@@##!! DEDICATED TO LYNDA, JUST BECAUSE !!##@@
For those who don't know, an Exterminator is a unique type of wizard especially trained to take care of violent ghosts, dangerous dark creatures, and other potentially deadly nuisances. They tackle jobs that no one else would touch with a 10ft wand. They remove pesky bobby traps and curses, clean out haunted houses, and control the vampire population in Romania.
"Ex-men" are extremely rare. Most people don't even think they exist anymore. They are taught about in school as a profession that hasn't been active for years.
It's nearly impossible to become an Ex-man. (Or woman) After you are 'summoned', there are a number of tests of the mental, physical, and magical type. Less than 20% of those chosen get their tag, marking them an Ex-man for life.
The rarity of new recruits, along with the radical stories of Exterminator's power and skill has raised Ex-men to the status of legend or myth.
"I heard one took on an entire coven single-handedly - and won!"
"They say even Aurors pay them respect."
"Wow! I didn't know any type of wizard was strong enough to put cocky Aurors in their place!"
And so Rem wasn't surprised at all when the first two words Sirius chocked out were:
"They're real?"
Lupin just smiled serenely as Black's mouth continued to move like a fish out of water. After a few minutes of this shocked silence, though, Remus felt a little hurt.
"You don't have to look so surprised, you know . " he said softly.
"I'm not surprised, buddy. I'm impressed!"
Moony's smile grew bigger and he nodded his head in satisfaction as he allowed himself a small amount of pride. When he felt he'd indulged himself enough, he spoke again.
"But we can talk more about that later."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want." Sirius answered looking a little disappointed.
A silence fell over them once more as Rem tried to think about what else to say. There were of course a great number of stories that would raise a few too many questions. The point of this talk is to eliminate, not create, suspicions and questions.
"I know all too well what you're wondering about, Padfoot." Black looked more than a little upset about this innocent comment.
"What? What could I possibly be wondering about?"
Moony gave his friend a confused look but carried on in his playful tone.
"Well, my love life, naturally." Sirius' face immediately relaxed but Rem could still sense his unease.
"Oh, yes, right. You know me too well, Moony." He said with an obviously forced laugh.
"Well, in that department I'm afraid there's not too much to tell . "
"Nothing at all? I somehow find that hard to believe" Black probed.
"Well, there were of course relationships, though they were few and far between. Hardly any truly meant something to me. And even fewer than that ended well. And I basically have had no action since Snape spilled my secret." Lupin drifted off and his eyes became shadowed. Finally his pained expression seemed to register in Sirius' mind.
"It's okay, man. You don't have to tell me any more. I'm satisfied. Thanks for cluing me in. And with a reassuring pat on the back, he was gone, probably to take another nap.
As soon as he was gone, Rem groaned and set his head down on the table - hard.
"Damn, I didn't even tell him anything big and still the memories come." He thought.
Meanwhile, Sirius was looking with narrowed eyes at the ceiling above Moony's bed.
"Damn, I just know he's hiding something. Why else would he take such long pauses? It was obvious he was mentally omitting parts of his past, skipping certain details. I'm not blind. I saw his eyes. There was some real agony there. Wish he'd open up. Maybe in a few days when he's more comfortable."
And with that, sleep crept over him and he knew only blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~***FLASHBACKS***~~~~~~~~~~
"Is this all real?" a young voice asks.
"Yes, little one. This is your home now."
A female voice full of wisdom speaks.
"Your name will be Snow."
"Snow." The boy repeats under his breath, still in awe.
~~~~~*~~~~~
"Isn't this wrong?" he questioned.
"How else are we supposed to get by, boy? Work? Ha! Where would we work? With THEM? As far as I know, there's no other way for us to survive. But if you have any clever alternatives, child, I'm listening."
Silence.
"Well?"
"No sir."
"I thought so. Now keep your damn mouth shut and watch how it's done."
~~~~~*~~~~~
"Remember. If you hear a siren, run. Spread out and do not look back. Do not go back for slow ones. Those who get caught are weak and deserve their fate."
~~~~~*~~~~~
She was the most perfect being ever to walk this earth.
"Go introduce yourself, boy."
"Huh? What?" he asks, distracted by her swaying stride.
The old one grins down at him, mischief making his dark brown eyes shine.
"She's about your age, Snow."
"Oh really?"
"Oh yes, indeed. And quite beautiful, too."
"Tell me her name."
"Ask her yourself."
~~~~~~~~~~***END FLASHBACKS***~~~~~~~~~~
"And I did ask her name. And we fell in love. Oh sweet Lynda, I wish I could hold you. Hold you just once mo - " here Moony's voice broke in to a dry sob. (The actual tears stopped coming years ago.)
Desperate to be free from the past, Rem opened up a secret compartment of his desk and retrieved a round purple pill. He conjured a glass of water and swallowed the pill in one swift motion. Knowing he'd hate himself later for using his last sleeping pill for something so minor, Lupin lay down on the couch and was out like a light almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Sure, Remus Lupin would hate himself later, but right now he was so relieved he just didn't care anymore. He used his last legal sleeping agent, but it was worth it for a nap free from the torturous clutches of memory.
His last conscience thought was he had easy access to something stronger than Muggle medication to take the pain away . like he used to have.
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~
A/N - THANKS TO ALL WHO'VE READ AND REVIEWED!
NEXT CHAPTER - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM! DUN DUN DUMMMMM! *EVIL LAUGH*
For those who don't know, an Exterminator is a unique type of wizard especially trained to take care of violent ghosts, dangerous dark creatures, and other potentially deadly nuisances. They tackle jobs that no one else would touch with a 10ft wand. They remove pesky bobby traps and curses, clean out haunted houses, and control the vampire population in Romania.
"Ex-men" are extremely rare. Most people don't even think they exist anymore. They are taught about in school as a profession that hasn't been active for years.
It's nearly impossible to become an Ex-man. (Or woman) After you are 'summoned', there are a number of tests of the mental, physical, and magical type. Less than 20% of those chosen get their tag, marking them an Ex-man for life.
The rarity of new recruits, along with the radical stories of Exterminator's power and skill has raised Ex-men to the status of legend or myth.
"I heard one took on an entire coven single-handedly - and won!"
"They say even Aurors pay them respect."
"Wow! I didn't know any type of wizard was strong enough to put cocky Aurors in their place!"
And so Rem wasn't surprised at all when the first two words Sirius chocked out were:
"They're real?"
Lupin just smiled serenely as Black's mouth continued to move like a fish out of water. After a few minutes of this shocked silence, though, Remus felt a little hurt.
"You don't have to look so surprised, you know . " he said softly.
"I'm not surprised, buddy. I'm impressed!"
Moony's smile grew bigger and he nodded his head in satisfaction as he allowed himself a small amount of pride. When he felt he'd indulged himself enough, he spoke again.
"But we can talk more about that later."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want." Sirius answered looking a little disappointed.
A silence fell over them once more as Rem tried to think about what else to say. There were of course a great number of stories that would raise a few too many questions. The point of this talk is to eliminate, not create, suspicions and questions.
"I know all too well what you're wondering about, Padfoot." Black looked more than a little upset about this innocent comment.
"What? What could I possibly be wondering about?"
Moony gave his friend a confused look but carried on in his playful tone.
"Well, my love life, naturally." Sirius' face immediately relaxed but Rem could still sense his unease.
"Oh, yes, right. You know me too well, Moony." He said with an obviously forced laugh.
"Well, in that department I'm afraid there's not too much to tell . "
"Nothing at all? I somehow find that hard to believe" Black probed.
"Well, there were of course relationships, though they were few and far between. Hardly any truly meant something to me. And even fewer than that ended well. And I basically have had no action since Snape spilled my secret." Lupin drifted off and his eyes became shadowed. Finally his pained expression seemed to register in Sirius' mind.
"It's okay, man. You don't have to tell me any more. I'm satisfied. Thanks for cluing me in. And with a reassuring pat on the back, he was gone, probably to take another nap.
As soon as he was gone, Rem groaned and set his head down on the table - hard.
"Damn, I didn't even tell him anything big and still the memories come." He thought.
Meanwhile, Sirius was looking with narrowed eyes at the ceiling above Moony's bed.
"Damn, I just know he's hiding something. Why else would he take such long pauses? It was obvious he was mentally omitting parts of his past, skipping certain details. I'm not blind. I saw his eyes. There was some real agony there. Wish he'd open up. Maybe in a few days when he's more comfortable."
And with that, sleep crept over him and he knew only blackness.
~~~~~~~~~~***FLASHBACKS***~~~~~~~~~~
"Is this all real?" a young voice asks.
"Yes, little one. This is your home now."
A female voice full of wisdom speaks.
"Your name will be Snow."
"Snow." The boy repeats under his breath, still in awe.
~~~~~*~~~~~
"Isn't this wrong?" he questioned.
"How else are we supposed to get by, boy? Work? Ha! Where would we work? With THEM? As far as I know, there's no other way for us to survive. But if you have any clever alternatives, child, I'm listening."
Silence.
"Well?"
"No sir."
"I thought so. Now keep your damn mouth shut and watch how it's done."
~~~~~*~~~~~
"Remember. If you hear a siren, run. Spread out and do not look back. Do not go back for slow ones. Those who get caught are weak and deserve their fate."
~~~~~*~~~~~
She was the most perfect being ever to walk this earth.
"Go introduce yourself, boy."
"Huh? What?" he asks, distracted by her swaying stride.
The old one grins down at him, mischief making his dark brown eyes shine.
"She's about your age, Snow."
"Oh really?"
"Oh yes, indeed. And quite beautiful, too."
"Tell me her name."
"Ask her yourself."
~~~~~~~~~~***END FLASHBACKS***~~~~~~~~~~
"And I did ask her name. And we fell in love. Oh sweet Lynda, I wish I could hold you. Hold you just once mo - " here Moony's voice broke in to a dry sob. (The actual tears stopped coming years ago.)
Desperate to be free from the past, Rem opened up a secret compartment of his desk and retrieved a round purple pill. He conjured a glass of water and swallowed the pill in one swift motion. Knowing he'd hate himself later for using his last sleeping pill for something so minor, Lupin lay down on the couch and was out like a light almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Sure, Remus Lupin would hate himself later, but right now he was so relieved he just didn't care anymore. He used his last legal sleeping agent, but it was worth it for a nap free from the torturous clutches of memory.
His last conscience thought was he had easy access to something stronger than Muggle medication to take the pain away . like he used to have.
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~
A/N - THANKS TO ALL WHO'VE READ AND REVIEWED!
NEXT CHAPTER - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM! DUN DUN DUMMMMM! *EVIL LAUGH*
