Remus and the others returned to Grimmauld Place after the raid. Remus headed straight to the kitchen and the maps. "Here, Alastor. This is where she is."
"And she's still there?"
"Yes, she hasn't moved."
Moody tapped the map and expanded the image. The image was very blurry and could only be vaguely identified as a building. Any details were completely obscured. Moody spent several minutes casting spells, trying to clear up the image to no avail. "That place is protected by powerful magic. Once Kingsley gets back, he and I will go investigate."
"I'm coming with you," Remus insisted.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. You're too emotional about this. We need to see what we are facing and come up with a plan of attack. When we go in, I'll make sure you are there, but not for the scouting mission."
Remus opened his mouth to continue to argue, but Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke first. "Alastor's right. I know that I would want to go if Molly was the one being held prisoner, but you are too close. Alastor and Kingsley can be more objective. Besides, they're trained for that sort of work. You know we will only get one chance at this."
Remus let his head fall to his chest. "I know. I just hate feeling so helpless. I should have done more to stop her from going."
Arthur replied, "You did all you could. She has to make her own decisions. We don't even know that she is in danger. Last you said, it sounded like they still trusted her."
"Of course. I just don't like the idea of her being around them." Especially Malfoy.
"None of us do, but we all agreed it was necessary," offered Moody.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Bella shoved Wendy out of the room. Once they were down the hall, Bella whispered harshly, "I don't believe a word you are saying."
"Come now. Surely you trust me? We were very close friends once." Wendy really didn't like the idea of being alone with Bella. Between her complete embrasure of the Dark Lord's philosophy and her years of incarceration, she was no longer the woman Wendy had known.
"That's why I don't trust you. I know how conniving you can be."
"Do you really think I could lie to the Dark Lord?"
Bella brandished her wand. "That's what I intend to find out."
Wendy did not like the cruel grin on Bella's face. "What are you going to do?"
Bella gestured for her to go into a room on the left. Wendy had no choice but to comply. Once inside, Bella placed a Silencing Charm on the room. "I don't want my dear brother-in-law coming to your rescue."
"Is that what this is about?" After Lucius had announced his engagement to Narcissa, he and Wendy had been very discreet. No one should have suspected anything between the two of them.
"It's about a lot more than that, but that is part of it. I won't see my sister hurt. Not again. Now, it's time for you to answer a few questions. Are you loyal to the Dark Lord?"
"Completely, but I've already…" Wendy doubled over and cried out in pain as she was hit with the Cruciatus Curse.
"Yes, you did answer, but I don't believe you. Would you kill for him? Look at me!" Bella shouted.
Wendy could feel the pain dissipate and looked up at Bella. "I would." And I'll start with you. She fell to her knees as she was hit again with the curse. Drawing on the strength of ring, she tried to throw off the curse. While the pain did not go away, it diminished until it was merely uncomfortable, though she still pretended that she was feeling the full effect of the curse. "Do you want me to prove it?" she panted, feigning pain.
"It was very convenient that members of the Order arrived just in time to keep you from having to prove it. How did they know where to find us?" With a flick of her wrist, she hit Wendy with another round of Cruciatus.
By now, Wendy was writhing on the floor, crying out, hoping she was not overacting. "I…don't…know."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Arthur and Molly stayed with Remus while they waited for Moody and Kingsley to return. Neither one of them said anything when he couldn't sit still and kept getting up to pace. Sirius had also long since given up on trying to cheer his friend up.
Remus tried to push down the guilt he felt. He knew that he should have stopped her from going to Malfoy's in the first place, before it got out of hand. If he had stopped her from going, this never would have happened. She had told him to stop her from doing stupid things, and once again, he had allowed her do what she wanted.
"Remus, it's not your fault," offered Arthur upon seeing Remus' distress.
"But it is. I knew she was acting odd, and I didn't do anything about it. I mentioned it to Albus and he offered help, but I declined. I knew that she hasn't been right since she was injured. I just didn't think it was this bad." He ran his hand through his hair.
Molly crossed the room and gave Remus a hug. "You had no way of knowing."
He reluctantly returned her hug. "Thank you, Molly, but I did." He realized they didn't know about the ring and wouldn't understand. "I can't really explain it, but I should have realized she was in trouble."
They all looked toward the hall when they heard the door open. Remus did not like the look on Kingsley and Moody's faces. "Well?"
Kingsley shook his head. "We couldn't get close."
"That building is protected by some powerful Dark Magic. Any work that we could have done to get closer would have resulted in alarms being set off," added Moody.
"Is there any way we could move quickly and push our way in? I know exactly where she is."
Kingsley placed his hand on Remus' shoulder. "I wish we could. We could get together an entire squad of Aurors, and it would still take too long to get to the house."
"So that's it? We're just going to leave her to the Death Eaters?"
"Remus, be practical. You say she's still alive. That means they don't suspect she's on our side. If they believe in her loyalty now, that's not likely to change. I know her, and I know that she will be biding her time until she can escape. If they did suspect her, odds are she wouldn't be alive right now."
Remus tried to storm out of the room and Moody caught his arm. "Don't do anything foolish and get yourself captured. If you go near that house, you won't be doing her any good."
Remus whispered harshly, "You don't understand. She has the ring with her."
"The ring? You mean that ring?"
"Yes. We have to get her out of there before they discover it."
"I thought she destroyed that ring? That's what she reported."
Remus shook his head sadly. "No. She didn't trust the Unspeakables after what happened to Bode. I didn't know she had it with her when she left the first time. I figured it out the second time, but she refused to give me the ring."
Sirius has moved closer. "She still has that ring and you knew?"
"Sirius, please, not now," Remus replied.
"No, now is a good time. Did I not make it clear how dangerous that thing is. Did you think it was a joke?"
Remus shouted, "No, Sirius! I didn't. But given what's happened at the Ministry, would it have been better off there? Do we know for certain the Unspeakables would have destroyed it? And then there would have been record of the ring's existence. Do you think this hasn't been bothering me all night?"
Kingsley tried to sooth Remus. "Calm down. No one is judging you. What's done is done and we can't change the past." Kingsley shot a warning look at Sirius.
Sirius stalked out of the room.
Moody rubbed his chin, considering the new information. "We'll have to talk to Dumbledore about this. He should know that the ring might fall into the wrong hands."
"That's it?" He was shocked that they would not mount a full rescue in light of this information.
"Remus, you have to be patient," said Kingsley. "You didn't do anything wrong. She's always been sneaky and somewhat unpredictable. Just wait until we hear more from Dumbledore. He may have some ideas that haven't occurred to us."
"I'm going home to see if I can find anything in her library."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The door slammed open and Lucius was outlined in the doorframe. "What's going on here?"
"A loyalty test," replied Bella off-handedly.
Wendy curled up in a ball and started crying, and Lucius hurried to her side. "Our master has already tested her loyalty, or do you doubt him?"
"I know her, better than you, and I know better than to trust her implicitly. I'm not blinded by my hormones," she spat.
Lucius drew his wand. "Be careful who you insult." With his other hand, he pulled Wendy to him.
Bella sneered at him. "And you should keep in mind that we are all watched. I know things you would not want my sister to know."
He smiled wryly. "She knows that you have never liked me. I think you will find that she trusts me implicitly and would see your lies for what they are." He swept Wendy into his arms and carried her out of the room. Climbing the stairs, he took her a bedroom on the second floor that looked out of place given the general shabbiness of the residence. "I was preparing your room when I felt the magic. I should have known that she would do something like that." After setting her on the bed, he brushed the hair from her face and dried her tears with a handkerchief. "The pain will soon pass."
Wendy nodded, and hiccupped, as though she were trying to control her tears. She desperately hoped that he would leave her to recover and not insist on staying with her.
He took her shoes off and then poured a drink for her. "This will help. Your muscles need to relax. That will not be your usual treatment. I will speak to the Dark Lord about her behavior."
She reluctantly accepted the drink. The last thing she was wanted was anything that dulled her senses. She didn't like the fact that Bella was already suspicious. If Bella could get anyone else to believe her suspicions, things could quickly become dangerous for Wendy.
"Let me stay with you for a few hours, make sure you're all right?"
She smiled weakly at him. "I'm fine, Lucius. Well, I will be. I think I just need some rest."
He snuggled against her. "I'll keep you safe. I won't let her hurt you anymore."
Wendy closed her eyes and fought the urge to hex him. She knew that she had to play along until she was trusted enough to be released. "Really, that's not necessary. You should probably get home in case Bella decides to carry through with her threat."
He continued to nuzzle against her. "I think you might be right. I'll come back this afternoon and see how you are feeling. By then your strength should have recovered."
"I look forward to it," she said in mock anticipation. Once he was gone, she got up and began pacing the room. She was not sure how long she could keep lying. Hopefully she would not have to face the Dark Lord any time soon.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Remus shoved a stack of books across the table. There was so much information and so much of it was useless. He had even looked in some of the books she kept hidden and could not find anything that would easily help him find his way through the security wards.
He contemplated going and scouting the area himself, but he reasoned that if two Aurors couldn't find a way in, he was not going to do any better. He hated feeling helpless. The last time he had felt this way, he had lost his best friends.
Deciding doing anything was better than doing nothing, he retrieved her Invisibility Cloak and decided to pay a visit to the one person that could provide any sort of help, Severus Snape.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
When Remus arrived, he couldn't find Severus. The labs were all deserted, and he was not answering the door to his private quarters. Rather than wandering the castle looking for Severus, Remus decided to wait. It was much less likely he would be discovered down in the dungeons.
He was dozing off when he heard Severus' sharp voice. "Show yourself. I know you're down here, Potter."
Remus left the cloak on, but replied, "It's not Harry, it's Remus."
"Lupin? What are you doing here?" Severus quickly unlocked his door and left it open for Remus to follow.
Remus closed the door and doffed the cloak. "You are the only one that can help."
"It isn't enough that I brew your potion for you?" Severus said snidely.
"Wendy is in over her head." He gave a brief description of how she ended up in her current predicament. "None of us can get close to her, and they aren't letting her leave. It's imperative that something be done to get her away from the Death Eaters."
"Isn't this what you all wanted? You wanted another spy in the Death Eaters since it is hard for me to get away from the school, didn't you?"
"Severus, she isn't herself. I know the two of you argued about the potion to cure her. I think that perhaps she was not totally cured. Since you are also trusted by the Death Eaters, I thought that perhaps you could do something to expedite her release."
"Worried? She is Slytherin. There is little for you to worry about."
"I don't think that's the case," Remus insisted. "She's been acting very irrational. I think she may be in serious danger." He looked around the room nervously.
"I assure you, no one is eavesdropping," replied Severus dryly.
Even so, Remus whispered, "She was wearing the ring."
That got Severus' attention, and he sat forward in his chair. "The ring?"
"There isn't any other."
"I will see what I can do. I will make no promises. The Dark Lord is not one who acquiesces to the wishes of others."
"I understand. Just do what you can to let her get free."
Severus chuckled softly. "Now you see why you should not form emotional attachments to others. I will do what I can. You should leave since the sun will be rising soon."
Remus wanted to argue with Severus that it was not wrong to care for others, but he knew he should leave before the sun rose. "Thank you, Severus," he said before throwing the cloak over his head and slipping out the door.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
To say Wendy was suffering from cabin fever was an understatement. Over the last three days, the only person she had seen was Lucius, far more of him than she would have preferred. She began to wonder if he had any sort of professional commitments at all. Her attempts at getting him to spend less time with her on the grounds that Bella might tell Narcissa were met with ridicule. It turned out the Dark Lord had sent Bella away to research the ring.
He had tried to make her stay more comfortable and less prison like. One of the things he had done was to provide her with clothing. Unfortunately, this was not the type of clothing that she would be wearing outside of the bedroom. She thought he was doing it to discourage her from wandering around the house. It would have taken more than clothing to discourage her curiosity. In fact, all it had taken had been the Dark Lord's snake. She had never been fond of snakes, especially ones that large. To further encourage her to stay in her room, Wormtail was staying at the house, and she did not like the looks he gave her. She couldn't understand why the Dark Lord kept him around. She was tempted to hex him and face the consequences.
The only good thing that had happened was that she had not been forced to speak with the Dark Lord again. She was not sure how long she could maintain the charade around a wizard that powerful. A part of her now understood why so many of those she had grown up with had chosen to follow him. There was something about his presence that compelled obedience.
Her door slammed open and Bella sauntered in. "Show me the ring," she commanded.
Wendy waved her fingers. "Here it is." Bella grabbed her hand and twisted it. The pain brought anger, and Wendy could feel the power building in the ring. "You take your life into your hands if you try to remove that ring."
"I'm not trying to remove it, whore."
Power exploded from the ring, sending Bella into the wall. "What did you call me?" Wendy asked angrily.
"You know what I called you. It's what you have always been." Bella had struggled to her feet and drawn her wand.
Wendy had no need to waste time drawing her wand. "You were always the bigger whore. I've heard how you fawn all over the Dark Lord, ignoring Rodolphus. And what of Rabastan? We all knew you preferred him, but only married Rodolphus because he was the older son."
Bella launched a hex at Wendy, which Wendy easily deflected. Wendy chuckled cruelly. "It seems you aren't as powerful as you think."
"I can still cast Unforgivables, can you?" Bella sneered.
Wendy jerked back as the Cruciatus Curse hit her. Not caring that she was giving away the ring's power, she broke free of the curse and raised her hand at Bella. "Oh, yes. I most certainly can. You should know that." She stepped closer to Bella, who was now writhing on the floor and crying out in pain. Wendy twisted her wrist and the cries were silenced. "I can do so much more," she whispered quietly. She released Bella when she heard someone coming up the stairs. "Should I take the memory from you? Or better yet, I'll make it so you can't speak of it."
Once again, Bella was thrown back against the wall. She was just struggling to hear feet when there was a knock at Wendy's door. Wendy was perplexed; Lucius never knocked and it was too soon for Wormtail to be bringing her food. "Come in," she replied.
Severus arched an eyebrow when he saw Bella.
"What do you want, Snape?"
"I do not have to share my business here with you." He stood stoically by the door, waiting for her to leave.
Bella glared at both of them before leaving.
"What was she doing here?" he asked.
Wendy sneered. "Getting what she deserved. What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." With a quick wave of his wand he placed a Silencing Charm on the room. "Imagine my surprise when I found the werewolf at my door pleading for me to help you escape." He gave her scanty attire an appraising glance.
"And?" she asked impatiently, ignoring the look he was giving her.
He pulled a vial from his robes. "Drink these. You will need them."
"What are they?"
"Drink first. I don't have long."
Wendy drank the two potions. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm doing my best to help you find a way out. I haven't worked out the details yet, but you will need the potions I have given you. I see the ring has revealed itself," Severus said, noticing the lamplight glinting off the ring.
Wendy used her left hand to shield the ring from view. "What of it?"
"I had not expected you to still have it."
Further conversation was disturbed by another knock at the door. Almost immediately, Wormtail opened the door. "Master commands you to report to him," he said to Severus. After Severus left, he stared at Wendy until she shot him a murderous glare.
Report? What did Severus have to report? Now she became concerned about what Severus had given her. She did trust him, but this situation kept getting worse and worse.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Remus hadn't left the house since his visit to Hogwarts. He had hardly eaten or slept. Cappa had been trying to get him to take better care of himself, but he had ignored the elf's pleas. He was trying to find information on how he could get through the protective wards to rescue Wendy.
He looked up when he heard Tonks address him. "Remus, you look like hell." She moved closer, taking in the full effect of his unkempt appearance. "Whew! Smell like it, too. When's the last time you took a break?"
"I don't know. What day is it?"
"Why don't you go get cleaned up, mate? Then we'll talk over dinner."
He perked up. "You have news?"
"Yeah, but you need to clean up before I tell you anything." He hurried out of the room, calling for Cappa to serve dinner.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
When he joined Tonks in the dining room, he was clean, though he had not taken the time to shave. "What do you have?"
"We received a report from Severus. He's seen Wendy and says that she's doing fine. She's still in possession of the ring."
"Did he say anything about getting her out?" Remus asked anxiously.
"He's doing what he can. Obviously, You-Know-Who is very interested in the ring and is keeping her close to him…"
"Well, if that's where he is, we should attack him now."
"If you would listen to the whole report, you would see that's not possible. Severus confirmed what Kingsley and Mad-Eye learned about the protections. There's no way for any of us to get past them. You need to have the Dark Mark. Unfortunately, that keeps her from getting out."
"Unless she takes the Mark," he added quietly.
"I don't think we need to worry about that. Severus said that she wants to get out of there. Unfortunately, we just have to wait."
He poked at his food, finding his appetite once again waning. It was close enough to the full moon that he was getting quite moody. "I don't want to wait. I know that Malfoy is with her." He squeezed his fork until his knuckles were white.
"Remus, she loves you. I'm sure she'll get out of there as soon as she can. We've talked about it, but none of us can figure out how to get in there, not even with Severus' help. Oh, he did say he gave her a potion that should make her better. He said you'd know what that meant."
"He did?" Remus was beginning to thing that Severus was being non-cooperative.
"Yeah, well, thanks for the meal, but I've got to run. You'll be all right for full moon, won't you?" She knew that Wendy had taken over the duties of brewing the Wolfsbane Potion after Umbridge began keeping a closer eye on the staff.
Remus nodded. "I'll be fine. Severus is brewing my potion, and Cappa will see that I'm locked safely away. Thanks for coming by."
"No problem. Take care of yourself, okay?"
He held out a small amount of hope. Severus was still on their side and had access to Wendy. The fact that he had given her a potion to make her better heartened him. He still hated not being able to do anything to help free her, well nothing directly.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
When Lucius returned the following day, she asked, "Is there any chance I could get out of here?"
"The Dark Lord is reluctant to let the ring out of his grasp. While he does trust you, the Aurors are still looking for you. Word did get out that you were with a group of Death Eaters. I'm afraid you're a bit of a fugitive right now."
Wendy saw through this thinly veiled lie. "So is Bella, and she doesn't have to stay here."
"True, but you are their number one priority right now. Seems you've risen above Dumbledore on the most wanted list. Narcissa is planning a trip to Paris. I will speak with him about allowing you some time at my manor. You would be safe there."
Not from you, she longed to add. "Of course. That would be greatly appreciated."
He wrapped his arms around her. "Now, then. I have about an hour before anyone expects me back."
"Only an hour?" she tried to sound disappointed.
His hands roamed her body. "I know. It's a despicably short period of time. I promise to make the most of it."
She played with his lapels. "I was thinking, I know that I can't openly court anyone right now, but victory is coming soon, and I really should make a choice between Andrew and Simon. It would give me something to do in the evening other than keeping Wormtail away with dirty looks."
"Does he really try to get to you?"
"Don't worry about him. The day I can't defend myself from Wormtail is a tough day indeed."
"If he lays one hand on you, I will make sure to cut off his other one."
"That won't be necessary. He would be missing something much more important." She slid her hands down his pants.
"You're squeezing a little tight," he replied in a strained voice.
"Am I?" she asked coyly. "Perhaps I can convince you to arrange a better situation for me?"
"How can I say no?" When she loosened her grip he leaned down to kiss her. "You know I hate to share, but I know it is inevitable. Of course, the sooner you make your decision, the sooner I can have you back to myself. I'm sure you can arrange for whoever you choose to tire of you." Reasserting his dominance, he shoved her onto the bed and straddled her.
"Do you?"
He tore through the flimsy material of her dress. "You've already done it once. I somehow doubt you would have a problem doing it again. I will see what I can do to make your stay more pleasant…" He slipped his fingers into her warm folds.
She knew that he was using her, that he probably had no intention of doing anything to lessen her solitude. All she needed was to get to his manor. If she could make it that far, she could easily get away. "Tell me it will be over soon," she moaned.
"Very soon." He kissed her passionately before trailing kisses down her chest. "Tell me, what do you know about getting into the Department of Mysteries?"
She untied his hair and ran her hands through it. "Not much. They have the damned rotating room so you can't find anything unless you know the magic to reveal the markings. That's one thing I don't know." So, they are interested in the Department of Mysteries? I was right in hiding the ring. Now all she had to do was get free and let the others know.
He quickly unfastened both her necklaces. "I don't want anything marring your beauty."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Remus was heading down the basement for the approaching moon when he felt the change. He could no longer feel Wendy. Fearing something horrible had happened, he ran back upstairs and Disapparated to her last known location. While Remus the man might not be able to get close to the manor, Remus the wolf might. There was no time for him to inform the others before he transformed.