Disclaimer: Harry Potter is life, but it isn't mine.
Today.
Today was the day. The day Remus would find out the truth.
Why Sirius had done what he did? How could he have betrayed everyone he ever loved? So many questions that were left unanswered from Halloween.
He could not sleep the night before. Remus lay awake, bathed in his insomnia and worry, and twiddling his thumbs nervously. It had taken Dumbledore longer than he originally intended to grant him access to visit Azkaban, especially the high security sector. Because of this, the day Remus would visit Sirius was scheduled to be New years ev.
Since Remus agreed he would visit Sirius, the lycanthrope spent many a waking hour pondering through books in the Hogwarts library, looking for books on dreams, Dementors, and the dark arts. Remus always particularly liked Defence Against the Dark Arts when he was at school, so he had already read most of the books in that region. He chose to research Dementors just out of curiosity as to what their exposure did their victims. Despite all this though, the subject that had intrigued him the most was that of Dreams, if he could call what he was experiencing 'dreams'.
So far, it seemed that there was nothing worth while in regard to his situation, and seeing Sirius every night in his sleep was enough proof for Remus that the conclusion was going to be -as much as he hated to admit it- too uncanny to find in a book. Remus found (in a book Dumbledore had given him) that sometimes two people could obtain the ability to connect with each other through the unconscious mind. The book explained that this ability was a very powerful force of magic; some of it forming from eternal devotion and 'love'...
At which point Remus would close the book and roll his eyes. Despite what Sirius had been so eager to tell him in the only other dream where they had interacted properly, Remus refused to believe that Sirius still had the capacity to love.
When the sun shone in through his window on new years ev morning, Remus mechanically rose from his bed. He showered and dressed in his only clothes still salvageable (dully noting that the house elves had washed them for him). When he had finished, Remus stood before the mirror in his private bathroom, looking at his reflection for the first time in weeks.
His hair had grown so that it was now close to reaching his shoulders. Despite this though, it was still as knotted and wavy as it had ever been in their school years. The grey hairs -he noticed- were becoming more pronounced than he ever thought possible for a twenty one year old, as they merged with the gold and brown streaks in his hair. A few strands of the grey flickered to his eyes, which had more light than they had a few months ago, although this light was probably enhanced by the dark shadows that permanently resided beneath his eyes. He let his emerald orbs take in his shabby appearance.
His face and fingers (the only parts of his body not covered by clothing) were littered with scars, both new and old, giving him the look of a broken china doll, cracked and tainted. Remus wore a pair of denim jeans that were neither tight nor baggy, a black roll neck jumper and fingerless gloves. A long brown robe that was ripped in a few places but practical to wear non the less, was flowing from his shoulders elegantly.
'Yep. Remus Lupin you absolute sexy beast.' He muttered sarcastically, chuckling to himself as he left his room.
Remus skipped breakfast and ventured straight for the headmasters office. He did not have much of an appetite anyway.
He was pleasantly surprised to find that the headmaster was already there waiting for him when he got there.
'Ah Remus, I figured you would come early. Probably best, we need to be at the Ministry for nine.' Remus shivered at the mention of the Ministry, but nodded none the less.
'Sir, just out of interest, how are we getting to the Ministry?' He did not feel too comfortable apparating -not that you could apparate inside of Hogwarts; Hogwarts: A history taught him that much (but considering no one other than him had bothered to read it in his year, he was not sure anyone else was aware of that fact). Remus's main concern with that method of transport was that he still was not too comfortable touching other people (not counting Sirius in his 'Dream', because Sirius DOES NOT COUNT, SHUT UP).
'We will be going by Floo powder if that is all right, Remus?' The werewolf nodded.
'Of course, Si-er.. Albus.' Still getting used to it.
Dumbledore gestured into his fireplace and Remus obeyed, grabbing a handful of Floo Powder and stepping inside the archway.
'The Ministry of Magic.' He declared and disappeared into the green flames.
Ugh, this is going to be torture...
The journey as a whole was both fatiguing and draining for the werewolf. After countless searches and meaningless, awkward questions, Remus and Dumbledore were finally out at sea, in search of the tiny island of horror and imprisonment. The air was wet and salty, and the sky was monochrome despite the fact that it was midday.
Remus's teeth were chattering as winter snowflakes fell from above, making the lycanthrope wonder how the prisoners could survive in the everlasting coldness.
He stole a glance at Dumbledore only to find him detached from Remus's obvious discomfort with the weather. It worried Remus to see that Dumbledore was actually smiling, relaxed as he gazed ahead of their path. The guard accompanying them was also looking the the headmaster oddly, as if his beard had turned a distasteful bubblegum pink. Remus allowed himself to momentarily smile at the guards bizarre look to the Professors antics before he saw the shadowed tower from a distance.
The setting was as clichéd as it could get. Rain mixed with the snow as thunder began to roar from the clouds. Lightning struck at various intervals behind the island, illuminating Azkaban's contours down to every last detail. The faint screams of helpless prisoners could be heard, even through the howling of the wind. It was eerie and sinister. Remus paled as the boat pulled in to the shore.
The three wizards got out of the rickety boat and stumbled out of the now fully fledged storm and into the prison itself. The walls were pitch black, as was the floor. The only colour was the orange gleam of the fiery torches which sat upon the walls.
Remus and Dumbledore both handed their wands in to the guard (not that it mattered considering both wizards could perform wandless magic), who was now stationed behind a desk which appeared not to have been used much The two headed along the corridor that the guard had pointed out to them. The guard chose not to accompany them for obvious reasons.
'Right mutters coming here...'
Their footsteps echoed loudly through the walls as the screams began to silence when they approached. Muttering could be heard from some of the cells they passed, and when Remus chose to take a quick glance in some of them, he was always met with hopeless, dead eyes that absorbed all colour. Remus wondered, as they came closer and closer to their destination, whether Sirius had turned out the same as these beings in his two months inside.
Had it only been that long?
Those two months had felt like two years for Remus. Did it feel that long to Sirius?
Dumbledore stopped at the start of the highest floor; the high security department. He turned to Remus and forced a smile.
'I think I had best wait here, Remus. I understand that you probably want to undergo this alone.' Remus nodded.
'Thank you, Albus.' Dumbledore returned the nod.
'Third cell to the left.' His eye twitched as he stepped aside to allow Remus to pass.
The journey seemed to last an eternity. His footsteps were pounding into his ears, but they were quickly silenced by a manic laugh heard in the second cell to the right. Remus turned his head to see Bellatrix Lestrange staring at him from beneath heavy lidded eyes. Her hair was tangled and knotted, adding effect to her insane demeanour. To his horror she cackled louder at his look of bemused horror and began chiming,
'Ickle, ickle wolfy! Are you lost?' She gasped dramatically as she feigned shock. 'No! Ickle, wickle Wolfy came to find his mate. The half-breed bitch to a Black sleep. He trails after him like a lost puppy... Little, ickle puppy.'
Remus glared angrily at her and strolled away from the cell; away from the deranged laughter that echoed through him, sending shivers up his spine.
'Ickle, wickle, Wolfy, clueless ickle puppy!'
He stopped in his tracks when he was aware of where he was.
The third cell to his left.
He could not look at it. He faced forwards eyes wide. The deathly silence echoed through the hall was shattered by the hopeful voice to his left.
'Moony?'
Remus whipped his head around to stare in disbelief as Sirius moved into the light. His usually immaculate hair was knotted and greasy. His face was like death as his ivory skin was tightly pulled over his face, making his face gaunt and skull-like. His beautiful grey eyes matched the storm outside, surrounded by shadows much like Remus's. Sirius's frail hands gripped the bars of his cell as he lay on his knees, weakly gazing up at the werewolf.
'Moony? Remus, is it you?' Choking back a sob, Remus nodded and sank to his knees also to be at eye level with Sirius.
'Yes. Padfoot, it's me.' Sirius smiled in relief, leaning his forehead against the metal bars.
'I knew you would come... that is if you were indeed still alive. I didn't want to believe in false hope but-'
'Sirius.'
The animagus's mouth clamped shut as he stared into Remus's eyes, scared. 'What do you mean?'
Sirius looked downcast.
'You mean... you couldn't see me? I thought you could see me too...'
'Padfoot, I did see you too. I saw you everyday. You taunt me in my dreams, whisper things. I came today for answers.' Sirius's eyes shone.
'You could see me!' He stated loudly, amazed. It didn't last long however as his overjoyed expression quickly dissolved into an angry one. 'But that means... Remus? HOW COULD YOU? HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KILL YOURSELF AGAIN! YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T!'
Sirius was never really one for subtlety... Or indoor voices...
He broke for breath, panting as his voice became strained from use.
Sirius, it seemed, was not the only one who could shout angrily though. He looked up to see the feral wolf present in the lycanthrope's eyes as a vein on his forehead twitched along with one eye. Remus was enraged.
'WHAT THE HELL, SIRIUS?! HOW DARE YOU SHOUT AT ME! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE? YOU KILLED PRONGS AND LILY AND PETER. DON'T YOU DARE BERATE ME, BLACK, OR I SWEAR.' he pointed a bony finger at the prisoner, and spoke quieter this time, as if he were almost ashamed to voice these next words, 'You did this to me, Padfoot...'
Sirius shrank back into the shadows. He pulled this knees to chest and rocked slightly. He looked up into the werewolf's eyes and whispered.
'I didn't do it, Remus.' His voice shook, but his eyes were focused and intent. Remus's anger dissipated, replaced by befuddlement.
'What?... Don't lie to me, Sirius.' He sounded unsure of himself. The said animagus took advantage of this moment of doubt and crawled forward, back towards the werewolf. He came so close to Remus that the lycanthrope could hear the rugged breathing of the animagus. He spoke softly,
'I'm not lying, Moony. I did not betray James and Lily.' He paused as his voice changed monotonous, 'My letter would have told you that if you hadn't decided to burn it.' The last part came out as a hiss as he looked at Remus in accusation.
Sensing Remus's discomfort, he stuttered an apology and grabbed the metal bars again. 'Moony- Remus, I swear to Merlin: I did not do this. P-Peter... He's alive.' Sirius was desperate. He needed Remus to understand. 'He was the secret Keeper. Peter and I switched -James and Lily knew... we switched without telling Dumbledore... without telling you...'
Remus looked at him in disbelief and betrayal.
'P-Padfoot? What do you mean?'
'I'm so sorry, Remus, I thought it was you. I thought that you were the traitor. You went on all of these missions without confiding in us... in me... I didn't know what to think. It was Peter that stimulated my suspicions. When he first accused you of being the spy though, I wanted to punch him... I did punch him; broke his nose actually, but that's beside the point...
'He wouldn't leave the matter alone, constantly badgering me, trying to convince me that you were the guilty one. I didn't want to believe him, but gradually, he made me listen. It broke my heart some of it, Moony. It broke my heart because some of what he had said had actually made sense... He turned me against you.' Sirius's eyes were becoming glassy, and Remus's had begun to itch and burn, but no tears formed. He swallowed explicitly.
'That doesn't change the fact that you killed Peter, Sirius.' Sirius made a noise like a growl in the back of his throat.
'I never killed Wormtail. I meant to, but little Peter got the better of me, Moony. I was corrupt in my grief; I was set on my revenge. I wanted Peter to suffer for betraying James, Lily and Harry.' He kept his eyes on the lycanthrope, 'He's the reason our two best friends are dead, Remus. I couldn't just let him walk free knowing that.
'When I went to Godric's Hollow on Halloween, I had seen for myself what that damn rat had done. I was so mad, but I was ecstatic when I discovered that Harry had actually survived it all. After Hagrid told me that Harry was to go to Dumbledore, you could say I was less than satisfied, but grudgingly, I agreed. I gave Hagrid my bike so that he could take Harry safely, and set off to find Peter.
'I transformed into Padfoot and tracked him down. It wasn't hard, he stunk of fear and sweat. I quickly cornered him, but he yelled loud enough for the whole street to hear that I was the one to betrayed Lily and James... The bastard. I almost had him when he blew the half the street up with his wand behind his back. I had no idea he possessed that much magical ability... we all underestimated him though, I guess.
'After that, he turned on himself and sliced his ring finger off before transforming and escaping down a sewer drain... along with the other rats. I was dumbfounded. I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that poor insignificant Peter beat me. I have to admit now that it was probably a bad idea as it was probably the reason everyone now thinks I'm deranged... but it was hysterical at the time. I laughed until tears poured down my cheeks, because I knew then: my life was over... I would never see anyone I ever loved again. I would never see Harry or you again, and so you would never know truth... I knew then that I was destined to live the rest of my life alone.'
Tears had formed in Sirius's eyes; he seemed to not be able to take them off Remus. A stray tear created a small trail down his pronounced cheekbones, as he whispered in a sincere voice,
'I'm sorry, Remus.'
Remus, least to say, was gob smacked at this extensive speech; this confession. He did not want to contemplate the fact that Sirius might actually lying, but how did he know this was the truth?
'How do I believe you, Padfoot?' He asked solemnly, as he closed his eyes and unknowingly rested his head against Sirius's between the bars. He still did not like physical contact, but Sirius always was a special case. Sirius looked up, eyes still fixed on Remus, but not disturbing the touch.
'Let me show you, Moony.' Remus's eyes shot open.
'You are too weak for me to perform wandless Legitimens on you, Sirius.' He scolded, half heartedly. He cared about Sirius's well being (even if it could still turn out that he is, in fact, an insane, manipulative psychopath), but curiosity and longing for the truth were biting away at his conscience quickly.
Sirius gave him a I-Am-Sirius-Black-I-Do-Whatever-The-Fuck-I-Want look, and gently took Remus's face in his hands, whispering,
'Please, Remus.' The werewolf placed his own bony hands over the skeletal ones of Sirius and sighed in defeat.
'You persistent bastard.'
'You've always loved it.'
'Shut up, Black... Legitimens.'
The darkness was lifted immediately, replaced by a bright August sunlight streaming through a very familiar window, lighting up the very clean kitchen of what had once been the Potters' residence.
Remus saw three figures sat at the kitchen table. One with shining ebony hair that was tied up in a messy bun that -in any other situation- Remus would have been drooling over without shame. Sirius's expression was far from his usual hyper self as he seemed to be explaining something to the other two. One of the aforementioned wore a head of messy black hair that stuck up at odd angles; he wore thick square framed glasses that appeared to have fallen down his nose a bit during the start of the conversation. James had his hand clasped on top of Lily's, the third member of their party. Her hair was the colour of fresh strawberries and her lush eyes were brooding, obviously unconvinced with what Sirius was saying.
'I think we should switch, Jamie.' Sirius blurted out. He covered his face in his hands in exhaustion and defeat. James looked disgruntled.
'Why should we switch, Sirius? We trust you with our lives. What could possibly-?'
'Remus.'
Sirius's voice was monotonous and empty. The pair looked bewildered at this, but Lily was the first to recover as she challenged Sirius, ginger eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion.
'What about Remus?' She asked in protectiveness.
'What do you think, Lils?' Sirius mumbled from beneath his hands in slight agitation.
'What about Moony?' The question was spoken more forcefully this time, as it appeared that James had finally found his voice during the exchange and had chosen to back up his wife's inquiry. Sirius sighed loudly and removed his hands from his face, looking the couple in the eyes.
'I think the Spy is Moony. I think we could switch Secret Keepers, everyone knows that I'm the easy option.' He spoke sadly. James looked unconvinced and asked,
'What makes you think it's Moony?'
'Wormtail pointed out a lot of things to me recently. The link between Moony's "Missions" and the Death eater attacks were and still are uncanny... as well as other stuff.' He whined, almost as if he did not want to believe it himself but was forced to.
Lily still looked puzzled.
'But why does that mean we need to change secret keepers?' Sirius looked crestfallen and broken.
'I-If it's Moony... I can't... I'd rather die than betray your secret, Prongs; Lils, but if it's Remus then I don't know what I'll do... I can't protect you knowing that the person I love is capable of bringing down the only family I ever loved with a single word... It's Moony... I can't explain it.'
Sirius abruptly stopped rambling, aware that what he saying was hardly coherent. He looked as if every word he said was causing him pain, making James feel commiserative towards his brother in everything but blood. He placed hand on his shoulder from across the table consolingly and soothed,
'I know Padfoot, I'm sorry. It's fine... We'll use Dumbledore instead, yeah?' Sirius was grateful for his friend's understanding, but he still divulged deeper as an epiphany just struck him.
'No... I was actually thinking Peter.' Sirius perked up slightly and began to reason, 'I mean, he's the perfect choice. He's so under appreciated that no one would ever think that he was the one we used.' Yep, Sirius was never subtle. 'Think about it, I'd be the perfect bluff. Moony won't know and everything will be fine.'
James nodded slowly, understanding and accepting, but not agreeing, whereas Lily just huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, slouching back on her chair.
'Fine. But I still don't think we have any reason to believe that Remus is the traitor, you know.' James looked at his wife in a silent plea, and leant towards her.
'Me too, but you're forgetting, this is Sirius. He's a stubborn git. Remus would never betray us and he knows it, deep down. Just play along...' He whispered just loud enough for only Lily to hear. Sirius did not notice anyway, he was merely staring at the table, eyes wide and tearful.
Remus watched the exchange, mouth slightly open in shock, albeit gratefulness towards his two friends for backing him up.
'God, I hope it isn't Moony, Prongs. I really, really hope it isn't. But I can't take the chance, not with Harry to protect. He must come first. I may love Remus, and it may destroy me, but if it keeps Harry and you two safe, then I'd do anything.' His face was the epitome of serious, and the other three (including Remus) all believed him easily.
When Sirius was this determined, there was no contradiction to be considered.
'Okay, fine. We'll change, but I'm warning you, Black, you're wrong about Remus.' Lily announced, irritated. Sirius smiled in gratitude.
'Thank you.'
Remus could not watch anymore, he had all he came for anyway, and forcefully pulled back from the memory. The connection was broken and the two fell back, panting from the prolonged excursion of wandless magic. Remus was the first to recover.
He was telling the truth! He's innocent!
'Sirius... I-' He began.
'Remus!'
It was Dumbledore. Remus's eyes broke away from Sirius in time to see four Dementors gliding towards him. He vaguely heard a dog like whimper and glanced quickly to see Padfoot backed away into the corner of his cell, watching Remus in worry and concern; knowing he could not help him this time.
Dumbledore had backed up to Remus's side and called in a very authoritative voice, 'Remus, this may seem far fetched, but can you think of a happy thought? If you can, then we might have a chance of getting out of here unscathed. It was very foolish of you to perform magic here, you know.' Remus glanced to his right, eyes never leaving the helpless dog.
'I know, Sir. I'm sorry, but Sirius-'
'Remus, I am aware of Sirius, but there is no time. Help me, now, or you'll never be able to save him.' He reasoned. Remus thought a moment.
Sirius is innocent. I'll get him out. We'll find Harry. We'll be a family.
Sirius is innocent. Sirius is innocent. Sirius didn't betray us... didn't betray me...
Remus's new found revelation catalysed his determination. Raising his wand arm in front of him, it took all of his and Dumbledore's strength to perform the incarnation as the coldness was rapidly biting at them,
'EXPECTO PATRONUM!'
The graceful silver Phoenix, and the sleek mystical wolf shot from beneath their fingertips and charged. Dumbledore's Phoenix circled the wizards' heads in protectiveness, while Remus's Wolf charged and attacked the Dementors, defending it's master fiercely. The Dementors backed away reluctantly, giving Dumbledore and Remus enough time to escape their grasp.
Of course, this was the point where Remus had decided to abandon all his logical reasoning, and -instead of departing hastily- turned and grasped Sirius's now fully human hands in his and squeezed lightly.
'Know that I forgive you, Padfoot. I'm going to get you out of here even if it's the last thing I ever do. Stay strong for me. I love you.'
Sirius nodded, biting his lip. Then, without thinking, pulled Remus into him and kissed him desperately and lovingly. He managed a smile when he found that Remus responded with equal devotion.
'REMUS!'
The lycanthrope reluctantly pulled away and, with one final look at Sirius, he sprinted down the corridor after Dumbledore, his patronus following obediently, Smiling slightly when he heard the quiet reply to his previous words.
'I love you too, Moony...'
'He's innocent! He's innocent! I can not believe it, how did I not see it before? Of course he would never betray us!' Remus had been rambling since they escaped the mournful island. For someone who had performed very advanced wandless magic in the presence of soul sucking monsters, he seemed worryingly unperturbed by the magic that was draining his energy.
'Yes Remus. I know.' Dumbledore replied for the sixth time, exasperated. Originally, he had joined in with the "celebration?", but now that the werewolf's hyperactive attitude had escalated so high that even Accio would struggle to bring him back, naturally the Professor was becoming a little irritated.
The duo now faced a full scale inquiry at the Ministry due to the events that took place during Azkaban, making Remus, once again, in a bad position with regard to the law as well as him also being in the media spotlight again -but at least the Prophet would not get out until tomorrow.
Back in Dumbledore's office, Remus had told Dumbledore the full story that Sirius had told him. He had to verify the story by reluctantly telling Dumbledore about his friends' marvellous accomplishments with regard to Transfiguration: Animagi.
Dumbledore seemed unperturbed by the tale. Instead, he had complimented The three Marauders for their high level use of Magic and marvelled at their determination to help their friend during his transformations. Remus was touched that the Headmaster saw it that way as opposed to scolding them for being foolhardy and accusing Remus of betraying his trust while at school -a thought which had plagued Remus with guilt for years.
The Professor seemed to find the Animagi tale extraordinary, his twinkling eyes lighting up to the point of blindness upon eye contact. It seemed that Dumbledore himself enjoyed a bit of mischief in regard to the rules -but of course any Marauder would already be aware of that fact. How else did they manage to pull off some of their less discreet pranks without being seriously reprimanded by their teachers?
'Sir?' Remus asked, carefully. The bubble of excitement deflating at last. 'How are we going to help get Sirius out?' The insightful werewolf puzzled. Dumbledore thought about the question.
'It certainly does seem like quite the conundrum, doesn't it Remus?' The lycanthrope nodded. 'The Ministry's opinion of you is foul at the best of times, but now I'm pretty sure when I say that any reasoning you may have about Sirius's innocence would be dutifully ignored completely by the authorities.' He smiled apologetically. 'You and Sirius's antics appear to have marred my position at the Ministry also.' Dumbledore added, eyes momentarily sparkling.
'Forgive me, Sir... Albus.' Remus bowed his head.
'No need, no need. Remus, it's fine. I dare say they were becoming a little too reliant on me after everything anyway. Time to, er... set the bird free, if we were to put it into an analogy that is.' He reassured.
'But what are we going to do, Sir?' Remus asked earnestly.
'I have a theory.' Dumbledore concluded after an extensive period of silence. 'It would require great patience, and you would need to be able to play your part well.' He riddled.
'Like the werewolf missions?' Remus pondered.
'Yes, I guess you could say that, Remus. You see, from what Sirius has informed you, it seems that Peter Pettigrew is in fact alive, therefore meaning that he must be hiding somewhere in Britain as the rat -or Wormtail as you call him- considering the fact that there have been no known sightings of him since Halloween. My theory suggests that if you were to go undercover and gather information from un-convicted Death Eaters on the whereabouts of Pettigrew and whether or not his loyalty is with the Order, or the Death Eaters, then we might have a chance of unmasking him to the Ministry and proving Sirius's innocence.
'The work will be hard, but I am fully confident that it will pay off if it sets an innocent man free.' Dumbledore gazed at the lycanthrope, 'Be aware, Remus, that the only person that I would trust with this task would be you.' he finished, waiting for the worewolf's reaction. He was glad to see that Remus's face was set and that his posture was firm.
'Anything, Albus. I'd do anything to help Sirius. It's not right that he should be convicted for a betrayal he never took part in, nor for the murders that he never committed.' His passion to help Sirius was fierce.
'I completely agree, Remus.' His expression turned inquiring, 'Are you prepared for this task though? This will not be an easy process, and it is essential that you undergo this alone for the sake of your safety. It may even take years to even find a trace of Pettigrew. Are you prepared to risk your life and dedicate your existence to this?' Remus seemed a little unhinged at the thought of it taking years to find Wormtail, but time would not discourage him.
'I'm not just doing this for Sirius, sir.' He challenged. 'I'm doing this for Harry. Harry deserves to know the truth, regardless of when he is informed of it, but I will not allow him to grow up believing that his Godfather was the catalyst that destroyed his family.' He exhaled shakily. 'I would also not be able to live knowing that I could've helped free Sirius of that prison and reunite him with his Godson, but didn't. You have my full commitment Albus.'
Dumbledore nodded, impressed with the answer, and smiled admirably at the werewolf.
'Very well, Remus. I believe you.' Remus obtained his look of determination.
'When do I start, Albus?'
Werewolves: Pioneering or plotting?
Dumbledore's golden werewolf: Remus Lupin, is once again the centre of attention at the Ministry of Magic after a recorded visit to Azkaban earlier yesterday caused an outbreak of enraged Dementors on the Prisoners', resulting in two high security prisoners being kissed by the foul creatures.
It is believed that the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore, had managed to 'pull a few strings' at the Ministry of Magic, granting the Werewolf access to the over sea prison. Now what, dear readers, was so important on that island that lead to the omniscient Professor accompanying Lupin to it's fortress of depression and solitude?
The answer is, of course, Sirius Black.
Mass murderer Sirius Black -rumoured to have had an imitate relationship with Lupin- was reported to be the sole reason that the werewolf and Professor visited Azkaban. The facts as to the reason behind the visit are not yet spilled, but it is reported that Lupin performed wandless magic during his visit, stimulating the uproar from the Dementors.
Wandless magic is regarded as a very advanced form of magic, leading us to wonder: Is Lupin's constant lack of abiding the rules a personal stand to gain more diversity for werewolves, or merely a blatant disregard to a organised, judicial society around him due to his feral instincts? Either way, is this the start of a massive protest movement for equality for Werewolves, or the start of another irrational war?
In years to come, will Lupin be labelled as the symbol of werewolf rights, or the stirrer that had to be dealt with quickly by the authorities before he managed to spread his rebellious nature to others?
'Way to blow the whole thing out of proportion...' Remus muttered before throwing the Prophet into the fire.
After hours of research, sleepless nights, and mountains of paperwork, Remus was finally prepared for his mission.
He had watched the papers for months, looking out for any word on Sirius's well being. So far, he had found nothing. He was becoming very unsettled by this as he had not seen Sirius in any of his dreams since the visit to Azkaban. Because of this, Remus spent a lot of his time berating himself for performing Legitimens on the weak man -even if it did, in the end, prove that Sirius was innocent.
For the first part of his mission, Remus had to track down the recent whereabouts of former Death Eaters who had escaped charge at the Ministry. His plan was to live amongst them; gain their trust, then find out anything important with regard to Sirius or Wormtail.
Luckily for him, none of the Death eaters (besides Malfoy) would ever properly recognise him when he joined them anyway. During the war, Remus had spent the majority of it with his own kind and had therefore fought less against the other death eaters (despite his advanced magical ability at duelling). As well as this, they were not likely to recognise him because although the Prophet may have written a substantial amount about him these past months, they had no pictures of him to project to the wizarding world; making his identity anonymous to anyone in society.
Despite this though, Remus still had to take precautions. He had grown his hair so that it was now to his elbows and grew his facial hair so that he looked more feral and threatening. Remus had allowed the wolf side of him to emerge upon the surface -but only in appearance- allowing Moony to shape his new structure. He built up his werewolf strength, resulting in his bulging veins becoming even more prominent all over his body. Remus also used a charm to pale his skin, this allowed his scars to stand out more so than they already did. Remus even went as far as breaking his own nose -with magic of course- to further disguise who he really was.
He was taking no chances. Remus needed to help Sirius.
Dumbledore met him in the Entrance Hall when he was ready to depart, saying his farewell's.
'Are you ready, Remus?' He asked the lycanthrope despite already knowing the answer. Remus nodded, face serious, making his whole demeanour look ever more intimidating, not that it was targeted towards the Headmaster.
'Definitely, Albus.'
'You know that you must not contact anyone once you get there. Through your research, it looks like the Death eaters live in a very secluded area, away from preying eyes, and I gather that any contact you make with the outside world among them will be considered a threat towards them.'
'I am well aware of the risks, Professor.' Remus reminded, albeit not bitterly.
'I know Remus, forgive an old man.' They shared a mutual smile momentarily before the tense atmosphere was restored. 'I was just pointing out that anything you have to say will need to be said now.' He looked at Remus knowingly, who let his firm façade down for a moment to think.
'I think I'd just like to say thank you, Albus. Not many would have persevered with me long enough to allow me to flourish from my sombre cocoon.' He chuckled at that, 'but also, not many would have persevered long enough to uncover the amount of truth we have discovered... and not many would be willing risk the amount you have for someone... well, someone like me.' Remus smiled sadly. 'So, actually thinking about it, I don't think "Thank you" is going to cut it.'
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled their trademark flash and he nodded in understanding.
'You truly are one of kind though, Remus. I'd do it again any time. You have also taught me that sometimes an analytical approach may not be the best option for dealing with my students. This is a lesson I'm afraid that I must grow to accept.' He smiled as Remus's lips could match Professor McGonagall's. 'Now, do not get me wrong, Remus, the analytical approach does work in the majority of cases, but this time, personal understanding triumphed, would you not agree?' Remus hesitated.
'I suppose...' Although he did crack a half smile.
'Well then, I do not want to keep you too long. Farewell for now, Mr Lupin. I put all my faith in you.'
Remus smiled in thanks and, after much consideration, held out a shaking right hand for Dumbledore to shake. The Professor, to say the least, appeared shocked, but did not hesitate to grasp the trembling hand for a quick handshake.
'Farewell, Professor. Until we meet again.'
Remus then turned from the Headmaster and proceeded to walk towards his mission; his new purpose in life.
He was going to prove Sirius's innocence, even if it killed him..
A/N: Wow that was a long chapter, but I hope you liked it! Sorry for dragging this story out, but I promise there will be a happy ending. Thank you for the great reviews. I'll try to update soon. :)