"I should be back soon, Mad-Eye, my visit with those three shouldn't take too long." Lupin said as he and Moody walked through number 12's entrance hall
"Alright, I'll be here when ya' get back." Mad-Eye said, handing Lupin a shabby, light colored cloak "Don't be too hard on them Remus."
"I will be as hard on them as I wish Mad-Eye, but that's not why I'm going." Lupin said, throwing the cloak on and opening the front door "I just want to speak with them."
"Yes, I'm sure you do." Mad-Eye said skeptically "Oh, and Wulfric should also be here when you return, he says he has something that requires your attention."
"I wonder what he wants." Lupin said, taking one step out the door "He didn't happen to mention what it is he needs I suppose."
"No, he didn't, you know how he is, doesn't tell anyone much of anything." Mad-Eye said as Lupin walked completely out of the house and he closed the door behind him
Lupin wrapped his cloak tightly around him as he walked down London streets; it had gotten fairly cold and looked like it might rain soon. The small Inn that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were staying at which was his destination was still some miles away and though it was true he could have easily apparated there, he wanted to use this time to think on what he was going to say. What was more; he had always liked long walks.
After a few minuets Lupin came to a small secluded alley that ended with a brick wall in between two very old looking buildings. Lupin stepped swiftly up to the wall, took a quick glance behind him, then drew his wand and taped several bricks all across it. Once he had finished, a large triangular section of the wall disappeared leaving a wooden door in its place that was no taller than Lupin. He would be taking the route through the wizarding underground, it was much faster and he wouldn't have people giving him curious looks because of his clothes as he passed.
Some time later Lupin emerged from the underground and left the leaking cauldron for the Inn. It was only a few more blocks away and was in an area heavily populated by wizards and witches, so he thought nothing of the large frosty-gray owl gliding slowly above him. Didn't that was, until he was heading for the door of a building that read "The Hippogriff Inn" and the owl suddenly landed on his shoulder.
Lupin untied the rather dirty piece of parchment from the owl's leg, careful not to knock it off his shoulder, and began to read it. His eyes darted almost unthinkably fast from one side to the other, a look of mingled shock and anger filling his face as he read. He was so enthralled in what he'd been reading that he hadn't even noticed that the owl had left his shoulder.
Lupin clenched the parchment in his right hand when he had finished, squeezing so hard that his knuckles became a brilliant color of white.
"What the bloody hell are they thinking?" Lupin said angrily, grinding his teeth and throwing the parchment to the ground "They are going to get themselves killed!"
Lupin looked up at the building, shook his head and disaparated.
Lupin reappeared in a large forest clearing about four-hundred feet in diameter and completely canopied by the unnaturally far stretching branches of the bordering trees. The clearing was filled with dozens of large, raggedy, and patch work, tent-like, structures with at least a hundred people wondering all about them. Very few in view were wearing shoes and many of the men were only wearing pants. Lupin certainly appeared well over dressed for this "camp", the clothing of every other person around was ragged, dirty, and, in most cases, a very odd color.
"I need to speak with Garber, would you happen to know where he is, Drake." Lupin said coming up to an older man who was sitting on the ground leaning against one of the tent-like buildings wearing no shirt, picking his toes. This man, like almost all who lived here, had a great amount of scaring over every part of his body that could be seen, though he was certainly one of the worst.
"He's about." Drake said in a deep, horse sounding voice "Not rightly sure if I knows where he is."
"Not now Drake, I don't have the time or the patients for your games." Lupin said, giving him a stiff look
"No, I don't suppose you do, not with yur always being gone with those, friends, of yern." Drake said, staring up at Lupin with distain "Garber's up at his, Lupin, though I doubt if he'll be happy to see you here."
"He knew if he sent me a letter telling me what you all were planning that I'd come, so I'd dare say he's expecting me." Lupin said, and Drake looked very angry and got to his feet as fast as he could
"What do you mean he sent you a letter?" Drake demanded putting his face very close to Lupin's "He shouldn'a done that, he had no right!"
"He had every right! I'd go so far as to say he had the obligation." Lupin said, moving his face even closer to Drake's "I know you don't like it Drake, but I'm a member of this pack!"
"Then you should act it more!" Drake said, he and Lupin now glaring into each other's eyes
"As I said," Lupin began, trying to restrain himself "I really do NOT have time for this."
"Yes, I'm sure Garber just can't wait to hear what you got to say." Drake said as Lupin walked away from him
Shortly there after Lupin came to another tent on the other side of the clearing and stopped in front of a slightly open flap that was the entrance and cleared his throat loudly.
"I'd like to talk to you Garber." Lupin said, and a man with matted brown hair stuck his head out of the flap
"Ah, Lupin, you got here a bit faster than I thought you would, come in." Garber said, retracting his head
Lupin lifted the flap and entered, having noticed the still healing slashes on Garber's face. The inside was much larger than it looked it would be from the outside, though, not as large as a normal magical dwelling would be, almost as if it were made by someone who wasn't all that skilled at that particular charm. There was only one piece of furniture in the room, a small, old, table with two chairs, sitting in between two more flaps that led to the only other rooms.
"Your clothes are still immaculate I see, Lupin." Garber said, sitting down at the table. Garber's clothes were some of the best in the pack, yet were still not nearly as nice as Lupin's
"Please Garber, not now." Lupin said, sitting down in the other chair "Those cuts are fresh, what happened?"
"There was just a bit of trouble last full moon is all, nothing to worry about." Said Garber "But let's get to why I know you're here."
"Yes, let's," Lupin said, sounding very business like "Are you insane?"
"Now Lupin, there's no need for such insults." Garber said, looking not to have much patients "We are simply doing what we must; you know we can not keep going on like this."
"I would have to agree, but an uprising against the Ministry is not the solution." Lupin said "None of you would stand a chance."
"The decision has already been made, I was only informing you as a courtesy."
"A courtesy!" Lupin said, sounding outraged "You can not go against the Ministry, half of the people here can barely do magic, and the other half aren't very good at it, with the exception of a few. If you do this you will all get slaughtered, literally and figuratively!"
"As I said, the decision has been made; you are not going to deter us." Garber said, keeping his composer very well
"And who exactly," Lupin said, definitely not keeping his composer "Made this insane decision, where is Greyback? I'd like to talk to him."
"Greyback isn't here, and he hasn't been for weeks. He went too far with all those attacks, and since he was the reason for the ban on the Wolvesbane potion, we sent him away once we had the proof. Though unfortunately, he took quite a few with him, especially of the younger ones, and for your information, I made the decision on this."
"Did you ever think that this was exactly what he wanted to happen?" Said Lupin, frustrated "We know he's working for Voldemort…"
"Would you stop saying his name!" Garber said cutting him off
"He's working for Voldemort." Lupin pressed on "I believe this was his plan, get the Ministry to ban what we all wanted the most by attacking an unparalleled amount of children through its use. He knew the pack wouldn't stand for it for long and when they kicked him out he could take all of those who were on his side with him. He probably also knew that you all would reach a breaking point on this issue at some time, and at that point you'd take action without himself or Voldemort having to be involved."
"Yes, we've thought of that, but we don't have another choice. Our mistreatment by the Ministry has gone too far this time, and we will not stand for it any longer."
"You will get yourselves killed!"
"Then that is what must be done!"
"Do you have any idea what will happen if you do this?" Lupin asked and continued before Garber could answer "The Wizarding community is already very distrusting of us, you do this and there will be an outcry for the rounding up of Werewolves everywhere. It will start a hunt worse than those of two hundred years ago, thousands of Werewolves will die. Mean while Greyback is free to start his new Werewolf nation that will follow his every command."
"Lupin," Garber said, appearing to see his points "What else are we to do?"
"I don't know, but Werewolves have gotten on just fine all these years without it."
"Just fine?" Garber asked stiffly "Until that potion came along those who lived in packs like ours tore each other apart ever full moon, we couldn't have families for fear of infecting or even killing our own children, that is not what I would call getting on just fine."
Lupin didn't answer, stood moodily from his chair and began to pace the room. It was plain from his face that this was not at all going how he intended.
"Does Rebecca know?" Lupin asked, turning to the still sitting Garber
"Of course she does, do you think I would, or even could keep something like that from my own wife?" Replied Garber
"So you're doing it without her support, she has more sense than to support this." Said Lupin
"I didn't think she would be very pleased to hear about it, but I was wrong, she is all for an uprising. She doesn't particularly like that we have to do it, but realizes we don't have any other options."
"Okay, as long as you realize that I will not be joining you when you do it." Said Lupin
"I am disappointed to hear that Lupin, though it is what I expected. Not many of the others wanted you in the first place, but I did, you would have been a great help."
"Well thank you, I'm afraid it's not my place, however." Lupin said, looking grateful and a bit calmed at Garber's words "I will stay here for a while to talk with as many people as I can, see if I can't talk some of them out of this uprising."
"You may try, but I highly doubt if your efforts will do any good."
"Perhaps not, but as you have said many times since my arrival, I don't have any other choice." Lupin said, and he headed for the flap that led back outside "Oh, and one more thing. Do you know of an owl I could borrow? If I'm going to be here for an extended amount of time, I need to inform a few people."
"I'm afraid I can't let you, or anyone, send any owls for a while." Garber said, getting up from his chair "There's been too many as of late, it's drawing too much attention to our area."
"I understand, I will simply have to speak with them once I'm done here." Lupin said, and he gave Garber a small bow of his head
"Wait Lupin, stay and have a drink with me, then you can go speak with the others." Garber said gesturing to the table "And I'll make a deal with you, if you can get enough people to change their minds, I will change mine as well."
"Very well, thank you." Lupin said and he walked back over to the table