11
AS the days passed with no clue as to Dora's whereabouts, Remus began to lose hope.
Sirius had promised him that someone would be in touch with a word on Tonks, but the man had been met with nothing but silence, and Sirius, wanting to protect his cousin, had remained uncharacteristically tight-lipped and refused to divulge any information, leaving Remus feeling quite frustrated.
But then, one morning, as he fled Grimmauld Place before Sirius had woken up in search yet again of Tonks, a letter had been left on the stoop, intended, and addressed for him and him alone.
The message was brief. Short and to the point, however, the information given confirmed that his partner was safe and sound, having secured a position as a low Death Eater within Lord Voldemort's ranks, and Professor Snape himself was monitoring her progress.
Though it was not admittedly the news that he was hoping for, as he would much have rather have Tonks back with him now that it had taken a particularly harsh conversation with Sirius for the man to come to terms with his feelings, he had never felt such a relief in his life before up until this point.
She was safe. Not wanting to aimlessly wander the streets of London, Lupin carefully tucked the letter in his brown tattered jacket pocket and Disapparated on the heel of his pointed Oxford wingtip shoe.
He was heading to the Three Broomsticks for a drink. His partner was protected, and that meant one step closer to seeing her.
Though whether or not Dora would take him back after the awful things he had spouted to Tonks in his anger remained to be seen, and Remus knew his convictions were about to be tested.
Lupin waited until he had settled himself in the furthermost corner of Madame Rosmerta's establishment before pulling the crumpled piece of parchment paper and reading the letter again.
He was well hidden from view, and it stayed that way.
Remus,
Though it causes me an immense amount of pain that not even the Cruciatus Curse could top to write to YOU of all people, I am writing to inform that your partner, that wretched succubus you dare to call a woman has successfully taken up the rank of a low Death Eater within the Dark Lord's ranks and is currently working under my command, though there are rumors abound that Lord Voldemort might* assign her to work with Bartemius Crouch Jr. on 'special assignment' but even I am privy as to the job's details.
Your partner has her own private quarters within Lucius Malfoy's home, and should she perform well enough, will rise within his ranks, sir. Miss Tonks is a talented young witch, and though you did not hear this from me lest you want your own tongue ripped from your mouth with my own bare hands, I have every confidence in the young woman that she will do well here.
I have been made aware whether I like it or not by none other than Black regarding the nature of your feelings towards Miss Tonks, and the reasons behind her wanting to infiltrate his ranks.
While yes, this is entirely YOUR fault and you were the one who succeeded in driving Miss Tonks to this decision, though she will never freely admit it herself, much less to anyone else, rest assured that (and I am just as surprised as you are, no doubt) that your partner will do well here and be able to return to you in time.
As to how long she will remain undercover with me, that remains to be seen. It will depend on the quality of work she will be able to produce and which tasks the Dark Lord determines her fit to carry out in the future.
Mr. Black has informed me of your intent to locate Miss Tonks and attempt to convince her to return, which brings me to my second point in writing this letter to you.
DO NOT JEOPARDIZE THIS MISSION.
Might I suggest you hold off on that attempt? It will ruin everything if you seek her out now, and I can personally inform you that she won't go with you. I shall be keeping in touch with you periodically as best as I am able, and will, of course, inform you immediately should Nymphadora's position change. I'm sure she will write to you too.
Severus.
Lupin's eyes scanned the words on the parchment one more time before crumpling the note and shoving it back in his pocket.
Lifting his head, Remus could not stop the small spark of hope that ignited within his chest, despite the curt words of Severus's letter. One way or another, he was going to win her back.
He had to. Remus stared out the window and into the streets of Hogsmeade just Madame Rosmerta sauntered over to his table to ask Remus what he wanted to drink.
The owner was unused to Lupin's presence within the Three Broomsticks, but if she was at all surprised, she was quite good at hiding it well, and she felt more sympathy towards the young man and werewolf, and after taking his order and promising to bring him his Fire Whiskey, asked the man what business or trouble had brought him into her old pub.
"Tonks, Madame Rosmerta," was all he answered as he lifted his chin and smiled, somewhat nervously, up at the pub owner. "I'm going to get her back. I found out where she is. At Lucius's."
"Malfoy's?" Madame Rosmerta blinked in surprise, though she quickly gave her head a curt shake to clear it, a golden curl tumbling in front of her face as she did so. "That's good to hear, then. I presume that means you'll be bringing her home, then?"
He did not even bother asking where Rosmerta had heard this, as he was an infrequent visitor to The Three Broomsticks, though he knew that several other Order members came here, and he had to figure the landlady had learned of this new through them.
"She just disappeared," Madame Rosmerta continued. "People speculated that maybe she disappeared because of, ah—"
"That I drove her off?" finished Remus bitterly, completely unfazed as he put an end to Rosmerta's rather awkward rambling.
Glancing up at the poor bartender struggling to form an adequate response as her cheeks flushed pink, Lupin sighed and decided to put the young woman out of her misery at the moment.
"It is all right, Rosmerta," Lupin murmured darkly under his breath, pointedly looking away from the barkeep to gather his thoughts. "They would be correct in that regard. I didn't think that it was possible. I'd never have thought her capable of leaving, but Severus—" he started to say, but a droll baritone rapidly interjected.
"Severus forced her to abandon you? To work for the Dark Lord?" came Professor Snape's voice from directly behind Remus.
Lupin pivoted at the waist and peered over his shoulder around to see none other than Severus Snape himself, the git, Remus thought angrily as his temper surged, enter through the tavern's entrance, his dark, listless gaze fixed on his old classmate.
His black eyes were narrowed, like bottomless pits of coal.
The edges of Severus's lips turned upwards into what Lupin could only describe as a vicious sneer as he regarded him in silence.
"I do hope that was not what you meant, Lupin," continued the Potions Master airily as he plopped himself in a chair not too terribly far from Remus, pinching the bridge of his slender, crooked nose with his thumb and forefinger, looking utterly exhausted. "You seem to forget that I attempted to discourage her from going, but she possesses a stubborn streak that is hard to quell. She could have easily said no, but Professor Dumbledore knew she wouldn't."
"Now, now, gentleman, there's no need for this," muttered Madame Rosmerta hastily, shaking her hands through the air in a vain attempt to calm down the heated conversation. "And I don't want wands drawn in my tavern either, or I'll throw you both out! Both of you will kindly still your anger and try not to make a scene," Madame Rosmerta snapped, glowering at Snape as she had noticed Severus's fingers of his wand hand curl tightly around his wand.
However, before any of them had any time to respond, however, the tavern door to the Three Broomsticks swung wide open as a chilly gust of wind swept in, and Remus's blood froze.
Barty Crouch Jr. sauntered into the tavern, his hands in the pockets of his black leather trench coat, walking with a swagger as though he dominated the entire world.
He spotted Severus sitting near Remus and an unnaturally wide, Cheshire Cat-like grin erupted, tugging the edges of his thin, wormy lips upward in a smile that did not at all meet his dark brown eyes as his questioning gaze settled upon Remus, who flinched.
Crouch recognized him, he knew it. Barty was no fool, surely, he recognized him from their days together as Hogwarts students.
His teeth gnashed together as the memory of what Barty had done to Frank and Alice Longbottom, how he, alongside Alastor, had been the ones to find his best friends, almost lifeless, and in a fate worse than death, flitted through the forefront of his mind, taunting him.
As Lupin forced himself to meet Crouch's gaze and not look away as the man slid into the booth next to Severus's immediate left, he knew that this man was about to become a real problem for him, especially if it was rumored that Tonks was working with him.
The man was fearless, unafraid of anything, except for perhaps the Dementors. Lupin sorely wished he possessed the ability to conjure one out of midair, who would gladly give Crouch the Dementor's Kiss.
It was no more and no less than what he deserved, considering it was as good as what he'd done to Frank and Alice. He cringed as the memory of Alice's face filled his head.
His best friend alongside the other Marauders, and now, Dora would never have the opportunity to meet Alice for herself.
Not the Alice that he remembered. The brilliant, kind young witch with a sweet personality, if not a little naïve, with a white smile that had the ability to make you feel as though all was right with the world.
What Crouch had done to her out of vengeance for spurning his affections was a crime, one punishable by death itself.
"Mr. Crouch?"
"Mmm?" Barty looked up and sanguinely lifted his head, swiveling his gaze to the left to regard Madame Rosmerta staring.
"Are you all right?" the owner of the Three Broomsticks asked, sounding nervous and apprehensive, seemingly wanting to avoid discourse breaking out in her pub as she no doubts had noticed the look of venom in Remus John Lupin's eyes as he eyed Crouch. Crouch noticed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Rosmerta was staring at Barty in a questioning manner.
"What can I get for you?" she asked, as she wiped a glass in her right hand with a rag. "It's on the house, like always, Barty."
"You know what I want, darling, same as always," Crouch responded in a smooth, languid, and charming tone, giving Rosmerta a dazzlingly white grin, as the bartender nodded respectfully and moved smoothly away to get everyone's beverages.
Barty waited until Madame Rosmerta had vanished back behind the counter before turning his gaze back towards Remus.
If it was at all possible, his grin widened even further, which sent a tremor of unease down Lupin's spine.
Remus's fingers twitched, itching to dive into his jacket pocket for his wand, but even Crouch wouldn't be a bloody fool to cause a fight in the bar.
"Hello, Remus, old friend," Crouch grinned in a mocking tone laced with amusement as he folded his hands together and rested them on top of the table, ignoring Severus's dark glower.
"I am no friend of yours!" Remus barked hoarsely, curling his hands into fists, and slamming them down on the wooden table in the effort to prevent himself from striking out at him in anger.
It was Severus who spoke up next, undoubtedly sensing the tension between the two younger men.
"Why have you come?" His question was directed towards Crouch, and not Remus.
"Oh, I'm in the mood for a tiny chat with Loony Lupin, Severus, that's all?" the bastard exhaled, plucking a green apple from a nearby basket of fruit and digging into the pocket of his trench coat for his knife.
If Severus was at all surprised by the nature of Barty Crouch Jr.'s statement, he hid his shock well, for his face stayed impassive. It was Remus that dropped silently at this matter from the other side of the table. He forced himself to feel absolutely nothing. He felt neither tense, nor angry, nor afraid.
He was nothing. But it did nothing to quell the weighted, heavy feeling on his shoulders or in his chest, and it was like a whisper in his ears that he need not be threatened by this Death Eater, this horrible vermin. But he also felt somewhat indifferent if there was even a lofty chance at not being able to walk out of the Three Broomsticks alive.
Surely, Crouch had to know that Remus was Tonks's partner? He jumped in his seat when Barty finally spoke to him.
"Have you ever killed a man, Remus? And be honest."
Lupin felt his jaw tighten as it tensed and locked up. "No."
Barty clucked his tongue and shook his head in mock disappointment.
"What a waste. You are a wolf and have never killed a man before. Pity. All those under my command in the Dark Lord's ranks must know how to kill. Including…Tonks."
Crouch paused, seemingly for effect, though he knew as he lifted his gaze to look into Alice Longbottom's best friend's darkening brown eyes in anger, that his words had hit their mark.
"Don't you worry, Lupin," Crouch continued in a gleeful tone. "I'll let you have a glimpse of it one day if you find yourself lucky to be reunited with your…mate," he spat the last word in disgust, as though it were a bitter poison that settled on his tongue. "But do allow me to fill you in in case you aren't aware of how I like to have my soldiers take a life. It's not just enough to use their magic and their wands, oh, no." Crouch continued slowly and methodically peeling his green apple with his knife, letting the peelings fall to the surface of the wooden table, much to Snape's chagrin as the sallow-faced Potions Master pulled a face of disgust.
Remus felt his face drain of all colors, not sure where Barty was going with this, so he favored silence as the only apt response.
"You could actually start with anywhere in the body, you see. Though it's always best to start at the thickest skin when torturing someone for information. I always favor starting at the limbs. Take Frank, for example," he growled, an expression of rage flitting across his handsome, pale, and gaunt features at the mention of Longbottom, the man who'd stolen the woman's heart that he loved. "You shove the tip of my knife into the man's littlest finger and slice it right to the palm. And oh, his screaming was like a symphony to my ears. He begged me to just cut off his finger, Remus. And of course, I obliged. I nicked it off to grant his wish."
It should be noted by this point in their very much one-sided conversation as Crouch launched into the gruesome details of the torture of his best friends, Frank and Alice Longbottom, that poor Remus's entire body was shaking, and he growled with the effort to restrain himself from launching himself across the table and beating the man to a pulp with his bare hands the Muggle way.
Remus bit his tongue to prevent bile from rising on his throat. It was not Barty Crouch Jr.'s sinister vividness and love for detail that tossed his stomach and caused the man to think he'd become ill.
But it was how this bastard derived a sick pleasure in torturing Frank, simply for loving the woman who did not return Crouch's affections, and then, as a final insult to injury, had claimed that if he could not have Alice, then no one ever would.
And he had done the same thing to sweet Alice as well.
"When I finished with his hand, I cut through his arm. Down, down to the shoulder blade with my own two hands. You can slice it if it's tough, and then, after an inch, you peel it. Like so."
Another green fruit skin line bounced onto the surface of the table, and as Lupin's gaze flitted towards Severus Snape's, he was beginning to see that even Snivellus's pale face had whitened a shade.
Crouch slowly lifted his darkening gaze to meet Remus's, one side of his thin lips pulled upwards into a twisted, sinister smile.
The green apple in his hand was now completely naked and ready to be torn.
Barty, teasing Lupin, placed it between his lips and bit out a small part of the piece of fruit, and causally chewed.
Remus could just almost imagine aiming a spell right at that apple as Crouch was about to bite down on it again, causing it to explode right in his face and stun him.
Suddenly, Barty stopped and let out a blood-curdling grin as he took another bite of the apple.
Lupin's eyebrow gave a twitch, and the wizard and werewolf could no longer conceal the frown that marred his scarred face. Barty Crouch Jr.'s own jaw twitched as he was partially smiling as he continued devouring his apple.
"Do you play wizard's chess, Lupin?" he questioned in a relaxed manner, sounding curious. Without giving Remus a chance to respond, he continued. "It's really quite simple if you don't. Each player takes a side of the chessboard. Each side has the King, the one you need to protect, the Queen, the most powerful, the knights, the bishops, et cetera. The rule is quite simple: protect the king. But in order to do that, you need a master plan of sorts, if you will, something so unpredictable that your opponent won't see coming with just one move that could crush the King to pieces." Crouch pointed a finger towards Remus with his free hand not clutching onto the apple. "The trick, Mr. Lupin, should be obvious. To entrap the Queen."
Lupin swallowed past the lump in his throat. He was beginning to feel more than a little sick as beads of sweat gathered along his browbone and started to drip steadily down his temples.
This bastard had to be a Legilimens, a bloody mind reader.
Barty twirled the knife he used to peel the apple and twirled it slowly, almost methodically in his hands, all the while never breaking his gaze away from Remus, his dark eyes seeming to bore right through the werewolf and see straight into his very soul.
"I would say that your Queen is trapped, Mr. Lupin, yes," he said in a smooth, languid voice that oozed natural confidence.
As if to emphasize his point, Barty held up the knife with the apple stuck on it, still looking at the rapidly paling werewolf.
Suddenly, the man smiled, which set Lupin's blood to ice. It was never a good sign when Frank and Alice's torturer smiled.
"Oh. Dear me. I almost forgot. How stupid of me. I was about to give something back to you, I think this belongs to you."
Lupin shuddered, feeling a familiar cold bite that plagued his heart.
This conversation was growing more uncomfortable as he swallowed down past the lump in his throat and his lips felt dry.
He gave a curt wave of his wand and almost instantaneously, a single strand of short, wavy light brown hair, that Remus immediately recognized and knew to be Dora's, floated mid-air in front of his face at eye level.
Feeling his face drain of what little color was left in his peaky face, Lupin reached out a shaking hand and plucked the hair from the air with his thumb and forefinger, pocketing it before glaring at Crouch, biting down on his bottom lip, wanting to throttle the man.
But Crouch was not at all finished with Remus just yet. He rapped his wand again, and a burst of a blue, hazy light that emitted a strange glow erupted from the tip of his wand in front of Lupin.
Lupin watched as the ball of light began to take form, and if he squinted his eyes close enough, he could see a feminine figure walking the hallways of what appeared to be Crouch's old home.
He knew it well, having been summoned there once alongside Moody in order to try to save Frank and Alice from Barty, only to find that they were too damned late to save either one.
His heart soared and then plummeted to the pit of his nauseous, churning stomach as he recognized the woman dressed in a beautiful light silk and lace long nightgown with a long train, with the light ash brown ash hair that fell in face-framing waves to her chin, a distraught look on her face, near tears.
She was not alone. A tiny little house-elf was attempting to comfort her, female by the looks of the creature's short dark hair, but it wasn't enough.
Though before Remus could murmur Dora's name, the blue orb vanished when Crouch flicked his wand again.
"Do not worry about your former partner, Mr. Lupin. The girl is quite safe under my constant watch," he emphasized, a glimmer of something dark and unreadable flitting through his dark brown eyes. "She really is a lovely little thing, your Tonks. Just like Alice."
"What?" Lupin barked hoarsely, not wanting to believe his words.
This—this was not good.
He knew of her Metamorphmagus powers, there was no telling what unimaginable horrors he'd have Tonks suffer through in order to assuage his sick, lustful needs.
A quick glance with Snape confirmed his worst fears. He did not know what Crouch wanted with Tonks, but it was not good.
He had to get her out of there. Tonight. No matter what.
"Oh, yes, didn't you know?" challenged Barty, sounding gleeful as the dark-haired Death Eater took sick delight in relishing in Remus Lupin's rapidly growing discomfort. "She will be mine. My sweet Alice. With her looks, and such raw, unbridled talent, why to wait?" he questioned, quirking a brow towards Remus's way.
"W-wait for what?" His head felt heavy. "What do you mean?" he demanded, his fists curling tightly around the edge of the table to prevent himself from launching straight towards him.
"Why to get married, of course. It is not enough the Dark Lord has appointed Miss Tonks my new partner. No. I need…her."
Now even Severus was looking on the brink of being sick.
The color, what little was left of the Potions Master's sallow face, drained, and even his black eyes as his piercing gaze met Remus's, beckoned shock, it almost turned his black to a dull, listless grey.
Lupin felt the worst of his mounting anger towards Severus slowly melt away as he realized Snape had nothing to do with this.
Crouch smirked as the Death Eater was quick to realize he was getting the reaction he needed. "You seem surprised, Remus?"
Lupin blanched and looked out the window a moment, needing a few minutes himself to compose himself and try to make sense of his emotions. He could only imagine what Dora must be feeling right now, trapped inside of Crouch's estate, her confusion, shock, unknowing of what was to become of her life.
Finally, he found his voice as he swiveled his head back to meet Crouch's frowning stare.
"Y—you can't do that to her, Crouch, you have no right to do this to her, Tonks will… she will…."
"She will what, wolf! Speak, dog. What do you know of what my sweet precious Alice will do, hmm?" Barty demanded angrily.
Barty Crouch Jr.'s rising voice flared against the walls of the bustling tavern even when the words had already left his mouth.
Remus cringed, realizing he had given himself away. Realizing his own fault, he dipped his head and merely conceded.
He shot a silent, pleading prayer towards Severus, knowing the Legilimens could hear him.
Help me save her from him. Please.
There was no way he could stop Barty Crouch Jr. from doing this to Tonks against her will without Severus's help. Please help.
Everything shushed, and a pause in Severus's response in his impossible telepathy was nothing that Remus could have hoped for, and yet, he was itching to vanish from this tavern and Disapparate on his heel and head towards Crouch's estate and pull Tonks out of there and off her fate, and he had to do it tonight, without or without Severus's help, and if Snivellus wanted to prove to Remus once and for all that he was much changed, and not stupid then he'd—
I will help you, came Severus's droll baritone as it infiltrated his mind, and Remus froze, though quickly molded his face into a mask of calm serenity, hoping he gave nothing away to Barty now.
Barty Crouch Jr. was a cunning bastard, a snake if ever there was one.
There was a reason he'd been sorted into Slytherin House.
It would take cunning to meet cunning in order to ensure Tonks's escape from Crouch's clutches, and for that, he needed Snape. Lupin silently shot Severus a pleading, grateful look with his eyes, trying to thank the man for his help.
Severus shot him a withering look in kind that effectively told Remus he didn't need to.
Crouch smirked, seemingly satisfied with the shocked response that he had elicited from his former classmate and rival.
He drained his flagon of Fire Whiskey that Madame Rosmerta had magically enchanted to appear at their table and drained the glass in two swift hearty swigs and rose to leave, reaching into the pocket of his black leather coat and tossing a couple of Galleons for Rosmerta, despite the drink being on house.
Crouch murmured a half-hearted goodbye under his breath towards Snape, clapping the man on the shoulder before turning on his heels to go, though not before glancing over his shoulder and aiming one last look towards Remus, as if silently challenging him.
Acrid and utterly perilous, it was as close to hostile as Frank and Alice Longbottom's torturer could come as he glared at him.
To Lupin, it was a warning as clear as daylight. To stay away from Tonks, or else.
But he even knew that as he watched the taller man's dark silhouette fade from view as he stalked out of the front door of the Three Broomsticks, that it was a warning he could not—would not—abide by.
He had promised himself (and Sirius!) that he would bring Tonks back home to Headquarters, and he aimed to keep it. Remus could only hope that, even with Severus's help as the two men sat in stunned silence, unable to believe what had just transpired, that by the time they arrived at Crouch's tonight, they weren't too late.
Ew, ew, and ew. Crouch is definitely a creep, but I do* love writing for him, and the 'sort of' civil way that he and Lupin were able to go toe-to-toe on this without getting violent in the midst of the Three Broomsticks.
Coming up in Ch. 12, Severus visits an unlikely ally in order to request help with his new mission of getting Tonks away from Crouch.