Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 03 : Epithalamium
Part II : Oh What a Difference a Day Makes
Chapter Twenty Two : Outside Looking In Looking Out
25 October 2003 (continued)
4:35 pm
...certainly not on a chilly night like this; I'd rather be warm in bed with you... "And I slept. Damn it--I slept!" ...I love you...Severus... "I love you, too," Harry whispered, his voice choking. "Severus!"
Harry raised moist eyes from the note held lax in his hands and stared out the window. In between every word, sandwiched in each line of Severus' note, were paragraphs of information if one knew what to look for. Air, he needed air, there wasn't enough to breathe past the growing lump in his chest. Fumbling with the catch, he opened the casement next to his elbow with relief, inhaling deeply the bitter draft as it gusted through. Unnoticed, an errant tendril of cold, like a feckless hand, picked up the note lying loosely in his lap and whisked it out into the day's end. Indifferent to its fate, he watched the parchment disappear into the distance, bobbing on the streams of air that caught it, whipping it about in dizzy movements as it sailed away from him. It didn't matter. The words were burned into his soul.
The need to see Severus, to feel him, be with him, pulled at Harry relentlessly, threatening to override the promise he'd made to Dumbledore. He continued to follow the progress of the escaping note, fighting a fleeting wish to be travelling with it, wildly fluttering in the air instead of imprisoned in the soft confines of their quarters. Perhaps then, instead of this dull waiting, he would at least feel alive enough to dispel the cold dread sitting solid in the center of his chest.
However, he sternly reminded himself, Albus had given him a shred of hope, had hinted it didn't need to be this way. 'Damn the man! What was it he'd said? I'd be able to follow Severus' progress better here than there?' Relaxing his head against the stone behind him, Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on finding Severus through their bonds. He wished he could adequately describe this 'opening' of his inner senses, almost like a healing, which left him vulnerable every time he leapt out into the dark, as it were, seeking the other half of what used to be just himself. The few times they'd discussed it, he'd been relieved to discover that Severus, even with his eloquence, couldn't verbally explain it either--it was just understood.
While a handfasting bond was complicated enough, their wards and Sanos bonds added even more layers of complexity making each attempt wildly different. Because they'd never been able to control it at will, Harry felt only marginal surprise when he attempted to open the handfasting bond and instead found himself falling into the wards. At first he saw nothing but a grey glimmer devoid of any sensation and, repelled by the capriciousness of it all, almost gave it up. But he tried it again, putting a more purposeful effort behind it. Slowly, then with gathering speed, as it had been when he used the glyph earlier, he felt like he was rushing through the tunnel until he again arrived in the white nothingness.
Cheered by this bit of headway, he searched and by small degrees could faintly feel his lover, awake, but--was it really Severus? The impression was different somehow, although he couldn't quite fathom what had changed. It was almost as if Severus were no longer himself, like he wore another skin. That couldn't be right. He tried sending a picture to him and almost immediately received a quizzical feeling in return as though Severus didn't know what he was seeing. He tried another and without warning, the connection broke abruptly. With a small cry of frustration, he gave it up for the moment.
He sat deep in thought for several minutes. 'Perhaps Severus has not yet arrived. Dumbledore had said they were bringing him when we came here. Maybe I was sensing him in transport. What had Albus said? He was sending McGonagall to meet them. Why?' A small snippet of memory tugged at him--animals. Slowly, a fragment of his studies of emergency medicine came back--transporting injured humans was easier and safer if one Transfigured them into smaller animals, something he'd never used nor done nor seen but, given the way animals handled pain, made sense. He smiled for the first time in several hours, wondering into what kind of animal McGonagall had changed Severus. Whatever it was, it had not been fully sentient if the previous touch had been any indication.
Heartened with the thought, he tried a different tack, needing to first see where Severus was. With a quietly spoken, "Repario Aperio Severus," he almost immediately recognised the infirmary. Then Poppy came into view. Wait a minute--this was new--he could see people. Avidly searching, he finally saw Severus lying on a bed beyond the Medi-witch working over him. Judging from her wand work, she was almost finished. Damn, he wished he could hear them, but was so grateful he could finally see his lover, he could live without it. His eyes never leaving his beloved's face, Harry studied what he could; for the moment, it was enough.
Distracted by motion, he noticed Poppy sit down to the side while she and Albus talked. Finally able to see him fully, Harry studied Severus with some concern--surely he should be conscious by now; however, from the steady rise and fall of his chest, he assumed Poppy had kept Severus asleep. Probably not a bad idea.
He strained, discovering (quite by accident in his impatience to be 'there') he could move closer and change the perspective. Hovering on the side of the bed away from where Poppy had stood, his eyes drank their fill. Severus was nude, a bit paler than normal, but overall, he looked whole, although Harry could see the rapidly fading remnants of recent scarring. He swallowed bile when he realised Severus had been scourged; Dumbledore had some heavy explaining to do. And those 'eyes'--one on each side of their talisman--he winced in trepidation at their malevolence. There was a crispness to them indicating Poppy had tried to heal them with little success.
Dumbledore was handing something to Poppy and Harry's heart stood still when he recognised the distinctive green bottles she took from him--the Infensus Curatio Potion, Severus' own invention for use against the Dark Arts, the very same potion he'd made with Albus for Severus the summer before his sixth year and the one Severus had given him when Draco had tried to poison him. He had to wonder why Albus had made it and concluded that although Severus didn't exhibit any outward symptoms, there had to be a curse; there was no other explanation. 'Silent but deadly,' he thought with concern.
He wondered why Poppy looked so upset, though she calmed down soon enough. If he'd had a cursed patient and someone handed him a fresh batch of the Infensus Curatio Potion to 'soften them up', he'd be ecstatic--it took so damned long--a new thought struck him as he watched Poppy and Dumbledore give Severus the medicine. The potion took hours to brew and had a short shelf life. He shied away from the speculation that Dumbledore had known enough about what was going to happen that he'd had the time to make the potion before he'd sent Remus and Severus off, but Harry could not deny it was a possibility. Not when Poppy had looked so angry with him.
Albus began to work on Severus; this confirmed, in Harry's mind, the presence of a curse. It had to be the eyes. Dumbledore was obviously trying to break it; Harry had worked with Bill Weasley enough to know the hand gestures and the words he could see forming on Dumbledore lips. Oddly enough, as Albus went deeper, Harry began to feel Severus again and, taking advantage of this new sensation, he tried once again to connect without breaking his view. The closer he got to the inside of Severus, the more he lost the sight of his outside; the white nothingness was coming between them and he eased off, relieved when Severus came back into view.
'No, don't give up, you almost had it,' a familiar voice whispered in his head. 'You're almost there, my boy. I can feel it.'
'Wonderful. Now I dreaming the old bugger's in my head,' Harry thought with dark amusement. 'But what the hell? I have little to nothing now, what's there to lose?'
Slowly, ever so slowly he eased in, allowing the whiteness to engulf him; he was fairly certain he could retreat if this didn't work. But it was empty, devoid of any presence and, once again, as he was about to pull out, he could swear he heard Albus exhorting him to go on. 'Follow the line. Come, Harry, I know you can do it.' He searched. A line? What line? And then he almost tripped over it, a beacon of light, thin as a hair. He did as he'd been urged, his careful movements stirring the whiteness into swirling eddies of fog.
It might all be his imagination, but the gentle words floating in his head brought their own comfort and a spot of courage he'd not known he was lacking. 'Just a little further, you can touch him. Closer--getting closer.' He drew near a small spark dancing just ahead of him and acting on instinct, he allowed the eager little glimmer to pass inside him. With a rush of warmth, he could sense Severus again even if he could not see him. It felt so good just to connect to him, a lightness of being filling him as he wrapped himself protectively around the part of his lover he now carried within him.
With a sudden, gut-wrenching twist, Harry was back 'outside' of Severus, looking at him lying still on the bed, Dumbledore's hands splayed on his chest. Odd that. He was separate physically, if one could call it that, able to see Severus' person from the outside and what was inside as well, yet Severus' presence was also still inside him. The dual vision and feelings were disorienting. Through Severus' skin he could now 'see' the dark threat that was the curse, like a core of rot in an overripe piece of fruit, yet it also surrounded them like a black miasma of evil.
Dumbledore had paused; could the old man be waiting for him? 'Ah, there! You have him. Feel better now?' Cheeky bastard--even in his imaginings, Dumbledore plagued him.
Revelling in the renewed touch of his lover, it took several moments for Harry to realise Dumbledore had resumed, his magic weaving its way around, trying to breach the black core of the curse. And Dumbledore was losing. Why? Harry cautiously felt around and found the answer. The power of the Talisman, in trying to protect Severus from the curse, was waning.
Could he connect through it, could he re-energise it the same way he had earlier this afternoon without having to actually touch the glyph in the library? He could only try. Unbuttoning his shirt and placing his fingers flat on his own Mark, he summoned the feelings he'd had when he'd done it before, concentrating on pouring his magic, in small bits, into the Talisman. Dumbledore made way for him. 'So he knows I'm here and I'm not hearing things. Fine. You and I are going to talk, old man!' A dim mental chuckle was all the reply he got.
Like a dry sponge plunged into water, the Talisman greedily sucked up the magic he gave it, and with each passing moment, the spark he harboured that was Severus' presence within him grew larger, stronger, stretching his protection with the same pleasant ache he usually associated with rising passion, the connection between them almost physical.
The transfer eventually complete, he could feel the black 'core' weakening around him under the onslaught of both Dumbledore's resumed spells and the renewed protection afforded by their ward, Defendo Maritas. As the Talisman expended power, Harry gave it more. 'Hold him close, keep him steady for me,' he heard mumbled in his mind.
With an inner cry of triumph, Dumbledore found it--found a chink in the curse's formidable armour. 'Ready, Harry?' He continued to pour his magic into Severus' defenses, hoping Albus could break the curse, when a sudden surge of magic from the old wizard almost pushed him out. Unconsciously sitting forward in desperate concentration, he held on, determined not to let go--he would not lose Severus now.
He saw Albus stagger as the spell ended abruptly; Remus jumped over to steady him. Remus? When did he get there? He dismissed the question when, in dismay, he saw that while the now off-centre core was much smaller than it had been, a mere speck compared to its former size, it was still there. Harry held his breath, prepared to bolster Severus again should he need it, but while the core was not dormant, it seemed almost tired. Harry certainly couldn't feel it with the same intensity as before.
Then he noticed nothing else but Severus awakening. Like warm sunshine after a cold rain, he could feel him in his skin and in his heart and for a few brief moments basked in the conscious aura that was his Severus. It didn't matter that Severus was confused and groggy, he was alive and awake. But there was a lingering bitter feel of despair surrounding them that concerned him. As the feeling grew, he knew it came from the core and hazarded a quick foray into the area. No, it had not grown; it was just that powerful, and now had become fully active with Severus conscious. Harry didn't know what he could do to mitigate it, but he was determined to stay there until he couldn't any more.
Suddenly Harry could feel Severus wrap around him in a mental embrace and he 'hugged' him back. Gods, it was good! Severus sat up; Harry was sure his lover was calling to him and without thinking, he tried to answer back. He saw sharp pain cross Severus' face and then he saw no more--the connection was broken! With a sharp cry he tried to reestablish it with no success. Something blocked him again. He sat back in defeat. Had he caused that surge of pain he'd briefly glimpsed before he was shut out?
With a cry of bitter anger, Harry hit his thigh with a closed fist. Damn it! He should be there! But unlike Albus, he would not go back on his word, perceived or otherwise. He was stuck here and as rational thought and the unpalatable truth reasserted itself, he knew his initial outburst was useless; had he been in the infirmary instead of here, he would never have made the effort to connect to Severus the way he had. Instinctively he knew there was something he was missing, something important, but all other thought was pushed to the wayside in his burning need to find his lover again.
And he wouldn't be able to do it in his present frame of mind. Drawing a deep cleansing breath he began to recite, "Calm as the soundless morn... Calm as the noon of day... Calm as the twilight's verge... Calm as the night stars' sleep... Calm as the promised dawn..." Repeating the familiar litany, Harry tried to fall into the quiet place within himself to quell the rising panic that he'd inadvertently caused Severus harm. Struggling against the vision of the pain on his lover's face, he gradually gained control of his unruly thoughts, the whirl slowing until all remaining was a cool center empty of any emotion.
Relieved at his success, he tried once again to find Severus both mentally and visually. Within seconds of uttering the spell, and with little effort, he was once again in the infirmary next to Severus. But where before he'd held a spark of his lover within him, he was now alone, separate; Severus was unconscious and out of his reach. He could feel the Talisman burning strong; it didn't take much for him to deduce that the core would more than likely remain dormant until the next time Severus woke.
Dumbledore was speaking quite seriously to Remus, who looked very tired and worn around the edges. Perhaps Dumbledore was debriefing him as was normal after a mission or maybe he was trying to get more particulars on the type of curse used. Their conversation certainly seemed deep enough for it. Harry made a mental note to thank Remus for keeping Severus alive and getting him home. In fact, he needed to thank all three of them, but Remus had been with Severus throughout the entire ordeal, or at least he assumed he had.
With what he'd seen, he knew Severus would need a healer to try to destroy the last bit of the Dark magic remaining with the Sanos; unless, of course, they could get someone like Bill out to break it. No, when he thought on it, there was not enough time to do so.
Poppy returned, and when Remus and the Headmaster grinned, he again found himself wishing he could hear what was being said; he desperately needed a laugh, too. Not too long afterward, Remus departed, leaving Poppy and the headmaster alone. Harry wondered where he was going and hoped it was to rest a while--he looked rather done in.
When the couple's attitude became more 'married', Harry (with an irrational surge of jealousy for their freedom to do so) manoeuvred himself away to 'stand' by Severus, his back to them, wishing he could touch the man so close to him. However, if Dumbledore was right (and Harry was beginning to suspect he might be), he would be doing that soon enough.
5:00 pm
Remus made his way to the dungeons as swiftly as his unsteady legs would allow him and, once again, grudgingly wondered why Dumbledore had sent him and not Moody to talk to Harry and 'fetch' whatever this precious gift was. Damn, he still hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to be back in his warm bed where he'd previously been hovering on the edge of desperate sleep when the little bees of Albus' infernal summoning had gone off in his head. Groaning, he'd left the warm downiness of his slumber to stagger over to the infirmary, grumbling the whole way about the unfairness of it all.
He'd made himself calm down when he'd seen Dumbledore at Severus' side, obviously working, and, easing the door closed, he shouldn't have been surprised when Poppy heard him, uttering the obvious 'you should be in bed'. With the clicking of her tongue, she'd made transparent his politic rejoinder and for a moment he'd forgot his ire at the summons and started paying attention to what was going on right in front of him.
It hadn't 'looked' good, but who was he to judge? Severus at least appeared better, more normal than he had before, but there was that pinched quality about Poppy's mouth that told him things were not as simple as they seemed. Then he'd had his talk with the headmaster, and well, here he was, trying not to fall down the dungeon stairs. Although, he thought with a spark of his normal humour, if one should happen to break both of their legs, doing so within calling distance of a healer was probably one of the better places to do it.
Unscathed, he eventually made it to the recessed door of Harry's and Severus' chambers, a place he'd rarely entered in all the years he'd lived here. Professors, Snape especially, tended to be a little private that way; he'd didn't even know where Flitwick's was. Remonstrating himself for his unruly thoughts, he made himself patiently wait for the wards to chime his presence.
As he took in the deep shadows under Harry's eyes and his slumped posture when he opened the door, Remus felt ashamed of himself. "I thought you went to bed. You should be resting," Harry said with surprise standing in the doorway.
Remus chuckled grimly, more than a little startled himself. "Not until after the wedding, I am thinking, Albus sent me--"
With some asperity, Harry exclaimed, "About bloody time! Let me get my things."
Remus stopped him mid-turn away from the door with a hand on his arm when he said, "No, Harry. I'm sorry I wasn't plainer. I have come at Albus' request to reassure you Severus is all right, and to bring Albus something he wants from you."
Harry started to protest and then his shoulders sagged in defeat. "I'm not to leave here then?"
"No, your presence here is for your own protection." At Harry's incredulous expression, Remus explained uncomfortably, "Evidently Maldy, a house elf belonging to Malfoy, broke into Hogwarts last night after Severus and I left. Albus is taking no chances and has warded your quarters against any further attempts."
"I know about Maldy. Maldy is dead," Harry said tightly. "Dobby killed him."
Remus brows went up, but he said nothing except an awkward, "May I come in?" When Harry stepped back, Remus went on, "Come, Harry, let's sit. We've much to talk about."
With an absentminded nod, Harry led him into the sitting room, listlessly taking Severus' chair while indicating Remus should take his own. Harry squirmed for a few moments as if it felt strange to be sitting there, but breathing deeply a few times, he settled somewhat; Remus wondered if Severus' scent was as imprinted in the chair as much as his buttocks obviously were in the seat cushion.
"I've sort of been watching," Harry began, still shifting in the seat. "I know Severus is in the infirmary under some kind of curse that Albus was not totally successful in ridding him of and that he's unconscious right now." He hesitated. "What kind of curse did they use?"
Not bothering to hide his perplexity, Remus asked, "Don't you want to know what happened?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I know enough for the moment." And surprisingly he sounded like he did. "I know who you were after, that Severus went somewhat unwillingly even though he thought it a trap. I know you both got caught, where you were, was even in the room where you'd both been held, I think. Severus indicated Albus would try to evade me and will most likely be disappointed that I didn't hex the old goat several hours ago. When he arrived at Hogwarts, I saw the hideous eyes someone carved into him. But I also could see he's been fully healed of almost everything except this curse and, of course, the thing carrying it. Oh, and he has more faith in Albus than I do."
He looked away a moment and then coming to a decision, swung his head back and locked eyes with Remus. "You see, Severus is such a private person--even with me. There is much in his previous life he has not chosen to reveal, and I to him for that matter--things buried so deep they're understood without the telling. And with what I saw this afternoon and what I already know, I suspect this will be one of those things as well, and if Severus wants to tell me, he will. If not--it's understood."
Remus nodded his own understanding, his respect and admiration rising for the two of them and their ability to work around what in most relationships would be insurmountable obstacles. "Very well. To your question. The curse was two-fold. Lucius started it with a Draught of Despair when they brought word of your death to Severus." He stopped when Harry sat forward, a look of startled enlightenment on his face. With Harry's terse, "Go on," Remus continued, "Avery set the curse in the eyes he carved in Severus' chest--"
"Avery is a dead man--," Harry murmured.
"--and activated it when we dueled with him and Draco while we were escaping--"
"I should have killed him when I had the chance," Harry muttered.
"--I'm told it's a Confundus Desparo curse," Remus finished.
"All three of them are mine." Harry turned fey eyes to Remus. "They Are Mine," he repeated fiercely, and such was the deadly meaning behind his words, Remus felt a surge of elation as he'd just witnessed the three men's death warrants. Given what he'd been through at their hands, not only today but at other times in the past, he was hard-pressed to try and convince Harry not to do it or feel guilty about it, although he knew he probably should.
Harry sat back lost in thought; Remus thought better of disturbing him even though he was aware of time passing all too quickly. Just as he was about to remind Harry of the other part of his 'errand', Harry said, "If I'm not to go to him, who is Albus bringing in to heal Severus?"
Remus smiled. "Quiesta. In fact, Poppy fire-called her and came back reporting she was starkers. It was a fair treat to see Poppy cut the headmaster down to little bitty man-sized chunks."
Harry chuckled rustily. "I wondered why you were grinning." At Remus startled nod, Harry said, "Quiesta is a good choice. Although I don't know why Albus wouldn't have me do it. I mean I can understand now why they kept me out at first," he looked at the fire, "or at least I think I do," he muttered, then in a louder voice, "but with everyone there, I would certainly be protected enough to heal Severus the rest of the way."
It was Remus turn to look uncomfortable. "Ah, Albus said that you could not heal him until after you were bonded with Severus."
"Why?" Harry asked obviously not expecting an answer.
Remus had a strange feeling of satisfaction at the look of total shock on Harry's face when he replied, "Albus did say that Quiesta would only be able to heal Severus enough to get him to the ceremony tonight; only you would be able to completely heal him, but the curse Avery used was, how did he put it? Ah, yes, 'ancient, deep and complex' and only a bond-mate could break it."
"Well, that certainly explains some things," Harry mused quietly, staring at the fire. Still not looking at Remus, he said, "You said you came for something Albus wants from me. What is it now?"
Remus was not surprised at the bitterness he could hear in Harry's voice and now had a dim understanding why Albus had sent him. Moody would never catch the nuances of Harry's demeanor whereas he could understand Harry a little better having (along with Severus and Albus) practically dragged him into his adulthood. Although he knew Harry wouldn't see it as such now, Remus at least had a chance to convince Harry that perhaps Albus' motives were a little purer than anyone was currently assuming.
"Actually, two things, but the first one requires nothing on your part except your continued existence. We have a problem--because Albus could not completely break the curse and the despair it brings, Severus is not convinced you're alive." At Harry's in-drawn breath, he held up his hand to forestall his heated comment. "Yes, I'm quite sure the easiest way for us to convince him is to produce your physical person. I agree. However, for reasons I already stated and some others I assure you I don't know, you have to stay here until right before the ceremony. If I recall the schedule, Arthur will call to escort you to the waiting place, right?"
Harry nodded, but with an obvious effort, said nothing.
"So it is one of my tasks to 'witness' our discussion should Severus try to read me through Legilimency."
"Makes sense even if I hate it," Harry replied without heat. "So what's the other 'thing' the old bastard wants from me."
Reprovingly yet nervous, Remus said, "The headmaster requests that you give me your wedding gift for Severus."
"No."
Remus shook his head. "He said that would probably be your reaction and asked me to tell you 'I need it to bring Severus back and kill his doubts'. He also adjured me to take great care with it because it's priceless."
"You have no idea," Harry murmured and then asked in a scathing tone, "Well, you have a problem if I decide not to give it to you, don't you?" He stopped abruptly, flushing. But whatever shame at his outburst he might be feeling did not stop the sarcasm in his voice as he asked, "Did he also tell you I would refuse a second time and that you were to pass on some special secret message sure to make me stop objecting and just give it to you?"
Remus couldn't help it, it was just too funny the way these two anticipated each other and with great effort, he hid the smile threatening to burst forth. He settled on a small chuckle as he said, "As a matter of fact, he did tell me to pass on another message to you should you prove intractable."
"What now?" While Harry spoke quietly, Remus could almost taste the restraint he was exerting. "What's his special message?"
"'I promise.'"
Harry stared at him, tense, as if he would spring out of his chair and choke him. With a curse worthy of his missing mate, Harry stood and stomped (and Remus could think of no other way to express it) out of the sitting room deeper into the apartments. Off in the distance, he could hear Harry say something suspiciously like a password, and within a few minutes Harry came back in the room, subdued, a velvet pouch cradled in his hands.
Hesitating a long moment, Harry looked intently at the bag. Remus thought he heard him say, "I guess I have no choice but to trust him," but was unsure whether Harry meant himself or Dumbledore. Possibly both if what Albus had said was true and given the almost lost look in Harry's face as he continued to hold the pouch, saying quietly, "Albus knows how to use the gift. It should be enough to convince him, but if Severus is so far under this curse as you say he is and as I've had cause to observe, then he may need further proof that the gift is actually from me. If this is the case, tell him that the person who gave this to you wants to know what happens when you cross a squid with a cock."
Remus raised a brow. "And the answer is?"
He got no reply, but Harry held the pouch out to him with almost no hesitation. Remus gently took it out of his hand, securing it, and the small vial he could feel inside it, into an inner pocket of his robes. Harry turned away from him, but not before Remus caught a glimpse of the sparkle of unshed tears in his eyes. Feeling as protective of him as he had when Harry was much younger, he walked around and embraced him, letting Harry bury his face in his shoulder. Within moments, Harry was hugging him back, his hands clenched fiercely in the fabric of his robes. Muffled words eventually made their way up to his ears. "Take good care of it, Remus. Take good care of him for me again, will you?" Remus didn't reply, just held him tighter. After a few moments, Harry stood back, letting him go, the tears gone, absorbed by his robes. "Please, Remus," Harry whispered. "Please tell him I love him and I'll be there, waiting for him, at the appointed time. That I wanted to come to him."
Remus smoothed an errant hair out of Harry's face. "I will, Harry. I'll make sure he knows."
Harry nodded his thanks, then looked contrite. "I'm sorry, I never thanked you, did I? For keeping him alive and getting him out of there. I'm sorry you were hurt as well. You're all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine." He sighed heavily. "Harry, someday if you change your mind, I'll tell you the whole story, but you should know now--all 'this' happened because of me--and my stupidity. Severus wouldn't have been hurt had I stopped a moment and thought things through. But I didn't, and he went after me to save me from myself. It's me who should be apologising to you."
Harry shook his head sadly. "You can believe that if you want, Remus, but the truth is Lucius Malfoy set us all up and Albus allowed it to happen. I don't know why yet, but I'm going to find out; unfortunately, I suspect it ALL has to do with me." When Remus was about to protest, Harry said quickly, "Now go. Severus needs you more and what you carry." With a movement of his hands on Remus' arms, Harry turned him about, escorting him to the door.
Remus took a long look at Harry standing resolute in the entry and left without a word, closing the door behind him. There was a finality to the sound of the latch catching and Remus desperately hoped that whatever it was Albus had planned worked. Halfway up the stairs from the dungeons, he thought, 'No, Alastor would have been a very bad choice.' And with a lighter heart, he continued on to the infirmary.
TBC