Disclaimer: Simply, anyone you don't recognize from JK's world is mine. Anyone you do recognize, those are JK's. Pretty much all new ideas in this are also mine. The canon events of this story are JK's. Got it? Good.
Summary: When a duplication with a Timekey exiled James Potter from the Wizarding World, he never expected that 19 years later he'd be dragged back into the world he used to know.
Spoilers: Books One, Two, Three, Four, and Five. Heavily on Three and Five.
A/Ns: Wow! Thanks, everyone, for the reviews I've got on this story.. I was expecting to get four, not fourteen. ^_^
Note: It is advised that you read I Never Knew before trying to tackle this piece.
Updated
Chapter Two
The Wand Maker
May 30th, 1995
Remus Lupin did not want to be here.
He did not want to be on this stupid little island off of Britian, where the wind blew 50 kilometers an hour, and his was nothing more than a magical repelling shield around a 6 by 6 guard's quarters. He did not see the point in being here in the first place.
When Dumbledore had told him about the job, it had been all too different. Dumbledore had said that it was a simple, open and shut case. That they wanted Remus as a guard because the girl was being held on suspicion of illegal time travel, and until they sorted out her history, she wasn't allowed back.
Sounds simple, Remus said sarcastically. A time travel case, Professor—
Dumbledore corrected, smiling. Remus slapped himself mentally. Yes. Albus. He wasn't a student any longer. For awhile, he had actually been a teacher. An actual teacher.. Remus shook the memories from his head.
So they want me—a werewolf—guarding her, why? They have the dementors, aren't they enough?
Dumbledore had shaken his head.
No. For a case like Miss Black, the ministry is not allowed to use dementors. The only reason we're holding her at all is to not let her accidentally tamper with the future, should we have to send her back.
You are sending her back, though.. Aren't you? Dumbledore looked down, coughing gently, and shook his head.
It was Grindlewald's time, Remus. Unfortunately, if Miss Black does not eventually encounter something that will change history later on, like a husband, or a child, or a discovery, she will have to stay.
Remus let out a short gasp of horror. But, Albus! Why can't she just be memory charmed? Memory charm her and send her back to where she came from!
It's not so easy, Remus. This girl is not affected by any memory charms, in the first place, and even if she were, the ministry is not allowed to send her back unless under dire circumstances. Grindlewald's era, Remus, is the most unstable bit of time there ever was. In order not to alter the universes, she would have to be sent back the second after she was hit with the Timekey to return her properly, and even then.. he frowned, crossing his arms over his beard, and Remus could see the sadness in his eyes.
But her future is not something I asked you to discuss with me, Remus, only her present. Now, I have to admit that the Ministry's reasons of hiring you are somewhat..
Remus offered. Crazy? Stupid? Loopy?
Dumbledore smiled. Something like that. But Miss Black does need a guard of sorts, one that isn't going to suck her soul out, and preparations will be made during the full moon..
And so, with the eloquence and persuasion that only Dumbledore could use, Remus was roped into guarding this filthy place. Azkaban. He shuddered at the thought. Although Dementors were instructed to stay at least 15 metres away from the caged courtyard at all times, he could still feel the eerieness of it.
Why did I ever agree to this? he muttered, kicking at some dust. I hate it here.
~*~
I HATE it here.
Cassie Woods slammed her fist against the stone bench in Azkaban's courtyard, sending several spiders scurrying out from under it. Cassie doubted that they had used this courtyard in quite some time—everything was buried in heaps of leaves, cobwebs, and dust. However, it was still quite a pretty—and fortunate—place to be kept, if you ignored the eight foot razor wire that had been temporarily set up around the perimeter. Cassie also noted that several rather deadly sparks were emitting themselves from the wire, so she dared not to go near the awful things.
Suddenly, there was a beep from the crudely made door. Cass flipped around, and discovered a young man in his mid thirties sitting in the little guard enclosure, though judging by the discoloration in his hair a person'd have thought otherwise. The twenty-nine year old walked as close as she dared to the wire.
So you're the person that's supposed to be guarding me, Mister..
Lupin. Remus Lupin. he stood up, giving her a faint smile. You must be Miss Black.
Cassandra, please, she said, smiling. He didn't sound so bad. A little on the formal side, but that was probably just his meeting a new person' phase. Actually, come to think of it, don't ever call me Cassandra. It's just Cassie.
Remus nodded. Well, er.. Hullo, Cassie. He sat back down and pulled a book from his pocket, and began reading, oblivious to Cassie still standing there.
What'cher reading? she asked quizzically, having a feeling it was going to annoy the man. .. She was right, though Remus didn't show it all that much. When he turned, it was only his eyes that were cold.
A book.
Cassie tried again. What kind of book?
Defense against the Dark Arts.
What for?
Well, obviously.
That's your sound when you're annoyed and want someone to go away so you can read in peace, right?
Cassie turned around, and heard Lupin give a small sigh of relief. She grumbled, and sat back down on her stone bench in the middle of her circular courtyard cell, looking upwards at the notoriously dark clouds. There were assurances that charms were over the courtyard to prevent rain or any of the other elements, but she still didn't like the look of those clouds. They were so.. Black.
Black.. That gave Cassie an idea, and she got up again, walking over towards the guard cage.
Hey, Lupin.
I thought you were going to leave me alone to read.
I was, but I had a question.
Ask away.
Who's Sirius Black? Lupin looked at her strangely.
You've never heard of Sirius Black?
No, except the wand I'm holding, she swished it out of her pocket where the silver tip gleamed (she had to admit, adding silver was a genius, it made the wand look wonderful), apperently belongs to him.
Lupin's strange look intensified, and he dropped his book on his sleeping pallet and looked at her.
How did you get that? he asked.
I made it.
Remus's mouth dropped open, and he grabbed onto the fence like his legs would give out. You made.. Sirius's wand?
Cassie nodded, wondering why he found it so strange. I was a wand carver, before all this happened. I work—used to work—for Ollivanders. she pointed at the emblem of a wand on her brown work robes. In fact, I got thrown into the future because of it. Apperently, some son of an ass charmed my wand polishing spray into a Timekey. A cloudy look came over her face. If I ever find that—
Remus's groan interrupted her, and she quickly focused her attention on the man, who was sliding to the floor, obviously in pain. Cassie frowned deeply as she caught a glance of his hands. They were smoking, and embedded with silver spikes from touching the wire.
So he must be.. Cassie shook the thought out of her head, and bent down to the ground.
Lupin! Lupin! Remus! She said, worriedly as the man began shuddered.
Look, Lupin, hit that small red button! She watched as he did as he was told, with much difficulty, and the part of the wiring he was collapsed by rolled open.
Cassie quickly dragged him in, and propped the man up against the stone bench. He looked horrible, his skin rapidly paling due to the contact with the silver spikes. She touched his cheek, still frowning, and dashed off to the other side of the courtyard.
~*~
Silver.
Remus noticed out of his rapidly fading vision that the girl—Cassie—had suddenly left his side. Remus looked around as much as he could without moving his head, and when she didn't appear, he started to get alarmed. What if she left him here and ran for the exits? What if she had escaped, and it was all his fault because he wasn't looking where he put his goddammed hands?
Suddenly, he saw a blurry image of black hair and brown robes, and she was there again, holding something in her cupped hands. She knelt down beside Remus and dripped the warm.. stuff into his hands, and he started to feel a blissful sense of relief. The pain ebbed away, and his vision cleared up. He noticed the young woman (well, she wasn't really that young, she had to only be five or so years younger than him) hanging over him, worriedly.
I'm alright. He croaked, knowing that while he wasn't alright in the common sense of the word, he wasn't about to pass out. Cassandra smiled.
That's good to know. For a second, I thought I might have lost you as a guard, Lupin, and then what would I've been given? A troll? she joked, grinning.
He managed to smile slightly. Remus, please, Cassie. He blinked as the dark clouds came into focus once again.
That was a rightful mean joke they played, Remus, having the wire be of a silver residue. One of us could have died.. she said, frowning. Remus looked up at her strangely. She couldn't have meant what he thought she meant..
I suppose you've guessed my other little secret, she said ruefully. You seem like a smart kid to me. Remus chuckled, and then grimaced at the pain that brought. She picked up his hand and caressed the palm slightly, mixing the sticky substance with the silver spikes. They started to dissolve the moment it hit them.
Hey, no laughter on my behalf, Remus. Cassandra murmured. Took me half my supply of Wolvesbane sap I'd pumped to quiet those silver shoots in your hands, don't need you getting worked up because of it. Remus frowned, and glanced into the woman's queer crystallite eyes, which seemed to sparkle, even though there was not a glimmer of sunlight around.
You don't have to use up your supplies for me. he stated, frustrated, looking back down from her glance.
Cassandra snorted. What was I supposed to have you do, die on me? Besides, my attacks don't look to be half as bad as yours, anyway. Those crazy muggle ladies helped that. Remus raised an eyebrow.
he questioned.
Oh, well, you see.. Cassie's eyes shifted for a moment, and she blew out the spent air in her lungs. I.. uh.. Her eyes refocused, and she blinked several times, becoming herself again. I was born in the beginning of Grindlewald's rule, you know, and both my parents died shortly after I was born. I was sent to a couple of muggles in London and grew up with them.. Now, for some reason, these people were worried that the flu meant death, so they concocted up all these strange things to give me when I caught a cold, or something. Half of them were just mumbo jumbo, but a couple of them must have done something, because I never got sick after those first couple of times.
One night when I was ten, I ran across a pack of werewolves. .. Needless to say, it was only the fact that I knew how to run very fast that kept me from being their dinner. The alpha got a piece of my right arm, though. She bit her lip and rolled up the sleeve of her robe, showing him what looked to be like thousands of blood vessels running around visibly on the skin, all coming out of a single piece of scar tissue on her upper arm in the shape of a crescent moon.
Remus grimaced. Does it.. eh.. hurt? Cassie shook her head.
Nah.. It goes numb around the full moon, and it just loves to predict the weather, she quipped, but no, it doesn't hurt.
Anyway, I'd gotten quite lost by then, and when I woke up I'd found that I was in muggle London—though it didn't have the—er—cars?—that you'd see today, it was still a bit of a fright. I ended up wandering into Knockturn Alley and was tossed around there for the better part of a year before finding my way into Diagon Alley, and that's where I met Ollivander. Seeing as how my Hogwarts letter hadn't come, I wound up working for him—said I could carve the best damn wands on the planet. Cassie blushed slightly. The greatest thing that happened to me, though, is that whatever those muggle ladies did to my immune system, it screwed around with the bite as well.
How, exactly? Remus asked, curiously. Cassie ran her fingers through her hair awkwardly, and stared at Remus's hand, which still had a few of the silver spikes embedded into his palm that hadn't dissolved with the rest of them.
Well, I don't exactly change at the full moon.
What do you mean, exactly?
I.. uh.. I don't really know how to explain it, but for some reason, the wolf doesn't make me change. Remus's jaw dropped in surprise.
he sputtered. How could that even be possible? No medicine could cure the bite, nothing..
Cassie shrugged. As I said, I'm not sure, really. All I know is that every time the moon begins its course, I'm inclined to change sometime during those days. So, one eve, I'll will myself to change, and I sit out the night.
Wait a second, you—you will yourself to change?
She nodded. I guess you could compare how it works to an Animagus, kind of. Only I can't guarantee that I'll be completely docile. Usually the wolf's pretty quiet, but if I get worked up about something.. She shuddered, slightly. Remus smiled.
I bet that helped, though. Getting a job and all. he muttered, once again failing to meet her eyes.
Ollivander didn't really care, but yes, it did help not to be shunned, especially when the Werewolf Annihilation Committee was going around, looking for possible werewolves. she looked at Remus curiously.
Is that why you're guarding me? Is the Ministry of today so biased that they give werewolves these kinds of jobs? She asked, a flare of anger appearing in her eyes. Remus shook his head, rather coldly.
he spat. Usually they give werewolves no jobs. But I have a few.. friends who happen to look after me. I'll be going back to Hogwarts to help teach in the fall.. I didn't want to, because of.. a near accident, but the Headmaster insisted.
Well, a teacher.. I should've known. You do have that air about you. Though from what I heard, Professor Dippet was never really much of a hirer of people outside of his inner circle. Remus chuckled.
Ah, Professor Dippet retired in my sixth year. Albus Dumbledore heads up the school now. A hint of a smile shone on her face.
Now, really.. That's interesting. Dumbledore, he was the one that defeated Grindlewald, right? Remus nodded. Well, then, he sounds like a fine headmaster of Hogwarts to me.
He definitely is, Remus said enthusiastically. Although our current minister happens not to.. trust him so much. Apperently, he's afraid Albus will take over his job.
Cassie chortled. Sounds like Kelvie.
.. Kelvie? Remus asked, questioningly.
Eeh.. It's a long story. Cassandra blushed, focusing once more on Remus's spiked hands. And besides, you've not told me about yourself yet, Lupin.
Remus, and it's not much, really. I was being stupid and I got bitten. he replied, simply. Cassie rolled her eyes, and dropped Remus's hand, the silver spikes now completely gone.
I didn't mean about that. I meant your life. You know, the person behind the werewolf. she said lightly. Remus raised an eyebrow in surprise. What on earth did she mean by that?
Well, uh.. he started. She grinned.
Well, uh.. Come on, give me the real story. Play any pranks? Toss around any monsters? Have any friends? Remus's face darkened when she said the word friends. Seeing that she obviously made a mistake, Cassie tried to turn it into a joke.
What? Don't tell me you didn't have friends, Remus. You look like you were the most popular kid in school. Remus growled, pulling his hands back and rubbing them together himself.
Yeah.. Real popular. I had three friends who I thought cared the world for me—then one goes and betrays us all, killing another one of our number and framing our last, leaving me as the odd one out. Cassie's gaze softened.
Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up.
No, it's alright, Cassie. He smiled slightly, hoping to cheer the Azkaban prisoner a bit. Besides, you can't stay in the past forever. She glanced into his eyes, and he blushed slightly in return.
For me, Remus, I think that phrase just might be literal.
A/N 2:
Yeah, I know, no Jeremy, no Cellie, no Dumbledore, Harry, Sirius, ect.. List goes on and on, I know, I know. I just needed an all Cass chapter before getting back to everyone's favorite high school dropout'.
Yes, I know, wolvesbane/monkshood isn't really a tree, it's a plant, so it can't really have sap, but I claim artistic license, so.. there! :p
Weasley, Weasley, and Jordan: Wow, I merit enough to be on someone's favorites list? I'm honored! ^_^
The Frog: Heh, don't worry, I don't consider your review a flame. About the arts schools, that was an error on my part, I was thinking about the major high schools in the US, and not about any of the good ones in the UK, Canada, and everywhere else. Silly Cellie..
Tarawen: But of course, my friend. Who else would he be, seeing as how I never really posted him under the things I own (though now that I think about it, he wouldn't be that bad to own, really.. :p).
Moonlit Pheonix: Just a simple thing to say about my summaries—they're bad. Period. So it's perfectly understandable that you were a bit skeptical.
Erin: Of course I'll be writing more soon! I don't really abandon stories except when I run out of ideas (which category, I'm sad to say, my other fic, HP and the Mother's Curse, has fallen into).
Kaydee: Yeah, twists and turns are my specialty.. After all, JK can run seventeen plots at the same time, so why can't I? :p
Lilac Water: Yes, Cellie, like every other teenager around Harry's age, knows about the Boy Who Lived. However, James is going to get the shock of his life when he figures out his alternate self (Read I Never Knew, if you haven't already) had a son, and is dead.
Thistlemeg: Well, a bunch about Cassie is coming your way, so buckle up! :p
...: Is that supposed to be a flame? Pretty pitiful one, if it was..