Disclaimer:  JKR's; not JKLB's.  (But I am so glad she allows them to come over and play.)

Author's Note: Aoife is a Gaelic name and the pronunciation is very close to "Ava."

Cave Canem

Chapter Nine: Gathering Information

            Although technically part of the Being Division of the Ministry of Magic, the Werewolf Support Services office was housed within a building dedicated to the Beast Division of the Ministry.  Remus presumed some bureaucrat had decided years ago that it made sense to situate Werewolf Support Services near the Werewolf Registry office and the Werewolf Control Unit.  After all, didn't all three departments deal with the same monsters?

            In the corridor, Remus caught sight of the wizard with icy blue eyes who had helped Burdock try to murder Sirius.  Fortunately, the wizard did not notice him—too busy flirting with a witch wearing too much make-up.  Remus hurried past them.  It would not be wise to have a run in with him while still under suspicion for his coworker's murder.

            At the end of the corridor, Remus found the office he sought.  It had been almost a week since Charlotte's announcement at Greystone, and so far no one had contacted Remus.  He hoped that Charlotte had asked him to come in because she had new information for him.  She had her door open and was dictating a letter to several enchanted quills on her desk.

            "…an estimate at your earliest convenience.  I look forward to your reply.  Sincerely –finite incantatem." The quills fell atop the unfinished letters.

            "Did I interrupt?"

            "No, I prefer to sign the letters myself.  I'm sending out letters to various apothecaries, trying to find someone to fill the order for potions we'll need at Greystone at the end of the month."

            He moved a box from the chair in front of her desk and sat down.  "Trouble with your previous apothecary?"

            Charlotte looked momentarily shocked by the question.  "Didn't Lily tell you what happened to Declan?  She said that she would."

Remus nodded.  "I was very sorry to hear about—oh, was he your apothecary?"

"He was.  A very talented young man.  Unfortunately, that's how he was bitten in the first place.  Some potion ingredients need to be harvested by the light of the full moon to be effective."  Charlotte's face shifted from sad to angry in the blink of an eye.  "Do you know, the apothecary he was working for refused to keep him on as an apprentice when he got bitten!  He was out in that field that night because of that man, and he—  Sometimes I get SO angry."  She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Deco completed his studies on his own.  For a long time, I was his only customer, but fortunately, for Deco at least, I place big orders each month so he got by.  He was just starting to get customers from in and near his village."

Charlotte looked down for a moment, sighed, and looked up at Remus with a smile.  "The past is the past, and I can't afford to dwell there.  There's too much to be done in the present.  Which brings me to why I asked you in today.  I have a little business proposition for you."

Remus smiled back at her.  "If you want me to fill Declan's shoes, I have to warn you that Potions was one of my worst subjects."

"No, no.  If my memory serves me correctly, your best subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts.  Sirius said that you were first in your year."

"Yes?"

"And I suppose you are good at setting up wards and confinement spells?"

"Yes?"  He was starting to suspect where this might be going.  "Do you need wards renewed at Greystone?"

She shook her head.  "You see, coming to Greystone is a real hardship for many of the Muggles.  Travel is much more time consuming for them, and some have to travel significant distances.  They have to take off an entire day from work for travel, and there's always the fear that they will not arrive in time.  Some of them would really prefer to stay at home if a suitable place can be arranged."

"And you want me to help make part of their homes suitable."

"Exactly.  What they need are confinement spells and silencing charms that coincide with the rise of the full moon so they won't need monthly assistance.  That's beyond me; it's beyond most wizards and witches.  But it recently occurred to me that you might be able to do it.  Can you?"

"I think so.  I've never tried before, but I've studied the theory, and I've done similar ones hundreds of times."  Remus thought for a moment.  "I could test it out by putting them on the shed at my mum's," "I need to stop thinking of the cottage that way," "and I'll have one of my friends test it when the moon rises."

"Excellent!  When you feel you're ready, come up with a fair price, in Muggle money of course, and I'll pass along your name to those who are most likely to be interested."

"No, I don't have to charge anyone."

"Don't be silly, Remus.  You need the work and the pay, and the Muggle werewolves I'll be sending you to have jobs and can afford to pay you.  Muggle employers are much less likely to figure out that an employee is a werewolf, you see.  Even accepting their money, you'll be doing them a great favor, Remus."

Remus nodded.  "I'll be helping them get out of Greystone."

* * * * *

"Contrary to popular belief, the moon does not have to be full when the charm is set.  However, moonlight is necessary, so the charm cannot be performed on cloudy nights or when the moon is new.  Some claim that they can achieve the best results when the moon is gibbous (waxing or waning seems to make no difference), but this has not been proven.  Do not make the mistake…"

Remus put down the book and rubbed his eyes.  He'd studied all the information he could find on the spells he planned to use that night and was now rereading information he could recite by heart.  Tonight was first quarter; the full moon was only a week away.  He felt as ready as he could be to set the wards and charms he would put on the shed, and if he waited until closer to the full moon, he'd be gambling with the weather.  At least if tonight was cloudy, he'd have six more chances.

He replaced the book in the crate full of materials he'd need tonight and books he was moving to the cottage.  He was slowly moving his possessions, few as they were, to the house.  He didn't plan to move the last of his things until after the full moon.  Sirius had asked him not to move until after then. "Maybe I can't stay with you all night, but I can look after you the next morning.  Promise you'll come home to the flat." 

Remus had all too readily agreed.  "I'm such a hypocrite.  I say I want to move out so my friends won't have to take care of me.  Then they offer to take care of me, and I say, 'Yes.'  On the other hand, there's a difference between letting someone help you when you are injured or sick, and letting someone take care of you all the time."  And, Remus could not deny that Declan's self-mutilation and death had shaken all of them.  The closer they got to the full moon, the more often he noticed Sirius watching him with fear in his eyes.

The smog over the city was taking on a rosy glow; it was time to be on his way.  He started to write a note to Sirius but had only written the word "Dear" when he was interrupted by a knock at the door.  Remus opened it to see a man in his mid-twenties, wearing Muggle clothes.  There was an old scar on his throat, just below his ear and partially hidden by the collar of his shirt, a scar made by the teeth of a wolf.  The man took a step back as the door opened and shifted his weight nervously as if about to bolt away.  He stared at Remus's clothes, and Remus suddenly wished he had worn Muggle clothing instead of a robe that night.

"Can I help you?" Remus asked. 

The man nodded but said, "No, never mind.  This was a mistake."  He turned and began to walk quickly away.

"Wait!  Did Charlotte send you to see me?"

Charlotte's name had the desired effect.  The man halted and turned to face Remus again.  Unfortunately, Sirius chose that moment to apparate into the hallway between them.

"Hi, Moony!  Were you—"  He broke off as he noticed the Muggle.  The Muggle stared at Sirus for a moment and ran for the street.

"Damn it, Sirius.  You have lousy timing."

* * * * *

Remus awoke from his nap to the smell of bacon frying, but he only got as far as sitting up in bed when he heard a light rapping of knuckles on his bedroom door.

"Come in."

Sirius came in bearing a tray with a teapot, two mugs, and a large pile of bacon sandwiches.  "How's my favorite werewolf on 'the day after'?" he asked.  He sat on the foot of the bed and placed the tray between them.  Sirius immediately tucked into the sandwiches, and Remus knew he'd have to keep up if he wanted his share.  But first, information.

"Nothing that won't heal.  How did last night go?"
            "Incredibly boring," Sirius mumbled with his mouth full.  He quickly swallowed.  "I'm really starting to hate pointless surveillance.  This is the second month in a row that Dumbledore's been sure something would happen during the full moon—he won't say, but I think he's getting information from someone— but then nothing happens.  Either his source is playing him for a fool, or we have a leak."

Remus shook his head.  "No, what about the shed?  Did I get it all right?"

"Of course you did, Moony.  Just before moonrise, I could go in and out as easy as you please, but immediately after, I couldn't get out even with the door wide open.  I tried as both dog and human.  James couldn't get in, either.  The silencing charm worked too.  I howled and growled up a storm, but James couldn't hear me.  But from the inside, I could hear everything he said outside.  That was pretty cool actually, making the silencing charm only in one direction.  You'll have to teach me that.  The only problem was when I was ready to leave; I couldn't get out."
            "Why?  I didn't put an anti-apparition ward on it."

"You didn't, but Prongs did.  He stood out there as innocent as you please letting me think you'd done it.  Then after a couple of minutes of letting me think I was stuck in there until moonset, he released it and let me out."  Sirius grabbed another sandwich.  "And was your night productive?  Did you find your mysterious visitor from last week?"

Remus shook his head sadly.  "No, he wasn't at Greystone, and believe me, I looked at everyone.  I described him to Charlotte.  She said that there have been two werewolves who have asked her how to get in touch with me and that one of them matched his description."

"Great!  So Charlotte told you how to find him."

Remus had a mouthful, so he merely shook his head.

"Why not?  I mean, it's obvious he wanted to talk to you."

"No, she said she'd encourage him to come see me again.  I told her to tell him that I was moving tomorrow.  Maybe he'll be more willing to come see me if I live alone."

"I've been thinking about that."  Sirius looked down at the bedspread.  He had a feeling that Remus would reject his offer, and somehow it was easier to ask without looking at him.  "You won't live in a flat with me anymore.  I accept that.  I disagree with it, but I accept it.  Would you let me move into the cottage with you?  You've got two bedrooms, and I've got to find a new place anyway since this lease is almost up.  I'll pay you whatever rent you think is fair."  He glanced up hopefully and held his breath without realizing it.

Remus was frowning, and Sirius realized that the offer of rent might have been an inadvertent deal breaker.  "This isn't about 'taking care of you'," Sirius insisted.  I just like living with you.  I hate coming home to a place that I know will be empty.  I like having people around, and you're one of my favorite people.  If you won't do it for my sake, have pity on poor James and Lily.  If I lived alone, I'd be at their house all the time."

"What about Peter?  He'd move in here."

"No, Peter's great, but we get on each other's nerves if it's just the two of us for too long.  We need you or James as a buffer.  So, what do you say?" Sirius held his breath again. 

Remus wasn't sure what to say.  He had already considered this solution and rejected it.  Sirius loved the activity and excitement of living in London, and while it was true that apparition meant that a wizard could live anywhere in Britain and spend days, or nights, in London, Remus did not want to feel responsible if Sirius splinched himself returning home after a night of partying.  Sirius was better off living within walking distance of an Underground station.  Now, Sirius's heartfelt appeal gave him second thoughts.  Sirius wanted to live with his friend, with his packmate.  That was something Remus could understand, especially on a day like today when the wolf was strong.  Both his lupine instinct to live with his pack and his human affection for his friend found the idea appealing.

Sirius saw that Remus was considering it.  He decided to strengthen his case.  "And if that one werewolf, or any others, come to see you, I'll make myself scarce.  I won't scare him off again.  I promise."

This settled the matter for Remus, but not in the direction that Sirius had hoped.  "I'm sorry, Sirius.  But for now, at least, I think it would better if I lived alone.  Maybe when all this with the werewolves is over."

* * * * *

            "Happy housewarming, Moony!"  Peter was nearly hidden behind the enormous ferny plant with purple buds.

            Remus pushed the front door open and stepped back to let Peter and the plant into the house.  "Hi, Peter, come on in.  What is this?"

            "It's a prosiberry plant."  Peter put the pot on the coffee table in front of the sofa.  The dried pods are used in a lot of potions—"

            "I remember.  I just never saw the whole plant before, I suppose."  Remus bent down to have a closer look.  He found a few of the familiar burgundy-colored pods on the lower fronds.

            "Mum says it brings good luck to have one growing in your house or garden."

            "Your mum wishing me luck?  I thought she hated me."

            "Well, it isn't from her; it's from me.  I thought we could all use all the luck we can get these days.  And she doesn't hate you, she just—well, you know how it is."

            "I know.  And thanks, Peter.  This is really nice of you.  I never turn down good luck.  Would you like a cup of tea?  I was just thinking of making some."  Peter looked nervously at the kitchen doorway and back at Remus.  Remus noticed Peter surreptitiously wipe his palms on his robe as if the thought of going into the kitchen had made his palms sweaty.

            "Um, I—"

            "Have a seat on the sofa, Peter.  I'll make some tea and be right back."

            Peter looked instantly relieved.  "All right."

            While the tea was steeping, Remus tried to figure out what else he could offer to go with the tea.  "Mum always made sure there was something in the biscuit jar, just in case.  I might have to follow her example.  In the meantime…"  He had purchased groceries a few days ago, but it had been the day before the full moon, and his shopping had leaned as far into his lupine cravings as his budget allowed.  "Ham sandwiches, perfect for Padfoot, but Peter has a sweet tooth.  Toast and jam, that'll do."  A few quick bursts of flame from his wand, and several slices of bread were nicely toasted.  A jar of his mother's raspberry jam went onto the tea tray as well.  "Second to last jar made by Mum.  I'll have to make it last."

            "Here we are, Peter.  It's not quite the spread the house elves at Hogwarts would treat us to whenever we snuck down to the kitchen, but I think it's better than tea with Hagrid."

            "Remember the rock skipping contest we had at the lake using Hagrid's biscuits?"

            Remus laughed at the memory.  James and Sirius were running neck and neck: eight skips, nine skips, ten skips—when suddenly, Peter's biscuit skipped twenty-one times. 

            "They were suspicious right away that you had levitated it," Remus said.

            "But I swore I didn't," Peter said with grin.

            Remus grinned back.  "It took them half a day to realize that I had."

            "We make a good team."  Peter suddenly looked a bit pensive. 

            "What's wrong, Peter?"

            "It's nothing.  I was just wondering how things are between you and Sirius and James."

            Remus toyed with the spoon in his tea.  "Well, Sirius is still a bit miffed that I moved out, and that I wouldn't let him move in here, but other than that everything is fine."

            "He wanted to move in here?  But he loves London."  Peter spread a thick layer of jam on a piece of toast.  "It's worse than I thought."

            "What's worse?"

            Peter hesitated, apparently wishing that he had not said anything.  "It's just that I was running some paperwork over to the Auror's offices, and I overheard part of a conversation.  Someone I didn't know was talking about a lot of rumors and circumstantial evidence suggesting that You-Know-Who is actively recruiting werewolves.  And when that person walked away, Moody said that it was a good thing Sirius lived with you, and that he could keep an eye on you.  Sirius told Moody that you had decided to move out."

Remus stared down into his tea with all the concentration of Divination student trying to read tea leaves for the first time.  He had believed Sirius's offer to move in here and been genuinely made out of friendship and affection.  Now he realized that it had been made out of suspicion and mistrust. 

"I'm sorry, Remus.  Maybe I should go."  Peter appeared downcast as he collected his cloak and left the cottage, but he smiled just before he apparated home.  Divisions between his friends would keep them from suspecting him.

* * * * *

With Remus unable to join his friends for the full moon, Lily and James had begun to invite Remus, Sirius, and Peter over for dinner on the nights of the new moon instead—or as close as they could come if work interfered.  Lily had just decided to head into the kitchen when a knock on the door announced the last arrival.  She detoured to open front door and smiled at Remus.

"Hi, Lily."

"Hi Remus.  Everyone's in the living room playing chess.  Or rather, James and Peter are playing, and Sirius is offering advice that they're ignoring." 

Sirius cocked his head as he watched Lily pass through the room back toward the kitchen.  "What do you think, Wormtail?  Has Lily crossed the line from walking to waddling yet?" Sirius asked.

            Lily halted and looked over her shoulder at Sirius, trying to give him an icy glare, but not altogether succeeding.  "Don't push your luck, Black.  Just for that you have kitchen duty."

            Sirius bounded out of his chair and followed Lily, doing his best imitation of a house elf voice.  "Yes, ma'am, Lily Potter ma'am.  Should Siri strip down and wear a tea towel, ma'am?"

            "NO!" James yelled after him.

            Sirius poked his head back out of the kitchen doorway and grinned at James.  "Afraid Lily will like what she sees?"

            "Perhaps he's afraid of a kitchen accident involving sharp knives or a hot stove and a part of your anatomy of which you are inordinately fond," Remus said as he took the chair Sirius had vacated and studied the chessboard.

            "And if you do, we don't want to have to heal you," Peter added.

            "You have a good point, Remus.  After all, I'm not the only one who's fond of my anatomy, and I wouldn't want to break the hearts of my myriad fans."  Sirius disappeared back into the kitchen.

            "Queen's castle, take the bishop," Peter instructed the chess pieces.  The black queen walked serenely to her right and took the space that until a moment before had belonged to a white bishop.  The bishop had run off the board in fright.  "Any new developments with the other werewolves, Remus?"

            "Well, still no clue who the guy with the silver signet ring is.  He's keeping a lower profile.   Every so often, someone gets pressured by him or by another Death Eater, but it seems that for the most part, they aren't giving in.  At least the ones willing to speak with me aren't.  As for the others, it's anyone's guess."

"And none of them want to speak to Sirius or me.  King's knight to king six," James instructed his chessmen.

            "Why aren't they giving in?" Peter asked as he studied the board for his next move.

            "Charlotte," Remus replied as if that said it all, and to a werewolf, it probably would.  "Most of the werewolves are Muggles, and they see this a wizard fight.  If they must take sides, which side do you think they'll take, the side of people who murder werewolves and their families, or the side of the only champion they have in the magical community?  You know, if it weren't for Charlotte, the only wizards or witches they'd know are the ones at the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Control.  I don't think they would inspire loyalty."

            "You said that before, 'Most of the werewolves are Muggles'," Peter said with a perplexed look.  "Why is that?"

            "It just makes sense, Peter," James said.  "Wizards are only a small percentage of the population, so in terms of sheer numbers, Muggles are more likely to get bitten than wizards are."

            "There's also the fact that Muggles don't believe in werewolves, so they're more likely to make the mistake of being outside during a full moon," Remus added.

 Sirius suddenly came out of the kitchen pulling a laughing Lily by the wrist.  "I can't wait any longer; the suspense is killing me," he said as gave Lily a gentle push toward the sofa and James.  Sirius then disappeared into the study and returned carrying an enormous box wrapped in glossy black wrapping paper covered with silver crescent moons and twinkling red and gold stars.  "Happy belated house warming, Moony!" he said happily as he shoved the box at Remus.  "It's from all of us."

"Everyone else already gave me housewarming presents, Padfoot."

"This is too big to be from one person," Sirius said.  He sat on the floor near Remus's feet and grinned up at him.

"So I see."  He lifted the box.  "Big, but it's light."

"Open it!" James and Sirius exhorted him simultaneously.

Remus put the box on the floor in front of himself and began to slowly and carefully untie the silver and gold ribbons, prolonging Sirius's agony.  When Sirius reached for the box to hurry him along, Remus laughed and tore the paper off.  He lifted the lid off the box and saw crumpled tissue paper in a rainbow of colors.  He dug through the paper and felt inside the box.

"There's nothing here.  Padfoot, you are such a prat."

"It's there.  Keep looking."

Remus looked at Padfoot appraisingly and then resumed the search.  Sirius was obviously pleased with himself about something, something more than an amateurish prank like an empty box.  At the very bottom of the box, his fingers touched parchment, not tissue paper.  He pulled out an envelope sealed with purple sealing wax and the seal of the Beast Division of the Ministry of Magic.  He turned it over and saw that it was addressed to himself.

"Open it," Peter urged.

Ministry of Magic

Beast Division

Werewolf Registry Department

and

Werewolf Control Unit

12 April 1980

Remus Lupin

WR040460A

Please be informed that the investigation into the disappearance of Werewolf Registry employee Morris Burdock has lead to evidence suggesting a probable link to other suspects.  All werewolves that were ordered to report to Greystone Werewolf Containment Facility are hereby permitted to resume their previous arrangements.  Spot checks of the suitability of your arrangements will take place in the near future.  Notify our office by 20 April 1980 with the location where you will be confined on 30 April 1980.

                                                                                    Dernier Styles

                                                                                    Werewolf Registry Dept.

Remus sat silently reading and rereading the letter.  He had resigned himself to being at Greystone, to it being the new reality of his nights as a wolf.  He hadn't known if he'd ever see a letter like this one in his hands, and he certainly hadn't expected to see it so soon.

"I told you it was big," Sirius said quietly.

"How?" Remus asked simply.

"Marcus Redstone, the bloke who worked for Werewolf Control until he got bitten, said that when the Death Eaters came after him, what they wanted was the information in the Werewolf Registry," Sirius explained.

"So they could find other werewolves," Remus said.  He thought of all the werewolves who had had trouble with the Death Eaters since then.

Sirius nodded.  "It was shortly afterward that a Werewolf Registry employee disappeared.  It just made sense that they were related."

"We made the connection immediately," James said, "but it's taken us four months to get the Ministry to admit it's the most probable explanation of Burdock's disappearance."

"They'd probably still be ignoring the obvious if we hadn't gotten a little help from Aoife McLaughlin.  She works for the Daily Prophet, you know," Lily said.  Remus looked at Lily in sudden panic.  "Don't worry, I kept your name out of it.  I just told her about James and Sirius's theory behind Burdock's disappearance and that the Ministry was ignoring the obvious and accusing werewolves instead.  Her editor wasn't interested in the story, 'Old news,' he said, but the Ministry didn't know that.  She went down to the Ministry with a photographer in tow and scared them into correcting their mistake before she exposed them on the front page as bungling incompetents."

"Thank you," Remus said as he looked at each of his friends. All of them were looking back at him with happy smiles.  "I don't know what else to say."

"I think Remus owes Aoife a lovely romantic dinner," Sirius said as he got up and headed back to the kitchen.

"I probably shouldn't date someone you have, Padfoot."

"I dated her, but I didn't sleep with her, so I haven't spoiled her for you mere humans."

"Well, if I were a 'mere human,' I'd consider it.  I'll help you with dinner."

* * * * *

"Do you have any plans for after work, Peter?" Hollings asked cheerfully as he left for lunch.  "If you do, I suggest you use your lunch break to cancel those plans. You're going with me after work." 

And so Peter found himself once again in the dark cellar in Knockturn Alley.  Hollings had brought him here six times before, and he suspected it would have been even more if he hadn't kept supplying Hollings with small items of information such as the fact that the Order was watching ancient stone circles all over the island. Two hooded figures stood before him.  One was the wizard who was always here when Peter came.  The other had been here the last time Peter had come.

"We have a small dilemma you may be able to help us with, Pettigrew," he had said the last time.  "I need to recruit some werewolves for a little project, but one of your friends seems to be inquiring into my business.  I've heard that you successfully visited his home before.  Perhaps you could do so again."

"I'm disappointed, Pettigrew," the same wizard said now.  "I'm told that you are quite helpful when it comes to supplying information, but it appears you let us down when we need you to do more." He pulled a highly polished wand from an inside pocket of his cloak.  Peter saw light reflect off the man's silver ring as he pointed the wand at Peter.

"I have some information you need," Peter said quickly.  The man did not move or speak.  "Remus isn't your problem.  Not all of the werewolves trust him.  Your problem is the witch who runs Werewolf Support Services, Charlotte Stirling.  Remus said that she's the sole reason the Muggle werewolves won't help you."  He licked his bottom lip nervously; his mouth was so dry he was amazed that he could speak.

"Go on," the wizard with the silver ring said.

"Remus said that the Muggle werewolves see this a Wizard fight, not theirs.  He said that they don't want to take sides, but if they must, they're taking Charlotte's side because she's so good to them.  He said," Peter tried to remember the exact words. "He said, 'If it weren't for Charlotte, the only wizards or witches they'd know are the ones at the Werewolf Control Unit and the Werewolf Registry, and they wouldn't inspire loyalty like Charlotte does'."

The silver-ringed hand lowered.  "I'm impressed, Pettigrew.  Too many think the path to survival is blind obedience.   I say, 'Kill,' and they kill.  You demonstrated that you have a brain.  You realized that the information you could get from Lupin would be more valuable to me than his death, and so you acted accordingly.  You could go far, Pettigrew."

Peter smiled in spite of himself.  His motivation in bringing that information had been merely an attempt to keep both himself and Remus alive, but it had taken brains to pull it off, hadn't it?  He had gotten the information he needed from Remus without raising any suspicion, and he had realized the significance of the information for this Death Eater. 

"What would you do if you were me, Pettigrew?  Would you kill this witch?"

"No, that would make her a martyr.  She'd still inspire loyalty."

"Very good.  Continue."

Peter thought for a moment.  "You need to separate her from the werewolves without killing her.  If she were fired by the Ministry, or unable to work for some reason, and someone else were to take her job—  Or perhaps if she were killed by a werewolf and her death couldn't be connected to you—"

"I say again, you could go far."

Peter smiled again.  It felt good to be appreciated, no matter who the source.  It was certainly better than hearing his friends' patronizing answers, "It just makes sense, Peter."  If something "just made sense," he wouldn't have asked.

The silver-ringed hand flew up so suddenly that it was a blur.  "Crucio!" the wizard cried.  Peter screamed as every nerve ending in his body burst into fiery pain.  If he had been capable of thought at that moment, he would have prayed for unconsciousness.  Suddenly the pain ebbed away, and Peter was left panting on the floor.  Highly polished black boots were mere inches away from his face, and Peter looked up into a black-masked face.

"I may not value blind obedience, but I do value obedience.  If I decide tomorrow that I want you to kill Lupin, what will you do?"

"I'll kill him," Peter whispered.  He hoped it was a lie, but he feared it was not.

* * * * *

"Where on earth did I put that notebook," said a witch with short, brown hair as she rifled through her desk drawers.

Remus watched her while he gathered up the nerve to say, "Hello."  He'd never been nervous to do so before.  This was just Aoife from Gryffindor, that's all.

"Hi, Aoife, still as disorganized as you were in school, I see."

She looked up in surprise.  "Oh, hi, Remus.  Be a love and help me find a blue notebook.  I've got notes in it I need."

"Why don't you summon it?"

She stopped in mid-search and slapped her forehead.  "I'm too stupid to live, aren't I?"  She pulled her wand out of her pocket and closed her eyes to imagine the notebook she needed.  "Accio notebook."  A slim blue volume wiggled free from the center of the pile on the front left corner of her desk and shot into her hand.  Remus laid a steadying hand on top of the disturbed pile just before it could tumble to the floor. 

"I've really got to run," Aoife explained as she grabbed a red cloak.  "My editor wants me to cover a stupid press conference at the Ministry, nothing important, but someone has to do it, and it starts," she looked at the clock on the wall, "now, so—but I'd love to talk to you.  Can you meet me at the Leaky Cauldron around seven?"

"O.K."  And she was gone.

At seven o'clock, Remus sat at a small table in the Leaky Cauldron debating the merits of buying a drink now, or waiting until Aoife arrive.  If he got a drink now, he'd have something to hold onto and keep his hands busy.  However, he was nervous enough that he might drink it too quickly.  And since he would have one or two drinks while she was here, he really didn't want to have a head start on drinking.  Alcohol and werewolves were a risky mix.  On the other hand, one drink now might help him be less nervous when she arrived.

He had chosen a seat from which he could see all the entrances into the pub; she would probably arrive from Diagon Alley, but he was not certain.  He really, really didn't want to see Sirius come in.  Oh, yes, Sirius would try to be helpful.  That wasn't even a question.  However, Sirius's matchmaking assistance was not what Remus wanted.

A red cloak.  Aoife was scanning the room, looking for him.  Remus stood as he waved and smiled at her.  She smiled back and made her way through the room. 

"I'm so glad I'm not late," she said as she draped her cloak over an empty chair and took a seat beside Remus.  "I have to confess that I almost forgot to come.  Don't take it personally; I'm just forgetful.  Ask Sirius.  I stood him up once."

"I remember.  His ego was slightly bruised, but we all thought it was good for him."  They grinned at each other and both started to laugh at Sirius's expense. 

"What do you want to drink?" Aoife asked as she stood up.  "And the correct answer is 'stout,' by the way."

Remus stood as well.  "No, I'll get the drinks."  But Aoife, who was closer to the bar, was already moving toward it.

"Technically, I asked you here.  Let me get the first round," she called over her shoulder.

Remus sat back down and watched Aoife speak with Tom the bartender.  "So far so good.  This is starting to feel comfortable, and I'm not making an idiot of myself.  She doesn't mind paying occasionally—always good to know since I'm frequently broke or nearly so.  Now, there's just the biggest issue.  How does she feel about werewolves?  She helped Lily get us out of involuntary confinement at Greystone—that bodes well."

Aoife returned with two pint glasses, each filled to brim, and just a bit beyond, with black-brown liquid and a thin cap of creamy foam. 

"Slainte," she toasted just before they each took a first sip.  "So, you have the advantage of me, Remus.  You know where I'm working.  What are you doing?"

Remus was very glad he actually had an answer for that question.  "Lately I've been pretty busy putting up wards and such for people who need them."

"That's perfect for you.  I remember how good at that you were in school, and people certainly need all the protection they can get these days.  Lily told me that someone tried to get into their house but only got through half the wards."

"They got through one of the ones I did, I'm afraid, but not the other one."  His conscience was still troubled by that failure.

Aoife, on the other hand, smiled triumphantly.  "See, that ward would have saved Lily if she had been home."

"That and one Lily did," Remus admitted.  "And we did figure out what might have gone wrong with the other ward; Polyjuice Potion can fool it.  It was Peter's idea, actually.  I'm trying to figure out how to eliminate that flaw now."

"Well, it just so happens that my parents want to increase the wards around our house."  She pulled out a small notebook and a self-inking quill.  "Which company do you work for?  I'll tell my parents to contact them and ask for you."

"I'm not—I'm just working independently, actually."  Remus feigned sudden interest in his drink.  "I've been fired by half the firms out there and refused employment by the rest."

"You're a smart man, Remus Lupin.  Make your own hours, days off whenever you choose, and no boss taking credit for your hard work.  I never asked why you stopped by.  Just a social call by an old friend or did you have something specific you wanted to talk about?"

"Here we go," Remus thought.  He took a quick sip for courage—or to stall.  "Both.  I wanted to thank you for helping Lily with that Morris Burdock situation.  It was great the way you pressured the Ministry into correcting their mistake, especially since you might have gotten into trouble with your editor for doing it."

She sat back in her chair and waved her hand dismissively.  "It was the right thing to do."

Remus felt hope swell inside him.  "Helping werewolves—the right thing to do."

"The way I see it," Aoife continued, "one of the press's most important duties is to keep an eye on the government.  When they make a mistake, someone has to call them on it.  How are we ever going to succeed against You-Know-Who if the government bungles the investigations into what he and his followers are doing?  Here they were assuming that a werewolf killed Burdock and saying that knowing where werewolves are for the full moon is enough.  Instead, they should have been focusing on the fact that You-Know-Who was after the information in the werewolf registry, trying to find werewolves, and presumably recruiting werewolves.  Dark creatures are his natural allies, after all.  Personally, I think we should be as concerned with what werewolves are up to the rest of the month as we are for the full moon.  Don't you agree?"

 Remus really wanted to make an excuse about a previous appointment and hurry out of the room.  However, running out of the room with his tail between his legs every time someone disparaged werewolves was a quick way to be found out.  Besides, a reporter on their side could be useful, if she could be made to see their side.

 "Actually," Remus said, "Voldemort is trying to recruit werewolves, but not succeeding."

"What makes you think that?"

"I know some werewolves; I've been talking with them."

Aoife whistled and shook her head in amazement.  "You're braver than I am.  I may be a Gryffindor, but I'm not that brave.  You wouldn't catch me talking to a werewolf unless there were steel or silver bars between us.  And I definitely wouldn't believe them as readily as you seem to be willing to do."

Remus managed to make pointless small talk—he couldn't remember about what—for a few more minutes, then reaching the bottom of his glass, he thanked Aoife for meeting him and left through the doorway to the Muggle street.  Ignoring the curious looks his cloak was receiving, Remus hurried halfway down the block before ducking into an alley.  He leaned back against the wall and berated himself silently.

"Stupid, stupid, Remus.  I don't know why you expected anything different.  Rule number one:  never get your hopes up, and you'll never be disappointed.  Now pull yourself together and decide where you're going."  The idea of going home to an empty house was very disheartening.  "Maybe Sirius won't mind company for dinner, but I am NOT telling him about this."

Sirius's flat wasn't too far away, and the walk might help get his head straight enough that Sirius wouldn't realize anything was wrong. Other than his cloak, he was wearing Muggle clothes, and a quick spell disguised his cloak as a Muggle-style overcoat. 

As he walked the familiar streets between the Leaky Cauldron and the flat, he was starting to feel better and better about his decision to visit Sirius.  It was the first time he'd just dropped by since he moved out.  Maybe spending some unscheduled time together would help Sirius realize that nothing important had changed between them simply because Remus had moved out.  His fist came within an inch of knocking on the door when he heard a woman's laughter inside.

Remus's hand dropped to his side, and he smiled sadly.  "At least Sirius has enough of a love life for both of us."  He apparated home.