The Casting Stone

by Thing1

4/10: And in then end....

5. The Casting Stone 5

The Casting Stone 5

Written entirely under the influence of an Oakland Raiders victory …Superbowl bound!

Anyway….

Remus, Sirius, Liz & Draco head to the Island of Paros, and look for clues to determine if there really is an island hidden somewhere in that wine-dark sea. Remus and Sirius have a nasty run-in with some less than hospitable ghosts, and then meet a very odd and disturbing young man.

***

Remus stood on the deck of the ferry watching the waves of their wake move in a steady, lolling fashion. He was caught up in seeing the blue water surge up, break, and turn to white over and over in such a deceptively simple fashion. Patterns of life everywhere…in a wave, a leaf, the air. Never as chaotic as it seems; always following the same basic pattern of growth. And still bringing something inexplicably unique to each new instant.

He closed his eyes and let the wonderful smell of the ocean fill his senses. Remus could feel the water; could see it and give it depth just from the tang of salt in the air. An odd gift of the curse he lived with; he had learned when he was young, just from talking to his friends, that he simply did not see things the way they did. As a predator, a wolf needed his senses to give him information about where things were around him, about what they were, and what they would mean to him. Senses to Remus were more solid, and nothing was linear. Everything came at him at once; experience was a mass of images made up of sound and smell and sight, all sitting one on top of the other, all moving through each other and showing him a private world nobody else could touch. His quiet and controlled manners were his way of living with these senses; of making himself 'fit' into the 'normal' life of other men. Remus could hardly fathom what he would have been like if these senses were allowed to control him all the time, not simply when the moon was full and the wolf was paramount. Even with the potion…

Remus thought of Katie. He missed her so much; but with his eyes closed like this he could almost feel her leaning against the railing next to him. He could see her clearly; hear her voice and smell her skin, warmed by the radiant sunlight. He stood there and tried to picture what she would be doing right now, back at home. She'll just be giving Malcolm his breakfast. That thought made Remus smile, picturing his son giving his customary run-down of everything he expected to get done with his day. And Roarke will be sleeping, no doubt from having been up most of the night. Remus was quietly thrilled that Roarke looked as if she would look as much like him as Malcolm looked like Katie. Her eyes were definitely the same grey as his, now that the blue of all new babies eyes had faded. Unbelievable. To have all this. Malcolm was miracle enough for me; now we've two children and Katie has made it pretty clear she thinks three would be a nice round number. Remus laughed out loud softly, just thinking about it all.

"Something funny, Sir?"

Remus opened his eyes and turned slightly from where he leaned on the rail to see that Draco had come to stand near him. He looked a little pale, but was smiling slightly, one eyebrow raised. Remus just shook his head, and motioned for Draco to come and stand next to him. Draco moved up and turned his own gaze out over the open waters. Remus studied the young man for a few moments as he stood there. Draco had grown to be as tall as Remus, but he was much more Saxon in his looks, with his pale hair, pale eyes and sharp features. Remus had his mother's welsh features, and was more rounded, despite his thin frame and the lines now growing more pronounced around his mouth and eyes as he aged. Draco's face was usually closed and guarded, and Remus' wondered if he had looked as tense and angry before he had finally settled and made peace with himself. Remus never said to Harry or Sirius, who were still off-put by and rather unsupportive of Remus' quiet friendship with the young man, that Draco in fact reminded him of himself at that age. Both outcasts; both struggling to be something more than others expect us to be. And so angry; my anger at that age was for very different reasons, but I was just as uptight about it and just as hostile towards anyone who dared to 'understand'. I don't understand what Draco thinks, but I understand what that feeling does to you. Sirius and Harry have their own anger; but it's not like this.

"Feeling alright, Draco?"

"Yes, Professor, thank you. You were quite right; it does feel better once you get used to it and as long as you keep your eyes on the horizon. I will be happier, however, once we get back on land. I'm rather jealous that Liz and Snuffles were able to just go to sleep."

Remus smiled. Sirius and Liz had curled up together on one of the benches as soon as they boarded the boat and fallen asleep, once they were all sure that they were in fact the only wizards aboard. Draco had never been on a boat, and was a little queasy from the experience. However Remus had charmed him quietly when no muggles were looking to ease the sickness, but Draco had obviously had no success at falling asleep himself.

"I met a rather interesting but perplexing ghost on the stairs coming up here. A Greek, so I couldn't understand a word he said. He looked like he might have once been a member of this crew," said Draco, waving absently at one of the sailors on the deck below them. "I sincerely hope he didn't drown due to some incompetence experienced on one of these voyages."

"Did he look wet?"

"No."

"Then I doubt he drowned. Even if he did, if he's here obviously the boat was okay," said Remus lightly. Draco just grimaced.

"Draco, look over there. Did you just see that movement in the water?"

Draco looked tense instantly. "What is it?"

"Nothing to look that upset over," said Remus gently. "Watch."

They both stared out at the water for a few moments, when suddenly they caught a glimpse of something just under the surface of the sea about 20 feet from were they were.

"Professor? What is that?"

"Watch," repeated Remus, keeping his eyes on the ocean. A few more moments passed, then as Remus had hoped, three dolphins leapt out of the waves near them, and did a graceful arc before disappearing into the ocean again. Draco looked impressed.

"What are those?"

"Dolphins. They'll swim with us a bit, but they'll tire soon and leave us. Just watch them."

There were six dolphins in all that they could see, though Remus suspected if they went to the other side of the deck they would see others. The dolphins played in the wakes coming off of the bow of the boat for a few minutes, then vanished.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, Draco. It's just something that happens, and something that is rather beautiful to watch. Impressive, weren't they?"

Draco looked back at the water. "Well, they were certainly interesting. Why do they do that?"

"They're just playing, that's all."

"I wasn't aware that animals played at all."

"Certainly they do. And dolphins are rather unique animals. In ancient times it was considered very good luck to have dolphins follow you. They have a unique and special feel to them, and are considered to be extremely intelligent. So we can think of them as a good omen, what?"

Draco said nothing for a while. Then he glanced back at Remus. "What were you thinking of that made you laugh when I came up? Was it the dolphins? Or is it none of my business."

"I was just thinking about my wife and my children, Draco. At the risk of sounding like an old bore, you'll understand when you have your own family."

Draco looked grim. "And if I choose not to?"

Remus thought about that before responding softly, keeping his eyes on the water. "Draco, I sincerely hope that you do not choose to live your life alone. Trust me, I understand more than anyone how, and maybe even why, you may think that it would just be easier. I came very close to making the wrong choice, Draco. I almost walked away and left Katie forever. I really thought that it would be best for everyone."

"What stopped you?"

"Katie. And Snuffles. They wouldn't let me do it. So now I can't let you do it."

Draco still looked harsh and just shook his head. They didn't speak again for the rest of the voyage.

***

Remus followed Liz up a steep walkway to the front gates of the house she was leading them to. It was a small two-story building surrounded by a walled garden, but it looked very warm and welcoming. Like most of the houses on Paros, it was white with blue shutters and a red tile roof. It sat back behind a wild and violently colourful garden filled with any number of trees and shrubs covered in blossoms. Remus absently wondered how long it would take the little griffins to figure out where they were and show up, if in fact they had decided to follow them. He was hoping that they would be satisfied with their free meal from the night before and just go back to wherever they came from. There had been no sign of them that morning when they caught the ferry to the islands, but that was hardly surprising from the crowd of muggles they were travelling with.

Liz had contacted the Ministry's Athens office the night before and said that she needed a fair sized house on Paros for a few weeks. Liz had gotten off the boat at the port when they arrived alone while the others kept an eye out. Almost the moment her foot stepped on the pier a young witch seemed to emerge from thin air and hand her something. Remus watched the crowds simply move past them as if not seeing them, neatly deflected by simple distraction charms. The witch looked younger than them, but she wore severe, plain black old-style robes. They sent Draco off once the witch had vanished again, and he had a very brief conversation with Liz before continuing to follow the crowds off the pier. Remus took Padfoot last, and they walked to the end of the pier and waited quietly before Draco and Liz showed up again a while later. Liz had a cab with her, and it took them out of the main town and down to a long drive along the coast. Finally, it left them standing at the foot of a small tree-lined path, and the driver told Remus that the address they wanted was at the top of the walk.

They went inside the house and started to look about.

"Well, well, very nice; we've an owl here for our use, come see."

A large grey scopes owl was sleeping in a niche in the kitchen. It woke with a start and screeched when Remus walked past. Remus looked over at the others with an apologetic expression.

"I'll try to avoid it. Doesn't seem to care for me at all."

The owl sidled to the far side of its perch, away from Remus, then with one last glare, went back to sleep.

Once they had determined that they were alone, and quite isolated, Sirius transformed and walked out onto the veranda at the back of the house to get a good look at the coastline below them. Liz had asked specifically for a house on the waters edge, and there was a small path that led to a jetty over the bay by the house.

"Well, at least we can get a boat here."

"I've been thinking about that," said Liz. "And we may have some help here. I'm going to send a note and a letter to Hermione, as I need her to get a message to one of my muggle friends. He spent his summers during university working on Santorini, which is to the south of us. But he knows people all over, because he worked with a company that ran boat tours through the islands. Callum may in fact know someone we can get a boat from out this way, as he's kept in touch with these people and he still comes back here on occasion. I'd honestly prefer getting a boat from some muggles we can use. We can, well, modify it with a few good charms and the like as we see fit, then clean it and return it with no fuss. We get a boat from a wizard and they'll ask questions."

"Like why on earth we'd bother with a boat in the first place," grumbled Draco.

"You have a better idea, Malfoy?" said Sirius, in an equally testy tone.

Draco ignored him and went back inside to get something to drink. His colour was still a little off, and the effects of Remus' spell were wearing off.

Remus busied himself with translating the rest of the verses on their spell map that afternoon, while Liz, prudently, took Draco with her into town to get food and other supplies. Sirius sat with Remus in the warm shade of the veranda and went to work on making another map of the area for their own use. Remus was pleased to see that Sirius looked rather happy doing this. Good memories, I suspect.

Sirius put down his quill after a while and smiled at Remus while he rubbed his eyes.

"Amazing how much faster this is now that we know how to do it. Still one of your finest moments, Moony, coming up with the idea for that map. Genius."

"Thank you, Padfoot."

"I'm going to start the incantations soon. Any ideas on a password?"

"No, not really. Amuse yourself."

Remus caught himself. "But try not to embarrass Liz. Bad form, that, even if you are engaged."

Sirius laughed, then looked a little sad.

"Maybe I'll just use the same one, for old times sake."

Remus shook his head. "But we are up to good, this time. And…" he stopped , not sure if he should say what had just occurred to him.

"And what?"

"Sirius, we aren't the only ones who know that password," he said, very gently.

"Good point." Sirius stared at the map and said nothing else. Remus went back to his reading, but finally looked up when he realized that Sirius hadn't moved in a while. He was surprised to see that he was staring into space, crying quietly.

"Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head and just wiped his eyes, trying to give Remus a smile, but just looking rather strained. "It's bad, Remus. I think it's being so close. Or at least closer than we've ever been. What if we don't find him? All I can think about is what happens if we don't find him; I can't bear to dream about what it would be like if we do. I can't face that. I just…we should have killed him then. That night, all those years ago. We should have done it then."

Remus stood up and moved so he could sit next to Sirius, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving a small squeeze. Sirius started crying again at that, but said nothing else.

"Sirius, if we had, if we had done that, then you really would have been a murder. So would I. And we'd…we'd never have in our lives what we have now. We do have hope, even if you don't feel it. I know how hard it is for you and Liz. Katie and I both do. Harry was right to stop us; and he was right about what James would have wanted."

"James…."

"And Lily. Can you imagine Lily on this subject? I can still hear her; exasperated, but laughing at us."

Sirius shook his head. "I can't. I can't remember how they sounded anymore. They took that from me. I can't even remember really what they looked like. I look at your pictures of us, and I almost don't recognize them. It's like, someone has to point to them and say 'remember these two people? They were your best friends!'"

"Don't do this, Padfoot. Don't be so unfair to yourself. I know it's difficult; I can't fathom how you feel…." He stopped when Sirius gave a small laugh.

"What?"

"Reverse this conversation, Remus, and go back 25 odd years. Sound familiar?"

"Very. And I hope that experience has been kinder to you. I thought you were just being kind, then. Forgive me, old friend. I was touched that you tried, but I was still bitter that you had no idea what you were talking about."

"I didn't; but I couldn't think of anything to say. And I was scared that you would shut me out. Shut us out. James and I wracked our brains trying to think of what to say to you that you wouldn't treat as us just being trite. I do see it now, and you're right that I didn't, really, then. I was so stubborn; you were no different from us, when in fact you were more profoundly different than I could ever understand. But that didn't mean you weren't my friend, and that's all that mattered."

"Exactly. That's all that mattered, and it's all that ever really will."

Sirius nodded, and this time did manage to smile at Remus. "Better stop this before Liz gets back. She's really worried that I've been more morose than usual. Reducing that woman to tears is quite a feat, and not something I like doing. Let's just get on with it."

Remus nodded and stood up to go back to his translations and research. Sirius put a hand on his arm to stop him before he turned.

"Moony, thank you."

"Always. Thank you."

"Always."

***

The next few days were spent trying to analyse the hidden clues in the verses from the spell map and waiting for a response from Callum about hiring a boat. Hermione had sent Pigwidgeon back with the scopes owl with a long letter to Remus from Katie, and a note from Ron to Sirius that he should keep Pig with them for their use. Pig also had a letter from Harry for Sirius. Harry had finally returned from his last assignment in Russia, and was bitterly disappointed not to be included in the search. The letter was rather harsh and stopped just short of demanding to know where he was so he could join them. Hermione told Liz, in her own note to her, that she and Ron had not told Harry that Draco was with them, because that was liable to send Harry into a complete fit. Liz and Remus privately discussed whether or not Harry should in fact know where they were and if he should be included.

"Remus, I can't tell if it would be better or worse for Sirius if Harry were here. You know how close they are, and you also know that Sirius gets very upset if Harry is angry with him, which I think he clearly is. But he also gets upset if he thinks Harry is in danger."

"Harry's an Auror, Liz; he's always in danger now. Something that Sirius thinks about constantly. Malcolm, in that innocent way three year olds have, said he wanted to be an Auror just like Harry when he grew up and Sirius told Malcolm, very harshly and to Malcolm's astonishment, that he was to do no such thing. So it's a no win situation."

Liz sighed. "Well, if it's down to our votes, I think we should at least tell Harry where we are. If nothing else, to be fair to him. Do you think he'll come down here if we do that?"

"We can ask him to at least wait to come with Katie. But that's a selfish request on my part, because I'd feel much better if he were with Katie when she travelled. Part of my 'damn overprotective tendencies'."

"Remus, you know that Katie understands. Being the way she is, she can't help but fuss about it though."

Remus grinned. "Stubborn and determined to make her own way?"

"In love with you, actually. But she certainly can be stubborn."

Remus shook his head and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "I'm put in my place. Tell Harry where we are. If he can wait to come with Katie, that would be great. Find a way to phrase that so he doesn't get upset with me. If he can't, then so be it. I am well aware that my wife can take care of herself."

Liz sent Harry a letter that afternoon, detailing everything that was going on, and asking him if he would be free to join them later. She said that Katie would be coming in about ten days, to be with Remus for the full moon, and would he mind very much travelling with her.

Pig returned the next day with a short note.

Liz-

Thank you. I'm at the Lupins for the time being, staying in Sirius' room. Katie and I will be there in a week. Malcolm is very anxious about Remus, and I think a letter from him would be a good idea. See you soon.

Please, be careful.

Harry

***

Remus announced to everyone a dinner a week after they had arrived on Paros that he was convinced that he had the next clue figured out.

Draco was particularly pleased at this. He had said almost nothing the entire time they were there, focused instead on researching the places in Egypt Peter seemed to allude to in his letter.

"Really? Are we where we need to be?"

"Yes. But the next bit is going to be tricky. There is a long passage about the ocean, and I've been having a look at the muggle books on the history of this island. There is another map we need, but it is in a place that has sunk into the ocean."

"Where?"

"Here, if we are in the right spot. About 5 kilometres from us. We going to need to dive down there and see what we come up with."

Remus spread out their map of the Aegean. "We're here, outside of Drios. Down the coastline, there is a place where, in ancient times, there was a temple to Hades, right on the edge of the water. It wasn't very big, especially compared to the temple to Demeter that's here, so nobody really missed it when it sank into the ocean. But, if this is the place where Hades came when he took Persephone, as the cult to Demeter would suggest, then this is the place where we will find the next map."

"So," said Sirius, "we need to swim underwater and see what we can find. Great."

"Then you two should go," said Liz, looking pointedly at Remus and Sirius.

"Why do we get this job, Miss Harker?"

"Because," she smiled at Sirius, "one of the first things I ever noticed about you two, on the very first day we started working together all those years ago, is that you have a unique way of communicating to each other without speaking. Useful, when underwater."

Sirius looked surprised, then smiled and gave her a hug. "All those years," he said playfully, "of having to get a job done without words."

"A job or a joke, Mr. Black?"

"The joke was our job, Miss Harker."

"And your parents thought they were paying for an education."

"They were," Sirius pulled back to look at Remus mischievously. "Just not they one they envisioned."

Remus and Sirius left the next morning and apparated onto a deserted piece of coastline a ways from their house. They looked carefully about, but there were no tourists about. The beach they stood on was actually protected from the rest of the coast by large cliffs on either side. Remus pointed to the cliffs south of where they stood.

"There. The temple is off the shore over there. It was discovered by some divers years ago, but it's not a popular spot because the currents are strong and it's isolated. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Remus. I got off Azkaban, didn't I?"

"Yes. Well…"

They walked to the very edge of the cliff and looked at the surf. Quietly they stripped to their shorts and stood at the edge of the water. Remus felt very self conscious, standing there with all his scars, all the signs of his wretched curse exposed for all to see. Even if it was just Sirius; but Sirius had never seen how bad it had become in the years he and Remus were separated. Before, Sirius had seen a few scratches and, of course, the bite itself. Now Remus had worse scars, wounds he had given himself in the bitter despair of his loneliness. He didn't look at Sirius, but he could feel Sirius staring at him.

"Don't, Padfoot. It's alright."

Sirius said nothing. They walked forward into the surf and dove under the waves. Remus waved his wand and a bubble of air quickly enveloped his head. He looked over at Sirius, who gave him the thumbs up, encased in his own bubble. Remus secured his wand in a band he'd wrapped on his arm, and started to swim along the sea wall, leading the way around the corner.

The ocean was magnificent; part of Remus couldn't help but wish they had time to just stop and watch the fish and other creatures around them. He saw multitudes of brightly coloured fish scatter in front of them as they swam, sticking close to the cliff wall to avoid getting thrashed by the strong currents. He glanced at Sirius, swimming next to him, but Sirius seemed fine and strong, and they pressed onward. After a few minutes, Remus stopped them, and they each grabbed a piece of the rocky outcropping to get a sense of their bearings. Remus took out his wand and tapped the rock in front of them, causing a glowing replica of the map he'd carefully drawn to glow from the surface of the cliff. Two small red dots showed that they were hovering near the supposed entrance to the ruins. He looked at Sirius, who nodded and glanced in that direction, then grabbed Remus' arm and turned him. Remus could just make out, beyond the reefs that had grown up around three ruined ships, a pile of stones that were obviously carved. Well, something's down there.

A quick glance at Sirius and then they took off to move further along the cliff towards the pile of stones. Once they got closer, Remus could see the entrance to the temple that had once been above water, before the sea had risen to envelop the building. Glancing once more at Sirius, he made for the rocks, fighting the current that threatened to take them both out into the open waters or smash them against the cliffs, either way, the ocean didn't care.

As they approached the carved stones, Remus finally noticed the archway that stood at the entrance to the underwater ruin. It was surprisingly intact, though covered with any number of lichens and molluscs. Remus came to rest at the right side of the arch, and motioned for Sirius to go to the left. Remus took his wand and lit it to illuminate the dark waters against the cliff, Sirius following suit. The light of their wands didn't go very far, though, and they could only just make out the sandy bottom of the ocean and a few feet of corridor, then darkness. Each staying to one wall, they swam forward carefully, Remus slowly twisting and turning to get a good look at the walls and ceiling of the ruin. There was nothing except rock and sand, no markings or carvings of any kind. After about 20 feet, however, the corridor opened abruptly into a chamber.

Remus could see three doorways coming off of the chamber they were now in. Sirius indicated that he was going to go one way, and that Remus should go another, but Remus shook his head and grabbed Sirius by the shoulder, telling him silently that they were not going to split up in here. Now well inside the structure, the only light came from their wands, and Remus was damned if he was going to split up. Suddenly he saw a flash of silver on his right shoulder and turned quickly. There about one foot from his face hovered a tiny school of five bonefish. They glowed in the light from his wand, and he could see their amazingly delicate features through their transparent skin. They paid little mind to him, but just hovered, watching him. As he turned, they turned with him. When he glanced again in their direction, they jumped back a bit, maintaining their exact distance from him, but not leaving. It's like their schooling with me. How odd. Remus decided that it was no bother, however, and swam forward, leading Sirius.

They entered the first chamber. Its roof had caved in, and they could look up and see the bright summer sky about 60 feet over them. Like the corridor, there were no markings on these stones, though Remus could make out any number of pottery shards and artefacts buried in the sand of the floor between the stones that had once been the roof of the place. Sirius indicated they should move on, and they swam back to the main chamber and stared into the second tunnel. This had survived, and it was pitch black. The little bonefish swam on just to the right of Remus' face, keeping their distance and seeming not to mind the darkness. But Remus suddenly felt very cold as they entered the second chamber. Now they could see something along the walls. It was difficult to make out. Perhaps years of erosion….

Suddenly the images that Remus assumed were murals began to move slowly. The shadows on the walls increased, and somehow seemed to become more solid, more three-dimensional. All of a sudden Remus' little school of bonefish turned and scattered past him back towards the open sea. He glanced at Sirius, but Sirius had his attention fixed on the walls. Remus watched as the figures suddenly took their full shape, and faced them.

They were ghosts, Remus realized. Not contemporary with the temple; they had uniforms of the eighteenth century, now that he could make them out. Sailors; probably the unhappy souls of the sailors from the wrecks outside the temple. They had come here to rest, and now they were disturbed. Remus shivered and the water turned to ice once the ghosts had assumed their full shape. Silently they floated towards Remus and Sirius, a sense of dark bitterness around them. Remus knew that sometimes ghosts, in their anger, would try to kill others in the same way they had been killed; or try to trick them, so that they would die and be trapped too. He had no intentions of drowning in this place.

With a glance at Sirius, who seemed to be having the same thoughts, he brought his wand out and stared at the apparitions as they hung in the water before them. It was difficult to make them out, they seemed to be only shadows in the dark water, but they were there; Remus could feel them strongly now. It was necessary to douse their wands in order to cast a spell to hold back the ghosts. Sirius nodded at Remus and raised his wand a little higher, to give what light he could, and Remus quickly cast a holding spell he hoped would keep the ghosts at bay for a while. As soon as the sparks from Remus' wand died out, they turned quickly and swam for the main chamber again. They glanced backwards, but saw nothing coming after them, and ducked into the final tunnel. This tunnel was only a few feet long, then opened into a pit in the ground. Sirius dove first, and Remus followed, glancing over his shoulder every so often to see if they were followed. The pit went down about 40 feet, from the feel of the pressure on Remus' ears. Finally, it turned another 90-degree angle and opened into a chamber.

They looked up and saw, to their astonishment, that there was an open cave above them. They surfaced and broke their bubble charms, testing the air. It was alright, and they swam for the ledge on their left and crawled up.

They appeared to be standing on a raised dais that had once stood on the floor of the chamber. They barely had room to stand without hitting their head on the roof of the chamber. Sirius bent over a pit to look at the ceiling.

"Interesting that this room is like this. Look at that over the door; that's an Egyptian curse. What's it doing in here?"

Remus glanced at the curse and shook his head. "Not an issue right now. See anything that looks like a map?"

They gazed at the crude and crumbling murals on the walls above the waterline. Anything that had been below was long gone. There seemed to be nothing of any import, until Remus looked back under the water at the floor. The floor of the chamber was submerged, but it was a huge mosaic. And, obviously, a star map.

Sirius stared at it, then glanced at Remus. "Will Liz's charm work underwater?"

"We're just going to have to find out. Okay; I'm going to take the imprint. But that means that I'm not going to be able to do anything else with my wand or we'll lose the map. I have a feeling that those lost souls will be waiting for us when we leave here. You do know they will want to drown us, Padfoot."

Sirius nodded and glanced at the entrance to the tunnel back to the temple entrance. "I've got that. You just stay very close to me, Moony. I can cover us, but don't let them separate us."

Remus nodded and closed his eyes so he could clear his thoughts and say the spell he needed properly. Liz had taught him how to cast the imaging spell, but this was the first practical application of it he would have. Slowly, he raised his wand and said the words. It was an odd sensation; he felt the familiar pull anyone felt when casting a spell, but suddenly he also felt the sensation of the spell coming back at him. It was vaguely disquietly, and he saw his arm shake as the imaging spell came back at him, and the image of the map was trapped in his wand. Liz didn't tell me about that….

Sirius gave his a concerned look. "Are you okay? You look pale."

"I'm fine. Just odd to feel a spell come back to you like that. Ready?"

"Ready."

They dove back under the water. Sirius enchanted Remus first, then gave himself a new bubble and started down the dark corridor towards the entrance to the chamber. Remus stayed right behind Sirius, so close he practically ran into him if their strokes were not completely in sync. They came out into the main chamber and Remus was surprised, but happy, to see that none of the ghosts seemed to have emerged from the hiding place they had chosen.

They quickly swam back out of the temple. But as soon as they were back out in the open sea, and starting to turn for the shore they had come from, Remus' worst fears were realized. The spirits of the lost sailors were waiting for them outside of the temple in the open water. It was their intent to drown them both. They came at Sirius and Remus as a dark cloud through the water, humming in an awful tone and filling Remus with a terrible sense of dread.

The ghosts churned the water around them; Remus started to feel an exhaustion in his limbs worse than after his transformations, and his vision began to blur. He knew they were trying to lure him to the deep waters, where he would have no chance to fight the tide. He felt Sirius grab him by the arm and pull him in a direction. For a moment in his confusion he fought against him, convinced that Sirius was under the spell of the ghosts, and only leading them to their deaths. But Sirius showed surprising strength, and kept tight hold of him while moving in the direction he had started. Forcing himself to calm down, Remus gave up his struggles and let Sirius lead him. Together they practically smashed in to the cliff face, sending hundreds of fish scurrying into the depths.

Once at the cliff wall, Remus felt the ghostly presence fade somewhat. He was able to look at Sirius clearly and focus again. Sirius kept his gaze, obviously checking that he was aright, then he started back along the cliff wall back to the beach where they had entered. Remus followed, being pulled along by Sirius who still had a tight hold of his arm. Suddenly Remus saw that the little school of bonefish had reappeared, on his left this time, and were happily swimming next to him as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

They finally made it back to the beach. Remus collapsed on the warm sand, feeling ill and drained. Sirius sat next to him and wrapped a towel around him.

"Carefully, Moony; you'll burn that milk-white back of yours in about a minute."

Remus smiled and wiped sand from his face. "Yeah, you're one to talk."

Sirius just nodded, then looked back out at the ocean while he towelled himself off. "That was a little close. I sincerely hope you got that map, because I'm not sure I'm up to going back down there anytime soon."

Remus nodded and slowly sat up, fighting a wave of nausea and taking the towel Sirius had given him to dry his hair.

"I think I've got it. Poor souls. Someone should try and set them free."

Sirius sat down in the sand next to Remus and looked at him with a bemused expression. "Yes. But not us. Not now at least."

Remus just nodded and ran the towel over his chest. He turned to Sirius to say something, and noticed that Sirius was staring at his arms and chest. Sirius quickly looked away and picked up their clothes, handing Remus his shirt.

"Moony."

"Thank you."

They dressed in silence. Finally Sirius turned back and looked at Remus. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

"It's okay. There's nothing to be done. Curse scars don't go away, so I can't get rid of these. And Katie doesn't mind them, so that's what's important, as far as I'm concerned."

Sirius nodded, but still looked dark. "No one would ever know, looking at you, really. But those…I guess I just can't help thinking about what I've seen the wolf do to you. Maybe you're right Remus. Maybe I do just kid myself and pretend it isn't real for you. Even after all this time."

Remus just shrugged and smiled. "It's just something that happens, right? And I live with it, that's all."

Remus could tell by Sirius' expression that he no longer accepted this cavalier front about the lycanthropy. But he could also see that Sirius finally, after all this time, accepted that this was something too personal and too profound from him to ever truly understand. Maybe it was Sirius' own issues with what had happened in Azkaban; Remus could never understand what that had done to Sirius, and Sirius only really talked about it with Liz. Just as I only really talk about what this is like with Katie. It doesn't change us.

They walked back up the path from the beach to the cover of the olive groves in preparation for apparating. But, just before they were ready, they heard someone talking a short distance from them. Startled, they quickly hid their wands and watched the path in the direction of the noise.

A young man of about twenty two walked out of the grove, dressed casually in a very d=old pair of shorts and a rather grungy looking t-shirt. He seemed to be carrying on a conversation with himself, rather animatedly, and paying Remus and Sirius no mind. Sirius looked at Remus and mouthed 'muggle'. Remus nodded , but kept his eyes on the odd man. There was something else about him; something Remus couldn't quite place, but which made him more and more nervous as the young man approached.

Suddenly he noticed them and stopped. He looked back and forth along the path for a few moments, seeming to decide if either he should run, or if Sirius and Remus stood there at all. Finally he smiled at them as he ran his hands nervously though his hair.

"Hello, hello." He was an American by the sound of his accent. Remus and Sirius each greeted him.

"And what, just what are you doing here? So few here, you know; yes very few. Not nice here. Not nice at all."

Sirius glanced at Remus and raised an eyebrow. The unsettling feeling the man gave Remus was starting to intensify, but still he could not name exactly why he found this muggle so disturbing. Well, he's obviously a little off….

"Were you swimming? I'm a very good swimmer too. Yes, very good. Very good."

"Yes, swimming can be relaxing," said Sirius, frowning and getting ready to move past the man. But he jumped in Sirius' path and didn't give any indication of moving. He wrapped his arms tightly around him and swayed a bit while he nodded enthusiastically, seeming to agree with Sirius' statement about the calming effects of the ocean. He needs to relax. What is it about him?

Remus still felt a little ill from their experience underwater, and was anxious to move on. He decided that the young man was disturbing because he seemed definitely in need of some good mental health assistance, and decided to move on. But this time the young man jumped in front of him as he tried to go past, and stared into his eyes. Remus found himself unable to look away as he stared into the odd hazel gold of the young American's eyes. There was a very haunted and wild look to him that made Remus even more upset, but which he couldn't place.

"Please," he said finally, "may we pass?"

The young man nodded, but didn't move. "You're English."

"Yes."

"I've an English friend here, you know. Yes, very good friend. He helps me remember the things I forget, you see."

Sirius was now starting to look agitated, and stepped up to the young man directly. "Perhaps you should go see him now, so you can remember a few things. We need to be going."

"Yeah, whatever. Okay. Maybe I'll se you around again." He smiled, but it looked off and made Remus feel a little cold.

"Certainly. Good day."

As Remus walked past, the young man suddenly grabbed his arm and smiled. "You too, huh?"

Remus had no idea what the man was talking about, so he decided to humour him. He smiled and nodded "Yes. Me too. Good day."

"Adios."

Remus followed Sirius back up to the road. Liz was skilled enough to keep her spell images in her wand while casting a few other spells, but Remus wasn't, so they had to walk back to the house. Sirius kept glancing back over his shoulder at the direction they had come, seeming to watch for the unsettling young man they had met on the beach. He did not follow them, however, and finally Sirius gave up looking.

"Remus, there was something very odd about that boy."

"Yes; but I'm not sure what."

"What did he mean 'you too' do you think?"

Remus sighed. He was starting to feel worse and was in no mood to talk to Sirius, just to get back to the house where he could lay down.

"Sirius, honestly, who knows. The poor boy was obviously out of his mind."

They finally made it back to the house. Remus was feeling very ill by that point, and excused himself to go to bed early, saying that he was in no shape to get the map out of his wand. Liz brought him some soup and tucked him in, then turned out the lights in his room and disappeared. Remus lay awake for some time, feeling a little better for the soup, and wishing Katie were with him. He realized that thinking about missing Katie was just making him feel worse, so he turned over and thought about nothing, just listening to the quiet sounds of the birds singing in the early evening as he fell asleep.

***

He was in a medow as before. This time the figures did not run from him; they just stood near him, surrounding him, watching as he twisted in slow agony, the transformation steeling his senses slowly. One of the figures stepped closer to watch him. He felt tears on his face and heard his own muffled cries of pain as the figure stood silently, intently watching him. Suddenly, his last coherent thought before the wolf came, he saw the figure pull back his hood. It was the odd young American from the beach. He just smiled in a detached fashion and nodded, then fell to his knees himself, crying out at the huge moon that filled that summer sky.