The Forgotten Song

The Forgotten Song
By Ceinwen Langley

Chapter Five:
Of Wolf and Elf

Remus Lupin had always been a bit of a loner. Even while he was at Hogwarts he'd been somewhat separate from the other boys. He had loved his friends, there was no doubt about that. It was just that he also needed frequent time to himself. Time to think, time to study. And lately, as well as the occasional errand for the Order, he also tried to make time to find a job. Unfortunately, Nobody wanted a Werewolf working for them, and those who didn't have a problem with what he was we barred from employing him by a bit of Anti-Werewolf Legislation that Dolores Umbridge had drafted a few years earlier. Remus was not a man who held grudges, but he made sure to curse the woman inwardly at least twice every day.

Remus' house was a modest affair. It had a bedroom, a kitchen, a sitting room and a bathroom; second hand furniture which was clawed around the edges, an ancient television, and a kitchen that hadn't changed in appearance since the seventies. In his opinion, the only things of any worth in the place were his photos. A group shot of the Marauders which hung in the kitchen, a photo of a beaming Kera and Lily in the lounge, and another photo of Kera beside his bed. He often fell asleep looking at that photo. Taken with a Muggle camera, she stared off somewhere into the distance, and her face was calm and unsmiling. Picking up the picture, he realised that he was almost jealous of her. She was currently off at Hogwarts, doing the one job he'd ever truly enjoyed.

Remus was distracted from his thoughts as a sharp tap came from his window. He pulled back the curtains and opened the window for the brown barn owl and removed the envelope from its leg. He carried the bird inside to the kitchen and poured some water for it, then broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out the letter. Remus looked at it, bemused. It was blank. He took it into the lounge room, taking his wand from where it lay on the tidy coffee table and tapped the paper once. "Appareo," he muttered, and black spidery writing emerged on the page.

Remus,

The Shadow Elves have joined with Voldemort's forces. I need you to go to the Night Elves to persuade them to our cause. I'd go myself, but I'm being kept busy here. Take Tonks with you and go to Snowdonia National Park. Go to the entrance of the forest near Gyrngôch and find a tree with a face. Knock on it three times, pause, knock twice, pause again, then another three times. An Elf will appear; ask for Prince Mikau. Under no circumstances are you to tell Queen Tiana or Prince Evan why you are there. Get Mikau onside first, and let him handle his mother and brother. This is important, Remus. The War is close.

Dumbledore.

PS. You can also trust Mikau's youngest sister, Elewyn, and if need be, tell her why you're there. However, Mikau has more sway with the Queen.

PPS. The Elves happen to be very attached to their possessions. Don't let Tonks break anything.

Remus re-read the letter, memorising the details, then set fire to it with the tip of his wand and threw it in the fireplace. He grabbed another sheet of paper and scrawled a quick note to Kera, then attached it to the leg of the owl. He did not mention where he was going, sure that Dumbledore would tell her if she needed to know.

Remus quickly gathered some of his possessions together - his flask of Wolfsbane Potion, his wand, and his wallet - and crossed to the fireplace, where the letter lay smouldering between the logs. He threw in a handful of Floo Powder.

"Twelve Grimmauld Place," he said clearly, before hurling himself into the green flames.

***

"Moony, back so soon?" the portrait James asked from the portrait. Remus smiled slightly at it, noticing that only James and himself could be seen upon the canvas.

"Is Tonks here?" he addressed his question to the painted version of himself. He was in a bit of a hurry, and James always preferred extended conversations.

"She and Kingsley arrived about an hour ago," Portrait Lupin replied. "I don't think they've left yet."

"Talking to yourself," James shook his head with a wry grin. "First sign of insanity."

Remus raised his eyebrow at him with a grin and nodded thanks to... himself. "Tonks?" he called, striding from the room.

"In here," a deep male voice called back from the kitchen. Remus walked through the door to find Kingsley standing at the kitchen counter, and Tonks at the table, her mouth stuffed full with a chocolate bar. Remus noted that both her hair and her eyes had turned green, making her look like some kind of forest nymph.

"You're living up to your name today, Nymphadora," he said to her wryly, shaking Kingsley's hand in greeting.

She rolled her eyes at him and then screwed up her face, changing her hair to a wild flaming orange and her eyes a gleaming yellow. She swallowed several times, clearing her mouth of the chocolate. "Better?" she asked, ruffling her hair.

"I never actually said the green was bad," Remus took a seat at the table. "But now you look like a fire fairy."

"Minus the wings," Kingsley pointed out, running his hand over his bald head.

Tonks giggled and turned to look at him, accidentally knocking a glass of orange juice to the floor. The juice splattered as the glass crashed in a merry tinkle. "Oh, whoops! I'm sorry!"

Lupin and Kingsley exchanged an amused glance. They'd both worked with Tonks long enough to know how clumsy she was.

"Reparo," Remus negligently flicked his wand. The glass pellets quickly joined together, like it was breaking but in reverse.

"Evanesco," Kingsley pointed his wand at the orange mess on the floor. It promptly disappeared.

Tonks blushed, he red face and her flaming hair making her look like a live match.

"So I assume you got Dumbledore's letter?" Kingsley asked Remus.

"Yes. Me, Tonks, Wales, Elves. Accio Lemonade." A bottle of lemonade zoomed into his hand from inside the fridge. "What did yours say?"

"Me, Remus, Wales, Elves," Tonks said cheekily. "We're going to Snowdonia NP, talk to Prince Mikau, be nice, and pretend to be a light eyed blonde."

"Dumbledore said that the more extreme Elves wont trust her if she looks like one of the Shadows," Kingsley spoke up. "You're all light featured anyway, but Tonks is naturally dark."

"Really?" Remus looked at her curiously. "I don't think I've ever seen the real you."

"Think this face, olive skin, black hair and brown eyes," she shrugged. "I think me Gran was Spanish or something.

"So why are you involved in this?" Remus asked Kingsley. "Dumbledore didn't mention you."

"He said I was supposed to travel with both of you to Snowdonia. More for a cover up than anything. We told Fudge about the Shadows playing up and so he's sending us to look into it. Dumbledore doesn't want him knowing too much about the current state of the war in case he goes into denial again."

"Arthur thinks Fudge is headed for a mental breakdown," Tonks sighed. "He actually starts shaking whenever You-Know-Who gets mentioned, then he goes into his office for hours on end. Wont come out, wont see anybody. The state of the Ministry building is finally under control after the fight in July, but the higher-ups are coming apart. Fudge, Umbridge, they're all losing it."

"That Umbridge woman deserves everything she gets," Remus muttered darkly. "If I ever bite anybody on Full Moon, I hope it's her. Then we'll see how she likes her Anti-Werewolf legislation."

"Lupin's bad thought for the day," Tonks announced. "Such a nice guy that he only gets one."

Remus smiled wryly at her. "So when do we leave? And how do we get there?"

"I was thinking the train," Tonks suggested. "Muggle, inconspicuous..."

"And also very slow," Kingsley pointed out. "Dumbledore said it was important."

"Well we can't fly our brooms all the way to Gwynedd," Remus leaned back in his seat. "It'd take all night and we'd probably be spotted."

"What about the Knight Bus?" Kingsley asked.

"Oh, I hate that thing," Tonks shuddered. "It makes my stomach go crazy."

"It's probably our best bet," Remus nodded. "We'd be there in a few hours and nobody would know, unless a Death Eater happened to be on there at the same time.

"I guess so," Tonks gave in. "But my stomach just told me that it hates you."

Kingsley suddenly looked to the window. "Did you hear that?"

"Nope," Tonks shook her head. "My stomach was talking too loud."

"Owl," Kingsley said, letting it in. He removed a small roll of parchment. "For Lupin." He tossed Remus the roll. He untied the red ribbon and unrolled it. The letter was brief.

Good luck. Don't run off with any Elf girls. I love you, I miss you, come back to me soon.

"Dumbledore?" Tonks asked curiously.

"The missus," Kingsley grinned. He knew Kera well. They'd gone to Auror college together along with Sirius.

"She's not exactly my missus," Remus rolled the paper back up and put it in his pocket.

"Why haven't you asked her to marry you yet?" Tonks asked. "You've been together for ages."

"We are engaged," Remus said absently.

"What? When did you ask her?"

"Seventeen years ago," he said softly. "When the war ended, we were going to get married. But then the Matron of honour and the groomsman died, and the best man was sent to Azkaban. The whole plan kind of went into a stasis after that." He looked up at them. "I'd better go book some seats on the bus."

***

They were the only people on the Knight Bus. The pimpled young man up the front with the driver had attempted to talk to them, but one smooth glare from Kingsley had sent him running. Remus looked at his friend with a wry grin. He wasn't so formidable when he was asleep. Big, black and well muscled with a gold loop in one ear, while quite intimidating in the waking world, was outbalanced by his loud snoring and thumb hovering close to his mouth. Remus was quite sure that, ordinarily, the thumb would be being sucked. Perhaps on a subconscious level, Kingsley knew he was with company.

"Looks like a big baby, doesn't he?" Tonks asked, reading his mind. Her skin was now a rich, summer gold, and her hair fell below her waist in a long golden curtain. Her sky-blue eyes regarded her friend fondly. "I don't know whether I want to give him a teddy bear or a hug."

"I'm quite sure he'd be happier with the latter option," Remus smiled. "How's your stomach feeling?"

"It hates you now more than ever," she made a face. "In fact, I'm quite likely to throw up if I don't take my mind off all these jolts."

"And how do we distract you?" he asked. He'd always been rather fond of Tonks. She was like a little sister; he always wanted to keep that cute little smile on her face.

"Tell me how you and Kera got together," she said eagerly. "I love romantic stories."

"Who says it's going to be romantic?" he asked with a laugh. "A Werewolf and a Vampire? Sounds more like a bloodbath if you ask me."

"I don't care," she said stubbornly. "Tell me. From when you met up till you fell in love with her."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I guess it would pass the time. And get my mind off Kingsley's snoring."

Kingsley snored even louder, as if he had heard.

Tonks grinned and cupped her chin with her hands, resting her elbows on the table in front of them, giving Remus her full attention.

"God, I'm not that interesting," he laughed at her. "Alright, where do I start this? The first time I saw Kera was on the train when we were going to Hogwarts. I was shy, so I pretty much kept my eyes on the floor. Of course, not looking up, I crashed into somebody. I think I apologised about fifty times before I even saw who it was. She was sitting on the ground, leaning back on her hands and arching an eyebrow at me. As soon as I saw her I knew what she was. It was like an instinctive thing. And from the look she gave me, I knew that she knew what I was. I didn't really understand it at the time, but I've since found out that Dark Creatures can identify each other."

"So what happened?" Tonks asked eagerly. "You helped her up and you both went into a cabin and talked the whole way? I bet you were in love even before you got to Hogwarts!"

Remus chuckled. "Well, you're right about one thing. I did help her up. She held out her hand expectantly until I did. Then she just smiled at me, said 'Thanks, Wolfy,' and walked away into a cabin. I was staring after her when I first met James. When we worked out that we were both first years, he decided that it was only logical to sit together. We found the closest cabin, and met Peter, who was cowering in a corner by himself."

"What about Sirius?" Tonks asked. "He barged in later. I'll never forget it. This handsome kid with wild black hair just opened the door of the cabin, leant against the frame and said 'I hope you lot aren't as bad as the rest of the tossers I've met so far, 'cos if you are, I'm in for a bad seven years.' James just looked him up and down. 'I don't want to be rude or anything,' he says, 'but isn't it a bit hypocritical to be calling other people tossers when you seem like a pretty big one yourself?' I just sat there quiet, expecting a fight, but Sirius just laughed and sat down with us. We were never apart after that." He stared out of the window for a moment and looked at the green hills rolling past. "Anyway," he shook himself. "Back to the Kera thing. Next time I saw her was at the Sorting. James, Sirius, Peter and I were all Sorted into Gryffindor, but she was put in Slytherin, so I never really saw her much that year, except for a few classes and around the place at breaks. Sirius really had something against her. Always calling her names. Mind you, she gave as good as she got. Things became even more heated when he realised that she was always hanging around with Lily Evans. Apparently they'd sat together on the train as well. I've always thought that the people you sit with on the way to Hogwarts are the people you'll end up being friends with."

"That was the same with me," Tonks nodded. "My best friend and my Hogwarts sweetheart both sat with me. Weird how that works out, isn't it? So what happened with Kera and Sirius?"

"They hated each other until third year, when they had to share a detention in Transfiguration. They came out best friends and a week later they were the schools hottest new couple. She came to hang out with us quite often, sometimes bringing Lily with her. Lily and I got along quite well, and I knew that James was in love with her, but she couldn't stand him. Wouldn't go near him. I don't know if Kera and Sirius were ever that serious. I'd see them off together sometimes, sneaking off to the Lake at night, but whenever she came to visit us she'd always end up with me or Peter. After a while, she started coming to visit me when she saw me studying by myself underneath a tree or something like that, and we started talking. I remember one conversation we had. She asked me if I remembered that day on the train. She said that she knew straight away what I was. We'd never talked about what we were until then. And that was the same year that James realised what I was and told the others."

"So where's the falling in love part?" Tonks asked. "She's with Sirius, and you're becoming friends. Did you like her yet?"

"I liked her as a friend. But every time we spoke I liked her even more. I guess I'd fallen for her, but she was still with Sirius. I didn't know exactly how he felt about her. He never talked about her to me, and I don't think he even told James about it."

Tonks sighed. "Did anything significant happen between the point you're at and the point you got together?"

Lupin thought hard. "No."

"Great. Skip to that part."

Lupin grinned. "It was a few days after Full Moon, and I was still feeling a little sick. At times like that I used to go walking in the grounds. It was late at night, and I assumed everybody would be asleep, but I still took care not to be seen. James knew I liked to go for walks and he used to lend me his invisibility cloak, so I put it on and left the castle. I always ended up at the tree beside the lake, but that night I found that somebody was already there."

"Kera," Tonks grinned.

"She was sitting right beside the lake, running her hands through the water. It was a warm night, so she wasn't wearing a lot. I can't remember exactly what she was wearing, but I remember that her shoulders were bare, and she was almost glowing in the moonlight. You know how pale she is. Anyway, I took off the cloak and asked her what she was doing. I didn't even surprise her. I guess she'd known I was coming. Heard me or something. She told me that she was just thinking. I offered to leave, but she said that since I was there, I may as well sit with her. So I did, and we talked for hours and hours. Until the sun came up, and as it was rising, she kissed me." He laughed. "I was pretty surprised, but it didn't really stop me kissing her back. We stayed there for another hour before we decided that we should go back. I put my cloak back on and she cast a disillusionment charm on herself, then flew up to her room. Meanwhile I'd suddenly remembered that she was my best friends girlfriend and that I was probably going to be murdered. But I didn't even have to say anything when I got back to the room. I walked in just as they were waking up. Sirius took one look at me, said 'It's about bloody time,' and went back to sleep."

Tonks laughed. "So he didn't mind?"

"Nah. Said he'd known for ages. He just expected us to do it sooner. Called me a rotten friend, but he was mostly joking. He and Kera were always good friends after that anyway."

"And you two are still together," Tonks smiled. "That's really sweet." She looked around, and then looked at him in a conspiratorial whisper: "And when did you do it?"

Remus cracked up laughing. It was the last thing you'd have expected her to ask.

"What?" she asked with a giggle. "Was it before you left school or after?"

Remus only smiled, glancing at Kingsley, who was beginning to stir.

"C'mon, before he wakes up!" she wheedled.

"Before," he gave in.

Tonks gasped. "Where? When?"

"Sixth year, in the prefects bathroom. And that is all you're getting from me," he said with a laugh.

Tonks giggled. "I'm suddenly regretting the time I snuck in there."

"What's so funny?" Kingsley asked sleepily.

"We're discussing the more interesting side of Remus' carnal activities," she said matter-of-factly.

Kingsley looked at them both, shook his head, and went back to sleep.

***

"'Ere we are," the pimpled youth announced, looking somewhat sullenly at Kingsley. "Gyrngôch."

"Thank you," Remus said sincerely, pressing several Galleons into his hands. "I appreciate it."

Without another word, he, Tonks and Kingsley left the bus and stepped into the cool night air of Gwynedd.

"What a cute town," Tonks pointed out the twinkling lights of a nearby village. "Gyrngôch, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, are we all staying here tonight, or are you two going now?" Kingsley asked.

"We'd have better luck finding a tree with a face in the daytime," Tonks said hopefully. "And there's less chance of Shadow attacks."

Lupin smiled at her. "What, you don't think we could handle it? Well, yes, you're right. But they call them Night Elves for a reason. They're nocturnal. They wont be happy if we knock on their door and wake them up."

"Really?" Tonks raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know that."

"They teach it at Auror College, he reproached her gently. "If you cared to listen."

"How'd you know that? You're not an Auror."

"No, but I taught there for a while."

"Why'd you stop?" she asked curiously.

"Umbridge," he said shortly, then turned to Kingsley. "We'll have to go tonight. Otherwise we'll have to wait until tomorrow night, which would be too much of a delay. Find an Inn. I'll send an Owl when we're finished."

"No problem," Kingsley shouldered the small pack he'd brought with him.

"Good luck." He shook Remus' hand and gave Tonks a tight hug. With a final wave, he turned for the village.

"C'mon, Lupin," Tonks said, forcing a bright note into her voice. "Let's go convert some Elves."

***

It took them an hour to reach the forest. The waxing moon was now high in the sky, and Remus worried at the time they were taking.

"How long until Full Moon?" Tonks asked, looking up.

"A week and a half," Remus said softly. "Not that I'm counting."

Tonks smiled at him, but then he lost sight of her face as they entered the darkness of the forest.

"Where was this tree supposed to be?" she asked out of the gloom.

"He just said the entrance," Remus shrugged. "And since we were following a walking trail, I assume this is where he meant."

"Well, looking in the dark can't be too helpful," she stated the obvious. "Lumos."

A golden glow emanated from the tip of her wand and Lupin did likewise. Holding their wands aloft, they split up and began the search.

"Is this it?" Tonks asked finally, her hand resting upon a gnarled tree.

"Where's the face?" Remus asked.

"Well... this ridge sort of looks like a monobrow, and these holes are eyes... if you squint a bit. This branch kind of looks like a nose, and this hole is definitely mouthish."

Lupin frowned and tilted his head. "I'm not seeing it."

"It's definitely a face," Tonks said, more confidently now. "And look, here are his ears."

"It just looks like a tree to me."

"You just need more imagination," she grinned, knocking on it three times. "I'll let you do the talking," she added, knocking again twice, pausing, then another three times. "I wonder how long it takes for something to happen."

"That is if you have the right tree," he pointed out. She rolled her eyes at him as they began to wait.

"Wrong tree," Remus said after several minutes. "I told you it wasn't a face." He spun around and crashed into a tall man with long red hair.

"Told you it was," Tonks said mildly from behind him.

Remus stared up at the man. Well, man was the wrong word. He was obviously an Elf.

"What is your business here?" it asked him softly.

"My name is Remus Lupin, and this is Nymphadora Tonks," Remus said. "We have an urgent need to speak with Prince Mikau."

"What urgent need can a Werewolf and a Witch have with the second son of the Queen?" the Elf asked sceptically. "Anything of importance would surely go to her majesty."

"It's personal," Remus hesitated. "We... need to see him."

The Elf's eyes looked him up and down. "I'm afraid his Highness is busy at the moment. Perhaps you could try again tomorrow night."

"What about Princess Elewyn?" Remus tried again. "What I have to say concerns her as well."

The Elf looked at him again, as if searching for something. "You are well versed in our royal family, Werewolf," he said finally. "Perhaps you are telling the truth. Very well. You may enter Eldeinar, but be warned that we are not fond of Wolves or Witches. Do not be surprised if your arrival is met with hostility."

"We'll bear that in mind," Tonks spoke up for the first time. The Elf glanced at her, then turned, motioning for them to follow him.

***

The Elf led them to a beautiful silver archway deep inside the forest.

"You may pass," he said.

"Isn't it a bit easy for people to get in?" Tonks asked.

"Only a Night Elf or someone with permission from a royal or a gatekeeper may pass," he said, his eyes narrowing.

Remus quickly nudged her to enter, then followed her hastily.

He gasped loudly at he sight beyond the arch. The trees were tall - the trunks seemed to go on for miles, and thick limbs branched out this way and that. Silver stairs led from the ground up through the trees, spiraling around and around. Great halls and rooms - even houses - could be seen built throughout the leaves and vines, and even inside the trunks themselves. Flowering plants wrapped around branches and grew up the sides of walls.

Because of the height of the trees, the night sky was blocked out, yet everything glowed with an ethereal blue light, and the sound of music floated through the air.

"Eldeinar," the Elf said softly. "Home of my people for many thousands of years." He sighed, then snapped out of his reverie. "Stay close to me. Don't stray, don't wander off."

"He's very good at giving synonyms, isn't he?" Tonks giggled to Remus as they began following him up one of the silver ladders.

Remus smiled. "He can hear you, you know."

The Elf led them up several hundred feet before he would let them get off the ladder, then took them through a narrow tunnel to the next tree. The tunnel had a solid wooden floor, which Remus assumed was a branch, and was bound over with ivy to make the roof and walls. It was lit by hundreds of tiny fireflies.

"Are we going any higher?" Tonks asked timidly.

"Princess Elewyn's chambers are on the highest level of the Great Tree," the Elf said. "You're in for quite a climb."

The Elf led them higher and higher into the Elven city, past brightly lit platforms filled with dancing and singing Elves. Most Elves they passed completely ignored them; others eyed them warily and some sneered outright. But no matter how they reacted, Remus couldn't help but notice how beautiful they all were, and yet, how alike they all seemed. Tall, with high cheekbones and long sleek hair. Their skin seemed uniformly pale, and their hair was either blonde, light brown or a gingery red. The halfway point of the Great Tree seemed to be the center of activity in the city. It was brightly lit, and packed with Elves moving around, and snatches of music and conversation could be heard from inside several buildings.

"Caleb!"

Remus' eyes flicked to the side, distracted by the loud call.

"Caleb! Hey!"

He looked to the Elf leading them, but he didn't react to the call. An Elf ran up to their guide. He had the sort of open, friendly face that you can't help but like instantly. The Elf grabbed their guide by the shoulder. "Caleb, you going deaf in your old age?"

Their guide looked at the newcomer warily. "I didn't see you, Dionan."

Dionan nodded to Remus and Tonks. "What're you doing?"

"They claim to have business with Princess Elewyn. I'm taking them to her chambers to see if she'll grant an audience."

Dionan raised one blonde eyebrow. "You're taking a Werewolf to see the Princess? You? On the highest point of the tree?"

Caleb folded his arms. "Yes. Got a problem with that?"

"I know your opinions, Caleb. I wouldn't be surprised if we find the Wolf on the forest floor tomorrow night, showing all the symptoms of a very big fall. I'll take them from here."

"It's my job, Dionan," Caleb said through a clenched jaw.

"No, your job is to guard the gate and watch out for visitors. You've let them in, and now I'll take them to the Princess."

"I won't forget this, Dionan," Caleb threatened.

"Great. Add it to your 'Why I Want to Kill Dionan Darione' list and get over it." He gave him an insulting smile and motioned for Remus and Tonks to follow him.

"You two don't seem to get along," Remus said after a few moments.

Dionan turned to grin at him. "Caleb's a bastard, pure and simple. He's hated me ever since I stole his girlfriend when we were seventeen."

"And how old are you now?" Tonks asked.

"Two hundred and one," he laughed, looking her up and down and obviously liking her blonde appearance.

"That's a long time to hold a grudge," Remus observed.

"Sure is, my good Wolf," he nodded. "Come on, we've still got a fair way to climb. Sometimes I wish that the Magic Weavers would put their spells to something more useful than growing flowers. Like inventing moving ladders or something."

After maybe fifteen minutes of climbing, they finally reached a wide balcony which wrapped itself around the tree trunk.

"Welcome to the highest point of the forest," Dionan announced. "Home to the royal family and the Princesses best friend."

"Who would that be?" Tonks asked.

"Me," Dionan said. "My room's on the other side of the trunk. Ellie's room's between Mikau's and her sisters." They began to walk around to the left.

"Is Prince Mikau here?" Remus asked.

Dionan shook his head. "No, he's down in the Hall speaking with his mother and brother. The Queen doesn't believe in informal meetings, even with her own family."

He nodded at a door framed with carven leaves. "That's his room there, and... this is Ellie's." They stopped outside a door with a star carved into it, and Dionan knocked on it. "Anybody home?"

"No," a rich female voice came from inside.

"In that case you won't mind if I come in and steal some things."

The door opened, and a green eyed beauty stood in the door. Her hair was long, curly and red and, unlike the other Elves who's hair was more of a ginger shade, hers was as bright and crimson as a rose. "Dee," she said with an amused smile on her lips. "You still haven't returned my hairbrush or my sword. You're not taking anything else until you bring them back."

"But I like the brush," he leant against the doorframe. "It makes my hair silky smooth."

"Fine," she laughed. "Keep it. But give my sword back."

"Later," he glanced over his shoulder. "You've got visitors."

She flicked her eyes over to them, noticing them for the first time. "What's a Werewolf want with me?"

Dionan shrugged. "Dunno. I saw Caleb bringing them up and decided I'd better rescue them. All he said was that they wanted to see you."

Elewyn raised her eyebrows, but opened the door wider, standing to the side. "I guess you'd better come in, then."

***

"My Mother will never agree," Elewyn shook her head.

"Why not?" Tonks asked. "What has she got against humans?"

"Inferior," the Princess shrugged. "Deceptive, violent, short, take your pick."

"Short?"

"Nothing personal," Dionan grinned. "But your stature offends her Majesty."

"But we need you," Remus said. "If the Shadow's had of stayed out of it, we wouldn't have come, but we haven't got a hope of fighting off the army Voldemort is massing if it includes a couple hundred Shadow Elves."

"Three thousand," Dionan corrected.

"What?" Tonks asked, paling.

"The Shadow Elves have a ready military force of three thousand, not a couple hundred. Give them time and they'll be able to provide another five hundred or so Elves who are willing to fight."

"Okay," Remus said slowly. "We have no where near the force to fight off three thousand five hundred Shadow Elves."

"You don't need to convince me," Elewyn reassured him. "I agree with you. And were it up to me, yes, I probably would lend you our forces. But it isn't up to me, it's up to my Mother, and she's a stingy old bat. She'll never help you. The only hope you've got - and it's a slight one - is to convince her that the only chance we have of wiping the Shadow's out is to join this war."

"Could we try that then?"

"You couldn't," Elewyn shook her head. "She won't listen to a Werewolf, and she definitely wont listen to a human. Your best bet would to be to get Mikau to talk to her. She doesn't listen to him as much as she does Evan, but he's more likely to want to help you." The Princess sighed and shook out her long red curls. She stood and drew the curtains back from a bay window Lupin hadn't noticed before. The sky outside had a pinkish glow, and Remus realised that he was tired.

Elewyn's emerald green eyes looked at him. "You'll have to stay here today. I'll deal with Mikau. Go to sleep if you want. Dee'll stay here and look after you."

"I will?" her friend asked.

"Yeah, Dee, you will," she grinned, then waved to Remus and Tonks, leaving the room with a swish of her skirts.

Remus noticed Tonks already making for the huge, canopied bed and he began looking for a spot to sleep as well.

"The bed's free, Remus," Dionan nodded to it. "A little girl like her can't take up the whole thing."

"Yeah, Lupin," Tonks muttered, already half asleep. "I don't think Kera'll mind."

"Who's Kera then?" Dionan asked, his grey eyes filling with curiosity. "Pretty little human girl who doesn't know your deep dark secret?"

"Pretty little Vampire who's known my secret ever since I was eleven," Lupin answered wryly, climbing onto the bed beside Tonks, who was now fast asleep. "I think you've been reading too many trashy Witch Weekly novels."

"I get sick of reading Elvish high fantasy," Dionan shrugged. "Ellie has them smuggled in and I steal them."

Remus laughed, then gave into the sleep which had been threatening to take him for the last couple of hours.

*** "You've been keeping a what your room?"

"Evan, settle down!"

"They bite people, Elewyn! Dammit, do you want to become a Were-Elf?"

"Oh, there's no such thing! Stop being such an idiot."

"Wait until I tell Mother. She'll be furious! I really wish you and Mikau would stop being so damn irresponsible!"

Remus sat up as the door banged open, his golden eyes squinting in the dying light. Tonks was stirring, and Dionan was on his feet. A tall Elf with shoulder length light brown hair stormed into the room, his pale cheeks flushed and his blue eyes raging.

"Irresponsible?" Elewyn yelled, two steps behind him. "Do you ever listen to yourself, Evan? You sound like one of those bastard advisors we used to throw rocks at when I was little!"

"I was younger then, El!"

"So? You were still four hundred, and don't tell me that's practically infantile!"

Prince Evan snapped his gaze on Lupin. "This is it?"

"You know damn well he is," Elewyn folded her arms. "And if you touch him I will ram my sword down your throat."

"If that's the plan I should probably get it for you," Dionan suggested helpfully, but only receiving a death glare for his efforts.

"Elewyn, I cannot permit you to have a Werewolf in the city!"

"He is here on business, Evan, and it's damn important! And you can't stop me from doing anything."

"I'm next in line to the throne, Elewyn!" he raged.

"Yes, when Mother dies, and she's such a stubborn old cow that I wouldn't count on her dropping dead in the next thousand years!"

"Don't speak about mother like that!" "Oh, come of it, Evan, she's staying alive out of pure spite! Goddess knows I wish that she'd keel over! Why couldn't she die of a broken heart like all the rest of them when father died? I thought we Elves were like love birds! But no, she has to go ahead and live."

"And I thought my family was dysfunctional," Remus muttered to Tonks, who was watching the display wide eyed.

"Don't make smart comments about me," Evan glared at him. "What's this business you have? Spit it out, so that I can skin you all the quicker."

Elewyn rolled her eyes. "There will be no skinning, Evan, and his business doesn't concern you. It concerns Mother. Now if you'll stop holding us up, that's where I'm supposed to be taking them."

"Mother would tell me if there was a meeting," her brother said through a clenched jaw.

"Not if it didn't involve you," she said, glaring back at him. "Now get out of my room and cry to Caleera. Maybe she'll care, since that wonder child is being left out as well."

Evan glared at her for a moment longer, then turned and left the room. They heard him knocking on the door to the left of Elewyn's room, then some more shouting, which faded away when the door closed.

"First time he's ever taken my advice," Elewyn said mildly, calm now that he had gone.

"Who's Caleera?" Tonks asked timidly.

"My older sister. The only Elf in Eldeinar with black hair, and the daughter who can do no wrong. Shall we go?"

Elewyn and Dionan led them back down into the center of the city. It seemed much the same as the previous night, all bright lights and music. They took a path through the center of the bustle, and ended up standing before two huge carven doors.

"This is the Great Hall in the exact center of the Great Tree," Elewyn said with a sigh. "Coincidentally, also where my mother, Great Queen Tiana spends most of her time."

"Notice the similarities of the names," Dionan piped up. "It shows our creative side."

Elewyn smiled at him, then pushed the doors open.

The Great Hall was a huge, circular room, and Lupin guessed that it was as wide and as round as the trunk of the Great Tree. There were tall stands with wooden seats around two sides of the wall, curved to fit into the room. At the end opposite the door, at the end of a long red carpet was a wooden throne, carved into a wave with an eagle riding it's crest. In the chair sat a woman who was equal to none in her beauty. Her hair was long and straight, as red as Elewyn's. Her skin was fair, but not sickly, and her eyes were a deep, sparkling blue - the same as Evan's would have been, Lupin supposed, if he was seen in a somewhat calmer mood. She wore a long blue dress of a material that seemed to dance over her skin, and a dainty golden crown rested on her head. She was perfect, and yet, even from this distance, Remus sensed a coldness. She seemed to be a statue, rather than a living creature.

"My mother," Elewyn muttered.

"Stay calm," Dionan said softly to her. "Whatever you do, don't yell."

"Easy for you to say."

As the small group approached the throne, Remus realised that someone else was standing beside the Queen. It was Evan, leaning nonchalantly on the throne and grinning at the advancing party.

"Mikau, kindly do not lean on my throne," Queen Tiana said in a cool, level voice.

"Sorry, mother dearest," he stood up straight. Remus raised his eyebrows. Nobody had mentioned that the princes were twins. And identical ones at that.

Prince Mikau jumped down from the throne, extending his hand to Remus.

"You must be Mr Lupin," he said smoothly as they shook hands. Remus noticed then the one single difference in Mikau and Evan's appearance. Evan's eyes were as deep a blue as his mothers, whereas Mikau's were as bright green as his sisters.

"Call me Remus," he smiled.

"And this must be Nymphadora," Mikau moved along, lightly kissing Tonks' hand.

"Call me Tonks," she grinned. Mikau winked at her and turned to his sister.

"Evan wasn't too put out, I hope?"

"Positively outraged," she smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "My heart glowed at the sight of it."

"Don't gloat, Elewyn. It makes you that much more unbearable," her mother said from her throne, looking down on her with her hard blue eyes.

"I assure you, my Queen," Dionan grinned quickly, holding a restraining hand on his friends shoulder. "Her friends are that much more annoying."

"I don't doubt it. Let us commence this meeting quickly. I have no love of Werewolves nor of Witches."

Remus and Tonks looked at each other. Tonks shrugged and Remus knew that the talking job was up to him, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Mikau jumped in.

"Mother, Remus and Tonks have brought reports that the Shadow Elves has joined with Voldemort's forces."

"Wonderful," the Queen shrugged her slender shoulders. "We'll be rid of them for some time and many of their number will die."

Mikau and Elewyn looked at each other and sighed. "My Queen," Elewyn stepped forward. "They have come to beg our assistance."

"Out of the question," Tiana said bluntly.

"Your Majesty," she said again, her jaw clenching slightly. "Without our aid, Voldemort's army may very well kill or enslave half of the people in Britain."

"What happens to the people of Britain is not my concern, Elewyn," the Queen said. "My concern is what happens to the people of Eldeinar. I see no reason to join a cause which would lead to nothing but meaningless death."

"And what happens when Voldemort has taken over Britain and decides to aid his loyal allies by breaking through the barrier to Eldeinar? It's not that powerful a charm, and surely the most powerful Sorcerer in the world can overcome it!"

"That is irrelevant."

"It is not irrelevant! I thought you said that what happened to us was your concern? It will happen, your Majesty, if we don't stand with the humans and give them a chance!"

"We did not want to involve your people, Your Majesty," Remus said in the most respectful tone he could manage, "but when the Shadow Elves joined the Dark Lord we realised that we have no hope in this war without you."

"What is this war over?" the Queen asked. "I hear talk of war, but no reason."

"There's no proper reason, Your Majesty," Tonks spoke up. "'Cept that the Dark Lord's a nutter. He wants to rule the magic world, and kill as many Muggles and Muggle born magic folk as he can. Have you ever read those books where there's an insane evil guy who just wants to spread darkness over the world? Well You-Know-Who is one of them. And without your help, he might just succeed where none of the others did."

The Queen looked at Tonks for a long time, and nobody dared break the silence.

"Mikau," she said at last.

"Yes, mother?" he asked, darting a quick look at Tonks and giving her a slight smile. Remus saw her cheeks flush and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You lead our Army... how many do we have at present?"

"Twenty-five hundred on call, another two hundred in our spy net which I can have back here in a week, and roughly a thousand in our Irish colony."

"And if we were to gather any others able to bear arms and who were willing to fight?"

Mikau looked to Dionan and shrugged.

"I'd put it at between seven and nine hundred, my Queen," he said, scratching his chin. "Many of the younger Elves are highly skilled with the bow and I've even seen a couple of them giving Ellie a run for her money with the sword. Then you've got those slightly advanced in years who left the Army for lack of actions. You've got a good force behind you, my Queen."

Tiana nodded slowly, and Remus felt the hope rising inside him.

At that moment the door burst open and yet another beautiful woman stormed in.

Remus saw the likeness to Elewyn and Tiana immediately. Her hair was thick, curly and raven black, and her eyes were the same blue he'd seen twice that night already. Her facial features and build were so much alike to Elewyn and Tiana that there could be no question of their relation.

"Mother!" she cried, storming up the long red carpet. Her blue skirts swished angrily around her feet. "I must insist that you stop this!"

"Insist?" Tiana asked mildly.

"You cannot order a war, Mother! I won't allow it!"

"Caleera, you-" Elewyn began, but she was silenced by her mother.

"The war goes on without my command," Tiana said, in a complete about face.

Elewyn stared at her, gob-smacked, while Mikau just smiled. "It would be folly not to help our neighbours. Perhaps we have stayed aloof too long."

Caleera stared at her, astonished, then looked to her sister. "You put her up to this! I can't believe you'd do this, Ellie! You know Elijah's in the Army! I can't let you go ahead with this! Evan's against it, I'm against it!"

Elewyn just shrugged. "How can I put her up to something when she wont even admit that I'm her daughter?" she asked plainly. "And it isn't a democracy. Family votes don't count."

"Elijah knew what it meant to become a warrior, Cally," Mikau said, folding his arms.

"We will join with the humans in their war effort," Tiana said. "End of story. Mikau, you command the warriors, I'll leave the details up to you. Mr Lupin and Miss Tonks, you will return to your leader with two of our number. They will confer with your leader, and communicate with those of us here in Eldeinar."

"And who will they be?" Elewyn asked.

"You," Tiana said, looking her in the eyes. "And Mr Darione. My best swordsman and my best bowman. Don't let me down."

Elewyn was speechless, but only for a moment. "Yes, my Queen. Dionan and I will be ready within the hour, and will contact you as soon as we reach..." she faltered and looked at Tonks. "Where exactly are we going?"

"London."

Remus shook his head. "No, we're going to Hogwarts. I doubt we could disguise two Elves in the middle of London. We'll be in England. The Princess can give you an exact location when we're there."

Tiana nodded, and Elewyn and Dionan made to leave the hall.

"What do you think you're getting at?" Remus heard Caleera hiss to her sister as she passed. "We don't get involved in outside affairs, this isn't how we work!"

Elewyn looked at her with disgust, as if she were a rotting piece of garbage. "Grow up, Caleera."

Remus looked at Tonks, who had her eyebrows raised. She looked at him and smiled. "I think we did it," she whispered.

Remus grinned and they gave each other a quick hug. "I think we did."