The Virtue of Decision

The midday sun sat triumphantly on its high perch, staring down with burning eyes at the world below. Curio unbuttoned the clasp around his neck, pulling the scratchy fabric away from his throat as he pushed the door to the office open. He had long since put the letter he carried out of sight in his pocket, but the guilt he carried with it refused to leave his view. He was decidedly glad to soon be rid of it. The hallway leading to the kennel was deserted, and his heavy footfalls echoed off the bare walls.

"Come on...just take a little bit? Please?" Curio smirked at the sound of Toby's pleading voice as he pulled the heavy door to the kennel open.

His eyes fell first on Toby who was sitting on the floor by the farthest cage, a small cauldron beside him, and a tiny flask gripped in his hand. "It will help with the pain," he insisted, holding it through the bars.

"I'm not taking anything you try to give me," Juno spat, pushing himself as far away from Toby as his cage would allow.

He looked to be in the same shape as when Curio had left. Dark circles smudged the skin under his eyes, casting a shadow wherever he set his gaze. His hair was matted from lack of wash and stuck to his scalp. A clean white bandage stood out like a beacon on his leg, covering where the bullet had entered his body; Toby must have wrapped it while Juno still remained sleeping.

"Can you believe this guy?" Toby asked, looking over his shoulder at Curio. "I'm just trying to help. I mean, why would I..."

"Did you give her the letter?" Juno interrupted, struggling to his feet. "How is she? How is Juno?" All concern over whether or not Toby was trying to poison him gone from his mind, Juno fixed his gaze on Curio; who in turn fixed his gaze on the tiled floor.

"I gave her the letter," he rubbed the back of his neck and added. "And they're fine."

Juno let out a sigh that not only seemed to take his breath, but his very strength as well. "What did she say?" he asked quietly, rubbing his tired eyes.

Curio cast a quick glance at Toby who sat looking back and forth between the two. "Oh...umm, you know. Just that...she's all right," the words stumbled out awkwardly as he tried to think of a lie.

Juno pursed his lips slightly, his eyes shifting to Toby. "I...I'm thirsty," he said slowly. "Could I have some water?"

If he was the least bit suspicious over Juno's sudden change in heart, he didn't show it. "What? Oh, of course," Toby exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "You'll probably want something to eat too, you haven't eaten since you got here, that's just not healthy you know," Toby insisted, quite happy that his patient seemed to be cooperating for the first time.

"I know," was Juno's muted reply, as he slid back to the floor of his cage.

"I'll be right back," Toby assured him, turning to leave. "Oh, Curio, Nurse Fredrick wants you to see her before you leave today." Juno flinched visibly, knowing that it was his fault Curio had to see the nurse. "And there's an owl on your desk from your mother, looks rather urgent," it was Curio's turn to flinch, hating any and all news from his mother.

"All right," he replied, nodding slightly as Toby scurried out of the room in search of food and water for Juno.

His eyes still on the door, as though someone might burst through it at any moment, Juno asked evenly. "What did she really say?"

Curio sighed, as he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out the letter, his hand shaking slightly at the thought of how much trouble he would be in if he were caught. "She said to give this to you," he passed it through the bars, letting it drop onto the tiles before Juno snatched it up, tearing it open franticly.

Curio watched his face twist into one emotion after the other, as his tired eyes danced over the writing on the page. He wished he would hurry up, if anyone were to come in and see him reading the letter...

"Th-thank you," Juno's meek voice interrupted Curio's nervous thoughts. "Thank you so much."

Blinking, Curio stared at him quizzically. "All I did was deliver a letter," he said slowly.

"No, no, not for that, for this," Juno replied, brandishing the parchment. "Bella told me you're going to help us," he smiled the first truly genuine smile Curio had ever seen him wear; it looked eerily out of place against his pasty skin.

"Help you?" his insides suddenly seemed to be made of ice as a terrible feeling of dread settled itself on his being.

Juno tilted his head to the side slightly, eyeing Curio suspiciously. "Yes," he insisted calmly. "She said you agreed to help us. That you were going to alter the truth serum so that I could lie, so I could protect our son. You're not going back on your promise are you?" he asked tersely. "She said you promised."

The ice in the pit of his stomach now seemed to boil as his eyes grew wide in disbelief. "I...I never promised that," he sputtered, growing sick at just the thought of how much trouble he would be in if caught doing what he allegedly promised to do.

Juno's face clouded over with anger. "Oh...I see," he pursed his lips tightly, looking back down at the letter, rubbing the edges of the parchment with his thumb and forefinger. "So my wife lied is what you're telling me?" his voice was frightfully calm, like blackened clouds before the storm broke.

"Look, you can think what you want, but I never promised to do that. She never even suggested it," he tried to make his voice sound stern, but merely sounded defensive.

"Do you know what could happen to me if I was caught? Not only would I lose my job, but I..."

"Do you know what will happen to my son if he is caught?" Juno asked in the same calm voice, his gaze now lifted from the parchment. "Why does it matter which one of us you kill? You're still getting rid of a werewolf aren't you?"

"That's not the point, it's..."

"What do you want? Money?"

Curio sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't need any money."

"No...of course you don't," Juno said quietly, looking back down at the letter. "I suppose your family's fortune will keep you set for life."

Frustrated, Curio tried to snatch the letter, to little avail. "What else did she write?"

"We'll give you anything you want," Juno insisted, ignoring Curio's question. "Just name it, it's yours."

Curio sighed again. "I don't want anything."

"So you'll do it?"

"I didn't say that," Curio snapped. The pause that followed his angry word cloaked the constrictive kennel in a muffling, swampy silence.

"Please."

Curio had never heard one word carry so much weight. It hung in the air like a phantom, reaching through his skin to wrap its spindly claws around his heart. It pulled him one way, while his conscience screamed at him to go another.

"I...you don't understand," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Juno nodded sagely, his even gaze burrowing a hole through Curio. "You're right. I don't understand," he straightened his back, holding his head high. "I don't understand how you can sit back and let a baby be put to death when you have the power to stop it."

The claws wrapped around those words not only penetrated to Curio's heart, but ripped it savagely from his chest. "All right," he whimpered around a sigh, sounding as though he had just agreed to his own execution. "I'll help you...all right...I'll help you."

"Thank you," Juno replied quietly, his eyes glistening slightly. "You did the right thing."

"I'm not so sure about that," Curio muttered, just as the kennel door swung open.

Toby walked in carrying a tray of food. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him Curio," he said, smiling. "Better go see Nurse Fredrick before she hunts you down," he winked, smirking impishly.

"Right...better go," he mumbled.

Making his way slowly through the corridor Curio's thoughts raced at a feverish pace, always stopping, it seemed, on worse case scenarios in his mind. Regret and guilt swam together in a swirl of confusion, strangling the logic thoughts in his head that urged for him to reconsider, to take back what he said; not to help them, to insure his own safety. Logic it seemed, however, could not withstand the combined onslaught of guilt and morality that overtook his being, telling him what he already knew deep down inside; that he was doing the right thing.

"Curio? Mr. Nym!" Nurse Fredrick called from the doorway of the infirmary, her hands placed firmly on her tiny hips. "In here, please," she disappeared back into the room, her long robes fanning out behind her.

Shaking his head, as if to clear it of his troubled thoughts; Curio followed her into the infirmary.

"Take a seat," she instructed, pointing to a near by cot. "I want to see how that hand of yours is healing." she sat down across from him, and slowly began to unwind the bandage. "You probably don't need the sling anymore," she deducted, turning the bruised hand over in between her own.

Despite the black and blue marks that encircled the top of his hand he was no less worse for wear. The pain was all but gone, and unless something purposely hit it he barely even noticed that it was bruised.

He sat silently, his mouth set in a firm line and his eyes vacant and staring. "Is everything all right?" she asked quietly, still holding his hand gently in her own.

"What?" he muttered roughly, blinking as his gaze focused on her concerned face. "Oh, yes, everything is fine," he forced the tiniest of smiles. "Just tired."

She looked as though she wanted to question him further, but shook her head slightly, patting his knee. "Well, I think you're all set," she offered a warm smile, handing him a small potion bottle full of a thick purple liquid. "If it starts to hurt again, just take some of this."

He nodded, climbing to his feet.

"And stop by again on Monday, I want to make sure that it's healing correctly."

"All right," he nodded again, thanking her quietly and then heading straight for his small office.

To call it an office was really stretching it. In reality Curio's office was little more than a glorified closet. The walls were lined with sturdy wooden shelves, which creaked under the weight of a myriad of potion ingredients. His small desk sat against the farthest wall, completely bare save for the small cauldron that sat atop its smooth surface.

He gritted his teeth as the urge to knock the cauldron onto the floor over took him. He could say it was an accident that he merely bumped into it and it fell over, that the serum had been ruined. He would be in trouble yes, but not nearly as much trouble that waited for him if he went through with his promise.

With long stalking strides he strode quickly over to his desk, intent on following through with his manic thoughts, until a letter placed neatly before the pewter cauldron caught his eye. Recognizing the carefully stamped emblem on the green wax that held the envelope closed, he cursed under his breath, as he knew undeniably that this letter was from his family. Forgetting his plan to sabotage the serum, he quickly ripped open the letter, pulling out the crisp parchment.

Dear Curio,

You will be joining us for dinner this evening, don't be late; and do try to make yourself presentable.

The letter wasn't signed, but he recognized the meticulously penned cursive as his mothers. Cursing again he grabbed his cloak from a hook on the wall and headed outside, preparing himself for what would most likely be an unpleasant evening at home.

Rain fell in lazy drops from the gray sky, slowly filling the shallow dips in the dirt driveway with murky water. Curio walked hurriedly down the puddle-infested drive, not being able to apparate directly onto the manor grounds he was now forced to dash through the rain towards the front door.

The dark gothic spires that sat atop the unwelcoming mansion reached towards the gloomy sky with an eerie sense of belonging. The stone gargoyles that littered the roof grinned in anticipation of the coming storm. Shivering, Curio huddled under the small overhang before the front doors and knocked twice. The door creaked open slowly and he wasn't the least surprised to see an older gentleman with sleepy blue eyes peer outside.

"Are you going to let me in Edmund? Or should I stand out here in the rain all night?" Curio quipped, a smirk flashing across his face.

The man's previously somber face suddenly brightened and he pulled the door back quickly. "Oh Master Curio I had no idea it was you," he chuckled, ushering him in quickly. "Have to be careful who I let in, there are strange people about, you know," he turned his nose slightly at the state of Curio's robes. "Oh dear, you are soaked to the skin," he shook his head, closing the door tightly behind them.

Gregory Edmund had been employed by the Nyms for as long as Curio could remember. He hadn't changed much over the years, a result of his near obsession with order and routine. He prided himself on running the household and keeping the rest of the staff in line.

"It's not that bad," Curio replied through chattering teeth.

Edmund frowned, but was unable to chase the smile away from his eyes. "Of course not," he smirked. "Why don't you go change for dinner, you'll find a clean set of dress robes in your wardrobe..."

"Dress robes?" Curio questioned, following him through the foyer towards the expansive marble staircase that sprawled into the main room.

"Yes, your father is having a few guests over this evening," Edmund explained. "The McDuffs to be exact," he frowned at the trail of water Curio was leaving. "Do try not to drip on the floor master Curio."

Curio scrunched his face up in a look of disgust. "The McDuffs? Why? I thought father hated them," he carefully took off his outer cloak, crumpling it into a ball in an attempt to ebb the mess he was making.

"Its business over pleasure I assure you, oh just give me that, you're only making more of a mess," he snatched the robe from Curio's hands, frowning as he did so. "You really shouldn't get this fabric wet," he added, draping it carefully over his arm.

"Well then maybe you should leave an umbrella at the gate," Curio replied defensively, obviously not caring much about the fabric. "Then I wouldn't have to get wet."

Edmund rolled his eyes, smirking slightly. "Well perhaps I could just trot along beside you carrying a parasol Master Curio, and lay my jacket over the puddles for you."

Curio nodded, smirking back. "Sounds good, we'll have to try that next time Edmund."

Pointing up the staircase and shaking his head slightly Edmund replied with a smile. "Go change Master Curio."

"Yes Edmund," Curio snickered, making his way up the large staircase towards his room.

Not wanting to track mud on the carpet in the hallway, Curio unlaced his boots, holding them off the floor, and continued on in his stocking feet. The narrow hallway seemed to stretch on forever, its dark green carpet and dim lighting giving it the feeling of a rather unwelcoming tunnel.

A thin beam of light had squirmed its way free from under one of the doors that lined the hallway, illuminating a small patch of carpet before the door. Curio tiptoed over to the door, slowly turning the bronze knob.

"Now miss Dora, where are your manors? I was just about to finish telling Miss Claudia about the train ride home from Hogwarts."

Curio grinned as he peeked around the door at his little sister Miranda; who sat at the head of a small table surrounded by dolls.

"It was quite splendid Miss Claudia," she continued, beaming at the doll to her right, who nodded and blinked every so often in response. "I sat with Emily, you remember Emily don't you? Of course you do..."

As silently as he could, Curio tiptoed into the room, and in an instant snatched his sister off her chair; resulting in a high pitched screeched.

"Curio!" she exclaimed, once she realized she wasn't being attacked. "You scared me half to death!" she tried to look irritated, but ended up flinging her arms around his neck instead, hugging him tightly. "Where have you been? I've been expecting you for days. Yuck, you're soaked," he set her down, chuckling at the pout on her face.

"It was the full moon Mira, you know that's the busiest night of the month," he snatched a biscuit off the small platter on the table.

She nodded, but still looked inclined to pout for a few more moments. "I know," her voice obtained an indignant whine. "But I hardly ever get to see you, and I thought you'd be there when I got off the train," she twirled her finger among her wavy black hair, poking at the pink carpet with one stocking covered foot.

He frowned, instantly feeling guilty at the disappointed look on her face. He set the biscuit back down, not feeling particularly hungry anymore. "I'm sorry Mira, I really am. I wanted to be there, you know that."

She sighed. "I know, it's all right, I understand," she offered a tiny smile. "So how's work? Catch any werewolves?" her eyes gleamed with excitement as she hopped up to sit on the edge of the table, her legs swinging idly.

His stomach curled into the familiar ball of knots, he shrugged, trying not to allow his guilt to show. "A couple," then quickly changed the subject. "How was your ride back to the station?"

She grinned widely. "Oh it was lovely!" she snatched a biscuit from the platter and nibbled on it happily. "I sat next to Emily..."

"So I heard you telling Miss Claudia," Curio smirked teasingly. "Aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls Mira?"

Her small face scrunched into a sneer, eyeing his rain-soaked cloths maliciously. "Aren't you a little old to not be able to do a simple umbrella charm? I know first years who can do one, how old are you again Curio?"

It was common knowledge to anyone who knew him that charms certainly were not Curio's strong point. He struggled greatly with them while at school, and only managed a passing grade after endless hours of practice, and quite a bit of extra help from Professor Flitwick. In fact, the tiny professor made it one of his personal missions to help Curio improve, though certainly never mastering charms; he could at least perform most of them at a satisfactory level; usually after a few attempts of course.

Curio's face flushed with embarrassment, his eyes flashing with hurt. "I was only joking Mira," he said quietly, turning to leave. "No reason to be mean."

He heard her feet hit the ground, and pad quickly over to him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, slipping her small hand into his. "I didn't mean it," she tugged at his hand, urging him back into the room. He followed, somewhat reluctantly, his head hanging down.

"Its...it's just been rather...tense around here since I came home," Miranda said quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek; a nervous habit she had since she received her first tooth. "But that's no excuse," she chastised her self. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry."

Curio offered a small shrug. "It's all right," his eyes fell momentarily on the Slytherin banner that hung proudly over the headboard of Mira's bed. He hated to think of the influence the house was having on his younger sister. However, there had never been a Nym to go through Hogwarts that was not sorted into Slytherin. He himself had been placed there, after nearly two minutes of deliberation on the sorting hat's part. Curio never did inform his father that he had not been instantly put into Slytherin.

She gave his hand a small squeeze. "Good," letting it drop from her grasp she glanced over at the small clock on her nightstand; the long golden hand was half way between playtime and dinner. "You better go clean up Curio," she insisted, her voice sounding slightly urgent. "Mum won't be pleased if you're late."

He smirked. "I couldn't care less what will and will not please our mother Mira," he replied, however, he was beginning to shiver from the cold of his soaked robes.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Well then at least change into something dry before you catch a cold."

"Well all right," he sighed dramatically, turning to head towards his room, which was only a few doors down the hall.