Chapter 11 - Mr. Remus J. Lupin at the Leaky Cauldron.
Disclaimer: As always Not mine so don't ask.
To my reviewers. Thank you for all your support and to lora: if you remember in the third book, Fudge thought it best to alert the magical world that Sirius had escaped and told them that he was carrying a gun. Vernon Dursley said something about Sirius being a scoundrel and made a comment on how long his hair was. I know it was a bit of a stretch that it would be on the news in California but I thought, hey, why not. So yeah, onto the story.
After Buffy had collected all her things and the information on Mr. Lupin she and Hank set out to the hotel, she would face this man tomorrow. She slept fitfully after a short phone call to Willow explaining in short terms what had happened, it was basically " My mother's dead, my dad is an escaped convict. I am going to talk to my last known contact tomorrow. Tell the gang and make sure Angel knows I said a hello to him." Willow had agreed and they hung up.
Buffy awoke at 11:30 the next morning, feeling as if she had gotten no sleep whatsoever the night before. Hank and Buffy spoke hardly 20 words combined that morning and that included. " How did you sleep?" and " When do you want to leave?" Buffy took her ritual morning shower and then had a bagel for breakfast.
As she was waiting for her father to get dressed she wondered why she felt as numb as she did. The grief of Cassandra's death more than 15 years before had compounded on Joyce's death of just three weeks ago and she felt as if her world had been turned upside down. Now two of the most important people in her life were dead. The woman who had given birth to her and the woman who had given Buffy the strength and will to live life were gone forever one she had memories to get her through each day. The other she had what a lady behind a desk and this Lupin man had to say about her.
That was what made Buffy want to find him. Not because she thought it would change her life exceedingly but that at least this way she could get to know what her mother had been like from one of her friends.
Buffy stared up at the door of book shop and scrunched her eyebrows together. Where was this 'Leaky Cauldron' and why is it that she would find the clues to her past here. 'God when Aileen said that she herself went looking for this place and couldn't find it, she wasn't lying. Then again she said my parents said that only a person who is 'meant' to be there will see it. Whatever that means.'
She had left Hank at the hotel telling him that this was something that she had to do by herself. He had given in after she said that it was her past not his and threatened to stay at another hotel, not reminding him that she was, one underage, and two broke. He seemed to have some sort of fear that she would not want to stay with him.
Buffy shook herself and returned to this point in time. All of a sudden she felt a warm surge start from her head clear down to her toes and she closed her eyes in the intensity of it. When it stopped she still felt electrified. It was if she had reached a turning point. She opened her eyes slowly and gasped in shock. There, standing right in front of her, was an old decrepit building that held the name 'The Leaky Caldron' that had NOT been there five minutes before. It was the place that this Lupin character had given the adoption agency.
She looked up and down the street, but the crowd of people's eyes just seemed to slip over her, as if she was not even there. She sighed and decided to take a leap of faith, she reached for the door handle and pushed it open. Her appearance in the dank, dark, room caused a great pause to occur. Everyone's eyes narrowed and the silence became more pronounced. Buffy, though was never one to shy away from a challenge, said, " Hi, I'm looking for Remus Lupin. Does anyone know where I can find him?" A man sitting a the bar of the pub turned and looked at her. He had graying brown hair and looked worn for a man in his early thirties.
" I am Remus Lupin and you are?" He was giving her a guarded and appraising look. " My name is Buffy Summers. I was told you knew my parents." The man paled considerably and nodded slightly.
"If you are who I am thinking of then yes I did." He motioned for her to come towards him and he stood up and headed to a small table in an even darker and more dank corner. " Miss Summers," He began looking at the diminutive blonde girl in front of him.
" Please, call me Buffy." She said noticing the guarded amber eyes that seemed to echo pain from the past.
He nodded and continued, " Buffy, I need assurance as to who you are. You passed the first test by walking in that door, but to reveal to you what I am about to on a clear conscience I need to see proof." He took the proffered identification and birth certificate along with the information he had supplied Sirius Black over 16 years ago. He must have decide that she was the real deal because he started." Your mother, Buffy, was a kind hearted girl. She had blonde hair and brown eyes and heart of gold. She saw the good in everyone. I was her cousin and we went to school together. She was in Ravenclaw and I, Sirius, James, Lily, and Peter were in Gryffindor."
She gave him a confused look and he smiled." School houses, I'll get into them later. Sirius hardly gave anyone outside Gryffindor a second glance unless they annoyed him and James was the same. They had an animosity toward one house and one boy in particular. Severus Snape of Slytherin . Now, he plays a minor role in the story and not even directly in the one involving your parents so I'll tell you about him later. Your father and mother met in our sixth year and immediately became friends, then something changed after a night near the end of April. They had been getting closer and all of a sudden they couldn't even look at each other. They barely said two words to one another. Cassie was, by this time friends with Lily Potter who was Lily Evans at that time and Lily had become friends with me through our prefect duties. Lily approached me out of worry for Cassie, she told me that Cassie had told her that she and Sirius had slept together and she was now late. I was surprised at this turn of events and unsure how to proceed with this information." Buffy nodded absorbing the fact that the man in front of her was no longer a 'contact' but indeed a long lost relative.
Remus continued after rubbing his hand down the front of his face. " How was I going to handle this? Do I confront my best friend who is like a brother, and lecture him on how he got my cousin pregnant? No I couldn't do that. What if Cassie hadn't told him yet and I betrayed not only Lily's confidence but Cassie's in Lily. So I did the next thing that came to my mind. I approached Cassie at a prefect meeting, she was a Ravenclaw prefect, and asked if she was pregnant. Her eyes widened slightly and she let out this little wail and nodded. She said that she hadn't told Sirius for fear that he would end up hating her for putting him in this situation. I convinced her that she needed to tell Sirius if not for her sake then for the baby's, you." He raised his eyebrows at her and she gave him a small smile, while motioning for him to continue. She was rather enraptured by the way she had come about.
" She told Sirius when she was certain which was about a week later. They went outside, James tried to follow but Lily and I held him back telling him that they needed a minute alone. We saw her start to cry and then it was Lily who was itching to follow. Then they embraced and sat and talked. Neither of them told us what they had been talking and when they came back up they acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary although we all noticed a change on how they suddenly went from avoiding each other to him always shooting people looks if they got to close to her and they weren't in the inner circle of friends. They must have… hmmm… " He paused and realized that Buffy knew nothing of the magic world, at least he didn't think she did.
" Anyway," he continued hoping to sound inconspicuous, " They concealed it wonderfully and no one outside our group of friends knew. The Headmaster probably did, but then again he always knew what was going on. He never said anything though and when Cassie approached him asking to go to the hospital on some 'unrelated school business, she asked Sirius and I to come with her for help, he just gave her a slight smile and twinkled at her. He motioned toward the door to Sirius and Cassie and held his hand up to me and leaned forward and told me it was more of a 'couple' thing, gave me a smile, and walked away. You never knew what to expect with Albus Dumbledore." He trailed off and shook his head in amusement.
Remus looked at Buffy closely. " You look remarkably like Cassie. Her hair and nose and face shape and small stature." Buffy smiled at this man and drank up the assessment of who she looked like.
" You look like you have hazel eyes, no?" Buffy nodded. " Yeah, I always wondered how I got those and why both my parents had blue eyes."
Remus smiled. " Sirius had blue eyes and black hair and on the female spectrum of things a
'killer' smile. At least I think that's what the girls called it. He was a bit of lady's man back in the day. It seems like you have the same smile."
Buffy thought of what this man had gone through at the hands of her father. " Did he really kill all those people?" Remus looked up.
" I don't know, Buffy. I never would have thought him capable of it. There is something you need to know before we get into that story. Buffy your mother and father as well as everyone else in this pub is, well, witches and wizards. You're a witch as well."
Chapter 12- Witches, Hell mouths, and Slayers, oh my.
Disclaimer: Do I have to say it again? Not mine. Oh we're getting back story in this chappie. A lot of it are things we already know from reading, the rest is just a guess with imagination. I also changed some dates so that the story lines would fit.
Buffy a arched an eyebrow, " Wait. A witch? As in practicing magic, brewing potions, casting spells?"
Remus nodded and looked at her hesitatingly, "I know that this all might be a little daunting for you…" He trailed off at her shaking head.
" No, I… You learn a lot living on the hell mouth. I just need a minute to process all this" She laughed at the way his eyes grew wide at the word 'hell mouth' and nodded. " I know the slayer as well." More shock and she laughed. She wasn't about to reveal just how well she did know the slayer but it couldn't harm telling him this.
Remus looked at her. " You know the Sunnydale Slayer? She is the most famous one yet. You know she is rumored to be the strongest. I would love to meet her." Buffy blushed and thought about it while weighing her options. He seemed trustworthy enough, and he HAD trusted her with his secret. 'Oh god,' she thought, 'I can her Giles screaming in frustration already.'
Buffy smiled at him conspiratorially, " Can you keep a secret? One that NO one can know?" Remus nodded and answered.
" Believe me when I say that I am carrying around decades of those. Your secret is safe with me. Besides, if it's not to presumptuous, we are family."
Buffy smiled at this and nodded. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice. " Well feel special. You're with the 'Sunnydale Slayer'. Although I have not heard that one. Kinda makes me laugh and blush." She smiled.
He stared at her in shock. " You're the slayer?" Buffy nodded, " Yep, don't ask to see the hairy mole though. I had that thing removed years ago." She shrugged at his inquiring look when she got lost in thought and smiled softly. " Just remembering a conversation that I had a couple of years ago. It's not important."
Remus looked at her closely and shook his head in shock. " I can't imagine what James and Peter would be saying right now. To know that Sirius's daughter is THE slayer." He chuckled sadly while looking away.
Buffy looked at him closely and felt guilt by association for what her father did to this poor man. " You miss them don't you?"
Remus looked up at her and nodded slightly all traces of smiles gone now. " I do. Not only James and Lily and Peter but Sirius as well. The old Sirius. Before he… before he changed."
Buffy interrupted. " I'm sorry that he did that to you. He killed Lily and James as well?"
Remus shook his head. " No, he might as well have though, according to the stories. He betrayed their trust. Don't apologize for what he did. It isn't your fault and people will understand that. Now you need that back story. But before we do that what do you say to some Butter beer?"
Buffy's face scrunched in confusion. " Butter. Beer?" She was trying to place it. " Is that like root beer?" At that innocent sentence coming from a pureblooded witch, Remus tossed his head back and laughed.
" No, no, it's not like root beer. Hey Tom?" Remus raised his voice slightly so the man behind the bar could hear him. " Can I get two Butterbeers over here please?"
Buffy started to reach for her purse and Remus stopped her. " No, it's on me. Besides you don't have the right kind of money. Speaking of which, I know Cassie left you her vault in her will. Did you get a key from the adoption agency?" At her nod, he smiled. " Good then we can go to Gringotts after we're through here if you want."
" What and Where's Gringotts?" She asked curious about the wizarding world as a man that she assumed was Tom the barkeeper, came and put two mugs of steaming cream colored liquid in front of them. He stared at her then looked to Remus for an explanation. Remus glanced at Buffy with raised eyebrows to ask her if it was alright for him to give Tom peace of mind. She nodded and smiled up at Tom as Remus said, " This is Buffy Summers, my second cousin. She was adopted by muggle Americans and has searched me out for information. Buffy, this is Tom the barkeeper/innkeeper here at The Leaky Cauldron. Tom this is Buffy."
Tom nodded and gave Buffy a returning smile and she wished he hadn't. His mouth was just as in a state of disrepair as the rest of him. He gave them both a bow and moved back toward the bar.
She raised her eyebrows at Remus and whispered. " He's creepy." Remus grinned. And said, " He is just the tip of the iceberg in the wizarding world. You'll get used to it though."
She brought her mug up to her lips and took a hesitant sip of the warm liquid. She gasped in shocked happiness. " Oh, god. This is delicious."
Remus grinned and nodded. " Yes, it is. Should I continue my story?" He asked giving her the chance to back out, and that way she wouldn't know what her father had done.
Buffy nodded. " Yes, please. I believe you were going to tell me how Sirius betrayed you all."
Remus nodded and took a deep breath before continuing his story, " About half a century ago there was a man named Tom Riddle. He was crazy and had the goals that are racist and should never be sought after. He believed that Purebloods are the strongest types of witches and wizards, half-bloods were inferior, and the Muggle born witches and wizards should be exterminated. Oh, muggles are non-magical people. You're actually a Pureblood raised as a muggle. Anyway, he started to collect supporters. He became more and more popular until he started to try and take over. At first it was small things to try and gain people's support and then it became worse and worse. So the people who he dubbed "muggle lovers" formed a secret alliance called the Order of the Phoenix to plot his demise, while he was plotting ours with his followers who he called his Death Eaters. He was on a power trip and everyone knew it. If you didn't follow him you were as good as dead. Well we had one thing that he didn't. Dumbledore, our old headmaster. Now we all trusted Sirius with our lives at this point not minding his families history in the Dark Arts. Your father came from a long line in Dark wizards and was all but disowned when he got accepted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. Moving on, Tom decided that his muggle fathers name did not strike the fear that he needed so he changed it to…"
Remus leaned in closer and whispered it, " Voldemort. Now that name mixed with the dark mark that shot up into the sky every time that the Death Eaters killed was enough to scare most so badly that they still don't use Voldemort aloud. We all were in the Order together and Voldemort found out about it. He started to pick off the strongest ones and move down, that was how your mother died. We knew by this time that there was a spy in our camp but we didn't know whom. I know that my friends suspected me all but Lily, she thought it was Peter, and I personally always thought it was Sirius. The Potters had just had a baby boy, Harry a year before they died. It was October 1985, when Lily and James, along with Harry went into hiding. There is a charm, the Fidelius, that can make it so that no one will know where you are unless that a specified person, The Secret Keeper, tells them. Voldemort could have presses his nose up against the window of the living room where James and Lily were playing with Harry and all the lights could have been on and the house would appear boarded and deserted. The problem was, was that Sirius was passing information to Voldemort and he was their Secret Keeper, and he betrayed their trust by saying exactly where they were not a week after the charm had been cast. So on Halloween Voldemort had searched them out and killed Lily and James and rounded on their son, Harry."
Buffy leaned forward as well enraptured by the tale he was weaving. " So, what happened to Harry. Did this Voldemort dude kill him?"
Remus shook his head. " No, he tried and Harry has the scar to prove it, but the curse, the 'Avada Kedevera' curse, rebounded off of Harry and back to Voldemort and Voldemort just disappeared. Never to be heard from again."
Buffy gaped at him. This was a lot of information to process in a short period of time. She shook her head and spoke, " I want, no, I need to see this kid. ThisHarry."
Remus nodded. " Well we can't go to his Aunt and Uncle's because Dumbledore wouldn't want two strangers showing up on his front porch. You could wait until he's back in school…but you're still in school. Although Hogwarts is you birthright." He looked at her with raised eyebrows.
Buffy blanched at going to a magic school, " Wait. You mean, me go to a magic school?" Remus nodded at her.
" I don't want you to feel as though you are being pressured but it is your birthright. I mean you'd have to make up a lot of classes, but it should come fairly easy to you."
Buffy sighed, " I'd like to, but I do have a lot going on in Sunnydale. I'll think about it. I mean we did get a one way ticket here and so Dad and I could stay here for as long as needed. I just can't leave my friends and my watcher, let alone Angel. Knowing him and Xander, they're already getting to the point where they could kill each other. There's just so much that Will can do to prevent WW3, ya know?"
Remus looked at her. " Angel? Xander? Will? Who are they?" He noted the wistfulness in Buffy's gaze when she started speaking about these people.
" Xander and Will or Willow are my two best friends. They are so great. If I ever need anything there they are. They help with the research . Cordy helps sometimes and she can be really helpful when she wants to be, but normally she is busy with herself. Lord knows how long it would take without them around, I mean I don't do the research thing, I'm snack girl." Remus laughed and realized how much she sounded like the Sirius that he used to know.
" You sound so much like your father did at that age. When we were studying for our N.E.W.T.S,he and James would always complain about it and then sneak down to the kitchens and come back with heaps of food. Lily would always yell at them and say they were acting immature and that their future depended on how they did on their tests. Oh N.E.W.T.S are the students last test at Hogwarts, that determine what carreer you would be good in." Remus trailed of and gave a nostalgic smile. " Anyway. You were saying?"
Buffy nodded, not knowing if she liked being compared to her father or not, but guessed that he really was a good person when he had been younger and had just gone down a wrong path. " Angel is my boyfriend. It's complicated but we've been together on again and off again for about six months. Right now we're on again and I couldn't be happier. He and Xand don't get along about anything. Angel's so quiet though that I don'tthink he would do anything but he does have a temper." She trailed of and Remus noted the starry eyed quality that she used when she spoke of her friends.
A question was nagging him though. " If you're on a hell mouth, then who's doing the slaying while you're away?"
Buffy smiled. " Angel and Giles. Giles is my watcher and he tends to lean to the head trauma when he's in a fight. So Angel is there so that Giles doesn't get himself killed."
Remus asked curiously , " And Angel can defend himself better than Giles? How old are Angel and Giles."
Buffy sighed and ran a hand over her face. " Yes. Angel can defend himself very efficiently. Angel is… well let's just say if I told you, you'd probably believe me but wonder about my sanity and Giles is like 40 something."
Remus laughed at the 'wonder about my sanity' part and said, " Well, it's not like he's a vampire or anything."
Buffy blushed, " Well…" Remus did a double take at the admission.
" He… You are dating a vampire?" He was taken aback by the fact that a slayer would date a vampire.
Buffy nodded but made to explain. " Angel's good though. He has a soul. He was cursed a hundred years ago by a clan of gypsies. He really is a good man."
Remus looked even more surprised by this. " Wait. He has a soul? You can't be talking about Angelus the Scourge of Europe and member of the Order of Aurelius?"
Buffy smiled slightly. " Yes but Angel isn't like that anymore. He is so sweet and cares a lot about people. Well except for Xander." She noticed his face and went on, " Yes my watcher knows he is a vamp and knows how much we care for one another, he's 242 and I think that that is enough about Angel. Didn't you say something about a bank?"
Remus nodded. " Yes, Gringotts. I think that it might be best if we called it a night though.I It's already 8:30 and all the shops on Diagon Alley are closed by now. Where are you staying and I'll drop you off and then pick you up tomorrow."
When they pulled up in Reumus' beat up car in front of Buffy's hotel, they sat in silence for a few moments.
" Thank you for telling me all of that Remus. I know that it must have been hard for you. When will you be here in the morning?" They made their plans, she gave him her room number, and wished each other good night.
So what do you think? I'll be posting the next in a couple of weeks. So this one'll just have to tide you over. Thank you once again for all you encouragement. I'll see ya'll later. Nat