Part Three: Highest Regard
Three days had passed since the full moon had lite the sky above Azkaban. Since then Sirius had gauged the reactions of his guards to his Animagus form. He found that he was able to maintain his self a lot better if his self was a dog. He remembered McGonagall's warning to his seventh year transfiguration class and tried to be sure of the time spent as animal. 'One of the hardest things about being an Animagus,' She had said to them, unaware of the secret smile he had shared with his roommates. 'Is that the animal wants to take over. If any of you should go that route and become Animagi you will train under the supervision of an already licensed teacher, such as myself. This teacher will make sure that during the early stages you don't loose yourself in the animal and are able to return to your human form.'
'How long would it take to loose yourself?' Remus, the voice of reason, had asked.
'The shortest amount of time was about 24 hrs. Though I have heard of some really strong wizards going for a week at a time before returning.' McGonagall told them.
Remus had had a fit later that night. 'What did you three think you were doing? Did you know about the time limits?'
The other three had just shrugged it off, James had mentioned something right at the beginning but both he and James had thought that the risk to be with Remus was worth it.
'And it was,' Sirius smiled. A rustling coming down the hall told him that his brief happiness had alerted the Dementors. He quickly shifted to dog form, the Dementor passed by his cell and continued, the stink of fear following in it's wake. Sirius shifted back when he smelled the fear coming from a cell far down his hall.
Remus had never seen himself as worth it though, and had urged them to talk to McGonagall about what they should do. It was at the point where Peter was convinced of the plan, and James was coming around to it, that Sirius had stormed out of the room. If they'd told McGonagall about being Animagi then they would have had to tell her why they had done something that illegal. Which would have ended the full moon escapades of their little group. Which was something Sirius had promised he would never have to do again.
'I hope that Albus is continuing that.' Sirius buried his head in his arms. 'I can't bare to think of him alone, he does things to himself when there is no one there to distract the wolf.'
A loud noise somewhere in the prison was soon followed by shrieks. Sirius curled himself into a tighter ball and tried to ignore the sounds.
Remus straightened his robes and looked up at the house with apprehension. He still had no idea why the House of Black had called him to their side, but he had tried to dress himself in a state appropriate to their importance.
He climbed the steps, hesitating before touching the door knocker. The knock seemed too loud and he looked around to see if someone else had been disturbed by the noise. The other's on the street passed by No. 12 without even stopping to notice the rather bedraggled wizard standing there.
The door to the house opened, bringing Remus face to face with a house elf. "What are you wanting?" The elf asked belligerently.
Remus wanted to turn around and run as far away as he possibly could. A voice stopped him from this course of action though. "Gryffindors are brave to the point of foolhardiness, but we always get things done."
'To true,' He thought. 'I need to see this through, no matter how scared I am.'
"I am Remus Lupin," He told the elf. "I received a summons."
The house elf looked at him doubtfully until he pulled the card he had received out to present. The house elf touched the card as if to verify its authenticity, then he stepped back. "If the master would be following me?"
Remus stepped into the townhouse quickly, hoping that he was doing the right thing. The house elf slammed the door shut causing Remus to jump, a chuckle from the top of the staircase made him aware of the portrait there. The portrait was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Sirius, her features were slightly more feminine, but that was to be expected.
"Kreacher!" the portrait commanded. "As soon as you are done showing our guest to me, I suggest you come back here for new instructions."
"Of course mistress," the house elf bowed. "Master, this way."
Remus followed him up the stairs and past the portrait. Thanks to his enhanced hearing Remus was able to make out the mutterings of the elf as they walked. "Kreacher to be calling this grubby wizard a master," the house elf complained. "This wizard isn't suited to clean the dirtiest rag in the mistress's house."
Remus was more than slightly relieved when Kreacher finally stopped at a door and motioned Remus through it. The woman whose portrait was so prominently displayed in the foyer sat in the flesh in the drawing room. She held out her hand to Remus, and he bowed over it as he remembered being taught.
"Well I can see you aren't completely lacking in manners," Mrs. Black said sharply. "Though one could hardly credit it after the years of your association with my son."
"Ma'am," Remus murmured, unsure of what to say.
"Take a seat." Mrs. Black ordered pointing at the chair across from her. Remus sat down gently, never taking his eyes off Mrs. Black. "I could almost like you," She said looking him over. "If it wasn't for the fact that you aren't human."
A pang shot through Remus, he nearly opened his mouth but decided that angering her wasn't the best course of action.
"I truly feel for your parents," Mrs. Black continued. "To raise a son so well, but to have him suffer the ultimate affliction."
Mrs. Black looked at his face closely. "How close were you to Sirius?"
"We roomed together for seven years," Remus told her. "Though I would never have thought things would end up the way they did."
"You are talking about his betrayal of Potter and his mudblood wife," Mrs. Black stated. "True, I wouldn't have thought it would end up that way either. Obviously I did something right in his training." She paused as if waiting for him to comment, "I am sure that you are wondering why I summoned you."
Remus raised an eyebrow, he wasn't sure that talking was the best idea right now.
"You are to visit my son." Mrs. Black leaned back to see the effects of her announcement.
"With all due respect," Remus nearly surged out of his seat. "I have no desire to ever see that ras clat ever again."
"Be that as it may," Mrs. Black said coldly. "You are going to see him. You are going to go to the ministry, fill out all the paperwork, go out to Azkaban, and have a little chat with Sirius."
"What in the world would ever compel me to do that?" Remus demanded.
"A steady source of income for at least the next six months." Mrs. Black informed him. "You are at the end of your finances. If you don't find a job soon you'll have to sell that ridiculous farm house of your families. Do you want that to happen?"
Remus sat down slowly. "What would this job entail?"
Mrs. Black smiled appreciatively. "It seems that sometimes there are brains in Gryffindor heads." She leaned forward. "The job would be some odds and ends that I need done."
"What would the pay be?" Remus felt like his soul was being sold, but Mrs. Black had been right, he needed a job to be able to afford the house.
"Enough for the maintenance of the house, and a little extra so that you aren't left completely out in the cold when our association stops."
"Why?"
"Because you have some breeding," Mrs. Black acknowledged. "And it would be a shame for the Lupin line to die out, just because you had the misfortune to be bitten. After all, lycanthropy isn't hereditary, so your children won't have it."
Remus blinked.
"So Mr. Lupin," Mrs. Black smiled tightly. "Do we have a bargain? Your continued existence for the delivery of a message to my son."
"Why me?" Remus asked.
Mrs. Black looked startled. "Sirius's other friends are all dead. That is why he is in Azkaban."
"Surely someone else...."
Mrs. Black cut him off. "Anyone visiting Sirius will be labeled a Death Eater. As a werewolf you must already be accustomed to being thought of as evil. Just thing of this as another evil to add to your collection."
Remus looked at Sirius's mother. He would deliver her message, just as she had known he would. He would suffer the consequences as well. There was no choice for him, it had to be this way.
End Notes:- Please Review
