Hey everyone,
So I'm not really going to cover Remus' time in the Pride Lands. Instead of that, I am going to start with his return to earth and meeting with Albus, after that a quick trip to Sirius to tell him the news and then his meeting with Harry and later with Tonks and Renderas. And unlike with the trial period thing, I am probably going to repeat my written text quite a few times, but I can't do anything less. Remus is going to be too excited, though I will try to make small changes here and there.
Have fun,

Venquine1990
PS. Yeah, I chose the fun options.

Chapter 18
To Report An Experiment

11th of September 1995
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts
Remus Lupin's POV

It had been a real experience to change into something that isn't feral, monstrous and completely without an ability to focus on anything other than hurting humans. Even the transformation had been entirely different from the ones I go through once a month. Instead of my whole body undergoing a slow and painful transformation, I had felt as if I had passed through some kind of barrier or something and only seconds later, I had realized that I had changed.
This realization had come about thanks to the fact that I had tripped over my new front paws, yet luckily enough this had happened while I was still inside the corridor and so no one saw it happen. I had stared down and even moved some of my new limbs one at a time and studied their form and how they worked in tandem with others. The feeling of my new tail had, funnily enough, been the one thing that had taken the longest to get used to.
Simba had been waiting for me on the other side, yet it had been the sight of his world that had astounded me even more than my transformation. The lion had not at all cared for the fact that I was another male adult lion. Instead of that, he and a few of the Lionesses had helped me learned how to move my new body in regards to the world, how to jump huge distances, how to run and dash, even how to hunt. The last bit had been necessary, especially as the moon rose.

And while normally I would rather forget what happened during the full moon – even on nights where I just have the Wolfsbane Potion to keep Moony in tome – now the memory brings a huge smile to my face as I pass through the corridor. And again, at about the halfway point, I feel my body changing in lightning speed. I stumble as my body quickly adjusts to walking on two legs instead of four and turn to smile at what now lies behind me.
I pass through the shadows on the other side and see Albus, Even and Axel all waiting there for me. Yet my calm stance and the small smile on my face belies the waves of exuberance and utter joy that I feel within my heart. "Remus, no new scars to be seen. I do believe that is a good sign." Albus says as he conjures me a seat. But I shake my head at this and say: "I can't sit, Albus. I'm too hyped up to sit still right now."

This makes the men in front of me grin and Even asks: "So the experiment was a success then?" I nod and say: "I turned into a lion. I really think it's because of my lycanthropy, but we can discuss that later. It was hard to get used to walking on four legs at first as even Moony hardly needs to do that, but Simba and the other Lionesses were really eager to teach me. And to be honest, I – I only have some vague memories of the night of the full-moon."
"Is that a good thing or –?" Axel asks, his grin lessening and a bit of a worried look now adorning his face. I quickly nod and say: "It is, trust me. I remember feeling the moon hitting me from behind and felt my inner – well, not even Moony, but my inner lion – wake up. I became restless, agitated, energized. Simba noticed this and he and the other Lionesses led me on a small hunt for an antelope. I did scuffle with a few Lionesses, but I didn't hurt them.
Then we got an antelope and I gulfed it down. And after I did, I felt all that energy from before just – leaving me. I didn't feel the need to hunt, to hurt, to kill, none of it. The Lionesses helped me back to Pride Rock and I fell asleep. I slept through the rest of the night. And here's the best part. I do remember hitting one of the Lionesses with my claws, but the next morning, their wounds were already healing. The illness didn't affect my strike."

By now the others are grinning in such a way I feel like their faces are replicating the intense joy and excitement that I feel within me. I turn to Albus and say: "I only felt the effects of the full-moon for an hour, Albus. An hour! That's not even possible with Wolfsbane Potion! And Simba promised that I can come back next month and any other month. Heck, little Kiara seems to have adopted me as her new uncle or something and she's bloody adorable!"
The men in front of me laugh and I turn to Even as I say: "I know you're curious as to whether or not I can still transform, but I'm sorry. Us trying that out at this point in time isn't advisable. Sirius tried to transform once when he was just crazy excited and it almost went wrong bad enough we had to reveal what we were doing. I don't want to take that risk." The scientist nods and asks: "Then perhaps we can schedule a meeting for after the Demonstration?"
I nod in agreement and then Axel makes another corridor appear. I turn to him and he says: "It heads into the Garden. You better head there. According to Master Ansem, Sirius has been really worried about you all weekend. We didn't tell him that we had already begun the experiment as we didn't want either him or Sirius worrying over which of the options would be the end result." I nod at this and thank him before I dash through the corridor.

But when I reach the other side, my excitement gets replaced with utter amazement. I know that Harry always gets a happy, dreamy look on his face when he thinks of the Garden and I know that Sirius gave one brilliant rapport about what he thought of the Garden fifteen minutes after he arrived there, but even then I didn't expect this. An azure blue sky for as far as the eye can reach, houses that look like they came straight out of Hogsmeade and made of grey bricks at the first floor and white cement on the top floor.
Red brick roofs on top of the houses and wooden beams to support the structure on the top floors. Grey pavement on the road and on the walls of roads that are elevated above where I'm walking. And trees that look as if they are in bloom and full of leafs all throughout the year, some with astonishingly white flowers that make freshly fallen snow look grey. What impresses me the most is the majestic tower that, even from a bit of a distance, towers above the rest of the houses, yet looks reassuring instead of menacing or intimidating.

"REMUS!" The shouted word brings me out of my reverie and I turn, just as Sirius wraps his arms around my neck. And even the sight of my best friend astounds me. A few weeks ago, he already looked better than he did when we reunited in the Shack, but the differences the Garden has made on his health are so incredibly visible, I almost feel at a loss for words. The man has gained a healthy amount of weight, his arms have filled up, his cloths seem to fit him much better now and there is an all-around healthy glow to his person.
Yet it's the brilliance in his eyes, a brilliance that conveys the peace of mind that he man seems to have attained while here, that just astounds me as it almost makes me wonder if Sirius Black the mass-murdering psychopath ever existed. "I've been so worried about you. Are you alright? Even and the others said they had it covered, but they wouldn't tell any of us what they meant with that. What did they mean with that, Remus?"

The man asks me, his tone proving how desperate he is to hear that I am indeed alright. I smile at the man, tears prickling in my eyes as this is yet another sign that he is getting better. While Sirius might have forgiven me for thinking him the traitor, because he believed the same about me, the years he spent in prison still left their mark on him and on our friendship. And throughout the last few months, I definitely noticed my friend keeping a bit of a distance from me.
But now the man is clinging to me, just like he used to when I came back from a full-moon night as a teenager, before he and the others had managed their Animagus transformation or if one of them got into detention that very night and we agreed that it wasn't safe for Moony to be with two of them but not all three. And while I'm quite sure that the man still needs time to emotionally grow that close to me again, I still very much appreciate how worried he obviously is.

"They did have it covered, Sirius. There's a world called the Pride Lands where humans don't exist. If you go there, the world's magic turns you into an animal. I turned into a lion and the lycanthropy only affected that form for an hour or so. I just needed to scuffle with a few of the other Lionesses there and hunt, kill and devour an antelope and all was well. I slept through the rest of the full moon night. It was incredible. The next morning, I felt perfectly fine.
I got to play with little Kiara; she's the daughter of that world's ruler, who's named Simba. She's the cutest little cub, even though in human years, I'm pretty sure she's around two or three years old now. Heck, I think I became her honorary uncle or something as her mother, Nala had to really hold her back when I left about half an hour ago. And Simba told me I could come back for every full-moon night from now on. I'm a male lion, yet he made me part of his pride."

Sirius has let go off me while I spoke and he's is now gaping at me with his mouth wide open to prove how astonished he is. "That sounds wonderful, dear." A slightly older female voice says and I notice a woman who, strangely enough, looks to be in her early thirties, maybe even late twenties, walking over, the woman side by side with a man that I actually instantly recognize. But not by his visage or his outfit, my instincts instantly recognize who this man is in regards to this world.
I wait until he and the woman have approached us and bend my back forward as I say: "Greetings Alpha." The man chuckles, but I don't hear any derision or other negative emotion in his voice, only humor. "Greetings, young wolf. Allow me to tell you the same thing I told Sirius. Anyone who is a friend of Harry's is a friend of mine. And no friend needs bow to me." I rise back up and Sirius says: "Remus, meet Ansem the Wise and Emily, Isa's mother.

Whoever that is." The man mutters at the end and I laugh as I say: "He's Harry's best friend from this world, Sirius. Though not his closest, I do believe that honor goes to Kairi." The other two laugh and Emily says: "That is definitely true. Isa was always the honest one, but Kairi was always Harry's older sister. And Lea was always in the middle. He cared for Harry like a little brother, but he always joked around a lot and looked as if he didn't even take that seriously."
And while the information is certainly welcome, the sight of Sirius' grin expanding and his whole face starting to radiate how happy he is to hear this about his godson is even better. I take a deep breath as my excitement over what happened at the Pride Lands is still running wild within me and I say: "I better go. I want to tell others the good news. Sirius, I'll make sure to let the others know how great you're doing. And see if I can get someone to come here and give you an update."

My friend nods and hugs me to convey his gratitude and own excitement over the news I just shared and I quickly step back through the corridor. I do try to keep my pace steady and calm, but that's because I'm planning to leave Albus' office and I'm already sure that it'd be a bad idea to have someone like Umbridge see me prancing around the grounds like a teenage school girl that got her first date or something.
"Better leave that for when we're done experimenting." I think to myself. I quickly request Albus to schedule an Order meeting that night, but then I remember something. I turn my head just as I want to open the door to leave his office and ask: "Oh, and Albus. Can you please remember to tell the others off from continuing that crazy Potter Watch plan? The Master, Minerva and Harry already found a counter against it."
The man looks shocked and I shrug as I say: "Harry takes his cloak and map to bed. He waits until the others are asleep, checks the Map for the person and then sneaks out. I don't know where he sneaks off to, he didn't tell me for the sake of plausible deniability, but I'm sure he heads to either the twins' dorm or straight to the Master's Chambers." Axel and Even nod to confirm this and Axel says: "And even when he doesn't, we keep our eye out in case of a nightmare."

"Or better said, Hedwig keeps an eye out. And if Harry does have one, she alerts us. We then Phase in and either attempt to wake him or we take him to his room in the Master's Chambers to help him through the night. Either way, the guards really are quite pointless." Albus looks troubled, but I can easily see that it's not out of fear of potentially lost information. "Forgot about it, huh Albus?" I ask, my tone slightly jesting the man.
A relieved smile adorns his face and he nods as he says: "Yes Remus, after we heard about the brilliant theory Even had and the planned experiment, I did indeed forget to cancel the Potter Watch group. I'll make sure to mention it tonight at the meeting." All of us give the man a nod and I say: "I'm going to go look for Harry.""He's currently in DADA, but that will only be for another ten minutes or so."

Even tells me and I reply: "Right, I'll go wait in Hagrid's hut then.""I'll send him over once class is out." Axel tells me and I wave at him to thank him before I head out. And suddenly I remember that there is a small part, near the Owlery, that is completely out of sight of the castle windows. I quickly rush there and once I arrive, I cast several silencing and even a Notice-Me-Not spell. And after that I start to yell and cheer and even cast.
I make sure to keep my wand aimed close to the ground and resist the ever strong temptation to cast a Patronus. For a fleeting moment, I wonder if my transformation might have affected my Patronus as well, yet I don't let this tempt me into casting the spell. I exhaust myself for a few minutes and then, a huge grin still stuck on my face, I head over to Hagrid's Hut. I feel only a twinge of guilt at casting a spell to undo the locking charm, but this twinge only lasts a moment.

Fang, like always, seems just curiously excited to see me and lies his head in my lap as I sit down. I feel grateful for this as petting his head and sometimes waving my wand to vanish his huge amounts of slobber dripping down my legs allows me to keep busy. Yet it actually takes Harry almost half an hour before he comes in and the look on his face wipes away much of my excitement. "Cub, you okay?" I ask, a small part of me worried that Harry might not like the pet name.
"It's Hermione. We just had DADA with Umbridge and she took that dumb woman's lesson plan way too personal. She completely forgot that we don't have to have Umbridge for the rest of the year, but then she tried to include me into her need to be a good Prefect. It's beyond obvious that only people who want to spite me and Dumbledore will pick her class, but Hermione actually had the bright idea that I should teach those idiots practical defense.

I'm sorry, I don't see a Prefect badge on my lapel and I don't have a teacher's contract here either. So why should I be bothered with people who just want to annoy me? Who care more about making my life hard and miserable than their own education? Who are so stupidly concerned with being prats, they're shooting themselves in the foot like that? why should I care about people like that? I'm pretty sure Voldemort and the Ministry are enough, thank you."
And just like that reality hits me like a Banishing Spell and I realize that while I had the time of my life, Harry is still undergoing a lot of hardships, even from his own friends from time to time. I quickly push Fang out of my lap and cross the relatively small cabin to pull the boy into a comforting embrace as I say: "You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Harry. And especially not when it comes to helping people who aren't worth your time."

The boy sighs and breaths out hard, the way his body relaxes in my grip proving he just needed someone to vent to. I feel my heart skip a beat as I realize he trusts me enough to be that person and then think: "I comforted him, now I'm going to see if I can cheer him up." I gently guide the boy over to the wooden table and say: "I have some great news to cheer you up. Even's experiment was an even bigger success than I ever dared to dream or imagine."
The boy's eyes widen and he exclaims: "Right, I completely forgot. You had the full moon on Saturday. Lupin, I'm so sorry!" But I hold up a hand to stop him and I think: "We're not in your class right now, Yen Sid." Before I say: "It's okay, Harry. I was so happy about the results, I completely forgot about what you're going through myself. We're both guilty on that, so let's just forgive and forget, okay?" The boy nods and I say:

"Here's the great bit. The full moon in the Pride Lands only affects the feral nature of the predator I turn into as I pass the border of the world. And even then a bit of rough-housing with the other Lionesses – I turn into a lion, by the by – and hunting, killing and eating a bit of prey works miracles. I ate one antelope and all of the nervous and agitated energy that got brought up by the full-moon shining down on me evaporated.
Even with Wolfsbane Potion that never happened. Even with the Potion, my rest is mostly restless on full moon nights. But not this time. I slept through the better part of the night and afterwards, the whole thing was just hazy for me. Like –." I think for a few seconds on how to describe this and then say: "Like if I were to wear your glasses, but not have your prescription. I'd be able to see, but most of I would see are hazy outlines and the like."

Harry stares at me for all of three minutes before he exclaims: "LUPIN! That's incredible! What about the next morning? Did you have any other bouts of feeling restless or wild? Do you know if, perhaps, you did something while asleep? How did you feel waking up? Were you confused? Befuddled? Were you properly awake or did you feel like you hadn't slept at all? How did Simba and the other Lionesses take it? What about the ones you scuffled with?"
I laugh at the boy's exuberant line of questions and ask: "Did Hermione rub off on you?" But Harry shakes his head and says: "Even always inspired me to ask as many questions as possible." And because the man was responsible for me now being healthy and exuberant instead of tired and weary, I feel nothing but pride and joy at hearing even more about his great actions and mutter: "I can only say one thing, Harry.
I'm sure James and Lily, wherever they are, are smiling down on you, happy beyond even their now immortal existence that you have your family back in your life like this." The boy beams back at me and then shocks me as he says: "Yeah, all of my family. Both of the canine members and all of my friends from the Garden and beyond." I stare at the boy for a few minutes, unable to comprehend his words and mutter:

"But – Harry – I – I left you for years. I left the entire country after your parents died. And even after I stopped being your teacher, I broke all contact." The boy sends me a gentle smile full of reassurance and he says: "Lu – Remus, I've been let down by so many people since I came back here. Adults that are so often assured that they are right that they just wave away anything I tell them if it doesn't fit with what they believe in.
You are one of the first adults who, when he did something wrong or believed he did, would openly admit this and explain why he did what he did. You're also the first in the Order who took the advice my friends and Master gave you to heart. And you give me advice and help me, whether you believe that's what Dumbledore believes or wants or not. You don't seem to realize how important that is to me. Not to even mention that you knew my parents."

I look at the young man sitting on other side of the table before me, his smile so full of innocent love and acceptance, regardless of the pain and suffering he's been through these past few months or even the anger he came in here with. A part of me realizes that he's this easily accepting because he might fear that I will disappear forever if he doesn't, but this part of me is so small it's almost insignificant. Yet I still take its beliefs to heart.
I get out of my chair and Harry follows me silently. I move over to him and wrap my arms around him a second time over as I whisper: "I won't ever leave again, Harry. I promise." And while I may not have said any words that could change the promise into a magical vow, I feel like it might as well have been as I seal the vow deep within my heart and mind. And the way that Harry hugs me back, his arms strong around my waist and him pulling me a little closer solidifies this.

Later that night
Grimmauld Place, London

Harry and I spent a few more minutes inside the cabin before I noticed that Fang needs to go. I told Harry I would walk the friendly mutt and Harry decided to return to his friends. I made sure to keep to the shadows of the Forbidden Forest as I still feel determined not to let Umbridge spot me or to risk the Order in some other way. After I made sure that Fang had his walk and did the job he needed to do, I also instantly left the grounds and school.
I Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and passed through it to Florean Fortescue's. There I spend the rest of the day eating quite a bit of chocolate chip ice cream, talking with a few friends and others that I knew from the war that passed me and keeping a passive eye out on Death Eaters or other staunch Voldemort Supporters. A few of my friends did ask about Moony, but they were Order members, so I told them about the meeting tonight.

Andromeda Tonks, Tonks' mum, was the only one who asked who isn't with Dumbledore, so I made sure to cast a privacy charm and told her everything, though I did make sure to first make her promise that she wouldn't tell her daughter. I had also shared some of the details with Florean and the man had actually rewarded me with the words: "All your ice cream today is on the house. No, I won't hear it, you deserve it. Congrats Remus, now take your bowl already."
And the fact that the man had added a few new chocolate flavored ingredients to every new bowl of ice cream had been pleasantly amusing. Andy had also had a huge grin on her face after I told her as much as I could about the Master, the other Apprentices, the Pride Lands, Even and his experiment. Florean had noticed this and supplied her with a spoon of her own. And the two of us had clinked the silverware together and devoured the treat.

By now it's just past dinner time at Hogwarts and I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of everyone who is part of the Order and who is aware of my illness. A few members have already come such as Alastor, Tonks and Snape and the latter has already proven that he hasn't forgotten what occurred during the last Order meeting. He's scowling and prowling through the room, surveying every last dark or shadowy corner or bit of wall.
"They're not here, Snape. I already checked the whole place with my eye. I'm going to guess that either Albus already informed them of the reason for this meeting or it's about something that just doesn't concern them." Alastor tells the man, but Snape just blatantly ignores the man and continues his searching. Alastor growls at this, but when the dour man wants to head upstairs, Albus stops him and says: "Please Severus, sit. The meeting is still due to begin."

"I just thought I'd check to see if we didn't have any – interrupters – around this time." The man sneers, but Albus just turns to Alastor, who scoffs and says: "Don't look at me, Albus. Not my fault, the man was too busy doing his own thing that he didn't listen." Snape glares at the retired Auror, but Albus just nods and asks: "All clear, I suppose?""Unless you forgot to invite them, then yeah. We're clear and ready to go. looks like everyone's here that needs to be here at least."
And this is true as the same crew as last week is back, but then with a few more members who were also part of the Original Order. It does definitely hurt to see them from time to time as many of them worked and fought alongside James and Lily just like me, as well as others who died in the last war. Yet my excitement of this morning as only slightly lessened, so the pain hardly gets the chance to really get me down again.

"Remus, are you okay?" Arthur asks and Bill jokes: "Yeah, if you were anymore excited, I'd almost be able to imagine you having a tail that wacked up and down." Molly wants to reprimand him, but I just laugh and say: "You have no idea, Bill, really." And while some are shocked to hear me this joyful, Albus beams at me and says: "Let's get the small points out of the way first, so we can really enjoy Remus' good news after."
I see Snape tensing in annoyance at this and I'm sure he'd rather be elsewhere right now. But the man remains seated, albeit begrudgingly. Albus then sweeps his gaze over several members and says: "First off, I would like to cancel the Potter Watch. It has become futile and Harry has worked a way around it with help of his cloak, map and his friends, both those from Gryffindor and Radiant Garden. Thursday was the only night he did not sneak out to rest elsewhere."

I beam at the man, both over the fact that my cub managed to outsmart several of the smartest and most capable witches and wizards and over the fact that he's willing to put this whole thing to rest. I do notice Snape ready to start ranting, but I also, for some reason that really doesn't sit well with me, notice that Dung is twitching nervously and has a look of disappointment on his face. "Oh trust me, Albus. The lad may not have left, but I didn't get much out of him either."
Alastor states, a look of grim pride on his face and an amused grin stretching across his scarred visage. "Really Alastor, would you care to report? And before you try, Severus. One, I am not in the mood for your diatribe today and two, this will not take long and then we can move onto other small notions that need to be addressed. Trust me, the results of the major reason behind this meeting will become clear shortly and you will appreciate it."

Severus seems somewhat startled that Albus cut him off and told him not to even try, but I just return my focus to Alastor. "Well, I was in the lad's room and I did see that he had his map on him as my eye was able to spot him watching it. I even spotted him gazing my way before he laid down and fell asleep. But when I decided to try and sneak over so I could take it from him, that owl of his flew onto the window sill.
And you know me, Albus, you know there aren't many who can scare me or make me rethink my actions. But Potter's owl? Well, she didn't really scare me, but I definitely felt like I was the chick of a foreign nest about to do something to hurt her own chicks or something. I felt as if, if I did what I was planning, I wouldn't just annoy her and she'd wake the whole room with her screeching, but I'd disappoint her.
I don't think I ever thought I could disappoint an owl of all things. And I'm sure a lot of you here can remember how it felt when Lily was disappointed. Well, when I stared into that owl's eyes, even though they were amber and not green, I could have sworn that Lily had risen from the grave, merged her soul with that of the owl and was warning me not to hurt her kid. It was bloody creepy how similar the stare of that ruddy bird made me feel compared to how she used to."

Snape is scowling furiously at the scarred man, as if he thinks that Alastor is befouling Lily's memory by saying these things, but I think: "Lily sacrificed herself to save her son. She'd be proud to be compared to her son's pet doing the same thing." And yet again Even's words about Snape and his love for Lily run through my mind and I feel like Severus has created a false image of Lily in his mind, just to give him someone to worship and love.
"I see. Well, it really doesn't matter that you couldn't get the items, Alastor. As we will no longer take Harry's belongings without asking him first. And I know that some of you are worried and feel like we need the Map, but I have a potential idea that might solve this issue without us having to ask Harry to give up something so personal – or even without us having the need to have these personal things at all. I will give my idea further thought and come back to you all later.

Now I believe that concludes the Potter watch notion. Let's all agree that, due to our own morals and thanks to the great help of the GA's and precious Hedwig the owl, there will be no more need for the Potter Watch. Besides, if we put our efforts into supporting Harry in other ways, we will gain his trust and he will come to us if he has some kind of nightmare that might give us insight into Voldemort and his plans. All in favor? Good, let's move on."
I easily notice that Severus isn't even paying attention anymore and that he too was ignored when Albus asked if everyone agreed. Albus then turns to me, but while I'm sure he wants me to talk about Even's experiment, I say: "Sirius is doing great. His skin is a lot healthier looking, his hair shines and seems to have lightened a little, his eyes have completely lost that Azkaban touch, so to speak and he's practically being as exuberant as a newborn puppy.
The Garden is doing wonders for him and I can definitely see why as I managed to visit it for a few moments. Let me tell you, Hogsmeade might have, more or less, similar buildings, but the Garden is just a hundred times better. Everything about it might not be in all kinds of shades of white, but there is no doubt there is light just radiating through the whole place. I only got to see a small side alley and the main building, but it took my breath away."

"What of the people there? Did you meet any?" Arthur asks and I nod as I say: "I met Isa's mother, he's one of the Master's Apprentices, as well as the Leader of that world. And when I did, Moony recognized him as an Alpha, a leader. But he didn't behave like it at all. He didn't want me to bow to him, because he considered me a friend, just because I was friends with Harry. He's definitely wise, you can see it by the look in his eyes, but he's also beyond friendly.
He's like some kind of wise old teddy bear that's come to life and wants to embrace everyone that it meets and then emulate his wisdom onto them through the hug. Or – something." I look around the room and then look at Molly and Albus directly as I say: "To be honest, he's like Albus and Molly. He has Molly's warm heart and Albus' years of wisdom and experience. Though there was also a bit of a shadow to his eyes, like he experienced Darkness, but learned from it."

A lot of those around me look really amazed and excited and Bill asks: "Is there any chance that we might be able to meet him?" To which Albus says: "I will ask Master Yen Sid about this first thing tomorrow at breakfast. I'll make sure to let you all know at our next meeting. Perhaps by then we might have a date set for this very occasion." A lot of grins widen in excitement over this and then Snape asks: "So do we have anything of actual importance to discuss?"
And while I wonder if the man lives to take away other people's happiness, I turn to him and grin as I say: "Yes Snape, we do. You'll be happy to know that I no longer require your Wolfsbane Potion. I found a better method to contain Moony in Even's experiment. It was a resounding success and even better than I ever dreamed it could be." But instead of scoffing as if he doesn't care either way, the man glares at me and snarls:

"Explain." I raise an eyebrow at this and think: "Why does he sound so insulted? I know he hates having to brew that potion for me. Is he really that prideful that he takes some kind of sick pleasure in my need of his skills or something?" And while I wonder why the man would try to have it two ways, I hear Mr. Renderas cough. I turn to him and he says: "Before you explain, Lupin. I – wanted to apologize for my behavior last week.
I told my wife what happened and she sentenced me to the couch for a week. I laid there several nights thinking over my actions and words and I realized pretty early on how wrong I was. Even was right to talk down on me like he did and to defend you like he did. He was definitely right when he said I should judge you based on my experiences with you these past few months, not an illness I didn't even know you had. I hope you'll forgive me."

I smile gratefully at the man to convey to him that I do and say: "Thanks Renderas. Anyway, as most of you know, Even spoke of another world, one inhabited by animals only. It's called the Pride Lands and I went there on Friday night. I had just passed the border of the world, similar to the wards that surround Hogwarts, and suddenly I was on four paws instead of two feet. I think even Apparating takes longer than the speed with which the world changed my form.
I turned into a lion, by the way." These words cause a lot of giggles and snickers and Minerva proudly states: "A Gryffindor in heart and soul." I think: "It's probably more likely that I have some kind of more domestic cat for an Animagus form and that my lycanthropy turned that into a predator." But I don't even care for this and Tonks almost grabs and pulls on my arm in excitement as she asks: "And then? What happened? How did the full moon go?"

"Well, first of all, let me tell you guys that the Pride Lands are breathtaking. They are these amazing lands full of savannah life. The sky there is the brightest kind of blue you have ever seen and the clouds are white as snow all the time, or at least while I was there. I didn't get to see or explore the whole world, but what I saw was brilliant. And Simba looked even better on Pride Rock than he did when Sora summoned him. And Kiara is just the most adorable lump of fluff ever!"
"Remus dear boy, you're rambling. Please, focus on what matters." Albus gently reminds me and I clear my throat as I say: "Right, sorry. Anyway, I spent Friday night and all of Saturday there. By that time I felt confident and in control, I didn't even fear the full moon. So while normally I would sit near a window and look straight out, this time I laid down in the den inside Pride Rock and turned my back to the outside of the cave.

I did feel the moon rise, but that was more because I could feel its light shining down than really any magic affecting me. Only when it was about three quarters of the way up, I started feeling its affects. And even then it hardly did anything. Yeah, I felt an enormous increase in energy, like when you drink a whole jug of hot chocolate without first filling it into cups, but that's it. I really just started to feel energized, agitated, restless.
And when Simba noticed as he and a few of the other Lionesses were keeping watch, he and the others led me outside. A few of them sparred with me and I did lunge for one, but they were clearly stronger and more skilled and just treated me like I was their rowdy cub or something. Then we took down an antelope and the others let me have the whole thing. I ate all of it, bar the carcass, of course, and as I did, the energy left me.
I ate my fill and felt lethargic. The other lionesses had to almost carry me back to Pride Rock. They laid me down near Simba, Nala and Kiara and I slept the rest of the night. I know they don't really have a sense of time there, other than day time, night time, rain season and dry season, but I'm pretty sure the whole thing took less than an hour. And even then I experienced it all as if I was wearing Harry's glasses without having his prescription, you know."

Everyone is staring at me, some of them in awe, others grinning like mad. Only Snape is still scowling, but I am too happy with the reactions of the others to care about him. "If I may ask, how did you feel while you hunted down that antelope?" Tonks asks me and I grin as I say: "That's just it. I didn't hunt. I hadn't trained enough, so I let them do it. I just gulfed the antelope down after they brought it to me."
"Hmm, interesting. It is true that it is the job of the lionesses to hunt and that the male lion always gets the, as we call it, lion's share first. I'm guessing that your inner lycanthropy recognized this and merged its instincts with that of the lion you became." Renderas mutters. He is looking at me, but his tone indicates that he's moreso talking to himself as he speaks. I nod as the theory definitely has merit and I mentally remind myself to discuss this with Even.

"Still, I doubt that Simba will be happy with you after the next full moon. You said it yourself, Lupin. You attacked one of his pride. And we all know what happens when a werewolf attacks another." Snape sneers, but I just ignore him. Minerva doesn't though. "First off, everyone and their mother knows that animals are immune to the werewolf infection. Second, if Remus had harmed another lioness, he would have said so."
The two glare at each other, but then Arthur intervenes. "Remus?" He inquires and I happily answer: "I did strike at the lioness with my claws, but here's the thing. The next morning, when I woke up, her wounds were already healing. She wasn't just skilled enough to keep me from seriously hurting her, because it was a lion's claw and not a werewolf claw, the curse didn't pass on. Though I do think that Minerva's statement adds to that.

Either that or their shaman has skills beyond belief." I mutter in the end and the others all stare at me. I nod and say: "Yeah, their shaman is a baboon, if you'll believe me. And he seems to have an incredible knowledge about all of the flora of that world and how they can work together to make all kinds of medicine. And before any of you think of scoffing, I not only saw him bite into a coconut and eat it as if it was just a leaf, he also carries this shaman stick and a wicked left arm."
"Yeah, that's true." Renderas snorts and we all turn to him as he says: "In the movie. He tries to help Simba, who like Potter, suffered from survival's guilt get over the death of his father and when Simba tries to be stubborn and just ignore the lessons, he hits him with the stick. To be honest, I don't think there are wiser words than those that come out of his mouth at that scene. The past can hurt, but you can either run from it or – learn from it.
He then tries to hit Simba again, but the lion dodges. And right after that he gets Simba convinced to return home, which is right near the end of the movie and leads up to the epic battle at the finale." "Wait, battle? What battle?" Molly asks concerned and Renderas winces as he says: "Well, let's just say that the movie – is basically the story of Hamlet, but then with lions and other savannah animals. And some of the most amazing music ever."

"I can certainly agree there." Minerva's words startle and shock a lot of us. The woman smiles and says: "The movie came out last year. Most of the students might have been excited over the Tournament, but when the Yule Ball was approaching, I heard several students talking about and singing a few of the songs. I almost wished that we could have had a song or two of that movie to go along with the Weird Sister performance."
"Wait, can't we just ask Simba about these songs?" Molly asks, but I snort and say: "No Molly, we met Simba in the Master's first DADA class. The movie was mentioned, but Simba clearly had no idea what we were talking about. I think the songs are movie-exclusive, added to make the whole experience more magical." The woman nods and I turn to Arthur as I say: "I'll explain what a movie is another time, Arthur."

The man instantly nods in excitement and I say: "And well, to conclude – and to counter Severus' earlier statement, as I left Simba told me I would be welcomed back next month. He also told me that, if we can manage it, I can set up a system where I'll be allowed to bring one or two other werewolves to the Pride Lands a month. Simba gets that we'd rather do more to really help as many as possible, but he's king and he needs to think of his subjects as well. And that many predators could really upset the balance that he's been able to maintain these past years."
"Yeah, I can get that. Yeah, the movie showed us what happens to the Pride Lands if the wrong ruler sits on the throne. Simba's Uncle Scar had taken over and given free hunting reign to the hyenas. To call the Pride Lands a wasteland would be putting it kindly. There were dead trees, dust and sand and even skeletons visible all over the land. It was a sad sight to behold." Renderas explains and I hear some others mutter: "I need to see that movie."

Instantly Renderas perks up and says: "My wife and I may both be magical, but we inherited a lot from my Muggle parents. We own two houses, one magical, one Muggle. I can probably organize some things with my wife, who spends most of her time in the Muggle home and we can have movie nights where you can come watch." At this Albus stands up and says: "And with that, I believe this meeting is officially over.
Remus, I know that you and Even will look into whether or not you can continue to transform into your lion form after the demonstration that will be held this weekend, which all of you are naturally invited to, and I look forward to hearing about the results of that experiment. I also thank you and Marc for giving us an insight into these two other worlds and want to congratulate you on a successful and peaceful full-moon night. See you soon, everyone."
Everyone else also gets up and Snape storms out in a huff. everyone just more or less ignores this, though in favor of either leaving for themselves, talking with Renderas about a possible time to meet for the movie or to congratulate me and ask me a few more questions. The questions are all about either Sirius, Radiant Garden, the Pride Lands or Simba and his pride. But it's Molly's questions about Kiara that I love answering the most.

Okay, WOW!
This chapter was long, but it was also SO worth it. I really think I got the whole weekend put into those four times that Remus told his story and I also think I gave a nice spin or added something new and fun each time. I also decided to go for the "passive aggressive" approach when it comes to Snape. He's really not going to get the attention he wants anymore and won't be able to get a rise out of his former enemies anymore either.
I can't really say what will come from this long term, if I'm just going to make him give up and become more patient himself or if he'll leave to see if he can find some other place where he can torment people. Heck, maybe I'm just going to give up on the guy and mention him in passing here and there, when it matters. Though that will mostly be in summaries, like when I make a time jump or something of the sort.
Heh, oh well, it's not like it really matters. Especially because next chapter, we are going back to someone who really knows how to get under my skin. And personally, I think the fact that this person, who is only in about one book and a few chapters of another, can get under my skin worse than Snape, who is nasty in almost all the books just speaks for itself. But I'm sure you all know who I mean when I say this.
Yeah, you do,

Venquine1990