Hunting down Greyback
Remus goes hunting and finds a surprise. A capture is made. Questions are asked. Deals are made. Other people began questioning the sudden disappearance of Greyback. Things take a turn for the worse in the dollhouse. Fenrir makes an agonizing decision.
You know how there's always that one character or set of characters that always comes to mind and yells "I'm here, I'm here!"
Yeah, this wouldn't be a vixevilcat7 story without little Scabior, Rowle, Yaxley and Dolohov!
Remus Lupin thought very carefully before he left Grimmauld Place. He knew that Greyback had a very, very few favorite places he liked to go after a successful hunt or a good full moon. One such place was the Two Deuces tavern in Knockturn Alley. Before he set foot in the place, he and the rest of the Order set up surveillance all around. Harry and Hermione had brought back novelty spy items from Muggle London. After explaining their purposes which were like Fred and George's Extendable Ears, they gave them to the twins to experiment on. They had come back with some remarkable changes to them.
Remus had an Extendable Ear with an exceptionally long reach. He also had the magical version of a Muggle walkie-talkie as well as an earpiece that allowed him to communicate with the waiting members outside the tavern. He went in and found a chair in the corner, near the door. He wandlessly lifted the Ear up and hooked it over the beam above where he could hear several simultaneous conversations at one time. This allowed him to hopefully hear someone, ANYONE, mention Greyback.
His lucky stars must have lined up right that night. Almost immediately after he was settled, a group of Snatchers came in. They sat down almost directly under the Ear. Remus could hear every word they were saying. "Oi, Scabior! Where's Greyback? I heard you boys caught the Trio the other night. I thought for sure he'd want to celebrate!" yelled Tom the bartender.
Remus watched to see which one responded to the question. "Sorry, Tom. He had other plans this time. He might be back next good hunt, aye?" It was a young brunette man with kohl rimmed eyes. He was dressed in all black except for his red and black plaid pants. He wore a very familiar scarf around his neck. Remus recognized that scarf, having seen Hermione wear it dozens of times the year he taught at Hogwarts. This youngster had been around her recently, which meant he'd also been around Greyback. He studied the boy closely. There was something about him Remus couldn't quite put his finger on. Then it struck him.
The boy wasn't comfortable. He was fidgety and restless. His eyes never stopped scanning the crowd. His hands and feet were both tapping impatiently. It was like he was watching for someone. Remus would have bet his last galleon that he was watching for Greyback. He was acting too much like Greyback. Remus noticed that his blue eyes flashed amber ever so often. This boy was a werewolf and, if his behavior was any indication, a very new, nervous one. He had jumped as soon as Tom spoke to him. None of the others seemed to notice anything strange. Maybe it was purely his own imagination.
"We have a possibility of someone with information in here. His name is Scabior. We've heard that name quite a bit lately. That's the young Snatcher always pictured in the papers." Remus gave them a thorough description of the young man and waited to see what else he said. The other men were all drinking firewhiskey but he wasn't. Remus quickly noted the butterbeer in front of him. Soon after they came in, the young man told them he'd see them back at camp in the morning. He stood up to leave.
"He's on the move. We'll be coming to you. Be ready. And careful. I think Greyback has turned him. He's acting very wolfish." Remus warned them. Kingsley assured him they were ready and waiting.
The young wolf walked out of the tavern. Remus gave him a five minute head start to throw off any suspicions. Then he stood to leave. He brought the Ear back to him and walked out. He could see the boy walking away from him. A lit cigarette dangled from his fingers. 'He's been around Muggles? Either that or he was a half or Muggleborns wizard.' Remus thought. Not too many wizards smoked cigarettes unless they were half-bloods or Muggleborns.
"He's almost to your position, Kingsley. Remember, don't let him maul you or bite you! You might want to keep him at bay until I reach him. If he's anywhere near as strong as Greyback, physical force is the only thing that will take him down!" Remus told him. He sped up enough to catch up with the young wolf and prepared himself for a fight.
Kingsley must have decided to try and take him into custody in as civilized a manner as possible. "Scabior? A word with you, please?" Upon seeing Kingsley's towering form, the young Snatcher tensed. While Kingsley had him distracted from the front, Remus simply slipped up behind him. Pointing his wand at the back of the young man's head, he nonverbally stunned him and caught him as he fell backward. They quickly vacated the premises before anyone even realized what had happened.
Back at Bill and Fleur's cottage, they secured the young man and waited for Harry and Ron to join them. As soon as the boys were in the room, the questioning began. "Hello, Scabior. My name is Remus. How are you doing? Are you hungry or thirsty? Just so you know, you aren't a prisoner. We just want to ask you some questions."
"Not a prisoner, aye? Then you won't mind taking these off of me." Scabior held up his hands, chained to the chair. Remus hesitated as he stared at the boy intently. Scabior stared right back at him, not flinching away, nor fidgeting. Remus nodded at Bill. He was sure, between the two of them, they could take him back down, if needed.
"Well, is that better?" Remus watched him rub his wrists. Scabior looked all around. He sat back and relaxed. "Now, ARE you hungry or thirsty? I know being a Snatcher is hard work. All that running, tracking and fighting."
"I could use a drink, maybe some food." he answered warily. Remus nodded at Fleur who slipped out and brought back a butterbeer and a plate of food. They waited for him to eat. It was evident that he hadn't eaten in a while. He quickly but efficiently cleaned the plate, displaying surprisingly good table manners. His ripped, torn and patched clothing would lead people to think he was from a poverty stricken area.
"So, whatcha need to know? I'm not a death eater. I can't tell you anything about the Dark Lord, if that's why you snatched me." he told them casually.
"How long have you been a wolf?" Kingsley asked. The Snatcher tensed again. "Don't bother trying to deny it. We already have two wolves here who have confirmed that you are a werewolf." he indicated Remus and Bill. "Was it Greyback who turned you? When did he turn you? How did it happen?"
"Why so many questions about Greyback? You can't ask him yourselves?" he looked at them curiously.
"Please. Just answer the questions." Kingsley requested. He sighed at the boy.
"Ok. You fed me and gave me something to drink. Fair enough. Yes. Greyback was the one who turned me. It was the full moon that just passed. We were in the middle of a snatch." Scabior shrugged.
"So you got too close to him on a full moon night and he bit you?" Remus asked quietly.
"No, I didn't. Well, maybe I did but that wasn't why he bit me." Scabior cocked his head at Remus. The older werewolf came closer.
"Either you got too close or you didn't. Which is it? That's the only reason I know that Greyback would have an opportunity to bite you." Remus leaned toward him to make his point. To his surprise, Scabior leaned forward, too.
"That's not the only reason. If you get between him and a little wench he fancies, he'll bite you to get you out of his way." Scabior told him sarcastically. Remus backed away.
"You got between him and a girl? That's why he bit you? Was it Hermione Granger?" he asked.
"No. It was the snatch before her. Why? Do you know where he is?" Scabior grabbed his arm. He looked panicky. "Where is he? He told me he was sorry for biting me. Then he told me I'd be a damn good Beta and he'd take me home to the pack. But he's gone!"
"Scabior! Calm down. Calm down. You don't know where he is? We're looking for him, too." Remus said calmly as he kept the young wolf in place. "Listen to me. You caught these two boys along with a young girl, Hermione Granger. You took them to Malfoy Manor. There was a fight. The boys were rescued. Greyback vanished with Hermione. We're looking for Hermione more than we are Greyback. If we find Greyback, we'll find Hermione."
"Listen. Do you honestly enjoy working for the Dark Lord? Do you like being a Snatcher?" Remus asked Scabior. He shook his head.
"No. I don't really like being a Snatcher. But it's the only thing I know how to do. I'm a tracker. That's what I do best. It's the only way I have of earning money." he looked down at the floor.
"How about this? You keep on Snatching but only the ones who really need to be punished. When the war is over, we'll conveniently 'capture' you. Then I'll personally take charge of your parole and get you a job at the Ministry. But we need you to keep your eyes and ears open for any mention of Greyback. If you should happen to hear anything at all, get in contact with me or Remus." Kingsley told him.
"I can do that! But, uh, how do I get in contact? Snatchers and the Order aren't really supposed to rub elbows, you know." Scabior leaned forward.
"Go to the Ministry. Report a suspicious Magical artifact that has been put to misuse and sold to Muggles. You'll be directed to Arthur Weasley. Leave a note on his desk as you leave. It'll be given to us. Do you have a place to stay between jobs?" Kingsley asked him.
Scabior shook his head. "I don't really live anywhere. I usually find a corner to tuck away in."
"Well, no more. As of when we let you go, I'm going straight to the Leaky Cauldron. You'll have a room there from now on, no questions asked. All you need to do to keep it, is let us know when you hear anything at all about Greyback. And only snatch the actual criminals from now on. Do that and you will be given a job and steady income at the Ministry after this bloody war is over with." Kingsley held his hand out for Scabior to shake. The Snatcher, thrilled with the offer, eagerly shook on the deal.
"Now. Where is the last place you saw Greyback? When is the last time you saw him?" Kingsley asked.
Scabior answered immediately. "Malfoy Manor. The fight you mentioned. I don't think he ever left the manor, sir. That room where they were torturing the little girl is the last time and place I saw him. I was right there. Someone threw down Peruvian Instant Darkness powder. There was no Apparitions out of there before those boys left, no footsteps running out or anything. I'm telling you, he never left that room! At least, not under his own power."
Corban Yaxley was worried. He knew the Dark Lord wanted a werewolf army. He also knew that wolf, Greyback, wasn't supposed to touch anyone but the half-bloods and Muggleborns. He was only supposed to attack the pure bloods if they had proven to be blood traitors. But Greyback had vanished. Nobody knew where the bloody wolf had taken off to. As far as the Dark Lord was concerned about it, the only good he'd done was taking that little know-it-all Granger girl with him.
That didn't make Yaxley feel any better, though. In the few days since Greyback had disappeared, there had been more attacks than he could be credited with. At least three of those had been unapproved by the Dark Lord. So he had either decided to break the alliance he had in place or some of his newly turned 'pups' were getting out of control and needed his boot on their necks! Either way, they needed Greyback to reappear fast!
He dreaded having to give the latest round of reports to the Dark Lord. He was not going to be thrilled with Greyback! He walked into the manor and ran up with the only two Death Eaters he was really friendly with. Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov were leaned up against opposite sees of the wall, obviously waiting for him.
"Corban, what's going on with bloody Greyback? That's the third family he's attacked this week!" Rowle exclaimed. Dolohov stood quietly.
"When are we going after him?" he asked. Yaxley shook his head.
"I don't know if these attacks are Greyback or not. They just seem too disorderly. I've seen his handiwork. He's neat, he's careful and, unless he's sending a message, he's virtually untraceable. This has to be one of his pups but I still hate the thought of having to hunt the person down" Yaxley ran his hands through his blond hair. It wasn't as bright blond as Rowle's but it was bright enough.
"Oi! Isn't Scabior one of his pups? Shouldn't he know where his 'sire' went to? Maybe you should ask him. He ought to know, right? Doesn't Greyback take all his new pups to his hunting grounds." Rowle wondered.
"That's right! I remember hearing from one of the others in that group. Something about going after the same girl? Greyback won that fight, I'm pretty sure." Dolohov told them.
The Death Eaters went on up to the dining room, dreading this visit. As predicted, the Dark Lord promptly threw a hissy fit and began crucioing everyone he could see. Death Eaters, serving maids, house elves and Peter Pettigrew were all punished for the misbehavior of Greyback and his pups. The only one who escaped his wrath was his beloved Nagini. It was the only time Yaxley, Dolohov and Rowle all wished they were that bloody serpent!
After their talk, Fenrir and Hermione decided to explore the house and see if they could find any weakness at all in Bella's wards. They also wanted to see just how far the wards extended or if they were just on the dollhouse itself. They had explored the upper floor they were currently on and went downstairs. They were in the library and realizing that everything was actually real when they heard the door slam open. They looked up and could see the rage in her face. She stomped over and spoke to Fenrir. "Your pups are wreaking havoc and it's causing trouble for EVERYONE! CRUCIO! Crucio!"
Hermione screamed in fear as Fenrir howled in pain, twisting and turning under the curse. "I'll teach you! Those little pups are going to create even more trouble! Crucio! Crucio!" Bella screamed. Fenrir was bent almost double in pain as he tried to curl into a ball.
"And YOU! You stupid little MUDBLOOD! CRUCIO! Crucio!" she turned her wrath on Hermione next.
The girl dropped like a stone, screaming in pain. Fenrir crawled over to her. Just as he reached her, Bella Crucioed them both one last time. Then she reached in, petrifying Fenrir as she picked up Hermione. He could only watch helplessly as she slammed the girl into the floor and the wall in a mindless rage. Finally after Hermione was unconscious, she calmed down.
She threw her into the floor beside Fenrir and took the spell off him. "Break her, Fenrir! Break her good or I'll kill you BOTH! When I come back, she'd better be so broken she can't even look at you! I'll deal with your little beasts! You take care of HER!" she turned and stomped out of the room.
Fenrir closed his eyes as he pulled Hermione against him. Most of the 'pups' she mentioned were Death Eaters the Dark Lord had made him turn as punishment. There was really only one pup he'd turned recently that he wanted her nowhere near. That was the young Snatcher he'd bitten and decided to name as his Beta, Scabior. Hopefully, now that the important prisoners had been caught and brought here, the boy would know to not show up here anymore. He hated the thought of Bella getting her crazy hands on him!
Somehow he had to get them out of here. Much more of that kind of treatment and Hermione wouldn't live long enough for him to bond with her! He made a decision right then and there. It wasn't the way he'd wanted to get to know his little sweetheart. It was the only way that might get her out of here alive, though. Whether Bella was there or not, he was going to have to terrify his little beauty. It was the only way. Terrorize her while they were awake and force her into his arms at night. That way, she'd become dependent on him. Once Bella saw her clinging to him like a lost pup, she'd think the girl was really broken. She'd drop her guard, the wards might weaken. Then he could grab his girl and make a run for it.