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: Okay...I admit, the last chapter was horrible...I hate it
so very much. (Throttles chapter sixteen) I will be the first to say
that I am worse that J.K. Rowling is at writing romance.
So...anyways, this chapter is the continued adventures of Remus,
Severus, and Sirius as they make their merry way to Ravenclaw. Enjoy
the ramblings of a mad man and let me know how wretched you thought
this chapter was.
-
Chapter
Seventeen
Disaster
Strikes
-
"Severus,
are you all right?" Remus asked some odd hours later.
They had landed on the outskirts of the Ravenclaw Plateau near a large outcropping of rocks. It would – according to Sirius who seemed the most knowledgeable in these sort of things – provide coverage for the night should any particularly dangerous fiends be walking around.
They were now resting comfortably within a wide circle of standing stones. Through the narrow openings, they could see to the north the tall, softly glowing Library Tower, which held not only the emperor and his wife, but also the entire Ravenclaw airship fleet. It was a beautiful sight in the pitch darkness.
Sirius was near the center, setting up the tent he had picked up somewhere between Ravenclaw and the Burrow. Severus suspected the thief had gotten it during the mad rush to leave the city, but he didn't say anything. It didn't matter. The people of the Burrow certainly wouldn't care.
Meanwhile, Severus had been given the task of tying up the Pegasi so that they would not fly back to the Gryffindor stables. It would be an easy task for the Pegasi to find this place again if ordered to by a trainer. Remus was busy gathering wood for the fire.
"I am fine," Severus said as he finished tying the bridles to the narrow stones that surrounded them. "Apparating so great a distance has taken much of my energy, the ride did not help."
Remus nodded as he straightened slowly, making sure that he didn't drop the dry sticks and leaves that he had gathered. Already, his robes were showing signs of travel, though they resisted wrinkles, the hem was covered in a barely perceptible layer of dirt from the ground.
Their only light now was a waning moon floating high above.
"I could heal you," the prince suggested.
Severus shook his head.
"Your magic is severely hindered at the moment due to the extraction of the Eidolons and it may be another day until the imbalance between the two magics has been fixed. Until your magic has corrected itself, I would not ask that you use what little energy you have to heal me," he said, moving toward Sirius so he could sit down upon one of the wide stone benches that had been set up some years before.
"This was once a place of worship so we should be pretty safe here," Sirius said as Severus walked over to him. "Do you have any potions or will sleep help?"
"Sleep is optimal, what few potions I have available would make me into a complete idiot for an hour or be ineffective," Severus answered as Remus arrived with the wood. A moment later, they had a roaring fire and the prince was curled easily onto one of the benches and staring wide eyed across the flames at Sirius, brows stitched together in confusion.
Sirius stared back at him, arched an eyebrow in confusion when – as was normal when Sirius had looked back at him – Remus didn't look away.
"Something the matter?" he asked finally, irritated with the prince's gold eyes, lit up with green light due to the flames, locked on him.
"Thinking," the prince said, blinking.
"About?" Sirius pressed for more information.
"I am not sure," was the honest reply and finally the gold eyes switched to watching the flames instead of him. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. He suspected that Remus didn't remember what had happened back in Gryffindor and he didn't want him to. Severus, having watched the go-between the two, shook his head and yawned.
"I am going to try and catch some semblance of sleep, wake me up in four hours for my watch," he said walking over to the tent.
"Like hell," Sirius growled. "You can sleep all damn night."
"Fine," Severus growled, slipping inside the tent.
"Fine."
"Shut up the both of you," Remus said sleepily.
-
Sirius woke with a start, sitting up from his awkward position on the stone bench. His back protested painfully and he let out a quiet breath of pain as he reached back to massage the tightly coiled muscles, wondering what had woken him. The prince was standing near the edge of the stone ring, his back to Sirius as he gazed out into the plains between them and Ravenclaw.
"What's up?" Sirius asked quietly. Remus jumped as he turned to face Sirius, face flushed. The thief arched an eyebrow at him and he stood slowly, stretching his back carefully while the prince smoothed down the front of his robes, face downcast. "Remind me never to sleep on rock again," he said absently as he rubbed feel back into his shoulder.
"Something has happened," Remus answered finally, ignoring Sirius comment as he turned back around and looked out between the stone pillars. Sirius walked over to him, looking over his shoulder to the soft glowing city. A few farming villages could be seen now in the deep gray colored morning. It was clear that rain was the forecast for today.
"I don't see anything?" Sirius stated, gazing out at the plain.
Remus rolled his eyes and pointed to the sky.
"There," Sirius followed the prince's motion with his eyes, taking in the sky above where he was pointing. A single shape could be seen floating near the city.
The Red Rose.
"Oh shit," the thief said slowly.
"You wake Severus," Remus said, as he slipped between the two pillars out into the plains. Sirius caught his arm just before it was out of reach.
"Where in the Abyss do you think you're going?" he demanded.
"To see what's happening," and the prince slid from his grasp. Sirius watched him for a moment, too surprised to be anything but angry. There were fiends out there that wouldn't hesitant to go after a royal snack.
"Idiot," he slipped through the barrier as well and went after him, forgetting about Severus. After all, rudely waking someone who could throw fireballs wasn't the best idea if one wanted to live a long, healthy life.
-
He could think of nothing but the sight of that single airship floating high above the city; an airship that he would recognize anywhere with its sleek, ship-like design and bright red color. His breath was coming in short gasps as he ran toward the city. Flashes of light from behind the city walls could be recognized as magic. The mages had already Apparated into the city and they would leave soon.
The sky above opened as Leviathan appeared in all her magnificence. Her long, serpentine body glowed with blue energy as she called up a massive tsunami. The violent waters fell upon the city, knocking down buildings and leaving behind an ocean of destruction.
"Remus!" someone grabbed his arm and he was jerked to a stop, stumbling back into a hard body that was as unsteady as he was. He tried to pull away from the other person, but the grip on his arm tightened almost painfully, and he lashed out.
Breaking skin, he felt blood on his hands suddenly and with a cry of anguish, he crumbled to the ground.
"It's my fault," he said finally.
"Remus," finally, he recognized the voice.
Sirius.
Looking up in surprise, he found the thief kneeling beside him, gray eyes narrowed in concern. Three long, ugly scratches ran down his right upper arm. Blood was dripping slowly down his arm and onto the grass.
"I'm sorry," Remus said slowly, looking down at his hand. "Let me heal it."
"It's not important right now," Sirius said dismissively. "What is that thing?"
Remus bowed his head.
"It is one of my Eidolons," he answered solemnly. "She is called Leviathan, the winged serpent and god of water."
He turned carefully and watched as Leviathan unleashed another tsunami of water down upon the city. His eyes began to sting and he buried his face in his hands, hiding his tears. Arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a comforting embrace. Leaning into the touch, he let out his grief.
-
The day dawned cold and gray. The sun appeared to bring light to the bodies of the dead and dying in the destroyed city. Entering through the front gate was simple enough. The prince's robes no longer looked as rich as they one had, the hem fraying and the white fading to gray as it became encrusted with dirt. The gold belt has been removed and tucked away into Sirius' bag so that it might be sold. Instead, Remus had cinched the waist of his robes using one of Sirius' leather belts.
It was clear, as they climbed up and over the crumbled remains of the archway that had been the entrance into the city, that the destruction upon the city had been much more than a few inches of water. This fact became clearer when Sirius jumped off the last of the over water chucks of stone and landed in water up to his waist.
"Need a hand," he asked, extending his hand to Severus.
The mage, after looking at the brown water that Sirius was standing waist deep in, nodded. Taking the thief's hand, he stepped carefully into the water, his robes soaking up the liquid far too quickly and weighing him down slightly. He adjusted his bag so that it was on his back before he took the final step and ending up completely in the water, standing solidly on the cobbled street. His staff was already submerged somewhat, being attached to his back, but he didn't seem to care.
"Is this sanitary?" Remus asked quietly as he accepted Sirius' hand after Severus had released it.
"I doubt it," Severus answered darkly, pointing to a group of people nearby that were collecting a few floating bodies from nearby. Their faces were wiped of emotion as they dragged the bloated corpses toward a growing pile on a raised platform nearby.
The prince made a face of disgust as he slid gracefully into the water beside Sirius, his robes staining with the dirty water. He took a careful step forward, pulling his hand from Sirius', and nearly fell over, tripping on a stone. Sirius caught his arm, saving him from going under the water.
"You three, what are you doing?" Sirius looked up from his examination of Remus scowling at the tips of his hair that was soaked with the brown water to see a Gryffindor knight, a captain by the badges on her shoulder, moving through the water toward them, a scowl on her pretty face.
"I live here," he growled menacingly, stepping away from the prince.
"Don't pull an attitude, soon all of this will be part of the Gryffindor kingdom," the captain snapped angrily, coming to a stop a few feet in front of them.
"Over my dead body," Sirius hissed. "You scum should go back to the mountain you came down from."
"I'll have you locked up for that," the captain said, stepping toward them. Sirius fell back half a step, his hand falling to his sword, ready to hit the release for the blades. A hand fell on his arm and he glared at Remus.
"Don't, please?" he asked. "Don't fight them."
"You have best listen to your white mage, he knows when you're beat," Remus shot the captain a glare as she stepped up to Sirius and grabbed his arm. "Instead of going home, you get to spend the next week doing menial labor."
"Release him," the captain's scowl deepened as another figure appeared, dressed in white and silver robes. Lady Minerva, her black hair, normally pulled away from his face into a twist, had fallen down as she stepped into view. The dark strands cascaded messily down into her face and down her back, brushing the water with its tips.
"Lady Minerva, you dare show your face when you know what fate awaits your husband once we find him," Minerva's face tightened imperceptibly and she shook her head faintly.
"You already know that I do not know my husband's whereabouts and I can only do what must be done for my people. That man you have your hand on is my nephew, and I will not allow you to arrest him," she said sharply.
The captain's eyes widened and she dropped Sirius' arm as if it were a brand, backing away from him. Minerva walked carefully toward him, the water sloshing thickly around them as she grasped his shoulder.
"Are you three all right?" she asked concernedly.
"Fine," Sirius answered, then as an afterthought, "Aunt Minerva."
Remus and Severus joined her and the captain, scowling at them, stalked off down the street toward the high ground. Sirius sighed with relief.
"Follow me and do not ask questions," Minerva said suddenly, motioning them to follow her.
"Certainly," Remus said, falling into step behind Minerva as they set off down a side street, passing destroyed homes and shops along the way.
The water gradually grew deeper until it had risen to their chests and they were nearly swimming. Still they didn't ask Minerva any questions and she in turn said nothing to them until finally, she grasped the bottom rung of a rope ladder and used it to haul herself out of the water.
Ignoring the droplets of water that fell onto his head, Sirius followed her. Severus and Remus came behind, they too ignoring the cascade of water in favor of figuring out where Minerva was leading them.
"Remus, I am pleased to see that you are all right," Remus nearly jumped as Sirius helped him through the narrow window into a darkly lit room where Emperor Albus sat easily in a wooden chair, blue eyes twinkling.
"Uncle," Remus said with relief. "I was worried when Minerva said she didn't know where you were."
"Dangerous times call for the use of an effective lie," the emperor said with a smile. "The Gryffindor soldiers seek the Falcon's Claw."
"Falcon's claw?" Severus asked.
"One of four stones given to the four heroes by the Red Wizard Merlin," Albus answered, pulling a deep blue sapphire from beneath the front of his robes. It was hanging from a thin, steel chain and cut in the shape of a claw.
"The Lion's Fang," Remus breathed and he pulled out from beneath his own robes, a blood red ruby shaped like a fang.
"Two of the four stones and one of the reasons that Cornelius sought you out and wanted you beheaded," Albus explained.
"What?" Sirius asked. "How did you know?"
"I have spies in Gryffindor," the emperor explained simply. "Also, the Lion's Fang, like my own stone, can only be removed by me or someone else after I am dead. Your mother gave you that necklace before she died and so, it can not be removed."
"There are four of them, then?" Severus clarified.
"Yes," Albus said carefully. "But the locations of the other two stones are lost. One would think that Salazar and Helga would give their nieces or nephews the stones, but alas."
"What's so important about these rocks?" Sirius asked, gazing between the two stones.
"With these four stones, the greatest of all Eidolons can be summoned," Minerva answered after a moment. "It is how Rowena and the others defeated Isis."
"If my father can summon this thing, than he could destroy us all," Remus said, gold eyes widening.
"Minerva and I fear that it is not your father, but Regulus who wishes to summon this Eidolon," Albus said slowly, steepling his fingers.
"Why is he doing this?" Severus demanded angrily. "My brother should have put a stop to this. Why is he allowing Regulus to lead the black mages into this fight?"
"I have heard from Queen Eileen that her eldest son Tom disappeared shortly after you left Slytherin," the emperor said carefully. "She tells me that Regulus was to take charge of the conclave should anything happen to him."
"No," the mage breathed. "Do you know what happened to him?"
"I am unsure though I have three ideas. The first is that he is dead, murdered by Regulus, the second is he is being held prisoner, and the last is that he has gone in search of the other two stones so that he may find them before Regulus does."
"Knowing my brother," Severus muttered, "he would have to be dead before he let Regulus lead the black mages away from the safety of the city."
Silence followed this announcement and Sirius looked at the mage in surprise. Severus' face was blank, black eyes on the floor and hair curtaining his face. His robes were soaked with water and dripping down onto the floor.
"Then we'll get the two jewels before Regulus can," Remus said suddenly, stepping toward his uncle. The emperor's blue eyes narrowed slightly and he bowed his head, slipping the chain of the Falcon's Claw over his head. He offered the stone to his nephew.
"Take this with you than," he said as Remus took the sapphire into his hand, holding the stone reverently. "They can do nothing to me if I do not have the jewel in my possession and Cornelius knows that the Ravenclaw library is locked until I sign over the key."
"The library is locked by magic, isn't it?" Sirius asked watching as Remus hung the Falcon's Claw around his neck and it rest easily beside the Lion's Fang almost as if the two stones belonged together.
"Yes, and it is my only bargaining tool at the moment and I can only hope it will keep Cornelius from killing more of my people," Albus' blue eyes saddened. "Now, the other stones could be located on the other continents. I would suggest Durmstrang since I have heard rumors of mages appearing on the northern side of the continent. Stay at the inn and leave for the northern continent in the morning. I will hand myself over to Cornelius tomorrow."
"What? Uncle, you can't!" Remus cried.
"My brother has given me an ultimatum, either my husband give himself and the key to the library over to Gryffindor or he will start killing the remaining citizenry," Minerva explained uneasily.
"Damn him," Sirius growled, slamming a clenched fist into the wall. It gave way beneath his hand and plaster fell to the floor.
"You should leave now," Albus said, standing up suddenly.
"What if they kill you?" Remus asked, gold eyes widening. "You and Minerva don't have an heir. Father will be able to rightfully take over the city as Aunt Minerva's brother."
"Don't worry about that. We will have an heir if my wife would stop putting herself into danger," Albus said warmly looking to his wife. Remus looked between the two, eyes widened in surprise.
"Lady," Severus said suddenly, "You should seek shelter in Slytherin. My mother would welcome you with open arms. If Cornelius learns of your condition, he will not hesitate to kill you."
Minerva shook her head, one of her hands, fingers long, falling to her stomach while the other reached out toward her husband. He took it, twining their fingers.
"I will not leave my husband," she said softly. Albus bowed his head, but said nothing.
"We should go," Sirius interrupted, grabbing Remus' arm and locking eyes with the mage. The prince nodded as he followed Sirius back out through the window.
-
Author's
Note: Oh look plot development...and some fluff-like stuff
between my favorite het pairing that I've never really had the
chance to write anything about. I'm awing at this pairing
because they're young enough at the moment to have more interesting
things happen to them.
Now, I'm going to go over here and wait for reviews. I am also happy that I finished this chapter sooner than I expected and with more pages than I anticipated. I thought this would only be five pages; instead, I'm on the sixth page. Sweet.
Next Chapter: The group leaves for the northern continent of Durmstrang in the hopes of finding the last two pieces of the jewel...
