A Change of Plans

For another thing, I do not like this chapter. Chapter twelve is MUCH better, or at least what I have of it so far. It's not as bad as chapter nine, but it's pretty pathetic. I hope you'll read on anyway.

Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, who are still reading even though I'm an evil, evil author. You shall be rewarded. Those who put the secret word in their reviews will get chapter twelve early!!!!!!!!!! Here it is: forever.

And now, Happy Reading!!


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Chapter Eleven

For a second, everything was silent. Patsy had even stopped sobbing. Then Eugene spoke, in an oddly strangled voice.

"Honestly, Sirus, Patsy, Annie. This isn't funny!"

Annie ignored her mother. Eugene was just going to think this was some joke no matter what happened. But it wasn't a joke. Patsy's parents....she couldn't think about it. Something icy cold stabbed at her heart. A few hours ago she had been angry at Patsy because her dad was still alive....and now he wasn't.

Sirius was talking. Annie decided she probably should listen.

"...got to get out of here," he was saying. "We'll go through the fireplace."

"Sirus, you know as well as I do that there is no fireplace in this house! Stop playing! I'm sick of this joke!"

Sirius silenced her with a kiss. To her amazement, Annie did not cringe or feel angry. This, of all things, made her know that she had let go. Completely.

"I'll explain everything once we're out of here," he muttered to Eugene.

"But Sirus--"

But she never finished the sentence, because at that moment Patsy screamed.

"DUCK!"

And for the second time that night, a front door was blown away.

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Patsy had not heard a word that Sirius and Eugene had been saying. She seemed to have gone temporarily deaf. Her parents were dead. Dead. She had never even been able to say goodbye.

She had seen the shadow of at least three men outside Annie's door, and had known what would happen next.

She found her voice.

"DUCK!"

The door blew. She was flung up against the wall by the force of it. She slammed against it, and landed in a heap on the floor. She tried to stand but it felt like every bone in her body had been broken. She tasted blood; she must have bitten her tongue when she had been sent flying.

She managed to open her eyes and look around. The Death Eaters were splitting up, going around, searching for Sirius. She did not see him, but she saw Annie. It looked as if she had rolled out of the way just in time. She was lying, panting, on the floor. Eugene was nowhere to be seen.

Patsy managed to push herself to her feet. She teetered there for a moment, and then started to fall. Her knees would not support her. She grabbed hold of the wall as best she could in an attempt to stay upright. Across the room, she saw Annie doing the same, although her friend did not seem to need the wall.

Annie spotted Patsy, and limped over.

"You okay?" she whispered. Patsy nodded, although she was not.

"Yeah," she managed. "You?"

Annie, also, nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "Although I think my ankle's sprained. Where's Mom and Sirius?"

Patsy shrugged. Annie closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and grabbed Patsy's arm, swinging it over her own shoulders.

"Well, then, let's find them."

Patsy did not argue. She was too weak to even try. She only leaned on Annie, and allowed herself to be dragged into the dining room.

There they found Sirius.

He was dueling with all three Death Eaters. The table was in pieces and the chairs were strewn all over the floor. One had caught fire. Behind him, apparently unconscious, was Eugene.

"Mom!" Annie cried, trying to hurry over to her. She was unable to do so, what with her sprained ankle and Patsy's weight.

The battle froze for a moment, all whirling around to see who had entered the dining room. Then all the Death Eater's faces broke out in smiles, and Sirius's face turned a shade whiter.

"Girls," he hissed, "Get out of here! Now!"

"Mom's hurt!" cried Annie, who seemingly hadn't caught sight of the Death Eaters yet. "Sirius--"

She suddenly broke off. She had finally seen the Death Eaters. Her eyes widened, and she started to back up very slowly.

Patsy tried to move, but she was too sore and weak. Finally she hissed, "Annie, drop me! Go and find Floo Powder and run! You can make it!"

But either Annie did not hear her, or she ignored her completely. She just kept backing up, dragging Patsy.

All three Death Eaters pointed their wands at her. Sirius took their inattentiveness to his advantage and shouted "Impedimenta!". Then he turned around, grabbed both Annie and Patsy, and ran to the kitchen.

"We have seconds," he muttered, using his wand to transfigure the oven into a fireplace with one hand and hauling Annie and Patsy with the other. He started a fire and grabbed the Floo Powder. "I want you two to go. Go to James's. Quickly."

He tried to force then into the fire, but behind them, they heard a Death Eater's voice.

"Get back here, Black, or this pretty lady here gets it!"

Sirius's face turned ashen, but he did not budge, only kept trying to force the two girls into the fire. But Annie would not go.

"They're going to kill her, Sirius! Go and help her!"

"You have until three, dear cousin..." said another Death Eater, who was obviously Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I promised her I'd take care of you!" Sirius grunted at Annie, still trying to force her into the fire.

"One..."

"Go and save her!" cried Annie angrily.

"Two..."

Then there was the telltale flash of green light, and Bellatrix's voice once again floated into the kitchen.

"Oops...looks like my wand slipped!"

Then there were the sounds of three people running for the dining room.

Patsy came to her senses. She pulled Annie from behind, the force of which forced her into the fire. Then she jumped in behind her, and shouted "The Potters!"

And the last thing she heard before the whooshing of emerald green flames overtook her senses was Annie's disbelieving cry.