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Entry tags:
Scars, Part 29
Rating: NC-17 overall
Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa (OMCs), and a few other minor pairings
Word count: 5150
Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.
Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III. (These stories are archived on my website and also on Moonshadow.)
Summary: Henry arrives at Hogwarts to help locate Greyback.
Part 28
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"Idiot werewolf," Snape grumbled, but he wasn't really surprised that the pack leader had sneaked off on his own; he had been half-expecting it, in spite of the precautions that Dumbledore and the Aurors had set in place. The former Lukas Bleddri might have officially transformed into Cyril Diggory, head of the Diggory family and teacher at Hogwarts, but beneath that veneer of social respectability, he was still a feral wolf at heart. Arthur, Tonks, and Lupin tended to think of Lukas as a fellow Order member, albeit an unofficial one, because he had fought on their side in the final battle, but he hadn't fought for the sake of the Order or even the wizarding world in general. He had fought for revenge, because Voldemort had murdered one of his pack members. His true loyalty would always lie with his pack, not Hogwarts or the Order or the Ministry.
Shacklebolt, being a bit more cynical than his violet-haired partner, had been the one to insist on monitoring Lukas, but in spite of his best efforts, the werewolf had still managed to escape. Of course, setting a house-elf to guard a werewolf hadn't exactly been the most brilliant of plans, but in fairness to the Auror, that had been Dumbledore's idea, not Shacklebolt's.
The monitoring of the Floo Network, while it had seemed a sensible precaution at the time, turned out to have been useless, and in fact, nearly tipped off Dawlish to the situation. As soon as he found out, he contacted Dumbledore and demanded to know why the school Floos were being monitored, and why it had been done without his authorization.
One small piece of luck in their favor was that Henry Bletchley had arrived almost immediately after Lukas had fled, although it remained to be seen how useful he would be. Henry requested the use of one of the dungeon workrooms, where any unexpected side effects of the spells he planned to use could be contained--a request which did not exactly inspire confidence, although he assured Snape that it was "just a precaution".
Shacklebolt, Tonks, and Potter were recalled from their search, and soon convened together in the dungeon with Snape, Lupin, Tsubasa, and Henry; the Headmaster was currently at the Ministry, attempting to allay Dawlish's suspicions.
"I just knew he would try something like this!" Shacklebolt complained when Lupin explained what Lukas had done.
"Well, he shouldn't have run off like that," Potter said, looking a little guilty--probably because he had pulled similar stunts in the past. At least the boy was now Shacklebolt's problem and not Snape's. "But the note says that only one person can use the Portkey, so none of us could have gone with him, anyway."
"First of all, the Macnairs could have been lying about the Portkey only being able to transport one person because they wanted him to come alone," Snape informed his former student impatiently. "And even it was true, we could still have placed a tracking spell on Diggory if he had warned us ahead of time." Potter just gave him a blank look in reply. "Honestly, Shacklebolt, haven't you taught the boy anything?" Snape asked waspishly, more to bait the Auror than out of any real belief that Shacklebolt's training methods were lacking.
"He's only been working with us for a few months!" Shacklebolt snapped, while Tonks and Lupin both sighed and rolled their eyes, managing to look amused and irritated at the same time. "We hadn't got around to covering that yet! Tracking spells are advanced magic and Auror training normally takes three years--as you well know, Snape!"
"A tracking spell would have enabled us to monitor Lukas and Apparate to his location, at least in theory," Tonks patiently explained to Potter. "The spell becomes unreliable over long distances--for example, if the Portkey took him to Romania. And it won't work in Unplottable areas. But still, if Lukas had let us use the spell on him, we would've at least had a chance of tracking him and coming to his aid."
"He might have been afraid that you wouldn't allow him to use the Portkey, that one of you Aurors would insist on going in his place," Tsubasa said. "The werewolves don't seem to place a great deal of trust in authority, although I suppose you can hardly blame them."
"You're remarkably calm, under the circumstances," Tonks marveled. "Considering that it's your, er, mate who has been kidnapped."
Tsubasa shrugged. "Going into hysterics would hardly help the situation, now would it? Of course I'm anxious, but I've been trained to remain calm under pressure. Also...I'm reasonably sure that Ash is still alive. The crane folk can sense when their mates die, even if they're separated by distance. It might be different for us, since Ash is a wolf, but I still think I would know if..." His voice faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "If anything happened to him. Maybe it would have reassured Lukas if I had told him that, but then again, maybe not. Knowing that Ash is alive doesn't tell me where he is, or how to get to him before Greyback and the Macnairs kill him."
"Well, I might be able to help with that, although I can't guarantee any results," Henry said. "But I do believe that I have found the proper spells to forge a link between the ring and the medallion, or more accurately, between myself and Greyback."
He reached into his briefcase and brought out the ring and a couple of small vials, laying them down on a sturdy wooden table that was the only piece of furniture in the room, aside from a few wooden chairs. The surface of the table was marred slightly by blackened spots and shallow scratches--the remains of past experiments gone awry. Snape noticed that his fellow Slytherin's face was pale and his hands shook slightly as he worked.
"You don't need to do this personally, Henry," Snape told him. "You could leave it to the Aurors. It is their job, after all, and this could be dangerous."
"Snape is right," Shacklebolt said, agreeing with Snape for once. "We appreciate your help, Professor Bletchley, but there is no need for you to take any risks. As the Auror in charge, it ought to be me who uses the ring, if you can tell me what to do."
Somewhat to Snape's surprise, Henry shook his head. He had always been a practical sort in school--not cowardly, but not one to stick his neck out unnecessarily, either. "Unfortunately, I already inadvertently keyed the ring to myself when I used my blood to test it," Henry explained. "The connection between the ring and medallion has already been weakened by the fact that neither I nor Greyback are the original owners of the items. Attempting to re-key the ring to someone else might weaken the connection further, to the point where it would be useless to us. If I could go back in time, I would do things differently, but as it is...I must be the one who wields the ring."
"Well then, we appreciate your help, Professor," Shacklebolt said, gazing at the scholar with a newfound respect, and Henry nodded in acknowledgment, looking a little less pale.
"Why are you doing this, Henry?" Snape asked, too quietly for anyone but Lupin, with his keen werewolf senses, to overhear.
"To tell you the truth, Severus, I really don't know myself," Henry laughed, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of fear and confusion and exhilaration. "Let's just say that I'm doing it for the sake of scholarly ambition. If I can pull this off, my reputation in the academic world will be made."
"Assuming you survive," Snape said dryly.
"Reassuring as always, Severus," Henry said lightly. "But I'll trust you to publish my research posthumously if I'm killed in the line of duty, so my reputation will still live on. Besides, while there is some danger inherent in using a Dark artifact, I don't really expect this to be a fatal experience."
"I hope not," Snape said.
"Now then," Henry said in a brisk, professional voice as he unstoppered one vial and the others gathered closer to watch him work. "This is a solution made by combining my own blood with the dried blood I found on the ring. Hopefully, using some of the original owner's blood will help strengthen my own bond to the ring." He carefully poured a few drops onto the ring while passing his wand over it, and the ruby glowed bright red for a moment before returning to normal.
Henry opened the second vial. "This is a solution made from Greyback's saliva, obtained from the samples taken at St. Mungo's from Bill Weasley's wound, as well as some fur and a drop of blood that Ms. Tonks and Mr. Potter found at the Weasleys' shop. I would have preferred to have more of the subject's blood, but I believe that this will be sufficient to forge a link between myself and Greyback."
"Oh!" Lupin suddenly exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of it before? There might be some of Greyback's blood at the site where he attacked Ash! Ash turned into a wolf and bit and clawed Greyback, and some of it might have spilled on the ground!"
"You're right," Snape admitted, chagrined that he hadn't thought of it sooner. "But to go there now and search for it might take more time than we can spare." He glanced at Henry for confirmation.
"It would take time to gather the blood and mix a new solution," Henry agreed. "It might also prove difficult, maybe even impossible to separate Mr. Randolf's blood from Greyback's, if both men were in wolf form at the time."
"How long would it take to make the new solution, assuming we can find Greyback's blood?" Shacklebolt asked.
"Perhaps an hour," Henry replied. "It's not just a matter of pouring raw blood on the ring. There are certain herbs that must be added and spells that must be cast in order for the binding to work properly. In essence, it's rather like brewing a potion, in which the blood is just one ingredient, although a crucial one."
"We can't spare the time," Shacklebolt decided. "Randolf and Diggory might both be dead by then. If you think your spells will work, please proceed as planned, Professor."
"Very well," Henry said, pouring the second solution on the ring and passing his wand over it as he had done the first time, and once again, the ruby glowed briefly. He then chanted a singsong incantation that Snape didn't understand--it might have been Gaelic--and tiny runes cleverly hidden in the vine pattern carved on the band of ring began to light up one by one. When he finished the incantation, Henry took a deep breath, then slipped the ring onto his finger and it lit up in a blaze of red light that filled the room.
The others in the room barely had time to gasp in surprise before the light faded away a heartbeat or two later, leaving what appeared to be a perfectly normal if somewhat ornate gold and ruby ring on Henry's finger.
"Well, it seems to have worked," Henry said shakily, gazing down at his hand, which trembled slightly. "Since the ring hasn't killed me, I assume that it has accepted me as its new owner."
"Would it really have killed you if the...er...binding didn't work properly?" Potter asked, his eyes wide with both horror and fascination.
"Probably not," Henry replied. "The most likely possibility is that it would have remained dormant, nothing more than a pretty piece of jewelry. Still, with Dark artifacts, one can never be sure about possible side effects and hidden traps." He smiled at Snape. "I owe your son and Master Tremayne a debt of gratitude, Severus. There were able to make out the runes hidden in the decorative pattern on the band, which turned out to be the activation command for the ring."
"Then I will be sure to pass along your thanks, and ours as well--when this is all over," Snape said. "But for now, what should our next step be? How much control do you think the ring will grant you over Greyback? Can you pinpoint his location, perhaps even summon him to you?"
"I don't know if my mastery of the ring is strong enough to actually summon Greyback," Henry replied. "I am willing to try, but we would probably have to make the attempt somewhere outside of Hogwarts because of the anti-Apparition wards on the school. However, I am reasonably certain that I can at least use the ring to determine Greyback's general location."
"Then let's attempt that first," Shacklebolt suggested. "I assume you can do that here?"
Henry nodded and reached into his briefcase again, pulling out a map of Britain, which he spread out on the table. "I had this drawn up in ink that was mixed with the same solution that I just used on the ring, the one that contained Greyback's saliva and blood. It's a bit crude compared to the copper map from the Prince's tower, but I didn't have time for anything fancy, and this should suffice for our purposes."
Shacklebolt nodded impatiently at the explanation, while Snape suppressed his own impatience. Like most scholars, Henry liked to explain his work in detail, but he was already nervous, and snapping at him to hurry up would only unsettle him further--and it generally wasn't a good idea to have a jittery wizard using an untested Dark artifact. At least the lecture seemed to be helping Henry to calm himself, with the added side benefit of educating Mr. Potter, who was paying a great deal more attention than he used to in Snape's Potions classes.
Snape stole a glance at Tsubasa out of the corner of his eye. The crane man certainly had more right than any of them to be impatient, but he remained preternaturally calm and still, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes focused on Henry intently, but without any outward sign of impatience or hostility. Snape was mildly impressed; if it had been Lupin instead of Randolf in Greyback's clutches, he doubted that he would have been able to remain so composed.
Mercifully, Henry kept his lecture short and turned his attention back to the map, passing his hand slowly back and forth above it as he murmured, "Show me my servant, the one linked by blood to this ring."
His hand halted in midair with a sudden jerk, as if some unseen force had forcibly stopped it, and the ruby flared to life again, glowing with a steady light.
"Here," Henry said, pointing to a spot on the map. "He's somewhere in Norfolk."
"Ah, that makes sense," Snape said, leaning over to take a closer look. "It's the perfect place for a Slytherin to hide a safe house."
"What's so special about Norfolk?" Potter asked in a puzzled voice.
"It's full of fens, Potter," Snape replied impatiently.
"So?" Potter asked, still completely oblivious.
Snape rolled his eyes at his former student's ignorance, although he should be used to it by now. "Didn't you ever pay any attention to the Sorting Hat's song while you were at Hogwarts, Potter?"
The boy flushed, looking annoyed and embarrassed. "I remember it singing about the different Houses, and in fifth and sixth year it said that all the Houses had to unite, but I don't remember anything about Norfolk or fens..."
Lupin smiled kindly and sang:
"A thousand years or more ago
when I was newly sewn,
there lived four wizards of renown,
whose names are still well known:
bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
shrewd Slytherin, from fen."
"Oh," Potter said sheepishly. "I guess I forgot about that."
"The information can also be found in 'Hogwarts, a History,'" Snape couldn't resist adding. "But I suppose you didn't pay attention in History class, either."
"Well, to be fair, Professor Binns puts most of his students to sleep," Tonks said reasonably.
Tsubasa cleared his throat to get their attention, still managing to keep up a remarkably polite demeanor under the circumstances, and Snape felt a hint of guilt as he realized that he was wasting time by baiting Potter, although in his defense, the boy practically invited it.
"So you're saying that it's natural for a Slytherin family to seek shelter in the land that the Founder of their House hailed from?" Tsubasa asked.
"Exactly," Snape replied. "And beyond its symbolic significance, it's also a practical choice, because not many people care to build homes in swampland, so the Macnairs need not worry about nosy neighbors discovering their secret."
"Can you narrow down the location any further than that?" Shacklebolt asked Henry. "It's still a fairly large area to search."
"No, I'm sorry," Henry replied regretfully.
"It's still more information than we had before, and I thank you for your efforts, Professor Bletchley," Tsubasa said graciously.
"Still, we need to find Lukas and Ash quickly," Tonks said, frowning. "You said you were willing to try summoning Greyback?"
"Yes, but as I said, we'll need to do it away from Hogwarts."
The same idea simultaneously occurred to Snape, Lupin, and Potter, and they chorused, "The Shrieking Shack!"
Shacklebolt looked startled, but nodded approvingly. "It's near the school, but isolated, and we need not endanger anyone else. I wouldn't really feel comfortable about summoning a murderous werewolf into a school filled with children, even if it weren't for the anti-Apparition wards."
They hurried over to the Shrieking Shack, where Snape and Lupin drew a protective circle on the living room floor--a precaution Henry requested, in order to confine Greyback on the chance that he actually managed to summon the werewolf directly to them. Snape had readily agreed that it wasn't a good idea to bring an unrestrained werewolf into their midst.
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Lupin smiled at Snape nostalgically as they worked. "It's almost like old times, isn't it, Severus?" he asked. "This reminds me of when we were partners in Branwen's class."
Snape had been thinking the same thing, but he would never admit it in public, so he replied gruffly, "Shut up and get back to work, Lupin," ignoring the fact that Lupin had never actually stopped working. The werewolf tended to run off at the mouth at times, but he was perfectly capable of multitasking. However, Lupin didn't point this out, and obediently fell silent, although not before giving Snape an insolent grin and a wink.
They quickly finished the circle and activated the wards, then moved out of the way as Henry stepped forward. The circle should hold Greyback if the summoning worked, but Snape drew his wand, not wanting to leave anything to chance, and he noticed Lupin and the Aurors doing the same. Tsubasa did not reach for his wand, but instead laid his right hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Servant of the ring, bound to thy master by blood and magic, I summon thee," Henry intoned in a clear, ringing voice as he stretched his hand out towards the circle, showing a far more commanding presence than Snape had ever seen in the mild-mannered scholar before. "As master of the ring, I command thee to appear before me, Fenrir Greyback!"
The ring nearly exploded with light, filling the entire room with a crimson glow. The magical aura in the room was palpable, causing the hair on the back of Snape's neck to stand up on end, and he could tell by the expressions on the faces of the others that they felt the same way. Potter's eyes were as round as saucers, and Snape suspected his face would be pale if it hadn't been washed in red by the light from the ring, but the boy stood his ground firmly, wand raised and poised to attack if necessary, and Snape gave him a grudging nod of respect. Perhaps he had matured a bit, after all--but then, as annoying and insolent as Potter could be, Snape had to admit that the young Gryffindor had never lacked in courage, only in intelligence and common sense.
As for Henry, his outstretched hand trembled and he swayed in place, as if fighting an unseen force, but his face was set in an expression of grim determination.
It seemed to take an eternity, but it was probably only a minute or two later when both the magical aura and the red glow vanished, and Henry staggered backwards, losing his balance. Snape managed to catch him before he fell, and Henry clung to Snape's arm, gasping, "I'm sorry. I almost had him for a moment, but then I lost him. His will was very strong, and I guess my bond to the ring wasn't strong enough to command him. I'm sorry."
Tsubasa looked disappointed, but he said, "You did your best; no one can ask for more. And at least we have a general location for their safe house."
Henry looked down at his ring, which was still glowing faintly. "I think I can do better than that," he said, sounding a little more hopeful. He regained his balance and straightened up, releasing his grip on Snape. "The connection to Greyback is still there, although it's faint. It's difficult to put into words, but I have a sense of where he is, and I believe that I can Apparate to him, although I don't know his exact location."
"It sounds something like the magic that the Dark Lord used to summon his Death Eaters," Snape said, touching his left forearm. "The Dark Mark enabled us to Apparate to his side even when we didn't know where he was. I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that Apparating blindly is dangerous, though."
Henry nodded, looking pale and grave. "I know, but...we don't have much time, do we? If we don't get to him right away, your friends will die, and in the larger scheme of things, Greyback and the Macnairs could escape, which in turn would alter the political structure of the wizarding world. I don't normally play politics, but I'm not unaware of the fact that Arthur Weasley's career is riding on Greyback's capture. And I rather like things the way they are now. War drains resources; in peacetime there is more funding available for scholarly research. And since Weasley wants to promote friendship and unity with other countries, he has been generous about funding grants for collaborative research projects with foreign allies--like the one in Egypt that I was participating in before I was recalled home by my family."
"I see," Lupin said, smiling faintly. "So you are acting purely out of self-interest, to preserve the status quo. Very Slytherin of you."
Henry flushed, and Tonks smiled and said, "Don't tease him, Remus. We're grateful for your help, Henry, whatever the reasons."
"Yes, well, now we'll have to decide who is going with me," Henry said, still looking flustered. "Obviously, I'm the only one who can find Greyback, and it's not safe to perform side-along Apparition with more than two people. More than that, and people tend to leave pieces of themselves behind..."
"Well then, the answer is obvious," Shacklebolt declared. "As the two senior Aurors present, Tonks and I should go."
"'Obvious'?" Snape asked coolly. "You may be Aurors, but I am more familiar with the Macnairs and Greyback, and in dealing with Dark Magic. I know their strengths and weaknesses." Besides the necessity of capturing Greyback, he also felt an obligation to protect Henry, because he was the one who had gotten his former housemate involved in this mess. Henry was a scholar, not trained in combative magic, and Snape didn't quite trust the Aurors to put a Slytherin's welfare ahead of their mission to capture Greyback and the Macnairs.
"And Ash is my mate!" Tsubasa interjected, his calm demeanor slipping a little. "I would say that gives me a right to be there!"
"But Severus is my mate, and if he is putting himself in danger, then I want to be by his side," Lupin said, his blue eyes flashing with a stubborn glint.
"Maybe we should draw straws?" Tonks suggested in an attempt at levity that fell flat.
Her partner gave her an impatient look before turning to address Tsubasa and Lupin. "I understand how you feel, but there is more at stake here than just your personal feelings," Shacklebolt said. "The Macnairs and Greyback are a threat to the entire wizarding world."
"I am not unsympathetic, but my first concern is Ash," Tsubasa said firmly, giving the Auror a cold and piercing stare. "The wizarding world has plenty of people to look after it. There ought to be at least one person in the rescue party who cares about Ash as an individual."
"That's how Lukas was thinking, and that's why we're in this mess right now!" Shacklebolt snapped. "Damn it, Professor, it's not like I'm trying to be cold-hearted, but we have to be sensible about this. Tonks and I are Aurors; we're trained to deal with Dark Wizards, and forgive me, but I know nothing about your capabilities."
"I've fought Dark Wizards in my homeland," Tsubasa argued.
"As a Ministry representative, I still can't sit back and let three civilians go off into combat without an Auror present!"
"I may not work for the Ministry, but I would hardly consider myself a 'civilian,'" Snape said dryly.
"You know I didn't mean it that way, Snape!" Shacklebolt exclaimed in frustration. "I know as well as anyone what you did for the Order!"
"Um, excuse me," Potter ventured hesitantly. "But we need to get to Ash and Master Diggory as soon as possible, and it doesn't seem like we're going to settle this argument anytime soon. So since Professor Bletchley is the one who's going to be doing the Apparating, maybe he should decide who he'll take with him?"
Everyone stopped arguing to stare at the boy, and Snape conceded, "A surprisingly sensible suggestion, Potter."
"Very well," Shacklebolt sighed reluctantly. "But please keep in mind that we Aurors have been trained to deal with situations like these." And because time was of the essence, Snape refrained from pointing out that the Aurors had never had to deal with a werewolf who could transform at will before.
Henry looked uncomfortable about being put on the spot, but he said, "I want to take Severus with me. He knows more about Dark Magic than anyone else here, and I'd feel safer with a fellow Slytherin by my side." Perhaps he didn't quite trust the Aurors, either. "As for the second person..." He hesitated, then decided, "Mr. Shacklebolt is probably right that an Auror should be present, and he's experienced in combat, having fought for the Order in both wars." Lupin and Tsubasa looked particularly unhappy about this decision, and Henry added, "I'm sorry, but I'll return for the rest of you after I drop off Severus and Mr. Shacklebolt. Believe me, I have no desire to stay and fight, and I'm more than willing to leave that up to you lot."
For a moment, Tsubasa looked as if he were about to argue, possibly even force Henry to take him at swordpoint, but then he nodded resignedly. "It is a logical decision, to choose the two wizards with the most combat experience. I respectfully request that you take me on the second trip, though."
"Before we leave, we'll place tracking spells on all three of us," Shacklebolt said. "That way, the rest of you can Apparate to us right away--and also in case anything prevents Professor Bletchley from Apparating back."
Henry swallowed hard, turning pale, but to his credit, he just nodded and didn't attempt to back out of his promise. Tonks and Lupin placed the tracking spells on them, and then Potter stepped forward, holding out a bundle of silvery-gray cloth.
"Here's my Invisibility Cloak, if you think it will help," he said. "But I don't think it will cover all three of you at once."
Snape took the cloak and shook it out. It was certainly large enough to conceal three children--as Potter, Weasley, and Granger must have done many times at Hogwarts--but concealing three fairly tall full-grown men was out of the question. It could partially conceal two of them, providing that they huddled closer than Snape preferred to get to anyone but Lupin, but it would still leave their feet and ankles exposed.
"Let Henry use it," Snape decided. "We'll need him to return and bring back the others if the tracking spells don't work, so he's the one who needs the protection most."
He belatedly realized that Shacklebolt might be offended that he had decided on his own without asking the Auror's opinion. While Snape normally enjoyed baiting Shacklebolt, arguing now would take up precious time. However, the Auror just nodded in agreement and said, "That makes sense. We're trained in combative magic, and Professor Bletchley isn't. And the Macnairs will be expecting you and me to come after them, but not the Professor. If we're careful, we can make it look like we Apparated in on our own, and they won't even realize that he's there."
Snape handed the cloak to Henry and asked, "Do you think that you manage to bring us in a short distance away from Greyback? Close enough to get to him quickly, but far enough away to give us a chance to sneak up on him?"
"I don't know," Henry replied doubtfully. "I can try, but since I'm Apparating blindly, there's a greater chance that we could wind up reappearing in the middle of, say, a tree or a wall."
"Apparating into the middle of a battle between two werewolves could also prove somewhat detrimental to our health," Snape pointed out wryly.
Henry winced. "Yes, I see what you mean, Severus. I can't make any guarantees, but I'll do my best." He donned the cloak, vanishing from sight, then reached out and firmly grasped Snape's arm with one hand and Shacklebolt's with the other. They moved closer together, until all three men were standing side by side with their shoulders touching (although it looked like there was a man-sized gap between Snape and Shacklebolt); standing too far apart during side-along Apparition was a good way to get splinched.
Henry drew a deep breath, then said, "All right, here we go," and Snape felt the familiar sensation of darkness closing in around them as they Disapparated.
Part 30
"Idiot werewolf," Snape grumbled, but he wasn't really surprised that the pack leader had sneaked off on his own; he had been half-expecting it, in spite of the precautions that Dumbledore and the Aurors had set in place. The former Lukas Bleddri might have officially transformed into Cyril Diggory, head of the Diggory family and teacher at Hogwarts, but beneath that veneer of social respectability, he was still a feral wolf at heart. Arthur, Tonks, and Lupin tended to think of Lukas as a fellow Order member, albeit an unofficial one, because he had fought on their side in the final battle, but he hadn't fought for the sake of the Order or even the wizarding world in general. He had fought for revenge, because Voldemort had murdered one of his pack members. His true loyalty would always lie with his pack, not Hogwarts or the Order or the Ministry.
Shacklebolt, being a bit more cynical than his violet-haired partner, had been the one to insist on monitoring Lukas, but in spite of his best efforts, the werewolf had still managed to escape. Of course, setting a house-elf to guard a werewolf hadn't exactly been the most brilliant of plans, but in fairness to the Auror, that had been Dumbledore's idea, not Shacklebolt's.
The monitoring of the Floo Network, while it had seemed a sensible precaution at the time, turned out to have been useless, and in fact, nearly tipped off Dawlish to the situation. As soon as he found out, he contacted Dumbledore and demanded to know why the school Floos were being monitored, and why it had been done without his authorization.
One small piece of luck in their favor was that Henry Bletchley had arrived almost immediately after Lukas had fled, although it remained to be seen how useful he would be. Henry requested the use of one of the dungeon workrooms, where any unexpected side effects of the spells he planned to use could be contained--a request which did not exactly inspire confidence, although he assured Snape that it was "just a precaution".
Shacklebolt, Tonks, and Potter were recalled from their search, and soon convened together in the dungeon with Snape, Lupin, Tsubasa, and Henry; the Headmaster was currently at the Ministry, attempting to allay Dawlish's suspicions.
"I just knew he would try something like this!" Shacklebolt complained when Lupin explained what Lukas had done.
"Well, he shouldn't have run off like that," Potter said, looking a little guilty--probably because he had pulled similar stunts in the past. At least the boy was now Shacklebolt's problem and not Snape's. "But the note says that only one person can use the Portkey, so none of us could have gone with him, anyway."
"First of all, the Macnairs could have been lying about the Portkey only being able to transport one person because they wanted him to come alone," Snape informed his former student impatiently. "And even it was true, we could still have placed a tracking spell on Diggory if he had warned us ahead of time." Potter just gave him a blank look in reply. "Honestly, Shacklebolt, haven't you taught the boy anything?" Snape asked waspishly, more to bait the Auror than out of any real belief that Shacklebolt's training methods were lacking.
"He's only been working with us for a few months!" Shacklebolt snapped, while Tonks and Lupin both sighed and rolled their eyes, managing to look amused and irritated at the same time. "We hadn't got around to covering that yet! Tracking spells are advanced magic and Auror training normally takes three years--as you well know, Snape!"
"A tracking spell would have enabled us to monitor Lukas and Apparate to his location, at least in theory," Tonks patiently explained to Potter. "The spell becomes unreliable over long distances--for example, if the Portkey took him to Romania. And it won't work in Unplottable areas. But still, if Lukas had let us use the spell on him, we would've at least had a chance of tracking him and coming to his aid."
"He might have been afraid that you wouldn't allow him to use the Portkey, that one of you Aurors would insist on going in his place," Tsubasa said. "The werewolves don't seem to place a great deal of trust in authority, although I suppose you can hardly blame them."
"You're remarkably calm, under the circumstances," Tonks marveled. "Considering that it's your, er, mate who has been kidnapped."
Tsubasa shrugged. "Going into hysterics would hardly help the situation, now would it? Of course I'm anxious, but I've been trained to remain calm under pressure. Also...I'm reasonably sure that Ash is still alive. The crane folk can sense when their mates die, even if they're separated by distance. It might be different for us, since Ash is a wolf, but I still think I would know if..." His voice faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "If anything happened to him. Maybe it would have reassured Lukas if I had told him that, but then again, maybe not. Knowing that Ash is alive doesn't tell me where he is, or how to get to him before Greyback and the Macnairs kill him."
"Well, I might be able to help with that, although I can't guarantee any results," Henry said. "But I do believe that I have found the proper spells to forge a link between the ring and the medallion, or more accurately, between myself and Greyback."
He reached into his briefcase and brought out the ring and a couple of small vials, laying them down on a sturdy wooden table that was the only piece of furniture in the room, aside from a few wooden chairs. The surface of the table was marred slightly by blackened spots and shallow scratches--the remains of past experiments gone awry. Snape noticed that his fellow Slytherin's face was pale and his hands shook slightly as he worked.
"You don't need to do this personally, Henry," Snape told him. "You could leave it to the Aurors. It is their job, after all, and this could be dangerous."
"Snape is right," Shacklebolt said, agreeing with Snape for once. "We appreciate your help, Professor Bletchley, but there is no need for you to take any risks. As the Auror in charge, it ought to be me who uses the ring, if you can tell me what to do."
Somewhat to Snape's surprise, Henry shook his head. He had always been a practical sort in school--not cowardly, but not one to stick his neck out unnecessarily, either. "Unfortunately, I already inadvertently keyed the ring to myself when I used my blood to test it," Henry explained. "The connection between the ring and medallion has already been weakened by the fact that neither I nor Greyback are the original owners of the items. Attempting to re-key the ring to someone else might weaken the connection further, to the point where it would be useless to us. If I could go back in time, I would do things differently, but as it is...I must be the one who wields the ring."
"Well then, we appreciate your help, Professor," Shacklebolt said, gazing at the scholar with a newfound respect, and Henry nodded in acknowledgment, looking a little less pale.
"Why are you doing this, Henry?" Snape asked, too quietly for anyone but Lupin, with his keen werewolf senses, to overhear.
"To tell you the truth, Severus, I really don't know myself," Henry laughed, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of fear and confusion and exhilaration. "Let's just say that I'm doing it for the sake of scholarly ambition. If I can pull this off, my reputation in the academic world will be made."
"Assuming you survive," Snape said dryly.
"Reassuring as always, Severus," Henry said lightly. "But I'll trust you to publish my research posthumously if I'm killed in the line of duty, so my reputation will still live on. Besides, while there is some danger inherent in using a Dark artifact, I don't really expect this to be a fatal experience."
"I hope not," Snape said.
"Now then," Henry said in a brisk, professional voice as he unstoppered one vial and the others gathered closer to watch him work. "This is a solution made by combining my own blood with the dried blood I found on the ring. Hopefully, using some of the original owner's blood will help strengthen my own bond to the ring." He carefully poured a few drops onto the ring while passing his wand over it, and the ruby glowed bright red for a moment before returning to normal.
Henry opened the second vial. "This is a solution made from Greyback's saliva, obtained from the samples taken at St. Mungo's from Bill Weasley's wound, as well as some fur and a drop of blood that Ms. Tonks and Mr. Potter found at the Weasleys' shop. I would have preferred to have more of the subject's blood, but I believe that this will be sufficient to forge a link between myself and Greyback."
"Oh!" Lupin suddenly exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of it before? There might be some of Greyback's blood at the site where he attacked Ash! Ash turned into a wolf and bit and clawed Greyback, and some of it might have spilled on the ground!"
"You're right," Snape admitted, chagrined that he hadn't thought of it sooner. "But to go there now and search for it might take more time than we can spare." He glanced at Henry for confirmation.
"It would take time to gather the blood and mix a new solution," Henry agreed. "It might also prove difficult, maybe even impossible to separate Mr. Randolf's blood from Greyback's, if both men were in wolf form at the time."
"How long would it take to make the new solution, assuming we can find Greyback's blood?" Shacklebolt asked.
"Perhaps an hour," Henry replied. "It's not just a matter of pouring raw blood on the ring. There are certain herbs that must be added and spells that must be cast in order for the binding to work properly. In essence, it's rather like brewing a potion, in which the blood is just one ingredient, although a crucial one."
"We can't spare the time," Shacklebolt decided. "Randolf and Diggory might both be dead by then. If you think your spells will work, please proceed as planned, Professor."
"Very well," Henry said, pouring the second solution on the ring and passing his wand over it as he had done the first time, and once again, the ruby glowed briefly. He then chanted a singsong incantation that Snape didn't understand--it might have been Gaelic--and tiny runes cleverly hidden in the vine pattern carved on the band of ring began to light up one by one. When he finished the incantation, Henry took a deep breath, then slipped the ring onto his finger and it lit up in a blaze of red light that filled the room.
The others in the room barely had time to gasp in surprise before the light faded away a heartbeat or two later, leaving what appeared to be a perfectly normal if somewhat ornate gold and ruby ring on Henry's finger.
"Well, it seems to have worked," Henry said shakily, gazing down at his hand, which trembled slightly. "Since the ring hasn't killed me, I assume that it has accepted me as its new owner."
"Would it really have killed you if the...er...binding didn't work properly?" Potter asked, his eyes wide with both horror and fascination.
"Probably not," Henry replied. "The most likely possibility is that it would have remained dormant, nothing more than a pretty piece of jewelry. Still, with Dark artifacts, one can never be sure about possible side effects and hidden traps." He smiled at Snape. "I owe your son and Master Tremayne a debt of gratitude, Severus. There were able to make out the runes hidden in the decorative pattern on the band, which turned out to be the activation command for the ring."
"Then I will be sure to pass along your thanks, and ours as well--when this is all over," Snape said. "But for now, what should our next step be? How much control do you think the ring will grant you over Greyback? Can you pinpoint his location, perhaps even summon him to you?"
"I don't know if my mastery of the ring is strong enough to actually summon Greyback," Henry replied. "I am willing to try, but we would probably have to make the attempt somewhere outside of Hogwarts because of the anti-Apparition wards on the school. However, I am reasonably certain that I can at least use the ring to determine Greyback's general location."
"Then let's attempt that first," Shacklebolt suggested. "I assume you can do that here?"
Henry nodded and reached into his briefcase again, pulling out a map of Britain, which he spread out on the table. "I had this drawn up in ink that was mixed with the same solution that I just used on the ring, the one that contained Greyback's saliva and blood. It's a bit crude compared to the copper map from the Prince's tower, but I didn't have time for anything fancy, and this should suffice for our purposes."
Shacklebolt nodded impatiently at the explanation, while Snape suppressed his own impatience. Like most scholars, Henry liked to explain his work in detail, but he was already nervous, and snapping at him to hurry up would only unsettle him further--and it generally wasn't a good idea to have a jittery wizard using an untested Dark artifact. At least the lecture seemed to be helping Henry to calm himself, with the added side benefit of educating Mr. Potter, who was paying a great deal more attention than he used to in Snape's Potions classes.
Snape stole a glance at Tsubasa out of the corner of his eye. The crane man certainly had more right than any of them to be impatient, but he remained preternaturally calm and still, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes focused on Henry intently, but without any outward sign of impatience or hostility. Snape was mildly impressed; if it had been Lupin instead of Randolf in Greyback's clutches, he doubted that he would have been able to remain so composed.
Mercifully, Henry kept his lecture short and turned his attention back to the map, passing his hand slowly back and forth above it as he murmured, "Show me my servant, the one linked by blood to this ring."
His hand halted in midair with a sudden jerk, as if some unseen force had forcibly stopped it, and the ruby flared to life again, glowing with a steady light.
"Here," Henry said, pointing to a spot on the map. "He's somewhere in Norfolk."
"Ah, that makes sense," Snape said, leaning over to take a closer look. "It's the perfect place for a Slytherin to hide a safe house."
"What's so special about Norfolk?" Potter asked in a puzzled voice.
"It's full of fens, Potter," Snape replied impatiently.
"So?" Potter asked, still completely oblivious.
Snape rolled his eyes at his former student's ignorance, although he should be used to it by now. "Didn't you ever pay any attention to the Sorting Hat's song while you were at Hogwarts, Potter?"
The boy flushed, looking annoyed and embarrassed. "I remember it singing about the different Houses, and in fifth and sixth year it said that all the Houses had to unite, but I don't remember anything about Norfolk or fens..."
Lupin smiled kindly and sang:
"A thousand years or more ago
when I was newly sewn,
there lived four wizards of renown,
whose names are still well known:
bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
shrewd Slytherin, from fen."
"Oh," Potter said sheepishly. "I guess I forgot about that."
"The information can also be found in 'Hogwarts, a History,'" Snape couldn't resist adding. "But I suppose you didn't pay attention in History class, either."
"Well, to be fair, Professor Binns puts most of his students to sleep," Tonks said reasonably.
Tsubasa cleared his throat to get their attention, still managing to keep up a remarkably polite demeanor under the circumstances, and Snape felt a hint of guilt as he realized that he was wasting time by baiting Potter, although in his defense, the boy practically invited it.
"So you're saying that it's natural for a Slytherin family to seek shelter in the land that the Founder of their House hailed from?" Tsubasa asked.
"Exactly," Snape replied. "And beyond its symbolic significance, it's also a practical choice, because not many people care to build homes in swampland, so the Macnairs need not worry about nosy neighbors discovering their secret."
"Can you narrow down the location any further than that?" Shacklebolt asked Henry. "It's still a fairly large area to search."
"No, I'm sorry," Henry replied regretfully.
"It's still more information than we had before, and I thank you for your efforts, Professor Bletchley," Tsubasa said graciously.
"Still, we need to find Lukas and Ash quickly," Tonks said, frowning. "You said you were willing to try summoning Greyback?"
"Yes, but as I said, we'll need to do it away from Hogwarts."
The same idea simultaneously occurred to Snape, Lupin, and Potter, and they chorused, "The Shrieking Shack!"
Shacklebolt looked startled, but nodded approvingly. "It's near the school, but isolated, and we need not endanger anyone else. I wouldn't really feel comfortable about summoning a murderous werewolf into a school filled with children, even if it weren't for the anti-Apparition wards."
They hurried over to the Shrieking Shack, where Snape and Lupin drew a protective circle on the living room floor--a precaution Henry requested, in order to confine Greyback on the chance that he actually managed to summon the werewolf directly to them. Snape had readily agreed that it wasn't a good idea to bring an unrestrained werewolf into their midst.
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Lupin smiled at Snape nostalgically as they worked. "It's almost like old times, isn't it, Severus?" he asked. "This reminds me of when we were partners in Branwen's class."
Snape had been thinking the same thing, but he would never admit it in public, so he replied gruffly, "Shut up and get back to work, Lupin," ignoring the fact that Lupin had never actually stopped working. The werewolf tended to run off at the mouth at times, but he was perfectly capable of multitasking. However, Lupin didn't point this out, and obediently fell silent, although not before giving Snape an insolent grin and a wink.
They quickly finished the circle and activated the wards, then moved out of the way as Henry stepped forward. The circle should hold Greyback if the summoning worked, but Snape drew his wand, not wanting to leave anything to chance, and he noticed Lupin and the Aurors doing the same. Tsubasa did not reach for his wand, but instead laid his right hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Servant of the ring, bound to thy master by blood and magic, I summon thee," Henry intoned in a clear, ringing voice as he stretched his hand out towards the circle, showing a far more commanding presence than Snape had ever seen in the mild-mannered scholar before. "As master of the ring, I command thee to appear before me, Fenrir Greyback!"
The ring nearly exploded with light, filling the entire room with a crimson glow. The magical aura in the room was palpable, causing the hair on the back of Snape's neck to stand up on end, and he could tell by the expressions on the faces of the others that they felt the same way. Potter's eyes were as round as saucers, and Snape suspected his face would be pale if it hadn't been washed in red by the light from the ring, but the boy stood his ground firmly, wand raised and poised to attack if necessary, and Snape gave him a grudging nod of respect. Perhaps he had matured a bit, after all--but then, as annoying and insolent as Potter could be, Snape had to admit that the young Gryffindor had never lacked in courage, only in intelligence and common sense.
As for Henry, his outstretched hand trembled and he swayed in place, as if fighting an unseen force, but his face was set in an expression of grim determination.
It seemed to take an eternity, but it was probably only a minute or two later when both the magical aura and the red glow vanished, and Henry staggered backwards, losing his balance. Snape managed to catch him before he fell, and Henry clung to Snape's arm, gasping, "I'm sorry. I almost had him for a moment, but then I lost him. His will was very strong, and I guess my bond to the ring wasn't strong enough to command him. I'm sorry."
Tsubasa looked disappointed, but he said, "You did your best; no one can ask for more. And at least we have a general location for their safe house."
Henry looked down at his ring, which was still glowing faintly. "I think I can do better than that," he said, sounding a little more hopeful. He regained his balance and straightened up, releasing his grip on Snape. "The connection to Greyback is still there, although it's faint. It's difficult to put into words, but I have a sense of where he is, and I believe that I can Apparate to him, although I don't know his exact location."
"It sounds something like the magic that the Dark Lord used to summon his Death Eaters," Snape said, touching his left forearm. "The Dark Mark enabled us to Apparate to his side even when we didn't know where he was. I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that Apparating blindly is dangerous, though."
Henry nodded, looking pale and grave. "I know, but...we don't have much time, do we? If we don't get to him right away, your friends will die, and in the larger scheme of things, Greyback and the Macnairs could escape, which in turn would alter the political structure of the wizarding world. I don't normally play politics, but I'm not unaware of the fact that Arthur Weasley's career is riding on Greyback's capture. And I rather like things the way they are now. War drains resources; in peacetime there is more funding available for scholarly research. And since Weasley wants to promote friendship and unity with other countries, he has been generous about funding grants for collaborative research projects with foreign allies--like the one in Egypt that I was participating in before I was recalled home by my family."
"I see," Lupin said, smiling faintly. "So you are acting purely out of self-interest, to preserve the status quo. Very Slytherin of you."
Henry flushed, and Tonks smiled and said, "Don't tease him, Remus. We're grateful for your help, Henry, whatever the reasons."
"Yes, well, now we'll have to decide who is going with me," Henry said, still looking flustered. "Obviously, I'm the only one who can find Greyback, and it's not safe to perform side-along Apparition with more than two people. More than that, and people tend to leave pieces of themselves behind..."
"Well then, the answer is obvious," Shacklebolt declared. "As the two senior Aurors present, Tonks and I should go."
"'Obvious'?" Snape asked coolly. "You may be Aurors, but I am more familiar with the Macnairs and Greyback, and in dealing with Dark Magic. I know their strengths and weaknesses." Besides the necessity of capturing Greyback, he also felt an obligation to protect Henry, because he was the one who had gotten his former housemate involved in this mess. Henry was a scholar, not trained in combative magic, and Snape didn't quite trust the Aurors to put a Slytherin's welfare ahead of their mission to capture Greyback and the Macnairs.
"And Ash is my mate!" Tsubasa interjected, his calm demeanor slipping a little. "I would say that gives me a right to be there!"
"But Severus is my mate, and if he is putting himself in danger, then I want to be by his side," Lupin said, his blue eyes flashing with a stubborn glint.
"Maybe we should draw straws?" Tonks suggested in an attempt at levity that fell flat.
Her partner gave her an impatient look before turning to address Tsubasa and Lupin. "I understand how you feel, but there is more at stake here than just your personal feelings," Shacklebolt said. "The Macnairs and Greyback are a threat to the entire wizarding world."
"I am not unsympathetic, but my first concern is Ash," Tsubasa said firmly, giving the Auror a cold and piercing stare. "The wizarding world has plenty of people to look after it. There ought to be at least one person in the rescue party who cares about Ash as an individual."
"That's how Lukas was thinking, and that's why we're in this mess right now!" Shacklebolt snapped. "Damn it, Professor, it's not like I'm trying to be cold-hearted, but we have to be sensible about this. Tonks and I are Aurors; we're trained to deal with Dark Wizards, and forgive me, but I know nothing about your capabilities."
"I've fought Dark Wizards in my homeland," Tsubasa argued.
"As a Ministry representative, I still can't sit back and let three civilians go off into combat without an Auror present!"
"I may not work for the Ministry, but I would hardly consider myself a 'civilian,'" Snape said dryly.
"You know I didn't mean it that way, Snape!" Shacklebolt exclaimed in frustration. "I know as well as anyone what you did for the Order!"
"Um, excuse me," Potter ventured hesitantly. "But we need to get to Ash and Master Diggory as soon as possible, and it doesn't seem like we're going to settle this argument anytime soon. So since Professor Bletchley is the one who's going to be doing the Apparating, maybe he should decide who he'll take with him?"
Everyone stopped arguing to stare at the boy, and Snape conceded, "A surprisingly sensible suggestion, Potter."
"Very well," Shacklebolt sighed reluctantly. "But please keep in mind that we Aurors have been trained to deal with situations like these." And because time was of the essence, Snape refrained from pointing out that the Aurors had never had to deal with a werewolf who could transform at will before.
Henry looked uncomfortable about being put on the spot, but he said, "I want to take Severus with me. He knows more about Dark Magic than anyone else here, and I'd feel safer with a fellow Slytherin by my side." Perhaps he didn't quite trust the Aurors, either. "As for the second person..." He hesitated, then decided, "Mr. Shacklebolt is probably right that an Auror should be present, and he's experienced in combat, having fought for the Order in both wars." Lupin and Tsubasa looked particularly unhappy about this decision, and Henry added, "I'm sorry, but I'll return for the rest of you after I drop off Severus and Mr. Shacklebolt. Believe me, I have no desire to stay and fight, and I'm more than willing to leave that up to you lot."
For a moment, Tsubasa looked as if he were about to argue, possibly even force Henry to take him at swordpoint, but then he nodded resignedly. "It is a logical decision, to choose the two wizards with the most combat experience. I respectfully request that you take me on the second trip, though."
"Before we leave, we'll place tracking spells on all three of us," Shacklebolt said. "That way, the rest of you can Apparate to us right away--and also in case anything prevents Professor Bletchley from Apparating back."
Henry swallowed hard, turning pale, but to his credit, he just nodded and didn't attempt to back out of his promise. Tonks and Lupin placed the tracking spells on them, and then Potter stepped forward, holding out a bundle of silvery-gray cloth.
"Here's my Invisibility Cloak, if you think it will help," he said. "But I don't think it will cover all three of you at once."
Snape took the cloak and shook it out. It was certainly large enough to conceal three children--as Potter, Weasley, and Granger must have done many times at Hogwarts--but concealing three fairly tall full-grown men was out of the question. It could partially conceal two of them, providing that they huddled closer than Snape preferred to get to anyone but Lupin, but it would still leave their feet and ankles exposed.
"Let Henry use it," Snape decided. "We'll need him to return and bring back the others if the tracking spells don't work, so he's the one who needs the protection most."
He belatedly realized that Shacklebolt might be offended that he had decided on his own without asking the Auror's opinion. While Snape normally enjoyed baiting Shacklebolt, arguing now would take up precious time. However, the Auror just nodded in agreement and said, "That makes sense. We're trained in combative magic, and Professor Bletchley isn't. And the Macnairs will be expecting you and me to come after them, but not the Professor. If we're careful, we can make it look like we Apparated in on our own, and they won't even realize that he's there."
Snape handed the cloak to Henry and asked, "Do you think that you manage to bring us in a short distance away from Greyback? Close enough to get to him quickly, but far enough away to give us a chance to sneak up on him?"
"I don't know," Henry replied doubtfully. "I can try, but since I'm Apparating blindly, there's a greater chance that we could wind up reappearing in the middle of, say, a tree or a wall."
"Apparating into the middle of a battle between two werewolves could also prove somewhat detrimental to our health," Snape pointed out wryly.
Henry winced. "Yes, I see what you mean, Severus. I can't make any guarantees, but I'll do my best." He donned the cloak, vanishing from sight, then reached out and firmly grasped Snape's arm with one hand and Shacklebolt's with the other. They moved closer together, until all three men were standing side by side with their shoulders touching (although it looked like there was a man-sized gap between Snape and Shacklebolt); standing too far apart during side-along Apparition was a good way to get splinched.
Henry drew a deep breath, then said, "All right, here we go," and Snape felt the familiar sensation of darkness closing in around them as they Disapparated.
Part 30
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...
EVIL! EVIL CLIFFIE!
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Geri, meet Myene's pitchfork and torch mob!
Mob, meet Geri.
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OMG, I hope the "good" werewolves are alright...
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