Chapter XXXIV - A New Life
It was just like she had always imagined. She had her best white robes and, facing Remus, she just let her heart speak.
"I take you, Remus, as my husband, to love and to care, in richness and in poverty, in sickness and in health-"
"In full moons and other wise" he whispered winking at her.
"In the best and the worst moments. till death do us part."
And he conjured a golden ring which she took and put in her finger.
"And I take you, Ellie Wood, as my wife, to love and to care, in richness and in poverty, in sickness and in health, in the best and the worst moments. till death do us part." And he kissed her hand whispering, "Though I'm not sure it will succeed in keeping us apart anymore."
He took the ring she conjured and, as he leaned closer to seal their union with a kiss, Ellie felt as if it was their first kiss. Her lips trembled when he touched them and the world all around her swirled in pure happiness. Taken by emotion, the kiss took longer than was expected and they were only brought to reality by their best man, who had to cough a couple of times before they even noticed him. They both looked at Snape and felt their cheeks going extremely red.
"And just a few more words before you go and enjoy the rest of you life together." said the old wizard who was conducting the ceremony, and, clearing his throat, added "Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" He smiled behind his half moon spectacles and added "Now go and be happy. Shooo!"
***
It was the end of spring and Ellie was getting near the end of her pregnancy. They were living together in her cottage in Scotland and, during that time, they were able to perfect the potion's effect and Remus only had to take it in the week previous to the full moon, which he greatly thanked. ("One less week of awful tasting.")
They lived a quiet life now. Ellie was back to potion making and Remus was working for another book store. The Wolfsbane potion was now a common potion in St. Mungos Hospital to treat recent werewolf bites. Ellie received a generous fee monthly for her work in that potion, which allowed them to live a comfortable, though modest life.
She kept trying to finance the World Werewolf Foundation, a place where werewolves could come and receive the Wolfsbane potion (since most of them were very poor and couldn't afford to buy it themselves). But the requests were constantly rejected. The Wolfsbane remained a healing potion only accessible to wizards and was still kept away, even in St. Mungos, from werewolves who wished to be safe.
For Ellie and Remus, every day was a blessing and every day, though much similar to the previous, was like a brand new life all along because their happiness was so complete.
It was a total surprise for them when early May brought them a beautiful owl with a letter with a crest Ellie had never seen in real life. The Order of Merlin's Crest.
"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" she said looking at the crest. "Severus has made it!"
"What?" asked Remus. She showed him the crest and quickly jumped from the sofa.
Remus had never seen the crest of The Order of Merlin in real life as well. He turned the letter, hearing a couple of books falling on the ground, and frowned "But. why is it addressed to you?"
Ellie's head appeared from behind a table. "Well, they're inviting me to the ceremony, of course." and she continued looking for something under the chair.
"What has he done?"
"I don't know." came her stuffed voice from behind a curtain by the fireplace. "That's why I'm trying to talk to him!" and she came out, looking under all the books and magical objects she had on top of the fireplace. She even looked behind a painting in the wall, saying "Why didn't he tell me anything, anyway?"
"Are you looking for something?" smiled Remus.
"Floo powder." she said, taking her wand from behind the sofa and saying "Oh, there you were" and sticking it in her pocket.
"Accio Floo Powder" said Remus, opening the letter at the same time. And as he unfolded the letter, and opened his hand to catch the vase that he had summoned, his jaw dropped and so did the vase, because he stood up so quickly he didn't even remember to catch it.
"Oh, thanks a lot, Remus." she said sarcastically, taking a broom from the corner and starting to dust the powder and the remaining pieces of the vase. Then, remembering she was using her racing broom, she quickly took out her wand from her pocket, blushed and muttered "Reparo" . And before he could start teasing her on using her Cleansweep for domestical uses, she said "So, why did he win it, anyway?"
"For the Wolfsbane Potion" he said slowly.
"What do you mean 'for the Wolfsbane Potion'? I invented Wolfsbane."
Remus looked up at her, nodding and suddenly smiling and Ellie felt a jolt in her stomach. It couldn't be.
She made it to grab the letter but Remus, keeping it out of her reach, started reading it aloud.
"Dear Mrs. E. Lupin," he said "Well, nothing new here." and he winked "It has come to our knowledge your wish to make the Wolfsbane a medicinal potion also available to werewolves and that your repeated requests to have it financed in order to make it possible were constantly rejected.
We, at the Order of Merlin, see your attempts as highly noble and, after much discussion, we have unanimously voted you to accept the Order of Merlin, Third Class."
At this Ellie stopped trying to reach the letter and looked at him in shock.
"What?!"
"Although it is not very common knowledge," Remus continued with a smile from ear to ear "the Order of Merlin is always accompanied by a money prize to permit the winner to live a job-free life for sometime and dedicate his or her life to their achievements in full time. We hope this will be your case as well.
The Order of Merlin Ceremony will be held in two weeks, in the Morgana's Great Auditorium, in the Order's Headquarters.
We hope to see you and to have been able to help you pursuing your noble cause."
***
It was just like she had always imagined. She had her best black robes and, facing the audience, she just let her heart speak.
"I have much to thank. I want to thank every member of the Order for helping me fulfil my dream and to believe it is a noble cause to give werewolves a better life. I especially need to thank Professor Dumbledore, for all the reasons in the world." His blue eyes twinkled behind his half- moon spectacles. "And also Professor Doppler, who was my Potions teacher at Hogwarts and always made a wonderful job. I also need to thank my parents for taking seriously the responsibility of raising a child. I will try hard to follow your example." and she smiled to Oliver as well. "I also wish to thank Severus Snape, who has always been there for me and shares with me this great passion of potion making. You will always have a place in my heart." Severus' eyes shone deeply for a moment. "And Remus Lupin, of course, who bravely took the job of being my lab rat on this experiment." He was standing behind a curtain on the left side of the stage. Ellie looked at him, her eyes filled with love, and said "I'd like to dedicate this award to my father, a muggle who knew the value of true magic: the magic of love."
She felt him smile and had to control her emotions to be able to continue.
"And finally." she stopped suddenly. She looked sideways to Remus and said quickly "Thank you everyone." and left the stage before everyone's puzzled faces.
"Ellie, that was so-"
"Remus, my waters broke." she said in an urgent voice.
Remus looked at her puzzled, and suddenly comprehension dawned on him.
"Oh, dear."
***
Ellie was sleeping, exhausted, and the room was quite still. Next to her rested their precious pearl, Cynthia. Remus had fallen in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her reddish and wrinkled skin. She was the most precious thing he had ever seen.
Next to her beautiful mum, illuminated by the full moon's light entering by the window, they looked like ethereal angels who had descended from Heaven to bless his own life. Remus walked up to them and laid his head on Ellie's lap.
Feeling his warmth, Ellie slowly opened her eyes. She stroke his fur with all the love she felt. She had never been so complete. She saw his eyes shinning as a tinny tear of happiness fell, wetting his fur and her fingers.
Her soul smiled. She didn't know that wolves could cry.
It was just like she had always imagined. She had her best white robes and, facing Remus, she just let her heart speak.
"I take you, Remus, as my husband, to love and to care, in richness and in poverty, in sickness and in health-"
"In full moons and other wise" he whispered winking at her.
"In the best and the worst moments. till death do us part."
And he conjured a golden ring which she took and put in her finger.
"And I take you, Ellie Wood, as my wife, to love and to care, in richness and in poverty, in sickness and in health, in the best and the worst moments. till death do us part." And he kissed her hand whispering, "Though I'm not sure it will succeed in keeping us apart anymore."
He took the ring she conjured and, as he leaned closer to seal their union with a kiss, Ellie felt as if it was their first kiss. Her lips trembled when he touched them and the world all around her swirled in pure happiness. Taken by emotion, the kiss took longer than was expected and they were only brought to reality by their best man, who had to cough a couple of times before they even noticed him. They both looked at Snape and felt their cheeks going extremely red.
"And just a few more words before you go and enjoy the rest of you life together." said the old wizard who was conducting the ceremony, and, clearing his throat, added "Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" He smiled behind his half moon spectacles and added "Now go and be happy. Shooo!"
***
It was the end of spring and Ellie was getting near the end of her pregnancy. They were living together in her cottage in Scotland and, during that time, they were able to perfect the potion's effect and Remus only had to take it in the week previous to the full moon, which he greatly thanked. ("One less week of awful tasting.")
They lived a quiet life now. Ellie was back to potion making and Remus was working for another book store. The Wolfsbane potion was now a common potion in St. Mungos Hospital to treat recent werewolf bites. Ellie received a generous fee monthly for her work in that potion, which allowed them to live a comfortable, though modest life.
She kept trying to finance the World Werewolf Foundation, a place where werewolves could come and receive the Wolfsbane potion (since most of them were very poor and couldn't afford to buy it themselves). But the requests were constantly rejected. The Wolfsbane remained a healing potion only accessible to wizards and was still kept away, even in St. Mungos, from werewolves who wished to be safe.
For Ellie and Remus, every day was a blessing and every day, though much similar to the previous, was like a brand new life all along because their happiness was so complete.
It was a total surprise for them when early May brought them a beautiful owl with a letter with a crest Ellie had never seen in real life. The Order of Merlin's Crest.
"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" she said looking at the crest. "Severus has made it!"
"What?" asked Remus. She showed him the crest and quickly jumped from the sofa.
Remus had never seen the crest of The Order of Merlin in real life as well. He turned the letter, hearing a couple of books falling on the ground, and frowned "But. why is it addressed to you?"
Ellie's head appeared from behind a table. "Well, they're inviting me to the ceremony, of course." and she continued looking for something under the chair.
"What has he done?"
"I don't know." came her stuffed voice from behind a curtain by the fireplace. "That's why I'm trying to talk to him!" and she came out, looking under all the books and magical objects she had on top of the fireplace. She even looked behind a painting in the wall, saying "Why didn't he tell me anything, anyway?"
"Are you looking for something?" smiled Remus.
"Floo powder." she said, taking her wand from behind the sofa and saying "Oh, there you were" and sticking it in her pocket.
"Accio Floo Powder" said Remus, opening the letter at the same time. And as he unfolded the letter, and opened his hand to catch the vase that he had summoned, his jaw dropped and so did the vase, because he stood up so quickly he didn't even remember to catch it.
"Oh, thanks a lot, Remus." she said sarcastically, taking a broom from the corner and starting to dust the powder and the remaining pieces of the vase. Then, remembering she was using her racing broom, she quickly took out her wand from her pocket, blushed and muttered "Reparo" . And before he could start teasing her on using her Cleansweep for domestical uses, she said "So, why did he win it, anyway?"
"For the Wolfsbane Potion" he said slowly.
"What do you mean 'for the Wolfsbane Potion'? I invented Wolfsbane."
Remus looked up at her, nodding and suddenly smiling and Ellie felt a jolt in her stomach. It couldn't be.
She made it to grab the letter but Remus, keeping it out of her reach, started reading it aloud.
"Dear Mrs. E. Lupin," he said "Well, nothing new here." and he winked "It has come to our knowledge your wish to make the Wolfsbane a medicinal potion also available to werewolves and that your repeated requests to have it financed in order to make it possible were constantly rejected.
We, at the Order of Merlin, see your attempts as highly noble and, after much discussion, we have unanimously voted you to accept the Order of Merlin, Third Class."
At this Ellie stopped trying to reach the letter and looked at him in shock.
"What?!"
"Although it is not very common knowledge," Remus continued with a smile from ear to ear "the Order of Merlin is always accompanied by a money prize to permit the winner to live a job-free life for sometime and dedicate his or her life to their achievements in full time. We hope this will be your case as well.
The Order of Merlin Ceremony will be held in two weeks, in the Morgana's Great Auditorium, in the Order's Headquarters.
We hope to see you and to have been able to help you pursuing your noble cause."
***
It was just like she had always imagined. She had her best black robes and, facing the audience, she just let her heart speak.
"I have much to thank. I want to thank every member of the Order for helping me fulfil my dream and to believe it is a noble cause to give werewolves a better life. I especially need to thank Professor Dumbledore, for all the reasons in the world." His blue eyes twinkled behind his half- moon spectacles. "And also Professor Doppler, who was my Potions teacher at Hogwarts and always made a wonderful job. I also need to thank my parents for taking seriously the responsibility of raising a child. I will try hard to follow your example." and she smiled to Oliver as well. "I also wish to thank Severus Snape, who has always been there for me and shares with me this great passion of potion making. You will always have a place in my heart." Severus' eyes shone deeply for a moment. "And Remus Lupin, of course, who bravely took the job of being my lab rat on this experiment." He was standing behind a curtain on the left side of the stage. Ellie looked at him, her eyes filled with love, and said "I'd like to dedicate this award to my father, a muggle who knew the value of true magic: the magic of love."
She felt him smile and had to control her emotions to be able to continue.
"And finally." she stopped suddenly. She looked sideways to Remus and said quickly "Thank you everyone." and left the stage before everyone's puzzled faces.
"Ellie, that was so-"
"Remus, my waters broke." she said in an urgent voice.
Remus looked at her puzzled, and suddenly comprehension dawned on him.
"Oh, dear."
***
Ellie was sleeping, exhausted, and the room was quite still. Next to her rested their precious pearl, Cynthia. Remus had fallen in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her reddish and wrinkled skin. She was the most precious thing he had ever seen.
Next to her beautiful mum, illuminated by the full moon's light entering by the window, they looked like ethereal angels who had descended from Heaven to bless his own life. Remus walked up to them and laid his head on Ellie's lap.
Feeling his warmth, Ellie slowly opened her eyes. She stroke his fur with all the love she felt. She had never been so complete. She saw his eyes shinning as a tinny tear of happiness fell, wetting his fur and her fingers.
Her soul smiled. She didn't know that wolves could cry.