Predisposition|Remus Lupin

5 years baby

Chapter LI

The Strokes: Is This it?

"Aren't you going to open it?" Tonks gestures to the letter that's remained scrunched in my hand.

Harry asked the same question before he set off to the Ministry with Hermione and Ron. Kreacher's cooking dinner for them when they return and as the world deteriorates, we seem to thrive in the dysfunctional family we've made.

"Not yet." I smile softly as her hand tightens around Heather's. Remus stands cooly behind me, his hand stuffed into his pockets as he stares off into the distance. We contacted the coven and they seemed overly happy to help, they said it was good for me to reconnect with my roots, with where I came from, where I belonged. They'd only seen this type of magic a few times, even the elder was dubious about it all.

They told us to meet at a woods in the absolute middle of nowhere, it was odd at first, it felt like I owned it? Like any command I uttered would be met, and I'd never seen Remus so at ease, the idea of forests set his teeth on edge, but here, he looked serene.

"How exactly does this ritual work?" Heather whispered.

"I have no idea, but I suppose we're about to find out." Tonks nods ahead and there's a group of women approaching, they take my hand and smile.

"Welcome home."

***

Tonks and I stand opposite each other waist-deep in the lake. Our faces and body covered in odd runes marked with chalk, my eyes trace over the marks on Tonks, and I don't know if I should be comforted or worried that I have more than her.

Her hands wrap around my wrist as I hers, Remus and Heather observe curiously from the shore. The nymphs don't like Remus very much, apparently Hades made werewolves suffer as he did when Persephone left the Underworld, I suppose they were still caught up on that. Remus was a creation that they believed would bring me my demise.

"Not going to drown us are you?" Tonks laughs nervously.

"For a moment, yes." The woman smiles, and I stifle a laugh.

"It's okay Tonks. It's sort of like a baptism? Cleansing of sorts. We won't be dead, just in a liminal state, and whilst we're under, they'll perform the incantations and ritual. We've got the easy part." I smile, running my thumb over her hand, her shoulders slacken and she nods.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure in my life."

"Nymphs have done this before. Used to be a blessing to have a nymph carry your child." April, one of the younger nymphs snaps, the elder clips her round the head as she turns to brush my hair from my face. She takes my hand, making a small incision, the same on Tonks, watching as the blood drips into the lake, collecting like a small blot of ink, we merge our hands together, and I feel almost dizzy from it.

"She's right though. Don't expect these children to part from you willingly, nymphs offspring have very strong connections to their carer, biological mother or not, Guinevere will be their life line. It will also be difficult for Guinevere to hand the child over, nymphs have killed for their children before. We'll commence shall we?"

Tonks's eyes widen as we're both plunged under water, her hand tightens around mine as the ability to hold my breath seems to slip away. The markings over my body begin to burn like they're seeping into my skin.

Opening my eyes, they're glowing. As Tonks' marks begin to fade, mine seem to engorge, they ripple under my skin and pulsate with every beg of my lungs to breathe. Tonks grip on my hands loosen, and we're plunged into the white light.