Lockwood Part 6

‘I don’t know what you want me to say, Minister.’ I said, feeling the exhaustion start to hit. ‘I have made two separate visits to Hogwarts, one anticipated, one not and I found no evidence of any foul play by the Headmaster.’

‘Then you cannot have done your job properly!’ The minster snapped. It was late at night in his office and we were both getting tired. I had just come back from Hogwarts, having gone to see Trelawney for a second time to confirm my new conclusion about the prophecy and what it meant might happen, to my frustration, she agreed. ‘You questioned him thoroughly?’

‘Yes.’ I sighed.

‘You made sure you were alone?’

‘Yes.’

‘In his office?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you speak with Dolores?’

‘I told you, I didn’t want her corrupting any information I found-‘

‘She is the only one making sense of his actions!’

I took a breath and felt something snap inside my head. ‘Minister, if it were me sitting in that chair and one person was telling me something whilst everyone else was telling me different, I would start to wonder about that person’s intentions.’

The minister said nothing, he just sat and stared at me wild-eyed and scared.

‘I’m not trying to accuse her of anything, but it is curious that all this supposed evidence has suddenly come to light given it was never discovered before her presence in a place so far from this office.’ I could see something working in the Minister’s head, something was being thrown off balance. ‘I would be careful about who I called ‘friend’ minister, in your position, they must be very difficult to come by and even harder to keep.’

Fudge was speechless, he just nodded for me to leave and there was no way I was hesitating. I needed to get home and try to focus myself on those coins and what Benji saw whilst in the village.

Remus was on a night patrol with Casper, he’d requested the shift to make sure Casper didn’t lose his courage and worried that I would feel alone, but the reality was, I needed the time to myself to find answers.

My father had been the first one I told, I didn’t trust anyone else and my mother was looking after Darren, I didn’t want to disturb that for the time being, not until I figured out what to do.

‘Dad.’ I smiled, seeing him finishing his tea in my kitchen.

‘Angie.’ He held his arms out and brought me into the most fatherly hug he could conjure up. ‘I like what you’ve done with the kitchen, nice and cosy. Looks like home.’

‘Feels it.’ I agreed, looking up at my father’s aging blue eyes. When did his face gain so many lines?

‘Are you ready?’ He asked, frowning down at me.

I nodded and grabbed a few blankets as well as a tent for my father to rest in while I was busy, he was really only there for support, just in case I got stuck or got in too deep and needed help.

We walked out into the frosty air, his old and now tatty grey coat hugged his thinning body as we walked into the forest just behind my home. He wrapped his slightly torn red scarf around his neck and followed me for nearly half an hour before we found somewhere suitable.

‘It’s a good spot.’ My father pushed his glasses up his nose, panting slightly. ‘Lots of room to think and we’ll be able to see anything creeping up on us very quickly. Why don’t you get set up and I’ll have a look around? Just in case.’

I nodded and watched my father bring his wand out and head off into the darkness. I got a fire going and set up the small tent beneath a fat tree trunk, big enough to shield my father from the cold wind and give him somewhere to sleep if he needed to. I had to admit, I was a little worried about what we were doing.

My father came back nearly ten minutes later, he seemed satisfied with the surroundings and sat down at the tent’s opening, warming his hands by the fire. He gave me a smile as I settled on the blankets, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes to meditate.

Remus wandered through the aisles, Casper only on the other side and Tonks was going to take over soon. He was trying to keep Casper thinking positively, encouraging him not to dwell on things he couldn’t change.

‘We all have a part to play here,’ Remus said, quietly. ‘The only thing you have to do is what you can, no one is asking more than that.’

‘I know.’ Casper nodded through the glass orbs of the Department of Mysteries. ‘I just wish I was capable of more, I think Angie needs me to be able to do more and I wish I could find the courage to be what she needs us all to be.’ Remus felt himself smiling in a sad way.

‘I knew a man who thought that once,’ Remus sighed as they came to the end of an aisle, choosing another and walking side by side, keeping their voices down. ‘He was one of the most gifted Healers this world will ever see and he was an uncommonly kind man. He admired Angelina, her courage, her pursuit of knowledge, determination when the odds were not in her favour, he shaped himself into the man he thought she needed and in turn, sacrificed his own needs. He wanted her to see that he could be better and rather than think through what was best for himself and those around him, he followed Angelina blindly. For the most part, it was harmless, until the day it wasn’t.’

‘What happened?’ Casper frowned.

‘He died.’ Remus felt the ache of that day and the way Angelina had cried so hard. ‘His name was Jack Rathborne, I’m sure you’ve heard of him.’

‘Yeah, he was Angie’s partner when they created Lockwood’s Wolfsbane.’

‘I owe him a debt I cannot possibly hope to pay.’ Remus nodded. ‘But he was a generous soul and I think perhaps, if I live the life his work has afforded me and live it as well as I can, in the end, he might forgive me.’

‘Forgive you for what?’ Casper stopped, making Remus turn to face him, not realising quite how the conversation had ended up this way.

‘He was twenty years old when he died,’ Remus explained. ‘He fought hard against a dark wizard called Yoshi Nakamura, who was eventually taken to prison for his crimes, but Jack died here in the ministry because Angelina had asked him to fight for her. She asked too much of him and I took away the one thing he truly wanted. Angelina.’

Casper frowned. ‘He was in love with her.’

‘He was.’ Remus nodded, grimacing when he thought about it for too long. ‘I don’t know how this war will go, let alone end, but my wife is no longer fighting our fight. She is on a different path, fighting a war that has been raging on for a very long time.’ Remus took a step towards the young man who was suddenly more confused than ever. ‘Casper, I am asking you as a friend, do not dwell on what Angelina wants of you. If you follow her blindly, her war will get you killed far sooner than the one against Voldemort and with much less mercy. I ask you to think only on what you can do to help the Order and help Alfred and Alice, right now, they need you more than Angelina does.’

‘You’re asking me to give up on the one person who gave me everything I have.’ Casper was suddenly very frustrated. ‘I don’t understand, she’s your wife. She gave me a job, she helped me figure out my purpose, I can’t just abandon that.’

‘I’m not asking you to abandon your purpose, but to fulfil it.’ Remus snapped, taking a breath, hating every word that was pouring from his mouth. ‘Angelina inspired you to be an active part of helping the werewolf community, I am asking you to do just that. Angelina will not ask for your help unless she absolutely needs it, but do not be under any delusion that she will take advantage of it if you offer. I cannot watch her do that again and I cannot watch another life be taken in such a way. Please just help Alfred and Alice, protect them and answer the Order’s calls for help.’

Casper didn’t say anything, but he seemed not to be able to argue either way. Remus knew he’d gotten through to him and by the time Tonks came along, he showed some mercy and told Casper he would take the rest of the patrol with Tonks so that he may get some rest.

Tonks was confused, thinking she was supposed to spend the next few hours patrolling with Casper, but instead she was stuck with a very tired old werewolf.

Remus hated himself, he hated everything about what he had told Casper, but Angelina had asked it of him. She had asked that Remus act as guardian of the keep, to make sure that the Order members who were more likely to follow her, stayed well away. She couldn’t risk their lives in a war she wasn’t sure she’d win. Remus had argued with her, told her she was being ridiculous and that the Order would gladly come to her aid if she asked, but Angelina told him no.

There were two wars going on here and both were about to get worse before they got better, but the sooner one ended, the easier the other might have been.

Remus made her promise to keep Benji, David and Jocelyne in the loop, they were her oldest friends and the people most likely to understand, but again she refused stating that the war with Voldemort was their fight, the war of the Lockwood’s was hers.

‘Won’t Angie wonder where you are?’ Tonks asked as they began wandering around the seemingly endless row of prophecies. It was silence everywhere they walked.

‘She’ll be fine.’ Remus half smiled. ‘She’s occupied tonight anyway, with her father I think.’

‘Everything alright?’ Tonks asked, curiously. Remus could see she was just showing concern as a friend and nothing more, but he wasn’t sure how comfortable he felt revealing anything to Tonks. ‘Remus, you know you can talk to me. Despite our differences, I like Angie, she’s what we need right now… and so are you.’

Somehow, Tonks had always had a way of making him smile. She was vibrant and made him feel comfortable without really trying.

‘It’s nothing to be concerned about,’ Remus shook his head. ‘Just the usual war time worries and marriage difficulties that everyone has.’

Tonks nodded. ‘Well, if you ever want to talk, or just get things off your chest, you know where I am.’

Remus smiled, it was appreciated and he suspected that Tonks and he would grow closer before the end of the war, whatever that meant. It was good to keep the people you trusted close and Tonks had never given reason to be mistrusted.

The night was long and relatively quiet, Remus felt slightly better about things once Tonks had shared a few jokes and relaxed his mind with her refreshing personality, but he was still exhausted. They went back to Grimmauld Place to get any updates and so that Remus could catch up with Sirius, who was talking to James, surprisingly.

‘Prongs.’ Remus gave a smile and nodded to his old friend, but wasn’t greeted in the same manner. ‘What’s wrong?’

Sirius took them to the other end of the kitchen so that they wouldn’t be overhead. James seemed incredibly frustrated and worried, something they hadn’t seen for fourteen years.

‘Remus, I know it’s a stupid thing to be worried about,’ James started whispering. ‘But Lily’s worried as well. It’s just that he got to us last time, and we know it was Peter last time, but what if someone else, I mean he could, couldn’t he?’

‘You’re not making an awful lot of sense,’ Remus frowned. ‘Who are we talking about? Voldemort?’

‘James is worried he’s going to find them again.’ Sirius clarified.

‘Right.’ Remus sighed. In all his worried for Angelina and her war, he’d completely missed out on his friend’s position. Voldemort found the Potter’s last time, there was no reason why it couldn’t happen again. ‘Do you really think there could be another spy?’

‘We didn’t think so last time.’ Sirius implored. ‘Look what happened.’ It was clear he was frustrated anyway, but with James in trouble and Sirius unable to physically help, it must have been unbearable.

‘Of course,’ Remus remembered all too well. ‘Well, you can’t stay here, it’ll lead them right back to Sirius and put Harry in danger.’

‘I know.’ James was at breaking point.

‘You can’t stay with us, because…’ Remus stopped, noting his own frustrations. ‘What about the Lockwoods? George and Anna would be more than willing-‘

‘You can’t tell me you think their house is safe?’ James half laughed. ‘The ministry arrested Darren on a whim, you think the Death Eaters wouldn’t just turn up and slaughter us?’

‘James,’ Remus calmed his friend. ‘The minister could only get so far when he turned up last time, Kingsley was a friend of the Lockwoods when he went to arrest Darren… no one with bad intentions ever makes it close to a Lockwood home. Angelina has made sure the same precautions have been taken on both her parent’s and our home.’

‘Then why can’t he stay with you?’ Sirius questioned, rightfully.

‘Because… because Angelina is working on something that might attract attention.’ Remus put it plainly. ‘The Lockwood’s house is the safest place anyone could be right now. If I ask, they will allow you to stay, I promise.’

James and Sirius seemed unsure, but Remus needed to sleep and wasn’t in the mood for arguing. He told James to pack up and be ready in a few days, Anna would come for him and keep them both safe.

Remus lay down in his usual room in Grimmauld Place and his last thoughts before closing his eyes on the rising sun was of his wife and the danger she was getting herself into.