CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE The Plaguing Troubles of One Mr Lupin, Part One
Remus was staring forlornly out the train window, as the Hogwarts Express carried him and the others to Hogsmeade, their first trip of the year. Sirius and Ophelia were talking animatedly, eagerly drawing the attention of the entire cabin.
Peter was listening to them, nodding along to their story. "And then what happened?" he asked, inadvertantly elbowing Remus in his enthusiasm.
"And then nothing," said Sirius. "We came home and... snogged for a few hours."
Remus shook his head in disapproval and continued to stare out the window, which had now fogged up completely. He pulled the sleeve of his robe over his fist and made a little circle on the glass for him to see through.
Mai nudged him with the toe of her boot, throwing him a rare grin. "What's up?" she mouthed non-chalantly, pushing a bag of cream puffs towards him.
Remus forced a smile and shrugged, taking a few sweets. "Thanks," he muttered, loudly enough to elicit the attention of the others.
Her eyes sweeping over her brother, Ophelia cocked her head to the side. "What do you have planned for this afternoon?" she asked him, turning every pair of eyes to look upon him.
He flinched, squirming in his seat, but this was only noticed by her. "I think a heist of any and all Scrivenshafts supplies is due." He felt a tugging at his robes and looked over to see Vega frowning. "Yes?"
"What's this.. this Scrivenshafts you mentioned?" she asked.
Remus shrugged his shoulders with some difficulty. "It's a writing shop; a place where you can get new quills and parchment and things." he explained, as the witch nodded away.
Upon their arrival at the Hogsmeade station, Sirius and Mai pushed their way to the front of the queue, making way for the others. They disembarked and stood a few yards away from the other students, who were milling about.
"So where to first?" asked Pete, forcefully shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Remus scratched his head, his hair flopping over his forehead. "Well... I really do need to go to Scrivenshafts," he began.
"So do I," said Mai and Vega in unison.
He shrugged, "Okay. I guess we'll meet up with you later?"
Pete nodded excitedly and linked arms with Sirius and Ophelia, taking them away. "Looks like it's just the three of us this afternoon!"
Mai expertly weaved her way through the crowd, leading them to Scrivenshafts, which was only a short distance away.
A bell chimed noisily as they pushed their way into the store, the three of them being the only Hogwarts students in sight.
Vega ambled over to a display of different-coloured quills, running her fingers over the soft tips. "We had a shop like this back in Rotorua," she said, to no one really. "My brother Nate practically lived in it."
"Sounds like we'd get along rather well," replied Remus, flashing a smile at her. She smiled back and began loading up a basket with ink wells and rolls of parchment, while he wandered over to the other witch.
Mai was in deep discussion with the store owner, a petite elderly witch who went by Bea. Both were staring warily at the morning's Daily Prophet.
"How often does something like this happen?" asked Mai, leaning in conspiratorially. "What I mean is... I don't remember a new Act being passed in recent years."
"Well, new Acts are passed a few times a month, it just depends on what is being discussed at the Ministry," replied Bea. "It only ever comes to the attention of the public when it is something rather important, like this."
Remus, who until now had been quietly listening to the conversation, piped up. "What are you talking about?"
Mai handed him the newspaper, turning back to Bea. "What's the chance of something like this going through?"
Remus unfolded the paper to read, "Ministry Compose Werewolf Registration Act, But Will It Pass?".He grabbed at the counter to steady himself while he read the article.
'Early yesterday evening, High Court was held to discuss the repercussions of making it necessary for all werewolves to register with the Ministry of Magic. Such an Act would require all those with Lycanthropy to be tagged so that the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures can keep watch over these creatures, as well as to allow the Ministry to contach any potential employer. Many fear that in these increasingly dark times, He-Who-Shall-Not-be-Named will begin to recruit such creatures into his service. Said Grenedian Frank, Head of the Department after the initial hearing, "It's about time we identified those monsters! I'm surprised it's taken them this long to do so. A few years ago that family was attacked... the Gayles' or somethingtheir little boy was left fighting for his life for days! And did the Ministry do anything about these beasts then? No, they went on with their days, afraid of encroaching on their rights. What rights? I only hope that a decision can be reached quickly so that we may all get on with our lives." The Act (Act 9143 section 61, Act for the Registration and Tagging of Werewolves) will be discussed and an answer reached Monday morning.'
He folded up the Prophet and stuffed it into his jacket, before turning and leaving the shop.
"Remus?" Vega called, "Where are you going?"
But he was already outside, aimlessly wandering the street. His feet began leading him to the Three Broomsticks. Once there, he saw Sirius, Pete and Ophelia sitting at a table near the far wall.
Remus pushed his way through the clusters of students, making his way to his sister. Coming up behind Ophelia, he clutched at her shoulder. "I need to talk with you."
She nearly jumped out of her seat from fright. When she turned to see that it was only Remus, she grabbed her chest. "Gods Rem! You nearly gave me a heart attack. What's the matter with you?"
He only shook his head in reply, motioning for them to go outside.
Sirius frowned. "Do you want to be alone?"
"No mate, sorry," said Remus. "You and Pete can come too."
The four silently filed out of the pub, following Remus to the outskirts of Hogsmeade. They headed to the Shrieking Shack, and before they knew it, they were inside the flimsy walls.
Remus collapsed onto the stairs, his hands cradling his head. After a few moments of silence, Ophelia cleared her throat.
"So... what's wrong?" she asked tentatively.
He handed her the paper in response. Ophelia's eyes quickly scanned the paper, her heart dropping at every word. "Bloody sons of bitches," she cussed, sitting down next to Remus. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer.
"I just don't understand where this came from," Remus began weakly, wringing his hands.
Sirius groaned slightly as he finished the article.
Pete looked around worriedly, searching everyones face for some help. "I'm sure it won't be passed, Remus," he said encouragingly. "It's ridiculous, they can't"
"They will," replied Remus, his voice cracking. "They're just testing the public response before they make it official." He sighed deeply, his entire body quaking. "This is the end of me. I won't be able to get a job... or a family. God, why stay at Hogwarts? There's no point anymore."
"That's not true!" cried Ophelia. "You're brilliant, the smartest out of all of us! Who cares if you're not you for one day a month! Any decent employer will know that it doesn't count worth bollocks!"
"It won't really be their choice if this passes," Sirius said, his eyes to the ground.
"There's no point," Remus repeated, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Stop saying that!" she scolded, her hair flaring at the ends. Ophelia stood up suddenly and paced the floor, beforecoming to a stop in front of her brother. "There must be something we can do; have you even thought of how to counteract this?"
Remus ran a hand through his hair, strangly reminiscent of James. "No, I haven't really had time to comprehend this."
"Well do it now! This bloody Act hasn't been passed yet, it's not for certain..."
"What if you talked to the Headmaster?" suggested Pete.
"You mean old Dumblydore?" Sirius chuckled. "What's he going to do?"
Remus closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Show Professor Dumbledore a bit more respect, Padfoot."
"I think Pete's on to something..." said Ophelia, cocking her head to the side.
"I am?" he asked brightly.
"Don't get your hopes up Wormtail, I think she's taking the piss," Sirius answered.
"No, no... I see what she's thinking," Remus began, getting to his feet. "We can talk to people in good standing; Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall"
"I'm sure Dolph would do anything he could to help," interrupted Ophelia. "And if we had to... Noah has connections within the Ministry, though I'm not sure how deep."
"My family has strong connections too," added Sirius. "Though I think that would do more harm than good."
"Alright, this is a good start," Ophelia nodded. "Let's go back to the castle and begin"
Remus smacked his forehead, sighing exhasperatedly. "I ran out on Mai and Vega back at Scrivenshafts."
"Pete and I will go back and make sure they're not too upset," volunteered Sirius. "Phe can take you back and get the ball rolling."
She smiled and mouthed a silent thank you at him, before leading her brother through the Shack and into the basement.
"I know you don't like being down here," said Remus suddenly, as they were making their way through the tunnel.
Ophelia shook her head. "Don't think on it, I hardly noticed it," she lied.
They were soon out of the tunnel, and after Remus shot a Stunning Charm at the Whomping Willow they carried on to the castle. Upon their arrival, they headed straight to the Headmaster's Tower and were soon standing in front of a gargoyle statue.
After a few minutes Ophelia broke the silence. "So, erm... what's the password?"
"I thought you knew it," replied Remus heavily.
"Nope."
A few more moments passed before Remus said, "Professor McGonagall's office?"
Ophelia nodded and together they turned round and walked down to the First Floor and their Transfiguration professors quarters.
Remus hesitated before rapping his knuckles on the cracked door.
"You may come in!" McGonagall called, her shrill voice echoing off the stone walls. Ophelia gave Remus a slight push and walked in behind him, giving a curt nod to her teacher.
"About time you arrived, Mister Lupin," she began, motioning to the chair she had drawn up in front of her desk. "The Headmaster sent an owl to Hogsmeade an hour ago."
As if cued, a tawny owl flew into the room and dropped the letter into Remus' hands before perching on the desk in front of them.
Professor McGonagall surveyed the two siblings from above her glasses before shaking her head. "I don't even want to know how you got yourselves back to the castle. There are more pressing matters at hand."
She held up a copy of the morning's Prophet. "I trust you've already seen this?"
"Yes, Professor," said Remus.
A kind smile swept across her face as her gaze softened. "The Headmaster would like to see you. I will take you to him myself. Miss Lupin may accompany us if you'd prefer."
Their eyes met and Ophelia fell into step behind the two as they retraced their steps back to Dumbledore's office.
"Chipolatas," said the witch before turning to the two. "The Headmaster is a bit anxious to get the holidays started with," she explained lamely, before stepping onto the rotating staircase. Remus and Ophelia followed suit and were soon standing in the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
