Disclaimer - It's not mine, it never was. I'm just borrowing the characters in order to make up the story.
A/N - Okay, this is the second to last chapter in this story. Only one more to go before this story is totally over with. I hope you guys enjoy. Later.
Chapter 44
(Note: A couple of days have passed since the attack on the mansion. Sable has not been found, and Easter break is over with. Everyone else is back in school.)
Unfortunately, Sable did not appear by the time the fire had been extinguished, not had her body been found the next day as a clean up crew came with investigators to comb the smouldering wreckage for clues. Remus had been adamant about finding some clue as to what had happened to her, but the only thing that had been found was the charm bracelet Sable had been wearing, they had not been able to find the shell necklace that she had been wearing. Dumbledore had found it near some wreckage that had been the main ballroom, and given it back to him. Eventually though, not a trace of Sable or her parents bodies had been found among the ruins, and Dumbledore and Remus were forced to return back to Hogwarts without her.. The investigators from the Ministry had told Remus that it was very possible that their bodies had been burnt to ashes because of the intense temperature of the blaze, and that there would be nothing left of them.
Eventually, Remus was forced to leave the sight of the mansion and return to Hogwarts alongside Dumbledore. Remus had grown cold and distant, not wanting to believe that she had perished in the fire. 'We survived two Death Eater attacks, for Merlin's sake!' he thought angrily. 'And she is supposedly killed in a FIRE?! I just don't believe it!'
After much deliberation, Remus had contacted his own parents, as well as the Marauders and Lily, and told them what had happened. It had taken no time before Mr. And Mrs. Lupin, and James and Sirius, had Apparated to Hogsmeade and then gotten to Hogwarts. Lily was going to be a little longer, and Peter could not be found.
Dumbledore told the faculty what had happened before they arrived, then left Remus with his friends and parents.
Since his parents had known Sable and her family very well, they too the news hard. His mother cried uncontrollably and tried to coddle Remus, who was not in any mood to be babied. Lily was the last one to arrive, and when she got to James, she broke down crying. Sirius and James, although eager to find out what had happened, refrained from asking questions, and stayed with their best friend until his parents left, leaving Remus at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's care.
The three boys were desolate. Remus was still in shock, Lily was near hysterics, and James and Sirius were trying to figure out how to fix everything. In the end though, they all went to the Common Room with Remus, who went to his dorm and stayed there.
It had been a few days since the attack on the mansion, and classes had started back. Sitting at the table in the Great Hall, Lily, the boys, and the overall Gryffindor house was unusually subdued. Dumbledore had announced what had happened to the entire school, leaving out specific names, in order to clear up some rumors that had already began to fly. The other students of Hogwarts were appalled, and frightened by what had happened, and many of them burst out crying when they realized that Sable had not returned to school, and Remus was an emotional mess. Little Thomas McCleod seemed to take it the hardest. The little boy started crying right in front of everyone in the Hall before getting up and running out. Remus did not know what to do, so he did nothing. He knew that Sable meant a lot to some of the younger generations of Hogwarts students, but he did not know of anything that would make it better. It was a cloudy, dreary morning the Wednesday after the attack, and the Marauders were silent as they sat down to breakfast. Remus had been in his own world ever since he had gotten back to Hogwarts. He had done nothing except spend every waking moment in Sables room since returning. James and Sirius managed to drag him out for meals, but that was it. He even refused to go to class. Lily was still reeling from the shock and would periodically burst out into tears.
The only people who did not really seem to concerned about it were the Slytherins. Ever since Eater break had ended, and school had began again, the House seemed even more nasty than normal, especially the older ones. The Marauders figured that it had something to do with the fact that two of their housemates had disappeared in the attack. It was true that Avery and Flint had not been seen since the attack. But Cody Flint's little brother Cassius Flint, and Marcus Avery's younger siblings Clareese and Charleston, had not really seemed to bothered about all the hubbub. It was like the little second and third year Slytherins knew something the rest of the school did not.
As for the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws, they were not as affected by the disappearances, but Sable's disappearance and rumored death had them all in a state of shock and fear. The younger students that she had helped to tutor seemed to band together upon finding out that their mentor was not coming back. Even the little Slytherin boys and girls that she had managed to make friends with went against what was considered 'normal and proper' for their House, and stuck with the other Houses, which surprised everyone.
This particular morning was no different. Remus played with his food, not wanting to eat, and wishing he could do something. While the little band of younger students converged at the end of Ravenclaw Table, talking and helping each other with last minute homework, the rest of the student population remained eerily silent and subdued. Overhead, the air came to life with the flutter of hundreds of owls bringing them the morning post.
A tawny owl dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of James and Lily while Sirius got a letter, and a small package was dropped in front of Remus. Remus took no head of the box and continued staring off into space. It was a few moments later when James put the paper down and frowned. Lily picked it up and read out loud.
'Ministry officials report that the attack on the large mansion just outside of tow two days ago has been deemed a freak accident by investigators. Apparently Aurors from the Ministry were tipped off to the location of a group of rogue wizards, who refer to themselves as Death Eaters, by two students who attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Auror led attack infiltrated the mansion, securing an unconfirmed number of Death Eaters for interrogation. There are rumors of four fatalities, but no one have been confirmed as of yet. However, we do know that the body of one young man was found in the dungeons of the mansion, although no names have be given yet.
Investigators weeded through the rubble, only to find no other bodies.
Although it is believed that there were two bodies of Ministry Aurors in the building at some point, they were not found. The investigation continues on as more information is revealed.
In a related story, a number of students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have come up missing. Marcus Avery, Cody Flint, and Meadow Robbins have all disappeared from their respective homes in the past few days. No connection has been drawn yet, and investigators are still trying to pin point the reason behind the disappearances. More information will.....'
Before Lily could say anymore, Remus slammed his fork onto his plate and stood from the table, leaving his friends and practically running out of the Great Hall. Lily and the others only watched as their distraught friend left them there to finish whatever was in the paper.
"I wish Moony'd snap out of this." James said quietly.
"Leave him be, James." Lily said, folding up the paper and placing it by her plate. "He was closer to her than any of us. It's not going to be easy, especially for him."
"He's got to stop this." Sirius mumbled.
"I want to help as well, Sirius." Lily sighed. "But the only thing we can do ins try to distract him."
"That's going to be hard to do." James muttered, pulling the Marauder's Map from his bag, muttering the incantation that showed the layout of Hogwarts corridor, and the room's occupants. "Especially considering that he's holed up in her bedroom again."
"Again?" Sirius questioned. "He's been in there since all this happened."
"He can't stay in there for ever." Peter said, nodding in agreement.
"It's a form of solace." Lily said, shaking her head. "It'll be a sort of closure for him. All we can do is wait, and be there for him."
"I hope he's going to get better." Sirius said. "I don't know how long I can stand to see the old boy like this."
"Hey, guys, look at this." Lily said, opening the paper again and glancing down its columns. "They never gave a reason or even any suggestions as to why Avery and Flint went missing, although it is hinted at that Sable might have had something to do with the Death Eaters and the attack on the Zabini's mansion."
"This is crazy." James said. "They keep those blasted Slytherin's names cleared, but they run hers into the mud!"
"Somebody got paid off for that little article." Sirius said, frowning.
"I wonder why the paper is not saying that she's dead?" Peter asked, looking at the offending piece of paper. "Dumbledore all but said that she died in the fire."
"No clue, Wormtail." James said, scratching his head. "Things are so confused right now. Leave it to the press to screw this up."
"Things are only going to get worse before they get better, I'm afraid." Sirius said sadly. "I don't even want to think about what else they've got cooked up for this."
"I know. Remus told us that Lucius Malfoy was one of the head Death Eaters under Voldemort's wing." James muttered. "And I'll be damned if you don't see HIS name in the bloody paper."
"Like I said. Someone got paid off to keep the truth out of that article." Sirius said, shaking his head. "I'd hate to know how much money passed hands to keep those blasted Slytherins out of the bad side of the press."
And so the next few weeks passed for the students in the school. Remus practically refused to go to class, and very seldom ate anything, even when someone brought it to him down in Sable's bedroom. Things finally hit a head and turned around about a week before the full moon in June. Remus had been in her room for the majority of the time, but had touched changed, nor moved anything. Everything was just he way she had left it when they left for Easter break.
Remus knew that the full moon for the month was fast approaching, and he dreaded it more than anything. The transformation for May had been horrible. He had refused to tamper with any of the back stock of Sable's potions, and had not taken the Wolfsbane potion the day and evening of the change. Had he really been thinking, he could have went to the Potions teacher, Professor Treble, and gotten some of it. But he hadn't, and the night that he changed had been bad enough to land him in the hospital wing for nearly three days because of the damage he had done to himself. Even James, Sirius, and Peter had felt the wrath of the angry, hurt beast that was their best friend.
Remus had attacked the shaggy black dog and proud stag that had stood before him that night, as well as the little rat that scurried to hide from him. Sirius and James had managed to keep Remus from hurting them too bad, but they could not keep him from hurting himself. Poor Remus had bit, scratched, and clawed at himself all night. The next morning when he awoke, it was in the hospital wing back inside Hogwarts.
James and Sirius had told him later what had happened, and he had felt even worse knowing that he had hurt them. That was why he was standing where he was right then.
Remus reached out to pull open the door that housed Sable's back stock of potions when a creak at the portrait hole in her bedroom alerted him on someone else's presence. He quickly walked back through the door, only to find Lily standing there, looking around uncertainly.
"What are you doing here?" Remus asked, looking at her warily.
"I was just wondering if you were okay, Remus." Lily said. "I was coming to check on you and make sure everything was okay."
"I don't need a mother." Remus sneered. "I can take care of myself."
"I didn't say that you did." Lily said carefully, walking towards him. "Did you get the Wolfsbane potion from the lab?"
"I'm not using it." Remus said stubbornly. "It's not mine to take."
"Remus, she made it for you." Lily said, completely confused. "Why not take it?"
"Because I'm not touching anything in that lab." he said, growling at her. "Why do you want me to take it? Are you scared that I'll turn into some vicious monster and tear you to pieces?" Lily, her temper at the breaking point, walked over to Remus, placed herself right in front of him, and done something that she probably should not have.
She slapped him. Hard. Remus looked back at the girl and glared, growling even harder at her as though he was trying to scare her. Lily, although she was quaking in her skin, held firm to her constitution and faced him.
"Of all the times I've been around you, Remus." Lily said, "And ever since I'd found out that you were a werewolf, I've never been afraid of you because I knew that you wouldn't hurt me. I trust you, Remus. So go ahead and growl and snarl all you want, but I'm not going anywhere until you get it through your head that you are only hurting yourself by doing this. Sable worked so damned hard on that potion so that you and her parents, and anyone else that suffered from lycanthropy, could lead a semblance of a normal life. Why are you refusing to use the potion, and help yourself?"
"You don't understand, Lily." Remus snarled, turning his back on her. "You never will."
"I might not understand what you're thinking, Remus." Lily said. "But you and I both know that if Sable knew what you were doing to yourself, she'd chew you out, and then find a way to kick you in your arse! Do you think putting yourself through some sort of self-inflicted torture is going to bring her back?"
"Lily..." Remus said warningly. "You're letting your mouth overrun your common sense."
"Well, do you, Remus?" Lily asked again, her voice almost to the point of yelling, and tears in her eyes. "Don't you think we'd have done whatever it would have taken to keep her here, with us, with you? If we could have, we would have, Remus. This is something that the mighty Marauders can't fix. No one can."
"She shouldn't have had to die, Lily." He said, his voice rising as he continued to speak. "We survived two Death Eater attacks. She took the blasted Dark Mark to try and save me and her parents, and Voldemort killed them anyways. She was raped by some damned Death Eater, and yet she managed to keep herself alive and going, only to be brought down by a damned house fire!"
"And you shouldn't be here, making yourself completely and utterly miserable." Lily said, her voice soft as the tears began to fall. "Because the longer you do, the more her sacrifices were in vain."
"What?"
"Remus, she sacrificed her very life to get you out of that place, to keep you from being insurance to insure her continued cooperation with the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Now that you're away from them, you're still making yourself miserable." Lily said. "At least have the decency to live your life as best you can. She loved you more than her own life, and you know that if she saw you right now, she'd seriously hurt you for doing this to yourself, and to the rest of us. We want to help you, Remus. James and Sirius are on pin cushions around you. Peter is avoiding you because you snarl at him all the time. They want to make things easier, better. They...We want to help, but you keep pushing us away."
"Lily, I ....."
"We already lost Sable, Remus." Lily said, turning back to the portrait and climbing in, only to look back at him, tears still in her eyes. "Please don't let us loose you as well. We couldn't handle that." With that last plea, Lily shut the portrait hole with a soft click, leaving Remus to think about what she had said.
Needless to say, a few hours later, Remus finally managed to open the door that held the back stock of potions, only to find a whole shelf lined with dose after dose of the Wolfsbane potion Sable had bottled and stored away. And a few days later, he downed the dosage needed to keep him from inflicting harm on either him, or the rest of his friends.
It seemed that little talk with Lily had helped to snap Remus out of the self induced depression he had been in. By the time the full moon was over, the next big occasion was N.E.W.T.S. Lily and James, as well as Sirius and Peter, had helped him to get caught up on the work he had missed while he had been holed up in Sable's room away from anyone else. He started going back to class and participating again.
Remus was back on the right path to becoming the same old Moony that they had known before Sable had disappeared. He even helped with the latest prank on the Slytherins. Things actually seemed to be doing better. Of course, they all had their up days and their down days, but things were slowly starting to work their way out.
By the time N.E.W.T.S. rolled around, Remus was feeling better. He knew that the lack of studying on his part would greatly affect his scores on the tests, but it had not really bothered him that much. All in all, the closer the end of the year came, the more it seemed things would even themselves out.
A/N - Okay, I know some of you are probably thinking that I am rushing this along a bit. I'll agree with you completely, I am. But I hope it isn't all that bad, I really do.
Anyway, the next chapter is the last. But, don't worry, I think I've wrapped up all the loose ends.
Later,
A.A.
