73 | The abducted mission
Marley Macmillan had never thought of being a boy. But now that she was transformed into her brother for an hour, she felt a little uncomfortable and weird. She could constantly feel the frames of her glasses around her nose and their ends to her ears. Brielle Macmillan got along with the others, and everyone, in Moody's signal, ascended into the sky.
The mother and daughter had to go to the suburbs of London where Elphias Doge lived. He was an old member of the Order, and from there, they had to get a Portkey to the Burrow.
"Hey, mom!" Marley called out her mother. "What did you and George talked about?"
"Nothing important," Brielle replied. "Marley, I never said I didn't like George and I don't want you to think so. He's a good boy. Yes, for a moment when you told me that you were moving out to live with him, I didn't feel good. But it was because I was scared that you're growing up."
"Mom--"
"But if he makes you happy and you love him, go ahead." her words sounded almost like a sob. "I'm not the one who's stopping you from doing this, Marley. Just look at you. You're so grown up and I can't believe it."
"But part of me will always be your little girl." said Marley with a faint smile. "You know, it's strange I'm telling this while I'm trapped in my brother's body and speaking with male voice."
"Yes, totally." laughed quietly Brielle. They rose up in the air and Privet Drive was far from them. They were above the clouds and then they saw the hooded figures. They were at least thirty. Brielle and Marley looked at each other with worry, flashing in their eyes.
"Mom, hurry up!" said Marley and Brielle accelerated the speed of the broomstick, turning whirling to the right. Marley saw her mother's dazzling abilities when she played as a Seeker at Hogwarts. And then behind them came a few hooded figures with broomsticks and raised wands.
"Stupefy!" shouted Marley after she took out her wand. Red bolt of light shot from her own wand, cleaving a gap between the four pursuing Death Eaters as they scattered to avoid it.
Brielle managed the broom so smoothly that she obeyed her will. In the meantime, Marley repelled the Death Eaters avoided their curses.
More Killing Curses flew past Marley's head from the two remaining Death Eaters' wands; they were aiming for Brielle. Marley responded with further Stunning Spells: Red and green collided in midair in a shower of multicolored sparks.
They were already flying over London. Through the clouds, she could see the city lights, billboards and the cougar of cars. It was very cold up here and Marley wished she had taken at least gloves. She wore a red T-shirt and a grey sweatshirt. There was no way she could dress more tightly, because she had to look like the other Potters. But now the cold was her least concern.
"They knew we would move Harry today," Brielle yelled and bent down to avoid another spell. "There is a scammer among us."
Five Death Eaters were flying on brooms after Brielle and Marley, and one of the spells hit the stuffed owl in a cage and it fell. Marley pretended to be yelling after the bird to look more convincing in her role as Harry. Still, she had to fool them into being him.
"Confringo!" shouted Marley and she blasted off one Death Eater from his broom. He fell with screams. Other Death Eaters were approaching and yelling curses at her.
"Reducto!" a blond Death Eater yelled and Marley pushed Brielle, who barely avoided the curse, aimed for their broomstick. Marley's mother lost control over her broomstick and they started falling for a couple of seconds, but thankfully, soon they were back in the air.
"How could they know we were moving him today?" asked Marley and directed her wand at the Death Eater, who was the closest to her. "Impedimenta!"
"I have no idea." Brielle shook her head, making a sharp turn with the broomstick. "Hold on! We're almost there."
"I have a plan to fool them."
"What are you waiting for? Do it." yelled Brielle, looking very concentrated at the capital city. They were almost at the end of the city, the suburbs were here.
One of the Death Eaters approached the broomstick with raised wand.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Marley and his wand flew from his hand and fell. The Death Eather looked very surprised, but then he laughed hysterically. Marley was breathing heavily, sweat streaming down her face. Suddenly, she felt how the broomstick was going down the suburbs. "I think I fooled them."
"Great--"
A curse struck the broom, and suddenly it began to turn everywhere, and Brielle lost control of it. They were almost within the protective enchantments and only a few moments later they crossed the boundary. Brielle couldn't take control of the broom, and they were already approaching the solid ground. They would soon collide. Marley's mind was blocked and she couldn't think, and only with a few seconds left until the collision Brielle pushed Marley and they both fell onto the grass.
***
"We have five minutes. Wake up!" someone was shaking Marley's shoulder. The eighteen-year-old girl opened her eyes and saw Brielle Macmillan. There were no serious injuries from the fall, except that her left eye was slightly bluish and her cheek was scarred. Marley's vision was still blurred and she couldn't see any other injuries.
"Am I still Harry?" she asked hoarsely. "Where are we?"
"In my house." said a short man with grey hair. There's a big bald hole in his head. He limped towards the Macmillan women, wearing a cardigan. The room they were in was small but very cosy and warm. Marley was lying on the couch, and a fireplace was lit against her. "The broomstick was destroyed after you fell. I heard screams and supposed you're here. I'm sure you know me. I'm Elphias Doge, an old friend of Dumbledore."
"Elphias, thank you very much but we're going to miss the Portkey." said politely Brielle. Marley was already up from the couch.
"Oh, yes, the Portkey." exclaimed Elphias. "Follow me."
He was limping a lot and they followed him to the bathroom. He opened the door and pointed at them an old toothpaste. Marley saw herself in the mirror - the Polyjuice potion was fading - she looked more and more like a girl. She noticed that there was a square-shaped bandage on her forehead, there was some dried blood in her temple, and her lower lip was torn.
Marley and Brielle quickly touched the toothpaste and quickly thanked Elphias Doge for taking care of them. Just seconds after he closed the door, Marley felt the familiar pull of her navel and landed within a few yards of Mrs. Weasley's garden with her mother.
"You're not Harry anymore." said quietly Brielle to her with a weak smile. On the threshold was standing Mrs. Weasley and she screamed from happiness after seeing the Macmillans coming. The red-haired woman tightly hugged both of them.
"What happened, Molly?" asked Brielle panting. "Who is here?"
"Harry and Hagrid arrived here first." she replied and Marley saw tears in her eyes. But she seemed sad rather than happy. "Tonks and Ron should have arrived first, but they missed the Portkey. Thank God, they are at Aunt Muriel and she doesn't live far from here. George and Lupin arrived five minutes ago, but George--"
Marley's heart received a small heart attack. "What? Is he okay? What happened?"
Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to say something, but Marley was already running to the Burrow. She stepped in the inside and in the time she entered the living room, Lupin raised his wand at her.
"After Dumbledore's funeral, the real Marley received a letter. What was it consisting of?" he said. Marley was so stunned that Lupin intended to attack her that for a moment she didn't even see who they were in the room. The next moment, Brielle and Mrs. Weasley entered the room, and Brielle screamed. Marley had not understood when Lupin had grabbed her by the collar and pressed her against the wall with a wand under her chin.
"It was from my Mom, adressed to my father." she replied confidently. "She wrote how she was pregnant with me and ran away because of the prophecy."
Lupin let her go. "Okay, it's you. I'm sorry about that, I had to check if it was really you. Someone betrayed us."
"They knew Harry was moved tonight." added Brielle. "Death Eaters attacked us."
"They attacked George and I, too." exhaled Lupin. With the mention of George's name, Marley looked around and saw the red-haired boy to lay on the sofa with one of his ears missing. The side of his head and neck were drenched in wet, shockingly scarlet blood. Some of the blood was lighter than the other, and there was a laver of water and a rag near the sofa.
Harry, Hagrid and Ginny were in the room too, sitting on the floor or armchairs with their heads bowed. Marley approached she sofa where George was unconsciousness and she bowed to her knees, looking at him with tears in her eyes. She carefully stroked his hair, and some of it had mixed with his blood and had been matted.
"It's okay, it's okay." she whispered. "I'm here, Georgie. I'm here. Oh, Gosh, what did they do to you?"
She could only hear George's deep sigh, the calm lowering of his chest. He would be fine. Marley knew that. But just the thought of what had happened to him pierced her in the heart of thousands of places.
"I'm here. Don't worry," she whispered again and wiped the tears of her eyes. For some reason, the next moment she was already crying and her face was red. Mrs. Weasley approached her and helped her up from the floor.
"Don't, honey," she said. "Brielle told me what you went through. Calm down. I'll get you a glass of water."
"Marley," Harry called his sister. The girl approached him and Harry pulled her for a hug. "Please, don't cry. George would be fine, you know it. Calm down."
Marley sat next to him and sniffled. Mrs. Weasley came back with the promised glass of water and gave it to Marley. The girl thanked and drank.
"Lupin has just told me about your situation," Harry said. "How did you know I'd use Expelliarmus?"
"I'm your sister," Marley smiled. "I always know. And because when you used Expelliarmus in the end of the Triwizard Tournament against Voldemort."
"Oh, yeah." Harry laughed bitterly. "I also used it tonight. By mistake, of course. But I think they recognised me. Maybe they recognised you as me and now they will wonder who is the real me."
Marley didn't have the time to respond, because she heard the yelling of Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin. They were right here in the living room and Arthur didn't want to be checked if it was really him because he wanted to see George first. Fred was ahead. The other twin was on his knees, looking at the sleeping George.
Marley's eyes were filled with pain and she didn't dare to move, but her eyes were stucked on the red-haired twins. Perhaps roused by the sound of Fred and their father's arrival, George stirred.
"How do you feel, Georgie?" whispered Fred.
George's fingers groped for the side of his head. "Saintlike," he murmured.
"What's wrong with him?" croaked Fred, looking terrified. "Is his mind affected?"
"Saintlike," repeated George, opening his eyes and looking up at his brother. "You see... I'm holy. Holey, Fred, geddit?"
"Pathetic," he told George. "Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear-related humor before you, you go for holey?"
"Ah well," said George, grinning at his tear-soaked mother. "You'll be able to tell us apart now, anyway, Mum."
He looked around. "Oh, hey Marley! Why do you look so sad?" his smile faded.
Marley just burt into tears again and left her glass with water. Harry softly stroked his sister's back and smiled faintly at her.
"No, I'm fine," she said.
"No, you're not." George insisted, George insisted, lifting his head slightly from the pillow to look at her. "Come here."
Marley saw through the window that Kingsley, Hermione, Ron, Tonks and Lupin were in the garden. Harry immediately left the room and ran to them. Marley simply stood up from her place. Fred was sitting on a chair next to George and Mrs. Weasley's face was as red as Marley's.
"How do you feel?" Marley asked. "Don't use ear-related humour, please. It was awful."
George just laughed and his brown eyes sparkled. "Fine. I'm okay, really. What about you? I see you also got injured."
"My injures are nothing compared to yours." she said. "I wouldn't even care if someone rips my arm off or breaks my leg. Because I care more for you. You are more important to me, George. I hope you know that."
"Of course I know." he said and lifted his head again to kiss her on the lips. "I love you." he whispered.
"I love you too."