Starlight and Moonlight

Starlight and Moonlight

A Harry Potter Fan Fiction Piece

By Megaella Ballanche-Viewlard

Part Five: Truth

Snape's sallow countenance was grave, even peaked.

Starlight was stunned by the news and could not speak for a few moments.

"Escaped…" The implications were dire, indeed. "How did that happen?" she demanded. "I thought they beefed up security at Azkaban when they threw in the surviving Death Eaters!"

"That's the same thing we said about their security when Sirius Black was thrown in years ago." Snape's thin lips twisted with grim disapproval, a nervous hand running through his greasy hair. "Maximum security with all possible precautions in place – and someone still managed to escape!"

"But Black turned out to be innocent," Starlight reminded him. "Not even the Dementors could suck that thought from his mind. This is different: Pettigrew was Voldemort's right-hand man – a traitor considering what he did to the Potters!"

"He must've figured out that Dementors can only sense the presence of humans – not of animals." Sirius was striding up to them with a frown on his normally jovial face. "That's how I got out of Azkaban; I used my Animagus form."

"It took you twelve years to figure that one out," Snape snorted derisively. "Pettigrew's only been there for less than a year but he's also managed to escape." He raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "Wouldn't that be an indication that someone appears to be more talented than someone else?"

Sirius threw him a look of sheer dislike. "He had a precedent, Snape," he growled. "I didn't."

"Don't you gentlemen think that this is the wrong time to start squabbling?" Starlight looked piqued at the petty way her older colleagues were snapping at each other. Abashed, the two backed off from each other, looking like two guilty schoolboys at her words. "Quarrel during your own time, gentlemen. We have work to do!"

Starlight looked thoughtful as she paced the floor between the Fat Lady's portrait and the opposite wall of the corridor.

"I've seen pictures of Pettigrew," she murmured. "Rather tubby, isn't he?"

"Chubby is more like it," Sirius snorted derisively.

"Flabby," Snape corrected him, eyes glinting maliciously.

"In which case, that would definitely rule out squeezing through the bars, wouldn't it?" Starlight's own golden eyes had come alight as her curiosity came afire. Sirius personally thought she looked like a cat on the prowl. "Would either of you know what form he uses as an Animagus?"

"A rat," both her colleagues replied. Starlight turned her head sharply at hearing that.

"Yeah, he was a rat, all right." Sirius cracked his knuckles noisily as he thought of wringing his former friend's neck. "Both in his personality and as an Animagus. That's why we called him Wormtail when we were kids: he was a worm-tailed little rodent."

"You're obviously too young to know the story," Snape murmured to his former student.

"Not really," the younger witch corrected him. "Professor Binns discussed the Potter Matter with us in seventh year. Of course, at the time, he said that Professor Black killed Pettigrew along with a dozen Muggle bystanders." Sirius winced when she said that. "In light of what's happened recently, Professor Snape, would you be so kind as to give me a follow-up?"

"Certainly," Snape agreed. "It turned out that Pettigrew faked his own death even as he killed those Muggles, cut off a finger before he transformed, then scrambled down the gutter to escape."

"Spent twelve years as the Weasleys' pet rat before we finally caught up with him." Sirius nodded as he remembered those fateful events of three years past. "You can imagine how put-out Ron was with him when he found out that his worthless pet was a similarly worthless traitor."

"While you moldered in Azkaban." Starlight nodded. "I see…"

Now she understood why Dumbledore had asked her to come with the heroes of the Order of the Phoenix. Cats did chase rats, after all. But she frowned; she had not hunted since Alapaap died, when she and Marilag… She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the terrible memory of those dark days after their sister's accident.

***

Must hunt them down…

No forgiveness…

Their fault why we lost her…

Must hunt…

Blood…

Wash away blood with blood…

Her mother had told her that the thrill of the hunt would always be in her veins no matter how she tried to suppress it. It was the manner of their kind, always was and always would be. Their kind never killed unless it was for a cause.

She could hear her mother's strong but gentle voice ringing through her mind: It is why we became such. That is why we hunt – to set what is wrong to right.

***

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" she asked her colleagues as she reopened her eyes.

"Remus and the kids," Sirius replied. His face was bleak and his demeanor grim. "Moony has a quite a bone to pick with ol' Wormtail."

"Moony? Isn't that Professor Lupin's pen name?"

"Yeah, it's what we called him when we were kids."

"Because he's a werewolf, quite obviously."

"Yeah. Pettigrew's Wormtail, they called me Padfoot because I was this huge black dog…"

Starlight's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Aren't you still a big black dog?" she asked mirthfully; Snape was chortling behind her.

"…and James Potter was Prongs." He paid no attention to the others' laughter. In his mind's eye, he could still see those four mischievous lads prowling the school corridors late at night for a bit of fun. "Remus and I are the only ones left now," he said sadly. "James is dead and Pettigrew's the most treacherous git ever to tread this earth."

Presently, Remus arrived with the three youngsters in tow. Harry looked worried while Hermione looked bewildered at the sudden summons. Ron, however, looked more than a little peeved. It was obviously because he and the others would be missing what appeared to be a very good Sunday lunch.

"I see we're all here," Remus noted as they came down the corridor. He looked up at the Fat Lady. "Hello."

The Fat Lady grinned at him. "Ah, we have guests!" she exclaimed. "Password?"

"Neko-onna."

The portrait swung forward and Remus motioned to Hermione and Starlight to go ahead.

"Ladies first," he said chivalrously.

Hermione climbed in first with some help from Ron. Starlight held back to throw a look of consternation at Remus.

"Neko-onna?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

Remus winked at her conspiratorially as he helped her up. "I'll explain later," he whispered. "Tell Hermione to escort you up to my study once you're in."

***

The Head of Gryffindor Tower lived up on the topmost floor of the Tower's boys' wing.

At first, Starlight was expecting to see rooms similar to Remus's sparsely furnished office in the teachers' corridor: a desk, two plain chairs, a few books on one shelf, and a clutter of cages and tanks holding all manner of fantastic creatures for the DADA classes on another. However, the memory of the Accelerato was still fresh in her mind. Starlight, thus, braced herself for what she would encounter in Remus's study.

The Gryffindor Head's study and sitting room turned out to be a warm, cozy place reminiscent of an old-fashioned gentleman's study, the sort usually seen in both Muggle and wizard decorators' magazines. In one corner of the front room was a beautiful antique desk with a well-cushioned chair to match. A soft Persian carpet cushioned the floor while tall, glass-fronted bookcases lined the walls. These cases held volumes on DADA, herbology, charms, hexes, both rudimentary and complex spells in different languages. There were even lexicons on fantastic beasts and magical beings as well as a number of classic books penned by both Muggle and wizard authors. One case apparently held a number of artifacts from Remus's numerous trips abroad. (Starlight noted the presence of a red handkerchief embroidered with animistic symbols in yellow thread. It was a sort of ward against evil forces used in her home country.)

There was a large, comfortable looking sofa flanked by two matching armchairs before the fireplace. The table in front of the sofa held a number of magazines (mostly Transfiguration Today, the British Journal on Defense against the Dark Arts, and Today's Wizard) stacked neatly beside a crystal dish (Venetian! Starlight noted with some surprise.) filled to the brim with exquisite dark chocolate kisses. The door to the bedroom was ajar and Starlight could see a simple but stylish room with a comfortable-looking four-poster bed.

"What a lovely room!" Starlight exclaimed as she looked around.

Hermione smiled. "You should see Professor Lupin's home in London, Professor," she said. "It's just like this." Glumly, she added that it was a pity that Sirius's assorted pranks came so close to blowing up the house the previous summer. "We keep telling Professor Black to move out but Professor Lupin says he doesn't mind." She laughed merrily as she remembered the taffy incident. "Personally, it's more like Remus is Harry's dad and Sirius is the silly bachelor uncle who's always got tricks up his sleeve."

"Professor Black and young Potter live with Professor Lupin?" Starlight looked scandalized.

"Oh, it isn't what you think!" Hermione was quick to correct her, still grinning. "In fact, everyone keeps telling Remus to go find a wife. Harry usually teases him that it would be the closest thing to having a mum again."

"Well, he does strike me as the marrying kind," Starlight agreed ruefully. She turned away so the girl wouldn't see her blushing. She berated herself for blushing. Oh, quit, Amihan Sinagtala! This won't do at all!

She focused her attention on the photographs over the mantelpiece. Some were of Remus and his friends when they were much younger, about the same age as Harry and his friends give or take a few years. Shy and sweet-faced Remus, bold and dashing Sirius, James who was – save for the eyes – a carbon copy of his only son right down to the unruly hair, and little Peter Pettigrew cowering behind the three of them. There was even a copy of the Potters' wedding photo and Starlight could see where Harry got his brilliant green eyes: his beautiful mother, Lily.

Some pictures were of Remus on his travels as Romulus Moony, author of many a book on DADA and Cultural Magic. However, there were a number of photographs that featured Remus sitting or standing together with a handsome older couple. The couple was dressed in simple but elegant robes in velvet and satin. Some of these pictures were quite recent and Starlight couldn't understand why her colleague wore such shabby robes in the presence of such elegant folk – and they didn't seem to care! In fact, they were even hugging him in some of the shots! Then, when she came forward for a closer look, she noted that the man appeared to be a more robust version of the thin professor down to the mousy hair and the willowy, dark-haired beauty seemed to be the one from whom Remus had inherited his slender build, amethyst eyes, and gentle smile.

His family! Starlight's eyes widened in shock as she finally made the connection. But, why… How…

Meanwhile, voices were approaching the door.

"Why do you even bother to live up here when you can live someplace closer to the ground?" Sirius was gasping.

"Because I like it up here?" Remus chuckled as he opened the door. He jerked a thumb at Sirius who had leaned against the doorframe, gasping for breath. "He's obviously out of shape."

"Probably been sipping too much ale or butterbeer, too", Snape snickered as he entered the room.

"Not to mention that he scarfs down lots of chicken sandwiches,…" Harry chimed in

"With mayonnaise," Ron chortled. "Lots of mayonnaise!"

"…pork chops, steak and kidney pudding, Cornish pasties,…"

"Whose side are you on?" Sirius shot at his foster-son with an injured air. Defensively, he added that he was making up for twelve years in Azkaban. "You'd pig out, too, if you spent twelve years being fed crusts and gruel by Dementors!"

They all laughed as Remus waved them all to the sofa and armchairs while he went over to the display case where he kept his artifacts.

"Help yourselves to candy whilst I prepare the fireplace," he invited them as he took out a large jar of Floo Powder from the case. "I'd offer tea and scones, but we're expected at Basingstoke for lunch."

"Oh, thank you!" Sirius dove for a handful from the dish on the coffee table and began scarfing the kisses down even as Snape gave him a look of disgust. Starlight, on the other hand, politely murmured her thanks to their host as she opted for just one. She nibbled demurely at it, relishing the smooth, bittersweet flavor of the chocolate kiss. Their host obviously had excellent taste, shabby robes notwithstanding.

"Incendio!" Remus pointed his wand at the fireplace. At once, it burst into flames. "Sirius, have you relayed the Minister's message to the Headmistress?"

"I did," Sirius replied around a mouthful of candy. "But she can't go with us. The new Deputy Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy is arriving in a bit with the students for the exchange program."

Remus frowned. "I just wish there was some way to let Headmistress McGonagall hear what the Minster has to say first-hand," he sighed. He turned to the others. "Owls could get intercepted and I don't think it would do if she heard it from us, either. This concerns the security of the school and that's not something anyone should take lightly."

Starlight drew one of her Speak-Easies from her pocket. "Would this help?" she asked him.

"That's a Speak-Easy!" Sirius looked impressed. "Those things are rare!"

"Not where I'm from," Starlight smiled. "Owls are rare in the Philippines, so my people needed a different manner of communicating with those of our kind." She held up her Speak-Easy admiringly. "It's a good thing there's a lot of obsidian found in the Visayas."

"Good thinking, Professor Sinagtala!" Remus heartily applauded her suggestion.

"Thank you, Professor Lupin." She gave Hermione the Speak-Easy. "I daresay you still remember how we use this, don't you?" The girl nodded. "Good. Take it to the Headmistress and explain the procedure to her. This way, she'll be able to hear the Minister's words even if she can't come with us."

Hermione nodded and went off with Ron escorting her.

When they had gone, Starlight noticed that there was a large sheet of blank parchment hanging over the fireplace. She would have asked why something blank could have pride of place over what was obviously a display area but Harry had spoken up.

"Have you checked the Map, Uncle Moony?" he asked Remus.

"Not yet," Remus shook his head. "But we can take a look."

"We'd better." Snape folded his hands at his chest. "No good in not being careful, you know."

"True." Lightly, Remus gave the framed parchment a light tap with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he intoned.

To Starlight's amazement, words in a beautiful green script blossomed over the parchment:

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,

Purveyors of Aids for Magical Mischief-makers,

Are Proud to Present:

The Marauders' Map

The words disappeared and, in their place, a fine tracery of lines began to flow. The lines wove into each other, forming what appeared to be rooms or enclosures. Starlight was stunned when the lines stopped moving: it was a map of Hogwarts. Wanting a closer look, she came to stand beside Remus. The Great Hall was speckled over with numerous ink figures of both students and teachers. They were also able to track Hermione and Ron as they made their way to the Headmistress at the High Table. In the Gryffindor area, Starlight noted that all of them were also represented by labeled ink figures.

Amazing! she thought, awed by the map. That's the most powerful example of a Charting Spell or Plotting Charm I've ever seen!

Remus studied the map carefully, hoping that he wouldn't see the name Peter Pettigrew among those scattered about the school. Thankfully, he wasn't there. Satisfied, he gave the map a second tap with his wand.

"Mischief managed!" he declared. The map disappeared and the parchment was as blank as it had been earlier. "He isn't here."

"Yet," Sirius muttered darkly. "He'll be along, soon. I'm sure of it."

"We'd better get going, then." Remus opened the jar of Floo Powder he held and offered it to the others. "Who wants to go first?"

"I do." Snape rose and came forward, taking a generous pinch from the jar and casting it into the fire. He slid Sirius a grim glance. "Black isn't exactly my choice of a traveling companion, after all."

"Take care that the fire doesn't fry your hair in the process, Snape", Sirius grinned nastily at his nemesis.

"Do we really have to take your friend along, Remus?" Snape gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Remus managed to smile. "Ah, we might need him later on, Severus."

"Pity traveling by Floo Powder never seems to toast him to a cinder!"

"Well, he's a lucky dog if there ever was one, Severus."

When Snape had gone, Remus motioned for Sirius to follow.

"Coming, Professor Sinagtala?" the dark-haired Transfiguration asked her.

"You go ahead, Professor Black." Starlight slid Remus a meaningful glance. "There's something I want to ask Professor Lupin before we leave."

"Oh." Sirius looked disappointed at that. Crestfallen, he took a pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it in. When the flames had risen, he jumped in. "Basingstoke Hall!"

"I'll wait for Ron and Hermione outside," Harry told Remus. "The three of us will catch up." Remus nodded and Harry murmured a short goodbye to Starlight as he made his way out. The boy obviously figured out that what Starlight needed to ask his godfather was something between the two of them – and no one else.

"Just like him," Remus murmured as the door closed behind Harry. He turned and noted that Starlight had an odd expression in her eyes. "It's about the Accelerato, isn't it?" he asked.

"That and…" She made a sweeping gesture with one hand to indicate the room. "That and all this," she said. "None of it seems to fit in with those tattered robes you wear or the fact that you can never seem to hold down a steady job because of what you are." She looked bewildered as she spoke, as if she'd walked into a room expecting to see one thing but seeing something else instead. "And werewolves are supposed to be violent both as men and as wolves. But you aren't. That really drives me up the wall because I've spent the better part of my life studying werewolves only to have my findings thrown off course because of you!"

"It galls you, doesn't it?" Remus looked sad as the two of them sat down on the couch.

"Not really." Starlight shook her head to disagree. "It's just that you don't seem to fit into whatever preconceived notions I've had about you."

"Such as?"

"I thought you'd be a stereotypical werewolf. You know the sort: surly and bitter and downright nasty even in human form. It was an idea that formed from what Professor Snape used to tell me about you and your friends. I'm glad to see that everything he told me was so wrong." Slowly, a faint smile began to flicker over her pretty face. "And you know what else? I'm happy you aren't what I figured you to be."

"Thanks." He turned away with a sad expression on his thin face. "Actually, my parents live in Basingstoke Hall; they're Lord and Lady Basingstoke. Mum and Dad have done everything to find a cure for me since they've always thought it was their fault I was bitten by a werewolf when I was so small."

"Was it?"

"I don't think so and I've never thought so," Remus shrugged. His face looked haunted as he spoke. "It was an accident, you see. I was about five, then, and we were at a family reunion in Dover. My cousins and I were having fun in the forest on my grandparents' estate but the fun was cut short when the news broke out that a werewolf had eluded capture.

"Playful little rascals that we were, my cousins and I all sneaked out of the manor late that night. None of us were old enough to understand how dangerous a full moon could be at the time, so we were completely caught off guard when the werewolf came snapping at our heels. My cousins were all older than me and ran much faster than I did. It was just my luck that I would trip over the root of some tree and get caught." His eyes squeezed shut at the memory of that tiny child cowering in the woods, completely at the mercy of the beast that lurked there. "Dad managed to shoot the wolf, but I'd been bitten so the damage was done."

Starlight's lips pursed shut even as she covered Remus's trembling hands with hers.

"All hell seemed to break loose after that," Remus went on, his voice strained. "Mum and Dad couldn't forgive themselves for not having watched over me that night. After that, every month was one trial after another and I'm amazed that they never gave up on me. They spared no expense towards finding a cure." He looked at Starlight with a wan little smile. "In truth, the grant the International Institute of Thaumaturgy gave you and your sisters for the werewolf research was given by my family.

"Anyway, as much as possible, my parents tried to hold out for a normal life for me. You can just imagine how grateful they were when Minister Dumbledore accepted me at Hogwarts. But after that, I wanted to hold down a steady job like everyone else even if I didn't really have to work." His violet eyes glittered with pain. "I just wanted a normal life like everyone else."

"And the torn clothes?"

"Oh, that? Well, what's the point of buying new ones if the Change will just get them torn?" He shrugged rather ironically. "I just donated whatever money I had for clothes to St. Mungo's Lycanthropy Ward in the hope that they could help find a cure."

"I see…" Starlight nodded; everything was clear to her now. "I understand now. You just wanted to be like everyone else."

"You got that right." Remus leaned forward to look into her face. "Hmm… Your pupils are round again. They were slits when we were outside in the sunshine."

"Is that what gave me away, Professor Lupin?"

"Remus please." He smiled shyly at her, his pale cheeks lightly tinged with pink. Starlight thought he looked so young. "That and the fact that you land on your feet without tottering every time you jump down the last two steps of every staircase I've seen you descend from." He cocked his head to one side. "Is it so difficult to be one? I mean, is it as hard as being a werewolf?"

"No, it's a completely different thing."

"Does it hurt when you change from one form to another?"

"No. It's sort of hard to explain but it doesn't hurt. It's like my body becomes liquid when I'm changing between cat and woman; I just flow into the other form." Starlight rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her palms. "When you're neko-onna, you change only when you want to – or need to – change." She stared unseeingly into the flickering fireplace, lost in thought. "You can be as tame as a housecat or as wild as a tiger depending on the circumstances. But you can't attack people without a reason; if you attack someone just for the heck of it, your own body will rebel. Your body will be wracked with pain for a very long time and you'll look awful."

"What do you mean?"

"The transformation won't be complete. You'll end up being half human and half cat." She shuddered visibly at that. "You really wouldn't want to see a neko-onna in that state."

"Has that ever happened to you?"

She shook her head. "Never to me," she said. "But it happened to my cousins. They can be such bullies, those cousins of mine. The whole lot got bedridden for weeks when they tried to scare the Muggles in their hometown just for kicks."

"But…" Remus chose his words carefully. His next question would be a terribly personal one for her. "You haven't gone and attacked anybody, have you?"

At that, Starlight burst into tears. Remus gently pulled her close to him, letting her bury her face into his shoulder.

"It was after my sister died," she sobbed, eight years of anguish finally released after being bottled up for so long. "It turned out that she'd fallen asleep in the back, probably drank too much. The car skidded as the road was so icy. All her friends bailed out; none of them thought of waking her or pulling her out. So, when the car plunged down that cliff, she was the only one inside – and she was the only one who died."

"So you hunted down the friends who left her in the car?"

"Yes."

"And you killed them all?"

"Yes. Ate Marilag helped me. We tracked them down during the summer hols, gave chase to each and every last one of them." Her breath came in gasps as she remembered that terrible summer night when she and Marilag exacted their revenge. "We didn't have to maul them, you know; even a single bite of a neko-onna is enough to kill a human being. But we were angry: it was their fault our sister died and their fault our parents' hearts were broken. We tore them to shreds…" She wailed at that last part and Remus held her closer. "I can still hear them screaming. All of them!"

The room was silent for a moment save for Starlight's sobs. Though he had never killed or hurt anyone while in the lycanthropic state, Remus sympathized with the anguish she must have felt all through these years.

"Oh, dear." Starlight drew away from him, abashed that she'd left his left shoulder rather wet. She took her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at the damp portion. "Secca!" she declared. At once, the robe dried up.

"What a strange wand!" Remus marveled. Starlight's wand was made of a type of wood known in the Philippines as balete. The tree from whence it was taken had magical properties and was home to a number of strange beings intrinsic to that part of the world. It was cunningly carved with what appeared to be the mountain goddess Maria Makiling, deity of the wizarding folk who lived in the southern provinces of Luzon Island, in her mountain home. Starlight smiled and let him study it. "It's from Salamanquero, isn't it?" Mr. Salamanquero of Malate was to Filipino sorcerers what Mr. Ollivander of Diagon Alley was to British wizards. "I don't recognize the core, though."

"Neko-onna hair," Starlight dimpled. "Our wands are different as tradition on my mother's side of the family dictated that our wands should be made on the day we were born. They plucked a hair off me the minute I came out of my mother's womb and it became the core of the wand I've been using ever since."

"Really?" Remus was impressed. "Then that means you're the only one who can use it!"

"Yes. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Definitely!" Gently, Remus dabbed at her face with the handkerchief he carried in his sleeve. "I hope you feel better now."

"I do." Starlight smiled at him. "Thanks."

They got up to leave, but Remus had two more questions for Starlight.

"Say, why did you start studying werewolves?" he asked her.

"Oh, that?" Starlight looked thoughtful as she turned his way. "It's what the Nekomi – my mother's family – have been doing for more than a century.

"Family legend has it that my Japanese great-great-grandfather became a werewolf and his wife did everything she could to find a cure." She sighed. "He was a lucky man he married a neko-onna; we're the only humans immune to the bites of werewolves or vampires. It's probably because we're more deadly.

"Anyway, the sad part was that their neighbors killed him one night while he was a wolf. We've been trying to find a cure ever since. As a result, their children all moved away from Japan to look for it. One of their sons moved to the Philippines, married a local witch and settled down. The men of our family obviously can't be neko-onna, but they've always been what Muggles would call genetic carriers: their daughters would be neko-onna as well."

"I'd say your great-great-grandparents would probably be very proud of you. You're doing quite a good job, Amihan." Remus froze when he saw the stunned look on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"No one outside my family's called me that in ages," she beamed, obviously delighted.

"I can't see why," Remus shrugged. "I think it's a pretty name. It means gentle breeze, right?"

"Yes and it sure doesn't fit me!"

"Starlight sounds so cold to me. So…" He gulped, feeling like a schoolboy. "Is it all right for me to call you by your real name?"

The trusting way with which she linked her arm through his was enough of an answer for him.

"Shall we go?" she asked him.

"Why not?" He took a large pinch of Floo Powder from the jar on the table and tossed it in. "Here we go! Basingstoke Hall!"

***

They emerged from the fireplace of a beautiful drawing room in what appeared to be a Victorian manor.

A delicate hand reached out to help Amihan from the hearth. To the young witch's surprise, it turned out to be the violet-eyed beauty from the pictures on Remus's mantelpiece. The only difference was that there were now streaks of silver in her jet-black hair.

"Thank you," Amihan gasped gratefully even as two house-elves brushed the soot off her robes.

"You're welcome," the lady responded kindly. "You would be Professor Amihan Sinagtala; Remus has told us so much about you."

"He obviously corresponds with you quite often, Lady Basingstoke."

"Actually, it's Octavia Lupin." She smiled. "I would appreciate if you called me Octavia as your mother Murasaki was a very good friend of mine when she and your father were here. How are they, by the way?"

"Oh, they're currently on vacation in the United States, milady," Amihan replied. "My eldest sister Sining and her family are there and so is my other sister Marilag."

"Hallo, Mum!" Remus tenderly kissed his mother's cheek. "How are you? Where's Dad?"

"I'm as well as can be expected, dear," Octavia smiled at her only son. "Your father's already in the dining room with Sirius and Severus. The Minister is with them."

"You've met Amihan?"

"Yes." She clasped the younger witch's hands warmly. "I'm so glad that someone's finally making an effort to find a cure for Remus's condition. I do hope you succeed, my dear; it would mean so much to us all."

"I hope so, too, milady." Amihan bobbed a slight curtsey.

"Harry will be a bit late, Mum," Remus informed his mother as the three of them made their way to the dining room. "We sent Hermione and Ron on an errand so he decided to wait for them."

"Those three remind me so much of how you and your friends were years ago." Octavia chuckled as she remembered the owls that had arrived at the manor bearing messages that their son was under detention for one prank or another. Her smile grew sad as she said, "It just didn't last."

"Oh, Mum…" Comfortingly, Remus patted her arm.

Sirius and Snape were already sitting at a lovely table set with damask cloths, fine china, good crystal, and exquisite silverware. Lord Basingstoke, the more robust version of Remus, sat at the head of the table with Dumbledore to his right. The Minister looked old and careworn by the recent crisis, but his eyes sparkled nevertheless at seeing the newcomers.

"Ah, there you are!" he exclaimed. "We were just talking about you two."

"Nothing negative, I hope," Amihan grinned.

"Oh, no! Nothing of the sort, my dear." Minister Dumbledore and Lord Basingstoke rose to shake hands. "Marcus, may I present Amihan Sinagtala? She's one of our alumna and is most certainly a credit to Hogwarts. Amihan, dear, this is Marcus-Aurelius Lupin, Lord Basingstoke and publisher of Moonlight Books and the Daily Prophet."

Though father and son bore only passing resemblances to each other, it was obvious that Remus had picked up his paternal ways from Marcus who was certainly kindness personified. Marcus echoed his wife's sentiments about the cure for lycanthropy. Amihan sincerely hoped that she wouldn't let any of them down.

When the youngsters finally arrived, luncheon was served. Over the consommé, Minister Dumbledore spoke gravely about Pettigrew's escape and how he feared that the fugitive would probably make his way to Hogwarts to exact revenge on those who sent him to Azkaban.

"That's why I'm glad that we have both a werewolf and a neko-onna at Hogwarts this year," he told them. Everyone at the table murmured in shock at what he just said; Harry, Remus, and Snape looked unfazed by the revelation. "Even in their human forms, Remus and Amihan can track Pettigrew down. Their senses are sharper than anyone else's." He eyed them both seriously. "I just hope you're both willing to help."

"Wormtail's hurt me more than any of you can imagine," Remus said, his voice soft but there was a note of anger ringing in it. "He's hurt enough people – and I'm sure we've all suffered enough – but what he did to me…" He shook his head grimly. "It's just unforgivable."

"Amihan?"

Amihan had been listening to Remus's words most carefully. She could tell that it had something to do with his condition: Wormtail's duplicity and disappearance had robbed him of the only three people who could help his get through every full moon. To Amihan, that gave her reason enough to hunt Wormtail down.

"Count me in," she said, her own voice every bit as hard. "I'll help catch that rat." Her eyes glinted brightly as she spoke. "Cats do catch rats, after all."