Unbalanced Equations

I stumbled out of the fireplace in the Three Broomsticks to see my friend Cassandra Vablatsky drinking a large hot butterbeer. She grinned and waved me over, calling to Madame Rosmerta to bring another mug for me. "Severus said you'd probably be showing up here sooner rather than later," she said as I sat down across from her.

"Did you spend the night with him?" I asked in what I hoped was a confidence-inspiring tone.

"In what sense?" she asked, her cheeks flushed as she evaded my eyes by gazing intently into her mug.

I snorted. "You know exactly what I mean, Cassandra Vablatsky. Did you?"

She just looked up at me with a lopsided grin that I took as an admission of guilt.

"How was it?" I asked, desperately curious.

"God, Anna. Don't let a bit of tact get in your way." Cassie turned bright red. "It was... fun, I suppose. He's an odd one, but I suppose you already knew that."

"Yes, I'd noticed." I took a long drink of butterbeer. "What made you finally come to visit him?"

"I came to see you, you fool." She rolled her eyes. "I stopped in at your dad's store Friday morning and Remus told me you weren't able to come home this weekend. He seemed so disappointed. I thought you'd be sad, too, so I decided to come out and keep you company."

"That was nice of you."

"Yes, well, you weren't here, were you?" She made a face at me and grumbled, "Going home at the last minute when I was coming to surprise you."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I really do appreciate the thought."

She waved her hand dismissively. "'s all right. You didn't know I was coming. I had a nice time anyway."

"Are you going to tell me about it or not?" I demanded.

"Maybe. Maybe not." She smiled mysteriously and then laughed at the annoyed expression on my face. "All right. Severus was here at the Three Broomsticks when I Flooed here, and in an extremely foul mood. He told me that you had left rather suddenly on Friday, so I might as well just go home." She paused, frowning at me. "Why did you leave so suddenly? Is everything all right?"

"Don't think you can distract me that easily. I'll tell you about it later. Go on."

"Well, as I said, Severus was in an awful mood. So... I bought him a drink. And then he bought me a drink. And then we bought each other drinks. And then we got a room at the Inn. I don't need to spell out the rest for you, do I?"

"Was it at least a little bit romantic, Cassie?" I had been hoping to hear about more than just a drunken fling.

She made another face at me. "You know, Anna, not everyone is looking for true love and perfect romance. I'm glad you've found it with your professor, but not all of us need that."

"There's no reason to get huffy. I was only wondering." I finished my butterbeer and set the mug down with a tad more force than was probably necessary. "And Remus and I might love each other, but it's not perfect and it probably never will be." I felt one tear trickle down my cheek, and brushed it away angrily.

"What is wrong with you?" She squinted at me, obviously trying to read my aura despite the fact that she knew I hated it when she did that. There are certain disadvantages to having a best friend who is also a world-renowned Seer. "Are you and Remus having a problem?"

"Stop trying to See me," I snapped. "Remus and I are fine. Or rather, we would be if the rest of the world would just stay out of it." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be cross with you. The gist of the story is that the Ministry has passed a horribly restrictive law against werewolves and I can't understand why they want to take all of his rights away and I want to marry him and I can't because of this stupid law and if I have to think about it for one more second I am going to scream."

"Well, then, stop thinking about it. Unless you want to cause a scene." My voice had been rising steadily and people were starting to look curiously in my direction.

I took another deep breath to calm myself. "No, I don't, really. I need to go, Cassie. The only reason I came back so early was to talk to Dumbledore for Remus. He's going mad sitting at home and waiting for news. Thank you for convincing Severus to let us know what happened." I pushed my chair back and stood up, grabbing my overnight bag from the floor. "Remus feels obligated to at least know what is going on with Harry, so he can help him if it's at all possible."

"You know, Anna, I know a few people in the Ministry. I'll see if anyone's in a position to help you out with the whole werewolf law thing."

"That'd be nice," I said, managing a weak smile. I didn't expect miracles, but it was comforting to have an ally.

"Oh, wait. Before you go, I have something for you." She rummaged in her bag, muttering to herself. "No, not that one. There- No. Ah ha!" She handed me a sheaf of manuscript pages. "More of my new book," she said in a conspiratorial whisper. "Top secret, you know."

I gave her a real grin then. "Thanks. I'll read it as soon as I can."

"You can let Remus read it, too, if you want. I rather enjoyed the comments he gave me on the last chapter."

"So did I," I said with a laugh. I decided to save the reading for the next weekend when I could go home.

*****

Back at Hogwarts, I dropped my things in my room and went looking for Dumbledore. The most logical place to find him would be his office, so I went there first. I heard Severus' voice as I approached the door to the Headmaster's office.

"Surely, Headmaster, there must be some way around it. It seems as though we are making excuses merely to have more than one champion. Potter's continued flouting of the rules set out for his safety can no longer be ignored."

"Severus." Albus sounded weary. "I don't like the idea of the boy being in danger any more than you do, but it's too late for him to back out now." He took a sweet from the dish on his desk. "Miss Vector? Please come in and have a seat. Would you like a sherbet lemon?"

"No, thank you." I entered the room and sat down, trying to ignore Severus, who seemed to be avoiding my eye. "I wanted to talk to you about Harry Potter being entered into the Tri-wizard Tournament."

"Of course. That seems to be the subject of the day." He took another sweet and sighed. "Unfortunately, there really isn't anything we can do to stop it. The rules clearly state that anyone whose name is selected by the Goblet of Fire is a champion and must compete until the end of the Tournament."

"Well, is anything being done for his safety? It's so dangerous, and he's so young. Remus is beside himself with worry." Severus gave a snort at this, but didn't speak. I glared at him and continued. "How did this happen?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, Anna. Harry insists that he has no idea how his name was entered into the Goblet, and I am inclined to believe him. Moody's theory that someone submitted his name under the name of a fourth school seems to be the most logical."

"But why?" I asked.

"I should think that would be obvious," Severus said. He sounded tired, too. "The Dark Lord wants Potter dead. Clearly, he must have another agent here at Hogwarts."

"Another agent?" I started, realizing his meaning. "Oh. You don't know who it is, Severus?"

"No, I do not," he said tensely. "And please keep your theorizing to yourself. It isn't safe for anyone to speak so freely."

"Sorry," I said meekly. I sat quietly for a moment, chewing my lower lip in thought. "How can I possibly tell Remus not to worry? This all seems so horribly dangerous."

"Well, my dear, it isn't an ideal situation, but Mr. Potter has faced Voldemort on more than one occasion and come through everything intact. I don't suppose a few organized and closely supervised tasks undertaken as part of a tournament can be much more dangerous than that." Albus again offered me the dish of sweets. "Are you quite certain you wouldn't like one? Muggles do make superb sweets."

I took one. "Thank you. I'm going to go send a note to Remus. I know he wants you to know that you can contact him if you need anything at all. He wants to help as much as he can.

"I'll keep that in mind." He nodded. "I trust everything is well at home?"

"Everything is as well as it can be for now, I suppose," I answered with a sigh as I stood to leave. "Thank you for asking. I really am sorry I couldn't stay."

"It's quite all right, Miss Vector. We did miss you at the feast, but we made do." His eyes twinkled. "Severus, especially, missed your company, I'm sure."

"Oh, I think he found someone else to entertain him." Amused despite my worry, I watched Severus from the corner of my eye as I left. He looked quite embarrassed and far more annoyed that usual.

Back in my room, I sent off a reassuring note to Remus, making sure to mention Dumbledore's point about the tasks being supervised. I hoped he wouldn't worry too much, since there was little he could do about it in any case.

*****

The following Friday found me in the hospital wing. Poppy Pomfrey finished bandaging my burned hand, shaking her head and tutting the entire time. "Honestly, Miss Vector. You really are one of my most frequent customers."

"Am I?" I asked self-consciously. "Who else?"

She looked thoughtful. "Well, actually, you know one of my favorite patients quite well. Although he, at least, had a good reason for visiting me every month, whereas you are merely careless." She smiled then. "How is Mr. Lupin?"

I smiled back at her, feeling my face grow warm. "Remus is staying with my father, actually. He's-" I was about to launch into a recitation of how sweet and wonderful I thought Remus was (which I'm sure would have greatly embarrassed everyone involved), when Hermione Granger entered the hospital wing. Her front teeth had grown to an incredible length; they were just past the third button of her blouse. "Hermione!" I gasped. "What happened?"

She sobbed something unintelligible into her hands as Madam Pomfrey led her to the bed across from the one I was sitting on. I moved to sit beside Hermione and put an arm around her as Poppy bustled about, fetching a hand mirror and her wand.

"Just tell me when to stop, dear," instructed Poppy, handing Hermione the mirror.

"Thank you," said Hermione when her teeth were back to normal, sniffling and wiping her eyes on the handkerchief that Poppy gave her as she returned the mirror. "Malfoy and Harry were fighting, and Malfoy's spell hit me instead. And then Professor Snape said I didn't look any different with my teeth like that!"

"Oh, that-" I had to bite back a harsh word. Why was Severus always so cruel? "That wasn't very nice of him. But you're all sorted out now, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you." She blew her nose. "I hate missing class, but I really don't think I can face Potions right now."

"Well, why don't you come help me out with some things, then? I have an enormous stack of papers and things that need to be put together, and a project about previous Tri-wizard Tournament statistics that I think you might enjoy taking a look at."

"Oh, I'd love to, but Professor Snape-"

"Don't worry about Professor Snape," I said firmly. "Are you coming? I really could use some help with putting packets together." I indicated my bandaged hand.

"All right." She stood up to follow me. "What happened to your hand?"

"Hagrid introduced me to his Blast-Ended Skrewts."

"Oh," she said with a small smile. "Those things are a menace, aren't they?"

"They are indeed."

*****

I left Severus a note on my way out of the castle that evening, telling him that if he was going to be upset with anyone over Hermione Granger not returning to his class he should be upset with me, not Hermione.

Back in Diagon Alley, I stopped in at the stationer's for a packet of quills before going home. I saw a very nice eagle feather quill, and added it to my order. I still felt badly for shouting at my father the last time I had been at home and, although I knew he wasn't one to hold a grudge against me, I wanted to make it up to him somehow. After I paid, I decided that Remus should have something nice as well, and headed toward the sweet shop on the corner. As I came out with a package of assorted chocolates, a large hand grabbed me roughly by the arm.

"Hullo, Miss," said a gravelly voice into my ear. "Come along with me real nice now, and I won't make it too bad for you."

"No, thank you," I answered, feeling rather faint; Severus had warned me not to go about alone, but I hadn't thought twice about shopping by myself in Diagon Alley. I had pushed the threat of Walden Macnair out of my mind.

"I'm not really giving you a choice, Miss. I've been thinking about you," he said in a voice that sent a chill up my spine. "There's a real nice place in Knockturn Alley where we can get to know each other a bit better."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said in a shaky voice. My only thought was that I might be all right if I could keep myself in the public street. The fact that it was getting dark and most of the shops were closing made me a bit desperate. I tried to pull away from him, but he pushed me easily against a building.

"Oh, I like it when you struggle, love. But not here. Someplace more private, where you can scream as loud as you want. I think I'll like hearing what you sound like when I hurt you. There was a bit too much noise around us for me to hear you properly the last time. I did enjoy the feel of your bones under my boot, though." He dug his fingers into my arm and began pushing me forward.

I tried to stay where I was, but he was much too large and strong for me to resist for long. "If you don't let me go right now, I'm going to scream right here. I don't think it would be very good for your career with the Ministry if it were known that you were attacking women on public streets."

"Oh, I don't think you will, Teacher. Your father owns the big apothecary shop, doesn't he? I doubt that it would be very good for his business if it became well known that his new assistant is a werewolf." He leaned close enough to me and licked my ear. I shuddered in disgust as he sneered. "Probably wouldn't be too good for the werewolf, either, if you know what I mean."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek; he certainly did know how to get to me. "No," I whispered, even as I took a step in the direction he was forcing me.

"Miss Vector, how nice to see you." Cameron McIntyre approached suddenly from the lengthening shadows between the buildings. I was never as happy to see anyone in my life. "How are you? You never come into the cauldron shop when you're in the city, and I keep missing you in your father's shop. Who's your friend?"

"Walden Macnair," I said, clearly and loudly, so that anyone overhearing would be able to identify him later if necessary. "But we're not really friends, Mr. McIntyre. I was just heading home, so I think we're going the same way. I'll walk with you." I yanked my arm from Macnair's grasp, which had slackened from surprise, and began to walk quickly toward home, Cameron beside me.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Macnair," he called over his shoulder before turning to me. "Are you quite all right, Miss Vector?"

"Of course," I said breathlessly. I was nearly running, desperate to get home where Remus was waiting and it was safe.

"You don't really seem all right," he replied, keeping up fairly easily. "He was he bothering you, wasn't he?"

"A bit," I answered. While Cameron McIntyre was infinitely preferable to Walden Macnair, he had always struck me as far too smooth and polished to be completely trustworthy.

I made a mental note to try to exercise more; I had a terrible stitch in my side by the time I reached the apothecary shop. Remus was just closing up when I scurried though the door, Cameron right behind me. "Hi," he said, startled when I rushed over to him and flung my arms around him immediately, nearly causing him to drop the stack of receipts in his hand. "Mr. McIntyre." He nodded at Cameron.

"Good evening, Mr. Lupin." Cameron returned Remus' nod.

"Are you joining us for dinner, then?" asked Remus courteously.

"No, thank you. I have plans. I was just seeing Anna home." He turned to go, but paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Are you certain you're all right, Anna? That Macnair didn't seem like the most pleasant-"

"Macnair?" Remus exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you Cameron. Have a wonderful evening." I managed to smile at him as he left.

"Anna, where did you see Macnair? Did he hurt you? Is he still out there? I'll kill him if he hurt you."

"Remus, no." I clung tightly to his robes. "He'll be gone by now and I'm fine anyway. Really."

"No, you're not. You're trembling." He held me at arm's length to look at me. "Anna, tell me what he did to you."

I shook my head. "He just- just said some things that frightened me. He didn't hurt me."

"Then why is your hand bandaged?" he demanded.

I started to laugh. "It was already bandaged!" I wheezed, quite hysterical from nerves.

"I fail to see why that is funny," said Remus grumpily.

"It's funny because I came straight here. Where would I have got the bandage?" I had to lean against him for support, I was laughing so hard. "And it's funny because I burned myself on one of Hagrid's mad pets, and Poppy Pomfrey asked about you. She said you were one of her favorite patients, but I'm only one of the most frequent." I saw the corner of his mouth twitch at that. "Don't you laugh at me, Remus Lupin," I teased, relieved to have distracted him from thoughts of seeking revenge on Macnair. "I'm terribly injured here," I said with an exaggerated pout.

"Oh, my poor, poor darling," he said with a faint smile. He took my bandaged hand and kissed it with exaggerated gentleness. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you." I reached up to kiss him properly. "Where's Dad?"

He frowned. "He went upstairs to lie down a few hours ago. He wasn't feeling well."

"Oh." I suddenly wanted very much to cry. I bit my lip and buried my face in Remus' chest. "What's wrong with him, Remus? I can stand anything but not knowing. This is horrible."

"I know. He goes to St. Mungo's every week, and when he comes back he won't tell me anything. He just says that he's tired." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped my face tenderly. "Whatever it is, he doesn't want you to worry."

I snorted. "Wonderful strategy, isn't it?"

He smiled wryly. "You're his little girl, Anna, not his caretaker. He's protecting you."

"Well, I wish he'd stop. It's driving me insane."

"Not a long trip, is it?" He grinned as I smacked him lightly on the arm. "Shall we go in to dinner?'

"Yes, please." I smiled.

"Are you really sure that you're all right? I know Macnair touched you; I can smell him on you." He looked at me closely.

"He didn't hurt me," I promised. I couldn't let Remus do anything about Macnair; his life might depend on it. I would rather be afraid of running into Macnair again than afraid that Remus might do something about it. I wouldn't allow Remus to get himself in trouble simply because I had been too stupid to listen to Severus' warning.

*****

The next morning, the Daily Prophet contained a lengthy article about the Tri-wizard Tournament, any morsel of truth within transformed by Rita Skeeter into a highly colorful account of Harry Potter's sad, pitiful life. It was punctuated with flowery quotes attributed to students who I knew would never have said anything remotely resembling the phrases contained in the article.

"What a lot of rubbish," muttered Remus in disgust. "This doesn't sound like Harry at all."

I had scooted my chair around so that I could read over his shoulder. "It doesn't even mention Cedric Diggory," I sniffed when I had finished.

Remus chuckled and turned his head to kiss me. "That's so sweet of you, to be offended on behalf of your student like that."

"Well, Cedric is Champion too, you know," I said indignantly, resting my head on Remus' shoulder for a moment.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" Remus suggested, stroking my hair. "You'll make yourself ill if you don't get some rest."

"If you were so concerned, you wouldn't have kept me awake all night," I teased, kissing his neck.

"You- I didn't-" He had turned quite pink. "It wasn't all night," he finished lamely.

It was my turn to chuckle. I had needed him to hold me and kiss me and touch me until I wasn't afraid; it had been the small hours of the morning before either of us slept. "Thank you for that," I whispered into his ear.

"Any time, my dear." He smiled and kissed my cheek. "Really, Anna. Get some sleep if you can. I'll take care of the shop."

"I know, Remus, but I'm fine. Really." I immediately contradicted myself with a huge yawn. "I'm going to go up and talk to my dad. Mina just took breakfast to him, so I know he's awake. I need him to tell me the truth about his illness. And then I need to do the books. They're a mess already. I really should have been keeping up with them since I've been coming home so often."

"Tell your father that I hope he's feeling better," Remus said, his hand on my cheek as he kissed me. "Or we could just stay right here all day?"

"Mmm, that'd be nice," I murmured, my own fingers lingering in the hair that fell across the back of his neck. "Maybe tomorrow we can just do nothing. Doesn't that sound like heaven?" I sighed.

"It's wonderful just having you nearby," he said quietly. "Anna, about Macnair-"

"Shh." I kissed him again. "Don't worry. I won't go out alone anymore; it won't happen again."

"You shouldn't be afraid to go shopping on the street where you've lived your whole life."

I shivered. "You're right. But there's nothing to be done about it right now. We'll think of something later."

He frowned deeply. "Anna-"

"Later," I said firmly. "Go on and open the shop." I kissed him on the nose and went upstairs to see my dad.

*****

"Hallo, darling. Bacon?" offered my father when I entered his room.

"No, thank you. I already had some." I sat in the armchair beside his bed. "You should eat it, Dad. You're too thin."

"Oh, don't be worrying yourself over me, love," he said confidently, although I did notice that he obediently took a bite of egg and toast.

"You won't tell me anything about what's wrong with you, so I can't help but worry." It was time to stop pretending that I wasn't terrified out of my mind. "I worry all the time. I don't know what's going on with you, so I imagine the worst possible things. I can't stand it anymore. Please tell me the truth."

He ate some more of his breakfast and then just looked at me for a long time before he finally spoke. Quite against my instincts, I forced myself to sit quietly and wait for him. "The truth is that I have an illness that makes me tired and my vision blurry and sometimes my memory isn't what it used to be. It's getting a bit worse now; my hands and legs don't work quite as they should all the time."

"Well, what can be done about it? Will you get better?"

He shook his head slightly. "No, pet."

He was only a blur seen though the sudden haze of my tears. "Well, how do you know that? Have you gone to a Muggle doctor? That's what Mum would have made you do. Have they told you everything?"

"Here, darling, take this tray and put it on the desk." I did as he asked, trying desperately not to dissolve into a weeping mess. "Now come here and let me give you a hug." I curled up on the bed beside him, my head on his shoulder as he petted my hair the way he had done when I was little. "You always were a stubborn child, Anna. Never did let go of anything once it entered your head."

"But why should you be sick if there's something that could help you?" I asked. "I want you to be well."

He hugged me tightly. "You've grown into such a lovely woman, Anna. I'm so proud of you, and I know your mother would be as well."

"You're talking as though you're dying. Stop it," I commanded.

"Well, not today, love, but we all die eventually. Don't look like that," he said when I pulled away from him, stricken. "I have seen a Muggle doctor, and there's no cure for what I have. It's not going to kill me right away; I could have years still. Please don't cry."

Despite his pleas, I sobbed against his shoulder for a long time. "I need a handkerchief," I muttered finally.

"In the top drawer," he directed, patting me on the shoulder. "You'll be all right, dear," he said as I mopped my face and blew my nose. "You are very much loved, you know. Not just by me."

"That's not really the point, Dad. I don't want to lose you." I tried to stay calm, but it was a losing battle. I had to get another handkerchief to replace the one I had already soaked though.

He sighed a bit. "Well, I don't particularly want to be lost." He gave me a sad sort of smile that pierced my heart. "We still have lots of time, though, darling. I'm already feeling better than I did last night. It comes and it goes. Don't despair."

"I'll try," I promised. "Thank you for telling me the truth. I know you just didn't want to upset me, but now we know what to fight against."

"Not everything is a battle for you to take up, Anna," he said wearily. "You are such a Gryffindor, as Severus always says. You are very like your mother that way."

"Are you sorry I wasn't sorted into Hufflepuff, like you?" I suddenly felt as though I was a terrible disappointment to him.

"Of course not." He smiled warmly. "You would be an entirely different person if you were meant to have been a Hufflepuff. I love you as you are."

"I love you, too." I could barely speak above a whisper.

"Come here, my sweet, sweet girl." I sat on the edge of the bed beside him where he patted. "Don't mourn me until I'm gone, all right? That is the reason I didn't want to tell you. It breaks my heart to see your face so sad; it's your mother's face, you know. Her face and her smile, but my eyes, I think. I don't know where you got that hair." He grinned at me, and I was able to force a small smile in return. "That's better," he said, touching my cheek and then tugging gently on a loose curl as he had done when I was small. "Remus loves your hair, I think. I see the way he touches it when he kisses you."

I felt my face get very hot. "Dad, really!"

"What? I'm not blind yet, darling. I see how good he is to you." He took my hand and squeezed it tightly. "He hates working in the shop, you know. It makes him ill, but he doesn't complain and he stays because he loves you. I think it's time we started thinking about finding someone else."

"But then what will Remus do?" I frowned. "You can't sack him, Dad."

"I'm hardly paying him anything at all, Anna. He won't take much money from me; he says it's enough that I let him live here." He shook his head. "Truthfully, I like having him around. He's good to keep an old man company, but he'd be happier working in a Muggle shop or even a Muggle school, if he can find a place. He's a teacher like you, darling, and I think he misses it. I know how badly you'd feel if you had to give it up."

Now I was crying because I'd been so thoughtless where Remus was concerned. "You're right. I just like knowing he's here, and that you're both looking out for each other. I'm so selfish, I never thought about how much Remus might hate it here."

"I didn't say he hated everything here. Don't be so dramatic." I couldn't believe that he was laughing at me. "He would just be happier working somewhere other than an apothecary shop. I'll make sure he knows that he's welcome to live here no matter where he works."

"So glad I amuse you." I grumbled.

"That you do, my darling." He grinned. "Actually, your cousin Richard came to see me a few days ago. He seemed very interested in the shop."

I wrinkled my nose. I had never been overly fond of my cousin Richard. "Richard isn't an apothecary any more than Remus or I. Would he really be very helpful?"

Dad shrugged. "I don't know. I might give him a chance, though."

"What about Vincent? He is an apothecary. Maybe he'd like a chance." I liked my other cousin much more than I liked his brother.

"Oh, Vincent won't want to uproot his family. Besides, he didn't ask, and Richard did." He shrugged. "Can't hurt to let him try."

"No, I suppose not," I sighed.

"Enough of this unhappiness, darling. What are your plans for today?"

"I had planned to do the books for the shop, but if you need me-"

"Don't be silly, pet. Go spend some time with your nice young man." He patted my hand. "Go on and do your mathematical magic in the shop. I'll be down in a little while."

*****

Still in a bit of a daze, I wandered down to the shop. Remus was staring pensively into a tank of electric eels, a feather duster in his hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Remembering," he said absently. He shook his head, as though returning to the present. "Actually, I was dusting, but this tank jogged my memory a bit. I was here with my dad when I was about four or five." He looked at me and grinned. "No, I was definitely five. The shopkeeper had a baby. I'm fairly certain that baby was you."

I smiled back at him and then immediately burst into tears.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Are you all right?" I couldn't do anything but cry as he held me.

The bell over the door jingled. "I'll be right back," he murmured, kissing me on the forehead as he went to go help the customer who had entered. I stayed in the out-of-the-way row of tanks and got myself under control, wiping my face with my sleeve. The customer must not have wanted much, because Remus returned within a few moments. "Can you tell me why you're so upset?" he asked, brushing my hair back so he could look at my face.

"My dad," I whispered. "He's dying."

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly.

"Me too." I hugged him tightly, glad he was there. "He says that with the illness he has, he could have years still, so I suppose it could be worse, right?"

"One thing I have learned in my life, Anna, is that it can always be worse," he said with a sad smile. "And here I had hoped that telling you I remembered that we had met before would make you happy."

"That really does make me happy, Remus." I gently touched his prematurely careworn cheek and was overcome by another wave of sadness for people and dreams lost before their time. "It's sweet that you remember that."

"Don't you remember?" he teased. "Surely, being only a baby at the time is no excuse."

"Bit of a slow business day, isn't it?" I observed. The place was usually crawling with customers on Saturdays.

"Maybe it's the weather; it was snowing hard a little while ago. Not that I'm complaining, because that just makes it even nicer and warmer to be able to stand here and hold you without anyone bothering us." He grinned. "Any time all alone with you is wonderful," he murmured and kissed me.

"Remus, do you hate it here?" I asked.

He frowned. "What? Of course not. I just said how much I enjoy being with you."

"No, I didn't mean 'Do you hate it here with me?' but rather 'Do you hate working here?' My dad thinks you do."

"Oh." He didn't stop frowning despite my smile. "I can't say I love it, but I wouldn't want to leave your father with no help."

"That isn't an issue, Remus. Do you want to leave and work somewhere else?"

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. "Maybe. If I found something else. I haven't been looking."

"Well, you should start. Why didn't you tell me it makes you so ill to work here?"

"You worry enough without adding something you can't do anything about to the list." He brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face. "Besides, it's not so bad. Nothing I can't handle."

"You shouldn't have to 'handle' a job that makes you ill, Remus."

"I've had worse." He shrugged.

"That really isn't the point." I sighed and turned away from him. "You don't always need to be such a martyr, you know."

He frowned. "What do you mean?

"Nothing."

"No, tell me what you meant by that. Have I done something to upset you?"

"Yes," I answered without thinking. "Well, no, not really. I just hate it when you act like you don't deserve to have anything good in your life. As though you shouldn't be allowed to be happy."

"Is that how you see it? Not everyone is as blessed as you are, you know. Some of us have had to settle for less than our hearts' desire more than not. I've learned to make the best of less than ideal situations"

"Do you really think I've always got my heart's desire?" I asked in disbelief. "Is that what you think my life is, Remus? I thought you knew me better than anyone, but if you did, you wouldn't say that."

"Oh, I know you've had your rough spots, but for the most part, Anna, things have always worked out for you. I'm glad, because I want you to be happy, but it isn't like that for me."

"Why isn't your happiness important? I don't think you should settle for 'less than ideal' when you might have the chance to do something you'd like. That's just stupid."

He scowled. "'Stupid,' am I? Well, you can be quite impossible."

"'Impossible?' I don't know what you mean, but I don't think I like it. And I didn't say you were stupid. I said-"

"Excuse me, but I'd appreciate it if the two of you took your quarrel elsewhere." My father stood behind the counter, looking much better than he had earlier.

"Dad-" I started.

"You." He pointed at me. "Let the man take care of himself. You don't have to be the one to fix everything. And you." He pointed at Remus. "I'll sack you if I have to, but I would prefer for you to start looking for a position that doesn't nauseate you daily."

"Mr. Vector-"

He cut Remus off too. "Furthermore, you will continue to live here until you wish to live elsewhere, no matter where you may work. My reasons are purely selfish; I enjoy your company, and if you lived elsewhere, Anna would be forced to split her time between us. She has so little time away from Hogwarts, I think we should share her when we can."

"Share me? As if I were a sandwich or-" I noticed that both Remus and my father were starting to laugh at me. It was extremely annoying. "What is so funny?"

"You, my darling," my father chuckled. "Your misguided indignation is always amusing."

I snorted.

My father smiled. "Go. Both of you. You both work too much. Do something fun."

"But the shop-" Remus protested.

"I can handle whatever business might come in, Remus. Take my daughter out somewhere. Make her laugh, please. She never does anymore, and I'd really appreciate it if you would help her find her sense of humor. She seems to have misplaced it."

"Yes, sir. I'll see what I can do in that regard." Remus grinned and guided me around the counter with a gently insistent hand on the small of my back.

I stopped in the small garden between the shop and the house. "Remus, you don't think that your life has turned out so very horribly, do you?"

"I beg your pardon?" He frowned slightly, his forehead crinkling as he looked at me intently. "Did I say it was?"

"Well, no. It's just what you said about things always working out for me. I don't think they do, but if your life is worse by comparison, you must think that it's terrible." I gazed down at the snowy ground rather than Remus.

"That's not what I meant at all," he said quietly. "You have your career, and your home, and your family and friends and, well, me. I only have you, really. And Sirius, but not really, since I can't see him or talk to him very often. I only meant that even if your life isn't exactly the way you might want it, you do have a lot of things that are very good."

"I suppose you're right, but- Ow!" I looked up to see Remus grinning at me as I rubbed my upper arm where his snowball had struck. "What did you do that for?"

"Don't tell me you're just going to take that from me, Miss Vector," he taunted, still grinning as he backed away from me.

"Not a chance, Mr. Lupin." I bent down for my own snowball and hurled it at him. My aim was terrible, and I missed him by several feet.

"You throw like a girl."

"I am a girl," I laughed, lobbing another missile at him. This one, while closer to my target of his chest, still missed by quite a bit: It struck him squarely in the face. "Oh! I am so sorry," I apologized as he sputtered and gasped. I rushed toward him to make sure that he was all right, and was rewarded with a handful of snow down the back of my dress when he grabbed me.

"Ah, revenge is sweet," I heard him say when I shrieked in surprise at the icy slush on my skin.

"It is," I said grimly. "I'll get you for that, Remus Lupin."

"Oh really?" he mocked as I reached down for more ammunition.

"Yes, really." I advanced toward him with my handful of snow, intending to pay him back for the snow in my clothing. Instead, I slipped on a patch of ice and fell backwards rather heavily.

"That looked like a nasty spill. Are you all right?" Ever the gentleman, Remus offered his hand to help me up. I took advantage of it by pulling him down into the snow beside me.

"I'm just fine," I said. "Especially now that I'll get my revenge."

I held him down by sitting on him. He let out an overly dramatic "Oof!" which made me laugh.

"Give up?"

"Never!"

It was with much satisfaction that I shoved a handful of snow under his collar.

He squirmed under me, laughing. "That's cold."

"Tell me I win," I demanded, threatening him with another handful of snow.

"No, I win. I made you laugh. Twice."

I dropped the snow back on the ground and pretended to be miffed. "Well, that's not fair. We weren't even playing the same game."

"The fix was in from the start," he said solemnly. "I am freezing, if that makes you feel better."

"It does," I nodded. "Because I can think of all sorts of ways to warm you up."

"Such as?"

"Well, er, you know. The usual things..." I trailed off, blushing a bit.

"You know, you hardly ever blush for me anymore," he observed.

"I don't? I suppose you just don't fluster me as much as you used to."

"Now I have to work to get your face pink and glowing this way. Not that I mind that sort of work; it's quite nice, really. I wonder if I could get someone to hire me to do that."

"Was that a semi-racy comment from the ever-so-proper Remus J. Lupin?" I teased.

"You are a terrible influence on me, you know," he chuckled.

"Oh, how wonderful. I've corrupted you." I grinned and burrowed my face into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly for a few minutes. "Look, it's snowing again," he said quietly. I felt the cold against my cheeks as I lifted my head.

"It's pretty," I murmured, watching the large flakes silently shroud the trees and ground around us. The houses and shops were obscured so that it seemed we were very far away from the rest of the world.

"Yeah. Pretty." He was looking at me rather than at the snow; my stomach gave a pleasant little flutter in response to the look in his eyes.

"Let's go inside and have hot chocolate," I said briskly, rising to my feet. It wouldn't do to get too carried away with each other out here where anyone could stumble across us at any moment.

"I knew there was something I liked about you." He grinned and stood up, brushing the snow from his backside. "Other than the fact that you look like an angel with snow in your hair, I mean."

I smiled. "That's sweet, but I thought I was a bad influence, not an angel."

"Oh, who wants to be only one or the other? That would be very dull." He winked. "Besides, I only said that you look angelic."

I snorted and then looked at him closely. "Will you look for another job?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. I will, I promise."

"Good." I slipped my hand into his. "Let's go get that hot chocolate. Your lips are starting to turn a bit blue from cold."

"You know, Anna, I think lips might be one of the easiest parts of me for you to warm up." He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Two naughty comments in one afternoon? I am a bad influence." I stepped close to him and kissed him. "Although hot chocolate would warm you up just as well."

He shook his head. "It's a close call, but I think I'd rather have you."

*****

I shivered in the dank dungeon corridor for several minutes before Severus answered my knock at his door. "Yes?" he asked, one eyebrow arched questioningly. I rarely ventured into the dungeons even in the daytime, so it wasn't surprising that my appearance at his door late on a Sunday evening would arouse his curiosity.

"I need to talk to you. May I come in?"

"Of course." He stood politely aside for me to enter. I sat down on a slightly uncomfortable straight-backed chair on one side of his desk and silently stared at my hands in my lap for a long moment. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" he finally prompted, sitting in the other chair.

"No. I don't want to talk to you about this, but I need to." I took a deep breath. "About Macnair. If my neighbor hadn't come along when he did, I would be dead now. Macnair was going to- I think-" I paused, chewing my lower lip as I kept my eyes fixed on my lap. "No, I know he was planning to rape me before he killed me."

"When did this happen?" he asked fiercely.

"Friday," I said in a small voice. "In Diagon Alley."

"Didn't I warn you not to go anywhere alone? Why did you think I told you that?" He slammed his hand sharply down on his desk, making me jump.

"I forgot," I whispered. "I didn't think."

"You forgot," he said coolly. "I see. Do you have any idea how fortunate you are that you escaped unharmed?"

"Yes, Severus, I do." I finally raised my eyes to his face. "I don't want this to happen again."

"No, I don't imagine that you do. But what does this have to do with me?"

"I need your help. You know Macnair. Can't you do something to distract him? To maybe encourage him to leave me alone?"

"To protect you, you mean." He scowled. "I do believe I recall you telling me not to do that."

"I told you not to try to save me unless I asked you to. I'm asking you now."

"What about Lupin? I thought he wanted the job of protecting you?"

"I didn't tell him the details of this. He can't know. If he did anything to harm a Ministry employee, even one like Macnair, he would be executed." I looked at him steadily. "I won't let that happen."

"What makes you think it would be any safer for me to confront Macnair?" His face was inscrutable. "Without telling you any details, Miss Vector, there are things in my life that would straighten your hair."

"I'm sorry." I stood up abruptly. "I didn't think of it that way. Never mind. I'll take care of it myself."

He stopped me with a hand on my arm. "What would you do? Ask him politely to please leave you alone? Send him a letter?"

"I don't know. Go to the Ministry, perhaps?" Even as I said it, I knew it was overly simplistic of me to think about relying on the Ministry for anything important when it had taken months merely to receive a response to a request for a public document.

"Don't be ridiculous, Anna." He didn't look at me. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, be more careful. You won't be so lucky again."

"Thank you, Severus." I avoided his gaze as well. "I promise to be careful."

"Good. I wouldn't want you to be hurt." He released my arm slowly. "That would upset Miss Vablatsky terribly."

"Yes. It wouldn't do to upset Cassandra, would it?" He hadn't spoken of Cassie to me at all since the night they had spent together. I was pleased to know that he was thinking of her. "Please don't put yourself in danger for me, Severus."

"I assure you, I will continue to keep my priorities in order, Miss Vector," he said dryly.

I nodded. "And go see my father, please. He's ill, and he'd like to see his friend."

"Are you certain you want me to do that?"

"Yes. I think he misses having someone to talk to about potions. Just please, be nice to Remus if he's there when you go. Dad likes him."

"Your father really isn't the best judge of character, is he?" If Severus had been a different sort of man, it would have been a good joke.

As it was, I could only manage a weak smile as I bid him good night.