Mist curled around the deep green leaves that covered the forest ground. If you strained your ears, strange noises could be heard – the clip-clop of distant hooves, quiet growls and mutterings, the swaying and stilling of trees, the whispering of the wind. It was dawn, yet it was so dark in the Forbidden Forest one couldn't tell.
A big, black Boarhound bounded over large, curling roots on the surface on the ground. He stopped suddenly and sniffed at a tree, whining.
"Fang, did yeh find summat?"
There was a loud crack as a fallen tree branch snapped under the enormous weight of Rubeus Hagrid. He hitched his crossbow higher up on his shoulder, and started striding to his dog. His footsteps echoed and made deep imprints in the ground.
He knelt down and stretched out a hand to touch the bark of the tree that Fang had paused at. His fingers met with thin, red blood. Hagrid gave a small humph and rubbed his fingers together, before standing up straight again. He cleared his throat, and then bellowed, "Professor Lupin? PROFESSOR LUPIN?"
After waiting for a couple of seconds, he shook his head and began walking again. A small crack of a twig made him pause and look inquiringly at the source, raising his crossbow as he did so. A creature with the body of a horse and the torso of a man stepped out of the shadows. Hagrid breathed relief and lowered his crossbow.
The centaur smiled slightly. "You weren't going to shoot me, were you, Hagrid?"
"I've said it before, an' I'll say it again: yeh can never be too careful, Firenze," replied Hagrid, as he hitched his crossbow up onto his broad back again. "Look, Firenze, have yeh seen a man aroun' here? 'Bout thirty, with brown, greying hair…probably naked…"
Firenze look up toward the blushing sky. "The full moon arrived last night."
"Yeh, I know, tha's why I'm looking fer…"
"The wolf?" Firenze stated, still gazing skywards.
Hagrid bristled. "Now I wouldn' call him tha', Firenze. He's as much human as us."
Firenze paused. He lowered his head and looked at the giant of a man again. He snorted and pawed his hoof against the hard mud. "Indeed. As much human as us." He looked up once more and his aqua eyes traced the pink sky. "A werewolf, a half-giant and a centaur. He is truly as much human as us, in terms of that Ministry of yours. Perhaps you meant as much humane."
"Yeh couldn've bin more subtle, Firenze, eh? " Hagrid said gruffly. "Now have yeh seen him aroun' anywhere? Only I'm menna be looking for him, see."
* "Saturn fell in the first house last night."
"Summat a bit closer t' home, please."
Firenze sighed and tossed his head towards the right of him. "If you go further west, you will find it. It is alone. Not a creature dared to venture around here last night. Apart from a Hippogriff, Harry Potter and his friend, which I must ask you if you would kindly incline to tell me about that one day. Perhaps when Venus rises again. Goodbye, Hagrid."
Hagrid raised a hand in farewell and watched the centaur turn around and head neatly back into the shadows of the woods. He lowered his hand and started striding towards where Firenze had pointed him. Fang close of his heels, he plodded on, ducking under boughs with quivering leaves and stepping over uprooted trees, until he finally saw a dark mass curled up underneath a Weeping Willow, the branches and dark leaves dangling down around him as if to protect him. Hagrid smiled and places his crossbow on the floor, before walking over to help his friend.
A slit of vision blinded his aching eyes, as though daggers were piercing them. Darkness quickly fell again when a hand the size of a dustbin lid waved in front of his face. His head swam as he struggled to regain full consciousness…where was he? Suddenly, the events of last night flashed in his mind, and he groaned with the despair of it all.
"Professor Lupin? Professor?"
He turned his head against the noise; surely, they would let him sleep…
"…Remus? Remus?" The gruff voice sounded truly worried now. Remus heard the swishing sound of a coat being removed, and a second later, what felt like a truly heavy rug was laid upon him. He suddenly felt the biting cold and huddled down deeper into the mass of material. A few sharp objects prodded and poked him, and what felt like a mouse or something wriggled around in one of the waist pockets. Just as he was getting comfortable, a huge weight collapsed onto his arm. His hand felt like it was on fire. He started and hissed in pain through his teeth.
"Fang! No! Git off him yeh ruddy mutt!"
The weight shift and started drooling on his face.
That was enough to wake him up.
"Please get your dog away from my face," Remus said hoarsely. The words scratched at his throat; he quickly swallowed and parted his lips slightly in hopes of saliva to wet his parched throat. He opened his eyes fully, and winced when even just the dark light of the forest hit his vision. A giant man loomed over him. Remus aimed a small smile at him, which was returned with a huge grin.
"Ahh, yer finally up! I was startin' ter get a bit worried myself there, Professor Lupin," Hagrid said with a smile. He leaned forward and reached into one of the many pockets in the coat that currently covered Remus, and fished out a water bottle. "'Ere yeh go, I knew yeh'd be thirsty. An' 'specially charmed by Professor Flitwick himself to refill. Hows abou' tha', eh?" He stilled as he saw Remus mutter something, but it was indistinguishable. "Wha' was tha', Professor?"
Remus took a deep breath, and breathed out, "I'm not sure you should be calling me that, Hagrid. I'm not going to be a Professor anymore."
"Whaddaya mean? Of course yeh are! Professor Dumbledore would never le' summat like this send yeh away!" Hagrid exclaimed, a hint of pride etched into his voice at the mention of his hero. His huge hand still offered the bottle of water forwards.
Remus sighed. "I know he wouldn't. So that's why I…" He swallowed past the lump in his throat, "That's why I'm resigning. Today. Right now." He rolled over painfully and tried to push himself up on his arms. He could feel blood dribble down his neck. Just as he was wobbling on his hands and knees, Hagrid placed his hand on Remus' back. He took all of Remus' strength to not collapse on the ground again.
"Why? Yeh love the job," Hagrid said softly, as he tucked the bottle away and placed both of his giant hands on Remus' shoulders. He helped Remus backwards so he was kneeling back on his knees. "Yeh love the kids."
Remus passed a bloody, torn hand over his face wearily. His head bowed and his shoulders hunched. "That's one of the reasons I have to resign, Hagrid. I was loose last night in the forest, from what I know. I was a danger. I could have easily killed, or worse, bitten somebody last night. It wasn't safe…it never was. If not even for the children, it's for myself. I could never forgive myself if I knowingly passed on my curse to an innocent person, let alone a child."
"Bu'…Remus, yeh have the Wolfsbane potion. Yer as safe as yeh can ever be at Hogwarts." Hagrid look sincere. He seemed a little startled at the dark expression that Remus now wore.
"I'm not sure Severus will want to brew me the potion now."
Hagrid fumed. "It's no' a question of whether he wants to, he will. I'll make damn sure of it, Remus! Me an' Professor Dumbledore both!"
"Yes, but, Hagrid…"
* "No buts, Remus. The one fair reason yeh'll ever have to resign on is if yer secret gets out, which it won'. I know Harry, Ron an' Hermione, see, an' they'll take it to the grave with 'em. They won' care tha' yer…y'know, tha' yer what yeh are. They're good kids, them three."
Remus managed a weak smile.
"Now, are yeh gonna get up, Professor Lupin, or am I gonna have t' help yeh?"
* When the Saturn Falls in the First House
Saturn in the first house is not good from the perspective of health. The native usually suffers from a certain inferiority complex, which must be overcome. The sense of personal identity and self-worth is slow to develop, but in this position a solid and reliable personality is eventually bound to emerge. This is one of the more favorable positions for Saturn because the native is able to control the necessary disciplines of life. He learns to do this from the very beginning. Overcoming restrictions and limitations becomes second nature to these natives. Because they naturally move slowly and appraise situations more carefully before they jump, these natives tend to know what they need and are able to concentrate more effectively on its attainment.
^ Remus. So Remus.
* Ahh, the dreaded foreshadowing. :( Poor Remus.
It's short, and I plan to work on it, since there can be so much more information put into this, but I was just surprised that this story hasn't happened yet. No-one ever wonders what happened to Remus when he awoke in the Forbidden Forest alone. I was originally going to keep him alone, but my muse decided he needed a friend to help him out of his misery, and who better to pick up the pieces than Hagrid? :)