There is nothing longer than the time between visits from healers and mediwitches when you're in the waiting room outside of a critical care unit at a hospital overnight. The clock seemed to stand still more times than Jame could count and his eyes were heavily weighted so that he rocked himself to keep his consciousness in the present as he closed them and counted the ticks of the second hand moving 'round the clock, making sure none of the precious sixty seconds per minute were missed.
Sirius had fallen asleep across Remus's lap, Remus running his fingers along Sirius's spine until he'd dozed off and Remus soon following suit, head bent forward. Peter had gone back to the flat for clothes for Sirius, who had changed into them, and Remus now was wearing Sirius's leather jacket, for he'd been cold. Now, Peter was curled up across a couple chairs, too, a blanket he'd asked Emmaline for wrapped tightly around him like a burrito, though James was certain he could still see Peter shivering. Even Lily had fallen asleep beside James, her head leaning against his side.
The door of the waiting room creaked opened and he looked up, expecting Emmaline and being surprised to find Frank and Alice Longbottom. James sat up straight, running his hands over his eyes, as though he could wipe away the exhaustion.
"Hey," Frank said quietly, glancing around at the sleeping forms.
"Hi," James answered.
"We came as soon as we could," Alice whispered. She sank into a crouch on the floor in front of James, looking up at him and holding his hands, her eyes full of merciful concern. Frank summoned over one of the chairs from across the room and sat down there in front of James, too. He looked concerned, too, though with a nervous, sort of helpless look to him. "Are you okay? Have you heard anything?" Alice asked.
James told them what Emmaline had said - how they were keeping an eye on his mum, how things were uncertain, and that Emma had taken an extra shift to stay on Dora's case. Alice frowned and she squeezed James's hands tightly, reassuringly. Frank drew a deep breath. "At least you know who's on it," he said pragmatically.
James nodded. "When Dad got like this --" he stopped and shook his head. "She was fine earlier today." He frowned. "But then again so was Dad... and he was gone by next morning so I don't - I don't know what to think. I'm scared to think."
"I understand," Alice said.
Frank nodded his agreement. They were all quiet a moment and Alice stood up, summoning over a chair also, and they all sat there for several moment in silence... Then Frank cleared his throat and said, "James, I'm going to be honest with you. The reason we know what's on here is because Dumbledore told us. He heard your Mum had been admitted here through the portraits and he summoned Ali and I. We've just come from Hogwarts, from his office."
James looked warily at Frank.
Alice glanced at Peter to her right and then over at Sirius and Remus to the left before she leaned closer and she whispered, "Dumbledore wants us four to work together."
"Work together?" James asked, tilting his head and leaning in, too.
Frank nodded and he, too, leaned far forward so that all three of them were clustered close. A quick flick of the wand with a sound shielding charm from Frank and James knew that anyone outside of the room would be unable to hear them - but even still, Frank and Alice seemed hesitant to be overheard, even by their friends in the room.
"What do you mean work together?" James whispered.
"He mentioned he hasn't spoken with you and Lily yet," Frank said, "And honestly he asked us not to talk to you until he has but --"
"But that's hippogriff shit!" Alice interrupted, pink-faced. Frank laughed and shook his head. He'd been going to say that he thought it was an awful idea, but of course the little spitfire that was Alice would go right for it being hippogriff shit.
James paused a moment, considering this, then turned to Lily and gently shook her. "Love," he whispered, "Evans... Wake up, Evans."
Lily startled awake, "What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up quickly. "Is Mum alright?"
"Emma hasn't come back yet," James answered Lily. "But Frank and Alice are here..."
Lily looked about and saw Frank and Alice.
"...they want to talk with us about our meeting with Dumbledore," James said.
Lily looked relieved and the tension that had gripped her shoulders at the wake-up melted out of her and she turned, sitting up in the seat beside James and took a moment to wake herself up - stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes and that such. Alice and Frank adjusted their seats so that all four of them were in a little square of clustered faces, all leaning in to keep their conversation hushed.
"A break-in attempt was made on Azkaban week before last," Frank whispered.
"A - a break-in?" Lily asked.
Frank nodded.
"Why would anyone try to break-in?"
"To get other people out," Frank's tone was low. "A man called Wesley Flint was brought in to the Ministry by the guards on account of he was impersonating a guard. Claimed to be a new hire. He somehow managed to get as far as the port-key landing without being detected and had himself in the rotation for a nightshift at the prison before he was discovered and brought in."
"The port-key landing?" Lily asked.
"Yeah," Frank said. "Azkaban's an island somewhere in the middle of the Black Sea. Only so many people know the exact location - as a layer of protection. The only known map which shows it's place is kept heavily guarded in the Department of Mysteries. Otherwise, it's a forgotten location only accessible by port-key, and only from one particular island - the port-key landing - which serves as a gateway. Guards - and prisoners - are transported magically by port-key from the Ministry for Magic to the Landing. The port-key leaves from the MInistry only once a week and returns from the Landing one hour later, during the rotation of the guards. They send fifteen guards at a time for a week long rotation."
"Why fifteen?" Lily asked.
"Each guard serves one shift per week, two shifts per day," Frank explained.
"That would only be fourteen," James said.
"One's a spare in case the dementors kill one of the others or else they go mad there," Alice inserted.
James paled, but nodded.
"That's why they hold prisoners at the Ministry before transporting them to Azkaban. It can only be done once a week during rotation. They don't very often make exceptions unless the crime is particularly heinous," Frank said.
"But why not just transport directly to Azkaban's island?" Lily asked. "This all sounds so secure --"
"Because if the guards arrived directly to Azkaban, the dementors would suck out all their happy memories and they'd be unable to cast their patronus," Frank said. "At the landing, the guards cast their patronus before going by boat to the prison for their shift. Their patronus must be cast before they set out across the water because once they leave the protections of the barracks on the landing and move into the realm of Azkaban itself, the coverage of the dementors is so great that the sun never shines and they say you can hear the prisoners screaming from a distance, even over the ever-raging storms."
Lily covered her mouth with her hand. She'd always pictured Azkaban the way she pictured a muggle prison... but the image Frank now painted sounded so much more horrid.
"And now, after the breach with Wesley Flint, Minchum has ordered more dementors to the island and he's contemplating removing the human guards altogether."
"Why wasn't this in the Prophet?" James asked.
"They don't want news of any weakness in the system of Azkaban to be public and exploited," Frank whispered. "I oughtn't even be telling you but this Wesley Flint - he's key to what Dumbledore's asking us to do."
"Us?" Lily looked at Frank with concern, then to James.
"He wants us to work together," Alice caught Lily up. "Frank and I were talking with Dumbledore tonight - we just came from his office when we heard about Mrs. Potter... He asked us not to talk with you beforehand, but I don't think it's right that you don't know - and I think we four need to decide what we do together."
James said, "So what is it that he wants us doing? He mentioned to me he needs help with some undercover work. He told me he was considering Lily and I because of who we would be spying on -" James paused, not sure he should say the name.
"Right now Severus Snape is one of You Know Who's most important assets because of his abilities as a legilimens," Frank said, point blank.
James looked at Lily, whose eyes were wide.
"He's being used very prominently currently by You Know Who to act as a detector of subterfuge. Him and other legilimens that You Know Who has recruited accompany the Death Eaters on any liaisons. Getting in is near to impossible because the legilimens can see mind or intent of anybody near by to them, some are even so good as to hear the very words of your thoughts. Like Snape. Though most are more like reading feelings and intentions than the actual thoughts. Snape's particularly gifted, though, and therefore has become one of the vital members of You Know Who's offense. He accompanies the key players on the most important liaison meetings."
Lily covered her mouth, a small gasp escaping her.
James was glad she wasn't a legilimens and couldn't see his thoughts because they sounded like a drum beating out a repetition of I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.
"The other night, Snape accompanied Antonin Dolohov to a pub in Highgate," Frank whispered, "Where Dolohov met with a vampire called Matija Blagojevic."
Lily felt a chill go through her. She and James weren't supposed to know about this meeting - and indeed hadn't found out who Dolohov had been meeting in the end - and she struggled to keep her face from revealing their secret pre-mission.
James's eyes were wide, though. "Vampire?"
"Next up on the list of marginalized and mistreated magical communities the Ministry for Magic has ostracized, who are just itching for someone who promises them power..." Alice said as though introducing the next contestant on a game show.
"He's exploiting the enemies of the Ministry," Frank whispered.
"Uniting common enemies against his enemy - rather genius, really," Alice chirped.
"He's just made his move on the Giants in Northern Ireland - as you know too well. With the Gurg Foimir dead, the giants needed a rallying point. They've found one. The new Gurg is a dedicated follower of You Know Who, trading the might of the giants for the power that You Know Who promises will fall to them when he rises. Chase Volsung from the Ministry's confirmed that the giant Cathal Morholtsson is the new Gurg over several clans that live in the mountains. Strong supporter of You Know Who... and You Know Who's got Gurg Cathal reaching out to other clans, other Gurgs. They've already united several clans that were known enemies of each other under a coalition formed for Giants' Rights promised to get their terms met under You Know Who's rein."
James rested his head in his hands, his nerves tightening with fear this news.
"And the werewolves have been an ongoing effort, of course, with the wolfsbane program and the venom extraction - that's been simmering for some time, especially since the loss of Ned Veigler meant we had no close ties in the community," Frank said, "Greyback isn't in the same position as he was - he's sort of fallen from grace among the werewolves in recent days, though he's climbed with You Know Who... The werewolves have a new leader, and they're rallying for a hit against the Ministry. The new leader has yet to join forces with You Know Who, but he's courting them and the more the Ministry cracks down against the werewolves, they're pushed closer and closer to a treaty. Dumbledore's desperate to get someone in there, too, but of course, they have to be a werewolf themselves to go." Frank's eyes flicked to toward Remus, then back to James. "It won't be long before he's asking."
Lily shook her head, paling.
"And now," Frank said, "They're reaching out to the Vampires." He paused. "Wesley Flint was going to Azkaban to try to liaison with their king directly. You Know Who has apparently made a pact with the free leaders of the vampiric monarchy to find a way to release their king..."
James looked at Frank in surprise. "They've got a vampire king in Azkaban?"
"How'd you pass History of Magic? Honestly!" Alice said.
"Not just a vampire king," Frank said, "The vampire king."
"They captured Absolom Draculari nearly a century ago and they've had him there since then. Nobody knows how he's still King over the vampires, how he communicates with the others, but they expect there's some sort of psychic connection, some kind of mind trick. He rules over them even from the depths of Azkaban. Like some sort of ancient, blood-sucking mob boss."
"They don't want anything to do with most wizards, so the fact that the Death Eaters got Matija Blagojevic to meet with them at all is... extremely alarming," Frank continued. "The Ministry won't make a move, they're too busy keeping hush-hush what happened with the attempted break-in at Azkaban. They refuse to act. They believe as long as they have custody of Draculari that the vampires are neutralized. They believe they have the ultimate bargaining chip to keep them from making any major moves - act and we'll kill your king. But Draculari isn't really all that neutralized if they're still answering to him somehow. The dementors don't affect him... The vampires are holding back on his command, not because the Ministry has any hold over them. They're not neutralized... Draculari has some reason for not acting before now, but if You Know Who gets to him and cuts the right deal... Well. Wesley Flint was attempting a break-in for a reason. Dolohov and Snape were meeting with Blagojevic for a reason."
"It means they're considering the terms You Know Who's laying out," Alice whispered.
"They'd do anything to have Draculari out of there, and if Voldemort is promising to free him... they wouldn't need much else to motivate them. Draculari's waited this long, he can wait longer, until the time is right and he's given the best offer. But like his promise to the werewolves, You Know Who promises Draculari and his legions that if they help him come to power, he'll give them the freedom to... feast," Frank said, darkly. "On muggles..."
"Oh," Lily gasped. She looked at James.
It was like a horror story coming true, she thought.
James stared at the carpet, wide eyed and nervous, gathering his thoughts. "What's Dumbledore want us to do?"
"Find out the plans. Get close. Anything that we can do to figure out some way stop it. Thing is, they're using the legilimens who can read people and hear their minds. No disguise, no subterfuge can get near this... they detect it the moment anyone from the other side steps into the room," Frank said.
James's jaw tightened. He could see where this was going and his hand grabbed onto Lily's.
"The Order needs one of the legilimens on our side," Frank said, "Who can report their information back to us... or else let us through to gather it ourselves."
"And Snape helped those kids," Alice whispered, "Dumbledore thinks Snape might have good intentions at heart..."
"Well, he shows potential to anyway," Frank muttered.
Lily whispered, "That's why he needs us. Specifically me. He needs me to talk to Severus."
Alice and Frank exchanged glances, then turned back to Lily and James. James's fingers laced through Lily's.
"No, absolutely not," James hissed. "This is too much, too dangerous." He shook his head, "No."
The door of the waiting room opened, then, and they all looked up.
Emmaline Vance had just walked in. The front of her robes were singed and her face was pale.