Gingerbread House

Morning came bright, early, and painfully unforgiving to Remus. He had spent most of the night decoding Peter's journal completely. The process might have gone a bit faster if he hadn't felt the need to delve into his stash of brandy that Harry had given him on his last birthday. Harry had just smiled sweetly at Remus when he had asked the teen how he had gotten the liquor. The expression was just so James that Remus had burst into laughter, and thanked Harry for the present. Remus figured that Sirius had given Harry the relevant details about the brand he liked, because he certainly couldn't recall ever mentioning his love for Slivovitz in front of Harry or his friends.

Remus finally finished the journal at around four in the morning. Remembering his promise to Ron and Hermione, he had set his alarm to wake him three hours later. Groggy, still slightly drunk, and distinctly grumpy, Remus decided to make a pit stop at Severus's dungeons before heading up to turn in his "translation" to Albus. He just prayed that the dour Potions Master would have a few things on hand to help him sober up; or at the very least, a Pepperup or Wit-Sharpening Potion.

He quickly got dressed and headed down to the dungeons. Making the stop would also allow him to check with Severus about some of the things he had uncovered in Peter's journal. While most of the journal was a simple diary of the day to day events of Peter's life, I went to work, I came home, I ate, I went to bed; there had been a few entries about the activities of the Death Eaters. Remus had been surprised to find out that Peter had only been initiated a month before Lily and James' deaths. He idly wondered if giving James and Lily to Voldemort was Peter's way of thanking the Dark Lord for accepting him. Nothing in the journal mentioned Harry, per se, but there was one entry that Remus had found interesting. It was from the day that Peter had told Voldemort he might possibly become the Potter's Secret Keeper.

I mentioned to the Dark Lord that the Potters were considering a Secret Keeper, and that I was one of their options. He was extremely pleased. But most of his questions about their situation resolved around Harry. I wonder if the Dark Lord wants to take Harry and raise him? I just hope I don't fail when the time comes.

Remus shuddered at the thought of a wizard of Harry's magnitude in the hands of Voldemort, raised by Voldemort, Voldemort's right hand man. It was a truly terrifying thought. The Wizarding World would most certainly be crushed in his hands, and god knows what the Muggle world would be like.

Remus reached Severus's office and gave a start. He opened the door, and Severus frowned at the expression on Remus's face. "Severus," Remus said slowly, almost afraid that he would give form to his fear by saying it aloud, "could it be possible that this trap is not to kill Harry, but to use him?"

The other man studied Remus thoughtfully, waving him towards a chair. He absently rummaged through a desk drawer, finding what he was seeking through sheer habit rather than eyesight. Remus suspected that nothing was ever out of place at Severus Snape's desk. He pulled out a small potion bottom and tossed it at Remus. "Hangover cure," he explained. "Now start at the beginning."

"Three months ago, I found Peter Pettigrew's journal." Severus's eyebrow shot up instantly, and Remus vaguely found himself wondering how the hell the other man did that? Did he practice in the mirror? "It was written in code. I managed to figure it out last night. There's an entry that worried me. It just made me wonder if Voldemort hadn't found another use for Harry."

"Well, I'm sure if there was a way to funnel Potter's power, Lucius Malfoy would find it," Severus returned spitefully. Remus nodded, and winced as his head felt like it was going to explode. He uncorked the bottle, and swiftly downed the contents. "Should take about 15 minutes to start working," Severus continued.

"That would certainly explain why they used an object to trigger the trap," Remus mused. "If it's not so much a trap for Harry himself, but more his power, I mean." He pursed his lips, thinking. In some ways, it was a shame that he and Severus had never been friends while at school. Severus, because of his upbringing, and Remus, because of what he was, shared an immense amount of sheer knowledge about the Dark Arts. He shook his head. "I'd have to do some research, I'm afraid I've gotten rusty on Dark Power Siphons," he snorted. Severus cracked a small grin at the sarcasm.

"It seems the potion is taking effect sooner than I thought." Remus nodded again, this time without the painful throbbing. "I don't know much about that area either," Severus continued. "Most of the Dark Arts is aimed towards controlling another's will, and by extension, their power."

"Or killing them," Remus finished the thought sourly. "Severus," Remus reached into his robes and pulled out the piece of paper with Peter's word written on it. He pushed the paper over Severus's desk to the other man. "Does this mean anything to you?"

Severus picked up the piece of paper, studied it, and Remus could almost see the spark of recognition. Severus's dark eyes widened, and his mouth dropped out of its usual sneer. He leaned forward. "Where did you hear this?" Severus hissed.

Remus blinked. "It was in Peter's journal. From October 29th." Severus's breath let out in a short gasp, and he slumped down in his chair. "What does it mean?"

"Parassinikadavu was one of the places Voldemort visited to study. It was also became a code word used by the inner circle. I never knew what it meant, I wasn't that far on the inside."

"Who would know?"

Severus shrugged slightly. "The Lestranges. Lucius Malfoy. Crouch. I'm sure there are others, but not having been there, I can't say for sure."

"Do you think you could find out more from Malfoy?" Remus asked after a few moments. Severus scowled and nodded.

"Since his precious baby boy is trapped in there as well, I probably can." His scowl grew darker.

Remus cocked his head at his friend as a new thought occurred to him. "Can you do it without extreme bodily harm?"

Severus shook his head. "I doubt it."

The pair sat in silence considering. "If we brought him along, could you give the coordinates of this place to Sirius?" Severus cocked an eyebrow at Remus. "He's the only one of us who can Apparate there and do some research." Severus nodded.

"Speaking of Black, I wonder if he found that gingerbread house. I couldn't sleep last night, so I spent the time brewing different types of revealing potions."

Remus shook his head, a half smile on his face. He stood. "Thanks for the potion, Severus. We should probably get started. Would you want to come with me?"

Severus sneered. "And voluntarily spend more time in Black's company? Please. I thought you counted my intelligence higher than that. Of course, he's probably rubbing off you."

"Even for you, Severus, that one was a little weak," Remus retorted smoothly. He waved, and trotted out of the office. Next was Albus, then to find Sirius, and finally, to Gryffindor Tower. Remus wasn't sure which meeting he was dreading the most.

"Ah! Professor Lupin!" Remus turned at the sound of a female voice. A redheaded blur rushed towards him. It was Ginny Weasley.

"What can I do for you, Miss Weasley?" He asked pleasantly, if a little impatiently.

She shuffled a bit. "Sir, I wanted to ask if you knew anything about Harry yet." Remus found himself vaguely amused; the girl blushed as she pronounced Harry's name in a worshipful tone. He had heard from Minerva about her Valentine's during her first year. The crush still hadn't faded. Remus figured it was probably bolstered by Harry's rescue of her back then. He frankly thought they'd make a cute couple. Harry seemed to feel otherwise. "The way the Weasleys have adopted me, it'd be like kissing my own sister." Remus's smile dropped as he remembered Harry's next words. He had dropped his gaze to the ground and mumbled something about "safety."

"No, Miss Weasley. We don't know anything yet," he said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. Weasley bit her lip and chewed it a bit. "I'm sure, wherever Harry is, he's fine."

"But sir," Weasley said, haltingly.

"I'm very sorry, Ginny," he said, addressing her more personally. Remus put his hand lightly on her shoulder. "I know you're worried. We're doing everything we can to bring them back." He squeezed her shoulder. "We will bring him back."

She nodded and smiled nervously. "Yes, sir." Remus let her go, and she walked off. Remus frowned at her back before continuing on his way to Albus's office. Ginny Weasley was something of a puzzle. Where every other Weasley Remus had ever met was outstanding in one way or another, Ginny was frightfully average. Her grades put her in the exact middle of the class; she rarely volunteered information in classes unless called upon. She seemed quieter than Remus remembered her from her second year. Not really more introspective, just more distant. It was slightly odd; Remus was far more used to seeing the redheaded Weasleys in the middle of things, rather than watching from outside. But it was a puzzle for another day.

Remus reached the Headmaster's office, gave the password and walked in. "Albus?" The office was empty. Remus just shrugged slightly, placed his notes on the Headmaster's desk, and walked out. He was secretly glad Albus wasn't in at the moment, Remus felt dreadfully behind on his errands. "And I still have to teach today," he groaned. He looked around the empty hallway before pulling out his wand. "Quaerito Sirius!" he muttered, casting a seeking charm on the other man.

Following where his wand led him, Remus quickly found Sirius sleeping in the room Albus had given him. He was curled up, still in his dog form, with his tail lying over his head. Remus smiled briefly at the sight before walking up to Sirius cautiously. He knew that Sirius still felt more secure as a dog than he did as a man. A dog's life was far less complicated, and Sirius wasn't as affected by the Dementors while a dog either. Plus he had a vicious bite. Usually used when someone was trying to wake him up. "Sirius?" Remus asked loudly, very carefully not touching his friend. "Sirius, wake up." Sirius didn't move. Remus sighed and pulled out his wand. He gestured, and a loud boom echoed through the room. Sirius woke up with a start, tail pointed, and the hackles rising on the back of his neck. Remus smiled at him as sweetly as possible, and Sirius growled. "C'mon Sirius, we have work to do," Remus said.

Sirius changed back into his human form and glared at Remus. "You didn't have to use a bang to wake me up, Moony. I thought it was another attack. Just shake my shoulder or something, will you?"

Remus was torn between amusement and shame. "You're right, and I'm sorry. I'll use a klaxon next time." Sirius's glare increased. "Last time I shook you awake while you were Snuffles, you bit me." Sirius was the only person who could manage to look abashed and pissed off at the same time. "But we do have work to do." Sirius nodded, and quickly pulled on his robes.

"Will you grab the house, Moony? It's sitting on the desk over there," Sirius gestured as he fumbled around looking for his wand.

"Have you touched it?" Remus asked as he walked over to the desk. On it was sitting a very small gingerbread house. He raised his wand. "Finite Incantatum," he muttered at it. The spell flashed, showing that there were spells on it, but nothing overtly changed.

"No, of course not. I'll leave that to the experts." Sirius answered, coming up next to Remus. He stared at the house intensely. "I just hope Harry's all right." Remus said nothing. There was nothing to say. Sirius looked over at Remus. "Let's go." Sirius put on the dragon-hide glove and grabbed the house carefully.

"Who are you going to take it to?" Remus asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Dumbledore, I suppose. He can pass it on."

Remus stared at his friend for a minute. "And you're just going to walk up to his office and give it to him?" Sirius looked confused. "Snuffles?"

"Oh," Sirius laughed for the first time since the whole ordeal had started. "That." He reached onto the desk and grabbed a cloak. "Dumbledore loaned me Harry's Invisibility Cloak." He pulled it on awkwardly, leaving his head exposed. Remus reached out to help. "He figures that I'll be more useful as both Sirius and Padfoot."

"He's right. Be careful, will you?" Remus replied.

Sirius nodded. "I'm always careful."

Remus laughed. "Liar," Sirius smiled, pulled the cloak over his head. Remus could hear his steps out of the room. He shook his head at his friend, and moved onto his next, and possibly hardest, errand: Ron and Hermione.

Remus hurried towards Gryffindor Tower and gave the Fat Lady the password. She opened up, and he stepped into the brightly lit common room. Unexpectedly, it wasn't empty. Neville Longbottom was sitting in a chair next to the fire, scribbling on a piece of parchment. He looked up at Remus's approach, and smiled slightly. "Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to get Ron and Hermione, Neville. We're working on a project this morning before breakfast," Remus said politely.

"Is it about Harry?" Neville asked. Remus nodded in reply. "Oh good, then I can just give this to you then," Neville continued, handing the piece of parchment to Remus. He took it, surprised, and looked at Neville inquiringly. Neville blushed. "You know I'm good at Herbology, right, Professor?"

Remus smiled. "Of course, Neville. Professor Sprout says you're her favorite student, and one of the best Herbologists-in-the-making she's ever had the pleasure to teach." As Neville's blush started to put the fire to shame, Remus wondered if he'd been a little over-enthusiastic at relaying Sprout's words from their last faculty meeting.

"Well - uh - I..." Neville stuttered, his hands wringing together nervously. He took a deep breath, and the blush faded away. "Well, I was in Care of Magical Creatures yesterday morning when Harry and Malfoy..." He paused, and seemed to be searching for the right words.

"Disappeared?" Remus suggested.

Neville nodded. "Yes, disappeared. I just happened to notice that when they were fighting, the pair of them landed in a small patch of Protean Flowers. They're almost indistinguishable from common Muggle dandelions, which is probably why Hagrid hasn't gotten rid of them yet," he paused for a breath. Remus nodded encouragingly. Like Ginny Weasley, it was rare for Neville to ever volunteer information, even to Remus who did his best to encourage the shy boy. While Neville wasn't as bad off as he was four years ago, he still had problems. Neville seemed to have come to terms with his parents, who were still in St. Mungos. Rather than burying the talent everyone knew he had, Neville seemed to have realized that a life lived through fear wasn't really living. "The Protean Flowers tend to take on the magical properties of anything that touches them. If you harvest them correctly, you might be able to learn a little bit about what caused them to disappear."

Remus beamed at Neville. "I take it these are instructions on where to find the flowers and how to harvest them?"

Neville nodded. "I was going to tell Professor Sprout, but I know she's very busy with classes on Tuesdays and didn't know if she would have time to Harvest them before the effect fades. So I wrote out the instructions in case someone else decided to try," he blushed again.

"Neville, I'm extremely grateful. 25 points to Gryffindor for noticing what everyone else missed." Neville's jaw dropped in shock. While not as clumsy as he used to be, the boy was far more used to losing points for Gryffindor, rather than gaining them. And he'd never gained such a large amount.

"I'm just happy to be able to help Harry, Professor Lupin," Neville said after the shock had passed.

"We all are, Neville. Thank you very much, I'll pass this along to Professor Snape as soon as I'm able." Neville nodded. "Would you be willing to wake Ron for me, while I go and get Hermione?"

"Certainly Professor!" Neville exclaimed, jumping up and running towards to the dorm. Remus watched him go with a smile before heading up the stairs to the girl's dorm. He stopped at the door marked "7th Years," and knocked. Almost immediately, the door opened quietly and Hermione stepped out. She was fully dressed and was carrying books in her hands.

"Hello, Professor," she said quietly. Hermione seemed to be fighting to carry all the books without dropping them and close the door without waking the other girls. Remus grabbed the top bunch of books, making Hermione's load more manageable.

Together they carried the books down to the common room. Remus placed his load on a nearby table, and watched Hermione shove as many books as she could into a large bag. "Please tell me you weren't up all night researching, Hermione?" he finally asked with in a pained voice.

Hermione looked up at Remus in surprise. "No, Professor Lupin. I'll admit that I wanted to, but I just couldn't stay awake," she replied sheepishly, shrugging slightly. Remus, slightly surprised by her answer, studied her closely. Hermione wasn't lying. There were no ink stains on her fingers, she was looking directly at him, and there were no circles under her eyes. He idly wondered if Ron had been partially responsible for this.

"Good, you'll need all the sleep you can get," Remus replied, knowing full well that Hermione would not drop any of her activities as a tutor, Head Girl, or student while trying to help Harry. Hermione smiled slightly.

"Too early," a voice groaned down the stairs. Ron stumbled into the common room, followed by Neville. Ron's robes we on backwards, and he was rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Ron!" Hermione sighed. "Just think about Harry! He could be dead right now!" Hermione gasped at her own words, as if the concept had just occurred to her.

Ron smiled weakly and Neville flinched. "He's not dead, Hermione. Harry can give You-Know-Who a beating any day of the week," Ron said quietly but with feeling. The scene made Remus slightly nostalgic for his own days at Hogwarts and the three best friends he ever had.

"Don't dwell on what might happen, Hermione," Neville piped in unexpectedly. Remus nodded at him approvingly.

Ron laughed suddenly. "Hermione, just remember: there's no wood." Hermione gaped at Ron before joining in his laughter. Neville and Remus shared a curious glance. Ron yawned a bit before continuing. "So, to the library?"

"Yes, if you're ready. We could stop by the kitchens and ask the house-elves for a sandwich, or some breakfast first, if you'd like?" Remus offered.

Ron's stomach growled at the mention of food, and he nodded, grinning. Hermione pursed her lips in a disapproving fashion. The trio waved goodbye to Neville and trooped out of the room. "What exactly do you have in those books, Hermione?" Remus gestured to the bag that Hermione was carrying. He suspected the bag was enchanted to be larger than it looked; there was no way Hermione could fit nearly twenty-five books into that bag.

"About half are for the Potions essay that Professor Snape assigned us last week, I need to return them to the library now that I've finished the essay."

"But Hermione," Ron cried in a dismayed voice, "that essay isn't due for another month!"

"Not all of us like to wait for the last minute, Ron!" Hermione scolded back. Remus just watched the argument in amusement. It quite reminded him of many arguments that he and Sirius would have. Sirius always was the studious one of the bunch, far too intelligent and curious for his own good. Many a student at Hogwarts had wondered why Sirius Black had ended up in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw.

"And the rest of the books?" Remus asked, hoping to forestall an argument.

"I snuck up to the library after dinner yesterday and looked up various books that dealt with mysterious disappearances," Hermione answered. Ron rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Did you find anything that might be relevant?" Remus asked curiously. It would be truly lucky if Hermione had found something without knowing even the small details they knew now.

Hermione shook her head. "I did find quite a few references to disappearances being blamed on Voldemort making snakes eat people, but nothing related to this."

Remus felt himself smirk. "Well, we can definitely say that a snake was not responsible for this." The three walked in silence for a few minutes through the castle until they came upon the kitchens. Ron tickled the fruit, and the door opened.

"Harry Potter's Wheezy!" The high-picked, squeaky sound of a house-elf's voice screeched out over the sounds of hundreds of house-elves working.

Ron smiled widely as the owner of the voice popped over. "Hey Dobby!"

"How is Harry Potter's Wheezy doing?" the little house-elf asked. It seemed to be wearing a bright orange sweater, and a pair of grimy, large white socks. Remus just raised an eyebrow, and decided not to comment.

"I'm fine Dobby, but do you think we could get some breakfast?" Ron asked. Within seconds of this request, nearly ten house-elves appeared with a cart containing a selection of food. Remus and Hermione each took a few pieces of toast. Ron, on the other hand, seemed to be helping himself to porridge, waffles, and a large cup of hot chocolate. He noticed the looks Remus and Hermione were giving him. "What? I'm a growing boy!"

"Why don't you join us in the library when you've finished Ron?" Remus suggested mildly, trying not to smile at Hermione's muttered "that'll be in the next century." Ron nodded enthusiastically in response, unable to answer around a large biscuit. He either didn't hear Hermione, or was successfully ignoring her. Remus and Hermione shared a look, and walked out of the kitchens.

"Goodbye Dobby! Say hello to Winky for me," Hermione shot over her shoulder as they exited.

"Might I ask what exactly is a Wheezy? And why that house-elf seems to idolize Harry?" Remus asked quietly, trying to hide a grin.

Hermione burst into laughter. "Well, that's Dobby. He used to be Malfoy's house-elf."

"Malfoy's?" Remus broke in, aghast. "How ever did he end up here?"

"Harry tricked Lucius Malfoy into giving Dobby clothes back in our second year," she replied smugly. Remus stopped dead in his tracks.

"Harry, as a twelve-year-old, tricked Lucius Malfoy?" Hermione took one look at the expression on Remus's face and burst into laughter again. "My, I have missed a lot," Remus said, still shocked. He knew what Harry was capable of, but Lucius Malfoy? At twelve? He grinned at Hermione. "Does Snuffles know?"

Hermione's brow furled in thought. "I'm sure he knows about the Chamber of Secrets, but I doubt anyone would have bothered to tell him about Dobby," she finally said, matter-of-factly.

"I'll have to make him sit down with Harry and tell us the whole story on that one," Remus laughed. "Padfoot hated Lucius Malfoy in school even more than he hated Severus."

"Professor?" Hermione's face had lost all mirth, and she seemed to be holding back sobs. Remus guessed that the situation was finally hitting her. But even during third year, when supposed serial killer, Sirius Black, had confronted them Hermione hadn't lost her cool like this. "Do you think we'll get Harry back?"

"I'm sure Harry and Mr. Malfoy are perfectly all right, and will stay that way until we can retrieve them. In fact, I'll bet they might even be able to escape on their own." Hermione nodded at his answer and quickly took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "Is there something else bothering you, Hermione?"

Hermione went white around the mouth and tensed, confirming Remus's suspicion. "I'm sorry Professor Lupin, but I can't tell you." Remus nodded, vaguely wondering if she didn't want to talk because he was an authority figure or because she wasn't ready to deal with the issues yet. Hermione had a truly astonishing brain, it put Sirius to the test most days, but she was still only a seventeen-year old girl when everything was said and done. She was taking nearly as many subjects this year as she was in third year, plus her duties as Head Girl, making sure Ron didn't fail, her boyfriend Neville, researching for Dumbledore, and helping Harry fend off Voldemort's various attacks, Remus supposed her schedule was fairly full. This could just be a stress attack.

"You'll be all right, then?" he inquired. Both of them knew that Remus really meant will you be able to help with this current problem?

Hermione took another deep breath. "Of course, Professor Lupin." She smiled. "Let's go hit the library then, and find out where Harry is." Remus smiled back at her, and the pair continued on.

They walked into the expansive library, and both waved at Madame Pince. "Why don't you pick a table, and try and start looking for books regarding power siphoning?"

"Power siphoning?" Hermione's mouth opened in a perfect circle, and her eyebrows raised. "Do you think that Who-Know-Who might be using Harry to... fuel something?" Her eyes widened a bit. "I didn't know that was possible," she breathed, seeming intrigued.

Remus looked at her with a half-smile. "Good to know that your intellectual interest has been sparked, Hermione. You might want to try the books Objects of Power by Augustus Lamilsil and The Origins of Magic by Charles Beck."

"Those should be in the restricted section?"

Remus waved her off. "Just go, they should be shelved together," Remus closed his eyes and pictured it in his head. "Third section in, third shelf, right in the middle, if I recall correctly." He opened his eyes again, Hermione was looking faintly impressed. "I'll clear it with Madame Pince so that you have an open note to the restricted section until we get Harry back. Then I have to run a few errands, and I'll be back to help you. Try and get Ron started researching the origins of the Portkey spell; it's entirely possible that whatever hit Harry and Mr. Malfoy is a variation on that, if not a Portkey itself." Hermione nodded and headed off to the location that Remus described.

Remus walked over to Madame Pince's desk. She shot him a disapproving look, and he did his best to smile charmingly at her. It didn't work as well as the look used to when he was fifteen. While Sirius had been the studious one of the bunch, Remus had been the bookworm of the Marauders. Remus, owing to being a werewolf, hadn't many friends as a child, so he spent most of his early years reading Muggle literature. He'd always found it rather odd that Muggles seemed to take to fiction writing more than the Wizarding World. He supposed that it had something to do with the quality of lives; Muggles dreamed about magic, Wizards lived it.

And when he, against the odds, had been accepted at Hogwarts by Dumbledore himself, most of his time outside of classes had been spent in the library. He charmed Madame Pince then, and had obtained extra time there for helping her out from time to time. "Madame Pince," she snorted at him. "Hermione, Ron and I will be looking into what happened to Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. I'll write them an open note to the restricted section for your records, but if you'd assist them when I have classes and can't be here?"

"Only if you promise one thing," Pince replied quickly. Remus raised his eyebrows and motioned for her to go on. "You take me out for a butterbrew at the Three Broomsticks when this is all over," she said, breaking into a smile. He smiled back, and nodded. "Now be off with you," she winked.

Remus nodded, and left the room. He had to deliver Neville's instructions to Severus and find Dumbledore. Somehow, he felt better about the whole situation.

Author's Notes:

Slivovitz: an Eastern European dry, colorless plum brandy. Aside from strawberry daiquiris, my favorite type of alcohol.

Quaerito: the Latin "to seek, or look earnestly for."

Protean: from Proteus, who in Greek mythology, was a sea god in service to Poseidon. Proteus could change his shape at will. The Protean Flowers take on the properties of whatever touches them.