Remus Lupin was having a perfectly ordinary morning. He woke up not long after the sun came up over the trees that framed the Order's headquarters, feeling well rested. The full moon had come and gone a week ago and the effects were finally ebbing away, leaving him feeling strong and back to his usual self. He changed out of his pajamas in his room, slipping into a pair of worn-in jeans and a green sweater. The weather was getting warmer everyday, but the brisk spring air still hung around in the morning and at night.
He was sure to stay quiet as he made his way down the hallway and staircase, not wanting to wake up any of the Order members that might have stayed the night. Remus and Peter were the only two Marauders left living at headquarters; James and Lily moved into a flat in London a few weeks prior and Sirius had been living just outside the city for about a month. The thought of his friend alone in his tiny apartment gave Remus a twinge of sadness. He wished there were some way he could help Sirius through all the grief he was feeling, that they were all feeling.
Shaking his head, ridding his mind of negative thoughts, he stepped out onto the large front porch, closing the door carefully behind him. Dumbledore did a fine job finding this new space for the Order - Remus knew why he chose a house with a sizable area for members to apparate and disapparate from. It was the only thing anyone could do, to learn from their mistakes, make sure history wouldn't repeat itself. His stomach knotted, hating to think of the friend they lost as 'history'.
They were all concentrating on trying to make themselves happy after spending so long weighed down by regret and sorrow. James and Lily had gotten married, had a small ceremony with a handful of close friends in the backyard of the Order's house. They were trying to find joy in themselves and their relationship. Peter was focusing more on his spell-casting and dueling, finding comfort in the progress of his abilities. Sirius had moved to a new town all together, trying to find...Remus didn't really know what Sirius was trying to find, truthfully. Perhaps he was just trying to make peace with moving on with his life.
Remus was finding joy in the little things, having a routine, trying new things and going to new places to figure out what he liked and didn't like. He had disapparated from the porch and reappeared only one block away from the house. Taking walks, he discovered, was something he very much enjoyed. It calmed his mind and left him feeling content. He chose to walk the distances between headquarters and the city as often as he could, very aware of the odd looks he got from other Order members. Muggles walked, you see. Why walk across town when you could just apparate and be at your destination in seconds? Remus didn't mind the looks, he had always gotten them, after all, growing up the way he did.
He came up to a street corner and dashed across, hands in the pockets of his jeans, just before a car passed him. There was a newspaper vendor ahead, one that he knew was a wizard and secretly sold copies of the Prophet to those who knew to ask. He greeted the man, a wiry looking fellow with an unkempt gray beard and wild hair shoved under a stocking cap, and passed him a few Knuts, taking a copy of the paper from him at the same time. With a wave, Remus took off down the walkway again, now gazing at the front page of the paper, words scrolling across the page and pictures moving on their own.
His attention was on the paper when he came up to his favorite cafe, a cute little shop on a corner. Small metal tables and chairs were placed on either side of the entrance and a chalkboard sign was propped against the storefront, bright and colorful chalk drawings promoting the latest specials. Remus ducked inside the shop and distractedly ordered a cup of coffee with two sugars, pulling himself away from the paper and tucking it under his arm. He looked at the glass case to the left of the counter, peering at the pastries and wondering if he should indulge himself and order a cinnamon bun…
The woman behind the counter handed him the cup of coffee and he thanked her, dropping some muggle money on the counter and taking the cup with him as he walked back out the door. He enjoyed sipping the hot liquid outside, feeling the crisp morning air and listening to the sounds of the city around him, and he did so often. Remus pulled out one of the metal chairs and settled himself on it, taking the paper from under his arm and opening to a page somewhere in the middle. He sipped his drink, savoring the dark, bitter taste and how it warmed him from the inside out.
He heard it then, someone whispering his name behind him. The paper dropped from his hand and he moved to grab his wand before his brain could even comprehend what he was doing. He turned and raised himself from his seat, his thin frame allowing him to move swiftly, wand in his hand and held in front of him while trying to be discreet. He was aware of the empty street and pathway surrounding the cafe but didn't want to draw unwanted attention from muggles.
Remus didn't see the person at first, the one who said his name. The voice was quiet and hoarse and he didn't recognize it, didn't recognize the person at first either, as they slowly came out of the shadowy doorway next to the shop.
It was a sickly looking woman, her clothes were filthy and torn up, her hair was matted and caked with grease and dirt, every part of her body he could see was covered in cuts and scratches and bruises and dried blood. She was horribly thin and Remus thought he could see every bone in her body jutting out through her stained gray skin. For a moment he thought perhaps she was a homeless woman that somehow knew his name and was begging for money, until his eyes met her bright blue gaze and his stomach dropped. He knew those eyes.
All the air left his lungs and his chest cramped uncomfortably, his knees suddenly felt very weak, as if they might give out at any second and send him falling to the ground. He didn't blink, afraid that if he did she might vanish from in front of him.
"Natalie?" he asked, his voice a whisper, almost too quiet for even himself to hear.
Relief flooded her face, it overtook every one of her sunken features. She opened her cracked lips to say something but no words came out. Instead, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she lurched forward. Remus passed the space between them in time to catch her before she fell to the pavement, crouched down with both hands on either of her frail arms. Her head rolled onto her shoulder and Remus pulled her up so that he was standing, wrapping his left arm around her rib cage and holding her firmly to him.
He tucked his wand under his arm and moved his hand to Natalie's face. "Natalie? Hey," he said, frantically, not able to wrap his head around what was happening. He tapped his fingers against her cheek lightly, trying to get her to focus on him. Her eyes were half open and he could tell she was trying to stay conscious. "Hey, I'm going to get you out of here, okay? But you have to hold on to me, as tight as you can, all right?"
She nodded once, just barely moving her head and he felt her arm move to his back and grip his sweater. It was a weak hold but it was good enough. He grabbed his wand back into his hand and turned quickly, his arm holding the woman against him securely, and pictured the front porch of headquarters clearly in his mind.
With a faint pop Remus' feet hit solid ground and he immediately turned his head, making sure Natalie wasn't splinched or hanging off of the porch where someone could see her. She was fine, but he didn't give himself time to feel at ease. He barged into the house, practically dragging her next to him.
"James!" he thundered, turning to pick Natalie up, his left arm moving under her shoulders and his right arm supporting her legs. "JAMES!"
Remus heard footsteps in the floor above him. "Who the hell is yelling down the-" James had descended half the stairs before he stopped dead in his tracks, one bare foot hanging in the air awkwardly. He stared at the scene before him, Remus cradling some skeletal figure in his arms, his face clearly reflecting his frenzied state.
"Who is-" James started, looking incredibly confused. Remus saw when it clicked, when James' face changed from perplexed to realization, eyes wide. "Is that-"
"Yes, and she's barely hanging on. We need to get her to St. Mungo's," Remus spoke fast, not knowing what injuries Natalie had, just knowing she needed help right away. James stood frozen on the stairs, just gaping at the poor slumped figure in Remus' arms. When a few long seconds went by, Remus yelled again. "James!"
"Uh, right," he said, yanking himself out of whatever trance he had been in. Nodding and running a hand through his already messy black hair, he spoke again, voice wavering slightly. "Right. You take her, I'll go get Sirius."
Remus nodded his head curtly and looked down at Natalie. Her eyes were closed now, arms hanging limp beside her. He heard James yelling for Lily as he ran back up the steps. "Natalie?" he tried waking her up, tried shaking her a little, but she wouldn't move. A ripple of fear ran through him and he forced himself to think logically. He could tell she was still breathing, saw her chest moving in time with her shallow breaths. She was not dead and he did not have time to panic.
Knowing it was no use trying to wake her, he held onto her tightly as he disapparated again, this time landing in front of what looked like a muggle department store. He looked to either side of the street, making sure no one was looking directly at him as he stepped up to where a mannequin stood behind the thick glass window. He knew what the figure was waiting for but in his manic state he found it hard to string a coherent sentence together.
"My friend passed out," he said lamely. He was too hurried to have a conversation with this literal dummy. "She's badly injured, she needs to see a Healer."
Without a word, the mannequin moved its head almost imperceptibly, indicating that it understood what he had said. Remus didn't hesitate, checking his surroundings again before heaving himself up onto the ledge of the window and stepping right through the glass. Gone was the inside of the deserted department store and in its place was a large and lively room, filled with witches and wizards who were wearing colorful robes and speaking loudly. He saw the area with rickety chairs where people waited to be checked in and seen by Healers but didn't walk in that direction. Instead, he walked past the woman welcoming new patients, ignoring the sounds of her saying 'Sir, wait!' and rushed right up to a shapely witch in lime green robes.
"I need help," he said, out of breath from his hasty movements and the extra weight he was carrying, though it wasn't that much considering how gaunt Natalie was.
"Well I'm sure you do, why don't you take a seat and-" the woman had been looking at a stack of papers in her hand, brown hair set in ringlet curls bouncing onto her rosy cheeks before she looked up, a bored expression on her face. She had a thick Scottish accent that made it hard to understand what she was saying. Once she saw the man standing in front of her, she practically jumped. "Merlin's beard, what's happened to that woman?"
"I don't know," Remus answered, still supporting Natalie like a brother would protect a little sister.
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" the woman looked at him crossly, obviously not believing him. A small metal tag pinned to the front of her robes read 'Laird.'
He was getting angry. Couldn't this woman see the condition Natalie was in? "I mean, I don't know. She's been missing for months, I don't have a clue what's happened to her, now are you going to help her or not?" Remus' voice rose to a shout, trying desperately to get the Healer to understand the urgency of the situation.
"Well of course I am," she retorted and turned around, motioning for Remus to follow her. She moved with surprising speed and he had to make an effort to keep up. The witch led him to a lift, the door opening immediately upon their arrival. She ushered him in and the lift started to move upwards. "I'll set up a room for her on the fourth floor."
After a long minute the lift shuddered to a halt, the doors sliding open again. The Healer walked into the hallway in front of them and took a right. Remus followed dutifully, only a few steps behind her as she walked into a room numbered 431. Everything in the room was a bright white, from the walls to the blankets on the bed. It was overwhelming.
"Put her down on the bed," the witch instructed. He did as he was told and gently laid Natalie onto the bed in the middle of the room. Behind him, the Healer had disappeared through the doorway, returning a second later with two other women in the same green robes. She pointed to Remus. "You. Out."
He protested instantly. "But-"
She held up her hand and stopped him short. The witch had a strict air about her, he knew she wouldn't stand for any nonsense. "We will take care of her, young man. Go up to the next floor and wait. I'll come find you when we're done here." She was stern, but her voice was calm and gentle.
Remus took a deep breath and nodded, glancing over to Natalie once more before he left the room. The door swung shut behind him. He stood by the door for a few minutes, attempting to collect thoughts and steady his breathing. The Healers were speaking in the room but he couldn't hear what they were saying, their voices muffled and incoherent from where he was standing in the quiet hallway. Footsteps made Remus turn his head towards the lift, his brain didn't seem to be moving as fast as his body was.
James and Sirius were rushing out from behind the sliding door of the lift before it had even opened all the way. They both had a look of shocked confusion on their faces. Remus didn't move, some irrational fear inside of him telling him not to stray too far from Natalie.
"Where is she?" Sirius was the first to speak once they raced to where Remus was standing. He was slightly out of breath, perhaps he ran through the lobby on the first floor or perhaps it was raw panic causing his heart rate to rise.
Remus pointed at the door in front of him. "In there. The Healers wouldn't let me stay with her." He sounded much more tired than he had been only half an hour before.
"Why the fuck not?" Sirius sounded irate, all his emotions hitting at once.
James put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, trying to keep his friend calm, though not looking very happy about the situation himself. "There's nothing we'd be able to do in there right now anyway, mate. We'd just be in the Healer's way." His voice was quiet, gentle, knowing that Sirius was only a second away from busting through the door, like it or not.
Sirius didn't respond. He ran a hand down his face, the slight beard he'd let grow in the past few weeks scratched his palm. "Did she say anything?" He was desperate for information, for anything to let him know she was okay.
"No," Remus answered. "I had to fight to keep her alert enough to apparate. I don't think she's in any condition to be holding a conversation."
Remus knew that wasn't the best thing to say in that moment, but he didn't want to lie and make Sirius think she was perfectly normal. The truth was hard but it was necessary. James stayed silent as Sirius' face twisted with even more worry than it already had been. "Is she...how does she look?" Sirius asked as if he knew the answer wouldn't be a good one, looking between James and Remus.
James spoke. "All that matters is she's back and she's alive. We'll figure out the rest."
Sirius glanced at the door and the other two men knew how badly he wanted to go into the room, how his hands twitched in an effort to not run up and yank the handle down and insist that he stay in the room with her. They all wanted to be in there, to make sure that no one else was hurting her, to make sure she was safe and taken care of. But they all held themselves back, feeling completely powerless.
"Come on, there's a waiting area upstairs." James moved his hand from Sirius' shoulder to just above his elbow, leading him back towards the lift. "Moony, you should send word to Dumbledore. He'll want to know she's back."
Remus nodded his head and fell into step behind them, crowding himself into the lift with the other two men.