Dragon and Wolf
By BecauseIsaidSo
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor
Remus Lupin awoke to a knock on his apartment door. Blearily opening his eyes, he wiggled out of his covers and stumbled to the door. Blinking away the last of the sleep he opened the door. And slammed it shut again.
All tiredness gone from his body, he flew back into the bedroom, grabbed his wand off of his bedside table and locked the front door magically from where he stood.
Breathing hard, he waited. Silence filled the apartment, then the knock came again and the soft sound of a woman's voice.
It was six months since the war had ended and Remus's reflexes were still practiced and skilled. His brain was telling him to fight, to flee, to react because this had to be a trick, a trap, and even though there had been no wand in the woman's hand he wasn't going to risk a fight. He cast around for other ways she could get into the apartment, there was apparating, of course, but there was nothing he could do about that. He wasn't connected to the flu network and his little grate of a fireplace wasn't big enough for a person anyway.
The knock came again reverberating from the otherwise silent apartment. Remus checked the clock quickly; it was 9:30 in the morning. He had to be at work in half an hour.
He waited, his wand never wavering from the front door. The knock came again and again, the female voice still coming through the door. Remus couldn't understand her words, but he knew that she wasn't trying any spell, simply pleading. He heard his name a few times.
After a full five minutes of waiting, the knocking and calling of the woman coming and going, Remus started slowly toward the door. He stepped carefully, not making a sound, his muscles alert for any sudden noise or movement. Two steps from the door the knock came again and Remus could properly make out the words this time.
"Remus Lupin, please open the door! I know you're in there! I'm not going to hurt you. I have a few things to tell you and I need a favor. Please, Remus, just open the door." The voice subsided and the knocking continued for a few more beats before stopping. Remus took the final two steps and opened the door, his wand coming up defensively. However nice she sounded, she still couldn't be trusted.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring the wand in his hand. "Can we come in?"
Remus looked down and noticed for the first time the little boy clutching on to the woman's hand. He studied the two for a moment, then stepped aside.
Letting Narcissa and Draco Malfoy into his home would turn out to be one of the most important decisions of his life.