Disclaimer:- I do not earn anything from this story, neither do I own Harry Potter and his world, they are the intellectual property of JK Rowling and Associates.
sSs
A/N:- Thank you each and every one of you for your reviews, I'm finding my time too short lately to answer each one, but I appreciate them just as much, so a collective thank you to everyone. A question was posed at the end of the last chapter, and perhaps it did need to be clearer in the narrative. The two at the greenhouses were hired by Harry to upset Ginny, and they chose to do this by hurting Lily. Remember, Xanthie was injured in a similar way a few chapters back, that time the two thugs got it wrong. Nasty I know, but remember they are under a vicious curse, and are associating with equally depraved people.
The only element in this chapter that I feel may be a trigger for anyone; is the fairly tame description of the dark ritual that allows them to remove the curse from Ron, but if this is bothersome to anyone, you have been warned. Please enjoy…
hHh
Chapter Twenty One - Captured
From last time:-
…After what seemed like an eternity they saw what they thought were the two they were searching for, leaving the pub. However, after casting a trial charm that Severus had told him about, Kingsley discovered that Harry and Ron had tried to fool the Aurors. Kingsley had been able to see through it and he had sent his troops off with who they had caught and hoped that the real pair turned up before the potion wore off the fakes.
oOo
Setting up Disillusionment and Silencing Charms, Kingsley and Tonks waited while Remus paced. Tonight was the full moon so it was Mooney who was present, and unlike Remus his wolf was impatient.
Thanks to further improvements to the Wolfsbane potion, Mooney was allowed out on nights like this, as the potion now permitted Remus to wrestle back more control over his facilities and the metamorphosis wasn't as complete.
The new Wolfsbane Potion was still a trial version not available generally, but so far Remus had found it wonderful. The research that had gone into its development had also helped the youngest Lupin daughter, as she had inherited the Lycanthropy gene.
It was very rare for werewolves to reproduce, so little was known about what would happen, but in light of Darlia's affliction, it seemed that Mendel's laws factored just as reliably into this gene as they did for other traits, because Dora and Remus' other two children did not have the gene.
In light of these new developments Darlia was DNA tested when she was born, and as a consequence she would never have to go through painful transformations like Remus had in his childhood. She could still function with her family and wasn't locked away every full moon, even if it was still a burden for the small girl to be a werewolf.
It had been discovered that Lycanthropy was actually an infection, a little like some spider bites, once it was in your system you just had to live with the consequences. However, the Lycan infection attacked the DNA of its host, mutating it and causing a type of split in the matrix of the code of life.
Even people like Bill who had been attacked outside the full moon phase still experienced disruptions because of it, especially after having been attacked by someone of such dark intent such as Fenrir Greyback.
"Mooney!" Tonks whispered sharply, "For Merlin's sake, you're making me sea-sick with all the pacing, sit down," she snapped.
A low growl told her that he wasn't pleased but he sat, then immediately stood again, his nose sniffing the dank air of the Alley. Without warning the huge werewolf sprang into life, howling as he bounded off over the slippery cobblestones.
Kingsley and Tonks knew he had picked up a scent trail so they followed. "I hope it's not just some bloody cat," Tonks muttered under her breath as she started running. "Mooney seems more agitated tonight than usual," she added louder, so Kingsley could hear.
"I'm sure it's just the stress," Kingsley said, already starting to puff from the exertion of running to keep up with the huge wolf.
Of course, it was unusual for the Minister of Magic to follow his special agents around. This case however, was personal and he wanted as few people as possible to know what was happening.
Neither got to comment further as Mooney suddenly leapt and brought down a lanky wizard trying to keep to the shadows of the Alley, the wolf pinned him to the ground and stood over him growling.
The prostrate wizard was screaming abuse at his captor, seemingly unaware of the danger he was in as he continued to flail his arms and legs and squirm around.
Seeing her husband's control about to snap, Tonk's sharp cry of, "Mooney!" brought him slightly back to his senses, well enough to have him fighting the blood lust anyway.
Growling deep in his throat, Mooney backed off, and Tonks constrained and disarmed the struggling wizard. Dragging him into the streetlight which was murky at best in this part of town, and seeing who they had caught, Tonks set her features into work-mode when she saw a very defiant and livid Ron Weasley glaring back at her.
"How dare you let a fuckin' werewolf near me," he sneered at her. "You're all mad, you are, barkin' mad."
By this time Kingsley had caught up, and Tonks had put up a Silencing charm on Ron. She turned to Kingsley who was trying to catch his breath, and grinning slightly at his distress, scolding, "Kings really, you need to get fit, mate." Then serious once more, she inclined her head towards Ron. "Where do you want him?"
Kingsley only thought for a moment while he caught his breath. "We march him out of here so word gets back to Potter, and then," he glanced around, and then from Weasley to Tonks. "Do you have any holding cells free at the community?"
The witch sporting her trademark hot pink hair nodded. "That's a good idea."
"Can we organise the ritual for tomorrow?" he asked her.
Yes, that's doable, Mum's nervous, but she's prepared," Tonks told him. "I'll contact the others." All this time Ron's mouth had still been moving soundlessly, and Mooney had been glowering at him. The werewolf suddenly became silent and his features abruptly changed. Tonks felt her mate move closer to her and wrap himself around her, she knew these signs well and she looked back up to Kingsley. "Mooney senses a threat, we need to move."
It was as Kingsley was opening his mouth to answer that they heard the howl, and it was closer than they expected. "Okay move now," Kingsley told them, taking Ron by the arm. "If we need to apparate out, I'll take Weasley to the meeting point."
Tonks nodded, and they started to move. They had only made it a few streets when a howl sounded in a different direction. "There's more than one of them," Tonks whispered.
"Yes, this is getting too dangerous, apparate," he told her.
"No, you go first; you are aware of what we must do."
Knowing she was right, Kingsley nodded, and without another word apparated away with Ron. As soon as they were gone, Tonks slipped into her Animagus form, which of course was the compliment to Mooney and they ran.
In her wolf form Tonk was not clumsy like her human counterpart, and they streaked back towards the howling to circle back on the rogues. This was another side to them, and it was a large part of their lives. Aurors caught dark wizards and they could both do that, but they were more specialised than that because they had a unique set of talents, they also caught renegade werewolves.
It was a top secret project that had been a long time in the making. After the second Voldemort war, it was realised that there were many Lycans who followed Greyback's example and deliberately placed themselves were they were certain to come across humans after they transformed. Any Lycan who was living in Knockturn Alley was suspected of being like this. The fact they were in a dark community didn't make the crime any less serious, and they had to be brought to justice.
xox
Kingsley landed at their usual transit point between the mainland England and the Lycan community where Remus and Tonks lived. He pushed Ron into one of their inner holding cells and stood back watching him. Locking the cell, Kingsley lifted the Silencing Charm and unbound the redhead while he continued to observe him with an eyebrow cocked.
"Where am I?" Ron wanted to know. Kingsley's features remained set in stone. "I demand to be released."
"No!" The minister said, flatly. "That is no longer an option for you, the demanding stops here."
"You have no evidence, you have to let me go," he ordered hotly, ignoring what Kingsley had said.
The ex-head of the Aurors had no patience left. "Every time I have had to let you go, I have regretted it," Kingsley snarled. "But this time, it's not only about your misdemeanours and foul deeds, this time it's about a curse that is affecting and we need to fix you."
"What do you mean fix, you can't touch me… I-I'll get Harry…. I'll…" he seemed to suddenly lose his train of thought and he scowled. "You can't do this, y-you have no right. Those bitches deserved everything, we didn't do anything wrong. They are both Death Eater fuckers," he accused, and his voice was starting to sound frenzied.
"You'll do nothing, now shut your mouth or the Silencing Charm comes back," the dark wizard warned. Ron glowered at him but only muttered under his breath after that.
Kingsley had just turned to go and sit at the table in the centre of the room, when there was a large commotion outside the room.
Ron startled badly and was up at the restraining charm. "What the fuck was that?" Then there was a blood curdling howl and the rattling of chains. "Harry?"
Kingsley heard Ron's frightened voice. It was just loud enough for him to hear, and a nasty suspicion of why Ron had been out in a werewolf infested part of the alley dawned in his mind, but he forced himself to dismiss it at the moment, as he had no proof.
It is the lot of most dark wizards eventually, Kingsley pondered, waiting for Tonks to come and tell him what was happening. If you lay down with dogs you get up with fleas, he thought further as the door opened.
Tonks looked tireder than normal as she came into the room. She just looked around and walked to the tiny kitchenette. "I'll make some tea, we can't do anymore now. The second one escaped while we were perusing the first," she said, and sighed quietly knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep now until the morning.
"Where's Mooney?" Kingsley asked, walking over to her, and keeping his voice down.
"He's with the werewolf we caught, there's something different about this one. He smells familiar even to my wolf, and he doesn't appear to be just suffering from Lycanthropy," she shrugged, "of course being a dark wizard, it could be anything." She sighed again as she pulled three mugs from the cupboard. "We won't know until the morning, but for some reason Mooney wanted to stay with him, I don't understand but I'm sure we'll know why in the morning."
It was now very late. "I need to go to the Aurory and sort out the pair we caught earlier," Kingsley said, draining his mug.
"You go," Tonks told him. "I have some paperwork to keep me awake." She glanced over at Ron, who seemed to be quiet now.
"Don't underestimate him," Kingsley warned. "He has periods like that, but then it turns."
Tonks nodded, "I won't, don't worry."
xox
The next morning was busy for everyone, but it also held a few surprises that was were going to have serious repercussions.
Severus, Bill and Lucius all received owls asking them to prepare to assist Andromeda to remove the curse on Ron, as he had been captured that night. The owl had been waiting for Severus when he and Hermione woke up, and as usual she was reading over his shoulder. "I want to come," she declared.
"No, absolutely not," Severus stated unequivocally, and he said it so vehemently that Hermione's eyes narrowed and he prepared himself for an argument. He had noted with great joy lately that her former fire was returning as her confidence grew, but this time he had to deny her for her own good. Of course he didn't expect her to understand that, and he suddenly realised that this might be their first big fight.
Her mouth pinched. "Why?" and she actually crossed her arms under her breasts and pouted. "I'm a fully grown witch. I can look after myself," she told him loudly.
Severus rose from his desk and tried to take her unyielding body into his arms. "Yes you are, and I enjoy that very much, but you are not coming tonight and there are many reasons why."
Hermione didn't stop to hear them though, glaring, she pulled herself away from him and stalked back to her own quarters, slamming the connecting door violently.
Severus grimaced as the door slammed, there was nothing he could do, he wasn't going to give in, and she really couldn't go. He hoped she would calm down later and he could talk to her, this thought filled his mind as he distractedly went back to preparing himself for the last day of lessons for the year.
It bothered him all day that Hermione seemed to be avoiding him, she appeared to be in a real snit, and he wasn't impressed. Then when he received a second owl from Tonks with some startling news he really would have appreciated her quick mind to help him sort out the problem it presented to him, but he was unwilling to makeup to quickly, not only was he truly annoyed at her juvenile behaviour, but her safety was paramount in his mind. Not only did he not want her to face the twin morons, but a greater danger was that as a Muggle-born the curse they were removing would likely attack her before anyone else.
She had been perfectly safe at Gringotts as they were only identifying the curse, peeling back layer upon layer until they found it, they were not disturbing anything. Even when she had stayed while they found the counter-curse she was in no real danger. However, this was not just a matter of closing one's mind to attack' this could end up being a physical attack that they might not be able to stop.
The fact was that long standing curses like this that were allowed to fester unchecked, tended to take on some aspects of sentience, and they aimed themselves to hurt the original hate that had created them. As the Voldemort wars had been blood wars, so that hate was predominantly toward Muggle-born magical people. He was used to fighting such things, and as a half-blood he could easily turn it away, but Hermione, the one thing that was most precious to him.
No, she must not be too involved; it was too dangerous for her. However, that night it hurt him terribly when she sat on the other side of Minerva at dinner—she hadn't come to the hall for lunch—and ignored him. At the end of dinner he had tried to speak to her before he left with Bill, but she only gave him the cold shoulder.
Once Hermione had watched Severus and Bill leave she went to rise, as she did a hand arrived on her forearm. "Come to my office, we need to have a little chat," Minerva said from beside her.
"I'm really not the best at the moment," Hermione replied, she had been planning to go back to her room for some more sulking, how dare he deny her, she was not some child that he could order around.
"No, I grant that you're not, and even though I would hope that you would come willingly, I will have no hesitation in pulling rank, young lady," the Headmistress told her in no uncertain terms.
Hermione sighed, "Very well."
As soon as they were in Minerva's office she made them tea and sat Hermione down. "Now, would you care to explain to me why you are being so childish?"
"Childish?... Me!" Her tea cup rattled loudly as she set it on the table next to her. "He refused to let me go," she announced. "I'm my own person, I will go where I please, I'm not having some man tell me what I can do, or w-where," she stated vehemently.
Minerva sighed, "Hermione, it's wonderful that you're standing up for yourself again, but did you ask Severus why he refused to allow you to accompany him?"
The wind in her sails seemed to just disappear. "No," she gasped.
"Then I suggest a research trip to the library for you," Minerva finished quietly, "because you have obviously forgotten the nature and intent of truly dark curses, especially ones that have been playing out as long as these one's have."
"Oh," it was more a puff of air than anything. Hermione started to think back to destroying Horcruxes and some of the other dark objects they had encountered over the time before the end of the war, and she paled. He had not wanted her to go for her own safety, because this was a dangerous operation, especially for her. She remembered how the Chamber of Secrets had tried to drown them after… "Oh dear, I've been very selfish."
"Yes you have," her companion replied softly, patting her hand. "Especially in light of what he found out after breakfast," Minerva continued.
Hermione was instantly alert and worried. "Why?"
"They actually caught both Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter last night."
"What?" Hermione cut across her. "The note Severus received this morning didn't say that," she asserted.
"No, it didn't," Minerva saw Hermione's puzzled look. "That's because they didn't know that they had captured Harry until this morning."
Hermione's brow furrowed further, and she started thinking critically about it, but she still couldn't come up with an answer. Looking to Minerva for clarification, "What?"
Minerva gave it to her, before she had asked. "Tonks and Remus captured a renegade werewolf in Knockturn Alley last night…" she paused before going on, "This morning they discovered that they had actually caught, Harry Potter."
"Oh," Hermione gasped, she hadn't been expecting that. "Umm, thank you for telling me. I think I'll go back to my quarters now and wait for Severus to return," and she rose mechanically and wandered to the door. Turning just before she left to say thank you again.
"You're welcome, child," the Headmistress replied.
xox
As the night wore on Hermione couldn't settle, she tried reading and that was no good. She tried playing Solitaire, but she only lasted two hands before that held no interest for her either.
Her mind refused to settle, she wanted to know what would happen and how it would work. She assumed that Bill and Lucius had gone also… "Oh why, did I have to be so stupid?" she groused, sinking down into her bed dejectedly.
"Are you actually asking me that?" Severus' voice asked her.
"Severus!" Hermione sat bolt upright. She had left the connecting door open, so she would hear him return, but she hadn't heard anything yet. Her eyes scanned the doorway, but there was no Severus. She hadn't actually spent a lot of time in this room for months now. Flopping back down onto the bed, the first tears slid from her eyes.
She hadn't spent time here because she was always with Severus. A thought slipped into her mind, "What if something goes wrong and he doesn't get to come back? I will have lost him, and our last words were in anger," she raged.
"Don't cry, little dove," the voice said again.
Through her tears Hermione looked to her mirror. She'd actually forgotten him, and this thought made her even more miserable. They had meant to come and include him, but it had just never happened. Even the time they tried to, they really hadn't. "Oh, hello Mirror," she managed.
"Don't worry about it, little dove," but to Hermione what it said sounded like empty words, there were no strong arms around her as they were uttered and there was no hot breath caressing the tiny hairs around her ear as he placated her with his delicious velvet voice.
Hermione Granger realised at that moment, exactly how much she loved Severus Snape. Since that moment when he had picked her up off the floor of his private lab and comforted her, nothing less than him in his real corporal form was ever going to be right for her again.
xox
The three wizards had arrived at the Lycan community. Severus was tense, he hadn't liked leaving Hermione on the terms he had left her, but he had a dangerous job to do. They were met by Kingsley, Remus, Tonks and Andromeda.
There was no greeting from any of them. Lucius who said, "Let's get this over quickly, Ginny has had a bad backache all day, and I'm wondering if it's almost time for her," then glancing in Dora and Andromeda's direction when he heard their gasps, he added, "Molly is with her."
"I agree," Severus cut across them before they could start talking about it. His mind flitted momentarily to the witch waiting at Hogwarts, but the steel trap of his Occumency shields didn't allow that for too long before they rose in a business-like fashion.
"What is required of me first?" Andromeda asked nervously, following Severus' lead. She had never been a witch for fighting or dark magic and this was all very confronting for her. Of course they had briefed her on what would happen and what she must do, but she was very well and truly out of her depth here.
Severus could already see her steeling herself. He spoke quietly, but coolly, "I require a donation of blood for the Potion I must brew," he stated, without emotion. He heard her gasp, but continued to ready himself. "Once you have given me the final ingredient, you best practice the counter-spell, it needs to be perfect," he suggested further.
Her curt, "Oh," made Severus shake himself.
He made an effort and spoke kindly. "I'm sorry to sound so unfeeling, Andromeda, but this type of magic is most distasteful to me now, and the only way I can get through it is to be cold and unfeeling."
"I understand, Severus," and she patted his arm, "This is just very daunting for me, I never understood my sister's interesting in all this."
"Bella was mad, Dromeda," Lucius added, trying to placate her unease. "She had a very twisted take on everything and as for Narcissa..." he gestured with his hand for her to believe what she wished, and left that sentence unfinished.
While this was all happening, Bill was studying his brother. He felt awful that this was happening to his baby brother, and worse that none of them had seen it. The trouble is that over the years it had been gradual and you tend not to notice, he shook his head as if to clear it.
Severus set to work on the Potion, and their attentions were all arrested when, having it well on the way, he withdrew the silver dagger from its case. He turned to the witch who looked so much like her demented sister that it was startling, and without preamble he said, "This must be willingly given, Andromeda. So if you have any doubts about it, now is the time to work them out."
The soft sound of the bubbling potion base was the only thing to seeped into the silence, but finally Andromeda nodded her consent and Severus indicated that she should give him her wrist.
Tonks came forward to support her mother, and holding her wrist over the ritual goblet, Severus heard her gasp at the sting as he made his skilful incision, allowing her life essence to trickle down the dagger and off its point into the goblet. It was a slow process, one because it was what the potion required, and two because he didn't wish to damage Andromeda too much. He finally healed the cut and momentarily placed the offering on his workbench before he withdrew two potions from his robes.
With a nod of thanks to Bill, Tonks allowed Andromeda to sit back into the chair he placed behind her, and Severus tended her. A Calming Draught and a small amount of Blood Replenisher saw her looking much better very soon.
Remus was watching on stoically, he cast a glowering glace at the two in the holding cells. They had had to add another general silencing spell to the area because of the abuse being hurled at them by the pair. They were now almost demented, it seemed that this curse had been active long enough so that when they started to be defied, it started to fight back urging them to give in to it.
Finally, Severus announced that the potion was ready. "Weasley first," he ordered.
In the end that had to chain Ron to keep him still, he snarled and foamed like a rabid dog, pulling and twisting, lashing out at them. They could not restrain him magically because they needed an open entrance for the counter spell. It had been Bill who finally lost his temper with his brother and chained him spread eagle between the ceiling and the floor.
By this time Charlie Weasley had arrived, it had been arranged for Charlie to take Ron to Romania with him after the curse was removed, this would give him the opportunity to recover without the press finding out and with the support of his family.
They forced the blood laced cleansing potion down his throat and Andromeda started chanting the words of the counter-spell. After the third incantation those present saw his body stiffen, and a terrible cry tore from him as the chains rattled when he pulled tighter on them.
They were all familiar with dark magic, and the echo of the beast that rose up from Ron Weasley didn't faze them, all wands worked together to contain it, and Andromeda's words changed to the containment part of the spell. They forced the squalling, snarling entity into a receptacle made from soft clay. Lucius handed Andromeda a dagger, the blade of which was fashioned from a basilisk fang, and she wielded it perfectly. It was a Malfoy family heirloom, and he had made a special trip to Gringotts today to retrieve it for tonight.
Once the foe was vanquished, Andromeda slumped forward, supporting herself on her arms, as Lucius carefully cleaning and re-sheathed the dagger. Dora and Remus helped her to a chair as Ron's brothers attended to his slumped form.
Bill released Ron from the chains and they placed him on a bed they transfigured from a chair. They waited for him to wake up, this gave Andromeda a chance to regain some of her energy, and finally Charlie took what appeared to be a very frightened little boy in a man's body away. He knew they had a hard road ahead of them, but at least it was a healing road.
Severus observed the scene dispassionately; he was concerned that the easier of the two removals had taken so much out of Andromeda. He quietly took Lucius, Remus and Bill aside. "Andromeda is not going to be able to cope with this next ritual on her own. Potter has additional darkness within in the form of his wolf."
"You're right, his wolf will hold onto the demon," Remus added, thoughtfully.
The raven-haired wizard looked at his friend, knowing that what he was about to ask was not going to be received well. "Lucius we need Draco, and," Severus paused, "Narcissa as well, and quickly. The potion will only remain viable for another two hours before we will be forced to repeat the whole process."
The narrowed gaze and intake of breath from Lucius was enough to have Remus and Bill take a step backwards. Lucius glanced once at Tonks giving a shaky Andromeda a cup of tea, and his countenance took on a fierce light, and became unreadable as he stared momentarily at the wizard who was causing them so much trouble. Finally, the blond wizard set his mouth, nodded once, turned and left.
oOo
A/N2:- Now that's rude! Don't say such things about your author… . I'm sorry everyone, but I had to end it there. I want a full chapter to deal with Harry, and Ginny's baby arriving, and Hermione and Severus making up (makeup lemon alert), as well as the wedding. That should be worth the wait, yes?