinforcements. He knew that he should immediately notify the Headmaster and the Aurors and everyone else.
But...this was his pack brother's life on the line. Long before he had met Dumbledore or Shacklebolt or any of the others, he had sworn an oath to protect his pack. They were his responsibility. And while he loved every member of his pack, Ash was especially dear to him. He still remembered the scruffy, soot-covered boy he had met in an inn in Knockturn Alley--so young and frightened and alone, yet stubborn and defiant at the same time. Even as a cub, he'd had a wolf's fierce heart.
He couldn't take the risk that they would kill Ash if he brought in the Aurors. Besides, if the letter was telling the truth, only one person could use the Portkey, anyway. He was confident that he could defeat Greyback, and less confident that he could defeat the Macnairs, but if nothing else, maybe he could at least buy enough time for the others to find them and finish the job.
He had better hurry; who knew whether or not Dobby would think to report to Dumbledore that he'd received a package from a student? He wrote a brief note to Lupin, then wrapped his fingers around the stone.
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Lupin had some food sent to his and Severus's quarters for lunch, but when he asked the house-elves, they told him that Lukas had not requested a meal--as Lupin had suspected. So he ordered an extra tray of food and set off to force his friend to eat, in spite of his lover's grumblings that "the werewolf can take of himself" and "it won't kill him to miss one meal". Lupin grinned to himself; Severus didn't like it when he fussed over anyone but Severus; it was really rather sweet, in a way. Lupin's inner wolf was possessive of its mate, so he didn't mind, and in fact rather liked that his mate was possessive of him as well.
He reached the corridor where Lukas's office located, and knocked on the door. When there was no response, Lupin called out, "Lukas? It's me; I've brought you some lunch. I know that you're worried about Ash, but you need to eat and keep your strength up, especially if you're going to fight Greyback." He figured that was the one argument that would get through to the stubborn pack leader, but there was still no answer. Lupin banged on the door again, a bit harder this time, and shouted, "Lukas? Are you in there?"
He saw a pair of large, pointed ears twitch behind a nearby statue, and he turned to ask, "Dobby? Did Lukas leave his quarters?"
The house-elf stepped out from behind the statue and shook his head vigorously. "Oh no, Dobby was told to notify the Headmaster right away if Master Diggory left his office, and Master Diggory did not." He paused for a moment, then added hesitantly, "But..."
"But?" Lupin prompted gently.
"But a girl knocked on the door, and Master Diggory opened it," Dobby replied, then added hastily, "But Master Diggory did not leave! Dobby would have told the Headmaster if he did. Master Diggory spoke to the girl, then went back inside."
"A girl?" Lupin asked, having a bad feeling about all this. "You mean a student? What did she want?"
"Master Diggory called the girl 'Miss Madley,'" Dobby answered promptly. "Miss Madley brought a package for Master Diggory. A gift for Master Diggory's wife, but it was sent to Miss Madley instead because it was supposed to be a surprise." The house-elf shook his head in confusion and admitted, "Dobby did not really understand, but Master Diggory did not leave." He saw the look of dismay on Lupin's face and asked anxiously, "Did Dobby do something bad?"
Lupin attempted to smile reassuringly and told the house-elf, "No, not at all. You did exactly what you were supposed to. But now I need you to go to the Headmaster and tell him what you told me."
"Er, but Dobby..."
"Don't worry, I'll watch over Lukas while you're gone," Lupin told him, and the house-elf vanished. Once he was gone, Lupin tried the knob of the office door, and it turned without any resistance. He stepped inside, noticing that the room was obviously empty, but an alarm should have been triggered in Dumbledore's office if Lukas had attempted to use the Floo.
Then Lupin saw the parchment and lock of bloody hair on the desk. Beside them was a note that read:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lupin,
Tell Shacklebolt and Tonks sorry, but I've gone on ahead alone. I can't risk Ash's life, and only one person can use the Portkey, anyway--and I intend that one person to be me. If anything happens to me, please look after Narcissa and Cedric Drake.
Lukas
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Lukas, you idiot," Lupin groaned, but he wasn't sure that he wouldn't have done the same thing if it had been Dylan or Theo who had been kidnapped instead of Ash.
Part 29
Ash woke in pain to the sound of arguing voices. He felt bruised and battered, and his neck was stiff and sore, his throat throbbing with a dull, persistent ache. He tried to recall what had happened, then remembered the sensation of Greyback's jaws crushing his throat. He wondered for a moment if he was dead and this was the afterlife, but he hadn't thought that being dead could hurt so much. Then again, what did he know about death? For all he knew, this was some kind of purgatory.
"...should have killed that little Ministry clerk!" a man's voice was shouting. "He must be the one who sent the Aurors after us!"
"I never mentioned your name or my Lady's!" a familiar deep, rumbling voice protested--it was unmistakably Greyback's. "It's not because of me that the Aurors were set on you!"
"Oh, and I suppose it was just a coincidence that they came after us right after you grabbed Randolf?" the man asked sarcastically.
"It might be that Arthur Weasley has finally abandoned his idealism in the interest of self-preservation, and issued an arrest warrant even though there is no solid evidence against us," a woman's voice interjected calmly.
"I handled things as I saw fit!" Greyback said defensively. "The boy was helpless as a puppy; no challenge to me as prey at all. It was hardly worth my while to kill him, and we needed someone to carry word to Diggory. Besides, leaving one survivor to spread word of an attack has always been an acceptable Death Eater tactic, to inspire fear in the wizarding world."
"That is true," the woman said coolly. "But the Death Eaters were many, and we are but few. It might have been wiser to kill the witness and simply send a letter to Diggory."
"You see?" the man sneered triumphantly. "Next time leave the thinking to us, and don't try getting creative!"
"Then next time be more specific about your orders!" Greyback retorted.
"However," the woman added in a sharp voice, obviously running out of patience with both speakers, "we cannot reverse the past, and fighting with each other is not productive. We must salvage what we can from the situation at hand. The Aurors came to arrest us, Warren, so however it happened, they know we are guilty. We have no choice now but to throw in our lot with Greyback."
"I swear, my Lady, with a werewolf army I will quickly restore you to power!" Greyback exclaimed, with more earnestness than Ash would have expected from the sadistic former Death Eater. He had never met Greyback before this, but a few of his older pack brothers and sisters had been turned by him, and the stories they told of him were all horrific. It was said that he hated humans and regarded them as inferior, so he didn't seem like the type who would pledge to serve a human "Lady".
Ash turned his head in the direction of the voices to get a look at his captors. He was in a dark, torchlit room, but he could make out a young man and woman who appeared to be in their early twenties. They both had dark hair and a strong facial resemblance, so Ash assumed that these must be the Macnair twins that Shacklebolt had been suspecting all along. Greyback was there as well, of course, although he now looked fully human.
He tried to move, then realized that he was bound: there were silver shackles locked around his neck, wrists, and ankles, all attached to silver chains that were wrapped tightly around his body, binding his legs together and his arms against his torso. There was no way he would be able to stand unassisted, let alone walk or run; at most, he could wriggle along the floor like a worm.
Although it was usually safe for werewolves to handle silver when they were human, it would burn them painfully in wolf form, and for a few particularly sensitive individuals, prolonged skin contact even in human form could cause a rash. Most werewolves tended to avoid it altogether out of superstition, because of all the legends about silver being poisonous to lycanthropes. Maybe it was because the chains had been put on him while he had still been a wolf, or perhaps he had a sensitivity that he had been unaware of, but his wrists and neck chafed and itched where the silver touched his skin directly, although it didn't seem to affect the parts of his body that were clothed.
The wolf hated being bound, and its instinctive reaction was to struggle, even though Ash's human mind knew that it was useless. He strained against his bonds, but they would not give, and if anything, grew even tighter, the silver collar around his neck constricting and making it painful to breathe.
The rattle of the chains caused his trio of captors to turn in his direction. "Ah, the puppy is awake," the woman...Imogen Macnair...said casually.
The man, who must be her brother Warren, moved closer and looked down at Ash, frowning critically. "He doesn't look like much," he said scornfully. "Can he really be related to us?"
"To be fair, it's difficult to make out any family resemblance with all that blood on his face," Imogen said coolly, and Ash realized that there was a thick layer of dried blood caked on his right cheek where Greyback had slashed him. It no longer hurt, though, so it must have healed. He glanced down at his right hand, which was also bloody from the spell Greyback had used to disarm him, and he tentatively flexed it. It still hurt a little, but his flesh had fused together and the bleeding had stopped, so the wound had mostly healed.
"Scourgify!" Imogen said, and Ash felt a painful sensation, like steel pads scouring his skin. But a few moments later, his face was clean and free of blood, although it felt as though he had been scrubbed nearly raw.
"Hello, dear brother," Imogen said mockingly. "We finally have a chance to welcome you to the family."
Ash found that when he stopped struggling, the chains and shackles slackened slightly, at least enough to allow him to breathe easily again. "Why?" he croaked in a hoarse voice. "Why have you gone through all this trouble, to kill my parents and frame me for murder? I was no threat to you; I never knew who my real father was."
"The mere fact that you exist is reason enough," Imogen replied with a cool indifference that was somehow more disturbing than Greyback's sadism. "We could not permit your polluted blood to stain the Macnair honor, even unwittingly."
"And of course, we could not take the chance that your mother might someday reveal your true identity to the world," Warren added. His hatred, at least, was obvious; scorn and anger colored both his face and his voice.
"Rosalind would never have done that," Ash said bitterly. "She was as ashamed of me as you are--even more, perhaps."
"It doesn't matter," Warren declared. "We cannot allow Macnair blood to exist in a beast! Besides, getting rid of you was only half the reason for the murders. The other half was to stir up fear and make people realize just how foolish Dumbledore's and Weasley's idealistic, bleeding-heart ways are. To make them realize that a stronger hand is needed to keep order in the wizarding world."
"The pack will never follow you!" Ash snarled defiantly at Greyback. "Not that you could ever beat Lukas in the first place!"
"Oh, I think I can, and I think they will," Greyback said with a nasty grin. "It will break their spirit when I show up with your dear pack leader's head on a pike. He was the one who created the pack by sheer force of will and kept you together all these years. It will all fall apart when he dies, and I will be there to pick up the pieces."
"You can't beat Lukas," Ash repeated. "He'll send you running off with your tail between your legs!"
"I beat you easily enough," Greyback taunted, and Ash flushed.
"Only because you caught me by surprise," he snarled. "Lukas will be more careful, and anyway, he's stronger than me--stronger than any wolf in the pack!"
"Ah, but is he stronger than me?" Greyback asked with a smirk. He kicked Ash hard in the side, and Ash cried out in pain as he felt his ribs crack. Then Greyback knelt down and grabbed Ash's head and began slowly twisting it to one side, his long, yellowish fingernails digging into Ash's face hard enough to break the skin. Ash tried to resist, but he was hampered by the chains and was no match for the other werewolf's strength. In another moment or two, if Greyback did not let up, he would snap Ash's neck, and the wolf whimpered in fear.
At that involuntary sound, Greyback's eyes lit up in triumph, and Ash realized to his horror and shame that his inner wolf had submitted to Greyback, if only for a brief moment. He almost wished that Greyback would kill him then, but Imogen said, "We need him alive, Greyback, at least for now. But you can do whatever you want with him after you kill Diggory."
"Yes, my Lady," Greyback replied meekly enough, but his eyes were still silently gloating as he released Ash.
{Lukas will beat him,} Ash tried to tell himself, but a seed of doubt had taken root in his mind. Greyback was incredibly strong in his hybrid form, possibly--just possibly--stronger than a transformed Lukas. Of course, physical strength did not count for everything; Lukas was surely much more clever than that crude beast.
But even if Lukas was a match for Greyback one-on-one, Ash knew that the former Death Eater would not fight fair; the Macnairs would surely be ready to back their pet werewolf up if it looked like he was losing. Ash tried to tell himself that Lukas wouldn't walk blindly into an obvious trap, but he knew that his pack leader would never abandon one of his wolves, not even if it meant risking his own life. Hopefully Lukas would at least get Tonks and Shacklebolt or Snape and Lupin to back him up, but Ash was terribly afraid that his stubborn and loyal friend would not take the risk that Greyback would carry out his threat to kill the hostage if he didn't show up alone.
His despair must have shown on his face, because Greyback and the Macnairs laughed at him mockingly. He almost welcomed the pain when Warren and Greyback began casting Cruciatus Curses on him to amuse themselves, because at least it distracted him from his fear that he might end up being the cause of his pack leader's death. Eventually, Imogen called her two cohorts away, saying that they still had work to do, and Ash lapsed almost gratefully back into unconsciousness.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"What do you mean, they got away?!" Lukas shouted.
"I'm sorry," Tonks apologized, looking rather shamefaced. "It seems that one of the curators is a friend of the family, and she saw us arrive and told Imogen about it. Imogen must have realized that we were on to her and Warren, and she fled before we could arrest her."
"And she must have warned her brother, because he was gone by the time we arrived at the Macnair mansion," Harry added. "They had a lot of wards and traps set up, and it took us time to disarm them all."
"Well, what about this curator?" Snape asked. "I assume that you interrogated her. Do you think that she's involved with Macnairs' plot?"
"No," Kingsley replied disgustedly, shaking his head. "She claims that she was just trying to prevent the evil Aurors from persecuting poor little Imogen, and unfortunately, I believe her. She seems to think of Imogen as a delicate little flower of a girl who would never get involved with anything so scandalous as murder and werewolves."
"It seems to be an image that she's cultivated," Snape said dryly. "Even Bletchley was shocked when I told him that Imogen was most likely involved with the murders. He had actually felt sorry for her because she only got her job out of pity--a favor from the same curator you mentioned, as a matter of fact. He said that she seemed meek and cowed, almost beaten down by the scorn of the wizarding world." Snape snorted derisively. "Obviously he doesn't know her as well as I do, or he would know that she would never be cowed by anyone short of the Dark Lord and possibly her father, but as I mentioned before, she's good at behaving like a 'proper' pureblood girl, and I doubt that many people see beyond that facade."
"You botched the arrest!" Lukas snarled, grabbing Kingsley by the front of his robes and shaking him. "What do you intend to do about getting Ash back?!"
"Take it easy, Lukas," Lupin urged, trying to calm his friend down and pull him away from Kingsley. "I know you're upset, but this isn't helping."
Lukas snarled again, changing the focus of his anger to Lupin, which caused Snape to frown and take a step forward as he reached for his wand. However, Tsubasa interceded before any blood could be spilt.
"Remus is right," he said quietly. "This isn't helping. You won't be able to go and rescue Ash if you're locked up in a prison cell for attacking an Auror, or lying in a hospital bed because Professor Snape hexed you for threatening his mate." Snape flushed slightly and glared at Tsubasa, who didn't seem to notice--or at least, discreetly pretended not to. "However," he continued, turning towards Kingsley, "Lukas does raise a valid point. What are you--we--going to do?"
Kingsley sighed, straightening his robes. "We did a brief search of the mansion, but didn't find any obvious clues as to the Macnairs' whereabouts. Doing a thorough search could take days, even weeks, which we obviously don't have. You know the Macnairs best of anyone here, Snape. Do you have any idea where they might hide? Any family or friends they might go to for help?"
Snape frowned and slowly shook his head. "Not in England, no. Their relatives and so-called family friends have been keeping their distance ever since Walden was sentenced to Azkaban. I believe that his late wife's family owns a summer cottage in the Cotswolds, which would be uninhabited at the moment, so it's a remote possibility that they might have fled there, but I seriously doubt it. It's much more likely that Walden has a safe house or refuge that he set up in case of emergencies; many of the Death Eaters did, but such locations are usually kept secret from anyone but their immediately families. Walden and I weren't close, and he never confided in me about a safe house. The only other possibility I can think of is Warren's mentor in Romania. He seems to have some loyalty towards the Macnairs, and he isn't bound by the laws of the British Ministry."
"Greyback's message makes it sound like they're still in England, though," Harry objected. "Surely he wouldn't expect Master Diggory to travel all the way to Romania for their fight, would he?"
"I didn't say that I thought the Macnairs were in Romania, Potter," Snape replied testily. "I only mentioned it as a possibility, however remote. The most likely scenario is that they are still here in England, hidden in the hypothetical safe house that I mentioned."
"Yes, but we still need to follow up all possible leads," Tonks said soothingly. "And since we don't know where the safe house is, we'll have to start with the summer cottage and Warren's mentor."
"We have no jurisdiction in Romania, but I'll notify the Romanian Ministry that the Macnairs are fugitives and might seek refuge there," Kingsley said. "Whether they'll actually follow up on it is anyone's guess, but since it's such a remote possibility, I don't want to waste time actually traveling to Romania unless we find some real evidence indicating that they went there."
"Bill is still in the hospital, but his condition is stable," Tonks said. "We could ask Charlie if he's willing to go back to Romania and keep an eye on things there. We don't have to mention Ash, just tell him that we suspect the Macnairs."
"Good idea," Kingsley said with an approving nod.
Lukas's eyes were still filled with a combination of agonized frustration and helplessness. "Isn't there anything else we can do?" he pleaded.
"I have spoken to Henry Bletchley," Snape replied coolly, with just a touch of sympathy in his eyes, unnoticeable to anyone except those who knew him very well. "He has not yet completed his research on the ring, but he has learned enough that he is willing to attempt to use it to locate Greyback. However, he needs to make a few magical preparations first."
"Damn it, we can't afford to waste time!" Lukas growled. "We can't trust a couple of would-be Death Eaters or a maniac like Greyback to keep their word! What if they decide to kill Ash before they contact me? What if they decide to just cut their losses and run to Romania?"
"Bletchley is working with Dark Magic, which can backfire fatally upon the wizard using it if not handled properly," Snape said sharply, with less patience this time. "He is already taking a substantial risk in working with an unknown Dark artifact that has not been thoroughly tested. Just be grateful that he is willing to help us at all."
"Everyone is doing their best, Lukas, though I know it doesn't seem like enough," Lupin said sympathetically, patting his friend on the shoulder.
"I know, I know," Lukas sighed wearily. "Sorry, Snape. I appreciate your friend's help; I just hope that it doesn't come too late to save Ash."
Snape nodded, looking mollified. "Bletchley should be here within the half-hour, according to his estimates; he understands the need for urgency and is working as fast as he safely can."
"Thanks," Lukas said gruffly. "I'll go wait in my office before I bite anyone's head off, figuratively or literally. You'll call me as soon as you find out anything?"
"Of course," Lupin replied, and the other werewolf left the room.
Kingsley gazed after Lukas, a worried look in his eyes. "I've set a monitor on the Owl Post and the Floo Network; I still don't trust him not to go off on his own."
"Hopefully he won't do anything foolish, but we'll try to keep an eye on him," Dumbledore said, while Snape muttered something under his breath about stubborn werewolves.
"All right, then, we'll be off," Kingsley said. "Let us know when Bletchley arrives, if we're not back here by then."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lukas was pacing back and forth in his office restlessly when a tentative tap on the door caused him to lunge forward and yank the door open.
"Did you hear anything--?" he started to demand, expecting Lupin or one of the Aurors, but instead he found Laura Madley standing outside his door. The girl jumped slightly, startled by the intensity in his voice and eyes.
"Oh, it's you, Miss Madley," Lukas said, trying not to sound too disgruntled. "What can I do for you? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"It's lunchtime," she replied, smiling up at him nervously. "Er...is something wrong, sir? Physical Defense class was canceled, and so was Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"I can't really talk about it, Miss Madley, but everything's under control," Lukas replied gruffly, trying to sound more reassuring than he felt. "We're assisting the Aurors with a little project."
"Oh, I see," Laura said solemnly, probably assuming that they were helping with the murder investigation--which was true, in a manner of speaking. "Is Ash helping, too?" she asked innocently.
"No, he's at work right now," Lukas lied, praying that they'd be able to rescue Ash before Laura found out that her brother was missing. He decided that he'd better send the girl on her way before she started asking too many questions that he couldn't answer. "I don't mean to be rude, Miss Madley, but I'm a little busy right now..."
"Oh yes, of course, sir!" Laura said hastily. "I didn't mean to bother you, honestly, but for some reason, I received this package by owl with a note that says to give it to you."
"For me?" Lukas asked, his heart suddenly beating faster. This must be the message from Greyback! That damned Shacklebolt probably didn't trust him, and was watching to see if he received any owl deliveries. Greyback--or more likely, the Macnairs--had probably guessed that the Aurors would monitor the mail, and had decided to send the message to him indirectly.
"Yes, sir," Laura replied, handing him a small parcel. "It was addressed to you, so I didn't open it, of course, but I don't understand why it was sent to me instead of you."
"Ah yes," Lukas said, thinking quickly. "I was expecting a package from a friend. It's a surprise gift for my wife, you see, so I didn't want it sent to my home in case she found it. So I told him to send it to the school, but it seems that my friend went a little more cloak-and-dagger than was really necessary, but he does love spy novels. He probably decided that it would be clever to send it to me indirectly, and he must have chosen you because you're the sister of my pack brother."
"Oh, I see," Laura said politely, although she still looked confused. Well, it wasn't a very convincing story, but it was the best he could come up with on the spot. And fortunately, Laura was too naive to be suspicious of his story, or perhaps just too well-behaved to call her teacher a liar.
"Thank you, Miss Madley," Lukas said, feigning an unconcerned smile. "Now you'd best get to the Great Hall before you miss lunch."
"Yes, sir," Laura said obediently, and ran off down the hall, although she did cast one last puzzled glance at him before she left.
Lukas was about to close the door when he noticed an oversized pair of bat-like ears sticking out from behind the statue of some famous, long-dead wizard, one of several that decorated the corridor. He shut the door, pretending not to notice, but silently cursed the Headmaster. Dumbledore must have set one of the house-elves--probably Dobby--to make sure that he didn't sneak out of the castle, which probably meant that the Floo was being monitored, too. Damn the meddling old wizard! He wasn't sure if he should go after Ash alone, but he wanted to at least have the option open to him.
Well, first things first; he'd read the message and then decide what he should do. He unwrapped the parcel and found that it contained a roll of parchment and a small velvet pouch. Setting the pouch aside for the moment, he unrolled the parchment, which read, "The pouch contains a Portkey that will transport you to the site of our duel. It will transport only one person, so do not think to bring the Aurors or anyone else with you. Even if your friends find a way to follow you, we will kill Ash Randolf at the first sign of trickery." The letter wasn't signed, but that was hardly necessary, since it was obvious who must have sent it.
Lukas carefully opened the pouch and spilled its contents onto his desk without touching them. A small gray stone etched with runes tumbled onto the desk; that must be the Portkey. But his heart nearly stopped at the sight of the second object, a lock of brown hair tied with a ribbon--and the hair was matted with dried blood.
"I will personally rip your throat out, Greyback," Lukas growled in a low voice. He hesitated for a moment; he knew that Shacklebolt was right and that this was undoubtedly a trap that Greyback and the Macnairs had set for him. He knew that it would be stupid to go in blindly without reinforcements. He knew that he should immediately notify the Headmaster and the Aurors and everyone else.
But...this was his pack brother's life on the line. Long before he had met Dumbledore or Shacklebolt or any of the others, he had sworn an oath to protect his pack. They were his responsibility. And while he loved every member of his pack, Ash was especially dear to him. He still remembered the scruffy, soot-covered boy he had met in an inn in Knockturn Alley--so young and frightened and alone, yet stubborn and defiant at the same time. Even as a cub, he'd had a wolf's fierce heart.
He couldn't take the risk that they would kill Ash if he brought in the Aurors. Besides, if the letter was telling the truth, only one person could use the Portkey, anyway. He was confident that he could defeat Greyback, and less confident that he could defeat the Macnairs, but if nothing else, maybe he could at least buy enough time for the others to find them and finish the job.
He had better hurry; who knew whether or not Dobby would think to report to Dumbledore that he'd received a package from a student? He wrote a brief note to Lupin, then wrapped his fingers around the stone.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lupin had some food sent to his and Severus's quarters for lunch, but when he asked the house-elves, they told him that Lukas had not requested a meal--as Lupin had suspected. So he ordered an extra tray of food and set off to force his friend to eat, in spite of his lover's grumblings that "the werewolf can take of himself" and "it won't kill him to miss one meal". Lupin grinned to himself; Severus didn't like it when he fussed over anyone but Severus; it was really rather sweet, in a way. Lupin's inner wolf was possessive of its mate, so he didn't mind, and in fact rather liked that his mate was possessive of him as well.
He reached the corridor where Lukas's office located, and knocked on the door. When there was no response, Lupin called out, "Lukas? It's me; I've brought you some lunch. I know that you're worried about Ash, but you need to eat and keep your strength up, especially if you're going to fight Greyback." He figured that was the one argument that would get through to the stubborn pack leader, but there was still no answer. Lupin banged on the door again, a bit harder this time, and shouted, "Lukas? Are you in there?"
He saw a pair of large, pointed ears twitch behind a nearby statue, and he turned to ask, "Dobby? Did Lukas leave his quarters?"
The house-elf stepped out from behind the statue and shook his head vigorously. "Oh no, Dobby was told to notify the Headmaster right away if Master Diggory left his office, and Master Diggory did not." He paused for a moment, then added hesitantly, "But..."
"But?" Lupin prompted gently.
"But a girl knocked on the door, and Master Diggory opened it," Dobby replied, then added hastily, "But Master Diggory did not leave! Dobby would have told the Headmaster if he did. Master Diggory spoke to the girl, then went back inside."
"A girl?" Lupin asked, having a bad feeling about all this. "You mean a student? What did she want?"
"Master Diggory called the girl 'Miss Madley,'" Dobby answered promptly. "Miss Madley brought a package for Master Diggory. A gift for Master Diggory's wife, but it was sent to Miss Madley instead because it was supposed to be a surprise." The house-elf shook his head in confusion and admitted, "Dobby did not really understand, but Master Diggory did not leave." He saw the look of dismay on Lupin's face and asked anxiously, "Did Dobby do something bad?"
Lupin attempted to smile reassuringly and told the house-elf, "No, not at all. You did exactly what you were supposed to. But now I need you to go to the Headmaster and tell him what you told me."
"Er, but Dobby..."
"Don't worry, I'll watch over Lukas while you're gone," Lupin told him, and the house-elf vanished. Once he was gone, Lupin tried the knob of the office door, and it turned without any resistance. He stepped inside, noticing that the room was obviously empty, but an alarm should have been triggered in Dumbledore's office if Lukas had attempted to use the Floo.
Then Lupin saw the parchment and lock of bloody hair on the desk. Beside them was a note that read:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lupin,
Tell Shacklebolt and Tonks sorry, but I've gone on ahead alone. I can't risk Ash's life, and only one person can use the Portkey, anyway--and I intend that one person to be me. If anything happens to me, please look after Narcissa and Cedric Drake.
Lukas
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Lukas, you idiot," Lupin groaned, but he wasn't sure that he wouldn't have done the same thing if it had been Dylan or Theo who had been kidnapped instead of Ash.
Part 29
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So, awesome fic as usual. I can't wait for the next part. I completely agree with Lupin, Lukas is a idiot. Well actually I called him,out-loud, a "dumbass". It was a bit difficult to read with ferrets climbing on me, but I managed. One of which is named Allegra. I didn't even realize that I had named her the same name as a character from your fic. I was actually looking for a name that meant hyper and decided that "lively" was good enough.
Anyway, like I said before, I can't wait for the next part.
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Heh heh, yeah, Lukas really is acting like a dumbass, but Snape would say that all werewolves are idiots, Lupin included (sometimes, anyway).
And you have pet ferrets--so cute! I love it that one of them has the same name as one of my characters. I guess my Allegra is a bit hyper, too! If I had one, I think I'd name him "Draco". ^_^
Thanks for the feedback! I've already completed a few pages of the next chapter, so I'm hoping to finish it a little faster than I did this one.
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Pictures below are Draco. Notice the innocent face in the second one that says "I didn't make this mess."
http://pics.livejournal.com/kamikazeookami/pic/00023ypr
http://pics.livejournal.com/kamikazeookami/pic/00022hpc
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The poster above and Lupin are right -- Lukas is a hotheaded idiot. I've got my fingers crossed for him and for Ash. Perhaps one of the other, less impulsive people set up some alternative scheme assuming something like this might have happened? Well, perhaps the next installment will tell.
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As for an alternate plan--well, they should have planned a little better, but Henry will be able to help them out. You'll find out more in the next chapter. ^_^
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Actually, it just occurred to me that Lukas should be less worried about Greyback, and more about what Narcissa is going to do to him when she hears about this! ^_^
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I'm such a WIP wimp. I do trust you, though. Otherwise I wouldn't be reading :)
It's just I really like Ash. I've felt so bad for him ever since Ash's story. I want something to go right for him.
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