The Unicorn and the Wolf
by Jennifer Allen
"Tears of Regret"
The owls came during dinner three days before Halloween. Snowy, horned, barn, screech, and more came flying into the great hall bearing notes and more. The majority of the owls were bringing letters to Professor Southerby. Some had the grim honor of delivering Howlers to disobedient students. Others had little tidbits from home for the first-years and older students.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? DID WE SPEND MONEY ON YOUR ROBES FOR NOTHING? YOUR MOTHER IS QUITE UPSET WITH YOU! I AM UPSET WITH YOU! STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR ACT OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"
A terrified second-year stared in horror as the Howler continued screaming at him informing him that his mother was crying and that if one more notice from school came, he would never get to see a Quiddich match again.
Artemis was lucky as she stared down at her letters. She had never received a Howler and was very glad that she hadn't received one today. She was receiving some inquiring stares from some of the other teachers. Dumbledore looked at her with shining eyes, as though he knew what was in the letters. She had asked his permission beforehand on teaching about and showing the class a werewolf. He had supported her idea fully. He even arranged a day for her students to be allowed out and at Hagrid's hut at a late hour. Though he supported her fully, he had warned her about what the parents might think. As she began opening the letters, she noted that he was right. The majority of the responses were negative.
'No! I do NOT want my child anywhere near a werewolf.'
'Out of the question! That is too dangerous!'
'A werewolf? No. There is no way my child will be near that beast.'
Out of all of her fifth year classes, only an eighth gave permission for her to allow the children to observe a werewolf. She was surprised that so many parents were so open-minded. Some parents had even sent her owls earlier asking what type of precautions she was taking and what the children could expect to learn. The only students from her Slytherin and Gryffindor class that would be attending were Hermione, Ron, Draco, Dean, Seamus, and Harry.
Her biggest surprise came from a signed permission slip from Sirius Black. Harry Potter had turned the note in during class. She had been so startled when she saw the signature. Sirius was Harry's godfather and she knew he loved the boy like his own. She could never believe that Sirius betrayed the Potters. They were so close. He didn't seem like the type to sell out those that he cared about. He was a very caring and accepting person, though he hid that fact carefully under his mischievous persona. She knew that he had a good soul. He immediately accepted her as a part of the group.
She looked over at Remus and caught him watching her. She gave him a curt nod. Friends...she wasn't sure when she became the Marauders' friend. It could have been when Lily befriended her. It could have been before that. She had known them since the day she was sorted into Gryffindor. She grew up with them and watched them play prank after prank on Severus. She cared deeply for them. Then she fell in love. She fell in love with one of the most popular boys in school. She liked him. She cared about him. She knew of his monthly absences. She had fallen in love with a teenage werewolf. She had dreams of a happy life with him. Her dream was to spend the rest of her life with him. That was before the incident. After that, she couldn't face him. She looked over at him again. He was looking slightly paler than usual. He smiled at her and she returned his smile with a small, weak one.
She felt drained. Her day had been a long one, yet again. Stifling a yawn, she stood, gathered her letters and left. As she left, she looked back and noticed Severus give Remus a nervous look before getting up and leaving himself. Only one thing could make Severus nervous like that. The next full moon was in three days.
Darkness surrounded her. She could hear something stalking closer to her. She knew who it was and what he wanted. Shadows surrounded her. She felt so cold and alone. She wanted to scream and run, but it felt like her feet were glued to the ground. Artemis stared right at him. For a man old enough to be her father, he was still quite young in appearance. Only a few age lines graced his cold features. His hair was pitch black and what scared her were his eyes. His eyes were a dark red, almost the color of freshly spilled blood.
"Do you know how long I have been waiting?"
Leave me alone. Please leave me alone. She wanted him to go away but he wouldn't.
"Your father didn't see things my way. He was so stubborn. Even in death, he was stubborn."
He tortured and killed her father without regret. He cast a spell and knocked her father through a window. He hit the ground and drew his last breath.
"Your mudblood mother was too noisy. She just wouldn't stop screaming his name. She had to die, too."
She glared at him and struggled to move. She was starting to cry. She finally found her voice.
"I want you to leave me alone."
"I can't do that. Your services are needed."
"I said, 'leave me alone!'"
"I'm sure you will soon see things my way." He pointed his wand at her. Artemis watched in horror as he uttered a spell: the Cruciatus Curse.
Pain. Excruciating pain. Her entire body felt like it was being twisted apart. She screamed in agony and curled up into a fetal position. It didn't stop. He wouldn't stop. She screamed louder.
"If you swear your loyalty to me, the pain will stop."
"NO!"
More pain. She wanted to die. She wanted to die and have the pain stop. She cried. She felt something within her break. She screamed.
Artemis shot up, stifling a scream. Tearstains were clearly visible on her cheeks and her hair was wild and messy, with strands sticking to her face. The almost full moon shone into the room, illuminating her terrified face. She wished she had taken the sleep potion then. She knew that dream would come again. It always did. She leaned forward and put her hand on her forehead.
"Why?"
She choked back a sob. It hurt. It still hurt after all these years.
She slid out of bed and pulled on a robe. She searched for her slippers and pushed them on her feet.
Artemis walked into the bathroom and washed the tears off her face. She stared into the mirror and began pushing her messy hair back. She washed her face once more and left the bathroom.
She stared over at her room. The sheets were in a tangled mess and her pillow was half off her bed. She didn't want to go back to sleep. Prior knowledge told her that if she did, the nightmare would come back. She walked over to the painting.
"Angel's Dust."
Leaving the staff room, she padded downstairs. A pair of golden eyes glared up at her from the bottom of the stairs. Mrs. Norris, Filch's scrawny snitch of a cat, swished her tail in annoyance as she watched the young Professor walk down the hall. Artemis had a way with animals, but Mrs. Norris wasn't an animal. That cat was a demon that hated everyone and everything save Filch. A small part of her was sorely tempted to ignore her love of animals and kick that cat across the hall. She wondered how far the cat would fly.
A small smirk spread across her face as she imagined the cat flying high in the air and past the stairs leading to the Gryffindor tower. Mrs. Norris, noticing the smirk, flicked her tail and stalked off to find someone to rat on.
Relieved that the cat had left, Artemis made her way down to the kitchens. As she reached the wall leading to the kitchens, she noticed a large painting of fruit guarding the door.
"Tickle the green pear."
She let out a shriek and spun around. Standing behind her and leaning against the wall was Remus. He looked like he was having a hard night as well. He looked pale and tired, but aside from that he was smiling.
"Remus! You scared me!"
"I'm sorry," he laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face."
"Funny, and here I thought that you have finally grown out of the prankster phase," she muttered as she began tickling the pear. "What are you doing up at this hour, anyway?"
The painting swung open, revealing the kitchen. Tiny house elves scampered about. House elves of all shapes and sizes, wearing the most ridiculous looking pieces of clothing, were busy cooking and cleaning. Some stopped what they were doing to stare at their midnight visitors.
"I couldn't sleep, Artemis. From the looks of it, neither could you. Nightmares?"
She nodded and entered the kitchen. Remus followed her in and smiled when one of the elves came skidding to a halt next to him.
"Mister Lupin, sir. What can we get you and the lady?"
Remus smiled at the elf. "How about some milk and cookies."
"Milk and cookies, sir? Right away!"
The little elf scampered off to make some cookies and get milk for the two professors.
Artemis felt like there were a bunch of eyes watching her. She felt very uneasy. All of the house elves were looking at her curiously but none came up to talk to her.
"Come on, Artemis. Let's wait over here for our food."
She nodded and followed Remus over to a small table. He sat in front of her, watching her with stormy eyes. They both sat there, looking at each other without speaking. Both were too afraid to say a word. She swallowed a lump in her throat. It was getting a little weird.
"So. There's a full moon on Halloween. Are you going to your usual spot?"
"No. Severus has been kind enough to brew the wolfsbane potion for me. I'm going to lock myself in my office and sleep through the transformation."
"Oh."
Silence. The elf that took Remus' order returned with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of milk. Remus smiled and thanked the elf. The house elf left, but not before looking at Artemis with its large eyes. She knew why they looked. She had been receiving strange stares from creatures like house elves and fairies her entire life.
They began eating the cookies and drinking the milk in silence. Neither of them looked at the other. Before they knew it, the cookies and milk were gone and the house elves had cleaned up the mess.
Remus turned his attention to the blonde sitting in front of him. The nagging question had returned.
"Artemis. I want to know something. Please be truthful with me."
"What do you want to know," she asked as she stared down at the table.
"Why did you break up with me?"
She stared at him startled. "What? I...I can't..."
"Please? I never understood. Was it something I said? Something I did? What?"
She stared down at the table again. She felt like someone or something had grabbed her heart and began to squeeze. It almost felt like her heart stopped when he asked the question.
"You...you wouldn't understand," she whispered. A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek.
He reached over and gently wiped it away. She stared into his eyes, shocked at his touch. Before either of them knew what happened, she had started to cry.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'm sorry they're dead. I wish it were me. It should have been me! I'm so sorry."
He stared at her in horror. He knew that she had blamed herself for what happened, but not to this extent. He stood up and walked over to her. Strong arms encircled her and she continued to sob.
"Artemis. Arty, it's not your fault. It was never your fault."
"It was! I should have known 'he' was waiting for me. I should have known it was a trap! I wish..."
He hugged her tightly and began to rock her. She sobbed into his robe.
"It's not your fault that James and Lily died. James would never want you to blame yourself for his death. He was an Auror. Voldemort would have come after him sooner or later."
"But...if I...I..."
"Shhh...don't cry. I hate to see you cry."
"But..."
"Is that why you wouldn't talk to me?"
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you," she sobbed. "I thought you wouldn't want to be with me if you knew."
"Knew what?"
She pulled back and stared directly at him. Her cheeks were red, tear stained and puffy from crying. He reached out and pushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
"I can never give you what you want. That day...that day a part of me died."
"Give me what I want? What are you talking about?"
She bowed her head. Tears slid down her face. She felt pain deep inside her.
"I...can...can't have children."
He stared at her in shock. That was why. All those years. All those years, she had thought he wanted children when all he ever wanted was her.
Remus placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face to meet his.
"I don't need children. I am surrounded by children. All I have ever wanted... All that I have ever needed was you."
Her deep blue eyes widened, tears still sliding down. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him and cried. He knelt on the ground next to her and let her cry. He let her cry about the night she was tortured. He let her cry about Lily and James. He let her cry until she could cry no more.
After thanking the elves, they left. Artemis was wiped out from crying. Remus had an arm around her to support her. None of them said a word as they walked back to the staff quarters. He uttered the password and walked Artemis to her room.
"Artemis," he whispered. "If you ever need to talk, anything. Please don't hesitate."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He stood there, holding her, before she released him.
"Remus, thank you. Thank you for everything."
She quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and retreated into her room and closed the door.
Remus stood, his hand touching his cheek. He felt like he was 16 again and that he had the world at his fingertips. He barely noticed that he had turned around and began walking back to his room. He pulled off his robe and kicked his slippers across the room. Almost zombie-like, he slid into his bed and pulled the sheets up to his neck. She had kissed him. She actually kissed him. He missed those lips. He smiled and closed his eyes. The last thought in his head before sleep took over was of her.
The moon shone brightly outside. It would be full in two days...Halloween.
by Jennifer Allen
"Tears of Regret"
The owls came during dinner three days before Halloween. Snowy, horned, barn, screech, and more came flying into the great hall bearing notes and more. The majority of the owls were bringing letters to Professor Southerby. Some had the grim honor of delivering Howlers to disobedient students. Others had little tidbits from home for the first-years and older students.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? DID WE SPEND MONEY ON YOUR ROBES FOR NOTHING? YOUR MOTHER IS QUITE UPSET WITH YOU! I AM UPSET WITH YOU! STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR ACT OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"
A terrified second-year stared in horror as the Howler continued screaming at him informing him that his mother was crying and that if one more notice from school came, he would never get to see a Quiddich match again.
Artemis was lucky as she stared down at her letters. She had never received a Howler and was very glad that she hadn't received one today. She was receiving some inquiring stares from some of the other teachers. Dumbledore looked at her with shining eyes, as though he knew what was in the letters. She had asked his permission beforehand on teaching about and showing the class a werewolf. He had supported her idea fully. He even arranged a day for her students to be allowed out and at Hagrid's hut at a late hour. Though he supported her fully, he had warned her about what the parents might think. As she began opening the letters, she noted that he was right. The majority of the responses were negative.
'No! I do NOT want my child anywhere near a werewolf.'
'Out of the question! That is too dangerous!'
'A werewolf? No. There is no way my child will be near that beast.'
Out of all of her fifth year classes, only an eighth gave permission for her to allow the children to observe a werewolf. She was surprised that so many parents were so open-minded. Some parents had even sent her owls earlier asking what type of precautions she was taking and what the children could expect to learn. The only students from her Slytherin and Gryffindor class that would be attending were Hermione, Ron, Draco, Dean, Seamus, and Harry.
Her biggest surprise came from a signed permission slip from Sirius Black. Harry Potter had turned the note in during class. She had been so startled when she saw the signature. Sirius was Harry's godfather and she knew he loved the boy like his own. She could never believe that Sirius betrayed the Potters. They were so close. He didn't seem like the type to sell out those that he cared about. He was a very caring and accepting person, though he hid that fact carefully under his mischievous persona. She knew that he had a good soul. He immediately accepted her as a part of the group.
She looked over at Remus and caught him watching her. She gave him a curt nod. Friends...she wasn't sure when she became the Marauders' friend. It could have been when Lily befriended her. It could have been before that. She had known them since the day she was sorted into Gryffindor. She grew up with them and watched them play prank after prank on Severus. She cared deeply for them. Then she fell in love. She fell in love with one of the most popular boys in school. She liked him. She cared about him. She knew of his monthly absences. She had fallen in love with a teenage werewolf. She had dreams of a happy life with him. Her dream was to spend the rest of her life with him. That was before the incident. After that, she couldn't face him. She looked over at him again. He was looking slightly paler than usual. He smiled at her and she returned his smile with a small, weak one.
She felt drained. Her day had been a long one, yet again. Stifling a yawn, she stood, gathered her letters and left. As she left, she looked back and noticed Severus give Remus a nervous look before getting up and leaving himself. Only one thing could make Severus nervous like that. The next full moon was in three days.
Darkness surrounded her. She could hear something stalking closer to her. She knew who it was and what he wanted. Shadows surrounded her. She felt so cold and alone. She wanted to scream and run, but it felt like her feet were glued to the ground. Artemis stared right at him. For a man old enough to be her father, he was still quite young in appearance. Only a few age lines graced his cold features. His hair was pitch black and what scared her were his eyes. His eyes were a dark red, almost the color of freshly spilled blood.
"Do you know how long I have been waiting?"
Leave me alone. Please leave me alone. She wanted him to go away but he wouldn't.
"Your father didn't see things my way. He was so stubborn. Even in death, he was stubborn."
He tortured and killed her father without regret. He cast a spell and knocked her father through a window. He hit the ground and drew his last breath.
"Your mudblood mother was too noisy. She just wouldn't stop screaming his name. She had to die, too."
She glared at him and struggled to move. She was starting to cry. She finally found her voice.
"I want you to leave me alone."
"I can't do that. Your services are needed."
"I said, 'leave me alone!'"
"I'm sure you will soon see things my way." He pointed his wand at her. Artemis watched in horror as he uttered a spell: the Cruciatus Curse.
Pain. Excruciating pain. Her entire body felt like it was being twisted apart. She screamed in agony and curled up into a fetal position. It didn't stop. He wouldn't stop. She screamed louder.
"If you swear your loyalty to me, the pain will stop."
"NO!"
More pain. She wanted to die. She wanted to die and have the pain stop. She cried. She felt something within her break. She screamed.
Artemis shot up, stifling a scream. Tearstains were clearly visible on her cheeks and her hair was wild and messy, with strands sticking to her face. The almost full moon shone into the room, illuminating her terrified face. She wished she had taken the sleep potion then. She knew that dream would come again. It always did. She leaned forward and put her hand on her forehead.
"Why?"
She choked back a sob. It hurt. It still hurt after all these years.
She slid out of bed and pulled on a robe. She searched for her slippers and pushed them on her feet.
Artemis walked into the bathroom and washed the tears off her face. She stared into the mirror and began pushing her messy hair back. She washed her face once more and left the bathroom.
She stared over at her room. The sheets were in a tangled mess and her pillow was half off her bed. She didn't want to go back to sleep. Prior knowledge told her that if she did, the nightmare would come back. She walked over to the painting.
"Angel's Dust."
Leaving the staff room, she padded downstairs. A pair of golden eyes glared up at her from the bottom of the stairs. Mrs. Norris, Filch's scrawny snitch of a cat, swished her tail in annoyance as she watched the young Professor walk down the hall. Artemis had a way with animals, but Mrs. Norris wasn't an animal. That cat was a demon that hated everyone and everything save Filch. A small part of her was sorely tempted to ignore her love of animals and kick that cat across the hall. She wondered how far the cat would fly.
A small smirk spread across her face as she imagined the cat flying high in the air and past the stairs leading to the Gryffindor tower. Mrs. Norris, noticing the smirk, flicked her tail and stalked off to find someone to rat on.
Relieved that the cat had left, Artemis made her way down to the kitchens. As she reached the wall leading to the kitchens, she noticed a large painting of fruit guarding the door.
"Tickle the green pear."
She let out a shriek and spun around. Standing behind her and leaning against the wall was Remus. He looked like he was having a hard night as well. He looked pale and tired, but aside from that he was smiling.
"Remus! You scared me!"
"I'm sorry," he laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face."
"Funny, and here I thought that you have finally grown out of the prankster phase," she muttered as she began tickling the pear. "What are you doing up at this hour, anyway?"
The painting swung open, revealing the kitchen. Tiny house elves scampered about. House elves of all shapes and sizes, wearing the most ridiculous looking pieces of clothing, were busy cooking and cleaning. Some stopped what they were doing to stare at their midnight visitors.
"I couldn't sleep, Artemis. From the looks of it, neither could you. Nightmares?"
She nodded and entered the kitchen. Remus followed her in and smiled when one of the elves came skidding to a halt next to him.
"Mister Lupin, sir. What can we get you and the lady?"
Remus smiled at the elf. "How about some milk and cookies."
"Milk and cookies, sir? Right away!"
The little elf scampered off to make some cookies and get milk for the two professors.
Artemis felt like there were a bunch of eyes watching her. She felt very uneasy. All of the house elves were looking at her curiously but none came up to talk to her.
"Come on, Artemis. Let's wait over here for our food."
She nodded and followed Remus over to a small table. He sat in front of her, watching her with stormy eyes. They both sat there, looking at each other without speaking. Both were too afraid to say a word. She swallowed a lump in her throat. It was getting a little weird.
"So. There's a full moon on Halloween. Are you going to your usual spot?"
"No. Severus has been kind enough to brew the wolfsbane potion for me. I'm going to lock myself in my office and sleep through the transformation."
"Oh."
Silence. The elf that took Remus' order returned with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of milk. Remus smiled and thanked the elf. The house elf left, but not before looking at Artemis with its large eyes. She knew why they looked. She had been receiving strange stares from creatures like house elves and fairies her entire life.
They began eating the cookies and drinking the milk in silence. Neither of them looked at the other. Before they knew it, the cookies and milk were gone and the house elves had cleaned up the mess.
Remus turned his attention to the blonde sitting in front of him. The nagging question had returned.
"Artemis. I want to know something. Please be truthful with me."
"What do you want to know," she asked as she stared down at the table.
"Why did you break up with me?"
She stared at him startled. "What? I...I can't..."
"Please? I never understood. Was it something I said? Something I did? What?"
She stared down at the table again. She felt like someone or something had grabbed her heart and began to squeeze. It almost felt like her heart stopped when he asked the question.
"You...you wouldn't understand," she whispered. A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek.
He reached over and gently wiped it away. She stared into his eyes, shocked at his touch. Before either of them knew what happened, she had started to cry.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'm sorry they're dead. I wish it were me. It should have been me! I'm so sorry."
He stared at her in horror. He knew that she had blamed herself for what happened, but not to this extent. He stood up and walked over to her. Strong arms encircled her and she continued to sob.
"Artemis. Arty, it's not your fault. It was never your fault."
"It was! I should have known 'he' was waiting for me. I should have known it was a trap! I wish..."
He hugged her tightly and began to rock her. She sobbed into his robe.
"It's not your fault that James and Lily died. James would never want you to blame yourself for his death. He was an Auror. Voldemort would have come after him sooner or later."
"But...if I...I..."
"Shhh...don't cry. I hate to see you cry."
"But..."
"Is that why you wouldn't talk to me?"
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you," she sobbed. "I thought you wouldn't want to be with me if you knew."
"Knew what?"
She pulled back and stared directly at him. Her cheeks were red, tear stained and puffy from crying. He reached out and pushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
"I can never give you what you want. That day...that day a part of me died."
"Give me what I want? What are you talking about?"
She bowed her head. Tears slid down her face. She felt pain deep inside her.
"I...can...can't have children."
He stared at her in shock. That was why. All those years. All those years, she had thought he wanted children when all he ever wanted was her.
Remus placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face to meet his.
"I don't need children. I am surrounded by children. All I have ever wanted... All that I have ever needed was you."
Her deep blue eyes widened, tears still sliding down. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him and cried. He knelt on the ground next to her and let her cry. He let her cry about the night she was tortured. He let her cry about Lily and James. He let her cry until she could cry no more.
After thanking the elves, they left. Artemis was wiped out from crying. Remus had an arm around her to support her. None of them said a word as they walked back to the staff quarters. He uttered the password and walked Artemis to her room.
"Artemis," he whispered. "If you ever need to talk, anything. Please don't hesitate."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He stood there, holding her, before she released him.
"Remus, thank you. Thank you for everything."
She quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and retreated into her room and closed the door.
Remus stood, his hand touching his cheek. He felt like he was 16 again and that he had the world at his fingertips. He barely noticed that he had turned around and began walking back to his room. He pulled off his robe and kicked his slippers across the room. Almost zombie-like, he slid into his bed and pulled the sheets up to his neck. She had kissed him. She actually kissed him. He missed those lips. He smiled and closed his eyes. The last thought in his head before sleep took over was of her.
The moon shone brightly outside. It would be full in two days...Halloween.