disclaimer: No...I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling is a genius!)
also...while I do use the main characters of the Harry Potter stories, there are a few characters that belong to me...some haven't made their debut yet but two are Thomas Crow and Isabeaura Serpentsoot. Please enjoy! And feel free to review, I love feedback! )
(There will be more posted soon! I haven't forgotten this story, just absurdly busy )
happy fourth!
The moon was sinking slowly into the pockets of a dawn-lit sky. The forbidden forest glowed and danced with life as if a veil of shadow had been lifted from it by some unseen angel. In the oncoming light of day, Severus Snape emerged from the fog with an exhausted Professor Lupin hung lifelessly over his shoulders. No one would know for sure what had transpired between the werewolf and the dark wizard that night- but it would surely be speculated about and it was certain to usher in a whole new era of his illustrious reputation. He stopped to rest for a minute and smirked a little at the notion of it all.
Miles upon miles away from the safe walls of the school, the icy morning had already melted all over the London streets. Quite in contrast to the eerily quiet mornings at Hogwarts, London was already bustling with action of every variety. Cars raced through the narrow alley ways, street vendors peddled along, young professionals toted briefcases, young mothers pushed prams and the city seemed to move with them, as if it was trying to keep pace but could never quite catch up.
A black robe dusted the wet street as it made its way down Charing Cross Road. An aura of anguish emanated from the shadowy figure and to the discerning eye, it was obvious that this cloaked form was in search of answers. But to the muggle passer-bys, the advancing silhouette might as well have been as nameless as the wind rushing through the empty alleyways. As the sun took its place above the unfolding metropolis, a certain warmth spread across the cobblestone walkways surrounding the sinister exterior of Purge and Dowse, Ltd.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"
Hermione's eyes flashed open in a panic as she leapt from the common room sofa. Harry and Ron stood above her, staring.
"Why did you sleep down here?"
"And just where have you been for the past two days!?" Ron lunged towards her.
"I…I've been- wait a minute…just what business is it of yours Ronald Weasley?!!"
"Hermione- we've just been worried, that's all" Harry interjected, sensing her agitation.
"I was sleeping down here because I was worried about Professor Lupin- I wanted to be here incase McGonagall had any news".
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Well…have you heard anything…about Professor Lupin?" Ron asked nervously.
"No…no, not yet"
Harry furrowed his bushy eyebrows and took a seat next to her.
"Hermione- isn't Snape in charge of making that potion that represses the change in Profess- "
"If you're insinuating that Professor Snape forgot to brew the concoction, you're both complete dunderheads! If you even…"
"Insinuating? Hermione- all I asked was…"
"Dunder-heads?" Ron interrupted.
Hermione stood and rigidly moved towards the fireplace. Her eyes reflected the blaze, the gold and hazel dancing like cinders. She bit down on her bottom lip, not wanting to reveal how confused she really was about everything which had led up to this point. How would they feel about her true heritage? Would they believe Professor Snape's kindness towards her? What would they think if she told them of their late night embrace in the dungeons?
Harry, seeing his friend struggling with her inner feelings, stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at first but then stared deeply into his eyes as if to say "I'm not ready".
"Listen- we're heading down to breakfast…if you hear anything at all about Professor Lupin, come find us…and we'll do the same" Harry smiled and tugged at Ron's sleeve.
"Wait a minute…we didn't even-"
"Come on Ron" Harry insisted.
Hermione smiled softly and nodded, unable to get the right words out. She fiddled nervously with her necklace as she watched them disappear through the Fat Lady's portrait. She really did have brilliant friends and the thought of losing them weighed heavily on her soul.
The exhausted young witch turned and headed for the sanctuary of her room but as she did, each step seemed profoundly more difficult than the next; she was just so drained. When she finally entered it took her eyes a minute to register what she was looking at. Her room had been completely ransacked; her desk emptied, her chest of drawers turned inside out and her bedclothes strewn about the floor. A wave of panic hit Hermione like a hurricane, nearly knocking her to her knees. Her eyes immediately fell to the dresser where she had hidden away the box from her mother's vault with a standard concealing charm.
"Patefacio" she weakly waved her wand, letting out a cry of relief when she saw the little box still in tact. Who had done this? Whoever it was must have had some idea of what they were looking for. Hermione lifted the box out of the drawer and quickly opened it to ensure that nothing had been disturbed. After all, while she had been clever enough to conceal it with a spell, whoever was looking for it certainly could have reversed the effects of such a simple enchantment. The jewel eyed snake sprung to life and the box popped open. Hermione reached in a removed the postcard book, pressing it too her heart with much relief. But as she focused her gaze on the now empty container, she felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Her mother's letter was gone.
A sign which read: "Closed for Refurbishment" hung listlessly in the dusty window of Purge and Dowse Ltd. A hideously faced dummy jumped to life as the cloaked figure approached the glass and explained that they were visiting a patient. The dark silhouette moved through the windowpane like a phantom but naturally nobody noticed.
A few steps into the building there was a small reception desk with an oak sign suspended above it which bore the words: "Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries: Inquire Here". The shrouded stranger moved toward the desk and in a low tone addressed the attendant.
"Severus- set him down here…no telling what bones may need fixing…" Madame Pomfrey whispered over Lupin's limp body. Professor Snape practically threw the mangled werewolf down on the cot, glad to be rid of the burden.
"Carefully!" Poppy squealed.
"He's heavy" he hissed back at her.
Madame Pomfrey pushed Severus out of her way as she collected a variety of potions and bandages from her seemingly endless hodgepodge of cupboards and shelves.
It was unclear how old Poppy Pomfrey was; as no one, Professor McGonagall included, could remember a time when Poppy was not the school nurse. She was a stern woman when dealing with the uninjured but as sweet as homemade strawberry ice cream when a patient was in need.
"Out of my way Severus! Go sit down and make yourself useful, I need that monkshood sliced exactly right and do be careful, it is very poisonous- I would hate to-"
"I am quite well acquainted with monkshood" he snapped.
"Well- get to it then" she quipped right back at him.
Professor Snape scowled but did as he was told. Madame Pomfrey had, after all, mended his share of wounds in the past and had always been particularly attentive to him during his years as a student. As he cut the herb into thin slivers he turned his thoughts to Draco Malfoy's gang. He was sure they were behind the missing elixir; who else could have done it and to what purpose? Not that he cared about Lupin's broken bones, but it had grossly inconvenienced him and had wasted his time; not to mention a perfectly good supply of fresh wolfsbane. He was incensed.
"Alright now, let's heat this up and in the meantime I'll start bandaging what I can" Poppy drew up Lupin's left arm and began her inspection of the more superficial scrapes and scratches.
Severus narrowed his eyes and watched the examination intently. As Poppy wiped the dried blood clean from Remus's face, Severus found himself quite lost in his memories of the once familiar hospital wing. He remembered being a student as if it was yesterday. "Moony" he whispered under his breath.
"Shhh" Poppy shot him a wintry stare to freeze the blood. "If you can't be quiet of your own free will, I suggest you eat a handful of shushing berries before I slap a silencio charm 'cross your mouth."
Snape raised one eyebrow, mumbled incoherently and continued preparing the wolfsbane. Madame Pomfrey rubbed a viscous yellow paste onto Remus's ravaged skin and when she was pleased with her bandaging of both arms, she began to turn him onto his side to get a better look at his back.
"What is that?!" she gasped and suddenly turned a sharp eye to Severus.
A large wound resembling a burn mark spread from his left shoulder to the centre of his back. It was hot to the touch but did not appear to have affected any other portion of his body.
"What?" Severus stood.
"What did you do to him?" she shouted.
"Me?! What did I do to him? Have you seen these scratches?" He rolled up his pant leg, revealing several bloody gashes along his right calf. "I was defending myself" he hollered.
Remus shifted on the cot, struggling to open his swollen eyes.
"Now see what you've done! You've gone and woke the nearly dead!"
"Where am I?" the exhausted werewolf could barely speak above a whisper.
"You're in good hands Remus- you just rest…" she dusted a light sleeping draught across his lips and within seconds he was dreaming of chocolate rain and tap dancing unicorns. "Now then- what exactly did you do to him?"
"Impedimenta Incendio" he mumbled quickly and lowered his eyes to the floor.
"Severus Snape, I am shocked and offended! You could have killed him! The poor dear, he's a very fragile…werewolf"
Severus raised his arched brows and began grinding his teeth as Poppy administered a cooling serum to the burn.
"Don't grind Severus, it causes headaches"
Hermione could think of nothing else to do but to start cleaning up the mess. She had been careless with something she treasured and it made her blood boil to think of her own short sightedness. Right now, someone out there had possession of her most guarded secret and she couldn't help but feel responsible for it. She piled her linens onto her bed but didn't bother making it.
Crookshanks followed her around the room as she picked up her scattered books and straightened up her shelves, occasionally rubbing his little orange face against her shins. Who would be interested in such an artifact? What sort of wickedness would this result in? The uncertainty of it all made her crazy with worry. She languidly glanced at the post card book on her desk and her thoughts swiftly turned to it. There were still two postcards left to be studied. She grabbed the book and belly flopped onto her bed. She reread the previous eight cards and studied the pictures closely but she could not get anything else from them. At the very least, she now knew a little more about her mother's friends and the mystery was gone from G.W.I.L.S. As she flipped the page to view the ninth card, she hoped that it would point her in the right direction, though she knew that it was likely to pose more questions.
It was a beautiful picture of what appeared to be a black bird perched on a branch above a garden of lavender bushes. After Hermione had exhausted her eyes with the image, she flipped it over and read:
Dearest Katrina,
I hope this card finds you in the best of spirits. I am so bored in France. I cannot believe it, but I actually miss Old Professor Binns! Enjoy your summer holiday and I will see you soon. Maybe they'll be some cute new boys next term, but then again- you do have your secret romeo. I can't wait to hear more about him.
Yours Truly,
Isabeaura
p.s. Did you hear anything about that weird sky scorching over London?
Hermione's jaw dropped. "Romeo"? Could this have been a veiled reference to her father? Certainly it was possible that her parents had been high school sweethearts just like the Potters, but it did seem unlikely. And what of the "scorched sky"? Isabeaura was the "I" in G.W.I.L.S. , so she must have been a close friend of her mother's. Perhaps her name would be traceable in the yearbooks. It was a long shot, but Hermione had to be sure. If she could find this woman, she may find yet another piece to the puzzle of her identity. It was worth any and all conceivable risk.
On the fourth floor of Saint Mungo's Hospital, the dark figure was escorted to a room at the end of a long hallway. This particular wing of the hospital was devoted to spell damage caused by curses, jinxes and poorly executed enchantments. Once through the door, there was yet another heavy metal door with securing charms affixed to the corners. The attendant disengaged the spell and allowed the visitor to enter.
"Don't make any sudden movements, and keep your wand at the ready"
The figure nodded and the door crashed shut.
In the corner, huddled under a thick blanket and secured by a straight jacket, appeared a woman with wild black hair up at all ends and eyes that glowed, piercing the darkness like fangs.
"Who's there?" she hissed.
"I mean you no harm, I assure you…"
"As if you could harm me" the woman cackled and lunged forward.
"Imobulis!"
The mad woman let out a scream as she was frozen in place. Her eyes continued to scan the room as the dark visitor approached her suspended body and lowered the hood of her cloak, revealing the pale, delicate face of Narcissa Malfoy.