Here's another chapter - I might as well update while I'm on a roll. Read if you please, review if you wish and I own nothing but the plot. The characters all belong to J. .
Dawn's early light filtered in through lacy curtains that danced in hazy doubles before Remus blinked his eyes and righted them in his line of sight. An agonized groan fell from his lips as his head seemed fit to explode if its pounding was any indication. He'd become used to feeling this way in the mornings since he'd begun to experiment with the the amnesia like affects induced by excessive alcohol consumption.
He sat up slowly to take in the fact that while his over robe had been removed he had been left to sleep in his suit which was rumpled after a night of tossing and turning. Sliding off the edge of the bed he made his way over to the chair upon which his cloak had been draped over. Plunging a hand into his right pocket Remus withdrew a miniature potion bottle half filled with a sunrise orange liquid. Unstoppering the flask he took a small swallow of the substance, closing his eyes as he did.
"Bit of a ritual for you, eh?" remarked a deep voice from behind Remus, who whirled around to see, "No, it can't be..." whispered Remus, suddenly unable to speak except for one word, "Sirius?"
"The one and the same," replied the figure, his trademark smirk placed serenely upon his handsome face, "I remember when I could never get you to drink, no matter what my method of persuasion. Bet you never thought my hangover medicine would ever come in handy."
"Sirius?" Remus repeated, mouth open, eyes wide, his expression confused, almost as if one could watch his mind attempt to puzzle out this newest experience.
"That's my name, don't wear it out," Sirius responded as he swaggered over from the doorway to stand just out of arms reach of Remus, "On second thought," he took a large step that brought him nearly nose to nose with his boyfriend, "say it as much as you want."
Against his better judgement Remus leant forward to meet Sirius's lips only to have his mouth meet the carpet of his living room. It had been a dream, not the first of its kind and guilty, Remus hoped not the last.
Staring out the window of his room Regulus watched the sun emerge once again from one end of the earth, ready to begin its rotation for another day. He had not slept since he had returned from the manor, too keyed up to put his mind to rest for the night.
Alternately, images of Remus sleeping placidly by the lake intermingled with visions of Greyback howling in pain had flashed back and forth in his mind all evening and into the dawn.
The scroll from Voldemort sat in his lap, his hands fiddling with the edges, earning himself a number of shallow paper cuts that dribbled blood onto the parchment. Each drop was absorbed by the paper allowing for no stains at all.
Finally, as the sun climbed higher into the sky now tinted with blue instead of the moth gray of daybreak his deft fingers unrolled the edict.
His stormy eyes scanned the page, then repeated his scrutinization. The paper was placed upon the bed words up as Regulus traced the writing. His index finger began to grow wet and red as each letter was outlined. By the time he had reached the bottom of the parchment his entire hand was rivered with blood and the page was blank.
"Tea. Tea is a good idea." thought Remus, as he set the kettle on and opened up his cupboards to hunt for a stray tea bag, "Cures all ills and heals all wounds." he continued, while he hummed a Back in Black by AC/DC absentmindedly.
"That is true," commented a rumbling voice from beside Remus who glanced up in surprise.
"Professor Dumbledore!" exclaimed Remus, jumping slightly, "To what do I owe this pleasure." he spoke, covering up his fatigue with a smile and turned to face Dumbledore head on.
"Please, Remus, you are no longer a student; call me Albus." greeted the Professor with a glint of a twinkle in his eyes.
"But I am still learning." interjected Remus, who pulled out two mugs out of the cupboard along with a bowl of sugar cubes and set them on the table.
"Aren't we all?" finished Dumbledore, with an acknowledging nod toward Remus, "Students of life we are Remus, forever. Life is our school."
Remus, unsure of how to respond to such a profound thought busied himself with mixing the tea. Dumbledore on the other hand occupied himself by making the chandelier above him sway back and forth using his wand, extracting a lively squeaking noise from the chains securing the light fixture to the ceiling.
Once he set the steaming mugs onto the oak table Dumbledore halted his toying with the chandelier. Stirring into six generous lumps of sugar the Headmaster focused all of his concentration onto his beverage while Remus sat lightly blowing onto his cup which he took without additions.
"You'll have deduced by now I have no doubt that Black was not indeed on a mission for the Order," began Dumbledore, while he took a sip of his tea and hummed his pleasure at the perfection of the brew upon which he commented whilst his last remark hung in the air.
"Yes, I do understand that..." trailed off Remus, who did not know how to finish his sentence, "Did you know?" he inquired in a seemingly indifferent tone.
"I suspected Sirius was at a crossroads..."began Dumbledore but was abruptly cut off by Remus who calmly but loudly interrupted the Headmaster, "We all have choices to make; everyday we find ourselves at "crossroads" as you so elegantly put it but most people don't desert people they've pledged to stand by without so much as a goodbye." breathed heavily after having rushed through his monologue Remus drank down half of his tea despite it still being scalding.
"Right you are," agreed Dumbledore in an equally calm tone that was not as hard upon the ears, "Right you are," he drained his cup, "Now, if you're quite finished Remus, I've got a real Order mission for you." The Headmaster slid a scroll of parchment tied with an onyx coloured ribbon across the table towards the werewolf who eyes it warily.
Unravelling it slowly as if it might be a Howler in disguise Remus scanned the paper swiftly, then paused, met Albus's eyes over the scroll and subsequently, re-read the words before him.
"You want me to what?" exclaimed Remus in a shocked tone touched with indignation.
"Come now, despite still being a student of life I am assured you can read Lupin," chuckled Albus, eyes still sparkling, "Unless of course you performed quite the illusionist feat at Hogwarts."
"But, I cannot, I simply, he," Remus babbled unable to form a thought much less a clear and concise one.
"Send me your answer at your earliest convenience." stated Dumbledore, tranquilly, sending the chandelier on a single last sway before dis-apparating.
Remus sank lower onto his chair and stared at the scroll before him. Unexpectedly, tears began to collect in his eyes and blurred his vision leaving only one word comprehensible, "Regulus."
At the Leaky Cauldron Regulus traced his fingers over the now blank paper, one word from the writing seared into his memory, "Remus." he murmured in a low voice. Plucking a quill from the desk in the corner of the room and unscrewing an inkwell he set about to answer his Dark Lord. Then deciding against conventional methods he replaced the top onto the inkwell, withdrew a small dagger from a boot sheath and sliced slowly down his index finger. Dipping the quill into the bubble of blood that had swelled from the minor wound he scratched out seven letters I A-C-C-E-P-T.
