Note: Apologies for the delay; madness was reigning in my life and unfortunately writing had to take a back seat whilst I got myself together. I am now together, and here is the update that would have come last week. As a treat, it is three chapters instead of two. (But mainly that's because I got a little bit carried away.) The next update is already written so we should be back to normal now!

Chapter Sixteen

Impasse

"Well… Now what?"

Remus, Moody and Bill stood in front of the Manor gates, wondering just how they were going to get past them. Moody ran a hand over the wrought iron, not giving the slightest flinch when they twisted into grotesque shapes, refusing to let him pass.

"I can feel the blood wards," he said gruffly. "I was prepared for those; they can be fooled. There's something else though. I can't quite see it but there's definitely something else."

"Hmm," said Bill drily. "I wonder why."

Remus ran a hand over the gates as well and tried to remain as unfazed as Moody had. He too could feel the magic running through the metal, magic that would recognise those of the Malfoy family and make the gate open automatically for them. He knew, however, that he was not as sensitive to the darker magics of the world as Moody and Bill were. They encountered these things every day in their respective lines of work, and it was a matter of survival that they had an in-depth knowledge of the more harmful spells that the magical world held. Remus thought of his own employment history, as scanty as it had been in recent years. It would have been wonderful if he had been able to pursue one career for a long and fruitful period, as Bill and Moody had done. A career that required special training and skills, a career that would be truly respected amongst wizards. Such an achievement would be made all the sweeter by knowing everything that he had overcome in order to get there. Deep within, despite the friendships he already had, Remus craved the respect of his fellow wizards, but thanks to circumstances beyond his control, it was so much harder to gain.

"State your purpose," hissed the gates.

"We're here to break in and break out Dad," muttered Bill under his breath. He turned to Moody. "You know what we need, don't you? If they want to keep this place safe from the likes of us then all they have to do is tell the gates to keep out everyone who isn't a Death Eater."

In other words, Remus added mentally, teach the metal to recognise the Dark Mark.

"Not quite so easy to bypass," admitted Moody. There was a long silence whilst the three men thought frantically for a way through the Manor gates. They really should have been better prepared, Remus admitted to himself, but they had thought, as Moody had said aloud, that all they would have to contend with would be the blood wards.

"I've had a thought," said Bill. "A very long shot, but a thought none the less."

"Anything's better than nothing," said Moody. "Unless you suggest we try vaulting over the wall, in which case you're madder than I am."

"How did Harry get through the gates in his dream?" asked Bill. "Maybe that could give us a clue."

"I just passed straight through them as if they weren't there."

The voice from nowhere, although undeniably Harry's, made Remus start, and he hid a smirk as he saw Moody give the tiniest of twitches out of the corner of his eye. After a split-second of being caught off guard, however, the instinct for self-preservation kicked in and all three turned their wands on the interloper who had interrupted their musing.

"It's ok, it's me!"

The air seemed to shimmer and Harry's form appeared, pulling off the silvery invisibility cloak that Remus still retained fond Hogwarts memories of.

"That's what they all say," said Moody. "Mind you, I am tempted to think it's really you, as no-one else in their right mind would come out here with such a flagrant disregard for their own safety."

"It's not my fault," said Harry. "I had an idea and I didn't see any other way to get it to you! I'll go back to the Burrow as soon as…"

"Harry," Remus cut in, very aware that whilst Harry was doing an admirable job of proving he was indeed the genuine article, they had not as yet established his veracity. "What creature was sitting in the tank in the corner when you first came into my office at Hogwarts?"

Harry gave the correct answer and continued his vehement self-defence without pausing for breath.

"I'm not worried about the life-threatening situations you might find yourself in outside the Burrow, boy," growled Moody. "I'm more worried about how many limbs you'll have lost by the time Molly Weasley's done with you having gone behind her back."

Bill quickly stifled a laugh with a cough and was suddenly very interested in the fancy fretwork on the gates.

"She won't notice I'm gone," said Harry. "I'll be two minutes, I swear."

Moody fell silent and raised an eyebrow.

"Ok then Potter. What's your brilliant idea? How do you suggest we get past a gate that's been taught to recognise the Mark and that alone?"

"Parseltongue," said Harry simply. Moody's eyebrow went up another half-inch, and he said nothing, his expression of incredulity prompting Harry to continue his explanation. "Being a Parselmouth is one of Voldemort's defnining characteristics. The Dark Mark is a snake coming out of the mouth of a skull – a snake as a tongue. It makes sense – the gates might recognise Parseltongue, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it always has to be spoken."

Bill nodded, impressed.

"It's a good idea," he said.

"It's the only idea we've got," admitted Moody. "Ok Potter, give it your best shot. But then you're going straight back to the Burrow…"

"…And we will not be held responsible for any punishment that you receive that Mum sees fit," Bill added. "That you brought upon yourself."

Remus could tell that Bill was finding it extremely hard to keep the laugh out of his voice, and from the dark scowl that Harry gave the eldest Weasley son as he passed to stand in front of the gates, he could too. He paused for a few moments, twirling the cloak over and over between his fingers unconsciously as he considered exactly what he should say. Finally he opened his mouth and the unearthly hissing that was the language of the serpent spilled out of his mouth like mist swirling through the trees that surrounded the Manor, almost as if the language had a life of its own, as twisting and tricky and undulating as the beast to which it belonged.

The gates did not open, but they underwent a definite change of state. They seemed to shimmer in the air, as the cloak had done when Harry had pulled it off and both had become visible once more. Moody reached out to touch them gingerly and his hand passed straight through the metal, as if it was not there and they were merely viewing a hologram.

"I don't know how long that'll last," said Harry, "so you might want to get a move on."

Moody passed through the gates, followed by Bill. Remus hesitated, a little unnerved by the proposition of walking through something that seemed to be solid to the untrained eye, but then Moody, aware of how time was ticking away, reached through and pulled him bodily into the Manor grounds. The three rescuers turned and looked at Harry, who was still standing on the other side of the gates, looking slightly wistful.

"Don't you think it would be…" he began, but Moody cut him off.

"No," he said gruffly. "You've risked enough by coming out here in the first place, you meddlesome fool, although I can't deny that we probably couldn't have done it without you. Back to the Burrow. Now. We can take care of everything from here."

"But what if there's…"

"There won't be," growled Moody.

Harry's expression became resigned.

"I'm going," he said, and he pulled the cloak over his head once more. A second later, Remus heard the crack of a disapparition, and satisfied that Harry was once more on his way to safety, the three turned and began to make their way towards the foreboding looking house that towered above them at the end of the drive.

Remus had grown up in the magical world. He had been witness to and indeed an active participant in many things that muggles would only see in dreams, or more likely, as was the case with Remus's life, nightmares. Having spent a large proportion of his life in the throes of moonlit madness, it went without saying that it took a lot to phase him.

Doors that opened of their own accord, however, were one of the few things that had always managed to send a shiver down his spine. Remus prayed that his companions would see his momentary tremble as a reaction to the unseasonal chill in the air, swirling with the dementors' mist as it was. Not, of course, that a shiver of fear would be entirely unjustified. They were, after all, breaking and entering into the headquarters of the most powerfully and most woefully misguided magician currently alive, a wizard who had an army of thousands – both willing and not-so-willing – at his disposal, and who, for all they knew, could be inside the building at that very moment waiting for them. And they were but three. It had taken a lot of second-guessing to come up with the plan that they were currently enacting, but in the end it had been decided to keep up appearances by sending two of the Aurors with the two decoy Harrys in order to throw the Death Eaters off the scent. They might become suspicious if Harry was travelling wholly without the sort of protection that one would expect the 'Chosen One' to receive. They would wonder where the real fighting force of the Order was. There was also the point, one that Tonks had fought bitterly with Moody about, that this mission to rescue Arthur was a covert operation, a skirmish rather than a bloody battle. As highly trained in all disciplines, stealth included, as the Aurors were, Remus could not deny that Tonks would not be anyone's first choice for such a delicate operation. In, find Arthur, out; that was the plan, making as little fuss as possible. It was a daunting task, but Remus liked to think himself prepared.

That blasted door, on the other hand… What was it that Arthur had always said about not trusting anything that had no obvious place in which to keep a brain? The door had opened for them as they crept up the long drive, dark hoods pulled low over their faces in a feeble attempt at disguise. Whether the door had opened because it believed they really were Death Eaters (in which case Remus should not have been quite so unnerved by its sheer obtuseness), or because it thought that Voldemort himself had just walked through the gates, Remus didn't know. All he knew was that the house had some degree of sentience, like such old places steeped in centuries and generations of magic did. Just like Hogwarts, the bricks and stones of the manor had absorbed the magic that they had borne witness to over the years, moulding it into a strange magic of their own that acted as a sort of pseudo-self defence; turning the building into one that could almost think for itself. The house's brain was at its heart, where the magic would collect, slowly becoming ever more potent, but at that moment, Remus could not see the house's heart. He could only see a door that had opened with the aid of neither hand nor wand.

Remus paused outside the doorway, peering into the darkened hallway beyond. He had the sudden and unwelcome sensation of cold feet, and he had never before realised that the phrase was meant literally. He could feel the blood chilling in his veins as the magnitude of what they were about to do became clearer to him for the first time. For a start, they were breaking into a building, or at least entering it under false pretences, which was illegal under both muggle and wizarding law no matter how good the intentions. Added to that, the building was a very old, very magical one, and who knew what sort of traps it might spring at them completely independently of its owner, and in turn who knew what measures he might have in place to deter interlopers? Remus watched as Moody tapped all over the doorframe with his wand, searching for anything that might hinder their passing, and he considered their situation once more, his train of thought continuing in a logical fashion. Even when Moody had dealt with anything that Malfoy might have added to the house's arsenal, it was not just him that they would be dealing with once inside. Who knew how many Death Eaters were currently chasing the rest of the Order around the country on trains? Who knew how many remained behind? Who knew if Voldemort was currently residing in the manor at that time? As Moody gave the all-clear and motioned for Remus and Bill to follow him inside, Remus could not help but give a wry smile at the notion. Their nemesis would make for a very interesting house guest.

The house was dark; eerily and unnaturally so. There were no signs of life at all, and Remus was not quite sure if this made him more or less nervous about their quest. He shrugged inwardly; perhaps it made sense to leave the manor undefended, after all, Harry was their first priority. If it was merely a place to keep prisoners and hold meetings, did it really warrant such importance being placed upon its defence? It was easily replaced in its function as a citadel, and Remus highly doubted that Voldemort would have any sort of respect for his followers' property to want to keep it safe out of gratitude.

"DUCK!" growled Moody suddenly, and Remus wasted no more time in contemplation, throwing himself onto the ground as a flash of light missed him by inches…

Note2: Nice little cliffie… Don't worry, the next chapter's there and waiting for you!