Take It Back

by Voltora

A Death Eater is sent back into the past, back to the MWPP era. His mission; Assassination. The target; No one knows. Can Harry stop him from altering the past ... or succumb to the deadly temptation to do the same? *COMPLETE*

6. The Virtue of Patience

Chapter Six; The Virtue of Patience

Early the next morning, the leafy treetops of the Forbidden Forest were adorned with beautiful golden highlights as the sun slowly climbed up into the sky from behind the mountains. The windows of Hagrid's cabin shone as the golden rays passed through, spilling into the room.

Holly lay curled up in her basket, her head on her paws, dozing peacefully beside Hagrid's bed. Hagrid himself emerged from underneath the large patchwork quilt, giving a huge yawn as he sat up, stretching to the ceiling. Swinging a leg out of bed, stepping carefully over Holly, Hagrid clambered out and ambled sleepily across the cabin in his blue-and-white striped pyjamas and fluffy slippers.

While Hagrid bustled about with the kettle and stoked the fire, the raven jerked awake, peering around its cage. One side of the cage had been exposed to allow some light in. The other three sides and the roof remained covered by the thick towel. Cautiously, the raven flexed its wing. The night before, Hagrid had gently administered a sweet-smelling oil to the wing which had gradually eased the pain. Moving it slowly up and down, the raven stretched the wing as far as it could, trying to ease the stiffness.

'How yah doin' this mornin', eh?'

Hagrid loomed over the cage, his beetle black eyes twinkling. The bird hopped back startled, flaring its wings. It cawed angrily. Hagrid chuckled.

'Ah, that wing's lookin' better now, isn't it? Yeah, don' worry, you'll be outta there soon enough.'

The raven hopped forward again, stabbing its long blue-black beak through the bars of the cage door.

'Hungry, are yah?' asked Hagrid.

The bird cawed loudly.

'All righ', let's see what we got - sure I've got some scraps o' cold meat you'll like.'

Hagrid rummaged around with his head in the cupboard, searching for the meat. The raven squawked louder, seizing the bars of the door and rattling them furiously.

'Yeah, yeah, all righ', I'm comin'.'

But the raven carried on, the cage door creaking rapidly.

Hagrid finally located the meat and playfully dangled a small sliver of meat in front of the bird. The bird eyed the morsel for a few seconds, then jabbed with its beak.

'Ouch!'

Hagrid dropped the meat and stuck his finger in his mouth. The raven resumed its door rattling with a vengeance.

Hagrid sucked on his sore finger for a moment, thinking.

'All righ' then, you wanna come out tah eat?'

The raven stopped, turning to look at him. It croaked urgently, jabbed at the door once and cawed at Hagrid, staring at him.

'Well, yah sure know how tah get what yah want, don' yah?' he chuckled. 'Okay, outcha come.'

And he opened the door.

The raven hopped out on to the table. It eagerly spread its wings to their full extent. The left wing wouldn't go quite as far as the right but that didn't stop the raven from attempting a test flight. It jumped up into the air, beating its wings laboriously as it fluttered across the room to the windowsill, where it sat staring intently out of the window. Hagrid looked very pleased.

'Right, back ya come now. I can't let yah go until you've had something.'

The raven turned a beady eye on Hagrid, as though considering him. Reluctantly it seemed, the bird flew back across the room to land on the table, peaking unenthusiastically at the meat.

The kettle in the fireplace emitted a piercing whistle. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and looked around for some teabags.

The moment Hagrid's back was turned, the raven hopped down off the table and onto the floor. Holly stirred restlessly, her nose twitching.

'Where've they gone?' Hagrid muttered distractedly. 'Coulda sworn I'd put 'em in 'ere. Don't suppose you've seen 'em, eh?' he added, jokingly addressing the raven.

'No.' said a cold voice from right behind him.

Hagrid jumped, knocking over several jars and spun round.

Standing by the table was a tall, slender wizard shrouded in a pitch-black cloak, his deep hood shadowing his face. He was pointing a wand directly at Hagrid's face.

'Can't say I have.' he said coolly, his amber eyes gleaming maliciously out of the darkened face.

Hagrid quickly recovered himself, scowling angrily at the intruder, drawing himself up to his full height.

'Hey, what do yah - '

'Obliviate!'

A dreamy expression fell over Hagrid's angry features. His shoulders slumped as he stared bleary eyed at the wizard.

Slowly, Seth directed Hagrid back over to his bed with his wand. The giant lay down heavily, the bed creaking as it took his weight, and shut his eyes. A moment later, loud snores filled the cabin.

Holly gave a great booming bark, baring her long, sharp teeth at the stranger. Seth cautiously took a step back as Holly rose from her basket, a rumbling growl sounding from deep in her throat. The boarhound slowly took a step forward, her hackles raised.

'Dormire.' Seth whispered, flicking his wand at the boarhound.

Holly eyes drooped and she fell silent. Her legs shook as she backed up unsteadily, lying back down in her basket. Within seconds the dog had fallen into a deep sleep.

Satisfied that neither of them now posed a threat, Seth took a few minutes to examine his arm. A large and nasty looking green and yellow bruise had come up over his elbow and forearm. Touching the tip of his wand to his wound, a soft blue light encased his arm, glowing brightly. Seth's face gave only a slight twitch as the bones sharply moved back into position, the muscle realigned and the pain subsided.

Now, back to business.

Looking out of the window, Seth could see the magnificent sight of Hogwarts castle. The students would soon be going down to breakfast and then be off to their first lesson. He had time enough to prepare.

Lifting his wand to his chest, Seth pointed it towards him and proclaimed in a loud, clear voice, 'Mutatio aspectus.'

At once, the worn lines and scars on his face vanished, the skin becoming smooth, turning from its natural pale tone to a darkened tan. The hair retained its dark brown colour but became shorter and spiked up, slicked back from his face. The hooked nose straightened out. The powerful build shrunk, leaving his body thin but strong. As a final touch, the amber irises dulled, clouding over with a dark muddy brown.

A tall boy of seventeen now stood in the centre of Hagrid's cabin, an evil smile contorting his otherwise handsome features.

Running the wand over his Adam's apple gave his vocal cords a slight adjustment; just enough to sound youthful and appropriate for a seventeen year old. As a final touch, his robes were transformed into perfect replicas of the Hogwarts school uniform.

The disguise complete, Seth returned to the window, watching the front doors of the castle.

Patience, that was all that was needed.

If all went as planned, the target would be dead by nightfall.

*

Moving about a crowded school beneath an Invisibility Cloak was neither simple nor recommended. Determined to keep the Marauders under constant surveillance nonetheless, Harry had had to find a practical solution to the problem of staying right beside them throughout the day without being trampled by the crowd or bumping into someone. Consequently, Harry had spent the early hours of the morning hovering on the Nimbus right up by the ceiling in the common room, waiting for the Marauders to leave the Tower.

Nearly half of the residents of Gryffindor Tower had passed through the common room before a familiar head of messy black hair emerged from the crowd of dithering students by the staircases.

Harry swooped quickly through the portrait hole after the Marauders, ducking his head then rocketing upwards, just in time to avoid the frame as it swung shut with a snap. Gliding high above their heads, Harry had to repeatedly swerve back and forth to dodge the candelabras and torches as they made their way down through the castle.

The Great Hall was full of students helping themselves to breakfast. Staring dispiritedly around the crowded room, Harry was starting to feel the deep flutterings of panic. If the assassin was lurking among the students this very minute, what chance did Harry have of protecting his mother and father? The assassin could be anywhere … and anyone. He therefore spent a long fifteen minutes frantically trying to keep an eye on everyone and everything that was going on in the Hall.

The vast majority of students still looked as though they were half asleep, stifling yawns and missing their mouths with their spoons, spilling lumps of porridge onto the table. Others seemed to be more awake but in a state of suppressed panic as they racked their brains for decent excuses as to why they couldn't find their homework assignments.

James and Sirius were having a mini-food-fight, flicking spoonfuls of marmalade, jam and honey across the table at each other, occasionally aiming at Peter who happily ate whatever landed on his plate, regardless of what it landed in. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust as Peter shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs splattered with honey and black-current jam into his mouth.

Remus was less than awake. Resting his elbow on the table and holding his head in his hand, Remus looked ready to go back to sleep. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than yesterday.

A projectile of lime marmalade zipped through the air over the juice jugs and landed with a wet splat in Remus' bowl of porridge, sending flecks up into the air and all over the table. The attack on his morning meal, however, seemed to go unnoticed. Remus simply closed his eyes, making no effort to eat anything.

'Aren't you hungry, Remus?' asked Lily, looking concerned.

Remus slowly shook his head.

'Can I have yours then?' said Peter, eyeing the porridge and marmalade hungrily. 'If you don't want it?'

Remus pushed the bowl towards Peter who seized it and shovelled great spoonfuls into his mouth like he hadn't seen food in days.

'Come on, Moony.' chided James, sending a blob of honey soaring over the table and straight into Sirius' goblet of pumpkin juice. 'You ought to have something - you won't have the strength to take on the Slytherins later if you don't!'

Managing a half-hearted smile, Remus reached for a slice of toast and obediently forced down a few mouthfuls.

A bell rang out through the Hall, signalling the start of the morning's lessons. The Marauders abandoned their breakfast, slung their bags onto their shoulders, grabbed their books and went out into the entrance hall.

Harry swooped down and snatched a slice of toast off the Gryffindor table as he followed; he was starting to think that the loud rumbling of his stomach was going to give him away if he didn't eat something soon. He'd missed out on dinner yesterday so he was really quite hungry.

Flying over the heads of the students hurrying out into the entrance hall, Harry wondered if he was going to be able to get into any of the classrooms without clouting some poor unsuspecting student around the head, when he realised that the Marauders were heading out of the oak front doors and down the sloping lawns. Somewhat relieved, Harry sped through the doorway and out into the open air. He soared up into the sky, relishing the feel of the cool breeze on his face, free of the claustrophobic, narrow confines of the corridors.

Down below, two other Gryffindor girls had joined the Marauders. Lily detached herself from the boys to walk with them.

Ahead of them, running alongside the edge of the Forbidden Forest, was a large, spacious paddock. Grazing nonchalantly in the centre was a number of horses. Leaning against the fence was a wizard dressed in tan coloured robes, calling for the students to hurry up.

The Gryffindors quickened their pace, assembling by the paddock, peering at the horses. One specimen, a fine chestnut gelding, raised his head in their direction and gave a loud snort, pulling away from his fellows and flexing his wings.

Harry dived down and leapt off the Nimbus, gazing open-mouthed at the horses. Each of the beautiful creatures had large feathery wings folded tight and held close to their sides, ruffling them as they eyed the gathering students curiously. A few backed away, whinnying nervously.

There were several handsome chestnut coloured horses and a few large grey ones. All of them looked strong and healthy, their coats gleaming in the sun. Harry had never really gotten too close to a winged horse before.

Remus currently owned one; a chestnut stallion named Trold and he was very temperamental. Remus had warned Harry not to get too close in case he got hurt. Trold hadn't been treated very well by his previous owner and wasn't particularly keen on trusting another handler. But patience was slowly paying off; Trold now readily allowed Remus to ride him but still objected to anyone else so much as approaching him, so Harry couldn't help but feel wary of these creatures despite their friendly appearance.

'Gather round here, everyone.' called the wizard, beckoning to the students.

Harry was pleasantly surprised to recognise the wizard as Professor Kettleburn, Hogwarts previous Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Harry had only seen Professor Kettleburn a few times in the corridors and occasionally up at the staff table during his first two years at Hogwarts before Kettleburn's retirement, but he was immediately recognisable; after all, how many of the teachers here only had one arm?

The left sleeve of Professor Kettleburn's robe was empty, pinned up to his shoulder to keep it out of the way. He was a short, robust wizard with a head of red-brown hair, a good-natured face and a cheerful smile. Harry wasn't so sure why he was smiling; Snape, Avery and Rosier had just arrived, along with three other boys and four girls, all of whom stood on Professor Kettleburn's other side, distancing themselves from the Gryffindors as though they were carrying something nasty and contagious.

'Good morning class.' said Professor Kettleburn briskly. 'Good to see you're all wide awake and ready for the lesson. Mr Lupin, would you mind telling us what breeds of winged horses we have here?'

Remus, who had been unsuccessfully trying to suppress a yawn, quickly cast an eye over the horses in the paddock.

'Aethonan's and Granian's,' he said promptly. 'The Aethonan's are the brown ones, the Granian's are the larger greys.'

'Very good, five points for Gryffindor. Now, winged horses are quite popular as pets among the magical communities all over the world even though they can be rather dangerous if not handled correctly. Their large size and immense strength can cause an awful lot of damage if you upset them. These horses here have all been broken in and trained so theoretically the risks will be minimal so long as you all pay attention. Miss Stolerush, if you wouldn't mind?' he added sternly.

A haughty, dark-haired Slytherin girl with heavy makeup gave Professor Kettleburn a patronising glare but sullenly put her hand-held mirror and comb back in her robe pocket.

'If I see either of those out of your pocket for a second time I'll take five points from your house, you hear me? Good. Right, if you'll all look this way I'll demonstrate how to place a bridle on a horse in the correct way.'

Harry climbed the paddock fence to sit on the topmost bar so he could see over everyone's heads. Professor Kettleburn was holding up a silvery-blue bridle and describing how to adjust the straps. Most of the class was paying close attention, but Harry could see the Slytherin girl skulking behind some of the taller students, now filing her nails, completely disinterested.

Harry glanced back over his shoulder towards the castle. He wasn't sure which was more concerning; being in a crowd or out here in the open. Either position could give the assassin an advantage, one that Harry didn't want him to have.

Just as Harry turned to listen in on the lesson, something rather unusual caught his eye.

Hagrid's cabin was some distance from the class, set by the forest border. That in itself wasn't strange, but the boy that emerged from the hut certainly drew Harry's attention. What was he doing at Hagrid's at this time of the morning? Shouldn't he be in a lesson right now?

As Harry watched, the boy eased the door of the cabin shut and strode off up the lawn towards the castle. Harry frowned. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, as though sensing Harry's stare, the boy stopped and looked over to the Care of Magical Creatures class. For a brief moment, Harry could have sworn that the boy had looked straight at him, but from this distance it was impossible to make out his features.

The boy stood there for a few moments, his gaze travelling over the class, over to the greenhouses and then up the lawn to the Whomping Willow. Pulling his cloak around him, the boy swiftly went up the front steps and into the castle out of sight.

'Are you paying attention over there?' snapped an irritable voice.

Forgetting himself for a moment, Harry jerked his head round. But of course Professor Kettleburn wasn't talking to Harry, he still had the Cloak on, instead he was sternly reprimanding the girl with the nail-file.

'I gave you fair warning, Miss Stolerush. Five points from Slytherin. Now come to the front here, where I can see you.'

Pouting, the girl stormed over, crossing her arms and holding her head high, glaring at him.

'And you can get rid of that attitude, missy, or that'll be another five points.'

The other Slytherin girls were scowling at her. She chose to ignore them, making a show of not caring.

Professor Kettleburn took the class through the gate and into the paddock, dividing them up into smaller groups and assigning a winged horse to each of them.

James and Remus were handed the lead-rope of a handsome chestnut gelding. Sirius and Lily had a young grey mare that kept ruffling her wings expectantly.

'You needn't worry about any of them suddenly flying off,' Professor Kettleburn assured them. 'A good Grounding Spell can keep their hooves firmly on the ground for the time being. Do we have any experienced riders here?'

Several hands rose into the air, including Lily and Remus.

'Excellent. Now I want all of you to check the bridle and saddle of your horse. If you find anything wrong, whether it's too tight or too loose, point it out and tell me why it's a problem.'

The lesson continued with the class adjusting each of the horses tack, then the more experienced riders were permitted to mount their horse and walk it around the paddock.

A few of the horses were rather skittish. Lily's grey mare was prancing around, constantly flicking her tail and tossing her head. Taking a firmer grip on the reins, Lily tried to coax the mare into easing back from the others.

'Careful there, Miss Evans,' Professor Kettleburn called as Lily rode past. 'Boline is rather high strung, just keep a firm hand, she'll calm down soon enough.'

Lily nodded, bringing Boline up behind Remus who was having no such difficulties. His chestnut gelding was walking calmly round the edge of the paddock, obedient to Remus' silent commands to turn, to speed up or slow down a little.

James, Sirius and Peter were leaning back against the fence, watching. As soon as they were sure that no one was close enough to listen in, they started conversing in low whispers. Harry had to creep up behind them to hear.

'Still up for tonight?' whispered Sirius eagerly.

Peter nodded enthusiastically. James made a grimace of frustration.

'I'm probably going to be late,' he said. 'I've got a Prefect's meeting this evening and I don't have a clue how long it'll be before I can escape.'

'I take it you don't want us to bust you out of there like last time?' Sirius was grinning impishly. James did not look amused.

'Setting a swarm of Doxy's loose in the dungeons does not constitute as a rescue, Padfoot.'

'Got you out of the meeting, didn't it?'

'Yes, but-'

'Was it about anything important?'

'Only if you count supervising some corridor that no one ever uses because of the Bundimun infestation - no.'

'So why are you arguing the results?'

'Because Lily and I were going to stay behind after the meeting to … er … talk about … some stuff.' Sirius and Peter exchanged knowing looks. 'And instead, she ended up in the Hospital Wing for several days with a Doxy bite.' James glared sternly at Sirius.

'Hey, I apologised! Several times, remember? I had to get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness!'

'She only accepted your apology to stop you making an over dramatised scene in front of the whole school,' said James, coolly. 'You know she hates that.'

Sirius gave a laugh that sounded oddly like a bark. 'That was the point, Prongs! Look, Marauders Honour, I will not attempt to rescue you from that boredom fest, happy?'

'Yes. Thank you.'

'But you're not hanging around afterwards to lip-wrestle with your girlfriend.' Sirius assumed a snooty expression of authority. 'I don't want Moony to be on his own out there, you know he gets rowdy if either of us aren't there. No offence Wormtail,' he added to Peter. 'But there's not a lot you can do to stop him if he starts getting a bit snappy.'

Peter nodded glumly, just as a cold, sneering voice cut through their conversation.

'You're not seriously telling me that the meek little mouse of the Gryffindor set actually has a temper he can lose? Lashes out violently from time to time, does he?' Severus Snape was standing barely five feet away.

Harry could see the Marauders faces pale slightly, exchanging nervous glances. How much had Snape heard?

'Sod off, Snape.' Sirius growled.

Snape merely continued to watch them, a cold calculating look in his narrow eyes.

'Is poor little Remmy too afraid to go anywhere without his keepers in tow? Needs constant supervision?'

Snape's eyes flashed across the paddock at Remus who was putting his horse through a fast trot, then a rocking canter to Kettleburn's requests.

'I wouldn't be surprised, being so sickly all the time. It's a wonder how he can stay awake long enough to blow up another potion - how many cauldrons has he melted now? Eight is it? I keep losing count.'

If you're going to pick on someone, choose someone who's here to defend themselves.' said James angrily, gripping his wand tightly.

'How would that make a difference?' Snape chuckled, indicating Remus with a careless wave of his hand.

Professor Kettleburn was looking over at them suspiciously, but before he could say anything as to what they were doing, Snape had turned on his heel and marched off back to his Slytherin friends, a self-satisfied smirk on his pale face.

James was holding his wand as though very tempted to curse Snape.

'That git, why won't he ever leave Moony alone?'

'I'm all for Lily's suggestion - let's hex his kneecaps.' said Sirius savagely.

'And his nose,' Peter added. 'Stop him poking it into other people's business.'

Unfortunately, the opportunity didn't present itself and Snape went un-hexed for the time being. The lesson continued without further incident, unless you counted Sirius' horse going into a flying gallop after questioning what would happen if you smacked it on the rump.

At midday they traipsed back up the lawn to the castle for lunch and then it was off to Defence Against the Dark Arts. The Gryffindors handed in their homework to Professor Scythe, a tall, powerfully built man with a crew cut and a tendency to shout rather than talk.

Everyone stayed perfectly silent and still, hastily copying down notes as he quickly went through numerous curses and hexes. Throughout the lesson, Professor Scythe grilled them all with a rigorous verbal test, barking out questions to students at random. Anyone that hesitated or got the answer wrong was punished with the loss of two house points. Those that got the answers correct gained only one point.

Harry noticed that Professor Scythe rarely directed a question at Remus unless it involved a long, complicated explanation. Remus answered them quickly and correctly each time, yet Professor Scythe's nostrils would flare as though he had hoped the question would be too difficult for him.

Peter received the brunt of the questions but most people were the recipients of some very tricky questions that Harry was sure that even Hermione would have struggled with. Harry had a nasty feeling that the Gryffindors lost an awful lot of points on a regular basis during these lessons.

When Professor Scythe finally dismissed them, the Gryffindors practically flew out the door as though afraid of being left alone in the classroom with him.

The corridors were packed with students heading to their next lesson. The Gryffindors were stood at the top of a staircase, waiting for a crowd of younger students to pass, when Harry spotted someone rudely pushing their way out of the Hospital Wing doors.

It was the boy Harry had seen leaving Hagrid's cabin earlier that morning. Though Harry couldn't say why, something about the dark-haired teenager just didn't seem right, like a certain darkness was emanating from him. And it wasn't just Harry; students were skirting round him, shooting odd looks over their shoulders at him as he strode past … like they had never seen him before …

Harry pulled his wand out of his belt. Maybe it was just paranoia but sometimes a gut feeling was all you had to go on.

The boy's dark eyes swept up and down the corridor, and then he slipped out of sight down a dimly lit passageway. Harry quickly checked where the Marauders were; they were heading downstairs. Harry made his decision and flew after the boy.

At first Harry couldn't see him. The few stubs of candles that were lit cast weak, watery shadows across the walls, sending the rest of the passage into deeper shadow. Harry brought the Nimbus to a halt, staying as still and as silent as possible, straining his ears and squinting through the gloom.

Faint footfalls sounded from up ahead. Slowly, Harry glided down the passage. Gradually his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness and he was able to make out a thin figure moving swiftly away from him, almost invisible against the shadows. What little light there was found the boys skin, making it appear ghostly pale.

Harry took aim, his hand slick with sweat, and whispered under his breath.

From the end of his wand came a smoky, dark green shadow, barely visible against the dark. Suspended in the air, the shadow divided into two smaller shadows. One floated back to Harry, wrapping around him like a cloud. A chilling wave swept over him as the shadow touched his skin. The second shadow swam through the air after the boy. It hovered just above and behind his head for a second, then descended, lightly touching the back of his neck.

Fast as blinking, the boy swung round but not like he had jumped in sudden fear. The whites of his eyes seemed to glow as his intense stare sliced through the darkened passage. Fear took hold of Harry and he froze, not daring to so much as blink. His heart was pounding and his breath was coming in short, rapid gasps, for as his eyes locked onto the boy's, he knew.

He'd found the assassin.

Several long, agonising moments passed. Slowly, the boy reached up to feel the back of his neck. But the shadow had vanished, absorbed into his body. Harry could feel a cold, tingling sensation across his skin, like a shiver from the cold. He waited.

Abruptly, the boy swung his cloak around him, turned and hurried away, his footsteps light and noiseless. With every step the tingling cold lessened, until it had subsided completely. With grim satisfaction, Harry turned the Nimbus about and flew away, anxious to return to his parents.

True to his word to Dumbledore, Harry was not going to deliberately hunt down the assassin. But that didn't mean that he couldn't track his movements. If the assassin came within fifty feet of the Marauders, Harry would sense his presence. And Harry was going to do whatever it took to defend them.

All he had to do now was wait.

*

'Any word?'

The Order of the Phoenix was tense. Sitting around with nothing to do but wait was slowly but surely trying their patience, fearing that every second that passed would be their last before the timeline suddenly jolted them into a whole new set of circumstances. Speculation on 'what might be' had provided awkward and unavoidable conversation.

Remus and Sirius had returned to the main Hall but had barely spoken, despite the Order's attempts to engage them in conversation, anything to distraction them from their thoughts. But Remus refused to say a word and the only thing anyone could get out of Sirius were inquiries as to whether or not Harry had contacted the Order yet.

Arabella Figg sat with them, having brought each of them a cup of strong tea, which they had accepted, with a silent nod of thanks.

'Any word?' Sirius asked again. His face was tired and worn. He hadn't slept at all that night, determined to stay awake in case Harry contacted them and wanted to speak with him.

Arabella sighed and put down her cup of tea.

'Sirius, I'm sure that if Harry calls, you will be the first to know.'

Sirius nodded. 'Yes, of course.' he muttered distractedly, staring down at his cup of tea. It was still as full as it had been quarter of an hour ago when Arabella had given it to him, now it was almost stone cold.

Arabella tried to be sympathetic. He looked so much like a wounded puppy that she didn't have the heart to suggest that he snap out of it. His godson had left on a highly dangerous mission through time to protect his parents from a deadly assassin; Sirius had every right to be this worried but Arabella feared that unless Harry sent word soon, Sirius was going to make himself ill.

'Sirius,' she spoke softly, placing a hand on his. 'I know you're worried, we all are … but I'm sure he's just fine. Harry's a bright lad, he knows Dumbledore wants him to call us regularly but he's probably a bit busy at the moment ...' Sirius made no indication that he'd heard a word of what she'd said. 'I know Harry will call as soon as he can,' she said, smiling reassuringly. 'We just have to be patient.'

'He's been gone for over twenty-four hours,' said Sirius bracingly. His liquid brown eyes slowly raised to meet Arabella's. They spoke of a sense of loss, of sadness … but most of all … fear.

'Something's happened to him. I'm sure of it.'

He sounded so certain Arabella felt he was right. The long silence was fuelling everyone's fears and until Harry came through, there was no way to alleviate them.

Arabella looked hopelessly around the Hall, trying to think of something comforting to say.

In the centre of the Hall, Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were tending to the gateway. Now that some stabilisation had been achieved, each of the attendants could take a break for a short while, then relieve one of the others in turn. The swirling portal shimmered in a beautiful rainbow of colour, but it only made everyone feel nothing but dread to look upon it, to think what it represented if Harry failed.

Over on the other side of the Hall were Katie and Alicia, both of them intently focused on a large, oval, golden framed mirror. The surface of the glass was like that of water; dark blue with ripples and light dancing across it. The girls watched over it, monitoring the glass for any change in the colour or texture. This was the medium through which they were to channel a call from Harry. The link he used would be drawn directly to it, rather than allow the signal to wander aimlessly until it found a random surface on which to materialise.

So far Harry had only used the link once. According to Dumbledore, Harry had been in a state of shock and probably wasn't thinking too clearly, considering who he had just seen. Harry had abruptly cut off the link to follow his parents and that was the last they'd heard.

Glumly, Sirius watched the mirror, praying, willing for Harry to call, but still nothing happened. The mirror stayed blank.

He couldn't take this much longer. Why hadn't Harry contacted them yet? Surely if he was all right, he'd call and let them know. So he wasn't all right. Was he hurt? Had the assassin found him? But then that would mean that Harry was …

That's it, Sirius thought. I have to find out. I need to know.

He stood up. Arabella looked up at his cold expressionless face in alarm.

'Sirius?'

Sirius moved away, striding purposely across the Hall. The portal twinkled innocently at him as he headed straight for it.

'Sirius!'

Marching straight past McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick, who stared at him in confusion and alarm, he drew his wand and stepped up to the portal.

'Somebody stop him!'

At once, several pairs of hands seized him, roughly pulling him away.

'Hey, what are you - let go!'

Sirius struggled to pull himself free but to no avail. Gus had wrapped his arms around Sirius' chest from behind, pinning his arms. Arthur Weasley and his son Bill quickly helped Gus to haul Sirius further away from the portal. Professor McGonagall snatched his wand out of his hand before he could even think to use it.

'Let go of me!'

With a huge effort, Sirius almost broke free, just as a great booming voice rang out through the Hall.

'What is going on here!'

Sirius stopped struggling, twisting his head round to see Dumbledore hurrying across the Hall towards them.

'What happened?'

Nobody said anything for a moment. But as Dumbledore's piercing gaze flicked around the room, from the startled expressions on most people's faces, to Sirius being firmly restrained by Gus, Arthur and Bill, to the glowing portal in front of them and the terrified look of dismay on Remus' face as he looked over at his friend, Dumbledore seemed to have guessed what had just happened.

'Let him go.'

Arthur and Bill backed off straight away. Gus hesitated for a moment, then let go of Sirius who yanked his robes straight, glaring furiously at all of them.

'Sirius, follow me, please.'

Without so much as a backward glance, Dumbledore turned and walked out of the Hall. Everyone was watching Sirius anxiously, some moving slightly to stand between him and the portal, fearing he was going to make another break for it. He didn't move. Not a word was spoken as Remus quietly walked over, took his arm and led his friend out of the Hall. Sirius did not voice an objection but the blazing light in his eyes was apparent to his feelings on the matter.

Dumbledore was in the courtyard, standing by the fountain, his back to Sirius and Remus as they silently approached.

'Please explain why you just did what you did, Sirius.' he said, without looking away from the fountain.

'Explain? You need me to spell it out for you?' snarled Sirius, so angrily that Remus nervously moved away from him slightly. 'Harry has been gone for over twenty-four hours and he hasn't been in contact since!'

Dumbledore did not say a word, nor did he turn round. Sirius' temper flared.

'Something has happened Albus, and you know it. He's back there with an assassin who is after his parents, someone who would kill Harry without a second thought. For all we know, Harry could be dead or seriously injured - he might need our help!'

'How is severing the link between the two timelines likely to help?'

Dumbledore's tone was calm, non-accusing, but Sirius looked like he'd been slapped in the face. Remus' eyes widened.

'What?' he said quietly. 'What do you mean by that?'

Slowly, Dumbledore turned to face them both, his lined face extremely grave, his ice-blue eyes stern.

'If anyone tries to force their way through that portal it will collapse. It is not stable enough to send another person back.'

Sirius' face paled.

'But -'

'It is capable of bringing Harry back safely, I can assure you, because he has already gone through and will come back in the opposite direction. However, to risk sending another will disrupt the portal's stability. Think of it as a pendulum … it must swing back and forth equally in turn, to disrupt the motion will cause the whole structure to fail.'

Sirius stared at him, trying to comprehend what Dumbledore was saying. Dumbledore looked him straight in the eye.

'If the gateway collapses, we will be unable to resurrect it. Do you understand what that would entail, Sirius?'

'Harry won't be able to get back.' Sirius said in a horrified kind of trance. His gaze dropped to the ground but his anger had not yet subsided. 'But - Albus, I can't just sit here and do nothing! Can't we … isn't there something …' he trailed off, struggling to find the words.

'There is nothing any of us can do, Sirius.' said Dumbledore firmly but not unkindly. 'I understand your frustration but it will not help to accomplish anything. You gave your permission to allow Harry to go, it is too late to regret your decision.'

'But - I'm responsible for him. James and Lily trusted me to take care of him.'

'Then I must ask you to place your trust in Harry. He is not a child anymore, but a young man trying to make his own decisions and to do what he believes is right. It was his choice to volunteer and you gave your consent for him to go ahead. I don't believe you would have done that it you did not trust him.'

Sirius fell silent, unable to think of an answer to that.

'If Harry has not been in contact then the most likely reason is that he is unable to leave James and Lily. I gave him very precise instructions to protect the assassin's target. He is simply taking his responsibility very seriously, for which I am glad. I am confident that Harry will do his best … we must have faith and be patient.'

Dumbledore smiled warmly at them both. Remus watched Sirius closely. After a moment, he nodded.

'Yeah … you're right.' he said quietly. He sighed, gazing resignedly about the deserted courtyard. Dumbledore gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder then left them alone, returning to the Hall.

Remus moved to stand next to Sirius, eyes full of concern.

'Padfoot? Are you sure you're all right?'

Sirius nodded, more firmly this time.

'Yeah. It's just … I can't stand all this sitting around and waiting … not knowing if he's okay.'

Sirius suddenly felt very deflated and exhausted, his eyes itching from lack of sleep.

'I just wish I could do something.'

Remus nodded. Neither of them were used to feeling this helpless. Like Dumbledore had said, there was nothing anyone could do and they knew it.

'Well, you know what Harry's like; it doesn't matter how much trouble he gets into, he always finds a way back out of it.'

'I trust him.' said Sirius firmly, truly believing it. 'I just want him to come back safely.'

Remus smiled sadly, putting his arm around his friends' shoulders.

'So do I Padfoot, so do I.'

*

To Be Continued

*

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