Fearn't Ever Further

.~*~.Fearn't Ever Further.~*~.

Chapter Six

Hogwarts, We Have a Problem

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This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

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"Remus!" Sirius called out almost before he had managed to step out of the fireplace. "Remus, we have a problem -- a serious problem." He was waving a stack of parchments in his hand.

"What is it?" asked Remus, puzzled. He abandoned his own documents for a while in favour of looking at his obviously distressed best friend. "You're supposed to be at work at this time, so I guess this is official business. So, what is the problem?" They were now both in his study at the Malfoy Manor, where he was doing his paper work. There wasn't much, as most issues were dealt with by the lower alphas, but there still were some things he had to take care of, especially with the new werewolf centre. If Sirius was coming to him to talk about work and not about the werewolf centre, it always meant some serious trouble, usually a werewolf going wild on a full moon or something to that extent. It went without saying that this wasn't too usual. Therefore, Remus had every reason to be curious as well as worried.

"This is the problem," replied the Grim Animagus, dropping the parchments to the werewolf's desk. "Look at these reports. They all came to my desk this morning. Attacks to ingredients stocks, robberies at apotecharies, purposeful damage at Wizarding pharmacist's stores. Even the laboratories and stock rooms at the Potions Master's Guild's Headquarters have been targeted!"

"Well, now I don't understand," Remus confessed. "What on Earth are these reports doing on your desk? Don't these belong to the Aurors' field, or at least the Potions Master's? Probably somebody's made a mistake between you and Severus. But then why are you showing these to me?"

"Read these raports, and you'll understand," Sirius said darkly. "Everywhere that crimes have been committed it is always the same thing. Most of the stocks have been left untouched. However, the same ingredient has always been stolen or destroyed." After a momentary pause, he finished, "The Wolfsbane."

"What?!" Now, Remus started to quickly skim through the reports. With each new paragraph his eyebrows furrowed even more. At last, he sighed deep. "Now, this is indeed serious," he muttered. "The Potions Masters assigned with the task of brewing the Wolfsbane Potion haven't begun their work yet for this month; it's very improbable that they have already got the ingredients. How many stocks were targeted altogether?" he then asked, glancing up at his friend. "Do you have any figures?"

"Ninety-five percents," Sirius told him even more grimly than before. "Even more so, if more raports appear. I've already arranged for Aurors to guard the rest of the stocks, but even now the damage is disastrous. It'll be a miracle if we manage to get over this full moon."

As Remus heard the number, he paled drastically. "Oh, shit," he muttered. "This is bad. Five percents of the stocks left, if even that -- we'll truly be lucky to get enough doses done."

"We're even more lucky that the new version only has to be taken the day before the full moon," the darkhaired man commented. "Before Severus developed the potion further, it had to be taken every day for a week -- like you know better than well. That would be downright impossible."

"Yeah." Remus sighed, running a hand through his hair. A strand of hair stuck at the jewel on his left earlobe and he tugged at it impatiently, wincing a bit as it came free. He then set the parchments down on his desk, waving his wand to create a copy of each of them on a separate pile. "We'll have to call an emergency meeting to discuss this situation. Unless we get this somehow figured out, we're doomed."

"Damn right," muttered Sirius. "I will go contact Severus immediately; regardless of his department, he's officially the one in charge of Wolfsbane Potion issues, being the inventor of it. Then I'll get to the Ministry Inner Message Centre to collect everybody. Get in touch with the werewolf representatives immediately; I'll let you know once we've managed to set the time for the meeting."

Remus nodded and watched as Sirius collected his own part of the parchments, then quickly disappeared through the Floo. Then he sighed and reached for his cell phone to send a message for Lucius. It seemed that their plans for the next few days had been changed rather dramatically.

*

"Well, isn't this difficult," muttered Lucius, glancing around at his family. The "family" now included not only Malfoys but the Potters and Blacks as well as they all had collected around a dinner table to discuss the current issue. Well, Remus, Sirius, and occasionally Severus were doing most of the discussing. Both Harry and Draco seemed only vaguely aware of the details of the problem, Olivia was merely listening closely, and Lucius himself had very little to say. "At least we aren't still using the original version."

"Yeah, that's fortunate," Sirius replied with a small sigh. "The first version of Wolfsbane Potion was most certainly not as effective as it could have. This is not to say that there'd been anything wrong with it," he added with a wary glance at his husband. "It was a brilliant achievement; everybody knows that. However, it was done in quite a haste, or so I've come to understand. You were in hurry to get it ready before Remus had to start teaching at Hogwarts, right, Severus? And you did make it more effective later."

"Correct," Lucius said dryly. "From a week to a day is usually considered a worthwhile development in the administration time of the potion. Especially since missing one day of that week would have made it uneffective, whereas nowadays a single dose is enough to control the wolf."

"So the Wolfsbane stocks in Britain have been destroyed, right?" asked Harry. After receiving a positive answer, he asked, "Well, why don't you simply get more from abroad? Surely it can't be that hard."

"Oh, yes," said Severus with a sarcastic tone. "That's it, Harry. Nobody else has even thought about that; fortunately we have you so that everything can be saved." He then sighed. "Wolfsbane, as a raw ingredient, is very sensitive to any kind of magic," he explained. "If it is Flooed it will lose most of its magical potential. It'd be ineffective at best and dangerous at worst if used after magical transportation. We have already ordered large amounts of Wolfsbane to restock, but as Muggle transportation is the only thing that can be used, it is absolutely impossible to get enough Wolfsbane here before the full moon."

"So, when are you holding this meeting?" asked Olivia curiously. "It was tomorrow, wasn't it?"

"Quite correct," sighed Remus. "We have contacted about everybody who might have anything to do with this issue. With some luck we'll be able to figure out a solution to this."

"And what about if you aren't?" asked Draco. He gave his stepfather a questioning glance.

Now, Remus smiled darkly. "Cells," he replied. "Lots of holding cells, chains, and silver linings... Or, alternatively, many times as many werewolf casualties and infections as in the last five years altogether."

To that, nobody found anything to say.

*

"...Remus Malfoy, the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff, and Sirius Black, the leader of the Werewolf Department of the Ministry of Magic, have contacted various Ministry officials in order to discuss the situation. These officials include Jane Ferguson, the leader of the Health and Wellfare Department, Mike Wassyer, the alpha male of United Kingdom, Louisa Brown from the Department of Public Safety, Severus Black, the Lead Potions Master..."

Severus switched off the magical radio. "I think that was quite enough," he said in his usual dry manner. "We already know who are present. We don't need them listing us." The people around the table nodded. Then they all locked their eyes at the two men at the end of the table, waiting for either of them to start.

"So, we have now a problem," Sirius said. "We're almost completely out of Wolfsbane. We can get more from abroad, but not before the next full moon. This leaves us with a whole lot of werewolves lacking their potions, which they have full legal rights for. And if we can't get them the proper doses, and the wolves do something - it's all our responsibility."

"What can we do, then?" Jane Ferguson, a tall, red-haired witch asked. "Can't Brewers and Potions Masters provide us with enough Wolfsbane? They do have private stocks of their own, after all."

"I'm afraid not," Sirius said grimly. "Severus?" he asked, turning towards his husband.

"Most Brewers and Potions Masters don't even stock Wolfsbane," the Lead Potions Master told them. "It is needed in only a few potions, and usually in very small amounts. Only those who are brewing it for the Ministry might have enough for more than one batch of the actual potion."

"But we need to collect as much as possible," Remus said firmly. He turned towards some lower officials, who straightened immediately, waiting for orders. There was no doubt about who was highest in the Ministry ranks around there. Even if there'd been any doubts, the threatening glow in Remus' golden eyes would have reminded everyone about the right side of the things. "You three, over there. You are from the Ministry's Inner Message Center, right?"

The three men nodded, looking slightly nervous.

Remus nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then he said, "Good. Contact everyone who has anything to do with brewery -- Brewers, Potions Masters, alchemists, everyone. Tell them to owl all their Wolfsbane, no matter how small an amount, to the Masters who are brewing the potion."

"Will happen," Severus promised, and nodded. "But I can't promise that we can get enough for all doses."

"We will try at least," Remus said grimly. "And if we don't manage... Well, we'll deal with it then." His eyes met those of Mike Wassyer over the table, amber locking with amber. The werewolves nodded at each other, grim expressions on their faces. To them, this was a personal attack, and not only because they required the potion themselves. Somebody was trying to do harm to the pack they were responsible of as alphas -- well, in Remus' case, to a part of his pack, but still. They wouldn't allow that to happen.

Not even if they had to accept personal harm in order to achieve their task.

*

"Did everything work out?" asked Remus from Severus. The two were now situated at the Potions Master's Guild Headquarters, the place where most of the Wolfsbane Potion doses were handed out. The Potions Masters brewing it usually gave the doses to the werewolves of their respective areas with the aid of some Ministry officials. However, some of the brewers preferred to do their work in the Guild's laboratories, and thus, the werewolves with no official brewer nearby Flooed there to get their doses. As this was the main place of handling the potions, they had decided to stay there to observe the mission.

"Like can be expected," the Potions Master replied, looking down at the parchment in his hands. "It looks like we had just enough doses -- there were none to spare, though. I trust you do have your own dose, don't you?" He glanced sharply at the smaller man, an eyebrow raised in question.

Remus nodded at that, putting his hand in his pocket. From there he drew a small bottle full of slightly glowing, silverish liquid. "As you can see, I have it right here," he said levelly.

"Very good," muttered Severus. "If Lucius found out that you've managed to miss your dose he'd kill me without second a thought." With a softer tone, he added, "That man truly does love you, Remus."

"I know it," replied the werewolf with an equally soft voice. "I'm incredibly lucky to have him."

Severus was just about to say something as they heard a witch's voice from the office outside. Both wizards fell silent, listening to the conversation going on in the next room. "For Merlin's sake, have mercy," the witch said, sounding desperate. "She's only four years old; you can't leave her without her dose!"

"I'm sorry, Madam, but we're completely out of Wolfsbane Potion," the official said with a sad tone. "This is of course unfortunate, but we can't do anything. I don't think that there's a single extra dose of the potion in the whole United Kingdom at the moment."

"But she's registered!" she pleaded, tears in her voice. "My daughter has every right to have her Wolfsbane Potion. You can't leave her without it! It's illegal!"

"Try to understand what I'm saying, Madam," the wizard sighed. "We know that your daughter is registered! We know that she has rights for Wolfsbane Potion! But this is an exception. There simply is no Wolfsbane, unless somebody gives you their own dose, which is highly improbable."

"What can I do, then?" she asked. "Lock her in the basement?"

"I'm afraid so," he replied. "Trust me, if there was even a single drop of the potion, I would give it to you. But there isn't. We gave out minimum doses, all the Potions Masters gave their own stocks of Wolfsbane, but it still wasn't enough. I'm really sorry, madam, but there are no options."

The witch didn't reply. Instead of that, there was the sound of somebody crying quietly.

Remus pushed the door open without a sound, and both he and Severus looked into the office behind it. They saw the sad-looking official behind her desk, and the woman who'd been talking with him and who was now crying helplessly. She was a petite, dark-haired witch, dressed in blue robes. Next to her stood a little girl, her hair equally dark and tied back with a red ribbon that was the same colour as her dress. As the woman's eyes were grey, however, the girl's eyes were a shining amber colour.

Remus glanced at Severus, who looked back. They looked at each other for a moment, then Severus slowly nodded, looking rather grim. Remus pushed the door wholly open, stepping into the next room.

The official looked at the incomer, and his eyes flew wide with surprise. The witch stopped crying for a moment, but her lips were trembling as she looked at the approaching man. The girl merely watched, her amber eyes searching for Remus' similar ones.

"Here," the older werewolf said softly, handing the bottle in his hand to the still sobbing witch. "Your daughter can have my dose of the Wolfsbane Potion."

"But - but then you'll be left without any," the witch stammered. "You can't give this to me."

Remus shook his head, smiling gently. "I had to suffer nineteen years of transformations before the Wolfsbane Potion was even invented," he told quietly. "I was lucky enough to be the first one to ever be given the potion, but I do remember all too well my transformations before it. If I only can prevent it, not a single child will have to experience a full moon without the aid of the potion anymore."

"I am grateful, then," she whispered, carefully taking the bottle and glancing down at it. "But I'm afraid that no amount of good intentions can change the world, not on this matter."

"We'll see," Remus said with a quiet, humourless chuckle. Inside his mind he knew that if anyone could ever turn the world into a slightest bit better place for the werewolves, he, with the aid of his friends, had a fairly good chance of accomplishing that.

"How can I ever repay you for this?" the witch asked then, desperately searching for her money bag to somehow compensate his loss. Remus, however, shook his head, raising a hand in refusal.

"You don't have to," he said. "The best you can do for me is to ensure that she gets the proper dose."

"Tell me at least your name," she demanded. "I don't want to owe this much to a complete stranger!"

"My name?" The brunet man raised an eyebrow. "I am Remus Malfoy, the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff."

Now, the witch opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't force a single word out of her mouth. She just stared at the saviour of her daughter, her grey eyes wide.

Remus didn't wait for her response. Instead, he knelt down in front of the little girl still watching him cautiously. "Hello, little one," he said, and smiled. "What's your name?"

"Melena," she replied a bit shyly. She blinked her huge amber eyes a couple of times.

"Hi, Melena. What are you doing here?"

"Mum and I came to get my potion from here," the girl replied, her expression serious. "I need a potion for the moon. Do you need a potion for the moon, too?"

"I'm afraid so, Melena." He petted her black hair gently, pushing a stray lock behind her ear.

"That man said that there's no potion," Melena said, pointing at the official. "But you gave Mum your potion. Do you have any potion now?"

"No, I don't have any potion," he admitted with a gentle smile, shaking his head slightly. "But I think I can manage without it. You can have mine."

The little girl watched him for a moment. Then she smiled and said, "You're nice. Thank you," then quickly hugged him before shying away behind her mother.

Remus got up on his feet. Before waiting for another word from the still gaping woman or the stunned official, he crossed the room to the door from which he'd originally entered it. He opened the door again -- Severus had apparently closed it -- and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Severus gave him a serious glance. "Lucius will not like this," he said softly.

"He will or he will not like this," Remus said firmly, "but I don't care. That girl needs the potion more than I do. If Lucius really loves me, he'll understand. He has to."

Severus looked into his friend's amber eyes, seeing the tears dwelling there. Forgetting his usual character he took a couple of quick steps forward, then wrapped his arms around the shorter man. Remus clung to the back of his robes, hiding his teary face against the Slytherin's chest, crying like a helpless child.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think I'm being cheated on," they heard a dry voice from behind them. Sirius walked over to them and watched carefully his weeping friend. "Okay, Remus. What's the matter? What has upset you so? We got everything all right, didn't we?"

"There was at least one dose lacking," Severus told his husband quietly, now raising his eyes from the werewolf he was holding in his arms. "It would've belonged to a four-year-old girl."

"Ah, I see," Sirius said, and nodded. "And Remus gave his own dose to the child, and is now crying over the thought that Lucius will not understand, right?" Oh, yes. He did know his best friend very well.

Severus didn't say anything; he merely nodded. There was no need for further explanations.

"Well, listen to me, Remus," Sirius commanded. He had to say this a couple of times before the werewolf was actually able to cease crying for a moment and look at him. "I just ended a firecall from Lucius. I told him that there might be a couple of doses lacking, as we were really scratching the bottoms of the cauldrons in the end. I also told that you'd insisted to be the last one to have the potion. He said that it's just what he had expected you to do, and that it's just one of the things he loves most in you."

"Now, did you hear that?" asked Severus, glancing down at Remus. "And why did you think he'd be mad at the first place, anyway? Lucius knows you. He knows that you're still too much of a Gryffindor to be even as selfish as common sense demands; of course he wouldn't hold it against you."

Remus gave him a weak nod. "I - I'm sorry," he sobbed, wiping away the last remaining tears. "It's just the full moon. You know that I'm more sensitive around it; this was rather excessive, though."

"Well, you could indeed say so," Sirius commented, raising his eyebrows. "You're not usually this easy to get into tears. And now you're crying because you think that Lucius might get angry at you for being yourself? Yes, definitely excessive, I'd say." He offered his friend a small smile.

However, Remus found himself unable to return the gesture.

*

Lucius cursed silently in his mind. He was furious. No, he wasn't angry at Remus for giving away his potion; it did upset him, but only because of the pain it meant to Remus. It had been his husband's own decision, and he would to respect that. No, his anger was targeted at the still unnamed terrorists who were behind the lack of Wolfsbane and thus his husband's lack of the Wolfsbane Potion.

As he sighed, running a hand through his long blond tresses, a part of that fury turned into worry. After being held in check for so long, the wolf would no doubt be even more furious than it had been before Severus had first invented the Wolfsbane Potion. Most probably not even the presence of Animagi could keep Moony from harming himself. The only true consolation was that without the potion, Remus wouldn't remember anything about the full moon night. Thank Merlin for even that little mercy.

Just then his cell phone chose to ring. Snapping the phone open, he didn't even bother to look who was calling. Raising the phone to his ear, he snapped irritably, "What is it?"

"Lucius, is that you?" asked a familiar voice from the other end of the line. It was Christopher. "It sounds like Harry wasn't exaggerrating when he said that you were on a bad mood."

"So he's called you again, eh?" asked the blond sharply, although he wasn't as angry as he'd been a moment before. "Why the Hell can't that brat just let it be, I don't know. So. Why did you call?"

"Calm down, my friend," the Muggle sighed. "I just thought that I could offer my help. Look, I hardly can do anything about your magical problems, nor can I help Remus, but I thought that I could look after Olivia for a while. She could come over and stay here until things have calmed down a bit."

"Could you really?" sighed Lucius, now with a slightly desperate tone. "As much as I hate to trouble you, I would be extremely grateful if you truly could take her over. It's pure chaos here, and -- well, she wouldn't be safe if something bad happened. She's not an Animagus, nor can she effectively protect herself. In theory Remus should recognize her as his cub, but in practice, with the wolf wild... we can't be sure."

"Of course it wouldn't be too much of a trouble," Christopher assured him. He sounded absolutely sincere about his statement. "Tonight I've been invited to a party, and I've also got an invitation for a guest; she could go with me, to take her thoughts away from home for a while. And after today, well, there's this sister of mine. We're not awfully close, but I'm sure that if I told her Olivia lives with men she'd be more than happy to take her to have some 'girly time'. That should cheer her up a bit and give you some time to sort things out properly over there. She can stay here until things are in order again."

"Christopher, you're a lifesaver," the blond said, feeling absolutely relieved. "I will tell her to pack some things and have a car bring her to your place. I'll owe you a big favour for this, my friend."

"You owe me nothing," replied Christopher. "You took me into your family without asking for anything in return. It's about the time I start earning my place in that family."

When they ended the call, Lucius felt much better.

*

Christopher stood in a large hall full of people. He was dressed in a suit, just like the man next to her. His eyes were following a long-haired form that was currently going through the crowd -- Olivia.

"Isn't she a bit young for you, Bay?" asked the other man, raising an eyebrow. "Is she of age at least?"

Christopher, however, merely rolled his eyes. "If you absolutely must know, she is the only daughter of a dear friend of mine," he replied dryly. "And she's seventeen by now, by the way."

"Well, what is she doing here?" asked their companion. "Sure, you're allowed to bring along anyone you like, but why on Earth would you go to a party with your friend's daughter?"

"I am looking after her for a while," replied Christopher curtly. "There's a bit of an emergency in her family." As the other man still looked questioning, he continued, "Her father has fallen seriously ill."

"Oh." He got a nod in response to that. "So they didn't want her to be around."

"Exactly." Christopher then sighed a bit. "Could we please drop the subject?" he asked, sounding a bit annoyed. "I am at my nerves' end even as it is. I most certainly don't need to dwell on the matter."

While Christopher was engaged in this conversation, Olivia was currently under the close examination of the host's daughter and a couple of her friends. They all seemed very interested in her and her appearance. "Your earrings are lovely," one of them said, sounding like she sincerely meant it. "Where'd you get them?"

"Oh, these?" asked Olivia nonchalantly, raising a hand to touch her emerald earrings. "My Godfather gave them to me when I got full points from an exam. I don't know where he bought them, though."

"Just for an exam?" asked another girl. "Oh, they can't be too expensive, then," she added snidely.

"I don't know much about prices," Olivia said with her most pleasant smile. "I never have to worry about them too much, as I always get whatever I happen to want. These earrings have been carved from single emeralds, though; that much I do know." She smiled even more as the other girl's face fell.

"So... why'd you come here with Mister Bay?" asked the host's daughter, a beautiful blonde, obviously trying to desperately save the situation. "Are you related to him or something?"

"Oh, we are not related," her guest replied happily. "He's just a friend of my father's. He offered to look after me while my parents sort out a little... problem... in the family." Now, her smile disappeared for a moment as she remembered her Dad's problematic situation, but it soon returned, although a bit forcedly.

"Erm... Excuse me," a darkhaired girl said, "but I don't think I heard you telling your name." It could clearly be seen that she was currently trying to place Olivia somewhere in the hierarchy.

"Who, me?" asked Olivia as innocently as she could manage. "I am Olivia Malfoy. It's very pleasant to meet you." She now flashed them a bright smile, knowing well what effect she would have.

"Malfoy?" echoed the young hostess. "Not Malfoy of the Malfoy Industries?"

"Why, yes," she replied. "My father is the main owner." At seeing the looks of shock on the other girls' faces, she smirked briefly, soon returning to her usual smile. "I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me," she said with her most pleasant tone. "There's something I absolutely must discuss with Christopher." And with that, she left, leaving the other girls staring after her with various looks of shock and envy on their faces.

"Enjoying yourself, princess?" asked Christopher, raising an eyebrow, as he saw Olivia coming nearer. "You look quite satisfied with yourself, if I'm allowed to say so."

"Oh, I'm enjoying myself all right," she replied brightly. "It's amazing that even in such a short time my father has managed to make such a big name for himself." At this she casted a sly gaze over her shoulder.

"Well, that is certainly true," Christopher chuckled. "And you seem to be very well aware of what effect that name causes in people." He then added, "It's weird, though. In the beginning of last year nobody had ever heard of Lucius Malfoy. Now everybody startles at the mere mention of his name."

"Well, yes," Olivia admitted. "Father does have that effect on people. You either love him, or you fear him." With a sigh, she added, "At times it's hard, though. It makes it a lot harder to make friends."

Now, Christopher raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you wanted to make friends with those girls."

At that, Olivia laughed, like could only be expected. "In your dreams, Christopher." Then, however, she sighed, her eyes wandering around the room and the happy, laughing people. "You know," she said quietly, a sad look on her face, "I wonder how Dad and others are doing right now."

Christopher was about to tell her to not worry about that, to tell her that she should now concentrate on enjoying herself instead, even if it was by showing her financial superiority to some snobby girls. However, he found himself unable to do so. Instead, he just laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

After all, he, too, was worried for his friend.

*

The sound of Lucius' cane hitting the floor on a steady pace could be heard echoing down the corridors of the Malfoy Manor. "Is everything ready?" asked Lucius grimly from a house-elf running by his side.

"Yes, Lord Malfoy, sir," the house-elf assured him. "We has been taking care of everything, Lord Malfoy. Every window, the door, every place a wolf can get through has silver now." There was a look of nervousness and worry on the little creature's face. It wasn't nervousness for his own sake, should Lucius get angered by him, though; rather he was nervous because of what was forcing them to do these preparations. Even though some of Lucius' ancestors still despised the Halfblood werewolf, Remus had won almost all inhabitants of the manor to his side. Even the house-elves now worried for him.

"Very well." Lucius sighed. "And the doorway has been modified, hasn't it? So that it will only allow a human through, not a wolf." As he glanced sharply at the house-elf he got a quick nod in response. Satisfied with that, he continued along his hurried way, uncaring about the fact that he was limping very clearly now.

"Everything is being in order, Lord Malfoy," the house-elf told him with a hint of desperation in its tone. "We is also knowing how to take away the silver and spell when this full moon is being over, Lord Malfoy, sir. Nothing will be staying to harm Master Malfoy. We'd never be allowing harm to Master Malfoy!"

"That is all good and well," muttered Lucius. "However, if you value your life, you will stay away from this part of the Manor tonight. Spread the word, too -- nobody is allowed to come here without my specified permission." His speed slowed down a bit as he was nearing his destination.

The house-elf squeaked in slight fear, then hurriedly ran away. Lucius, however, stopped behind an all-too-familiar door. For a moment he just stood there, watching the door. Then he sighed tiredly, opened the door, and went inside into Remus' transformation room.

Remus himself was there already, along with Harry, Sirius, and Draco. The three other men watched quietly as Remus carefully changed the earrings he was currently wearing to tiny golden studs. That way he couldn't accidentally rip his ears while in his wolf form, like might happen if a claw got stuck in the earring or something like that. Even though they all appeared perfectly calm, Remus' hands were trembling.

A quick glance around the room made Lucius shiver slightly. The house-elf had been telling the truth. The small windows were all covered with thick silver nets, as well as the inside of the door, and the doorway was lined with silver as well. There was no way a werewolf could escape from there without seriously injuring themselves. A transformed werewolf could never do that, period -- the wolf avoided silver instinctively. Even though Lucius knew that this was all just for safety reasons, he couldn't help but think that it looked like a prison -- a prison designed to keep his beloved husband inside.

"Remus," Lucius said quietly. "I see that you are getting ready for it."

"Well, I don't really have options, do I?" asked his husband with a nervous laugh. "It'll soon be nightfall. I won't exactly have time for preparations once the moon is up."

Lucius sighed. "Remus," he said, "you do know that I would like to be here, too, don't you?"

"Of course, Lucius." With a bit sad smile, Remus reached out a hand to touch his cheek. "But as much as I'd want to, I can't allow it. The wolf should recognize you as its mate, but after being without Wolfsbane for so long... I don't want to take any risks. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you in any way." With a wavering smile, he added, "And it's not like I'll be alone, anyway."

"Yes, I know that." With a sigh Lucius took the hand reached to his cheek and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. Glancing around at the three Animagi, he then said, "I must get going; the moon will be up all too soon. You three... take care of him." And then, he turned away, the sound of his cane soon fading.

*

Severus cursed under his breath as he put away the magazine he'd been pretending to read. Pretending, as he had already forgotten every word. There was no way he could concentrate right now.

From somewhere within the enormous manor he heard the echo of a pained howl, and shivered. He alone was here, absolutely unknowing about what was happening to one of his dearest friends. The Animagi were there with Remus, and even Lucius was staying behind the door; the silver linings prevented the wolf from smelling him and thus becoming even madder at a human's presence. Severus, however, was allowed nowhere near the transformation room. Lucius would be at least relatively safe, being Remus' mate, but there was absolutely no reason for the wolf to avoid harming him. Thus, he had to stay elsewhere.

Glancing around, he sighed. Every single entrance to the room had been sealed with Lucius' seal ring, the magic of the manor itself protecting him from its secondary master. Sirius had insisted that he should go home, but at that Severus had put his foot down. He had to put the line somewhere.

Still, as he heard another sound of pain, his eyes wandered towards the fireplace and the pot of Floo powder sitting nearby. Severus Black was not a coward, and he did not fear for his own life. However, he was but a human... and the sounds of his friend's pain were almost too much for him.

*

Lucius pressed his back against the door, shivering every time he heard a new howl or whimper from the other side. It maybe wasn't as painful to him as it was to his husband -- how could it be? -- but it certainly came close to that. He couldn't help but think that there should have been some way to prevent that, and that it was his fault the way hadn't been found. Wasn't he always the one responsible for Remus' pain?

Again he heard a pained howl, and winced. This time, however, he was unable to hold himself back any longer. Instead he got up as quickly as he could, janked the door open, and rushed inside, closing the door behind himself. He was met by three very shocked canines and one who still kept biting and clawing himself. Uncaring about the danger he now put himself in, he went right to his wolf-shaped husband's side. A pair of golden eyes looked up at him and a growl escaped the wolf's throat, but he didn't care. Instead, he just knelt down next to the wolf, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

To the great surprise of everyone in the room, Moony didn't even try to tear him into shreds, which would have been any werewolf's natural reaction to the proximity of a human. Instead, the wolf just whimpered, then licked the blond's face and pressed himself against his chest. Silent tears rolled down Lucius' cheeks as he embraced his husband, petting the golden fur, careful not to touch the wounds that now covered the beautiful animal. The Animagi didn't do anything; they just watched.

That was how they all stayed until morning.

*

"That was very, very stupid," Harry said weakly, looking seriously at his father-in-law. "If he hadn't recognized you, at the best we'd now have two werewolves to deal with. At the worst we'd currently be deciding who's going to tell Olivia the news about one of her fathers killing the other."

"Well, he did recognize me, didn't he?" asked Lucius softly. He never took his eyes from his husband, who was currently lying on the bed, unconscious, while various healing potions were taking effect on him.

"Fortunately, he did," Draco admitted. "Still, that was an extremely dangerous stunt, Father. I swear you almost gave me a heart attack. For a moment I really thought I'd see you being killed by Steppy!"

"Don't... call me... Steppy..." came a weak whimper from the bed. In an instant they were all on the side of the bed, looking eagerly down at Remus. "Oww..." the werewolf whimpered, opening his eyes half way.

"Remus, how are you feeling?" asked Lucius quickly, sounding very relieved. Well, he had a reason to.

"I am... absolutely pissed off," muttered the werewolf. "If you ever... dare to try something like... that again... I swear I will bite you... just for the Hell of it. What were you... thinking, Lucius?"

"What?" asked Lucius, shocked. "Do you mean... that you remember it?"

"Yes," came the exhausted reply. "Not all of it... but everything since... you came there. I probably still would... have attacked any other human... but your presence gave me... some kind of... presence of mind." His eyes slid shut again. "I just want to... sleep for a while..." he muttered weakly.

"Sleep, Moony," Sirius sighed, relieved. "You have most certainly earned your rest."

And so, the werewolf fell asleep again.

*

"So, there are no other women in your immediate family?" asked Lenore Bay from Olivia as they walked on. "You live with only men around? Oh, you poor girl!"

"Well, it's not that bad," Olivia said brightly. "At least my shopping needs are certainly not neglected. My dad and half-brother are usually so manly and definitely not stereotypical gay men, but when it comes to shopping, I bet they could exhaust even the best of women. And other than that, I'm practically spoiled rotten. You see, I'm the little 'princess' of the family. Sure, there are other women, too, my godfather's both sisters, for example. However, I just don't spend much time with them." With a tiny smirk, she added, "Of course, this might upset me more if I took after my parents in sexual preference. As it is, however, I am pretty happy with my life with two fathers, random male relatives and family friends, and my boyfriend."

"I see your point," Lenore chuckled. "But still, don't you ever miss female interaction?"

"Well, yes," admitted the girl. "But then, I always have Laura -- my best friend," she explained. "And if I absolutely must have some time without any male intervention, I'll just call Lilian or Narcissa. They're both always more than delighted at a perfect excuse to skip their daily routines to be with me."

"It sounds like it's not only the men who are spoiling you," the older woman said teasingly. "Or is it so?"

At that, Olivia merely shrugged happily, a slight smile on her lips. She didn't feel the need to answer with words. "I like this," she then said, glancing around the shop as if evaluating it. "I think I'll buy it."

"What do you want to buy?" asked Lenore, puzzled. "Is there some dress you like?"

"Oh, no," the girl replied nonchalantly. "I just meant that I'm going to buy this shop." Flashing a bright smile at the stunned woman, she then walked towards the sales clerk. "Excuse me," she said with her most pleasant smile, "but how I could get in touch with the owner of this place?"

*

"You are a strange girl, Olivia," Lenore stated later that afternoon. "The strangest girl I've ever met."

"Oh?" the younger woman raised an eyebrow. "Why am I so strange?"

"Well, it isn't every day that I see somebody buying a store instead of a product," the older one replied dryly. "And it is definitely rare that after buying that store they head for a fast food restaurant."

"Well, Father does say that I should start to do some of the managing of the company," Olivia replied lightly. "As the things are now, it will eventually fall in my hands. It'd be much more useful if I actually knew how to manage it, wouldn't it? So, I'm just trying to get started on it. And about the fast food, well, I happen to like hamburgers. I'm not quite as snobby as my father; I can accept McDonalds."

For a moment, Lenore just looked at her. Then, she smiled a bit. "You know," she said, "I am definitely beginning to see just what has my brother so fascinated your family."

A smile graced the girl's lips as well. "You do?" she commented lightly. "Well, we tend to have that effect on people. Either they hate us... or they love us." With a brief grin, she added, "And those who happen to hate us, will sorely regret it sooner or later."

And, having seen the way this supposedly shy girl behaved, Lenore did not doubt that statement one bit.

*

"So, where's the princess?" asked somebody behind Christopher. As the man turned around, he saw Harry standing there, grinning at him. "Lucius send me to get her. Remus is all in one piece again."

"I'm glad to hear that," Christopher said, genuinely relieved. "And as for Olivia, well... Come and see for yourself." He looked kind of amused, making the bespectacled man rise his eyebrows as he followed the older man. After a moment Christopher stopped behind a door, and Harry stopped beside him.

The Muggle slowly opened the door, and they both looked inside. A broad smirk spread onto Harry's face as he saw his half-sister-in-law. Olivia was dressed in a tank top and jeans, looking every bit like your ordinary Muggle teenager -- well, maybe except for her jewellery, worth a king's ransom. There were candy wrappers, soda cans, and empty bags of crisps lying around, as well as several large pillows, one of which she was hugging to her chest. Her gaze was locked at the enormous screen in front of her, or rather the two men displayed on it. One was wearing weird red clothes, his bluish-white hair flowing behind him, while the other had on a black robe with a purple cloth over it and held a strange golden staff in his hand. "Just kiss him, Miroku!" she exclaimed. "You know you want to!"

"My, my," laughed Harry, amused at her antics. "You just never can accept straight couples in your series, can you?" He motioned at the screen, where the black-and-purple robed man had just groped a woman.

"Oh, hi, Harry!" said Olivia brightly. "No, I can't," she then laughed in response to his question. "It's absolutely impossible. I mean, it's just complete waste! All those bishies either chasing some annoying bitches or just going around without finding anyone who meets their liking. They'd be so much better off with each other!" Then she added happily, "Well, at least I have all the shounen-ai series to cheer me up!"

"You know," the wizard said amusedly, "some people might say that your parents have spoiled your senses, as well as given you a wrong image of a normal relationship. And I just might see their point."

"Aww, shut up," the girl snorted, reaching out to shut the device. "It's not like I'm the only shounen-ai fangirl in the world. And most of the others have grown up in strictly heterosexual enviroments -- as have I." Then she turned serious. "How's Dad?" she asked quietly, almost fearfully.

"He's all right," Harry replied softly, a little smile on his lips. "Still exhausted, but all right. They're holding another meeting the day after tomorrow to discuss the situation further now that everything's in control. You know very well your Father would have found some way to prevent that if there was any danger."

The girl chuckled a bit. "Oh, yes, he would have, wouldn't he?" she asked. "That's the way Father does things. If something doesn't go his way, he changes it so that it does. Not that I blame him for that." Getting up and stretching herself, she then added, "I assume we are leaving, then? Too bad. I haven't got through even half of the anime versions of my favourite series yet."

"You mean you really can't watch them at home?" asked Christopher, surprised. "I thought you were just joking when you asked whether you could watch them here if you bought them."

"Hey, no electricity, remember?" reminded Olivia. "Don't forget that we're talking about Father here -- the same man who had never been in a car a bit over a year ago and had never even considered it. No, we do not have any video or DVD devices in the manor. Doesn't matter, though," she then added lightly. "From what I saw, the manga versions are definitely better than the anime. I mean, why on Earth did they have to give Kouga some random lady interest? Are the producers afraid of available males?"

"Exactly," laughed Harry. "Why can't they realize that the pretty boys belong together?" Then he flashed her a broad grin. "Do stop it, Olivia," he chuckled. "I hear that all the time at home. You've managed to spoil Draco completely -- although he's more into yaoi than shounen-ai."

"Nice to hear I've been of use," the girl replied. "So... shall we head home, then?" At this, she turned towards Christopher. "I am very thankful for your hospitality," she said. "I have enjoyed myself here."

"I'm glad to hear that," Christopher replied, smiling. "You're welcome back anytime -- even if it is only to watch some more anime." Then he, too, became serious. "I hope your dad is all right."

"Oh, I'm sure he will be," Olivia replied, her smile wavering only a bit. "He is tougher than he looks."

'However,' Christopher couldn't help thinking as he watched Olivia quickly packing up her things and then following her half-brother-in-law out of the house, 'not always tough enough.' And, at that thought, an image flashed in his mind -- an image of twelve dark rings going around a long, smooth cane.

*

"So?" asked Lucius as he saw three figures stepping out of a fireplace. "Was anything decided?"

"Oh, yes," sighed Sirius. "We all agreed that this was an attack directed at werewolves -- even though the worst scenario would have harmed many others, werewolves would have still been the true victims. Also, such a large and well-organized operation can't be the work of some little criminals, we should be prepared for more troubles. Well, at least the stocks will be better protected this month."

"We also got a raport from Brazil, stating similar troubles there, although not as widely," Severus continued. "There they had managed to get the situation in control rather easily. However, considering that the targets of this operation were specifically Britain and Brazil, the homes of the two alphas, this could also be taken as a personal attack towards them." At this, he inclined his head towards Remus, who sighed.

"We're expecting some big troubles in Finland in the near future," Remus told his husband quietly, sitting down on the couch next to him. The Blacks got seated on the couch opposite to them. "There's no way that the werewolf centre wouldn't be targeted after this kind of offence. Therefore, we need to send some people there to prepare for the possible troubles."

"Let me guess," Lucius said dryly. "You're supposed to go to Finland."

"Both Sirius and I," Remus admitted. "I can't really avoid it. Therefore, I'm going to at least request that I can take you with me. Sirius was chosen not only because of his position, but because he wouldn't be in danger, being an Animagus," he explained. "Even if there are more problems with Wolfsbane, the wolves will recognize you as my mate. Thus it would be safe for you to be around."

"But not for Olivia," Lucius commented sharply. "You may recognize her as your cub, but you share no blood bond. No other werewolf would hesitate to attack her I not subdued by the Wolfsbane Potion."

"That is true, but not a problem," Severus commented. "I will look after her. It's the most reasonable solution, anyway; I cannot safely go to Finland with you, and if Olivia is staying with me, neither of us has to be alone. Besides, that way she can work as my apprentice, which is required for the last tests."

"You would do that?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow. "Look after her for the whole year?"

"Hey, I'm her Godfather," replied Severus with a shrug. "It's my responsibility. And, like I said, I would otherwise be alone all the time. I may enjoy solitude, but not that much. And there aren't any other options, really," he added. "Harry is too busy with his initial contract with the Magpies ending and the World Cup next year, and Draco's travelling around with him. Therefore, there's nobody else to look after her."

Lucius considered this for a moment, then sighed. "Very well," he said. "You are right; there is no other option. With these problems I most certainly will not let Remus go without me, leave alone have him drink Wolfsbane Potion made by somebody else. And Olivia can't very well come with us."

"So it is decided, then," Remus said with a tired smile. "We will travel to Finland, and Severus will stay behind to take care of Olivia." The others all nodded in agreement.

They didn't really have any other options, after all.

*

Remus sighed as he sat down on the couch, leaning against Lucius' shoulder. "I'm exhausted," he muttered. "All I want to do is to crawl into bed, fall asleep, and never wake up again."

"That bad, huh?" chuckled Lucius, wrapping an arm around his husband's shoulders. "Surely the full moon can't be still affecting you. It's been quite enough for the effects to disappear."

"No, it's not the moon," muttered Remus. "I am just pretty fed up with everything. Everybody seems intent on making this mission as difficult as possible. We won't get going until next month, if even then."

"You seem tense," commented the blond, placing his free hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Turn your back to me; I will give you a massage," he suggested, drawing his other hand away.

The werewolf happily complied, raising his legs to the couch as he turned away from his husband. A tiny whimper escaped his lips as the skilled, nimble fingers moved over his strained back. Lucius, seemingly satisfied with the reaction he managed to draw from the lithe brunet, continued his ministrations.

After some time Remus was practically melting under Lucius' hands. The relief of tension was incredible. He couldn't help but moan as Lucius' fingers worked yet another knot out of his muscles.

Suddenly he felt one of Lucius' hands raising to wipe away the strands of hair falling over his neck. Then a light kiss was placed on the tender skin on the side of his neck. The gentle lips lingered there for a moment before drawing away. "Might you be willing to reconsider that sleeping part?" asked Lucius quietly, his breath brushing Remus' cheek, the tiny smirk well audible in his voice.

This time the moan that Remus gave was not because of hands massaging his no more tense back. Rather it was due to the tongue that was currently tracing his earlobe, tugging at his golden earring.

"You know," he breathed, reaching a hand over his shoulder to tangle his fingers in the long, silky strands of platinum blond hair, "I'm not quite as tired anymore." Now, he twisted his head around to face his husband. Then he added, "However, the part about going to bed still sounds rather good to me."

An arm snaked around his waist. "That's what I had in mind, too," said Lucius with a low voice. "Come on now; let's get to a more comfortable location..." The arm vacated his waist for a moment. Remus got up, hearing the cling of the cane against the floor as Lucius lifted himself to his feet. Then they were again close to each other, hands moving about, both silently cursing the fact that they couldn't get to their bedroom sooner. Soon Lucius pressed his ring against the nearest mirror and they stepped through.

The Master of the Manor still had the presence of mind to seal the door as well as the mirrors in the room. Then he set his cane leaning against the wall and followed his husband to the bed.

They fell together onto the bed, hands eagerly fumbling to open clothes and gain access to bare flesh. Lucius pushed the robes he'd opened away from Remus' shoulders, then leant down to place light kisses all over the freshly exposed flesh. Remus moaned quietly while he opened Lucius' robes in turn, pushing them down to form heaps of fabric on the blond's elbows. Then, frustrated at the barriers of cloth, he nudged his husband to make him move aside. Using this newly gained freedom to discard his robes, Remus silently thanked whatever deities who bothered to listen about the fact that they both preferred the traditional Wizarding style of wearing layered robes with only underwear beneath. This was much less troublesome in bed than the modern way of having only one robe over Muggle clothing. Sure, Muggle clothse were both practical and comfortable on some occasions, but robes were much faster to get rid of.

Soon enough they were both naked. After that, well, things developed further.

*

Remus sighed as he laid his head on Lucius' chest, one hand tangled in the silky blond strands of his husband's long hair. "I don't particularly want to move," he muttered lazily.

"Neither do I," Lucius replied, hands slowly trailing the slender body atop him he knew as well as his own, the experience of years spent together making every curve, every line familiar. His fingers lingered a moment wherever they came across one of the numerous scars on the otherwise smooth skin only to continue their journey a moment later. Breathing deep the comforting, fresh scent of the werewolf, he added, "I'm afraid we'll soon have to, though. It'll soon be dinner time. We're expected to show up."

As if summoned by his words they heard a timid knock from the door. "Lord and Master Malfoy?" squeaked a house-elf's voice. "Dinner will be served in half an hour, Lord and Master, sirs."

"What did I say?" asked Lucius with a small, amused chuckle. He sat up as soon as his chest was free of his husband's weight. "Care to help?" he then asked, glancing up at the already standing man in front of him. Remus gave him a small, sad smile before reaching out his hand for support.

"Why do you always leave your cane there, anyway?" he asked as he helped his limping husband walk across the room. "Wouldn't it be a lot easier to leave it beside the bed? You could get up by yourself."

"Probably," sighed Lucius, reaching out his hand and closing it around the comforting form of his cane. After so many years, the part he usually grasped had become slightly thinner than the rest of the staff, marking the frequency of his use of it. "However, I don't want my life to be too easy. Whenever I start thinking that something is too hard to be done, my cane and that little difficulty will remind me about the right order of things. If I've got through everything this far, I don't have the right to give up now."

"Sounds reasonable," commented Remus quietly, now going through his clothes. At last he decided on the robes to wear and started to put them on while Lucius did the same on his side. Placing his wand in the wand bag he carried on his belt, he then turned towards his husband. "Are you ready?"

"Quite so," replied Lucius. Then he reached out a hand and gently removed a strand of half golden, half silver hair that had got stuck in Remus' earring. "There. Now we are both presentable."

Remus answered his tiny smirk with a smile, grateful for this little sign of affection. "You know," he then said as they started to move towards the dining room without any particular hurry, "I feel much better now."

Lucius merely smirked a bit once again. "That was my intention."