Remus froze, sucking in a quick breath and holding it in. His smile shifted slightly in a way the girl couldn't quite place. He slowly let the breath out before he spoke, having collected his thoughts.

"Yes, well…" He began, not meeting her eyes as he spoke. "You'll find any of those if you look in the right place."

Cynthia watched as his emotions started churning with uncertainty again, the sight slightly puzzling her. The young man unbeknownst to this continued on, though his words came out a little more stiff than they had before.

"Unicorns are one of the most majestic creatures I've ever seen, though they aren't too fond of me. They'd probably prefer your company to mine at any rate."

"Because I'm a woman?" Cynthia tilted her head to the side questioningly. She did remember a vague mention from an old book that Unicorns sought out young women for company, but she found the idea a little strange.

"Indeed, though they will come close to young children as well. Something to do with they're innocence and lack of..." He paused, lacing his fingers together and resting his hands on his lap. "Tainted magic."

"Wait, what?" Cynthia's noise scrunched up at the man's last words. "So you're telling me Magic can be 'Tainted'?" She used air quotes as she spoke, earning a slightly confused look from the man before her.

Remus raised a single eyebrow, watching her drop her hands. It was as if he'd never seen the hand motion, but he didn't comment on it.

"Magic comes in many forms. Light or Pure magic is recognized for its healing nature or positive effects. Unicorns are often associated with Light magic being the symbol of purity and light to many in the magical community." He paused, noting how focused Cynthia was on his words.

"Tainted Magic is quite the opposite, being seen as harmful and often sinister by most of us. Unlike Pure magic, it leaves a mark." He paused, absentmindedly clenching and unclenching his hand. "It's more often called Dark Magic because of that. It stains all those who touch it. The darker a spell used, the worse the lashback of the magic."

"That's…" She paused, digesting his words. "That's a lot to take in…"

Remus nodded at her comment, or lack thereof.

Honestly though, it was a lot to consider. She was pleasantly surprised to find these magic folk had some categories for their powers, but it felt as if she were just scratching the surface. Surely things weren't so black and white.

Cynthia shook her thoughts, deciding to think more about it later when she was on her own. She focused back on the man before her, meeting his eyes. His amber orbs glinted under the yellow light, though the weariness in them seemed to have grown.

His body language had changed again, but she'd been too distracted by his words to notice. He had an almost tangible exhaustion about his frame. Cynthia had seen people tired before, but this was different but she just couldn't put her finger on why that was.

The large black blob around him was keeping a tight rein on his emotions. Streaks of dark purple formed around his person. He was uncertain of his own words, or perhaps doubting them?

No that wasn't quite it. This purple was slightly different, having more of a green shimmering undertone. It was more like he wasn't happy with his words. It was hard to tell, the girl could only just barely see the colors of his emotions with everything else glowing around them.

The large black creature floating about the man wasn't helping matters either. It continued to snuff out and squash some of the colors before they could fully form. The thing somehow looked a bit larger now, but perhaps that was just because they were now inside. Was this man aware of how much his feelings were being suppressed by the thing? It was almost like it was playing with his emotions at this rate.

Remus watched the girl mull things over when a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He slowly raised the wand pointing it towards one of the tea cups Cynthia had seen earlier, catching her attention once more.

He waved the stick silently.

Cynthia watched as a light green light traveled down his arm, through the stick, across the room, and into the cup. The cup shifted, soaking in the soft hue of green energy. It slowly changed form, feather-like details quickly came into view. The tea cup pattern remained, leaving an enchanting flower patterned glass bird standing on the tray of other dirty dishes.

Cynthia covered her mouth with one hand, holding back the gasp.

The glass creature blinked twice, then looked around the room with curiosity. It shook itself, sending off a small cloud of dust. It still remained stained from the dried contents it once held, but it added a sense of character to the thing.

It hopped around the tray, pecking at the metal surface a few times. Once away from the other cups it began to wiggle its body, as if stretching the imaginary muscles it had.

Without another moment's thought the creature leapt into the air, off the small table. It plummeted towards the ground continuing to flap its wings frantically.

"No!" Cynthia cried out, reaching out for the delicate thing. The girl was too far away, all she could do was watch as it fell. She could practically hear the sound of its delicate glass shattering in her mind.

A moment before it smashed to the ground a familiar blue string of energy hooked onto the back of the bird, pulling it up into the air. As if tugged by a fishing line it suddenly gained height. The bird continued to flap its wings at a more casual pace, as if unaware that it was not making itself fly.

Cynthia watched in amazement as the creature easily glided through the air before it came to rest in Remus' hand. She couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh of relief seeing it resting in the man's hand.

The girl watched as he flicked his stick once more, cutting off the blue string of energy that had saved the creature. She watched as he held the small glass bird closer to face as he examined it.

"I always forget they do that." He shook his head, as if the small bird was being silly. "Don't usually use glass for that, paper works much better. It leaves them light enough to fly on their own."

He looked up, giving the woman a small smile. He held his hand out to her, as if offering the creature to her.

Cynthia couldn't help reaching out for it. The small thing turned its head, eyeing her hands for only a moment before hopping onto the platform her open hands made. The girl watched as it moved around her hands, pecking at them every once in a while. It met her eyes with its own, a feeling of peace residing in them.

"That was Mundane Magic." Remus spoke, pulling her attention from the magical glass bird.

"Mundane?" She questioned in an almost offended way. "You call that mundane? Do you even know the definition of the word? Nothing about that was mundane, that was incredible!"

Remus chuckled lightly at her response, earning himself a small scowl.

"As kind as your words are, it doesn't change the fact that that magic was neutral. It did no good, but it did no harm. It simply happened. Most magic is like that, meaning that it can be used in both light and dark ways. The caster's intent depicts the magical alignment. "

His words sort of made sense, at least to Cynthia. She'd grown up feeling and eventually seeing people's intentions. A subtle shift in a person's emotions told her alot. She could easily tell when they're words were laced with lies and ill will. They're emotions grew spiky and more violent when they lied.

When people had done bad things there was a lingering feelings about them, a sick feeling. It was sort of like what Remus had described about Tainted magic. It almost left a mark on a person, one she could both feel and see.

The girl was pulled from her thoughts as the small glass bird in her hands let out a shrill string of chirping, followed by it fluffing its glass feathers in an almost angry manner. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle as the small thing threw a fit in her open palms.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She cooed. "I didn't mean to ignore you little one." She began to stroke the small bird's chest, watching it preen under her attention.

"Perhaps I put a bit more into its animation than I intended." Remus muttered, pulling her eyes again to him.

He shook his head, but it didn't stop him from watching the little glass bird with slight fascination. He was pleased with his work, almost like seeing his abilities had given him some mental strength.

Cynthia continued to stroke the bird, but kept her eyes trained on the man before her. With every stroke of the small bird a small amount of light green energy would leave the creature and soak into her skin. Not that she particularly noticed.

"So some magic is just good, other magic is bad, and the rest is neutral meaning it can go either way?" She summarized, though her words still carried a questioning tone.

"Well… Yes, but it's all a bit more complicated than that." The man spoke again, pulling himself from his inner musings. "But I suppose that's a good introduction. We don't fully understand the intricacies of Magical Alignment yet ourselves. It is a rather difficult subject of study."

The man stretched slightly as he spoke, but it was easy to see the tension still held in his body.

"There are alot of limits when it comes to studying Dark magic, but we've learned enough to know it's dangerous. Most of what I know on the subject comes from personal study of the alignment of magical creatures."

"Like unicorns?" Cynthia tilted her head to the side questioningly.

"Precisely." The man nodded.

The young woman pondered his words for a moment.

"You said Unicorns are considered pure," She began. "Would that mean Dragons are considered Dark?"

Remus shook his head almost instantly, a thoughtful look making its way onto his face.

"No, I believe Dragons would be considered Neutral."

"Really?" Cynthia's eyebrow raised itself. "You'd consider a fire breathing lizard with wings not dangerous?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't say that." The man shook his head again. He paused another moment, searching for a way to properly elaborate. "Neutral doesn't mean it isn't dangerous, just that it has many purposes. It depends entirely on the intentions of the person handling the Dragon or the parts of it. For example, Dragon's saliva can be used in both Light and Dark potions. It's used as a stabilizer, protecting the ingredients that would deteriorate under the high temperature required for the brew."

"Wow…that's kinda cool." The young woman's mind raced so fast she didn't realize her thoughts were coming out of her mouth. "If a dragon breathes fire, it needs to protect its mouth from the flames. The saliva coats the inner mouth and throat preventing it from hurting itself…"

"How did you…" Remus muttered, a slight look of shock sliding onto his face at her words.

Cynthia's focus returned to the man, not having caught his surprise nor realizing she'd spoken her thoughts aloud. Instead she pressed forward searching for more information.

"You said that it also depends on the Dragon's handler?"

"Hmmm?" Remus looked at her puzzled for a moment, though quickly realized what she was talking about. "Their alignment? Well yes. Just like most creatures the way it's raised makes a huge difference, but it still boils down to the creature's natural inclinations. Some dragon species are just naturally more aligned to Darkness rather than Light, but they are still neutral. They'd probably be described as Dark Gray aligned, but that's an entirely different subject."

Whoa…

Cynthia tried to mull over the vast amount of information Remus had just dumped on her. He truly seemed to know his stuff. Some of it made more sense than the rest of it, but the girl felt she had a decent comprehension of what he was saying. So many questions filled her mind on the subject.

She was right, it wasn't all black and white. There was a gray area, a very big gray area by the sounds of it. She'd have to inquire about that another time, assuming she got the opportunity.

The idea that Dragons were considered neutral was fascinating, considering how they were always portrayed as villains and monsters in the books she'd read. Perhaps it was time for someone to write a book where the Dragon was the hero, or perhaps the Hero's companion? Oh there was an idea.

Instantly a story idea of a young woman saving a Dragon's egg and raising it popped into her mind. Oh the funny twists and quirky adventures they'd have. She tried to put herself in the shoes of the character, instantly drawing up an image in her mind.

Cynthia saw herself playing tug of war with a dog sized lizard with wings. The idea of owning such a cute little thing was enchanting. Taking it for walks, playing fetch with it, rubbing its belly.

On the other hand, training it to go outside might be difficult. She wasn't even sure how large a dragon could get, perhaps they were more like a horse than a dog when it came to size?

At any rate trimming its claws would be interesting, there was no way any creature liked getting its nails forcefully clipped but it felt like a requirement for owning a pet dragon. Cynthia knew what a cat could do with its claws, only Heaven knew what a Dragon could do with them.

Then there was the whole fire breathing issue, assuming they actually did that. Remus hadn't told her they didn't breathe fire, so was a very likely prospect. Any flammable form of housing would be out of the question. She wasn't particularly interested in living in a cave, unless it was fashioned in a hobbit style. That could be a lovely place for a main character to live!

Perhaps the dragon could live in the cave and she could live in a nearby Hobbit house. That could work, a little tricky, but not a bad idea. But then what would she even feed the little creature, Dragon kibble?

"It's almost like Dragons are the magical equivalent of a dog." Cynthia's thought slipped out as she continued to think of the story details.

Remus laughed right out loud, pulling her from her thoughts. He rubbed his face with both his hands and shook his head as if she just told the world's best joke.

"You truly do have the most interesting idea's you know."

Cynthia felt heat rise in her entire face. She was no doubt blushing from the slight embarrassment. She'd let her mind wander and forgotten to keep her thoughts inside her head. She was getting too comfortable, ug.

Remus didn't wait for a reply, but he still seemed a bit tickled by her words.

"No, they're definitely not the average house pet. Dragons are just as large as the old stories say, so perhaps a dog isn't the best comparison." Remus ran a hand through his hair as he looked back at the woman. Ignoring her blush he simply smiled and continued speaking. "They're more cat-like from what I've heard actually."

The girl's mental plot for the story instantly shifted at his words, but she didn't get to further that line of thought as the man before her simply continued on.

"Dragons are one of the most powerful creatures in the world. I'm no expert, but they come in many different shapes and sizes. But they don't attack unprovoked…" He paused, a slightly hesitant look coming over her. "Usually, there are always exceptions. It's my understanding the underlying problem with Dragons is simply territorial disputes between creatures, including humans."

The girl focused on his words intently, prompting him to continue.

"If given enough space they don't seek out to attack very often, only defending their homes. We actually had to put them under protection because they were being hunted into oblivion. That wouldn't do as they are terribly useful in a good number of ways. We use them in many potions and salves, wand cores, armor and even cosmetics."

"Cosmetics?" Cynthia cut in, her curiosity bubbled.

An almost sly smile slipped onto Remus' face.

"Yes, Dragon dung is used in almost all magical cosmetics. Iit holds onto magic rather well, so it's easily charmed to hold different colors or even to change colors on command. It also has a good texture for easy application."

The woman was horrified.

Cynthia had a mental image of all the Magical Women walking around with dragon poop smeared on their faces, each of them holding their head high. She saw in her mind two people kissing, squishing brown chunky lipstick between them as they did. The revulsion must have shown on her face, as Remus' expression only looked more amused as she mulled over his words.

"I'm not sure I want to know how you learned about that…" Cynthia grimaced, shaking her head in disgust.

"It was for a prank…" Remus chuckled. "We swapped the other team's face paint to change colors. In the middle of the game it shifted colors. Everyone ended up supporting our team instead of the other one, it caused quite an uproar actually."

Cynthia just sat there, a combination of awe and shock filled her. Did he even live on the same planet as her? The man lived in a world where one could magic, and he decided to use it to pull one over on a rival team's supporters?

"You lot are mad." She stated simply.

"Perhaps." Remus gave a small shrug, but the small smirk didn't leave his face. "But studying the production of magical cosmetics gave us the key to pulling it off."

The young woman shook her head, not quite sure what to do with this information.

She knew two things for sure. First she would never use magical makeup, and second she should be very careful of these boys' pranks.

"Dragon dung… They don't let any part go to waste do they?" The young woman questioned, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.

Remus nodded, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knee.

"Every single part of a Dragon has a use. From their heart strings and blood, to their scales and hide. They are one of the most versatile creatures in the world, and that makes them neutral."

"Wow… just…" The girl's mind reeled from the information. "But they're Dragons!"

Remus shook his head at her words, obviously finding them amusing for some reason.

Cynthia had continued to stroke the glass bird that had curled up in the crook of her arm. She apparently folded them together at some point during they're talk and the small thing had made itself at home. She couldn't believe the things she'd been hearing. This was all just so beyond anything she'd ever dreamed of.

"Then what about werewolves?" She voiced her question, suddenly remembering what she'd originally asked. They'd gone down a rather deep rabbit hole, hadn't they?

Remus went rigid, but only for a moment. He let out a slow breath, a polite smile easily slipping onto his face.

"Ah yes…" He paused, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with one hand. "Those are actually considered Dark Creatures."

Though Remus' outward appearance was more or less normal, his emotions were telling a much different story. He was feeling deep rooted sorrow, something the black blob didn't bother messing with. It did however start to seek out the feelings of uncertainty and nervousness, squishing a good portion. She also caught sight of some darker purple shades, though this time without the green tint. He was once again uncertain about something…

The man let out another slow breath, then opened his mouth to speak.

"They only transform under the light of the full moon, but are incredibly dangerous during their transformation. Those cursed with lycanthropy lose all sense of self, becoming wild beasts that attack on sight. If someone were to survive a werewolf attack, it is very likely they will be cursed to some degree by the encounter."

Cynthia hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. The man's tone had become distant again, almost like he was reading a book passage aloud.

"That's so sad." The word fell out of Cynthia's mouth before she could stop them.

Remus' eyes suddenly met hers, a slight look of shock in them. It was quickly replaced with something else, something she couldn't quite read.

"Why…" He cleared his throat. "Why would you say that…" The man's words came out a little quieter than his last comment, almost like they were fragile and about to break.

"Well…" Cynthia began, swallowing thickly. "Because it is."

Her statement only seemed to shock the man more, stirring his emotions. The girl couldn't read them clearly, so instead she simply tried to explain.

"I can't imagine losing myself, even if it's only for one night a month." She continued. "And worse, what if I hurt someone. A friend, or my family. I don't know how I'd forgive myself if that ever happened. I think I'd rather just suffer alone, and that's very sad." Cynthia bit her bottom lip as she watched Remus' reaction.

For a moment it looked as if the man's eyes had started watering. Remus blinked a few times, but eventually just closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, preventing Cynthia from confirming her suspicion.

Perhaps she'd jumped in too soon. She hadn't even heard much about the werewolves. He said they were Dark Creatures, did that mean they were a cult or something? Perhaps they were a tribe of wild humanoid people who sought out others to infect each month. The young woman started panicking a little, worried she'd spoken in naivety. She needed to smooth it over.

"Then again…" Cynthia began, watching the man's reactions closely. "I'm speaking as someone who's read a lot of fictional books based around werewolves. I'm not sure how much of what I'm assuming is accurate…"

Remus slowly pulled his hand down, looking back at Cynthia. His eyes were a tinge red around the edges. He seemed a bit confused for a moment, but slowly processed her words. He cleared his throat.

"Probably not much…" He forced the words out. "Muggles tend to have some very interesting ideas of how magic works. I've no doubt it's similar to their assumptions about other such things."

The girl nodded.

"Yeah, well we do have some pretty wild imaginations." Cynthia shrugged, not sure what more she could say.

She really had no idea how most things worked in her own world, let alone this Magical one.

Remus forced a small smile, moving the conversation along. His expression was a little distant, though his emotions still twisted around him in an almost wild way.

"Just like with most magical creatures, I would suggest you avoid approaching. It would be unwise, especially where you can't defend yourself."

The girl felt her eyebrows sink together slightly, a quippy response on the end of her tongue.

"Unless you'd like to face off against a Dragon with no wand?"

The woman caught his light teasing tone, letting out a slightly dramatized sigh. The man smiled back at her a little more genuinely, though waited for a response.

"I'll pass!" She shrugged, but before she could say more a loud crash from deeper inside the tent pulled the two young adults attention.

Cynthia grimaced as she recognized Peter's voice. That didn't sound good.

Remus stood up, his body a bit stiff.

"Just rest here," He began, holding a hand up to stop the girl from joining him. "I'm just going to go check on things."

"Can't I come?" She questioned. The idea of seeing more of this magical tent was exciting, even if it was a bit dirty.

"Probably not a good idea." Remus dismissed her. "You're still recovering."

"Oh, I'm feeling much better now." The girl practically jumped off the stool.

She was feeling very refreshed, similar to how she felt after resting at the park. Her mind felt sharper, even her body felt a little bit lighter. It was good, she liked feeling like this. Cynthia felt like she could run and jump and play as she had in her youth, though it wasn't until this moment she realized that was the difference between her past and present self. As an adult she didn't feel the need to move that much, a simple walk or jog would do her. But in this moment she felt rather gung ho, then again she might just be feeling excited to see more of what this magical world had to offer.

Remus was a bit taken aback by her sudden movement, simply staring at her with his mouth hanging open slightly. It was as if his words had died on his tongue. It took only a moment for him to close his mouth, but his eyes still looked the woman over with concern.

"That's the magic I cast earlier." He gently spoke, as if his words might upset her. "You're still ill, Miss Jenkins. The warming charm I've cast is keeping you stable, but you shouldn't push yourself. It will take a few hours, we'll probably need to give you some potions or atleast a good cup of tea. You were out there for a very long time, and your body needs to recover. Hypothermia is serious business."

Cynthia felt like a rug was pulled out from under her. Was she really that bad off at the moment? He had to be over reacting, there was no way she was suffering from Hypothermia…

Unless she was…

Her mind quickly flashed through the last few hours, sitting out in the cold. She used Sirius' jacket, hadn't kept her warm enough? She remembered the tingling pain in her fingers and toes, how hard it had been to think clearly, the sudden hot flash that had nearly knocked her out. She was shocked.

Remus was right. If he hadn't used his magic to 'stabilize' her she might have passed out in the cold. The girl looked down at the golden glowing strings that were still wrapped around her body. They still warmed her even now, though the light coming off it was a little dimmer than before. Was this the only reason why she was feeling better at the moment?

Remus waited a moment for her to think over his words. He slowly stepped closer, easing her back onto the stool she'd been sitting on.

"Just wait here for a moment. I'll be back." He waited for her to respond.

The young woman was still a little shocked, only nodding to him as she held her hands tightly together.

Remus gave her a reassuring smile.

"Best not touch anything while I'm away." He tilted his head to the side. "Don't know what sort of magic these things might have. As lovely as you'd look with feathers, I'd rather not have to try and sort that out tonight."

Cynthia couldn't help but smile and shake her head at his 'warning', chuckling a little inside at the obscurity of it. Feathers, Really? Of all the things he could come up with, why not something like dragon scales or butterfly wings?

The man waited, still looking down at her expectantly. She let out a sigh, rolling her eyes.

"Fine," She let the word out in a dramatic sing-song way.

"Good. I'll be right back."

Satisfied, Remus turned slowly heading down deeper into the tent towards the noise they had heard.

There we go! Chapter 19 Done and Dusted

Sorry it took a hot minute, had some real life drama that I needed to focus on this last month.

I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but I'm ready to move on. I'll consider it good enough, because frankly I'm ready to get some real progress in the story.

I hope you enjoyed it, even if it was mostly fluff.

Catch ya all in the next chapter :3