Chapter XII - Wandering with Werewolves
Ellie and Remus were now having a proper honeymoon. They hadn't been bothered again by the Ministry, their horrible agents or even by the newspapers for a whole week.
Occasionally, Ellie would take a piece of parchment and write some numbers and symbols, but Remus would soon distract her enough to drop it, by kissing her ears, scrambling her hair or merely looking at her with his big beautiful eyes.
One day, when he couldn't distract her anyway he tried, he eventually asked what she was doing.
"I noticed your transformation was very painful" she said in a matter-of- fact tone "So I'm trying to find a way to relieve you from the pain. I though of adding some luxcrab, but that wouldn't work because they are very spicy and it would probably ruin all the gillyweed effect. Then I thought of- What?" He was looking at her, smiling.
"You are so special, Ellie. Why didn't I see it before? Your brightness, your kindness, your beauty... Why did it take me so long?"
She smiled back. "Oh, no you don't, buddy. Don't you even try it. I told you I really have to concentrate today. I have only one week to add it to the potion before you start your cycle again. So don't you try to distract me."
"I'm serious. You really are special... And I'm really dumb."
"Well, I'll study a donkeysbane potion next week, shall I? Now I really have to get this done."
He laughed and, kissing her forehead, headed to the garden door.
***
Two days before new moon, Ellie was already adding some new ingredients to one of the cauldrons.
"Yes, this should do the trick. I don't know why I didn't think about it before."
"What's this suppose to be?" he asked taking a very sluggish something from the tray.
"I'd better not tell you. You might throw up. Anyway, if all goes well, the potion will turn red after I add the last ingredients, and tomorrow it will have turned back to its original color. That's the sign that it has been incorporated and that you can start taking it."
Remus, however, noticed she was as nervous as in the first experiment.
They had a quiet breakfast, apart from the fact that he kept throwing her berries trying to hit the small space between her robes and her neck, and, right after he'd made his first score ("Now come and get it" she said with a kinky smile), a barn owl arrived, carrying the post. She grabbed the letter. It was for Remus.
He looked at it, and sighed.
"I told them I would have my holidays now."
"Told who?" she asked.
"I work for a bookstore near Glasgow." Ellie looked surprised. "Yes," he smiled "I have found a paid work. A great job actually. I read the recently published books and give them an opinion about them. It has helped the sales a lot. They usually love my reviews."
"I didn't know that. That sounds great. I know you love to read."
"It is great. I get to read all sort of stuff, and it's really fun."
"Do they know-"
"No." he said quickly "And they won't if I can help it. Imagine, a werewolf reviewing books. They'd probably think I'd try and get the dark arts to sell more or something. There really is a lot of prejudice around. But since I don't have to go to the store, they don't even suspect."
"I didn't know you had a job. Well, well. What else don't I know about you?" she asked in mocked offended look.
"Aaah, the mysteries I hide" he said smiling.
"Let me see if I can find another one." she said, sitting on his lap and looking behind his hears. "Nope. Hummm... maybe here." and she looked down his robes "Well, no surprises there." And she started kissing his neck and teasing him "Humm... maybe here... or here... or perhaps here?"
In less than a minute they had lost all notion that the letter laid on the table, still unopened.
***
By lunch time, when Ellie entered the kitchen she noticed the letter again.
"Remus, you forgot to open the letter." she called.
He walked in and grabbed it.
"I shouldn't, you know. They probably want to send me something. I'm in no mood for reviewing."
"Of course you are, Remus. You love to read."
"Oh, all right. Since there is nothing interesting to do while I'm here" and he winked at her. He opened the letter and drooped it almost immediately.
"What?" she asked.
He grabbed it from the floor and looked at it, confused and flabbergasted.
"What?!" she asked again. She took the letter from his hands and understood. She too was shocked by the news. It wasn't a book they wanted him to review. It was a magazine article.
"'Wanderings with werewolves', the most recently published work of famous wizard Gilderoy Lockhart, has just been released, for the delightment of all his fans around the world. In this new book he tells the stories of several places where he met these dreadful monsters and of his battle against the dark arts. He also lets us in his world a bit more, telling us about his personal life and some little secrets of his heart, like his ideal birthday gift. The bookstores were filled with witches and wizards from all over the place buying this very expected book and thousands of owls have delivered it all over the country to people who had pre-ordered from our magazine. Since everyone says we should ask for advice for those who understand the matter, our magazine is currently trying to contact Mr. Remus Lupin, a known book reviewer who happens to be a werewolf himself, to give us an honest opinion on this already best-seller." The article was signed by Rita Skeeter.
And attached was the note: "You need not come back by the end of your holidays".
"How could she?!" asked Ellie, enraged.
Remus didn't answer. He seemed to have lost all the ability to speak.
"That... that... cow!! How could she?! I'll kill her" Ellie was punching the air in rage. "She must have been so mad at us for not giving her the interview she just... Aaaargh! Say something!" But Remus kept quiet. He was starting to feel a buzz in his hears and hoped that he was only dreaming and that he hadn't been publicly exposed and that he hadn't lost his job... again.
Ellie was so angry she didn't even hear the clock ringing. Remus seemed to have wake up. He looked at her and said "Ellie, isn't the clock ringing because you need to add something to the potion?" How could he be talking about the potion?! Then he stood up and walked to the garden.
Ellie drank a glass of water and entered the lab. She had to calm down. He needed her to be calm. And she had to add the last leeches. In the rush of going to him and try to help him in something, anything, to relieve the pain he must be feeling, she drooped one of them on the floor.
And when she left the lab the potion turned dark blue, bubbling furiously and sparkling little bright green stars.
Ellie and Remus were now having a proper honeymoon. They hadn't been bothered again by the Ministry, their horrible agents or even by the newspapers for a whole week.
Occasionally, Ellie would take a piece of parchment and write some numbers and symbols, but Remus would soon distract her enough to drop it, by kissing her ears, scrambling her hair or merely looking at her with his big beautiful eyes.
One day, when he couldn't distract her anyway he tried, he eventually asked what she was doing.
"I noticed your transformation was very painful" she said in a matter-of- fact tone "So I'm trying to find a way to relieve you from the pain. I though of adding some luxcrab, but that wouldn't work because they are very spicy and it would probably ruin all the gillyweed effect. Then I thought of- What?" He was looking at her, smiling.
"You are so special, Ellie. Why didn't I see it before? Your brightness, your kindness, your beauty... Why did it take me so long?"
She smiled back. "Oh, no you don't, buddy. Don't you even try it. I told you I really have to concentrate today. I have only one week to add it to the potion before you start your cycle again. So don't you try to distract me."
"I'm serious. You really are special... And I'm really dumb."
"Well, I'll study a donkeysbane potion next week, shall I? Now I really have to get this done."
He laughed and, kissing her forehead, headed to the garden door.
***
Two days before new moon, Ellie was already adding some new ingredients to one of the cauldrons.
"Yes, this should do the trick. I don't know why I didn't think about it before."
"What's this suppose to be?" he asked taking a very sluggish something from the tray.
"I'd better not tell you. You might throw up. Anyway, if all goes well, the potion will turn red after I add the last ingredients, and tomorrow it will have turned back to its original color. That's the sign that it has been incorporated and that you can start taking it."
Remus, however, noticed she was as nervous as in the first experiment.
They had a quiet breakfast, apart from the fact that he kept throwing her berries trying to hit the small space between her robes and her neck, and, right after he'd made his first score ("Now come and get it" she said with a kinky smile), a barn owl arrived, carrying the post. She grabbed the letter. It was for Remus.
He looked at it, and sighed.
"I told them I would have my holidays now."
"Told who?" she asked.
"I work for a bookstore near Glasgow." Ellie looked surprised. "Yes," he smiled "I have found a paid work. A great job actually. I read the recently published books and give them an opinion about them. It has helped the sales a lot. They usually love my reviews."
"I didn't know that. That sounds great. I know you love to read."
"It is great. I get to read all sort of stuff, and it's really fun."
"Do they know-"
"No." he said quickly "And they won't if I can help it. Imagine, a werewolf reviewing books. They'd probably think I'd try and get the dark arts to sell more or something. There really is a lot of prejudice around. But since I don't have to go to the store, they don't even suspect."
"I didn't know you had a job. Well, well. What else don't I know about you?" she asked in mocked offended look.
"Aaah, the mysteries I hide" he said smiling.
"Let me see if I can find another one." she said, sitting on his lap and looking behind his hears. "Nope. Hummm... maybe here." and she looked down his robes "Well, no surprises there." And she started kissing his neck and teasing him "Humm... maybe here... or here... or perhaps here?"
In less than a minute they had lost all notion that the letter laid on the table, still unopened.
***
By lunch time, when Ellie entered the kitchen she noticed the letter again.
"Remus, you forgot to open the letter." she called.
He walked in and grabbed it.
"I shouldn't, you know. They probably want to send me something. I'm in no mood for reviewing."
"Of course you are, Remus. You love to read."
"Oh, all right. Since there is nothing interesting to do while I'm here" and he winked at her. He opened the letter and drooped it almost immediately.
"What?" she asked.
He grabbed it from the floor and looked at it, confused and flabbergasted.
"What?!" she asked again. She took the letter from his hands and understood. She too was shocked by the news. It wasn't a book they wanted him to review. It was a magazine article.
"'Wanderings with werewolves', the most recently published work of famous wizard Gilderoy Lockhart, has just been released, for the delightment of all his fans around the world. In this new book he tells the stories of several places where he met these dreadful monsters and of his battle against the dark arts. He also lets us in his world a bit more, telling us about his personal life and some little secrets of his heart, like his ideal birthday gift. The bookstores were filled with witches and wizards from all over the place buying this very expected book and thousands of owls have delivered it all over the country to people who had pre-ordered from our magazine. Since everyone says we should ask for advice for those who understand the matter, our magazine is currently trying to contact Mr. Remus Lupin, a known book reviewer who happens to be a werewolf himself, to give us an honest opinion on this already best-seller." The article was signed by Rita Skeeter.
And attached was the note: "You need not come back by the end of your holidays".
"How could she?!" asked Ellie, enraged.
Remus didn't answer. He seemed to have lost all the ability to speak.
"That... that... cow!! How could she?! I'll kill her" Ellie was punching the air in rage. "She must have been so mad at us for not giving her the interview she just... Aaaargh! Say something!" But Remus kept quiet. He was starting to feel a buzz in his hears and hoped that he was only dreaming and that he hadn't been publicly exposed and that he hadn't lost his job... again.
Ellie was so angry she didn't even hear the clock ringing. Remus seemed to have wake up. He looked at her and said "Ellie, isn't the clock ringing because you need to add something to the potion?" How could he be talking about the potion?! Then he stood up and walked to the garden.
Ellie drank a glass of water and entered the lab. She had to calm down. He needed her to be calm. And she had to add the last leeches. In the rush of going to him and try to help him in something, anything, to relieve the pain he must be feeling, she drooped one of them on the floor.
And when she left the lab the potion turned dark blue, bubbling furiously and sparkling little bright green stars.