With a Little Help From My Friends

What would you think if I sang out of tune,

Would you stand up and walk out on me.

Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,

And I'll try not to sing out of key. Oh.

"What are you doing home?"

Vala held a hand up to her collarbone. "Remus, I'm surprised, I'd of thought you'd be happy to see me."

"I am, I am… it's just…" he wrung his hands, and Vala walked past him.

"I'll be out by Sunday night."

"Its not that it's that tomorrow's a full moon…"

She kissed his cheek. "Don't be such a worry, I'll manage on my own. I have before." Whistling, she strutted down the hallway, restraining herself from breaking into a skip. "Oh, isn't it nice to be home?" she asked, dropping her overnight bag. "God Remus, get some light in here!" she said, ripping the curtains open.

"… So why'd you come home?" he asked, entering the living room.

"Hmm? Oh, no reason… Just thought you might like some company," she said innocently. She dropped unto the couch, and an array of dust shot up around her. "Geez Remus… You're practically a hermit, what's the deal?"

"You know that," he said, steadily eyeing her. He turned into the kitchen. "Tea?"

"Uh… no thanks, I'm not thirsty."

"How's school?" he asked, sitting down with a cup of steaming tea.

"Fine, as usual," she replied dryly, picking at his sofa.

He looked her over again. "Why don't we go to Diagon Alley today?"

She looked up. "Why?"

"Well… Looking over your robes, I supposed…"

She waved a hand at him. "Never mind that, Remus… these robes are completely fine."

"Yes, but I figured you might want some of your own."

"Do you mind if I wear them?"

"No, but-"

"Well, then I don't care."

"All right, if you insist…" He sipped his tea.

"I do," she smiled, winking.

~+~+~+~

"Ah, come in, come in… take a seat."

"I intend on it, brother," Lucius said dryly, slithering his way into a chair.

Ares held up a sheet of parchment. "Do you know what this is?"

He glanced at it. "I can't say that I do… please, do enlighten me."

"It's a letter from Saxon with some interesting news. Interesting news indeed…" He directed his gaze to the parchment, then let it drop on the desk. He folded his hands, and leaned forward. "Seems he and Vevila will be tying the knot on New Years."

"How romantic." Lucius shifted in the seat, resting his elbow on the armrest, his finger lightly caressing his forehead. "What's your point?"

"Remember Jack and Virginia Amoureux?"

Lucius sighed. "What are you getting at, Ares?"

"Do you remember them?" he insisted.

"No, I don't."

"Maybe this will refresh your memory… It's a clear, summer night. Oddly enough, a couple take place in front of a blazing fire. Their sixteen-year-old daughter has locked herself in her room. Nobody bothers with the girl because they figure, 'She's only a girl, what can she do?' Besides, they figure she'll die in the blaze. The parents were disposed of, but what of the girl? She seems to have escaped."

Nothing seemed to be clicking with Lucius. "And this has to do with… what?"

Ares sighed. "Put two and two together Lucius--they were Vevila's parents! She survived the blast!"

"Did she see anything?"

"Apparently not, but all the same…"

"Then who cares? Ares, I'm surprised, losing sleep over a girl?"

"Ah, but Lucius, little girls have a tendency of growing up into strong women. She has a curious past, Lucius… Let those pent up emotions out and lord alone knows what may happen."

"Are you a religious man, Ares?"

"You alone know my only lord is the Dark Lord."

Lucius stroked his chin. "Hmm…"

He stood up, firmly placing his hands on the desk. "Help me, brother, help me break her… Help me break her like I helped you break Narcissa."

"Help you break her like I helped you break Mirabelle?"

Leaning his head in, Ares sighed; he was losing this battle. He looked at his brother. "You have a son."

"Draco is but a child, Ares."

"Yes, but even little boys must grow."

"I see… One hand must wash the other then?"

"Exactly."

Lucius dropped his hand unto the armrest. "Very well then… I trust Venus* is well?"

"Yes, and Narcissa?"

"The miscarriage seemed to have set her back, but she's quite fine now."

"Yes, Venus and I are stuck on one child as well…"

*Ares' wife is named Mirabelle, but she is nicknamed Venus for her extreme beauty and infamous past.

~+~+~+~

"Shouldn't you be going?"

"Yes."

"Well?" Vala watched Remus as he washed dishes. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes," he answered automatically.

She crossed her arms. "Oh yeah? Then what'd I just say?" she tested.

Finally, he looked at her. "Hmm?" He rose his eyebrows at her.

Vala sighed sharply. "The sun's going down, Remus, and tonight's a full moon. I'd suggest you get a move on unless you want to convert me over to lycanthropy." She smiled wickedly at him. "Which, of course, I would not object to."

Remus shook his head, wiping his hands off on a towel. "No, I definitely do not want that to happen to you." He stared unblinkingly out the window. "Not to anyone, but certainly not to you…"

"Really?" He doesn't mean that… Just wait till he sees what happens. "Then you better leave. Look wolf-boy, the sun's going down!"

"Right, right." He shuffled around, tidying things up along his way. "Don't answer the fireplace, don't let strangers in, don't talk to strangers--in fact, never talk to strangers."

Vala rolled her eyes as she lead Remus to the front door.

"Don't leave the stove on, lock the door immediately after me, stay inside all night-"

"Goodbye, Remus!" she stressed, ushering him out the door. "I'll be fine, really, I will!"

"Oh, and I… I um," he fidgeted with his robes. Vala smiled at that, he reminded her of a nervous boy. "Take care of yourself, Vala."

How cute, he can't even say it… "Yes, I love you too, Remus."

Relieved, he smiled.

She waved a finger at him. "Now remember what we talked about--if you see a little girl in a red hood, you let her be, you hear me?"

"Pfft, goodbye Vala."

She smirked, and closed the door behind him, quickly bolt-locking it.

~+~+~+~

"Oh huzzah! Who's the crossword champ?" Vala congratulated herself. I wonder how I ever got so good… Oh, that's right. Sirius had turned her on to them. Surprisingly, he was a crossword junkie himself. Not a quality you'd expect from a man like him… That is, if you didn't know him well enough. Sirius was full of little odd quirks. He was certainly full of surprises, she thought sourly.

She checked her watch. "Hmm…" I've still got some time until midnight, but I'd feel better if I started setting up. She glanced out the window. Somewhere out there there's a lone werewolf… It'd be so much easier if he'd only bite me. That's a sure thing… Unlike this potion. She pulled a heavy, round, corked bottle from her pocket. But, Remus would never forgive himself if he were held responsible. It's better this way.

A knock so silent, she thought she might have imagined it, was heard. Then again, only louder. She stood up slowly, slipping the potion into her pocket. "I wonder who…" She made her way down the hallway, and peered through the peephole. "I don't believe it…" She unlocked the door, and swung it open.

"Good evening, Miss Amoureux."

"Don't good evening me," she snapped. "And you, put that cigarette out before you come in."

"Sorry to barge, lass," Grant apologized, walking past her.

"You see, we were in the neighborhood and thought we'd drop by," Fae said casually, entering the flat.

"In the neighborhood my--Grant!"

He stared at her innocently. "Me?"

She slapped his hand. "Remus wouldn't be keen on you touching that… Just think, what if you broke it?"

"What is it?" he asked, staring at it curiously.

"Well, it's quite obviously-"

"A crystal ball," Fae finished. "May I?"

"Well, I… I don't know."

With careful hands, Fae picked up the crystal ball and took a seat on the nearest sofa. "It's a very old one… Not as old as McGonagall, mind you, but still quite old." She ran her hand across it. "I'm sure it's full of-" She stiffened and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Oh my God! Is she having a seizure?" Grant asked frantically.

"I-I don't know! Fae? Fae!"

"Wait," Grant stopped Vala from shaking Fae. "I remember reading about this… I'm not sure, but I think she's seeing something."

Fae blinked. She shook her head. "Quite sorry," she frowned, handing the crystal ball back. "I've seemed to have faded for a moment there."

"Faded? You, you got all freaked! Your eyes rolled back and everything!" Vala exasperated.

She sighed. "Yes, I have a tendency to do that from time to time… What does Remus look like?"

"What? I don't know! What just happened here?" She handed the ball to Grant.

Fae shrugged. "Nothing really. I was just listening in on some secrets… Do you mind if I look over a picture or two of Remus? Possibly a few from his childhood? Maybe around Hogwarts time?"

"What?" Vala wiped her forehead. "Yeah, whatever… Follow me. I think he keeps a box of photos on the top shelf of his closet."

~+~+~+~

"Who's this?" Fae asked, pointing to a couple.

Vala carefully took the picture from Fae. A young woman with long, blazing red hair kissed a man with black, shaggy hair on the cheek. "That'd be Lily and James Potter. It's before they got married, but I wouldn't mistake those two for anyone else," she smiled.

"Oh, who are these four?"

Vala looked at the picture Fae held. "Why… That would be Peter Pettigrew, that's James again, that one's my Remus." She'd pointed each young man out, save the last one. "And well…" she looked back to the stack of pictures she held, busily shuffling through them. "Well, that last one would be Sirius Black."

"Oh…"

"Yes. Who'd think that innocent boy would turn into a criminal? Certainly not us," she said stiffly.

"Hey, what's this?" Grant asked, not listening to their conversation. He blew the dust off. "Woah." He scrunched up his nose and sneezed. He sniffled and looked at his hands. "Eeeww…. Better wash this…" he looked around. "Ah, here's some wa-" He shoved his hands into the Pensieve.

"Grant!" Vala dropped the pictures and hurried to the Pensieve. She shot a drastic look at Fae "He's gone in!" She looked into the whirling water. "Ah, fu-" She began, reaching into the bowl.

Fae shook her head, returning to the pictures. "Someone outta put those two on a leash… Ah, here's what I was looking for."

~+~+~+~

Vala landed heavily on a bumpy object. "Ow, Go-"

"Oomph, would you mind getting off me?"

She almost cheered. "Oh, Grant, I'm so--say, where are we?"

Grant struggled to move out from under her. "Your guess is as good as mine," He replied, shrugging her off. "What happened?"

Vala pulled herself up and subconsciously dusted off her robes. Taking a look around, "A forest, I guess… You know, that lady at the store told me this would happen. She said if we touched the memories in the Pensieve that we could be taken into one."

A scream echoed through the forest. Vala moved towards it, but Grant held her back. "Careful now, lass, we don't want to get tangled up in someone else' memory."

She rolled her eyes. "We can't change the past; it's already happened… Didn't you hear anything she told us? It's only a memory, it's not like someone can see us."

In a swirl of cloaks and skin, a boy ran past them.

"Oh my-" A large, growling wolf swept by.

Vala gulped. "I think I know where we are…"