Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.
Anything in Italics said by Lunar is thought only, and no one can hear it!!
Chapter 3
Emotions.
"Damn!" Remus hit the wall opposite the door he just left in anger.
He had just left Lunar's room where the diagnosis of the doctors had proven to be correct.
He had stared into Lunar's face and seen nothing. Her blank expression terrified him more than the wolf he became. He couldn't control either of them.
"Why did it have to be her?" He asked bleakly. He used his wand and fixed the hole he had just made in the wall, and then wrapped his bloody hand in a handkerchief. He turned towards the door to Lunar's room and rested his head against it. Using some meditation exercises he had learnt after discovering his werewolf condition, he calmed down. He had learnt long ago that strong emotions didn't make the problem go away, it just obscured the solution.
His eyes blurred for a second, and he recalled the last time he saw Lunar. It was at Sirius and Pat's wedding, he had been best man and Lunar had been a bridesmaid. His hand pushed up against the door as he remembered standing at the altar watching Lunar swan down the aisle. Growling he removed the memory from his eyes and walked down towards the kitchen.
Severus and Albus would be coming soon to see if they could do anything for Lunar.
He remembered when he returned to Hogwarts before bringing Lunar to his home. He had asked Albus to help with no qualms, but seeing the self-satisfied smirk on Severus' face had driven him to fury. He would not have asked for his help if it hadn't been for Lunar.
After healing his bruised and bleeding hand he conjured some food for himself and sat down, facing the fireplace in the yellow dining room to eat. The pasta dish he had produced was delicious, red tomatoes with peppers on soft penne pasta, but Remus didn't taste it. His mind was on the girl in the bedroom above him, and the task that was set for him.
When he took Lunar out of the hospital the doctors still hadn't been able to contact Sirius, and now she was in his care they no longer had to. It was up to him to find him. He grimaced at the table and remembered the first time he had seen Lunar. Sirius had not been pleased that Remus' first crush had been on his sister. He knew that Sirius should know about Lunar's illness, but he was still hoping that he had time with her.
The fireplace lit up suddenly, and Albus walked out of it brushing the soot off, Severus followed looking around the bright airy primrose-coloured dining room in disgust.
"Albus." Remus stood up and acknowledged the Professor. "What have you found out?"
Albus took off his spectacles and started to clean them. "Not a lot, I'm afraid. The curse is not often used, and what I have found is very vague. The Curse renders the victim incapacitated. It allows the person to do a certain amount of unconscious functions, such as breathing, and swallowing, but other muscle control is severely reduced."
"Yes, yes, we know all of that." Remus said impatiently, but Albus held up his hand to silence him.
"The name "the Cage Curse" was chosen by a man called Thomas Wilde, he studied the curse for many years in the fifteenth century when a total of twelve people were cursed. His studies led him to believe that the person was still inside his or her body, and could use all five senses. They could see everything that was going on around them, but could not contact the outside world. Almost as if they were trapped, caged in side their own body." Albus sat down and sighed. "It was only a supposition though. There was never any physical proof."
"What about the twelve people? Did they find a cure?" Remus asked agitatedly.
Albus shook his head slowly. "No. I'm afraid that none of them were ever cured. Their bodies grew old and died."
Remus sank onto the chair in depression.
"Well, don't ask me then." Severus said snidely.
Remus looked at him in hopelessness. "Have you found any possible cures?"
"I have found some very old potions in books that have not been read for a long time and might help in this situation. The ingredients are rather difficult to obtain but the potion will be ready as soon as they are found."
Remus nodded. "I appreciate what you're doing Severus."
Severus shrugged and wandered over to the far side of the room away from Remus.
Albus sat next to Remus and put his hand on his shoulder. "Every Professor is searching their speciality for cures. They all send their best wishes."
Remus nodded, then inspiration struck him. "What about the centaurs? Has anyone asked them?"
Albus shook his head thoughtfully. "No… It could be an idea."
Severus barked out a laugh. "Stargazers. They don't tell you anything."
"We have to try everything." Albus looked meaningfully at Severus, and again Severus retreated to another corner of the room. "How's the search for Sirius going?" He asked.
Remus groaned. "You would have thought that they would leave some sort of plan, but no. I've narrowed the search by a few countries out of thousands." He sighed. "I've contacted everyone I know, if they see them then they will contact me. I've talked to every wizard hotel they haven't seen them. I think they've been staying in muggle accommodation so I'm going to phone some of them. Sirius and Pat did say some of the places they wanted to visit, but… Sometimes I think it's hopeless."
Albus nodded consolingly. "You're doing the best you can." He looked up at the ceiling. "Can I go up and see her?"
Remus nodded. "Yeah, sure."
Albus left the room and hummed to himself as he went up the stairs.
Remus stood up and grabbed his plate. He took it into the kitchen; it was taken off him by his house elf irately.
"Humph!" The elf said, upon discovering that Remus had made his own meal.
It was already annoyed with the fact that every few weeks it had to go to Hogwarts because of Remus' condition, but Remus didn't care how angry Fingers got, as long as he didn't hurt her.
"Thanks." He said distractedly and went back into the dining room.
Albus hadn't returned from Lunar's room, but Severus was still there, looking at the walls in distaste.
"Yellow!" He muttered.
Although at one time Severus was Remus' mortal enemy, Remus now thought of Severus as more of as acquaintance.
"Come on." He said sympathetically, and took him into another room. This one was a dark blue study. It was cluttered with books and dust. (Fingers was expressly forbidden from the room!)
Severus seemed to relax (a bit). He turned to Remus.
"We're doing everything we can." Severus said patronisingly, but with a strange expression on his face. He swallowed slowly, and carried on speaking – albeit reluctantly. "You… you're doing… well in the circumstances."
Remus looked at Severus in disbelief. "Uhhhh… Thanks."
Severus nodded briskly, and turned away from Remus. He scanned the books and said. "I'll bring the next batch of potion with some possible cures for Miss Black."
Remus nodded, but stayed silent. He knew that Severus didn't need for or want him to say anything.
Albus came into the room, it was as if he knew that Severus had had something to say to Remus, and had now finished.
"I'm done." He said. "Are you ready?"
Severus nodded, and unenthusiastically returned to the yellow dining room.
"We'll be back as soon as we've found something." He said kindly. "Don't worry Remus, we'll fix this."
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
Albus pushed another shrub away from his face and looked around the clearing.
"See anything Albus?" Hagrid said to him jovially, and so loud that he scared the fox in the clearing.
Albus' shoulders drooped slightly. He knew that he couldn't have stopped Hagrid from going into the forbidden forest with him; he just wished he could make him a little quieter.
"Not yet Hagrid." Albus whispered to the half-giant, who was peering over his shoulder into the clearing.
"The sky is clear tonight. Makes stargazing easier." A calm voice came from behind them. It made Hagrid jump.
"Alright Bane?" He asked casually when he had identified the centaur behind them.
"Venus is bright tonight."
"Makes a change from Mars." Hagrid muttered.
"We need your help." Albus said, shooting a look at Hagrid. "A girl has been put under the cage curse, do you know a cure?"
"Venus is bright tonight…" The centaur repeated serenely. "As is Mars. Mars is bright tonight."
"I knew Mars was coming." Hagrid muttered grumpily, and walked across to the clearing kicking a small stone.
Albus sighed, and left the centaur with his stars.
"Told you it was a bad idea." Hagrid murmured to him. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you'll never get a straight answer from a centaur. Bloody…."
Albus stopped listening to Hagrid's mutterings when he had heard the psst coming from the bushes.
He wandered over to them, aware that Bane was still in the clearing.
"Hello?" He murmured to the bushes.
"Come with me." A calm voice said.
Albus pushed his way past the thorns in the bushes and came face to face with Firenze, the centaur that saved Harry when he was in his first year.
"Firenze? What…?"
"Shhh, we have not got much time." He put his hand over the old wizards mouth, but removed it respectfully. "We know why you are here."
"We?" Albus asked confusedly.
"Yes, when my people heard about how I saved the Potter boy we split. Some of us believe that our talent should not be wasted. We wish to help."
Albus nodded. "And I thank you for it."
"The girl is important to the mission. As many people are needed to defeat him."
Albus nodded again. "She is under th.."
"The cage curse, yes. I have consulted the stars and they have suggested something. It may not work, but at the moment it is the best chance you have."
At that moment a roar came from the clearing. "Firenze! Do you not see what you are doing?"
"Bane." Firenze whispered. "You must go. All I can say is Corybant. Now go!"
He pushed Albus towards the path for Hogwarts and cantered away.
"Albus!" Hagrid came rushing up to him. "Thank Merlin! I thought I'd lost you!"
"Corybants. I have to find the Corybants."
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
"Yes, yes I understand that you can't tell me where they went if they don't tell you… Yes okay… Can you at least tell me when they left? … A couple of days ago you say… Thank you, really thank you… Yes if you do hear from them then tell them to contact me, the same goes for if you find out where they might be going. I'm Remus Lupin, you can contact me through… Yes, thank you. I appreciate your help… Yes bye!"
Remus sighed as he sat down. This had been the fifth muggle hotel he had phoned that day and only that one had heard of Sirius.
He trudged up to Lunar's room to shut the window he had left open. It had been a warm day today, but now it was turning cold.
He walked into the room and shut the window, and then he went over to the bed.
"How are you doing Lunar?" He said softly, never expecting an answer, but always hoping for one.
"It's a bit cold so I thought I'd shut the window." He pointed to the window, keeping his eyes firmly on the girl in the bed.
He saw the goose bumps on her body, and sat beside her on the bed.
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~
'It's about time you got here!' Lunar thought irritably. 'I'm freezing.'
She noticed that he had seen her goose bumps.
'Yeah! I'm cold. What are you…?' She asked as he sat down on the bed next to her.
Shivers ran up her spine as she felt him rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her.
'Oohhhh!' She moaned slowly, feeling the roughened skin of his hands, caressing the cold away.
He stopped suddenly, and stared down at her. 'Ohhhh! Don't stop!'
She heard him mutter. "I shouldn't be doing this." Then he perched on the bed, his back turned towards her.
She heard two thuds as some things hit the floor, and then felt his arms wrap around her as he moved her into a reclined position. He laid himself down next to her, and put his arms around her, hugging her close.
"Go to sleep." He mumbled, and she felt his breath on her cheeks change to slowly and deeply.
She relaxed into his arms. 'Why couldn't you have done this when we were students at Hogwarts?" She asked sleepily, and drifted off…
…To a time long ago when she had first met the enigmatic, soulful man.
A/N.
If you do want a sneaky preview of things to come I found Corybant in an Encyclopaedia (I spent too much time studying for this, and not enough on schoolwork or a social life!).
Thanks to Annoriel and Aryanna for reviewing! I hope this explains about the Cage Curse and I'm sorry if it seems confusing. (I forgot to mention that no-one but the reader can hear what Lunar says!)
I can't wait for OOTP to come out!! I ordered it in February!!!
Happy reading
Love
Krusty.
xxx
