A/N: I've gotten a few questions about Audrey in terms of her magic abilities. I'll cover it a bit in this chapter, but basically, as Audrey is considered a 'non-magical beast' in the eyes of the Ministry (in the fact that she is already dead, etc.) , she isn't allowed a wand, but still allowed to reside in the magical world, much like a squib can.
PLEASE review. Come on now, just a few words for all of the ones I've written for you.
Shortly after Remus had fallen asleep on the roof, Audrey had decided to set off at once.
Lifting his arm, which was draped delicately over her torso, she tiptoed over to the side railing of the fire escape and crawled quietly back in through the window.
'It will be easier this way,' she thought to herself as she passed the closed doors in the hallway. 'I'll already be gone by the time everyone is awake.'
As she passed through the hallway, she could hear the low hum of breathing radiating from underneath the closed doors.
It relaxed her, listening to the paced snores echoing in her ears. She had, without realizing it, become increasingly anxious the further she advanced down the hall. Her heart was thumping loudly under her ribs, so loudly she quickly placed her hand over it to stifle the beating should it awake anyone.
She wasn't sure about what she would have to do, but she knew who she was fighting for. For the very people behind those doors, for Remus.
Something suddenly shifted in the shadows ahead of her, making her come to a quick stop and nearly tripping on the tattered carpet underneath her feet.
"Who's there?" she whispered into the darkness, her lips parting to expose her elongated
fangs. While it was hardly a defense against a waiting wand, it was the only protection she could offer.
"Miss Belmont?"
In an instant, Audrey calmed, retracting her canines as Harry slowly stumbled into view.
"Harry, what are you doing up at this hour of the night?" Audrey mumbled.
"Couldn't sleep." he mumbled back, advancing slowly towards her, trying to find his way towards her in the dark . "I've been having bad dreams, is all."
Audrey continued on down the hallway, with Harry following by her side.
"Harry, you've got to be more careful. If I didn't know it was you sooner, I'd have alot of explaining to do with the Order." She nearly shot him a nervous grin, but realizing he wouldn't be able to make it out in the dark, decided against it.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
There was a long pause, broken only by the creak of the floorboards underneath their feet as they continued along the passage.
She could tell he was bottling up equal amounts of grief and resentment, and she was at a loss to what to say to him about each.
"So what was your dream about?"
'Well, it wasn't exactly what I could have said in this situation,' she thought to herself, 'but it's something.'
"Uh, you know," he muttered, "Giant creatures with cannons for heads shooting at me, the usual."
Audrey let out a hushed laugh and slapped lightly at what she assumed was his shoulder.
Approaching a small window bursting with moonlight, she was finally able to see Harry's face gleaming back at her own.
It was obvious to her now that he had been crying. But even though the skin around his eyes was a puffy red, they still emitted emerald hue and seemed to shine even more brilliantly than normal.
They had reached the foot of the stairs but neither of them was inclined to descend.
"Are you scared, Audrey?"
The question had taken her aback and she glanced up at him wide-eyed.
No one but Remus had ever asked her how she felt before, but always seemed to assume she would be fearless in the face of danger. They weren't aware that vampires could possibly be frightened, that creatures which were associated with darkness and death
could still shiver when they walked alone.
"Yes, Harry. A bit."
He bowed his head, understanding the feeling. After all, fear had followed him his whole life. Much as it did in hers.
She continued, "But fear cannot be without hope. Or hope without fear."
She grabbed ahold of Harry's arm and gave it a quick squeeze.
"Don't ever think you are alone in this, Harry. We are all afraid, but it just makes us all the more willing to fight for what we love."
Then with a swift nod, she dashed down the broad stone steps and out into the night.
Audrey managed to quickly blend herself into the late-night crowds jamming up the city streets. Loud shouts and ripples of laughter buzzed about in her head as she passed overflowing corner pubs, jumbling up her thoughts. Severus had mumbled his address to her hurriedly before departing Grimmauld Place the night before, but, as hard as she had tried to hear, she had only managed to catch the name of the street.
Spinner's End.
Her best bet at this point was to hop on a night bus and ask the driver to take her to this location. Seeing as how Severus usually only lived in this house for a few months out of the entire year, it would make sense that he would choose to live in the cheaper, Muggle parts of the city.
Cutting through several side streets, she managed to find a decent bus stand.
She found a spot to sit next to two rather scantly clad women who were too busy shouting at one another to take any notice of her. After about ten minutes, the night bus pulled into view and after fishing several Muggle coins out of her coat pockets, she boarded.
The driver eyed her suspiciously as she dropped the coins into the machine next to him.
"Excuse me?" she asked, bending down to meet the eye level of the driver.
He didn't respond but simply kept staring with a look of abhorrence slapped onto his face.
"Do you know of a place called Spinner's End?"
Again, no response.
Audrey took a deep breath and moved even closer to the driver, whose bugged out eyes followed her every move.
"Sir? Spinner's End. Do you know it?"
He continued to stare for a few seconds and then shifted in his seat to see her better.
"What would you want to go there for, little missy?"
"You do know it then?"
He nodded slowly, pushing his cap up a bit and rubbing his forehead.
"Could you take me there, possibly?"
He glanced up at the mirror above his head to survey the current occupants seated around the bus.
Only the two bickering women and an unwashed older gentleman, fast asleep.
"Alright," he agreed, pulling his cap back down, almost covering his eyes, "but It'll be an extra £2 for the trouble."
After about 20 minutes and a few brawls from the scrappy women at the back of the bus, Audrey found herself landed in Spinner's End.
It was a dreary little street and the natural darkness of the night seemed even darker on this side of town. A light, eerie mist shifted its way across the road's cobbles.
Glancing down to the end of the street, Audrey could make out a deserted building, the remnants of what seemed to have been a mill.
The dull yellow of the streetlights did nothing to reveal to her which houses were which, the brass numbers on the outside of the dwellings still in the shadows.
'Not like I would know where to go even if I did see the house numbers, ' she reminded herself. 'I have absolutely no idea where I'm even going.'
Realizing this, she stopped in her tracks.
The whole street seemed as if it had been deserted years ago.
There was no evidence to prove that anyone even lived there anymore. No animals, no cars. There were no rubbish bins or tire tracks or anything.
"God, I'm an idiot." she whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around her torso.
"And why is that, Miss Belmont?"
She couldn't help but let out a startled scream as she whipped around, coming face to face with none other than the man whose house she was searching for.
He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and yet she hadn't heard the loud crack customary with Apparating.
He merely stood there, his black hair framing a perfectly sallow face. In his hand, he held a dimly lit wand, which he seemed to be trying to hide with his arm.
"Come along," he muttered, turning on his heel and trudging off without her, "no need to sit out in plain sight where anyone could spot you."
She opened her mouth to speak, but realizing she didn't have anything to say, took a quick glance around and followed quickly behind.
He led her silently through the street, his black cloak rustling with each stride, until he reached a particularly dark corner of the street and up to a large, black door.
With a swift flick of his wrist, he tapped his wand against the lock of the door and pushed his way through into the house.
Audrey hurried past him into the main room as he fastened the bolts on the door.
Her eyes barely needed to adjust as she glanced around the barely lit room, dotted here and there with tiny specks of candlelight.
The air smelled strongly of mold and she could feel waves of dust swirling up her nose with each inhale.
Her eyes danced along the walls of the cramped room, and noticed that nearly every single inch was covered with books, all of them tightly bound in either black or dark brown leather. It was certainly the house of a professor.
"The house is rarely used otherwise it would be in better condition than its current state." Severus cooed as he came up behind her.
She turned around quickly, meeting his forbidding black eyes.
"It's...it's alright." she mumbled quickly, flashing a nervous grin. "I understand you aren't here for most of the year, you're at Hogwarts."
His eyes continued to glare down at her and his lips twisted in an unpleased scowl.
"Yes."
The silence that followed was unbearably uncomfortable, leaving Audrey twisting her fingertips to avoid screaming out.
"Can I get you anything?" he finally breathed out, his shoulders beginning to turn in the direction of the kitchen.
"Uh, tea. Would be nice." Audrey nearly bit her tongue as she said it, but it was the only chance for her to break the awful pause.
Before she could even blink, he had rushed off into the back of the house.
Evidentially the silence was as uncomfortable for him as it was for her.
She let out a deep breath that she had been holding as soon as he left the room and glanced around her, taking in her surroundings.
'Maybe all of this is a mistake. I can't possibly help the Order this way. I can barely protect my own life, how am I supposed to protect others?'
She quickly shook the pessimistic voice out of her head and marched over to the bookcase alining the wall and pulled out a heavy leather volume.
Asiatic Anti-Venoms.
She briskly flipped through the book's sooty pages, searching for anything that looked remotely interesting. Suddenly, the pages emitted a sharp, roaring hiss, making her drop the book with a shriek.
"I wouldn't touch that book as it can be a bit dangerous,"
Audrey looked over to where Severus was standing, looking severe and holding two delicate cups of tea in his hands.
"And the chapter on The Spitting Cobra is particularly foul."
She glanced down at where she had dropped the book and nodded slowly.
Severus weaved his way past several large piles of textbooks and settled in a ragged grey armchair. Audrey followed his example and found a rickety wooden chair a few feet from where he was located and sat herself down.
He didn't look up a he handed her a cup of tea but kept his eyes focused on his own.
"Thank you." she sighed, taking the cup and holding it close to her chest.
The warmth of the liquid began to seep through her body, down to her toes, making her
body less tense.
But not much.
"You already know why you are here, Miss Belmont, I will not repeat it. But I must warn you as to the severity of what you are indeed getting yourself into."
At this, his cold eyes searched into her own, completely draining the warmth right out of her again.
"Dealing with Death Eaters is not a task in which you can simply rely on me to help you with. You will need to expose yourself completely to them, as they will never accept you until they have seen the very core of your mind and have sifted through every memory you hold dear."
Audrey took a small sip of her tea, letting its heat wrap its way around her tongue, which at the moment felt like a brick of lead.
"If they see every memory, won't they instantly know my true purpose for the Order?"
"That is why I have asked you to come here first, Miss Belmont. We must not waste any time. Have you ever heard of Occumency?"