A/N I am so sorry about the delay. A lot has happened and kept happening to make this so late. I have two other chapters almost ready to load, that is a promise. All finished and ready to go. But I thought I'd let you have a look at this one for a couple of days whilst I get the other two ready to go.
Nixinox- If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise. Lol. Not to be mean. But that would ruin the whole story. Glad you are thinking though.
Xx2krazi2luvxx- Watch for the dragon. That's all I'll say.
Nycgrl- Sorry the interval wasn't short. We moved and then didn't have internet for a good long time. Then I lacked a beta for a while. But all is well now and I swear the interval between the next ones shouldn't be this long. Mainly because they are already written. Watch Draco.
Schnabel dame- Yes I did know that Caleb meant dog, though the website I use to name characters said something different. Every character is named very carefully. Some can take weeks to name properly. I am still updating. So sorry this took so long. If there is a pause check my profile, chances are I've posted something there that will tell you what's happened.
Thank you all so much for being patient. Things are very hectic here. Nothing moves quickly. I'm so sorry again. I have horrible guilt now for taking so long, but it really couldn't be helped.
The flames burned high in the center of the clearing. Even without the fire and the strange smelling powder Faolan had thrown into the blaze, Remus had known it was a place of old magic. It was in the silent stone guardians that stood silently around the edge of the clearing, buried in the very dirt which smelled of ancient ritual, chanting and sacrifices.
"We must all tell how we came to stand here, side by side around this fire. Before the darkness falls we must tell of the events that brought us here. These things must never be forgotten." Faolan said in a loud voice.
The strong smell of the powder was making him drowsy and it was a few moments before Remus realized someone else was speaking.
"My mother was bit. She bit my father. They bit my brother and I. Safer that way. Safer, you don't kill each other." Ulf was saying.
His twin brother sat silently next to him. Ulf and Ulrich, born in Germany. Only Ulf spoke English. Ulrich chose not to speak at all.
"They came from the town with torches and spells. Mother hid us in the cellar. They burnt our house and our mother and father. We ran. Three years we hid. Faolan found us on the street. Took us in. Brought us here."
Remus judged them to be no older than twenty. Though, at times, he swore they couldn't be older than fourteen. The years of hiding had aged them greatly.
"I was twenty years old when I was bit. We'll call it a camping accident, though, it was more a bit of stupidity on my part. Mother accepted it as best she could. When my father died a year later, she blamed me. I didn't see her or my older sister very often after that. We all thought it was better that way. Mother had never taken to me anyway.
"When Jerry was bit, they blamed me. It didn't matter that I lived in a different city or that my sister had allowed him to play outside well after dark. I was to blame. I had bit him. So, they gave him to me. We met Faolan a year ago. He brought us here and helped Jerry understand better what he was. We are indebted to him."
Her name was London, Faolan had told him earlier. She was about thirty-four years old, but already there were streaks of silver through her hair. Remus liked her immediately. Her dark hair and pale eyes reminded him of Tonks. There was a playfulness to her personality and a quickness to her smile that he enjoyed.
"I was seven when I was bit." The child next to London began, "My mother was having a party and left me outside to play. It got dark. The moon came out. Something attacked me. When I was released from the hospital, my mother didn't want me. She sent me to live with my Aunt London. Faolan found us and brought us here."
His name was Jericho; he was ten years old.
"The doggy bit me." A very small voice said.
Giselle was five years old. Her parents had met Faolan while their young daughter was still in the hospital recovering from the attack that cursed her. The creature had been looking for a meal, not someone to curse. The flesh of her throat had been shredded, it was a miracle she lived. The scars from her ordeal were still red and jagged across her neck.
"Fifteen years ago I was bit. My family abandoned me after they discovered my condition. While I was in the hospital another werewolf found me. I was very frightened, he was kind and reassuring. He promised to return and help me adjust, said he knew how difficult it was. He never came back." The man speaking cast an accusatory glare at Remus.
Bade had been sure to meet them as they entered the clearing. His dark green eyes had glared coldly at both Faolan and Remus. Before they could take a step he had stated who he was. He had shared a room at St. Mungo's with a man named Arthur Weasley. He had been alone on Christmas. He remembered the promise Remus made, the one he forgot in the wake of Sirius' death.
"They wanted to tag me. To mark me so everyone would know what I was. I escaped. Years passed and I desperately searched for the wolf that bit me. I thought perhaps if I could speak with it, ask it why it chose me, that I might understand what I was. I searched for years and found nothing. Then Faolan found me. He told me his theory and brought me here."
Faolan nodded and stood again, "You all know my story. You know why we are here. I have brought a new member to the pack. Remus, would you please tell us your tale. Leave nothing out."
For a long time he said nothing, wondering where to begin. Then at last, "I was four when I was attacked, in the woods around my family home. My parents were distraught. They searched for a cure and when none presented itself, they took to locking me in the cellar during the full moon.
When school began, they explained the situation to headmaster and he arranged for me to be taken to a safe place during the full moon. I made friends, but could not bring myself to tell them my secret. Eventually, they found me out. Rather than abandoning me, they took it upon themselves to help me. They found a way to join me during the change. While in their presence I never felt the urge to kill or hurt anyone. They helped me keep myself firmly in place during the full moon. I suppose we were something like this… a… a pack."
At this, Faolan grinned, watching the others for reactions.
"Those friends are gone now. They died… I went a long time on my own. Through an arrangement with an… acquaintance I have been receiving the wolfsbane potion every month. Faolan found me and suggested I come here instead."
The sky had grown dim and the first few stars were visible in the sky. No one said a word, but began changing from their own clothing to loose white robes. In the fire light they seemed to glow. The smell of the powder was strong in the air. When the change came, he felt no pain.
Luna watched her son as he played on the floor in front of the fire. He appeared to be enjoying himself, humming quietly as he placed one block on top of the other. Experience told her something was wrong. She saw how he rubbed at the back of his neck, how one eye seemed to close a little. Knowing better than to panic, she waited. Will stood to place a block on the very top of his tower, but paused with his hand in mid air. Calmly, Luna set her book aside and rose to her feet. Sensing her movement, the boy turned to look at her with wide, fearful eyes. Before she could react, he'd pitched head first into his tower of blocks.
"Neville." She called, dropping to the floor, grabbing her son's shoulders and heaving him into her lap.
His whole body was ridged with pain, every muscle tensed with it. With a great deal of effort Luna pinned his wildly jerking arms against his body.
"Neville." She called again, louder this time.
Suddenly, he was beside her scooping the boy into his arms and holding him tightly.
"There, son. It's alright now. I've got you." Neville whispered.
Slowly, the twitching eased and the stiffness went out of the little boy's legs and arms. Both parents breathed a sigh of relief as he curled into his father's embrace and began to cry.
"He's got blood on his face." Neville whispered.
"I'll get a rag." She hurried to the kitchen.
With a deep breath, the man settled himself into a chair and cradled his son like an infant.
"What did you see?" He whispered quietly.
Will looked up, eyes still wet with tears. "I don't know."
"Don't press him, Neville." Luna scolded wearily, kneeling beside them to wipe the blood from her son's nose.
"Did he hit himself?"
"No, he fell. I was there before he could..."
"I know you're tired, son, but we need to know what you saw."
"Neville…"
"Luna, let him try."
She pressed her lips together disapprovingly and waited.
"I saw… there was a room… with chains…"
"Where was this room?"
"I don't know. There was a man… he was… there was a dragon… someone was crying… I saw blood… there was blood on the moon." The boy's voice was weak and his eyes were closed.
"That's enough." Luna said sternly, "Carry him up to bed."
With a frown, her husband consented and together they took their son to his room.
"Nearly his bedtime anyway." Luna muttered to herself, as she tucked the covers around her child's shoulders and fluffed the pillow beneath his head. "A good bit of sleep never hurt anyone."
"I love you. Now go to sleep. You'll feel so much better in the morning." Neville assured him with a kiss to the forehead.
"I love you, too." The boy whispered with a smile, "Goodnight, Daddy."
In seconds his eyes had shut and he was sleeping soundly, his swollen nose the only evidence of previous events.
"I really wish I could do something about the swelling." Luna whispered as Neville led her out of the room and shut the door behind them.
"I know, but I'd rather not trigger another episode."
"Will you help me clean up his things?"
"You could just leave them."
"No."
Neville sighed within himself and set to picking up the toys scattered around their living room. He would have liked to simply cast a spell to send them all tumbling into the toy box, but it was better not to get in the habit. Very little magic was done in the presence of their son. The slightest spell could send him into visionary convulsions.
"You've got blood on your shirt." Luna said, touching the bloody cloth.
"Yeah."
"I really wish you wouldn't press him about the visions. He's only little."
In the firelight, her face took on an otherworldly paleness, blue eyes glittering wildly. It was this mystical quality that had drawn him to her in the first place; when she ceased to be strange little Loony Luna and became something else entirely.
"I don't mean to. But if he has the gift, he might as well use it."
She ran a shaking hand through her tangled gold hair, "The harder he concentrates the more it hurts, I think. I don't want him thinking he has to remember everything he sees."
"I know… but if he sees something important… something helpful…"
"Something about Harry?" Her voice lowered and she turned away from the firelight.
In a moment, she was herself again - his wife, plain, silly Luna. "Maybe."
"That is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. Can you imagine what Ron would do if he knew about Will? I know he'd mean well enough, but the fact remains that he would use my son for his purposes."
"Ron wouldn't do that."
"Ron is a good man. He always has the best of intentions. However, I believe he would do anything to find Harry. He is a good father and wonderful friend, but desperation makes men strange." She had a way of saying things that made them difficult to argue.
Neville nodded and took her hand in his own. "Perhaps we'll know something by tomorrow. I'd imagine they've already got into the Manor by now."
At first he thought she wasn't going to answer. Her fingers closed tightly around his and she pulled him down to sit on the sofa. "What do you think his vision was about?"
"Blood on the moon… a dragon… I suppose it could mean anything. If I remember correctly, blood on the moon is a bad omen… a sign of hardship, I think."
"It's also a natural thing, when the moon turns orange."
"But it's still a bad thing."
"Yes."
"There was a room with chains too. I don't know, Luna. Nothing sounds familiar."
"I'm going to check on him." She sighed, getting to her feet.
"I'll follow."
Together they climbed the stairs and opened the door just enough to see inside. Their son's eyes were closed peacefully in sleep, a stuffed bear clasped tightly to his chest.
"I want to go to bed." Neville said suddenly.
"Alright."
He hesitated for a moment, fingers on her shoulder, "Would you tell me a story?"
Her eyes glittered and she smiled.
It was late morning when Remus raised his head and looked blearily around. He was not on the floor of his bedroom as he had expected. There was no Tonks to greet him with a warm cup of tea and an abundance of kisses. Instead, he lay in the dirt around the ash filled fire pit in the midst of what was called the Den. With some relief, he realized someone had covered his nakedness with the clothes he had been wearing the day before.
"You're awake." A female voice said from behind him.
Turning he found London smiling and offering him a steaming cup of tea.
"Yes…" He looked at the clothes bundled in his lap and back at the tea.
"Oh… sorry." She laughed a little and turned to let him dress.
"Are we the first to wake?" He asked pulling his trousers on while trying to rub the dirt and sleep out of his eyes.
"I'm always the first awake."
"Whatever for? Doesn't the change wear you out?" Tugging his shirt over his stomach with one hand he climbed to his feet and reached for the cup of tea.
"Yes. I've always been the first to wake. I cover everyone with their clothing and go to another clearing not far away to make breakfast. I'd make it here, but Faolan won't let us use magic in the Den." She smiled again and motioned for him to follow her.
"Wise of him."
"You feel it too, then?"
"What?"
"The magic. Sometimes it's almost as though someone were watching us… maybe from those old stones."
"I hadn't felt that, but the entire place smells of… old things." He frowned as she led him away from the Den and through the trees.
"I knew you would be the next to wake. Faolan told me to have some tea ready for you when you woke."
The trees parted and he found himself in another clearing, though this one was barely large enough to hold two people and the small table on which breakfast was set.
"Bacon and eggs… it smells wonderful. You must be quite good with cooking spells. How did you know I'd be the next? Where is Faolan, then?"
"Faolan is out walking. The change makes him restless. He'll come back before tonight." She smiled a little sheepishly and handed him a plate. "As for knowing when you'd wake… those who have taken the potion always wake first."
His growling stomach quelled all other questions and he immediately filled his plate with a large helping of everything.
"How do you feel?" She asked watching him chew.
He leaned against the table and continued to eat, "Good."
"You cried out in your sleep. It's withdrawal from the potion. Even the Pack can't take that away all at once. It'll be in your system for a long time. Jerry and I took the potion for a little while, when we could afford it." She paused and frowned; "Now I wish we hadn't. Not with an alternative so good as this."
"It is different, almost too good to be true."
"That's what I thought, but it works. That's all that matters."
She settled herself on the ground, leaning back against a tree and watched him eat. Her company was pleasant and he found himself grinning as he ate.
"Where is your nephew?" He asked when he had eaten his fill.
"He'll be awake soon." London pulled her wand from the belt of her jeans and tapped the empty plate. It's abrupt disappearance made Remus jump.
"How is it you came to be his guardian?" He seated himself next to her on the mossy forest floor.
"My mother and sister blamed me for his condition. I was the only werewolf they knew, you see. I had to have done it."
"That's ridiculous."
"I know. I could have killed them both for leaving Jerry out there in the dark. 'Just send him out to play, dear.' I can hear my mother saying it. They simply ignored that there had been attacks reported in the area for the past two months. It was a full moon and rather than send him to bed, they sent him out to play in the yard."
"And they blamed you?"
"Of course. Who else did they know that turned into a monster every full moon? They never came right out and said I had bit him, but they made it very clear that they didn't want him anymore. My sister would hardly even touch him. I took him." She stared hard at her hands. "He's mine now."
"That's terrible, but sadly typical. Not many people can cope with things like this…"
"Yeah… Anyway, where are you from?" She smiled that same pretty smile.
"Oh… a fair distance from here."
"Family?"
"I have my granddaughter, Brenna. It's mostly just the two of us." He considered mentioning Tonks, but found he couldn't find the words.
"You have a granddaughter?"
"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"
"I figured it was the change that aged you… but you really are old." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
"I'm not that old."
"Old enough to have a granddaughter."
Unable to think of a proper retort he settled on, "Hush."
She laughed, "Where are her parents?"
Suddenly, he found himself not wanting to answer. "Dead."
"Oh… I'm sorry."
"It's been three years. I miss them both terribly."
"How old is your granddaughter?"
"Brenna is nine."
"I'll bet she's lovely. I mean… if her grandfather is anything to judge by."
Remus blinked at her, uncertain of how he should respond. "She is very pretty, but she looks nothing like me."
"I'm sure you're in there somewhere."
"No. You see, she's not really related to me." He shook his head a little, "Her real grandfather died… many years ago. His son… Harry adopted me, you could say."
"You mean Harry Potter, don't you?" She asked curiously.
"Yes." He waited for the barrage of questions that were sure to follow. If he concentrated he could feel his peaceful morning slipping away.
"I remember that you two were fairly close when you taught at Hogwarts. He seemed really… withdrawn. I felt bad for him sometimes."
"You remember when I taught at Hogwarts?"
"Of course," She laughed, "You were my favorite teacher. I was a seventh year Ravenclaw. London Thatcher."
"I think I remember you. You sat in the back… fell asleep a lot." He grinned at her.
"Yes, that was me. I had the wildest crush on you."
At that he laughed outright, "You are kidding, right?"
"Not in the least. You were very quiet and mysterious. In fact, you still are."
There was something in the way she spoke that made him feel extraordinary. It seemed all of his recent conversations had been veiled, a double meaning given to each word. London expected nothing from him. He could say what he liked and she would answer in kind.
"Thank you…"
"London." A small voice called.
Both adults turned to find Jericho standing at the edge of the clearing.
"Come on, time to eat." She replied motioning him over.
Remus was sure the clearing did not grow larger, and the things within did not grow smaller, but somehow there was enough room for all of them and the food laden table.
"How are you?" Remus asked him.
The boy shrugged and filled his plate with food.
"I'm eating in the Den." He said without looking at either of them.
"That's fine. Be sure to bring the plate back, don't leave it sitting out to attract bugs."
He muttered something in response and was gone.
"Very pleasant young man." Remus said with a frown.
"I know. He gets like that. I think he's still angry with his mother. I know I am." Her voice was sad.
"It's hard to bear such a burden so young."
"I worry about him. He hasn't made any friends and we've been living in our flat for nearly two years. He worries about telling them what he is… how they'll judge him. Most days I find him hiding under his bed with a book and a muggle flashlight."
"He's ten, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, my granddaughter is nine. I know for a fact that she would love to make a new friend. Perhaps you might bring him over sometime."
"I don't know how well he'd like that. He's very… independent."
"Brenna will fix that. Trust me. She's the sort that won't take no for an answer."
London considered for a moment, "We could go home with you tomorrow, that is, if you don't mind. That way he can't run off and hide in protest."
"Fine with me. We'll have to make a stop to pick up Brenna from her other grandparent's house."
"He married the Weasley girl, didn't he? Harry, I mean."
"Yes. Ginny."
"I liked her."
"So did I."
"How did she die? I read about it in the Prophet, but I'm sure the entire article was a mess of nonsense."
Remus shifted uncomfortably, "She was murdered."
"By whom?"
"I don't know. Probably the same person who took Harry."
"That's awful. It's as if history were repeating itself."
"How so?"
"Harry's parents were killed when he was little. It's as if… as if the whole thing were destined to happen over and over."
"I sincerely hope not."
She felt very silly sitting at Molly's kitchen table. The sun was streaming in the open windows, lighting the cabinets and countertops with it's yellow glow. A warm breeze rustled the curtains and blew a forgotten shopping list across the floor. With half-hearted curiosity, Nymphadora Tonks bent over and picked it up. It all felt so normal, so safe.
Despite the comfortable feeling of the Burrow, it seemed hollow and very empty without Molly bustling about the kitchen or Charlie sneaking Nell bits of toast beneath the table or Percy quietly reading in his usual corner. In her mind she could see their faces when she had brought them news of the raid. Shock, horror, sadness, rushing over their features in a matter of seconds. They had all hurried to the hospital, only to find themselves seated in the waiting room for hours on end.
No one spoke and the silence had worn on her nerves. Even Brenna, who could usually be counted on for conversation, was pale and silent, her head resting against Molly's shoulder.
"How was Remus?" She finally whispered to George who was sitting close by.
"Fine, when I last saw him." he answered, looking puzzled.
"It is the full moon. Was he anxious? How did the potion make him act?"
"I don't know." His frown deepened.
"He told me you were going to sit with him."
"He didn't mention it to me. Maybe he had someone else do it."
She blinked. "Who else is there?"
"I don't know. Someone had to do it, though."
A cold feeling spread through her stomach. "I'm going to look for him."
"I'm sure he's fine."
"Still… I'm going."
"Be careful." George whispered as she stood up.
The first stop had been his house. The front door was locked and there was no answer when she knocked. Without thinking twice she unlocked the door with a spell and went inside. A quick search proved that he was not in the house. Even without looking she had known he was gone, the very walls whispered it to her.
The cold feeling had spread to her chest and her hands shook as she waved her wand to Disapparate. Once at the Burrow she had seated herself in the kitchen, where she still sat. He would come here looking for Brenna. There was no doubt in her mind that he would return for the child, if for nothing else. Nothing could keep him from his granddaughter.
Somehow she felt responsible for the entire situation. The raid, what they had found, Remus' disappearance, it was all her fault. If she had been firm and turned Ron down, she might have sat with Remus as usual. On the other hand, if she had not been with Ron, no one would have seen the button hidden within the elaborate woodwork that opened the secret door. They would not have made the discovery that they had. The thought of it turned her stomach.
A knock at the door sent her standing so quickly that her chair fell over. Trembling, she pulled the front door open and flung her arms around Remus.
"Tonks… What are you doing here?" He asked, hugging her back.
"Where were you? I thought George was going to sit with you." She blurted out, ignoring his question.
"I was… well…" He stammered and carefully extracted himself from her grasp.
It was then she noticed the woman and child standing behind him.
"Who are they?"
"This is London and Jerry, they're friends of mine."
"Friends." She said, frowning deeply.
"I'll explain later. What are you doing here? Where is Brenna?" He asked firmly.
"Remus…" She swallowed hard, "We found Harry."
