Hello all. A little note from me, since all my beta-readers have ran away or went barking mad, I have no one to correct my many and stupid (grammar) mistakes. I hope you think it more important to have something to read rather than be upset over my poor English writing.
Elvesmagic, thanks again for your review bows humbly I think that at the moment you (and our crossover) are the only reason why I still bother to update. Feel the love J
After dinner Lierin had practically escaped the Great Hall before anyone could stop her to have a word with her, she just wasn't in the mood. Tired of spending her time in her private quarters or in the library, Lierin walked around a bit aimlessly, still not certain of what to do next. She had thought of searching the library to see if Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had left here curious diaries as well, but the lust to do this dissappeared as she noticed black billowing robes dissappear into the same direction. Slowly her feet carried her to Remus'office but suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed something on the ground far below, something she had never noticed before.
Lierin bent over the stairways to have a better look. There it was, consisting out of many coloured tiles, the official arms of Hogwarts. She bent a little further and noticed what had caught her attention; the Gryffindor lion, the Slytherin snake, the Hufflepuff badger and the Ravenclaw raven all seemed to have placed their paw, tail, snout and beak directly on the H in the arms instead of just pointing to it. Quickly Lierin ran down the marble stairs again to investigate the arms more closely, nearly knocking one of the students from their feet.
Curiously Lierin approached the arms and walked around it, following the lines of the large arms with her foot. Well, nothing unusual there. She then walked to the centre of the arms, the part where the animals almost seemed to hug the large H and again she followed the same routine of following the lines of the plaque with the large H. Finally, there she found what she was looking for.
The large H had to be some sort of elevator, if she could only find out how to activate it. She looked at the animals, took a wild guess and pressed on the Gryffindor lion first, it moved! An excited cry welled up from deep inside of her, but it never came past her lips as a creeping cold seemed to fill the area. Paralysed with fear Lierin opened her mouth to scream but a glistening, greyish, slimy-looking and scabbed hand stifled her cry.
A few miles away, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had finally come face to face with Sirius Black. There was confusion all around as Professor Lupin entered the Shrieking Shack as well; confusion that soon altered in rage as Lupin and Black seemed to be long lost friends. Professor Lupin seemed determined to convince Harry, Ron and Hermione of Black's innocence, persuading them to believe that Ron's pet rat was in fact an Animagus called Peter Pettigrew who staged his death years ago and thus convicted Black to years of imprisonment in Azkaban.
Remus decided it was time to reveil his secret, if that would help them to understand and believe. He told the entire story, kept nothing back and finally he concluded his story by telling about an unfortunate incident, years ago, which had almost cost Professor Snape's life if it hadn't been for James Potter.
"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry slowly, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"
"That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin. Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Lupin. Black jumped to his feet, Hermione cried out in anguish and Harry felt as if he'd just been placed on the electrical chair.
"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow, said Snape, throwing the Cloak aside and in the meanwhile making sure to keep his wand pointing at Lupin's heart. Snape was slightly breathless, but his face was full of suppressed triumph.
"You are probably wondering how I found out you were here? I've just been to your office Lupin. You forgot to take your potion again, so I took a gobletful along. It seems like you forgot to bring something with you. This!" Snape hissed as he threw an old looking parchment at Lupin's feet. It was Harry's Marauder's Map which he had given the professor on his demand, still active and showing all of their destinations.
"Severus-," Lupin began, but Snape overrode him.
"I've told the Headmaster again and again that you've been helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof! I never thought you'd have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout-"
"Severus, you are making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything- I can explain- Sirius is not here to kill Harry-"
"Two more for Azkaban tonight," said Snape, his eyes now gleaming fanatically. "I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this. He trusted you, you know, convinced that you were harmless. Even though I tried to warn him again and again and again that you couldn't be trusted!"
Now Lupin was getting angry.
"Really Severus? It surprises me you still had the time for that, looking back on how much time you spent chasing after my sister!"
"Leave her out of this.......your sister?"
Lupin smiled weakly.
"Not by blood, but otherwise yes, my sister. My parents took her in when she was orphaned. A present from your old friend Voldemort. She'd be really heartbroken you know if you'd hurt me."
BANG! Thin, snake-like cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started towards Snape, but Snape's quick reflexes had him pointing his wand straight between Black's eyes before he could even move a single muscle.
"Give me a reason," he whispered in his most deadly voice, "Give me a reason to do it and I swear I will. "All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay..."
What little colour there was left in Black's face, it fade away. Harry stood there, paralysed, not knowing what to do or who to believe. He glanced around at Ron and Hermione and he noticed how intensively Hermione was surveying the Marauder's map. When he saw her eyes widen in pure horror he took a closer look as well.
"P-p-p-professor Snape -it - it- it looks l-l-like those Demontors-"
"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school," Snape spat.
"You, Potter and Weasley are out of bounds, in company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once on your life, hold your tongue!"
"But Professor- look at...-the Dementors, they...they are-."
"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted and a few sparks shot out of the end of his wand, which was still pointing at Black's face.
"I think the girl is trying to tell you that a certain person is about to receive 'a little kiss' from the Dementors as you so eloquently put it," said Black with gritted teeth. "And I do believe it is someone you know. Why don't you take a look at the map?"
This time Snape finally bothered to look at the map, and what he saw filled his heart with a sudden coldness. There, on the map, a clear blue dot labelled Lierin Heartilly, was surrounded by dozens of Dementors.
"No!" Snape stammered confused and brokenly, "No, not her. Please, not Lierin!"
His worst expectations realised, Remus closed his eyes, looking awfully pale.
"It seems like you have to make a choice here Snape! You can turn me in to the Dementors, or you can let me help you save the girl. You can't fight all of them alone!"
Severus finally lowered his wand, looking quite lost and helpless. Handing over Sirius Black would certainly be rewarded by the Order of Merlin, Second class if not First class but if that meant losing her, losing Lierin.
"You promise to help me? Save Lierin?" Snape asked Black in that same odd voice, filled with emotions and Black was surprised to see a more human side of Snape. For a moment there he was sure that Snape would turn him in anyway. Sirius then nodded his head. "I know we've never been good friends. But yes, I'll help you, but only because she's Remus sister."
Remus rolled with his eyes, he had wondered when they'd finally come to him. Quickly Sirius moved over to Remus, untied him and helped him back to his feet.
"We'd better hurry up. We don't have more time to waste. You! (he looked at Ron), do you still have Pettigrew with you?" Ron nodded yes and took Pettigrew/Scabbers out of his pocket. A swift paralitis spell prevented the rat from escaping as it hung limply in Ron's hands.
"Good, you girl, take the boy back to school and make sure you show that rat to the Headmaster together with the map, for proof!"
Hermione nodded her head and she helped Ron get to his feet.
"Harry, you better come with us. You know the patronus spell as well and by Merlin, we could use all the help we can get now!" said Remus while dusting off his shabby set of robes.
"Lupin, you better take this, you'll be needing it. I invented this a few hours ago, I wanted to bring it to you earlier but..." Snape started and he took out a flask from his robes and threw it to Remus who snatched the flask right out of the air. He looked at Snape with questioning look in his eyes.
"It prevents you from turning into a werewolf the moment you set foot in the moonlight. It's not permanent though, I have no idea how strong it is and how much time... Let us hope you have time enough to..."
"Yes, very well. Thank you Severus. Now, let us move along. Before we are too late!"
They all sat off at a run narrowly following the instructions on the Marauder's Map. Snape had his wand clutched tightly in his hand, his heart beating at an alarming rate. The last time Snape had seen the map, the dementors were closing in on Lierin quickly. In fact, it had almost seemed like the entire horde of dementors were taking her with them.
"Harry!" panted Snape, "Let me see the map for a moment!"
Harry grudgingly handed over the map, which Snape snatched from his hands with an eagerty that confused Harry. Snape quickly scanned the outline on the map and sure enough, in the middle of a clearing near the lake was a single dementor, clearly waiting. He thrust the map back at Harry.
"I know where they are going, they are headed to the skull stone near the lake where the leader of the dementors is waiting, they already have her..."
Remus nodded grimly.
"I know a shortcut then, follow me!"
They ran of the path; Snape, Black and Harry following Remus' lead and they kept running towards the skull stone in the forest near the lake. They reached the lake about the same time as the dementors and as they reached the clearing, even before the familiar icy cold penetrated their bodies, they saw them.
There weren't just a dozen of them, but at least a hundred dementors were gliding in a black mass around the lake, carrying the struggling body of Lierin. Suddenly, sensing their presence due to their emotions running high, a dozen of the dementors turned around and approached them. The foreboding rattling sounds accompanied by the bitter cold they brought, caused Harry to stand still and hesitate.
"Think of something happy guys, this is it!"yelled Remus, taking the lead,
"Expecto patronum, Expecto patronum!"
Snape, Remus, Sirius and Harry fought their way through the dementors. It was a hard battle, there were so many of them! Soon enough the remaining dementors joined the fight and closed in on them but Harry's stag cantered through a group of dementors, causing them to back away and escape like bats. Remus produced a large werewofl and it proved to be quite a strong it chased a way six dementors at once as he slashed around him using his enormous claws and fangs. Sirius had a little trouble producing a powerful patronus and so was Severus, but not once did they give up.
In the meanwhile, oblivious to the attempt of Severus, Remus, Harry and Sirius to save her, Lierin struggled for dear life and the dementors found themselves a little surprised by the strength of their opponent. But she was the least of their worries as three man and a young boy fought their way through their kind, without a doubt to safe the girl. They couldn't let that happen, they had to bring her to their leader for he had made the pact; the Dark Ruby and the death of the girl, for real human prey, lot's of it. So, more and more dementors left to fight the men and fewer stayed behind with the girl.
Suddenly all went cold, horrible voices of the past rang through Lierin's mind, laughing at her, mocking her. Lierin pinced her eyes closed and forced herself to rid herself of the voices but they didn't go away. The ground froze over as the largest of dementors approached Lierin, the other dementors letting him pass. It was their leader. Snape's voice was growing louder and louder as he moved closer to her; all his past insults, every denegrating comment, every crual word he had ever spoken to her were repeated; over and over again. Tears trickled down Lierin's face but still she tried to fight back. With a look of utter fear in her eyes, Lierin watched the leader looming over her and she cried out in disgust as he ripped open her tunic, exposing her humble breasts, finding what he wanted. Lierin kept on struggling, desperately trying to get away from it but its rattling breaths like an evil wind, surrounded her and rendered her weak and helpless.
Suddenly the leader raised both his rotten hands- and lowered his hood. Where there should have been eyes, there was only thin, grey, scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. But there was a mouth... a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death-rattle. A paralysing terror surged through her veins, making it impossible for Lierin to move or scream. White fog started to blind her, it was as if the Dementor sucked every emotion, every ability to control her body, out of her. In the distance, so far away she could someone call her name. Severus? She groped around, hoping that he would take her hand, they weren't going to take her... But a pair of strong, clammy hands wrapped themselves around her neck, nearly choking her, squeezing the air out of her lungs. With a jerk they forced her head upwards and she could feel the dementors putrid breath, still hearing Snape's cruel words,
the last words she'd ever hear again... And then, through the fog that was drowning her, she saw a silver spark soaring towards her and a soft thud announced something had dropped right beside her.
Severus could feel his heart skipping a few beats as he saw one of the dementors lowering its hood.
"Oh no you don't!" he barked and he let himself drop to one knee and pulled out a knife out of his right boot. The knife of Bia. He weighed the knife in it's hand, ignored an attacking dementor, hoping that Lupin, Black or at least Potter would take care of it. He violently threw the knife away and watched as it swirled through the air, swirling and swirling until it pierced the ground almost directly next to Lierin.
With her face still up, too weak to move, sick and shaking, Lierin opened her eyes and saw the dementor's shapeless mouth moving down. She tried to look sideways, to see what had hit the ground and from the corners of her eyes, she recognised the blade of a certain dagger, sheathed in the ground. If she could just reach it, touch it with her finger...
She reached out her hand, it wasn't that far away and as her fingers moved closer to the haft of the dagger, the dementor's mouth moved closer to hers until they both seemed to reach their goal at the same time. A bright flash filled the sky as the Dementor placed its mouth over Lierins to suck her soul away...