Chapter 27: Azkaban
July 28 - 11:34pm - Hogwarts Dungeon
Severus Snape leaned back in his favorite chair in his private quarters at Hogwarts. He watched as the firelight played off the amber liquid in his glass. He swirled the liquor around in his glass before taking a drink and then setting it down on a table at his side. He leaned forward and retrieved his most recent potions publication. The leading article in the esteemed wizarding magazine theorized an improvement to the wolf's bane potion, perhaps even to the extent of becoming a cure for lycanthropy. He highly doubted anyone had actually figured out how to do that when he himself was still struggling with his own version of a similar potion, but then it was always nice to know what other potions masters thought would work or had tried.
He always enjoyed summers the most, as the students were gone, and he would actually get more moments like these to sit quietly and read or work on one of his own potions. His thoughts of the students made him grimace at first, then he remembered Pomfrey's talk about her new student, Luna Lovegood. Severus had to admit that he thought the girl's idea of the modified strengthening potion showed creativity, and Pomfrey touted her skill at helping to concoct it. Pomfrey could be exaggerating though, he thought, taking another sip from his glass. Perhaps he would make a point of stopping by at one of the girl's lessons to observe her for himself. If she indeed showed genuine talent at being a potions master, he might have to seek to challenge her more. That decided he opened his new magazine and began to read. Moments later a note appeared before him. He cast several spells to determine its safety before finally unfolding the small piece of paper. Scrawled across the piece of paper in a hurried, unsteady hand was only one word.
"Azkaban", as soon as Severus Snape read the word on the small slip of paper it burst into flames. 'Blasted woman,' he swore to himself as it burned his fingertips. He tossed his magazine back onto the low table in front of him, and downed the rest of his drink. The whiskey burned but he barely seemed to notice. He wondered why he hadn't felt his mark burn, and cursed Zambini again for making the Dark Lord question his allegiance. He threw some of his special floo powder in to the flames and called for the headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore appeared moments later looking tired but still dressed for the day.
"Azkaban," was all the surly potions master said.
"Stay where you are," Dumbledore ordered upon hearing the message. He ended the floo connection and hurried back to his desk. It was as he thought. Voldemort would move against the wizarding prison to release his loyal followers and look for new recruits. Much of the intelligence the Order had gathered pointed to an attack on Azkaban, so the cryptic message from Severus made sense. He copied a message to several members of the Order and gave them to Fawkes to deliver. With the alarm sounded he moved across his office and up the stairs to prepare for the upcoming battle.
* * * * *
July 28 - 11:47pm - Grimmauld Place
Arthur Weasley awoke to the trilling of phoenix song. After delivering his message the brilliantly plumed Fawkes disappeared again in a burst of flames. Arthur read the note quickly before passing it to his wife who had also been awakened by the phoenix.
"Please be careful, Arthur," Molly Weasley pleaded after quickly skimming the message. It burst into flames when she had finished.
"You, too, dear," Arthur replied dressing quickly. He bent to kiss her softly before leaving the room to apparate outside Grimmauld so as not to wake anyone else. Molly dressed as well, and prepared to travel to Diagon Alley. Dumbledore had made it clear that Voldemort would likely attack someplace public in addition to the prison to draw attention away from Azkaban. Diagon Alley was the Order's best guess, and so Molly, the twins, Lee Jordan, and Angelina Johnson were to monitor Diagon Alley. Nearly everyone else in the Order would be at Azkaban. Molly didn't want to think about the second line of defense, which included the young people she thought of as her own. For now, they were safe in their beds, and she hoped it stayed that way.
She flooed to the twins shop and marveled again at what they had created.
"Mum," George said in surprise when he opened the door to his and Fred's tiny apartment above the shop.
"Azkaban," was all she said as she stepped into the apartment. Fred appeared moments later as George called Lee and then Angelina.
"They'll cover the far end of the street near Gringotts, if we can man the center and other end of the street," George informed the others after the two floo calls.
"I'll take the center, and you two can cover the other end of the street. Remember, we're just keeping an eye on things in case something happens. If you see anything suspicious call for help," Molly reminded them.
"What about the Ministry?" Fred questioned as the three made their way outside and down to the street.
"Two contingents of aurors are remaining behind to watch over the Ministry. Please be careful," Molly reminded them before disappearing into the shadows along the deserted street. Both young men watched their mum disappear before moving along the street to the other end to keep watch, especially near the Leaky Cauldron an obvious entry point for the alley. As they hid in the shadows they tried not to think about the situation that the rest of their family might be facing at that moment.
* * * * * *
July 29 - 12:05am - Scottish Coast
Remus Lupin stared around him at the faces of his friends. They were still on the mainland of Scotland, though not far from the usual crossing point to the wizarding prison where it sat on its own little island off the Scottish coast. Nymphadora Tonks clamped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. He tried to smile at her, but found himself unable to do so. He couldn't help thinking about the potential losses involved in this mission. He was tired of losing his friends, and wanted this horrible war to be over with more than anything.
"Nymphadora," Albus Dumbledore called softly catching her attention and bringing it back to the group. She looked around the group herself then before telling them what she knew.
"Normally, Azkaban is guarded almost exclusively by the dementors. Aurors deliver the prisoners into their keeping, and do daily patrols of the outer perimeter away from the effects of the dementors. We have stepped up those patrols since the capture of the death eaters in the Department of Mysteries in June, including going into the prison proper for a daily check of the prisoners," she paused for a moment letting that information sink in before continuing. "As soon as Kingsley received Dumbledore's message, he lead a second contingent of aurors to Azkaban to help guard it against attack. If anything happens he will contact me, and we go in to assist the aurors. Likewise, if we are attacked or witness something, we are to contact them before counter attacking." The Order members nodded at the plan which had been discussed briefly at a previous meeting.
"Are the dementors on our side or Voldemort's?" Arthur Weasley spoke up asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
"We don't know for sure, so be prepared for both scenarios. Can everyone here conjure a patronus?" Tonks questioned once again. They all nodded though several looked anxious.
"Good, and remember chocolate will also help against the effects of the dementors. I think Remus and I were able to give at least a bar of chocolate to everyone, correct?" She double checked just to make certain that everyone really was prepared. More nods, and she acknowledged them satisfied that the group was as prepared as they were going to get when it came to the dementors.
"Fight in pairs or small groups if at all possible, focus on your strongest happy thoughts to really put power into the patronus, and finally, nibble on the chocolate if you feel weak. We will need to look out for each other as we will definitely be outnumbered if the dementors side with Voldemort as I suspect they will," Dumbledore added then ordered, "Take your positions, stay alert, and await Tonks's signal." At his words the group broke apart and everyone disappeared into the darkness to wait.
* * * * *
July 28 - 11:49pm - Azkaban prison
Beatrix Zambini swept along her watch post at Azkaban prison. The Dark Lord had sent her, along with Peter Pettigrew and Xavier to sneak into the prison earlier and begin the release of the Death Eater's currently in Azkaban. They had arrived not long before the extra contingent of aurors. Xavier had managed to release Antonin Dolohov and the death eater in the adjacent cell whom Beatrix had not recognized. With the arrival of the aurors, they were forced to evade the extra force, which luckily still seemed to trust the dementors. No one had yet noticed the two escapees, but Beatrix knew it was only a matter of time. The three had split to release the rest of the prisoners as quickly as possible.
"Zambini," Lucius Malfoy greeted her as she opened his door. She held a finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her. Surprisingly he did so. When they reached a place deeper into the shadows and had released another prisoner, she handed him a wand. She cast a charm around them so no one could overhear and quickly explained the situation.
"There are roughly 50 aurors inside the prison walls, more than we expected, but with the dementors help we can take care of them. Our mark burning is the signal to start the attack." Lucius nodded in understanding as did the other Death Eater. She handed him a wand as well.
"Who else is inside?"
"Other than those who were prisoners, just Pettigrew, Xavier, and myself," Beatrix informed him. She watched as a grimace crossed his face, but knew he wouldn't question the Dark Lord aloud. Frankly, she wasn't interested in explaining why the Dark Lord's choices of who to send inside the prison made a lot of sense. Before anyone could say anything more, her mark began to burn. She held back the cringe she wanted to give into and cancelled the charm.
"Let's go," Lucius whispered taking charge. Beatrix bristled slightly, but followed anyway. She had known Lucius Malfoy for a long time, and she knew he'd never follow her or any other woman into battle willingly. The other death eater fell into step behind them as they went in search of the aurors. Inside she reminded herself that she was doing this to keep her family safe from the Dark Lord. She knew Severus had received her tip since the second contingent of aurors had arrived. She only hoped that they and the Order would be able to prevent the escape of the prisoners, with little bloodshed.
* * * * *
July 29 - 12:12am - Azkaban prison
'Something just didn't feel right,' Kingsley Shacklebolt thought as he and the aurors patrolled the wizarding prison. No alarms had sounded that anyone had breached the wards at the prison whether through coming into the prison or attempting to leave it. It was almost too perfect. He turned to the two aurors to his left.
"Check each of the cells individually," he ordered wondering if someone could have gotten into the prison before he and his contingent arrived. The other aurors who were on duty had been located around the perimeter of the island avoiding the inner sanctum where the dementors liked to stay. He wondered briefly if a group of death eaters had been able to breach the wards and portkey somehow into the inner sanctum of the prison. If they had, and the dementors had not raised the call, then the dementors were no longer working for the Ministry. Not liking where his thoughts were going he addressed another small group of aurors.
"Send a group to the inner sanctum of the prison and check for residue from an unauthorized portkey or apparition." The aurors snapped to attention, as Jenkins, the highest ranking officer went to carry out Kingsley's orders. Kingsley stared at the map on a table in front of him which included a full scale drawing of Azkaban. He trusted the intelligence that both the auror department and the Order had received about an attack on Azkaban. He'd reinforced the usual number of guards on duty around the prison. Now he wondered if it would be enough.
* * * * *
July 29 - 12:29am - Diagon Alley
Molly Weasley tried her best not to think about where the rest of her family was at the moment. Nearly an hour had passed since Fawkes had delivered his message to them. She watched the main street of Diagon Alley carefully. She caught her breathe as a handful of figures appeared on the street. One of them stumbled and nearly fell. The others laughed uproariously at their companion's lack of coordination. She readied her wand and braced herself for a possible confrontation. At the moment, the group appeared to be nothing more than a rowdy group of revelers leaving a bar for home after a night of drinking.
She watched their progress as they made their way towards the Leaky Cauldron. Just before they reached the enchanted alleyway to cross into the Leaky Cauldron and muggle London, matching stunners shot forth from a darkened alleyway and two of the revelers fell. The others looked around wildly for their attackers, and a third joined their fallen comrades. The remaining two fired back towards where the bolts of light had come. Molly hurried down the street closer to where the fight had broken out, and much too close to where she knew Fred and George were hiding. She fired her own stunner at one of the two remaining figures where he was taking cover unaware of her presence. He fell over stunned. The last remaining figure made a dash for the Leaky Cauldron and found himself bound in chains that tightened with each movement he made.
"Montague," Fred Weasley remarked recognizing the bound figure as a former Slytherin Quidditch player. He kept his voice low and his face in shadows.
"What's this about a trap?" George demanded also staying in the shadows and deepening his own voice. They had almost dismissed the group of revelers themselves until they had picked up part of a conversation on their extendable ears. Molly held back, remaining hidden in the shadows and straining to hear the conversation between the captured revelers and her sons. It was moments like these when she wished she had one of her son's ear contraptions.
"Release me," Montague demanded seething at getting caught. He knew they shouldn't have had so much to drink. After all if the Dark Lord called for them to reinforce the attack at Azkaban, they would need to be prepared. For now, they were just supposed to be causing havoc on unsuspecting muggles to distract the do-gooders of the Order.
"Not a chance," Fred replied using his foot to kick at the prostrate figure before him.
"Who the hell are you?" Montague spat out vowing to kill this idiot the moment the opportunity arose.
"Answer the question: what trap?" George insisted instead keeping his wand trained on the Slytherin.
"Go to hell!" Montague replied furious. His bindings were tightening against him, but the Dark Lord would do far worse.
"I think he needs more convincing," Fred suggested flicking his wand at the Slytherin and causing him to break out in hives. Montague moaned as the ropes irritated his hives. As the ropes tightened he nearly screamed in pain having to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out loud.
"Azkaban," he ground out a look of pure hatred on his face. He couldn't take it anymore. Fred removed the hives. George was already moving to the other end of the alley to alert Lee and Angelina. Molly fell against the wall of the building behind her, her mouth open in a silent scream. She slid down the wall shaking. 'A trap, Azkaban, a trap,' played through her mind. It was several moments before she noticed the figure kneeling in front of her.
"Mum," Fred said firmly. She met his eyes. "Lee and Angelina are taking the prisoners to the Ministry just like Kingsley told us to, go help Poppy finish her own preparations, George and I are going to Azkaban. Someone has to warn them." She nodded numb. George approached just as Fred finished speaking.
"We need you, mum," he added fighting to maintain his own feelings as well. Molly rose to her feet unsteadily.
"Be careful," she ordered tears shimmering in her eyes as she watched her boys disappear.
* * * * *
July 29 - 12:18am - Scottish Coast
Remus Lupin caught their scent on the wind that came in off the water. He thanked his enhanced senses as he signaled to the others that people were on the beach below them. Members of the Order moved deeper into cover and strained their eyes and ears to catch a clue of who was on the beach. As the Order prepared to move forward to stem the individuals making their way towards boats along the shoreline, a flurry of spells shot forth from behind them. It was only then that Remus realized what had happened. They had been tricked. He turned and fired back in the direction of the attack, staying low.
He caught the eye of Bill Weasley who fought beside him and the two advanced along the cover of some rocks and brush along the edge of the small cliff that overlooked the beach. A gash opened up along his arm as a yellow beam of light grazed his skin. He rolled to the right and took cover behind a larger bolder. He couldn't see anyone else except for Bill. The eldest Weasley was a talented fighter and the two changed direction attempting to get behind the force attacking them. Of one accord both stopped firing spells and stepped into the edge of an old forest. For the first time, he could see movement in the darkness. He signaled to Bill the location of two of the Death Eaters. The two fired stunners in sync and the two masked figures crumpled to the ground. Bill then banished them to a clearing the Order had chosen earlier for prisoners. Anti-apparition wards and the stunners would keep the death eaters from escaping.
The two continued to work in this fashion, stunning and banishing death eaters from the forest, causing more of the death eaters to move out into the more open area where other Order members could see them. The signal from Tonks alerted them to the call for help from Kingsley and the aurors inside the prison. The two quietly moved back towards the shore line.
The attack from behind by the Death Eater's was certainly going to sabotage the Order's ability to launch a concentrated attack as many were still dealing with the death eater's here on the shore. When the two made it to the meeting point, only Moody, Tonks, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Fleur, were there.
"The others will follow as soon as they can, with a contingent remaining behind to watch over the prisoners and alert us to any more arrivals," Dumbledore explained once the two joined the group. Everyone nodded at the plan and reached forward to place their hand upon the portkey that would take them to Azkaban. Two loud pops rang out and everyone turned wands drawn.
"It's a trap," Fred and George shouted immediately upon arriving. Dumbledore dropped the portkey he'd been holding and the others backed away. A jet of purple light caught George from behind and sent him flying through the air. Fred dropped into a crouch as he spun around and returned fire with a stunner. The others scrambled for cover as well as a fresh volley of red, yellow, purple, and green curses rained down upon them. Fred crawled to his twin and tugged him behind a fishing boat near where George had landed on the sand. Tears streaming down his face he apparated away with his brother clutched tightly in his arms. They had delivered their message, but at what cost?
* * * * *
Author's Note: Special thanks goes to Ranman, as he once again took time to look over this chapter and edit it for me. Any further mistakes are mine, but I hope you'll bear with me and enjoy the story anyway! Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you think!