Lockwood Part 4

Remus hadn’t anticipated a visit from the minister, even less that he would be summoned to Dumbledore’s office to speak with both of them, but that was exactly what happened. Remus enjoyed the school when it was quiet, he felt like he could breathe a little more easily when the corridors were clear of crowds. It was only Quirrell scurrying down a corridor that looked out of place, but Remus didn’t have any time to investigate.

‘Ah, Remus, do come in.’ Dumbledore smiled. It was hardly a surprise to find the minister flanked by two Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Benji, who was looking more tired than usual, but the minister looked in suspiciously good spirits.

‘Professor Lupin, pleasure to meet you.’ The minister greeted Remus. ‘I hope you don’t mind my taking a few minutes of your time, but pressing matters have come to our attention.’

Remus had a sudden sinking feeling. ‘Of course not, minister. What can I help you with?’ He said, but couldn’t help going through the motions of his resignation letter and going over where he would go after Hogwarts.

‘Why don’t we take a seat?’ The minister invited Remus and Dumbledore handed over a cup of tea. It wasn’t as comforting as Remus would have liked it to have been. ‘I’ll cut right to the point, Remus. We’re worried about Angie Lockwood, I’ve not heard from her in nearly a year and I’ve been told she has left the country. Usually I would ask either her mother or Benji about her whereabouts, but to my surprise they are both unaware of her current location.’ Well, that wasn’t what Remus expected. ‘I’ve been told that she has kept in contact with you since leaving Hogwarts, you even accompanied her on some research trips in Bulgaria and Reykjavik.’

‘Minister, I’m sure you haven’t come here to ask me about my involvement-‘

‘I’m here to ask if you have any idea of Miss Lockwood’s whereabouts?’ The minister barely gave Remus a chance to reply. He could see Benji shifting out of the corner of his eye and it wasn’t exactly obvious what he wanted Remus to say, however, Benji knew that Angelina was in Tibet and had apparently chosen not to divulge that information, there must have been a reason.

Remus took a moment, not breaking eye contact with the minister, in case he thought he might have been lying. ‘I’m sorry minister, I have no idea where she is right now.’

The minister sighed and watched Remus carefully. ‘When is the last time you heard from her?’ He asked.

‘I don’t recall, possibly a few months ago, before Christmas.’ Remus lied.

‘Before Christmas?’ The minister questioned. ‘I’m surprised you’re not more worried about her then, the rest of us are.’

‘Miss Lockwood is a perfectly capable young witch,’ Remus took a very diplomatic stance, he didn’t trust the minister and he would never put Angelina in any danger. ‘I’m sure wherever she is, she is safe and will return when she is ready to do so.’

The minister watched Remus more carefully than before, trying to figure out if what he was saying was true or not. Remus was fairly certain that the minister didn’t know about his relationship with Angelina, there wasn’t any reason for him to know, but it was best to keep it quiet while Angelina was away. The minister would see value in the information if it meant bringing her home before she was ready.

Benji deflated out of sight of the minister and Remus knew that look, it was one of relief.

‘Very well,’ the minister concluded. ‘Should you hear anything about her whereabouts, you will inform the ministry at once. It is imperative that we speak with her as soon as possible. Dumbledore.’ The minister nodded and stood up immediately to leave.

It was only a moment before Remus was left very much alone with the headmaster and before he had a chance to speak, Dumbledore interrupted his train of thought.

‘Remus, is she safe?’ Dumbledore looked worried and it was an unusual look on the usually stoic man.

‘The last time I spoke to her, she was safe.’ Remus sighed, not quite knowing if he believed that any more. It had become a mantra in recent weeks, telling himself over and over again that she was safe and happy, but it was all to cover the reality that she might not be either of those things.

Dumbledore nodded and stood to leave his desk and enter the room behind his office. Remus took that as his cue to leave the Headmaster’s office and head back to his own. When he arrived, Remus felt himself begin to cry again. He needed Angelina to be safe, he needed her to be happy and he needed her to help him feel okay again.

Tenzin was much sicker than I had seen him since coming to the village. He was so weak and tired. All the Oracles had suffered when inside the temple with me, but none of them as much as him. Tenzin would only have strength enough to stay awake for a few minutes at a time and it wasn’t looking good, even Yonten was worried.

‘He knew what he was doing when you first came here.’ He said as we wandered through the training grounds early in the morning. It had been nearly a week since I had seen the end of the brothers and I had yet to be disturbed by the brother inside me. ‘Tenzin has been preparing himself for a long time to be your mentor, he has given more than you could imagine for the chance to be your Oracle and it seems he is now giving his life for yours.’

‘But I don’t want him to die, I didn’t ask him to do this.’ I couldn’t lose Tenzin, not when I still knew so little.

‘It wasn’t your choice, it’s his.’ Yonten stopped at the edge of the cliff on the other side of the village, it wasn’t my usual meditation spot, but it seemed to overlook mountains as well. ‘Tenzin knew that his death was a possibility and yet he still persevered with your training. I’m sure before he leaves us for good, he will have a few final words for you, I suggest you listen with great care.’ Yonten sighed and leaned more heavily on his walking stick. ‘Angie, the world had become unbalanced and it is down to a select few to make it right again. You and your brother will decide whether the war paves the way for a new peace or destroys everything we hold most dear. This burden could only have fallen to someone of immense strength and power, someone who understands the responsibility of such a choice. You may not understand it all now, but when the time comes, you will.’

We stood for a while, watching the sun come up and I couldn’t help but think about the last memory I saw of the brothers. Both of them were fighting for love, for family and as far as I had always known, family was everything.

I continued to train with the warriors and Wangchuk and Pema were well again, enough to get back to their duties and for that at least I was glad. They described the tar creatures and how they fought them off while I was still in the memory, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary about it. I needed Tenzin to wake up soon and tell me what to do next.

‘He may not be able to.’ Wangchuk said, as I easily made it across the pond over the planks of wood. ‘Tenzin isn’t getting any better, protecting you took more of a toll on him than any of us could have imagined.’

‘He should have said something.’ I muttered and almost lost my balance before wandering back across the pond.

‘You’re getting stronger and that is the point of his sacrifice. Tenzin understands that his purpose was to be your teacher and now that purpose is coming to an end.’

‘But I still don’t know anything!’ I was getting more and more frustrated the longer I went without Tenzin’s help. ‘I feel like I hardly gained anything and he’s dying for no reason.’

‘Then do something about it,’ Wangchuk demanded. ‘Learn as much as you can while you are here, do not let him die for nothing.’

The Oracle was right, the problem was I still wasn’t sure what it was I was trying to prepare for, if I had some kind of idea of what was ahead of me then I might have been able to ask more specific questions.

‘I need to know how to fight,’ I said, turning to Wangchuk. ‘If there’s a war coming then I’ll need to know how to fight. I’ve had plenty of practice at using my brain to figure things out, but if it comes to it… I don’t want to end up in hospital again, I can’t have Remus worrying for me like that anymore.’

Wangchuk smiled and nodded. ‘I will teach you to fight without the use of your wand. Focus will be everything.’

The next few days were spent with Wangchuk teaching me basic exercises to keep my body strong and flexible, something that apparently I would be grateful for in the coming weeks. I visited Tenzin every morning and his condition wasn’t getting any better, he was still weak and still barely conscious. Pema and Wangchuk had moved him to his own room in the village so that he would be more comfortable, it wasn’t what I thought it would be, where my room was simple and baron of all personal touches, Tenzin’s was filled with all matter of artefact and trinkets.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it all, I had never even thought about the personal lives of the Oracles, I felt very naive looking at the array of books and scrolls that littered the shelves as it showed a life lived in the search of knowledge. Tenzin was more like me than I ever knew. I didn’t dare touch anything in his room, but everything was clearly well taken care of.

The man himself could barely acknowledge where he was for the next week, he was slipping further and further away and I felt it in my heart. It was my fault, I should have been more aware of what was happening. I was so sick of losing people.

‘Everything dies, it’s just a part of living.’ Pema had walked in one morning when I was visiting Tenzin. She seemed in good spirits and with her usual bunch of flowers to replace the wilting ones next to the bed. It was strange, but this was the first time I had really taken in the way she looked, her face was old and creased, her hair jet black and her yellow robes hung from her small slender frame with elegance. ‘Tenzin has lived a long a full life, his death is just another part of that.’

I wasn’t exactly sure of how to reply. ‘He collected a lot of things.’

‘Yes, he loved visiting new places and with every meeting he had with new people, he gained something new to add to his collection.’ Pema smiled, she was also looking a little worse for wear, worn out. ‘I’m sure if you ask him about some of them, he will be glad to tell you.’

‘Does that mean he’s going to get better?’ I was suddenly excited at the prospect of Tenzin not dying after all, finally something that hadn’t gone wrong in this place.

‘No, I’m afraid Tenzin has only days left on this earth.’ Pema shook her head and placed her slender hand on Tenzin’s. ‘But I’m sure if you he taught you anything, you will find a way to communicate with him.’

The gardener smiled at me again and left Tenzin’s room. Why hadn’t it occurred to me before? Tenzin could speak to me in my dreams, said it was easier to talk to me that way, if I could figure out how to do that, then maybe I could see him again.

I sprinted out of his room to find Wangchuk who was meditating near the pond, I didn’t want to disturb him, but it seemed my presence had already done just that.

‘I can show you.’ He said immediately. ‘Sit down.’ I got the impression that time was quickly running out. ‘Angie, whatever happens, stay focussed, stay strong and remember that Tenzin wants to speak with you.’ I did as I was asked, I sat and observed Wangchuk, I listened to him telling me about the ways two souls can connect and open up to each other, it sounded complex and impossible, but it had to be true, I was living the evidence to say it was. ‘Love is the most powerful way to connect to another, but we have found our own way to do it in order to teach others. The Oracle way is a very well kept secret and something that I cannot teach you without permission from Yonten, something that we will not get, but I can teach you to connect through love.’

‘Will that work with Tenzin?’

‘Of course, he was your teacher and you shared your soul with him, the bond is already there, you just have to find it again.’ Wangchuk explained. ‘This is very powerful magic Angie and one that you will not have come across back home where words are preferred to feeling.’ At least that part made sense, it seemed that the only really useful piece of information I had gathered in Tibet was that the western magical community had little use for magic without words, whereas in the east they relied heavily on a person’s emotional state and inner focus to perform magic. ‘Go to your safe place and find the door that leads to Tenzin.’

I closed my eyes and visualised the door that led into my desert land. There was a heavy storm that hung in the sky, the white orb floated quietly through the blackened clouds and I ran out trying to find something that resembled Tenzin.

There were so many memories to search through, I couldn’t keep running through each one, I needed to bring them to me. I could see the furthest memory playing out, it was a walk Remus and I took near to the black lake, I held my hand out and pulled it towards me, shifting every memory that surrounded me in the same direction. It was almost like flicking through a book, pulling clusters of memories towards me, trying to find Tenzin. I finally found what I was looking for.

‘‘So, this is like a dreamland?’ I asked. Tenzin turned and frowned.

‘Angie, this is your soul…’’

The memory was clear and I wondered what exactly it was I needed to do next. I wasn’t sure if I should have stepped into it or not, but maybe it was worth trying. I reached my hand out and touched the soft, silky edges of the memory, I could feel something gentle pulling me towards it, it didn’t feel malicious, it felt kind and welcoming. I let it take me in and I found myself in Tenzin’s room in the village, he was sitting at his desk reading through a large book, young as ever and happy.

‘Tenzin?’ I breathed, he turned to me and smiled.

‘I had wondered if you were going to figure it out.’ He almost laughed and sat back in his chair. The view from his window was breath-taking, it was a sunset over the mountain, I had never seen anything quite as beautiful. ‘As much as I would like to reminisce, time was never on our side and I must finish teaching you.’

It suddenly hit me like a heavy rock in my heart. ‘You knew you were going to die? Ever since I first came here? That’s why you always said that time wasn’t on our side.’

‘I’m afraid so.’ He nodded, still watching the sunset. ‘The sun is setting and once it does, there will be no more light and no more life.’ Tenzin seemed more okay with knowing when he was going to die than I was and it was slightly disturbing. ‘As my body weakens, the sun gets lower and I edge ever closer to death.’

‘Why are you so okay with this? Why are you so okay with dying?’ I demanded, I could feel tears building behind my eyes and I hated it.

‘Angie, did you not listen to Pema? Everything dies, it’s a part of living. And those who do not accept this will never truly live. This day was always coming to me and it would always be hard.’ Tenzin smiled gently, but as far as I was concerned, there was nothing to smile about. ‘Do not be sad that I am gone, just keep learning and remember what I taught you, remember that no matter what, love is the most powerful force on this earth.’

I sniffed, holding back my tears. ‘Why do I feel like you’re getting ready to leave me as soon as go?’

Tenzin turned to smile at me again. The Oracle stood and approached me, placing his hands on my shoulders. ‘Angie, my last gift to you is in my room, a small chest. You will know when you are ready to open it.’

I couldn’t stop the tears flooding out of me any longer. ‘Why is this happening? Why do you have to die?’

‘Because I have already lived,’ Tenzin held me close to his strong chest, I didn’t ever want to let him go. ‘I have lived long and happy, I have learnt so much and grown as much as I could and no one could have asked more of me.’ I could feel the sun growing colder, he barely had any time left. ‘Good luck Angie, I feel sure we will see each other again.’

Something was tearing me out of Tenzin’s arms, pulling me back into my own desert place. I could feel myself screaming for Tenzin to wake up, for him to come back with me, but nothing I did seemed to help. Tenzin was gone.

Darren woke with a sharp feeling in his chest. It was the middle of the night and he had woken not quite feeling like himself. There was something making him think of Angie, something making him get up and write a letter to her, asking if she was okay, asking if she had found a way to get rid of the brothers, but there was a good chance that he wouldn’t get a reply for over a week.

There was a deep worry for his sister that spread over the whole family, her letters were few and far between, containing such little information and even fewer words of comfort. The only thing she had told him of use was to be careful about what he said out loud, apparently the brother could hear and see what Darren could, but had limited access to his mind.

Darren did everything he could to stop the brother invading his thoughts, but it was difficult. That was until two weeks previous, when a sudden burst of energy over took him and he led the team to victory. The Falcons had yet to lose a game in those two weeks and were almost back to the top of the league table, Darren had given his all to the club and in return they had stuck by him while he was out of form. He loved his club and since his return from Japan, he had decided that he would end his career with the Falcons.

Sleep was no longer an option and Darren decided to go out for an early morning run in the spring rain, returning as his father was just waking up.

‘You’re up early?’ He said, his greying hair completely out of place and his usually bright blue eyes were still a little bloodshot.

‘Yeah, woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I thought I’d get a work out in before breakfast.’ Darren grabbed the towel from the back of the kitchen chair and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ‘How’s mum?’

His father placed a cup of tea down on the table for Darren and went about starting breakfast. ‘Still tired. The ministry has the Aurors pulling double shifts and it looks like it’s becoming a more regular occurrence.’

‘Is there something going on?’

‘Probably. But you know your mother, if it’s anything to worry about she’ll let us know.’ There was always something about the way his father spoke that had Darren questioning over whether he knew more than he was letting on. Darren learnt the hard way not to question him on the subject though. ‘Heard from Angie recently?’ He asked, sipping his tea and leaning against the kitchen counter.

‘Not recently, you?’

His father shook his head a little sadly.

‘I’m sure she’s fine. Remus will be the first to know when she’s coming home.’ Darren said and stood up, heading off to take a shower.

George was surprised for a moment, usually any mention of Remus would cause Darren to have some kind of episode, but instead, his son casually mentioned his name and wandered away as if he’d never taken issue with Remus at all.

George wondered if Angie had something to do with it. He hadn’t heard much from his daughter, but the last time she wrote was to say she was making progress, maybe Darren’s change in mood was down to something she had done in Tibet.

Adrianna was still sleeping and George hated to wake her while she was getting so much rest, but she had wanted to go in early to see about a few things and he would never overrule her on ministry business.

George sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at his sleeping wife, she was stunning, curled around the fluffy white pillow with the thick warm duvet around her. George shifted her blonde hair from her face and watched a delicate smile appear on her face, she leaned up into his touch and if he could, he would just leave her to rest for the rest of the week. He had been thinking about taking her away somewhere nice, they hadn’t really been on a holiday in a long time and it was about time that changed.

‘Adrianna, your breakfast is on.’ He said, gently allowing her eyes to open and look up at him. ‘There’s coffee downstairs waiting for you.’

‘Angie?’ She mumbled, turning on her back.

George sighed and stroked her cheek. ‘Nothing today, but we’re due a letter soon.’

Adrianna brought her slightly scarred hand up to his and kissed the palm of his hand. ‘The minister is still asking where she is, I don’t know how much longer I can lie to him, he’ll take further action soon.’

‘It’ll be alright, Angie will be home soon and when she is, everything will be alright again.’ George said, barely convincing himself, but it was the only thing he could say to keep everyone calm. He spent another few minutes with his wife, climbing back into bed with her and hoping that holding her was enough to keep them both steady for a while.

George had a growing worry over the minister asking the whereabouts of his daughter, there was no reason for him to be asking unless he wanted something from her. In the past few years, George had grown wary of the minister getting so close to his family, he could only imagine the reason, but if it had anything to do with the Lockwood family history, then the minister was in for a surprise.

George would do anything to protect his family from harm, it was a trait he hated in himself. He never quite managed to distinguish between simply fighting for his family and ensuring their survival at all costs, Adrianna had helped, but through Romulus he had gained a vicious protective nature, one that he hoped his children could overcome easier than him.

Darren was already finishing breakfast by the time George and Adrianna appeared, both dressed and ready to head to work.

‘So, are you excited about today?’ Adrianna asked as she sat opposite her son.

‘A bit nervous.’ Darren admitted. ‘Clara has an idea of what she’s looking for and all I wanted is space for my brooms.’

‘Well, just make sure the price is fair for what you’re looking for.’ She smiled. ‘If you need any help, just let us know and we’ll see what we can do for you.’

‘I’m sure we’ll be fine, but I’ll keep it in mind.’ Darren nodded as George set down a pot of tea.

Remus,

Kingsley asked me to send you a letter because Benji is being watched a little too closely to contact you safely. We’re not sure why the minister is so interested in Angie’s whereabouts, but we can only assume it’s not for particularly pleasant reasons. We think Umbridge has been leading the line of questioning, she’s threatened by Angie and naturally that will lead to some paranoia.

I can only ask that you keep both your relationship and the location of Angie a secret until we can work out why the minister is keen to have her back in England.

Please stay safe, I realise that with your concerns about Quirrell and Harry, you are already under some pressure, but all I can say is that as soon as Angie is back home we’ll all be okay again.

Anna.

Remus read the letter a few times, he hadn’t had time to check his mail before the first feast back after the Easter holidays and so skimmed through a few things at dinner. It seemed Anna was reciting the same mantra to herself that Remus was.

‘A letter from Lockwood?’ Sprout had asked, she wasn’t looking over his shoulder exactly, but it bothered him slightly that anyone was taking any interest in him at all.

‘One of them.’ Remus nodded, skimming over the words once more. ‘The ministry is getting anxious about Angelina’s absence and are starting to ask unwelcome questions.’ He quickly found some spare parchment to write back.

‘I thought she was in Tibet?’ Sprout frowned.

‘She was, but it’s best we keep quiet on that.’ Remus explained. ‘The work she is doing is important and she needs to remain undisturbed until she finishes.’

‘Sounds like she’s involved in something she shouldn’t be.’ There was the disapproval Remus was anticipating.

‘Truthfully, I’m not sure, but if she says she is safe and doing good work, then we have no reason to doubt her.’ Remus put the conversation to rest and continued with his letter to Anna, before retiring to his room. He tried hard to resist crying, but it was no use, he had yet to have a decent night’s sleep since Christmas, Angelina should have been back and she should have been with him.

Remus could feel his body aching more so than usual, his patience was shorter than he would have liked and he could feel his whole life falling apart.

‘Sir, I was wondering if I could get a moment?’ Nathan had stayed back after class and honestly, Remus would rather he didn’t.

‘Of course, Nathan, what can I help you with?’ Remus found himself checking his parchment for a letter from Angelina, ripping his tie off and shedding his jacket, the same routine after every class.

‘It’s just that we’re learning about Lockwood’s Wolfsbane in Potions just now and I know that you helped Angie create it,’ Remus stopped what he was doing to observe Nathan, he could feel the warning in his own eyes. ‘I just wondered if there was anything I could do to better understand it?’

Remus sighed a little heavily before inviting Nathan to sit down again. ‘You expressed interest in becoming a Healer, didn’t you?’ Remus stepped around his desk and ran his hand through his hair, trying to feel more awake. Nathan nodded as he sat back down in his seat. ‘Well, you’ll have a little more luck in asking Professor Sprout for her advice, but as far as I remember Angelina spoke a lot about simplifying the original wolfsbane into one that needed far more tolerable substances, had room for error and could be altered without changing the effects.’

‘Do you remember how she did it?’

It was the first real smile Remus had had that day. ‘To be perfectly clear, Angelina is an extraordinarily intelligent individual, often she will see things that seem obscure or irrelevant and find a new solution in those details. I can’t speak for how exactly she came to that conclusion, but all I can say for certain is that she did so through hard work, creative thinking and a lot of support.’ Remus considered Nathan for a moment. ‘If it interests you that much, I can see if her parents kept any of her old journals, I’m sure her father has them stashed away somewhere.’

‘Really? You’d do that?’

‘I’ve been meaning to make a visit, it’ll be a good reason for me to see to a few errands as well.’ Remus nodded. ‘And I’m sure Angelina would want to see her work put to good use.’

‘Thank you, professor, that’s very kind of you.’

‘It’s no problem Nathan, though I would ask for a favour in return.’

‘Sure.’ The young sixth year asked without hesitation.

‘I’m not normally one to tell anyone what to do with information they acquire, but this is important.’ Remus started carefully. ‘You are aware of Angelina’s trip to Tibet?’

‘Yeah she went at the start of the year… is she still not home?’ Nathan was suddenly incredibly alarmed.

‘Nathan, there’s no reason to worry for her, I’m sure she’s doing everything in her power to remain safe. Having said that, we need to do our bit.’ Remus hated talking about Angelina in this way, if he could only speak with her, everything might have been clearer. ‘I told you how special she is and how she will take a particular role in the coming years, well, the minister is starting to make enquiries into her whereabouts and no one believes that he is asking of his own accord. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think Angelina was in real danger, but I am asking if you could keep any knowledge of her to yourself until she returns.’

‘Of course. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.’ Nathan assured him, but there was still the worry in the back of Remus’s mind. ‘Professor, when is she coming home?’

Remus could feel his chest aching in a way that told him he needed to end this conversation quickly. ‘I’m not sure. I hope soon.’ It was weak and he could feel his throat beginning to hurt, like it did every time he had cried over missing her.

‘I hope it’s okay for me to say, but you haven’t looked very well recently. Are you sure she’s coming home-?’

‘Angelina will come home.’ Remus said much more firmly. He took a quick breath, composing himself. ‘She will come home, because I have asked her to.’ He hadn’t meant to be short with Nathan and it seemed the young Gryffindor took very little offense.

‘Okay, well, I’m here if you want to talk Professor. You’ve helped me enough over the years, I may as well give back where I can.’ He smiled and left Remus in his classroom. It was only a moment before he felt his body collapse in a heap in front of his desk. What was happening to him?