Tuesday, April 14 – 7:10 pm
Rory –
I know how bad this looks, but I'm afraid I have to take a rain check. I'm meeting with a barrister tonight and I simply couldn't reschedule. I would have told you sooner, but I haven't a clue as to where you live or nor do I have an owl so that I may contact you.
If you're not too angry with me, perhaps you could come for dinner tomorrow night? I promise you, I will indeed be here. Just let me know if I'm forgiven and if my offer to grovel at your feet has been accepted.
Liam
He looked over the letter and hoped that she would see it as a peace offering. At the bottom of the page, he had drawn a small hand holding a rose. She seemed to like his artwork; maybe a token like this would smooth things over a bit. He wished that she would show up before he had to leave so that he could deliver the message in person. He could better explain that Black was doing this for free. How could he refuse? However, he knew that if Lupin showed up when Roarke was here, it would make things very awkward. He cast a sticking charm on the note and pasted it against his door before leaving the building.
He did not want Lupin in his apartment, for Roarke's scent was still noticeable on the sofa. If Liam could pick up on it, then surely Lupin would, too. Therefore, he waited for Lupin outside the building, secretly keeping an eye out for Roarke as well. Hopefully, Lupin would prove his wife correct and show up early. That was indeed the case as Lupin came around the corner from the alley way where he Apparated. Liam looked over his shoulder hoping to catch sight of Roarke, but had no such luck. Perhaps it was luck that kept her away.
They made their way through Muggle London quietly. The conversation was stilted and forced as Lupin made an obvious effort to settle Liam's nerves. Liam wondered why they had to walk all this distance, but didn't want to complain. After all, Lupin was doing him a huge favor by just setting up the appointment.
"I think you'll be pleased with Mr. Black's services," Lupin said when they arrived at their destination. "I know him very well from my days at Hogwarts." The house was a rather large and impressive looking town home with a massive front door that had an oversized bronze head of a house elf holding a knocker in its mouth. Lupin lifted the ring and rapped on the door. A few second later, a tall boy with dark hair opened it and stood smiling at them.
"Good evening, Griffin."
"Hi, Remus," the boy said with a grin
"We're here to see Sirius."
"Oh yeah! Come on in."
Liam followed Lupin into the hall, trying not to look impressed by the size and décor of the place. "Griffin, I'd like you to meet Liam Zetter. Liam, this is my godson, Griffin Black."
"Hello," they both said to each other, shaking hands.
"Dad is in the upstairs in the office." the boy said before bounding up the curving stairs.
Liam went to grab on to the handrail to follow the boy up, but stopped just short of touching it. It was silver in color, and Liam had become very wary of touching anything that just might be the real thing. However, Lupin took hold of it without even flinching. Liam was still hesitant and made his way up to the top of the stairs without touching the rail.
"Are you enjoying the holiday?" Lupin asked the boy.
"Anything is better than seeing Snape on a daily basis." Liam didn't understand the humor, but whatever Snape was, it made Lupin laugh.
"Dad," the boy called out. "Remus and that guy are here to see you."
A tall, lean man with an easy smile stepped out from the room to the left. He had the same dark hair that the boy had and a very infectious energy about him. He offered a hand to Liam. "Mr. Zetter. Glad you could make it tonight. Please, come on in and have a seat. I'll get you something to drink."
Liam entered the office first, followed by Lupin and Black. "Right on time," Black said. "I could set my watch by you."
Lupin sat down in front of the desk, making himself comfortable. It pained Liam to have to do it, but he knew a comment of appreciation was necessary. "Thank you for setting this up, Mr. Lupin."
"Don't thank me, thank Mr. Black here. Once he heard a few details about this case, he was very anxious to meet you." Black and Lupin shared a glance at each other that Liam didn't especially like. Just what exactly has Lupin been telling him?
"I think what Mr. Lupin is trying to say," Black said pouring a cup of tea, "is that there are a few details that confuse me. The more I looked into the subject, the more the Ministry of Magic gave me the run around. I thought that the best way to get to the bottom of all this fuss was to meet you and hear your side of the story." He offered the cup of tea to Liam and gestured for him to sit down.
There was another glance between the two men. Liam's eyes darted from Lupin to Black, trying to figure out the nature of the relationship these two had. Lupin had mentioned that he knew Black very well. They must be close if Lupin was godfather to Black's son. They certainly had a casualness about them that made Liam feel like a third wheel. However, they just didn't seem to fit.
Liam liked Black instantly. He was much more youthful than Lupin, which made Liam feel more at ease talking to him. Liam felt certain that this man wouldn't judge him; that Black would listen to his story and not give personal opinions about his character. He simply seemed more casual and not so stuffy. He even wore a very fine black sweater that he must have purchased at a Muggle shop. Liam couldn't imagine Lupin wearing such a thing.
It was Lupin's presence here tonight that really worried Liam. There were things that Liam just didn't want Lupin to know concerning the night he was bitten. Telling Black was one thing, but telling Lupin was a whole different game. "Before I tell you anything, may I ask a few questions?"
"Certainly," Black said sitting down behind his desk.
"Am I to understand that everything I say tonight is private?" He shot a look out of the corner of his eye over to Lupin.
"Yes, indeed. As your attorney I am obligated by law to keep all information given to me confidential."
Liam nodded. "Ok…but what about Mr. Lupin?"
Black raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I assumed that as your mentor, Mr. Lupin was welcome here."
Liam looked uncomfortably at Lupin and then back to Black.
Black made a shrewd assumption and said "However, if you are more comfortable just talking with me then I am sure that Mr. Lupin will be glad to wait outside." Lupin and Black exchanged a look.
"Liam, I will of course leave if you prefer, but as your assigned mentor…"
"Mr. Lupin, I haven't told anyone the full details of that night."
"Not even the Ministry?" Lupin asked.
"Hell no!" Liam said too quickly. "Sorry…it's just I figured I was already in trouble. I didn't want to get into more trouble."
"Just what exactly happened that night?" Lupin asked, carefully. Liam held his stare for a long time, not saying a word. "I promise you, Liam. You have my word of honor that I won't say a word about this to anyone."
There was a thick silence as Liam thought about how to approach this. He shifted in his seat and quickly considered the most polite way to ask Lupin to leave. Then to Liam's relief, Black turned to Lupin and said, "Remus?" For a second, Liam was afraid that Black would stand up for him and convince Liam to let him stay. However, Black just raised his eyebrows and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Liam felt a rush of gratitude toward Black.
Lupin nodded. "I understand." He stood up to leave. "Is Liz home?"
"She's in the lounge."
And without further comment, Lupin left.
"Now then," Black said picking up a quill and a piece of parchment. "Why don't you tell me everything you can remember about the night you were bitten."
"How far back do I have to go? Because the whole day was just…strange. I don't even really know where to start. I'm not even sure what you know already."
"The Ministry records indicate you were bitten by one Oliver Kent. I know he bit you on your chest. I know that he is an unregistered werewolf. And I know that for some reason the Ministry of Magic is very interested in keeping the full details of this case private. So, why don't you start at the beginning and fill in the gaps, and we'll try to figure this out together."
"Ok." Liam's shoulders fell and he eyes darted to the floor. "It was all Oliver's idea. All of it. I mean, I didn't exactly oppose his suggestions but then…"
It's now or never. Just get it out and be done with it!
Liam sat forward, determined to make Black understand his dilemma. "What you need to realize is that Oliver and I go way back. We were mates in school. When he invited me over here, I had no reason to think there was anything…sordid about it. I was supposed to start a new job in January. Real work in the real world. No more fooling around. Oliver suggested that I come out here for a visit before settling down into responsibility. The last big fling. I agreed and came out here in late October.
"Once I was out here, though, I noticed that Oliver seemed—different somehow. He kept saying odd things about his mission in life, the cause, and destiny. And you have to understand that Oliver has never been particularly religious, or ambitious, or focused, so this was a bit out of character for him. I thought it was weird, but I brushed it off thinking he was going through some sort of phase. Besides that, I wouldn't be staying very long anyway, so I just sort of humored him, and didn't really pay a great deal of attention to what he was saying. I was here to have a good time, you know. And it was my first trip to England. Really pretty wretched place to visit in October.
"I was scheduled to go home on November 15th. That was a Friday. Monday was my birthday – November 11th – and Oliver suggested that since it was a special occasion, and I would be leaving soon, that we spend my last few days celebrating – really celebrating. He thought we should start with a good meal. He took me to some bizarre restaurant that served eastern European food. I didn't much care for it. Most of the food was raw and I'm the type that likes my cows dead when I bite into them."
"He fed you raw meat?" asked Sirius, frowning.
"Yeah. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I'm guessing that he was just having some cravings or something."
"But you didn't know at that time that he was a werewolf?"
"No. I hadn't a clue. I didn't even know what the symptoms were. We don't have werewolves in Oz. We don't even study them in school, just like you folks probably don't study aboriginal magic. There's no need for it over here."
Black scribbled a note on the parchment. Liam sighed heavily. "What?" he asked.
"It's nothing, Liam," Black said. "Please continue with your explanation."
"Right," Liam said skeptically. "So we finished eating – or rather he finished eating – and then he took me shopping. He said he wanted to buy me a gift as a birthday present. So he bought me this…er…" Liam really didn't know how to describe it. " I dunno what it was. Some kind of animal pelt for your shoulders. You know, with fur. I didn't want it! Looks like something a Sheila would wear! But I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I just thanked him and stuffed it in a bag.
"Then he took me to get a tattoo."
When Liam said this, Black stopped writing and looked at him pointedly. "Why a tattoo?"
"I dunno. Oliver has one and he thought I should get one like his. He said it would prove that we were brothers forever. "
Black sat up at that comment, surprise evident on his face. "Were those his exact words?"
"Yes," confirmed Liam, worried as to what Black was getting at. "Why?"
Black frowned. "It's just a curious choice of words. So then what happened after you got the tattoo?"
This was the part that Liam was not too anxious to talk about. He wasn't certain about the laws in Britain or how this information would even be taken. Maybe he will believe what the ministry fell for?
"Nothing. We just went back to his flat where he bit me."
Black squinted at him as if working out a puzzle. "Somewhere in there, Oliver transformed into a wolf. When did you first see him in his transformed state?"
"Er…right before he bit me."
"Hum…" Black sat back, folded his arms and tapped his lips with his finger. "There's something you're not telling me, Liam. There's too much time missing. You went into details on the rest of the day, but then once night falls, you sum it up in one sentence."
Liam felt his stomach get a bit queasy.
"You have to tell me everything, Liam, or I can't really help you. You have to trust me. I won't say a word."
Liam looked away. Very quietly, under his breath he said, "We bought some fire whiskey…and some mushrooms…for a special potion."
"Mushrooms? Hallucinogenic mushrooms?" Black asked.
Liam nodded but didn't say a word.
"So you went back to his flat, mixed a potion, and…"
"I was off my face by nightfall," Liam finished the sentence for Black. He waited for Black to scold him, but it never came.
"Did you both take the potion?"
Liam inhaled deeply and slowly let the breath out. "I think so. It was a very strong potion so I wasn't really concentrating on him at the time."
"Do you remember anything after that?"
"Only…the bite. I remember him transforming. I thought I was tripping – that I was so far gone that I was imagining my friend turning into a wolf. It was so wild and…" Liam shook his head in regret. "Honestly, at the time I thought it was cool."
"Was that when he attacked you?"
"Yeah, he just slowly came up next to me as if nothing was wrong. That's why I thought I was hallucinating. Wouldn't a wolf pounce or something? But he didn't. I think I even scratched his ears, just as you would a dog. He licked my hand and then… he just … bit me."
"And you let him?"
"I don't know…One minute we were laughing and comparing tattoos, the next he was biting it."
"Hold on, where is this tattoo?"
"On my chest. He attacked me right on the tattoo."
Black rested his elbows on the desk and clasped his hands. "Liam, it might help in my research if I could get a better look at the wound. That is…if I could see…the real thing."
Liam swallowed. "Is it the bite or the tattoo that your so curious about?"
"To be perfectly honest, it's a little bit of both," Sirius said, his face showing little emotion.
Liam licked his lips nervously. Very slowly, he raised his hand to his top button and began undoing the front of his shirt. Once he was half way down, he pulled the fabric aside revealing the blue-black tattoo with neat puncture wounds surrounding it. They'd been interminably slow to heal, but now were white raised scars. Black stood up and came around to the front of his desk to get a better look. .
"Hum…interesting." Black said after a long silence. "And you say Oliver has one just like this?"
"Yeah. The artist used Oliver's tattoo as guide for mine."
"Do you know what the image represents?"
"Some kind of animal?"
"Yes, it certainly is an animal, but don't ask me what kind of an animal. It looks like an Egyptian hieroglyph that could be used to represent a wolf. Very interesting choice for a werewolf to have a tattoo of this kind. But it isn't just the tattoo that I find curious. These puncture marks – is this where he bit you?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well it's just that I've never known a werewolf to attack in this manner. I don't think there has ever been such a precise and perfect looking scar. No wonder the ministry is interested in it."
"What do you mean?"
"The file on this at the Ministry mentions a tattoo. That's all."
"And how would they even know that? Who was it that told? Some medi-witch at that sham of a hospital, I suppose. They probably paid her a right good fortune for a description of my bite."
"Actually," Black said hesitantly, "I'm almost certain they have a photograph of it."
Liam looked at him bewildered. "What? How?"
"I'm guessing they took the picture without your consent while you were asleep." Black explained.
"Did you see it?" Liam asked in growing concern.
"No. Like I said, I wasn't given access to everything in the file. However, there was mention in one of the documents about a photograph labeled "potion bite."
"Hang on, they know about the potion we made?"
Black inhaled sharply. "I don't think that's the potion to which they were referring."
"Well, what other potion is there?"
"Wolfsbane," said Black.
Liam tried to work out Black's meaning.
"You see, Liam," Black said returning to his seat behind the desk, "wolfsbane is supposed to curb a werewolf's desire to hunt and attack. It's supposed to render him harmless to those he may come in contact with. I believe from what little I have read concerning the case, and from what you have told me tonight, that the ministry's real interest in this case is trying to prove that Mr. Kent cursed you while he was under the influence of the wolfsbane potion."
"But he wasn't. If he had taken wolfsbane, he would have been in complete control that night. He would have kept his mind and not attacked."
"He did keep his mind. You said it yourself. And he didn't attack you. He calmly and purposefully bit you."
Liam felt a cold empty knot in his stomach. "Now hang on, if Oliver had taken wolfsbane, then what your saying is he did this to me on purpose. That he planned it! That he wanted to do this to me!"
"Think about it, Liam." Black glanced down at his notes. "He fed you raw meat. Dressed you in animal skins. Marked you with a tattoo similar to a wolf. Do you honestly think this wasn't planned?"
Liam shook his head in disbelief.
"How much do you know about werewolves?" Black asked.
"Only what I've learned in the last six months," Liam answered quietly.
"Have you even seen a bite mark other than your own?"
"No."
"You wound is…perfection. It's almost invisible. Where as most wounds are caused by the wolf ripping the skin apart, pulling at it with its teeth. The scar left behind is jagged and rough. And I've never known a wolf to intentionally bite someone in a specific place on the body."
"You're saying that if he hadn't taken wolfsbane, he would have ripped me to shreds?" A sudden realization hit Liam right between the eyes. "I would be dead, wouldn't I?" He thought about his scar…and the way Oliver had attacked him. Calm…purposefully…drawing just enough blood to pass on the curse. "Oh my God." Liam's eyes fell shut and his head flopped back against his chair. "All this time and I didn't even realize. What am I supposed to do, then?"
"Now just a moment. I only pointed these things out to you to show you what the Ministry is going on. I need to look into it further, but I think your wound is the only proof they have that Mr. Kent took wolfsbane before he cursed you."
"Well, it's damn good proof if you ask me!"
"You can't say that at the hearing, Liam," Black said, his face intense.
"Why not?"
"Because that's what they want you to say. They want you to tell them everything that you just told me so they can reach the same conclusions we made. If they can prove that a werewolf can pass on the curse while under the influence of the wolfsbane potion, what do you think the Ministry would do with werewolves at the full moon?"
Liam sat in a stunned silence, taking all this in. At last he spoke. "That's why they won't let me go home. This doesn't have anything to do with putting Oliver away for life, does it? It's about a death sentence for the rest of us."
Black nodded.
"So what am I supposed to do? Lie?"
"No, not lie. But saying you know he drank wolfsbane isn't exactly the truth, either."
"But…" Liam started.
"Other than the potion that you and Oliver made, was there any indication that he was brewing wolfsbane?"
"I…I don't think so."
"Did you witness him stop at an apothecary and purchase a goblet full?"
"No."
"Am I correct in assuming that once you consumed your own potion, your mind was clouded and impaired?"
"Yes."
"Then everything that happened to you afterwards is subject to a hallucinogenic interpretation and can not be taken as clearly truthful." Black paused a moment. "For example, are you certain that he approached you slowly? Or was your mind only processing information more slowly and interpreting his actions as such?"
"I dunno. I just…"
"Do you see how tricky this can be?"
"Yeah, I'm starting to." Liam exhaled slowly. "Lupin said you were good, though. Isn't this the part where you tell me I don't have anything to worry about?"
Black chuckled. "I'm good, Liam, and I will do everything I can to help, but don't start thinking that I'll be able to fix everything easily. This is going to take quite a bit of work. You will have to consider your testimony carefully. The ministry will try to trip you up, to twist your words. You will have to be clear, simple and consistent. You will testify only to that which you witnessed, and make no interpretation of the events. Think you can handle that?"
Liam shrugged. "I think so. I mean, it sounds straightforward."
"Good, because you'll need to keep a very cool head under cross examination. I'll be working on some of the questions that I think might come up during the trial. When we meet up again, we'll go over it. What I need you to do in the mean time is to really concentrate on the time you spent with Oliver before he bit you. You said he mentioned a cause or a mission. See if you can't remember what he said exactly. What cause? What mission? Can you recall any other odd behavior? And think about it from the perspective you have now…through the eyes of a werewolf. Now that you are familiar with lycanthropic behavior, you might be able to remember something important that, at the time, seemed irrelevant. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"
"Yeah, sure," Liam said softly. "I just…might have a hard time with this. Oliver was a good friend. What you're asking me to do…you're asking me to figure out how he managed to pull one over on me—why he did this to me. I guess I'm still having a hard time believing that he did this to me at all, let alone that he planned it all out."
Black looked Liam directly in the eyes. "There is nothing more damaging than a friend's betrayal." His voice was barely audible. "Especially when that betrayal robs you of your freedom – and threatens to take away your life." Black's blue eyes grew fierce. "You have my word, Liam, that I will do everything I can to be sure justice will be served."
9:00 later that evening
Liam trudged up the steps to his flat thinking about the testimony he would have to give. Black said that it would have to be worded very carefully so that the Ministry wouldn't get what they want. He suddenly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Well…maybe not the world, but the fate of all werewolves in this godforsaken place rests on me and what I will say at the hearing.
It was too much to think about. All Liam wanted was to get to his flat, help himself to a nice bottle of fire whiskey, and drown out his thoughts. If he was lucky, he might even pass out and get a decent night's sleep tonight. But that wouldn't exactly happen.
Not exactly. Because there was a note stuck to his door. Liam smiled warily and read it, hoping it wouldn't be more bad news.
Will,
So you stood me up again? You're lucky your cute, or this would have been over a long time ago. Unfortunately, Wednesday is bad for me. Can we make it Thursday? If not, we'll have to wait until next week. I have family stuff to do all weekend.
I'll be waiting for your owl tonight. We DO have a post office, you know. And if they are closed – 76390 North Cumberland Ave 2A
Roarke
PS: The groveling had better be worth the wait!
Liam grinned to himself. "Oh, it will be."
