Menage a Quatre

Chapter 2

Antoine and company stood outside 12 Grimmuald Place, awestruck and dumbfounded in disbelief. They had walked out in what Thaddeus called their 'Muggle Best', which didn't seem that different from which he and Kristoff usually wore. Actually, it wasn't. He always found robes an invitation to trip, and at the least, preferred Muggle clothing. At least, though, Veridian got rid of the robes that made her look like a boy and switched them for a pair of jeans and t-shirt that announced that she was a witch and would turn the nearest person into a frog. Amusing, if it wasn't true. From the large robes of many pockets, he donned a full length duster and cargo pants with more and a sweater.

"Ver, I don't get it...you always were telling me from your stay at school, that Dumbledore HATED the Dark Arts and those who practiced them," Antoine said in a slow, measured tone, "and yet, we are in front of a house that looks like it belongs to the blackest of wizards, and this is the place he sent us to?

"Maybe it's damn good camouflage," Veridian said, annoyed. "Hell if I know." Truth be told, she always had like the kindly master of Hogwarts back when she was a Ravenclaw. This confused, and truth be told, dismayed her.

"Twine, Sugar, Mice Breath, perhaps someone should knock or ring the doorbell?" Thaddeus asked quietly.

Antoine decided if a place like this was hidden as such, ringing the doorbell might be what one would call trapped and called an occupational hazard. He proceeded to knock using the serpent knocker, and turned around, wiping his hands on his pants. "A serpent. Lovely. Is Salazar Slytherin himself going to greet us, because it damn well looks like he designed the house!"

"I think," said an amused voice behind him, "if you are waiting for Salazar Slytherin, you have probably the wrong house." A man with a long beard waited there, taking out a instrument that looked like a lighter, which snuffed out the light in the street, with clear blue eyes in half moon spectacles. He was smiling, like someone's benign own grandfather, showing his years of experience. Antoine almost shit himself on the stoop. He damn well knew who this was, who in the wizarding community didn't?

"I'm so sorry, sir, if I knew you there—I mean, I didn't know it was you..." Antoine felt himself grow hot and flush red.

"Who did you think it was, Antoine, the Muggle Santa Claus?" quipped Veridian, amid laughter from Krystoff, Thaddeus and Dumbledore himself. "Headmaster, would you object a hug from one of your old students?"

"Not at all, my dear, and it is alright, Antoine, I have heard you, out of all the Quarte, had a particularly acid tongue, rather amusing, actually." Dumbledore smiled and Veridian exchanged a hug. "My apologies, Krystoff, Thaddeus, do come in, do come in..."

They managed to scrunch into the entrance way. Antoine was stunned. This man, the legendary Albus Dumbledore, apparently did his homework.

He heard Thaddeus mutter as if he read Antoine's mind, "It gives you the upper hand to know who you're dealing with," and Antoine didn't want to think about a situation where the Quarte would need the upper hand against the legendary Albus Dumbledore. It seemed that the legendary master of Hogwarts had the upper hand now as he lead them through the dark, dank house to the kitchen.

"Don't worry, An, this is the older model," said Krystoff cheerfully. "I think the torture rack and the thumbscrews came with the later editions of this house."

Antoine was about to say something as they entered the kitchen. It was a cavernous room with stone walls. There was a light from a fire from one end of the room, and it was standing room only until one sat down, which there were only five chairs vacant, one at the head of the table, and the remaining at the door for the Quarte. Damn, this guy was good, thought Antoine, almost too good.

"Antoine. There are two other teachers here," Veridian whispering, indicating with her head, "Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape." McGonagall seemed to be a matronly woman who looked at the Quatre strictly, (but was that a smile on her face when Veridian waved to her?) and Snape was a man with a hawk-like nose and long greasy hair. Antoine felt that he was about to receive a detention from McGonagall, and disliked Snape immediately. It didn't help when the man opened his mouth. "Dumbledore, why are these...people here in the first place?" Antoine had to suppress the urge to try his luck at hexing him immediately. "They are not members of the Order, and they do their work for money." Snape said the last like describing a prostitution ring.

Antoine was about to curse the man out, to say something, but was shocked when Krystoff beat him to it. "Excuse me? We save muggle villages from trolls, giants and God only knows what, two of our members were attacked by a dementor, we travel from our offices in Paris to London on your guys' say so, and you have a problem with what we FUCKING DO FOR A LIVING?!"

Antoine thought, we're dead. We are dead. Krystoff pissed them all off and they're gonna kill us all. That's when he heard the sound from across the table from Snape's sneering face, a full-bodied sad chuckle that Antoine thought, even with the tired sounding rasp, was rather charming. A wizard in shabby clothing and was graying quickly, gaunt and pale, "He's right, Snape, history of the Order holds true in this case when you do not explain anything, people have a right to be angry," Did he look at Dumbledore when he said that? Brave man. The shabby wizard continued, "We owe them an explanation before condemnation."

"Perhaps you could get along with these people, Lupin," snorted Snape, "because you hold out to find your long lost cousin. The rest of us, I assure you, do not want to contract a case of fleas.." He sneered and Lupin's wand came out, followed by Snape. Antoine fingered his wand on his belt, knowing which one he wanted to win.

"That's enough!" called out McGonagall. "If you two want to brawl like children, we cannot stop you, but you are not going to do it here!" Antoine was impressed. She made both of them sit down without more than angry glares at each other.

Dumbledore signaled for silence, and all of them were immediately transfixed on him. The man's calm charisma and power were compelling. "The Order of the Phoenix is here to obtain the Quarte's advice," he said slowly, "on what to do about Voldemort." Antoine noted at least, he wasn't the only one to cringe at the name. Lupin didn't, though, and it fascinated Antoine. Dumbledore continued, and Antoine paid rapt attention. "We owe you answers, Krystoff Ravenfeather, and I apologize on behalf of the Order, and I assure you did not come to England in vain. Allow me then, to introduce the members of the Order that are present. On my left is Minvera McGongall, Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts..."

He continued around the table, giving at least ten introductions. Next to McGongall was Snape, which Antoine found out was the Potions master, there was an Auror named Tonks with pink bubblegum hair and rather disturbing violet eyes, a large black wizard name Kingsley Shacklebolt next to her, a man who nearly took two chairs with a shock of dark black hair and beard, and was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and the groundskeeper, Ruebus Hagrid, almost the entire adult Weasley clan was present, Remus Lupin, the shabby looking wizard who argued with Snape before, and a man who's eye was evidently fake and shifted, was Alastor Moody, the most famous (and from what Antoine heard, the most paranoid) Auror the Ministry of Magic ever had, sitting on Dumbledore's right.

Thaddeus stood up, and nodded, "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I will introduce the Quatre to you. I am Thaddeus Shordshere, leader of the Quarter, and the resident expert at combating the Dark Arts and other forms of combat, including Muggle styles of fighting. This lovely lady, my wife, is Veridian Marcus, resident expert on Charms and Herbology, which is very useful when your rampaging monster is a rampaging plant. This young snot"--he grinned at Krystoff, who got up and performed a deep bow--"is Krystoff Ravenfeather, our resident Transfiguration expert, and a registered Animagus, and last, but not least, since he would get pissy, is our brooding, arrogant Frenchman, Antoine Merkathe, founding member of the Quarte, of famous Seer blood, and our resident Potions and Divination expert."

Snape shot snidely, "If he's anything like Miss Marcus was in school, it's a wonder that you're not all dead now."

Thaddeus snarled and turned a delicate shade of crimson. "What did you say about my wife, sir?"

"That only in comparison to such outrageously bad students that I have now from Gryffindor, she was the most abysmal Potions student I've ever had in a class," Snape said coolly.

"Calm down, Thad. He's telling the truth," Veridian said calmly and rather coolly as well, "however, if you sat through Snape's Potions class, you wouldn't feel motivated either."

McGonagall's mouth turned into a single line. "I hardly see what this pointless conversation has to do with anything, Professor, Mrs. Marcus."

"Can we get to the bottom of this?" sighed Antoine tiredly, both physically and of this pointless bickering. "I'd like to be able to leave here without the aid of a cane, si vous plait."

There were a few chuckles at that, and then Dumbledore said, seriously, "As you well should know, Voldemort is back, and we have very good information that he is interested in building an army and that his Death Eaters are bewitching and training a group of marauding trolls to terrorize wizards."

Thaddeus nodded. "Makes sense. Trolls are hard to Stun, but stupid enough to control, are fairly numerous and strong, not well taken care of by the current Ministry of Magic, and aren't too hard to train, or bribe to maintain loyalty in non magical ways."

"We would like the Quarte, with their training in such matters," Dumbledore continued quietly, "to contain the troll threat as much as possible, and find possible methods of subdual or ways to defeat such a force."

"Wait, there's more to this, isn't there?" Antoine said, quietly, finally getting what this meeting is all about. "Not that dealing with trolls in any manner isn't challenging, but blowing your cover to us with what could have been done through owl post and a sack of gold with a note telling us where to pick the rest up, seems rather foolish, if not stupid." Antoine got a few glares, mostly from Snape, but saw Dumbledore's small smile as he said this.

"We reckon," said Hagrid, "that this isn't the first group of critters to be affected, nor will it be the last. The giants have already begun to serve You Know Who's Death Eaters," he sighed and continued in his rough accent, "the Order wants to you find these creatures and free them from You Know Who, any way..." Antoine thought Hagrid was going to cry, and oddly, found his heart going out to the huge man. "Any way you can."

Antoine blinked as it rolled over him like a wave. "You're talking about subjugation of not just magical creatures, but intelligent magical creatures...slavery, spying and destroying an army by any means possible..." He drew in another breath and continued, "You're not talking about enticing these trolls away from villagers...you're talking about acts of war!"

"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Indeed we are."