Harry was out of the tent and alone without protection.
With Death Eaters around the place looking for a vulnerable target! And the guy who'd attacked them loose!
Sirius was going to kill him.
Well, firstly, he was going to hug the dickens out of him and then he was going to kill him.
"Hermione followed after the pair of them." Wallace added with a huff.
"And Neville went with her!" Augusta's expression gave away that she was torn between horror and pride.
"They're on their way to the Weasleys' tent?" checked Sirius, trying to keep calm as his worry escalated again.
The women nodded although Minerva winced as she did.
Sirius turned around and before he'd reached the exit, he'd changed back to Padfoot and was running. He almost barrelled into Ted and two more Healers on their way in but paid them no attention.
He had to get to Harry.
o-O-o
Remus pushed a branch out of the way and directed Tomas to the left as he tried to ignore the sounds of the campsite behind them. The thick black smoke was hanging like a cloud over the area; the fire creating an artificial light as the sun went down and night fell.
He couldn't help worrying about Harry. Was he OK in the tent? Had he evacuated?
He couldn't help worrying about Sirius. Was he OK dealing with the fire? Had he managed to get back to Harry?
"You are concerned for your pack." Tomas said breaking the silence.
"I am," replied Remus without thinking, "I should never have left them."
"Then you admit they are your pack?" Tomas said with surprise.
Remus considered the question and shrugged. "I've never denied it."
"Yet you eschew the packs on the Continent." Tomas commented.
His words brought Remus to a suspicious halt. "Excuse me?"
Tomas turned to look at him. His dark hair had streaks of silver and his swarthy face was covered in minor scars from the lycanthropy. He shrugged apologetically. "We are a close bunch and that a werewolf was allowed to attend Hogwarts is something of a story in our society. Many of us have wished to meet you yet all of us know the only time you sought our company was to spy."
"It's not something I'm particularly proud of in hindsight," Remus said with sincere regret, "I spied because it was asked of me and I owed Albus Dumbledore a debt."
"And not because you wished revenge on your sire."
"My only sire was Marcus Lupin. Greyback was nothing more than the monster who bit me." Remus answered sharply.
"If you consider your sire a monster, it is not surprising you consider the rest of us as such." Tomas said. "And yourself."
"We are monsters under a full moon and in the control of the wolf." Remus retorted. "But Greyback would be a monster even if he wasn't a werewolf."
"That perhaps we can agree upon." Tomas said.
"Then perhaps we should continue with our mission." Remus said tartly.
"We are close." Tomas said as he cast the detection spell again.
"Yes." Remus nodded.
"Perhaps we should disillusion ourselves in case someone is protecting the source." Tomas suggested.
Remus nodded again. It was a good suggestion. A couple of spells later and their footsteps were obscured too allowing them to move stealthily through the undergrowth.
Tomas sniffed the air suddenly and reached out towards where he must have assumed Remus was walking. He cast a privacy bubble. "I smell something ahead. Vermin."
Remus scented the air…and growled. "Wormtail."
"Wait!" Tomas said.
But Remus was already moving, slowly and steadily he crept forward. It wasn't long before he could see the rat. It was guarding a rock, rune marks covering its rough surface.
The rat froze suddenly; its ears twitching. It suddenly shifted and a wizard stood there in its stead.
It was all Remus could do not to move; to give into the urge to jump at Peter and try to strangle him with his bare hands. He raised his wand carefully. One spell…one spell to take revenge for all Peter had perpetrated on them; the deaths of James and Lily; the loss of a happy childhood for Harry; the years that Sirius had spent in Azkaban…
Peter wrinkled his nose. "I know you're there, Moony, I can smell you…you and another wolf." His eyes darted about the forest. "It's too late. He's already gone for Harry and he'll get him."
Who had gone for Harry?! Remus froze, horrified. Had Voldemort gone for Harry? The urge to run back to the camp and see for himself was almost too much.
No, he thought furiously, that's what Peter wants, to chase me away and leave him alone.
"You and Sirius can't save him," Peter continued snidely, "the Dark Lord wants him and he does what the Dark Lord wants. Save yourself!"
Like Peter had done. Because that was all Peter wanted; to survive.
Coward, thought Remus. He sent a silent stunning spell towards his former friend but as the red light arced across the space between them Peter squeaked and immediately shrank back into the rat, scurrying away into the undergrowth.
"Buggeration!" Remus swore.
"I will go after him!" Tomas said. "You deal with the ward stone!"
Remus nodded absently and made for the rock that Peter had abandoned. He cast a number of charms on it before he deemed it destroy without further ado, obliterating it into small pieces.
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