[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
The Rescue


Ned Veigler pressed his wand into Frank Longbottom’s back roughly, shoving him along the path, his eyes narrowed as he sneered. “Move,” he snapped, “Dawdling won’t buy you any time; I may just get sick of waiting and bite yer precious little neck myself.” He pushed Frank - hard - and Frank tripped forward onto his knees, his balance thrown off by having had his hands tied behind his back by the incarcerous charm. Frank let out a shout as he hit the ground and Veigler grabbed his harshly by his elbow, yanking him back to his feet, “GET UP, YOU FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR!”

A giant looked up from where he was tearing the flesh from a small cow he had stolen from a field and barbequed over the fire, the whole leg of the beast sticking out from his mouth as he chewed, staring at the scene unfolding as Veigler pushed Frank along. “What’re you staring at, you dimwitted half-breed?” Veigler snarled and the giant quickly turned away, shoving the rest of the leg into his mouth with one of his thick fingers.

They got a few feet away from where the giant was and Veigler whispered, “I didn’t push you too hard, did I?”

Frank shook his head, “Barely felt it. I threw myself down.”

“Very convincing!” Veigler said and he patted Frank’s shoulder.

They reached the clearing and there was the stone walls and the hovering dementors and Frank stared up at them, shivering. Veigler paused and took a deep breath and raised his wand… and a large white wolf fell from the wand and ran ahead of them. At the sight of it, the dementors cleared a path, rushing to get away, repelled by the wolf’s glow. Frank stared at it with wide eyes, “A corporeal patronus. Wow,” he murmured.

“I have very few truly happy memories,” Ned Veigler said lowly, “But the ones I have are strong and mean more to me than anything else.” A part of Ned wanted to tell Frank that it was him saying that he’d learned duelling from Veigler’s class that had powered that particular patronus, but the words stuck in his throat, and he kept them to himself. Instead, he grabbed onto Frank roughly as their charade called for and shove him through the clearing in the dementors as the patronus wolf faded away and the dementors closed ranks behind them.

He pushed his way in the front door of the house, and shoved Frank through the kitchen and into the parlor unannounced. Six pairs of eyes turned to focus on Ned Veigler as he pushed Frank to the floor at the foot of Fenrir Greyback. Frank whimpered as he lay there on the floor, face down and curled into a ball, squeezing tears from his eyes. “Please don’t hurt me, please no,” he whispered.

Fenrir’s eyes moved to Frank Longbottom’s form… then up to Ned Veigler’s face. “The prodigal returns,” he murmured, sitting up as though to say this just got interesting, and he looked down at Frank again.

“I’ve come to rejoin the pack, my Alpha,” Ned Veigler replied, kneeling to the wood floor before Fenrir, “And, to show my sincerity, I’ve brought a gift for you; my catch from the full moon.”

Fenrir turned Frank over onto his back roughly and leaned closer… Frank struggled against the bonds that held his wrists, tears streaming across his cheeks, “Please!” he begged, “Please, don’t hurt me!”

Fenrir breathed deeply, licking his teeth lewdly as he sat back upright, “My, you do smell fresh, don’t you?” he murmured.

The shiver that ran down Frank’s spine was not an act.

Druella breathed, “Bite him, my Love, draw his blood, have your fill!”

Fenrir closed his eyes in ecstasy, thinking about how good it would feel to sink his sharp teeth into the boy’s neck, to rip the flesh and drink the blood as it poured from his veins… but no, he needed to save the thirst he felt right now for Remus Lupin. This boy would make a good snack, sure, but first he needed to serve the life of Remus Lupin up to show the Dark Lord that he, unlike Orion Black, completed his jobs.

Fenrir drew away from the boy and murmured, “Ed… bring this one down to the guest quarters and stick him in with the other boy; we’ll save him for later...” He grinned as Frank began to beg.

“No, please, no… please… let me go… please!”

Ed leaped from the couch and grabbed Frank by the shoulders, dragging him backwards, still half sitting, his legs never quite catching to stand. Ned Veigler forced himself not to turn in concern as Ed dragged Frank away, had to work quite hard to keep his face stoic as he heard Frank shout and cry out, Ed dragging him roughly down the stairs, the abuse no longer faked, Frank’s pain no longer an illusion. He balled his fists, digging his fingernails into his own palm…

Fenrir turned to look at Veigler the moment Frank and Ed had left the room and he breathed, “Ned, Ned… I worried you’d been killed after the last time we met… you never came back and Orion Black told me that you fled, bleeding beyond repair… he assured me that there was no way you could have lived through the wounds you’d been inflicted…” Fenrir chuckled, “Well, I suppose it’s just one more failure to add to the list of them - he’s dead, you know, Orion Black.”

Fenrir Greyback stood up fluidly, walking with rolling hips across the room to Ned. He inspected him, walking around him, his steps slow and calculated, his eyes roaming from Ned’s head down to his toes and back again. “What made you come back, Ned?” he whispered, “You’ve been well take care of wherever it is you’ve been hiding… new suit, clean hair… clearly well fed…” He circled… ‘round… and ‘round… and ‘round… “You have no need of me,” he whispered.

Ned Veigler’s muscles tightened as he turned with Fenrir’s pace, his heart in his throat. “I missed the old way, my Alpha,” he whispered, cowering…

Fenrir smirked. “Did you?”

“Yes, my Alpha.”

Fenrir stopped his pacing, standing directly behind Ned Veigler. He turned to face the back of the younger man’s head and a wicked grin slowly moved across his face… he drew his wand from his pocket, silent as could be… “Ned,” he whispered, and he put a palm on Ned’s shoulder… sliding it up his skin… to his neck… to his throat... “You’ve never been a very good liar.” Fenrir’s grasp on Ned Veigler’s throat suddenly tightened - hard - and Veigler choked in surprise as the pressure on his windpipe caught him off guard. He grappled to pull Fenrir’s hand form his neck, but Greyback tugged him backwards and the wand jammed into Veigler’s back. “Avada Ke--”

“Expelliarmus!” shouted Frank, suddenly coming running into the room, closely followed by Remus Lupin.

“Accio wand!” shouted Remus, waving Ed’s wand before him, which they’d taken after they’d stunned him in the cellar. Fenrir’s wand fly across the room and into his palm - though a bit sloppily, as Ed’s wand didn’t want to work as well for Remus as his own did. He saw his wand laying on the mantle by the fireplace and he quickly waved Ed and Fenrir’s wands in that direction, “Accio wand!” he repeated and his own wand shot across the room to his waiting hand.

Fenrir’s grip on Veigler’s throat remained in tact, “Stop right now,” he snarled, turning so they could see Ned’s face as it reddened, purpled even. “Or I’ll end him now with my bloody bare hands.”

Druella had drawn her wand and come around the chair, though the three other werewolves sitting on the couches in the room were not wizards and they shook, staring up at the wands facing off one another - Remus and Frank aimed at Fenrir, Druella’s shaking between Frank and Remus, and Fenrir’s fist, tight around the gurgling throat of Ned Veigler.

Nobody dared to move.

“Alright,” murmured Greyback, “Here’s how this is going to work. You boys will drop your wands and I will release your precious friend here. Keep your wands in your hands and I’ll squeeze… just a little... bit… tighter…”

Greyback’s fingers flexed slightly and Veigler’s choking sounds became higher, more desperate...

Remus looked at Frank dropped all four wands onto the floor at Fenrir’s with a clatter and held up their hands.

Fenrir laughed. “Very good! We’ve learned how to play the game!” His mouth sneered up, “But you should know by now that I don’t play by the rules.” And he squeezed Ned’s neck as hard as he could, then threw him to the ground as the wizard’s eyes closed and his knees collapsed from beneath him.

“PROFESSOR!” shouted Remus and Frank at exactly the same time.“No!” cried Remus, “No! Professor Veigler! Professor Veigler!!!”

Frank reached out quickly and caught Remus from running forward.

As they reacted to the fallen Ned Veigler, Fenrir bent down to collect his wand from the four that lay on the floor. Greyback stepped over Veigler’s body and walked quickly toward the two boys as Frank held Remus back. “IMMOBULUS!” he shouted and they both froze exactly as they were. Greyback snarled, “I tried to go about this nicely, tried to give you a chance -- but no you had to play it this way, had to go and piss me off, didn’t you?” His face was the most evil that Remus had ever seen it. His upper lip had lifted like he was a wolf growling, and his eyes held a wild sort of insanity in them as he reached out his hand and he grabbed onto the neckline of Frank’s shirt, tearing a piece of the fabric away, and then did the same for Remus’s. He turned, grabbed Frank and Remus’s wands from the floor and threw the two wands and pieces of shirts to Druella. “BRING THESE TO THE MINISTER FOR MAGIC! TELL HER THAT THE BOYS SHE SEEKS ARE DEAD, TELL HER I’VE KILLED THEM, EATEN THEM, PICKED MY TEETH WITH THEIR BONES AND THAT EVERY CHILD, FROM EVERY FAMILY THAT SEEKS TO RESIST THE DARK LORD WILL JOIN THEM BEFORE I’M MY HUNGER IS SATIATED!”

For what may possibly have been the first time in all of her life, Druella looked afraid. She nodded, taking the items from Fenrir, and she ran from the room. The other three werewolves followed suit, rushing away, afraid of the wrath of Fenrir Greyback.

Alone, Greyback turned to look at the two boys. The insanity in his eyes was even brighter, more horrible than it had been before, and he ran at the boys, teeth bared, grabbed onto Remus, and announced, “You’ll be first,” and brought his teeth to Remus’s shoulder, sinking them in as Remus let out a cry, the immobulus unhinging in his pain as Fenrir’s teeth ripped his skin open, the taste of blood filling the werewolf’s mouth as Remus squeezed his eyes tight and thought of Sirius Black... Sirius would be the last thing he thought about before he died… his last happy thought…

“STUPEFY!”

Veigler had leaped up - having only passed out, not died before - grabbed Ed’s wand, which Ferir had stupidly left upon the floor, and sent a powerful stunner directly into the heart of the werewolf from behind. Fenrir fell back, though he tore with him a bite of flesh from Remus’s shoulder. Veigler aimed his wand at Frank, “Finite incantantum,” he said and he ran to Remus as Frank unfroze and Remus dropped to his knees, still screaming in pain from the torn flesh in his shoulder, blood pouring out over his torn shirt.

Veigler turned, looking about, “Give me the rest of your shirt Frank, quickly,” he commanded and Frank tore it off as Veigler undid the tie ‘round his own neck.

Hurriedly, Veigler pressed the cloth of Frank’s shirt into the open wound, trying to staunch the blood from flowing and Remus yelled again at the touch of it. “NO, NO!” he yelled, but Veigler paid no heed. He pressed the shirt all the tighter, then wound the tie around Remus’s arm and tied it as tight as he could, pulling the ends so that the knot helped to slow the circulation to Remus’s arm.

“We have to get out of here,” Veigler said, “Before word can spread through that army what’s happened.” He turned to Fenrir, “Petrificus Totalus,” he said, just incase the werewolf waked too soon. He nodded for the door and Frank followed at a run as Veigler pulled Remus’s good arm ‘round his neck and practically carried him from the room.

They ran out of the cottage, down the walkway… The dementors turned hungrily at the cries emitting from Remus Lupin - each step jostling the wound, blood dripping through the soaked shirt already. Frank kept close to Veigler and Remus, his eyes wide… From all throughout the woods, people were turning, staring, looking to see what the screaming was all about.

“BEHOLD WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DEFY FENRIR GREYBACK!” Veigler shouted, “BEHOLD WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DEFY THE DARK LORD!!”

Gasps and shouts went up through the werewolves that gathered at the edge of the path they took, pointing and whispering, looking on at Remus’s agony with wide eyes.

“DEATH COMES TO THOSE WHO DARE DEFY OUR ALPHA!” Veigler shouted.

Centaurs stared, lowering their bows and arrows. Giants paused in spinning their barbeque spits. Goblins stared from behind their shiny, freshly sharpened swords…

“TAKE HEED, LEARN THIS LESSON -- THIS BOY IS ON HIS WAY TO THE MINISTER FOR MAGIC TO BE MADE AN EXAMPLE OF, HIS BODY WILL LIE IN THE ENTRY CHAMBER OF THE MINISTRY FOR ALL TO SEE! HE WAS KILLED FOR DEFYING THE DARK LORD! ENEMIES OF FENRIR GREYBACK BEWARE!” Veigler said as they reached the far side of the army… reached the empty woods… and began to run for the place where Albus Dumbledore and the Scamanders waited…

“Why don’t we apparate?” Frank asked, desperate.

“I’m not very good at side-along apparition and I fear splinching Remus, since he wouldn’t be able to concentrate,” Veigler explained in a hushed voice.

They ran on, and Remus’s cries softened as he lost strength, more whimpers as they reached darker trees, the sun going down in the west, the light leaving even the clear path… they had to be close… Veigler was feeling desperately afraid that they might not make it in time, as Remus’s weight became heavier and heavier, his body more and more dependant on Veigler’s to keep him up…

And then they broke through the trees and there was Dumbledore, standing exactly where they’d left him, staring into the dark woods… Newt sitting on the ground beside his brief case, Tina holding the niffler, who’d returned to them right after showing Veigler and Frank to the cottage.

“NEWT!” Dumbledore cried out, seeing Remus’s condition, seeing the blood pouring from Remus’s shoulder.

Newt jumped up and ran forward, saw it and asked, “What happened?”

“Fenrir bit him,” Frank gasped.

“Took a chunk out of him, really,” Veigler supplied.

Tina covered her mouth with her palms.

Dumbledore looked imploringly at Newt.

“Into the briefcase, hurry… Hurry,” he commanded Veigler, and Veigler hastened to bring Remus toward the case, Tina running ahead of them to unlatch it. Newt looked to Dumbledore, “I trust that you’ll, uh, carry us away while we work on the boy, Dumbledore?”

Dumbledore nodded, “Yes, of course, Mr. Scamander.”

Frank watched with fascinated eyes as Tina opened the case and a bright light shone from within. Then Veigler carried Remus down into the briefcase, disappearing inside… followed by Newt and Tina Scamander… and the Niffler, who scurried and leaped into the case just before a jet of sparks from within closed the lid and the darkness consumed them all.

There were shouts in the woods behind them and Frank’s trance of staring at the briefcase broke and he looked at Dumbledore, “Sir.”

“Accio briefcase,” Dumbledore said and he held out his hand for the suitcase’s handle, his elbow to Frank Longbottom, who grabbed on tight, and --

CRACK!

They escaped.