FIC: Once in a Blue Moon - Ch 15 (WIP)
Start of the story, including summary, full ratings, warnings, pairings etc. Here
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
Summer is Over (PG)
When Sirius arrived back at the dorm he found James and Peter were busy unpacking their trunks while discussing the subjects they had decided to take during their third year.
“Why anyone would want to take Ancient Runes is a mystery to me,” James commented as he pulled his new Quidditch gloves from his trunk with a wide grin.
“It’s good money in Egypt,” Peter replied with a shrug. “If you want to work over there, then you need Ancient Runes.”
“I guess,” James muttered. “What about Divination?”
“Could be good for a laugh. According to May, in the fifth year, Professor Delphi goes off into trances every other lesson…wastes loads of time.”
Sirius listened idly to the other two boys as they chattered away. It didn’t take him long to realise that they were giving him the silent treatment.
“So, how long are you going to keep this up?” he asked impatiently.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” James replied mockingly.
Peter looked from James to Sirius and back again; it was clear that he wanted to say something, but was hesitant to spit the words out. Finally, he settled for turning back to his scattered belongings and rearranging them from one disorganised pile into another.
It was clear that unless Sirius was prepared to divulge what he knew about Remus, his so-called friends were not going to speak with him. He finished unpacking in silence and was the first of the boys to climb into bed. He wasn’t the first to fall asleep though, and was still awake long after the others were deep in slumber.
-o-xXx-o-
After a restless night, Sirius woke and groggily looked around the room. James and Peter had already risen, and Sirius swore under his breath when he realised they’d left him asleep on purpose, just like they’d done so frequently back during first year.
He scrambled into his robes and hurried down to breakfast, cursing himself for not waking earlier, and missing his first opportunity to sneak out to see Remus.
“Defence Against the Dark Arts first,” James was saying as Sirius sat down on the bench and reached for the platter of bacon.
“Wonder what the new teacher’s like,” Peter commented, nodding towards the staff table where Professor Spion was seated next to Professor McGonagall. The two were engaged in an animated discussion and seemed to be getting along very well.
“I heard he used to work at the Ministry of Magic,” Lily Evans interrupted. “Somewhere in the Magical Creatures Department.”
“So, why’s he not teaching Care of Magical Creatures?” James asked scornfully.
“Because Professor Kettleburn already does that job,” Lily replied, equally scornfully. “I’m sure he’s a perfectly capable Defence teacher, Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t.”
Sirius listened to the two Gryffindors bickering, keeping one eye on the staff table. He could guess just precisely where the ‘somewhere’ in the Magical Creatures Department was…he’d bet anything that Professor Spion had joined them directly from the Werewolf Capture Unit.
His attention was only pulled away from the staff table when James yelled a greeting to Rita, and waved her over.
“Since when do you associate with Slytherins?” Lily asked in surprise. “I thought you hated them all on principle?”
“Not all of them,” James replied. “Not when they have an ear for gossip, anyway.”
Rita strolled over, a scowl on her face.
“Something the matter?” James asked.
“The first school newsletter’s been delayed until the weekend,” Rita grumbled. “I’ve been working on my stories all summer, but no one else has. Dumbledore says I have to wait for the rest before we send it out. I’ve also got to wait for Professor Slughorn to write an article about the new Oris potion that’s been added for the NEWT students - apparently, they added it at the last minute and it isn’t in the standard school textbook. St. Mungo’s is insisting all new Healers know how to brew it and quite a few NEWT Potions students want to follow that path. Oh, and McGonagall wants to make sure a notice is included about all the Quidditch tryouts for the house teams and the Ravenclaw Captain is stalling on setting a date for the first tryouts. It’s just not fair!”
Sirius nodded sympathetically along with the rest of the boys and Lily. He strongly suspected that they’d listened to even less of Rita’s ranting than he had.
This seemed to be confirmed by James’s attempt to bring the conversation round to the subject of the Lupin trial once more. Unfortunately for him, Rita was reluctant to elaborate any further on the subject, laughingly telling him that he’d just have to wait until the newsletter was available and read all about it then.
Sirius’s relief at that was short-lived, it meant he had less than a week before James and Peter discovered the truth.
-o-xXx-o-
“Dangerous creatures don’t always look dangerous,” Professor Spion announced to the class as he paced the room. “They can look like a regular human being a lot of the time. And that is what makes them so dangerous.”
Sirius kept his eyes on his book, rather than risk the Professor seeing the glare he couldn’t control at his words.
“Vampires…” Professor Spion continued, “can look almost human, particularly after they’ve taken blood from one of their victims. Werewolves can appear entirely human when they are seen at any time other than during the full moon. But there are ways to tell if someone is hiding a secret identity, and if you listen carefully and study hard I see no reason why each and every one of you won’t be able to recognise any dangerous creature on sight.”
Sirius did listen carefully throughout that first lesson. He didn’t believe it was a coincidence that the new Professor had decided to focus on werewolves at the very start of term.
He wondered how it was that he hadn’t seen the signs in Remus before his race to the Lupin household on the night of Remus’s birthday, and smiled to himself for his own apparent foolishness.
Nothing, however, could shake Sirius’s resolve that Professor Spion was wrong in his beliefs about werewolves. Remus wasn’t dangerous, not unless it was a full moon. He didn’t spend his time plotting and planning how he was going to find his next victim. He didn’t have any sort of superhuman strength, not that Sirius had seen anyway. He was just another young boy. Remus was his best friend, and there was no way Professor Spion was going to get information out of him about his whereabouts. Sirius knew that he’d learned his lesson the hard way about keeping his mouth closed about Remus. He risked a glance at James, who was listening intently to the Professor, and hoped that Remus wouldn’t be the one who paid for his previous slip of the tongue.
-o-xXx-o-
It wasn’t until the following morning that Sirius managed to slip away from the school and into the Forbidden Forest. He activated his mirror and hurried through the trees, hoping he was going in the right direction.
“We’re somewhere south of the stream,” Remus said.
“Could you be any more vague?” Sirius grumbled as he looked about him and tried to remember in which direction the stream lay.
“Well, if you can’t find me, there’s no way the Ministry will,” Remus joked.
“That’s not funny,” Sirius replied, listening for the telltale sound of running water.
“I know,” Remus whispered. “Firenze says to walk as if you’re going to the centaur camp, then start heading north when you get to the grove where all those blackberry bushes are.”
Sirius nodded and quickened his pace.
Finally, he heard the faint sound of movements through the trees, and the telltale scent of a campfire that led him straight to the small clearing where the werewolf and the centaur had clearly camped the night before.
“You made it!” Remus cried, hopping up from the rock he was perched on and throwing himself at Sirius with enthusiasm. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Me too,” Sirius replied, gingerly hugging Remus back.
“I’m not going to break,” Remus chided.
“But you were out here in the forest at full moon,” Sirius said. “Didn’t you get hurt more?”
“Not much, and it was a few weeks ago now,” Remus replied with a shrug. Then his eyes caught sight of the goodies that Sirius had brought with him. “Are those muffins?”
Sirius nodded and opened the bag. “Freshly baked by the Hogwart’s house elves.”
“Can I have one?” Remus whispered as he eyed the cakes.
“Help yourself,” Sirius laughed. “I brought them for you.”
“Really?”
“Professor Dumbledore practically gave me permission to raid the kitchens for you,” Sirius explained. “And Madam Pomfrey’s going to be fixing up an emergency healer kit for me to use after the full moons.”
“I don’t like so many people knowing about me being out here,” Remus muttered as he sat down with his back to the rock he’d previously been using as a chair. Sirius sank onto the grass opposite him, leaning back against a tree. He didn’t know what he could say to ease Remus’s fears, not when he knew how determined the Ministry was in their quest to track down the young werewolf.
“No one else knows I’m here, do they?” Remus asked between bites of the muffin.
“We’ve got a new Defence teacher who’s here to look for you,” Sirius admitted.
“Is he a good teacher?”
“Doesn’t know anything about werewolves,” Sirius scoffed. “Spent most of the first lesson telling the class how they’re dangerous all the time.”
“That’s what all the books say.”
“But it’s not true.”
Remus looked back at Sirius with a small smile on his face.
“What?” Sirius asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Thank you,” Remus whispered.
“What for?”
“For everything,” Remus replied. “For being here, for not believing your new teacher, for being my friend.”
“There’s no need to thank me for any of that,” Sirius assured him.
“Thank you anyway,” Remus said, leaning across the space between them to grab another muffin. “And for the muffins.”
Sirius nodded and chewed on his lip. He could feel Romulus’s ring practically burning a hole in his pocket, and he wondered how he was going to bring the subject up without upsetting Remus. His change of mood didn’t go unnoticed by the other boy.
“What’s the matter?” Remus asked.
“I’ve got something else for you,” Sirius explained. “Dumbledore asked me to give it to you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s…” Sirius hesitated and pushed his hand into his pocket to pull out the ring. “Romulus left it with him at the Ministry,” he explained, holding out his hand to Remus. Remus reached out and Sirius placed the ring carefully into the upturned palm. “He wanted you to look after it for him.”
“But I’ll lose it in the forest,” Remus whispered, his eyes not leaving the ring. “It would have been safer with him. He doesn’t think he’s coming back, does he?”
“He’ll come back,” Sirius promised. “He’s just being careful, that’s all.”
“But I’ll lose it at the full moon.”
“No, you won’t. Just keep it with the rest of your things.”
“What am I going to do?” Remus asked quietly. Sirius could see that the other boy was blinking rapidly, as though fighting back tears. “I’m so scared.”
“I won’t let them find you.” Sirius crawled over to Remus and settled down beside him. Remus’s futile efforts to hold back the tears weren’t working and were soon falling in earnest. He patted the other boy on the shoulder a time or two, unsure of what to do. During the summer Regulus had cried several times, but he’d always shunned any form of comfort and hidden in his room until the tears had dried. Remus didn’t even have a room to run to.
“I don’t like it in the forest,” Remus sobbed, leaning into Sirius’s touch. “Rom always said it’d be like c-camping, but it’s not. It’s cold at night, even after a hot day, and when it rains it takes days to get dry. I’m s-so cold all the time.”
Sirius put his arms around Remus and pulled him close, moments later his best friend was sobbing in his arms. He patted Remus’s back, unsure whether he was helping or not.
Finally, Remus pulled back a little so that he could wipe his face on his sleeve.
“Feeling better?” Sirius asked.
Remus shrugged and shook his head. “Still cold,” he mumbled.
“Here,” Sirius shed his cloak and wrapped it around Remus’s thin shoulders. He wondered briefly whether Remus was getting enough to eat, and resolved to bring much more food the next time he slipped out of school. As he pulled Remus’s hair out of the way, his hand brushed bare skin and he gasped when he realised how cold Remus truly was. He added warmer clothing to the list he was mentally making.
“I can’t take your cloak,” Remus argued.
“Sure you can. I’ve got another two back at the dorm.” He smiled as Remus fiddled with the edge of the cloak, clearly torn over whether to accept the gift. “It’s got a built in water-repelling charm,” he added.
“But won’t you get in trouble?”
“Who’s going to know?”
Remus looked like he was about to argue again but then thought better of it. He pulled the cloak around him and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Where’s Firenze, anyway?” Sirius asked in order to break the silence.
“Hunting,” Remus replied. “As soon as he knew you were on your way he went to find some breakfast for us. We didn’t know you were bringing food.”
“Does he leave you on your own for long?” Sirius questioned with concern.
“Not much, just when he’s hunting or if he has to go back to his camp. Magorian won’t let him live there, but says he has to attend all the formal ceremonies.”
“Ceremonies?”
“The centaurs have them for all sorts of things,” Remus explained. “Magorian’s the new leader of the camp, but there are ceremonies they have to do before it’s all official.”
“What happened to Torin?” Sirius asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Remus glanced towards the trees, presumably where he’d last seen Firenze. “He died,” he whispered. “He didn’t fight back when he was challenged for the leadership.”
“But how can Magorian get away with it?”
“They’re centaurs.” Remus shrugged. “They live differently to us.”
“Is Firenze okay?” Sirius asked. He’d not met the young centaur that many times, but he’d liked him. He was also the only one, beside himself, who was in a position to help Remus.
“He doesn’t say much,” Remus replied. “He’s a centaur.” He shrugged as though that explained it all.
The two boys sat quietly for a little longer, until Sirius realised that time was getting on and he’d be late for his first class if he didn’t start making a move soon.
“You’ll come and see me again, won’t you?”
Sirius knew that even if he’d not intended to return to the forest, the pleading of his friend would have won him over instantly. “I’ll come again on Saturday,” he promised. “After the full moon.”
Remus’s tear-stained face lit up into a bright smile and they walked together for as long as they dared. Finally they reached the point where they realised that it wouldn’t be safe for Remus to come any closer to the school and he let Sirius walk on ahead.
“See you Saturday,” Sirius called back before hurrying out of the forest, past Hagrid’s hut and towards the castle.
Remus watched Sirius return to school, wishing more than ever that he could join him. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he didn’t like staying in the forest. It was uncomfortable and cold, and he was so bored he was actually missing his lessons.
“You shouldn’t have come so close to the edge of the forest,” Firenze scolded as he approached.
“No one’s about,” Remus pointed out. “And if they see me, they’ll just think I’m a student.”
“A borrowed cloak doesn’t make you a Hogwarts student.”
“I know.” Remus sighed, pulling the cloak tighter around his shoulders. The fabric still held the fragrant scent of having been recently washed for the start of term. The soft wool still held some of Sirius’s warmth and Remus felt a surge of gratitude for his friend. Although he was dreading the full moon on the Friday night, he was looking forward to Saturday more than anything.
-o-xXx-o-
Sirius woke early on Saturday morning, determined to find Remus as soon as possible. He was also desperate to be nowhere near James and Peter when they read Rita’s article about Romulus Lupin’s trial. Rita had told him after dinner the previous evening that the copies of the newsletter would be sent round to the various common rooms first thing in the morning, so the students could read the news over breakfast.
Sirius saw the pile of papers in the empty common room, presumably delivered by the ever-helpful house elves. There was also a roaring fire to take the chill off the draughty room. Sirius was almost tempted to burn the entire pile of newsletters, but he knew that if he did he would only be putting off the inevitable and that the Gryffindors would simply borrow from their friends and relatives in other houses. Instead he took the top copy of the newsletter and pocketed it in his robes. He had no intention of letting Remus see the article, but he wanted to make sure he read it before James confronted him.
Sirius left the castle, laden with food from the kitchen, his emergency healer’s kit, some warm clothes that he hoped would fit Remus, and a couple of books to ease the boredom he was sure his friend was suffering.
No one was in the grounds as Sirius hurried towards the lake and the forest beyond. Remus hadn’t replied to his call through the mirror and he was worried about what had happened the night before. He hoped it was merely a case of Remus having been too tired to answer, or having misplaced the mirror temporarily.
He made his way to the same clearing that he’d visited earlier in the week, only to find that his friend and the centaur had moved on. They’d covered their tracks well, and if Sirius hadn’t seen it for himself, he’d have refused to believe that there had been a fire on the ground he was now standing on.
Pulling out his mirror again, he tapped on it and called Remus’s name. This time his friend appeared in the mirror, looking rather the worse for wear. “Follow the stream west,” Remus advised. “I’m going to sleep a little ‘til you get here. We’re about half an hour walking distance from where we were camping.”
“See you soon,” Sirius said as he made his way further into the forest, letting the sound of the nearby stream guide him.
He was sure he’d been walking for half an hour when he felt the first spots of rain on his head. Knowing that Remus was somewhere out there, suffering after the full moon, and now being rained on, he quickened his pace.
Another ten minutes of walking and Sirius finally stumbled, literally, onto the new campsite. His clumsy approach sent Firenze’s bow and quiver of arrows toppling over and the resulting clatter woke up the sleeping werewolf.
“How are you?” Sirius asked as he sat down next to Remus under the rocky overhang that was serving as a shelter from the rain. He didn’t wait for a reply before he started rummaging through his bag for the healer’s kit and the flask of warm vegetable soup he’d asked the house elves to make especially.
“Tired and bruised,” Remus muttered. He struggled to sit up for a moment, before Sirius pushed him back to the ground with a forceful hand.
“Any cuts that need sealing?”
“Not this time.”
“You’re sure? I’ve got a blood-replenishing potion here, if you need it.”
“Foul stuff,” Remus complained. “I’ve not got more than a couple of scratches on my arms.”
“Let me fix them up for you,” Sirius asked, pulling out his wand.
“There’s no need. They’re only light.”
“But they might get infected,” Sirius pointed out. “I’ve been reading Madam Pomfrey’s books on healing charms and one of them says that the Tersus charm cuts the risk of infection by up to eighty five percent.”
Remus looked like his eyes were glazing over as Sirius explained the advantages of the charm. Finally, he smirked at Sirius and held out his left arm. “If I let you do the charm on me, will you please stop boring me with the details?”
“Sorry,” Sirius mumbled. “I thought it was interesting.”
“It is,” Firenze interrupted.
Sirius shot a grateful look at Firenze before pointing his wand at the light scratch and healing it almost completely. As a werewolf inflicted scratch, it would never truly heal, but it was healed as much as it could ever be.
Remus ran his finger down the new scar, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“I’m sorry I can’t get rid of it completely,” Sirius offered apologetically.
“You’ve done a great job,” Remus assured him. “I should be the one apologising. You’ve come here to help me and I’m being mean. You can tell me about the healing charms if you like.”
“Maybe later. How about I just heal the rest of them and then we can get some breakfast?”
Remus’s eyes lit up as Sirius produced another bag of muffins, some bread rolls, a slab of cheese, and the flask of soup. Sirius was somewhat surprised to see Remus’s face fall at the sight of a large bar of chocolate. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“That’s the sort of chocolate Rom always got for me,” Remus replied with a small sigh. “I don’t really want it.”
“Madam Pomfrey told me to bring it,” Sirius said quietly. “In case they bring dementors into the forest to find you.”
Remus’s face, already considerably pale after the previous night, turned chalk white, but he took the chocolate and put it with the rest of his things.
“I got you some other stuff too,” Sirius said as he emptied out his bag. “A spare pair of jeans, a tee shirt, a couple of jumpers, scarf, gloves, underwear, socks…I think I remembered everything. All my sets of pyjamas are really thin though, so I didn’t bother with those. I hope you don’t mind?”
“But I’ve already got your cloak, and I’m making do with stuff that Firenze has brought from the centaur camp.”
“Really?” Sirius asked with a raise of one eyebrow. “Last time I was there, I didn’t see any centaurs wearing jeans, or any clothes at all from the waist down. Them being half horses and all.”
Firenze snorted with laughter as Remus’s face reddened. “I don’t want your underwear,” he mumbled with embarrassment.
“And I don’t want to think of you wearing the same clothes every day for however long you’re hiding out in the forest!”
“But…”
“Look, it’s all brand new. My parents bought me new stuff this term ‘cos I’ve grown out of most of my clothes over the summer. I’ve not worn any of them yet, apart from the cloak that you already have.”
“Your mother bought you a Gryffindor scarf and gloves set?” Remus pointed at the red and gold matching set.
“Fat chance,” Sirius muttered. “No, those are from my Uncle Alphard. Mother got me a green and silver set like last time.”
“But if I’ve got your Gryffindor set, what are you going to wear? The Slytherin ones?”
“Sure,” Sirius replied with a shrug.
“Why didn’t you bring me the Slytherin ones?” Remus asked. “You’ll get picked on again if you don’t wear the Gryffindor colours.”
“This one’s thicker wool,” Sirius explained.
“But…”
“I told you, they stopped picking on me last year. We’re sort of getting on a bit better now and…”
“Sort of?”
“Well, they’re not exactly speaking to me at the moment,” Sirius admitted.
“Why not?”
Sirius chewed on his lip.
“Why not?” Remus repeated. “Is it something to do with me?”
“They’re just being nosy. Even more than usual.”
“How come?”
“They…” Sirius faltered, not wanting to tell his friend that they were close to discovering his secret.
“They know what I am, don’t they?”
Sirius shook his head. “Not yet. But Rita Skeeter, this girl in Slytherin, was at the Wizengamot with me. She’s done a report on it and even though your name can’t be written in it, she mentioned your name to James and he guessed that you’re the same Remus who’s on the run. The report for the school newsletter tells everything…apart from your name.”
Remus was silent for several minutes. “So, when this newsletter comes out, they’ll know what I am.”
Sirius nodded.
“When does the newsletter get published?”
“Today.”
“Will you let me see it?”
“No.” Sirius shook his head.
Remus looked back at him in surprise. “Why not?”
“Because Rita isn’t the most truthful of writers. She makes stuff up and twists things about.”
“Maybe she won’t mention about me being a werewolf?”
“She will. If the truth makes the story more exciting, she’ll include it.”
“Do you think it’s exciting?” Remus asked quietly.
“No,” Sirius replied, equally quietly. “It’s a lot of things…but it’s not exciting.”
“Will you still be able to come and see me?”
“If I have to stun everyone who crosses my path to get here, I will!” Sirius declared with a firm nod.
Remus laughed at his expression and Sirius felt an answering smile spread across his face. He hadn’t heard the joyful sound of Remus’s laughter since the day he’d ridden away on the back of Firenze. “I like it when you laugh,” he said. “You should do it more often.”
“Not had much reason to recently.”
“I know.”
“How long can you stay today?”
“Until curfew, if you like? I bought enough food to last us all day.”
“Would you be really disappointed if I said I was tired and wanted to sleep for a while?” Remus asked, barely managing to complete the sentence without yawning widely.
Sirius shook his head. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Thanks,” Remus murmured as he curled back up in Sirius’s cloak. He fidgeted around for a minute or two, trying to find a comfortable position on the hard ground.
“I can bring you a pillow next time,” Sirius suggested.
“I guess you’ll have to do for today,” Remus joked as he twisted round to lay his head on Sirius’s lap. “Serves you right for forgetting my pillow.”
Sirius grinned down at his friend and reached for one of the books he’d brought with him. “This your way of making sure I don’t leave before you wake up?”
Remus’s only reply was a soft snore. Sirius smiled and brushed Remus’s hair back from his face. It had grown over the summer and was now longer than Sirius’s own dark locks. “Sweet dreams,” he whispered. He wondered if he’d imagined the small smile appearing on Remus’s face at his quiet words.
He looked across to where Firenze was standing, watching him with a curious expression on his face. The young centaur nodded towards the stream and Sirius nodded in return. He knew that the centaur wasn’t going far. In the meantime he’d watch over Remus just like he’d promised.
Chapter 16
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
Summer is Over (PG)
When Sirius arrived back at the dorm he found James and Peter were busy unpacking their trunks while discussing the subjects they had decided to take during their third year.
“Why anyone would want to take Ancient Runes is a mystery to me,” James commented as he pulled his new Quidditch gloves from his trunk with a wide grin.
“It’s good money in Egypt,” Peter replied with a shrug. “If you want to work over there, then you need Ancient Runes.”
“I guess,” James muttered. “What about Divination?”
“Could be good for a laugh. According to May, in the fifth year, Professor Delphi goes off into trances every other lesson…wastes loads of time.”
Sirius listened idly to the other two boys as they chattered away. It didn’t take him long to realise that they were giving him the silent treatment.
“So, how long are you going to keep this up?” he asked impatiently.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” James replied mockingly.
Peter looked from James to Sirius and back again; it was clear that he wanted to say something, but was hesitant to spit the words out. Finally, he settled for turning back to his scattered belongings and rearranging them from one disorganised pile into another.
It was clear that unless Sirius was prepared to divulge what he knew about Remus, his so-called friends were not going to speak with him. He finished unpacking in silence and was the first of the boys to climb into bed. He wasn’t the first to fall asleep though, and was still awake long after the others were deep in slumber.
-o-xXx-o-
After a restless night, Sirius woke and groggily looked around the room. James and Peter had already risen, and Sirius swore under his breath when he realised they’d left him asleep on purpose, just like they’d done so frequently back during first year.
He scrambled into his robes and hurried down to breakfast, cursing himself for not waking earlier, and missing his first opportunity to sneak out to see Remus.
“Defence Against the Dark Arts first,” James was saying as Sirius sat down on the bench and reached for the platter of bacon.
“Wonder what the new teacher’s like,” Peter commented, nodding towards the staff table where Professor Spion was seated next to Professor McGonagall. The two were engaged in an animated discussion and seemed to be getting along very well.
“I heard he used to work at the Ministry of Magic,” Lily Evans interrupted. “Somewhere in the Magical Creatures Department.”
“So, why’s he not teaching Care of Magical Creatures?” James asked scornfully.
“Because Professor Kettleburn already does that job,” Lily replied, equally scornfully. “I’m sure he’s a perfectly capable Defence teacher, Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t have hired him if he wasn’t.”
Sirius listened to the two Gryffindors bickering, keeping one eye on the staff table. He could guess just precisely where the ‘somewhere’ in the Magical Creatures Department was…he’d bet anything that Professor Spion had joined them directly from the Werewolf Capture Unit.
His attention was only pulled away from the staff table when James yelled a greeting to Rita, and waved her over.
“Since when do you associate with Slytherins?” Lily asked in surprise. “I thought you hated them all on principle?”
“Not all of them,” James replied. “Not when they have an ear for gossip, anyway.”
Rita strolled over, a scowl on her face.
“Something the matter?” James asked.
“The first school newsletter’s been delayed until the weekend,” Rita grumbled. “I’ve been working on my stories all summer, but no one else has. Dumbledore says I have to wait for the rest before we send it out. I’ve also got to wait for Professor Slughorn to write an article about the new Oris potion that’s been added for the NEWT students - apparently, they added it at the last minute and it isn’t in the standard school textbook. St. Mungo’s is insisting all new Healers know how to brew it and quite a few NEWT Potions students want to follow that path. Oh, and McGonagall wants to make sure a notice is included about all the Quidditch tryouts for the house teams and the Ravenclaw Captain is stalling on setting a date for the first tryouts. It’s just not fair!”
Sirius nodded sympathetically along with the rest of the boys and Lily. He strongly suspected that they’d listened to even less of Rita’s ranting than he had.
This seemed to be confirmed by James’s attempt to bring the conversation round to the subject of the Lupin trial once more. Unfortunately for him, Rita was reluctant to elaborate any further on the subject, laughingly telling him that he’d just have to wait until the newsletter was available and read all about it then.
Sirius’s relief at that was short-lived, it meant he had less than a week before James and Peter discovered the truth.
-o-xXx-o-
“Dangerous creatures don’t always look dangerous,” Professor Spion announced to the class as he paced the room. “They can look like a regular human being a lot of the time. And that is what makes them so dangerous.”
Sirius kept his eyes on his book, rather than risk the Professor seeing the glare he couldn’t control at his words.
“Vampires…” Professor Spion continued, “can look almost human, particularly after they’ve taken blood from one of their victims. Werewolves can appear entirely human when they are seen at any time other than during the full moon. But there are ways to tell if someone is hiding a secret identity, and if you listen carefully and study hard I see no reason why each and every one of you won’t be able to recognise any dangerous creature on sight.”
Sirius did listen carefully throughout that first lesson. He didn’t believe it was a coincidence that the new Professor had decided to focus on werewolves at the very start of term.
He wondered how it was that he hadn’t seen the signs in Remus before his race to the Lupin household on the night of Remus’s birthday, and smiled to himself for his own apparent foolishness.
Nothing, however, could shake Sirius’s resolve that Professor Spion was wrong in his beliefs about werewolves. Remus wasn’t dangerous, not unless it was a full moon. He didn’t spend his time plotting and planning how he was going to find his next victim. He didn’t have any sort of superhuman strength, not that Sirius had seen anyway. He was just another young boy. Remus was his best friend, and there was no way Professor Spion was going to get information out of him about his whereabouts. Sirius knew that he’d learned his lesson the hard way about keeping his mouth closed about Remus. He risked a glance at James, who was listening intently to the Professor, and hoped that Remus wouldn’t be the one who paid for his previous slip of the tongue.
-o-xXx-o-
It wasn’t until the following morning that Sirius managed to slip away from the school and into the Forbidden Forest. He activated his mirror and hurried through the trees, hoping he was going in the right direction.
“We’re somewhere south of the stream,” Remus said.
“Could you be any more vague?” Sirius grumbled as he looked about him and tried to remember in which direction the stream lay.
“Well, if you can’t find me, there’s no way the Ministry will,” Remus joked.
“That’s not funny,” Sirius replied, listening for the telltale sound of running water.
“I know,” Remus whispered. “Firenze says to walk as if you’re going to the centaur camp, then start heading north when you get to the grove where all those blackberry bushes are.”
Sirius nodded and quickened his pace.
Finally, he heard the faint sound of movements through the trees, and the telltale scent of a campfire that led him straight to the small clearing where the werewolf and the centaur had clearly camped the night before.
“You made it!” Remus cried, hopping up from the rock he was perched on and throwing himself at Sirius with enthusiasm. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“Me too,” Sirius replied, gingerly hugging Remus back.
“I’m not going to break,” Remus chided.
“But you were out here in the forest at full moon,” Sirius said. “Didn’t you get hurt more?”
“Not much, and it was a few weeks ago now,” Remus replied with a shrug. Then his eyes caught sight of the goodies that Sirius had brought with him. “Are those muffins?”
Sirius nodded and opened the bag. “Freshly baked by the Hogwart’s house elves.”
“Can I have one?” Remus whispered as he eyed the cakes.
“Help yourself,” Sirius laughed. “I brought them for you.”
“Really?”
“Professor Dumbledore practically gave me permission to raid the kitchens for you,” Sirius explained. “And Madam Pomfrey’s going to be fixing up an emergency healer kit for me to use after the full moons.”
“I don’t like so many people knowing about me being out here,” Remus muttered as he sat down with his back to the rock he’d previously been using as a chair. Sirius sank onto the grass opposite him, leaning back against a tree. He didn’t know what he could say to ease Remus’s fears, not when he knew how determined the Ministry was in their quest to track down the young werewolf.
“No one else knows I’m here, do they?” Remus asked between bites of the muffin.
“We’ve got a new Defence teacher who’s here to look for you,” Sirius admitted.
“Is he a good teacher?”
“Doesn’t know anything about werewolves,” Sirius scoffed. “Spent most of the first lesson telling the class how they’re dangerous all the time.”
“That’s what all the books say.”
“But it’s not true.”
Remus looked back at Sirius with a small smile on his face.
“What?” Sirius asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Thank you,” Remus whispered.
“What for?”
“For everything,” Remus replied. “For being here, for not believing your new teacher, for being my friend.”
“There’s no need to thank me for any of that,” Sirius assured him.
“Thank you anyway,” Remus said, leaning across the space between them to grab another muffin. “And for the muffins.”
Sirius nodded and chewed on his lip. He could feel Romulus’s ring practically burning a hole in his pocket, and he wondered how he was going to bring the subject up without upsetting Remus. His change of mood didn’t go unnoticed by the other boy.
“What’s the matter?” Remus asked.
“I’ve got something else for you,” Sirius explained. “Dumbledore asked me to give it to you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s…” Sirius hesitated and pushed his hand into his pocket to pull out the ring. “Romulus left it with him at the Ministry,” he explained, holding out his hand to Remus. Remus reached out and Sirius placed the ring carefully into the upturned palm. “He wanted you to look after it for him.”
“But I’ll lose it in the forest,” Remus whispered, his eyes not leaving the ring. “It would have been safer with him. He doesn’t think he’s coming back, does he?”
“He’ll come back,” Sirius promised. “He’s just being careful, that’s all.”
“But I’ll lose it at the full moon.”
“No, you won’t. Just keep it with the rest of your things.”
“What am I going to do?” Remus asked quietly. Sirius could see that the other boy was blinking rapidly, as though fighting back tears. “I’m so scared.”
“I won’t let them find you.” Sirius crawled over to Remus and settled down beside him. Remus’s futile efforts to hold back the tears weren’t working and were soon falling in earnest. He patted the other boy on the shoulder a time or two, unsure of what to do. During the summer Regulus had cried several times, but he’d always shunned any form of comfort and hidden in his room until the tears had dried. Remus didn’t even have a room to run to.
“I don’t like it in the forest,” Remus sobbed, leaning into Sirius’s touch. “Rom always said it’d be like c-camping, but it’s not. It’s cold at night, even after a hot day, and when it rains it takes days to get dry. I’m s-so cold all the time.”
Sirius put his arms around Remus and pulled him close, moments later his best friend was sobbing in his arms. He patted Remus’s back, unsure whether he was helping or not.
Finally, Remus pulled back a little so that he could wipe his face on his sleeve.
“Feeling better?” Sirius asked.
Remus shrugged and shook his head. “Still cold,” he mumbled.
“Here,” Sirius shed his cloak and wrapped it around Remus’s thin shoulders. He wondered briefly whether Remus was getting enough to eat, and resolved to bring much more food the next time he slipped out of school. As he pulled Remus’s hair out of the way, his hand brushed bare skin and he gasped when he realised how cold Remus truly was. He added warmer clothing to the list he was mentally making.
“I can’t take your cloak,” Remus argued.
“Sure you can. I’ve got another two back at the dorm.” He smiled as Remus fiddled with the edge of the cloak, clearly torn over whether to accept the gift. “It’s got a built in water-repelling charm,” he added.
“But won’t you get in trouble?”
“Who’s going to know?”
Remus looked like he was about to argue again but then thought better of it. He pulled the cloak around him and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Where’s Firenze, anyway?” Sirius asked in order to break the silence.
“Hunting,” Remus replied. “As soon as he knew you were on your way he went to find some breakfast for us. We didn’t know you were bringing food.”
“Does he leave you on your own for long?” Sirius questioned with concern.
“Not much, just when he’s hunting or if he has to go back to his camp. Magorian won’t let him live there, but says he has to attend all the formal ceremonies.”
“Ceremonies?”
“The centaurs have them for all sorts of things,” Remus explained. “Magorian’s the new leader of the camp, but there are ceremonies they have to do before it’s all official.”
“What happened to Torin?” Sirius asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Remus glanced towards the trees, presumably where he’d last seen Firenze. “He died,” he whispered. “He didn’t fight back when he was challenged for the leadership.”
“But how can Magorian get away with it?”
“They’re centaurs.” Remus shrugged. “They live differently to us.”
“Is Firenze okay?” Sirius asked. He’d not met the young centaur that many times, but he’d liked him. He was also the only one, beside himself, who was in a position to help Remus.
“He doesn’t say much,” Remus replied. “He’s a centaur.” He shrugged as though that explained it all.
The two boys sat quietly for a little longer, until Sirius realised that time was getting on and he’d be late for his first class if he didn’t start making a move soon.
“You’ll come and see me again, won’t you?”
Sirius knew that even if he’d not intended to return to the forest, the pleading of his friend would have won him over instantly. “I’ll come again on Saturday,” he promised. “After the full moon.”
Remus’s tear-stained face lit up into a bright smile and they walked together for as long as they dared. Finally they reached the point where they realised that it wouldn’t be safe for Remus to come any closer to the school and he let Sirius walk on ahead.
“See you Saturday,” Sirius called back before hurrying out of the forest, past Hagrid’s hut and towards the castle.
Remus watched Sirius return to school, wishing more than ever that he could join him. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he didn’t like staying in the forest. It was uncomfortable and cold, and he was so bored he was actually missing his lessons.
“You shouldn’t have come so close to the edge of the forest,” Firenze scolded as he approached.
“No one’s about,” Remus pointed out. “And if they see me, they’ll just think I’m a student.”
“A borrowed cloak doesn’t make you a Hogwarts student.”
“I know.” Remus sighed, pulling the cloak tighter around his shoulders. The fabric still held the fragrant scent of having been recently washed for the start of term. The soft wool still held some of Sirius’s warmth and Remus felt a surge of gratitude for his friend. Although he was dreading the full moon on the Friday night, he was looking forward to Saturday more than anything.
-o-xXx-o-
Sirius woke early on Saturday morning, determined to find Remus as soon as possible. He was also desperate to be nowhere near James and Peter when they read Rita’s article about Romulus Lupin’s trial. Rita had told him after dinner the previous evening that the copies of the newsletter would be sent round to the various common rooms first thing in the morning, so the students could read the news over breakfast.
Sirius saw the pile of papers in the empty common room, presumably delivered by the ever-helpful house elves. There was also a roaring fire to take the chill off the draughty room. Sirius was almost tempted to burn the entire pile of newsletters, but he knew that if he did he would only be putting off the inevitable and that the Gryffindors would simply borrow from their friends and relatives in other houses. Instead he took the top copy of the newsletter and pocketed it in his robes. He had no intention of letting Remus see the article, but he wanted to make sure he read it before James confronted him.
Sirius left the castle, laden with food from the kitchen, his emergency healer’s kit, some warm clothes that he hoped would fit Remus, and a couple of books to ease the boredom he was sure his friend was suffering.
No one was in the grounds as Sirius hurried towards the lake and the forest beyond. Remus hadn’t replied to his call through the mirror and he was worried about what had happened the night before. He hoped it was merely a case of Remus having been too tired to answer, or having misplaced the mirror temporarily.
He made his way to the same clearing that he’d visited earlier in the week, only to find that his friend and the centaur had moved on. They’d covered their tracks well, and if Sirius hadn’t seen it for himself, he’d have refused to believe that there had been a fire on the ground he was now standing on.
Pulling out his mirror again, he tapped on it and called Remus’s name. This time his friend appeared in the mirror, looking rather the worse for wear. “Follow the stream west,” Remus advised. “I’m going to sleep a little ‘til you get here. We’re about half an hour walking distance from where we were camping.”
“See you soon,” Sirius said as he made his way further into the forest, letting the sound of the nearby stream guide him.
He was sure he’d been walking for half an hour when he felt the first spots of rain on his head. Knowing that Remus was somewhere out there, suffering after the full moon, and now being rained on, he quickened his pace.
Another ten minutes of walking and Sirius finally stumbled, literally, onto the new campsite. His clumsy approach sent Firenze’s bow and quiver of arrows toppling over and the resulting clatter woke up the sleeping werewolf.
“How are you?” Sirius asked as he sat down next to Remus under the rocky overhang that was serving as a shelter from the rain. He didn’t wait for a reply before he started rummaging through his bag for the healer’s kit and the flask of warm vegetable soup he’d asked the house elves to make especially.
“Tired and bruised,” Remus muttered. He struggled to sit up for a moment, before Sirius pushed him back to the ground with a forceful hand.
“Any cuts that need sealing?”
“Not this time.”
“You’re sure? I’ve got a blood-replenishing potion here, if you need it.”
“Foul stuff,” Remus complained. “I’ve not got more than a couple of scratches on my arms.”
“Let me fix them up for you,” Sirius asked, pulling out his wand.
“There’s no need. They’re only light.”
“But they might get infected,” Sirius pointed out. “I’ve been reading Madam Pomfrey’s books on healing charms and one of them says that the Tersus charm cuts the risk of infection by up to eighty five percent.”
Remus looked like his eyes were glazing over as Sirius explained the advantages of the charm. Finally, he smirked at Sirius and held out his left arm. “If I let you do the charm on me, will you please stop boring me with the details?”
“Sorry,” Sirius mumbled. “I thought it was interesting.”
“It is,” Firenze interrupted.
Sirius shot a grateful look at Firenze before pointing his wand at the light scratch and healing it almost completely. As a werewolf inflicted scratch, it would never truly heal, but it was healed as much as it could ever be.
Remus ran his finger down the new scar, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“I’m sorry I can’t get rid of it completely,” Sirius offered apologetically.
“You’ve done a great job,” Remus assured him. “I should be the one apologising. You’ve come here to help me and I’m being mean. You can tell me about the healing charms if you like.”
“Maybe later. How about I just heal the rest of them and then we can get some breakfast?”
Remus’s eyes lit up as Sirius produced another bag of muffins, some bread rolls, a slab of cheese, and the flask of soup. Sirius was somewhat surprised to see Remus’s face fall at the sight of a large bar of chocolate. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“That’s the sort of chocolate Rom always got for me,” Remus replied with a small sigh. “I don’t really want it.”
“Madam Pomfrey told me to bring it,” Sirius said quietly. “In case they bring dementors into the forest to find you.”
Remus’s face, already considerably pale after the previous night, turned chalk white, but he took the chocolate and put it with the rest of his things.
“I got you some other stuff too,” Sirius said as he emptied out his bag. “A spare pair of jeans, a tee shirt, a couple of jumpers, scarf, gloves, underwear, socks…I think I remembered everything. All my sets of pyjamas are really thin though, so I didn’t bother with those. I hope you don’t mind?”
“But I’ve already got your cloak, and I’m making do with stuff that Firenze has brought from the centaur camp.”
“Really?” Sirius asked with a raise of one eyebrow. “Last time I was there, I didn’t see any centaurs wearing jeans, or any clothes at all from the waist down. Them being half horses and all.”
Firenze snorted with laughter as Remus’s face reddened. “I don’t want your underwear,” he mumbled with embarrassment.
“And I don’t want to think of you wearing the same clothes every day for however long you’re hiding out in the forest!”
“But…”
“Look, it’s all brand new. My parents bought me new stuff this term ‘cos I’ve grown out of most of my clothes over the summer. I’ve not worn any of them yet, apart from the cloak that you already have.”
“Your mother bought you a Gryffindor scarf and gloves set?” Remus pointed at the red and gold matching set.
“Fat chance,” Sirius muttered. “No, those are from my Uncle Alphard. Mother got me a green and silver set like last time.”
“But if I’ve got your Gryffindor set, what are you going to wear? The Slytherin ones?”
“Sure,” Sirius replied with a shrug.
“Why didn’t you bring me the Slytherin ones?” Remus asked. “You’ll get picked on again if you don’t wear the Gryffindor colours.”
“This one’s thicker wool,” Sirius explained.
“But…”
“I told you, they stopped picking on me last year. We’re sort of getting on a bit better now and…”
“Sort of?”
“Well, they’re not exactly speaking to me at the moment,” Sirius admitted.
“Why not?”
Sirius chewed on his lip.
“Why not?” Remus repeated. “Is it something to do with me?”
“They’re just being nosy. Even more than usual.”
“How come?”
“They…” Sirius faltered, not wanting to tell his friend that they were close to discovering his secret.
“They know what I am, don’t they?”
Sirius shook his head. “Not yet. But Rita Skeeter, this girl in Slytherin, was at the Wizengamot with me. She’s done a report on it and even though your name can’t be written in it, she mentioned your name to James and he guessed that you’re the same Remus who’s on the run. The report for the school newsletter tells everything…apart from your name.”
Remus was silent for several minutes. “So, when this newsletter comes out, they’ll know what I am.”
Sirius nodded.
“When does the newsletter get published?”
“Today.”
“Will you let me see it?”
“No.” Sirius shook his head.
Remus looked back at him in surprise. “Why not?”
“Because Rita isn’t the most truthful of writers. She makes stuff up and twists things about.”
“Maybe she won’t mention about me being a werewolf?”
“She will. If the truth makes the story more exciting, she’ll include it.”
“Do you think it’s exciting?” Remus asked quietly.
“No,” Sirius replied, equally quietly. “It’s a lot of things…but it’s not exciting.”
“Will you still be able to come and see me?”
“If I have to stun everyone who crosses my path to get here, I will!” Sirius declared with a firm nod.
Remus laughed at his expression and Sirius felt an answering smile spread across his face. He hadn’t heard the joyful sound of Remus’s laughter since the day he’d ridden away on the back of Firenze. “I like it when you laugh,” he said. “You should do it more often.”
“Not had much reason to recently.”
“I know.”
“How long can you stay today?”
“Until curfew, if you like? I bought enough food to last us all day.”
“Would you be really disappointed if I said I was tired and wanted to sleep for a while?” Remus asked, barely managing to complete the sentence without yawning widely.
Sirius shook his head. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Thanks,” Remus murmured as he curled back up in Sirius’s cloak. He fidgeted around for a minute or two, trying to find a comfortable position on the hard ground.
“I can bring you a pillow next time,” Sirius suggested.
“I guess you’ll have to do for today,” Remus joked as he twisted round to lay his head on Sirius’s lap. “Serves you right for forgetting my pillow.”
Sirius grinned down at his friend and reached for one of the books he’d brought with him. “This your way of making sure I don’t leave before you wake up?”
Remus’s only reply was a soft snore. Sirius smiled and brushed Remus’s hair back from his face. It had grown over the summer and was now longer than Sirius’s own dark locks. “Sweet dreams,” he whispered. He wondered if he’d imagined the small smile appearing on Remus’s face at his quiet words.
He looked across to where Firenze was standing, watching him with a curious expression on his face. The young centaur nodded towards the stream and Sirius nodded in return. He knew that the centaur wasn’t going far. In the meantime he’d watch over Remus just like he’d promised.
Chapter 16