Maybe
Chapter 2
By Anne B. Walsh
Chapter 2
The woman known to her current circle of acquaintances as Alice Anderson walked up the steps to her second-story flat, feeling exhausted and dispirited. The school rules said she had to see the children in alphabetical order by last name, or close to it, so she’d only been able to get through A-D today. Most of the time hadn’t been too bad — the usual primary school angst, friends who teased and parents who nagged and homework that was too hard or too easy — though she had come across one possible case of abuse, which she’d reported as required by law.
The last few minutes of her day, though, by some horrible coincidence, had been spent with an oversized, supercilious, idiotic brat whom she knew full well was making another child’s life miserable. And she happened to care about that other child quite a lot indeed.
It had been an exercise in self-control, to listen to the boy’s tiny woes (several of which involved that other child) and not laugh in his face or slap him hard and tell him to grow up.
She fumbled out her key, then paused. There were voices coming from inside her flat. There shouldn’t be. She hadn’t left the telly or the radio on, she lived alone...
The door opened before she could decide what to do.
"I hope you don’t mind that we let ourselves in," said the woman on the other side of the door.
"Danger!" Aletha Freeman-Black dropped her bag and caught the other woman in a fierce hug. "You look terrible — how are you? How’s Remus?"
"Thank you, I’m alive, and so is he — though it was close for a little while last night. Some arsehole decided to see how stressed-out he could make us by keeping us apart until the very last second, but thank God, they didn’t actually make him transform without me, and they finally decided they’d tortured us for medicine long enough and released us today."
"I hope you mean tortured metaphorically."
"More or less. They didn’t actually do anything to us except keep us apart, look at us a lot, and pound us with questions all the effing time."
They had moved into the living room by now, and Remus Lupin stood up to greet them. Aletha embraced him gently, knowing he would be suffering from the aftermath of a full moon night in stressful conditions, and repeated her question to him.
"I’m... human. Which I was beginning to doubt. Being treated like an animal for a few months has a remarkably bad effect. If I hadn’t had a little voice in my head telling me jokes, I’m not sure I would have made it through fully sane."
"And from anyone else, that would make me doubt their sanity," said Aletha, sitting down in one of the armchairs. "But enough of that, I’m sure you want to know what I’ve found out about the cubs."
"Yes, of course, please, tell us." Danger sat down next to Remus on the couch, as close to him as she could be without actually sitting on him.
"I’ve found Harry, and I should be in a position to see him within the next couple of days. I also know where Draco and Meghan are. But there’s still no sign of Hermione, and no one at Wizarding Family Services will tell me anything, of course." Aletha stared at the opposite wall, wondering how to break the worst of the news to her friends. "I’m afraid she may have been placed with a Muggle foster family or in an orphanage somewhere."
"She shouldn’t be that hard to find," objected Remus. "Hermione Granger is not exactly a common name."
"It’s possible she was placed under a pseudonym."
"But — how?" Danger looked bewildered. "She’d just tell them that wasn’t her real name."
Remus looked shrewdly at Aletha. "You look angry. Tell me there’s not something worse going on here."
Aletha sighed. "You want me to lie to you?"
Remus exhaled slowly. "All right. What is it?"
"Draco and Meghan were placed with their closest blood relative. Andromeda Tonks."
The Lupins both nodded. "That’s not bad," said Danger. "Is it?"
"No — but the letter I got from her is." Aletha drew her wand and Summoned the parchment from her desk, then tossed it across the room. "You should read it for yourselves."
Remus opened the scroll and began to read. Danger closed her eyes — to see what he saw, Aletha had no doubt. She herself had read the letter so many times that she could probably quote it word for word.
xXxXx
Dear Ms. Freeman-Black,
I have been appointed guardian of your daughter Meghan and your adopted son Draco by the court. As you know, you are not permitted to approach them or have contact with them until such time as the court deems you an acceptable guardian for them, and it has been strongly intimated to me, and I do not doubt to you, that this will never occur. I wish to express my apologies for this, and to tell you that I am in the habit of reading my letters aloud, even if others happen to be in the room at the time.
I also wish to inform you of something rather distressing. When the children arrived at my home, they seemed somewhat confused and disoriented. Being a Healer, I naturally examined them, and discovered the source of their confusion. It seems that standard procedure at Wizarding Family Services regarding children taken permanently from their parents or other primary caregivers is to ensure — magically — that they do not grieve for said caregivers.
Prompt and proper care was able to reverse the changes thus induced, and the children are both well and as happy as can be expected. They seem to take great comfort in one another, since I seldom find them apart. It seems a shame that I am not legally permitted to give you their messages of love and hope that you will soon be reunited. If I were, I would add my own hope to theirs, and sign myself,
Very truly yours,
Andromeda B. Tonks
xXxXx
Remus very carefully set the scroll aside. "In other words," he said mildly, "Hermione may not be able to tell anyone who she really is, because she may not remember herself."
Aletha gave a slow nod.
Remus began, very quietly and calmly, to swear, and kept it up for a full two minutes without repeating himself once.
Danger had dropped her face into her hands, obviously crying, and Aletha levitated a box of tissues towards her friend while marveling at the inventiveness of Remus’ language. "You make Sirius sound like an amateur," she said when he was finally finished.
Remus smiled one-sidedly. "Thank you. Speaking of him, have you been able to see him at all?"
Aletha shook her head. "They’re being very hard-line about it. No visitors, no letters. At least it means he won’t be bothered by reporters or anything like that."
"No visitors? Not even legal counsel?"
"I don’t know. But it sounds more and more like this ‘trial’ they’re giving him will be a complete mockery. No real evidence introduced, nothing examined or checked over — just the same old story repeated and used as an excuse to put him back..." Aletha stopped, shuddering. She couldn’t say it.
Saying it was too close to admitting it might become true.
Danger looked up from her tissues. Her eyes, though wet, had acquired a bit of a predatory gleam, and Aletha found herself glad that she was unlikely to ever be Danger’s prey. "Not happening," she said, giving a damp smile. "Not by a long shot. Shall we show off a little, Remus?"
"I think I could do that." Remus leaned back on the couch and lifted one cupped hand. Aletha jumped as a flame suddenly flared in that hand, flickering red, yellow, blue. Danger lifted her own hand, and a matching flame sprang up there. Then, with a wave of their hands, the flames combined in midair and hung there, a burning ball of fire with nothing supporting it, no visible fuel or source. Remus blew on it gently, and it went out.
"It was a gift," said Danger, answering Aletha’s unspoken question. "We had... I guess you could call it a vision. Last night. It was like one of our shared dreams, but it was... real. The two of us were gifted with this, we found out what these are good for," she tugged at the necklace she wore, a near-exact copy of Remus’ and Aletha’s own, "and I found out the exact definitions of my personal powers. And one of those definitions is that I can do one otherwise impossible thing to save someone I love." Her predator’s smile flickered back. "I’ll be at that trial. And if it turns out badly — poof!" A wave produced a flash of fire like a stage magician’s effect. "He’s gone."
"Gone, as in safe with us, not as in just plain gone," interrupted Remus, a humorous look in his eyes.
"Yes, of course, don’t be stupid."
"So, what do these do?" asked Aletha, bringing out her own necklace from within her shirt. "I haven’t taken mine off since we made them — I felt closer to everyone, somehow, wearing it."
"That is one thing they do," said Remus. "They connect us. If they turn hot, that means someone’s in emotional distress of some kind — very frightened or angry — and if they turn cold, someone’s in danger of death. The carvings on the pendants all indicate different people, and whoever the warning is for, their carving will glow."
"They can also connect us more directly," said Danger. "Here, put mine on while I’m still wearing it." She pulled out a loop of the chain and tossed it to Aletha, who stared at it. It hadn’t been that long before — had it?
"You might have mentioned that the chains lengthen and shorten on command," said Remus with a sigh.
Aletha placed the chain around her neck and waited.
Having fun yet? asked Danger.
Only — she hadn’t. Aletha was looking right at the other woman, and her lips hadn’t moved.
Danger grinned. Now you know what it’s like to be me, with someone else’s voice in your head. This is what else they do — allow silent speech, person to person. There was also something about memory sharing, but I’m not sure what that entails.
All right, Aletha thought tentatively. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this, though...
Don’t worry, only the thoughts you mean to send to me will transmit. It’s almost impossible to spy on someone’s thoughts using these, though it can be done if someone’s thinking "loudly" — that is, about only one topic to the exclusion of all else.
Aletha nodded, still feeling a bit unsure about the topic. I think I’ve had enough for the moment.
Fine, just sit still. Danger tugged on her chain, and Aletha repressed a yelp as she felt the metal pass through her neck.
"And you might also have mentioned that they turn intangible at their wearer’s behest," said Remus with a weary sigh. He looked at Aletha with a long-suffering expression. "I don’t think I ever want us to get into trouble again — she gets so wild after it’s over."
Danger slid a hand teasingly across his chest. "You don’t seem to mind that at night."
Remus captured the hand and returned it to its owner. "We will discuss that later," he said firmly, but his mouth twitched slightly. "And in private."
The conversation turned to other topics, such as swapping stories. Remus and Danger went first.
"You remember how I insisted we perform that spell right before moonrise on the 23rd," said Danger. "The one that created these things." She tapped her necklace. "And I didn’t know why I was being so pushy about it. Well, now I know why. They’re to help us keep track of each other when we get separated." She sighed. "And did we ever get separated."
The Aurors had invaded the Den Christmas Eve morning immediately after sunrise, while the Pack slept, Stunned them all, and taken them to the Ministry unconscious. They hadn’t been separated right away — there was so much paperwork to do that all four adults had been placed in the same holding cell, at least long enough for them to recover from the spells, realize what had happened, and say their goodbyes.
Sirius was so scared. He was trying to hide it, joking around like always, but he was petrified. And for good reason. It would have been so easy for them just to throw him back in Azkaban...
There. She’d thought it.
But it won’t happen. Dumbledore wouldn’t let it.
Having the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot on your side helped a great deal. Sirius had been held in the holding cells, not in Azkaban, and he would be getting a trial, over the objections of some Ministry personnel who felt he was so obviously guilty there was no reason not to throw him to the dementors immediately.
But Vilias insisted Dumbledore recuse himself from the actual case. Because he was too personally involved. So it’s going to be tried by some random judge and jury, most of whom are probably convinced Sirius is guilty anyway...
Aletha pulled herself out of her gloomy thoughts to listen to her friends.
"I think someone in Magical Law Enforcement must have had a friend in the Werewolf Registry Office," Remus was saying. "Because those records are supposed to be completely sealed except in case of emergency. At least, that’s what my family was assured when they registered me when I was a child." His face assumed the oh-so-bland look that Aletha knew meant he was both amused and annoyed. "But someone pulled those records out and identified me as a werewolf. Which meant the Healers got to look at me. And look at me, and look at me. They kept finding excuses why I shouldn’t be released yet."
"And I wouldn’t leave until they released him," Danger took over. "They eventually granted me quarters near his." She snorted. "If you can call things with bars on them ‘quarters.’ His, not mine. They were observing him every second of the day, he never had an instant alone."
Remus smiled. "A good thing I’ve gotten used to that, living with the Pack."
Danger growled in frustration. "You... you annoy me, you know that? You treat everything they did to you like it’s nothing at all. It’s not nothing. You said it yourself. They treated you like an animal, and you’re acting like it doesn’t matter!"
Remus wound a stray tendril of Danger’s hair around his hand and tugged on it gently. "It doesn’t, love. Not now. Because it’s over. Us fighting about it won’t make anything in the past change."
Danger laid her head on his shoulder. "I hate it when you make sense."
"How in the world did you handle full moons?" asked Aletha, finding herself understanding Danger’s viewpoint rather well.
"Cautiously," said Danger. "We managed to convince them that we had a set-up at home where I could be near him, touch him even, but be safe from him biting me. I think we said my scent helped calm him."
"Which it did. Just not quite the way they were thinking." Remus sighed. "I had to tear myself up a bit the first time, unfortunately. To keep up the illusion that my mind was gone as well. The second time they had me try this new potion — the Wolfsbane Potion — it’s supposed to let a werewolf keep his mind on the full moon, so I didn’t have to hurt myself. But the third time..." He stopped.
"Last night," said Danger quietly. "Dear God in heaven, I hope we never have to go through that again."
"I think someone suspects part of what goes on between us," Remus continued. "They certainly seemed satisfied to see me getting more and more worried as it got closer to moonrise and Danger didn’t come. Of course, they didn’t know that she was telling me she wasn’t allowed to come..." He looked at the floor for a moment, then lifted his eyes. "It didn’t happen. I have to remember that. It didn’t happen."
The women nodded, and they sat in silence for a moment, a broken, wounded Pack, but still a Pack.
And we will heal. We will have again what has been taken from us.
Aletha smiled as she remembered the surprise she had for them.
"So, what’s your story?" asked Danger finally.
"Not very interesting, really — they took you two away, then they took Sirius..." Aletha had to stop for a moment at the thought of the desperate passion their last kiss had shared. "They sent someone in to interview me, and when we were done he told me I could go, but I wasn’t to come ‘bothering’ them about visiting Sirius or either of you, and I wasn’t to go looking for the cubs. I could file a suit to get their custody returned to me, but they made it pretty clear that wasn’t likely to happen. Being married to a notorious criminal seems to have tainted me in the eyes of the law."
"So, extralegally it is," said Remus, his face harboring just a hint of mischief. "It’s not as if we haven’t done it before."
"Speaking of extralegally," said Aletha, "Andromeda’s going to break the law tonight."
"How so?"
"She’s invited me to her home."
"To see—" Danger broke off. "To see her. Of course."
"Of course." Aletha smiled. "And if two small people should happen to wander into the room, and she should happen not to remove them as quickly as she ought, well, what happens in that house will stay in that house, I suspect."
"Do you think she would mind if you brought guests?" asked Danger.
Aletha’s smile grew. "I don’t think she would turn them away."
"Wait a second," said Remus suddenly. "I’ve missed something here. You told us where Draco and Meghan are, and that you haven’t found Hermione yet. But all you said about Harry was that you’d found him and were going to see him in a few days. Where is he?"
Aletha groaned. "Curse you, Remus Lupin, do you remember everything?"
"No, I forget things regularly and you know it. Stop trying to change the subject, Letha. Where’s Harry?"
Aletha swallowed. They won’t like this. "He’s with his aunt and uncle."
Silence reigned for one very long moment. Then a fireball burst into life in the air above Danger’s head, growing every second, bigger, brighter, hotter —
Remus snapped his fingers, and it vanished. "Get a hold of yourself," he said sternly to his wife.
Danger turned and stared at him hard.
"I don’t like it either, but we’re doing everything we can at the moment. Now are you going to behave or do I have to sit on you?"
Danger maintained her defiant pose for one more second, then slumped. "Anyone else having déjà vu?" she muttered from against Remus’ chest.
"The three of us plotting how to get Harry away from the Dursleys and Sirius out of prison," said Aletha, chuckling. "Yes, I do believe I am."
"And the same rules apply," said Remus. "If we can pull it off, we’ll need a safe place to go. So we have a lot to do — find Hermione, rescue everyone who needs it, get ourselves somewhere safe — let’s get a list going of what we have to do, and get it in priority order, and then we can get moving."
Aletha Summoned a pad and pen and got ready to take notes.
The Pack never dies. No matter what.
And they were going to prove it to the world.