Harry Potter, Sovereign - Chapter 30

Remus, Moody and Fletcher arrived at the station 30 minutes before the meeting time. Moody would have liked to be 1 hour early, but they were slowed down by Mudungus, who mt up with them late. They were in muggle clothing, older than the current fashion but still acceptable. Moody wanted to survey the place, and led the other 2 with him.

“They are already here” Moody said as he suddenly stopped, his artificial eye focused in a certain direction.

“Really?” asked Remus.

“Yes. It’s Potter. He is with 2 women. From the descriptions I was given, I recognise one of them as one of the 2 bodyguards he had at his trial. The asian one. The other is a complete unknown. If I didn’t know Nymphadora and Kingsley were at work right now, I could have believed it was her. Pink hair, and from her demeanor, just as lively.”

“Does Harry look fine?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Soon enough, their group met up with Harry’s in their little corner. When they got close, Vi and Xuanzang moved slightly to Harry’s sides. Moody noticed the moves, having his eyes mostly focused on them. Underneath the cloak, spelled to block scents and sounds, Scathach went behind him.

“Harry!”

“Hello Remus” he said in a calm tone. He turned his eyes to the ex-auror and they narrowed. “Mr Moody.”

“How have you been?”

“Well enough. I didn’t expect to see you, mr Moody, considering the state you were in at the end of the school year.” Then his tone got a bit colder. “Are you all who you claim to be? Because the last member of your group doesn’t inspire much trust.”

“Ahh, that is Mudungus Fletcher” Remus replied with some discomfort. “He, he is a, dealer, with useful contacts in the criminal world.”

“And what proof do you have that you are who you claim to be?” asked Moody in a sharp tone.

Harry looked at him with flat eyes before focusing on the friend of his parents. “Remus? Who is the first girl I kissed?”

“What? You never told me anything about that!”

“Because that never happened. Now I know you really are Remus Lupin” he added with a grin.

Remus, and the girls were surprised by that. He had gotten all of them interested in who that girl might have been, and were disappointed.

“Clever” replied Moody with a grin. “An impostor wouldn’t have known. They would have asked the captured target about significant secrets, and be completly unaware of little details like that. Their reaction to the question would be all the answer you need.”

“It’s nice and all, but I came here because I wanted to see my dogfather. So let’s move. How are we going there?”

“Magical travel is being monitored more than usual for the time being” replied Remus. “We will take 2 cabs to go there.”

And that what they did. The 3 men got in one, and Harry and his ladies got in the other. Xuanzang got in first, followed by Harry. Scathach, still under the cloak, slipped in on his l.a.p, and Vi entered last.

With that gorgeous woman on his l.a.p, Harry couldn’t prevent himself from poking her b.u.t.t. He felt her stiffen when she noticed, and would have been blushing a Weasley red if his blood hadn’t gone south. He was extremely embarrassed, knowing that she could feel him, and dreaded that she would hate him for it. He was suddenly very glad that Semimaris wasn’t the one shadowing them. Her reaction would likely be worse than the one he imagined for Scathach.

The rest of the ride was really akward for Harry. They stopped at an older part of the city, near a park on a street called Grimmauld Place. It was relief (and a small bit of disappointment) for Harry when Scathach left his l.a.p, but he knew it wasn’t the end. His mood had darkened a little because of that.

They got into the park, and a muggle notice-me-not charm was cast on all of them. Then they moved to a place where the number of the buildings adresses jumped from 11 to 13. Moody gave the newcomer a note to read and comprehend. The hidden Scathach, and Semimaris through her dove, also read it.

[The Headquaters of the Order of the Phoenix are located at Number 12, Grimmauld Place]

In front of them, on the other side of the road, the missing number 12 building appeared from between numbers 11 and 13.

“Fidelius charm” Harry whispered in awe, but everyone still heard it.

“Got it in one Harry” said Remus.

“I did look into the charm that was supposed to have hidden my parents.”

They waited for the street to be a bit more deserted before going into the building. Remus opened the way for them, followed by Vi, Harry and an invisible Scathach holding his arm, Xuanzang behind them, and Moody and Fletcher at the rear. Remus warned them to stay quiet and touch nothing. The entrance was dark and dreary, and Harry and the girls had no doubt the rest of the place would be similar.

They didn’t advance any further. Harry gave Remus an incredulous look, but Vi and Xuanzang demeanor changed from relaxed but cautious to battle ready. Xuanzang eyes were locked on the last 2 men, and Moody stiffened, the hand holding his wand ready to cast a silent spell in her direction. Then Remus noticed the tension and raised his hands in a placating manner.

“Wait, calm down” he whispered. “I know the place doesn’t look, or feel, good. This house belongs to the Black family, and Sirius inherited it, being the heir. It hasn’t been taken care of in nearly 10 years either.”

“And Sirius is fine being copped in the dark home he ran away from when he was still a teenager? Where is he anyway?”

He wasn’t quiet enough, and the curtain behind thempulled itself open, revealing a large wizarding portrait of a woman with a haughty and deranged expression on her face. Said face quickly twisted in disgust and she started screaming insults at the top of her shrill voice, making everyone wince in pain. Hundreds of miles away, Semimaris winced and scowled, already deciding to destroy that portrait the first time she got the chance.

The noise attracted the other inhabitant of the house, and the first to reach the entrance hall was noone other than the owner of the place. With a quick flick from his wand, the curtain was closed, and the painting, silenced. Then he turned toward his godson and a smile split his face.

“Harry!”

“Your house suck” he replied with a blank face.

The man barked a short laugh as he advanced toward him.

“Why do you think I left in the first place?”

It was Harry’s turn to smile, and he rushed to him, giving him a big hug. Seeing this, the ladies relaxed and smiled as well.

“Sirius! It’s good to see you.”

“I’s good to see you too, pup.”

“You’ve got some fine company Harry. Mind introducing us?”

“The one with pink hair is Vicky Isley, and the other one is Xuan Zhenya” he said, using the aliases they had created with Gringot.

“A p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you miladies. I am Sirius Black, innocent man on the run, and godfather of Harry here. You have my thanks for taking care of him when I was unavailable” he finished with a formal bow.

“It was no trouble” said Vi, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you too! And you’re welcome” Xuanzang bowed.

Before more could be said, numerous footsteps were heard, getting closer to them.