Disclaimer: The characters and settings, and probably some of the teacups depicted herein are most likely the property of those *delightful* people at Warner Brothers by way of the inimitable J K Rowling. I am not making a penny from using them as the backdrop to a story written for my own amusement and that (hopefully!) of others. So there.

email me at padfoot@ntlworld.com

Obligations

Chapter Four: Return to Hogwarts

"This," said Sirius slowly, staring up at the castle entrance, "is too weird."

The five friends - Lily had insisted on coming - stood outside the main entrance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Peter shuddered.

"I feel like a bloody first year again," he muttered. Remus glanced over at him and smiled wryly. Peter was so small and stocky, he still looked like a first year, but the young werewolf refrained from comment. His new Defender looked as though he wished the Whomping Willow would knock him as far away from the school as possible.

"Are we going inside, or are we simply going to stand out here looking stupidly impressed by the place?" James was impatient. It had been his idea - no, his decision to come and see Dumbledore. Remus hadn't protested, Sirius had been delighted at the thought of seeing the 'old duffer' again, but Peter had been sceptical. But that had always been his job.

"Let's do it," said Sirius, pushing the huge oak door which creaked wide open. It was mid afternoon and the halls were all but deserted, most students being in class. The one or two who did pass by cast curious glances at the unlikely quintet, but nothing more.

Sirius, at the tallest, felt enormous, and this inflated his ego even more than usual. His chest puffed out proudly.

Sirius. Never took anything seriously. OnlySiriusly. Remus sighed and nudged his friend in the ribs. "Cut it out, Sirius. This is serious" He tried not to notice the grin on the other man's face. Serious Sirius was an old joke amongst the four of them. Instead he just nudged Sirius again, good naturedly.

Lily had gone on ahead of them to the foot of Dumbledore's tower, and by the time they had reached the door, was shifting impatiently from foot to foot, the door having been opened for her.

They'd all left school four years ago, yet even now, the sight of the Headmaster's office door open left them all feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Ninety percent of their visits to see Professor Dumbledore as students had been to receive tellings-off. Well. Sirius' visits had been, anyway. Remus had often been called up to see the Headmaster for reviews on how he was doing, James just hadsensible conversations with him and

Peter never told anyone what Dumbledore said to him.

It was this particular Marauder now who was the palest of them all. Remus noticed this and automatically moved protectively closer to little Peter Pettigrew. Even he, Remus, the frailest of the group had always felt a sense of protectiveness towards Peter. It had been Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape's fault: the two Slytherin boys had always victimised Peter.

"It's OK, Peter," he said, light-heartedly. "We're going to see Professor Dumbledore by choice for a change. Come on."

"I'm sorry, Remus," said Peter in his thin, reedy voice. "It still feels so intimidating standing here" He looked at the foot of the staircase and swallowed.

Then the five of them plunged forward through the door and headed up the stairs.
"James! Lily! Boys!"

Albus Dumbledore's voice drifted to greet them before they even reached his office. James was first inside and the elderly wizard immediately got to his feet and embraced the younger, taller man. "James. You are looking extraordinarily well. And Lily. Beautiful as you always were." He kissed the girl on her cheek and she squeezed his hand affectionately.

Dumbledore turned his attention to the other three. "Never far behind James are you? Any of you? Sirius. I hope you're doing well."

"Yes thank you, Professor."

"And the motorbike?"

"Fantastic." Sirius launched into a diatribe about how he'd been working flat out on the motorbike to make it into the mean machine it was now. Remus rolled his eyes heavenwards and, to his relief, Sirius was cut short as Dumbledore pushed past him to Peter.

"Mister Pettigrew."

"Professor Dumbledore."

Remus' hazel eyes narrowed at the formal tone behind their greeting and watched closely. The two men kept an almost respectable distance between them, but eventually, Peter offered the old man his hand, which Dumbledore shook solemnly.

Then he turned his attention to Remus.

"Remus Lupin. How are you doing, my boy? You look as though you have a terrible burden in your heart. Sit down, all of you." A wave of his hand and a table laden with tea and cakes materialised. Lily automatically started 'playing Mother' and poured out tea for them all. Remus accepted a cup from her with a murmured thank you. She gave him a highly unfamiliar look of support, an almost shy smile, which confused him still further.

"I'm fine, thank you, Headmaster"

"Complete shite, Moonythat is, sorry, Professor Dumbledore. Remus isn't alright at all."

Dumbledore waved aside Sirius' little expletive and fixed his blue eyes on Remus. "What's happened?"

Remus swallowed. "It'sMcGlynn. He's back."

The effect of these words on the normally calm Headmaster was phenomenal and instant. He took in the room with a sweeping gaze and lifted his hand, making sure his office door was firmly shut.

"You are sure of this, Remus? It is not your mind playing tricks?"

"The nightmares started up again," said Sirius, helpfully, noticing how reluctant Remus seemed to be to open up about his problems. "After Remus' last change, he told me that he thought he'd bitten someone."

"Remus?"

The young werewolf covered his eyes with a shaking hand and nodded. "I can't confirm it one way or the other, Headmasterit's one of things you just know that you have done. In here." He moved the hand from his guilt-ridden face to rest over his heart. My lycanthropic self knows great joy, Headmaster. It has spawned. My human selfis falling apart."

He set down the cup of tea on the table and took several deep breaths. Dumbledore peered solemnly down his nose at Remus carefully, then took in the assembled group.

"First things first, Remus. Have you yet chosen your Defender?"

"It's me, Professor Dumbledore."

The elderly wizard turned to look at Peter, wordlessly. He nodded once. "So be it," he said, not even a hint of surprise in his voice. "And have you chosen the battleground?"
The others started at this. Last time McGlynn had been on the scene, they had learned the tradition that if two werewolves had to face each other down, then there would be a neutral territory. McGlynn had, last time, picked an ancient Scottish battlefield.

Remus' lips twitched slightly in reluctant humour as he remembered the way Sirius had looked in a kilt.

"I have, Headmaster. That's why we're here, of course."

James opened his mouth to protest that it had been HIS idea that they come to see the old man, but Dumbledore shot him a look of such mildness that he clamped his lips closed again. Typical of Remus to let them think he hadn't got a plan.

"May I?" The Headmaster rose and crossed the room to stand before Remus. He held out a hand and Remus nodded, standing also. Dumbledore placed a hand to the young man's temple and whispered words of magic.

"What's he doing?" whispered Peter, just a shade too loudly.

Sirius narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he stared at Remus. "I THINK," he said, slowly, "he's finding out what Moony's plan is without us knowing." He sounded more than a little annoyed by this. Sirius liked to know everything.

"We'll find out soon enough, Padfoot," murmured James, glancing across at Lily. She was looking slightly pale at the mention of the word 'battleground'. She hadn't been part of their little tribe when Remus had confronted his nemesis the first time. She had only known that the four boys had been missing for a few days and had returned to school looking decidedly the worse for wear. He reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it encouragingly.

He turned his attention back to Dumbledore who was still standing silently in front of Remus. Then a faint smile flickered across his face.

"Yes," he mused. "That seems somehowapt, Remus. I do not think I will have any difficulty arranging that for you. Have you told your friends?" he asked, as he released the young man. Remus pushed his lightly-greying hair back from his eyes and smiled a sad little smile.

"You're joking, of course," he said, mildly. "Can you imagine what they'd be like if they found out before we got there?"

Dumbledore looked first at James, then at Sirius, and it seemed to be all he could do not to laugh. "I suppose you are quite right - as usual," he said. "Patience is a virtue."

"Hah," complained Sirius, folding his arms across his chest. "It's alright for you to go on about patience when you're old and grumpy" He ignored the sharp intake of breath and glare that came from Lily's direction. "I want to know what's going on! Remus, tell us!"

"I've picked a battleground for a confrontation with McGlynn," said Remus, sounding a little tired. "I don't want tospoil the surprise."

"You are, of course, all my guests for the evening," said Dumbledore, moving the subject around to one that was dear to Sirius' heart. "Dinner will be served shortly in the guest room off the Great Hall." He fixed Sirius with his blue eyed gaze. "I imagine you must be quite hungry after your journey."

"I still want to know what's goingyeah, actually, now you come to mention it, I am a little peckish." He grinned and slapped Remus so hard on the back that the werewolf stumbled slightly. "Let's go eat. Come on, you lot."

Sirius strolled jauntily out of the room, followed by James and Lily who cast a concerned look at Remus before they exited, and finally Peter, who seemed unable to rip his eyes away from Dumbledore.

"You are sworn on this course of action, Remus?"

"I am, Headmaster," replied the young man sincerely. "I have to face him down, otherwise he'll haunt my life forever."

"And what of the person you believe you bit?"

Remus closed his eyes. "I would ask if you could make discreet enquiriesfind out who it was, what happenedif only I could remember."

"You know I could make you remember if you really wanted to," said Dumbledore, quietly, and it was evident from his tone that he did not want to force Remus into a situation he didn't want to be in.

"Iknow," whispered Remus, his face pale. "But I don't know if I want to. If you..understand me."

Dumbledore nodded. He understood.

"Go and join your friends," he said. "Enjoy this evening with them. Tomorrow you will set out to find McGlynn." He spoke no more words, but there was uncertainty clinging to every syllable.

As Remus carefully closed the door behind him, Dumbledore thoughtfully pulled out his wand, looked at it, and twirled it in a curious fashion before putting it back in the mysterious depths of his robes.

"Well, well, well," he murmured. "McGlynn won't quite know what's hit him."

A smile flickered across his face as he left his own office.