Leaving for Good (Canon/Invites)

[Harry Potter]

Key for "good" NPCs:

Harry = Hagrid and Lupin
Hermione = Mundungus and Moody
Ron = Fred, George, Tonks, Arthur
Ginny = Bill and Fleur
Shalie = Kingsley

Harry sat at his desk. The sun was almost completely out of the sky by now. His aunt, uncle, and cousin had left with Hestia and Dedulus about fifteen minutes ago. Harry normally wouldn't have been this anxious for the arrival of Moody, but he needed to know what was going on. Hestia had said that the plans had changed. Why? Harry scraped back his desk chair and stood up before beginning to pace. Where was Moody?

The popping sound of disalusionment charms being broken met his ears. Puzzled, he crossed the room in two strides to once more stare out the window. From all over the place, people were appearing in the yard. Not only Moody, but Mundungus, Bill, Fleur, Mr. Weasley, both twins, Hagrid, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley and last but not least Ron and Hermione.

Harry took the stairs three at a time, nearly tripping over the last one, wrenched open the front door and hurtled himself into their midst with a general cry of greeting.

[Hermione Granger]

Alastor 'MadEye' Moody was perched on his arm chair sucking audibly on a sherbet lemon with his good eye focused on a pocket watch and his magical eye zooming around non stop, searching for danger. The second the hour hand moved directly on the 12, Moody stood up and turned on the spot. Within seconds he was standing outside the Burrow. Moody leaned against his stick and shook his shaggy head vigorously before making his way towards the front door. He stopped short on front of it and rapped with his stick. Arthur came to the door and peered through the peep hole. Moody moved his face closer to the glass and said gruffly, "The question Weasley." Arthur cleared his throat and asked, "Which of Molly's gifts did you tear apart? And why?"

"Carriage Clock. Basilisk Egg," was his reply. Arthur unbolted the door and let Moody inside. The whole rescue party was assembled in the living room. Moody trudged amidst them. He cleared his throat and went briefly over the plan one last time. "Now that we all know the plan..." Moody was interrupted by Mundungus, "Now wait a minute 'u all. I dun't wanna go. I nevah..." Moody glared at Mundungus and snapped, "Shut up Dung. As I was saying. Now that we all know the plan, let's go rescue Potter. And remember constant vigilance!" Moody divided them in groups of two, except for Hagrid. He staggered towards Mundungus and grabbed him from the scruff of his neck.

While Moody dragged Dung, Kingsley escorted Hermione towards a Thestral and helped her on top of it. The young woman looked mildly uncomfortable and she held tightly to Kingsley. The rescue mission arrived at Privet Drive at the same time. Hermione slid off the Thestral and ran towards Harry and flung her arms around his neck. MadEye moved forwards with his broom in one hand and two enormous bulging sacks in the other. "Change of plans," he growled. MadEye moved past Harry; his magical eye spinning around the neighbourhood and added, "Let's get undercover before we talk you through it."

[ginny]

Bill and Fleur were both nervous, though both were also trying to hide it. Bill smiled at his future wife, and then at his mother. Molly and Ginny were standing side by side both looking fearful. Molly looked closer to tears than her daughter.

"We'll be fine, mum", Bill reassured her. He kissed Fleur and waved, "we'll see you lot in a bit." Once outside, the mood on both sides of the Burrow's front door became considerably less cheerful. Molly burst into tears and kept muttering about losing all of her children to war. Ginny, thinking of Harry and every other person who could lose their life tonight, hugged her mother tightly.

"They'll be all right mum, they just will", Ginny murmured comfortingly to her mother, there was a fierceness in her tone. She went up to her room, glad that at the very least, she'd written Harry and hugged everyone before they'd left the burrow. "Merlin help them", she whispered, "Merlin help them all."

Outside, Bill and Fleur were hugging each other. "What a crazy way to celebrate a wedding." Fleur whispered as they walked to the apparition point. "Maybe", answered Bill, "but we will live to see our wedding, my love, I swear." With that they disappeared into the night.

[glacialmai]

Ron's stomach dropped as his mother burst out into tears for the umpteenth time. George was trying to comfort her, telling her over and over again that they'd be fine. "I'm tellin' you, Mum; We're gonna be fine! You-Know-Who doesn't know we're moving Harry tonight," said Fred, patting his mother on the back and trying his best to give a smile. Ron could see the smile falter ever so slightly and knew Fred was not only trying to convince their mother, but also himself.

"Yeah, it's going to be really easy. Zip in, zip out. Right, Ron?" George asked, trying to get Ron in on consoling Molly Weasley.

"Yup," said Ron, surprised at just how cheery his voice sounded. "Perfectly fine." The more he said it and thought it, the more he thought it was true. And the thought of seeing Harry again made him a bit more cheerful -- he needed someone he could joke around with and wasn't a sibling.

Tonks was paired with Ron after Moody went through the plan -- again. "Yes, yes, we know," said Tonks, rolling her eyes at Mad-Eye's self proclaimed catchphrase. She turned to Remus, whom she was beside, and gave him a quick kiss. "Stay safe, you," she said quietly, patting him lightly on the cheek before turning to Ron. " 'Constant vigilance' and all that jazz. Now let's go, Ron!" Tonks said cheerfully to Ron, shaking her head of dirty blonde hair--something a bit more subtle for the mission. "Now we're on broomstick, as Mad-Eye was kind enough to point out a thousand times," she explained, grabbing her broomstick from it's position by the door and walking outside with Ron. Ron had just enough time to give his mother and sister another wave before following Tonks.

George gave his mother another smile before turning to join Arthur, whom he would be paired with. "See you in a bit, mum. We'll be back before dinner gets cold, yeah?" he said, giving Ginny another quick hug. Fred did the same as George walked out the door and gave a sort of salute to his mother. "Watch the skies," Fred said, giving another one of his grins that wasn't completely all there.

"Okay, now we're all here. Fred, you're with me and George with Remus," Arthur said as the others joined him and Mad-Eye outside. The twins split off in their opposite directions with a unison "See you later, mate".

They all arrived at the same time.

Tonks was immediately looking around to make sure all was clear as everyone hurried towards the door. Ron made his way to the front of the pack, just behind Hermione who hugged Harry just as soon as the door was open. Ron grinned as she let go and everyone began to shuffle in. "Good to see you," he said, clapping Harry on the back and moving towards the living room that was cleared out of all furniture to make way for everyone else. Arthur shook his hand as he passed Harry and motioned for him to follow into the living room. Mad-Eye was the last to enter, as per usual.

Tonks moved over to stand by Remus and hugged Harry once they were all situated. After she drew back she grinned, waggling her left hand where a ring gleamed. "Harry, look!" she exclaimed excitedly. The joy of telling people she was a newlywed hadn't lost it charm yet.

Fred and George exchanged greetings to Harry as well, while Arthur moved to watch the window, his wand out and alert.

[Harry Potter]

Lupin was oddly quiet as Moody went over the plan - yet again- and then listed the partners. Unlike everyone else who seemed to offer words of comfort and assurance to Molly as they passed, he merely gave her a grim smile and then ducked through the door, meeting up with Tonks on the other side. When she murmered to stay safe and pat his cheek, he bestowed upon her a smile much less grave than the one he had given Molly and then joined the twin he would be riding with (George) by a pair of broomsticks near the door.

Hagrid hadn't been in the house to hear the plan rehashed as he wouldn't fit. He was waiting in the burrow's garden by Sirius' motor bike when they all began filing out. They all arrived at number four privet drive at the same time and seconds later, before they had even really started for the house, the familiar black haired, bespectacled boy was running towards them, met halfway by Hermione, who flung her arms around his neck and by Ron who clapped him on the back with a grin. Hagrid felt tears come to his eyes at the sight of their strong friendship. He had come to care for those three kids so much over the last six years...even though they stoped taking his class.

Harry had barely had time to take five steps before his vision was blinded by a mess of bushy brown hair and he was being hugged to death by a breathless Hermione. He grinned in return as Ron gave him a friendly clap on the back and led his two best friends back into the house behind Moody who had answered Harry's first question (of why there were so many people here to move him) without it even being asked. Days before he had been miserable, but just the sight of so many familiar faces, especially those of Ron and Hermione, had lifted his mood a thousand octaves and he felt as though nothing could stop them.

When Tonks waved her hand in his face, his jaw dropped. "You got married?" he yelped, looking from her to Lupin and back again. "That's brilliant, congratu-" He was cut off by an impatient Moody.

[Hermione Granger]

As they were being led towards the kitchen, Moody kept grumbling underneath his breath while the merry party behind him chattered and laughed absentmindedly. He turned to Tonks and glowered at her thinking that he had made himself clear at the Burrow that is no distractions from the matter at hand. He grunted loudly and roared over the noise of enmeshed voices, “Alright, alright, we will have time for a cosy catch-up later.” He trudged at the head of the party and dropped the sacks he had been carrying at his feet. Moody turned to Harry and said, “We had to abandon Plan A. Thickness has gone over the other side, which gives us a big problem. It’s now an imprisonable offence to connect this house to the Floo network, place a Portkey or Apparate in and out.”

He paused and laughed bitterly. Moody made the sign of inverted commas with his fingers and added, “All in the name of your protection. Which in my opinion is pointless since your mother’s charm is already doing that.” Moody let out a sigh and sighed in annoyance, “What he is really doing is preventing you from leaving the house safely.” He paused and passed a hand through his shaggy hair. Moody leaned against his stick and said, “Second problem. You are still under-age which means that you’ve still got the trace on you.” Moody frowned, not happy at being interrupted by the boy and continued impatiently, “The Trace Potter! A charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens. If you or any one around you casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse will know, and so will the Death Eaters.”

“That is why we are going to use the only means of transport left to us, the ones that cannot be detected by the Trace.” He paused and showed Harry three fingers, "Broomsticks, Thestrals and Hagrid’s bike.” For every means he listed, Moody lowered a finger until his fist was completely closed. He pursed his lips and took a moment to take a swig from his flask. “Your mother’s charm will break under two conditions. First; you come of age. Second; you no longer consider this muggle place home. You and your relatives are parting ways, never to live together again. There is no coming back to this house, thus the charm will break as soon as you get outside its range. We are choosing to break it early because it’s madness to wait for You-Know-Who to come get you the moment you come of age. The good think is that You-Know-Who does not know of Plan B.”

Moody paused and nudged the sacks with his boot. “We have leaked a fake trail to the Ministry. However, we cannot rely on You-Know-Who getting the wrong date. He is bound to have Death Eaters patrolling the skies just in case. So we have chose a dozen different houses which all look like places we could hide you and protected them. You will be going to Tonk’s parent’s. Once you’re within the boundaries of the protective enchantments you will be able to use a Portkey to the Burrow. Any questions?”

[Harry Potter]

Harry turned to face Moody, who was barking out the reason they had to abandon Plan A. Harry felt a swooping sensation in his stomach as the list of things that were now imprisonable mounted up. When Moody mentioned the trace, he couldn't help himself from speaking up. "The trace?" Cowering under the look he recieved from Moody, he nodded mutely at its explanation, understanding what Moody had meant now, remembering how the trace had already gotten him in trouble twice before.

He wanted to ask exactly how they were going to get out of here if every means of transportation was being watched by Thicknese and - by extension - the death eaters. But remembering how Moody hated being interrupted, he held his tongue. And it was a good thing he did because the next thing out of Moody's mouth was the solution to this problem. And Harry felt rather stupid for not thinking of it earlier; he loved flying. Brooms should have been the first alternative on his mind.

He could still see a gaping hole in the plan that Moody was lying out but waited until he was allowed to ask questions before voicing it. "Well, maybe they won't know which safe house I'm going to but won't it be kind of obvious once..." He scanned the room and did a quick head count, including Hagrid who was at the window (once again too big to enter the house). "...fourteen of us fly off towards Tonk's parents' house?"

Lupin looked to Moody, wondering exactly how he was going to go about telling Harry he was going to be cloned. When first telling the group this plan, Hermione had been convinced Harry wouldn't like it but Moody hadn't seemed to care about that.

[Hermione Granger]

Hermione shuffled uncomfortable at Harry’s words. She exchanged a look with Ron, knowing that Moody was about to reveal the most crucial part of the plan. Hermione knew Harry would oppose the idea, but he really had no other choice. Moody cleared his throat and said gruffly, “Ah yes. I forgot to mention the key point.” He paused and cast a quick glance around the room. “Fourteen of us won’t be flying to Tonk’s parents’. There will be seven Potters moving through the sky tonight, each of them with a companion, and each pair headed to a different safe house.” Moody reached inside his cloak and pulled out a flask containing a mud like substance. As Harry started protesting, Hermione moved beside him and place her hand on his shoulder. “I told them you’d take it like this,” she said. Moody was starting to get impatient with the commotion around him. “Enough,” he barked. Moody fixed his good eye on Harry who was acting like a know-it-all spoiled smartass, “If it has to come down to force, then it will.” His magical eye quavered a little in its socket as he glared at Harry. “Everyone here is over-age Potter, and everyone is ready to take the risk.” Mundungus grimaced and made a face at Moody’s words. “Let’s have no more arguments. Time is wearing on. I want a few of your hairs. Now Potter!.”

[glacialmai]

As Hermione caught Ron's eye, he too shifted around a little bit. He glanced at his feet, remembering their last experience with the potion they were about to use. It had gone well enough for a few second year brewing it illegally in a girl's lavatory. Well enough, excluding a few mishaps while Harry and himself posed and Goyle and Crabbe. That was, until they found Hermione afterwards. Luckily, everything had been fixed long since and everyone was, thankfully, tail-less. "It'll be fine, mate," said Ron helpfully, though it came out as more of a mumble than actual coherent words.

Tonks grinned at Harry at his expression, though she fell silent at Mad-Eye's glare. Though a smile still played at her lips, she was quiet. As Mad-Eye mentioned Thicknesse, Tonks visibly scowled. It was a big problem indeed, to say the least. With talks of a sudden change of staff being whispered about the Auror Office, Tonks didn't like it one bit.

Fred smirked at Moody's harsh tones. Fred (nor anyone in the room) thought that Harry would be dumb enough to go against that many over-age wizards. Granted, he could see Harry's point, but there shouldn't have been much to worry about. Not that anything was supposed to go wrong. The creeping sensation of reassuring his mother that everything was going to be all right was odd, nagging at him slightly.

Meanwhile, Arthur was keeping half of his attention on Mad-Eye and the group with frequent glances to the outside, his wand still raised just in case. He didn't particularly like the thought of so many of his sons, friends, and family -- excluding Mundungus, whom he considered an acquaintance -- to be doing something like this. However, he knew the feeling of wanting to do something useful all to well and very much couldn't stop anyone who was overage. The fake trail was what most of them were placing their hopes on, he knew.

[Harry Potter]

Harry looked at Moody quizzically until the flask of mud-like substance was brought out and he understood the rest of the plan without anyone having to explain it. "No, that's insane!" He shook his head vigorously, only pausing in his outburst for a moment when Hermione announced that she knew he would react like this and Moody demanded his hair. "This is mad" he continued frantically. "Pretending to be me; risking your lives...there's no need-"

When Moody barked that everyone was over age and willing to take the risk, he looked from Hermione to Ron, the latter of which being the only to speak and his words weren't all that comforting but they acted as a trigger that made Harry realize that this really was the only way. Keeping his gaze averted from the fourteen sets of eyes staring at him, he reached up and swiftly yanked some hairs from his head, wincing at the slight burn. He walked up to Moody, still avoiding eye contact with anyone, and dropped the hairs into the flask. It bubbled for a moment and then turned a light golden color.

Lupin, standing in between Tonks and Arthur by the back window, glanced outside. It was getting darker. "Almost time, Alastor" he called to the front of the room.

[Headmaster Severus Snape]

Key for "bad" NPCs:

Bella = Rodolphous, Selwyn, Stan Shunpike, the Carrows
Snape = Yaxley, Travers, random un-named death eaters

Almost time indeed. Snape had been sitting in his home on Spinner's Ave, barely blinking, for the past three hours, just staring at the large grandfather's clock in front of him, beside the stone fireplace. When it began chiming on the hour, nine times to be specific (not a clue what time it actually was so im making it up lol), he stood, adjusted his over-sized black traveler's cloak and spun on the spot. He arrived in a muggle neighborhood not far from Potter's. They, of course, could not see the house Potter was in due to the protection charm of Lily Potter. He closed his eyes briefly, hating his own reaction of just her name. But at any rate, they did know the general location and would be in the air, waiting, when Potter and his "patrol" rose into the sky unsuspecting. He summoned his broom and once it had arrived, he shouldered it, waiting for the other death eaters to arrive.

[Hermione Granger]

Moody was starting to get impatient. The moment Harry said that there was no need he cut him off by growling, “No need? With You-Know-Who out there and half the ministry on his side? Listen Potter, if we’re lucky he will have swallowed the fake bait, but he’d be mad not to have a Death Eater or two keeping an eye out. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who cannot split in seven.” Hermione’s eyes were pleading with Harry. “So, Potter – some of your hair, if you please. Now,” barked Moody. As Harry reached up for the top of his head, Moody heaved a sigh of relief and Hermione reached for Ron’s hand and squeezed it gently. She soon released her hold and looked away feeling mortified. Moody limped forwards, pulled the stopper out of the flask and inclined it in Harry’s direction. “Straight in here, if you please.”

The retired auror waited patiently for the potion to settle. When it turned a clear bright gold Hermione exclaimed, “Ohh you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle.” Her voice trailed away when she caught sight of Ron’s expression. Hermione blushed scarlet and added, “You know what I mean –Goyle’s potion looked like bogies.” Moody rolled his eyes and huffed, “Right then. Fake Potters line up over here.” After Mundungus had been lifted beside the other five Potters he said, “I’ve toldjer I’d sooner be a protector.” “As I’ve already told you, you spinless worm, the Death Eaters won’t be aiming to kill Potter. It’ll be the protectors who have the most to worry about,” growled Moody in response. Moody started rummaging through his cloak and pulled out half a dozen glasses, which he handed out and then poured a little potion into each.

While the six fake Potters drank the potion and endured the mutation, Moody loosend the ties of the sacks he had brought with him. By the time he straightened himself up there were six Potters gasping in front of him. “Those whose clothes are a bit roomy, I’ve smaller here. And vice versa. Don’t forget the glasses, there’s a pair in the side pocket. And when you’re dressed, there’s luggage in the other sack." Hermione and Mundungus started stripping off their clothes simaltenously, both were squinting really hard to find the sack and pull out the clothes. As she put on the glasses Hermione said, “Harry your eyesight really is awful.”

[Bellatrix E. Lestrange]

This was an important night for the Dark Lord and all his Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange was especially excited. She wanted her master to be happy, and she knew that would only happen when Potter’s corpse was lying at his feet. Bella stepped out her closet wearing the plainest of black dresses; the one she used for combat and sat down on the edge of the bed. She stretched out her legs in front of her and spread her toes before struggling to pull on her heavy combat boots. Bellatrix finally stood up and grabbed her black hooded Death Eater cloak from the chair. She pulled it around her shoulders and fastened it tightly. Her Death Eater mask could wait until later. She stepped in front of the mirror, squared her shoulders and straightened her back. Bellatrix Elladora Lestrange always looked good for combat.

A cackle escaped her lips as she passed a hand through her tangled wild hair. Rodolphus appeared behind her and she fixed her eyes on his reflection. Bellatrix smiled at her husband and gave half a nod before saying excitedly, “Tonight Potter will die.” Rodolphus placed a hand on her shoulder and patter it gingerly before saying, “It’s time Bella.” She gave nod and instantly reached for her broomstick. Bellatrix patted her robes’s pocket, just to assure herself her wand was there and then accepted Rodolphus’s hand. He pulled her close to him and turned on the spot. Several seconds later, both husband and wife were standing in a deserted muggle street. Bellatrix untangled herself from Rodolphus. She straightened her back, drew out her wand and conjured her mask.

Bellatrix placed her mask into place and pulled up her hood. She cast one last look in Rodolphus’s direction before moving towards the cluster of Death Eaters that had started assembling. Bella acknowledge Snape and recognised the Selwyn and Stan Shunpike standing at a distance from him.

[Headmaster Severus Snape]

Snape inclined his head at Bella as she passed but was too busy to even really say hello or make any other indication that he knew she was one of the several death eaters clustered around him. He saw the Carrows arrive, as well as Selwyn, Shunpike, Yaxley, and Travers. Their numbers were growing.

As other death eaters began arriving in their black cloaks with their masks either on or in one hand, Snape glanced skywards. There were no clouds across its inky black, smooth surface, which would make spotting the order members and Potter the minute they rose into the air all the more easy.

"Now remember" he called at large to the group which had almost reached the number thirty. "No one is to attack Potter directly. You can kill as many of his escorts as you want but Potter belongs to the Dark Lord. Also, do not begin casting any spells until the group as a whole is level with us in the air or the whole thing will be ruined because we will not be properly circling them."

He looked skywards again. It was very nearly time to act.

[Ardin Crabbe]

Ardin Crabbe surveyed himself in the mirror. He would be indistinguishable from the other Death Eaters as long as he was on his broom, but if he had to go on foot he would stand out in a comical way. His leg was successfully healed from being shot – mostly. He had a bit of a limp. Muggle weapons were something that magical healers had more trouble with. At least the sort of magical healers that Crabbe dealt with, as he preferred the service people he knew to have the same ideals that he did. The unfortunate side to that was they were anti-muggle, and most didn't know about the metal wands. What did they call them again? Damn, he was never going to remember.

He raised his head with pride when his wife commented on how the robes looked. Actually, they were a little oversized because he had lost weight during his time in Azkaban and he had yet to replace them. A compliment still went a long way with Crabbe and he decided that when he came home maybe he would finally do something that she had been nagging him to do. Whatever that was he didn't know. He had the tendency to tune her out most of the time.

He was about to disapparate when he remembered Bellatrix and the wrath she delivered upon him when he messed up the last time and decided to put his mask on before he met with the others. It would make him stand out less and that way he was unlikely to be targeted straight away. Had Goyle ever come back from his 'vacation'?

Upon reaching the neighborhood Crabbe became nervous. Was he developing a fear of uniform neighborhoods or what? He didn't want that to make him bungle the whole thing out of nerves. He remembered to listen to Snape though he had an idea of what he was going to say. When he said that they could kill any of the escorts with Potter, his hand went to the handle of his wand and he tightened it with a smile as though Christmas had come early this year. They sure were taking their time... Or maybe he was just too excited!