The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Charkorais Song

James nodded, "We find dead useful at times."

"The things I would've done with something like that 'round about Hogwarts..." Bilius shook his head.

Sirius grinned, "Please, do go on so we can take notes."

Bilius shook his head, "I reckon you don't need to be taking any notes from me. I hear you lot get up to quite a bit of shenanigans yourselves without my help."

"We've done some," admitted Sirius, with a twinkle to his eyes.

"Everyone needs a bit of a laugh," Bilius said. "I reckon your services are most appreciated."

They talked a bit more, and then James said that they needed to get back to the waiting room before Dora missed them, and Sirius agreed. Bilius gave them both a quick hug, his face solemn. "Thank you," he said thickly, "I will never be able to thank the pair of you enough. You lot are positively incredible, saving me from that there."

"Just remember to lie low a bit," said Sirius.

"I'll go to Arthur's."

"Good luck," Sirius answered.

Bilius waved goodbye and he disapparated from the spot.

Sirius and James returned to the waiting room quickly - and it was a good thing they had at that very moment for it turned out Dora had come down from seeing Charlus to collect them and was in the midst of throwing an absolute fit trying to find them. They told her they'd been off to the loo - "we went together so you wouldn't worry one of us had been alone," explained James to calm her down - and all was forgiven... reluctantly... and they all went upstairs to visit with Charlus together.

It was Tina Scamander that stopped the boggart for Remus. She stepped into the little room and, under the watching eyes of Newt and Ned through the double glass, she stood before the convulsing boy, and with a crack the boggart changed, the clouds gathering up, covering the savage moonlight, swirling from clouds to form a man... a young man with Newt's features, and he was on fire - dragon fire. Tina waved her wand quickly. "Riddikulus!" she cried out and suddenly the man tumbled through ages until he was a boy and it wasn't dragon fire, but tickling fingers... and he was laughing... and she laughed... and she waved her wand and the boggart shrank into the matchbox that lay upon the floor, exactly where Veigler had dropped it.

The matchbox seemed to hop and flip with the anger of the boggart, and the Charkorais chicks were singing in high chorus... Remus lay on the mattress, his face buried in pillow, crying, his skin bruised and raw from him scratching with human fingers at his own flesh. Tina sat beside him and gently touched his shoulder and he flinched and she withdrew it quickly. "Bring the aconite," she said, glancing at the wall she knew was the two sided mirror, "And aloe cream. Quickly."

A moment later Ned Veigler came in carrying a bag of aconite leaves and a vial of aloe cream and as Tina put the cream over the raw parts of Remus's arms gently, Veigler knelt down and slid one of the leaves into the boy's mouth. "Here we are," he said, "This will make it better." He smiled fondly at Remus, and Rey shook as he chewed the leaves, the aloe cold and wonderful on his skin.

"I - I'm sorry," he choked the words when he could, looking up at Veigler with wide, sad eyes.

"Whatever for?" Veigler asked.

"Fai - failing."

"You didn't fail," Veigler whispered.

"I d - d - did beca - cause you l - lot had to s - save me from the - the boggart... Wh - what about th - the birds --?"

"Listen boy... listen... what do you hear?" Veigler stared into Remus's eyes imploringly.

Remus listened... the birds were still singing and he smiied weakly. "S - singing."

"That's right. They're singing for you," Veigler said and he carefully patted Remus's shoulder, "You did very well. It should hold them over until the full moon this weekend. For now, we need to strengthen you back up."

Remus said, "I am t - tired."

Veigler looked up, "Tina, perhaps a sleeping draught?"

She closed the aloe and nodded, "I was just thinking the same thing." So she rushed out of the room.

"Is he okay?" Newt asked as Tina came out of the little room, concern upon his pale face.

"He's tuckered out, poor boy."

Newt nodded. "Strange how different, yet how like his father he is."

Tina looked at Newt with questioning eyes.

"It's just that Lyall would - uh - would have done this same thing for - for someone he loved as well... Lyall knew how to - to love." Newt looked at the double sided glass at Remus laying on the mattress, talking to Veigler, then he turned back to Tina. "Dumbledore told me that Lyall broke the boy's heart. That's so - so unlike Lyall. If Hope had been, uh, alive... her death, it must have changed him greatly."

Tina asked, "Deaths do that."

Newt stared into the little room. "Yes..." he mused. "Yes I suppose..." he rubbed his chin gently.

Tina said, "You don't seem ready to give it up yet."

"No there's more to it," he said. "I could feel a lingering." Newt chuckled, "Lupin and his, uh, his mysterious beings and - and spirits... the man always dabbled in... in the supernatural. That's how we, uh, ended up working together, you know. My fantastic beasts and his fantastic spirits, the Ministry, they, uh, they believed there were some that went - hand in hand... like the boggarts and the like... and boggarts, they'd multiplied greatly because of Grindelwald."

Tina nodded, "I remember."

Newt looked 'round at her, "It would be so like Lupin to, uh, to leave a message with whatever bit of spirit he had left after losing Hope."

"Well," Tina whispered, "We shall have to investigate."

In the little room, Remus shivered still as Veigler promised sleep was on it's way and the fear and pains started fading from Remus's skin. Near transformations were just as painful as the full thing, thought Remus. This is the pain the wolfish mind saves me from, he thought, and for the first time ever he was glad that he lost himself in the transformations... Glad to be rendered mindless...

The word mindless was what reminded him, and even as he shivered, he looked up at Veigler. "James... James saw a... an inferius," he said.

Veigler looked surprised by the change of topic, "What?" Then, realizing what Remus said, he asked, "Where?"

"C - cave, by - by his girlfr-friend's house," Remus stammered. "It n - nearly drowned him... He... didn't... know how t - to ... to defend against .. them?"

Veigler's eyes were worried, "Fire," he answered. "Inferi fear fire. They fear light. They're dark beings. Dead, cold, raised up from their slumber - angry beings, and they're driven by dark magic. They want the darkness. So the light and warmth of the fire frightens them and destroys the bond of the magic."

"Fire," whispered Remus.

Veigler nodded. "But you must never seek an inferi out," he added.

"W - wouldn't but, but I wanted to know in case... James he has... nightmares... of - of the in - inferi and I thought... if he knew... could... could use the... fire.. In his... dream, too."

"Very wise," said Veigler. And once again, thinking of someone else. This boy is incredible.

Tina came then, carrying a vial of the sleeping draught and she came up beside Veigler who took hold of it and pulled the stopper. "Remus... are you ready for sleep?"

Remus nodded and opened his mouth so the draught could be poured in.