Lupin's True Love

October 27, 1973

Veronica pulled her cloak closer around her as she followed after James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. She thought back on the way things had been going for the last month. She was no longer the Seeker for the Quidditch team but she did still go to the practices to make sure that everyone else was in top form. She was top in her classes, again, and often had to help explain things to Peter with James, Sirius, and Remus. She managed to keep in touch with the Potters and told them all about school and the pranks that James and Sirius had managed to pull off so far that year. James still didn't know how his mother had known about him stealing her shampoo to prank Severus with. Veronica watched her friends shoving each other and joking along the road to Hogsmeade. This was her first visit to the all wizarding village. James and Sirius thought that it would be a good idea to head into the village a little later than the rest of the third years and she went along with it. She couldn't wait to see all the shops and visit with her classmates at the Three Broomsticks, which James and Sirius had told her had the best butterbeer in the world. She heard her name being called over the din of the students around them. Kayla Saxon and Emma made their way through the crowd to them.

"Hey, Emma, Kayla." Remus watched as Emma hugged Veronica. "What's going on?"

"I saw a book in a second hand store that I thought Veronica would like to see. It might help her figure out what is going on with her dreams." Emma swatted at Sirius, who had snuck up on her and started to tickle her. "Knock it off, Black."

"Anything for you, Emma." Sirius's hands dropped to his sides.

"Are you going to come and look at it?" Kayla was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.

"I'm coming." Veronica glanced over at Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter. "What are your plans for today?"

Remus glanced over at his friends before turning back to his girlfriend. "I guess I'll come with you to see the book."

"That's good." James leaned against a tree. "Sirius, Peter, and I will meet up with you at the Three Broomsticks."

Sirius whirled around to face his best friend. "Thank you for making my plans, James." He draped his arms over Kayla and Emma's shoulders. "I believe I'll also accompany these beautiful ladies."

"Fine." James scrambled away from the tree as Lily and Patricia started past them. "Hey, Evans."

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily crossed her arms and glared at James.

"Want to join me and Peter for some fun?" James ignored the muffled laughter coming from Remus, Veronica, and Sirius.

Lily looked at Patricia and they both rolled their eyes. "Not a chance."

Veronica watched as Lily and Patricia walked away from the group. "I guess we're going to look at that book?"

"Come on. I'll show you where it is." Kayla started to run away from the group.

Remus, Veronica, Sirius, and Emma hurried after her. They approached the second hand store and saw that the sign was turned around to show that the shop was, in fact, closed for lunch. Veronica kicked at the cobblestone street slightly. Kayla pulled on the handle of the door.

"Come on. Let's try the back door." Emma started around the corner into the alley.

"Emma, wait!" Veronica grabbed Kayla's hand and raced after her friend. She skidded to a stop and looked at Remus and Sirius. "Can you keep trying the front door while we get Emma?"

"Sure thing, luv." Remus rapped his knuckles on the glass of the door while Veronica and Kayla hurried into the alley.

Veronica saw Emma tugging on the back door. She and Kayla hurried over to her. "Come on, Emma. It's not safe to be back here without an adult."

"You've got to see this book. The owner told us that he would stay open until after one." Kayla moved to stand beside Emma and pounded on the door.

"Let's go back to Sirius and Remus. I've got a bad feeling about being here, Emma." Veronica tugged on Emma's arm once more before tugging on Kayla's.

Emma turned back to her friends before looking around the alley. "You're right, Veronica. Something doesn't feel right."

As the girls turned to leave the alley, a dozen loud cracks filled the air. Emma grabbed Veronica's hand as they each withdrew their wands. Kayla had managed to duck behind some trash bins so that the new arrivals couldn't see her. The dozen people that surrounded the girls were wearing robes and cloaks of the deepest black. Veronica tried to see their faces but couldn't as they were covered with bone white masks. They started to close in around the girls. Veronica tightened the grip on her wand while Emma tried to break Veronica's hand. Another crack filled the air. Veronica immediately knew that it wasn't going to do them any good to try and escape now. They might have stood a chance with the Death Eaters but not with Voldemort there. Her wand hand trembled slightly as she raised her wand and pointed it at the man that had been making her life a living hell. Voldemort smiled, effectively making Veronica and Emma shiver slightly in fear. His blood red eyes raked over Veronica's slender form, rising slowly until he locked them onto her green-streaked, confused eyes. Veronica, meanwhile, was busy trying to keep from losing her lunch. Whatever man Voldemort had been, he no longer was. His skin was pulled tight across his skeleton. He looked like a supermodel that had starved herself almost to death.

Voldemort moved between his minions and closer to Veronica. "Miss Croft, so we meet at last." His bony finger reached up and moved a lock of her hair from her face.

"Go to hell, Voldedork." Veronica jerked her head away from his finger. "You murdered my parents."

Voldemort smiled cruelly as he watched the girl shove her friend behind her. "They didn't understand your power, my dear."

"Power my ass. You wanted to make a point and you did. You thought that you could get away with it but Aurors are looking for you."

"They can search until the day I defeat that old fool residing at Hogwarts but they will never find me." Voldemort's laugh made chills run up Veronica's spine.

"They'll defeat you and when they do I'll be there." Veronica refused to allow the fear that she felt show in her eyes.

Voldemort's smile returned as he stroked Veronica's cheek. Veronica pulled away slightly as Kayla made the decision to try and sneak away from them and get help. The Death Eaters were effectively ignoring Emma even though her soft whimpers of fear were annoying them. Not a single person had seen Kayla until she started to edge through the crowd. The shouts made Veronica cheer internally. She knew that, unless there was a silencing charm around the alley, someone should be arriving with help very shortly.

Voldemort watched his followers haul the struggling girl toward the center of the circle. "Ah. Another Mudblood."

"Watch what you call her! You'll have to answer to me!" Veronica started forward only to be held back by two of the Death Eaters.

"Interesting that you should want to protect her when your own parents would have given you up." Voldemort turned slightly to look at Veronica straining against the two Death Eaters. "Perhaps we should see how much you want to protect your friends." His wand raised and pointed at Kayla on her hands and knees.

"You wouldn't dare." Veronica struggled all that much harder against her captors.

Voldemort just smiled. "Crucio."

Kayla screamed as the torture curse hit her. Veronica and Emma started to struggle even harder to get to their friend. Voldemort's laughter rang in their ears as Kayla's screams seemed to get louder and louder. Veronica managed to bring her foot up behind her and nailed one of her captors in a spot that most men wouldn't like to get hit. Then she ripped her arm from the other man and used the kneeling man as a vault. She flipped herself over the man and took out three other Death Eaters with a roundhouse kick. One of the men stumbled back into Voldemort, making him lose his concentration on keeping the Cruciatus Curse on the trembling girl.

"I warned you not to hurt her." Veronica brought her wand up just as Emma screamed out a warning. "I don't think so, dick head. Petrificus Totalus." The Death Eater fell over as stiff as a board a moment before Veronica whirled around to find herself facing Voldemort's wand. She straightened up and glared at Voldemort. "Go ahead. Kill me but I swear I'll haunt you for the rest of your days."

"I won't kill you, my dear, but your friends..." Voldemort moved his hand slightly so that his wand was pointed directly at Emma. "...They are another matter entirely."

"Don't!" Veronica lowered her wand and bowed her head in defeat. "I'll go with you as long as you don't harm them."

"They will be released after we have gone, my dear." He laughed as he dragged Veronica closer to him. "Soon you will produce an heir for me and then there will be nothing to stop me."

Veronica kept herself from jerking out of Voldemort's grasp. "Let them go now and I will go without a sound."

"Veronica, you can't! He's a madman!" Emma struggled against the men holding her. "You can't give in to him!"

Voldemort jerked Veronica's head up so that he could look down into her eyes. "You are not to lie to me, my dear."

"Who says I'm lying?" Veronica straightened slightly to gaze into the blood red eyes that caused so much fear in her mind.

She had been reading up on Occlumency just to keep James from seeing what pranks she was coming up with next. She managed to raise the shield in time before she felt Voldemort probing her mind. She allowed him to see the prank plans and results but he never saw her plans for escape. She swore to herself that she would never give in to the man that had murdered her parents and caused her to live in constant fear for her life. She only allowed him to see what she wanted him to see.

"You aren't lying to me. That is an excellent choice, my dear." Voldemort turned slightly to look at the other girls. "I believe I'll allow my Death Eaters to play with your friends."

Veronica barely managed to keep herself from jumping toward Emma and Kayla. The Death Eaters started to gather around the two frightened girls as two stunners shot out from the edge of the crowd. Pandemonium ensued. Death Eaters were trying to fire stunners back at the originators while Voldemort was trying to Apparate away with Veronica in tow. Veronica managed to yank her arm away from Voldemort seconds before he disappeared with a loud crack.

Veronica rushed into the fray and started to beat the tar out of the Death Eaters still holding Emma and Kayla. The right foot landed against the man to Emma's left before she continued to turn and slam into the man on Kayla's right. Both men dropped like boulders. The other two men released their prisoners and went for Veronica but they didn't make it since twin stunners hit them in the centers of their backs. Veronica looked up and saw two wizards standing near the entrance of the alley. Both were wearing the aquamarine robes of Aurors. She nodded her thanks before turning to help Emma and Kayla up from the cobblestone alley.

One of the remaining Death Eaters saw that Veronica was distracted and thought that his master wanted the girl dead. He raised his wand and aimed for her heart. "Avada Kedavra!!!" The single thread of green light zoomed through the air toward its target.

Emma saw the green flash and shoved Veronica to the ground only to have Kayla do the same thing to her. Emma and Veronica watched in horror as their friend fell to the ground. Dead. Kayla's empty, field green eyes stared into the nothingness around her. Veronica reached her hand out and touched Kayla's once alive cheek. An invisible wind lifted her hair as she turned to face the Death Eater that had fired the curse. Slowly, or so it seemed to everyone else, she rose to her feet. Suddenly, as if she was thrown, she flew at the Death Eater. The Death Eater fell under her slight weight.

"You have done the unforgivable, servant of Slytherin!" Veronica's voice didn't sound like her usual bright and cheerful self. It sounded like it had on the train. She laid her left hand on the man's cheek. "Comeprio Voster Debilitas!" Visions flooded through her mind as the man screamed in terror. She saw spiders and various other bugs in a large box. Then she saw the man being thrown into the box. "This is your fate, miserable servant of Slytherin. You may thank the wizards of Italy for coming up with this spell." Her eyes closed slightly as she climbed from the man's chest. "Produrre Ragnos Dentro Un Legno Scatola!" A large wooden box surrounded the man and his screams could be heard from within as he was buried under harmless spiders. As the man's screams became louder Veronica collapsed onto the cobblestone alley in a dead faint. She didn't hear the feet running to her side or the screams of the Death Eater trapped within the wooden box.