Well, this is very odd. I wrote it almost completely in dialogue, which isn't
my style at all. I hope you can understand it. But, I had to write it, seeing
as it was the first plot I've had in weeks. Remus Lupin meets Daniel Osbourne...Sorry
about the title, I was at a complete loss for anything better.
A Meeting Between Wolves
He stares intently at the bottle in front of him. He studies the label, obviously reading carefully. And finally, he reaches out to take the top off, and then carefully take a sip. He looks pleasantly surprised. I'm unsure if he's drunk, or hasn't ever seen butterbeer before.
"I've never seen you around here."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't have. Never been here before."
"Never?"
"No."
"Then where did you go to school?"
It must have been in the United States. He sounds American.
He looks at me thoughtfully, then shrugs.
"Sunnydale, California."
But that didn't make any sense. I'd never even heard of the place, and it surely wasn't a wizarding school.
"No, I mean for magic. Which wizarding school did you attend?"
"I guess I was right," he muses, "This isn't my world."
"Your world?" I ask.
"Yes. I'm not from this world. I technically don't belong here."
"So you must be a muggle."
"I'm a what?"
"A muggle. Non-magical people."
"People come from different worlds often?"
"Huh? Oh no, hardly ever. Unless one of their kids have magic in them."
He stops again to think.
"I don't think we're on the same page here. I'm from a different world. As in, a different dimension. In my world, people don't go to schools to learn magic. They learn it on their own. And they don't have to be born with it... Just have the knowledge and the skill."
"You're serious? You're from a completely different dimension? How did you get here?"
"I'm not sure. A man in London was casting a spell on me. To see if it helped... This disease I have. It didn't work properly, and I was sent here. Landed about a block or two down the street, and came in for a drink. They gave me this when I asked for beer," he says, pointing to the bottle of butterbeer.
"That's butterbeer. Quite good, isn't it? But... How do you know about magic? And how exactly does magic work in your world? Do you have it?"
"Magic? Nah. Well, I can do a few simple things. Helps me with my disease. But I'm not as good as some people. I learned about it through my girlfriend, mostly. She's good enough to be called a witch. Probably loads better than when I left."
"So you're saying you have the skills for doing small amounts of magic?"
"Yeah. Anyone can, like I said, with the knowledge and the skill. If I worked harder, I could be decent at it. But I'm not all that interested in being good myself."
"So what's this disease you have? I don't mean to be rude, but is it contagious?"
He chuckles quietly.
"No, no. You can't get it unless I bite you."
I freeze in my seat. Is he saying what I think he's saying? No... It couldn't be.
"What... What is this disease?"
He pauses, like he doesn't want to say it. But then sighs.
"Have you ever heard of werewolves?"
My eyes widen in shock. He was. He... he is.
I glance around, to make sure nobody heard him. It didn't seem like anyone had. Then, I turn back to him. He looks slightly scared. But I lean in a bit closer to him.
"Yes. I am one."
He's rather surprised too.
"You are? How... how does it work around here?"
"Shhh. We can talk about it, but we have to keep it down. They might think we're dangerous."
"I'm only dangerous three nights a month."
"Three?" I ask.
"Yeah. Is it different here?"
"Yes. Here it's only one. That night."
He raises his eyebrows.
"Well, that will be a nice change of pace. Considering I don't get back to my world."
"Oh, well... I have someone I could talk to. About that. I'd never heard of being transported through dimensions, but he might have. He might know a way to get you back."
"Thanks. Although, I could live without going back. I didn't have much going for me, other than playing the guitar and wandering for a cure."
"Did you ever find one?"
"I thought I had. But, when I went back home, to get back with my old girlfriend, the witch... She'd found someone else."
"What does that have to do with the cure?" I ask politely.
"When I figured it out, I changed. Right in the middle of the day."
"You changed? Why?"
"I was upset. Because she didn't tell me... And that she was in love with someone else. Another witch."
"Oh."
I wasn't sure what to say. What could you say?
"Well, I'm over it now. I left again, to search for more ways to keep it inside. But since then, it doesn't want to stay all the time. It came out at least once for the three nights."
"Well, I have to say it's nice having a decent conversation with... Someone like me. The last person that even understood it a little is dead."
"Dead? What happened?"
"Nothing I'm allowed to go into detail on. But he was an Animagus... Meaning he could change himself into an animal. A dog, actually. So he could stay with me on full moons and not get hurt. He died just a few weeks ago."
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. He went out fighting, like he always said he wanted to."
"Good. I mean, good that he put up a fight. If I can't die peacefully, I'd like to die quickly in battle. Though I haven't fought anything for a good long while..."
"You fight?"
"I fought demons, with my old girlfriend and her group of friends. Do you have a Slayer here?"
"No, I don't even know what a Slayer is."
"I didn't think so. She's a girl. A very, very strong girl. She fights demons and slays vampires. She was my friend. I fought by her side for a few years."
"Oh, interesting. We don't have anything like that. But here, the magical world is separate from the muggle, or normal, world. There it isn't?"
"No. But most people don't realize all the magic right underneath their noses."
"Yeah, most muggles don't either."
"This is kind of odd, you know. I don't normally talk much. But, I haven't talked to a decent.... Person like me in a long time. I got it from my cousin, but we haven't spoken in a year. And the last one I ran into I had to kill."
"Why?"
"She was trying to kill Willow. My girlfriend."
"I understand. Sorry, but what is your name? I never asked..."
"I'm Oz."
"Remus."
The door to the Three Broomsticks swings open.
"Remus, Remus! So sorry I'm late..."
"It's okay. I've been talking with Oz, here."
"Oz? Who is he?"
"Well, he's just someone I met here, maybe twenty minutes ago."
"Hey, Oz. I'm Tonks."
"Hello," he says, smiling slightly.
"Well, we've got to be going, you know..." she says after turning quickly to me.
"Can he come with?"
Both Oz and Tonks look taken aback.
"Well, I guess so... Why?" she asks.
"He should come see Dumbledore with us. He swears he's not from this dimension. Normally I wouldn't believe that, but he doesn't seem to be lying."
"What, you want Dumbledore to give him Veritaserum? Because that's just a waste..."
"No, no. I want to see if he can help him."
"Why do you want to help him?"
"Well for one, he's nice and in an interesting predicament. But he's also like me."
"Like you?"
"He got bit."
A Meeting Between Wolves
He stares intently at the bottle in front of him. He studies the label, obviously reading carefully. And finally, he reaches out to take the top off, and then carefully take a sip. He looks pleasantly surprised. I'm unsure if he's drunk, or hasn't ever seen butterbeer before.
"I've never seen you around here."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't have. Never been here before."
"Never?"
"No."
"Then where did you go to school?"
It must have been in the United States. He sounds American.
He looks at me thoughtfully, then shrugs.
"Sunnydale, California."
But that didn't make any sense. I'd never even heard of the place, and it surely wasn't a wizarding school.
"No, I mean for magic. Which wizarding school did you attend?"
"I guess I was right," he muses, "This isn't my world."
"Your world?" I ask.
"Yes. I'm not from this world. I technically don't belong here."
"So you must be a muggle."
"I'm a what?"
"A muggle. Non-magical people."
"People come from different worlds often?"
"Huh? Oh no, hardly ever. Unless one of their kids have magic in them."
He stops again to think.
"I don't think we're on the same page here. I'm from a different world. As in, a different dimension. In my world, people don't go to schools to learn magic. They learn it on their own. And they don't have to be born with it... Just have the knowledge and the skill."
"You're serious? You're from a completely different dimension? How did you get here?"
"I'm not sure. A man in London was casting a spell on me. To see if it helped... This disease I have. It didn't work properly, and I was sent here. Landed about a block or two down the street, and came in for a drink. They gave me this when I asked for beer," he says, pointing to the bottle of butterbeer.
"That's butterbeer. Quite good, isn't it? But... How do you know about magic? And how exactly does magic work in your world? Do you have it?"
"Magic? Nah. Well, I can do a few simple things. Helps me with my disease. But I'm not as good as some people. I learned about it through my girlfriend, mostly. She's good enough to be called a witch. Probably loads better than when I left."
"So you're saying you have the skills for doing small amounts of magic?"
"Yeah. Anyone can, like I said, with the knowledge and the skill. If I worked harder, I could be decent at it. But I'm not all that interested in being good myself."
"So what's this disease you have? I don't mean to be rude, but is it contagious?"
He chuckles quietly.
"No, no. You can't get it unless I bite you."
I freeze in my seat. Is he saying what I think he's saying? No... It couldn't be.
"What... What is this disease?"
He pauses, like he doesn't want to say it. But then sighs.
"Have you ever heard of werewolves?"
My eyes widen in shock. He was. He... he is.
I glance around, to make sure nobody heard him. It didn't seem like anyone had. Then, I turn back to him. He looks slightly scared. But I lean in a bit closer to him.
"Yes. I am one."
He's rather surprised too.
"You are? How... how does it work around here?"
"Shhh. We can talk about it, but we have to keep it down. They might think we're dangerous."
"I'm only dangerous three nights a month."
"Three?" I ask.
"Yeah. Is it different here?"
"Yes. Here it's only one. That night."
He raises his eyebrows.
"Well, that will be a nice change of pace. Considering I don't get back to my world."
"Oh, well... I have someone I could talk to. About that. I'd never heard of being transported through dimensions, but he might have. He might know a way to get you back."
"Thanks. Although, I could live without going back. I didn't have much going for me, other than playing the guitar and wandering for a cure."
"Did you ever find one?"
"I thought I had. But, when I went back home, to get back with my old girlfriend, the witch... She'd found someone else."
"What does that have to do with the cure?" I ask politely.
"When I figured it out, I changed. Right in the middle of the day."
"You changed? Why?"
"I was upset. Because she didn't tell me... And that she was in love with someone else. Another witch."
"Oh."
I wasn't sure what to say. What could you say?
"Well, I'm over it now. I left again, to search for more ways to keep it inside. But since then, it doesn't want to stay all the time. It came out at least once for the three nights."
"Well, I have to say it's nice having a decent conversation with... Someone like me. The last person that even understood it a little is dead."
"Dead? What happened?"
"Nothing I'm allowed to go into detail on. But he was an Animagus... Meaning he could change himself into an animal. A dog, actually. So he could stay with me on full moons and not get hurt. He died just a few weeks ago."
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. He went out fighting, like he always said he wanted to."
"Good. I mean, good that he put up a fight. If I can't die peacefully, I'd like to die quickly in battle. Though I haven't fought anything for a good long while..."
"You fight?"
"I fought demons, with my old girlfriend and her group of friends. Do you have a Slayer here?"
"No, I don't even know what a Slayer is."
"I didn't think so. She's a girl. A very, very strong girl. She fights demons and slays vampires. She was my friend. I fought by her side for a few years."
"Oh, interesting. We don't have anything like that. But here, the magical world is separate from the muggle, or normal, world. There it isn't?"
"No. But most people don't realize all the magic right underneath their noses."
"Yeah, most muggles don't either."
"This is kind of odd, you know. I don't normally talk much. But, I haven't talked to a decent.... Person like me in a long time. I got it from my cousin, but we haven't spoken in a year. And the last one I ran into I had to kill."
"Why?"
"She was trying to kill Willow. My girlfriend."
"I understand. Sorry, but what is your name? I never asked..."
"I'm Oz."
"Remus."
The door to the Three Broomsticks swings open.
"Remus, Remus! So sorry I'm late..."
"It's okay. I've been talking with Oz, here."
"Oz? Who is he?"
"Well, he's just someone I met here, maybe twenty minutes ago."
"Hey, Oz. I'm Tonks."
"Hello," he says, smiling slightly.
"Well, we've got to be going, you know..." she says after turning quickly to me.
"Can he come with?"
Both Oz and Tonks look taken aback.
"Well, I guess so... Why?" she asks.
"He should come see Dumbledore with us. He swears he's not from this dimension. Normally I wouldn't believe that, but he doesn't seem to be lying."
"What, you want Dumbledore to give him Veritaserum? Because that's just a waste..."
"No, no. I want to see if he can help him."
"Why do you want to help him?"
"Well for one, he's nice and in an interesting predicament. But he's also like me."
"Like you?"
"He got bit."