Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 45

Let's goooo!! :)

Auriga listened carefully for the footsteps to fade away, and her part of the building became completely silent. She left her hiding place and headed from the kitchen, finding herself in a semi-familiar hallway. Step three was made easier by the pain-induced yells coming from the upstairs drawing room. Auriga's heart dropped. She followed the sound of the noise, peering through a keyhole.

Inside were five people. On the floor, in the middle was Remus. Stood over him was Augustus, a look of disgust on his face as he regarded the werewolf, looking like he was less than crup poo on his shoe. Also stood near Remus, to Auriga's dismay but not surprise, was her father, and stood a little way, her mother. Peering over Augustus's shoulder was Caesar.

"I'll ask you again," said Lucius Malfoy, "Where are my children?"

"At Hogwarts," said Remus, his voice hoarse. He was right - to some extent - and there was no point in him lying.

"And where were they over the summer?" asked Augustus, sounding impatient.

"I don't know," said Remus.

"Don't lie," spat Narcissa Malfoy.

"Crucio." The jet of light shot from Augustus's wand, and Auriga was sure she saw her parents flinch a little as Remus cried out again.

"Why don't you give it a rest, son?" said Caesar, stepping forward. "I don't want this muck on my carpet much longer. Think about what your mother would-"

"Crucio!" said Augustus again. This time Remus physically contorted on the floor as he yelled. Auriga had had enough. At this point a Gryffindor would burst in, all guns blazing. Auriga, a Slytherin, knew it made no logical sense to do that. But what else could she do?

That led to step four: find Remus's wand. This turned out to be the quickest step yet - it was in Augustus's pocket.

Step five: retrieve Remus's wand. Auriga's immediate plan was to set the far end of the room on fire, causing a distraction, and levitate or summon it. Then she realised that she may end up killing most of the people in the room if she did that. Then she realised she didn't care.

She vaguely remembered that the room had two entrances. If she set fire to the carpet under the door she was stood at now, then by the time she'd found her way to the second door they'd be well and truly distracted, and she could snatch the wand. Maybe she'd form step six of her plan by then. She could try fiendfyre! That'd teach them a lesson.

Smiling ever so slightly to herself, Auriga set the tiniest patch of carpet on fire, before hurrying over to the other side of the room. Her plan worked - the four of them were very distracted by the time she peered through the next keyhole. It probably had something to do with the walls being engulfed with flames, or the ceiling being nothing other than a thick black smog.

Alohamora. The door unlocked, and Auriga opened it the smallest amount, trying not to inhale too much smoke. Accio Remus's wand. The wand flew into her hand, unnoticed by anyone else. Accio Remus? This was a mistake, but it meant step six of the plan was done. Unfortunately, everybody noticed the body of their victim flying towards an open door.

"Auriga!" her Mother exclaimed, as she ducked and Remus's somewhat lifeless body flew over her head and into the adjoining room. It looked like a dining room actually. She took one last look at the burning room, locked eyes with Augustus's murderous ones, and slammed the door. A spell collided with it with a thud. She tried to ignore the smoke flowing underneath it.

Step seven: Get the bloody hell out. "Come on," she muttered forcing Remus's wand into his hand and dragging him to his feet. The significant height difference made this very difficult.

He groaned. "Auriga," he could barely hold his eyes open. She knew the feeling.

"Come on," she repeated again. They stumbled their way from that room and into the next. A library this time.

There was a bang behind them. "Where are they?" demanded her Father. Auriga picked up the pace, and was soon confronted with Tamara Carrow, who looked more confused than anything.

She gasped and changed direction, heading down a different hallway, lined with windows but no doors. Remus's weight slowed her down a fair amount, but she pushed on, only just dodging a hex that flew past her ear. There was a staircase just ahead of them. Whether it led to the front or the back, Auriga had no idea, but it hardly mattered.

They were almost there when the ceiling caved in in front of them, and it took all Auriga's strength to haul Remus completely out the way. "Down here!" she heard someone shout, and her Father and Augustus skidded into view. It seemed there was no way out, and Remus was rapidly losing consciousness, and the smoke was filling up the hallway faster and faster. A woman cried out in a different part of the building. "Narcissa!" yelled her father, before sprinting away once more. Augustus still had that crazed, murderous look in his eyes.

"Where will you go now, Sweetheart?" he asked her, oddly calm in a disastrous situation as he edged down the corridor, wand poised. Auriga didn't bless that question with an answer. Instead she pushed all her weight into Remus's side, casting a blasting curse as she did. The window to their right shattered before they could hit it, and Auriga's foot pushed off from the window-ledge, propelling them into the night air. They twisted as they fell, and Auriga disapparated them back to safety.