Not afraid of werewolves?
Darkness fell over the abandoned Roman settlement.
Damp fog crept out from between the surrounding trees and brought relief from the oppressive heat of the day. Only a faint glint of the blood-red sun was still visible between the tree trunks that stood closely together forming a pattern of shadow and light. In a nearby pond one could hear the occasional croak and a flock of crickets rose to a nocturnal concert.
Tonks shook her limbs and, annoyed, wiped an obtrusive mosquito from her wrist. The creatures were everywhere and she couldn't remember the practical spell that would keep them away from her.
Remus, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble with vermin. The animals apparently avoided him. Tonks wondered if this was related to some spell or his illness.
But even though Remus was not affected by the insects or the heat, to all appearances, he was frowning and he seemed anything but happy. "Listen, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. I imagine many of the others won't be too happy to see you here."
Tonks skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious that I am not a werewolf?" she asked defiantly, while at the same time flashing her eyes in a light amber colour.
Remus had to smile. "One can tell," was his terse response.
Quick as lightning, he reached out his hand to scare another insect from Tonk's naked shoulder with a meaningful look. Surprised, she gasped, but before she could get used to the sudden proximity and Remus' unusual smell, he had already pulled his arm back again.
"Come on, Phillinew knows about me, and the way you told it, the werewolves here don't belong to the aggressive species," Tonks replied quickly to mask her moment of uncertainty.
"I wasn't worried about them either, to be honest. It's more the company they're expecting tonight." Tonks noted how Remus was careful not to use the words 'Death Eater'.
She calmly put a hand on his arm. "It's my job to deal with people like that. I'm trained for it and, as it happens," she proudly threw her head back, "my teacher is an Auror of the highest rank."
"Who's been fooled by his student for two weeks now? I wouldn't call that very high rank," Remus grinned.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Besides, my preparation for this meeting couldn't be better. I rather think that you might be no match for the black magic we're about to deal with!" she teased him.
With false indignation, Remus crossed his arms. "I'm in great shape. I've also studied Defence Against the Dark Arts, in case you've forgotten."
"You only did the teacher training!" Tonks laughingly drew her magic wand. "If you think you can take down an Auror, then let's see what you can do!".
Remus' eyes widened in surprise before he raised his hands in defense and said laughing: "I never said I could take you on. Maybe I could deal with a few runaway Hinkypunks or Redcaps, but not..."
"So what? I want to know." Tonks was unstoppable. For too long, her dueling skills had been wasted at the expense of boring office work.
To begin with, she sent a simple beam of light without any magic effect in Remus' direction to test his reflexes. He effortlessly dodged the spell and Tonks could see the spark of competitiveness in his eyes.
With wands drawn, they slowly circled each other without letting he other one out of their sight for even a second. Again, it was Tonks who opened the duel with a well-placed but harmless tickle curse. Remus protected himself with a Protego shield and at almost the same moment responded with a volley of smaller, closely spaced spells that Tonks hastily blocked.
They kept attacking each other in that manner, sending each other harmless little curses to explore each other's fighting style.
Eventually, however, Tonks felt a far more powerful curse hitting her shield. Immediately, she strengthened her magical defenses and returned the attack with a shock spell, though she knew Remus would block it. He had an excellent defense.
Tonks wished she had paid more attention in the Legimentics lessons during her training, then she would now know how to outwit Remus. But she hardly had time to grasp this thought, because another attack by Remus - a strong shock spell - drove her back a little. Immediately, Tonks stumbled over a root and fell.
For a brief moment, she saw concern flash across Remus' face, which had just been so determined, and suddenly she knew exactly how to defeat him. While she sent a half-hearted strike of retribution and got back on her feet, she made sure to keep moving further and further away from Remus.
"Where are you going?" he laughed.
As he felt he had the advantage, his spells became more and more powerful and his defenses began to weaken.
But Tonks knew he could pull his shield back up in seconds at any time, so she didn't try to actually reach him with one of her spells. She pretended to tire slowly, wiped the sweat from her forehead unnecessarily often and kept backing away from her opponent.
"You know that running away is rather bad style, don't you?" Remus mocked at one point when Tonks had already lured him a good distance into the denser forest.
She just gave him a discontented snort in reply and knew she could strike soon.
Incautious by his previous successes, Remus had let his defense down, not his magical shield, but his physical shield. The distance between him and Tonks was too great for him to expect a physical attack. He wasn't prepared for that, as he didn't believe Tonks would change her tactics.
A big mistake.
Suddenly Tonks broke off her escape, spun around and stood with two long jumps right in front of Remus' outstretched wand. He flinched back in surprise, and this brief moment was enough for Tonks to break through his weak, because hastily built up, body shield and to pluck the wand from his hand with a triumphant expression.
She now stood so close in front of him that she could clearly see his carotid artery, pulsating with exertion. He breathed quickly and shallowly while he still looked down at her in complete bewilderment.
"You know, I think style lies in the eye of the observer," Tonks grinned and then retreated to give Remus some space.
But he moved in almost instinctively until Tonks' back hit a tree. Confused, she held out his magic wand to him, which he accepted after hesitating shortly.
At last they slowly drifted apart, both breathless and awkward. Remus leaned against a rock. After a while, he said calmly, "You can't do that to every opponent."
Tonks smiled. "I know, that only worked on you. I prefer to adapt my strategy as flexibly as possible to my opponents."
She gave Remus a shy look. "I knew once I entered your physical defenses, you would not attack me anymore."
Remus shrugged. "What else could I do? Just hold you? Spells are useless at such close range."
"Not only that. You reacted more slowly the closer I got to you," Tonks soberly observed.
"We are partners. Of course, I care about your safety," Remus replied almost brusquely.
"Oh, just partners then?" They heard a familiar voice from the forest behind them. "My intuition tells me something quite different."
Remus and Tonks spun their wands and peered into the darkness. Leaning casually against a tree trunk, they discovered Phillinew, the werewolf who had invited them here. When he noticed their suspicious faces, he raised both hands in appeasement. "No ill will, just an observation of yours truly." He grinned slyly before casually strolling towards them. "You're early. Very good. The others will be here soon."
As if on cue, a little hunchbacked witch materialized next to Phillinew. Her hair was gray and stringy, her fingernails long and unkempt, and from her wrinkled face flashed sharp yellowish teeth. She looked around with a hurried look, but seemed to notice neither Phillinew nor Remus or Tonks.
"Angela! That's nice of you to drop by," Phillinew greeted the old woman effusively. As a matter of course he took her arm and led her towards Remus. "Look, this is Remus. He's new to the pack. And this is his... partner..."
"Doreen," Tonks popped in quick. It was bad enough the pack knew Remus' real name.
Whispering softly, Phillinew led the old werewolf to the ruins of the Roman settlement, whose brick walls glowed red in the light of the setting sun.
Remus and Tonks followed him at a distance and watched the other werewolves, who also apparated in the clearing or emerged from the dark forest. They seemed rather shady, which was further strengthened by their suspicious and partly hostile looks on Tonks. Most of them were as run-down as Angela and had the same dismissive, resigned expression that Remus showed on bad days. However, they seemed to have quite a comradely relationships with each other. Some greeted Remus aloof but friendly and no one spoke out against Tonks' presence. Whether out of indifference or respect for her as Remus' companion could not be determined.
After brief greetings and skeptical looks had been exchanged, the group moved to the ruins and moved into one of the largest squares.
The sun had now set and a quiet coolness finally replaced the shimmering heat of the day. The wizards and witches gathered around a large magical fire, whose crimson flames hissed at least two meters into the sky, and began quiet talks in smaller groups. But this activity did not yet seem to be the highlight of the evening. The werewolves were apparently still waiting for the arrival of another party.
Remus and Tonks stayed at the edge of the meeting. Out of excitement and curiosity as to what would happen next, none of them uttered a word.
After a while Phillinew came over to them. A little witch with silver-blond curly locks clung to his arm. She looked around in uncertainty and, with her doll-like appearance, seemed rather out of place in the crowd of more or less neglected werewolves.
"May I introduce: Mona Macintosh." Phillinew pushed the woman a few steps forward. Remus shook her hand politely and returned the gaze from her big gray eyes. Tonks greeted her with a nod of her head. The witch could not be older than her, perhaps even younger. What was she doing here?
Remus seemed to be able to assess the situation better thanks to his werewolf instincts. He asked in a firm tone of voice, "How long?" Instead of answering, Mona just looked up at Phillinew questioningly. He shrugged his shoulders. "Two, three months, maybe? Last week was only her second transformation."
Remus nodded understandingly. "Respect, you look good," he said gallantly, which oddly enough gave Tonks a little twinge of jealousy.
The young werewolf blushed and lowered her eyes. In a high, clear voice she said, "Phillinew has got me a magic potion that has helped. Last time it was worse... it was terrible." The memory made Mona shudder.
Tonks listened in dismay to her words. That woman's life had only just begun when she lost it to a terrible illness. Presumably, it would not be long before she, too, would start the descent into poverty. How many of her friends and relatives had told about her illness? Who would still treat respectfully and unbiased? What would her future look like?
Remus seemed less concerned about the girl and turned to Phillinew. "I thought we were expecting some very special guests today."
Phillinew nodded excitedly. "I think they're coming with Ruster. He should be here any minute."
Tonks pulled Remus aside a little. "Who is Ruster?" she asked in a lowered voice.
"The leader of the pack, the alpha wolf, so to speak." Remus grinned at the name.
Tonks, on the other hand, couldn't laugh at that, she began to feel increasingly uncomfortable. She wasn't afraid of the Death Eaters, of their magical powers or of what they might say. Rather, the many suspicious looks from the werewolves directed at her caused her some trouble. They seemed to communicate with each other in a way Tonks did not understand. Their poverty, their otherness and strange rules that framed a world where there was still something like alpha wolves, deeply unsettled Tonks. She was not trained to deal with magical beings that could not be explicitly attributed to the dark side.
Remus seemed to sense her insecurity. Frowning, he looked into her face. "What is it? Do you want to go?"
Tonks just shook her head silently and let her gaze wander over the assembly.
Determined, Remus took her hand. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."
"No!" Tonks voice was sharper than intended as she wriggled Lupin's grip. "I'll be all right. It's just..." Tonks could not exactly describe what was bothering her.
Remus ignored her contradiction and continued in a reassuring voice: "I've got this under control. Go, please. I was thinking that maybe it's not a good idea..." When he saw Tonks' angry, narrowed eyes, he fell silent.
"This is my job. And I'm qualified to do it," she hissed angrily.
"Your textbooks aren't going to help you now. Now is not the time to prove anything to anyone. Any misstep could expose us." Remus just wouldn't let go of her hand.
Tonks couldn't believe he was stabbing her in the back like that. "Fine, then why don't you just see how you get along on your own. I'll come back tomorrow and pick up your pieces." She turned on her heel, in the very act of leaving - but with the firm intention of cobserving the meeting from the shadows - when she collided head-on with a large, broad-shouldered man.
Ruster Skoll was an impressive apparition. If his appearance - his strong stature, the almost bald tattooed skull and the numerous earrings - was not striking enough, his deep, booming voice and his distinct Welsh accent surely were captivating. With a single, almost casual gesture of his hand, he had wiped Tonks, who seemed tiny compared to him, aside, and now built himself up like a mountain in front of his pack, welcoming them with a few words. He was followed by a few hooded figures who, in their own way, made an even shadier impression than the wolves.
They looked around and from their partly astonished partly condescending looks it could be seen that this meeting was only a means to an end for them.
While Ruster introduced them and explained the reason for their presence, they took off their hoods and showed their faces. Under the capes, which served them as a kind of uniform, they wore ordinary clothes. The group was anything but homogeneous: Tonks saw images of the Dark Mark, which must be relics from the war, flashing on the forearms of two hulking guys whom Ruster introduced as Crabbe and Goyle.
Tonks was seized with cold rage at the thought of how many Death Eaters must have lived unrecognized and unpunished in the wizarding community over the last few years. She no longer thought of running away and instead leaned against a low brick wall with crossed arms and a grim look.
It seemed like there were also wizards present, who had not been part of the circles around You-know-who for too long. One tall, lanky man, Scabior, seemed particularly unsettled and was smiled at by the other Death Eaters. Unlike them, he seemed to have forgotten why he was here and secretly wished he was somewhere else. His colleagues obviously frightened him more than the werewolves.
But the leader of the group fulfilled all the clichés one would attribute to a Death Eater, a devoted servant of the Dark Lord. The man was at least as tall as Ruster and hid his face behind a skull-like half mask at the beginning. Beneath it lied a face, more of a grimace, so sharp and cold that Tonks shuddered. His small piercing eyes showed no trace of compassion or even humanity. He had a shaggy, unappetizingly sprawling whiskers, and his teeth were strangely pointed, so that his jaws resembled the teeth of a predator.
As he raised his hand to greet the crowd, his sleeve slipped a little and Tonks could see that, strangely enough, he was not wearing a Dark Mark on his forearm. She searched the crowd for Remus to see if he had noticed it too, but he only had eyes for the Death Eater. His face looked petrified and when the leader raised his hoarse, unpleasant voice, Remus staggered back a few steps.
Worried, Tonks wanted to go to him but couldn't immediately get past the werewolves who had gathered close around the newcomers. She noticed that many members of the pack looked at the conspicuous Death Eater with similar horror and disgust as Remus. Others gave him looks full of admiration. Who was this man? Tonks paused to listen to his words.
" ... Whoever thinks he can hide behind great figures like Albus Dumbledore is fooling himself! Only the Dark Lord can show us the true path out of oppression. Yes, he has indeed returned to us. Even his greatest enemy, Harry Potter, does not deny it. He fears the strength of the Lord."
The Death Eater and his companions burst into contemptuous laughter.
"What are the aims of you-know-who? What exactly is he going to do to improve our situation?", one of the listeners shouted challengingly.
The giant Death Eater grinned slyly, grabbed the wizard who had spoken and comradely put an arm around his shoulders. "Listen carefully! What is it that troubles you most? What haunts you, every day, what leaves you no peace, what do you spend all your energy on?" without waiting for an answer, he continued: "It is the struggle to remain unrecognized, the concealing of what you really are.
Several of the werewolves in the distance nodded in agreement.
"This will change. Those who join the Dark Lord will be free!" The Death Eater released the shivering man from his grasp and yanked both arms in the air. Once again, Tonks could see he was clearly missing the Dark Mark. "Look at me. Do I look like someone who needs to hide his true nature? I live what I am, where I am and how I want." The man's eyes suddenly flashed dangerously and he bare his sharp teeth. Suddenly, Tonks realized he had to be a werewolf, too. What everyone at the gathering had known from the beginning, she only now came to realize.
And, as she now realized, it wasn't just any werewolf either. It was the only known werewolf that could control and steer its metamorphosis almost independently of the full moon. She couldn't understand why she hadn't recognized him earlier. Suddenly she felt a touch on her arm. Remus had awoken from his paralysis and was now dragging her along with him.
"Come, we have to go," he hissed to her insistently.
She just nodded, dazed. Before them stood none other than Fenrir Greyback and Tonks was the only person within his reach. They hurried away, pushing their way through the werewolves who curiously turned their heads while Greyback continued to speak.
"I hunt where I want, when I want... Such is my nature, what can I do about it? Since I joined the Dark Lord, I have been among people who understand this and promise me the prey I deserve. No law of the ministry prevents me from taking what nature grants me ...", he paused and let his head go around to Remus and Tonks. "For example, a silly girl who has the audacity to interrupt a private meeting because she thinks she has the right to spy on us!"
In a single leap, he got to Tonks and grabbed her like a rabbit at her nape. Noticing his disgusting smell and the nostrils flared with excitement she almost had to gag.
"Or-" he added quietly. "Is she just being careless?" A lascivious grin fell on his scarred features.
Since neither the other werewolves nor the Death Eaters could be expected to help in any way, Tonks pulled out her magic wand and was about to rid herself of this madman using a spell.
But before that could happen, to Tonks' surprise, Phillinew raised his voice. "Not at all, Greyback, not at all. I have invited Doreen and her companion. They are sympathizers with the Dark Lord and very interested in what you have to say." His tone revealed fear, but gave no inkling of the lie he was telling Greyback here in a whitewash.
The terrifying werewolf's grip loosened. "Is that so?" he said, obviously a little uneasy. He was probably just thinking about how his little speech must have affected listeners who were not werewolves. He weighed up the risk of losing Tonks as a potential follower and wondered if, in that case, it wouldn't be easier to just tear her apart on the spot. Finally, he reluctantly let her go, not without giving her another hungry look. "Thank you," said Phillinev, obviously relieved. "I should have warned you she was here."
Greyback ignored his words and turned to Remus, who had stood there frozen the whole time. "And what about you?"
Again, Phillinev replied overzealously. He now came over to them, together with Mona, who was still hanging on his arm. "He's new here, but as you can see, he belongs to us."
"Of course, I can see that!" Greyback ran into him angrily. He looked Remus over very intently. "I know him from somewhere. Did you serve time with me in Azkaban?"
Remus finally stirred and wrung a false laugh from himself. "No, surely not. But I think it would be better if we left now." He reached for Tonks' hand again.
Phillinew, who also seemed eager to defuse the situation, agreed. "Yes, I think that will be best. You know what, I'll go with you so you can find your way home safely." Mona nodded so violently that her little curls jumped up and down wildly. Her eyes were widened in fear.
Now Ruster interfered. "It's all right. Excuse me, Fenrir, I didn't know about our... visitor either. But since her companion is our guest, the girl is under the protection of the pack. I'm sorry." His words sounded diplomatic but firm and therefore could not be contradicted.
Greyback surrendered. Suddenly, he moved away from Tonks, who immediately took a deep breath to get the stink out of her nose. She had to summon up all her strength not to through another juicy curse at him or at least give him a well-positioned kick. But such a behaviour would not be advisable at the moment. It would only increase the werewolves' anger towards her and might raise unpleasant questions about her magical abilities, which could lead to her true identity. So, she only lowered her gaze in order not to provoke Greyback and respectfully stepped back from him. Every fiber of her body rebelled against giving in to a Death Eater who had openly attacked her, but in her present situation she had no choice.
"All right, then..." Phillinew pushed her and Remus toward the exit with gentle force. "Well, we'll just... I'm really sorry to have kept you guys so long. You can count on me again next time. I'll be seeing you." Then Phillinew, Mona, Remus and Tonks stood outside the settlement. They still felt the suspicious looks of the gathering behind them, so they hurried off into the forest.
