http://www.geocities.com/halutirius/moonlithorizons
for spoilers on future chapters, art from the chapters and random thoughts…
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OK. Back to business, sorry I spilled various bits of my guts in the past few authors notes, it had to spill some time! This isn't a happy chapter by the way… L Oh, a lot of what Draezyc says comes from Linkin Park "one step closer" listen to that and you've got the exact tone and pitch of Draezyc Snape's voice. If you ever want to listen to my Sirius, check out Sum 41's In too Deep… Can't you just imagine him in skater pants and sneakers jumping about with an electric guitar?!!!??? Hehehehe…. He's my Sam Russo type of guy (bloke I know who reminds me of Sirius) Sadly I know no Remuses or Snapes… I know a Peter Pettigrew…. And a female Colin Creevey… arg! Anyhoo---
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"Everything she says to me, brings me one step closer to the edge and I'm about to break. I need a little room to breathe..."
"I cannot take this anymore… Draezyc if it bothers you so much why don't you just go back home? The roof is fixed and it isn't like the Dark Lord is after you anymore. "
"Why do we always seem to want what we can't have?"
"Because we're Misunderstood Slytherins that's why."
"Was that sardonic humour I detected there?" Draezyc challenged
"Perhaps."
Remus smothered a smile at Snape's attempt at cheering up his wife. Today was the big ceremony in Hogsmeade to celebrate Bonfire Night. Normally the students would not have been there to take part, but this year was the 250th official Hogsmeade Gala Celebrations to commemorate the event, and it also fell on a Hogsmeade Weekend. The Minister of Magic would be attending to open the party and light the Bonfire. Even Sirius was in the party mood as Padfoot.
Remus kept on walking past the dungeons, the empty goblet of Wolfsbane in his hand. He stopped at Snape's teaching room and left the goblet on his desk before walking back up to the great hall where Harry and Padfoot were waiting for him. Ron and Hermione had gone on ahead, Remus suspected, for a bit of privacy. Harry had mentioned to Sirius about how "couply" they had been recently. Sirius only ever smiled when Harry mentioned it, which made Harry stop asking him questions about them.
"Ready?" Remus asked, Harry nodded and Padfoot barked in approval, bounding out ahead to knock over Fred Weasley who was hanging round the entrance hall with a suspicious looking bottle of something.
"Hey dog!" Fred scratched Padfoot's ears. "Better watch what you're doing! You never know what might happen."
Padfoot barked mischievously, and from where Remus was standing it looked very much like the dog had a typical Sirius-esque grin smothered on his muzzle. Harry was covering his mouth with his sleeve, trying not to laugh at the thought of how the twins idolised the Marauders, and if only Fred could know he was talking to perhaps the most mischievous of them all….
***
"That's going to be one big Bonfire Night Show." Remus remarked to Anna as he watched the final touches being placed upon the heap of twigs and pieces of wood.
Anna was about to reply, when she was nudged by a passer by who had purposefully, it seemed, walked into her. "Who was that?"
Remus squinted after the figure in the dim light, and let out a heavy sigh. "An old contemporary of mine… By the name of Kleitias Zabini. He was in Slytherin along with the Snapes and Lucius Malfoy. One very dangerous character."
"What's he doing here?"
"His daughter Blaise is in Harry's year, it's probably a family event for them. They don't live far from here I don't think..."
"I've seen him before… When I was in that cell… he was talking to Draezyc Snape about a plan they had in action… Something about chocolate or sweets of some kind."
"Strange thing for them to be discussing…" Remus smiled, "But I suppose everyone has to do it sometime or another… See him? He's the Minister of Magic… Bit like your Muggle Prime Minister, but a lot more pompous, and with horrendous dress sense." Remus pointed at a stout figure clearing his throat on the podium. "Looks like the fun is about to start."
"Dear Wizarding friends!" Cornelius Fudge exclaimed to the crowd that had gathered to hear him speak. Remus was slightly surprised to see Lucius Malfoy and his family within the crowd, as Fudge continued with his speech Remus looked anxiously for Padfoot and Harry in the crowd. He saw them hovering near the joke shop, eating various sweets from Honeydukes. If Lucius saw Anna here, there would be hell to pay… Where there were Death Eaters, there was nearly always trouble. As he looked further into the crowd he saw other familiar faces, Macnair, Avery, Zabini was still there with his daughter and wife. No sign of any of the Snapes, but that didn't surprise Remus. Severus Snape was not known for his attendance at such fuctions. And if Draezyc's sour mood was anything to go by it was unlikely that she would be here.
"As is custom in our society, we do not celebrate Bonfire Night for the same reasons as the Muggles. Whilst they celebrate the failure of the gunpowder plot…"
Remus noted just how pleased Fudge sounded with himself for knowing a fraction about Muggle tradition. He heard Anna snort in contempt at one of Fudge's comments.
"And now… I will start our evening of festivities by lighting this magnificent Bonfire… A Merry Fstival to you all!" Cornelius Fudge stepped down off the podium and walked towards the stack of wood, pulling out his wand, "Incendio!" The wood crackled merrily as the crowd cheered in approval, Fudge smiled and waved at the crowd as he turned away from the fire.
Fudge was about to walk back to the podium when the bonfire suddenly roared to life and exploded out and up, engulfing the Minister in a huge spitting fireball. The Minister was burnt alive. The pandemonium that followed was chaos. People were running about screaming, trying to get away from the scene. Remus noticed Edea run towards the flaming wreckage, and that was when he was it, the familiar glowing blue eyes, alight with a sinister mirth. Remus took hold of Anna's hand and started running towards Padfoot and Harry, who had been joined by Ron and a very worried looking Hermione. "Go… go back up to the castle... I need to find someone, go back!" he shouted over the noise. Harry nodded, he knew better than to question Remus in times like this. Anna looked worried. "Please… I need you to stay at Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy's crowd is out here tonight, its too dangerous… I will come back as soon as I've found her."
"Found who?" Anna shouted at Remus' retreating figure. She never got an answer.
Remus pushed past various people running in the other direction, bits of debris were still falling from the blast. Someone has set that alight to explode… It was a strategically planned arson attack. And Remus could think of no better tactician… But arson wasn't her forte. She sliced people up, but wasn't a pyromaniac. He got to the other side of the blaze in time to see a furiously screaming Edea DuCruet closely chasing Draezyc Snape back into the Forest that bordered into Hogwarts Grounds. Severs was not with her, nobody was, she was alone. Remus slowed as the two women stopped at a clearing in the Forbidden Forest. He did not wish to make his presence known at this point.
Draezyc caught her breath, glanced at Edea and then purposefully walked in the opposite direction to Edea.
"SNAPE!" DuCruet shouted at the retreating figure.
Draezyc spun round again, a sinister smile on her face
"You won't get away with it this time."
"Draezyc frowned. "Get away with what?"
"Fudge. Don't look so confused, we know it was you!"
Remus took a few steps back so he was hidden within the shadows of the forbidden forest. He shuddered, there was an evil chill in the air, neither of the women had seen him.
"You think I killed Cornelius Fudge!? You must be on crack." Draezyc sighed bitterly. "Firstly, he wasn't in lots of little bits, secondly I only just got to Hogsmeade…"
"Karkaroff wasn't in unidentifiable pieces either."
"SO?"
"Stupefy!"
Draezyc ducked, the curse hit a tree behind her. "You're slow." She commented, "Best you can do?"
"Petrificus totalus!"
Draezyc rolled left and the curse hit the same tree, snapping it in two.
"Imperio!" Draezyc whispered, the blue jet skimmed past Edea's shoulder.
"CRUCIO!" Edea shot back
Draezyc had to throw herself to the grass to avoid the vicious shot, she rolled onto her feet and hissed "Scelestus!"
Edea shrieked and threw herself out of the line of fire.
Remus backed further into the trees and watched with horror as Edea plucked a Snitch-shaped ball out of her pocket. That's a dementor summoner, she can't be serious about this, I have to warn Draezyc. He crouched down, peering round a tree trunk.
Draezyc laughed. "A SNITCH!! You're going to kill me with… a… SNITCH!!??"
Edea smiled. "No." She tapped it with her wand and the golden ball flashed red, then disappeared. "New ministry invention." She said lightly. "I'm just fulfilling a promise."
Remus dropped to his knees in the forest as five Dementors swept past him unexpectedly making him gasp with the cold chill. When he had the strength to look up, Draezyc was cowering on the grass. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.
Edea stood back and watched with glee as the Dementors closed in, forming a circle around the death eater. Draezyc was shivering, clenching tightly onto her wand. "M… M… Mors… MORSMORDRE!"
Green light engulfed the grove, the Dark Mark was shining high above the trees. It was the last conscious act she made, as Remus picked up his own wand and shot a stunning spell at her whimpering form, surprising Edea.
"What on… REMUS!?" Edea raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want to create a commotion." Remus answered simply. He knew full well that stunning a person meant tat the Dementors kiss could not be administered. Edea didn't have the time to reply as a group of Aurors and Ministry Wizards ploughed into the scene, pointing up at the Dark Mark and then across at the group of Dementors.
"Another one for Azkaban tonight, DuCruet?" The head hitwizard asked Edea.
"Yes. Immediately. She's highly dangerous when cornered."
She's serious, she just sent Draezyc to a fate worse than death, a hell beyond all hells… Even Sirius would disagree with what she's doing now.
"Not dead then?"
"Unfortunately not." Edea grimaced. "Charge her against murder of the Minister, Karkaroff and Sumpservius…"
Remus said nothing, there was nothing to say or do but watch as Draezyc Snape was carried away by the hit wizards, closely guarded by the Dementors.
"Ah the sweet smell of success." Edea laughed as she picked up Draezyc's wand and carelessly snapped it in half. "Oh… Dragon heartstring… Yew…. Thirteen inches… An unlucky combination, tree of death, unlucky number and creature of evil… bit of a prediction that wand was."
"She didn't deserve that Edea." Remus muttered, "You went too far this time."
"Remus, she's a death eater. Of course she deserved it." Edea said this like it explained everything.
"She's a mother, what do you think Pytheus is going to think?"
Edea didn't answer.
"Perhaps we should get rid of that?" Remus pointed up at the Dark Mark. "Deletrius."
The Dark Mark vanished, but the eerie green glow remained as Remus followed Edea back through the forest and up towards the school.
TBC
A/N 2 – the snitch line that Draezyc laughs about is illustrated on my website that was mentioned at the beginning, it WAS a spoiler pic, but I've written it now, so I guess it isn't anymore! Hehehe… Edea's not gonna be miss popular now…
