*~*
Scandalous, oh really? How can you be so sure…? J
~*~
Remus drank a swig of pumpkin juice after Harry had left his office, trying to take in all of the day's events when a timid knock at the door alerted his senses.
"Come in?" Remus looked up to see Anna peer around the door. His face broke into a smile. "Hello you."
"Hey Remus, peaceful morning by yourself?" Anna had brought up a plateful of toast slices, the butter melted and warm.
"Truly, if not a bit… what's the word… surprising."
"Oh?" Anna settled down in a spare chair. "Do you know, those Weasley twins were at breakfast this morning, but never showed up for the class I held?"
"As usual, if you'd gone looking for them in the store cupboard I'm sure you would have found them surrounded by a colourful array of tricks." Remus grinned, and then his grin instantly fell. "Have you seen Hermione this morning?"
"Of course!" Anna laughed, "I walked past her giving a class presentation in Professor Vector's class."
Remus scowled suddenly and stood up "Give me five minutes…" he almost tripped over his own bag in the attempt to get out of the office and towards the Gryffindor common room.
"Password?" The fat lady asked, with her usual regal manner.
"Golden Fish biscuits." Remus muttered and clambered through the portrait hole, finding a huddle of red hair in the corner, emitting a few sniggers and guffaws every now and then.
Fred Weasley looked up, saw Remus and burst out into peals of laughter… "It was the first snow of the season, I could almost see you breathing… Hermione, DARLING!"
George puckered his lips into a disgustingly sickly face and grabbed Fred by the hand. "Draco, my LOVE! How could I EVER be anywhere but with you!"
"WHY YOU…….!" Remus huffed, realising full well that he'd been tricked.
"The Marauders! We beat the Marauders!" Fred and George laughed together
"You… You… Know?" Remus blinked. "Since when?"
"You think we're blind?" Fred asked, "We've watched you and Black for ages, calling each other Padfoot and Moony, and it suddenly became as clear as water…"
"Not your bathwater, though." George added.
"Not my bathwater."
"Spring water." George amended. "And so we bow down to you, oh mighty, mighty purveyors of magical mischief, but we, The Weasleys, shall overcome you yet!"
"Oh… Really?!" A new voice entered the conversation… Sirius Black rose from his chair in front of the fireplace. "We shall see." He gestured to Remus… "A marauders meeting must be convened I think…"
"Evidently." Remus nodded, pleased to see a temporary return to normal for Sirius. They left the common room, with the Weasleys congratulating themselves on their prank on Remus.
"Draco Malfoy? Hermione and Draco Malfoy?" Sirius laughed, "You believed that?"
Remus bowed his head in embarrassment. "Anything's possible in this castle, I thought it might be sweet."
Sirius shook his head with suppressed laughter. "No, I wont laugh anymore… it's too embarrassing for you."
"We must obviously retaliate at the soonest possible notice."
"Must be subtle"
"And ingenious, nothing like they have ever experienced before."
"Colourful"
"And enormous…"
"Highly public." Sirius rubbed his hands together with glee "Makes me feel sixteen again… how positively exciting."
A silky voice interrupted Sirius' musings – "I dread to imagine a return to the sixteen year old Sirius Black… Will the world ever be safe from your oh so very humorous anecdotes?"
"Snape!" Sirius turned on his heel, instantly forgetting the pranks he had been formulating, "Where on Merlin's name have you been?!? Do you know how worried I've been."
"Your emotional distress over my departure is endearing, I assure you." Snape drawled. "I have been otherwise engaged with more important business."
"You don't think saving Edea from Voldemort is important?"
"To you, it is all you care about, for me, I have other lives to consider outside of your own." Snape clarified his point by tucking his wand into his belt. "As for your Auror. She is alive. Here." Severus handed Sirius an envelope. "In case you do not believe it."
"Thank you, Severus." Remus smiled weakly. "Did Draezyc return safely?"
"She did," Severus nodded. "If not a bit distressed after an audience with Voldemort himself, but I can assure you she is well."
Sirius winced, "Voldemort?"
"Yes, he questioned her motives, I have spoken to Dumbledore and he shall inform you of actions necessary." Snape nodded, before stalking down the corridor towards the dungeons.
"What's in the envelope?" Remus asked Sirius.
"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet." Sirius held it out to Remus, "I don't know if I want to open it…"
"You want me to?"
"Please" Sirius nodded, and Remus took the envelope from him, gently splitting the green wax seal that closed the envelope shut. Remus took a deep breath then opened the letter it contained. The writing didn't make any sense at first but the paper around his fingers glowed upon recognition of the reader and formed a legible text. The first thing that he noticed was the blooded smear along the top of the page, and then the disjointed spidery writing. The writing of a person using the last of their human effort to write a letter to the one she loved.
"You should read it, it's from Edea." Remus didn't want to read the contents out loud to Sirius. "She wrote it, it's definitely her handwriting."
Sirius nodded and closed his eyes for a brief moment before taking the letter and with trembling hands, holding it open to read the contents. A single tear fell down his face.
"My Sirius,
She's making me write this to you, to prove to you I am alive under the abysmal conditions I have to endure. I'm trying my hardest and it gets harder with every breath, all hope is lost and I wish you a fortunate life ahead of you, ive heard snatches of conversation, they're planning something big, and believe me that woman is in the middle of it, I've seen her and Voldemort laughing together, as friendly as I've ever seen. I've put a spell on this letter; the true contents will only be shown to you and Remus should he be given it in any circumstance. The torture becomes steadily worse every hour, and Malfoy makes a point of overseeing each one, I've said nothing, I refuse to speak, even if it kills me. Honourable to the last, and I know you cannot come to help me, I understand, it's for the best and I'm sure if Dumbledore wishes for you to then it can only be for the good of the Wizarding World. Believe me when I tell you I love you, and hope for you a better existence than that you have been thrown into previously.
Yours in everything and always,
Edea."
"My god." Remus drew in a short breath,
Sirius fell back against the cold stone wall, looking as defeated as Remus had ever seen him. "What have I done to deserve all this?" he asked the world in a whisper… "Why does everyone I care about in this life have to go through so much troubles?"
"It's nothing in your control." Remus pulled Sirius into a hug, "Nothing that you could stop, and nobody knows why it happens."
"I feel so useless sitting here like some sort of lemon." Sirius held the letter close to his chest. "Moony, we HAVE to do something, I can't stand all this waiting and standing around."
"Without inside help, there's nothing we can do"
"We HAVE inside people, the Snapes are inside people aren't they?" Sirius asked exasperatedly.
"You're forgetting something. There's burned bridges in that one, you know how both the Snapes feel about Edea, especially since Draezyc was put in Azkaban because of Edea's hasty actions. Don't you think they could have got Edea out of that cell by now if they had wanted to?"
"So you're agreeing with THEM? You think she should be in there?" Sirius' eyes were flaming at Remus. "Well fine, if that is what you feel then I shall do this by myself."
Sirius stormed off down the corridor before Remus could stop him. He watched Sirius walk round the corner before letting out a frustrated ragged moan, hitting his fist against the wall, "That wasn't what I meant." He muttered to Sirius, too late "And you know it."
"But you still said it."
"Draezyc?" Remus looked up to see the raven beauty staring at him from a hallway, half illuminated with candlelight. "You were listening?"
"Yes." Draezyc nodded simply, "I knew DuCruet had charmed the letter, and I broke the charm before you received it, although it looked perfect. I wanted to know how Sirius took my implications of torture."
"You're admitting you read the letter?"
"Of course." Draezyc nodded, a single eyebrow raised in challenge. "You thought I would not realise there was more to the letter than a simple three word line?"
"No, you're cleverer than that, I see that."
"And you understand that there was no way Severus or I could have released her without getting into a serious mess with Voldemort, perhaps even inflaming the situation further than it already is? He would know in an instant who set her free, and we are already doubted as it is."
Remus frowned, "Edea's letter says differently, she states that she saw you and Voldemort laughing together."
"Exchanging pleasantries, et cetera." Draezyc shrugged, "It would be a foolish person indeed who did not laugh at the prompt of her superior for fear of increasing suspicion of self."
Remus nodded in acknowledgement, he understood what Draezyc was saying, perhaps he could retell this information to Sirius before he went and did something suicidal.
"Oh don't worry." Draezyc smiled slightly, "Sirius wont get very far, Voldemort's Castle is not only unplottable, but it moves every location day even his most trusted servants do not know the next location, the only route to him is through a Dark Mark. Something Sirius does not have."
"I'm not sure whether to feel relieved or not." Remus mused downcast,
"Whichever way you feel, I suggest you find him before he tries anything, and calm him down. He always had a temper, and this is not good for him. I would be indebted to you if you did so." Draezyc sighed.
"I've never been in the position where a Slytherin has been indebted to me." Remus noted ruefully, and with a degree of cynical amusement. "Eloquence is a fortune you are bestowed with, Draezyc."
"I had the best of mentors to learn from." Draezyc laughed shortly, "For all his failings in public relations, you have to admit, when Severus wishes to speak, he constructs the best of speeches."
"I know." Remus nodded in agreement. "When you think the time is coming to an end for Edea, will you at least try to help Sirius get her back, even if it's only her body at the very least?"
"If it is possible." Draezyc sneered. "And I can't say it ever will be."
"As a favour to me?"
"I don't give out favours on a regular basis."
"You said you were indebted to me."
"It was a figure of speech," Draezyc flashed a small smile. "I promise nothing," and with that, she left Remus to ponder on the days events alone in the corridor.
TBC
