I am not J.K. Rowling, so anything that I write is merely speculation for fun and strictly not for profit.

Chapter 1

Who What When

Having carefully settled himself under the heavy eiderdown so as not to wake his wife, he reached over to gently caress her stomach through the fabric of her cotton gown. She had told him again only a few mornings before, right before he had left town again, that she wanted to have a baby, but as usual he had prevaricated. He knew how disappointed she was by his constant refusal even though she would never admit this to him. As he slowly moved his hand back across her hip toward his side, he thought about how she had merely nodded her head and acquiesced without protest as he had carefully explained once more that it had never been shown definitively that a werewolf could safely have a child. Of course there were so few cases of werewolves having children after The Bite that it was hard to know what to expect. It was so rare for a werewolf to live long enough or be accepted enough by normal persons in the wizarding world to remain married after The Bite, let alone begin the entire relationship afterwards. In fact his own marriage was the only exception of which he was aware.

As he rolled back on the bed and stared up at the heavily carved canopy of the bed, he considered whether he should explain more fully to her how deeply the wolf was entwined with himself. So few people, he had told no one yet he thought perhaps his friends had actually guessed, knew the struggle and competing forces that he had inside him. Luckily he had been born with an even temper and had never had a forceful personality. That had helped. The part of him that was wolf had been so obviously distinct from the human that he had found it easier to control than many. But he still didn't know how safe it was to have a child; to expose the child to danger or to risk some part of the werewolf rubbing off or passing on genetically.

Edwina was terribly fragile as it was. He often worried that he would accidentally harm her with a dodgy spell. In fact a child as strongly magical as he had been might be dangerous for her before it learnt to control its magic. As he rolled more onto his side he felt her awake and said softly, "I'm sorry to have waked you, Winnie. I am only just in, but we can talk about it in the morning. Go back to sleep, my love."

"What's going on?"

Remus was surprised by the alarm he heard in his wife's voice, so he said softly, "I came in about a half hour ago. I know I had said I expected to be in by dinner, so I'm sorry you had to go to bed alone again, my love."

He felt Edwina jerk away from him and then saw her leap up and pull as far away from him as she could. "Who are you? What...? Get away from me!"

He pulled himself up from the bed sharply, his head spinning from getting up so quickly. "Winnie? It's me, it's Remus. Calm down darling, it is only me."

"P-p-professor? What are you doing here? Why are you in my room?"

Now thoroughly alarmed, Remus moved to face the hysterical girl. "Edwina this is our room, our house. Are you feeling alright? What is wrong?"

He stepped towards his wife, but she shouted, "Get away - stay back! I don't know what is going on, but I think you'd better get out of my room and the dorm..." Edwina stopped dead and looked wildly round her. "This isn't the dormitory at all. Where am I? What have you done?"

Remus was by this time breathing heavily. With shaking hands that he held out towards Edwina, he gestured as he said, "Winnie, I think we had better take you to see someone, you must be ill."

"No! Don't touch me. Please. Why are you doing this? What am I doing here?" She began to cry as Remus stared in disbelief.

"Edwina, you haven't been at school for over 18 months and we've been married for almost three months now."

"You're lying. You must be lying! Let me go, please. I won't tell anyone, please just let me go." Edwina backed into the corner furthest from where he stood and huddled into the wall with her arms wrapped round her chest.

Remus turned on his heel and with a badly shaking hand grabbed a small very pinch of Floo powder and tossed it into the fire. After a quick glance behind him to check on his wife, Remus called into the flames, "Headmaster Dumbledore." He saw a vague glow on the other side of the grate and called out desperately, "Headmaster, are you there?"

He stood awkwardly, whilst the thought raced through his panicked brain that he should not be contacting the Headmaster about personal affairs and certainly not at this advanced hour. He heard a low voice speak slowly, "What is it Remus?"

Edwina raced forward when she heard Dumbledore's voice, calling out, "Headmaster, please, help me! Don't let him keep me here, please!"

Suddenly Remus saw a weary, alarmed Dumbledore standing in front of the fire. "I'm sorry to wake you, but..."

Edwina tried to push herself forward to the flames, "Please let me go. Let me go! Help me, please!"

Remus and Edwina both stepped back as they saw Headmaster Dumbledore step into the Floo to pass through to their grate. "What is the trouble, Mrs Lupin?"

Remus felt a wave of mortification wash over him for bringing Albus Dumbledore into such a personal matter. He should probably have taken her directly to St. Mungo's by himself. Although she wouldn't have gone with him easily...

"I'm not Mrs Lupin. Don't you remember me, sir? My name is Edwina Leighton. I'm a seventh year Hufflepuff. Please help me, sir."

Dumbledore pulled his cloak more securely round himself and said directly to Remus, "Do get dressed, Remus." He then turned to Edwina and replied in his calmest voice, "I do remember you Miss Leighton, of course. How can I help you?"

"Please take me away from here. I don't know why he has brought me here and he is saying that we are married, but we aren't. We couldn't have been. Please take me home, sir."

"Of course I will help you, Miss Leighton. Perhaps you would be willing to come with me to St. Mungo's and we shall see if we can all sort out what has happened. However I am afraid that this is, in fact, your home and has been since your marriage three months ago."

"But I'm only a student. I tell you I haven't married anyone."

With a gentle nod, Dumbledore replied in a kind tone, "I do understand, Miss Leighton. Nevertheless, would you consent to go with me to hospital? I am fairly certain that everything can be sorted once we are there." Dumbledore saw the girl's furtive glance towards the door of the room and therefore was prepared when she bolted. The light mist that shot out from his wand cushioned her fall as she crumpled to the floor after Remus' Somniculus Curse intercepted her. "Do you have a cloak for her Remus? We have to hurry because I cannot stay long."

"I shouldn't have brought you into this, Albus. I am sorry. I was thinking that she might calm down if she saw you, since she seems to think she is still a student."

"Of course you should have contacted me, Remus. However, we ought to go now."

Remus bent down and picked up his wife before draping a cloak over her limp body. "You needn't come, Albus. I can take her on my own; she isn't going to fight me like this."

Remus could see Dumbledore's whole posture droop and a look of deep sadness pass over the older wizard's face. Dumbledore nodded his head curtly and replied, "Alright, Remus. Inform me of the results." Remus felt a moment of relief that at least he need not endanger Dumbledore's position further by publicly attaching him to Lupin family affairs.

"Thank you, Albus." Remus waited for Dumbledore, who tossed a generous pinch of Floo powder into the flames for him, before stepping into the grate as carefully as possible, since he held his wife in his arms. "Dawson's Tavern, London."

Albus Dumbledore heard the destination and thought sadly that promising students such as Remus Lupin had been should never have been introduced to that crowd and wondered if it had been Sirius Black who had actually found that lot out. He knew immediately that this was, in fact, the answer. Black had been so discontented and angry; so unfortunately sure of his own power.

Note:

This story is a response to a challenge for a characterisation exercise: The two main canon characters must stay in character at all times, despite both having done something so patently out of character and unlikely as to have married quite young women at approximately the same time (both pretty but not brilliant Hufflepuffs who are probably the last women in wizarding Britain who would to be likely to look for romance in either the fiercely unpleasant Slytherin head of house or a very poor, marginalised academic werewolf). I have chosen to separate the two stories, but they were written at the same time and are loosely connected. The intention is to contrast how differently the two men handle their respective romances and succeed to whatever degree. This story contains only the Lupin plotline with small references to the other story. I have posted the Snape plotline in a separate story.

I appreciate anyone who is taking the time to read my personal exercise. It remains to be judged whether I have succeeded at the challenge, but I hope that someone else enjoys reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

E