Werewolf Love - Sixth Year

CHAPTER SEVEN
When Remus awoke it was very early in the morning. He was cold and sore and there were leaves in his hair and dirt on his robes. Remus tried to remember how he had gotten so far into the woods, but his head hurt and his mind was numb. He sat up and looked around. Sirius was leaning against a tree, sleeping but not heavily, because he opened his eyes when Remus moved toward him.

"Were you here all night?" Remus asked, his throat was raw and it hurt to speak.

"Yeah," Sirius said sleepily. "Don't you remember anything?"

"My head hurts... I can't... I had a really frightening dream."

"Ah, and what was that about?" Sirius said casually.

"Well... I think I dreamed that attacked Lessah..." Remus trailed off as he noticed a large blood stain on his shirt which was laying a few feet from him. "Oh no... NO!"

Remus grabbed his shirt and looked it over. It was mostly covered in dry blood and the sight of it made Remus want to throw up. He looked over at Sirius.

"How could I let this happen Sirius? How could I let it happen?!

Sirius didn't say anything and Remus could see that he was clearly disappointed. He also clearly had no idea where they were. He motioned for Remus to follow him and then changed to his dog form. Remus gathered up what parts of his uniform he wasn't wearing and followed Sirius. The black hound lead they way back to the school, following their scents from the night before, for over half an hour. When they were able to see the school again, Sirius changed back into a human while Remus put his uniform back on. Remus stared silently at the school, which now looked unfriendly and hateful. He bowed his head, closed his robes around him and headed toward the school. Then Remus slipped on something.

"For crying out loud Remus, the ground isn't even wet," Sirius scolded.

"I slipped on something!" Remus cried, the stress of the morning was taking it's toll on him.

Remus reached behind him and found something fluid and cloth-like. It was James' invisibility cloak. Remus stood up and wrapped the cloak around him, vanishing completely.

"Looks like James was thinking ahead last night," Sirius said.

Sirius lead the way through a labyrinth of secret passages. Recently though, the Marauders Map had fallen from his possession and there were some parts of the passages that he couldn't remember. When they reached Gryffindor Tower, Sirius gave the password and Remus slipped in ahead of him. There were still a few late risers in the common room. Gilderoy Lockhart who was, in Remus opinion, a complete idiot, was standing on one of the chairs, waving his wand around.

"I would show that monster a thing or two!" Lockhart said flamboyantly.

"I'd like to show him a thing or two," Remus hissed in Sirius' ear.

Sirius laughed out loud, causing Lockhart to look over at him.

"So, Sirius Black, you think that I could not show a monster what is what?"

"Lockhart, I think that you are probably the biggest arse at Hogwarts. Why don't you go back to Hufflepuff and get out of our common room? And what monster are we talking about?"

"Well, that American girl was attacked by a monster last night. James and Peter found her and took her to the Hospital Wing. She was in a really bad way, according to Peter. I, of course, was also there. And I am not a Hufflepuff."

Remus growled and headed for the dormitory, leaving Sirius and other Quidditch team members to "escort" Lockhart from the common room. In a few minutes Remus was dressed in clean robes, the leaves were brushed out of his hair and his face was clean. He came down stairs, looking as if he had been at the school all night. He and Sirius headed toward the Great Hall, Sirius insisting that Remus eat something whether he wanted to or not.

"Remus Lupin, come with me right now," said Professor McGonagall, grabbing Remus by the arm and hauling him away.

Professor McGonagall dragged Remus to the hospital wing. Remus had never seen her look so angry before. She lectured him all the way down the hall and kept a firm grasp on his arm. Remus didn't hear much of the lecture, or didn't understand it, but the tears rolled down his cheeks anyway.

"Furthermore, this is the single most irresponsible thing you could have done! You're friends could have been killed last night, trying to save your naive victim. I suggest that you pack your things and be ready to leave in an hour."

"Professor McGonagall, is Lessah dead?" Remus sobbed.

McGonagall's angry face flickered a little.

"No, you're lucky for that. She's quite all right and she was asking for you this morning."

"Can I see her before I got pack my things?"

McGonagall nodded and Remus entered the large room, full of beds with clean white sheets. There was a screen set up around one bed in particular that worried Remus. Madam Pomfrey eyed Remus coldly. Remus stared at the floor.

"Well, she's over there."

Remus nodded and walked over the enclosed bed. Albus Dumbledore was sitting at the end of Lessah's bed. His look of disappointment cut into Remus' soul, making him want to fall off the face of the earth. Lessah was sitting up in bed, reading a book. Her hands and head were bandaged. She looked at Remus and cringed a little.

"Lessah, don't..."

"It was you then, wasn't it?"

"I didn't... I tried... I never wanted this to happen. I love you and I never wanted to hurt you, especially not like this. I wouldn't wish this one anyone."

"You love me? You have a strange way of showing it, Remus Lupin."

"I understand that you hate me now. You'll probably want me exterminated. I'll leave you; I have to go pack."

"Pack? Where are you going?"

"I'm being expelled. As soon as word of this gets out, the Ministry of Magic will also want my hide. No parent will want their child going to school with a werewolf. I have to leave now."

"Well, who says that the ministry has to know, or anyone else for that matter?"

Remus looked at Lessah and then at Professor Dumbledore, who smiled kindly at Remus. Lessah also smiled, but in a mischievous sort of way.

"As far as the ministry is concerned, I have been a werewolf all my life. My brother can get me signed documents from the FBWI saying so. My parents know that I get into trouble, perhaps this time I just bit off more than I could chew."

(Authors Note: Yet again. FBWI is the Federal Bureau of Werewolf Identification. Lessah is American, remember that.)

"You're willing to lie to your family? Why? I mean, I've ruined your life forever. You will never have a normal life after this, never."

"Remus, you're the first guy who has ever treated me like I was worth something," Lessah said quietly. "No guy has ever treated me the way you do. You're stuck with me for life now."

"Really? You're willing to... just give it all up like that?"

"Sure, as long as Professor Dumbledore is also willing to go along with it."

Remus looked at Dumbledore, who nodded and winked. Remus' face lit up. He threw his arms around Lessah and hugged her so tightly that she winced. There were a few matters that still needed to be agreed upon though. Lessah was willing to lie to anybody and everybody, even sign a written statement for the Ministry of Magic. Remus had to agree to tell his mother what he had done. He said that he would, but he planned on waiting a very long time before he did.