ARCANE - G. WEASLEY

3

"Lupin!"

"You bellowed Mad-Eye?"

Reyna leans over the wooden railings, her gaze fixated on the man below who was sporting an unimpressed expression. In response, he raises an eyebrow waiting for her to join him in the hallway. A defeated sigh escapes Reyna as she vanishes into thin air with a loud crack. Milliseconds later, she appears in front of Mad-Eye, her arms crossed tightly over her chest and a single eyebrow raised.

"We've got a retrieval mission,"

"I have to come?" Reyna rolls her eyes. "But I had a big date planned with Jane Eyre"

To prove her point, Reyna raises her book waving it slightly. Alastor Moody's expression betrays a mix of admiration for her fearless pursuit of the greater good, and concern for the eventual consequences of her impulsive, headstrong approach. Despite his respect for her rebellious spirit, Moody can't help but fear that her recklessness may ultimately lead to her undoing.

"Well, that way, you get out of the house without disappearing and fighting Death Eaters,"

"But that's become my new favourite activity,"

"You're foolish and reckless," Moody growls. "You want to do any kind of mission, you do ones sanctioned by Dumbledore and with at least one other order member"

"Are we going to retrieve Harry or not?" Reyna looks at her watch. "You're wasting precious nighttime hours"

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Privet Drive was a picturesque neighbourhood that could easily be mistaken for a scene from a classic 1950s movie. Despite the strict drought measures in place, the gardens were impeccably maintained, with not a single blade of grass out of place. The gardens were adorned with charming figurines, each one adding a unique touch to the already idyllic surroundings.

"This is where Rosemary's baby was raised," Reyna murmurs as they walk down the street.

"You go first, Lupin,"

"Fine," Reyna rolls her eyes. "Alohomora"

The abode of the Dursley family presented itself as a pristine exhibition home. Every object was meticulously arranged and in perfect order. The walls were adorned with a garish pink floral wallpaper that could only be described as a visual assault. The curtains, in varying shades of green and pink, matched the wallpaper perfectly. The carpets, a light shade of beige, appeared untouched by the footprints of any human or pet.

"It's ghastly," Reyna murmurs.

As Reyna makes her way up the stairs, she can't help but notice the complete absence of any personal belongings that would suggest Harry Potter resided in this house. She takes her time searching every room, carefully opening each door in the hopes of finding him. Finally, she reaches the last door and attempts to turn the handle, only to discover it's locked, much to her frustration.

"Alohomora,"

The door to the room creaks open and Reyna steps into the small room. She turns her head when she hears an owl hoot loudly but she is distracted when a wand pokes her in the eye. Reyna's hand flies up to her face as she curses loudly.

"I come here to help you and you poke me in the fucking eye?"

"Reyna?"

"Obviously!"

Harry lowers his wand and rushes forward, wrapping his arms around Reyna's smaller frame. The witch returns the embrace, feeling some of the tension leaving Harry's body as he melts into the embrace.

"Why are you here?"

"Well, I did come here to take you somewhere else for the summer, but now, I'm seriously considering leaving you here,"

Reyna flicks her wand and the bespectacled wizard watches as his belongings swirl around the air, landing in his suitcase neatly folded. A rusty creak causes him to turn and notice that Hedwig's cage was now open and the snowy owl had taken residence upon Reyna's shoulder. The ember-haired witch whispers in the bird's ear and Hedwig takes flight, soaring in the night sky.

"Right," Reyna claps her hands. "Ready to go kiddo?"

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Harry stares at the witches and wizards who were standing on Privet Drive, all with brooms in hand. He looks at Reyna who nudges him forward.

"We're your advanced guard," Reyna explains to the confused boy. "Dumbledore sent us here as soon as he heard about the attack, we're just waiting for the signal to go"

"It only just happened,"

"You think that you've just been wandering around unsupervised?" Moody butts in. "Arabella Figg has been keeping an eye on you all summer and we've been swapping out shifts"

"What's happening with Vol-"

"Not here," Reyna shakes her head. "We'll explain later"

Harry opens his mouth to speak but red sparks fill the night sky. To muggles, it would look like someone was releasing fireworks into the night sky but to the magic users, it was the first signal. A mere thirty seconds later, blue sparks fill the air which causes all of them to mount their brooms in a circle around Harry.

"Whatever happens, don't break ranks. Even if one of us is killed,"

"So optimistic Mad-Eye," Reyna teases, earning a laugh from Tonks.

"No one's going to die," Tonks reassures Harry.

An explosion of green sparks lights up the street coating them all in a colourful glow as Mad-Eye shouts at them to take flight. Reyna kicks off the ground and they all rise into the night sky, allowing the darkness to shield them from muggle view.

"We've got contacts!" Moody shouts.

"Alastor!" Kingsley shouts. "You, Tonks and Vance take Harry, we'll hold them off!"

"Those aren't dementors!" Reyna shouts as they pull back. "They're-"

"Death Eaters," Kingsley's shout was solemn. "Prepare yourself for a fight Reyna"

Reyna pulls her wand from her boot, using her spare hand to maintain her balance on the broom. A second passes before chaos erupts in an array of flashing lights. A purple spell soars towards Reyna who spins so she's hanging upside down to avoid the spell. Reyna is quick to right herself before firing a spell at one of the Death Eaters, knocking the mask off of their face and her eyes widen in shock.

"Caleb?"