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This chapter dedicated to Voxmaille, a terrific writer. Any references to the similarities and friendship (And that is _all_ it is folks, ewwww, come _on_ now...personally, I kind of think that Remus' and Sirius' closeness could maybe be something else, but for now it's just deep friendship) between Lupin and Hermione is thanks to her. Uh, shameless fic title explanation here...ok, back to business. Keep writing Voxmaille, want to read more!
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Remus Lupin stirred, raising his head off of his desk. He and Sirius Black were in his old office, attempting to get some sleep by order of Dumbledore.
They would both need their strength for what they were about to do. Still....Remus couldn't shake the feeling that something significant had happened. And someone needed his help.
He shook his head to clear it and glanced over at Sirius. Black had circles under his eyes but at least he was attempting to get some sleep. Remus felt a stab of deep pity, aimed not only at his old friend but himself. Marauder's misery......
Admonishing himself, Lupin stood up. Oddly enough, the feeling he had only became stronger. Remus was getting concerned. Why couldn't he place it? He thought back to something important he could have missed, his mind going back over the meeting that he and Sirius had just come back from......
"Headmaster? What's happened?!" Molly's frantic voice caused her husband to put an arm around her shoulders.
Bill and Charlie Weasley both looked terse. Lupin was a bit surprised to see it. He didn't know how close they had been to Harry, or even if they knew him too well. Yet they were here.....and for that Lupin felt strangely grateful.
Dumbledore's eyes had completely lost their characteristic twinkle. "Voldemort had done what I've feared and thrown Harry to his wolves."
Sirius' fists clenched as Molly gasped. "No! Is....Dumbledore, is he....?"
"No, Voldemort still needs him. We can no longer afford to wait. A plan, of course, has already been formed, but I need all of your help and _no arguments_ about each of your roles."
Each nodded, faces serious. Dumbledore continued.
"There are aurors already in place outside of Voldemort's stronghold and I have no disillusions as to how much he knows. He also realizes an important truth, that I will not risk Harry's life and so he still believes that his plan is secure."
"What plan, exactly?"
"To punish us by punishing Harry. After all, for someone as symbolically, as well as literally, important as Harry, kidnapping and killing him makes a statement about Voldemort's restored power that nothing else can."
Silence.
Dumbledore's eyes turned on Lupin who squirmed uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what was coming next.
"Remus, you remember when you first came to Hogwarts what I told you about your affliction?"
Charlie and Bill exchanged a quick glance....Lupin saw it.
Gulping, he nodded. "Yes Headmaster."
"The true problem lies in entering Voldemort's terrain undetected. Only dark magic can penetrate without raising an alarm or simply being repelled, depending on the levels of light magic entering."
Now Lupin didn't _want_ to know what was coming next. Sirius didn't look too happy about where the conversation was headed either.
"That was another reason why Voldemort used a particular binding spell on Harry. The boy's magic would have caused serious disruption before the Dark Lord could have remedied it. I have only learned this from our insider."
"You mean Snape, don't you? I mean, we all know who it is, Headmaster, you can just come out and say it." Sirius' tone was almost confrontational and Dumbledore turned on him with a slight frown.
"Security still has to be considered Sirius. Suffice it to say that he has done his job admirably, though much more still needs to be done. Harry, also, cannot know the role Severus is playing in all of this, for his own safety in case he is interrogated" Dumbledore turned back to Lupin who felt rather sick at the last revelation.
"Remus, I must ask you to do something more difficult than you may have ever done." Lupin nodded once, not looking at Sirius, who looked anxious.
"As a werewolf, you have dark magic flowing in your veins, albeit involuntarily. You can enter through Voldemort's shields undetected. Professor Snape knows what to do on his part, it is up to you to do something much more difficult."
A very pregnant pause. No one seemed to know what to say. Except Remus. "You need me to distract Voldemort as Severus frees Harry?"
"Yes"
Lupin didn't even pause. "I'll do it."
Sirius exploded. "What!! No! No bloody way!! That's like committing suicide...Headmaster, you can't possibly ask this! There has to be another way!"
"I will be honest with you Sirius. If we do not get Harry by tomorrow, he will die. That is all there is to say."
Sirius seemed to lose all of his fire at this. He looked at Lupin who uncomfortably glanced back.
Dumbledore continued to speak, almost as if Sirius' outburst hadn't happened.
"The spell Voldemort has on Harry is performed on objects that are then used _against_ the wizard or witch. ^Vinculum Catena^ The only way to break it is for someone who shares a particular, ahem, _bond_ with Harry, and no it doesn't have to be through blood..." the old wizard interrupted Arthur before he could speak, "to use a counter-spell. I will repeat it, but the exact words are ^Vinculum nodius otiosus sustinea^"
Several confused glances came his way. Charlie Weasley whistled softly. "That's quite a mouthful, Headmaster. What exactly does it mean?"
Dumbledore actually smiled. "It is simply a play on words, used to our benefit. Voldemort often overlooks the simplest of solutions, simply because the counter-spell's power is beyond his understanding."
The aged wizard then turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "Molly, Arthur, take your oldest sons, and remain in the castle. I'm depending on you to watch it's gates as our team of aurors will have their hands full, not only on the outskirts of Voldemort's stronghold, but elsewhere. Myself, and many others, will have the unpleasant task of luring the Dark Lord's Death Eaters out so that we can get Harry out."
Molly, Arthur, Charlie and Bill nodded. It would have been comical any other time as the four's equally red hair and serious expressions matched each other's perfectly.
"As for your twins, I suggest they do a little stealth work to ensure no one can enter the castle the way Pettigrew managed to when everyone else is distracted. After all, I'm sure no one knows Hogwarts better." Dumbledore's characteristic twinkle was finally back and Molly shook her head ruefully at the truth of that statement.
"Ginny, Ron and Hermione will remain in their common room. Under no exceptions should they leave. I would tell young Percival, understand?" Arthur chortled. If anyone could ensure those three stayed there, Percy could.
"Now Arthur, I must ask you....the wards placed on your children, were they successful?"
"Yes Headmaster, though it wasn't easy to cast them. They only actual repel dark magic if Ron or anyone else was forcibly taken and then, only in the company of another family member. It sounds odd, but the spell's usefulness lies in its tracking abilities."
Here, Molly cut in. "With Ron's previous record, not to mention the twins' we thought it best to be able to track them, even if it seemed the spell had some faults to it."
Dumbledore nodded, seemingly satisfied. "We...we w-were going to cast it on Harry as well. Right before...." Molly's voice shook and Bill grasped his mum's shoulder tightly.
"We leave in the morning."
The words echoed in Lupin's mind, as did his and Sirius' shouting match right after.
Remus had only guessed at Sirius' fury and it hadn't even come close to the reality. No matter how he had tried to explain it to Black, his old friend had remained stubbornly unmovable...except on one matter.
"Padfoot...."
"Cork it, _Moony_ you pulled this 'life of a werewolf' angst in school and it wasn't convincing then! Now you think you can convince everyone that you need to play the noble hero and sacrifice yourself, just because you happened to be bitten?"
Sirius' face was a deep red. Remus could feel his own anger building but his voice remained quiet, as it had for as long as Sirius had known him and had seen him actually lose his temper. Which wasn't very often.
"I'm not asking you for permission old friend. I'm doing this, with or without your support. And I'm only doing it for one reason. You weren't the only one who loved James and Lily."
Sirius' mouth fell open. The words hung in the air between the two. Remus ran a hand tiredly over his face.
"I'm doing this for Harry, Sirius. He needs us....you...you know, you aren't the only one who felt as though he failed James. I left Harry in his fourth year and all hell broke loose. It probably would have happened whether I'd been there or not...but the point is that I abandoned him, Padfoot. And I had to live with that. Harry got hurt, almost killed. I can't live with the thought that I let it happen again."
Sirius didn't seem to know what to say. Remus turned from him to gaze forlornly out the window. "You really don't understand what it's like, do you Sirius? Feeling as though your life is worthless and that you've caused more pain than happiness for those around you. Finally...I can use this damn curse to do something good."
Sirius placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Remus.....I love Harry, I know you do too. I can't imagine life without him."
Lupin turned around, eyes still steady and calm, radiating strength. Sirius had always admired that about him, his quiet stability and integrity. Even when they had been at their marauding worst, he had possessed it.
And people said that werewolves were inherently evil. They had no idea of what they were talking about....or they had never met Remus Lupin.
Black's voice was unsteady. "But I can't imagine life without you either, Moony. James is gone, and forgive me for sounding mushy, but I can't lose someone else.....especially..um..."
Remus clapped Sirius on the back. "Padfoot, you said earlier that there was nothing you wouldn't give to Voldemort to save Harry."
The words weren't lost on Black. His dark eyes looked for something far away when he answered. "Maybe I lied."
"No, you didn't, I know you."
"Yeah, you do."
Nothing more could have been said, and so it wasn't. They understood and it was enough.
Both then jumped sky-high when the door to Lupin's office slammed open. Bill Weasley stood there, looking ghastly.
Both Remus and Sirius gaped openly at the younger man's expression. "Meeting.....now. Dumbledore's office."
"But...we just came from..."
"NOW!!" Bill cut off Sirius' protests savagely. Lupin and Black didn't hesitate any longer but ran out, following the eldest Weasley.
Remus caught a glimpse of Molly sobbing into Arthur's shoulder as they followed Bill down to Dumbledore's office entrance. Arthur himself looked quite the worse for wear, eyes deadened and pallor a sickly grey. With a sinking feeling, the former professor tried to understand.
A flashback came to him, of a much younger Arthur, fourth son in a large family. That trademark red hair and broad grin, a great deal like the twins.
Although Remus hadn't known him very well in school, as Arthur had been slightly older, he remembered the good-natured wizard as being much like his second-eldest in temperment. Good-natured and dedicated to what he loved, even if it was Muggles.
As for Molly, it had been love at first sight, even though she had dumped pudding on Arthur's head for being so clueless as to how the two felt about each other. Remus chortled at the memory in spite of himself. That had been his first year at Hogwarts.
But now....something was very, very wrong.
Sirius exchanged a worried glance with him as the group once again assembled in Dumbledore's office. The venerable old wizard looked even graver than before and Lupin wondered briefly at Dumbledore's strength to handle what he did for the wizarding world.
Molly spoke first. "The twins are with Ginny. Only the two of them could keep her from coming with us.....and they needed each other right now, for support." The woman's lips trembled slightly. Remus got the feeling that she was hanging on by a single thread.
Lupin suddenly noticed who else was with them. Percy. The former Head Boy looked as though he had been beaten, emotionally. Though his glasses hid his eyes quite well, his face...well, Remus could think of no words to describe it.
It was so set, so stiff....but it was frighteningly vulnerable. Deep- seated fear could be seen in Percy's posture, his expression, everything.
Sirius grabbed Percy's shoulder. "Are you all right?" He asked softly, concern in his voice. Remus was surprised. He didn't know that the two knew each other that well. The only real connection the two probably had was......
Understanding hit Lupin like a bolt of lightning. *Ron......Ron's missing. Hermione too. Oh God....this was...no, oh no.*
"Ron" Percy's raspy voice was at odds with his wooden self-control. It was unsettling. Dumbledore spoke quietly.
"Minerva is owling the Ministry as we speak, informing them of this new turn of events. Arthur?"
Mr. Weasley looked up and nodded, heading to the small, lopsided fireplace found in Dumbledore's office. Lupin wondered what he _didn't_ have up here.
"Invenio Gravis Ronald Arthur Weasley" Absolute stillness as the flames sparked to life and turned the expectant green. The fire suddenly flickered and Remus felt a sinister presence envelop them all. This didn't bode well.
The flames turned a deep reddish-purple and a hooded, masked figure was all that could be seen through them.
"Well, that was quicker than I thought. Come to a decision, Arthur?"
Arthur Weasley looked haunted but managed to keep his voice calm. "We need more time. Where is Ron?"
A triumphant cackle was heard. "Really? More time to do what? You don't honestly think that you can penetrate my master's defenses? As for your son, he lives and you should be grateful for it. He is a very tiresome boy and killing him may be just the release I need after spending only a few minutes with him."
Molly gasped in spite of herself. Sirius looked furious and Lupin wondered at the man's evil. Threatening children....what a world.
Finally, Dumbledore spoke. "Lucius, what do you hope to accomplish by all of this.?"
If the Death Eater was surprised by Dumbledore's remark, it couldn't be seen....or heard in his voice. "Lucius? You mean Malfoy? Why Headmaster....isn't his son one of your best pupils, excelling in your miserable school? How could you possibly accuse him of doing this?"
"The son isn't the father. You of all people should know that."
Finally, a reaction. The voice snarled back. "You cannot possibly think to fool my master, or me, by stalling. Your time is now down to five hours, then the boy dies. Think on it." Then, the Death Eater was gone.
Dumbledore turned to his companions. "I believe we have a change in plans."
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This chapter dedicated to Voxmaille, a terrific writer. Any references to the similarities and friendship (And that is _all_ it is folks, ewwww, come _on_ now...personally, I kind of think that Remus' and Sirius' closeness could maybe be something else, but for now it's just deep friendship) between Lupin and Hermione is thanks to her. Uh, shameless fic title explanation here...ok, back to business. Keep writing Voxmaille, want to read more!
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Remus Lupin stirred, raising his head off of his desk. He and Sirius Black were in his old office, attempting to get some sleep by order of Dumbledore.
They would both need their strength for what they were about to do. Still....Remus couldn't shake the feeling that something significant had happened. And someone needed his help.
He shook his head to clear it and glanced over at Sirius. Black had circles under his eyes but at least he was attempting to get some sleep. Remus felt a stab of deep pity, aimed not only at his old friend but himself. Marauder's misery......
Admonishing himself, Lupin stood up. Oddly enough, the feeling he had only became stronger. Remus was getting concerned. Why couldn't he place it? He thought back to something important he could have missed, his mind going back over the meeting that he and Sirius had just come back from......
"Headmaster? What's happened?!" Molly's frantic voice caused her husband to put an arm around her shoulders.
Bill and Charlie Weasley both looked terse. Lupin was a bit surprised to see it. He didn't know how close they had been to Harry, or even if they knew him too well. Yet they were here.....and for that Lupin felt strangely grateful.
Dumbledore's eyes had completely lost their characteristic twinkle. "Voldemort had done what I've feared and thrown Harry to his wolves."
Sirius' fists clenched as Molly gasped. "No! Is....Dumbledore, is he....?"
"No, Voldemort still needs him. We can no longer afford to wait. A plan, of course, has already been formed, but I need all of your help and _no arguments_ about each of your roles."
Each nodded, faces serious. Dumbledore continued.
"There are aurors already in place outside of Voldemort's stronghold and I have no disillusions as to how much he knows. He also realizes an important truth, that I will not risk Harry's life and so he still believes that his plan is secure."
"What plan, exactly?"
"To punish us by punishing Harry. After all, for someone as symbolically, as well as literally, important as Harry, kidnapping and killing him makes a statement about Voldemort's restored power that nothing else can."
Silence.
Dumbledore's eyes turned on Lupin who squirmed uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what was coming next.
"Remus, you remember when you first came to Hogwarts what I told you about your affliction?"
Charlie and Bill exchanged a quick glance....Lupin saw it.
Gulping, he nodded. "Yes Headmaster."
"The true problem lies in entering Voldemort's terrain undetected. Only dark magic can penetrate without raising an alarm or simply being repelled, depending on the levels of light magic entering."
Now Lupin didn't _want_ to know what was coming next. Sirius didn't look too happy about where the conversation was headed either.
"That was another reason why Voldemort used a particular binding spell on Harry. The boy's magic would have caused serious disruption before the Dark Lord could have remedied it. I have only learned this from our insider."
"You mean Snape, don't you? I mean, we all know who it is, Headmaster, you can just come out and say it." Sirius' tone was almost confrontational and Dumbledore turned on him with a slight frown.
"Security still has to be considered Sirius. Suffice it to say that he has done his job admirably, though much more still needs to be done. Harry, also, cannot know the role Severus is playing in all of this, for his own safety in case he is interrogated" Dumbledore turned back to Lupin who felt rather sick at the last revelation.
"Remus, I must ask you to do something more difficult than you may have ever done." Lupin nodded once, not looking at Sirius, who looked anxious.
"As a werewolf, you have dark magic flowing in your veins, albeit involuntarily. You can enter through Voldemort's shields undetected. Professor Snape knows what to do on his part, it is up to you to do something much more difficult."
A very pregnant pause. No one seemed to know what to say. Except Remus. "You need me to distract Voldemort as Severus frees Harry?"
"Yes"
Lupin didn't even pause. "I'll do it."
Sirius exploded. "What!! No! No bloody way!! That's like committing suicide...Headmaster, you can't possibly ask this! There has to be another way!"
"I will be honest with you Sirius. If we do not get Harry by tomorrow, he will die. That is all there is to say."
Sirius seemed to lose all of his fire at this. He looked at Lupin who uncomfortably glanced back.
Dumbledore continued to speak, almost as if Sirius' outburst hadn't happened.
"The spell Voldemort has on Harry is performed on objects that are then used _against_ the wizard or witch. ^Vinculum Catena^ The only way to break it is for someone who shares a particular, ahem, _bond_ with Harry, and no it doesn't have to be through blood..." the old wizard interrupted Arthur before he could speak, "to use a counter-spell. I will repeat it, but the exact words are ^Vinculum nodius otiosus sustinea^"
Several confused glances came his way. Charlie Weasley whistled softly. "That's quite a mouthful, Headmaster. What exactly does it mean?"
Dumbledore actually smiled. "It is simply a play on words, used to our benefit. Voldemort often overlooks the simplest of solutions, simply because the counter-spell's power is beyond his understanding."
The aged wizard then turned to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "Molly, Arthur, take your oldest sons, and remain in the castle. I'm depending on you to watch it's gates as our team of aurors will have their hands full, not only on the outskirts of Voldemort's stronghold, but elsewhere. Myself, and many others, will have the unpleasant task of luring the Dark Lord's Death Eaters out so that we can get Harry out."
Molly, Arthur, Charlie and Bill nodded. It would have been comical any other time as the four's equally red hair and serious expressions matched each other's perfectly.
"As for your twins, I suggest they do a little stealth work to ensure no one can enter the castle the way Pettigrew managed to when everyone else is distracted. After all, I'm sure no one knows Hogwarts better." Dumbledore's characteristic twinkle was finally back and Molly shook her head ruefully at the truth of that statement.
"Ginny, Ron and Hermione will remain in their common room. Under no exceptions should they leave. I would tell young Percival, understand?" Arthur chortled. If anyone could ensure those three stayed there, Percy could.
"Now Arthur, I must ask you....the wards placed on your children, were they successful?"
"Yes Headmaster, though it wasn't easy to cast them. They only actual repel dark magic if Ron or anyone else was forcibly taken and then, only in the company of another family member. It sounds odd, but the spell's usefulness lies in its tracking abilities."
Here, Molly cut in. "With Ron's previous record, not to mention the twins' we thought it best to be able to track them, even if it seemed the spell had some faults to it."
Dumbledore nodded, seemingly satisfied. "We...we w-were going to cast it on Harry as well. Right before...." Molly's voice shook and Bill grasped his mum's shoulder tightly.
"We leave in the morning."
The words echoed in Lupin's mind, as did his and Sirius' shouting match right after.
Remus had only guessed at Sirius' fury and it hadn't even come close to the reality. No matter how he had tried to explain it to Black, his old friend had remained stubbornly unmovable...except on one matter.
"Padfoot...."
"Cork it, _Moony_ you pulled this 'life of a werewolf' angst in school and it wasn't convincing then! Now you think you can convince everyone that you need to play the noble hero and sacrifice yourself, just because you happened to be bitten?"
Sirius' face was a deep red. Remus could feel his own anger building but his voice remained quiet, as it had for as long as Sirius had known him and had seen him actually lose his temper. Which wasn't very often.
"I'm not asking you for permission old friend. I'm doing this, with or without your support. And I'm only doing it for one reason. You weren't the only one who loved James and Lily."
Sirius' mouth fell open. The words hung in the air between the two. Remus ran a hand tiredly over his face.
"I'm doing this for Harry, Sirius. He needs us....you...you know, you aren't the only one who felt as though he failed James. I left Harry in his fourth year and all hell broke loose. It probably would have happened whether I'd been there or not...but the point is that I abandoned him, Padfoot. And I had to live with that. Harry got hurt, almost killed. I can't live with the thought that I let it happen again."
Sirius didn't seem to know what to say. Remus turned from him to gaze forlornly out the window. "You really don't understand what it's like, do you Sirius? Feeling as though your life is worthless and that you've caused more pain than happiness for those around you. Finally...I can use this damn curse to do something good."
Sirius placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Remus.....I love Harry, I know you do too. I can't imagine life without him."
Lupin turned around, eyes still steady and calm, radiating strength. Sirius had always admired that about him, his quiet stability and integrity. Even when they had been at their marauding worst, he had possessed it.
And people said that werewolves were inherently evil. They had no idea of what they were talking about....or they had never met Remus Lupin.
Black's voice was unsteady. "But I can't imagine life without you either, Moony. James is gone, and forgive me for sounding mushy, but I can't lose someone else.....especially..um..."
Remus clapped Sirius on the back. "Padfoot, you said earlier that there was nothing you wouldn't give to Voldemort to save Harry."
The words weren't lost on Black. His dark eyes looked for something far away when he answered. "Maybe I lied."
"No, you didn't, I know you."
"Yeah, you do."
Nothing more could have been said, and so it wasn't. They understood and it was enough.
Both then jumped sky-high when the door to Lupin's office slammed open. Bill Weasley stood there, looking ghastly.
Both Remus and Sirius gaped openly at the younger man's expression. "Meeting.....now. Dumbledore's office."
"But...we just came from..."
"NOW!!" Bill cut off Sirius' protests savagely. Lupin and Black didn't hesitate any longer but ran out, following the eldest Weasley.
Remus caught a glimpse of Molly sobbing into Arthur's shoulder as they followed Bill down to Dumbledore's office entrance. Arthur himself looked quite the worse for wear, eyes deadened and pallor a sickly grey. With a sinking feeling, the former professor tried to understand.
A flashback came to him, of a much younger Arthur, fourth son in a large family. That trademark red hair and broad grin, a great deal like the twins.
Although Remus hadn't known him very well in school, as Arthur had been slightly older, he remembered the good-natured wizard as being much like his second-eldest in temperment. Good-natured and dedicated to what he loved, even if it was Muggles.
As for Molly, it had been love at first sight, even though she had dumped pudding on Arthur's head for being so clueless as to how the two felt about each other. Remus chortled at the memory in spite of himself. That had been his first year at Hogwarts.
But now....something was very, very wrong.
Sirius exchanged a worried glance with him as the group once again assembled in Dumbledore's office. The venerable old wizard looked even graver than before and Lupin wondered briefly at Dumbledore's strength to handle what he did for the wizarding world.
Molly spoke first. "The twins are with Ginny. Only the two of them could keep her from coming with us.....and they needed each other right now, for support." The woman's lips trembled slightly. Remus got the feeling that she was hanging on by a single thread.
Lupin suddenly noticed who else was with them. Percy. The former Head Boy looked as though he had been beaten, emotionally. Though his glasses hid his eyes quite well, his face...well, Remus could think of no words to describe it.
It was so set, so stiff....but it was frighteningly vulnerable. Deep- seated fear could be seen in Percy's posture, his expression, everything.
Sirius grabbed Percy's shoulder. "Are you all right?" He asked softly, concern in his voice. Remus was surprised. He didn't know that the two knew each other that well. The only real connection the two probably had was......
Understanding hit Lupin like a bolt of lightning. *Ron......Ron's missing. Hermione too. Oh God....this was...no, oh no.*
"Ron" Percy's raspy voice was at odds with his wooden self-control. It was unsettling. Dumbledore spoke quietly.
"Minerva is owling the Ministry as we speak, informing them of this new turn of events. Arthur?"
Mr. Weasley looked up and nodded, heading to the small, lopsided fireplace found in Dumbledore's office. Lupin wondered what he _didn't_ have up here.
"Invenio Gravis Ronald Arthur Weasley" Absolute stillness as the flames sparked to life and turned the expectant green. The fire suddenly flickered and Remus felt a sinister presence envelop them all. This didn't bode well.
The flames turned a deep reddish-purple and a hooded, masked figure was all that could be seen through them.
"Well, that was quicker than I thought. Come to a decision, Arthur?"
Arthur Weasley looked haunted but managed to keep his voice calm. "We need more time. Where is Ron?"
A triumphant cackle was heard. "Really? More time to do what? You don't honestly think that you can penetrate my master's defenses? As for your son, he lives and you should be grateful for it. He is a very tiresome boy and killing him may be just the release I need after spending only a few minutes with him."
Molly gasped in spite of herself. Sirius looked furious and Lupin wondered at the man's evil. Threatening children....what a world.
Finally, Dumbledore spoke. "Lucius, what do you hope to accomplish by all of this.?"
If the Death Eater was surprised by Dumbledore's remark, it couldn't be seen....or heard in his voice. "Lucius? You mean Malfoy? Why Headmaster....isn't his son one of your best pupils, excelling in your miserable school? How could you possibly accuse him of doing this?"
"The son isn't the father. You of all people should know that."
Finally, a reaction. The voice snarled back. "You cannot possibly think to fool my master, or me, by stalling. Your time is now down to five hours, then the boy dies. Think on it." Then, the Death Eater was gone.
Dumbledore turned to his companions. "I believe we have a change in plans."
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