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Harry Potter And The Game of Death

Level 1

Chapter Nine: Remus Lupin Makes a Mistake

"You are a fool, Remus. A complete and utter fool."

Remus Lupin paused with his hand halfway into his travel trunk. Packing his things for departure and getting ready for the sixth year's exam in the afternoon would have to wait.

For even after so many years spent away from her tutelage and one full year spent as her peer, the reproach in Minerva McGonagall's voice still hit him where it hurt.

"I would hope that I left much of my foolishness in the past, Minerva," Remus replied in a light tone of voice. He had learned over the years that a bit of humour could deflect or defuse many a tense situation. "Some of your detentions truly did sink in, even if it didn't appear so at the time."

A loud snort of disbelief from the irate woman crushed any hope that his strategy had been successful. "I'll grant that you and the other Marauders may have been a handful when you were younger, but none of you ever made a mistake that was quite this foolish back then."

"And how, pray tell, am I being foolish?"

"Right now you hold a position of prestige and respect, the likes of which no werewolf has held in my lifetime. A place where you can teach and shape the next generation of young minds. And what are you doing with it? Are you taking advantage of the opportunity to fight for equality and understanding like you said you would when Albus, Filius, and I chose to hire you? No! You're abandoning it at the first sign of trouble!"

Remus looked at her sharply. "That's not fair, Minerva, and you know it."

"Oh?" The woman placed both hands on her shapely hips and arched an eyebrow at him.

Remus sighed to himself as he closed the lid of his trunk with a gentle 'thunk'. Dammit all. It looked like there was no other choice but to have it out with her.

"This has been an incredible experience Minerva. One that I will be forever grateful to have been given," Remus said softly. He turned around to face his peer and sat on the corner edge of his barren desk. "But I believe I have become a liability to this school. One which must be expunged for the safety and well-being of everyone in it."

Remus let his eyes drift upwards toward the stone ceiling. "With that in mind I am taking advantage of this brief period of calm to leave while everyone's dignity is still intact. As well as to aid a dear friend whom I should have believed in over twelve years ago."

"Bollocks!" Minerva snapped. "If you really want to help Sirius, then being a teacher would not stop you. You already did a complete overhaul of every course level last year; tweaking them for any changes in curriculum could be done a few weeks before September. That would leave you the entire summer – which is nearly three entire months – to help Sirius get back on his feet once Albus and Amelia are able to clear his name."

"But that doesn't take into account-"

"I'm not done speaking, Remus." The furious woman said waspishly as she stepped closer to him. "As for the dignity of everyone involved… what use is dignity if it allows evils to go unfought and unpunished?"

Ah. Yes, there was that particular bit of logic. One which Remus had done his best to ignore and would continue to sidestep even now. "I am certain that whomever Albus selects as the next professor will be more than competent. Perhaps even be better; I've heard that Alastor might be retiring soon, and I'm certain that Albus would jump at the chance to bring him in to serve as an example for young Harry."

"Oh no you don't, Remus. Don't you dare try to dodge my question like that."

The woman's sea green eyes, framed by her raven hair, were glaring into his own as she stepped into his personal space. Remus could feel his very skin begin to tingle under the woman's palpable fury. Evidence that the woman before him was, without a doubt, the second most powerful person in all of Hogwarts in more than just title.

"You and I both know what you're doing," Minerva said, grinding out the words as though she were chewing on a dragon's scale. "You're scared and frightened right now. Scared that since one of your two secrets got out, it'll cause Dumbledore and the rest of us to become targets for our political opponents. Scared that it might hurt Harry. And scared that, for once in your life, you might have to stand your ground and actually confront those who would persecute you."

Remus barely held back a flinch at her harsh words. His mind shook. And without his meaning to, a growl rose from deep within his chest as his inner werewolf snapped angrily.

"Don't you dare say that to me, Minerva. Don't you dare!" Remus spat out. "I have faced discrimination my entire life for who I am. I have fought, and argued, and worked against those who would slap a label on me or call me subhuman as far back as I can remember. And when Albus called, I stood wand to wand against Voldemort's Death Eaters and grieved with you over the bodies of those who never made it back. What gives you the right to call me a coward for retreating now?"

The witch stared at him unflinchingly. But her eyes softened as she leaned down to place her palms on the back of a nearby chair. "Because though I am your friend now, Remus, I was once your teacher. And twelve years ago, when Voldemort died and chaos was erupting all around us, I saw you make this very same decision and live to regret it. That decision nearly destroyed you, and it caused you to be lost to us for more than a decade. I refuse to allow you to make the same mistake again without trying to beat some sense into your damnably thick skull."

This time Remus could not hide his flinch as her words had hit hard. Instead, he moved away from the desk and began to pace. "This time is different. Back then, just after James and Lily died, things were… rough. I had just figured out who I really was, and what I really wanted, when the only three people I had ever opened myself up to about it were suddenly… gone. Two lost to death, and the third sent to prison for causing their murder and that of another friend."

Minerva watched him pace, a sad look in her eyes as she followed his every movement. "You're right, Remus. This time is different. The son of James and Lily is here, right in front of you, and he is in need of your help. And unlike back then, when you had just returned to the country from your spy assignment, you are currently in a position to give him the assistance that he needs."

His old professor then lifted her hands from the chair and sat down in it instead. A wisp of raven hair escaped from the bun holding it back, causing her to blow it out of her eyes with an exasperated huff. "Can you not see it? That is why I am fighting so hard against this foolish decision of yours. Because this time you have the power to help change the boy's life for the better. And in doing so, begin to heal the wounds you have allowed to fester inside for over a decade."

Remus ran a hand through his light brown hair. He hated it when she pulled a guilt trip on him like that. Using Harry against him was completely unfair.

Remus said as much, though he was unable to meet her eyes while speaking.

"Is it not?" she pressed. "Barring the grand reasons I gave earlier, is that boy not reason enough to stay here?"

"Of course he is! But… what can I offer him? As a teacher, someone like Alastor – who has decades of experience in fighting, and training others to fight, against Dark witches and wizards– would offer far more to Harry than I ever could."

"The man hasn't retired yet, Remus, so do not count on him to inherit your position." Minerva's voice turned wry as she gave a harsh laugh. "And Alastor Moody, for all of his vast knowledge and experience, is not someone whom I could comfortably see teaching classes composed of children for very long without something disastrous occurring."

Remus gave a bitter laugh at that. She had a point. Moody was brilliant at what he did, a genius even, but the man's brilliance came at a steep price.

"Besides," she said warmly, "I've seen the way you interact with Harry. The two of you have formed a connection. Something which can be very difficult to do with a young child, and something which is very precious."

"So I should stay around because Harry and I are fond of one another?" Remus retorted. "Not to put too fine a point on it, Minerva, but that is a poor reason to keep around a person whose very existence could erase decades of good work done by you and others."

Minerva waved his words off. "Then think of it another way, you stubborn fool. The previous two people to hold your position tried to harm the poor lad. One tried to wipe his mind with an Obliviate while the other tried to kill him!"

"Yes, yes, I know about all of that, Minerva. Dumbledore and Harry have told me the stories. I even know about the Basilisk he killed last year with Gryffindor's sword, so you needn't go any further into detail."

Silence fell upon the room. And when the woman still did not say anything after several seconds had passed, Remus turned to look at her.

Her face had gone completely sheet white. "Do you mean to say that the… the Basilisk Albus mentioned is buried in Slytherin's Chamber was actually killed by…"

The woman's sheet white face suddenly began to flush. A deep red colour as bright as Lily's hair ran from her cheeks down to the impressive valley between her large breasts. Then the woman leapt into the air from her seat, cursing as fast as she could articulate the words.

"Why that blind, bony ol' knobdobber!" Minerva yelled, her normally weak Scottish accent coming to the fore. "I cannae e'en believe that 'e e'er tried to say that poor Harry wasnae involved in slayin' that creature! 'E told me that the beastie were slain by Lockhart's foolish avalanche. Not that… that Harry… that Harry of all people… ARGH!"

Remus grunted as Minerva forcibly elbowed him aside to take his place in the centre of his office. The stunning woman's long black robes swished around her finely turned ankles while her eyes looked fiery enough to spit… well, fire. Something which she might very well be capable of doing, as Sirius and James had once theorized many years ago.

Oh dear. It would seem that Dumbledore had not given Minerva the full truth of what had happened down within the Chamber of Secrets. Which meant that Remus had just accidentally inserted himself into the middle of a rather major problem where Dumbledore and Minerva were on opposing sides. And that was not a healthy position in which to stay.

Thinking on his feet, his own anger forgotten due to the very real prospect of impending harm from the furious woman pacing in his office, the werewolf moved to his desk and opened its lower right-hand drawer. He reached a hand inside and pulled out a long handle of aged scotch from within its depths. After conjuring two fat glasses, complete with a large sphere of ice within, Remus managed to fill the first glass halfway before Minerva grabbed it from his desk, whereupon the furious witch downed the whole lot in a single go.

The irate woman then slammed it back down on the table for him to refill, her skin still flushed a burning red. When she spoke again, however, her accent had petered back down to its usual manageable level. "Putting aside for the moment how that rotten old… er, the Headmaster… conveniently left out the distressing level of young Harry's involvement regarding the Basilisk, this knowledge only serves to better illustrate my point."

Remus cautiously eyed her as he poured another glass for the witch to consume. "Which was?"

"That between some of his teachers, a Basilisk, and that veritable horde of Dementors forced on us this year by the buffoonish fop who heads our ministry, the boy needs someone like you in his life. Both here at Hogwarts and elsewhere." Minerva downed the glass Remus poured for her, downed the one he had poured for himself, and looked at him with eyes that were much too clear for someone who had just downed that much alcohol. "Perhaps more, even, than you needed his father and Sirius when you were younger."

Well that went and did it. Remus winced as her sharp words cut right down to the bone and struck closer to home than any others she had said thus far. Feeling a bitter sense of failure rise within his chest as he considered her words, the werewolf poured himself a glass before moving away. He looked inside its depths in the hope that it might provide the answer to his problems.

But as any drunk on the street could have told him, the glass stayed silent, and Remus' quiet hope died unspoken.

He took a swig from it and hissed as the fiery liquor burned its way down his throat.

It was only once his glass was half empty that Remus finally responded. "You're right Minerva. By doing this I really am running away from everything. But unlike the past, back when Harry's parents died and Sirius went to Azkaban, it's not because I think I could be a danger to him and to others. It's because I know that I'm a danger."

"You know that's not true, Remus. With Severus on staff you have more than enough access to-"

Remus held up a hand to cut-off of her impending argument. "You might not be aware, but I am not just basing my argument on hypotheticals. This time it's based on experience. As just a few nights ago I transformed while I was right next to Harry and his two friends. And fool that I am, I did it when there was not so much as a single drop of Wolfbane's potion in my body."

Minerva went still at his words. "I had heard from Poppy that there had been an issue, but you don't mean to say…"

"That I attacked him? Well, I did. I attacked Harry and his friends. And I likely would have killed them all if Sirius hadn't nearly died trying to stop me." Remus held the cold glass in his hands to his temple, trying to assuage the pain he felt with its cool surface. "Now that the boy's seen the monster which lurks within me, how I get when I lose control, I don't know if I can ever become someone he could trust or admire."

"I wouldn't sell the boy short, Remus," Minerva quietly objected. "Nor would I sell his friends short either. James and Sirius didn't run away from you when they learned your secret, and I don't think Harry and the others would either."

Remus inclined his head in response. "You may be right about that, but it's a moot point. I swore a vow to his parents that I would help him if anything ever happened to them. And from where I stand, the best way to uphold that vow, in this moment, is to stay as far away from him as is humanly possible."

"But-"

He cut her off for a second time that night. Which was two more times than he had done in his entire life. "I have made up my mind on the matter. You might be right, Minerva. I might be running away again, and I might regret doing so for the rest of my life. But given the unacceptable level of danger that I currently pose to Harry, I do not see my decision changing any time soon."

"And there's nothing else I can do or say to convince you otherwise?"

"No, my dear old professor, there is not."

"You damn stubborn fool," Minerva sighed in resignation. "Before you set your decision in stone, at least do one final thing for me. Do that, and I will never bring this up again with you."

Wary of her offer, Remus moved his glass to the side of his head so that he could peer at her with one eye open. "And what would that be? If it is to talk with the Headmaster, then it would be a waste of everyone's time. I already know that Albus would want me to stay on, and I would rather not argue against the both of you in one week."

The beautiful witch gave him a gentle smile over the rim of her own glass, the faint lines at the corners of her eyes crinkling as she did. "No, the final thing that I want you to do – that you need to do – is to speak with Harry. Speak with him one last time before you turn in your letter of resignation. Do that, and I believe that you can leave our school with your conscience as clear as can be managed under the circumstances."

Dammit, but his old teacher never asked someone to take the easy route, did she? Remus shifted the glass in his hand as he considered her proposal.

Speaking to the boy would be hard on Remus. To look into Lily's eyes staring at him from James' face. But if he could do that and still leave… then chances were that Minerva was right. It would hurt, but it could help the wound heal quicker.

Remus looked up at Minerva with a sad, quiet smile. Of course she would be the one to suggest that doing so. Because while it was common knowledge that the Headmaster of Hogwarts must be validated by the Castle in order to fill the post, something which few knew of was how one became Head of a Hogwarts House. Remus himself had only learned upon becoming a teacher that a Head of House candidate would need to undergo a test set by the Founder whose House they had been nominated to lead. One which would decide how worthy the candidate was and whether the candidate's values were in line with those of the Founder in question.

And aside from Lily, no one Remus had ever met better encapsulated what it meant to be in the House of Gryffindor, the House of the Brave, than the woman before him.

"Fine, Minerva," he said with an air of defeat. "I'll do as you ask and talk to Harry about everything before I hand in my paperwork."

Minerva's sad expression lightened somewhat as she nodded her head. "That's all I can ask of you."

Remus nodded his head and raised his glass for another sip. But, just as the tension from the tough discussion had begun to leave his body, Remus suddenly found himself unable to move. His eyes moved to face the powerful witch.

She had just cast a total body petrification hex on him! But why? For what reason? Their conversation had concluded with her eking out a concession from him, had it not?

Regardless of that fact, Minerva McGonagall, lauded paragon of the many virtues belonging to the House of Gryffindor, put down her wand with a predatory glint in her eyes. Her expression, which had been filled with sadness and kindness just moments ago, now had a feral tinge to its appearance.

Sometimes Animagi could retain a few… unfortunate traits from their chosen transformation. And while he had possessed a handle on the issues his friends had faced, until this evening Remus had no idea about the form of Minerva McGonagall's retained traits. But between the woman's eyes and her bloodthirsty smile, Remus could begin to make a few conjectures.

None of which boded well for his immediate future.

"Now that we have finished with your matter, Remus, I believe that it would be a good time to revisit an earlier point in our discussion which you quite so inadvertently brought up." Minerva said the words calmly as she moved to grab the bottle of scotch set next to his glass. "It is time that you tell me what Albus has been concealing. I want to know everything about young Harry's incident with the Basilisk and anything else which Albus may have told you about concerning the boy's… adventures, shall we say, during his time in this castle.

"And that was the final thing we saw after we opened the door," Harry concluded. "What do you think?"

The brainy girl had a thoughtful expression on her face she considered the issue. He had just finished telling Hermione everything he and Ron had seen after they had found the Room of Requirement. And even though he had had a full half an hour to think on it, he was no closer to coming up with a way to find the Horcrux on his own.

"Just to make sure that I have everything straight in my head, let me say it back to you," Hermione stated calmly. "First, Dobby is back in the castle and was the one who told you about this room. Right?"

Harry nodded. "That's correct."

"And when he told you about this room and how to open it by thinking of what you desired, you thought about opening some type of lost and found room?

"Right again."

"And this room, when it appeared, was filled to the brim with a heap of items, some of which were hundreds of years old?"

"So far as Ron and I could tell, yes."

"Good. In that case, did you try thinking of a room which contained only the Horcrux itself?"

"Of course I –" Harry stopped mid-sentence. He thought about what he had just been about to say. Then went over it again.

Oh dear gosh. Why had he not thought of doing something like that? It was so simple!

A small giggle caught his attention. Hermione was looking at him with mirth dancing in her eyes as she hid her mouth behind her hand. "It's okay Harry," she said with a Cheshire grin. "It's not that brilliant of an idea, and it's usually much easier to think through situations like this with the benefit of hindsight. Besides, helping you put all the pieces of the puzzle together like this is one of the things I'm here for, right?"

Harry grumbled a little at her words and turned his head away so that she could not see his face. Even if that was true, Harry felt that he really shouldn't need to rely on her for so much.

It was something he would need to work on over the summer.

Eventually Harry turned to face her. And though Hermione had switched back to looking at the pages of stats she had written down, her soft lips were still curled into an almost feline grin of satisfaction. The sight of it made Harry think of Professor McGonagall for some odd reason. A thought which caused a powerful shiver to go down his spine.

The Transfiguration professor might be gorgeous – only the much younger female professors of Sinistra and Aurora had a bigger following amongst the male students – but Harry did not want to think about the strict and austere woman in that way.

Although what way that might be, and why it would be okay to think of Hermione of all people in that way, was something Harry refused to acknowledge even within the sanctity of his own mind. The entire matter was locked away in a forbidden place, never to be opened or examined in depth. The only way it could ever come out was if Hermione really could read his mind, as she seemed to do so often. And Harry did not like the thought of someone being able to plunder his every… little… secret…

"Oh, no!" Harry whispered to himself in horror. Thinking of Hermione being able to read minds had caused a far more dreadful possibility to rear its ugly head.

Because as embarrassing as it would be for Hermione to read his mind, there were far worse possibilities. If someone who had a grudge against him, such as Snape or Voldemort, had the ability to peek his mind… well, even the possibility of it happening was enough for a tendril of fear to worm its way through Harry's body. It was an unavoidable feeling when Harry considered his rather poor track record with things like magical creatures, rogue bludgers, prophecies, and Dark Lords.

After making a mental note to investigate the matter at a later date, Harry did his best to put all thoughts of mind readers out of his… well, thoughts. Instead, he began to speak again in an attempt to power forward with the original conversation. "Anyway, if the solution is that simple, I think we should get going now. The sooner we destroy the Horcrux, the better."

Hermione nodded in reply. "I had the same thought. I'll just need a moment to tidy up and then we can be off."

With one of his companions secured, Harry turned his head around to locate his other companion. Three heads were generally better than two, and despite his words to the contrary Ron had often proven himself to be an asset to the group at the direst of moments.

But when Harry was finally able to spot the other boy, it was to find Ron completely passed out and snoring on a nearby couch. Harry called out the boy's name several times and got no response. And after tossing several books at him and failing to get a reaction, Harry gave it up as a lost cause. Whenever Ron entered a deep sleep like this it was nearly impossible to rouse him.

He sat down on the couch next to Hermione with a gloomy expression on his face. "Well, it looks like Ron's down for the count."

Hermine shot him a questioning look. "Are you sure about that, Harry? Because while I'd like to head off as soon as possible, having Ron might really help if there's something which requires three people."

Harry shook his head. "I hear you, but the sooner we do this, the better. I don't want Professor Lupin's job to be in danger any longer than necessary. Because who knows what else might happen the longer we wait."

"Hey. If you're looking for another person, would you mind if I come along? Professor Lupin's a nice teacher and I'd like him to stay around next year."

Harry almost jumped in surprise at the unexpected interjection and looked upwards.

Less than one foot away was Ginny Weasley's face, poking up over the edge of the couch. The younger girl's light brown eyes stared inquisitively into Harry's as she awaited an answer to her question.

Harry scratched his head as he thought it over. While he had not particularly tried to hide his conversation with Hermione, he really should have heard someone approaching them. Having the girl approach them out of the blue like this was somewhat disconcerting, even if he did know her somewhat better than he did most of his fellow Gryffindor's.

He decided to put off answering Ginny's question by asking her one of his own. "So, erm, how long have you…"

"Been here?" Ginny finished with a smile. "Since long before you arrived. Hermione was helping me work out a Potion issue I got wrong on my end of year exams, and once that was done, I started working on some spells that one of my older brothers told me to try out in a recent letter. But I'm only in the theory stage right now which is why I was so quiet."

"Oh. I see." Harry looked at Hermione and saw her nod in confirmation at what Ginny had said. He also saw her try to hide a small grin too, which made little sense to him.

In any case, Hermione's affirmative response and seeming acceptance of the other girl put Harry into a bit of a quandary. The only people who really knew what was going on with the Game of Death were Hermione and Ron. Harry knew that he could trust them, knew how they worked together, and knew how they both performed under pressure thanks to their prior adventures.

Harry gave Ron's sleeping form another glance as thought things over. The other boy was well and truly down for the count. And with him gone there was an open spot for a new member on this adventure.

Maybe doing the quest with Ginny could be a trial of sorts? A way to see if there were others besides Hermione and Ron who could stand with Harry against the dark and evil things he inevitably seemed to face year in and year out.

Harry considered the matter in full. And after weighing the various pros and cons he decided to go with his gut instinct on the matter. Which was to trust Ginny to accompany him and Hermione and see how things went from there.

"Sure, Ginny," Harry said with a nod. "You can join us. But while it should be safe, I need to warn you that it could also be dangerous. Neither Hermione nor I really know what might happen when we get to where we need to go. Are you okay with that?"

Ginny thought it over. Her pretty face wrinkled in thought as she considered his words. "Are we talking about hundred-foot Basilisk dangerous?"

"It had better not be like that!" Harry exclaimed as he shook his head adamantly. "No. It shouldn't be that dangerous. I think that, in the worst-case scenario, it could maybe be something on the level of a troll. Or possibly a brood of hungry Acromantulas."

"Then count me in," Ginny said with a dazzling smile. "If you and Ron could handle a troll in your first year and escape from Acromantulas in your second, then I don't see why the three of us working together couldn't better that standard."

Harry had not expected her to respond quite so brashly to his threat assessment. It was different than the blushing, stammering girl he had known the previous two years. But he liked it and could not help but laugh at her infectious confidence.

"Great!" Harry said warmly. He held out a hand to her which she eagerly clasped. "Then welcome to the team, Ginny. It's good to have you."

And with that Harry's duo was, temporarily, back to being a trio. The three of them checked the Marauder's Map – which Ginny had been furious to learn had been kept a secret from her by Fred and George – and made their way out when no one who could trouble them was around.

A/N: If you continue to read, you will see that I like to use the viewpoints of characters other than Harry when writing. I feel that doing so adds flavour to a story and can make it more interesting to read. I'm also doing it as an attempt to better my own writing since it forces me to balance many things (such as different personalities, character relationships, false versus accurate narratives, and more). Harry will always be the main point of view and will have the bulk of the literary narrative, but his scenes will decrease as I add more characters to his orbit.

Until Next Time,

Elsil