Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Nope, not me.
A/N: Yay for reviews!
I had a couple of comments last chapter that Severus was out of character, and doubtless I am going to get a few about Remus for this chapter. My reasons for their behaviours are, however, justified. It is impossible for Severus to be all snark-and-sarcasm, all the time. Likewise, it is impossible Remus to be patient and sweet and nice all the time. Severus has feelings and he is capable of being nice (even if he has to go through emotional hell to do it!) And Remus, like everyone, has a dark side, even if his morals keep it in check 99.9% of the time…
And as to Sirius and Regina's child… no, it's not an original character… so keep guessing, though even if you guess right I'm not saying anything!
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"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Remus wheeled, the jar of Floo powder in his hands. "Sweet Merlin, Aemilia, you scared me!"
Aemilia was leaning casually against the doorjamb. She was wearing robes of deep blue and looked - in Remus's opinion anyway - very pretty. "Good morning to you too," she said, smiling. "Where are you off to?"
"St. Mungo's," Remus replied.
Aemilia quirked an eyebrow. "But you're not working today."
"I'm going to see my mother."
"But you saw her only a couple of weeks ago." Aemilia crossed the room, looking at him with brows furrowed. "Where are you going, Remus?"
He sighed, anxiously fingering the phial in his pocket. "I really am going to St. Mungo's, Aemilia, and I really am going to see my mother, and I really do have a reason, but I really am in a hurry even though I really would like to properly explain it to you -"
"Really?" she asked. He could see laughter in her eyes.
He smiled. "Really."
"You'll explain it to me later?"
"I promise. But - I have to do this now, Aemilia."
She stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I understand," she said softly. "Incidentally, I've come to add to your workload."
This time it was him who quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yes, really," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Dumbledore's orders, not mine. He said you're to fetch the Weasleys and Hermione Granger. He wants them here for moral support for when Harry and the Dursleys arrive later today."
"Now?"
"Soon."
Remus nodded. "I'll do it after I go to St. Mungo's, then. Can you tell Dumbledore?"
"Of course. But now," she said, "I have to get back to my papers and try not to run into my father as he runs all over the castle trying to find out what points I'm going to call the Dursleys on tomorrow."
"Good luck," he said softly, kissing her softly on the lips.
"Same to you," she replied, ruffling his hair playfully. "Now be off with you."
He pretended to tip his hat. "Yes, m'lady." He threw the Floo powder into the fireplace. "St. Mungo's!"
And he was gone.
*
"Hello, mother."
Arethusa Lupin glared at her son. Remus did not find it hard to believe that she thought he looked too happy. It would be just like her, he thought.
"It's only been two weeks since I came to see you last," he commented, sitting back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head, "but what an eventful two weeks it has been.
Arethusa stared impassively at him. I don't care, he could practically hear her thinking. I don't care at all.
"I saw your veil again," Remus went on, trying very hard not to look as her eyes lit up at the mention of it. "And you know what, mother? The people behind it aren't as far gone as you thought."
Arethusa's eyes flew wide open and she began to gnaw at the leather between her teeth, trying desperately to break it.
"I talked to them," Remus said, glaring at his mother. "To Sirius. And," he leaned in, "to Regina."
Arethusa continued to gnaw at the leather, but there was no mistaking the look in her eyes. Fear. And hatred.
Remus pulled a phial out of his pocket. "Do you know what this is, mother?" He had no doubt that Arethusa did know what it was - she had probably administered it more times than Mad-Eye Moody, trying to get the truth of their experiences out of the people she experimented on - but he ploughed on nevertheless. "It's Veritaserum."
He fingered the bottle idly. His mother, he noted, was making progress on the leather. Her persistence was probably born of fear. Or hatred. One of them, anyway.
"Now, I don't want to have to give this to you, mother," he said, "but I will if I have to." He leaned in. "I know Sirius and Regina had a child, and I know you took the child as well when you took Regina from the temple. But I know it's not behind the veil, so don't try to tell me that it is."
Arethusa glared at him. So you finally found out my secret, he could almost hear her think. But there's nothing you can do about it.
But there was something he could do about it, and Remus knew it. "Now, mother," he said calmly, "I have a proposal for you. You tell me what you did with the child, and I may be able to satisfy your greatest desire. The one that Regina refused to satisfy you."
His mother's voice echoed in his mind. She was bad, and so I took her.
"Regina knew some of the secrets of life and death, and you knew she knew," Remus said. "And there was nothing you wanted more than to know, was there? James used to tell me about you at work - he was an Unspeakable too, don't you remember? About the sick experiments you performed, trying to figure out the secrets - hell, I saw all the times you used to try to summon wights in the backyard! - but all the time you knew the answers lay in books at Telae Domus. In the Libri of Life and Death - books Regina had access to. Telae Domus is gone now, and so are the books. There are two people left who know the secrets, not counting the wights. One is a priestess, and this does not concern her. The other is Regina, and we will get her back. But there are papers, written by Lily and James Potter, that we are going to recover. that will pass to me when we win our lawsuit. And Lily was a priestess, same as Regina."
He leaned back. "So, that's the deal, mother. You tell me where the child is, and I will let you read the papers." He knew this was immoral, knew it and felt his heart fall sickeningly, but he had to do it. He had to know. "Do we have an accord?"
Arethusa fixed her eyes on his. Then, slowly, she shook her head.
"What do you want then?" Remus asked, frustrated.
Arethusa jerked her head towards the window. That as well, he almost heard her hiss.
"You want to be let out?"
Arethusa nodded.
Remus felt like he was reeling back from a precipice. Had he really been about to offer his mother an accord? Did he really believe she could be trusted? "No," he grated. "No!"
Do it, the wolf growled in his mind.
Then he ripped the leather out from between her teeth and forced the Veritaserum down her throat.
*
Afterwards, when Arethusa had told her secrets, when the Weasleys and Hermione were safe at Hogwarts and he was back in his own rooms, Remus buried his head in his hands.
"I'd have been happier not knowing," he muttered.
He took out his wand and looked at it for a long time before taking a deep breath.
Then he pointed the tip to his head. "Obliviate."
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