Spanning the River of Blood

Chapter 3 - Beginnings

Lupin walked slowly along the corridors, wandering aimlessly. It was the wandering that was important rather than where he was going. The relentless action of placing one foot in front of the other helped him to think, and corridors were much better than pacing a room. In his mind he went over the meeting earlier that night and in particular his conversation at the end with Dumbledore. That they were now in a race to find this intruder was clear, and the enormity of the implications was frightening.

'By tomorrow we should have a better idea of the task, but we must consider the possibility that whoever it is may not wish to come to Hogwarts.' The headmaster's words repeated themselves in his mind.

Coming upon a flight of stairs he sat down and pressed his head down into his hands. What would this person be capable of, and how was he going to get them safely back to Hogwarts? Would they turn out to be friend or foe? The latter option was not worth considering. Voldemort grew stronger everyday and the ability to come into Hogwarts freely would place them at a severe disadvantage. As the worries and fears raged round in his mind, sleep slowly crept up to claim him at last.

The sun was already well above the horizon when he woke to a stiff neck and numb legs. Cursing himself for his lack of common sense, Lupin stood up and stretched. It had been years since he had fallen asleep on a Hogwarts staircase like that and he felt rather sheepish about it. As the crick in his neck started to ease off he decided that life would definitely look better on a full stomach and set off for breakfast.

On entering the Great Hall the lively banter of the students enjoying a late Saturday morning breakfast helped raise his spirits. This familiar sight helped to remind him that all was not lost yet and in fact they might be on the brink of gaining a new ally. With this thought to cheer him he made his way over to the Gryffindor table to sit with some friendly faces.

'Not having much for breakfast you two?' he asked as he started to fill up his own plate which had just materialised in front of him.

'They seem to think that starving themselves of good food will help keep everyone safe,' scoffed Ron as he tucked into a plate full of bacon, eggs and beans, with a side order of toast.

Harry and Hermione both scowled at Ron and despite himself Lupin had to smile. Despite the differences in age he consider these three his friends and just sitting their listening helped to calm him.

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After leaving the headmasters study the previous night Severus Snape had gone back down to the dungeons where his office and private laboratory were located. After starting the potion requested by Dumbledore and leaving it to simmer he had turned his attention to finding out what he was making. A methodical search of his private library proved fruitless and he had then moved onto the school library. No doubt Madam Pince the librarian would be most upset when she discovered several shelves worth of books missing in the morning. However it had been all in vain as he still didn't know what the potion was.

He ate his breakfast early and was therefore on his way back to finish up the potion by the time Lupin entered the Great Hall. So he had no idea that Lupin was still at Hogwarts when he finally made his way back up to the Headmasters Office, potion in hand. He also had no idea what the Headmaster had in mind for them both, which was probably for the best.

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Lupin was holed up in the Library when the owl came from Dumbledore. Replacing the book he was reading he felt the knot in his stomach tighten as he headed to the meeting. The knot tightened further when he entered to find Snape making himself at home in one of the large chairs by the fire. He knew that Snape hated him and try as he might he couldn't get the man to move past that hate, so he simply nodded an acknowledgement as he moved to sit in another chair.

'Thank you for coming Remus,' Dumbledore greeted him before turning to Snape and holding out his hand. Snape pulled a vial out from some secret pocket and placed it in his hand. 'Now if you will follow me gentlemen.'

Both men stood and followed him over to an alcove in the far wall which appeared to be made of solid stone. Dumbledore raised his wand and muttered a few words that either Lupin or Snape could make out as the solid looking stone became transparent. Then without looking back, Dumbledore stepped forward.

Lupin went next and Snape brought up the rear. Snape made a mental note that from the look on Lupin's face he hadn't known of this passage either and started to study his surroundings. They were descending down a spiral staircase which was coated with a thick layer of dust containing a couple of sets of prints which looked like they had been made very recently. The light was coming down from the ceiling and was a warm golden colour.

Some time later when Snape estimated they must be far below the level of the dungeons they came to a beautiful arched doorway which lead out into a large cavern. The floor was smooth and the walls and roof were dimly visible. Dumbledore walked forward with confidence and following him they came to what appeared to be raised area with some sort of gyroscope on top.

'Now I must ask both of you to follow my instructions in this place.' The headmaster looked to both men to gain their agreement before continuing. 'In a moment you will be able to see the energy flows which form the wards around Hogwarts. Then, thanks to the potion Professor Snape has prepared, we will follow the imprint left by our mystery guest. We will then know who they are and also roughly where they are. At that point if conditions are favourable, I would like you both to step into the 'Concentrator',' he motioned to the gyroscope, 'which will transport you to them. Remus it is your job to bring them back to Hogwarts, Severus your job is to bring Remus back.'

Once again he turned to both men for agreement. This time it was somewhat slower in coming, but slowly they both nodded.

'Very well then. Let us begin.' Raising his wand he directed a beam of light towards the concentrator which started to spin.