Chapter 10

A light rain was falling as the boys entered the Forbidden Forest to renew their search for James.

"Shall we try in the direction of Hogsmeade?" Sirius suggested, recalling the eagerness of the wolf to go there the night before.

"Might as well," Remus replied with a shrug. "Only…"

"What?"

"Nothing." Remus shook his head.

Sirius could sense whatever it was that Remus had started to say might be important. "Oh no you don't," he ordered. "What's going on in that brilliant mind that I'm missing?"

Remus shifted from one foot to the other, looking at the ground, the sky and anywhere but Sirius. "Well it's just that the wolf last night was eager to head towards Hogsmeade and the shack and since that's where Charlene was last night, maybe the wolf was simply sensing its own kind. Maybe it wasn't James the wolf was trying to get to."

"Oh." Sirius could think of nothing else to say to the idea that the wolf had been eager to get to the other werewolf in the area…the female werewolf in the area. The green-eyed monster was rearing its ugly head again and Sirius had to take a deep and calming breath to force it back down.

"I knew this would happen," Remus muttered as he started walking around the edge of the forest towards Hogsmeade.

"I'm not jealous," Sirius lied.

"Yes you are," Remus accused. "You're always jealous and it doesn't matter that last night it was all the wolf and nothing to do with me. I can't even remember last night."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said as he hurried to keep up with Remus's quick pace.

"Let's just see if he's in Hogsmeade and worry about your issues later," Remus suggested. "One problem at a time is about all I can handle right now."

"I think we have another one," Sirius said as he heard the sound of a snapping twig to their left.

Remus nodded and pulled out his wand, pointing it towards where the sound had come from. From the corner of his eye he could see that Sirius had done likewise.

"It's all right Remus, it's just me," a familiar voice said and Remus watched in astonishment as Severus Snape stepped out from behind a tree.

"Snivellus!" Sirius sneered, his wand still held high.

"Showing your true colours now, aren't you?" Severus said as he trained his own wand on Sirius and beckoned Remus towards him.

"Should have known that body bind wouldn't keep you from trying to steal someone else's life," Sirius replied. "Sneaky little Slytherin scum!"

"Huh?" Severus blinked a time or two as though he didn't know what Sirius was talking about. It was then that Remus looked closer at the other boy and realised their mistake.

"Which house are you in?" Remus asked as he lowered his wand slightly.

"Ravenclaw," Severus replied, confirming Remus's suspicion that the boy facing them was the one who had gone missing in this world, rather than their own Snape. "Wait a minute," Severus shook his head as though gathering his thoughts. "You aren't Prongs's friends are you?"

"Yes," Remus nodded as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know Prongs?" Sirius asked. "Where is he?"

"Keeping an eye on Lily," Severus replied.

"Lily's here too?" Sirius asked Remus. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I meant our Lily…you know her as Lillian," Severus clarified.

"I know her as the annoying bint who kidnapped me," Sirius muttered.

"Don't you mean dog-napped?" Severus laughed.

"How do you know…?" Sirius faltered. "And how do you know Prongs is…well Prongs?"

"Met him yesterday and he filled me in on who he was and what had happened," Severus explained.

"I find it difficult to believe that Prongs would tell you anything," Sirius sneered.

"I found him quite talkative after I saved his life."

"You did?" Remus asked. "What happened? Is he all right?"

"He was fine half an hour ago," Severus confirmed. "We have to get back to the school though, I'll explain on the way."

During the walk back to Hogwarts, Severus explained that he'd been spying on the dark wizard's minions in Hogsmeade on behalf of Dumbledore since before the Christmas holidays.

"I thought you'd been taken prisoner by them?" Remus asked. "Sirius said…"

"Sirius says a lot of things," Severus muttered venomously. "He tells everyone what they want to hear, whilst all the time he's been working against us, spying on us, betraying us."

"But why?" Remus asked. "He's a pureblood, he's one of the persecuted."

"That what he told you?" Severus snorted. "Sirius is a half-blood, the result of his mother's affair with a muggle. The family hushed it up but the rumour's been doing the rounds for years."

"But he said…"

"He lied!" Severus snapped.

"You don't know that for sure," Sirius said with a scowl.

"I think I know this world and those in it a little better than you do," Severus snarled. "I'm going out on a limb here and trusting you, when for all I know you could be as black-hearted as our Sirius is."

Remus placed a calming hand on Sirius's arm. "What about Lillian?" he asked. "We thought she was the spy."

"Lily?" Severus laughed so much he nearly choked. "Lily a spy? She'd be useless. She can't hide her feelings at all. The hardest thing I've had to do these last months is let her believe I'm dead. But she'd only give me away if she knew the truth. Prongs said you were the smart one, and you thought she was a spy?" Severus shook his head as he continued to laugh.

"But she dog-napped me," Sirius whined.

"She probably thought you were being ill-treated," Severus explained. "She's always doing stuff like that when she thinks an animal is suffering. She single-handedly re-painted the owlery in fourth year because she thought the birds might be bored with the plain white walls. Now it's multicoloured."

"So you're sure she's not a spy?" Sirius asked.

Severus shook his head. "I love her more than anything but she'll be the first to admit that she's not the brightest of bulbs."

"And Remus?" Sirius asked, still not wanting to accept the idea that his own double might be the one with evil intentions.

"He's no spy," Severus confirmed. "The Dark Lord believes that by using werewolves to kill the parents and bite the children he can raise an army of dark creatures. Remus had a lucky escape that he was stuck in your world when his home was attacked. Sirius was probably hoping that once Remus was on his master's side he'd have a chance with him. He's had a thing for him for years. Like I said, lucky escape."

"Pity Charlene was not so lucky," Remus said softly.

"She's strong," Severus said. "She'll never join the other side in this war. Most of them won't. The Dark Lord has made a mistake and instead of raising an army of his own, he is merely strengthening ours."

"How is it you know so much?" Sirius asked in a rather petulant tone.

"Er…spy!" Severus replied sarcastically.

"So where're Prongs and Lillian now?" Remus asked. "And what about your Peter? Is he spying with you?"

"Peter's abroad," Severus replied. "Got an offer from an international Quidditch team to play professionally. With things so dangerous here, well he jumped at the offer."

"So he's not missing?"

"No."

"Lillian thinks he missing."

"Lillian has about as much interest in Quidditch as she does in astrophysics," Severus snorted. "And Peter did leave in a bit of a hurry. Didn't have much time for bragging."

"Why should we believe you?" Sirius asked. "The Snape in our world is a nasty little Slytherin. Who's to say that you're not just like him?"

"Well you could pick up a copy of last Wednesday's Daily Prophet and check the sports pages," Severus suggested. "There's a feature on the new young bloods that are taking international Quidditch by storm. Peter has half a page to himself."

"And Prongs and Lillian?" Remus repeated. "Where are they?"

"Lillian got captured yesterday, probably not long after you came to rescue your boyfriend here. Prongs followed after her. It would have worked except he saw me and thought I was one of them. He hexed me and gave away his own position."

"It was probably a reflex action," Sirius interrupted.

"I know you don't get along with the other me," Severus said. "But if you want to avoid getting us all killed you need to get over it and work with me here."

Sirius nodded silently, although Remus could still see the stubborn set of his jaw.

Severus however, either missed it or ignored it and continued to explain. "Despite the hex, I helped him get out of there but Lillian is far too valuable to them to let her go so easily. Her ancestors helped to found St Mungos and the family is still said to guard the secrets of powerful healing magic. Some say they know the secrets of immortality. She was too heavily guarded so Prongs has gone to keep an eye on things under the invisibility cloak."

"But we have the cloak," Sirius pointed out, holding it up for emphasis.

"I meant my cloak," Severus sighed. "It used to be our James's but he gave it to me just before he died."

"Prongs gave up his invisibility cloak?" Sirius asked with frank disbelief.

"He means their James," Remus pointed out impatiently.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius muttered as he recalled James's double. "I guess he would do something thick like that."

"Whether you're from another world or not," Severus raised his wand and pointed it Sirius. "If you insult my murdered friend again, I will curse you, and so badly you'll wish you'd never opened the portal that brought you here."

"Sorry," Sirius muttered, repeating it again with a little more conviction after Remus had elbowed him in the ribs.

"So I take it you have a plan to rescue Lillian?" Remus asked as they followed Severus into the castle and towards the staircases.

"Of course."

"And what is it?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"The Dark Lord has realised his mistake with the young werewolves not immediately joining him and he's using powerful magic to summon them to him instead. It's more potent during the full moon but he casts the same spell each evening at sunset. We just need a werewolf to pretend to be being summoned by the spell to get in there for us."

"So that's why you were so eager to get to the village," Sirius whispered with a relieved smile. "You weren't chasing after Charlene after all."

Remus smiled and took hold of Sirius's hand. "Getting over those jealousy issues?" he smirked before turning back to Severus. "So about the werewolf infiltration. I take it that's where I come in?"

"You're a werewolf?" Severus asked in surprise.

"I thought Prongs told you everything?" Sirius smirked.

"I guess he gave me a somewhat edited version," Severus replied easily. "I was thinking of Charlene but if one werewolf is ideal, two is better."

"I'm not sure Charlene will agree to this," Remus pointed out. "She's a new wolf and still trying to get used to all this."

"New wolves are the ones that Dark Lord is expecting," Severus pointed out.

"But still…"

"We can still ask her," Severus said as they reached the portrait hole, gave the password and climbed through.

"You could at least have let a Gryffindor give the password," Sirius muttered.

"At least I'm from this world," Severus retorted. "Besides, it's not like I don't spend even more time in this common room than my own anyway."

"Sev!" the other Remus exclaimed from his seat near the fireplace. "You're alive!"

Remus watched as all the colour drained from his double's face and he sprang up from his seat and enveloped the other boy in a tight hug.

"Moony?" Sirius whispered. "I'm feeling traumatised again."

Remus sighed and wrapped an arm around Sirius's waist. "Better now?"

"Getting there," Sirius whispered back.

"Let's give them a moment," Remus said as he tugged Sirius towards the sofa where Charlene was sitting. "How's it going?" he asked her as he sat down, Sirius curling up next to him, more like a contented cat than the dog he was.

"I've told him," Charlene said quietly.

"And?"

"I don't know," Charlene admitted. "He's barely said a word to me since I finished explaining what had happened."

"At least he didn't run screaming from the room," Remus pointed out. "And Severus seems to understand that werewolves aren't monsters. I think he might be able to help."

"I hope so," Charlene replied. "I hope so."

But when the two boys had finished getting re-acquainted Remus noted that his double took the seat furthest away from Charlene. He hoped it wasn't intentional.

"So what do you think?" Severus asked once he'd outlined his plan to the group.

"It's a good plan," Remus said as he elbowed Sirius in the ribs. Sirius nodded begrudgingly.

"I don't like it," the other Remus said.

"Because it means trusting a couple of werewolves?" Sirius asked coldly.

"Because it's too dangerous for them."

Remus smiled to himself as he settled back again Sirius. His double was starting to think about werewolves as people, instead of monsters and that could only be a good sign.

"I think it's a good plan," Charlene said quietly. "I'm in."

"Me too," Remus said as he took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"Me three," Sirius said as he pulled Remus's hand back and enclosed it in his own.

Severus nodded and stood up. "Classes will be over soon. I'd better leave before I'm spotted. Don't let anyone know I've been here. We'll go in and get Lily tomorrow evening."

"Why not now?" Sirius asked. "And what about Prongs?"

"Prongs can take care of himself," Severus replied. "And the Dark Lord is rumoured to be halving his guards tomorrow, it would be foolish to risk a rescue attempt now when things will be less hazardous tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Severus swept from the room without a backwards glance.

"So Sirius is the spy," the other Remus whispered. "I still can't believe it."

Charlene reached across and took his hand, squeezing it slightly in comfort. Remus watched them and felt a small smile appear on his face when his double didn't pull away. He turned to Sirius and gestured towards the staircase to the dorms.

"Let's give them some time alone," he suggested in a quiet whisper. Sirius nodded in reply and they left the other two alone to deal with the news Severus had brought them.

Sirius and Remus stood in the clearing, the other Remus, Severus and Charlene at the back of them and a very irate Lily Evans shaking her fist in front of them.

"I'm so glad I can't hear her," Sirius whispered into Remus's ear.

"Feel sorry for Peter," Remus muttered back. "He can."

"Serves him right for enlisting her help anyway."

Lily soon seemed to realise that sound didn't travel through the portal and turned her attentions to Peter who began to back away from the famous Evans Temper. Unfortunately he was backing away towards them and no amount of yelling from Sirius and Remus could warn him.

"Shut the portal," Sirius shouted. "Quick, before he…"

"Too late," Remus sighed as Peter stumbled backwards through the portal and landed in a heap at their feet. Lily followed immediately after him, shrieking at the top of her lungs.

Then the portal closed.

"Anyone else planning on joining us for the field trip?" Severus asked sarcastically.

"Oh wonderful," Peter muttered as he crawled to his feet. "Snivellus."

"I swear, the next person who calls me that is going to get seriously hexed," Severus snarled.

"I thought we had to learn to work together?" Sirius asked sweetly.

"We're working with Snivellus?" Peter exclaimed, shaking his head mutely for a moment before squealing in pain at the stinging hex Severus shot at him.

Lily meanwhile smacked Peter round the back of the head, glared at Sirius and Remus, and then seemed to resign herself to the fact that she was, for the moment, stuck with them.

"Right, it's a Hogsmeade weekend so we won't stand out in the village," Severus said. "I suggest you hang out with the rest of the students and then meet me at the back of the Hogs Head at six. Just make sure you don't respond to the spell before we've planned. Remember, it's cast at sunset."

"What are you going to be doing?" Remus asked.

"I have to get a message to Dumbledore to let him know what's happened. I'll be staying out of sight – the fewer people to know I'm alive and well, the better. Then we'll go rescue our Lily."

The rest of the group nodded and Severus swept off through the trees, leaving them to walk to the village and mingle with the rest of the crowd.

"So where do you think the other Sirius is?" Sirius asked. "He didn't come back to the dorm last night."

"Don't know, don't care," the other Remus hissed. "I've got an AK with his name on it if he so much as shows his face."

"You can't do that," Charlene pointed out. "We can't let him know we're onto him."

The other Remus snorted in response.

"It's going to be a long day," Remus whispered to Sirius.

"I'm sure I can make the time go faster for you," Sirius whispered back with a grin.

"You could also fill the time by telling me what the heck is going on!" Lily complained.

"Hey Moony, Wormtail, look at this!" Sirius exclaimed as he pulled a box from the shelf in Zonko's.

"This place is great," Peter enthused. "It's like a whole new world of pranks that our world doesn't even have. It's brilliant."

"Padfoot, don't you think you've got enough to carry?" Remus asked as he pulled the box of water-resistant fireworks from Sirius's hands and put it back on the shelf.

"You're just annoyed because you were outvoted on visiting the bookshop," Sirius said as he grabbed the box again and headed for the counter. "You could have gone with Lily if you wanted. I wouldn't have minded…much."

"We should be meeting up with her and the others soon," Remus said. "It's nearly six."

"But I've got to get a present for Prongs," Sirius whined. "He'll be so sorry he missed this."

"Fine! One present, no more," Remus warned. "And I'm not carrying it for you."

Sirius paid for his purchase and steered the others back out of the door with a wide grin. They strolled towards the Hogs Head at a pace that was slowed down considerably by the various packages and parcels they'd bought during the afternoon.

"You're late," Severus snapped as they turned the corner. He didn't wait for a reply as he turned and started to walk down the path that would eventually lead to the shrieking shack.

"Isn't this the way to the shrieking shack?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Severus replied.

"But why are we going there? I thought we were rescuing Lillian and getting Prongs?"

"We are. That's where she's being held."

"But I thought…"

"Charlene?" Remus turned to his fellow werewolf curiously. "Where were you the night of the full moon?"

"In the room of requirement," she replied immediately. "It appears for me as a safe place with no escape. Why?"

"You mean you don't go to the shrieking shack?"

"What for?"

"Well that's where I go every month," Remus explained.

"Bit of a trek when there's a perfectly good secure room in the castle itself," Charlene replied with a shrug.

"I wonder why the shack was built then," Remus mused.

"It's been here for decades. Deserted for nearly as long. It's just a regular house."

"Okay, be quiet now," Severus hissed. "Can you sense the spell?"

Remus closed his eyes and realised that he could. He reached his hand out and felt Sirius's firm grip anchoring him once more. Now that they were near the pull of the spell was strong, but not so strong he couldn't resist it. He opened his eyes and looked across at Charlene. She had a look of concentration on her face that he suspected was mirrored on his own and she was holding onto the other Remus's hand in a similar manner to the way he was holding onto Sirius.

"I think they'll make it," Sirius whispered in Remus's ear and he planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Remus smiled back at him and nodded.

"Right, you two know what you're doing?" Severus asked.

Remus and Charlene nodded.

"Then you'd better get going," Severus ordered. "If you're not back in one hour we're coming in after you."

"Maybe I should scout ahead under the cloak," Sirius suggested. "Just to make sure."

"Cloak?" Lily asked.

"Invisibility cloak," Severus explained. "Didn't you know?"

"So that's how you get away with so many pranks," Lily hissed. "I should have guessed. Trust the Black family to think that's a suitable thing to send a kid to school with."

"Actually it's James's," Sirius replied.

"It'd be difficult for you to get inside without causing suspicion," Severus said. "Prongs had to wait for nearly an hour before one of them opened the door and he could sneak in."

"I could take a look as Wormtail," Peter piped up.

"A rat, right?" Severus asked, clearly recalling his conversation with Prongs. Peter nodded in confirmation. "That might work actually. Find out what you can and meet us back here."

Peter nodded and transformed into a rat. Charlene squeaked and jumped out of his way but the rest merely watched him calmly as he scurried towards the building.

"He's an illegal animagus?" Lily hissed again. "I can't believe it. I mean, I could believe it of you two, but Peter!"

"Er…" Sirius mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, don't tell me," Lily snapped. "No, actually, do tell me! So I know just what to tell McGonagall when we get back."

Sirius was suddenly finding a nearby clump of grass rather interesting and left it to Remus to explain the full extent of their rule-breaking.

Peter returned half an hour later and reported that Lillian was being held in a room on the second floor, there was unfortunately no tunnel leading to Hogwarts that might help them, and James was watching over Lillian but had managed to get himself locked in with her.

"Typical!" Sirius muttered.

"They don't seem to know he's in there," Peter confirmed. "Lillian went into hysterics again when she saw me and James batted me out of the room. He knew it was me so he'll be ready for the rescue."

"How many guards?" Severus asked.

"One in the entrance hall, two in the ground floor kitchen and one outside her door."

"Any spells?"

"None that I could see."

"They're opening their doors with the summoning spell," Severus stated. "To also have wards and spells blocking the place would mean diminishing the effect of the summoning spell."

"I think we're set then," Remus said. "You ready?" he asked Charlene.

"Be careful," Sirius said before pulling him close and kissing him as though he'd never see him again.

"We'll be back with the others in no time," Remus promised.

"You better be," Sirius warned.

Sirius watched as Remus and Charlene made their way towards the shrieking shack.

"He'll be all right," Peter said quietly.

"I hope so," Sirius replied. "I just wish I didn't have such a bad feeling about this. A feeling like something is going to go wrong any minute."