Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. Only two more months until Chamber of Secrets is released…I can't wait!! Now, the burning question…where is Book 5????
Chapter 13: Unraveling At All EndsSeverus Snape was furious with himself. Scratch that. He had long since passed the realm of fury and had descended into a maelstrom that could only be described as a vicious combination of guilt, self-loathing and blind wrath.
Finally returning to some semblance of normalcy and waiting with increasing impatience for the use of his various limbs to return, he cursed himself a Hufflepuff fool for having been taken in like a naïve first year.
"In front of me all the time and I didn't even see it," he grumbled as he held onto Margot's limp form, bundled in a warm cloak, and summoned her broomstick for the short flight to the school gates. He was thankful that, although he had never been fond of the sport, Margot had been an excellent Quidditch player (a Beater) and had a more than adequate broom for the short journeys that could not be accomplished through the more simple means of disapparation. There was no time to lose…although he had little hope that he would be able to spare Hermione from the clutches of that brute, Roberts.
Still, little was better than none at all.
"Margot? Can you hear me? Mi senti, cara?" He asked with urgency as he landed just outside the gates, fingers already turning blue from the cold. She moaned slightly and opened her eyes. Awareness flashed through her expression and she tried to clutch at him but only succeeded in flopping awkwardly.
"Calm yourself, Margot. Calmati. We have to apparate immediately to the gates of Hogwarts. Are you strong enough?"
She nodded. "Si, caro," she murmured thickly as Severus pulled out his wand and they both disappeared with a faint popping sound.
Opening the gates quickly, Severus bundled Margot onto the broom and whisked towards the castle, praying that no one would see them before they could speak to the Headmaster.
"Li ammazzerò," Margot hissed under her breath as she slowly regained strength. "I swear by the Seven Maiden Stars that I will kill them both for this."
"I fear that there will be many who will want that honour for themselves," Severus murmured angrily as he helped Margot off the broom. They cast a concealment spell over themselves and hurried to the Headmaster's office.
"Toffee Tongues," Severus whispered raggedly to the griffin. The door opened and they both hurried towards the office.
Albus Dumbledore was well accustomed to having his sleep interrupted by mischievous seventh year students but was nonetheless alarmed when his office bell chimed at 3:30 in the morning. He sleepily pulled on his dressing gown and hurried down.
"Severus?" He asked, blinking at the image of the pale, sweating and utterly miserable professor in front of him. "And, is that you, Professor DeKasaroff? Good heavens…what are you doing here? Is Hermione with you?"
"She has been taken…right from beneath our noses," Severus paced the room frantically.
"Please don't curse anything in my office, Severus," Dumbledore sighed, his face clearly showing his deep concern for the young professor.
"It was your librarian, Albus…Pince…and a student," Margot sighed, collapsing on a chair.
"Tell me what happened," Dumbledore sat on the chair behind his desk and removed his glasses to rub his eyes wearily.
"Margot and I were hit with a variant of a frozen hibernation spell…they simply grabbed Hermione and used a portkey to escape. It was Dark Magic, Albus. No one could have simply left Durmstrang in such a manner," Severus exclaimed, more than a little nervous at the bleak expression in the older man's eyes.
"They left a note," Margot produced a piece of parchment. "Bastardi," she whispered under her breath.
Dumbledore took a deep breath, re-adjusted his spectacles and accepted the note, scrutinizing it carefully.
If you ever hope to see your little Mudblood friend again, I would suggest that your werewolf professor be brought to us immediately. The Dark Lord will not kill her if he surrenders himself. The secret to where is in this parchment. See if you can discover the right location.
The note was not signed…it did not need to be.
"I failed her Albus. I promised to look after her," Severus muttered as he stared morosely into the empty fireplace.
"You came here as quickly as you could…" Dumbledore began.
"You don't understand!" Severus interrupted harshly, whirling around to face him. "You were not there, Albus! You did not hear what Roberts was going to do to her." Severus' voice held so much pain that Margot stood up and walked over to where he stood and embraced him.
"Non è colpa tua. They ensnared me as well…we were both fooled," she whispered into his hair.
"She is right, Severus. Besides, we must discuss the matter with Sirius to see if we have any chance of finding Hermione and sparing her from any harm," Dumbledore seemed to regain his strength and composure as he said this, standing up and eyes blazing with a cold determination that heartened Severus.
"What about Remus?" Severus asked hesitantly, standing up himself and holding Margot's hand tightly.
"He will be informed…he has a right to know," Dumbledore answered gravely.
"Are you certain that is the wisest course, Headmaster?" Margot asked, looking at Dumbledore with alarm. "He may try to flee the safety of these walls."
"It would be far worse for him to find out through other means," Dumbledore replied significantly. "He knew the risk she was taking."
Severus was not entirely convinced that this was the best plan of action but could see no other alternative. He only hoped that when Sirius came to disembowel him, that the implement was at least sharp.
************In the staff room…several minutes later*********
Remus was the last to arrive at the staff room and saw that the others were all speaking to each other hurriedly, in hushed whispers. He looked around the room and saw Severus and a witch he thought he recognized speaking to a visibly angry Sirius. He looked around again.
He did not see Hermione.
And immediately he ran towards Severus with a cold, sinking feeling in his heart.
"Where is she?" He asked.
Severus looked at him in pity and tried to say something but found it difficult to do so.
Sirius turned to Remus in compassion. "They were ambushed at Durmstrang. All of them."
"Where is Hermione?" Remus asked again, dread apparent in his eyes.
"She is still alive, Remus, but we do not know where they have taken her," Dumbledore stepped over to the small group.
"They? Who are they?" Remus asked.
"Pince and that fifth year, Roberts," Severus muttered angrily.
"Rotten pieces of filth," Sirius grumbled.
"What happened?" Remus grabbed Severus' robes.
"They were hiding in the Restricted Section of the library and hit Margot and myself with a frozen hibernation spell," a vein in Severus' forehead was noticeably pulsating as he spoke. "We could hear what was happening but could not move and could not speak. They left a parchment behind…"
Remus released Severus abruptly. "They want me, don't they?"
Severus could not meet Remus' gaze but he nodded.
Sirius put an arm around Remus' shoulders. "We'll find her. Remus."
Remus pulled away from Sirius angrily. "What does the parchment say?"
Dumbledore held it out to the distraught man and Remus grabbed it, scanning the words quickly.
"Remus, do you know how we can unlock the secret to the location where she is being held?" Dumbledore asked.
Remus looked up warily. "No, I do not." He returned to scanning the parchment, as if trying to see the key to the hidden message.
"What the hell are we supposed to do?" Sirius asked, pacing the room wildly.
"We must be calm, Sirius. We must think rationally or else we risk making a bad decision," Margot interposed.
"Anything is better than staying here like a bunch of frightened first years," Severus grumbled. "We have to
"I think I know how to unlock the spell but I need an item in my rooms. I have a special set of Omniculars that should allow us to see the hidden words," Remus looked to Dumbledore for permission - which was reluctantly granted.
Several minutes passed on in an uncomfortable silence.
"I still don't understand how they managed to use a portkey to get out of Durmstrang," Sirius muttered, staring out the window with his arms crossed over his chest.
"It's powerful Dark Magic, Sirius," Margot explained. "I know many of my colleagues would have been very accepting of the plan had they become aware of it. I cannot now return as my true loyalties can no longer be hidden."
"I have asked you before to stay with me," Severus said very softly. Margot turned to him with a smile but something caught her eye and she walked swiftly to the door of the office. She bent down to pick up a parchment that was lying on the floor. She read it and gasped.
"Albus…the parchment," she hurried to the Headmaster's side and held it out to him. He looked at it and his expression became very grave.
"What is it?" Severus asked. Dumbledore handed him the parchment.
If you ever hope to see your little Mudblood friend again, I would suggest that your werewolf professor be brought to us immediately. The Dark Lord will not kill her if he surrenders himself. The secret to where is in this parchment. See if you can discover the right location.
Come to the old manor on the edge of the Muggle town of Glasgow. The map is indicated below. Come alone or you will be presented with her corpse.
"This wasn't here before!" Severus shouted as Sirius looked over his shoulder, eyes widening in disbelief.
"The parchment was spelled so that it revealed the secret words at Remus' touch," Dumbledore sighed, looking out his window.
"But that means Remus knows where they are keeping her!" Sirius shouted.
"He will go after her!" Severus shouted.
Dumbledore looked at the small group sadly. "I am afraid he is already gone."
Sirius and Severus looked at one another for a moment before dashing from the office.
"Margot, you had best accompany them. They will need you," Dumbledore said wearily. "I should have known…should have stopped him."
"Do not blame yourself, Headmaster. Short of shutting him up in a cage, you know that he would have gone after her regardless of the danger," Margot replied.
"I realize that, my dear…but it does little to ease my sense of guilt."
****************Outside the manor*****************
Remus shivered as he eased his broomstick to a stop outside the decrepit building. It had taken some time to get there and the journey had not been easy. Wind whipped through his thin robes, chilling him to the bone. Stepping off cautiously and transfiguring his mode of transportation into a quill, he turned to face the building.
It was not remarkable in any sense of the word. More or less, it looked like any other residence that had known a period of luxury and grace and had fallen into ignoble disrepair. Most of the windows were cracked. The brickwork was falling apart and the weeds choked out what few blades of grass dared to make their presence known.
Remus opened the gates slowly, wincing as the awful screeching sound assailed his ears. He walked up the pathway of broken fieldstone, wand out and watchful for traps. The only sounds he heard were the quite padding of his footsteps and the continual rustling of the wind through the dead leaves and his own clothing.
He reached the door and looked at it for a moment, uncertain as how he should proceed. There was a knocker, a grotesque gargoyle, half decayed with tarnish. Gripping his wand firmly, he lifted the handle of the knocker and tapped three times.
For several moments, nothing happened.
And then the door slowly opened…
"You!" Remus shouted angrily as he jumped back two steps and pointed his wand at the figure in the doorway.
An arrogant laugh filled the air and Remus felt his wand magically stripped from his hand and delivered to none other than Lucius Malfoy himself.
"You bastard! Where is Hermione? I swear if you have harmed her in any way, I will take great pleasure in dismembering you personally." Remus practically growled at the taller man in rage.
For a moment, an expression of fear crossed Lucius' face but that quickly passed. Shrugging nonchalantly, he pointed his wand at Remus.
"I really expected a better reception from you, Lupin," he drawled. "After all I went through to ensure that your precious Mudblood wasn't sullied."
Remus' eyes flashed in repressed fury.
"Roberts was practically ready to ravish her as he apparated back to his room but I was already there, waiting. It was really quite difficult to get him to listen to reason but I managed to save her honour," Lucius with false drama.
"What would a pathetic excuse for a wizard like yourself know about honour?" Remus asked in a dangerous voice.
"Your opinion of my character is hardly of any importance to me. You're a werewolf and, as such, beneath my consideration in any way. The only reason why I do not blast you into the hereafter is that the Dark Lord has an interesting use for you."
"I am here as part of an agreement. I am here to protect Hermione. I will not serve the Dark Lord."
Lucius smiled maliciously. "You do not have any choice in the matter, Werewolf. You will serve our cause admirably. I have seen you in your other form and you are deceptively strong and able to cause a great deal of damage to the undesirables in our world."
Remus blanched. "I will not do it. I will die first."
"That is entirely up to you although I do not think it will make the little Mudblood very happy. Come, Werewolf. Your new Master wishes to speak to you," Lucius stepped to one side in a clear invitation to enter. Remus stepped into the manor.
It was a short walk through a dark hallway before Remus entered a small, formal parlour. The furniture was new but he could see the ruined plaster and the peeling wallpaper. The fireplace was roaring with flame, warming the room considerably.
He did not see Hermione anywhere.
"I am pleased that you have seen reason, Remus Lupin," a sinister voice hissed from behind him. Turning quickly, Remus saw the Dark Lord looking at him with some amusement.
"I am here for Hermione," Remus replied. "And it is you who has yet to see reason, Voldemort."
"You need to be taught the basics of courtesy, Werewolf." With that, Remus felt his throat tightening, making it difficult to breathe. Voldemort watched him keenly as he vainly gasped…falling to the ground and swiftly losing consciousness.
And then it stopped. Voldemort looked down on him as Remus gulped in the sweet air instinctively. Quickly recovering, Remus stood up and looked at Voldemort defiantly.
The Dark Lord sneered. "You will call me Master in time, Werewolf." He turned quickly and his robes swirled around him like a black cloud as he sat down on a nearby chaise. He elegantly indicated, through the swift motion of a pale hand, that Remus should sit down on an adjacent chair.
"I prefer to stand…Voldemort," Remus replied to the unsaid demand. The Dark Lord's eyes flashed red for a moment before his expression returned to the usual insolent regard.
"If you prefer to suffer, I am hardly in a position to stop you. Would you like something to drink? I have a lovely bottle of Remy XO that you will certainly appreciate." Voldemort clapped his hands twice and a tray of refreshments appeared. He poured some amber liquid out of a crystal decanter into a small goblet and held it out for Remus who recoiled in pain.
"What? No appetite for a manly drink. Remus?" Voldemort sneered as he drank the contents himself. He looked at the goblet more closely and gasped in mock horror. "Why, how thoughtless of me. The goblet is made of silver."
Remus simply glared, keeping a safe distance from the offending metal.
Voldemort clapped his hands again and the refreshments and the goblet vanished.
"Enough of this foolishness. You are here to serve me but, before you are ready to join my ranks, you will be taught obedience and respect. Lucius will take you to your new accommodations." Voldemort stood up and approached Remus. "And you will be obedient…you will be my faithful servant. Or you will die, and not by your own hand. Lucius, please return to him his wand. It has been charmed so that most spells will not work," Lucius handed Remus his wand and the younger man could feel something Dark blocking the normal flow of magic from the wand into his hand.
"What about Hermione? Where is she?"
"How you do go on about the worthless Mudblood," Voldemort sighed.
"Let her go. I am here now. Keep your end of the bargain!" Remus shouted.
"I fully intend to," Voldemort sneered as he waved his wand and Remus felt his hands and feet being bound invisibly. He floated several inches in the air.
"Now, since you are so insistent on seeing her, I will take you there myself. You will see that I am a wizard of my word," the Dark Lord hissed as Remus felt himself moving through the room and through an open doorway.
Down another corridor and through another doorway. Down a steep staircase. Another door, somewhat heavier and more fortified than the others. And then…an area which could only be described as a dungeon.
"She is over there," Voldemort waved his hand and Remus floated to one of the cells where he could see Hermione, lying on the floor, asleep and breathing quietly…apparently unharmed.
"She is quite all right. As you can see, I have ensured that she was not mistreated."
"Let her go."
Voldemort laughed…the sound of it echoing eerily off of the damp stone walls.
"My dear Werewolf, why should I do that?"
"You said you would let her go if I surrendered myself."
More laughter and Remus felt icy cold shards of abject fear piercing his heart.
"No, Remus. I only promised that I would not kill her. Now, into the cell you go with your beloved Mudblood." The door to the cell opened and Remus floated into it. The door closed quietly and suddenly he fell to floor, free and yet not free. He stood up and rushed to the door but could not open it.
"If I am not mistaken, Werewolf, there are only two days left to the full moon," Voldemort said significantly, holding out the vial of Wolfsbane Potion that had been in Remus' pocket. Remus suddenly grabbed at his pockets but turned up nothing.
"As I said, Werewolf." Voldemort continued as he walked out of the dungeon, pausing at the doorway to look at him in triumph. "I have kept my end of the bargain. I will not kill her. You will."
The Dark Lord closed the door quietly but the sound of his laughter echoed still…filling Remus' heart with dread as he realized the truth of the Dark Lord's words. In two nights' time, he would transform and, without the Wolfsbane Potion, he would lose himself completely to the beast within.
"What am I going to do now?" He thought, looking at the sleeping form with anguish.