A/N: I already had a lot of the story worked on while I worked on posting
the first chapter, therefore, I'm going to go ahead and post it before the
site decides it hates me again. Please review, this still remains my first
fanfic, and I'd like to know how I'm doing.
--Anna Dearest
Chapter 2
Remus Lupin sat in the ever-dreary kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. The grumbling of Kreacher the house-elf, not a very good servant, flowed through the kitchen. The high ceiling of the kitchen fostered cobwebs and creatures in its shadows that no one really felt like dealing with.
Remus sighed heavily as he sipped from a cup of tea. He'd just sent an owl to Harry, telling him they were coming to his rescue, if that's what you could call it. They were bringing him back to a house ever present with memories of Sirius, now it was just Headquarters. No one dared to call it Sirius' house, the Black house, or Sirius' parents' house, just Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Remus sensed their timid looks whenever he was in a room with members of the Order. He could imagine what it would be like for Harry, Sirius' godson.
After the death of his best friend, leaving him as the last Marauder, he'd been hit hard. He looked even sicklier before and after his transformations. Remus lost everything the night that James and Lily died. They were dead, he thought Peter was, and Sirius was hauled off to Azkaban. Finally, he'd realized Peter was guilty of all the crimes that Sirius was blamed for, and he got one of his friends back. At the time, he dared not to ask for more.
Remus now felt that Harry was all he had left. He knew he could never take the place of James, Lily, or Sirius, but he'd sure try to make them happy. I'll be damned if I let something happen to him Remus thought.
As he silently sipped his tea, another figure slid into the kitchen. He recognized it as the spy who Dumbledore had put to use, and it frightened him. She was only a fifteen-year-old girl. She had a look of determination on her face though, he blue eyes burned with a fire he'd never seen. With her black hair and pale features, sometimes she could pass for a corpse, but her eyes gave it away. Remus knew nothing else about her except her name, Candlefox Riddle, although she had everyone she even mildly trusted call her Fox, a precious nickname from her childhood.
What kind of name is Candlefox? Remus asked himself. The name Riddle also reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The thing that stumped him the most was her willingness to help the Order. Dumbledore always insisted that anyone who crossed her path was the one in danger, and no one questioned Dumbledore's words.
"Sorry," she said in a voice much stronger than Remus would expect, yet it was still soft and with a feminine touch. "I didn't realize anyone else was here. I just needed a place to think."
Strange, Remus thought, She's always so aware, I've never caught her off her guard. She makes to turn away, but Remus stops her. This is a good place to think.
"Don't apologize," he said, "I'm afraid that you and I are here for the same reason. Why don't you at least have a cup of tea?"
"Alright," was her simply reply. She sounded almost timid.
Remus gave the girl a cup of tea, and couldn't help but become intrigued by something in her nature. His acute senses that came from being a werewolf partly told him of her emotions, but she managed to hide a good deal. This young girl radiated such a sense of energy and being that it shook up Remus on the inside. Her eyes themselves startled him; they weren't the eyes of a fifteen-year-old. They were the eyes of an adult haunted by her past, and tortured by their being.
"I hate to interrupt your train of thought, but I feel the need to ask your name," she said in the same strong voice. "I've seen you around in the short time I've been here, but that's all I've known."
"Remus Lupin, but just call me Remus. And I know you're Candlefox, Dumbledore's handy spy."
"Just Fox please. I can't understand where the name Candlefox came from, probably one of my parents excellent ideas."
"What about your parents? Why is it you are on all this missions for Dumbledore? Aren't you underage?"
"I guess you could say my father was a Death Eater, he killed my mother when I was a child. As for my being underage and going on missions to spy, I'm hardly even registered, no one meant me to be. I'm a secret to most of the wizarding world."
"You're meant to be kept a secret? What do you mean?" Remus was now thoroughly confused.
"My father pretty much forced my mother into having children, someone to carry on the family name and business. Unfortunately for him, I have no intention of 'carrying on the business' for him, not for anyone."
"I can't believe that someone would do that." Remus was shocked. A girl who's own father killed her mother?
"Well, I have a twin sister. I suppose my father's only hope may be that she does what I won't." Her voice was dull, but she didn't close up, something Remus would expect.
"I can see why you need time to think."
"That's actually not the reason, something completely different." Her voice dropped a bit as she said this.
"Well, what is it? Do you need to talk about it?" Remus' intrigue only increased, his own problems forgotten.
"I suppose that you're a lot easier to talk to than Severus." A grin lit up her pale features as she stared into the fire.
"Yeah, I could only agree." Remus grinned as well, he could only imagine trying to discuss your problems with the formidable Potions Master.
"Maybe you could actually help me decipher this problem."
"I'd be more than willing to try." Okay, now she definitely had Remus' attention hanging on a tight leash.
"Well," she took a deep breath as she began, "last night I had the strangest dream, that wasn't at all my own. I could tell because I wasn't in a place I'd ever been before, or with people I've ever seen."
"Did you figure out their names throughout the dream?"
"Yes, but truth is, the location is what shocked me the most."
"What was it like?" Remus was on the edge of his seat. It was time to solve a problem, and he was ready to pounce on it.
"It was in a dark, not dimly-lit, downright dark chamber that was extremely cold, so cold it was fritening. I've never dreamt it could be that cold inside a building. There was a huge curtain or veil behind an archway.it was pitch-black, but it looked like it was flowing."
"Oh my God."
"What?" The girl sounded almost frightened at Remus' raspy voice.
"Nothing, go on."
"At first, there was only one person there, probably my age, if not close to it. It was still dark, I could barely make out his face, but he had dark hair and glasses as far as I could tell. For a while he was the only one."
She looked for her cue from Remus to continue. When he said nothing she went on, "The veil just kept on flowing like water, until eventually it started to kind of.shudder I guess is the word. I grew even colder in the room, and the veil started to flap faster and it seemed even more deadly. Then a wind seemed to blow from it, chilling both myself and the boy in the chamber. After that a body was practically thrown out of the veil, landing on the floor. Then it stopped."
"Did either of them say anything?" Remus gasped.
"Yes, both of them. The man lying on the floor tried to get up, but couldn't. He said something like he had to get to Harry. After that, the boy started to shout out what I'm guessing that man's name was."
"What was it?"
"Sirius I believe." Remus nearly fell out of his chair. Did he dare to believe it?
"And you dreamed this??" he nearly sobbed.
"No, the boy in the chamber with me did, and somehow.I saw it too," she finished simply.
"That's quite interesting, Fox," a voice near the door said, "but I'm afraid I'll have to take Remus from you for now." Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway bedecked in robes of deep purple.
"Yes, Dumbledore." She stood up, and to Remus' surprise, she turned into a crow and flew through the open door, right over Dumbledore's head. Dumbledore's mouth twitched as the crow was careful to soar over the Headmaster's head and into the darkened hallway.
"Pr-Pro-Professor-," Remus started.
"Remus, please call me Albus, you're a long way out of schooling."
"A-Albus, c-can she see-?" He couldn't finish.
"Just as much trouble as professor, eh? As for your question, I do not know. She may have a bond with Harry through her father. She won't be happy if that's the case."
"Who IS her father? I know what he did to her mother, but that's all." Remus was beginning to calm down.
"I'll tell you, since you need to understand. Do not judge her on who her father is, she's quite an extraordinary person, and hasn't had contact with her father since she was a baby. I believe that is the burning hate for her father that fuels her connection with Harry, working through his own connection."
"Who is it?"
"Tom Riddle is the name of Voldemort while he was at Hogwarts. I'm sure that the rest will piece itself together?"
"But what does Voldemort-?" He stopped midsentence. Riddle. Remus' eyes widened in shock. How could that beautiful young girl possibly have any relation to HIM?!?
"Yes Remus, Lord Voldemort is indeed Fox's father. Again, do not judge her for it."
"But how could anyone related to him turn out the way she seems to have turned out?"
"Though she may not love the wizarding world, she hates the Dark Arts with a passion that could rival dear Harry's. As a baby, her mother was killed by none other than her father."
"Why?" Remus asked, his curiosity overwhelming him.
"She may have told you of her twin. Well, she also had two older brothers, also a set of twins, most strange in itself. However, one of the boys was a Squib. Her father sensed this early on, and killed the Squib and her mother."
"Oh my God," Remus uttered again.
"Now, back to this dream."
"You were listening, I take it?"
"Curiosity is still exist in old age." Dumbledore's eyes had the same familiar twinkle they always held. "As I was saying, the dream."
"How could they dream something like that?"
"Simple, Remus. There is every possibility that it could be true. I've been reading a bit, and there's every possibility that it is."
"How?" Remus asked in disbelief.
"Sometimes, when in death you don't truly die before passing to the other side, you are given a choice. Do you move on or come back? Which would Sirius have choosen?"
"To come back," Remus croaked. "What do you mean not dying before passing on?"
"Sirius was hit by a Stunner when he fell behind the veil. He did not truly die."
"So what do we do?"
"We wait. We must not get our hopes up, and you cannot without this from Harry. I will place a lookout at the Ministry. Probably Percy Weasley," Dumbledore said simply, yet wearily.
"We're going to tell Harry?" Remus asked sharply.
"Of course. I will no longer withhold information from the boy. It's caused too much harm already. But again, neither of you get your hopes up."
"Yes, Prof-, Albus."
"Now, I'm afraid I'll be heading back to Hogwarts. I'm sorry I cannot be of more help. I'd suggest you'd go get some sleep if you intend on helping to retrieve Harry tomorrow."
With that, both men said their good nights. Albus altogether left Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, but Remus trudged towards the stairs. There on the banister was a black crow, he'd seen it many times there before, but he should have asked Dumbledore about the unregistered Animagus spy they now had on their side. As he passed by Fox to head up the stairs, he noticed one tiny feature that made her stand out. She was a crow with blue eyes.
When he finally reached his room where he slept, he climbed into bed. His eyes were wide open. He had a lot to think about now. There'd be little sleep tonight.
A/N: Spare me the suffering and review. Thanks-Anna Dearest.
Chapter 2
Remus Lupin sat in the ever-dreary kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. The grumbling of Kreacher the house-elf, not a very good servant, flowed through the kitchen. The high ceiling of the kitchen fostered cobwebs and creatures in its shadows that no one really felt like dealing with.
Remus sighed heavily as he sipped from a cup of tea. He'd just sent an owl to Harry, telling him they were coming to his rescue, if that's what you could call it. They were bringing him back to a house ever present with memories of Sirius, now it was just Headquarters. No one dared to call it Sirius' house, the Black house, or Sirius' parents' house, just Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Remus sensed their timid looks whenever he was in a room with members of the Order. He could imagine what it would be like for Harry, Sirius' godson.
After the death of his best friend, leaving him as the last Marauder, he'd been hit hard. He looked even sicklier before and after his transformations. Remus lost everything the night that James and Lily died. They were dead, he thought Peter was, and Sirius was hauled off to Azkaban. Finally, he'd realized Peter was guilty of all the crimes that Sirius was blamed for, and he got one of his friends back. At the time, he dared not to ask for more.
Remus now felt that Harry was all he had left. He knew he could never take the place of James, Lily, or Sirius, but he'd sure try to make them happy. I'll be damned if I let something happen to him Remus thought.
As he silently sipped his tea, another figure slid into the kitchen. He recognized it as the spy who Dumbledore had put to use, and it frightened him. She was only a fifteen-year-old girl. She had a look of determination on her face though, he blue eyes burned with a fire he'd never seen. With her black hair and pale features, sometimes she could pass for a corpse, but her eyes gave it away. Remus knew nothing else about her except her name, Candlefox Riddle, although she had everyone she even mildly trusted call her Fox, a precious nickname from her childhood.
What kind of name is Candlefox? Remus asked himself. The name Riddle also reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The thing that stumped him the most was her willingness to help the Order. Dumbledore always insisted that anyone who crossed her path was the one in danger, and no one questioned Dumbledore's words.
"Sorry," she said in a voice much stronger than Remus would expect, yet it was still soft and with a feminine touch. "I didn't realize anyone else was here. I just needed a place to think."
Strange, Remus thought, She's always so aware, I've never caught her off her guard. She makes to turn away, but Remus stops her. This is a good place to think.
"Don't apologize," he said, "I'm afraid that you and I are here for the same reason. Why don't you at least have a cup of tea?"
"Alright," was her simply reply. She sounded almost timid.
Remus gave the girl a cup of tea, and couldn't help but become intrigued by something in her nature. His acute senses that came from being a werewolf partly told him of her emotions, but she managed to hide a good deal. This young girl radiated such a sense of energy and being that it shook up Remus on the inside. Her eyes themselves startled him; they weren't the eyes of a fifteen-year-old. They were the eyes of an adult haunted by her past, and tortured by their being.
"I hate to interrupt your train of thought, but I feel the need to ask your name," she said in the same strong voice. "I've seen you around in the short time I've been here, but that's all I've known."
"Remus Lupin, but just call me Remus. And I know you're Candlefox, Dumbledore's handy spy."
"Just Fox please. I can't understand where the name Candlefox came from, probably one of my parents excellent ideas."
"What about your parents? Why is it you are on all this missions for Dumbledore? Aren't you underage?"
"I guess you could say my father was a Death Eater, he killed my mother when I was a child. As for my being underage and going on missions to spy, I'm hardly even registered, no one meant me to be. I'm a secret to most of the wizarding world."
"You're meant to be kept a secret? What do you mean?" Remus was now thoroughly confused.
"My father pretty much forced my mother into having children, someone to carry on the family name and business. Unfortunately for him, I have no intention of 'carrying on the business' for him, not for anyone."
"I can't believe that someone would do that." Remus was shocked. A girl who's own father killed her mother?
"Well, I have a twin sister. I suppose my father's only hope may be that she does what I won't." Her voice was dull, but she didn't close up, something Remus would expect.
"I can see why you need time to think."
"That's actually not the reason, something completely different." Her voice dropped a bit as she said this.
"Well, what is it? Do you need to talk about it?" Remus' intrigue only increased, his own problems forgotten.
"I suppose that you're a lot easier to talk to than Severus." A grin lit up her pale features as she stared into the fire.
"Yeah, I could only agree." Remus grinned as well, he could only imagine trying to discuss your problems with the formidable Potions Master.
"Maybe you could actually help me decipher this problem."
"I'd be more than willing to try." Okay, now she definitely had Remus' attention hanging on a tight leash.
"Well," she took a deep breath as she began, "last night I had the strangest dream, that wasn't at all my own. I could tell because I wasn't in a place I'd ever been before, or with people I've ever seen."
"Did you figure out their names throughout the dream?"
"Yes, but truth is, the location is what shocked me the most."
"What was it like?" Remus was on the edge of his seat. It was time to solve a problem, and he was ready to pounce on it.
"It was in a dark, not dimly-lit, downright dark chamber that was extremely cold, so cold it was fritening. I've never dreamt it could be that cold inside a building. There was a huge curtain or veil behind an archway.it was pitch-black, but it looked like it was flowing."
"Oh my God."
"What?" The girl sounded almost frightened at Remus' raspy voice.
"Nothing, go on."
"At first, there was only one person there, probably my age, if not close to it. It was still dark, I could barely make out his face, but he had dark hair and glasses as far as I could tell. For a while he was the only one."
She looked for her cue from Remus to continue. When he said nothing she went on, "The veil just kept on flowing like water, until eventually it started to kind of.shudder I guess is the word. I grew even colder in the room, and the veil started to flap faster and it seemed even more deadly. Then a wind seemed to blow from it, chilling both myself and the boy in the chamber. After that a body was practically thrown out of the veil, landing on the floor. Then it stopped."
"Did either of them say anything?" Remus gasped.
"Yes, both of them. The man lying on the floor tried to get up, but couldn't. He said something like he had to get to Harry. After that, the boy started to shout out what I'm guessing that man's name was."
"What was it?"
"Sirius I believe." Remus nearly fell out of his chair. Did he dare to believe it?
"And you dreamed this??" he nearly sobbed.
"No, the boy in the chamber with me did, and somehow.I saw it too," she finished simply.
"That's quite interesting, Fox," a voice near the door said, "but I'm afraid I'll have to take Remus from you for now." Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway bedecked in robes of deep purple.
"Yes, Dumbledore." She stood up, and to Remus' surprise, she turned into a crow and flew through the open door, right over Dumbledore's head. Dumbledore's mouth twitched as the crow was careful to soar over the Headmaster's head and into the darkened hallway.
"Pr-Pro-Professor-," Remus started.
"Remus, please call me Albus, you're a long way out of schooling."
"A-Albus, c-can she see-?" He couldn't finish.
"Just as much trouble as professor, eh? As for your question, I do not know. She may have a bond with Harry through her father. She won't be happy if that's the case."
"Who IS her father? I know what he did to her mother, but that's all." Remus was beginning to calm down.
"I'll tell you, since you need to understand. Do not judge her on who her father is, she's quite an extraordinary person, and hasn't had contact with her father since she was a baby. I believe that is the burning hate for her father that fuels her connection with Harry, working through his own connection."
"Who is it?"
"Tom Riddle is the name of Voldemort while he was at Hogwarts. I'm sure that the rest will piece itself together?"
"But what does Voldemort-?" He stopped midsentence. Riddle. Remus' eyes widened in shock. How could that beautiful young girl possibly have any relation to HIM?!?
"Yes Remus, Lord Voldemort is indeed Fox's father. Again, do not judge her for it."
"But how could anyone related to him turn out the way she seems to have turned out?"
"Though she may not love the wizarding world, she hates the Dark Arts with a passion that could rival dear Harry's. As a baby, her mother was killed by none other than her father."
"Why?" Remus asked, his curiosity overwhelming him.
"She may have told you of her twin. Well, she also had two older brothers, also a set of twins, most strange in itself. However, one of the boys was a Squib. Her father sensed this early on, and killed the Squib and her mother."
"Oh my God," Remus uttered again.
"Now, back to this dream."
"You were listening, I take it?"
"Curiosity is still exist in old age." Dumbledore's eyes had the same familiar twinkle they always held. "As I was saying, the dream."
"How could they dream something like that?"
"Simple, Remus. There is every possibility that it could be true. I've been reading a bit, and there's every possibility that it is."
"How?" Remus asked in disbelief.
"Sometimes, when in death you don't truly die before passing to the other side, you are given a choice. Do you move on or come back? Which would Sirius have choosen?"
"To come back," Remus croaked. "What do you mean not dying before passing on?"
"Sirius was hit by a Stunner when he fell behind the veil. He did not truly die."
"So what do we do?"
"We wait. We must not get our hopes up, and you cannot without this from Harry. I will place a lookout at the Ministry. Probably Percy Weasley," Dumbledore said simply, yet wearily.
"We're going to tell Harry?" Remus asked sharply.
"Of course. I will no longer withhold information from the boy. It's caused too much harm already. But again, neither of you get your hopes up."
"Yes, Prof-, Albus."
"Now, I'm afraid I'll be heading back to Hogwarts. I'm sorry I cannot be of more help. I'd suggest you'd go get some sleep if you intend on helping to retrieve Harry tomorrow."
With that, both men said their good nights. Albus altogether left Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, but Remus trudged towards the stairs. There on the banister was a black crow, he'd seen it many times there before, but he should have asked Dumbledore about the unregistered Animagus spy they now had on their side. As he passed by Fox to head up the stairs, he noticed one tiny feature that made her stand out. She was a crow with blue eyes.
When he finally reached his room where he slept, he climbed into bed. His eyes were wide open. He had a lot to think about now. There'd be little sleep tonight.
A/N: Spare me the suffering and review. Thanks-Anna Dearest.