Fate Untold (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Have Faith

Marauder Mansion, Borough of Islington, London

Remus drowsily blinked his eyes open, his sleep disturbed by the Floo signaling a call for the house's occupants. He sat up and rubbed his face with one hand. Sirius was still fast asleep beside him, ever the deep sleeper. Remus took half a minute to properly wake up before sighing and finally getting up. He grabbed his discarded pajama pants from the floor and put them on before heading downstairs. However, the closer he got to the living room, the stronger he felt this odd sense of dread. Somehow, a part of him knew something was wrong. This suspicion was confirmed when instead of seeing Ashley through the green fire like he'd expected, he was met with one of her friends.

"Alyssa, what's wrong?" He frowned, unsettled.

"It's Ashley. We're in the Gryffindor common room, please hurry." Alyssa breathed out, eyes wide with visible panic.

Remus felt his heartbeat stutter as the cold fear set in upon hearing those words. He didn't bother replying. He rushed back to his and Sirius' room and slammed the door open. Silence be damned, his cub was in danger. He hurriedly approached his slumbering mate and began shaking him. Groaning, the Animagus swatted his hands away and rolled over, burrowing further into the covers.

"Moony, let me sleep..." He muttered.

"Sirius, we need to go to Hogwarts. Now." Remus urged.

Sirius' eyes snapped open, suddenly much more alert. One shared look between the two men was all it took for them to get properly dressed and apparate to Hogwarts. Lucky for them, the castle's wards easily recognized them as the soul-bonded of one of its heirs and let them pass through despite Dumbledore's wishes. They appeared within the lions' den where they were met with the new generation of Marauders, each one seemingly comforting one another.

"What happened? Where is she?" Sirius immediately asked.

"We're not sure." Ai quietly answered.

"What do you mean you're not sure?!" Sirius shouted, frustrated.

"Sirius, calm down." Remus berated.

He rested a hand on Sirius' shoulder, squeezing gently when the man turned to face him. Remus deeply sympathized with his mate, seeing the unshed tears in his eyes. Remus pulled the Animagus close, fully knowing that they both needed the comfort each other's touch provided. They eventually pulled away after a while and braced themselves for what they were about to hear.

"Look, all we know is that she's in the Forbidden Forest somewhere." Alyssa softly explained, "The professors are already looking for her. They told us not to contact you yet but we knew we had to."

"What were all of you doing in there?" Remus frowned.

"We can't tell you. You'll have to ask Ash." Alyssa said, purposely not meeting his eyes.

Dammit, Bambi... What have you gotten yourself into?

Shaking his head, Remus grabbed onto Sirius and side-apparated them to the edge of the forest. Remus channeled Moony to the surface while Sirius shifted into Padfoot, both knowing that the animals' instinctual senses would be far more useful for tracking. They then began their search, the desperation in their hearts growing as time ticked. Before they knew it, they'd already been searching for more than an hour. They didn't stop, they couldn't. They had no intention of giving up on the one person who they loved most and meant the world to them.

Internally, they begged Lady Magic for some kind of sign, anything that would help them find their beloved Bambi. Fortunately, their prayers were answered. They caught swift movement in the corner of their eyes, a small blue wisp of magic weaving through the trees. Hoping against all odds, they followed it as it led them somewhere. Arriving at a small clearing, the sight before them nearly made their hearts stop.