Hunted

Chapter 7: Such Old-Fashioned Notions

It was an unusually sunny and warm afternoon for the beginning of October. The cold rains that would normally fall by this time were delayed this year. In fact, the sky was as clear and bright as any day in July. The gardens that surrounded the Lupin cottage were still flush with color from the blowsy blooms. Cerulean blues and indigos of delphiniums and sages mixed freely with the golden hues of chrysanthemums. Dried flower heads of yarrow bobbed among them, having long since turned from sunny yellow to brown. Hollyhocks in their second round of blossom added splashes of color with their sundry shades of pinks and magentas. Sweet alyssum and soft wooly lambs' ear rounded out the palette with calming grays and whites.

Angela stood out in the open in front of their cottage in Beecher's Knoll, allowing the sunshine to warm her face. Dressed in a pair of baggy cargo pants and an over-sized button-down shirt, she practiced a few karate moves on an imaginary opponent. She kicked, chopped, and punched the air as she rehearsed various routines.

Remus sat on a wooden bench under the overhang of the front porch, reading the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. He folded the paper, tucked it under his arm, and watched the rapid movements of her lithe body. His brow furrowed.

"Are you sure you should be doing that in your condition?" he called out.

Angela laughed and dropped her pose. She walked over to where he sat. "Yes, I'm sure it's fine," she replied with a teasing smile. "I checked with the Healers. Anything that helps me stay limber and strong will help with the delivery. And anyway, I'm only punching the air. No one's going to be punching me back."

Remus stared at her, unconvinced. She plunked down on the bench next to him and took a long gulp of water. Her eyes strayed to the newspaper tucked under his arm.

"So what's in the news today?" she inquired.

"Just the usual," he answered, avoiding her stare.

"Oh really?"

Before he could react, she leapt from the bench, grabbed for the newspaper, and pulled it from under his arm. She backed off, unfurling the paper as she went. Remus jumped after her and attempted to snatch the newspaper back. His hand reached for it, but not before her eyes scanned the front page headlines. Then she froze with a look of alarm on her face.

"So it's happened!" she gasped. "Fudge has been voted out of office."

Remus withdrew his hand. "Yes," he replied, with a look of resignation. "The vote of no confidence took place just this morning. He went down to resounding defeat."

"And elections?" she asked, now staring into his eyes.

"Elections for the new government will take place in two months," he answered. "Malfoy has already declared his candidacy. The story is on page two."

Angela's fingers flipped to the second page. Her eyes skimmed the article, as her mouth hung agape. She licked her lips that had gone dry and closed the paper. Her gaze strayed back to her husband. She could see the worry etched in the deep creases that now graced his brow.

"Well, at least, Fudge will stay until the elections," she commented.

"No, he resigned in protest," he replied, his voice taking on a steely tone. "Umbridge took control right after the vote. As Senior Undersecretary, she's second in the line of succession."

Angela's arms dropped to her sides, the newspaper slipping from her fingers. She heard a flutter, as the sheets separated and fell to the ground. Her eyes stared into her husband's face, full of concern.

Umbridge had a reputation for bigotry against non-wizard races. Her anti-werewolf legislation had been the source of much grief for Remus. Because of those hateful laws, he could not find gainful employment. Although he received some modest compensation for his work within the Order of the Phoenix, Angela discovered that it was not sufficient to support even him, let alone a family. Angela herself was employed at the Ministry of Magic and earned a decent wage there. But she knew how his pride suffered to have to rely on her financial support for their very sustenance. But now Umbridge was in charge. Who knows what new hardships she would impose upon them?

Angela thought back to her past experiences with that hideous witch. She remembered some of the laws that Umbridge tried to ram through the legislature. Among them were proposals requiring werewolves to register their whereabouts with local authorities, restrictions on jobs, and restrictions on where they could live. Rumors were rampant that Umbridge's latest proposal would ban werewolves from marrying altogether. She wondered how that would affect her own marriage and her children. Would the marriage be annulled? The only comforting thought in all this was that many of Umbridge's most heinous proposals never made it out of committee.

Seeing her look, Remus pulled her to him and embraced her. She pressed her face to his chest and clasped her arms around him. She clung to him with every ounce of her strength, hardening her own resolve.

"It'll be all right," he soothed, running his fingers through her chestnut hair.

But she knew that it wouldn't. She raised her head to stare back into those blue-gray eyes so filled with apprehension. "Headmaster Dumbledore is right," she whispered. "You know that my karate skills are no match for wands. You must teach me to duel again. I may be forced to fight against more than dementors next time. I may even be fighting against Ministry officials to defend you."

Remus' face broke into a grin. "You, my lovely wife, will fight to defend me?" he rejoined, unable to hide his amusement.

"Yes, if I have to," Angela insisted, with an indignant stare. "It could happen."

Remus chuckled, his eyes glittering with merriment at the notion. "Well then," he replied. "I suppose we must." His face took on a serious expression again. "Are you sure that you're up to this?"

"I am," she replied, her green eyes flashing with determination. She stepped away from him. Her hand reached into the pocket of her cargo pants and extracted her wand.

Remus sighed. He cast her a doubtful look. And she understood that he was doing this against his better judgment. Then he rolled up the sleeves of his best button-down skirt. His fingers reached for his wand tucked in his belt.

"Right then," he said with a note of resignation in his voice. "Ten paces."

They turned back to back and marched apart ten paces. Then they turned to face each other with wands drawn.

"Remember your dueling stance," he instructed. She adjusted her position, so that her right side was toward him and her body at an angle. "Now, we'll limit this to three charms - a Stinging Hex, a Shielding Charm, and a Disarming Charm," he continued. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three."

On that last word, crimson flashes of light flew from both their wands. Remus deftly blocked Angela's hex with a charm of his own. Angela was not so lucky. His Stinging Hex hit her arm. An angry welt appeared on her right forearm where the hex had landed. She shook her arm in a futile attempt to alleviate the burning sensation. Then she fired off a counterattack.

She dodged his next two curses. They whizzed past her and landed in the rose bushes behind her in a poof of exploding foliage. Angela turned her head to inspect the damage on her favorite rose bush.

"Never look away from your opponent," Remus chided, firing a Disarming Charm at her. "And don't duck this time. Block, then attack!"

Angela's head turned back at his warning. She spotted the incoming hex and managed a successful block in the nick of time.

"That's it!" he encouraged. "Block, then retaliate!"

Angela struggled. A full six months had past since their last dueling lesson and she had forgotten a great deal of what he had taught her. She had to fight her urge to run away from the curses aimed at her, instead of countering with defensive maneuvers. Her pregnancy only contributed to her fatigue. Although only in the middle of her second month, she found that she had much less energy than usual.

Remus pressed his advantage. In a masterful offensive, he maneuvered her away from the bushes. Angela shuffled backward to avoid his advances, firing Shielding Charms and counterattacks in a useless attempt to stop him. A couple of minutes later, he had her pinned against the side of the cottage. "Expelliamus!" he uttered. Her wand ripped from her grasp and flew toward him. He snatched her wand from the air in one quick swipe of his left hand and tucked it safely into his belt. He was at her side in two strides.

Angela leaned against the cottage for support, her breaths coming in heavy gasps. Her cheeks were flushed from the exertion of the exercise. She regarded his approach in wide-eyed wonder.

"So you're going to defend me?" he teased. He placed his left hand on the wall just to the right of her ear and leaned in close. A mischievous twinkle appeared in his blue-gray eyes. "What punishment do you suggest I impose on so fair a prize?"

Angela giggled. "Do your worst," she replied in mock defiance. "I will never surrender."

"Never?" he rejoined. His right hand slid around her back and pulled her into an embrace.

"Never," she whispered, her arms encircling his neck.

She stared into his eyes with an adoring look. Then her gaze fell to his lips moving in to administer the welcomed penalty. She closed her eyes, as she surrendered to his tender kiss. As their lips parted, she shot him an amused glance.

"You know, when you reward me so well for losing," she commented, a shy smile on her lips, "it doesn't exactly inspire me to train harder."

"Hmm? I suppose you're right." He stroked his chin. "Then I should stop?"

"Oh no!" she insisted, her green eyes opening wide. "Of course not."

His face broke into a broad grin. "Then I shall just have to offer you other incentives," he said, that roguish twinkle back in his eyes. "If you disarm me, then you get to determine my punishment. Will that do?"

"You'll do anything I ask?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Anything at all," he replied, nodding.

"A second round then?"

"Ready when you are."

Then walked arm in arm back to the center of the front yard. Remus returned Angela's wand. They walked ten paces and turned to face each other for the second round. Angela couldn't help but notice the wily grin on Remus' face.

The second round began quite differently from the first. Angela's attacks had become much more aggressive. Even so, she was still no match for Remus' skill. He shouted words of advice and encouragement, as she parried his hexes and retaliated with her own. As before, he easily maneuvered her around the yard in a sort of dueling dance. But Angela was quite agile and somehow managed to ward off his every attempt at disarming her.

In the midst of an effective foray, she actually forced Remus back a few paces. He caught his heel on a stray brick and toppled over backwards into the dirt. Seizing the opportunity, she uttered a Disarming Charm. His wand flew from his grasp straight into her outstretched hand.

"You did that on purpose," Angela accused.

She handed his wand to him. He rose from the ground, beating the dust from his trousers. His blue-gray eyes sparkled with laughter.

"I did not," he countered.

"You let me win," she replied. "You can't fool me. You get that charming little dimple whenever you lie."

"You disarmed me fair and square," he insisted, chuckling. He approached and bowed. "And now I present myself at your mercy. I await my sentence."

Angela cast him an impish grin and giggled. "Very well, if you insist."

She leaned in close and whispered something in his ear. Her cheeks flushed scarlet. She cocked an eyebrow and gazed into his eyes with an admiring look.

"Excellent idea." Remus' lips curled into an enormous grin. He glanced down at his watch. "And we have plenty of time before my parents arrive."

"Do you really think so?" Angela's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I thought that we might have to wait until later."

"I don't see why," he rejoined. "They aren't due for another hour or so. And you can hear my father's old Ford coming for miles. So we should have plenty of warning."

"Are you sure?" she asked, with a doubtful glance up the heavily-rutted dirt road that ran in front of their cottage.

"I'm certain."

Remus wrapped his arms around Angela. His eyes stared into hers, alight with desire. He met her this time with a passionate kiss on the lips. Then he swept her into his arms and carried her to the threshold of their cottage. He set her down just outside the door. They kissed repeatedly, his right hand caressing Angela's cheek and his left feeling for the door handle. His fingers grasped the knob and opened the door. They crossed the threshold without looking or relinquishing their hold on each other. Angela's foot kicked the door shut in their wake.

"I'll get the chocolate sauce and meet you in the bedroom," he whispered, giving her a lingering kiss. Then he turned from her and froze, staring in disbelief. "Mum, Dad,...er...you're early," he stammered, blushing with chagrin. "We were...er...just sparring."

Angela peered around him with a sheepish grin. "Hello, we didn't see you arrive."

She stared over at Remus' parents. Emma Lupin, a tall woman with light brown hair streaked with gray, was just removing her traveling cloak. From the expression on her mother-in-law's face, Angela surmised that she was a bit embarrassed by the incident. Julius Lupin, however, wore an amused look. He stood before them in his tweed suit, brushing the soot smudges from his sleeves.

"Yes, well," Julius rejoined, clearing his throat behind his fist. "The old Ford has been acting up lately, so your mother convinced me to try the Floo Network instead. We thought that we'd surprise you by arriving a little early." He chuckled. "And it seems we have."

Angela glanced over at Remus. She had rarely seen him at a loss for words, but the sudden arrival of his parents left him dumbstruck. He just stood, staring with his mouth agape.

"Welcome to our home," Angela greeted. "May I take your cloak? And won't you sit down." She approached Emma and Julius, took their coats, and hung them on the rack beside the door. Then she turned to Remus. "Perhaps your parents would like some tea? Dinner won't be ready for another hour."

"Yes, tea?" Remus echoed, recovering himself.

"A cup of tea would be lovely, dear," Emma replied, casting her son a doting look. Then she turned to Angela. "And can I help you with dinner?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Angela replied with a warm smile. "Most of it is already prepared. And Remus can help me with the rest."

Julius' eyebrows shot up. "So you cook, Remus?"

"Of course he cooks, dear," Emma interjected. "How do you think he survived all those years as a bachelor?"

"Actually, Angela does the cooking," Remus replied.

He moved over to the kitchen cupboard. He pulled down a china teapot with a chipped lid and several cups and saucers. He filled the pot with fresh water and tapped it with his wand.

"But he manages quite well." Angela turned to the pantry cupboard to fetch the tea. "Sorry, but we only have tea bags. Would you like cream and sugar?"

"Yes, please," Julius replied. "And tea bags will do fine."

Angela returned with a tray containing bowls of cream and sugar and a small wire basket containing an assortment of tea bags. Julius helped himself to a tea bag. Her father-in-law's gaze lingered on her loose-fitting clothing. He stared for a moment with an odd expression on his face, transfixed. Angela blushed.

"It was such a beautiful day and I was outside in the garden," she said. "Then when you arrived early...well, I didn't have time to change."

"Oh that's quite all right," Julius replied. "I really hadn't noticed. So what's on the menu for dinner?"

"Herbed pork roast with all the trimmings," Angela answered. "And a chocolate cake for dessert."

The teapot whistled a shrill note. Blasts of steam escaped the spout. Remus filled the cups with steaming water.

"Sounds delicious!" Julius replied, steeping his tea bag. "Do you always eat that well?"

"Not every day." Angela shook her head and smiled. "Most days it's simple fare."

"She's being modest," Remus said. "She's quite a good cook. I wouldn't presume to call anything that she prepares a simple meal."

"Well, she certainly has done well by you," Emma remarked, surveying her son. "She has fed you up nicely, dear."

Angela smiled over at Remus. She had to agree. He had put on weight in the two months since their wedding. And she herself thought that he looked better for it.

Angela pulled out the pork roast coated with fennel, fresh thyme, and oregano and seasoned with onions and garlic. She poured white wine into the pan and popped it in the oven to cook. Then she peeled the potatoes and prepared the other vegetables. Before long, they sat down to a table laden with platters of roasted pork, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade applesauce, string beans, a green salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, fresh bread, and for dessert, a double-layer chocolate cake with ganache filling and a garnish of crème anglaise and raspberries.

"Excellent meal!" Julius pushed away from the table and rested a hand on his full stomach.

"Thank you," Angela replied, a modest smile on her lips. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"But if I am not mistaken," Julius continued with a meaningful glance at his son, "I gather you have invited us this evening for more than just dinner. I get the distinct impression that you two have something to tell us."

"Well, yes." Remus chuckled. "Actually, we've invited you here to tell you our news." He cast his wife an adoring look and took her hand. "We're expecting. Twins, in fact."

"HA! HA!" Jlius guffawed, clapping his son on the back. "I knew it. And twins. Marvelous news. Simply marvelous. Did you hear that, mother?" He turned to Emma. "We're going to be grandparents after all."

"Yes, dear," Emma remarked. She rose from the table to give both her son and daughter-in-law an affectionate peck on the cheek. "Congratulations to you both. I couldn't be happier. When is the due date?"

"Around the first of May," Angela said, "if all goes well."

"Of course it will," Emma assured, a pleased smile gracing her face.

"And twins, by Jove," Julius remarked. He gave Remus another clap on the back.

"I'm afraid that's my fault," Angela rejoined, blushing. "Identical twins run in my family. We've six sets in the last six generations. My father was a twin and both my brothers are too."

"Ah, I will have to start thinking about names. Now, let's see..." Julius mused, his hand rubbing his chin. "Castor and Pollux! The Gemini. Twin sons of Jupiter and Leda."

"But they could be girls, dear," Emma interjected.

"Yes, quite so," Julius replied, deep in thought. "I know, perhaps you could take a name from the Muses. That sounds perfect for my granddaughters. Young, beautiful, and modest. How about Terpsichore, the muse of music and dancing? Or Calliope, the muse of epic poetry?" He cast Remus a hopeful glance.

"Terpsichore Lupin?" Angela echoed.

Her face wore the broadest of grins. It took all her effort to suppress her laughter. And she could just picture the look on Nymphadora Tonks' face. Abhorrence was too mild a word for the way Tonks felt about her given name. Angela glanced over at her husband, a bemused expression on her face. Remus just shook his head. His face turned scarlet.

"No?" Julius pursued. "How about Clio? Euterpe? Thalia? Melpomene? Erato? No, that one won't do. Urania? Polyhymnia?"

Remus shook his head at every one. "We appreciate the suggestions, Dad," he remarked, "But Angela and I haven't discussed names yet."

"Oh well," Julius rejoined, looking slightly disappointed. "We've got seven more months. I will keep at it."

"Yes, of course," Remus replied. "So, Dad, how are things going at the University?" Then he turned to Angela. "Dad is a classics professor."

"So I gathered," Angela rejoined, still grinning.

"Well, I have been at that University for twenty years now," Julius replied. "There are only so many times that you can teach Homer and Beowulf. I am thinking of retiring after this year."

"But, dear, don't you think you'll be bored puttering around the house all day?" Emma commented. Then she turned to Remus and added, "I've been trying to encourage him to take up a hobby."

"I was thinking of auto mechanics," Julius remarked, his eyes brightening. "See if I can keep that old jalopy of mine running for a few more years."

"Dad, are you sure?" Remus protested, casting his father a doubtful look. "The last time you tried to fix that engine, you had parts scattered around the shed for months."

"Yes, well," Julius replied. "I got it back together. There were only a few parts left over. And, you know, we never needed them." His head gave a matter-of-fact nod.

Angela looked over at Emma. Her mother-in-law had dropped her gaze and stared down into her teacup. Angela was certain that she saw a sly smile on Emma's face. Could it be that Emma had been the one that fixed that car without her husband's knowledge? Angela's gaze focused back on her father-in-law who did not appear to have noticed.

"And how about you, son?" Julius inquired. "How is the job with Dumbledore working out?"

"Fine," Remus replied, avoiding his father's stare and casting Angela a warning look.

"And my work at the Ministry of Magic is going well too," Angela offered, trying to be helpful.

Remus grabbed her hand under the table. Her expression changed to one of surprise. He gave his head the slightest shake, an unmistakable signal.

"Yes, I understand that woman these days have modern notions about jobs," Julius remarked with an incredulous stare. "But you are planning to quit when the babies arrive, aren't you?"

Angela's mouth fell open. She now realized her faux pas. She had unwittingly trod on a touchy subject, her father-in-law's conventional views. She looked at Remus for help.

"Uh...we...we haven't discussed that yet," she stammered.

"What is there to discuss?" Julius remarked, facing Remus with a stern expression. "That is simply the way it is done. I supported the family, as is a man's responsibility, and your mother stayed home and raised you. She was there to see to your education when we could not make other arrangements. It is the way nature intended things to be."

"Well, you know, Dad," Remus began, "Things have changed..."

Angela watched with amusement, as Remus attempted to explain contemporary roles for women to his father. And she had no doubt where many of her husband's old-fashioned notions had their origins.