𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 ; 𝒹.𝒽

thirty-four

UK

"Bloody sick of this shit." Iniya spat as she, Darren, and Althena apparated to the Burrow. She wiped blood off of her forehead with the back of her hand. 

"How did it go, then?" Molly asked as they walked inside. 

"Nobody died." Darren replied. 

"Muggles are safe. Death Eaters are dead." Althena answered, "We narrowly survived that one."

Estella examined Iniya's wound, "This isn't enough."

Iniya's eyes shot to her girlfriend, "What? Did you want me to come back with a knife in my stomach?"

"No. I mean we need more people."

"There are very little people that we can trust right now, Iniya." Tonks said. 

"Maybe not..." Althena trailed off. 

"What are you thinking?" Tonks asked.

She sat down at the kitchen table, "There... there's a group. A council, if you will. Of vampires. If they haven't already been approached by Death Eaters, there's a chance they could side with us. Once they pledge loyalty, they'll honor it."

"And if they've already pledged to the Dark Lord?" Arthur asked. 

"Let's hope I'll have a quick and painless death."

"Where are they located?" Kingsley asked. 

"Shropshire."

"I think it's worth a shot. They could agree." Tonks said, "But you shouldn't go alone."

"I'll go." Remus offered. 

Althena let out a laugh, surprising everyone in the room, "Good one, Remus."

"I mean it."

"Do you really think they'll agree to help us if you, a werewolf, goes with me?"

"I won't go inside or near them. But Dora is right, you shouldn't go alone." He firmly said, "I'm going."

"No. Tonks–"

"Tonks will be fine." Tonks interjected, "Besides, Remus is getting antsy. A little trip will do him good." She whispered to Althena. 

"I'll go too." Darren said, "Another vampire might balance out bringing a werewolf."

"They won't care." Althena said. 

"I'll go as well." Charlie said, walking into the room, "I'm in need of an adventure."

Althena sighed, "It's not– this won't be what you all think it is."

"You think you're going to be able to stop us from following you?" Darren said, "Going alone is a dumb fucking idea."

"Watch your mouth." Molly warned. 

"Sorry Miss Weasley. Need help with that?" He asked, giving Molly a charming smile. 

She looked at him the same way she did to her own children when they would misbehave and they wanted forgiveness. She sighed and nodded, and he picked up the baking dish with a freshly made pie and sat it on the table. 

"So what's with this council of Vampires?" Charlie asked as he sat down at the table across from Althena, "I'm oddly intrigued."

"It's not exactly a council, more of a... it's essentially a mansion where a bunch of Vampires in power live."

"So it's a council." Darren concluded. 

"If you want to call it that. Every country has one. The main one is in Romania. You haven't heard of it, Charlie?"

He shook his head while popping a biscuit into his mouth, "I have not."

"Do you think there's like a... council for Lycanthropes?" Darren asked. 

Remus huffed with a smile, "Yeah. No."

"I don't mean to sound... rude, but, Vampires tend to be a bit more..." Althena trailed off. 

"Civilized." Remus finished, "Trust me. I know."

Tonks cut into the pie with her tongue sticking out slightly, making Remus smile softly. She put a piece onto a plate and then another for Remus. She sat beside him as Althena glanced out at the window, "Where are thing one and thing two?"

"Sulking somewhere." Iniya responded. 

"Fred is at the St. Claires, I reckon George is with him." Tonks replied. 

"Luca?"

"St. Claire."

Althena stood up and looked at Remus, nodding her head lightly. 

"We're going to check something." Althena said, "We'll be back in a moment."

With that, the two apparated to Aurora and George's shared home. They stood in a field and looked up the hill, finding George sitting by Sirius and Diana's graves. 

"I swear, it's like we can read each other's minds." Remus said with his hands on his hips.

"Or maybe we were just like him once."

He sighed, "That too."

They walked up the hill, kneeling down next to George, "You know you shouldn't be out here alone." Althena said.

George made to bother to look at them, "Yeah."

"What's going on?" Remus asked. 

"Just worried. That's all."

Remus patted his shoulder, "Do you want to talk?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little cream colored box. Althena and Remus glanced at one another over George, "I wasn't gonna ask her anytime soon but..." He sighed, "I don't even know if I'll get the chance to ask now. I came here to talk to them. But the conversation feels a little one-sided. Which I suppose they aren't the only ones I should be asking if it's okay if I do ask Aurora one day to marry me. Would you two..."

"Of course." Althena quickly said as Remus nodded, "You've been good for her. Hell, I think you might be the best thing to ever happen to her."

"Only Merlin knows what could have happened had you not been around after she lost her father and Augustus." Remus said, "We were only able to do so much."

"When did you get that, anyways?"

George looked down at the box in his hand, "About a week after we started dating."

"That soon?" Remus asked. 

"You're one to talk." Althena muttered. 

"I mean, when you know you know. Isn't that what they say?" George asked.

"I suppose so." Remus said. 

Althena glanced at Diana's grave, "We actually wanted to tell you that we are going to talk to a group of people about joining our side."

"Who?"

"Vampires." Remus answered. 

He stood up, "I'll go with you."

"No. If you don't make it back alive, that would crush Aurora. You need to stay here." Remus said.

George turned to him, "And you're going? What about Tonks?"

"That's different."

"How so?"

Remus went quiet, looking at Althena for backup but she just shrugged. He sighed and stepped back, "Because I said so."