Albus Dumbledore was perusing a stack of CV forms that had come from the Ministry and the Daily Prophet by owl post only that very morning, and he paused to lower his glasses and rub his forehead, all of the text he'd been reading seeming to swim before his eyes. Dumbledore looked up at Fawkes, who coughed and let a stream of smoke escape his beak, before setting fire and turning to ash, falling into the dish below his perch. "Precisely how I feel, my ashen friend," he murmured, and he turned back to the work at hand.
An owl came in through the window and came to land on the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore shifted in his seat, reaching across to untie the envelope from the bird's leg, slipped a finger beneath the seal, and withdrew a hurried note with a small, hand drawn map. He read the note, and stared at the little map for several moments.
Albus Dumbledore knew the spot indicated on the map very well. It was a small hollow on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the forest from a good way into the woods behind the house in Godric's Hollow that he had once called home. Instinctively, Dumbledore's fingers moved to the knotted wand that lay beside the stack of CVs on the desktop and he drew a deep breath.
He had not been to that place since the day that he'd had his break-up with Grindelwald. It had been years - decades, even - but still, when Dumbledore closed his eyes he could see the place in his mind, and, worse, he could feel the ringing silence that had weighted down the air following the crack of Gellert's disapparation from that place...
Dumbledore folded the map and the note, dismissed the owl, and, walking over to the fireplace, he looked down at the ashen hatchling sitting in the bowl beneath Fawkes's perch. He took up a handful of floo powder and, as he threw it into the flames and watched them turn a magnificent green, he pondered the significance of the phoenix rising from ash as he went to make his return to that place.
Lily and James had pulled Remus to his feet, his arms stretched over their shoulders, and they braced him up, helping him to walk through the trees, wincing in pain with every step. James took on most of the taller boy's weight - though weight was hardly the word for Remus Lupin's narrow girth. Lily was more to steady them, and together they moved like a three headed monster through the trees, carefully. "Nearly there," James said.
Lily's tone was supportive, as though she were cheering on someone in some sort of competition, "You're doing such a good job, Remus, being so strong!"
"Just around this bend up here, I reckon," James said.
"You can do it, Remus, just hang on - just a little bit longer!" Lily chimed.
Remus groaned as he tripped on a root neither Lily nor James had noticed and James cursed and lifted Remus's frame up over it. "Sorry," James said.
They stepped through the trees to the camp and James stopped short. It was destroyed. The tents were shredded, the rocks they'd used to create the fire pit thrown asunder. "Bloody hell," James said, looking around, "What - what happened?"
Remus shook his head, "I didn't do this. We weren't here, we were no where near the camp when I transformed."
"Perhaps it was that man," Lily suggested, nervously.
"Man?" James looked at Lily, "What man?"
Remus nodded to one of the logs that they'd used as seats 'round the fire just the night before and James and Lily lowered him carefully upon it so he was sitting. Remus let out a breath of relief as the weight came off his hip and he looked to James. "I met a man this morning, just before you lot came."
"What sort of man?"
"Dunno, he - he was a bit mysterious. I don't know who he was, he didn't say even when I asked him. He - he seemed like he was a werewolf but... I don't know, at the same time, he didn't smell like a werewolf."
"You can smell when someone is a werewolf?" Lily asked.
"Oh yeah," James and Remus both said at once.
Remus added, "Very distinctly. I could smell it on Professor Veigler when he came. I didn't realize it at the time, as he was the first werewolf I'd encountered other than myself, but I know it now. Very recognizable smell."
James nodded, "Yeah. Very."
"Learn something new everyday," Lily said.
Remus continued with his story, "He had... teeth."
"Most people do," James commented.
"No, I mean on a rope, around his neck, and dreadlocks."
"Interesting fashion choices," James said.
Lily made a face, "Teeth? On a necklace?"
"I think they might've been... werewolf teeth." Remus put his hand on his chin, using his thump to show his lower tooth and said, "Grabbed me like this and inspected my teeth this morning when he found me in that clearing back there. I... I expect he might... take them from wolves, maybe while they're transforming back. Perhaps he... collects them."
James looked uneasy. "Bloke walks around the forest morning after full moons... collecting werewolf teeth for his necklace?" He glanced between Remus and Lily with a bit of a horrified expression.
Lily looked horrified. "He - he was going to take your teeth?" she asked.
Remus said, "I dunno that for certain, just that's what I thought of when I saw the... necklace."
"He sounds charming," James said.
Remus couldn't help himself - it was something about the tone of James's voice as he said the words... Remus laughed, shaking his head.
"JAMES! REMUS!" Suddenly Charlus Potter came running through the trees.
"DAD!" James leaped to his feet at the sight of his father. "Merlin's beard, am I glad to see you. How did you --"
"Peter Pettigrew," Charlus explained, "He showed up in our floo, said he'd heard Sirius was at Mungo's and that something had happened here at your camp. Asked me to send for Dumbledore, said Dumbledore or Mr. Scamander were the only two that could really help, and told me the way. Well, I sent an owl to Dumbledore, and I thought that even if I couldn't help much, I could help some and..."
"So Sirius is alright?" Remus asked hurriedly, his worry plain upon his face.
"I suppose alright enough if he's been able to get in touch with Peter," Charlus said, nodding. He paused, seeing Lily. "I thought you lot were on a date?" His eyes moved from James to Lily, "How did you get here?"
James glanced at Lily, then back to his father, "We were. But we were supposed to meet up with Remus and Sirius - at Diagon Alley. A sort of ... double date, I suppose, and... Well, when they didn't show up..."
"But all this way, from Diagon Alley, without apparating?" Charlus asked, confused.
"We flooed in to the Lion's Den," Lily replied.
"But through the woods?" Charlus looked over his shoulder as though he could actually see Godric's Hollow from where they were through the trees or something, which they most definitely could not. "It's got to be several kilometers from the village... Even if you'd set out when I saw you last at home --"
James stammered, "I-- we--"
Lily said, "Broomstick."
"Yeah, Dad, we flew, but Remus isn't in any condition to fly," James pointed out, taking up Lily's quick thought.
Charlus nodded, "Oh right, yes, that makes sense."
As Charlus knelt before Remus to inspect the injuries, James looked at Lily and mouthed good thinking Evans. Lily nodded.
"Whatever happened?" Charlus asked, seeing the scrapes, bruises, and wounds all over Remus.
"There was... wild dogs," Remus said, unable to think of anything smarter to say.
Charlus looked surprised. "Wild dog? Did all this?" He looked around the campsite.
"Yes," Remus said lamely. "Rather large."
"Why didn't Sirius just apparate you out of here? Both of you?" he added.
"Dad," James said, "Remus is sort of in pain and all, maybe we could take him to Mungo's too and pepper him with questions later?"
"Oh right, yes, of course..." Charlus paused, "But -- why was Dumbledore needed?"
"Er --" Remus shrugged, "Because Sirius is a mad man."
"Obviously," chuckled James.
Charlus looked upset. "It's one thing if he truly needed help to that extent, but to bother Dumbledore when he may have been busy--"
"-- is perfectly acceptable," came a voice through the trees. Dumbledore stepped over the log into the clearing and they all looked to see him, his magenta robes standing out quite bright against the backdrop of the trees and brush, "Especially if he is busy." Dumbledore smiled. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Professor," Charlus said hurriedly.
Dumbledore didn't seem put off by Charlus calling him professor rather than headmaster - this habit, he recognized, was one that even Minerva McGonagall found hard-pressed to break. "Mr. Potter, if you wouldn't mind taking Miss. Evans and your son, I will assist Mr. Lupin along to St. Mungo's to seek treatment. Mr. Black is already here and was asking for you, as I understand it."
Charlus nodded and held out his hands for Lily and James.
Lily, who was sitting next to Remus on the log, looked worried, as though she didn't dare to let him out of her sights, "But Remus --"
"Will be perfectly safe with me," Dumbledore finished.
Lily ceded and stood up, following James over to his father. Charlus took James's wrist then turned to Lily and, clearing his throat, said, "It is very lovely to meet you again, Miss Evans."
Lily, still worried about Remus and Sirius, had only the smallest of smiles to spare. "And you, too, Mr. Potter."
"I suppose we'll do it properly later, though," he commented, and he winked at James, who rolled his eyes, and the three of them disapparated.
Silence fell over the little clearing, Dumbledore and Remus there alone amongst the trees now. Dumbledore stared at Remus, waiting.
"There were werewolves, sir," Remus aid. "Others besides myself."
Dumbledore nodded slowly.
"I don't remember much besides that they hurt me and they hurt Sirius and there was a good deal of blood and a funny man here this morning and --"
"A funny man?" Dumbledore questioned.
Remus explained for the third time about the man in the striped trousers with the tooth necklace and the bloody chin.
"And where did he go?" Dumbledore asked.
"He disapparated," Remus replied. "I suppose he heard James and Lily coming and he left."
"And how did James and Lily get to you so quickly?" Dumbledore questioned.
"Broom," Remus said, feeling guilty for lying.
Dumbledore studied him a long moment, and hummed, musing. He walked over and bent to look at the wound on Remus's shoulder and let out a low tssk-tssk sound between his teeth, shaking his head, "Nasty scratch you've got there, Mr. Lupin, it seems you were quite lucky though, by what you've described. Few werewolves will relent, especially toward one of their own."
Remus said, "Yeah."
Dumbledore looked around the clearing wistfully a moment, then, "Do you and the other Marauders frequent this place?" he looked at Remus.
"Yeah," Remus replied, "We come here to camp a lot."
Dumbledore mused, nodding. "You know, I once lived in the house just beyond these trees."
Remus nodded, "James told us."
"I never once heard of wolves in this forest," he mused.
Remus replied, "We'd never heard of them out here either, sir. Until last night."
Dumbledore nodded, "Most interesting." Then, "It's most comforting to hear that this place has known laughter since the old days."
"Sir?" Remus asked.
"It's just that my friend and I used to camp here once upon a time, too," Dumbledore stared wistfully out over the cliff at the view of the world from there. He looked around. Somewhere, high up on one of these growing trees, was scratched the sign of the Deathly Hallows, and the initials A.D. and G.G., and he wondered if the bark had grown over the spot yet, or if it was as indelible as the memories.
Remus said, "It's a good camping place. Or it was... I reckon we won't anymore. Because of the wolves."
Dumbledore nodded, and he turned back to Remus, walking swiftly across the space that separated him, and he stuck out his hand. "I suppose we ought to go - the healers won't be able to do much for your wounds, as they were inflicted by werewolves, but I do believe this is a very nervous young man there whose worries will be eased considerably once he's seen you are alive and well."
Remus nodded, "I'd be rather put at ease myself for seeing him, too, sir."
Dumbledore took hold of Remus's arm and with a loud crack, they were gone.
Silence filled the camp site again, all was still. A slight breeze moved through the trees, swishing the leaves and the torn canvas of the tents. Then a crack of a branch beneath a boot, and from the trees came the dark and narrow form of the man with the striped trousers, who moved through the clearing, eyes scanning the tents and the little fire pit, the log where Remus had just been sitting, and looking over the cliff the direction that Albus Dumbledore had. He stood, silent and still for a long moment.
"Garm," a second man came out of the trees, a comically short, heavy set man with straw colored hair came up behind him.
The man turned. "Frek?"
"No sign of 'em anywheres," the shorter man, Frek, said. "I looked 'bout ten kilometers every direction. Must've been wizzids, the lot of 'em." He walked with a limp, he had one gold tooth that hung over his lip in the right side - long and canine, despite being a man. "Reckon they disapparated after they was done with transformin'."
"Cowards," muttered Garm. He turned and the teeth on the necklace at his chest clicked against one another.
"We'll get 'em next cycle," Frek said, his voice encouraging. "We was so close this time, wasn't we, Garm?"
But Garm didn't reply, he simply walked off through the trees, Frek following after, scrambling to climb over the logs that bordered the camp.