Remus arrived at the catastrophic scene just as muggle ambulances rounded the block corner. He had been flying overhead on his broom, seeking the telltale residue of Sirius's motorcycle when he had seen the scorched crater down below, a foul stench permeating the area and bodies laying scattered over concrete. Immediately, he had soared down to help.
Upon arrival, with Harry strapped securely to his back, Remus rushed to the aid of several muggles attempting to lift a particularly heavy chunk of sidewalk from an out-cold teenager. With his wand concealed in his sleeve, Remus murmured, "Wingardium Leviosa," and maneuvered the concrete with the efforts of the muggles.
He could do nothing but turn away from the horrific sight. The boy's legs and lower torso were all but flat, the gore and blood caked on the concrete tearing away from him with a sickening sound.
He stumbled away from the sight, along with several other green-faced people. A quick glance back at Harry showed that he was growing uneasy, even if his vision was limited mostly to the back of Remus's head.
A flash of red caught his attention.
It was instant, light, only noticed because he so happened to be facing the side street's entrance at the time, yet it was familiar in a way that turned Remus's blood to ice. A stunning spell.
He hurried to the side street, his stomach lurching at the thought of wizard work behind such devastation. There could only be one that would cause such carnage, one that would not be named. If there was a fight, Remus would play his part.
A light tapping on his shoulder made him stop. Remus turned his head to meet the watery eyes of a frightened Harry, who had started to blubber, but his uncertainty did not dare allow him to wail. Remus unwound the fabric from his torso and wrapped Harry in it. He dashed towards a clutter of dustbins outside the back door of a building and slid the child behind them.
Harry protested, threatening to cry, but Remus hushed him quickly with silencing spell. Guilt wrenched his chest when the child started to panic at his lack of voice and mobility, his body bound by fabric and his throat by magic, but Remus knew that he would be safe, for a short time at the least.
Quickly, he moved towards the sounds of a struggle.
Only, what he found was no dark lord, nor death eaters of any number, but Sirius, mid-cast as he took a stunning spell to the stomach.
Remus cursed and pushed himself into the fray, drawing the attention of the brown-clad ministry aurors assailing his friend. "Woah!" he yelled, opening his hands above his head when they turned their wands on him, keeping his own wand pointed to the sky between two fingers, nonthreatening and useless.
The aurors glanced amoung each other, clearly unsure of the unexpected arrival. Remus was somewhat shocked by their numbers, there had to be at least six of them, all of their power obviously designed for Sirius's capture. But, surely, Sirius's wouldn't have caused the scene Remus had left behind... would he?
One auror pushed through the rest and Remus recognized Mad-Eye Moody, looking tense and furious.
"Remus!" Called the gruff auror. "Explain yourself! You wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?" He gestured harshly towards the stunned Sirius with his wand.
So, Remus explained how he had been searching for Sirius and come across the wreckage in the street, then sensed the struggle in the small side street. The aurors all listened intently, but none moved their wands from where they remained trained on Remus and the fallen Sirius.
"Hmph," Moody grunted and Remus noted that the auror's magical eye now remained fixed on the scene out in the street, where muggles were trying desperately to recover their brethren from the wreckage. "What proof do you have of this story?" He practically spat the latter word and Remus found himself cursing Moody's paranoia not for the first time.
Remus kept his wand pinched between his first and middle fingers, keeping it's point to the sky as he slowly lowered it to the ground. Moody watched, a muscle twitching on his brow. Once the wand was on the ground, Remus straightened again and kicked his beloved tool towards the aurors as gently as he could. "Check it," he said.
Moody picked up the wand and muttered under his breath. A dim light flickered from the wand and bounced harmlessly off the wall. Moody visibly relaxed, if only a little.
"A silencing spell," he stated plainly and the other aurors all lowered their wands. "And yet..." Remus tensed. "What were you doing with a silencing spell, Remus?"
While he seemed less suspicious, Moody was never one to leave rocks unturned. Should Remus tell him about Harry? Perhaps he should and Moody could carry news back to Dumbledore that the boy was healthy. But then, Sirius had obviously kidnapped Harry and the two were in no position to add to their own suspicion.
No, it was too plain. They new Sirius had the boy. He had told them he had been looking for Sirius. Any lie that he could think up on the spot would be unravelled under Moody's questioning.
"A child, I used it to hush a child."
"Hmph." Moody eyed the werewolf for a few long moments, his gaze almost knowing. Remus resisted to fidget, uncomfortable under the stare of both Moody and his magic eye.
His magic eye...
Oh no.
Remus dared not speak. Not until Moody had made his decision. The silence dragged on and it seemed even some of the other aurors were getting uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Moody's eyes flickered away, following something beyond the far wall. "I think you had best be going, Remus."
One of the other aurors stepped forward, a tall woman with dark braided hair and narrow, calculating eyes. "Mad-Eye! You can't just let him go! He's a suspect in all of this!"
"Pipe down, Hannah! Remus Lupin is the last person to be out attacking people in the street in broad daylight."
The addition of those last few words made Remus frown deeply, but he held his tongue.
"Now go, Lad. go and take your child with you," Moody instructed in a tone that refused argument, handing Remus's wand back to it's owner. The other aurors all seemed to be murmuring among each other, obviously doubting their leader's judgement.
Remus hesitated, his thoughts turning to Sirius, who was now beginning to stir. He risked a few more words to Moody. "You'll be of the correct judgement, won't you?"
"When have I not?"
With a last nod at his fellow order member, Remus whirled around and dashed off, scooping the still silent Harry from his hiding place as he went. As he fled away from the wreckage and around the street corner, he was sure that he caught a glimpse of a man with a pointed hat and half-moon spectacles speeding down the street.
