Chapter Fifteen: The Fool Moon Part I
Harry woke the next day to Mrs Figg knocking on his bedroom door. He got up with a grown, still sore from the day before. He spent the morning doing sprints, push ups, sit ups, and pull ups out on the patio and backyard. It was freezing outside and the cold air was hard on his lungs. He really hoped all the exercise was worth it.
Dripping in sweat, he went to the bathroom for a shower and to get ready for the day. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was beginning to notice some changes to his physique. He was taller, a lot taller than he'd been while still at the Dursleys. He was still thin, but he had some lean muscle coming in and that was new to him. He'd always been deathly thin and short and that was all beginning to change. He supposed the potions Healer Juniper had been providing were doing their part and all the exercise was helping.
He'd been able to run a pretty long distance when he tried to escape Professor Dumbledore the day before so he figured that as much as he despised working out, that it had its benefits.
He headed out of the bathroom and back towards the kitchen for breakfast. He had some questions about the Guild that he'd hoped Mrs Figg would help answer. Honestly, he should have asked her long ago… before joining. He'd been so focused on following in his mother's footsteps that he'd neglected to properly investigate whether or not the Guild was a good fit for him. He supposed it was too late now and he was ready to hope for the best, but he was tired of being in the dark when it came to the inner workings of the Guild.
He found Mrs Figg taking the kettle off the stove for their morning tea. She poured him a cup as he sat down at the breakfast table. The pleasant aroma of green tea filled his nostrils as he took a sip. He felt like it was the perfect tea to start the day as it helped clear his mind so he could focus and absorb the lessons Mrs Figg would throw at him throughout the day.
"Any word from Remus or Luna?" he asked Mrs Figg as he put his cup down on the table.
Mrs Figg shook her head and said, "No, not from Remus or Luna." She took a small sip of her tea and then continued. "I asked the Guild to keep tabs on them though and they reported to me that Remus and Luna arrived safely in Italy."
Harry nodded, trying to show surprise that the Guild was keeping tabs on them. He didn't want to give away that he'd talked with the Guild Leader the night before.
"How does that work then?" Harry asked. "Can I make requests of the Guild like you can?" He knew that the Guild had resources and that they were meant to be used by the Guild members to complete their missions and he'd been promised to have the Guild's support should he need it, but where was the line?
Mrs Figg nodded and said, "There is a currency of sorts, actually. Not like galleons, sickles, or knuts but…" she fished through a bag and removed a couple wooden disks and passed them to him.
He inspected them and found that they were rather thin, and about 50 millimeters in diameter, but he doubted he'd be able to break them. They were lined with runes and when he probed them he found that they felt similarly to the robes he'd worn at his initiation.
"You earn these by completing tasks for the Guild, and then you can trade them in for gear, spells, potions, or intel from the Guild," she said. "But you can also trade them for special favors from other Guild members"
"How do you get to know other members in the guild?" he asked. "I thought everyone's identity was kept secret."
Mrs Figg hummed and said, "For the most part that is true and a lot of people use nicknames or call signs."
"What about 'Dung and Healer Juniper?" He asked, wondering how Mrs Figg knew them by name.
"'Dung and I joined around the same time and we were put on a team. Our mission required us to go undercover as husband and wife," she answered. "But he's a specialist now and most members know him by name."
"And Healer Juniper is also a specialist, I'm guessing?" Harry asked.
Mrs Figg smiled and said, "Yes, exactly. Healer Juniper is a medical specialist and Mundungus' specialty is forgery and counterfeiting, though he is a more than decent thief as well. Both of them use their specialties day to day and it is impractical for them to remain unknown. They're both dead useful and that allows them some added protection. Anyone working against them would be wildly unpopular in the Guild."
"Are you a specialist then as well?" he asked.
"No, not really, but I've been a member for a long time and I've worked my way up," she answered. "Most people underestimate me since I'm a squib and that's still true in the Guild."
"Are you pretty high ranking now then?" Harry asked. He still wasn't sure how the reporting structure worked. "Could you ever become a Guild Leader?"
Mrs Figg smiled and shrugged, "I am doing alright in the Guild. I primarily fill the role of coordinator but every now and then I get to do some field work, like I am right now with 'Dung." Mrs Figg got up from her table and beckoned Harry to follow her. "Let's go find a board to write on so I can explain this properly."
The duo walked out of the kitchen and towards one of the offices they'd been using for lessons occasionally. Mrs Figg approached the chalk board and started to draw everything out. "Remember, the Guild of Shadows has branches all across the globe. The London branch is fairly small at the moment as we're still recovering from the war. At the top of our branch we have the guild leader," she said and then she drew two lines from the Guild Leader. "Below her we currently have a Spy Master and a Master Thief. During the war, we also had a War Master, but he disappeared."
Harry thought about what she said. It made sense that the Guild would be flexible and fill roles as they were needed. Developing a specialty provided protection and could help you climb the ranks if you wanted to. He wondered what it would be like to be a Master Thief. The title sounded thrilling to him. He shook himself out of his daydream and continued to listen as Mrs Figg explained.
"Coordinators and mentors report to them. I report to the Spy Master. We mostly collect intel, trade information, and do research," she said.
Mrs Figg drew a big box below the Master Thief and Spy Master titles and titled it Specialists. "Beyond these two, the lines are a bit more blurred amongst the guild members. They don't really belong to just one of the groups and work to support the Guild overall. They might be assigned to a team or even a solo job from either group."
Harry nodded that he understood.
"Below the specialists we have a bunch of ranks for undeclared members of the Guild, including Fledglings," Mrs Figg explained. "They do most of the grunt work and can choose from a myriad of tasks or jobs to work on while they decide whether or not they want to specialize. Many members are happy staying at this level."
Harry thought for a moment. He already knew he wanted to be a Master Thief and he couldn't imagine being content staying in the undeclared levels of the Guild. He imagined his family magic would make him a useful security expert since he'd already used it for that twice.
He looked at Mrs Figg and found her watching him shrewdly as he thought. She took a sip of her tea and asked, "Why do you ask? Do you need help with anything?"
Harry had mostly just been curious but as soon as she asked, he thought of Voldemort's horcruxes and he mentioned them to Mrs Figg.
"Ah yes, laddie," she said. "We'll want to be very careful discussing those, even in the Guild."
Harry thought he understood why. Every member, himself included, likely had their own motives and were simply using the Guild as a resource.
Mrs Figg continued, "Normally, I'd say this kind of thing should only be talked about with the Guild Leader but her price is likely going to be very high…"
Harry hesitated. He wanted to deal with the horcruxes now but he wasn't sure he would be able to pull off enough jobs for quite a long time.
"Is there anyone else you trust?" He asked.
Mrs Figg was silent for a long time as she contemplated his question. Finally she answered, "No, at least not right now, but we may be able to work around that problem if we are more discreet. Instead of asking the Guild for direct help we could simply ask around for smaller things once we know more of what we're looking for."
Harry nodded grimly, they didn't exactly have a lot to go off of but since it didn't seem like Voldemort was an immediate threat, maybe they could take their time. He wanted to be ready though, just in case that changed. He guessed he'd just have to train harder so he could get to the skill level he needed sooner rather than later.
Today was the day that Remus and Luna were supposed to return. Harry hoped they were successful.
Remus had told him that the werewolf pack Silvie was with was pretty nomadic and they stayed away from society as much as possible. So he knew that it was pretty hard to send messages, but he was still a bit annoyed that he hadn't heard anything.
He distracted himself with his morning workout, but when he got to the kitchen for breakfast he could tell that Mrs Figg was feeling just as anxious.
They ate in silence, neither able nor willing to bring up just how worried they both were. If they didn't hear from them by this evening then Mrs Figg was going to call the aurors for help.
Mrs Figg sighed heavily and said, "No news is good news, I guess. No use in worrying until we need to."
They got to work on lessons but Harry was still distracted. His notes were sloppy and disorganized and there were several ink splots on his parchment.
Harry didn't even bother to do any spell-casting that afternoon. He was far too distracted by then and Mrs Figg didn't bother encouraging him.
Time crawled as they both waited, hoping that the floo would turn green and Remus and Luna would step through the floo.
Eventually, the sun began to set and Mrs Figg flooed to the ministry. Harry didn't want to go with her and chose to stay home in case Luna and Remus arrived.
He camped out in front of the floo and waited. He tried to distract himself by listing all the spells he knew, their incantation, and wand movement. He then moved on to potions, their ingredients, and properties.
He looked outside and saw the night sky. The full moon peaked out from behind the clouds. It was too late. Finally, he heard the floo flare and he jumped to his feet, hoping that at least Luna would floo through.
Instead, Susan stepped through. She looked surprised to see Harry standing there expectantly.
"Susan!" Harry yelled as he pulled her into a desperate hug . "I wasn't expecting you. Luna…" he trailed off.
Susan returned his hug fiercely. "I heard," she replied. "My aunt has gone with a task force to try and find her. I thought maybe we could wait together?"
Harry nodded in return. "I don't know that I'll be very good company but you're more than welcome."
Susan laughed and said, "I don't know that I'll be any better but it's so nice to have someone to worry with instead of doing it on my own."
Harry paused. This worrying was probably a common occurrence for Susan since her aunt was in law enforcement. It was still fairly new to Harry. He never really worried when Mrs Figg left, but he figured she could take care of herself. Luna, on the other hand… he was really worried about.
Harry offered her one of the books that he'd grabbed from the library to distract himself with. She accepted one on enchanting and they sat together reading. Harry was pleased to note that it wasn't awkward sitting there in silence with Susan and that he found her presence comforting.
His own book wasn't very distracting and he continued to struggle to focus. Susan adjusted herself so she was sitting besides him. A few moments later her head fell onto his shoulder and he could hear her breathing begin to slow into a rhythm. He'd assumed she'd fallen asleep. A moment later, he felt his eyelids begin to droop and seemingly against his will, he followed suit.
In what seemed like an instant, he thought he heard the floo and he shot awake. He noticed daylight streaming through the nearby window so he must have fallen asleep for several hours. Susan grumbled at his interruption and then woke up as well. They looked at eachother and blushed at having fallen asleep next to each other.
They didn't have long to be embarrassed as Mrs Figg walked out of the fireplace with a serious look.
"Harry, Susan, I'm sorry but I have some very bad news," She said to the pair.
Harry's pulse quickened. "Is it Luna?" he asked. "What about Remus?"
Mrs Figg shook her head sadly. "Remus, Silvie, and Tabatha are at Saint Mungos getting some help… Remus is in bad shape."
Harry's throat constricted with emotions at the news. "What about Luna?" he asked again.
With a sigh, Mrs Figg continued, "Luna was taken."
Harry heard Susan gasp at the revelation. He was confused. Who would have taken Luna and why? Remus had said the pack of werewolves were good people and that they mostly wanted to be left alone.
"What do you mean she's been taken?" he finally asked. "Who would want to take Luna?"
"He took her," Mrs Figg said despondently. "He was scoping out the pack for children and he took her."
Harry's thoughts were racing. He looked at Susan and saw that she was confused. She had no way of knowing who Mrs Figg was talking about. Harry thought he did but he hoped he was wrong.
"Who took her, Mrs Figg?" Harry asked again. He could hear the thickness of his emotions in his voice.
"He took her, Harry." Mrs Figg repeated. "Greyback took her."
Harry saw red as his ears registered her words. He started pacing to try and use up some of the hot energy he felt coursing through his body. It didn't help.
"I'll kill him," he said simply.
Susan backed up at his words, shocked.
Mrs Figg noticed and shook her head, "He doesn't mean it, Susan, he's just upset."
Harry snarled at that. He did mean it. He wanted to kill him.
"You're not strong enough to face off against Fenrir Greyback, Harry," Mrs Figg said simply.
He deflated. He knew he wasn't strong enough. He knew he wasn't ready. He was never ready. No matter how much he trained and studied, he was still just a 10 year old kid that had years and miles ahead of him. How was it even possible that Fenrir Greyback remained free anyways? Wasn't the DMLE doing anything about him? Tears of frustration leaked out from behind his eyelids and he wiped furiously at them.
"Someone has to do something if the ministry is too inept," he said. Harry was so completely done. Voldemort, a wizard decades older than him, killed his parents when he was a baby and some of his followers remained free to this day while Sirius had been erroneously imprisoned for almost 10 years. And now Fenrir Greyback, a known dangerous werewolf had kidnapped his first and best friend. The ministry was less than useless.
"Is my aunt okay?" Susan asked quietly.
Harry felt bad for a moment that he'd not even been a little bit worried about Susan or Amelia Bones, but then he reminded himself that it was probably the DMLE's fault that Fenrir Greyback was free in the first place. This was the Ministry's fault. They were too corrupt to be of any actual use.
"Yes, your aunt is just fine. She's filling out paperwork at the ministry as we speak," Mrs Figg said.
Harry scoffed. "I bet they can't even get the paperwork right."
Susan glared at him and said, "I think I'll go home. Thanks Mrs Figg." She walked over to the floo and threw some powder in. "This isn't my aunt's fault, Harry," she said. "You shouldn't be angry at the few people in the ministry that are actually trying to do something about evil men like Greyback."
Harry instantly felt awful for how he was acting. He wanted to apologize but she walked through before he could reply.
He sunk to the floor in defeat.
"She'll forgive you, lad," Mrs Figg said as she sat down next to him.
Harry wiped away his tears again. "What are we going to do about Luna?" he asked.
"I don't know that there is anything we can do," Mrs Figg said. Harry didn't know whether to curse or bless her for her blunt honesty.
"How bad is Remus?" Harry asked, trying to think about something other than Luna.
Mrs Figg shook her head. "He looked absolutely wrecked when I saw him… Silvie and Tabatha were scraped up but nowhere near as bad as Remus. He must have taken the brunt of things."
Harry was relieved that Silvie and Tabatha were okay. Remus would be devastated if something had happened to them. He hoped Remus would make a recovery.
"What about the Guild?" he asked. "Can they help?"
Mrs Figg shook her head again, sadly. "I did send a message to them through 'Dung," she said. "But… I'm not sure what they can do for us besides provide information."
Harry yelled in frustration. Just how was this single werewolf capable of outrunning the ministry and the Guild, Harry wondered.
"Greyback is well protected," she continued. "As a werewolf, he's stronger than most people and is resistant to spells. Beyond that… he's not only got many loyal followers, but he's hidden himself in a very complicated cave system on the continent."
Harry thought deeply. He might not be strong enough to kill Greyback, but that didn't mean he wasn't sneaky enough to rescue Luna. He kept his thoughts to himself, however. He knew there was no way that Mrs Figg would let him try anything.
Before Mrs Figg could guess at his thoughts, he changed the subject. "Can we go visit Remus? I'd like to make sure he's not beating himself up about all this," he said.
Mrs Figg got up off the floor with a grown. "It might be too early, but I'll call and find out… we could at least introduce ourselves to Silvie and Tabatha if Remus isn't well enough just yet."
Harry nodded. "I'm going to go make some tea to calm my nerves. Want any?"
Mrs Figg nodded in response and he left her at the fireplace.
As he walked to the kitchen, he thought of what he might need to sneak into Greyback's cave system. He had the cloak and he had several vials of that floating potion. He also had the Hand of Glory to use to help him see in the dark, but he'd have to check that he could use it under the cloak… he'd never forgive himself if he burned a hole in his Dad's old cloak.
He'd seen some other potions in the books he'd gotten for Christmas that might be helpful. There was a potion in there that helped the user see in the dark as well as elevate his other senses so he could hear, smell, and see better in general. Those would be useful. And, so long as the area wasn't riddled with ambient magic, he could always rely on his family magic to trace out the area.
He removed the kettle from the stove just as Mrs Figg walked in. He poured them both a cup of tea and sat at the table.
Mrs Figg looked worried, he noticed. She probably didn't want to set me off again with whatever she'd learned from her floo call.
"What is it?" he asked, bluntly.
"Remus isn't well enough to have visitors just yet," she said, taking a sip while looking at him warily. "The welcome witch said that…" she trailed off. Her hands were shaking as she attempted another sip of her tea. She took a steadying breath and finished, "They think he might not be able to walk again."
Harry was confused. He'd always just assumed that magic could fix anything. The thought that Remus was in bad enough shape that even magic couldn't fix him had him worried. He was starting to second guess his plans. He shook himself out of it. It was out of the question. He'd not be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try.
"But he'll live, right Mrs Figg?" he checked, ignoring the quiver in his voice.
Mrs Figg nodded. "They think so," she said." But it will be a rough recovery."
Harry couldn't even fathom what it would be like to wake up and not be able to walk again.
"What about Silvie and Tabatha?" he asked. "Did the welcome witch say whether or not they'd take visitors?"
Mrs Figg nodded. "They agreed to a visit from us, but they're pretty tired. They had a long night with the full moon and all."
"So later, then? Tomorrow?" he asked.
"Tomorrow," she said.
Harry woke early the next day. He'd spent the previous day in his potions lab attempting to make some potions that he thought might be helpful for his mission. He was serious about trying to help Luna. He couldn't rely on anyone, so he had to do it himself. He'd even managed to successfully brew quite a bit and he felt confident that they'd work well enough.
He wasn't sure how he was going to get information on Greyback from the Guild. He was sure they'd have a file on him and they might even know where the cave system was, but he had no idea how he was going to get there. Maybe he could convince Silvie or Tabatha to tell him. He'd have to be careful how he approached it though. He didn't want to hint that he was planning anything and Mrs Figg would be sure to catch him if she heard he was asking for details.
They weren't planning on visiting the hospital for a few more hours. It was still pretty early and Harry wasn't sure what he was going to do to pass the time. He walked out of his room and stopped outside of Luna's doorway. Poor Luna. No one had said it out loud yesterday, but he put the dots together. If Fenrir had Luna then he'd definitely bitten her and even if she did survive, she would likely be a werewolf from now on.
His stomach churned into knots as guilt crept into him as he remembered how he'd encouraged Mrs Figg and Remus to let her go. It was so foolish of him. He never should have suggested she go. He walked into the room. He should at least make sure Auggie had what he needed. As he walked into the room, he saw one of Loki's toys and that is when it dawned on him that Loki had gone with her. He felt even worse as he realized he'd not given the cat a single thought yesterday. He doubted Loki had survived the night.
Tears built in his eyes at the thought. Not even a year old and he'd been obliterated by a werewolf. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. He shook his head. He walked on towards Auggie, who gave a mournful cry at Harry. "I know, Auggie, I know," he said. "I miss her too."
Auggie cried again and Harry felt goosebumps raise on his arms like they had the day he'd met the bird. "Do you know?" he asked the bird. "Do you know if Luna's going to survive this?"
Auggie just looked at him and it felt like the bird was looking directly through him. He shivered at the encounter. Auguries sure were creepy birds.
He filled his food and water and then made sure the window was open. He turned to walk back out of the bedroom and caught sight of a loose piece of parchment hanging out of Luna's nightstand drawer. Luna's room was a mess so he wasn't sure how it had even captured his attention, but he felt a pull towards it, so he walked over and opened the drawer to inspect the parchment.
He unrolled it and found a well drawn picture that Luna must have done. The drawing showed Luna and a wolf sitting at a campfire. The full moon was displayed overhead and off in the distance Harry saw some mountains and what looked like a cave of some sorts. Harry got the chills at the implication that Luna might have somehow known what was going to happen and had gone anyway.
He flipped the parchment over and he saw Luna's untidy scrawl that read,
'The Fool Moon
I walk calmly like a fool towards my future
My dreams whisper all will be well
But show me violence and a blood red moon
I await my Hero to save me from the bell
That tolls so loudly that it rocks my every suture
My Knight may find me deep within the fountain
That lies upon the mystic mountain'
Harry gasped. She might not have known but she sure as hell had guessed and had gone anyway. He didn't understand why. He put the drawing back into the drawer and closed it. He'd ask her about it later when he'd found her.
The poem on the back seemed riddled with clues, but they weren't very helpful if he were honest. Maybe it would be more clear after he talked with Silvie and Tabatha.
When he finally made it to the kitchen, he found that Mrs Figg was already awake as well. She was sitting at the table looking over some parchment.
"Good morning Mrs Figg," he said.
Mrs Figg looked up and quickly put the parchment away.
He was extremely curious to know what she was looking over. He wondered if it was from the Guild. Maybe it was Greyback's file.
"What's that?" he asked while pointing at the bag she'd just put the parchment away in.
With a sigh, she said, "None of your concern."
"Will it help us find Luna?" he asked in a biting tone? "Because then it is very much my concern."
He didn't think she'd actually show him, but if he didn't put up a fight then she'd get suspicious.
She shrugged, "It might help ME to figure out how best to help Luna. YOU," she said pointing at him, "Will stay out of it. You're not ready."
Harry glared at her and said, "The last couple times I left things to the adults it hasn't exactly gone well for me, has it?"
She flinched but recovered quickly. "I'll remind you that Sirius is free and Wormtail is dead."
Harry nodded, but added, "And who captured the rat?"
She sighed, "This is not even remotely close to the same thing and you know it."
Harry just grinned at her. She knew he had won the argument.
"It's not up for debate, lad," she said. "You're too young to square off with a full grown werewolf."
Harry sneered. She was right. Good thing he wasn't planning on getting caught in the first place.
She secured her victory by ending the argument and asking, "You ready to go to the hospital?"
He glared again at her change of subject but nodded that he was ready.
"Good," she said. "I have some things to do later so we need to go now." She had emphasized that she had something to do, not him, when she said it.
He just turned around and walked out towards the floo. She might be right, but she also wasn't. He would be the one to rescue Luna. Adults waited too long to act, spending too much time going over all the details.
They flooed through to the hospital. Harry was too distracted to notice that he'd flooed successfully and hadn't even tripped. He walked over to the welcome witch and spoke before Mrs Figg had the chance just so she could see he was fully capable of something.
"We're here to see Remus Lupin, Silvie…" he paused, realizing he didn't know Silvies and Tabatha's last name.
"Silvie and Tabatha Mayer," Mrs Figg took over. Harry rolled his eyes at the smirk on her face.
The welcome witch looked between the two of them. Clearly not sure who to answer. She settled on Mrs Figg as the adult and said, "Remus still isn't well enough for visitors. They're doing the best they can but he was very badly injured."
Harry interrupted, "Is he going to be okay?" he asked.
The welcome witch nodded in understanding. "He will live," she said. "The healers are confident that he'll wake up soon but he'll be here for quite a while recovering."
"Thanks," he said.
"Silvie and Tabatha are ready to meet you, though," she said. "Tabatha was especially excited when we told her you'd been asking about them."
Harry and Mrs Figg walked towards the lift and rode up the one level in silence. They were greeted by a nurse and then shown to Silvie and Tabatha's room.
The nurse knocked on the door and then opened it. Harry and Mrs Figg followed after and the nurse introduced them to the recovering werewolves.
Silvie looked to be in her late 20's and was quite beautiful with curly chestnut hair and an athletic figure. She had a few scars around her neck and shoulders but they didn't really detract from her beauty.
Tabatha was young and small. Her hair matched her mother's and he noticed they had the same brown eyes with amber specs. He reckoned that Silvie must have been pretty young when Tabatha was born.
The nurse left and Silvie was quick to speak. "I'm so sorry about Luna."
Tabatha nodded her agreement.
Harry wanted so badly to be polite and to treat Remus' friends with respect but he was still so angry. Instead, he spit out the one thing he'd been dying to ask them.
"What happened?" he said shortly.
Both werewolves flinched at his tone and he quickly raised his hands in a placating manner. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just worried about my friend." He cleared his throat and finished, "Can you please explain what happened?"
Silvie nodded and gave him a smile full of pity. He hated it, but he didn't want to be rude again so he just waited.
"Remus and Luna found me in the group, but Tabatha here had been missing for almost a whole week. I was frantic when Remus arrived," she said. She took a deep breath and continued with her story. "Tabatha left on her own one day to collect some stones from a nearby stream even though she knows she's not supposed to."
Harry watched as Tabatha's face grew red in embarrassment and guilt.
"That's when the bad man took me," Tabatha said. He knocked me out with a spell and when I woke up I was in a cage but we were still outside."
"I tried looking for her for days. Some of the other werewolves helped, but…" she frowned angrily before continuing. "A lot of the werewolves wanted to just look the other way and didn't want to get involved with Greyback."
Harry frowned. He thought they were all being a bunch of cowards and was growing tired of people not stepping in when they could.
"They're right to be afraid of Greyback," Mrs Figg said. "He's strong and his pack is growing in number all the time."
Silvie looked a bit angry at her words and said, "I think they're a bunch of cowards, but you are right that he's strong." She looked away, out towards the window nearby. "Poor Remus," she said.
"Did you see what happened to Remus?" Harry asked. "Can you remember what you see when you're transformed?"
Silvie chuckled. "Normally, we only remember small glimpses of the night's events when we're transformed. It's like a dream. As soon as you wake up, the memories drift away," she said. "But I have been on Wolfsbane and I remember everything… even though right now I wish I didn't"
Harry grimaced. He thought it must have been really bad then and he decided not to ask for details right now.
"Remus is strong. I just know he'll survive," Harry said, trying to reassure Silvie and Tabatha.
Tabatha nodded as if she agreed but Silvie had a haunted look in her eyes.
Just then, there was a light knock at the door and then a healer that he hadn't expected to see walked through the door.
"Healer Juniper!" he said excitedly. "I didn't know you were helping with Remus."
Healer Juniper smiled kindly at him and said, "I'm not really part of Remus' team, but I heard you were here and I wanted to stop in for a word with Mrs Figg."
Mrs Figg looked surprised at the news. "You need to talk to me?" she said. "Whatever for?"
"It's probably best that we have this conversation in private," said the Healer.
Healer Juniper led Mrs Figg to the door and Harry made to follow but was stopped. "You should stay and talk with these two," she said. "I only need to talk to Mrs Figg."
Harry frowned. He hated being left out but maybe he could use Mrs Figg's absence to ask for information that could help him find Luna.
He nodded in understanding and walked back over to the two werewolves that were watching from their beds. He tried to be polite and smile at them but he was so worried about Luna and Remus that he just couldn't quite bring a smile to his face. He sat there in silence until Tabatha interrupted his thoughts.
"You must be really worried about your friend," she said.
Harry nodded. "I hate this," he said. "I feel so useless."
Silvie nodded to show her understanding.
"I just want to understand how Luna was captured," he said. "What happened?"
Silvie took a shaky breath and exhaled slowly. "We don't really know. Remus and I were making a plan to go look for Tabatha and before we knew it, Luna had wandered off.
"Remus was beside himself with worry. The werewolf pack I travel with isn't dangerous… I mean… They don't want to hurt anyone. That's why they travel in packs on the outskirts of society, but it's still not exactly safe for a human to wander around."
Tabatha took over the explanation from there. "I don't know how Luna knew where to find me, but she wandered into our camp during the early morning," she said. "It was like she knew exactly where to find me and when the best time would be. Everyone was asleep and they didn't notice Luna at first. She walked over to my cage and unlocked it with a key." Tabatha paused. "Come to think of it, I don't know where she got the key. It's like I said, she somehow knew where and when and how to rescue me."
Harry wondered just how much Luna knew about what was going to happen that night. Did she know that she'd get captured and had gone anyway? He didn't understand why she'd do that, but everything Tabatha was saying indicated that she did.
"So she unlocked your cage and the pair of you got away?" he checked.
Tabatha nodded. "We got pretty far, but all of a sudden Luna shoved me forward and told me to run as fast as I could and not to stop, so I did," she said with a disgusted look on her face. "I wish I would have stayed and helped her."
Harry shook his head and said, "It's good that you listened to Luna otherwise you'd probably both be captured right now."
Silvie climbed out of her bed and went to Tabatha to comfort her daughter.
"How did Remus get hurt then? Did you make it back to camp?" he asked.
Tabatha nodded. "I did make it back to the group and I found Mum and Remus right away," she said. "But when I told them what happened, Remus ran off and we didn't see him again until much later."
Silvie took over, "Remus couldn't find her but he did pick up on her trail. He came back to camp to recruit help, but no one would agree to go with him."
Harry was disgusted at the lot of them for refusing to help. How was it possible that a young 10 year old girl had more courage than a pack of werewolves, he wondered.
"Remus didn't want to wait another night and so we left Tabatha with a trusted friend and then he and I went to the nearest magical village, just outside Corvara, for supplies. Remus left a message with a wizard friend of his… I think it was meant for Mrs Figg or the aurors that he suspected would show up."
That made sense to Harry. It was probably how he and Luna had arrived in Italy in the first place. He wondered how hard it would be to find out how to contact him so he could floo through.
"We went looking for Luna together," she said. "We were able to pick up on their trail, and we found their camp, but it had taken us a long time and they'd abandoned it by then. The moon had come out while we were there and we transformed into our wolf forms."
Harry nodded along as she shared her story. He was grateful they'd had wolfsbane and were able to keep control of their werewolf forms.
"We made our way to a nearby cave and we were ambushed."
She didn't go into detail, but he could tell from the look on her face that it had been bad.
"Remus took the brunt of it. Greyback was particularly vicious in his attacks," she said in a shaky voice. She had a look in her eyes that told him that she was remembering the event.
"Thanks," Harry said. "For telling me and for going with Remus to try and save Luna."
He was grateful that at least Remus had found someone that was equal to him in bravery. He was tired of cowards and self serving wastes of space.
Silvie nodded and said, "I'm just sorry we failed. I feel awful that we're meeting this way. I was excited when Remus said you'd invited us to move in."
A part of him wanted to leverage her guilt for more information on Remus' friend in the village, but he didn't want to risk damaging their relationship.
"Oh, I'm excited for you and Tabatha to move in too," he said instead. "Remus gets a silly grin on his face whenever it gets brought up."
"You mean we're still welcome?" Tabatha asked.
Harry was confused. It wasn't their fault that Luna had been captured. Why would he have changed his mind? They must have been through some things to think he'd go back on his offer. He supposed he'd started off pretty gruffly and maybe that's why they thought he'd reconsidered.
"Of course you're still welcome," he said. "Besides, when we get Luna back she's going to need family by her side that understands what she's going through."
Both Silvie and Tabatha jumped out of bed at this. They ran over and tackled him into a tight hug.
A long whistle came from the doorway just then and Harry looked up to see Sirius leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face.
"I knew you had it in you, Harry," he joked. "But I was not expecting to walk in on such a beautiful view."
Harry saw Silvie blush as she realized her hospital gown was open in the back. She quickly covered herself.
"You must be Sirius," Silvie said as Tabatha snickered.
Sirius' smile grew, obviously happy to hear he had a reputation. He bowed respectfully and said, "At your service."
He turned to look at Harry and said, "Not going to lie, when I heard you were here, I was hurt that you didn't come visit me first but now I understand why." He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly at Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes at that. He knew Sirius wasn't actually offended. "I was going to come see you next, Sirius," he said. "I figured you would still be asleep after a long night of tormenting the nurses."
Sirius cackled at that.
"Did you hear about Remus, then?" Harry asked.
Sirius nodded solemnly. "One of the nurses told me as soon as he arrived," he said.
Harry caught Sirius up on Luna and Greyback.
Sirius cursed harshly and Harry watched as Tabatha's eyes grew as she registered the new word with a grin. Silvie glared at Sirius but didn't say anything.
"We can't just sit here," Sirius said. "We have to do something."
Sirius began to pace. "Is the ministry out looking?" He asked.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But I doubt they'll be any help."
Sirius nodded his agreement. "Bunch of useless paper pushers," he said. "Maybe I should take Amelia up on her offer to join the DMLE so they have at least someone willing to do something."
Harry hesitated. He hadn't known that Madam Bones had been here. "What are you talking about, Sirius?" He asked.
"When Amelia found out I intended to sue the ministry she stopped by for a visit, begging me to reconsider," he said. "She seemed to think I could do more good by working for her. Said I could fix things from the inside."
Harry kind of agreed with her. No one would take the job of ensuring justice be served more seriously than a man that had been treated so unjustly.
"You think it's a good idea?" Sirius checked.
Harry nodded and said, "Yes, actually." He ignored the voice in his head that was saying how useful it would be to have someone he trusted on the inside.
Sirius grew silent as he contemplated his decision.
Harry began to wonder again how he was going to get to Italy and rescue Luna.
"Hey Sirius, out of curiosity…" he said with some hesitation. Sirius was pretty irresponsible but Harry wasn't sure whether or not this would work. He decided to push through and hope for the best.
"How would you get to Italy?" He asked. Silvie looked like she was going to interrupt but she hesitated. Sirius was looking at him shrewdly.
"Why do you ask?" He said. "You're not thinking of facing off against Greyback are you?"
Harry shook his head, no. "I'm only 10 years old, Sirius. If Remus couldn't do it then I sure as hell can't."
He wasn't technically lying. He didn't intend to face off against Greyback.
Harry continued, "I'm just curious what you would do if you were going to try and rescue her."
Sirius looked thoughtful, but Silvie interrupted. "We shouldn't be talking about this," she said.
From what Harry knew about Sirius, telling him he couldn't or shouldn't do something just made him want to do it more.
"This is all hypothetical, right Harry?" He checked.
Harry nodded.
"Well I'd either floo to the ministry and use their international floo to get there or I'd take a portkey," he said. "A two way portkey would be safest so I could travel back more easily."
"And how would you get one of these portkeys?" Harry pressed.
"Well you could request one from the ministry or you could procure one from a less than reputable person in Knockturn Alley."
Silvie has obviously had enough because she huffed and said, "That's enough, Sirius. Harry doesn't need any bad ideas floating around in his head."
"Don't worry, you two," Harry said. "I have no intention of traveling to Italy to fight Greyback."
They looked at him skeptically.
He wasn't lying. He wasn't going to fight Greyback. He was just going to sneak around him and rescue Luna. Fighting Greyback was the last thing he wanted to do.
He decided to change the subject.
"Any chance you're getting out of here soon?" He asked Sirius.
Sirius smiled and said, "I'm actually released right now."
Harry was gobsmacked. "Why didn't you say so?" He shouted.
Sirius laughed and said, "Because this way is more fun."
Harry punched him in the arm and Sirius laughed again as if it didn't hurt but Harry saw him rubbing his arm a while later when he thought he wasn't looking.
"You're coming to live with me, right?" Harry checked.
Sirius nodded. "At least for now," he said. "I did inherit my parent's home and I should probably check in on it at least… I doubt it's safe to live there right now."
Harry laughed happily.
"What about you two? When will you get released?" He asked the two werewolves.
Tabatha smiled excitedly. "We should be released tonight or tomorrow," she said.
Harry grinned and they spent some time just talking about nothing.
Mrs Figg arrived much later with a weird look on her face. He wanted to ask her what Healer Juniper had wanted but she shook her head subtly when he started. He would have to ask her later when they were alone.
A/N: I wrote and rewrote and rewrote this chapter. Not sure I love it but it's probably as good as it's going to get. It's pretty long and I didn't get everything I wanted in so it's going to be at least a two parter.
I'm dying to know what you think.