AN: Hello, FF and Harry Potter fans. I do not own Harry Potter but feel free to enjoy this or hate it. If you enjoy it, please leave a lovely comment, if you hate it, then leave some constructive criticism, thanks!

Can You Take the Jump?

Chapter 66

…

Knock knock

"Come in," Hermione called out, straightening herself at the desk, double checking she was not Hermione Evans, but Jordan Walsh.

She heard their shoes clacking on the floor before she looked up at their face.

"Finally, I found you."

…

A few hours before.

Sirius waited for nightfall, but the season being summer, the sun lingered in the sky teasing Sirius with its rays of glorious sunshine.

Instead of returning to an empty home, he found himself at the Leaky Cauldron once more, greeting Lily's fed-up glare with a bright smile.

"Sirius!" Arlene immediately set up a glass of butterbeer on his table. "How are you, darling?"

Tom's wife, unlike Tom himself, was a bright and joyful person. People didn't understand how she could have married such a grumpy and overall unpleasant person, but Sirius understood the appeal of someone unpleasant to everyone else, yet kind to one person. It made them feel special like they were the only person who mattered.

It was probably what made them work.

"I'm doing well, Arlene. Actually, better than usual."

"Oh?" Arlene raised her brow. "Something good happen?"

"Um," Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out the knuts for his butterbeer. "More like something good might happen."

"Well," she took the knuts from him but left one with him. "Here's a knut for your wishes. I hope that something happens."

"Thanks, Arlene."

"You're welcome, sugar."

The woman walked away, speaking to her other regular patrons in the pub, laughing and talking. Tom stood behind the bar, glaring at the man who gave Arlene a flirtatious smile, but his face softened with a barely noticeable smile when she turned to him and gave him a wink.

As slowly as time seemed to pass, the inching seconds turned to minutes, and the crawling minutes turned to finally hours. Sirius watched people spend their time at the pub with their friends, the pub slowly filling with more and more people as their respective jobs ended for the day. Their joys and relief as they sipped their first sip of alcohol of the day to unburden the stress they experienced through their working hours.

Sirius glanced at his glass of butterbeer on its last gulp on the table, unearned and undeserved.

Another full foaming glass was set on the table, interrupting his thoughts.

"James is on his way," Lily let out a small laugh. "You can stop looking like a lonely lost little puppy."

"Oh," he blinked rapidly, "thanks."

Lily pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. She looked concerned. Lily always looked concerned when she looked at him lately.

"How was your day?"

"It was… you know… fine. The usual."

Lily nodded.

Sirius wondered if he should tell her about Deepest Desires. The possibility of finding Hermione would give Lily hope that she hadn't expected, but desperately desired.

However, if the possibility ended in disappointment Lily would be devastated once more.

"You know, Remus dropped in today."

"Really? How is he?"

"Yeah, that thing Dumbledore's got him to do is keeping him really busy, but he said he'd come to visit us soon at the flat."

"Oh," his shoulders dropped slightly. "What was it that he was doing for Dumbledore again?"

Lily shrugged. "All he asked me to do was keep an eye out for some girl."

"What kind of girl?"

"Apparently she has—"

"Miss!"

Lily turned to the customer on the other side of the pub.

"I'll tell you later. See you in a bit, okay?" She squeezed his hand and rushed over to the calling customer.

Sirius looked around the pub brimming with people who had a life, and he stood on the outside looking in. He hadn't felt like this since he was 11.

"Pads!" James walked in, still in his ministry official uniform. Despite his father being pushed out of office, James was still part of the internship program with the Auror department. He wasn't exactly welcomed at first, but James had the type of personality that drew people in. In no time, he made friends with the other interns and some of the remaining Aurors, even in a department that was entirely against his father.

James was someone who was filled to the brim with life, Sirius could see it in his face, he had an aura so rich and vivacious that it was impossible to miss.

"Hey Prongs," Sirius smiled.

James ignored the untouched glass of butterbeer, picked up the one Sirius had yet to finish and drank the rest of it.

He wiped his mouth of the foam left behind. "You look… chiselled."

"Chiselled?"

He nodded.

Yeah, that was probably because of the exercise and lack of eating.

"Thanks." Sirius smiled devilishly.

James laughed, but the two had been friends for a long time. James wasn't always the best lie detector. In fact, he tended to be slightly gullible. His friends in the Auror internship program asked him how he could ever be an Auror if he was so quick to believe in people, but James never thought of it as an issue before. If someone lied, then he'd rather take the loss than go around thinking everyone was a liar. If a criminal lied, well, James would investigate the truth regardless of his personal belief.

"You're a shit liar." James laughed again.

Sirius was different. There was no one he knew inside and out like he knew Sirius. He didn't even know Lily as well as he knew the guy sitting in front of him. He knew how heartbroken Sirius was since Hermione left. He knew how empty he spent his days, pushing his body to the limits so that he could stop his brain from thinking about the girl he loved who left him.

"I didn't lie about a thing! I just said thanks."

James scoffed.

"I know you better than I know myself, you dumbass. Fucking eat. If you look skinnier the next time I see you, I swear I'll fucking swing a Bludger bat at you, make you unconscious, then shove a tube down your throat and force-feed you. Got it?"

Sirius's fake smile slide off his face at James's expression and tone. His Quidditch Captain voice was always incredibly authoritative, so much so that even though they were the best of friends, Sirius could never take his words for anything less than absolute.

"Yes, Captain."

James watched the mask slip from his best friend's face.

"Good. Now we can move on to better news."

"Better news?"

James looked around the pub to check Lily's whereabouts before rummaging through his pocket, pulling out a small little velvet box.

"Holy shit."

"I'm going to ask Lily—"

"Holy fucking shit!"

"Shhhh!" James quickly hid the small box with his large hand before quickly looking up to check if Lily had looked their way.

"Holy fucking shit." Sirius whisper-screamed. "B-but you've only been dating for… a-a few months."

"I know."

"And right now Lily's not currently focused on—"

"I know."

"Then what the fuck are you doing?"

"So I don't have your blessing?"

"Why…?" Sirius tilted his head to the side.

"You're her family. She thinks of you like a brother. Sometimes a younger brother, sometimes an older brother, but a brother nonetheless. Right now, you and I are the closest thing to family she's got. I would normally ask her father first, but…"

"All right," Sirius leaned back in his seat, imposing an arrogant air. "What are your intentions with my friend, James?"

James suppressed a laugh, then grew serious. "I intend to marry her. I intend to love her with all my heart for the rest of my life."

It was Sirius who couldn't suppress the that was forming on his lips.

"Then what the fuck are you waiting for?"

"Well, about that." James had the widest smile on his face, excitement bursting through his voice. "I need your help tonight."

Sirius's smile faltered for a second.

"What," James noticed the slight change in his expression. "Did you have plans for tonight?"

"No," he smiled at his best friend and brother. "Nothing that's more important than this."

Both of them recognized Lily's light footsteps coming their way. James inconspicuously covered the velvet box once more before hiding it in his pocket while Sirius pulled Lily's eyes away from James.

"Lils, what time are you done tonight?"

"Just after 8," she replied quickly before turning to James who had safely hidden the box before she could notice. "Hi, I'm sorry for only coming over now. It's just so bus—"

"It's fine, Lily." James stood from his chair and gave her a small kiss. His eyes melted from her gaze. "Hi."

Lily's whole body reciprocated his multiple signs of affection. Even a blind person could sense that these two were wholeheartedly in love. The back alley of Knockturn continued to float around his mind like an annoying fly, but Sirius pushed it out of his mind. Deepest Desire would have to wait for another day.

…

1 month ago.

His footsteps echoed down the marble floors the ceiling so tall it hurt his neck to look up at the artwork that decorated every inch of this building.

"Please keep up!"

The group increased their pace to keep up with the man ahead of them. The young tour guide walked hurriedly down the grand building. Clearly, Remus hadn't been the only one enthralled by the architecture of the building After living in Hogwarts, which was a literal castle surrounded by the mountains of the Scottish Highlands, it was hard to be impressed by a building. But, the Apothecary Academy, surrounded by the marshes of northern Germany and neighbouring the Baltic Sea, was a sight to behold. The cathedral-like towers brought in lots of light from every direction with unique chandeliers that held potions that burned white fire instead of the normal candlelight orange glow. The multiple towers surrounded a central dome that was taller than all the towers.

Until recently, Remus had been receiving Wolfsbane Potion from this place thanks to Hermione's connection to the original creator, but since her disappearance a few months ago, the shipment of potions had stopped. He waited, even until the night before his transformation for the potions to arrive, hoping it had been a mistake or the owl post was delayed, but nothing had come. He suffered through another painfully mindless transformation, especially after boasting to his parents about the incredible potion that he'd been using.

He remembered his father's disappointed expression as he woke up the morning after her transformation, but no one was as disappointed as Remus himself. Months of using Wolfsbane had given him solace during his hateful monthly transformations. To have it taken away from him so suddenly… no he needed this potion, which was why he found himself standing in the halls of the Academy to understand the reason his shipments of potions had stopped and the hopes of learning to create the potion himself.

Remus quickly learned that visiting the Academy and speaking with one of their renowned potioneers was no small feat. It wasn't like the Ministry where people could get visiting passes every day as long as they were visiting within certain hours. Due to the nature of their work, creating patented potions, and so much more, visitors were very limited to business, family, or invited friends.

There was only one window of time that Remus could visit, and it was for the Showing. Every year, the first weekend of July, the Academy would open its doors to select members of the public to announce their newest potion creations, almost like a muggle conference, where they would show their newest potions that they were working on or ones that would go on the market in the next few years.

However, a secondary issue was that Remus was not one of the "select few members of society" who were invited to the Showing. He was not a good enough Potions student to be a prospective student, a government official, a rich Pureblood elite, a merchant, or a businessman. In the world of Potions, Remus was a nobody. He tried to not let this fact dissuade him, but he had no choice in feeling let down as the days until the Showing started counting down and every letter he sent to the self-proclaimed—yet, genuine—genius creator of Wolfsbane Potion was rejected.

There was only one person whom he knew without a doubt that could get him into the Academy: Headmaster Dumbledore.

…

"How unexpected to hear from you during the summer. As you can imagine, it's very rare for students to contact their professors during the holidays." The old man sat in his office with his bizarre clothes. The billowy silk fabric was an enchanting green with a large tree embroidered on the back made of fine gold thread.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir."

"Not at all, I feel quite lonely during the summers. Hogwarts is always better when it's filled with children and magic."

Remus internally agreed. Walking the halls of the school in broad daylight felt weird without a single student in sight. It also felt weird talking to his Headmaster around without his uniform on.

A tea set rolled toward them with some biscuits.

"So, Mr. Lupin, what can I do for you?"

…

It took Dumbledore less than a day to receive an invitation to the Showing.

"Over here is where the Showing will take place, but our Potioneers and staff have set up a small cocktail party to honour our wonderful guests."

They were ushered into a large open space, with enormous windows that showed the indoor greenhouse, encased in the center of the large facility. It was the dome that he could see from the outside.

"The Dome is the star of the Academy," their tour guide explained. "It is the largest greenhouse in the world, exceeding the second-place holder in America by 70x the total space. Some say that if you get lost within the Dome, it will take the employees 10 days to find you. It holds the greatest variety of plants for our Potioneers to use and it is maintained by some of the world's best magibotanists and herbologists. We also pride ourselves in housing the greatest magical and nonmagical seed bank in the world. We have also inherited some of the daughter seeds from the historical seed bank of Leningrad thanks to some of our generous donors in the Soviet Union."

"Will we be allowed to enter the Dome?"

The tour guide shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Only certain magi-botanists and herbologists are allowed to enter, and only a few of them are allowed to enter a day. The environment within the Dome is fragile and vital to maintain the quality of the plants. There are bubbles of niche environments for niche plants that must be maintained. You must imagine it as though pockets of every single forest in the whole world are within the Dome. A fragile environment indeed."

A general murmur of disappointment could be heard through the elite crowd.

"Although it may not be the same, we have made the Dome visible from every angle of this facility, so even though we cannot enter, you may still appreciate its beauty and awe. The staff and employees of the Academy thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding. Now," he turned to the doors which opened at that exact moment with waiters holding drinks and finger food for all. "Please enjoy the drinks and food prepared for all of you today."

As the people started to drink and mingle, Remus inched toward the doors and waited for an opportunity to sneak away. He wasn't here to see the newest up-and-coming potions for the coming years, he was here to meet Damocles Belby. But it didn't take long for Remus to realize that Damocles Belby was a hard man to meet, rejecting him again and again regardless of how he pleaded.

A gasp drew everyone's attention to the person who was pointing at the dome. A large flower had bloomed releasing iridescent pollen that glimmered in the sunlight.

This was Remus's chance.

He snuck out the door and walked with purpose, as though he belonged to the Academy. He had no idea where he was going, running blind in the large facility. He knew the general direction where the Potioneers stayed, due to the tour guide, but he didn't know which floor, what room, or if Belby was even in the Academy presently.

He took the stairs 3 steps at a time, rushing up to the Potioneer's section of the building.

At the top of the stairs, the building split into an East wing and a West wing.

"Fuck." He muttered. He really should have made a better plan.

Remus jumped at the sound of the doors opening to his left, his eyes whirled around, looking for somewhere to hide, but there was nowhere else so he stood there frozen as an older gentleman opened the doors of the East wing.

"Can I help you, young man?"

"Uhh," Remus's mind raced. "Yes, I'm a little lost."

"Are you from the Showing? I can guide you back."

"No!" The older gentleman jumped. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not from that group. I'm…I'm Damocles Belby's friend. But I seem to have forgotten where he was staying."

"You're Mr. Belby's friend?" The man looked unconvinced.

"Yes," Remus lied with more conviction. "I know him from Hogwarts. We've been close for years. He helped me a lot, especially in my earlier years."

"He helped you? I had no idea that young Mr. Belby had such a heart."

"He…he's certainly private like that." Remus joked nervously. "Would it be a big bother if you could tell me where he's staying?"

"I can show you, come young man."

"No, I don't want to bother you, if you could just tell me—"

"Nonsense! It's easy to get lost here if it's your first time. Hurry up, follow me!"

Remus forced a thankful smile and followed the man through the East wing.

"You know, this is the first time Mr. Belby has had a visitor since his time in the Academy," the man told him with a smile. "I didn't think he had many friends." These words, normally spoken with a sneer, were spoken with nonchalance as if the lack of friends wasn't an uncommon occurrence to the members of the Academy.

"I suppose he doesn't," Remus hesitantly agreed remembering what Belby was like at school. They had been in different Houses, but from his vague memories of the man, he was never too chummy with his Housemates, but he was never completely alone either.

"Ah," he nodded. "Well, to create a potion as impressive as Wolfsbane he wouldn't have much time to make many friends."

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Brilliant potion, that one. It's even more incredible if you consider his age and the limited resources he had when creating it. Not that Hogwarts is limiting," the older gentleman quickly reassured. "But to make a potion that complex? It is certainly no small feat."

"I agree."

"It's too bad that that was his first potion."

"What do you mean?"

The man stopped and turned to him with a confused look.

"Is that not why you're here?"

"Sorry?"

The man immediately became guarded, "Why are you here? Who are you?"

Remus panicked. He was so close, but if he was caught now he'd be dragged out of the place and could never return.

"I'm Remus Lupin. Damocles called me because he was stressed. He didn't let on what was going on, but he sounded quite down so I'm visiting him."

"Where is your invitation, Mr. Lupin?"

His heart thumped rapidly, his brain racing to find a plausible lie.

"I snuck into the tour since I've never been here before, I must've left it on one of the trays when they were handing out food and drinks."

Silence stretched between them and the truth was on the tip of Remus's tongue when the man finally nodded. "I suppose we Potioneers are prideful people. Come along, Mr. Lupin."

The relief made Remus almost weak in the knees as he walked down the hall with the man.

"I will allow Mr. Belby to tell you his issues and concerns, but I advise you to be gentle with him." The man warned. "The young man has very big shoes to fill, you know? His father, Damascus Belby is a prodigy amongst prodigies. There are big burdens on his young shoulders."

"I… I see. Thank you, Mr…"

"Pippin. Astor Pippin."

"Pippin? As in—"

"J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade? Yes, he was my great-grandfather. Anyway, we're here." He gestured to the door with a golden plaque on the center that had Belby's full name engraved. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lupin."

"Me as well, Mr. Pippin."

"Oh," the man turned back just as he was about to walk away. "Next time, learn to lie better."

Remus was left speechless as the man walked away with a smirk on his face.

"Damn," he muttered, feeling grateful to the incredibly helpful man. He turned to the door and gave a gentle knock.

"Um, e-excuse me, Mr. Belby?"

The door opened automatically.

He walked in hesitantly to see a room filled with bubbling cauldrons, flasks, vials, herbs, ingredients and more. With all the fire that was burning in the room, Remus expected the temperature to be hot like their Potion's classroom back in Hogwarts, but it was surprisingly pleasant.

"Hello?" He called out to the seemingly empty room. His sensitive nose was attacked with the scent of all the bubbling potions, but none of them smelled like Wolfsbane.

"Hello?" He called out again.

"Hm?" A messy head of hair popped up from behind all the equipment. Unlike his usually well-kept appearance from Hogwarts, Belby looked like he hadn't shaved in months and smelled like he hadn't washed in weeks. There was a trickle of dried drool off the side of his mouth and empty bottles of various alcohol littered around him.

"Who're you? What're you doing here?"

"Remus Lupin, I've been sending you letters for months now. I asked to meet with you."

He looked as if he had no idea what he was talking about.

"I'm Remus Lupin. I'm part of your clinical trial for Wolfsbane. Hermione's friend?"

That's when his eyes lit up with recognition.

"I don't remember sending you an invite."

"You didn't. I'm part of the Showing."

Even in his hungover haze, the messy man seemed to connect the dots quite quickly.

"Fucking Gryffindors. So, how is the Little Monster? How's that fucking bitch doing?"

"Uh…"

"I hope she's fucking miserable after ruining my fucking life. Bloody cunt."

"Hey!" Remus stepped forward, "Don't call her those things! What's wrong with you? I thought you were close."

"Close?!" He laughed. "You don't know anything, do you?"

At Remus's perplexed expression, the hungover man shook his head. "If you want to talk, make me a fucking hangover potion first."

He found it rather hilarious that of all the people he could ask for this favour in a castle designated for the world's best potioneers, it was Remus he chose to ask. Granted, it wasn't as if Remus didn't know how to brew a good hangover potion, he had lots of experience brewing this potion for his friends over the years.

Remus walked up to the ingredients shelf filled with the best quality ingredients. It was every potioneer's dream. He grabbed the ones he needed and headed back to the cluttered work table. After much scouring, he found a clean and empty cauldron and started working on the requested potion. As he brewed, he looked around the clutter wondering what all this mess was for.

"You're trying to invent a new potion," he soon realized.

Belby grunted.

From the state of the room, Remus assumed it wasn't going very well.

"She ruined my life." He groaned. "Ruined it!"

"How did she ruin your life?"

The whining man turned silent. It didn't matter how much Remus tried to get him to talk, he didn't utter another word until the hangover potion was set in front of him.

Belby took a sip and even raised his eyes in appreciation.

"You've done this a lot, haven't you?"

Remus nodded, "My friends are quite the drinkers when the occasion calls for it."

He sat there nursing what appeared to be the worst hangover and didn't speak another word until he finished the hangover potion like it was his morning cup of tea. Remus stood there awkwardly, antsy about the request he was about to make. It wasn't every day you asked the creator for the recipe for their master creation.

"So what can I do for the friend of the little monster?"

Now that he was given the chance to talk, Remus felt speechless.

"Uhm…so, I…"

"If you take any longer, I'm going to start drinking again and when I'm drunk, I don't answer any questions, so I suggest you collect your thoughts quickly and get on with it."

Remus cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"First, I'd like to thank you for sending me Wolfsbane for free all this time. I've never… when I'm it, I've never been me before. It's truly a revolutionary potion."

Belby's eyes twitched.

"How long have I been giving you the potion?"

Remus thought back to when Hermione had first mentioned the potion to him. It had been before her break up with Sirius and after Alphard's death.

"It was first mentioned to me around Valentine's Day last year. So a little over a year."

He let out a small laugh, then another and another until the man was gripping his stomach due to his peals of laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"All those years the Slytherins were denying her right to be in our House, but Hermione Evans has got to be the most conniving and cunning little bitch in the world."

"What do you mean?"

"I never accepted you as a clinical trial participant. The Academy had rejected it saying it was introducing bias if I added someone I personally knew. Besides, the list of participants was already completed and finalized by the time she sent that letter."

"Wait, what? But I've been receiving the potion for over a year now! How could I be receiving it if I wasn't—" he gasped. "How… could she know how to create your potion?"

"You're smarter than you look," his face grew dark as the realization was starting dawn on Remus.

"But-but-but Hermione sucks at Potions! Avery does all the work! Avery—"

"Avery's a fucking puppet. Why else would he stick with Evans as his partner for all those years? Also, have you ever seen Evans be bad at anything?"

Remus had never really questioned it, but it suddenly made so much sense. He thought back to the day she told him about the potion, how she was able to answer all his questions with so much ease as if she knew everything about it. No, she did know everything about it. He never even thought to wonder how she knew such details because he was so excited about the idea that he might have even a partial cure.

"Why isn't Hermione here as well, then?" He took a step back from the dishevelled man with disgust.

"Oi! Don't give me that look. I didn't steal or cheat her out of anything. We worked on the potion together."

"Then why do you get the sole credit? Why do you get to sit in this fucking castle when Hermione's g—" he cut himself off.

"What about her? What happened?" He demanded. "Where is she? Why isn't she answering my bloody letters?"

"No, you answer my question first. Why did you get sole credit for Wolfsbane?"

They glared at each other for a long time before Belby finally relented.

"Probably the same reason why she never takes credit for Avery's genius! Evans doesn't want recognition, she wants to be the puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the stage. And those of us stupid and desperate enough for the spotlight will fucking fall for it."

"You should be thanking her! Thanks to her, you're here in the first place!"

"Thanking her? Yeah, maybe I did thank her for the first month I was here. But do you know the requirements to stay at the Academy? It's stressful enough to get in, but to stay? I have to keep pumping out new ideas for potions! It's endless! I-I can't…I need… I just need—"

"You need Hermione's genius."

"No! I just need a little…help. I just need—"

"You're pathetic," Remus growled. "I can't believe I admired you once. You're fucking pathetic!"

The desperate look in Belby's eyes changed in an instant. "Pathetic? Who are you to call me pathetic? I think you've forgotten your primary objective of coming here, Lupin." He sneered. "I hear your monthly transformations can be quite the dehumanizing experience."

"I lived 11 years without your bloody potion."

"But can you continue without it now that you've tasted its effects? How long did you last? Half a year? Less? Without Wolfsbane you become a mindless monster of the night. With no sense of self or memories of what happened the night of the transformation. Sure, you've been lucky to have never killed or turned anyone so far, but all it takes is one small mistake in a monthly routine and you're in Azkaban for life with the blood of an innocent on your hands."

Remus trembled with anger, but not a single retort could leave his lips.

"Where is Hermione Evans?"

Remus bit his lips but reluctantly came forward with the information. "No one knows. She just left."

"Just left? That's impossible, she would leave you Gryffindors. Especially not her sister."

"Lily especially doesn't know. She came back to school from the hospital after her family's house fire to find out her sister never came back to school."

"What about the Slytherins? Avery and such."

"They don't know either."

"Fuck," he slumped in his seat, looking bewildered at the news Remus gave.

"So, she's gone? No contact or clues. Just gone."

Remus nodded.

"Give me the recipe for Wolfsbane."

Belby laughed with disbelief, "You Gryffindors sure are subtle."

"In return, I won't tell anyone that Hermione helped you with the potion."

He turned to him with narrowed eyes, "I thought you Lions prided yourselves on loyalty, but you're pretty quick to throw your supposed friend under the bus for your benefit."

Remus clenched his jaw, biting down the nausea he felt rising to his throat.

"Give me the recipe."

"No."

"Then I'll tell—"

"Even with the recipe, you'll never be able to make it. I kept my eyes out for any possible budding potioneers, regardless of House affiliation, and you, Lupin, weren't one of them. Besides, without Evans, I'll be kicked out of the Academy within a few months. I'm a disgrace to my family either way, so it really doesn't matter to me whether you tell everyone I'm a fraud or not."

"I—"

"You can leave now Little Lion. Or should I say, Little Wolf?"

…

Albus Dumbledore was surprised to see his fireplace lit up with green fire in the evening. The Showing was well known to last through the night.

"Mr. Lupin. You're back earlier than expected. I'm sorry, son. I will have the tea set up in a second."

"It's fine, professor. There's no need."

The tall boy looked visibly dejected.

"I see your endeavour was not as successful as hoped."

"It was not successful at all."

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"I…I don't know…if I can transform without it." Remus held his head in his hands in despair. "It's silly, isn't it? I've gone 11 years without it."

"No, son. It's not silly at all." Dumbledore comforted. "Sit at rest, Mr. Lupin. You've had a long and tiring day."

Despite the young man's polite rejection, Dumbledore prepared some tea with a flick of his wrist. He set the warm cup in front of his student and encouraged him to take a sip.

"It will ease your mind."

"Thank you, sir."

"It is my pleasure. And since your parents aren't expecting you until tomorrow morning, if you don't wish to return home tonight, you may even sleep in your dorm room."

"…if it's not too much trouble, I would like that."

"I'll make sure the room is prepared with some sheets."

"Thank you again, sir."

"Why don't you tell me what happened, Mr. Lupin?"

The sandy blond-haired child hesitated for a moment but finally opened up to him about everything that happened between himself, Damocles Belby, and Hermione Evans.

"I see." Was his bland response to a rather impressive tale of deceit and fraud by his students.

"Are you going to report Belby?"

Dumbledore thought long and hard before shaking his head. "What Mr. Belby did was wrong, but if I report him, then the sale of Wolfsbane will be even more delayed to the public. It wouldn't benefit the greater good."

"But what about Hermione!"

"I believe Miss Evans would also agree with me. I also think that if getting credit was that important to her, she would have taken it from the beginning. Don't you agree?"

Remus slowly nodded. Hermione wasn't the type to allow others to take what she deemed was rightfully hers. At least, not without a fight.

"However, I think I may have a solution for you, Mr. Lupin."

"Sir?"

"I promise that I will get you your recipe and brew the potion for you."

"You will?!" He stood up abruptly, spilling tea on himself, but he didn't care. "Professor Dumbledore, how could I ever repay you?!"

"To get the recipe, I require something from you. It may turn out to be an uncomfortable task. Are you up for it?"

"Anything. Ask me anything."

…

Present.

Remus's promise to Dumbledore was indeed uncomfortable and tedious. His task was to find a curly red-headed girl with icy blue eyes in Diagon Alley. Dumbledore didn't know what kind of job she had, so Remus looked in shops, pubs, and bars only to come up empty-handed. He asked various shop-keeps if they'd seen someone who fit that description, but no one had come forward. Which meant that she wasn't from Diagon Alley, but somewhere in the vicinity.

Knockturn.

He started from the edge of the infamous crime hotspot and worked inwards. It was nearly a week of nightly visits to these terrible establishments only to come up empty-handed. That is until he came across a man who immediately recognized the generic description.

"Y'er lookin for Angel."

"Angel? Where is she? Where does she work?"

The man paused, "Why should I tell you?"

Remus flashed his yellow-wolf eyes, a tactic he learned since his time in Knockturn. People here were suspicious folk who didn't open up to outsiders, but there were two ways to get them to talk; money or fear.

That's how he found himself at an establishment called Deepest Desires.

He quickly learned that Angel was an extremely popular prostitute. A prostitute that he needed to book 3 weeks in advance.

What in Merlin's name did Dumbledore want with her?

He stood waiting at the entrance when the vampire finally came to collect the next customer.

"I have an appointment with Angel?"

"You seem young."

"Doesn't everyone seem young to you, vampire?"

"Do you have ID, dog?"

Remus snarled, "I'm not here for sex. I'm here for information."

The bat stood silently for a moment, studying him.

"Wait here."

He left without another word, leaving Remus anxiously standing outside. Time moved slowly as he anxiously paced, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the other patrons stumbling out of the establishment or waiting to enter.

The doors swung open again. The vampire pointed to him and wagged his finger. "Follow me."

Remus walked in but quickly averted his eyes as a topless woman walked by him.

"Hey sugar," she purred making him blush from head to toe. "You're cute."

"He's Angel's," the vampire told her.

"Of course, he is," she rolled her eyes as she walked away. "All the cute ones and rich ones are always Angel's."

The whole space was filled to the brim with all sorts of adult entertainment. Music boomed as naked women and men danced and rubbed themselves against patrons. People drank heavily and Remus was pretty sure the white powder he saw a man sniff up his nose was not sugar. The room stank with smells of sweat, sex, perfume, alcohol, and smoke from both tobacco and other herbs. He covered his sensitive nose at the onslaught to his olfactory senses.

"You'll see her up these stairs. She's waiting for you."

"Thank you." When Remus took his first step on the stairs, the vampire stopped him once more. The two age-old natural enemies glared at each other.

"I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you."

"Is that a threat?" Remus bared his teeth.

"No," he scoffed. "It's a warning for your own good."

The steps creaked beneath his feet as he walked up the spiralling staircase to a small room on the second floor, secluded from the pleasures of the floor below.

He gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He walked into see a woman checking herself in the mirror, and he immediately knew that she was the person that he was looking for. The woman had long curly red hair that fell to the base of her back and the iciest pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

"Finally, I found you."

He sighed with relief that the search was finally over, but she seemed to freeze at the sentiment. "Sorry, I didn't mean it…I've just been looking for you for some time. I've been sent by Albus Dumbledore to search for you."

She remained frozen in her seat, so pale that she seemed gray.

"I-I'm Remus Lupin." He took a step forward with his hands outstretched, but she jerked back. Revealing her scantily dressed outfit, the milky tops of her breast nearly spilling out of the tight leather corset she wore, the tiny black lace knickers that barely covered her below, and her creamy upper thighs were bare, only to be covered with a garter that kept fishnet stockings up. He let out a snort.

"Did you just laugh at me?" The girl seemed to shake out of her shocked daze at his laugh.

Remus choked. "N-no! It's just… just that your clothes are a bit…"

She blinked and then looked down.

"Slutty?"

"No! That's not what I was thinking at all!"

She didn't look convinced.

"I was thinking that your clothes were just very… typical."

She looked down once more, glancing at her clothes with the smallest little smirk that reminded him of someone.

"I suppose it is. Normally girls wear rags, you know? Things they can afford or pick up off the streets and then wear until it's in tatters."

"So that must mean you make quite a bit of money around here."

"All the girls here do," she shrugged. "It's why we have so many people who want to work here."

Remus nodded.

"So, Mr. Lupin, what information of yours would you like to sell for mine."

"You need information from me?! But I have money! I'm here to buy the information." She glanced at his bag of coins but shook her head.

"Mr. Lupin, that wouldn't even buy 20 minutes with me, let alone any information on my part."

"How do you know? Maybe the information I ask is worth way less."

"If the information you ask is worth less than what's in that bag, then you wouldn't be here. Looking at the state of your clothes, I don't think you'll be able to afford more, so I proposed an equivalent exchange. Information for information."

"How do you know my information will be as equally as important as the one you'll provide me?"

"Goodwill?"

"That doesn't seem like a good business plan."

"You don't have to worry about my business Mr. Lupin, as you can see my business is doing just fine."

"Professor Dumbledore reassured me that you'd be able to get the information I need, but I need to hear it from you before I give anything."

She studied him for a while, "We're called Deepest Desire for a reason. We will deliver your deepest desire so long as the price is paid. It's our promise to our clients."

"All right." He nodded. "Whatever I desire, right?"

"Whatever you desire."

"Get me the recipe for Wolfsbane Potion created by Damocles Belby. Please. In return, I'll get you the location of a wanted man."

"Which man?"

"Fenrir Greyback."