Harry Potter and his whole world belong to JK Rowling. I am borrowing a few characters from her.
Confestim Portus
Harry gasped as he stared at the back of the bus. The limp forms of two people fell from one of the upper decks of the bus. Stan and Ernie had both jumped up, along with Remus, wands held out in front of them. Harry was more than willing to put his life in Remus' hands, but he wasn't too sure of either Stan or Ernie's abilities. He felt Ron move and knew that he, too, had drawn his wand. Harry did the same. Remus looked over his shoulder at them, telling them silently with his eyes not to move. High, cold laughter filled the demolished bus and Harry scar burned again. Ron swallowed audibly. He'd never come face to face with Voldemort and, judging from how white he'd gone, had never intended to.
"Ah, look. A couple of talentless, near squibs. And a werewolf. Dear me, I am frightened." Voldemort's mocking tone made Harry's blood boil. "And look- two Mudbloods, already dead." His voice became cold, losing its mocking edge. "Where is he, werewolf?"
If Harry had any doubt to Remus' bravery, it quickly dissipated. Remus was a true Gryffindor. He kept his back straight and his head high as he stared straight into Voldemort's eyes.
"Where is who, Tom?"
Voldemort's face turned stony.
"Tom is dead, werewolf. Now answer me, or I shall take you from him as well."
Harry felt, more than heard, Hermione and Ginny both gasp, somewhere to his right. Ron had gone, if possible, even whiter. Harry felt his heart begin to race at the thought of losing Remus as well.
"I still don't know of whom you are speaking," Remus said calmly, his eyes dark, boring into Voldemort.
"Don't play games with me, werewolf. You will lose."
"Maybe. Someday. Not today, however. Impedimenta!"
Voldemort was blasted off his feet. Harry saw him flying backwards, and land with a thud on his back almost 50 feet away. Remus quickly turned and grabbed the pillow off the bed. "Portus," he muttered. "Harry, I want you all to take this portkey. It will take you to Headquarters. Go quickly; I will be along in a short while."
"No, Remus, we can't leave you here!" Harry argued.
"Harry, I can take care of myself, you are more important than I am, and you are underage. Now go! Quickly, before he comes back!"
Harry whipped the Cloak off his head and glared at Remus.
"Not. Without. You." he spoke slowly and clearly, as if to a child. Remus simply glared at him and grabbed his arm.
"I am not going to be hurt, Harry. I will see you shortly. Now go!"
He forced Harry's hand onto the pillow. The others grabbed it as well as Harry felt the jerk behind his navel. He landed with a thud in the study of number 12, Grimmauld Lane. "Remus!" Harry screamed, throwing the pillow away from him as hard as he could. Hermione and Ginny were on the floor, Ron was helping them up. Harry started pacing. "Where is he?" he threw at Ron. Ron was still awfully pale.
"I don't know, Harry. I don't know."
Ron flung himself into a chair, looking lost. Hermione and Ginny were both in tears. Harry ignored all three and resumed pacing.
"What is going on here?"
Charlie Weasley had appeared in the doorway. Harry looked at him in surprise, but ignored him as well. He continued to pace.
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked, answering Charlie's question with a question.
"I'm on holiday. I thought I'd come here and see if the Order could use my help. I've only just arrived. Ginny? Are you alright? Hermione? Ron, what is going on?" Charlie came into the room, his face tight with worry.
"Remus," Hermione sobbed. "We were attacked by V-Voldemort, and Remus made us take a portkey here, and he stayed!"
She buried her face into her hands, sobbing. Ginny was beside her, tears were also streaming down her cheeks.
Charlie looked around at each of them. "But what-?"
"We were at the Ministry," Ron said quietly. "Remus and Harry went to the Ministry, and we followed." He indicated Hermione and Ginny. "An idea that either Harry or Remus had involved going to the Ministry. It worked, and we've been there for a while. We were on our way back here, when You-Know-Who attacked the Knight Bus. Remus turned a pillow into a portkey and sent us here; he actually forced Harry to come. We thought he was right behind us, but..." Ron trailed off.
Charlie had his hands in his hair and he was white. He quickly sat on an armchair across from Ron. He watched as Harry paced. Hermione had stopped sobbing, but silent tears were still slipping down her cheeks. She and Ginny sat on the floor, both holding on to the other, praying for Remus' return. Ron kept twisting his wand in his hands, as though aching to go back for Remus.
"What was the idea?" Charlie asked suddenly after nearly an hour had passed. Harry stopped pacing, his eyes on the wall. "You don't have to tell me if you wish."
Harry nodded, his hands clenched into fists. He was still very angry, but also praying that Remus would be Apparating in at any moment. He couldn't lose the last link he had to his parents. Not so soon after Sirius had died. Especially now that he and Remus had gotten so close.
"We went to speak to Sirius," Harry said softly. He sighed, turning to face Charlie, whose eyes were the size of galleons. "We charmed some mirrors, sent one through the veil and waited. It took hours, but Sirius answered." Harry smiled softly, sadly. "I got to speak to him once more." He felt incredible guilt well up in him. "And now I've gotten Remus killed, just because I was so selfish and wanted to talk to him."
It tore at his heart, saying those words aloud. But he knew they must be true. He knew that Remus, like Sirius, would never keep him waiting, not if he could help it. There was nothing else for it. Remus was gone.
Hermione had started sobbing once more. Ron went over to comfort his sister and his friend. Harry only stood there, wrapped up in his guilt and his anguish.
"Harry-" Charlie started.
"Don't you tell me that it's not my fault," Harry snarled. "It is. He wouldn't have been there, if not for me."
He began pacing once more. Come on, Remus. Please.
There was a sudden flash in the room. Charlie dove, knocking Harry to the floor. Charlie had his wand out in an instant, as did Harry. Ron was blocking the two girls behind him. They stared at the spot where the flash had been. A single golden feather floated to the floor. "Fawkes?" Harry asked softly.
What did the feather mean? Back at Hogwarts, last Christmas, it was a warning; it had meant that Umbridge was coming for them.
There was a second flash and Fawkes the phoenix was there. Clinging to his tail feathers was Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Head of the Order of the Phoenix. Remus was there as well. Or rather, Remus' body. Dumbledore's hand was on his shoulder. Remus' eyes were closed and he was limp and lifeless.
"No!" Harry yelled, starting forward. Charlie grabbed his shoulders, keeping him away from Remus. Harry fought with all he was worth, trying to get away from Charlie. The lights in the room suddenly flared to life and Mr and Mrs Weasley, along with Bill, came rushing into the room.
"What are you all - Remus!" Mrs Weasley let out a yelp. Mr Weasley went pale and stared at the floor where Remus lay.
Harry continued to fight against Charlie's grip, but Charlie wasn't letting go.
Bill stood there, stunned. "What happened?" he asked furiously. "What the hell is going on?" Dumbledore ignored him. He stood and looked Harry in the eyes. He looked very old.
"He is not dead, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "However, he won't wake, not for several hours, perhaps days. He was about to Apparate when Voldemort caught him with the Cruciatus Curse and Macnair Stunned him. It was lucky that he'd managed to get hold of me through the Order's Communication Charm. I arrived in time to grab him and leave. A few more minutes and Voldemort would have taken him prisoner. He would have tortured him, trying to break him."
Harry gripped his wand tighter, trying to keep his hands from shaking. Willing his voice not to break, he asked, "What about Stan Shunpike and the driver? Ernie? And those other two?"
Dumbledore's eyes flickered. "The two who were in the upper decks didn't make it, Harry. Stan managed to Apparate safely, but they got Ernie with a Stunning spell just as he Apparated. He was splinched, but I managed to distract them long enough to get Ernie out of there as well. He is in St. Mungo's now."
Harry's guilty feelings had intensified when Dumbledore had told them about the two innocent passengers. He was relieved, however, to hear that Stan and Ernie were okay.
"You do not have to answer at this time, Harry, but might I enquire as to why you and Remus, as well as Mr Weasley and Miss Granger and Miss Weasley were at the Ministry tonight?"
Several pairs of eyes turned to Harry. Hermione had stopped crying as soon as Professor Dumbledore had said that Remus was alive. She now sat on the floor next to him, clutching his hand. Her eyes were the only pair not on him.
"Sir, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say. Yet, anyway."
Dumbledore said nothing, only continued to hold Harry's gaze. He nodded once.
"Very well."
He looked around the room.
"There is nothing more I can do here," he said to Mr and Mrs Weasley. "I will be in touch." He reached up and grabbed Fawkes' tail feathers again, and in a flash, they were gone.
*
Mrs Weasley was very angry with Harry, but she never said a word. She didn't yell at him, or curse him when his back was turned. But she was angry, all the same. Harry could tell. Her eyes would harden slightly when she looked at him and she was very polite.
Remus, however, was recuperating nicely. It was most unfortunate that two days after he came round, there was a full moon. Bill turned out to be very good at Potions and was making the Wolfsbane for him each month, which explained why he was living at Headquarters.
After the full moon, Remus was weaker than he'd ever been, barely able to sit up in bed long enough to drink a glass of water. Every time Harry looked at him, his guilty feelings intensified. Finally Remus snapped.
"If you're going to continue looking at me like I might explode, or if you keep being so reserved around me, Harry, I'm going to hit you with a tickling hex!" Remus glared at him. "This is not your fault! I am 36 years old and completely capable of making my own decisions! I chose to stay and fight, I chose to go to the Ministry. Now stop feeling guilty!" He lay back against his pillows, his eyes closed, breathing deeply. Clearly, yelling had knocked the wind out of him.
"I am sorry, Remus," Harry said quietly. "It nearly killed me, thinking that I'd lost you as well."
Remus nodded. "I know. And I apologize, Harry, but unfortunately we are at war, and casualties are always a part of war. I had to fight, Harry. Don't you see? There were innocent people on that bus, and I could defend them. There are things worth dying for." Remus looked at him soberly. "You are worth dying for. Whether you like it or not, you are very important to the wizarding world. You heard the prophecy. If you are...taken, then Voldemort wins. Nobody can stop him but you." He grinned suddenly. "Besides, didn't Sirius ever tell you? I was a duelling champion in my Hogwarts days. I whipped him and your father many times."
Harry smiled in spite of himself. He could just see Remus duelling with Sirius or his dad. "Now come and play some wizard chess with me, Harry. I'm dreadfully bored."
So he played. For the rest of that day, and for hours at a time every day after that. Remus, it turned out, was as good as Ron, if not better, when it came to wizard chess. When they weren't playing chess, they would sit and talk, mainly about Harry's parents and Sirius. Remus would have Harry in stitches on the floor when he'd tell him about many of the Marauder's pranks and adventures.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who was fast becoming a very good friend, would often sit in the Harry and Remus. Remus was recuperating slowly, but he was stronger every day, and soon he was up and about. He helped them with the cleaning, and anything that required magic, Remus was only too happy to provide it. He seemed to enjoy just being around Harry, although sometimes Harry would catch Remus watching him when he thought Harry wasn't looking. He'd always look away, but Harry had glimpsed sadness in his eyes on every occasion.
The last day of the summer break dawned bright and sunny. Had it dawned to match the mood of the wizarding world, it would have been raining and bleak.
Hedwig swooped into Harry's window first thing in the morning. Harry noticed right away that she carried a copy of the Daily Prophet in her beak. As he was not subscribing to the newspaper, Harry was somewhat concerned. It turned out that he had right to be.
When he unfurled the paper, the very first thing he noticed was the smouldering remnants of a building that looked vaguely familiar. The second thing he noticed were the wizard pictures of Sirius and Bellatrix Lestrange staring out at him from the bottom corner. The caption read:
House in Little Hangleton Demolished by You-Know-Who's Most Faithful Supporters.
Harry felt a surge of anger as he read the line again. Dumbledore had told Fudge that Sirius had gone through the veil in June. Dumbledore had told Fudge about Sirius' innocence over and over, yet Fudge had never listened. And now, even after Sirius was gone, Fudge was still trying to make Sirius out to be a dangerous murderer. And what's more, even after the Prophet had announced the return of Voldemort, he was still trying to pin anything strange on Voldemort's supporters, rather than Voldemort himself. He couldn't speak for his anger. He flung the paper at Ron, who had been just as curious as he had been. Ron's mouth dropped and his eyes widened as he read. Harry watched his friend's eyes darken with anger.
"He's still trying to blame Sirius," Ron snarled as he flung the paper aside.
"I wonder why Voldemort destroyed the house," Harry wondered aloud. "When I saw him in that dream where he killed that old Muggle, he was living in that house. I wonder if that means that he's found a new place to stay."
"Maybe Crouch's place," Ron said absently.
"Could be."
As soon as they entered the kitchen they could tell that Remus had seen the article. It was so strange to see their usually calm former professor stalking around the kitchen in such a rage that Ginny and Hermione were both cowering at the table for fear that he might notice them.
"Goddamn well dead for a bloody month, and they're still badgering him!" Remus growled, slamming a teapot on the table so hard that it shattered into tiny pieces and splashed hot tea over them all. "Shit!"
"I've got it, Remus," Mrs Weasley said quietly, entering behind Ron and Harry, who had stayed close to the door, awestruck at Remus' temper. "Reparo," Mrs Weasley said with a flick of her wand. The teapot came together.
Remus stalked back over to the stove. He'd obviously been up for a while; he'd made breakfast.
"Remus-" Harry started.
Remus turned, glaring at him. Harry decided not to finish his sentence. He could almost see the wolf in Remus' eyes.
"Will you two please stop cringing at me!" Remus nearly shouted at Hermione and Ginny. "I'm not going to bloody eat you!"
He slammed plate after plate on the table. Harry goggled at the amount of food that he'd made. There was hardly room on the table for them to actually eat any of it. Remus slammed the last plate on the table and stormed out of the room. Harry started after him. Mrs Weasley grabbed his arm as he passed.
"Leave him be, Harry," she said softly.
Harry looked at her, and for the first time in three weeks, she looked back at him. There was no anger in her eyes. "He's angry at that article."
"I am too, but I'm not bit-"
"Reducto!" Remus' shout stopped Harry in midsentence. There was a sound of something exploding, a clatter of debris. Eyes wide, Harry ran out of the kitchen, Mrs Weasley and the others on his heels.
The stairs were covered in white dust and chunks of sheet rock. Harry's mouth dropped as he looked up the stairs. The wall was completely gone. Remus had destroyed every inch of it. One of the house-elf heads had bounced down the stairs and came to a rest not far from Harry's feet. It spun slowly and came to a halt, its eyes glaring up at Harry. Harry shuddered.
Remus was nowhere to be seen.