*Is Remus a Magmani? No. The poor guy is already a werewolf, being a Magmanos would probably be too much for him.
*Can Remus hear the Book talking? No. Remus cannot hear what the book is saying; only the readers can (Don't you feel powerful?).
*Is the book affecting Remus? Definitely.
*Why? Stay around for chapter two.
***A big thank you to my faithful reviewers for returning! I do appreciate it, especially the kind words about Selene.
The Book of Carmen
Chapter I: A Visit to Diagon
"I don't think this is a good idea," Sirius whispered
quietly to his wife.
"Don't worry. Dumbledore promised us that we could trust Ollivander. Besides, you need a new wand." Selene said.
Sirius nodded, but didn't feel reassured. He and Selene were standing in a small alley between the Leaky Cauldron and a Muggle pub. The alley was narrow, just wide enough for the both of them to stand facing each other. From his position Sirius could see the corners of the door to the Leaky Cauldron swinging back and forth. Although he could not actually see the people entering, he knew from the constant motion of the door that the Leaky Cauldron was especially busy today. Of course he and Selene had expected this, being as close as it was to Christmas. In fact they had chosen this time because they knew it would be crowded, and that last minute sales would be foremost on the minds of witches and wizards, rather than looking around for escaped convicts. Still Sirius was very uneasy about parading past all these people, knowing that even if one person noticed him, all hell would break loose. "What if someone recognizes me?" he asked.
"Trust me. Nobody will." Selene said and reached up to move a strand of wayward hair from his face. She then touched his cheek.
"How can you be sure?"
She smiled, "Don't you trust me?" He didn't get a chance to respond because he immediately felt her hand warm up against his cheek. The warmth spread into his face and he began to feel the muscles of his face tighten and move around. Sirius felt as if his entire face had been turned into clay, and that some invisible artist was sculpting it. It wasn't a painful sensation, but just the same Sirius wished that Selene would finish. Finally, she withdrew her hand and stood back to admire her handiwork. Sirius' nervousness increased when he heard her start to laugh.
"What did you do?" he asked. She bit her bottom lip to stop laughing and shook her head, indicating that she had no intention to share what she had done to him.
"Relax. Now even I don't recognize you," she said and offered her hand. He took it and she pulled him out into the street. Sirius' stomach was still fluttering when they entered the Leaky Cauldron, but soon his fears were put to rest. No one turned to acknowledge the newcomers. In fact Sirius doubted that anyone had even heard them enter. The place was alive with the sounds of chatter and laughter, as wizards and witches of all ages mingled with each other. Out of habit, Sirius studied the room, and noted the exits and possible threats. However there appeared to be very little of either. The door that he entered was the only real means of escape, should the need arise. Sirius saw a rather portly Ministry member in the far corner, and for a moment he felt his body tense, but soon realized that the man was only interested in the large lunch that he had ordered. Slowly, Sirius began to relax and to take in the smells of the place. Warm butterbeer and the smell of cinnamon ran through his nostrils and he inhaled deeply, trying to take in as much of the scent as possible. The couple made their way to the back room, and after a brief hesitation as the two tried to remember the sequence of bricks they needed to tap, Sirius and Selene found themselves in the middle of the Diagon Alley.
Together the two meandered down the street weaving between the many people who carried large over-stuffed bags of Christmas presents. There was excitement in the air and Selene could feel it. It had been years since she had been able to behold the Christmas season and the feelings that it invoked inside of her made her feel absolutely giddy. Selene looked at Sirius and saw a small smile on his face, indicating that he too felt what she did. Eventually they stood in front of Ollivander's wand shop. They opened the door and stepped inside. Mr. Ollivander was helping two young wizards pick out their very first wands. He looked at the two who entered and smiled, "I'll be with you in a minute," he called to them and then returned to his young patrons.
Sirius looked around the room and realized that someone else was in the store, a rather ugly and rather old gentlemen. Sirius nodded politely and was surprised when the man nodded back at the same time. Sirius scratched his ear, and the gentlemen mimicked that movement as well. Sirius then realized that he was looking into a mirror. He moved closer to the mirror and studied the unfamiliar reflection. Selene came up beside him and whispered into his ear, "I told you that no one would notice you."
Sirius chuckled and poked at his new nose, which was long and hooked. "I have to admit that I'm impressed," he said. "But did you have to have to make me so ugly?"
The bell on the door chimed signaling that the younger wizards had left the store. "How may I be of service?" Mr. Ollivander called to Selene and Sirius.
Sirius, still playing with his face, ignored him until a gentle nudge from Selene caught his attention. "My friend needs a new wand." Selene said.
Mr. Ollivander looked at Sirius, his eyes studying his appearance, "What happened to his?" he asked.
Sirius cleared his throat, "Lost it."
Ollivander smiled, "Hardly." He turned and began rummaging through various wand boxes. "Tell me Mr. Black, how did your twelve inch heartstring of dragon stand up against a Death Eater?"
Sirius looked at the man curiously, "Not very well I'm afraid, it was snapped in half before I got to use it."
"Pity." Ollivander remarked. He picked up a small box and peered inside it, "Although not surprising, that particular model did have some quirks."
"How did you know who I was?" Sirius asked.
Ollivander put the box away and then pulled out another one. He looked inside it and smiled, "Your voice. It doesn't seem to quite match your persona." He approached Sirius and handed him the wand box, "Try this one." Sirius took the wand and as he held it in front of the old man he felt like he was eleven again. "Go on…" Ollivander urged him and so Sirius gave the wand a wave. Small hairs on the back of his neck rose and he immediately felt connected with the wand that he held. "Perfect!" Ollivander exclaimed. "Mahogany. Unicorn hair. A very good wand. I assure you that this one will not break in half so easily," he added.
"Thank you," Sirius replied. "May I ask why you are helping me?"
Ollivander smiled, "Albus Dumbledore sent an owl to me explaining your situation and asked that I help you as much as possible. Dumbledore is a great wizard and an even greater man, one of the few I trust whole-heartedly." He waved his hand, "Besides, I never believed tat nonsense that you were responsible for the deaths of the Potters. When you and James first entered my shop all those years ago, even then you were very protective of him. I knew then that neither one of you could betray the other. Just as I knew about Selene here," he added pointing to Selene. Both Sirius and Selene looked at the old man with astonishment. "Don't look so surprised," Ollivander said. "I knew that Selene was a Magmanos even before she did." He turned to Selene, "Don't you remember when you came into my shop. You picked up the first wand you could lay your hands on and began swishing it around and causing all sorts of ruckus. However, the wand you used was from a pile of wands that hadn't had cores put in them yet, rendering them useless. I knew then that I had someone very special in my shop."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Selene asked.
"Wands are my only business, my dear. It was not my place to tell anyone about you and your magic. A lot of people come through my store, and you'd be surprised at the number of secrets I know about." Ollivander said with a wink.
"I thank you for keeping mine," Selene said.
"You are most welcome." Sirius started to pay Ollivander, but he refused payment. "Dumbledore says that you have done us all a great service. Besides I would feel very odd charging you for this wand." Sirius eyed the man curiously, but it was obvious that Ollivander intended to say no more. Instead Sirius shook Ollivander's hand, and he and Selene left the store.
Before heading back to the Leaky Cauldron he and Selene browsed a few shops and picked up a few items of their own for the holiday season. Sirius was carrying two large bags and Selene a smaller one as they marched towards the Leaky Cauldron munching on two caramel apples. The Leaky Cauldron was in sight when Selene stopped suddenly and gripped Sirius' arm very tightly.
"What's wrong," he asked.
"I don't feel well," she said.
"Do you need to sit down?" he asked, noting that her face had suddenly gone white.
She shook her head, "No. I just want to go home."
Sirius nodded and began to move quickly through the crowd, Selene still clinging to his arm. Suddenly, through the sea of faces, Sirius thought he saw a familiar one. He stopped and tried to get a closer look.
"Sirius, I want to leave." Selene said.
"I thought I saw…"
"Sirius…please." she pleaded.
Sirius nodded and the two moved towards the back of the Leaky Cauldron and disappeared.
~*~
Just as Sirius and Selene were leaving Diagon Alley, Remus Lupin was entering it. He was hurrying along carrying a package underneath his arm. Although the package was small, it seemed to weigh him down considerably. In his rush he found himself constantly bumping into people, and in one case, knocking a bag from a woman's hand, spilling its contents all over the street. Normally he would have stopped to help, but this time he only mumbled out an apology and hurried away. Finally he found himself at the front door of Flourish and Blotts. He put a shaking hand on the door and entered. The store was crowded with all sorts of holiday shoppers, but somehow Remus managed to find his way to the counter. "Excuse me," he said to the clerk.
The clerk turned around, "Mr. Lupin! How good of you to come and visit us today, I have some specials on that back table over there if you would like to have a look."
"No thank you," Remus said managing a half smile, "I'm not buying today. I was actually looking for Will-"
"Remus!" A voice exclaimed. Remus looked around to try to find the source of the voice. "I've got this customer Tom, he's an old friend," The voice added. Tom smiled at Remus and then went back to his work.
"Where are you?" Remus asked, searching through the many faces and books.
"I'm right here, in the Magical Ailments section. Stay there, I'll come to you." Remus suddenly heard a large pile of books fall over and a few mumbled apologies. Remus smiled wondering how anyone so clumsy could have become an auror. Then a familiar face emerged from the crowd. "Remus!" the man yelled and then strolled over and shook his hand, "It's been so long."
Remus studied the tall form of his friend, William McGinn. They had been friends at Hogwarts, although not very close. After James' death and Sirius' imprisonment they had become quite close, and Remus knew he could trust the other wizard completely. William was odd sight even for a wizard. He was a good deal taller than either he or Sirius, and very thin. Will's dusty hair almost matched the color of his own, but Will wore it past his shoulders. He had bright blue eyes that always seemed to smile, even when he wasn't. He wore long white robes that hung loosely to his frame, giving him an almost ghostly look. "How are you Will?" Remus asked.
"Can't complain." Will responded and then looked Remus over, "You look a little worse for the wear though." His eyes dropped to the package Remus held tightly. His smile disappeared, "Is that it? Is that the Book of Carmen?" he whispered.
Remus nodded.
"Come, we can talk in my office." Will said and placed his arm around Remus' shoulders and led him upstairs. Will had a small office, if one could call it that, consisting solely of a desk surrounded by books stacked from floor to ceiling. Will sat down behind the small desk and Remus squeezed into the small area in front of it. "Sorry," Will said, "But I had to fight tooth and nail just for this little space. At least we have privacy here." Will waited until Remus had seated himself as comfortably as possible and then asked, "Can I see it?"
Remus nodded and unwrapped the Book and laid it on Will's desk. Remus was unsure of the look on his friend's face. Will stared at it, his face filled with awe, but his eyes full of fear. "It has been a long time," Will said. Will placed his hands on the cover of the book and looked as if he were about to open it. Remus braced himself, not really knowing why, and Will stopped when he saw his friend gripping the edges of the desk tightly. He removed his hands from the cover and pushed the book to the side. "As you know after Hogwarts I became an auror for the Ministry," Will began.
Remus nodded.
"Times were different then. Our kind was needed to fight Voldemort and his scum. I felt proud of the work I was doing, and felt that I was honestly making a difference. When Voldemort met his end with the young Potter boy, things changed…" Will's voice trailed off, indicating that some distant and unpleasant memory had surfaced at the corners of his mind.
Remus cleared his throat, bringing his friend back into the present.
"Anyway, I soon applied for a transfer to the Magical Artifacts office, because as you know I've always been a student of history. It was there that this book and I first met. At first I was fascinated by it, the sheer power that it possessed. What do you know of its history?"
"Nothing really."
"Carmen was a Magmanos, I assume you know that."
"Yes. She wrote the Book of Carmen."
"No, she did not. That is a common misconception, which is unfortunately held by most of my colleagues." Will said with a hint of frustration. "I was also under that misconception until I saw this," Will said and flipped the book over suddenly, causing Remus to jump. "Do you see these marks here?"
Remus looked closely at the book, but saw nothing. "I don't see anything," he said.
Will pulled the book closer to the lamp at the edge of his desk, "Look closer."
Remus moved closer to the book, his nose almost touching the leather binding. Then he saw it. An embossed mark that was nearly invisible, it edges faintly illuminated by the lamp's soft light. His eyes focused and he was able to see an image of a grotesque being, warped and writhing pinned underneath various symbols that Remus didn't recognize.
"Scary as hell isn't it?" Will asked.
"What is it?" Remus asked his eyes still locked on the image.
"That my friend, is what lives inside this book."
~*~
Ohh…scary.