As Remus entered the room, it immediately occurred to him he wouldn't have dared to do so in any other situation than theirs. Smiling to himself, he limped over to the darkest corner of his host's private sanctum. Nothing to be afraid of. Still, he could feel his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

"Do come closer, Remus Lupin", a cold, silky voice spoke up from out of the shadows. "And sit down."

Silently Remus glided into an armchair positioned in front of the now cold fireplace and turned it so that it faced the dark corner. His eyes were growing accustomed to the darkness rapidly - as a werewolf's, more rapidly than anyone else's - and already he could make out the clear outlines of a person cowering on the ground, bent over something with his back half turned to him. Now the man straightened up, and as he took his hand from the small crystal orb, it at once cast a faint greenish light on him. His age was difficult to tell, also in full daylight, but Remus knew the man looked much younger than he actually was. Now his eyes were narrowed to thin slits, his brow was wrinkled as in worry or distress, and there was an unusual air of exhaustion about him, but nonetheless he seemed quite handsome. He was wrapped in a heavy black cloak, but had thrown back the hood.

"So here you are", he said finally. "Welcome. How is your leg?"

"Much better, thank you", Remus answered. "But I'm sure you wanted to see me for some other reason?"

From the shadows came a chuckle, and the cloaked man didn't seem as worried anymore. "You are bold, my friend. This is one of the virtues I value beyond the rest, beyond patience or unselfishness or -", his lips curled into a vicious smile "beyond charity. I want you to remember one thing, Remus, my friend: Stop seeing having mercy as a quality of the wise. Or else you will be betrayed. Never forgive, never forget. And never trust anybody as much as yourself. Always let your mind control your heart, not the other way round. Have you understood, Remus Lupin, my faithful warrior?"

Remus nodded silently. It was of no use mentioning he disagreed somewhat.

"Very well. As you maybe know already, the Marauders are about to move. The storm is about to begin, the blow will fall. Will you stay behind with me as long as your leg is still troubling you? You wouldn't be the only one."

Strange he asks, Remus thought. Strange indeed. I wouldn't have expected that. Aloud, he said: "I'm staying if Dumbledore does."

The sinister man's face remained completely unmoved. "He does. Can I take this as a yes?"

"In this case, you can definitely."

Something close to a real smile spread on the man's overshadowed face. "I knew you wouldn't forsake me."

"I wouldn't", was the only answer Remus could think of.

With satisfaction, his host gestured him closer. "Come, my friend, and join me. I have to discuss a few things with you."

Strangely, Remus didn't even miss the usual feeling of fright as he rose and stepped deeper into the darkness.