Title: Saishū Yume
Author: Ex-Professor Remus Lupin
Rating: R
Genre: Action/Adventure/Alternate Universe/Romance
Era: None
Pairing(s): Remus/Sirius, Severus/Harry
Summary: It starts, as a simple kidnapping. It will become an adventure unlike any other as a group of mismatched heroes find themselves drawn into a war for not only their lives, but also their very souls.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Eck, new chapter, and finally we've arrived in Ravenclaw. I've been waiting for this chapter because the city of Ravenclaw is, for this storyline, the most interesting on the continent of Hogwarts. I hope everyone enjoys it and reviews once again, are very much appreciated.
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Chapter Eight
The Tapestry
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When Remus awoke, it was to the soft whisper of voices from a nearby compartment and distinct sensation of someone sitting nearby in companionable silence. Amber eyes opened slowly to find Sirius staring out the window at the mountains as they neared. At the base of the mountains was Dragon's Gate, the lower entrance to the city of Ravenclaw. Sirius had taken his hair down and the long strands fell into his gray eyes, covering most of his face.

"I know you're awake, Moony," he said.

Remus' eyes opened wider and he found the thief staring at him with such concentration that he very nearly wished he could go back to sleep. He remembered the kiss that they had shared earlier that morning at the inn and flushed.

"I feel as if I were a child when you call me by that ridiculous name," Remus said as he sat up and looked about the compartment. Weasley and Severus were not to be found.

"They went to get something to eat, Weasley still doesn't trust me, but he trusts Severus for some reason," Sirius answered easily. "I think it has something to do with that mage they ran into back in Hogsmeade."

"Perhaps," Remus answered softly.

Sirius was silent for a moment, gazing out the window, dark hair falling into gray eyes. Remus decided it was a good look on him, the black hair shadowing his handsome face, but he kept his mouth closed and looked out the window.

"Have you ever been to Ravenclaw?" Sirius asked conversationally.

"Once, with my mother when I was young," was the quiet reply. "How much longer do you think it will be until we arrive?"

The other man thought on this for a moment, than he grinned. "Only another hour or so, and until then," the compartment door slid open to reveal Ron and Severus, "we have food."

-

The city of Ravenclaw began simply with the library. A massive building of nearly five stories, it housed books of all kinds, manuscripts, musicals, among other things. The building was built out of white stone. It created a startling beautiful building of opaque stone with turrets and balconies peppered at various intervals. Over the years, the citizenry had built around it, adding their homes.

Now, the Great Library stood at the city's center and the kingdom spread out like a wheel from it to make a massive kingdom that centered itself on the arts and magic. To the north was a small, nondescript building that housed the massive stairs that led down to the Dragon's Gate at the base of the mountain. Ravenclaw was built nestled into the mountain, the city built in various levels that spread upward and outward.

It was from here that the four exited out onto the main street along with some seventy others. They blended in easily with the mixed crowd outside the station and made their way south toward the library. Inside the massive building, sparkling white before them, lived the Emperor and his wife.

Sirius sighed with relief as they moved down the street while Severus tried to call the attention of a carriage that would bring them the ten miles to the library. Ron stood nearby with the prince, eyeing the crowd uneasily and wishing he could convince the prince to return to Gryffindor.

A carriage pulled up, drawn by a large, winged horse with black leathery wings and white, corpselike eyes. Sirius went up to it and brushed the soft wings and the Thestral shook its head and snorted.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked gazing at him as the knight helped him into the carriage.

"Petting the Thestral," Sirius answered nonchalantly. "You can't see her, no sorry, him, unless you've haven't seen someone die."

Ron frowned at the Thestral as he shook his head. Sirius climbed up into the carriage and the driver, a burly man with a thick mustache, directed them back into traffic of pedestrians and carriages. Severus told the man where they were going and he sat back in his own seat, his staff held closely to his body.

"Thestrals," Remus said in wonder. "Are they really as horrific as everyone makes them out to be?"

Sirius shrugged.

"They're considered bad luck by a lot people, but the drivers use them here because they're extremely powerful. They can carry heavy loads and have excellent directional abilities. I've never gotten lost while riding one."

"Not to mention the fact that they're carnivorous," Severus muttered.

"Really?" Remus asked, amber eyes lighting up with interest. His face, pale and drawn, came to life for a moment and he looked out the window at the invisible beast. "I almost wish I could see them."

"I doubt it," Sirius grumbled. "Though sometimes I wonder why I can see the bloody things. I don't remember seeing anyone die."

-

They arrived at the palace a half hour later walked up the stairs. The building doors were opened to allow them to enter the wide entrance hall. Beyond this, a private lift would take them directly to the Emperor's chambers. Before they reached the lift, a guard, dressed in blue and gray armor, stepped forward to block them.

"This is a private lift," the man said gruffly.

Remus stepped forward, removed the hood of the black mage robes he was wearing and said, "I am Prince Remus of the kingdom of Gryffindor. I humbly request an audience with the Emperor."

The guard gazed at him for a moment, than he grunted.

"Do you have proof of your royal heritage, Your Highness?" he asked.

Remus reached into his robes and pulled out a large pendent. Gold circled a rearing lion made from a single, delicately carved ruby. The guard gazed at it in silence for a moment, and then he nodded.

"I shall call Lady Minerva, if you will just wait a moment," the guard disappeared into a small room nearby, leaving them standing in the huge entry alone.

"If you weren't so suspicious looking, we'd already be upstairs," Severus grumbled in Sirius' general direction.

"I'm not the one scowling at everything that moves," was the response from the thief.

"Shut up," Remus grumbled.

A moment later, the guard returned. Behind him, dressed in soft white mage robes threaded with silver runes, was Lady Minerva. The head of the library, her hair was a deep ebony color, pulled tightly from her face into an intricate looking bun and held in place by two ebony and silver sticks. She was perhaps somewhere in her thirties, an attractive woman, but her features were harsh and shrewd as she looked at them over the edge of her rectangular spectacles.

"Come with me," she said.

They followed her onto the lift and she activated the switch to bring them to the royal chambers. Sirius shifted nervously and gazed at the shrewd woman that stood straight backed at the front of the lift, neither looking at them nor acknowledging their existence until the lift gate had shut and begun the journey up.

"Hello, Aunt Minerva," Remus said warmly. Lady Minerva turned to him and her piercing gaze and narrowed mouth, softened and Sirius realized that she was indeed a beautiful woman, though her hair, pulled so sharply from her face, took some of the softness of her features away making it impossible to tell.

"Remus, my dear, we've been expecting you," she said softly. "Albus has been sick with worry since he heard the theatre ship crashed."

Sirius gazed at the lady in surprised.

"How did you know?"

Lady Minerva's features sharpened once more and she looked harshly at him for a moment before speaking.

"Emperor Albus brother, Aberforth, informed us this morning by way of owl. He send greetings to you, Sirius, and says that he has sent Dora and Kingsley to Slytherin for supplies in order to repair the airship," Sirius gaped at her.

"You mean the emperor's brother is the leader of a thief's guild?" Sirius asked.

"It is not my place to answer any further questions. I will leave that to–" the lifted shuddered to a halt.

The lift door opened into a sunlit hallway decorated in blue and gray tapestry, a guard stood at the wall, dressed in silver and blue armor and holding a spear. As Lady Minerva stepped out, the man bowed.

"My Lady, the Emperor awaits you in the conference room," he said. Minerva nodded once to him and the others followed her obediently as she strode down the carpeted hall, books lining the shelves in places where there were no tapestries. Sirius admired one such tapestry titled 'The Last Summoner'. It featured a wavy haired blonde woman dressed in yellow and black armor standing behind a blue and white robed figure with long black hair. They were standing before a woman with long dark red hair, dressed in black robes. Above the woman in armor, a figure floated, surround with pale blue sparkles and wearing a navy blue two-pieces over her white-blue skin.

"That," Lady Minerva said, turning to see what had kept him, "is Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff battling the dark mage, Isis during the Dragon Wars. Rowena Ravenclaw was a summoner. It is said that during the battle, when Helga was at the mercy of Isis, Rowena called upon the ice goddess to aid her in battle."

"I read this story," Remus said quietly and he reached out a touched the floating ice goddess. "I know this summon."

Sirius gazed at the tapestry, noting that the figure of Rowena was standing protectively before Helga as she nursed her wounds. He touched the two and looked to Lady Minerva who was looking carefully at him.

"Were they?" he asked.

"If you would care to know, Helga and Rowena were lovers. Love is a powerful force, more powerful perhaps than even magic," she said smoothly, looking at her white robes.

"They could have been friends," Weasley suggested, his face twisting at the idea. Elves were not known for their tolerance of homosexuality.

Lady Minerva looked shrewdly at him and he flushed.

"Does the idea disturb you Sir Weasley, that two women could share such an emotional bond?"

"Not the emotional," Ron muttered, "the physical."

Lady Minerva's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"What two people do in the privacy of their home is not for your eyes," she said harshly. "Perhaps, before you decide to settle down, you had best come to terms that love is a gift to be cherished, no matter who it is with."

Sirius grinned at her as she stalked off down the hallway. He gazed over at the others to see how they had taken it. Weasley was flushed with anger. He muttered something about everyone having their own opinions, and stalked off down the hallways, steel and gold armor clattering loudly. Remus simply smiled and continued the trek to the throne room. Severus had stood silently nearby, watching the group impassively. His dark eyes watched Lady Minerva and then turned to lock with Sirius' for a brief moment.

"I like her," Sirius said with a grin.

"She has a vast pool of wisdom for someone who isn't even old enough to be my mother," he said and stalked after the other three.

Sirius followed him.

-

The entered a medium sized room, empty except for the large map of the globe that decorate one wall. Beneath this map, a young elf maiden with dark red hair and piercing blue eyes stood. Her auburn hair had been pulled away from her face by a dragon clip at the base of her neck, but strands hung freely around her face. She wore yellow robes threaded with black protective runes and cinched at her waist by a black belt hanging low on her hips. When Ron saw her, he drew a deep breath and his face paled beneath his helmet.

Beside her stood another elf, this one seemed older, and perhaps nearing middle age, dressed in the yellow leather armor that had a black badger across the chest. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. His bow and arrow were on the floor near his feet and his dagger easily in reach at his belt.

Standing on the far side of the room was a human male dressed in black robes. His hair was also auburn and it hung down his back to his waist. Blue eyes sparkled as Minerva led Sirius and the others into the room from behind his half-moon spectacles. His face, smooth and wise with his forty years, was clean-shaven.

"Ah, Minerva, my dear, excellent," he smiled indulgently at the four men standing behind her. "Welcome to Ravenclaw, please, I shall make introductions.

"I am, of course, Albus, the emperor of this lovely city and you," he smiled cheerfully, "have all been invited here at my request. I'm sure; you have all met my wife, Minerva. She makes lovely tea. Would anyone care–?"

"Dear," Lady Minerva said pointedly. "Perhaps you should introduce everyone."

"Ah yes, of course," most of the people in the room looked uneasy at the emperor's distraction. "The young woman is Princess Ginevra of Hufflepuff; she has at her side, Seamus Finnagan, who has come along as her bodyguard.

"Of course we have Severus, of the royal house of Slytherin," Sirius' eyes widened and he looked at the mage in question. Severus was glaring at the floor, clenching his hands into fists. "Captain Weasley of the knights of Gryffindor is here as a bodyguard to Prince Remus, heir to the throne of Gryffindor. Finally, the young man who has escorted my nephew here from Gryffindor is Sirius."

"Wait a minute," Sirius glared at Severus. "You're royalty?"

Severus glowered at him for a moment before he spoke, "If you must know, my mother is Queen Eileen, my father is not my mother's husband, and he was an elf."

"You're father was an elf," Princess Ginevra asked looking surprised.

"Yes," Severus snapped. "Anything else?"

Sirius muttered something about him being a half-blood prince and Severus sent a hate filled glare in his direction that Remus swore heated between them. The emperor raised both of his hands and everyone fell silent.

"That will be enough," he said soothingly. "Severus is the oldest son of Queen Eileen while his brother, as some of you may know, is Thomas. It is very late and I am sure you are all interested in getting something to eat and resting. I'm sure the house elves have prepared something quite delicious; if you would follow me to the dining room, please."

-
Author's Note: I started giggling when I wrote that half-blood prince line and I couldn't write much more. I'm sure everyone got the reference...if you didn't...um...where have you been the last month?

In addition, the Weasley clan has been split up somewhat. Ginny and Ron are cousins just for the sake of you readers. The reason for Ron's parents leaving the elven kingdom will become apparent later.

Next chapter: Prince Remus speaks with his uncle...