Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 34

Happy reading :)

Auriga had woken early the next morning and left for work before either of the others were up, careful not to wake Sirius where he lay sleep on the sitting room sofa. Now she returned, and could smell pastry wafting through the open window. Lupin answered the door with a smile, as he had the day before. For once, Auriga returned it. His eyes showed surprise.

And to make another change, Auriga had dinner with them that night, sitting next to Sirius and opposite Lupin. "It's really nice," she said. Sirius attempted to exchange a look with Lupin, but couldn't catch his eye.

"Thank you, Auriga," said Lupin, presenting his gentle smile once more.

"I've been thinking," she said, placing her knife and fork down, "You two spend all day here, and you're letting me live here. And...well...I've got a job. How about I buy the food from now on?"

"You don't need to do that," said Lupin.

"I want to," she insisted. "It's the least I can do. And I was promoted yesterday, so it's not like income's a problem."

"Congratulations!" said Sirius with a grin. Lupin cleared his throat. "I'm just going to the loo," said Sirius, excusing himself.

"Subtle," Auriga murmured once Sirius was gone. She referred to the blatantly obvious signal Lupin had given.

Lupin sighed. "I've been wanting to talk to you too." Auriga took a sip of tea. "Why do you hate me?" Auriga regretted taking the sip of tea, as she almost choked on it.

"I don't hate you," said Auriga, wondering where he'd got that idea from.

"You hate werewolves," said Lupin, "And I'm a werewolf. At the very least, my existence repulses you." He spoke very calmly, very casually, but she could tell it had been bothering him. She was a Malfoy after all, and had been trained from a young age on how to read people.

"It certainly used to," she admitted. "But I suppose I've got used to it by now." The look in his eyes was the most defeated, the most disappointed she'd ever seen. It suddenly occurred to Auriga that she disappointed him on almost every occasion she'd seen him. "I was brought up to believe that beasts- no, people - like you were evil and lacked control. My mother always told me to be wary around werewolves in case they remembered my scent and hunted me down."

"But if we lose control...lose our minds," said Lupin slowly, "We would also lose the memory of your scent."

The thought had never occurred to Auriga, as it had never occurred to her to question her parents. "OK," she said, nodding her head in understanding. "I was also taught that werewolves couldn't get jobs, so had to steal to make money."

"Then that surely depends on the individual at hand," Lupin said, his brows knitting. "I for one, would never steal, no matter my circumstances."

"But I was taught to be wary," said Auriga, "To be prepared."

"You're living in my house," Lupin pointed out. Auriga was stumped there.

"Like I said," she said, eating her last bite of pie. "I don't hate you."

Lupin looked at her, still frowning in thought. "Does the same apply to muggle-borns?" he asked. "Other so-called 'half-breeds'?"

Auriga shook her head. "I never viewed them as mon-" she stopped herself, looking at Lupin for his reaction.

"You can say it," said Lupin, sitting back. "It's true."

"It's not," Auriga said quietly, unable to stop the words from leaving her mouth. "But I did used to think so." They looked at each other, somewhat intently. "I always saw myself above mud-" She had to stop herself again. "Muggle-borns. Because I saw them as less fortunate. My blood was of the most magical purity; sacred, so-to-speak. Theirs was not. I was always told that that made me better at magic, and therefore gave me more value."

"And now?" asked Lupin, draining his tea.

Auriga thought for a moment. "Now I can see that a person's value is not dependent on magical ability." Thomas after all, was a far better person than she was. And he was a muggle-born.

*****

It was a Saturday, and Auriga was sat on the sofa in the living room, reading through a book on Ancient Egyptian charmwork she'd found the last time she went to Flourish and Blotts. She'd been at Lupin's for about three weeks now, and had decided to spend her weekend completely away from work for once, as she knew that her Monday was going to be a busy one. After all, she had three interviews for a new assistant that day, and a meeting with the Minister and his team about how they were going to run the next article regarding the running of Hogwarts. She hadn't actually heard from Dumbledore about that yet. She wondered what he wanted her to do...

Not a moment after this thought had popped into her head, Arthur Weasley's head appeared in the crackling fireplace. Auriga jumped a little and slammed her book closed, before placing it gently on the stained coffee table. "Good afternoon, Weasley," she said, kneeling down gracefully before the fire.

"Malfoy," said Weasley, his jaw clenched. "Is Remus there?" he asked. "Or Sirius?"

"They're asleep," said Auriga. Weasley didn't look convinced. "It was the full moon last night." They hadn't come in until about half five this morning.

Weasley frowned. "I'll call back later."

"I can take a message," said Auriga quickly. Weasley looked surprised.

"Oh," he said, "Yes, well, I suppose you could..." Auriga waited expectantly. "Dumbledore says the Order headquarters will be ready by tonight."

"Oh, good," said Auriga, "Where are they?"

"He hasn't told you?" asked Weasley. Auriga shook her head. "Oh, well I can't actually tell you. Very skilled wizard, Dumbledore - he's found a charm that will protect secrets."

"The fidellius charm," guessed Auriga. "I've read about it. Do you think he could write it down for me?"

"I'm afraid not," said Weasley. "But I'm sure Remus and Sirius will know."

"That's not how it-" Auriga began, but he was already gone. "-works," she finished, somewhat lamely. "Goodbye to you too."