Chapter Text
Location unknown, 1993
I've been here before, haven't I? The trees, the smell of grass and the moon shining through the clouds...The ambiance may seem peaceful, but I have been here before so I know it is not. Is this a dream or is it a memory? The moon is full tonight. Why am I still normal? Why haven't I changed?
Wait, tonight is not a full moon. The full moon is one more night away. A strong aura surrounds me and I remember now. Between the trees I was told to forget and not to follow, to stay here and keep those who were left safe. I promised that and I failed keeping that promise. There was no one left for me to protect. This was the last place where I had seen her. What if I were to look at that specific spot. The spot where she had appeared and where the moonlight had gently stroked her hair? Could I have made her stay? Would she have stayed with me?
Remus opened his eyes and felt beads of sweat rolling down his back. He was panting and rested his head in his hands. Normally he felt this way after the full moon, but tonight wasn't such a night and this hadn't been a dream. It was a memory, a very old memory. Remus's eyes moved over to the bedside table. On it was yesterday's Daily Prophet. The man on the cover had a wicked grin and his hair was all tangled. The entire demeanour of the man sent chills down your spine.
Sirius, my old friend.
Remus picked up the newspaper and stared intensely at the moving picture. A man he had once considered to be his friend. A man of whom he had never thought would turn to the dark side. A man who had betrayed them all. Remus tossed the paper aside and moved towards his bedroom window. The light of the moon greeted him and a shiver ran through his body. No matter what day it was, even the slightest glimpse of the moon made him afraid. He turned away from the window and stepped over the Daily Prophet. James dead, Lily dead, Peter dead and now the man who had a hand in this matter was roaming free through the streets of England.
Where had it all gone wrong?
It had been more than twelve years since Sirius had betrayed his best friends in the world. Remus still couldn't understand why. He felt alone, ever so alone. There was no shoulder for him to cry on after hearing the news that his friends had died and that the traitor was none other than Sirius Black. A man he once called his friend. So many questions were left unanswered. Remus at that time knew of only one person he could have turned to, but this person had run off like a scared pup.
Though she had had the decency to come and say goodbye to him, his questions had remained unanswered. Oh, how he had wanted to go with her. After all they were the only ones left. But she had refused him, tossed him aside and he was left to pick up the pieces himself. Remus felt miserable, betrayed and now that Sirius had broken free of Azkaban she had begun to haunt him in his dreams once again.
Remus grabbed hold of the letter he had received earlier this day. It was a letter from Hogwarts, signed by Albus Dumbledore himself, with the request to take on the position of the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. He wasn't sure how to respond. Should he decline the offer? He needed it very much and getting a job as a werewolf wasn't easy, if not impossible these days. But to go back to Hogwarts where his happy memories were and now also the remembrance of that which was no more…Remus felt torn between his emotions and what was considered logical. He nevertheless picked up a quill and some paper, took a seat at his desk and started to write.
Deep in the jungles of Africa, 1993
The backpack was incredibly heavy and the woman wondered what had made her come here in the first place. She obviously knew the answer to that question. Thrill and adventure. As if her old life back in England had held none of that. Selene shook her head and hoisted the bag higher.
She could easily get rid of the weight through casting a simple spell, but it would seem rather strange if everybody else was tired after this long climb and Selene would still be fit as a fiddle. No use of magic on this expedition. Protecting those Muggle biologists on their quest for new species, or whatever they wanted to find, was her main priority. Although now she was beginning to wonder what the heck she'd been thinking?
"Selene, hurry up! We don't want to lose you in the middle of the jungle!" Phillip yelled towards her.
No, because that would be terrible. She thought.
The woman with long flaxen hair pushed a few vines out of the way, adjusted her pith helmet and tightened the straps of her backpack. "Don't you worry, Phillip!" She gritted her teeth.
"Oh my god!" One of the researchers exclaimed as Selene reached the group, which consisted of six people.
They were all staring at something up high in one of the many tall trees.
"What type of bird is that?" A dark haired woman, whose name Selene hadn't even bothered to remember, asked Phillip.
"It looks like an owl!" Someone cried out.
"Don't be silly, owls don't live in Africa."
Phillip shook his head. "You'd be surprised how many well-known species of owls live in Africa. In fact, the Common Barn Owl,-"
Phillips continued his explanation of owls in Africa as Selene narrowed her eyes in order to get a better look at the creature up in the tree.
Seeing an owl in the middle of the jungle was one thing, even if it was not so uncommon, you would still halt in order to examine the creature's appearance. No, what was so extremely weird, was that this owl was as white as snow. The woman cursed under her breath when she noticed the bird had something tied to its talons. It was obviously a letter and Selene would bet all of the hair on her head that it was addressed to none other than herself.
Great. How was she ever going to get hold of it with all these people watching? There was only one solution to this problem.
Stepping back she grabbed her wand out of her back pocket, a Holly 11'' with a unicorn hair as its core, and pointed it towards the group. The Muggles only had eyes for the snow white owl and took no notice of the witch who raised her wand.
"Avis." She whispered. A loud bang, like a gunshot, sounded and a flock of birds erupted from the tip of my wand. They flew straight into the group, encircling them. Surprised cries came from the group of researchers.
"What's going on?"
"Phillip, help!" One of the women screamed.
With their visions clouded due to the swift movements of the bright coloured birds, Selene took her chance to make sure she'd got a hold of the letter tied to the owl's talons.
"Accio letter." The beige envelope removed itself and landed in the palm of her left hand. Gotcha!
Quickly she stowed her wand away and placed the letter in her back pocket. The flock of conjured up birds had flown away as had the snow white owl. Selene looked back up the tree at the spot the bird had been. Whoever had sent her that letter was obviously not expecting a reply back.
::::::…::::::
It was late at night, the camp was set up and everybody had crawled into their tent. Except for Selene who had taken her place by the camp fire because of guard duty for the next three hours. This gave her enough time to open the letter and read its content without any disturbance from the Muggles. Her fingers hastily peeled the red wax off the envelope. It was during that moment she noticed the seal being the unmistakable symbol of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Oh brilliant. Selene felt her heart sink. She unfolded the letter and scanned the fancy handwriting;
My dear Miss Merrythought,
I hope this letter finds you before it is too late. Dark times, as you may well know, are at hand.
I write to you with the utmost importance. Your presence is required as of immediate. Details will be exchanged at the moment of arrival over a nice cup of tea.
I expect you to arrive promptly, not a moment is to be wasted.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster.
Please attach the brooch, included with this letter, to your robe.
Selene read the letter more than once. Hoping it was all a joke. But of course it wasn't. Dumbledore was not the type. How incredibly typical this was. The witch wondered how on earth it was possible they had found her, in the middle of Africa? But Selene couldn't lie to herself. She was very curious as to why her former headmaster required her presence. It must have been over twelve years since she'd last seen Headmaster Dumbledore or anybody else connected to her homeland.
Details will be exchanged at the moment of arrival over a nice cup of tea.
He may be the headmaster of one of the greatest witch and wizard's school but he couldn't expect her to do his bidding without a single explanation and what did he mean with these dark times?
Please attach the brooch.
Brooch? Selene picked up the envelope and inside she found a golden brooch. Its shape resembled that of a lion. She reached for it and the moment her fingers wrapped around the cool firm object, she felt a strong pull which could only be described as a hook pulling her forward from behind her navel.
Between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts.
She landed on her hands and knees dropping the brooch as she collided with the ground. Rapid and heavy breathing, there was no doubt about it, the brooch was a portkey. A portkey, the brooch was a flipping bloody portkey.
"Oh god,-" Selene clasped her hand in front of her mouth, but it was too late. She doubled over and emptied the contents of her stomach all over the floor. The green grass she'd landed on was no longer as green as it had been.
"Portkeys are not meant for this big of a distance,-" Selene groaned as she slowly stood up. With wobbly legs she glanced into the distance at the castle she knew so well. Hogwarts.
For a quick second she looked back down at the ground where she'd dropped the golden lion-shaped brooch, but it had miraculously vanished.
"This better be worth it." The witch grumbled.
::::::…::::::
The last time Selene had been in Dumbledore's office was in her last year of Hogwarts, thirteen years ago. She had finished her duties as a student of Hogwarts and as Head girl of her house. She remembered how she'd felt as she'd handed back her badge. It had felt as leaving a part of herself behind. The badge had proven to be a symbol of great confidence which she had desperately needed. But now it was 1993 but she still felt like that 18 year old girl as she stood in front of the gargoyle. Though she didn't know the password, she was certain it had to do something with candy as it had always been during her Hogwarts' years.
Her eyes darted to the man next to her. Argus Filch, who had become the caretaker of Hogwarts the same year she became a student. He still looked the same as he did back then. She glanced down over at Mrs. Norris, who eyed her owner's every move closely. Even the cat looked the same as back then, though a bit shabbier. Weren't cats suppose to not get older than fifteen years of age?
"Pumpkin pasties," Filch said to the Gargoyle. The statue trembled and moved away, revealing a circular staircase.
Now Selene's nerves had reached their peak level and the woman couldn't understand why. She was there through an invitation. Well, not so much invited as abruptly abducted. Still it felt as though she was back in school as a student and was now on her way to see the headmaster because she'd done something bad.
"The Headmaster is waiting for you. Good luck,-" Filch taunted as he walked away, followed by his most faithful and presumably only friend.
Collecting all of her courage Selene walked up the stairs towards Albus Dumbledore's office. Her hand reached out to open the door but it moved on its own accord. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Selene set foot into the room. It was exactly as she remembered. The high ceiling, all of the books, the collection of Headmaster paintings on the walls, Dumbledore's big desk and of course the man himself. As always he looked so calm and collected, those light but bright blue eyes peeking over his half moon spectacles.
Albus Dumbledore.
Selene was unsure of what to do. It had been thirteen years since she'd last seen him and yet he still looked the same now as he did back then. Selene was pretty certain that she, for one, had changed. Older, taller and hopefully a bit more polite than she was as a student. Over the past decade she'd avoided most of the wizarding community and now that she was back in one of the most magical places of all, she would lie if she said she didn't feel at home. It caused her to wonder why she had avoided this part of her life in the first place. But she knew. She knew very well why.
"Miss Merrythought." He smiled warmly. "It has been too long."
Selene bowed and gave a light nod. "It has, Professor Dumbledore."
"Come now, such formalities will no longer do. Please call me Albus, would you?"
"Prof,-… Albus,-"
Dumbledore sat down on his chair and conjured up a teapot and two tea cups. "Now, I believe I promised you a cup of tea, didn't I? You must excuse me, I can't really remember, in fact I wasn't even sure you were to come at all."
This was the one thing Selene disliked about Dumbledore, always taking his time and never cutting to the chase. Don't rush him now, patience is a virtue. She reminded herself. She took a seat opposite him, which made her feel even more like she was back as a student.
"Milk?" He asked.
"No, thank you." Selene cleared her throat. "Sir, if I may, why,-?"
"I wrote that letter five weeks ago, you know? It's amazing how even a creature as magical as an owl can have trouble navigating." Dumbledore's eyes glanced at the pith helmet Selene held in her lap, the only thing that connected her to the place Dumbledore had so abruptly took her from. "That is a very nice hat, if I may say so, Miss Merrythought. Isn't that a type of headwear one wears on a,- oh, what do you call it? A safarari?"
"A safari." She corrected him. "I was in Africa, exploring a jungle with a group of Muggles. They were biologists, interested in finding a new species of wildlife. Until a snow owl caught their attention."
Selene took a sip from her tea, it had the perfect temperature and tasted like mint. "I daresay that I was even more surprised than they were."
The witch leaned forward and placed the teacup back upon the headmaster's desk. "This morning I was wondering how to keep a group of Tebo, which had been following us for a day, from our backs and after receiving your letter those Tebo seemed like the least of my worries. And then I read your letter, touched the brooch and poof,- found myself outside of Hogwarts, now THAT was the real highlight of my day."
"If I may not, Miss Merrythought, you sound rather upset." Dumbledore stated.
Selene sighed. "I'm not upset, simply confused. Why did you send me a letter, Sir?"
Dumbledore folded his hands together and touched his thin pink lips with his index fingers. "I'm guessing you want an explanation?" He said coyly, the right side of his lip tilted upwards.
Finally she was going to get the answers she wanted and Selene exhaled deeply. "Yes, please."