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Chapter 3

Draco Black sat on the window seat and watched his little sister pace. Meghan paced like no one else — instead of regular steps, she danced her way back and forth across the room, taking skips and hops, twirls and leaps. In fact, it couldn’t really be called pacing at all, Draco thought, since pacing implied the regularity of the walking as well as the constant motion back and forth.

"You’re going to be too tired to see her when she does get here," he said quietly.

"Am not."

Draco sighed. She’s excited. I’ll let her be.

Although he wouldn’t let Meghan see it, Draco was excited himself.

Letha’s coming. The name meant as much to him as "Mum" would to any normal child — perhaps more, since the Pack was so interdependent. It conjured memories of her strong arms wrapping protectively around him, her silvery voice coaching him through a difficult passage or soothing him after a bad dream, her cool hands on his forehead when he was sick, easing his fever...

Draco pressed a hand against his chest, trying to calm himself. At least I remember her. And the others — Padfoot, Moony, Danger — I know them, who they are and what they mean to me...

His hand curled into a fist. Harry doesn’t. Hermione doesn’t.

With his Aunt Andromeda’s reversal of the Memory Charm which had been placed on him, Draco had regained his memories of what surely counted as the worst Christmas ever. Instead of waking up on his own time with the Pack around him and the excitement of Christmas before him, he had experienced the sudden awakening that meant a spell had been used on him and looked around to see a strange room with two casewizards from Wizarding Family Services standing over him.

I was scared to death. Must have looked it, too.

One of the casewizards — actually a casewitch — had tried to soothe him, but he didn’t want to be soothed, he wanted answers. She had brought him to a different room, where the other cubs already were, Harry looking mad, Hermione worried, and Meghan scared out of her mind. She had attached herself to Draco as soon as he walked in the door, and he wasn’t unhappy about it in the least.

It can help to have someone smaller than you to protect. It makes you less scared.

Four or five rather large casewizards had entered the room with them and shut the doors. Then, and only then, did the casewitch explain what was going on — that their parents had been arrested, that they would be placed with their closest relatives, or failing that, in a suitable home — and that they would be "treated" to reduce the shock of their lives changing so drastically.

Hermione had been the first to realize what "treated" meant — Obliviated, their memories of their Pack erased, so that they couldn’t remember the people who loved them — and she had shot to her feet, screaming, and attacked one of the casewizards. As soon as the boys realized what she was doing and why, they had joined her, as had Meghan.

They fought bravely, but the casewizards were bigger, there were more of them, and they had wands.

But we almost got away twice. They had to hold us down before they could do it. And they had to put a Silencer on Neenie because she wouldn’t stop screaming.

The incantation the casewizards had used on them was not the familiar, simple "Obliviate" but something more complex, with more ramifications. Instead of merely wiping the memory away — or did it block it up? Draco wondered — this charm muddled the memory and made it hard to understand. Also, it made its victim suggestible for about an hour after its use, so that new pseudo-memories could be created to take the place of the memories that had been lost.

That big, loud, mean bloke — what was his name? Curcio, that’s right. Draco snorted humorlessly. Swap two letters and you’d be closer. How the hell did he ever get into Family Services? He’s a bloody sadist...

Casewizard Curcio, among other things, had implanted the suggestion in Hermione’s mind that she couldn’t speak. It seemed to amuse him to see her unable to say anything, even after the Silencing Charm had been removed.

And he was the one who decided to send her to an orphanage instead of placing her with a foster family. I think he was just mad at her because she did a Snape on him. Draco snickered. He couldn’t stand up for the next fifteen minutes.

His momentary glee died as he remembered what had happened next, after Hermione had been taken away. Someone had apparently done their homework about Harry.

At the time, Draco had been in the rather uncaring state the modified Memory Charm left one in. Now, he growled under his breath with rage as he remembered the casewizards making his brother believe that he had spent his entire life living in a cupboard and getting picked on by his cousin.

Whoever organized this must really hate us. And whoever it is, is high up in the Ministry, with enough power to coordinate a big operation like this, that goes across several departments...

The doorbell rang. Meghan froze. Draco’s thoughts went briefly haywire.

She’s here — she’s here —

"Stay here," his Aunt Andromeda said firmly, looking into the room where they were. "You’re not to come out until I tell you."

Draco nodded and quickly found himself a seat. His heart was racing with excitement. Meghan sat down next to him — he could feel her trembling with joy at the thought of seeing her mother again. He put an arm around her and held her close.

Any minute. Soon. Now...

Aunt Andromeda’s voice rose from the hallway below. "What do you mean, take them away? Who are you, anyway?"

Meghan gave a shuddering gasp. Draco was on his feet and moving to the door, where he could hear better, his heart sinking. Something’s gone wrong...

"Wizarding Family Services, ma’am," said a male voice from below. "We’ve received word that you disobeyed your instructions about allowing these children access to their former guardians."

"None of their former guardians have seen them or spoken with them since I assumed custody in December," answered Aunt Andy firmly.

"Do you deny that you had planned to allow one of their former guardians access to your home tonight?"

A moment of silence.

"Mrs. Tonks, where are the children?" asked a female voice.

Aunt Andy sounded defeated when she answered. "They’re upstairs. Will you at least tell me where you’re going to place them?"

"Both foster families are ready," the female voice began, when Aunt Andy interrupted her.

"Both? You’re going to separate them?"

Meghan’s eyes grew very big, and she whimpered and pressed herself closer to Draco, who held her tightly, his thoughts whirling. No, no, they can’t do this, it isn’t fair — not tonight, when we were finally going to see Letha again — they can’t take us away from each other tonight...

"It was bending the rules to let them stay together in the first place," the male voice answered. "And you’ve already proven yourself untrustworthy, so I see no reason I should let you know where we’re taking them. Excuse me." It was said in a thoroughly nasty tone, as if he would push by her if she didn’t get out of his way.

Heavy footsteps thudded on the stairs. Draco didn’t bother to move. I don’t care if he knows we were listening. He can’t do anything worse to us than he already is doing.

He glared over Meghan’s head at the man who appeared at the top of the stairs. The man raised his eyebrows. "You’re the Malfoy boy, then."

Draco bit back two or three nasty things he wanted to say and simply nodded. This was not the time to argue about his name.

"On your feet, you’re coming with me," the man said without preamble. "The girl too. How much do you have to pack?"

"Not much, sir," Draco said as respectfully as he could manage through gritted teeth.

"Get a move on, then, it’s already late."

Draco stood up, still holding Meghan against him, and ambled down the hall at as slow a pace as he could manage without looking like he was dawdling on purpose. I’m not taking any more orders from you than I have to.

"Come on, Pearl," he whispered to her once they were safe in their bedroom. "No crying now. Time to be brave."

Meghan wiped her eyes and sniffled hard. "I’ll try."

Draco held his hands behind his head as if they were pointed ears. "Do or do not," he said in a high-pitched voice. "There is no try."

Meghan gave a half-hearted giggle.

It didn’t take either of them long to pack. Draco made sure Meghan’s bag contained her lion, and that he had packed the recorder Aunt Andy had bought for him as well as his own stuffed animal. His playing for Meghan to dance had helped both of them through some of the hardest times when they missed the Pack the most. Now he’d have to play on his own.

They came down the stairs together, hand in hand, and hugged Aunt Andromeda goodbye. Meghan’s face was set and firm — she seemed to have left her tears upstairs.

"I’ll take her first," said the casewitch when Aunt Andy had excused herself and gone upstairs. She threw Floo powder into the fireplace in the living room, turning the flames green. "Longbottom House!" she announced, stepping into the fire with Meghan at her side. The flames whipped them out of sight.

Once the fire was normally colored again, the casewizard gave Draco a little push forward. "Go on, boy, don’t be shy," he said, tossing a pinch of Floo powder into the flames again.

Draco stepped into the fire, the usual warm-wind feeling spreading over him. The casewizard joined him and shouted "Nott Manor!"

Draco’s stomach turned upside down, and not just because of the Floo.

The Notts? No, oh no, oh no...

xXxXx

Upstairs in the hallway, Andromeda Tonks swore colorfully.

Apparently no one had ever told the Wizarding Family Services people that sound carried through heat registers.

xXxXx

Four people sat around the Tonks’ kitchen table, their faces uniformly grim. Remus, Danger, and Aletha had arrived at the back door almost exactly two minutes after the casewizards had taken their cubs away again. Andromeda had just finished explaining and was now staring at the table as if she expected them to scream at her.

"They must have intercepted one of our letters, to know I was coming tonight. Andy, don’t blame yourself — you couldn’t have done anything," said Aletha quietly, though her face was still streaked with tears. "What were you going to do, duel with them?"

"I feel like I should have," said Andy regretfully. "They’re so obviously not interested in the children’s well-being, or in anything but their own selfish little agenda — and I have no idea what that may be."

"Nor do we," said Remus. "So all we can do is keep trying to get them back somehow. At least you were able to hear where they sent them, Andy. Meghan should be all right — Longbottom House was Frank Longbottom’s home when he was... lucid, and I think his mother lives there now, with Frank and Alice’s boy, what’s his name, Neville. He’s Harry’s age, so Meghan will have some company. But Draco’s another matter." His hand curled into a fist for a moment. "The Notts. Why in God’s name would anyone be so stupid as to send a child to live with Patroclus and Deianara Nott?"

"How you can remember all those names, but constantly forget where you left your wand, is beyond me," said Danger with a half-smile.

"As to why, that’s simple," said Andy with a bitter smile. "Money. The Notts have plenty of it."

Aletha sighed. "Oh, come on, Andy, I know the Ministry’s interested in gold, but that can’t be the only reason."

"They may be in debt from this little project and looking to collect," Andy countered. "Draco told me something very interesting about Harry. Apparently the Ministry found his aunt and uncle, set them up in a house, got their son back from the Muggle version of Family Services, and paid them off — all so they would take Harry back and never let him know he’d been away."

"That explains a lot," said Danger, her eyes narrowing. "Did he tell you anything else?"

"Something about Hermione... oh, heavens, what was it... her name, that’s it. She thinks her name is something else."

All three Marauders sat up straight. "What?" demanded Remus. "Do you remember what?"

Andromeda closed her eyes in thought. "Don’t rush me... oh, Lord, he said something about London... he thought it was funny, in an awful kind of way, that they were taking her to a children’s home in London, and her name was the same as it was when you lived there..." She shook her head, opening her eyes. "But that doesn’t make sense."

"Oh, yes, it does," said Danger, smiling hugely. "When we lived in London, we used the name White. And Hermione went by Jane."

Remus, too, looked enormously relieved. "Andy, you have to understand. Until just now, we had no idea where to look for her, not even where to start. And now we have a children’s home in London and a girl named Jane White. I can start on that tomorrow — there can’t be that many children’s homes around..."

"Where do the Notts live?" asked Aletha.

"Leicestershire," said Andy promptly. "I’d be careful, though, their house is probably tricked up as far as it can be, they’re paranoid about invaders — as I would be, if I were a former Death Eater..."

"We’ll work something out," said Danger, flexing her fingers. "Ladies and gentleman, we are back in business."

xXxXx

The next day, life was back to something resembling normal for the three remaining members of the Pack. Remus and Aletha got up early to go to work — Aletha to her job as "Alice Anderson," Remus to London, to do some research into Muggle children’s homes. Danger had a short lie-in, then got up and did some cleaning — though Aletha was a tidy woman, so there wasn’t much to do — and started a casserole for dinner. The simple, familiar tasks of the Den-keeper comforted her.

Though I do miss Sirius. I think we all do. We don’t talk about it, but we miss him.

And we still haven’t figured out where we’re going to go once I spring him tomorrow. I’m going to be no good after I get us away, so I’ll need to be sure wherever I take us is safe...

Danger knew that using the "wild" magic, her "one impossible thing," would take so much out of her that she would lose consciousness almost immediately after using it, and remain unconscious for however long it took her to recover — the more impossible the magic, the longer she would be down for.

And I don’t even really know what I’m doing yet, so I don’t know how long I’ll be out...

Someone knocked at the door.

Oh, drat. What do I do now?

Her common sense took over. Answer the door and tell whoever it is I’m a friend of "Alice’s," of course.

She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and went to open the door.

"Good morning," said the man on the other side, smiling politely at her. "May I come in?"

Danger smiled in relief and stepped aside to allow Albus Dumbledore entrance.

"I’m glad to see you, Professor," she said, closing the door behind him. "I assume you know most of what’s going on."

"Unfortunately. I am terribly sorry that I could not help you more in your time of trouble."

Danger sighed. "You kept Sirius out of Azkaban — that’s damn important — and I’m sure you didn’t know about the cubs until it was too late to stop it. But..." She shook her head, biting tears back. I’m getting to be a regular cry machine here. "I don’t know... I just have to wonder, why does everything happen to us?"

"It would seem to be an occupational hazard of taking care of some of the most famous children of our times, and harboring one of the most notorious men."

Danger chuckled weakly. "Occupational hazard indeed."

Dumbledore smiled. "As I said, I am very sorry that I could not help you more before this, and I have come with an offer that I hope will help to rectify that. If you so desire, you and the rest of the Pack may take refuge at Hogwarts for as long as you wish. With or without the knowledge of the authorities."

Danger’s heart leapt. "You mean, all the rest of the Pack?"

"Indeed." Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. "If the Floo is used, I would recommend entering through the kitchens. There is a suite of rooms — are you free at the moment, by any chance? There is a wizarding home not too far from here where we may use the Floo, and I have an hour or two free."

"As do I." Danger got to her feet. "On behalf of everyone, Professor, thank you. Thank you so much."

The one place no one will ever think to look for us — and the one place the cubs will need to be —

And suddenly, she knew exactly what her "one impossible thing" would be.

Everyone’s expecting something to happen at the trial. She smiled sweetly. And pranksters’ rule number one is: never, ever, do what they expect.

Let’s make it a true déjà vu, Alex...

Danger smacked herself mentally. Too much American television, girl.

She followed Professor Dumbledore out the door and closed it behind her, locking it with her wand.

Finally, some good news. Maybe, maybe, things are starting to turn around.

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