AN: I have recently set up a larger website with more webspace so now I can put up more of my old fanfiction. If you want to read some of my older works that are not on for various reasons, please go to my homepage. There are also theory essays under editorials and a misc section with everything under the sun.
I hope that some writers may want to contribute to the site. If so, please use the submissions form, or send me and email.
I am also an editor on the OPD so if have any Harry Potter related sites do tell me via email.
The underground caverns were damp with the recent rainfall that had seeped into the sandy soil and penetrated through the porous rocks overhead. Large droplets of water formed along the faults in the roof providing a constant source of fresh water for the inhabitants of the caverns.
The main hall was lit by several large torches, fixed to the rough sloping walls with iron brackets. The cavern was so vast that the flickering light from the yellow flames did not reach the ceiling, so that a dark shadow hung over the room. Neither were the edges of the edges of the cavern visible. The torches merely cast a pool of light in a sea of inky blackness.
A long wooden table was set in the middle of cavern covered with parchments, quills and inkbottles. Along each side was a low wooden bench, wet from the constant artificial rainfall. A row of wooden pails stood near the tables, half filled with dark water. The relentless dripping noise was the only sound to be heard in the strangely muffled environment.
Suddenly a loud grating noise ripped through the room and a hundred torches flared up along the walls, throwing into light the full scale of the cavern. It was perhaps as large of the great hall of Hogwarts and the corner visible before had only been one small section.
As the stone wall finished apart at one end of the hall, a loud grunt came from a large bundle of rags under the table. It twitched as if it was alive and a grubby, wrinkled head emerged from the greying mass of material.
A babble of excited voices could be heard descending down from above and the man who had emerged from his slumber busied himself by tidying up the mess left on the table.
The main focus of the hall was a huge open fire place, marked out by small round boulders. Several large cauldrons were magically suspended over the black ashes of the dead fire. Surrounding the fire place were various pieces of mismatched furniture, a table, some chairs, a lamp stand, a coffee table etc, so that the place looked more like an antique shop rather than a secret base.
The four corners of the cavern seemed to be used for study and meeting purposes. One corner contained two well-polished leather armchairs and several ornately carved book shelves filled with leather bound volumes. Another corner was dedicated a precarious pile of wooden crates marked "dangerous" or "fragile". The third corner was clustered with several round tables displaying a range of small and interesting ornaments, from crystal dragons to silver unicorns. In the last corner Old Mundungnus Fletcher was busy tidying up his mess before the Order arrive back.
The babble of small talk died away as ten people entered the cavern. Despite their best efforts at making the place feel more homely, the walls seemed to emit a strange chill.
"Did yer find out wot happent to Remus?" asked Fletcher rubbing his blacken nose with a withered and hairy hand.
The man in charge, Kingsley Shacklebolt shook his head in what looked like a confident way.
"But don't worry, I'm sure Lupin has just decided to bed down for the night somewhere else. If the Death Eaters caught him, it will have been in the papers long before now." Said Shacklebolt in his deep and soothing voice. However he looked at Sirius as he said this.
"You shouldn't blame yourself, Sirius, Remus can look after himself you know. I doubt he would have been stupid enough to go looking for you with the funeral going on," said Bill clamping a hand on Sirius's shoulder. He looked much older now, his fashionable dragon hides replaced with dusty black robes, worn away at the elbows.
"I should have known…so stupid," choked Sirius as he clasped a hand over his face to hid his grief.
"I think it would be best if we start making dinner now," said Arthur Weasley cutting through the obvious tension.
"Good idea, Dad. Tomorrow, Sirius, we'll do an extensive field survey. If he really did appear at Bodmin Moor, we'll find out where he went," said Charlie, through his face did not look so hopeful.
Dung Fletcher rubbed his grubby chin thoughtfully as the group set to work preparing their meagre rations. With everyone present and accounted for apart from Remus, it was relatively a successful end to the day.
'However,' thought Dung, 'if Remus had indeed changed his course of action and stayed away from Bodmin Moor, why had he not contacted the Order? On the other hand if he had been caught, why had the fact not been publicized? Unless…
'Unless, the Death Eaters were bidding their time, waiting for the opportune moment."
There was a numb sort of shock cruising through Harry's body as he stepped out of the floo grate. Voldemort immediately laid a hand on his shoulder to steady him. Perhaps he looked awful, face pale and sickly, but Harry didn't care right now.
"It will be alright, Harry," said The Dark Lord soothingly. "He is fine."
Harry didn't respond, he had no more energy left for that. The full reality of Remus's capture had seeped into his soul and frozen him.
They descended a set of grey stone steps well worn with age and use. The walls were lined with empty brass sockets that glinted menacingly in the afternoon light. It was eerily quite in the detention centre, almost as if the prisoners had already given up hope.
This building was unique in its customer base. Every soul that passed through its walls was labelled highly dangerous. Perhaps it was better this way, for it allowed the most intolerable criminals to be tried quickly.
There were no Dementors here, as it was simply a facility providing custody for those about to go on trial. However there was no false hope in the air, most would detainees would end up in Azkaban, those who didn't were executed.
It stung to see that Remus Lupin, the kind gentle professor, was locked up in such a building with the worst of the criminal underworld.
The main body of the detention centre was situated underground in a labyrinth of tunnels, so complicated that one could not escape without the detection of the highly trained guards. As they approached the main prison torches began to appear in the brackets emitting enough light to see by.
Two shadow guards stood watch at the doors. They were nearly invisible in direct sunlight, but by the light of the flickering torches, Harry could make out their shapes standing at either side of the door. Two dimensional and transparent, they were employed by the Dark Lord as spies. However they also served to man undesirable places such as this.
The guards gave an equivalent of a salute and the door opened of its own accord. Beyond was a long wide corridor of grey stone with doors at regular intervals. It was clean and somewhat brighter than the entrance hall. Each door had a number plaque on it, which served to remind Harry of a block of flats. Perhaps they were soundproof, or perhaps the occupants were too depressed to make much noise.
The Dark Lord still had his hand on Harry's shoulder when they arrived at cell number 42. Underneath the plaque seemed to be a letterbox like contraption, which was presumably being used to deliver the prisoner's meals. It was better than Azkaban at least, but only marginally so.
The door did not swing open upon their arrival as Harry had thought it would have done. Instead the door slowly dissolved giving them a clear view of the cell.
On one of the long narrow beds covered in brown and white sheets sat Professor Lupin looking relatively unharmed. Whatever he had experienced in the year since his exile had done much to age his already tried features. Extra wrinkles adorned his brow and nearly half his hair was now silvery grey. His shoulders were more rounded and his limbs more frail than before. Altogether he looked like a man withering under the strain of life.
Lupin did not appear to be in physical pain and nor did he appear to have heard their approach, for he sat silently on the bed staring pensively at his own hands. Natural light was available through the narrow barred window that appeared to overlook an internal courtyard of some sort.
The cell was narrow enough to be have been designed to hold only one prisoner but on the other side of the room, directly opposite to Lupin, was another bed, currently unoccupied. However the mess of the sheets indicated it was still inhabited by other unfortunate soul.
Perhaps there was some sort of intangible magic shield separating the two halves of the cell, as it would be unwise to allow two "criminals" to consort with each other. However the room was too bare to find any evidence of a dividing line. Being only a transitory hold, the inmates were probably not allowed access to personal possessions, if they had any at all.
"Good afternoon, Mr Lupin," said Voldemort in a refined voice, that did not suit him no matter how refined he looked at that moment. Lupin's head snapped up with surprise and looked around wildly to find the source of the voice.
"I am afraid you will not be able to see us, although we can see you. It would be advisably to look at the door while you are speaking.
'You are perhaps wondering why I am here. Having to positively identify you is a legal procedure and I have invited Harry to do so, and judging by his expression I can say the job has been completed. However it is not the only reason why I am here…"
"I presume you are here to interrogate me then?" said Lupin in a slightly bitter voice.
"Interrogation is a very strong word," said Voldemort smoothly, "I do believe 'interview' would be infinitely more appropriate."
"A private interview can hardly be conducted when one cannot even obtain eye contact with the host," said Lupin politely as he stared blankly at the door, his eyes fixed several inches to the left of where Voldemort stood.
"Ah…I suppose you have a point, Mr Lupin. Would it do much to dispel the formalities if I allowed you to see us?" Voldemort's voice was laced with amusement that did not bode well for anyone.
"Yes, I do believe so," stated Lupin plainly. The Dark Lord casually waved his hand and although the view did not change from their side of the door, Harry saw Lupin sit up a little straighter in response. He stared resolutely at the Dark Lord and avoided all eye contact with Harry. Somehow Harry felt his mood lowering at this.
"I hope you're accommodations are adequate, Mr Lupin," hissed the Dark Lord with amusement.
"They are bearable." Lupin's eyes glinted sharply as he said this.
"I would much like to know, why you are in the country? I do believe you were exiled on the pain of death?" The Dark Lord had put the matter lightly. As it transpired Lupin was never caught, and had to be sentenced in absentia. However had he been captured he would have no doubt been given a grand public execution
"I decided to risk coming back, if only for a brief glance at the appalling condition of the country," snapped Lupin definitely but Harry did not feel the Dark Lord's mood darkening.
Voldemort must be delighted about Lupin's capture, though Harry. It's amazing that he's still alive.
"You must have been surprised then, Mr Lupin. The state of affairs is much different from what you believed," hissed Voldemort a steely edge appearing in his voice. "I suppose you were taking your brief glance on Bodmin Moor, or was there an ulterior motive?"
"I have nothing more to say to you," stated Lupin and turned his back to the door his lips pursed. Harry nearly whimpered, the Dark Lord was not used to being disobeyed, ever.
"I shall give you one more chance to tell me the truth. You will be useful if only you saw the error of your ways, Lupin."
"I have not erred, it is you who is mistaken,"
"I see you have no remorse,"
"You are the one without remorse, Voldemort." Thankfully The Dark Lord decided to ignore the jibe.
"Did you go to Bodmin Moor to meet someone? A certain Mr Black?" inquired Voldemort in a low and dangerous voice that reminded Harry of Professor Snape. Lupin's expression remained utterly passive but lines of tension were appearing around his mouth and eyes.
"I am not in contact with anyone. My sole purpose in coming here was to observe."
"To what end? Were you perhaps sent here to gather intelligence…for an organisation in France?"
"No." said Lupin his voice still level and calm. Harry briefly wondered whether the Dark Lord has any intention of keeping Lupin alive. Perhaps this session was for Voldemort to intimately assess Lupin's character.
"Well, then Mr Lupin, it is time we parted ways…for now," The Dark Lord beckoned for Harry to come closer to the transparent door. "Say goodbye Harry,"
"Bye…Remus," muttered Harry nervously, hot tears threatening to spill. However Lupin did not appear to have heard or seen Harry. He turned away from the door and resumed staring out of the window.
Perhaps it was the pain in his chest that drove Harry to extremes. As he walked back down the corridor, he summoned up every ounce of Occulmency he had ever been taught. Harry had a plan.
Dung Fletcher was stretched out on the rickety sofa with an empty pipe in his mouth. Tobacco was not readily available to a public enemy these days, but the actions of smoking were too familiar to give up.
Mr Weasley was likewise resting, or at least pretending to do so. After the evening meal of boiled bacon and peas, most of the Order was lounging on the hard furniture hoping to get some well-deserved rest.
It had been several days since the promised extensive search of Bodmin Moor and even now Sirius was finding the results hard to come to terms with.
"From what we currently know, Remus hasn't been tried yet. Therefore he must be at the Detention Centre," said Charlie gloomily.
"There's only one way into the Detention Centre and that's through the front door. The building is totally foolproof…" muttered Bill.
Alone in an armchair, Kingsley shook his head,
"There are flaws, minute ones. However as we have discussed rescue is out of the question." Sirius raised his head but somehow he couldn't bring himself to speak. Perhaps it was because of how much shouting he had done in the last two days.
"What if it isn't a trap? What if Voldemort has grown overly confident?" asked Charlie numbly.
"Voldemort is not stupid…he knew…as soon as we arrived. This is all part of his elaborate plan…" Arthur mumbled.
"I don't believe that, Dad. Voldemort had weaknesses and we have exploit them…if only…if only we could get to Harry!" shouted Bill.
"You will not be able to get anyone near Potter. He is guarded day and night by an army of Shadow Warriors. Even if you outwit them, what will you do about the snake, Nagini and the Dark Lord himself. The boy never leaves the Dark Lord's sight, how can you wish to attempt a kidnapping?" snapped Mr Weasley.
"There's more than one way to skin a cat…" said Fletcher gruffly pointing his old pipe in the direction of the frazzled Weasleys.
"Than what do you suggest, Dung? Our supplies are running low and one of our number is about to be killed. God knows what information the Dark Lord has now…" cried Mr Weasley. Suddenly Sirius seemed to come back to life and pounced on Arthur grabbing him by his collar.
"Listen Weasley, I don't mind your defeatist attitude as much as I might," Sirius said in a low, dangerous voice, "but you have no right to make such accusations against Remus. He is far braver than you'll ever be and make sure you remember that!"
"Sirius, please, release Arthur this instant," snapped Kingsley but Bill had already managed to pry his fingers off Arthur's collar. "I know that it has been a difficult time for us all. However if we start fighting amongst ourselves, we will be playing right into the Dark Lord's trap. The Dark Lord's knowledge may be extensive and I do not know how long we can evade capture for.
'I understand your concerns about Remus, Sirius but right now You Know Who is using Remus to lure us out. It is unlikely Remus is any physical danger at this very minute, so please calm yourself while we come up with a plan."
"I broke into the palace, I can get into the detention centre," said Bill confidently.
"I'll accompany you again, I know the layout of the detention centre," said Sirius immediately.
Arthur signed and pinched the ridge of his nose in exasperation,
"I know you can break wards, Bill, but it is inadvisable to act so hastily. To get into the palace took us three months of reconnaissance work…"
"Any we still didn't get what we wanted," muttered Charlie.
"Precisely," said Arthur, "we can't be too hasty, we made a big mistake before and we are not about to make another mistake this time. Sirius, I want to save Remus as much as you do but we must be rational about this! Exposing our entire movement because of a wrong turn will be a disaster, not just for us, but also for the whole movement!"
"I agree with Arthur," said Kingsley calmly and Sirius looked as if he was going to do something violent. "However this does not mean we will not be doing anything. Get your boots on Charlie, we're going on a reconnaissance mission."
Sirius looked so overjoyed that he looked as if he was going to embrace Kingsley,
"I'm coming with you, though," he said containing his excitement.
"Of course."
AN: Please review, thanks.
