Verus

fifteen

1996, Hidden Location, Dorset (Flashback, Order meeting)

It was early. You could smell it in the dew that clung to the long grass as they strode their way on through it, and the sky was still that hazy grain of orange and blue. Not too far up ahead was the supposed location that had appeared on a little brown note that had taken up space on their kitchen counter that very same morning, or so they only hoped.

"How much fucking further?"

Remus huffed a resigned sigh upon hearing another one of Sirius's many grumbles. Although he too could feel the irritation budding just beneath the surface of his skin at having been roped into all of this again, he was also tired and groggy enough from not having slept much the previous few nights and having woken up far too early to deal with it for much longer.

"Should be just over there." Remus replied to him, and sure enough he spotted a familiar face poised not even twenty feet away. Alastor Moody's magical eye honed in on them as they hastily approached, though his face did not waver the closer they drew and Remus watched on as the retired Auror pulled his wand on them.

Back to this bullshit again. He withheld the urgent need to roll his eyes.

"Lupin. Black." Moody greeted gruffly, lip curled as he scrutinised the pair of them.

"Alastor."

Moody glanced between them both but turned to Sirius first, "Black, first thing you asked me day one of your Auror training."

Sirius grinned beside Remus, fisted hands settling on his hips as he rolled back onto his heels. "Fuck me, can you see through my robes with that eye?"

The older wizard gave a harsh nod. "Lupin. Year and month we met."

"August of '75."

"Where?"

"Knockturn, near The White Wyvern."

Moody swept his tongue out to wet his lower lip as he surveyed them both a moment longer, Remus chose to ignore the curious look Sirius shot him before the Auror finally cracked a smile- or what resembled one- and eased up.

"Good to see you boys. 'Ere take this." Moody handed them both a sheet of parchment to share and Remus's eyes scanned the loopy letters that marred it in dark green ink, when he glanced back up a withered castle stood just before them.

"Old Dumbles really is moving up in the world." Sirius whistled lowly and Remus couldn't help but reluctantly agree, wondering where on Earth the headmaster might have found the funds to use this place as a hideout. The last war all they'd had was family homes and the odd tavern, this... this was something else and for some reason it didn't bode well.

"Inside, second door on yer right." Moody instructed them and Remus inhaled as he gifted the man another short nod.

He and Sirius passed on through the castle's wards and felt a familiar brush of magic, Remus's skin itched with it but he made no comment as they wandered further into the ruins of a watchtower.

The castle wasn't the size of Hogwarts, nowhere near close, but it wasn't small either. Its insides looked as though they'd recently been restored, via some rather impressive charms work, and if he tried hard enough Remus could almost picture the landmark in its glory days, how it would've felt to have roamed it way back then.

Already they could hear the distant murmurs of the group they were set to meet, and he and Sirius knew to keep quiet from here on out, never knowing who might be listening in. They had a set of rules in place for this, they weren't coming in blindsided this time around.