Disclaimer : Not mine.

His Calling

Chapter 25

Of Legs, Bruises and Goats

Remus sat outside Moody's door at St. Mungo's. He kept his eyes to the floor and nervously waited for his Mum to come out. The smells here were familiar. Disinfectant and soap assaulted his senses and the sounds of clanking trays and noisy carts jarred him. He remembered last time he was here, and kept his face lowered, afraid someone would recognise him.

"Remus?" Rhea opened the door a crack and waved him in. "You look peaky. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, its…I don't know … this place."

"Moody says you can come in, but the healer … just be fast."

Remus nodded and slipped into the room, surprised when his mother left at the same time.

"Come here boy." Moody struggled to sit up. "Get over here and push this damned pillow behind me."

Remus grinned and did as he was told, noticing how the blanket laid over Moody, flat to the bed where his leg should have been.

"Cor," he said breathlessly. "What happened to you?"

"Bloody leg got in the way," he spat. "Won't do that again."

"Umm, Moody? It's gone."

Moody leaned forward and patted the blanket that should be covering his leg, patting instead only the bed and the blanket. "Yep, do think you're right. How about that boy?"

"Can they grow you a new one?" Remus couldn't help but grin.

"That's my choice," he sighed heavily.

"Don't sound like much of a choice to me."

"It's a big choice boy. New leg would be … new. Don't like new parts in an old body."

"Umm, yeah."

"New ones don't work as good as the one you get at the start. Weaker, don't move as good. Don't … belong. Don't fit in with the rest."

"Better than … well, better than nothing. You don't have one at all now."

"Got one left. More than some have these days. Take me off the force they would. Will say I can't do what I should."

"Umm." Remus didn't know what to say so looked at the emptiness under the blanket instead. "That would be bad. How long you got to stay here?"

"Couple of days. I'm going to hole up at Tonks' after that."

"Maybe me and Sirius can come see you?"

"No, lad. Sirius is to stay low. It's not a good time for him to see Andromeda right now. He'll pay hell if he is caught there."

"What about me?"

"You tell your new dad. He can bring you, but I don't want you to be running off by yourself." He pushed his fists down to rise up higher on the bed, wincing in pain. "I wanted to talk to you boy. That's why you are here. So listen up before that evil mediwitch comes in here to ruin our fun, bad one she is."

Remus grinned and pulled the chair that sat by the door closer to the bed.

"Your dad should have left me. He made a mistake."

"He saved you. I saw the blood. It was more than bleeding it was…squirting."

"That was his mistake boy. He had already taken his stand over Fabian. Should have stayed where he was. He's going to feel bad about doing that, and I don't want you to go talking about it."

"That Molly woman…"

"Mrs. Weasley, watch your manners."

"Mrs. Weasley said he was going to be fine. It's her brother and she is fine with it."

"She is now, but if he had died she would want my balls on a platter and then she'd shove them in John's mouth till he choked on them," he snorted. "The short of it is that this goes no further. The only ones that saw what happened are loyal to the Order. This gets out, and he'll find his arse out of the Auror Division. You hear me boy?"

"This Order, is Dad a part of it?"

"No, don't know if Albus will take him now. He is stricter than the Ministry in these things. It's important boy, you don't save one to risk the many, you remember that. You never forget the whole to go after the one. When Dawlish brought me here, he left Fabian to die and the rest in a duel we needed him in. If the Order hadn't shown up he could have lost them all."

"I don't get it," Remus stood, getting angry. "I saw it. He saved your life."

"Don't go getting this wrong. He is a good man, just can't be trusted, not the way we need to trust him to follow what has to be done. We can't waste time in second-guessing what someone is doing, we have to know it. He is going to be in a right foul mood about this and I don't want you adding to it."

"Yes, sir."

"Now get out of here while I convince that pretty-bad one I need a bath," Moody tried to grin, as Remus turned red and hurried for the door. "Remus, he has my respect, and there is not a man among us that would not risk our life for him, just know what happened is to go no further."

Remus shut the door behind him quietly, seeing Rhea standing against the opposite wall. "I don't care what they say, Dad did right."

"I know," she said quietly. "Just don't bring it up. If he does that's fine, but … Remus, he feels bad about it, he knows that he left the others, but he knew the Order was coming and that Moody couldn't wait."

"I would have done the same. He would have bled to death."

"I know." She held out her hand and waited until he accepted it before walking down the hallway. "You have to understand that this is war, and there are ways to do things. Like, when John told you what to do if there is an attack. Things have to go a certain way. Same in duels. If we are ever attacked again, even if I am not home, you have to close the floo and set the wards. Do you understand, even if it means locking me outside, you do it, not questions, no thought, you just do it."

Remus nodded, knowing even as he saw her smile at his acceptance of the rules, that he would never do it.

"Same thing in duel, you take a stand and don't back down. That person on the ground, the one you promise to protect, you never leave him."

"But what if…"

"No, Remus," she looked at his upturned face and had to grin. "The war will be long over by the time you come of age."

"But why would I let someone die?"

"By the time your Dad left the rest had already set their positions to fill in his and set up shields. When he left, there was an opening. Dumbledore was strong enough to close it, that man can fight like three, but if he had not come you may not be standing here talking."

.

.

Remus was still getting dressed the next morning when his mother called up the stairs that he had company. Running down, expecting to find Peter, he was surprised to find Sirius standing just inside the door.

"Have you eaten?" Rhea called from the kitchen.

"I'm fine Mrs. Lup … Mrs. Dawlish." Sirius toed the floor and jerked his head toward the door, signalling his impatience to Remus.

"I didn't ask how you felt. I asked if you have eaten? No? Then get in here, because Remus has to eat and you may as well join him."

"I ate."

"When? It is six in the morning and if you rode your broom all the way up here from London you had to have left at four."

"Yes, Madam," he said softly, and shuffled into the kitchen keeping his head lowered.

"Remus, go down to the barn and make sure the door is latched. I thought I heard it in the wind last night," Rhea ordered as she watched Sirius slump into one of the kitchen chairs.

As soon as the outer door shut, she turned to Sirius and lifted his chin, turning his face up to hers. She pulled her wand out and touched the tip to his right cheek, then higher to his eye socket, healing the bruises.

"Now, if you hurry and lift your shirt I will check your back before he comes back," she said gently, seeing his eyes lock on her face.

"It doesn't hurt."

"No, I imagine not, but it bothers me, so lift it up."

He turned in his seat at the same time crossing his arms in front of him and grabbed the hem of his tee to lift it up. Feeling the cool healing of Rhea's magic, he turned his head to wipe his tears on his shoulder before lowering the tee from his face.

"Was this because you were up here?" Rhea asked.

"Nah, they don't keep after me that way."

"Come on Sirius, it had something to do with yesterday."

"Yaxley. He figured it was me with Potter and Remus."

"Your parents don't want you here?"

"I don't care what they…"

"Sirius, if they don't want you here, I can't allow it either," she sat down and put her hand over his. "Maybe I can talk to your mother."

"Not likely," he snorted. "Yaxley and the others do their talking."

"This Yaxley, he was one of them?"

"Who do you think it was? Yaxley, Wilkes, Mulciber and I think that Malfoy kid. Looked like him."

"Malfoy?"

"Yeah, he will be seventh year this term, but looked like his hair."

"Don't jump to conclusions young man. They all had…."

"I'm not," Sirius spat and stood up, stepping back from her. "I'll be there with him in three years. They plan to give me to him. You don't know how it works." His voice hitched as he fought tears.

"Three years? Sirius, no."

"I'm almost fourteen. They won't wait until I finish school. Once I'm sixteen I'll be old enough. They…" The front door opened and Sirius ran his arm across his eyes and turned around to the sink.

"Sit down and eat, both of you," Rhea said, her mind furiously working as she fought to understand what he had just told her. "I need to go up to Hogwarts and get the supply list for next term, we have the wards set so the owls can't get in. If you two promise not to get into mischief, you each get three galleons and a day in Hogsmeade."

"Sirius? That would be great hey?"

"Deal," Sirius turned back grinning and sat down as if nothing had happened. "First we eat. I'm starving."

Remus had never had three whole galleons without a purpose. Three galleons without a list and or a plan. He kept his hand in this pocket, afraid the coins would jump out and land on the ground, enjoying the feel of money cool and hard against his palm.

"Honeydukes?" Sirius grinned and sauntered down the pavement.

"Sounds good," Remus agreed, already thinking of raspberries covered in chocolate, or piles of coconut in bite sized chocolate chunks of creamy sweetness. .

Sirius suddenly stopped and turned to him. "Hey, I know what we should do. Aberforth has these goats, see? He keeps them out in the Alley behind the Hogs Head. My Mum says he does weird things with them."

"How weird?" Remus frowned and thought of old jokes about shepherds and sheep.

"He's not bonking 'em," Sirius laughed, then turned serious. "Least I don't think so."

"Come on." Remus turned right and headed behind the Three Broomsticks. "There is a path through the woods. We can go that way."

They sprinted around behind the buildings, ducking under the windowsills, and keeping low until they got to the small enclosure behind the Hogs Head. Remus stood on his toes and peered over the fence, then dropped down and cupped his hand, making a step for Sirius. With a lopsided grin, Sirius hoisted himself up, dropped on the other side of the fence and crouched down while Remus scrambled over the fence behind him.

"Stinks like goat shite," Sirius whispered.

"That's not goat shite," Remus looked around and saw a pile of feed near the goats.

He squatted down next to it and rubbed the long pine looking needles between his fingers, then smelled his hand frowning. Not understanding what he was looking at, he picked up one of the needles and bit into it. Pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth, he began to grin.

"Sirius, come here," he hissed back over his shoulder. "It's Laeraro."

"Okay farm boy, what's Laerar?"

"Laeraro. You got your wand?" Remus whispered, smiling as Sirius pulled it from his pocket. "Transfigure me a cup."

Sirius picked up a small stone and making the cup handed in to Remus. Taking the cup to one of the goats, Remus set it on the ground and grabbed one of the goats teats, squeezing a long stream of amber liquid into the cup. Releasing the teat, he picked up the cup grinning.

"Mead," he giggled, handing the cup to Sirius.

Sirius drained the swallow of mead and made a face. "It's hot."

"Shhh," Remus fought not to laugh. "Got to cool it, idiot. It just came from a goat, course it is."

Sirius grinned and looked at the goat, and with a wink at Remus flicked his wand, reducing the goat to a size small enough to fit in his pocket. Hurrying back to the fence, he cupped his hands for Remus.

"You'll never make it," Remus put his hands together and waited for Sirius to go over the fence and then jumped up, grabbed the top and hoisted his body over.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, they both began to run toward the river, as if reading each other's thoughts on where to go. Sirius kept his hand in his pocket, protecting the small goat, until they were safely away and he could remove it and return it to its normal size.

"Fuck," Sirius laughed. "Do you believe this?"

"Aberforth is going to be pissed," Remus guffawed.

"Yeah, but he can't do anything about it."

Remus snorted, "Can you hear him putting in a lost goat report?"

"Yes, Mr. Auror," Sirius mimicked Aberforth's slow speech. "The one that gives mead."

"Give me the cup."

"You have it." Sirius had stopped laughing.

"No I don't. I gave it to you."

Sirius shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "Fuck."

"You could use the goat," Remus snorted again, and broke into a gale of laughter.

"It's not funny."

"Yeah, yeah it is!" He eked out between gasps.

Sirius grinned back and picked up a large pebble from the river, transfiguring it into a pitcher, which he handed to Remus and nodded to the goat.

"Dig a hole in the river bank," Remus grinned as he began to fill the jug. "We can cool it down that way, just put it close enough to let the water go around it, but not to deep."

"I always sort of figured you just lived up at that farm for the barn, Moony."

"Nah, it's a real farm. Not as big as what we had before, but … still."

"So, how did you know what that stuff was?"

"The Laeraro? Mum used to tell me the old stories. You know, the Muggle myths, and then where they came from. Laeraro is supposed to smell like … betrayal. Mum says that sometimes the apple represents betrayal, like the story of Adam and Eve, when she ate the apple. The needles smelled like… smoke and apples, but tasted like beer."

Remus handed the jug to Sirius and watched as he put it in the water to cool. "What about the goat?"

"I'm not going back there," Sirius grinned. "She's on her own."

"Full moon is in two days," Remus lay back on the grass and looked up at the sky, his arms folded behind his head. "She's not wild. She should be penned up someplace."

"Do you ever want to… you know... an animal or … anything?"

"I don't know anymore." He rolled his head to the side and saw Sirius sitting on the ground running a blade of grass through his fingers. "Sirius, I don't remember anything. Once the change is over, I don't remember anything until the morning."

"That sucks."

"Yeah," Remus looked back up at the sky. "That's the worse part. Check the mead, it won't take long."

Sirius crawled to the riverbank and picked up the jug, tipping it to his mouth and taking two swallows. "My father says Aberforth always waters down his drink, but I think he has it wrong."

Remus sat up and reached for the mead. "How would you know what good mead tastes like?"

"I get to have it at parties." He shrugged. "Only one glass, but I get to have some."

Remus took a couple of swallows himself, running his sleeve over his mouth to catch the drips. "Not bad."

They sat for the rest of the morning, passing the jug between them until it was empty and then Remus attempted to coax more out of the goat. Tossing the jug to the ground, they stood up and decided it was time to go back into Hogsmeade.

"I'm hungry," Sirius hiccupped. "Three Broomsticks has lunch for less than a galleon. We have plenty."

"Okay," Remus came to his feet grinning. "Rosmerta makes her own bread."

"I just like looking at her."

"Fuck, you liked looking at the goat," Remus laughed as Sirius draped his arm around his shoulder and punched him in the arm.

"If you think the blonde at my Aunt's house had a pair of jugs, just take a good look at Rosie's."

They made their way back into town, leaving the goat at the river, and followed the luncheon crowd into the café. Finding a table away from the window, they sat laughing and joking until Rosmerta brought them a menu.

"Is your Mum with you today?" Rosmerta dropped the menus on the table, putting her hands on her hips.

"No, this is Sirius…Sirius Black." Remus kept his eyes down, suddenly aware he could still smell mead.

"Hey gorgeous," Sirius beamed up at her. "Nice blouse."

"You're drunk," Rosmerta wrested Sirius' chin up, and looked hard into his eyes. "Okay, to the kitchen with both of you."

"Ah, Rosie," Sirius rested his chin in the palm of his hand and grinned up at her. "Feed me."

Remus sniggered and tried not to laugh aloud. "Yeah, feed us," he snorted. "We want goat."

Sirius burst out laughing and slapped the table. "Yeah, no lamb for us … we want the good stuff."

"Remus Lupin, you march your arse into that kitchen," she hissed and then rounded on Sirius. "Black, one more word and I will put my foot where you don't want it. Now march."

Remus stood and jerked his head, indicating that Sirius should follow, and headed towards the back. He pushed the kitchen door open and sauntered in, intending to make it to the table when the smell of greasy sausage filled his nose and he felt his stomach lurch. Clamping his hand over his mouth, he rushed out of the back door and fell onto his knees, vomiting on the ground.

"Good one Moony," Sirius gasped from the doorway. "You're going to kill the grass."

"Black?" Rosmerta pushed him towards the table, biting back a grin. "Sit until he's done, or you're going to clean up the mess the Muggle way."

"Not me, Beautiful." He shook his head and sat at the table as directed. "Us Black's don't work and never, ever, work like a Muggle."

She shot him a look that let him know he was on thin ice and went out to check on Remus. Standing over him, she folded her arms and looked down at his back that rolled each time his gut retched out the mead. She let her smile cover her face as she looked up at the sky and shook her head. Leaning down to look at his face again, she grinned and turned back to the kitchen.

"You know he can't drink this close to the moon," she said as the door closed behind her. "Not that at your age either one of you should anyway, but him most of all."

"He never said anything."

"He wouldn't." She picked up the next order and glared at him. "You two sit until lunch is over. I have work to do and customers to feed. You cost me business and you owe me."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest as she bumped the door with her hip, opening it and sweeping out to the dinning room with a platter full of food. He sniffed the air and snuck over to the stove where a pan of sausages sizzled in hot grease. Smiling he speared one with a fork and took it to the table where he sat munching until Remus came back.

"Shite," he said. "How can you eat that? It smells disgusting."

"Not as disgusting as you," Sirius grinned. "Best sit down before she gets back in here. You hungry?"

"Shut up Black."

"She said you can't drink this close to the moon. That true?"

"That's what the books say. But they say werewolves want raw meat, sleep on the floor and have a big penis … well, that part's true," he snorted.

Sirius laughed and smacked the table with the palm of his hand. "Is that why you wanted the goat?"

"Shut up Black," Remus couldn't help but grin. "My Mum's going to kill us. You know that right?"

They became quiet when the door opened and Rosmerta came in frowning, tossing a tray on the table. "Okay, now tell me where you got it."

"Got what Rosie?" Sirius smirked, his grin slipping as he saw her angry look. "Sorry."

"Yeah, sorry," Remus bit his lower lip.

"That's it." She left the kitchen and stomped upstairs.

"What do you think she is doing?" Remus looked up at the ceiling, following the sound of her footfalls.

"Nothing good. We should leave."

"She'll floo my mum."

"Then I should leave."

"You would leave me?" Remus asked, amazed at Sirius' admission.

"Like a ewe at a full moon."

"She's coming back." Remus looked up at the ceiling again.

"I'm outta here," Sirius muttered and headed for the door, blanching when he found it warded shut.

"What's wrong Black? Haven't learned wards yet?" Rosmerta stood in the doorway watching him. "Now sit your arse down and drink this."

She thumped two vials on the table, slid one over to Remus, and waited until Sirius had uncapped his and poured it into his mouth before picking up the teapot and levitating the desert tray behind her. She paused at the doorway and with a grin set wards to trap them in the kitchen.

"Shite." Both boys said then looked at each other suddenly worried.

"What is this?" Remus held up the vial, looking at it suspiciously.

"Sober up, right nasty too."

"What do we need this for?"

Sirius grinned and leaned the chair back on two legs. "Shut up and drink it Moony."

"Oh," Remus put down the empty vial. "Will it make my stomach better?"

"Doubt it." Sirius looked back at the door nervously. "What do you think she is up to?"

Sirius left the table and peeked out of the diamond shaped window into the dinning room. The last of the customers were just standing up and putting the money down for the meal. He craned his neck, trying to see Rosmerta, and caught a glimpse of her skirt around the corner.

"She's almost done. Looks like she is letting someone out, and only one more to go."

"Great," Remus sighed.

They heard the bell above the outer door ring and Rosmerta's footsteps as she walked back to the kitchen. Remus ran his hand through his hair and tried to sit up straighter, then blew into his hands and smelled his breath.

"Give it up," Sirius smirked. "You lost it in the yard, you think you don't smell?"

"Shut up, Black."

"Okay kids, I want to know exactly who bought for you." Rosmerta walked into the kitchen already yelling at them. "I know damned well you didn't walk into the Hogs Head and plunk your money down. Abs would have your arse in a sling for even trying. Now talk."

Remus put his arms on the table and hung his head, looking up at Sirius who became interested in his shoelaces.

"We can sit here all day you know." She tapped her foot and leaned back against the counter.

"You going to tell my Mum?" Remus squeaked.

"What do you think?"

"I was just asking."

"Well? Speak up unless you want to…" she looked out the window and frowned. "What the bloody hell…" Walking to the back door, she threw it open and looked at the goat that was working on destroying her lilac bush.

Remus licked his lips and swivelled around in his chair as the bleating of the goat filled the room. "Fuck."

She turned back to the boys, her face angrier than Remus thought possible. Swallowing hard he turned back to the table and looked at Sirius, his eyes as large as saucers.

"Gee," Sirius grimaced. "I wonder where that came from."

"I wonder," she seethed. "That crazy loon! That bloody son-of-a-bitch. He's up to it again!"

She yanked her shawl from the hook by the back door, tossed it over her shoulders and proceeded to yank the goat from the bush. Remus' head snapped back to see Sirius' grin.

"Wait," Sirius mouthed, and nodded back to the sight of Rosmerta tugging the goat out of the garden and down the path to the Hogs Head. Once she was out of sight, the boys walked slowly to the open door, tentatively looked out, and once sure the way was clear, began to run.