Harry Potter and the Rise of Hope

Chapter Twelve

Rats and Bludgers

Somebody must have heard her because the next moment the room was in caos. Marnea went directly for her wand as she threw her self under several hexes and Sirius bolted after Pettigrew. Wormtail however was too fast. The man changed himself into his rat for and bolted threw a crack in the wall.

Sirius wheeled around just in time to see Marnea thrown through a small table and into a rather large are chair, which promptly turned over trapping her beneath. Unable to reach the Arorer's dropped wand, which lay beneath a bookshelf, and unable to do anything with it even if he could, Sirius did the only thing possible with out transforming. Leaping at the remaining Death eater Sirius clamped his jaws around the man's wrist, sending the prepared spell into the ceiling. There was a crash as the rest of the raid party entered the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ginny I can't do this! I can't fly!" Ginny only grinned at her friend's hysterics.

"You're the only one besides Deven who can even hit a Bludger. Are you going to chicken out and cost us the Cup?"

"Gin you know that's not what . . ."

"Then get on that broom. We have only an hour before the Slytherin team gets the field, and we need to get you comfortable in the air!" Arora took the broom and kicked off, still treating it like a wild horse. Ginny sighed. Arora, being a Pureblood, knew of course how to fly, she wasn't even afraid of heights! But having never understood the purpose of Quidditch the other girl was going to make things as difficult as possible.

"You ok up there?"

"Uh yeah, I guess."

"Ok I'm releasing the Bludgers here's your club!" she tossed the piece of equipment up to Arora and hit the dirt just as the Bludger's flew out of the box.

"Ginny Help!'

"Use the club!" Ginny climbed to her feet. Where was the rest of the team when you needed them?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sirius stood in Moody's office going over exactly what he had seen. Well smelled actually. The dogs nose had been most effective in picking up the scents of the Death Eaters who had seemingly vanished. It was a miracle they had even been able to catch Walden McNaire! He was just finishing his report when there was a knock on the door. In a flash he was again snuffles. Moving to lie on a rug in front of the fireplace he watched as Marnea Gryil walked in.

She took the chair Alastor offered her and sat drumming her finger's on the arms. Abruptly she frowned, got up, and began to pace.

"Is there something wrong Marnea?"

"No sir . . .yes . . .well not exactly!" She stopped pacing and turned to face him. "You see when we went to the Malfoy Manor this Morning I could have sworn I'd seen Peter Pettigrew among the Death Eaters!"

"I see no reason why you should not have."

"You mean he's . . . he's alive? But how?"

"There are a number of way's illegal Anamagi for one." Marnea nodded and then looked horrified.

"If Peter's alive, then who's responsible for the murder of those twelve Muggles?" She walked over and placed her hands on the back of the unoccupied chair. "I was an Obliviator on the squad that day! I saw the devastation, hear the accounts, but . . .It could have . . . been either one of them. If Blacks innocent of one murder!"

"You knew both of them correct?"

"Yes. Same house, though I was three years younger."

"And what's easier to believe? That the fault lies with Black? Or with Pettigrew?" Marnea moved around to stand directly in front of the desk.

"Black was James's best friend! Their secret Keeper! Unless . . .unless that's was they wanted us to think!" She paled and sank in to the chair as Moody nodded. Shuddering as if she had just swallowed something particularly nasty she stood and turned to go.

"Marnea?"

"Yes?"

"Would you take Snuffles with you? I have to be in France tomorrow morning and I'm afraid I just don't have time to take care of a dog."

"Yes sir. Come on Snuffles," she paused at the door, "goodnight Grandfather!"

"Goodnight."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry looked up as Ginny entered with Arora Grinning Ear to ear.

"So I take it you finally like Quidditch?"

"I didn't realize I'd get to beat up on the Slytherin Team!"

"What Happened?"

"They came onto the field while we were still practicing," Ginny laughed, "Arora sent a Bludger their way so we could land safely. The affect was rather like Muggle Bowling." Harry rolled his eyes and went back to his work, poring over the pages of an age-old Library book trying to find a reference to the orb of Santouri.