The Rogue Prince

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Remus wisely kept his amusement to himself as the Slytherin Prince grudgingly led him to the dinner hall. When the large oak doors were opened by a set of servants, Remus could see that the king was already seated at the head of the table talking to the man seated on his right. The man was dressed in official black robes and Remus instantly recognized him.

Severus Snape, the man that had acted as a father to Harry when Remus and Sirius had merely been good friends of Harry's, not the fathers that the heir of Gryffindor needed. As far as Remus was concerned, that made Remus entirely in Severus Snape's debt.

The King of Slytherin looked up and smiled when he noticed the arrival of his son and the Rogue Knight. He swept his arm to the left of him, motioning to the empty chairs. Remus smiled back, trying to dredge up the long forgotten aristocratic rules and traditions that he had been taught when he was younger. He hadn't used them, much less thought about them since Gryffindor was destroyed and that had been nearly twenty years ago. Deciding to wing it and hope he wouldn't offend anyone, Remus gracefully seated himself and nodded his gratitude to both Lucius and the servant who had brought him a goblet of red wine.

“Remus... It has been several years since I've seen you. There hasn't been word of your visit before your arrival.”

Remus nodded and hid his small smile in the sip of wine. He knew that to just show up at someone's residence, much less the king's, was rude and considered a large insult. Thankfully he also knew Lucius was amused by it. The man was very laid back for a king, and very accepting, which was another thing Remus was grateful for. Remus recovered, setting down the goblet before replying.

“But perhaps I shall explain. I am the letter. The Weasley twins, Sirius Black, and a guest of... honor will be arriving by nightfall tomorrow.” Severus visibly started, while Lucius raised his eyebrows in surprise, Draco just narrowed his eyes, but remained silent. Lucius recovered fast enough, leaning forward in what one could call eagerness.

“But why the hurry?” Remus let a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.

“They will be running and your gates must not hinder them.” Remus drained his goblet before rising from his chair.

“I believe I will turn in for the night. I will take the guest chambers in Severus' rooms. Goodnight.” With that, Remus walked out.

When the servants closed the doors behind the knight, Draco turned to his father, irritation written across his features.

“Who does he think he is?! What was that about?!” Lucius chuckled, while the man to his right just smirked.

“He is a Rogue Knight, that's who and I believe we should prepare for the arrival of a few more guests.”

***

They tied their horses several feet away, making sure that the animals were well hidden by the dense foliage of the forest. They had already watched the castle for nearly half a day, looking for any and all weak links in the fortress's security. The guards had already switched once and if they were correct they would switch again in a few seconds.

Sirius signaled Fred forward and motioned for George to stay stationary to watch their backs.

It took only a matter of minutes to slip past the guards and into the dungeon. Thankfully it didn't take much effort to avoid the guards stationed at their posts. They didn't dare take them out, as they couldn't afford to have anyone alerted to their presence.

The dungeons were empty save for one sleeping guard and it took barely a ten seconds to find the cell that Harry was locked in. The Gryffindor heir was clearly unconscious and by the light of the torches, Sirius could see the vivid red slashes across his naked back. The captured man was clad only in his trousers, his boots, cloak, and shirt missing.

Sirius pulled out a metal pick and quickly made work of the lock and all but ran to where his godson was laying. Covering Harry with his own cloak, Sirius gently slid one arm under his knees and one under his shoulders and lifted him into his arms. Exiting the cell, Sirius saw Fred slide his sword through the sleeping guards chest with a look of indifference on his face and Sirius remembered why the two twins were Harry's most trusted.

With a jerk of his head, Sirius gave the order for Fred to head him and they were nearly out when the castle suddenly became active.

Sirius cursed and swore and broke into a run coming out of the castle. He could hear Fred fighting off the guards at his back. He was nearly to the trees when a large bulk of a man, one of Voldemort's inner circle, came hurtling toward him. Before Sirius could drop to his knees, in a position to protect his prince, an arrow came whizzing past him from the direction of the trees.

His attacker instantaneously dropped to the ground an arrow pierced through his throat. The man gurgled on his own blood before he finally collapsed, dead. A sneer stole its way across Sirius' handsome face as he looked down on the body at his feet.

“You always were a coward and attacked when your opponent's back was turned, MacNair.”

With George shooting down anyone that made it past Fred's blade, Sirius made it to their mounts unscathed. After gently passing his godson's unconscious form over to George, Sirius gathered the reins and mounted. Once in a secure position, George passed Harry back up to him. Getting his godson's form secured in his arms, Sirius urged his steed into a full- throttle gallop away from the dark, looming Ravenclaw castle, knowing that Fred and George would catch up.

What he didn't see was the narrowed, scarlet eyes following his escape.

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