Chapter 33
Emily ran down the hall. She had lost track of the others, but desperately hoped they were close behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. They weren't. But Lupin was. Emily glanced back forward, and skidded to a stop. A dead end! She should have been paying attention.
"Nice wolfy." She hyperventilated as she backed herself up against the wall. She glanced out the window next to her. The sun was rising! Why was Lupin still a werewolf? 'Wait! A window!!!' she thought. Without a moments hesitation, she threw herself towards the window. The wolf that was her dad leaped at her….and Emily ducked. The wolf flew through the window and landed two stories below. Wincing, Emily peeked over the window still. Lupin was okay. He was growling and staring up at the window. Emily stuck her tongue out.
"You okay, Ems?" asked Ryan, as he, Ron, and Hermione raced up to her.
"Sure. I'm just lucky this window was here….in the same hallway as the underground dungeon???"
"Maybe the Manor's built on a hill. Forget it. This place is an asylum. It was built by lunatics, inhabited by lunatics, maybe we're even lunatics for coming here," Ryan shrugged.
"Luna is right. The moon's gone done and Lupin's still a wolf," Hermione shivered.
"What does that have to do with Luna? She's back at Hogwarts," Ron asked, completely confused, his face turning red with befuddlement.
Hermione threw her arms around him. "I love you, you tall clueless boy."
Ron was taken aback. "No, seriously. What do you mean?"
Emily answered for Hermione. "Luna is the latin word for moon. It still refers to the moon in English though. Lunatic used to be a term for someone who went mad during the full moon. Now it just means all around crazy. The term probably refers to werewolves somehow."
"So what does that mean for us?" asked Ryan.
"It means something's wrong with the werewolves. Lupin shouldn't still be in his wolf form." Emily answered, her brown eyes drawn to the sun rising into the pink toned sky.
"It's not all werewolves, Emily," Hermione explained. "If it was… well, things would be different." She exchanged a look with Ryan and Ron.
"What?" Emily demanded.
"Forget it. We'll tell you later. For now, let's go find the others and the Order. I hope Harry, Draco, Genny, Jon, and Seamus got out of the basement okay."
"Hmmmm… I wonder," said an amused voice from behind them. They turned to see Harry, grinning with Draco, Genny, Jon, and Seamus right behind him. "We destroyed the Death Eaters wands," he explained. "They're powerless now. We decided that we needed the Order. We can't take out fifty plus wizards alone."
"So have you seen the Order, and Lucy and Gabby?" asked Genny eagerly.
Hermione shook her head. "No, sorry. They have to be down here somewhere though. By the way, look out this window."
The others looked out the window. Emily moved to the side. Genny screamed when she saw Lupin below them, as a giant man-eating monster.
"Something's wrong," Harry said seriously.
"You're telling us. Why would one werewolf still be a werewolf after the sun has risen?" Jon asked.
"It might be more than one werewolf," offered Emily. Everyone else looked at her, and then shook their heads. "What is with you people? What I just said makes perfect sense. Maybe Lupin got stuck or something. Or the Death Eaters did it to him. I-"
"That's it!" said Hermione, her eyes brightening with the intelligence that often was shown when she was figuring out a difficult spell. "Lucius Malfoy must have found a way to make being a werewolf more permanent. Who knows how long it'll last. But it would help him, because Fenrir Greyback would be able to bite more children and assist the Death Eaters. But they must have found some way for him to keep his human intelligence." She was grinning now, biting her lip as she thought on. "Or maybe the spell affects werewolves it's placed on and Lupin was caught and had it cast on him. Or—"
"The closet!" exclaimed Draco. "We found a closet with a ton of powerful magic tools. Something was recently taken out. Maybe my father found a way to make the change permanent."
"But that means…" interrupted Ron.
"We need to save Professor Lupin!" said Harry. "Okay, so, what'll we do? The Order's in this hallway somewhere. The Death Eaters don't have wands. There's a werewolf on the loose and Ron, you're going to need to stop squeezing Hermione's hand. It's distracting me."
Ron apologized and quickly let go of her hand.
"So let's find the Order. They'll know what to do." Hermione pointed down the hall. There's a hall branching off a little bit back. There were cells down that way, too. I bet that's where they are if they were captured. Or Gabby and Lucy, of course."
"As worried as I am for them, I think they actually might be better off in a cell than in our fight," Harry decided aloud.
"Harry!" shouted Genny.
"Just kidding," Harry replied meekly. They ran down the hall. A few cells down there were some prisoners.
"Kids?" asked one of the voices. "Oh god, you're here. Where's Shacklebolt? We told you to stay outside! And those two other girls."
"Sorry, Doge. Shacklebolt's outside, knocked out. We lost track of Luciana and Gabrielle and still can't find them," one of the kids called out.
"No time, to argue. We need to get to Malfoy and the others to find out how to change Lupin back," said Harry.
"I thought we wanted to find the Order and everyone and get out," Ron asked, surprised.
"That was before it became personal," said Emily darkly. She pulled out her wand and, with help from Hermione, managed to get the Order free.
"If we find the Death Eaters first, we have a better chance. No offense to Lucy and Gabby but I don't know how well they can hold their own in a fight." Said Genny
"Hey! Guys? Is that you?" a voice called from one of the cells down the hall. Genny blushed and said, "I hope they didn't hear that."
One everyone was out, there was a huge group of people standing in the dungeon waiting for instructions on where to go, so Emily took charge.
"We know the Death Eaters are in a big room, and we suspect that the reason Lupin's still in werewolf form is their fault. Plus, none of them have wands. Draco, you lead the way, because this is, sorry 'was', your house."
The group, as quietly as eleven teenagers and a bunch of Order members could, marched down to the Malfoy Manor Grand Hall. They waited patiently at the large wooden doors for everyone to catch up, and then burst in with their wands out.
Total chaos erupted in the Manor. Being kept in the same room, the Death Eaters were stunned, and jinxed in every way imaginable. They fought back, until they were cornered with only a few still standing upright. Without their wands, this was the easiest task of all. Emily took count, glancing over the Death Eaters.
"Where's Malfoy?" Emily asked suddenly. Ron opened his mouth, but Emily inteupted, saying, "Lucius, not Draco."
"Lucky, ludicrous Lucius," spat Bellatrix Lestrange. "Always getting his own way. He wants to take over from the Dark Lord? Psh. He's hopeless compared to Lord Voldemort."
Harry held up his wand. "Where is he?"
"He made a run for it, towards the gardens," another Death Eater, named Amicos, shrugged with disgust.
Emily glanced at Harry. "For what he and You-Know-Who did, he's mine."
"Be my guest," Harry agreed, gesturing her towards the door.
"Now wait just a second," objected Mrs. Weasley.
"I'll go with her Aunt Molly," Genny said quickly. "So will Jon." She grabbed Jon and the three ran out.
"Whatever he did to Lupin," Emily muttered between clenched teeth. "He's going to pay for." With the gardens just ahead, she sped up, and raced into the hedge maze where footprints from expensive boots had been made in the fine soil.
Emily sprinted through twists and turns, often finding herself at a dead end. Finally, she found him. Mr. Malfoy was huddling over a bizarre machine, fiddling quickly with the dials. He was twitching worse than Pettigrew had. When he heard Emily behind him, he snapped around and growled.
"What are you doing here, girl?"
"Getting revenge for what Voldemort did. Ripping apart my family. Making me lose my dad, and later my mom. You wanted to take over for Voldemort, didn't you? That includes taking credit for all of the horrible things he'd done. You're dead, Malfoy. Dead."
"Emily!" Genny called. She stopped in her tracks as she saw her mot hated family member kneeling on the earthy ground. Her expression changed to one of intense hatred. "Hello Lucius."
"Hello, Genny. How's my favorite little Death Eater? Those crazy griffins and muggle-lovers treating you well? I heard you lived with both muggles and the Weasleys. Could you even tell the difference or were they all too disgusting to tell apart?" Lucius smirked, flinching when Emily glared at him for it. He turned back to his machine.
"What's that you have there?" Emily demanded. Lucius replied, without looking at her, "a certain machine my former Master found in my Manor. It is the final key to my power. Fenrir Greyback asked me to fix it for him in return for his services. It will be able to transform into a werewolf into wolf form anytime they want, and always keep their human intelligence. I believe my Master tested it on your father. Stupid man, getting in our way. We meant to capture just him, but getting the entire Order was the jackpot! I'm afraid he's now stuck in werewolf form, and always will be."
Emily lunged forward, but Jon, who had finally arrived, grabbed her shirt and held her back. Malfoy smiled maliciously at them. "How cute, young love. Well, if you will excuse me, I have unfinished business with this machine. And without the spells I cast preventing apparition here, I will be free to leave at my leisure. Goodbye, Genny, boy,…" he nodded at each of them in turn, and paused when he got to Emily, "werewolf ." With a laugh he disapparated. Genny leaped forward, but he had gone.
"Damn!" Genny cried. "He's gone.
Jon smirked. "At Durmstrang we were taught some very weird things, including how to avert disapparations. About now, Malfoy's landed in dungeons at Hogwarts, with no way to get out. Hermione told me all about the spells put on those dungeons."
"No wonder they always felt so freaky. Good job, Jon," Emiyl congratulated her friend. "But I still wish I could've killed him."
"Voldemort's dead. Isn't that enough," said Genny. "Besides, I bet the Dementors are just 'dying' to give Malfoy a kiss. I'm sure the ministry won't keep that happy privilege from them." She laughed, and Emily had to smile a bit, though she felt sick at the idea of the Dementor's kiss. She had been told all about it, and didn't know if it was right even for someone as awful as Lucius Malfoy.
"Well, I guess what's done is done. But he sure was confused. I'm no werewolf….even though my dad is," Emily sighed. "I wish he had told me before. Now I might never get to see him or my mom. Stupid machine thing."
"I'm sure Harry and Tonks will be just as sad once we tell them. We'd better get back to the Manor before everyone worries." Said Jon.
"No need, here they come." Said Genny.
Sure enough, the Order, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Seamus, Luciana, Gabrielle, Seamus, and Draco, Ryan were coming down the lawn, levitating tied up and unconscious Death Eaters behind them.
"Where my father?" asked Draco.
"In a Hogwarts dungeon, probably soulless soon." Jon answered simply.
Draco shrugged. "He wasn't much of a father anyway."
Tonks flinched. "Ouch. Harsh."
"Look out!" called Mr. Weasley. The werewolf was racing towards them. Everyone held out their wands.
"Don't hurt him!" Emily shrieked.
Thick ropes flew from everyone's wands until Lupin was fully tied up, and unable to move. Tonks sniffed and wiped her eye. "Is he going to be okay?"
"He's stuck in wolf form thanks to some stupid machine Malfoy got for Fenrir Greyback." Said Emily. She sadly looked down at the ground. "And I still haven't found my mom. She wasn't in the Manor."
So, Emily and her friends made it back to the castle. The Death Eaters were put in jail; some kissed by the Dementors and others left to beg forgiveness. The Order was successful and the world free from Voldemort. The partying and newspaper articles that followed were spectacular. However, this story has yet to near the end. For a little less then a month later, at the day before the full moon, Emily's friends had something very important to tell her which they had neglected to mention in the while since the Manor adventure. Draco, free from his father's influence, had also come to the fateful meeting. But alas, it was not to be a pretty one.
"So, what's up?" Emily asked as she settled into one of the comfortable chairs in the Prefect's Office. Hermione and Ron had gotten permission to allow everyone in there. The grim atmosphere lessened the excitement of it though. Everyone kept giving Emily these glances as if she might turn into a werewolf at any time.
"Well, umm….." Nobody wanted to say anything. Somehow, Ron made a joke about pickles which got everybody laughing. Soon, they began chatting… nothing harmful, just chatting like friends should always have a chance to do once in a while. The high-strung tension lessened, and they were actually having a good time. Seamus and Luciana were now dating, as were Hermione and Ron, and Draco and Genny. Emily and Jon were unofficially boyfriend and girlfriend but everyone knew they practically wanted to marry each other every other second of the day. Harry told everybody about how he was now dating Ginny without worrying about Voldemort going after her. Not having Voldemort around was a relief for Harry more than anyone. His whole life had been a game of fight or die. Now he could relax and be a normal teenage wizard. Well, as normal as possible anyway.
"So then I was like, 'what's with all the meat?' And Hannah was like, 'I was trying to do a spell to meet a cute boy." Everyone groaned at Ryan's awful story. Seamus grabbed a butterbeer and asked what Hannah did next.
Ryan shrugged. "She said there was noway to get rid of it without eating it all, so I told her she better go find a hungry werewolf to go finish it all." Ryan laughed loudly, but stopped when he realized he was laughing alone. "What?"
"You idiot," Ron whispered from next to him.
"What? I don't care. The Hospital said he'd be back to normal by the end of the week and I'd be able to see him then." Emily said.
"Emily, it's…it's not your dad we came here to talk about." Hermione winced.
"So what are we here for then anyway?" Emily laughed.
Solemnly, Genny took Emily's hand. "This is going to be hard to believe, but remember that time where you fainted at the Manor. You didn't remember what happened. Well, there was more to it. You were, you were…." Genny looked away.
"You turned into a werewolf. Your dad bit you," Ron blurted out.
Emily was silent. "Guys, if this is just a really bad joke…?"
"We swear it isn't," promised Harry, his wide emerald eyes promising Emily as much as his voice. "He bit you and you turned into a werewolf. You're like him now. You have to accept that. I know you don't want to believe us. I remember when I found out Lupin was a werewolf. I was shocked."
"But that wasn't you?" Emily half-laughed, exasperated. It wouldn't get into her head. It couldn't be true. "You guys are trying to tell me that I'm a six foot tall monster who eats humans and will never get a respectable job. You want me to believe this?" Her stomach cramped, and Emily winced. She turned away, eyeing the periwinkle blue sky smiling through window. You could still see the moon, even though it was day. It was practically full.
"Emily, it's true," Jon sighed apologetically.
"No!" Emily stood up, pulling her hand from Genny. "Why are you all doing this to me? I have enough on my mind. Wouldn't I know if I was a werewolf too?"
"Your dad bit you in werewolf form. We were all there," said Hermione, shaking her head.
"No, no." Emily's breath was growing shorter. "Prove it. No, it's not true."
Jon gave Hermione a look. Hermione held up a silver bullet. "I didn't want to do this. Emily, hold out your hand."
Emily gave her a look and slapped her right hand onto the table, their chairs were situated around. Hermione held the bullet just above Emily's hand. A searing pain shot through Emily's arm. She yanked her hand back and glared at Hermione.
"What was that?"
"The only known thing that can kill a werewolf is a silver bullet. But being near one hurts them." Draco explained.
Emily vaguely remembered reading that, but at this point that was what she least wanted to hear. "But, but, I'm not….." she turned to Jon, and wept on his shoulder. He had risen to comfort her, patting her shoulder. "This is all my dad's fault." Emily managed to shout through her tears. (A student passing by the open door at this point looked extremely confused. Harry closed the door on his face with a quick spell.)
"It's not Lupin's fault. It's Voldemort's. He's the one who wanted to get information from your dad. He sent the rat man to your house and scared your mother away. This is Voldemort's doings. But he's dead. Harry killed him," Gabrielle tried to convince her crying friend.
Emily would not be comforted. For nearly half of an hour, she stood, leaning on Jon, crying. Her friends did not want to leave her, so they remained in the Prefect Office together.
Finally, McGonnagal came in looking more solemn than before. She knew about Emily's werewolf bite too, but this seemed to be even worse, judging by the tears in McGonnagal's eyes. Harry went up to her. Mcgonnagal held a hand up to cover her face, and handed Harry a paper. Then she went to one of the big chairs and sunk into it, her hands in her hands.
Harry skimmed the paper, his eyes widened, and his hand covered his mouth. Genny came over and ripped the paper from his hands. She read it and let out a loud gasp. Her eyes flicked to Emily, and then back to the paper.
"What?" Emily said, trying to cover up the scratchy voice she always got when she cried.
Genny turned, holding the paper to her chest, as if this would keep Emily from reading it.
"Genny, please. Just give it to me," Emily begged. Genny shook her head, but handed Emily the paper. Emily looked down, and collapsed to the ground, her head in her hands, tears flowing down her face. Jon and Ryan tried to help her stand up, but the wailing Emily kept pulling downwards.
Genny, tears forming in her eyes too, said, "Professor MGonnagal, is it true?"
"She's gone, Emily. Leila's gone." She shook her head sadly. "There was never a more perfectly matched couple then she and your dad. It's as if they were created to be together, chain link connecting to chain link."
Tears welled up in Emily's eyes. She clung to Jon harder and he patted her on the back soothingly. "My perfect family," cried Emily to herself. "So much for me having an 'oh so perfect' family. I'll always be one parent short thanks to Voldemort." She slammed herself at Jon. "Why did he have to do this? Destroy families. Destroy lives. What warped him into doing it? No," she wiped her eyes and pushed herself off of Jon. "No, I don't care. My life is disaster. There's no point anymore." She ran for the window, but Harry and Ron grabbed her tightly around the waist. "Please let me go," she struggled, crying. "Let me jump. There's nothing left to live for!"
"Not even for me?" An old, beat-up shoe placed itself slowly into the Hospital Wing. The tattered pants above it led to a muddy, old shirt; the shirt to second-hand robes, and finally to the weary face of Remus Lupin. He stood, waiting to be greeted, but nobody stood. Emily turned away. "You made me a werewolf," she said calmly, but with tears still streaming from her eyes. "I don't know you anymore."
Everyone gasped. Lupin's face fell. "I went to another of Voldemort's headquarters as soon as I was released from the hospital this morning. I found that Leila had died. She had hidden at a friend's house, hoping you would be okay by yourself. She was so concerned for you that she didn't want you to know what was going on, or even to go to Hogwarts. But when she came back to find the house destroyed, she was captured by Voldemort. She gave her life trying to find you."
Emily cried more than anybody ever should have to that day. But her friends and her father tried to support her. Tonks came by and wept with them too. Even though she had not known Leila, she had heard all about her from Remus.
Leila was dead. Emily's mother. Her best friend in the world. The only person she could trust for her entire life excepting this school year. One lousy year. They hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye. Leila hadn't had a chance to tell Emily the truth, or to apologize for not telling her about Remus Lupin. She hadn't even been able to see her grown daughter and husband standing together, bravely fighting to find her. She was gone.
Emily felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Her eyes, filling with tears, never left the sight of her mom.
"I don't know what to say," Lupin began. His voice cracked, and a tear dripped onto Emily's shoulder. He was crying too. Emily turned around and hugged him. She burrowed her face into his worn and dirty robes. He didn't smell fatherly, but she had finally found a comfortable place… in his arms. Even though he had made her a monster, he was all she had left now.
"Dad," she whispered, biting her lip. Her breathing was ragged, and her eyes squeezed shut. She couldn't believe it. Life is something fragile. It's like glass, and when somebody tips the glad off of a table while people are still in the midst of enjoying it, it disrupts everything. The observers cover their ears to keep the sound of breaking from ruining their perfect scene. They close their eyes, bracing themselves for the impact of change. Well, this piece of glass had been broken too soon.
"I'm here, Emily. Always, here," replied Lupin, hugging her even tighter as they cried together over their family member. Now their broken family of three was a tightly woven fabric of two.
Tonks came over, her head down and her hair a dull brown. She looked up directly into Emily's eyes and simply said, "I'm sorry." It was enough. Emily opened her arms, and invited Tonks to join their group hug; to join their family. It would always be strange, but it felt right. Righter than living without a father. Righter than worrying whether or not Leila was alright. Emily now knew what had happened, and there was nothing to do. She couldn't go into the past, and even if she could, she wouldn't. As much as she would miss Leila, their family was stronger than ever. Death was just another part of life, even if it wasn't yet Leila's time to die.
"The circle of life," Genny whispered from across the room. "I guess Disney's right. You just need to keep going.
Emily glanced up at her friends, strongly and bravely. There were the people who had helped her along. They had helped her get through this difficult time and always would help her too. Genny stood with Draco, his arms wrapped around her. Luciana and Gabrielle and Seamus, who had been swept hopelessly into the twisted adventure, stood by, all sad for their friend's loss and any good pal should be. Hermione was looking quickly through a book and Ron was holding her hand, and looking like they didn't know what to do. Harry stood by them protectively, staring off into space as if deep in thought. Ryan remained in the corner, shaking his head.
And then Emily met Jon's eyes. He faced her, his wide brown eyes telling so much. He was sad for her, but so happy she survived. Scared, because he wasn't sure what would happen next. And maybe a little bit jealous that it had been Ryan, and not Jon himself who had leapt in front of Emily.
"I love you," she mouthed to him. He blushed, biting his lip. Then, with a guilty smile, mouthed a reply of, "Me too."
Emily mouthed back, "But we can't do much about it until we're older."
Jon looked confused. Emily smiled. "Too long?" she mouthed. He just nodded in relief.
Emily looked back up at her dad. "Let's go back to real life now," she whispered, drying her eyes. Whatever the future held, she would be ready. Whether fighting the dark arts, or gossiping with her friends, Emily had a great life… and it was time for her to appreciate it!
THE END….. but wait! There's more?
Hermione jumped up. "I found it! I found it!" She sounded so excited that it drowned out the sober aura of everyone else.
"What is it that could be so important now?" asked Ryan, rolling his eyes.
"Well, the cure for being a werewolf, for one thing," Hermione said, her voice squeaking with excitement. "I started researching it as soon as Emily was bitten. And I finally found the final key to unlocking the answer. Even though it sounds so cheesy, it's simple. Love. It's like Dumbledore, bless him, always said. And most werewolves were so hated that they had never fallen in love with a non-werewolf. You two are probably the first. And Lupin, you and Tonks have been separated for a while, working on order stuff. I doubt you ever did more than kiss on the check, right?"
Tonks and Lupin both nodded.
"Well, I think a kiss on the lips with somebody you're deeply in love with would work. Or even, the love you two felt just moments ago when you were hugging and comforting each other may have been enough.
Lupin and Emily smiled at each other. "I wish you had been around in my day, Hermione," Lupin sighed. "You really are one of the greatest witches of the age."
Hermione blushed. "You'll still have to take precautions for a while, of course. In case I'm wrong…."
Emily grinned mischieviously. "So we may be cured already, but still. We may not to kiss someone on the lips." She was looking at Jon as she said this. She raised her eyebrow. Emily leaned onto Jon, standing closer to him than she had ever stood to anyone else. She reached up towards his lips with her own. And they kissed. 'Really' kissed.