Title: Forgetting Innocence (3/6)
Author: Fabs G.
Summary: Sequel to Faking Innocence. Harry & friends happily return to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays, not knowing that Voldemort already has a plan between his hands.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: slight Sirius/Remus. Hints of Ron/Hermione but not until the last chapter.
Warnings: Contains very mild slash (just some kisses, people!)
Disclaimer: Lovely Joanne owns nearly everything here! All I own here is the plot, Professor Fengel and Methilda Shotclear
Enjoy! Review!
------------------------------ CHAPTER 3: Hell againRemus blinked once. He blinked many times more, but the room was so dark he couldn't see a thing.
Why did his wrists hurt so bloody much?!
He tried to reach for his wand- and then he realized his hands were tied together. He squinted, trying to see where he was- or why he was there.
In a far corner of a room, someone lighted the candles on the walls. He was in a fairly large room, barren of any kind of furniture. In the furthest corner opposite Remus, Peter Pettigrew looked at his former friend without being able to help the quivering.
"Peter!" Pettigrew did not answer "How can you do this?! We were friends! We did nothing to you!" Pettigrew just stood there, quivering and avoiding Remus' eyes. "Peter!" he shouted.
"Stop it!" Peter trembled, involuntarily raising is right hand. His silver hand. At the sight of it, and much aware of what could happen if that silver hand merely pierced his skin, Remus grew silent.
"Is our guest awake, Wormtail?" called a cold voice from a room nearby
Peter fixed his watery eyes on the door "Yes, master"
The door opened and Lord Voldemort entered, as healthy as in his best days back when Remus was still a student.
"Hello" he said politely, as though greeting an old acquaintance "I believe we have not met- properly, that is. I am Lord Voldemort. But I think you already knew that. Potter must have probably filled you in our last year's adventure, I suppose"
"You bastard!" he spitted before being able to restrain himself "You will not get Harry, not the way you got James"
"You know, Wormtail?" he said, waving a hand for Pettigrew to get closer, which he did "Technically that is true. I will get the second Potter of my life in a much more different way. Unfortunately, that Weasley friend of his is much too loyal for me to even try to use him or lure him to me. Not like you at all, right Wormtail?"
Pettigrew merely shook his head, not daring to look into Remus' eyes.
"As I am sure you know, Wormtail here committed a much grave mistake when talking to you under the polyjuice potion. He waited too long and you saw him. If it had been up to me, I'd have taken you some time later, when everything had been carefully planned, but the idiot ruined my plans. Now we'll have to wait. I'm afraid you will get a little bored here, for I need you alive."
"If you think I'm going to help you get to Harry you are much mistaken"
His face twisted into a contorted smile "Oh I know you will not help me voluntarily, why do you think I tied you down?" He kneeled down, and his red eyes scanned Remus' disgusted face "I will make you help me. Maybe I'll make you kill Potter too, who knows? The wolf in you will love to have some blood" He stood up, turned around and headed for the door. "Wormtail" he called, before leaving "Torture him every once in a while. I want to hear screams downstairs."
"Y-Yes master"
Voldemort didn't have to wait long for the screams. It took Peter every ounce of strength in his body to do it, but with a faint voice, he said Crucio and Remus Lupin knew pain like no transformation had ever taught him…
Back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Sirius walked down the halls, past passages and up and down staircases towards the Great Hall. They had sneaked on the Gryffindor tower to get Harry but found his dormitory completely empty. Sirius, not ready to give up on anything, opened Harry's trunk and fumbled for the marauder's map. Remus, of course, was nowhere in it.
"Do you really think you can handle it, Sirius? I can tell Harry what happened"
"No, I'll be fine"
"I'll tell Minerva to take care of everything- we have to find Remus."
"It feels like going back to my days, Albus- getting the news of kidnapping or murder"
"I know. Let's try to keep it at that. Lord Voldemort will not rise again like before if I can help it."
In the Great Hall, Harry scribbled furiously the last inches of his Transfiguration essay.
"Harry?" called Hermione
"Hmm?" he answered, not taking his eyes of the parchment
"Where are Sirius and Professor Lupin?"
"Must've slept over"
"Dumbledore's not there either"
This got Harry's attention and he jerked his head upwards, confirming what Hermione had said. Just in that moment, a coat of armor to the right of the table walked a few paces, a wall sled open and let Dumbledore and Sirius enter the Great Hall. They searched the heads of students until they found Harry's unruly one, and as Sirius motioned for Harry to join him, Dumbledore got closer to Professor McGonagall. She rose and walked after him. Dumbledore whispered something to Snape as he passed after him, and he merely nodded.
"What is it, Sirius?"
"Outside" he looked unusually white.
Dumbledore and McGonagall followed Sirius and Harry. Sirius turned right, left, climbed two flights of staircases and stood before a stone griffin.
"You fool of a griffin. Let us enter or I'll break your stupid neck!" he said to everyone's surprise.
It must have been some kind of password, for the griffin jumped from his place and the wall behind him slide open, allowing them to enter to a cozy common room.
He waved his wand, cleaning the room of all dust and lighting the fireplace, and slumped into one of the sofas, covering his face with his hands.
"Sirius, what-?"
"Harry, Minerva, sit please" said Dumbledore. Harry sat besides him and Dumbledore and McGonagall in the sofa in front of them
Sirius looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes, seemed to gain some strength and looked at Harry.
"There's no easy way of saying this. Voldemort took Remus, Harry"
"What?!" Eyes wide open with shock, Harry leaned back in the sofa, taking in the bad news. "It can't be. No, it can't…."
McGonagall took her hand to her mouth, horrified "Albus, did he-?"
"No, we think Pettigrew took him" said Dumbledore soothingly
"Sirius, are you sure?"
"I woke up this morning with the dark mark hovering above our bed"
"-our bed?" McGonagall looked very white.
"Oh, right you had no idea. Remus and I are back together" Somehow, this didn't surprise McGonagall. She just nodded.
Sirius turned and looked at Harry, still in shock. It could not be happening again. Voldemort had killed Cedric in front of his very eyes, and even when he hadn't been close to Cedric, Harry had required some time getting rid of the nightmares. He had woken up in the middle of the night countless times, ready to run to Cedric's aid, only to realize he was already dead.
Voldemort couldn't hurt Remus. Not now that Harry finally had people he could call family. A special light set on Harry's green eyes as he said to himself that Voldemort would not touch his family again.
"Harry?"
Harry jerked awake from his reverie of fantasies of vengeance and rescue and looked at his godfather. His eyes were again as hollow as they had been after he escaped from Azkaban.
"Do you know where Voldemort is?"
"No." answered Dumbledore squinting at Harry. Harry felt as though he was trying to read his mind. It felt very uncomfortable. He limited himself to think of a blank blackboard. "I'll be working on that all day, my contacts have lost track of him."
McGonagall looked at Dumbledore "Albus… I'm sorry if I'm not being tactful, but how do we know Remus is alive?"
Much to Harry's surprise, Sirius shaped his mouth into what could have been called a smile. "Remus and I are life mates. Werewolves' mates feel their mate's death"
"So he's ok?" asked Harry hopefully.
"He's alive, I know that much"
"…it wasn't planned" whispered Dumbledore suddenly
"What, Albus?"
"Yesterday, Remus was visited by Pettigrew"
"What?!" said an outraged Sirius
"He was disguised as a Hufflepuff student. While they were talking, the polyjuice potion wore off and Remus recognized Peter. He chased him but could not get him. Voldemort probably thought whatever plans he had made were probably in danger, and that's why they took him"
"No" said Harry convinced "Maybe his plan was to get Remus." Everyone looked at him "Sirius, Remus, Ron and Hermione are the best way to get to me. He gets any of them, and he'll have me trying to save them any second from now"
"Which you won't do" warned Sirius
A feeble plan that involved his father's cloak and the Forbidden section of the library was already forming in Harry's head but he took refuge behind facts and faked innocence "Even if I was to go, we don't know where they are"
Everyone fall silent and wallowed in their thoughts for some moments. Finally, Dumbledore spoke. "Minerva, if you would be so kind of doing some things for me. Ask Severus if he has any problem teaching DADA. If he's ok, announce what happened to the students."
"Certainly"
"And owl everyone who was to come to see me today. I will not see anyone. Sirius, if you want to be excused from your classes-"
"No. No, I'll still teach. Last time I dwelled on anything I ended up in Azkaban"
McGonagall left the room.
Harry stood up "I have transfiguration" he said.
"Harry, why don't you better rest?" said Sirius, eyes worried.
"The teachers won't mind if you miss some classes" offered Dumbledore
"No. I want to go"
"Alright. You know where to look for me if you need me" Sirius squeezed his hand briefly and Harry left the room. He climbed down some staircases and walked to the Great Hall's door, only to find Hermione and Ron coming out of it.
"The crowd's going to emerge at any minute, come on" they said, and they both grabbed one of Harry's arms. They sneaked into an empty classroom, which Hermione locked with her wand. They both looked very frightened.
"Harry- is it true?" asked Hermione
"Yes. Sirius woke up with the dark mark hovering over their bed"
Hermione took her hand to her mouth.
"But- he's ok, right?" started Ron "I mean, you would know if he was- you know. If he was dead" Hermione punched him in the ribs
"No it's ok. Sirius feels it." He shrugged "Werewolf thing. If anything happens to Remus, he will know"
"So he's alive" spitted Hermione
"Yeah" he said simply.
Hermione squinted at him, knowing that something was not right. Harry had the same feeling he had with Dumbledore, as though Hermione was trying –and succeeding- in reading his mind.
"Is everything alright, Harry?"
"Yeah, why? I mean, no, nothing's alright, but what do you mean?"
"You look… weird"
"No. Not at all. Come on, we're late for transfiguration" he grabbed his things, which Ron was holding, and opened the door, rushing past the piercing gaze of his friend.
"I think he's up to something, Ron" said Hermione as they walked to the transfiguration classroom.
"Well, if he is, you can't blame him, can you?"
"But what if he tries something dangerous?"
"Oh Harry's not that daft"
"No, he's not, but still… " She walked, wallowing in her thoughts and suspicions, uneasy about something. For some reason, Hermione's mind was full of the previous day's Defense against the Dark Arts lesson about the Dark Arts spells…