Neither Here Nor There: Chapter Eighteen
Jul. 21st, 2015 10:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_nightTitle: Neither Here Nor There
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: Eighteen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's been six months since the war, and everyone's ready to try moving on. Lyall Lupin and Andromeda Tonks are coming to terms with the death of their children, finding solace in one another - but how long can they stay close in the face of absence? Kingsley Shacklebolt is trying to lead a country that has been left bitter by war, so distrustful many even doubt him. And Hestia Jones is trying to harbor all she holds dear, which is hard when there's secrets she's never had the heart to reveal.
Characters: Lyall Lupin, Andromeda Tonks, Hestia Jones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Percy Weasley.
Pairings: Hestia/Kingsley, Percy/Audrey, established Harry/Ginny, past Remus/Tonks.
Their hiding place was in an old barn. There were so many of them that several had to sit on haylofts. Tonks dangled her legs, though not with ease. She was frowning.
"We should hurry," she told Kingsley, who was standing in the centre. "If Harry's there..."
"I understand, but first, two things. Number one, we do everything according to plan."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Number two, we must prepare for the possibility - and no one wants to think this, but it could very well happen - that Harry will be killed, and we will appear to have lost."
Hestia stole a glance at Ginny; she'd never seen anyone look so horrified and determined at once. Molly's face held a similar expression, and Hestia remembered that at this point, Molly didn't have seven children anymore. She had an eighth child she'd all but adopted, and the prospect of losing him was just as painful as losing the others.
"We will not lose, however. This is very important to remember. If we give in, we do a great injustice to those who have been lost, and worse yet, the results will be catastrophic. The Death Eaters aren't going to stop with killing Harry, or taking over the United Kingdom - we're their holdup to world domination. I am asking every one of you to fight with everything you have, no matter what."
Kingsley let his words sink in, then continued: "We will need some to remain here, as well as a few of the other holdings. Those havens are secure; let us keep them that way. I will let you coordinate that among yourselves and your families."
Hestia looked at her parents, Megan, Remus, Tonks and their parents.
"Remus and I will go," she said.
"What about me?" Tonks demanded.
"And me!" Megan added.
"No," Hestia said firmly. "Tonks, you've just had a baby. Megan, you're too young-"
"-I'm Harry's age!"
"You're not fit to fight right now," Remus was telling Tonks.
"Nor are you. You think I haven't noticed? This ordeal has taken a horrible toll on you..."
"I'm fit enough. Besides, we need an Auror at the base."
"The Aurors are the bad guys now, remember?"
"The fools who call themselves Aurors don't count for anything, Dora. You do. Stay here."
Lyall was staring at Remus. "Surely you can't really be going?'
"Dad, I have to."
"Dora's right, you're not yourself, you'll-"
"-Sirius once told Peter that he should have died, rather than betray his friends."
"It's not betrayal to be on the outlook!" Lyall exclaimed.
Hestia realized she was intruding on a private moment, so she quickly turned back to her parents and Megan.
If there was anything Hestia wanted more than anything, it was for Megan to stay. But Megan was in Dumbledore's Army. She'd signed up for the battle long before there was one. And she was one of the few Hogwarts students prepared for this.
"Megan and I will go," Hestia said. "I'll keep an eye on her." (Megan rolled her eyes.) "You two stay with Lyall, Andromeda and - and whoever stays with them."
Glynn and Phyills pulled both of their daughters into a hug; Hestia could feel her mother's shoulders shaking.
"Mum, don't..."
"Be careful, you hear me?" Phyllis sobbed. There was nothing worse than hearing a parent cry like that, and Hestia wished she would stop.
Kingsley poured over his speech, rolled it into a ball, and tossed it into the bin.
"That's inspiring," Hestia said from the other side of his desk, where she was doing her own paperwork after hours.
"I don't even know where to begin. I have to speak to everyone about the war."
"You and Harry both gave excellent speeches last year."
"It's different now. They weren't memories. It was all so raw. I don't want to pick at old wounds, but at the same time, I must say... I must say something."
Hestia took a sip of tea. "So say 'something' and walk off. You know our friends would've loved that."
Kingsley chuckled. "They would've. Alastor not so much, perhaps, but only because he'd be against such a gathering at all. Too much danger, see."
Hestia raised her teacup. "Constant vigilance."
"Constant vigilance." Kingsley raised his quill, for that was all he had.
"Perhaps you should say something about Dumbledore. I never liked what they said at his funeral. It wasn't him."
"Which is precisely what I'm afraid of. It's one thing to speak for our friends - but there's so many I never knew, or never knew well. How can I best commemorate them again, without insulting them, being untrue to the honour they would have wanted? And how can I..."
How can I go back to the feelings I've buried? Make us go back to the feelings we've all buried?
Hestia seemed to know what he was thinking. "I know, honey. It's difficult. But we haven't really left it all behind either, have we? I don't know about you, but it doesn't take much to bring me back to..."
She stopped. "It was all such a blur that there's only bits and pieces. But those bits and pieces stand out. Like what you said as we prepared to fight."
"I didn't say anything particularly-"
"-yes, you did. You kept us going, damn it! When You-Know-Who came back with Harry and said it was over, and we thought he was dead... I know your words rang through my ears. I'd just lost my best friend, I was thinking about how we could possibly break it to Lyall and Andromeda, and I could've been literally fighting a losing battle - but I kept going back to what you told us. In a way, I think it's still keeping us going."
Kingsley was very touched by Hestia's comment. "I was just doing what a leader does."
"Then do that again. Or get Percy Weasley to write it for you."
Kingsley laughed. "He doesn't work for me anymore, remember?"
"You know he'd stop at-"
But something had just occurred to Kingsley.
"Hold up," he said. "You're onto something."
Four days. Five, if you counted the night it started. Lyall wasn't sure how they were quantifying it, just that 2 May was the day they'd be having the anniversary proceedings.
Four days forward, one year back, they'd won, but Lyall had lost.
There was one who knew. Lyall wondered what had become of her. He missed Andromeda, but couldn't bring himself to contact her. At first he'd been too angry, now he was too abashed. He wondered if she felt the same.
It didn't explain why Lyall hadn't opened up to anyone else, either. Glynn Jones had contacted him on several occasions, but Lyall left the letters unopened. He went to work, but didn't make much conversation. He knew he was doing everything he'd criticized his son for, but in the end, maybe he would've been better off if he'd just pretended Remus didn't exist, the same way his parents seemed to have forgotten him. Act more like his son was distant family, so that when he'd died, his heart had been heavy, but not broken.
Andromeda would be giving him a disgusted look right about now.
"I'm the Slytherin," he could hear her saying, as though she was right there. "Leave those thoughts to me."
Hope would have been gentler, but no less firm. "Remember when I tried to leave, Lyall? When the war first started? You said 'no, no, Remus needs you. I need you.'"
"I should have let you go," Lyall muttered. "Then you'd still be-"
"-Mr. Lupin!" Hope sounded frantic now, and her voice was young...
Lyall snapped out of his daydream when he realized someone was banging on his door. He raced to it and drew it open.
Standing on his doorstep was Hilary and a boy about her age. He looked as bewildered as Hilary did frantic.
"Let us in, already!" Hilary snapped. Lyall quickly closed the door. They were both panting.
"We should call the police," the boy told her.
"Mr. Lupin, this is Nelson," Hilary explained.
"Ah, you're Nelson!" Lyall shook his hand. "How can I help you?"
"I don't know if you can, but - um..." Hilary stopped. "There was a man in weird robes like yours chasing us."
There was a knot in Lyall's stomach. "What?"
"Yeah, he said something that sounded Latin, and I swear there were sparks coming out of the stick he was holding," Nelson said. "We ducked instinctively and ran..."
"He looked like he was someone from that... middle ages reenactment group?" Hilary sounded hopeful, and Lyall could tell Nelson was unaware of what she knew. Not that Hilary knew much either - but she'd clearly worked out that the man was one of his.
"I think I know who it is," Lyall lied, trying to sound as though he thought it more of a nuisance than an outright emergency. "He's a nutter. Where was he?"
"C-Cardiff street."
"Okay. Hilary, there's a fellytone - telephone - in the basement. Next to it is a phonebook; call K. Shacklebolt. Tell him there's a..." Lyall scrambled for an explanation that wouldn't require her memory to be modified. "Just tell him Lyall told you to call, and say it's about the man with a skull tattoo on his wrist. Cardiff street. Then hang up. You may have to hook it up first." It was an old phone Hope had insisted on getting; Kingsley had one so he could contact the Muggle Prime Minister if need be. Lyall just hoped he was home....
"Shouldn't we just call the police?" Nelson asked.
"Let's GO!" Hilary shrieked at him, and she pulled him downstairs.
Lyall wasted no time in running the other way.
He ran past a group of elderly walkers who all turned to stare as he pushed them aside. He finally found the man approaching a house.
Rodolphus Lestrange.
"Leave them alone," Lyall said firmly.
Rodolphus turned. "No, I don't think so."
"They never hurt you, and anyway, the war is over."
"For you, perhaps. Not for me. Never for me. I will continue to do my master's work. I'll wait until they come home, though, they appear to be out. Maybe a family dinner." Rodolphous grinned gingerly.
"You're pathetic."
Lyall had never been good at dueling, but he had no choice. He raised his wand and yelled: "Expelliarmus!"
But Rodolphus was quicker, and soon, the two men were locked in a fight, shooting spells from their wands.
"Why are you even fighting?" Rodolphus asked. "I know who you are. You've lost everything."
"I could ask you the same, for the same reason."
"You could help me. Stop being a dunglicker-"
"-dunglicker? Hilary was right, you are medieval."
At that, Lyall's spell hit Rodolphus in the leg; he winced, but kept fighting even as he limped.
"You'll pay for that," he growled.
Lyall rolled his eyes. "How original." Where was the sarcasm coming from? Most likely Andromeda...
Lyall thought he heard a popping sound from a distance. He briefly looked over his shoulder, which was just enough time to feel agonizing pain.
Kingsley was eager to tell Hestia his idea. He'd promised her it would be over dinner, and he could tell from her face that she was holding in her curiosity.
They'd just been about to sit down when the phone rang.
"You still have that thing?" Hestia asked as Kingsley strode over to answer.
"Er - hello?" He said.
To his surprise, a teenage girl's voice was on the other end. "Is - is this K. Shacklebolt?"
"Yes... may I ask who's calling?"
"I'm Hilary, a friend of Lyall Lupin's. He told me to tell you there's a man .... there was a man chasing my boyfriend and I, and Lyall said to tell you - the tattoo with a skull - that was it. He must have a tattoo. He's on Cardiff street, or he was, god only knows..."
"Stay there," Kingsley instructed sharply. "Do you understand? We'll tell you when it's safe."
"Okay."
Kingsley hung up and, without explanation, sent a Patronus to Harry: "Death Eater on Cardiff street, near Lyall Lupin. Need help at once."
Hestia swore under her breath. "Let's go."
They Apparated outside of Lyall Lupin's house.
"I think Cardiff Street's that way," Hestia said.
"You think?"
"I don't know, it's been a while - we've got to try, anyhow!"
Sure enough, it came up halfway down the block. They turned the corner just in time to see Lyall fighting Rodolphus Lestrange. Behind them, Harry, Ginny, Luna, Ron, Hermione and Neville had apparated.
Neville...
Lyall turned, and as he did, a spell hit him. He collapsed on the ground, and Rodolphus let out a laugh.
Kingsley and Neville ran towards Rodolphus at the same time. Rodolphus pointed his wand at Kingsley and shouted: "Impedimenta!"
Kingsley fell briefly; when he stood back up, Rodolphus had run. Harry and his friends were chasing him, but none faster than Neville.
"Kingsley, we've got to get him to St. Mungo's," Hestia said from behind him.
"You mean Azkaban?"
"No - Lyall."
Kingsley turned. Lyall was still on the ground, and his breathing was pained.
"What happened?" Kingsley demanded as he knelt down to the man.
Lyall shook his head. "I don't - I don't-"
"You're going to be okay," Kingsley told him.
"Tell Andromeda - tell her I'm sorry -"
"Don't you dare talk like that!" Hestia gasped.
He magicked a stretcher, and Hestia helped him put Lyall on it. It was clear he was losing consciousness...
But they wouldn't lose him. They couldn't. Kingsley didn't know what he'd do if he lost yet another friend... not that he'd been much of one to Lyall, letting him alienate himself...
What the hell had they done?
"You follow the others," Kingsley told Hestia. "I'll get him to St. Mungo's. Being the Minister, I should be able to -"
"-just go, you dumb prat."
Lyall handed Andromeda a cup of tea. She thanked him with a curt nod.
It was seven o'clock in the morning, and there had been no news since hearing on the wireless that the war was over. While they'd allowed themselves a quiet celebration, they knew they couldn't be properly overjoyed until all they loved checked in safe and sound. Even Harry's family looked pensive. Well, not his uncle - but certainly his aunt and cousin. They hadn't been present for the meeting, of course, but they knew something was going on. Phyllis and Glynn Jones were on the sofa.
"I'm sure they're okay," Lyall told her.
"She's like him."
"Remus?"
"No." Andromeda shook her head. "Sirius. She loves so hard, she'll do anything. It used to worry me. Now I'm beyond that. Why'd we let her go? Why'd we even let him go?"
"They're not children anymore," Lyall reminded her. "They have one of their own now."
"Thank you. I haven't been thinking about that all night."
"What I'm trying to say is, they have wills and minds of their own. They wouldn't even listen to each other, remember?"
"I wish she realized I don't want anything to happen to him any more than she does," Andromeda said quietly. "He's family now. He always was family. If he comes back, I'll have to tell him."
"He will, so you can."
There was a knock at the door.
"I'll bet that's him now," Lyall said.
But when he opened it, Andromeda close behind him, it was Hestia who stood on the front steps.
"Hestia!" Phyllis ran to her daughter, then froze. "Where's-"
"-she's fine," Hestia said quickly, but Lyall could tell something or someone wasn't. "It's over. We won."
"We heard!"
"Yeah... Harry's okay, by the way," Hestia told Petunia, who'd been pretending not to be listening on the side of the wall.
Hestia looked at Andromeda and Lyall. Lyall could see that she'd been crying; her face was blotchy and her eyes were red.
There was no disputing it: one of them had lost their child. Judging from the stricken look on Andromeda's face, she knew t too, but she couldn't bear to ask. So Lyall did: "Which one of them was it?"
"We should sit-"
"-no. We're not going to be mollycoddled. Which. One. Of. Them?"
Phyllis and Glynn drew closer to Andromeda and Lyall.
Hestia said, with obvious effort, "both. They're both gone. I'm so sorry."
Hestia finally found Harry and his friends dueling Rodolphus. Neville was casting the most charms.
Rodolphus seemed determined to get him, and him alone. Hestia caught her breath when he yelled "Avada -"
But Hestia was faster: "Protego!"
Neville managed to summon ropes out of his wand; they ran around Rodolphus.
"Oh, what a pity the duel's been canceled," Ron Weasley said grimly. "Maybe we'll continue when you're no longer tied up."
Everyone looked at Hestia.
"The six of you are on top of everything, aren't you?" Hestia remarked.
"No, we're at the bottom of things," a young woman piped up. Hestia didn't know her; she had dark blonde hair and grey eyes. "We get to the bottom of things before anyone has to. Well. Most of the time."
Hestia remembered there was a muggle teenager hiding in Lyall's house. "Have you two got this, then? I need to dash-"
"-yes, we're fine. Thank you, Hestia," Ginny said.
Hestia hurried to Lyall's house. It only occurred to her that she didn't even know her name.
"Er - hello?" Hestia called.
She thought she heard movement in the basement, and added, "I'm a friend of Lyall's and - and Kingsley Shacklebolt's. It's okay."
Not one, but two teenagers came through the basement door. A boy and a girl.
"Are you two okay?" Hestia asked.
The girl nodded. "He - he didn't get us. Is the man gone?"
"Yes, we contacted the authorities," Hestia said. "He's been arrested."
"Where's Mr. Lupin?"
Hestia paused. She didn't know how much the girl knew, or should know... were either of them wizards or connected with their world? Did they know anything at all? Even if they did, was it really a good idea to tell them she wasn't sure?
"He's at the hospital," Hestia replied gently.
The girl's eyes widened. "Is he going to be okay?"
"The Heal - doctors are doing everything they can. Can I ask how you know Mr. Lupin?"
"We're neighbours. Nelson's never met him, we were just passing by when that mad man started chasing us."
"Okay."
"Tell - tell Mr. Lupin I hope he feels better," the girl said. Her face was pale. "And tell him I took his advice, about Nelson. He's made me a better person."
"Have I?" Nelson asked with a grin.
"Oh, shut up," she snapped.
Hestia waited for them to leave, then quickly put Floo powder into the fireplace. After a few minutes, Andromeda's head appeared.
"Hestia?"
"Hi. You need to come to St. Mungo's straight away. Lyall's been badly hurt."
Fandom: Harry Potter
Chapter: Eighteen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It's been six months since the war, and everyone's ready to try moving on. Lyall Lupin and Andromeda Tonks are coming to terms with the death of their children, finding solace in one another - but how long can they stay close in the face of absence? Kingsley Shacklebolt is trying to lead a country that has been left bitter by war, so distrustful many even doubt him. And Hestia Jones is trying to harbor all she holds dear, which is hard when there's secrets she's never had the heart to reveal.
Characters: Lyall Lupin, Andromeda Tonks, Hestia Jones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Percy Weasley.
Pairings: Hestia/Kingsley, Percy/Audrey, established Harry/Ginny, past Remus/Tonks.
Their hiding place was in an old barn. There were so many of them that several had to sit on haylofts. Tonks dangled her legs, though not with ease. She was frowning.
"We should hurry," she told Kingsley, who was standing in the centre. "If Harry's there..."
"I understand, but first, two things. Number one, we do everything according to plan."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Number two, we must prepare for the possibility - and no one wants to think this, but it could very well happen - that Harry will be killed, and we will appear to have lost."
Hestia stole a glance at Ginny; she'd never seen anyone look so horrified and determined at once. Molly's face held a similar expression, and Hestia remembered that at this point, Molly didn't have seven children anymore. She had an eighth child she'd all but adopted, and the prospect of losing him was just as painful as losing the others.
"We will not lose, however. This is very important to remember. If we give in, we do a great injustice to those who have been lost, and worse yet, the results will be catastrophic. The Death Eaters aren't going to stop with killing Harry, or taking over the United Kingdom - we're their holdup to world domination. I am asking every one of you to fight with everything you have, no matter what."
Kingsley let his words sink in, then continued: "We will need some to remain here, as well as a few of the other holdings. Those havens are secure; let us keep them that way. I will let you coordinate that among yourselves and your families."
Hestia looked at her parents, Megan, Remus, Tonks and their parents.
"Remus and I will go," she said.
"What about me?" Tonks demanded.
"And me!" Megan added.
"No," Hestia said firmly. "Tonks, you've just had a baby. Megan, you're too young-"
"-I'm Harry's age!"
"You're not fit to fight right now," Remus was telling Tonks.
"Nor are you. You think I haven't noticed? This ordeal has taken a horrible toll on you..."
"I'm fit enough. Besides, we need an Auror at the base."
"The Aurors are the bad guys now, remember?"
"The fools who call themselves Aurors don't count for anything, Dora. You do. Stay here."
Lyall was staring at Remus. "Surely you can't really be going?'
"Dad, I have to."
"Dora's right, you're not yourself, you'll-"
"-Sirius once told Peter that he should have died, rather than betray his friends."
"It's not betrayal to be on the outlook!" Lyall exclaimed.
Hestia realized she was intruding on a private moment, so she quickly turned back to her parents and Megan.
If there was anything Hestia wanted more than anything, it was for Megan to stay. But Megan was in Dumbledore's Army. She'd signed up for the battle long before there was one. And she was one of the few Hogwarts students prepared for this.
"Megan and I will go," Hestia said. "I'll keep an eye on her." (Megan rolled her eyes.) "You two stay with Lyall, Andromeda and - and whoever stays with them."
Glynn and Phyills pulled both of their daughters into a hug; Hestia could feel her mother's shoulders shaking.
"Mum, don't..."
"Be careful, you hear me?" Phyllis sobbed. There was nothing worse than hearing a parent cry like that, and Hestia wished she would stop.
Kingsley poured over his speech, rolled it into a ball, and tossed it into the bin.
"That's inspiring," Hestia said from the other side of his desk, where she was doing her own paperwork after hours.
"I don't even know where to begin. I have to speak to everyone about the war."
"You and Harry both gave excellent speeches last year."
"It's different now. They weren't memories. It was all so raw. I don't want to pick at old wounds, but at the same time, I must say... I must say something."
Hestia took a sip of tea. "So say 'something' and walk off. You know our friends would've loved that."
Kingsley chuckled. "They would've. Alastor not so much, perhaps, but only because he'd be against such a gathering at all. Too much danger, see."
Hestia raised her teacup. "Constant vigilance."
"Constant vigilance." Kingsley raised his quill, for that was all he had.
"Perhaps you should say something about Dumbledore. I never liked what they said at his funeral. It wasn't him."
"Which is precisely what I'm afraid of. It's one thing to speak for our friends - but there's so many I never knew, or never knew well. How can I best commemorate them again, without insulting them, being untrue to the honour they would have wanted? And how can I..."
How can I go back to the feelings I've buried? Make us go back to the feelings we've all buried?
Hestia seemed to know what he was thinking. "I know, honey. It's difficult. But we haven't really left it all behind either, have we? I don't know about you, but it doesn't take much to bring me back to..."
She stopped. "It was all such a blur that there's only bits and pieces. But those bits and pieces stand out. Like what you said as we prepared to fight."
"I didn't say anything particularly-"
"-yes, you did. You kept us going, damn it! When You-Know-Who came back with Harry and said it was over, and we thought he was dead... I know your words rang through my ears. I'd just lost my best friend, I was thinking about how we could possibly break it to Lyall and Andromeda, and I could've been literally fighting a losing battle - but I kept going back to what you told us. In a way, I think it's still keeping us going."
Kingsley was very touched by Hestia's comment. "I was just doing what a leader does."
"Then do that again. Or get Percy Weasley to write it for you."
Kingsley laughed. "He doesn't work for me anymore, remember?"
"You know he'd stop at-"
But something had just occurred to Kingsley.
"Hold up," he said. "You're onto something."
Four days. Five, if you counted the night it started. Lyall wasn't sure how they were quantifying it, just that 2 May was the day they'd be having the anniversary proceedings.
Four days forward, one year back, they'd won, but Lyall had lost.
There was one who knew. Lyall wondered what had become of her. He missed Andromeda, but couldn't bring himself to contact her. At first he'd been too angry, now he was too abashed. He wondered if she felt the same.
It didn't explain why Lyall hadn't opened up to anyone else, either. Glynn Jones had contacted him on several occasions, but Lyall left the letters unopened. He went to work, but didn't make much conversation. He knew he was doing everything he'd criticized his son for, but in the end, maybe he would've been better off if he'd just pretended Remus didn't exist, the same way his parents seemed to have forgotten him. Act more like his son was distant family, so that when he'd died, his heart had been heavy, but not broken.
Andromeda would be giving him a disgusted look right about now.
"I'm the Slytherin," he could hear her saying, as though she was right there. "Leave those thoughts to me."
Hope would have been gentler, but no less firm. "Remember when I tried to leave, Lyall? When the war first started? You said 'no, no, Remus needs you. I need you.'"
"I should have let you go," Lyall muttered. "Then you'd still be-"
"-Mr. Lupin!" Hope sounded frantic now, and her voice was young...
Lyall snapped out of his daydream when he realized someone was banging on his door. He raced to it and drew it open.
Standing on his doorstep was Hilary and a boy about her age. He looked as bewildered as Hilary did frantic.
"Let us in, already!" Hilary snapped. Lyall quickly closed the door. They were both panting.
"We should call the police," the boy told her.
"Mr. Lupin, this is Nelson," Hilary explained.
"Ah, you're Nelson!" Lyall shook his hand. "How can I help you?"
"I don't know if you can, but - um..." Hilary stopped. "There was a man in weird robes like yours chasing us."
There was a knot in Lyall's stomach. "What?"
"Yeah, he said something that sounded Latin, and I swear there were sparks coming out of the stick he was holding," Nelson said. "We ducked instinctively and ran..."
"He looked like he was someone from that... middle ages reenactment group?" Hilary sounded hopeful, and Lyall could tell Nelson was unaware of what she knew. Not that Hilary knew much either - but she'd clearly worked out that the man was one of his.
"I think I know who it is," Lyall lied, trying to sound as though he thought it more of a nuisance than an outright emergency. "He's a nutter. Where was he?"
"C-Cardiff street."
"Okay. Hilary, there's a fellytone - telephone - in the basement. Next to it is a phonebook; call K. Shacklebolt. Tell him there's a..." Lyall scrambled for an explanation that wouldn't require her memory to be modified. "Just tell him Lyall told you to call, and say it's about the man with a skull tattoo on his wrist. Cardiff street. Then hang up. You may have to hook it up first." It was an old phone Hope had insisted on getting; Kingsley had one so he could contact the Muggle Prime Minister if need be. Lyall just hoped he was home....
"Shouldn't we just call the police?" Nelson asked.
"Let's GO!" Hilary shrieked at him, and she pulled him downstairs.
Lyall wasted no time in running the other way.
He ran past a group of elderly walkers who all turned to stare as he pushed them aside. He finally found the man approaching a house.
Rodolphus Lestrange.
"Leave them alone," Lyall said firmly.
Rodolphus turned. "No, I don't think so."
"They never hurt you, and anyway, the war is over."
"For you, perhaps. Not for me. Never for me. I will continue to do my master's work. I'll wait until they come home, though, they appear to be out. Maybe a family dinner." Rodolphous grinned gingerly.
"You're pathetic."
Lyall had never been good at dueling, but he had no choice. He raised his wand and yelled: "Expelliarmus!"
But Rodolphus was quicker, and soon, the two men were locked in a fight, shooting spells from their wands.
"Why are you even fighting?" Rodolphus asked. "I know who you are. You've lost everything."
"I could ask you the same, for the same reason."
"You could help me. Stop being a dunglicker-"
"-dunglicker? Hilary was right, you are medieval."
At that, Lyall's spell hit Rodolphus in the leg; he winced, but kept fighting even as he limped.
"You'll pay for that," he growled.
Lyall rolled his eyes. "How original." Where was the sarcasm coming from? Most likely Andromeda...
Lyall thought he heard a popping sound from a distance. He briefly looked over his shoulder, which was just enough time to feel agonizing pain.
Kingsley was eager to tell Hestia his idea. He'd promised her it would be over dinner, and he could tell from her face that she was holding in her curiosity.
They'd just been about to sit down when the phone rang.
"You still have that thing?" Hestia asked as Kingsley strode over to answer.
"Er - hello?" He said.
To his surprise, a teenage girl's voice was on the other end. "Is - is this K. Shacklebolt?"
"Yes... may I ask who's calling?"
"I'm Hilary, a friend of Lyall Lupin's. He told me to tell you there's a man .... there was a man chasing my boyfriend and I, and Lyall said to tell you - the tattoo with a skull - that was it. He must have a tattoo. He's on Cardiff street, or he was, god only knows..."
"Stay there," Kingsley instructed sharply. "Do you understand? We'll tell you when it's safe."
"Okay."
Kingsley hung up and, without explanation, sent a Patronus to Harry: "Death Eater on Cardiff street, near Lyall Lupin. Need help at once."
Hestia swore under her breath. "Let's go."
They Apparated outside of Lyall Lupin's house.
"I think Cardiff Street's that way," Hestia said.
"You think?"
"I don't know, it's been a while - we've got to try, anyhow!"
Sure enough, it came up halfway down the block. They turned the corner just in time to see Lyall fighting Rodolphus Lestrange. Behind them, Harry, Ginny, Luna, Ron, Hermione and Neville had apparated.
Neville...
Lyall turned, and as he did, a spell hit him. He collapsed on the ground, and Rodolphus let out a laugh.
Kingsley and Neville ran towards Rodolphus at the same time. Rodolphus pointed his wand at Kingsley and shouted: "Impedimenta!"
Kingsley fell briefly; when he stood back up, Rodolphus had run. Harry and his friends were chasing him, but none faster than Neville.
"Kingsley, we've got to get him to St. Mungo's," Hestia said from behind him.
"You mean Azkaban?"
"No - Lyall."
Kingsley turned. Lyall was still on the ground, and his breathing was pained.
"What happened?" Kingsley demanded as he knelt down to the man.
Lyall shook his head. "I don't - I don't-"
"You're going to be okay," Kingsley told him.
"Tell Andromeda - tell her I'm sorry -"
"Don't you dare talk like that!" Hestia gasped.
He magicked a stretcher, and Hestia helped him put Lyall on it. It was clear he was losing consciousness...
But they wouldn't lose him. They couldn't. Kingsley didn't know what he'd do if he lost yet another friend... not that he'd been much of one to Lyall, letting him alienate himself...
What the hell had they done?
"You follow the others," Kingsley told Hestia. "I'll get him to St. Mungo's. Being the Minister, I should be able to -"
"-just go, you dumb prat."
Lyall handed Andromeda a cup of tea. She thanked him with a curt nod.
It was seven o'clock in the morning, and there had been no news since hearing on the wireless that the war was over. While they'd allowed themselves a quiet celebration, they knew they couldn't be properly overjoyed until all they loved checked in safe and sound. Even Harry's family looked pensive. Well, not his uncle - but certainly his aunt and cousin. They hadn't been present for the meeting, of course, but they knew something was going on. Phyllis and Glynn Jones were on the sofa.
"I'm sure they're okay," Lyall told her.
"She's like him."
"Remus?"
"No." Andromeda shook her head. "Sirius. She loves so hard, she'll do anything. It used to worry me. Now I'm beyond that. Why'd we let her go? Why'd we even let him go?"
"They're not children anymore," Lyall reminded her. "They have one of their own now."
"Thank you. I haven't been thinking about that all night."
"What I'm trying to say is, they have wills and minds of their own. They wouldn't even listen to each other, remember?"
"I wish she realized I don't want anything to happen to him any more than she does," Andromeda said quietly. "He's family now. He always was family. If he comes back, I'll have to tell him."
"He will, so you can."
There was a knock at the door.
"I'll bet that's him now," Lyall said.
But when he opened it, Andromeda close behind him, it was Hestia who stood on the front steps.
"Hestia!" Phyllis ran to her daughter, then froze. "Where's-"
"-she's fine," Hestia said quickly, but Lyall could tell something or someone wasn't. "It's over. We won."
"We heard!"
"Yeah... Harry's okay, by the way," Hestia told Petunia, who'd been pretending not to be listening on the side of the wall.
Hestia looked at Andromeda and Lyall. Lyall could see that she'd been crying; her face was blotchy and her eyes were red.
There was no disputing it: one of them had lost their child. Judging from the stricken look on Andromeda's face, she knew t too, but she couldn't bear to ask. So Lyall did: "Which one of them was it?"
"We should sit-"
"-no. We're not going to be mollycoddled. Which. One. Of. Them?"
Phyllis and Glynn drew closer to Andromeda and Lyall.
Hestia said, with obvious effort, "both. They're both gone. I'm so sorry."
Hestia finally found Harry and his friends dueling Rodolphus. Neville was casting the most charms.
Rodolphus seemed determined to get him, and him alone. Hestia caught her breath when he yelled "Avada -"
But Hestia was faster: "Protego!"
Neville managed to summon ropes out of his wand; they ran around Rodolphus.
"Oh, what a pity the duel's been canceled," Ron Weasley said grimly. "Maybe we'll continue when you're no longer tied up."
Everyone looked at Hestia.
"The six of you are on top of everything, aren't you?" Hestia remarked.
"No, we're at the bottom of things," a young woman piped up. Hestia didn't know her; she had dark blonde hair and grey eyes. "We get to the bottom of things before anyone has to. Well. Most of the time."
Hestia remembered there was a muggle teenager hiding in Lyall's house. "Have you two got this, then? I need to dash-"
"-yes, we're fine. Thank you, Hestia," Ginny said.
Hestia hurried to Lyall's house. It only occurred to her that she didn't even know her name.
"Er - hello?" Hestia called.
She thought she heard movement in the basement, and added, "I'm a friend of Lyall's and - and Kingsley Shacklebolt's. It's okay."
Not one, but two teenagers came through the basement door. A boy and a girl.
"Are you two okay?" Hestia asked.
The girl nodded. "He - he didn't get us. Is the man gone?"
"Yes, we contacted the authorities," Hestia said. "He's been arrested."
"Where's Mr. Lupin?"
Hestia paused. She didn't know how much the girl knew, or should know... were either of them wizards or connected with their world? Did they know anything at all? Even if they did, was it really a good idea to tell them she wasn't sure?
"He's at the hospital," Hestia replied gently.
The girl's eyes widened. "Is he going to be okay?"
"The Heal - doctors are doing everything they can. Can I ask how you know Mr. Lupin?"
"We're neighbours. Nelson's never met him, we were just passing by when that mad man started chasing us."
"Okay."
"Tell - tell Mr. Lupin I hope he feels better," the girl said. Her face was pale. "And tell him I took his advice, about Nelson. He's made me a better person."
"Have I?" Nelson asked with a grin.
"Oh, shut up," she snapped.
Hestia waited for them to leave, then quickly put Floo powder into the fireplace. After a few minutes, Andromeda's head appeared.
"Hestia?"
"Hi. You need to come to St. Mungo's straight away. Lyall's been badly hurt."
