Finally I've managed to update after about a month, I apologize for this and so I give you two chapters at once. Well, to be honest, just like the previous two chapters I wrote too much for one chapter and so I've split it into two. I enjoyed writing these chapters as I tried to darken the mood of the story a bit. There are actually answers in this story but they will come a little later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter but when I'm rich and famous my work too will become a theme park.
The thin hand of the clock above the reception counter at St Mungo's rested at 56th mark of the circle while the fat one reached out to the 9 o'clock mark and amidst other mimics two healers apparated into the open space of the lobby. Holding hands and utterly inconspicuous in the emerging mass of wizards and witches, some of which were in obvious discomfort, boils were exploding like firecrackers from the body of a giggling young child while an aged wizard shuffled past resembling a human porcupine, the young healer couple made their way past the lobby and into a network of quiet corridors. This entry had not gone unnoticed; there was the odd "Morning Harold" or "Penelope, my office in an hour please!" (from an stern-looking wrinkled old witch) which the couple answered with quick preoccupied answers ("Right", "Morning", "Sorry kind of busy, talk later"), but overall the entrance was smooth and natural. They gave no indication that the real Penelope Yolane or Harold Cauldbottom were in fact still at home, in bed and locked in slumber, Penelope's head rested peacefully on her fiancé's chest. They would awake the next morning with no recollection of the past 36 hours, certainly not remembering that an old friend Nymphadora Tonks had visited carrying a bottle of Firewhiskey that happened to have been spiked with a sleeping drought.

Sage's alter ego Harold was blond thin man who was otherwise distinctly ordinary looking man in his early twenties dressed in lime green healer's robes that were altogether too small for him. Penelope, meanwhile, had a casual beauty about her, pitch black hair and green eyes reflecting the robes that she wore with such easy grace. Penelope was, Tonks had said, a naturally talented witch and was fast becoming a great healer, ironic, Sage thought, considering the person under her guise. Katie herself had barely talked to Sage all morning; evidently she was still angry about their disagreement the day before. Even now, as they found themselves alone in the corridor, a familiar scowl dispelled the beauty of Penelope's face.

The man whom they wished to see was on the Asclepius Golan Ward on the fourth floor (Spell Damage Floor). Tonks had found this out during her visit the previous evening. The plan Lupin had laid out was simple enough, get in around 9 o' clock, get up to Iceberg's room and get as much information as possible, then get to the Reception within the hour before the two hour Polyjuice potion dosage ran out, there they would disapparate back to Tonk's house. Get in, get information and get out. Simple. Sage could tell however that Lupin knew, as he himself did, this was very likely to have complications. They were walking knowingly into a trap, they both knew this

Sage noticed as they crossed corridors and reached the first flight of stairs passing various parties of people that Katie was still clasping his hand tightly, almost to the point at which it hurt.

"You can stop holding my hand now" he whispered to her, "I'm supposed o be your fiancé remember I'm not going anywhere."

"Fine" Katie spat back, thrusting his hand from hers. Sage rolled his eyes. They had proceeded up the first flight of stairs and had gotten to the second when Katie retorted.

"I suppose because I'm not a witch that means I could never match up to you at simple espionage!" she rasped at him, all beauty had gone from Penelope's face. Sage gaped, he couldn't quite believe she was starting this argument here of all places.

"I never said that." He replied in a harsh whisper.

"It's what you meant!" she too was whispering but not at all discreetly.

"Don't be so stupid!" Sage retorted angrily "We can't do this…"

"Oh I suppose in your pure blood world anybody who can't make their cauldrons or, or, or remberalls whiz above their heads is practically moronic!" Katie spat while tears threatened to flood Penelope's green eyes. That one hurt.

"How dar…" Sage was interrupted before he said something he knew he would later regret by a passing healer.

"Penelope are you quite alright? I heard you whispering something…" Katie gave her a flash of Penelope's dazzling smile and glancing at the witch's nametag replied "Yes everything is fine, thank you Ethel." The witch looked unconvinced but walked on nevertheless. Sage and Katie fell silent until they reached the fourth floor. Sage considered taking her hand again but decided against it, not only for fear of her reaction but also because at this moment he really didn't want to either.

The ward was not difficult to find and when they did they found that it consisted of a long corridor of single patient rooms decorated with portraits of healers. Sage remembered that these rooms were soundproof and were where the hospital kept its noisy patients.

Sage turned to Katie.

"Ok, I think we agreed yesterday that is likely to be trap." he said, she nodded without dropping her scowl, "therefore I think it's a good idea if only one of us enters the room while the other keeps lookout. I think I had better go in…"

"Oh yeah" Katie sulked "you get to act like a hero putting yourself at risk by going into an injured man's room. You wizards are all the same, oh no a squib can't do anything we're all too helpless and stupid, none of you ever gave me a chance!" she burst into tears while Sage was finally unable to contain his anger at this pathetic tantrum.

"You know, maybe there's a good reason you haven't got any wizards or witches as friends!" he said harshly raising his voice to a quiet growl "You can go in there in my place if you really want to, but what happens if it turns out there are Death Eaters in there. Perhaps there's more Aurors and you'll sit in Azkaban for the next twenty years. You're in this as deep as I am but you don't see me whinging and complaining or crying out that my lot in life is unfair, I certainly haven't thought less of you for being a squib. Stop acting like a child denied a bag of sweets because I've had enough of your self pity."

Katie had not expected this outburst, Sage hadn't raised his voice to her before and it was clear he did not do so often. She just stared at him, shocked. It was over a minute before she mumbled a reply.

"Right, go on then"

Sage instantly turned on the spot and raced down the corridor leaving Katie behind. He regretted his outburst, feeling embarrassed already, nevertheless it had worked. Hopefully.

Back to the matter at hand he thought. The doors had plagues with the name of the patient inside placed upon them so it wouldn't be hard to find the one he was looking for. Sage darted past scanning the names, Albert Ordroom, Amber Rigby, Thomas Freyodin, Emeret Dandlefield. There! Emeret Dandlefield! His room was about halfway down the long corridor, Sage saw that Penelope's figure was belittled by the distance of the corridor, she was slumped against the wall, sulking probably Sage thought.

Sage paused at the door; he raised his hand and hovered over the knob. Suddenly everything seemed rather foolish, talking to someone he knew was a nutcase with an almost certainly that Death Eaters were about to pop out at him. He didn't even know if this door would open. Too late now.

He turned the knob and the door opened and Sage instantly knew why Dandlefield was kept in a soundproof room.

"Door opened, it did, that door, the door over there it opened that door did! They opened doors they did, them, them, them yep they did doors they opened and then they did that…" a man inside shouted before, at its climax, letting out an ear-splitting scream. Sage quickly bundled himself inside and shut the door.

The room was reasonably sized, an armchair lay in the corner next what appeared to be a sort of monument of pile books some of which shook violently until the weight of the others piled atop them, the left side of the room was taken up by a bed in which lay Emeret Dandlefield. Dandlefield was laid calmly laid atop the covers shouting out nonsense, he was mostly bald, his remaining hair was perfectly white and his face was deeply wrinkled looking almost like a melted and stretched mask.

"Good morning Mr Dandlefield" Sage tried timidly.

"Dandlefield, Dandlefield, DANDLEFIELD!" the man yelled "All them green people call me that, they didn't, but green people do yep Dandlefield, Dandlefield, DANDLEFIELD!" he then started to babble, apparently unable to form real words.

Sage came closer and tried again "My name is Harold Cauldbottom and I was wondering whether you remember being known as Iceberg" At this Dandlefield stopped babbling and eyed Sage suspiciously for a moment

"Iceberg" he said suddenly "Called me that they do and they did Iceberg yep they did Iceberg yep. Cat did, ohh that cat, cat, cat, cat, yep Iceberg cat did call me, still does. Iceberg and cat, cat and Iceberg!" at this point he began to laugh hysterically. Dandlefield may be laughing but Sage had seen nothing as pitiful. He had said something about a cat. Was it possible? That cat, surely not. He also kept referring to "they". Death Eaters? It was possible. He decided to go for a different tact.

"Fry Nark" he said and there was an instant reaction Dandlefield stopped laughing and sat bolt upright looking at Sage as if for the first time. Without warning Dandlefield flew from the bed and with speed Sage hadn't thought possible, grabbed him by the collar of the lime green healer robes and pinned him against the wall.

"What is it boy?" He growled at Sage "Come to give me some more have you? I welcome death after what you did to me."

Sage placed his hand on his wand, breathed and spoke calmly.

"Mr Dandlefield, I need to know about Evangeline Steroppe and Edward Strassenhous…"

"Don't you dare speak that name!" the ex-Auror growled bringing his withered face up to Sage's "That bastard was out to get poor Evangeline, needed another Auror to put imperious curse and why wouldn't she trust a Prophet editor but those Death Eaters are there as well, Belmont, Strassenhouser. I reached them at Grimsfield but it was too late, he'd already got her. They attacked me and I …" Suddenly there was an interruption from behind Dandlefield.

"Now, now Dandlefield you were useful under my control but that story is mine to tell!" Dandlefield jerked his head to the source and let out an angry cry. Sage already knew what was about to happen.

"Avada Kedavra"

Green light. Sage clenched his eyes closed. A cry. The fingers around Sage's collar loosened then fell away. Sage's eyes snapped open. Déjà vu. There was the scrawny battered cat Animagus Death Eater stood over the body of a respected Auror.

"Now boy, don't look so surprised, didn't you only just tell your girlfriend that you knew this was trap" he smirked.

"You!" Sage growled with a pure hatred he had never felt before, not even with Dolores Umbridge. He wrenched his wand from his robes with a speed he never had before but the other man was just as quick.

"Stupefy" Sage yelled but the Death Eater flung himself to the side and the spell hit the pile of books sending them in various directions. Sage threw himself to the side to dodge an attack which didn't come and fired another stunning spell.

"Expelliarmus" came a third voice and Sage's wand flew from his hand.

"The blond man Sage had last seen in the tent, the night before last, ordering Dementers to suck out his soul stood at the doorway. Sage gaped. How had he gotten into St Mungo's? He closed the door casually and returned his hand to his chest as if nursing a wound.

"Hello Sage"

"Death Eater" Sage breathed through gritted teeth "I knew it, I'll, I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Now, now, I was very impressed by the way you passed our test the other night but that doesn't mean I'll hesitate to remove your fingers if you make another attack on myself or my brother"

But Sage wasn't listening, the blond man hadn't even finished when Sage leapt at the Animagus Death Eater slamming a fist into his chin as he was unguarded. Sage ripped the wand from the man's hand as he toppled and span around.

"Depulso" he yelled but the man ducked and the spell dispersed uselessly against the wall, Sage span and was about to send another spell when another voice came from the freshly ajar door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" it rasped and Sage turned to find a sight worthy of his nightmares. Standing there was none other than Fenrir Greyback, just as shaggy and menacing as he looked in wanted posters and as if to make the scene perfectly horrific he held in his right hand a wad of black hair. This hair belonged to a body, a graceful body garbed in lime green robes, a woman with her arms tied neatly behind her back; rope lashed around her ankles and with a cloth serving effectively as a gag tied around her mouth, a woman that was most certainly Penelope, a woman that was most certainly Katie.

I've nothing in particuliar to say here other than please keep reading and reviews are appreciated!
Next Chapter- Sage will do anything to protect Katie.