CHAPTER THREE: Lupin Makes A Promise.
LAST TIME: Harry wiggled around to face her, as she lay down; he snuggled closer to her, and fell asleep listening to the sound of her heart beating.
Lupin arrived early on the next morning. Mrs. Figg stood in the door way watching for him. "You sure took your time. Anyways, the Webster's and Harry all shared a bed last night because I was too distraught to lead them to separate rooms. Mr. Webster and Drake are wide awake, they already ate breakfast." Lupin nodded as he stepped into her house. Sure enough it was exactly what he had expected. Severus Snape was on his way across the hall way to move into the living room when Lupin and his met eyes Snape instantly dropped his glass of water. "REMUS LUPIN! How have you been?" Snape moved forward and embraced Lupin. "Why, James Webster, how have you been?" Lupin glared at Snape and then said, "Thank you for returning Harry in one piece." Snape glared right back. "No problem, you know, kids get crazy ideas and then you just have to go along with it." Lupin laughed, "Mrs. Figg may we speak alone in the upstairs library?" Lupin asked the slightly elderly women who nodded and motioned the men up the stairs.
Snape and Lupin glared at each other then laughed. "Your Dumbledore's – god rest his soul – weapon? You and two teenagers?" Snape smiled. "Not just any two teenagers. Rachel Black is a skilled Animagus and wonderfully gifted at improvising. And then Draco Malfoy who is a wonderful potions master with a heart of gold. Plus Rachel can see the future." Snape replied coldly. "How does Harry come in play?" Asked Lupin. "Well, if you must know we saved him from Peter, who planned to kill him." Snape grunted. "Oh, so you just happened to find Harry's mangled body?" Lupin questioned and air of sarcasm in his voice. "Actually, no, Rachel foresaw the out comes of both helping Potter and not helping Potter, so after deciding it was best to help him we go running out into the cold bitter night to save young Potter from the horrible fate that would of be-fell him had we not ran twenty miles! Honestly. You'd think you want him dead." Lupin looked at him with disdain, then amusement, "You actually ran twenty miles? You? Severus Snape, the king of procrastination unless to punish your students? I wouldn't believe you if you weren't standing in front of me. A cold blooded murderer turn hero? Does Harry forgive you for what YOU did to his mentor? For what you did to Dumbledore?" That hit a sore spot. "YES! HE HAS! BUT I HAVE YET TO FORGIVE MYSELF!" With that Snape punched Lupin in the nose and stomped out of the room strait into Rachel's startled form. "I was wondering where you were. I woke up and you were gone and…" Rachel's voice trailed off, "WHAT HAS THAT FOUL BEAST DONE TO YOU?" She nearly shouted loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood. "Nothing, but he spoke the truth." Snape whispered as he pushed by her.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?" Rachel questioned as she pushed Lupin against the back wall of the library, somehow lifting him several inches off the ground, and pointing her wand at his neck. "Nothing, nothing that concerns you anyway. I'd know your face anywhere. You're Rachel Black, and I wonder what your father would say if he knew you were this angry at your only living god-father." Lupin questioned as Rachel glared at him with eyes that told of her twisted abused life. "I DON'T KNOW! WHEN I NEEDED A FAMILY YOU SHOVED ME OFF TO THE MALFOYS, I ASK YOU NOW, IF YOU LOVED MY FATHER SO DAMN MUCH WHY DID YOU SEND ME TO LIVE WITH SUCH A CREUL HEARTLESS BASTARD LIKE LUCIUS MALFOY?" Lupin was taken aback by her anger. "Keep your voice down or that nosy Mrs. Figg will hear you; honestly, you are too much like your rebellious father. I swear when you had me up there I could see him in your eyes, in your facial expressions. I sent you to live with Lucius because I had no other choice, your father was off to Azkaban, and your mother was pregnant with Draco, how could I fight for you and not tell of the most covered up scandal in the wizarding world?" He had a point there. If he had come forward to claim her as his god-daughter would not Lucius become suspicious about her mother's faithfulness? Rachel lowered her wand, slowly. "We are doing this for Harry you know, and he has forgiven both Severus and Draco, I challenge you now to take an Unbreakable Vow. You will NOT tell anyone who we really are, and you will tell everyone that we are a wizarding family from the Americas that you sent Harry after." Rachel glared into his eyes, and he felt sick. She wasn't kidding. "And if I don't?" Lupin asked almost curious to see if she was exactly like her father. "I kill you." Lupin nearly fainted how could one person be so much like his best friend? She looked like him; acted like him, had his anger, had his mind, and if nothing better had his great sense of threats. "I believe you would kill me, but not to protect yourself, to protect the two people you love more than life itself." Lupin dared to say. Rachel had been walking away when she whirled around and punched him square in the jaw, as he fell to the floor Rachel bent down beside him, "Make no mistake I care nothing for Snape. I only care for Draco and as of late Harry James Potter." With that she stepped on his neck cutting of his air supply, "Now shall we make an Unbreakable Vow?" Lupin struggled to say "Ne…v…er" Rachel glared at him then drew her wand, "Fine, I didn't want to have to do this, really, Crucio" Lupin withered away as she repeated her curse. "How about now?" She questioned. "F…in…e" He whispered as she stepped away from him, opening his airway back, and smiled. "I always knew you'd come to your senses… Sooner or later…"
"What's taking Sarah and Lupin so long?" asked Draco looking around nervously. "I think they are negotiating." Snape said very sad. "Hey, uhm, James; Drake want to take a walk?" Harry asked as he to begin to wonder about the going-ons upstairs. "Why don't we all go to the park?" asked Mrs. Figg completely oblivious to the discomfort of the three wizards in front of her. "Yes, lets." Draco said as he stood and helped Harry up. Harry still had to have some help walking long distances so Snape and Draco supported him between them.
"Do you think you're going to win Potter over and you and him live happily ever after?" asked Lupin as she pulled him to his feet. "No, but I am aware that my father and you were not just friends" Ouch, Lupin thought, she knows about her dad and me. "So, your point?" Lupin brushed himself off, still shaken from Rachel's anger. "So… I'm your responsibility. Dad would have wanted you to be my dad, considering the love affair you had after he broke out of Azkaban. I would almost let you walk out of here, but I don't trust you enough." Rachel said in a pointed sort of way. They heard a door shut down stairs. "Some one, if not all of them are gone for a while, perfect." Lupin muttered. He sat cross legged on the floor, and placed his head in his hands. "Lupin… You don't want to do this do you?" Rachel asked sympathetically. "No, I wouldn't betray you anyways. I love Harry like a son, and if he is sure he knows what he's doing then I trust him, but I want to talk to him, do you know where they went?" He asked as he yawned. "I'll tell you but you have to promise on James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Albus Dumbledore's graves that you will not tell a soul about what you know." Rachel glared. "Deal." At this point Lupin knew that Rachel had won anyway; she had made him swear on the graves of four loved ones, she was smarter than she looked.
Shortly after that Rachel led Lupin to the park where she had first saved Harry's life. Lupin was amazed to find out that this was the park Harry had been attacked in, and that he would so willingly return to. Lupin stalked down the empty streets behind a black clothed young woman. He had doubted her will power and strength, but he now know that she understood magic better than most people, she could find lope holes in the very laws of magic, and he knew he had basically just made another form of the Unbreakable Vow. Whether he had wanted to or not, he could tell no one of the new discovery he had made. He also knew that every one in the Order would be happy to know that the alleged killer and wonderful high member of the Order was in all actuality very much alive.
"Sarah!" Draco squealed as he tackled his sister. "Drake! Sorry it took so long; Mr. Lupin was just telling me about the Order. Well, the old Order." Rachel smiled sweetly. "Really?" Snape asked in an annoyed sort of way. "Uh-hu. Mr. Lupin wants to talk to you Harry." Rachel pushed him forward and Harry hugged Lupin. As soon as they were away from the others Lupin stopped. "You know who they are, don't you?" Harry asked. "Yes. Do you know how dangerous they are?" asked Lupin. "I know that there not as bad as they seem. And I have forgiven all that need to be forgiven." Lupin stared at him. "Did they order the attack on you?" Harry sighed and shook his head, "No. Stop being mean, Peter and Greyback did. They attacked me and I was almost dead, Peter had his wand pointed at my neck and was on the verge of killing me when Rachel and Snape showed up, they saved me from dieing a painful death." Harry stated.
"But Peter owed you a life debt." Lupin stated, not believing Harry's story one bit. "No, he doesn't remember when I told you that he tried to convince Voldemort not to kill me?" Lupin nodded. "That was his idea of saving me." Lupin made an 'Oho' sound then grew quiet. "Do you know what your doing? You're sleeping with the enemy, all three are proven Death-Eaters, and all three have killed before. Rachel only got off those murder charges because Dumbledore supplied and alibi for her. Snape killed Dumbledore in front of you, and they both recently killed Peter. Draco killed a man who served Lucius only a few days ago, but then again that might have been Snape, when they were attempting to break out of Malfoy manor." Harry grunted. "Yeah, there all murderers, but most of the Order is too, I will be, eventually because I have to kill Voldemort, but whomever I kill will be considered a casualty of war, or make me a hero." Lupin gapped at Harry, he stared open mouthed at the boy who lived, he was dressed like his father used to, all in black. They would of scared children, homeless people, and elderly women away.
"Are you sure you want to stay with them?" asked Lupin several moments later. "Yes. And I want you to send for Ron and Hermione, tell them an American family Dumbledore was in contact with before he died has come forward with information about the secret. They will know EXACTLY what you mean. And tell them that they should arrive at Number 4 Private Drive very soon, because that is where I plan to create my own headquarters." Lupin stared at Harry. "A headquarters for what?" Harry giggled. "Can't tell you, that's a secret, one only six people know about."
Hermione looked at the letter in her hand in confusion. It was addressed to her, had been delivered by a very small black raven, and bore no signature on the out side. "Hermione, dear, is that from one of your friends?" Her father asked nervously as he saw the raven and the letter Hermione clutched. "I hope so." Hermione carefully opened the envelope, and tore out the letter, then opened it, startled she gasped. "HARRY!" She squealed. "HES ALIVE!" her mom smiled and said, "So Mr. Potter is okay after all?" All her parents really knew was that there was a very dangerous Dark Wizard on the loose and that Hermione was in grave danger, they also knew that witches and wizards tended to disappear because of this Dark Wizard, so when they received news that Harry James Potter – a close friends of there Daughters – was missing and possibly dead they had traveled to London and taken a room in the Leaky Cauldron. To wait for news of the boys return, or death. "Yea, Harry's alive this is a letter from one of our old Professors." Hermione semmed thrilled so her parents left her alone to read the letter.
Hermione,
I was told to inform you that Harry Potter is alive and that he requests your assistance with the "SECRET" as soon as possible. Please travels to Number 4 Private Drive, Surrey as soon as possible, please do not worry. There are three American wizards who were good friends of Dumbledore's, Hermione these wizards are very smart and somewhat dangerous Dumbledore fought hard to get such skilled Dark Magic Wizards on our side before The Dark Lord took back over. They are friends of the Order and are here to assist both you, Ron, and Harry. They mean you no harm.
R. J. Lupin
"Mum, Dad, I need to go stay with Harry for a little while. Is it okay for me to leave? I'll only be in Surrey and well… I'll get there before you could drive me there if I take the Night Bus it's only for Witches and Wizards though. I've already sent for Mr. Weasley to come and get you guys, I think he'll take you to the Burrow. Please?" Hermione asked her parents in one big hurry, she had already packed and sent a letter to Ron's dad asking him to take care of her muggle parents. "Hunny, do you really think it is safe for you to go there alone?" asked her dad. "Well, no, but I don't have a choice, and you can't stop me. Harry needs me. And I need to be there for him." Hermione had already lugged her trunk down the stairs and was completely dressed for the rainy London afternoon. "Fine, but Hermione, dear, please send us a letter." Hermione smiled at her parents. "OH! That blasted Raven!" with that Hermione ran back up the stairs and wrote a reply saying simply she was on her way and she was bringing her books. As she made it back down the stairs Tom was waiting for her. "I'll get that for you Miss." He then lugged the trunk over his shoulders and led her to the entrance, her parents waved goodbye and so did Hermione, knowing this could very well be the last time she saw them.
Ron had been so worried about Harry that when two letters arrived on the same day he almost died. One letter was addressed to him and it had come from a jet black raven that looked magnificent, the other was from a brown barn owl and was addressed to his father. "Don't worry Ronald, Hermione just wants me to come and fetch her parents from the Leaky Cauldron that's all. I'll be back shortly." Mr. Weasley stated as he left the house. "Go on Ron, open your letter." Ginny urged. She was just as worried about Harry as he was. "Well, okay." he said dumbly as he tore the envelope opened, jerked out the letter, and unfolded it. "Bloody hell, it's from Lupin, Harry's okay!" Ron then grew quiet as he continued reading the letter.
Ron,
I was told to inform you that Harry Potter is alive and that he requests your assistance with the "SECRET" as soon as possible. Please travels to Number 4 Private Drive, Surrey as soon as possible, please do not worry. There are three American wizards who were good friends of Dumbledore's, Ron these wizards are very smart and somewhat dangerous Dumbledore fought hard to get such skilled Dark Magic Wizards on our side before The Dark Lord took back over. They are friends of the Order and are here to assist both you, Hermione, and Harry. They mean you no harm. But I must ask you something I had not asked Hermione, please keep a close eye on the pretty girl.
R. J. Lupin
"Mum, Harry's alive and he's asking for me." Ron stated as he began to walk up the stairs. Ginny nearly squealed, "WHAT ABOUT ME RONALD?" Every one in the house grew quiet. "Sorry, Gin, the letter said for just me to come, I guess Harry has something planned. Don't be so upset about it, I hear he still loves you he only broke it off to protect you." Ron nearly laughed at the angry look on Ginny's pale face. he knew it was wrong, and he was so happy when Ginny was with Harry, but as of late Ginny was spending a lot of time writing letters to Cho Chang, whom neither Ron nor Hermione cared much for. He could hear his mom attempting to console his sister, but he couldn't care less.
An hour later when Mr. Weasley had returned home and heard the good news he only offered to drive Ron to Surrey. Ron agreed and loaded his stuff into his father's car. "Ron, you be careful, and if you end up leaving Harry's aunts house you owl us, you understand, you take care of yourself, Hermione, and Harry, you hear? And I expect you back here for dinner on Friday." Molly hugged her son and nearly cried. "You come back you hear me?" Ron nodded as he slid into the passenger side. At the moment Ginny was locked up in her room, crying.
Harry knocked on his aunt's door. "Petunia, let me in, or I'll knock the door down!" He bellowed when no one answered him. "Here, I'll handle this. Alohomora" The front door flew open and Rachel stepped in first. "Guess there still in London?" Draco stated as he followed his sister. "Yeah, I guess." Harry entered next. "Or there dead." Snape said as he entered last and shut the door. Lupin had not been pleased when he had had to leave earlier that day, if anything he had been slightly agitated. Rachel had told him what to write in each letter (A/N: He slipped in the extra comment in Ron's). "Well, I hope Petunia and Dudley are at least alive, Vernon can be dead all he wants." Harry stated as they headed up the stairs. "Wait, I want to put some protection spells up." Rachel stated. "Draco, Harry, and Severus you can head on up the stairs. I'll be fine." Rachel informed them. "Okay." The men said in unison. "Well. Best get started. First I'll set up and Intruder Charm" Rachel waved her arm and the door seemed to slam shut. Blue streams of magic flooded the room and covered the house.
"Ronald!" Hermione squealed as she saw her best friend knocking on Harry Potters door step. "Hermione!" Ron shouted as his father drove away. They embraced and Hermione kissed his cheek. Ron blushed crimson. "I guess you got a letter too." Hermione nodded the stepped toward the door. Ron took her hand subconsciously both completely scared by what they might see. Ron was the one who rang the door bell.
Harry jumped from his seat at the kitchen table. Rachel and Draco were upstairs in the bathroom, so that left him or Severus to open the door. "Potter, some one is at the door." Snape yelled from his bedroom. "Lazy grit." Harry muttered as he moved toward the door, wand at the ready. "Who is it Harry?" Rachel asked from the top of the stairs in a towel. She had scared him, causing him to throw his wand behind him, Rachel ran down the stairway, over the nervous Harry who was frantically looking for his wand, and across the landing. The doorbell rang again as Rachel reached for the doorknob. "Hello! You must be… Ron and Hermione." Rachel smiled brightly as she opened the door the rest of the way. Draco was now helping Harry stop all of the weroid stuff his wand had set off as it hit the floor, there was fire works, screams, and a few dozen birds. Severus threw open his door and marched to the landing. "What in the seven hells is going on here?" Rachel looked from where she stood with Ron and Hermione to Draco, who had his shoulder length blonde hair in a towel and boxers on, and then finally to Severus, who was walking in his angry stance with nothing but flannel pajama bottoms on. "Uhm. Dad, Drake… Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger are here." Rachel looked scandalized now.
"OOPS!" Rachel squealed as she remembered she was still in a towel. "Uh. Be right back!" Rachel squealed as she ran as fast as she could up the stairs. "Well, she hasn't run that fast since we were chased by the howler you sent us a while ago." Draco laughed. "That young girl who just went running up the main steps would be Sarah, I'm James, and this is Sarah's brother – my son – Drake." Severus clutched Draco's shoulder, and then waved his wand sending all the random spells away. "Harry, remember to clean your wand more often. You see some spells that hit you get trapped under the wood in your wands, so every time you drop it it sends all those spells off." Severus smiled sweetly. "Hello." Hermione smiled, and then Ron stiffly said "HARRY!" It hadn't taken long for Hermione and Ron to get over the fact that this place was a circus if anything it worried them more. Hermione beat Ron to Harry and threw herself at him. "Thank god you're alive!" Hermione screamed as Harry and her embraced, and then Ron joined this little fiasco. "Everyone swore he'd gotten you." Ron and Hermione were in tears and so was Harry, they were relieved to see each other so Severus calmly went back to his room, and Draco moved back up the stairway, leaving the Golden Trio alone.
"That wasn't weroid at all." Rachel said sarcastically as soon as Draco rejoined her. "Yeah, like some weroid Soap on TV that's in German or something." Draco mused. "You know that Harry expects us to like them, right?" asked Rachel as she looked over her shoulder at her brother, considering she was midway through pulling a black tank top on. "Yeah, he does." Draco laughed as he pulled a black wife beater over his head. "Wristbands?" Rachel asked as she tossed him three. "Thanks." The slid three logo-ed wristbands up there left arms to cover the dark mark and then Rachel slid on a pair of blood red shorts that looked a lot like the boxers Harry had received from Lupin two Christmas's ago. "Did you steal Golden Boy's boxers?" Draco asked. "Uh-hu." Rachel giggled at her brother's face.
Harry had told Ron and Hermione a little different story then the one they shared with Lupin, this one had him being attacked then fleeing magnificently only to fly to America, find a family of Webster witches and then bringing them back home to England. Sadly he had to leave out the dreams, though he would of loved to see the look on Ron and Hermione's faces. "Then we decided to move in here. Take over the second floor as a sort of head quarters, but we'll need an enlargement charm to magnify the space in my room. Plus Sarah and Drake know all about Horcruxes. They took a class on them in the school they went to. Dumbledore was using them to get most of his information. There really good with all sorts of potions and spells. And Drake has mastered all of the Unforgivable's, same with Rachel. That's why it was so important that we get them on our side, and not Voldemort."
Hermione looked startled. "You just described a family of perfect Dark Wizards." Ron looked just as startled but in a different way, "Are they going to help us defeat Voldemort and get the Horcruxes?" Hermione glared at him. "That's the plan. There really not that bad. James Webster was a big member of the Order before, his wife got sick and so they left for America before the war was over. No big deal. Seriously, they want to help and well… we need the help. Regulus Black left Sarah a present before he died. You might not have noticed what's around her neck." Harry said. "No, sorry mate I was to busy looking at her legs." Ron confessed. "RONALD! She is not a piece of meat!" Hermione squealed as she slapped him. "Ron's right, she does have nice legs, nice eve- Never mind. We have more important things to worry about. It's Slytherin's Locket. They have a Horcrux." Harry looked gleeful.
"That's wonderful!" Hermione smiled and then said, "Wait where is your Aunt and Uncle?" Harry laughed. "In London looking for a new school for Dudley now that he has lost all of that weight he can no longer box for his school Vernon hopes to find a light-weight division he can box in. So far it's a no go." Harry informed her. "Sorry about when I opened the door. Drake was being so annoying and saying that there were other people in this house who might want to shower. When the door bell rang I was on my way to the room us Teen's are sharing." Rachel patted Harry's shoulder. "Mate, aren't those the boxers Lupin got you last year?" Ron whispered. "Yeah." Harry blushed. She must have went through my underwear drawer.
Just so everyone knows this was written before Book Seven was even being publicized, so I would defiantly like to say that this disregards and ignores the plot and end of Book Seven. Thank you so much for the reviews! Thank you to losttoday604 and Irishfighter! You guys rock so much!
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