Hunting The Traitor

Dumbledore's Surprise

The portkey took Remus and Harry to the outskirts of Hogsmeade, as close to the castle as the wards around it would allow.

With Harry still clinging to him as if the boy's life would depend on it, Remus lost no time and started walking as fast as possible to get Dumbledore.

He didn't know why Janus had felt the need to set up more wards around his house, but nevertheless he felt grateful for it. Only this morning, the wards would not have recognized the Dark Mark, and Remus didn't even want to think what could have possibly happened had they been taken by surprise.

But Remus didn't like the idea that Janus was facing whoever was approaching alone now. For sure, his brother was able to defend himself, Remus didn't doubt that. But in case he was outnumbered, all the Ministry training and years of field experience would not help him either, he would have to flee. And fleeing from a house in which apparating was disabled was quite a difficult task. No, Remus had to tell Dumbledore as fast as possible, and then they needed to bring what help they could get to Janus. His partner Lucas being the first on the list.

Remus realized that Harry was beginning to become a dead weight in his arms. Holding a seven year old child who was still quite small for his age was no problem for him, but if Harry was walking on his own, their progress would be much faster. Gently, he tried to pry Harry's hands away from his neck. The only response he evoked with this was that Harry desperately tried to cling even more tightly to him.

"Harry? Harry, please let go."

"No!"

Not slowing his pace, Remus thought of the best way to explain the urgency to the boy without worrying him even more.

"Harry, we need to get to Hogwarts, and we'd be a lot faster if you walked on your own."

"No!"

The answer came out more like a sob, and the next thing Remus realized was that the child had started to cry into his shoulder.

"Pup, what's wrong, why are you crying?"

Harry snivelled lowly a couple of times and then, his voice hardly audible, answered.

"You said they wouldn't come. You promised."

Remus frowned. What was the boy talking about?

"Who?"

"The bad men. You said they wouldn't come to hurt us, and now they did come. You lied."

Immediately, Remus remembered those two nights when Harry had come to his bed, scared out of his wits by his nightmares. What should he tell the child now?

"Pup, I told you we had done everything to protect the house. That's why we're here now, alright? We don't even know what has caused the alarm, it's just precaution. We're safe."

Harry shook his head vividly.

"But uncle Janus is still there. What if they hurt him?"

Remus stopped for a moment and lifted Harry's chin so that he could look at the boy.

"Harry, we don't even know if somebody really wanted to attack the house. It's not very likely. And Janus knows what he's doing. He'll just look what's going on and then he'll come after us. Alright?"

Harry didn't answer, but again buried his face in Remus' shoulder. With a sigh Remus realized that the boy was far too disturbed to let go off him now, so he resumed his way to the castle again. He was nearly there already, anyway.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Richard Lupin opened the front doors of Hogwarts and entered the castle, welcoming the lingering coolness in the old stone castle walls to drive away the muggy warmth of the hot late-August afternoon outside. Richard had apparated to the gates of Hogwarts from his relatively cool living room, but the barely ten minutes it had taken him to walk up to the castle had already caused him to sweat quite thoroughly.

The last three weeks it had appeared as if summer had wanted to repay England for its long absence, and so far there was no sign indicating that with the approaching September autumn would bring some climatic relief.

But it was not the weather Richard had come to talk about.

With quick strides, he walked down corridors and up staircases, taking the by now well-known way to the office of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. And at the moment, his last hope.

When Richard had returned home from work the day of the first custody hearing, he had been surprised to find both his sons sitting in the living room, files and folders on the table in front of them, heads bent over a piece of parchment in silent cooperation. They had been formulating a new petition for custody.

Remus had given his father a short summary of the events of the morning, far too matter-of-factly and emotionally distanced for Richard's liking. He had expected Remus to be dispirited by the failure, though it had been a most likely possibility, but instead Remus had seemed only more determined to get through with the custody case.

Though Richard's favourite vase had been missing all of a sudden, and even now, months after that day, he had not found out where it had gone to.

Remus and Janus had worked on the new petition for hours and had sent it off in the evening, along with the pledge for a new caseworker.

The Ministry had taken its time in responding, but after three weeks they had replied and agreed to set another hearing in Remus' case. Again, it had been set on the day before full moon.

Again, Remus had apparated to the Ministry in the morning, had gone through a ridiculously short time of questioning only to return home with the downright security that his petition had failed again.

By the time when the letter from the Ministry had arrived, confirming Remus' suspicion about the outcome of that day's hearing, the third petition for custody had already been well on its way to the Ministry.

Five times they had gone through this procedure by now. Five times Remus had pledged for a different caseworker, five times he had told his story to completely uninterested Ministry officials and had been left with the notification that his petition could not be granted due to his lycanthropy.

Two weeks ago, they had sent away their sixth petition for custody over Harry Potter. This morning, the reply from the Ministry had arrived with surprising news.

Remus had been granted another hearing. His son had been slightly thrown off balance after the last hearing, because this had been held by Gwendolyn Smith, chief caseworker of the Department of Family Regulations. The witch had already been present at the first hearing from what Remus had told, and her attitude towards Remus' case had not changed in the slightest after that. She too, had not given Remus any chance to lay out his reasons for thinking that Harry was neglected where he was located right now, and neither had she given him a chance to point out that the child would be far better off with somebody who really cared for him, with Remus.

When Remus had returned home that day, Richard had for the first time during the custody struggle seen him completely downcast. Smith was the chief caseworker of the Department, Remus had not thought that he would be granted another chance after failing to convince her. After all, what caseworker left would dare to overrule their boss' decision?

Remus had been willing to give up that day, Richard still shuddered when he thought back at it. Pieces of the Remus after Halloween the previous year had shown again, his eyes had been dull and he had not shown interest in anything at all. Janus had tried to make him write another petition, but Remus had only silently turned away and left the room.

That had been the worst of all, the silence. Remus had barely spoken for nearly a week, he had seized eating and had refused to leave his room.

One full moon had passed since the latest custody hearing, and though it had not been as bad as the horrible night in November, it was not an experience Richard ever wanted to repeat. Once more, the wolf had let out its anger on its human host, but this time at least Remus had not been nearly dead after moonset. His wounds had been serious, but they had healed within a couple of days.

His mood, however, had not changed at all.

Richard had tried everything he could think of to prevent his son from slipping into a depression again, but nothing he had thought of had worked. Much to Richard's surprise, Janus had been around every day during that time, trying everything in his might to coax Remus into a better mood. His reward had been Remus' constant demand to leave him alone, and in the end a black eye because he had kept on pestering his brother despite that demand.

But even this had not managed to drive Janus away.

Richard didn't know whether the conversation he and Janus had had after Christmas had been the driving factor for his older son, or whether Janus had made up his mind a little more during the last couple of months, but there was no denying that the brothers had grown closer during their common struggle against the Ministry. Not as close as it would have been normal between brothers, but Richard doubted that those two would ever get there. Not with their history.

But Richard was grateful for every step they made towards each other, no matter how small it seemed.

In the end it had been Janus who had formulated and sent away the latest petition, completely without Remus' knowledge or consent. When they had told Remus about it, he had only shrugged his shoulders and resumed staring at the wall again. He didn't seem to care about the whole custody case anymore, and not even the mentioning of Harry's name provoked a different reaction from him.

And then this morning the notification had arrived that another hearing had been granted to Remus. A final hearing, the letter had left no doubt about that.

And this was the reason why Richard was at Hogwarts today.

Remus' father reached the gargoyle and found it open, revealing the staircase behind it. As there were no students present, the headmaster had agreed to leave the entrance to his office unguarded for the time of Richard's arrival, to spare him the whole password-guessing. Dumbledore had given up sending out the password in letters or telling it via fireplace out of the suspicion that someone might intercept it.

Richard knocked on the wooden door of Dumbledore's office and was bid to enter immediately.

As usual, the old wizard was sitting behind his desk as Richard entered. He looked up at the younger man and gestured him to take a seat.

"Ah Mr. Lupin. Good afternoon to you. Now, what brings you to my office so urgently on such a nice day?"

While Richard tried to find the best way to put his intentions into words, Dumbledore offered him a glass of ice-tea which he accepted absent-mindly.

"I'm here to ask a favour of you, Professor. It concerns Remus."

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes going serious.

"How is Remus doing?"

Richard just shook his head.

"Not fine, not at all. I guess you know that his custody hearings have not gone well?"

Dumbledore took a sip of his ice-tea and nodded.

"I have not heard anything concrete, but the mere fact that I know Harry's location has not changed tells me that Remus is fighting quite a struggle with the Ministry."

"And that is an understatement. So far, we've had five hearings in his case. Every time, his petition was turned down without those caseworkers really listening to him. They only see the fact that he is a werewolf, they don't even listen to his reasons. They simply are not interested in anything he has to say, not even when he tries to tell them that Harry is not being treated rightly.

It got worse after the last hearing three weeks ago. That time, the chief caseworker of the department was in charge, and now that she has turned down Remus' petition, the boy has lost all hope that he'll ever be able to succeed."

Dumbledore nodded again.

"I see. And what favour do you want to ask of me?"

Richard sighed. He didn't like to ask this of Dumbledore, but he knew that the situation during the next hearing would be well over all their abilities. Dumbledore at least would be knowing what they were dealing with.

"Despite Remus seemingly giving up, Janus handed it another petition immediately after the last one was turned down. This morning, the answer arrived. They have granted another hearing, and somebody else to supervise it, somebody who's not part of the department."

Dumbledore rose an eyebrow.

"But that's good news, isn't it?"

Richard shook his head.

"In a way, but only in a way. There are problems about it as well. First of all the fact that the Ministry made quite clear that this will be the last hearing they grant Remus. If he can't convince them then, he'll not be given another chance. They'll ignore all future petitions."
"And if Remus was never really given the chance to lay out his reasons for the petition before, you fear that it will be the same with the next hearing as well."
Richard nodded.

"But there is more about it than just that. The thing that worries me even more, is that none other is to hold and supervise the hearing than the Minister of Magic."

Now, Dumbledore was surprised.

"They appointed Fudge to decide a custody hearing?"
Richard nodded.

"Sounds ridiculous, but it's true. There will be caseworkers present, but he'll be the one to question Remus. I guess with that the Ministry wants to show the finality of it all. After all, what use is left to keep on petitioning if the Minister of Magic has already turned you down?"

"Yes, I see that."

Dumbledore replied, but didn't say anything more. Richard sighed.

"My biggest fear is that they won't even listen to Remus, like they have done in all previous hearings. It's Remus' last chance, and I'm deeply worried about him if this fails just as well. He'll not pull out of it all that easily, I fear it might be too hard of a setback for him.

That's why I wanted to ask you a favour.

Be present at the hearing, please. I'm sure that Remus would get a fairer chance if you were there while he is questioned. You are a person of great authority, not only here at the castle but also at the Ministry. And you know Minister Fudge.

Professor, I'm not asking you to take up Remus' side, or to plead for his case, I only ask you to be present during the hearing. It might make the difference Remus needs to tell his side of the whole story."

Richard looked at the old wizard with a gaze somewhere between awkwardness and embarrassment. Albus Dumbledore was a person of great authority all across the wizarding world, but Richard didn't like the idea that he was asking him to use this authority as a tool in Remus' struggle with the Ministry.

Richard wished that he could read what Dumbledore was thinking from his face, but Dumbledore's expression had not changed since he had asked for the favour.

The headmaster slowly got up from his chair and walked over to Fawkes' perch. While he stroke the magnificent bird across the feathers, he hummed a small tune which the phoenix answered with a song of its own. Dumbledore listened to Fawkes' song for some long minutes, still stroking his feathers, while he seemed to be thinking about his answer.

When he eventually turned back to face Richard, the younger wizard realized that he started to hold his breath.

"Mr. Lupin, when I admitted Remus to Hogwarts, I did this in the hope that he would be able to receive the education he deserved here, despite the tragic events that had changed his life forever. I was hoping that he would find friends here, people whom he could trust and who trusted him in return. I was hoping for Remus to become a qualified wizard and a good person.

I will be open with you and admit that those had not been my only reasons. Of course giving Remus a good education was important, and he never disappointed all the high hopes that his teachers an I had in him. It would have been a loss to let his talent and intelligence go to waste.

But I also knew that he needed to be introduced to something else, Mr. Lupin. Remus needed to be introduced to humanity and values.

Oh, I don't want to say that you and your wife raised him to be inhuman, or that you were giving him the wrong kind of education.

But the night Remus received his curse, he received something that separated him from all other children of his age. And I'm not talking about one night of pain and agony a month, I'm talking about a dark side that was and still is constantly present in his mind.

It is no secret that Lord Voldemort tried to recruit werewolves during his reign. They already carried the dark in them, they were easy to tempt. The dark they carry inside of them is a source of great power if used wrongly. And it's tempting to use that power, and easy to fall for it.

When I admitted Remus to Hogwarts, I hoped that during the seven years here he would find more than just formal education here. Lycanthropy makes the victims live as outcasts, secluded and shunned. I wanted Remus to discover that human contact, friendship and love were the only way to keep the darkness inside of him at bay.

Remus needed to learn that lycanthropy is something that can be bore and carried with dignity, that it's not everything that defines the person he is. And for that he needed friends, people who cared for him and loved him because of who he was and not because of what darkness he carried.

Here again, your son did not disappoint my hopes in him. The friendships he created here, no matter how tragically they ended, have shown him that his human side is far more important than the wolf. He has allowed himself to form bonds that have strongly influenced his personality. Towards the better."

Dumbledore looked into Richard's eyes for some long moments before he continued.

"You have an astonishing son, Mr. Lupin. The shy and withdrawn little boy he once was has become a strong and intelligent man, a man you should be proud of. I for one am proud of him."

Richard frowned his brow in confusion. Though he agreed to what Dumbledore had said, and though it was warming him from inside to hear the headmaster speak so affectionately and proudly about his son, he didn't see how those words were connected to what he had asked of the older man.

"I am proud of my son, very proud indeed."

Dumbledore smiled and his eyes sparkled behind his half-moon glasses.

"As you should be.

Everybody carries his own personal darkness, Mr. Lupin. It takes a lot of courage and strength to admit it, and even more to accept it. We all can be dangerous if we give in to it, and one can never be sure who is strong enough to withstand the temptation of giving in.

Your son, Mr. Lupin, is one of the very few people of whom I am convinced that he knows his own personal darkness well enough to be too intelligent and sensible to give in to it.

He's one of the few whom I trust well enough to lay something important in his responsibility without hesitation. Because I know that he puts his purpose above his own sake.

That's why I have no doubt whatsoever that he will be more than capable of taking such a big responsibility like taking care of Harry. It was so easy for him to convince me of this idea because I know that he'll not let any harm come to the boy, and because I know that he'll be able to raise him well.

His lycanthropy should not play such a big role in all this as it obviously does, because it is a danger that can easily be avoided."

Richard snorted.

"Tell that to those Ministry idiots."

Dumbledore smiled.

"That's just what I intend to do, Mr. Lupin."

Richard raised his eyebrow in surprise.
"You mean that you agree to be present at the hearing?"

"I had hoped that it would not be necessary, but yes. I have spent a lot of thoughts on Remus' whish to raise Harry. First, I assured myself that his relatives' home really is no place for young Harry to grow up in. I might have made a mistake when I put him there, but my main concerns at that time were his security. Maybe that was not enough.

And I have prepared steps I could take in case the Ministry does not allow Remus custody for Harry out of reasons I don't see fit. And rooting their refusal in Remus' condition certainly falls into that category.

I had feared that such drastic steps would not be necessary, but I'm willing to take them.

Mr. Lupin, tell your son that I will be present at the hearing, and that I will make sure he is heard this time. And in case this still isn't enough to convince Fudge that lycanthropy is no reason to deny him custody, you can tell you son that I have a last resort of means that should even the chances a bit. Just let me know when the hearing will take place and rest assured that I will be present."

Richard just nodded in astonishment.

While he shook the old wizard's hand and thanked him for offering his help, he could not help but wonder about the man. Though Remus had told him countless times that Albus Dumbledore was as strange a wizard as one could meet, he had not really believed how strange he actually was until this day.

Dumbledore had offered his help, and he was thankful for it. Grateful.

But what last resort of means had he been talking about? What kind of drastic steps that he was willing to take? And, if the headmaster had a possibility to grant Remus better chances at the process, why had he not used them before? It could have spared Remus nearly a year of struggle with those arrogant Ministry caseworkers.

His head slightly dizzy from all those questions, Richard made his way through the castle and stepped out the front doors into the hot summer afternoon again.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Remus hurried up the stairs and through the front doors of Hogwarts. Harry had not released his hold on Remus' neck, and he feared that if the boy would tighten it even more he would suffocate him.

Quickly crossing the entrance hall, Remus hurried up the stairs into the direction of Dumbledore's office. He was panting and his arms were hurting from carrying Harry when he finally reached the stone gargoyle that marked the entrance to the headmaster's office.

Now only the matter of the password was left.

"Erm...sugar quills?"

The gargoyle didn't move.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans? Chocolate Frogs? Liquorice Wand? Lemon Drop? Snickers Bar?"

Remus tried every sweet, muggle or magical, he could think of, but the gargoyle didn't move. Harry, sensing a game, rose his head just as Remus had run out of ideas. With a grin, he turned towards the gargoyle.

"Acid pops?"

The gargoyle swung aside and revealed the circling staircase behind. Remus stared at his godson in surprise, but after a moment of paralysis climbed onto the staircase. Harry grinned at his godfather.

"Funny game."

Remus shook his head. Trust Harry to find it amusing. He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

"Yeah, and we would have lost without your help. Clever idea, pup."

Harry smiled and buried his face in Remus' shoulder again. Just as they reached the top of the staircase, a thought struck Remus.

"Harry, who gave you Acid pops?"

The reply came muffled through the fabric of Remus' shirt, but nevertheless he understood it.

"Janus."

Remus nodded. Janus. Of course, who else? He would have a serious word with his brother about giving sweets to Harry once this was over. Especially sweets that burned holes into your tongue.

Reaching the wooden door in front of Dumbledore's office, Remus knocked.

"Come in."

Remus opened the door and found Albus Dumbledore behind his desk. But the headmaster was not alone. Severus Snape was sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk. Both men looked at the newcomers questioningly, especially as they realized that Remus was carrying Harry.

Dumbledore rose, a worried frown on his face.

"Remus, has something happened?"

Remus went over to the small, overstuffed sofa that stood on the wall and lowered Harry onto it. The boy still refused to let go of his neck.

"Harry, please let go."

Harry only shook his head.

"Harry, I'm right here, I won't go away. But please let go of my neck now, it's slowly starting to hurt."

Hesitantly, the small fingers unwrapped themselves and Remus was able to untangle himself from Harry's embrace. He sat down on the sofa next to Harry and looked up.

"Sorry to interrupt Albus, but I think you need to know this."

Dumbledore stepped over to the pair with two cups in his hands. Remus thankfully accepted the hot tea and helped Harry to take his own half-full mug. The child was still scared out of his wits and skidded as close to his godfather as possible. Remus wrapped his free arm around him and rubbed his back reassuringly.

Dumbledore sat down in a chair next to Snape and looked at the pair of them.

"What has happened, Remus?"

"Janus came over today and reinforced the wards around the house. He didn't tell me about it, but just as we had finished dinner the alarms went off. Janus said he had calibrated the wards to react on the Dark Mark.

Harry and I took the portkey to Hogsmeade you left us and came here as soon as possible. Janus has stayed at the house, he told me to tell you about it."

Dumbledore nodded.

"How many?"

"I don't know. Janus sent us off as the first barrier of wards was breached, whoever triggered the alarms had not been close to the house at that point."

Sensing Dumbledore's next question, Remus looked at the clock on the wall.

"It's been ten minutes since we left, maybe a little more."

Again, the old wizard nodded and looked at Snape. He gave the Potions master a look that implied a silent question, something that puzzled Remus, but Snape only shook his head. Dumbledore turned towards Remus again.

"We'll go there immediately. Severus, could you take Professor McGonagall and go to Remus' house? If it's really only a single Death Eater, I'm sure Mr. Lupin won't have any problems dealing with him, but we need to make sure just in case there are more. Send word and alert the Ministry if the situation is out of control, I'll be along shortly."

Snape nodded and left the room. Dumbledore turned back to Remus.

"Is there anybody else we should notify?"

Remus sighed.

"Janus told me to contact Lucas Spalding, his partner. Once he's there, I'm sure he'll be able to take over."

"Feel free to use the fireplace."

"Thank you, Albus."

Remus got up from the sofa, much to Harry's dismay, and walked over to Dumbledore's fireplace. Grabbing some powder from the mantelpiece, he threw it into the flames.

"Lucas Spalding."

The flames flickered blue for a moment, signalling that the connection was being established. After some moments more, the face of a woman appeared in the fireplace.

"Yes?"

"Good evening. Sorry to disturb you, but it's important. My name is Remus Lupin, I need to speak to Lucas Spalding."

The woman shook her head.

"I'm sorry Mr. Lupin, but Lucas is not here right now. He left two hours ago."

Remus sighed.

"Do you know where he might have gone to?"

Again, the woman shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. He only said it had to do with his work and that he didn't know when he'd be back."

Remus suppressed a curse.

"Thank you all the same. Good evening."

"Good evening, Mr. Lupin."

Her head vanished from the flames and Remus turned around again. With a smile, he noticed that Dumbledore had sat down next to Harry and did a very good job in distracting the boy. Fawkes the phoenix had flown from his perch to the armrest of the sofa, and under Dumbledore's instruction Harry carefully petted the magnificent bird.

Remus went over to them and sat down in a chair in front of the sofa. Harry looked up, his emerald eyes wide with excitement.

"Remus, Fawkes is a phoenix! A real phoenix! Isn't that great?"

Remus smiled fondly at the child.

"Yes Harry, it is. Hello Fawkes."

He stretched out his hand and carefully patted the bird on the head.

"Can I have a phoenix, Remus?"

Dumbledore uttered a cough that sounded suspiciously like a suppressed laugh. His blue eyes sparkled behind his glasses. Remus did something he had never thought possible - he gave his former headmaster a scolding look. Then he turned back to his godson.

"Harry, I'm afraid that phoenixes aren't normal pets. You can't just buy them, they have to decide to stay with you."

"Oh."
Harry sounded disappointed now. Dumbledore lay a hand on his shoulder and the small boy turned his head.

"Don't be sad, Harry. Once you're here at Hogwarts, you might see Fawkes more often than you like. That is, if you have inherited at least a little of your father's and Remus' tendency for mischief you might find yourself in this office quite often.

And the next time I have to write a letter to Remus, I'll ask Fawkes if he will deliver it. Phoenixes normally don't deliver mail, but maybe he'll make an exception for you. He seems to like you."

He winked at Harry and the boy smiled.

"Really? That would be nice, sir."

While Harry kept on petting Fawkes, Dumbledore turned to Remus.

"You have contacted Mr. Spalding?"

Remus shook his head.

"No, unfortunately he wasn't home. We'll have to go without him."

Dumbledore looked at him intensely.

"Remus, I think it would be better if you stayed here with Harry."

"No Albus, I won't stay behind. If Janus is in trouble, I have to help him. Especially now that Lucas isn't there."

Dumbledore sighed.

"I really think it would be better if you remained here and distracted Harry. He can't be left alone."

Remus already wanted to argue against this, when suddenly an idea struck him.

"Could you call a house-elf?"

Dumbledore smiled as if he guessed what Remus was driving at, and he rung a small silver bell on his desk. Immediately, a house elf materialized next to the desk.

"Professor Dumbledore has a wish sir? What can Mindy do for Professor Dumbledore sir?"

Harry stared at the small creature with his mouth and eyes wide open. He had never seen a house elf before, and the weird little creature was far more interesting than Fawkes for him at the moment. The phoenix sensed that his presence had worn off its novelty and flew back onto his perch.

Dumbledore turned to the house elf.

"Mindy, this is Harry Potter. Would you mind to take him around the castle a little? I think a visit in the kitchens would be very much appreciated as well."

Mindy nodded feverishly.

"Whatever Professor Dumbledore wishes, sir. Mindy will take Harry Potter around the castle. If Harry Potter comes with Mindy now please?"

Harry looked at Remus with an expression that bordered on panic. Remus smiled and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, house elfs aren't dangerous. Last time we were here, you wanted to see the castle. Mindy will show you whatever you want, alright?"

Harry's eyes immediately brightened and he got up from the sofa.

"Everything? Even the owlery?"

Remus laughed.

"If you want, yes even the owlery."

Harry was already at the door, waiting for the house elf to come. Remus held Mindy back for a moment.

"Just don't let him out of sight. And don't give him too many sweets and sugar, otherwise he won't be able to sleep tonight."

Mindy nodded.

"Mindy won't leave Harry Potter out of sight sir. Mindy will watch his every step."

"Thank you."

Remus quickly gave Harry a hug and then the boy and the house elf were already out of the office. He nodded at Dumbledore.

"Let's go."

Remus and Dumbledore left the office as well, heading for the castle ground and the edge of the Anti-Apparition wards around the castle.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Janus stood still in the corner for some moments, thinking about the best strategy to deal with whoever was approaching the house. Silently, he moved across the room and made sure that the backdoor was securely locked. He didn't want to make it too easy for the Death Eaters, Janus Lupin didn't offer himself to Voldemort's servants on a silver plate.

After Janus had taken his hiding place in the corner again, it took only some moments until the silent vibration of his wand told him that the barriers close to the house had been breached as well.

Now one or more Death Eaters were directly in front of the house. If Janus had not set up those additional wards only hours ago, Remus and Harry would have been taken by surprise. He didn't even want to imagine what could have happened if he had not decided to visit them tonight. Janus made a mental note to go through the wards around the house again first thing tomorrow. Disabling Apparition and portkey use to get in simply was not enough, the wards needed to be set up to recognize people.

But now he needed to pay attention.

Making sure that his movement didn't give away his hiding place, Janus got up from his crouch and craned his neck to look out of the window. It was dark outside, the cloudy sky preventing most of the moon- and starlight from shining through, but after some moments, Janus saw movement in front of the window. It could have been a large straying animal, but normally no animal came this close to the house.

As the shadow had passed the window, Janus quickly crossed the room and carefully rose his head above the windowsill. Nothing.

Janus quickly thought about his possibilities. Experience had taught him that it was better to think of his escape plans while he still had time for it. He could not apparate from the house, so the only way out left was either the front or the backdoor. In case that there was more than one person out there, it was likely that he would run into at least one, if not a group of Death Eaters on his way out. This was a chance he didn't want to take, the dark yard and garden offered far too many hiding places for his opponents.

While his right hand held his wand tightly, his left hand moved to the pocket of his robe. With relief Janus realized that the small box he always carried around with himself was still there. He pulled it out and opened it.

Inside of the box was a normal silver sickle. Janus quickly tapped it with his wand, then closed the box and put it in his pocket again.

He always carried a portkey with him which he activated before he went on missions. The portkey bore his signature, and its only use was to bring Janus safely back to the Ministry in case of an emergency. Lucas carried a similar box in his pocket on their missions. Being an Unspeakable was by no means a safe job.

Out of the corner of his eyes Janus saw movement and turned his head. The doorknob of the backdoor was turning slowly, as if whoever tried to open the door didn't want to raise attention. Well, he was failing, because Janus had seen it.

Quickly and silently moving into the cover of the living room door, Janus watched as the doorknob was turned further and further. Then somebody slowly pushed against the door, creating a small rumbling sound when the wood didn't move. The door was locked, Janus had checked it immediately after Remus had left with Harry.

Janus tensed and counted his heartbeats, trying to remain calm while alert at the same time. He would not be the one to make the first move, he would wait until the person out there had decided to act. Keeping his presence hidden as long as possible was biggest advantage right now.

Janus half expected the door to be blasted apart any moment and was mentally preparing himself, going through a list of curses in his head, when he once again saw a shadow quickly pass the window on the other side of the room.

'Heading for the front door, aren't we? A Death Eater who comes through the front door, now there's something new.'

Janus left his position behind the door and slowly entered the front hall. Hiding here would be slightly more difficult. With quick and silent strides, Janus reached the small window next to the door and, hiding his body from view, glimpsed outside.

The lantern that was normally lit in front of the door had been extinguished earlier on when Janus had turned off all the lights in the house. So all Janus could see was the darkness of the front yard. In the darkness, he could hardly make out the outline of the bushes some yards away. Everything behind the window was black and nothing moved.

Janus already wanted to turn away when movement once more caught his attention. There, on his left, a somewhat darker shade of black was moving towards the door. A person, most probably in a black cloak with hood.

Taking one last look, Janus turned. One Death Eater he could deal with, especially as he had the moment of surprise on his side. Things would only get difficult if that Death Eater had some friends out there who had not shown up so far. He would have to take that one out quick and quietly.

Again, the doorknob was slowly turned around, but this time, a shiver went down Janus' spine. Something was wrong here.

The moment he realized what it was, Janus could have slapped himself. He had not locked the door!

After Remus and Harry had gone, he had made sure that the back door was securely locked and that all the windows were closed. But the most obvious thing, the bloody front door, he had forgotten about!

As there was no more time to fix that mistake, Janus quickly changed his tactics. The door opened from the right to the left, meaning that whoever came in first saw the staircase and the door towards the living room on the right side of the hall.

Silently, Janus moved away from the staircase and over towards the wardrobe. He would be shielded from view there at least for the first moments after the door had been opened.

With a low click, the doorknob was turned all around and slowly the door opened. Without a sound, the wood slowly swung towards Janus.

Every muscle in Janus' body was tense and his breathing was slow and controlled. His right hand held his wand tightly and slowly moved upwards, heading for where the chest of the intruder would most likely turn up.

The door stopped half-way through the opening process, but instead of somebody coming into view, it was suddenly slammed shut and the person behind it spun around, facing Janus.

"Stupefy!"

Janus was surprised that the intruder had known or guessed that he was there and where he was hiding, but not surprised enough for his reflexes to shut down. With a quick movement, he jumped to the side and evaded the curse, easing his impact on the floor by rolling over.

Knowing that his presence was no longer a secret, he had to act. Losing no time, he rose into a crouch, raised his wand and shot the curse himself.

"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"

Both curses were shouted at the same time, and both missed their aim because the targets ducked away. Janus shot a series of stunning spells and numbing hexes into the general direction of the other man, but all he hit was the small table next to the door and a framed picture of Harry and Remus that hung at the wall. Small shards of glass flew through the air, but the Death Eater ducked out of their way and moved closer towards the staircase.

Realizing that his opponent was by no means stupid or inexperienced, Janus settled for a different approach. Most Death Eaters were so fascinated by the power given to them by magic that they forgot about more simple, yet also most effective ways of fighting.

Leaving the cover of the doorframe, Janus quickly crossed the distance between himself and the Death Eater. The man realized what Janus was doing, but either he was too stunned by this sudden change of tactic, or he had plans of his own, but he didn't move.

After a short moment, he aimed his wand at Janus, but the second of hesitation had given Janus all the time he needed. He slammed his knee into the man's groin with all his might, receiving a stifled moan as a response. His fist collided with the other's stomach, and even as the attacker sank to his knees Janus grabbed the man's wand arm and slammed the wrist against the handrail of the staircase with full force. The man gave a sharp cry of pain and the wand fell from suddenly limp fingers.

Not risking anything, even though the Death Eater in front of him was on his knees, weakened and obviously unarmed, Janus reached for his left boot with his hand while he pushed the man back against the stairs with the other.

Hovering above the still moaning Death Eater, he pulled out a knife from his left boot and placed it against the man's throat while he pressed the man's legs down with his knee.

"I would not move if I were you."

Janus' tone of voice implied an obvious threat that implied dire consequences for any attempt to struggle free, and now that he had the man at knife- and wand point, he allowed himself to relax a little.

Janus lit the tip of his wand and, putting the wand under his arm, yanked back the man's head with his right hand.

Janus' eyes widened.

The knife clattered loudly as it fell to the tiled floor.