In Essence Divided

Chapter 12

Dumbledore sat across the worn wooden table, sipping his tea. Remus and Arthur waited for him to get settled before Remus began talking. Dumbledore looked troubled over the meeting he had with Harry and the twins, and was glad that he had Arthur here. He needed to discuss with him the seriousness of that situation. There was no telling what Molly had gleaned off of the events that had happened, and he wanted all to have a chance to cool off before he took any more action. The entire situation troubled him, and he was uneasy.

But Remus's news was of first importance, and from what he had said in the letter, it pertained to the matter at hand, so he planned to listen to Remus before he said anything. It was better to have all the options on the table beforehand. Better to know what one was dealing with before diving in. He quieted his own thoughts as the man began to speak.

"Severus Snape visited today." Remus started. There was nowhere to go, but to dive right in. Dumbledore gave an encouraging smile.

"To drop off the Wolfsbane potion?" Dumbledore asked, knowing the answer already. It was indeed clockwork.

"Yes. He stayed longer today." Remus paused. He knew that all he had to go on was a few looks that Snape had given him, but the news he gave Remus somehow had to pertain to them. It was going to be hard to explain the following conversation to the two before him, there were parts that he was still pondering as well.

"You said the information might interest me? Why?" Arthur asked. It was late, and he wanted to get some sleep before the morning broke. He didn’t mean to sound rude, but he couldn’t help it.

"I think it might have something to do with Fred and George." Remus said, getting right to the point.

"What exactly did he say?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward in his chair slightly. This was interesting. He hadn’t spoken to Snape other than what was needed since he returned, and it seemed the other man had gone out of his way to find alternate methods to getting information to him. How can you look the person you killed in the face? And how could one look their killer in the face? It wasn’t as blunt as that, but the premise was the same. Dumbledore gathered that this might have been a way for Severus to alert him to something.

Thinking about it. Dumbledore knew that Harry wasn't going to give Fred and George any of the information he had. Harry was determined to do this on his own. There was no alliance to be formed between them, Dumbledore was sad to admit it. If Remus could give Arthur any information to let the boys go on, it would benefit them all. Harry was fast becoming jaded, and as much as Dumbledore hated to admit it, Harry was going to need help. Better Fred and George did it on their own, than have Harry ally with the twins, something he was oddly adverse to doing. He hated to have to do this without Harry, but something told him that this was something that had to be done. He was startled from his thoughts be Remus continuing.
"He sidestepped it well, I think he wasn't sure of what he should say, but he mentioned the attack at the twins' flat." Remus paused, remembering the conversation.

+++++++

[i]”Remus.” Snape said with a cool nod.

“Severus.” Remus backed away from the door and motioned Severus inside. It was dangerous still to linger on doorsteps after dark, even if one was aligned with the Dark Lord.

“I have the potion that you require. Did it ever occur to you to learn the proper potion yourself?” Severus asked.

Remus sighed. He hated fights the night before a full moon, he was always on edge and aggressive, two traits that were as alien to him as the werewolf in him still to this day were. “I have tried Severus, but you know better than anyone that you are one of the very few people that knows it in it’s entirety, and I highly doubt personal lessons would appeal to you.”

Snape gave a cold smile and pulled the potion out of the pockets of his robes. He held it in his hand, and for a moment, Remus was sure that he was going to put it back in the pocket and bolt for the door. He hated this feeling. Being dependent on someone else to give you what you needed was not a good feeling for a grown man to have. It wasn’t an addiction, but the dependence was the same. It was completely the same to him.

“I hear there was an attack.” Snape said, almost conversationally.

Remus paused. Dumbledore had taken great pains to hide the attack from the public, and when Dumbledore wanted something hidden, the chances were great that no one would find out.

“How did you know that?” Remus asked, cautiously.

Snape raised his eyebrows. His lips stayed sealed shut.

“Did the Death Eaters have something to do with it?” Remus asked, getting angry.

Again Snape had made a face that was completely unreadable. But his mouth stayed shut.

“Can’t you say anything about it?” Remus asked, a little louder.

Again the look, and this time he rolled his eyes. Remus was getting agitated. This close to the full moon was a bad time to get mad. A very bad time. Surely Severus knew that. His strength far exceeded a normal wizard’s, and already he was gaining the power to deflect spells with only his skin. He pried farther, trying to keep his cool.

“Will vertiserum make you talk?” Remus asked, realizing that Severus could possibly be under a spell or bewitchment of some sort. He wasn’t going to be able to give Remus any information. But he had been able to bring the topic up. Remus had heard of such spells, but had never seen one first hand.

Severus shook his head no, and gave Remus another stare that clearly said the obvious was in front of him, and he was missing it completely. “Well, what can I do? Ask twenty questions until I get it right? How does such a powerful wizard like you get enchanted anyway?” Remus said, turning his back on Severus to make the tea. If looks could kill, Remus would have been dead, but he wasn’t paying attention to the man anymore.

“It has to do with who got attacked. There was a reason for it?” Remus asked, catching the tail end of the smoldering look. Severus barely moved his face, but Remus detected the positive coming off of him. Perhaps it was his eyes that could spot an eye tic from a mile away, or the sense of smell that made emotions almost perceptible in the air. Both senses were heightened right now, and Remus found himself grateful for the added perception that they gave him.

“Did you have anything to do with the attack?” Remus asked, suddenly protective of his friend’s children. There was a negative response with no hesitation or falsity. Remus was relieved. Severus rolled his eyes again. “I get it, you wouldn’t come and tell me if you had something to do with it. I concede, that was a daft question.” Severus nodded profusely.

“You know, this would be easier without your sarcasm, Severus.” Remus snapped.

“I haven’t said a word.” Severus said, making Remus jump and spill the cream all over the floor.

“I thought you couldn’t talk!” Remus spat, waving his wand and cleaning the mess.

“My sarcasm is a perfectly acceptable topic.” Severus said with a grim smile. Remus scowled.

“Right then, a few more questions. The attackers had a purpose. We knew that. Something has to be done against the attackers?” Remus threw out.

A silent yes emitted from Severus. Had be been intentionally late today to gain the use of Remus’s heightened senses on purpose today? Severus was a very clever man. He had made it a point to understand all the nuances of Remus’s “condition” since that night so long ago at the Shreiking Shack.

“Is there a rush? Is that why you warned me?” Remus asked, something about Severus’s manner leading him to the assumption that there was.

He had his back to Severus again, and the urgent yes that the man projected almost knocked him down. Stunned by that burst of emotion, Remus brought the tea and sat at the table. “Is that all you know that you can give me right now?” Another yes, this time less packed. Remus nodded.

Severus didn’t say anything, and Remus stared at him. A thought came to him. “Lovely weather we’re having?”

“Beautiful.” Snape said in a dry voice. He needed a prompt to begin speaking again. Remus had indeed heard of enchantments such as this, but he had never seen it employed by anyone, let alone on someone with Snape’s caliber. He would have thought it impossible, had he not witnessed Severus seated there quiet as a mouse while he struggled to understand. He must have been itching to say some kind of insult. Remus almost laughed and mentally chalked himself up a point.

“You’re completely daft Lupin.” Snape muttered as though reading his thoughts.

“I thought you couldn’t talk about that?” Remus said.

“Your daftness is also perfectly acceptable.” Severus said with a snide grin.

Remus admitted to no one but himself, he did feel a little daft at that point. [/i]

+++++++

“What did you talk about after that?” Arthur asked, interested now.

“Nothing much, he gave me the potion with the usual instructions, dosage, whatnot. And then he left as usual. I knew I had to come to you tonight, as tomorrow night I’ll not be available. I’m frightfully sorry about the hour. But tomorrow, the moon comes earlier than usual, and the day of, I don’t think you want to know what state I’m in.” Remus said, sipping from the small cup and tracing the grain of wood in the table with his fingernail. He could feel every grain of the wood under his finger, and he knew if he pressed hard enough on the table, he could break it to tinders as it were.

“I understand.” Arthur said and patted Remus’s arm. He knew the tiredness was going to add to the man’s discomfort the following day, and he was more than grateful to him for coming as soon as he could. It was rare to see him out this close to the moon. Even Molly had learned to stay away from the house at least a week before.

Dumbledore had remained strangely quiet through the narration, not even interjecting questions. It was unlike him. He was a good listener, and asked a lot of questions normally to gain better understanding of the situation. The three men sat in silence for a time before he spoke. Remus and Arthur both wore identical looks of anxiety.

“I think that the urgency you conveyed in regards to quick action should not be taken lightly.” Dumbledore finally said. He had been quieter and quieter since he returned, and he was becoming known to mince words. “I have no doubt that this pertains to Fred and George. The only qualm that I have is this. Why would the Dark Lord allow Severus to breach the subject, but not talk anything more about it?” Dumbledore considered his words carefully before he spoke again. It was not like the Dark Lord to allow even an inch of give. Or had Severus found a loophole? Had he fought against it?

“The only thing I can think of is he wanted them aware that he was in fact behind it, not simply randomly attacked.” Arthur said. Dumbledore had opened his mouth to speak, but Arthur had finished what he was going to say for him. The other questions were heavy on all of their minds unspoken though.

“Exactly.” He said.

Remus nodded. “So what do we do from here?” He asked. He wanted to make sure that they needed nothing else from him before he left. The next three days he would be unable to be contacted.

“I believe we should ask Fred and George their opinion. Voldemort has placed the quaffle in their court, and it’s their turn to move, I’m afraid.” Dumbledore said.

Arthur winced. His boys. It was different with Ron, he was always behind Harry during the worst of it. This was his boys going to face the Dark Lord themselves. He pushed the thought from his mind and resolved to take it one step at a time. He knew what his wife must have been stirring in her head, and he wished he could spare her all of it. But action did have to be taken.

“Should I get them here? I want them close to home until we can be sure of what the next move is.” Arthur said.

Dumbledore waited a moment before he spoke again. “I think that is a good idea. But remember, if they are here, they are targets no matter where they are. You place yourself in great danger by inviting them here. I can offer the same charms that I placed on their flat, but there is always the risk that they are not enough.” He said, looking Arthur in the eye. Arthur met his look with a somber one of his own. How could the old man think even for a minute that he wouldn’t have his boys come to his home? They were his boys.

Dumbledore had been less confident in his work than he was before he left, and Remus noticed the change more clearly tonight than he had in the past few months. Arthur noticed it as well, but neither commented on it. The fact scared them more than they would like to admit.

“I don’t care. You know how much I love my children, and if they’re in danger, I’d do whatever I could to help them. I can’t just sit back and not do anything anymore. I’m done being helpless.” Arthur said with more resolve in his voice than either of the other two men ever expected.

Dumbledore nodded. “Very well. While we’re all up, we should get to it. Arthur, why don’t you wake Molly up, and Remus, floo over and wake the boys. I don’t know of an owl that could wake them up in less than an hour.” Remus nodded and did as he was instructed. He didn’t care that he was going to be dead tired the next day, he wanted to make sure that the boys were prepared as much as they could be in the face if this trial. His discomfort was secondary now.

Once in the fireplace, Remus grimaced as he felt his body shudder. Dumbledore was disenchanting the floo so that Remus could pass through. Nothing could get past this fireplace without being ripped apart, it seemed. Dumbledore wasn’t taking any chances with the boys anymore. The thought comforted him slightly. He arrived and found the house silent and dark.
He made his way through their home and up the narrow stairs. The fireplace in the bedroom had been permanently disabled. Remus thought of little boys scared of closets, and older twins scared of floos.

There was identical snoring from each of the beds, and Remus smiled a little. He walked between the beds and reached out to shake one lump of blankets.

Before he knew what was happening, he was against the wall in a flash of brilliant light and he could feel drywall behind him crack and shower dust to the floor. Two identical wands were against his neck. Had he been his normal self, he would surely be injured now.

“Lumos.” One voice said scathingly.

“Lupin?” The other said surprised.

Remus nodded and pushed their wands away from his neck. Both Fred and George stared blankly at him, a little ashamed of their overreaction.

“Sorry about that, mate, you startled us. Lucky we didn’t go ahead with Plan B.”

“What’s plan B?” Remus asked as he motioned for the boys to get their robes on.

“Let’s just say you wouldn’t be sitting for a long time.” Fred said, pulling a robe over his head.

“Or standing.” George added.

“Or having relat-“ Fred started.

“I get it.” Remus said dryly, waving his hand.

“Where are we going, anyway?” George asked. He was sitting on the edge of his bed still clad in only his flannel sleeping pants.

“Somewhere where nudity is not an option.” Remus said, picking a robe up and throwing it at George.

“That sounds like no fun. The air is warm, the stars are shining-“

“We’re going to see your mum and Dumbledore.” Remus said.

George quickly pulled his robes over his head, “I take back my previous statements.”

Remus chuckled and motioned them to follow him downstairs.

He heard no footsteps behind him. He turned to look and found them both looking at him with a wary eye. “What?” He asked. This cautiousness made him more than a little nervous.
“How do we know you’re really Remus Lupin?” They asked together.

Remus rolled his eyes. “Would someone faithful to the Dark Lord make you get dressed before he dragged you out of your room?”

They shrugged, “Maybe it’s an ambush.”

Remus sighed, glad that the boys had not become lax in their security. He was still annoyed that they didn’t believe him. “Ask me a question.”

“What’s my patronus?” One asked.

“Who? Fred or George?” Remus asked.

“Both.” They replied.

“A monkey for Fred and an otter for George.” Remus said.

“Right-o then, let’s go.” George said simply.

“It sounds so childish when he says it.” Fred said. “I mean, we can’t help it.”

“Only you two could bring the circus to save you.” Remus said with a laugh. Laughing felt good right now.