http://www.geocities.com/halutirius/moonlithorizons
for spoilers on future chapters, art from the chapters and random thoughts…
***
Erm well I didn't have enough space to write the Sirius- Snape bonding in the previous chapter, so it wont happen yet… Back to normal POV…
OOH! The New Found Glory cover of Everything I Do, I Do It For You is AMAZING! And their cover of I Don't Want to Miss A Thing… Wow… but maybe that's just my thing for ska punk. They're used in here… its Sirius again… don't think of the originals cuz they sound totally different and very un- Sirius… but I always thought of him as a Sum 41 person… so there you go!
Voltora- how many? As many as it takes to write Remus' story. I have a lot planned… in the beginning I had 32 chapters written out in note form but that's increased recently to 58… hehehehe
Slykitty – YAY! Thank you!
Ramblergirl- Severus has clear principles, Voldemort ain't gonna be one of them, now Draezyc on the other hand…. :D
***
Remus woke up with the distinct feeling that something was wrong. Very wrong. He rolled out of his bed, picking up a robe he had slung over the back of one of the chairs beside the mirror. Looking out of the window, it was a dull and foggy morning. He couldn't even see Hagrid's hut from here, and it wasn't even that far away.
"I don't wanna close my eeeeeeyes, I don't wanna fall asleep, cuz I'll miss youuuuu babe, and I don't wanna miss a thing… cuz even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will NEVEEERRR do cuz I'll miss you babe aaaaaand I don't wanna miss a thing…"
Oh god. Remus rolled his eyes as he pushed the bathroom door open hastily, before Sirius got any closer. Surely it didn't sound like that originally? What on Earth has he done to it?
"OI! Moony!"
"I'm in here." Remus said loudly, vaguely annoyed at Sirius' intrusion. "What's the occasion?"
"Nothing, I'm just slightly happy, do I need a reason?"
"For THAT, yes." Remus answered, very glad that there was a door between him and Sirius' singing.
"Ok, seriously." Sirius's voice travelled. "I just came to tell you to get your arse in gear because I want to ask you something."
"Er… right." Remus dumped his sponge back in the sink and grabbed a towel off the rail. After rubbing his face dry he walked back in to be greeted by Sirius lounging in his chair by the fire, flicking through the pages of Wuthering Heights, which Remus had picked out of the library for some light reading.
"What sort of person names their son Heathcliff?" Sirius snorted… "Oh I forgot… the same parents that name their kids Severus…"
"Sirius, I don't think that's appropriate right now, do you?"
Sirius had the grace to look guilty. "I know. I heard about… about Draezyc." He looked down at his hands. "She doesn't deserve it. But you try telling Edea that. What's done is done, I don't know. It was more than likely that it was her."
"I'm not sure." Remus frowned. "If you ask for my honest opinion… I don't think it was."
"Why's that?"
"Zabini." Remus grumbled. "He was hanging round suspiciously… The Malfoys… All the Death Eaters were there… I didn't see Draezyc till later…"
Sirius nodded. "If that's what you believe… I didn't see anything. I believe you." He looked up at Remus with an unusually serious face. "You're sure about this, and I trust you. If that's so, then we need to get her out of there. Nobody deserves to go there, Moony."
"You're not planning anything without me."
"Anna!?" Remus turned round to see Anna looking determined standing in the doorway.
"I want to help. I like Draezyc. I don't think that whatever she's going through now… I don't think she needs or deserves it." Anna closed the door softly behind her. "What are we going to do?"
"Azkaban, its out near the Shetland Islands." Sirius looked suddenly downcast, and ill. "Just to the northeast… it wouldn't take long to get there undetected with a few good invisibility charms, and an untraceable ward over us."
This is the old Sirius… Master Tactician of the Marauders… Always making plans… Remus smiled supportively. "Sirius if you don't… can't…"
"I'm going, Moony." Sirius glared. "I have some debts to settle."
Remus nodded silently, glancing worriedly at his friend, who just moments ago had seemed so cheerful. "Hippogriff?"
"Not able to carry four of us on the way back…" Sirius was interrupted by a chorus of screams.
Remus could hardly remember what happened next, one minute they were planning some elaborate capture and the next they had been hurled into the most unwelcome of situations…
***
"I want anybody capable of fast attack wand combat to group over by the head table… Those with medical knowledge over by the Hufflepuff table… Any good Quidditch Players over on the Ravenclaw table… We have a top order situation here. There is no need to get panicked if you follow my orders." Mad Eye Moody had been pacing on the head table for the past five minutes giving out battle plans.
Hogwarts was under siege.
As far as Remus had heard, the rumours that Voldemort had been assembling a secret army were true. He hadn't just been assembling them, he had brought them to Hogsmeade under cover of darkness, and with the help of the thick fog, had ambushed the village. They had advanced and were trying to hack their way through the wards surrounding the school. The wards were holding, but nobody knew for how long.
In the rush, Sirius had not changed back into Padfoot as he would normally have done. So far, nobody had connected the healthy looking dark haired man to the sunken faced dirty evil Sirius Black that the posters had called out about. Those who recognised him, knew his situation, many of the students were simply too young to know. Sirius was safe for now. He was holding Harry's shoulders in a painful grip. Harry had complained of his scar hurting earlier that morning. Then Professor Sprout had been on her early morning scout on the edge of the forbidden forest with some of her students for new growth of the Cyclamin plant to use in the greenhouses and had been attacked. Four second year Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff had been taken. It was unclear whether they still lived or not.
The Aurors were planning an attack, and were sorting out any possible help from anybody in the fifth year and up who was willing to help them. Dumbledore seemed to look very old and tired more than ever now. Remus found it strange to be in the Great Hall and for it to be silent… It was never like that, he'd never heard silence in the Great Hall.
Sirius and Harry had taken their place with the Quidditch players. They were going to form an overhead attack and defence regime, Remus had placed himself with Anna, in the middle where everybody who had means of subterfuge was standing. To be honest, Remus had no idea how he could help with subterfuge, but he had no intention of leaving Anna alone. It was then that Harry had shoved his way through the crowd holding something slick and silky in his hands. James' invisibility cloak. Harry had given it to Remus without a word, only an optimistic smile. Remus nodded in acknowledgement, subterfuge couldn't be easier with an invisibility cloak. Anna, being a Phaerren, could assimilate herself into any animal or living thing at wish, and had power to manipulate human actions… there would be very little danger of any Death Eater overpowering her. Unless they knew how to ambush Phaerrens, which without Draezyc's knowledge would be slightly difficult.
The Aurors had just left, no doubt to begin the ambush, with those who were going into front line combat. The Quidditch players had been given a broom each, (Harry having his firebolt) and were being briefed on details by Mundungus Fletcher.
***
Remus had few recollections of the battle that had taken place, he had been too busy looking up in the sky watching for Harry or Sirius. Under the invisibility cloak, he had been able to stealthily take out a few junior death eaters who had not been in the regime for so long, and were more careless with their actions than the elder generation, such as Lucius or Macnair. He had no idea where Anna had gone, but he just knew he'd know if something happened to her. The younger students had been taken to a secure tower in the west wing, being watched over by Professor Trelawney and Professor Flitwick. Very few Death eaters had been captured, compared to the number that simply disappeared. Remus noticed a lull in the fighting, the opposition was difficult to see in the thick fog. An invisibility cloak was almost unnecessary until you came face to face with them. But then he heard it.
Somebody let out a scream that sounded too familiar for words. Remus rushed blindly towards the source of the cry, it took him into the forbidden forest.
"LET ME GO!"
"You know? I don't think I will."
"GET OFF ME YOU BASTARD!"
"ANNA!" Remus shouted, running forward, forgetting his stealth in his concern.
Lucius Malfoy looked up suspiciously, he could see nobody, but he heard someone, someone who sounded like the wolf.
Remus had to stop himself from sneering as he was within a hair's breadth from Lucius' wand. He was about to grab Lucius' neck and twist it out of proportion when something in dark blue zipped past him and knocked Lucius to the ground, giving Anna the time to break free of his hold and back away.
"A Malfoy… tsk tsk." Edea DuCruet was standing above him, wearing an expression of disgust. "What was that you were saying last time?"
Remus had taken off the hood and had gestured to Anna to hide under the cloak with him, should any other Death Eaters arrive at the scene.
"You alright?" Remus hissed.
"yes, I think so." Anna massaged her wrist, "I didn't see him coming…"
"Don't worry about…. What the HELL?!" Remus gasped as a much paler dirtier figure limped silently onto the scene, her robes ripped and muddy… But there was no mistaking that face… "How did she get…. What is going on?"
Draezyc… here? She can't be here… she's in Azkaban… nobody gets out of Azkaban… But Sirius did, he was an animagus though… Draezyc was under surveillance… she couldn't have got out… how?
"She doesn't have a wand." Anna whispered, almost relieved… "You said Edea snapped hers in two."
"So who does THAT wand belong to?" Remus questioned, looking at the wand Draezyc was grasping onto.
"I suggest you leave Malfoy alone."
Edea spun round, and the look of shock was soon replaced by one of fury. "SNAPE!"
"Deja-vu?" Draezyc raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, but Azkaban didn't agree with me. In fact, Azkaban no longer exists."
"Wh…What do you mean?"
"What she means." Lucius got up, brushing the dried mud off his robes. "Is that whilst you were all diverted to the battle here, the real battle took place out on Azkaban Fortress… You were all fooled. Is that not so Draezyc?"
Draezyc said nothing, just smiled in a very sinister way. It was a smile that clearly said that she knew things that Edea didn't…
"I don't like this…" Anna muttered to Remus, she was shivering slightly from the cold. "Something's wrong…"
"Ah, the elusive DuCruet… captured at last…"
Remus looked around wildly for the source of the voice, he needn't have bothered, the snake hissing around Draezyc's feet said everything.
"Nagini… Perhaps you sense intruders?"
"Master." Malfoy bent low in his bow, Draezyc remained standing, smiling fondly at the snake.
"She imprisoned me… for something I did not do… did not even think of doing…" Draezyc mused…
"You murdered the min…."
"SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, SHUUUUUT UUUUP!" Draezyc's eyes flashed blue, it looked like Dumbledore was trying to contact her through the eye link that she had been using previously. When she opened her eyes again the blue glare as gone. "I think I'll leave this one with the master."
Remus and Anna backed away, even though they were hidden behind the security of the invisibility cloak. Voldemort had cast a ward around the area, nobody else would be entering the area from any direction until the ward was taken down with the same wand that had cast it. Remus couldn't think, his face was one of utter disgust and fury. Standing before him was the thing who had murdered two of his best friends, taken another as his slave and put one in Azkaban… Everything boiled down to this one person… he could easily take out his wand and cast a spell upon Voldemort… It would be so easy… But there was no telling whether it would work, and then Voldemort would know where he was, and right now, keeping incognito was a far better option.
"DuCruet…" Voldemort hissed, circling her in his slow regal pace. "You could be great, you could be powerful…"
"And I could be more so by refusing your offer, what do you take me for? Slytherin scum?" Edea snapped, reaching down for her wand, but Draezyc had got there first. Edea made a move to grab Draezyc, but Draezyc spun out of the way, her eyebrow ring glittering in the light.
Somewhere in the distance, Sirius' voice shattered the tense silence "PETTIGREW!"
All eyes turned to Voldemort. He nodded to Draezyc, "Find him, and bring him back in safety."
Draezyc looked reluctant to go, but nodded and disappeared into the depths of the forest clutching Edea's wand, anything could pass out of the ward from within, but the opposite was not possible.
"We should follow her." Remus hissed, "If Peter's here… Sirius will probably kill him, we can't let that happen… we need him alive…"
"No!" Anna replied with a sense of assertiveness. "We can't simply leave Edea here… it would be wrong."
"Lucius… Are we within the boundary?"
"No, master… it stops at the forest." Lucius drawled, "Perhaps I could beg your indulgence… and ask to locate my son?"
"You may do so, after I have finished here." Voldemort's words were like a saw cutting through glass.
"SILENCIO!" was soon followed by "CRUCIO!" A clever scheme that made Edea suffer all effects of the Cruciatus curse, but no sound was heard, thus nobody outside the ward would hear it, and would not be able to locate her through the sound of her voice.
It took everything Remus had to be able to witness this without doing anything… Voldemort lifted the curse when Edea had passed out, and he let Lucius go to find Draco… Voldemort suddenly stared straight at Remus and Anna. He started walking purposefully forwards towards them… "Run!" Remus whispered as forcefully as he could… "Run!" Somehow Voldemort had known they were there. Two people running under an invisibility cloak was almost impossible, but one way or another they managed it and had left the ward far behind. Voldemort had not followed them. Remus let out a heavy breath. "We should contact Professor Dumbledore"
TBC … soon… I promise!
