Elemental Force

CHAPTER 11:
Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête

I’m the one who reads your mind
See my life in your design
True companion at your side
~Neil Finn


Remus was so shocked to receive an answer that he sat bolt upright in bed. His heart was pounding as fast as it had the morning he had awoken from the first dream of Sirius the day Ginny was taken. Calming himself, he returned his attention back to the meditation of the candle. He tried again to reach out with his mind.

//Ginny, it’s Remus. You can actually hear me?//

A period of silence came again, and Lupin could not tell if his attempt was successful. When Ginny answered him again, she was cautious.

//I can hear you. I don’t know why or how, but I can.//

Remus would have started dancing a jig if there had been more space in his bedroom. Instead, he hopped out of bed and started excitedly pacing. He had a start, and he had to make plans quickly.

Her next thoughts stopped him. //What makes it so we can hear each other? I could simply be mad with wishful thinking. How do I know it really is Remus and that I didn’t make you up?//

It was a good question. Lately he hadn’t had very much confidence in his own perception of reality. If she had been having the same experiences he had been, he could sympathize with her skepticism. Remus searched his mind for something only Ginny would know. He wasn’t sure that he could come up with something that was truly special until his eyes fell to look at one of the books on the table in the corner. Unlike all the other magic books that he’d been consulting for research, this one was a book with prints from the Dutch artist M.C. Escher.

//Maybe you did make me up,// he thought with a bit of incredulous humor. //After all, we have the same taste in art.//

That bit of absurdity got her attention. While artwork could conceivably be one of Jonathan’s interests, she was curious what he would say they have in common and somehow prove he was Remus.

//Fine then,// she sent back. //Tell me something only Remus would know about me and my taste in… art.//

//One evening two years ago Molly asked me to find Ginny and bring her to the kitchen for the evening meal. When I searched for her, I found Miss Weasley looking at a book in the Black family library. The book wasn’t any ordinary book, either. It contained the artwork of a Muggle!//

Ginny giggled at the memory. So far he was telling it right. She had been alone in the library entranced by the book she found. She was not as fascinated by all things Muggle as her father was. The thing that grabbed her attention about it at first was it was the minor miracle that the book was even there in the house, especially given Mrs. Black’s particular personality. Then she started looking at the pictures, and she became fascinated.

When a shadow had fallen across the door, she looked up to see Remus Lupin standing in the doorway. She’d been too excited about the book and looked up at him, exclaiming, \"It looks just like Hogwarts!\"

\"What does?\" he asked her as he walked into the room.

\"Come,\" she said, waving her hand for him to sit beside her. \"Look at this.\"

He sat on the small bench, glanced at the book and saw that the pictures weren’t moving. \"Ginny, you’ve seen a Muggle book before. Surely Arthur has shown you…\"

\"You’re not looking!\" she chastised him as she stared in his eyes for emphasis. \"Give me your hand.\"

He humored her and let her take his hand, but not before telling her that Molly had called them to eat.

\"This won’t take long,\" she replied as she showed him the picture.

The stairs went in many different directions, most that defied gravity. Indeed, it looked like a good flat representation of Hogwarts. Ginny held his hand as they traced the lines of the stairs. Up and down had no meaning. When they got to the end of one destination, they arrived in a completely different place than expected. It was simultaneously flat and dimensional. Looking at it almost warped the senses.

\"Let me see that,\" he said as he shook his hand free. Then without Ginny’s guidance he traced the same unique paths in the picture stairs.

\"Do you think he was a squib?\" she asked of the artist. She’d never seen such a good Muggle representation of Magical concepts.

\"I don’t know,\" Remus replied in wonder as he found a different image in the book.

Pointing to a picture of a man and woman entwined in one continuous band, Ginny said, \"That reminds me of my parents. They’re one person. In the picture, I mean.\"

Remus traced the picture, and that was also true. It was disturbing and romantic at the same time. \"Fascinating,\" he breathed out.

\"Okay, you two, what are you doing?\" Molly Weasley demanded as if she was talking to her twins.

\"Nothing,\" Remus immediately said, stuffing the book guiltily behind him. \"I was just brining Ginny down to the kitchen to eat.\"

They both followed Molly downstairs. Ginny shot the older man a questioning look but didn’t ask him out loud about the book. From time to time the rest of that summer, they both looked at the images in fascination, each picking out his or her favorites.

In the present time, Remus told her calmly, //You think his drawing of Order and Chaos looks like your father’s desk, and your favorite piece is High and Low.//

//Yes!// Ginny immediately responded, and then she sighed in thought about Arthur Weasley. //You liked the way he drew his own father.//

Lupin’s thoughts flitted sadly to his own parents. //I did.//

//Did you ever find out how that book got in the library?// she asked.

Remus smiled though she couldn’t see him. //Sirius nicked it as part of a prank as far as I know.// While they both did enjoy the works of Escher, Lupin thought it was time to end the art appreciation discussion. //Ginny, you’ve got to help me find where you are.//

//What can I do?// she asked. She didn’t know any substantial details about where she was.

//Can you describe your surroundings to me? There might be something we can use to find you such as a particular smell or weather pattern,// he said to her.

//I might be near the water,// she started slowly. //I smell water in the air, but not salty like the ocean.//

//Maps!// he exclaimed. //Let me open the maps in the library. You might be able to think your location to me if I do it just right. Maybe I can find your life energy.//

//How does that work?// she asked again.

//How does anything work! I don’t know how I’m \"talking\" to you any more than you do,// he thought as he walked in the darkness.

//I can’t speak,// she stated. //They took away my voice.//

\"Oooh,\" Remus spoke aloud with realization. There was a twisted logic to it that if Ginny could not scream with her voice she would scream with her mind. Obviously she had, and it reached him. \"I’m not a nutter,\" he laughed in relief.

Using his wand, Lupin brought many of the same maps off the shelf that he had used when he tried to find her with her mirror. He opened them and had them ready and waiting for whatever she might tell him.

//When you were a child, did you ever play the hot and cold game with your brothers? Let’s try it the same way. As I pass over the map, let me know if you feel anything.//

Ginny agreed and they began the slow process of investigating each map. Most of them didn’t give her any impressions at all, but she strained to feel something in case it would be valuable to Remus.

//There, I think,// she finally told him.

He nodded to himself because it was similar to the experience he’d had with the mirror. He used another map to be sure it was accurate. Though Ginny was doubtful, every successive time he asked her, she led him back to the same place.

//I think I have it,// he thought to her with caution.

Tears of relief sprang to her eyes. //You do?//

//Yes,// he affirmed.

//Be careful,// she warned him.

He chuckled wryly to himself. She didn’t have to remind him because he was already on dangerous ground in trying to do the rescue on the day of the full moon.

//Get some sleep, Ginny,// he concluded. //I’m coming for you in the morning.//

For the first time since being taken to the wretched place, she allowed herself that luxury.

~*~

Moss Manor, Friday, November 14th

In the morning Robert tucked his robes securely around him as he brought the tray of breakfast down to the cell where Moss kept his guest. The redhead had been unusually strong, he noted. Jonathan was good at breaking people, and most crumbled quickly. She was the exception to the rule, and that made the master all the more excited about her presence at the manor.

It was cold in the basement where she was. Robert hated going there when it was so cold, but having the master’s things out of sight made it easier on the occasions that Moss entertained respectable visitors from the Wizard’s Bank. His robes provided only small warmth against the chill.

He made a mental note to try to bring the girl a blanket. Moss wouldn’t approve. As it was, she had only straw bedding and the thinnest of sheets for the occasional covering. Her clothing had been completely removed and destroyed. He had noticed a small golden necklace with some kind of pendant that she wore, but he knew that wouldn’t last long through Jonathan’s play, either.

He unlocked the cell and then entered, sliding the tray of porridge across the floor to her. \"Your breakfast, miss.\"

He almost expected her to be able to speak and say \"Thank you.\" She couldn’t do that; of course. Jonathan had magically taken away her voice. Robert had never personally heard the girl’s voice, and on the rare occasion he wondered about its sound.

He saw that there were still some dishes in her cell that had not been removed. He drew his wand and stepped closer to her. \"Don’t move. I’m only cleaning,\" he said with a gesture.

Ginny nodded her understanding as he bent to retrieve the other tray by hand. He kept his wand trained on her in case she should suddenly try something. The smug look she had on her face this morning was enough for him to be wary of her.

When he was at the floor near her, he did notice that it wasn’t so cold in this cell as he’d remembered. It was a puzzle because it had been extremely cold for previous \"guests.\" Often if the games of the master hadn’t hurt them, the sheer cold did.

Robert took his items and walked away from the girl. At the door, he securely locked the cell and made his way quickly to the warm kitchens upstairs.

Ginny continued to smile after he left. Remus was coming to free her soon, and she’d be free of this god-forsaken place.

~*~

When Tonks found him in the morning, Remus was asleep on the library floor with several maps and papers underneath him. She laughed loudly at the sight of him sprawled there over everything. When he raised up his head, he had sleep-induced messy hair and patterns of rumpled paper embossed on his face.

He sprung up with a huge smile on his face from his position on the floor and ran to greet her at the door. In his excitement about his discovery he took her in his arms and swung her around the room. Tonks squealed, so he put her down. Then he framed her face with his hands and gave her a deep kiss that left her stunned and confused. He walked away from her laughing happily while she tried to figure out what had just happened.

She took a few deep breaths and shook her head. It was a rather impressive kiss, she had to admit, but that didn’t explain why he’d done it when only yesterday he was being offensively rude. \"Remus, is there something I should know?\"

\"Yes,\" he said with a laugh and a dazzling smile. Fixing his eyes on her, he declared, \"I know where she is!\"

She raised a bright pink eyebrow in disbelief. \"You found Ginny,\" she said skeptically.

He smiled and paced with excess energy. He shook his finger at her in warning and seemed to laugh, but no words came out. Remus then composed himself and faced her.

\"I was right about her being unplottable, but I’ve narrowed it down to this forested region.\" He found one of the maps on the floor and indicated the area. \"Right here. So let’s go get her now, and the faster the better,\" he declared.

\"Kingsley and Alastor are away on assignment, and I’m not going anywhere alone with you!\" Tonks declared. \"We’ll wait until tomorrow when they come back.\"

\"We’re doing it now, and you are going with me,\" Lupin replied with an hauteur she hadn’t heard before. \"You will go because either I’m right and we’ll actually find Ginny or I’ve gone completely mad and need protecting from myself. After all, that’s it, isn’t it?\"

\"What is?\" she asked guardedly.

\"You all think I’m a danger to myself and everyone else who needs to be watched just like a baby in a pram. And don’t try to deny it. Aren’t we past lies now?\"

\"Remus, we all care about you…\" she began weakly.

\"Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you all have been treating me differently in the past few weeks. I am not wrong about this, Nymphadora.\"

\"No,\" she declared out of hand.

His excited expression turned dark and he walked over to her. He touched the spikes in her hair before placing the palm of his hand on her cheek. \"Then I’m doing this without you.\"

Remus cleaned up the library with a flick of his wand and walked out of the room without another look at Tonks.

~*~

Though Remus Lupin was beginning preparation in London, across the country where Ginny Weasley was held captive, a different preparation had begun. Jonathan Moss had gathered his various servants and minions before him.

\"Boys! Men! Whatever you are, tonight is a very special night,\" he said with a satisfied look.

\"Is it just because you say so, or...?\" Stewart impudently dared to ask.

That caused a glare from Jonathan who had never really liked Stewart very much. Theo might have been more insolent and Frank more peculiar, but it was Stewart who rankled Jonathan’s nerves most.

\"Tonight is special because,\" he paused to emphasize with a smile and looks into all men’s eyes, \"it is a full moon. We are going werewolf hunting.\"

\"But we haven’t seen one of those in ages. They simply aren’t here any more,\" Stewart said, sounding not at all impressed. \"The Ministry has done most of the extermination already. Not that they would admit to it,\" he said in an aside to one of the other men.

Moss held up his hand for patience. \"Unfortunately, you are correct; however, is there not a forest outside?\"

Stewart nodded.

\"Then I have the confidence that there will be a werewolf in it somewhere. Besides, I have the perfect werewolf treat.\" His concluding look was one of sublime satisfaction.

\"The girl?\" Stewart protested.

\"Yes, actually,\" he smiled in satisfaction. \"And... even if we don’t find the werewolf, we can say we had a romantic walk in the full moon’s light. Oh, how sweet.\"

Stewart gave Jonathan a look, uncertain if his boss was being truly cheerful or somehow sarcastic and twisted. Either way, he was many times difficult to interpret.

\"Yes, sir,\" he grumbled back at Moss as the other men made their sounds of assent.

Jonathan finished giving the rest of his men instructions. When he concluded, he told Stewart privately, \"Get her ready.\"

Moss handed him the long dagger he usually carried in his boot. Stewart looked at the sharp blade and its jeweled hilt. It was as dangerous as it was gorgeous. His eyes started to gleam as he plotted what he would do with it.

~*~

Lupin’s dramatic change of moods from his anger of the day before to his current apparent happiness left Tonks feeling unsettled. Unfortunately, what he said made sense. Right now, they didn’t quite trust him, but if his instinct, or whatever it was, was remotely right, then the risk was worth it. It made her decision an easy one.

She walked quietly to his room and stared in through the open doorway. Fully dressed by this time, he was packing a small satchel.

\"There is a full moon tonight, isn’t there?\" she asked gently.

He turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. \"Yes,\" he replied, finishing his packing. \"We already discussed that.\"

\"It’s not,\" she said haltingly, \"a good idea to go alone at any time, especially not now for a werewolf. I will be coming with you.\"

\"Good,\" he nodded. \"If there is any thing that you need to do, you better do it now because I we are leaving soon.\"

She nodded her understanding and went back to her own temporary quarters. A half hour later, she was ready and waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Remus took a look around at his surroundings as he descended the stairs, and he made a resolution. \"When this mission is over, I’m leaving this house. I hate it here.\"

\"Then why did you stay?\" Tonks asked.

\"For Sirius,\" he said softly. \"It doesn’t matter any more.\"

\"Where will you go?\"

\"I have my own home. It’s one of the few earthly possessions I do have,\" he said as they walked out the door.

He turned back and waved his goodbye to the empty building. Then they Apparated away.

~*~

Stewart came into Ginny’s chamber with a shiny blade in one hand and a set of chains in the other. He had never before come in alone, and she looked at him cautiously. He incanted the spell that bound the shackles to her, and suddenly she was hanging from the wall.

Without bothering to speak to her, he walked over and cupped her bare legs. He let his hands reach up to fondle her genitalia. When Ginny squirmed in protest, he laughed and stopped his intimate touching of her. He stepped back with a look of pride on his face.

Then he showed her the knife and made he clear what he was about to do. He slashed her thighs with the knife and placed a few slashes on her face, arms and torso. He didn’t resist touching her breasts as he was making the cuts. When Stewart was satisfied with his work, he took her chained body and dragged her out of the room.

Frank fell in step with Stewart outside the dungeon as they walked together through the hall. \"Nice little addition. Is the boss going to set her free and try to hunt her if he doesn’t get his werewolf?\"

\"No,\" Stewart said, \"this delicate morsel is the next link on the werewolf food chain.\"

\"I didn’t think he’d let her go so easily,\" the other man said. He made it sound like he thought Ginny was more trouble than she was worth.

\"I don’t know what his plans are, but it should be interesting. If the werewolf doesn’t get her, something else might,\" he said to Frank though he was leering at her.

\"Something or someone like you, I assume,\" Frank said as he hefted a crossbow.

The smirk was enough of a confirmation. \"So it’s crossbows, is it?\"

\"The normal,\" he said. \"Crossbows, poison arrows, reinforced magical wards and the like. I’ve never actually seen a real werewolf. Have you?\"

\"No. Between the Ministry bastards and You-Know-Who in the last War, I don’t think we have many left.\"

\"You know, I have heard something about male werewolves…\" Frank began and left his thought dangling.

Stewart gave the other man a sly look and then laughed heartily. \"This promises to be eventful.\"

Werewolves! Ginny’s mind scrambled as she listened to these men talk. She did not know if there were other werewolves in the area, but she knew Remus would be walking into a deliberate trap if she didn’t warn him. This hunting party of Jonathan’s could be her escape or his death, but something had to be done.

Ginny mentally shouted to try to reach him. //Remus! They’re setting a trap for you, and they’re going to use me as the bait!//

She tried to listen for his answer, but none came quickly. She could feel that he was somewhere out there, but the connection was muffled. She had only just begun sharing thoughts with him, and she could not venture a guess how his change into a werewolf might affect their communication.

Ginny then realized that she didn’t really know how being a werewolf actually affected Remus. One thing was certain, by the end of the night if he didn’t reach her soon, she was bound to find out. Ginny tried again with more force of will to reach him.

//Remus! Be careful! They are going to hunt you! REMUS!//

In her own life, the young Weasley had felt fear many times because of dangers great and trivialities small. That in itself was not a new experience, but she had never before palpably felt any one else’s fear as if it intimately belonged to her. Her scope of experience changed when she met the feral mind of the werewolf.

In the short time she had heard Lupin’s words in her head, she had started to get used to how he felt to be there. With his own human thoughts, he was obviously still the same man who had been her teacher, who had lived with Sirius that summer, and the same one who had agreed with her on something as obscure as art preferences.

This mind, however, was radically different and was attacking her with the ferocity of a flesh-eating parasite. The presence of the werewolf mind was dark, angry and consuming, wanting to pull her under with him and make her forget that she was human. Ginny felt like she was being pulled under and drowned.

She cried silently as she tried to call to what was left of the human man. //Remus, if you’re still there, please hear me…//

~*~*~*~

The Neil Finn lyric in this chapter is from \"Wherever You Are,\" performed by Neil Finn on the album One Nil (the world outside North America) or One All (North America).

The specific art pieces by MC Escher referenced are Relativity, Bond of Union, Order and Chaos and High and Low.