Return To Innocence

Chapter 10-The Spy

REMUS

I watched as Alex whispered to Lord Voldemort. Something in my gut was saying that this wasn't good.

I nervously swallowed.

They had forced me to come with them to raid Diagon Alley. My mind though was on Maddie and the baby.

I was scared for them. But on one hand, Voldemort didn't know I had told Maddie what I was doing here yet there was that nagging feeling in my gut.

"Well now," Voldemort cooed. "We seem to have a real problem here."

I swallowed again.

"Really, master?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain calm even though deep down I was nervous.

"It seems that Alex has overheard that fool teaching at Hogwarts saying that you're really a spy for me," Voldemort said standing close to me and I could smell his breath. It smelled like decay and mold.

"Perhaps Alex misheard," I suggested keeping my eyes on Lord Voldemort.

"Perhaps not," Voldemort snickered.

I began slightly panicking. The Ministry was listening, so whenever I got to the point of panicking, all I had to do was say the key words: "Phoenix Reigns."

But I didn't dare say them yet.

With a flick of his wand, my robes opened and exposed the wiring below it.

Voldemort's eyes flashed.

"So Alex was right," he said in a joyful tone. "Well now…I will have much pleasure in killing you but first I'd like to torture you so you'll beg me to just kill you."

I braced myself.

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort spat.

My whole body felt like it was on fire and my legs twitched. I ended up falling to the ground and continued to twitch and writhe. Flashes of light went off before my eyes and I saw Maddie's face.

MADDIE.

I was sitting in Charms class when suddenly I felt like my whole body was being sent through fire.

I cried out and grabbed the edge of the desk.

"Maddie?" Sirius' voice asked nervously beside me. He and I had been partnered up for class. "What's wrong?"

After a few moments, the fire feeling vanished.

Professor Andrews was watching me with concern and worry.

"Are you alright dear?" he asked.

My breathing returned to normal and I pulled my hair over my shoulder.

"Yeah," I said nodding. "Just a sharp pain across my stomach."

"You are alright now? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?" Professor Andrews asked.

"No," I said softly, shaking my head. "I'm alright now."

He nodded and went back to the lesson.

Sirius nudged me.

"What's really going on?" he whispered.

"It felt like my whole body was on fire," I said to him, keeping my eyes on the back of the student in front of me, who was a boy named Eric Larsen. "And it had to do with Remus."

"How do you know?" Sirius whispered back copying down the notes.

"I can feel it," I whispered back. "Something is wrong…I know it."

"Don't go getting jittery, Maddie," Sirius said softly and kindly. "He'll be fine. He knows how to take care of himself."

With those words, I knew Remus was in grave danger.

Class ended an hour later and we left the classroom and headed up to the Gryffindor common room.

Professor McGonagall called us to Dumbledore's office later on that evening.

We all sat around his desk and nervously waited for whatever news he had for us.

"I just got word from St. Mungo's that Alex Carter's body didn't match the blood work," he said seriously.

"What does that mean?" James asked.

"It means that the body they have there, isn't Alex Carter's,"

I gasped. "You mean Alex is still alive?"

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Yes and I have an awful feeling that he's working with Lord Voldemort,"

"Why?" Lily asked curiously.

"Why'd he fake his own death? It appears that he did that for a reason, a reason being that he didn't want anyone to find him which naturally leads to he was doing something that he really didn't want people to know about. Who or what else would that mean? The Dark Lord for sure,"

"Yeah, but why?" Sirius asked again picking up Lily's question.

Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes momentarily twinkled behind his half moon spectacles. "I'm not sure of that but I'm guessing Lord Voldemort promised him something…probably to become one of the powerful wizards who will have girl's eating out of the palms of his hands so to speak,"

"That would be Alex," James said dryly.

"I just hope that they didn't find out Remus was spying," I said hugging myself. "But something is telling me that it's not good."

Professor Dumbledore put a hand on mine in a fatherly way. "Trust Remus…he can certainly handle himself,"

His lip twitched at that but I saw genuine fear behind those sparkling blue eyes.

He released us and we left the office heading back to the common room.

We sat around and just stared at the fire that crackled. I kept praying that Remus would return safe and sound.

9 MONTHS LATER.

"Push Maddie! One more!" Madam Pomfrey cried.

I was lying on my back on a cot, with my legs drawn and parted. I cringed and pushed with all my might.

Sirius was holding my hand, coaxing me. I pushed and heard a baby crying shortly. I breathed a sigh of relief and lowered my legs.

"It's a baby girl!" Madam Pomfrey gushed happily as she quickly cleaned off the baby and wrapped it in a pink blanket.

Sirius suddenly caught sight of the blood and his eyes rolled up into his head as he passed out and dropped to the floor.

James chuckled, as he and Lily rushed to help Sirius get to his feet. James went pale, but he didn't pass out.

"Oh God grow up," Lily rolled her eyes at James. "It's a miracle."

"Yeah," Sirius said weakly as we sat him down on a chair. "A miracle that she wasn't spitting out a dragon."

Madam Pomfrey gave him a Truil Potion to help his stomach and nerves.

Finally, when all was calm again, Madam Pomfrey placed the baby into my arms. She yawned and looked up at me with big green eyes.

"What are you going to name her?" Lily gushed happily peering down at the baby and gave the baby a big grin and gently touched the little hand.

"I'm not sure," I said. "I think that Remus would like Carrie."

"That's a beautiful name!" James said smiling at me.

I handed the baby back to Madam Pomfrey. She checked me over and I was fine. So was the baby.

It's been 9 months. We haven't heard from Remus or anything. The DE's raided Diagon Alley and killed about 20 people, including some former Hogwarts' students that were now studying to become teachers or work for the Ministry.

As of now, Remus was presumed dead but I knew and felt otherwise. I couldn't explain it.

Naturally once a month I changed, but Madam Pomfrey had given me a Monkshood Potion to put the transformations on 'hold' while I was pregnant.

Now however, I would be fully changing but there was another potion to ease everything.

The body that was in St. Mungo's was actually a girl in the same year as Alex was. But somehow was given a Poly Juice Potion so she looked like Alex. He must've done that himself.

I wasn't sleeping well, or eating well after I had Carrie. I was too nervous and worried about Remus.

"Maddie," Lily said patiently during breakfast 4 days later. "Maybe you should just accept the fact that he is…gone."

"No," I snapped slamming my fist on the table causing the silverware to jump and rattle. "I know he's not dead! I can feel it!"

Sirius put an arm around my shoulders.

"We know how much you loved him, we all did…but we have to be realistic…he hasn't contacted us or anything. No one's heard from him or the DE's in a while. Something is definitely going on."

"He's right," James said gravely.

"What's wrong with you three?" I demanded as I got up from the table. "You've lost your faith."

With that, I turned and left the Hall, leaving my breakfast untouched.

I stood in one of the opened corridors and leaned against the wall, staring out at the lake that shimmered under the weak sunlight that tried to break through the clouds. It was a gray day. The trees were bare of leaves and buds. It actually looked like it was going to storm any minute.

Carrie was staying with Madam Pomfrey while I went to my classes. I would be with her during the breaks.

The teachers were good about it and let me skip homework until I was back on my feet again.

I sighed.

I sensed someone coming up behind me. I started and turned around. It was Sirius.

"What?" I demanded returning my eyes onto the lake.

Sirius stood beside me and rested his arms on top of the windowsill.

"We know you miss him, Mads," he said softly and quietly.

"Don't call me that," I snapped at him. "Only Remus is allowed to call me that."

"Maddie," Sirius corrected himself. "We know how much you miss him…we all do but how do we know he's alive?"

"I just know it okay?" I snapped at him. "It's a gut feeling."

"Feelings can be wrong," he said reasonably and kindly. "We really don't know what's going on."

"He's alive!" I cried turning to him. "He's ALIVE DAMMIT!"

But I ended up breaking down. I slumped into Sirius' arms and pressed my face into his chest. I cried uncontrollably.

"He's alive," I sobbed shutting my eyes against the gently darkness of Sirius' robes. Sirius' arms encircled me, drawing me tighter against him. He rested his chin on top of my head.

Sirius continued to hold me tightly as I sobbed hysterically.

Sirius told me last week that Remus had pulled him aside 11 months ago and wanted him to take care of me incase Remus didn't make it. He said that Remus said he didn't want me to be alone.

I never thought that would actually end up coming true…but it looks that way. I continued to cry until I couldn't cry anymore.

REMUS.

Voldemort, Alex and the DE's were now standing around me in a circle in a graveyard a short distance from Hogwarts. Voldemort had tortured me for 9 months, using the Crucio curse. My body felt weak and drained. I had absolutely no fight left in me. Right now my mind kept showing me Maddie and how much I love her. I knew this was the end. But in 9 months, I didn't say the words yet. But I was going to.

"Well," Voldemort purred grinning. "I had a lot of fun torturing you. But as always, all good things must come to an end and this is definitely the end for you. How DARE you cross me like that! No one ever survives crossing me…NO ONE. So, say good-bye. You won't be seeing that pretty witch of yours anymore."

Voldemort raised his wand and aimed it at me.

"Phoenix Reigns," I croaked out.

There were several loud 'pops' and about 10 Auror's surrounded the DE's.

The Auror's had their wands aimed at the DE's and Voldemort.

"Clever, clever," Voldemort smirked.

"Drop the wands," one of the Auror's snapped at the DE's.

They opened fired at the Auror's, but they were sadly outnumbered. Shortly, the DE's were taken out leaving only Voldemort and the 10 Auror's all surrounding him.

"That was really clever, werewolf," Voldemort smirked. "But not clever enough…AVADA KEDAVRA!"

I saw the jet of green light coming toward me at the same time the Auror's took out Voldemort.

Just before the light hit me, flashes of my life went before my eyes. Getting the acceptance letter to Hogwarts…meeting James, Lily, Sirius and Peter…and Maddie…her face was the last thing I saw before the jet hit me directly in the chest. Blackness swallowed me up.

MADDIE.

I was still staring out at the lake when a flash went off before my eyes. I turned my head slightly to the left staring off into space.

In a swirling light of blue and white, I saw Remus on his knees and a jet of green light hit him directly in the chest. I saw him slump over.

The light vanished and I shook my head clearing it. Realization dawned on me. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I dropped to my knees.

I heard someone running toward me. It was Severus Snape.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

I kept screaming and sobbing.

I heard more footsteps and Lily, James and Sirius came running next.

"Shit what's wrong?" James asked worriedly as he dropped to his knees beside me.

"What did you do to her, Snivellus?" Sirius asked irritably.

"Nothing," he retorted sneering. "I came up on her screaming."

James grabbed my shoulders.

"Maddie! What's wrong?" he demanded putting his face close to mine.

"R-Remus! He-he's dead!" I screamed.

"Get Professor Dumbledore," Lily said to Severus.

Severus immediately took off back into the Hall. About 3 minutes later, Professor Dumbledore came out.

"What's going on?" he asked with concern.

"She says Remus is dead," Lily said going pale and swallowing.

Dumbledore crouched down beside James.

"How do you know that, Maddie?" he asked slowly and gently.

"I saw it! In my head!" I shrieked. "I saw Voldemort hit him with the killing curse!"

I was in hysterics.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall came running over to us.

"Albus, I have some news," she said. "I just got word from the Ministry of Magic that a few of the DE's have been caught along with Voldemort….and there was a casualty."

"Remus Lupin?" he asked quietly.

McGonagall nodded grimly and looked at me. There was a glimmering of tears in her blue eyes.

All eyes moved onto me. Remus was dead.