A/N: A short chapter, here (well, by this story's standards), and set in the past, but establishing some relationships that'll play into the next chapter and beyond.
You may notice I'm ignoring Pottermore when it comes to the background of one of the Marauders. This is because I'd already had the background established, and I don't consider Pottermore or other stuff outside the books to be hard Canon. The problem I find with Pottermore is it has no sense of history or basic math.
We have Merlin's Chocolate Frog card saying the usual things about him, how he mentored King Arthur, etc, but Pottermore claims he went to Hogwarts.
Hogwarts was, according to the books, founded around the 990s. As anyone with even a little knowledge of King Arthur knows, the legends were set around the fall of the Roman Empire in the 400s. You can't just move the tales from their historical context, because not only is everything about Arthur, his family, and associates very Celtic, but it's the Roman Empire's withdraw from Britain and the Saxons trying to move in that sets the King Arthur tales in motion. It's like having Henry VIII as King of Britain during World War II. According to Pottermore, the Roman Empire would had to have fallen some time around the Norman invasion of England.
J. K. Rowling, herself, has always acknowledged that she's very bad at numbers and math, which she's also acknowledged has created some continuity issues with the books. So, please don't think I'm bashing her for bringing it up, since it's something she admits to. Even in the books, we saw a seven-year difference in when Charlie Weasley attended from the early books to the later ones. An even bigger gap in the timelines of the books is when Dumbledore became Headmaster, either in the mid-1950s or late-1960s, depending on which book it is.
So, when fic writers encounter continuity issues in Canon when writing their stories, especially with dates, ages, and so forth, they have to pick which of the contradictory elements they're going to use. So, when fic writers get a bit annoyed when someone tells them "That isn't Canon" when they've chosen to use a part of, well, Canon that contradicts other Canon, well... you now understand why. :)
For myself, I'm using the generally accepted timelines for the Marauders, Lily, and Snape, but have added a year to allow for something else from the books about Bellatrix. I'm going with the generally accepted mid-1950s date for Dumbledore becoming Headmaster. I've shaved a couple of years off Bellatrix's age from what the "official" Black Family tree says, for consistency with the books. According to the date on the tree, she couldn't have been at Hogwarts at any point when Severus, Lily, and the Marauders were there, when, according to the books, she was there at the same time as them for at least a little while. I've also done it in a way that allows her to still be older than Andromeda and Narcissa, as she is according to both the tree and books, and allow Andromeda time to have had Nymphadora without her having to have had her while attending Hogwarts.
Sigh... If only J. K. Rowling owned a calculator...
The approach I'm taking is that the books are Canon, period, while other things, like JKR's interviews, things like the Black Family tree, the movies, and Pottermore, are Apocrypha, and I'm using the classic Catholic definitions, here. In Catholicism, Canon is the books that were chosen to make up the Bible, Apocrypha other books that weren't chosen, but are still considered worth knowing and studying. The Apocrypha has been the basis for many Christian traditions, people in various places and times choosing to use something from it. So, I'll use things from the movies, interviews, and so forth if I think it useful to the story I'm writing, and it doesn't contradict the Canon, the books themselves.
One example is the threesome with Fred, George, and Angelina. That was inspired by one of JKR's post-DH interviews, the one that gave us Rolf and Astoria. Fans generally seem to think she had those and other names we'd never heard of before planned from the start, and just didn't mention them in the Epilogue, but it's very clear, if you watch the interview, that she was making up these names and relationships on the spot because the interviewer was asking about the future of characters besides the Trio. However, when one is improvising, mistakes will happen, in this case when she said George married Angelina and had x number of kids... then remembered that Angelina had been Fred's girlfriend in the books and realized how squicky what she'd just said was.
But, I found the idea that the twins really did share everything, and were hiding this threesome they were in from their mother, just too fun to pass up, so it's here. Plus, it gives me a sort of excuse for the other polyamorous relationships in the books (Of course, having Fae involved justifies them, anyway). Harry's very pleased about this, and, as we've seen the last few chapters, is pursuing his own agenda. :)
Oh, there are some elements in this chapter that were introduced back in Chapters 3, 4, and 6.
Caught in a Dream written by Michael Bruce.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Wolf and the Serpent
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical naked"
- Allen Ginsberg, Howl
Hogwarts, Scotland, UK, Spring, 1971
Professor Slughorn was feeling quite proud.
True, only one of the Sixth Years who had just been given approval by Headmaster Dumbledore to have Alchemy as their independent course study for their NEWTs in their final year was a Slytherin, but both, Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks, were his, part of his collection, his Slug Club.
Unsurprisingly, but disappointingly, Slughorn and Professor Flitwick had to personally intervene to convince Dumbledore to approve their course studies. He had to contact Nicolas Flamel and explain the situation. Flamel was quite concerned, and Nicolas Flamel was someone even Albus Dumbledore had to listen to. The Headmaster took issue with the two students, specifically the changes they had gone through over the last few years, their "Will to Power" philosophy, and Andromeda's extensive Dark Arts knowledge. Slughorn had told Dumbledore that Andromeda wasn't the Black sister he needed to worry about. Andromeda just didn't feel the need to put on a false front to get the approval of authority figures. She and Ted took pleasure in being Hogwarts's most controversial students.
"And they're Prefects!" Professor McGonagall huffed after one of their scandalous antics.
"I'd have thought," Slughorn had replied, "that you'd be pleased that Andromeda and Ted had not only learned to get along, but work so well, together."
That development had come as quite the shock to the Hogwarts staff, except for Slughorn, of course. The Slytherin pureblood and Ravenclaw muggleborn had been fierce rivals when they first stepped off the Hogwarts Express, in the classroom, in the Dueling Club, everywhere. There were even concerns that the two would kill each other. But, Slughorn knew them both so well, and saw the alchemy at work between them. Dumbledore, he was certain, had to have seen it, too, but... Andromeda's old tutor in dark and ancient magics was an old wound for the Headmaster. Andromeda's fascinations reminded him too much of someone else.
"Well, perhaps she'll grow out of it," McGonagall suggested, "like her sister did."
Bellatrix Black, Head Girl at Hogwarts, was amused. The object of her amusement was Lucius Malfoy, Sixth Year Slytherin Prefect, along with her sister Andromeda. Lucius was rather upset, as he often was these days, with Andy. Their families were practically planning their marriage, and Andy seemed to be ignoring this. Lucius, Bella thought, was a rather spoiled boy, taking everything for granted, so she was enjoying Andy putting him through the wringer. She especially enjoyed watching Lucius's horrified expression at Andy's arrival at the annual Summer Ball the previous year. Bella, herself, had caused an uproar the year before, wearing an obviously fake tiara and setting loose rats on the floor, and had wondered what Andy would do to equal it.
"That's... an outrage!" Bella's Aunt Walburga had exclaimed.
Bella had smiled, and said "I think she looks fetching. I know it's muggle, but muggle fashions are becoming quite popular with the wealthy Pureblood circle."
Her aunt had glared at her, as that wasn't the issue. But, Bella was very proud of her sister, who looked wonderful in her tuxedo. And really, why was Andy cross dressing such an issue since she'd often crossed genders? Bella knew their parents would be keeping a very close eye on their youngest, Narcissa, this Summer.
She'd have to find some way of reassuring Lucius, though. It seems he had another concern.
"What about Tonks?" he asked.
Bella couldn't believe her ears. Lucius was worried about the mudblood?
"Really, Lucius, this is Andy we're discussing. While they may have their little alchemy club, she's one of us. She knows her responsibilities, and she knows her loyalties. She and I have always been together on everything, and we always will be."
Lucius nodded, in understanding, as there were some things they couldn't discuss openly at Hogwarts, where the walls had ears.
"Besides," Bella smiled and added, "even if she is shagging Tonks, she'll still perform her duties and pop out an heir for you."
Didn't want Lucius too reassured, after all. Give him something to squirm about. Lucius decided it was best to change the subject.
"Speaking of loyalties and responsibilities, what about that cousin of yours?"
Bella frowned. Ah, yes, Sirius, in his first year, and somehow sorted into Gryffindor.
"Well, if I had a mother like his, I'd probably do anything to get the old goat's... goat. He looks up to Andy, though, and she promised to be a good influence on him."
Severus Snape was not having a good day. For that matter, it hadn't been a good year. Really, if you got down to it, it hadn't been a good life. This particular day, though, he'd chosen to take out some frustrations verbally on some Gryffindors. Now, with his friends Rabastan Lestrange, Melancton Mulciber, and Alan Avery not around to back him up, he was getting beaten up by three Gryffindor boys, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. A fourth Gryffindor boy, Remus Lupin, was trying to get the others to stop. Severus couldn't help but notice, though, that Lupin wasn't trying particularly hard.
Remus Lupin was frantic. This had gotten out of hand. Snape did have it coming, he thought, but there had to be a better way than this. Besides... Remus sniffed the air, and recognized a couple of familiar scents, one of which he was especially fond of.
"James! Sirius! Prefects! Sirius, It's your cousin!"
The Gryffindors froze.
"Which cousin?" Sirius wondered. This would be bad, but there were degrees of badness. He looked, and fortunately, this was the lesser degree. The Prefects were his cousin Andy and Ted Tonks. Andy was his favorite cousin, always going to the coolest places, meeting the coolest people, and always having the coolest music. He'd have to accompany her to one of her late night trips to muggle London one of these days. He'd bring the gang along. They'd love it.
Andy had changed her look, yet again. Her hair was now long and black, her clothes black and very form-fitting, and she had black eyeliner. She was looking extremely female, again, Sirius thought. But, her current look had been influenced by some new muggle rock stars named Mark Bolan and Alice Cooper (who was, strangely enough, a guy), so maybe she wasn't being too feminine, after all. At the moment, though, the look just made her scary, as she was obviously quite angry. Well, maybe Tonks would take their side. She was motioning Tonks away. She wanted to handle this alone. Uh oh.
'Whatever you do," he told his friends, "do not lie to her. She'll know."
The other three Gryffindors gulped. They knew Andromeda Black's reputation. Severus looked up. Maybe the day was improving, after all. He knew not to lie to Andromeda, of course, or her sisters, one of the very first lessons he learned at Hogwarts.
"Just be cool..." Sirius whispered, "Just be completely honest..."
Andy glared at the boys, looking them each in the eyes. They felt as if her eyes could peer into their very souls.
"Sirius..."
"HE STARTED IT!" Sirius shouted, pointing at Severus.
"You expect me to believe he threw the first punch?"
"No... He didn't, but he called Peter 'pee-pee!'"
"He called him by his initials?"
"Yeah, but... he meant it like... you know, urine!"
Peter whined, "Now, everybody will call me that!"
"And that justifies a three-on-one gang assault?"
Andy turned her piercing gaze on the boys, shook her head, sadly, and rendered her judgment.
"Remus, since you did try to stop things, you won't be punished. As for you other three, I will be talking to your Head of House, and suggesting the proper disciplinary actions. Given who your Head of House is, she might have some ideas of her own that would make mine seem tame."
Sirius realized that this meant they'd each have a personalized Circle of Hell, but it could be worse. Unfortunately, James decided to take the lead, again.
"Right, of course you take his side," he scoffed, motioning to Severus.
'Oh, crap...' thought Sirius.
"Excuse me?" Andy asked, her voice dripping with ice.
'Shutupshutupshutup..." thought Sirius.
"Like you'd ever punish one of your own."
"I hope you're referring to my cousin S.O.B. here."
"You know what I'm talking about! You're not going to punish another Slytherin Pureblood that's into the Dark Arts!"
Andy recognized the irony in what the whelp had just said, even if no one else but Severus did, but she was too angry to appreciate it. She was having to put all her concentration, at the moment, into calming herself. She felt the snake within, coiled, wanting to strike. She remembered her exercises, and was shortly able to address the boy completely detached.
"Because you're so young, and therefore immature, I'm going to let that go. For your information, the Slytherin students are subject to the same punishments you'll be receiving."
"Then why isn't Snape being punished? His friends Avery and Mulciber bully people."
"And does Mr. Snape take part?"
"Well... Not that we've seen, but..."
"So, following your own logic, I should be punishing Mr. Lupin even though he doesn't take part in your bullying of others, just because he's a friend of yours?"
"That's... completely different!"
"How so?"
"It... Look, your big sister is Head Girl, and she doesn't judge people fairly!"
"And, my sister can't overrule my recommendations to the Heads of House. Any issues you have with her being Head Girl, you may take up with the Headmaster, since he chose her for the position, not me."
In fact, Andy strongly suspected the reason Dumbledore chose Bella as Head Girl this year was so he'd have an excuse not to give Andy the job, next year.
"However, Mr. Potter," she continued, "if you intend to crusade against prejudice, you need to take a good, hard, look at your own. You'll look like less of a complete hypocrite, that way. You're dismissed." As the five boys started to leave, she added, "Except for you, Remus. We need to talk, privately."
"Oh no, she knows,' thought Remus. He was afraid of this moment, when someone would learn his secret. Well, best to get it over with...
"About Severus," she began, "I know he can be rather trying. He has a bad attitude, and, well, his hygiene issues must especially bother you, considering your condition..."
Remus couldn't help but chuckle, even though she had just made it clear she knew of his lycanthropy, and even that his senses were still heightened when the moon wasn't full. For some reason, he felt calm despite this, as though she were radiating it, projecting it to him. He supposed she just might be doing that. She was a mind reader, after all, so who was to say she couldn't project emotions? Still, he felt surprisingly at ease with her. Maybe it was her scent.
"Don't worry," she said, "I won't tell anyone. Although, I'm not the only Legilimens around here. There'll be others, so you'll have to learn to guard your thoughts."
He'd hadn't thought of that. How could he keep others out of his head? How was he going to learn?
"I can teach you," she said.
What did she say?
"You'd do that?"
"Of course. Oh, and you can tell Sirius, by the way. He won't hold it against you. He'll think it's cool, and he's very loyal."
"Thank you. Don't take this the wrong way, but... You're not like most Slytherins. You're nice, and very thoughtful and considerate."
She smiled.
"Funny, I was about to say you weren't like most Gryffindors for the same reasons. Plus, you're more mature than most, especially my cousin."
Remus laughed.
"Yeah..."
"Tell him if he doesn't shape up, though, I'll really punish him. I won't tell him where all the secret passages in and out of Hogwarts that Bella and I found are," She said, smiling mischievously.
Excited, Remus asked, "There's more... Um, there are secret passages?"
"Aside from that one, yes. There's one that takes you right into Honeydukes."
"Really? I'll... make sure he gets the message."
"Good."
"Um... Are you sure you don't have an ulterior motive for helping me?"
"Well... If it'll make you feel better, and not destroy your image of Slytherins, you'll owe me some favors. How's that?"
"OK, a Faustian bargain is something my mind can handle."
"You know the term 'Faustian'? Wow, you really aren't like most Gryffindors. Why aren't you in Ravenclaw?"
"Hey!"
Andromeda Black was an ambitious young woman. Oh yes, she had great plans for the world.
She was having to be very careful in how she moved towards achieving her long-term goals, though. Things were very delicate at the moment. She was having to play the evasion game with the two greatest, and most powerful, wizards in Britain, her Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and her first great mentor, Lord Voldemort.
Lord Voldemort had great plans for the world, too, and Andromeda's place within them. They happened to be plans that Andromeda strongly disagreed with, to say the least.
As for Dumbledore... Well, he wasn't sympathetic to Andy's world view, to say the least.
She had to keep her own thoughts secret from them both, which, given that they were both Legilimens, wasn't the easiest thing to do. Fortunately, being a shape shifter gave her some natural mental defences. Her thoughts could shift as easily as her body, making her difficult to read. She'd learned Occlumency techniques from Voldemort, as well. He didn't think that she'd be able to shield her thoughts from him.
After all, using Black Tantra sex magic normally insured his absolute control over the person he used it on. It wasn't a method he used often, as he didn't have that many young, attractive, female students. It took a combination of deceptive behavior and sheer force of will for Andy to maintain her own sense of self.
How to behave during and after these rituals, she knew from observing Bella, who had, sadly, completely succumbed, giving up her will for Lord Voldemort's. Andy had seen every step of Bella's seduction, as some of these rituals were done in front of some of the inner circle of the Knights of Walpurgis, specifically those most supportive of Voldemort. It started as normal Red Tantra based sex magic, establishing the intimate magical connections, before moving on to the Black Tantra. Even though Andy hadn't been initiated into the Knights, herself, yet, she was asked to observe. She was a Knight of Walpurgis in all but name even before she was officially initiated, last Lammas.
Andromeda was very special to the Dark Lord, you see.
He'd hadn't told her outright that a special subset of the Knights, wearing masks, was responsible for the incidents that began last November 5, but she knew. His rhetoric had openly become more pointed, though, as well as the articles he wrote in Walpurgis, the journal of the Knights. This had caused a division in the Knights of Walpurgis, and there was a movement to have him removed as Grand Master.
While she found what Voldemort and his inner circle... it had to be them... were doing horrible, she felt a little disappointment that they weren't wearing Guy Fawkes masks. After all, if you're going to cause chaos and destruction wearing masks on that date, you should go all out with it.
She didn't know what disgusted her more, what Voldemort's followers were doing, or the fact that a few witches and wizards putting on scary masks had brought that level of terror to magical Britain. Were her fellow magi really that weak and cowardly?
She'd done some writing herself for the journal, under the name Lady Thelema. She was in what, in later years, she'd call her "Nietzsche, Crowley, and Rand phase". While she would ultimately reject a great deal of it due to being unable to reconcile some aspects with her own experiences and principles, religious and otherwise, the German Existentialist philosopher, the British wizard that would apply Nietzsche's concepts to magic and spirituality, and the Russian-born Existentialist philosopher that was the favorite of Professor Slughorn would remain major influences on her own philosophies and methods through the years.
While it wasn't said who Lady Thelema was, many had guessed, including Albus Dumbledore. What neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort realized was that what she was writing wasn't directed specifically to her fellow Purebloods, as though she really considered herself that, but to everyone. This misunderstanding worked in her favor, though, as their own assumptions about her kept them from seeing any hint of her true agenda, even though she was writing it out for anyone with an objective eye to see and understand.
All she had to do now was keep the two of them misdirected for a little more than another year, and she and Ted would be in Avalon.
She found it all a little exhilarating, really. Fortunately, her Alchemical work was keeping her grounded, because she couldn't afford to get cocky, at this point.
Even that had worked in her favor by keeping Bella off the scent. Bella had noticed how exhilarated her sister was, and even knew she was shagging Ted. But, she just took it as Andy following the Left-Hand Path as Lord Voldemort had taught, and was simply breaking taboos. Bella, Voldemort, and Dumbledore all believed they each wanted to about her, so she behaved with them to make sure they each continued those beliefs.
Still, she was the master of her power. It wouldn't master her, nor would anyone.
While being special to the Dark Lord meant he paid more attention to her than he did most, it had its perks. She could converse with him in ways few could, or would even consider. While he was, by then she'd concluded, no longer capable of genuine love, he was still capable of affection. He was certainly quite good at the technical aspects of sex. He'd always pleased her in that way, even if the emotional aspect was lacking something, except for the Black Tantra, of course. She never could enjoy that.
He liked pillow talk. Perhaps, Andy thought, he was more open and relaxed in their conversations after sex because he was so sure of his mastery over her after he'd given her enough orgasms, not realizing that their... thing made him vulnerable, as well.
She knew, though she never told him directly, that he didn't really believe in that Pureblood nonsense. He couldn't, she was certain, because of what she had learned from Marius Black about the Gaunts in their later years. The Gaunts were very stupid and weak, still able to wield magic, but not very effectively. Lord Voldemort's non-magical father had given him more than his good looks. Tom Marvolo Riddle was much more powerful magically than his immediate ancestors, not to mention far smarter. His father had rejuvenated the bloodline, with spectacular results. Nietzsche had said that the "vigor" of any population could only be increased by mixing with others, writing "the concept of 'pure blood' is the opposite of a harmless concept." And here, in bed with her, was living proof. She understood why Bella had become consumed by him.
Queen Alice of Wonderland had told her of her own relationship with Tom, when he was still "salvageable" as she put it. After that conversation, so much of Andy's own history with Lord Voldemort made sense. They had bonded over the Alice books, which were mutual favorites, often quoting them in their conversations. And, she was the middle of three sisters. Andy now realized what she was to Voldemort, a reminder of what he once had, and lost. From the moment they met, he had tried to shape her into a replacement of his lost love. She wondered if he realized that was what he had done, all these years.
Of all the things she had become disenchanted with, Lord Voldemort hurt the most. He had meant so much to her, been such a great teacher and confidante in the early years. To now see him for who he truly was... If Morgan le Fay, the Flamels, and of course Ted Tonks hadn't entered her life, she wondered what might have become of her.
She not only couldn't follow Lord Voldemort, but she'd have to help put an end to him.
But first, she had to escape him. She wasn't ready to challenge him yet, and wouldn't be for years. She didn't even dare make an attempt on his life in bed.
He'd been especially pleased when she found her Animagus form. He now had her spend much of their time together as a magical boa, the difference between a magical and normal boa being, of course, the venom. He'd have her in that form at his feet or by his side during meetings with his inner circle. He'd carry her to the bed like that, then have her resume her human form for sex, then have her become a snake again for their post-sex talk, in Parseltongue, calling her "My Nagini" and sometimes "My Shakti".
She remembered the very first lesson he taught her, in Eden's garden, years ago, about why he changed his name to Lord Voldemort, and the meanings of her own name. He taught her how magi used letters, numbers, words, and other symbols to focus their magic, make their wills manifest, and how the magic, in turned, shaped them. Especially important were archetypes.
Voldemort sought to become a god, so he drew from many archetypes. His belief was that if he identified with these archetypes he would become them. He'd often quote Christ, for example, though very selectively, Andy noticed. There was nothing Christ-like about Lord Voldemort, yet he had convinced himself that he was some sort of Second Coming.
It was his travels to India and fascination with its magic, culture, and history that had the most significance on his relationship with Andy, now. He also sought to identify with Shiva.
Shiva is one of the Trimurti, the Hindu version of the Trinity, the three primary forms of God. Shiva is the Destroyer and Transformer, the Slayer of Demons and the Cosmic Dancer.
In Tantra, the universe is a manifestation of pure consciousness. In manifesting, this consciousness into two poles or aspects, neither of which could exist without the other. Shiva, the masculine half, is static and identified with unmanifested consciousness, the power to be but not the power to become or change. Shakti, the other aspect, is feminine, dynamic, energetic and creative, the Great Mother of the universe from which all form is born. Shiva is the abiding aspect of God, Shakti the force which acts in the manifested world.
In Tantra, each human is a miniature universe, all that is in the entire cosmos to be found within each individual. In the human being, Shakti is called Kundalini, resting at the base of the spinal cord, seen as a snake. The goal of tantric yoga is to awaken this cosmic energy and make it ascend through the chakras to unite above the crown of the head with Shiva the pure consciousness. Two principles, apparently opposed, are unified in each act of creation.
When Andy manifested her snake form, Lord Voldemort saw it as proof of his evolving into Godhood, clearly thinking he had somehow made it happen. Even her disagreements with him simply convinced him even more that she was his Shakti, never mind what she thought of the matter.
Well, Andy decided that if she was going to be Shakti, Voldemort wasn't her Shiva. While he may have thought he was God's gift, Ted's name actually meant God's gift. Ted certainly seemed like God's gift to her. She was able to give herself completely to Ted when they practiced Red Tantra, and he to her. She and Voldemort, by necessity for them both, could never give themselves completely to each other. In fact, Andy had the strange impression, from their Red Tantra sessions, that there was something... incomplete about Voldemort, as if there was some sort of void where something should be.
Besides, the simple act of practicing Black Tantric magic on her demonstrated that he missed a large part of the point of Shiva and Shakti, the balance of the two aspects. Black Tantra was all about one aspect trying to completely dominate the other.
Tantra based sex magic wasn't an unusual practice for the Knights of Walpurgis. Indeed, as Andy learned from one of the journals she'd... liberated from the Chamber of Secrets, Godric Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw had performed such a ritual on what would become the grounds of Hogwarts.
However, Black Tantra was something new for the Knights. Performing it and the Red Tantra sex magic in front of the Grand Master's inner circle was especially something new, part of Lord Voldemort's forcing them to face taboos. The parents of some of the Slytherin students she was a Prefect in charge of had seen her doing this. Soon, it would be Cissy's turn.
Not that any of these parents, or any other members of the inner circle, treated her or Bella with disrespect over it. One new recruit, a brutish type fresh out of Hogwarts, made the mistake of saying something rude to her. Lord Voldemort made him see the error of his ways, quite painfully. An apology was soon forthcoming, when he was physically able to make it.
"I must say," she said during their postcoital conversation after the incident, "the standards have dropped when it comes to recruitment for the Knights."
"My apologies, my Shakti. He will never act so disrespectfully, again, nor will any of the other new recruits to our cause."
"He thinks the Muggleborns have been stealing his place in the world. His lack of power or accomplishments isn't because of the Muggleborns taking anything, but because he lacks the strength, will, and intelligence to achieve anything."
"That is why they need our guidance and leadership, my dear."
"He, and the others like him, will never be more than the almost mindless brutes that they are, now."
"Mindless brutes have their uses."
She was actually thankful, though, that Voldemort had chosen blood purity as the cause that those he was using would rally around. If he'd gathered the best and brightest Muggleborns and muggle raised like himself, instead, with muggle weapons, communications, transportation, and knowledge of things most of Wizarding Britain couldn't conceive of, the Pureblood bigots would have a real reason to fear them. He'd be unstoppable, because most of their culture would have no idea what they were up against until the machine guns cut them down.
Recruiting the werewolves, though... That was a smart move. The Ministry persecuted them, horribly. They were shunned by society. Was it any wonder that so many of them had become so angry and bitter? Voldemort offered to make their lives better, if they served him. The Ministry was practically handing him an army.
The injustice done to the werewolves needed to be righted.
This was part of why Andromeda Black had taken special interest in a boy named Remus Lupin.
At the opening feast in September, Andy was paying close attention to the Sorting of First Years. Her cousin, Sirius, was starting Hogwarts, so she was anxious to learn what house he would be sorted into. Slytherin was her preference, as there, she'd have him close. Ravenclaw was, she thought, the next best option, as that was Ted's house and he was a Prefect, like her. Together, they could guide their cousin.
Instead, it was, for Andy, the worst case scenario. Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor. That would make things much more difficult for her.
Not that she was particularly hostile to Gryffindors, individually. Their Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration Mistress, was an excellent teacher and treated Andy fairly, more or less. She tried not to show her Lions too much favoritism, at least.
The same could not be said, however, of McGonagall's boss and mentor, who she was very loyal and deferential to, Headmaster Dumbledore. He looked down on every student who wasn't a Gryffindor, his old house, and was especially hostile to Slytherins such as Andy. That attitude seemed to be promoted with Gryffindors, in general.
The man especially had it in for her. She didn't used to think it was anything personal, just her family and house, but she noticed, when the Sorting Hat announced Gryffindor for Sirius, Dumbledore looked straight at her with a smug expression.
She responded by meeting his gaze, defiantly. She'd be paying Sirius a visit, later.
She was watching the rest of the Sorting, some familiar surnames, some not. One in particular caught her attention.
Remus Lupin. Augustus Lupin had a kid? Had to be, because Lupin wasn't exactly a common name in Britain, especially in the magical community. Why didn't she know about this?
The notorious Arsene Lupin's grandson. Oh my... Now, let's see where he's sorted...
It was her second major disappointment of the Sorting. Gryffindor. Damn it.
Well, when she visited Sirius, she was just going to have to suggest he befriend the Lupin boy.
Maybe it was her recent encounters with werewolves with Voldemort, but as the school year progressed, Andy began noticing unusual things most wouldn't. She was keeping a discreet eye on her cousin, and therefore was noticing things about his friends. Remus seemed to be periodically sick, about once a month.
She and Bella had noticed one of the routes they'd discovered for sneaking into Hogsmeade, a tunnel that took you to a shack just outside the village, had just had a tree put in place to hide the entrance. Not just a regular tree, but a whomping willow. It was still small, but you still didn't want a tree attacking you.
Then, there was what had happened with the shack, itself. During Hogsmeade weekends, she'd been told that the place was haunted, even though she'd never seen or heard anything unusual in the place, before. Now, the shack was fenced off, and the villagers described hearing moans and howls from within during the full moon.
Sounded like a werewolf had taken up residence, she thought.
One of those nights Remus was sick, it all clicked. It was a full moon, outside.
Still, she needed to be sure. Fortunately, she was both a Legilimens and a Prefect. And, well... Given the way Sirius and his friends were, they were always running afoul of the Prefects. So, a quick bit of Legilimency confirmed her suspicions. The poor kid.
What made it worse for him was the laws discriminating against werewolves. Remus Lupin was the heir to a vast fortune, and the laws would prevent him from receiving it.
If he wasn't angry about that, she was more than angry enough for him. She needed to guide him, to make sure his anger and bitterness didn't push him into Voldemort's ranks when he was older. She just needed a way to approach him about knowing he was a werewolf. Plus, he'd need to learn to guard his mind against others.
Finally, the opportunity to speak with him alone presented itself. Now, she just had to hope she understood her cousin as well as she thought she did.
In the First Year Gryffindor Boys dorm, four friends who would become notorious as the Marauders were having a discussion.
"So," said Sirius, "what did my cousin talk with you about?"
"Stuff," answered Remus. "She said she'd help me out with something."
"You can't trust her," said James.
"Sure, you can," said Sirius.
"I know she's your cousin, but she's a Slytherin."
"She's not like the bad ones."
"Come on! She can turn into a snake. Which is actually pretty cool, but still..."
"There's a reason she's my favorite cousin, James. She's not anti-muggle, for one thing. All the music she listens to is muggle."
"So? You don't think she's into the whole Pureblood thing like your other cousins?"
"Ted Tonks is a Muggleborn. She spends a lot of time with him."
"They're both Prefects."
"She spends a lot more time with him than the other Prefects... And, have you seen how they are, together? I think they're, you know, doing it."
"Doing it? Are you sure?"
"Well, I haven't walked in on them or anything, but I know my cousin... Trust me, they're doing it."
Remus's head was filled with thoughts of Andy doing it. He felt his inner wolf stirring. Damn inner wolf. Couldn't it at least wait until he was through puberty?
"Doing what?" asked Peter, confused.
Sirius rolled his eyes, and said, "Peter, you're never gonna score."
"What's Quidditch have to do with anything?"
"Nothing, Peter. This... is way more important than Quidditch."
'What?" asked James, outraged. "Nothing is more important than Quidditch!"
"It's just a game, James."
"Just a game? Just a game? It's poetry! It's art! It symbolizes and embodies all we wizards are!"
"Flying around on broomsticks, hitting things?"
"Hey! There's catching and throwing things, too!"
"Well, while you're scoring goals, I'll be scoring birds. What about you, Remus? Remus?"
"Oh, um," said Remus. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."
"What are you thinking...? You're thinking about my cousin doing it, aren't you? Quit it!"
"Hey, you brought it up!"
James said, "He's right, you brought it up. Damn, now I'm thinking about her doing it..."
"Stop it!" demanded Sirius.
"Doing what?" asked Peter.
"You know... it!"
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking!"
"Well, I'm not telling you! So then, you won't be thinking about it! And don't you two tell him, either!"
"Fine!" Peter huffed.
"But, getting back to what I was asking in the first place, what's Andy helping you with, Remus?"
"She's... going to teach me how to guard my thoughts from Legilimens."
"She'd know how to do that... But, what are you needing to be kept secret?"
Well, Remus thought, there was no way around it...
"You notice how I've been sick once a month?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what you may not have noticed is it's always with the full moon... I'm a werewolf."
"Yeah, James and I figured that."
"You did?"
"Yeah," said James. "We did notice it was always at the full moon after a while. So, only two possibilities. One, you have very difficult periods which happen to be at the full moon, which you can't because you're a bloke. That left possibility number two, you're a werewolf."
"And... that doesn't bother you?"
"As long as you don't bite or scratch us, no. Of course, it would be weird if you bit us and you weren't a werewolf. It's not like it was your fault this happened to you."
"I think it's cool," said Sirius.
"You wouldn't if you were one," said Remus. "And Andy said you'd think that."
"My cousin knows me well. And we'll keep our secret."
"Thanks."
"We're friends, after all," said James.
"And thanks for that, too."
"You're a werewolf?" asked Peter.
The Room of Requirement provided those few who knew of it what they needed, and it was the regular place for Andy and Ted to get away from the rest of the school. They did wonder what would happen if someone else came to that hallway needing something while someone else was in there. Did it create what that person needed, hiding the people already occupying the room from the other person, and vice-versa?
Probably, since all parties would need their privacy.
For Andy and Ted, the Room was a private suite. with desks and file cabinets where they kept things they didn't need anyone else knowing about, like the plans they had been working with Morgan le Fay on for their future home that they would name Thelema. They could also do their Alchemy work, here. There would always be drinks and snacks available to them, and a radio that picked up muggle stations instead of just the Wizarding Wireless Network.
It also had a very nice bed, where they were, as you would expect, doing it, while, appropriately, "Hot Love" by T-Rex was playing on the radio.
After their lovemaking, they simply cuddled, not needing to talk, right then, just needing to be.
The radio was playing an Alice Cooper song, which made Andy think of the life, and the Dark Lord, she would soon escape.
Well I'm runnin' through the world
With a gun in my back
Tryin' to catch a ride in that Cadillac
Thought I was livin'
But you can't never tell
What I thought was heaven
Turned out to be hell
Whoa-o-oh
When you see me with a smile on my face
Whoa-o-oh
Then you'll know I'm a mental case
I'm caught in a dream
So what!
I don't know what I'm going through
I'm right in between
So I'll
I'll just play along with you
Holding Ted, she thought, 'This is my Shiva.'