Summary: After tragedy strikes an American woman, she leaves for England to find her sister's killer. She meets Remus Lupin, who has just lost James and Lily Potter, and believes that Sirius betrayed them. Will they be able to heal together?
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters within the books, J.K. Rowling does. I own all characters you do not recognize. I am not making any money for writing this, just a bit of enjoyment.
Author's Note: This is a rewrite of my story "Moony Gets More Than He Bargains For." This story is also up for an award in round six of the a target"blank" href" http/multifaceted. " u i Multifaceted Awards /i /u /a in the category of Identity! If you would like to vote for this story, voting begins on Wednesday, July 5th!
Beta: Cherrypit8 and Svet-Thank you so much!
A Romance From A Tragedy
Prologue
Remus Lupin and Sirius Black sat in a smoky corner of a Muggle bar. Anyone who noticed the two men did a double take. They were twins in the eyes of all, due to a Polyjuice potion.
"Have you spoken to James or Lily since they went into hiding? How is little Harry doing?" Remus asked his friend, before taking a sip of his mead.
Sirius sighed before answering him. "No, I am supposed to be lying low, too. It would not do for anyone to see me lurking about. Not even looking like you."
They sat contemplating their friends James and Lily Potter. They had been forced into hiding after finding out that Voldemort had marked them for death. It had been two days since Lily and James had performed a complicated spell, the Fidelius Charm, to hide their whereabouts. Sirius was the only person in the world who knew where they were hiding.
"Why are you staying in this Muggle pub instead of the Leaky Cauldron?" Sirius asked, looking curiously around the establishment.
"Dumbledore has me looking into a few things for him. He figured this pub was out of Voldemort's radar. Besides, it was more in my price range," Remus admitted, coloring a bit.
Sirius gave his friend a sidelong glance, wondering if Remus was the spy in their midst. His financial situation may have driven him into Voldemort's fold. Didn't he know that his friends would have helped him? Sirius shook his head. He did not know for sure who the spy was, and Remus was innocent in Sirius' eyes until there was tangible, irrefutable proof of his guilt. Of course, that did not mean that Sirius would volunteer the information about the abrupt change in the Potters' Secret Keeper.
"Your potion should be wearing off soon. Perhaps you should return home?" Remus asked, looking at his watch. It was a gift from James and Lily for his last birthday. He knew that his friends all worried about him. Since leaving school, Remus had found it increasingly difficult to hold down a job. Not because he wasn't an eager, intelligent young man, but because he was a werewolf. Prejudices ran high against his kind. As soon as his employers put two and two together, figuring out what he was, Remus was promptly fired.
"You're right," Sirius said with a sigh. "I will not be able to be reached for some time, but if you need anything, contact Dumbledore. He will know how to get in touch with me."
"I am sure that I will be just fine," Remus replied, forcing a jovial smile. "But thank you. You had better get going before we have to i Obliviate /i everyone in the bar."
Remus watched his double leave, wondering how their carefree lives at Hogwarts had changed so dramatically with adulthood.
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Victoria Watts Apparated with a small pop inside the alley next to her apartment complex absolutely exhausted. Spending a month worrying in a hospital would do that to you, she mused.
She thought about her best friend, Caitlin O'Connor, who had been tortured and almost killed by Death Eaters. Caitlin was just beginning to recover from her ordeal, and this had been the first night that Victoria had left her to spend the night at home.
Victoria entered her apartment building, taking the elevator to her third floor apartment. She moved by memory, her mind deep in thought. A Death Eater attack in America! Who would ever have thought that the situation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would ever trouble those on these shores?
Before she knew it, Victoria was standing in front of the door to her apartment. Victoria looked up and down the hall to make sure she was alone before drawing her wand to unward her door. She quickly put it away after tapping the locks to unlock the door. Once she was inside, Victoria quickly relocked the door and brought back up the wards.
Turning away from the door, Victoria tried to decide what she wanted to do first: food, sleep, or a nice, hot bath. She decided on a nice, hot bath to soothe her aching muscles and began to walk across her living room in the direction of the bathroom.
Just as Victoria was about to enter the bathroom, a knock sounded at her door. Dread began to creep through her as she retraced her steps. Had something happened to Caitlin? She had only just left her!
"Who is it?" Victoria called out as she reached the door.
"Victoria, it is Evan Donovan. We looked for you first at Merlin's Medical, but the Healers said you had gone home. I really need to talk to you about Cassie," said the familiar voice of her Head of Department through the door.
Dread turned instantly into fear and despair. Cassandra, usually called Cassie, was her younger sister and an Auror. She had gone to England with a handful of others to assist with the You-Know-Who situation.
Victoria lowered the wards and unlocked the door as fast as she could, throwing it open. Evan stood in the hallway with a young blonde woman. Both looked extremely pale and Victoria's eyes filled with tears as she gestured for them to come in.
"Please come in and have a seat. Can I get either of you something to drink?" Victoria asked numbly, trying to forestall the inevitable.
Evan and the woman looked at each other before Evan stepped toward Victoria. He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the couch. Once she was seated, Evan sat down next to her.
"Victoria, this is Anastasia Monroe. She is an Auror from England," Evan said gently.
"Nice to meet you," Victoria murmured, looking fearfully at Anastasia. "Is Cassie okay?"
"I wish I was here under better circumstances, Miss Watts. I am sorry to inform you that the residence of your sister, Auror Cassandra Watts, was attacked this evening. Your sister was killed by Death Eaters. The Dark Mark was set over her home," Anastasia said, looking mournfully at Victoria. This was the worst part of her job, a part that had been required of her quite frequently lately.
"No, not Cassie! You have to be wrong! It had to be someone else!" Victoria sobbed out hysterically, looking to her department head and friend in desperation.
"I am so sorry, Victoria. First what happened with Caitlin and now this. I can't even imagine…I have already put in an extended leave, with pay, so that you can go to England," Evan said sorrowfully, gathering the small woman into a tight embrace as she cried hopelessly.
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A few days after his meeting with Sirius, Remus was awakened by a loud knocking on the door to his hotel room. Remus got up, turned on the lamp beside his bed, threw on a robe, and walked to the door.
"Who is it?" Remus asked groggily.
"Albus Dumbledore. Remus, I need to talk to you," answered an anxious sounding voice.
Remus quickly opened the door to admit his former headmaster. Dumbledore looked pale and shaken, more so than Remus had ever seen him.
"What has happened?" Remus asked, concerned.
"I think you had better have a seat," Dumbledore told him, walking over to the small table and chairs in the far corner of Remus' room. Dumbledore took a seat and conjured a bottle of Firewhiskey and two glasses.
Remus took a seat across from Dumbledore, a sense of foreboding coming over him. He took the glass that Dumbledore offered him and waited while the headmaster took a long drink from his own.
"I wanted to be the one to break the news to you, Remus. I didn't want you to find out in the papers in the morning," Dumbledore said quietly, tears in his blue eyes. "We have found out who the spy is. It is Sirius, Remus. He betrayed James and Lily. Voldemort went to their house tonight and killed them. I am so sorry, Remus."
It felt as though the floor had dropped out from under him. Everything suddenly seemed very surreal, as though he were still sleeping and this was all just some bad dream. He just couldn't get his head around it.
"What about Harry? Did he get Harry too?" Remus asked, his voice breaking.
"No. He tried, but something happened. I am not sure exactly what it was, but Voldemort's power seems to have been destroyed. He has fled and the Aurors have not been able to find him. Sirius was the Potters' Secret Keeper, as you know. He is now being hunted as well. If he comes to you, you must contact the Aurors immediately," Dumbledore said gravely, as tears began to pour from Remus' eyes.
"I just saw him a few days ago. I had no idea he was…," Remus said before downing the glass of whiskey in one swallow. "What's going to happen to Harry now?" Remus asked apprehensively
"I will be leaving shortly to bring him to Petunia Dursley, Lily's sister. Petunia and her husband, Vernon, have a son about Harry's age, I believe. It is my hope that the Dursleys will raise Harry as their own child, as a brother to their own son," said Dumbledore gravely.
Remus, who had been taking a drink of his Firewhiskey, choked at this bit of unexpected news. "Professor, I do not think that that is a good idea," he sputtered. "Lily told me about her sister. Petunia refuses to acknowledge that she even has a sister! She hates -- hated -- Lily because she was a witch! Surely she won't take Harry in!"
"I am well aware of Petunia Dursley's prejudice, Remus," Dumbledore said contemplatively. "However, the Dursleys are the only family Harry has left. I am fairly certain that I can make Petunia see the wisdom in burying old grudges."
"I understand they are the last of Harry's family, but, undoubtedly, there are many wizarding families who would gladly take him in. If I had better resources, I would take care of him myself. Please, can't you find a magical family to take him?" Remus begged.
Dumbledore looked at Remus sympathetically. "Remus, Harry has defeated Voldemort at only one year of age. He is going to be famous. I am sure that almost every wizarding family in the world would gladly welcome him in and raise him with every luxury he could ever dream of," Dumbledore said. "But what kind of person do you think he would become after being waited on hand and foot, catered to, and all but worshipped? Do you really think that he would become the child he would have been if Lily and James had not lost their lives? Would all of that really be in Harry's best interest?"
Remus stared at Dumbledore for a few moments, trying very hard to find flaw in the older man's logic. Unfortunately, he understood exactly what Dumbledore was saying. He slumped back into his chair in defeat. Dumbledore was right.
"Do you think that these relatives of his will allow us to visit him?" asked Remus, his voice thick with emotion.
"Ah, that I do not know, Remus," Dumbledore said with a sigh. He looked out of the window for a moment, before standing up. "I am afraid that I must take my leave. I am requesting that you remain here. Until the Death Eaters are rounded up, you may be a target. They are going to want to know what happened to their Lord. Because of your friendship with the parents of the child who defeated Voldemort, they may think that you have answers as to how it happened. I will contact you when I know more."
Remus nodded mutely. Dumbledore sighed again and placed a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder before letting himself out.
Remus got up and locked the door, warding it mechanically. Blindly making his way to his bed, he threw himself across it on his back, and stared up at the ceiling. He had no idea how long he laid there; time seemed to have no meaning. It could have been ten minutes or ten hours, and he would never have known the difference. He didn't see the ceiling above him; all the lycanthrope saw were events of the past year as he tried to figure out when Sirius had turned traitor.
Remus was startled out of his daze by a tapping on the window pane. Sitting up slowly, the werewolf saw an owl perched on the window sill. He was startled to see that morning had already come. He got up, opened the window, and let the bird in. It flew into the room and landed on the back of the chair Dumbledore had occupied some hours before. Remus took the Daily Prophet from the owl and then paid it. The owl ruffled its feathers and then flew back out the window.
Remus opened the newspaper apprehensively. The headline blared up at him.
You-Know-Who Defeated
Reports are sketchy, but it appears as though He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked Godric's Hollow last night. A Ministry insider has hinted that the Aurors believe You-Know-Who met his downfall at the hands of the small child named Harry Potter. The bodies of his parents, Lily and James Potter, were found in the wreckage of their home…
Remus balled up the paper and threw it across the room in a sudden onslaught of anger. 'How could Sirius have done this?' his mind screamed.
Remus quickly changed his clothes and then grabbed his keys and wand, heading out the door and down to the pub. He really needed a drink.
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Two days after Cassie's murder, something both terrible and wonderful happened. Lily and James Potter were both killed by You-Know-Who. That was the terrible thing. But, as happens from time to time, some good had come from the horrible tragedy. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated by their son, Harry, who was only one year old. Word had traveled like a wildfire throughout the magical world. No one had a clear idea how or why it was possible for such a small child to defeat someone who had killed so many. The fear and suspicion in which the magical community had lived for so long was dispelled. In every country around the world, witches and wizards celebrated the downfall of the Dark Lord even as they struggled to grasp how it had happened.
The uproar Victoria stepped into the morning after was incredible. Reporters from every magical newspaper and magazine, from the legitimate to the tabloids, were crawling all over the British Ministry of Magic. Aurors were clearly stationed throughout the crowd, trying to bring some kind of order to the chaos that reigned.
Victoria caught sight of Anastasia as she watched the media circus. Victoria had Flooed in from the American Ministry. Things were not much calmer there. When a spokeswitch told the crowd that the American Minister was in contact with the English Minister, but still did not have a clear picture of what happened, there was a great exodus to the fireplaces lining the walls to get to England. Victoria had been lead through the concourse by an Auror. He had been a friend of Cassie's and had helped to retrieve Caitlin when she was captured. He wished Victoria luck in finding the bastards that had cut Cassie's life short.
Victoria gestured to get Anastasia's attention as she fought her way through the masses of loud, excited people. Anastasia caught sight of her and quickly moved to meet her.
"Good morning, Miss Watts. Sorry about the chaos, but things like this don't happen every day," Anastasia shouted to Victoria.
A reporter heard what the young Auror had said and immediately asked her a volley of questions. "What exactly happened? Are the rumors true? Has You-Know-Who truly been defeated?"
"Bugger off! The Minister will be making an announcement shortly," Anastasia replied irritably. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs; this lot isn't allowed past this level. We've had a hell of a time keeping them here, I'll tell you!"
Victoria nodded and stayed as close to Anastasia as possible. Once they were sequestered inside the golden lift, Victoria let out a relieved sigh.
"Has You-Know-Who really been killed?" Victoria asked with hopeful curiosity.
"As far as we can tell," Anastasia replied. "It is the oddest thing, after all the evil he has done, a baby seems to have broken him. 'Course, we have yet to find his body."
"How is that even possible?" asked Victoria with shock.
"Haven't got a clue," Anastasia replied even though she knew the question had been a rhetorical one. "Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, must have some kind of theory, though. He has been locked up with the Minister for hours."
The lift stopped on the floor that which housed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Though there were no reporters here, there was certainly a lot of commotion as people tried to make sense of what had happened.
A handsome, middle-aged black man came hurrying up to Anastasia. "Have you heard about Sirius Black?"
The two women looked at each other bewildered. Victoria shook her head no and Anastasia replied, "No, Mitchell, what happened? This is Cassie's sister, by the way, Victoria Watts."
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Watts. My name is Mitchell Johnson. I am so sorry about your sister. She was a very kind person and a terrific Auror," Mitchell said mournfully.
"Thank you very much," Victoria said as her throat tried to constrict and her eyes burned. "Just call me Victoria, please."
Mitchell smiled softly at her before remembering what he had been trying to tell them. "Sirius Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper! He was the one who told You-Know-Who where they were hiding. Dumbledore has had us out all day looking for him. They found him. He killed one of the Potters' friends, Peter Pettigrew, as well as a whole bunch of Muggles. The Aurors that were called to the scene are bringing them in now. I would hate to work in the Department of Magical Catastrophes today!"
Victoria grabbed Anastasia's arm in a tight grip. "Do you think he knows who killed Cassie?"
"I don't know, dear. We will question him thoroughly, you can be sure of that," Anastasia said, patting her shoulder comfortingly.
"Perhaps you should check into your room until this dies down a bit. Forgive me for saying this, but you look dead on your feet," Mitchell said gently, noting the dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes and her extremely pale face. "We have a room set up for you in a local Muggle pub. We would like to keep you as safe as we can, so Aurors will be posted there at all times."
Victoria's first instinct was to argue. However, it seemed a moot point to stay when clearly no one knew a damn thing for sure.
"Okay. I am kind of tired," Victoria conceded.
"Your things have already been sent up to the room for you," Mitchell said.
"We have you listed under an alias, Katerina Jackson. The pub is small, and the owner is expecting you," Anastasia informed her. "Come on, I'll take you there."
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Remus Lupin sat at the bar of the Muggle pub in which he was staying. After having read the Daily Prophet this morning, he was sure that witches and wizards everywhere were celebrating, but he could not bring himself to do it along with them. While he was relieved that Voldemort had fallen, the pain of losing two people he loved was unbearable. The fact that it had been Sirius who betrayed the very people he said were his friends only made the pain worse, like salt in an open wound.
Remus' grief-ridden thoughts were interrupted by the pub door opening. Blinding sunlight streamed into the dim, smoky bar, hurting his sensitive eyes. The door closed, and Remus blinked until the spots faded from his vision. Two Muggle women were approaching the bar. The pub owner walked to the end of the bar to meet them. One was tall with short blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. However, it was the other woman who captured his attention. She was of average height with a small, delicate build. Her hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail that fell down her back to her waist in shining soft brown curls. Her eyes were a gray colour, made more noticeable by a pale face and dark circles under her eyes. She appeared to have been crying recently.
As the two women arrived at the bar, the owner, a short, bald, heavy-set man named Wesley, greeted them.
"Good afternoon, Miss Monroe. This must be your friend from America," Wesley said, good-naturedly. "My name is Wesley Franks. I own the pub and the inn upstairs."
"Katerina Jackson," Victoria replied, shaking Wesley's hand. She smirked and added, "Call me Kat."
The blonde woman, Miss Monroe, gave Kat a side-long glance as Wesley said, "I am sorry to hear about your sister. Terrible thing. Your room is ready for you, and your luggage has already been put in for you."
Kat must have felt Remus' stare, for she turned and looked at him. Remus forced a smile, embarrassed for being caught staring. She gave him a strained smile in return, tears shining in her eyes as she thanked Wesley and took the room key he offered her.
"Come on, honey, I'll make sure you get settled before I go," Anastasia said, distracting Kat from the man sitting at the bar. As handsome as he was, he looked as bad as she felt. She wondered what had happened to him to make him look so forlorn.
"Thank you, Anastasia," Kat said, turning to follow the Auror around the bar and up the stairs. She looked back at the young man. He was still watching her. Perhaps she would come back down and talk to him once Anastasia left. She really did not want to be alone, and she could use a drink.