Chapter 3:

Arthur drove his tractor through the woods that separated the sleepy English town from the road to London. He would've apparated, but then the tractor wouldn't have been able to come through. So, he was stuck going the muggle way to the capital city. He only wished Kristin could come, but it was probably for the best. He didn't want her to see him get rejected if that was how the end would turn out.

This thought drove Arthur into deep reflection, and he stopped paying attention to the road signs along the way. Soon, he was in the part of the woods known as the Forbidden Forest. Murmurs were always exchanged in the town about the mystical creatures that lived in the dark trees. But all Arthur cared about at the moment was the fact that he was completely lost. "Luminos!" he incanted, holding his wand aloft. "Great, now I'm lost!" he said aloud.

He tried to find a sign somewhere in these avoided woods, but no such luck. "I need to find my way back to the main road so I can get to London!" he said, still looking around. At that moment, he heard a howl pierce the trees. Arthur turned his eyes to the sky to see a full moon rising over the horizon. "Werewolves!" he cried, suddenly remembering one of the tales Kristin came home telling after overhearing it one day on the time.

Arthur took off, trying to run away from the sounds of the werewolves' cries. Unfortunately, the silence of the woods allowed for the cries to echo throughout the Forbidden Forest, so he had no clue if he was going in the right direction. All he knew was that he wanted to escape them so he too wouldn't be cursed by their bite, especially since Kristin and he were already outcasted in Hogsmeade.

A werewolf spotted him just as he could see the end of the forest. Maybe, just maybe, the werewolf wouldn't follow him out of the woods. Arthur picked up more speed as he burst out of the Forbidden Forest. He turned around to see the werewolf whine and bolt back into the dark of the woods.

Not that Arthur would blame the creature. The Forbidden Forest was more welcoming than the area he was currently standing in. A foreboding castle was shrouded in fog in the middle of the grounds. Despite the atmosphere, Arthur realized that was his only option, now that his tractor was stuck in the woods. He would have to wait till morning to retrieve it, when it was safe from the werewolves that roamed the woods.

Arthur hurried up to the castle doors. He knocked and the doors opened on their own. "Hello?" he said, venturing into the castle. If he thought the outside was bad, the inside was even worse. The interior was dark, damp and moth eaten. "Hello?" he asked again, hoping to receive an answer.


What Arthur didn't see was a clock and candelabra appearing to talk to each other. Actually, they were. "James, don't you dare!" the clock whispered to the candelabra. The latter turned his eyes onto his uptight counterpart, clearly struggling to try to not call out to the lost traveler.

"Remus, he's cold and lost. We should help him," James pleaded on. He watched as Arthur drabbled on about why he was at the castle, growing more uncomfortable by the moment since he thought he was alone.

"James, the Master would be furious if he knew we allowed a stranger to stay in the castle. No, as head of the household, I strictly forbid it. We'll just keep quiet and maybe he'll go away."

"Who says the Master has to find out about our unexpected guest, my friend?"

"Because he's the master. He knows everything that goes on in this castle!"

"That's because you tell him everything that goes on in this castle!"

"Don't be absurd!"

"Is there anyone there?" Arthur asked, coming closer to the arguing pair. The two immediately stopped their squabble and reverted back to their original stance.

"Now look what you've done!" Remus whispered to James, who merely rolled his eyes. "He'll never leave after that!"

"I just need a place to stay for the night. I promise that in the morning I'll leave. I swear!"

"See? He's going to just stay the night. He's not putting down roots here for a permanent stay."

"No, James. Even an overnight stay will upset the Master. Best let him think this is an abandoned old castle and let him be on his way."

"Look, I feel stupid talking to this castle which is clearly abandoned anyway, but let me continue. I can't go back out there till morning, or else I would. My ride is stuck in the woods, but tonight's the full moon, meaning the werewolves are out there!"

"Remus, you know you can't let him go back out there! May I remind you that before this curse, you were cursed before to become one of the creatures he is currently avoiding. Besides, if we let him continue talking like that, he'll wake and upset the Master!"

"You make a point, James, but I still don't know…"

"Well, I think I know," James lit up the room as he said this. "Of course, sir, you are welcome to stay!"


Arthur jumped. "Who said that?" he asked, looking around, still holding his wand aloft. He looked and saw only the clock and candelabra, which both seemed to be staring at him.

Wait, staring? Household objects don't stare, Arthur thought. He walked around the two, trying to see what was causing them to do such. "How remarkable! How did the muggles get you to do this?" he asked, not really expecting a response…unless they were the ones who had originally contacted him.

"We do not belong to muggles, good sir," the candelabra said. "I am James, and this is Remus. Our owner is a wizard, like yourself." James proceeded to lead Arthur into the living room.

"James, what are you doing?" Remus cried out as he watched in horror. "What about the Aster-may?" he asked, marching up to his taller friend.

"Oh, Remus, don't be such a worry-clock!" James said. He then began laughing at his own joke, but stopped when he realized that he was the only one laughing. "Anyway, the man said he was only staying the night. We keep him here the entire time, have Mrs. Weasley give him something to eat in the morning and send him on the way. The Master doesn't have to be to the wise."

Remus crossed his arms. "Oh, that sounds perfect in theory, James. But the fact remains that our Master seems to be a creature of the night…"

"He's always been a creature of the night."

"Don't interrupt me. What I was saying was that at some point, he will come down and want to sit by the fire. Well, our guest has every chance of being spotted because the Master likes this room since his favorite chair is here. And, oh yeah, you have sat the man in the Master's chair!"

"Would you two stop talking about this poor fellow as if he weren't in the room?" a feminine voice called out. A teapot came into the room, followed by a small teacup. "Welcome, dear. Here, let me give you some tea. We need to warm you up before you catch a cold," the teapot said. Arthur assumed this must've been the Mrs. Weasley James and Remus were talking about before.

He gladly took the cup offered, careful not to hurt the little guy. "I think you very much. I assume you're Mrs. Weasley?" Encouraged by her smile, Arthur went on. "James and Remus already mentioned you. Don't worry, it wasn't bad, it was quite good. Dear me, I'm babbling. But I do—I do—I—achoo!" Arthur had managed to retrieve his handkerchief before he sneezed and now wiped his nose. "I'm sorry."

"Bless you! And I didn't do it this time, Mama!" the little cup said, still in Arthur's hand.

"No, Billy, you didn't do it this time," Mrs. Weasley agreed. "But I'm afraid our guest has already gotten a chill. James, Remus, why don't one of you go fetch him a blanket?"

Remus sighed. "Mrs. Weasley, I don't want to seem inhospitable, but we should really think about the Master. What will he do if and when he finds out about this traveler? What will he do to him? To us?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "We'll cross that bridge when it comes upon our path. Right now, we need to get him a blanket to prevent this chill from getting worse." She glared down the two other servants.

James nodded and prepared to go fetch a blanket when a feather duster came hopping out holding the blanket. "Lily! Where did you come from, my little delicious one?" James asked, placing one of his arms around the duster.

"I came from one of the bedrooms. I was lurking outside, waiting to see what I could do when I heard our guest sneeze and Mrs. Weasley's request for a blanket. I hurried upstairs to fetch one," Lily explained. She made her way over to the chair. "Here you go, sir," she said, fluttering her eyes.

James crossed his arms and pouted, while Arthur examined the newest household member in the room. "How does a feather duster like you have arms?" he asked, astounded by the unnatural extensions. "If you don't mind."

Lily looked a bit uncomfortable, but answered anyway. "I'm bewitched to have arms," she responded. "As you can see, I have no hands. Just more dusters. The Master thought it wise." Lily tickled Arthur's chin, causing James to grunt. "Oh lighten up, James," she responded.

"Lighten up? How can I lighten up when my girl is currently flirting with someone else?" James said, as Lily hopped off the chair.

"What else can I do? It's been so long since I've seen a man?"

"And what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Eww. And I meant a real man, James, not a male candelabra!" Lily said. James had to slump in defeat.


At that moment, a roar was heard throughout the castle. Lily rushed into James' arms, both clutching each other. Remus hid underneath the rug at Arthur's feet, the lump he made clearly visible. Billy hid behind his mother, shaking violently. Only Mrs. Weasley did nothing to hide from whoever made the roar.

The fire and other candles died out, leaving nothing but darkness around the room. "There's someone here!" a deep voice boomed. Arthur could only assume this meant it was the Master that Remus had tried to prevent from becoming angry. He looked around but could see no one there. "Who are you?" The growled question seemed to come from above.

The scared man looked up to see the worst sight in the world. He jumped up and faced the monster that was hiding in the shadows above the chair. It had dark fur, a crooked snout, dark black eyes, sharp claws and teeth. Arthur couldn't help but tremble in fear, seeing his life flash before his eyes, especially thinking of his daughter. While these thoughts occurred, he didn't blink, upsetting the beast more.

"I see what you've come to do," the Beast growled, "you've come to stare at the Beast!" With that, he let out a ferocious roar, snapping Arthur from his inner mind.

"Stare? No, I wasn't here to—I was lost—Werewolves in the woods—I just needed to stay the night—please, I mean no disrespect, sir," Arthur groveled at the monster's feet. He prayed that the creature would spare him and allow him to spend the night.

Unfortunately, the Beast was about to do no such thing. "Needed a place to stay? I'll show you a place to stay!" he roared. He grabbed Arthur and dragged him through the castle.