Bloody hell, is this a long chapter! I really think it's the longest I've ever written, at nineteen pages (double-spaced, people, don't worry!) – which I think is quite an accomplishment. If you see anything which might be good to cut out, let me know because I'm still baffled by the length!
DISCLAIMER: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling, except for Alexander, Cassius, Roxane and Sarissa Malfoy; Vivien Travers, Shosanna and Edward Moss. Well, that was easy for a change. : )
I hope you enjoy this next chapter of "BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON…" – since it's probably going to be the last one until after Christmas and New Year! Then, he'll be at Hogwarts, since this is the end of Part One: Early Life! Yay! Happy Holidays, guys – have fun! I know I will!
***
A New Moon Rises
And, so, my time of trial had begun. Once the flurried snowflakes begun to fall on the Malfoy Estate my mother was anxious; on receiving no immediate reply to her letter she fell into spells of silence, during which she would sit before the fire and dwell upon my future. I felt the tension spread through the rest of the household like a forest fire – grim faces confirming that which no letter had… yet. As the cool winter days kept the family inside we stagnated, Grandfather became ill and refused to leave his quarters for St. Mungos, despite all of my mother's vacant pleas. Only Lucius' return in December encouraged him; as the heir to the Malfoy name and fortune he was now uplifted and I shunned. Even Uncle Cassius kept to himself and could be heard, quill scratching furiously as he wrote pages upon pages of Merlin-knows what in his study well after midnight. Christmas for me was a non-event, since instead of eating turkey and plum pudding I found myself gnawing on wooden chairs in the Malfoy cellar once more.
Sarissa brought no Vivien home that winter, to the household's relief, and the two of us would sit together in her bedroom while she read from her second-year textbooks aloud and I absorbed every word like a dry sponge, wondering if she would now become the mentor and I, the unfortunate protégé. At twelve her emotions had developed remarkably: she no longer spoke of Evan Rosier or any other boy with such reckless abandon as that lost summer, which I could have questioned her about but refrained. Sarissa was now reserved; Vivien Travers and incessant giggling had given way to a polite, sweet-smiling young girl. I was sure that Cassius would've been pleased by the change, but he ignored his daughter as had become his habit of late.
January promised a new year, a new decade, and what I viewed as my final rejection by the Wizarding World. A fresh start, I often allowed myself to think bitterly, but not for the damned. I walked in on arguments between Cassius and my mother, her voice full of imploring tone and adjective, his abrupt, final and monosyllabic.
"It isn't right, Cassius… you know that much is true. After all that Mother ever did to save this family from shame, now you want to destroy it all!"
"No, Roxane. That's not what we're attempting – "
She blinked back tears and grasped her brother's hand for emphasis. "Don't do it, brother. For the family, don't do it."
"That's exactly who I'm doing it for, don't you understand?" Exasperated, he shook her away and ran his fingers through his hair haphazardly. "It's been too long, too hard, this way. Times are changing… and he's a good man, Roxane. I remember him from school; he was brilliant then, even more so now – our world needs him to save us all. He's a good man."
Her hands flung upwards in anger, mouth pursed and cheeks crimson. "How can you say it… such lies, Cassius! After all I've sacrificed, all Mother – "
"Mother's dead, Roxane."
Her anger turned to frightened sobs as she sunk into the nearest chair and Cassius stood awkwardly in the centre of the parlour, his blunt words resounding within himself as he muttered softly: "He's a good man. I know that much." And he left her there, the door to his study closed firmly and defiantly behind him, with an order not to be disturbed.
I indulged in reading during the quiet days which flickered by like weak candlelight; on finding a book of Muggle mythology I read something about myself that made me smile fatefully. In Roman mythology, I and my brother Romulus were cast into the River Tiber, raised by a she-wolf, and together founded a city on Palatine Hill – until I mocked my brother and was slain by his hand. Fascinated by the irony of it all, I wondered at how this discovery might influence my thinking – more than anything, I pondered over who was my own potential Romulus. When I had exhausted the possibilities I tired of the game and almost forgot the entire myth; however, something in my mind has always lingered on it since, as if my name had sealed my fate in more ways than one.
During my childhood there were many clues that lead directly to the dark times ahead, beginning with my grandmother's death and heightened by the growing friction between my mother and the rest of her family. She had truly inherited her own mother's pride in honouring the family name, but could never be called on to take her feelings to extremes. Certainly, her mother had died from a Muggle illness that, in the end, denied her even a voice to make her opinions heard, but she saw this merely as a part of life. My Grandfather, who was beginning a descent into senility was lead freely by Uncle Cassius, whose emotions were easily transformed into deep loves and blazing hatreds. The line on which either side these feelings fell was hard to define with him, and even more difficult to maintain. Although he revelled in his iron will and strong opinions, they were ever changing, and usually when they fell to the wrong side he never bothered to switch them to the better. This was his failing, and one that I have seen passed down to my Uncle Lucius, now half the man he was with twice as many things to say.
As spring approached, a new moon rose steadily – and whether it would bring with it good or evil, none of us were sure in our own minds… or in our hearts.
***
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
Dear Ms. Lupin,
I apologise profusely for my idleness in responding to your letter received September 18th, 1969, but due to the seriousness of your request I required much time to ponder, and to make my decision regarding your son, Remus James Lupin.
However, before my decision can be made I feel that I need to meet with you and discuss both the advantages and the problems raised by the education of your son at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the extent of his lycanthropy. I await your owl concerning the date; any time following the 21st of February should be sufficient, on the wane, for I am eager to meet Remus as well.
I apologise again for the lapse in my correspondence.
Yours Faithfully,
Albus Dumbledore
***
March 1st, 1970, 9:22am
"Must we, Mother?" Remus looked rather disdainfully at the pot of floo powder she offered to him as he shrugged on the new cloak his Grandfather had bought him especially for the interview. Roxane rolled her eyes with irritation and pressed the bowl into his hand, pulling her own cloak over her sapphire-blue dress robes. Remus knew better than to push his mother further when she was as moody as this so he silenced himself and sighed defeatedly.
"What's wrong now, Remus?" she asked absently, not looking at him as she stoked the kitchen fire fiercely. "Shosanna! We're leaving now!" Roxane's voice echoed throughout the labyrinth of halls surrounding the room and Remus winced at the noise. His senses were still tender since his last transformation, which had been rather a painful one. Roxane had flippantly murmured something about hormones when he had told her about it, as if her mind were not focussed on the subject.
As Shosanna bustled in, her apron covered in a thick layer of dust and grime – undoubtedly a result of Grandfather Malfoy's request that someone clean and re-catalogue the second-floor library – she beamed at Remus and bent down to pinch his cheek excitedly. "Master Remus, today will be very happy for you, no? You will meet the great Albus Dumbledore, and see the castle of Hogwarts – I remember how marvellous it seemed when I first saw it, when I was a girl…" Shosanna was receiving a pointed look from Roxane to hurry up and she laughed nervously, releasing her grip on Remus' cheek which he rubbed softly. "Ah, but you forget it all eventually, Master Remus, and it is just a big draughty castle in the end… I doubt my joints would ever give me peace if I were there again – "
Roxane pulled Remus toward the fireplace and he grasped a little of the grey powder in his fingers. "Just remember to say it loudly, darling," she murmured in his ear, Remus giggling softly from the tickling sensation her breath produced. "Shosanna, don't forget to turn the embers; I'll be right behind you, Remus."
Stepping up as close to the flames as he dared, Remus threw the floo powder into the fire and shouted, "The Three Broomsticks!" as loudly and clearly as his quiet voice allowed. Everything around him went green as the flames enveloped him, and he stood as still as possible, frightened out of his wits as the hearths went by in a flash of orange. I hate this, I hate this, I hate this… he thought until he was interrupted by his landing, covered in ash and soot, on a hard wooden floor and a place completely foreign to him. Disoriented, he forgot to roll out of the way to leave room for his mother and as he climbed to his feet he was knocked down again as she appeared underneath him.
"Remus, I've told you before…" Roxane pulled him up beside herself and smiled with nostalgia at her surroundings, her son's mistake long forgotten. She was reminded once again of her youth, and her schooldays that were not as long ago as it often seemed in her present life. She removed her cloak and took Remus' from him, brushing off the soot haphazardly with her hand. A familiar face appeared in the corner of her eye and she started momentarily. "Rosmerta?" she questioned happily, and as the face nodded Roxane rushed towards her and hugged the woman, Remus looking on in wonder at his mother and her apparent friend. "I didn't know you were working here?"
Rosmerta smirked prettily. "You'd be the only one, Roxane – undoubtedly because your father hasn't let you out of the house in years." Roxane opened her mouth to protest but was shushed immediately. "You know it's the truth, so don't bother denying it… but who is this little boy, then? Your son?"
Smiling weakly at the vivacious Rosmerta, Remus hurried over and extended his left hand. "How do you do?" he asked tentatively, and much to his surprise he was pulled off the ground and into a hug instead.
"This is Remus," Roxane said, adding a sigh at the end of her sentence that troubled her son. "He's Archibald's boy."
Rosmerta returned Remus to the ground and rose once more to look at Roxane, who was looking rather dejectedly at the door. "All the same, it's good to see you again. Stay for a Butterbeer – or maybe you'd prefer your old usual?"
She shook her head. "We've got to be getting up to the castle – I have a meeting with Dumbledore this morning."
Knowing better than to ask questions, Rosmerta entreated her to come back for a drink when the interview was over so they could catch up; Roxane agreeing although she knew that instead she would take the Floo from Hogwarts and avoid contact with her old friend. I haven't seen her in years… and who knows what that means? You can't trust anyone these days. I've got to stop living in the past and face the fact that my family mightn't have a future, the way Cassius is carrying on. That man… he makes me think of terrible things, like when Remus was a baby and I'd hear voices warning me, threatening me – and of the afternoon in the woods when he was given the bite, my horror, my pain. Dementors. It finally clicked in Roxane's brain, the way she felt when she was in his presence. That man makes me feel the way Dementors do… like I'm reliving past pain; Mother, Remus, Archibald – everything. That man…
The road from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts was simply steep enough to tense the calf muscles in Roxane's legs, and she knew that from her lack of exercise the past few years she really needed to concentrate on getting up that hill rather than think morbid thoughts.
"Mother, what's that?" Remus pointed to a rather dilapidated old house sitting further up the hill and Roxane breathed deeply, knowing that soon she would be puffing like a steam train, struggling against the steep mountain.
"Remus, don't point – it's just an old house, a shack."
He quietened, then as they drew nearer it seemed his curiousity got the better of him and Remus couldn't seem to control it. "Do you think it's haunted, Mother?"
Roxane sighed, her breathing raspy and like a fire in her chest. "Probably, Remus." This signalled an end to the conversation, and Remus clung to his mother's hand as they trudged onwards to Hogwarts.
Remus caught the glint of sunshine reflecting off the lake as they reached the train station, and he was surprised to see no carriage waiting for them. Lucius always says that whenever they get off the train, the carriages take them the rest of the way to the castle. Except for the first-years, because they cross the lake in little boats instead. How exciting! Lucius might even be waiting for us, or Sarissa! Or, even, Severus… I might see him in the hallway, leaving his classroom, books on one arm and a friend on the other. No, I won't. I promise myself I won't.
These thoughts kept Remus' mind away from the daunting prospect of the never-ending drive that lead up to the castle gates, at which they were met by a moderately-sized older man, whose beard was long and wispy, streaked with grey; and a younger man who was at least seven-feet tall, probably more, and made Remus, who was small for his age, feel like the size of a garden gnome in comparison. Roxane greeted them cordially. "Groundskeepers Ogg, Hagrid – how are you both?"
Ogg, the elder of the pair, reached for Roxane's arm and she accepted his aid willingly. "Very well, thankee, m'lady. It's been quite some time since ye've been back to 'Ogwarts."
"Yes, I believe it has." She gestured to Remus, who was still gazing up at Hagrid in bewilderment. "This is my son, Remus Lupin. We have an appointment with the Headmaster?"
"Aye, that's why he sent us down 'ere. I'll be retirin' soon, so's I'm doin' as much as I can 'til it's time ter go. Next June'll be the end o' my time 'ere at 'Ogwarts." Ogg appeared visibly despondent by this news, and Roxane patted his arm reassuringly as they reached the castle doors, until the sight of a tall, black-haired witch with a stern expression standing in the doorway caused both Ogg and Hagrid to bow deferentially and hurry away with a nod to Roxane and Remus in farewell. The witch smiled briefly at Roxane before turning and beckoning them both to follow her inside Hogwarts.
As they entered, Remus saw the huge hall before him open up and gazed around himself in awe. Even Roxane appeared visibly affronted by the castle; she had not been back in twelve years and it made her eyes grow warm with tears at the sight of the Great Hall, in which she had sat every day happily, and without the worries she held now. She could almost imagine herself at the table draped in green cloth, her friends surrounding her – Rosmerta, Niamh, Katrina… and Raoul. Strange how I can't seem to wish the same for Remus, she thought sadly, for even friends are a liability in these times. Ignorance truly is bliss… bliss that Remus may never know. Roxane noticed clouds gathering in the corner of the ceiling, one that was bewitched to mirror the sky outside, and felt thankful that she would not need to walk through it. I'll never brave that hill again. When did I get so old?
Remus was sad to see the Great Hall disappear behind them, with its long tables and colourful decorations. He knew from what Lucius had told him about Hogwarts that Slytherin always sat at the green table on the far side of the hall, and somewhere in his heart dwelled a fear of being a Slytherin. He abhorred the red table as well, its golden lions embossed on every square inch available. I don't think I'd like to be a Gryffindor, Remus thought, weighing his options up in his mind. Or a Hufflepuff – as he spotted the bright yellow table to his left – It's simply my lot in life to be a Slytherin, I suppose. All the Malfoy's have been, for centuries past. Grandfather even said that he believed that Salazar Slytherin himself bestowed upon us the honour when he helped create the Sorting Hat! The last table Remus saw was covered in cloth the colour of royal blue, with plates decorated simply, a single hawk central to the design. Ravenclaw. Home of great minds… the home I'd like to be my own. As he continued to follow the tall witch and held on tightly to his mother's hand, Remus thought of nothing but Ravenclaw; of eating with Ravenclaw, sleeping in the Ravenclaw dormitories… and, wearing blue Quidditch robes as he hit bludgers right and left, toward Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and even – should he think it? – Slytherins.
As his mind raced with the possibilities, Remus barely noticed that the stern witch had left them and they were now climbing a narrow staircase that forced him to drop his mother's hand and walk behind her slowly, for the hill had taken a definite toll on Roxane's stamina. A clock chimed twelve in the distance, causing Remus to look up in wonder before it rang out another fifteen dongs in succession. "Broken," Roxane whispered to herself, and Remus nodded as he pulled out the pocket watch his Grandfather had given him for his tenth birthday. 10:58am.
They halted at the top of the stairs, and Roxane knocked briskly, but not impertinently, at the wooden door that stood in front of them. From the room beyond, Remus heard a strong, husky voice call for them to enter. He watched as his mother turned the doorknob and they entered the office of Professor Albus Dumbledore.
Remus was amazed by the objects that surrounded him, placed on sturdy shelves that filled the room from floor to ceiling. He kerbed his enthusiasm, however, and extended his left hand to Dumbledore, much to the embarrassment of his mother. "How do you do, Professor Dumbledore?" His voice rang clear in Dumbledore's ears, and a smile spread across the old wizard's face as he gripped Remus' left hand with his own.
"Very well, thankyou, Master Lupin." Gesturing for him to take a seat, Dumbledore resumed his position in the high-backed chair of his liking and beamed at Roxane to reassure her confidence. "I'm very pleased to meet you here today, Remus – and to see your mother once more. One of our greatest Slytherin chasers, I believe? And an excellent student, especially in Potions, as well." Roxane blushed with his comments, and Albus returned his attention to Remus. "It appears you have inherited your mother's mind, Remus – she informed me of your progress with the preliminary studies most children from magical families complete before attending Hogwarts."
Remus shyly nodded. "I enjoy it also, Professor Dumbledore."
Dumbledore clapped with excitement. "Of course! Magic is not simply about facts and figures, theory or practice – Magic is often just for the fun of it. What else would be the point of a Jelly-legs curse if not to amuse the caster?" His voice turned serious now, and when he looked at Remus this time the boy felt guilty for his previous remark. "But magic can be a dangerous thing in itself, Remus – you know that better than anyone. If not for magic, you would not suffer monthly – if not for a silly mistake made thousands of years ago, you would not be here, requesting my permission to attend Hogwarts. It would already be decided." Dumbledore smiled again, and at once Remus felt better. Noticing the boy's pallid expression, he reached inside his desk and pulled out a Chocolate Frog for Remus. "With your mother's approval, of course," and with Roxane's hasty nod Remus grasped for the sweet and devoured it slowly. "Ah, chocolate," Dumbledore mused aloud, his hands now resting on his stomach as he stared at the ceiling above him, "one of the greatest stimulants known to man. One taste of chocolate is enough to combat even the feelings of pain emitted by a Dementor, or so it is taught."
Remus felt better already, with the chocolate melting happily in his mouth and with Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes away from his own for a moment. For the next half an hour they chatted about trivial things, like the next Quidditch World Cup and the recent discoveries made in the world of Astronomy, until Dumbledore kindly asked Remus if he would stand outside his office for a moment, so he might speak with his mother alone. He shook hands with the Headmaster again – this time with his right hand – and pocketed another Chocolate Frog before leaving, his heart light and singing with happiness.
Roxane had felt her own heart leap for joy during the interview, and now she knew that Professor Dumbledore would tackle the difficulties arising from Remus' transformations. His eyes twinkled as he re-seated himself and turned to Roxane. A family of such brilliance, he thought exuberantly, and Remus, I can see a bright future in his mind. We will need many of his kind to fight the rising tide – he could be recognised forever for it. Let us hope that he will not succumb to the evil side of the magical world, rather to force of good.
"Ms. Lupin, I believe that your son is exactly the type of child Hogwarts needs – not only for his own benefit, but for the benefit of the pupils surrounding him. Ignorance of lycanthropy merely creates fear and loathing in the magical world."
Roxane smiled before responding. "Yes, Headmaster. I have always thought the same – that fear of a name creates even more fear of the thing itself. However, I do not think that Remus' condition should be revealed to any other than the staff at Hogwarts; not only for my son's safety, but also for the peace of mind of students and their parents."
"Of course, Ms. Lupin. Now it is simply a case of finding a solution to Remus' monthly absences. I have it on very good authority that Professor Sprout has recently acquired an adolescent Whomping Willow for the task. And, I can assure you entirely that Ogg, our current groundskeeper will have the sufficient training to assist Remus to the trapdoor underneath it – leading to a deserted shack just outside of Hogsmeade. I can also assure you that only the most trustworthy wizards and witches will have knowledge of your son's hideaway – although the entire staff must be informed of his condition. Is this plan satisfactory?"
Roxane felt weak at the knees with delight. "Oh, Professor Dumbledore…" she murmured softly, her eyes filling with tears. "You can't understand how I feel right now – for Remus to finally have a chance; everything seems perfectly surreal."
Standing, Dumbledore grasped her hand in his own and Roxane stood also, despite her shakiness. "I'll take that as a yes, then, Ms. Lupin?" He looked into her eyes, and some part of him recognised the carefree girl he had once known, so many years ago, sitting in the back of his Transfiguration classroom, the same hand he held now enclosed inside that of Raoul Snape, his prized student. What a pair, he remembered contentedly, why do things have to change? I've lived nearly one-hundred and twenty years, each one of them glorious, beautiful – but never the same. I suppose that is why; but people should never need to know the pain I'm sure this woman has. Releasing her from his grip, he said slowly: "Remus should receive his letter in July, Ms. Lupin. Until then, I await September anxiously… as I am sure that you will also."
Looking slightly disoriented, Roxane wiped the tears from her face and, her legs still weak, opened the door of Dumbledore's office to rejoin her son. Turning back, she smiled again. "Thankyou, Headmaster," she whispered before closing the door behind her and descending the stairs.
Albus Dumbledore wandered over to Fawkes' perch and stroked the phoenix lovingly. "Brilliant minds, Fawkes, every one… if only so many weren't tempted by the Dark Side." Fawkes hummed merrily back, and Dumbledore laughed bitterly. "I suppose you're right, Fawkes – without them, life would get awfully boring."
***
The train whistled loudly, signalling its departure, and Remus James Lupin struggled to extricate himself from his mother's arms. "Mother, please, I've got to go…" he trailed off as she kissed him again, her face wet with proud tears. Cassius looked on in amusement as he farewelled Sarissa with a forgettable wave. "Mother!" Remus pushed her away tenderly, but forcefully, and Roxane pulled her handkerchief from her pocket to dry herself. "I've got to go." And, you're embarrassing me, Remus added to himself, with a soft smile for his Mother as jittery fourth-years giggled at the fuss being made.
Lucius appeared suddenly at his side and Remus jumped. "You look after him on the train, Lucius," Roxane said, rather harshly. "He's frightened, poor boy. Look after him."
Cassius nodded to his brother sternly, causing Lucius to laugh nervously. "As if I wouldn't, Roxane! After all, it's Remus' first time, and I remember how nerve-wracking my first trip on the Express was… at least we got here in plenty of time."
Roxane's attention was back to her son, and she waved her handkerchief at him as Lucius, with Evan in tow, dragged him away from her and onto the Hogwarts Express. Cassius gripped his sister's arm as the train pulled away, and Remus stared out at his mother with a grin on his face. "The time will fly, Roxane – soon he'll be home with friends like Lucius, racing around the Estate like wild things and ending up in Father's office half the time. You can't keep them forever."
"I know, Cassius. I'm glad he's gone… I just wish that things might've been, well, different – he needs a father really, and Merlin knows Archibald wasn't much of one to begin with." She felt her brother tense at the mention of her estranged husband's name, and she squeezed him closer towards her.
"Are you sure you're all right, Roxane? I can speak to Lupin, make him realise what a fool he's been, deserting his responsibilities like this – I always said that family was a bunch of cowards."
"I know, Cassius." Roxane sighed as they began to walk back to the barrier, their arms still tightly linked. "Don't worry about me. There's never been a need. I'm fine."
But, deep inside her heart, Roxane barely believed it, and the thought of so many months without her son by her side to fill the gap Archibald had left – overflowed, actually – seemed more than she could ever bear.
Remus watched as his mother and uncle disappeared from sight and finally leaned back from the window to find Evan and Lucius gone from the compartment. Silence. After spending an entire summer with the two of them, their noise had become even more of a grinding pain inside his head that usual. Sarissa, her nose buried inside a book, sat in the opposite corner – away from the window – and Remus barely noticed she was there. He sat back and relaxed for a moment before he heard a knock on the window of the compartment door. Eyes flickering open, he saw that Sarissa had not even looked up and that another boy of his age was standing outside the door, and Remus leant across to open it. The boy was tall for his age, with dark green eyes and ash-blonde hair that seemed to flop over his face at odd angles.
"Hello," Remus said hesitantly, and even Sarissa ventured a quick glance at the boy before returning to her book. Extending his left – correcting himself – his right hand, he said in a friendly voice: "I'm Remus Lupin. Would you like to sit down?"
He dropped heavily into the seat beside Remus, their hands still twisted around each others. "I'm Edward Moss – from Canterbury, and thanks so much. The train's so full today that this was the only compartment with a spare seat. Where are you from?"
Remus smiled at the boy, finding his brash introduction amusing and liking him instantly. "Manchester, or thereabouts. What year are you in?"
"First, worst luck! I've been looking over our textbooks, and you won't believe how easy it all seems – just as long as you've followed up your preliminary lessons well. You're a pureblood, then?"
Nodding, Remus looked at Sarissa with amusement. "Yeah… from the high and illustrious perch of the Malfoy family." Edward looked confused, and Remus laughed. "My mother is a Malfoy, and the girl in the corner is my cousin, Sarissa."
Edward grinned at Sarissa, who quickly shoved her head behind the book she was reading shyly. "So, your father would be…"
"Dead." Remus was silent, and Edward decided against further questioning. They continued to talk, both about the things they would be learning during their first year, which house they might be sorted into, and, finally, Quidditch. Remus was explaining the importance of a Dopplebeater Defence in the last match between the Falmouth Falcons and the Chudley Cannons (the Falcons won, of course) when a boy paused at the window of the compartment and peered inside. Sarissa looked up from her book and was surprised to see Severus Snape looking at her, his black hair drooping over his pale face as he gazed inside. She smiled up at him and his expression changed from one of interest to an annoyed scowl. Glancing at Remus, who was unaware of Severus' presence and instead listening intently to Edward Moss' defence of the Chudley Cannons as a great Quidditch team – "'We shall conquer,' Remus… they just haven't conquered recently." – Sarissa was perplexed and, when she looked back into the corridor, Severus was gone.
END PART ONE
***
Please review! Especially since this is my longest chapter EVER! See you all in 2003 – for Part Two: Hogwarts, and some more fun and games in the world that is Harry Potter… my creepy take on it, anyway! : )