It was not often that Remus Lupin had company.
Not that he minded, in fact, this was more by design.
Remus loved his little home. Having been left to him following his childless godmother's passing, Remus had called it home for a little over five years now. It was a small rock cottage in the countryside, surrounded by pines and rolling hills. It contained four very comfortable bedrooms, a large kitchen with even larger windows, and a delightful garden. There were not many neighbors, which for the werewolf, it was again, ideal. The less people possibly snooping around the better.
This was only reinforced as a highlight of his home's best qualities when he'd resigned from his job teaching at Hogwarts, leaving him as the primary conspirator hiding the innocent, but still wanted for several crimes Sirius Black.
It was fortunate that Remus lived so far removed from civilization, for many reasons. He liked it that way. So when a knock sounded on his door, it took him completely by surprise. Even when Professor Dumbledore had reached out to him to ask him to teach, he'd sent an owl first, a letter asking when it would be a good time to meet. Unexpected company was not something he'd even thought to worry about.
The knock at the door came on a bright Thursday morning, while Remus was pouring over the local paper at the classified ads, looking for potential job opportunities. His company, Sirius, was on his third stack of pancakes, having been starved of real, good tasting food for over a decade. Both wizards froze in place when the sound echoed through the home.
Remus gently laid his paper on the table, held a finger to his lips telling Sirius to keep silent, then pointed upward, and on command, Sirius took his animagus form and trotted out of the kitchen toward the upstairs rooms, tail wagging as he went. Remus listened as the knock sounded again, and he cleared away the dishes with a small wave of his hand, so that if whoever had come to call was the sort you invited in, they would not see two sets of dinnerware on the table.
Slowly, wand in hand, Remus approached the door. He paused and looked through the spy hole, then swung the door open.
"Kingsley! How are you my friend?" Remus ask, attempting to mask the nervousness of an auror being at his home at the same time as an escaped prisoner. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood tall, in full work uniform, upon his front step.
The taller man smiled at Remus, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it firmly.
"I am well, and you?" He ask, his deep voice friendly and calm. Remus relaxed a bit, as it did not seem as though he was here for anything to do with Sirius.
"Doing well, doing well. Please, won't you come in?" Remus gestured to the sitting room.
"I can't stay long, I just- I have a proposition for you, if you're up for it." Kingsley replied, following Remus lead over to the couch. Remus took his usual seat in a well loved armchair across from his guest.
"I- I guess I'll have to see. Let's hear it." Remus replied, rolling up the sleeves on his pale blue button up shirt. Rolling the sleeves and trying to make sure they were even was something he could do to occupy his hands, and Kingsley was a close enough friend that he did not mind his scars being visible.
"In the past, though granted it has been a while, you've been willing to do a bit of contract work for the Ministry." Kingsley stated, reminded Remus of past tasks he'd done for them that were thankless, dangerous, but well suited to werewolves and paid more than he could make anywhere else. Remus nodded as he spoke. "I was just wondering if maybe, since you've left the school- you might be up for one now?"
"Can you hire me?" Remus ask, genuinely curious. Dumbledore himself had violated the Dangerous Creature Protection Act by hiring him the year prior. Kingsley let out a laugh.
"Remus, I run my department. I hire whom I please." He smiled. "But as usual, it's not an easy job I'd ask of you."
"Though I hope one day it will be." Remus returned with his own laugh. "Go on, let's hear the details."
Kingsley sat forward and laid a file on the table between them. Remus looked from his friend to the documents on his coffee table, then back to Kingsley. He picked them up and flipped through the pages as Kingsley spoke.
"Phoebe Hawkins. Age 26. Missing for six days. No living family, missing person is filed on both Ministry and Muggle law enforcement after she didn't show up to work two days in a row, her office called her home and a friend who also couldn't get in touch with her was over looking for her. After speaking to one another the friend in question filed missing persons with both law enforcement agencies, as she is a half-blood witch. Her father-"
"A werewolf?" Remus guessed, holding up one of the documents supporting his statement. Kingsley nodded.
"He was, bitten when she was three. Mother left due to it, and he died seventeen days after she graduated Hogwarts."
Remus looked through the pictures as Kingsley gave more information on the missing witch. Where she lived, how long she'd worked for Rockatansky & Platt of London, an antiquities dealer as a restoration artist. The shop catered to both magical and muggle clients, Remus noted, which did not help narrow down Kingsley's search.
"So what can I do?" Remus ask, picking up what he assumed was a recent picture of the missing witch. She looked to have a bubbly personality, and she smiled brightly as she gestured to what Remus recognized as an antique coffee grinder that he assumed she'd just refinished. He made notes of her features- Judging against the bookshelves seen behind her, the young woman was just over five feet tall, with bright, starry blue eyes and chestnut colored curls she'd attempted to keep back in a hairclip but a few of them had sprung defiantly free, framing her round, pretty face. She was a curvy young woman, holding herself a bit shyly, but the smile on her face was so wide and genuine she'd crinkled her nose and had dimples kissing each cheek.
"Her friend that reported her said she'd mentioned a bloke who'd been bothering her. Had ask her out a few times, got a bit handsy with her on more than one occasion. Had gotten to the point he'd been banned and warded out of the shop by the owners for her protection. Edwin Carr Desmond."
"Also a werewolf." Remus said, noting another document with information on the wizard Kingsley had spoken about. "You think he took her."
"I'm sure you've at least heard rumors of the old castle past Millport, that Greyback took over. Place was abandoned no less than forty years back, so nobody has challenged his taking it over. Built himself quite the commune out there, but we haven't really been able to catch him doing anything illegal. He's ruling with fear and an iron fist, and he protects those who would call him master. So this tosser, he's hiding behind him in that pack. I've not been able to find out anything at all about him. However- yes. I do think he took her. I know pack law- he'll preform a marriage against her will himself if Desmond asks."
"Fuck." Remus breathed. "You want me to go look for her?"
"If you're willing." Kingsley nodded. "Nobody is taking this seriously. Muggle officers seem to think she just moved off. She doesn't have family advocating for her. She's all alone, somewhere. My best guess is out there. If I go in wand blazing, I could cause a magical war."
"Well-"
"I can offer you 25,000 galleons." Kingsley cut him off. Remus' eyes widened.
"I don't know what to say to that." Remus replied quietly.
"I'm asking you to go and cozy up to someone you hate, who hurt you, at the risk of your life. Its not enough, really, but it is the budget I have for contract workers for the year. I am willing to use it all right now, right here, if you help me find poor Phoebe."
Remus sat for a moment, looking over the folder again.
This young witch had no one to fight for her- hardly anyone to even look for her. Remus himself knew that pain, that level of loneliness. It made him sick to his stomach to think of how this Desmond bloke had probably profiled her, had followed her and found out she was not likely to be missed. It filled him with a new rage against Greyback.
"I'm in." Remus said, nodding as he looked back to his old friend.
"Remus, thank you." Kingsley bowed slightly as he stood to meet Remus, who had stood and offered another handshake. "I'll give you the evening, pick you up tomorrow. Take part of tonight to think of a reason you'd be back there with Greyback and his lot. Solidify your story."
"Right, yeah." Remus nodded. "See you tomorrow then."
Remus saw Kingsley out and waited for him to disapperate from his yard before calling up the stairs.
"I know you were listening." He called up, and Sirius came running down the stairs, his grey eyes blazing with anger- or maybe worry.
"You can't really be willing to go into that... that madhouse." Sirius blurted as he came into the room. "If its the money, I can get to my accounts. The goblins don't care. I'll double it."
Remus held a hand up, silencing his best friend's rambling.
"It's not the money, though I won't turn it down. Look." He pointed to the still open file on the table. "When everything happened, with Lily and James, when you were thrown in prison, I was all alone. I had nobody and nothing. I've been in her shoes."
Sirius looked over the documents. His face softened from the anger to sadness as he looked through the details.
"See what I mean?" Remus ask, flopping down into his chair once more, rubbing his hands roughly over his face.
"I suppose so." Sirius replied. "But I still fucking hate it."
"Valid enough." Remus replied, his eyes still closed.
"So what are you going to tell him to get into his little... club... Greyback is running out there?" Sirius ask, settling onto the couch himself.
Remus sighed heavily and sat forward.
"I lost my job. It was a job which provided room and board, and he does not know about my house. So I'll use that, I suppose." Remus replied dully. He still felt a bit bitter about the decision he'd made to resign from his post teaching, but as Snape had spread news of his condition around, he'd not felt there was a way for him to continue his employment with the school. "After all- it was in the papers. That is one thing to be said about Greyback- he stays up on the news."
"I don't like this." Sirius growled under his breath.
"I'd be worried if you did." Remus laughed in reply. "That would be dark, even for you."
"Fair enough." Sirius nodded. "What do I do?"
"You stay here, you stay INSIDE, and you keep to yourself." Remus replied. "I have enough canned and dry goods for several weeks. You'll be fine until I get back."
"And when will that be?" Sirius pressed.
Remus gave a heavy shrug.
"I guess when someone finds Phoebe Hawkins, mate." Remus replied, moving past his friend on the couch to head upstairs to pack.
New fix, who dis?
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