Distribution: Just Ask
Rating: PG 13 for now but will move up to R in later chapters.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything except the plot and the original characters, creatures, etc. The language Quenya and most anything elven related is the creation of J.R.R. Tolkein.
Authors Note: As always, I want to thank my partner in crime Zenura Ravenscar. Without her support I would've never had the courage to write a single sentence. I'd also like to thank the dedicated fans who gave me so many wonderful reviews for my other fics. I hope you enjoy this as much as the others.
Chapter 9
Drakkara and Harry stayed cuddled together in her office chair long after the womans legs and backside went numb from having the boys' weight on her lap. They worked at strengthening the bond between them, sending emotions back and forth. She summoned her photo albums from the chair and they looked through the pictures together, with Drakkara explaining the stories behind many of the candid shots.
Eventually, the pair roused themselves and stood up to stretch. "Well Sweetling, since I have you in here, would you mind helping me bottle some potions?" She asked, remembering that she needed to finish off the batch of Lupins Hope in her lab and get this months supply sent off to the pair of werewolves she'd befriended and tested the potion on.
"Sure Ama, as long as I don't have to make anything. Between Snape making nasty comments taking points from Gryffindor and Malfoy trying to sneak extra ingredients into my cauldron all the time, I really dread that class." Harry explained as Drakkara led him over to the row of keystones in her office and opened the door to the tenth chamber.
She led him to the potions lab and went into the storeroom to get some empty vials. When she returned, she saw Harry leaning over the cauldron, looking and sniffing at its contents. "Hermione told us about this stuff last night. Will it really help Remus transform without pain and let him keep his human mind? I only saw him transform once, but I could tell it hurt like hell. If Siri hadn't been there to protect us, the wolf would've killed us."
Drakkara shuddered at the thought of her beloved Moony transformed and wild near her equally beloved godson. She gave Harry a pair of dragonhide gloves to wear and handed him an empty vial when he had them on. As she poured out the inky black potion she replied, "Yes, it should make Remys' transformation almost painless, and he'll be no more dangerous than Padfoot. He'll need to start taking it tomorrow; the full moon is in four days. Thankfully, Lupins Hope only needs to be taken for three days to work effectively."
Working together, the woman and boy quickly filled nine bottles of the potion. Drakkara sat three of them aside for Remus, and pulled a small leather case with slots for potions vials out from under the workbench. "Who are these for?" Harry asked as he helped put the corked and sealed vials into the slots.
"I have a couple friends in Wales that are werewolves. When I was ready to test this potion, my friends agreed to act as test subjects for me. I've been supplying them with Lupins Hope every month for just over a year now and they tell me it's the best thing that's ever happened to them. Neither can afford to have someone make Wolfsbane for them, so they were happy to test this on the condition that if it worked I would continue to supply them with it at no cost for two years after the testing was complete." She explained, making sure the vials were secure before shutting the case.
Harry took the empty cauldron and utensils to the sink and began to wash them in hot, soapy water. "That's great Ama, this could really help all the werewolves. Maybe they wouldn't be so eager to join Voldemort if they could get this potion from our side. Is it really hard or expensive to make? That's the major problem with Wolfsbane isn't it?"
The raven-haired woman nodded, "Yes, Wolfsbane is one of the most difficult potions I know of. I can make it, but most people who've only had basic education in potions can't. The ingredients are expensive to buy, and difficult to harvest if you wanted to get them yourself. Lupins Hope has some common herbal and animal ingredients, but it's mostly ground stone that has magical properties."
As they ascended the ladder and stepped out of the trunk, Drakkara answered her godsons' questions about werewolves and the only two potions that could aid their transformations. Remus overheard their topic of conversation as he joined them on the way to the second floor. "I didn't know you were so interested in werewolves Harry. What brought this on?"
"Hey Remus. Ama and I just finished bottling your potion for this month and we started talking about it." Harry greeted the older man warmly.
Remus smiled and ruffled the teen's hair. "Well, if you want to ask me any questions feel free. Your godmum and I know just about everything there is to know on the subject. Speaking of the potion though, when do I need to start taking it Kara?"
The woman gave her mate a smile and replied, "Tomorrow night, just before sunset. You'll need a dose for the two nights before the full moon and one just before you transform. Before I give you the first dose though, I'd like to use some deep healing spells I've learned on you. I can reverse a lot of the wear and tear the transformations have put on your body, and the potion will work better if you're in top condition."
The werewolf nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me. I've worked out that for every year of transformations, my body is aging an extra six months. If you can reverse even half of that I'll be happy. Some days I feel as old as Albus."
"How about we take care of that after dinner tonight. I'd like to work on Siri too, try and reverse some of the effects of Azkaban." By the time she made that comment, they'd descended onto the ground floor and were walking into the sitting room. Sirius looked up on hearing his name and asked what was going on. While Remus quietly explained what Drakkara wanted to try on them, the raven-haired woman threw a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace and placed a firecall to Dumbledores' office.
With her head in the verdant green flames, Drakkara looked into the headmasters' office and spotted Fawkes on his perch by the desk. "Fawkes my friend, just the bird I wanted to see. Can you come over here for a few minutes? I need a favor."
The brilliantly hued avian quickly agreed and as the woman pulled her head out of the fire and stood up, facing the room, Fawkes appeared just in front of her face in a flash of fire. Speaking in Quenya, she addressed the bird. "Fawkes, I love you dearly, but you really need to stop apparating in front of my face. One of these days you're going to cut it too close and either burn me or splinch us, which would not be a good thing."
The other occupants in the room listened in, not understanding the conversation, but enjoying the sounds of phoenix song and Drakkaras' native language. "Humph, you have no faith in me Drakkara. I've been apparating for longer than you've been alive; I have positioning down to an art form. What favor did you need of me?"
Drakkara held up the case of potions vials as the bird landed on her shoulder. "I need to get this to some friends in Wales, and no way to get it there. Usually I'd have it shipped the muggle way, by airmail, but it would take too long, my friends need it by tomorrow night. Would you mind apparating it over?"
"Certainly my friend, if you'll give me the visualization of my destination. You really should look into getting yourself a messenger owl though, if you're going to be sending delicate parcels often. I've seen those muggle contraptions that fly in the air, they don't seem very reliable to me." The phoenix stated.
The violet-eyed woman laughed lightly and replied, "We'll see, though I think Vrisan and Narasi might object if I inflicted the presence of an owl on them. They don't even particularly care for the messenger owls that deliver mail to me on occasion."
After speaking for a few more minutes, Drakkara walked over to the small desk in the room and wrote a quick note for her friends. She let them know that she was now in England and had reclaimed her proper identity. She also explained that she would be teaching at her old school with her former fiancé who they knew to be a werewolf. Lastly, she invited them to visit her at the school whenever they could make the trip, as they hadn't seen each other in a few months.
After signing off, Drakkara attached the letter to the case and gave them to Fawkes. She touched the magical birds mind long enough to give him a clear visualization of her friends kitchen. "Thank you Fawkes, I appreciate this. Perhaps you could stop by here soon and we can visit properly, without any distressing news or pressing matters to attend to." She said fondly, stroking the phoenixes bright plumage.
"You're very welcome Drakkara, it's no trouble. I'll make a point to come by for an afternoon in the next few days. Until then, be well." Fawkes replied, nuzzling her hand with affection. The woman and bird said their good-byes and with another flash of fire, Fawkes disapparated.
* * * * * * * * * *
The afternoon and evening passed in its usual chaotic manner. Fred and George had become obsessed with trying out all their new muggle style pranks, and working to create magical variations of the better ones. No one in the house was safe from their mayhem. Even the Marauders and Drakkara fell victim to one of the twins classic pranks, Canary Creams, and ended up sporting yellow feathers for five minutes.
Ginny had brought Zephyr down to play with everyone, and Drakkara ended up telling the story of her meeting with a water elemental cat on her travels. She answered questions from both girl and feline as to what they could expect of the cats powers in the coming months, and offered to let the younger girl borrow the few books she had about elemental powers.
After a delicious dinner of sausages and mash, Drakkara asked Remus and Sirius to accompany her upstairs so that she could perform the healing she'd promised. Both Harry and Hermione asked if they could watch, being interested in healing magic. After receiving permission from all three adults, the group headed upstairs into Drakkaras' room.
Once in her room, Drakkara stepped into her trunk for a moment, coming out with a pair of what looked like strings of beads on copper wire with a large green pendant in the middle. She looped the bands over her hands and through her fingers until the green stone pendant was in the center of her palm. She explained that the purpose of the bands were to focus and amplify her natural healing abilities, which was a talent common in her native people.
"Okay Remy, you first since you're familiar with my way of healing. Lay down on the bed and put yourself in a light trance." The werewolf did as he was asked without questioning, having undergone Drakkaras' healing in the past. He stretched himself out on the bed and closed his eyes, concentrating on relaxing and breathing until he was in a mild trance.
Drakkara waited a few minutes, then lightly touched her patients' mind to see if he was ready. Feeling that he was now in the right state of mind, she began her work. She knelt on the bed beside her mate and closed her eyes. Without her physical sight, the womans mind was able to sense Remus' physical body in a more detailed way. She was able to 'see' the wear and tear from his many years of forced transformation.
When she had a complete sense of the work before her, she raised her hands and placed one over the mans forehead, the other over his heart. Focusing on healing and rejuvenating the muscles, tendons, and bones, she let her magic flow through her. She felt the power warming her body as it coursed down her arms and into her hands. Using the stones wrapped around her hands to focus the magic on what she wanted and amplify its power, she 'saw' the healing begin.
To the man and two teens that were watching the procedure, it didn't seem like anything was happening at first. Then they noticed the small details; Remus' and Drakkaras' breathing had synchronized, as had their heartbeats, and if one looked closely they might have seen the auras of the pair become visible as a faint glow around them. Watching so intently, they were forced to blink several times when Drakkaras' purple aura suddenly became bright and vibrant.
When their eyes adjusted to the new light emanating from the woman, they saw the magic taking effect on their werewolf friend. They saw the brilliant purple aura that was Drakkaras' magic pulse down her arms, through the green stones on her palms, and into Remus' head and chest. Gradually, they were able to see the positive changes occurring.
First to go were the streaks of silver in Remus' honey brown hair. Then the lines of age around his eyes, forehead, and mouth smoothed away. The mans body, honed to extreme thinness by years of hard living, seemed to fill out a bit, as did the firm muscles below the skin. The last thing the watchers noticed, towards the end of the procedure, was that Remus' emerald green aura, which had flared into visibility with Drakkaras', though fainter, now grew to match the brightness of the womans.
Finally, the healing seemed to come to an end. The bright auras faded back into invisibility, Drakkaras' hands fell back to her sides, and both Remus and the woman opened their eyes. "How do you feel Remy-love?" The raven-haired woman asked quietly.
"Better than I have in years Kara. I don't feel like an old man anymore." Remus replied, his tone both happy and grateful. When Drakkara slid off the bed, he followed; muscles flowing easily as he stood up and stretched, belying his predatory grace. He hooked an arm around the waist of his violet-eyed mate and pulled her un-protesting body into his arms. "C'mere Pretty Girl, give us some love." He growled teasingly and nuzzled his face into her pale throat, nipping gently at the sensitive skin there.
Drakkara melted into his embrace just as she had in years past. The growling and playful nips and kisses had always been Remus' favorite way of showing his affection for her, usually leading up to a long cuddling session. Her arms came up and looped around his neck, the fingers of one hand sliding into his longish hair to massage the base of his skull.
Sirius watched the couple with a broad grin on his face, knowing his best friend had made the decision to reclaim his mate. He waited for them to remember that they had an audience, shushing the teens when they started to fidget impatiently. The couple finally came back to reality a few moments later, turning simultaneously to smile at their friends.
"Ready for your turn Siri?" Drakkara asked, gesturing for the animagus to take the same position Remus had been in during his healing procedure. The blue eyed man nodded and lay down on the bed.
The woman knelt beside him and instructed him as to how to achieve the mild trance she needed in order to work most efficiently. Sirius quickly caught on to the meditative technique and they were soon ready to begin. This procedure was going to be slightly different that what she'd done with Remus. Drakkara started with both hands hovering over her friends' heart, letting the healing magic pulse through her again to rectify the damage done to Sirius' body during his imprisonment.
Again, those watching could see both the purple aura of the woman, and the fainter, vibrant red that was Sirius'. The physical manifestations of the healing didn't take long to become apparent. As with Remus, the physical signs of a hard life lessened, and muscles and skin firmed and filled out. After about ten minutes, Sirius was looking more like the pictures of him taken before Azkaban than the skeletally thin and haunted looking criminal on the wanted posters.
It seemed to the watchers that Drakkara was almost finished, as the auras surrounding the pair began to fade out. But she was only halfway through the chore she'd set herself with her friend. Her delicate, pale hands moved away from Sirius' heart and she lightly touched the stones on her palms to his temples.
Healing the animagus' body came easily to Drakkara; it was a natural talent inherited from her father. What she was about to do was different though, and much more difficult. The worst effects of Sirius' imprisonment weren't in his body, but his mind. Twelve years of constant exposure to Dementors had left her friends' mind scarred, his memories seriously out of balance. While his worst memories were painfully clear and easily recalled, his good memories were cloaked in shadow.
The woman lowered herself into a deeper trance and let her mind touch with her patients'. She searched out the shadowed memories and used her powerful healing magic to lift the black veils that suppressed all the best memories of Sirius' life. After she'd removed those blocks, she moved on to the painfully raw areas that held the animagus' worst memories and again used her power to soothe the bad memories until they were equal in balance to the good ones, as they should be.
It was a delicate form of healing, and Drakkara went about it cautiously. It was draining for her to focus and control her magic so precisely, but well worth the effort. When she finally drifted out of her trance, her friends' mind was as whole and balanced as it had been before his arrest. Her violet-eyes fluttered open for a moment and she was able to give Sirius a lovely smile of happiness before she fainted from her efforts and fell unconscious over his chest.
Seeing the woman fall bonelessly over Sirius' chest, the others rushed forward. "What happened to cause this Siri, do you know? I've never seen a healing take so much out of her." Remus asked as he lifted his mate up and settled her beside the animagus.
"Merlin, she did a mind-healing on me. She unblocked my good memories and soothed the bad ones back into balance. You know how I've been since Azkaban Remy, I can't clearly remember all the good times in my life, but I have nightmares about the bad things that have happened to me all the time. I felt her fixing it, putting my memories back in balance, it must've taken a ton of effort to control the power so she didn't hurt me." Sirius replied, turning over onto his side to look at the unconscious woman with eyes wide in astonishment.
Harry stepped up to the bed and took hold of his heart-mothers hand. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked worriedly, feeling inside himself for the connection to her.
Both Remus and Sirius gave him a reassuring smile, "She'll be fine kiddo, she just wiped herself out doing too much. She'll wake up in a little while, probably with a killer headache. All she needs is a good nights sleep to recover her energy and she'll be good as new." The animagus answered, reaching out to stroke the womans pale forehead.
"She always was an over achiever. Imagine trying to balance out your godfathers mind…he was rather unbalanced to start with!" Remus joked, easing the tension and worry from the others and making Harry and Hermione laugh at Sirius' indignant expression.
Sirius managed to stand up after a few minutes, the recent healing of his mind causing a slight bout of dizziness. Other than that mild and quickly dissipated side effect, the animagus was feeling better in both mind and body, than he'd felt in fourteen years. Looking down at the bed, he saw that Remus was now sitting next to Drakkara and petting her long dark hair. Harry was still holding the womans hand, his eyes closed and his expression one of concentration. "Whatcha doing kiddo?" He asked the teen.
Harry opened his eyes and looked at his godfather. "Just giving her a little bit of energy Siri, like you said, she's really tired. She's happy though, I can feel that, just too sleepy to wake up for a while."
Hermione looked at her friend with wide, curious eyes, though Remus and Sirius just nodded and smiled at the boy. "She told you about the bond then? Good, I wondered if she was going to tell you soon." Sirius commented.
Harry nodded, "Yeah, she showed me her memory of when it happened and we practiced sending emotions back and forth to strengthen it. She showed me some of her photo albums too. I gotta know Padfoot, how did you and Dad manage to spend six more years at Hogwarts after Mum and Ama locked you in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with only your underwear on? Myrtle's the most perverted ghost I know." The messy-haired teen laughed, joined by Remus as the werewolf recalled that particular incident.
Even Sirius had to laugh at the cunning way the two girls had gotten revenge on James and himself for their pranks in first year. "Merlin, I didn't know she had pictures of that! Myrtle followed us around the castle all the time after that, hoping your mum and Kara would hex our clothes off again. It was embarrassing as hell, the bloody ghost was still popping up at unexpected times when we were in seventh year!"
When they'd calmed down a bit from their bout of humor, Sirius ushered the two teens out of the room, encouraged by Remus who said he'd stay and watch over the sleeping woman. As the animagus closed the door behind him he said, "Good luck Moony, not that you'll need it. I'll come up and check on you two before I hit the sack."
"Thanks Padfoot, I think you may be right. See you later." The werewolf replied, smiling at his friend. Left alone with his mate, Remus slid onto the bed beside Drakkara and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head against his chest. He closed his eyes and pressed a kiss into her sweet smelling hair, "Amin mella ile, my Beautiful Wanderer, I love you." He whispered, speaking one of the only phrases he knew in her native language, having heard them spoken to him many times in the past.
Drakkaras' violet eyes fluttered open for a moment and she smiled at her mate. "You remembered. Amin mella ile Remy. I love you too." She replied quietly before snuggling down and falling asleep again.
* * * * * * * * * *
The couple woke up a couple hours later, hearing Molly sending the teens off to bed. "How are you feeling Kara? You should've warned me you were going to try a mind healing, we were worried when you passed out." Remus chided gently, running his fingers through Drakkaras' hair.
The violet-eyed woman yawned before replying, "Mmm, better but still tired. I need to change clothes before I go back to sleep though. Would you stay with me tonight?" She asked the last question a bit hesitantly; hoping his words of love hadn't been a wonderful dream.
His warm smile was her answer, "I'll go get changed and come back. Siri shouldn't be too far behind the kids; he was going to check on us before he went to bed. I don't think you're up to walking around just yet Kara-love. Is there a password to open your trunk so I can get you some pajamas?" Remus asked, sliding off the bed.
"Yeah, put your hand on the stone that's on top of the lid for a minute." When he complied, she called, "Recognize Remus Lupin." The stone under Remus' hand glowed for a moment, as did the ten chamber stones. "Now the trunk will recognize you and open any chamber you want. My wardrobe is the fifth chamber, nightclothes are next to the ladder."
Remus quickly opened the fifth chamber and climbed in, gaping at the sheer volume of clothes, shoes, and accessories the room contained. He knew his mate was a clotheshorse, but this was ridiculous. He spotted the assortment of sleep sets and nightgowns hanging just where she said they would be and sorted through them, finally picking out an ankle length silk gown in champagne gold.
He came out of the trunk and handed his mate the garment saying, "Kara, my dearest love, you have a serious clothing addiction. There are more clothes in that trunk than you could possibly wear in a year."
Drakkara laughed at the look Remus was giving her, which said he thought she was out of her mind. "Yes, I know, but I enjoy having a large choice of clothing. It's a female thing Remy; I'm not insane so quit looking at me like that. Go get your pajamas so I can change."
The werewolf complied, still shaking his head over Drakkaras' little obsession as he closed the door behind him. The raven-haired woman got out of bed and went into her bathroom to get ready for bed. She undressed, draping her green dress over the towel rack, and picked up the sleepwear Remus had chosen for her. Seeing the pale gold gown she shook her head and smiled in amusement. "I should've known. He always was a sucker for silk nightgowns."
She slid the gown over her head, the silk clinging to her generous curves. Thin straps left her arms and shoulders bare, and a slit in the left side showed off her long, shapely legs. She quickly brushed her teeth, and when Remus returned, clad in his black silk pajama pants, she was brushing her long black hair.
He took the brush from her hands and started brushing her hair himself; something he'd found out years before was quite enjoyable. Smoothing out the few tangles until the thick tresses fell like an inky black waterfall down to her hips, he watched her contented expression in the mirror. While he enjoyed brushing his mates' hair for her and would've been happy to keep sliding the brush through her thick mane, Remus stopped when he saw her tiring.
"There, all done. Time for exhausted little witches to go back to bed." He stated, scooping her up to carry her back to bed. He laid her down on the left side of the bed, nearest to the wall, and covered her with the blankets. When she was settled, he walked around to the other side and crawled in beside her.
She was lying on her back, and Remus leaned up on one elbow to face her. "Kara," He started, a bit cautiously. "I did a lot of thinking today. About us, what we were to each other in the past, and what our relationship might be now and in the future. All this time, I thought you were dead and cursed myself for wanting to wait until after we were married to mark you. I grieved for you, but some part of me must have known you weren't dead, because I never stopped loving you. Do you think we can be together again? After all these years, all the changes we've gone through, is there a chance that the people we are now can love each other as our younger selves did?"
Tears of happiness shone in Drakkaras' eyes as she replied, "Remy, you've been my dearest love since I was fifteen years old. You let me cry my broken heart out on your shoulder, befriended me and helped Siri, James, and Peter accept me into your group of friends. The first time you said you loved me, I knew I'd never be able to be with anyone else. Leaving you that night was the hardest thing I've ever done. I want nothing more than to be yours again, and have you be mine, if you'll have me."
"I wouldn't have anyone else. You're my mate Drakkara Vanimaer, and I love you with all my heart." With that declaration, Remus leaned down and covered Drakkaras' lips with his own. They kissed with a gentle passion, re-learning the taste and texture of each other's mouths. Breathing seemed unimportant as their lips parted and their tongues began to dance together.
After many long moments, they parted and snuggled together under the blankets. "It just figures. We overcome our fears and get back together, but I'm too exhausted to do more than kiss you good-night." Drakkara pouted, resting her head against Remus' lightly furred chest and stroking one hand lazily over his firm abdomen.
The tawny-haired man chuckled lightly at her sulky tone. "My poor little Love. We have plenty of time later for more than kissing. Right now I'm quite content to hold you close while we sleep. Good-night Kara."
Drakkara had enough energy left to pull her mate down for another short kiss before she dropped off to sleep with a murmured, "G'night Love."
When Harry and Sirius quietly opened the door a while later, both Remus and Drakkara were fast asleep. The raven-haired man and boy smiled at the couple, happy that they'd been able to overcome the past and renew their love for each other. The sleeping pair were curled together in a way that spoke of long familiarity with their bed partner. Remus' fingers were twined in Drakkaras' long hair, and the womans arm was curled up around his neck, her head on his shoulder. The man and boy took a last look before leaving the room again, turning off the light and shutting the door on their way out.
* * * * * * * * * *
The next three days passed fairly quickly for the residents of 12 Grimmauld Place. Under the encouragement, or nagging, of Molly and Drakkara, all of the teens remaining summer assignments were finished and looked over to see if their efforts were satisfactory. Once their homework was checked over and approved by the adults, the teens were free to spend their days doing as they liked, providing that they didn't complain when they were asked to help with the ongoing cleaning project.
Drakkara had brought her big screen television and its accompanying VCR and DVD player out of the trunk and set the entertainment system up in the sitting room under the fascinated gaze of Arthur Weasley. The Weasley patriarch eagerly listened as she explained how the devices were used, and was the first one seated when she started the first movie for the group.
Everyone had been very appreciative of the television, using the charmed electronic devices to watch several movies in the raven-haired womans collection. Now, three days after she'd healed Remus and Sirius, an hour before the werewolfs' first transformation using her potion, Drakkara was setting up a real muggle-style movie fest for the group.
Remus, Sirius, and Drakkara had originally planned to lock themselves away on the third floor of the house during Remus' transformation since they were quite unafraid of Moony and enjoyed spending time with the huge wolf. But their plans had changed when all the teens had expressed a desire to spend the evening in the werewolfs' company. The tawny haired man had been ecstatic that the children wanted to spend time with him in his wolf form and agreed that once Sirius and Drakkara were assured that the potion had worked, he would come downstairs and join the teens watching movies.
* * * * * * * * * *
Remus found Sirius and Drakkara in the sitting room picking out movies. "Time to go upstairs guys, I can feel the moon rising." He stated, the beast within him making his voice sound strained.
The three adults informed Molly, Arthur, and the teens that they were locking themselves upstairs until Remus had finished his transformation, and had the red haired woman start preparing popcorn, butterbeer, and other assorted snacks in preparation for the movies. They went up to the third floor quickly, and Remus watched as his mate put up several strong locking spells that would keep Moony in if the potion didn't work, though the woman was quite confident that it would.
They settled in Drakkaras' bedroom and the woman tipped the last dose of Lupins Hope down her mates' willing throat. Sirius transformed into Padfoot, the huge grim-like dog, in preparation to greet his fellow canine when Moony emerged. Drakkara sat back on her bed and Padfoot jumped up and placed his head in her lap to be petted.
With just a few minutes left until moonrise, Remus casually removed his clothing, earning himself a low whistle from Drakkara as the woman admired his body. He gave her a smirk in return and came to lie down beside her on what was now 'his' side of the bed. "Everything will be fine Remy-love, you'll see. When the change starts, just relax and let it occur. Trust that I wouldn't have given you the potion if I wasn't sure it would work." Drakkara said quietly, softly stroking Remus' hair.
Remus took her delicate hand in his larger one and kissed her palm. "I trust you Kara, and I trust your potion. I'm just nervous about transforming without pain and then spending the night watching movies with all the kids. I can't believe they actually want to meet the wolf."
Before Drakkara could reply, all three people saw the transformation start. The violet-eyed woman started singing quietly in her native language, which she knew to be soothing to the wolf that was a part of her mate. Sirius whined and wagged his tail in anticipation of seeing his transformed friend.
Rather than in the past, where Remus had felt an acute, burning pain come over him as the change started, this time he only felt a mild warmth and tingling sensation throughout his body. His body started to change, not jerkily or painfully, but as smoothly as an animagus transformation. He concentrated on the sound of Drakkaras' singing and let the warmth and tingling wash through him, changing his body easily and painlessly.
After just a few moments, the largest wolf either Drakkara or Sirius had ever seen lay on the bed in Remus' place. Moony was at least twice as big as any normal wolf, and even the huge canine that was Sirius' animagus form was no match for the fully-grown alpha werewolf in size and strength. The tawny and gray furred wolf rolled over onto his belly and sat up, glowing amber eyes taking in the form of his human mate.
"Hello there Moony, I've missed you." Drakkara said, opening her arms for the wolf to move into. Moony returned the greeting by leaning his bulk into the woman, letting her arms wrap around his thick neck, and licked enthusiastically at her face and throat. "Hey, watch where you put that tongue Remy, I know you're in there." She laughed, gently pushing the large muzzle full of sharp teeth out of her face.
Sirius, still in his animagus form, decided to join in the play. He leaned forward and picked up where his werewolf friend had left off, licking Drakkaras' face, rather close to her mouth. "Not you too Padfoot! I swear, you two are worse pranksters as canines than you are as men. Remy, did the potion work like I said it would? Are you in full control in there?" She addressed the huge wolf in a serious tone.
Moony gave a distinct nod of his head and leapt off the bed. He went to the closed bedroom door and pawed at it, as if asking to be let out. Padfoot joined his fellow canine a moment later and both whined pleadingly at the woman while giving her their best puppy dog eyes. "Alright, I'm coming. I'm trusting you two to behave tonight. If Zephyr and Crookshanks come down, you will refrain from acting like a pair of ordinary dogs and chasing them understood?" She warned teasingly, shaking a finger at the large canines who barked their annoyance and pawed the door again.
Drakkara opened the door and led the two canines down the hall where she had to stop and remove the wards and locking charms she'd placed earlier. They proceeded down to the sitting room and the woman opened the sitting room door. "Everyone ready to meet Moony?" She asked.
Receiving nods from the assembled teens and adults, she opened the door wider and allowed the canine duo in. "May I present my dear friends, the infamous Messrs. Moony and Padfoot." She said, giving a dramatic bow towards the wolf and dog.
All except two of the rooms' occupants smiled warmly at the ferocious looking canines that were in fact two of their friends. The exceptions were the pair of identical twins who were gaping with wide eyes between the woman, wolf, and dog. "Moony?" one whispered, quickly followed by his twin with an awed, "Padfoot?"
The violet-eyed woman raised an eyebrow at Moony and Padfoot, who were doing their best to return her look with one that said 'Now look what you've done.' She turned to the twins and said, "You mean no one ever told you that these two mutts," she gestured towards the canine duo, "Are the last remaining Marauders?"
The twins shook their heads and gave Moony and Padfoot identical hurt looks before turning back to Drakkara. "The last of the Marauders? What happened to the other two? Who were they?"
Drakkara walked over and sat down beside Harry on a large couch. Moony and Padfoot followed quickly and curled up with their family as Drakkara gave the twins a quick run down of their prankster idols. "Prongs was Harrys' father James, his animagus form was a stag, which is how he got his nickname. Wormtail is still alive, and you spent quite a few years with the damned rat living in your home. Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew, the man who betrayed James and Lily and framed Sirius for their murders. You knew him as Rons' pet rat Scabbers."
The twins didn't quite know what to say. They'd met two of their idols, had been living with the men for about three weeks. Without having heard Drakkaras' explanation of what happened to the other half of the foursome, the redheads would've been overjoyed, but hearing that one Marauder was dead and the other had turned traitor and sent a dark lord after his best friend put a pall over their enthusiasm. Still, they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to formally greet their remaining idols and cautiously approached the huge canines to pet them gently and jokingly shake their paws.
After the twins had returned to their seats, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came forward to take a turn petting Padfoot and Moony, alleviating their slight fear of the huge wolf that was a large part of their friend and professors' life. Molly and Arthur chose not to pet the huge wolf, not out of fear, but rather the knowledge that come sunrise, the wolf would return to the human form of their friend.
Once everyone was settled down and had their snacks and drinks close at hand; Drakkara stood up and placed the first movie in the DVD player. She'd decided to appeal to the groups' playful and humorous natures and chosen some light-hearted comedies for them to watch. After sliding the DVD into the player and taking control of the remote, she went back to the couch and sat between Harry and Moony. Resting one arm over the teens shoulders and petting the werewolf with her free hand after he laid his head and upper body in her lap, she pressed the play button and settled back to enjoy a quiet evening with her family and friends.