Author's note: Hello, Rae Roberts, my favorite person in the entire world. (grin) I dunno why you wouldn't get an email after signing up for the author alert thing (by the way, I'm immensely flattered that you would do so). Maybe it was down that day, or something. Happiness that you liked chapter eight (although I regret to inform you that this chapter is just filler, no real action, and so it's going to be short and uneventful). I figured that Remus would have to know something about living on the streets since he can't seem to keep a job for very long, and therefore doesn't really have the money to pay for apartments and such. And he blamed himself irrationally, yes, but Remus is just that kind of person. Poor dear.

Chapter Nine: Grimmauld Place

Molly Weasley was clearly astonished by Remus' sudden appearance on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place in the middle of the night, but she quickly recovered and ushered him in.

"Remus, what brings you here?" Her tone was genuinely curious, and despite the dimness of the foyer, he could see that her eyes were filled with concern. It made him ache; he did not feel like he deserved anyone's sympathy at the moment.

"It's a long story," he told her as they walked across the foyer. It looked nothing like the dim, dark hall of his memories. A chandelier had been discovered, and it now hung from the ceiling, sedately bathing the room with soft candlelight. The staircase swept elegantly upward, its dark wood neatly polished and gleaming. The portrait of Sirius' mother had finally been removed, although it had cost them the part of the wall it had been mounted on. In its place was a peaceful scene of a hart ambling contentedly across a lush meadow.

"Would you like something to eat?" Molly asked once they reached the kitchen. "You look half-starved."

Remus smiled wanly. "I'm fine, Molly. Really. Full moon is tomorrow night, so I probably look worse than I actually feel, that's all." She made a small, disbelieving noise and began to bustle around the kitchen, taking out a plate and loading it with various foods.

"For goodness' sake, Remus, take that sweater off before you catch a cold, it's soaking wet. And then you can come and have a snack while you tell me what happened," she said. Detachedly, he realized that his sweater was saturated—it had started to rain again about halfway to Grimmauld Place. For a moment, he simply stood where he was, his clothes dripping rainwater onto the clean floor, and then he took out his wand. He pointed it at his clothing and muttered a spell, which dried him off within seconds.

Mutely, he accepted the plate of food that Molly had put together for him and sat down at the table. "It's a long story," he repeated. Molly took a seat across from him.

"I understand that you are working as the Order's spy now," she said hesitantly, unsure of how to broach the potentially delicate subject. Remus nodded.

"And as Voldemort's spy," he replied absently, ignoring her grimace at the sound of the name as he rearranged the cheese, fruit, and bread on the plate in front of him. "But you wanted to know how I got here," he stated abruptly. "To give you the short version, I was kicked out of my apartment, stayed half the night in a ramshackle cottage across the city, and am lacking almost an entire dosage of my Wolfsbane potion." Molly seemed to sense that he was leaving certain details out, but did not press him to fill in the holes.

"You must be worn to the bone," she said. "I'll go prepare one of the guest bedrooms for you, and when you've had a few hours of sleep maybe we can talk some more."

Remus looked up at her as she stood to leave the room. "Thank you, Molly. I truly appreciate your tolerance."

She smiled. "Did you expect me to leave you on the streets? Now you stay there for now, and I'll be back before you can say, 'Hornswiggle.'"

Remus listened to her steady, firm footsteps as she climbed the staircase and went down the hall to one of the house's many bedrooms. He rested his chin on his hand, abandoning the plate of food in front of him. He knew which room she planned to give him. It was somewhat isolated and decorated in various soothing shades of grey and blue. Normally he would have liked such décor; now, the thought of it simply depressed him. He sighed, trying to distract himself, attempting to push his mind back into its empty, disconnected state.

The footsteps continued overhead. A clock chimed somewhere across the house. A wall creaked as the wind brushed against it. The rain pattered rhythmically on the rooftop. Molly was quietly humming the newest Witching Hour's single. Remus stood and began to pace.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he heard Molly coming back downstairs. "Remus, you can go ahead and make yourself at home," she said, appearing in the doorway.

Remus nodded and swept out of the room. At the foot of the stairs, he turned to her and said, again, "Thank you, Molly."

The plump redhead smiled in response, but the cheery gesture did nothing to hide her concern.