Message In The Ashes

http://orcapotter.tripod.com/index.html , my website.

 

Chapter Five

Moon’s Calling

 

When Remus returned to James’ house early from the Ministry later that morning, a sudden feeling of mild panic overcame him. Where was he going to transform safely? He couldn’t do it in the house anywhere; there wasn’t a single room that could hold a werewolf. Pacing in the sitting room, Remus ran every option through his mind, each of them useless.

The grandfather clock struck noon and the sunlight shown brightly through the windows. Sighing, Remus placed his hands on the sill of the bay window in the sitting room, staring out at the vast wall of trees that surrounded the house. That was when another thought hit him, and it made the tiny hairs at the back of his neck bristle unpleasantly.

Those trees were part of the same forest that spread all over the countryside, eventually becoming the dense thicket that had surrounded Remus’ house. It was where he had gone every full moon with his parents, where they tied him tightly to the strongest tree and left him there alone. Every time he entered that forest, it was knowing that for an entire night he would suffer, suffer pain that was close to intolerable. That was when Neo taunted him the most.

He would hide far in the shadows, his face lit by the light of the moon. The low rumble of his jesting laugh would hit Remus’ ears like sharp ice. It enraged his wolf mind, made him claw madly at his bindings. Neo wasn’t stupid… he never came close enough for Remus to do any harm. Remus had prayed for the day that he would slip up and come closer. The wolf hated him as much as he himself did, and unlike Remus the human, Remus the wolf had no fear.

Remus stood up straight, still staring out the window. It was his only choice. If James, Sirius, and Peter couldn’t stay with him, Remus would have to tie himself up deep in that forest. The thought was so all consuming that his appetite was lost, not responding to the house-elf that would meekly approached him with a meal. He turned and sat in his usual armchair, hands clutching the armrests as his eyes burned the image of the tall trees.

"…and he had no right to do that!" shouted a voice from the foyer. It was James; he and Lily had returned from her sister’s.

James bustled into the sitting room, looking red in the face. Lily walked in behind him, her expression unreadable. Remus stood up to greet them.

"How’d it go?" he asked as James fell onto the sofa, tipping a few packages onto the floor.

"I was chased by a man the size of China," he grumbled.

Remus raised an eyebrow, looking at Lily.

"Her boyfriend… or should I say, fiancée now?" Lily said, shrugging as she put a suitcase down and sat beside James.

"Dudsley… or something like that. The most outrageous Muggle you’ll ever meet. I have no idea what she sees in him…the guy couldn’t be more opposite in looks," James explained.

"Dursley," Lily corrected. "Vernon. Yet they are so much alike… he completely despises anything associated with magic. I think they go wonderfully together."

"Turned absolutely purple when he saw us at the door," James continued. "I’ve never heard anyone shout so much. They both skidded around us as if we were some sort of deadly disease. We had to fight tooth and nail to get upstairs to fetch Lily’s things."

"That wasn’t too hard, actually," Lily said through pursed lips. "She tossed all my stuff into these boxes here and locked them in the spare bedroom. My room was being fumigated."

"I finally put a silencing spell on the large prune when my headache got unbearable." James crossed his arms, a small smirk on his face. "Petunia fell into a dead faint after that."

"You’ve got to admit," Lily said carefully, glancing at James through the corner of her eyes. "It was pretty funny when he chased you out of the house."

"More like a three-ton boulder rolling down the stairs," James muttered, turning slightly red.

Remus couldn’t help but smile, crossing his arms and letting himself sink back into the cushion of the armchair. James and Lily considered him a moment.

"I almost forgot, it’s tonight, isn’t it?" James said suddenly, breaking the momentary silence.

Looking up slightly, Remus wasn’t all that surprised that James had forgot after all that had happened.

"How do you feel, you okay?" Lily asked in a maternal voice, coming over and kneeling in front of him. She felt his forehead and smiled, Remus turning beet red and glancing quickly at James. James, however, looked just as concerned. He got up, running his hands through his untidy hair, going to the bay window.

"I have to go to Gringotts and finally get whatever is in that special vault my parents had," he said quietly. "If I go now, I should be back in time."

"Sirius and Peter are going to be with you too, right?" Lily asked Remus. The question made him frown; he hadn’t brought the subject up to ask Sirius and Peter… he wasn’t sure they remembered also.

"I’ll use the fire in the study to call them," James said, turning around and leaving the room.

Lily and Remus watched him go, and Lily, sighing, went to sit back down on the sofa. She picked up one of the small cardboard boxes and opened it. Remus watched curiously as she sifted through, seemingly looking for something. After a few minutes, mumbling under her breath the whole while, Lily finally let out a triumphant sigh.

"Here we are," she said, getting up, holding something small in her hands. Remus raised his brows as she walked around and behind him. He felt something slide over his head and down his neck, and, looking down at his chest, he saw what looked like a twisted brass ring.

"What’s this?" he asked her, picking it up between his fingers.

"Infinity. For infinite friendship, infinite hope, infinite love, infinite harmony, infinite wisdom, and infinite possibilities." Lily smiled genuinely at him, yet her eyes held an expression that made Remus cock his head. He took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, it’s priceless… as you are."

Lily giggled softly and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Careful, James might be forced to hex you."

Remus chuckled lightly and he tucked the necklace with the infinity ring under his shirt. James walked in shortly after, looking frazzled.

"Peter can’t make it… something about a meeting concerning spilt orange soda in Building C. I got Sirius on his way, though. Apparently he has something to show us too."

Remus’ eyes went wide, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Oh…"

Lily eyed him curiously as a loud bang from outside made Remus groan again.

"What on Earth was that?" James stammered, running out of the room, into the foyer, and throwing wide the door. Remus and Lily ran after him, and skidded to a halt behind him as they saw what it was James was gawking at.

Sirius, on his new motorcycle, was floating ten feet in the air. The exhaust billowed out from behind, smoking up the first floor windows. Grinning madly, Sirius waved jovially down at them.

"James! What do you think? Fantastic, eh?"

Remus shook his head and leaned up against the foyer wall, watching James for his reaction. Just as he expected, James’ face was beaming.

"How did- where did- it’s great!" he stuttered, almost speechless. Lily was frowning slightly, staring at the motorcycle carefully.

"Is this wise, Sirius? I’m not sure this is so safe."

Sirius lowered the bike down to the ground and shut off the engine. Remus’ pounding eardrums were instantly relieved. He crossed his arms and didn’t move as James and Lily went out to Sirius to look at the motorcycle more closely.

"Is this what you used the Muggle money on?" James asked him, bending over and inspecting every detail. Lily, however, was looking grim. Remus couldn’t help but to grin at her expression.

"What if somebody sees you?" she asked Sirius directly. Sirius shook his head vigorously, giving her a reassuring smile.

"If you fly high enough, it doesn’t matter. Although, you gotta watch out for the airplanes those Muggles use. I nearly got plastered to the front windows of a 747 on the way here."

James laughed and took Lily’s hand.

"Look, ‘Lil! There’s room for two on the seat! Can we take it up, Padfoot?" he asked him excitedly. Lily nearly turned white as a sheet.

"Absolutely n-" she started.

"Yes! Sure, just mind the paint job! And don’t rip the leather, either. Oh, and don’t adjust the mirrors." Sirius stepped back as James jumped on the bike, dragging Lily on behind him. Lily looked furious, and Remus leapt forward to see if he could pull her off before she committed homicide on her boyfriend.

"James-" Remus started, reaching for Lily. Too late. James started the engine up and he took the bike straight into the air. Remus cringed as Lily’s petrified screams reverberated over the engine’s roar. He pulled at his hair, watching James zoom the bike into the clouds and out of sight. Sirius was laughing beside him, completely oblivious to Remus’ worried groans.

"I knew he’d love it!" he cried happily.

"Let’s hope he’s just as talented on a motorcycle as he is on a broomstick," Remus muttered gloomily.

"Ah, don’t worry, Moony." Sirius clapped him on the shoulders, making his knees buckle slightly. "It handles like a dream! Only… it runs on gasoline rather than magic… and it had less than half a tank… but, no worries!"

"You do realize," Remus began, rounding on him. "That it is illegal to enchant any object created by Muggles? Do you realize that you can be arrested for possessing such a vehicle? No less prosecuted for enchanting it yourself?"

"For crying out loud, Remus!" Sirius frowned, backing away and walking into the house. "It certainly is that time of the month, isn’t it?"

Remus fumed, following him inside and slamming the door.

"One of these days, Sirius, your actions will result in consequences much worse than detention at Hogwarts!"

Sirius rolled his eyes at him, hanging his long wizarding coat on the coat rack.

"Your claws are showing, Moony," he smirked.

"I’m serious!" Remus shouted at him, standing in the doorway of the sitting room.

"Really? I thought I was," Sirius said lightly.

"That joke is getting exceedingly old," Remus said in a furious calm.

A bang from the front lawn announced James and Lily’s return. With a last reproachful glare at Sirius, Remus strode outside to the bike, where Lily was nearly doubled over in hysterics. James was beside himself with laughter, turning off the engine. Remus stared at them both, completely baffled. Sirius ran up to them, eager for their reaction.

"So?" he asked them excitedly.

"That was fantastic!" Lily cried, helping James to his feet. "James flew us straight into a flock of geese! Scared the lead bird straight out of its mind!"

Remus’ jaw dropped as they all broke out into laughter once again.

"It’s nothing like a broomstick," James managed to say between fits. "But, I must say, it was great!"

"What’d I tell you?" Sirius asked Remus, grinning broadly.

"Oh, Moony, you’ve got to try it for yourself! You’ve no idea what you’re missing!" James cried, coming over to him and shoving the keys into his hand.

"I have tried it, thank you. I saw my dinner again afterward, and I care not to experience it again," he said curtly, handing the keys over to Sirius.

James tried not to look awkward at him, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Lily, still flushed, shook her head slightly and walked over to Remus and took his arm.

"I’m going with James to Gringotts," she said. "Let’s eat early, shall we?"

Normally, Remus refrained from eating anything the day of the full moon in fear that he would throw it up during the transformation. The pity he could distinguish on Lily’s face was hurting his pride.

I don’t need pity… you can’t blame common sense on the rising of the full moon.

Despite his feelings, he allowed Lily to steer him into the house and into the dining room. She called upon the house-elves to begin supper, and went with James upstairs to freshen up. Sirius sat down across from Remus at the large polished wooden table, avoiding his eyes and instead staring intently at the elaborate floral arrangement. Remus didn’t mind; he sat there looking down at his hands. In a few hours time they would no longer be hands… but large, clawed paws.

Dinner was unusually quiet. James, handsome and strapping even with his unruly black hair in a hunter green tunic, sat close to Lily. Her right hand was entwined with his left, eating her salad with her other hand. She wore a burgundy colored velvet cardigan and a long tan pleated skirt. Remus felt less than presentable beside them in his wrinkled white collared shirt and dusty slacks. Yet, it would hardly matter in a few hours what he wore. What he was wearing now would become shreds of fabric after his transformation.

"I should be back in time," James said, breaking the silence. "But if I’m not, stay close to the house."

Remus lifted his eyes slightly from his plate, pecking at the small tomatoes in his own salad.

"How long does it take to get stuff from a vault?" Sirius voiced Remus’ thoughts as he said them in his mind.

Lily glanced at James, taking a sip of wine. He shrugged.

"You never know. Diagon Alley is considerably more dangerous than Hogsmeade. There it’s easy to hide in Muggle London, if you’re a Death Eater."

"But you’re just going to apparate straight to Gringotts, right?" Remus asked.

James and Lily exchanged looks and then turned back to their salads.

"Lily needs a few things. Her sister tossed out most of her stuff before we could get to them," James said.

"As fun as it is wearing James’ clothing, I’m afraid I’ll need some more attire of my own," Lily said, smiling sweetly at James who grinned back at her. Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes.

"It won’t be easy," Sirius said darkly, looking up from his plate directly at James. James swallowed hard and began to poke at his lettuce.

"Just stay close to the house," he muttered.

Remus looked at them both and felt his cheeks go red. It was Sirius, James, and Peter who helped tame his werewolf form during his transformation. Otherwise, he was a wild beast, highly dangerous. Without James and Peter, Sirius was going to be alone with him. It was something they had only done a few times before, and the results were far too close to tragic. He watched them as they fell silent again, going back to their meal, and felt anger and shame welling up inside of him. He felt like a child who needed a babysitter. A potentially dangerous child, who, unless there was more than one other person, struck fear in his guardian.

Hardly another word was spoken as they finished their dinner. James escorted Lily to the door as the house-elves cleaned up what remained. The sun was only just beginning to set, rich orange rays of light streaming through the windows. Remus handed them their coats and Sirius opened the door.

"I’d just like to show you something before you leave, James, if you don’t mind," Sirius said to James directly.

With a slightly puzzled expression, James conferred, following him outside. Lily stayed with Remus, her hands folded in front of her.

"Be safe," she said softly to him, her face turned down to the ornamental throw rug on the polished wooden floor.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. It’s not any different from the countless times before," Remus said, giving her a small smile.

Lily looked up into his face, studying his features. He stared back, his eyes wavering uncomfortably in her scrutinizing gaze. Clearing his throat dryly, he fidgeted in his spot before she finally looked away.

James and Sirius walked back in then, James wearing an unreadable expression on his face before smiling at Lily.

"Ready?" he asked her, offering his arm.

"Yes," she smiled back. They both exchanged hugs with Remus and Sirius before disapparating. The air crackled a bit as they disappeared, making Remus’ hair ruffle slightly. Sirius let out a great sigh, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked at Remus and smiled slightly.

"Well, let’s go scout out where we’re going to party tonight," he said brightly.

Light was still visible on the horizon as Remus and Sirius walked out into the woods not much longer after James and Lily had left. The humid and balmy summer evening made the crickets hum loudly in the trees as they trudged underneath them. Remus, his hands stuffed in his pockets, looked up into the branches, watching the last hints of orange leave the sky.

Sirius had already turned into his dog form when the moon finally made its debut. He sat on his haunches next to some bushes in a small clearing, far from James’ house and from any other establishment. The beginnings of the transformation were taking affect on Remus, making him break out into a severe sweat; the temperature not helping matters. He blinked his watering eyes at the large black dog that was Sirius, watching him closely as the full moon became brighter in the sky.

The fact that James and Peter weren’t there made Remus unusually nervous. Even though he had spent nearly all his childhood transforming alone, he had gotten used to the familiar scents of all his friends in their animal forms. How was Sirius going to keep up guard over him alone? Now that Remus was fully-grown, so was his werewolf form. Could a dog, no matter how large, subdue a mature werewolf?

With this in mind, the sudden, yet expected, spasms of his spine and nervous system as they began to warp his skeletal structure were even more painful. Remus doubled over, shaking violently in a fetal position on the grass. Tortured moans escaped his lips as he cringed, feeling a long tail shoot out from the base of his spine. He could feel his bones grow larger and broader, feeling as stiff as boards because he wasn’t in a relaxed state before he had begun this process of monthly torture. His clothing ripped, the tearing sounds echoing around the clearing.

The painful moans were no longer human as Remus’ face began to twist and elongate into a muzzle. Fur began to sprout out rapidly all over his body, covering his skin in a golden tan color. A black rubbery nose formed at the end of his muzzle, and with it, his sense of smell intensified dramatically. His mouth filled with long, razor sharp canines, ripping his gums painfully.

At last, the final stages of the transformation were complete. Remus opened his dark, intense eyes and stretched out his tall pointed ears. He could hear a rabbit scurrying into a hole ten yards away. He could smell a large dog sitting not too far to the right. He could see a beetle crawling on the trunk of a tree fifty feet from the ground. He could taste the soot from a far away fire in the air.

Suddenly, Remus stood on all fours, stretched his head up to the sky, and let his deep, long voice ring out into the world. The air stilled, the darkness quivered, and the dog that was Sirius got up on his paws with his tail high above his head. Even after Remus quieted, his howl continued to ring. He turned his piercing eyes on the dog without emotion, for Remus no longer existed. The werewolf was the alpha, the leader, not one animal shall challenge his dominance. Yet the dog was worthy, he was large and strong, capable of keeping up in a hunt. His presence was allowed, and the werewolf relaxed his tail to show his acceptance.

The dog carefully approached the werewolf, his tail between his legs to show his submission to the werewolf’s power. It’s eyes, however, bore into the alpha male’s face with a message. I can overpower you.

A sharp snap of a twig made the werewolf’s attention turn quickly back to the rabbit he had heard earlier. He let out an excited pant, and the dog beside him leapt into pursuit like an exuberant pup. The dog’s energetic attitude put the werewolf into a playful mood, and despite his better knowledge of proper hunting, he broke into a run to join him.

The trees became a blur and the hard earth cracked underneath the werewolf’s enormous clawed paws as he pressed on behind the large black dog. Barking joyfully into the air, the two canines nearly flew over grassy hills and wove between the trunks of trees. Even long after the scent of the rabbit could no longer be sensed, they continued to run. They could run on forever and not tire. The moon was the limit, the result of a journey not one creature no matter how powerful could reach and master. The rays of its reflected light made the werewolf’s coat golden tan coat shine radiantly.

When the soot the werewolf could taste on his long rouge tongue began to fill his nostrils, it triggered a memory he could not identify. Man. Men were close by. Hunger started to cloud his mind, igniting an instinct to use his large fanged teeth. Must bite… must hunt… must eat!

He stopped abruptly, making the dog in front of him stop so hard he nearly toppled over himself. Every single sense was trained on that memory, the werewolf’s head pointed in the correct direction. The dog gathered himself and quickly moved in front of him, the message on his face clear again.

Don’t think about it. Move on.

The werewolf bore his teeth, his sharp eyes glistening dangerously down at his inferior. But the dog stood his ground.

Move on. The dog did not move.

A new sound broke through to the werewolf’s ears. An animal, running quickly, in his direction. The smell of blood in the air instantly made his instinct go wild. He barked sharply at the dog, and barreled past him.

The pounding of his paws on the ground reverberated through his entire body. Whatever it was that was heading toward him was coming closer, the smell of the blood overpowering. He pressed on up a hill, ignoring the angry barks of the dog behind him and the nips it made at his back legs in the feeble attempt to stop him. Now there was more than just the smell of blood in the air. The soot became ash, and the light above the crest of the hill was a rosy flickering color. Fire.

When the incline of the hill became flat, the werewolf suddenly stopped. The animal that was coming his way stopped too, and the werewolf could now see what it was, for the animal was stopped only feet in front of him.

It was another werewolf, smaller and more streamlined. A female, with long darker brown fur streaming along her body. She stood poised and panting in front of him, and he could see that the blood he smelled was smeared all over her muzzle. Her amber eyes, wild with the euphoria of a successful hunt, stared at him defiantly.

Loud and harsh sounds were beginning to be heard from the direction the female was running from. Without looking back, she broke into a run again, going east from her original direction. The black dog finally caught up behind him and an aggressive bite on his hind leg made the werewolf break off his stare at the female. The angry sounds the female was running from turned into human voices, but before the werewolf’s instinct could overpower him again, the dog managed to force him back to where they had ran from.

When the two canines had reached the bottom of the hill, the crowd of men reached the top.

"My God! It’s a mutant wolf!" shouted one.

"Kill it! That’s the creature that killed my wife!" shouted another.

The black dog broke into an impossible sprint, tearing out in front of the werewolf who was twice his size. The werewolf could sense his fear, and looked back as he ran to see the large group of men bumbling after them down the hill.

Suddenly, a deafening bang broke through the darkness, and the ground exploded under the canines’ feet. The black dog yelped, dodging this way and that. Bullets, the werewolf’s mind managed to register. Bullets were dangerous… if they were silver. There was no way to tell, nor could the werewolf make that distinction, anyway. All he knew was that he had to get away. He broke into a sprint as well, and quickly caught up and passed the black dog.

They ran until the moon was clear across the other side of the sky, until the sounds of the men faded, their smells gone, and the taste of the gunpowder dissolved. Before long, the two canines had reached the clearing. The black dog fell to a heap on the grass, panting heavily. The werewolf, too, shook the earth as he collapsed, his great chest rising and falling quickly. Hours passed, and before long the last beams of moonlight trickled faintly through the leaves of the surrounding trees.

Life returned to the forest. Birds began their morning song as the sun woke on the horizon. The black dog was no longer there; Sirius had transformed back into himself and was asleep where it had been. As the first rays of light began to dry the morning dew, the werewolf’s massive bulk began to recede. Slowly, as the sun warmed him, the werewolf disappeared and Remus transformed back into human. For an hour after the sun rose, both men continued their exhausted slumber.

When Remus finally awoke, absolutely naked and spread out over the grass, the first side effects of the transformation hit him. His head erupted with a massive headache, and every bone in his body was stiff. Without moving, he painfully opened his eyes to the blazing sunlight and squinted over to where Sirius was. He was sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck, a pained look on his face as if he himself had just transformed back from a dark creature. He looked over at Remus, his eyes narrowed and sweat trickling down his brows.

"Well, then…" he muttered.

From the look in his eyes, Remus could tell that something had gone wrong last night. As part of the side effects, Remus was unable to remember what happened when he transformed immediately afterward. His human self was lost to the werewolf and he had no awareness of it. All he could remember right away was the pain of transforming, and then waking up stark naked in the clearing. However, memories of what he did as a werewolf would eventually trickle into his head over the course of the next few hours.

There was a sudden crash and pounding of hooves behind them, and a stag burst from the bushes and landed beside them in the clearing. Some clothing was slug over its back, which fell to the ground when the stag instantly became James. He looked down at both of them, worry creasing his face.

"What on Earth are you two doing? Lily and I have been worried sick! I tried to find you two last night but you were no where to be found! C’mon and get dressed, Remus, we need to get back to the house quick."

Remus wearily began to dress himself as Sirius stumbled to his feet. James was giving him a very scornful look, but Sirius was too tired to defend. He simply began the walk back to James’ house, leaving James to help Remus finish. James pulled him to his side by the shoulder, and he helped support Remus as they followed suit.

Lily was waiting outside for them in her nightgown, her hair an absolute mess. When she saw Sirius, she ran clear across the grass and embraced him.

"Oh, I’ve been so worried! When we found out what happened-" she started, but Sirius was determined to get inside. He gently pried her off him and continued to the house. Lily bit her lip and let out an even more relieved sigh when she saw James with Remus.

"Are you alright?" she asked Remus worriedly, taking his other arm to support. He smiled weakly and she continued to fuss as they got inside the house. They helped him onto the sofa in the sitting room, and Lily immediately called the house-elves to prepare breakfast.

"I went to find you as soon as we got back, but you two were long gone!" James shook his head, pacing in front of them.

"It was all going fine, until…" Sirius started, but he glanced at Remus and faltered. Remus frowned, irritated that they were hesitant to tell him what had happened.

"Well, it’s all over the news. Both wizarding and Muggle! This is not good…" James crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"It wasn’t him! There was another one! We ran into it… that’s when things went downhill," Sirius explained furiously, his fists clenched.

"Calm down, Sirius," Lily said gently.

"Would somebody please tell me what happened?" Remus asked severely. Everyone paused a moment, before Sirius broke the silence.

"You sensed something, and ran up to meet it. Well, it turned out to be another werewolf. This one was covered in blood, running from a nearby Muggle village. The villagers were charging after it- apparently there was a kill. It ran off before they caught up, and they saw you instead."

Remus’ mouth went dry. He looked at his friends, each wearing empathetic expressions.

"We ran off before they could do us in," Sirius concluded, falling back to rest on the sofa pillows, his face looking out the bay window.

"Naturally the officials were notified of the murder," James said quietly. "The unusual kill was alerted to the Ministry. There is now an investigation, and with Death Eater activity at an all time high, some of the Order was called to take part. In light of… well… Dumbledore owled me early this morning and said that we all have today off. Moony, you can take as much time as you need."

"You won’t get in trouble, Remus. This is not your fault," Lily whispered, taking his hand gently.

"It was all a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, you have a witness to prove your innocence," Sirius said.

But Remus’ mind wasn’t on whether or not he would get the blame for the murder, but on the fact that there was another werewolf. Didn’t Dumbledore tell him after the very first meeting of the Order that a woman representing a group of werewolves associated with Voldemort would approach him? Could that werewolf have belonged to that group? Oh, if only he could remember what had happened right away!

Apparently, James, Lily, and Sirius took Remus’ silence for internal disconcertion over whether or not he was guilty of murder. James coaxed him into eating breakfast, and they all went into the dining room to eat. They spent that time trying to convince Remus that all would be fine, and Remus merely nodded to everything in hope that they would eventually let off. To his relief, Lily nearly ordered Remus to go up to bed, and he did so without argument.

He practically stumbled into his room; he was so exhausted. The large four poster, finely furnished with all sorts of pillows and down comforters, seemed to have a magnetic pull on him. Remus fell upon it, his face smothered in the plush fabric.

Must remember… he thought, managing to pull himself completely onto the bed and situate himself comfortably among the pillows. If that werewolf was a woman, and if she is the one Dumbledore said I would meet, I dunno what the heck he wants me to do. I have a bad feeling about this.

When Remus finally did fall into an exhausted sleep, all that came to him were flashes. Flashes of every sense- the smell, the sounds, the tastes. The werewolf in his memory made him feel very strange. Some part of him that he had never known made the urge to find this werewolf very strong.

James woke him later that evening; Remus had slept straight through since morning.

"Aaron Berenson and Clara Winner from the Order are downstairs," he said, blurry in Remus’ fatigued vision. "They did the investigation over in that village where the Muggle was killed. I thought you would need to talk with them."

Remus followed James groggily downstairs, all the while trying to make sense of all the memory flashes he had experienced in his sleep. That werewolf must have been a female, some strange feeling inside of himself was telling him so. Now what was he to do? Go find her? Then what? He needed to talk with Dumbledore.

"’Evening, Remus," said a young man with black hair the complete opposite of James’. Aaron Berenson was part of the Order, but Remus never really had the opportunity to get to know him since the first meeting. He was average in height with rich hazel eyes and a posture that was cool and collective.

"Pleasure to see you again." Remus smiled at him, shaking his hand. He looked into the sitting room, where Lily and Sirius were sitting next to a young woman whom Remus also recognized from the Order. Clara Winner was shorter than the norm, with long brown hair and blue eyes. She was the type of girl that most boys ignored, for she wasn’t the most attractive person as far as looks. However, Remus had great respect for her wisdom, as she had often passed by him in the hallways at the Ministry and given him help when he needed it. Her resourcefulness was worth far more than looks.

Clara was shy, and it was obvious that she was so, for she kept staring at her shoes and not at Sirius who was clearly trying to get her attention. When Remus stepped into the room, she finally looked up and put on her pleasant smile.

"Hello, Remus!" she said, getting up as he took her hand. "How are you?"

"Tired," he replied honestly. "But otherwise fine."

James stood, leaning against the fireplace with his arms folded, as Remus and Aaron sat down. When a momentary pause of silence stilled the room, Aaron cleared his throat and glanced at James before explaining.

"Clara and I went out to that village where the Muggle was apparently killed; a woman in her late twenties, perhaps. We checked out the scene where she was found. It was close to the woods, secluded, and away from any sort of light. Afterward, we went to the morgue and examined the body. There’s no denying that she was killed by a werewolf, or some other sort of large dark creature."

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Aaron’s eyes met his for a moment, before Clara continued their story.

"I work in the Ministry’s Magical Archive office," she explained. "According to some reports on previous werewolf attacks in the past, the descriptions of the teeth and claw marks on the victim identified the sex of the creature. After some reading and observations on the body, the marks were made by either a juvenile or a female."

There seemed to be a universal sigh of relief in the room at her words, and Lily beamed as she looked over at Remus with an eager expression.

"So, all evidence clearly shows that Remus is innocent of any crime," Sirius blurted out. James rolled his eyes.

"Yes," Aaron smiled. "But then, that leaves the mystery of who this werewolf is."

"We can let those at the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures take care of it," James said with finality to his tone. "We all work for the Order and it’s not our job."

"But what if this werewolf works for Voldemort?" Lily asked quietly. Everyone grimaced slightly at the name.

"Then the Committee will tell us and Dumbledore will give us orders," James muttered.

A sudden pop from the foyer made everyone jump, and Peter appeared in the room, slightly out of breath.

"Where’s Remus? Is he alright?" he asked.

"He’s dead, Wormtail. If you had shown up with the rest of us you might have caught him before he was executed," Sirius said sarcastically, folding his arms.

"Not to worry, Peter. Everything is under control," Remus said, turning in his chair to face him.

Peter nodded and wrought his fingers, shifting his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably under everyone’s gaze.

"You finished with that seminar?" Aaron asked him abruptly.

"Seminar? You told me that you were visiting your mother because she was ill," James said, uncrossing his arms and coming closer to Peter.

Peter swallowed hard as everyone’s gaze turned into suspicious stares.

"I-I meant to visit my mother," he said quickly. "But then I was called to the seminar on curses the Ministry was hosting."

Remus raised his brows as Sirius let out a great "Humph!" of disbelief.

"H-honest!" Peter shouted, his face red.

"For crying out loud, leave the poor man alone!" Lily scolded, getting up and taking James’ hand. James shrugged and gave Peter one last scrutinizing look before he allowed Lily to steer him back to the sofa.

Peter, trembling slightly, took a chair on the opposite side of the room. Aaron and Clara quickly resumed further explanations over what had happened in the Muggle village. After a brief break over tea and scones, they left to go give Dumbledore their formal report and to clear suspicions of Remus’ name. The four marauders and Lily were left to themselves in James’ large house.

"So, James… what all did you do last night?" Sirius asked casually as he engaged Remus in a game of wizarding chess a few hours later.

James exchanged a strange look with Lily before shrugging his shoulders. He answered as he continued to watch Lily knit a blanket magically with her wand.

"Just got what was in that little safe my parents had at Gringotts, and struggled to maintain my dignity while holding Lily’s purse as she proceeded to spend large amounts of money on clothing and accessories that every woman needs."

Remus chuckled as he ordered his queen to take down Sirius’ knight. Sirius’ mouth fell and he growled as he chewed on his knuckles.

"What was in the safe?" Peter asked meekly, still sitting idly in the chair across the room.

"Nothing much," James answered quickly. Lily’s wand missed a loop in her knitting.

Sirius’ bishop eliminated one of Remus’; Remus cursed as his white piece was knocked in half.

"Like what?" Peter pressed innocently. James turned to peer at him more closely.

"Family heirlooms," he stated firmly.

"I inherited an ancient breadbox from my grandfather," Sirius said as Remus made his move.

"A breadbox?" Remus asked him bemusedly.

"Keeps the bread fresh for all eternity. As a matter o’ fact, I believe there’s still half a loaf of bread in there that he himself made when he was twelve years old," Sirius said, analyzing the board.

Lily rolled her eyes, her wand moving back and forth as it continued to knit. James shook with silent laughter. Peter, however, was still adamant.

"Pretty valuable heirlooms, I’ll bet!" he grinned. "Anything worth much?"

The laughter left James, and he stared at Peter severely. Lily’s wand stopped knitting, and she grabbed it in her hand as she looked carefully at Peter.

"Priceless," James muttered darkly.

"Dinner is served, good sirs and miss!" cried a house-elf from the archway.

James’ smile returned, somewhat wanly, and he helped Lily to her feet to escort her to the dining room. Remus, even while watching this whole scene, still managed to find Sirius’ king in check. His queen made the appropriate move and obliterated the king from the board. Remus triumphantly got up to follow, leaving Sirius to stare furiously at his failed black pieces. Peter quickly was at Remus’ heels and sat down rather clumsily across from James at the table when they entered the dining room. By the time Sirius sat down, his face still red with defeat, the food had been served and they quietly began to eat.

When dinner was cleared and the house-elves brought out dessert, Peter cleared his throat.

"Why are you avoiding telling us what was in that safe, James?" he asked abruptly. Remus’ fork paused in his hand and Sirius stopped chewing on a Chocolate Frog.

James looked at a loss for words. He stared at Peter open mouthed, than looked at both Remus and Sirius. Lily closed her eyes and laid her napkin back down in her lap.

"You need to tell them James, it’s no use keeping it a secret amongst us," she said quietly.

Remus could see the worry crease James’ face, so subtly that only he could recognize such inner conflict. After a few moments of staring at each other, James finally reached a hand into one of his shirt pockets and pulled out a very worn piece of parchment.

"I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to believe," he said darkly, looking at the parchment in his hand with a distant expression.

"What?" Remus asked him gently, putting his fork down.

"You know you can tell us anything, James. There should be no doubt," Sirius said earnestly.

"You’re right, I’m sorry," James said. He unfolded the parchment and sighed, then held it out. Remus was the first to grab it, and Sirius and Peter quickly moved to stand over him as he read the scrawled handwriting. It was very old and some of the words had been blurred beyond recognition:

… thy magic of the world shall face a most perilous enemy. One of the dark, whose reign shall invoke such terror that thy name shall be feared to be heard. Heir of the serpent, master of arts. Those that follow his path will become thy denizens of the dark. Over the bloodshed thy serpent can be seen. Only the … stop.

Yet like the dawn, the dark shall be diminished by the light. Heir of the lion, pure of soul. He shall rise above and smite the serpent. Thou becomes his mirror… black disguise… green… The only son of the slain. Thou is thy serpent’s only half… shall destroy twice. By way of thou mind can thou overcome. The lion is more cunning… but shall lose everything dear…

Remus looked up at James, as well as Sirius and Peter.

"What does it mean?" Sirius asked.

James sighed, getting up from his chair. Lily bit her lip, her eyes downcast.

"I’m not sure, only that it’s obviously a prediction and that it sounds a lot like what we’re going through," James said.

"Your parents knew about this all along?" Remus asked him.

"If they did, they most likely did not believe in it. The vault was very old, and it looked like it hadn’t been opened in decades." James ran his hands through his hair.

Remus glanced at Lily, while Sirius began to pace behind the table.

"And a lot of it does not make sense," Lily said quietly, more to James than anyone else. "It was written a long time ago; you never know, it could refer to the original Slytherin. The Potter family goes make many generations, James. You know that better than I do."

Remus put the ancient piece of parchment down on the table and cast an irritated look at Sirius, who was still pacing. Lily said his thoughts better than he could, and he felt there was no reason to make a big deal out of something as unreliable as a prediction made hundreds of years ago. How many predictions actually ever come to be reality? Divination was a subject Remus never took seriously, and thought it was the most ridiculous excuse of "magic" conceivable. After failing divination class in his third year, he dropped the course and took Muggle studies instead.

Peter, however, caught his eye for a brief moment. Remus was surprised at the intent look of concentration on Peter’s face. He was always a bit slow at things, and often Remus or the others would have to repeat things in order for him to finally remember. Remus could remember all the stress James and Sirius went through to get Peter to finally get a hand on being an Animajus. But as he looked at him now, Remus could have sworn Peter was making a huge effort to take a mental note of things. Before he could say anything, Remus’ view was disrupted by Sirius as he swung in front of his face to take the parchment.

"I dunno, James. Lily has a point, I wouldn’t worry about it too much," he said, looking at it closely.

Another wave of exhaustion hit Remus and his eyes began to droop. As much as he tried to stay completely alert, Lily noticed his head bobbing and quietly got to her feet.

"We all need to be careful during these times, James, but it’s not good to worry so much about something that could amount to nothing. Time will tell what the future brings, and we’ll deal with it then. For now, let’s all get to sleep. Tomorrow’s another day."

Sirius continued to frown, but quickly made his goodbyes, and, yawning, apparated to his home from the foyer. Peter no longer held his curious intense look of concentration, but merely looked almost as fatigued as Remus did and left not a moment later. James appeared to look a little relieved, and gratefully allowed Lily to lead him up to his room. Remus, after assuring Lily that he would only be a few minutes, stayed downstairs to look out the window. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, the stars clearly visible without interruption. The moon was hidden by a large willow tree, where James’ owl sat perched, preening himself.

What does the future bring? He thought, his hands resting on the windowsill. Each new day holds every possibility… sun… or rain. I pray for partly cloudy.

He took one last look at the night sky, the small specks of brilliant star shine reflecting off his eyes. Then he warily went upstairs, where he would sleep until the future became the present, and he would know if he would need to pack an umbrella.