Got to be Starting Something
Date: Friday, 04 May, 2001
Time: Mid-Afternoon
Location: The offices of Thompson, Bingley, and Drake
Characters: Remus Lupin, Dean Thomas, & Jackson Bingley (NPC)
Rating: G
Notes: Written with Jessie over AIM as a joint endeavor. :-)
The first years had not complained too much when Remus canceled their double lesson for that afternoon. If the shouts and laughter he'd heard coming from the direction of the lake as he left the school were any indication, he expected the upper level classes were going to be extremely put out at having to work through the afternoon while the youngsters got a lovely spring afternoon off.
But Remus had an important appointment to keep. He'd been surprised to hear the solicitor, Bingley, would be able to see him so soon. He'd expected to have to wait at least until after the Full Moon on Monday. But, Bingley's response to his owl had been immediate -- I can see you tomorrow any time after one. If remus hadn't known better, he'd almost have suspected Severus of having left instructions not only that the firm was to see to the pack's ever legal need, but to do so as if they were purebloods of the level of Lucius Malfoy.
It was something Severus would do.
Still, sooner rather than later was good for this meeting. There was -- almost -- nothing in the world as important to him as his mission today. Running a hand through his hair to smooth it and straightening his, he stepped inside the solicitor's office with only a bare hint of nervousness. Werewolves didn't often willingly enter such places after all.
Dean was happier than usual to see Friday afternoon roll around - he'd been at his desk for most of the week, proofreading Q.U.A.C.K. contracts for Blake. It was educational, as far as Dean and Seamus's recent venture, but got tedious after a while. Thank goodness Blake had declared the contracts finished, and told Dean that he was to check in with Bingley after lunch.
Upon arriving at Bingley's office, Dean was almost immediately sent out again to the firm's front lobby. Bingley was expecting a client, and Dean well knew that the winding labyrinth of corridors was more than a little confusing (he'd gotten lost, himself, during his first week of work!) Bingley had somehow neglected to tell Dean the client's name, however, so Dean was quite shocked to see his former Defense professor stepping through the door.
"Professor Lupin! You're not here to see Jackson Bingley by any chance, are you?" Dean grinned widely - it had been years since he'd seen Remus Lupin, and while visits to a solicitor usually meant some sort of problem, Dean was hoping to have some time to catch up with one of his favorite Hogwarts professors.
For Remus' part, he was no less surprised to be greeted the friendly face of a former student, one of 'his' Gryffindors, though he had not been Head of House then, than Dean was to see Remus. The young man's grin was a most appreciated welcome, however.
"I am indeed." Remus smiled warmly, offering his hand in greeting of his own. "Mr. Bingley has been on retainer for my household going on about a year now. But, this is a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were working for the firm."
Dean's smile remained plastered to his face as he shook Lupin's hand - what a grand coincidence this was! Although, thinking about it, Dean really should not have been all that surprised- while Bingley was highly protective of his clients (at least by name), Dean was very aware that he did a lot of work concerning werewolves. How many hours had Dean spent digging through old files of werewolf cases?
Still, regardless of the reason, he was glad to see Lupin here. "Been here for a few months now," Dean said while gesturing back towards one of the corridors that led off from the lobby. "And I just happen to be assisting Mr. Bingley this afternoon. Must be my lucky day!" He smiled again, and turned to walk into the offices. "Bingley's expecting you, he sent me up here to guide you through the maze."
"Fortuitous, indeed." Still smiling, Remus followed after the young man into the labrynthian hallways.
It never ceased to bring Remus some small amount of pleasure to see his former students all grown up and out making their way in the world. It was different from watching Harry and Hermione and Ron, the younger members of the pack. They were family, still so young and treasured, needing care and protection. But, those students like Dean, whom he had liked but not been as emotionally attached to, were something to still be proud of. Seven years ago, he'd been teaching this young man about grindylows and boggarts and now here he was, helping Bingley to battle the real monsters in the adult world, the ones Remus himself still had trouble with.
"So how did you manage to land yourself here?" A few months, he'd said. That would have put him here some time after Bingley had already bailed the pack out twice in their dealings with the Ministry -- first the interrogations in September and then making sure Remus, Bill, Glamis, and Zak didn't tear the imbeciles in the Ministry apart while being collared.
Interestingly enough, Remus was not hiding that collar under a turtleneck today, but wearing his shirt collar open to remind them all why he was really there.
Dean had slowed his steps until Lupin caught up with him - it felt odd, somehow, to be leading his former professor. He smiled sadly at Lupin's question, as he always did when discussing how he had arrived at Thompson, Bingley, and Drake.
"Well, my dad was a solicitor in London, and I had been assisting at his firm since before-" he stopped for a moment, almost imperceptibly, before continuing. "Well, since I had finished at Hogwarts. I was job hunting a few months ago, and Seamus suggested something in Wizarding Law, and well..." he trailed off, gesturing around them.
"And here I am. McGonagall wrote me a great recommendation - scared all the partners into hiring me, I think." Dean grinned at the thought - it seemed there were very few witches and wizards who were willing to stand up to Hogwarts' new Headmistress, no matter how long ago she had been their professor.
After several right and left turns, and a jot up a small flight of stairs, they arrived at the rather imposing door of Bingley's outer office, which was closed. Dean knocked lightly, and at Bingley's muffled reply, gestured to Lupin to enter. "After you, Professor."
The brief pause was difficult to miss this close to the Full and coupled with the dimming of the younger man's smile, Remus surmised he had unwittingly stumbled into something of a sensitive topic. Not wanting to pry, he focused on the comments touching on Minerva and chuckled softly.
"Perhaps. She's a formidable woman, the Headmistress. Of course, the fact that Hogwarts has employed this firm for its own legal needs longer than I've probably been alive may have also been a factor." Teasing aside, he nodded in agreement with Seamus' suggestion. Dean had always seemed the more level headed of that particular duo. And he was sharp, a bright lad. Remus thought he'd do well here. "Or maybe they just knew a good thing when they saw it."
Had it not been for his young guide, Remus thought he might have been forced to find his solicitor by scent -- not an impossibility in these corridors, but not the easiest way of arriving for a meeting. As it was, they arrived at Bingley's office sooner than Remus anticipated. Preceding Dean into the room, he was pleased to see the solicitor already coming around his desk to greet them, hand out.
"Professor, you're looking well. Come, have a seat. Mr. Thomas can get you some tea if you like?"
"Thank you. One could say the same of you." Remus took the other man's hand in a firm grip before moving to take the offered chair and shaking his head. "No tea for me just yet, Dean. Thank you. Perhaps in a bit."
Dean followed Lupin into the office, standing a bit off to the side as Bingley greeted him. After a few years of working in a law office, Dean was well aware that the title 'Legal Assistant' encompassed many roles - researcher, proofreader, filer, note-taker; and, at times, tea-getter. Though it seemed that he was excused from this last role, at least for the time being.
Bingley nodded slightly as he and Lupin sat down, and Dean took his seat at a smaller table set just to the side of the large desk. Dean quickly set up the transcribing quill- Bingley liked to have an exact record of all his meetings- before also picking up a regular quill and roll of parchment for any extra notes he might need to make. He nodded back towards Mr. Bingley, indicating that he was ready for the meeting to begin.
Remus was impressed with his former student's sudden shift into "total business". He possibly shouldn't have been. After all, Hermione was just as poised as his assistant at the school. But, he had a bad tendency of thinking Hermione to be so far ahead of her contemporaries. It was a habit he should, perhaps, reconsider.
"So, what is it I can do for you today, Professor? I gathered from your owl this was unrelated to the events of last September, though our firm does continue to look into possible avenues of recompense for what you and your household suffered at the hands of the Ministry."
"No, it's nothing to do with that, specifically. Although, if feasible and successful, I would hope to avoid such an occurrence in the future." Steepling his hands together in a gesture that might have appeared thoughtful, but was truly to keep them from shaking -- after all, Remus had never before tried to use the law to gain acceptance before, only tried to live around it to survive. "In light of the recent success of the first appeals case for removal from the Registry, I would like to discuss the possibility of initiating such proceedings for the youngest two of my household, one of whom had been bitten less than three months before war's end."
Dean listened as Bingley began speaking, making sure the transcribing quill was working properly before fully focusing on what was being said. Events of last September? Dean couldn't immediately recall anything he'd worked on for Bingley that was dated back to September. He had looked up a few things about Ministry reparations, but that was the only thing that seemed related. When Lupin responded, though, Dean was more than a little taken aback. In all the werewolf research he had done for Bingley over the past few months, there was not one case of a werewolf being taken off the Ministry's "Registry"- in any of its incarnations, past or present.
"Well, I'll tell you up front, it's going to be a hard case, Professor." Bingley said, shaking his head. "Their records would have to be absolutely spotless, at least for the first attempt at something like this. Still - if you all are up for the fight, we're behind you."
"I'm aware this won't be easy. But, someone has to be the first, right?" Chuckling ruefully, Remus shuffled a hand through his hair. "The old werewolf registries were a load of bureaucratic nonsense. But, once the executions were stayed, it was mostly paperwork -- name, residence, length of infection, employment if you could find someone willing to give it. This... There were werewolves fighting on both sides of the war, werewolves who didn't buy into the false promises of superiority Voldemort offered. They deserve as much chance at a real life as anyone else."
Remus flicked the strip of leather at his own throat, secretly amused to see the solicitor flinch ever so slightly at the name. Even the very intelligent could be superstitious, it seemed.
"A life without this. Appealing to humanity's better nature doesn't seem to have been working. I want to try legal avenues now."
After jotting down a few notes, Dean looked up just in time to see Bingley's slight twitch at the Dark Lord's name. It was strange, really- he had been gone for a year, and yet people were still effected by a name. Dean supposed he was lucky to have grown up away from magic, at least on that point- he'd not been subjected to years of "He-Who-Shall-Not" rubbish.
Besides, between Harry and Dumbledore, he'd heard the name enough not to be shocked by it anymore. It was a bit shocking, though, to think about the implications of the Registry as Lupin drew attention to the 'tracking device'. Dean had read up on all the ins and outs of the Registry, of course, but somehow hadn't thought of how it effected people he knew- good people, like Professor Lupin.
"Very well, then. Let's get started, shall we?" Bingley said in his no-nonsense manner, before turning to address Dean. "We'll need to start gathering all the information on the first appeal- a Mrs. Morsus, I believe." Dean noted this down as Bingley faced back towards Lupin. "Now, who are the individuals you'd like to start with? There was a Mr. Rollins, if I am recalling correctly," he paused for a moment, thinking, "and a young lady, as well, perhaps?"
When Remus had first encountered his solicitor -- a solicitor he had not been aware of having, then -- he had at first mistaken the man for Severus. There were several similarities between the two commanding, no-nonsense men, after all. He was reminded of these similarities in the way Bingley immediately set down to work without further commentary once he'd ascertained the dedication and objectives of his client.
"Yes, Miss Brocklehurst, Mandy Brocklehurst. She was bitten just before the holidays only weeks before the war's end. She never even saw the final battle, as Zak did. Zak Rollins is the other I would like to see released from these proceedings."
Of course, what Remus hoped was for this first attempt to be wildly successful. And then to gradually get the rest of his pack -- including Severus and Bill -- released. From there, they could slowly get the werewolves who had not been involved on either side excused from the restrictions as well.
And he had to find a way to do it all while keeping his pack safe from Greyback's wrath once news of these things got out. Remus was not naive enough to think he could keep that a secret.
"Both of these individuals were the least involved in the war of any that were with you, if I recall correctly from the transcripts of September's questionings?"
"That's correct. Will the questionings play much of a role in all this, do you think?"
Dean nearly dropped the quill when Lupin began to speak. Mandy Brocklehurst? She'd been- well, never a friend, really, but a classmate- and a rather nice one at that. And just because she had been bitten by a werewolf, she was now having her every move tracked by the Ministry? The anger that had started building in Dean when Lupin had pointed out the tracking device was threatening to boil over.
"Everything will play a role, I'm afraid, Professor" Bingley said in response to Lupin's question. "Whether or not they 'cooperated' with the Ministry officials, et cetera."
Dean, who had sat in on dozens of these types of meetings, decided that this was a good time to do something he'd not ever done before- interrupt. "Excuse me, Mr. Bingley, I- well, I just want to offer my help on this. Even outside of my usual duties- I'll work on my own time, if it's needed. I just-" he glanced at Lupin, then back at Bingley. "I just want to help in any way I can."
Remus snorted at the idea of 'cooperation' with the Ministry. Lay acquiescent while the WCU goons pounded them to a bloody pulp was more like it. Although at least the youngest of his 'pups' had been spared the extremes he and Severus had been forced to suffer through.
Dean's request surprised him, but pleasantly so. Here was a young man seeing what he considered an injustice and actually doing something about it. In a way, it made up for all the cries of 'unfair' that fell from lips unwilling to do something to change the circumstances. It renewed his faith in the next generation, as it were.
"We'll see, Mr. Thomas," Bingley was saying.
"Thank you, Dean." Remus smiled warmly at his former student. "If Mr. Bingley is amenable, I've no objections to your assisting.
"Professor Snape will, of course, be as involved in these proceedings as I will be. And, I suppose you'll need to speak with Zak and Mandy directly soon?"
Dean nodded as Bingley acknowledged him, still not quite sure if interrupting during a meeting was the best idea he'd ever had, but it was done now, and Dean felt satisfied that even if it was a bit rude, it was still the right thing for him to do. Especially with Lupin's thanks- though Dean knew that this went well beyond gaining thanks from his former professor.
Dean focused himself back on the proceedings as Mr. Bingley answered Lupin's request for details. "Yes, I'll take a look at my schedule for next week and have Mr. Thomas contact them to set up appointments. Of course you, Professor Snape, or any other member of your household is free to accompany them if desired. And any support you can work up- recommendations from other professors or any friends you may have in the Ministry would be a good way to get the ball rolling."
"Later in the week would be better for all of us, I believe...Monday's the Full..." Funny how difficult it was to speak of that side if their condition when just moments earlier he could speak so passionately about equality for werewolves. "But, after Wednesday should be fine."
Standing, Remus straightened his jacket and prepared to leave. There was really nothing more that could be done this afternoon before some of the research had been done. And, he had young minds to return to supervise.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I should probably be going, unless there's anything you need from me this afternoon."
"Of course," Bingley said, rising as Lupin did, and reaching across the desk to shake his hand. "We'll get everything set up for later in the week- not a problem at all. It was good to see you, Professor, especially in more amiable surroundings this time." He grinned a bit, and nodded towards Dean. "I'm sure Mr. Thomas will be glad to see you out, then he can get started on putting some of our information together."
Time: Mid-Afternoon
Location: The offices of Thompson, Bingley, and Drake
Characters: Remus Lupin, Dean Thomas, & Jackson Bingley (NPC)
Rating: G
Notes: Written with Jessie over AIM as a joint endeavor. :-)
The first years had not complained too much when Remus canceled their double lesson for that afternoon. If the shouts and laughter he'd heard coming from the direction of the lake as he left the school were any indication, he expected the upper level classes were going to be extremely put out at having to work through the afternoon while the youngsters got a lovely spring afternoon off.
But Remus had an important appointment to keep. He'd been surprised to hear the solicitor, Bingley, would be able to see him so soon. He'd expected to have to wait at least until after the Full Moon on Monday. But, Bingley's response to his owl had been immediate -- I can see you tomorrow any time after one. If remus hadn't known better, he'd almost have suspected Severus of having left instructions not only that the firm was to see to the pack's ever legal need, but to do so as if they were purebloods of the level of Lucius Malfoy.
It was something Severus would do.
Still, sooner rather than later was good for this meeting. There was -- almost -- nothing in the world as important to him as his mission today. Running a hand through his hair to smooth it and straightening his, he stepped inside the solicitor's office with only a bare hint of nervousness. Werewolves didn't often willingly enter such places after all.
Dean was happier than usual to see Friday afternoon roll around - he'd been at his desk for most of the week, proofreading Q.U.A.C.K. contracts for Blake. It was educational, as far as Dean and Seamus's recent venture, but got tedious after a while. Thank goodness Blake had declared the contracts finished, and told Dean that he was to check in with Bingley after lunch.
Upon arriving at Bingley's office, Dean was almost immediately sent out again to the firm's front lobby. Bingley was expecting a client, and Dean well knew that the winding labyrinth of corridors was more than a little confusing (he'd gotten lost, himself, during his first week of work!) Bingley had somehow neglected to tell Dean the client's name, however, so Dean was quite shocked to see his former Defense professor stepping through the door.
"Professor Lupin! You're not here to see Jackson Bingley by any chance, are you?" Dean grinned widely - it had been years since he'd seen Remus Lupin, and while visits to a solicitor usually meant some sort of problem, Dean was hoping to have some time to catch up with one of his favorite Hogwarts professors.
For Remus' part, he was no less surprised to be greeted the friendly face of a former student, one of 'his' Gryffindors, though he had not been Head of House then, than Dean was to see Remus. The young man's grin was a most appreciated welcome, however.
"I am indeed." Remus smiled warmly, offering his hand in greeting of his own. "Mr. Bingley has been on retainer for my household going on about a year now. But, this is a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were working for the firm."
Dean's smile remained plastered to his face as he shook Lupin's hand - what a grand coincidence this was! Although, thinking about it, Dean really should not have been all that surprised- while Bingley was highly protective of his clients (at least by name), Dean was very aware that he did a lot of work concerning werewolves. How many hours had Dean spent digging through old files of werewolf cases?
Still, regardless of the reason, he was glad to see Lupin here. "Been here for a few months now," Dean said while gesturing back towards one of the corridors that led off from the lobby. "And I just happen to be assisting Mr. Bingley this afternoon. Must be my lucky day!" He smiled again, and turned to walk into the offices. "Bingley's expecting you, he sent me up here to guide you through the maze."
"Fortuitous, indeed." Still smiling, Remus followed after the young man into the labrynthian hallways.
It never ceased to bring Remus some small amount of pleasure to see his former students all grown up and out making their way in the world. It was different from watching Harry and Hermione and Ron, the younger members of the pack. They were family, still so young and treasured, needing care and protection. But, those students like Dean, whom he had liked but not been as emotionally attached to, were something to still be proud of. Seven years ago, he'd been teaching this young man about grindylows and boggarts and now here he was, helping Bingley to battle the real monsters in the adult world, the ones Remus himself still had trouble with.
"So how did you manage to land yourself here?" A few months, he'd said. That would have put him here some time after Bingley had already bailed the pack out twice in their dealings with the Ministry -- first the interrogations in September and then making sure Remus, Bill, Glamis, and Zak didn't tear the imbeciles in the Ministry apart while being collared.
Interestingly enough, Remus was not hiding that collar under a turtleneck today, but wearing his shirt collar open to remind them all why he was really there.
Dean had slowed his steps until Lupin caught up with him - it felt odd, somehow, to be leading his former professor. He smiled sadly at Lupin's question, as he always did when discussing how he had arrived at Thompson, Bingley, and Drake.
"Well, my dad was a solicitor in London, and I had been assisting at his firm since before-" he stopped for a moment, almost imperceptibly, before continuing. "Well, since I had finished at Hogwarts. I was job hunting a few months ago, and Seamus suggested something in Wizarding Law, and well..." he trailed off, gesturing around them.
"And here I am. McGonagall wrote me a great recommendation - scared all the partners into hiring me, I think." Dean grinned at the thought - it seemed there were very few witches and wizards who were willing to stand up to Hogwarts' new Headmistress, no matter how long ago she had been their professor.
After several right and left turns, and a jot up a small flight of stairs, they arrived at the rather imposing door of Bingley's outer office, which was closed. Dean knocked lightly, and at Bingley's muffled reply, gestured to Lupin to enter. "After you, Professor."
The brief pause was difficult to miss this close to the Full and coupled with the dimming of the younger man's smile, Remus surmised he had unwittingly stumbled into something of a sensitive topic. Not wanting to pry, he focused on the comments touching on Minerva and chuckled softly.
"Perhaps. She's a formidable woman, the Headmistress. Of course, the fact that Hogwarts has employed this firm for its own legal needs longer than I've probably been alive may have also been a factor." Teasing aside, he nodded in agreement with Seamus' suggestion. Dean had always seemed the more level headed of that particular duo. And he was sharp, a bright lad. Remus thought he'd do well here. "Or maybe they just knew a good thing when they saw it."
Had it not been for his young guide, Remus thought he might have been forced to find his solicitor by scent -- not an impossibility in these corridors, but not the easiest way of arriving for a meeting. As it was, they arrived at Bingley's office sooner than Remus anticipated. Preceding Dean into the room, he was pleased to see the solicitor already coming around his desk to greet them, hand out.
"Professor, you're looking well. Come, have a seat. Mr. Thomas can get you some tea if you like?"
"Thank you. One could say the same of you." Remus took the other man's hand in a firm grip before moving to take the offered chair and shaking his head. "No tea for me just yet, Dean. Thank you. Perhaps in a bit."
Dean followed Lupin into the office, standing a bit off to the side as Bingley greeted him. After a few years of working in a law office, Dean was well aware that the title 'Legal Assistant' encompassed many roles - researcher, proofreader, filer, note-taker; and, at times, tea-getter. Though it seemed that he was excused from this last role, at least for the time being.
Bingley nodded slightly as he and Lupin sat down, and Dean took his seat at a smaller table set just to the side of the large desk. Dean quickly set up the transcribing quill- Bingley liked to have an exact record of all his meetings- before also picking up a regular quill and roll of parchment for any extra notes he might need to make. He nodded back towards Mr. Bingley, indicating that he was ready for the meeting to begin.
Remus was impressed with his former student's sudden shift into "total business". He possibly shouldn't have been. After all, Hermione was just as poised as his assistant at the school. But, he had a bad tendency of thinking Hermione to be so far ahead of her contemporaries. It was a habit he should, perhaps, reconsider.
"So, what is it I can do for you today, Professor? I gathered from your owl this was unrelated to the events of last September, though our firm does continue to look into possible avenues of recompense for what you and your household suffered at the hands of the Ministry."
"No, it's nothing to do with that, specifically. Although, if feasible and successful, I would hope to avoid such an occurrence in the future." Steepling his hands together in a gesture that might have appeared thoughtful, but was truly to keep them from shaking -- after all, Remus had never before tried to use the law to gain acceptance before, only tried to live around it to survive. "In light of the recent success of the first appeals case for removal from the Registry, I would like to discuss the possibility of initiating such proceedings for the youngest two of my household, one of whom had been bitten less than three months before war's end."
Dean listened as Bingley began speaking, making sure the transcribing quill was working properly before fully focusing on what was being said. Events of last September? Dean couldn't immediately recall anything he'd worked on for Bingley that was dated back to September. He had looked up a few things about Ministry reparations, but that was the only thing that seemed related. When Lupin responded, though, Dean was more than a little taken aback. In all the werewolf research he had done for Bingley over the past few months, there was not one case of a werewolf being taken off the Ministry's "Registry"- in any of its incarnations, past or present.
"Well, I'll tell you up front, it's going to be a hard case, Professor." Bingley said, shaking his head. "Their records would have to be absolutely spotless, at least for the first attempt at something like this. Still - if you all are up for the fight, we're behind you."
"I'm aware this won't be easy. But, someone has to be the first, right?" Chuckling ruefully, Remus shuffled a hand through his hair. "The old werewolf registries were a load of bureaucratic nonsense. But, once the executions were stayed, it was mostly paperwork -- name, residence, length of infection, employment if you could find someone willing to give it. This... There were werewolves fighting on both sides of the war, werewolves who didn't buy into the false promises of superiority Voldemort offered. They deserve as much chance at a real life as anyone else."
Remus flicked the strip of leather at his own throat, secretly amused to see the solicitor flinch ever so slightly at the name. Even the very intelligent could be superstitious, it seemed.
"A life without this. Appealing to humanity's better nature doesn't seem to have been working. I want to try legal avenues now."
After jotting down a few notes, Dean looked up just in time to see Bingley's slight twitch at the Dark Lord's name. It was strange, really- he had been gone for a year, and yet people were still effected by a name. Dean supposed he was lucky to have grown up away from magic, at least on that point- he'd not been subjected to years of "He-Who-Shall-Not" rubbish.
Besides, between Harry and Dumbledore, he'd heard the name enough not to be shocked by it anymore. It was a bit shocking, though, to think about the implications of the Registry as Lupin drew attention to the 'tracking device'. Dean had read up on all the ins and outs of the Registry, of course, but somehow hadn't thought of how it effected people he knew- good people, like Professor Lupin.
"Very well, then. Let's get started, shall we?" Bingley said in his no-nonsense manner, before turning to address Dean. "We'll need to start gathering all the information on the first appeal- a Mrs. Morsus, I believe." Dean noted this down as Bingley faced back towards Lupin. "Now, who are the individuals you'd like to start with? There was a Mr. Rollins, if I am recalling correctly," he paused for a moment, thinking, "and a young lady, as well, perhaps?"
When Remus had first encountered his solicitor -- a solicitor he had not been aware of having, then -- he had at first mistaken the man for Severus. There were several similarities between the two commanding, no-nonsense men, after all. He was reminded of these similarities in the way Bingley immediately set down to work without further commentary once he'd ascertained the dedication and objectives of his client.
"Yes, Miss Brocklehurst, Mandy Brocklehurst. She was bitten just before the holidays only weeks before the war's end. She never even saw the final battle, as Zak did. Zak Rollins is the other I would like to see released from these proceedings."
Of course, what Remus hoped was for this first attempt to be wildly successful. And then to gradually get the rest of his pack -- including Severus and Bill -- released. From there, they could slowly get the werewolves who had not been involved on either side excused from the restrictions as well.
And he had to find a way to do it all while keeping his pack safe from Greyback's wrath once news of these things got out. Remus was not naive enough to think he could keep that a secret.
"Both of these individuals were the least involved in the war of any that were with you, if I recall correctly from the transcripts of September's questionings?"
"That's correct. Will the questionings play much of a role in all this, do you think?"
Dean nearly dropped the quill when Lupin began to speak. Mandy Brocklehurst? She'd been- well, never a friend, really, but a classmate- and a rather nice one at that. And just because she had been bitten by a werewolf, she was now having her every move tracked by the Ministry? The anger that had started building in Dean when Lupin had pointed out the tracking device was threatening to boil over.
"Everything will play a role, I'm afraid, Professor" Bingley said in response to Lupin's question. "Whether or not they 'cooperated' with the Ministry officials, et cetera."
Dean, who had sat in on dozens of these types of meetings, decided that this was a good time to do something he'd not ever done before- interrupt. "Excuse me, Mr. Bingley, I- well, I just want to offer my help on this. Even outside of my usual duties- I'll work on my own time, if it's needed. I just-" he glanced at Lupin, then back at Bingley. "I just want to help in any way I can."
Remus snorted at the idea of 'cooperation' with the Ministry. Lay acquiescent while the WCU goons pounded them to a bloody pulp was more like it. Although at least the youngest of his 'pups' had been spared the extremes he and Severus had been forced to suffer through.
Dean's request surprised him, but pleasantly so. Here was a young man seeing what he considered an injustice and actually doing something about it. In a way, it made up for all the cries of 'unfair' that fell from lips unwilling to do something to change the circumstances. It renewed his faith in the next generation, as it were.
"We'll see, Mr. Thomas," Bingley was saying.
"Thank you, Dean." Remus smiled warmly at his former student. "If Mr. Bingley is amenable, I've no objections to your assisting.
"Professor Snape will, of course, be as involved in these proceedings as I will be. And, I suppose you'll need to speak with Zak and Mandy directly soon?"
Dean nodded as Bingley acknowledged him, still not quite sure if interrupting during a meeting was the best idea he'd ever had, but it was done now, and Dean felt satisfied that even if it was a bit rude, it was still the right thing for him to do. Especially with Lupin's thanks- though Dean knew that this went well beyond gaining thanks from his former professor.
Dean focused himself back on the proceedings as Mr. Bingley answered Lupin's request for details. "Yes, I'll take a look at my schedule for next week and have Mr. Thomas contact them to set up appointments. Of course you, Professor Snape, or any other member of your household is free to accompany them if desired. And any support you can work up- recommendations from other professors or any friends you may have in the Ministry would be a good way to get the ball rolling."
"Later in the week would be better for all of us, I believe...Monday's the Full..." Funny how difficult it was to speak of that side if their condition when just moments earlier he could speak so passionately about equality for werewolves. "But, after Wednesday should be fine."
Standing, Remus straightened his jacket and prepared to leave. There was really nothing more that could be done this afternoon before some of the research had been done. And, he had young minds to return to supervise.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I should probably be going, unless there's anything you need from me this afternoon."
"Of course," Bingley said, rising as Lupin did, and reaching across the desk to shake his hand. "We'll get everything set up for later in the week- not a problem at all. It was good to see you, Professor, especially in more amiable surroundings this time." He grinned a bit, and nodded towards Dean. "I'm sure Mr. Thomas will be glad to see you out, then he can get started on putting some of our information together."