Caged

Chapter Four

Ginny entered the Room of Requirement and found Remus there. Although his face was impassive, she could feel the disappointment in him. Slowly and carefully she skimmed the edge of his mind and found nothing but adventures with muggles.

Greeting Remus politely, she delved deeper and still found no reason for him to be disappointed. He was not unhappy to be here, in fact she could see that he found it comforting to be within the walls of the castle, and it was more than pride and obstinancy which kept him away.

She poured a cup of tea to conceal the fact that she was concentrating on his mind. Throwing herself fully into it, she found one small thought. So small he was as yet unaware of it himself. Ginny was relieved her back was to him. Her face would reveal her robbery of his thoughts, and the surprise she felt at that one little thought, the one that told her that although he didn't realize it himself, he wanted to see Sybil Trelawney, and had, deep inside him, been hoping that it was Sybil who was summoning him here.

Ginny stayed for about an hour, talking to Remus, although she couldn't wait to get away to think about what to do, and to go to Ev and let her know what was going on.

When she left, she went straight to Ev's apartment. Professor Snape was not there, to Ginny's relief. It would take awhile to disregard the stories she heard from her brothers, as well as her experiences during her first years here, but she was really trying, for Evelyn's sake.

"Evelyn, I have just come back from talking to Professor Lupin."

"How is he?" Evelyn asked.

"The same. But there is something I have to tell you."

Evelyn listened intently.

"I think I know how to get him back here."

"Tell me, Ginny! Let's do it!"

"Wait, wait, Evelyn. This is not possible at this moment, but may be in the future... Let me just tell you the whole thing."

So Ginny admitted to invading Lupin's mind, and then told Evelyn what she had found there.

"I think it would be best if neither of them find out what we know. Let fate take it's course and hope for the best," Ginny suggested.

Evelyn agreed, but added, "If this doesn't happen soon enough, we may have to take off the kid gloves and put matters into our own hands."

"Ok," Ginny agreed, "but I am going to tell Hermione. She can be trusted of course, and she may have some ideas that could help."

The weeks passed. Sybil brought Remus to the Room of Requirement nearly every day. They would stay for hours, each wondering why they hadn't been friends when Remus still lived at the castle

Then came the day she summoned him and he arrived wounded, his clothing torn, and his amulet missing.

"Send me back! Send me back!" he cried.

Sybil hastily left the room to release him, and stood trembling, with her back to the door.

After several minutes, she decided that she should tell Albus what she had seen. Albus, of course, was concerned.

"He wouldn't give up that amulet,"Albus assured her. He'd give up his life first. It not only has it's purpose, but it was also a gift from Sirius."

This did not reassure Sybil, on the contrary, and she was still shaken when she left Albus's office. Unsure what to do, she went to her room and lay on the bed.

She woke the next morning, and sprang from her bed. She had slept all afternoon and night. While she was getting ready for her morning classses, she kept looking toward the bed. She wanted to get in and pull the blankets over her head.

That afternoon when Sybil summoned Remus, she brought Evelyn along. This time Remus was unconcious, but breathing. They left quietly, and went in search of Ginny.

Ginny was in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and was surprised to be interrupted during her lesson. More so than Professor Snape, although that was understandable. He might be a snotty jerk sometimes, but he had a soft spot in that black heart of his for Evelyn.

Ginny left the room and they quickly explained the situation.

Evelyn hesitated and then told Ginny."Perhaps you can do that thing you did, you know that thing?" She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I don't want to say."

"Ah, yes," Ginny answered.

They made their way to the Room of Requirement. Remus was there, still unconcious. Ginny lightly skimmed the outer edges of his mind and found the answer. He had been captured, not by the police, but by a group of thugs tired of playing Robin Hood.

He was being kept in a basement, tortured, interrogated, and deprived of food and water.

And the full moon was tomorrow.