A/N: I hope you all liked that… sorry the update took so long but I had a symphony audition and a concert where I was 1st chair…. (I play violin), and I also had a shitload of homework, so it took me a bit. Also I re-wrote it 1,234,508,958,373,747 times. Well, maybe not that many. :-P
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, they are not mine. Do you think Snape's Worst Memory would have gone the way it did if I owned them?
xXx
Cesca Marie: I've been trying to resolve those aspects of my writing, and I'm so grateful for your constructive criticism. I'm actually in the process of re-writing this story as we... err… speak? I think this was my favorite review, oddly enough. Thank you so much, again. So does this one flow better?
Willow Branch: eeerrr…. shifty eyes
Princess of Wolves: Why, Thank you! ˆis pleasantly surprised and pleased.ˆ (? I confuse myself sometimes…)
Goddess of Idun: Here you are. Finally, huh?
NOW, ON WITH IT!
Twisted Hearts and Anguished Howls
Chapter 5; Interesting Encounters
On Monday morning, the four Marauders headed down to breakfast, laughing and joking, and Remus felt as if things were getting down to a nice routine again- Sirius' jokes, James' vain passes at Lily Evans, and Peter- well, Peter just sort of tagged along, listening in the shadows and planning whatever it was he was planning. Maybe the Marauders' next prank.
Merlin knows we need to think of one…
Remus' thoughts were disrupted as a greasy sausage link hit him in the head. Remus glanced around to find James staring ahead innocently, seemingly very interested in the plate of kippers before him. Peter stuffed his fist in his mouth, but failed to muffle his hearty sniggers.
"James."
"Why, whatever would be the matter, dearest darling Moony?"
"James…"
Remus was practically growling and James was looking at him with a mingled expression of feigned innocence and mild amusement. Sirius, sensing the impending danger, quickly interfered.
"It, err… it was me, Moony… yeah, saw the sausage and just couldn't help myself…"
At that statement, Peter finally lost control of his mirth, and let out a loud, strangled guffaw. Remus looked at him with a raised eyebrow and turned back to Sirius with skepticism upon his face.
"Uh-huh… Well never mind it, I suppose, but we should be getting to class y'know…"
"Awww, come on, Moony, can't we just stay a little while longer? Pleeeasseeee?" James whined, looking at Remus with pleading eyes.
"No," the werewolf replied firmly, and marched out of the Great Hall with Marauders in tow, tugging James along with him by the arm. James looked back pitifully at the Gryffindor table.
"But Moony, my pumpkin juice…"
-xXx-
The scratching of a single, solitary quill filled the chill air in the Hogwarts library. Remus squinted down at his parchment, sighing in realization of the more than 13 inches of essay left to be completed. The hard wooden table was filled with the werewolf's' books and papers, and the carpet on the floor beneath him muffled the sounds of adolescent footfalls as they made their way closer, and closer, and closer…
"BOO!"
Remus jumped a foot or five in the air as he whipped around to see James grinning at him, after having snuck up behind and pinched Remus' sides.
"Don't do that, Prongs, Pince'll have your head if she hears you yelling like that!" Remus glared at his friend in an expression of mock-exasperation, which was quickly abandoned in favor of a warm smile. The two looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, until James broke the contact, clearing his throat and pulling up a chair right next to his golden-eyed friend.
"Sooo…. whatcha working on, Moony?"
"Wha- Oh, this? Just something for Muggle Studies…"
"Mmhhmmm…"
"So, Prongs, what did you come here for? I know you normally avoid studying and the library like the plague…"
James frowned.
"Now, you know that's not true, Moony, I was in here just last week, remember? We were here with Padfoot and Wormta-"
"That was because we were looking up a spell for a prank, you prat, can't exactly call that studying, can you?"
"It's studying for the benefit of Mischief-Making, isn't it? And don't call me a prat, you prat!" James said playfully, hitting Remus over the head with a roll of parchment.
The Marauders grinned good-naturedly at each other for a moment before they both started at the sound of quickly approaching footsteps.
"Mr. Potter, I- oh, hello, Mr. Lupin."
Remus gulped. "Er...hello, Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall had just strode into their little library corner, hair up and unwavering, lips thinned in their usual display of stern disapproval; but Remus could sense a shadow of worry and gloom on her spartan features.
"The headmaster requests Mr. Potters' presence immediately. It is of the utmost importance."
"What's wrong, Professor?" James asked worriedly.
"I'm afraid you'll have to talk to the headmaster to find out, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, and Remus could sense something in her voice… it was almost like pity.
James began to gather his things and Remus looked between the two, bemused.
"But I- oh… all right, I guess I'll see you later, Prongs…"
James suddenly hugged him lightly, and Remus felt the odd swooping sensation is his stomach, along with a piece of parchment being stuffed into his robe pocket. He looked up at James quizzically, but nothing showed on his friends' face. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at James' strange behavior but said nothing.
"Later, Prongs…"
"Bye Moony."
And with that Remus watched his friend walk out of the library. He retrieved the parchment from his pocket and stared at it for a moment. Remus hesitantly opened the square of wrinkled paper and gazed intently on the message inside.
Meet me at the Gryffindor Quidditch lockers, 8:00 tonight.
Remus looked at the note, penned in James' handwriting. He stuffed the parchment in his bag, along with his essay and copy of Introduction to Muggle Studies, by Edis Bevan, and got up from the table. Suddenly, he didn't feel so much like studying anymore.
-xXx-
As Remus walked across the shaggy, damp grass on the Quidditch field later that evening, he wondered what could have happened for McGonagall to usher James away so quickly.
Speaking of James…
Remus groaned as he thunked his head against the hard wooden liRemus groaned as he thunked his head against the hard wooden liRemus frowned as he glanced at his watch. 7:58. James might be a little haphazard, but you could always trust him to be punctual at the least.
" Lumos."
Tentatively opening the door to the Gryffindor Quidditch lockers, the young werewolf glanced at the shadows dancing on the walls from his wandlight.
"Prongs… Prongs, you in here?"
Remus' lycanthropic senses strained to smell James' scent. He couldn't pick up a thing on the chill air save the usual salty tang of sweat and soap.
Still frowning, Remus checked the Marauders' map, which Sirius had been somewhat reluctant to give up that night.
"Look, Moony, if something happens to one of you, where will I know where to find you?
"We'll just be at the Quidditch pitch, don't worry Padfoot, I told you-"
Remus scanned the map once more, and couldn't find a trace of the Animagus.
Well, looks like he was half-way right… I'm the only one who seems to be on the pitch tonight, let alone the entire school grounds.
Suddenly, a small speck on the map caught his attention from its place hovering near the Forbidden Forest.
James Potter
Remus watched the labeled dot in fasination as it moved quickly around the border of the forest before slipping out of site in the tangle of inked black lines that represented the overgrowth. Franticly scanning the map where the dot had disappeared, the werewolf sighed as he spotted the speck moving faster and deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
What the hell does he think he's doing?
Remus walked out of the locker room, cold wind billowing his cape around him as he strode toward the Forbidden Forest. Checking the map, he saw that James' map-dot had moved to a small clearing in the far-west side of the forest.
The werewolf glanced up at the waning yellow moon before breaking into a full-out sprint, leaping over rabbit-holes and slipping on tuffets of shadowed grass. Reaching the forest, Remus scrambled for the map, but couldn't find his friend's location in the dark cast by the tall trees.
"Bloody hell…"
Cursed flew from Remus' mouth as he stumbled about in the undergrowth, finally finding the path.
"Lumos"
Remus walked along the dirt path, trying to see the direction he was walking in; but his vision couldn't permeate the inky blackness that lay beyond his circle of warm, safe wandlight. But the werewolf's' heightened hearing was fine; Remus started at a faint rustling sound in the dark trees.
"Hello?"
No answer, but he heard it again, louder, and closer this time.
"Who's there? Show yourself-- I'm armed!" he called cautiously. Remus peered into the darkness, wand held aloft, Protego on his lips.
And into the clearing came- was it a man, or a horse? An intriguing creature, to the waist a man, with soft white-blond hair and piercing blue eyes, but below was the body of a roan palomino horse. Remus' jaw dropped.
"Good evening," said the centaur. He had a deep, yet mystical voice. Remus looked at him cautiously, and didn't lower his wand.
"A student, aren't you? Are you going to curse me?"
Remus looked at the centaur, mouth still gaping. He lowered his wand.
"Err---hello… no, I'm not-"
"Well that's good, then." The centaur sighed.
"Venus is bright tonight."
"Ah…"
The centaur continued, "Yes, Venus is indeed bright tonight. But Mars is unusually dim."
Remus stood in awkward silence.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself didn't I? I'm Dallan, and this is my son, Firenze."
A small centaur peeked out from behind Dallan's hind legs. He had the body of long-legged young colt with the golden-blond hairs of his father's roan coat. He had the chest and head of a young boy, with his dad's astonishingly blue eyes and white-blond hair. He looked up at Remus solemnly, and pulled on his fathers' tail.
"Father, why is Venus so bright tonight?"
"I don't know--" Dallan turned to Remus. "So what are you doing out so late, young student?"
"I'm looking for my friend," said Remus.
"Ahh, and do you know where this friend might be?"
"Yes, he's in a clearing, over on that side of the forest-" Remus pointed, "-do you know where that is…?"
"Yes, I have," Dallan said. "The stars have told wrong before… I hope this is one of those times."
"What-"
"Jump on my back, we must hurry." The centaur said suddenly, a quiet determination on his features.
"Are you sure?" Remus asked.
"You must, just mount and I will take you to your companion"
"But what about…." Remus looked down at Firenze. The young centaur was looking up at them both, taking in the conversation with a slight, curious frown on his young face. Dallan looked down at his son seriously.
"Do you think you will be able to keep up, Firenze?"
"Yes, Father." Firenze said quietly.
"Well then…" Dallan walked over to a low tree stump and stood patiently while Remus climbed up on the stump and scrambled onto Dallan's back. Dallan suddenly reared up, Remus franticly clutching the centuars' broad shoulders, and he galloped off into the forest. Remus could hear the faint plopping sound of Firenze galloping right behind them.
They continued in that way for about 10 minutes, it seemed, Remus holding onto Dallan's shoulders for dear life as the centaur galloped through the trees, leaping over fallen trunks and vines, and once over a quietly rushing brook. They finally reached a thicket of trees and this is where Dallan stood, kneelingto let Remus down off his back.
"Well, young one, we have finally reached your destination. You never did tell me your name."
"It's Remus. Remus Lupin." The marauder replied quietly.
"Ahh, yes. It is rather unusually for the stars not to disclose that information, the history of humans are written there, have been for all the ages."
Remus hesitated for a moment. 'But who could it harm?'
"Well, I'm not technically human…"
Dallan looked at him quizzically.
"Err- I'm a werewolf, you see."
Dallan nodded. "I thought that might be so," he said knowingly. "But this is where I leave you, Remus Lupin. Good-bye, and good luck. We will meet again, if the stars deem it so."
The centaur beckoned his son and turned, walking off into the dark of the forest. Firenze looked at Remus, and gave the boy a small, faint smile, before following his father into the trees.
A/N: I don't want to make promises I can't keep, but I will keep this one: I solemnly swear to include some Remus/James action in the next chapter.
And this is actually an RL/SB fic, but I'm getting to that. :-)
Have a nice day everyone.
I stole that line from Jo… yeah…. ˆsmiles sheepishlyˆ
OMFG i almost forgot to mention... I got a beta... screen name is chaeli.meep. and she is a God-sent SAINT! Also, I was wondering if my fic is the kind where it's a good fic, u know, but it seems kinda off in the slash department, like it sounds like it's written by a completly straight person. Just wondering, you know...