Chapter 3: Thelema

The Grangers were not faring well. Both doctors were heartbroken and very concerned. It had been two whole days without their kids, or any kids in the manor for that matter. Luna was coming the following day, thank God! She had such beautiful energy. Her presence was uplifting. The little girl was missing her friends, but fortunately, she had found grownups who did not seem to mind her oddities. Apparently, the only other childhood friend she had was the redhead girl with the rude brother and mother from the station. Daniel had taken a particular liking to Luna. He couldn't help it. The whimsical girl reminded him of his sister with all her talk of the paranormal and things no one else seemed to be able to see. Daniel and his sister were estranged. He had tried to reach out recently, but all he found out was that she now lived in the U.S. and had stopped talking to everyone in England as they took Daniel's 'side.'

Mr. Granger was filled with shame and regret. His daughter was indeed a witch. Cassandra never said that. She had said multiple times that there was something strange about Hermione. It was she who first suggested that the then little girl had telekinesis and other powers. The Grangers had been much more religious then, and the mere thought of the supernatural, as professionals in medicine of all things, was unwelcome. Hermione seemed to react with fear of her aunt whenever she was around. Emma had asked him to talk to her and request for her not to mention that again, especially not to their daughter. Cassandra had refused. Daniel remembered her last words to him verbatim: "I will not shut up! Pretending the girl is 'normal' will not help her. She needs to learn how to control her gifts! It could be dangerous!"

Daniel sighed. Could his sister have known about magic somehow? The same magic they knew about it? Was that why she was so adamant? He wished he could find her. Was she married now? Did she have any kids? Was she happy?... Was she even safe? Dan felt a wash of guilt all over him. As an older brother, he was failing in his duties. He took a long sip of his firewhiskey. Emma was curled up next to him on the sofa, and she downed what was left in her glass in one gulp.

"Em, do be careful. This firewhiskey stuff is powerful," he warned, kissing her forehead.

She sniffed and dabbed her eyes, "I know. I want to go to sleep and not feel this piercing fear. I want them back here where we can keep them safe. Can't we just get one of those portkey things so they can attend Hogwarts every day but live here?"

"No, darling. It is a boarding school. They won't allow it," Daniel sighed again.

"I hate this," Emma pouted.

"So do I," he replied, staring hard into the fire. He took a long, deep breath.

"Dan, what is it? I know something else is bothering you. Spill," Emma turned his face to look at her.

"I've been trying to contact Cassandra," he said. His voice was barely over a whisper.

Emma seemed genuinely surprised, then pensieve, then apologetic. "Oh, God! We really put our foot in our mouth with her, didn't we?"

"We did. I just want to apologize and know if she's okay, but since she left for the States… she stopped talking to everyone. No one knows where she is. I wouldn't even know where to start looking for her," Daniel laid his head over Emma's. "I've called her friends, her colleagues, and nothing."

"Maybe there is a magical method to find her?"

"Maybe. I'll go ask Charlus," Daniel stood and put the firewhiskey bottle back in the bar. "No more drinking."

"Spoilsport… Fine. I will go to bed, meet me there?"

"Of course," Daniel said, giving her a quick kiss.

"Do you think it can be done?" Daniel asked Charlus.

The older man stood and paced around his office. He summoned five different books and did a spell that moved pages on its own until it stopped, and the book shook slightly. Apparently, the spell was like a search bar. Magic was quite impressive to Dan, still years after living surrounded by it. Lord Potter kept pacing from book to book and reading. He would close one book, go to the next. It took around five minutes, but he closed them all and sat back down.

"I am afraid that unless she is magical, we can't track her down like we would a wizard or a witch. However, we could get a muggle detective, don't you think? Even if she is still cross at you, you would at least know if she's alright and where she lives," Charlus offered. "Maybe offer her assistance, write to her…"

"Yeah, I'll look into that."

"Contact Sharptooth. The bank has trusted detectives that work both in the muggle and in the magical world."

"That's a great idea. That way, I know they are outstanding. Sorry for interrupting your work, Charlus. Good night,"

"No worries, son. Let me know if I can help you out in any way," Charlus smiled and put his reading glasses back on.

"Will do."

Hours away, a beautiful blonde woman trashed around on her bed. She threw her arms in front of her face in a precise protective motion and sat up straight. She took in a harsh breath. The weigh of her cat at her feet was comforting. It was all a nightmare… or was it a memory? Maybe, it was both. Her small historical home was full of ghosts. Then again, Salem, Massachusetts, was a place full of ghosts, many of them tortured souls of those accused of witchcraft and other heresies. The telltale sound of a vase breaking downstairs made her cringe. Her right arm immediately pushed the faux bed panel behind her, and her rifle landed on her hands. She took it and got ready to shoot, but she hoped not to die like this. Her mind was rushing. She was keenly aware that she should fix things with her family, but then again, she was stubborn.

Her niece was a textbook case of telekinesis at age 2. They would take books and toys away. Sometimes, they would put them outside of her room only to find the same items in her crib the next morning. Cassandra had been researching the paranormal all these years, and she was more convinced than ever that some things could not be explained. She wanted to see her brother again. He had taught her how to shoot. That had saved her life on more occasions than she would wish to admit. She missed her parents. Her pride had cost her a relationship with them too, and now she was both alone and lonely, about to be potentially killed or worse. How had she allowed herself to be swept away by that man? She was smart, cultured, and educated, and still, she fell for it.

The cult that she fell in with had completely taken over her life, her career, and her finances. In theory, it had seemed like a good idea to join. She had agreed with the principles said to her when she was hooked in by that bastard. Thelema's principles were pretty harmless. "Do what thou wilt," "Love is the law," and lastly, "Every man and every woman is a star."

Her heart was pounding as she walked outside slowly, squinting, to see better in the dark. Her cat, Callie, dashed past her before she could stop the feline. Cassandra rushed as quietly as she could. Suddenly she heard a scream: Callie had attacked the invader. It sounded like a man. Apparently, he was alone. Her cat growled loudly, and the man kept struggling to remove her. Cassandra felt proud of Callie. She had jumped right to the back of the man's head and started scratching his face with fury. The man used a bat he was holding to hit the cat as hard as he could while making sure not to beat himself. Callie shrieked and fell without moving. Cassandra wanted the man dead. She needed to make sure Callie was going to be okay. The man turned to the kitty to kick her.

"If you do that, it will be the last thing you ever do, you piece of shit!" she growled.

The man turned but didn't let go of the bat. Cassandra saw the face of all her nightmares coming back to life. "You finally grew a backbone, love?"

"You! I am not your love!" she said, pointing her rifle at his head. "How the fuck did you find me? How did you get in?"

His shirt was partially unbuttoned, and she could see his "Æon of Horus"* tattoo. "You are my most beloved disciple. Why do you think you are still alive?"

"Because I left you, you imbecile!"

"You left Thelema*. That is simply not allowed. Not for people like me or for my wife," he complained, taking a menacing step forward.

"We were never truly married! That ceremony is not legally binding, and you know it!"

"I am here to take you back home, Cass,"

"Don't call me Cass. My name is Cassandra GRANGER. I am never going back to that hell hole. It took most of what I had to escape that fucking cult you call a religion!"

"Cass, I really wouldn't want to hurt your pretty face, but if you keep refusing me, I will have to get my men to bring you back by force and mark you as mine."

"No one will touch me. I will shoot you dead before I go back there!"

"You wouldn't dare," he said haughtily and took a step forward.

"Try me, Nick!" she replied, moving her finger to the trigger.

The man seemed to be thinking about his chances, but self-preservation won. "Do not call me Nick, Cassandra! I'll be back here soon. I have eyes watching you every hour of the day."

The man moved forward to try to touch her. She shot his shoulder.

"Bitch! Aaaargh!" he put pressure on his shoulder as blood poured from his bullet wound.

"I warned you. Get out before I decorate my living room with that waste of space you call a brain!" she yelled.

The man backed away, said, "This isn't over!" and left. The police came soon after there were reports of shots by her neighbors.

Cassandra immediately pushed her sofa to bar the door Nick left open. Then, she took her cat. She was breathing faintly, but she was alive. Cassandra called her vet right away. When the authorities came, she gave Nick's information to the police, explained the background of their relationship, and how she had been moving around for years, trying to stay away from him. She had a second of clarity among her nerves and decided to call Daniel. Cassandra needed to come home.

The woman picked up the phone and called. It rang several times, but no one picked up, so she called the hospital with no luck. She would have to call her parents, but her life was at stake, so she dialed and waited. She was dreading their reaction since they had taken Daniel's side.

"Hello?" her father's sleepy voice replied. "Who is this?"

Emotion seemed to drown her, and a sob broke through her lips, "D-Daddy?"

"My baby! Where are you? How are you?" he sounded ecstatic to hear her.

Cassandra could hear her mother in the background, "Put her on speaker, Will, I want to hear her too."

"Daddy… I… I screwed up. I want to come home… I didn't want to call you because you are probably still mad at me and-"

"Cassandra Marie Granger, you stop that right now. We are not mad at you. We love you and want you home. Where should we go get you?" her mother interrupted with a shaky voice.

"I-I don't know. You shouldn't come. I tried to reach my brother… This can be dangerous… But no one picks up at his house, and the hospital says he doesn't work there anymore."

"They moved and have a private practice now," her father said.

"What do you mean dangerous? Where are you, sweetheart?" her mother said.

"Salem, Massachusetts. Can you please just give me his number? I promise I will explain everything once I'm there."

"Oh, honey, please try to stay safe. Will you?"

"Get a pen, darling," her father said, then dictated the phone numbers.

Draco was dreading the second night at Hogwarts. His amulet had indeed been lost. When he had told his friends, Harry immediately took his off and placed it on Draco's neck.

"Look, Nev and I share a room. His amulet is enough. We don't want them to hurt you again."

"Thanks, Harry. Sev says they will leave me alone because he spoke to their families, but I don't think that will be enough," Draco hid the amulet underneath his clothes.

"Probably not. We will stay up late. If they try anything, just get out of there and come find us or go to the Infirmary. Hermione made friends with a painting. It's that one over there. If you need help, tell him to come find us," there was a knight atop a horse looking at them. When Harry pointed at the painting, the knight nodded at them.

"Alright. I am worried about having Weasley in the same room now too."

"I don't envy you. I mean, it was you who grew up with Padfoot and Moony, but he's the one who acts like he was raised by wild animals…" Neville sighed.

Harry chuckled, "I'll be sure to tell them you think they are animals…"

"What? No, I- That's not what I meant!" Neville blushed.

"Oh, don't worry. They'll love it!" Harry laughed.

The three friends didn't know it at the time, but two redheads had been listening to them from behind a statue. First Padfoot, now Moony… They needed to meet their heroes. Perhaps, if Ron stopped being such a prat, and they could manage to become friends with Harry Potter, they would have a chance to meet the legends.

"Where's Hermione?" Draco asked suddenly. Through the years they had shared, he had actually gotten to like her a lot. She was always kind to him. She never pushed him to talk when he didn't want to, and she had never judged him on his family's dark past. Hermione was always willing to help him understand concepts, especially muggle ones, that he struggled with, and she did so with grace and patience. She never teased him or made him feel dumb like other people sometimes did when explaining something to him. Draco was a good student and he was glad to know that if he ever missed a class, he only needed to ask for Hermione's notes to be entirely caught up.

"Oh, she wanted to go talk to Padfoot, so she went over to Aunt Minnie's," Harry replied. His Hermione was latched onto the idea of bringing the Marauders back, and she wanted to go over her plans with Uncle Sirius. She thought that since Uncle Remus was a professor, he wouldn't appreciate students using pranks as revenge. But Hermione couldn't stand injustice and what those boys were doing to Draco wasn't right. He was her friend. She considered both Draco and Neville as the brothers she never had. And she would rather break school rules before either boy got hurt by bullies or put in danger by irresponsible adults.

Hermione knocked on the door with a big smile on her face.

"Come in," Minerva's voice said.

Hermione went in and closed the door behind her. Minerva looked up and smiled. She was always glad to see the little girl.

"Hermione, welcome," the woman stood and gave the girl a squeeze. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, aunt Minnie, I just wanted to ask how you are feeling and see if you can do me a small favor…"

"I am doing fine. What do you need from me? I was just about to go get some tea. Do you want to join me so we can talk?"

"Um, actually, I was wondering if I could talk to Sirius from here. I need to ask him something…" Hermione shuffled slightly.

Minerva frowned lightly. She could tell Hermione was up to something. "Will I regret giving you permission?"

Hermione blanched. "No," the girl replied in a doubtful tone.

"Mhmm…" Minerva crossed her arms and lifted a questioning brow at her niece.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to be cross at me?" Hermione pouted.

"I promise. Remember that we all talked about how keeping secrets is not a good idea…"

"But you are a professor... Can we speak 'off the record' as the politicians say?"

Minerva chuckled and nodded. Emma had told her that Hermione was a bit obsessed with watching the muggle news.

And so Hermione shared her plans about bringing the Marauders back, but not for fun -heaven forbid! She knew her audience- just as vigilantes to get back at bullies and deter their horrible actions. McGonagall sat a bit awestruck. Hermione's plan was intricate and considered expenses, materials, how to get them, where to prepare them in secret, and how to make sure the vengeful pranks wouldn't be traced to her. The girl's organizational skills were clearly inherited from her mother, but her passion and conviction made her sound so much like Lily

"I see. If you were to -hypothetically- stick to bullies, I would -off the record, of course- support that. Now, as I have no idea about what you are planning to do, I will not tell the headmaster anything," Minerva winked. "Just don't do anything that will cause permanent injuries or harm to other students who are not bullies, understood?"

Hermione squealed. She was not expecting this. "Yay! Thank you so much, auntie! It's just that we are worried about Draco…"

"I heard about what happened. We are trying to convince Fillius to have him moved to a different room, but he won't hear of it."

Hermione smiled mischievously, "Oh, trust me. He will start to listen very soon."

The glint on the girl's eye would have rivaled any of the original Marauders when reminiscing about their shenanigans. Minerva felt a chill down her spine. "My little lioness, play fair, and be just."

"Always, auntie, don't worry."

Minerva called Sirius, excused herself, and let the two of them to their own plotting.

Sirius Black had been stirring the same cup of cold coffee for an hour. He was so dreadfully bored. When Minerva called, he was a bit concerned, but when Hermione told him about her plan and all the details she had worked out, he was nothing but excited, proud, and impressed.

"So can you owl me what I need, uncle? You can ask my mom to take it out of my allowance," Hermione didn't care about her money if she could help Draco and other kids that were being bullied. She wanted to do for others what Harry did for her. "The only problem is that I don't think she will approve."

"Absolutely not. I, as a founding member of the Marauders, will be honored to sponsor your Mischief. That reminds me… you need to find the Marauders' Map."

"A map? What's so special about it?" Hermione asked.

"It shows the positions of everyone in the castle," Sirius said with a smile.

"Oh, that would be so useful for planning! Where is it?" Hermione clapped happily.

"Probably Filch has confiscated it. He always did want to know why the Marauders were able to get away with so many things…"

"I'll look into it. Thanks, Padfoot, you're the best!"

"I will send another safety amulet with the items on your list. Please give it to Draco," Sirius requested.

"Absolutely. I gotta go. Love you!" Hermione smiled.

"Love you too, princess!" Sirius's face disappeared from the fireplace.

Emma was working on her burn scarring salve in the small lab within her and her husband's practice. She had refused to mass-produce until she could afford her own lab. They were now quite close to getting one, but it was still a couple of months away. The phone in the office rang, but her hands were coated on different emollients, so she waited for Dan to get to the phone. She heard his steps, the door closing, then nothing.

"Good morning, Dr. and Dr. Granger's Practice. How may I help you?" Dan asked.

There were a few loud, slow, audible breaths on the other side.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he waited.

After a few seconds, he heard a faint "Hi…"

He could recognize her voice anywhere. "Cassandra?!"

"Yes. Hello, Dan," her shaky voice replied.

"Thank God! I've been trying to reach you for weeks. Look, before you say anything, please let me say that I am sorry. You were right. I was wrong. Please forgive me," Daniel said with trepidation.

"There's nothing to forgive. I love you... I… I'm an idiot, Danny," Cassandra's voice was breaking. She took a deep breath to stop herself from crying.

"What do you mean?"

"Please hear me out, I don't have much time… I need one of our 'no questions asked.' They are following my every move…"

Daniel stood up, "What?! Who?! Are you safe? Where are you?"

"I have a rifle and a couple of knives on me. Please just listen," she insisted.

"Okay, give me the details," he nodded, going on military mode.

Cassandra told him where she was, what happened (in an extremely brief summary), and what she needed. She asked him to come get her. He could hear how stressed and scared she was. He wished he could teleport there… But he could! Maybe.

"Cassandra, this is what I want you to do. Are you friends with your local priest?"

"I-I don't really practice any religion right now. B-But I do volunteer, so I know him," she said hurriedly.

"Good. Dress up as someone else and seek refuge in the church. I will pick you up from there."

"Danny, they are packing, and they travel in groups of five. We may need backup," she warned. "When will you be here."

"Tonight at the latest. No worries, I'll bring backup."

Cassandra gasped, "What?! How?! You are in London I don't-"

"I will explain everything when we are at home. I love you. Try to stay safe. If anything changes, call me, no matter the time."

Sirius Black was glad that Hermione had called. He was now writing orders for several businesses via owl post. Before that, he had been lazily reorganizing his armor and weapons. Having his husband at Hogwarts was annoying at best, infuriating at worst. He was dreadfully bored often, and he missed Remus' calming arms around his body while they slept. If only he had something to occupy his time. He was called to consult as an experienced Auror by Amelia. Still, he didn't want to join the force full time because he would be tied to obeying orders from the DMLE, and if he were honest, he had not entirely forgiven them for locking him up without trial. His phone rang, he jumped. He always kept it ready, but the only people who called him were Emma and Dan. He hoped they had something for him to do.

"Hello?"

"Sirius, I need your help," Dan's worried voice had Padfoot frowning.

"Anything."

"Can you get me one of those Portkey things?"

"Whatever for?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"I need to rescue my sister," Dan said hurriedly.

"Wait, you have a sister!? Rescue her from what?"

"I do. I'll tell you the story later, okay? I need a portkey or anything magical that can get me to Salem, Massachusetts, asap," Daniel explained. "It's life or death, and we need backup."

"Got it. Give me ten minutes, and I'll call you back," Sirius hanged up.

Fifteen minutes later, Sirius stepped in through the fireplace at the Grangers' office with Remus, Tonks, and a burly man with a weird looking eye that moved on its own and seemed to be strapped to his head. They found Emma loading up her guns and Daniel putting a few things in an overnight bag.

"Daniel and Emma Granger, this is Alastor, Mad-Eye, Moody. He's a famed retired Auror and an amazing bounty hunter. He fought on the last three wars," Sirius smiled at Moody, whose strange eye was scanning the room all over.

"It's a pleasure," Emma shook his hand. He pulled her and tried to put her on a chokehold, but she was ready. She hit his solar plexus, stepped harshly on his foot, and threw him down by kicking the back of his knee. Daniel pulled him by the hair and had a long blade against the man's throat in seconds.

Moody grunted, "Constant vigilance, I like these two," he got up.

"Sorry, Moody here has no manners. Too many years fighting," Tonks hugged Emma and Dan.

"Hi, doll," Emma squeezed Sirius. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"9 mil? Surgical blades?" Alastor asked.

"Yes. You are the first wizard who has been able to tell," Daniel said. "Remus, great to see you,"

Lupin smiled and nodded, his husband's arm around his waist.

"It's my job to be able to tell. So here's what's happening. We made an illegal portkey because legal ones take permission and lots of bureaucracy. We are running on a very strict timeline. This has to be an in and out situation. We get the girl, we come back. No revenge killings, no bounties, no nothing. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"One of you should stay back. This girl is not magical, and she may get hurt when we travel," Emma and Dan shared a look. Emma handed Tonks one gun and Sirius another, "I'll be ready to treat her."

"Military man, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"The portkey will be active in two minutes. Link arms with each other. The landing will be rough—keep your knees soft. If we are under duress, we will use magic. If we have to do hand to hand combat, Tonks, you get the girl and come back. If things get bloody, that's what Lupin is here for. He's stronger and sturdier than all of us combined. The rest of us can find another way back."

"Moody, I leave no one behind, you-"

"Zip it. That's an order."

Tonks murmured under her breath, something that sounded like "So bloody sexist."

"Once we land, we engorgio the motorcycles and go straight to the back of the church. If we are attacked, we split up. Oh, and please bring one of those phone thingies but turn it off. We don't need a ring to alert anyone we are coming."

"I will let Cassandra know you are on your way."

Once everyone nodded, and Dan made sure his bag was secured, they linked arms, and in a flash, they were gone.

Draco spat blood, but this time, he had been ready. He had been practicing defensive spells, but Hermione told him to do the unexpected, so he got physical. Crabbe and Goyle were huge, true, but they were slow and stupid. Weasley was lanky and had no muscles on him. Draco managed to leave his room, and once he was out, he immediately touched Harry's amulet and left his common room barefoot and with his torn pajamas. He heard Weasley screaming more insults and then pained groans and howls as the goons finally caught him.

Snape ran into the common room. His amulet monitor had started vibrating. His robe waving behind him. Draco had a busted lip, a bloody nose, his pajama top was ripped with one sleeve missing, and he was wearing no shoes.

"Dad!" Draco jumped into the man's arms.

Severus had to breathe deeply to compose himself. It was the first time that Draco had ever called him that. "Who did this to you, son?"

"Crabbe, Goyle, and Weasley," Drago held on tightly.

"Severus? What happened?" McGonagall asked as she came into the room in her sleeping attire.

"Bullies. Please stay with Draco,"

"Of course, come here dear, let's call Poppy so she can heal you and get pictures of this."

An hour later, Filius was having a cup of tea while he thought about a way to fix this new row. He rang for Minerva and found that she had been waiting outside.

"What are we to do, Minerva?"

"Did you read the proposal I sent you?"

"I haven't gotten to it yet…"

Minerva summoned it. It was on the wastebasket. "Clearly, you weren't thinking about reading it."

"I skimmed it. No one will accept it. Mixing houses has never be done. You may as well mix genders."

"First of all, do not compare such different things. Genders would never be mixed. We don't want a repeat of the teen pregnancy fiasco from 50 years ago. They will accept it because it will be school policy!"

"Not on my watch, it won't be made policy."

"I see how it is. But kids can be beaten and harassed on your watch?"

"Minerva, we both know you wouldn't care so much if it wasn't this child in particular…"

"Don't you dare. I care about all students. I am uneasy about Mr. Weasley's and Draco's future if they are forced to share a room with Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle," Minerva frowned.

"Regardless, the Slytherins and Gryffindors especially will not like your proposal. We could perhaps convince the Ravenclaws in the name of research, and the Hufflepuffs in the name of friendship… but the parents will not like it either."

"If you don't do this voluntarily, Filius, you may find that you will be pushed to do so," Minerva was tired. It was the second time they had that conversation.

"Is that a threat, Minerva? Do you want to be Headmistress again?"

"No. That's the last thing I want. But you will soon realize that children don't like injustice, and if they see adults failing to do what is needed to protect them from bullies, they will find a way to protect themselves."

Filius waved a hand dismissively. "We will deal with that IF it happens."

"When it happens, Headmaster."

Mad-Eye grunted as they landed. All of them fell on their bums, and he was the only one that was still standing. Tonks got up, rubbing her bruised buttocks. They had landed on a cemetery called Harmony Grove.

"Let's get moving you big babies," Alastor started walking towards the main street after casting a notice me not on himself and Remus, who were dressed in wizard cloaks. Tonks was on her day off, and so she was dressed the muggle way. Sirius had grown fond of muggle fashion. He pulled Tonks' hand and rested it in the crook of his elbow.

Daniel adjusted his bag and took the lead, walking briskly, "Follow me."

They moved through the adjacent Mack Park towards St. James' Church. When they were about to get out of the park, Sirius tensed. They weren't alone. His canine sense of smell detected pot, alcohol, and sweaty men. He looked at Tonks and nodded for her to do the rouse they had discussed.

"I bet you can't catch me, love. Race you!" she said loudly and started running as fast as her legs would carry her towards the church. Alastor got on a broom and continued towards the church.

Sirius began jogging behind Tonks. "I'm gonna getcha, love."

Remus was trying not to growl. He would stay behind to protect Daniel.

"Hey, you," one of the thugs called Daniel.

"Yes? Daniel replied without stopping.

"Some nice shoes you got there…" the man said, motioning at Daniel's trainers. "I think I want them for myself, dude."

"Buy a pair, then."

Three more men came out from behind the bushes and started surrounding Daniel. The lead thug pulled his shirt up and showed Dan his gun. "British, huh? I don't think I will, mate. I want that exact pair."

"That's too bad. You can't have them."

"Brave one, are ya mate?" another thug took a step forward.

"You all are locals, right?" Daniel asked, nodding at Remus, who was ready to pounce.

"What's it to you?"

"I heard that werewolves come out at night in this park… have you ever seen one?" Daniel smirked.

The men laughed mockingly. "He said werewolves?!" They kept laughing. As soon as they stopped, Remus began growling loudly. The thugs started looking around with fear on their faces. They expected an angry dog. Remus sniffed a vial on his neck and felt his body semi-morph. He had been training all these years with the help from Lily's notes. She posed that the less he tried to subdue and push down his wolf, the more he befriended and domesticated it, the more he would control it. Lily was right, of course. He was entirely in control 9 out of 10 times. He hoped this wouldn't be that one time that he lost the reigns a bit.

"You know how us Brits are famous for our politeness? If you want to survive this encounter, RUN!" Daniel ducked as Remus jumped to where he had been standing. Dan ran the way the other wizards went.

The ruffians jumped and seemed frozen for a few seconds. Remus decided to have fun with them, so he sniffed the air dramatically and howled loudly. They blanched and scampered away as fast as they could. Remus started jogging. He had to think hard not to get on all fours to run better.

In the church, Cassandra was kneeling before the altar. Her head bowed down in prayer. The priest had been very kind. She briefly explained that she was a survivor running away from her abuser. Emma had called her to say Daniel would be there to pick her up with some friends. The priest stayed with her to keep her company in case someone else came to look for her. There was a quick knock on the closed doors. Cassandra jumped up and grabbed her gun from behind her back. The priest had to start closing the church at night because of a recent rise in the crime rate. He motioned for her to calm down and go to the sacristy.

"Who is it?"

"Daniel, I'm here for my sister," a voice replied.

"Prove you are Daniel," the priest was hesitant to open. The male voice did not sound British at all.

"W-What?"

"What did you use to call your sister when she was in school?" the priest asked the agreed question.

"Doll?" the voice replied.

"Wrong. I don't know who you are, son. However, I kindly ask you to leave. I will call the police if you don't."

"Listen, you faggot, you will open this door, or I will take it down by force!" Nick yelled.

Tonks skidded to a halt a few meters away from the door. The men turned to look at her.

"Hey, you asshat," Tonks said, skidding to a halt from her run. She had heard half the conversation.

"Hello, gorgeous. Why are you so rude?" he stood with his legs wide and moved his bat from one hand to another.

"Because I can," Tonks lifted a daring brow. One of the men behind Nick doubled over to the side and threw up. Alastor was quick. Another began tap dancing and cursed because he couldn't stop, and the other two started laughing uncontrollably.

Nick turned in shock and demanded that they stopped. "What the fuck did you do to my friends?"

Sirius reached Tonks and said, "Don't you know this is Salem? Home of witches?... and wizards?"

Nick frowned and looked at his men. The two who were laughing had scared eyes, and they seemed to be in pain. "Stop whatever you are doing! I am here to get my wife, and I will not leave without her."

Daniel was tired of running but when he heard the man say that, his blood boiled, and he ran harder.

"You will leave empty-handed," Alastor had canceled the spell and came out from under a tree, a cloak obscuring his face. "We do not like abusers like you."

"You cannot take her away from me. She is my wife."

"Bullshit!" Daniel said, pointing his gun at the man's chest. "You were never legally married."

Inside the church, Cassandra pushed the priest into the sacristy and stood behind the door with her gun. Hearing her brother made her feel strong despite the circumstances.

"Who the fuck are you!?" Nick made a move to draw a gun, and Tonks took advantage of the fact that the man was focused on Dan to tackle him as hard as she could.

"Daniel Granger, you dimwit!" Daniel threw down his bag and kept walking forward.

Sirius and Moody made quick work of tying the other men up and disarming them. Nick was suddenly very scared as he struggled to breathe and get Tonks off of him. What were those thin sticks they were using? Could they really be witches and wizards? He managed to grab his pepper spray from his pocket and attacked the tackler with it. The witch began coughing and moved away. Daniel kicked Nick's hand and the spray he was still holding. He sat on the man's stomach and proceeded to beat him up while Sirius and Moody obliviated the minions, and Remus helped Tonks after he did a bubble charm on himself. His wolf nose would be very hurt by the pepper spray.

"Never. Hit. A. Woman. Again. You bastard!" Daniel punctuated each word with a vicious punch.

"Granger! Enough!" Alastor barked. "We don't want to test Remus' self-control! The last thing we want is an abuser who is also a werewolf! Calm down!" Alastor began pulling Daniel. Nick was knocked out by the last blow.

Remus had helped Tonks, who sat against a tree catching her breath and using aguamenti to wash her face. Lupin turned towards the church and began sniffing the air in front of him. Sweet non-magical blood! Yum. He licked his lips, bared his fangs, and his pupils dilated. His face moved in a slow circle that displayed his muscular neck. He growled. Sirius saw it all happen in slow motion. This was no longer Remus. He felt a cold chill down his spine. They were all potential food now. He raised his wand to throw his strongest protego, and as Remus lunged forward, three shots were fired.

Unbeknownst to any of them, the priest had actually heard the howl from the park, and he had listened to the last bit of the conversation. With a shaky hand, he had opened the safe and reached inside for an ancient revolver full of silver bullets. He hoped it still worked. He got out of the church through a side door and tiptoed. As a man of God, he didn't want to hurt anyone, but when he saw the horrible creature dive towards the other men, he lost it in terror and shot at it three times. The pained animalistic cries and roars made the man fear his death. The werewolf zeroed in on him and went for his throat before anyone could stop him.

As Remus attacked the priest, Sirius, Tonks, and Alastor managed to scream a pleading, "Noooooooo!"

But it was futile. Once Moony had ripped half the man's neck out, he fell down on top of the priest. Loud howls of pain came out of him as Sirius rushed to him. "No, no, no, no, no, no, love…. This can't be silver, it can't be!"

Moody knelt next to Sirius and did a few spells that Padfoot had never heard of. "I am sorry. It is pure silver."

"NO! We have to save him! Let's take him to St. Mungo's or Gringotts."

The doors of the church opened and Cassandra came out shaking like a leaf. She had also heard the conversation. She jumped into Daniel's arms once she saw the gory scene. Her brother was in shock and his knuckles were a bloody mess. Alastor felt it was futile, but still, he activated the Portkey and did a spell to keep Remus' jaws closed and a few others to slow down the bleeding. Tonks quickly told Cassandra to hold on to her and Alastor and touch the paperweight with one finger. Cassandra was dubious but obeyed as she was too shocked to do anything else. Tonks felt her heart pounding in dread. Remus couldn't die. He just couldn't die!

They felt the familiar sensation of being hooked under their navel as the Portkey took them back to London.

A/N: Hi, lovely people! Thank you for reading. Just an FYI moving forward. I will only add one asterisk after things that I consider need a footnote. You will find the explanations in the A/Ns in the order they are mentioned in the story.

*Thelema: is an occult social/spiritual philosophy developed in the 1900s by Aleister Crowley. I mentioned him before in ASF. He was a writer, mystic, and 'ceremonial magician.' Crowley thought himself to be the prophet (how very convenient!), the Æon of Horus, based upon a spiritual experience that he and his wife had in Egypt in 1904. He said that a non-corporeal being that called itself Aiwass contacted him (through his wife) and dictated a text known as The Book of the Law or Liber AL vel Legis, which outlined the principles of Thelema.

*Æon of Horus means "Crowned and Conquering Child."