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Chapter 2

"Ariana." She answered, then added "Grant."

She couldn't explain it, she should be afraid for her life, but she wasn't. She knew this man wouldn't hurt her, he had a gentleness to him despite his attempted bravado. She rose from the floor to stand directly in front of him, her head coming to his shoulders. Dang he's tall, she thought to herself.

"Who are you?" She asked and waited patiently as he decided whether to answer her or not.

"Remus Lupin." He finally conceded.

"It's lovely to meet you Mr. Lupin." Ariana said as she stuck her hand out politely.

Remus lowered his wand and took it without thought and felt a small current run through her hand to his. He cursed his stupidity and jerked his hand away.

"What did you do?" He demanded as he raised his wand once more.

"Pardon?" She asked in confusion.

"What did you just do to me? I felt an electrical current." He said.

"I didn't do anything. It must have static electricity. It's so dry outside now." She answered.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Is this your house?" Ariana asked.

Remus looked at her a moment before answering. "Yes." It might as well be. No one else stays here, he reasoned.

"Is it your vacation home?" She asked.

Remus lunged onto that excuse. "Yes. It's my vacation home. Now, again I ask you what are you doing here?"

"Mr. Lupin, I have to tell you, I've been living here for the past couple of weeks. I thought it was deserted."

"You've been living in the Shrieking Shack?" He asked in disbelief.

"Is that what you call this place?"

"You don't know what the Shrieking Shack is? It's the most haunted place in Britain. How can you not know that?" He questioned.

"I'm...not from around here." She answered insufficiently.

"Where are you from?" Remus inquired insistently.

"A far away place." Ariana said vaguely.

"What kind of an answer is that?" Remus asked in exasperation.

"An enigmatic one." She replied.

"Mr. Lupin, not that I fear you but could you please lower your wand? I assure you that I won't hurt you."

"Do you ever give straight answers?" He asked as he pocketed his wand.

"Sometimes." She smiled and he felt the breath being stole from his lungs. What kind of witch is she, he wondered.

"See. What kind of an answer is that?" He questioned.

"It's the I'll -tell-you-if-I-think-it's-your-business-and-it-won't-come-back-to-bite-me-in-the-ass answer." She said.

"Well, Ms. Grant, you can't stay here. This building is far too decrepit to be safe."

"Then why are you here?" Ariana asked astutely.

"I just came to check on something." Remus answered smoothly.

"Did you find a dog up here?" Ariana questioned.

"No. Why do you ask."

"I heard one up here last night. He was whimpering and growling. I can't imagine how he would have gotten in. He must have made his way back outside. " She replied.

"I'm sure he did." Remus answered quickly. Wonderful. She heard me last night.

"Well, I'll be off. Thank you and sorry about using your home, Mr. Lupin." Ariana said genuinely as she turned to go downstairs.

But when she reached the door she stopped and turned back around and met his confused grey eyes.

"Mr. Lupin, can you tell me where I can get money turned into wizard money?" She asked timidly.

"Like muggle money?" He asked.

"Muggle?" She inquired.

"It means people who aren't magical." He explained. Further proves my theory that she's a muggle. Or maybe she's half blood.

"Oh. Yes. That's what I mean then."

"Go to Gringotts bank in the center of the village. They can trade muggle money for wizard money." Remus said hiding his suspicion.

"Thanks." Ariana answered before making her way downstairs.

When Remus heard the door close the urge to see where she was going overtook him. He dashed down the stairs and burst through the front door in time to see her at the edge of the forest. More questions and doubts poured through him but he found himself calling out to her anyway.

"Ms. Grant?"

Remus watched as she turned at the edge of the trees to look at him.

"Yes?" She asked as she began to walk toward him again.

He met her half way and looked at her incredulously.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Into the forest." She answered.

"I can see that. Why?"

"I'm going to be staying there." She said matter-of-factly.

"Don't be ridiculous. You can't stay in the forest." Remus said with annoyance.

"I'm an adult, Mr. Lupin. I'll be ok." Ariana replied.

"Being an adult has nothing to do with it. You don't have a wand to protect yourself." Taking in her lithe frame he continued " and you'd be no match for what you encountered in there."

"Come. I'll take you to the inn in the village." He said as he put his hand on the small of her back to guide her.

"I don't have money to stay at an inn." Ariana said shyly.

"Then I'll take you to Gringotts myself to get your money switched. As a wizard and a gentlemen I can not permit you to go into that forest." Remus insisted.

"Thank you. Again." She said as she allowed herself to be guided along.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "There's a great little place not far from here."

"Famished actually." She answered quickly as she thought of real food.

"Then we'll eat first and get your money after." Remus said.

"This is very kind of you Mr. Lupin. Thank you." Ariana said.

"You say thank you a lot. Please Ms. Grant, call me Remus."

"Only if you call me Ariana." She replied. "And I'm just saying it so you will know that your actions are appreciated."

Remus glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and found her watching him as well. He gave a heart stopping smile before focusing his attention back on the path but he kept stealing glances of her as she walked. Her long brown hair swung and bounced as she glided gracefully along.

You better watch out Lupin. It's always the most beautiful woman you have to watch out for. And she is definitely hiding something huge and that makes it hard to know if she's one of us or one of them. I better speak to Dumbledore about her as soon as I get her set up at the inn, till then tread carefully.