The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

Prohibere Motus

Before they'd gone to Fallengunder, Fabian and Gideon had told Dorcas Meadows the message that Fallengunder had fallen. "Spread the news," Gideon pleaded with her.

"I'm coming, too," Dorcas had insisted.

"No you aren't," Gideon argued, the fiery likeness of his face laying in the floo of her office at St. Mungo's shaking as he shook his head. "Absolutely not."

Dorcas's sass had flared. "And are you going to come through the floo and stop me, then?" she demanded.

Gideon replied, "I might just!"

Dorcas said, "Do it then."

Gideon whined, "It's not as though I've got the time to right now, woman, we're about to go into battle!"

Dorcas, in spite of herself, had smiled at this. "Well then I suppose I'll see you there, Giddy," and she'd gotten up and doused the fire, putting out the connection. Before she went to Fallengunder, though, she'd sent a portrait of a healer named Jamal Jorkins to tell Poppy Pomfrey in her ward to pass the message along to Elphinstone Urquart, Minerva McGonagall, and Filius Flitwick, then she'd grabbed up her own bit of floo powder and been off to the castle...

Poppy Pomfrey got the message while she was treating Frek's freshly severed toe, applying an ointment to ease the pain now that she'd closed the wound. The wavering voice of Jamal Jorkins had announced that Dorcas Meadows had sent him along. "Fallengunder has fallen, alert the Resistance at Hogwarts."

Madam Pomfrey had gasped, dropping the ointment tin to the floor with a clatter.

Frek had stared, wide eyed in disbelief, his stomach twisting with realization of what he'd done.

"Stay seated," Poppy had snapped at Frek, as she stood up, her wand flicking to put the ointment up on the counter as she wiped her hands on her apron. "I'll return right after I've alerted them!" She rushed out the door before Frek could respond.

Frek felt profoundly dizzy. He gripped the edge of the bed he sat upon. He'd given the pocket watch - the pocket watch - to Ned Veigler. Ned Veigler was Fallengunder. To say that Fallengunder had fallen was to say that Veigler had fallen, was to say that Voldemort most likely has posession of the watch. Everything that Garm had fought for - everything they'd done to keep that watch safe... and he'd just handed it over. Just like that. Because Ned Veigler had promised that he could switch the watch, he'd promised that he would get the watch to Remus Lupin, who would get it to Sirius Black, in a way that would not require explaining what Garm and Frek had done in switching it to begin with, in a way that would make none the wiser - including and most especially the boys themselves - exactly what they had. It was imperative that they hadn't known the watches had been switched, that they didn't know Sirius Black held the watch containing the precious seconds of James Potter. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, to include Ned Veigler...

No it hadn't, though, realized Frek, looking back. He'd felt uncomfortable about the entire plan from the moment Ned Veigler had come to him, seeking the watch in the first place. He'd claimed that Garm Tyr had told him about the switched watches, that Garm had told him that it was James Potter's precious seconds, and what they meant for the future of the Wizarding World, but even in his dying breaths Frek had been unable to imagine Garm Tyr telling a soul about what they'd done with the watches in enough detail that Veigler would ever know what was being talked about... Not Garm. Garm was far too secretive. He'd never have told a soul... He'd barely even told Frek himself.

No, Frek realized, Ned Veigler had known too much about the watch to be innocent. And despite that subconcious realization he'd had then, he had gone on with the plan because it was easier, because he was lazy, and now he'd let down Garm Tyr.