Chapter Thirty Three - Before
I will wait by the river
In the light of the moon
At the edge of the city
I will wait for you
Though I can’t wait forever
Remus’s sleep was interrupted dramatically by a strong glowing sensation pressing down onto his eyelids. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, and started suddenly. “FUCK!”
Beside him, Sirius’s eyes snapped open “Whazz goin-” His thoughts were interrupted by Remus slapping his hand over Sirius’s eyes. “...what are you doing?”
“Ok, Sirius… I’m going to move my hand but I have to warn you… there is a giant, silver spider in our room. It won’t harm you.”
Remus surveyed the Patronus in front of him, which seemed to be waiting to speak. It would have startled him more had he not seen it once before, in his lessons with Hagrid. It was one of the most unusual Patronus’s he’d ever seen, and went against the general notion where one was meant to be soothed by its presence.
“Okay…” Said Sirius, his whole body tensing slightly as Remus moved his hand away. “FUCK!”
He paused. “Hagrid?”
The spider spoke. “Remus… hope I’m doing this message thingie right… I’ve erm, got meself into a bit of a… well. I’ve had to leave Hogwarts, can you meet me? Reckon the Leaky Cauldron is still safe, I trust Tom bu’, just ask for Aragog when you get there, yeah?”
Without any further explanation, the spider vanished.
Sirius shivered. “Glad it’s not me going. Good luck with that one mate.”
With that, he rolled over and went back to sleep.
Remus sighed, and resigned himself to getting ready. Did they speak any more that morning? Did he lean over and kiss Sirius on the forehead as he left? Touch his hair? The truth was, Remus couldn’t remember. His mind was full of Hagrid, and what he could possibly have got himself into.
*
Squinting in the darkness of the Leaky Cauldron, Remus was ushered into an even darker side room by the perpetually unfriendly landlord, Tom. Inside, Remus could make out the distinct figure that was Rubeus Hagrid, although he seemed diminished somehow. Before he had time to ask any questions, he’d been engulfed in a vice-like hug and doused with tears. For the first time, Remus felt glad he was a werewolf, and used to scrapes. The hug might have killed a weaker man.
Over the course of the next half hour, the situation started to emerge. How Hagrid had found his half brother on his mission, and seen him ostracised by his people. How abandoning him would have seen him die, and how he’d brought him to the only home he knew instead; to Hogwarts.
For a while, it had gone ok. He was taking a few beatings, but Grawp - which was his brother’s name - seemed content in the forest, and was even, according to Hagrid, making friends. Remus’s mind went instantly to Harry, Ron and Hermione, and made a mental note to check in with them as soon as possible about it, but he held his tongue, sensing there was more to come.
“Bu’ it all went wrong when she started interferin’ an that…” Hagrid drew in a great, shuddery breath, and Remus didn’t need to ask the she to whom he referred. “She kicked me out, an’ with Dumbledore gone, and now Minerva… well, there was nothin’ I could do about it.”
Remus patted him on the arm. A useless gesture, and all he could think to do. How many people had he seen ousted from their homes? A thought came to him. “Here, Hagrid, take my key.”
He chucked it onto the table.
“What? No - I couldn’t, Remus, I -”
“It’s fine, honestly. I basically live with Sirius now. I need someone to water my plants, if anything you’d be doing me a favour.”
Hagrid hesitated, but his hands closed around the key and he smiled at Remus. “I always knew you kids would work it out in the end.”
Remus smiled, embarrassed, but also proud.
“Look,” Hagrid shifted in his seat. “Don’... don’t tell the Order about this, will you? They’ll send him away, and he’ll be killed, I know he will!”
“I won’t tell them, This is a Unicorn matter, I promise. We’ll look after him.” Remus shook his head, unable to help himself. “For god’s sake, what possessed you?”
“He’s family. He’s all I’ve got.”
Remus instantly regretted his words. “I’m sorry Hagrid, that was rude. I understand why you did it, of course I do. We’ll figure something out. Does Olympe know?”
Hagrid nodded.
“Alright, here’s what we’ll do.” Remus pulled out a quill and started scribbling onto a scrap of parchment. “I’ll write to our anti-deportation team, make them aware of the situation. The forest is tricky since our main access was through Firenze and he’s been banished, but we’ll see if the merpeople have any leads for us there.” He folded up the paper and whistled for a Leaky Cauldron owl. “Got any knuts to pay him?”
Hagrid reached into a cavernous pocket and pulled out a handful of debris, including dragon food, seedlings, loose parchment and - there - a couple of coins. Remus scooped them up and deposited them into the pouch on the owl’s leg. It hooted and set off immediately.
“You contact Olympe, see if she can get into Hogwarts. In the mean time… I’m guessing Harry’s involved?”
Hagrid froze, then nodded, guiltily.
Remus sighed resignedly. “I may not approve, but I’ll tell you one thing. Harry won’t let Grawp be alone. You can be assured of that - ”
Suddenly, the door flew open; they’d forgotten to lock it. Adrenaline pumped into Remus’s system, both men reached for their wands, Hagrid’s once again concealed within the umbrella he always carried.
Into the room stepped Severus Snape. Remus didn’t lower his wand. He saw a glint in Snape’s eye; a joy he could barely conceal, and it was like Remus already knew what the next words out his mouth would be.
“Trouble at the Ministry,” Snape smirked. “I’ve been instructed to fetch you, and make it quick. But Potter’s already beaten you there.” He grabbed Remus roughly by the elbow, and the two of them disapperated, leaving Hagrid alone in the room with suddenly not enough air.
As soon as the spinning stopped, Remus wrenched his arm away from Snape’s.
“What the HELL,” he began, and pushed Snape away from him. “Are you playing at? What are you saying to me?”
He felt dizzy, and couldn't make sense of the new scene in front of him, or what Snape's words meant.
“Whoa, whoa - we don’t have time for this!” Remus was suddenly aware of a pair of hands holding him back. Sirius’s hands. He turned and acknowledged his new surroundings for the first time, they seemed to be on a street somewhere in London.
With nothing but a smirk, Snape turned on his heel and disappeared.
“Remus?” A second voice called out to him, and Remus turned his attention to the others. Tonks, Kingsley and Moody were all assembled around him.
“We don’t have time to explain everything,” Tonks continued “but Harry - well. He’s inside the Ministry. He’s fighting - he’s fighting the Death Eaters. We’ve got to go in, now. Do you understand?”
Remus swallowed, and nodded. He felt numb, but he knew what he had to do. What they all had to do.
“Ok.” Tonks looked over at Moody, who nodded in approval.
“We’re heading for the Department of Mysteries. Everyone prepare to disapparate in 3… 2… 1…”
*
Looking back on that night, Remus would remember it like flashes of lightning on a dark night, with long stretches of emptiness in between. He remembered Harry’s face when they arrived, a teenager in the centre of a war. He remembered reaching Harry, telling him to leave, that they had it under control - why didn’t Harry leave? He can't remember why he didn’t leave.
He fought with Dolohov… left him petrified, at some point saw Tonks go down - just knocked out, thank god. Suddenly he was fighting Malfoy and then, and then…
Bellatrix.
Bellatrix and Sirius, locked in a duel.
“C’mon, you can do better than that!”
That’s what he said. Laughing even as a curse shoots right by him.
The next flash was when it hit him.
He was wearing my cloak, thought Remus. I took his this morning, a million years ago. A funny thing to focus on, really. He watched as it fluttered through the arch in the middle of the room, and disappeared.
Then Harry was rushing at Bellatrix, and Remus was grabbing him, holding him, and someone was screaming - was it him? He fell to his knees, and it was then, maybe, that he lost his grip on Harry.
He should go after Harry, a small voice is telling him, but no. He should go after Sirius, that’s what feels right. He is drawn to the arch, and it whispers to him. He steps up to the stone, and reaches out his hand.