The Talisman of Monguk

Chapter 13: Of Mistletoe and Music

The next weekend found Angela and Lupin at Hogwarts. Since most of the students were gone for the Christmas holidays, the halls of the school were quite deserted. Lupin had a meeting with Dumbledore, while Angela went to visit with her cousin Ravena. She knocked on Ravena's door, still rather annoyed about the dress incident.

"Come in," Ravena's voice chimed. "Oh, hello Angela. So tell me, what happened with Remus?"

Angela entered her office, strode over to Ravena, and plopped the Harrod's bag down hard on her desk. "Here's your dress back." She flashed an angry look. "How could you? That dress? You know I would never wear anything like that. I've never been more humiliated in my life."

"Oh, dear," Ravena replied with a growing look of concern. "So I take it, you didn't get that kiss?"

"I never said that," Angela replied, now looking a little sheepish.

"So he kissed you, did he? Then it couldn't have been all that bad."

"Well...I made an absolute fool of myself."

"And did he like the dress?"

"He never saw the dress. At least, not on me."

"So what did you wear then?" Ravena inquired, raising her eyebrows quizzically. "I'm sure that I added that little spell to...er...eliminate your other clothing."

"Remus loaned me something to wear."

Ravena's eyes grew wide. "Oh, my! That's even better! Clearly, I underestimated your talents with men."

Angela blushed and giggled. "Well, yes, it was rather sexy to wear his things."

"And then he kissed you?" Ravena probed. "You must tell me all about it. Was he any good?"

Angela blushed again and smiled shyly. "I'll never tell." But her manner betrayed that she must have thought it a very good kiss.

"Well, then, this calls for a celebration. Kindly clear out a bit of the furniture so we have some room to dance and select a song. I'm going to change into something more appropriate," Ravena said, pulling the little black dress out of the sack and disappearing into her chambers.

Angela waved her wand. Half of the office furniture melted seamlessly into the woodwork, leaving an open area on one side of the office. Then she waved her wand again and a syncopated drumbeat was heard, followed by the honky-tonk chords of a piano. Mary Chapin Carpenter's voice began singing.

It started innocently enough. Angela stuffed her wand into her back pocket. Then she began a little skip to the beat that evolved into a strut, and then a seductive stroll. She tossed her head. Then she followed with a shoulder roll, a shimmy shake, and then a little hip motion.

Ravena emerged from her chambers, wearing the skimpy little black dress with a pair of black leather go-go boots. She let her hair down, giving it a shake, so that her ebony tresses fell loosely over her shoulders. "Brilliant," she said, listening to the music and starting to dance.

Before long, both women were shaking and gyrating to the music, lip-syncing every line. At the refrain, they struck sultry poses, glanced over their shoulders, and with their best come-hither looks, whispered breathlessly, "Shut up and kiss me."

To her utter mortification, Angela then realized that she and Ravena were not alone. Standing in the doorway, witness to her performance, stood Lupin, grinning from ear to ear. Angela felt the heat rise through her body from her shoes to her hair. She wished that she could melt into those walls as easily as she had vanished the furniture minutes before.

"Remus, I thought you were meeting with Dumbledore. How...how long have you been standing there?" she stammered.

"Apparently, not long enough," he replied, chuckling. "Sorry. I knocked, but you must not have heard over the music."

Angela looked from Lupin to Ravena. Her cousin did not appear at all embarrassed by the incident. Instead, she smiled at Lupin invitingly and nonchalantly tossed her head, giving her hair a shake.

Angela frowned. She bustled toward the door, herding Lupin back out into the hallway. She closed the office door with a snap, shouting, "Well, thank you, Ravena. We really must be going now."

With her back to him, Lupin noticed the wand protruding from her back pocket. He smiled mischievously and snatched it up. Angela spun around.

"Give me back my wand!" she demanded.

"I don't think so," Lupin rejoined, tucking the wand into his belt behind his back. He held out both hands and backed away, warding off her attempts to retrieve the wand. "As your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I'm afraid I can't return that wand. It wouldn't be safe. Mad-Eye has warned me time and time again about the dangers of storing wands in your back pockets. Especially, when doing maneuvers like that. I couldn't risk having you lose something important should the wand go off involuntarily." He sniggered.

Angela sighed. "Remus, please give me back my wand."

"I might be persuaded, if you showed me some of those dance moves again."

"Right here? In the middle of the hallway?" Angela cast a nervous glance up and down the hall, making sure that the coast was clear. Then she turned back to Lupin. "And you promise to give me my wand back? No tricks? And no laughing?"

"I promise," he rejoined with a grin.

Ravena must have started the song over again. The syncopated rhythm and the chords of the music could be heard through her closed office door, although the words of the song were muffled. Angela sighed. She listened for the beat and launched into the seductive stroll.

"Well, come on. I'm not doing this alone," she encouraged, pulling Lupin toward her.

"But...," Lupin began to protest. Then he shrugged and gamely tried to follow her moves. Looking awkward, he started moving to the beat, very stiffly at first. After a couple of lines, he started to relax. Then abruptly, he straightened up, staring fixedly over Angela's shoulder.

He coughed, trying to get Angela's attention. She looked up at him. Noticing his suddenly serious expression, she gasped and spun around.

"Headmaster Dumbledore! Good afternoon," she exclaimed, turning scarlet.

Lupin stammered, "Yes...well...Angela was just giving me a lesson in Muggle dance."

"Obviously," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling behind the half-moon spectacles.

Amid the awkward silence that followed, they could all now clearly hear the music filtering out of Ravena's office. Catching the lyrics, Lupin blushed. Angela brushed her hair out of her eyes and stared down at her shoes. Dumbledore smiled at them both.

"Remus, you left your briefcase in my office. I suspected that I might find you here," Dumbledore said, handing Lupin the case with a little wink. "Don't let me interrupt. Please, carry on."

Then Dumbledore turned and headed back down the hall. As he strolled away, Angela and Lupin both could have sworn that they saw an unusual little swing in his step. As he turned the corner out of sight, they looked at each other and erupted into a fit of sniggers. As their laughter died away, Lupin grabbed Angela around the waist and pulled her into an embrace.

"So what was the name of that Muggle song we were dancing to?" he inquired, gazing into her eyes.

She smiled shyly and answered, "Shut Up and Kiss Me."

"Gladly," he replied.

He leaned in and they began to kiss. They had hardly started, when Ravena poked her head out of her office door.

"So sorry to intrude, but I need to borrow my cousin for a moment," Ravena interrupted. "Angela, do you think that you might restore my office to its former state? I don't know what transfiguration spells you used, but I can't get my furniture back."

"Of course," Angela replied, snatching her wand from Lupin's belt and heading back into Ravena's office.

"By the way, hello Remus," Ravena purred.

Lupin was about to respond, when Angela turned and uttered an incantation. Immediately, a blindfold appeared over Lupin's eyes. Then Angela walked into Ravena's office, pulling her cousin in after her. Lupin stood out in the hall, his mouth agape.

"What did I do?" he protested.

Angela bid her cousin goodbye and emerged from the office a minute later. She removed the blindfold from Lupin's eyes. He helped her with her coat. Then he took her hand and they started off down the hall together.

"Well, where shall we go now?" she asked.

"It's almost tea time. And, as long as we're here, how about Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade Village?"

"Oh, I've heard that's very nice. The girls never stopped talking about it, when I was a student here." She remembered overhearing their giddy discussions about dates and snoggings at the cozy tea shop. "I wonder if she's decorated the whole place with mistletoe for the holidays," she mused.

"Our table will be," he replied with a warm smile, removing a small sprig of mistletoe from his trouser pocket. "Professor Flitwick is decorating the trees in the Great Hall and gave me some."

Angela smiled back. She leaned in closer to him, as they proceeded down the stairs and out of the castle into the chilly December air.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

On Christmas Day, Lupin was invited to have dinner with Angela's family. Angela was in her apartment getting ready, when Lupin arrived to pick her up. He knocked on her door.

"Come on in. The door's open," she called from inside.

He entered, closing the door behind him. He looked around for Angela, but she was not in sight. The apartment was very small, but clean and tidy. The whole thing could have fit inside the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. It was all one open room, consisting of a sitting area and a kitchen.

In the sitting area, there was a braided rug surrounded by a sofa, a single chair, and an end table with a lamp. Against the wall were two large bookcases overflowing with books.

In the kitchen, there was a fireplace on one wall. Various pots and pans were hanging from the ceiling above the fireplace. Drying herbs were hanging among them. The other wall contained cupboards and a small sink with a greenhouse window over it. The window was filled with pots of culinary herbs. In the middle of the kitchen was a small farmhouse table with two chairs. The now familiar picnic hamper was sitting on the table along with a small pile of opened presents. Among them were several books, including a copy of Advanced Curses and their Defenses by Dash Daring and Best Bewitching Brews by Betty Crocked. There were three doors in the room, the one that he entered and two others.

Angela poked her head out of one door and said, "I'm not quite ready. Please make yourself at home. I'll be out in a few minutes."

Then she went back inside, leaving the door ajar. He sat down on the sofa and waited.

"What do you think of my apartment? Small, isn't it?" she asked.

"Cozy," he replied. "Are there more rooms?"

"No, that's it."

"Where do you sleep?" he inquired, looking around.

"You're sitting on it. The sofa folds out into a bed," she said with a giggle.

Lupin quickly stood up, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. He glanced around the room for a few minutes and then strolled toward the bookcases.

Angela continued talking, while fixing her hair. "This apartment is not much, but it's close to work and very affordable. I've been saving up for a place of my own. I've almost got enough."

"Really? What sort of place?"

"My dream is a little cottage in the countryside with a real garden for herbs and vegetables."

"Sounds wonderful," he remarked.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course, I've always wanted a house of my own. I thought that I'd have one by now, but, things being what they are, that's not a possibility." He hesitated and then added, "Not that I'm ungrateful for Grimmauld Place."

"Perhaps things will turn around for you yet," she encouraged.

"That's not likely, unless the ministry changes its policies."

"Then perhaps you'll marry someone some day and the two of you might be able to afford a place together."

"You know I couldn't allow that. I couldn't let my wife support me. That wouldn't make me much of a gentleman, would it?" he protested.

"But this is the twenty-first century. Women have careers. We aren't exactly helpless little girls, you know," she countered, peering out from around the door.

"I will not be a burden to anyone else. I guess I'm kind of old-fashioned."

She turned back to the mirror, smiling to herself. "What a sweet conventional notion. Your chivalry is really charming."

Lupin grinned and started looking at her books. Not surprisingly, the shelves were full of cookbooks. There were also books on herbs, gardening, household spells, and textbooks on potions and transfigurations. However, one shelf in particular caught his attention. It contained books with titles and authors that he'd never seen before, authors like Dickens, Dumas, and Shakespeare. He pulled one of the books from the shelf and started flipping through it. These were Muggle books, he surmised. He started reading, intrigued. Hearing Angela approach, he looked up, closed the book, and replaced it on the shelf.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said.

Angela entered wearing an attractive gown of dark green velvet. Her hair was curled and swept up on top of her head. Wispy tendrils of hair softly framed her face. Her green eyes sparkled when she saw him. She smiled. Lupin's face lit up. He went to her side and took both her hands in his.

"You look beautiful! Happy Christmas," he said, kissing her.

"And Happy Christmas to you too," she replied, returning the kiss. "Thank you for the dueling text. I suppose I'll be reading that for my next lesson," she teased. "And I see that you're wearing the jumper that I gave you. You look very handsome in it. Do you like it?"

"Yes, very much. Thank you. And the book was an interesting choice."

"Romeo and Juliet. It's a Muggle book. It's one of my favorites, a classic story of star-crossed lovers. Have you read it before?"

"No, I've never read any Muggle books."

"It's poetry. The language is old, so it's a bit difficult to read. I thought that we could read it together," she said with a shy smile.

"I'll look forward to that," he replied, grinning back.

"Well, I suppose that we should go now. I'm afraid that I've made us late."

"You don't suppose that we could just stay here, do you?" he ventured.

"Don't be silly. Mother is expecting us. I'll get my cloak, if you'll grab the picnic hamper," she replied.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Hawkins house was situated on a suburban street in a mostly Muggle neighborhood of East Hampton. Angela had grown up in the house, but now only her brother, Paul, and her mother lived there. It was a modest-looking dwelling surrounded by a low privet hedge.

Angela and Lupin approached the front door. Lupin was looking distinctly nervous. Angela knocked and then tried the handle. As she opened the door, Angela's twin brothers emerged from the house, shouting "Happy Christmas." They each, in turn, lifted their sister off her feet and twirled her around in a joyful embrace. Both men were tall, broad shouldered, and handsome with wavy brown hair, green eyes like their sister's, and jovial expressions on their faces.

"Now put me down," Angela said with a giggle. "There's someone I'd like you to meet." She turned to make the introductions. "This is Remus Lupin. Remus, these are my brothers, Paul and Francis Hawkins."

Both men extended their hands simultaneously. Each shook Lupin's hand firmly and said, "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Lupin replied.

Although they were smiling, Lupin thought he detected a hint of suspicion in their faces. He adjusted his shabby traveling cloak self-consciously.

"What did you bring?" said Paul, taking hold of the picnic hamper and peering inside.

"A Christmas pudding and a chocolate nut pie," Angela answered.

"Mmmm!" he murmured, sticking his nose in the basket and inhaling deeply.

"Those are for dessert! You take those straight in to Mother," she scolded. "You'll have trouble, if I find even a single piece missing!"

Her brothers laughed mischievously. "Oooh! We wouldn't want that, now would we, Francis," Paul teased.

Angela shot him a disapproving look.

They went inside together. Paul, with basket in hand, led them all directly back to the kitchen, where Angela's mother was busy preparing the Christmas dinner. Mrs. Hawkins was a small woman, just less than five feet tall, with snow-white hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a smart crimson suit in the Muggle style. Over the suit, she wore a white apron to protect her clothing while she cooked.

The kitchen itself was an odd hybrid of wizard and Muggle styles. On one wall was a large fireplace, but adjacent to it stood an old gas stove and oven. Electric appliances cluttered the countertops. In the center of the room was a large farmhouse table surrounded by matching chairs. The table contained a variety of dishes in various stages of preparation. Wonderful smells of turkey, stuffing, and freshly baked bread filled the kitchen.

When Mrs. Hawkins heard them enter, she wiped her hands on her apron and came over to greet them. She gave Angela a warm hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Happy Christmas, my dear. It's so good to see you," she said.

"It's nice to see you too, Mum," replied Angela with a smile.

"Ah, this must be your young man," said Mrs. Hawkins as she spotted Lupin.

"Mum, I'd like you to meet Remus Lupin. Remus, this is my mother, Eudora Hawkins," said Angela, making the introductions.

"Pleased to meet you," Lupin said, stepping forward.

"Welcome," replied Mrs. Hawkins warmly. Then she took both his hands in hers and said, "Come, my dear, let me have a better look at you."

Lupin glanced at Angela nervously. She smiled back and whispered, "It'll be fine!"

Mrs. Hawkins continued, "I've always believed that the eyes are the windows to the soul. You can tell a lot about a person just by looking in his eyes."

She trained her piercing blue eyes on Lupin. He squirmed a little, but then met her gaze unflinchingly. She stared with a searching look for a minute or more. Then she spoke. "I can see that you have suffered. But to your credit, I find no bitterness in you. We all have hardships in this world. The hallmark of a man is the way that he deals with the setbacks of life. You bear them remarkably well." She focused again, and then continued. "I see much bravery in you too. And compassion."

She turned to Angela and whispered audibly, "I also see that he loves you, dear. He is a good man!"

She turned back to Lupin and said affectionately, "Welcome, Remus. Welcome to our home!"

"Thank you," Lupin replied, looking embarrassed.

"Well now, I have work to do here. Angela, why don't you show Remus around," she said, shoving them out of the kitchen.

As they all filed out, Francis remarked, "It's amazing how she does that."

"And she's never wrong, you know," Paul interjected.

Paul and Francis headed toward the parlor. Angela stopped Lupin in the hallway.

"Would you like a tour of the house?" she asked him.

"Sure," he replied.

She led him down the hallway, talking as she went. "I grew up in this house. My father built it especially for my mother. It's a hybrid house, half-magical and half-Muggle. He had it wired for electricity, so that she could cook and clean, but it also works by magic. Did you notice the fireplace in the kitchen? That's hooked into the Wizard Floo Network."

She took him through the various rooms of the house. Whenever he spotted a Muggle artifact that he couldn't identify, she answered his questions. They ended the tour in the parlor.

It was a sunny room in the front of the house with a large bay window. In front of the window, there was a cozy couch flanked by end tables with antique lamps. In front of the couch was a coffee table on which lay several open photo albums. Around it, there were a couple of squashy armchairs. In the corner stood a small Christmas tree decorated with tinsel, electric lights, and glass ornaments. A carved table was next to the tree with an aging phonograph resting on top. Against the wall opposite the couch was an upright piano and bench. Sheet music was stacked haphazardly in piles on top of it. Next to the sheet music, there was a photograph in a silver frame.

As Angela and Lupin entered the parlor, Mrs. Hawkins called from the kitchen. Angela excused herself, leaving Lupin alone in the room with her brothers. Intrigued by the phonograph, Lupin walked over to take a closer look. Paul and Francis joined him, noticing his curiosity.

"It's a phonograph. It plays music," explained Paul. "Here, let me show you."

He took out a vinyl disc, put it on the turntable, and turned it on. Lupin watched in fascination as the disc spun around and music emanated from the machine. It was a Muggle song, one he'd never heard before. While the music played, Angela's brothers moved to either side of him. They closed in, looking very intimidating.

"I know that my sister's fond of you, but if you do anything...anything at all...to hurt her...if we find out that your intentions are anything less than good...Well, you'll have to answer to us," Paul threatened.

"Now see here," Lupin protested, stepping back from them.

Unbeknownst to them, Angela had witnessed their threats. She snuck up behind Paul, grabbed his fingers, and twisted them back hard.

"Oy!" he cried with pain and surprise.

Angela released his hand forcefully.

"You leave him alone," she demanded, "or you'll have to answer to me." She gave them both scathing looks and added, "Mother wants you both in the kitchen. Move sharp!"

As both men left the room, Paul flexed his fingers and added, "I hate it when she does that."

"Better you than me, Mate," said Francis, slapping his brother on the back.

When they'd left, Angela turned to Lupin and said, "I'm so sorry. I've had to live with that all my life."

"No harm done," replied Lupin with a bemused expression.

A short time later, they all sat down to Christmas dinner. It was quite a feast with platters of turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, turnips, green beans, fresh bread, and, of course, Angela's desserts. They washed it all down with ale and butterbeer. While they ate, they conversed.

As Lupin discovered, Paul, like his sister, worked for the Ministry of Magic. But he worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Paul regaled them with stories of the wizard athletes that he'd met. Francis ran his own small business, which was struggling to stay afloat. When they asked Lupin what he did, he seemed at a loss for words. Angela jumped in.

"It's all right. They know about the Order," she said to Lupin. Then she added to the others, "Remus works for Headmaster Dumbledore in the Order. He's there full time."

"That can't pay well," remarked Francis.

Lupin opened his month to speak, but Mrs. Hawkins spoke first. "Francis, you should be ashamed," she chided. "Some things are more important than money and worth the sacrifice. You three were too young to remember what it was like the last time, but I am not. When You-Know-Who was in power, those were terrible times. Your father and I did all we could to shelter you from what was happening. Because of our family connections, your father was terrified that something bad would happen to us. People were disappearing without warning. Months later, they would turn up dead or worse. There were strange accidents. We were living in fear for our very lives. And now that You-Know-Who has returned, I'm relieved to know that Albus Dumbledore and others, like Remus, are preparing to fight. I'm so proud that Angela has joined them. I wish that you two boys would join too."

The two brothers mumbled excuses and exchanged chagrined looks.

Then Mrs. Hawkins turned to Lupin. "Remus, would you like another slice of pie?"

"Maybe just a small one," he replied.

As dinner ended, they cleared the table and retired to the parlor. Mrs. Hawkins led Lupin to the couch. He sat down flanked by Mrs. Hawkins on one side and Angela on the other. Francis and Paul settled into the squashy chairs. Then Mrs. Hawkins began flipping through the albums, pointing out the various family members and reminiscing about the past. Lupin chuckled when he saw the pictures of a young Angela, thin and tomboyish with tousled hair and skinned knees. After a while, Mrs. Hawkins became misty-eyed and closed the books.

"I think it's time for a song. Boys, would you sing for me please?" she asked.

Francis went to the piano and began playing Irving Gordon's "Unforgettable," an old Muggle love song. Paul dropped to one knee and took his mother's hand. The men began singing a duet. Francis was a tenor and Paul a baritone, their voices blending together seamlessly. Angela watched her brothers singing to her mother and noted how like her father they had become.

When the song ended, the two men sang another, Irving Berlin's "Always." Mrs. Hawkins sat listening, occasionally dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. When they finished, they both kissed their mother on the cheek.

"Thank you, boys," she said with dewy eyes. Then she turned to Angela and said, "Angela, dear, will you please sing 'Bill' for me."

"Of course, Mum," she answered, crossing the room to the piano.

Angela sang in a lilting soprano voice. It was another love song. This one was from the musical Showboat. Mrs. Hawkins smiled as she listened, joining in on the very last line. When Angela finished, she also kissed her mother on the cheek.

"That was lovely, dear! Thank you," said Mrs. Hawkins.

She rose to her feet, crossed the room, and picked up the photograph on the piano. The man in the photograph looked remarkably like Paul, but with silvery hair. He grinned at her from out of the picture.

Mrs. Hawkins looked at him affectionately and whispered, "Happy Christmas, Bill."

Meanwhile, Angela had taken her seat next to Lupin. He looked at her with astonishment. "I had no idea that you could sing."

She blushed and replied, "Well, I don't usually. My brothers are the singers in the family. They'll break into song at the slightest provocation."

"Actually, a pint or two usually does it," said Francis with a hearty laugh.

"Come on, Angela. Let's have another song. You owe Remus a serenade," urged Paul.

"I really couldn't," she protested, turning scarlet.

"Come on. It's a family tradition," Francis coaxed.

"Do it for Dad," pleaded Paul.

"Oh, all right," she relented. "But I don't know what to sing."

At this, Angela's mother and brothers started shouting out suggestions. They even asked Lupin for his favorites, but he had to admit that he wasn't familiar with any of the songs. After a brief debate, she settled on "You Go to My Head" by Gillespie and Coots.

Francis sat down at the piano and began to play. The sounds of a full orchestra were heard along with the tinkling of the piano keys. Angela approached the piano and, looking much more nervous than last time, began to sing.

You go to my head and you linger like a haunting refrain...

Her voice was trembling and tentative at first. She closed her eyes, trying to quell her nerves. When she opened them again, she saw Lupin grinning at her.

You go to my head like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew...

When she began the second verse, her voice was stronger and richer. She had begun to relax. She smiled back at Lupin. Suddenly, he was the only one in the room.

You go to my head with a smile that makes my temperature rise...

As she sang, she approached Lupin and held out her hand to him. He took it. She pulled him up into a slow dance.

You intoxicate my soul with your eyes...

During the musical interlude, Lupin held her close. He lowered his head and nestled his face into her hair. They swayed slowly to the hypnotic tempo, cheek to cheek. Feeling his warm breath against her ear, Angela smiled blissfully and closed her eyes.

During the final refrain, she gazed up into his face adoringly, singing directly to him. He stared back into her eyes, equally enchanted. After she finished the last note, they exchanged a kiss.

Her brothers erupted in whistles and catcalls. Her mother applauded politely. Lupin grinned. Angela turned scarlet again. Both Angela's brother laughed heartily, clapping Lupin on the back. When their laughter died down, they all gathered around the piano and began to sing Christmas carols.