Call On Me
Chapter Twenty Nine-Re-Animated
"Where did you get these?" Professor Dumbledore demanded quickly.
Lily Ann was in complete shock and she opened and closed her mouth but no sound came out.
"Miss Lupin," Professor Snape said in what I picked up on as a soft tone. I looked at him shocked as I've never heard him use this type of tone before. "Please tell us where you go these from?"
Finally, Lily Anne came around.
"I don't know," she said weakly. "I opened my bag and there they were. I just found them earlier."
"Did anyone go near your bag at all?" Professor Dumbledore asked kindly.
Lily Ann shook her head slowly.
Arimus whined and sat down on Lily Ann's feet and looked up at her upside down.
Lily Ann began sobbing.
"Poor Elizabeth," she sobbed.
"It's not your fault," I said, quietly wrapping my arm around her and pulling her close against me. Lily Ann pressed her face into my chest and sobbed.
"I wish Mum was here," she sobbed, but her voice was muffled by the front of my robes.
"I know," I said quietly, feeling a lump rising in the back of my throat.
At that, Lily Ann spun out of my grip and flew out of the common room.
"Lily Ann!" I called after her.
She didn't even look back.
"Let her be," Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "Severus, do keep an eye on her."
Snape nodded and went to leave, but I grabbed his arm, just above the elbow.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" I asked curiously.
Snape regarded me for a moment and then spoke.
"Believe it or not, Lupin, I do care about my students," he said coldly.
"Funny," I said raising an eyebrow. "I always thought you cared more about the Slytherin students overall."
"Like I said," he repeated. "I do care about my students."
I let go of his arm and he left the common room, his black robes billowing out behind him.
"Please help me bring Miss Gregory up to the hospital wing," Professor Dumbledore said quietly.
I felt the lump return to my throat.
LILY ANN.
I took refuge in the library and found a book lying on one of the tables. Tears kept streaming down my cheeks as I approached it. Intrigued, I sat down and looked at the cover. It was certainly from the Restricted section. In gold lettering on the covering were the words: REANIMATIS ALORMIS
Angrily, wiping the tears away, I opened the book and began reading. My eyes widened as I continued to read:
ReAnimatis Alormis-The 'Re-Animate' potion.
This potion was designed to Re-Animate, or bring back to life, those that are deceased. Naturally, nothing can bring back the dead, but this potion re-animates them so they are alive. Once the 'subject' is brought to life, he or she will be as if they'd never died.
This potion takes 12 days to brew and require these ingredients, in this order to put in the cauldron:
1-bat wing
3-Boomslang Skins
6-Hyset Claws
10-wolf whiskers
And finally 11 Maoris hairs
My eyes widened even more. I could Re-Animate Mum!
I made a quick note of the ingredients and closed the book just as someone entered the library. It was Professor Snape.
"Miss Lupin? Your father is looking for you," he said in a soft tone.
"Sure," I said clearing my throat and I wiped away the remaining tears. I quickly followed him out of the library and up to the hospital wing.
Dad was sitting on a cot with his head buried in his hands.
"Dad?" I asked tentatively
He looked up.
"Oh hun," he said sadly. "This wasn't your fault okay? Don't go blaming yourself."
"I know," I said quietly. "Where is Mum buried?"
Dad looked at me.
"She's here in Hogwarts. She's buried in the basement in a special coffin. They put a charm on her so she wouldn't…" Dad's voice trailed off. "You know."
I nodded.
I threw my arms around him and hugged him.
"Things'll be okay," I said softly and quietly.
He hugged me back slowly and tightly.
After he released me, I told Dad I was going for a walk and snuck into Professor Snape's office.
REMUS.
Over the next 12 days, I hardly saw Lily Ann for some reason.
Elizabeth's body was taken care of and Kelly just stayed away from everyone all together.
I was just about to take a walk and find Lily Ann, when Professor Snape came up to me in the corridor.
"Did you know some of my things have been stolen?" he demanded.
I looked at him startled.
"No," I said genuinely concerned. "What things are missing?"
"1-bat wings, 3-Boomslang Skins, 6-Hyset Claws, 10-wolf whiskers, and finally 11 Maoris hairs," he replied.
I frowned.
"Those sound awfully like ingredients for a Re-Animate Potion,"
He watched me.
"Why on earth would anyone want to brew that?" he asked. "And who for that matter would want to?"
I kept thinking. Realization dawned on me and my stomach churned. I felt nausea rolling over me. I swallowed and grabbed Severus' shoulder to keep myself from falling over.
"Oh. My. God," I choked as I swallowed again. "Lily Ann…she wants to Re-Animate Caitlin."
He grabbed a hold of me to steady me.
"Let's go see where she is," he said urgently.
We frantically searched over the entire castle and decided to check the dungeons where Snape taught.
Nothing.
"The basement," I said as my stomach churned again.
Severus and I flew down to the basement.
Sure enough, Lily Ann was standing over Caitlin's body that was lying on a flat table of some sort. My heart wrenched when I saw her and forgotten how beautiful she was.
"Lily Ann, don't honey," I said in a soothing tone as Severus and I cautiously approached her.
"It's too late, Dad," Lily Ann said beaming. "I've already given Mum the potion."
"We're too late," Severus whispered.
Severus and I watched in amazement and complete horror and shock as Caitlin's chest began rising and falling a few minutes later. Her eyes opened and she sucked in a large amount of air.
I grabbed Severus' arm tightly. Caitlin slowly swung her legs over the side of the table and looked at Severus and I.
She went to stand, but her legs wobbled and she almost fell, but I lunged forward to catch her.
"R-Remus?" Caitlin asked, her voice sounding dry and coarse. "Where am I?"
I sat Caitlin down on the table and put my hands on her shoulders. I looked over at Lily Ann, who was beaming happily.
Severus slowly approached us from the side.
"You're in Hogwarts," I explained slowly swallowing as my heart wrenched again. I felt tears forming in my eyes.
"What happened?" she asked. "All I remember was Voldemort in the castle, and him turning his wand onto you."
"Yeah," I said quietly as I crouched down in front of her and stared up into her eyes. "You died to save me."
"I-I died?" Caitlin stammered.
I nodded solemnly.
"What year is it?" Caitlin asked.
"1987," Severus replied. "It's been 11 years."
Caitlin moved her eyes onto him.
Caitlin turned around and looked at Lily Ann.
"Who is that?" she asked confused.
"Our daughter," I replied swallowing again. "Lily Ann."
Lily Ann beamed at Caitlin, who stared back at her.
Lily Ann rushed forward and threw her arms around Caitlin and hugged her. Caitlin still seemed off and didn't hug Lily Ann back.
I slowly stood up.
Caitlin still looked as though nothing had ever happened that day. She still looked as fresh and young as ever.
"Her memory still needs some wiring," Severus explained. "Bits of it are still 'out of order'."
Arimus suddenly came galloping into the dungeon, right past me and over to Caitlin. She began wagging her tail at Caitlin.
Caitlin looked at Arimus.
"That's Arimus," I said. "Our dog."
"I-I'm hungry," Caitlin stammered. "Can we go to the Hall?"
I looked at Severus.
He just nodded.
"Sure," I said as he came over to Caitlin's right side and I went over to her left and we lifted her up under her armpits and wrapped one arm around her to help steady her. Arimus trotted in front of us happily. Lily Ann followed behind.
I glanced back at her with an angry expression and a disappointed one.
LILY ANN
I caught Dad's expression but I didn't understand why. I had brought back my Mum. What was so terrible about that?
We continued to head out of the basement and up to the Great Hall.
Mum was so beautiful. She looked exactly like me.
We sat down at the Gryffindor table and some of the elves had brought up some food. Mum hungrily ate it.
"Stay with her a moment," I heard Dad whisper to Professor Snape, gesturing to Mum.
Dad got up and grabbed a handful of my robes off my shoulder and pulled me aside.
"Why did you do this?" he whispered looking at me.
"Because I missed Mum," I said glaring at him. "Is that a problem?"
Dad glared back at me.
"I understand, Lily Ann believe me…no one misses your mother as much as I do but this isn't natural," he explained.
"She's back," I argued. "I thought you'd be happy about it!"
Before Dad could reply, I brushed past him and headed up to the Gryffindor common room.
CAITLIN.
I looked up from eating. Remus came back with a strange expression on his face after he'd pulled the girl aside.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
He looked at me.
I felt him studying me closely.
Even Severus was watching Remus as well. Finally, after a pause, Remus answered.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I'm fine."
"Sure?"
He nodded.
I returned to my food. My whole body felt stiff and strange. Most of what happened that night was fuzzy. I do remember Lord Voldemort and then him turning his wand onto Remus, but after that its' a blank.
The castle seemed strange, but yet familiar. I recognized Remus and Severus, but no one else really.
After eating, Severus suggested to head to Dumbledore to tell him what had happened.
Remus agreed and we headed up to an office.
Sitting behind a desk was an elderly wizard with a gray beard and hair that reached below his shoulders. He was dressed in dark blue robes and a matching wizards' hat. His blue eyes twinkled behind half moon spectacles.
The minute we stepped into the office, his eyes moved onto me.
He had a shocked expression on his face as well as joy and confusion.
"Severus? Remus? What's going on here?" he asked Remus and Severus.
"My daughter stole some ingredients from Severus' office to brew the Re-Animation Potion," Remus explained in a tight voice.
Dumbledore's eyes moved onto him and then onto me again.
"Oh dear," he said quietly.
He exhaled loudly.
"Well," he said slowly getting up from behind his desk and coming around to the front. He leaned against it and folded his arms over his chest. "There's really no danger with the Re-Animation Potion. It's not like the Return Potion. Her personality and everything else before she…died…will be the same and no chance of it ever changing. Why'd she do it?"
"She missed Caitlin," Remus explained swallowing. I could see tears forming in his eyes.
"Ah," the wizard said kindly. "That's understandable. However, for breaking into Severus' office, I will have to give her a week of detention. Please have her come to my office first thing in the morning."
Remus nodded.
"How are you feeling?" the wizard asked me kindly and gently.
I looked at him and tilted my head to the side.
"She doesn't recognize some people," Severus said.
"Ah," the wizard said wisely. "In time that will disappear and she'll be like her old self again…well, pretty much."
"I'm Professor Dumbledore," the wizard explained. "I'm the Headmaster here at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry."
I nodded.
There was a pause.
"So how are you feeling, Miss Andrews?" Professor Dumbledore repeated kindly.
"Okay," I said frowning. "A bit weird, but okay."
He nodded.
"You're dismissed," he said gently ushering us out of his office.
Remus and I headed out of the office. Severus paused outside in the corridor and turned to me.
"It is good to have you back, Caitlin," he said and to my surprise, gave me a quick squeeze before continuing down the corridor.
Remus had a totally stunned expression on his face before we walked up the corridor.