Chapter 4- Floo Fiasco
"You alright, Harry?" Lupin asked, walking toward him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry said, standing up and straightening his glasses.
"Good," Lupin replied, "Now we had best get out of here before the Accidental Magical Reversal officials show up. If only Dumbledore could get us hooked up to the floo-"
Before Lupin could finish his sentence, a small brown owl darted through the window and came careening straight at Lupin. Lupin caught Pig in his hand and immediately ripped open the letter that he was carrying, skimming the note quickly.
Looking up from the letter to Harry, Lupin said, "The fireplace has been connected to the floo network. We have to hurry, though. It will be disconnected again in about a minute."
They both turned and ran back up the hall, jumping over the motionless ministry member's bodies and skidding around the corner. Harry just had a couple seconds to take in the damage that had been wrought on the Dursley's living room; all of the furniture was overturned, feathers from pillows were all over the floor, and a cabinet containing some collectable figurines lay smashed on the ground. It was complete chaos.
As Harry stood in shock at the mess before him, Lupin dashed over to where Mr. Weasley lay on the floor, behind a charred armchair, and quickly muttered a spell to revive him.
Lupin's voice woke Harry from his stupor, as Mr. Weasley moved over to the fire, withdrawing a small cloth sack from within his cloak.
"Harry! Hurry up, grab your trunk!"
Harry shook his head as he registered what Lupin just said and then immediately remembered that they had to get out of there before the fireplace sealed itself off from them. Shoving his wand in his pocket, he grabbed the end of his trunk and dragged it across the room to the fireplace, while Lupin retrieved his broom and Hedwig's cage and followed directly behind him.
"I'll go first with your trunk," Mr. Weasley offered. Harry handed the trunk over to Mr. Weasley as he stepped into the fire, pulling some powder out of the brown sack as he went.
"Grimmauld Place!" Mr. Weasley clearly shouted, throwing the powder down in front of him as he and Harry's trunk disappeared in a flash of blinding green fire.
"You go next Harry," Lupin said as soon as Mr. Weasley disappeared.
Harry nodded and grabbed his broom and owl cage as he ducked into the short fireplace, taking a handful of the floo powder from the sack Lupin held out for him. Harry raised his hand high above his head, gripping his broom tightly as he remembered to annunciate his words clearly, and shouted, "Grimmauld Place!"
Harry was spinning faster and faster, pulling the Firebolt and cage tighter into his side, as he watched a blur of fireplaces pass by him before abruptly stopping and stumbling out into a dark kitchen. Before he even had time to pick himself off the ground, he felt a pair of hands grab his arms and help him to his feet.
"Wotcher, Harry," said the unmistakable voice of Tonks, but Harry barely even recognized what she was saying. He was too busy worrying about something else.
"I have to go back!" Harry shouted over the welcoming voices.
After a short moment of silence, Mr. Weasley said concernedly, "What for, Harry?"
Harry struggled to put to words what he had just witnessed. Right as he took off from the Dursley's fireplace he saw one of the ministry members pick himself off the floor and raise his wand toward Lupin from behind. Before Harry could yell out in warning, he had been whisked away.
"I don't have time to explain," Harry gasped, "All I know is that Lupin needs my help."
Before anyone could protest, Harry had twirled around and seized a handful of floo powder from a bowl above the fireplace, and stepped back into the fire.
"Harry, wait!"
"There isn't enough time!"
But Harry ignored them. "Number 4, Privet Drive!" he yelled, and in a flash he was spinning again, wand held firmly up against his chest, ready to aid Lupin.
Harry's feet hit the floor of the Dursley's fireplace with a loud thump, and he struggled to remain standing from the fast impact. Looking out at the living room, Harry just saw a man, bending over Lupin's still form, turning to face the noise his arrival had caused, and anger surged through him as he raised his wand and roared, "STUPEFY!"
Lupin's attacker was knocked back by the force of the spell and flew across the room where he smashed into a wall and sank to the ground, unconscious.
Harry had no time to feel guilty for the force of his spell; he sprinted out of the fireplace and had Lupin's limp form draped over his shoulders four seconds later. He dashed back towards the fireside, adrenaline giving him unnatural strength as he snatched some floo powder from the sack that was lying open on the floor, and hurtled himself and Lupin back into the fireplace.
"Grimmauld Place!" he croaked, just in time as the fireplace began to reseal itself and he and Lupin spun around and around, falling out into the Order's Headquarters' kitchen once again, in quite a feeble manner.