Remus was still asleep as the next day's afternoon sun brightened the sky. The cut on his head was almost healed now, but Diana still wasn't over the shock of the previous night.
She had woken up in the middle of the night, seeing that Remus was missing from his bed. And then, not an hour later, he had burst into the house with blood running down his forehead. And yet the strangest part was that his parents seemed to have been expecting such a thing to happen. They had been way too prepared.
Diana recalled Hope's words from last night, when she had found her baking in the kitchen in the middle of the night:
'It's a habit of mine. I always bake in the middle of the night whenever I can't fall asleep or when I'm stressed.'
And then when Diana had asked her why she was stressed, Hope had deliberately ignored her and left her question unanswered.
No word was spoken during lunch time at the Lupins' household, even though Remus was awake by then and was sitting with them at the dining table in the kitchen. He just quietly ate his food. Lyall was at the Ministry, so it was just the three of them today.
"I think I'm gonna go take some rest," Remus mumbled weakly, standing to his feet. He began to pick up his plate, but Hope stopped.
"No, no, it's okay. Leave it. I'll clean up the table myself," said Hope, standing to her feet. "You and Diana go upstairs. Neither of you got any sleep last night."
"No, it's no trouble, I want to help —" Diana was trying to say, but Hope cut her off.
"Nonsense! Off you go, you two. Go on." Hope smiled, shooing them out of the kitchen with a gesture of her hands.
Remus, however, looked oddly uncomfortable with this arrangement as Diana followed him upstairs. He seemed to be in a rush to just get in bed and avoid a conversation with her. But Diana couldn't possibly forget about what happened last night.
To her surprise, however, the moment they stepped into Remus's bedroom, he closed the door behind them and brought up the conversation himself.
"Listen," Remus began, his voice low and quiet, "I know you're dying to ask me about last night, and I know I've worried you — so for that I owe you two apologies. Firstly, for worrying you. And second, for not being able to tell you about what happened."
Diana stared at him blankly for a few moments.
"No."
Remus frowned in confusion. "What do you mean no?"
"I mean apology not accepted." Diana crossed her arms angrily. "Whatever it is, Remus, I am going to help you with it. If someone's after you and is trying to kill you, I'm gonna be there whether you like it or not. If you have a dark secret, then big deal. I've been raised to be an incredibly prejudiced person and yet I don't give a damn if you're a werewolf. Your secret now cannot be possibly worse than that. I mean — you're not a vampire too, are you?"
"You don't understand." Remus shook his head. "This secret isn't even about me. It's not my secret to tell. But it's dangerous. Very dangerous. And I can't risk getting you involved."
"I'm not afraid of being involved in anything," Diana said stubbornly. "Remus, you'd been badly injured last night. I know a curse when I see one. You've been in a duel. Only a dark witch or wizard could've done that. So please just tell me. Let me help you."
"I can't," he whispered, looking away from her.
"Do your parents know?"
"Not entirely. Just briefly."
"Well, then tell me that brief part. Please trust me enough to help you. I want to be there for you."
"Diana, it's too dangerous —"
"How!?"
"It's about You-Know-Who!" Remus burst out the words. "Okay? Now that you understand what we're up against, could you please let it go?"
Diana fell silent, a chill rushing down her body. She looked away, her mind racing. Remus felt himself calm down, thinking this was the end of it.
But as soon as she looked back up at him and met his eyes, he knew just how wrong he'd been.
"We?" Diana said.
"What?"
"You said 'we'. It means you're not the only one dealing with the Dark Lord. There must be an alliance."
Remus blinked a few times in horror. "I — no — wha —"
"I want to be part of it, Remus," Diana said firmly. She'd never been more sure of anything. "I want to help."
Remus gulped, looking away. "I'm not the one calling the shots. But I'll give you an answer tomorrow. Good enough?"
Diana nodded. "Good enough.
***
The next morning dawned with a soft glow, promising a day of possibilities. Remus, unable to contain his anxiety, woke Diana with a gentle nudge. "Come on, Diana. I want to show you something."
Diana woke up with a start, blinking a few times to grab back her consciousness. "What's going on?"
"I spoke with — them," said Remus, careful not to say any names. "He agreed, but only under what condition."
"What condition — wait, when did you even talk to these people?"
"Late last night. You were sleeping. I just came back."
Secret meeting. Secret members. Secret missions.
All she knew was that it was against the Dark Lord, and that she wanted in no matter what the condition was.
"Well? What is the condition?" Diana asked again.
"Get dressed, and we'll head to the woods."
And that was the end of it.
Curiosity overcoming her sleepiness, Diana dressed quickly, and the pair made their way to the dense woods near the small Lupin house. The ancient trees stood tall and mysterious, their branches creating a natural canopy. Remus led Diana deeper into the forest until they found a secluded clearing.
He came to a stop, turning to face Diana. "Okay... take out your wand."
Diana gulped anxiously, but did as she was asked. "What now?"
"I want to teach you how to cast a Patronus. And if you succeed," said Remus, "you can join the Order tonight."