Sorry I didn't update sooner! You see, I was on a camping trip and then this past week was my freshman finals week (I passed! It's a miracle!) so I was a bit preoccupied. But now it's officially summer holiday so, unless the dreaded writer's block strikes and I cannot chase down any plot bunnies ::knocks on wood:: my updates should be more swift in coming! Well, here ya go- chapter two! And I'll try not to have so many author's notes later on as well.

Chapter Two

"In here!"

After what seemed like an eternity of practically swimming through the flooded streets, shoeless no less, Remus pulled Wendy into a shadowy building.

Once inside Wendy was surprised to find them in a tiny candle-lit pub of sorts, though not one she was used to seeing, with a roaring fireplace on either side of the room.

"Ah, here we are," Remus sighed, looking around with a smile. Wendy was about to ask where that was exactly but what came out of her mouth was a tremendous sneeze, doubling her over. She straightened, sniffling deeply, then shivered involuntarily. She was soaked to the bone, had been for quite some time, and it had grown very cold outside.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Remus cried immediately. "How terrible of me! Here-" And with that he took off his black cloak and wrapped it around Wendy's slim shoulders. "Better?" he asked hopefully. Wendy nodded- although wet as everything else on the outside the cloak was actually quite warm and dry on the inside, and though it was dull and worn, it had a rather pleasant odor to it, kind of musky.

Remus smiled and was about to say something when the door burst open behind them.

"Get down!" Remus pushed her roughly into a corner veiled in the shadows cast from the fireplace, just behind and to the left of the bar where he then squeezed in in front of her. Two ominous figures entered and swept to the bar, flinging raindrops from the edges of their billowing cloaks. They went to the bar and once they sat down one pulled out an umbrella- a pink one.

"Hey… that's my umbrella!" Wendy realized. Remus immediately pushed her head down and Wendy could see no more.

"Did you hear something?" a deep, silky voice asked in a furtive tone.

"No," the other answered. Wendy had a strange feeling she'd heard that voice before.

"Hm. Now, we were to meet Macnair here- he couldn't very well apparate to a house he'd never been to before. Blasted fellow should be here by now…" This was the first voice. "Might as well order some firewhiskey while we're here. Oi, Tom! I'll take a shot of firewhiskey. You?"

"I'll pass," the second voice, the one Wendy found familiar, replied. The first man got his drink and still Wendy and Remus waited breathlessly. He was close enough to her that she could feel the heat radiating from his body and, still frozen, she was glad for it.

Out of nowhere a gigantic POP! sounded and Wendy jumped.

"There you are Macnair!" The first voice.

"Sorry that took so long," a new voice said.

Where did he come from? Wendy wondered. Then her stomach tightened. She had to sneeze.

Not being able to do anything to stop it she let it go, trying her best to stifle it. Then a crash sounded from the bar.

"Whoops…" It was the familiar voice. "Well, let's be off then- I have no great desire to be out in this weather all night." And with that Wendy heard the sounds of three pairs of boots exiting the pub. Remus waited a moment before finally letting Wendy and himself emerge.

"We'll be needing a room for the night if you've got one," he said to the man behind the counter who was at that moment sweeping up glass in front. He looked up, startled.

"Oh! Mr. Lupin! When did you get here?" he asked.

"Oh, just now…" he answered vaguely. "Now how about that room?"

"I think you're in luck," the man replied, heading behind the counter. "See, we've had quite a lot of rooms taken on account of all the folks getting stuck here with the weather and all"-He looked up as, as if on cue, a menacing flash of lightning dazzled them and the steady pounding on the roof increased it's volume as rain turned to hail. Remus nodded empathetically. Then Tom noticed Wendy.

"Oh, uh… I've only got one room left…" he said apologetically to Remus, key already in his hand.

"That's quite alright Tom," Remus replied quickly, taking the keys. "We'll take it."

With that he gestured to Wendy to follow him and they went up a narrow set of stairs to the hotel-like upper story. Remus found their room and unlocked the door. They entered to find the room small- but warm and dry with a fire already burning. He shut the door behind them and Wendy heard the lock click.

"Mr. Lupin- there's only one bed in here," Wendy said tightly, realizing how very little she knew about this man- wizard- that was several inches taller and undoubtedly stronger than her.

"Hmm…" he murmured thoughtfully, walking into the room. "Looks like I'll be sleeping here then." He rested his hands on the back of a slightly dusty armchair near the fire. "And please- just Remus," he added with a smile.

Wendy's expression softened and she felt slightly ashamed for doubting his intentions.

"Hey, towels!" Wendy said in surprise, grabbing a worn but fluffy white towel off the bed and tossing Remus the other. "Is this… for me?" She picked up a nightgown also on the bed curiously.

"Well, I don't really think it's my color…" Remus said playfully, drying his hair vigorously with the towel. Wendy held it up to herself.

"It is rather nice…" she admitted. "And dry. But how did it get here?"

"Welcome to the wizarding world, Miss Quackenbush," he said with a grin. "You should really try and get some sleep."

Wendy nodded, sliding under the covers and wiping her nose as daintily as she could on the back of her hand.

"If I brought you back sick I'd never hear the end of it," he muttered more to himself.

"Aren't you going to change?" Wendy asked. "I swear I won't look, if you're… shy." She herself had made him leave the room when she changed; he seemed sort of hurt but understanding. However Remus shook his head, striding to the tiny shuttered window behind which the storm still raged.

"I'm really not very wet," he said simply. "You just sleep- I'm going to stay up for awhile yet."

Wendy didn't need telling twice- she was exhausted. Closing her eyes she almost instantly succumbed to the warm sheets and the sound of the storm.

Remus watched her silently for several minutes, watched her thin chest rise and fall with shallow breaths, snoring slightly. He shook his head at himself as an inner derisive voice began to speak.

I had to make sure she was really asleep, he told the voice in his head, walking to the fireplace and tossing in a handful of powder from the mantle.

"12 Grimmauld Place," he said as loudly as he dared and the fire roared green. "Alastor? Tonks? Sirius? Anyone?"

"Remus, is that you?" Sirius's head appeared in the flames. Remus instantly shushed him.

"She's sleeping," he said quietly, gesturing behind him.

"So you do have her?" Sirius asked. He let out a sigh as Remus nodded. "God Moony, do you have any idea how crazy I was going back here? Everyone's out and then I find out old Snivellus had to go play Death-eater and still no word from you!"

"Sorry Sirius," Remus apologized. "This was the first chance I had. What happened?"

"I should be asking you! But all I know is that the Death-eaters must've found out something- they got to the house about an hour after you left."

"What took them so long?"

"Huh?"

"We saw them here not so long ago- Lucius and Severus and Macnair- and they spoke of apparation… but Severus knew for us to leave the house much, much sooner- an hour, as you said."

"And where is 'here'?"

"The Leaky Cauldron."

"You made it that far at least…"

"I don't know how soon we'll be able to get there, not being able to apparate and with the Death-eaters inevitably figuring out we have her"- he gestured behind him- "Do you think a Portkey would be too brash?" Sirius paused a moment in thought before speaking.

"You said you saw Lucius Malfoy there- did he see you?"

"No, thanks to Severus. It was a very close call though." Remus shook his head thinking back to how his heart had just about stopped when Wendy sneezed and Lucius turned his head. Severus, who had been facing their hiding place, made eye contact with Remus but his face didn't change as he knocked Lucius's shot glass off the counter just in time to distract him.

"Severus isn't back yet?" he asked suddenly.

Sirius confirmed the negative.

"No one's here- no one's bloody ever here," Sirius said dismally.

"Aw Sirius," Remus said comfortingly. "Hey, you'll have company once I can get Gwendolyn there safely. Undoubtedly she won't be able to leave either- it's the safest place for her."

"If you can get her here safely," Sirius said with a grin.

"Are you challenging my abilities, Mr. Padfoot?" Remus demanded in mock outrage, though he was smiling.

"So hey," Sirius said abruptly. "Tell me about this girl- she pretty?"

"Uh…" Remus grinned and scratched his head, looking away. Even through the green fire Sirius could see his friend's blush. He laughed heartily.

"Hey, maybe being stuck around here won't be so bad!" he joked.

"Yeah," Remus laughed, though it quickly died as he thought about it. The two of them in that house all alone… Remus knew all too well it was only a matter of time before a said girl succumbed to his charms, unattached or otherwise. He surprised himself with the envy he now felt burning in his chest.

"Remus mate, what's the matter?" Sirius asked with concern.

"Oh, well, ah… it's nothing," he said quickly.

"Please Remus, I've known you for how long? I'm not buying it."

"It's just… it's so hard to lie to her like this!" he finally admitted.

"Remus, you knew about that since the beginning!" Sirius cried exasperatedly. They'd been through this before.

"I know, it's just… now that I've met her, now she's right here… I feel so guilty!"

"It's for her own good," Sirius assured. "If she went with the Death-eaters they'd do a lot worse than lie to her."

"I suppose you're right…"

"Of course I'm right! Now hurry back here so I can meet his pretty young lady!" Sirius said jauntily. "A Portkey should be fine. Squibs can use them, right?"

"Yes Squibs can use Portkeys."

"Why not get right over now?"

"She's sleeping, remember? I don't want to wake her," Remus said in a hushed tone, glancing to the slumbering form on the bed behind him.

"Ahh," Sirius said knowingly, nodding slowly, raising his eyebrows and grinning. "When she wakes up then. Hope it's sooner rather than later- would really enjoy some female company around here other than Tonks and Molly Weasley!"

Remus nodded and smiled weakly.

"Well, I'll see you then, Sirius…" And with that he withdrew his head from the flames.

He had felt that pang of jealousy again, though he didn't know why. He shook his head resigning himself to sitting on the armchair and staying awake. The full moon was nearing and he was exhausted, but he would stay awake. At least… he'd sure try.