CHAPTER III The Lily Incarnate
REMUS J. LUPIN is starting to feel the first symptoms of fatigue. His lithe but muscle-packed body is sore at several joints, and his head is throbbing slightly. He has just got off from Order duty, accompanying Dumbledore in an audience with several half-breeds from a clandestine organization called the Blue Moon Society. How Dumbledore found out about this supposedly secret society and was able to set a meeting, he didn't know. All he's thinking about right now is getting some rest, eating a decent meal (meaning cooked meat - he refused the raw bloody piece of a boar carcass offered during the meeting) and drinking some Rejuvenating Tea brewed especially for him by the Hogwarts Potions master.
It was only three days ago that the moon went back to its quarter size, and Lupin the werewolf has transformed back to his human form.
At last, Lupin arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, home of one of his best friends, and headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix. Lupin is among the most valuable members of the Order, possessing great fighting skills both physically (though one would not readily agree upon seeing his shabby and haggard form) and magically. Twice he has been recruited to fight Voldemort alongside good wizards and witches. His first time was a bittersweet experience - he was young and aggressive, and being with his two best friends Sirius Black and James Potter was a thrilling adventure, laying trap and catching and beating the crap out of Death Eaters.
But when they lost most of the Orders' members, including James and Lily, it ceased to be fun for the young Marauder.
Lupin's mind seemed to suddenly become numb from a dull ache inside him. Thinking about his closest friends, who all have died at the hands of Voldemort makes breathing very hard. Painful as it was, he could not stop thinking about Sirius, and James and Lily. Lily.
His reverie was interrupted by a hearty applause coming from the dining room. He suddenly remembered about the dinner that Molly prepared for the arrival of their relative from the United States. Dumbledore has informed the Order of this, he just couldn't remember the exact details.
Deciding whether he should go straight to bed or drop by the dining room first was quite difficult for Lupin. He was tired and sore, but he also would like to meet the infamous relative, who they will be working with in the Order. Man being a social animal (no pun intended), he decided to say hi first and satisfy his curiosity regarding the Weasleys' mysterious relative. Maybe he could also grab something to eat after resolving to go to bed as soon as Molly would permit, Lupin proceeded to the dining room.
The first thing Lupin noticed when he pushed the door open was the very bright lighting in the dining room. He could not remember when the room (or any other room in the house, as a matter of fact) was this bright and this, well, cheery. Then he noticed the people in the room and their positions made him reach for his wand.
The people, which includes the senior members of the Order, most of Weasley siblings, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter are all looking upwards with mouth open, quite mesmerized. Lupin's first thought was that they were all Petrified, and as he started to locate the source of their strange reactions, he looked up to see a beautiful young redhead hovering in the air, legs crossed in an Indian sitting position.
Lupin blinked. And he blinked again. Could this be an apparition? But Lily has moved on.she didn't become a ghost like some witches with unfinished business. How could this be? He asked himself as the woman settled herself back at the chair. He was only dimly aware of the conversation around him. His mind has been occupied by a certain redhead that has caused him several years' worth of loneliness and misery. A redhead who died at the hands of the most evil wizard, along with her husband, but left behind their son whose destiny is to vanquished the Dark Lord.
The woman suddenly turned her head at his direction. She did not seem surprised at all to see him, in fact, it looked as if she has detected his presence and was looking for him. Her smiling green eyes met his, and for a moment Lupin felt something different, something warm. Just as he was beginning to enjoy that moment, the rest of the people inside the room also looked at his direction and greeted him warmly.
"Remus, you're back! Come take a seat and eat first before you update the Order about your mission." Molly was back to being an overbearing mother and gracious hostess. Bill summoned an extra chair and set it beside him for Lupin.
"Oh, by the way, before we forget, this Jean Grey, our niece. He is Cousin Uly's granddaughter from the United States. Isn't she a beauty!" Molly gushed, and his last sentence made Jean blushed, like a typical Weasley. "Jean, this is Remus, one of the members of the Order. He just got back from duty with Dumbledore."
Jean started to reach out her hand for a handshake, but seeing there are five people between them, she gave out a small wave instead and a bright smile.
"Hi Remus! Pleased to meet you!" said Jean.
Lupin nodded in her direction. "Hello. I hope you had an excellent journey to London?" he smiled a little, rare smile.
"Yeah, it was great! This is my first time to London, actually. I have been badgering Grandpa for us to visit his relatives, but he died before we can even plan. So I'm really, really happy to be here." Jean looked like a ten-year old girl who received her early Christmas present. "And of course, you can imagine the surprise when Professor Xavier told me that I will be going to London to my Grandpa's relatives. Grandpa never told me about the wizarding world!"
"Who's Professor Xavier?" Ron asked, his mouth full of the pie his mother cooked.
"Professor Xavier is a good friend of mine, from the Muggle world." It was Dumbledore, who entered the room unnoticed. Like Bill, he conjured a comfy chair and joined the people at the table. "I have been in constant contact with him for several years now, as both of our worlds are facing similar threats from misguided people. Miss Grey here, a very talented mutant from Bayville, was kind enough to help us with some tasks in preparation for a imminent confrontation with Voldemort."
"Well, you lot better get upstairs and arrange your things, or else catch up with each other. We have an important meeting tonight and we don't want to be bothered or spied on." Molly's last two words were spoken with a forceful emphasis.
Ron and Ginny immediately broke into protests along with Hermione's attempt to rationalize with the Order members. Harry could only agree to their rants, as he would also like to know the happenings in the Order and Voldemort's destructive activities. He noticed the twins smirking smugly at their younger siblings, as they had just been inducted to the Order. Beside them he saw Bill also trying to reason out with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. And beside Bill he noticed Lupin, looking very tired but was staring at somebody else. Harry traced Lupin's line of sight and realized that his third year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is staring at Jean. Apparently, Jean has also realized this and was blushing furiously.
Something started to click in Harry's mind, but before he can figure out what it is, Ginny grabbed his hand and tried to yank him from his chair. He noticed that Ron and Hermione have both stood up, and Ginny was wearing a scowl much like her brother's. Obviously, they lost again from their mother.
Harry said goodnight to the Weasleys, the Order members, to Dumbledore and to Jean.
"'Night Harry, see ya all tomorrow!" said Jean.
REMUS J. LUPIN is starting to feel the first symptoms of fatigue. His lithe but muscle-packed body is sore at several joints, and his head is throbbing slightly. He has just got off from Order duty, accompanying Dumbledore in an audience with several half-breeds from a clandestine organization called the Blue Moon Society. How Dumbledore found out about this supposedly secret society and was able to set a meeting, he didn't know. All he's thinking about right now is getting some rest, eating a decent meal (meaning cooked meat - he refused the raw bloody piece of a boar carcass offered during the meeting) and drinking some Rejuvenating Tea brewed especially for him by the Hogwarts Potions master.
It was only three days ago that the moon went back to its quarter size, and Lupin the werewolf has transformed back to his human form.
At last, Lupin arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, home of one of his best friends, and headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix. Lupin is among the most valuable members of the Order, possessing great fighting skills both physically (though one would not readily agree upon seeing his shabby and haggard form) and magically. Twice he has been recruited to fight Voldemort alongside good wizards and witches. His first time was a bittersweet experience - he was young and aggressive, and being with his two best friends Sirius Black and James Potter was a thrilling adventure, laying trap and catching and beating the crap out of Death Eaters.
But when they lost most of the Orders' members, including James and Lily, it ceased to be fun for the young Marauder.
Lupin's mind seemed to suddenly become numb from a dull ache inside him. Thinking about his closest friends, who all have died at the hands of Voldemort makes breathing very hard. Painful as it was, he could not stop thinking about Sirius, and James and Lily. Lily.
His reverie was interrupted by a hearty applause coming from the dining room. He suddenly remembered about the dinner that Molly prepared for the arrival of their relative from the United States. Dumbledore has informed the Order of this, he just couldn't remember the exact details.
Deciding whether he should go straight to bed or drop by the dining room first was quite difficult for Lupin. He was tired and sore, but he also would like to meet the infamous relative, who they will be working with in the Order. Man being a social animal (no pun intended), he decided to say hi first and satisfy his curiosity regarding the Weasleys' mysterious relative. Maybe he could also grab something to eat after resolving to go to bed as soon as Molly would permit, Lupin proceeded to the dining room.
The first thing Lupin noticed when he pushed the door open was the very bright lighting in the dining room. He could not remember when the room (or any other room in the house, as a matter of fact) was this bright and this, well, cheery. Then he noticed the people in the room and their positions made him reach for his wand.
The people, which includes the senior members of the Order, most of Weasley siblings, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter are all looking upwards with mouth open, quite mesmerized. Lupin's first thought was that they were all Petrified, and as he started to locate the source of their strange reactions, he looked up to see a beautiful young redhead hovering in the air, legs crossed in an Indian sitting position.
Lupin blinked. And he blinked again. Could this be an apparition? But Lily has moved on.she didn't become a ghost like some witches with unfinished business. How could this be? He asked himself as the woman settled herself back at the chair. He was only dimly aware of the conversation around him. His mind has been occupied by a certain redhead that has caused him several years' worth of loneliness and misery. A redhead who died at the hands of the most evil wizard, along with her husband, but left behind their son whose destiny is to vanquished the Dark Lord.
The woman suddenly turned her head at his direction. She did not seem surprised at all to see him, in fact, it looked as if she has detected his presence and was looking for him. Her smiling green eyes met his, and for a moment Lupin felt something different, something warm. Just as he was beginning to enjoy that moment, the rest of the people inside the room also looked at his direction and greeted him warmly.
"Remus, you're back! Come take a seat and eat first before you update the Order about your mission." Molly was back to being an overbearing mother and gracious hostess. Bill summoned an extra chair and set it beside him for Lupin.
"Oh, by the way, before we forget, this Jean Grey, our niece. He is Cousin Uly's granddaughter from the United States. Isn't she a beauty!" Molly gushed, and his last sentence made Jean blushed, like a typical Weasley. "Jean, this is Remus, one of the members of the Order. He just got back from duty with Dumbledore."
Jean started to reach out her hand for a handshake, but seeing there are five people between them, she gave out a small wave instead and a bright smile.
"Hi Remus! Pleased to meet you!" said Jean.
Lupin nodded in her direction. "Hello. I hope you had an excellent journey to London?" he smiled a little, rare smile.
"Yeah, it was great! This is my first time to London, actually. I have been badgering Grandpa for us to visit his relatives, but he died before we can even plan. So I'm really, really happy to be here." Jean looked like a ten-year old girl who received her early Christmas present. "And of course, you can imagine the surprise when Professor Xavier told me that I will be going to London to my Grandpa's relatives. Grandpa never told me about the wizarding world!"
"Who's Professor Xavier?" Ron asked, his mouth full of the pie his mother cooked.
"Professor Xavier is a good friend of mine, from the Muggle world." It was Dumbledore, who entered the room unnoticed. Like Bill, he conjured a comfy chair and joined the people at the table. "I have been in constant contact with him for several years now, as both of our worlds are facing similar threats from misguided people. Miss Grey here, a very talented mutant from Bayville, was kind enough to help us with some tasks in preparation for a imminent confrontation with Voldemort."
"Well, you lot better get upstairs and arrange your things, or else catch up with each other. We have an important meeting tonight and we don't want to be bothered or spied on." Molly's last two words were spoken with a forceful emphasis.
Ron and Ginny immediately broke into protests along with Hermione's attempt to rationalize with the Order members. Harry could only agree to their rants, as he would also like to know the happenings in the Order and Voldemort's destructive activities. He noticed the twins smirking smugly at their younger siblings, as they had just been inducted to the Order. Beside them he saw Bill also trying to reason out with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. And beside Bill he noticed Lupin, looking very tired but was staring at somebody else. Harry traced Lupin's line of sight and realized that his third year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is staring at Jean. Apparently, Jean has also realized this and was blushing furiously.
Something started to click in Harry's mind, but before he can figure out what it is, Ginny grabbed his hand and tried to yank him from his chair. He noticed that Ron and Hermione have both stood up, and Ginny was wearing a scowl much like her brother's. Obviously, they lost again from their mother.
Harry said goodnight to the Weasleys, the Order members, to Dumbledore and to Jean.
"'Night Harry, see ya all tomorrow!" said Jean.