Disclaimer: These are such a pain in the butt.
A/N Ah, I didn't seem to make it to the deadline...but...the story must go on I suppose. *sigh* I'm going to try and continue this story, even though I'm terribly depressed about a spoiler I found before finishing Ootp, I'm still in the middle of chapter 10 and I can't make myself go on.
As you know, this story has turned AU from what I've heard...So, here you go anyway.
~*~
Flirting With the Enemy
By
Sierra Sitruc
Chapter 29 So It Happens
A day in the life of a dead person, Lily thought as she sat at a table in one of the luxuriously decorated homes of a young werewolf that lived in this limbo city. In truth, all the werewolves were fairly young, for none lived long as a werewolf.
It had taken Lily a short time to notice, that the reason the city of the werewolves was golden was because it was an as-close-as-possible color imitation of their eyes, amber gilded with a fine sheen of silver, slivers of the moon, it seemed. It had a meaning to them all.
Remus sat across from her- he was fitting right in among everyone. Lily, however, with her emerald eyes and awkward attitude, was feeling misplaced. This was not for her.
There was a new werewolf among them, and Motavius sitting around the table in conversation. The new one, was a young looking woman, by the name of Gwyneth, she had a sweet smile and sparkling eyes. She'd listened to the situation closely and had been pensive for hours, it was only now that she was beginning to speak what was on her mind.
"There could be ways of getting them both back...However, I'm sure neither of them are up to it," Gwyneth said solemnly, a hint of hesitance in her voice.
"I trust you, I wouldn't have brought them here if I didn't. Your extensive knowledge in magic and lycanthropy are your greatest assets. Now is the time to put them to good use," Motavius said wisely. "Let's hear what you have to say."
With a nod of agreement from Remus and Lily, Gwyneth began, "Long ago in my studies in the country of Romania, where we all know was the place of banishment for Vampires and Werewolves until the 18th century, I found a library that claimed to have the most broad amount of information in the world. I was young and quickly entered out of curiosity without a thought...Well, I went to the oldest section of books they had." She paused and a flickering smile crossed her face, "It smelled like old fish and rotten eggs. "Somehow, I managed to find a book. I was appalled at what I found."
The room seemed filled with thick air, swallowing up all sounds but Gwyneth's voice. They all stared intently as the woman continued to speak.
"There were all sorts of forbidden curses that I'd never learned about in school, enchantments, things legends came from and of course the trick between life and death." She quirked an eyebrow, "You didn't think that just because your heart stops beating, that you're all stiff and dead now did you?"
Remus, Lily and Motavius gaped in awe at the brilliant woman in front of them, she reminded Remus of a female Dumbledore.
"How many of you have heard about the potion that can make you sleep so deeply that it is as if you are dead?" They all nodded, Motavius a little less confident as the only non-wizard. "So, you can understand that death can be there in appearance, but not in truth, yes?" They all nodded again.
Gwyneth made a show of preparing herself for her finale before going on. "The trick is, that no one is all dead for the first twenty-four hours. For those hours our bodies are shutting down and our souls are finding their ways to heaven or the off chance of hell." She pushed a wisp of hair off her forehead, "Now, as your bodies aren't yet a day old, I believe we can wake them up."
"Wake them up?" Remus questioned, uncertainty in his voice.
"That's right, you and Lily, with the way you came here--can still return to your bodies."
"What's so horrible about that? When you first began speaking, you sounded like it was going to be...gruesome," Lily said uncomfortably. The certain yet vague feeling of mystique in Gwyneth's air sparked like electric currents in their midst, everyone rapt with attention.
"Ah, it is." Gwyneth continued, "You see, waking up your bodies is...quite unpleasant. See returning you to Earth will be the easy part as it's still a full moon down there--even if it isn't here in the 'limbo'. Your souls can travel down and then you'll automatically be swept to the spot where you died. The difficult part is getting your souls molded back with your bodies. It's a very complicated matter. You'll just kind of force your way back in, but then you have to wait for your body to come back to life. It may or may not work...The things I read in that library--weren't specific--but that's what I assumed." Gwyneth finished.
"So...We'd have to enter our dead bodies?" Lily's face wrinkled in disgust.
"There's no other way and I'm not sure exactly how it works...You could just use the converse of leaving them and go from there," Gwyneth suggested. Lily made a noise of dissent, and Remus frowned, as if questioning the sincerity of her words.
"Oh hell, you can't be serious," Remus said in disbelief, even as he accepted it as what they had to do.
"I am indeed...Motavius will escort you back to your place of entry, and send you on your way. You'll know what to do, won't you Motavius?" Gwyneth asked.
"Of course, come along now, we have no time to waste here. The moon is passing by the minute and it could take us awhile to get you back into your bodies."
"This sounds unbelievably impossible, but I'll do what I have to," Lily said determinedly, as she and Remus rose and followed Motavius out.
As they went through the golden streets, werewolves gave her glares or encouraging looks of sympathy. Lily stayed close to Remus' and Motavius' sides, afraid of what might happen should she be left alone here.
The way here, they'd been careful not to be seen; this time Motavius used his authority to force the crowds aside. Never before had a non-werewolf been seen with the citizens of Motavius' kingdom, it was like a zoo with Lily as the main attraction.
Passing through the gates of the city, they hurried on faster after Motavius. Lily didn't know how Motavius knew the way, but he led them straight to part of the limbo and stopped.
"Follow me, don't stray away or you'll never find your way back." Motavius ordered and a bright tunnel was formed and they found themselves being sucked in. Remus and Lily stuck close to the elder werewolf and soon they found themselves free-falling back to Earth.
It was only by the will of Gods that they managed to make it back to the same direct spot as their bodies.
Motavius landed perfectly, the other two wobbled around. They were capable of floating, without skin to hold them down and then proceeded to figure out how to get back in their bodies.
Remus had a terrible time, for the first time in his life he was staring the wolf in the face. Motavius swiftly took his side and they began to try and connect the two parts of Remus together.
Lily studied herself, and shook her head in disgust. She looked awful. A shower seemed necessary very soon she noted before turning to Remus to give a last minute thought. "In case one of us doesn't make it back, either way we get to Dumbledore. He's the only one I can think of that could help. We can't have an immortal Voldemort running around like a madman now can we?" Lily said, as lightly as she could.
Remus nodded solemnly, "Good luck."
"Good luck to you too, be careful." Lily answered.
Lily turned and began to calculate how to go about this. The most obvious and ridiculously way, would be to just simply fall into it.
"Might as well try." She mumbled to herself, and gracefully let herself fall, arms stretched outwards as if to catch herself.
Immediately everything went dark. She was still aware of everything going around her, but she was more or less one with her body again. Lily found that she was incredibly stiff, and that she could hear the quiet beats of her heart as it started pumping blood through her veins again.
It was indeed, gruesome, as Gwyneth had predicted. Lily wanted to scream in agony as organs began working again. The magic flowed through her body and an immense burn attacked every nerve, like the feeling you get when your foot's fallen asleep. Almost as if she was being born again... But then, she countered grimly, she hadn't much of a memory for it. Bracing herself against the fiery warmth spreading through her, she heard herself grimace through ears that seemed to be out of practice.
Then, she was unconscious...
~*~
"So, that was how it went." Dumbledore stated, removing his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes.
"Yes," Remus answered, leaning back in his chair with a deep sigh. "Did it help any?"
"Well, it did give me an idea." The older man answered, "But nothing helpful enough as to stop Voldemort's immortality from occurring. We're just going to have to find a way to disarm him instead..."
"God help us, am I right Professor?" Remus said sardonically, as he ran a hand through his sandy-brown hair.
"Indeed, Remus, indeed. Unless by chance you know of anyway to get a hold of either of your Unspeakable friends?" Dumbledore inquired.
"I don't have a clue..." Remus said hopelessly.
"Then find a way. I really need you to do this Remus, there'll even be a payment for it."
"You don't have--" The young werewolf began to protest.
"Yes I do. This is could be dangerous, and I put my full trust in you." Remus nodded, already beginning to plan the best way to go about finding them. "Look for James first, and if nothing comes up...Contact me, and then we'll see about Sirius' whereabouts."
"Alright, I'll be careful...but what about Isabella?" Remus asked, worrying about his beautiful new acquaintance... girlfriend, he tested in his mind.
"She'll be going into hiding with her brother very soon; I'll inform her that I've sent you on a very important mission. But you cannot tell a soul of where you are going. It will be just between us two." Dumbledore directed, "Take the muggle train to Wales, that's where James was last spotted and more then likely he'll be in disguise. You'll have to use your wits to find him, what you know about him from your friendship."
"I know, I've done this before." Remus said, "You recall last year's job in Transylvania? With all those werewolves and me trying to find the vampire among them..."
"Ah yes! Dracula's great-great niece. Lucky you did that, we needed a werewolf expert on that one." Dumbledore said, nodding his head as he stood up.
"I hope this will be as successful as the last little 'mission'," Remus said grimly.
"Me too," Dumbledore agreed, putting his hand on Remus' shoulder and leading him to the door. "Lie low, my young friend. Don't bring attention to yourself, and if the change comes..."
"I'll find some place to go, I always do." Remus said, with a determined air about him. "I'll find James, there's some quirks about him that will give him away in an instant when you know him as well as I do."
"Happy hunting."
Remus hurried down the steps, and down to the Hogwarts grounds, his robes making him sweat with exertion. He needed to get to James before somebody else did, and something deep inside him, told Remus he wasn't the only one searching for the Unspeakable. He was right.
~*~
A/N I'm going to finish this! I will! I promise! Don't worry! Fifth book or not...I'm going to finish this story! No one ruin the fifth book for me either, or I *will* kill you. Even though it's already been mostly ruined, I haven't managed to read it...I can't believe who they kill. I really, really can't. I cried for about a half hour, which is pathetic, but true.
Things are starting to wind down for this story...And I'm hoping you will actually like how this ends.
*Sierra*
