One week later.
From the top of a mountain overlooking the region's landscape, Sirius sat on the grass, his knees bent over his thighs. With his eyes closed and his body relaxed, he followed the instructions that Balasko had given him. Cutting off contact with the outside world and immersing himself in his inner world, focusing his attention on a specific memory, studying it, learning from it and then, however painful it was, overcoming it. Then repeat the process. An exercise that from the beginning had been a problem for Sirius due to his explosive nature and his reluctance to open his heart even to himself. However, he finally took the bull by the horns. He learned that every aspect of the task had a precise function and that nothing was left to mere chance. The simple fact of sitting in such an uncomfortable and painful way for his knees was to teach him to accept and divert his attention from the pain to his mind. Which was more important, thus establishing a hierarchy in his priorities, placing his mind at the top of the pyramid. He had made a lot of progress in a week. The realization that some old quarrels were not worth the trouble had lifted a weight off his shoulders. He could already feel the effects on himself, more so on his mood. There was no shortage of opportunities to get angry when it came to sharing meals with Balasko and Joan or a room with Red, who recently gave the impression of being prepared for a snoring competition against trolls. Despite his diligence and determination, an area remained within him he refused to venture. A door that he once slammed behind him and today was afraid to twist its knob. Why was he so scared of it? After leaving his family, did he save his future or abandon his brother to the mercy of a fate that would lead to his death? Did he walk away out of rebellion or cowardice?
He wasn't ready yet. Sirius slowly opened his eyes and sat cross-legged on the grass, in front of the beautiful landscape of the Carpathians. He smiled as he realized that the sun was high in the sky even though he had arrived before dawn. He turned around and raised his hand to greet Ludovik, who had just appeared with a picnic basket under his arm. The old man nodded with a smile, joined him, and sat down next to him.
"You've made a lot of progress, Sirius," Ludovik said.
"Unfortunately, I'm still stuck on something," Sirius said.
"Step by step, you will get there. But I can already feel that you are much calmer; my little Trojan horse in you has disappeared. Ludovik said.
"He was my first target. Sirius said with a laugh.
"I don't need legilimency to know you are not lying," Ludovik said. "Now that you have acquired some of the basics of the art, you can explore some 'emergency options'."
"Emergency options?" Sirius asked.
"Yes. You see, it will take time, perhaps years of work, for you to be able to completely suppress your emotions in any situation. So, you must have a backup plan if you need to unexpectedly protect your mind, for example, in a duel". Ludovik.
"You have my full attention," Sirius said.
"You know, Aurors are required to be able to block low-level intrusions. So, there's a test at the academy, which consists of two recruits facing each other, where one tries to predict the spell that will be cast on him, and the other tries not to betray himself." Ludovik said.
"And how do they do it?" Sirius asked.
"The way I explained it to you, and the way you are trying to master, is to strengthen your mind in a structured way, to build walls that will defend you in need. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to infiltrate you as I did, forcing your attacker to opt for a more direct and brutal option of legilimency that can be roughly compared to entering a house by breaking down the door. "Ludovik said. "You can imagine that using occlumency in a civilized conversation in a living room and using it in combat conditions is not the same."
"Yes, I've wondered about that, actually," Sirius said.
"Well, in this second situation, the legilimens has an advantage since the legilimency is an offensive art. In this case, you have three options; the first is to make your mind unreadable. The second is to make your mind unlivable for the legilimens, in a way that being inside your head would represent hell for the intruder. Then the third one requires a very advanced level of mastery since it consists of trapping the legilimens and using its presence in you as a gateway to possess his own mind". Ludovik said. "For the first one, you just have to create a kind of storm formed by a multitude of contradictory ideas that would make the legilimens go nauseous."
"I see... There's a lot of work to do." Sirius said.
"You'll find a way… Remus told us a lot of stories from your school years, insisting that you were the brains of the operation in many." Ludovik said.
"I must admit that I do indeed have a very refined sense of humour and an overflowing creativity". Sirius confirmed.
"And do hold to this day the highest amount of time spent in detention at Hogwarts and points lost for your house," Ludovik added, taking out sandwiches from the basket.
Somewhere in England.
The headlights of his car lit up at the last moment. He almost ran her over, and how could anyone blame him. Not only was it dark, but it was raining hard. His heart raced as he swerved to avoid her; the car swerved before he slammed on the brake pedal, causing the wheels to slide a few feet before the car stopped. He closed his eyes for a moment to regain control of his breathing and then opened them again. In the darkness, under a torrential downpour, one could believe that he was alone in the world or even that the world had ceased to exist. Only she was there! On the other side of the road. He stared at her in amazement for a moment. What was she doing there, standing in the middle of the night, in the rain, barefoot, dressed only in a light white dress? Had she had an accident? Was she in danger?
He froze his hands on the wheel. He started to think about this story of a white lady who appears in the night in the middle of the road and turns out to be a ghost who kills people or some shit like that. You know, that story happened to a guy who told it to a friend who is was your cousin's roommate... Perhaps it was happening to him right now. Not a ghost story, but a story he could tell at the pub after he'd worked out some details. He was startled when he realized that the girl had crossed the road and was now standing at the height of the driver's window. She leaned over slightly and gently tapped the window.
He recovered his mind with difficulty, overwhelmed by the beauty of the woman. Her caramel skin, her breasts, her eyes of a brown so light that he could mistake them for gold. He leaned over the passenger seat, opened the door for her, and then saw her walk slowly around his car and sit to his right. A powerful wave had been created in him, a geyser that invade his flesh, muscles, and lungs.
Barely in the car, she turned her head to the window, watching the rainfall outside. She didn't say a word. He timidly reached out to her, to her thigh, not for what you might imagine but to get her attention, to at least look at him, to tell him her name, what she was doing at night by herself, to reassure him. She pulled away from his hand and turned her head towards him, giving him a look that could only be translated as a clear warning...He understood perfectly and felt even stupid; he could have used his voice to attract her attention! How old was she anyway? Not more than twenty-two or twenty-three, and she was alone, at night in the car of a man at least ten years older than her, what an idiot! When you're a girl, you can't be in a car in the middle of the night with a stranger in the middle of nowhere without him trying to do something to you.
He could imagine the scene. A teenage girl leaving a party a little earlier than her friends, hitchhiking, a guy in a shirt, his suit jacket folded on the back seat, stops to pick her up. She thanks him with a big smile, gets in the car, and buckles up; a nice little chat starts, then the man pretends to take a shortcut to get off the highway. A few moments later, the car stops and his fist adorned with his wedding ring crashes into her face; sudden violence falls on her, unable to flee because of the seatbelt that keeps her tight against her seat. Half-conscious, he takes his time, gets out and walks around the car, opens her door and unbuckles her seatbelt before grabbing her by the hair and forces her out to drag her behind a tree.
She turned back to the window and leaned back against the door, still silent. He started the car and drove off, watching her from the corner of his eye. He knew that she, too, was on the lookout for every movement. Nothing escaped her, not even her breaths. She was watching for the slightest change of rhythm. He drove in silence, not knowing what to do, and the longer the silence lasted, the less he could find an idea to break the ice. Finally, he felt her body stir as he reached for the dashboard to turn on the radio.
He drove for a little more than an hour in the most absolute discomfort. The more time passed, the more he wondered if he wasn't getting into a real mess. But what to do in the meantime? He had a reservation in a motel on the road where he would spend the night before going back on the road the following day, and he had to get rid of her as soon as possible. But he couldn't stop and ask her to get out of her car. Damn, he wished it was really the white lady so that he would look at the road one moment, and when he would see the passenger seat again, she would be gone. He tried, but no, she was still there. So, he ended up talking.
"What's your name?"
He got no answer.
"Where are you going? Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?" He asked again, raising his voice to make sure he was heard.
Again, he received no answer, not even a glance from her. He didn't insist. She was calm. The best thing to do was to stall until he arrived at the motel and ask for help in the lobby.
They finally arrived at their destination. He parked his car in the deserted parking lot and turned off the engine. It was only then that she finally decided to turn to him. He showed her his hands, palms open and spread, to show her that he was not armed and that she was safe.
"Here we are. I've arrived at my hotel. I'm not going any further tonight. Would you like to go in and use the phone? Do you want us to try to get you a room?" He asked.
She continued to look at him, inexpressive.
"Family, maybe? Where are you from? Do you understand what I'm saying?" He asked as he realized something. From the moment she got into her car, they drove without passing a single village, farm, or house. So, what the hell was she doing there? He began to feel fear again, not a ghost story one but a rational fear. Maybe there was an asylum in the area, a prison from which she could have escaped. Perhaps he was the one in danger!
He took his courage in both hands, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of his car, taking his keys with him. He walked around the car and opened the passenger seat door.
"Miss, I'm sorry, but you have to get out of my car. I offer to pay you a room in this hotel, the parking is empty, I'm sure they must have plenty rooms available" he said to her.
She smiled as she looked straight ahead and unbuckled her seatbelt before getting out of the car, standing in front of him in the rain that didn't seem to bother her. He realized that she was taller than him, graceful like the supermodels that fashion designers were fighting for. She put a hand on his chest. He tried to step back, only his feet refused to obey. Then for the first time of the evening, she spoke, her beautiful eyes dipped in his.
"The night has just begun." She said to him.
Around him, the parking lot began to disappear, soon followed by the hotel, which gave way to a mansion whose doors opened to let out a small group of men, who from the way they were dressed suggested that they belonged to the British aristocracy, that stopped at the top of the stairs. He tried to speak but found his lip sealed, his legs refused to move, his arms were pinned against his body. His heart was beating like never before; he tried in vain to struggle when a strange little creature appeared out of nowhere at the woman's side and bowed to her before starting to speak.
"Mistress Zabini! your guests, have all arrived and the gold has been collected".
Three days later, at the burrow.
An unusual scene took place in the living room of the Weasley family. Arthur Weasley was sitting on the living room's coffee table in front of the sofa on which the two until today ''best-behaved'' children were seated. Bill was looking down at his knees, not daring to look up at his father, and little Ginny was crying her eyes out, clutching a children's book.
"It's not Bill's fault!" Ginny said, crying.
"It's okay, Ginny... I should have been careful." Bill said.
"Ginny, please stop crying for a moment and tell me what happened," Arthur asked his daughter.
"The little boy was bad, and he tried to steal my book from me, and I...I... hit him," Ginny replied in tears.
"And what were you doing during that time? Why was your sister all alone?" Arthur asked his oldest son.
"I'm sorry, dad, I was close by, I swear...I ran into a friend and just said hi for a moment. Then I saw Ginny running to hide behind me." Billy said.
"Then? How did you get that punch in the eye?" Arthur insisted.
"Uh...the boy hit me," Bill said, blushing.
"THE BOY WAS MEAN! HE TRIED TO STEAL my BOOK FROM ME, AND THEN HE PUNCHED BILL! IT WAS NOT OUR FAULT!" Ginny cried out to her father in tears.
"Ginny, calm down!... How old was that kid?" Arthur asked.
"I'd say the same age as Ginny, four, maybe a little younger" Bill said uncomfortably.
"How did a boy that small get to punch you in the face? You're fifteen and already taller than me." Arthur asked.
"Well...he just got lucky..." Bill said evasively.
"THE MEAN LITTLE BOY CLIMBED UP ON A TABLE IN THE BOOK STORE AND JUMPED ON BILL! AND BILL DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! HE WAS JUST TALKING TO HIS GIRLFRIEND! "Ginny shouted.
"GINNY!" Bill scolded his little sister, who clamped her hands against her mouth when she realized her mistake.
"Here we are...It seemed suspicious to your mother and I when you came asking for our permission to spend the afternoon in town with Ginny, so she could pick out her own birthday gift. In fact, you were just looking for an alibi to go out with your girlfriend." Arthur said.
"No, dad! I wanted to make Ginny happy and..." Bill defended himself.
"Kill two birds with one stone? To look like the adorable big brother who takes care of his little sister?" Arthur asked.
"You don't understand, Dad! It's because business is business! Did I say it right, Bill?" Ginny asked her brother.
"Ginny, please, be quiet," Bill said gently to his sister.
"Bill, I'm really disappointed. We trusted you to go out on your own and bring your little sister with you. I didn't expect this from you… Where is the boy? Is he okay? Did you use any magic?" Arthur asked.
"No, Dad, I just pushed him away, I didn't hurt him, and an employee intervened. So, we left immediately and came back here." Bill said.
"And it took you all that time?" Arthur asked.
"Well... We hid behind a bush to make sure Mom wasn't around, then we headed for our rooms..." Bill said.
"But you ran into me on the stairs...which means that if you had time to fix your eye, we wouldn't have known anything." Arthur finished his son's sentence.
"I'm sorry, dad... "Bill said.
"Bill is sorry dad!" Ginny said as she began to cry again.
"Please don't tell Mom. I'll do anything!" Bill pleaded with his father.
"You tell me exactly where it happened and when; I'll go over there right now to make sure you didn't use magic and try to find the kid to make sure he's fine," Arthur said.
"Am I grounded?" Bill asked.
"Bill...You're six feet tall, and a four years old kid beat the crap out of you in front of both your girlfriend and little sister. Isn't that enough of a punishment for you?" Arthur asked.
At that moment, Mrs Weasley appeared in the living room. Ginny jumped off the couch and ran to her mother's arms, who carried her.
"Ginny! Bill! Did you have a good time?" She asked. "Charlie finally wrote, he arrived well, and sound excited! What's going on?" she added, looking at her husband's serious expression.
"Well...Bill says he's taken the irrevocable decision to leave home and quit Hogwarts to go live with his girlfriend." Arthur Weasley said as he got up and walked out of the living room after kissing his daughter's cheek.
"Oh...Bill said that?" Molly Weasley said, putting her daughter back down, who dashed up the stairs with her book, rolling up her sleeves.
Hogsmeade, Remus Lupin's apartment, 8 pm.
Remus was sitting in his living room, the window wide open, praying for some air to relieve him from the infernal heat of this summer night. He closed his book and was about to head into the kitchen to prepare his dinner when someone knocked on the front door. He went to open the door, curious as to who might be visiting him at this hour. Hagrid used to drop in occasionally, but never this late and he could hear his steps in the stairs. He opened the door and was surprised to find Professor Dumbledore standing on the doorstep.
"Good evening Remus, I hope you don't mind!" He asked, looking at Remus, who was already wearing his pyjamas.
"No! Of course not! I was going to make dinner. Why don't you join me?" Remus said.
"With pleasure! I have just been informed by Hagrid that you tried to reach me this afternoon. I am sorry, but I was held up all afternoon in the Ministry. "Dumbledore said as he took off his hat and entered the apartment.
"Don't worry! You shouldn't have bothered coming all the way here. I was planning to go to the castle and report to you tomorrow morning after breakfast." Remus said.
"Unfortunately, I won't be available...Lord Longbottom and Alastor retired at a rather delicate moment." Dumbledore said.
"I understand...Anyway, welcome to my home! "Remus said, rushing to remove the books scattered in a mess on the sofa and the chair. "Excuse me, I tend to forget to tidy up...Here you go!"
"Thank you." Dumbledore said as he settled into the chair and took a moment to look around him." You have a lovely place here Remus, I particularly like the decoration." Nodding in the direction of the giant banner of the Gryffindor house hanging over the fireplace."
"Thank you! Of course, I could never call a place home if there wasn't a touch of Gryffindor in it." Remus replied, "Would you like me to get you something to drink while I prepare dinner?"
"Don't bother Remus, I wouldn't come to visit you at this hour without first making a little detour through the school's kitchen," Dumbledore said with a smile. He waved slightly his wand and the living room table filled with food, then invited him to sit down.
Remus thanked him and sat down on the couch. "Are you going to need me tomorrow, or will it be a personal matter?
"Yes, I think you more than anyone should accompany me to tomorrow's meeting. "Dumbledore replied.
"Very well, I will be ready at the time you tell me. What would I have to do?" Remus asked.
"Recently, Dolores Umbridge, an employee of the Justice Department, managed to break through and get noticed by Fudge, who invited her to join his office. Since then, Fudge's government has been trying to pass laws presented to ensure the community's safety. However, as we study point by point each bill, we find many ways to use that law to discriminate against certain members of our community. Dumbledore said.
"The muggle-born?" Remus asked.
"Not at all...Even if this law passes, it will set a dangerous precedent...No, at the moment, the expression used in their bill is 'special need population', but they're clearly referring to squibs, werewolves, vampires, veelas, giants, goblins, elves and all-excuse me for the term- 'half-breeds." Dumbledore said.
"I have a friend who would not like to see this law passed. Remus said.
"I can imagine..." Dumbledore said, chuckling. If in regular times these kinds of proposals are systematically rejected in the first session, this time it is supported by the Minister and if there is a vote...it could be very close."
"Many werewolves were on Voldemort's side during the war, so it must be easy to win votes...Most of them don't even ask once they hear the word wolf. What do they want to do exactly?" Remus said.
"A full guardianship, forbidding you to have a bank account in your name, to own a property or to live on your own, requiring you to meet multiple requirements in order to apply for a job or rent a house, to get married, make you get checked in st mungo every two weeks and the list goes on…" Dumbledore said.
"WHAT?! Why don't they just brand us like farm animals while they're at it?" Remus said.
"Something similar is on the list...However, some mistakes were made while drafting the law, making it unconstitutional and ineligible to be voted on or even debated. Dumbledore said.
"Do you mind if I ask a question?" Remus asked.
"Be my guest Dumbledore said.
"Isn't preventing the law from being submitted to a vote a sort of admission of weakness? Aren't you afraid to let it appear that your position does not represent that of a majority? Remus asked.
"You hit the nail on the head...Indeed, the composition of the wizengamot has changed since the death-eaters trial...Lord Longbottom's retirement is a blow to our side, a member of a family that holds a permanent seat on the wizengamot, his political eloquence will be missed ... But, on the other hand, the Lords Abraxas Malfoy and Nott do not seem to want to leave. This brings us to another topic: the last member of a family with a permanent seat in the wizengamot still doesn't want to come back among us? Dumbledore asked.
"Not yet professor. I'm sorry. Remus said.
"How is he?" Dumbledore asked.
"Strangely well... Azkaban doesn't seem to have affected him. He's slightly more mature but still the same. As for his return, he doesn't think he's ready. He thinks he's on some kind of spiritual quest or something." Remus said.
"Has he manifested the idea of getting in touch with Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes...To be honest, he was furious to hear that Harry is completely isolated from the magical world and that you won't allow me to get in touch with him. "Remus said.
"As expected," Dumbledore said.
"However, he understands your reasons, and if it is for Harry's sake, he will comply". Remus said. "At any rate, he has promised me, and I trust him."
"Very well, I'm relieved to hear that. I'll explain everything to Sirius at the first opportunity." Dumbledore said.
"About Sirius, he asked me to send him his wand. Do you know if it's still in Azkaban or if it was sent to his Vault after he was acquitted?" Remus asked.
"Well, considering the crime he was accused of and the sentence, It may have been destroyed, unfortunately. However, it is possible that the ministry returned it to his family or sent it to his Vault. After all, destroying his wand might have been considered a great offence to a family like the Blacks. Even if the relationship between Sirius and his family wasn't the best." Dumbledore said.
"I see... Can you try to get it back if it hasn't been destroyed?" Remus asked.
"Of course, I'll ask for it tomorrow and ask Fawkes to bring it to him. I have the impression that something else is bothering you. "Dumbledore said.
"Yes, about GreyBack. I didn't see anything with my own eyes. Still, Denise Balasko, Sirius and two other members of his little group confirmed that not only did Greyback transformed in broad daylight but that it was quite different from a normal werewolf transformation." Remus said.
"How different?" Dumbledore asked as he put down his glass.
"It was a hybrid between a wolf and a man. Its body took on the features of a wolf but in a humanoid form. The spells that Sirius cast at him rebounded on his skin. But the strangest thing was that he was conscious! He even spoke according to them! "Remus said.
Remus did not receive an immediate reply. Dumbledore remained silent, stroking his long beard, lost in thought.
"Do you think it's an Animagus? Could the fact that he's a werewolf have influenced his transformation in some way? Remus asked.
"I don't think so...Werewolves have become Animagi in the past, of course, but first of all, as you must know, one cannot choose which animal he will transform into. The probability that the animal that corresponds to a werewolf is a wolf is very low. The personality and character of the person play an important role. The wolf is a noble animal who takes care of his pack, nothing to do with Fenrir. Secondly, it is a magical process out of reach for someone as mediocre in magic as Fenrir. And last, concerning the werewolves that have succeeded in the process, I have never heard of any hybrid form. To be honest, I've never been interested in the subject." Dumbledore said.
"Werewolves are used to living apart from society...I don't think anyone has ever stood in their town square and claimed to be a werewolf and an animagus. "Remus said.
"Of course not. Anyway, Fenrir Greyback is locked up for good in Azkaban so no need to worry about him for the moment. Whatever how he succeeded, I don't think he shared his knowledge with other werewolves. To preserve his supremacy over the werewolves of Britain, if not the world." Dumbledore said.
"Do you think it's possible? To keep your consciousness during a full moon?" Remus asked.
"I understand what it means to you, Remus. However, keep in mind that we don't know what Greyback did to achieve it, nor do we know its limits or consequences... Nevertheless, we will notify the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; they will pay him a visit to his cell and investigate it themselves. So, let's focus instead on the wizengamot for now." Dumbledore said.
"Very well..." Remus said, despite his desire to insist.
"To get back to Sirius, I still think it's a shame he's not back yet" Dumbledore said.
"Really?" Remus asked.
"Yes...Unfortunately, we are once again forced to find a new professor for defence against the dark arts. Sirius would be excellent for the job." Dumbledore said.
"Professor, are you sure that would be a good idea?" Remus.
"Don't you agree? "Dumbledore asked.
"Sirius would make a great teacher, he would be competent and close to his students, but it would also mean signing the demolition order of Hogwarts," Remus said.
"Remus, I think that after all he's been through, he must have other interests than pulling pranks. Although a few laughs would be nice, the atmosphere at the castle can be quite gloomy at times." Dumbledore said.
"I wasn't talking about that...I just wanted to remind you that Hogwarts is also the home of Severus Snape all year round," Remus said.
"You're exaggerating... They're both adults now. You have a very cordial relationship with Severus, don't you? " Remus said.
"Well, I do my best not to run into him in the hallways, and I ignore his comments," Remus asked." But trust me, I'm not Sirius. At the slightest glance he doesn't like, he will tear him a new...
"I get it!" Dumbledore said with a chuckle.
"Sorry..." Remus said.
"Well, that's unfortunate... I have only got three weeks to cover two positions." Dumbledore said.
"Two ?" Remus said.
"Yes, Quirinus Quirrell handed in his resignation while you were away. He says he wants to travel the world. I need to find a teacher for Muggle Studies, and believe me, they are not easy to find." Dumbledore said.
"Er...why not Arabella Figgs? She lives among the muggles. I could pick her up before class and take her back home after." Remus said to Dumbledore, who was smiling.
"Nice try, Remus. But no. I'll put an ad in the Daily Prophet, anyway; we still have to wait to see if any third-year students want to study the subject next year and if any fourth-year students and above want to continue." Dumbledore said.
"As you wish. One last thing, just out of curiosity, do you plan on having Sirius followed during his journey around the continent?" Remus asked.
"Should I?" Dumbledore asked.
"Well, I'm conflicted. He's already been through three perilous moments, so I'd be more comfortable if I knew someone was watching over him, but at the same time, I'm afraid of how he'd react if he found out he is being followed. He would take it very badly." Remus said.
"I understand your dilemma...No, I don't plan to have him followed, for the second reason you Harry's sake, Sirius and I must maintain a good relationship and I'm already behind schedule, having failed in my obligation to ensure a fair trial for him after his arrest. "Dumbledore confessed.
"I'm relieved to hear that. Sirius can be stubborn, but If you make him feel respected he will soften." Remus said. "What about his safety?"
"Sirius is a talented wizard. He's proven that more than once, and the challenges he'll face will only make him stronger. But from experience, we can tell that when he is involved in any kind of event, it is serious enough to make the Aurors' offices alarms ring. I would be informed and will go to rescue him myself." Dumbledore said. "It's getting late. It's time for me to go back to the castle. Thank you for your hospitality Remus, have a good night."
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this one.