A New Enemy
The hallways were dark, thankfully. Magus ran as fast as he could, hearing footsteps pounding behind him and hoping they were only Remus�.
�Hey, who�� a guard from up ahead shone a beam of light at Magus, who dodged quickly out of its path and ran past the guard. �Oh crap,� he heard the guard say as he kept going. �Base one, this is G-17. We have a code red up here. I need back up. Repeat, the vampire and werewolf are loose and I need back up!
�Werewolf?� Remus� panting voice said fearfully. �Where?�
�Never mind that, just keep running,� Magus yelled back, dodging to avoid a small area of light caused by a torch set into the wall.
Up ahead, Magus could see people running toward them, shining light down the dark hallway. Any second, they would be close enough for the beams to fall on Magus.
Magus stopped suddenly and started concentrating. He felt Remus run into him, but he barely noticed. He focused on calling up the water element. The power flooded his system and he held up an arm and focused on the coldest aspect of the energy. A beam of ice shot out of his hand toward the guards. Within seconds, the guards were stopped in their tracks, their light extinguished by the ice that encased them.
�Ooh,� Remus stood up and peered around Magus, �will they be all right?�
�They�ll be fine,� Magus said dismissingly. �Now, get running again.� They took off down the hallways. Magus had just begun to realize that he didn�t know where he was going when they reached the door. Magus threw the door open and stepped out eagerly. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the day.
�It�s not over yet,� Magus muttered as he was forced to his knees by the excruciating pain.
�You don�t look well,� Remus said, kneeling by Magus.
�Well, I feel just bloody terrific,� Magus growled sarcastically. He stood slowly, trying to keep from collapsing. He scanned the area for a while and spotted a forest not far away. �This way.� He took off at a run, hoping he wouldn�t trip, as there was a very good chance he�d never get back up if he did.
Finally, he managed to make it to the trees. He fell to his knees in the wonderful shade. He looked up to see Remus arriving alongside him, doubled over and gasping for air.
�You�d think a werewolf would be a better runner,� Magus muttered darkly, getting to his feet and walking deeper into the forest. �Come on Remus. The guards won�t dare to follow us out here.�
�I�m terribly confused,� Remus said vaguely, hurrying to catch up.
�Just don�t ask questions,� Magus said, picking up the pace, turning toward the southeast. �We�re going to see someone about your memory.�
�How nice,� Remus said, a stupid grin plastered on his face. �Who might that be?�
�A man by the name of Sirius Black,� Magus said. �He�s the only adult I trust in this timeline.�
�Sirius Black�� Remus looked thoughtful for a moment, as though he was trying to think of something but couldn�t quite recall it. Then, he shook his head and the grin came back. �What an odd name.�
�Ugh,� Magus groaned and didn�t say anymore. Remus was giving him a migraine with all this nonsense, unintentional as it was.
And so, they walked the rest of the way in silence. It took a couple of days to get there, though Remus didn�t complain about it. Magus couldn�t decide if this was smart or idiotic, though it was one of the two. During the day, he made sure they stayed out of the sun, but when the night came, he led the way across fields, racing the clock to get back into the shadows before the first rays of dawn came over the horizon.
Finally, after two days, in the middle of the night, they reached the edge of the forest Magus had left who knows how long earlier. It had to have been over a month, since Remus had become a werewolf at least twice when he was at the Hogsmeade Creature Control Center.
Magus led the way through the trees, remembering the way as if it had been only yesterday that he had walked this very same path with Sirius. Now he was back to ask for more help. He arrived at the cave and was just about to go in when he heard a familiar voice from inside.
�Who�s there?� Sirius� raspy voice shouted. �I warn you. I am armed.�
�It�s Magus,� Magus said, holding his hands up. �You remember me, don�t you?�
�Magus, who�� Sirius paused. �Nah, it couldn�t be. Could it?�
�Please, I need your help,� Magus pleaded. �There�s a man out here, Remus Lupin.�
�Moony?� There was a rustling of feet in the cave and Sirius came out, looking quite a bit thinner than he�d been last time Magus had seen him, but it was definitely him.
�Moony,� Sirius walked over to Remus and patted his back, �you look awful old friend. Where�ve you been?�
�Moony?� Lupin asked, confused. �Who�s that?�
�His memory�s gone,� Magus explained.
�Hmm�well, we can fix that,� Sirius said. �It was a memory charm then?�
�No,� Magus said, �a healing spell, like the one I gave you. I didn�t know it erased memories. Then again, I�d never used it to bring back the dead before, so��
�The dead?� Sirius interrupted. �You mean he died?�
�Yeah,� Magus said. �That�s why I had to use the healing spell to bring him back.�
�You idiot,� Sirius hissed, pulling Magus out of range of Remus� hearing. �You can�t bring werewolves back to life.�
�Why not?� Magus asked, glancing back at Remus, who seemed to be fascinated by a tree.
�Because werewolves are naturally evil,� Sirius muttered. �The human part of them can keep them from going that way, but if the human memories are erased, then there�s nothing to keep them from being evil.�
�But I didn�t know bringing him back to life would erase his memories,� Magus argued.
�How could you not know?� Sirius asked in a furious whispered. �It�s common sense! But I guess it�s too late to change it now.� He looked back at Remus in what could only be described as disgust.
�He doesn�t seem evil,� Magus pointed out as Remus bent down to examine something on the ground.
�Not yet,� Sirius said grimly, �but it�s only a matter of time. I�d say we have until the next full moon, when he transforms again. Of course, with Voldemort�s recent calling upon evil creatures to join him, it could happen sooner.�
�So, what do we do now?� Magus asked.
�There�s nothing we can do except wait,� Sirius said in a defeated tone. �I don�t want to leave him here. After all, he is my friend, memories or none. In the meantime, maybe you should tell me exactly what happened.�
And so Magus told him. He told him everything that had happened, making sure not to leave anything out. When he got to the part about seeing Remus in the cage, Sirius looked furious, but didn�t interrupt. Finally, Magus was finished, and they were silent for a moment before Sirius finally spoke.
�You say you don�t know how long you were gone,� he said simply. It wasn�t really a question, but Magus answered anyway.
�No, but I�m sure it must have been over a month,� Magus said.
�Well, then you figured right,� Sirius said. �There�s really no easy way to say this. The reason I hesitated in letting you in earlier was because, well, it�s been almost a year.�
�What?� Magus asked. �How�s that possible?�
�I don�t know, but it�s true,� Sirius said. �It�s 1997. My godson is starting his 7th year at Hogwarts in a couple days.�
�What�s Hogwarts?� Remus asked suddenly, Magus turned and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that Remus was right next to him.
�Um�well�� Magus looked at Sirius for help.
�All right Remus, follow me,� Sirius walked into the cave.
Remus looked at Magus as if asking for permission. Magus nodded and led the way into the cave. By the time they got there, Sirius had already lit one part of the cave, leaving the other pitch dark for Magus, who immediately went to the dark side. Remus followed him like a puppy.
�So, what�re you gonna do?� Magus asked.
�Just send him over here,� Sirius said.
Magus turned to Remus, who just seemed to be waiting to be told what to do. �Go on over there,� he said. He didn�t like ordering people around (it reminded him too much of a time when he�d been an overlord) but it seemed the only thing he could do right now. Remus went over to the lighter side of the cave and stood there, waiting for his next command.
�Would you like to sit down?� Sirius asked, taking out his wand and conjuring a simple wooden chair.
Remus looked to Magus, who nodded his approval, before sitting down.
�I�m sorry old friend,� Sirius said and waved his wand so that ropes appeared, tying Remus to the chair.
Remus struggled against the bonds, but couldn�t free himself. �Why?� he asked, looking at Magus as if he�d been the one who�d done this.
�If you were your old self, you would understand,� Sirius said, checking the ropes to make sure they were secure.
�Could I speak to you for a minute?� Magus asked.
�Yeah,� Sirius said, putting his wand in his pocket and dusting off his hands, �he won�t be going anywhere anytime soon.�
Magus led the way out of the cave, not wanting Remus to hear them talking. �Don�t you think you�re being a bit extreme?� he asked, making sure to phrase his question so as not to make Sirius angry.
�No, I don�t,� Sirius said. �Think about it. Once he goes evil, he�ll be called to Voldemort�s circle to be initiated. That means he�ll know where Voldemort is, and maybe even more. If we can keep him here, we could interrogate him and use the information.�
�But did you have to tie him up?� Magus asked uneasily.
�Come on, you�re from the Middle Ages,� Sirius said. �Can you honestly say you haven�t seen worse?�
Magus tried to think of what to say, but finally just shook his head in defeat. He had seen worse. Hell, he�d sent the orders for tortures worse than this.
�Okay,� Magus said quietly, �so, what do we do now?�
�The only thing we can do,� Sirius said, �wait.�
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Author's note: *ducks as Lupin fans chuck rotten fruit at her head* I'm sorry, but I had to do it. Just think of it this way, Lupin isn't really gonna be evil. The actual Lupin is gone, all that's left is a confused werewolf. Okay, that prolly didn't help. Also, before Chrono Trigger fans join in the chucking of fruit, I have two words: artistic liscense. I'm giving Magus more of a past so he seems more real. And I know he's acting a tad out of character, but it's to be expected after everything that's happened to him. Anywho, I'm still awaiting reviews.
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