"Visidos," muttered Remus Lupin, upon hearing the clang of his doorbell. For his eyes only, the front door and the wall surrounding it became transparent. He recognized the woman standing on the other side, she was an old school friend of his, a woman he hadn't seen in years.
He had invited her back to England at Dumbledore's request to rally supporters.
Raven Blackwing was a striking looking, raven-haired witch, with steel grey eyes. She was also, surprisingly small. Remus wasn't an exceptionally tall wizard, but he stood at least a head and a half taller than Raven. All the same, she had more than enough spirit to make up for her size. At times it seemed to those who knew her that she was the only one who hadn't figured out that she was small. At the moment, she was gazing up at the stars, and behind her, he could see her enormous horse tethered to his shed and emitting tiny sparks as it pawed the ground restlessly. "Opaqus," he commanded and the door returned to its normal solid state as he opened it.
"Ah, Raven!" he cried as though he hadn't known it was she on the other side of his door. "It's good to see you again."
Raven took one look at him and flung her arms around his chest, hugging him long and hard.
"Remus," she said, finally pulling away. "It's been so long…" there was a silence as the estranged friends found themselves staring at each other. "You're looking well," she lied, and Remus was, quite frankly, shocked that she would make any attempt at pleasantries with him, especially, after their bitter parting so many years before.
"Raven my dear, you flatter me. I'm not looking well at all and I know it. But you!" he said taking a step back to look her over. "You haven't changed at all since I last saw you. You haven't aged a jot my dear." Raven looked at the ground, and Remus decided not to continue with the comparison to her mother he had been about to make.
Remus knew he had not fared nearly so well appearance-wise. His hair was graying prematurely and his monthly transformations had left him with hard lines about his face. Every time he looked in the mirror a tired, sickly man stared back at him. He had always looked tired, even at school, but in the past years his exhaustion had become more pronounced in his solitude.
"Come," said Remus, taking her hand and pulling her inside. "I'll fix you a cup of tea shall I? Go on and settle down by the fire. My accommodations are modest, but they do, for me at least." He led her into the den, Raven looked around.
Indeed, most people wouldn't have used the word "modest" to describe Remus Lupin's home; "in shambles" may have seemed more appropriate. There were books everywhere, all stacked in neat little piles of course, but the worn down furniture was sagging under their weight. The sofa in the center of the room looked comfortable enough, but it was somewhat lopsided where the Repair Charms were beginning to wear off. Over in the corner there was a desk that was so cluttered with parchment and inkbottles that it made the rest of the room seem sparse and orderly.
Raven smiled.
"Remember Remus, that you are hosting someone with no home to speak of," she sighed happily. "This is wonderful, and I am grateful for your hospitality, though I see I'm not your only guest."
A large, black, shaggy dog had jumped up off the moth-eaten couch and trotted over to sniff at the newcomer's robes.
"Who is this?" Raven cooed as she bent to ruffle the fur on the dog's neck. Remus hesitated, this dog was in fact, not a dog at all. It was a wizard, an Animagus by the name of Sirius Black, who was wanted in the wizarding world for murder, and for allegedly being the right-hand man to the most powerful Dark wizard to live in over a century. Black, however, was innocent. Two years ago he had escaped from Azkaban, the dreaded wizarding prison, in hopes of catching the man who had framed him, Peter Pettigrew. But Pettigrew had escaped, and, as a result, Voldemort was now returning to power.
Raven, though, was unaware of Black's innocence or Pettigrew's continued existence, and Remus was hesitant to tell her the dog she was petting was her old 'friend', Sirius Black.
She and Sirius had also been friends at Hogwarts. More then friends in fact, Sirius had even asked her to marry him just a couple months before he was arrested. She had taken the news of his betrayal rather hard. Remus had a very strong suspicion that if he were to tell her who this dog was right now she might go and do something rash, like try to kill him.
For the moment, he decided it was better if he didn't tell her…just yet.
"This," he said, gesturing to the dog, "is Snuffles. He was a stray, wandering around Hogsmeade. No one knew what to do with him so I took him in. He keeps me company." This wasn't entirely untrue. Sirius did indeed keep him company, of the most valuable kind. Since Sirius had arrived at his door at the beginning of the summer, his life had most definitely taken a turn for the better. Remus patted Black's furry head and left the room to make the tea.
When he returned with a small tray, Raven and "Snuffles" were on the couch, the dog's head was resting in her lap and she was stroking it absentmindedly, as she stared into the fire. Remus paused in the doorway, he knew Sirius was rather fond of Raven. Ruefully, he recalled the fight they had once had over her as schoolboys. Both had wanted to take her to the Christmas Ball. Raven had gone with Peter Pettigrew to avoid pitting two friends against one another for her sake, but Remus knew all too well that she had always favored Sirius. They were perfectly paired from the moment she had first taken a swing at him.
"Your tea Raven dear?" he asked, she started out of her reverie and accepted the cup - he remembered exactly how to fix it, loads of cream with just a pinch of sugar. She moved over so that Remus could take a seat next to her.
"You have charmed that horse of yours properly haven't you?" he asked sipping his own tea (sugar, no cream) "The last thing I need is for the local Muggles to spot that beast in my yard."
"What? Forth?" responded Raven with mild indignation. "Of course I have. You won't have any trouble from him. He's tied up proper and charmed so no Muggle could see him even if he stepped on their toes. Though," she added thoughtfully. "They'd probably feel it." Her lips played into a mischievous smirk and Remus rolled his eyes.
"Why on earth did you ride him here anyway? You have to adhere to all those magical-flight-over-Muggle-habitation-zones laws, and you have to feed him. There must be faster and less complicated ways of getting here."
Raven set down her tea.
"It's really no trouble. Forth has never been to Hogwarts, and Apparating isn't nearly as exciting. Besides, Hagrid'll be more than happy to care for him while we're there."
Remus smiled at his friend, Hagrid indeed would love to take care of that animal. But he suspected that Raven simply didn't want to part with her beloved pet.
"Well you always did like to make an entrance, and what better way to do it than on a flying, fire horse?"
"You know me too well."
Remus laughed lightly, and sighed.
"I realize we have come upon dark times," he said quietly after a moment of silence. "But I must admit, It is good to be reunited with the old crowd."
"Most of it anyway," Raven muttered darkly. "I suppose Mr. Sirius Black is thinking the same thing about now," her face hardened into an impassive mask. The effect was rather frightening. Remus had never seen her look so closed. "Glad to be reunited with his master. I bet he's Proud to have started Voldemort on this new rise to power."
At this, "Snuffles" lifted his head from her lap, and began to growl. Remus scratched him behind the ears to calm him down. Raven didn't seem to notice, she was staring angrily into the flames of the hearth again. A dark and faraway look came over her. The firelight threw her face into sharp contrast, and Remus suddenly noticed that Raven looked tired.
"Raven dear," he said gently, vanishing their empty cups with a flick of his wand. "You must be exhausted after your long ride."
Raven turned to him and smiled wanly.
"How did you guess?"
"I'll show you where you'll be sleeping until we get to Hogwarts." He led her to the guestroom that had originally been arranged for Sirius, who, they had agreed, would be spending the evenings on the couch in the den.
The guest bedroom was small; there was a small table with a tarnished mirror on the wall above it, and a bed by the window that, like most everything Remus owned, was shabby and rundown but, nonetheless, served its purpose. However, to Raven Blackwing, the gatherer, used to sleeping on the ground or in trees, it was delightful, and at the very least, warm. She smiled and squeezed Remus' hand.
"Remus," she whispered. "I feel like a queen."
Remus returned her smile.
"If you need anything just call me, I shall be up late tonight. I have many letters to write. Goodnight." Remus said closing the door and leaving his guest to prepare for bed.