Wolf, come speak with me before you begin your mission. -SS.
"Grow up Pads." Remus sent a half-hearted glare at Sirius. "If you're going to be immature about it then you can't come see the house with me."
Sirius let out a soft yip of a bark before shifting back to his human form, though his body still blocking Remus from exiting their flat.
"I am not being immature," Sirius protested hotly. "Excuse me for not being real excited for the love of my life to go in to a den of werewolves without any backup!"
"You're not scared of the big bad wolf are you?" Remus smiled gently at his partner. "I'll be fine."
"Or you'll be dead," Sirius groaned dramatically. "And I'll be a widow."
"Widower," Remus corrected him. "And I'll be fine. This seems to be a tame pack."
Remus had spent most of the summer tracking the pack down, preferring to start with them rather than those who he knew were affiliated with Fenrir Greyback as Albus would have him do. The pack he would be searching for was somewhere in the Ox Mountains in Ireland, near Easky Lough. Remus had to call in every favor from most of his contacts to find them, but they all reported the same thing: despite muggles reporting (disbelieving) sightings of werewolves in the forest on the full moon, there were no deaths nor missing persons reports to indicate that they were feral.
"Fine!" Sirius crossed his arms and stamped one foot in a dramatic pout. "But if you die then I'm going to become just the most shameless 'widower' imaginable. I'll bury my grief in booze and random blokes Rem, I swear."
Remus roared with laughter, in a way only Sirius was able to cause, at that threat.
"I'll be fine," he reassured him with an indulgent smile. "Merlin forbid I drive you to become some sort of grieving playboy."
"You've got twenty-four hours before I write you off and move on," Sirius teased as he pulled on his jacket. "You know that warlock at Rosmerta's is sweet on me."
Remus shook his head as he double checked the address Harry gave him.
"That man is old enough to be your grandfather."
Sirius let out a theatrical shudder as they grasped hands.
"Well, grandfather or not, it's his shoulder I'll be crying on if the wolves kill you."
Remus chuckled once more, confident in Sirius' jesting tone to not feel insecure about their bond, before they shared a kiss and disappeared together with a loud crack.
"Merlin's teeth." Sirius let out a long whistle at the house (which was a rather loose term to use here) they apparated to. "Harry went a bit overboard, didn't he?"
Remus stared up at the imposing building before him and nodded. The 'house' was a three story brick building with a faded and worn out sign out front that states 'St Augustine's Home for Girls'. Though the blue painted letters had been slapped over top with a bright red 'CLOSED' sticker.
"Well... let's see it then."
Remus and Sirius both lit their wands, as it was still dark this early in the morning, and entered 'Moon Lodge', the name Harry instructed Sirius to title it.
"I think we'll need at least two house elves," Sirius said as they walked through the giant house. "And we'll set up the pantry to be linked to the same vault they use at Grimmauld for groceries."
"Maybe Mavis would want to come stay here while Harry's at Hogwarts?" Remus suggested as he counted a sixth bedroom.
"Nah, Barty will use him. What about..." Sirius trailed off in thought before he smiled wickedly. "What about Kreacher? I can buy one elf off Cissa, she's trying to move them out of their Manor for their safety, and we can move Kreacher here and bound him to this place."
Remus wanted to be an adult about it. He truly did. He wanted to tell Sirius how much Kreacher would despise having to care for 'nasty creatures with half-blood', but... but that elf was a hateful thing.
"Great idea."
Once they finished the tour of the eleven bedroom ex-orphanage, and Sirius made a list of repairs and furnishings it would require, the two of them split up for their separate tasks. Sirius to obtain all the things needed to make the gloomy house in to a home, and Remus to speak with Severus before hunting down the pack.
"Good morning Severus." Remus smiled politely at Severus after he floo'd to his office. "How are you?"
Severus looked exhausted, though that would be incredibly rude (and require more bravery than Remus possessed) to point out. His black hair was stringy looking and shoved behind his ears hastily, small strands sticking out here and there. His face was wan and Remus could see proof of the stress he must be in in the hollows beneath his eyes.
Remus thought perhaps being the guardian to Harry Potter was not all that it was cracked up to be. Remus loved Harry, he cherished the time they spent together and the little ways the teen was finally warming up to him, but raising him?
He would absolutely leave that in Severus' hands.
"You are prepared to leave on your mission?" Severus asked from his seat behind his desk, ignoring Remus' attempt at small talk.
Remus glanced down at the worn jeans and heavy flannel top he wore in preparation to catch his Portkey at the International Porkey Administration office and then hike through the forest where he believes the pack to be at.
"I am," he said. "You wanted to speak with me beforehand?"
"Correct." Severus straightened in his chair before sighing and gesturing irritably for Remus to sit across from him. "Harry is still offering housing and food to the wolves who agree to not join Albus or the Dark Lord, is he not?"
"He is," Remus said, taking the seat across from Severus. "He bought an old orphanage in Carnoustie Bay. Nearly two dozen people can reside there comfortably." Remus shook his head at Harry's generosity. Granted, he had used money that he shared with Sirius and earned solely through an inheritance, but it was still an overtly generous offering towards a group of people who desperately need it.
"Harry is a fool," Severus said with a hint of fondness hidden in the deepest part of his dark eyes. Remus held back on his smile, certain Severus wouldn't want to see it. Harry certainly had not learned to give so generously in his endeavors to achieve his own goals on his own. Severus too was guilty of that habit, as Remus and Sirius' monthly potions prove. Neither Harry nor Severus would ever be described as conventionally 'good men', but they both do operate with an honor system and a personal code of ethics.
...even if it is their own convoluted honor systems and ethics that they follow.
"I would like for you to present my own offer to the packs."
Severus' words abruptly yanked Remus from his own wandering thoughts.
"What?" he asked dumbly, unsure he had heard Severus correctly. Harry liked werewolves, he thought they were misunderstood and deserved more rights within the world. Severus did not.
Severus sneered at him as he repeated himself. "I would like for you to present my own offer, alongside Harry's, to the pack," he drawled slowly. "Am I speaking clearly?"
"Yes," Remus refrained from rolling his eyes at Severus' never ending sarcasm. "What offer would you like me to pass along?"
Remus would not promise to pass along any offer coming from Severus. Severus may be a different type of person than Remus always thought of him to be, but Severus despises werewolves. Fears them deeply.
Remus' fault of course.
But he would hear out Severus' message and pass it along if he judged it to not be one that would get his own throat ripped out for repeating.
"While Harry is offering food and shelter to any of them who swear to not join either of his enemies-"
And wasn't it something that they were all able to recognize Albus as Harry's enemy? Albus who gave Remus the chance to attend Hogwarts, a chance no other Headmaster would have given. Albus who offered him a place within the original Order, an honor at the time that went beyond words.
Albus who told Bartemius in May that Harry returning safely from being kidnapped by Pettigrew and Voldemort wasn't his concern.
"-I am offering the Wolfsbane Potion, along with a letter to prospective employers vouching for my continued dispersement of the potion, to any member of the pack who vows to fight for Harry."
Remus, who had no experience in controlling his facial expressions like Severus could, felt his jaw drop and his eyes bulge.
Merlin.
"Kindly close your mouth," Severus sneered unkindly. "I presume that there will be young werewolves within this pack, children?"
Remus was still too shocked by Severus' offer to do more than just nod dumbly.
"Those ones I will provide the potion for 'string-free', as Harry calls it."
"But-" Remus finally found his voice after Severus offered this additional absolute god send "-the cost Severus, it won't be cheap."
Remus knew how pricey the Wolfsbane ingredients could be. And how time consuming the brewing was. That knowledge was one of the reasons that he knew Severus to be a generous person deep inside as he refused to allow Remus to offer any payment for the potions... even if he had done so rather snarkily.
'Knowing that any murders or infections you commit cannot be excused by 'wolf madness' is payment enough.'
Severus' generosity couldn't be denied, as much as he tends to keep it hidden.
But it was showcased on prominent display for this conversation apparently.
Severus waved away his concern with an airy flip of his hand and a smirk.
"Firstly, my vault is of no concern to you," he sneered. "Secondly, with the reduction in the cost of Moonstone it is hardly a stretch on my expenditures (which must be the most humble thing Remus had ever heard Severus say because he knew even with the lowered cost it was still a pricey ingredient). Finally, and most importantly, I would spend every Knut within my budget to keep Harry alive if that is what it would take."
Remus finally felt in control of his facial expression enough at that last point to offer Severus a smile.
"You're a good man Severus," he said truthfully. "I'm sorry I didn't see it when we were students."
Remus wished that James was here to see this. Severus Snape, the young man James and Sirius nicknamed 'Snivellus' and tormented for years, was making an incredible offer to a group of people whom he fears solely to increase the protection of James' son.
Remus was in no rush to die, but he sorely hoped to join James and Lily in the afterlife before Sirius or Severus just so he can be the first to see the expression on James' face.
And to think that Remus had once believed that Severus was abusive towards Harry. There was no soul still Earth-side more dedicated to Harry than Severus is.
"I was not a 'good person' then and I am hardly one now," Severus scoffed. "I assure you it is quite in my own interests that I would prefer Harry to survive."
"Of course," Remus grinned. "Sweet kid like that? Why wouldn't you want to keep him around?"
Severus' eyes glittered with what could almost be called amusement for a moment before he blinked and instead scowled at Remus.
"Do you believe that many of them will accept this offer?" he asked.
"Many of them?" Remus laughed in disbelief. Severus must not understand the truly dire conditions that many of his similarly inflicted peers suffer due to their problem. "A home, food, AND the Wolfsbane Potion for themselves and their cubs? Yeah, yeah I think they will."
Severus folded his hands together on his desk and nodded at Remus. "Excellent," he said. "I would like a list of names, ages, and weights of those who all vow on their lives, and I do mean an Unbreakable Vow Lupin, to defend Harry in the event of a battle. And I would like it in a week if they want the potion before the full moon in September."
"Alright then, I'll bring it with me to the meeting at the end of this month." Remus spoke absently, his mind whirling with the implications of Severus and Harry's offers. "A werewolf army," he said softly. "Insane."
"Is there a problem with that?" Severus raised one brow in a condescending manner that Remus ignored.
"Not at all," Remus said quickly. "It's just... It's a bit unnerving to be witnessing history as it's being made. For one kid to be sparking all of this? It's impressive."
And terrifying.
Harry may have more power than any other person and he was a kid. An impulsive, temperamental, hormone-riddled kid who distrusts the world.
Severus scoffed dispassionately. "Perhaps you have not been around Miss Lovegood often enough, she has always believed that Harry will change the world."
Remus agreed with Luna Lovegood's prediction, but in the private place in the back of his mind he thought that Severus was blind to his own hand in the matter.
Harry certainly wasn't changing the world by himself.
***
"Take one more step and I will rip the spine from your back, imposter." Remus froze in the middle of the clearing he had been traveling towards, sweat beading up on his forehead as he felt a sharp blade nicking his lower back. "State your business 'Wolf'," the werewolf holding him at knife point demanded in a harsh tone.
Remus drew in a deep breath, reassuring himself that he knew this greeting, and hostility, was a possibility. He was not considered to be a 'true werewolf' by many of those who were similarly inflicted due to his insistence on acting as wizard. Ironically, he was not considered to be a 'true wizard' by many of his peers for the blood-borne curse he could never cure.
But he had not hiked and hunted through this forest for the last six hours to give up because one wolf didn't approve of his lifestyle.
"My name is Remus Lupin," he said slowly. "And I come in peace with offers for your pack from Harry Potter and Severus Snape."
Remus prayed to Merlin and God that using Harry's name would be a good idea and not just earn him a literal knife in his back.
"We are not interested in 'offers' from those who consider us to be scum," the man scoffed. "Leave. Before I kill you."
Remus slowed his breathing down as he focused on his hearing and smell. He could smell the musky scent of wolf blood from the too rapidly beating heart behind him. And, as he focused on scents and sounds outside of the natural wildlife in the forest, he heard a symphony of more hearts, some beating too quickly and some with an even rhythm of a normal human, hidden behind the trees surrounding him.
"Harry Potter doesn't consider you to be scum," Remus said, forcing his tone to be soothing but not condescending. "He wants to help you. He wants to help everyone like us."
"You are not like us. We accept who we are, embracing it, and you are a pet." The blade against Remus' back retreated and the man took two steps backwards, the leaves crunching beneath his feet as he moved. "We do not want offers from the man-child who keeps a werewolf as a pet and a messenger."
Remus held his empty hands up by his chest as he slowly turned around. The man he found himself facing was tall, as tall as Remus, and whipcord thin, looking as if he skipped more meals than he consumed. His skin was a russet-brown, his face lined with familiar scars from too many full moons, and his shoulders steadily strong as he he his sharp blade up in a defensive pose. Remus focused on the dark eyes that carried the weight of a life filled with hardships as he spoke.
"I came here of my own free will to represent Harry's offer." Remus spoke steadily, his voice carrying through the clearing to the others in the pack. "I did this because I believe in him and what he's trying to accomplish. And what he wants is all of us to be considered equals to others. He knows it'll be hard to accomplish, but he's still a child and already he's made changes. He asked me to tell you all that if you'll remain neutral in any upcoming wars, not siding with the light or dark parties, that he has a home filled with beds and food for you to use. All he wants from you and your pack is a promise of neutrality."
The man looked surprised, his eyes blinking rapidly, before he curled his lip up and snarled.
"Greyback has offered us much better," he said, his voice rough and distinctly accented. "He says that Voldemort has returned and if we join him that we will have a place in the new hierarchy."
"Greyback lies!" Remus spat, anger boiling in his stomach at the mention of the wolf that turned him. "He lies! His Master despises our kind. Calls us creatures. He refuses to allow Greyback a true place in his ranks, solely because of his infliction."
The werewolf across from him studied the honesty, and hate, shining through Remus' words and gestures as he considered him. They both shifted their stances to immediate ones of vigilant defense as the leaves rustled from a spot to Remus' left and a girl appeared. She was young, with deeply golden eyes and tangled brown hair. Her skin was darker than the man Remus spoke with, but her expression was one of hope.
"The Boy-Who-Lived cares for werewolves?" she asked. Remus' heart clenched as he smelled the wolf blood in her.
She couldn't be more than ten years old. In another life, she would be attending Hogwarts soon. Instead she was living in a wolf pack, in a forest in Scotland; eating sporadically and lacking the basic necessities if her ragged appearance was any indicator.
Remus was filled with grief as he imagined this to be how Severus first met Harry.
"He does," he told the girl, speaking straight to her in a gentle tone. He straightened from his defensive crouch to one of openness, his hands clasped in front of him and his expression soft. "He wants to change the laws when he can, but he's only a child right now, like you. All he can offer you all for now is food and shelter. And-" Remus glanced beside him to the man he was certain was the pack leader, "-Severus Snape is offering the Wolfsbane Potion to any adult who will vow to fight on Harry's side during any battles. He said he will supply it to the children for free though, regardless of the decisions of their parents."
The man's eyes lit up as the young girl gave a surprised gasp.
"Is that so?" he said thoughtfully. Remus would have questioned how this offer so quickly changed the man's opinion if it had not been for the rest of the pack joining them. A woman, a definitely human woman, stepped hesitantly from the tree line and clasped hands with the man. She was followed by two dark haired children who grabbed on to the man as well. A human girl in her early teens, and an impishly smiling young boy, no older than seven, who grabbed the man's trouser legs and tugged on them.
"The potion por me Papa? Por pree?" he said, his voice adorably lisping even as if broke Remus' heart.
A child too young to talk properly, cursed forever to suffer through monthly transformations, losing his mind each time and gaining scars as he injured himself. It was almost more than Remus could bear.
"My son, Anthony," the man said. He sized Remus up once more, before he took a step towards him and offered a hand. "Ricardo Lobo," he said. "My wife Marietta-" the woman with the black curls nodded politely at Remus, "-and my daughter Olivia."
"You have a lovely family," Remus said kindly. "I am grateful to meet you."
"Let me introduce my pack, then we will decide on your offers," Ricardo said with a small grunt. "You have met Amber-" the young girl who spoke to Remus nodded and grasped hands with an older girl, tall with milky white skin and short blonde hair, who also nodded. "That is Sky," Ricardo said. "Hector, Suzette, and Gizelle-" a young couple, both heavily scarred and in their early 20's smiled at Remus, the woman's arms carrying a small infant.
An infant whose heart raced only about 10 beats per minute faster than a humans does. An infant that both terrified and intrigued Remus. Had she been an accident or did they not care if they passed along their curse?
"These are the newest members of our pack, Everlee and Ari." Two women close to Remus' age with identically hazel eyes and open smiles greeted him quietly.
"And that is Marcellus, Lee, and Cierra," Ricardo pointed at the last three adults, all with the tell-tale scent of their shared disease coming off their body in waves. Remus made eye contact and nodded at each one, but the two that Ricardo identified as Cierra and Lee merely glowered distrustfully at him.
"You have heard Remus Lupin's offers," Ricardo called to the assembled pack. "I will not choose for you and we will be a family regardless of your choice. If you will accept neutrality and accommodations from the boy hero, raise your hands."
Remus felt a swoop of joy rush through him as all those standing around him raised their hands. Even little Anthony did, jumping up and down happily as his father counted his vote.
"And all those of legal age who will vow to fight; not simply for Harry Potter's sake but for a future where we may be equal with our fellow witches and wizards, raise your hands."
Remus counted as Ricardo, the couple Hector and Suzette, the twins Everlee and Ari, and Marcellus all raised their hands. Ricardo's wife, Marietta, despite her exemption from the disease, raised her hand too, her eyes determined as she trained them on her young son.
"Remus Lupin." Remus turned to face Ricardo, both men sharing expressions of glee. "You have seen our votes. And we will make our vows. VIDA A LA LIBERTAD!"
Remus felt a wash of power threaten to overwhelm him as he translated the phrase the packfamily shouted back to their leader in complete unison.
Harry and Severus were singlehandedly creating history.
***
"Wotcher Remus! We keep going to the same meetings, but I don't think we've officially met."
Remus greeted Sirius' cousin, Nymphadora, in Harry's back yard with a polite smile and a handshake. He had felt a bit self-conscious standing there alone, waiting for Harry to arrive so the final meeting of their group for the summer could start. There were plenty of others standing around chatting, most Remus knew but a few he didn't. Remus had just been awkwardly off to the side, quietly watching everyone else. He envied Sirius for the easy way he made conversation and interacted with others. Remus had always been more shy, more withdrawn; it was only a stroke of pure magic that he'd gained a group of friends as a student. So Nymphadora coming to speak with him was a welcome surprise. He'd seen her before, at various meetings and at Sirius' exoneration, but they'd never actually spoken before outside of her capacity as an Auror.
"Remus," he said. "I've seen you at Order meetings before. Sorry we haven't been introduced formally before now."
"Tonks," the young woman said with a cheerful grin. "And that's okay, I'm usually being smothered by Molly after meetings anyway. Bit funny to see us both here now, huh?" she waggled her pink eyebrows, drawing a chuckle from Remus at the Sirius-like gesture. Nymphadora didn't physically resemble Sirius, not as much as his first cousins, Andromeda and Narcissa, did, but her friendly demeanor and bubbling personality were remarkably similar to his.
"The world works in mysterious ways I suppose," he replied vaguely, curious how Nymphadora had wound up switching her alliance. He was also undeniably curious as to why Harry allowed her to. Last he knew Harry was only willing to break the 'no cops allowed' rule for his previous classmate Johnathan Abbott.
"I think it's Harry that works in mysterious ways," Nymphadora disagreed. "Or maybe it's not all that mysterious after all. You just have to be willing to fuck over Dumbledore and then you're his new best friend."
Remus chuckled at that, the mystery of why Harry chose her now solved. "You're probably right," he agreed. The two of them would have lapsed in to what may have been an awkward silence after that had it not been for the fact that Nymphadora had never experienced an awkward silence in her life and she spoke up again quickly.
"You went to school with Snape, didn't you?" she asked. She glanced across the yard to where Severus stood talking with Lucius Malfoy and an indecipherable emotion flashed through her eyes, too quickly for Remus to identify it.
"I did," he said. "Sirius and Bartemius too, obviously. Lucius was a few years ahead of us, and Narcissa a year behind us."
"I bet it was exciting, all of you going to school together," Nymphadora said eagerly. "You, Snape, and Sirius all in the same grade? It must have been wicked. Were you and Snape friends?"
Remus shifted uncomfortably, "It was something, but I'm not sure if exciting is really the right word for it." At the time, Hogwarts had been the best years of his life. But he was a grown man now, and as Susan Bones once taught him: hindsight is a bitch. "I'm afraid I wasn't exactly a model student," he admitted. "I was actually quite a prat to Severus to be honest. Thankfully that was a long time ago. A very, very, long time ago," he tacked on the last bit as he begrudgingly considered his age.
Nymphadora must not consider him to be as old as he felt though, because she just laughed once more. "It wasn't that long ago," she teased, her eyes flicking towards Severus and Lucius again. "You're both still young, good-looking, and full of life. And that's what counts right?" she turned her head and winked at Remus, flashing her eyes from a deep blue to an indigo that matched her chin length pink hair nicely.
Remus flushed, the combination of Nymphadora's words, her teasing tone, and the wink making his cheeks feel warm.
"Yes, well..."
Remus was saved from having to find a reply to her with the arrival of Sirius, bouncing along from where he had been talking with the Weasley's.
"Tonks!" Sirius greeted his cousin happily. "You're in then? I thought for sure Harry would tell you to piss off."
"Oh he did," Nymphadora said brightly. "But then Johnny vouched for me and Harry made me take an Unbreakable Vow and an Oath of Fealty and he let me in. I don't think I can even sneeze too close to him without magic killing me off."
Sirius chuckled, though Remus did not as he was sure that Nymphadora wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. At least Harry would never make the mistake of putting his trust in the wrong person, not like his father had.
"Aah well, you're here now. I think we're just waiting on Harry to get started. We might as well sit." Sirius gestured towards where people were beginning to seat themselves at the table in the center of the yard. "I wonder what's taking Harry so long?"
Remus let Nymphadora go in front of them and whispered in Sirius' ear, "I think your cousin may be flirting with me. She said I'm young and good-looking."
Neither of which Remus considered to be true.
"What?" Sirius let out a bark of laughter that drew Nymphadora's curious eyes towards them before she shrugged and sat beside Draco Malfoy.
"She's a weird chick, maybe she missed the part where you're all mine. I could duel her if you want," Sirius joked under his breath. "Or we could just start kissing until she gets the picture." Sirius licked his lips salaciously and winked at him.
Remus smacked Sirius' arm at that as the two of them sat at the magically elongated table. Remus pushed away his embarrassment at possibly being flirted with in favor of eyeing the other members of Harry's alliance while Sirius and Nymphadora caught up.
Severus was seated on the far end of the table, opposite from Harry's empty chair, with Bartemius on one side and Lucius on the other. Narcissa was seated beside Lucius, Draco on her other side. Next to Bartemius was a grim faced man Remus didn't know wearing Hit Wizard robes and Johnathan Abbott, both apparently content enough to converse with the 'Dark Lord' they were supposed to be hunting. Then Fred Weasley was slumped morosely in a chair beside Johnathan; Remus felt a pang of empathy as he saw the look of pitiful sadness still present in his red-rimmed eyes.
"Harry and Fred are really over then?" Remus whispered to Sirius.
"Guess so," Sirius said with a frown. "Harry wouldn't talk about it much. He said 'what's done is done'. But Fred looks miserable doesn't he?"
Remus nodded in agreement, silently vowing to try and bring it up the next time he talked with Harry. But with nothing to do about it for now, he resumed identifying the rest of the group.
Ronald sat beside his brother, Blaise Zabini on his other side. Remus smiled kindly at Neville Longbottom as he caught his nervous gaze next to Blaise.
He wondered if it was hard for Neville to be here with Bartemius, considering Bartemius had apparently been falsely imprisoned for torturing his parents. Though, he supposed if Harry no longer minded Sirius being falsely imprisoned for contributing to the death of his, maybe Neville was just following his example.
Theodore Knott and Hermione Granger sat next to Neville. Hermione talked rapidly with Frank's son about Herbology while Theodore kept his arm around her shoulder and jumped in with an opinion on occasion.
Opposite Theodore, on what will be Harry's left hand side, was Susan Bones. Who Remus could easily admit scared him just a bit. Luckily for him though, it seemed as if her current ire was aimed in Fred's direction as she shot him annoyed looks and huffed when Fred raised his hands in a 'what can I do?' gesture.
Remus would bet that Susan was very much not staying out of Harry's ex-relationship. She was fiercely loyal to Harry, so Fred must not be doing something she wanted from him. Remus wasn't sure what it was though. He hoped she was trying to get the two of them back together, he thought Fred balanced Harry out quite nicely. Harry was all cynicism and sarcasm, much like his guardian, and Fred's optimism and exuberance made the two of them a complimentary couple.
Hopefully Susan would make some sort of headway with the boys and get to the bottom of the abrupt breakup.
Luna Lovegood, seated beside Susan, was moving her hand in the air in a wiggling motion, and humming a soft tune while the silvery-blonde haired Veela witch, Fleur Delacour, sat beside her with a bored expression. Remus, Sirius, and Nymphadora took the open seats between Fleur and Draco and the group waited for the meeting to start.
"Is Harry coming or not?" Sirius complained after only waiting for maybe a minute. Remus loved him, adored him so much his heart could burst when he thought about it, but goodness he was impatient.
"He's fighting with Mavis," Theodore smirked. "If Mavis appears with a bunch of pizzas and tarts then you know Harry lost."
A few people snickered at Theodore's description. And, when Harry stormed out the back door of his house a few minutes later, his house-elf following behind him with a levitated stack of pizzas and desserts, most of the students broke out in full on laughter.
"Shut up," Harry snapped, throwing himself in his chair. "Rule one for meetings, no fuckin' laughing."
Remus shared a look with Sirius and they both bit their lips to prevent laughing at that. Harry was the leader of their odd group, but he was also still a teenager with an unfortunate penchant for foul language and anger.
"Yes sir," Johnathan Abbott gave Harry a sarcastic salute.
"I thought rule one was no food allowed at the meeting table?" Luna asked. If it had been anyone aside from Luna who asked in such a sweetly innocent tone Remus doubted if Harry wouldn't have cursed them. As it was he did narrow his eyes at Luna and flatten his lips disdainfully. Luna continued smiling sweetly at Harry while everyone accepted slices of pizza and pieces of tarts until Harry finally gave in.
"You're on thin ice," he warned Luna with no real heat to his voice. In fact, Remus thought Harry never really looked as affectionately at anyone as he did Luna, even when she had been purposefully taunting him a bit.
"May we begin?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded and shuffled the papers in front of him. "Go ahead Mione."
Hermione sat up straight and smiled over at Harry before facing the rest of the table with a Minerva-like look of seriousness.
"We have a few new people," she said primly. "When I say your name please stand so the rest of the group knows who you are. Johnathan Abbott."
Johnathan stood up and raised his hand in a lazy wave. "Johnny," he drawled.
Remus briefly wondered how Johnathan had gotten the job at the DMLE. Last he knew they were rather stringent about pre-employment testing for illicit substances and the blonde haired young man across the table smelled like he always had when Remus was his professor, like marijuana with a faint scent of whiskey.
Though, the sly grins shared between Amelia Bones' niece and Johnathan may have something to do with it.
"Thank you," Hermione told him. "Fleur Delacour."
"Bonjour," Fleur stood and smiled across the table. "Zank you for 'aving me."
Harry positively beamed at Fleur, leaving no doubt that she was a much welcomed addition.
"Blue Ritters?"
The grim faced Hit Wizard seated next to Bartemius stood up stiffly. He was average height, a bit thinner than Remus had seen in most Hit Wizards, and had topaz eyes that were much harder than his youthful face appeared to support.
"He's Johnny's partner in the DMLE," Sirius whispered to Remus. "Harry says he swore in when Tonks did."
"Here," Blue said in a deep voice.
"Is Blue your real name?" Blaise leant forward to raise a curious brow at the Wizard.
"Is Zabini yours?" Blue asked drily.
"Touché." Blaise leaned back in his chair and smiled politely at Hermione. "Apologies. Go ahead."
"Nymphadora Tonks."
"Wotcher!" Nymphadora leapt to her feet eagerly, knocking her chair over in the process, drawing a chuckle from Neville and an exasperated sigh from Narcissa.
Nymphadora glanced towards the end of the table where Narcissa was seated and Remus was surprised to see a faint blush stain her cheeks. "Just Tonks," she said as she rightened her chair and resumed her seat.
"That's it for the new members," Hermione continued along gracefully, not drawing attention to 'just Tonks'' clumsiness. "And we're only missing Juliana Zabini-"
"Who sends her love and assurance that she's ready to come help you kill Timmy the moment you're ready," Blaise told Harry.
"-and Viktor Krum," Hermione gave Blaise an unimpressed look at his interruption.
"Viktor eez in Lagos for a Quidditch match," Fleur said, drawing the word quidditch out slowly as she pronounced it. "'E says 'e will return 'ere eef 'Arry tells him to."
"Okay great." Hermione looked down at a paper Harry slid to her, then over at Harry, before rolling her eyes. "The first thing on our agenda just says 'wolf' so I'm guessing that means you Professor Lupin."
Sirius snorted, either amused by Harry's list or by Hermione's title for Remus. Either way, Remus felt nervous as everyone turned their attention on him.
Students in a classroom watching him during a lecture or demonstration? No problem. 18 people looking curiously at Remus for an explanation on his recent meeting with a werewolf pack during an alliance meeting discussing war tactics? Stressful.
Don't choke, he told himself firmly as he sat up straight, suddenly wishing he had worn something nicer than his old cardigan.
"You can call me Remus," Remus told Hermione with a small smile. "But okay... wolves..." Sirius nudged Remus' foot with his, encouraging him silently. "Well I found one pack, like we talked about last time," Remus said. "And there's about nine adults, four children, and one infant-"
"Zere eez a werewolf babe?" Fleur gasped.
"No, no," Remus shook his head hastily with a frown. "Or at least they don't know yet. Both parents are inflicted, so nobody knows what the baby will be like."
Remus had spent the weekend with the werewolf pack as they moved in to Moon Lodge. He and Sirius took their time getting to know them and ensuring they were comfortable and provided for. Remus felt nothing but respect for Ricardo once he revealed that he voluntarily turned after his son was attacked. 'My son still needed a father', he had said.
Remus wondered how different his life may have been if he had a father who loved him that much. A father who built a pack to ensure his son was surrounded by those of similar 'culture'. Ricardo and his family didn't view their infliction as a disease, they only saw it as a hardship to be overcome. It was admirable and Remus envied them for their optimism.
But despite his adoration of baby Gizelle, and his blossoming friendship with her parents, Remus was still horrified that Hector and Suzette risked having her. For her birth wasn't an accident as he had initially thought it may have been. It was Remus' worst fear, to father children who could be inflicted as he was. Thankfully Sirius never expressed any interest in children and they would have to adopt, or use a surrogate, if he ever did.
"Ooh, apologies," Fleur smiled brightly at Remus. "Go ahead."
"Well, like I said, there's fourteen all together settled in the house because the nine adults all agreed to not join Albus or 'Timmy'," Remus felt ridiculous using the nickname Harry gave Voldemort but he knew Harry would just correct him if he said anything different anyway. At the news of the complete neutrality Susan Bones let out a quiet but victorious whoop and Harry smirked smugly, quite pleased with themselves.
"And how many agreed to my terms?" Severus asked. Remus saw as Harry's attention snapped across the long table to his guardian, his head tilted as he studied Severus with a now blank face that must be masking his confusion.
"Your terms?" Harry asked him. "What are you talking about?"
"I instructed the Wolf to present the idea to the 'pack'," Severus sneered the word, "of joining your alliance."
"A galleon that Harry says gang," Ronald whispered quietly to Blaise, Blaise and Remus being the only two to hear him.
"It's a gang," Harry corrected him, Remus heard a small sigh and Ronald was grinning at betting correctly.
"What did you offer them in return?" Susan asked Severus. Remus was happy that the two of them were now looking at Severus with their inquisitive faces and wary eyes. He hadn't known that Severus never told Harry of his offer.
"I simply told them I would provide the Wolfsbane Potion to any that swear to your cause," Severus inspected his nails as he spoke nonchalantly. As if it wasn't an incredibly kind thing of him to offer. "How many accepted the offer Lupin?"
"Seven," Remus said. "I only offered it to the nine legal adults-" though the teenage girl Sky had been entirely prepared to join and fight if he had allowed it, "-and one of the adults, the pack leaders wife, isn't inflicted but she swore on anyway."
"You're giving them Wolfsbane?" Harry asked Severus.
"I am."
Remus thought it was nothing less than Severus deserved as Harry looked across at him with respect glowing in his green eyes.
It was Nymphadora who replied to Severus' kindness first though.
"That's amazing!" she said, turning a bright smile down the table to Severus. "I don't know anyone who would do something like that. And to think that some people think you hate everyone."
"I do," Severus scowled.
Nymphadora just laughed, as if entertained by the mere notion of Severus hating people, which Remus was certain was nothing less than the absolute truth. If Harry were not a key target of Voldemort's, Remus was sure that Severus would never have made such an offer. Even if it was unprecedentedly kind, it wasn't without (understandable) underlying motives.
"You're brill Sev," Harry cut in happily before Nymphadora could speak again. Remus wondered how Harry evaded Gryffindor when Severus bared his teeth at the nickname. "I'd like to see Timmy try and fight us with seven fully grown werewolves on our side."
"The Dark Lord has recruited werewolves as well," Lucius Malfoy said slowly, causing Harry to abruptly lose his smile. "Though not that many."
"That brings us to our next topic then; 'spy reports'," Hermione cut off Lucius with a decisive nod. "Please tell us what all you have learned this summer Mister Malfoy."
If Remus lived to be a thousand years old he would always remember this day. Lucius Malfoy being interrupted, then bossed around, by a bushy haired, petite, fifteen year old, muggleborn witch. A muggleborn witch who Remus just noticed was wearing a Ravenclaw prefect badge pinned to her blouse.
He smiled at that as he had a fond memory of refusing to take off his own prefect badge from the moment he got it to the moment Sirius tried to hide it from him on their first night of fifth year.
"Very well," Lucius sniffed and adopted a haughty tone as he spoke. "The Dark Lord- I must call him that lest I slip up and call him 'Timmy' to his face-" he hissed at Harry who had opened his mouth to undoubtedly correct him. "-is entirely focused on obtaining the prophecy and getting an understanding of Mister Potter. He is quite unsettled by the events that unraveled in May."
"What exactly did happen in May?" Blue cut in. "I'd like to hear the truth now that I've sworn in."
Eighteen heads swiveled to Harry, most of them looking blatantly curious; though Severus looked bored and Fred stared down at the table instead.
"Timmy came back to life, we dueled, then we left." Harry shrugged after that downplayed explanation. "Nothing crazy."
Severus and Sirius both snorted, then both appeared similarly mortified at their simultaneous responses.
"You also taunted him in Parsletongue, wielded an unholy amount of wandless and silent power, and overall have driven him to further madness," Lucius drawled to Harry. "And thus he is obsessed with understanding you and he believes the prophecy may hold the answers."
"Pft," Harry scoffed as his friends snickered. "Well let's let him waste his time with that, yeah? We can just focus on killing him."
"Which we do how?" Theodore asked.
"I'm not sure," Bartemius said slowly. "He... he's unable to die."
Remus suddenly, and uncomfortably, remembered that up until a few months ago, Bartemius had been an active Death Eater.
"Everyone can be killed," Johnathan smirked. "You've just gotta figure out how. Right Harry?"
Harry smiled sharply at his friend and raised one shoulder, "I suppose so. Nobody's ever really tried to kill me though."
Everyone, and Remus means everyone, gave Harry an incredulous look.
"Quirrell..." Susan said.
"Basilisk..." Ronald said.
"Lestrange..." Draco said.
"Black..." Neville said.
"Oi! I was not trying to kill him!" Sirius protested.
"Ze dragon..." Fleur said.
"Timmy..." Theo said.
"...twice..." Hermione said.
"Harry doesn't count those," Luna said.
"Why not?" Fred asked quietly, keeping his eyes on the table as he spoke up for the first time that afternoon.
"Because they weren't very good attempts, were they?" Harry grinned cockily, causing Lucius, Sirius, Severus, and Remus to all either groan or scoff.
"Can we stay on task?" Severus asked. "Or would we rather take a charming trip down memory lane and rehash the many different attempts on Harry's life?"
"Stay on task," Susan said. "Sirius and Tonks next, what's up with Dumbledore's Order?"
"Same thing," Sirius said with a shrug. "He's focused on the prophecy, but..." Sirius hesitated for a moment. "But Albus asked me if I thought Harry would be willing to meet with him this year. I said he'd have to ask Harry that, but I think it seems like he's looking to bring you to the Order."
"He can fuckin' try," Harry snarled, his eyes flashing with genuine hatred.
"He's also mad because Fudge is hiring the defense teacher this year," Nymphadora said, eager to share some sort of relevant information. "He said he couldn't find one because of the curse on the position."
"You mean Harry," Blaise smirked.
"Harry is not a curse," Narcissa said gently. "He is a blessing."
Sirius snorted, then covered it with a cough, and when Harry looked unconvinced by his cough he just laughed.
"Sorry Pup," he grinned at his godson with a teasing sparkle in his grey eyes. "I think you're a gift for sure though."
"Piss off," Susan glowered at Sirius.
"I already knew that about Fudge hiring someone," Harry waved off Sirius and Susan, as used to their bickering as Remus now was. "He's bringing in his Undersecretary so she can try and find a way to fire Dumbledore."
As much as Remus knew that Harry disliked Albus, for good reasons, he still felt uncomfortable with the idea of Hogwarts without him. It was like imagining chocolate without sugar.
"Anything else on the agenda?" Theo asked Hermione while everyone tried to wrap their minds around Dumbledore being removed from Hogwarts. Hermione flicked through her parchments and shook her head.
"That's all we had for today," she said.
"So- we need to find out how to kill Timmy, we've got a pack on our side, and everyone else is worried about a dumb prophecy, am I forgetting anything?" Nobody said anything for a moment so Harry nodded. "Brill. If Timmy's still alive in March then let's meet over Easter Break. Everyone bring some ideas on how to start killing him and his followers, yeah?"
Nobody argued with that so Hermione spoke quickly about people's 'assignments'. Apparently Remus was in charge of keeping the werewolf pack happy, Sirius was meant to continue spying on the Order, Lucius on Voldemort, and the DMLE employees on their fellow workers.
Bartemius was given the impossible task of deciphering a way to kill Voldemort while Severus was told to 'just keep up the good work'.
Harry then dismissed everyone with a cheery dismissal that Remus thought was a bit out of place given the situation.
At the dismissal Remus saw as Harry slumped in his seat, his expression relaxing. During the meeting Harry had appeared years older than simply fifteen. Nobody questioned Harry's right to lead the meetings as he sat at the head of the table and looked on with a war-hardened gaze in a battle-hardened face. Now that he relaxed, even just slightly, Remus could see the weariness he wore in the smudges beneath his eyes and the lines around his mouth.
Just as Remus didn't think being Harry Potter's guardian was all that many thought it would be, he also didn't think being Harry Potter must be very conducive to relaxation either.
"I'm gonna go talk to Harry, are you coming?" Sirius asked as the two of them got to their feet.
"No," Remus waved him off. "I need to speak with Severus."
"Have fun then," Sirius winked before transforming in to a dog and bounding off towards Harry.
Remus watched as Sirius leapt up on Harry, putting his massive paws on him, before jumping back down again and wagging his tail as Harry laughed. Remus wished that he could develop a relationship with Harry that was that light and relaxed, instead he had the ongoing job of counseling Harry. A task he really had no idea how hard it would be, how reticent Harry was, when he accepted it.
Remus shook off his envy and moved towards the backdoor where Severus was speaking in low tones with Bartemius.
"You have the list?" Severus demanded once he spotted Remus, leaving no time for a pleasant greeting.
"Here it is," Remus barely withheld the urge to roll his eyes. As much as they had grown and matured, Severus still seemed able to bring up Remus' more juvenile reactions. "The six adult werewolves who swore in and the three inflicted cubs." Remus included the information on Baby Gizelle on the list, though her parents said she had no further reaction during the full moons than incessantly crying according to Marietta who watched over her.
Severus glanced over Remus' meticulous list, Bartemius reading curiously over his shoulder.
"Very well," he pocketed the parchment. "I will have their potions delivered to the address Harry gave me before the next full moon."
Severus turned his back to Remus, obviously intent on ending the conversation, just as Nymphadora came jogging up to the three of them.
"Hello," she grinned at Remus before turning to Severus and Bartemius. "Tonks." She held a hand out that Bartemius accepted easily, though Severus simply raised both brows.
"You might not remember me but I was in your class," Nymphadora told Severus.
"It would be difficult to forget the blue haired bringer of chaos," Severus said drily. "As I believe you knocked over my shelves of ingredients at least twice a month."
Nymphadora shrugged, Severus' contempt rolling right off her. "I'm a bit clumsy," she admitted. "But I've gotten better." Severus raised a questioning brow at that, clearly remembering how she had knocked over her chair earlier.
"Indeed," was all said though.
"I'm much better at brewing too," Nymphadora said quickly. "And I was going to see if you wanted an assistant."
All three men gaped at her. Well, Remus and Bartemius gaped while Severus looked scornful.
"No."
"I'm just gonna go..." Remus trailed off to think of an excuse to leave the conversation, then realized nobody was listening anyway so he shrugged and just walked away.
"Why not?" He heard Nymphadora ask Severus as he hastened over by the broomshed.
"Why not what?" Severus sighed.
Remus had no idea what house Nymphadora had been in, but she must be incredibly brave, or very dim, to continue pressing the issue. He leaned against the broomshed and watched as he shamelessly utilized his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop.
"Why don't you want an assistant? It must be difficult to do all that brewing on your own. Lonely too," Nymphadora said. Remus could see that she was giving Severus an odd half-smile, her eyes never wavering from his.
"I prefer to brew alone. Loneliness is better than dealing with incompetence," Severus said coolly. "If you'll ex-"
"What do you prefer to do not alone?"
Remus choked on his own saliva at Nymphadora's coy tone and suddenly he saw what he had missed until now.
Nymphadora had not been looking at Narcissa when she was embarrassed by knocking over her chair, nor had she been flirting with Remus earlier. Remus misunderstood her. She said 'you're both young and good-looking.'
Remus watched with unabashed amusement as Severus looked increasingly confused by the attention he was receiving from Nymphadora while he waited for Sirius to finish talking with Harry and Susan.
Remus saw that Bartemius had slyly backed away from Severus and Nymphadora and was also watching with an amused light in his blue eyes.
"What's so funny?" Sirius asked when he eventually came back to Remus' side.
"Nothing," Remus said hastily. Sirius may have gotten over his petty feud with Severus-
'Well it's not like I'm going to curse the guy who cares so much for Harry,' Sirius huffed after Severus delivered their monthly potions. 'He's doing us both a big favor with these potions too. Even if he is still a stuck up arsehole.'
-but he wouldn't test this newfound civility by pointing out his cousin was making eyes and taking passes at Severus.
Sirius glanced over to where Nymphadora was laughing merrily at something (incredibly sarcastic and scornful) that Severus must have said while Severus raised a single brow at the witch.
Remus waited as Sirius cocked his head and watched for a moment as Nymphadora put a hand on Severus' arm and said something indecipherable in a low tone.
"Let's go home Moony," Sirius finally said, shaking his head and wrinkling his forehead in thought.
***
"Hey Rem?"
"Yeah Pads?"
"I don't think Tonks was flirting with you after all."
Remus let out a light laugh at Sirius' solemn observation. It sounded as if he had also put the pieces together and wasn't upset by the image it portrayed. "I don't suppose she was, was she?"
"If it makes you feel better, I'd take you over Snape any day of the week," Sirius said, rolling in to his side in their bed and teasing Remus with a coy wink. "And you should know that Tonks has always been a bit of an oddball, don't take it personal."
"Whatever shall I do without the flirtations of a witch thirteen years my junior?" Remus deadpanned with a dramatic sigh, causing Sirius to laugh.
Not that thirteen years was a large gap, certainly not for Wixen who have a life expectancy of nearly 140 years, but still.
"Are you jealous of Snape?" Sirius grinned with only a minor amount of actual worry in his eyes.
As if Remus would ever want anyone aside from Sirius.
"Not at all."