Another installment awaiting your approval :) Where should I go from here?
Chapter Eight
He was exhausted. There was that feeling of a deep bone fatigue he had come to know so often that seemed, hardly, to ever go away. Remus, at that moment had finally managed to find a room that was not occupied by anyone else. It was tiny, squished and compacted. He suspected it had once severed as a study when the Black family besides Sirius had resided here, now though, it had no purpose.
He promptly let gravity take over and flopped onto a black, musty, probably moldy couch.
He and several other order members had spent the last two and a half days searching for River, but to no luck. Severus was the only one who had managed to get even close to where she had gone, but he had been unsuccessful in capturing her. She had slipped through his fingers and he was even the more determined to find her.
It had seemed odd to Remus at first, the amount of interest that Severus had taken in River. He had assumed Severus felt somehow responsible for her escape and was now trying to rectify himself. He was always the last to return, having trans-versed the most terrain with hardly any sleep and an empty stomach. And after all this, they still had no idea where River would go, or where she could possibly be.
Feeling his eyelids droop and become incredibly heavy he gave into the temptation that sleep afforded him. He would nap, just for a little while, no doubt that he would soon be awoken by either someone wanting something from him, or the loud bangs and constant talking or screaming that occurred within the walls.
Indeed he had just managed to slip into a light sleep when the familiar 'pop' reverberated around the house signaling the arrival of someone else returning from the search.
Checking his watch and seeing it was only 8.20pm he sighed, annoyed, and got to his feet. When he stepped into the main foyer he was surprised to see it was Severus who had returned. Arthur came from another door, leading into the dining room, and gave Severus a curt nod. Normally if Severus were anyone else Arthur was have on his infectious smile and a pat on the back, but everyone knew that Severus was not an easily, if at all, likable guy. So Arthur kept his distance.
"Anything new?" Remus inquired before Arthur could.
Severus shot him a dark look, as usual. "No." Was all he decided to reply with.
"You're back earlier than usual. You usually search until the early hours of the morning." Remus noted lightly.
Severus chose not to respond to that remark at all. Maybe this was a bad idea, he thought. Surely there was someone else who wouldn't go tattling to Dumbledore the moment he revealed River's whereabouts. Unfortunately, there was not. He would have to do this on tip toes.
Deciding he needed something to eat he made his way to the kitchen and consumed, quite quickly, a bowl of cold vegetable soup and several pieces of bread. He was suddenly aware that Remus had followed him into the room and was trying to discreetly make himself a cup of coffee. Had he been THAT transparent?
"So where do YOU think River is heading to? Clearly she's on the move." Remus took a seat a few chairs down from Severus.
"Clearly." Severus responded aloofly.
"Where did you manage to last track her too?" Remus asked casually but Severus could hear the edge behind it.
"Around in circles. I'll have to start over tomorrow." He answered snappily.
There was an uncomfortable silence settling in the air and Remus knew that Severus was holding back.
"I can smell her on you." Remus admonished, pointing to his nose. "Super sensitive smell and all."
Severus clenched his jaw. He listened quietly around them, judging the whereabouts of the other household members. The coast was clear, so he would talk now or Remus would go running.
"I found the girl." Severus admitted.
Remus's mouth was perched open, unsure what he had been about to say. That was far too easy. Severus had kept that fact from everyone else for a reason, so why had he so simply acknowledged it to HIM?
"Where is she? Why didn't you tell the others? What are you up to?" Remus asked in a rush.
"This conversation stays between you and I, are we at an understanding?" Severus's eyes boar into his as Remus nodded hesitantly.
"It would seem that River knows the whereabouts of the devise the muggles are using." Snape stood and placed his empty bowl into the sink and turned back to face Remus. "She's agreed to lead us to it, on the condition that she is able to return from where she came."
"Serenity?" Remus followed along. "But that's what we've been trying to do since she first got here."
"She's under the impression that once the devise is found, it will be destroyed on sight. She wishes to use it before that happens." Severus explained.
"To turn herself back into a muggle?" It seemed odd to Remus that someone who had discovered the world of magic and had been given that gift would want so badly to remove it that they were not willing to accept help.
"It is killing her."
Remus's head snapped up to look Severus in the eyes. "Killing her?" Was he being melodramatic?
"Yes indeed, it would seem her body is rejecting the magic. She feels it would be in her best interests to get to the devise and reverse the damage before Albus does."
"She thinks Albus won't let her use it to remove the magic?"
"She believes it is in Albus's best motives to first destroy the machine and help later. By then, it will be too late and I happen to understand her reasoning." Severus could hardly believe the words coming from his mouth, but somehow, he felt compelled that this was what needed to be done.
"So you need MY help?"
He heard the chuckle in Remus's voice and clamped his jaw shut. Now was not the time for insults.
"Unfortunately I need more than one pair of hands." Severus watched Remus closely, trying to gauge his reaction.
"Alright then, I'll tell the others we're heading out for another look and we won't be back for awhile."
With that Remus got to his feet leaving Severus alone in the kitchen wondering what he had gotten himself into.
It was another half hour before the two men finally slipped away. Dark muggle coats on (so as to be less conspicuous) and wands pocketed Remus followed Severus's lead.
When they apparated, Remus took stock of his surroundings with surprise. For some reason he had expected Severus to take the girl to some shabby shack in the middle of nowhere, as it turned out, he was standing in a fairly well off section in a bug muggle city. There were several motels and hotels dotting up and down the street, ranging from average cost to the most lavish.
Severus took point, making a bee line for a hotel on a corner. It was themed in old dark wood, sharp points sticking into the air like steaks. It was also on the higher quality range which impressed Remus to no end. He wished he had that kind of money to dish out whenever he had to stay in hotels.
They headed for the back entrances, pacing quickly up a set of white pained steel stairs and onto a lengthy veranda. They didn't say a word as they continued onward, that was until Severus stopped abruptly.
Remus stopped short of bumping into the man, giving him a quizzical look and was about to ask what he was doing. Before he could do so Severus had already taken off again, or more, he flew off at breakneck speed. Remus watched as he dashed into an already ajar door and took this to mean it was where River was so he hurried in after him.
What greeted him as he stepped inside churned his stomach and sent his heart beat up a few notches.
"Was she in this room?" Remus knew it was a somewhat idiotic thing to ask but he had to be sure. Maybe out of some miracle, Severus had simply picked the wrong room.
Severus glowered at him, that being his answer and disappeared through another door.
The room had been turned upside down. Bed sheets littered the ground along with everything else that hadn't been bolted down. Draws were ransacked even though they held no belongings, even the beds had been turned over.
Severus returned, his face panic stricken as he wheeled around the room again. "They must have found and taken her. I was gone for no more than an hour, they must have been watching." He spoke frantically pulling his wand from his pocket and casting a spell.
Remus pulled out his own wand, knowing without explanation what Severus was doing. They had to find River but he wondered if tracking spells would work here. These muggles were smart; he knew they wouldn't take any chances.
It was true that certain herbs or potions could confuse tracking spells long enough for the spell to be ineffective but he didn't know if the muggles had that kind of knowledge, they didn't know much about the muggles at all to be honest.
"I'll search north, you go south." Severus monitored and took off into the slowly growing darkness.
Gripping his wand tighter then needed Remus followed Severus's command and took off down the opposite street, every one of his sensors trained and poised. He hoped they would find River before anything grievous befell her.