Living with Danger

Chapter 2: Castles in the Air

"Show me something?" Remus asked. "Something about Harry?"

Danger nodded. "Harry, come with me," she said, and walked into the hall with Harry and Neenie each holding one hand. Remus followed them.

They stopped beside the stairs. "All the houses in this development are built alike," Danger said. "So this house is practically identical to the one where Harry lives. Watch."

She unlatched the door of the floor-level hallway cupboard.

Harry pulled away from her. "No! No cubbud! No cubbud! NO!" He ran to Remus and hid behind him. "NO CUBBUD! NO NO NO!"

Danger closed the door quickly as Remus knelt down to embrace the stiff and shaking little boy. Neenie was clutching Danger's pants again; her mouth was quivering around the ever-present thumb.

Remus stroked Harry's hair, trying to get him to calm down, though he was tense himself with the child's obvious fear. "What was that about?"

"He sleeps in the cupboard under the stairs at home." Danger's eyes were narrowed, her nostrils flared, her lips tight. "If you can call it a home. And they stick him in there whenever they don't want to be bothered with him."

A wave of anger swept over Remus, and he tightened his arms around Harry, who was still shivering, his face buried in Remus' shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Danger said soothingly, rubbing the little boy's back. "No cupboard. Not with me. Never with me."

"Mooey?" Harry whimpered.

"Tell him no cupboard," Danger whispered. "He wants to know if you're going to put him in there. Tell him no."

"No cupboard, Harry," Remus said firmly. "No cupboard with me. Ever."

Harry relaxed all at once and molded himself against Remus' side, head resting on his shoulder.

"What kind of person would do that to a child?" Remus demanded, standing up with Harry in his arms.

"The kind of person like Vernon and Petunia Dursley," Danger said with a growl in her voice, leading the way back to the kitchen. "And their son, Dudley. He's not much older than Harry, but he's huge - fattest kid I've seen in a long while - and mean to the core. He pulls Neenie's hair whenever he can catch her. I don't like to think what he probably does to Harry."

"Dudley mean," volunteered Neenie, removing her thumb from her mouth.

"Well, another party heard from," Remus said, smiling at the little girl. "You know, I think that's the first time I've heard you talk?"

Neenie smiled back at him, then ducked behind Danger's chair in a sudden shy fit.

"She's darling," Remus said. "You're very lucky."

"Yeah, well, she likes you," Danger said. "With most people, she won't even come out from behind me until she's known them for about a week. Talking usually takes at least two."

"You must not get many baby-sitters."

Danger shrugged. "No need for them - there's nowhere I go that Neenie can't come, except work, and she likes the people at her day care, she's known them since she was tiny. So anyway, now you know as much as I do about Harry. I baby-sit him every day I can get off work - "

"Are you saying you've been missing work to take care of Harry?" Remus asked.

"After I figured out why he was throwing a screaming fit every time I went to get the Christmas decorations, yes. I wasn't about to let a sweet little boy like him get mistreated without doing something about it. I tried calling Social Services, but they're backed up for months, and unless he's in immediate danger, they don't want to hear about it. So at the moment I'm part-time clerk, part-time babysitter. The Dursleys pay pretty well, so it's not really a financial problem..." She stopped, noticing how Remus was looking at her. "What is it?"

"What is it?" You're keeping this little boy safe from things his own relatives are doing to him, and you're sacrificing to do it - a part-time job, even with baby-sitting thrown in, can't possibly support you and your sister the way you deserve.

You're a good person.

That's what it is.

And I wish I could tell you that.

"I was just thinking how ironic it is that you're practically a stranger, but you're helping Harry, and his relatives, the people who should be taking care of him, are actually the problem."

"Stuff happens all over," Danger said, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm just not one to sit around and let it happen. Never have been."

"Thank you," Remus said earnestly. "For everything."

"Ah, you're welcome," Danger mumbled, blushing. "Don't look now, but I think he's gone to sleep..."

Even as she said it, Remus felt Harry grow heavier on his shoulder, in the inexplicable way of sleeping babies. He shifted the boy gently down into his arms. "Should I put him on the couch?"

"No, he might roll off. I'll get a blanket for the floor."

The telephone rang. "Hold that thought," Danger said, reaching for it. "Hello? Yes... oh, yes, of course... right away. You're welcome." She hung up. "His aunt says she wants him home," she said sarcastically. "The truth is she thinks she's paid me enough for today. It costs nothing to stick him in a cupboard, after all."

"A cupboard." Remus looked down at Harry, whose expression and general demeanor while asleep could only be accurately described as angelic, and felt again the urge to hold the child tight and never let him go. "That has to stop. It's wrong."

"You going to stop it?" Danger asked lightly.

"If I have to, yes."

"Not to play devil's advocate, but how?"

"They're adults, aren't they? They'll listen to reason..." He stopped, seeing Danger shaking her head.

"If they were reasonable, would they be making a not-even-two-year-old sleep in a cupboard? They think they're God's greatest gift to the world, and they won't listen to anyone. Trust me. I know."

"I'd take him myself if I thought it would solve anything," Remus said, rocking Harry soothingly as the boy came half-awake with a little wail.

Danger smiled mischievously. "Take him, as in just take him? Walk in one day, pick him up, and walk out?"

"Or one night," Remus said, entering into the spirit of the game. "Pick the lock on their front door, sneak in and steal him, out again and no one the wiser. We could be miles away by morning, if we had some place safe to go. A house, and a job, somewhere far from here..." He smiled sadly, shaking his head. "Castles in the air. Here, you should take him home."

Danger accepted Harry. "Stay with Neenie while I take him over?" she asked. "I'll only be a minute."

"Certainly." Remus saw her to the door, since Harry was a two-arm package, especially asleep and limp. As he closed it behind her, he became aware of a tugging at his pant leg. He looked down. "Yes, and what can I do for you?" he asked Neenie gravely.

"Up," the little girl said matter-of-factly, holding her arms out. Remus scooped her up, and she squirmed around until she was sitting on his hip and looking him in the face. "Moo-nee nice," she said with a smile, apparently proud of herself for pronouncing both syllables. "I s'eep now." And without further ado, she plopped her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Well, I guess this is my day to be a pillow," Remus said bemusedly. He headed for the living room, where he could at least be a pillow sitting down.

It's been an incredible day. I'm tired myself.

He yawned as he sat down on the couch. Putting my feet up would feel nice. Lying down would feel even nicer.

He shifted Neenie's weight to his chest. I'll just close my eyes for a moment. I won't go to sleep...

----------

He was in water, cold water, and it was deep. Too deep. He couldn't stay afloat, he was starting to sink -

A hand caught his and pulled his arm over a piece of wood, which he clung to and caught his breath. He looked around at his savior - it was a woman, a brown-haired woman, who looked familiar -

Danger. That's her name. I met her today, she takes care of Harry. And sure enough, the woman, who was holding on to the other side of what he could now see was a tiny raft, had two children clinging to her back, and one of them was Harry. The other was her sister - oh, what's her name, Neenie. Both looked tired, as if they were about to lose their grip and fall into the water.

He held out his hand, wordlessly offering to take one of the children from her. Danger nodded, and he hooked his elbow around a projection on the raft, then reached over and snagged Harry. There was a heart-stopping moment when he thought he was going to drop the child, but then Harry grabbed onto him and held on tight.

Why don't we put them on this thing? It might not hold us, but it will hold them. He lifted Harry from the water and put him on the raft, and it rocked slightly but stayed upright. Danger quickly set Neenie beside Harry, and the children huddled together.

Remus looked down the river and saw the silhouetted figure of a woman, desperately trying to hold on to something which seemed to be breaking apart under her hands. As they passed her, he reached out and caught her hand, pulling it to their raft. She caught on and held tight, and as they came into a slightly more lit area, he saw her face - it was Aletha Freeman, looking as determined as she ever had chasing down a Bludger.

We're all in this together, it would seem...

And just as he thought that, something brushed his leg. Something soft. A hand, which closed weakly around his ankle before losing its grip...

Someone's down there. I have to help them.

He took a deep breath and dived.

The water was cold on his face, and murky. He couldn't see. He felt around where he thought the hand had been, and just as he was starting to need a breath, found it, limp and boneless-feeling. He grasped it firmly and swam for the surface.

As he had hoped, the women had been kicking against the current, holding the raft nearby, waiting for him. He pulled the person up behind him, and somehow wasn't surprised to see that it was Sirius Black, looking exhausted and pale, and not breathing.

That's bad.

But before he could do anything about it, Sirius gasped and started coughing, and Remus hoisted him onto the raft and grabbed the edge again himself. Aletha loosed her grip enough to touch Sirius' face gently, and he opened his eyes after a moment to smile at her.

The raft speeded up. The water seemed to be getting warmer, and there was definitely more light. And - is this thing getting bigger?

A few more moments removed the question. The raft had indeed grown. It was large enough to take everyone. Remus helped the women climb aboard, then accepted their hands to pull him up.

Suddenly they passed from the darkness of the tunnel into light, the light of a sunny day. The tiredness Remus had been feeling seemed to drop away from him as he looked around at the green banks of the river, at the smiling faces of his friends. The raft felt like an oasis of peace, and as Harry climbed into his lap, he wished he could stay there forever...

----------

Danger closed the door behind her, unable to shake the image in her mind of bright green eyes filled with unhappiness and a little voice saying "Dayger?" in a pleading tone.

He practically begged me not to leave. But what can I do? He belongs to them.

Another voice intruded on her thoughts. Remus' voice.

I'd take him myself... if we had some place safe to go. A house, and a job, somewhere far from here...

Danger's imagination took over. Just a little house, big enough for four. A man and a woman, a boy and a girl, making a new life together... and a job at a bookstore, or a library... oh, wouldn't that be wonderful? To work among all the wisdom and folly of the ages, neatly categorized and alphabetized...

She smiled wryly. Now who's building castles in the air? A new life together? For heaven's sake, Gertrude, you only met the man today, no matter what you dreamed! She only used her real name to herself when she was annoyed. And you know you'll never get Harry. Even if the Dursleys don't want him, he's theirs by right, and they never let go of anything, even if they want nothing more than to be rid of it.

But it would be good for Neenie to have a brother. She was awfully lonely before Harry came along. There's no little girls living around here, and most of the little boys are Dudley's type - big spoiled bullies...

Stop it now, her stern side ordered. You're wishing for the moon.

No, I'm wishing for...

Don't. Even. Think. It.

This inner argument brought her through the kitchen and into the living room, where she stopped short.

Moony, her irrepressible side finished anyway.

Remus Lupin was sleeping on her couch, with one arm protectively across little Hermione, asleep on his chest.

They look perfect together, she couldn't help thinking. He could be her father.

And she needs a father. I'm doing my best, but she's getting into the stubborn stage, and having someone else around to back me up would help with that.

She sat down wearily in a rocking chair, acknowledging reality. Having someone else around would help with everything. There are days I just want to give up and cry because there's always too much to do and never enough time or money. I know life's tough all over, but human beings weren't meant to go it alone, were we? I mean, there has to be a reason for this thing called love...

She blinked, startled by her own thoughts, and shook her head. Moving a bit fast, aren't we, young lady? Love's quite a big word. Why don't we try something like friendship first, and see where it goes from there...

After all, you don't know the man that well yet. No matter what Petunia Dursley and her network of spies say.

She sighed. He can joke all he wants, but my reputation's just gone down the tubes. The neighborhood busybodies will assume the worst, and the story will be everywhere by the day after tomorrow, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Maybe we should move...

But I can't abandon Harry. He's undernourished, in more ways than one - he's incredibly bright, but even the brightest children won't learn if they don't have opportunities, and when does he ever get them, stuck in that flipping cupboard? And they never hold him or hug him - I think they may actually hit him, he flinches sometimes when I lift my hand above my shoulder.

She twisted a pinch of her shirt in frustration. We're the only hope he has. Me, and Neenie, and now Remus...

I can't take that away from him, I just can't. Reputation or not, here we stay.

Unless, of course, we did something really crazy. Like actually stealing him and running for it.

Could we get away with it? Would having magic on our side help any? There would probably be magic people looking for him too, I gather he's important somehow... but if we hid from the magic types with not-magic methods, and the not-magic types with magic methods...

"Castles in the air again," she said aloud in frustration.

Remus came awake with a small jump, looking down in confusion at the tiny brown head on his chest.

"I'll take her," Danger said, lifting her sister gently enough that Neenie only fretted a moment before settling back into her nap into Danger's arms. "Be back in a moment."

She hurried upstairs to slip the little girl into her crib. When she returned, Remus was sitting at the kitchen table, looking rather embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry," he began. "You left me to watch her, and instead I fell asleep..."

"No apology necessary," Danger said sincerely. "I doubt she would have been able to move without waking you, and it was a charming tableau to walk in on. Don't worry about it."

Remus nodded stiffly. An uncomfortable silence ensued.

"I should go," Remus began, at the same moment that Danger blurted, "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

They hesitated, looking at each other almost shyly. Then Remus said musingly, "Well, I suppose I could..." as Danger quickly said, "But if you have somewhere else to be..."

The double coincidence was too much, and they both cracked up, laughing together with abandon and shattering the tension that had been building in the room.

"No, nowhere else to be," Remus said, still chuckling, a few moments later. "And I'm thoroughly sick of my own cooking. So if the offer is still open, I accept with pleasure."

"The pleasure's all mine." Danger smiled and felt her heart warm when he smiled back. "I love to cook. Do you have any preferences?"

"I enjoy pasta dishes," Remus said. "But really, anything will do."

"Have you ever had pasta with peanut butter sauce?"

"No, but it sounds interesting, and I'll try anything once."

"Bit dangerous, that, isn't it?"

Remus shrugged. "No more so than life itself. I make exceptions for obviously stupid things, like teasing a hippogriff."

"What is a hippogriff?"

Stories about wizarding life and magic in general filled the time it took to prepare dinner. Danger listened carefully, storing the details in her memory. You never know what might be useful.

"This is excellent," Remus announced after tasting the pasta. "My compliments to the chef."

"Thank you, kind sir." Danger inclined her head in his direction.

"I haven't had anything this good since I left Hogwarts."

"That's... your school?" Danger hazarded, hoping for another round of stories.

She wasn't disappointed. By the time she handed the last of the dishes to Remus to dry, Danger knew more about the wizarding life of England than any Muggle (a word she found fascinating) who wasn't related to a wizard or witch.

"You shouldn't be telling me this, should you?" she asked. "You could get in trouble."

"I could," Remus replied. "But as you pointed out, you're already involved. You're practically raising The Boy Who Lived." Another thing he'd explained was the cause of Harry's fame, and the nickname it had earned him among the general wizarding public. "It makes sense for you to know. You may even have magic yourself."

"Me?"

"You're what we call a true-dreamer. You see things in your dreams that really happened. Parts of them even sound predictive, foretelling the future. That's a magical gift as far as I know... but we can always check."

"How?"

Remus got up and went into the hall, returning with a carved stick about a foot long.

"Is that..."

"A genuine magic wand. Here, give it a try."

Danger accepted it gingerly and gave it a timid wave. Nothing happened.

"I'd prefer if you'd point it that way," Remus said firmly, directing her aim away from him.

"Fine," Danger snapped, jerking her hand away in annoyance.

A burst of golden sparks shot from the end of the wand and landed on the kitchen counter, where they fizzled and went out in a puddle of water from the dish drainer.

"Was that me?" Danger breathed.

"You're the one with the wand," Remus said, grinning at her.

Danger quickly handed it to him, still staring at the place where the sparks had been.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger," said Remus, pocketing his wand. "You're a witch."

Danger sat down abruptly, luckily where the chair was instead of where it wasn't.

I'm a witch. I have magic.

But - that's impossible.

"How can I be? I mean, you told me how Hogwarts goes looking for children who have magic, and I never got a letter or anything, so how could I be magical now?"

"I don't know," Remus admitted. "But you are magical. No one can use a wand who isn't. I heard a theory once that some people have latent magic, magic that isn't active and can't be detected, so they go through their lives as Muggles. No one ever knows, unless they experience some kind of shock that brings out the magic in them."

"A shock? Like finding your parents dead in the living room?"

Remus winced. "That might well do it, yes."

Danger stared at the floor. "When I found my dad and mum, I screamed. I screamed so loud they heard me on the next block. And things broke. All the light bulbs, all our glass lampshades, even the glass in the windows shattered. Was that magic?"

"It must have been." Remus seemed about to make a movement toward her, but instead went to the desk in the corner, wrote something on a pad, and tore it off. "Here's my phone number. If you need anything, call me. Well, not tomorrow night, but any other time, call me."

Danger nodded, accepting the folded slip of paper. "Wait a second, I'll give you mine," she said. "In case there's something you need to tell me in a hurry."

Remus took the note she handed him and slid it into his pocket. "I really should go now," he said, looking outside, where it was full dark already.

Danger walked down the hall with him. "Thank you for staying to dinner."

"Thank you for having me. It was the best meal, and the best companionship, I've had in months."

"Same here. The companionship, I mean." Danger found her breath coming a little short as Remus smiled at her again.

"Well, good night, then," he said, holding out his hand.

"Good night." She shook it courteously.

Is it my imagination, or did he hold on a moment longer than he had to?

With a polite bow, Remus Lupin took his leave.

Danger leaned against the wall and caught her breath.

I am definitely attracted to that man.

Strongly attracted.

I think a cold shower is indicated.

----------

Remus hurried through the dark streets to the place where he had parked his car, mind racing.

I need to get home. And start making plans. Harry's being mistreated, Sirius is innocent... Aletha needs to know first of all, I can owl her tomorrow... should I even tell Dumbledore? I don't have any solid proof...

But before I do any of that, I think I need a cold shower.

I am strongly attracted to that woman.

And that's not good. For either of us.

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Chapter 3: Tamer

Dear Aletha,

I know we haven't corresponded in a while, and to be honest I don't really know what to say to you. The last time we saw each other, the world was a very different place for both of us. But I'd like to see you, to tell you a few things that I think may be important. I'm a bit ill right now, so I'll be stuck at home for a day or so, but any time after that I'm free. I'd appreciate an answer, even if it's "no".

Thanks,

Remus Lupin

Remus laid down his quill and considered the letter. I think it'll do.

It had better. It's my 14^th draft.

He waved the letter in the air for a moment to dry the ink, folded it, and addressed it: Ms. Aletha Freeman. Then he went over to his fireplace. A quick "Incendio!" and a handful of Floo powder later, he knelt down on the blanket he'd folded on the bricks. "London post office," he said clearly, and put his head in the fire.

When the spinning subsided, he was looking at the interior of the Diagon Alley Post Office. One of the clerks, a small blonde witch, noticed him and hurried over. "Good morning, sir, what can I do for you today?"

"I have a letter I'd like to post," Remus said. "How much to rent an owl for one delivery?"

"Is this a local or an international delivery?"

"Local, definitely local." At least I hope so. Last I heard, she was living in London...

"That's fourteen Knuts, sir. Shall I charge your vault, or would you like to pay up front?"

"I'll pay now, thanks." Remus felt around in his pocket until he found a Sickle and tossed it into the fire. He counted silently. One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three...

The Sickle clattered onto the floor of the post office. "I'll get right on that, sir," the clerk said, scooping it up. "Can I get your name and address, please?"

"Remus Lupin, number 17 Oxman Road, Cold Crossing, Surrey." Fifteen minutes from Little Whinging. That's all. Six months I was worried about Harry, and all that time he was just fifteen minutes away from me... no wonder Dumbledore would never tell me where he was.

The clerk recorded the information at her desk and returned to the fireplace with a handful of Knuts. "Your owl will be arriving in approximately half an hour, Mr. Lupin." She poured the coins into a funnel hanging by the side of the fire; they streamed through the connection and landed by Remus' side without hitting him in the face, for which he was decidedly grateful. "Thank you for using the Diagon Alley Post Office, and have a nice day."

"Thank you, ma'am." Remus pulled his head out of the fire, coughed once or twice, and scooped up the Knuts which littered his hearth.

Half an hour. Time enough for lunch.

As he fixed himself a sandwich, Remus' thoughts kept returning to Harry, and to the Grangers. He and Neenie seem to like each other, as much as two toddlers ever like anything. And he's obviously bonded strongly with Danger. She's probably like a mother to him, which is good - he needs one.

But he needs a father, too. So does Neenie. And they don't have anyone...

He halted that train of thought before it started pulling into improper stations.

I have absolutely no right to be thinking anything of the sort. I only met these people yesterday, no matter how charming or nice they are. No matter that the little girl, admittedly shy, likes me enough to fall asleep in my arms, and that I'm hopelessly attracted to her sister...

Well, I've admitted it. Might as well say it aloud, then...

Remus put down his sandwich and sighed. "All right. I am very much attracted to Danger."

Then he had to laugh at the other possible meanings of that statement.

So yes. I'm attracted to her. But it would never work. I'm a werewolf. Once a month I go into a killing frenzy where I want nothing more than to hurt human beings. What sane person would even think of putting a child, never mind two children, in a house with me?

Of course, what sane person would think of leaving a child in a house where he's locked in a cupboard by his supposed guardians?

I guess it all just goes to show one thing.

I'm not entirely sane.

But Sirius and James told me that for years...

A rapping on the window broke into his thoughts. Oh, the owl's here. Good.

He opened the window, and the owl flapped into the room, perching on the back of one of his kitchen chairs. Quickly, he opened his letter and added a PS:

It's about Harry. R.L.

"That should get her attention," he muttered to himself as he blew on the ink to dry it. Aletha had been one of the Potters' most frequent visitors, coming to talk with Lily and play with Harry at least once a week. A strong and practical woman, the first female Beater at Hogwarts in 10 years, she would have loved to have children of her own, but Sirius had always been too interested in making trouble, at first for his superiors and then, as the war worsened, for Voldemort...

He was planning to ask her to marry him soon, as I recall. Sometime in November, and have a Christmas wedding...

God, this whole mess just keeps getting worse, the more I look at it. Lives ruined everywhere I turn. Lily and James, Sirius, Aletha, Harry, me... even Danger and Neenie had their lives shattered by Death Eaters.

He attached the letter to the owl's leg with a spare piece of string, and it took off.

But the hallmark of humanity is the ability to start over. What if we, all the survivors, could start over together? Make a home somewhere and rebuild our lives, helping one another?

Impossible, said his cynical side. You're dreaming.

But the idea had taken hold of his mind, and it refused to let go. It might be worth a shot. Maybe. Possibly.

It's a dream, all right, but doesn't everything start with a dream?

----------

Danger dreamed.

She was driving along roads she had never seen in waking life, driving as if she took this path every day, or every night, since it was nighttime. Neenie slept in her car seat in the back seat of the truck. They had to hurry, hurry, there wasn't much time...

A right, a quick left, and she was there. She parked the truck, noting the time before she turned it off - 10:13. Up the front steps of one of the houses she ran; the door opened to her hand, and she stepped inside and closed it behind her.

She had only a moment to look around before she heard a loud thumping, crashing noise, as if something was being thrown at a wall over and over again. And the wall was starting to buckle from the strain...

No, I'm wrong. Not a wall, a door.

That door.

The door in question looked as if it should lead only to a closet, but there was obviously something in there. Something that wanted out.

And something that was about to get out. The door was cracking.

Three more hits ought to do it, Danger estimated, stepping off to one side.

Two more.

One.

Crash.

The door flew into splinters, and a long, gray, shaggy form erupted from the closet, landed on the floor of the hallway, and howled in triumph.

A wolf.

No, a werewolf.

Remus. It has to be.

The werewolf noticed Danger and snarled.

Danger noted from a distance that she really should be scared, but somehow she couldn't find the energy for fear. Her entire being was fixated on what she had to do -

The werewolf charged her, leaping up to bite her, and she dropped quickly to the floor. Its jump carried it over her head, and she reached up and caught hold of one of its paws. Something like an electric shock passed through her, and -

She was sitting up in bed, gasping.

Quickly, she flipped the light on and looked at her clock. 9:49.

I have to go. Now.

She dressed faster than she had ever done, snatched Neenie and practically ran down the stairs, was unlocking her truck before her nearly hysterical mind caught up. What am I doing? Werewolves hate people, they try to kill them! There's no way I should be doing this!

As of two days ago, you didn't even know werewolves really existed, she told her doubting side, buckling Neenie into her car seat. So shut up.

The doubts grumbled but subsided.

Danger had no idea where Remus Lupin lived, except that it was in the general area nearby, but just as in her dream, the roads unfolded before her as if she had known the way from childhood. "Turn right here" or "sharp left coming up" floated into her mind precisely when they were needed. It was an eerie feeling.

I wonder if this is my magic, and I can find the way to anywhere I really need to go? That seems like not very much for magic to do, but maybe that's the way it is if you come to it late...

She parked the truck in front of the house she had seen just as the last little number on the dashboard clock turned from 2 to 3 and ran up the front steps, wondering idly if the door would open for her, and feeling no surprise when it did. She pulled it shut behind herself and locked it, taking a look around.

The house was small and a bit shabby, obviously lived-in. Motion on the mantelpiece caught her eye - a black-haired baby crawled into view within the frame of a photograph and rolled over, displaying a big smile on a face she knew well.

Harry. And a magic photo of him, no less. This has to be the right house.

On cue, the thumping from the closet began.

Danger discovered that when it was for real, she felt fear. Fear almost paralyzed her. She would have run away, except for one thing.

If I don't do something, he'll get out of the house and start hurting people, maybe even killing them. Then in the morning, when he realizes what he did, it's only a matter of whether he commits suicide before the authorities find him. He would never be able to live with himself.

And I can't live without him.

When there was time, Danger decided, she was going to do a complete mental check and make sure she wasn't turning into some simpering fainting romantic sissy.

The door crashed outwards.

I guess not, since a sissy would have fainted by now...

The werewolf rushed at her - she saw its hindquarters gather for the leap and bent her knees in a controlled fall - the gray body flew over her head, snarling down at her as it passed - her hand flew up and made contact, wrapping around one of the front paws - she felt the roughness of the paw pads, the slippery fur, the blunt claws -

The shock was much worse in real life than in the dream. She was only vaguely conscious of collapsing to the ground, the wolf slumped beside her, her hand still wrapped around its paw...

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Remus came to full awareness with a start. Where am I?

The last thing he remembered was despair. He had locked the closet door at two minutes to moonrise and suddenly noticed that the grain in the wood seemed to have more vertical lines than it should. The door was cracking. It probably wouldn't survive his usual onslaught of the night. And it was too late for him to do anything about it.

So I should be somewhere in the countryside, probably covered in blood from some innocent person I bit, or if I'm very lucky, still in the closet. Instead, I'm...

Wearing dress robes?

"You all right?" said a familiar voice from the other end of the small stone room where he sat. Sirius Black, flawlessly attired in dark red, was leaning against the wall. "You look like your dog just died."

"What's going on?"

"What's going on, the man wants to know," Sirius said to the air. "How do you forget your own wedding?"

"What?"

"Come on, there's our cue!" Sirius sprang across the room and grabbed Remus' wrist, towing him towards the door. "Having second thoughts? She's a lovely girl, I'd take her off your hands if I didn't already have one myself..."

"No, no," Remus said, realizing what must be happening. It's a dream. That's all. It's just a dream. "No, I was just a little distracted. I'm ready now."

"Good. Here we go."

They stepped out into - the Great Hall?

Sure enough, it was the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but Remus had never seen it like this. The tables were gone, replaced with bench-like seats in two sections, all facing the dais where Remus and Sirius stood, and all filled with people. White flowers and ribbons were everywhere, and a balding man was standing on the dais, a few yards away from the two of them, wearing what looked like the official robes of the Minister of Magic. Sirius practically propelled Remus in his direction. "Just like in rehearsals, Moony," he muttered.

I wish I remembered them, Padfoot! Remus retorted inside his mind, but kept his mouth shut.

The music playing in the room changed into a processional. Two pairs of bridesmaids and ushers walked sedately down the aisle, followed by a maid of honor, and finally the crowd rose to its feet to signify the arrival of the bride.

Her veil was over her face so that Remus couldn't see her, but he knew the man escorting her down the aisle - none other than Albus Dumbledore. He sneaked a look at the wedding party. The brunette bridesmaid looks familiar... I don't know the redheads... the other usher looks like James, only that's not possible. But that is Aletha across from Sirius...

The bride stepped onto the dais and turned to him. Dumbledore gently lifted her veil, and Remus looked into a pair of bright brown eyes lit up with joy, joy he couldn't help but return as he recognized her.

"I was so happy to see you that I forgot I didn't know anything about you." Danger's voice rang in his head. "And suddenly I did know all about you. Everything."

And as Remus joined hands with his bride, he discovered what she had meant.

The life of Gertrude Kelly Granger played itself on fast-forward inside his mind. He learned about her in those few seconds as he might have over the course of months, years, normally.

She had always been bookish and a bit scatter-brained, a quiet girl who loved her family and home above all, who almost never went out, who had never even had a boyfriend or a date. She was all right with children, not stellar but not hopeless either, but she had lost her heart to her baby sister from the first moment she saw the tiny face. She had only ever worked part-time in her life and was used to everything coming easily, no rough spots or bumps in her road.

Then her parents were killed.

If it hadn't been for Neenie, Remus realized, Danger's world would have ended that day, as his own had practically ended on the previous Halloween. Her parents had been the world to her, as his friends had been to him. She, like him, had considered suicide at one point. But Neenie had needed her, and that had kept her going, forced her to recover and fight back.

And they need me now. Harry, and Danger and Neenie, need me. I can't let them down.

"... as long as you both shall live?" finished the man in official robes, whose fringe of hair proved to be red up close.

Remus realized he was being addressed. "Er, I do."

Apparently it was the correct answer, since the man turned to Danger and repeated what he had said to Remus.

"I do." Her answer rang out clearly through the Hall.

"By the power vested in me by the office of Minister of Magic, I do hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Remus did as he was told.

Danger's voice surfaced in his mind again.

"And please don't take this wrong, but if you kiss in real life like you did in the dream... damn."

Same to you, beautiful. Same to you.

I am definitely in love.

Everything blurred around them as they broke off the kiss, and suddenly they were in a different room, probably at the reception, dancing to a lyrical waltz, something by Tchaikovsky, Remus thought.

Danger smiled impishly at him. "I figured out the second quatrain of the poem."

"What, all of it?"

"I think so. Let me see:

"The wolf that runs in brightest dark

"Of fear in danger strikes no spark,

"For she is maid of warrior soul,

"And by her touch his mind is whole.

"The wolf is you, of course - 'brightest dark' means the night when there's the most light, the night of the full moon. So the first line just means you." She laid her head on his shoulder. "My handsome wolf."

"Does 'danger' in the second line mean you?" Remus asked, concentrating on staying with the dance and not letting himself be distracted by his partner.

"I think it does," Danger said, lifting her head. "And the third line is me. 'Gertrude' means warrior woman, so the 'maid of warrior soul' is me. Those first three lines of poetry boil down to the fact that you don't scare me when you transform."

"I don't?"

"Well, the first time, yes. But it won't any more."

"Why not?"

"When you transform, you lose your human mind in the wolf, right?"

"Right."

She smiled, and Remus registered once again how beautiful she was. "I found out tonight that my magic reverses that. I'm a werewolf tamer. When I touch you after you transform, you regain your human mind. You're in control."

In control... Merlin, what that would mean to me...

I'd never have to be afraid again. No one would need to be afraid of me. I wouldn't wear myself out during the full moon night, so I wouldn't need to stay home the next day. I could live something approaching a normal life.

If it's true.

Oh, God, please let it be true!

The only problem is, since Danger's the only one who can do the magic, I'd have to stay close to her.

Looking at the woman in his arms, he realized how much he wished this dream-wedding had been real.

This is a problem? Somehow I don't think so...

"And you can't claim you don't know me any more," Danger said with a grin as the music swelled up. "We know all about each other, now. So I feel safe in saying this. I love you, Remus Lupin, wolf of my heart."

Remus felt his voice catch as he started to reply. He had to swallow hard and start over. "I love you, Gertrude Granger, Danger of my life."

She raised her eyebrows. "That sounds terrible."

Remus laughed. "Yes, it does, doesn't it."

Sirius and Aletha were dancing nearby. Dumbledore had led Minerva McGonagall onto the floor. The ushers and bridesmaids had paired off, a redhead to each pairing...

"The red in the poem," Remus said slowly. "The red that's actually orange. Could that mean red hair?"

"You know, I think it could," Danger said, following his line of sight. "But that's something to worry about tomorrow."

As they lost themselves again in the music, Remus couldn't help wishing, just a little, that tomorrow would never come.

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