Marauders - Always - Part One

You Can't Win if You Don't Run

Remus was waiting at the bus stop outside of the muggle college, sitting on the bench and looking down into his briefcase, trying to think of some spell that might enchant the paper for Spencer, when he felt as though he was being stared at.

His eyes scanned the area around him, but everyone seemed to be on about their own business. He closed up his briefcase and his hand moved discreetly to the pocket his wand was stowed in as he looked at the details of the people around him on the crowded London street. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder and he jumped - for there was no hand there - and muttered, "Who's that?" under his breath, knowing someone was invisible.

Please let it just be Sirius larking about with James's cloak, Remus thought.

But then he smelled the lemon drops just before Dumbledore spoke. "Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore's voice was low, and from directly over his shoulder, "Hop up and come with me. I need to speak with you immediately."

Remus got up, wincing as his knees took on the weight of him and said, "Sir, how am I supposed to follow you, I can't see you?" He hoped nobody was paying much attention to him - they'd think him mental, talking to himself on the street corner like this. He could only imagine what Lula would think, and he flushed.

Dumbledore's hand came upon his shoulder again, squeezed to hold on, and  directed Remus along. They ended up in an empty courtyard beside the school. The wall had been painted with a mural that Remus remembered Spencer and Lula talking about when he'd first come to the classes. Benches dotted the grass and trees for shade that were just empty stark branches cutting across grey skies. The benches were empty, the courtyard too miserably cold this time of year to have many people in it, and Dumbledore came to a stop in front of a colorful charcticture of the Queen.

When the headmaster came into view, it was without having removed any sort of cloak and Remus looked stunned. "How'd you do that? Go invisible without a cloak?"

"When you've been around as long as I have, Mr. Lupin, you learn many tricks." Dumbledore smiled. "How long has Mr. Potter had his cloak, by the by?"

"I think it was his father's," Remus replied.

"Interesting," Dumbledore mused. "And do you happen to know where Charlus might have come upon such a unique object?"

"No clue," Remus answered.

"Is it charmed or --"

"Sir... I know you didn't come to talk to me about James's invisibility cloak," Remus said.

Dumbledore chuckled, then shook his head, "No my dear boy, you are right. I did not." He paused. "Do you recall just a couple months ago when we talked about the possibility of you taking on a mission to the werewolves?"

Remus shifted his weight. Did he remember? How could he have forgotten? It had pounded through his head like the most obnoxious parade known to man ever since Dumbledore had suggested it, racketing about his brain like a drum beat. He couldn't let it drop from his thoughts for even a moment. He only nodded simply, though, "Yes."

Dumbledore's hand squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "That time has come, Remus, and it is, I am afraid, of the essence. The Order needs you now more than ever in order to obtain inside information to the plans which Voldemort is enacting through the werewolf pack - and Blackburn will be our key in. I have obtined information from a credible source that details the location of the werewolf pack - and confirmed that Fenrir Greyback is staying with the families in Blackburn at the time being. For how long, we do not know, and as the Ministry inches ever nearer to discovering the location of the pack house there in their search for Greyback and the wolves whose bitings have been in the recent news, we may very well lose an opportunity to make our move should they succeed in locating it."