23. Deathly Hallows
Tiberius knew this was coming. He just knew in the end it would boil down to this very moment right here. Not what he could to save himself but what he could do to save others.
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The door opened for Elena the moment she stepped on the on the porch with two of her five children following closely behind her. Jia Li safely at her dorm at the University of London, Lutalo, off at school, Tony, at Hogwarts, however unsafe she felt it was for him to be there, it was better than being on the run. She only had Finny who had graduated the year before, and Pallivi, who wasn’t allowed to return for her seventh year as there was no way to prove her heritage. Oh god, they were on the run. In hiding. And she only had two of her babies with her.
“Elena!” Alda McLaggen said rushing out the door to help her daughter in law, while the Colonel stood in the door surveying the scene. They were expecting them of course. Tibs had sent them a letter letting them know they would be on the way to stay for a while. Things were getting rough at the ministry. “Are you alright? Where is Tiberius?” she asked wondering why he would leave his wounded wife to travel there alone.
“The snatchers knocked down the door just as we were leaving. I had to hold them off.” Elena said glancing around the house frantically as they were lead inside. “Tibs... Tibs isn’t here? He said he was going to meet us here. He said he was on his way.”
“He’s not here. We were under the impression he coming with you.” The Colonel said from where he stood the same time Alda said “Snatchers? What are snatchers? What exactly is going on?”
“No. No. He was at the Ministry. He flooed to tell us to get out. To come here. He said he set up a portkey for us, and once he made sure it wasn’t traceable, he would follow. He should have beat us here. He should be here.” Elena explained her voice edging on hysteria.
“Mum... maybe...” Finn started trying to console his mother.
“No! He should be here by now! He promised he’d be here!”
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“Tsk Tsk. Tiberius, you are already on thin ice with your hearing next week, and here I find you tampering with files you clearly shouldn’t have access to.” A cool voice said from behind Tibs as he finished destroying the last of what could be used to track his family.
“Ah yes. Well, I found a clerical error that needed to be taken care of. Thought I’d help out.” he said turning to face Nott. “I thought it would be appreciated.”
“I wouldn’t be so cheeky if I were you. You’re brother already arrested. And snatchers on their way to pick up your wife and children. I personally requested if I could come fetch you. For old time sake.” Hamilton gave him a nasty grin.
Tibs frowned considering his options. He already had slim chances of getting out. He might as well make the most of the situation. “You don’t need them. Let’s be honest, its not even really worth your time, as I’m the one you really want.” he said quickly before he could change his mind. “You locking up one of the most popular Quidditch Stars really isn’t helping your cause much, no matter what his blood status is. Puddlemere has a big following, bet they’ll all be pissed when they start loosing because you locked up their coach.”
“You are speaking like this means something to me.”
“I know you make exceptions. Bend the rules where things turn out more beneficial. I’m saying you should let that one slide.”
“Again, you are speaking like this means something to me.” Nott repeated, bored.
“Phineas McLaggen is a big name. A big name that is going to attract a lot of attention. Do you really want all that attention focused on what exactly the Ministry is doing right now?”
Hamilton looked up from studying his nails a bit more intrigued. McLaggen had a point. “You are spending a lot of time advocating for you brother’s freedom when you should be begging for yours. I am here to take you into custody after all.”
Tibs really wanted to ask if he wouldn’t do the very same for his brother, didn’t he understand, that’s what older brothers did? That despite everything, when it came down to it, when it really mattered, you took the fall for you kid brother, but then realized that would be pointless, as he could probably guess the answer. “That’s my whole point.” he said evenly. “You let him go, I’ll go willing with you right now. I am the one that’s been causing you problems for the past twenty years after all. It’s what you’ve wanted for ages, is it not? I mean I was the on the Wizengamot that sent you to Azkaban two years ago.”
“Like you could stop me.” Hamilton responded in a low hiss, a tick going off in his jaw as he was reminded of one of the many reasons he hated the man standing in front of him.
“I could make it extremely difficult.” Tiberius said squaring his shoulders. He was going to be arrested either way, and if he could at least bargain Finn’s release out of it, then it would at least be doing something. His brother had be arrested a whole two months ago, and this was the first thing Tibs could do to help. And it wasn’t even guaranteed. But he had to try. And it certainly didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight tooth and nail once he got where ever they were shipping the muggleborns off too.
Nott took a moment to consider this. The mudblood did have a point. And well, he could use one easy arrest to end the day. “Fine. Deal.” He grabbed him roughly pulling him along. Just because it was going to be easy didn’t mean he was going to be nice.
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The good think about having an Army Colonel as your father, you were raised being taught survival skills. And Tiberius had never been more grateful than at this very moment. After five months of being at this horrible ‘camp’, he had finally managed an escape, taking quite a few others with him. He spent the time quietly showing the younger boys things he was taught as a kid. The Colonel would be proud that Tiberius never forgot what he was taught. That is if the Colonel ever knew. He frowned as his thoughts when to his father, because that lead them to his mother, his brother, which ultimately ended with Elena and his children.
He was almost grateful that he couldn’t remember the last thing he said to them. He was sure the last time he spoke to Phineas, it ended in a fight. Their conversations usually did. And his parents, he’s been sugar coating whats been going on for so long he wasn’t even sure they were aware of the war. He was almost certain their last conversation was around Lutalo’s decision to attend Cambridge after graduating with full intentions to join the RAF as an officer. The Colonel said it was about damn time another McLaggen had joined up.
The only conversation he did remember, he remembered in more detail than he ever wanted too.
The last time he spoke to his wife he was frantically telling her to leave the house. Snatchers were coming there wasn’t time to discuss it, take the kids and go. ’Elena you have to go now. They are coming as we speak there is no time.’ ‘But, you’re still at the Ministry, you should come with us.’ ‘I have to---I have to make sure they can’t follow you. Once I’m done, I’ll meet you there. I promise.... I need to go, I love you. Don’t forget that.’ Tiberius blinked his eyes wishing the last conversation he had with his wife out of his head. It haunted him, the last promise he made to her turning out to be such a lie. He was trying though, he was trying his damnest to keep it, even if it was taking him longer than expected. Even though he always had a sinking feeling in his gut when he thought about it.
The one thing that kept him going the whole time he was in the camp, and the two weeks they had been on the run in the woods, was that he had not seen or heard hint of any of his other family members here. He managed to get them all to safety before getting caught himself. And either Nott, kept his word and let Phineas go, or he didn’t. But Tibs took comfort in the fact he never saw him at the camp.
There was a rustling in the leaves and Tibs head snapped up. That was no animal shuffling around their camp. The steps were too deliberate. To careful. He got up and nudged Jackson awake, the man he made quick friends with and helped him lead what teenagers they could out of camp. “We’ve been found. The kids need to run.” he said quietly. They both had agreed when leaving, that if it came down to it, they would hold off who ever it was that tracked them down off while the kids made their escape.
Tiberius knew this was coming. He just knew in the end it would boil down to this very moment right here. Not what he could to save himself but what he could do to save others.
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“I dunno Danny, maybe we should come back later, there seems to be a lot of people here.” Said a shorter blond haired boy earning him a glare from his older brother.
“Come off it, will you. He had like five kids of course its going to seem like there are a lot of people here. Besides, we promised.”
“Well---”
“Too late I already knocked”
“We could---” but whatever the younger boy was going to say was interrupted by the door opening.
Finn didn’t look happy when he opened the door, and much less when he realized he didn’t know the two people standing on the porch. “Can I help you?” he asked with as much forced politeness as he could manage.
“Er yes. We’re here to see Elena McLaggen.” Danny offered fiddling with a ring on his thumb.
“Now is not a good time.” Finn said flatly about to shut the door shut the door in their faces.
“I told you now--”
“Shut it, Chris” Danny hissed very close to stomping on his brothers foot, and stopped Finn from shutting the door. “It’s important.” he said sincerely.
“Who’s at the door Finny?” another voiced asked as an asian girl appeared standing behind Finn.
“Some guys who wanna see ma, I’ve tried to tell them now is not a good time but can’t take a hint.”
“It is important.” He insisted.
“Let ‘em in.” Jia Li said turning away from the door. “If its not important, then they’ll have to deal with Uncle Finn and the Colonel.”
“Fine. This way.” Finn huffed opening the door leading them into the den where every one else was sitting and talking in somber tones. Chris looked utterly terrified at the sight of all the people in the room, and Danny did his very best to look dignified while feeling the same. “Ma. These guys here want to talk to you.” Finn announced and the room suddenly got very quiet as all eyes turned to the pair of brothers.
Danny swallowed looking around the room at all the people now staring at him. He hadn’t imagined it going this way. He twisted the ring around his thumb, a nervous habit he had picked up in the past few months. He wanted to talk to Elena in private first, not with all these people staring at them. All these people he almost felt like he knew because he had heard stories. They had all heard stories. Tibs like to talk a lot. Always, no matter what, he was telling a story. He felt like it lifted spirits just a little bit. Like how his brother pitch an out right fit when he got to go off to magic school, and he hadn’t gotten his letter yet because he was four years younger. And that he had told him that flying on broomsticks was a ridiculous notion. And wasn’t that ironic, being as he was a famous quidditch player. How Finn was the reason he was such a scrappy fighter, because he could never win in a straight on fight, but if he fought a little dirty, sometimes he could take him down. Which turned out to be quite useful.
And he talked about the Colonel, and the week long camping trips, which were really more like army boot camp and basic survival 101 more than roasting marshmallows over a campfire and telling ghost stories. And how he hated those trips. But despite that, he still went along when he took out his sons and nephews. And if they were to ever to meet the Colonel they had better damn well thank him because if it weren’t for him, well if it weren’t for him they would still be in the prison and not out camping in the woods trying to stay hidden.
And he talked about his kids. All five of them, and Danny was pretty sure he could pick them out now, even though he’d never met them or seen a single picture. Same with his nephews and niece.
But what he talked about the most was Elena. How they had met, and went on a date and were married not even a month later. He talked about it like it was one of those romances you read about in fairy tales or what not. How when you found a girl like Elena Nottingham, you sure as hell didn’t wait to put a ring on her finger and give her your last name.
“Well boy, you had something to say? Spit it out, or had you not noticed your interrupting a somber family gathering.” The Colonel bit out, and Danny had never been more nervous in his entire twenty years of life.
He approached Elena tentatively. “Right. Er, well, my name is Danny and that’s my brother Chris. We were... we...” he kept messing with the ring before pulling it off and handing it to her. “We were in the muggleborn prison with Tibs.” he said quietly. “He and another guy, Jackson, made escape for us and a few other boys about five months in. We made it a good two weeks before they caught up with us. Right before he and Jack went to go make a diversion, he gave that to me and made promise to make sure you got it.” he shrugged as he trailed off his gaze falling to the ground. “We’re alive because of him and its the very least we could do. Sorry if it was a bad time.”
After a few moments of complete silence he started again. “Sorry we’ll just go---” but he was cut off by being pulling into a hug by a crying Elena who insisted they stay.
