A/N: Thanks for all your sweet reviews.  This is not a very long chapter, but I thought I should post something soon before some of you really fulfill the threats you made in your reviews (you know who you are!)  LOL. 

The Rat Trap

"AARON!" April burst into a private ward on the fourth floor at St Mungo's Hospital.

It was empty.

She jumped when she heard a sudden voice behind her.

"Looking for someone, Miss Flamel?"

April turned.  At the doorway was a very short man with small beaded eyes.

"Peter Pettigrew?" she asked tentatively.

"How clever, Flamel!"  Pettigrew raised his wand and pointed it at April.

"You traitor! How could you betray your friends? Scumbag!" Her voice was shaking with intense anger and dislike.

"I see you've met my friend Sirius Black.  Why, you sound exactly like him!" replied Pettigrew coldly. "I'm sure the Dark Lord will be most happy if you can surrender both the Stone and Black to him.  My master may even let you enter his service."

"Am I supposed to feel honoured?" she responded mockingly. "Are you asking me to stoop to as low a level as you did? Save your breath, you rat. I will not serve the Dark Side and neither will I will betray my friends."

"Unfortunately, your wits can't save you now," he snarled. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?" April replied warily.

"Don't kid with me, Flamel.  I'm referring to the Sorcerer's Stone, of course."

"I don't have it."

"Hand it over now!"

"I told you I don't have it."

"I'm going to ask you one last time. Where is the Stone?" Pettigrew said, gripping his wand more tightly.

April simply glared defiantly at him.

Pettigrew had clearly lost his patience. "No matter.  I have ways to make you reveal what I want to know."

A loud shrill piercing scream shattered the quiet in the hospital.

*

Sirius was pacing up and down the room like a madman.  All of a sudden, he dashed to the door.

"Sirius! What are you doing?" Remus leaped up and held out a firm hand to restrain Sirius just as the latter was turning the doorknob.

"Do you know what YOU are doing?" Sirius fired the question back to Remus.  "We know fully well that this is a trap and we're letting her walk right into it?"

"We have already informed McGonagall and she'll notify the headmaster immediately." Remus was feeling every bit as helpless and worried as his friend.

"It's a trap, Remus. It's all a trap!" chanted Sirius miserably.

"You know that we can't leave this place now.  The entire Ministry must be searching for us," Remus said.  "Once we know for sure that she's safe, we'll leave."

"Leave? But where can we go?" Sirius asked blankly.

"Anywhere.  We will only implicate Albus and the school if we are found here.  We were seen with a teacher and students from Hogwarts, and it's only a matter of time they conduct a search the very grounds we're standing on."

Sirius slumped onto the ground.  He drew his knees up to his chest, and buried his head in them.

This is all so unfair, he thought bitterly.  For a few weeks, he had allowed himself to hope…he had hoped that he would regain his freedom and live a normal life.  But within the span of the past few hours, his hopes were dashed and his world came tumbling down.  He had seen James' son in danger and he was unable to help.  He had met the dementors - creatures that he dreaded most…creatures that haunted his sleep night after night - and found that he was unable to defend himself against them.  He had blown the cover he tried hard to keep for the last few years by allowing the Ministry to learn about his whereabouts.  He had gotten his friends into trouble. And now, he may lose something else…someone else…

"Padfoot," Remus placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.  "It'll all turn out fine," he said, somewhat unconvincingly.

Suddenly, there was a tap on the window.  Both men looked up, startled.  Remus quickly went to the window, opened it, and removed a rolled parchment from the owl's beak before setting it free again.

Sirius had risen to his feet and rushed to Remus' side, anxiously watching his friend unroll the small piece of parchment.

Lupin,

Meet me outside the headmaster's office immediately. Students should all be in classes now.  If you are seen and questioned, tell them you're here only to pay your old school a visit.  Bring the black dog along with you.

Minerva

*

A few minutes later, Sirius, Remus and McGonagall stepped into Dumbledore's office.

"How's everything? Did Dumbledore find her?"  Sirius asked the moment he resumed his human form.

"Albus has been informed.  He has given me instructions to bring both of you here," Professor McGonagall said grimly. "I expect he should have news for us soon.  I do hope he's not too late." 

"Too late?" Sirius echoed her words and paled.

Remus kept silent, deep lines forming across his forehead.

*

The time passed slowly.  Seconds seemed like months and minutes felt like years. 

They waited quietly for an hour or so.  All were getting restless and even Remus and McGonagall could not hide their anxiety.  Their concerns and worries were mounting as the clock ticked away.

"They've taken quite some time," Remus said finally.

Sirius could no longer keep his silence. "QUITE SOME TIME? THEY'RE TAKING FOREVER! SOMETHING'S WRONG…SOMETHING'S DEFINITELY NOT RIGHT!"

He took a deep breath to calm himself down when he caught Remus' warning look.  "Maybe Dumbledore couldn't find her…maybe he was too late," he mumbled, half to himself.

"Oh no!" McGonagall was trying her best to maintain her composure and sound confident to reassure her two former students. "Albus will find her and he'll bring her back safely."

Just then, the door opened and they all looked in the same direction expectantly.

Albus Dumbledore stepped into the room.  He was alone, and April Flamel was nowhere in sight.

***

The next chapter will be longer, and reveal quite a bit of stuff.  So if you want to read more SOON, you know the magic spell! (Let me give you a hint…you just need to point your wand at the little box in the left corner of the bottom of this page.)  :)