Detective Lupin

The term drew to a close with Professor Trelawney introducing the class to crystal ball gazing. By now David was used to seeing a large Grim like dog and was no longer at all scared of it. If this meant he was going to meet Sirius Black then so much the better. He wanted to be the one who caught Black. Hermione was less relaxed.

"Not the Grim again!" she huffed loudly when Professor Trelawney looked into David's crystal ball.

Professor Trelawney looked really angry. "You do not have the makings of a seer my dear. Your mind is hopelessly mundane."

"Fine!" shouted Hermione as she grabbed up her books and bag. "I'm off." She left the classroom in a huff. David found her later in the Gryffindor common room, asleep with her head on her books. It appeared that Hermione had been taking too many classes. Perhaps dropping Divination would be for the best.

Early in the morning, the day the holidays began, David, Ron and Hermione met up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, now on the fifth floor due to the castle moving things around in the summer holidays. David produced the charms book and they read out the incantation together, their hands joined.

"Remember Harry," said Hermione. "If they're an uncle or aunt the aura will be blue and a guardian will show up in red. And the brighter the stronger the bond. But only you will see it. It'll take a few hours to build up but should last at least a couple of hours so you will have time."

"Thanks," said David. He took the book away with him.

David did not have to wait until he arrived in Lions' Den to look for the aura, although his friends were expecting him to, having no knowledge that his protector during the holidays was present at Hogwarts during term time. David walked slowly into the great hall for breakfast and surreptitiously looked up at the teachers' table. There the potions master was, looking the same colour to normal, at least to David's eyes.

"Oh well," thought David. "No matter, I'll find out later today."

Once again David went with Severus to Lions' Den for the holiday. They were half way through supper when David almost choked on his food. Severus was beginning to glow decidedly yellow.

"Oh bugger!" thought David. "No matter, I can cope," he told himself.

David was making good progress with his Zia lessons. His memory was nearly photographic now that he had uncrushed some of the powers that the Dursleys had tried to squash out of him. His metamorphmagus skills were also improving and he spent most of his time relaxing in his natural 'David' appearance. Severus had brought with him a long list of potions required by the Hospital Wing. When they arrived he apologised to David that he would not be able to spare much time to help him with his Zia studies. David watched Uncle Severus turn and walk towards his favourite potions laboratory feeling thankful that they were not going to be working too closely this holiday. He needed time to adjust.

A couple of days into the holiday Severus and David were having breakfast. While they were eating, Severus was giving David his tasks for the day when Simba appeared, bouncing from foot to foot.

"A visitor, Sire Severus," said Simba.

"Who?" asked Severus.

"Professor Remus Lupin," said Simba.

"How did he get here," said Severus in annoyance. "Well, I suppose it is too late to worry too much about that now. We'd better go and see what he knows."

"Simba has shown the Professor into the study," said the elf.

"Who has he come to see?" asked David.

"The professor sir has asked to see both Sire and Master Crimson," replied the elf fearfully.

Lupin stood up when Severus entered and David. Both looked curiously at Lupin. He should not have been able to gain access to Lions' Den, yet Simba had let him in. Etiquette required Severus to speak first, but after several minutes of silence Lupin said, "I'm not here to cause trouble, Sire Crimson."

Severus glared at him and then sighed and sat down. Lupin sat. "You never mean to cause problems but you do," Severus said coldly. "What do you know and how? I'm sure David did not tell you."

"I found out about his new surname," said Lupin evasively. "I never realised that you had the sense of humour."

"David, leave us," said Severus. The look he gave David made the boy obey him instantly. As David left he heard Severus saying, "What do you want, Lupin?"

David was sitting in the family dining room waiting for Severus to join him for lunch. He was therefore surprised to see Severus enter with Professor Lupin. David wanted to sigh, but his Zia training kicked in and he smothered it, standing politely instead.

"The new look suits you Har-Master Crimson," he said. David had Roger's curly red hair and his deep blue eyes, but Severus's ears and unfortunately his nose too. Somehow it did not look out of place on the smiling young man. His scar was just visible beneath his curls, to one who was looking for it.

Severus looked from one to the other. "You'll excuse me," he said abruptly. "I have several potions for the Hospital wing which require my attention. Perhaps some other time?"

Severus disappeared into the bowels of the house while David and Lupin tucked into a shepherd's pie.

"Now I understand how you were able to summon your Patronus so quickly," said Lupin. "In fact given your heritage your grades should be much higher, but I suppose that would be a giveaway?"

"I am a bit behind," admitted David. "I had never even heard of a Zia before last summer. So how did you find us?"

"I just flooed Lions' Den from Hogwarts and your House Elf let me in," said Remus. David looked puzzled. Severus had told him they could not be found here… but maybe that was just because the house had been unoccupied (except by House Elves) for several years so nobody tried to call any more. "You say you are behind with your Zia magic. Can I help at all?"

"That would be great, if you have the time," said David. "Uncle Severus has been very helpful, but he said he thinks I can get along without him now, and he has potions to brew. I think he likes experimenting."

"That is the Severus I remember," said Lupin. "He always had some project on the go. I, however, am all caught up on my work, so lead on, Master Crimson."

David led Lupin through the house to the main study. He could not take a non-family member into the Quirinius Cella, but the study would be the next best thing. David crossed to the portrait of his father and his siblings. "Dad?" said David. "This is Professor Lupin from Hogwarts. He found out."

Roger Dragon looked at Lupin and smiled. "Welcome to Lions' Den, Professor Lupin," said Roger. "Our young charge has spoken well of you, haven't you Small One?"

"Yes, Dad," said David. "Professor Lupin taught me the Patronus charm."

"I should like to see that," said a voice to the left. David looked over in shock. David Dragon, the last Lord Crimson, was actually in the normally blank portrait.

Lupin smiled encouragingly at David and David stretched out his hand. He focused his magic through his ring and a few moments later a red stag appeared in front of his hand. It ran a couple of times around the room and then vanished.

"Very good, Small One," said David Dragon. "How are his studies progressing?" he asked Lupin.

"I only teach Master Crimson for Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Lupin, "but he is doing well in those studies." David felt a bit embarrassed.

David Dragon looked hard at Lupin. "You will help him to learn what he must since Severus has abandoned us."

"I will do what I can," said Lupin.

"You will stay at Lions' Den and help him," said David Dragon. "Simba!" The House Elf appeared in the study. "Make up a bedroom for Professor Lupin and fetch his belongings."

"Grandfather!" said David. "Professor Lupin, please excuse the portrait of my grandfather. You are welcome to stay as long, or as short a time as you wish."

"That's alright, 'Small One,'" said Remus. "I'm happy to help."

Simba was looking between David and his grandfather's portrait. "Simba," said David, "It's fine. Just make up a room please? Professor? Your belongings?"

"At Hogwarts… I'll go and get them."

"Simba can get Professor Sir's belongings," said the excited House Elf.

"Thank you Simba," said David, "But nobody at Hogwarts must know that I am here..."

"I think you'll find that all the house elves already know," said Lupin. "They'd just respect a Zia too much to reveal his secret."

David thought back to Dobby's sudden impulse to protect him the previous year. Dobby knowing kind of made sense.

"Very well Simba," said David. "Please make the arrangements."

The portrait of David Dragon glared at his grandson and then turned to look at Lupin. "You will teach the boy," he said before walking out of the portrait.

Lupin turned to David. "Master Crimson," he said. "How can I help you with your studies? What are you currently working on?"

David held out his hand and an exercise book appeared in it. "This is my Zia journal," he said handing it over and walking to the group of comfortable chairs. They sat down. Lupin leafed through the book. David was breaking even at about thirteen year old wizard level, but that was only about eight year old Zia level. He had a lot of catching up to do.

"So what do you want to study?" asked Lupin.

David paused, he had not been asked that before. "Well, I want to catch up… preferably before I come of age."

"Yes, but what do you want to study?" asked Lupin. "You can't cover everything… what is most important to you?"

"I'm not sure," said David. "Transfiguration and Defence, that means that I can always create things I need and I can keep away Voldemort or Black or whoever is after me at that time. Then I'd like to work on my core-healing… but apart from that I don't know."

"Well," said Lupin. "Those sound like good choices. But you will have a position in society and will have to act accordingly. You need to cover history, politics and etiquette, languages would be good too."

"Languages? I've wanted to learn French for years. I started a few lessons in my Muggle primary school… It was fascinating, seeing how another language can change how you think about something… just having different concepts for words and expressions… I'd like to learn Welsh too, you know, living in Wales as I do."

"I can't help you with the Welsh," said Lupin. "But I can teach you French. My grandmother was French and I grew up bilingual. Many wizards use translation spells, but they are difficult to cast and translate the words literally so they can be ambiguous. You see Master Crimson…"

"Please, Professor, call me David," said David. "I know when I'm older I'm going to have to be formal with everyone, but for now I'd prefer to avoid that."

"Only if you will agree to call me Remus," said Lupin. "When we are not in class anyway." He returned David's journal. "Now, you are topping the class in defence so how about we try some transfigurations?"

David agreed and they started to work. Remus conjured up a teapot. "Try to turn that into a tortoise," he said.

David held his ring over the teapot and managed to change it into the required tortoise, but it still had a willow patterned shell.

"Well, that was a good first attempt," said Remus. "You got the shape right, but did not pay enough attention to the appearance. Try again, but this time think about how it should look not just that it should be a tortoise. You need to concentrate on the image and feel of what you want to transfigure, not just the concept."

David tried again with more success. The tortoise breathed steam for a few breaths but then settled down into ordinary tortoise behaviour.

"David," said Remus, "your spells appear to come out of your ring…"

"Yes, well, they do," agreed David. "You see, I, the Muggles, I mean… Well, I've been channelling magic through a wand for so long that I found it difficult to perform magic without a focus. Uncle Severus made this ring for me. It is holly wood like my wand, but the core is one of my own hairs so it works with Zia magic. Hopefully, as I get more used to Zia magic I will stop needing it, but for now it helps."

"What was that about the Muggles?"

"Well," said David reluctantly. "Part of the problem is that the Muggles tried to stop me using magic, so that I subconsciously tried to suppress my magic. Grandfather Godric – that is the portrait of my first maternal Godric Gryffindor, thinks that they caused me to have 'magical repression' which means that I can't access all of my magic. He has been working with me on combatting it."

"I see," said Remus. "Well, it might make it easier to pretend to be using a wand if spells appear to come from that hand. Now, why don't you try turning that tortoise into a glass jug. Remember to think about how it looks not just the abstract idea of a jug."

"Remus," said David, "would you take part in a mind-ritual with someone you didn't know very well, if it could give you more magic?"

"Is this about you and Severus?"

"Yeah, he offered me the mind-ritual to combat my magical repression. But I don't like the idea of him being in my head. Yet from what Grandfather Godric said it could cure me."

"I don't know how to advise you on that one," said Remus. "I don't think I would want Severus in my head either. But you could gain a lot."

Whenever David came across Severus and Lupin talking, they stopped abruptly. David realised that there was something going on, something about him. Finally on the last night of the holidays Remus disappeared after supper to 'pack' and Severus suggested David accompany him to the Quirinius Cella. David could see that Severus was nervous. This was not going to be pleasant.

They entered the hidden room and the portrait of Roger was waiting for them. "You know that we are blood relations," Severus began. "One look in the mirror would be enough for that, but I have been less than truthful with you."

David looked up at the tall wizard.

"You know that I am 'Sire Crimson' and that that means that I married into the Crimson House," said Severus. "More specifically, that I married someone who was or would have been the Crimson Lord."

"You married Dad, didn't you?" asked David softly.

"How long have you known?"

"For a while."

"How?"

"The way you enforced my obedience with a parental bond," said David. "Hermione worked out that's what it was and then we used the aura charm and I saw you in yellow."

"And?"

"And what?" asked David.

"And, how do you feel about it? About me being your father?"

"I dunno. How would you feel about finding out you had a real live father after being raised by your Muggle relations who hated you? Glad, overjoyed, ecstatic… or annoyed, angry that he had rejected you for so long! That he lied and didn't tell you when he could have!"

"Which of those do you feel?"

"I don't know! I'm angry I think, angry that you left me with the Dursleys for so long. Angry that you treated me so badly at school for the last two years. Angry that you did not tell me. But also I'm happy," said David smiling, but with tears in his eyes. "I'm happy to have a real live father. To have what my friends have, a family… but I suppose nobody can know about this?"

"No, except Lupin, he already knows."

"So you told him before you told me?"

"No, he worked it out. That is why I didn't want you to tell anyone your real name…"

"I didn't…"

"Then how? How could Lupin have known?"

"Ah," said David. "Well, that night, when you caught me with the parchment that insulted you."

"Yes, what was that piece of parchment?"

"It was a map… a map of Hogwarts. But not just any map, it tells you where people are. It shows their names."

"And you told Lupin how to work it."

"No, he already knew. So how could he work it all out from a name? I thought Zias took a new name on marriage – surely nobody else could know it."

"We did," said Severus. "The name Antirrhinum, it is the Latin for 'Snapdragon' – Snape and Dragon, you see."

"Oh, and Remus knows his plant names. I see."

"I want to ask you again to consider the mind-ritual. With Black getting into the castle twice I would feel much better if you had reliable access to more of your magic."

"I am grateful for the offer," said David. "But I just can't have you in my head."

"I understand," said Severus. "The offer will still be there when you want to take it up."

"So what happens now?" asked David.

"Nothing," replied Severus. "Or rather; nothing as concerns anyone else. It is not safe for our relationship to be known. Not even the headmaster…"

"But why? Surely the headmaster wouldn't…"

"Dad thought he could."

"But he's always been looking out for me… he wouldn't!"

"Just obey me on this one. It's not safe to tell him."

"Obey you! You knew you were my father for years without telling me. You left me to the Dursleys and now suddenly you think that I should obey you!"

"It is for your own safety," protested Severus. The pair locked gazes and after several seconds David looked away.