Disclaimer: The usual... see last Ch. 3 if you want full details.
It was hours before anyone else entered Arduine's room.
"I am so very glad to see that you are awake Arduine." Dumbledore smiled from the doorway, she hadn't even heard him open her door.
Her face lifted to meet his and she cocked her head to the side. "How do you know my name? Did I tell it to you?"
Dumbldore smiled wider. "No." Arduine looked at him very confused. "One of my teachers here recognized you when you burst into the Great Hall a week ago."
Arduine just looked at the old man with deepened confusion until he stepped to the side and revealed... "Remus!" Arduine shouted and leapt from her bed into the man's arms.
"It is good to see you too... especially conscious." he said, pulling her into a strong embrace.
"I... I can't believe you're teaching here! The reason I came here... to Hogwarts... I remembered your stories and knew that the Headmaster could help me..." she took his hand and lead her friend over to her bed. "Oh.. its been what? three years?"
Remus Lupin smiled. "Almost four. I left to find Sirius just under six years ago."
"Oh! Oh! Sirius!! Did you find him? How is he doing!?! Oh we do need to catch up..." Arduine literally bounced in her seat on her bed.
"First there are other things to attend to... like the circumstances that brought you here..." Arduine's face darkened slightly as the Headmaster sat down in the chair by her bedside. "Do you remember why you left your village for Hogwarts?"
Arduine winced slightly at her memories and, after a pause, began slowly."I remember that my army had turned against me. I don't know why or how, but they did. Instinct told me to seek you, Albus Dumbledore, because of how you had embraced Remus when he was bitten. I remember leaving, but not getting here."
The Headmaster nodded. "Well, you got here. You burst into the Great Hall on horseback and galloped directly down to the high table. You mumbled something about your village before falling into a trance." the Headmaster's face darkened. The smile had been wiped from each person's face. "And then Tysmond, the great Gryphon spirit, rose from you. Warned of the being Nocens, who had taken your army. And how only through working at Hogwarts could you eventually wield the power to break the spell over your people."
"Tysmond? Me?" Arduine stared blankly at the wall in front of her. "Nocens..." her head turned to Dumbledore. "You must be mistaken, I could never have the strength to defeat such a demon."
"Tysmond seems to believe you will..." Remus said from beside her.
She looked over to him, face blank of any definable emotion. "It's too big... I can't do this. Me? Defeat a spirit with the power of a god? Urmm..." she let her head drop, her shoulders sagging. "It can't be true."
Dumbledore stood. "It will take time for you to come to grips with such a burden. I wish I did not have to bring you such heavy words."
Arduine looked up at the old man and nodded. "It is not your fault... I... I just don't know how to cope with this."
The Headmaster nodded and headed towards the door. "I must leave and attend to other duties... Goodday Arduine." He bowed slightly and left.
Arduine collapsed into Remus's lap with a loud, heaving sigh. "How do I deal with this?"
Remus shrugged and started to run his fingers through Arduine's tawny gold hair as he used to in the village.
She closed her eyes and smiled. "It feels good to have you do that again..." she looked up at him. "I've missed talking to you. How is Sirius?"
"He is well." Remus sighed. "I don't know what I would have done if he had been broken by Azkaban. As it stands now..." he gave a wistful sigh. "I'm so in love."
Arduine giggled from his lap and smiled widely. "That is so wonderful. I am happy for you... I always knew that you two would work out." There was a voice nagging at the back of Arduine's mind, chewing away and creating jealousy of her friend's happiness. "And how are you?"
"Very well. Severus makes a potion for me each month that allows me to pass the four days as a normal wolf and keep my reason. Although, I'm not sure he'd conceed to help me if he wasn't afraid of werewolves."
Arduine's mind and body snapped to full alert at the mention of the other man's name. "Severus? Afraid of werewolves? He does not look like the type, far from it actually, especially after what he has already been through in his lifetime..." her voice drifted off.
Remus looked extremely confused. "Do you know him?"
Arduine shot back to reality and looked up to her friend. "Yes..." she said softly. Remus was the only other person outside of the Death Eaters and Severus, who knew about her rape. "Do you remember what happened when I was sixteen?" she said, even softer.
Remus was glad for his adept hearing. "Yes..." his face became serious.
"The Death Eater that... it was..." tears came again as she remembered the time in vivid detail.
Remus's eyes widened as realization flowed through him. "Severus was the one who raped you?!?"
Arduine just nodded. "I... don't know what to say... I... I'm sorry... you have face that all over again... I'm sorry." he lifted her from his lap and hugged her.
For a split second Arduine thought about mentioning how she longed for Severus's touch to her dearest friend, but then thought better of it.
Remus glanced at the bedside clock from over Arduine's shoulder. "Oh!" he jumped up. "I am supposed to be having lunch with Sirius down in our quarters..." he considered Arduine for a moment. "Would you like to join us? You must meet Sirius."
"No, thank you. I'd like to catch up on some sleep. I will be glad to meet Sirius sometime soon, though." she smiled.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Remus made his way towards the door. "It really is wonderful to see you again, Arduine. I missed you, too."
She smiled and they locked their eyes for a moment. "Aren't you supposed to be eating with Sirius?" she smiled wider at him and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm going! See you soon!!" Remus laughed as he closed the door behind him.
Arduine smiled to herself, this pilgrimage to Hogwarts was turning into a reunion with her past. From Severus to Remus, she wouldn't be surprised if her old Nanny walked into her room right now.
It was hours before anyone else entered Arduine's room.
"I am so very glad to see that you are awake Arduine." Dumbledore smiled from the doorway, she hadn't even heard him open her door.
Her face lifted to meet his and she cocked her head to the side. "How do you know my name? Did I tell it to you?"
Dumbldore smiled wider. "No." Arduine looked at him very confused. "One of my teachers here recognized you when you burst into the Great Hall a week ago."
Arduine just looked at the old man with deepened confusion until he stepped to the side and revealed... "Remus!" Arduine shouted and leapt from her bed into the man's arms.
"It is good to see you too... especially conscious." he said, pulling her into a strong embrace.
"I... I can't believe you're teaching here! The reason I came here... to Hogwarts... I remembered your stories and knew that the Headmaster could help me..." she took his hand and lead her friend over to her bed. "Oh.. its been what? three years?"
Remus Lupin smiled. "Almost four. I left to find Sirius just under six years ago."
"Oh! Oh! Sirius!! Did you find him? How is he doing!?! Oh we do need to catch up..." Arduine literally bounced in her seat on her bed.
"First there are other things to attend to... like the circumstances that brought you here..." Arduine's face darkened slightly as the Headmaster sat down in the chair by her bedside. "Do you remember why you left your village for Hogwarts?"
Arduine winced slightly at her memories and, after a pause, began slowly."I remember that my army had turned against me. I don't know why or how, but they did. Instinct told me to seek you, Albus Dumbledore, because of how you had embraced Remus when he was bitten. I remember leaving, but not getting here."
The Headmaster nodded. "Well, you got here. You burst into the Great Hall on horseback and galloped directly down to the high table. You mumbled something about your village before falling into a trance." the Headmaster's face darkened. The smile had been wiped from each person's face. "And then Tysmond, the great Gryphon spirit, rose from you. Warned of the being Nocens, who had taken your army. And how only through working at Hogwarts could you eventually wield the power to break the spell over your people."
"Tysmond? Me?" Arduine stared blankly at the wall in front of her. "Nocens..." her head turned to Dumbledore. "You must be mistaken, I could never have the strength to defeat such a demon."
"Tysmond seems to believe you will..." Remus said from beside her.
She looked over to him, face blank of any definable emotion. "It's too big... I can't do this. Me? Defeat a spirit with the power of a god? Urmm..." she let her head drop, her shoulders sagging. "It can't be true."
Dumbledore stood. "It will take time for you to come to grips with such a burden. I wish I did not have to bring you such heavy words."
Arduine looked up at the old man and nodded. "It is not your fault... I... I just don't know how to cope with this."
The Headmaster nodded and headed towards the door. "I must leave and attend to other duties... Goodday Arduine." He bowed slightly and left.
Arduine collapsed into Remus's lap with a loud, heaving sigh. "How do I deal with this?"
Remus shrugged and started to run his fingers through Arduine's tawny gold hair as he used to in the village.
She closed her eyes and smiled. "It feels good to have you do that again..." she looked up at him. "I've missed talking to you. How is Sirius?"
"He is well." Remus sighed. "I don't know what I would have done if he had been broken by Azkaban. As it stands now..." he gave a wistful sigh. "I'm so in love."
Arduine giggled from his lap and smiled widely. "That is so wonderful. I am happy for you... I always knew that you two would work out." There was a voice nagging at the back of Arduine's mind, chewing away and creating jealousy of her friend's happiness. "And how are you?"
"Very well. Severus makes a potion for me each month that allows me to pass the four days as a normal wolf and keep my reason. Although, I'm not sure he'd conceed to help me if he wasn't afraid of werewolves."
Arduine's mind and body snapped to full alert at the mention of the other man's name. "Severus? Afraid of werewolves? He does not look like the type, far from it actually, especially after what he has already been through in his lifetime..." her voice drifted off.
Remus looked extremely confused. "Do you know him?"
Arduine shot back to reality and looked up to her friend. "Yes..." she said softly. Remus was the only other person outside of the Death Eaters and Severus, who knew about her rape. "Do you remember what happened when I was sixteen?" she said, even softer.
Remus was glad for his adept hearing. "Yes..." his face became serious.
"The Death Eater that... it was..." tears came again as she remembered the time in vivid detail.
Remus's eyes widened as realization flowed through him. "Severus was the one who raped you?!?"
Arduine just nodded. "I... don't know what to say... I... I'm sorry... you have face that all over again... I'm sorry." he lifted her from his lap and hugged her.
For a split second Arduine thought about mentioning how she longed for Severus's touch to her dearest friend, but then thought better of it.
Remus glanced at the bedside clock from over Arduine's shoulder. "Oh!" he jumped up. "I am supposed to be having lunch with Sirius down in our quarters..." he considered Arduine for a moment. "Would you like to join us? You must meet Sirius."
"No, thank you. I'd like to catch up on some sleep. I will be glad to meet Sirius sometime soon, though." she smiled.
"Okay, sounds good to me." Remus made his way towards the door. "It really is wonderful to see you again, Arduine. I missed you, too."
She smiled and they locked their eyes for a moment. "Aren't you supposed to be eating with Sirius?" she smiled wider at him and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm going! See you soon!!" Remus laughed as he closed the door behind him.
Arduine smiled to herself, this pilgrimage to Hogwarts was turning into a reunion with her past. From Severus to Remus, she wouldn't be surprised if her old Nanny walked into her room right now.