Fleeting Memories
Magus fought to stay awake. He hadn�t built up the energy for another trance yet, and, in the meantime, he wasn�t getting any rest. But now, it was not only the dreams that made him not want to sleep. He knew that if he fell asleep in this diminished condition, he might very well never wake up.
But his exhaustion soon got the better of him and his eyelids slowly fell. Once they were closed, he fell asleep instantly.
Magus was floating in the hallway of the Zeal castle, unseen by the people who crowded the hallway, all looking in the same direction. Magus looked too and saw a fire in the doorway of the back bedroom. Smoke filtered out into the hallway, distorting all images.
�Help me Schala!� a little boy�s voice screamed from inside.
�Janus?� A woman pushed her way through the crowd, trying to get to the door. A pair of guards grabbed her arms to stop her.
�Princess Schala, it is too dangerous!� they said, holding her tightly.
�I don�t care,� she said, pulling out of their grasp. �I have to save my brother!�
�Leave him,� the voice of the queen said from far away, �he should be able to get himself out. If his magic isn�t strong enough, then he doesn�t deserve to live.�
�Mother, how can you say that?� Schala asked. �He�s you�re son. For God�s sake, he�s only a child.� She started toward the room.
�Schala,� the queen called after her, �don�t go. Think of your destiny. Think of your own son.�
Schala stopped and placed a hand over her stomach were a small bulge could be seen. �I do,� she said defiantly and stepped into the room.
Magus followed her, knowing from previous dreams that he wouldn�t be seen and that the flames couldn�t hurt him. He watched as Schala jumped through the flames, falling to her knees on the other side and coughing. She saw that her hair was on fire and did a quick water spell to put it out. Then, she stood back up and called through the smoke.
�Janus,� she choked, �where are you? Say something!�
�Schala, don�t leave me!� the boy�s voice yelled from somewhere in front of her. The woman walked forward and found the boy crouched on the bed, a thin, transparent shield spell surrounding him.
�Janus, it�s okay,� she whispered. �You can take down the shield.�
�You�ll save me?� he asked hopefully.
�Of course I will,� she said. �I�ll always save you.�
The boy smiled and stopped the shield. The woman ran forward and hugged him. Then, she picked him up and carried him out.
Magus woke up and groaned. He hated that dream the most. He sat up slowly and covered his eyes, trying to keep away the tears. He hadn�t cried in centuries. Only humans cried.
That event had happened only a month before he�d fallen into the time gate that took him away from the kingdom forever. Schala had promised then that she would always save him.
But you didn�t, Magus thought bitterly. You didn�t save me from the gate. You didn�t save me from the Mystics. You didn�t save me from myself.
He had known that Schala was pregnant at the time. When he�d last seen her, she had been in her sixth month. But that didn�t matter now. She had disappeared. And he wasn�t Janus anymore. She and her baby could be dead for all he cared.
Magus heard a door slam and looked up. A man in a long black robe with a pin declaring him to be �Head Guard� walked in carrying a glass of water and a piece of bread. He stuck his arm through the bars briefly to put down the glass and tossed in the bread carelessly.
�Here�s your rations,� he spat, smirking. �Not that they�ll do you much good, vampire. Face it, you�re days are numbered.�
Magus didn�t move until the guard was gone. Then, he leaned forward and grabbed the glass of water, drinking half of it in one gulp. He doubled over and coughed as his stomach contracted in protest. He managed to keep from being sick and sat back up. He then snatched the bread, noticing that about every inch was covered in a thick mold. He wrinkled his nose and tossed it through the bars. Then, he drank the rest of his water, more slowly this time, and curled up on the floor, throwing the glass through the bars and hearing it shatter on the floor. He was hungry, but at least now he wasn�t thirsty.
If these rations were brought around often enough, he might be able survive for a while in here. Now, if he�d been a vampire, lack of fresh blood would have killed him, but he wasn�t. Even the light wasn�t that bad once he got used to it. No, only one thing was left that made him want to get out of here faster. And he was about to pay that reason a little visit.
Magus gathered his strength and began the process of going into a trance. At one point, he almost passed out, but was able to bring himself back to complete the task. He drifted out into the hallway.
As he floated down toward Remus� room, Magus could hear a low growling, growing steadily louder. When he reached the door, there was a loud yelp from inside the room and then silence. He hesitated for a moment and then passed through the door.
The scene that met Magus� eyes made him turn in head immediately, but nothing could erase that image from his mind. In the cage where Remus was kept, there was a wolf lying motionless on the floor. One of its front legs was stuck out at an odd angle and a deep gash ran down its neck, the skin around it charred black. The floor around it was soaked in blood from those and several other cuts and burns the wolf had received. It seemed that, in a last effort to get out, the wolf had tried to push his way out.
Magus forced himself to look at the wolf again and shuddered. In his mind, he could see the wolf throwing itself against the side of the cage and the silver bars burning into its skin, deep enough to draw blood. He couldn�t bear to think of what it would be like to die that way.
Then, as if by some miracle, Magus saw the wolf�s chest move. For a moment, Magus thought he was imagining things, but then, it happened again. Magus rushed forward, passing through the bars and kneeling beside the wolf.
Come on Remus, he thought. You can make it.
The wolf shifted slightly and Magus saw that its fur was slowly disappearing. A few moments later, Remus Lupin was lying in its place, breathing raggedly. He opened his eyes a little and looked up at Magus, smiling slightly.
�Hello,� he said weakly, �I must have gotten a bit carried away. But I guess it�s better to go this way. Better than starving, anyway.�
Magus shook his head. No, you�re not going to die! Not if I can help it!
�There�s nothing you can do,� Remus said faintly, shutting his eyes again. �It�s my time.� He went still and stopped breathing. The lights in the room went dark, plunging the room into darkness. It seemed that the lights were set to go out when�
NO! Magus screamed silently. He reached toward Remus and touched his arm. He was ice cold. Magus covered his face, ready to break his vow never to cry again.
But then he realized something. He�d felt that Remus was cold. He couldn�t do that if he was in a trance. He�d have to actually be there. And if he was, then there was something he could do.
Magus concentrated, trying to gather together enough energy for the spell he needed. When he�d finally done this, he held out a shaking hand and watched as a ball of white energy, just like the one he�d given to Sirius, appeared in his hand. He held the spell over Remus and let it go.
The spell hovered for a moment, before descending. It came to rest on the gash in Remus� neck and dissolved. Remus glowed briefly and the gash disappeared, leaving just a faint scar behind. Then, his arm moved back into place and healed. Then, finally, the last of the cuts was healed and Magus held his breath for what would happen next.
Please don�t let it be too late, he prayed.
As if in answer to his prayers, Remus sat up suddenly, looking confused. �Where am I?� he asked.
�Hogsmeade Creature Control Center,� Magus said, finding that he could talk now.
�That�s nice,� Remus said. �Who are you?�
�Magus,� Magus answered slowly. He couldn�t have�
�Are you really?� Remus asked thoughtfully. �And who am I?�
Magus leapt to his feet and started backing away. The spell wasn�t supposed to erase memories. He finally decided to answer the questions, hoping to jar his memory.
�You�re Remus Lupin,� Magus said, holding out a hand to help Remus stand.
�Hmm�what a strange name,� Remus said, standing and looking down at himself. �And, if I might say, I�m not looking too well, although, it is hard to tell. It�s awfully dark in here.�
Magus suddenly remembered that he had somehow been able to transport himself here. This was his chance to get out of here. All he had to do was get out of Remus� cage, and that shouldn�t be too hard.
�This is a dreadful sort of place,� Remus said, looking around. �Do I live here?�
�Not anymore,� Magus said. �I�d stand back if I were you. And keep your feet together so you won�t get shocked. I�m doing a lightning spell.�
�Wow, neat,� Remus said, going off to the side of the cage.
�Don�t touch the�� Magus started, but it was too late. Remus walked right into the bars. He yelled and jumped back, rubbing his arm.
�What the hell was that?� he asked.
�Next time I tell you not to touch something, listen to me,� Magus said. �Now be quiet, I�m trying to get us out of here before the guards come back. And for goodness sake, keep your feet together. I�m immune, but this spell would kill you.�
Remus looked ready to argue but he kept his mouth shut and planted his feet together firmly on the ground. Magus shut his eyes and started the spell, calling upon the lightning element. The elements behaved a little differently here, but he could manage. He felt the electricity coursing through his body, making his hair stand on end. He lifted his arms into the air and released the energy. Lightning bolts radiated from both of his hands, striking everything in sight. Unlike with his cage, the bars glowed briefly, before tearing off the hinges and slamming against the walls with a loud clang.
�Amazing,� Remus said, lifting one of his legs.
�Stop!� Magus shouted and Remus� foot halted an inch above the ground. �Don�t take a step unless you want it to be your last. Just wait a minute.�
Magus knelt down and examined the bottom of the cage. It was pretty solid, but not impossible. He cracked his knuckles a couple times and plunged a hand down through the stone, wincing as the stone bit into his wrists. He really needed to work on this ability. He called for the lightning element again, more quietly this time. He felt the electricity from his spell travel up through the ground and enter him again.
Once this was done, Magus stood back up, his skin crackling with electricity. This effect was only temporary. It�d stop in a few minutes.
�Okay, now you can walk,� Magus said turning and starting toward the door, �but, as the guards will be along soon, I�d suggest you run. Don�t ask questions, just run.�
Magus took off, not looking back to see if Remus was following him. It was every wizard for himself now. Hopefully, Remus would have the sense to listen to what he�d said.
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