Chapter Three: The Explanation and the Surprise
Ten minutes later, the entire Order and all of the teachers were assembled in Dumbledore's office, along with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Wren sat on the floor, wrists tied behind her back, and ankles tied together as Madam Pomfrey worked to get the top of the bloody kimono off.
"I don't suppose you'll enlighten me as to why you've had me tied like some sort of animal?" Wren snapped at Moody.
"Niether do I," Dumbledore interjected.
"Because you might do what you did to Pettigrew to one of us," Moody said gruffly. "And you'll shut up and sit there or else."
Wren glowered. "I detest you," she said shortly.
"I never said I pined for your approval," Moody replied coldly.
"Mad-Eye, do us all a favor and shut up," snapped Tonks.
"Mad-Eye?" inquired Wren.
"Oh, right. It's because of his magic eye," Tonks explained. "Mad-Eye Moody."
"You're telling me," mumbled Wren.
"Wren, would you mind it much if we asked you a few questions?" Dumbledore asked, folding his hands on his desk.
"No, I guess not," Wren said with a shrug.
"All right, then. Starting with, are those ears real?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry heard this and was sure he had heard wrong. Once he was sure he had correctly heard, he thought Dumbledore was going mad.
"Oh, you've noticed," mumbled Wren. "Yeah, they are."
"What's he talking about?" Tonks asked curiously.
"Er, if you flip my hair back, you'll see that I have dog ears," she said, nodding upward. Tonks quickly got out of her seat (knocking the chair down as she did) and shifted Wren's hair a bit.
Harry's jaw dropped when he saw what Dumbledore had been talking about. At the top of Wren's head, there were two white, dog-like ears.
"Ooh. They're so pretty," Tonks said, who was the only one who looked impressed. "I think I want to touch them." She rubbed Wren's dog-like ears, smiling. "They're so soft. Ohh, so that's why they were calling you 'puppy'."
"Um, could you please stop that?" Wren said, looking hassled. Tonks quickly put her hands in her pockets, her face a bright scarlet.
"Oh, yes. Sorry," muttered Tonks.
"So you are a demon," Sirius said, now having taken down his hood.
"No, I'm not a demon," Wren said, closing her eyes. "I am human, but Voldemort did this to me. I have the senses of a dog, well, except for sight. I'm not colorblind," she explained.
"So, you can smell things as well as a dog?" Hermione asked, who looked fascinated.
"Yes, ma'am. For example, the headmaster has a bag of lemon drops in his desk," Wren said.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and smiled. "Which drawer?" he asked.
"Um... The bottom one on the right side," Wren said after some thought.
"Correct," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Erm, right. We should get back to those questions..."
"Wren, how were you able to leave Voldemort without being desperately injured?" Lupin asked curiously.
"Easily. He and the idiots were off doing something (I don't know what) and I was able to break the lock of that retched cage he kept me in," Wren said bitterly.
"He kept you in a cage? Oh, you poor girl!" Mrs. Weasley said piteously.
Wren looked at the floor, blushing. "Anyway, he and his henchmen saw me, but, as we all saw, I am much too fast for them. Then I got a letter from Professor Dumbledore. I knew it would burn Voldemort's soul for him to hear that I was in Hogwarts, under the nose of Albus Dumbledore himself," she explained.
"Wren, do you have any idea what he's planning to do?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Dunno. The last I heard was that he was going to use me to slaughter you, Harry, and anyone else who stood in his way from dominating the world. Heh. Guess that didn't work out so well," Wren said, smirking.
"Ha! So that's what you were planning to do, isn't it? As soon as we cut those ropes, you'll attack, won't you, you filthy demon?!" Moody said, pointing accusingly at her.
Wren rolled his eyes. "Idjit. Is your brain broken or something?" she said shortly.
"Mad-Eye, really. The girl is severely wounded," Mrs. Weasley said, who looked quite put off.
"Demon indeed," Wren said, obviously still upset. "I smell that stuff in your pocket, you know. Even the fumes are making me feel light-headed. You're obviously intoxicated."
Moody glared. "Oh yeah?" he growled.
"Yeah!" Wren challenged. They were both glaring at each other as though hoping daggers would come from their eyes. And if they came from Wren's eyes, Harry was sure he wouldn't be quite surprised.
"Calm down, the both of you," Lupin said, getting to his feet and pushing Moody back to his seat.
"She was provoked," mumbled Tonks.
"Whose side are you on?!" snapped Moody.
Madam Pomfrey sighed, still struggling with the top of Wren's kimono. "Hold still, Miss Isaacs, I've had enough. I've got to cut this," she said.
Wren gasped, and jumped away. "I'd rather you cut me!"
"You're being silly. Come here," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "That thing is already soaked with blood. There's no saving it."
"Oh, and it was my favorite one, too," Wren said as Madam Pomfrey moved over in front of her. "Why on earth do you wear those things?" Madam Pomfrey said as she waved her wand and the kimono top slid easily off. A large, obviously deep gash went all the way from her navel to her chest. Even her brazier was blood-stained.
"They're comfortable, warm, and they're not flaunty, like you see all the clothes are today. Nope. I'm just fine with my kimonos, thank you very much," Wren said resolutely.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Sirius said, wincing as he looked at the injury.
"Yeah. It's starting to, anyway. Shock kept the pain from coming for a while, I guess," Wren said.
Madam Pomfrey picked up a bottle of a red potion, and opened it. "Now, this is only antiseptic to clean the wound. But mind it will hurt fairly much. Try to think of something happy, Miss Isaacs," she explained, gently pushing Wren onto her back.
"Feh. That never wor- YIIIAAHH!" Wren squeezed her eyes tight, but when she opened them, she wasn't screaming. She had a dopey little smile on her face, and she gave a laugh.
"What's the matter with you, Wren?" Harry asked, leaning forward.
Wren looked at him and began laughing. "Hee hee hee! You have funny glasses! Hee hee hee!" She rolled onto her side, laughing hysterically.
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose at her.
Hermione's eyes widened. "She said she has a dog's senses. Madam Pomfrey, what is that stuff?"
"Nothing but alcohol to clean her wound!" Madam Pomfrey said, sharing the same confused expression as many others.
"No wonder! Wren's nose is too sensitive for that stuff... She's -- well... She's a bit 'under the influence' as one would say it," Hermione explained as the girl tried to get to her knees. She leaned over and put her handkerchief over Wren's nose. She soon came back to her senses.
"Thanks for that, Hermione, I'll have to remember this," Wren said. She winced. "God, that stuff stings."
"Well, would you rather an infection?" Madam Pomfrey said as she began wrapped a bandage around Wren's stomach.
"Why can you just - agh - use some potion on me?" Wren said, squirming slightly.
"Well, because, erm, you're not exactly all human, you see, and I didn't know if your system would reject potion," Madam Pomfrey said, her face red.
Wren's face also turned red from embarrassment. "Yeah, well, you're right. Forgot to mention that, I guess. If any remedial potion or spell hits me, I'm worm food," she muttered.
"Anyway, we still haven't figured out what's going to happen with Wren," said Lupin.
"She'll stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid said simply.
Wren shook her head. "Wish I could."
"Why can't yeh?" Hagrid said curiously.
"Well, Hogwarts is really easy to find for the Ministry. So, there's choice A, stay here and let the Ministry find me. I'll be murdered, no doubt. Or I could always go back to Voldemort and spy. Then I'll be murdered. No. I reckon I'll be fine on the run," she replied.
Mrs. Weasley looked appalled at this. "Nonononono! You will not run anywhere. You'll starve! And you already look like you're dying! No. I refuse it," she said, shaking her head.
"And didn't you say that the Minister and that - that woman are coming tomorrow to inspect the teachers, Albus?" McGonagall said, who looked very nervous.
"Shit," Wren swore under her breath.
"Yes, Minerva, they are. But I am certain that with a few -- alterations, Miss Isaacs would be able to fool her own mother," Dumbledore said. There was a glint in his eyes that could only mean one thing: Dumbledore was creating another one of his many ploys.
"My mother's dead, you know, so I reckon it'd be pretty easy to fool her," grumbled Wren.
Dumbledore inclined his head, as to look at Wren over his half-moon spectacles. "It is a figure of speech, Miss Isaacs. Miss Granger, perhaps you could -- erm -- assist Wren in the process of fitting in?" he said, his attention turning from Wren to Hermione.
Hermione got up and walked around Wren, putting a finger to her chin. "I can do it. It'll be a challenge, but Wren could quite possibly look like a completely normal teenager. Some of my clothes might fit you. Mind you they'll probably be really big on you. You look like you've been starved," she said.
"Yeah, well, rats aren't exactly filling," Wren muttered, her face flushed as she looked intently down.
Madam Pomfrey stood up. "There. You should be in the hospital wing, but I'll allow you to go to your classes tomorrow. I suggest that you take a hot bath and go to bed early, Miss Isaacs. You look like you've lost about a year of sleep," she said. "Come to the infirmary tomorrow after you've had classes, and then I'll change your dressings."
"Thanks, but I won't need to," Wren said.
"Yes you will, Miss Isaacs. Do you have any idea how serious those wounds of yours are?" Madam Pomfrey said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, well, let's just say I don't heal like you humans," she said. "By this time tomorrow I'll be fit for another fight," Wren said. "Now, if you'll kindly remove these damned restraints..."
"Oh, wait!" Hermione interrupted. "There's still one thing you need if you're going to try to fool everyone. A boyfriend."
Silence.
"Feh. I have no use for mortal men. They're too easily manipulated," Wren said, glaring at the floor.
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I think that's a great idea, Hermione. It'd be the finishing touch. Well, why don't one of you boys do it?" she said, nodding to Ron and Harry, who both turned pale and began stammering nonsense.
"Uh...um...uh... I can't Mrs. Weasley," Harry quickly said.
"And why not?"
Harry desperately tried to find an excuse. Then he saw Hermione glaring at him. He immediately dove for her and threw an arm around her. "Hermione! I mean, uh, Hermione and me, we're -- er..." Hermione flushed red and pushed him away.
"Harry, you worm," Hermione said, glaring at him. "It's only for a little while. And it's not even real!" she added angrily.
"I don't need one of those -- mortals," Wren said scathingly.
"You do want to fit in though, right?" Hermione asked.
"No."
"Well, you have to, otherwise you'll be killed," she pointed out. "So just pick one out."
"Huh?! Hermione, we are people, you know, not groceries." Harry said, who had grown considerably nervous.
Just then, a smirk came across Moody's face. "Unless you prefer dogs, Isaacs," he said.
"Shut up, you old cretin," Wren growled (no pun intended!).
"So that's a no then?" Moody said, smirking.
"What a pity, Black. We could have very well gotten you a significant other," Snape said, a nasty smile spreading across his lips.
Sirius blew up at this. "Why don't you just go wash your hair, Snivellus?! She's young enough to be my daughter!"
"Would you both please shut your traps?" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Stop bickering, we're trying to help Wren."
"Then remove my bindings if you want to help!" Wren said, who had gotten very impatient at having to sit on the floor on a leash like some kind of -- dog.
Again, everyone ignored her plea. "It's not really necessary, you know," Harry tried on Hermione.
"It'll be suspicious if she doesn't."
"Say she's a loner!"
"No, that won't do. Everyone will avoid her then."
Harry racked his brain for another excuse. "Say she's gay!" he suggested. For that, he got a slap across the face.
"That definitely won't do, because I know there's at least a few girls who might -- well -- to put it lightly, agree to that, if you know what I mean," Hermione said quietly.
Harry was suddenly haulted. A mischievous grin came about his face. "Really? Who?" SLAP!
Snap! Harry looked over to see that Wren was now standing, freed of the ropes. She brushed herself off a bit. "Thanks so much, but I think I might be much safer if I walked into the Ministry of Magic," Wren said before turning. She didn't even make it to the door before falling and, in turn, swearing loudly.
"Damn it all. Why in the seven hells does this still hurt so bad?" she grumbled.
"Ha. Not so tough after all, eh, Isaacs?" growled Moody.
"Yeah, but I could still kill you with my bare hands, you old codger," snapped Wren. Moody's eyes flashed with anger. "Filthy mutt," he muttered. "We're trying to keep the stray animals out of the school, actually."
"Good! Then you'll be pleased to hear that I'm leaving!" Wren snapped, struggling to pull herself to her feet.
"Good? What good is a half-dead puppy? You'll be dropping dead any time now," Moody said gruffly.
"No, because unlike the simple mortal that you are, I refuse to die before I've had my vengeance, thank you very much," snapped Wren, leaning heavily against the wall.
"What are you doing? Wren, you've got to sit down! You're still really weak!" Hermione protested, hurrying to her side.
"I'm fine, Hermione, thanks. I just need to lean on the wall a bit, that's all," Wren insisted.
"Well, I'll at least show you to the common room. Wren, there's no way you can go off by yourself right now. You're really hurt badly," Hermione said persuasively.
"Wren, if you would not mind, I would like for you to stay in the castle. Please. It is the safest place for you right now," Dumbledore said calmly.
Wren looked into the old man's eyes, studying him carefully. A twinkle remained in his eyes that Wren knew was one of Dumbledore's many famed characteristics. Ever since she was a young thing Wren was able to decide what kind of a person someone was by just their eyes. Something about the old man made Wren want to trust him. But trust was a thing she was unwilling to gamble. All Wren could determine just then was that it didn't seem like they were going to try to plot against her. And, well, if they did, all Wren would have to do is flee once more. No, she definitely couldn't place trust in these people. Not yet, anyway.
"Very well," she said apprehensively.
Dumbledore's face cracked into a wide smile. "Excellent. Do you three think you could show Miss Isaacs up to the common room?" he said.
"Of course."
"Sure."
"Okay."
"Well then, sleep sweetly," Dumbledore said, nodding to them.
"Harry, I'll see you soon, I'm sure," Sirius said with a wink.
"Right. See you soon, Sirius," Harry said before closing the door behind them.
Wren was still leaning heavily against the wall as she walked, and had to go slow because of her wounds.
"Er, do you want some help?" Harry asked after a while, walking slowly next to her.
Wren gave a weak smile. "No thanks. I'm fine," she said as she strained to keep walking.
"Moody was being a real jackass," Ron commented after a few moments' silence.
"Yeah, well, so was I," Wren replied.
"He really shouldn't have done that," Hermione said.
"Oh well. What's done is done," Wren said with a shrug.
"If it makes any difference, you were brilliant, bashing all those huge guys," Ron said, smiling as he did a quick boxing impression, which made Wren laugh. "And where did you learn to shoot an arrow like that? I reckon you saved Harry's life!"
Wren blushed. "Well, I taught myself. It was the only way to get any sort of food, you know," she said as she walked weakly along.
"Well, I've got to tell you, Wren, I'm glad you are really good at archery. I felt the feathers on that bow brush across my face! An inch closer and I would have had another really big scar!" Harry said, shaking his head.
"It comes in handy," Wren said with another shrug. She winced, but kept moving.
"You sure you don't want to stop for a while?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling very indebted to this girl. She shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed," Wren said, closing her eyes as though imagining this. "Mm... Hot water. There were never two better words put together."
"Avis," Hermione said the password to the Fat Lady. The four walked into the common room, and Wren was able to slip into the girls' dormitory without being noticed, Hermione leading the way. Harry and Ron soon after went up to bed themselves.
Meanwhile...
Remus Lupin sat in the headmaster's office, fidgetting uncharacteristically in his chair. Dumbledore quickly noticed this. He'd of course figured out why he was acting so nervous and worried, and so did Sirius Black.
"Remus?" Dumbledore said, ready to notify the others of what had happened.
"What?" Remus replied quickly.
"Were you ever married?"
"Yes, Albus, you know I was," Remus answered, which was already a shock to everyone (except Dumbledore and Sirius, of course).
"And what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked softly, adverting his eyes from the other man.
"Voldemort killed her," muttered Remus.
"And did you have any children?"
"Yeah. A daughter," Remus said, his hands shaking slightly now.
"And what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked.
"She died. Voldemort killed her when he killed Sophia," he answered solemnly.
"What was your wife's full name?"
Remus swallowed hard. When he spoke, he spoke slowly, and quietly, as though procrastinating this part. "Sophia Isaacs," he said quietly. The others just sat in shock.
"Yes. Remus, was there anything intriguing about your wife?" he asked.
"Well, not intriguing, really. Sophia was a werewolf too."
"And what color coat did she have when she transformed, Remus?" Dumbledore asked.
"White," said Remus.
"And just one more question, Remus, how did you choose the name for your daughter?"
Remus sighed. "She was named after Sophia's mother."
"Who was named after?" continued Dumbledore.
Remus cleared his throat before responding. "A small black bird."
"All right. So, you were married to a girl with the last name of Isaacs, who was a werewolf as well and had a silver-white coat. Together you had a daughter named after a small black bird, who you never saw again, correct?" Dumbledore said, tapping his fingers together. "So, what a coincidence it is that there is a girl with the last name Isaacs, has silver-white ears, and has the name of a small blackbird."
"There's got to be thousands of people with the last name Isaacs, Albus," Remus said quickly.
"Yeah Remus, but I'm pretty sure that not many people have dog ears," Sirius pointed out.
Mad-Eye eyed Remus in disbelief. "You mean that flea-bitten demon-mutt is your daughter, Lupin?" he said.
Remus Lupin, a very calm and rational person, turned in his seat to glare at Mad-Eye. "Why don't you just shut your mouth about my daughter, Mad-Eye? It's no business of yours if she'd rather defend herself while you verbally smash her," he snapped.
Sirius grinned. "Way to go, Moony. It's been a long time since I last saw you snap."
Remus's face turned a crimson color.
Dumbledore smiled. "So there is no doubt in your mind either that she is indeed your daughter," he said quietly.
Molly's tears were finally released as she got up and flung her arms around Remus. "How could I have f-forgotten, Remus? Oh, you p-poor thing! I could k-kick myself for f-forgetting!" wailed Molly.
Remus's face turned even redder as he was embraced by Molly.
"How old was she when she -- er -- when you thought she died?" Tonks asked curiously, still very shocked by this new information.
"Two," Remus replied, his voice slightly muffled by Molly's robes.
"Two?" Tonks said in disbelief. "She was just a baby! How You-Know-Who could take care of a baby is beyond me."
Molly finally released Remus to join in the conversation. She nodded. "And two is the year of
potty-training," she pointed out.
"And then there's teaching her how to read. I'd pay to see You-Know-Who sitting with a child and trying to get them to read!" Tonks said, a small smile spreading across her lips.
"Remus, what was her first word?" Molly asked curiously.
A dry smile crept across Remus's lips. "Daddy."
"Oh. How darling," Molly said, smiling.
"But I bet after a while she started calling You-Know-Who that," Tonks said with a nod.
But Molly shook her head. "Maybe, but if it's as Wren says, he kept her in a cage, so he couldn't have spent much time with her. She probably started calling one of those horrible Death Eaters 'Daddy'. I'd die if it was that despicable worm Pettigrew," she said.
"You're lucky, Remus. It looks like they got the worst years. All you have to do now if keep her out of a little trouble, and you'll probably be a grandfather soon," Tonks said breezily.
Meanwhile, as the two women spoke, Remus felt like he was having his heart ripped out and stepped on numerous times. He stood up.
"Albus, do you have brandy? Or whiskey? Or -- well, any alcoholic drink at all?" Remus said, feeling miserable.
"Remus, you've got to teach classes tomorrow," Molly pointed out.
"Oh well. So I'll have a headache, I don't care," Remus replied.
Dumbledore nodded and poured the man a shot of brandy.
Meanwhile, back in the girls' lavatory in Gryffindor Tower, Wren undressed. She looked at her midsection. Well, she thought, at least it's starting to heal. It should be a lot better by morning. She smiled at the awaiting water and bath bubbles. It had been such a long time since she last had a bath. A real bath, anyway. Usually, the closest thing to a bath she could get was wading into freezing lakes to bathe, or the very rare hot spring. As she slid into the water, the soap bubbles stung at her wounds, but Wren didn't care at all. She looked to her left on a small stand to her left. What's this? she wondered silently. Wren grinned ecstatically at the bottle. "Shampoo!" she said happily.
After having bathed until the water was very cold, Wren quickly dressed in a pair of Hermione's borrowed pajamas. They were very big on her. She walked up to the girl's dormitory and slid into the only empty four poster. It was very comfortable. Wren flopped onto her stomach and pulled the thick comforter just up to her head. The sixteen-year-old girl could have no idea just how troubled her life was going to get in only a couple of days...
So, what did you think? I hope you liked it. And - I'm sorry, but I just had to make Wren related to someone already in the books. I suppose it's a bit of a habit with me now (if you don't believe me, look at The Marauder's Daughter). Well, review, tell me what you think! J
Ten minutes later, the entire Order and all of the teachers were assembled in Dumbledore's office, along with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Wren sat on the floor, wrists tied behind her back, and ankles tied together as Madam Pomfrey worked to get the top of the bloody kimono off.
"I don't suppose you'll enlighten me as to why you've had me tied like some sort of animal?" Wren snapped at Moody.
"Niether do I," Dumbledore interjected.
"Because you might do what you did to Pettigrew to one of us," Moody said gruffly. "And you'll shut up and sit there or else."
Wren glowered. "I detest you," she said shortly.
"I never said I pined for your approval," Moody replied coldly.
"Mad-Eye, do us all a favor and shut up," snapped Tonks.
"Mad-Eye?" inquired Wren.
"Oh, right. It's because of his magic eye," Tonks explained. "Mad-Eye Moody."
"You're telling me," mumbled Wren.
"Wren, would you mind it much if we asked you a few questions?" Dumbledore asked, folding his hands on his desk.
"No, I guess not," Wren said with a shrug.
"All right, then. Starting with, are those ears real?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry heard this and was sure he had heard wrong. Once he was sure he had correctly heard, he thought Dumbledore was going mad.
"Oh, you've noticed," mumbled Wren. "Yeah, they are."
"What's he talking about?" Tonks asked curiously.
"Er, if you flip my hair back, you'll see that I have dog ears," she said, nodding upward. Tonks quickly got out of her seat (knocking the chair down as she did) and shifted Wren's hair a bit.
Harry's jaw dropped when he saw what Dumbledore had been talking about. At the top of Wren's head, there were two white, dog-like ears.
"Ooh. They're so pretty," Tonks said, who was the only one who looked impressed. "I think I want to touch them." She rubbed Wren's dog-like ears, smiling. "They're so soft. Ohh, so that's why they were calling you 'puppy'."
"Um, could you please stop that?" Wren said, looking hassled. Tonks quickly put her hands in her pockets, her face a bright scarlet.
"Oh, yes. Sorry," muttered Tonks.
"So you are a demon," Sirius said, now having taken down his hood.
"No, I'm not a demon," Wren said, closing her eyes. "I am human, but Voldemort did this to me. I have the senses of a dog, well, except for sight. I'm not colorblind," she explained.
"So, you can smell things as well as a dog?" Hermione asked, who looked fascinated.
"Yes, ma'am. For example, the headmaster has a bag of lemon drops in his desk," Wren said.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and smiled. "Which drawer?" he asked.
"Um... The bottom one on the right side," Wren said after some thought.
"Correct," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Erm, right. We should get back to those questions..."
"Wren, how were you able to leave Voldemort without being desperately injured?" Lupin asked curiously.
"Easily. He and the idiots were off doing something (I don't know what) and I was able to break the lock of that retched cage he kept me in," Wren said bitterly.
"He kept you in a cage? Oh, you poor girl!" Mrs. Weasley said piteously.
Wren looked at the floor, blushing. "Anyway, he and his henchmen saw me, but, as we all saw, I am much too fast for them. Then I got a letter from Professor Dumbledore. I knew it would burn Voldemort's soul for him to hear that I was in Hogwarts, under the nose of Albus Dumbledore himself," she explained.
"Wren, do you have any idea what he's planning to do?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Dunno. The last I heard was that he was going to use me to slaughter you, Harry, and anyone else who stood in his way from dominating the world. Heh. Guess that didn't work out so well," Wren said, smirking.
"Ha! So that's what you were planning to do, isn't it? As soon as we cut those ropes, you'll attack, won't you, you filthy demon?!" Moody said, pointing accusingly at her.
Wren rolled his eyes. "Idjit. Is your brain broken or something?" she said shortly.
"Mad-Eye, really. The girl is severely wounded," Mrs. Weasley said, who looked quite put off.
"Demon indeed," Wren said, obviously still upset. "I smell that stuff in your pocket, you know. Even the fumes are making me feel light-headed. You're obviously intoxicated."
Moody glared. "Oh yeah?" he growled.
"Yeah!" Wren challenged. They were both glaring at each other as though hoping daggers would come from their eyes. And if they came from Wren's eyes, Harry was sure he wouldn't be quite surprised.
"Calm down, the both of you," Lupin said, getting to his feet and pushing Moody back to his seat.
"She was provoked," mumbled Tonks.
"Whose side are you on?!" snapped Moody.
Madam Pomfrey sighed, still struggling with the top of Wren's kimono. "Hold still, Miss Isaacs, I've had enough. I've got to cut this," she said.
Wren gasped, and jumped away. "I'd rather you cut me!"
"You're being silly. Come here," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "That thing is already soaked with blood. There's no saving it."
"Oh, and it was my favorite one, too," Wren said as Madam Pomfrey moved over in front of her. "Why on earth do you wear those things?" Madam Pomfrey said as she waved her wand and the kimono top slid easily off. A large, obviously deep gash went all the way from her navel to her chest. Even her brazier was blood-stained.
"They're comfortable, warm, and they're not flaunty, like you see all the clothes are today. Nope. I'm just fine with my kimonos, thank you very much," Wren said resolutely.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Sirius said, wincing as he looked at the injury.
"Yeah. It's starting to, anyway. Shock kept the pain from coming for a while, I guess," Wren said.
Madam Pomfrey picked up a bottle of a red potion, and opened it. "Now, this is only antiseptic to clean the wound. But mind it will hurt fairly much. Try to think of something happy, Miss Isaacs," she explained, gently pushing Wren onto her back.
"Feh. That never wor- YIIIAAHH!" Wren squeezed her eyes tight, but when she opened them, she wasn't screaming. She had a dopey little smile on her face, and she gave a laugh.
"What's the matter with you, Wren?" Harry asked, leaning forward.
Wren looked at him and began laughing. "Hee hee hee! You have funny glasses! Hee hee hee!" She rolled onto her side, laughing hysterically.
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose at her.
Hermione's eyes widened. "She said she has a dog's senses. Madam Pomfrey, what is that stuff?"
"Nothing but alcohol to clean her wound!" Madam Pomfrey said, sharing the same confused expression as many others.
"No wonder! Wren's nose is too sensitive for that stuff... She's -- well... She's a bit 'under the influence' as one would say it," Hermione explained as the girl tried to get to her knees. She leaned over and put her handkerchief over Wren's nose. She soon came back to her senses.
"Thanks for that, Hermione, I'll have to remember this," Wren said. She winced. "God, that stuff stings."
"Well, would you rather an infection?" Madam Pomfrey said as she began wrapped a bandage around Wren's stomach.
"Why can you just - agh - use some potion on me?" Wren said, squirming slightly.
"Well, because, erm, you're not exactly all human, you see, and I didn't know if your system would reject potion," Madam Pomfrey said, her face red.
Wren's face also turned red from embarrassment. "Yeah, well, you're right. Forgot to mention that, I guess. If any remedial potion or spell hits me, I'm worm food," she muttered.
"Anyway, we still haven't figured out what's going to happen with Wren," said Lupin.
"She'll stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid said simply.
Wren shook her head. "Wish I could."
"Why can't yeh?" Hagrid said curiously.
"Well, Hogwarts is really easy to find for the Ministry. So, there's choice A, stay here and let the Ministry find me. I'll be murdered, no doubt. Or I could always go back to Voldemort and spy. Then I'll be murdered. No. I reckon I'll be fine on the run," she replied.
Mrs. Weasley looked appalled at this. "Nonononono! You will not run anywhere. You'll starve! And you already look like you're dying! No. I refuse it," she said, shaking her head.
"And didn't you say that the Minister and that - that woman are coming tomorrow to inspect the teachers, Albus?" McGonagall said, who looked very nervous.
"Shit," Wren swore under her breath.
"Yes, Minerva, they are. But I am certain that with a few -- alterations, Miss Isaacs would be able to fool her own mother," Dumbledore said. There was a glint in his eyes that could only mean one thing: Dumbledore was creating another one of his many ploys.
"My mother's dead, you know, so I reckon it'd be pretty easy to fool her," grumbled Wren.
Dumbledore inclined his head, as to look at Wren over his half-moon spectacles. "It is a figure of speech, Miss Isaacs. Miss Granger, perhaps you could -- erm -- assist Wren in the process of fitting in?" he said, his attention turning from Wren to Hermione.
Hermione got up and walked around Wren, putting a finger to her chin. "I can do it. It'll be a challenge, but Wren could quite possibly look like a completely normal teenager. Some of my clothes might fit you. Mind you they'll probably be really big on you. You look like you've been starved," she said.
"Yeah, well, rats aren't exactly filling," Wren muttered, her face flushed as she looked intently down.
Madam Pomfrey stood up. "There. You should be in the hospital wing, but I'll allow you to go to your classes tomorrow. I suggest that you take a hot bath and go to bed early, Miss Isaacs. You look like you've lost about a year of sleep," she said. "Come to the infirmary tomorrow after you've had classes, and then I'll change your dressings."
"Thanks, but I won't need to," Wren said.
"Yes you will, Miss Isaacs. Do you have any idea how serious those wounds of yours are?" Madam Pomfrey said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, well, let's just say I don't heal like you humans," she said. "By this time tomorrow I'll be fit for another fight," Wren said. "Now, if you'll kindly remove these damned restraints..."
"Oh, wait!" Hermione interrupted. "There's still one thing you need if you're going to try to fool everyone. A boyfriend."
Silence.
"Feh. I have no use for mortal men. They're too easily manipulated," Wren said, glaring at the floor.
Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I think that's a great idea, Hermione. It'd be the finishing touch. Well, why don't one of you boys do it?" she said, nodding to Ron and Harry, who both turned pale and began stammering nonsense.
"Uh...um...uh... I can't Mrs. Weasley," Harry quickly said.
"And why not?"
Harry desperately tried to find an excuse. Then he saw Hermione glaring at him. He immediately dove for her and threw an arm around her. "Hermione! I mean, uh, Hermione and me, we're -- er..." Hermione flushed red and pushed him away.
"Harry, you worm," Hermione said, glaring at him. "It's only for a little while. And it's not even real!" she added angrily.
"I don't need one of those -- mortals," Wren said scathingly.
"You do want to fit in though, right?" Hermione asked.
"No."
"Well, you have to, otherwise you'll be killed," she pointed out. "So just pick one out."
"Huh?! Hermione, we are people, you know, not groceries." Harry said, who had grown considerably nervous.
Just then, a smirk came across Moody's face. "Unless you prefer dogs, Isaacs," he said.
"Shut up, you old cretin," Wren growled (no pun intended!).
"So that's a no then?" Moody said, smirking.
"What a pity, Black. We could have very well gotten you a significant other," Snape said, a nasty smile spreading across his lips.
Sirius blew up at this. "Why don't you just go wash your hair, Snivellus?! She's young enough to be my daughter!"
"Would you both please shut your traps?" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Stop bickering, we're trying to help Wren."
"Then remove my bindings if you want to help!" Wren said, who had gotten very impatient at having to sit on the floor on a leash like some kind of -- dog.
Again, everyone ignored her plea. "It's not really necessary, you know," Harry tried on Hermione.
"It'll be suspicious if she doesn't."
"Say she's a loner!"
"No, that won't do. Everyone will avoid her then."
Harry racked his brain for another excuse. "Say she's gay!" he suggested. For that, he got a slap across the face.
"That definitely won't do, because I know there's at least a few girls who might -- well -- to put it lightly, agree to that, if you know what I mean," Hermione said quietly.
Harry was suddenly haulted. A mischievous grin came about his face. "Really? Who?" SLAP!
Snap! Harry looked over to see that Wren was now standing, freed of the ropes. She brushed herself off a bit. "Thanks so much, but I think I might be much safer if I walked into the Ministry of Magic," Wren said before turning. She didn't even make it to the door before falling and, in turn, swearing loudly.
"Damn it all. Why in the seven hells does this still hurt so bad?" she grumbled.
"Ha. Not so tough after all, eh, Isaacs?" growled Moody.
"Yeah, but I could still kill you with my bare hands, you old codger," snapped Wren. Moody's eyes flashed with anger. "Filthy mutt," he muttered. "We're trying to keep the stray animals out of the school, actually."
"Good! Then you'll be pleased to hear that I'm leaving!" Wren snapped, struggling to pull herself to her feet.
"Good? What good is a half-dead puppy? You'll be dropping dead any time now," Moody said gruffly.
"No, because unlike the simple mortal that you are, I refuse to die before I've had my vengeance, thank you very much," snapped Wren, leaning heavily against the wall.
"What are you doing? Wren, you've got to sit down! You're still really weak!" Hermione protested, hurrying to her side.
"I'm fine, Hermione, thanks. I just need to lean on the wall a bit, that's all," Wren insisted.
"Well, I'll at least show you to the common room. Wren, there's no way you can go off by yourself right now. You're really hurt badly," Hermione said persuasively.
"Wren, if you would not mind, I would like for you to stay in the castle. Please. It is the safest place for you right now," Dumbledore said calmly.
Wren looked into the old man's eyes, studying him carefully. A twinkle remained in his eyes that Wren knew was one of Dumbledore's many famed characteristics. Ever since she was a young thing Wren was able to decide what kind of a person someone was by just their eyes. Something about the old man made Wren want to trust him. But trust was a thing she was unwilling to gamble. All Wren could determine just then was that it didn't seem like they were going to try to plot against her. And, well, if they did, all Wren would have to do is flee once more. No, she definitely couldn't place trust in these people. Not yet, anyway.
"Very well," she said apprehensively.
Dumbledore's face cracked into a wide smile. "Excellent. Do you three think you could show Miss Isaacs up to the common room?" he said.
"Of course."
"Sure."
"Okay."
"Well then, sleep sweetly," Dumbledore said, nodding to them.
"Harry, I'll see you soon, I'm sure," Sirius said with a wink.
"Right. See you soon, Sirius," Harry said before closing the door behind them.
Wren was still leaning heavily against the wall as she walked, and had to go slow because of her wounds.
"Er, do you want some help?" Harry asked after a while, walking slowly next to her.
Wren gave a weak smile. "No thanks. I'm fine," she said as she strained to keep walking.
"Moody was being a real jackass," Ron commented after a few moments' silence.
"Yeah, well, so was I," Wren replied.
"He really shouldn't have done that," Hermione said.
"Oh well. What's done is done," Wren said with a shrug.
"If it makes any difference, you were brilliant, bashing all those huge guys," Ron said, smiling as he did a quick boxing impression, which made Wren laugh. "And where did you learn to shoot an arrow like that? I reckon you saved Harry's life!"
Wren blushed. "Well, I taught myself. It was the only way to get any sort of food, you know," she said as she walked weakly along.
"Well, I've got to tell you, Wren, I'm glad you are really good at archery. I felt the feathers on that bow brush across my face! An inch closer and I would have had another really big scar!" Harry said, shaking his head.
"It comes in handy," Wren said with another shrug. She winced, but kept moving.
"You sure you don't want to stop for a while?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling very indebted to this girl. She shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. I just want to take a hot bath and go to bed," Wren said, closing her eyes as though imagining this. "Mm... Hot water. There were never two better words put together."
"Avis," Hermione said the password to the Fat Lady. The four walked into the common room, and Wren was able to slip into the girls' dormitory without being noticed, Hermione leading the way. Harry and Ron soon after went up to bed themselves.
Meanwhile...
Remus Lupin sat in the headmaster's office, fidgetting uncharacteristically in his chair. Dumbledore quickly noticed this. He'd of course figured out why he was acting so nervous and worried, and so did Sirius Black.
"Remus?" Dumbledore said, ready to notify the others of what had happened.
"What?" Remus replied quickly.
"Were you ever married?"
"Yes, Albus, you know I was," Remus answered, which was already a shock to everyone (except Dumbledore and Sirius, of course).
"And what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked softly, adverting his eyes from the other man.
"Voldemort killed her," muttered Remus.
"And did you have any children?"
"Yeah. A daughter," Remus said, his hands shaking slightly now.
"And what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked.
"She died. Voldemort killed her when he killed Sophia," he answered solemnly.
"What was your wife's full name?"
Remus swallowed hard. When he spoke, he spoke slowly, and quietly, as though procrastinating this part. "Sophia Isaacs," he said quietly. The others just sat in shock.
"Yes. Remus, was there anything intriguing about your wife?" he asked.
"Well, not intriguing, really. Sophia was a werewolf too."
"And what color coat did she have when she transformed, Remus?" Dumbledore asked.
"White," said Remus.
"And just one more question, Remus, how did you choose the name for your daughter?"
Remus sighed. "She was named after Sophia's mother."
"Who was named after?" continued Dumbledore.
Remus cleared his throat before responding. "A small black bird."
"All right. So, you were married to a girl with the last name of Isaacs, who was a werewolf as well and had a silver-white coat. Together you had a daughter named after a small black bird, who you never saw again, correct?" Dumbledore said, tapping his fingers together. "So, what a coincidence it is that there is a girl with the last name Isaacs, has silver-white ears, and has the name of a small blackbird."
"There's got to be thousands of people with the last name Isaacs, Albus," Remus said quickly.
"Yeah Remus, but I'm pretty sure that not many people have dog ears," Sirius pointed out.
Mad-Eye eyed Remus in disbelief. "You mean that flea-bitten demon-mutt is your daughter, Lupin?" he said.
Remus Lupin, a very calm and rational person, turned in his seat to glare at Mad-Eye. "Why don't you just shut your mouth about my daughter, Mad-Eye? It's no business of yours if she'd rather defend herself while you verbally smash her," he snapped.
Sirius grinned. "Way to go, Moony. It's been a long time since I last saw you snap."
Remus's face turned a crimson color.
Dumbledore smiled. "So there is no doubt in your mind either that she is indeed your daughter," he said quietly.
Molly's tears were finally released as she got up and flung her arms around Remus. "How could I have f-forgotten, Remus? Oh, you p-poor thing! I could k-kick myself for f-forgetting!" wailed Molly.
Remus's face turned even redder as he was embraced by Molly.
"How old was she when she -- er -- when you thought she died?" Tonks asked curiously, still very shocked by this new information.
"Two," Remus replied, his voice slightly muffled by Molly's robes.
"Two?" Tonks said in disbelief. "She was just a baby! How You-Know-Who could take care of a baby is beyond me."
Molly finally released Remus to join in the conversation. She nodded. "And two is the year of
potty-training," she pointed out.
"And then there's teaching her how to read. I'd pay to see You-Know-Who sitting with a child and trying to get them to read!" Tonks said, a small smile spreading across her lips.
"Remus, what was her first word?" Molly asked curiously.
A dry smile crept across Remus's lips. "Daddy."
"Oh. How darling," Molly said, smiling.
"But I bet after a while she started calling You-Know-Who that," Tonks said with a nod.
But Molly shook her head. "Maybe, but if it's as Wren says, he kept her in a cage, so he couldn't have spent much time with her. She probably started calling one of those horrible Death Eaters 'Daddy'. I'd die if it was that despicable worm Pettigrew," she said.
"You're lucky, Remus. It looks like they got the worst years. All you have to do now if keep her out of a little trouble, and you'll probably be a grandfather soon," Tonks said breezily.
Meanwhile, as the two women spoke, Remus felt like he was having his heart ripped out and stepped on numerous times. He stood up.
"Albus, do you have brandy? Or whiskey? Or -- well, any alcoholic drink at all?" Remus said, feeling miserable.
"Remus, you've got to teach classes tomorrow," Molly pointed out.
"Oh well. So I'll have a headache, I don't care," Remus replied.
Dumbledore nodded and poured the man a shot of brandy.
Meanwhile, back in the girls' lavatory in Gryffindor Tower, Wren undressed. She looked at her midsection. Well, she thought, at least it's starting to heal. It should be a lot better by morning. She smiled at the awaiting water and bath bubbles. It had been such a long time since she last had a bath. A real bath, anyway. Usually, the closest thing to a bath she could get was wading into freezing lakes to bathe, or the very rare hot spring. As she slid into the water, the soap bubbles stung at her wounds, but Wren didn't care at all. She looked to her left on a small stand to her left. What's this? she wondered silently. Wren grinned ecstatically at the bottle. "Shampoo!" she said happily.
After having bathed until the water was very cold, Wren quickly dressed in a pair of Hermione's borrowed pajamas. They were very big on her. She walked up to the girl's dormitory and slid into the only empty four poster. It was very comfortable. Wren flopped onto her stomach and pulled the thick comforter just up to her head. The sixteen-year-old girl could have no idea just how troubled her life was going to get in only a couple of days...
So, what did you think? I hope you liked it. And - I'm sorry, but I just had to make Wren related to someone already in the books. I suppose it's a bit of a habit with me now (if you don't believe me, look at The Marauder's Daughter). Well, review, tell me what you think! J