Once in a Blue Moon

CHAPTER 12

5 June - Hogwarts - 9pm

Sirius Black was restless. His senses were screaming at him, and he decided to take a run. Exiting his chambers, he transformed into the massive black dog, Padfoot.

Immediately, he picked up a scent he had not expected - and idly wondered where Remus was going.

He started to prowl the castle - checking every window and door, making sure nothing was getting in.

He then transformed at the top of the astronomy tower, and looked out. The night was warm, clear, and he could see for miles.

In the distance, he saw some pinpoints of light. Light where he knew there should be none. In a flash he transformed again and was racing through the castle, exiting and going in search of the lights.

Several hours later, the weary Padfoot returned. Weary in mind and body, and knowing that this was something that had to be shared.

He had found the force that they had been warned about. An attack on Hogwarts was very near. Too near.

He entered the castle, and his first thought was to get Lupin. He would be able to start making plans, help him to decide whether to wake Dumbledore tonight, or wait until the morning.

He was inclined to wait; from the looks of the encampment, the thugs drinking heavily, and the conversation he had overheard, he felt that the attack would be a couple of days away.

He hoped.

As he neared Remus' chamber, he realised that there was still only the one scent. Wherever he had been going, Remus had not returned. Cautiously, he checked the room to make sure. Nobody there. The bed immaculate, undisturbed.

Padfoot began to track the scent of his friend, getting more and more confused at its direction.

It ended outside Pilar's door, and he thought that the two of them had probably been talking again - he had never been able to follow some of their conversations, and had felt a tinge of jealousy.

He stopped. He could hear no voices, but put that down to a thick door. He transformed back and tapped. Nothing. Suddenly, he heard a scream and acted. He flung open the door.

And wished he had not.

The couple in front of him were too absorbed in each other to notice him, and he realised that the scream he had heard had definitely not been one of terror.

Idly, with the eye of a connoisseur of women, he noted that Pilar was rather nicely built. And he wondered how long this had been going on.

He had not realised that he had made any sound, as he had remembered the conversation with Remus earlier that year. But the sound penetrated the silence now enveloping the chamber.

He felt two pairs of eyes fall on him, and saw the couple in front of him blush, hastily scrambling to cover themselves.

"And here I thought you two were discussing philosophy," he said, "or something. Seems like the or something is correct."

He was amused that they blushed even harder.

"Close the door, git," said Remus, managing to regain some poise, "or leave. If you've come for a chat, make yourself useful and make tea."

Pilar merely gurgled. How had she gotten herself into this situation?

Remus looked down at her and kissed her. "He had to know sometime, love."

"Yes, but I had envisioned telling him. Civilised. You know. Preferably wearing clothing."

Sirius looked up from the kettle. "I can be civilised," he said grinning. "And you can still tell me."

Remus got out of bed and pulled on a dressing gown - and Sirius noted amused that the clothing scattered on the floor was not pyjamas. So, he thought, the dressing gown stays here. He also watched as his friend found a gown for Pilar, knowing exactly where to go for it.

Even more interesting. Obviously his friend knew a lot more about his fellow staff member than he had let on.

He felt Remus' hand on his head, turning it firmly away, as Pilar scrambled out of bed, pulling her dressing gown around her and tying it firmly.

Sirius shook his friend's hand off and sat in one of the comfortable chairs in front of the fire. "So," he said, "Are you going to tell me?" For the moment, all thought of his finding the campsite had fled. This was far more interesting.

He watched the couple before him sit down on the couch, Pilar nestling into Remus arms with an ease that told of long hours sitting like this. He watched as she sipped on a cup of tea. "The whole story?" she asked.

Sirius stretched back. "Naturally. Every juicy detail, please."

Remus laughed. "Lecher. But the whole story is long. Have you got a few hours?"

"Unlike you, I have nothing to do tonight."

He was astonished as Pilar blushed again. He had not thought she could blush - there were more depths to her than he had thought.

"It goes back a long way, Sirius. To just after we left school," began Remus, "Pilar and I were doing some work for Dumbledore. It just happened, really."

"Just happened my foot," said Pilar. "Dumbledore did everything but pop me in your bed!"

"Yes, well," Remus cleared his throat, "We fell in love, and had planned to get married. Then Pilar got caught, and was accused of being a spy for Voldemort. She was immediately thrown into Azkaban, to await a trial."

Sirius sat up. "I remember - Remus we thought that you were travelling during that time."

"I was. Mostly to get evidence that would free Pilar. When her trial came along, she was found not guilty. We had planned that if she was free, then we were going to get married. In fact, I had intended to tell you all at James and Lily's wedding, and to introduce Pilar to you properly then."

"What do you mean, introduce? We knew her. She was a friend of Lily."

"But you didn't know me as Remus' girlfriend," put in Pilar. "You knew me as Lily's friend who flirted and kissed a lot of boys. I had changed a lot. Circumstances had changed me."

"So what happened? You never did show up at the wedding. James and Lily were quite upset."

"So was I," said Remus. "What we didn't know - couldn't know until later, was that Pilar was still wanted by the enemy. That if she stayed in England she would be in danger. And I was also under suspicion. After all, I am a werewolf," he finished, his tone bitter.

Pilar reached her hand up and stroked his face. Her touch and expression tender, loving.

"We were only together days before I was arrested," she said, taking up the story, "And afterwards, Dumbledore tore us apart using a Heartstone. He sent me to America, where he had lined up a job for me teaching DADA at the Salem Institute," her eyes grew misty, "we didn't even get a day to say goodbye. They sent me off within the hour."

Sirius nodded. "I knew you were in America," he said, "I actually intended to look you up when I was there."

"On the run," said Remus.

"Yeah - but well, you know how it is. I got distracted in Bermuda."

"And California. And Washington. And Brazil," Remus put in sternly. "And just about everywhere else you bloody stopped."

Sirius grinned. "Friendly girls in America," he said. "But what happened to you?"

"I taught. Hating myself. Hating the students. Hating the whole damn world. Until Dumbledore sent me a letter," said Pilar, "telling me he wanted me back here to teach. It wasn't until I got here that I found out that Remus would also be teaching here. Oh - I knew that he would be in England - at least I hoped he would be - and I had intended to contact him when I was back. But it was a shock, to say the least, when I found out he was here."

"Nothing to the one I got when you walked into the staff room that day," said Lupin.

Sirius looked at them. "And when did you, shall we say, pick up where you left off?"

"Halloween."

"And you didn't tell me? Moony! Your oldest friend!"

"We promised Dumbledore we would be discreet. He said that for the present, we were to tell nobody."

"But Malfoy turned up - looking for something. And it wasn't me," Said Sirius frowning.

"I've gotten to the bottom of that," said Pilar. "I set Morgan onto Draco."

"Morgan?" said both Remus and Sirius, "And what has this Morgan person got to do with Draco?"

Pilar sighed. "It certainly is share a secret night. Morgan is my baby sister - you probably wouldn't remember her - she was a first year when we were in seventh. But Morgan and I also have an older sister. Narcissa."

"Narcissa - as in Malfoy - as in that Narcissa?"

Pilar nodded. "Lucius hates me. He was the one after me - and when we fought, I beat him. Well, Morgan tackled young Draco. For some reason she is terribly fond of him - all I can think of is that she's known him all his life and can't see how nasty he can be. Anyway, he told her that he saw Remus and I toast each other at the Halloween Ball, and had written to his father, telling him I was here and his suspicion that there was something between us.

"Lucius took this as an opportunity to try to get rid of Remus and I - him for being a werewolf, and me for being his lover. He also tried to get you, Sirius, and in doing so break up the little power block Dumbledore set up in Hogwarts.

"Fortunately, Dumbledore ignored him, and Snape agreed that there was absolutely no way Remus and I were lovers. In fact, apparently some students thought he and I were lovers."

Remus sat up abruptly "You've never told me that," he said indignantly. "As if you would be interested in Snape!"

"I was when I was in school."

"Yes - but you also went out with Padfoot, there, so that means nothing," he said, dodging the cushion thrown at him by Black.

Pilar giggled, "Wasn't it fortunate," she said, smiling up at him, her eyes full of love, "that my taste has improved."

They exchanged a long kiss, and Sirius collected the cushion he had tossed, lightly thumping Remus with it. "Get a room," he said, "or finish the story so I can leave you to this one."

The couple stopped. "Not a lot more to tell," said Remus. "Except when you nearly caught us on New Years Eve."

"The stairs?"

"Yes, but we had not intended anything. We really had gone there to rest my feet."

"And I thought I would never throw you off when I arranged the weekend away," said Remus. "I gave you a fairly broad hint when I came back, but you missed it completely."

"Because it never occurred to me," said Black.

"That weekend changed us both," said Pilar. "We decided that we were finished with secrecy. We told Dumbledore when we got back that we would be discreet, but we fully intended to be together as much as possible - and that included each night."

She paused. "To be honest, neither of us felt we could be alone any more."

"Which brings us to now."

"Which brings us to now," agreed Lupin.

"And what happens next?" asked Sirius looking keenly at them both.

"We're trying to persuade Dumbledore to let us get married. We're both willing to teach until Pilar starts having babies, but after that he gets me only."

"And he's being stubborn?"

"He has no idea how stubborn I can be," said Lupin, his jaw tightening.

"Poor Dumbledore. He has no chance with a stubborn werewolf."

Sirius grinned again. "Have you chosen a best man?"

Pilar looked at Lupin, who winked at her. "I had thought of asking my old chum Severus," he said, carefully not looking at Sirius.

Sirius choked, and realised he'd been had. "Moony, for that, I should have just agreed with you and forced you to go through with it."

The three of them laughed. "And stick around, Sirius," said Pilar, "We plan on presenting you with a whole lot more godchildren."

In the end, they decided to wake Dumbledore, although Sirius privately thought that it was part of Remus and Pilar's other plans that they do so. He also noticed the change in their body language around him. Now he knew, he found that they were constantly touching, holding hands, or Lupin wrapping Pilar in his arms.

Nauseating, but sweet.

Dumbledore had not appreciated being woken up, but did understand the gravity of the situation. When it was explained what the situation was.

"Given the state of their intoxication, I don't think we need expect an attack tomorrow. But I think it will be in the next few days. Make plans. Prepare."

"Can't we just go and bring them in?" asked Sirius.

"And alert any other groups don't that we know of? No, I'm afraid that we will have to let this attack happen. And hope that surprise was their main weapon."