Fate

Chapter 30 - Like a Sister

Lily bit back the desire to scream as she felt the school rocket under an attack. 'Harry' was knocked off his feet, but thankfully didn't cry when he heard the loud noise or when he fell to the ground. Lily rushed over to him, scooping him into her arms and running farther back into their hidden room.

Her thoughts flew to James, praying and hoping that he was safe, whether in or out of Hogwarts. She felt tears running down her face as she began to panic, wondering if this was the way she felt when she sacrificed her life for Harry.

'Harry' started to whimper slightly, obviously picking up on his mother's feelings and wondering what was wrong.

Lily didn't take the time to comfort him just yet. Reaching the back of her and James bedroom, she tapped a few bricks with her wand, opening another secret passageway that would hopefully lead her and her baby boy farther away from the intruders...whoever they were.

As the door slid shut behind them and they were guided only by the light of Lily's wand, she prayed with all her heart that they weren't who she thought they were.

But she knew in her heart that her prayer was in vain.

----

'Remus'' head was spinning and he swore that he felt his world turn literally upside down. It wasn't until he blinked again and saw that Tanya was no longer in front of them that he realized just how long the both of them had been standing there, shell-shocked.

Forcing himself to snap out of it, put of the grieving for the moment, 'Remus' walked swiftly away, heading towards the nearest floo station.

Turning back quickly, he saw James still standing perfectly still, not even noticing 'Remus'' sudden departure.

I have to get help, 'Remus' thought painfully, tears finally falling down his face. Hogwarts needs help...

He was slamming all the doors that he went through, but he didn't care. He didn't even care about the rude comments shouted at him for making such a racket.

She was....she...

Not now! He chided himself, finally making it to the communication room and walking quickly to an empty fireplace. He dug in his pocket, almost mechanically and drew out a small knut, slipping it in the slot and being rewarded with a small amount of floo powder deposited in the tray.

Throwing caution to the wind, he bent down, sticking his head into the raised fireplace and dropping the pinch of powder onto the logs. The flames sprang to live and he called out "Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Auror Headquarters!"

At once the office of the two Order Members swirled into existence. 'Remus' was relieved to see Gideon sitting at his desk writing something.

"Gideon!" he called out, startling the Auror who swirled in his chair, eyebrows raising when he saw 'Remus'.

"Remus?" He immediately got up, crouching down to the fire level. "Are you alright?"

"No..." Remus shook his head. "No, I'm not right now, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. Gideon, Hogwarts is under attack."

Gideon's surprise was practically tangible and he jumped back a bit, disbelieving. "You can't be serious."

"I barely got out in time. I was able to see the floo be blocked right as I whisked out of there...Dumbledore sent me to get help."

"How long ago was this?" Gideon had gotten up and was rushing around the room, grabbing things and stuffing papers away.

'Remus' hesitated. "Hard to tell, maybe fifteen minutes?" 'Remus' felt his hands shaking from the built up tension and he knew his powder was running out anyway. "Look, Gideon, I...I have to go deal with something else right now." He almost chocked on his words. "But they're going to need help. Merlin, they need help now."

"I'm on it, Remus," he finally grabbed his wand off his desk, shoving it in the holster in his arm and grabbing his Auror cloak with the spells and enchantments to help protect them. He turned, giving the werewolf one last look mixed of disbelief and determination. 'Remus' knew he had made the right choice in who to contact.

"Don't just go yourself," 'Remus' pleaded. "Dumbledore said it was Voldemort himself."

"What?" Gideon snapped.

"Please, Gideon, I've got to go...but please, go help them, please. Much more is at stake here than a children's school."

Gideon nodded. "Hogwarts is like a second home to me, Remus, we'll keep her safe."

At that moment his floo ran out and he was once again back in the fireplace at St. Mungo's. He didn't move though,

"No...it's much more than that," 'Remus' whispered to the empty fireplace. "Much more than anyone could understand. Even me."

----

Sirius grabbed Harry, pulling him into the hospital wing, Remus following right behind and slamming the door shut, all of them breathing heavily. They were all deathly silent, waiting.

Harry's aching moan pulled them out of their shock and Sirius suddenly realized that he was supporting almost all of his godson's weight. Glancing down, Sirius saw a fresh trickle of blood running down Harry's face from his scar and Harry's eyes were shut tight, his body stiffening slightly as he tried to stand, but couldn't seem to hold his own weight.

Moving fast, Sirius picked him up completely, setting him on the nearest bed. Harry, however, didn't quite agree with that plan of action. He roughly pushed Sirius back, scrambling off the bed.

"Harry, stop it! You're not strong enough-"

"Shut it, Sirius," Harry growled back, his face still etched in pain as he waved off his godfather's worry. "He's coming here."

"What?" Sirius and Remus said at the same time.

They were answered by the door bursting open. Lord Voldemort had arrived.

----

If it weren't for the constant pain in his forehead, Harry wouldn't have had any clue who the man in front of his was. Voldemort looked nothing like the ghost of a man that Harry knew from his time. The man in front of him was most definitely human, his sharp and fairly pale features gave him a sort of aristocratic air, and his head of dark black hair made Harry think of the Tom Riddle he had met in the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago. He was easily able to make the connection between the two.

Voldemort was grinning wickedly, two Death Eaters on either side of him who were both staring with wide eyes at Harry.

"Harry Potter...." Voldemort's voice wasn't any different, and Harry cursed the day he first heard it. "I've been anticipating this meeting for quite some time..."

"I'll bet you have," Harry sneered back, blinking the stars out of his eyes as his head continued to pound. How was he supposed to be able to fight when he couldn't even see straight? "Always helps to have a rat around to do your dirty work."

Voldemort chuckled. "It always amazed me that nobody figured it out before. Pettigrew does seem the type, doesn't he?"

Harry's head finally seemed to be getting a hold of itself and he stood up straighter, not replying to Voldemort's taunts. He glanced quickly to the death eaters, but could not make out their faces as they were wearing masks.

"The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord.....tsk, tsk, is that really you, Harry Potter?" Voldemort began walking toward him and Harry saw Remus and Sirius both jump in front, their wands steadily pointing towards the Dark Lord. He stopped walking, raising an eyebrow at them. "Sirius Black if I'm not mistaken and...ah, Remus Lupin too, of course." He smiled. It would have been a welcoming and cheerful smile on a normal person, but on his face it just looked evil. "Come back to stop your little friend? Come back to save your worthless lovers from their fate?" He turned to Sirius. "How is your father?"

Sirius didn't reply, much to his own credit, merely glared.

Voldemort sighed. "It does seem a pity to think that I wasn't able to destroy all of the famous Marauders. Though, by what I hear about the future it didn't make a different anyway."

"Let them go, Tom," came a firm voice.

Voldemort turned and Harry relaxed just a bit as he saw Dumbledore standing out in the hallway looking perfectly calm, staring straight at Voldemort.

"But I've just gotten here, Dumbledore. Be a good host and wait outside."

Voldemort casually flicked his wand towards Dumbledore, but Dumbledore was too fast and erected a shield just as the light from Voldemort's wand was about to hit him.

"I will not have you endangering my students, Tom, past or present."

Dumbledore's voice was the same tone it had been when he fought in the Ministry of Magic in the future. Calm, cool, collected and not the least bit worried. Harry could practically see the annoyance creeping off Voldemort.

Seeing that Voldemort's back was to him, Harry quickly fired off a stunning curse that struck Voldemort in the back, surprising Harry immensely, but continuing to surprise him as it merely made him stumble a bit and he whirled around, sending a body binding curse at Harry that Sirius quickly deflected.

"Is that the best you can do, Harry?" Voldemort taunted.

Three curses were thrown at him at the same time, Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius aiming true, but Voldemort merely disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing a few feet away, still smirking.

"Ganging up on me are you? How un-Gryffindor like."

"You're the one who brought your little minions in with you," Harry said harshly, motioning to the useless Death Eaters who now had their wands trained on the four of them.

That seemed to hit a small nerve as Voldemort's temper flared and he fired off a round of spells towards Remus and Sirius. Harry attempted to block them, but his shield didn't do nearly enough, and Remus and Sirius had not been prepared. Both of were knocked off their feet.

"No!" Harry cried, watching them both fly into the back wall, unconscious.

Dumbledore at once called out his name but at the same time Harry heard a group of voices shout some curses and he whipped back around just as Voldemort fired a curse towards him and this time was able to get his shield strong enough to deflect it.

Voldemort chuckled and Harry was pained to see that Dumbledore had apparently been the target for the stunners and was collapsed behind Voldemort. Harry couldn't see if he was breathing. His heart skipped a beat.

"Now it's just you and me, Harry. Fair enough odds, wouldn't you say?"

Harry swore at him violently, causing him to just chuckle even more. He felt like he was in fourth year all over again.

He glanced over at the Death Eaters again, wondering if any of them were the same ones he had met that night.

"Stupify!"

"Avada Kadavra!"

The simultaneous cries rang through the castle and Harry wasn't that startled to see the wands connect with a bright flash of light. Not wasting the time that he had last time, he wrenched his wand free, panting and shaking from the effort, and fired another curse towards Voldemort.

Too startled by the connection, which he hadn't seen before, Voldemort wasn't quick enough to stop Harry's slashing curse and a large gash appeared in his right arm.

His smile finally dropped.

"So very close to dark magic, Harry. Just what did that old fool teach you in the future?"

"Enough," Harry snarled back, holding his wand out defensively.

"Obviously."

Another volley of curses headed towards him, making him panic slightly, erecting his shield and trying to navigate around to the other side of the nearby hospital bed. He blocked all but one, a Cruciatus curse. Harry fell to the floor, screaming in pain, his wand falling from his hands as his body twisted in pain.

As soon as it was lifted, he took a sharp breath, scrambling for his wand, but was hit by another one, even harsher.

But on top of Voldemort's laughter, a half a dozen firm voices shouted together.

"Stupify!"

----

James knew he was having trouble breathing, but something so trivial didn't seem like that big of a deal at the moment. He vaguely heard 'Remus' rush away, but still couldn't seem to find the strength to move at all. His mind just kept replaying the words.

She's dead, she's dead ...

The tears he had been trying to hold back from 'Sirius'' report were not longer even attempting to stay back. His face was pouring with tears and he finally felt his knees give out.

He landed hard on the ground, his knees taking most of the impact, but he couldn't feel the pain. He felt too much emotional pain to be thinking of anything physical.

Arianna...she had been like a sister to him. Merlin, she had been his best friend's fiancé...she was going to be 'Sirius'' wife!

His face finally fell into his hands and his shoulders bobbed slightly as he thought not of Arianna, but of 'Sirius'.

----

That was how 'Remus' found him when he came back. Kneeling on the cold floor, continual tears running down his face as his grief came pouring out. 'Remus'' own tears were now just a single trickle as he seemed to be able to get control of himself. He had managed to send off a short note to Hogwarts, praying that one of the time travelers would be able to get it and get over here to help him and James. He didn't know how strong either of them was going to be for the next little while.

He gently reached down, pulling James up and setting him on the chair, leaving an arm around his shoulders.

"What are we going to tell him?" James whispered between his lingering sobs that were starting to die down. "How can we tell him?"

'Remus' did not have an answer.

----

Still shaking with the after effects of the curse, Harry lifted his head up, looking around to where Voldemort had been moments before, and saw only a wisp of smoke. His breathing was irregular and his heart was beating out of control as he propped himself up on his arm gingerly, not moving too fast.

He finally noticed the other people in the room. The one's who had apparently chased Voldemort away.

Auror's...

A tall red-haired man came around Harry's left side and reached down, helping him to his feet.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking, kid? Going up to him alone?" The man said in a slightly shocked voice.

Shaking away the dizziness, Harry squinted, looking up at the man. He looked slightly familiar, but Harry was sure he hadn't met him from anywhere. "Is Dumbledore dead?" he blurted out.

The man smiled. "Far from it. He just got knocked out by at least four stunner as the same time. He'll be alright though, along with your two friends over there." He motioned to the far wall where Harry saw a few Auror's reviving Sirius and Remus. "You, however, need to go lie in one of those beds until one of our medics can check you out."

Harry didn't quite have the strength to argue so he allowed himself to be led over to one of the beds and sat on it quietly, taking the opportunity to look around at what had been left behind.

He saw a dozen or so Auror's rushing around the room, a few binding two of the Death Eaters who obviously hadn't gotten away, another few talking to an exhausted Dumbledore and another few looking as if they were interrogating Remus and Sirius who both looked rather puzzled about what was going on.

Jumping off the bed, Harry quickly went over to them.

"Young man, you are to stay on that bed until you get checked out," the same red haired man said firmly.

"Gideon, stop being a git," Sirius sighed, holding a hand to his head in exasperation.

Harry searched for the name, trying to remember where he had heard it before.

Gideon turned to him in surprise. "Do I know you?"

"Merlin, you are going to make me die young, Sirius," Remus mumbled, looking as if he wanted to smack Sirius for what he had said.

Sirius did color a bit, realizing his mistake too late. "Just heard about you from Dumbledore, that's all," he said in a would-be casual voice.

Gideon didn't look convinced. "Sir, you still haven't answered the question. Who are you and what are you doing at Hogwarts?"

"I will answer that one Mr. Prewett," Dumbledore's voice cut in and he walked up behind them, giving Gideon a gentle smile. "These are my guests here at Hogwarts for the time being."

Dumbledore vouching for them did seem to calm Gideon down a bit, but he still looked at Sirius skeptically, and then looked over at Remus. "I could have sworn...no, never mind." He turned back to Dumbledore. "How are you feeling sir?"

"Just like new, perfectly grand, I assure you," Dumbledore said, regaining the twinkle in his eyes, and clapping Gideon on the shoulder, starting to lead him away. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for you and your men's quick response to our call..."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Harry felt himself being pulled into a sharp hug from Sirius and then by Remus.

"Calm down you two," Harry said, pulling back and smiling as best he could through his exhaustion. "I'm fine."

"Don't do that again, Harry," Sirius said in a firm voice.

"I can't control it, Sirius," Harry replied, a bit annoyed. "No one can."

Sirius' eyes flickered up to Harry's scar and he sighed. "You're right...I was just-"

"-worried, I know," Harry said with a melancholy smile. He glanced over to Remus. "I think I'm the one that's making you guys go grey so early."

"Grey, me?" Sirius said skeptically, grabbing a piece of his hair and trying to examine it in front of his eyes.

Remus chuckled, reaching down to grab Harry in a short hug again. "Sorry we weren't there for you," he whispered.

"It wasn't your fault," Harry argued, pulling away. "I have to face him alone anyway."

Sirius and Remus both stopped at those words and simply stared at Harry, unnerving him a bit.

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

They turned to see Dumbledore walking up to them, no smile on his face.

"We've just received a note from Remus and Sirius at St. Mungo's."