Disclaimer : - The world of Harry Potter isn't mine – wish it was – but belongs to JK Rowling… anything from the books is hers not mine…. Anything else is probably mine. Not getting anything but fun from writing this etc etc etc….
The fic is Rate R ….. if you are not old enough to read it etc then please don't
Spanning the River of Blood
By Ridley-Roo
Chapter 3 - Beginnings
Lupin walked slowly along the corridors, wandering aimlessly. It was the wandering that
was important rather than where he was going. The relentless action of placing one foot
in front of the other helped him to think, and corridors were much better than pacing a
room. In his mind he went over the meeting earlier that night, and in particular his
conversation at the end with Dumbledore. That they were now in a race to find this
intruder was clear, and the enormity of the implications was frightening.
'By tomorrow we should have a better idea of the task, but we must consider the
possibility that whoever it is may not wish to come to Hogwarts.' The headmaster's
words repeated themselves in his mind.
Coming upon a flight of stairs he sat down and pressed his head down into his hands.
What would this person be capable of, and how was he going to get them safely back to
Hogwarts? Would they turn out to be friend or foe? The latter option was not worth
considering. Voldemort grew stronger everyday and the ability to come into Hogwarts
freely would place them at a severe disadvantage. As the worries and fears raged round
in his mind, sleep slowly crept up to claim him at last.
The sun was already well above the horizon when he woke to a stiff neck and numb legs.
Cursing himself for his lack of common sense, Lupin stood up and stretched. It had been
years since he had fallen asleep on a Hogwarts staircase like that and he felt rather
sheepish about it. As the crick in his neck started to ease off he decided that life would
definitely look better on a full stomach and set off for breakfast.
On entering the Great Hall the lively banter of the students enjoying a late Saturday
morning breakfast helped raise his spirits. This familiar sight helped to remind him that
all was not lost yet and in fact they might be on the brink of gaining a new ally. With this
thought to cheer him he made his way over to the Gryffindor table to sit with some
friendly faces,
'Not having much for breakfast you two?' he asked as he started to fill up his own plate
which had just materialised in front of him.
'They seem to think that starving themselves of good food will help keep everyone safe,'
scoffed Ron as he tucked into a plate full of bacon, eggs and beans, with a side order of
toast.
Harry and Hermione both scowled at Ron and despite himself Lupin had to smile.
Despite the differences in age he consider these three his friends and just sitting their
listening helped to calm him.
After leaving the headmasters study the previous night Severus Snape had gone back
down to the dungeons where his office and private laboratory were located. After
starting the potion requested by Dumbledore and leaving it to simmer he had turned his
attention to finding out what he was making. A methodical search of his private library
proved fruitless and he had then moved onto the school library. No doubt Madam Pince
the librarian would be most upset when she discovered several shelves worth of books
missing in the morning. However it had been all in vain as he still didn't know what the
potion was.
He ate his breakfast early and was therefore on his way back to finish up the potion by
the time Lupin entered the Great Hall. So he had no idea that Lupin was still at Hogwarts
when he finally made his way back up to the Headmasters Office, potion in hand. He
also had no idea what the Headmaster had in mind for them both, which was probably for
the best.
Lupin was holed up in the Library when the owl came from Dumbledore. Replacing the
book he was reading he felt the knot in his stomach tighten as he headed to the meeting.
The knot tightened further when he entered to find Snape making himself at home in one
of the large chairs by the fire. He knew that Snape hated him and try as he might he
couldn't get the man to move past that hate, so he simply nodded an acknowledgement as
he moved to sit in another chair.
'Thank you for coming Remus,' Dumbledore greeted him before turning to Snape and
holding out his hand. Snape pulled a vial out from some secret pocket and placed it in his
hand. 'Now if you will follow me gentlemen.'
Both men stood and followed him over to an alcove in the far wall which appeared to be
made of solid stone. Dumbledore raised his wand and muttered a few words that neither
Lupin or Snape could make out and the solid looking stone became transparent. Then
without looking back Dumbledore stepped forward.
Lupin went next and Snape brought up the rear. Snape made a mental note that from the
look on Lupin's face he hadn't known of this passage either and started to study his
surroundings. They were descending down a spiral staircase which was coated with a
thick layer of dust containing a couple of sets of prints which looked like they had been
made very recently. The light was coming down from the ceiling and was a warm golden
colour.
Some time later when Snape estimated they must be far below the level of the dungeons
they came to a beautiful arched doorway which lead out into a large cavern. The floor
was smooth and the walls and roof were dimly visible. Dumbledore walked forward with
confidence and following him they came to what appeared to be raised area with some
sort of gyroscope on top.
'Now I must ask both of you to follow my instructions in this place.' The headmaster
looked to both men to gain their agreement before continuing. 'In a moment you will be
able to see the energy flows which form the wards around Hogwarts. Then, thanks to the
potion Professor Snape has prepared, we will follow the imprint left by our mystery
guest. We will then know who they are and also roughly where they are. At that point if
conditions are favourable, I would like you both to step into the 'Concentrator',' he
motioned to the gyroscope, 'which will transport you to them. Remus it is your job to
bring them back to Hogwarts, Severus your job is to bring Remus back.'
Once again he turned to both men for agreement. This time it was somewhat slower in
coming, but slowly they both nodded.
'Very well then. Let us begin.' Raising his wand he directed a beam of light towards the
concentrator which started to spin.
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