DEMON STORM

Severus Snape walked quickly through the abandoned house. His footsteps echoed in the empty halls he had to traverse to get to the next set of stairs.

"Sibyll, I hope you're wrong," he muttered under his breath.

His colleague was considered a fraud by many and even the Headmaster thought Professor Trelawney had only expressed the true gift of prophecy on two occasions. Snape had more direct experience with Sibyll Trelawney, however.

He knew why she hid away in her tower to be surrounded by the incense and candles. The atmosphere served to keep her random visions at bay, but the side effects made her mind cloudy. He could never bear to be around her when she was Professor Trelawney.

But when Sibyll descended into the dungeons, she left behind the fumes that dulled her visions just as she left behind those hideous glasses that hid her soft eyes. She left behind the bangles and bracelets. She left behind the shawls and flowing scarves that hid her soft brown hair and her feminine body.

"Too late to the tower..." she had told him when she had ventured to the dungeons in a simple gray shift. There had been tears in her eyes, but she had walked away knowing that she had served her purpose in revealing her vision.

Snape walked up the final set of stairs and absently began to count them. Sixteen stairs, like the sixteen years he and Sibyll had spent in their peculiar arrangement. She couldn't see to her own fate, but from the initiation of their bond, Sibyll was able to catch glimpses of his. The vision was typically mundane, but surprisingly accurate.

Snape pushed on the trapdoor on the ceiling and ascended into the tower. There sat the Weather Mage seeming to sleep. The chair faced the west and Snape could see the clouds rolling in the background across the sky.

He had discovered this wasn't Voldemort's doing so much as potential Death Eaters trying to demonstrate their worth. They would probably be killed for their sloppiness. Fools. They should have known not to abuse the old woman so.

They had abandoned her to die alone now that her energy was spent. Snape knelt before her and registered the barest flutter of her eyelashes. She was still alive.

"Madam Iris, what have you done this day?"

"Imbers. Unleashed."

"Are they confined to a target or rogue?" his cold voice was stern, but her answer would affect how they dealt with the imbersphasms.

The gray head shook a little. "They hunt the Boy Who Lived."

The voice fell away for a moment, but then Snape heard another faint whisper. He leaned closer to hear the old woman's last word.

"Forgive..."

Snape remained silent as he looked at the dark clouds that swept across the moon. Sibyll had been right.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sirius Black shouted at the portrait of his mother, cursed at Kreacher, and finally confronted Lupin and Tonks as they returned to Grimmauld Place after the trip to her flat.

"Wotcher, Sirius. Sorry about the noise," said Tonks. She carried her broom in one hand while she dangled above the floor.

"You can put her down now, Moony," observed Sirius with a faint smile. His cousin had stumbled on the umbrella stand again, but Lupin had caught her before she fell.

The Professor finally realized that Tonks' feet were kicking freely given how he held her. He set her down forthwith. "Any word from Moody?"

"He just owled and said to wait for him and Kingsley. Something about having to take a detour to meet Snape before you check out your flight path."

Tonks frowned. "I don't like the sound of that. Think we're in for a rough night?"

"You know how paranoid Moody is. Snape's probably just complaining about a dust bunny," said Sirius as he plowed his fingers through his hair. He hated feeling useless. "Look, why don't you test the Firebolt while you wait? It's in the shed with the other brooms. I'm going up to entertain Buckbeak."

Sirius turned into Snuffles and ambled away as Tonks and Lupin walked outside.

- - - - - - - -

Moody grunted and turned to Kingsley. "Here, take this. Dumbledore thinks it will help you see the imbers, but if all else fails, just point your wand in the same direction we're aiming."

Kingsley Shacklebolt shifted his broom from his right hand to take the ring. He put the moonstone on his pinky as he walked beside Alastor Moody. The other man was carrying a walking stick, but managed to make no sound. Grimmauld Place was quiet, but this only enhanced the austere atmosphere.

"Do you think Lupin and Tonks are still waiting for us?"

"They won't take off without us. But now Snape's news changes our plans for tonight. Looks like we're in for a bit of demon hunting instead of just checking our flight path," growled Moody.

They quietly slipped out the backdoor of number twelve. They could hear Lupin and Tonks as they spoke inside the shed.

"Ready for a wild ride?" Tonks' voice sounded breathless.

Outside the shed, Kingsley turned to Moody and quirked an eyebrow as they listened.

"I've been waiting for you to say that." Lupin seemed as calm as ever.

"Professor Lupin, what are you thinking?" The woman's voice was teasing.

"I'm offering you my broomstick." At this point Kingsley's mouth dropped open.

"Oh, I've really wanted to get my hands on it," squealed Tonks.

Moody called loudly through the door. "Not now, Tonks, we have a mission!"

Kingsley was right behind Moody when he flung the door open and cast a bright grin at Tonks. He had never seen her so--pink! It was hard to tell where her hair started. Lupin merely rolled his eyes.

"Mad-Eye, we were talking about the Firebolt." Lupin raised the broom in salute.

Moody wasn't going to back down. "Now listen here. If I hadn't caught you two at it twice--"

"Twice?" interjected Kingsley. He gave a thumbs up to Lupin who merely put a hand over his face in exasperation.

"No, it's not what you think," said Lupin.

"Oh, well, Remus, if you need some pointers--" began Kingsley.

"Already offered, but the lad won't listen to the voice of experience in these matters," huffed Moody.

"Enough of this. Why should Remus be following your advice? Has either one of you managed to keep a woman?" Tonks asked wryly.

Kingsley and Moody looked at each other, then to Lupin and shrugged.

Moody cleared his throat and said, "Our wretched history with women isn't important now. We have some rain demons to catch. The imberphasms have been released, but at least they've been sent after one target."

"Harry Potter." Lupin said the boy's name with a sigh.

"We'll need to go after them tonight then. Oh, well, who needs sleep?" said Tonks. She was already feeling a bit hyper. "So, I'm the decoy?"

"Unless you don't think you can hold the morph?" asked Moody as he echoed her earlier words about changing into Lupin.

"How much detail do I need?" asked Tonks.

"Just the face. The imbers respond to the basic visuals," explained Moody. "Of course, if we don't stop them, the rain will fill your lungs before you know it and you'll drown in mid-air."

"Thanks for the lovely thought, Mad-Eye." Tonks turned to Lupin and said, "I've only seen pictures of him. Harry has black hair? How dark?"

Lupin nodded as he said, "Like your natural color--"

"She's got a natural color?" whispered Kingsley to Moody, who responded with, "Like midnight."

"--but a bit longer, the face is rounder and, of course, the scar and the round eyeglasses."

Tonks scrunched her face. Lupin watched as the familiar black hair appeared, but the shape of the face changed and she pulled a pair of glasses out of the pocket of her robe. A quick flick of her wand turned them into the familiar round eyeglasses.

She put them on her nose and said, "If I just need to present his face, then I can do this all night."

Lupin inspected her closely. "You don't quite look enough like James, but in the distance in the dark, you'll pass."

Moody transformed his walking stick into a broom. "We'll apparate at different coordinates in Little Whinging and converge near Number Four Privet Drive. At that point we mount the brooms and lure the imberphasms."

- - - - - - -

The company reached their rendezvous point and took to the air on their brooms. Tonks was flanked by Lupin and Kingsley while Moody watched their backs.

"Constant vigilance!" called Moody.

But it appeared that none was needed as they flew in the night. Yes, the clouds were floating in the sky, but there was nothing ominous about them.

Tonks was beginning to think that Snape had been mistaken when they all saw them. She found her voice first. "Dementors!"

The rain demons appeared as spectral Dementors with the skeletal hands reaching out for the wizards from the curtain of water that was their robes. The eerie translucence seemed to enhance their menacing appearance.

"Ferveo!"

The simultaneous calls of the wizards should have been effective as the heat reached the imberphasms, but the first volley merely slowed them down.

Moody quickly called, "Merge your Patronus with the spell!"

"Expecto patronum ferveo!"

The silvery form of a Badger with paws swiping at its opponent flew at one imber while the silver Raven gracefully swooped at another with talons extended. At the same time, a small, growling mammal with stumpy little feet ran at the third imber and launched into the fray. The final Patronus was almost without form except for the disc the glided gracefully to intercept the last imberphasm.

The heat sent in the form of each wizard's Patronus obliterated the misty Dementors with a hiss of steam. The company flew side by side for a moment as the imbers vanished.

Kingsley said, "Was that your badger, Mad-Eye? You were Hufflepuff?"

"Yes, just as I see you were Ravenclaw," confirmed Moody.

Kingsley turned to look at Lupin and Tonks. "Who had the ferret?"

"That was not a ferret!" objected Tonks as she practically stood up from her broom. She settled back down and explained, "It's a Welsh corgi. They just sit low to the ground."

"I prefer ferrets myself," muttered Moody.

Kingsley's chuckle rang through the night. "Fine, it's a Welsh corgi." He turned to Lupin and said, "I would have expected your Patronus to take corporeal form, but I couldn't recognize a wolf."

"My Patronus isn't a wolf," responded Lupin calmly. He shrugged and added, "It's a turtle."

Kingsley stared at Lupin for a moment, then burst into a new refrain of laughter. "Oh, that is too perfect!"

"I like my Turtle," said Lupin archly, ready to defend his unconventional Patronus. He turned to the grinning Tonks and demanded, "And what are you grinning at?"

"Nothing at all," said Tonks. But then she flew just a bit closer to Lupin and said softly, "I'm glad you finally got your head out."

Moody called, "There might be more out there, so be ready. Remember--"

"Constant vigilance." The three voices rang in chorus as the company continued their sweep of the skies.

- - - - - - -

The night seemed beautiful as the time passed by. Lupin was actually enjoying the flight. He glanced over to Tonks and for a moment was suspended in time.

He saw Prongs turning to him, prodding him to keep up and go higher like he and Padfoot. But Moony had kept his steady pace to ensure they didn't lose Wormtail. They had been eighteen and had decided to travel to the Quidditch World Cup on their own and on brooms, no less.

Tonks turned her head to smile at Lupin, but instead of returning it in kind, Lupin's eyes went wide in horror.

Looming behind her was the gaping maw of a translucent Kelpie that seemed to literally appear from behind the moon. The water droplets of the rain demon dripped from hydrous fangs like venom and it was easily as large as the one at Loch Ness.

"Ferveo!" shouted Lupin. Moody and Kingsley whipped around to add their volleys.

In the meantime Tonks had jerked the Firebolt to the right and upward. She emitted a loud whoop as the broom accelerated quickly to 100 mph, but forced a sharp turn as she, too, added her fire against the demon. "Ferveo!"

Tonks was flying through nothing but mist by the time she ripped through the remnants of the imber Kelpie.

"You all right?" called Lupin as he flew beside her while he continued to scan the skies.

"I'm bloody fabulous!" she shouted with a triumphant laugh. Tonks leaned into her broom to race ahead of her companions.

Lupin shook his head, but a smile teased his lips. She could be so much like Sirius at times.

"Constant vigilance!" warned Moody.

Kingsley immediately shouted, "Incoming lion!"

But the body of the enormous rain lion had the tail of a scorpion that was trying to whip around to catch Tonks.

"That's no lion; that's a manticore!" shouted Moody.

The most disturbing feature of this imber was the row of sharp teeth revealed within the human face of the manticore. They looked to be made of icicles. The luminous tail slammed into the Firebolt and prevented Tonks from doing any evasive maneuvers and was about to strike again.

"Lamina!" Lupin called his spell and gestured with his left hand in Tonks' direction even as he targeted the manticore's head with the wand in his right hand.

The raindrops spattered over the company as the spells hit the manticore, but the men could hear Tonks coughing. Lupin flew to her side. "That was close. You all right?"

Tonks nodded her head. "Was that another one of your little tricks? I swore I saw a scallop enveloping me before the stinger hit."

"My mother was Muggle-born, but turned out to be quite the Sea Witch with training. I think she passed it on to me," said Lupin. He'd never really thought about it before. The emphasis in his family had always been the Roman Wolf Hunters.

Tonks nodded. Given Lupin's family origins in Holyhead, his ties to the sea were inevitable. The company settled back to continue their hunt.

- - - - - - - -

The night would soon pass and the company had seen no further imberphasms. At this point they were flying near the seaside cliffs. Moody brought them down for a lower glide closer to sea level.

"Mad-Eye, do you think I could test out the Firebolt for a bit?" asked Tonks. They had not seen anything for the last two hours and soon the wild ride would be over.

Moody knew the danger this mission had put Tonks in, but the Auror never complained when she served as decoy. A little reward was in order. "Keep yourself hidden by the cliffs. But only for a moment!"

Lupin smiled at the way Moody growled like a father who reluctantly, but consistently, spoils his child. The men watched while Tonks accelerated on the Firebolt in a steep spiral parallel to the cliffs. She came out in a figure-eight, then dived along as if writing with her broom.

Lupin thought he could make out her name in the pattern. Tonks. The witch finished the S with a flourish and climbed upwards again.

Everyone could clearly hear her next words as she cleared the top of the cliffs.

"OH BLOODY FREAKING HELL!"

Diving over the cliffs was the largest rain demon they had yet encountered. The long serpent snaked forward as the men called, "Aim for the head!"

"Which one!" cried Tonks as she tried to evade the strike.

Then the full rain demon appeared to the wizards below as the rest of the translucent body came into view. The last imberphasm had manifested as Scylla, the six-headed serpent. Tonks was using all her attention to the evasive maneuvers that prevented her drowning. She couldn't even draw her wand at this point.

"Aim together. Take out the heads one at a time," called Moody.

"What order? They keep moving out of position." Kingsley was sending fire after Moody's aim, but it did no good. They needed synchrony.

"Titulus numero." Lupin pointed across the slithering heads and each became labeled.

"Now!" shouted Moody.

As Tonks whipped through the undulating trunks of Scylla, she could feel each of the serpent's heads falling to the ferveo spell of her company. She was able to grab her wand lightly and call an impervious spell to protect her from the fallout, but the sixth head was stubborn about meeting its demise. The head would whip back away from the heat that would destroy it.

Tonks decided she needed to bring the target closer to the men below her. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she gave a shrill whistle to get their attention and immediately turned the Firebolt for a direct, steep path to the ocean below the cliffs. The remnants of Scylla quickly followed.

The ferveo spell was splashing ineffectively against the long neck of Scylla as Tonks committed herself to her maneuver.

"She's doing a Wronski feint," called Kingsley.

"Wait until the head is near the water. We're wasting our energy otherwise," replied Moody.

Lupin understood the wisdom of Moody's directions, but watched with apprehension. He would not accept that keeping the Boy Who Lived safe meant Tonks had to be sacrificed. She was good on a broom, but she was no Harry Potter.

Tonks knew the danger she faced as she sped to the water. She loosened her robe and let it fly away. Would she be able to pull out of the dive in time? She could feel the pressure of the serpent's head behind her.

"NOW!"

"Ferveo!"

The heat burst the last head of Scylla into a shower of rain droplets, but simultaneous with the command to fire, they had all heard the impact of the human body with the water.

Lupin didn't waste time other than to fling off his robe and kick off his shoes before taking a graceful dive into the water. His head broke through the surface and he found her immediately as the moonstone glowed in the dark. Her eyes were closed, her arms floated without conscious effort, although her fingers trapped her wand, and the round glasses floated away from her.

Moody and Kingsley trapped the robes and broomsticks of their companions as they circled the water at the site of impact. A sudden fountain of water rained on them as Lupin seemed to emerge standing as if buoyed up from the sea.

The man held the pale woman in his arms as he levitated above the water. Moody flicked his wand to send one broom under her head and another under her knees to provide an aerial gurney.

No one spoke as Lupin passed his hand over her chest and across her mouth and nose. He was sending any water out of her lungs. The coughs initiated by his spell made all the men sigh in relief.

Tonks was too busy coughing to notice the gentle hand rubbing her back, making sure there was no residual to worry about. She finally opened her eyes to see an electric blue globe spinning wildly above her.

"I'm all right, Mad-Eye," she said to reassure him. "My head just hurts."

She recognized the touch at her forehead without turning to look at him. Lupin eased her pain enough that she could sit up. He moved the Firebolt under her as he took the Comet for himself. They quickly flew to a sheltered alcove to let Tonks recover.

- - - - - - - - -

Lupin appeared to be the picture of utter calm until Tonks hopped off the broom to sit on one of the large boulders for a moment. This put her at about eye level to Lupin and she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. She looked away quickly when she saw the uncharacteristically stormy eyes. She didn't think he was only upset about being dripping wet.

Lupin leaned on the boulder with his hands on either side of Tonks, effectively preventing her escape. Moody and Kingsley merely exchanged a knowing glance and a smirk as they watched the couple.

"A Wronski feint?"

"Well, it seemed--"

"Do you know how many people can successfully do a Wronski feint?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact--"

"Two! Two people in this world can do a Wronski feint."

"I know. One is--"

"Viktor Krum and Harry Potter. THEY can do a Wronski feint."

"I can count, you know!"

"And can you estimate the speed at which you were approaching the water?"

"I expect it was 150--"

"Enough to crush your ribcage! It's a miracle you--"

Tonks grabbed the angry man's jaw and smothered his words. Her lips still had a faint saltiness to them, but her maneuver had effectively shut him up. He clutched her to him in his relief that she was still alive. Tonks didn't think about Moody and Kingsley witnessing their kiss until she heard them speak.

"Must be that Muggle mouth-to-mouth resuscitation I've heard about," observed Moody sagely.

"I didn't think the drowning victim was supposed to initiate the maneuver," said Kingsley as he tapped his chin with a finger.

"Oh, don't tell me I've caught them snogging again!" complained Moody.

Tonks pulled away from Lupin and called around his shoulder to the men. "You're right, Mad-Eye. It's just that Muggle resuscitation technique."

"Likely story," muttered the Auror to his companion. "Come on, Kingsley, let's see if we can find those boats that Lupin calls shoes."

The two wizards flew off to survey the water. Lupin's tone was earnest, but he had recovered his calm demeanor. "I was certain you were dead."

Tonks pulled his right hand away from the boulder and held it tightly. "The lamina spell you used on me. You didn't take it off."

Lupin looked puzzled for a moment. "You mean it activated again when you hit the water?"

"I saw the scallop again for a moment. It was shattering as I hit the water," said Tonks. She released a deep sigh and added, "I think that's why I lived through the impact."

Lupin leaned his forehead against hers. "You're right. I should have followed it with a finite incantation. That was careless of me."

"This time your lapse of memory saved my life," she said gently. "Let's dry off and go home."

Lupin stood silently while she waved her wand over them. They heard Moody and Kingsley calling to each other.

"Found them?"

"No."

"What about there?"

"Have you gone blind? Those are whisky bottles."

Lupin rolled his eyes, put out his hand and said, "Accio shoes."

"Oh, there they are..."

TBC

Author Notes:
Sorry to be teasing you with this story. It looks like I really need one more chapter to get Harry to Grimmauld Place. Are the imbers really gone? I know and so will you once I finish this.

I must confess that given the books, I see absolutely no basis for any relationship between Snape and Trelawney. That comes completely from Rickman and Thompson playing the characters in the film. Now, Remus and Tonks, on the other hand, are CLEARLY a couple--or I wouldn't be writing these stories.

About the CLWL club. It's set up to dissolve once they consummate their relationship, but until then, seduction lessons are acceptable as long as the party of the first part, Tonks, is the instructor, and the party of the second part, Lupin, is the sole student.

I don't know what house Moody really came from, but because of the Redwall stories, I have a certain view of badgers as loyal protectors, so that's how I see him fitting. Same with Kingsley for Ravenclaw. I had to make Tonks' Patronus a Welsh corgi given all the times I've used this as a "feature" for her. And, although no one may believe it, the turtle Patronus just cries out Lupin to me. Go ahead, laugh. It's all about imagination.

Titulus numero, lamina and ferveo are not canon. I might be mistaken about who can do the Wronski Feint, but the only ones I remember succeeding were Harry and Viktor.

I expect to finish this by next weekend. Honest.

Thanks for waiting, reading, and continuing to encourage the progression of the story.