Beside the Fallen

Chapter Eleven - The Stranger in the Pub

Remus stumbled in through the fireplace, tripping over his feet from an endless exhaustion. The lamps seemed to have burnt themselves out as sunrise arrived just one hour ago, and the only person in the kitchen was Tonks, who seemed to be fast asleep at the table. Exhausted, he fell into a seat at the table, which jerked Tonks from her sleep.

"Wha . . ?" Tonks said, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. Her gaze shifted to Remus before she quickly sat up. "Remus, when did you get back?"

"Just arrived," he said, slumping in his seat.

"How was it?" Tonks asked sympathetically, heading up to the stove to get Remus a cup of tea.

"The wolfsbane helps a lot, more than you would ever know," Remus said. "But it doesn't stop the pain when you transform. Unfortunately, magic only goes so far."

Tonks gave him a sympathetic smile.

"How was everything here? Any updates?" he said, trying not to make his voice sound too hopeful.

"No," she said bluntly, handing him some tea and sitting down on the bench beside him. "There isn't any more leads since yesterday morning, and even that was a dead end. Molly had to put a potion in Sirius's tea to get him to sleep last night. He's going to be furious for it, but he was running himself ragged, hasn't sleep in days . . ."

Remus pushed the tea away and buried his face in his hands.

"It seems so hopeless," Remus murmured. "I mean, if we couldn't find anybody who disappeared in the last war, what chances do we have now? I know I have to be positive for Sirius, but I can't help . . ."

Tonks put her arm around Remus and gave him a sideways hug. "I know how hard it is, Harry was - is - like my little brother, and I only knew him for a few weeks. But we can't give up, Harry needs us."

Remus gave a sob and quickly sucked in his breath, blinking at the wall. He wasn't usually so keen on showing his emotions in front of other people. The last time he had done so, it had been back at Hogwarts in his fifth year. It had been the day after his transformation, and Severus had seen him and was nearly killed . . .

"Remus, we'll get him back," Tonks whispered.

Remus turned to her.

"You don't know that for sure," Remus said. "I'm sick of being positive, but what chance do we have if I'm not?"

"It's hard, I know," Tonks whispered. "I've been trying to do the same thing . . ."

"Every time something seems to be getting a little better, it has to be snatched away from me. A few years ago when Pettigrew was caught, we thought Sirius would be free and he just escaped again . . . Harry had to go back to the Dursleys after Sirius promised him a home . . . Harry comes here with us and gets kidnapped . . . Now Sirius and I don't know what to do . . ."

Tonks rubbed Remus's shoulder in a comforting way.

"Did I ever tell you about the time when I was teaching and Harry thought Severus was poisoning me?" Remus asked with a watery smile.

"No, but I'd love to hear it," Tonks said.

Remus took a sip of his tea and started to speak, but his voice was cut off by the blaze of the fireplace, and Kingsley quickly stepped out, looking as if he had just run a marathon.

"We have a lead," he said, panting heavily. "Need to get there . . . Now . . . Bring Sirius . . ."

Without wasting breath, Remus and Tonks jumped up from the table together and got to work. Remus ran up the stairs, not bothering to be quiet as he passed the portrait of Mrs. Black, which started to scream, and Tonks ran around, grabbing the cloaks.

"I tried to find Dumbledore, but I couldn't locate him," Kingsley said. "We'll have to check this lead out on our own and report back to him later."

"Where did you find this lead?" Tonks asked incredulously.

"Don't ask me, Mad-Eye found it," Kingsley said. "And you know that that man has a tendency to locate a toothpick in a field with no magic whatsoever. He said he'd meet us there."

Remus and Sirius came bolting back into the kitchen at that moment, and Tonks had to wonder just how Remus had managed to wake Sirius up so quickly. But it was short lived as the group quickly gathered around in a circle.

"Whoever put me to sleep, I'll kill you later," Sirius growled. "Now where to?"

"Apparate in back of the Hanged Man, a pub in Little Hangelton." Kingsley said. Together with a chorusing pop, the group left the kitchen in a trice.

The Hogs Head was usually a place where the more colorful kinds of wizards and creatures came to get a drink or two . . . or a dozen. On that particular summers night, the Hogs Head held its usual crowd, with some wizards passed out in a drunken haze, others hidden under cloaks despite the warm weather to conceal their identities, and others exchanging packages and sacks of unidentified objects, which the bartender pretended to pay no notice to.

So it wasn't unusual when a black cloaked figure entered the pub and immediately took a seat in the corner. He sat stiffly, not moving a muscle, his eyes drawn to the door, waiting for the one person he had asked to meet to come walking through the door. He sat like that for at least five minutes before the door opened again and Albus Dumbledore walked in. He looked around and spotted the black cloaked figure in the corner before taking a seat across from him.

"Headmaster."

Dumbledore gave a brief nod and a smile. "Interesting place for a meeting, the Hogs Head. It's a most perceptive place, because when you look around, you never know who anybody really is." Dumbledore turned and glanced at a man who was passed out on the table next to them. "Perhaps, for a meeting such as this we should meet somewhere more appropriate, in other words, my office."

Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a golden pocket watch and held it out. The cloaked man hesitated.

"Trust me, Draco."

Draco stared at Dumbledore's face, unsure of exactly what was about to happen. However he knew that if he didn't trust Dumbledore, there would be nobody to trust. He had come this far, he couldn't turn back now. With a deep breath, he placed his hand on the pocket watch and the two disappeared with a pull at their navels.

They landed in the middle of Dumbledore's office and Draco stumbled uncertainly before quickly regaining his composure. Dumbledore pretended not to notice as he walked around his desk and sat in his chair, his gaze penetrating through Draco like a knife.

Draco sighed and lowered the hood of his cloak to reveal his face, and Dumbledore only blinked to show his surprise. Draco's face was a mess. His right eye was swollen and his chin held a visible purple bruise. His lip was cut and his nose showed signs of recent bleeding.

"My father hasn't been happy with me recently," Draco said, taking a seat across from the headmaster with his gaze cast down.

"You explained to me in your letter that you had made a terrible mistake. And yet, you also said you had several things that you wanted to tell me."

"I do, sir," Draco said quietly.

"Well please my boy, do go on," Dumbledore said. "As important as I know this will be, there are matters that need my attention at the moment."

"I know that, sir," Draco said. "I know that Potter was kidnapped and is with the Dark Lord right now. I saw him."

Dumbledore did not look too surprised, but did not speak as he motioned for Draco to continue.

"Last night my father opted to take me to my first meeting with the Dark Lord. He told me that even though I was young, he wanted my impressions to come from the age when he had first murdered, my age. So he took me, and I was really nervous, but I thought I was ready. I wanted the power that my father had said the Dark Lord had brought him. I wanted to mean something, especially to my father."

Draco paused for a second to gather himself before continuing.

"But when I arrived . . . I couldn't do it. I saw Potter, and . . . I was asked to torture him. I couldn't . . . I refused. The Dark Lord let me go this one time but . . . My father didn't. They tortured Potter anyway, and I'm sure that because of me, they tortured him worse than I would have."

"What was Harry's condition when you saw him?" Dumbledore asked.

"He looked horrible." Draco whispered, shaking his head. "There was something about him when he stared me in the face. It was his eyes, they looked . . . dead. He just looked so defeated, that it was scary to look at him. He was just . . . covered in blood."

Dumbledore didn't say anything, but the look on his face made him seem as if he had aged in a brief three seconds. He sagged slightly in his seat and Draco noticed a glassy look in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, sir," Draco said. "If I could give you any information on where to find Potter I would, but I don't know where my father apparated me to. And I'm sure Professor Snape has told you what the castle he's currently in looks like. I wish I could be of more help,"

"No harm, child, no harm," Dumbledore said. "I understand that you don't want to be a Death Eater and therefore you cannot go home,"

"No, sir," Draco said. "I was hoping that you could help me,"

"At the moment, Draco, I'm not too trusting of Death Eaters, even ones who aren't officially under the mark yet," Dumbledore said and Draco spared a confused look before putting a blank mask on his face. "However, I think I'll be able to trust the honesty in you that I mistakenly trusted within Severus Snape,"

"Professor Snape?" Draco said curiously.

"Indeed, my boy," Dumbledore sighed. "It was Severus who kidnapped Harry and brought him to the Dark Lord."

"Professor Snape?" Draco repeated very loudly, not in awe, but more in surprise. "But that can't be right. At the very beginning of the meeting, before Potter was brought in, the Dark Lord was praising Aunt Bellatrix for getting Potter."

"Bellatrix Lestrange?" Dumbledore said slowly.

"Yes," Draco said. "Professor Snape wasn't mentioned at all. I'm not even sure that he was at the meeting. Sir, why did you think it was Professor Snape?"

"We had three eye witnesses tell us that Severus entered the house and took Harry," Dumbledore said, staring at the desk in deep thought.

"Professor, you don't think . . ." Draco said startled.

"Alas, I think I have made quite a dire mistake."

Remus apparated into a dark alley, and felt Tonks stumble against his shoulder. He quickly grabbed her shoulders to steady her, and felt her grateful smile rather than seeing it through the shadows of early morning. He slowly stepped out of the alley and looked around to see an empty street. The only living thing around seemed to be an old man asleep on the bench across the road.

"Talk about a happy little town," Kingsley muttered, and Remus blinked around at his surroundings. It really was a dingy looking town, looking as if there were more poorly constructed building than there were people.

"It gets even better," said a voice behind him. Remus jumped and turned, whipping his wand out, only to let out his breath at seeing Mad Eye hunched in front of him. "Jumpy today, Lupin?"

"What do you mean it gets better?" Tonks asked with a scowl on her face.

"We're in the abandoned side of town. Mainly where the homeless like to sleep," Mad-Eye nodded to the old man asleep on the bench before giving off a disturbing chuckle. "It gets better as we take a little skip down the road. Now come on, and keep your wands pointed in front of you."

Mad-Eye led the group down the road, which seemed much too long for Remus's liking. Usually the night after a full moon he would sleep well into late afternoon, and right now his body was running on pure adrenaline. He wasn't sure if his body could handle any sort of fight that they might find themselves in, but Remus had to. He would do anything if it meant getting Harry safe, and if he had to make some sacrifices, it was well worth it.

As they made their way up a dirt path which led into a steady incline, Remus could see Tonks staring at him from the corner of his eyes. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you alright?"

Tonks blushed. "Fine," she said, and quickly took to observing the area, squinting in the light to look through the shadows of a shaded brush.

A minute later they stopped upon the top of the hill, right outside an old and unsafe looking mansion, covered in ivy and decorated with broken windows. The group was silent for a minute before Mad-Eye raised his wand and led them up the path. They were hardly a foot onto the property when Mad-Eye stopped dead, sending Tonks tripping over him but she quickly recovered and pointed her wand forward.

"Somebody's over there," Mad-Eye whispered. Remus squinted and saw the shadow of a body lying on the grass, very still. It looked as if the person was -

"HARRY!" Sirius roared and quickly ran forward.

"Sirius, no!" Kingsley shouted, reaching for his arm but Sirius was already tearing across the lawn. Remus ran after him, followed by the others, hoping beyond everything that the person lying over there wasn't . . . but it was.

Harry was lying face down on the grass, blood running down the back of his neck as he lay so still that Remus didn't think it was possible for him to be alive. Sirius collapsed to his knees and started yelling Harry's name as he turned him over. Lifeless green eyes stared back.

"NO! HARRY PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T BE DEAD, NO!" Sirius roared, shaking the body roughly. Remus felt his insides turn to ice and it seemed impossible to move.

Harry was -

A mad cackling laughter made Remus jump back into himself and he turned around just in time to see five Death Eaters apparating in a row right in front of him. The shock was short lived as he quickly grabbed onto Sirius' arm to keep him from doing anything out of pure rage.

"Aww, is my ickle cousin sad because he saw his godson dead?" Bellatrix mocked, and cackled with glee when Sirius made to attack her, before he was physically restrained by Remus and Kingsley.

"You murdered him, you disgusting evil little bi - "

A chorus of laughter drowned out the rest of Sirius' curses, and the laughter only made Sirius angrier, making it harder for the two of them to hold on. Tonks jumped forward and grabbed Sirius around the middle to help, yet the man continued to struggle against them.

"A very clever trap," Mad-Eye said. "Where's the real Potter?"

Sirius stopped struggling and looked at Mad-Eye a look akin to pure hope in his eyes.

"For all we know, he probably really is dead," Malfoy said casually, twirling his wand in his fingers. "Yet that isn't the point now, is it? Why would we want to chatter on about that useless boy? I am a business man and as such, I like to get right down to business, and therefore I will.

"The Dark Lord is sick of you meddling fools interfering with his work and has sent word that he wants you all dead before supper."

"Don't worry, cousin," Bellatrix cooed. "You and Potter will both meet each other again in the afterlife,"

This time there was no stopping him. Sirius wrenched out of the three grips and rushed forward, a killing curse erupting from his wand before he even had the chance to take a step forward. The spell rebounded back at them and Remus quickly dropped to the ground, feeling the curse graze the hair on his head. He had just enough time to see a silvery mist fly from his wand before turning and running head first into the fight.

And the battle was on.

"I feel that I can trust you, Draco," Dumbledore said. "Trust you enough to protect you. You are still a child, no matter what your father sees, and I took an oath years ago never to abandon a child in need. However, there are consequences to this kind of decision.

"We will have to face the matter of emancipation, which can take months for the request to be answered. Then there is the matter of your protection, where you will stay. There is one place that will protect you, but it will require some sacrifice on your part. Most particularly, you will have to get over your rivalries and call a truce with your enemies."

Draco stiffened. He only had several enemies, and the only ones he could think of at the time that related to this situation were a handful of Gryffindors.

"How long will this arrangement be in place?" Draco forced out. It was a hard choice in whether he wanted to spend the summer with his father, or with a bunch of Gryffindors.

"Just until school starts. We will come up with a better arrangement during the year," Dumbledore said. Draco sighed, biting his lip. "Alright," he said after a few moments. "I'll do it,"

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, standing up, heading over towards the window. "There are a few things you have to be informed of before you enter there, however. Firstly . . . "

Draco waited for Dumbledore to continue, but when he did not, he turned around in his seat. Dumbledore was standing the middle of the office, staring down at what looked like a patronus. Draco had only seen two in his life, one of which had been sent by Potter at the Quidditch match (in which he hadn't seen the actual shape) and when his father had conjured a jaguar for him to observe last year in their mansion. Draco watched Dumbledore stare at the patronus for a moment before quickly taking out his wand and heading for the fireplace.

"Draco, there is an emergency I must attend to and I will be back shortly," Dumbledore said. "The doors and fireplace are warded so that you may not leave unless of an emergency." He waved his wand and a thick armchair with a table of sandwiches and pumpkin juice appeared in the middle of the office. "Eat and rest, and when I come back I will explain the rest of your living arrangements."

Without another word, Dumbledore grabbed some floo powder and with a flick of his hand he was gone. Draco stared after him for a moment, before shaking his head and looking around the room. What just happened?

He headed over to the chair slowly and stared down at the plate of sandwiches. He was far from hungry, but he couldn't remember the last time he ate, so he slowly picked up a sandwich and started to eat.

It was after eating for about ten minutes that something in the corner of the room caught his eye. He looked over and saw a soft white glow leaking in through a partially opened cabinet. Draco stared at it for a second before getting up and slowly heading over to the cabinet. He knew that it was rude to pry, and that Professor Dumbledore would be furious at him, but his curiosity once again got the better of him.

He slowly opened the cabinet and his eyes widened when they fell onto a jewel encrusted basin, with swirling contents that were neither liquid nor solid. It was a pensieve.

"Merlin . . . ' Draco whispered as he stared inside, his head getting closer to the bowl, his fingers running over the jewels on the side. He had never seen a pensieve in real life before, but had read all about them in a book his mother had bought him for Christmas last year.

Draco jumped when suddenly the contents started to swarm faster and his eyes widened. As he squinted into the contents, colors started to form and suddenly a face appeared in the bowl. Oddly enough, it was the face of the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney. When she opened her mouth to speak, it did not come out as the melodramatic drawl she used in class, but a deeper voice that was very much unlike her own.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . . "

Sirius dodged a killing curse as it blasted the trunk of a tree behind him. His wand was moving fast in front of him as he tried to take on two Death Eaters at once, and did it rather well in his opinion. That was until Remus came flying out of nowhere and tackled one of them as they rolled across the lawn, going into their own battle. That left Sirius with the shorter of the pair, who sent a stunner at him.

"A stunner? What are you, twelve?" Sirius jeered.

The next curse sent at him was a Cruciatus, which was quickly blocked and rebounded. The Death Eater cackled at him.

"Oh, come on, Sirius, your godson can do better than that!"

Sirius paused for a split second before he saw red. He sent the stronger Cruciatus Curse he could muster and watched the blinding light hit the Death Eater in the chest as he writhed on the ground and started to scream. Sirius quickly hurried forward, dodging a stray curse from the battle around him and grabbed onto the Death Eater as the curse ended and he tried to wriggle away.

Sirius grabbed the Death Eater's wand and snapped it in half before throwing it across the courtyard. Neither one of them registered the battle around them halting with the appearance of Albus Dumbledore, didn't notice the scramble as the half of the Death Eaters that were not bound Apparated away. Instead, Sirius growled as he tore the mask off of the Death Eater and a malicious grin spread across his face.

"Hello, Peter . . . "

Authors Note: So how'd I do? I really wanted to post this yesterday, in honor of the 1 year HBP and my 17th birthday, but I got it late to my beta, but late is better then never. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner, I promise. Thanks for waiting, and please tell me how you liked this. What do you think of Draco in the story?