Part Six

Dumbledore looked at the two men in front of him with an awe and wonderment not often found in his eyes. He was not a man who was easily surprised. It was a refreshing change of pace.

Days ago, his senses told him that Severus and Sirius were searching in vain for Remus. And, even though he felt that they would only become more dispirited than they already were, he did not voice his doubts. Some part of his persistent heart hoped that the partnership would turn into something more, something both men desperately needed.

In many ways it had. Sirius Black had color in his face again. His eyes were wild with excitement over their theory and over the prospect that they had stumbled onto the key to the impossible. His gestures were animated, and it was obvious he was about to burst waiting for a response from his former headmaster. Severus Snape was more subdued, but only Albus Dumbledore, who had seen him at his best and worst, could see the subtle signs that indicated he was as jubilant as his cohort.

Severus carefully chose the emotions he allowed the world to see; most often he hid behind a veneer of anger and exasperation. Today however, his normally sour expression was replaced by a placid one. He spoke with a calm resolve that replaced the usual venom and biting sarcasm that was so often found in his tones. Most telling, however, were his hands -- hands that lay on his lap with his left thumb and forefinger slowly rubbing back and forth. Hands that showed he was anxious and restless. They both sat restlessly waiting to hear what Albus thought, the last vestiges of patience quickly disappearing.

And Albus did have a few thoughts on the subject, though he wondered if he would be telling them what they wanted to hear. He hated this part -- disappointing the children. How often had he told himself that he was sparing them by only telling them the things they truly needed to know? How often had he told himself that the world could be such a cruel place and youth and innocence so fleeting that he was only protecting them? But these were not children. They hadn't been for a long, long time. They were men. They were soldiers. They deserved to know his feelings on their theory; the inevitable could only be postponed for so long.

"Your theory is a compelling one." His voice, raspy and dry, cracked, an outward sign of a life nearing the end of a remarkable journey. "It is possible that Madame Hooch convinced Remus that she could protect him in this way. She was an expert in Charms. It most probably would have been her idea, and she would have been the one who executed the charm." He paused. Yes, the inevitable. "There does appear to be a few problems with your speculations, however." Another pause to allow the gravity of those words to settle seemed an eternity to the hopeful. "Firstly, the charm was meant to hide someone in a specific spot. Remus was traveling, so the charm would have to have been modified to allow for movement. Changing the charm, even slightly, would make it an entirely new charm, meaning the rules that applied to the old charm would no longer be relevant. In the original Fidelius Charm, if the Secret Keeper dies, the person in hiding would be released unless the charm was set to automatically transfer to another person. Considering that no one has come forward, I must conclude that they did not take that precaution, or the back-up died as well."

"So if she was his Secret Keeper, then Remus would have been released upon her death and would no longer be in hiding," Sirius asked, his voice refusing to show the slightest hint of concern, though his face was not as convincing.

"Correct."

Snape knew Dumbledore well enough to know there was more. "Albus," he asked in his customary drawl, "what could happen if they had altered the Charm?"

Albus stiffened, and Snape noticed there was no trace of the twinkle in those ancient blue eyes.

Albus sighed. "If they altered the charm, there is a possibility that Remus would never be released. There is a possibility that he would remain hidden…forever."

Sirius was dumbstruck. "You said Maura was an expert."

"She was," Albus contended. "She was next in line to be our Charms master when Filius retired."

"As an expert, wouldn't she have known that there was the danger of trapping Remus?" Sirius asked, his voice rising steadily, displaying the emotions he was never good at hiding.

"Possibly."

"So there is a chance that she altered the charm further in case something should come to pass."

"There is always a chance," Albus replied, his voice full of sorrow. "But one has to wonder how much time they actually had and if it was something she thought could happen." He took a moment to stare at the two men in front of him. "She would not be the only person who thought herself invincible."

Sirius was struggling to maintain control over his emotions, over the situation, over anything. "Maura loved Remus. She would never endanger him."

Dumbledore was struggling as well. "Not purposely, of course. But who is to say it wasn't something they overlooked?"

"Because she was devoted to Remus. That should be enough of a reason. She wouldn't be careless. If she was capable enough of altering the Charm in the first place, she would be capable enough to make a back door for Remus, wouldn't she?"

"Whether she had the ability is not in question." Albus said evenly, seeing that Sirius was not handling the discussion well. "What is in question is whether or not she had the time to do it, and if she even considered the possibility that something would happen to her."

Severus listened to the exchange in silence, carefully absorbing the words that volleyed through the air. Voices were getting frantic, and the optimism that once permeated the room was quickly vanishing. "If I may interrupt for a moment." Both men looked at him with a start, as if they had forgotten he was even in the room. "No one was safe then, Albus," he said in an unexpectedly soft voice. "We were all painfully aware that we could be next, especially since we were at Hogwarts with everyone Voldemort either wanted to join him or whom he wanted dead and out of the way. Let us go on the assumption that they did account for the possibility, as they were both well aware of the danger we were all in. If they did alter the Charm, what could they have done to ensure Remus had a way back?"

Albus wondered when he had turned into the pragmatist, and Severus into the idealist. "There are a few things, I suppose. They could reintroduce the default release, but again, no one came forward, and he is still missing. So chances are they chose another route." He paused to gather his thoughts. "They could have added another charm to the first with a portal for his liberty."

"What kind of Charm?" Sirius was getting excited again.

"An incantation or enchantment that would allow someone else to liberate him."

Severus spoke up again: "You once told me, that as she lay dying, she said his name."

Albus simply nodded.

"Did she say anything else or make any movements?"

"Not that I remember." I'm sorry, child.

Sirius heard the words that were spoken, and the ones that were not. All this was, was another wall. He and Severus had faced enough of them. But Sirius was a quick learner; if you can't go through it, you go around. He had a thought. "Headmaster, do you know how they first met that Christmas break in fourth year."

"I do," he replied slowly.

"Something happened that neither would ever talk about, something that made them loyal friends. Do you know what it was?"

He hesitated. "I do."

"Perhaps, the answer is there."

Albus remained silent, his eyes guarded and his hands making tight fists. Severus recognized the stance and also recognized it meant there was a story hidden behind it. Sorry, headmaster, but we have come too far to stop now. He spoke slowly. "Headmaster, I realize it was something that no one else was meant to hear, otherwise we would have found out. I think in this situation, however, it could help us. I think Remus and Madame Hooch would understand if you told us because we are only looking to help him. If they did do all that we think they did, it was done in the name of loyalty and friendship, and they would understand us doing the same…please, Albus."

There was pain and sorrow, regret and… fear, emotions Albus could only remember hearing in Snape's voice once before, the night he turned from Voldemort and came home.

Albus Dumbledore was a man who never broke a promise, but his first promise was to protect all those in his care. That promise superceded all others. It was that promise that allowed him to even consider the possibility of breaking a decades-old pledge he made to two young children who had been through so much. He let out a long deep sigh. Some choices were really not choices at all. He would break a confidence to save a life, and hopefully he would be forgiven.

"It was a very long time ago," he began. "Voldemort was slowly gaining power, turning one person at a time to his side. There was a group here at the school at the time looking for candidates, a group of Seventh Years lead by Evan Rosier. Maura Hooch was a charms prodigy, and she was an athlete with astounding flying skills. It was an intriguing combination for a man aspiring to take over the world.

"It was the day after Christmas, and the school was empty save a handful of students, including Maura and Remus. Remus kept mostly to himself, as did Maura. On the night of the full moon, Remus decided to go to the Shack early, as he was planning on studying there before his transformation. On his way, he noticed a group of people leaving the Castle, and they were dragging something large, wrapped in a blanket. He hid behind some shrubbery to keep from being spotted, and then planned to run to the Shack…..until he saw the blanket move. The blanket moved again, and this time he saw Evan Rosier kick it and he heard a whimper-- a decidedly female whimper.

"He had no time to run for help, so he followed them. They came to a clearing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. The boys unwrapped the blanket to reveal Maura Hooch. It appeared she had been brutalized quite severely. Remus watched as they taunted her, telling her she was in for much worse if she did not agree to join them. She refused to speak. Within minutes, six hooded figures entered the clearing -- Death Eaters -- and they wanted Maura Hooch.

"Remus started to panic for the girl but was afraid of what would happen to her if he left and went for help. There was no assurance that they would be there when he returned. To make matters worse, the moon was about to rise. It was then that he made a decision. He remained…. and he transformed….and he attacked.

"A werewolf ran into the clearing and managed to kill two Death Eaters before the rest ran off. When they were alone, the wolf walked to Maura and stood next to her. He stood guard until the sun came up, making sure no one else touched her. She waited for him to transform and together they came to see me.

"You can imagine this caused a bit of a dilemma. If we punished Evan Rosier and his group, we would have had to explain what happened that night. It would not have mattered that Remus was protecting Maura; it would not have mattered what they did to her. They would have found out about Remus, and he would have been destroyed. He was willing to face that…. but she was not. She begged me to keep him safe. I did and have done all I can to protect them both all these years."

Sirius paled more and more as Dumbledore told his tale. It simply was not true—it could not be true. In a hoarse voice, he whispered, "Remus killed?"

"Yes, he did," the headmaster replied, the disbelief showing in his own words.

It was hard for anyone in the room to picture the gentle Remus Lupin as a killer. Remus, with his easy smile and shy disposition, was not a murderer. How easy it was to forget that he harbored a beast in his very skin. But it explained so much about their bond. Severus remembered a conversation with Sirius that seemed to have occurred a lifetime ago. 'We loved each other, Severus. To understand how much you need to understand the difference between knowing you would die for someone and knowing you would kill for them.'

Sirius was thinking the same thing. "To save her? He killed to save her life, to save her from Voldemort."

"Yes."

"What happened after that night?" Sirius asked, staring at the wall behind the headmaster's chair, trying to reconcile his present and his past.

"They were inseparable for the next two weeks," Dumbledore offered. "They spent a lot of time roaming the castle."

"Anywhere in particular?"

Albus paused. "Now that you mention it, yes -- in the dungeons."

Severus looked up in surprise. "Neither was a Slytherin. Why would they be in the dungeons?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted.

"Was there anything in the dungeons that they would be interested in?"

"You would have to tell me, Severus."

Severus closed his eyes and Albus could almost see his thoughts.

Severus spent so much time trying to forget his past, being forced to relive it so vividly now was painful -- emotionally yes – but also physically. He ached. His muscles ached, his head ached, his eyes ached. He could feel the remnants of his nerve endings throb and pulse and pound with pain. Was this what it felt like to purge one's body of decades-old venom and poison? Was this what confession felt like? Absolution? Redemption?

No one liked to think of the dungeons and what dwelt there. Spawning ground to mold, toxins and hate, it would always be the place that took an ambitious Tom Riddle and bred a depraved criminal: Voldemort. Why would Remus be drawn there? What could have been down there?

Severus traveled back in time, his mind crossing two decades to a rumor that had floated around for years—one that had a few of his acquaintances pre-occupied for months. The dungeons were used to store things, sometimes. Things people had no idea where else to place, things people wanted out of the way, much like the Slytherins themselves. What could have attracted them so, that they frequented a place that could have been dangerous? There was something. "Yes, there was something down there. Something stored in the back rooms only a few of us knew about."

"What? Severus, what?" Sirius couldn't read the look in his eyes.

"The Mirror of Erised."