A/N: I think you'll like this one. In some twisted way, I seriously
enjoyed writing it. Everyone seems to get stuck in that hole. (
Rising Shadows Chapter Fourteen - Emergency
"What is it?"
"There's an emergency at Hogwarts, sir!"
"Why haven't the teachers and Dumbledore taken care of it? Is it that bad?"
"The Hogwarts staff is taking care of the immediate problem, but there is another they're not aware of, sir!"
"Which is?"
"Two of the students are missing, and are being held captive in the forest, sir!"
"How do you know this if Hogwarts doesn't?"
"We received an owl from someone in the camp, Sir! It was signed 'D.L."
"."
"Sir?"
"Send the teams."
Rigel grabbed the weeping, sandy-haired boy's hair and pulled it back, exposing his bare neck. His pathetic excuse for a son began to beg. Rigel scoffed and kicked him, then pulled doubt a shiny silver knife. The Lupin boy whimpered and made a pathetic attempt to crawl away. Rigel tightened his grip and held the knife just above the boy's neck.
"You need to be taught a lesson, child." He addressed his son. "You need to learn your place."
He set the knife on Lupin's throat to prove his point. Lupin began to thrash and moan, and he hadn't even put any pressure on the blade yet. Pathetic Child. Lifting the knife, however, Rigel discovered a livid red mark where the blade had been. He examined it. It looked like a burn.
The evening sun bathed the camp in a blood-like red, before disappearing beneath the horizon. Rigel lowered the knife again to Lupin's throat. Flashed of yellow and red suddenly swept through the camp. Yells rang out as his fellow Death Eaters fell to the ground, stunned.
Rigel turned to finish his job, but before he could slit the child's throat, a heavy weight knocked him forward.
He threw out a hand to balance himself, but Lupin thrashed again and both fell forward into the hole.
Rigel struck his head on the hard bottom. He rubbed his eyes, trying to rid he head of the ringing noises of the battle when an unearthly howl filled the air. Right next to him.
He raised his head, and froze at the sight. Lupin was howling, his eyes were glowing, and his body was stretching.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The Lupins' had a son bitten by a werewolf - Rigel thought he'd died but here he was. The silver had burnt his skin.
Rigel had little time to reflect on all of this, however, because, obviously, he was stuck in a hole with a werewolf. A young werewolf, but a werewolf all the same.
Sirius crawled toward the hole - toward his friend - toward his father. A hand grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him away. Sirius clawed at the hand, but froze when he saw the face of the man restraining him.
It was a man he'd never met, but the sand colored hair and stunning but tired blue eyes were unmistakable.
A loud howl, very close, sounded through the camp, and Sirius lathed his arms around the man's neck, cowering. The man lifted him and carried him away. Lights flashed all around the camp, and screams pierced the air. But on scream stood out from the rest. Sirius recognized his father screaming now. But Lupin carried him through the battles without flinching.
James and Peter cowered behind a statue of a faun. Men in black cloaks and white masks ran through the halls - the same wizards who had attacked the ministry dinner. Once a group of four of the dark wizards had passed, the two boys snuck against eh wall into a boy's bathroom. They leaned against a full-length mirror to catch their breath.
"Next time," Peter said, "The teachers say 'Stay in the dormitories', we're staying in the dormitory."
"I agree." Said James.
James walked to the door and checked the knob. He locked it.
"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Peter.
"Just wait, I guess." James stood on his toes and extinguished a torch next to the mirror. Peter moved to put out the other one, but when he grabbed the handle to pull himself up, it moved, and the mirror dropped below the floor, revealing a dark passage.
The two boys gaped open-mouthed at the hidden passage. But as soon as James moved to enter it, a figure emerged from within the shadows.
Peter fell back behind James, and both had their wands pulled out and pointed at the figure. As it emerged, a man's deep voice said:
"It's okay. I've got Sirius."
And indeed he did. A familiar-looking man stepped off the stone steps leading underneath the school, and in his arms rested Sirius.
"Sirius! Are you alright?" But Sirius was unconscious.
".Where's Remus?" asked Peter.
"He'll be alright, but never mind that," said the man. "I need to get this boy to the hospital wing. Can one of you lead the way?"
James stared at him in shock. "What'ya mean, "never mind that!" Remus is our friend, where is he!"
"We need to get Sirius to the hospital wing. Remus is being taken care of."
Peter growled.
"We can't.we can't leave!"
"What?" the man frowned. "Why not?"
James glared at the man in frustration.
"There are dark wizards outside! We can't go out there."
The man put his ear against the wooden door of the bathroom. Then he unlocked the door.
"Hey!" shouted Peter.
"Who do you think you are? We can't just leave Remus, and there are dark wizards in the halls!"
The man turned with a small smile. Suddenly the gleam in his eye and his sandy-colored hair seemed to fit.
"My name is Daniel Lupin. I'm Remus's father, and I assure you, he's alright. I wouldn't just leave him. As for the wizards in the halls, well, just follow me. I'll take care of it."
"How?" asked Peter.
The man looked around at him as he opened the door. "I'm an auror, kid. It's my job."
Pressing himself against the wall, Mr. Lupin began to sneak down the hallway, signaling for the boys to follow him. Peter and James stared at each other for a moment, then, following Mr. Lupin's example, went after him.
A red flash lit the dark corridor. Mr. Lupin set Sirius on the ground and pulled out his own wand. He returned the fire with a string of curses neither James nor Peter recognized. Five bangs filled the hallway accompanied by five bright yellow flashes. Ahead of them, three figures fell. Another turned to run, but a sixth flash from Lupin's wand knocked him down.
Mr. Lupin led them down the many halls of Hogwarts. Dark wizards fired at them as they ran, but Mr. Lupin reflected them and shielded the boys following him. James and Peter carried Sirius between them as Lupin returned fire. As the hospital wing drew closer, Lupin slowed down. James and Peter rested Sirius against the wall, panting.
Mr. Lupin pressed himself flat against the wall and turned his head to peek through the door of the hospital wing.
BANG!!
Lupin flew backward against the opposite wall. James and Peter screamed and had run halfway down the hall before they turned to see dark- robed men dragging Sirius into the wing. They were shutting the hospital door before Lupin regained his wand and was firing curses neither boy knew or wanted to know.
The two hid themselves behind a suit of armor, which cowered as curses flew by from the other end of the hallway. James peeked around the cowardly armor toward the new wizards. Most of them were clad in the same dark red robes that Daniel Lupin wore, but among them also stood the various Hogwarts professors. James signaled to Peter, and the two Gryffindors sprinted toward their teachers.
For a moment the wands of the aurors turned their way, but then the Headmaster's voice boomed above the bangs of the curses.
"STOP!"
The firing ceased and James and Peter ran toward their Headmaster.
"To the Great Hall, boys. This is the last of them."
They nodded, relieved, and hurried off toward the Great Hall, where they found the rest of the students and professors waiting.
Rising Shadows Chapter Fourteen - Emergency
"What is it?"
"There's an emergency at Hogwarts, sir!"
"Why haven't the teachers and Dumbledore taken care of it? Is it that bad?"
"The Hogwarts staff is taking care of the immediate problem, but there is another they're not aware of, sir!"
"Which is?"
"Two of the students are missing, and are being held captive in the forest, sir!"
"How do you know this if Hogwarts doesn't?"
"We received an owl from someone in the camp, Sir! It was signed 'D.L."
"."
"Sir?"
"Send the teams."
Rigel grabbed the weeping, sandy-haired boy's hair and pulled it back, exposing his bare neck. His pathetic excuse for a son began to beg. Rigel scoffed and kicked him, then pulled doubt a shiny silver knife. The Lupin boy whimpered and made a pathetic attempt to crawl away. Rigel tightened his grip and held the knife just above the boy's neck.
"You need to be taught a lesson, child." He addressed his son. "You need to learn your place."
He set the knife on Lupin's throat to prove his point. Lupin began to thrash and moan, and he hadn't even put any pressure on the blade yet. Pathetic Child. Lifting the knife, however, Rigel discovered a livid red mark where the blade had been. He examined it. It looked like a burn.
The evening sun bathed the camp in a blood-like red, before disappearing beneath the horizon. Rigel lowered the knife again to Lupin's throat. Flashed of yellow and red suddenly swept through the camp. Yells rang out as his fellow Death Eaters fell to the ground, stunned.
Rigel turned to finish his job, but before he could slit the child's throat, a heavy weight knocked him forward.
He threw out a hand to balance himself, but Lupin thrashed again and both fell forward into the hole.
Rigel struck his head on the hard bottom. He rubbed his eyes, trying to rid he head of the ringing noises of the battle when an unearthly howl filled the air. Right next to him.
He raised his head, and froze at the sight. Lupin was howling, his eyes were glowing, and his body was stretching.
Suddenly, everything made sense. The Lupins' had a son bitten by a werewolf - Rigel thought he'd died but here he was. The silver had burnt his skin.
Rigel had little time to reflect on all of this, however, because, obviously, he was stuck in a hole with a werewolf. A young werewolf, but a werewolf all the same.
Sirius crawled toward the hole - toward his friend - toward his father. A hand grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him away. Sirius clawed at the hand, but froze when he saw the face of the man restraining him.
It was a man he'd never met, but the sand colored hair and stunning but tired blue eyes were unmistakable.
A loud howl, very close, sounded through the camp, and Sirius lathed his arms around the man's neck, cowering. The man lifted him and carried him away. Lights flashed all around the camp, and screams pierced the air. But on scream stood out from the rest. Sirius recognized his father screaming now. But Lupin carried him through the battles without flinching.
James and Peter cowered behind a statue of a faun. Men in black cloaks and white masks ran through the halls - the same wizards who had attacked the ministry dinner. Once a group of four of the dark wizards had passed, the two boys snuck against eh wall into a boy's bathroom. They leaned against a full-length mirror to catch their breath.
"Next time," Peter said, "The teachers say 'Stay in the dormitories', we're staying in the dormitory."
"I agree." Said James.
James walked to the door and checked the knob. He locked it.
"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Peter.
"Just wait, I guess." James stood on his toes and extinguished a torch next to the mirror. Peter moved to put out the other one, but when he grabbed the handle to pull himself up, it moved, and the mirror dropped below the floor, revealing a dark passage.
The two boys gaped open-mouthed at the hidden passage. But as soon as James moved to enter it, a figure emerged from within the shadows.
Peter fell back behind James, and both had their wands pulled out and pointed at the figure. As it emerged, a man's deep voice said:
"It's okay. I've got Sirius."
And indeed he did. A familiar-looking man stepped off the stone steps leading underneath the school, and in his arms rested Sirius.
"Sirius! Are you alright?" But Sirius was unconscious.
".Where's Remus?" asked Peter.
"He'll be alright, but never mind that," said the man. "I need to get this boy to the hospital wing. Can one of you lead the way?"
James stared at him in shock. "What'ya mean, "never mind that!" Remus is our friend, where is he!"
"We need to get Sirius to the hospital wing. Remus is being taken care of."
Peter growled.
"We can't.we can't leave!"
"What?" the man frowned. "Why not?"
James glared at the man in frustration.
"There are dark wizards outside! We can't go out there."
The man put his ear against the wooden door of the bathroom. Then he unlocked the door.
"Hey!" shouted Peter.
"Who do you think you are? We can't just leave Remus, and there are dark wizards in the halls!"
The man turned with a small smile. Suddenly the gleam in his eye and his sandy-colored hair seemed to fit.
"My name is Daniel Lupin. I'm Remus's father, and I assure you, he's alright. I wouldn't just leave him. As for the wizards in the halls, well, just follow me. I'll take care of it."
"How?" asked Peter.
The man looked around at him as he opened the door. "I'm an auror, kid. It's my job."
Pressing himself against the wall, Mr. Lupin began to sneak down the hallway, signaling for the boys to follow him. Peter and James stared at each other for a moment, then, following Mr. Lupin's example, went after him.
A red flash lit the dark corridor. Mr. Lupin set Sirius on the ground and pulled out his own wand. He returned the fire with a string of curses neither James nor Peter recognized. Five bangs filled the hallway accompanied by five bright yellow flashes. Ahead of them, three figures fell. Another turned to run, but a sixth flash from Lupin's wand knocked him down.
Mr. Lupin led them down the many halls of Hogwarts. Dark wizards fired at them as they ran, but Mr. Lupin reflected them and shielded the boys following him. James and Peter carried Sirius between them as Lupin returned fire. As the hospital wing drew closer, Lupin slowed down. James and Peter rested Sirius against the wall, panting.
Mr. Lupin pressed himself flat against the wall and turned his head to peek through the door of the hospital wing.
BANG!!
Lupin flew backward against the opposite wall. James and Peter screamed and had run halfway down the hall before they turned to see dark- robed men dragging Sirius into the wing. They were shutting the hospital door before Lupin regained his wand and was firing curses neither boy knew or wanted to know.
The two hid themselves behind a suit of armor, which cowered as curses flew by from the other end of the hallway. James peeked around the cowardly armor toward the new wizards. Most of them were clad in the same dark red robes that Daniel Lupin wore, but among them also stood the various Hogwarts professors. James signaled to Peter, and the two Gryffindors sprinted toward their teachers.
For a moment the wands of the aurors turned their way, but then the Headmaster's voice boomed above the bangs of the curses.
"STOP!"
The firing ceased and James and Peter ran toward their Headmaster.
"To the Great Hall, boys. This is the last of them."
They nodded, relieved, and hurried off toward the Great Hall, where they found the rest of the students and professors waiting.