Confused Memories

Chapter 20

Clayton watched his lover sleep. He was still surprised at the events of the previous night, but he didn't regret it. Not at all. He smiled and brushed a lock of grayish-brown hair out of Remus Lupin's face.

They had met a couple of days before at a staff meeting. Remus had come to Hogwarts to give Professor Granger some help in her lesson plans. He knew more about defense against magical creatures than anyone at the castle. Of course, it made sense that he would--he was a werewolf, after all.

Clayton narrowed his eyes slightly. It had taken a bit of work to convince Remus that he didn't care what he was, or how much money he had. Clay wouldn't say that he was in love with Remus--but he was well on his way there. The wizard was intelligent, loyal, kind, patient--a wonderful person. And he didn't mind that Clay was practically a Squib, which went a long way in earning Clay's trust.

Remus and Clay had spoken for hours on end while Sarah taught her classes and AJ did research in the library. Clay felt a bit guilty that he wasn't helping, but when Mac had taken him aside and told him to enjoy his small vacation, he had felt a bit better. Of course, then she had told him to invite her to the wedding. He smiled and shook his head. She never got tired of teasing him.

Clay stretched slightly. It was almost time for breakfast, but he didn't want to get out of bed. He felt too wonderful for words, and didn't want to break the sensation of... dare he say... happiness.

"Good morning, Clayton," Remus rasped, his voice still rough from sleep.

"Morning, Remus," Clayton replied, kissing the other man quickly.

"Shall we get ready for breakfast?"

Clay grinned wickedly. "Not yet." He caressed Remus' thigh. Remus growled and grabbed Clay's wrists. He pinned them over his head and kissed Clay deeply.

****

Clay stepped out of his room, an actual smile on his face. Remus had promised to show him Hogsmeade later that day, and he was looking forward to the trip immensely.

He passed the foot of the Divination Tower and stopped in his tracks. He had a niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong with Sarah.

Climbing the steps of the tower, he finally reached Sarah's quarters. He knocked softly on her door.

"What is it?" Sarah's voice called. It was rough--either from sleep or from tears.

"It's Clay, Sarah. I wanted to talk to you." He waited a few seconds, then said, "Sarah?"

The door swung open, revealing a red-eyed Sarah MacKenzie. "Mac--what's wrong?" Clay asked worriedly.

She gestured him inside, then closed the door. She sniffed. "He--he said he doesn't love me," she whispered.

"Who?" Clay asked. He already knew the answer.

"AJ. He doesn't love me. We made love--no, I had sex with him," she spat. "I practically threw myself at him. What was he going to do? I mean, he's a man. What else would he do? Funny--I didn't take him for the love 'em and leave 'em type," she finished bitterly.

Clay's eyes narrowed dangerously. He kept his voice even, however, when he said, "Oh, Sarah, I'm sorry. I thought he had feelings for you, too."

"Well, we were both wrong, weren't we?" Sarah muttered, yanking a brush through her hair.

"Do you want me to have some breakfast sent up?" Clay asked.

"No," Mac replied emphatically. "I'm not going to let that... that... man think that I'm pining away up here." She sat on the bed. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay. If you say so," Clay said. He walked to the door.

"Oh, Clay? How did last night go? Your portrait said you were... busy." Sarah tried to smile.

Clay grinned. "It was right." Sarah laughed and threw a sock at him.

"Go on, get back to lover-boy," she said, shaking her head. He left, closing the door.

****

Hearing a knock on the door, AJ opened it a crack. Clayton Webb paced the corridor.

"Something wrong, Webb?" AJ asked. The younger man's head snapped up. There was an angry gleam in his dark green eyes.

Clay shoved past AJ and into the room. "What the hell is the matter with you, you son of a bitch?" he hissed, getting into AJ's face.

"Watch your tone of voice, Webb," AJ replied dangerously.

"Fuck you, AJ," Webb snarled. AJ's eyes widened. He had never heard the spy use such strong language before. "You broke her heart, asshole. Tell me why I shouldn't hex your balls off right now," he said, pointing his wand at AJ's groin.

"Because it would land you in the Hospital Wing for about a week--even without retaliation?" AJ said dryly.

"It would be worth it," Clay said. "You hurt Sarah. You lied to her." Not allowing AJ to interrupt, he continued, "And don't tell me you don't love her. It's damn obvious."

"Webb, you know why I can't tell her--" AJ began.

"Bullshit!" Clay said. "That doesn't give you the right to smash her heart into little pieces. I swear, Chegwidden, if I had the strength, you would be in a world of pain." He stormed out of the room, leaving AJ with his mouth hanging open.

****

Clay and Remus walked the path to Hogsmeade slowly. Clay had told Remus the entire story of why he and AJ were there, and the saga of AJ and Sarah's whirlwind romance and subsequent heartbreak.

Remus shook his head. "I don't know much about Muggle law. You say that it's illegal for the two of them to be together?"

Clay nodded wearily. "I understand AJ's reticence, but I can't see why he would hurt Mac like that. You should see her, Remus. I haven't seen her this broken since... well, since her fiancé left her."

Remus took Clay's hand. "There isn't anything you can do about it, Clayton. Just be there for Sarah. She seems like a strong woman--I'm sure she will get past this eventually."

Clay smiled sadly. "I know. It just hurts to see her like this."

"Of course it does. Nobody likes to see their friends hurting." Remus squeezed Clay's hand. "And I don't like to see you hurting. Is there anything I can do?"

"You're already doing it," Clay said.

Suddenly, without warning, a series of pops sounded in the air around them. Remus shoved Clay off the path and into the trees. People in black robes appeared before them. Each wore a white mask. Remus' lips tightened grimly. "Death Eaters," he whispered to Clay.

"Search the area," one of the Death Eaters ordered. "Someone is bound to be out here. I don't want Dumbledore alerted. Not yet, anyway," he said in a malevolent voice.

"Get out of here, Remus!" Clay said.

"I'm not leaving you here, Clay!" Remus argued.

"You have more of a chance than I do to get back to the castle unharmed. Go! Now! Before they cast anti-Apparition spells!"

Remus looked at his lover. "I'm sorry, Clay," he whispered.

"Just go!"

Remus disappeared with a crack. Two Death Eaters, hearing the sound, started blasting apart the bushes where Clay was hiding. He knew he couldn't get away, but wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Protego!" he whispered. The Shield Charm wouldn't be very strong, but it would keep lesser spells from hitting him for now. "Conjunctiva! Locomotor Mortis!"

The Death Eater hit by the Conjunctivitis Curse shouted and dropped his wand. The one affected by the Leg-Locker Curse sent one more curse toward Clay before he fell. It went wild and didn't hit Clay.

However, two Death Eaters simultaneously cast a Full Body-Bind toward Clay's hiding place. He didn't dodge it quickly enough, and it penetrated his Shield Charm. He fell over, cursing silently.

The first Death Eater cast Mobilicorpus on Clay and brought him to the apparent leader. "Master!" he said, kneeling. "I found someone in the bushes. He was trying to attack Nott and Avery."

"Very good, Macnair. You shall be rewarded. Put him down." Macnair muttered a word, and Clay dropped to the ground. The Body-Bind didn't allow him to break his fall, and the wind was knocked out of him.

"How nice to meet you," the leader said smoothly. "You, my friend, get to do us a wonderful service. Finite Incantatem," he said, removing the Body-Bind. He smiled cruelly. "Imperio."

---

Chapter 21

Remus Apparated into the Forbidden Forest, just beyond the wards of Hogwarts. He took off at top speed, paying no mind to the various dangerous creatures of the forest. Any animal who attacked a werewolf deserved what it got. Survival of the fittest.

Remus stumbled onto the Hogwarts ground, breathing heavily. It had been a long time since he had needed to do this sort of physical activity. "H-hagrid," he gasped, seeing the groundskeeper wrestling with a slightly oversized pumpkin. "Hagrid," he called louder.

The half-giant looked around. Seeing Remus stumbling toward him, he placed the pumpkin down gently and said, "Remus, what're ye doin' out here?"

"Hagrid, I need you to run to Professor Dumbledore as quickly as you can. It's lunchtime--he should be in his office or the Great Hall. Tell him that there are Death Eaters on the path to Hogsmeade. We need to form a defense now--there's no time to waste."

Hagrid's bushy eyebrows went up in shock. "But I thought tha' all the Death Eaters were in Azkaban!"

Remus shook his head grimly. "Not even close. Now go! As quickly as you can!" Hagrid started running, his feet causing mini-earthquakes where they impacted the ground. Remus hurried to the gate.

As he watched for the Death Eaters to arrive, Remus worried. What had happened to Clay after he left? He shouldn't have left him behind. God, what he would do to have a Time Turner...

Movement caught his eye. His breath caught as Clay came stumbling up the path. "Clay?" he whispered in horror. The Death Eaters had beaten him mercilessly. They had also used a number of spells that even he couldn't reverse. Remus' heart nearly stopped with fear.

"Remus," Clay wheezed. "Open the gates--please. Let me in." Remus hurried to open the gates, not thinking of the consequences. Clay needed him. He knelt by Clay, trying to calm his nerves.

"Oh, look--it's the werewolf," a low voice sneered. Remus looked up, his heart sinking as he saw dozens of black robes surrounding them. "What shall we do with him, Master?"

"Leave him with his lover," the leader ordered. "In fact..." The apparent leader waved his wand lazily toward the two. Remus' eyes widened, and he moved to stand. However, the binding spell the wizard had cast would not allow him to move. "That's right," Malfoy said--Remus realized that he was the only one who could be the leader of this group. "You can't leave his side... until one of you dies." He laughed, a cold, cruel laugh. The group dispersed, leaving the two wizards behind.

****

"Headmaster! Headmaster!" Hagrid yelled as he ran through the entrance hall. He threw open the doors to the Great Hall. "Headmaster!"

"What is it, Rubeus?" the aged wizard asked.

"Death Eaters... at the gates... going to attack!" Hagrid said wildly.

Pandemonium reigned in the Hall. Dumbledore silenced the frightened students. "Prefects, lead all students sixth year or younger to the dungeons." For once, Severus did not object to the invasion of his sacred space. "Head Boy and Girl, please gather the seventh years together. Follow the plan that you learned at the beginning of the year." Two teens with badges on their collars nodded and turned to their classmates. "Professors, staff room, immediately."

AJ, who had been sitting at the end of the table next to Hermione, asked, "Have you seen Sarah today?"

She nodded, looking at AJ in ill-concealed anger. "She's most likely in the Divination Tower, going over lesson plans." She stood and ran out of the Hall, heading for the staff room.

AJ's mind went into overdrive. Death Eaters were attacking--and Sarah didn't know. He jumped up and followed Hermione--but he turned left where she turned right, and ran for the Divination Tower.

He swore violently as he reached the moving staircases. "Can't you see this is a goddamn emergency?" he roared. To his surprise, the staircases listened, aligning themselves in the quickest route to the tower.

"Thanks," AJ muttered, feeling foolish. He hurried pell-mell down the hallways, passing groups of students whispering worriedly. They stared, wide-eyed, as he raced past.

Finally, he reached the Divination Tower. He took the stairs in twos, ignoring inquiries from the paintings on the walls.

Sir Cadogan, a short, squat knight in one of the paintings, rushed downward. "Scoundrels!" he shouted. "Attacking a fair maiden in her chambers!"

AJ nearly tripped. He urged his body to go faster.

As he reached the classroom at the top of the tower, he paused for a moment to catch his breath, then opened the door cautiously.

Sarah stood in a corner, wand out. Two men dressed all in black leered at her.

"She's certainly a pretty one, eh, Avery?" the first nudged his partner.

"Damn it, Nott," the other said angrily, "the Master said no names. What are you, stupid?"

"Ah, shut your gob," the first said irritably. "Anyway, she won't remember one way or the other." He grinned evilly. "Imperio."

AJ's anger grew as he watched the first man--Avery--attempt to place Sarah under the Imperius Curse. He pulled his wand out quietly, awaiting his chance to vent his rage.

Sarah laughed in her attackers' faces. AJ grinned. "Stupefy," he whispered as Sarah yelled, "Expelliarmus!" She caught the two wands in her left hand.

"I'm confiscating these, young men," she mocked. "Stupefy," she said, Stunning the other man. Sarah placed the two wands in an inner pocket of her robes.

"Help me with them," she instructed AJ. Both put their personal issues out of mind in the face of their current situation. They moved the bodies into two chairs, tying them down and Petrifying them for good measure. AJ grabbed Sarah's hand and dragged her out of the tower just as the battle below began heating up.

"Shit!" AJ yelled as a stray curse burst through the window. They ran out of the classroom and down the stairs.

"Why don't we just Apparate?" AJ asked, slightly winded.

"Can't while on Hogwarts grounds. Hermione told me," Sarah replied shortly. AJ nodded in comprehension.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the bottom of the staircase. Wands out, they slipped into the empty corridor silently. AJ gestured toward the doors at the front of the entrance hall. They peered outside.

The air practically sizzled with the discharge of magic. Bolts of color shot through the air. Seventh years stood on the ramparts of the castle, sending every spell they could think of toward the Death Eaters. The professors were on the ground, confronting the invaders face-to-face.

"Let's go," AJ commanded tersely.

"Aye, sir," Sarah replied. AJ blinked, but said nothing. It would not pay to become distracted.

"Protego," Sarah whispered. A clear, faint bubble surrounded her. AJ raised an eyebrow, but did the same.

As they cautiously entered the fray, a couple of Death Eaters spotted them. "Petrificus Totalus!" Sarah yelled, putting one down for the count. She entered the battle in earnest.

Hoping Sarah knew what she was doing, AJ tried to recall what he had learned at Salem so long ago. "Expelliarmus! Stupefy!" he roared. Two Death Eaters were taken out of the battle.