The Greatest Gift
Chapter Seven; Soul Fire
~ There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a persons eye when he feels that we have sympathized, understood, interested ourselves in his welfare. At these moments something fine and spiritual passes between two friends. These are the moments worth living.
Don Marquis ~
Midnight.
The ancient grandfather clock chimed the hour, the dull gongs echoing into the dust clogged air.
In the backroom a cauldron sat in the fireplace, a thick grey-green potion bubbling and frothing.
Brow furrowed, the old woman bent close, dipping a long ladle slowly into the boiling liquid.
Raising it to her nose, careful not to breathe too deeply, she took a delicate sniff.
Scowling, she reached for another sachet of powdered dragon teeth and a vial of black octopus ink, dark eyes following the directions on the crinkled, damp spotted pages of a spell book.
A chill breeze from the open window rustled the pages and rattled the open door of the empty birdcage.
*
Once again, Lily was using her Chameleon Charm to blend with the shadows, keeping close to the buildings around the edge of the village square. James followed close behind, also using the Charm. Working together, they concentrated on conjuring the strongest protection barriers they could manage, all the time on the lookout for any sign of a lost werewolf.
They'd split up. James and Lily in one group to protect the villagers, Remus and Peter in the other to try and find Sirius before he could hurt someone.
'Do you think they'll be alright?' James asked. 'I mean, I'm not sure if Remus is his normal level-headed self.'
'You're not wrong, but he does have a better chance of finding Sirius than we do.' said Lily. 'He knows how a werewolf behaves, what one is likely to do in this sort of situation. I'm sure he'll be fine.'
'With Wormtail?' James snorted. 'Don't like to say it but-'
'A jellyfish has more backbone?'
James cracked smile, sheepishly hiding it from Lily. 'So, why did you tell him to go with Moony?'
Lily rolled her eyes.
'Have you seen his Barrier spells?'
She shook her head, raised her wand and sent a golden shimmering haze over the side entrance to the Three Broomsticks pub. A single spell had no hope of deterring a werewolf but she and James were being very thorough, covering the entire village centre. The singing crowd never even noticed the odd showers of sparks coming out of nowhere.
James frowned, watching them. So many of them together and vulnerable to attack.
So where was the werewolf?
*
Shrouded in the Invisibility Cloak, Peter ran through the streets, stumbling and slipping on the ice as he tried to keep up with Remus. Back in the guise of a black dog, Remus ran with his nose to the ground, tying to locate the scent of a werewolf. But he was finding it too difficult to concentrate what with panicked thoughts invading his mind.
Where are you, Sirius? Lily and James, are they alright back there? What if we've missed Sirius completely and he's back there somewhere? What if we can't find him? What'll we do if someone gets hurt? What if someone gets bitten?
Remus tried to force himself to calm down. But it wasn't easy.
Why did I agree to this stupid spell? If I had just said no … but I didn't and now everyone here is in danger, Sirius is missing and it's all my fault!
Wormtail was still apologising, his squeaky voice grinding his nerves.
'It was so quick - he was there one second - gone the next! I'm really sorry -'
'Peter, will you stop saying you're sorry?' Remus snapped as he changed back into human form.
'It's not your fault.' he sighed, looking up and down the dark and deserted street.
All the shops here were closed for the night. Not a sign of life anywhere. Deep trenches in the snow were devoid of animal prints. There was nothing to indicate that Sirius had come this way.
Peter was shivering, pulling the cloak more tightly around himself.
'Maybe we should go back,' he suggested timidly. 'If a were- werewolf hunts people -' his voice quivered. '… sh-shouldn't Sirius be back that way?'
Remus frowned.
'You'd think that … with so many people around … he'd have to be blind not to go straight for them …' He trailed off, thinking hard.
Why wasn't Sirius near the square? There were so many people there, how could he resist? He wasn't behaving like an ordinary werewolf … not since that bird -
'Peter, give me that broom.'
A little surprised at his hard tone, Peter obediently passed him the broomstick from under the Cloak. Remus swung a leg over and kicked off from the ground, soaring above the buildings, looking around in all directions.
'Err … Moony?' Peter called nervously. 'What are you doing?'
Remus didn't answer. He flew in a lazy circle over the area, scrutinizing every shadow. Ignoring Peters anxious inquiries, he flew back and forth over several streets before swooping back down again.
Peter pulled the Cloak off his head, looking sulky.
'I wish you guys wouldn't do that; leave me here on my own,' he looked worried again. 'Did you see him?'
Sadly, Remus shook his head.
'No sign of him anywhere. No sign of that bird either.'
Peter raised an eyebrow.
'What bird?'
*
'Didn't you see it?'
James nodded.
'Yeah, what about it?'
'Well, apart from the fact that it's very rare for a diurnal bird to be flying around in the dark when
it can't see … it's eyes were glowing … bright white … it looked really creepy,' Lily shivered. 'I didn't want to go near it.'
With a dramatic sweep of her wand, she cast another Shield Charm.
'I think that's every part of the square covered,' said James, looking satisfied. 'If Sirius tries anything he'll be hard pushed to get through all of these.'
'We hope,' said Lily, holding up her hand, fingers crossed. 'But don't you think he'd have done it by now? Attacked them?'
'I'm not sure. Maybe he's still chasing that bird.'
'He wasn't chasing it, James.' Lily insisted. 'A werewolf doesn't hunt anything but humans, you know that.'
'What are you saying?'
'That that bird deliberately led him away.'
James blanched.
'But … why?'
*
'I think 'who' is the more pressing question,' Remus muttered, pacing up and down. 'That raven must belong to someone. There aren't any wild ones around here.'
'Oh!' Peter perked up, waving his hands excitedly. 'I've just remembered! There's some crazy old lady around here who has a big black bird. She owns a shop -'
'Where?'
'Um … near Dervish and Banges, I think.'
Remus set off at a sprint, Peter at his heels.
'Shouldn't - we - tell - Lily - and - James?' he gasped between breaths.
Peter almost crashed into him as Remus skidded to a halt.
'You're right - here,' he handed Peter the broom. 'You go find them, they should've finished by now. They're probably looking for us.'
Nodding, Peter mounted the broom.
'The shop's just down an alley near the bakers,' he said sullenly. 'Not sure what it's called … Grim-something-or-other.'
'Okay, now go.'
As Peter took off, a large shaggy black dog raced up the street, flittering through the shadows.
*
'You idiotic bird!'
Crash!
The crystal vial shattered against the cage, narrowly missing the raven as it beat its wings against the bars.
'I sent you to fetch me a human, damn it!' the old woman screeched, her face leering at the terrified bird. 'Does that look like a human to you?' She pointed a withered hand at the large iron cage that stood in the corner.
Inside was a werewolf. Immobilised by the Full Body-Bind, the wolf lay on its side, growling deep in its throat, hungrily eyeing the old woman as she took her fury out on her pet.
'You have disappointed me, Poe,' she hissed.
The raven hung its head, cowering in the far corner of its cage.
The woman spun on her heel, robes swirling, to face the wolf. Slowly she approached, kneeling beside the cage. The wolf struggled, straining to get at her.
'Be still,' she cooed, reaching through the bars with a bony hand.
Her talon-like nails combed through the thick grey fur. His ears flattened against his head and the growling became louder, deeper. The amber eyes blazed with a mixture of hatred and hunger.
Looking deep into the wolfs eyes, the old woman frowned, slightly confused. Drawing her wand, she waved it slowly over the beasts paralysed form, muttering a spell.
A shimmering haze of green and blue clouded his form. The colour remained constant for a few seconds before flickering to black and purple then back again. The pattern repeated itself several times, the woman not taking her eyes off it.
Poe peered curiously out from his cage, but kept his distance.
The odd light display must have meant something to her because her face split into a wide exalted smile.
'Oh … you are the one I want,' she whispered gleefully. 'Poor boy,' she patted his head without a trace of sincerity. 'Bitten off a little more than you can chew, hmm? No matter, it makes little difference, the result will be the same,'
Enraged by her touch the wolf thrashed violently, fighting the Bind.
'Now, now, there's no need for that,' the woman scowled. 'I'm not going to hurt you … yet.'
*
Moving on all fours was definitely a lot easier than on two, Remus had decided. Certainly you were better balanced and undeniably faster. He almost envied Sirius and James. They could transform at will whereas he was restricted to the moon phases. He looked up at it, glowing brightly down on him. It gave him an odd feeling, to look up at it, knowing that it didn't control him. Not tonight.
Each huge stride propelled him up the street with lightning speed, racing towards the bakers. He knew where that was … he just couldn't remember ever seeing a shop down the nearby alley. Well, if Peter said it was there it must be -
There.
Tucked away, just out of sight of the main street, was a tiny, grubby looking shop. The cracked sign over the door read; Grimoire's Cove, in peeling letters. The windows were thick with dirt but dark silhouettes could be made out by the dim flickering light inside.
Hesitating only for a second, Remus cautiously walked towards the door. Giving the door a gentle nudge with his shoulder, it creaked slowly open a few inches.
The tiny shop was full of shadows cast by a number of flickering black candles. The air was thick with dust and stank of mould. Hollow eyes of tribal masks leered down from the walls.
A shiver ran up his spine as Remus contemplated whether or not to enter the shop.
Come on, Moony, he told himself sternly. You're a Gryffindor. Act like it!
Shouldering the door open a little more, he stepped inside, and a dull bell sounded loudly causing him to jump out of his skin! He froze, listening for anything other than his pounding heart and rapid breathing.
Footsteps. Slow and heavy, coming from behind a door at the back of the shop.
Remus hurried on his padded feet to a large table displaying crystal balls. Draped over the surface was a black silk cloth that hung to the floor. Fast as he could, Remus wriggled underneath and lay still, holding his tail close to his body.
The back door swung open and a sliver of pale light fell across the floor, highlighting the dust. A dark shadow sliced through it, reaching towards his hiding place. Slow, steady footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor, making their way over to the front door.
'Hello?'
A woman's voice, hoarse and distinct with age.
Remus stuck his head out, craning his neck to see.
The woman was standing in the open doorway, looking up and down the alley, her wand in hand and a most ill-natured expression on her face.
The back door was wide open, the watery light straining against the darkness.
Step-by-step Remus crept out of hiding, slunk behind a set of bookshelves and stopped, watching the woman. She turned. Jerking back, Remus pressed up against the books, trying to make himself as small as possible.
'Poe! Come here, now!'
A rustle of feathers came from the back room and a raven emerged. It flew to the woman, landing on her outstretched hand.
'Come, my pet. Someone is lurking nearby …' she stroked the birds glossy plumage. 'Find him … redeem yourself in my eyes …'
Remus stared as the ravens eyes glowed a misty white. Spreading its huge wings, the bird flew out the door and into the night. The woman reached for a thick cloak hanging on the inside of the door, pulled it on and stepped outside.
The moment she was out of sight, Remus made a break for the back room.
Along one wall was a small fireplace that held a cauldron of a foul smelling potion, the fumes wafting through the air. The shattered remains of a crystal vial lay beneath a tall stand and birdcage. And on the other side of the room was -
Sirius!
He rushed over to the cage.
The wolf tilted its head, tail wagging. But he couldn't stand, his body shuddering as he tried to move.
Remus gave a low bark, Stay still.
Sirius relaxed, amber eyes fixed on Remus.
Taking a deep breath, Remus transformed.
A low growl rumbled from the depths of the wolfs throat but something flickered in his eyes and his tail thumped harder against the floor.
Could Sirius … no, surely not.
'Padfoot?' he whispered, uncertainly. 'Do you … know me?'
The wolf continued to watch him, the growling ceased.
No, it wasn't possible. Sirius couldn't recognise him.
Slowly, Remus drew his wand and performed the counter-curse. Free of the Bind, Sirius scrambled to his feet and stuck his muzzle through the bars. Hastily, Remus drew back, yet Sirius made no move to attack him. Instead he gave a soft whimper, raising a paw to the bars.
Biting his lip, Remus' eyes darted to the cage door. A rusty padlock and chain securing it. He rattled it hard. Nope, definitely locked. He aimed his wand.
'Alohomora!'
The padlock didn't budge. It was still locked. Damn, he needed a stronger spell, or possibly the key.
Just as he made to get up, however, Sirius snarled furiously, baring his teeth. Before Remus could move someone grabbed him from behind, yanking him up onto his feet and away from Sirius. Opening his mouth to shout, a large hand clamped over his face, muffling the sound. He tried to lash out, to kick, but whoever was holding him was so much stronger than he was, pinning his arms to his sides and his body to his assailants chest.
With a roar of fury, Sirius slammed against the bars of his cage, clawing furiously.
Remus struggled, the mans grip tightened painfully. Chest tight from lack of air, Remus stopped and tried to calm down.
'That's better,' hissed a deep voice by his ear. 'Don't try anything stupid and you won't get hurt,'
Why don't I believe that? Remus wondered, starting to shiver from nerves.
'Efrit, must you be so rude to our guest?'
The man turned, pulling Remus with him. The old woman was back, standing in the doorway, a hideous smile on her wrinkled face, dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on Remus. The raven sat on her shoulder, beady eyes also watching him, the white glow fading to black.
'Little brat was snooping around,' Efrit grunted. 'Trying to let that wolf out.'
'Were you now?' she walked up to Remus, still smiling. 'Surely you know better than that, my child. After all … we don't want any accidents now, do we?'
With an almost careless wave of her hand, Sirius' growls were silenced. He whimpered, drawing back into the furthest corner and cowered there. Then she gave Efrit a pointed look, who, reluctantly, let go of Remus.
Remus stumbled, regaining his footing. For a fleeting instant he did consider running for it, but Sirius was still trapped. He had to get him out.
Efrit stepped into view. He was at least six feet tall, dressed in long black robes and a flowing black cloak, the hood casting a deep shadow over his face, but Remus could see that he also wore a mask.
But despite Efrits sinister appearance, Remus was more shaken by the woman's presence. He couldn't stop shivering. It was so strange, so un-nerving. She looked like she could be someone's grandmother.
Someone's evil grandmother.
'Sit.'
The old woman pointed to a wooden chair that stood beside the birdcage. On shaking legs Remus walked over to it and sat down nervously, facing them both. The woman snapped her fingers and thick ropes wrapped themselves around his ankles, tying them to the chair legs. His hands were roughly pulled behind his back and also bound. Finally, a wad of soft material forced its way into his mouth, gagging him.
'There now, you sit quietly, my dear. Efrit and I have business to discuss. Poe,' the raven perked up. 'Watch him.'
The bird nodded and flew over to its cage, perching just above his head, cawing and furling its wings.
The woman left the room. Efrit followed, his dark cloak billowing out behind him. He pulled the door over but it didn't quite shut.
Frantically, Remus tried to move but the ropes tightened as he did so. He gave a small whimper of pain as the ropes pinched. The cloth in his mouth tasted salty, it made him feel ill yet was unable to spit it out.
He was well and truly stuck. Now what was he going to do?
Angry voices drifted in from the other side of the door. Straining to hear, Remus closed his eyes to avoid distractions.
'You're early. It is not ready.'
'You were told to have it finished before sunup.'
'The sun will not rise for hours yet!' the woman's voice snapped.
'My master does not like to be kept waiting, Medea,' Efrits voice was cold and ominous. 'I have been ordered to fetch him a soul and I will not leave empty-handed.'
Who? What?
Medea was clearly becoming agitated.
'If your master would kindly exercise a little patience, I can supply him with two.'
Remus' eyes snapped open, darting to Sirius. The werewolf had come out of the corner and was watching Remus uncertainly, though sitting quite calmly.
'You intend to use the boy?'
'And the wolf.'
'What?' Efrit did not sound pleased.
'Tis a werewolf,' her voice shook only slightly as she explained. 'He is young … came to my shop a few days ago …'
Oh heck! Was this where Sirius had found that spell? His stomach clenched. Couldn't Sirius recognise Dark Magic when he saw it!? The wolf gave a plaintive whine, now trying to bite his way through the bars of his cage.
'His aura was that of a magically powerful child, yet I did not realise that he was also a shape-shifter. It does not matter for it may even enhance the effects-'
'My Lord demands the soul of a young wizard, one that will infuse him with the strength of youth - to aid his pursuit of immortality!' Furious pride vibrated in every syllable. 'And you seek to taint him with the soul of a beast?' he roared.
Medea muttered incoherently, clearly afraid.
Remus didn't feel sorry for her in the slightest. She'd deliberately targeted Sirius for kidnap and was planning to … what? Steal his soul? How was that possible?
Probably no more impossible than trading lycanthropy for an Animagus form come to think of it …
Remus felt sick. They'd done Dark Magic! He was sure of that now. Why on earth had he gone ahead with it?
Medea suddenly cried out in pain and fright.
'Do not argue with me,' Efrit growled menacingly. 'My Lord does not forgive failure easily, and nor do I. You'd do well to remember that.'
Remus closed his eyes again, head pounding. He couldn't do anything tied up like this. He'd never felt so helpless.
A small scuffling noise caught his attention. Slowly, he turned his head to look up at the raven. The bird had its back to him, helping itself to some seed in the corner of its cage. Twisting round a little more, Remus' heart gave a leap.
A fat grey rat was on the windowsill, squeezing through the open gap, beady eyes looking anxiously from the raven to Sirius then over to Remus.
Wormtail!
Remus could not have been more pleased to see him. If Wormtail was here, Lily and James couldn't be far off. Apparently, Sirius recognised his little rodent playmate from earlier that night. His tail wagged joyfully but he stayed silent, perhaps not wanting to alert the raven which Remus was more than thankful for.
Teetering for a moment on the edge of the sill, Wormtail leapt past the birdcage and landed on Remus' shoulder, scrambling to catch hold of his robes. Poe twisted round sharply, just as Wormtail dropped out of sight into Remus' lap. Seeing nothing, the raven returned to his meal.
With a meaningful look at Wormtail, Remus indicated the raven with a slight jerk of his head, then at his pocket. Carefully, without making a sound, Wormtail stuck his head into his pocket, drew out his wand using his teeth, then, with some difficulty, leaned round the side of the chair and worked the wand into Remus' hands. Clutching his wand tightly, Remus did his best to aim it at Poe who was oblivious to the action. Scrambling onto his shoulder, Wormtail reached out, snagged hold of the salty rag with his teeth and pulled.
Resisting the urge to spit, Remus whispered, 'Stupefy!'
A flash of green light flared behind him. A soft flump indicated that the now stunned raven was no longer a problem.
Unfortunately …
'What was that?'
Efrit flung open the door, glaring suspiciously at Remus just as Wormtail dove deep into his pocket, bald tail whipping out of sight.
'Where did that light come from?' Efrit demanded.
Remus shrugged, hoping he didn't look guilty.
'Wait a minute …'
Efrit had noticed that he wasn't gagged anymore. He stormed across the room towards him. Fumbling with his wand, Remus lost his grip and dropped it. It hit the floor with a clatter, rolling across the floor.
Oh crap!
Efrit bent down and snatched it up, smiling unpleasantly. Through the mask, his cold blue eyes bored into Remus' own. He felt a horrible thrill of foreboding.
Efrit stepped in front of him, wand pointed at his chest.
'Suffocare!'
Remus choked, struggling to breathe. What felt like an invisible hand was clamped over his nose and mouth. Out of reflex he violently jerked his head, trying to gulp some air. It didn't help. He was suffocating. His vision blurred, darkness gathering at the edges. Lungs screaming and heart thundering painfully in his chest -
The pressure lifted. Remus slumped, gasping for breath. Efrit grabbed him roughly by his hair, yanking his head back, forcing Remus to look at him.
'Liked that did you?' Efrit snarled. Remus coughed weakly. 'You try anything else and that's what you'll get … see how long you can last-'
'Efrit!' Medea came striding back into the room, glaring somewhat like Professor McGonagall at the Death Eater. 'If you wish me to use the boy then I need him alive … preferably conscience.' she added coldly.
Efrit looked livid, but released his grip on Remus and stepped back.
'Get on with it then.' he snarled, folding his arms.
Sirius growled and snapped at him. Efrit hurriedly stepped away from the cage. Medea smirked as she went to the cauldron. Picking up a ladle, she dipped it slowly into the bubbling liquid, filling it to the brim. Carefully, so as not to spill even a drop, she brought it over to Remus.
'Come on, now, child,' she cooed sweetly. 'Open your mouth.'
Remus immediately clenched his teeth and flat out refused to open his mouth. He didn't know what effect that potion might have on him and he certainly didn't want to find out!
'Don't be stubborn, boy,' Medea hissed, forcing the ladle up against his lips. 'Drink it!'
Remus leaned back, trying hard not to lick his lips. Some of the potion dribbled down his chin. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, it smelt putrid!
Efrit lost patience. He stormed over, grabbed Remus' head, forcing it forward.
'Open your mouth!' he growled, giving Remus a hard shake and pinching his nose.
Not having any time to recover from the Suffocation Spell, his lungs immediately started to ache again, demanding air.
Unwillingly, his lips parted.
The ladle tipped-
Next moment, Medea let out a blood curdling scream, lurching away from Remus and Efrit, dropping the ladle, swatting, panic-stricken at a large grey rodent as it flew at her face, squeaking madly!
The ladle fell, spilling the potion across the floor. Remus jerked his head out of Efrits grasp and spat out a long stream of the potion, hacking fiercely. Efrit quickly took hold of him again, tilting his head back, trying to force him to swallow. With a thrill of horror, Remus felt a few drops of the vile liquid trickle down his throat.
He swallowed.
Looking grimly satisfied, Efrit let go of him, turning to glare disdainfully at Medea. She had managed to throw the rat off and was leaning against the fireplace, white and shaking. Wormtail, seemingly uninjured, streaked out the door, squealing his head off. The moment he disappeared, Medea let out a sigh of relief, one hand over her heart.
Still holding Remus' wand, Efrit advanced on Medea, kicking aside the ladle. It rolled up against Sirius' cage who stuck his nose into it, sniffing.
Oh dear God, Sirius don't drink it! Remus begged silently, feeling as though he were about to vomit, his stomach churning.
Efrit raised the wand.
'Crucio!'
Medea fell to her knees shrieking in pain, twitching convulsively. A sadistic laugh escaped the Death Eater as the woman stared, wide-eyed and fearful at him.
Remus winced and closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could block the horrendous cries, that sinister cackle, Sirius' frantic barks, the clatter of - hooves?
Remus barely had time to comprehend it when a huge red-brown stag burst into the room, almost knocking the door clean off its hinges. Head lowered, Prongs rammed his antlers into Efrits backside, bowling him over. Medea now lay still, face down on the floor. Was she conscience? Or had she fainted?
Efrit must have been trained in a martial art of some kind because he suddenly flipped back onto his feet and spun into a round-house kick forcing Prongs to stumble backwards out of range.
Remus was starting to feel dizzy. A strange burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.
Efrit was poised, ready for the stag to charge again. But Prongs stayed back, prancing to the left, to the right, feinting a lunge every few seconds, forcing Efrit to watch his every move. The Death Eater was having difficulty trying to guess when the stag would make an actual attack when he suddenly grunted in pain, doubling up and falling to his knees as though something had hit him.. Remus stared as the invisible force struck Efrit sharply between his legs! With a howl of agony he grabbed himself and slumped to the floor. The air beside him shimmered as Lily appeared, her wand pointed straight at the Death Eater.
James transformed and whipped out his wand.
'Ligare!' they shouted.
Thin cords burst from their wands, wrapping themselves tightly around Efrit. He lay on the floor (in considerable pain), swearing under his breath, murder in his eyes.
'Don't move.' James ordered coldly, stepping forward.
Lily turned to Remus and managed a small smile, very much relieved.
'Sorry we took so long. You okay, Moony?'
Remus opened his mouth to say he was fine but a groan pain came out instead. The burning in his stomach was spreading. His heart thudded painfully as he broke out in a sweat.
Lily ran over to him.
'What happened?' she asked urgently, fumbling with the ropes.
'Potion …' he croaked, nodding at the cauldron. (His throat had gone very dry.) 'Sirius -'
The werewolf was scrabbling at the floor, snarling at Lily and James. James slowly approached the cage, eyeing the wolf cautiously before inspecting the lock.
'Alohomora didn't work,' said Remus as Lily loosened the ropes. 'Need something stronger.'
'Try the Liberation Enchantment,' Lily suggested as she pulled off the ropes and helped Remus to stand. 'That aught to do it.'
James nodded and raised his wand. Sirius growled, ready to pounce. Then Remus saw something move out of the corner of his eye -
'No! Wait!'
A blast of electric blue light shot across the room Striking James in the back. He fell to the floor, unconscious.
'James!'
Lily leapt up as Medea turned her wand on her and Remus.
'I really don't have the time for such interruptions, girl,' she hissed, staring hypnotically into Lily's eyes. 'Drop your wand, now.'
Lily shuddered, then visibly relaxed, lowering her wand. It fell from her limp hand to the floor. She stood there, still and silent, eyes slightly unfocused.
'Good girl,' Medea smiled, then turned her attention to Efrit who was struggling against his bonds.
Snapping her fingers, the cords fell off him. Efrit slowly got back onto his feet. He looked angry enough to explode!
Remus' mind started buzzing. He couldn't think. His whole body went numb. The room seemed to tilt. Efrit grabbed him and not to steady him.
'I'm really losing my patience with you, boy,' Medea growled, surveying him coldly. 'If you'll just co-operate it'll be over quickly … don't fret, it won't hurt much.'
'Shame,' muttered Efrit. 'Now, get on with it!
Lip curling, Medea raised both her hands, holding them up before Remus, chanting in a strange eerie language Remus had never heard before.
A shiver went up his spine and the burning within him swelled, flaring intensely in response to the old woman's words. The air around him glowed, turning a deep shade of purple tinged with black, swirling like a semi-transparent shield over him. Through the haze, he saw the old woman's face fall. The colour blurred, shifting suddenly to blue-green then back again.
Medea's eyes widened in alarm.
'No,' she whispered, eyes darting to Sirius and back to Remus. 'No!'
'What is it now?' Efrit demanded. 'What are you waiting for? Take the soul!'
'I cannot!' she cried, backing away. 'His soul is … is fragmented!
'Is what?'
'The boy … and - and the wolf … their souls … are intertwined. There is a connection.' she shook her head worriedly. 'It's unstable … very dangerous - if I try to remove one -'
'If?' Efrit grabbed the woman roughly. 'My master wants that soul. You said you could supply him with one and he wants it tonight! Believe me, you don't want to make him wait any longer than necessary.'
Head throbbing, Remus tried desperately to make sense of what Medea had just said.
An unstable connection? Between him and Sirius? How did that happen? The only thing he could think of was the spell they'd performed. It had swapped one aspect of each soul for another, hadn't it?
But the spell didn't go as planned, did it? They hadn't been able to finish it - said the final words to seal the spell. Did that mean the spell wouldn't reverse itself? That it wasn't safe? To mis-cast a spell was bad enough but to leave it unfinished …
Visibly reluctant, Medea inched closer to him, raised her hands and took up the chant again.
The swirling haze of colour around him began to spin, faster and faster, blurring the colour, then -
Remus cried out as something surged through him. It was different from the sensation he'd felt when he and Sirius had performed the spell. This time there was an emptiness, a gaping hole left inside him. Cold and empty.
A horrendous, spine chilling howl erupted from behind them. Sirius was in a frenzy, slamming against the cage with all his strength. Clawing violently, eyes blazing and locked on the old woman. Medea stared back, paralysed with fear. Efrit backed away slowly as an indistinct cloud of blue-green began to appear over the werewolf. Medea's chanting faltered. A stern glare from the Death Eater ordered her to continue. She obeyed.
The pull jolted Remus' body mercilessly, sending him crashing to the floor in agony.
Lily stood back from them, still in a state of forced calm. But her face was twitching, her emerald green eyes wide and focused intensely on Sirius. Whatever hold Medea had on her, she was fighting it. One hand was straining to reach her pocket.
Another cry escaped Remus as the old woman spoke more insistently, making beckoning motions in the air … summoning his soul … determined to rip it from his body …
Something shifted … a chilling wave washed over him … the fire went cold …
CRASH!
Medea turned - the werewolf, free at last, lunged - the woman fell - the wolf went for her throat -
Lily screamed. Wide-eyed she stumbled backwards, clapping a hand over her mouth. The werewolf jerked his head up, amber eyes flashing, bright red blood dripping from his mouth. Rooted to the spot, Lily shook with fear as Sirius crouched then leaped straight at her, jaws open wide.
A dark shape dove past Lily and launched itself up at the wolf.
Slamming into each other in mid-air, the two canines crashed to the floor in a whirl of fur, teeth and claws.
Lily's eyes darted from the battle to the still form of Medea, over to James, still unconscious. Dare she run to him? Would that just draw the wolfs attention? Or would edging past slowly be more likely to alert him? Oh, sod it! Holding her breath she bolted past them both and dropped to her knees beside her boyfriend, drawing her wand.
'The canines broke apart, breathing heavily, growling at each other. Sirius hadn't taken more than a few deep scratches. His thick coat had protected his body from any serious clawing, although there was a nasty gash across his muzzle. Out of breath, he watched the black dog carefully, angry for his interruption of the hunt. He must be taught a lesson.
Yet the dog wouldn't back down. Hackles raised, holding his tail high, trying to stand tall despite favouring one foreleg. He barked a warning, keeping eye contact. The wolf could see that the smaller canine couldn't win this fight, so why was he even trying? He growled in reply, back off! To follow he feinted a lunge at the dog, snapping aggressively. The dog retreated and barked again. A challenge.
In a flash the wolf had the dog pinned down and sharply bit the nape of his neck. Not so much an attack as a warning. Never defy me!
Finally, the dog submitted to his dominance. Whining plaintively, he made no move to rise.
'Impedimenta!'
The spell hit the wolf square in the back. He stumbled, turned to face this new threat.
James was on his feet (supported by Lily) with his wand trained on the wolf as it snarled, edging slowly nearer.
'Impedimenta!' he commanded again.
Striking the wolfs legs, it staggered. But he was completely fixated by the sight and smell of human prey. He opened his mouth, saliva dribbling from his jaw. Half paralysed he lurched forward.
And Lily moved forward to meet him.
Thrusting her arm out, she shoved something straight down his throat, jerking her hand back as he snapped at her. James pulled her back, holding her protectively.
Puzzled by the strange substance in his mouth, the wolf chewed slowly. James and Lily both had their wands on him, both holding their breath. After what seemed to be ages, the werewolf finished chewing and swallowed. His legs went out from under him. He swayed as though drunk, making a weak attempt to stand before giving up and simply laid his head down on his paws, passive and quite.
Behind him, Remus transformed back to human. Lily skirted round the wolf and hurried over to him, white as a sheet. James conjured a thick muzzle over the wolfs snout, then joined them.
Remus spoke first.
'What - what did you just do to Sirius?'
Lily gave a shaky smile. 'Force fed him some aconite.' she said. 'I took some from the greenhouses - don't worry it's nowhere near enough to poison him, though he will be a bit spaced out for a while. You okay?'
'Yeah, well … I hope so anyway. Prongs?'
'Been better,' he said. 'Now can one of you tell me what happened? Cos I'm missing five or ten minutes here.'
'That creepy witch was trying to cast some Dark Magic on Remus to steal his soul … I think,' she looked at Remus who nodded. 'Then Sirius got out, attacked her -' she broke off as Remus dashed past her, staring at the floor.
'Where is she?' he asked. 'She was right here …'
Lily's eyes swept the room, but there was no sigh of the old woman.
She'd vanished.
'Did you see where that Death Eater went?' Remus asked nervously.
'What? That guy was a Death Eater?' James sounded horrified. Lily paled significantly.
'Yeah,' said Remus. 'Under orders from his master to fetch a soul for him.'
'Whatever for?'
'He said something about immortality,' Remus sighed, looking towards the open door. 'He probably fled as soon as Sirius got out.'
'Damn it, we'll never catch him now.'
'James, you wouldn't actually go after him would you?' Lily sounded shocked. 'You could get hurt!'
'Well, if I were him, I'd have Apparated by now,' said Remus calmly. 'I doubt he'll come back any time soon.'
'Are you sure you're okay, Moony?' said Lily. 'What did that spell do to you? What happened exactly?'
Actually, I'm not sure,' he admitted. 'But I think that Sirius must have swallowed some of that potion,' he nodded at the cauldron, 'so when Medea started that spell it affected him as well - got him all worked up and he broke loose, attacked Medea, turned on Lily-'
'What! Are you alright? He didn't bite you, did he?'
'No, I'm fine.' she gave James a reassuring hug. 'Moony transformed and stopped him before he could get me.' she threw Remus an odd look. 'But why he didn't transform earlier-'
Remus squirmed guilty. 'It … er … didn't occur to me,'
James and Lily stared.
'I sorta forgot that I could transform if I needed to.' he mumbled. 'I'm so used to the change occurring naturally, I didn't think about forcing it.'
'Well, never mind Moony,' Lily went over and gave him a swift hug. 'We're all safe now …' she turned, 'Hang on,'
'What?'
'Where's Peter?'
Quickly, they hurried into the shop.
'Peter!' Lily called.
'Wormtail, you in here?' James shouted.
There was no answer.
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To be continued …
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Authors notes
Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for the reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them!
Anyway, the final chapter (yes, it will be the last one,) will be up this Friday. Hope you'll like it! :D
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All comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated
Thank you.
