The day of the werewolf recruitment camp moving to the southeast, Lily and James both managed to get the day off. We all met at the bar where Sirius was polishing glasses, except for Mary and her husband, to try to take our minds off things.
"It'll be fine," Lily muttered, careful not to say what "it" was.
"'Course it will," I said. "Peter and I have gone over everything. Right?"
"Right," Peter confirmed. He buried his long nose into his growler, slurping noisily at the brew. Clearly his mood had swung away from anxiety, which is what it had first seemed when we walked in.
"Still," Sirius sighed, "I wish I could go also."
"You're too likely to draw attention," James said. "Me too."
I tried to share a quick smile with Peter, but he was staring at his hands now, flexing his fingers. Back to anxiety, it seemed. I caught Lily's eye instead, but when I rolled my own eyes towards Peter, I don't think she got it. I tried not to worry about it. After all, wasn't I as worried as Peter? This was going to be the first time I would - maybe - see Remus in over three months. And even if Peter was best friends with Remus, he was my boyfriend.
The night passed faster than any night in the last several weeks had, in part because of the drinks, but mostly because of the company. Although we were all busy trying to keep our minds off the next day, it loomed over us. The boys fell back into reminiscing over pranks the four of them had played together. Lily and I were happy to listen, although I noticed that at least one of the pranks they mentioned hadn't been in the book we stole from them that last night at Hogwarts. From Lily's speculative gaze, she had caught that also.
We didn't sleep until nearly dawn, and even then it was more a catnap than anything. I was up before the rest, pacing and running over the plan in my head over and over again. Peter and I would transform into a rat and fox, respectively, and Sirius would use a side-along apparation to drop us both off on the outskirts of Berkshire. He would then hole up somewhere, and the two of us would scout for the werewolf camp. Once found, we would gather our report: how many werewolves, anything unexpected, Remus's health, etc. And then we were to leave back to Berkshire where Sirius would apparate us back to James and Lily.
At exactly 9 AM, the others woke and we prepared.
"Ready?" Sirius asked while Lily tucked both my wand and Peter's into the pouch around my neck. I lifted my chin in something close to a nod. Peter squeaked beside me.
Sirius scooped Peter up in one hand, tucking him into a cloak pocket, and then hefted me under his arm. My paws dangled unbecomingly. I gave Lily a look, causing her to stifle a giggle.
"Be safe," she told me with a smile.
"Don't be foolish," James added.
"Who, us?" Sirius asked. We apparated before they could confirm that, yes, they expected one of us at least would be foolish.
Berkshire wasn't exactly a small amount of ground to cover, but Peter and I waited, tucked away where Sirius dropped us off, while he went and asked around town about new people. Finally, he returned.
"Sounds like some new folk, somewhat rough, have been spotted on the other side of town," he told us. "I'll take you there."
Sirius looked down at us after depositing us near where strangers had been seen.
"Don't do anything stupid," he said. Then, with a teasing grin, he added "I'm serious. Get it?"
I chuffed a laugh, headbutted his shin, and then hunkered down so Peter could clamber on my back.
We took off into the brush and trees, moving at a quick clip. I sniffed the air as I trotted, and I could hear Peter snuffling on my back also. All the while, my heart pounded painfully in my chest. I would see Remus again soon. Maybe. If we didn't mess this up.
It wasn't easy, finding the werewolf camp, but only because it was pretty far from town. Other than that, there were no attempts to hide it. We could hear them before we even saw them. I slowed my trot, and Peter slipped from my back. Stealthily, we snuck closer. I kept a wary eye and ear out for any ambush, in case there were traps or scouts. When there was nothing between us and the camp but tall grass and some scrubby weeds, we stopped. Peter squirmed through the grass, getting closer. I veered off slightly, just like we did when we spied on Death Eater meetings, and crept closer also.
When my nose poked out from the grasses, I stopped for good. Be safe, don't be foolish, don't do anything stupid. I was taking my friend's warnings to heart.
It would be a lie to say I didn't scan the crowd for Remus first - and it was a crowd. I didn't see him, but I could smell the faintest hint of cinnamon wafting in the breeze every few moments. He was near. My heart pattered even harder, if that was possible.
Then, with a serious show of self-constraint, I began counting the werewolves. Ten, twenty, thirty, thirty-three...no, there was another group I'd missed over there. Forty-two now. At the far side of the camp, there was a commotion. I couldn't see what it was, but then, out of no where, I saw Remus. He was facing away from me, but backing into the grass. He was thinner than I'd ever seen him, shoulders bowed slightly, but when his head turned somewhat he looked alert. He didn't stop backing up until he was in the trees. He stood there, watching the camp with hard eyes. I couldn't help it. I backed up until I couldn't see the camp through the grasses, and then turned to run to Remus. If anything odd happened at the camp, Peter would have to report.
Remus spun towards me before I was next to him, though I'd swear I made no noise. I thought it would take a second for him to process that the fox was me, but he knelt and pulled me to him, burying his nose in my fur before I could drink in the sight of him.
"Of course you're here," he murmured in a choked voice. "Don't you dare transform back to human. It's not safe."
I squirmed in his grip until I could wriggle up to lick his cheeks. Ridiculously, I could feel my rear end wiggling as my tail swept about in a frenzy. Remus chuckled, turning his worn face down so he could kiss the top of my head. Then, with a hand on my back, he stilled me.
"Don't draw attention over here," he said quietly. "There are visitors at camp."
I tilted my head in question.
"Familiar. I think I recognized your siblings' friend, that girl from Hufflepuff that used to hang around them."
I stilled. Impossible. The money had been cut off, and everyone had assured us that without money the mercenaries wouldn't stick around.
"I didn't want to risk them recognizing me too," Remus continued, his eyes back on the direction of the camp although he couldn't seem to stop his hands from stroking me.
I hunkered down and did my best approximation of a quiet squeak. When Remus gave me a weird look, I did it again and then tried to point my paw in the direction Peter had gone.
"Peter is there?" Remus asked. I nodded.
"James? The others?"
I shook my head.
"We can't risk it," Remus muttered hardly. "He'll be safe, he won't draw attention to himself. But I suppose that means you can't leave to go somewhere safer."
I answered by curling up as close as I could, resting my chin on his thigh. He sighed, burying his hand in the thick fur at my shoulders, resting it there.
It must have been over an hour that we waited, but it felt less than that. I buried my nose in Remus's side and breathed in his scent, over and over, committing it to memory. He didn't say a word, but every so often his fingers would clench ever so slightly against me, as if assuring himself I was still there. Then, when we heard the unmistakable sound of multiple people apparating, he relaxed.
"I have to go back," he told me softly. "I can't risk that anyone might have noticed I disappeared."
I whimpered, just a little, and buried my face into his hand.
"I miss you too," he said, sounding a little choked up. I lifted myself to lick his cheek once more.
"I love you more," he whispered.
If foxes could cry, I would have. He stood, his hand slipping slowly from my back, and made his way back to camp. When I could stand, I made my way back to where I last saw Peter.
Peter wasn't where I left him. I sniffed everywhere until I heard a squeak, and turned to see him running toward me. He scurried onto my back and we took off, away from Remus and back to Sirius.
We didn't even make it a hundred yards when the sound of someone apparating just beside me had me dodging to the side. Peter let go of the fur on my back, leaping for a nearby tree where he scampered up as easily as a squirrel. My pouch fell from my neck, one end of the string frayed. How?
Another person apparated. And then another and another. Someone's boot stepped on my pouch, and then opened it to pull out the wands. One was cast aside. The other was lifted. Mine. I watched as it snapped in two, then three. One piece at time fell to the floor. I was surrounded by four people. I spun, trying to forget my wand and searching for an opening, before I recognized them. Where before my heart had been racing, now it was frozen. Cadie. Richard. Stan. Felicia. All of them looking as disreputable as anyone could imagine.
Even with their wands pointed at me, Cadie beamed. The juxtaposition between the threat and her expression was such that I didn't know how to react.
There was a crashing through the trees further back. Remus, I thought with a lump in my throat.
"Stupefy," Richard said lackadaisically. His wand moved so slowly that I had time to lunge at him, teeth bared. Peter tumbled to the ground.
He didn't even try to dodge, I thought as a cord closed over my throat. Why did he just watch?
"Genre!" Remus bellowed. My head turned towards him, and I reached into myself, ready to pull out the magic that would make me a witch again, give me a fighting chance -
"Inertes mutatio!" four voices cried in unison, wands pointed directly at me.
My magic came crashing down inside me, swirling and spilling over, but I couldn't change.
Betrayed, I realized, as a bag was forced over me and I was swung off my feet, over someone's back. Peter betrayed me.
"Genre! Stupefy!"
But it was too late. I couldn't see Remus, but I could feel that off-center pull as whoever carried me apparated away.
"We'll keep you safe now, Genre," Cadie told me softly when we arrived wherever it was they had taken me. When the bag was upended and I was dumped out, I lunged at her, teeth out. I caught her with teeth and claws until the cord around my neck tightened and I was pulled back.
"Be calm," Stan said. "Family is meant to stick together. You'll see."
"Better keep her a fox until she understands," Richard said softly, wrapping his arm around Cadie.
I snarled. I spat. I spun around and tried to force the magic out of me. Nothing happened.
Be safe. Don't be foolish. Don't do anything stupid. I love you more. My friends' last words swirled in my mind as I dodged yet another hand reaching towards me, sinking my teeth as deep as I could into the tendons. Another hand caught me, forced my neck and face into the dirt. A metal collar snapped with a final sound to enclose my neck.
Be safe...I love you more…