The courageous will cower with or without love, but with love they will proudly face their fears.

~Unknown

Chapter Five: Nonsense and Nobility

The party returned to Camelot mostly on foot. Lancelot and James rode the horses that Remus and James had tied up earlier, and much to Remus's relief he, Sirius, Mary and Dory all walked (a safe distance) behind them.

"So, are you two his maids?" Remus asked, attempting to make polite conversation. He was met however, with two glares that left the hair on the back of his neck standing.

"Ask me that again and I'll cut off your arm." Mary said, her fist clenching around the hilt of her sword. "We're more like lookouts. We watch for trouble and call him when we see it."

"Or take care of it ourselves." Dory shrugged. When she saw the shocked look on Sirius's face she smirked. "What, you thought these swords were just for decoration? We do know how to use them."

"Well, I assumed you had basic knowledge of how to use them, but really? You help Lancelot? No one's ever said anything about a couple of girls fighting off bandits in the woods. I believe that you are just making things up now."

"We cover our faces." Mary said. "That way no one knows who we are and they can assume whatever they would like."

"Are you saying that you let people think that the two of you are Lancelot?" Remus asked, more impressed than shocked. Unlike Sirius who was still gaping like a fish.

"But you're girls." He said. "Woman." They both laughed, and then Dory shook her head. "You shouldn't know how to hold a sword, let alone kill someone with it."

"You take the pointy end and you stab them with it." Mary said, rolling her eyes. "I think everyone knows that."

"We could show you if you'd like." Dory said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I highly doubt that." Sirius said. "I've been trained with a sword since I was five. And I know for a fact that you spent your childhood sewing and learning to walk with books on your head, Dory." She scoffed.

"I'm not that little girl anymore." She said, her eyes hardening as she said it. "I'm different."

"I can see that, I'm not blind. I'm saying that I've been training longer than you and I'm really rather good. Excellent even. I've gone up against hundreds of men and not one of them have bested me. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Because I'm a girl?" Dory asked, her brow quirked. Remus put a hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"He actually didn't say that." He said, knowing very well that Sirius had meant it anyway. "He said it was because he was more practiced than you and also very talented."

"It's also because you're a girl." Sirius laughed, punching Remus playfully in the shoulder. Remus wasn't sure why this stranger seemed to be so comfortable with him, but he couldn't say that he minded it too much. Sirius seemed like a good person, if slightly out there.

"God," Dory sighed. "Why are you still here? I don't recall the prince inviting you back to the castle." Sirius laughed, but didn't answer her.

"I was trying to help you out, mate. Currently, they each have a sword and you don't have anything to defend yourself with." Remus said with a rueful smile.

"You should listen to him." Mary said. "But luckily for you, we don't attack defenseless, children." She smirked and Dory chuckled.

"Ha ha." Sirius scratched the back of his head. "You're hilarious."

"Stop intimidating the blokes." Lancelot called back. "They seem nice enough."

"They're not intimidating me." Sirius called back. "They're just a couple of woman. I've handled far worse before. Actually there was this one pair over on Knockturn Isle that looked strikingly similar-"

"Please shut up." Remus said. "You really don't know when to keep your mouth shut." Then he turned to Mary, who was closest to him. "I don't know him. I just met him minutes before I met you." She smiled at him.

"I don't think I caught your name."

"It's Remus." He said. "Remus Lupin."

"Mary McDonald." She said, sticking her hand out. Remus shook it.

"It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Dorcas Meadowes." Dory said. "But don't call me Dorcas."

"Right, of course. It's nice to meet you as well."

"Why are you both being nice to him?" Sirius said.

"He's not acting like an arse, is he?" Dory asked.

"Not even a little bit." Mary said.

"He's afraid of horse." Sirius said.

"Why would you say that?" Remus sighed, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm afraid of spiders." Mary said.

"And I hate water." Dory said. Then she looked at Sirius and added, "Which you already know."

"It's a stupid thing to be afraid of." Sirius said.

"Well, you teasing me about it when we were children didn't make it any better." She shoved him. "You're an arse. Don't let him bother you Remus. You seem like a decent person."

"Thank you, Dory." Remus smiled. "And James is far worse than Sirius is."

"I highly doubt that." Dory laughed. "Sirius once chopped off a girl's hair. All of it. Or, nearly all of it. For a prank."

"That's horrible." Remus said, looking over at Sirius. "Why would you do that?"

"Firstly, the girl was my cousin. Secondly, she's a horrid bitch and she deserved it."

"Doesn't she live with the king now?" Dory asked.

"Yes." Sirius sighed. "Bella has done well for herself."

"Lady Bellatrix is your cousin?" Remus asked. "Then I have two things wrong with what you just said. Firstly," He mocked. "Bellatrix has been nothing but kind to me since I arrived in Camelot. Secondly, she's living with the king because the Great Purge left her orphaned."

"She was rather horrible as a child." Dory said reluctantly. "But I refuse to defend the other thing he said. I don't think anyone deserves to have their hair chopped off while they sleep."

"Your turn." Mary said, poking Remus in the shoulder. "What's something completely arse like that James has done?"

"Where should I start?"

"Are you talking about me back there?" James called back. "I can hear you, you know."

"I'm talking about a different James." Remus called back. "This guy's a real prat, nothing like you, your majesty." James turned around as much as he could while sitting on his horse and glared at Remus.

"I bet he's a really fantastic bloke once you get to know him." James said.

"Not in my experience." Remus sighed, Sirius and the girls laughed. James grinned and shook his head. "Anyway, how about I tell you about the first time I met him."

"Sounds like it could be good." Dory said with a nod.

"In my defense-"

"No." Remus cut him off and James just nodded.

oOoOo

James couldn't believe that he was walking beside Lancelot. The great and mysterious Lancelot. He had gone out today on a whim, hoping to run into someone who could give him a wisp of information and instead he found him and got him to return to the castle. He really should have talked to his dad about this beforehand, he just hadn't expected for it to go this way.

The two of them, having left the other four in the courtyard, made their way to the Great Hall where James had asked his dad to meet them.

"I have a question before we go and speak to the king." Lancelot said, stopping in the middle of the corridor. James nodded and turned back to face him. "Aren't you in charge of the knights?"

"Yes. I recruit and train all of them myself."

"Then why do I have to meet the King to become a knight?"

"You don't have to be nervous about it." James laughed. "He just wants to meet you. You're something of a legend around here. Also, there is a law that he's going to have to overlook for you to become a knight." James turned around and started walking again. He hated explaining this to people, especially people who the law shouldn't apply to.

"Wait, what? What law?" James stopped walking and turned around again.

"There is this law that says only men of noble descent can become knights of Camelot."

"But why?"

"It has to do with trust and dignity, but I think it's outdated and I think we can persuade my father to turn a blind eye in this situation."

"Turn a blind eye? You mean give me special treatment? I don't want that."

"I want to abolish the law." James said resolutely. "I don't want to only get to choose my knights from a fraction of the men in this kingdom who my father has deemed fit. Unfortunately, he won't listen to reason so maybe we can show it to him."

"I think I'm alright with helping you change the law. But I don't want to be an exception to the law."

"I understand." James nodded. He wasn't sure if that was going to be possible, but maybe Lancelot wouldn't have to find out about that. "But my father isn't the type of man that will just change something. We'll need to get him to make an exception and then I'll keep talking to him about how it worked out so well and… Well, hopefully together, we'll be able to change his mind."

"Alright, but I'm still uncomfortable about this. I don't like people treating me differently."

"I got that feeling when I was told you don't take your helmet off." James ran a hand through his hair. "Hiding something right? Something that people wouldn't accept if they saw it?"

Lance was quiet for a moment and then nodded. "It's definitely easier this way." He said quietly.

A few moments later, they were both walking through the doors and up to the king's throne. The throne room was lavish and whenever Remus was there, he always made some crack about not being able to breathe because it was stuffy and James always rolled his eyes or shoved him, but he secretly agreed. There were too many flowers for the small space and the perfume smell was overwhelming. There were also god awful tapestries hanging on the walls. There were normal ones that you'd expect to see, like a portrait of James' mother and father, then one of James and his father, but then there were some strange ones; an old woman in a strange white robe was James' personal favorite. She was holding an empty wine glass and looked as though she were in the middle of singing. He couldn't see Lance's face, but he could imagine the expression that he was currently wearing.

"What is this about, James? You know that I'm very busy this week. I was in a meeting with Lord Malfoy when you had a knight come and fetch me, this better be important." His father said, barely glancing in Lancelot's direction.

"It sounds like I did you a service getting you away from Malfoy. Father, I'd like to present Lancelot." He gestured towards him. "He's the man who has been-"

"Yes, I know who he is. He's the man that's been making a mockery out of you and your knights, James. What is he doing here?" James was slightly taken aback. His father never was one to hold back on criticism, but he didn't normally talk to him like that in front of people. He took a deep breath and tried to smile.

"I thought it would be a good idea to introduce him to the knights."

"And why is that a good idea?"

"Okay, I'm sorry." James said. "Is something wrong?"

"You asked me to wait for you in the Great Hall, only to introduce me to someone that I could care less about. That seems wrong to me." James was affronted. He stepped forward.

"Dad? Did I do something wrong?"

"I just said you did." The king threw both hands in the air and pulled at his hair. Then he stood up. "I'm leaving now. If you get any other brilliant idea's tell someone else."

James stood there for a moment completely shocked. Even on his worst day, the king would never talk to James like that when there were other people in the room. And he would never tell him outright that his ideas were stupid regardless of whether or not there were people around.

Lancelot stayed quiet. James wasn't sure if he appreciated that or not. On the one hand, he didn't know how he would have defended his father's crass words, but on the other, he'd have liked the opportunity to try. So he did, without being prompted to.

"I apologize for his rudeness. He doesn't normally act like this." James said, looking at the ground, and then the wall behind Lancelot. "We're going to carry on as though he hadn't just… Let's go down to the training grounds. I have a couple knights who haven't stopped talking about your for months."

"Look, your highness, I don't want to cause trouble for you or your father. I should leave. It would make everyone happier. Mary and Dory included and-"

"No," James put his hands up and looked at him, trying to get a good angle so he could see his eyes through his helmet. "I know that this was discouraging, but I'll talk to him later. Everything will be fine. Lord Malfoy probably just put him in a bad mood or something. If you ever met the man, you would completely understand."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He said with as much conviction as he could, knowing that his father never let Malfoy put him in a bad mood. He was the kind of man that let the Lord's angry words roll off him if he thought they held no merit, and that was most of the time. So, James squared his shoulders and took a deep breath, "Let's go."

oOoOo

"Everyone gather around." James called out, now looking much more confident than he had walking out of the castle. He hadn't told Remus what had happened, but he was pretty sure the king had said no. James always had pretty much the same look whenever his father said no to him, which wasn't often, but it was a look that Remus had familiarized himself with. He was normally in a very bad mood for several hours after and Remus usually went and found Lily while he worked through his problems.

When the knights had circled around him, James grinned. "This is Lancelot." He motioned to the man, still wearing a helmet. Lance nodded his head, his hands resting on the handle of his sword.

"Really?" Arden asked, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "You're Lancelot, the Lancelot?"

"That would be me." He nodded, and Remus could hear the grin on the man's face. Arden laughed and, almost started jumping. He looked like he really wanted to, but Amos and Frank were flanking him and probably never would have let him live it down if he had. He did still look like a small child on Christmas though.

"That's pathetic." Mary said, rolling her eyes from next to Remus. "He's going to pee himself."

"Arden's a big fan." Remus shrugged, not liking Mary saying anything against Arden. The knights could be real prats, and they were most of the time, but they were Remus' prats now and he had, unwittingly, grown fond some of them. Mary shrugged and crossed her arms.

"I told you he was real." Arden said, turning around and jabbing a finger at Amos. "I knew it, and you owe me ten silvers."

"Alright, alright. There's no need for that." Amos said, his cheeks slightly red. Remus laughed. "It's nice to finally meet you, Lancelot. I'm Amos Diggory. We've all heard a lot about you. Mostly from Ardy here, but still. You come with some fairly impressive stories."

"It's actually Arden. Not Ardy. Arden Weasley." He said, sticking his hand out, pushing Amos's out of the way in the process. Lance laughed and took it, giving it a hearty shake. "And they're not stories, Amos. They are recounts of true events." Arden said, giving Amos the side-eye.

"Actually, I hate to say it, but I am willing to bet that some of them are just stories. People have kind of become taken with me and made things up. For example, I've never single handedly taken a dragon. Nor am I part dragon." The knights all laughed.

"He's going to fit right in, isn't he?" Dory laughed.

"Looks like it." Mary agreed.

"You three are really close, aren't you?" Remus asked.

"Yes." Mary said, giving a slight shrug despite her confident answer. "I didn't grow up with Dory like- Wait a minute. Where is that, prat?"

"You mean Sirius?" Remus asked, looking around. He didn't see him either, even though he had been standing next to him not five minutes ago.

"I've fought a dragon before." The man in question said from the other side of the knights. "I didn't kill it, but it also didn't kill me."

"And who are you?" Amos said, using the voice he used when he was talking to people he deemed a waste of his time. Remus was quite familiar with that voice.

"That's Sirius Black, he helped me find Lancelot." James said, looking like he didn't quite know what to do about Sirius. They had only just met him in the woods a couple hours ago, and he had introduced himself as a borderline criminal.

"Black, eh?" Arden asked. "Any relation to-"

"Yeah, Bella's my cousin." Sirius said, waving his hand dismissively. "But we're talking about-"

"Sirius Black?" Fabian asked, stepping up. "The disinherited, drunk that spends all his time in taverns robbing people of their money?"

"I've never robbed anyone." Sirius said, his easy smile that had been on his face since Remus met him slipping away. "And I'm not a drunk."

"No." Gideon laughed from next to Fabian. "You just sit in the taverns all day and twiddle your thumbs or knit scarves."

"Who are you?" Sirius asked, his hands going to where his sword would have been, if he had been in possession of one. "Who are you two?"

"Gideon and-"

"Fabian Prewett." The other finished. "Knights of the Camelot and inherited nobles."

"Fabulous. Someone give me a sword and I'll take both of you, right here and now. I'll show you just how much your status is worth."

"Ha, you don't actually think you can do that, do you?" Fabian laughed. "We're knights of Camelot."

"And I'm a disinherited drunk." Sirius sneered. "Get me a sword."

"Are you honestly challenging me?" Fabian asked, marching up to Sirius.

"Men," James laughed, trying to defuse the growing tension. "There's no need for this. And Sirius, you were never formally-"

"Of course I'm not challenging you." Sirius said, surprising everyone by interrupting James. "I'm challenging both of you."

"Both of us?" Gideon laughed. "Are you completely thick? We're knights of Camelot. We do nothing but train and then utilize our skills all day. You spend your days in taverns, taking petty cash from commoners."

"What makes you think you would even stand a chance?" Fabian asked.

"Excuse me." James shouted. "Apparently you three don't want to take what I say into account but I am the Prince and you will listen to me. You," He pointed a finger at Sirius. "You're a guest here and must behave unless you wish me to escort you out of the city. And you two," He glared at Fabian and Gideon. "As knights, my knights, you know how you are supposed to behave around guests, even difficult ones." Another glare at Sirius. Remus was surprised at his outburst. In the months that he's been working for James, he'd never once seen him shout at his knights. And they had done some very stupid things too. "Apologize." He demanded of Fabian and Gideon. Both of them looked shocked. Actually, most of the knights looked fairly shocked. "You were mocking him, apologize." He explained further.

"He started it." Fabian said, childishly.

"Either you apologize or you accept his challenge." James countered. "Those are your options."

"Then we accept." Gideon said quickly.

"I hope you're prepared to lose." Fabian sneered.

"I assure you that this doesn't happen on a regular basis." James said to Lancelot.

"Don't worry about it." Dory said, un-strapping her sheath and sword. "Sirius is known for bringing out the worst in people. Here," She tossed her belt to Sirius.

"Thanks." He said with a wink, then fastened it around his waist.

"No comments about how it's a girl's blade?"

"I was teasing earlier." Sirius laughed. "But I'm not stupid. I know not to mock the only ally I've got." Dory shook her head but she was grinning.

As the three competitors made their way down away from the crowd, Remus looked at James. He could tell that the prince was curious as to what was about to happen. There wasn't a man in Camelot stupid enough to take on one of James' knights and Sirius had marched up and challenged two of them without so much as batting an eye. Moreover, they were two of the bigger more intimidating knights. Sirius just wasn't afraid, and that had James intrigued. Remus thought that it was the only reason that he hadn't told Sirius to leave already.

Sirius unsheathed Dory's blade and swung it around a couple of times, getting a feel for it. Standing next to Mary and Dory, Remus heard Mary whisper, "I know I should want the knights to win, but is Sirius any good?"

"Unless his arms are broken or randomly fall off in the middle of the fight, I don't see him losing." Dory said, looking an odd combination of proud and displeased. "He's always been really good. When we were kids, his sword was practically a third arm. I was only joking earlier when I was saying we could beat him."

"Is he always like this?" Remus asked.

"Is he always loud, intimidating and prideful?" Dory asked with a laugh. "I haven't seen him in a few years, but I can't picture him any other way."

"The rules will be the same as always." James said, now not even attempting to look upset. "Last man or in this case, men, standing will be deemed the winner. No fatal blows and try not to make anyone bleed all that much either."

"Sire, he's not even wearing any armor." Fabian said, motioning to Sirius.

"I was robbed." Sirius explained with a shrug. "Not that the armor I had was any good. I'll be fine."

"He says that he's good." James said. "Sirius, are you sure that you want to fight both of them at the same time?"

"Of course I'm sure!" He shouted. "Honestly, you're all acting as though this is going to be difficult for me." Gideon couldn't take any more of Sirius's arrogance and threw the first blow. Sirius let out a bark of laughter as Gideon's sword collided with his own. "Now we're talking!"

He looked completely thrilled, which made Remus laugh, because Fabian and Gideon looked near furious. It was a humorous contradiction.

The Prewett brothers tried their hardest to hit him again and again, and every time Sirius would block their swing with one of his own or dodge out of the way with another laugh. It went on for a long time, until all the knights stopped cheering for the twins and Sirius said, "You boys had enough? I think it's time I stopped messing with you." He launched forward and swung his sword around towards Gideon, now not only matching blow for blow, but adding in his own and causing the twins to step back.

Within minutes, he had rid both knights of their swords, not bothering with James' rules. Once both swords were on the ground, Sirius laughed and turned to James. "I thought they were supposed to be the best in the kingdom?"

Instead of looking offended, James grinned. "Where have you been hiding, Black?"

"Sirius." He corrected. "And I've been around."

"Why aren't you a knight?"

"You need to be a noble to be a knight." Sirius said. "And I am not. Plus, if I was a knight, I'd have to hang around these prats." He jerked his thumb in the Prewett's direction.

"They're good men." James shrugged. "Just a bit prideful. Same as you."

"I don't like people like me." Sirius said with a shrug. "Now, can one of you fine men point me in the direction of a tavern? I don't believe I'm needed here anymore. Plus, I'd like to get out of here before my cousin comes round."

"There's one just down the road, if you pass the house with the pigs out front, you went too far." Remus answered, pointing down a nearby road.

"Why don't you want to see Bella?" James asked, squinting slightly. "I'm sure she wouldn't object to seeing a friendly face."

"I'd rather not say why, mate. And she would object to seeing me no matter how friendly my face." Sirius grinned. "It was nice to meet all of you. Some more than others." He winked at Remus, tossed Dory her sword and then took off in the direction Remus had gestured.

"You think he'll stick around?" Remus asked Dory.

"Mate, I've told you that I don't know him very well anymore. We were friends as kids, then he left and-"

"Why'd he leave?" James asked, joining them.

"Rude." Mary said.

"Sorry for interrupting." James said, rolling his eyes. Then he turned to Remus and sighed. "You see what you did to me? People aren't allowed to talk to me like this and I'm allowing it."

"You could throw them in prison like you did with me." Remus shrugged. "We both know how well that worked out for you."

"You ended up saving my life and now you're my maid."

"Servant."

"Whatever." James turned back to Dory. "Why did Sirius leave home?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "And not to show any disrespect, but I wouldn't tell you if I did. Whatever went on between Sirius and his family is between Sirius and his family. But he's a good bloke, for the most part, and he's had a rough life. He deserves better."

And that was that.

oOoOo

Lily was currently hiding in the stables, as many of the castle servants did, trying to rest her feet for a moment or two before she had to run back upstairs and tend to Bellatrix. It wasn't that she didn't like being Lady Bella's maid, it was just tiresome. Always having to sew something, or fetch dinner, or wash clothes, or clean something. Then having to go home and do it all over again.

"You know," She said to one of the stable boys, the quiet one named Peter. "You're not a bad story teller." He had just finished telling her the events that had transpired between Lord Nott and Lord Avery the day before. They had been discussing the current state of the king's health and had digressed into a petty argument about whose horse was faster. The whole thing ended in a half-drunken race and both of them on their asses.

Peter blushed at her compliment and mumbled a thank you. Lily sighed and stood up from the bushel of hay she had been sitting on, figuring that it was about time she went back to work.

"Thanks for the entertainment," She said. "But I'm afraid that I have to get back up to the castle."

"Of course." Peter mumbled, as he usually did when he was talking to Lily. He would talk more animatedly while telling her stories, but as soon as he was done, he reverted to his quiet, shy self. "I'll see you the next time you visit."

"It will be soon. The king is getting on Bella for all sorts of different reasons and being in the castle for too long is driving me round the twist. I'll probably even come down tomorrow." She smiled at him again. He smiled back, but didn't say anything else.

"Oi!" Someone called. Both Lily and Peter turned to see which one of them was being addressed. A large man dressed in armor, but not the armor that the knights wore, walked towards them, entering through a set of doors at the other end of the stable. "You boy, I told you to have my horse ready for me at three o'clock exactly. It's now five after and I don't see my horse anywhere."

"Sir Yaxley," Peter blanched and rushed up to one of the many stalls. "I have-"

The man reached out and grabbed hold of Peter's arm. "I don't want to hear your excuses, you pathetic man. I want my horse." He started to twist Peter's arm, making him cry out in pain. "If I ask you to do something, I expect it to be done. Now, what am I going to have to do to impress this fact upon y-"

"Let go of him." Lily said firmly, walking up and placing an arm on the man's shoulder. "Let go of him, right now."

The man released Peter's arm immediately, mostly out of shock, and turned to face Lily. She pushed her shoulders back and looked him in the eyes, taking only a small step back. She could still feel his breath hitting her face, it was hot and thick with the scent of tobacco.

"If you would wait a moment and listen to him, he was about to tell you that he had your horse ready for the last thirty minutes and he was simply waiting for you to arrive before getting him out."

"And who are you?" He asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Lily," She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Lily Evans."

"Evans?" He spat. "That's the name of the blacksmith, no?" She nodded. "And why does a blacksmith's daughter think that it's okay to talk to a nobleman?"

"You were hurting my friend." Lily said, trying to keep her temper under control. She hated that the nobles thought they could treat the 'common' folk like dirt, pushing them around and shouting at them whenever it tickled their fancy. It made Lily's blood boil, and Lord Yaxley wasn't on the king's good side, so the odds of her getting into trouble over shouting at him were slim, at least as far as her job was concerned.

"Lily," Peter said quietly. "You don't have to-"

"Shut up, boy." Yaxley snapped. Peter jumped and pressed his lips together tightly. "I don't care what I was doing, you don't seem to understand that as a peasant, you don't have the right to talk to me. Or tell me what I can or cannot do."

Before the threat came out of her mouth, she knew she was going to regret it. She knew that it wasn't at all appropriate, but she didn't care. That's what her temper did to her. It made her careless and reckless. It was one of the things she had to be extremely careful about when she was in the castle. Holding it in all the time, however, was impossible. So she drew herself up to full height and took as step towards Yaxley. "I'm sure Prince James wouldn't appreciate finding out that one of the nobles is taking pleasure in terrorizing his stable boy. Especially not after the rumors you've been spreading about his father for the last few weeks."

For a moment, Yaxley looked very furious at what Lily had said. Then he seemed to remember who she was and started laughing. "Even if James did care, what are you going to do? Go wait up at the castle for an audience with him?"

"I'm Lady Bellatrix's maid." Lily said, finding that in this instance, her position was slightly impressive, even to Lord Yaxley. "I wouldn't have to wait for an audience."

This time, Yaxley took a step closer to her and hissed, "And does the King know that you hold yourself in such high esteem?" To which Lily had nothing to say. "The next time you want to start something with me, I suggest you think twice. I don't have to go to the Prince to get my point across. Do you understand what I'm saying?" He turned sharply towards Peter. "My horse. Or are you actually as stupid as you look?" Peter scrambled towards the stall and returned a moment later with his horse.

As Yaxley turned to walk away, Lily couldn't stop one last angry retort from slipping out of her mouth. "I may just be a lowly maid and the daughter of a blacksmith," She said, trying her best to sound airy and unconcerned. "But at least I don't have some sick need to validate myself by insulting and threatening others." Yaxley turned back, his mouth open and ready to yell at her, but she didn't give him the chance. "Leave my family alone. If something happens to them, everyone will know that it was you and I'll make sure that you're held responsible." She turned and then walked briskly out of the stable, not pausing to listen to his angry shouts for her to come back.

oOoOo

"Remus," Dumbledore said in a tone that suggested that he was pleasantly surprised to see him, even though Remus had walked through the door at the same time for the last three months or so.

"Hullo." Remus smiled, though baffled by the surprise in Dumbledore's voice, he was not at all annoyed by it. It was nice to have someone always so happy to see you.

"Busy day?"

"More so than usual." Remus nodded, tossing his bag onto the table and sitting down. "We found Lancelot today. And Sirius Black."

"Two men whose names come with a long list of stories."

"Yeah," Remus nodded. "I'm not sure who I like more. Sirius is definitely entertaining. He challenged Fabian and Gideon both to a duel, at the same time, and then won. Using a sword that wasn't his and after spending the night in the woods. He might have been hung-over still as well now that I think about it."

"Impressive." Dumbledore said, bringing two bowls of soup and a few biscuits over to the table. "It would seem that his reputation is not a lie. And what about Lancelot?"

"Well, I haven't seen him fight anyone, but James has asked him to become a knight so it's only just a matter of time I suppose. He seems like an alright bloke though. A lot quieter than Sirius, but that doesn't mean that he's quiet. It just means that Sirius is very loud."

"And is Sirius to become a knight as well?"

"Nah. Though, he fights better than most knights, if today's display was anything to go on." Remus shrugged. "It didn't seem interested in becoming a knight. He was more interested in heading off to the tavern."

"Well, maybe he has a different profession in mind."

"Maybe." Remus allowed, though he didn't think Sirius thought of doing much else besides drinking. He looked at Dumbledore and the old man smiled at him. They had an easy relationship and Remus was starting to think of him as a Grandfather, or father even. He was always there to listen to Remus and help him work through his problems, he made sure that he was clothed and fed and taken care of and it was nice.

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment as both of them eat their dinner.

"I've got something for you." He said, after they had finished their soup and put their dishes away.

"What for?" Remus asked, curiously.

"I'm afraid we've both been neglecting your gift. A mistake that could end up costing us both dearly if we don't fix it."

"My gift?" Remus said, quite perplexed. "Oh, you mean my magic?"

"Yes." Dumbledore said with a smile. "I mean your magic." He walked over to a bookshelf and pulled a large, thick, old book down and then walked over to Remus. "This is a book of magic spells."

Remus's eyes widened as he looked between the book and the man holding it. "But those are banned." He said. "If the king knew that you had that, he'd have your head."

"More than likely." Dumbledore nodded. "But during the purge, I just couldn't bear to part with it. I was afraid that if I did, I would regret it. I kept it in hopes that it would someday prove to be useful to me." He set the book down on the table, directly in front of Remus. "But I don't have your gift, as much as I wish I did. My magic is a simple parlor trick in comparison. I want you to have this."

A strange surge of excitement sprung up in Remus's stomach and his face split into a grin. "I can't believe this." He said. "I really can't believe it. I'm going to learn about magic."

"All I ask," Dumbledore said, also smiling. "Is that you keep the book, and yourself, safe. Both are extremely precious to me."

"Of course." Remus nodded. "I'll keep the book in my room. And I'll only practice magic here."

"Good." He nodded. "Now, open it up and try a spell or two." He waved his hands excitedly to hurry Remus on. Remus didn't need any prodding though, he was excited enough all on his own.

The first page he flipped to was a spell on how to force inanimate objects towards you so that they were within grasp. When Remus said the incantation while looking at a jar of mint leaves on the other side of the room, the jar sped through the air and stopped just in front of him. Dumbledore shook his head slightly and looked very impressed.

"On the first try." He muttered. "He didn't even have to practice." Then in a normal voice he said to Remus, "Well, try something else now."

"Of course." Remus laughed. "This is brilliant."

AN: I should have posted this last week, but I've had so many papers and exams that I just didn't have time to edit it.

Anyway, reviews are appreciated, as always. :)