Lupin's True Love Returns

September 4, 1996

Veronica paced her office as the morning's half hidden sunlight hit her desk. She thought back on the events of the previous day. She knew that there had been some kind of Shielding Charm placed around a part of that room under Stonehenge but she couldn't figure out where the actual charm had been placed. She ran her left hand through her hair as she looked over at the necklace lying in the center of her ancient desk. She moved swiftly over to her desk and fingered the golden chain before gazing at the portraits encased in the ruby. She tried to pry the ruby off the portraits to get a better look but kept getting shocked. A knock sounded on her office door and she placed the necklace back on the desk.

"Come in." The door creaked slightly as it was pushed open.

Harry stuck his head in through the crack and looked over at Veronica. "Can I talk to you for a moment, Aunt Veronica?"

"Sure, Harry." Veronica watched as Harry lugged in the baby carrier and a diaper bag. "I had a rocking chair brought up." She motioned to the rocking chair sitting near the far window.

"Thanks. The guys aren't going to be really thrilled with us having an infant in the dorm room." Harry bent over and extracted Leo from the carrier. "Isn't that right, Leobug?"

"Leobug?" Veronica laughed slightly. "I thought I had a hard time coming up with nicknames."

"I've been calling him that since my party." Harry sank into the rocking chair.

"I thought you wanted to talk?" Veronica conjured up a chair beside him and Leo.

"I thought you would like to know how I was taken from the school grounds." Harry pulled the ear of the dancing teddy for Leo.

"I was beginning to wonder about that."

"I was heading to Quidditch practice yesterday when it started to rain really badly. I had made it to the Stadium but noticed that no one else was there. I assumed that Katie had decided to cancel practice when I noticed Ani standing in the rain. I called to her and she came over to me. The next thing I knew I was on the floor of that room with Bellatrix and this blue skinned woman standing over me."

"Are you sure it wasn't Ani?"

"No tail. I knew then that I had been had. That's when I noticed three others in the room. One was like a chameleon. He had white skin and when he got near a wall or anything he kind of blended in. The others were women. One was a flamethrower type of girl. The other was completely covered with smoke. I don't remember what their purpose was but I think if Bellatrix had failed in killing Ani then they were going to be the ones that finished her off."

"Well they weren't expecting to have me show up, were they?"

"Nope." Harry pulled a bottle from the diaper bag. "Bellatrix called those people by name. I thought you might want to find out more about them."

"Give me the names. I know someone who might know who they were." Veronica moved to her desk and picked up a quill. Moving the necklace she poised it over the paper. "Go ahead, Harry."

"The blue skinned woman was called Mystique. The chameleon was known as Seth. Flame girl was called Glenda and smoke woman was called Nebula." Harry held Leo to his shoulder as he patted his back. Leo let out a loud burp. "Good boy." Harry wiped at the dribbles of milk running down Leo's chin. "Who are you going to ask about them?"

"Kurt. He was Ani's sister and I think he might know who they are." Veronica scooped up the necklace and slid it into a pocket. "Come on, Harry. You have to get to Transfiguration and you know McGonagall. She hates it when you're late. Even when you have and excuse." Veronica watched as Harry placed Leo back into the carrier and scooped up the diaper bag.

"You didn't hear the announcement this morning?" Harry watched as Veronica shook her head. "Professor Wagner was taking today off, for obvious reasons. Moonlight is substituting for him today."

"Terrific. She hates my guts." Veronica rubbed her forehead. "Maybe Kurt is in his office or hopefully someplace relatively close by."

"You could ask Moonlight about them." Harry stopped at the stairs. "I've got to get to McGonagall's class. See you later."

"Bye, Harry." Veronica hurried down the corridor. She noticed that Moonlight was coming toward her. If looks could kill, she'd have been six feet under. "Moonlight, I'm so sorry for your loss. Ani's death has affected us deeply. If there's anything we can do, just..."

"Don't you dare call her Ani as if she were your friend! Don't call me Moonlight as if you knew me! Don't even try and pretend you ever helped her! If you want to help me, GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

Veronica cringed with each word hurled at her. She straightened slightly. "I just want to help you..."

"Did you hear what I just said?!! No? Let me repeat it for you: If you want to help me, just get out of my way! Kurt needs my help now so, if sweet Merlin will allow you, get lost!!!"

Veronica stared at her for a moment. Her grey eyes were snapping to violet quickly. Never had she hated the name calling and bullying more than at that very moment. "Your really repulsive attitude makes me wonder how Kurt finds any support in you."

"Listen, you noisy little slut, what my family goes through doesn't concern you damn it! If you ever feel like giving someone Hell again, take it as a warning that my kin won't show you any kind of mercy. And I will personally hunt you down if I even sense the least bit of shit coming from your freaky species. Go fuck up someone else's life 'cause if mine gets ruined any more I'll detonate and spill every last brain cell, if you even have a brain, all over this fucking campus!" Moonlight flipped her the bird while her sleeve slid down to her elbow revealing a long angry looking scar. She pulled her sleeve back into place as she turned to leave. "But thanks for getting that filthy Remus Bastard off my case! That stupid crush of his was really starting to RIDE UP MY ASS!" Veronica gaped at her as Moonlight turned into a sleek black cat and raced off down the hallway.

"Call Remus a bastard, huh? She's pissed off the wrong person." Veronica stalked off to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She slammed open the door causing half the class to jump in fright. "Everyone out!!! Now!!!"

The students scrambled to their feet and grabbed their bags before dashing out the door. Moonlight turned to Veronica. "What the hell do you want?"

"You've pissed off the wrong woman! I might seem like one of these stuffy British pricks who can't tell off a waiter or a chef but I'm not! I come from the school of hard knocks just like you! I lost my parents when I was eleven and the people who were really my fucking parents when I was seventeen! I lost and found my true fucking love! I've lost every fucking friend that I ever had! And it's all to help a child I never knew about help defeat the Darkest fucking wizard in a thousand fucking years! You have the audacity to call me a slut! I've only ever slept with one fucking man and he's my fucking husband! I didn't fucking kill Ani but I sure as hell killed the fucking Bitch who did!" Veronica hands glowed white as her anger mounted. "Now your fucking attitude is going to stop! Not every fucking one is the bad guy! I was a friend to your sister and she came to this fucking school for help! I helped her to the best of my fucking abilities! Kurt needs the fucking support of his family and friends and not the attitude that you seem to think fucking helps!" Veronica's chest heaved with every breath as Kurt stepped from his office. "Now if you've come off your fucking high horse I want to ask you who the fuck is Mystique and why the hell she kidnapped Harry yesterday!" Veronica's face was turning red with her anger.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Moonlight leaned over the desk.

Kurt slowly came down the stairs. "Did you say Mystique?"

"Yeah. Harry told me that she was the one who disguised herself as Ani and took him to that room." Veronica rubbed her hand over her face slightly. "He also said that there were three others in that room with the Death Eaters. A chameleon, a girl of flames, and a girl of smoke."

"Shit. Seth, Glenda, and Nebula were there?" Kurt leaned over his desk as he tried to pull in a deep breath.

"I could feel the shielding charm that Bellatrix had put around the room but I couldn't tell you where it was. Harry saw them before we got there. He was the one Bellatrix was after not Ani and sure as hell not me. Voldemort wants Harry dead." Veronica watched as Moonlight moved to the window. "I thought you guys would know who the hell they were."

"Mystique is our mother. If you can call what she fucking did mothering." Moonlight turned from the window. "The others are her 'precious' fucking students."

"She was there to finish Ani off if Bellatrix failed." Veronica moved to the door. "I'll be by later, Kurt, to help with today's lesson for the sixth years."

"That'll be fine. Moonlight's got the classes today so I can deal with everything." Kurt moved toward the door to his office. "See you later." He stopped at the top of the stairs. "I certainly hope you got all your anger out."

"I doubt it. I seem to need a bit more steam." Veronica slammed the door open. "I'll be seeing you." She swept from the room.

Veronica ignored the tears racing down her cheeks as she hurried down the stairs and out into the gently falling rain. She raced toward the forest never looking back at the castle. Moonlight watched her from the window far above until Veronica had moved out of sight.