Chapter 2: Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
Mira was, in fact, too exhausted to even think about leaving. When she awoke the next morning, she felt like she hadn't slept much at all. And she hadn't. Between dreams of Remus Lupin telling her he didn't accept her excuses and of Harry saying he didn't want to get to know her, she was having a hard time getting to sleep.
She eventually pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. She was dreading this day already. Today would be the first day she would see Remus Lupin in 15 years, and she also knew that the truth would come out. Why she left. Why she said goodbye to him through a letter. How she felt.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said. It was Dumbledore.
"I thought you'd like some breakfast," he said. "Would you like to come to the Great Hall with me?"
"Of course, Professor," she replied. "But I don't know how much I'll be able to eat."
Mira and Dumbledore went downstairs to the Great Hall and again sat at the Gryffindor table with the golden plates, goblets and cutlery waiting for them. As soon as they sat down, porridge, bacon and eggs, toast and raspberry jam and tea appeared. They ate in silence, both thinking of the day that lay ahead.
"It won't be as bad as you think, you know," said Dumbledore, at last.
"No, it'll be worse," said Mira, gloomily.
"Remus is a grown man, and besides, he's had quite a while to get over any anger he may or may not have had."
She sighed.
"Well, I have a few things to do this morning to prepare for the meeting at headquarters. If you'd like, you can visit Hagrid for a while."
"I'd like to see him again" she smiled for the first time since she arrived.
After breakfast, she took her leave of Professor Dumbledore and walked along the grounds to the hut. She knocked on the door and immediately heard a dog barking.
"Down, Fang, down," someone growled.
The door opened and Hagrid appeared at the door. His beetle-eyes widened in shock for a moment, then crinkled into a smile.
"Mira!" he exclaimed. "Professor Dumbledore said yer were comin', but I didn't expect ter see yer so soon!"
"How are you, Hagrid?" smile Mira.
"Great, great! Come on in! What have yer bin up ter? Would yer like a cup o' tea? Have yer seen many dragons?"
Mira laughed. "I've seen a few over the years. Gringott's in Amsterdam had a sick one a couple of years ago they asked me to deal with. I hear you tried to raise one here a few years ago."
"Yes, Norbert was his name. He was a little beauty."
"I'll bet he's not so little now."
They chatted like this all morning, with Mira telling Hagrid all about the different vicious beasts she had to deal with, and Hagrid likewise told her about his Care of Magical Creatures position.
After a few hours of chatting with Hagrid and absent-mindedly scratching Fang behind the ear, Professor Dumbledore knocked on the door and entered Hagrid's hut.
"I'm afraid it's time to leave, Mira," he said.
The fear of what was to come was back, and after saying goodbye to Hagrid, they made their way back to the castle for a quick lunch.
After lunch they went out of the Entrance Hall to find a pair of thestrals harnessed to a carriage and her trunk and owl already in the carriage.
"We have to go to London for a meeting with the Order."
Professor Dumbledore helped Mira into the carriage and before he got in, he said to the thestrals, "12 Grimmauld Place, London."
"Is that where headquarters is?" asked Mira. Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"Isn't that the Blacks' house?"
"Yes."
Mira smiled grimly. "I wonder what Sirius' parents would have said if they were alive."
"The paintings of his mother in the hallway give us a good indication," replied Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.
"Is that where I'll be staying?"
"Yes."
"Will Remus be staying there?"
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "As will the Weasleys, Harry when he arrives and Hermione Granger, another friend of his I've told you about. Many Order members will, of course, also be dropping by all the time."
"The Weasleys...I remember Remus and Sirius writing to me and telling me about the Weasley family, and I met a Bill Weasley when I went to Egypt a few years ago. I remember a particularly horrid curse on a tomb that Gringott's needed help with. It took me almost a month to remove it. Is Harry's friend Ron Weasley related to Bill?"
"They are brothers. Arthur and Molly Weasley have seven children. Ron is the second youngest."
"Wow."
They arrived in London shortly before dusk. When they got out of the carriage, Mira pulled out her wand, flicked it, and her trunk flew out of the carriage into the air and settled near her. After this, she picked up her owl's cage and moved away from the carriage towards the houses. She watched the carriage leave, the thestrals heading back to Hogwarts. Turning back to the houses, she thought of the address.
Suddenly, a battered door appeared between the two houses containing muggles. Following the door were dirty windows and walls. Professor Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. The sounds of locks clicking open could be heard from the other side of the door. Before he opened the door, he warned Mira not to wake the paintings up.
They went inside and Dumbledore whispered," I'll show you where your room is then we can go downstairs to the kitchen. That's where the meetings are held. I'll introduce you to everyone there."
They quietly went up several flights of stairs, with Mira keeping her trunk in front of her. By this time, Professor Dumbledore had taken her owl. When they entered her room, she put her trunk and owl down and she followed Professor Dumbledore downstairs again. Dumbledore opened the door to the kitchen with Mira behind him and over his shoulder she could see a familiar back sitting down and facing her. Dumbledore cleared his throat, said, "May I introduce a new member of the Order and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, Mira Montrose," and stepped aside.
The person with their back towards them turned around quickly with their eyes wide and mouth open.
"Mira!"
"Remus Lupin!"
Mira was, in fact, too exhausted to even think about leaving. When she awoke the next morning, she felt like she hadn't slept much at all. And she hadn't. Between dreams of Remus Lupin telling her he didn't accept her excuses and of Harry saying he didn't want to get to know her, she was having a hard time getting to sleep.
She eventually pulled herself out of bed and got dressed. She was dreading this day already. Today would be the first day she would see Remus Lupin in 15 years, and she also knew that the truth would come out. Why she left. Why she said goodbye to him through a letter. How she felt.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said. It was Dumbledore.
"I thought you'd like some breakfast," he said. "Would you like to come to the Great Hall with me?"
"Of course, Professor," she replied. "But I don't know how much I'll be able to eat."
Mira and Dumbledore went downstairs to the Great Hall and again sat at the Gryffindor table with the golden plates, goblets and cutlery waiting for them. As soon as they sat down, porridge, bacon and eggs, toast and raspberry jam and tea appeared. They ate in silence, both thinking of the day that lay ahead.
"It won't be as bad as you think, you know," said Dumbledore, at last.
"No, it'll be worse," said Mira, gloomily.
"Remus is a grown man, and besides, he's had quite a while to get over any anger he may or may not have had."
She sighed.
"Well, I have a few things to do this morning to prepare for the meeting at headquarters. If you'd like, you can visit Hagrid for a while."
"I'd like to see him again" she smiled for the first time since she arrived.
After breakfast, she took her leave of Professor Dumbledore and walked along the grounds to the hut. She knocked on the door and immediately heard a dog barking.
"Down, Fang, down," someone growled.
The door opened and Hagrid appeared at the door. His beetle-eyes widened in shock for a moment, then crinkled into a smile.
"Mira!" he exclaimed. "Professor Dumbledore said yer were comin', but I didn't expect ter see yer so soon!"
"How are you, Hagrid?" smile Mira.
"Great, great! Come on in! What have yer bin up ter? Would yer like a cup o' tea? Have yer seen many dragons?"
Mira laughed. "I've seen a few over the years. Gringott's in Amsterdam had a sick one a couple of years ago they asked me to deal with. I hear you tried to raise one here a few years ago."
"Yes, Norbert was his name. He was a little beauty."
"I'll bet he's not so little now."
They chatted like this all morning, with Mira telling Hagrid all about the different vicious beasts she had to deal with, and Hagrid likewise told her about his Care of Magical Creatures position.
After a few hours of chatting with Hagrid and absent-mindedly scratching Fang behind the ear, Professor Dumbledore knocked on the door and entered Hagrid's hut.
"I'm afraid it's time to leave, Mira," he said.
The fear of what was to come was back, and after saying goodbye to Hagrid, they made their way back to the castle for a quick lunch.
After lunch they went out of the Entrance Hall to find a pair of thestrals harnessed to a carriage and her trunk and owl already in the carriage.
"We have to go to London for a meeting with the Order."
Professor Dumbledore helped Mira into the carriage and before he got in, he said to the thestrals, "12 Grimmauld Place, London."
"Is that where headquarters is?" asked Mira. Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"Isn't that the Blacks' house?"
"Yes."
Mira smiled grimly. "I wonder what Sirius' parents would have said if they were alive."
"The paintings of his mother in the hallway give us a good indication," replied Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.
"Is that where I'll be staying?"
"Yes."
"Will Remus be staying there?"
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "As will the Weasleys, Harry when he arrives and Hermione Granger, another friend of his I've told you about. Many Order members will, of course, also be dropping by all the time."
"The Weasleys...I remember Remus and Sirius writing to me and telling me about the Weasley family, and I met a Bill Weasley when I went to Egypt a few years ago. I remember a particularly horrid curse on a tomb that Gringott's needed help with. It took me almost a month to remove it. Is Harry's friend Ron Weasley related to Bill?"
"They are brothers. Arthur and Molly Weasley have seven children. Ron is the second youngest."
"Wow."
They arrived in London shortly before dusk. When they got out of the carriage, Mira pulled out her wand, flicked it, and her trunk flew out of the carriage into the air and settled near her. After this, she picked up her owl's cage and moved away from the carriage towards the houses. She watched the carriage leave, the thestrals heading back to Hogwarts. Turning back to the houses, she thought of the address.
Suddenly, a battered door appeared between the two houses containing muggles. Following the door were dirty windows and walls. Professor Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. The sounds of locks clicking open could be heard from the other side of the door. Before he opened the door, he warned Mira not to wake the paintings up.
They went inside and Dumbledore whispered," I'll show you where your room is then we can go downstairs to the kitchen. That's where the meetings are held. I'll introduce you to everyone there."
They quietly went up several flights of stairs, with Mira keeping her trunk in front of her. By this time, Professor Dumbledore had taken her owl. When they entered her room, she put her trunk and owl down and she followed Professor Dumbledore downstairs again. Dumbledore opened the door to the kitchen with Mira behind him and over his shoulder she could see a familiar back sitting down and facing her. Dumbledore cleared his throat, said, "May I introduce a new member of the Order and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, Mira Montrose," and stepped aside.
The person with their back towards them turned around quickly with their eyes wide and mouth open.
"Mira!"
"Remus Lupin!"