Claire De Lune

Clair De Lune

Chapter Four: Unexpected Meeting

August 2, 1980. 2:23 pm

Wiltonshire Street was quiet and deserted. The wind blew stray leaves and dust clouds from the small dirt road, at times creating small eddies in the sand. Up in the azure blue sky, the sun proudly stretched its glorious rays, as if in celebration. Summer was in full swing, and every now and then, a squirrel would dart in between the trees, clutching an acorn or two. Flowers raised their heads to accept the warmth of the sunlight, and bees and butterflies flitted about.

Summer creatures were the only visible signs of life in this rundown area. The houses were old and fragile, as if one gust of wind would finalize the commenced wreckage. Weeds infested the once elegant lawns, and not a splash of color could be seen on the parched grass. An ancient birch tree at the end of the road, bent almost halfway from a violent snow storm, swayed as the gentle breeze blew through it. One of its branches rapped loudly against the second floor window of its neighboring house, awakening a young man from his peaceful slumber.

His warm gray eyes blinked in the dazzling sunlight, and he raised his hand to shield his face from the glare. Groaning, he sat up slowly, pulling the thin cotton blanket off his upper torso. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glared accusingly at the offending branch, which was still banging against the glass.

"Too bloody early," he grumbled, but he climbed out of bed all the same and stretched his arms high above his head. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he groaned again, "Well, too early for dinner at the Potters, anyway."

Why am I so dead tired?

As Remus Lupin crossed his bedroom to the ancient bureau table, he tried to recall the past days' events, hoping to determine the reason behind this newfound fatigue. His continuous missions for the Order of the Phoenix were very physically demanding, but none of them really resulted in this overwhelming exhaustion. Remus thought hard as he stared at his reflection in the dusty mirror.

It was probably Harry's birth.

The birth of James and Lily Potter's son a couple of days ago had been one of the most exciting and most tiring days of Remus's life. He had been with Lily during her first stages of labor, and had to locate James after taking her to St. Mungo's. Sirius had brought James and Peter to an old pub in the northeastern counties, and Remus, having just recovered from a full moon, had volunteered to look after Lily. Once he had found his friends, he had to endure fourteen hours with a semi-drunk James, a vomiting Peter, and a severely pissed Sirius in the waiting room.

Once Harry James Potter had been born, Remus had to take both Sirius and Peter home to their respective houses before going back to the hospital to help James move Lily to her room. Then he had gone to the nursery where he found Harry lying in one of the cribs, staring wide-eyed at his surroundings.

Remus smiled to himself as the baby boy's angelic face formed in his mind's eye. It was like sifting through James's old baby photographs. While Harry had inherited most of James's facial features, he had Lily's beautiful green eyes. Remus had watched him from behind the clear glass division for what felt like hours, admiring the new member of the Potter family.

The rest of that evening had gone by in a blur. Remus had spent the night in the waiting lounge, not wanting to intrude on James and Lily. Early the next morning, Sirius had arrived, hung-over but coherent, and the both of them bought Lily breakfast from the Leaky Cauldron. Peter had turned up later that morning, and the afternoon was spent helping James prepare the house for Harry's homecoming. It wasn't until around three o'clock this morning that Remus returned to his own home.

Yawning widely, Remus pulled his least shabby set of robes from his closet and went to the bathroom to freshen up and change. As he brushed his teeth, he glanced out the window overlooking the front lawn. There was nothing out of the ordinary in his sleepy little village. There never was.

Not until now.

There was a faint popping sound, and out of nowhere, a young woman appeared on the lawn, stumbling forward on the burnt grass. The young woman slowly pulled herself into a seating position, and from that distance, Remus could see a distinct look of disbelief on her face. Washing his mouth quickly, he dashed downstairs to help her.

The brightness of the sun stung his eyes as he flung the front door open. "Are you all right?" he called as he skidded into a stop beside her.

She turned around slowly, and upon seeing him, she let out a loud terrified gasp and staggered backwards.

"Hey, it's all right!" Remus hastily knelt down beside her. "I won't hurt you."

Miscarried Apparition, probably, he mused. He looked her up and down once, checking for any signs of splinching, but there were none. When he stared back at her, she was still eyeing him with wide eyes, a mixture of disbelief and fear on her face.

Remus tried again, "My name is Remus Lupin. I--I hope I didn't scare you." Good going, Lupin, seeing as you did.

"N-no, you didn't," she stammered as she nervously fumbled with the handle of her traveling bag. "It's just . . . you look like someone I know." Her eyes widened once more at this, as if she realized that she shouldn't have said this.

"Oh. Well then . . ." Remus trailed off, not knowing what to say to that. Instead, he stood up and held his hand out to her. She hesitated for a moment, but then allowed him to help her to her feet. "May I know your name?" he asked.

"I'm He--Jane Conway," she answered stiffly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jane," smiled Remus warmly. "Would you like a glass of water or a cup of tea? I'm sure you'd like to rejuvenate after that fall."

Jane eyed him rather anxiously for a moment before saying, "Sure."

"Right this way, then." Remus led her up the stone steps and into the house. Guiding her to the sofa in the living room, he went on, "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." He made sure that she was comfortable before hurrying to the kitchen.

*

Sirius Black chose the best time to arrive.

Not only was Remus very busy in the kitchen (a feat worthy of the Wizarding World Records), but he was also busy entertaining a bird who had allegedly Apparated on his lawn by mistake. Or so Remus said.

The strapping young man lit a fag as he watched his friend bustle about, preparing tea for Miss Jane Conway. Stowing the Muggle lighter away into his back pocket, Sirius said, "Where is she from?"

"I don't know, Sirius, I didn't ask," answered Remus distractedly as he conjured biscuits with his wand. "She was much too disoriented when I talked to her and couldn't let anything out."

"That's strange," remarked Sirius, inhaling on his cigarette. "So she just randomly appeared on your front lawn, without any warning whatsoever?"

"Sirius, you are a downright pesky git."

Sirius burst out laughing, so suddenly that he inhaled too quickly and commenced coughing. Remus rolled his eyes and gave Sirius a sharp poke on his way back to the living room. "Bring the biscuits and do something useful for once in your life."

"Oh, Remus! Such horrible accusations!" cried Sirius dramatically once he had regained his composure, but obliged and followed.

Remus approached Jane carefully with a kind smile on his face. "Here you go," he said, handing her the cup of steaming tea. "Oh, and this is my friend, Sirius Black."

At the mention of his name, Sirius stepped forward and bowed in greeting. Jane's hand that was holding the cup froze halfway to her mouth, and she beheld him with wide, disbelieving eyes, and Sirius thought he saw a hint of recognition there. This only lasted for a moment though; Jane then smiled at him and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sirius."

"Likewise, dear," replied Sirius warmly as he held out the tin canister. "Biscuit?"

"No, thank you." She shook her head, and sipped her tea slowly. Remus sat down beside her, but did not say anything. Sirius waited for a few moments, but when nothing came out of his friend's mouth, he released an audible sigh of exasperation and set the biscuits down on the centre table. This called for desperate measures.

Seating himself in an armchair just across them, he cleared his throat and queried, "So, Jane, where we you heading? From what I gathered, you came here by accident."

Jane seemed to assess his question heavily; she set her cup on the table before her before answering, "I wanted to visit a friend I haven't seen in ten years, and I didn't realize that this area has been deserted."

"What's your friend's name? Maybe we could help you find him," said Sirius.

"It doesn't matter now," stated Jane slowly. She fingered a loose seam on the hand rest. "I'm sure that--if he wanted me to find him, he'd have written to me."

"And he didn't?" Sirius could spy Remus raising his eyebrow and smiling amusedly from the corner of his eye.

"No."

"So where are you heading now? D'you have any place to stay?"

"Erm . . ." Jane shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "No, actually, um . . . Once I had come of age, I had to leave the orphanage, and I was hoping that . . . that my friend could accommodate me."

"Oh . . ."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other briefly, the look on the latter's face completely opposing the triumphant glimmer in Sirius's eyes.

"Then let us help you find your dream home," he declared. "I'm sure Remus knows some people who have living spaces. Or maybe he could spare a bedroom himself . . ."

"You know what, Sirius? Lily could use some extra help around the house," said Remus loudly. "What with Harry and all; and she needs female company."

Sirius looked a bit disappointed for a moment, but then his mouth upturned into a wide Cheshire grin.

"Dinner at the Potters then, old friend?"

*

I don't believe it.

I absolutely do not believe it.

This rhetorical statement repeated over and over in Hermione's mind as she walked up a sandy path towards a brightly-lit village, flanked by Remus and Sirius on either side. The shock of having met Remus and Sirius's younger selves has slightly worn away now, but Hermione's heart palpitated painfully at the thought of seeing James and Lily Potter.

Harry's parents . . .

"Are you sure your friends won't mind?" asked Hermione, her voice high-pitched and anxious. She didn't know how many times she had said this, but she could not shake the nerves from her system.

Sirius groaned in exasperation, "Jane, they will love you. Trust me."

They walked along further, and Hermione tried to calm down by observing the magnificent scenery before her. Godric's Hollow was a quaint village, akin to what Muggle children would find in storybook illustrations. Whiffs of smoke rose from various chimneys; villagers went from one house to the other, bringing cakes, pies, and other baked goods; and children played in the streets, their voices echoing in the crisp night air. A bubbling brook ran on the side of the village, marking the beginning of a long stretch of woods.

"Is this a Muggle village?" inquired Hermione.

"Yep," responded Sirius as they rounded a corner. "Given the present situation, every wizarding family is advised to find a safe haven where they wouldn't be affected by the war. Plus, James inherited a stretch of land in this area. Lily loves it here; she claims that James couldn't have found a better spot. It was the best decision James had ever made in his life," he added smiling, issuing a snort from Remus.

Even Hermione could not suppress a laugh at this. Throughout their journey, both Remus and Sirius talked about James and Lily with so much fondness and respect that she could not help thinking that Harry could not ask for better parents.

If I'm meeting Harry's parents, then . . .

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "They have a son!" she blurted out.

Upon seeing Remus and Sirius's faces, she blushed furiously. Sirius's eyebrows threatened to disappear beneath his hairline as he looked at Remus, probably silently urging him to do something about her nervousness.

Remus walked over to her and gripped her upper arm gently. "Jane, relax," he said soothingly. The worst James or Lily could do is hex you, something which I'm confident won't happen. Sirius and I trust you enough to bring you with us, and James and Lily trust our judgment. Don't worry."

"Worry wrinkles pretty faces," affixed Sirius. "We don't want that to happen to you, do we?"

Before Hermione could respond, Remus and Sirius steered her down a small path leading up to a modest two-story house set against the elegant green trees of the forest. All the lights on the first floor were lit, and a smell of splendid cooking wafted from the open windows.

The two men led Hermione all the way up to the front door. "Don't be nervous," reminded Remus in a soft voice as Sirius pounded on the door. There was a scuffling noise from inside, followed by a woman's hearty laugh. The door swung open, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

"Better late than never, you pompous berks."