Anything for You
Part Two
redwood
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters/locations/stuff in general belong(s) to J. K. Rowling. I am not making any money, no infringement is intended. The idea of a glamour- a magical disguise- came from Lori's 'Harry Potter and the Paradigm of Uncertainty.'
Summary: A birthday and an exciting proposal, a shady character from Ally's past makes a guest appearance, we find out why Remus and Ally split up once more before the events of I Don't Know You Anymore.
Author's Note: For those of you noticing Remus' drop out of character… well, there's not much we can say about the true "Remus" character, is there? There's no 'canon' that says how he would have acted at school around his friends or later in life with those same friends… although I wish there was. So the Remus here is not the typical Remus-stereotype we usually see on FF.N- he's not depressed all the time (if you want Remus-depression read 'I Don't Know You Anymore'- well, he stops being depressed about halfway through, but…), he doesn't try to kill himself, etc. Just one more thing- The on-again, off-again relationship is getting old. This actually fits into my strange, weird, twisted plot somehow. I mean, besides my own parents, how many high-school relationships actually work out?
Special note to Loki and others: Sorry you don't like Allya very much. Claryssa, however, is dead and nothing's going to change that, plus, personally I think Remus definitely needs someone who's alive. However, if you read very closely this part and the next part, which is the last one, you'll notice a bit of a romance between Remus and… well, I'm not going to tell you. (In this case, I don't even mean Allya. This time, it's what Remus did… whether it was his fault or not is yours to decide.) You have to read to find out. It'll be rather cruel to more than one character, and I'm quite sure I'll get a good number of bad reviews for it- but that's up to you, isn't it?
I never felt alone
Until I met you
I'm alright on my own
And then I met you
And I'd know what to do if I just knew what's coming
I would change myself if I could
I would walk with my people if I could find them
And I'd say that I'm sorry to you
I'm sorry to you
And I don't want to call you
But then I want to call you
Cause I don't want to crush you
But I feel like crushing you
And it's true
I took for granted you were with me…
Something's gone you went on
I'm not strong like before
I was deep inside of you
I can't go nowhere
I burn candles and stare
I'm a ghost
Deep inside of you…
I've lost myself
There's nothing left
It's all gone
Deep inside of you
Deep inside of you
Deep inside of you
-Deep Inside of You, Third Eye Blind (Correct me if I'm wrong with some lyrics, but only in a POLITE way)
When Auror team Beta-b-beta had been with the ministry's training program for nearly a month, the seriousness of the community's situation became clearer. Six deaths in four weeks- it was time to take drastic measures.
"You've been promoted," Moody, a very prestigious Auror, informed them. "You're on your own now, kids."
Though barely trained, the new full-fledged Aurors were quite competent. Background searches, insider tip-offs, and plain gut instincts all figured in mental equations.
One particularly important evening, after a get-together at the Potters' (Remus still couldn't believe they'd only been married for a few months!), Remus and Allya went for a walk in the park, weaving in and out of the tall trees by the water's edge.
"You," Remus announced, massaging Allya's neck and shoulders, "have been working far too hard. The McNair case has you in a bad way, doesn't it?"
She groaned, letting Remus unknot her tension. "I love my job and wouldn't trade it for anything… but I've been paranoid ever since we booked the Bulstrode bloke. Still, I wouldn't be able to give it up, not permanently."
Remus sighed and put his arms around her waist instead, slipping his head past her shoulder to murmur in her ear. "Whoa… never told you to quit, did I? Who would remind me to take a lunch break if you quit?"
"Is that all I'm good for?" she teased mildly. "Reminding you to keep yourself alive?"
"And the Diviner bit doesn't hurt, either," he grinned, then lowered his voice. "And I can think of a couple other things you're good at…" Allya, knowing what Remus was about to say, kissed him before he could begin his list of the things she was "good at." "As a matter of fact, there's something back at my place that could use your attention right now…"
"Oh?" Allya asked him. "And just what might that be, Mr. Lupin?"
Remus paused a moment, supposedly for dramatic effect, but more likely to structure his words. "Two things, actually," he said finally. "First- something you gave me on my sixteenth birthday, and told me to ask about on my twentieth, if I was still in love with you. Well, as you already know, my twentieth birthday is today…"
"Most definitely," Allya said. "Well, as of right now, your birthday gift is waiting for you at my place-"
"Another trip to the mansion," Remus muttered to himself. Ally gave him a look for the 'mansion' comment.
"Very well," Allya said finally, breaking the stare off. "The ring. It's a promise ring," she explained. "I promised, all those years ago, that I would love you forever." She took a deep breath. "If I ever stopped, it would disintegrate, one morning you would wake up and you wouldn't find it ever again."
Remus looked down at his fingers with a certain respect, not letting the emotion choke him. It was time… "Ally…" He pulled her into a gentle hug, tugging the ring off of his finger behind her back. A simple, silent charm- it was shrinking. "I have to give this back," he murmured into her ear.
Shock- disbelief- anger- and not a hint of comprehension. Good. "Why?" she managed shakily.
Remus knelt on one knee, barely audible when he finally spoke. "'Cause I don't have another ring right now." He looked up into her face- and he knew that this was right. "Allya… will you marry me?"
Allya Jade Nightrunner, who was rarely caught at a loss for words, was struck speechless. "Well, when you put it that way," she said, after what felt like an eternity, "I don't think I can say no!"
Remus smiled, standing and slipping the ring onto her finger. "Then say yes," he told her, and, without even checking to see if there were any Muggles watching (there weren't), they Disapparated into the darkness.
The premonition came early that morning- it was a Sunday, and she wasn't working overtime, thus there was lots of time to sleep in. A woman- incredibly slim and beautiful, bearing remarkable resemblance to Allya herself, with long dark hair and fire in her orange eyes. In the first sequence, Ally only saw her with Remus- 'twas the way that Ally saw her with Remus that was the heartbreak, although she forgot this quickly. It's amazing how the human mind- even semi-human, as Allya's was- will forget things that it doesn't want to know. In the next sequence, the dark woman was muttering something, something sinister and evil. Aylla? What's my cousin doing here? A sudden pain formed in the center of her stomach- but there was no time to stop, the pain was fading already. Got to find Remus. He was inside the building- whichever building it was in the first place. Dead bodies were strewn all over- well, some of them could have been alive, but they were shells- empty. Good wizards, just tossed aside. Dark wizards, killed by the fallen Aurors… Remus was barely conscious, and cornered by a Death Eater and a Dementor- Wait a minute- A Dementor? Aren't they supposed to be on our side? Two hexes and a couple of very savage bites from an angry wolf Animagus and they weren't anything to worry about. 'We've got to get you out of here,' she said, using a simple charm to lift his body from the floor, but by that time, the vision was over.
Allya awoke with a start, breathing hard and more than a little disoriented. Her pillow, she found on closer inspection, was soaked with sweat and tears, almost beyond recognition as a pillow. She cupped her face in her hands. What a nightmare… and this morning of all mornings. Something on her finger reminded her to look up again. Remus.
There he was, sound asleep and, though expressionless, looking a lot happier than he had in a long, long time. In fact, Allya would even go as far as to say that his appearance was, well, angelic.
Allya glanced at the clock that sat on her night table- half four. Too early to get up. She laid back down again, relishing in the feel of Remus' arms wrapping around her. Sleep came easily- after all, everything had turned out all right in the premonition. Little did she realize that all was not as well as it seemed.
The second dream felt different. Firstly, it took place in some sort of maternity ward- probably a magical one judging by the familiar equipment. A young mother laid on the bed, very still. Two tiny babies, both girls, by the color of the blankets, were settled in identical cradles, one on each side of the mother. A stack of papers lay freshly signed on the table. A nurse entered the room, tears falling from her dark eyes. She moved over to the still woman and pulled the sheet up, over the vacant eyes. Allya soon realized that the mother was dead. Though she didn't know it, two entire barrels of phoenix tears had to be spent just keeping the woman alive for the second child's birth.
One of the children began to cry. Ear-piercing wails filled the small room, and yet another woman entered to quiet her.
Wet nurse. The term jumped unbidden into Ally's mind.
The wailing child had rather unruly dark hair, and refused to be silenced until she got the food she was looking for. The silent twin- the silent twin was weeping, too. Fat, silver tears streamed down her cheeks, although the nurse didn't seem to notice anything odd- even though newborns were not supposed to be able to produce tears. The witch-doctor in charge did not notice either, but if she had, the silent child's upbringing would have been quite different. Dark hair, like her sister's, was plastered to her tiny head, but it wouldn't last- her eyebrows were much too light to support such a dark color for long. It was unclear in Allya's dream, but the nurse was thinking, Two brunettes, of all things! And with such a beautifully red-headed mother...
A nurse found something on a table, addressed apparently to whomever was to adopt the children. She tucked it into a cradle, and left the room.
The silent child grasped the letter as if it were a lifeline, the fat silver tears soaking it as she brought it to her chest, sobbing with grief for the mother that she would never know. Nobody did anything about the tears soaking the younger girl's blankets. Nobody could see them. The nurse moved the girls into separate rooms, and Allya woke up confused once more.
"Well," she grumbled to herself. "That was interesting." Allya checked the clock again- ten after eight. "Hey- Remus."
Remus grumbled and turned over. "Wha- good morning."
"I'll say." Allya smiled weakly. "Well, help yourself to breakfast- Tiny'll get you anything else you need- but I had some very strange dreams last night- I'm going to hunt up my crystal ball…"
She left the room, and Remus got up too, finding himself trying to remember who or what a Tiny was before he made it to the kitchen.
Two hours later, still in front of the crystal ball, Allya was beginning to get that glassed-over look in her eyes that comes from lack of sleep and (in Muggle cases) way too much television.
"Any lightning-strike insights?" Remus asked, setting his breakfast down beside her and kneading her tense shoulders softly.
"No," Allya growled, looking about ready to spit nails. "I've been sitting here, staring at this… this useless orb… for two hours, and what do I get? Nothing. Even when I was younger I always saw something if I sat for that long… and this time, when it was really important…" her voice trailed off, but her anger was not abated. She picked up the crystal ball and dropped it, letting it shatter onto the floor. Allya spat into the mess. "So there!" she yelled, then got control of herself. "Oh… reparo."
"Are you sure you're not reading too far into this?" Remus asked concernedly, hugging her about the shoulders and kissing her neck.
"No," Allya answered, exasperated. "That is just another part of the problem! I don't know how serious it is!"
"Then have some breakfast, it'll help you think," he suggested. "And then we can go back to bed…" Remus winked conspiratorially.
His fiancée had to smile. "So that's what you want, is it?" she asked coyly, standing up and moving into his embrace.
"If you want the absolute truth, yes."
"Oh really? Well, that's too bad because-" Ally took a huge jump backward- "I've got your breakfast!" She snatched the toast and bacon off of the plate in one hand and started to run.
"Oh, no you don't!" Remus started after her, catching up quickly due to his advantage- longer legs. He caught the hand with no toast in it as she was leaping behind a chair, and pulled her back, closer to him. Breakfast fell forgotten to the floor as arms wrapped around necks or waists, and a long kiss muted anyone's objections, although it's doubtful that there were any. When they broke apart for air, his hands found hers and she met his eyes with a kind of half-smile.
"You win."
Remus grinned, toying with the ring on her finger. "No, Allya. We win."
Things moved fast for the young couple- telling James, Lily, Sirius, and the others took exactly none of their time, because everyone knew it anyway. It was painfully obvious, and exactly no one at the office was surprised, except the administrator in charge of the Auror wing, Fwinkovitch, when she walked in on Ally and Remus in his office. Allya had taken to spending the nights at Remus', helping him pack up sometimes, or sometimes just to avoid her house-elf because she felt like she was being spied upon with the little creature running around. At the time of the full moon, they both took the Wolfsbane potion and locked themselves in Ally's sizeable basement, doing wolfish things.
'Twas a particularly wet summer day when the time came, and even Allya did not recognize that she'd lived the day before. It could be said, I suppose, that there was no other way for it to happen, and although things did indeed turn out for the good in the end, the end was quite a while later. At any rate, on this particular dreary morning, Allya awoke at Remus' flat to find him gone, which was not unusual. It was a Sunday; often times he enjoyed going for a jog in the park before they headed out to do 'couple' things- go to the show, a picnic by the river, or even just dancing at a club. This Sunday, however, Remus was headed for a stakeout in a rather disreputable part of the county.
Ally rolled out of bed with a groan- tomorrow it was back to work again, and she had the strange feeling that she'd be working again before the next day was upon her. Then there was the tiny detail (Okay, Allya acknowledged, two tiny details.) she needed to work out with Remus (and it would not be pleasant, Allya had already deducted that much). Finally, a point which actually came before the others- waking up completely, showering, and meeting Remus in the park. Allya sighed. Already she knew that this day was going to be an odd one.
The park was sufficiently crowded when she got there to make finding Remus a bit of a problem. Finally she thought she spotted him- over by a cluster of weeping willows, her favorite sort of tree. Allya only caught a glimpse of his face- it was enough, though- she recognized his clothes and tousled hair easily.
She didn't recognize the woman he was climbing the tree with from that distance, though. As her suspicion built, the two young adults ceased climbing and sat, hand in hand, on a tree branch about halfway up. The woman- whoever it was had long, dark hair and a body that was to-die-for perfect- leaned in to kiss him, and Ally turned away, furious.
Not to mention heartbroken.
But the ring on her finger did not crumble, nor did she have the heart to give it back. Allya Apparated back to her mansion, where she stayed until late that night.
She did not stay there alone. A simple note tied to the ever-faithful Thrakk's leg and about ten minutes later, Mioré appeared to comfort her. Redwood just didn't have the courage to tell Lily; Lily who now had everything Allya wanted: a loving husband, a house, an income large enough to survive on, and a child on the way (she'd quit her job two months previously).
It didn't help much that none of Ally's friends were single anymore. Finally at dinner, Mioré announced that she had plans with Sirius, and had to go. Allya could only nod.
Discouraged and a bit out of sorts, the Diviner pulled out her crystal, trying to shut away the memory of the day she'd broken it and what had happened afterwards. The mists of time swirled before her, and at once her dreams resurfaced- one in each hemisphere of the globe.
Struck at last with the key to her problems, Allya left the orb on the table, forgetting about it. She dressed quickly in her Auror's uniform- a black bodysuit beneath a blue-gray robe- pulled the hood up over her face, and Apparated to where she knew she would find him.
The building was large and dilapidated, maybe an old hotel from the look of things. It was storming- the wet morning had turned into a thunderous night. A flash of light from behind Ally made her jump.
"Well, well," the voice, so like her own, but so much colder, said from behind her.
Allya spun, wand already drawn, and pointed it toward her adversary. "Aylla. Sister dear. How are you?"
"Peachy, Allya, peachy." Aylla Jenkins didn't seem the least bit surprised about the 'sister' comment. Deep down, the twins both knew, although it had never been mentioned before. "Met a friend of yours today," Ayl continued. "Quite the man, he is. Hope you don't mind if I keep him for a pet."
A hundred tiny details clicked together in Allya's mind. Aylla was with Remus in the park… "You… you bitch," Allya spat. The Imperius Curse. Of course, I should have known.
"Now, now, Ally. Let's not resort to petty cursing." Aylla pulled her wand, too. "Or confusing ourselves. We both know you're the Animagus werewolf."
"How you know is news to me."
"Back to the topic of your man, then. I can't have him running back to you- and he'd never leave you voluntarily, with the condition you're in…"
Redwood's eyes darkened to a near-black color. She knows. Sweet Mother of God, she knows. Aylla began to murmur under her breath- Allya stepped aside, still pointing her wand at her sister's throat. "Give me a reason to do it and I swear I will." Aylla finished her spell anyway, directing her wand at her sister. A sharp pain- one that faded quickly- jolted through Allya's stomach. No… She reached out with a foot, catching her twin in the chest and knocking her backwards. "We both know our magic is equal. That leaves the victor to be determined by who had the better training."
Fire blazed in Aylla Jenkins' insane orange eyes. "If that's what you want. I must warn you, though, I'm in the Dark Lord's inner circle. And the longer you spend on me, the worse off your werewolf friend gets. In fact, one of my Dementor minions is just about ready to do a little soul-sucking…"
Silently, Allya called on her inner strength. A quick punch Aylla never saw coming and a swift kick to the stomach dropped her down to her knees, then Allya put her in a body-bind. "Good to know." A flick of the redwood wand and a report appeared on Fwinkovitch's desk, requesting immediate backup. "I'll be going inside now," she murmured, racing up the steps.
It was far worse than Allya remembered. Bodies laid everywhere- Aurors, other Ministry agents, Death Eaters, Dementors, and some indistinguishable black heaps. A stench like no other hung in the air, so thick you could almost reach out and touch it. Top floor, Allya thought, and raced as fast as she could.
The minions of the Dark Lord upstairs didn't have a chance. The Dementor was dead before it hit the floor, its neck broken by a savage blow from a well-directed paw. The Death Eater had more of a chance- but the Imperius Curse rolled off like water off a duck's back, he was bound, and backup arrived.
Wordlessly, Allya Jade picked up her unconscious fiancé and Apparated back to his apartment.
Dawn was breaking through the bedside window. A hundred curses (cusses and some actual curses) tumbled about in his brain as he struggled to wake up, reaching automatically for someone who wasn't there.
Remus opened his eyes to find the room empty of all occupants save him, and he was in sad shape despite the fact that his wounds were healed and the Imperius Curse was gone from his mind. Honestly… what was I thinking? Why couldn't I throw it off? His hand flew to his face to rub the sleep that was blurring his vision out of his eyes, but encountered only tears. Please tell me she's not gone again, he started to think. That was when he noticed the box on the bedside table.
It contained, he knew, the wedding rings he and Allya had purchased… afraid to open it but more afraid not to, Remus took the box in his hand and gently slid it open. His head fell back upon the pillow, and more tears came streaming down his face…
Inside were the two wedding bands… and one other ring, the one Allya had given him on his sixteenth birthday.
She was gone.
END OF PART TWO
*R*e*d*W*o*o*d* - Had you going, didn't I? Oh yeah. You know it. Well, depending on which gets a bigger response- this, or the last chapter of When and If that I posted yesterday- that will have the next part first. ;) Be sure to vote…
REMUS: You know, if you don't stop torturing me, I'm going to mutiny soon…
*R*e*d*W*o*o*d* - Ack! No! Remember, I already have you and Ally together, and you can't tell me you didn't enjoy being Aylla's love puppet for a day-
AYLLA & REMUS: I resent that!
*R*e*d*W*o*o*d* - Sorry! That's the whole purpose of this installment! You're evil, Ayl, it's not like you can help yourself when it comes to a gorgeous guy like Remus…
AYLLA: Do I get put in Azkaban? I've always wanted to visit there…
REMUS: You really are as psycho as I thought…
AYLLA: Thanks.
ALLYA: Can I kill her now?
*R*e*d*W*o*o*d* - No. Do you want to go to Azkaban?
REMUS: Y'know, we're ruining the sad effect of the story by blathering on like this… some people think it's funny…
AYLLA: They do?
REMUS: Yeah.
AYLLA: Psychos…
HEY! Vote for 'Anything for You' or 'When and If' here!
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