FIC: The Revenant, Chapters 8-9 of 13

[geri_chan]

Title: The Revenant, Chapters 8-9
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~7,563
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts
Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except for Hob, who belongs to William Mayne, and Death, who belongs to Neil Gaiman; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU; written pre-HBP
Sequel to:  Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, and Aftermaths.
Summary: Snape's and Harry's families gather together at Snape Manor after Dylan's kidnapping, while Dylan tries to reason with his captor.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2a, Chapter 2b, Chapters 3-5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

***

Chapter 8: The Revenant

At the archaeological dig site, Theodore looked up in surprise as Snape approached them, carefully picking his way through the rubble. Without looking up from the runes he was examining, Tremayne said curtly, "We're busy, Snape. You wanted me to take the boy on as my apprentice, but I can't teach him anything if you're going to be interrupting us every five minutes."

"He's in danger," Snape said, just as bluntly. "And he might well bring danger upon you and the other members of the team if he remains."

That got Tremayne's attention, and he looked up, startled, as Theodore asked anxiously, "Father, what's wrong?"

Snape hesitated for just a second. The real story was too complicated to explain, and likely Tremayne wouldn't believe it, anyway. So all he said was, "Rabastan Lestrange has come out of hiding," which was true enough, although it wasn't the complete truth. "He's already kidnapped my foster son Dylan. I need to get Theodore somewhere safe."

"Father!" Theodore cried, his face turning pale. "Is Dylan all right?"

"I'll explain later," Snape said. "We have to get out of here."

"Very well," Tremayne said gravely. "Young Theodore's safety comes first, of course. But do try and get this mess wrapped up quickly, Snape, so that I can have my apprentice back as soon as possible. We have a lot of work to do." He handed Theodore a leather-bound notebook. "Here, take your notes with you, Mr. Snape, and continue working on the translation. There's no need to remain idle while you're in hiding."

"Yes, sir," Theodore said, smiling faintly despite his worry.

Snape raised his eyebrows, surprised to see that the old curmudgeon seemed to have taken a liking to Theodore, but he had no time to dwell on it now. "Come here, Theodore. You've never Apparated this far before, so I'll take us both back home."

"Yes, Father."

They reappeared in the entrance hall of Snape Manor, where the Snape house-elf, Vorcher, was waiting for them, anxiously wringing his hands. "The Masters and Mistresses are waiting for Master Severus and Master Theodore upstairs in the library," he said.

They ran up the stairs, and found Lupin, Selima, Branwen, Sirius, and Harry seated around a large table in the library, as Vorcher had said. Snape was surprised to see Dylan's owl Blodwen perched on top one of the book shelves beside Socrates, Selima's great horned owl, as well as the cage holding Kiseki, Lupin's pet rat, sitting on the table. But most surprising of all was the fact that Cabal was lying on an expensive carpet, lapping water from a silver dish, as Prospero and Blaise Zabini knelt beside him, applying healing salve to his wounds. Even more amazing, Lady Selima made no protest, frowning in a preoccupied manner as she looked up from the book she had been reading.

"Ah, Severus, thank Merlin you and Theodore are all right!" Selima said, smiling in relief. "We were beginning to get a little worried about you."

"Theo!" Blaise cried, jumping up and throwing his arms around his lover. "I'm so glad that you're all right!"

"I couldn't Apparate directly to the dig site, as I've never been there before," Snape explained to his mother as Theodore embraced Blaise, still looking puzzled and worried. "I had to Apparate to the nearest village, and have one of the locals show me the way." He gave Lupin a puzzled look. "You brought the animals with you?"

"Well, of course," Lupin replied. "Cabal needed healing, and I couldn't leave Blodwen and Kiseki behind, either. If we're gone, there's no one there to feed them, and who knows how long it will be before it's safe to go back?"

"So the mutt's all right?" Snape asked, feeling more relieved than he wanted to let on.

"I've applied some salve, and put some healing potion in his water," Prospero replied. "I think he should be fine with a little rest." He gently stroked the dog's head, crooning, "You're such a brave fellow, aren't you, risking your life to help your masters?" Cabal licked his hand, his tail weakly thumping against the carpet.

"And...er...not to be rude, but what are you doing here?" Snape asked.

"Prospero was dropping off a copy of his new book," Selima said, blushing slightly. "He thought that Professor Lupin might like to read it. He just happened to be here when the Professor called to say what had happened."

"And of course I knew that Blaise would be concerned about Theodore and Dylan, so I called him over," Prospero added.

"But aren't you supposed to be working at the museum?" Theodore asked Blaise. "You might get fired for skipping out on work after you've just been hired."

"I told them it was a family emergency," Blaise said impatiently. "Besides, I don't care if they fire me or not. You're much more important to me than any job, Theo, and Dylan, too. If you're in danger, then I want to be here with you, helping to get Dylan back, not leading a bunch of tourists around a museum."

"And besides," Selima pointed out practically, "even if he loses his summer job at the museum, he still has a position awaiting him at Hogwarts in the fall."

Theodore nodded, then asked almost plaintively, "Can someone please tell me what's going on here? What happened to Dylan?" When Snape and Lupin had finished explaining, he shook his head in amazement. "James Potter came back from the dead? That sounds even crazier than Mr. Zabini's stories! Ah...no offense, sir."

"None taken," Prospero said. "I agree that it's a plot that even I couldn't have dreamed up."

"I don't understand!" Harry protested. "Surely it's got to be some kind of trick that Lestrange is playing! Are you really saying that my father is a ghost?"

"Not a ghost, precisely," Selima said, maintaining an air of calm despite her obvious concern. "I think perhaps this might be what happened..." She handed the book she was holding to Snape; it was a text on Necromancy, one that was on the Ministry's list of prohibited books. There were several other books on Necromancy and Dark Magic lying on the table, and the secret door to the hidden room of Dark Arts books was open.

"Hmm," Snape said as he read the passage that she indicated. "I think you're right, Mother."

"Care to enlighten the rest of us, Snape?" Sirius asked sharply, but his eyes were filled with fear and concern, so neither Snape nor Selima took offense.

"I believe that James Potter has become a Revenant," Snape said.

"I don't think I've heard of that term before," Sirius said, frowning.

"It's an obscure Necromantic term, I believe," Branwen said. "It refers to a spirit summoned back after death, doesn't it?"

"How is that different from a ghost?" Harry demanded.

"The dictionary definition of 'revenant' is 'one who returns after death or a long absence,'" Snape replied. "The Necromantic definition refers to a vengeful spirit summoned back to the world of the living, usually to take revenge on someone who has wronged the deceased. The difference between a ghost and a Revenant is that a ghost makes the choice to remain on Earth as a spirit, while a Revenant is usually summoned by a Necromancer. I'm not surprised that you aren't familiar with the term, Black; such summonings are very rare. Few wizards these days have a talent for Necromancy, and a Necromancer can't just summon any dead person he pleases. A ghost has free will, and cannot normally be bound in this fashion, and a Necromancer cannot reach those souls which have already passed on to the afterlife. But it is believed that a few dead souls linger on, in what you might call a temporary state of limbo, unwilling or afraid to become ghosts, yet not willing to pass on into true death, either. These souls in limbo usually have unfinished business with, or strong emotional ties to the living--a murder victim who wishes to see his killer brought to justice, or a parent who wants to watch over a child, for example."

Everyone turned to look at Harry. "B-but Voldemort is dead!" Harry protested. "I avenged my mother and father! If it really is my dad, why hasn't he moved on?"

Lupin looked troubled. "He kept saying that Severus had turned you against him. In fact, he seemed to believe that Sirius and I had turned against him as well."

"He seemed to be referring to the time that Potter junior spied on my thoughts in the Pensieve," Snape said. "He seemed to be upset that his son saw him behaving like a bully, and equally offended that Lupin and Black told Mr. Potter that his father was an immature idiot at the time."

"I can't believe that James would come back from the dead just for that!" Sirius cried. "Or that he would kidnap Dylan and use a Cruciatus Curse on him! Isn't it more likely that Lestrange was posing as James for some reason?"

"I admit that seems like the more logical conclusion," Snape conceded. "But you didn't see Rabastan's eyes; he was truly terrified. I have known him since we were children, and I think I know him well enough to tell whether he's lying or not. Besides, Rabastan was never that good an actor; he and Rodolphus and Bellatrix were always arrogant and defiant, even after they'd been captured. He would never grovel and plead for help, not even to get an enemy to lower their defenses."

"It takes a great deal to frighten a Death Eater," Branwen murmured solemnly.

"He told us things that only the Marauders would know," Lupin said. "I know it's possible that Peter could have shared that information with someone else, but I find it hard to believe that he would have told the Death Eaters what James gave me for Christmas during fifth year, or about the rock where you and James used to play King Arthur, Sirius. Those were trivial, personal details, not intelligence about the Order's plans. I don't know how to explain it, but it just felt like it was James, even though I'd rather believe that it was Lestrange. His hatred for Severus felt real, too; it was irrational and out of proportion, but James's animosity towards Severus has always felt irrational to me. I can understand now why Severus hated James so much, but I never really understood why James hated Severus."

"He hated Dark Magic," Sirius whispered, looking ashamed of himself as he remembered how he had joined James in hexing and taunting Snape. "That's why he hated all Slytherins. I suppose that Snape became his prime target because he was always following us around."

"The two of you were opposites, Severus," Branwen said quietly. "Like flip sides of a coin--light and dark; Gryffindor and Slytherin. But James did not understand that light cannot exist without darkness, and vice versa."

"But that's why I can't believe that it's James!" Sirius said earnestly. "I can see that he might want to come after Snape, maybe challenge him to a duel--but to take Dylan as a hostage? Not to mention casting an Unforgivable Curse! Back in the old days, we had been given dispensation to use Unforgivable Curses on the Death Eaters, but James refused to use them. He believed that using Dark spells would corrupt the soul of the wizard who used them."

"So perhaps he thinks that Father is still a Death Eater?" Theodore mused. "And maybe that Dylan is one too, since his father was a Death Eater?"

"But if he's been watching over Harry from Heaven or the afterlife or wherever it is that dead spirits hang about, shouldn't he have realized by now that the Professor and Dylan were fighting against the Dark Lord?" Blaise asked doubtfully.

"You said that my dad wasn't a bad person, even if he acted like an idiot sometimes!" Harry told Lupin and Sirius tearfully. "He may have done some dumb things in the past, but surely he'd never do anything really evil, like hurting Dylan! I mean, I know that he hexed Professor Snape and that he was wrong to do it, but that's not the same thing as casting a Crucio spell!"

"Maybe it's Rabastan's influence?" Prospero suggested. "If Severus is correct, Rabastan's mind is still aware even if James is controlling his body. James could be picking up on some of Rabastan's thoughts and emotions, even though he might not consciously be aware of it."

"It's possible," Snape said. "As much as I hated Potter, I do agree that it's out of character for him to kidnap a teenage boy, even the son of a Death Eater, or to use an Unforgivable Curse. But you must realize that Potter is probably no longer entirely sane. The summoner of a Revenant uses the spirit's desire for revenge to call it. Once Potter answered that call, his anger and hatred would have overwhelmed him. It's something like the effect of a Dementor's attack, only the Revenant is left with a burning need for vengeance rather than despair. He may have forgotten some of his happier memories, although from our conversation, it seems that he does still remember events from his childhood. But you can't expect him to behave rationally. He is no longer the old James that we knew."

"Severus is right," Branwen whispered, her eyes filled with dread and horror. "I don't believe that this is a deception on Rabastan's part. This is why James's grave was desecrated."

"What?!" Snape and Lupin chorused.

"We took Harry to visit his parents' graves this morning," Branwen explained. "James's grave had been dug up, and a finger cut from his hand. We figured that it must have been a Death Eater or a Death Eater sympathizer, perhaps Rabastan, but we didn't know what he wanted the finger for. But now it's obvious: Rabastan needed a part of James's body in order to summon his spirit."

Snape nodded. "The spell requires the bone or blood or flesh of the one being summoned."

"I don't understand why Rabastan would want to do something so dangerous, though," Branwen said. "I can see that he might want to summon the spirit of a deceased Death Eater, perhaps his brother or sister-in-law, although even a friendly spirit can turn against the caster--the Revenant, as you pointed out, is no longer sane, and spirits who linger after death often hunger for a return to life. One of the dangers of summoning a dead soul is that the spirit might attempt to possess the body of the summoner and claim it for its own--which is apparently what happened to Rabastan. Why on earth would he try to summon the spirit of one of his worst enemies?"

"We only spoke to Rabastan briefly before Potter's personality took over again," Snape replied. "He said that he was attempting to contact Rodolphus and Bellatrix, but that he touched Potter's mind instead, and decided to bind the spirit to his will. That is the sort of thing that would appeal to Lestrange--to enslave an enemy even after his death, but he should have known how dangerous it would be to attempt such a spell. Then again, he spent over a decade in Azkaban under the Dementors' influence, so he was probably not mentally stable to begin with, and the defeat of the Dark Lord and the deaths of his brother and sister-in-law may have sent him over the edge. And even if Rabastan is still sane, having Potter's mind dominating his will likely drive him mad soon enough."

"So basically we have two insane minds trapped in the body of a Dark Wizard," Selima said dryly. "This is getting worse by the minute. I don't suppose that their insanity will inhibit their ability to cast spells."

"Probably not," Snape said glumly. "There isn't a great deal of verifiable information on Revenants, as no one has been known to have conjured one for at least three hundred years, but Potter seems to have retained his skills as a wizard even though he's lost his sanity. And if he has access to Rabastan's memories, it's possible that he could cast Dark spells that Rabastan knew, even if James had never learned them."

"One of your ancestors ran afoul of a Necromancer, didn't he, Severus?" Prospero asked.

"Yes, Sebastian Snape, in the time of the Founders," Snape replied. "That is why the Snapes have such an extensive collection of Necromantic texts--not to practice Necromancy, but to learn how to defend against it."

"Then you know how to defeat the Revenant?" Theodore asked hopefully.

"Sebastian's enemy never used a Revenant," Snape said unhappily. "I'll need to conduct further research in order to figure out how to banish it."

"But the Revenant is my dad!" Harry cried. "I mean, I know that it's Lestrange's body, but it's my dad's spirit in there! Will you have to hurt him?"

"He's already dead!" Theodore snapped. "Besides, would you rather let him kill Dylan?"

"No, but..." Harry stared at Sirius and Lupin pleadingly.

Prospero got up and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Do not worry, Harry," he said soothingly. "Your father is already dead; we cannot really hurt him further. What we need to do is find a way to separate James's spirit from Rabastan's body and help him pass on, as he should have done years ago, to join your mother and be at peace." Harry calmed down a little, but Prospero exchanged a shrewd look with Snape over Harry's shoulder. They both knew that it was difficult but not impossible to harm a spirit; it was even said that the greatest of Necromancers were able to destroy a spirit completely, although Snape didn't think that he had enough power to do such a thing, even if he had known how to do it. But there was no point in sending the boy into hysterics by pointing that out to him. If Snape could simply send James Potter on into the afterlife, he would, but he wouldn't hesitate to do whatever was necessary to save his son, no matter what the cost was to James Potter's soul--or his own.

"What about Dumbledore?" Snape asked Lupin. "Will he be able to help us? If anyone can handle a Revenant, it's him. And he and Potter were close; he might be able to get through to him."

Lupin shook his head glumly. "No, he's already left on his fishing trip, and he didn't give Minerva a forwarding address. She's busy contacting villages near fishing spots where he might have gone, but we don't even know whether he's still in this country or not."

"How could he just go off without telling anyone where he went?" Snape fumed. "He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts, after all! What if an emergency arose? Like this one, for example!"

"It's summer, and there are no students at the castle," Lupin pointed out patiently. "I'm sure he thought that Minerva could handle things by herself for a couple of weeks. And you know how some of the Ministry officials are always pestering him, asking for his advice and help on every little thing--he probably didn't want the first vacation he's had in decades to be interrupted."

"Well, we need him now!" Snape said, pounding his fist on the table in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Lupin said. "Minerva's doing her best to find him. And she did say that we could take shelter at the castle if you would feel safer there."

"No," Snape said adamantly. "I would not feel at all safe; Potter knows too many secret entrances into the castle, what with that bloody Marauder's Map the four of you created. No, I would rather stay at Snape Manor. It's well-warded, and Potter has never been here before."

"The Lestranges have been here a few times," Selima said, "but I don't think that Rabastan has been here often enough to be familiar with the mansion, and I have specifically set the wards to bar either Rabastan or James Potter from entering."

"Good," Snape said.

"I wonder if he targeted Dylan specifically, or if it was simply a crime of opportunity?" Prospero mused out loud. "Theodore is your legal son, but Rabastan fled before you adopted him, and he was aware that you were close to Dylan. It could be a sign that James is being somewhat influenced by Rabastan's memories."

"I'm not sure," Snape said. "It was probably coincidence. Theodore had left to start his apprenticeship in Ireland, and Dylan happened to be walking the dog when Potter arrived. It seemed like he had come to attack me, but took Dylan as a hostage when the opportunity arose."

"We should go through these books and look for ways to combat a Revenant," Selima said, her voice cool although her eyes were anxious. "But we must be prepared for the fact that he might contact us before we have time to complete our research. Did he say how he would contact you, Remus?"

"No," Lupin said, looking worried. "Perhaps I should stay at the cottage in case he comes back."

"Not alone, you won't!" Snape said sharply.

"We could send an elemental to watch for James and carry his message," Prospero suggested.

"An excellent idea!" Branwen said approvingly. "I'll summon a few air elementals and send them to the cottage right away. Then I'll go to Blackmore Manor and see if there are any Necromantic texts in the library that might be of use to us."

"I would appreciate that, Branwen," Snape said.

"And we must decide what to do if Potter demands an exchange of hostages before we have found a way to banish the Revenant," Selima said firmly.

"You can't be thinking of handing Harry over to him!" Sirius shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Then should we let your ghostly friend kill Dylan?!" Selima shouted back at him.

Snape stared at Harry silently for a few moments, a troubled, torn look on his face. Harry stared back at him in confusion, then realized with a start that Snape didn't want to put him in danger. He was shocked, because he knew that Snape thought of Dylan like a son, so he would have thought that the Potions Master would do anything to get Dylan back--including exchanging Dylan for Harry, whom he had never liked to begin with. But then again, he had protected Harry for seven years at Hogwarts, even if he had never been very gracious about it. Harry suddenly remembered something Lupin had told him once, that Snape would never let harm befall a student in his care if he could prevent it.

"Of course we won't hand Potter junior over to him, Black," Snape finally said in a cool voice as his mother gave him an affronted look. "It would be too dangerous. We'll have someone pose as Mr. Potter using an Illusion spell or Polyjuice Potion. The potion would be safer, I think, since an illusion can be easily dispelled. But it will have to be someone who knows both Potters well enough to fool Potter senior, so it would have to be you or Lupin."

"I'll do it," Lupin instantly volunteered.

"Black's reckless personality is closer to Mr. Potter's, though," Snape said. "You could give yourself away if you do or say something out of character."

"Wait a minute!" Harry interrupted as they debated over who should impersonate him. "No one's even asked me if I'm willing to go!"

The adults all turned to stare at him. "Harry, it's too dangerous!" Sirius said firmly.

"But if it really is my dad, he won't hurt me," Harry said earnestly. "I'll tell him that he's wrong about Professor Snape turning me against him, and I'll convince him to let Dylan go."

"Didn't I just get through explaining that your father is no longer in his right mind?" Snape asked waspishly. "A sane James Potter would not hurt his son, but the Revenant is not sane. All it wants is revenge."

"It's also possible that Rabastan might regain control of his body," Prospero said gravely. "And if he did, then he might well want to harm you, Harry."

"But I feel like it's my fault," Harry said. "He took Dylan because of me." He remembered the talk they'd had near the end of the school year, when Dylan had patiently listened to him talk about his desire to call Sirius "Dad" and his fear that he would be disloyal to his real father if he did so. Dylan had treated him like a friend, even though they had never been close before and Harry had suspected him of being a Death Eater in the past. "If my dad...if the Revenant is dangerous, then he might hurt Dylan if he finds out that you've tricked him and sent someone else in my place. Dylan is my friend; I can't let him be hurt if there's anything I can do to help him."

Snape gave him a surprised but grateful look. "Well, I wouldn't have asked you to do it, Potter, but if you're willing..."

"No!" Sirius said. "I'm his father and I forbid it! I'll go in Harry's place, and I'll do anything I can to rescue Dylan, but I will not allow Harry to risk his life by going up against a Death Eater and a vengeful spirit!"

Harry opened his mouth to argue that he wasn't a child anymore, when a sudden suspicion made his blood run cold. "Professor Snape...Remus," Harry said slowly. "What exactly did my father say about my turning against him? Did he only mention the prank I saw in the Pensieve, or he did he say something else?"

Snape frowned, trying to remember. "He was babbling something about you not wanting him as a father anymore, and being replaced by Black. Which is ridiculous, because he's the one who chose Black as your godfather, but as I said, he's not thinking rationally."

"Oh my God," Harry whispered. "It really is my fault."

"Of course it's not your fault, Harry," Lupin said gently. "James has held a grudge against Severus since before you were born. The spell that Lestrange used only magnified his anger--"

"No, you don't understand," Harry interrupted miserably. "I know why my father thinks that I've betrayed him. Just the other day, I asked Sirius if I could start calling him 'Dad.' I talked it over with Dylan, too, before school let out. I thought he'd understand how I felt, since you and the Professor became his parents after his mum died. I really wanted to think of Sirius as my Dad, not just my godfather, but I was worried that I was being disloyal to my real dad. But Dylan said that calling Sirius 'Dad' wouldn't make me forget about my parents or love them any less. And then I talked about it with Sirius and Prof...with Sirius and Branwen, and they said that it was okay. They said that my dad wouldn't mind, but maybe he did. He must have felt like I didn't want him to be my father anymore."

Sirius's face had turned sheet-white. "I did tell Harry that James wouldn't mind, that he'd be happy for us," he whispered. "I honestly thought that he would be. We were best friends, and he asked me to be Harry's godfather...I thought that he'd want Harry to have a loving family."

"And I told Harry the same thing," Branwen said quietly. "But to be honest, I believed that the question was rhetorical. We had no idea that James's spirit had not moved on, or that he might be listening to our conversation."

"So it's my fault," Harry said, guilt-stricken. "I never should have asked Sirius if I could call him 'Dad.'"

"You weren't wrong to do so," Lupin said gently. "You deserve to be part of a family, Harry, and I know that you still love your father. If James were in his right mind, he would have realized that, too."

"You said that the spell magnified my father's anger," Harry replied. "But there must have been some anger there to begin with, because Professor Snape said that a Revenant is a vengeful spirit. If James hadn't wanted revenge, then Lestrange wouldn't have been able to summon him, right?"

"Correct," Snape said thoughtfully. "A surprisingly insightful observation, Mr. Potter."

"If my father wasn't unhappy, then he wouldn't still be hanging around," Harry persisted. "He would have moved on to...well, whatever comes next after death. So he probably really was upset about me wanting to call Sirius 'Dad.'"

"Maybe, maybe not," Snape said. "It doesn't matter now. As much as it pains me to admit it, we could use your assistance, Mr. Potter. I would rather not take the chance that Potter senior might detect an impostor. But if you're only coming along out of guilt and self-pity, then we don't need you. Someone in that state of mind is likely to be careless and make mistakes, thereby putting everyone involved, including yourself and Dylan, at risk."

Snape's harsh words stung Harry, and he realized that he had been feeling sorry for himself. He sat up straight, filled with a new sense of resolve. "No, sir. I want to go along because I want to help Dylan, if I can."

Snape gave him a curt nod of approval. "Very well, then."

"Wait a minute!" Sirius snapped. "I'm his legal guardian, and I say that he's not going!"

Branwen placed a hand on her husband's arm. "Harry is no longer a child, Sirius," she said softly. "I don't want to see him put in danger, either, but he has the right to make his own decisions. He will become an Auror soon, and we will not be able to stop him from putting himself in danger in the line of duty. Or do you intend to hold him prisoner in Grimmauld Place for the rest of his life?"

"You put yourself in danger, too, Sirius, working for the Order of the Phoenix," Harry pointed out. "I was so scared when Bellatrix nearly killed you. But I understand that you did it because you had to. And I have to do this, Sirius. Dylan is my friend. It's not right for me to sit safe at home if there's something I can do to help him."

Sirius bowed his head, tears in his eyes. "I still don't like this," he muttered.

"I don't like it, either," Lupin said, giving Harry a worried smile. "But Harry is a strong Defensive mage, and he held his own against the Death Eaters. And it's possible that he might be able to get through to James and make him come to his senses."

"I think that even in his present state, James would hesitate to attack his own son," Snape admitted. "But don't let down your guard, Mr. Potter. Your father isn't sane. If you anger him, he might lash out and attack you. He would probably be remorseful later if he killed you, but you would still be dead. And of course Rabastan has no reason to hold back from attacking you."

"Yes, sir," Harry said. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Snape sighed wearily. "It's probably futile to expect a Gryffindor to be careful, but do your best, Mr. Potter."

"It is possible that we might find a way to defeat the Revenant without Mr. Potter's help," Prospero said, although his hopeful tone rang a bit hollow. "So let's start looking through these texts."

"And I'll summon the elementals and send them to the cottage," Branwen said.

"All right then," Snape said briskly. "Let's get to work, everyone!"

***

Chapter 9: The Hostage

James Apparated to the Shrieking Shack and unceremoniously dumped the bound, half-conscious boy in a corner. This wasn't really an ideal hiding place, but it would do for now. His cottage in Godric's Hollow and the Potter mansion had both been destroyed. Rabastan knew of several hiding places that the Death Eaters had established, but his host's memories were blurry and distorted, and James wasn't sure if he would be able to Apparate safely based on those hazy images. Rabastan, of course, would have no problem Apparating to the hiding places, but that would require giving control of his body back to Rabastan--something that was obviously unacceptable. James didn't think that it would occur to Moony and Padfoot that he would return to the site of their old confrontation with Snape. Or would it? It was so hard to think with his heart clamoring for revenge, and with Rabastan clamoring inside his head, demanding the return of his body. He had the Death Eater walled off in a small corner of his own mind, but it was as if Rabastan was pounding on that wall with imaginary fists, frantically trying to break it down. His efforts were completely ineffectual, but they did serve to give James a pounding headache.

James groaned, rubbing his temples. He should be glad to have his body--or a body--back again, but he had forgotten how inconvenient bodies could be, with their aches and pains, and need for food and water and rest. If they stayed here too long, he would have to venture out to get some food for himself and the boy, not to mention the fact that the plumbing in the Shack probably didn't work anymore. Besides, he shouldn't give Snape too long to prepare a counterattack. The problem was, James wasn't sure what he intended to do next. He had rushed off to confront Snape in a blind rage without really thinking about it. Then he'd seen Evan's son, Snape's pet and protege, and he had realized that he could steal the boy, a fitting revenge for the way that Snape had turned Harry against him. And then he had gotten the idea of exchanging Dylan for Harry, because that was what he really wanted, wasn't it? To see Harry again, to win back his son's affection and restore Harry's faith in him?

"Where are we?" Dylan whispered, interrupting James's train of thought. The boy struggled to raise himself up--rather awkwardly, more kneeling than sitting since his limbs were still bound, but he managed by bracing himself against the wall.

"None of your business," James replied curtly, then set about casting silence spells and obscurement spells to avoid attracting the attention of the Hogsmeade villagers, as well as warding spells to alert him to the presence of intruders and delay their entry.

"Do you really think that Harry would approve of this, Mr. Potter?" Dylan asked, still looking weak, but obviously shaking off the effects of the Stupefy spell.

"Shut up!" James snapped.

"You're wrong, you know," Dylan persisted. "About Professor Snape turning Harry and Remus against you. Remus always talks about what good friends you were, and how much it meant to him that you didn't care about his lycanthropy."

"I'm not interested in your opinion, Rosier," James said sharply. The boy's voice was earnest and persuasive, but James remembered what a smooth talker Evan Rosier had been, and he didn't intend to let himself be swayed or distracted by Evan's son.

"And you're wrong about Harry," Dylan continued. "We talked once, about how much we loved our fathers--"

"Don't compare me to your Death Eater father!" James snapped. "We have nothing in common!"

"He told me that he was happy to be living with Sirius, but that he could never forget you or his mother," Dylan said. "Even though he was only a baby at the time, he still remembers how the two of you fought to protect him from Voldemort. He knows that you sacrificed your lives to save him; he could never turn against you. Just because he loves Sirius doesn't mean that he loves you any less."

"I said, shut up!" James shouted, barely able to think straight between the double assault of Dylan's arguments and Rabastan's silent screams inside his head.

"Even if the Professors do agree to your demands, what do you intend to do when you meet Harry?" Dylan asked in a reasonable voice. "Do you think that he'll be happy that you've kidnapped one of his friends?"

Dylan's questions touched a nerve in James, probably because he had just been asking himself the same thing. He didn't know what he would do when he saw Harry. It wasn't as if they could go off and live happily-ever-after together as father and son. Technically, this was Rabastan Lestrange's body, even if James was in control of it, and the Aurors would want to arrest the fugitive Death Eater and bring him to justice. Even if they could be convinced that Rabastan hadn't gone insane and wasn't trying to trick them, and that James really was in control of Rabastan's body, they wouldn't just let him be. They would consider it an abomination, and be determined to exorcise James's spirit from Rabastan's body and "set him free." And once, James would have been content to move on and join Lily, after he had cleared things up with Harry. But now, he was tempted by this unexpected second chance at life. After so many years of watching Harry from a distance, the thought of being able to actually physically hug his son brought tears to James's eyes. He wanted to catch up on all the years he had missed--to talk to his son, embrace him, watch him play Quidditch...

But at best, this would be a temporary reunion, a chance to patch things up with Harry before moving on into the afterlife. Otherwise, he would have to live as Rabastan had, a fugitive on the run from the Aurors. There was no way that he would subject Harry to that kind of life, and there was no point in living in Rabastan's body if he couldn't be with Harry.

"Let me worry about that," James growled at Dylan. "And you had better hope for your sake that they do bring Harry to me."

Dylan lifted his head, staring James straight in the eye, and said in a level voice, "However angry you are at Professor Snape, I know that you won't kill me."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" James retorted.

"Maybe you didn't get along with Professor Snape," Dylan replied. "But the man that Remus knew, the one that befriended a werewolf and even became an Animagus to help him, would never kill a helpless prisoner, even the son of a Death Eater. My father may have been your enemy, but I have never done you any harm, Mr. Potter. I was not even born when you died."

Dylan's words awoke a twinge of guilt and uncertainty in James, while at the same time the reminder that he was dead, that his life had been stolen from him by Voldemort infuriated him. And without thinking, he backhanded the boy across the face and screamed, "I told you to shut up!"

The boy's face suddenly filled with shock and fear, a trickle of blood oozing from a small cut on his lower lip. James came to his senses and stared at Dylan in horror. He had struck a boy--the son of a Death Eater to be sure, but still, a boy near Harry's age. A year younger than Harry, if he remembered correctly. James didn't hurt children, even the children of Death Eaters. That wasn't the sort of thing that a Gryffindor did.

"I...I'm sorry," he stammered. "Lestrange must have taken over for an instant."

{Oh, and I suppose that it was me who cast the Cruciatus Curse on him, too?} Rabastan asked sarcastically inside James's mind.

"Shut up!" James cried, clutching at his head, as Dylan flinched, squirming further back into the corner of the room. "Just shut up! I'm in charge here, not you!"

***

Dylan hastily scooted backwards--for all the good that would do. It wasn't as if James couldn't kill him anytime he wanted; he was essentially helpless with his arms and legs bound. Professor Snape did not like to talk about his past, but the few things that he had mentioned about James Potter did not paint a very flattering picture. Still, Remus had loved James, and said that he had been kind and compassionate, so Dylan had assumed that there was some good in James, and he had tried to remain calm and reason with his captor. He had thought that if he could manage to reach the James that Sirius and Remus knew and loved, then everything would be all right. While he was frightened and confused, Dylan had not really believed that his life was in danger; James Potter was an idealistic Gryffindor, after all. He had saved Professor Snape from being killed by Remus in the Shrieking Shack even though they had been enemies.

But when James struck him without warning, Dylan realized that there was indeed a very good chance that he might be killed. And it reminded him that his body still ached from the Cruciatus Curse; it was also highly out of character for noble Gryffindors to cast Unforgivable Curses, too. Besides, being a Gryffindor was no proof of nobility--look at how Peter Pettigrew and Ian Williamson had turned out. The James Potter standing in front of him was not the same James Potter that Remus had known.

Dylan huddled in the corner as James ranted and raved, until he realized that James was shouting at Rabastan, not him. His tongue darted out and nervously licked away the droplets of blood from his split lip. He didn't really understand how James's spirit had come to possess Rabastan's body, but he did believe that it was James. Unfortunately, James didn't seem to be entirely in his right mind. He wasn't sure which of the two was more dangerous, Rabastan or James, but Dylan thought that he would have preferred to face Rabastan, even if he was a murderous Death Eater. Rabastan was dangerous, and he probably would want to kill Dylan for being a traitor, but at least Dylan was familiar with the Death Eaters and how they thought. Although the Lestranges had once been fanatically devoted to Voldemort's cause, by fleeing the scene of the final battle, Rabastan had proven that he valued his own life more than he valued that cause or even revenge on the Master who had betrayed him. Dylan might be able to cut a deal with Rabastan, convince the Death Eater to spare his life in exchange for helping him escape capture by the Aurors. A long shot, perhaps, but he would rather take his chances with a sane Death Eater than an insane spirit, even one who had once been a supposedly kind and noble Gryffindor. Especially when a spirit, unlike a live Rabastan, had no reason to fear death, and doubly so when that spirit seemed consumed by an irrational rage against Dylan's foster father. Why would James listen to Dylan when he wouldn't listen to his own best friend Remus? So for the moment, Dylan gave up trying to reason with James and struggled with his bonds, trying to loosen his hands just a little. If only he could reach his wand...his hands were bound behind his back, but he slowly and awkwardly tugged at the loose folds of his robe, trying to draw the pocket that held his wand closer to his fingers. He kept his back turned towards the wall, trying to shield his efforts from James's sight, but then James stopped ranting and frowned at him, his gaze focusing on Dylan once again.

"Ah yes," James said, "I almost forgot." And he searched Dylan's pockets and plucked out his wand. "I'll hold onto this for now." Dylan braced himself for another blow, or worse, a curse or hex, but James did not look angry; rather, he still seemed shaken. "Look," James said almost apologetically, "you won't be here for long. Just until they bring Harry to me, then I'll let you go." James's face brightened. "Once I talk to Harry, explain things to him, then everything will be all right."

Having learned his lesson, Dylan very carefully kept his mouth shut and did not point out that Sirius might not want to let Harry anywhere near a Death Eater, even one possessed by James Potter's spirit. He didn't ask James what he would do if Snape didn't bring Harry to him, nor did he ask what James intended to do after he "explained things" to Harry. Somehow he couldn't picture James tamely releasing his hold on Rabastan's body and passing on into the afterlife. But he just nodded silently, not wanting to provoke James into another violent rage. He had to trust that Snape and Remus would find a way to rescue him, and in the meantime, he would remain alert and watch for an opportunity to escape.

Chapters 10-11