Of Witch and Wolf

[Of Witch and Wolf - Chapter 2]

Savannah's first order of business was to head directly to the hospital and send Madam Pomfrey down to see Remus. She knew the hospital would be flooded with sunlight, and she hoped the head nurse would be nearby so that she wouldn't have to go in. When she arrived, the door was slightly ajar, and Savannah knocked loudly.

"Come in, come in!" came a shrill voice from behind the door.

Savannah pushed the door open a bit more. "Eh... Madam Pomfrey?" she said cautiously. She dared not enter the room; even if the sunlight didn't touch her directly, the brightness of it would prematurely tire her eyes. It was only morning, after all; she still had to make her way around the school for the rest of the day, and she needn't wear out her eyes so early in the day.

A bit of shuffling, and then Poppy Pomfrey yanked open the door. "Oh!" she said cheerily. "Miss Stormcrow, I didn't realize it was you." She gently guided Savannah away from the doors and closed them behind her, blocking the sunlight from the bright hospital room. "What can I do for you, my dear?" she asked.

"Ah... It's Remus, madam." She hesitated. "Well, you know, it's that time..."

"Of course, of course," Madam Pomfrey nodded. "I will check on him right now. He is in his chambers, yes?"

"Yes. I do believe he's asleep now, but perhaps if you could do something to ease his pain. He was in an awful scuffle last evening..." Savannah trailed off, remembering how Remus had looked when she had found him shivering in the darkness. "Well," she said, shaking herself out of her dark thoughts. "Suffice it to say that he neglected his remedy last evening." She offered a tiny smile.

"Oh, my dear, he didn't forget," Madam Pomfrey said, shaking her head. "Poor Remus. Well it was Severus who made the mixture, but he refuses to make it anymore. He has two extra classes this year, you know, and it really was a generous thing for him to do, but he just hasn't the time anymore. It's quite a creation, that wolfsbane, but he just hasn't the time. Excuse me a moment, please..." The nurse disappeared into the hospital room, then reemerged with her medical tote bag.

"I will go see him right now," she said, patting Savannah gently on the shoulder. "Don't you worry, my dear, he will be just fine." With a swish of her skirt, Madam Pomfrey headed down the stairs toward Remus's chambers.

Poor Remus, Madam Pomfrey's voice echoed in Savannah's head. She hadn't realized that Severus Snape was no longer making the potions that Remus so desperately needed to maintain his sanity. Why hadn't he told her? She would have a word with Professor Snape. But right now, she needed to change to her uniform and open the library before Madam Pince got there ahead of her.

There was no time to do anything more than wash her face and brush out her hair before she changed into her school robes. As she was drying her face, she leaned in close to the mirror, studying herself. Something was different, and she wasn't quite sure what it was. Her cheeks were flush, but she assumed that was from the cold water. Her eyes...? She couldn't tell, and at the moment, she didn't have the time to dwell on it.

She quickly pulled on her robes and dashed out into the hallway, nearly colliding with seventh-year Prefect Ron Weasley.

"Oof! Watch it now!" he cried, dodging out of her way.

"Sorry Ronnie!" Savannah apologized hurriedly. "So sorry, Ronnie. I need to open the library!"

She dashed down the hallway and swung open the library doors just moments before Madam Pince arrived. Fortunately, there had been no students awaiting entry, and Madam Pince had no idea how close she had been to suspending her only employee. As usual, the sour librarian offered nothing more than a simple nod as her morning greeting.

"Good morning, madam," Savannah said. She wheeled the cart over to the book drop-box and began loading it.

Madam Pince looked over her list of Books That Are No More, the first thing she did every morning. It was an enormous piece of parchment with very few lines written on it, and it showed which books had been destroyed by students and needed to be reordered or recreated. She released an exasperated sigh.

"Honestly!" Pince ranted loudly, "You would think a professor would take better care of his school property! Books don't grow on trees, you know! What is he doing with potions books, anyway? He has other things to worry about, doesn't he!" Her cheeks had turned a rather bright shade of red, and she tapped a finger angrily on the parchment. "I don't know that we can even get this book anymore. Terrible! Just terrible!"

Savannah wisely kept quiet, concentrating on stacking the cart evenly. She knew that it was Remus whose book had been destroyed, and he had probably been looking up potions because of Snape's refusal to continue creating them. She sighed quietly. Yes, poor Remus. He had such a hard life, and he was such a good, wonderful man. It was a shame that he was feared and disliked by so many.

And now he was sure to be in a bit of a tiff with Madam Pince, and he had one less set of clothes to wear, and his nice tweed jacket was no more. She decided that she would get him a new set of clothes, or at the very least a new jacket. She knew that the other professors sometimes sneered at him behind his back at his shabby clothes, and her heart ached when she thought of it. Quite simply, it wasn't fair. Again, she sighed to herself. There was no use worrying about it now. She would not be able to do anything until lunch break, anyway.

The morning dragged on slowly, and Savannah found herself thinking of that morning's kiss. She had done well to put it out of her mind while she was running late, but now that she was simply wheeling the book cart around, returning books to their proper shelves, there was little else for her to think about. Not that she minded; it was quite a pleasing memory, though she did feel a tiny bit embarrassed by it. It was a terribly brash thing to do, and she hoped he wasn't angry with her for it. In fact, there was a tiny part of her that hoped he didn't even remember it, and that was quite possible, given the circumstances that morning.

At long last the school clock chimed noon, and Madam Pince dismissed Savannah for her lunch break. As she walked by Madam Pince's desk, she glanced down at the books-no-more list and noted the last title, Herbal Remedies For The Mind. She hurried to her chambers and scribbled out a rather long note, addressing it to "Mssrs Weasley & Weasley, Residing in Hogsmeade". She then pulled out a heavy box and a velvet pouch from her desk drawer, and she transferred a fair amount of galleons from the box to the pouch. She tucked the letter and the pouch into her robe pocket, and then fixed herself a plate of saltines and cheese for lunch.

Just as she was taking her first bite, there came a loud knock at her door. With a wave of her hand she opened the door, and there stood Ron Weasley carrying a lunch tray with a large bowl of beef stew and two rolls.

"Hi, Ron," Savannah greeted him. With her foot she pushed out a chair opposite herself, and Ron came in and sat down. Savannah closed the door behind him.

"Is that all you're having?" he asked. His mouth was turned down in a frown.

She shrugged. "I'm not all that hungry. Why are you so grouchy?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said, rubbing his neck and grimacing. "Didn't sleep well, I guess. These bloody first-years are giving me nightmares." He took a bite of his roll.

She smiled, remembering when Ron and his friends had been first-years. They had caused their fair share of nightmares, and now poor Ron was receiving his due punishment.

Ron and the rest of the Weasley family had always treated Savannah with respect, and Ron was one of very few people who, aside from Dumbledore and Lupin, had taken the time to know her properly. She had helped him with spells that had been giving him trouble, and he had even successfully divined Professor Lupin's return to Hogwarts, much to Savannah's delight. They had lunch together about once a week, and sometimes Savannah kept him company while he made his rounds before bed.

In return, Ron often brought her books and treats from Hogsmeade, the nearby village that she had yet to visit. (There was no point in going in the evening, after all - all the stores had closed by then, and she didn't want to visit the pub alone.) He had taken a liking to her, not in any romantic sort of way, but just in a good, genuinely friendly way. This had surprised Savannah at first, as she had thought that Ron wasn't the sort to make friends with anyone... strange. But he enjoyed her company, and also her dry humor that matched his own so well.

Ron peered at her curiously from across the table. "You know..." he began.

Savannah raised an eyebrow. "What...?"

"You look... different, somehow." He wrinkled his nose as he scooped a large spoonful of beef stew into his mouth along with a bite of bread. He swallowed. "Just different. Cheerier, I guess? Did something happen?" He offered her his second roll.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Something you should know about, you mean?"

"Tsk-tsk. You are in a good mood, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am, yes," she said. But suddenly she wasn't hungry at all, and she pushed her plate to the side. "I don't know why, though. It's not like I had a notably fun evening."

"Why? Oh..." He trailed off as he realized that a particular lunar phase had rolled around again. "Erm... How is he doing?"

"He is alright as far as I can tell. Took quite a beating last night, though." Savannah reached into her robe pocket and pulled out the letter and pouch. "Can you owl these for me please?" she asked, handing him the items.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, feeling the weight of the bag in his hand. He glanced at the address on the letter. "You're sending this to Fred and George? Are you mad? It's not like they need anymore money, they're already booked for every birthday in the country!"

"Hush, silly!" Savannah chided. "It's not for them. It's for... for Remus. I thought he could use a nice new robe and jacket."

Ron rolled his eyes as he pocketed the letter and pouch. "The guy's already got a mother, you know."

"She's a Muggle, you twit. Besides," she said indignantly, "I'll wager he'd like someone else to look after him."

"You?" Ron grinned.

"I... maybe." Savannah looked away. "I don't know. Maybe not me. No, that wouldn't be a good idea." She shook her head, and then suddenly she shoved her chair out and stood up. "I better go. Get that owl out today, yeah?" She patted his shoulder as she hurried past him.

Ron turned just in time to see her dash out the door. Too late, he realized the error of his words. Of course they couldn't be together - that sun/moon thing just wouldn't work out. Ah, he'd stuck his foot in his mouth once again, and he felt bad for it. But he only did it because he was comfortable with Savannah, and comfortable with what she was - he didn't feel the need to watch his words around her. And she was certainly used to him by now.

With a shrug and a twinge of guilt, he turned back to his lunch.

***

Of course Ron had meant well; he had only wanted to tease her a little bit. But now the idea was in her head. The idea of being, well, closer to Remus had crossed her mind more than once. But it couldn't possibly work out, and it made her sad. Remus was such a wonderful friend. He was kind, and intelligent, and a most impressive but humble wizard. And he always made her laugh - his humor was one of the most powerful antidotes against the depression of her curse.

Now she was standing outside the door to his private chambers. She knew she ought to let him sleep, for he dearly needed the rest, but she couldn't resist the urge to check in on him. Should she knock? No, better not to wake him if he was sleeping...

She turned the knob and entered the room. It was dim, as the shutters were still closed, and she could see Remus curled up beneath the blankets. She quietly closed the door behind her and approached the bed.

Thoroughly exhausted, Remus was breathing heavily, and his eyes were tightly closed. She leaned in close to him, listening to his breathing. His brow was furrowed with concentration as he dreamed, and his hair hung over his face, flung about by the tossing and turning of restless and uncomfortable sleep. With a gentle hand, she delicately brushed his hair back from his eyes. His breathing stuttered for just a moment, and she worried that she might have woken him up, but then his breaths returned to normal, and she sighed inwardly to herself. She had better leave now.

The rest of her afternoon was spent in the library quietly wandering between the shelves. She found it hard to think of anything other than Remus and Professor Snape. In her mind, she tried to figure out ways to convince Snape to continue making the wolfsbane potion for Remus; it was hard to come up with anything diplomatic. She knew that Snape had respected her as a student - interesting, and a bit improbable, as she had been in Ravenclaw house and not Slytherin (who, everyone knew, Snape was partial to). She hoped she could use some of that leverage when she spoke with him. Of course, respectfulness was far from friendliness, especially in Snape's case.

Ron paid her a visit just as she was about to leave for the day. He let her know that he had taken care of her Owl Post. She knew that usually Fred and George were fairly quick about getting things done, and she was eager to see what they would send back. The note she had sent them included a postscript to "please hurry, especially with the last item, if you can find it."

After her working day was done, Savannah went down to the kitchen and prepared a sandwich each for herself and Remus. These she put in a small wicker picnic basket, along with several handfuls of a fruit-and-nut mix (in a little baggie, of course), and two very large bottles of butterbeer. The house-elves that staffed the kitchen tended to ignore her whenever she went there, and they hardly ever held a dinner for her, but she was used to it by now and didn't mind. She didn't always like what it was they prepared, anyway.

She was exiting the kitchen when she noticed a tall figure in black robes quickly ascending the staircase - it was Professor Snape. Perhaps now would be a good time to catch him and speak with him about the wolfsbane potions. She could never understand how it was he walked so fast, every time to every place.

"Professor Snape?" she called out, hurrying after him. She caught the tail end of his robe disappearing around the corner as he climbed the next set of stairs.

"Evening, sir," she heard a familiar voice say, and in another moment she nearly ran into Ron Weasley for the second time that day.

"Picnicking?" he asked as he flattened himself against the banister to avoid colliding with her.

"No," she said sharply, continuing up the stairs. "Professor Snape?"

Ron, with nothing else to do before his rounds later that evening, followed her.

At the third landing, Professor Snape finally took a turn and headed toward the outer corridor, and Savannah caught up with him. "Professor Snape? Could I have a moment of your time, sir?"

"Speak," he said brusquely, continuing to walk.

"I wondered if I might speak with you about Professor Lupin -"

"This had better be quick, Miss Stormcrow," he intoned.

"I... sir?" She stopped walking. Professor Snape had walked into the outer corridor - a hallway that was now flooded with bright, bittersweet orange light from the setting sun. Ron fell into step beside her, catching her sleeve before she could follow.

"Professor!" Savannah cried out. She knew she sounded insistent, which was one thing Snape disapproved of.

The professor came to an abrupt halt and turned to look at her.

"Professor, I can't..." She swallowed hard. "I can't follow you, sir."

Snape stared at her, his face completely expressionless. "Then I suggest you look for me at a time that is less... lethal for you, Miss Stormcrow." He turned on his heel and continued on.

His words struck her coldly, and she turned red with shame. She was glad Ron was the only one around. Lethal, yes, that's what the sunlight was, and Snape knew it well. She needn't feel embarrassed - she couldn't help her condition. How dare Snape speak to her like that! She was suddenly overcome with a wave of anger. She was practically his peer, even if he didn't like it. She had thought he respected her as a student, but perhaps she had been mistaken; at the very least, she deserved a bit more than what he was giving her.

She shoved the picnic basket into Ron's hands. "Wha-?" he gasped. "What are you doing?"

Before he could say another word, Savannah pulled her arms inside her robe and pulled the robe up over her head. She dashed out into the corridor.

Ron knew better than to instinctually grab her robe - if he pulled it back, she would have no protection at all. He stood behind helplessly watching her run full speed into the sunlight, expecting her to any second disappear into a puff of smoke.

Savannah's eyes burned terribly, and she squinted hard to see where she was going. She couldn't even see Professor Snape in his black robes. She could feel the sunlight penetrating the fabric of her robe, as if the sunbeams were alive and seeking out her skin. It felt like every hair on her head was on fire. The heat was making her head spin. But if she hurried...

Everything went dark.