A/N: - This is possibly one of my longest chapters ever! PLEASE REVIEW! And thank you to anyone that does – but I really would love to boost my reviews total – so please do!
Chapter 19 – Stone Cold
"Our spy?" Dumbledore's voice was determinedly calm.
"A certain young Mr. Lupin…I believe Peter is dealing with him at this very moment," Voldemort smirked at the looks on the faces in front of him.
"Don't you dare---" Harry started, but was held back by Neville and Ron.
"Dare what, Mr. Potter? I see you still have that temper of yours. You could at least save some anger for when your beloved Hogwarts is attacked."
"Shut up."
"Oh, but I haven't had the chance to revel in my glory yet…"
"SHUT UP!" Harry screeched.
"Oh dear, Mr. Potter – we do seem to have an anger management problem, don't we?" Voldemort cackled in satisfaction at the red-faced teenager.
"Master, the werewolf escaped!" Pettigrew thumped on the door. Voldemort threw it open with a flick of his wrist and dragged Pettigrew in, throwing him down.
"WHAT!"
"I've sent as many as we could spare out to look for him and the delta pack is looking for him – they will find him."
"How can you be so sure?" Snape scowled darkly, almost seeming to smile.
"Let's just say that the Ministry's actions against our werewolves have resulted in the certain death of yours…those daggers are handy…he won't get far with mild silver poisoning – but he won't be dead so you can still have your fun, Master."
"Very good, Wormtail," Voldemort congratulated his right-hand Death Eater, "and we have caught their other spy?"
"Other spy?"
"The giant, Hagrid?" Pettigrew grinned maliciously. He then clicked his fingers and an unconscious Hagrid was hauled into the room by five Death Eaters, "Yes, we got him too."
"Hagrid!" Ron exclaimed.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort screeched, flinging Ron backwards with the pointing of a finger, then pausing for a moment, contemplating what to do with the dazed boy, "you know, I think---"
"MacNair!" Pettigrew whirled round as a Death Eater poked his head round the door.
"What do you want? We're busy!" Voldemort sneered.
"We got the werewolf; the attack on Hogwarts is in its final stages of preparation – however the Alpha wolf of the Delta pack is dead so I have appointed the next strongest – the wolf had severe bite wounds on his back and was finished by a killing curse. The work of Lupin and one other, though which one I am not sure."
"I think we should lock Lupin up in here. Make sure that the silver poisoning is not strong enough to cause death, just to cause fever and slow his reactions." Voldemort smirked. Within minutes MacNair had returned and Lupin, still in his werewolf form, was flung into the room to join his comrades.
"Master," Pettigrew bowed deeply, "I am going to oversee the attack," he turned to face Lupin, "I'll deal with you later," he spat.
"You will remain locked in here until the attack is over. Then I will kill you," Voldemort left the room and it was locked from the outside, and magic wards set up around it.
As the night progressed, Harry looked at the miserable faces around him. Snape was sour, Dumbledore and McGonagall were calm and composed, Hagrid was solemn and his eyes were repeatedly glancing over and over towards the still unconscious werewolf curled up in the corner. Neville was shaking and Ron was watching a spider, rigid with fear, as it climbed up the wall nearby.
"Harry, are you ok?" Ron gulped, trying to distract himself.
"Yeah – what time do you think it is now?"
"Dawn, almost," Dumbledore's voice replied. As if on cure, Lupin began the painful transformation back to a human. Once he was back to normal, he immediately pushed himself up onto his knees.
"Ok, whatever I expected, it wasn't that," he laughed.
"The situation is not to be laughed at, Lupin," Snape's icy tone cut short the little relief from the tension that Lupin had created.
"And what exactly is the situation?"
"There's an attack on Hogwarts…it started at about midnight," Dumbledore explained calmly.
"A what?" An attack?" Lupin's face paled instantly.
"It will have been going on for quite a while now," McGonagall continued in a slightly higher pitched voice than usual.
"Oh God – I should have been there – you told me to sit this one out and now, because I wouldn't listen, I'm not there to help fight the werewolves," Lupin heaved himself to his feet but sat down quickly as he put weight on his right ankle, "Dammit!" he cursed.
"Wha's wrong?" Hagrid looked up from where he'd been staring at his feet in dismay.
"I've probably just sprained it or something, that's all," Lupin replied, rubbing his swollen ankle.
"Well, don' put any weight on it, if yeh can help it."
"Where's Patricia?" Snape suddenly piped up.
"They didn't catch her," Hagrid whispered.
"Then we still have the chance to get back to Hogwarts and defend it," Harry's eyes lit up.
"Yes, Harry, we do," Patricia opened the door and smiled warmly at all of them.
"Patricia," McGonagall greeted her, "thank Merlin you're here – let's go!"
As the group crept along the corridors, Harry stuck close behind Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, what about Hermione, Ginny and Luna?"
"Do not worry, Mr. Potter – I have been informed of their whereabouts."
"You have?"
"Remus found them when he was running from the Death Eaters and he told me of their whereabouts."
"Where is Professor Lupin?" Harry looked back and finally spotted an extremely pale Lupin using the support of Hagrid to keep the weight off his ankle.
"What is it, Harry?" Lupin asked.
"You know where the girls are?"
"Yes, and it's not good – Voldemort has turned them to stone and I wasn't in any state to change them back."
"So it's a simple enough spell to change them back?"
"Extremely simple…Dumbledore will sort it in a second," Lupin smiled weakly, wincing a little.
"Sorry, you should be focussing on walking, not talking to me."
"Don't worry about it – I've been through this once a month for more than twenty years."
"That just seems so unfair."
"I'll have to stop you there, Harry," Lupin regarded him sternly; "there are more important things to worry about than problems in the past that can't be changed…"
"Harry, we've found them!" Dumbledore suddenly announced to him. Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief and Harry rushed forward, nearly knocking several people off their feet. But when he reached the doorway, he looked in and saw Hermione, Ginny and Luna turned to stone.
"Oh Merlin…" Harry trailed off, clamping his hand over his mouth. Ron and Neville stood beside him looking equally shocked. Dumbledore stepped forward and began chanting in a low voice. Within moments, the girls lurched forwards as they jerked back into the world of movement and life.
"Harry! Ron! Neville!" Hermione hugged each of them in turn, "I'm so glad you're all here; I was beginning to worry that you'd never arrive."
"We need to get out of here – we were all so worried about you." Harry grinned at the three girls.
"You aren't going anywhere!" Voldemort hissed from behind them, "I knew you would escape somehow – so now I will stop playing games with you and no more games!"
"When was this ever a game?" Lupin muttered to Hagrid.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort flung out a hand and Lupin yelped as he was slammed into a pile of amulets that were stacked in a corner. He scrambled out of them as fast as he could. Voldemort laughed coldly as the werewolf made it out of the silver and collapsed on the floor, gasping for the air; the amulets had been silver, "hurts, doesn't it? But then it's no more than you deserve. You will be dead within an hour at most,"
"You'll pay for this, Voldemort," Dumbledore's eyes were uncharacteristically gleaming with anger.
"What's going on? Lupin can't die unless it's in his bloodstream," Ron pointed out, confused.
"It is…it's bound to be…" Harry's voice cracked as Voldemort let out a bark-like laugh and vanished.
"If Voldemort can apparate and disapparate then why can't we?" Luna asked slowly, her voice dreamy even under the current circumstances.
"It seems as if he has a way to disable the shields momentarily as he apparates and disapparates and then he replaces them quickly enough to stop us escaping."
"Albus," Patricia alerted the Headmaster, "Remus is fading fast…we have to get him out of here."
"How long has he got?" Snape asked, kneeling down on the other side of Lupin so he was opposite Patricia.
"I…don't know," Patricia hung her head in despair.
"Hang on," Snape checked Lupin's pulse and waved his wand over him, "between forty and fifty minutes."
"Don't…do me any favours…Severus," Lupin gasped as Snape hauled him to his feet.
"Believe me, Lupin; I am only helping you to prevent the whole party getting caught. And I don't want to give Potter another excuse as to why his grades have dropped."
"I'd rather blame his Potions grades on the lack of help he receives from the teacher," Lupin joked.
"Let's focus on getting out of here for the moment, shall we?" Hermione suddenly interjected.
"Excellent suggestion, Miss. Granger," McGonagall's mouth almost curved into a smile.
The group moved incredibly slowly and cautiously. Lupin was getting weaker and the group was gradually slowing up even more with every minute that passed.
"Headmaster," Hagrid suddenly called. The group turned round and Hagrid was now supporting a completely unconscious Lupin, "his time is running out."
"We're nearly out of this lair!" McGonagall pointed to an exit.
Climbing up and back into the forest, the party found themselves in the clearing with the Altar once more. Setting Lupin down carefully, Hagrid straightened up and looked around, cracking his knuckles and stretching.
"We'll never get to Hogwarts before Voldemort himself does," Patricia sighed.
"We will have to split up. If----" Dumbledore was cut off by Snape.
"Headmaster!" Snape's voice was urgent, "he's not going to last!" he was trying to calm the werewolf, who seemed to be having some kind of panic attack. Hagrid lifted the shivering werewolf and led him on the stone altar.
"Is he going to be ok?" Harry moved to his Professor's side.
"I don't know, Potter," snapped Snape, who was rushing round Lupin, checking his pulse, temperature and trying to calm him down a little. Harry backed off and turned round and grimaced to Ron. Hearing Snape curse, he whipped back round to see the Potions master run his hands through his greasy black hair, "I'm sorry, Potter," he sighed deeply, closing his eyes.
"No…he can't be…" Harry began to move back towards the Altar when a noise behind them caused them to whirl round sharply. The pack of werewolves was surrounding them, now in human form with their wands drawn.
"I thought they'd be at Hogwarts!" Ron whimpered.
"Clearly not," Ginny shot back.
"Damn! This is so crazy!" Harry was shaking with rage, angry tears welling up in his eyes, "and Voldemort is out destroying Hogwarts having also just murdered the one remaining link to my parents and my past!"
"Harry, calm down," Hermione put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"DUCK!" Neville yelled, barrelling into Harry and Hermione as a werewolf sent a curse flying at them. As they ducked, the werewolf stumbled forward and made for Lupin's body. Reacting at incredible speed, Snape and McGonagall hexed it at exactly the same moment, knocking it out. Harry jumped back to his feet and drew his wand.
"We have to get out of here!" Patricia screeched.
"Really? I thought we'd stay for tea and cakes!" Snape's snide voice cut through the atmosphere.
"Who'd have thought it? Snape's got a sense of humour!" Ron joked as he stood back to back with Luna and Ginny.
"Most people do; it's merely a case of unearthing it." Luna replied. Ron rolled his eyes and tried to catch Harry's gaze and force a smile out of his best friend. But Harry's eyes were still fixed on Lupin. Ron felt a pang of sadness in the pit of his stomach as he saw another part of Harry's past disappear. The human werewolves were dropping like flies without the advantage of being in their animal forms and soon the coast was almost clear and Dumbledore took the chance to sound the alert.
"Let's go! Hagrid, get Remus!"
"Uh…I would, but somethin' is happenin'…" Hagrid was backing away from the Altar, which was glowing a brilliant white. Lupin's body began to lift off the Altar and a deep blue haze surrounded him. Shielding their eyes, the Hogwarts party and remaining werewolves backed off a little. A sudden flash of green light and a small explosion caused everyone to jump and Lupin's body was led once more on the Altar. Snape edged cautiously forward, picking up Lupin's wrist, and then drew back in surprise and utter shock.
"It can't be possible! No magic can raise the dead!" he gasped. Everyone was silent.
"The silver poisoning? Is it gone?" Dumbledore asked, not sounding too shocked.
"I don't think so – I mean I don't actually know – it might be, it might not…but he still has the cuts and bruises."
"A lot of them by the looks of it."
"But alive – that's impossible!"
"Clearly not…" Lupin's hoarse and shaky voice came from behind Snape, where he was now using McGonagall's support to stand up.
"How did you do that?" Snape had now gone white.
"I don't know…but the silver is definitely still there." Lupin's eyes were glazed over and he looked like death warmed up, which seemed to be exactly what had just happened.
"We checked your pulse and everything," Patricia's voice trembled, "you were one hundred percent dead!"
"Unless," Dumbledore mused, "this is the legendary Altar of Life said to exist only in mythology, the tales of days long gone."
"What?" was the general response.
"I will explain once we are out of the forest," Dumbledore stunned their remaining assailants and the group set off once more, slowly for the sake of the injured werewolf of their party.
As they neared the edge of the forest, Harry began to panic – getting out of the forest was one thing but saving Hogwarts was another matter entirely.
"How do we get past the perimeter guard?"
"They've not got too much awareness," Lupin spoke softly, his voice hoarse, "and some of them will be gone and at Hogwarts. The others we can stun from behind. And most of them will be too tired from the transformation back into their human selves."
"Save your strength, Remus," McGonagall chided him sternly, "don't waste breath on talking."
"Stupefy!" Snape stunned the remaining perimeter guards one by one as quickly and quietly as he could.
"We will head for those bushes," Dumbledore pointed to some bushes about thirty feet away from the edge of the forest, "but we shall do so in two groups: Harry, Ron and Neville, you will wait here until you are instructed further. Hermione, Luna, Ginny, Hagrid and Severus will go first."
"Righ', Headmaster," Hagrid and his group made a break for it, signalling when they had reached the other side.
"Everyone ready? Good – then let's go."
Once both groups were safely across the gap and in the secure concealment of the bushes, questions began to pour out and flood Dumbledore.
"You say no magic can bring people back to life?"
"What was that all about?"
"An Altar of Life?"
"How is it possible?"
"Can it bring anyone back?"
"Is it Dark magic?"
"It's impossible…isn't it?"
The questions and thoughts were flying in all directions and the creases in Dumbledore's forehead were deepening as each one was asked. He was pensive, thoughtful, his eyes glued to Lupin, the only silent member of the party.
"I said I would explain, and explain I shall…"
"Shouldn't we get back to 'ogwarts first?" Hagrid asked.
"…when we have saved Hogwarts," Dumbledore finished.
"The students should not hear it," Snape cut in icily, "They are not part of the Order."
"Cut it out, Severus," Lupin hissed through gritted teeth. Snape opened his mouth to make a scathing remark but was silenced with one look from Dumbledore.
"The students will remain present, having fully witnessed what happened," he sighed and a new spark of determination ignited within him, "for now, Hogwarts is our top priority. Remus, you are to go directly to the hospital wing. Harry, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginevra and Luna will return to their dorms. Everyone else is to follow me."
To speed up the process, Dumbledore hastily produced a portkey which would transport them to the Gates of Hogwarts. All exchanging last, slightly nervous glances, they placed their hands on the bag of Sherbet Lemons and Harry felt the familiar jerking sensation beneath his navel and he was swirling through a vortex of colour.
Trying to land on their feet, and without much success, the group swiftly regained their composure and split to go their separate ways. Harry and the other students began creeping along the very edge of the castle, taking refuge in the shadows to avoid discovery.
"At least it is past dawn," Harry thought aloud, "no werewolves to be attacked by."
"You've got that right, mate," Ron's fearful voice replied from just behind him.
"It seems reasonably quiet – all the werewolves seemed to have fled or were killed. And I can only see a few Death Eaters," Hermione added.
"But no teachers or students," Luna's dreamy, far-off voice sliced into Harry's thoughts and the truth of what she'd said hit him seconds later with a staggering force like a knife through his heart. There were no teachers or students in sight. He was brought back to his senses when they reached the courtyard and made a dash for the door. As soon as he stepped inside, Harry felt something; another presence. The air went cold and he recognised it instantly. Dementors were swarming through the school, sucking the souls of anyone who wandered across their path. The six students continued to move around the school, evading any Dementors they felt to be nearby.
Finally, they reached the Ravenclaw tower where they saw Luna safely inside. But, as they continued, Harry felt a deep sense of foreboding as though he was a puppet and was being forced to break into a run. The others followed suit and they shortly, by some miracle, reached the Gryffindor tower without running into anything…or worse.
"Where's the Fat Lady?" Neville squeaked worriedly.
"What!" Harry snapped back to reality, "She's gone?"
"Looks like it, doesn't it?" Hermione clicked her tongue impatiently and moved forward, opening the unguarded Portrait hole with a small pouch.
"Where is everyone?" gulped Ginny nervously, hiding behind an equally terrified Ron.
"Gone," Harry stated simply. Hearing a noise and a shuffling sound behind them, the five students spun round.
"We have all the Gryffindor girls in our tower and the boys are in the Great Hall."
"LUNA!" Hermione scolded the girl, "don't creep up on us like that!"
"Sorry," Luna blushed, parsnip earrings swinging from side to side. Fiddling with her garlic necklace, she saw Hermione screw up her nose and explained, needlessly in Harry's opinion, "to ward off any vampires."
"I never could have guessed," Ginny giggled, "thanks, Luna."
"Yeah," Neville beamed with relief, "we thought everyone had been taken by the Dementors or something!"
"Thankfully, no – although I think several may be in the hospital wing."
"Better than dead," Harry smiled vaguely.
"Harry, you know none of this is your fault, don't you?"
"I'm not sure, Hermione – if it wasn't for me then Voldemort would never have attacked Hogwarts…or at least not so viciously."
"That's nonsense!" Luna said indignantly.
"I never thought I'd say this," Ron added, "but Loony, I mean Luna, is right. He would've attacked anyway because of Dumbledore and the teachers. They are all key members in the fight against him and by getting hold of students he can bargain for their lives…with some of the most influential wizarding families in the world. He can get more allies – you're just his prize trophy, the one he will eventually hope to kill when there is no defence left."
"Thanks Ron," Harry took a deep breath, "ok, I'll just get my invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map," he paused, "you go ahead."
"No, mate, I'm waiting for you."
"And me,"
"Fine. Neville, you take Ginny and Luna back to the Ravenclaw tower – do not get found. Ron and Hermione hide until I get back," he called over his shoulder as he ran up the stairs and began rummaging through his things, eventually digging out the items he'd been looking for. But when he returned downstairs, Ron had been knocked unconscious and Hermione was being held at wand-point by Lucius Malfoy, who was cackling coldly.
"What's the matter, Potter? You're facing a simple choice: - do you come quietly to the Dark Lord or do you let your friends die?"
"Let them go…" Harry growled.
"Will you surrender?"
"Yes, just don't hurt them," Harry pleaded.
"Potter, stay where you are," Moody burst into the room, Tonks only a couple of feet behind him.
"Nymphadora – stay away! And as for you, Moody, prepare to die!"
"It's Tonks, Lucius – and just because you married my aunt you are not a member of my family." Tonks snapped, taking up a defensive stance.
"How can you betray the Black family? You and your mother, and her despicable cousin, never stuck to your roots. But it's not too late for you, Nymphadora. You can still join the side of the Dark Lord, instead of mixing with mud-bloods, half-bloods, Auror scum, half-breeds and a bunch of meddling children!"
"I will never join you – you and your precious Voldemort can go to hell!"
"Temper, temper," Lucius Malfoy studied his wand and, with lightning reflexes, deflected an attack from Harry and then from Tonks, retaliating with a quick hex that sent Tonks skidding across the floor. Staggering to her feet, she shock her head to clear it and Moody's magical eye swivelled round so he could check she was ok while his normal eye remained fixed on Lucius Malfoy.
"Constant vigilance," he muttered under his breath.
"You old fool; you think mere courage will win this war?"
"It's more likely than winning through this shameful cowardice."
"Fools! You're all going to die! Potter, you had your choice but I don't think I'll be keeping my side," Lucius grabbed a handful of something out of his pocket, stunned Harry, threw the powder down and it burst into a cloud of billowing smoke and escaped with all three students, leaving Moody and Tonks staring helplessly after them.
Harry awoke to find himself bound to a tree in the Hogwarts forest. Nearby was Ron in a similar situation but Hermione was nowhere to be seen.
"Ron," whispered Harry sharply, "Ron, where's Hermione?"
"I don't know – she escaped and ran into a deeper part of the forest."
"Did they take our wands?"
"I don't know…I woke up and everything was gone. Have you still got the cloak and map," Ron asked, having realised that he didn't see Lucius Malfoy take it. Harry frowned and shifted a little, cursing under his breath as he couldn't feel them anywhere.
"I don't have them."
"Well, I do so stop complaining," a female voice said from behind them.
"Hermione! You're back---"
"Sssh!" Hermione prodded him in the back of the neck, "do you want us to get caught?"
"Sorry…you don't happen to have our wands too, do you?"
"What do you take me for? Of course I've got your wands. But I can't get you out until Tonks has given me the signal. She and Moody were on their way down here when I ran into them. They're deep in the forest now with a weapon which they'll use to distract the Death Eaters; the attack is dying down and Voldemort's forces are being driven away and this weapon will get rid of them and chase them back to their lair." Hermione suddenly looked up as a flock of crows reeled up into the sky, "that's the signal – let's go." She finished, untying Harry and then proceeding to untie Ron. There was an almighty roar and the trees around them suddenly started trembling, come crashing down.
"What the---!" Ron started and then realised that Harry and Hermione had started running.
"Hermione, what is that?"
"Grawp – you remember him? So you think it's a good idea? We use him as a distraction and---" she broke off and flung an arm out to stop the boys. There was a large, muscled man with Jet black hair, streaked with blonde, and bleeding from several places. There were bite marks on his back and Harry gasped as he realised it was one of the werewolves from the lair of Voldemort. And he was talking to Pettigrew.
"You are the new Alpha – so you were supposed to guard the Altar – no-one was supposed to find out about it!"
"I tried to knock the guy off of the Altar but I was hexed."
"Who was it that was brought back to life? One of ours?"
"No, one of theirs; the werewolf, Remus Lupin?"
"Moony? Well, well, well, I think I could work this to our advantage…"
A/N: - Well, there you go – a cliffy – the more reviews I get the more likely I am to update sooner – although I hopefully will update sooner than usual anyway, now I have a deadline for the ACTUAL 6th book coming out!