Harry Potter and the Soul Shifter
By: Alex Lyons3
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything in the wonderful world of Hogwarts. Disney owns Brooklyn, the gargoyle. I own Jessica "Jess" Cotten.
Author's Note: Originally, I started on a story about Harry's sixth year before J.K.R. released OotP. Sadly, when Sirius died, so to did my ability to write that fan fiction. So, I've salvaged some characters and added some cross over points and re did the whole thing. I really didn't expect Sirius to die. Truthfully, I should have. Just for the record, the time line is going to be a bit iffy since most people put it up as Sirius died in 1996. I'm going to say that Harry didn't even start Hogwarts until 1997, so Sirius didn't die until 2002. Did I lose anyone? *A few hands are raised* Okay! Simply, first book published in 1997. So, that's when Harry starts as far as I'm concerned. Harry's fifth year would be 2001-2002, so Sirius (at least in my mind) does not die until 2002. Okay? Anyway, on with the story.
Chapter 29: Inside Azkaban
The dark cell was cold and damp. Inside this cell sat a man who had been there now for almost two weeks. It was close to Christmas now and the Dementors were enjoying the emotions that flowed from their victims bodies. Most had hope surging through them. Hope that they would be rescued. Hope...that they would make it out alive. All of the new inhabitants of Azkaban, except one...Remus Julius Lupin. He saw no reason to feel such hope. Voldemort had come to his cell earlier that day with Peter. Peter took relentless glee out of seeing his old school friend suffer from the Cruciatus Curse over and over again. When Voldemort had left, Peter had stayed behind, as the old muggle saying goes, to rub salt in the wounds.
Flashback
Remus lay there on the cold stone floor of his cell as Peter's eyes watched him humorously. Remus coughed up a small amount of blood on his robes and rolled over onto his back. He glared up at Peter with malice. He knew that Peter had been important to the attack on himself. He knew that Peter had advised Voldemort to send only the largest and the strongest of the Death Eaters to fetch him from his small home in the Scottish countryside. He had been beaten to unconsciousness by Crabbe, Goyle, Avery and MacNair. Who took perverse pleasure in placing a large silver color around his neck. It was still there about his neck. It was burning even as he tried to sit up. However, a foot came down on his chest and held him pinned to the ground. Peter ground his heel into Remus' chest driving all the air out of the werewolf.
"Not so big anymore are you Moony? Not so great and noble?" Peter's face broke out into a demonic grin and he gave forth his usual high pitched laughter. Which now that Remus thought about it should have told him that he'd turn Death Eater. There was no lightness or humor to it. There never had been. There was only malice and conceit in Peter's laugh, that's all that had ever been given voice to when ever he had laughed. Peter leaned forward, grinding his boot further into Remus's chest. "Well, Moony, aren't you going to ask my questions? Aren't you going to talk down to me again, like you always did in "the good old days"? Back when you lot thought that I was nothing more than an exceptionally devoted fan of yours?" He waited a bit. Remus opened his mouth, but instead of speaking he spit into Peter's leering face which had only been a few inches from Remus' own. Peter snarled and screeched as he roughly stepped away from Remus who could now, since Peter was no longer standing on him, sit up. Remus smirked, looking a bit like Malfoy, as he watched his "old friend" curse his name and family all the way to the first werewolf to the first Lupin to the third generation after this one. Peter finally calmed down after a few moments of rather amusing cursing and muttering to himself. He glared up at Remus.
"So, I see you still haven't changed Moony! You still think you're better than me! If it isn't talking down to me as though I were a child! It is spiting on me!" Peter snarled, his eyes showing the madness that too many times under the Cruciatus Curse had invoked in him.
"Yes, Pettigrew, that's right. I do think I'm better than you!" Remus said, getting delicately to his feet as his knees shook. "However, not for the reasons you think." He said in a deadly calm voice which shook Peter to his very soul. Peter had only heard Remus use this voice once before and the outcome had been disastrous. "The reasons," Remus continued in the same steely calm voice, "are as follows. One, I do not listen to mad men's promises of power and glory. Two, I do not need Voldemort's protection. Three, I'm as powerful and strong as I ever wished to be. Four, I, unlike you, have remained loyal through everything to my friends. However, Peter, I do not consider you a spit can. No, I consider you a mat in which I wipe my dirty feet upon before I come into a home. You are nothing more than a down trodden rug, Peter." Remus turned away from Peter, as Peter shook in fear. Remembering the last time he had heard Remus talk so had not been pleasant. The last time was right after Sirius had sent Snape to The Shrieking Shack and Remus, sick, tired, weak, little Remus Lupin had conjured a magical hail storm and tornado right in the seventh year boys' dormitories. Snape never knew that Dumbledore had let Sirius off lightly because he'd already been physically beaten down to a broken, bloody, pulp by Remus. That was the only reason why Dumbledore had let Sirius off as lightly as he did. It was assured by Remus' reaction that Sirius would never tell another living being about Remus as long as he lived.
Peter thought it best to make a hasty exit, but a final parting shot fired from Peter's lips, "You know, Moony, I never wanted to stay friends with you when we all realized what you really were, but Sirius and James were livid that I was so cruel."
Peter had hoped to hurt Remus, but the response he got astounded him.
"I know. I've always known, Peter." Remus said in his still deadly calm voice as he stared out of his cell's tiny window, looking up at the half full moon.
End Flashback
That had been ages ago though and Remus was still furious at Pettigrew for this injustice. He stared at the blank wall, hardly really noticing it. His thoughts were back with The Order. Dumbledore had probably been told as soon as it was evident that he had been captured. He figured that The Order was at this moment in an immediate council session trying to find away for him to be rescued.
He sighed and shifted slightly in his sitting position on the bedroll, tucked up underneath him. His thoughts strayed from The Order to another bit of sticky business he needed to concern himself with. Harry. Oh he hoped Harry hadn't gotten wind of this. Remus knew that Harry was the type that went into heroics without thinking. Mind you, he had Hermione to help him out. However, the best laid plans often go astray. Like they did when Harry had asked Kreacher where Sirius was. If they had been able to trust the house elf Harry wouldn't have run off to the Ministry of Magic to try to save Sirius. Sirius Had asked in his will that Remus be Harry's Godfather should anything ever happen to him. Which of course Remus would comply with no matter what. Remus sighed again, but this time someone sighed right after he did. He turned his head and glared at the intruder at the door. There stood Lucius Malfoy. The slimiest Slytherin of them all. He smirked at Remus and then came into the cell, which the Dementors closed behind him.
"Well, cousin, are you cozy?" Lucius asked in mock concern, still smirking.
Remus decided to humor himself. His dear first cousin Lucius was always making interesting faces when Remus didn't fall right into step with what he wanted.
"Quite, actually. When one gets over the cold and dampness of the cell it is rather wonderful." Remus shrugged, "It isn't as though those Dementors can really touch me. After all, I've lived in misery most of my life."
Lucius' lip curled upward in a snarl, but Remus beat him to the punch.
"You made sure of that!" Remus stood, coming nose to nose with Malfoy.
Malfoy backed up a pace and sneered. "I had nothing to do with that regrettable accident."
Remus lifted a brow in a quizzical expression, "Really, cousin? My memory must be faulty then?"
"Must be." Lucius sneered, watching Remus closely.
"I seem to remember that it was you that wanted to go into the woods that full moon night almost thirty-five years ago, cousin." Remus said in a deadly calm voice.
"I surely didn't know there would be a werewolf in those woods!" Malfoy said, his temper rising as the moon set on the horizon.
"Really? I believe your father beat you with his cane after they brought me and Romulus out of those woods, didn't he?" Remus said his tone still a deadly calm.
"I never meant for it to happen!" Malfoy said angrily.
"True," Remus said as he stepped up to Lucius staring at him hard, "but it still happened."
Malfoy dare not argue further and he dare not anger Remus further. He left feeling just as sick and miserable as he had felt those many years ago. The way he had expected to make Remus feel, but how can you make a man feel what he is already feeling?
The Infirmary at Hogwarts was a bustle of activity as three St. Mungo doctors and Madame Pomfrey set to work trying to get Dumbledore to wake up. Harry sat with his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees outside Dumbledore's curtains. He was anguishing over the fact that something was wrong with Dumbledore. Never, in all his years as a student at Hogwarts, did he ever see Dumbledore show a bit of tiredness. He seemed full of energy and always happy. Harry sighed. Then there was the matter of Professor Lupin being captured. Professor McGonagall had strictly forbidden Harry to even think about saving him. She told him he'd have house points docked, be in detention and then expelled for such reckless behavior. Truthfully, Harry didn't even have a clue as to where to start. He didn't know where Voldemort was keeping Remus. He had considered Azkaban for a moment, but tossed it aside, figuring that Voldemort would want to keep Remus in a more secure location than the wizard prison.
Harry heard the bell gong indicating class changes. He sighed and got up, vowing silently that he'd return after Muggle Studies.
Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Brooks and Professor Cotten all sat around the staff table, in the staff room, comparing notes on how they were going to save Dumbledore and Lupin. McGonagall looked very weary since these things had occurred. Snape too, was showing sighs that he was breaking under the immense strain of it all.
Brooks sighed, "You know, I'm afraid we're all just too tired to be of any use. We need sleep. I say we cancel classes and try to get some shut eye." He raised a brow in McGonagall's and Snape's direction, since it was their say on the matter.
"I agree." McGonagall relented. "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep, but I'm no use in this state."
Snape gave a frustrated snarl, "Neither am I. We do need sleep, but even I probably won't get much with my thoughts rattling around in my head."
Cotten nodded. "Yes, we need to help Dumbledore and we need to help Lupin, but we're useless unless we get some sleep. By any chance Severus, do you have a sleeping potion?"
"Two dreamless sleep ones and two that allow dreams, why?" Snape asked. He was so tired and frustrated at not being able to come up with an answer on all this that he had totally missed the point of where Cotten was going with this.
"We're going to need them." She stated simply, snapping Snape's brain back into gear.
"Oh...Oh, of course! Right, I'll go get them."
"No, Severus." McGonagall said looking rather bleary eyed. "I'll call a House Elf."
* * *
To dreamer43: Yes! Moony! MWAAAAAHHHHHH!! Oh...Sorry, but as you can see he can take care of himself fairly well, don't you think?
To radarPLO: To build up suspense. To make you want to come back for more. Isn't obvious by now? This one is a bit longer. I'll keep trying to make them longer, but sometimes my brain decides, 'Okay, enough writing! Let's see what the people think.' As far as updating, Hey! If you weren't asking me for longer chapters I'd update everyday!
To Angelord: Okay, one against Slash. However, I'd like to point out that this isn't a romance nor is it a heated porn novel. There is actually a way to write Slash with out it turning out like that. I was mainly going to get the characters together at the end with a simple hug and a kiss. Much like what you'd expect from some sappy rated G film at the very end. Examples: Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, both from Disney. But if you insist, then I'll leave the Slash out.
To Porphyrophobic Grape: Um...see above, dreamer's entry. He hasn't transformed yet, so...we'll see if Voldemort really wants Moony on his hands during the full moon. *evil laughter* Thanks by the way!
To Bookworm127: Thank you. Okay, that's two against Slash.
To RogueFanKC: Of course Brooks has a larger role in this. His time hasn't come yet to reveal himself, though. As far as a Voldemort vs Brooks showdown...Remember Book Five when Dumbledore fought Voldemort, he protected Harry because Harry wasn't ready to take on Voldemort at full power. He still isn't. He'll become more so as the year progresses, though. Who knows for sure if Draco is really the bad guy? As you can see, it isn't Lupin who is in for a load of torture, but Voldemort.
