Living with Danger

Chapter 42: Do You Trust Me?

Andromeda had little trouble getting permission to talk with Aletha and Sirius. The Auror in charge at the holding cells was a woman with hair by now almost entirely silver, but streaks of its original blonde remained. And she remembered the Healer.

"I was on duty the night you came to see your sister," she said, extending her hand to Andromeda. "Leticia Halcyon. Let to my friends."

"Andromeda Tonks. Andy."

Auror Halcyon took a scroll out of her desk and dipped her quill. "So - nothing personal, I have to ask, it's for the record - why do you want to see them?"

"Well, then, for the record, Mr. Lupin asked me to look in on them, to make sure they're all right. Will that do?"

"Certainly." Auror Halcyon made a notation on her scroll, then looked back up at Andy. "The record is now complete," she said, letting her sentence end on an upward note.

Andy tapped her finger against her lips, thinking hard about what to say and what to leave out. "Sirius is my cousin, and I haven't seen him for a long time - obviously. I always liked him, and Aletha - I knew her, they were more or less together before... everything happened, so we'd met several times. I want to make sure they're all right."

"So, more or less, you put the truth on record." Halcyon nodded. "I like that. Keeps everything square. Say... Tonks. We've got a prospective applicant with that name. First name Nympha... something."

"Nymphadora." Andy smiled. "My daughter. She'll be leaving Hogwarts this June."

"Well, her O.W.L.s look good. If she passes her N.E.W.T.s and her aptitude tests, we'll be glad to have her. Now, as to your request. I think it can be honored. After all, what can they do to you - you're the one with the wand."

Andy smiled. "True enough."

"Which one would you like to see first?"

"Aletha - Ms. Freeman, that is."

Halcyon pursed her lips, perusing her scroll. "Hm. Says here she claims to be Freeman-Black now."

"Yes, Remus did mention they were married. It must have been a Muggle wedding." Andy frowned. "Are those even legal under magical law?"

"I certainly hope so," said Halcyon with a touch of heat. "I wouldn't want to be considered a bastard."

Andy covered her mouth, chagrined at her faux pas. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know," Halcyon said with a shrug. "And it hardly matters. To anyone except pure-blood fools. May they all go the way of that one you Stunned back in '84."

"Amen," Andromeda said heartily. Then she remembered. "Oh, I need to ask about something else. What's your policy on housing more than one person in the same cell?"

Halcyon grimaced. "Strictly, absolutely, completely not to be done. And I can't do a thing about it. You'd have to talk to the higher-ups to get permission, and they're not likely to be in, it's two days to Christmas and a Sunday, after all..."

Andromeda winced. "Are you sure you can't bend the rules?"

Halcyon shook her head regretfully. "I'm sorry, but it could mean my job." She looked at Andy. "Tell you what. About how long do you expect to take with these talks?"

"About an hour."

"I'll go upstairs while you're doing that and see if there's anyone around who does have authority to bend the rules a little."

"Thank you," Andromeda said with true feeling. "You have no idea what it would mean to them. Where can I find Letha?"

"Straight down this hall to the end, turn right. You can't miss her, she's the only one along there. When you're ready to see Black, just come back the way you came - first left and all the way to the end of the hall, that's here. Then take a right, go all the way to the end of that hall, and take another right. Got it?" Halcyon's tone was neither condescending nor patronizing, simply brisk.

"Got it," Andy said with a thankful smile. "I'll be back."

"I certainly hope so."

----------

Andy stopped before she got to Sirius' cell and tried to collect her wits. Talking with Letha had been easy. Almost too easy. She had gone overtime with it, it was 3:30 already. She was going to have to make this snappy.

Think, girl. Letha says you can trust him. Remus never even said it, it was just obvious to him. Draco's happy with him. All their children - their cubs - are. I saw it myself. So how bad can he be?

Just treat him like your crazy little cousin, the one who used to put pixies in your bed.

She cracked a smile. Shouldn't be too hard. He is the crazy little cousin who used to put pixies in my bed.

She walked up to his cell and stopped. He was sitting with his head in his hands, but looked up at her, obviously surprised.

"You," she said, "are serious trouble."

"No, ma'am," he said solemnly. "I'm Sirius Black."

They both laughed.

"I don't believe you remembered that," Sirius said, giving the same utterly charming smile she remembered, possibly a touch more so with the added years of age and experience. "How long has it been since we did that? Nine, ten years?"

"At least." Andromeda debated conjuring a chair, as she had done at Letha's cell, and finally decided to sit on the floor, prompting Sirius to do the same. "How are you?" she asked, looking straight at him.

Sirius took his time about answering, looking speculatively around him. "I've been better," he answered finally. "But I've also been worse. Azkaban comes to mind."

"I would imagine."

"Not if you can help it, you wouldn't," Sirius said very quietly. "Trust me on this. You don't want to."

"I trust you."

Sirius looked interested. "Really?"

"I've been talking to Remus and Letha."

"How are they?" Sirius asked quickly. "And have you seen Danger? Remus' wife, not very tall, brown bushy hair, unconscious - unless she woke up in the last couple of hours?"

"From the end - no, she hasn't, yes, I've seen her, and before you ask, I don't know what's wrong with her."

Sirius sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. It's hard not knowing. I really care about her. Not in a way that would make Letha worry, you understand."

"As a sister. And Remus as a brother."

"Exactly."

"Letha said the same. She's more or less all right - she cried some when we talked about your cubs."

"I don't blame her. I feel like crying myself." Sirius closed his eyes for a moment. "You probably got into this with her," he said a trifle shakily. "Or with Remus. But we love those four like nothing else. They're our reason for living - our reason for existing, in a very real way."

"Go on," Andy said, leaning forward slightly.

"If it hadn't been for Harry, there wouldn't be a Pack," Sirius explained. "Legally, he belongs to me, but I was in no shape to take care of him all myself when I got out of Azkaban, and Letha couldn't just quit her job. Besides, I wasn't about to shut Moony and Danger out of his life. So we stayed together so he could have all of us, and it wasn't long before Hermione had all our hearts too. And then Meghan, when she came along, and finally Draco. Somewhere along the line we realized we liked living together, we liked the companionship and the camaraderie - but we never would have thought to try it if it hadn't been for Harry."

"I'm sure he's all right," Andy said impulsively. "I'm sure all of them are."

"If Bossy Andy says it, it must be true," Sirius chanted, flashing her a one-sided grin. It faded quickly. "How's Remus?"

"Worried," Andromeda said. "Worried about you and Aletha, worried about your cubs, but most of all worried about Danger."

"I'm not surprised. They're very close."

Andy decided to fish a little. "He mentioned something I didn't quite understand. Something about sensing each other's presence..."

"They do have a sort of link between them," Sirius said cautiously. "Either of them knows what the other one is thinking or feeling at any given moment."

"Like telepathy."

"I suppose. But when Danger - fell - the link was broken. They haven't been out of touch that way for quite a long time. I think it scared Remus pretty badly. He's always been very much afraid of losing her."

"He never had anyone, before," Andy said thoughtfully. "I don't ever remember him even going out on a date - you used to tease him about it."

"He was always shy socially, because of his condition. I think he was afraid of getting close to someone, because eventually he'd have to tell her, and more likely than not, she'd leave him. It's only common sense if you've grown up magical, after all. Werewolves are scary, bad, and dangerous."

Andy couldn't keep from smiling at the childish tone he put on for the last few words. "This Danger of his didn't grow up magical, I take it."

"She was a Muggle until she was twenty," Sirius explained. "She had latent magic. Brought out by a bad shock. Her parents' deaths."

Andromeda's breath caught. Bad enough to lose one parent at a time - but Sirius had specifically said deaths. "Both of them?"

"Killed by Death Eaters," he confirmed. "Only she didn't know that, then."

Andromeda shook her head, speechless. Then she remembered why she was there, checked her watch, and swore softly. She was already almost overdue. "Sirius - Remus asked for you. You and Letha both. He wants you nearby. And I told him I would talk to someone in charge about it, and that I'd be back in an hour, and - "

"Talk to someone in charge?" Sirius repeated. "Good luck. The way this place is structured, you'd have more luck kicking down a brick wall."

Andromeda hissed between her teeth in annoyance. "That was the impression I got."

"It would take something drastic for them to move us all in together," Sirius said. "Some kind of crisis, something they couldn't ignore or paperwork away." He stopped, looking at her. His lips moved silently, as if he were reciting something to himself.

"Is something wrong?" Andy asked.

Sirius had been sitting cross-legged. Now he slid his legs out straight in front of him. "Not really," he said quietly, turning to one side, then the other, obviously stretching his back. "I did have an idea, though."

"An idea," Andy repeated in the same quiet tones he was using. "What kind of idea?"

Sirius got onto his knees and rolled his shoulders, then scooted himself a little closer to the bars. "Andy - do you trust me?"

"Well, that's the million-Galleon question, now, isn't it," Andromeda said half-jokingly. "Why are you asking?"

"I can't tell you." He looked straight into her eyes. "But please believe me when I say this. I would never hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone. With the exception of Peter Pettigrew and a few other idiots with snakes branded on their arms. I never killed anyone, and I never broke my word to Lily and James. Harry is happy and well, exactly the way they would have loved to see him."

He paused, as if constructing a thought carefully. "You're acting as if you want to help us. And I think I know how you can. But you have to trust me. Really trust me, not just say you do. Do you trust me, Andy?"

Andromeda looked at her cousin, the infamous murderer, the most notorious criminal in Britain.

Letha's husband. Remus' brother. Draco's father.

"Yes."

"Then come closer."

Andromeda stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "All right."

Casually, she patted the pocket in which she kept her wand.

----------

"Healer Tonks?" Leticia Halcyon called, stepping out of the fire. "You around?"

A woman screamed.

Let was running before the echoes had a chance to die. Something happened, I knew it, I knew I shouldn't have gone...

Other feet were hitting the floor behind hers, reminding her painfully of who she was in the presence of. And now I look bad in front of the Head of the Department...

She had been lucky, or so she'd thought at the time. Amelia Bones had come in at Albus Dumbledore's request, to meet with him about the trial for the next day, and she'd caught Madam Bones on her way out the door after that meeting was over. Bones had agreed to come and listen to what the Healer had to say, but Let knew it was likely to be a lost cause - Bones was a stickler for the rules...

She turned the corner and stopped, aghast.

Andromeda Tonks sat with her back against the bars of Sirius Black's cell, her eyes filled with fear. The reason why was immediately apparent. Black had his left arm through the bars and around her chest, and what Let assumed was Tonks' own wand pointed at her throat with his other hand.

"One word," he growled. "One word and she's screaming. Two and she's dead. That's all it takes."

"What do you want?" Bones demanded.

"I want my friends," Black said harshly. "I want them in here with me. Now."

"You're out of your mind," Let said decisively. "Ma'am, his one friend's a werewolf," she said, turning to Bones. "Moonrise is any minute now, they'd all die."

"So maybe we've all got death wishes," said Black, smiling humorlessly. "Do it. Now."

"Please," Tonks said in a frightened squeak of a voice. "Do what he says."

Dammit. Hostage situations never turn out well. "Ma'am?" Let said unsurely.

"How many people are we talking about?" Bones asked, still watching Black.

"Three others, ma'am. Two women - one of them unconscious - and a man. He's the werewolf."

"This doesn't make sense, boy," Bones said to Black. "Why threaten her life to endanger your own?"

"I have my reasons," Black said roughly. "Are you going to do it or aren't you?"

Bones nodded very slowly. "I'll do it. But on one condition. I want some more security here first. Just in case your friends try something before they get in there with you."

"They won't. But if you insist, all right. As long as you make it fast. You, Auror," Black snapped at her. "What time is it?"

Let checked her watch. "3:42."

"You have five minutes," Black told Bones. "Then I'll start finding interesting ways to make her scream."

"Halcyon," Bones said without taking her eyes off Black. "Shacklebolt should still be in his cubicle. Get him and anyone else who's around. Get them back here as fast as you can."

"Yes, ma'am." Let took off running again.

Oh God, what if she gets hurt because of me - I let her in, I didn't go with her, it's my fault, my fault, and she has a daughter, a family...

It was all the incentive she needed to get the job done, and fast.

----------

At 3:46, Aletha looked up, startled, as her cell door opened. "Come on," said a compact man, waving at her. "Out you come. You're being moved."

I'm being moved. What a nice way to put it. As if I were a thing.

But she came, and walked docilely enough down the hallways at the point of his wand, turning where he told her to and resisting her very strong urge to ask him what the hell exactly he thought she was going to do.

Then she rounded the final corner and froze.

Oh. My. God.

Sirius was holding a wand on Andromeda and staring down Amelia Bones.

"Move," growled the man, poking her with his own wand. "In there." He indicated the door of Sirius' cell, which Aletha now saw was open. And - was there someone lying on the bed?

She moved forward a few paces, and saw that there was -

- and it was someone with brown frizzy hair -

She didn't remember going the rest of the way into the cell, didn't remember passing behind Sirius, didn't remember anything until she was kneeling beside the bed, holding Danger's hand in hers.

Her friend didn't move, didn't stir. But her pulse was beating, and her chest rose and fell - but slowly, so slowly.

We're together again. But at what price?

She forced herself to keep looking at Danger, not to look at Sirius, not to see the expression of savagery and - could it be - glee on his face at having Andromeda at his mercy.

I told her she could trust him. She trusted him on my word.

And he betrayed her trust.

He betrayed mine.

A horribly familiar sensation began to creep over her. She recognized it with dread.

I never thought I would feel this way again.

It was the mixture of confusion, sorrow, and disorientation she had felt, in one measure or another, through the end of 1981 and the beginning of 1982. It had ended, abruptly, one March morning in the kitchen of a house in Surrey.

And now it's back.

Because now he is everything I thought he was. A killer. A torturer.

An oathbreaker.

"Where's the other one?" Sirius growled. It didn't even sound like his voice. She was having trouble breathing, she thought she might pass out...

The other one?

Oh my God... he means Remus.

We're going to be locked in here with an untamed werewolf.

Sirius really has lost his mind.

She stared at her Pack-sister's relaxed face. Oh, Danger, if we ever needed you, it's now...

Slow footsteps caught her attention.

Remus came into view, walking slowly and with a pronounced limp. The expression on his face was highly controlled. He took in the tableau in front of the cell without flinching.

"In there," said Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep voice, and the man himself appeared behind Remus. He prodded Remus on the shoulder with his wand, not rudely as Aletha's Auror had done, but almost as a friendly gesture. "Go on, inside."

Remus looked straight at Sirius. "This is a very bad idea," he said calmly.

"I know."

"You're going to regret it a lot."

"I know."

"Last chance to change your mind."

"Not happening."

Remus entered the cell. The moment he was inside, Sirius dropped the wand, then released Andromeda, who immediately scooted away from the cell, eyes wide with fear.

"What the hell was that?" Remus demanded, grabbing Sirius' shoulder and hauling him to his feet. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

----------

Remus couldn't remember ever being quite so angry in his life.

"You are out of your so-called mind," he snarled into Sirius' face. "You bloody idiot, without Danger here, I'm not safe! You're not going to be able to control me - not with two human beings in here with us! I'll kill them both, you bastard!" He was having trouble even controlling his voice. "Do you want them both to die?"

"I don't think they have to die," Sirius said. "But I do think you have to calm down."

"Is that a joke? Because it's not funny. We have - " Remus checked his watch. "Exactly ten minutes until moonrise, and I am in here with you - you threatened an innocent person to get me put in here with all of you - and you want me to calm down? Ha, ha. Very funny. And not happening. How could you do this to me?" It was almost a scream. He turned to look at Danger, so still, so white on the bed, with Aletha kneeling beside her, head bowed. "God, I don't want to kill her, I don't want to kill any of you...."

"Then don't," Sirius said matter-of-factly. "Call Danger back. She said you could do it. She told you to do it. So do it."

"Do it," Remus repeated. "Just do it. Just like that." He snapped his fingers. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes. That's what I want."

"Wonderful. Fine. Brilliant. Only one problem. I don't know how." It was a virulent hiss, directly into Sirius' face. They were almost the same height - Sirius was only about an inch taller - so it wasn't difficult to do. Sirius didn't even flinch as spit sprayed him.

"Now you have incentive to find out," he said calmly.

"Incentive?" Remus couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Is that what this was about? Giving me incentive? You're completely out of your mind, Padfoot. Absolutely insane."

"And you're wasting time," Sirius countered. "Believe it or not, Moony, I do have some idea what I'm doing here. Call it a calculated risk."

Remus told him what he could do with his calculations, and his risks, and where he could go while he was doing it.

Sirius whistled. "I didn't even know you knew some of those words," he said in tones of admiration. "I don't know some of those words." His face turned serious. "You'd better get started, though. There isn't much time."

Remus glared at him, then turned back to the bed where Danger lay. Aletha got up, getting out of his way. "Letha - " Remus caught her arm and stared at her, wondering if he'd ever see her alive again. "I'm so sorry. For everything."

"Don't be," she said, a touch distantly. "It's not your fault." She embraced him, and Remus felt a little - just a little - better.

"Letha, can I talk to you?" Remus heard Sirius ask, as he went painfully to his knees beside Danger.

"I don't really want to talk to you right now, Sirius Black."

Remus tuned them out as he took Danger's hand. As before, the pain in his joints receded as he touched her. But it wasn't enough, he could feel it. Her physical presence reduced the effects of the rising moon, but her spirit - her soul - would be needed to keep the wolf entirely at bay.

"Call me home," she said. "Call me back." All right. I'm calling.

He gathered all his need - physical, mental, emotional, everything. His body needed her touch - his mind needed her voice - but most of all, his soul needed her love. He held all that need in his mind for an instant, shaking with the intensity of it, then released it, speaking the name of his need, sending the name forth to quest for the one it named.

Danger...

Then he waited.

Because if that wasn't enough, he didn't know what would be.

----------

"What is your decision?" asked Godric Gryffindor.

Danger held herself proudly. "I have decided to stay with you, and send my magic back to my world, to hold my Pack safe against harm. So I speak, so I intend."

"So let it be done," answered the ten people in the room - three of them the faithful Founders of Hogwarts, seven the children of the Founders, including a son of Salazar Slytherin. He was regarding Danger curiously as the others rose to leave the room, each bowing or curtseying to Danger as they went.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked him.

"No. I was just a touch surprised at your decision."

"Why?"

"You didn't strike me as the selfish type."

And before she could come up with a reply, he had risen, bowed, and was striding out the door.

Selfish?

How, exactly, does giving up what I want more than anything in the entire world count as being selfish?

Anger boiled up in her - she stormed to the door, ready to give him a piece of her mind -

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was empty.

Of course it is. This is a dream. Or a higher reality or something like that. You can probably go places just by wanting to. Like Apparating without the work.

I'll have to learn how.

The reality of her situation began to penetrate her mind. She sank down on the steps of the dais, shaking.

I'll have to learn how. Because I'm staying here.

I'm never going home.

I'll never be with the Pack again.

I'll never have another den-night.

I'll never proofread Sirius' s stories.

I'll never try to teach Letha how to scramble eggs.

I'll never see the cubs off to Hogwarts.

I'll never see any of them again...

No. That's not quite right. I'll be able to see them. If Gryffindor will teach me how to do that thing with the air - if I can learn it - then I'll be able to see them any time I want...

She looked up at the enchanted ceiling, unsurprised to see it had turned dark gray with clouds.

But I'm Pack - no, I was Pack - and we need - they need - to touch, to hold, to scent one another. Just seeing won't be enough. Not really.

But it will have to be.

The clouds were thick overhead. The Hall was dark.

Danger began, quietly, to cry.

I did what was best for everyone. I did what I had to do.

Why does it have to hurt so much?

Danger...

It was not her own thought. After eight years, she could tell the difference.

"Remus!" she answered aloud, automatically, her hand flying to her throat at the sound of his voice, so anguished, so desperate.

No. I imagined it. It wasn't him. I'll never hear his voice again...

----------

Remus!

It was the voice he'd been wanting to hear for three hours, the voice he had feared with all his heart he would never hear again. Danger - thank God, you're not dead - but where are you? Please come back.

No, she said as if to herself. I imagined it. It wasn't him. I'll never hear his voice again. I'll never be with him again. But I do wish I could have said goodbye...

The link between them was tenuous, threatening to break any second. Remus scanned it desperately, gleaning scant bits of facts - she was trapped somewhere, somewhere she would have considered wonderful, if it had not become her prison - she had to stay, because of some kind of deal she had made -

Any deal can be renegotiated. She could still come back.

But she can't do it by herself. She's given her word already.

As he saw more and more of the picture, he realized what he had to do.

Damn you, Sirius, you were right. This was necessary. I would never have been this desperate otherwise.

From across the cell, he heard Aletha sobbing.

Remus closed his eyes, gathered himself together, and flung his mind and soul onto his link with Danger, willing himself to be where she was, as she was, with her, together, as they should have been always...

----------

I'll never be with him again. But I do wish I could have said goodbye...

I wish I could have held him in my arms. One last time.

Between one blink and the next, something changed.

Danger stared in front of her, at the long, black thing on the floor. A shadow. She moved her arm, and a portion of the blackness moved. My shadow.

But to have a shadow, you have to have light...

Slowly, slowly, she turned to see where this new light was coming from.

He stood behind the one lighted candle, so that she could see him clearly. His face looked exactly as she remembered it. He wore black dress robes with a crimson lining.

She rose, facing him. They looked into one another's eyes for a long moment, white and black, light and shadow, brown and blue.

Then they were together, in each other's arms, and time no longer mattered. There was only the now, and the granting of a wish which seconds before had been entirely out of reach...

And somewhere, lurking in a back corner of her mind, the understanding that this would make the eventual, inevitable, final parting so much harder...

----------

Chapter 43: Negotiating

All her senses were fully engaged, leaving no room for real thinking. Relief and joy consumed her, and all she could articulate was the one word, the name of the man who held her as if she were his life entire.

Remus.

His image burned in her eyes, even though all she could currently see was the shoulder of his robes, into which she was crying, tasting the salt of her own tears on her lips. One of his arms held her tightly against him, while his other hand caressed her, the curve of her face, the tangle of her hair, her arm, her shoulder, her back. His scent evoked security and excitement at the same time, like the spices she used in her baking; it lingered in her nose and mouth, sweet and familiar and safe. His voice murmured words of endearment to her; she barely heard them, except that they included her name: "Danger. Danger. Oh, Danger."

No one here calls me that, she realized as if from a long way off. They always use Gertrude or Madame Granger. Never Danger. And never Granger-Lupin.

I wonder why not.

"Remus," she answered aloud finally, pulling back just enough to look into his face. He was crying too, but at the same time he was smiling so hugely that his face barely seemed able to contain it. "You... you called me. I thought I imagined it. But it was you."

"You told me to call you home. I gave it a try, but you wouldn't answer me, so I came to you." He pulled her close again, burying his face in her hair. "I've missed you," he said indistinctly. "Which, considering it's only been about three hours since the last time I saw you, is rather sad. I think I may be addicted to you."

Danger shuddered. "It should be an easy habit to break, then," she said, forcing herself to pull away. Her body complained - it liked being in Remus' arms. It was a comfortable place, and experience proved that if she stayed there, enjoyable things began to happen. Her heart registered a protest as well. But her mind was firm. The decision was made.

"Why?" Remus asked in a light tone, but Danger noticed his posture altering slightly, from the fully relaxed pose that only she and the Pack ever saw into his more controlled public mode, and further even - into almost a fighting stance...

Danger took a slow, deep breath - and then words began to pour from her, a torrent she had almost no control over. She explained in a rush about the Founders, their role in her magic, her debt, and her decision, and she wanted to scream as she saw Remus' face close down, watched her love retreat behind the mask he had worn to most of the world for most of his life.

He hasn't been masked to me since the first day we met. It hasn't been possible. We've been in each other's minds almost constantly - our only secrets have been presents and pranks - and now we're divided, closed off, and after this we'll never see each other again...

"They're saying you owe them for the Threefold Curse on the Dursleys," Remus said calmly, as if he were a commander, repeating the intelligence one of his men had just brought to him to make sure he had it correct.

"Yes."

"And they're claiming you have to pay this alone. You, and only you. Either with your life, or your magic."

"Yes."

"And you chose to pay with your life."

"I did."

Remus gave a slow nod. "That bargain is invalid," he said deliberately. "It cannot hold you."

"Invalid?" Danger breathed incredulously. "How?"

"Yes, I too would like to know how," said another voice - a man's voice.

Every candle in the Great Hall flared to life. Godric Gryffindor stood at the entrance to the Great Hall, looking up towards them. "Remus John Lupin," he stated flatly. "Son of John, son of Katherine. You were not invited."

"I am aware of that," Remus answered. "But I have an interest in this debt you claim is owed to you."

"What interest might that be?"

"Can the others of your party join you?" Remus asked, lifting his chin very slightly, as if he considered the other man a bit below his notice. "I would prefer to state this only once, if I might."

Abruptly they were in the small antechamber, with the Founders and their children once again lining the walls, and two chairs for Remus and Danger. "We are assembled," Gryffindor said, leaning back in his chair. "Speak."

"You had no right to make demands on Danger for payment of a debt in regards to the Threefold Curse invoked on the Dursleys," Remus said smoothly.

"Why not?" asked Ravenclaw, in a rather chilly voice.

"Because the Curse was invoked, not by one, but by two people. Any debt owing from it should be paid by both of them - both of us." Remus looked around the room, as if seeking someone who would dare deny his claim. No one spoke. "I therefore submit that your bargain with Danger is null and void, and that a new deal must be struck - a deal with both of us."

"No," Danger said quickly, rising from her chair. "Don't cancel the deal. I'll pay, I'll do what you want."

"He has a point," Hufflepuff said reasonably. "In all fairness, we should do what he asks."

"No," Danger said, feeling panic rising in her again.

"The deal is voided," Gryffindor said, making a small motion with his hand. "We will now begin discussion of a new payment for this debt. Pardon us, please."

Remus and Danger stood in the Great Hall, lit now by only the single candle on the dais. The door to the antechamber was shut.

"What was that?" Danger demanded, whirling on her husband. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting you back," Remus said, as if it should have been obvious.

"And what if I don't want to go back? Did you ever think of that?"

The Hall was utterly silent. Danger felt frozen in place. Did that come out of ME?

"Have I done something?" Remus asked her, quietly, so quietly she could barely hear him, even though he was only a few feet away and no noise masked his voice. She couldn't meet his eyes - the pleading in them was too strong, she knew she'd give in if she looked at him. "Is it something I've done, to make you not want to come back?"

"No," Danger said, hearing her voice come out high and shrill, like Hermione's when she was trying to lie - Neenie was a terrible liar, always had been, but she was excellent at telling only that part of the truth which she wanted you to know...

Remus heard it too, she could tell. "I don't believe you," he said, advancing on her. She backed away, feeling her breathing coming harder. "Let's try again. Why don't you want to come back?"

"If I come back, I'll be without any of my powers. I couldn't warn us of trouble, I couldn't help if anything went wrong - I'm a terrible wand-user, you know that - I'd be a liability, you'd have to defend me instead of me helping to defend - "

"We could work around that. And most people get along just fine without knowing the future. Try again. Why don't you want to come back?" He was closer to her than he had been, and she realized with a mild shock that she was backed into the wall, cold stone against her back and arms, making her shiver.

"I wouldn't be able to tame you. You'd have to transform uncontrolled. You'd be back to where you started."

"Nice try, but no. I lived with what I am for years before I met you."

"And you couldn't hold down a job, you could barely put food on the table - at least then you had a house and a car of your own, now you don't even have that - "

"And you think the Pack's just going to fall apart and leave me out in the cold? Danger, there's something more here. Something you don't want to tell me. Why not?"

"I don't want to hurt you. Not like this. Please, don't make me. Don't make me."

"I want to hear whatever this is you have to say. You have to let it out. What has you so scared that..." Remus stopped, understanding dawning in his face. "Your fear," he said in tones of comprehension. "Your greatest fear. I almost forgot. That's what we all have to face tonight. Our greatest fear. What is it? What has you so frightened that you'd leave everything you love rather than face it?"

"No," Danger breathed, shaking her head, shivering harder than ever. "No. No. I can't. I can't do this to you. I can't tell you this. Please, not this. Not this. Don't make me do this. Please. I don't want to hurt you this way, please, don't make me..."

"Tell me."

It was her alpha, not her husband, who stood before her now. It was the leader of her Pack. And he had given her a command.

She had to obey.

She was shaking so badly she could barely speak. "I'm... I'm afraid..."

"Now," Remus said harshly.

"I'm afraid you won't love me," Danger cried, her voice breaking, along with her heart. "I'm afraid you won't love me without my powers. I'm afraid you only loved me because of what I could do for you. And now you'll hate me for thinking such awful things about you, and you'll listen to me and go back and leave me here and forget me, and I'll stay here and find someone for you to love, someone who's good enough for you and wouldn't ever think these horrible things..."

She sank to the floor, weeping.

There. It's done. I've said it. It's over.

And now I never have to face him again.

But he, it seemed, had other ideas...

"I never knew," his voice said slowly from above her, then again from her same level. "I never knew you were afraid of that."

"I hid it," Danger sobbed out, her face on her knees, so she wouldn't have to see his face, wouldn't have to see how much he hated her now. "I always hid it from you. I didn't want to hurt you. You're too good. I don't deserve someone like you..."

His hand cupped her chin, lifting it gently, forcing her to look up into his eyes.

There was no hatred there.

Only understanding, and a love so deep she could have drowned herself in it - and I want to, so much, but...

"Would it help if I told you mine?" he asked softly. "My greatest fear?"

Her voice choked with tears, Danger nodded.

"It is what it's always been," he said, still holding her eyes with his own. "Ever since that first night we dreamed together, when I realized what you were saying to me. It took me a moment to connect my name with the words 'I love you', coming from a woman like you. I'd never expected anything like it to happen to me. And from that moment on, I was petrified that one day, you were going to wake up out of the dream you'd been walking around in and realize how much better you could do than me."

Danger blinked at him, lifting a hand to wipe her eyes so she could see his face. He was as serious as she had ever seen him. No trace of humor was anywhere in his expression or his voice.

But he has to be joking. He can't mean this.

Can he?

"I've always been afraid that you would leave me. That you would figure out that you didn't need all this stupid werewolf crap. That you didn't have to spend the best years of your life hiding like a criminal because your husband's best friend was on the run. That you deserved better than me. And when you did, you'd pack up, take Kitten, and go." Now he gave a quiet chuckle. "Imagine my surprise now, when you're telling me exactly the same thing."

Danger's breath was coming in shaky gasps, her mind was in turmoil. If it's true - if it's true -

Oh, God, please let it be true!

"Danger - I would go through an uncontrolled transformation every night, if I knew I would see you in the morning. You've changed my life in so many ways - and the taming is one of the least important of them." He smiled wryly. "It's very nice, very convenient, I'll admit I like not having to patch myself up every month - but I would do it again in an instant if it meant I got you back."

It was beginning to sink in. He loves me. He still loves me. He wants me back. Without my powers, he wants me back.

Because he loves me. Not my powers. Me.

Remus slid his hands around her face and held it, his thumbs caressing her cheekbones, his eyes still locked on hers. "When you left, something happened to me," he said softly. "Andy had to hit me over the head with it before I could see it. I wanted to die. Without you, I didn't want to live. And that scares me a lot." His hand traveled down her face, gently returning a stray strand of hair to its place. "I'm afraid. I need you. Please, help me."

How the hell does he remember things like that?

"You know me too well, love," Danger murmured back, letting what she was feeling show on her face - shock, relief, astonishment, joy, and love indeed, a love to match his own, more than she had ever dreamed she could hold. "I can't not come, if someone needs me."

His eyebrows went up momentarily in recognition. Otherwise, his face didn't change from its look of determination. "Then you'll come back?"

Danger took a deep breath to answer the most important question of her life.

"Yes. I'll come back."

And then she was being more thoroughly kissed than she could remember being in roughly the past decade or so.

And since before then I'd never even had a date...

Yes, I'd say this is my best kiss ever.

Alexander was right. I was being selfish. I was letting my fear play with me. I wasn't thinking about what the Pack would want. Of course they'd want me back, powers or no powers. That's how they are.

I was just being stupid and selfish and scared.

"Do you love me?" Remus asked her, laughing as he lifted her off her feet and twirled her around.

"I do," Danger answered, laughing with him. "I do!"

It was the work of a moment to will a veil onto her head, and once she had, they both laughed harder than ever, as Remus put her gently down in the correct spot, the place where they had stood together in their first ever shared dream.

"You may now kiss the bride," Danger said coyly, tilting her head back.

"Not yet," said a tart female voice, making both of them jump.

The candles ignited again. The Founders, both original and second generation, were standing in a semi-circle below the dais, looking up at the two of them. Rowena Ravenclaw stood slightly forward. It was she who had spoken.

"Our business with you is concluded," she said, her tone softening slightly. "You have learned what you needed to learn."

Danger's free hand (the one not holding Remus') went to her mouth as she comprehended. "This... this was a test. You were testing me - us - to see what we'd do - weren't you?"

"Very good, dear," said Helga Hufflepuff approvingly. "I do hope you won't hold it against us, it is what we do. And you've both passed with full marks."

"We haven't had anyone do so well in over a hundred years," said Margaret Ravenclaw, rubbing her left elbow in thought. "Oh, what were their names? Those little red-haired boys, the brothers, you remember them, don't you?"

"Yes, of course I remember them," Sophia said. "I remember you asking me if I'd made a mistake with their threads. When you know perfectly well I don't make mistakes."

"Oh, no?" Brenna challenged. "What about that time in the other universe when you measured one sixty-five years too short?"

The other universe? Danger wondered as the sisters began to squabble. Then she shook her head. Never mind.

"Girls, enough," said Rowena in a carrying tone. The sisters subsided.

"Because you have done so well, all conditions are lifted," Godric continued. "You will return to your own world, at close to the time when you," he looked at Remus, "left." Then he turned to Danger. "With your powers intact. You have earned them honestly by facing your fear and defeating it."

Danger closed her eyes in relief. Thank heaven, Remus won't suffer for this.

I guess being willing to suffer for me was enough.

"As well, we offer you a boon," Godric concluded. "Anything within our power to grant. And our power is considerable."

Remus looked at Danger. Ideas? he mouthed.

She nodded.

Go ahead, his hands said, right forefinger tapping left knuckles.

Danger turned to the Founders. "Give us what we need," she said.

"Ooh," Adam Hufflepuff said admiringly. "Nice one. Alex, you sure she's not related to you?"

Alexander Slytherin sighed. "Sadly, yes. You know who is."

The Founders all nodded grimly.

"But no more of that now," Paul Gryffindor said, grinning at Remus and Danger. "The gifts, esteemed friends, the gifts. In order - Gaga, you're first."

Helga folded her arms and tried to look stern. Unfortunately, her face wasn't built for stern. "What have I told you about calling me that, young man?"

"Hmm." Paul looked up at the ceiling as if seeking answers there. "Don't rush me. Oh yes, it was 'If you ever call me Gaga again, I'll throw you in the lake.'"

Alex began to chant. "Lake, lake, lake, lake..."

Adam and the Ravenclaws joined him. "Lake, lake, lake, lake..."

Paul looked unsettled. "Maura, a little help here?"

Maura smiled innocently and joined the chant. "Lake, lake, lake, lake..."

Paul whimpered slightly.

"Enough," Godric said severely, but Danger saw his lip twitch upwards. "Alex, would you begin?"

"Gladly, sir." Alex came forward and placed a hand on Danger's breastbone, directly over the pendants she wore, pressing them gently into her chest. His other hand went onto Remus' chest in the same place. "My gift to you," he said. "The chains and pendants you wear shall be tangible only to those people and things for whom you wish them to be tangible. So that no one shall ever take them from you."

He stepped back and bowed to them, as Rowena Ravenclaw stepped up.

"My gift to you," she said, placing her hands in the same position. "The pendants you wear shall act in the manner of a Pensieve, recording your memories. And if two or more share a chain, they shall be able to view the memories using spells which you shall know, and their minds shall be linked, allowing silent conversation."

Well, that'll be useful.

Ravenclaw stepped away with a dignified curtsy, and Helga Hufflepuff took her place. "My gift to you," she said. "The chains you wear shall grow or shrink as you will them to, and the ends of the chain shall grow together or apart as you wish, with no need for a clasp." She smiled at them. "So that you may share your memories more freely."

Godric Gryffindor was last, and as he stood before them, Danger almost - but not quite - figured out who it was he reminded her of.

I think it's more than one person. Maybe two. Or three...

"My gift to you is already partially given," Gryffindor said, his hands on their chests. "It was in the original materials you used to make these pendants. They grow warm or hot when another who wears them is in emotional distress, and cool or cold when one who wears them is in mortal peril. To this, I add that the carving which represents that person will glow, so that you may know who it is you must aid." He smiled slightly. "After all, a warning doesn't help much unless it's specific enough to work from."

He stepped down, and to Danger's surprise, Maura Gryffindor came forward.

"This gift is for the two of you, alone," she said. "The other gifts have been for your entire Pack - all your pendants will behave in this manner. But I have a gift for you and only you."

She took Danger's right hand and Remus' left, forming a rough circle. "May the power that descends from my father through me be shared between you as all things are shared," she intoned. "From this day forward, power over fire is yours to command."

She dropped their hands and returned to her place. Danger stared after her. Did she just...

Experimentally, she looked up at a candle. Go out.

It went out.

She stared at it. Relight.

It did.

"Wow," she breathed.

"That's an understatement," Remus murmured in answer.

"Now it is time for you to return," Ravenclaw said. "You must go first," she said to Remus. "Alone. And you must play the part of Orpheus."

"Don't look back." Remus smiled. "I'll manage. I trust you." He looked at Danger. "See you at home, Eurydice," he said softly. "I love you."

"Don't jinx it now," Danger said, rolling her eyes. "I love you. See you there."

Remus turned away from her, took one step - and vanished.

The Founders faced Danger, separating themselves into four distinct groups.

"Savior of the Savior, we bid you farewell," Helga and Adam Hufflepuff said in the tones of a ritual.

"Beloved of the Heir, we bid you farewell," the three Gryffindors spoke together.

"Bearer of Hope, we bid you farewell," intoned the four Ravenclaw women.

Alexander smiled at her. "Go in peace, Danger Granger-Lupin," he said softly.

Danger lifted her hand in farewell as the whirls of color enveloped her.

----------

For the first time in a long time, Danger saw a coherent scene as she fell.

"Letha, can I talk to you?" Sirius asked. Over his shoulder, Danger could see bars, and indistinct forms - this must be right now. Or just a little while ago. After Sirius got us all moved in together. Remus' memories of the last three hours had activated in her mind just before the scene had started to play, so she was more or less up to speed.

"I don't really want to talk to you right now, Sirius Black," Aletha answered, turning away from him coldly.

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Aletha hissed, spinning around and showing him a face so furious that Sirius took an involuntary step back. "Why not. You can do something like that, and then ask me why not. How could you do that? How? Do you know what you've done?"

"I got us put in together," Sirius protested. "It had to happen. We need each other."

"But - at what price, Sirius?" Aletha's voice was half-pleading, half-furious. "You betrayed Andy - she has to have trusted you to come close enough for you to get her - she's not stupid - and you betrayed me. Because I told her she could trust you. And now I don't know if I can trust you any more."

She turned away and leaned her forehead against the wall.

"Oh," Sirius said in what sounded like relief. "Oh. If that's all it was - "

"All," Aletha repeated venomously, making Sirius wince. "Yes. If you want to put it that way. That's all. You've only made me think of you the way the rest of the world does - and consider that maybe it's not quite so big a leap as I've always thought it was. That's all."

Sirius moved like lightning, pulling Aletha away from the wall, spinning her around, and pinning her in the nearby corner, facing him. "Do you want to know what really happened?" he hissed into her face. "Do you?"

Aletha glared at him in mingled fear and loathing. It made Danger's stomach turn. She's losing it - it's getting to her, being locked up like this, it's affecting her, she'd never doubt Sirius if she was normal -

"Andy knew what I was doing the whole time," Sirius said in a breathy whisper, his lips close to Aletha's ear and barely moving. "She let me do it, Letha - hell, she practically gave me her wand - and she knew I wasn't going to hurt her. She was acting. We both were. Think back. What hand was I holding the wand in?"

Aletha, now shaking slightly, closed her eyes. "You had it in... your right hand," she said slowly. "But..." Her eyes opened, and she stared at her husband, her face clearing. "Oh."

"Yes," Sirius said, heaving a sigh of relief. "Yes. Exactly. I'm so sorry - I never meant to scare you - "

Aletha's face crumpled. "Hold me," she whispered, an instant before she burst into noisy tears.

Sirius slid his arms around her and held her against him as she buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

And that's her worst fear - that somehow, everyone else is right and she's wrong, and Sirius really is some kind of insane murderer - and there it goes, confronted, defeated, and gone.

And Sirius managed to fight off his somehow - since he's obviously operating normally, if he can figure out a way to get us what we need most - each other -

Danger smiled triumphantly. The Pack wins again. Four-and-oh, we are undefeated, ladies and gentlemen.

The scene vanished. Everything vanished. The world was dark.

That's because you have your eyes closed, chuckled the voice she wanted most to hear.

Danger opened her lids and saw what she most wanted to see - a pair of blue eyes, swirling with brown, inches from her own, and the face they belonged to, the face of her beloved, smiling at her.

Welcome home, he said softly.

Thank you. Danger sat up slowly, testing her body. Everything seems to be working, she reported.

"Hoy, I know you," said the voice she second-most wanted to hear. "Decided to come back and join the fun, did you?"

"Hey there, mangy mutt," Danger greeted her Pack-brother, grinning at him. "Ready for your happy ending?"

"Anytime now," Sirius said with a wink, slapping Remus on the back as Danger and Aletha embraced. "Good work, Moony," he said to his friend.

"Thanks for helping me, Padfoot," Remus answered. "But I have to ask - how the hell did you know what to do?"

Danger and Aletha both looked up at this.

"Danger told me," Sirius said. "And royal stars shall trust in him. So life, not death, shall bring this Grim. When I thought about it, I realized it meant that I had to do something that made Andy have to trust me, and that whatever it was, it would work, even if it didn't look like it would. Does that make any sense?"

"No," Aletha said frankly. "But it did work, and that's the important part." She smiled tearily. "It really worked. We're together again."

Danger looked at her watch and winced. "And we have about one minute to moonrise. Let's get that out of the way, and then we can swap stories."

"We've got a few you won't believe," Remus said with a grin. "And a whole new way to tell them, too."

"Don't look now," Sirius murmured, "but there are some severely confused people out there."

As if it had been choreographed, the rest of the Pack turned to look.

Andromeda Tonks was smiling hugely. Auror Halcyon's mouth was open. Amelia Bones looked suspicious. Kingsley Shacklebolt seemed calmly satisfied. The other two Aurors were gaping openly.

"Here, get off the bed," Aletha said, coming back to life. "Let me have the sheet. We'll hold it for you. You can at least have some privacy, Remus, even if we are in jail."

Do me a favor, love? Remus said privately.

Anything.

Tell Andy, if she wants to, she can watch.