Author's Note: I do not any of the Harry Potter characters. All original characters belong to me.
Thank you for your reviews Akasha - and nice little info on wolves in Canada :-)
Chapter Eleven
Severus:
I walked through the door of my Spinner's End home, to see my mother sitting at the couch of the sitting room, with one leg over the other and her arms crossed.
"Took your time," Mum commented.
"Professor Dumbledore could not help that, Mum. He said to pass on his apology and that I have a promising future in my career choice. Providing that I pass all of my NEWTs," I answer without blinking an eye. I closed the door and stepped further into the room.
Within this small sitting area was a three seated couch, an armchair and a round table in between to the left of me. The couch and armchair sat in front of the fireplace. The walls had shelving almost all around it, ahead were two doorways, the one to the narrow stairway that lead the way to the next floor, while the other, went to the kitchen and dining area. There was also a television and video player, which sat in the corner on the right, just next to the entrance to the kitchen. From above was a beautiful and well kept chandelier, something that Mum had always treasured for as long as I could remember.
Mum, apart from some obvious signs of aging, looked completely regal. Since the disappearance of Kiara, Mum had, little by little, changed in her appearance. Until it was too hard to not notice at all. Her shimmering black hair was like a waterfall down to just above her chest. Where she once used to have a heavy brow, was now more smoother and accommodating to her now perfectly arched eyebrows. It disturbed me a little now on just how much Kiara, besides being long in face, instead of heart, had the same similar features as this woman I called Mum. Only there were also some vast differences between my mother and sister, as well. Kiara's nose had the a sort of low bridge and point at the end and higher cheekbones … Mum never had that point, her nose was just a plain straight Roman nose. If anything, Dad reckoned that Kiara's features may have been something of a throw-back. Because she had nothing that indicated that he had any of the Snape genes, only Prince ones.
"But why did he take so long?" Mum pressed.
I could feel that she was trying to read me. However, Mum was unable to penetrate into my mind. I had been deliberately learning Occulmency after begging Dumbledore to help me since I was twelve years old. Against his usual standard judgement of allowing such a young age to learn something so complex, the Headmaster of Hogwarts agreed. Legilimency came easily for the young wizard after that. By the time I was a few days shy of fourteen, I was very strong in succeeding on block my own mind, whilst looking into another's at the same time. However, it appears that my own mother, was just as skilled in the same art. For why else would I have never known about what had happened to Kiara's that night, years ago?
"Some students take longer when it comes to the Headmaster," I say with a casual tone. "Why do you sound as though I have done something wrong?"
Mum thought of this question, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Severus," she said with relent. "I believe with everything that has been going on with You-Know-Who and his band of followers and the disappearances and other chaotic things that has been happening, I believe I can be forgiven for feeling rather … uneasy of you being gone for so long."
I wished I could feel the sentimentality of my mother's words. It was probably very much there. But after the messages I have been getting from Kiara and Lupin alike, especially after this latest one about Fenrir Greyback making some outrageous claims, I couldn't help feel so unsure. "Where is Dad?" I then asked.
"He's gone out. Said something about wanting to find something nice. No need to know what he is talking about," Eileen shook her head with quiet disgust.
I held my tongue, afraid of saying something. Instead I went straight to the stairs narrow stairs and ascended on up to the next floor. Up here there were three doors. One straight ahead, only about ten steps from the stairs and a door on each side. I went to the door on my right and was now in the bedroom that was mine.
The room was elongated, with two beds at the end side by side with a single table and lamp in between. A small desk that was covered with books and loose papers in front of the small window, a big wardrobe in the very corner after the door next to the desk and shelves all along next to the door, opposite the window.
The bed on the left was unmade with dark green and white sheets and blankets. While the bed on the right was very well kept and tidy with light blue and violet sheeting, blankets and pillows. Upon this bed were many, many well placed and very neatly wrapped presents that just covered it.
I stare at it from where I stood. Lost in my own thoughts.
A slam of the door from downstairs bought me out of it.
"What is that?" I heard my mother's voice demand.
"What does it look like?" followed a deep man's voice.
"How many times must I tell you, Toby?" Mum cried.
"I don't care how many times you tell me, Eileen!" followed Dad's voice sounding a little agitated by this repeat of being asked. "A man can still hold on to hope that is daughter would come back!"
"She's dead, Tobias! We had a funeral!"
"With no body! Show me some freaking proof that she is actually dead! I may be losing something in my old age, but I am not losing what I have in my hopes in seeing my little girl again!"
"You weren't really much of a father to her!" she yells back.
A sudden thud of something hitting against a wall, and I hear books falling to the floor.
"Dammit, Eileen! Not that again!" he yells.
I grit my teeth. Why does Mum keep saying that to him?
Dad, whenever he wasn't in a foul mood, was as good of as a dad he could be to Kiara and I. Why does she keep saying that he was never much of a father to my sister, when that has been farthest from the truth?
I still remember to night of Kiara's disappearance. How Dad went ballistic. Wanting to know how he was never told about these things called 'werewolves' before?
I see Lupin's owl coming in through my window.
Still hearing the shouts downstairs, I go over and take the rolled up parchment;
SS - I am replying on behalf of K. We're going with your suggestion of seeing your parents, over what has happened with K. However, before we figure out when that can happen, there is more that you need to be made aware of first. When are you able to come by next? - RL
Smart Lupin, real smart. Yes, ensure any who intercepts this might not know who or what this is even about.
My reply was simple and straight to the point.
It was late afternoon the following day, I pulled some sort of spiel about my going to some friend's place to do some much needed school work that was of importance. Mum and Dad bought it. Personally, I just wanted to get away from the bloody yelling and screaming!
Arriving at the Lupin house felt almost like a breath of fresh air. It was quiet!
Waiting for my arrival was Kiara. I do not withhold my smile, nor the hug when I reached her.
"Everyone else is inside," she told me when I asked of where Lupin was.
I picked up the note of worry within her tone.
"What's happened?" I ask. "Did Greyback return?"
Kiara shook her head. "No, thankfully, he has not. Only the answer you're after is not really mine to tell."
I understood.
We enter the house. This would be the first time I have actually walked fully inside, given the last time, I hadn't even stepped through the door, only stayed outside. It was a beautiful house, I have to say. A nice sitting room to my instant left, stairs going up to the next floor to my right, a little further down was a handsome study of sorts, with rich carpet of burgundy and mauve, and interesting mix, but done so it just worked well with the rest of the room.
Moving straight to the doorway of the kitchen, where I see Lupin sitting at the other side of the dining table from where I stood, with I am assuming his father at the end next to him. I was mildly surprised to see Hamoto Yoshi and Tang Shen here as well. Of course, not forgetting Splinter, comfortably and obediently on the table next to his Master's arm.
Shen was helping Lupin's mother in the kitchen.
Shen was a beautiful porcelain faced and small framed woman of five foot one, with her silken black hair in a lose high bun and was wearing a simple blue kimono.
"Good evening, Severus-san," she greets me with her graceful smile.
"Shen," I acknowledge, before asking the probable obvious question that came to mind, "Why is there a full room?"
"Because we all have the same thing in common," Mr Lupin addresses me. "We want Remus and Kiara safe. As well as getting to the bottom of what had happened nearly nine years ago. Kiara has told me that you have been near pulling teeth to get to the truth, only to get nothing."
"That would be correct," I say, looking at my sister still next to me.
"Plus the limited knowing of the documentation allowed to the general public," Mr Lupin adds.
Upon the table were several large folders.
"Why?" I choose to ask, though I already knew the answer.
"Some of the answers you may be looking for maybe within these documents and articles," Mr Lupin explains. "You have been spoken for by Kiara, here, on your trying to help seek as much on the werewolf to better understand, as well as the possibility of getting what you're seeking with your own parents.
"The sooner you know, the better you may come to understand with a bit more arsenal on your side."
Once more, I look at Kiara. The time that had passed and still coming no closer. Perhaps this would genuinely help us.
…...
Kiara;
When I pull out the first lot parchments closest to me, after we all were seated and going through what could be found, the first words I saw were; Behind the Werewolf Hunters and their Noble Guide on how to stop the Werewolves Breeding.
Raising my brows, I began to read;
Come the turn of the thirteenth century, the werewolf population in Europe, including here in England, had reached to the point where even Muggles had began to notice. Which probably where Muggles had inspired wuch stories as Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.
It would also be when Muggles were so fearful of the whole aspect of witchcraft they would burn anyone who they believed to be 'related to the devil' according to History. But, it wasn't Muggles who chose to become 'Werewolf Hunters', as they had been known as.
The Ministry had grown to believe that there were attacks at every full moon. Also believing that mating pairs were breeding litter after litter. They even pushed that belief to everyone. This is where the idea of getting a band of wizards together to cull as many werewolves as they could. Or rather, as many as they wanted, by any means necessary.
The Hunters chose the method of getting to the pairs. Find the pairs, they can get to the females.
"Why the females?" I asked, looking at Remus.
Remus looked to see what I was reading; seemingly not to fond of the sight of it. This did get everyone else's attention, much to where I allowed Severus to slide it away from me. Both he and Master Yoshi studied this for themselves.
"Because females carry the offspring. Also, remember how I explained that if a girl fell pregnant with another's baby, it can be very …" Remus couldn't even find the word he wanted to say.
"I remember," I say, saving him from trying to search any further.
"It was one of the many ways they would … torture a pair," says Remus.
Severus shot his head up. "Torture?"
Remus gave a grim nod; "Killing straight away is just to simple sometimes for these … I can't even call them people," he answered. "They would find a pair in their human form, capture them and if the girl is … on heat ..." he stopped for another moment. "They would rape her, forcing her mate to watch … knowing what would happen if she fell pregnant to even just one of those … those ..."
Again Remus stopped, he could feel my own emotions starting to go negative.
"So many girls and women have suffered for four whole centuries because of the Ministry's 'good idea'. While the males did suffer, not as many had been killed. It was more risky to be a female, being that you are the ones bearing the full-blooded werewolves. I don't even want to describe on what they would do if there were any children. They had also managed to find a way to make the females sterile, unable to breed, so in case she was found by a male, he won't claim her because she was 'inadequate'.
"Come the turn of the eighteenth century, the female population almost became non-existent. Males were afraid of what would happen if they became mates with one. It wasn't until a real uproar happened when the Ministry finally called for the savage practice and killings to stop. They didn't even bother apologising for the damage they had caused. For, as you and I both are witnessing today and now, why bother when prejudice is running rampart toward anyone who isn't of a status that is deemed worthy. Saying that 'it was for the best interests of the world that it had to be done' and washed their hands of it."
"I have noticed. Very hard not to," Severus says flatly. "Yet, by what you are saying the killings had stopped."
Remus shook his head a little. "They said it was to stop, only it still continued. The Ministry ignored the cries and pleas; saying that it wasn't happening any more. They said the practice had stopped and that the werewolves were speaking false accusations of it still going on. Finally, it was 1933 when the Ministry knew they couldn't ignore it. But, once again, didn't apologise for their disgraceful handling of the situation. They were glad that there weren't any werewolf pairings left, because the she-wolf no longer existed and that any chance of a werewolf to ever exist was to be made, not born."
"But … what am I doing here if she-wolves don't exist? … And your sister? Surely there has got to be others?" I pipe up.
"You had a sister?" Severus quizzed with surprise.
"Yes, Severus, I did," Remus answered, with a tightened sort of expression, like something between a painful smile and an extremely saddened grimace.
"What happened to her?" I could hear the sincerity.
"Rosemarie passed away," Sarah said simply.
"Kiara, I believe you ought to see these," Shen says, who was looking over some papers with Master Yoshi.
Remus took the papers from her and sorted through them, until he then showed them to me. I blinked, then looked at Remus before taking them from him.
FIRST SHE-WOLF SINCE FIRST PROCLAIMED EXTINICT FOR FORTY YEARS!
Date: 14 July 1975
After what has believed to be no longer possible, it has been discovered that a Rogue has decided that a comeback to the Werewolf Population is a must, after there has been an attack on two children. One a small boy, while the other we can assume to be his older sister. Their names have been suppressed and forbidden to be released due to an intervention of many parties to protect, though many cannot understand why. Considering that this is probably one of the most interesting discoveries to have been made.
Given the she-wolf is a made wolf, since there are no records full-blood females. This is still something to be marvelled, as well as in ways feared. Is this the come back of any more female werewolves? Who knows! But one thing is for certain! The Ministry has put their foot down on insuring that the She-Wolf would NOT be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
ANOTHER ATTACK ON YOUNG GIRL!
Date: 26 August 1977
Just over two years since the first attack upon a young girl, another has just been set upon. This is the second time of any recorded attacks on young girls by Werewolf to Date! There are not even any new records in the world, apart from just these two cases!
Again the name of the young girl in question has been suppressed. The only information we can give is that she was with her mother at the time of the attack, what they were doing at such a crazy time and during a full moon does beg to wonder. But what a Werewolf was even doing in Cokesworth also raises questions. Most Werewolves go out of their way to avoid being detected.
What is also really intriguing about this case is that, while the girl has been reported to have been attacked, there are no visible bite or scratch marks to say so. Yet, she is very much a werewolf!
MEMORY LOSS FROM ATTACK!
Date: 2 September 1977
Another interesting turn is that the girl does not even remember what had even happened on the night of the attack, and the mother of the girl has not at all made herself shown. Against the Ministry's strong wish to keep her in the United Kingdom, a Japanese Man who rescued the girl made it very clear that he was going to adopt the girl and raise her as his own. Because there was no-one else stepping forward to claim the girl and the Ministry has no legal right to keep a child from any who choose to adopt them in order give them a good home, the Ministry had no choice but to allow it.
Where the second she-wolf will end up, we may never know.
DEATH OF SHE-WOLF, NOW ONLY ONE LEFT!
Date: 27 October 1979
While no details have been given, it has been bought to our attention that the first of the two girls who have been attacked has been reported dead. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it seems that whatever attempt to bring back this species has failed. The only hope for the males is the only other she-wolf. Where that she-wolf is, no-one knows, the man who adopted the girl has gone to great lengths to keep her hidden from any detection.
Will this lone remaining female make an appearance?
"But … you said that the Ministry would know of our union?" I say in a quiet tone, with some hesitation, looking at Remus. "At least that is what I believed."
Remus was playing with a parchment, while he waited for me to finish reading. "They know there that a pairing has happened …" he began to say. "In 1933 every wolf was put on a registry around the world. The Werewolf Hunters were no longer a threat apparently … because there were no known full-blooded females left, that the Ministry knew of. In order to keep an eye on any possibility of a she-wolf to ever make a return, the Ministry of the UK somehow placed a spell, or something, upon the registry of any Werewolves who resided in the country. The only upside at this point is that there was a flaw when they were doing this."
"What flaw would that be?" Severus asks with interest.
Remus now looks at me with a small smile.
It was Terence who speaks on this; "Remus may be on the registry and his name has probably changed colour. I don't know how they have been able to do that, my theory is that they collected some DNA sample from every person attacked whilst they were in the hospital and entwined it into the registry, so that when the only known she-wolf makes herself shown, the DNA would react and change.
"As for the flaw, what the Ministry probably wasn't counting on was a certain sixteen year old male werewolf coming along to claim you for his mate. They were hoping for someone seventeen or over to make his claim instead."
"Why?" I dare to ask.
"Because of the fact that I am sixteen and not seventeen, the Ministry cannot reveal us as a mating pair," says Remus, still with the small smile. "Sixteen is still under-age, even if we are legally married. They would need to have Mum and Dad's permission to do that, as well as your Master's, in order to declare that the one and only known female werewolf is very much alive!"
"They would also need my permission, being your legal guardian," says Yoshi to me.
"What of my biological mother?" I ask.
Master Yoshi shook his head. "She denied you to be her daughter, because of that, she has no say in your fate. Only I, who took you place as your parent, can do that. Even if she did try and speak, she couldn't. Because you are not of age."
"Once Remus is of age, which is seventeen, the Ministry would still have to have permission, only instead of Sarah and I, they would have to ask Remus!" Terence adds to this.
"And I would be damned if I allow a single shred of the Daily Prophet, or any other newspaper unveil you!" Remus finishes
Many things racing through me as I thought of what had been revealed to me thus far.
Severus and I look at each other upon this. He too, was a little surprised, but seemed to also be somewhat glad, from what I could tell.
I look back at the articles before me.
"No records of full-blooded females?" I read aloud. "Is that another way of saying born and not made?"
"It is," says Terence, as he slips out a thinner folder. "Yoshi, I believe you ought to see this, before you allow Kiara."
"What is that, Dad?" Remus asks.
Master Yoshi, with Shen, went through the folder. Even Splinter seemed to be ever the curious one to try and read for himself – and who says rats can't read?
I watch my Sensei, as I see his eyes go back and forth over what was in front of him. His eyebrows going up a few times, lips seemingly pressed. It was upon a slightly heavy exhale that he closed the folder, and handed it to me.
"No matter what you choose to do with this information, Kiara-chan," he says to me in the father tone he only ever uses in such important matters as this appeared to be. "Know that I still see you as a daughter and an honourable student within the Clan."