Author's Note: I'm way too much in love with Remus in this chapter, so there's probably way too much description, dialogue and not enough action (sorry, Moonjasmine!) The fact that Remus is half-Muggle comes from JK Rowling's web chat at The Leaky Cauldron site. Background info about Molly Weasley comes from the Harry Potter Lexicon. Hagrid's hut is located on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so I figure that Amalthea's stable is, too!
Chapter Twenty-Four
"Amalthea!" My voice rang high and thin in the cold, morning air. "Where are you?" Panic rose up in my throat. I thought about those horrible hunters who preyed on unicorns. Surely none of them hunting in the forest would be this close to Hogwarts, but maybe they had heard about my familiar and kidnapped her. "Amalthea!"
Finally my eyes caught a golden blur on the edge of the woods. The foal ran toward me so quickly that my eyes almost couldn't follow.
"There's an animal in the forest!" Amalthea pranced and jumped around. "He's hurt. He needs help."
"What are you doing running around loose?" I shrieked at her, gasping with relief. "Are you out of your little unicorn mind? You shouldn't be out there alone. Mr. Filch told me there are all kinds of creepy things in that forest." Besides there being unicorn hunters, I recalled the caretaker's stories about giant spiders, centaurs and werewolves. Honestly, who would have built a school near a place called the Forbidden Forest, anyway?
"I heard him howling in the woods," She said. "Early this morning. It was terrible, and Hagrid's not home."
"Howling? It's not Fang, is it?" Hagrid would really be torn up about it if it was. I fingered the silvery sticks in my hair. I suppose if unicorn's blood could heal humans, it could heal animals as well.
"There's no time," The foal said. "He's dying." She turned and ran into the woods.
"Come back here!" I followed her. "We won't get lost, will we?
"Come on, hurry!" She said, still running. She was a luminous blur of gold in the dim forest, leaping over tree roots and bushes.
I blundered after Amalthea until the trees became thicker than ever, so that the morning light overhead was no longer visible. I couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in my way, barely visible in the near blackness. We walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, my cloak snagging on low-slung branches and brambles.
"Oh God," I panted, trying to keep up. The trees were now so thick and oppressive that it seemed hard to breathe. "What was that stupid dog doing out here so deep in the forest?"
Finally the foal stopped ahead of me. "He's here!"
The dark form was huge, and lied in a hollow of earth and leaves. The thing panted and whimpered, but appeared to be paralyzed. I walked forward. It had the head and snout of a wolf, but with a long body and long legs. It was definitely not Fang. It was much larger than a dog, or even a man.
"Holy shit," I whispered, taking a step backward. My mind flashed back to the illustration in my grandfather's book. I glanced up at the sky, but the moon could not be seen. "Amalthea, please don't tell me that this is a werewolf!"
"He's tame. He won't bite you," the foal said. "His name is Moony."
"You'd better be right about this," I muttered. I crept closer, bending down on one knee to see what looked like a metal shaft sticking out from the animal's thigh. "Oh, that looks painful. Sorry, this is really going to hurt," I told him. I gripped the bolt and pushed it through the skin until it came out the other side. The shaft of the bolt gleamed silver. The wolf whimpered and howled and tried to claw the ground.
My hands shook violently as I removed the thin vial from my braids. I had to steady my hand to pour several drops into the wound. As the wound closed up, light spread under the fur until the entire animal glowed as if he had swallowed the sun. Then it vanished. The creature lumbered up until he was sitting on his haunches. Even sitting down, he towered over me. His eyes shone at me through the darkness like gold coins.
"Nice wolfie," I said nervously. "Moony."
The creature replied with strange, soft, crooning whimpers. He bent his head down on my leg, and I ran my hand down his nose and scratched behind his ear.
"He says we have to go," Amalthea said. "There are bad men in the forest."
We made our way slowly through the forest, weaving around the massive tree roots and thorn bushes. Moony walked behind me, pushing me with his nose when he thought I was going too slowly. From time to time he sniffed the air and looked behind him. We walked this way until the trees began to clear.
I heard a growl, and when I turned around, I was stunned at what I saw. The wolf stood in a pool of sunlight that fell down through the trees. He began to transform.
There was a terrible snarling noise. Bones rippled and scraped under the animal's skin. The wolf's head was shortening. So was his body. His shoulders stretched out and slid into a different position. The hair on his face and hands disappeared, and his clawed paws finally changed into fingers.
"Holy shit," I whispered again. My legs were so weak, I couldn't move. It was the pain the creature was in, rather than the transformation itself, that horrified me.
At last there was an ordinary looking man, flung out naked on the forest floor. He lied as still as death, but his breathing was laborious. He was drenched in sweat, and had dark smudges under his eyes.
With a trembling hand I smoothed his tangled, brown hair back from his face. He didn't look too old, but I noticed that his hair was heavily flecked with grey. "Are you okay, Moony? Are you in any pain?"
"No human has called me that for quite some time." He said in a hoarse voice. When he opened his eyes, they were clear and focused. "I'm fine now. Only the transformation is painful. You were very brave. Thank you, Miriel. I need to warn you that I was only in my human frame of mind because of a special potion that Professor Snape provides for me. If you should ever see another werewolf, chances are he will be extremely dangerous and out of control. "
How did he know my name? How did he know Professor Snape? I glanced at Amalthea, who was now snorting into the man's hair and trying to chew on his nose.
"Yes, yes," he said to her with a sigh and a pat on her head. "Thanks to you as well, you gorgeous little thing. It's unfortunate that I can only understand unicorn speech when I'm in my wolf form."
He pushed himself to sitting upright with an effort. He touched his thigh in wonder, but the wound was completely gone. "This is absolutely amazing. What you did seems to have completely neutralized the effects of the silver. That bolt, you see, was rapidly poisoning me. Damn that Macnair-" A low growl emitted from deep in his throat.
"Macnair?" I searched my memory. "Isn't he a Death Eater? One of those that escaped from Azkaban?"
"He also used to be the executioner for the 'Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures,' as well as part of the 'Werewolf Capture Unit 'at the Ministry of Magic," He said grimly. "I should have known he'd never step a foot into this forest without being armed against werewolves. I was lucky that I wasn't captured, which would have been far worse than being killed. I might have been if they hadn't been so distracted by their...entertainment." He choked this last word out in disgust. "Those Muggles-" He glanced at me, and saw my stricken face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't even be speaking to you about this."
"You're Remus Lupin, aren't you? You used to teach at Hogwarts." My mind raced. Of course, a werewolf would make an excellent spy in the forest at night. He was swift, dangerous, and probably had superior hearing and eyesight. What had he seen or heard?
Remus struggled to his feet. I tried not to stare at his butt, but I had never seen a man naked before. Well, not in real life, anyway. He brushed leaves and grass off himself, and pulled twigs out of his hair. He would have had a rather pleasant face, mildly handsome, if he had not been so haggard and tired. Something in the cut of his hair and his moustache reminded me of an old-fashioned photograph from the forties. He had wide-set, intelligent eyes, a rather long nose, and a sensitive mouth. He didn't seem my mother's type at all.
"Why does Amalthea call you Moony," I asked, glancing away and clearing my throat a little. "Is it because you moon people?" I untied my cloak to hand to him.
"Good Lord," he muttered, with a glance down his body. His cheeks flushed pink. It was amazing how he was becoming a proper English gentleman right before my eyes. He took my cloak and wrapped the thick green velvet around him. "Forgive me. I tend to be a little dazed after my transformations."
I had to use an enlargement spell on the fabric before it was long enough. He must have been about six and a half feet tall, and towered over me as I tried to steady his staggering.
"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked. He'd never make it back to Hogwarts at this rate.
"I'm always exhausted after I transform," he said. "All I need is a little rest. And food. I'm famished." His face suddenly became grimly determined. "I must get word to Dumbledore, as quickly as possible."
"What about?" I asked anxiously.
He hesitated, and his eyes were full of dread. "It's, er, confidential, I'm afraid." The expression on his face suddenly became shut and reserved. When he glanced at me again, his eyes were unreadable.
"I cannot believe you're not going to tell me anything! You know, just because my father was a Death Eater doesn't mean I'm one," I said, feeling a flare of hurt and irritation. The entire incident with the Daily prophet was still fresh in my mind. I had a sudden impulse to leave "Moony" here and let him walk back to the castle alone.
"I didn't mean-"He began.
"Obviously you've been listening to that bitch, Molly Weasley."
Remus stopped, and his lips tightened. I could tell that he was offended by my choice of words. "I'll have you know that Molly is a good and kind person," He began in a paternal, lecturing tone. "She's been one of the few people in the Wizarding world who treats me like a member of her family instead of like some... beast. She can be quite fierce when protecting her children, but-"
"Well, she hasn't been that kind to me!" I snapped. "Because of her, the Hogwarts Board of Governors is going to expel me from Hogwarts."
"Try to see things from Molly's point of view, Miriel," He said gently but firmly, gripping my shoulder to steady himself as we continued to weave through the trees in the direction of the castle. "You almost cursed her son. You might have killed many more of the students in the Great Hall. The first time Voldemort was in power, a man named Peter Pettigrew attacked my best friend, and ended up murdering dozens of Muggles. There was only a crater in the middle of the street so deep it had cracked the sewer below. There were Muggle bodies everywhere. And believe me, Pettigrew was not remotely considered a great wizard, and he certainly did not possess nearly the amount of magical power that you do. People in the Wizarding world remember these things. Molly's own relatives, the Prewitts, were also killed by Death Eaters. Your own father-"
"Don't say anything about my father!" I blurted out, blinking away the hot tears that burned my eyes. "I'm sick of hearing about it. My dad died letting me and my mother escape Voldemort, which everyone seems to have forgotten about. He saw something in the Mirror of Erised that changed him. Professore Dumbledore said so."
Remus was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "I'm sorry that I have upset you. I just believe that it's best if we can see things from other people's points of view. I did not mean to imply that you were on Voldemort's side or any such nonsense. Members of the Order have solemnly sworn not to discuss our business with anyone who is not a member." He stopped and gently tipped my face up until my eyes met his. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I doubt very seriously if potential Death Eaters run around rescuing poor, old, half-blood werewolves." The man's eyes were so intelligent and kind, that I felt my anger slowly drain away.
"I wish I could join the Order of the Phoenix," I told him.
He chuckled. "If that happened, Moody would have such a fit, he'd probably spontaneously combust. He's an auror who believes in 'constant vigilance.' Your close associations with the Malfoys make him quite nervous."
Soon Remus collapsed on the bed at the unicorn stable, immediately devoured all my sandwiches and tea, and owled Professor Dumbledore a letter. The headmaster was obviously going to have to send someone after him, to take him back to London. He was much too exhausted to apparate himself.
"So," I said, "I've heard that you have a thing for Professor Lovelace. I can hardly wait to tell her what a nice butt you have."
Remus choked on his tea. "Pardon me?" When he saw that I was teasing, he continued. "As much as I admire your mother, and as much as I enjoy baiting Severus, I am realistic. I am well aware that she is a bit out of my league."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your mother comes from a powerful, ancient pure-blooded family. In the Wizarding world, I'm afraid that everyone is 'out of my league.' Werewolves do not have the same rights that 'normal' wizards and witches do. I'm considered to be cursed. People are afraid to touch me, as if somehow they could catch Lycanthropy from shaking my hand or hugging me. My mother was a Muggle, and I only manage to survive because I'm so familiar with the Muggle world that I can find the odd job here and there if necessary. I'm lucky enough never to have had to ask for help from the Ministry of Magic's 'Werewolf Services,' but I am usually well below the poverty line."
"Things like that don't matter to my mom," I said quietly. "Or to me." I remembered my previous words to my mother about Remus, however, with a little shame.
He smiled a bit sadly. "I know. But they do to the rest of the Wizarding world. Talk about a scandal. A relationship between your mother and I would be- Ah, well, I won't go there."
On an impulse I slid my arms around him and held him. "I'm going to call you 'Moony' from now on," I said against his cheek. "Just to commemorate the day I met you."
"Heavens, you really are a pushover for a sad story, aren't you?" He chuckled with a little embarrassment, but held onto me a bit too long, like someone who has been starved for human contact. When he sat back, his eyes glittered wetly for a moment. "I would very much like it if you'd call me that. My best friend used to call me that in school." He reached out and took my hands in his. "When one wizard- or a witch- saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them. This is magic at its deepest and most impenetrable. I want you to know, Miriel, that I take my responsibilities very seriously. By saving my life today, you have given me the right to use whatever powers I have at my disposal to protect you. If even from yourself."
"What do you mean?" Something told me another lecture was on its way.
"From everything your mother has told me, it's obvious that you will come into contact with the Mirror of Emit. I want you to swear to me that you will not attempt any kind of time travel."
I squirmed inside, remembering all those spells in the book the Mirror of Emit had given me. "But-"
"There's a reason why time travel is illegal," He continued firmly. "And why it's an offense that can land people in Azkaban. It's too dangerous. It can create complicated time loops, and many wizards have had accidents. They've ended up killing their past or future selves, or getting killed by others who saw them. I don't know why Dumbledore doesn't just have the damned thing destroyed."
"But Hermione told me that she one year she had a time turner," I said.
"Those kind of time turners only enable the user to travel through time within a period of a few hours," He said, his eyes very intense and serious. His hands tightened on mine. "That Mirror is extremely dangerous, and I want you to promise this to me."
I swallowed, but nodded. "Okay, Moony. I promise." I didn't tell Remus, however, that there were many things one could do with the Mirror of Emit than just travel through time.
"Well, Miriel, isn't this just cozy?" A familiar voice coolly drawled. A fully-grown Draco stood in the stable doorway. "First you've been making friends with Mudbloods, and now werewolves."
I turned my head, wondering how much Draco had heard. "Oh, Draco! I forgot all about you in the hospital wing. I got distracted. Thank God that antidote worked," I said. "I was afraid you'd be a little kid forever!"
Draco's eyes flickered over us, taking in the scene, and I cringed to think of what he saw. Remus and I were sitting on the bed, the man was dressed only in my cloak, and he had been holding my hands. Remus was too sick and exhausted to be very attractive right now, but still, it must have looked suspicious. Draco's face tightened with disgust. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" He asked Remus in a rude tone. "I thought Professor Snape got rid of you a long time ago."
I thought Remus was going to become angry, but to my surprise, he merely smiled pleasantly. "You may find that things have changed, Mr. Malfoy, and that you'll have to treat others with more respect than you have in the past," He said mildly. "Your father and Professor Snape are no longer here to protect you."
From Draco's stricken face, I knew that McGonagall or Dumbledore had told him everything that had happened. He always tended to lash out in hostility when he was afraid or insecure, and now he had lost both of his parents and his favorite mentor. His place of leadership in the Slytherin House was gone. He probably wouldn't even have Crabbe and Goyle anymore. "You filthy-"He started toward Remus with a snarl, his wand pointed towards him.
Remus, of course, didn't have his wand. I jumped up in front of him, and Draco found my wand pointed directly at him. "Draco, stop this! Stop right now!"
To my shock, Draco did stop. He looked at my wand, and then me. The flash of betrayal and grief on his face was terrible. Then, without another word, he left the room.
Happy Halloween, to all my reviewers!
Arsinoe de Blassenville: Thank you for your review. I'm afraid I stole the term "shit-stirrer" from an Irish boyfriend. I guess it's a common term over there for people who are, er, always trying to stir up shit! I'm glad you find this all exciting. Don't worry, there will be more of Molly Weasley to come. I know that she and Ron are your favorite people ;-)
MoonJasmine: Yeah, I guess I do get carried away with too much description and back story. I do like torturing you with suspense, though (heh) just think, if I put TOO much action in the story, it will be over quicker and then you'll have to find another fan fic to read!
Escaped: I hope that your weekend from hell has improved! I would have one of your cinnamon rolls, but I AM on Weight Watchers now (ha) I get nervous and antsy just writing my story. I think it was very smart of you to just stick to a few characters in your stories. I'm afraid I like to write about so many characters, that my story is turning into an epic. I finished Leda, (it's over! Sob! BooHoo!) And now I'm onto another sexy story between Lucius, Sev and an original character on the same site called "The Knight Errant Chronicles."
quidditchgal91: Thank you for your encouragement! It means a lot to me.
Monique: Your review is just so nice! I appreciate it. I was feeling quite depressed about school work and medical bills that day, but your review cheered me up so much! I found it so encouraging, that I wrote this chapter sooner than I had been planning to.
Kiwiblue: I hope to keep updating regularly, and I will probably write a lot more after school ends and Christmas break begins. Plus, I'll need to procrastinate about finding a job, and this will probably make me write more as well (ha!)
