Miranda was late again. As she tromped through the forest towards Cadfael's house, swatting the mosquitos that buzzed around her forehead, she cursed the hour. Though she'd made an early start of it, every task she'd had to complete before disappearing for two weeks had multiplied worse than a Gemino Curse. Now it was late afternoon, well past the time she'd told her hosts to expect her.
"You'll get there when you get there," she muttered, pressing on through the thick underbrush.
The clearing came upon her all at once, appearing between the trees as the wards allowed her to pass. The clematis and the strawberries were in full bloom, with asparagus tendrils creeping up between them. Remus and Enid were on the lawn in front of the cozy treehouse. Remus's wand dangled from his fingers as he corrected Enid's charm work. Enid was chewing her lip in concentration, but both of them sniffed the air, and turned to Miranda as she came towards them.
"There you are. I was wondering if you'd forgotten," Remus called.
"Aunt Bea is waiting tea for you," Enid added.
Miranda ran a hand across her forehead, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I'm sorry about that. It took forever for me to get away this morning. But now I'm yours for two whole weeks."
Enid tapped the top of the garden wall, dashing through it as the stones rolled back to create an opening. Miranda caught her, swinging her around until she was giggling madly.
"Mr Remus has been teaching me spells. Hexes and jinxes and all sorts of fun things," Enid said.
Miranda set Enid back on the ground, and followed her back towards the house. "It's good to know he's been making himself useful."
Remus shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched along after them. "I guess if I can contribute to Enid's magical education, my time here won't have been a total loss."
Miranda glanced back at Remus, disappointed to see the quiet hope he'd shown after the success of the New Moon Potion had been supplanted once again by despair.
"Making friends is never a loss in my book," she said quietly.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Friends are fragile."
Miranda's brow furrowed. A consoling response might be dismissed as trite—or worse, send him deeper into himself.
"What happened to your neck, Miss Miranda?" Enid chirped before Miranda could think of the right thing to say. "Are you hurt?"
Miranda's hand flew to the mark Severus had left on her the night before, her whole face flushing hot. "No. I'm fine. It's nothing."
"Wait, are you getting married?" Enid persisted.
"Not that I know of."
Remus snorted derisively. "God, can't Severus give it a rest?"
"Don't worry, Remus. One day when you're grown, you'll understand why people do things like this," Miranda shot back.
Remus gave her a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. "What about the children? They'll be all sarcasm and oily hair."
What the fuck was wrong with him? "Fortunately for all involved, I can't have children."
Remus cleared his throat and had the decency to look ashamed. "I see. I'm—"
"Miranda, there you are!" Cadfael's cheerful voice echoed through the clearing as he came out of the woods, carrying a bundle of firewood under his arm. "Right on time for tea, too."
Remus swallowed whatever he'd been trying to say. Miranda was more than happy to end the uncomfortable conversation.
"I think I'm late, actually," Miranda said, forcing a pleasant smile onto her face for Cadfael's benefit.
"No later than I am." Cadfael paused as he reached them, his dark eyes flicking down to Miranda's neck. "Are congratulations in order?"
Maybe this had been a bad idea. "I don't think so."
"I see." His lips were twitching with barely contained laughter. "It's probably for the best. The Spring Circle tends to be…shall we say amorous in nature. If you go in marked, you'll have less trouble."
Enid stuck out her tongue. "It's so boring. The grown ups all make sick lovey eyes at each other and the music is all love and kissing. The Summer Circle is better. And the Winter Circle is the very best. I hope you come to the Winter Circle. Can she come to the Winter Circle, Tad?"
"Enid, take a breath. You're making me dizzy," Cadfael said. "Winter's a long way from now."
"I would've thought nobody at Circle would be interested in a lowly dieithryn Animagus," Miranda observed as she followed father and daughter into the house.
"Some wouldn't. Others would find it a desirable quality. When werewolves mate, one of them has to leave their pack to join the other's. Not every werewolf or she-wolf is willing to do that. Finding a partner among the dieithryn takes care of that problem."
Interesting. "Does this mean I won't be the only dieithryn at Circle?"
"Not at all. There are a number of wolves with dieithryn partners." Cadfael ran his eyes over her, and gave her his boyish grin. "No, a beautiful dieithryn who can run with the wolves as an Animagus? You'd find yourself in high demand."
Miranda couldn't keep her hand off the mark on her neck. It was still pleasantly sore from the night before, and seemed to be burning with a life of its own. "I had no idea."
"Don't worry. Your mate's done a fair job on you. For a dieithryn of course. Keep that mark visible at Circle, and you'll be fine."
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you so sure he's a dieithryn?"
Cadfael tilted his head, and his nostrils flared once. "I'm sure."
That was stupid of her. He could certainly smell Severus on her. If his memory was as good as it appeared to be, he probably knew exactly who her "mate" was.
"Whatever he is, we're not going to talk about him further," she said, a little too forcefully.
Cadfael put up his hands. "If he hasn't declared himself, it's none of our business."
"Who's declared himself?" Beatrix asked as she brought the tea tray into the room. "Miranda, are you getting married?"
Miranda stifled a groan. "For the last time, no!"
Cadfael let out a bark of laughter, which he quickly converted to a coughing fit under Miranda's glare. Enid didn't bother to hide her laughter at all, until Beatrix called her over to help pour tea. Beatrix herself restrained herself to a brief, but pointed, look at Miranda's neck.
Remus was loitering near the front door, wearing a smile that still didn't reach his eyes. "It's a shame about your neck. You might've done more good for our campaign unattached."
He was needling her, and she didn't understand why. "Remus, do we have a problem?"
"Not at all. I was simply making an observation."
"You've been on me since I got here."
His shoulders tensed, then slumped under her gaze. "You're right. I need some air. Don't wait for me, Beatrix. I don't have the stomach for tea this afternoon."
"If you're going out, see if you can find some Rune Moss by the big ash tree will you? I'm fresh out," Beatrix said.
"Yes, ma'am," Remus replied as he went out the door.
"Good riddance," Miranda muttered. "Come back in a better mood."
"I wouldn't count on it," Beatrix said, holding a cup and saucer out to Miranda. "He's been like that for weeks."
Miranda took the cup from her, and settled on a low cushion by the window. She could see Remus disappearing into the forest, the underbrush hardly moving as he slipped through it.
"Any idea why?" she asked.
"Spring fever," Cadfael said as he filled his cup. "I'd stake my best ax on it."
Enid rolled her eyes. "If it's spring fever, maybe he'll fall in love at the Circle."
"I don't know about that," Miranda said.
"I agree," Beatrix put in as she settled herself on a cushion by the fire. "He's the worst kind of dieithryn."
"What do you mean? He's a werewolf the same as the rest of you," Miranda said.
"A lone werewolf," Beatrix corrected. "A wolf without a pack is generally not trustworthy."
"Why not?"
"Because it begs the question: why is he alone? It's either because he thinks he's too good for a pack, or because no pack will accept him. If he thinks he's too good, then he's too arrogant to be bothered with. And if it's because no pack will have him, well, that's even worse."
Miranda swirled her tea in her cup, inhaling the delicate fragrance. "I suppose even Fenrir Greyback has a pack."
"Not only does even Fenrir Greyback have a pack, he has a powerful one. He's respected."
"He's not respected," Cadfael said darkly, tossing sugar cubes into his cup with such force the tea sloshed over the edge.
"He is," Beatrix insisted. "Not by us, of course. He has his enemies. But he has his friends too. And a good number of wolves who wouldn't take tea with him, do respect him. You can't deny that."
"I can, and I do," Cadfael said.
"I hate Greyback," Enid said, and spat on the polished floor. "I hate him that much."
"Enid, I don't care how much you hate him, we do not spit on the floor," Beatrix chided.
Enid was glaring mutinously at Beatrix, but she refrained from further offending the floor. Miranda was dying to know what Greyback had done to make this particular pack hate him so—and how likely it was she would have to face him. She'd never had the dubious pleasure of meeting him, but Greyback certainly had reason to hate her, sight unseen.
"If he's as respected as you say, does this mean we should expect to see him at the Circle?" Miranda asked.
"He'll be there. Tosser never misses," Cadfael said.
"And you're sure he'll keep the peace?" Miranda persisted.
"You've nothing to be afraid of. As a dieithryn, he's not likely to even acknowledge your presence," Beatrix said.
"I'm not afraid." Miranda took a bracing sip of tea. "But you should know that he may have cause to…acknowledge my presence."
"Why would that be?" Cadfael asked sharply.
The only way was to say it. "I killed Tyr Hagen, his pack mate."
"Goodness. Why ever did you do that?" Beatrix said, placing a hand on her cheek as her eyes lit up with delight.
"Mr Hagen decided it would be a good idea to murder the wrong witch's husband. She hired me to collect the Blood Debt he owed her."
"And you succeeded. Well done," Cadfael said, raising his tea cup to her in salute.
"Is that all? I don't think you have anything to worry about. Greyback obeys the Law as well as any of the rest of us," Beatrix said.
"Did you really win a blood battle?" Enid asked, her eyes wide.
"I did," Miranda said. "It was…a little closer than I'd like. But I did."
"I want to hear all about it," Enid said.
"Not over tea," Beatrix said. "Blood battles are outside stories."
"Aunt Bea, you never let me have any fun," Enid complained.
Miranda leaned towards Enid and whispered, "Why don't you and I volunteer to do the dishes, and I'll tell you about it then."
Enid grinned. "Deal."
Beatrix shook her head, and turned the topic to something more suitable for the tea hour. While Enid obediently reported on her daily lessons, Cadfael stared moodily into his tea cup. Miranda stifled a sigh. Two brooding werewolves were more than she cared to deal with.
"Again," Remus ordered, his quiet voice cold and stern.
Miranda rubbed her temples as she read through the notes on the parchment scroll in front of her. She and Remus had been sitting at the table in Cadfael's kitchen for hours, while Remus lectured her on the ins and outs of the wolf packs. After the first hour, she'd been nearly overcome by the urge to scream. The urge had yet to dissipate.
"Hector Parkinson is the First Wolf of Albion," she said. "He hasn't been challenged in the last twenty years, and there's no reason to expect him to be challenged now. He's allowing you to speak at Circle, but beyond that he is determined to remain neutral. His wife—hey, give that back."
Remus snatched the parchment away from her, rolling it up neatly. "Do it without the notes."
Ass. "I don't need you nit-picking me. I know how to prepare for a case."
"Just recite."
She had half a mind to grab her notes back and hole up in the guest bedroom to work in peace. Or better yet, in the forest.
"I work better outside. And alone."
Remus drummed his fingers on the table. "This is my job. We're doing it my way."
Miranda's eyes narrowed as she studied him. He was better fed than he'd been when they'd first met, and his clothes were in better repair. But he still carried himself like a man already beaten. The more time he spent with Cadfael and the other werewolves, the more he closed in on himself. It was as though he was determined to shut everyone out, friend and foe alike.
"You're really nervous about this, aren't you?" she asked.
"What? Of course I'm not…" Remus's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on his fingers, which were still drumming restlessly on the table. "Yes. I am nervous. You should be too."
At least he was being honest. "I generally don't get nervous until right before a job, if at all."
His fingers went from drumming on the table to fidgeting with the scroll. "You're lucky. Recite."
She closed her eyes briefly to gather the remains of her patience. "Fine. But this is the last time this morning. Rhiannon Parkinson is Hector's wife. She leans a little on our side personally, but she'll stand with Hector. Fenrir Greyback is the Dark Lord's biggest supporter. He—"
"You need to stop calling Voldemort the Dark Lord," Remus snarled.
Of all the things he could pick at her for. "If you keep interrupting me, I'll never get through this stupid recitation. And I'll call him whatever I want."
"It makes you sound like a Death Eater."
"I'm No-Maj born, remember? It's painfully obvious I am not a Death Eater."
"No, you just like to fuck them."
She slapped her hands on the table, and stood up so quickly, her chair fell over. "That's it. We're done."
He stood up slowly, his eyes hard when they met hers. "We're done when I say we're done."
"Done with what?" Enid asked as she appeared in the kitchen doorway.
Miranda smoothed her features into a bland smile. "Nothing. Did you need something, Enid?"
"I'm supposed to make the coffee for Aunt Mary. She'll be here for lessons soon," Enid replied, her eyes going back and forth between the two of them, eager to know the reason for the tension.
"Isn't that your cue to disappear?" Miranda said, unable to resist goading Remus.
Remus let out a low growl, and slapped the parchment on the table. "You'd better know that cold by the time I get back."
"Yes, sir," she said, giving him a mocking salute. "Tell Pryderi I said hello."
He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked out the back door, still growling. Miranda blew out a long breath as she righted her chair. She'd been at Cadfael's for a week, and she wondered how long it was going to be before Remus exploded. Honestly, she had half a mind to push him until he did. Better here, where they could do damage control, then at Circle.
"What's wrong with Mr Remus?" Enid asked, the hand grinder whirring along as she ground the coffee beans.
Miranda wasn't going to insult the girl's intelligence by lying. "He's got a lot of pressure on him with the Circle coming. We should try to be patient."
"He should start chopping wood with Tad. Tad always feels better after he chops wood."
"I hope he does. Would you make a cup for me too?"
Enid tapped the kettle with her wand until the water inside started to bubble. "I am. Would you get the mugs?"
"I'd be happy to. What is Mary teaching you today?"
"We're on Mending and Severing Charms. I've done the reading, but Tad won't let me start the wand work until someone is ready to watch me."
"That's probably wise. It's amazing how much damage a spell gone wrong can do. I set the barn on fire one summer when I was trying to teach myself a Fire-making Spell."
"Somehow, I don't find that surprising," Mary MacDonald said dryly as she joined them in the kitchen. Her arms were folded over her chest like a Shield Charm protecting her from the one wolf she didn't want to see.
"Good morning, Mary. He's gone," Miranda said.
Mary sniffed the air disdainfully. "I can still smell him."
"He only left a few minutes ago. How's Pryderi?"
"He's sick of Remus's pestering is what he is. But he says hello, and that you'd better come visit him when the Circle is over."
Enid was carefully pouring the coffee into mugs. "I wish Grandad would come here. Then we could all see him."
Mary ruffled the girl's curls. "I know. I wish he'd come over too. It'd be good for him to get out."
"But he's still too sad?"
"Something like that. Go get your books, I'll meet you by the garden."
Enid started out of the kitchen, but paused at the door to ask, "Has Grandad always been sad?"
Mary smiled warmly. "No. He was very happy when you were born."
Enid nodded, considering this as she headed up to her room for her school things. Miranda pulled a pitcher of milk out of the icebox, and poured a measure into Mary's mug. Then she picked up her own mug, inhaling the rich aroma as she studied Mary out of the corner of her eye. Though it was clear Mary tolerated rather than accepted Miranda's presence, when Remus wasn't around, Mary was more relaxed. She was a patient teacher to Enid, a confidante to Beatrix, and a friend to Cadfael. And her loyalty to Pryderi was endearing.
"Who hurt you that you drink it like that?" Mary asked, wrinkling her nose at Miranda's unadorned brew.
"What can I say? A little pain wakes me up in the morning," Miranda replied.
Mary shook her head, and wandered to the table, where her eyes fell on the parchment. "Think you know your way around the packs yet?"
It was a challenge, and Miranda deliberately relaxed her stance to answer it. "I'm getting there. Although I'm not stupid enough to think that memorizing a bunch of names, relationships, and political alignments is the same as knowing anyone."
"It's not. Don't forget it."
"I won't."
Mary leaned her hip against the table and gave Miranda a mocking smile. "Cocky aren't you? But then, you're friends with Remus. Of course you're cocky."
Miranda raised her eyebrows ironically. "I wouldn't call us friends. He never even wanted me on this job. That was Albus Dumbledore's doing."
Mary's eyes narrowed. "What does Albus Dumbledore have on you that landed you here?"
"He's paying me a lot of money."
Mary clearly didn't believe her. "Really? That's a refreshing change from the usual "greater good" shite Remus is peddling. Still doesn't speak well of your intelligence."
"I've worked for worse people."
"I doubt that."
Miranda took a long sip, savoring the bitter taste as she considered her next words. This was the longest Mary had deigned to speak to her. The wrong words would probably send the she-wolf running.
"It seems to me that Albus Dumbledore has a way of making everyone feel indispensable, until it's suddenly time to dispose of them," Miranda said carefully.
Mary set her mug on the table. "You're right. And I have no intention of becoming disposable."
"I don't either."
Mary began stalking around the perimeter of the kitchen, making a wide circle towards Miranda. Unwilling to let Mary intimidate her, Miranda leaned against the counter, acting as nonchalant as she could with a volatile she-wolf coming for her.
"But Remus doesn't care, does he?" Mary was saying. "He still believes that Dumbledore is this great force for good that's going to save us all."
"I'm not sure what he believes."
"That's what he used to think. And what did it get him besides a bunch of dead friends?"
"That sounds like a bad bargain."
Mary crowded Miranda against the counter, placing one arm on either side of her trap her in place.
"Why are you really here? There are easier ways to get money, even for a bounty hunter," Mary said, her nostrils flaring. "What's in this for you?"
Miranda fought the urge to either snarl at Mary or shove her out of the way. It made perfect sense Mary would want to protect her own from outsiders. Miranda would do the same.
"I have a lover," Miranda said.
Mary's eyes flickered down to the slowly healing mark on Miranda's neck. "We all know that."
"He's up to his eyeballs in this war. I'm going to do everything I can to help him come out of it alive. Even if it means taking orders from Albus Dumbledore."
Mary took a step back, blinking rapidly as her eyes filled with unshed tears. "A lover? That won't end well. If you were smart, you'd take him and get as far away from here as you could. And you wouldn't look back."
"Believe me, that's what I'd rather do. But he's stubborn. He won't leave."
"Don't tell me—the "greater good"?"
"No. Revenge, actually."
Mary nodded. "I can respect that."
Silence fell between them while Mary wandered in some bittersweet memory. Miranda finished most of her coffee before she broke it.
"Can I ask you a question, Mary?"
"I won't stop you. But I might not answer."
She expected no less. "Could you tell me why Cadfael and the rest of you hate Fenrir Greyback?"
Mary let out a low whistle. "You don't beat around the bush do you?"
"Well, Enid's sure to be back down any minute, and you might not talk to me again before Circle. Or ever."
The hint of a real smile was playing on the corners of Mary's lips. "I don't know about that. I think I could get to like you, Miranda Rose."
"I take that as a high compliment." And she meant it. Mary's good opinion was worth having.
"Fenrir Greyback murdered Ceri Llewellyn."
"Cadfael's wife?"
"And Pryderi's daughter."
That would do it. "Why haven't they demanded the Blood Debt?"
Mary rolled her eyes, impatient to be explaining such things to a dieithryn. "Pryderi is still the head of this pack. Until he's decides to call it in, Cadfael won't insult him by demanding it himself."
Miranda's heart was pounding, both in anger for what Pryderi's pack had suffered, and in elation as the threads of a new plan knit themselves together in her mind.
"Aunt Mary, I'm ready now!" Enid called as she came down the stairs.
"I'm coming," Mary said, turning to leave the kitchen.
Miranda caught Mary's arm and called to Enid, "Go wait on the lawn, Enid. She'll be right there."
Mary glared at Miranda's hand, a low growl coming from her throat. "I'm giving you three seconds to get your hand off me before I bite it off."
Miranda didn't need to be told twice. "I'm sorry," she said as she released her. "I just have one last thing to say."
"I take back what I said about liking you."
"That's fine. But tell Pryderi—"
"I'm not telling Pryderi shit from you."
"—think about telling Pryderi—Greyback is his. If Pryderi joins us, we'll make sure no one tears out Greyback's throat but him."
Mary was shaking her head, her eyes hard as flint. "That's a good try dieithryn. A good try. But not good enough."
As Mary stormed out of the kitchen, Miranda went to the coffee pot and refilled her mug. She didn't blame Mary for wanting to steer clear of what was coming, or for wanting to protect her loved ones from the same. It's what Miranda would do, if only Severus would let her.
What she'd give to take Severus and get the fuck out of here. Wait this whole thing out in Kansas. Or Romania. Or the dark side of the moon for all she cared. But there was no help for it. Until the Dark Lord was dead, he'd never leave. And she understood that too. That thirst for vengeance could only be quenched one way. She'd been lucky to slake hers so quickly after David's death. She couldn't deny Severus the chance to do the same.
She shoved the scroll of names in her pocket, and went out to find a sunny spot to work.
Two nights before the full moon, the New Moon Potion was an acceptable facsimile of complete. Severus had an ever-growing list of modifications he intended to try depending on the the reports from this month's users (assuming the bloody werewolves would bother to answer his questionnaires, or that Lupin would bother to return them). It was the sort of potion he might refine for years to come.
Unfortunately he, unlike the rest of his uneasy comrades, knew that his time was growing short to do this sort of obvious good in the world. Albus was clinging to life with a stubborn tenacity. There would be no escape from the fatal task.
Severus had done his best to make his notes intelligible to Tonks, cataloguing and cross referencing until he was certain even an idiot could follow them (and Tonks was many things, but not an idiot). If only he could be sure she was not going to burn them in a rage after he'd committed Albus to the grave. Perhaps he should charm the parchment against such an event.
"I don't like this. One of us should be there to add the quicksilver when it's time for them to drink these," Tonks said as she filled another vial with the vibrant orange potion.
Severus didn't like it either, but there was nothing to be done about it. "Do you wish for me to enumerate the reasons why we cannot be there again, or do you simply wish to complain?"
She blew a lock hair out of her face with an agitated huff. "The second one. I know all the reasons. They even make sense. I just don't like it."
The quicksilver was finicky this morning, falling out of the beaker in unseemly globs as he measured out single doses into individual, labeled vials. "I don't like it either."
"I guess it's like you said. Eventually you have to send your potions out into the world and let them sink or swim on their own merits."
It troubled him deeply how much he'd come to like Nymphadora Tonks during their brief time developing this potion. He should be shedding the dead weight of friends he'd be unable to keep. Instead he'd come to care about the brash Hufflepuff. Merlin, what a daft old fool he was becoming.
She was prattling on, used to his moody silences, waxing poetic about the bright new world that awaited them.
"We've done a good thing," she was saying. "It's going to change the lives of werewolves for the better."
He allowed himself a mocking smile. "I doubt it is the welfare of lupine society that concerns you as much as one particular Lupin."
Her hair flashed pink. "I'm a Hufflepuff. Unlike Slytherins, we're energetic enough to care about the whole world, instead of the chosen few."
"I don't believe energetic is the word I would use for it. I would call it being a fool."
"You only mock what you don't understand." She put a stopper in the final vial, and tucked it into the sturdy potions box for transport. "That's the last one. What time are we going down to Wales?"
He began stacking the vials of quicksilver into the other side of the box. "We are going nowhere. I will be taking the potion alone."
"Like hell you will." Tonks faced him with her hands on her hips, her hair now a flaming red.
Silly girl. "Perhaps you will be so good as to let me explain before you go off in a snit."
"This had better be good."
"I have been listening—unwillingly I might add—to your complaints regarding Lupin's erratic behavior towards you and your person for the entire time we have been working on this potion."
"I didn't realize you listened when I talked." She looked ridiculously pleased by the notion. "But Remus is meeting us to get the potions. I want to be there."
No subtlety at all. "That is precisely why you should not accompany me."
"But this isn't a battle. I can see Remus for five minutes without endangering the mission. I haven't seen him since the potion test in April."
She was adorable in her own way. Far too good for the likes of Lupin. But if she'd staked her happiness on Lupin's affections, what sort of friend would Severus be if he didn't do what he could to procure the werewolf for her?
He closed the lid with a soft click. "While one would hope that Lupin's vanity is gratified by your attentions, I suspect constantly throwing yourself at him is not the best way to achieve your goal."
"I haven't been throwing myself at him! I'm forward, sure. But I don't throw myself, or anything else at him."
"It hardly matters what you call it. The point is, Lupin is a hunter, whether he likes it or not. The chase is almost more exciting than the catch."
She opened and closed her mouth several times while her cheeks turned as red as her hair.
"Are you saying I need to get him to chase me?" she finally asked.
He raised his eyebrows at her. "If that is how you choose to take it."
"I can't believe this. Relationship advice from Severus Snape. Do you help the little Slytherins with this sort of thing too?"
"Absolutely not." He put the box into a black leather satchel and started for the door. "Are you coming?"
She gave him a rueful smile. "After all that? I guess I'll be staying here."
"Good. Then you can clean up the workbench before you go."
"Clean up the—Severus Snape, you get back here!"
But Severus was already through the door, and shutting it on her good-humored insults. Hufflepuffs were so easy to manage.
"Julius Wilbourne was born a werewolf, into Read Clawu, one of the oldest packs in Albion. He's a shrewd opportunist, and has all but officially allied himself with Greyback," Miranda recited under her breath.
She was sitting on the stone wall outside Cadfael's house, watching the stars. After three days of solid rain, she was glad to enjoy a few hours of clear sky, however muddy the ground was. She rolled a cigarette between her fingers while she recited everything she'd learned about the packs. Remus had been gone all day, first with Pryderi, and then meeting Severus and Tonks to get the final draft of the New Moon Potion. She had no doubt he'd be in a foul mood when he returned.
"Hela Greyback is Fenrir's wife—Remus! How was Tonks tonight? Is the potion finished?" she asked, breaking off her recitation as Remus came into the clearing, his shoulders slumped.
"It's finished," he said, tossing an ornate wooden potions box to her. "Severus claimed you would know how to add the final ingredient when it's time to drink the potions. He'd better be right about that."
Miranda was beginning to hate Remus's insistence on referring to Severus by first name when Severus had obviously never given him permission to do so. She forced a calm smile, and set the box carefully on the wall next to her.
"He's right. This potion is a distant relation to his Master Potion, which I am somewhat familiar with," she said blandly. "Familiar enough to mix the final dose correctly, in any case."
Remus leaned against the wall, too close to Miranda for comfort. "Master Potion," he scoffed. "It's so strange to think of Severus making a Master Potion."
She raised her eyebrows. "I don't know why you'd say that. Surely you can admit he's brilliant, even if you hate him."
"I don't hate him. I neither like nor dislike Severus."
It was her turn to scoff. "That's a lie. Cigarette?"
Her fingers were tense as she held out her cigarette case to him. He eyed it for a moment before selecting a cigarette and lighting it with a sharp finger snap.
After he had it going, he said, "Fine. It is a lie. I can't stand the git. He was always creeping around after my mates and me at school. And it never changed. He's still creeping around after anyone and everyone."
Miranda puffed on her cigarette and counted to ten before answering. "Severus's creeping is keeping all of us alive."
He shrugged. "Maybe. But there's something distasteful about being a spy. There's no honor in it."
"We're going to have to disagree on that point. Honor is what you make of it, and Severus is plenty honorable."
He laughed, a cold, mirthless laugh. "Come on. I refuse to believe that Severus is so good a shag he's convinced you that black is white, and evil is good."
"I generally don't see things in black and white. God's much more interesting than that. Everything is color, and shades of grey."
He stabbed his cigarette butt out on the wall, and made to swing himself over it. "You're wrong. And if you can't tell the dark from the light, I don't need you working with me. Good night."
This was it. They had to have it out now or never. She let him get halfway up the path to Cadfael's house before throwing the next verbal punch.
"What crawled up your ass and died? Did Tonks finally kick you to the curb?" she asked, letting just an edge of mockery creep into her voice.
A hit. He stopped in his tracks. "She wasn't even there tonight. Severus was good enough to inform me that she had plans with one of her old boyfriends. He was also good enough to inform me that she hasn't mentioned me in weeks."
"Good for her. There's only so many times you should let a man jerk you around before moving on. No matter how good a fuck he is."
"What would you know about it?" His smile was cruel as he turned back to her. "Severus probably holds onto you like glue. He finally got a woman who'll give him the time of day. You'll have to beat him off with a stick."
It was enough to start a fight, but she wanted him to strike first. Just for the satisfaction that she'd made him do it. She swung her legs over the wall and stalked slowly towards Remus, her hands on her hips.
"At least I'm not stupid enough to let go of a good thing when it finds me."
"You don't know anything about me and Tonks. Leave it alone."
"I know you love her. It's written all over your face. You light up when she walks into a room."
"It doesn't matter if I love her. There are too many things in the way."
"There sure are. And the biggest thing is your cowardice."
The temperature between them dropped about ten degrees. "What did you say?"
"You keep shoving everyone away. Tonks. Cadfael. Beatrix. Me. Anyone who holds their hand out to you, you bite. And not in the friendly way. You're afraid. You're a coward."
His wand was in his hand, though he wasn't pointing it at her yet. "You take that back, Rose, or I swear I'll—"
She slid her wand from her sleeve into her hand. "Bring it, Lupin. I've been waiting for weeks for this. Unless you're too scared to—"
He didn't let her finish taunting. His hex hissed across the lawn, sparking white as it hit her Shield Charm. He followed it with another volley, and then another, his wand blurring in the moonlight. She advanced on him, dropping her Shield to parry his spells hex for hex. Their magic crackled violently as it collided, creating static in the air that made the hair on her arms stand on end.
"I'm not a coward," he growled at her.
"Then stop acting like one," she growled back.
"I'm keeping people safe. You wouldn't understand."
One of his hexes caught her in the shoulder, knocking her back into the wall. She rolled over the top of it, smearing her trousers with mud as she hit the grass. He was after her in an instant. As he came over the top of the wall, she fell onto her back, hexing him across the clearing. He skidded in the mud, stopping himself with an arm before hurling a hex back at her.
"None of us are safe," she said between hexes. "How full of yourself are you to think your mere presence would put us in any more danger than we already are? And I thought Severus was arrogant."
"Don't you dare compare me to Severus fucking Snape."
This came out in a rough, dangerous growl, accompanied by a series of violent hexes. Miranda barely managed to parry them all, her hand slick with mud and sweat. Remus slashed his wand, yanking her wand from her hand. It went flying across the clearing, landing somewhere near the forest. She didn't bother trying to retrieve it. While Remus was busy watching her wand arc through the air, she scooped up a handful of mud and hurled it at him.
It hit him dead between the eyes. While he was blinking in astonishment, she aimed another mud ball at him. This one hit him square in his wand hand, knocking his wand away.
He was frozen for an instant. Then he was gathering mud himself, slinging it back at her. As the mud flew back and forth across the clearing, the silence crackled, and then was broken as they started to laugh. Soon they were coming together, pulling each other down into the muck as they shoved mud onto each other's hair and clothing.
When they were both completely covered, they lay on the ground together, catching their breath, and laughing as they looked up at the stars.
"That was the stupidest thing I've ever done," Remus said.
"Then you need to do stupid things more often," Miranda replied.
"Maybe."
She let her eyes slide sideways, studying his relaxed features. "Are we all right now?"
"Yes. Maybe we're even friends."
"I'd like to be your friend. But under one condition."
"I don't know if I like that."
"Severus is off limits."
Remus sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. It wasn't well done of me to insult him to you."
"I forgive you. You've had a lot on your shoulders."
"Tell me about it." He held up his hands, observing how thickly caked in mud they were. "We're going to have to use the hose before we go in the house, or Beatrix will kill us."
"I'll do you if you do me," she said, holding her hand out to him.
"Deal."
He took her hand and they helped each other to their feet. As they walked around the back of the house, the air felt fresh and clean.
"My Mama used to tell me that friends were worth having, no matter how fragile they turned out to be," Miranda said.
He grinned at her, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. "Maybe your Mama is onto something. Give me the recitation again."
She rolled her eyes up to Heaven. "Will you ever let it rest?"
"Not 'til after Circle. Recite."
"Hector Parkinson is the First Wolf of Albion…"
End Notes:
Dieithryn (Welsh): stranger, outsider
Read Clawu (Old English): red claw