The Wolf and The Raven, Bk 2

Ch 24 - This Means War

On September 1st, after saying a quick good-bye to her parents and stuffing Sean in her pocket, Branwen raced onto the Hogwarts Express. She tugged on Remus' hand, the two of them threading their way through the cars to the compartment at the head of the train."Come on, you lazy layabout! I want to get a good seat for the prefect meeting."

"Trust me, love," he chuckled, "it's not as exciting as it seems."

As they continued their way down the narrow corridors, they began to encounter other prefects, some new, some returning, all heading in the same direction, like salmon making their way upstream. Remus and Branwen were passing through the last car when a door slid open and the emerging student stumbled between them. Regulus Black wrinkled his nose, observing the two with obvious disgust. He had a shining new Slytherin prefect badge pinned to his robes. "Lupin. Potter."

"You!" Remus' cheerful countenance dissolved in an instant. He dropped Branwen's hand and shoved Regulus against the wall. "How dare you show your face! After what you did – how dare you even say her name!"

He leaned in until his scarred face was inches from Regulus' pale, smooth features. Then, he growled. Not a human imitation of the sound, but a true wolf's growl, reverberating from deep within his throat.

Branwen's eyes were wide as she watched the exchange. Despite witnessing his monthly transformation into a true beast, she had never realised how terrifying Remus could be in his human form. She was struck with the awe of his physical strength, knowing that he had to make a conscious effort to be gentle with her, that he chose to handle her with such tenderness when he could just as easily break her. It sent a jolt of excitement running through her body to realise that she was the centre of this protective power.

Still pinned to the wall by the older boy, Regulus' eyes darted around. Following his glance into the compartment behind him, Branwen saw Severus Snape, Crowley Mulciber, and Zaine Avery on the edge of their seats, hands on their wands. Gathering courage from his mates, Regulus sneered. "She's the one who should be ashamed to show her face – defiling the pure magic blood with scum like you." He spat on Remus' shoe.

Before Branwen could blink, Remus had drawn back his arm and sent his fist flying into Regulus' face. There was a sickening crunch of bone snapping and blood vessels bursting. Regulus crumpled to the ground.

The other Slytherins poured into the corridor, sending hexes flying everywhere. When Snape lifted Branwen in the air with the Levicorpus Jinx, Remus used Flipendo to send him flying backward.

As soon as Snape could stand, he shouted, "Sectumsempra!"

Branwen fell flat on her back, convulsing. Blood was seeping from hundreds of tiny laceration across her body. She whimpered softly.

"Branwen! Branwen!" Remus knelt by her side. His eyes flashed between her and the sniggering Slytherins at the end of the corridor. He lifted his wand. "Fix her!"

No one moved.

"Fix her!" Remus didn't need a verbal spell this time. With just a flick of his wand, the floor around Snape's feet burst into flames. His Housemates leaped back, shouting, while the fire licked at Severus' robes and snaked its way toward Regulus' still-unconscious body.

"V-vulnera S-sanentur," Snape stammered.

The bleeding stopped and the gashes closed themselves. Branwen's breathing became even once more, and Remus, unaware of anything else, grabbed her up, holding on to her tightly.

Mulciber stepped forward, wand pointed down at the pair. "You sicken me, you filthy –"

"ENOUGH!" Edgar Bones, the new Head Boy, had stormed into the car, wand in hand. "What in the name of Merlin's bloody balls is going on in here?"

No one answered, but Mulciber lowered his wand, while Remus continued clinging to Branwen's slowly reviving body.

Edgar blinked in surprise when he saw Regulus, face bloodied and bruised, slumped in the middle of the corridor.

"Rennervate!" Edgar ran over and applied the proper healing spells while the other students hung back. Regulus groaned and stumbled to his feet.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Edgar resumed shouting. "No less than four prefects involved in a brawl of this scale – and we've hardly left London! I should recommend you all for expulsion!"

Branwen gathered up her strength. She couldn't let Remus be expelled. She lifted herself from his arms and stood on trembling legs. "Edgar, please. It was all just a misunderstanding. I swear on Merlin's grave, it won't happen again. Just – just give us one more chance."

Edgar hesitated. As much as he relished his position as Heady Boy, he was, first and foremost, a Gryffindor. He knew that, in all likelihood, Regulus and the other Slytherins deserved whatever they got. He shook his head. "It's against my better judgement – but I'll look the other way. This time."

Branwen didn't take any chances that he might change his mind. Grabbing Remus' hand, she dragged him down the hall, into the front coach. Regulus, Avery (Slytherin's seventh year prefect), and Edgar followed close behind. Edgar took his place at the head of the compartment beside Head Girl, Electra Zabini.

Before they sat, Remus drew Branwen aside. "We can't let them get away with this," he hissed. "What if they try something like this again? They could have killed you!"

"I know," she whispered back. "Do you think I wanted to start my term by almost dying? But I'm tired of fighting. They know now that we're not to be trifled with. Let them be the ones afraid of us, not the other way around. And please – don't tell the others. I'll tell them, later. But right now I don't need James or Sirius ending up in Azkaban over this."

Remus sighed shook his head, then drew her in for a long, soft kiss. His hands unconsciously ran up and down her body, feeling for any remaining wounds. When he was satisfied, they joined the others.

Edgar and Electra were already halfway through their welcoming speech. Remus and Branwen sneaked in from the back and founds seats beside Lily and the new male Gryffindor prefect, Ravi Nandal. Ravi was a talented wizard, but Branwen didn't know him very well, as he spent most of his time in the Hogwarts choir.

Remus kept a tight grip on Branwen's hand, but his body began to relax as he stretched out his long legs. Punching Regulus and almost burning Snape had released a tightly wound cord of tension in himself he didn't realise he had been carrying around since the disastrous Malfoy wedding. Branwen gently pulled his hand into her lap, kissing his bruised knuckles and rubbing them softly with her thumb. Despite the glares they continued to receive from the Slytherins across the room, they did their best to focus on the new Head Boy and Head Girl.

They were halfway to Hogwarts when the prefects were released back into the rear cars to carry out their patrols. Though in reality, it was also an opportunity to greet friends that had been missed over the holiday.

As they were leaving the prefects carriage, Branwen kissed Remus and told him to go on without her. He waited until all the Slytherins had left the room, then left her with a cautious smile.

Branwen held back until she fell in step with Lily.

"Hi, Ev – I mean, Lily," she smiled.

"Hey, Bran. All right? I heard quite the commotion out there before the meeting started."

"Oh, yeah. That was nothing." she shrugged. "I just wanted to tell you....I didn't get a chance to say it properly when I saw you over the summer....but – I'm really sorry for the way I've treated you in the past. I never really gave you a chance after you started dating Remus. I think it's an understatement to say I was absolutely mad with jealousy. But you weren't doing anything wrong. You treated Remus well, and I'm grateful for that. I can't blame you for your good taste in men, after all."

Lily laughed. "Well, I'm sorry too. I wasn't exactly innocent either. I knew you were jealous, but I decided to be selfish and keep him anyway. It was stupid really; any fool can tell you two are meant for each other. And...." she glanced away, "I'm also sorry about the way I treated your brother. I judged him without really knowing him. He's not all bad, I suppose."

"Does that mean, you'll consider dating him?" Branwen grinned.

Lily rolled her eyes. "One step at a time, Bran. One step at a time."

The girls gave each other an awkward hug, then parted ways. Branwen's heart felt lighter after her conversation with Lily and she began searching for her other friends so they could all catch up on the summer gossip. She happened on all of them at once when she reached the third carriage. Alice, Emmeline, Charity, and Dorcas were all in one compartment, chatting excitedly and sharing pumpkin pasties, when Branwen threw open the door and exclaimed, "Hello ladies! Miss me?"

"Hey Bran!" "Bran!" "All right, Bran?" "Come sit down, Bran!"

They all greeted her with wide grins while Dorcas shifted to make room for her friend.

"Guess what!" Branwen couldn't wait until she reached seated to exclaim her news. "Remus and I are together now!"

The silence following Branwen's announcement stretched on until she began to worry. "Uh....guys....?"

Then the small room exploded in girlish giggles. Emmeline held out her hand and Dorcas handed her a few sickles. The exchange was repeated between Charity and Alice. Branwen watched in confusion. "Um, what's going on?"

Alice smiled. "Oh, we all placed bets on when you two would get together. Actually, I think most people in the school have something similar. There are going to be a lot galleons made and lost on this news."

"Don't worry, Bran," Charity placed a hand on her friend's arm, "we're still really excited for you. You two are going to be so happy together."

"Totally!" "Definitely!" "So excited!" The other girls chimed in.

"All right," Branwen waved away their enthusiasm, "enough about me. What did you girls do over the summer?"

They glanced amongst themselves, then Alice held out her hand. A glittering diamond set in a gold band shimmered on her finger. "Frank asked me to marry him."

Branwen gasped. "And you all let me go on about my bloody dating life! Alice, I'm so happy for you!" Then she frowned. "But – does this mean you're leaving Hogwarts? I know this is Frank's last year...."

"No, I'm going to stay," Alice assured her. "Frank's going to go into Auror training next year, and I'll stay at his mother's while I'm not in school. We just want to have as much time together as we can, you know.. Mrs. Longbottom thinks the war will be on our doorstep any day now."

Branwen shook her head, remembering the feeling of the blood trickling from her body only a few hours ago. "The war isn't on our steps," she said. "It has its foot in the door."



Branwen tried to put thoughts of the war out of her mind for the rest of the train ride, but as soon as they pulled into Hogsmeade Station, she knew there would be no forgetting.

On her first arrival at the school, Branwen, like all first years, took a boat from the train to the castle, so as to better view the awe-inspiring silhouette of the imposing building. Since then, though, she rode the carriages to the school with all the other students. The carriages were just that, slow moving vehicles that lumbered along under their own, presumably magic, power. At least, that's what she had always assumed.

But today, every carriage was hitched to four, skeletal horses. Each looked like the black remains of a long dead Pegasus, their bat-like wings folded gently against their sides. Despite their harrowing appearance, they stood calmly and patiently, occasionally flicking a bony tail or tossing an eyeless head.

"You – you see them too?" James had approached his sister. Sirius stood on his other side, eyes transfixed on scene before him.

"Um, guys?" Peter stared at them quizzically. "Are you okay?"

"The horses...." Sirius breathed, "why are there horses now?"

"Horses?" Remus placed a hand on Branwen's shoulder. "I don't see any horses."

"They're called Thestrals." Lily approached the five Marauders. She was clutching her bag to her chest, gazing at the carriages. "They can only be seen by those who have experienced death."

The unspoken question hung in the air: Who? Who did you watch die?

Lily said nothing though. She simply mounted the nearest carriage with Marlene, Mary, Alice, and Emmeline. The other girls were laughing and chattering, showing no signs of having seen the unusual equines.

Remus helped Branwen up into the next carriage, and the other boys followed suit. James, Sirius, and Branwen couldn't stop staring at the front of the vehicle.

"It's Alphard, isn't it?" Remus asked in a low tone.

The three of them nodded.

Remus leaned down to kiss Branwen on the top of her head. "It's going to be all right, love."

"They're actually sort of beautiful," she whispered.

"She's right," James added. "There's something almost....lovely about them."

Peter glanced up at their remaining friend. "You all right, Padfoot?"

Sirius had remained silent from the moment they had stepped from the train – perhaps his longest bout of silence ever. He shook his head, then turned to them with a grin, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. "So, what do you think they'll have for pudding?"



A silent understanding had passed between the Marauders. Thestrals or not, Alphard's death was in the past. They needed to focus on the year ahead.

Branwen threw herself into her prefect duties right away, screaming and shouting louder than any one for every new student sorted into Gryffindor. Lily joined her and soon the two girls were engaged in a friendly competition, each of them shooting red-and-gold sparks from their wands higher and higher until one of their explosions ricocheted and started a small fire at the professors' table.

After the Welcoming Feast and Dumbledore's usual start-of-the-term remarks ("Mr. Filch would like to remind all students that his broom cupboards are for storage of sanitation equipment and not for snogging), the students were dismissed to follow their prefects to their dorms. Branwen and Ravi, as Gryffindor's most junior prefects, mostly studied the older prefects in their element as they guided the first-years around the castle, instructing them on the nature of different passages and introducing them to some of the portraits.

She and Ravi herded along some of the young stragglers. "So, I heard you and Lupin are together now," he smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Branwen returned the smile.

"To be honest, though, I sort of thought you were together already."

Branwen chuckled. "I don't think you were the only one."

True to Alice's prediction, most of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw students had placed bets on whether Remus and Branwen were together, and if not, when it would happen. All around the school, knuts, sickles, and galleons were being surreptitiously handed under tables and exchanged in the halls. Sirius even claimed he saw McGonagall slip Dumbledore a handful of galleons one morning at breakfast.

At the same time that students were getting rich (or becoming broke), others were breaking out in a rash of hexes. Many of the Slytherins had taken to wondering why pretty, popular Branwen Potter had settled for dull, gawky Remus Lupin. Or, rather, how dull, gawky Remus Lupin had landed pretty, popular Branwen Potter. If they had the bad luck to say it within range of James, Sirius, or Peter, they usually ended up with a bad case of Bat-Bogeys.

Watching the couple as they studied in the library though, it was impossible to ignore their physical differences. Branwen's raven-black hair cascaded about her shoulders, partially held back by a red ribbon. Her complexion was impeccably tanned from her summer in the sun, perfectly complimenting her cobalt eyes. Beneath the table, her stockinged legs were crossed, accentuating their elegant curves.

Remus, conversely, had legs that seemed to have outgrown his body. He scratched his long nose with his quill, leaving behind a splotch of ink. The deep gashes and numerous scars that tore across his face had left him with a nearly feral appearance. His foot tapped the floor in a steady rhythm, but the laces on his shoes were frayed and the sole was beginning to separate from the uppers.

But the two had no concern for what others thought of their seemingly-incompatible appearances. To Branwen, Remus' calloused fingers were as soft as velvet when they played across her skin. His full, almost feminine, lips fit hers like a puzzle piece and always tasted like chocolate. He was the perfect height to place kisses on her head throughout the day and for her to nestle against the crook of his neck at night.

To Remus, Branwen's silky hair looked lovely, but felt even more wonderful twined around his fingers. He loved that her deep blue eyes would shut in ecstasy whenever they snogged. And no one who knew her posh, polished image would believe that she woke up every morning with saliva crusted in the corner of her lips.

What even Remus didn't know about his girlfriend though, was that her excitement for her fifth year was quickly turning into an intense fear that had nothing to do with Slytherins or Death Eaters.

Her Monday and Wednesday evenings were spent at Quidditch practise, which had become a gruelling work since James had become captain. Tuesdays and Thursdays she was expected in the hospital wing for her continued training. On Fridays, she went to the hospital wing for even more tutoring, before rushing to an additional Quidditch practise. That left weekends for her prefect duties – except for every other Saturday when their extra Defence Against the Dark Arts classes took place. The only way she could make time for homework was by waking up before the sun. She could barely catch her breath. But the fear of failure drove her on.

The full moon became a welcome reprieve for Branwen. As Feathers, she was able to soar through the chill night air, free from all worries and responsibilities. With his pack once more, the wolf injured Remus less and less, further relieving Branwen's worries. She sat up with him through his ever-shortening hospital stays, quickly trying to scribble out essays by candlelight. Often the morning would come to find her slumped over Remus' bed, the two of them passed out from exhaustion.