Pardon Me, But Have We Met Before?

Author's Notes:

I thank all readers for the response to the first chapter. Romance is not my forte, but I had fun writing this story. This chapter is slightly 'angsty-pangsty' as the mood demands it. So, bear with the brooding.

Chapter 2: Angel of Mercy

Remus Lupin was in a very angry mood, though angry would have been a mild way of putting it. He strode down Diagon Alley in a fury, blasting some shrubs lining the road.

The source of his anger was another failed interview. This was with Obscurus Books, publishers of books on Magic - textbooks and research studies, a tailor-made job for Remus. Everything was going along 'peachy fine', as Sirius would have put it, till it came to the moment of acceptance, where he had to reveal his true condition to his prospective employer.

Remus had discussed this scenario with Dumbledore. When he was passed up for jobs with the Ministry because of his name on the Werewolf Register, he knew he would have to seek private employment. He had asked Dumbledore whether he had to inform the prospective employer about his condition.

Dumbledore knew that Remus was a straightforward guy, who would not like to practice deceit. Thus, other than giving him letters of recommendation, including one that acknowledged his condition, he had also taught him some useful spells. Like the one he had just cast on Snyfle Snotworthy, the proprietor.

At the interview, Snotworthy had said that he was impressed with Remus's NEWT scores and accomplishments at school. He had found Remus to be the quite, scholarly type who would be an asset to the publishing house, be it in writing or editing. He had also been appreciative that Remus was highly recommended by Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. When he had been about to finalize the appointment, Remus had volunteered the letter from Dumbledore, outlying his condition.

The effect had been like a mime: shock, revulsion and then fear had chased each other across Snotworthy's face. He had pushed his chair away from the table across which they had been discussing. He rubbed the hand that he had offered in handshake to Remus over his robes as if to rid it of contamination. And then he had slowly started boiling up in anger.

'How dare you enter my office, you filthy werewolf?' Mr. Snotworthy had yelled.

Remus had been very polite. 'Sir,' he had said, 'I could have hidden the information from you but I chose not to. And you have Dumbledore himself vouching for me.'

But Snotworthy had not been willing to listen to reason.

As Remus got up to go, he had addressed Snotworthy, 'Sir, may I have my certificates back?'

Snotworthy threw them at Remus as if his hand had been contaminated on contact with the parchments.

At the doorway, Remus had paused and said, 'Sir, by the way..' and had shot a spell at him, one that was taught by Dumbledore. It was basically an Obliviate with a slight touch of a confunding charm.

Snotworthy had looked up at the young man in front of him. 'Yes, my dear, what can I do for you?'

With a straight face Remus had replied, 'Just wanted to thank you for the lovely books you bring out.'

'That's ok, my boy!' And as Remus had walked out, he had heard the man mutter, 'Nice boy that! Seemed scholarly. Would he be interested in a job here?'

The irony of that situation would have not been lost on Remus at other times. But today, he was in no mood to appreciate it. This was just a repeat of what had happened in the past month, since graduating from Hogwarts.

As he left the publishers, he had thought about his desperation to get a job. His father had died last year, succumbing to an illness that he had neglected in trying to fight for Werewolf rights. His mother had taken a job at a Muggle bank, despite her ill-health. He desperately needed to earn to support his mother, and maintain the old family house which was falling to ruins.

He thought about his friends: James was chasing a career in professional Quidditch and Sirius was off on his bike to see the world, doing odd jobs on the way. Last heard of, he was in Egypt, helping out a curse-breaker. Even stupid, insipid Peter, who had copied his notes and whom he had coached for all exams had a job. Though it was a low level job at the Ministry for Magic, at their Floo Network Office, it was a paying job nevertheless.

Remus had strictly tried to avoid feeling bitter about his lot in life. But, today, all his pent up frustration and remorse had turned to anger and, thus, we found him striding down Diagon Alley in a furious mood.

As he was on his way to the Leaky Cauldron, he was drawn up short in front of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor at the sight of Regulus Black deliberately tripping a little girl over.

The girl, who should have been about five tears of age, had just stepped out of the shop with a cone in either hand and was now lying sprawled on the side-walk. She moaned the loss of her ice-cream. 'My favourite flavour too! Bubblegum!'

'Yeah!' sneered Regulus at the girl and a couple of his cronies around him sniggered. 'Cry, you half-blooded freak!'

It was apparent to Remus that it was some personal vendetta. But this was taking things too far.

He helped the little girl up and fuelled by his furious mood, Remus threatened Regulus.

'Just like a true Slytherin! Pick on the powerless and the innocent.' The threat behind Remus's words was not lost on Regulus.

It was for nothing that Remus had been one of the strictest prefects at Hogwarts. Though kind and helpful at all times, he was a terror for miscreants and Regulus and his gang of Slytherins had regularly been punished by Remus. His only failing though was his own close friends, on whose antics he had always been easy-going, despite being the 'conscience' of the group.

So, it was with trepidation that Regulus faced Remus. 'This is a personal problem, so it's none of your business to interfere. This is not Hogwarts!'

'When there are imbeciles like you harassing the powerless, any wizard worth his wand would interfere!' retorted Remus.

Regulus tried to put on a non-chalant face and remarked, 'What can you do? Are you so jobless that you have to interfere in whatever is happening on the streets?'

Remus was already in a foul mood over his unemployment. The word 'jobless' seemed to taunt him. In his fury, he whipped out his wand and prepared to hex him.

Regulus and his cronies blanched in fear over a hex but that never came.

'Mister!' Remus felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down to see the girl looking up at him with a tear-streaked face. The raging beast in him calmed down a little.

'Yes, love! Hope you are not hurt?'

'S'ok Mister. I fall often.' She gazed directly into Remus's eyes and said, 'Please don't punish them.'

Remus was taken aback by the girl's statement. 'Why, love? Why should I not punish them? Did they not hurt you?'

'I know they are bad, but God will punish them. I don't want you to be a bad person like them by hurting them.'

Remus was rendered speechless for a moment by the girl's answer. In deference to the little girl's wish he lowered his wand, but kept it ready all the same.

'You heard that, Regulus?' Remus asked in a very cold voice. 'You were prepared to hurt her but she does not want retaliation. You are not worth the dust off her feet!' Remus spat out the words as Regulus and his cronies looked rooted to the spot.

Remus squatted down at eye-level with the girl, by now his anger having fully dissipated.

'With your permission, I will make him pay up for the cones. You can get new ones to replace the ones you lost.' He gestured to the pink puddle on the side-walk.

'Whee!' screamed the girl in delight and nodded her head.

Remus got up and moved closer to Regulus in a threatening manner. 'You heard? Pay up, Regulus! Or, prepare to face the consequences.'

Regulus quickly emptied a pocket and thrust five Galleons into Remus's hand.

Remus asked him to apologize to the girl and Regulus mumbled his apologies in an undertone. With a curt jerk of his head, Remus ordered Regulus and his cronies to leave and watched till they went out of sight.

He turned to the girl and asked, 'Have you come alone?'

The girl replied that her mother had left her to choose her ice-cream and had gone to the 'owl-shop'. She had to await her mother's return at the Parlor.

Remus handed her the money and asked her to buy some more ice-cream and have it inside the shop.

'I can get lots of Bubblegum ice- cream cones,' squealed the girl and skipped away.

She came back suddenly and said, 'Thank you, Mister!' and hugged the only part of Remus she could reach, his bony knee, and ran away into the shop.

Remus watched her go and went on to the Leaky Cauldron.

As he was relaxing over his butterbeer, he thought over the day's happenings. At one point of time he was furious enough to want to transform on a full night near Snotworthy and tear him to pieces. How did he calm down?

A quotation came into his mind, 'Cowards are cruel, but the brave, love mercy and delight to save.'

Yes, thought Remus to himself. All it took, was a child to teach him about the 'twice-blessed' quality of mercy - only in this case, it was not Regulus who was the taker, but him.

He was so lost in contemplation that he failed to see a mother dragging her ice-scream streaked daughter to the Floo in the Leaky Cauldron. Nor did he hear the girl's delighted squeal of 'It's him!' in his direction, before she was whisked away by the green flames.

He reached a very tranquil state of mind and started to plan his job search for the next day, without any remorse. 'From the mouth of babes....' muttered Remus to himself, as he paid the barman and exited into Muggle London.

'Angel of Mercy!' whispered a voice in his ear.

Remus smiled.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I did happen to see Bubblegum flavoured ice-cream yesterday and ogled the colour and smell, as I can't eat ice-cream. I did drown my sorrows in chocolate, though. The quotation is by John Gay, a 17^th century dramatist. 'Twice-blessed' refers to the famous quotation on mercy from The Merchant of Venice. Obscurus Books exist in HP-Lexicon, but Snyfle Snotworthy is my OC. I hate him, though.