* * * *
Glory ushered the last of the students out of her classroom door, then fell into a nearby chair. The class had wanted to work more on unicorns, so Glory had taken them out to the Forbidden Forest where they had been able to catch glimpses of the unicorns through the trees. Most of the students knew to stay where they were on the outskirts of the trees, but Glory had to occasionally dart around the group, pulling a random Slytherin or Gryffindor back. They didn't respect the power in the Forbidden Forest and she knew that disrespect could get them killed.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples unconsciously, fighting the tension headache that was already building behind her eyes. She had to give credit to the professors who worked day in and day out for years, she didn't know if she could do it.
"Glory?"
The voice from the doorway startled and Glory opened her eyes curiously, wondering what female could possibly be at her door, calling her by her first name. Her jaw dropped and she had to blink a few times before the small figure finally registered.
"Daphne?"
The woman at the door smiled and moved into the room.
"Merlin's Beard!" Glory stood suddenly and stared at the darkhaired woman. "Daphne? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in so long, how are you?"
Daphne grinned. "Glory, calm down. I'm here to see you. I'm good."
Glory still stared at her friend, then moved forward and wrapped the smaller woman in a hug. "It's so good to see you. You have no idea what's been going on lately."
Daphne hugged back tightly, still smiling. "What do you mean?"
Glory moved away, then took her seat once again and shook her head. "I wasn't allowed to tell anyone why I had to retire. Not even you . . . not even my best friend."
Daphne nodded slowly, then pulled a chair away from a desk and sat down. "No one would tell us why you left. They just kept saying that you needed 'personal time'."
Glory laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "You have no idea, Daphne. They forced me to retire. They said I was a risk to be around. I couldn't risk the lives of the other Aurors. They were right, I suppose."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Daphne said, even though she knew exactly what Glory meant. "How could you be a risk to us? We trusted you."
Glory smiled gratefully. "We worked well together. I trusted my group and you trusted me. We could have beat this together if they had just given me a chance."
"Glory, please tell me what you're talking about."
She sighed. "Daphne, it's such a long story. I don't even know where I can possibly begin. There's so much behind it." She leaned back in her chair and tossed her friend a very tired smile. "Well, you know the story about Lucius and Severus and what they did to me," she began. "It started there. Whatever power dark wizards have, we know it's strong. It's inside of my Daphne . . . every time one of them forced themselves on me I took away a part of their power."
She continued to speak and Daphne sat in the room as the world outside slowly darkened. She nodded occasionally, pretending she was actually interested in what Glory had to say, but inside her mind was whirling. If no one else saw her, Daphne would be able to take Glory right out of the school and she wouldn't suspect a thing. She could deliver her right into Voldemort's arms without a single fight and Lucius would be sure to follow.
He would be pleased with her . . . he would be very pleased.
* * * *
Lucius tapped his foot impatiently, then glanced at Lupin, who shrugged. Snape and Glory were supposed to meet them, but neither of them had shown up at the Great Hall for dinner and neither had been in their rooms. Lucius was worried, but he tried to remain calm as he ran through the possible places Glory could have gone after her last class. He didn't want to follow her everywhere, but the undeniable sense of panic was embedded in his brain and it was impossible to ignore it once he had let it take root.
"Severus wouldn't do this," Lupin said nervously. "He would be here."
Lucius nodded. "I know. But we've already looked in their rooms for them. Where else could they possibly be?"
"Have you checked the Defense classroom?" Lupin asked. "Maybe Glory got caught up in marking papers and decided to skip dinner."
Lucius shook his head. "She told me that she didn't have any marking to do over the weekend. We were going to-" he stopped short and glanced at Lupin. "I'm sorry. Glory told me about . . . the time in the pub before we took her."
Lupin waved his hands. "You have nothing to apologize for . . . at least, to me. I don't know what Glory said to you, but we've both changed. It was a very long time ago."
Lucius nodded, falling silent as he glanced down the long hall once again. "Maybe we should go look in their classrooms," he suggested.
Lupin followed his gaze down the hall, then nodded. "There isn't much else to do."
They walked toward the dungeons in silence, each consumed by his own guesses at what could have happened to Glory and Snape. At the basis of every thought was their fear that somehow, a Death Eater had managed to slip into Hogwarts unnoticed and had taken Glory with him. The fear at the root of Lupin's nervousness was that Snape had never turned his back on Voldemort and that he had been the one to take Glory away.
"What if Draco did something," Lucius mused aloud.
Lupin glanced sharply at him. "You think he's a Death Eater?"
"It's horrible, isn't it?" Lucius asked, meeting the other man's eyes. "It's horrible that I suspect my own son, but suddenly I have this feeling . . ." he trailed off and shook his head. "I'm not sure what to think anymore."
Lupin nodded and they lapsed into silence once more as the school darkened slightly. As they passed by a window, Lupin glanced out to see the sun nearly at the horizon and he realized with a start what day it was.
"I know where Snape's been," he said urgently, rushing down the hall.
"Why?" Lucius asked as he hurried after him. "What's going on?"
Lupin stumbled and nearly fell, grabbing a doorframe as he went. "Just move," he panted, his voice sounding deeper than earlier.
"Remus?" Glory asked, coming out of her nearby classroom.
Lucius turned toward her and grabbed her arm. "You were supposed to meet us."
"Hurry!" Lupin growled, falling to all fours.
"Remus!" Glory called, coming out into the hall.
"Glory?" someone called from inside the classroom and Lucius frowned, turning toward the voice.
He froze and his heart began to thud in his chest. She couldn't be standing in Glory's classroom because if she was, that meant that a Death Eater had found her way onto the grounds. That would mean that a Death Eater had been within five feet of Glory.
"Daphne," he growled, in a voice almost as menacing at Lupin's.
"We have to get him to see Severus!" Glory cried from the hall, helping Lupin to his feet and dragging him along.
"No," Lucius yelled, his voice commanding and strong. "Stop moving. There is a Death Eater in your classroom."
Glory turned, her eyes wide. "What?"
"Daphne Heyman," Lucius said, advancing on the woman in the room.
"No," Glory said, shaking her head. Lupin was still hanging on her, panting heavily against her side. "She's an Auror, Lucius. She was my best friend."
"She betrayed you!" Lucius roared, grabbing Daphne's arm and yanking her into the hall. "She's a Death Eater!"
"No," Glory said again.
Lupin moaned into her shoulder.
Daphne grinned, then rubbed up against Lucius. "Why'd you have to tell her that and ruin all my fun, love?"
He glared at her and shoved her away. Glory stared at her friend, her mouth slightly open.
Daphne's grin grew wider and she moved over to Lucius again. "Come on, lover. Glory doesn't know about us? She doesn't know how you loved me?"
"I never loved you," Lucius growled.
"Oh, but you love her, right?" Daphne asked, gesturing at Glory.
Glory shook her head. "Daphne?"
"Sorry I never told you, Glor, but the Dark Lord wanted me to be a bit of a double agent. You trusted me. It was the perfect guise for me to come to Hogwarts and take you back to him."
"You wouldn't have done it," Glory said.
Daphne laughed. "I would have if these two idiots hadn't come looking for you." She glared at Lucius. "You've changed, love. She has you wrapped around her little finger. You wouldn't have stood for that a few years ago."
"Shut up, Daphne," he growled.
Glory lowered her head, then let out a deep breath and caught Lucius's gaze. "I'll deal with this later. Right now we have to get Remus to see Severus. He needs to take his wolfsbane potion or he's going to turn."
Lupin drew in a shuddering breath from beside her, then collapsed again.
"Remus," Glory said, tugging at his arm urgently. "Come on."
He turned his face up to look at her and Glory found herself staring into the feral yellow eyes of the wolf.
* * * *
Glory ushered the last of the students out of her classroom door, then fell into a nearby chair. The class had wanted to work more on unicorns, so Glory had taken them out to the Forbidden Forest where they had been able to catch glimpses of the unicorns through the trees. Most of the students knew to stay where they were on the outskirts of the trees, but Glory had to occasionally dart around the group, pulling a random Slytherin or Gryffindor back. They didn't respect the power in the Forbidden Forest and she knew that disrespect could get them killed.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples unconsciously, fighting the tension headache that was already building behind her eyes. She had to give credit to the professors who worked day in and day out for years, she didn't know if she could do it.
"Glory?"
The voice from the doorway startled and Glory opened her eyes curiously, wondering what female could possibly be at her door, calling her by her first name. Her jaw dropped and she had to blink a few times before the small figure finally registered.
"Daphne?"
The woman at the door smiled and moved into the room.
"Merlin's Beard!" Glory stood suddenly and stared at the darkhaired woman. "Daphne? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in so long, how are you?"
Daphne grinned. "Glory, calm down. I'm here to see you. I'm good."
Glory still stared at her friend, then moved forward and wrapped the smaller woman in a hug. "It's so good to see you. You have no idea what's been going on lately."
Daphne hugged back tightly, still smiling. "What do you mean?"
Glory moved away, then took her seat once again and shook her head. "I wasn't allowed to tell anyone why I had to retire. Not even you . . . not even my best friend."
Daphne nodded slowly, then pulled a chair away from a desk and sat down. "No one would tell us why you left. They just kept saying that you needed 'personal time'."
Glory laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "You have no idea, Daphne. They forced me to retire. They said I was a risk to be around. I couldn't risk the lives of the other Aurors. They were right, I suppose."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Daphne said, even though she knew exactly what Glory meant. "How could you be a risk to us? We trusted you."
Glory smiled gratefully. "We worked well together. I trusted my group and you trusted me. We could have beat this together if they had just given me a chance."
"Glory, please tell me what you're talking about."
She sighed. "Daphne, it's such a long story. I don't even know where I can possibly begin. There's so much behind it." She leaned back in her chair and tossed her friend a very tired smile. "Well, you know the story about Lucius and Severus and what they did to me," she began. "It started there. Whatever power dark wizards have, we know it's strong. It's inside of my Daphne . . . every time one of them forced themselves on me I took away a part of their power."
She continued to speak and Daphne sat in the room as the world outside slowly darkened. She nodded occasionally, pretending she was actually interested in what Glory had to say, but inside her mind was whirling. If no one else saw her, Daphne would be able to take Glory right out of the school and she wouldn't suspect a thing. She could deliver her right into Voldemort's arms without a single fight and Lucius would be sure to follow.
He would be pleased with her . . . he would be very pleased.
* * * *
Lucius tapped his foot impatiently, then glanced at Lupin, who shrugged. Snape and Glory were supposed to meet them, but neither of them had shown up at the Great Hall for dinner and neither had been in their rooms. Lucius was worried, but he tried to remain calm as he ran through the possible places Glory could have gone after her last class. He didn't want to follow her everywhere, but the undeniable sense of panic was embedded in his brain and it was impossible to ignore it once he had let it take root.
"Severus wouldn't do this," Lupin said nervously. "He would be here."
Lucius nodded. "I know. But we've already looked in their rooms for them. Where else could they possibly be?"
"Have you checked the Defense classroom?" Lupin asked. "Maybe Glory got caught up in marking papers and decided to skip dinner."
Lucius shook his head. "She told me that she didn't have any marking to do over the weekend. We were going to-" he stopped short and glanced at Lupin. "I'm sorry. Glory told me about . . . the time in the pub before we took her."
Lupin waved his hands. "You have nothing to apologize for . . . at least, to me. I don't know what Glory said to you, but we've both changed. It was a very long time ago."
Lucius nodded, falling silent as he glanced down the long hall once again. "Maybe we should go look in their classrooms," he suggested.
Lupin followed his gaze down the hall, then nodded. "There isn't much else to do."
They walked toward the dungeons in silence, each consumed by his own guesses at what could have happened to Glory and Snape. At the basis of every thought was their fear that somehow, a Death Eater had managed to slip into Hogwarts unnoticed and had taken Glory with him. The fear at the root of Lupin's nervousness was that Snape had never turned his back on Voldemort and that he had been the one to take Glory away.
"What if Draco did something," Lucius mused aloud.
Lupin glanced sharply at him. "You think he's a Death Eater?"
"It's horrible, isn't it?" Lucius asked, meeting the other man's eyes. "It's horrible that I suspect my own son, but suddenly I have this feeling . . ." he trailed off and shook his head. "I'm not sure what to think anymore."
Lupin nodded and they lapsed into silence once more as the school darkened slightly. As they passed by a window, Lupin glanced out to see the sun nearly at the horizon and he realized with a start what day it was.
"I know where Snape's been," he said urgently, rushing down the hall.
"Why?" Lucius asked as he hurried after him. "What's going on?"
Lupin stumbled and nearly fell, grabbing a doorframe as he went. "Just move," he panted, his voice sounding deeper than earlier.
"Remus?" Glory asked, coming out of her nearby classroom.
Lucius turned toward her and grabbed her arm. "You were supposed to meet us."
"Hurry!" Lupin growled, falling to all fours.
"Remus!" Glory called, coming out into the hall.
"Glory?" someone called from inside the classroom and Lucius frowned, turning toward the voice.
He froze and his heart began to thud in his chest. She couldn't be standing in Glory's classroom because if she was, that meant that a Death Eater had found her way onto the grounds. That would mean that a Death Eater had been within five feet of Glory.
"Daphne," he growled, in a voice almost as menacing at Lupin's.
"We have to get him to see Severus!" Glory cried from the hall, helping Lupin to his feet and dragging him along.
"No," Lucius yelled, his voice commanding and strong. "Stop moving. There is a Death Eater in your classroom."
Glory turned, her eyes wide. "What?"
"Daphne Heyman," Lucius said, advancing on the woman in the room.
"No," Glory said, shaking her head. Lupin was still hanging on her, panting heavily against her side. "She's an Auror, Lucius. She was my best friend."
"She betrayed you!" Lucius roared, grabbing Daphne's arm and yanking her into the hall. "She's a Death Eater!"
"No," Glory said again.
Lupin moaned into her shoulder.
Daphne grinned, then rubbed up against Lucius. "Why'd you have to tell her that and ruin all my fun, love?"
He glared at her and shoved her away. Glory stared at her friend, her mouth slightly open.
Daphne's grin grew wider and she moved over to Lucius again. "Come on, lover. Glory doesn't know about us? She doesn't know how you loved me?"
"I never loved you," Lucius growled.
"Oh, but you love her, right?" Daphne asked, gesturing at Glory.
Glory shook her head. "Daphne?"
"Sorry I never told you, Glor, but the Dark Lord wanted me to be a bit of a double agent. You trusted me. It was the perfect guise for me to come to Hogwarts and take you back to him."
"You wouldn't have done it," Glory said.
Daphne laughed. "I would have if these two idiots hadn't come looking for you." She glared at Lucius. "You've changed, love. She has you wrapped around her little finger. You wouldn't have stood for that a few years ago."
"Shut up, Daphne," he growled.
Glory lowered her head, then let out a deep breath and caught Lucius's gaze. "I'll deal with this later. Right now we have to get Remus to see Severus. He needs to take his wolfsbane potion or he's going to turn."
Lupin drew in a shuddering breath from beside her, then collapsed again.
"Remus," Glory said, tugging at his arm urgently. "Come on."
He turned his face up to look at her and Glory found herself staring into the feral yellow eyes of the wolf.
* * * *