Chapter 34 - The Assignment

February

A few weeks passed, and the train incident began to fade into an unpleasant memory. The passengers who survived had their recollections modified with a memory charm and returned to their normal lives. The Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee had managed to convince those involved that the train had been attacked by the IRA, and after getting briefed by the Minister of Magic, the Muggle Prime minister returned safely to London. The Muggles, the Ministry, and the Marauders were on the mend.

One Saturday morning, breakfast was in full swing at Remus and Emmeline's condo. Some days they fought for their lives, others they tried to maintain some sense of normalcy. Even people at war have to eat breakfast.

"Why do you scramble your eggs right in the pan? That's barbaric…" Marlene remarked disapprovingly.

Still concentrating on the stove, Emmeline scoffed. "What are you on about? This is a perfectly fine way to scramble eggs."

"You're supposed to whisk them before they go in the pan. Everyone knows that."

"Apparently not. I learned this way from Remus."

"Well that explains it, doesn't it?"

"Fine. Tie breaker. James, Lily, how do you scramble eggs in your house?"

"I'd actually prefer it if we could stop talking about eggs," Lily practically gagged as she sat with one hand hovering over her mouth and the other resting on her stomach.

"Emmie, did you guys get the Prophet this morning?" asked Sirius, standing from his seat in the front room.

"Should be on the doorstep, unless Remus brought it with him to his meeting. Go and see."

"Since when do you read the paper?" James teased.

"...Since Regulus went missing. I just check for news," he replied humorlessly.

James dropped the joke. "Right...sorry mate. Still no word?"

"Not yet."

"I hope he's alright."

"Thank you, Lily. You know Reg, he's probably just gotten himself tangled up in something stupid. Always had a talent for that."

Marlene was still monitoring Emmeline's cooking. "Once you've finished with that batch, I'll scramble my own, thanks very much."

"Godric's sake, they taste the same, I promise."

"Bloody hell," exclaimed Sirius, having retrieved the paper from the doorstep. He had shut the door behind himself and was staring bug-eyed at the front page. "They're replacing the Minister of Magic."

"Replacing Minchum?" Marlene echoed in disbelief, leaving Emmeline's side. Suddenly the method by which her eggs were cooked wasn't of such importance anymore. "Wasn't he supposed to be the 'tough guy' fit to take on Voldemort?"

Sirius' eyes darted back and forth along the text of the article. "Apparently the train was strike three."

"Can they do that?" asked Peter.

"Yes," said Emmeline. "They ousted Minister Jenkins a few years back, remember?"

James got up from his seat and joined Sirius in the entryway to see the paper for himself. "...This morning 'Millicent Bagnold was named the new Minister for Magic.' I'll be damned."

"What's her story?" asked Marlene.

"Dunno, but I reckon Thatcher had something to do with this," Emmeline wagered.

"Alice was telling me last week that the Wizengamot felt Minchum hadn't ended the war as swiftly as they'd hoped he would," Lily added. "I didn't know that meant they were going to replace him."

Just then, a burst of green flames crackled in the fireplace as Remus arrived home. "What's all this?" he asked, coming up behind Sirius and peeking at the paper over his shoulder. His latest scar, the largest to date, stretched diagonally from above his left eyebrow all the way across the opposite cheek. A souvenir from Fenrir Greyback. The newly-healed tissue was still fresh and pink, and having paled the rest of his complexion, the winter chill in the air made the mark even more prominent.

"Minchum's out," Peter called from the table, before taking a bite of toast. James pointed it out in the paper for Remus to see.

"I'm not the least bit surprised after what happened last month."

"How was your personal meeting with Dumbledore?" Marlene asked him, grinning. Remus frowned at her from the paper.

"Not quite as exciting as you're making it out to be." He moved past James and Sirius and hung his coat up in the closet before joining the others in the kitchen.

"So what was it about?" she questioned him further.

Everyone's eyes were on him, but he just grinned slyly.

"That's classified."

"You're no fun," Lily pouted.

He came up behind Emmeline and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Those eggs look delicious."

"Thank you," she jeered, shooting a dirty look at Marlene.

…

When their friends had gone and the dishes were cleaning themselves in the sink, Emmeline traipsed upstairs to lie down for a few minutes. There was an Order meeting later that afternoon and she wanted to rest for a bit beforehand. She'd been having trouble sleeping at night - every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Wilkes' lifeless body.

Truthfully, Remus hadn't been sleeping well either, but he supposed that was normal after an altercation with the monster under the bed from his youth. The battle at the Train was the first time he'd encountered Greyback since he'd been attacked at four years old, and to say that their recent interaction hadn't gone the way Remus wanted it to was an understatement. He'd spent years playing out the scenario in his mind: finally, he'd have the chance to exact his revenge on the werewolf, and he'd make him pay for what he did. There was a dark, vindictive corner of Remus' mind that had dreamed up a gruesome version of vengeance for this very moment. Instead, Greyback had once again put him through the stuff of nightmares, and Remus' inner four-year-old self hadn't stopped shaking since. He hadn't been sleeping because Greyback's face had made a resurgence in his dreams as of late - and yet this made Remus all the more certain about what Dumbledore had asked of him.

Remus followed Emmeline up and leaned in the doorway with his arms crossed while he watched her climb into bed. There was a sadness about him, and as he stared at Emmeline he counted her among the treasures he'd soon be leaving behind, if only for a little while. She noticed him staring and patted the spot next to her on the bed, beckoning him to sit beside her. When he obliged, she scooted closer to him. "You were quiet at breakfast. What's bothering you?"

Chuckling, Remus turned to her and stroked her hair. "Sometimes I wonder if you're a Legilimens."

"What's wrong?" she asked again. "What did Dumbledore say?"

The right words eluded him as they often did, and Remus looked away. Dumbledore had given him permission to tell her, he just wasn't sure whether or not he should. "I'll warn you in advance, you're not going to like it," was a sufficient place to start.

Emmeline crawled out from under the covers and sat up beside him, desiring his eye contact. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her face when he told her.

"Dumbledore's given me an assignment," he reported matter-of-factly, taking her hand and running his thumb across her knuckles.

"Oh...what sort of assignment?"

And in a very James-like manner, Remus decided to rip the bandage off in one fell swoop. "...He asked me to go undercover among the werewolves."

He felt the atmosphere in the room shift. Emmeline tried to control her face, but the brief moment of horror which flashed across her eyes was not as inconspicuous as she might have hoped.

"...Are you joking?"

"Why would I joke about that?"

"You turned down his offer though, didn't you?"

"Of course I didn't."

She rose frantically from the bed. "You're seriously considering this after what happened last month? Remus-"

"I told you that you wouldn't like it."

"I'm finding it difficult to see why this is a good idea."

"Greyback has allies in various werewolf packs and there's valuable information I could glean for the Order."

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, but you can't just waltz into a pack and expect them to befriend you. They'll kill you. They'll make what Greyback did to you look like a bloody tea party," she argued, her voice raising in her frustration.

"That's a very real possibility, but I'm the only person-...well...the only one in the Order who can do this."

Emmeline bit her lip, and Remus watched as her entire posture sank into the disappointment. It hurt him to think he was letting her down, but no amount of her disapproval was going to keep him from this, and Emmeline knew it.

"It won't be long term, just a few weeks here and there," he mentioned, hoping this might make her feel better. It did not.

"That's even worse. There's no way in hell they'll trust you."

"You're just going to have to trust me and Dumbledore. Hey." He stood and gently took hold of her shoulders so that she was facing him. "Emmeline, I want to do this."

"Why? Why in Merlin's name would you want to put yourself in harm's way like that?"

Remus cracked a smile.

"Because for the first time in my life, my condition might be able to help someone."