Chapter V - Tea and Tears
Ellie and Lupin had been chattering for hours. They had seated out on the small back yard, on the ground, and were now looking at the sunset.
"I was in a small town in Greenland where the sun set only once a year" she said "I missed it so much... It makes you see all these little pieces of magic nature gives everyday in a brand new light."
"I spent three months in Australia, in a place where there were trees only near a small water stream." said Remus "I never though I'd miss trees so much... or fog." he gave a very quiet laugh and added "I missed the english fog and rain, can you believe it?"
"And I bet you had never even noticed trees that much."
"You're right" he said thoughtfully "I didn't care much. Or I though I didn't."
The sun was sinking in a beautiful horizon painted orange and violet, and tinny pink clouds looked like strokes of a brush of a very skilled and tasteful painter.
They sat silently for a while. Then they heard a knock on the door. She went inside to open it and Lupin just sat there. He never expected his life could change so suddenly and so radically. If the potion worked, he would be letting go of something that was living inside him for so long that he though it was already a part of him. Ellie had already explained to him that the potion wouldn't prevent him to change: it would only keep his mind human while in wolf skin. If it worked... she had added.
"Sevy!" he heard her voice from inside. And she appeared at a window seconds later "Remus, come in."
He walked into the kitchen and crossed to the living room where no other than Severus Snape stood by the door. He hadn't seen him in a long time, but he was just as he remembered: always in black, with a cold expression and that slimy hair he used to tease along with James and-
He realised thinking of James and Sirius of painful and was glad Ellie was talking again.
"I wasn't expecting you!" she said in a surprised but happy voice.
"I've come to-"
"Oh, sorry," she said quickly, looking at Snape's expression on Lupin "You've met, of course!" she added.
"Yes" said Snape in a cold voice and shaking hands very quickly.
They had all actually been to Hogwarts together. And Snape clearly remembered Lupin well, for his expression was of absolute loathing.
"Do you want a tea or something?" she said "I was about to make some for us."
"No, thank you, Ellie" Snape said coolly. "As I was saying, I just came to collect that receipt you promised me. You said I could come today."
"Oh!" she said, suddenly remembering "I'm sorry. My brother was here all week and I just... " she was looking very ashamed. "I forgot, Sevy. Let me just see if I can find a copy!" and she dashed off to her lab. The two men were left alone.
There was a very heavy silence between them.
"We hadn't seen in ages" said Lupin, attempting conversation.
"Yes" said Snape, apparently disappointed by the change.
"Hum... You've been with anyone else lately, from our time? Besides Ellie, of course."
"No."
Silence again.
"I haven't seen anyone either" Lupin said, rather quietly.
"Good thing, too." said Snape with a twisted smile. "Dementors are such foul creatures."
Lupin swallowed, slightly hurt at these words.
"I found a copy!" Ellie said, coming in from the lab in a perfect timing. She gave Snape a piece of parchment, apparently unaware of the daggering silence.
"There you are, Sevy."
"Will you quit it with that Sevy thing?" he hissed, pocketing the receipt. He could tolerate her calling him Sevy when no one else was present, but in front of others was absolute torture!
"Don't mind him, Remus, he actually likes it." she said with a grin.
"I see you're free from being called Remmy." Snape said "You must tell me what spell you used on her to achieve it."
But the "spell" used was so obviously shown by her sudden furious blushing that even Snape found the situation embarrassing.
Luckily there was a knock on the door ("Alohomora!") and in came Professor Dumbledore.
"Oh, we're having a tea party, are we?" he said, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.
"Professor Dumbledore" said Ellie, looking very pleased (and utterly relieved) to see him."Please, come in!"
Lupin quickly looked away from Snape, who was looking murderous.
"We're not having tea, but I can conjure it if you like" she said.
"Thank you, Ellie, that would be nice." And taking the cups she had just conjured, they all drank in silence. Ellie was still feeling rather hot, and kept avoiding both Snape and Lupin's eyes. "This is just lovely" said Dumbledore, breaking the silence "I trust this is not some potion I should fear" and his twinkling eyes made her smile and less nervous. "Yet, I have not come for this. I brought you something, Ellie." and he took a thin tube from his robes.
"You have it, then!" she said, dropping her cup.
"Yes, I have it" said Professor Dumbledore, making the tea cup disappear before it smashed on the floor, and smiled. "It's not quite as easy has it used to be. Phoenix tears." he added, seeing the puzzled look on Lupin's face. "I had to tell Fawkes a really good joke this time to make him cry out laughing."
"Phoenix tears?" Lupin said at last.
"You didn't use Phoenix tears on the potion, Ellie" said Snape, frowning even more than Lupin.
"Well, no, I didn't" she said, taking the thin tube from Dumbledore's hands "But that's not the only potion I can make, is it?"
"Phoenix tears are very dangerous ingredients." said Snape, looking really dangerous himself. Ellie knew he had understood what the tears were for. "You know that, Ellie, don't you?" and it wasn't a question.
"Dear Ellie" said Dumbledore suddenly "I must ask you to forgive me but it is time for me to leave. For us to leave" and he looked at Snape. "We have a lot to arrange for the beginning of the school year. I still have to see some candidates for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. Take care, Ellie. It was a pleasure to see you again, Remus." He opened the door and looked at Snape "Coming, Severus?"
Snape didn't look much like going. He was still looking very intensely at Lupin, as if trying to read something in his eyes.
"Coming, Headmaster" he said at last. He glanced at Ellie to say goodbye, but, not only no words came out, he also had a deeply cold look in his face. He turned round and they both Desapparated.
Ellie and Lupin had been chattering for hours. They had seated out on the small back yard, on the ground, and were now looking at the sunset.
"I was in a small town in Greenland where the sun set only once a year" she said "I missed it so much... It makes you see all these little pieces of magic nature gives everyday in a brand new light."
"I spent three months in Australia, in a place where there were trees only near a small water stream." said Remus "I never though I'd miss trees so much... or fog." he gave a very quiet laugh and added "I missed the english fog and rain, can you believe it?"
"And I bet you had never even noticed trees that much."
"You're right" he said thoughtfully "I didn't care much. Or I though I didn't."
The sun was sinking in a beautiful horizon painted orange and violet, and tinny pink clouds looked like strokes of a brush of a very skilled and tasteful painter.
They sat silently for a while. Then they heard a knock on the door. She went inside to open it and Lupin just sat there. He never expected his life could change so suddenly and so radically. If the potion worked, he would be letting go of something that was living inside him for so long that he though it was already a part of him. Ellie had already explained to him that the potion wouldn't prevent him to change: it would only keep his mind human while in wolf skin. If it worked... she had added.
"Sevy!" he heard her voice from inside. And she appeared at a window seconds later "Remus, come in."
He walked into the kitchen and crossed to the living room where no other than Severus Snape stood by the door. He hadn't seen him in a long time, but he was just as he remembered: always in black, with a cold expression and that slimy hair he used to tease along with James and-
He realised thinking of James and Sirius of painful and was glad Ellie was talking again.
"I wasn't expecting you!" she said in a surprised but happy voice.
"I've come to-"
"Oh, sorry," she said quickly, looking at Snape's expression on Lupin "You've met, of course!" she added.
"Yes" said Snape in a cold voice and shaking hands very quickly.
They had all actually been to Hogwarts together. And Snape clearly remembered Lupin well, for his expression was of absolute loathing.
"Do you want a tea or something?" she said "I was about to make some for us."
"No, thank you, Ellie" Snape said coolly. "As I was saying, I just came to collect that receipt you promised me. You said I could come today."
"Oh!" she said, suddenly remembering "I'm sorry. My brother was here all week and I just... " she was looking very ashamed. "I forgot, Sevy. Let me just see if I can find a copy!" and she dashed off to her lab. The two men were left alone.
There was a very heavy silence between them.
"We hadn't seen in ages" said Lupin, attempting conversation.
"Yes" said Snape, apparently disappointed by the change.
"Hum... You've been with anyone else lately, from our time? Besides Ellie, of course."
"No."
Silence again.
"I haven't seen anyone either" Lupin said, rather quietly.
"Good thing, too." said Snape with a twisted smile. "Dementors are such foul creatures."
Lupin swallowed, slightly hurt at these words.
"I found a copy!" Ellie said, coming in from the lab in a perfect timing. She gave Snape a piece of parchment, apparently unaware of the daggering silence.
"There you are, Sevy."
"Will you quit it with that Sevy thing?" he hissed, pocketing the receipt. He could tolerate her calling him Sevy when no one else was present, but in front of others was absolute torture!
"Don't mind him, Remus, he actually likes it." she said with a grin.
"I see you're free from being called Remmy." Snape said "You must tell me what spell you used on her to achieve it."
But the "spell" used was so obviously shown by her sudden furious blushing that even Snape found the situation embarrassing.
Luckily there was a knock on the door ("Alohomora!") and in came Professor Dumbledore.
"Oh, we're having a tea party, are we?" he said, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.
"Professor Dumbledore" said Ellie, looking very pleased (and utterly relieved) to see him."Please, come in!"
Lupin quickly looked away from Snape, who was looking murderous.
"We're not having tea, but I can conjure it if you like" she said.
"Thank you, Ellie, that would be nice." And taking the cups she had just conjured, they all drank in silence. Ellie was still feeling rather hot, and kept avoiding both Snape and Lupin's eyes. "This is just lovely" said Dumbledore, breaking the silence "I trust this is not some potion I should fear" and his twinkling eyes made her smile and less nervous. "Yet, I have not come for this. I brought you something, Ellie." and he took a thin tube from his robes.
"You have it, then!" she said, dropping her cup.
"Yes, I have it" said Professor Dumbledore, making the tea cup disappear before it smashed on the floor, and smiled. "It's not quite as easy has it used to be. Phoenix tears." he added, seeing the puzzled look on Lupin's face. "I had to tell Fawkes a really good joke this time to make him cry out laughing."
"Phoenix tears?" Lupin said at last.
"You didn't use Phoenix tears on the potion, Ellie" said Snape, frowning even more than Lupin.
"Well, no, I didn't" she said, taking the thin tube from Dumbledore's hands "But that's not the only potion I can make, is it?"
"Phoenix tears are very dangerous ingredients." said Snape, looking really dangerous himself. Ellie knew he had understood what the tears were for. "You know that, Ellie, don't you?" and it wasn't a question.
"Dear Ellie" said Dumbledore suddenly "I must ask you to forgive me but it is time for me to leave. For us to leave" and he looked at Snape. "We have a lot to arrange for the beginning of the school year. I still have to see some candidates for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. Take care, Ellie. It was a pleasure to see you again, Remus." He opened the door and looked at Snape "Coming, Severus?"
Snape didn't look much like going. He was still looking very intensely at Lupin, as if trying to read something in his eyes.
"Coming, Headmaster" he said at last. He glanced at Ellie to say goodbye, but, not only no words came out, he also had a deeply cold look in his face. He turned round and they both Desapparated.