.Chapter 4: Black sheep
Disclaimer: We don't own the characters, places or anything recognisable from the Harry Potter Books 'cause they belong to J. K. Rowling. We write only for our own pleasure and make nothing from it.
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The only member of her family April remained in contact with was her Uncle Sean. He was something of a Black sheep as well. The family hadn't approved of his marriage to a muggle and so he remained on only the stiffest, most awkward of speaking terms.
April got to know how her parents were doing, and where they were through him and they were in turn told of her health. This wasn't a problem as far as April was concerned; she had never been close to her parents, always having felt like something of an unfortunate mistake. They had provided for her until her eighteenth birthday dawned and then it was like the door had been closed forever, she had known it would be like that and was prepared to some degree. Although sometimes she wondered if a little more support might have prevented certain things.
No. A little more support would definitely have prevented certain things.
April and her Uncle Sean sat on the sofa together, slightly inebriated and delving into nostalgia. She loved these visits and hadn't been able to resist the opportunity to invite him over when she had her good news.
Part of her wished she knew where Remus and herself stood. She felt awkward after the revelations of a few nights ago and wasn't quite sure how to approach him again. It would have been nice to have someone friendly around all the time.
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Later in the week while April was in her lab, a knock on the door surprised her into dropping the ladle she was using into her cauldron with a splash.
Wiping her arms where they were dripping, she walked to the door and opened it. Standing in front of her were two very odd-looking men.
"Excuse me, Miss. Are you April Early?" The man closest to her asked, as he peered over his tinted blue spectacles. He was very tall and spindly, and looked as if one puff of wind would knock him over. Like a Daddy Long-Legs, she supposed. His partner, who looked much shiftier than the other, was nervously looking down the road to the cottage and adjusting his trench coat around his stout form.
"Umm… yes. Can I help you?"
"We're here to buy some…" he lowered his voice considerably and leaned in close, "…potions. We're from Egerton and Boothe, you should be expecting us."
April suppressed a grin. She should have known that these were wizards, who else would act so odd in a Muggle-rife area? "Yes, of course. Come in." She backed away, making room for the two men to enter.
The thin man breathed a sigh of relief when she shut the door behind him. "Thank Merlin. This disguise malarkey is hard work, I tell you," he said, speaking in a strong Birmingham accent and giving a toothy grin.
April returned the smile. "Next time you come, if would prefer to apparate, there is a very secluded wood behind the house," she informed them, before adding hastily, "Can I take your coats?"
The thin man passed his over eagerly, revealing long blue robes, but his partner seemed a little more reluctant.
"Oh, go on, Barney, give her your coat. She's one of us," The thin man urged, but his partner just shook his head. "He's a bit shy around strangers," the thin man continued. "Anyway, I'm Frith Trimble and that's my brother, Barnabus."
A pair of more unlikely brothers April didn't think she'd seen, but she nodded and smiled and took their coats to the cupboard. "So, what potions do you wish to buy?" she asked, when she returned to them.
Frith's eyes twinkled over his spectacles. "Ah, right down to business, I see. Good, good." He reached inside his robes and pulled out a roll of parchment and waved it at her. "Here's the list. I hope it's not too much for you to handle." He unrolled it and it hit the floor. "Let's start with a 'Wit-Sharpening Potion'…"
April ran her hand through her hair and made a face. It was going to be a long afternoon…
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"Right, here's the 'Hair Raising Potion'." April set a little pink bottle down on the kitchen table where Frith and Barney were sat, one ticking potions off the list and the other packing them away in a box.
"Ok, that's it, I think." Frith ran his finger down the side of the list once more and nodded in satisfaction. "So what's the price?"
April named a price that made both her customers wince.
"Well, it's all in the name of business," Frith said, opening his money pouch and emptying it in her hand, taking back a Knut or two. "That's all of it."
Standing up, he stretched his rather long arms and legs and grinned. "Well, I guess we'll see you when we run out." He held out his hand again. "It was nice doing business with you, April."
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Remus let himself back into the cool of his house, the surroundings already feeling comfortably like home upon his return. He smiled; his publisher in Diagon Alley had certainly given him good news. He headed towards the kitchen, wondering why he still had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind despite the day's events.
April. He hadn't seen her since the day he'd witnessed her swept up by another man, and they hadn't exchanged words since the evening he had cooked her shepherd's pie. Would she feel comfortable enough to see him again? What about the Wolfsbane? At least he should be able to afford some for the next couple of months now that he had his first payment. If that ran out he would just have to swallow his pride and ask Sirius for help. He put the Daily Prophet on the table and opened a cupboard in search of a cup.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Remus' brow furrowed as he headed to the door to open it; who would be visiting him tod-
April.
Some questions just answered themselves, Remus mused and, suffering from a momentary lack of verbal inspiration, he stepped back a little to pull the door wide, encouraging her inside.
"Hello." She smiled and he felt better, in fact he found there was no chance of getting away without grinning back at her, he found her smiles so infectious. His belly stirred with nervous butterflies and he got the distinct impression he was supposed to say something as well.
"Hi, how are you?" Hmm, that's original, criticised a voice in his head.
"I'm fine." April stepped inside and noticed how much healthier he looked this side of the full moon. She looked away.
Remus was glad on some level that he still found her so attractive, at least the view he'd had of her when suffused with animal lust hadn't been all that rose tinted after all. The butterflies reformed themselves into an uncomfortable knot; he swallowed, trying not to let his gaze drop to her neckline.
"I brought you this." April exclaimed, holding out a green glass stoppered bottle. "That should do tonight and tomorrow morning, just heat it until it comes to the boil."
Wolfsbane! Remus realised, taking the bottle from her. "Thank you ever so much," he said awkwardly, aware that he was looking at her as though she had just given him gold. "I just got home from Diagon Alley and was going to make tea, you will stay for some?" He was having a good day and wanted to share, he didn't like the idea of having to sit around on his own for the rest of it.
"Yes. Thank you." She followed him into his kitchen where he deposited the Wolfsbane next to the Daily Prophet on the table.
Remus couldn't think of anything to say, his mind rejected a couple of possibilities; It's been a while since I saw you… sorry if I scared you with my uncontrollable wolf urges and So, I saw you with a man, is he your boyfriend?
He was glad when April didn't leave them in silence. "Can I do anything?" she asked, gesturing toward the grate. "Shall I put the kettle on?"
"That would be great." Remus watched her unhitch the kettle from over the fireplace and fill it from the tap over the huge china sink whilst he put milk in their cups.
"Sorry I didn't bring the whole week's supply of Wolfsbane, I've been really busy with a new contract and have the rest of the batch finishing off in the lab at home."
"That's fine… I'm really grateful that you're doing this." He felt the need to add.
"It's nothing, really," she assured him as she sat herself at the table and started to flick through the newspaper. "So, what were you up to in Diagon Alley?" she asked, pausing to look at an interesting and quite scandalous article about the coach of the Ireland Quidditch team.
"Just a bit of business."
Ah, the original cop out answer, he doesn't want to talk about it. April deduced. At least he doesn't want me to know. "Do you have a quill?" she asked, wanting to move on so as not to let him know curious she was about his 'business'.
"Yes," Remus leant back in his chair and picked up a quill from the side.
April noticed that he had a small collection of them there along with a stack of fresh parchment and bottles of ink. Why would he have that in the kitchen? "You don't mind if I do the crossword do you?" She suddenly realised how impolite she was being in her effort to appear blasé. "I think it's fun." She inwardly cringed.
"Go ahead."
The kettle chose this moment to come quite violently to the boil and Remus stood up to wet the tea bags. A couple of silent moments followed.
"Eight down is Desinireditus" Remus said, looking over April's shoulder and making her jump.
"Huh?" She breathed, looking round and up at him.
"Desinireditus. Simple counter jinx to all grade one hex's" He pointed at the clue.
"I knew that." April scoffed, inwardly feeling silly for being all jumpy and distracted. She scratched in a few more answers in quick succession in an attempt to look intelligent.
"Sure you did." Remus let sarcasm tint his response.
"Really, I just hadn't got that far yet." Because you don't sound pathetic now, of course.
A smug smile soon lit her face though as she filled in the word aeroplane for sixteen down (muggle device for air travel).
Remus set down two steaming cups of tea on the table and leant over her shoulder to look at the crossword
April's stomach clenched up in response to Remus' proximity. He was clearly a lot more comfortable with her when the moon wasn't just a day or two away. She wished she could attribute the same ease to her own feelings.
She was so aware of his height and breath as he leaned over her, in what was obviously just a friendly manner, sending warm prickles down her back and making her neck feel much too warm. April stared at the row of white boxes that represented twelve across for what felt like an eternity before she remembered what she was supposed to be writing in them.
It was nice to have an excuse to get this close to her. Old pervert, scolded a voice in Remus' head and he was once again hit with the horror of not knowing what he'd done with her, or rather to her, the last full moon. He stepped away, feeling uncomfortable again.
Between them, Remus and April finished the Daily Prophet crossword and as April scratched in the final letter, the boxes all went green and gold writing shimmered over where the grid had been. 'Congratulations, you have completed the puzzle correctly. Send this page along with your name and address for the opportunity to win 200 galleons. Terms and conditions apply, please see below for details.'
April smiled "We got them all right!" she exclaimed cheerfully, not mentioning the prize opportunity.
"How about a Viennese whirl in celebration?" Remus suggested, picking up a tin full he had purchased upon feeling rather flush in Diagon Alley.
"Thank you." April helped herself from the tin and took the biscuit from its flimsy paper cup. She was just disposing of the crumbs from her fingers when she thought of something. "Remus, about the Wolfsbane…" She didn't notice the look he was giving her as she licked her fingers. "I've made the same kind I take, because I was doing it in one batch, if you'd rather stick to the more tried and tested one, I'd probably still have time to whip some up for you."
"That's fine," he told her, as long as this stopped him killing people, it was worth a try, not to mention the fact that he didn't want to put her out any more than he was already doing.
"I don't know how you'll feel about the level of control you'll have, it'll take some getting used to, you might want to try and sleep through it the first time…" She paused, not knowing how much to say to him without making both of them feel awkward. "I usually roam the forest, keep out of the way of people." Realising how close she had been to asking him to join her, April held herself back, after all what was she offering? She shifted in her seat feeling like the biggest slapper in the northern hemisphere. What must he already think of her, after what she willing let him do to her last time?
"I'll probably stay here, get used to it, like you said."
"Well," April sighed, "I'd better get back to my lab before I boil something dry!"
"It was good to see you." Remus stood up so that he could show her out.
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A/N:
Thank you to everyone that is sill reading and reviewing, you make everything brighter, and sorry for the massive delay! One day I (Martha) will get myself organised!
All our Love
Martha and Squirrel.x.x.x