SCREAM | ginny w.

SCREAM | two

They landed in what appeared to be an empty clearing, though it didn't take much thought for Vera to assume that their destination was protected by the Fidelius Charm. Her suspicions were confirmed when Dumbledore gave her the address on a slip of paper. Just as she concentrated on the address, the cottage that had been in the center of the clearing the whole time, gravel path and all, entered her vision.

Dumbledore gestured for her to follow the path. Flowers dappled the garden, the vines that crawled up the side of the house, the charmingly overgrown attempt at landscaping in the front. They were all in bloom in the bright sunshine and pleasant heat of August. Or at the very least, Vera thought the heat was pleasant. She had spent a summer in Egypt to track down a man who had wronged Albert personally years before. Her perception of heat had never been the same since then. She paused tentatively at the door. She did not want to approach this man as she would a target, but she couldn't help but feel the itching need to put her facade up instantly.

She knocked when Dumbledore nodded and gave her permission to do so. A faint 'coming' came from inside the door and moments later, a middle-aged man, smiling kindly despite the scars stretched over his face, opened the door.

"Oh, hello," the man said. "Come in, come in, I've just put the kettle on." He beckoned them in. The inside of the cottage was a stark difference from the outside. It was very clean and tidy, though the furnishings were outdated. Six months ago, Vera would have stepped into this room and made a judgement of the personality of the man in front of her. What his weaknesses were, what he craved, what his pressure points were, why he had become a target in the first place. It was difficult not to do that now.

She spotted chocolate frog wrappers in the bin- a lot. He had a dependency on the sweet and used it in comfort. He didn't prefer to be alone- the pictures up on the mantle proved that- rather had been forced to because of outside circumstances. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly anxious. He had just cleaned, but it was obvious that it was never messy- he cleaned as a distraction rather than a necessity. He had fresh cuts on his face along with scars that were decades old, he clearly wasn't embarrassed by them anymore.

She stopped herself before she could analyze him any further. Silently, she accepted the cup of tea from him and sat at the kitchen table.

"Thank you for coming back on such a short notice, Remus, I know it cannot have been easy to leave," Dumbledore said, though his words were chosen with caution as to not give away anything about what Remus had been doing.

"No, it was not, but I was glad to leave all the same. I can give you all the details later," Remus smiled politely at Dumbledore and Vera took to pinching the back of her hand rather than analyzing his speech patterns. She was a guest, not an assassin.

"Thank you for volunteering yourself all the same," Dumbledore said, still cheerful. "On both accounts."

"It was my pleasure," Remus replied. His smile did not drop a millimeter, but Vera recognized a mask when she saw one.

"Vera, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Vera Smirnova," Dumbledore introduced them. Remus stuck out his hand. Vera shook it tentatively. "Vera, Remus used to be a Professor at Hogwarts before he resigned. I suppose you could still say that he works for me, though it is more like he is cashing in a favor for an old friend every now and then. He has offered to take you in until term starts."

"Hello, Vera," Remus said. He had a very calming nature to him, though Vera could tell that he had once had a wild side to him, though it had been lost, to time, to a person, it was hard to say.

"Hello," Vera said in reply. As much as she hated it, she was quite a quiet person- all thanks to the years growing up that she had been taught that silence was not a virtue, but a necessity. Words had become her rebellion and out of respect for this man, she did not want to use her only (except for the knife she had stashed in her boot) weapon.

"I knew your parents through a friend of mine who was also an auror. I was very sad to hear that they had died," Remus continued, very clearly trying to be sensitive. Vera bit the back of her tongue very hard before she responded.

"I cannot remember them anymore," Vera replied. This was true. The memories she had of her parents were vague and thanks to her captors, associated with nothing but pain. "Though I have heard about their greatness from many people."

It was clear that Remus did not know how to handle what she had said, though he kept on very well. "I am also very sorry for what happened to you, but I will not make you speak of it. You did not come here for sympathy and so I will not give you mine unless you want it."

"Thank you," Vera said shortly. "I came here because I do not know how to live anymore and if I am to go to Hogwarts, I will have to live seamlessly."

There was a pause. Vera bowed her head in shame. "My apologies- I speak like my life is an assignment. It must be uncomfortable to hear."

"There is no need to apologize, the healing process takes time, Vera," Dumbledore said, still cheery, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yes, I am just afraid that this is not the normal you are looking for," Remus said, his smile bitter now. "It is better for me to tell you sooner rather than later, I suppose, if you decide you truly want to live here. I am a werewolf, I was bitten as a small child, it is the only life I have ever known. I cannot assure you that I am not dangerous, but I do take a potion to control myself. There is also a room in the basement that I lock myself in when I transform."

"It is no matter to me," Vera said. "I have known a werewolf for many years now. He was dangerous, not because he was a werewolf, but because we all were. That is my warning to you. I am not a child anymore. I will never be a child again. I am a pawn for a chessboard that has been thrown away, a pawn who played far too many games."

"Then I think we can understand each other," Remus said, smiling tightly. Vera's lips twitched in return. "You are more than welcome to stay, Vera. And I will do my best to help you adjust."

"Thank you," Vera said. "This is no small kindness, and it has been a very long time since someone has done something like this for me."

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together. "Now, on the second matter of business. Vera, I trust you can keep a secret?" Very smiled wryly.

"With my life."

"Then I have no qualms informing you of what it is Remus does for me. I assume you know who Lord Voldemort is?" Dumbledore continued. Vera nodded.

"Yes, I have heard. They were whispers in Germany, but I know the whispers are reality here," Vera stared unblinking into Dumbledore's eyes.

"I have created a team of people in opposition to Lord Voldemort called the Order of the Phoenix. Remus is a part of this, meaning that this home is under extra security measures as well as that occasionally, I ask Remus to do something for me. When that time comes, I have told a family also in the Order that Remus has a ward who might need a place to stay when he is busy," Dumbledore said. "Hopefully it will not be often, but I have been using Remus to try and reach the communities of werewolves. So if may be more often than perhaps I would wish for you."

"This is fine," Vera said shortly.

"Then we have reached an agreement," Dumbledore says cheerfully. "The next time Remus must leave, he can escort you to the Weasley's before his mission. I hope you find your stay with both them and Remus pleasant. Goodbye, Miss Smirnova."

He waved at the two of them and strolled out the door, humming to himself as his did so. It shut behind him as he flicked his hand. And for whatever reason, Vera couldn't help but feel as though she had just been sent on yet another mission.

a/n: yo second chapter! for those of you who are reading both this and dursley, I'm going to go write that chapter RIGHT NOW. trying to find a good meme for the end. anyways she met remus huzzah bad bleepity-ness coming soon.

hope you enjoyed, my lovelies.