Disclaimer: Not mine. All J.K.R's. You all know the drill.

Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming! Thank you, Thank you very much. When I have some more, I'll respond to them. Well, enjoy Chapter Three:


Chapter Three: The Serpent's Tongue

One word snapped Remus out of his thoughts back into the conversation. Harry...

"Sorry, Albus," Remus said worriedly. "What was that about Harry? I thought you said he was fine."

"I did not tell you earlier, Remus, because I did not want to tell you too many upsetting things at once."

Cut to the chase, Dumbledore, Remus thought to himself, beginning to panic.

'James, Lily, Sirius: The Dark Lord had taken them all from him. He wouldn't let Voldemort take him as well.'

"Remus," Dumbledore said, uncharacteristically somber. "Harry has been taken by the Death Eaters."


Remus shook his head as if to clear it, not wanting to believe what he had heard.

"Albus," he said sadly. "Tell me there has been some misunderstanding," but even as he said it, he knew it was true. Albus wouldn't tell us something like this if he wasn't completely sure it was true.

"Remus," Dumbledore said quietly, shaking his head. "I know you want to help, but promise me you won't go running after Harry by yourself. Stay here with the rest of The Order until we have some more information."

But Remus would have none of it. "No!" He banged his hands down on the table in an uncharacteristic burst of temper. "I can't just sit here when James' son has been taken by Voldemort!"

Everyone at the table, aside from Dumbledore, winced at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.

It's the wolf's fault, Remus told himself. The wolf is angry and it is expressing itself through me.

"Remus," Dumbledore said again, this time a little more comfortingly. "I cannot let you go looking for him until we have more information. I know this is hard for you, especially this close to the full moon, but we need you. We cannot risk you getting hurt."

Remus, who had put his head in his hands, merely nodded.

At that moment a house elf, presumably one Dumbledore had recruited from Hogwarts, entered the room.

"Master Dumbledore, sir," she said, sounding somewhat nervous. "There's a fire call, sir. Some news about Master Harry Potter."

"Thank you, Dippy," Dumbledore said to her, patting her on the head somewhat absently.

"As soon as I receive any news, Remus, I will relay the information to you."

Remus nodded again, watching Dippy shuffle off down the hall. Dumbledore smiled and then followed close behind her.


Remus paced the floor anxiously, waiting for some news about Harry's location. Tonks, who was sitting on a chair near him, smiled wryly at him.

"You, know, Lupin," she said to him, shaking her head. "If you keep this up, we'll have a deep, ring shaped trench in the floor here."

"Sorry," he said, too upset to notice the joke in her statement. He sat down next to her, pinching the bridge of his nose nervously. "I just can't let anything happen to Harry. I feel like he's my responsibility now that Sirius is," he cleared his throat, wincing at the memories, "gone."

Tonks patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Harry will be fine," she told him firmly. "Dumbledore will be back any minute with news of his location."

"I hope you're right," he was saying, but before he could finish, the old wizard walked into the room.

Remus jumped out of his chair, hurrying over to the other man. "Any news?" he asked him with concern.

Dumbledore nodded and Remus smiled. "Apparently Harry's captors are frequent customers at a tavern in Knockturn Alley: a certain Serpent's Tongue, I believe it is called."

"Albus, let me go check it out," Remus said pleadingly. "I have to find Harry. He's all I have left."

Dumbledore held up his hand in a placatory gesture. "Remus, I cannot stop you from going to this tavern. I will however ask this of you: Be careful. You are a valuable member of The Order and a good friend. I cannot afford to lose you."

Remus nodded, eyes bright. "Thank you, Albus," he whispered. With a comforting feeling of closure, Remus Lupin apparated to Knockturn Alley.


Remus looked apprehensively around the tiny alley to where he had apparated. The shops were crowded, but strangely, very few people were found in the street. The rickety, near dilapidated buildings were crammed together on the tiny street. They looked so pitiful that Remus was considering putting a few out of their misery himself. What little space that could be found between was littered with dirt and trash.

Remus was filled with a feeling of foreboding, which he tried his best to ignore. Don't get cold feet now, Lupin, he told himself. You can't start to act like a chicken. That's a habit you cannot afford to have.

He strengthened his resolve and looked around for the Serpent's Tongue. He read the shop signs to himself as he went along, also keeping an eye out for any possible Death Eaters.

The Biting Horsefly Inn, Altman's Apothecary- "Daily Special: Human Spleens at seven sickles an ounce", Persephone's Poisonous Plants- "Huge Sale on Deadly Nightshade"— Aha! The Serpent's Tongue. Here we are.

Remus pulled his black cloak up over his head so that his eyes stood out of his hood like glowing amber spheres. Doing his best to look terrifying (which came somewhat naturally that close to the full moon), Remus Lupin stepped inside the tavern.