I'm just really enjoying working on this one right now- But I could really use some encouragement. If you're enjoying this, please comment.
Thank you!
Remus made his was toward the front of the train, mind still reeling from what had happened. So many changes in such a short amount of time. Most of his things had been moved from France to Scotland for him compliments of the staff of Hogwarts and some help from the Beauxbatons staff as well. He'd secured Harry, and as angry as he was with the driver for even stopping the train, he had to find his daughter first.
Sense of hearing helped with this. She was about three cars up from where he'd tucked himself away to sleep on his way to the school. Chantelle was found in a carriage with several other Ravenclaws, including her best friend, Luna, who Remus knew well as she'd been over at his home several times for the last two summers. "Oh!" The platinum blonde girl greeted, "Professor! What just happened?"
"Hey, dad." Chantelle said, holding her head, looking through one eye from her place next to the window. He came into the compartment, giving a nod and mumbled 'excuse me' to the other children in the seats as he knelt before his child.
"Let me see." He said, gently guiding her wrist down. She had a large, purple knot rising just above her left eyebrow. Remus winced as she did when he touched it, examining the wound. "Sorry."
"I may have panicked slightly and hit my head on the luggage rack." She confessed quietly.
"But you're okay." Remus confirmed. She nodded, sitting quietly as he conjured a small ice pack and laid on her forehead. "Leave that on until we get there. I've got to go speak to the driver."
Chantelle nodded again and held the ice pack in place, so Remus took leave and shut the door behind him. He quickly made his way through the rest of the train's cars and up into the engine room. With a clinched fist, he banged on the door. A smaller, younger wizard, who looked to clock himself in at around twenty four or so, slid the door open and looked up at Remus, nose scrunched in confusion. "Yeah?"
"What the fuck, exactly, prompted that stop?" Remus demanded, stepping toward the man, who stepped back.
"Well, the dementors..." He stammered.
"Was a Ministry official with them?" He questioned. "An Auror at least? Someone flagging the train?"
"Well, no. Just a group of them, gathered on the tracks." He confessed.
"And you didn't think about the train full of unprotected CHILDREN you are driving?" Remus growled. "That, even without me, there is basically just you and a trolley lady, who is honestly possibly older than my grandmother? There was no proper protection for these kids. Kids under YOUR care!" Remus found himself near shouting.
"I suppose not, Professor. Just thought, with Black about and all..." He said quietly, scratching nervously at his neck. Remus narrowed his eyes.
"Speaking as both a parent and school staff- The decision to stop and let them board was inexcusable. I will have to speak to the Headmaster about what sort of chain of command he has going with his student transportation." And with that comment, he stormed off, wondering if he could claim on of the compartments that was now empty to rest himself in, since the students had doubled up in several cases after the scare from the dementors.
Hermione looked over at Ginny, eyebrows furrowed as she thought. "You know that girl- Chantelle. Your year, Ravenclaw?" Hermione ask the younger redheaded witch.
"Yeah, she goes by Ellie. Hangs round with Loony." Ginny said, thinking aloud. "Why?"
"I think that's her father. The new professor." Hermione said. "His briefcase. There." Hermione pointed at the overhead rack. The shining purple dragonhide case had 'Prof. R.J. Lupin' embossed in gold on the side.
"Same last name." Neville added, nodding.
"He's famous, well." Hermione took a book from her bag. "As far as academia goes. He's a world renowned duelist, and teaches magical dueling at Beauxbatons in France." She held open a page with a small comment and quote on Remus' career. Harry read it then allowed her to pass it to Ron and Neville.
"Yeah, that's them." Ginny nodded. "Her mom is some sort of big deal in legislation. A lawyer of some sort, I think." She said.
"Claire Lupin?" Hermione squeaked.
"How do you always know these things?" Harry said, taking another small nibble of his chocolate.
"She's a HUGE deal. That is the witch that blocked the lycanthrope legislation, fought to help overturned centuries old laws about arranged marriages, and she has gotten a few people out of Azkaban who were falsely placed there without trial due to blood degree." Hermione rambled. "She is constantly in the Prophet..."
Hermione paused and looked around at how her friends all looked at her.
"Am I the only one who stays up on current events in the magical world?" She said, annoyed.
"Yes." At least three of them chimed at once.
"When I can help it." Ron added.
"That is why he knew how to act so quickly, though Harry. With whatever spell that was, and the chocolate." She explained.
"He did seem a right sight more competent than our last couple Defense teachers, didn't he?" Harry laughed. "It's about time."
Claire sat a plate down before Jamie, spinning it around so that his potatoes were closest to him, and then began cutting Caleb's food into smaller bites. She sighed, her head full of worries. She knew there was no safer place for Chantelle or Harry than at Hogwarts while Remus was there. And there was no physical way that Sirius could get to her and the boys in France, where she'd decided it was safer for the moment for them. But still, her heart was troubled.
She hurt about Harry. Her only brother's only son. She did not know him, nor did he know her. Though, from what Ellie had told her, he looked like Claire, Ellie, and James. Dark, unruly hair and all. Ellie had seen pictures of James, and said Harry was nearly him made over. But Claire didn't know that in person.
It was probably her greatest legal failing- and her sole reason for hating Albus Dumbledore. After all, it was he who stepped in and blocked Claire and Remus from trying to get custody of Harry from the muggles, when he was five, and then again as he was about to come of age. He gave an excuse that basically stated that he was safer with Lily's family than them because Lily died protecting him. Claire hated that. She knew James died just the same, fighting for his family- and his body had even been found unarmed. He was fighting hand to hand to save his wife and child, but to Dumbledore, he insisted it had to be Lily's blood.
And Petunia, she did not want anything to do with Claire. She would not allow her to meet Harry. No matter how often she wrote asking, the letters were returned opened and scratched out. Claire remembered how Lily talked about her- How she'd broken Lily's heart. Claire hoped she did better for Harry.
So she sat, listening to Caleb and Jamie giggling back and forth, maybe throwing a bit of bread back and forth, her mind hundreds of miles off. It wasn't until she had ask Jamie to help her clear the table and let Caleb go and play in the sitting room that she knew something was off.
"Mummy! That puppy is in the rain!" He called from near a window. Claire disregarded the stack of plates that had been in her hand in the sink and ran into the room where her youngest child was playing.
"What?" She questioned, too harshly, she realized. But fear had her heart gripped like an icy fist.
"There!" He pointed. "Can we help him!?"
Across the street from the flat she and Remus owned, sat a large, familiar, malnourished black dog. The animal had mud-crusted paws and matted hair, and stared straight up into the window. Claire swallowed and scooped Caleb up off the ground, pulling him back. "Go help Jamie put dishes away." She instructed, grabbing her wand from her pocket and adding securing wards to the doors and windows of her vacation home. She came back to the window and found that the animal was gone. Her heart was beating out of her chest. But there was no way to know for sure it was even the right breed from this distance. The city had an easy couple hundred strays.
"Hey!" She said, coming back into the kitchen where her sons were splashing in the sink. "I have an idea!"
"What?" They called together, cheerfully and unaware of her panicked state.
"Let's have a movie night in Mummy and Daddy's room? You boys can camp out with me and we'll stay up late. Watch whichever movies you'd like. You can each pick one." She suggested, crouching down to be closer to their level.
"Yes!" They both cheered. Claire sighed with relief. Sometimes, it was hard to convince them both to sleep in her room, but a movie night was always a sure fire way to get both boys and really, all three children when present, to sleep near her. It was an added layer of safety that helped put her mind at ease.
Even as she and the young wizards gathered blankets and pillows to build a fort on the king sized bed in their master suite, she wondered if she should inform her husband of the animal. Part of her felt foolish for being so afraid of a dog. France was a long way from the UK, and Sirius had been spotted a couple times still on the island. There was no rational reason to believe it was anything other than a starving animal that could smell the ham they'd had for supper.
But Claire Lupin could not relax.
Please Review!
