Veilfic, Part 3
Welcome to the first part of the Pensieve scene from the veilfic. The second half is coming up--I'm writing the epilogue now. Fair warning: this is unbeta'ed...and ultra-dark.
"As for what happened next...well, I cannot tell you. I was not there. But Remus was. Use the Pensieve if you wish to discover what occurred that night. That is," Snape added contemptuously, "if you dare."
Sirius' response was to grab the Pensieve from Dumbledore's desk. Glaring at Snape, he plunged one finger in the silvery-white liquid within the Pensieve and began stirring it idly.
The liquid in the Pensieve began to swirl rapidly, then became transparent. A moment later, Sirius was looking at the interior of the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow.
Lily was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a squirming toddler who could only have been Harry.
And there was James sitting on the sofa, talking--well, his mouth was moving, so Sirius assumed he was talking--to someone Sirius couldn't see.
Watching clearly wasn't going to be enough. He was going to have to enter Remus' memories.
He bent lower and lower over the Pensieve, his longish black hair brushing against the surface of the liquid.
For a moment, he felt as if he'd been flung forward by an earthquake. The next minute, he was in the cottage.
It looked much like the Potter home had in his world. Worn, scarred furniture (Lily's idea--she'd said that any damage a baby might do to used furniture would be minimal). Baby bumpers on the coffee table's corners, on chair legs, and on doorways so that little Harry wouldn't hurt himself if he tripped or collided with them. A painting that was all faces and animals and upside-down milkmaids, which Remus, in Sirius' own world, had picked up on Portobello Road. A wizarding photograph of the Potter wedding sat on the mantel. Lily looked radiant in her green velvet robes. James, grinning foolishly, was clad in red and gold. Peter, dressed in simple and sensible blue, was smiling so happily that at first Sirius didn't recognize him. Remus, looking exhausted but pleased to be there, was attired in a blue and green kilt. Henderson tartan, if this world's Remus was of the same clan as his. And Snape...Snape was toasting the bridal couple. Looking rather smug, in Sirius' opinion.
The James who was sitting on the couch suddenly burst out laughing. Presumably, Remus had said something that amused him. Lily, who was trying to calm a fretful Harry, fired an annoyed glanced in her husband's direction.
"Now look," she said. "You've gone and upset Harry."
"What's wrong with him?" That was Remus. A much younger Remus, Sirius realised, than the version he'd met back in Dumbledore's office. This one didn't have that terrible beaten look in his eyes.
"Teething. And he doesn't like it."
Harry let loose a whimpering wail that said plainly that he thought his mum was understating the case.
"The Dentire Potion isn't killing the pain of teething?" James said, frowning.
"It is," said Lily, speaking loudly over Harry's wails, "but we can't give him too much. It's very strong. He's only a baby, after all."
"Could I see him?" Remus asked. "Maybe I could calm him down."
"Good luck, mate," said James with a groan. "When this boy starts fussing, nothing stops him."
"Very much like his father, in other words?" said Remus with a grin, as he accepted little Harry from Lily. "There, now, Harry. Nothing to fret about. That's right."
Harry snuggled up next to Remus, calming almost instantly.
"You'll make someone a marvelous mother someday, Moony."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Lily, how in the world did you and your husband manage to have a child when James clearly knows nothing about elementary biology?"
Lily glanced down demurely. "Well, you know what they say about women's work never being done..."
"That's right. Torture me, why don't you?" said James with a tragic expression. "My wife and one of my best friends ganging up on me, and for no reason."
"Good thing that Peter and Severus didn't come tonight, then," retorted Remus. "You'd really be outnumbered."
"Poor Severus," said James, looking amused. "Imagine teaching Potions to kids only five to ten years your junior. That can't be easy."
"At least he sends owls regularly," Lily said. " I wish Peter could have been here. He's been working overtime for weeks. It's been ages since he's seen Harry."
Remus sighed, and said nothing. Sirius noticed that his grip on young Harry tightened ever so slightly.
James faced Remus, a grave expression on his face. "You do know that we all consider you a godfather, right? And that we wanted to make you one officially, and give you co-custody with Peter and Severus. But the Ministry..."
" I know you tried," Remus murmured, his breath barely stirring the baby's soft black hair. "You almost gave Barty Crouch a stroke, filing a request to make a werewolf your son's co-guardian. I suppose I'm just lucky that Black didn't hear about it, or we'd really be in trouble."
"Well, he didn't and he won't. Come on, Remus, what politician's going to talk to a nutter at St. Mungo's?"
Remus smiled, though Sirius could see it was a strain. "You have a point there." He glanced down at Harry. "Hmm. He seems to have fallen asleep. Want him back, Lil?"
"Yes, thanks. I'll put him in his crib."
However, the moment that Harry was back in his mother's arms, he let loose an earsplitting howl.
Lily groaned. "I can see it's going to be one of those nights when nothing calms him down."
"Why don't I take him for a ride on my motorbike?" Remus suggested. "I've read that sometimes the sound of motors send kids to sleep. Muggle kids, anyway. I doubt if wizard kids are any different."
"Sounds all right to me," James said easily. "What about you, Lil?"
"You're both mad," said Lily, as she struggled vainly to quiet the screaming child. "A one-and-a-half-year-old on a motorbike?"
"I'll put a Binding Spell on him, Lily," Remus said with the utmost patience. "He won't fall off. And a Shield Charm as well, if that would make you feel better. Not that there's anything to run into up there. Trust me."
"I do. It's just--I worry. Especially...you know." Lily bit her lower lip. "With Voldemort out there."
"Well, he's nowhere near here," said James, wrapping a protective arm around his wife. "He has no idea where we are, and we're perfectly safe. And honestly, if Remus can get Harry to go to sleep by taking him for a ride on his bike, then I'm all for it. Not to mention...it does give us a bit of time alone." He nuzzled her neck.
Remus chuckled. "How long should I give you two?"
James gently kissed Lily on the lips. "Mmm...forty minutes?
"Make it an hour," Lily said. "I hate rushing things."
She handed Harry--who was still screaming--back to Remus. "I must be crazy for doing this, but...if you can make Harry go to sleep just by taking him for a drive, I'd be everlastingly grateful."
Remus smiled down at the baby. "Come on, Harry. Let's get out of here before you're traumatised for life by the sight of your parents snogging. Because it would be so terrible for you to know that your parents love each other." He intercepted a stunned glance from James. "Muggle psychology, James. Honestly."
"Muggles think love is frightening? They must be barking." James waved vaguely in Remus' direction before removing his glasses and turning toward Lily. "See you in a bit."
Remus tensed for a moment. "Love can be frightening," he murmured under his breath, so softly that only Sirius and Harry heard him. "Believe me, it can." Then, squaring his shoulders, he walked out the door, snagging Harry's basket and placing the baby in it as he did so.
Sirius was astonished to find himself being pulled out the door, as if Remus had him on an invisible dog lead. "No, Moony," he begged. "Go back inside. Get James and Lily to leave. Maybe you can outrun Voldemort. You can try, anyway. Please."
Remus didn't react. He just placed Harry's basket on the motorcycle in a gravity-defying way, then fumbled for his wand. "Evincio," he said softly.
A moment later, the basket was firmly bound to the motorcycle, and Harry, within the basket, was fully bound as well...not to mention shielded. This Remus, like Sirius' own, kept his promises.
As Remus kick-started the motorcycle, Sirius suddenly found himself seated behind Remus. Weirdly, the motorcycle felt solid and familiar, much like the one he had owned before Azkaban. But when the bike began to levitate over the treetops, he reached out to grip Remus--and found his hands passing through air. Apparently, the Pensieve would counterfeit the feel, even the smell, of objects. But not people.
The flight over Godric's Hollow was long and wild and extremely fast. Harry gurgled happily whenever Remus speeded up or went into a swooping dive, and Remus' carefree laughter was audible over the roar of the engine.
Sirius hated it.
"Go back," he kept imploring the younger Remus. Foolish, he knew. It was idiotic to beg Remus to prevent something that had already happened. And yet he could not help himself. "Merlin's beard, Moony, go back."
A little over an hour later, Remus landed back at the Potter's cottage. Dispelling the Binding and Shield Charms surrounding the sleeping Harry, he picked up Harry's basket and headed for the back door. Sirius, much against his will, was compelled to follow.
Halfway to the door, Remus stopped and sniffed the air. "Blood," he whispered. Glancing worriedly from the cottage to the sleeping child, he snatched his wand from his jacket and murmured a swift "Evanesco!"
Baby and basket faded from view.
Sirius silently approved. True, it wasn't ideal protection from Voldemort, but at least Harry was no longer a visible target.
Still holding the now invisible Harry and his wand, Remus crept forward. Sirius followed right behind him.
The cottage was silent. The back door swung open at a touch.
Lying in the kitchen was a large pile of bloody rags, glowing eerily with curselight. Beside the rags lay a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, the lenses smashed as if someone had deliberately crushed them.
Remus stared at the rags and the blood, swallowing convulsively. "Oh, God. James."
No! Sirius shouted mentally. I saw James' body before. He was whole when he died. Avada Kedavra doesn't tear people apart!
Clearly, this had not been the result of the Killing Curse.
Though the results looked unpleasantly...familiar.
He didn't want to think about why.
Remus sidled away from the bleeding wreckage that had been James, and stepped noiselessly into the dining room. Then the living room. Then the front hall. Sirius followed helplessly, rubbing his head as he tried very hard not to think about his friend's death.
The rooms looked exactly as they had before Remus had left.
Of Lily there was no sign.
Remus stopped in the hall, tensing like a hound going on point. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.
Hunting for her scent, thought Sirius. I saw him do it a thousand times at school. I never thought he was aware of what he was doing before.
Remus slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the staircase with dread. Slowly, silently, he crept upstairs, Sirius by his side.
Both the spare bedroom and James and Lily's bedroom were empty. So was the bathroom.
Remus looked with trepidation at the closed door to the nursery.
Sirius shook his head. "No, Remus," he implored. "Don't look in there. Go owl for help. Get out of here, and take Harry with you."
But even as he spoke, he knew that Remus would do no such thing. Remus would never leave until he was sure that both James and Lily were beyond help, and the wolf viewed the three Animagi as its pack.
Remus pushed open the door to the darkened nursery. "Lumos," he said quietly, and his wand glowed with an eldritch blue-white light. He glanced around the room, frowning with great concentration. Sirius likewise scanned the room, but saw nothing.
An unsettling moan filled the air.
Remus swung the illuminated wand toward the sound...and froze.
Sirius stared at the figure caught in the wand's light. "Oh, Lily," he whispered through half-paralysed lips.
Lily was lying on the floor beside the crib. Her red hair was deeply hennaed with blackish-red blood. Jagged, bleeding, curselit slashes covered her body, and the bones in her legs looked as if they had exploded from within. And her almond-shaped eyes were no longer a brilliant green, but pure white, without pupil or iris.
Venas tuas abscindo, Sirius thought, as he struggled not to scream. I cut open your veins. And te caeco--I blind you. Two of my mother's favourite curses. She used them on Regulus and me when we were boys.
Three guesses who did this to Lily, Mr. Black, whispered a cruel voice that sounded remarkably like Snape's.
Remus seemed unable to speak. He bent low and brushed his fingertips on an undamaged portion of Lily's wounded face.
"Uhh," she groaned. "Eee-us, uhhh."
"Easy, Lily," soothed Remus, his calm voice wholly at variance with his appalled expression. "Don't try to talk. It'll be all right."
I hope not, thought Sirius fervently. I hope that she dies before the Healers at St. Mungo's get hold of her. Better she should die now than live in that ruined body forever, unable to move, unable to speak, knowing only what's she's lost...
"I'll send an owl to St. Mungo's," Remus was saying in the flat tones of shock. "Meanwhile, you just relax."
"Relax?!" shouted Sirius in an outraged tone. "Are you mad? She's blind, crippled and bleeding to death!"
Yes, said Snape's voice in his mind. And whose fault is that?
Not mine. Never mine. I do not accept that.
Lily gazed unseeingly up at Remus. "Ay-ee?" she gasped.
"Lily, I don't underst--oh! Oh, the baby." Remus tried to smile reassuringly. "Yes, he's fine. Look, he's right here." Remus waved his wand at his right hand. "Finite Incantem!"
Harry, slumbering in his basket, reappeared.
"Oh! Eee-us, oh! Uhhh!"
Sirius' mind had just supplied the missing consonants--No! Remus, no! Run!--when a red bolt of light struck Remus full in the chest. A hoarsely triumphant voice cried out, "Stupefy!"
Remus stumbled backward, still gripping the handle of Harry's now visible basket. As Remus fell, Harry burst into a startled wail.
A shadowy figure detached itself from the wall, firmly removed the basket handle from Remus' hand and spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice. "You don't need that. No need for babies where we're going. Someone else will take care of the boy, never you fear." With that, the man held Remus' Stunned body close to his own and Apparated away.
And, as Remus vanished, so did Sirius.
***
"As for what happened next...well, I cannot tell you. I was not there. But Remus was. Use the Pensieve if you wish to discover what occurred that night. That is," Snape added contemptuously, "if you dare."
Sirius' response was to grab the Pensieve from Dumbledore's desk. Glaring at Snape, he plunged one finger in the silvery-white liquid within the Pensieve and began stirring it idly.
The liquid in the Pensieve began to swirl rapidly, then became transparent. A moment later, Sirius was looking at the interior of the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow.
Lily was sitting in a rocking chair, holding a squirming toddler who could only have been Harry.
And there was James sitting on the sofa, talking--well, his mouth was moving, so Sirius assumed he was talking--to someone Sirius couldn't see.
Watching clearly wasn't going to be enough. He was going to have to enter Remus' memories.
He bent lower and lower over the Pensieve, his longish black hair brushing against the surface of the liquid.
For a moment, he felt as if he'd been flung forward by an earthquake. The next minute, he was in the cottage.
It looked much like the Potter home had in his world. Worn, scarred furniture (Lily's idea--she'd said that any damage a baby might do to used furniture would be minimal). Baby bumpers on the coffee table's corners, on chair legs, and on doorways so that little Harry wouldn't hurt himself if he tripped or collided with them. A painting that was all faces and animals and upside-down milkmaids, which Remus, in Sirius' own world, had picked up on Portobello Road. A wizarding photograph of the Potter wedding sat on the mantel. Lily looked radiant in her green velvet robes. James, grinning foolishly, was clad in red and gold. Peter, dressed in simple and sensible blue, was smiling so happily that at first Sirius didn't recognize him. Remus, looking exhausted but pleased to be there, was attired in a blue and green kilt. Henderson tartan, if this world's Remus was of the same clan as his. And Snape...Snape was toasting the bridal couple. Looking rather smug, in Sirius' opinion.
The James who was sitting on the couch suddenly burst out laughing. Presumably, Remus had said something that amused him. Lily, who was trying to calm a fretful Harry, fired an annoyed glanced in her husband's direction.
"Now look," she said. "You've gone and upset Harry."
"What's wrong with him?" That was Remus. A much younger Remus, Sirius realised, than the version he'd met back in Dumbledore's office. This one didn't have that terrible beaten look in his eyes.
"Teething. And he doesn't like it."
Harry let loose a whimpering wail that said plainly that he thought his mum was understating the case.
"The Dentire Potion isn't killing the pain of teething?" James said, frowning.
"It is," said Lily, speaking loudly over Harry's wails, "but we can't give him too much. It's very strong. He's only a baby, after all."
"Could I see him?" Remus asked. "Maybe I could calm him down."
"Good luck, mate," said James with a groan. "When this boy starts fussing, nothing stops him."
"Very much like his father, in other words?" said Remus with a grin, as he accepted little Harry from Lily. "There, now, Harry. Nothing to fret about. That's right."
Harry snuggled up next to Remus, calming almost instantly.
"You'll make someone a marvelous mother someday, Moony."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Lily, how in the world did you and your husband manage to have a child when James clearly knows nothing about elementary biology?"
Lily glanced down demurely. "Well, you know what they say about women's work never being done..."
"That's right. Torture me, why don't you?" said James with a tragic expression. "My wife and one of my best friends ganging up on me, and for no reason."
"Good thing that Peter and Severus didn't come tonight, then," retorted Remus. "You'd really be outnumbered."
"Poor Severus," said James, looking amused. "Imagine teaching Potions to kids only five to ten years your junior. That can't be easy."
"At least he sends owls regularly," Lily said. " I wish Peter could have been here. He's been working overtime for weeks. It's been ages since he's seen Harry."
Remus sighed, and said nothing. Sirius noticed that his grip on young Harry tightened ever so slightly.
James faced Remus, a grave expression on his face. "You do know that we all consider you a godfather, right? And that we wanted to make you one officially, and give you co-custody with Peter and Severus. But the Ministry..."
" I know you tried," Remus murmured, his breath barely stirring the baby's soft black hair. "You almost gave Barty Crouch a stroke, filing a request to make a werewolf your son's co-guardian. I suppose I'm just lucky that Black didn't hear about it, or we'd really be in trouble."
"Well, he didn't and he won't. Come on, Remus, what politician's going to talk to a nutter at St. Mungo's?"
Remus smiled, though Sirius could see it was a strain. "You have a point there." He glanced down at Harry. "Hmm. He seems to have fallen asleep. Want him back, Lil?"
"Yes, thanks. I'll put him in his crib."
However, the moment that Harry was back in his mother's arms, he let loose an earsplitting howl.
Lily groaned. "I can see it's going to be one of those nights when nothing calms him down."
"Why don't I take him for a ride on my motorbike?" Remus suggested. "I've read that sometimes the sound of motors send kids to sleep. Muggle kids, anyway. I doubt if wizard kids are any different."
"Sounds all right to me," James said easily. "What about you, Lil?"
"You're both mad," said Lily, as she struggled vainly to quiet the screaming child. "A one-and-a-half-year-old on a motorbike?"
"I'll put a Binding Spell on him, Lily," Remus said with the utmost patience. "He won't fall off. And a Shield Charm as well, if that would make you feel better. Not that there's anything to run into up there. Trust me."
"I do. It's just--I worry. Especially...you know." Lily bit her lower lip. "With Voldemort out there."
"Well, he's nowhere near here," said James, wrapping a protective arm around his wife. "He has no idea where we are, and we're perfectly safe. And honestly, if Remus can get Harry to go to sleep by taking him for a ride on his bike, then I'm all for it. Not to mention...it does give us a bit of time alone." He nuzzled her neck.
Remus chuckled. "How long should I give you two?"
James gently kissed Lily on the lips. "Mmm...forty minutes?
"Make it an hour," Lily said. "I hate rushing things."
She handed Harry--who was still screaming--back to Remus. "I must be crazy for doing this, but...if you can make Harry go to sleep just by taking him for a drive, I'd be everlastingly grateful."
Remus smiled down at the baby. "Come on, Harry. Let's get out of here before you're traumatised for life by the sight of your parents snogging. Because it would be so terrible for you to know that your parents love each other." He intercepted a stunned glance from James. "Muggle psychology, James. Honestly."
"Muggles think love is frightening? They must be barking." James waved vaguely in Remus' direction before removing his glasses and turning toward Lily. "See you in a bit."
Remus tensed for a moment. "Love can be frightening," he murmured under his breath, so softly that only Sirius and Harry heard him. "Believe me, it can." Then, squaring his shoulders, he walked out the door, snagging Harry's basket and placing the baby in it as he did so.
Sirius was astonished to find himself being pulled out the door, as if Remus had him on an invisible dog lead. "No, Moony," he begged. "Go back inside. Get James and Lily to leave. Maybe you can outrun Voldemort. You can try, anyway. Please."
Remus didn't react. He just placed Harry's basket on the motorcycle in a gravity-defying way, then fumbled for his wand. "Evincio," he said softly.
A moment later, the basket was firmly bound to the motorcycle, and Harry, within the basket, was fully bound as well...not to mention shielded. This Remus, like Sirius' own, kept his promises.
As Remus kick-started the motorcycle, Sirius suddenly found himself seated behind Remus. Weirdly, the motorcycle felt solid and familiar, much like the one he had owned before Azkaban. But when the bike began to levitate over the treetops, he reached out to grip Remus--and found his hands passing through air. Apparently, the Pensieve would counterfeit the feel, even the smell, of objects. But not people.
The flight over Godric's Hollow was long and wild and extremely fast. Harry gurgled happily whenever Remus speeded up or went into a swooping dive, and Remus' carefree laughter was audible over the roar of the engine.
Sirius hated it.
"Go back," he kept imploring the younger Remus. Foolish, he knew. It was idiotic to beg Remus to prevent something that had already happened. And yet he could not help himself. "Merlin's beard, Moony, go back."
A little over an hour later, Remus landed back at the Potter's cottage. Dispelling the Binding and Shield Charms surrounding the sleeping Harry, he picked up Harry's basket and headed for the back door. Sirius, much against his will, was compelled to follow.
Halfway to the door, Remus stopped and sniffed the air. "Blood," he whispered. Glancing worriedly from the cottage to the sleeping child, he snatched his wand from his jacket and murmured a swift "Evanesco!"
Baby and basket faded from view.
Sirius silently approved. True, it wasn't ideal protection from Voldemort, but at least Harry was no longer a visible target.
Still holding the now invisible Harry and his wand, Remus crept forward. Sirius followed right behind him.
The cottage was silent. The back door swung open at a touch.
Lying in the kitchen was a large pile of bloody rags, glowing eerily with curselight. Beside the rags lay a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, the lenses smashed as if someone had deliberately crushed them.
Remus stared at the rags and the blood, swallowing convulsively. "Oh, God. James."
No! Sirius shouted mentally. I saw James' body before. He was whole when he died. Avada Kedavra doesn't tear people apart!
Clearly, this had not been the result of the Killing Curse.
Though the results looked unpleasantly...familiar.
He didn't want to think about why.
Remus sidled away from the bleeding wreckage that had been James, and stepped noiselessly into the dining room. Then the living room. Then the front hall. Sirius followed helplessly, rubbing his head as he tried very hard not to think about his friend's death.
The rooms looked exactly as they had before Remus had left.
Of Lily there was no sign.
Remus stopped in the hall, tensing like a hound going on point. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.
Hunting for her scent, thought Sirius. I saw him do it a thousand times at school. I never thought he was aware of what he was doing before.
Remus slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the staircase with dread. Slowly, silently, he crept upstairs, Sirius by his side.
Both the spare bedroom and James and Lily's bedroom were empty. So was the bathroom.
Remus looked with trepidation at the closed door to the nursery.
Sirius shook his head. "No, Remus," he implored. "Don't look in there. Go owl for help. Get out of here, and take Harry with you."
But even as he spoke, he knew that Remus would do no such thing. Remus would never leave until he was sure that both James and Lily were beyond help, and the wolf viewed the three Animagi as its pack.
Remus pushed open the door to the darkened nursery. "Lumos," he said quietly, and his wand glowed with an eldritch blue-white light. He glanced around the room, frowning with great concentration. Sirius likewise scanned the room, but saw nothing.
An unsettling moan filled the air.
Remus swung the illuminated wand toward the sound...and froze.
Sirius stared at the figure caught in the wand's light. "Oh, Lily," he whispered through half-paralysed lips.
Lily was lying on the floor beside the crib. Her red hair was deeply hennaed with blackish-red blood. Jagged, bleeding, curselit slashes covered her body, and the bones in her legs looked as if they had exploded from within. And her almond-shaped eyes were no longer a brilliant green, but pure white, without pupil or iris.
Venas tuas abscindo, Sirius thought, as he struggled not to scream. I cut open your veins. And te caeco--I blind you. Two of my mother's favourite curses. She used them on Regulus and me when we were boys.
Three guesses who did this to Lily, Mr. Black, whispered a cruel voice that sounded remarkably like Snape's.
Remus seemed unable to speak. He bent low and brushed his fingertips on an undamaged portion of Lily's wounded face.
"Uhh," she groaned. "Eee-us, uhhh."
"Easy, Lily," soothed Remus, his calm voice wholly at variance with his appalled expression. "Don't try to talk. It'll be all right."
I hope not, thought Sirius fervently. I hope that she dies before the Healers at St. Mungo's get hold of her. Better she should die now than live in that ruined body forever, unable to move, unable to speak, knowing only what's she's lost...
"I'll send an owl to St. Mungo's," Remus was saying in the flat tones of shock. "Meanwhile, you just relax."
"Relax?!" shouted Sirius in an outraged tone. "Are you mad? She's blind, crippled and bleeding to death!"
Yes, said Snape's voice in his mind. And whose fault is that?
Not mine. Never mine. I do not accept that.
Lily gazed unseeingly up at Remus. "Ay-ee?" she gasped.
"Lily, I don't underst--oh! Oh, the baby." Remus tried to smile reassuringly. "Yes, he's fine. Look, he's right here." Remus waved his wand at his right hand. "Finite Incantem!"
Harry, slumbering in his basket, reappeared.
"Oh! Eee-us, oh! Uhhh!"
Sirius' mind had just supplied the missing consonants--No! Remus, no! Run!--when a red bolt of light struck Remus full in the chest. A hoarsely triumphant voice cried out, "Stupefy!"
Remus stumbled backward, still gripping the handle of Harry's now visible basket. As Remus fell, Harry burst into a startled wail.
A shadowy figure detached itself from the wall, firmly removed the basket handle from Remus' hand and spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice. "You don't need that. No need for babies where we're going. Someone else will take care of the boy, never you fear." With that, the man held Remus' Stunned body close to his own and Apparated away.
And, as Remus vanished, so did Sirius.
***