Harry Potter The Final Straw

Later that evening, Remus was walking up the path towards the gates of Hogwarts with Sirius by his side hidden beneath Harry's invisibility cloak. Sirius had the Marauder's Map in his hands and was busy scanning the map for Snape's name.

After searching for a bit, he finally found what he was looking for; Snape was holed up in his office. Quietly, Sirius whispered, "The greasy git is in his office in the dungeons. If I hurry, I can ambush him at the secret passageway by the hump backed witch."

Continuing their trek up to the castle, Remus nodded minutely and whispered, "Good hunting. I'll see you back at headquarters when the meeting is over."

With a gleam in his eye, Sirius headed off towards his ambush spot moving effortlessly under the cloak like he and James had done numerous times during their years at Hogwarts.

Reaching the headmaster's office, Remus gave the password and when the gargoyle slid aside, he made his way up the stone steps and into Dumbledore's domain.

Albus looked up as the werewolf entered his office. He gestured towards the refreshments in the corner while saying pleasantly, "Please make yourself comfortable. Severus should be joining us soon and then we can begin."

Snatching a sandwich and drink, Remus made his way over to where Minerva and Arthur Weasley were sitting together. "May I?" he asked while gesturing to the empty seat.

"Of course, Remus." McGonagall answered warmly before saying, "You're looking well."

"Thank you." He answered while setting his food on the table and pulling up his chair. "I've been able to find a reliable supplier for the Wolfsbane Potion for the first time since I worked here and it's made a big difference."

Smiling, Arthur happily said, "That's wonderful. If you ever need a place to recover, Molly and I would be more than happy to have you at the Burrow."

Warmed by the generous offer, Remus said, "Thank you. If I'm ever in need, I may take you up on that."

...

Sirius had arrived at the ambush point and proceeded to cast every concealment spell that he knew to hide his presence before settling down to wait for Snape to make his way up from the dungeons.

Sirius didn't have to wait long before Snape rounded the corner up from the dungeons with his black robes billowing out behind him as he stalked towards the headmaster's office. The moment that the Death Eater passed his hiding spot, Sirius struck.

The resounding whack of the beater's bat striking Severus on the base of the skull reverberated in the corridor. For good measure, Sirius kicked him hard in the chest just to be sure he was unconscious. Sure that Snape wasn't a threat at the moment; Sirius trussed him up using a few of the zip ties that John Granger had picked up at the hardware store specifically for binding prisoners.

It took him a couple of tries to make sure that the ties were nice and tight before he hoisted the surprisingly heavy Death Eater onto his shoulder and making his way down the secret passageway. The plan was to avoid using any magic because they weren't sure what Dumbledore would be able to detect.

Fifteen grueling minutes later, Sirius was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Finally clear of the wards, he apparated back to Grimmauld Place and unceremoniously dumped Snape on the floor. The crack of something breaking when the bastard hit the floor helped ease the pain in Sirius' tired muscles and put a smile on his face.

With a sigh, he flicked his wand at the bound and unconscious man and levitated him down to the cells in the basement. Once there, he vanished Snape's clothes and bound him to the chair, naked.

Sirius was a bit surprised at the sheer amount of items in Snape's pockets. Unidentified potions, a couple of knives, two wands, a miniature foe glass, and what appeared to be a necklace with a few strands of red hair in a locket.

Confused, Sirius carefully moved everything to the table without touching anything by hand. It wouldn't do to get killed now that he had his prey trapped by being lazy. Satisfied that the items were secure and that Snape wasn't going anywhere, he settled down to wait for Remus to return from what was sure to be a very entertaining meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.

...

Dumbledore was beginning to worry. He knew that Severus was in the castle as they had spoken to each other about an hour ago and it wasn't like the young man to disappear without letting him know somehow.

Rising from his chair, Albus made his way over to Minerva and quietly asked, "Would you please fetch Severus?" At her curious glance, he supplied, "He's late and that is most unlike him."

"Of course, Albus." Minerva said and rose from her seat to fetch their errant member.

Remus looked up at the headmaster and asked the question on everyone's mind, "Is everything all right, Headmaster?"

Staring into Lupin's eyes for a moment, Albus said solemnly, "I'm not sure, actually. Severus is always punctual so either something delayed him or he was called away unexpectedly."

Neither man voiced the other option that something bad had happened to the spy. Inwardly, Remus howled with laughter because this was confirmation that Sirius had succeeded in his endeavor and he couldn't wait to get back to headquarters and question their former classmate.

A bright white tabby patronus burst through the door and said in Minerva's anxious Scottish brogue, "I can't find Severus anywhere and there are no signs of a struggle."

Headmaster and werewolf locked gazes again and Albus mumbled, "Damnation." In a stronger voice he said, "We will have to cancel the meeting and investigate this immediately. Time is of the essence."

Looking each member in the eyes, he said gravely, "Assume that Severus has been compromised at this point and take steps to protect your families accordingly."

As people began filing from the room, Albus stopped Remus and asked, "We could really use your assistance in this matter."

Remus paused a moment, sighed, and said, "Of course, Albus. I may not like the man but I respect his position and the sacrifices that he makes. What would you like me to do?"

Albus' eyes unfocused momentarily while he pondered the options most likely to provide any leads. He knew that time was of the essence if Severus had really defected or been captured by someone. "Please check Knockturn Alley, specifically the apothecary and Borgin and Burkes."

"I'll send word when my search is complete." Remus said before turning without a backwards glance at the aged wizard. Once he was clear of the wards, he apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and made his way to Knockturn Alley.

He figured that he should make an appearance in those areas on the off chance that Albus was having him followed. An hour later, Remus sent his patronus to Dumbledore stating his 'failure' and began making a few random jumps to throw off any tails before finally checking himself for any tracking spells then apparating back to Grimmauld Place.

....

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