Scones Anyone?

By Marz

Chapter 2: It's my Job

The werewolves pacing outside his prison were restless. They had been for most of the day. Remus knew how they felt. He wasn't as acutely aware of the lunar cycle as he used to be, but he knew that sunset was only a few hours away, and the full moon would rise shortly after that. He shifted around on the floor. The chains hadn't gotten any looser.

There were a lot of things he had planned to do that day. He had to mail the phone bill, and the water bill. He was supposed to pick up a muggle suit from the dry cleaners. He'd planned to stop by the Black Mansion to file a progress report on the lycanthropy issues he was working with and maybe have tea with Molly Weasley, who was organizing things for the Order while Dumbledore was…unavailable. He needed to return the muggle movie he had rented to the store around the block. That wouldn't get done though. He shifted and put his arm under his head, trying to find a comfortable position to lie in. A lot of things weren't going to get done.

He was pulled out of his morbid checklist by fighting outside the little room he was chained up in. Some one growled, and he heard fists striking flesh as a scuffle broke out. No words were exchanged. A moment later the winner shuffled inside.

"Hello Tobias," Remus said.

The other man ducked his head as if the words hurt.

"How'd you know it was me?" asked a hushed voice in the dark.

"Who else would it be?" Remus asked.

There was a long silence.

"He's going to have you killed tonight," Tobias finally said.

"As I told him, I expected as much."

"I…I didn't want this to…I didn't mean for you to…I didn't know," the other man finally settled on.

"Really?" Remus asked, from his prone position on the floor. "I never thought you were dense."

The other man did not respond. Remus thought Tobias might have come looking for forgiveness. He wasn't in the mood to grant it, but as he thought about it, he wasn't in a particularly vindictive mood either. He thought it was probably more apathy then hope keeping him so stable.

"You said he's going to have me killed. Why's he not doing it himself?" Remus asked.

"He…he's going to have some…new recruits do it, to prove their loyalty."

Remus sat up.

"Just how new are these recruits?"

Tobias did not answer. Instead he dropped a small object. It hit the floor and rolled to a stop against Remus' hand. He picked it up. It was potion vial. Remus opened the top and sniffed the contents.

"Draft of living death?" he asked.

"You won't feel a thing. They'll think you passed out," Tobias said.

In the middle of the night, half a life time ago, Remus remembered saying he wanted to die in his sleep. It was one of those nights when one of the Marauders couldn't sleep, so none could. James had posed the question and answered first. He said he wanted to go down fighting for a just cause against impossible odds. Sirius wanted to go out enjoying the company of at least half a dozen lingerie models. Peter had said he didn't care as long as he didn't see it coming.

I'm changing my answer.

Remus rolled the vial back across the floor.

"I can't do anything else for you," Tobias growled.

"Then don't," Remus said calmly.

"Just take it."

"No, thank you."

"They'll tear you to pieces."

"That's probable."

Tobias growled.

"You should probably leave," Remus said. "You wouldn't want to get in trouble."

Tobias lunged forward and pinned Remus to the wall. Remus didn't struggle. He could hear Tobias grinding his teeth in frustration.

"They aren't human any longer. I am not human!" Tobias growled.

"Every day and thirty nights a month you're human. Nothing Greyback says and nothing you tell yourself changes that," Remus said.

Tobias let go and stepped away. "I can't help you. They'd kill us both before we got anywhere near the surface."

"So leave on your own," Remus said. "Go to the Ministry. Get cured. Don't come back."

"Why are you doing this?" Tobias nearly howled. "Why can't you just be…"

The werewolf growled and kicked the wall.

I've always had a talent for guilt.

"There was a metal cylinder in my pocket, about an inch long," Remus said.

He could feel Tobias staring at him in the dark.

"They checked all your things," Tobias said. "You didn't have a portkey."

"It isn't a portkey. But I'd like to have it back."

Tobias stared at him a moment longer and then stormed out. Remus heard him growling and scuffing with others in the dark outside. It was silent for nearly half an hour, and then a small metal cylinder came flying out of the dark. It struck Remus in the center of the chest and dropped into his lap. He picked it up. Tobias didn't come back inside.

Another hour passed in darkness. Remus felt his eyes slipping closed. He thought it was very counter productive to take a nap before your execution, but he'd run out of things to contemplate. He woke to the sound of high voices in the hall, and many light foot steps.

"-want to go home!" a child's voice begged.

Remus couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl.

"Shut it," growled a boy, nine or ten at most.

He's probably trying to mimic Greyback.

The first child hesitated in the entranceway, and was pushed from behind. One after another nine children walk or were pushed into the room. The growling boy was the oldest. He came last, dragging a six year old by hair. She let out a very canine whimper. Greyback stood in outside, staring in at them. He growled and the oldest boy growled back. Greyback stepped away and the wall sealed itself up, trapping Remus and the children inside.

Remus and the children sat in the dark for a bit.

Very new recruits.

It was probably part of their "education". Greyback wanted to turn werewolves against normal people, and children were very impressionable. Being cursed and damned by their inevitable victim would probably stay with them a long time. Remus wondered if he'd have been trained the same way. Greyback had infected him when he was their age, but Remus' father hadn't let him be carried off. He wondered how many of these children's parents were looking for them, and how many were hoping they didn't come back.

I refuse to play.

"I want to go home," the girl said again.

He heard her scuffling with the boy for a moment and then she rushed to Remus' side, clinging to his arm and cowering. The boy came after her but Remus caught him by the arm, pulling him off balance so he ended up on his backside on the cavern floor. The boy hissed and kicked Remus in the leg.

"That's rather rude," Remus said.

"Were going to kill you," the growling boy said. "I'm going to tear off your face with my teeth when the moon rises."

"That doesn't make your behavior now any more acceptable," Remus pointed out.

The growling boy seemed a bit confused by that statement.

"You're all wizarding children then?" Remus asked.

"We wouldn't let muggles in the pack. If we find a muggle wolf we kill it," the lead boy growled.

"That's not very nice," Remus said.

"Are you completely stupid?" the boy demanded.

"No," Remus replied. "What are your names? I'm Remus Lupin by the way."

"We don't need human names!" the lead boy growled.

"He's Mark Williams," the girl still clinging to Remus' arm said with a tattle-tale tone. "I'm Lindsey Willa Markoff. I want to go home."

"I'm sorry Lindsey, but I don't think I can help you with that."

"I'm hungry," Lindsey said.

"He's dinner!" Mark shouted. "Now stop whining and get over here!"

"No!" Lindsey said.

Mark charged over again and again Remus caught his arm and sent him sprawling.

"That is entirely inappropriate behavior," Remus said. "What's the first thing they teach you in kindergarten? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. So keep you hands to yourself Mr. Williams."

"Yeah, that's right!" Lindsey said. "And also you have to share, and not look at anyone else's paper. I remember! We were up to the two times tables when…when I couldn't go any more."

"That's right," Mark said. "You're a werewolf. You can't go back to school ever."

"Well that is just not true," Remus said.

"Nobody lets werewolves go to school!" said another voice from the dark.

"Hogwarts allows werewolves to attend, Mr…?"

"Robert Callahan," the boy in the dark supplied. "And they don't."

"Who told you that?"

"The others."

"They were mistaken. Werewolves are allowed to attend. I did," Remus said.

"You aren't a werewolf!" Mark shouted.

"I used to be."

"Liar!" the boy nearly shrieked.

"I am not a liar," Remus said. "Not only did I attend school there as a werewolf, I taught Defense against the Dark Arts there for a year."

"Teach us something!" called a new voice from the dark.

"He can't," Mark said. "He hasn't got any magic! You can smell it. He's just a muggle."

"If I'm just a muggle then why is Greyback afraid of me?" Remus asked.

"He's not!" the boy shrieked.

"Then why would he bother with this?" Remus asked.

He could feel their eyes on him. It was too dark for him to see their expressions, but with moonrise so close, the cures probably allowed them to see him clear as day. He kept his face calm. Greyback wanted them to come away from this a little less human.

But I can give them doubt.

Remus sat up straighter, the chains dragging along the floor. "Since no one here has a wand, we'll have to start with something very simple. Have any of you ever seen heatless flame conjured?"

"I have," said another new voice, another girl.

"And where did you see it, Ms…?"

"I'm Emily. I saw my dad do it."

"Anyone else?" Remus asked.

No one answered.

"Alright then. The first thing you have to do is channel some magic into your hands-"

"Nobody is doing anything!" Mark declared. "We are going to sit down, like Master told us, and at moon rise we're going to eat him."

"Really, Mr. Williams, I am going to have to ask you to sit down and be quiet. The other children are trying to learn."

"Yeah, shut it!" hissed another voice, and then another.

There was a long silence.

"As I was saying, you have to channel some magic into your hands…"

Another hour passed with most of the children trying their hardest to conjure flames. Remus repeated the instructions several times, and gave encouragement to those struggling the most. He remembered why he liked teaching so much as the first one succeeded.

"I did it!" Emily cheered as a ghostly blue light swept across the room.

The children blinked at each other. It was obvious they didn't get a lot of sun. Remus looked from one pale face to the next. He picked out Mark by his hostile glare.

"Good work, Emily," Remus said. "Everyone else keep trying. You'll get it soon."

As he watched two other children brought fire to life in their hands.

"Show us something else," Robert Callahan said.

Remus looked over at the boy. He still had thick scars across his face and neck from where he'd been bitten.

"Let me think for a moment," Remus said, the chains suddenly feeling less constricting. His eyes went to the place in the wall where the door had been.

May as well try.

"Alohamora can be done without a wand if you-"

"Prickles," Lindsey said in a horrified voice.

Remus nearly jumped. He'd forgotten the girl was next to him. Emily looked at him with frightened eyes as the flames she'd conjured in her hands went out. He was about to tell her to try the spell again, and not to get discouraged when the other children started to whine and moan as well. The moon was rising.

Oh, my untimely death, I almost forgot.

"I don't want to! I don't want to!" Lindsey cried, clinging to Remus' arm with nails that were becoming very sharp.

"Ahhhhhh!" the other children started groaning and mewling in distress as the curse took hold of them.

As gently as he could Remus pried the little girl's hands off his arm. They were already sprouting fur. He scooted as far from her as his chains would allow. Already the groans were turning to screams. One of the children let out an inhuman howl. He pulled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms over his head. Somehow he though things would turn out differently.

I want to change my answer again.

BEEP!

He looked up for a moment at the metal cylinder clutched in his fist. There was a blinding flash of light.