Chapter 19

Turned out Cass had taken time off work for the duration of my visit so she could spend time with me. She decided it would be a shame for Harry and Moony not to see some of America since it was their first trip here. We decided to start on the West Coast and work our way eastward, using Cass' car as a portkey to cover large distances. Cass and I had always loved the coastline in Oregon and Washington, and we thought they ought to sample the Muggle amusement park, Disneyland, at least once in their lives.

So bidding Mum and Dad farewell for a bit, we quickly found ourselves in northern Washington. Neither Harry nor Moony had had much opportunity for sightseeing in their lives. Though Moony had traveled quite a bit, of necessity, his life had not been such that he really explored his surroundings, so this was a first for him also. The drive along the coast was relaxing and we camped out along the way.

The Dursleys had avoided including Harry in any fun activity they did for their son Dudley, so he was like a kid in a candy shop at Disneyland. Moony found it all rather amusing, the Muggle way of entertaining themselves, but Cass refused to let him sit on the sidelines and watch 'the kids', and he soon found himself on roller coasters and the like. He tried to maintain his usual calm decorum, but I could tell from the glint in his eyes that he was enjoying it immensely and glad to have an excuse to act so young and carefree.

We also spent a day at a California beach we found, devoid of other people. None of us had swimsuits, so Harry and I just dashed into the water wearing our clothes. No matter how she tried, Cass couldn't talk Moony into joining us, so she pulled out her wand and brought the water to him - drenching him with her own small 'wave'. He sat there a moment, wiping the water from his face, then stood in one swift movement, threw Cass over his shoulder and took her out to the ocean and plunked her down, screaming, into an incoming wave.

She sputtered and laughed her way to her feet, grinning at him. "You think you're so smart, but I got you to come into the water, didn't I!"

He tried glaring at her, but couldn't hold it long and finally participated in her laughter. They joined me and Harry playing in the surf for a short while, before they returned to the towels to dry out. Remus slipped off his shirt and began wringing the water out of it. When he started to put it back on, she told him, "Heavens, leave it off and get some sun! You've got that hideous British 'white flesh'!"

He paused, then retorted, "And if I leave it off, I'll have that hideous American 'sunburned flesh'!"

She reached in her bag and triumphantly produced a bottle of suntan lotion. "SPF 25 - you have NO excuse!"

He hesitated but gave in, knowing how persistent she could be. She squirted some into his hands and he began applying it to his chest, arms and face. She watched quietly, trying not to notice the scars on his chest and arms. When he had finished, she told him, "Turn around and I'll do your back."

He sat down and turned his back to her. As she reached out to apply the lotion, she saw there were more scars on his back. She paused briefly, then gently began rubbing the lotion in. Remus seemed to sense what she was thinking and told her softly, "They're old scars. They don't hurt." Her hands put more pressure to her application, but when she was done and he turned back around, he caught her wiping away a tear, visibly shaken by what she was seeing. He couldn't think of anything to say to reassure her, so he lay down on the towel and left her to regain her composure without his notice.

Harry and I joined them a short time later, and after we had all rested, dried and lay in the sun a bit, Cass and I prepared a lunch and we departed soon after. We turned inland and portkeyed the car to Arizona for a visit to the Grand Canyon, choosing the less visited northern rim. We spent the night in a nearby campground.

During the night, Remus got up to use the toilet facilities and found Cass outside our tent, staring at the stars. He caught her attention and signalled her to follow him away from the tents so talking would not disturb Harry or me. "Are you all right?" he asked, sensing some distress in her. She hastily wiped her face, hoping he wouldn't notice in the moonlight.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Why don't I entirely believe that?" he asked gently, encouraging her to talk if she wished.

She sighed deeply and said, "The truth is, I was thinking about you - and about those scars." He waited for her to continue. "You're the first werewolf I've ever met. We've had one or two in the hospital, just after being bitten, but I never worked with them. I guess I never thought about what their lives would be like. How brutal an existence it could be..."

He tried to lighten the mood, "Oddly enough, some of those scars came from my best friends." She started and blinked at him in surprise, so he elaborated, "When I was at Hogwarts, I made three very good friends, who discovered my lycanthropy. They didn't want me to have to be alone during transformations, so they became Animagi, the only safe way they could stay with me. Two of them transformed into very large animals so they would be able to keep me under control. A few of the scars are from when they found it necessary to keep me in check. I think I actually rather like those scars because of what they represent..."

She stared at him by the faint light of the moon, "You're a remarkable man, Remus Lupin." She hesitated and then stepped close to him. Reaching up, she gently touched his cheek and then stretched up and lightly kissed him on the lips.

Remus stepped back, not expecting the contact and Cassandra flushed red, "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess that was too forward of me..."

She moved to return to her tent, but Remus caught her gently by the arm. "It just startled me," he told her softly, "but I liked it." She turned back and looked into his eyes, trying to see if he was telling the truth. When she was convinced that he was, she smiled shyly and reached up to kiss him again. This time he met her halfway, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Her arms slid up around his neck and her hands caressed his hair.

A moment later, hearing the call of nature myself, I stepped out of our tent and found them wrapped in each other's arms. "Hrmph!" I said, to draw their attention. When they guiltily turned to me, slightly pulling apart from each other, I told them, "Tsk, tsk, tsk - what kind of example are you two setting for the young people here!"

With a chuckle, Remus stepped close to Cass and replied, "Actually, we got the idea from you and Harry..." I laughed and walked away to continue my errand, and they elected to move farther away from the tents and out of sight before I returned.

After that, it wasn't unusual to find them holding hands and grinning secretively at one another. Harry and I found it all rather amusing, but were also pleased for the both of them.

We gradually worked our way back to Pennsylvania, turning up on the 23rd. Even with portkeying over the long distances, our non-stop sightseeing had left us all a bit tired and we spent the next few days just lazing around the house, occasionally playing games or watching television.

xxxxx

Early one morning a few days after our return, I was awakened by Harry crouched next to my bed. He nudged me to move over and climbed in next to me. When I looked into his eyes I knew this was not a social call. Gently I caressed his cheek, waiting for him to tell me what was troubling him. We lay there for several minutes as he struggled with his emotions. Finally he whispered, "It's begun. I saw it. He was laughing as people died..."

I pulled him close and we lay there just holding one another for a very long time. Finally, probably more than an hour later, he pulled away and slid out of bed, "I guess I better tell Moony so he can alert the Order." I sat up and nodded, rising to get dressed. Before he left, he pulled me into another tight embrace. I think he was trying to steel himself for what he knew was coming. I showered and dressed quickly, then hurried to the guys' room.

Harry was there alone and just putting his shoes on. I looked at him questioningly and he advised that Moony had Apparated to check in with Dumbledore and the Order, and to receive instructions. He had been checking in with them every few days, with no appreciable developments prior to this. "What should we tell the others?" he asked.

"Nothing for now. Let's wait and see what Moony finds out." I replied. He nodded and followed me downstairs to the kitchen. Cass was already seated at the table drinking a cup of tea. As we sat down, she glanced sideways at me and asked, "So, is it perhaps time that I have a certain little talk with you - or have Mum do it?" At first it didn't register what she was talking about, so she added, "I could have sworn I saw someone get an early morning visit to her bedroom by her boyfriend...who stayed quite awhile in the vicinity of her bed."

I flushed red and Harry choked on the bite of toast he had taken. It would have been funny under other circumstances, but not now. "We weren't doing anything we shouldn't," I told her. "...I'll explain later." My somber demeanor silenced her though she watched the two of us curiously after that.

Mum and Dad put in appearance a bit later and we set about fixing breakfast. They inquired about Remus since he was generally one of the first up, but I assured them he had just gone to run an errand and would return shortly. As if on cue, I heard a 'pop' from the living room, indicating his Apparation. Harry and I stood in unison and I told the others, "We'll be back in a minute." They watched us leave with interest, but no one asked any questions.

Moony signalled us to follow him upstairs and filled us in. The Order had become aware of the attacks taking place right about the time Remus had arrived in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore thought it best that the three of us return to Hogwarts as soon as possible rather than stay in America the full time we had intended. Moony turned to me, "What do you want to tell your parents...and Cassandra."

Up until now, nothing had really been said about the Order of the Phoenix's activities. We had explained that Moony had to check in periodically for health reasons, and no one had questioned that, including Cass since she was not that familiar with werewolf health issues. It was clear that I was going to have to tell them more of what was happening, but I still could not really reveal anything appreciable about the Order or what it did. I rubbed my forehead and said, "I'll think of something." We headed back downstairs with some reluctance.