Chapter Six Feud

"I don't understand,' Remus was saying. Petra stepped between Lupin and Snape. She was carrying a vial of liquid and Harry knew it was another potion headed his way. She accidentally tripped and Remus reached out to stop her from falling. Snape was there in a flash. He swung her away and was shouting at her, his hand clenching her upper arm. She was fighting to free herself and Moses was on his feet and shouting at him as well.

Snape's familiar snarling look was twisting his face and he was growling at Lupin, "Stay away from my wife, LU-PIN." Everything they had been talking about was forgotten as the two faced off.

Lupin was taken back by the sudden vicious attack and yet, was amazingly fast at drawing his wand. Snape was not far behind. He'd let go of Petra and faced the man in the new suit.

"The tiger doesn't change it's stripes does it, Snape," Lupin said grimly. "I wasn't touching your wife." Harry knew he was referring to Snape's normal attitude of surliness and nastiness. Harry had never seen Lupin looking so grim.

Moses was talking softly to Snape who seemed to be ignoring him. It was only when Moses glanced over at Lupin for a second that Snape replied, addressing Moses but not looking at him, saying, "It is not the first time he has stolen a woman from me."

"I'm not stealing anything from you," he said, coldly. "If you'll remember correctly Severus, I didn't steal her away from you and neither did Sirius. She chose James over all of us."

They were circling one another, spoiling for a duel. Both of them looked ready to start throwing curses and Harry was angry. At any other time he might have been interested in watching the two men duel. They were evenly matched as far as he was concerned and if done fairly, it might have been exciting. As it was, he knew what they were fighting about and he couldn't stand it another minute.

"Stop it!" he shouted. "Stop it both of you." He could feel the strength drain away as if he'd sprung a leak. "How long are you going to fight over a dead woman?!" The last came out in a breathless huff and his tortured chest heaved to gain more air. He couldn't speak.

The two men stopped. Lupin lowered his wand a fraction of an inch and without looking at Harry, he said, "That dead woman was your mother, Harry."

"Yes and she's dead," Harry managed. "Dueling isn't going to bring her back. We have a live woman to worry about and I'm sick of breaking up fights between my parent's friends." He leaned over and held himself erect with his hands on his knees. He could feel the color leaving his face. The ground was swimming in front of him.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron asked, fear written all over his face. He reached for him and Harry held out a hand to wave him off.

"I know you loved her; all of you, including Sirius," Harry said it weakly. "But this isn't getting us anywhere. It's not the time or place to resolve this."

Moses stepped in, "Have you forgotten yourself, Paschal? We do not speak of the dead in this camp." His hand was on Severus' arm and the wand dropped slowly, as if it was all Snape could do to let down his guard.

The combatants stood glaring at one another.

"You have to find a way to get beyond this," Harry said and weaved his way slowly towards them and in great pain. Petra stood off to the side and looked frightened. She held the vial clenched against her chest, watching Severus. Harry continued, "We are probably all going to die anyway. Hermione's probably already dead along with the others. And…and... you two; you both persist in carrying out this relentless…." He didn't quite finish before he made a half pirouette and went to his knees. His scar was thundering with pain and he heard the voice he hadn't heard for a long time. It was laughing. "It's Vold...Voldemort" he said in surprise. " He's in my head, laughing be…because…he's killed me!" Harry grunted.

Ron was the first to reach him. "What is it Harry!?" He asked in alarm, then turned to the two standing men. "What is it? What's wrong with him?"

Snape stepped over and knelt next to them saying calmly, "The scar, it's a connection."

Moses stepped back a pace and stared in horror at Harry. "In his head?" he gasped.

"What?" Ron gulped. "Vol….Vol…Him?" he stammered. He held Harry even more tightly.

"It's alright Ron," Harry said studying the ground with interest and almost delirious. "He likes to drop in and visit me once in awhile. He's at Azkaban you see. We'll just be popping on over and collecting Hermione and paying Him a visit along the way." Harry started laughing mirthlessly, his emotions mingled with those of his ghostly mental shadow.

He rolled his head back on his shoulders and stared at Snape, and added. "It's Him," he whimpered and then passed out.

….

Harry woke with the sun in his eyes and his head laying in Ron's lap. They were in the back of an open wagon and Harry opened his eyes to see Moses staring at him. The land was low rolling hills and it was late in the day.

He looked up at the blue sky and watched lazily as a bird flew overhead. He realized it was a hawk taking advantage of the warm up-drafts. It's wings were spread and it sailed, periodically shrieking down at them.

Moses noticed where he looked and tilted his head to stare at the bird.

"He is a fellow traveler, Harry," he said. "A friend." The dark eyes dropped to Harry's face and a ghost of his usual smile played on the lips.

"How long?" Harry gasped and struggled to sit up. He noticed Snape and Lupin rode side-by-side in a seat at the head of the wagon.

"You've been out for hours, mate," Ron answered. He looked worried. Now that he was dressed in Rom clothes, he also looked scruffy. There was some facial hair beginning to grow in patches along his chin. He wore a broad-brimmed hat down over his shaggy long hair and the typical Rom clothing. Everything seemed to look wrinkled, as if he had slept in his clothes, which he probably had.

Harry stared down at himself. He was also dressed in similar clothes and wondered if he also looked like an unmade bed. He gathered his thoughts and realized his head no longer hurt. Voldemort had done a 'hide and peek' and then had left his mind. There was some residue left behind; a feeling of being unclean.

Harry watched as they rolled along the dirt road. The scenery seemed to change very, very quickly even though the two horses pulling the wagon were going along at only a brisk pace.

When he had first been introduced to the wizarding world by Hagrid, everything was a surprise. Now, after so many years, he didn't think there would be much that could surprise him. He'd seen hippogriffs and dragons, thestrals and Dementors; the horrors of the wizarding world. He'd been yanked around by port-keys and fallen off of brooms midair and landed safely.

Now as he lay watching the scenery he realized that one scene tended to blend into another. Rolling hills became thick, dense forest with a winding trail between tall brooding firs. Then, they were suddenly trotting at a lively pace along a shore and on. Minutes later they blazed a trail through grazing sheep in a meadow. Wherever they were heading, Harry thought, they would be getting there much more quickly than any muggle ride he'd ever taken.

They rode in silence. Lupin glanced back at him and then turned without speaking. His eyes told the story, though. He was worried. He'd also exchanged his clothing for the same clothing his fellow travelers wore. They looked like a group of peasants riding towards town on market day a hundred years in the past.

Still, it was peaceful and uneventful. Harry stretched out and laid his head on a sack of grain and slept.

….

The sun set quickly for late summer and a dusky twilight came upon the wagon just as they were rolling into a small town. The buildings were of ancient origin and the streets cobbled. A yellow gas lamp stood on the corner of one of the streets and gave off a hearty and welcoming glow as they rolled along in the increasing darkness.

"We will stop and eat here," Snape said in his low rumbling voice. "It's best if we do it before we go on. There won't be much of a chance to find food where we're headed. They stopped and he leapt from the wagon and went to the horse's heads to keep them calm. Moses rolled out the back of the wagon and disappeared.

Lupin was also climbing down and coming to the back of the wagon. He spoke softly, "Can you walk?" he asked Harry.

Ron stood and offered Harry a hand. Harry nodded and allowed himself to be pulled up. Ron and he stepped off and stood waiting with Lupin, grouped together, watching Snape. The wagon was drawn away and into an alley and the figure of Snape reappeared. Together, they walked through the door of the Inn. A sign swung back and forth noiselessly overhead. It read: The Black Crow Pub.

The three followed Snape into the low-ceiling room strewn with tables and chairs. The bar was doing a rousing business, but very few of the patrons looked at them when they saw the face of the man in the lead.

Snape found a corner and nodded them into it. Harry sat down with relief. The smell of cooking mingled with stale beer, but didn't effect his sudden belly-growling hunger. Snape wound his way through the tables and chairs again and disappeared.

A man shoved several bowls of warm fragrant bread on the tables, butter and cheese on a platter and chipped cups with a teapot. He warned them that he would return with a pot of stew, but the fare was simple and filling. Harry and Ron were already swallowing the first chunks of fresh buttered bread.

Lupin watched the entrance to the pub and seemed to relax when he saw Snape return. The man slid into a chair so smoothly it was as if he were on greased wheels. He accepted the cup of steaming tea Lupin offered.

Harry watched, satisfied that whatever had taken place earlier between them was now set on a back burner. Snape dropped his head so the brim of his hat hid his eyes. The lamps cast feeble light on each table and their faces were easily disguised in the dimness.

"We will have to do something about your recent visitor," Snape said looking up at Harry. "I need to shield your mind," he said it with his eyebrow raised in its' normal inquiring arch.

Harry nodded. He knew what Snape was referring to. They had been unsuccessful in their occlumency lessons and Harry was once again experiencing Voldemort's mental link. If it continued, it would put them in more danger. Voldemort could take over and know exactly where they were at any given time and what they were up to.

"What must I do," he asked quietly, staring down at the table. He was feeling guilty. He knew his failure to learn occlumency was mostly his own fault. He glanced up into the dark eyes and saw none of the previous cold fury there.

The eyebrow went up another notch as an unspoken question.

Harry grumbled to himself and sipped his tea, looking at the cup and thinking furiously for a moment before continuing. "I…I could try occlumency again." He chanced to look at Snape again and saw the face before him unchanged. He felt the usual frustration rising rapidly and he almost wanted to reach out and shove the man off his chair. "Must you enter my mind?" he asked.

Snape waited a moment before answering. "Since you have some warning," he glanced at the scar on Harry's head, "that HE is reaching into your mind, it might be helpful to let me know as quickly as possible. We can wait or I can place a temporary shield there."

"Look, I know you didn't want me to come along…," Harry began and Snape shut him off quickly.

"That is beside the point," Snape said quietly, "HE has manipulated events to draw you to him and Moses feels it is important to take advantage of it. How I feel about it is not important. What is important, is to keep him from learning the details of our plans and… that he not learn of my presence," Snape hissed and sat with is back to the wall, watching the doorway. " I can't be of much use to you if he knows we are together. If Remus hasn't told you already, we are very close to our destination. Moses is finding a boat for us even as we speak."

Harry remained silent while the Innkeeper set an iron-pot full of stew on the table and handed bowls around. Remus was silent while he poured steaming soup into the bowls and they began to eat.

It was clear what Snape was saying. If Voldemort knew they were near, he could send his Deatheaters and attack them. Five wizards were no match for any number of creatures the Dark Wizard could send. If he knew Snape was with them, then Snape's cover as a double spy would be unveiled, or he could call Snape to him. Harry wondered about that.

"What if he calls you to him," Harry asked, "while we're….traveling?"

The man touched his thin lips with the edge of a napkin and wiped his fingers carefully before speaking.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen," Snape answered nonchalantly, hunched over his bowl of soup.

Ron had been quiet for a long time and he spoke up, "That's not very reassuring."

Snape looked at him as if just noticing him. The look was very close to his typical classroom glare.

Remus intervened, "You both have to understand something. What we are about to do is unbelievably dangerous. If we lose Severus…" he glanced at the other man. "There are three men here and basically two boys. I don't want to offend either of you, and Har…," he stopped and hesitated and then continued, "I KNOW you have practiced, but I'm not even sure my magic is up to what is needed." He looked like a man having second thoughts.

"But Professor," Ron began in protest and backed off when he saw Remus' look. "Sorry. Remus. You were Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he said quietly. "What can be there that you and…and Mr. Snape can't handle. And…and we've got the Gypsy, we've got Moses. "

Snape visibly bristled at the word 'gypsy' and Ron drew back, his brow wrinkled in concern.

"I was only saying the Rom are supposed to be really powerful wizards," Ron said, cringing back. "That should count for something, like an extra wizard, or something."

Lupin jumped in again, keeping his voice low. "Elves Ron, elves," Lupin rubbed his mouth and studied the emptying pub. Their dishes and bowls lay scattered over the table. "If we even get to the island in the dark, without light, and to shore, without sinking and drowning, by the way, that's through whirl pools of sucking cold water, then we've got to climb a mountain. After that, we have to go down the other side through an incredibly dense forest, cross a lake and that's when we get to the Keep. It is a fortress. Along the way we have to manage to not arouse the Elves who will disembowel us and leave us to rot. Who knows what's at the castle." Lupin was studying the dregs of tea leaves at the bottom of his cup as if trying to decipher them.

Harry couldn't help it and said, "Can you see anything in that cup, Remus? I've never been able to read the leaves." He was laughing inwardly at the deadly serious attitude of both men, knowing he should be feeling the same way, and yet, feeling light-hearted. "Madam Trelawney once saw a Grim in my leaves." Harry took the cup gently out of Lupin's hand and glanced into it. "It turned out that the Grim was really Sirius as an animagi, but I don't think she really saw it. She's such an old fake." He set it down and looked up. "I don't think anybody can predict the future, not really."

"What about the prophecy?" Ron whispered the question, his face reflected his inner terror.

Harry felt Snape's eyes on him. He looked back and then let his eyes slide to Ron's face. Harry felt the lurch of fear in his own heart and swallowed hard. With all the strength he could muster, he smiled and said, "It'll be alright Ron. You wait and see. I've got it all figured out."

"Do you?!" Ron asked astonished.

Harry nodded. He felt better when he saw his friend's look of relief. He looked at Snape's face again and he knew the man saw the lie. Thanks for not letting on, Harry thought and looked away.

…..

They left the pub and were met in the dark by the small Rom. Snape spoke in his language and quickly ushered them towards the docks. They found a small sailboat moored along the docks along with a dozen fishing boats and other craft. The night was dark but Harry knew a full moon was rising.

He watched Lupin who seemed to sense what he was thinking. The man's face turned towards the East and they sat waiting. The yellow face of the old Father was just peeking over the sea. They would have complete darkness for a short time. Once away from the shore, the full moon would help guide them. Then, they would be in the pull of the whirlpools and tides as they got closer to the island.

Harry sat back and watched. He was feeling very old and very tired and thinking about his other friend, Hermione and hoping she was alive, safe and protected.