Chapter Eight
"Hands on the mirror, can't get much clearer
Can't make this all go away
Now that you're bleeding you stare at the ceiling
And watch as it all fades away
From what you do, because of you
You know I can't be there
Each time that you call
I swore not to come, but I'm here afterall
I know by the look that I see in your eye
I won't stand around and I won't watch you die
From what you do, because of you"
- Nickelback
The full moon came and went. Austin had seen Remus leaving with the other boys the night before and knew that they were headed to prank someone. She touched her lips discreetly as she sat in front of the fire with Lily while they worked on a potions essay. Lily sighed and threw her quill down before leaning down and looking at the blond who was sitting in the floor. "When are you going to tell Remus?" Lily whispered.
Austin jumped and looked up at Lily. "Tell him what?" Austin questioned innocently with her eyes downcast as she still looked through her books.
"You know what, Austin." Lily giggled before leaning forward, "So?"
The American witch sighed before looking up and saying, "He doesn't need to know. It's not like we're datin or anything."
Lily smirked before shaking her head. "I've seen the two of you looking at each other and I know you've been snogging in the library. So, what is the story?"
Austin felt her cheeks redden and she quickly picked up her books. "If you must know, Lily, we kissed a few weeks ago for the first time." Austin looked down once more before looking through her lashes at the red head, "And we sometimes decide to kiss after that one time. We aren't together or anythin though."
Lily smiled brightly and picked up her books too, "Anything else?"
"Sev's mad at me right now, but other than that…nope." Austin laughed before walking towards the girl's stairs.
"You better be getting ready!" James Potter's voice yelled from a corner of the room.
"Ready for what, Jimmy?" Austin yelled over her shoulder.
"For our little expedition tonight." Sirius returned quickly as the boys appeared suddenly in front of the two girls.
"We are not leaving the castle grounds." Lily said quickly before placing a hand on Austin's lower back to push her forward. "We have to stay here."
"Come on, Evans! No one's going to get us in Hogsmead." James rolled his eyes.
"Austin, Lily, you both will be fine. We won't allow anything to happen to you." Remus' calming voice said gently but when Austin looked at him, she saw he was only speaking to her.
Austin smiled softly before nodding her head. "Come on, Lils. It's still cold out, so we need to hunt down our sweaters."
Remus shook his head as he watched Austin lounge on the window sill of the library. She was writing what looked to be a letter. She was very careful with what she said. Remus had always known that she was cautious before, but this was something completely different. She wasn't laughing like normal and she had stopped her usual morning runs she would do on the weekends and the mornings that she didn't have classes.
Remus tried to believe that the change was the N.E.W.T's that were coming up at the end of term. However, there was something else that seemed to be bothering Austin Cross and Remus couldn't think of what it was. He jumped when she threw her letter across the aisle and groaned lightly. Austin closed her eyes and leaned her head back. It was then that Remus could see the book that she had been using as a desk. It was a book on werewolves, a genealogy actually.
Remus felt a wave of fear run through him, but then he remembered that her father had been working on a cure for lycanthropy. Perhaps, Austin was trying to finish her father's work. Remus stood and walked over to the window to speak with her.
"Remus, not now, please." Austin sighed when he got closer.
"How did you know that it was me?" Remus stopped in mid step and looked at her.
Austin laughed slightly before opening one eye to look at him, "You've been watchin me for a while, Remus. I kinda figured you'd be comin over."
Remus allowed a smile to grace his lips before moving forward to brush a lock of her hair away from her pale face. "What's wrong?"
Austin shook her head before moving her book to the side and standing up. She flicked her wand at the piece of parchment and it came straight to her, "I've been thinkin about sending a letter to the orphanage saying that I was running away to elope and wouldn't be comin back. I'm thinkin about moving back to the States when we finish school." Austin sighed and looked up at Remus before placing a hand to his cheek. Her eyes were unreadable when she brushed her thumb against his cheekbone, "You really are somethin, Remus. I feel like we have more in common than we are willin to admit."
Remus felt his face heat up before he brought his lips to Austin's forehead, "If I told you everything, Austin, you wouldn't want to be with me anymore."
Austin pulled back with a smile before turning from him and picking up her book, "This book is about werewolf hunters. I never thought there would be so many."
Remus frowned as he took the book from her, "Why are you looking up werewolf hunters?"
"I'm tryin to see if one of them may be young enough to talk to me about some research I am doin on my father's research. He found two werewolves who were able to control themselves when they turned. I'm tryin to find out if this is normal or not." Austin sighed before shaking her head with a gentle smile. "I'm bein stupid again, aren't I?"
"Of course not, Austin," Remus smiled softly before bringing her closer to wrap his arm around her. "Who were the two werewolves?"
"They're dead now, I can't contact them or else I would." Austin laughed before taking her book back. "There's only one thing left and that's findin a younger hunter."
Remus watched Austin as she put her book back up and walked with him down to the Great Hall for dinner. She may have laughed and smiled earlier, but there was something wrong with her. She wasn't herself. Remus tried not to make it obvious that he was watching her, but he wasn't the only one.
Lily kept reaching over and taking her hand, James kept trying to make her laugh, Sirius pulled at her hair, and Peter just tried to speak with her. Severus Snape was even watching her. Remus frowned, there was something wrong and he wanted to know what it was.
Austin excused herself from the table once dessert appeared and began to leave the room. Snape seemed to take the opportunity to follow after her once she left. Remus ground his teeth together, but perhaps the Slytherin git would be able to do something that he couldn't. However, not long after he had left, Snape came back into the room with a frown on his face. Remus did not like that at all.
When the group headed back up to the Gryffindor Common Room, Remus began to feel uneasy. Something was wrong. He glanced out a window. The moon was nowhere near full so it couldn't be that he had somehow forgotten about a transformation. No, this was something that tugged at his heart.
They had reached the common room and Lily ran upstairs to grab Austin. Peter wanted to play a game of Exploding Snap, something he was very good at. Remus had just sat down and was laughing at Peter's attempt to shuffle the pack of cards when Lily's scream echoed from up the girl's stairs.
Remus jumped up but it was James who rushed up the stairs. Only the Head Boy could go up into the girl's rooms. Remus was forced to wait down stairs until what ever happened was told. It didn't take very long.
James was sprinting down the stairs with a limp Austin in his arms. There was blood covering her entire torso. Remus gasped as he looked her over. She was so pale, as pale as death. James didn't wait to explain, instead he ran out of the room and hopefully towards the hospital wing. Remus wanted to follow for Austin looked dead already, but instead he was forced to wait. Lily had come down carrying a large circular box.
There were tears in her emerald eyes and she had blood down the front of her robes as well. "Lily, what happened?" Remus demanded, grabbing her by the arms.
Lily's red hair fell into her eyes and she shook her head, "I don't know. Austin…Austin was in the bathroom and she was bleeding and…and…I don't know!" Lily was sobbing now.
Remus took the box from her and handed it to Sirius who was surprisingly behind him. Remus motioned for Peter to grab one of Lily's arms. "She's in shock. We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey right away. Come on." Remus spoke gruffly and quickly led the way out of the common room in James' wake.
All Remus wanted was to make sure that Austin was alright and beat the person who did this to her to a bloody pulp.
Austin had been floating in a land of darkness, a blissful land where there were no worries and absolutely no pain. Her body floated and she smiled to herself. Her only thought was that she was sorry to everyone she caused pain to in her life. Her smile faltered when she was blinded by a light.
"What have you done, princess?" A voice that Austin had only dreamed of for the past years sounded in her ears.
"Grandpa?" Austin muttered, turning about in the darkness as her voice echoed back to her.
"What have you done?"
"I don't understand, Grandpa. Where are you?" She screamed, spinning about.
"My darling, you do not belong here. Go back to your friends, go back to the man that cares so much for you. You must go back, darling."
Austin shook her head and reached towards the light that surrounded her, "I don't care! I want to stay with you, Grandpa!"
However, she didn't have a choice.
People say that the first sense to come back after you've been unconscious is hearing. Austin can clearly tell you that this is false. She felt a throbbing pain in her head before she heard a single word. Afterwards, the sharp sounds of screaming and sobbing were heard. Austin tried to open her eyes and tried to speak, but the only sound that came out was a groan. Everything went silent and she felt a woman's hand on her cheek.
Austin knew that this hand did not belong to Lily because of the calluses. Lily put lotion on her hands every day and made sure that they were as soft as a baby's. Austin ran over every hand she knew and there was only one person she thought of that could have hands such as these.
"Ashers?" Austin croaked out as she finally cracked her eyes open.
The brunette girl sat above Austin and her blue eyes stared down with a soft expression that was so uncommon. This girl had a scar on her right cheek closer to her ear that always caused her hair to hang funny. The one way her hair didn't fall strangely was when the girl had a side part on the left side of her head. Most of her brown hair always covered the scar and no one could see the large patch of her hair that was missing on the right side from the scar.
"Tinny, I swear, if you do that to me again, I'm gonna have to kick your ass," The brunette smiled in a relieved sort of way.
"Grandpa called me stupid, I think." Austin smirked before clenching her eyes shut. "Besides, the pain in my head is gonna make me not do this again."
"That's what you said the first time." The girl glared.
Austin frowned and shook her head slightly from side to side. "This isn't the first time this has happened?" James roared from the end of the bed and caused the blond to cringe.
"Don't yell, Mr. Potter. She's not feeling well at the moment. I am also guessing that she hasn't been taking her medication and that's why her depression got so bad. Tinny, haven't I told you to take your potions?" The girl sighed before moving Austin's hair from her face.
"Come now, Miss Stanton, let's get these potions in Miss Cross. She will need to get her strength up before the headmaster gets here." Madam Pomfrey spoke gently as she pushed through the crowd that was around the bed.
Austin lost sight of Ashlee Stanton for only a moment before she was helped into a sitting position by the said girl. Madam Pomfrey helped bring the goblets to Austin's lips and the blond drank deeply. It was quick pain relief and she felt as if she was becoming slightly stronger. "I think I still need a high sugar and carb diet," Austin groaned before looking away from everyone.
Upon looking away, she saw Remus standing by the window. Austin looked away from him and towards her hands that were in her lap. Those made her feel ill. She could see the bandages on her wrists. Austin closed her eyes and felt tears fall. "Grandpa was disgusted with me," Austin sobbed as she drew her legs up to her chest.
Ashlee wrapped the blond up before the doors opened. "Miss Cross, how are you feeling?" The elderly voice of Professor Dumbledore came. "Nevermind, I see that was a foolish question."
Austin gave a watery laugh before her eyes were drawn to the box he was holding. "Where did you find that?" Austin whispered.
"You didn't put it away before you fainted, Austin." Lily whispered when she sat on the edge of the bed on the other side of Austin, "I thought it may help explain what happened to you."
"It did, indeed, give us answers." Dumbledore nodded towards Ashlee, "There was also a letter addressed to Miss Stanton here. I decided that I needed to contact her immediately."
Austin looked up at the ceiling and nodded her head, "I remember that. I hadn't meant to cut so deeply, but once I realized what happened, I made sure to at least write Ashers name down and to explain as quickly as possible."
"Yeah, Tinny, you did. All you wrote was F.G and my name. Be lucky I know you so well," Ashlee rolled her eyes before holding Austin close. "I'm just glad your friends got to you in time."
Dumbledore placed a hand on the railing at the foot of the bed. Sirius stepped forward, "And who the hell is this Ashlee Stanton?"
"I prefer people who do not know me to call me Miss Stanton, Mr. Black," Ashlee stated before she turned her face towards him. "To answer your question, I am a longtime friend of Austin's. We knew each other in America. Also, I am a werewolf hunter."
The reaction in the room was humorous. Remus spun around quickly, James and Sirius went for their wands, Peter let out a squeak, and Lily gasped widely. "You can't be more than seventeen!" Lily exclaimed.
"I'm eighteen actually." Ashlee nodded her head before smiling grimly, "It's a family thing. I've changed the rules a bit to only hunt down the werewolves who hurt humans knowingly. Such as the one that Austin here warned me of."
Austin flinched at this. She had been following the conversation intently, but her mind was wondering to what it had felt like to almost die. She couldn't believe that she was going to allow herself to put her friends through what she had gone through. How would that have really helped anything? The most it would have done would have been to keep the werewolf after her away from her friends. Perhaps stop the pain forever, as well. Austin fought against the idea to speak out once again.
"I didn't think you wanted people to know about that," Austin whispered before looking at her friend.
"I just figure that it's best to get that out there before I get yelled at by one of them for playing with my toys," Ashlee grinned broadly before bringing out a silver dagger from her pocket.
"Get that damn thing away from me, Ashers. You know I'm allergic." Austin rolled her eyes before moving closer to Lily.
"Sorry, I always forget about that." Ashlee smiled gently before putting the object away. "Anyway, my idea is that we get you fixed up and put you into hiding."
"Why do we have to put her into hiding?" This was the first time that Remus had spoken since Austin woke up and she glanced up at him through her lashes. He wasn't paying attention to her.
"It's time to tell them, Miss Cross. Miss Stanton has already informed me of the trouble you are in, but I cannot allow you to go into hiding. You should be fine here until you leave school at the end of term. Afterwards, I have no more say of what you do." Dumbledore explained carefully before moving away from the bed, "Please keep me updated, Miss Stanton, on the situation. Poppy, please let me know when Miss Cross is released."
Austin watched her headmaster leave the wing and looked up at Ashlee, "Should I tell them?"
"You have to, Tinny. They are your friends and I'm sure they won't let you die, seeing as they almost killed me when I walked into the room." Ashlee rolled her eyes towards James and Sirius who had the proper form of sheepishness on their faces.
"We did apologize for that." Sirius muttered.
"Yeah, and you came in here with a wand drawn and screaming about how we could allow Austin to get hurt." James returned before he shut up from a look from Lily.
"Austin, if you want, I can take those two out of here and explain it to them. I know enough." Lily whispered.
"That would be nice, Lily, thanks." Austin smiled softly.
Ashlee stood and smiled, "I'll go and help her. I have a feeling that these boys aren't going to be too easy to convince."
Austin nodded, knowing that the real reason Ashlee was going with Lily was to make sure that too much didn't come out at one time. Austin looked up when her friends began to leave but called to only one of them to stay.
"Remus, could I talk to you myself?"
Remus paused but didn't turn around. When the wing doors shut, he finally turned and walked towards the bed. He sat down carefully in the chair where Austin believed Lily or Ashlee had sat before. "What is it?" Remus asked stiffly.
"I know you have to be super angry at me for what happened, but you should know that this-"
"I understand that this isn't the first time this has happened, Austin," Remus interrupted and covered his face with his hand. "I'm not that mad at you, really. I'm angrier with myself because I knew something was wrong."
"You shouldn't blame yourself, Remus. I was just tryin to not need my medicine and then I got angry with havin to take it, thinkin that I would be able to control my darker emotions and handle my thoughts better. I thought that if I didn't take my medicine, I'd be able to sort through the pain I was feelin and maybe come to terms with everything goin on. I should have just taken it and this wouldn't have happened. I'm able to think better when I take my medicine. I don't make stupid mistakes like this." Austin sighed before rubbing her eyes. "I just figured that you would be angry."
"Not about you almost killing yourself. I'm dissappointed that you didn't come to one of us for help. We're your friends and we would have helped you through all of this. We would have stood by you till the end. However, I am angry about you not telling me that a werewolf was after you." Remus explained before looking at her for what felt like the first time.
"I didn't want anyone to know. I was afraid that people would try to protect me and I didn't want them endin up like my family." Austin whispered before she looked away, "I guess this is where I end up tellin ya who's after me."
"It would be helpful, yes." Remus smiled before taking her hand.
"Fenir Greyback wants to kill me because I am the last of my family."