"So, you're here to rescue Merula, too?" Barnaby asked Jacob.
"For the hundredth time, yes!"
They had ventured into the trees where Jacob had set up a small camp protected with at least three dozen different spells. Jacob had a small tent set up, as well as a smoldering fire, which the three of them were seated around.
"And...why can't we rescue her tonight?"
Jacob slapped his knees in his impatience. "As I've told you," he said through gritted teeth, "Merula and her mother are supposedly alone right now, which means there'd be no witnesses. The Death Eaters have to see Merula being kidnapped, or as far as they know, killed."
"Otherwise, the Death Eaters will come after her?"
"Yes," said Jacob. "So, we'll be attacking tomorrow night. My correspondent says there will be a meeting happening at midnight. I suppose it's not a terrible thing you're here. They've just sent me word that more Death Eaters are coming than I'd heard of initially. I could use the backup."
"How did you know we were coming?" Elena asked. "Earlier, you made it sound like you knew we'd show up here."
Jacob sighed. "I've sort of been keeping tabs on you. Well, on Sarah, really."
"You've been spying on us?" asked Barnaby.
"Yeah, and it's a bloody good thing I did," he said. "She nearly got herself killed springing you from your parents' place. You'd both be dead if I hadn't stepped in."
"I didn't know you were there."
Jacob's eyes shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't there, really. I...it's complicated."
Barnaby let it drop, deciding his life didn't need anymore complicating at the moment.
"So, tomorrow at midnight, we charge into Merula's house, fight off the Death Eaters, and escape with her?"
"You two focus on distracting the death eaters," said Jacob. "I'll get Merula. Do we all understand the plan?"
"I think so," said Barnaby.
Jacob must have read the confusion in his eyes. "We'll go over it again in the morning." He stood up. "We should get some sleep. Do you have a tent or something?"
"Uh...no."
He sighed. "You can stay in mine then. I'll be right back. I've got to send a message to my correspondent."
"Wait," said Barnaby. "You know Sarah doesn't know that you're alive."
"Yes," said Jacob quietly. He stared into the fire, but he wasn't really looking at it. "And I'd like for it to stay that way. Trust me, it's better this way. For now, at least." His eyes snapped back to Barnaby's. "So don't you say anything, alright?"
Barnaby nodded, but he didn't understand why. "And after we rescue Merula? What'll we do next?"
"I've got my own plans. You can do whatever you want, I don't care."
Then he slinked silently through the trees.
"So, do we trust this man?" Elena asked as she followed Barnaby into the tent.
The tent had been magicked to be bigger on the inside. Jacob had a few oil lanterns to light up the dark corners, piles of books littered on the floor and on the table, and a separate wing for a bedroom and bathroom.
"I'm not sure," said Barnaby. He wished Sarah or Talbott were there to take charge and tell him what he should do. "He's helped us in the past, but he's done lots of bad things."
"We all have," said Elena.
"He wants to rescue Merula too, so I guess we should work with him. For now, at least."
Elena nodded. "Are you together with Merula?"
"What?"
"You have been so desperate to rescue her since I've seen you again. I assumed the two of you were...involved."
"No," he chuckled. "And she's probably hex you if she heard you say that."
Elena smiled.
As an excuse to look away from her, Barnaby waved his wand and conjured two cots to stand against the left wall end to end.
Elena tutted. "We can do better than that." She took out her own wand. "Just because we are in a tent doesn't mean we can't have nice things."
She waved her wand and the cots merged together and transformed into a large bed, with polished wooden frame and a fine, red quilt.
Barnaby rubbed his neck. "Its, uh...nice."
Elena stepped close to him, reaching up and kissing his lips. The kiss was soft and sweet, but it had opened the floodgates of his heart, and all the grief and fear that he'd been holding back burst forth and demanded to be known. Cecil was gone. His parents wanted him dead. He'd abandoned all of his friends. He'd abandoned Sarah.
He touched Elena gently on the shoulders, pushing her back.
"Sorry," he said, his voice hoarse. "It's just that I...it's been a hard day."
Elena nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry about your uncle."
"Thank you. He was a good man."
But apparently that didn't matter. Cecil's kindness or jovial spirit meant nothing against the shame he brought to the Lee name for refusing to join the Death Eaters. Had his father grieved when his brother had been killed? Perhaps he'd smiled, glad to cut off the weak branches on his family tree.
Elena had climbed into the bed and disappeared up to her chin under the covers. Barnaby stood there, waiting for Jacob to return. When he did, he said nothing, but he looked from Barnaby to Elena in the bed, rolled his eyes, and doused the lamps with a flick of his wand.
Barnaby heard the sounds of Jacob climbing into his own bed, so he pulled back the covers and laid down next to Elena. He was frozen stiff as close to the edge of the bed as possible, not sure if he should try to stay awake and avoid nightmares, or lay in the dark and dwell on his thoughts.
He awoke the next morning in a large, comfy bed, a woman's arm draped over his chest. He could feel her warm breath against his neck. He grinned with eyes still closed, before the grogginess wore off and the unbidden memories returned. His eyes snapped open, and he glanced over to see brown rather than blonde hair draped over tan skin.
He glanced over to Jacob's area and saw that he'd gone. Carefully, Barnaby slipped out of bed and stepped outside the tent.
Jacob was bent over the small fire, frying bacon in a pan. A kettle hung over the flames.
Barnaby's stomach growled, and Jacob turned.
"Pleasant evening?" he asked curtly. When Barnaby didn't answer, he said, "I don't suppose you've brought your own food or anything either?" He scoffed. "Then again, I reckon you don't need much supplies on a suicide mission. Well, have some of this, and get that girlfriend of yours out here so she can eat, too."
But Elena had already stepped outside.
As they munched on the bacon and drank cups of coffee, Elena asked Jacob, "Why do you want to rescue this girl?"
Jacob swallowed. "A few reasons. Mainly because I'm being paid for it."
"How much?"
"Not in gold, love. Information. Information worth all the gems in Gringotts bank."
"What sort of information?" Barnaby mumbled with his mouth full of bacon.
Jacob scoffed, ignoring the question.
"So tonight, at midnight exactly, the protective barriers will fall over that house back there." He pointed over his shoulder. "We'll all be waiting at roughly the same position I found you last night. When we see the house, I'll place a freezing charm on the protective barriers, and we'll have roughly two minutes to follow the Death Eaters to the house. We'll have disillusionment charms on us so we can't be seen, but we'll have to be deadly quiet."
Elena and Barnaby nodded.
"When we enter the house, we'll go down the corridor to the last room in the left, then jump in and start cursing everyone in sight, while I grab Merula. We can meet back up in this spot for a moment, but then we need to get as far away as possible."
They nodded again. "Great. See you in front of the pond at 11:30."
"Where are you going?" asked Barnaby, as Jacob tossed his entire coffee cup into the flames, and both vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Somewhere I don't have to talk to you," he said, disappearing once more through the trees.
"He's not a very nice person," said Elena, staring at the last place she'd seen him.
"Get used to it," said Barnaby, unable to resist smiling. "Merula's even worse."
That night, Barnaby, Elena, and Jacob crouched low behind some brush near the lake, watching the spot they knew the house to be. Barnaby still couldn't see it, but the others could, and they stared intently, not moving a muscle.
He didn't understand how they could be so still. His head swiveled around, taking in the black and blue surroundings, so he didn't have to look at his own body. It was disconcerting to stick your hand in front of your face and only be able to detect the slightest disturbance in the silent air around them.
"Now," whispered Jacob. He waved his wand, and they all darted out from behind the bush, following five, hooded figures.
Barnaby did his best to walk silently on the grass with is large feet, so he was the last in the procession, but he must have gotten past the barriers alright, because all at once the house loomed into view. It looked like a younger sibling to Lee Manor, he thought. Not as large or as grand, but nearly as ominous.
The Death Eaters entered the house and locked the door behind them, but after waiting a few seconds, Jacob pointed his wand at the door and the lock clicked.
He signaled for Barnaby and Elena to go first, so Barnaby stepped into the house, moving slower than a flobberworm so he made hardly a sound.
He heard voices drifting from the last room on the left, and he followed the hall toward them. Right as he and Elena turned the corner, he heard Jacob whisper something.
"What the hell is this?!" one of the masked figures yelled.
Everyone in the room was staring right at them. Barnaby raised his wand and yelled "Stupefy!" before the Death Eaters could react. As he did, he noticed that he was visible again.
The Death Eaters scattered to find cover and get out their wands. Barnaby guessed the shortest figure was Merula, so he focused his spells on the others.
The Death Eaters meant business. Barnaby ducked as a jet of green light flew over his head, the killing curse missing him by inches.
"Cinismortem!" Jacob yelled from behind Barnaby's shoulder. The Death Eater who had fired at Barnaby disintegrated into a pile of ash before his eyes.
Though it was seven against one, the Death Eaters all fell to the floor, either stunned or turned to ash in a matter of minutes.
Breathing hard, Barnaby looked around to see only Elena in the room with him. "Where's Jacob?"
"Here!" a voice groaned from the hall.
They followed the voice, but saw nothing. Elena waved her wand, and Jacob's disullionment charm fell. Jacob was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Several deep cuts were visible on his legs and torso.
"Slicing charm," he said through clenched teeth.
"Episkey!" said Elena, and the wounds began to close. "It'll be a few minutes before its fully healed."
"Doesn't matter, we have to get out of here before anymore Death Eaters turn up. Help me!"
"Where's Merula?" asked Barnaby.
"Here," said Jacob, clutching at a locket that hung from his neck.
"What?!"
"Trust me! We've got to go now!"
Barnaby and Elena helped Jacob to his feet, though he groaned with the pain, and hobbled out of the house and across the lawn.
As soon as they made it passed the protective barriers, they disapparated, reappearing in front of Jacob's tent. Jacob slumped in between them, unconscious.
"We need to get out of here," said Elena. "I'll try to give him some more healing very quickly and you pack up the tent."
Barnaby did, and did his best to erase in sign of human activity in the clearing.
"I've done everything I can for now," said Elena, standing up from Jacob's body. "But I think he'll be out for a while."
Barnaby grabbed her hand. "Well, hold onto him and I'll take us somewhere else."
With a loud crack, they popped in the middle of a forest clearing. It was pitch dark, and Elena kept hold of Barnaby's hand as Jacob slumped on the ground again.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Forbidden forest," he said. "Near Hogwarts. This is the clearing our chimera used to stay in."
"Your what?!"
Barnaby shushed her. "It's okay, she's not here anymore. Dumbledore had to send her away after she attacked people a few times."
"Oh."
Barnaby set up the tent once more and Elena put up protective enchantments. It was odd to be so near the school, recognizing different paths he'd walked a hundred times when he was a student.
They put Jacob in his bed. Barnaby tried to take the locket from around his neck, but when he touched it, it burned white hot against his hand.
"Do you think Merula is really in there?" he asked Elena.
She shrugged.
"I hope she can breathe," said Barnaby.
With little else to do, they decided to get some sleep until Jacob woke up.
Barnaby lay in bed, trying not to see the images of screaming robed figures, as their robes disintegrated and their bodies fluttered in away in ash.