A Well in the DeadLand
By Marz
Chapter 4: Casualties
Tonks dropped the five year old copy of Witch Weekly on the table as the healer entered the waiting room. The healer's face was tense and she rolled her wand across her knuckles as she walked. Before Tonks could utter a single question, there was a soft pop, and an ancient man in periwinkle robes appeared on the bench next to her. The healer dropped her wand in surprise, but recovered quickly.
"Headmaster Dumbledore!" the healer said, "Are you well?"
"I am in perfect health for a person my age, Healer Perkins, but thank you for your concern."
The headmaster responded politely, and even gave Perkins a little half bow from his seat. Tonks was not surprised that Dumbledore knew her, as he seemed to know everyone. The healer stared, waiting for him to state his business, but he only folded his hands in his lap and looked about, as if he had come to St. Mungo's hospital simply to observe the wall paper of the waiting room. Tonks cleared her throat.
"Yes of course," Perkins said, her nervousness returning. "The werewolf…"
"You mean Lupin?" Tonks interrupted sharply.
"Yes, yes, of course," she frowned at Tonks before continuing. "Mr. Lupin has completely reverted to human form. We're treating him as best we can, but a transformation outside the influence of the full moon is almost entirely unheard of. The only reference we could find was well over three thousand years old and it did not give any clue as to the cause of the unexpected change. We've isolated him incase it happens again, and made him comfortable, but…"
"But what?" Tonks asked.
"We are a bit concerned about his mental state. He has been saying some…"
Tonks cut her off again. "He's awake? We have to see him this instant."
"That would be inadvisable at the moment. He is not well and visiting hours were over at…"
The healer took a step back as Tonks jumped to her feet, and managed to knock over the coffee table, scattering magazines across the floor. Tonks pointed at Perkins, but before she could get her self banned from the hospital, Dumbledore cleared his throat. With a snap of his fingers the table and its accoutrements put themselves back in order. Tonks turned and saw he'd stood up as well.
"Healer Perkins," the ancient man said, "I do not believe it necessary to wade into the bureaucracy of hospital policy. It is imperative that we speak to Mr. Lupin. Lives hang in the balance. He is on the fourth floor I believe, the Ignacious Wormwood ward?"
The healer gave a slightly stunned nod. Dumbledore gave her another half bow and headed toward the stairs. Tonks followed. In the semi-privacy of the staircase they spoke.
"Did you talk to Moody?" Tonks asked. Her foot caught the edge of a step and she would have fallen had the headmaster not caught her arm. She was tired, wired, and scarred, and none of that was helping her already poor coordination.
"I did," Dumbledore said. "I spoke with another member of the Order as well. He also had a less then corporeal visitor this afternoon. We brought him to Hogwarts for treatment. I think the rest of the situation should be discussed later."
Tonks nodded. They arrived in Remus Lupin's room in silence. It was locked and warded to prevent unauthorized entry, but it did not impede Dumbledore in the slightest. He taped the door once with his wand, and then held it open for Tonks.
Remus lay tucked into a neatly made bed. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his hands clenched the blankets in a white knuckled grip. Sweat beaded his forehead and upper lip. He was mumbling something, almost too quietly for Tonks to make out.
"Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away," Remus chanted over and over again.
The Headmaster settled in the chair by the bed and Tonks stood on the other side. The sick man sensed their presents, but his pleading chant only grew louder.
"Remus," Dumbledore said gently. "Look at me.".
The second Lupin opened his eyes an almost eerie calmness came over him. He stared at Dumbledore without blinking.
"Remus, I need to know what happened."
Tonks knew what Dumbledore was really saying. He wanted permission to use Legilimency, to look inside Lupin's mind and see what had occurred. Lupin gave a very weak nod of assent. Tonks turned her back on them, not wanting to get drawn into any of it with accidental eye contact. It was over a minute later. When she looked again Dumbledore was thoughtfully watching his own tented fingers, and Lupin was shaking.
"I don't think it's gone," Lupin said.
His eyes were boring into Tonks.
"I think it's still here," Lupin continued. "It…it…it feels like my insides are all gone. I think it's in there. I think it's still in my head. It…it…k-knows. The wolf knows its coming. It wants it to come back. It wants to get out."
"Don't worry Remus," Tonks said, trying to cheer him up. "We'll catch that thing, and it'll spend the rest of its life in the Department of Mysteries being poked and prodded and spelled."
He stared at her. She went to plan B.
"Would you like something to eat? Or read maybe. I could get you a magazine."
Lupin's shaking grew worse.
"It knows what's in my mind. It's moving around in there. It's tearing things up."
Dumbledore leaned forward in the chair.
"Remus, I wish to try something which I believe may help you. Will you let me?"
Lupin's eyes grew glazed. "It knows you're here, Professor. It's watching, always watching, always watching. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away."
"I believe I will take that as a yes."
There was a glass of water on the night stand and Dumbledore unceremoniously dumped the contents out on the floor. He placed his wand against Lupin's temple and muttered an incantation. Tonks had seen this magic before as well, though it usually only worked when a person cast the spell on themselves. As Dumbledore drew the end of his wand away a black worm like strand clung to the end of it. He dropped the dark thread into the empty glass, where it writhed about, as if it intended to crawl out. Dumbledore repeated the process until the glass was a quarter full of the disgusting things. The last strand Dumbledore pulled loose was a bright and shining silver, and he quickly pushed that one back inside.
Remus Lupin blinked, groaned, and sat up. He looked about the room as if he'd never seen it before. His eyes were drawn to the glass in Dumbledore's hand.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Without further study I can not be certain. I believe they might be werewolf thoughts, or perhaps something even more alien. I trust you feel better without them wiggling about in your mind?"
Lupin nodded.
"That thing, in Harry's room, when it touched me, everything in my mind, it all went to pieces. I don't know how…"
"Remus, I have another meeting to attend to shortly. Now that you are once again yourself, I believe it would be best if you did not confront that particular creature again. When you are released from the hospital, I wish for you to take over at Grimmauld Place. Molly Weasley will take over your duties in the search."
"But sir, I can't just sit there and guard an empty house. I have to help. It's my responsibility."
The ancient man locked eyes with Lupin. "This is not open to debate. You are absolved of responsibility. You are vulnerable to this creature in a way no other member of the Order is. You would become a danger to yourself and others."
"If I took the Wolf's Bane potion…"
"We can not risk it. The creature has shown a disturbing ability to alter and re-channel magic. Remus this is not punishment, and I do not doubt you would fight your hardest to resist the creature's influence, but we can not sacrifice the safety of the Order to spare your feelings. I need your word that the moment your release papers are signed you will apparate directly to Grimmauld Place, and stay there until I personally tell you other wise."
The Headmaster of Hogwarts School looked at him sternly.
"You have my word," Lupin said quietly. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
Dumbledore nodded and stood. There was a soft popping sound, and in the next instant he was gone. Lupin turned to Tonks.
"Has there been any progress at all?"
She shook her head. "We've got agents in nearly every magical community in country, and the international port-key stations have all been shut down. We'll find Harry. Don't worry so much. You'll give yourself wrinkles."
"I should be out looking," he said miserably.
Tonks shrugged and turned to leave. She had eight hours till her next shift began. She was going to take the knight bus home rather then disapparating, as she was so exhausted she feared she'd leave an arm behind. She stopped in the door way.
"You know if you left before they signed you papers, you technically wouldn't be breaking your promise. G'night Remus."
It occurred to her later that she probably should not have put that idea in his head.