Chapter Nineteen

Letting Sleeping Wolves Lie

Jennifer heard a chime and looked around thoughtfully before she remembered that it came from her mirror. Getting an idea, Jennifer went down the narrow staircase and over to the Headmaster's desk. She pulled out the school mirror, murmuring a soft spell. Slowly it connected, Severus fading into view.

"Good evening, Severus!" Jennifer said cheerfully.

"Oh, that wasn't the mirror I was expecting. Did I not set up your folding mirror properly?" Severus asked.

"Well, I heard it chime and decided that since I was in the study anyway, I'd use the bigger mirror instead," Jennifer explained.

"I thought you were planning to work on the formula tonight?"

"We're making observations," Jennifer replied, holding the mirror out so he could see Ivano on the observatory level. Ivano waved when he realized what she was doing then went back to the telescope. "When the moon rose, Sagittari suggested that it might be easier and safer if we observed from here. We intentionally gave Remus a weaker dose this cycle so that Ivano could study his normal behavior... don't worry, we locked down the school first and the centaurs are keeping an eye on the forest end."

"I am certain you took every precaution," Severus said unconcernedly.

"And how was your training day?" Jennifer asked.

"Well, if you must know, it was all rather fun," Severus admitted. Jennifer burst out laughing at that. "Even you would have found it entertaining. Especially the bit when Amadeus tried to escape out of a window of the Oracle building only to see me standing there. They must have heard his howling halfway across Wales," Severus said, making it harder for Jennifer to contain her laughter.

"Oh, you have to put that in a Pensieve, Severus, I would love to see that," Jennifer finally got out.

"Gladly," Severus said with a smirk. "Anyway, I was just about to turn in for the night. I'm expected back at the Ministry bright and early for another flag board shift. Not worrying too much about Quintin, I hope?"

"I'll admit to checking in much too often. You know I would have kept him here if I could have," Jennifer said.

"It is only during the weekends, Jennifer. Was it all so long ago that weekends were all we had with the others? At least now it is the other way around," Severus reminded her.

"Yes, you've pointed that out before," Jennifer agreed with an apologetic smile. "Don't worry about me, Severus. Pretty soon I'll be much too busy to think about it much... speaking of which, I really ought to get back to our research."

"And I to my investigating. I'll chime again tomorrow," Severus said.

"Goodnight, Severus," Jennifer replied, waving her hand across the mirror and putting it away before climbing the Observatory stairs again. "Sorry, Ivano. That was the Headmaster... he was just checking in."

"Would I be out of line if I asked what the laughing was about?" Ivano asked curiously. Jennifer grinned at that.

"I couldn't help myself. Apparently, the Headmaster thinks that his Auror training is 'fun'. He doesn't use that word very often. He has a very short list of activities that he finds entertaining," Jennifer explained. "But today they were training him on investigations, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Severus has always enjoyed the intellectual side of gathering information and 'outwitting' his enemies, and he's extremely good at it. It's the violent half of that job he has no stomach for."

"What? With everything he's been through?" Ivano asked curiously.

"Because of it, rather," Jennifer said. "In fact, I think that's something you'll find that every member of this faculty has in common, really. Some of the best fighting wands in the country are employed here, plus one of the best goblin cutters... and all of us are so sick of violence that we'll take every other avenue unless we've no other choice. Anyway, do you still have a sight on Remus?"

"Sort of, but he's moved much further into the forest than I was expecting," Ivano admitted. "In fact, he's getting rather close to that small town in the distance."

"What? Really? Let me look," Jennifer said, taking over and looking in the direction he has pointed until she saw the scurrying movement around the brush and trees. Jennifer looked up thoughtfully. "Maybe with the lower dosage his instincts have kicked in," Jennifer murmured.

"Yes, well, that was the point. To make it a low enough dosage to see his natural behavior but not enough for him to cause anyone harm," Ivano said.

"His instincts are still responding to wizard learned behaviors, though. I think he's heading in that direction because up on that hill there behind Haven's Row there used to be an old shack where he went during full moons as a student. Harry Potter called it a Shrieking Shack or something like that... the Dementors took it out a few years after I got here; there's only a trap door there now, and a filled in tunnel," Jennifer explained. "That'll take him awfully close to the boundaries of Hogsmeade, though. I think I'd better warn them." She took a few steps down the stairs until she could see her secretary clearly. Professor Rogue was already watching her intently.

"Severus, it looks like Remus may be heading towards where the shack used to be. Could you please send Corey to his real self and ask him to warn everyone to stay out of that area this evening? And um... to use non-lethal means if that potion does break, obviously... one of my modified Sleeping Dusts will work on him. Corey will know which one." The portrait of Severus nodded at that and stepped out. Jennifer had barely gotten back up the stairs when a violin signaled that his task was done.

"Thank you, Severus," Jennifer replied. "There, that's taking care of."

"It is interesting that Lupin's instincts seem to be taking him back to his childhood. Was he born with it?" Ivano asked.

"Turned when he was five, actually... there was a pack of werewolves aligned to Voldemort at one point, but they left to find a better hunting ground after Voldemort was taken out by Harry when he was a baby."

"Oh? Where did the pack go?" Ivano asked.

"No idea. They never came back, and there hasn't been more than a small handful of werewolves in this country ever since. The only werewolf who fought on Voldemort's side after he returned was Peter Pettigrew... that was bad enough." Jennifer said, then realized he was straining to hear her. Jennifer shrugged herself out of it. "Remus seems to have stopped at the tree line. Perhaps he's aware enough to realize that the shack isn't there any longer." She stepped back so Ivano could watch.

"Yes, he does seem to be looking for a secluded spot to settle in. The weakened potion is holding better than we thought," Ivano decided.

"No, I don't think that's it," Jennifer said with a sigh. "It's true that it's helping, and it is still strong enough to curb his aggression... but the main reason it's holding is because Remus himself has developed so much control over time. After all, he's been dealing with this since he was Quintin's age."

Jennifer felt a bit eerie and wished she hadn't said that, knowing it was unlikely to unsettle her dreams with Severus out of the castle. Ivano was too interested in the research to notice her discomfort.
"I'm going to make some more coffee... shall I?" Jennifer said. "Or would you prefer tea?"

"Tea if you make it, coffee if I make it." Ivano said, immediately jarring Jennifer out of her mood and causing her to put her hands on her hips.

"Are you saying you don't like my coffee?" Jennifer asked dangerously.

"Oh... ah... I'm certain your American style coffee is up to American standards, but coffee is different in Italy," Ivano explained. "Have you not visited?"

"Many times actually, but Lucky is the only one who drinks the coffee. Typically, when I'm on vacation, I sample the wine and have my coffee on the boat," Jennifer explained.

"Lucky?" he inquired.

"One of my daughters," Jennifer explained with a sigh. "She's at university now, studying business and economics. But she does like her coffee a bit... thick."

"Don't worry... I'll take it easy on you. I'll put lemon in it," Ivano said. "Take over watch?"

"Lemon? In coffee?" Jennifer inquired as Ivano whisked down the stairs and out of the office, taking the Doorlift. Wondering what she had just gotten herself into, Jennifer checked on Remus again and then noticed something moving in the brush nearby.

At first she frowned in alarm, but then it turned into a grin when she saw that the fluffy cat had already managed a cease fire with the beast. She swung the telescope around a bit, unsurprised to see Corey looking out of a second story window in his apothecary. Then she turned it back around again, a bit frustrated when it took her several minutes before she was able to find the exact spot that Remus and the cat were lying, so thick was their cover.

"Here it is," Ivano said, coming back up the steps with a tray full of tiny cups with lemon twists on the sides. Legs appeared under the tray and he set it down, rubbing the lemon on one of the cups and drinking it all in one gulp.

"I hope you don't expect me to drink mine like that," Jennifer said as he indulged himself with a second.

"Don't worry, it isn't too hot... just right," Ivano assured her. "It should not be an all day affair when there's so much work to do."

"Fine, I'll try it, but after growing up in America and spending time in France, I'm very much used to coddling my cup... just like tea, really..." Jennifer explained.

"What? Until it goes cold and bitter? What a tragedy!" Ivano teased. Jennifer, who already thought it smelled bitter and perhaps a bit burnt, reluctantly rubbed the lemon on the rim and downed it, with such an expression afterwards that he couldn't help but laugh. "There we are! You'll get used to that!"

"This does remind me of my daughter's coffee. You're right, downing it is the best way. Like a healing potion."

"Oh, now, that is not fair, it tastes much better than that," Ivano protested, downing his second before going over to the telescope. Not entirely agreeing with him, Jennifer still managed to down the second one.

"At the very least, I can say that the lemon worked better than I expected," Jennifer offered.

"Ah! What is this? There is a strange cat lying down with the werewolf!" Ivano exclaimed. Jennifer grinned at that.

"Well, it is a strange cat, but what she's doing there isn't that strange," Jennifer said. "That's Corey's familiar, Cheshire; he probably sent her there to keep an eye on him."

"Isn't Cheshire an odd name for a girl cat?" Ivano inquired.

"Oh... his original familiar was male, actually. He found her in Toby's Tinker Shop about a week after his first familiar died, so he named her Cheshire the Second. She looks an awful lot like his old cat... just don't ask me what breed she is because I have no idea. I don't think even Severus has a guess," Jennifer admitted. "She's not in any danger. Really, it's safer for her to watch him than anyone else, since we don't know if that potion is going to hold all night."

"It may, if he decides to sleep through it," Ivano reasoned, making a note in their research about Lupin's indifference towards the cat.

"He may just very well do that," Jennifer said. "Do you mind if I go down to the lab and start the recovery potion? I know we have hours yet before moonset, but I'm not one for sitting still."

"That's quite all right; I have a high tolerance with this sort of research," he assured her. "But can I ask one more question before I forget... what sort of Tinker Shop also sells familiars?" Jennifer chuckled at that.

"Toby's shop sells a bit of everything, really, and it's rather hard to explain without going. Why don't you join me for the Hogsmeade trip next weekend? It'll give you a chance to see more of the town than just inside Corey's shop," Jennifer suggested. "I can introduce you to some of my other children at the same time. I need to go as escort either way," Jennifer added.

"In that case, I'm sure we can spare a day off for that, I'd be delighted," Ivano said.

As Jennifer stepped down and walked through the Headmaster's Study, Professor Rogue folded his arms in disapproval of Jennifer's attempt at hospitality, wishing she would turn around long enough to notice his warning expression. Even if she had added visiting her children at the end, the portrait wasn't completely convinced that their guest professor wouldn't misconstrue her intentions. This isn't the same naive Jennifer that he married, he reminded himself. Surely she hadn't missed the fact that Ivano was more than a little taken with his lovely research partner.

Remus awoke to a familiar smell of one of his potions mixed with a curious aroma of baking bread. Blearily he opened his eyes and realized he was in Hagrid's hut... no... Sagittari's, he remembered groggily, having trouble clearing his thoughts.

"He's coming around," he heard a female not-his-wife say and realized a foul-smelling cup was next to his lips. Readily in drank it until finally he couldn't stand any more and waved it away.

"Well, alright, but you really ought to drink the whole thing, no matter how unpleasant," Jennifer's voice chided him. "I don't suppose this is something we could put in a pellet potion, Sagittari?"

"It would take several," said the centaur. "Unless you could make it a great deal more potent."

"I don't care how many it would take," Remus croaked, trying to clear his eyes. "Spare me that thing again... are your sure that nasty flavor isn't intentional? That's Severus' formula, isn't it?" he asked venomously, then found the cup in his face again.

"I'm so sorry, Remus, but you must drink the rest of it if you know who you are but not when," Jennifer apologized. Reluctantly he got the rest of the potion down. At last he saw her unmistakable green eyes and was able to focus on them. Then he gazed towards the nearby doctor, and last towards the stranger by the door which he finally remembered was Disparte.

"All right. I know where I am. But I still think he may have done it on purpose," Remus said with a weak grin to let her Jennifer know he was all right. "I don't remember anything from last night," he admitted, checking himself for injuries. Did I..."
"It's all right, Remus, no harm done. You found a spot to sleep in the Forest near where the shack used to be and slept though the majority of it. You were under constant vigil the entire time," she assured him.

"Well I hope you have enough research from that, Disparte, because I'm not doing that weak of a dose again," Remus said firmly. "I may have behaved myself, but I was hardly in my right mind or I would have remembered it. It's not worth the risk, especially considering how close to the town I must have gotten."

"Unfortunately, you didn't show much natural werewolf behavior during the experiment," Ivano admitted.

"Yes, it was more as if you were instinctively seeking out the shack for refuge... as if part of you was reliving the past," Jennifer conjectured, thinking about he reacted when he had first awoken.

"Perhaps," Remus murmured. "Returning to Hogwarts again has brought back a lot of old memories."

"And strong emotions as well, if your awakening is any indication," Sagittari commented.

"Passing emotions, perhaps," Remus shrugged at that. "For the most part, I've been concentrating on the present, since it needs my undivided attention right now."

"On the surface, yes, but those passing emotions are probably quite strong in your subconscious and drove your wolf-side behavior last night," Sagittari said.

"Then it'll be stronger tonight," Remus said.

"Quite possibly," Sagittari agreed.

"If I had a regular dosage for tonight would it make any difference?" Remus asked concernedly.

"No, not while you're in the middle of a full cycle," Jennifer admitted.

"Then lock me up tonight, just to be safe," Remus insisted. Jennifer glanced at Ivano, who nodded.

"All right, Remus, it's your call, but I think we'll get some sleep and stay up with you just in case," Jennifer said.

"As will I," Sagittari agreed. "I invited your wife to have lunch with us. Shall I tell her you're not feeling up to it?"

"No, that's fine... as long as it's here with observation," Remus said firmly.

"I rather think as long as she's been married to you that Carol knows perfectly well what to do if there's a problem," Sagittari reminded him. "Sit there quietly for a bit. I'll make you some rejuvenating tea."

"Carol?"

"You're wife," Sagittari said solemnly.

"Yes, that's right," Remus remembered with a nod. Sagittari glanced at Jennifer.

"I'll modify the recovery dose to make it a tad stronger," Jennifer offered Sagittari's unspoken concern.

"Thank you, Jennifer," Sagittari said. "You had best get some rest."

"I will, as soon as I check in with Severus about the dosage since it's his formula," Jennifer assured Remus. "Let's take the door into the hospital wing, Ivano, it's closer," Jennifer said, leading Ivano through Sagittari's examining room and to the door that lead back into the castle.

"Breakfast first?" Ivano suggested after the door was closed.

"No, I doubt I'd get to sleep at all then. You go ahead. Let's meet up in the lab again say... three-thirty?" Jennifer suggested.

"Sounds good," Ivano said, but then asked her about one of the potion components.

The two of them were truly too tired to delve much into theory; Jennifer was well aware that her Wakeful dose had less than an hour left on it. So she was glad when she could step into the Doorlift to the Headmaster's Study, pulling out her mirror with a tired sigh as she entered. She gazed at her thoughts until the mirror blurred and Severus appeared.

"Oh, right. There you are," Jennifer chuckled.

"Yes, the charm seems to be holding," Severus said.

"I'm not bothering you during something important, am I?" Jennifer asked.

"I am watching the flag board, and it is important, but not enough I can't answer the mirror. How was the experiment?" Severus asked.

"Not as expected, really. Instead of reverting to normal wolf behavior, he had some sort of memory relapse back to when he was turning as a student... in fact, there were some lingering effects."

"Lingering effects?"

"Some disorientation, mostly, as if his memories are mixing with his present. I'm going to try to make his recovery potion stronger. Oh, and on that subject, he also accused you of making it taste nastier on purpose," Jennifer said with a grin.

"Now you know as well as I do that neither of those potions taste all that palata... wait a moment. What is the stimulant additive in that formula?" Severus asked suddenly.

"Um... ashed khat, powdered barghest tongue..."

"He's right, that's the old formula. Get out my potion journal and look for the one date-marked after that bit with the train and the Popcorn Farm, whenever that was..."

"What do you mean, he's right? Are you saying that you really did make this formula taste bad on purpose?" Jennifer interrupted, completely aghast.

"Well, if you must know, that's the version of the recovery potion I gave him the very first time he taught here. I wasn't fond of him then, and I protested Dumbledore's employment of him..."

"In other words, you didn't get on with him when you were in school."

"Do you mind? We are talking about a time well before I met you and I'd rather not get into it," Severus snapped. "I'll admit to the mistake, and if you'll Owl me my potion journal, I'll find it and even modify it to alleviate the disorientation symptoms he was having. Maybe I'll even see about improving the taste as a way of an apology."

"I'm fairly sure he'd accept that as an apology," Jennifer chuckled. "I need to get some sleep now. I'll talk to you this evening."

"Good night, then. If I have time, I'll try to get those revisions done and sent by the time you wake up. If not, by tomorrow for certain," Severus said.

"Thank you, Severus," Jennifer replied and closed the mirror, allowing herself to chuckle again before turning to her secretary. "I don't suppose you remember the year of the train crashing near the farm, Professor?" she asked, and the painting signed back. "Yes, of course... the same term that Voldemort was defeated and we were married. I'm surprised current Severus didn't remember, but then again, I did have him rather flustered. It's not often that he admits to making a mistake." The portrait shrugged at her, signing that he made more than he would like to admit to. Jennifer nodded at that. "Well, in any case, I need to get some sleep, so let Andrew know he's in charge now and remind him to check on the Aurors' Club today." Severus nodded and Jennifer did a quick search for the journal, sending it off with Radiance before finally collapsing on the bed.