Author's Note: Hello there, remember me? The number 13 certainly lived up to it's unlucky name with this chapter, as it has been over a month since I last posted and it has literally taken this long to get this finished- in other words, this chapter is cursed. At the end of this chapter I'll elaborate, but right now I'm sure you're eager to get started. I implore you, review when you're done!
Chapter Thirteen
This, My Solemn Vow
It seemed to take forever for Remus to convince Sirius to meet him at James' house later that day to take care of their friends' issue. There were no more mysterious sounds emanating from Remus' ceiling, but Sirius was still real curious as to what Remus did the previous evening. Claiming he had a "radiant glow" about his face and the fact that he never went to bed without pajamas, much less half-clothed with jeans that were covered in vomit stains, Sirius continued to press Remus for anything even as he was being pushed out the door.
"I'm beginning to think that you're not telling the whole truth," Sirius said, pulling his coat back on as Remus shoved him onto the front porch.
"Does the fact that I reek of regurgitated alcohol mean anything to you?" Remus asked him, exasperated and anxious to find Beta. He was almost certain that it was her hiding in the secret room. Although, he did smell horribly and every inch of him was screaming for a shower. How Beta ever stood his odor last night was beyond him.
"Hey, I had to clean up after him twice more after you left, so don't you start," Sirius said, pointing a finger at him.
"I promise to meet you at his house later this afternoon. Right now I want a shower and to finish that report on Illegal European Dark Magic Migration before Arabella or Mundungus hexes off my head." He stood poised to close the door.
"Fine then," Sirius said. Before he turned to disapparate, Sirius gave him a mischievous wink. "Tell her I said hello, for me, Moony boy."
"Her who?" Remus' voice squeaked comically high.
Sirius laughed, stepped out into the melting snow, and disapparated.
"You're letting the cold air in, Moony boy," said a voice from behind Remus.
He started, slamming the door and turning to face Beta, who stood wearing one of his wizarding robes over her wrinkled sweatshirt and jeans.
"He didn't see you, did he?" Remus blurted out.
"Of course not. I heard the big oaf making his entrance and had plenty of time to hide. Although, it was quite difficult to get out of bed." Remus could have sworn he saw her wink behind her long bangs.
Moving before she could see him turn scarlet, Remus instantly went to pour her some tea and prepare breakfast. Beta moved to help him, and before long the entire cottage smelled of scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage.
"You cook remarkably well, for a rouge bachelor," Beta commented between bites. They sat across from each other at Remus' table, both quite at ease.
"If I didn't, I'd likely die of starvation," he said with a smile.
Several minutes passed of friendly silence, save for the sound of scraping forks and knives. Remus watched Beta's face with a strange excited happiness. His heart kept leaping every time she spoke, no matter how mundane the comment. Then suddenly, he could feel an uneasiness about her, the feeling quickly spreading to him. Beta cleared her throat, pushing her empty plate away, not quite looking at him.
"Er…" she started. "About last night."
Remus felt as if a piece of bacon lodged in his throat. "What?"
"We, uh… we can't tell anyone about it. Not yet, anyway." He couldn't read her expression, but he felt Beta's vibes nevertheless, and she was clearly trying to keep herself under control.
"Of course," he said quietly. "If Alpha were to find out, I would surely be removed. And… and you…"
"This summer is when things will change. You will have to make a choice, then. After that, I have a right to make my own." She took on her air of characteristic indifference, her eyes hidden by her mess of bangs.
"This summer, then," Remus said. He looked down in his lap, twisting his napkin in his hands.
Beta suddenly sat up straighter and looked at him properly. He returned her gaze, feeling somewhat relieved that her vibes had changed to genuine curiosity.
"You are very loyal to your friends, especially that Sirius fellow and the James Potter you were talking about. They are your other pack, yes?"
Remus smiled softly. "Yes, I guess you can say that."
"Do they know about our Pack?"
He shifted a little in his seat, looking away and feeling unease settle on him again.
"No…I haven't told them, yet."
"But they know what you are?"
"Yes. They were my first friends and are my best ones. I guess you could call them my family. We're like brothers… and sisters, if you count Lily. Although to James, she's something more."
"And who am I to you?" she asked, her head cocked a little and just enough that a few strands of her hair fell away to show one of her large dark eyes. Remus noted that she didn't mention the Pack, which made him curious on top of his already strong emotional feelings toward the woman in front of him.
"You're something new," he whispered. "Something different. More than what I ever thought I had before."
Either of them didn't know what to say after that. Beta looked away, biting her lip and for the first time looking torn. After several minutes, they both got up to clean the table in silence. Then Remus recalled yet again just how bad he smelled to himself and excused himself to the shower. Normally Remus would take his time with bathing and other routine hygienic things, but the mental picture of Beta sitting patiently on his bed wearing his wizarding robe and borrowed pair of tube socks made him hurry.
By the time he was dressed in fresh clothing, Beta was beginning to pull on her coat.
"I better go before Alpha gets too suspicious." She looked at him indirectly. "Will you run… will you run with me, next month?"
Remus felt his heart beat faster, if that was possible.
"Alpha wouldn't like that," he said.
"Before the end of summer, Alpha won't be in the position anymore to care, will he? Time to start your plan in action, Rogue." She looked at him squarely.
Remus felt something stir at the back of his mind, something almost unconscious trying to bubble up into memory. He had a vague sense that Beta knew what it was, and was trying to remind him. She was keener to her canine instincts anyway, having been born with the curse.
"What will you do?" he asked her.
Beta looked away for a moment, seeming to consider her answer. "What I always do. Listen, watch, and learn. As second in command, it is my duty. As a pack member, it is my privilege. But, as a companion, it is all I can do."
Remus didn't have a chance to react to her last statement, as Beta suddenly grabbed his hands and pulled him close to her- so close that he could feel her hot breath on his face.
"Heed me on this, though, my Rogue," she whispered, her eyes dark with concern. "Things are always more than what they seem. Take care that you tread the right path."
Then, lightly, she quickly kissed him by his right ear and released her hold. Before he had a chance to blink, she was gone, the door sliding shut in her wake. Remus was too stunned to move, nor to see her lithe shape move quickly out into the forest. He simply stared at the space where she had stood, where she had held him close, with such emotional intensity that he suddenly came to the realization that he knew what his feelings all meant.
And he was both elated, and afraid.
"Mister Remus Lupin! Please come in."
Owen the house-elf quickly ushered Remus into the sitting room at the Potter Estate with his usual important air. The little elf seemed a tad tense, however, and Remus suspected why. When he laid eyes upon his friends, Sirius was sitting on the edge of an armchair with his fingers drumming on his knees. James was at the end of the sofa, one hand holding up his head as he stared dully at the floor. Lily was clearly not in a pleasant mood, sitting on the other side of the sofa with her arms crossed. They all barely looked up as Remus took his usual seat on the other armchair, and Remus frowned.
"How are you feeling, Remus?" Lily asked politely, although her expression clearly showed that she wanted a different answer to a different question. It was more like, "So, Remus, do explain exactly why you suggested to take my fiancé out to drink and allow him to get so hopelessly drunk?"
Remus found himself swallowing nervously and dared a glance at Sirius, who smiled stupidly back.
"Quite alright, thank you." He unconsciously began to drum his own fingers across his lap.
"Enough already!" James snapped. "You might as well get on with it and lecture us all."
Lily slowly turned to stare at him; it was a look enough to scare the strongest man senseless. James immediately looked away, slinking down further on the sofa until he was nearly on the floor.
"What use will a lecture do? You all have done stupid things before," she said stoically.
"Then perhaps we should just explain our actions anyway, so as not to make us out to look completely stupid," Sirius said bravely.
Remus glanced at Sirius again, who glanced back and gave a slight nod. This was why they were there after all, Lily did not demand them over for an explanation.
Lily's hard expression softened slightly into suspicious concern. "Go on."
After a deep breath, Remus explained his and Sirius' concerns about her and James. How they were always busy, always attacked more than the others, sought out by the Death Eaters, and James' obvious growing worry about Lily. Sirius added in his say intermediately, and the whole while Lily listened intently as James stared at his friends with an unreadable expression.
"So we knew James would never openly admit to our suspicions," Remus said while James blushed slightly and looked away. "And that's why we, or myself, resorted to drastic and foolish actions to find out what's going on."
"It was both our idea," Sirius added, making sure he got share of the blame and not entirely Remus. "I encouraged it. We know it was stupid to do, and even dishonest, but frankly, we didn't know what else to do."
Lily looked a little shocked and even slightly afraid, turning to James and back to Remus and Sirius.
"It's true how much harder we've had to work as a team lately, and how the Death Eaters strangely seem to concentrate only on James and I, but I had no idea that you were this frightened for me, James!" Lily said the last part to James, who looked back at her now with loving concern.
"I… I didn't know how… I didn't want you to…" he faltered.
Realization dawned on her face, and Lily looked solely at James.
"That's why you've been acting so much more protective lately."
James bit his lip a moment, swallowing hard.
"It's just superstition," he said.
"But you still believe it," she countered. "In the prophecy?"
"Do you think that the Death Eaters are more violent toward you because of this prophecy?" Remus offered. "Could Voldemort be the other force talked of in it?"
James was at a loss. He shook his head and crossed his arms while Lily looked at him apprehensively.
Sirius' expression turned fierce and he stood up, fists clenched.
"James, you know I would do anything to protect you and Lily. We're all a part of the Order. If you're afraid of something, tell us. Remus and I will do what we can… Peter too."
"He's right," Remus said with absolute certainty. "You can count on us."
"You shouldn't keep things from me, James. Not matter what," Lily said gently, reaching for James' hand. He grabbed it and squeezed it lovingly.
"You guys have no idea how much you all mean to me. What I would do if any of you should get… should get hurt… or…" James whispered.
"What? After all the mischief you led us in at Hogwarts? All those times we nearly got ourselves killed, or expelled, or hexed because it was your idea? I'm surprised," Sirius said lightly, smiling at James.
They all laughed then, but Remus noticed that the fear was still etched in James' eyes. Especially whenever he looked at Lily. No matter what James said, he believed totally in the prophecy, and Remus had a feeling that Dumbledore knew more about it than he claimed. It wasn't just Remus the old wizard had private meetings with- James also met with Dumbledore frequently, and James always left them with a grim expression. Voldemort was connected to them in a way that made a chill go down Remus' spine.
"I promise," James said. "No more secrets. But let's not think about this anymore for now… we have a wedding to plan."
The weather grew warmer and the snow disappeared. Birds returned from their winter holiday, and the lakes and streams began to flow once more. Spring was in full swing, and after the last of the birthdays was celebrated, Remus felt more alive at 19 years of age than at any other time in his life.
It never occurred to him that getting married at his age was too young. In the case of Lily and James, both being among the oldest of Remus' friends, 19 going on 20 didn't matter when it came to love. Despite everything, it was clear that the only soul on Earth that mattered to James was Lily, a half of his whole. Seeing them together brought joy to Remus' heart, and as their wedding drew closer, Remus couldn't help but get caught up with it right along with the groom.
"Do you think these slacks make my butt too big?" Sirius asked, trying to look at his rear as he stepped out of the dressing room in Madame Malkin's. "Look at me from the side, do I look different to you?"
They were getting fitted for their tuxedos, and James had only Remus, Sirius, and Peter as his groomsmen.
"Your butt's big to begin with," James muttered, staring instead at his hands that were wearing white gloves. "I dunno 'bout the gloves, Madame. I look like some sort of snobby baron with them."
"Perhaps," Madame Malkin said. She took them away and went to pin places on Peter's tails that were too short.
"I think green puts some pounds on me," Peter muttered, frowning at himself in the mirror before him. All four of them wore vests of green velvet, with James' trimmed with gold and auburn. Their slacks and tails were black, with white collared shirts that ruffled at the neck in the front and pinned down with a gold clasp. James' clasp was a family heirloom, bearing the family crest engraved upon it.
Remus looked down at his own tuxedo, noting how it hung off of him like loose skin. No matter what, he didn't seem to put on any pounds. Beta had mentioned to him once before that you don't hear of any fat werewolves. The thought of her put a silly grin on his face that Sirius interpreted as a joke toward Peter.
"Looks like a jolly ol' elf, doesn't he Moony?" he jeered as Peter narrowed his eyes at him.
"Oh, shut up. You look like a dragon in heat," Peter snapped.
"Come off it, rat!" Sirius scuffed.
"You come off it!" Peter countered.
"Gentlemen, it's a little difficult to fit you if you're engaged in a pub room brawl," Malkin said dryly, pushing in a pin under Peter's arm that connected with his skin, making him yelp.
"Sorry, Madame," Peter said humbly.
"Sorry, Madame!" Sirius squeaked mockingly under his breath so that she couldn't hear. Remus let out a soft chuckle as Malkin eyed them suspiciously.
"Fitting your bride and her ladies wasn't half as difficult the other day," she muttered, handing James a mirror to look at himself more closely.
"That's because they let us do all the difficult'ing," Sirius snickered.
Both James and Remus shot him a look.
"What?" Sirius asked innocently.
Madame Malkin needed only a few more adjustments and afterward had the men take their tuxedos off. She wrote up an invoice and put the clothing aside for the proper tailoring.
"It will all be ready for pick-up next week in time," she said to James.
"Right, thank you Madame!" he said to her as they left the shop.
"Should we all come to get ours, or should one of us volunteer to pick them all up and bring it to your place?" Remus asked James as they stepped out into Diagon Alley. It was nearly lunchtime on that Saturday, and already the cobblestone street was busy with shoppers. They had to move out of the way to avoid being run over before James thought enough to answer.
"Well, considering I have to pick up the rings from the jeweler in Muggle London next week as well, it might be easier for one person to pick up all the tuxes," he said as one particularly overweight witch bustled unnecessarily close to him and the others. James tried to hide his grimace, but the witch clearly took notice and stuck out her chubby chin indignantly as she dismissed the display behind them and left.
"Do we know which day they'll be ready?" Peter asked, rubbing his right arm where a passer-by had hit him on their way into Madame Malkin's. "I would volunteer, but I have some prior appointments to take care of before the big day."
"I'm sure Remus and I can do it," Sirius offered. Remus looked at him. "If he's free, that is," Sirius added.
"I don't mind." Remus smiled.
"That'd be great," James said, nodding.
A brief break in the current of shoppers in the street allowed them to move. They spent a great deal of time discussing the plans for the next several days leading up to the wedding, stopping every now and then to look into Quality Quidditch Supplies and the apothecary. One particular store caught Remus' eye as James and Sirius argued over proffered plans for James' bachelor party.
When Remus was very young, before the cursed bite shattered his life, he had admired his brother's most prized possession: an ordinary looking Muggle camera. It was different, however, in the fact that all the photographs it took were enchanted to move. One did not need to have magical blood to operate it, so Remus' father thought it was a perfect gift for his unfortunate first-born. The camera was perhaps the one thing Neo was proud of, since it gave him a small sense of equality in the eyes of his family. However, as Remus grew older and after he was cursed, Neo soon became resentful toward the camera as well. He knew that Remus was fond of it, and to spite him he had the camera destroyed. Just how he managed to do it, Remus never found out.
Now, Remus found himself staring down at almost an exact duplicate of Neo's old camera sitting in the front of a window for a shop called Anything & Everything.
"How silly," Peter said from behind Remus' shoulder. He was peering curiously at what Remus was looking at. "What's a Muggle thing doing in Diagon Alley?"
"It's not really a Muggle camera," Remus said, feeling surprisingly defensive for the thing. "It's enchanted, to make the pictures move."
"Oh, well then. I didn't know they used something like that. Mother doesn't have a camera of any sort. Just portraits that keep bugging me to comb back my hair and tuck in my shirt." Peter shrugged.
"Wizard photographs don't talk," Remus said, finding himself smiling down at the camera. "They only move."
Peter merely shrugged again, looking back at James and Sirius with a laugh.
"Wish we'd have a photograph of them. It'd be a lot quieter!"
Indeed, they were certainly making a scene. Sirius was insisting on taking some exotic holiday to a beach somewhere, full of pubs and women in bikinis. James wanted to stay closer to home, and Remus sensed he knew why. Lily's bachelorette party had already been planned by her friends, consisting of a night at the Muggle cinema and a disco somewhere in London. James clearly did not want to stray too far from that vicinity, just in case something should happen that Lily couldn't handle on her own.
Looking back at the camera, Remus made up his mind. Reaching for his wallet, he left Peter with a puzzled look in the street and walked into the shop. Ten minutes later he appeared with a small wrapped package and his wallet considerably lighter.
"You're too late," Peter said, pointing to James and Sirius. "They've shut up. I think they finally agreed on something."
"Peter, you little prat," Sirius said suddenly, looking at them. Remus sighed but was still satisfied that he had bought the camera. It had been a long time since he had bought something for himself. There would be many uses for it, he was certain. "You could have helped."
"Oh, lay off it, Padfoot," James sighed. "It doesn't matter."
"I see Moony went shopping," Sirius brought himself to say, eyeing James.
"Someone has to document all the crazy things we do," Remus laughed. "Thought I might snap a few shots at the wedding for you, James."
"Now there's one thing Lily and I forgot about. A photographer! Great, I'm glad we'll have something to show our children." James grinned at him graciously.
"Now there's a scary thought," Sirius muttered. James punched him in the shoulder.
"What have you agreed on?" Remus asked, putting a spell on the package so that it was shrunken to fit inside the pocket of his wizarding robe.
"I hope it has nothing to do with The Dragon's Double," Peter said with a frown. He had made it clear that he was very glad he had not been with them the last time Remus, James, and Sirius went to that particular pub. Remus doubted they would be welcomed there anyway after what had happened.
"Better," Sirius said with his characteristic mischievous grin. "The Marauders are going back."
Remus and Peter exchanged slightly puzzled looks.
"But, Sirius, I said-" Peter began.
"Back where?" Remus asked, cutting him off.
"Our last great mission as single, shape-shifting men!" Sirius cried.
"Back to Hogwarts, Moony," James said. "Back to claim what's rightfully ours to pass on to the next generation. We're gonna get our map back."
Showing up unannounced on Hogwarts grounds was something the adults of the castle were used to, knowing that Remus and the others were members of the Order and they had authorized access. Anyone else who tried to enter the grounds without prior authorization during the school year were stopped and questioned, by both magical barriers and an alerted professor or Hagrid himself. It was the last day of April and the evening was proving to be warm and muggy after an afternoon of rain. They had no difficulties getting onto the castle grounds, aside from getting stuck in mud and bit by various nocturnal insects.
James and Sirius were as excited as ever to be back to their nighttime foray. There was also something in the way James bounced on his heels that told Remus there was something more than excitement making him eager to start their infiltration of the castle. There was also nervousness and impatience to get it done; Lily being out on her own with her girlfriends was clearly the reason.
"It would just be easier to walk in and simply ask Filch to give it back," Peter said dubiously. "We're grown adults. It's not like we're students and he can't give it back to us in fear of us making trouble."
"That would take the fun out of it, now wouldn't it?" Sirius asked him pointedly. "Besides, I doubt he'd even hand it over to us after seeing our pins."
"He's right," James agreed. "We may be 19, but we don't look that much older. He'd probably give us detention anyway and report us to Dumbledore. Don't think that'd look good on our record if four Order members got a detention for stalking the hallways at night."
"Then how do you plan on doing this?" Remus asked with his arms folded, looking at the castle critically.
"Me and Sirius will transform and try to distract Filch. Peter will transform and distract his stupid cat…-"
"I'm gonna WHAT?" Peter cried. Remus had to grab him and throw his hand over Peter's mouth. A shout like that could have alerted anyone close to the grounds.
"Shut up, you bloody idiot!" Sirius hissed. "You wanna blow our cover?"
"And Remus, using my invisibility cloak, will go into Filch's office and find the map," James finished, glaring at Peter.
"Sounds simple enough," Remus muttered, removing his hand from Peter's mouth. Peter remained silent, glowering at them all.
"I always get stuck doing something more outrageous," he whispered heatedly.
"Funny," Sirius said slyly. "I seem to remember you begging to do anything as long as you were with us."
"Yes, that was then but this could mean our jobs!" Peter had to keep from shrieking. Remus couldn't help but agree with him on that point, yet the thrill of being back on Hogwarts grounds, at night, unseen, completely going against the rules… well, it was enough to set him grinning as he quietly followed James and Sirius up to the main doors to the castle. Peter followed resolutely, but not without trepidation as he cautiously brought up the rear.
"Best to transform now so as not to be seen as we really are just in case," Sirius whispered.
"One thing, Padfoot," James whispered urgently back. "You might walk around unheard with your paws, but I think that hooves on stone are slightly more audible."
Sirius looked at him in alarm; clearly he hadn't thought of that. They all stood there staring at each other for a few moments, before Remus got an idea.
"What about a silencing spell? Of course you won't be able to sound an alarm or anything, but at least you won't be heard running up and down the corridors," he said to James.
James nodded, and Remus pulled out his wand. After a soft swishing noise, a large and magnificent stag stood in the place James had been.
"Quietus," Remus muttered. James, as the stag, blinked and moved to test the spell by stepping up onto one of the stone steps leading to the castle doors. Sure enough, no matter how hard he jumped, no sound came.
"Right then, you all know what to do. Let's go!" Sirius transformed into the huge black dog and Peter shriveled down into his rat form. Remus carefully and quietly opened the doors and the three animals silently swept inside.
Remus' grin was broad despite the ridiculous risk he and the others were doing. Walking the silent and dark hallways and corridors brought back countless memories of older days when the biggest danger was getting caught by Filch and getting detention polishing the trophies in the Trophy Room. Their beloved Marauder's Map was confiscated one fateful night in their seventh year by the haggard, old janitor and his newfound accomplice, his cat Mrs. Norris. It was a foul-up that they had took a long time to recover from, with James accepting the blame. After nearly three years of undiscovered marauding, it was finally caught when James had taken it out with his Invisibility Cloak and he got caught in the trick step on the main stairway. The map had fallen out of his hands, only just after he had managed to seal the map back into looking like an old piece of parchment. It fell out of reach, and in his struggle to retrieve it, his cloak had fallen off.
Mrs. Norris was the first to catch James and alert Filch, and, knowing he had no way of escaping, James quickly took off the cloak and hid it before Filch could figure out he owned the rare fashion. Afterward, James served six weeks in detention and the map, suspected of being more than just a piece of parchment, was filed away in Filch's filing cabinet of confiscated goods.
Reaching Filch's office was just as easy in darkness as it was in daylight, having had memorized every possible way of getting there after the countless times Remus had been dragged to it in various degrees of trouble. When he could see Filch's office door from a distance, he hid behind a corner. It wasn't until he heard something valuable shatter on the floor somewhere in the castle and Peter as the rat dash across the doorframe, that Filch came out of his office.
"Students! Out of bed! Blasted overgrown vermin… every year! Come, my sweet," Filch growled. Mrs. Norris quickly trotted out the door and started toward where the noise came from when Peter caught her attention. To Filch's annoyed shock, the gangly cat made a beeline for Peter's petrified rat self and disappeared down the other end of the hall.
"This is no time to be chasing mice!" he shouted. Remus flattened himself against the wall as Filch stomped down the hall past him just as another crash could be heard echoing up the castle. "I'll get them meself!"
When Filch's angry muttering couldn't be heard any longer, Remus slowly came out from his hiding place and walked quickly to Filch's office. Carefully closing the door, he turned immediately to the filing cabinet where he knew Filch had filed the map away.
There were countless files in each of the ten drawers, some of them dating back to 1940. Remus had no idea that Filch was that old, yet then again it was possible that this filing cabinet held files made by previous janitors. After nearly five minutes, the second to last drawer held four over-stuffed files:
Black, Sirius A.
LUPIN, REMUS J.
PETTIGREW, PETER O.
POTTER, JAMES J.
Remus quickly flipped through the numerous referrals and confiscated articles each of their files contained. He knew the map would most likely be filed in James' folder but he was curious to see what Filch had written in their files:
. . . Black was found turning all the suits of armor pink. Request maximum charge…
. . . Student was found hiding under a table in the library after hours. Identified himself as Pettigrew. Request detention for participating in a suspicious activity of ambush…
. . . Charged with unauthorized experimentation of spells on other students. Lupin repeatedly turned others in his year into blue weasels. Potter and Black are also charged with excessive laughter…
The list went on and on. Remus had to try very hard not to laugh as he remembered almost each and every incident. He was especially proud of the time he had accidentally turned a group of students into blue weasels, including Severus Snape. Of all the times they got caught, there were the times they didn't, and every year Remus and the others grew more skilled at eluding Filch.
Suddenly, a slight noise behind him sent Remus into a violent start. He threw the file he was reading back in the drawer and slammed it shut, just before turning around to face a tall figure in the dark. A feeling of dread overpowered him. Not only was getting caught in general bad, but getting caught while being a Ministry official and employee of Dumbledore was worse. This would no doubt cost him his job, he concluded to himself.
How ironic too! Fired for snooping around the castle doing what I've done for the past six years!
However, the figure was not the hunched over form of Filch but a slender and strong female shadow. Then, to his utmost surprise, Beta stepped into a sliver of light.
"What are you doing?" she whispered, her face suspicious.
"What am I doing? What are you doing? How'd you get into the castle?" Remus had to keep himself from shrieking.
She opened her mouth to answer, but she didn't manage one. They stood there gaping at one another, until a distant sound of footsteps brought them both to their senses.
"Blasted animals! Just wait until I get my net, then I'll have you!" Filch was quickly coming back to his office.
"Quick!" Remus said sharply, grabbing her shoulder and peeking around the doorframe. He could not see Filch yet, but his footsteps were getting louder. Quickly, he dragged Beta in the other direction down the corridor and practically tossed her into an empty classroom. After checking to see that the coast was clear, he locked the door.
"Now," Remus whispered hoarsely, trying to catch his breath. "Tell me just what you were thinking when you decided to follow me tonight."
For the first time since Remus had ever met Beta, he noticed her cheeks go bright red even in the minimal light. She was clearly embarrassed and the emotion was almost immediately covered by her characteristic hot temper.
"My business is my own," she grumbled.
"You always say that," Remus said.
"Because you always ask!" Beta hissed.
"Because you always follow me!" he hissed back.
They stood glaring at each other just as Filch's footsteps started resonating from the hallway. Heart pounding, Remus roughly grabbed Beta and he pulled her flat to the floor.
"Honestly," Beta whispered exasperatedly, her voiced muffled flat on the floor. "Can' –ou say a s'ell?"
"What?" Remus asked distractedly, ears strained to the footsteps that were now growing fainter.
Beta got up on her knees and grabbed his head between her hands, forcing him to look directly at her.
"I said," she growled. "Can't you say a spell? Or, is playing secret agent all you're capable of doing in a magic school?"
Remus grabbed her wrists and stared back.
"What? Don't you like rolling around on the floor?" he asked sarcastically.
She scowled at him as he got to his feet and checked the door. Cracking it open slightly, Remus checked to see if Filch was gone.
"You're more brazen than you used to be," Beta said, getting up.
"I've been around you too long," he said, smiling innocently at her.
"Anyway," she said, crossing her arms. "I'd like to know what you are doing here tonight."
Remus narrowed his eyes at her, all humor gone. There were two reasons why Beta almost always followed him. One was that it was her job as second in command to keep tabs on him, since he was the "rogue" and therefore the least trustworthy. Second was, well, because of Alpha. Remus knew that the feeling he always got when he thought of or saw her, deep down in his heart it was love, yet they never said anything. After that one night, they had not gotten intimate with each other again. Remus sensed that Beta had decided to act extra careful because of Alpha and their plans that would take place in the summer.
Beta knew that Remus worked against Voldemort and his followers, and lately she had stopped trying to persuade him to give up and join the work the Death Eaters were doing. Instead, she listened more when he talked about the evil things Voldemort was trying to do and how everything he said was a lie. Especially after how Churo was treated, it was clear that the werewolves would not get what they were promised. For once since he had taken on the assignment, Remus felt like he really had a chance to turn the Pack around and away from the dark arts.
It was not like Beta to follow him into an establishment so heavily guarded, however. If she did, she always hid outside. Because she had a wizarding heritage, she was therefore no Muggle and could clearly see Hogwarts' castle. Whatever drove Beta to follow Remus directly into the castle troubled him deeply.
After several moments of silence, of which the two of them continued to stare each other out, Beta's heated regime fell and a look unlike any other he had ever seen on her face took its place.
"I… I just- I just wanted… well, I…" she stuttered.
Remus blinked, continuing to stare at her. There was a sense of longing building up from inside of him as he took in every one of her features. To the average eye she probably looked rather plain and washy. However, he saw a magnificent and supple creature as if she were made of wind. For a long time he had wanted to have someone special like James had with Lily. Lily was made for James, and Remus couldn't help but feel that Beta… somehow… was made for him.
However, Remus knew nothing could ever be that way. He swallowed and began to grow nervous under Beta's intense eyes in the dim light. She looked very odd, standing there and staring at him like a deer caught in headlights. "Beta, what's wrong?"
Nearly to his relief, her usual self-pride exploded in angry contempt. "There's nothing wrong! Don't stare at me like I'm about to jump you!"
"Shh!" he hissed quickly, glancing at the door. "Do you want to be found?"
She strode what seemed like two steps and Beta was almost instantly upon him. Emotion mixed with both embarrassed fear and curious elation with her scent filling his nostrils filled him. Remus' face quickly turned scarlet.
"Do you regret that one night?" she asked him in a hoarse whisper, her tone sounding almost… almost desperate for an answer she was nearly afraid to hear.
He stared straight into her eyes, his expression softening. "No," he said, slowly touching her cheek. "Do you?"
Beta appeared to be caught between decisions, until she suddenly turned just as red in the face and backed away as fast as if his flesh had burned her.
"I… oh." She stared at her hands, which had started to shake, and her expression became stony. Before Remus could open his mouth, she had bolted past him, unlocked the door, and nearly stepped on a small shadow on the floor before bolting into the dark corridor.
The small shadow then suddenly transformed into a very bedraggled Peter. The small young man stared at Remus, both of them with their mouths agape.
"Moony? But… who?" He pointed in the direction Beta had disappeared.
"Just a student I knew, a year younger," Remus said quickly. "Where're the others? I couldn't get the map; Filch came."
Peter looked at him suspiciously. "Filch ran them out into the Forbidden Forest. His stupid cat had me in a corner, until Peeves took notice and flung a vase at us. Mrs. Norris ran off after the annoying pest, thank God. We need to get out of here quick before Filch finds us, though."
"Right then, let's get out of here before things get worse." Remus pushed past Peter and started to nearly run down the corridor, down the main stairwell, and nearly flew out the front doors with Peter scrabbling at his heels to keep up. Later, when Remus looked back on that night, he couldn't figure out how he got out of the castle and off of school grounds without any sign of Filch, his stupid cat, or Peeves for that matter.
James and Sirius were downright depressed that they didn't get the map back. While they did not blame Remus for the failure, he felt like he was entirely to blame (which, in fact, he was if he remembered everything that happened). He didn't tell James and Sirius about Beta or just how he got distracted. Filch simply arrived back and he had to hide. Peter, however, did not say anything about the girl he saw… although, he did keep glancing at Remus with an unreadable expression that Remus passed off as mild, maybe even amused, suspicion.
Lily was, naturally, very concerned about James and how depressed he was in the days after his "bachelor's party". They didn't tell her about what they did, simply that their mission pretty much failed. At first she was suspicious, then concerned after James spent the next three days on the sofa in the sitting room staring at the wall and muttering how his children will wander around Hogwarts aimlessly without meaning. By the fourth day, the day before the wedding, Remus had to drag him out of the house to pick up the tuxedos and the rings. This was doubly good, because Lily had become so exasperated by that time, James most likely would have never have lived to see the alter the next day.
Fortunately for James, the happiest day of his life counteracted anything the Marauders could ever do in a lifetime. Remus stepped out onto the sidewalk in Hogsmeade next to the church and smiled up at the sun, while James and Sirius fretted over their bow ties continuously becoming crooked. Peter was beginning to sweat, although not from the warm weather for that May morning. He would be escorting Alissa, one of Lily's bridesmaids. For some reason, the tall blonde seemed to hold a grudge against him, and Peter always felt very intimidated by her. Sirius made it a point that he and the Maid of Honor made a smashing good couple, although Ash always criticized him. Sirius never complained, however, claiming that he had been criticized since the day he was born.
When they entered the church, filled with mainly friends since most of James' and Lily's families were deceased, James was so nervous, Sirius practically had to help him to the front of the alter. Remus stood to Sirius' left and Peter did likewise, nervously wringing his hands behind his back. The music started, the guests quieted, and the bridesmaids made their entrance.
Remus' eyes wandered as Ash marched down the isle, strewn with rose petals. He saw many of Hogwarts' professors in the pews, as well as Dumbledore himself close to the front. Most of the members of the Order were there as well, dressed in their formal robes. Everyone wore their very best, be it Muggle or wizarding clothing. The stained glass windows made the entire sanctuary glitter in all the colors of the rainbow, making it feel like Remus stood at the heart of happiness. However, when he saw Mika making her way down the isle, he couldn't help imagining Beta wearing that deep emerald green gown, her long hair adorned with flowers. He could just see her mysterious eyes gazing at him as she made her way toward the alter. Then she blinked, and she was Mika again… with her short black hair and gray eyes. His heart sank slightly, hardly noticing how Peter squeaked under his breath when Alissa came beaming down the isle, giving Peter a cold glance despite the smile.
The music stopped, allowing the organist to begin the bridal march. Remus saw James in the corner of his eye straighten up and swallow a small lump in his throat. Lily appeared down the isle, stepping in time to the music, smiling her brilliant smile that seemed to illuminate the world at that moment. Her dress highlighted every feature of her body in white silk, with embroidery embellishing the hems and neckline. The train of the dress dropped a little past the floor, causing it to drag and pull fallen rose petals along. Remus couldn't help but grin, noticing how James and Lily looked right at each other without any care for who or what was around them. She reached the alter, took James' proffered hand, and the priest began the ceremony.
Remus stood silently in his place throughout the hour-long recitation of vows and sermon. He kept looking at James and Lily, feeling very happy for them and content with a sense that this was meant to be from the beginning. However, Remus also envied James more at that moment than at any other time before… he was marrying the woman he loved more than life itself. They could and would have a life together, raise a beautiful family, and maintain a stable lifestyle. What could Remus hope for? The woman he kept picturing in his head standing at his side taking vows was Beta; No matter what, however, a life together with her would not be as picturesque.
"I now pronounce you, man and wife!" said the priest. "You may kiss the bride!"
James and Lily smiled broadly and displayed one of the most romantic kisses Remus had ever seen. He clapped while Sirius hollered excitedly and Peter whistled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Potter!"
The congregation stood as the newlyweds joyfully made their way down the isle and out of the sanctuary. Sirius took Ash's arm and followed behind them. Remus and Mika exchanged polite smiles as he took her arm in his and followed suit, taking care not to tense up in her presence. To his relief, when they exited the church and began the short walk to the carriages that would take them back to the Potter estate for the reception, Mika took her arm from his and hurried to catch up with Ash. Remus suppressed a sigh of relief, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Peter hurried to his side in her place, though, panting out of breath.
"Oh, honestly! One more moment with her and I would've passed out," he moaned.
Remus rolled his eyes. "You mustn't let her get to you like that."
"If a woman threatened your reproductive future if she thought you looked at her funny, you would be close to unconsciousness as well!" Peter snipped.
Remus kept himself from letting out a snort at the thought of Alissa depriving Peter of ever fathering children and joined the others on one of the several carriages that were taking the guests to the Potter estate. The ride was a short one (no doubt helped along with a bit of magic) and the wedding party arrived at the completely decked out front lawn of the Potter's home. Remus quickly took advantage of his new camera, taking pictures of guests and friends, as well as plenty of James and Lily. He got them to pose for a moment, smiling and waving while Sirius grinned madly beside them.
"Excellent," James said after Remus took the photo. "That'll be a keeper!"
The food, which ranged everywhere from the finest steak to sushi, was served by the various house-elves of the Potter estate. Remus sat with Sirius, Peter, and the newlyweds, watching as they gossiped together. Sirius was discussing Quidditch moves adamantly with Ash. James and Lily naturally only had eyes for each other. Peter talked quietly with the Longbottoms, their expressions curiously solemn. Remus was about to lean closer to hear more about their conversation, when something caught his eye.
There was a person standing at the back of the lawn where the tents and tables ended. The person's wizarding robes were a cobalt blue color, with a red embroidered pattern along the edges. Looking closer, he saw long brown hair braided down the person's side, the bangs parted with what appeared to be pins. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the eyes- a flash of blue so deep he could swim in the pools of the irises.
"Who's that?" Sirius suddenly blurted out, making Remus jump. He paled when the rest of his table took notice and looked.
"A friend of mine," he said suddenly, jumping to his feet. James and Lily looked at him curiously, Peter gave him a peculiar expression.
"Remus, you git, don't just stand there! Get her over here!" Sirius hit him in the shoulder.
Remus looked at James and Lily, trying hard to keep his expression impassive. "I don't believe she was invited, though."
"For crying out loud, Remus! Invite the poor woman in, why don't you?" James cried. "If you don't, I will."
Sirius pushed Remus none too gently away from the table. Stumbling, he quickly made his way to where Beta stood, standing as still as a statue and alarmingly beautiful in her attire. He didn't notice how both of them blushed furiously as he squared shoulders with her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes meeting his. Remus' heart flipped at the sight despite himself.
"For what?" he asked incredulously.
"I followed you again."
He smiled. "You follow me all the time."
Beta looked uncertain. "But this time I came prepared."
"I see that," he replied. "I wasn't aware you owned wizarding attire."
"This is my mother's. It's not something I display all the time," she said. For a moment she took her eyes off of him and looked at the reception. Several eyes were still trained on them, including James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter.
"Does the Pack know you're here?" Remus asked her, suddenly.
She looked at him. "The Pack could care less where I go, except perhaps Alpha. But he does not rule me… he's not my mate. They grow restless, though, with the upcoming battle this summer. You're lucky you're a rogue… you can join whatever pack pleases you."
Remus stared hard at her. If she said anything to anyone here, his secret mission for Dumbledore and the Order would be exposed. It was a major risk that no one except himself and Dumbledore, who sat with the other guests, knew about.
"I'm not invited here," Beta said quickly, starting to back away. "I should go."
"No!" Remus grabbed her hand and she looked at him in complete surprise. "No, you're welcome to stay. Please."
Slowly, she nodded and a phantom of a smile graced her lips. Remus blushed again and gently tugged her toward the main table, where the wedding party sat waiting eagerly. Beta clearly looked like a frightened deer presented to a pack of wolves, however she managed to maintain her characteristic composure. James and Lily smiled broadly as Remus brought her to stand before them.
"James, Lily… this is my friend, er…" Remus faltered a moment. Would it raise too many curious questions about why her name was Beta?
However, Beta solved that problem for him, much to his astonishment.
"Gildie," she said politely, gently squeezing his hand. "Gildie Carter. I'm so sorry to intrude, however, congratulations to the two of you."
Lily stood and took her free hand. "It's nice to meet you, Gildie. You're more than welcome here."
James did the same. "A pleasure." He winked at Remus, who blushed even more furiously. He quickly turned to Sirius, who was grinning madly and looking mischievously at Remus.
"This is Sirius Black," Remus said with a hint of warning in his voice.
"And quite harmless, I assure you, young miss!" he said with a nod of his head.
"I'm sure," she said with a glance at Remus, who rolled his eyes.
When he introduced her to Peter, the look on his face made Remus nearly afraid. It was Peter who saw Beta dash off that failed night at Hogwarts. Ever since then he had acted rather strange around Remus. Beta exchanged pleasantries and then took a seat next to Remus, while Peter moved to another table.
"Gildie Carter… you never told me your real name," Remus whispered in her ear when everyone went back to their other conversations.
"There was never a reason to," she replied nonchalantly.
He looked at her and she looked at him.
"Until now," she said.
Author's Note: So what was it about this chapter that took so long? Aside from school starting in addition to work, my spare time/energy dwindled to a ridiculous size. To make matters worse, I had to re-write certain parts of the chapter because they weren't in tune to the story.
James' bachelor party was going to be very different. Instead of a last crusade to rescue the Marauder's Map, Sirius had planned a different trip and kept the idea to himself until time came to disapparate. What he intended was a seaside holiday in Miami Beach, however he and the others had apparated to the wrong part of Miami and ended up at the Miami Seaquarium. As this scene progressed, it strayed further and further from the mood/idea of the story and into some kinky "road trip-like" teen movie. I completely scrapped the 3 pages that took up and re-wrote it to what you've read today.
The scene where Beta suddenly pops up at Hogwarts while Remus is looking for the map in Filch's office was originally more… er… provocative. When Remus drew Beta into the spare classroom and demanded an explanation, her original response was more suggestive of the time of the month and her ticking biological clock ::wink wink, cough:: What followed was a pretty sappy, cheap romance-novel-esque scene that threatened to produce furry little Remuses running around by the end of the fic.
Again I had a problem with Beta at the very end when she showed up unannounced at James' and Lily's wedding. Several possibilities showed up at this point, ranging from her knowingly leading Alpha to the reception under his force, her unknowingly leading him there and him spying on her and Remus thus exposing their affection for each other, to Alpha doing the former situation with the addition of jumping out and raging a war among the guests.
Add all this to posting problems and you got unlucky chapter 13! I truly, truly hope that chapter 14 does not take nearly as long and be nearly as difficult. At the most, there are only 2 more chapters left… so we're coming to the end, folks! Please, please take a moment to leave a comment or two by reviewing. It doesn't take that long, honest! Thanks for waiting so long, I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^_^
~Orca
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