Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling, as usual.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! By the way, ink'n'imp, the Remus and Romulus thing will come into play later on, so keep that in mind.
When in Rome
Chapter Two: Familiar Faces, and Quite a Few Surprises
Stunned, Sirius just sat there for a moment, unable to believe his eyes, but no--even half-hidden by the hood of a midnight blue cloak, that was the same pale face, gray-white hair, and goatee. Although the face was considerably more drawn and strained than when Sirius had last seen the man, it was undoubtedly him.
What was Igor Karkaroff doing in Italy?
Sirius had hardly expected the man to flee back to Durmstrang. The former Death Eater would never return to the school where he had been headmaster while on the run from Voldemort. Still, it was an unbelievable coincidence that he would end up right where Sirius and (hopefully) Remus were. Unless there was some reason Remus had moved there in the first place that Karkaroff knew about. That was nonsense. As the back of Karkaroff's hood began to drift further away, Sirius decided that finding Remus could wait. Besides, wherever Karkaroff was going would be as good a place to look as any other. Forgetting for a moment his aching limbs, he moved quickly back into the crowd, careful not to lose sight of the blue cloak.
Karkaroff was walking as though he knew where he was going, but every few minutes he would look carefully over his shoulder as though making sure he wasn't being watched. Sirius had little difficulty in staying out of sight, even though the lateness of the hour meant that fewer people were out and about on the streets. They walked through a few streets Sirius had already been on before turning a corner and heading in a different direction. After about fifteen minutes of walking, stopping, walking, and stopping again while Karkaroff had his look around, the man slowed abruptly, looking carefully over the houses and apartments closely lining the street they were on.
Sirius saw no crowd to hide in here, so he kept in the shadows. It was easy enough, as the street lights were dim and flickering. Karkaroff stopped in front of a very dingy-looking house, glanced around furtively, and hurried to the door. Sirius moved closer until going any further would have meant being seen. The figure in the blue cloak lifted an arm to knock and waited a moment for the door to open.
The head that stuck itself out made Sirius catch his breath sharply. Here was another face he knew...almost. There was a hint of gray in the hair and there was a definite difference in the shape of the eyes, but the crooked nose and sallow skin were almost identical. This was not--could not--be Severus Snape, but there was no denying the strong resemblance.
"Igor!" came a low, oily voice. "What--"
"Not so loud!" Karkaroff's voice was breathless and trembling with what could only be terror. "You know perfectly well why I'm here. Don't tell me you didn't notice, and that you couldn't tell what it meant."
"So you come to me," the other said. "I don't want to get involved in this again, Igor."
"You don't have a choice. Neither of us do." An unsteady pause ensued--Karkaroff cleared his throat. "Are you going to stand there or let me in where we can talk?"
"Are you alone?"
A hollow sound echoed down the street. Sirius assumed it was Karkaroff's attempt at a laugh. "I'm not an idiot. I brought nobody. Not even your brother. He's thrown in his lot with Dumbledore."
"He would. Why didn't you?"
"Because the only chance I've got now--the only chance you've got, Septimius, is to ride the fence as long as we can. We can't win, and neither can your brother, but this way we might live to see this thing through." This was followed by moment of dead silence.
"You may be right, but we're fools to talk this over in the street."
"That's what I--" Karkaroff's voice faded as the door closed behind the two of them, and the street was empty once more.
So Severus Snape had a brother, and a former Death Eater, by the sound of things. He'd had absolutely no idea. So this was why Karkaroff had come here. He wondered if Remus knew there was a man named Septimius Snape living in Rome but doubted his friend had known any more than Sirius had.
This was getting more and more interesting, but Sirius wasn't sure he liked it.
********
The following morning, the window of a comfortable, if small, apartment opened, and an owl flew out.
Nobody took any notice, mostly due to the fact that it was extremely early and few people were awake to do so.
Clutched in the owl's talons was a letter bearing the name Albus Dumbledore.
Back inside the apartment, Remus Lupin was getting ready for another day of work. As usual, he had oatmeal and toast for breakfast, and as usual he left his apartment at six. The bus he rode was the same one bus he always rode, and it went along exactly the same routes he was used to. In fact, it was a perfectly ordinary morning for him, though it might not have been had he noticed the large black dog sleeping by the side of the road about halfway to his destination.
********
Sirius had, so far, gotten absolutely nowhere. He'd spent the night asleep in somebody's front yard and been chased out of it early that morning immediately after an extremely loud bus had passed by, waking him up in the process. The whole morning, he had watched Snape's house, but although once or twice he'd seen movements behind the curtains, nobody had come out so far. Not only that, but he still had no more idea where to find Remus than he had the night before. This was becoming increasingly hopeless.
A movement in one of the windows caught his eye, and, looking up quickly, Sirius could see the outline of someone peering outside. A moment or two later, the door opened, and Karkaroff stepped out, followed closely by Snape.
Karkaroff's eyes scanned the street, examining critically the few people there. His eyes skipped directly over Sirius, half-hidden behind a trash bin. "You had better be right about this, Snape," he said in a low voice.
"I am. Get a move on. Standing here isn't going to do anything."
As the two of them began to walk, Sirius was careful to stay far enough behind so as not to attract attention. Figuring, as he had the night before, that he was as likely to find Remus by following them as by doing anything else, he was led once again in a roundabout way through the streets of Rome. It was considerably more difficult to follow them in early afternoon than it had been the previous night, and he nearly lost them in the crowd several times over. Sirius began to map out what he could of the city in his head so that, if he needed to, he could find Snape's house again.
It wasn't until Karkaroff and Snape stopped near a large stone building, before mounting the steps, that Sirius was able to catch his breath. One of these days, he'd have to see about getting back in shape...Azkaban hadn't done much for his physique.
"I library?" Karkaroff was saying. "This is what you were going to show me?"
"Believe it or not, Igor, it is. I--what's wrong?"
With a nasty sort of shock, Sirius found that Karkaroff's white face was staring directly through the milling crowds--at him.
"That dog," he said breathlessly, "that dog...he was at Hogwarts...."
"There are quite a few black dogs in Italy, Karkaroff--"
"I'm telling you, that's the same dog! I saw him all over just before the third task--Dumbledore...."
Karkaroff had begun to push his way toward Sirius, who immediately set about losing himself in the crowd. Spying on former Death Eaters was one thing, but he had no desire to be caught. Even if Karkaroff didn't know he was an Animagus, as rare as wizards who could transform were, it would only mean trouble.
It was pure chance, therefore, that while doing his best not to let Karkaroff come any nearer, he looked up toward the library doors. And saw the face of someone coming out.
That, he reflected momentarily, added up to the most unlikely series of coincidences that he had ever experienced in his life.