Chapter Five; Evidence

"Lumos."

Remus Lupin's wand sprung to life as he thrust it out before him.

The bright pulsating light, combined with the two flickering oil lamps, bathed the surrounding area of forest in a warm golden glow. Lupin directed his wand to his right, brow furrowed and eyes squinting slightly as he scrutinised the trees intensely. All manners of nocturnal creatures scurried quickly away from the revealing brightness, eager to loose themselves in the comforting darkness once more.

"Listen," he whispered to the two students in his care, while sweeping his wand over to the left.

Ron and Hermione strained their ears in an effort to determine the direction of Harry's approach.

"Over there," the Professor suddenly called out, indicating north-west with his wand.

Both students anxiously raised their lamps high above them until they could just about make out the movement of an advancing figure. Their view was unexpectedly blocked as their teacher moved protectively in front of them, shielding them with his own body.

"Harry ?" he shouted warily, looking for confirmation.

"Professor !" came the distant breathless reply, "yes, it's me...it's Harry."

Only then did Lupin risk moving towards the Hogwart's student and he was quickly joined by Harry's two friends. Several hurried paces later and they all met up in a tiny clearing. Their mutual concern grew at Potter's dishevelled appearance.

"Harry, what has happened ? Where's Professor Snape and Neville ?"

"Wotcher Harry ? you look like hell !"

"Goodness Harry, why are you alone ?"

Potter was confronted by a barrage of concerned questions, all demanding immediate answers simultaneously.

He looked up, relief clearly evident on his face but just as quickly his body bent over, his hands supporting themselves on his shaky knees while he inhaled lungfuls of much needed air.

"Ok Harry, take it easy," Lupin softly advised, rubbing the student's heaving back, "catch your breath, then tell us what has happened."

Harry nodded in agreement, swallowed hard, then after a few seconds he stood up straight again, still panting heavily.

"Th...they...they have them," he tried to explain, "you have to... help them."

Ron and Hermione's eyes widened.

"You mean Professor Snape and Neville ? Who has them Harry ? Who ?" Remus demanded as calmly as he could.

"Malfoy and..." Harry wheezed out.

"Draco !" Ron interrupted, "that smarmy toad ! What would he...ooof !"

Ron's outburst was cut short by Hermione's elbow.

"Quiet Ron, let him speak," she warned.

Harry shook his head.

"No, not Draco...his father," he explained, "and some other man, I didn't recognise him."

Shocked gasps escaped the listeners.

Harry's eyes took on a sudden panicked look as he recalled the incident.

"You have to help them Sir," he pleaded, grabbing Lupin's wet robe, "I think, I think the man may have taken Neville, I don't know what happened exactly but the Professor, he...he tried to protect us, there was an argument, he was hit by a 'cruciatus', he told us to run...we did, but something happened to Neville, I ...I didn't know what to do...I was..."

Harry's voice cracked, bringing a sudden halt to his hurried account and his fearful eyes found themselves brimming with unshed tears. He was caught in a wave of tumultuous emotions; fear, relief, shame, confusion, worry, guilt, each one clamouring for attention. It was all too much.

He suddenly found himself wrapped in long, strong arms as the thoughtful Professor selflessly offered him some much needed comfort. Leaning into the hug, Harry was helpless to prevent those tears from falling as the shock of what had just happened set in.

Remus whispered soothing words of comfort into the boy's ear until the muffled sobs were silenced and the body tremors ceased.

Ron and Hermione looked on, each unsure of what to do. Hermione repeatedly bit the inside of her lip with worry while Ron occupied himself by fidgeting nervously with his oil lamp.

They watched as their Professor slowly shifted away from Harry and reached inside his robe to his inside coat pocket and pulled out something wrapped in shiny purple and silver paper. He carefully peeled back some of the wrapper to reveal thick, chunky squares of chocolate. He broke off a couple of squares and offered them to Harry.

"Here Harry," he said, "take these, I always find that it helps," he explained with a reassuring smile.

Returning the smile half-heartedly, the third year replied, "Thank you Sir," then he quickly popped the chocolate into his mouth.

Remus then offered some to Harry's uncharacteristically quiet friends and kept two squares for himself.

The delicious chocolate soon worked wonders and already everyone seemed a little calmer.

"How long do you think you've been running Harry ?" Remus asked.

The boy thought for a moment.

"Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, I think...I'm not sure Professor, but it did seem like a lot longer," Harry replied with a great deal of uncertainty.

Remus nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure it did Harry, I'm sure it did, now, did you run more or less straight to us from back there ?" the Professor queried, while pointing to the direction they had first seen him approaching from.

"I ...think so," Harry looked down, eyes hooded, "I wasn't paying much attention...sorry."

"There's absolutely no need for you to feel sorry, no reason at all, you did the right thing in looking for help first Harry, do you understand ?" Remus questioned softly.

The boy was in a fragile enough state, he certainly didn't want him blaming himself for what had just happened.

"Yes Sir, I understand," came the whispered reply.

"Good, now do you think you're ready to move ?" the Professor asked patiently.

Harry nodded positively.

"Good lad, that's the spirit !" he praised.

Remus knew his first priority was to see to the safety of the remaining students and with that mission in mind he abandoned the potion ingredients and quickly escorted the soaked and unsettled children back to the edge of the forest. As they made their way to the safety of the castle grounds, Harry did his best to answer his teacher's questions and give a more detailed account of what had happened.

Once they cleared the forest and Hagrid's darkened hut was in sight, Remus spoke to the students once more.

"Now listen carefully," he warned, pointing his finger at each student in turn, "I want you all to go straight to the Headmaster's office, Harry you must tell Professor Dumbledore everything you've told me, is that clear ?" he demanded seriously.

All three students nodded in agreement, followed by a burst of 'Yes Sirs'.

"Excellent, then inform the Headmaster that I have gone back to find the clearing Harry has described, to look for any signs that may help us determine what has happened, tell him I will return to Hogwarts immediately after, got that ?"

Another barrage of 'Yes Sirs'.

"Good, I'm counting on you three, now go...quickly," he ordered, ushering the students towards the school.

Remus stood watching the retreating backs of the children, as they headed for the welcoming lights of the ancient castle, for as long as he dared. Once convinced that they were indeed safe, he turned to face the smothering darkness of the forest once more.

One deep purposeful, steadying breath and he was away, running through the dense growth like a man possessed.

Thoughts raced through his mind while his legs tore over the uneven ground. He hoped he would be able to find the clearing Harry had spoken of, but he was unsure of what he would find if he did indeed get there.

In no time he had made it back to the spot where they had met up with young Potter, a slight change of direction and he was off again, only this time he was more careful. His keen eyes scanned the undergrowth for signs of Harry's passing. Some freshly snapped branches, trampled weeds, tiny pieces of torn robe ensnared in vicious barbs, light foot prints and even Potter's own personal scent, all helped to guide the Professor closer to much needed answers.

Remus wondered if he would find anyone at the end of the trail, Harry had said Snape had been hit by a 'cruciatus'...was it possible he would come across his colleague wounded...or worse... and what of Neville, the poor boy had been through so much already. How would he be affected by this latest misfortune ? Would he be injured ? Alive ?

Would he himself be able to cope with finding two lifeless bodies ? And what in the name of Merlin's beard was Lucius Malfoy up to ?

Countless other questions plagued his mind as he ran, each one left annoyingly unanswered, so he shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts, concentrating instead on the faint trail ahead.

A short while later Remus Lupin paused in his tracks, he slowly surveyed the surrounding area, his lycan senses had just leapt into action, sending several signals to his brain.

He closed his eyes and calmly inhaled the damp night air allowing his powerful sense of smell to sift through the chaos. He was definitely close, he could now discern multiple signatures. Steadily advancing forward, he examined the ground. To his left, an area of undergrowth had been completely flattened, kneeling down to inspect it more closely, he was sure someone had fallen here, most likely Neville Longbottom.

He moved forward again and soon found himself standing in the clearing Harry had described.

It was completely empty and Remus found that he had mixed feelings about this, still there was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he was in the right place, the air around him held a lingering static charge and it tickled the skin on the backs of his hands. A lot of magic had been used here recently.

But he did not need to rely on invisible scents and obscure fading tingling sensations for proof, the concrete evidence was all around him. Glass jars, oil lamps and satchels lay scattered and abandoned on the ground, large man-sized footprints made deep impressions in the rain soaked earth and the ground itself had been disturbed from a scuffle of some sort.

Before the rain washed away further tracks, he did a quick sweep of the whole perimeter and only found a short trail consisting of a pair of approaching footprints. It would seem that Malfoy and his friend had 'apparated' close by before they came upon Severus and the students. There was however no sign of anyone leaving the area, which meant that they had 'disapparated' and taken the hostages with them.

How on earth would they be able to track them now ? he wondered, feeling very disheartened.

Across the clearing, shattered glass twinkled near a tree stump as Lupin used his wand to illuminate different parts of the inner area now. It was then that he registered a faint but disturbing scent. Moving half way across the opening, Remus knelt down and carefully rummaged through the damp, decaying leaves.

There ! barely visible and almost washed away by the rain, tiny droplets of crimson and he knew without a shadow of doubt whose blood it was...Severus Snape's.

He looked on in strange fascination at the sight of the little exposed red specks being diluted by the rain and soaking into ground, then he suddenly sprung upright. This evidence, more than any, brought home the seriousness of the situation, he had to get back to Dumbledore andfast.

oOo

Author's Note; Thanks again for all your wonderful support, it really helps !Please do keep those reviews coming. I was a bit delayed getting this chapter out, sorry about that. I'm having building work done at home. I think all the digging, banging, drilling and pounding has scared away my muses ! wipes away the tears I'm just hoping they'll come home soon ! So if it's a bit on the short side...sorry, but it's all I could manage. Hope to hear from you all soon !

Cheers !

Lai.