Chapter 7

A Wolfsbane Tea

For his crude drawing that blatantly disrespected two professors, Wilkes received detention. He had to scrub all the boys' bathrooms by hand and without magic. He was also banned from Hogsmeade for the first term. For disrespecting me, Jonathan saw to it that Wilkes lost his hair.

Temporarily.

At least…it was supposed to be temporary.

On the night that Wilkes was to begin his detention, there was a large explosion of dung bombs, stink pellets, and a nasty little mess that vaguely resembled a swamp for Filch to clean. (I suspect the Weasley's lent their expertise.) It is supposed that something may have fallen into the cleaning solutions that Wilkes was to use, and he had an adverse reaction to it. True to his word however, Jonathan left no evidence behind that he had been involved. Thus, without full hard proof, there was nothing I could do to punish Jonathan. Not that I really felt like looking too hard for evidence either.

The days slipped steadily on. September faded into October. Nights came on sooner and the air grew colder. Quidditch practice picked up for those participating as the first match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, was set for the first weekend in November. Remus and I, despite a little awkwardness after Wilkes' drawing, continued to spend time together and we continued to get a little closer. Surprisingly, the friendlier Remus and Katherine became, the less Kate protested. I started having fewer memories and dreams appear, and the ones I did have were pleasant ones that reminded me why I had fallen for him in the first place.

In late October the first Hogsmeade weekend came around, and every student that could, left the castle for the day. Remus and I were in his office enjoying the use of his sonophone. Remus stepped out for a moment to receive the delivery of a grindylow, but he returned with much more.

"Harry!"

"Er—hi, Professor Porter."

"You know, Remus, he really doesn't look like a grindylow," I teased.

Remus smiled. "The grindylow is in the tank in the classroom; Harry is here for tea."

"Ah, yes, silly me."

"I'm afraid I only have tea bags," Remus said as he pulled out his kettle. He looked at Harry knowingly. "But, I dare say you've had enough of tea leaves."

Harry sat in a chair and ran his hand through his hair. "How did you know about that?"

"Professor McGonagall told me."

"Wait, what are you going on about?" I asked as I sat on the corner of Remus' desk.

"We're reading tea leaves in Divination and Professor Trelawney read mine. She…she said she saw the grim," Harry replied, making a clear effort not to sound worried.

"Is she still pulling that sh…" I stopped as Remus placed his hand over mine.

I stared at his hand for a moment, at the way it sat carelessly over mine. I could see the faint line of old scars; I could feel callouses on his fingers where his claws sprouted every month. There was an old, familiar stirring in the pit of my stomach that hadn't been there for years. I slowly brought my eyes up to look at his face. Our eyes met, and it was strange. Very strange. At the same moment I pulled my hand out from underneath his as he pulled his hand off of mine.

"S—sorry," I turned my attention back to Harry. His eyes were wide as they moved back and forth between the two of us. "She said something along those lines to Jonathan last year. So I crawled up into that lair of hers and gave her a right telling off. I said I thought she needed to get that 'inner eye' of hers checked for blindness. Then she had the gall to turn around and tell me that my own life line was running thin. As you plainly see, Harry, I'm still here as is Jonathan. I wouldn't put much stock in what she claims to see."

Harry smiled and took a sip of his tea. "Thanks, Ms. Porter."

"If you'd like, I can go pay her another visit; give her another talking too."

"Er—that's all right, but thanks for the offer."

My disappointment must have shown on my face.

"Jonathan's right, you can be a little scary sometimes…but in a good way."

I smiled. "Yes well…" I took a sip of tea. "All mothers of mischief makers take a class in how to be. … Molly's the teacher."

"Tell me," Remus began with a little cough. "Did the class cover tactful deliverance?"

I smirked. "Yes, but I skipped that lesson."

Remus and I laughed but Harry turned strangely quiet.

"Something bothering you, Harry?" Remus asked, noticing Harry's silence.

"No," Harry shook his head before quickly changing his mind. "Yes. Do you remember the day we fought the boggart?"

Remus and I shared a wary look before he responded.

"Yes."

"I…I was wondering…why didn't you let me face it?"

Remus and I answered at the same time. I rushed to defend him but he didn't deny the accusation.

"Harry, I'm sure…"

"I thought that would have been obvious." The three of us exchanged looks before Remus continued. "I assumed the boggart would take the shape of Lord Voldemort, and I thought that might insight a panic."

Harry seemed surprised, both at Lupin's confession and the use of Voldemort's name.

"I…I did think of Voldemort," Harry said. "At first, but then I remembered that Dementor on the train."

"Well! I am impressed, Harry," Remus said.

"Why?"

"Because that suggests that what you fear most is fear. This is very wise."

Harry took a sip of his tea, a small tint rising to his cheeks. I was proud but not surprised, given whom his parents were.

"I wish my boggart was a Dementor," I said absentmindedly. "I could handle that much easier."

"What…what was your boggart?" Harry asked. Remus looked at me carefully. I searched my mind quickly for an answer.

"A figure from my past," I said. "One I'd hoped to never see again."

Harry nodded, accepting the answer and not suspecting anything of it. Then his eyes brightened a bit as a thought occurred to him.

"Professor Porter, how would you handle a Dementor?"

There was a knock on the door that prevented me from answering.

"Ah, Severus, come in," Remus said.

Snape entered carrying a large goblet of wolfsbane potion. The next full moon was only four days away. Snape eyed Harry suspiciously and Harry returned the favor. Snape's sneer then turned my way. I smiled coldly.

"Reforming the pack, are we, Lupin?" Snape quipped. My smile vanished and I sent him a warning glare.

Remus simply smiled kindly.

"You can set that here on the desk. Thank you," Remus said. "Katherine and I were being nostalgic and enjoying some of the seventy's classics when Harry stopped by for tea."

"Fascinating," Snape drawled. "You should drink that directly. I've made a whole cauldron full, if you need more."

"Yes I will. Thank you, Severus." Snape turned with a swish of his cloak and fled the room. Remus slid the smoldering goblet across the desk to sit directly in front of him. Harry eyed the goblet warily.

"I've been feeling a bit off-color lately, and Professor Snape has kindly made a potion for me. It's the only thing that works." Remus took a gulp of the pungent potion and grimaced. "Pity sugar makes it useless."

"Couldn't…can you not make it yourself?" Harry asked as Remus took another swallow.

"I've never been much of a potion maker and this one is particularly complex. Professor Snape is one of the few who can brew it successfully," Remus replied. Harry looked to me.

"Unfortunately I can't either. I could, however, transfigure that chair you're sitting in into a pretty little cauldron or better yet, Snape into a bezoar."

Harry only smiled slightly. Remus took another swig.

"Professor Snape is very interested in the Dark Arts," he said. "Some people reckon…some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."

Remus drained the last of the potion.

"I think what our dear Harry is trying to get at is, that he thinks Snape may have slipped something extra into your potion," I said to Remus before turning to Harry, "I know you and Professor Snape have your differences, Harry, but Dumbledore trusts him. And if Dumbledore trusts him…" I paused. The next bit was hard to say, and I did my best to make it convincing. "…Then we should too."

XXX

27 October 1993

Jonathan walked into the hospital wing. His Mum was laying on one of the beds in the back, as expected, but he didn't expect to see Professor Lupin sitting beside her bed. Remus heard Jonathan approaching and stood as though he'd been planning on leaving just then anyway. Jonathan had to fight his smile.

"Evening, Mr. Porter," Remus said quietly.

"Evening, Professor. You can call me Jonathan, you know; I won't tell anyone."

Remus smiled. "Your Mum just fell asleep, I'm afraid. A minute sooner and you would have caught her awake."

"A minute sooner would have been too early then. I was hoping to catch her asleep."

Remus furrowed his eyebrows.

"If she knew I was here, she'd try to get up and go to class like nothing was wrong. I just brought her something for when she wakes up."

"Chocolate?"

"Fixes everything, right? 'Least, that what Mum thinks. Me? I don't much care for the stuff."

Jonathan shrugged and placed the bar of Honeydukes chocolate on the table by Katherine's bed. Then he and Remus left the hospital wing together. They walked in silence for a moment and Remus took it for worry.

"She'll be fine, Jonathan," he said.

"What? Oh, yeah! I know. She gets like this every year. Granted, it's not usually this bad, or this soon. I suppose it comes with the job."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, if you think about it, she spends three sometimes four hours on the highest tower, at night, and during the winter, rain or snow. She'll stay up there longer if she's star gazing. You'd think she'd remember to cast a simple warming charm." Jonathan chuckled; Remus smiled.

"It was good of you to stop by and see her."

Jonathan shrugged. "It's my job to, isn't it? I have to look out for her; I have to…protect her."

Something about the way Jonathan said those words resonated with Remus. It was almost as though someone else was saying them. Remus shook the thought from his head. It wasn't possible; they were gone. Jonathan seemed to remember something too.

"Professor Lupin, do you remember that dementor on the train?"

"Yes," Remus nodded.

"Well you… you said they force you to re-live your worst memories."

"That's right."

Student and Professor came to a silent pause in the corridor. Remus could tell there was something Jonathan wanted to say, but he seemed hesitant to say it.

"Jonathan, I may be friends with your mother, but that doesn't mean I can't be your confidant as well. If there is something you wish to confide in me, you may do so freely."

Jonathan smiled feebly. "I…I think I saw the day my dad left."

"You think?"

"Yeah…I was young, so I don't really remember and the image was blurry. But I heard a voice, a man's voice, and there was this…feeling that I knew him well. He…He said I had to take of my Mum, that I had to protect her. Then he left, and my Mum was really upset; her cries were kind of haunting. I…I don't know if he just left us, or if he died in the war."

"You mother never told you?"

"No, but I never asked her either, at least, not that I remember. Well, I did ask about him once when I got my letter. I asked if he was a wizard and if they met at school. She said that they did."

"So he was American then?"

"What?"

"Your mother went to Ilvermorny, right? So your father must have been American if they met at school? What are the chances of two Brits choosing Ilvermorny over Hogwarts?" Remus said light heartedly, hoping to bring a smile to the young boy's face. It worked.

"I wouldn't think it possible for one to choose Ilvermorny, let alone two." Jonathan smirked.

"Oi! Silvereyes!" Fred Weasley called while his twin brother waved him over.

"Silvereyes?" Remus questioned, his eyebrows rising.

Jonathan flushed a deep crimson. "Uh…it's a long story. But… uh…Look, thanks for not telling my Mum about what I heard with the dementor. And thanks for seeing that she got to the hospital wing."

"It was my pleasure, er—I mean, it was no problem."

Jonathan's flushed cheeks turned into a smirk. "But, Professor, maybe you should head back to Madam Pomfrey. You're looking a bit ill yourself."

"I have been feeling a bit off, lately. Maybe I will take your advice, Jonathan. Now, I think your friends want you."

Jonathan smiled and began jogging over to the twins.

"And, Jonathan," Remus called out. "Try not to get into too much trouble while your Mum is sick."

Jonathan smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "I can't make any promises, Professor."