Author's Note: I live! Here is the promised completed Chapter Ten and I promise there will be Siriusness next chapter. However, with my new job and the total uncertainty of my computer situation, an ETA on Chapter Eleven is impossible to predict. Please, just check back every once in a while and see if I've been able to upload.
A serious debt of gratitude goes out to my devoted Reviewers—Sosia Camillina, Rugi and Gwena, and Voltora—for continuing to prod me for the rest of this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you.
To all the rest of my Reviewers—Emlizanne, Giesbrecht, Tarawen, Torquemada, MPB, Chalice, Harue-chan, Milkyweed, and Angel on Fire—your support in reviewing is wonderfully appreciated. I look forward with anticipation to reading each and every review and I hope you have not given up on me yet. Although, I have a feeling that if I don't get a move on it here with the promised sibling reunion, some of my own Percussive Encouragement might be heading my way (grin).
Disclaimer? Not even gonna bother, you know it.
Chapter 10 (COMPLETE): Traveling
The Knight Bus was due at dusk.
Both Remus and Sosia had changed their Muggle clothing for the robes Dumbledore had sent with Fawkes. Sosia, wearing her new burgundy robes, was pulling on a fine thick woolen cloak that had come out of the trunk in the library. She had admitted to keeping most of her magical belongings locked away in there since coming to London. As she had been busy extracting the cloak from the depths of the trunk, Remus had spotted some scrolls, as well as an assortment of bits and pieces, that he recognized as Sirius'. Personal effects Remus had searched for, but never found, after the Potter's deaths. Possessions Sirius would not have wanted the Ministry to lay hold of. He'd often wondered where those things had gone.
Another pair of objects to emerge from the trunk were a beautifully made Paisley scarf and a pair of expensive brown leather gloves. These too stirred memories.
"Aren't those?"
"My graduation present from James," Sosia confirmed. "I couldn't bear to leave them behind, even if it isn't quite legal to use them here."
She fingered the material of the scarf pensively which, like the gloves, was charmed to always keep its owner warm. Both fell under the aegis of Proscribed Objects. The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office was duty-bound to confiscate such objects, especially if used around Muggles. None of which really mattered—as a formal Exile, Sosia was not supposed to be in possession of any sort of Magical Items. Dumbledore had taken a risk in sending Sosia her wand. If discovered, the trunk's contents along with her possession of a wand… Well, her case would certainly skip right over Arthur Weasley's department and directly into the Exile Non-Compliance section of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The doorbell sounded, causing them both to jump.
"I'll answer it this time." Sosia looped the scarf around her neck, stuffed the gloves in her pockets, and headed for the front door. Remus followed, frowning slightly. It was early yet for the Knight Bus' arrival, the sky was barely beginning to darken. Sosia opened the door to… emptiness. Not a soul stirred out on the pavement, much less on the front stoop.
A shrill whistle pierced the air. Looking towards the noise's origin, just to the left of the front gate, Remus blinked nonplussed as the void of the street was filled by two men, a woman, and a violently purple double-decker bus all shimmering into existence.
The woman was wearing robes of a dark plum that complimented her pale complexion, deep brown eyes, and hair the color of toasted almonds that curled around her shoulders. Shorter than both her associates, she nevertheless gave an off impression of authority and confidence. She looked of an age with the older of the two men. Remus felt he ought to recognize her for some reason.
The two men accompanying her were as dissimilar as sun and shadow. The younger man was slim and tall, a clean-limbed youth with hair the color of burnished copper and eyes of slate blue. His robes were of an expensive looking russet material. The other was both shorter and stockier than his companion, a slightly older man with dark brown hair and a careworn face. He looked fit but tired, wearing business-like robes of a gray-green that set off eyes the color of sunlight through leaves.
Leaning upon a well-turned cane of Ash wood and walking with a pronounced limp, the older man came forward, revealing a brace on his left leg. As his uneven gait brought him closer to the pair in the doorway, he raised his free hand in greeting.
"Hello Sosia." His deep voice carried across the short distance that now separated him from the entranceway. He smiled slightly, as if in encouragement.
"Titus! What on earth brings you here?" Her tone conveyed both startlement and caution. If the surprises kept piling up like this, Sosia was going to go into shock before he got her to Hogwarts, Remus mused privately.
"Dumbledore sent Kirley and I," he gestured towards the younger man, "to accompany you to Hogwarts. Just in case." His eyes flickered to Remus.
"Lupin."
"Ferule." Remus responded in a neutral tone.
"And Thessily here happened to join us enroute, she has business of her own to conduct with the Headmaster." Titus continued, indicating the woman, who was standing somewhat apart from everyone else. Remus mind suddenly supplied him with the reason for her strange familiarity and he blushed a deep crimson. He devoutly hoped that she had forgotten by now the prank pulled on her by himself and the other Marauders in her fifth year.
Meanwhile, Titus had beckoned the young man forward for a more formal introduction. "Do you remember Kirley McCormack? He was a couple years behind our lot at Hogwarts, but…"
Remus had only a moment to wonder what the lead guitarist for the Weird Sisters was doing running errands for the Headmaster of Hogwarts when Sosia responded.
"Of course I remember Kirley." She turned to the young man and smiled warmly. "You were the fourth year that detangled that blasted 'Little Black Spot' prophecy."
He grinned back at her, obviously delighted that she'd recalled the incident. "Yes. That prophecy saved my life, so it did. Made for good lyrics too."
That explained what he was doing here, then. Now what about Miss Buckram and Mr. Ferule?
"We really should get going." Titus swept his hand back to indicate the impatient and curious faces of the Knight Bus' conductor and driver peering at them from out of the bus' front windscreen. "Are you ready?"
Sosia looked to Remus.
"I suppose we are as ready as we'll ever be," he replied and, picking up his bag, headed towards the bus, preceded by the other two men. Thessily had already reboarded.
"Oh wait!" Sosia dashed back into the house.
Remus had paused in the act of boarding the Knight Bus, half-turning, and had begun to wonder if he ought to go back in after her, when she came pelting back out, stuffing a small red velvet bag into her cloak pocket.
~~~
Remus stretched out on his bed and observed his traveling companions through sleep-hooded eyes. One would be hard-pressed to find a more unlikely group—a high-ranking Ministry official, a lawyer, a famous musician, an Exile, and a Werewolf. All we need is an escaped convict and we'll be complete, he thought with grim humor as he put his hands behind his head and crossed his ankles.
Thessily Buckram sat cross-legged on the bed across the aisle, various scrolls and parchments scattered around her. She had a copy of the Evening Prophet in one hand, a quill in the other, a blank scroll positioned by one knee, and a vaguely disturbed expression on her face as she read while absently chewing on the quill end. She had joined the Ministry shortly after leaving Hogwarts and had risen quickly through its ranks. Following in her father's footsteps, she chose to work in the Department of Mysteries and had just recently become the youngest head of that Department in five hundred years, at only thirty-nine years of age. Her grandmother, Gorgayse Buckram, had been a great beauty in both youth and old age—Remus recalled vividly his boyhood crush and the appropriately named Charms professor—and her granddaughter bid fair to outstrip her, though she was too driven and opinionated for Remus' taste. At least, that's how he remembered her from school.
To his left, Kirley sat half-reclined against the headboard of his bed, a magicked acoustic guitar in his hands. He was strumming softly and humming a slow and melancholy tune, quite unlike most of the Weird Sisters repertoire, seemingly oblivious to the bouncing and rocking of the bus around him. An enigma, Kirley had been four years below the Marauders at Hogwarts and a Ravenclaw on top of that, so Remus acquaintance with him did not extend past the visual recognition of the school hallways. Remus was deeply curious as to what part the young guitarist had to play in Dumbledore's grand scheme and how and why Kirley was involved in all this.
On the other side of Remus, Titus sat perched on the edge of Sosia's bed, his bad leg resting on the floor. Sosia was leaning on her side, left elbow propping her up and legs curled under her. Titus was describing some obscure facet of trial procedure, using his hands to illustrate it in the air. Titus Ferule, Attorney-at-Law. Not the first career Remus would have predicted for his formerly boisterous and flighty schoolmate. A Gryffindor a year ahead of the Marauders and the eldest of a pair of twin sons born to the Potions Master, Phiddipiddes Ferule, Titus had responded to the pressures of his position in life by determining at a young age to never make a firm decision on anything. "Indecisive Aggressive" was the term Lily had often used to describe him. " A Flake" was the term Sirius used. Remus had heard that the… accident had changed him. No longer the energetic young gadabout, he had become solemn and withdrawn, pursuing his chosen profession with a fierce drive that had given him a reputation as the most tenacious, knowledgeable, and incorruptible mind in the legal system. Not a man Remus would relish confronting in a court of law… or out of one, for that matter. He had also, unfortunately, discovered Remus' condition a few years back and was, as a consequence, somewhat suspicious of his every action and motive.
Sighing, Remus closed his eyes and fell into a shallower level of consciousness, not quite asleep but not quite awake either. The bus went trundling on, with infrequent stops to let off queasy passengers, as he rested uneasily. Finally, the young conductor called out "Hogsmeade" and Remus sat up, groaning, and began to gather his few belongings. Kirley preceded him off the bus, still humming softly to himself. Titus followed him, separating him subtly from the two female members of their entourage.
As Remus descended the steps to the street in front of the Three Broomsticks, his keen eyes caught a glimpse of movement across the street, a patch of velvety blackness moving among the shadows, and a small smile of surprise flitted across his features. Cautiously, he glanced back at Titus. To his great relief, Titus had his back to the street as he handed Thessily out of the bus.
"This is where I leave you." She announced, speaking for the first time after hours of silent travel. "I must locate Ludo Bagman, we've things to discuss." She strode away purposefully towards the Hog's Head.
"My, that sounds foreboding." Remarked Kirley, looking after Miss Buckram curiously.
"Yes, well she's taken charge of the search for Bertha Jorkins—at Fudge's personal request—and she has always taken her work very seriously. I wouldn't like to be in Ludo's shoes when she gets hold of him." Titus replied as he handed Sosia down from the bus.
"What's happened to Bertha Jorkins?" She inquired.
"Disappeared while on vacation in Albania last summer. Ludo wouldn't be in for it quite so badly if he hadn't neglected to do anything about it until well into Fall." Kirley shook his head. "She's a member of his department you see, Magical Games and Sports, and that makes the first responsibility for initiating a search his." He started off towards the castle as he finished his explanation. "I've a meeting to get to myself. I'll be seeing you Titus. Mr. Lupin, Miss Black, it's been a pleasure meeting you both again. I hope to renew the acquaintance under less time-restraint at a later date." And with a small salute, he was off.
"Come on," Titus gestured after Kirley's rapidly retreating back, "Dumbledore's expecting you."
He led them down the familiar road leading from the village to the school grounds. Surreptitiously, Remus glanced into the dark alleyways between the shops and homes lining the village square, but he did not catch another glimpse of the large dark shape he had recognized earlier. It was a relatively quick journey up to the castle and the three of them reached the gates in what seemed like no time at all.
"I have some business of my own to conduct, so I'll be leaving the two of you here—as per my instructions. The Headmaster will be waiting for you in his study." Though clearly unhappy with these arrangements, Titus nevertheless bowed stiffly and, turning towards the forest, strode off as quickly as his braced leg would allow.
That left Remus and Sosia standing alone at the open gateway to Hogwarts. A moment of awkward silence passed, then both spoke at the same time.
"Shall we go then?"
"We ought to get going."
Halting, they both laughed and as Sosia smiled, Remus gestured for her to precede him up the pathway to the main doors. As they reached the massive doors where torches blazed, a substantial shape loomed out of the shadowed darkness of the grounds into the torchlight.
"Who's there? Bless me, Professor Lupin. What're ye doin' here?" It was Hagrid, as loquacious as ever. "I've jist bin out waterin' them Beauxbaton horses." He stopped short when he had stepped fully into the light and caught sight of Sosia. A smile split the mass of black beard and crinkled in his eyes. "Well, if it in't young Miss Black." His countenance darkened as he verbalized her last name, clearing a moment later as he continued. "Imagine seein' you after all… " He paused. "Anyhow, it does me good ter see yer face agin, so it does." He clapped a massive hand on her shoulder and drew her into a bear hug.
"Ta Hagrid, it is good to see you too." Came her muffled reply. She gave him a strained smile as he released her, clearly nervous now that they were almost there.
"Well, I expect yer here ta see the Headmaster, so I'll let yer get on with it." Hagrid continued on to his original destination, the Groundskeeper's tool shed and went in.
Walking into the castle was like taking a step back in time. Last year had been like that for Remus and now was no different. He watched Sosia for her reaction to the sameness of it all.
"You almost expect James and Sirius to come rumbling down the staircase, flush with some grand new prank, don't you." She said softly, looking around with misty eyes.
"Yes, so very little has changed. But those few changes make worlds of difference in their own ways." He replied, and extending his hand, gestured for her to follow him. "Come." And he led the way towards the Gargoyle guarded entrance to the Headmaster's office.
Looking around the statue's base, he spotted a small phoenix carving and bending down he carefully put his left pinky finger over the chest of the figure. A small jolt went through his body and he looked back up at the gargoyle.
"Treacle Fudge."
Remus stepped back as the gargoyle leapt aside and the stairway was revealed. Stepping onto the moving spiral staircase, they rode up in companionable silence, as Remus contemplated once again what could possibly be so vitally important that Dumbledore would call them in so precipitously and send an escort.
Sosia stepped onto the landing and abruptly froze, causing Remus to have to catch himself quickly before he ran into her. Ahead of them, a door shut softly and Severus Snape turned to face the pair blocking the stairway.
Sosia had gone rigid as all the blood drained from her face. And, if anything, Snape looked even more perturbed at her sudden appearance—his eyes were wide with shock, his breath drawn in swift alarm, and the hand still resting on the door handle was white knuckled, as was his face.
The motionless tableau remained for what seemed like an age, then the door handle under Severus' hand moved and Dumbledore appeared in the open doorway.
"Ah, you've arrived. Excellent." Dumbledore broke the brittle silence easily. "Severus, would you be so good as to begin the implementation of the precautions we spoke of?"
"Of course, Headmaster." The Potions Master glided away with only a swift backward glance at the two new arrivals after he had begun his descent on the stairway they had hastily vacated for him.
"Come in, come in. We have much to discuss." And Dumbledore ushered them into his office and shut the door.
