Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 52

Have a sprinkle of ✨protectiveness✨ :)

"Aunt Narcissa did a very good job on you!" shouted Nymphadora as they duelled, curses and hair flying.

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Auriga demanded, shooting a jet a green light at her target.

A bang distracted the pair of them as Black stumbled back towards the veil in the middle of the room and Bella laughed manically. Auriga grinned at her, but her smile fell when Draco tackled Black to the side, and the pair of them landed in a heap.

"Stupefy!" called Nymphadora, and Auriga jumped in the air to avoid the jet of red aimed at her knees. "I'm talking about your memory! Have you siriusly forgotten teaching these kids?"

"Good one, Tonks!" Black yelled from his resumed duel with Bella.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP SAYING THAT?" Auriga bellowed, before shooting a crack of lightning at Nymphadora, sending her flying across the dias. She didn't get back up, and Shacklebolt rushed forward to try and revive her.

Another man was looking at Auriga with a very surprised expression on his face. He was wearing shabby brown robes, and Auriga recognised him as Lupin, the werewolf she'd met once or twice before. The two of them looked at each other with an equal curiosity, before their heads whipped up to one of the doors. Dumbledore was stood there, emerald robes billowing around him like he was some sort of ethereal being.

Temporarily distracted by Dumbledore's arrival, Black succumbed to his duel with Bella, being hit in the centre of his chest with a stunner. "SIRIUS!" shouted Potter from the edge of the dias. Bella cackled again and hurried up the steps and from the room. Potter began making his way there too, and Auriga quickly caught on and followed Bella, not wanting to be captured either.

"Auriga!" came Draco's yell, but he didn't follow them, somehow being restrained by the mess of body parts that was Longbottom.

She found her way to the atrium shortly after Bella and long before Potter. "Over there!" she hissed to her Aunt, before scurrying in the other direction.

Potter burst into the room, and had to jump behind the fountain as Auriga and Bella rained a shower of spells on him. Bella waved her hand, and Auriga stopped, still breathless from her duels down below. "We'll give you one chance, Potter," called Bella, "Roll out the prophecy - give it to us now - and we will spare you."

"You'll have to kill me then because it's gone!" shouted Potter, his voice echoing off the walls.

"Ridiculous!" said Auriga. It couldn't be gone...it just couldn't... "Accio Prophecy!" Nothing came.

"Nothing there to summon," taunted Potter's voice, "It's smashed. And no one heard what it said!" Suddenly, Auriga's mark twinged, and Bella jerked her arm as if hers had done the same. The Dark Lord was here. "You're old pal Voldemort's not going to be too happy."

Bella fell to her knees. "No, Master! Please!" she sobbed. "We tried! We tried!" Auriga just peered around in horror.

"He can't hear you!" shouted Potter.

A cloaked figure materialised at the other side of the atrium to Auriga, near to her Aunt. "Can't I, Potter?" asked the Dark Lord, his wand pointing right at Potter.

"We're sorry, Master," Auriga said desperately as she approached him.

"I did not come to hear your apologies, Malfoy," sneered the Dark Lord and Auriga resisted the temptation to cower away from the cruciatus curse as it hit her. She stumbled backward, immense pain flooding her every fibre. But before she could hit the floor, before she could even cry out, a strong pair of arms caught her and righted her. The spell broke off.

Auriga turned and looked at Lupin, finding the expression on her face to be one of pure disgust. She pulled her arm from his grip, turned around, and knelt before the Dark Lord, staring at the space between his robes and the floor. "I can make it up to you, My Lord," she promised.

"Oh?" asked the Dark Lord. "How might you do that?"

"By proving my undying loyalty to you," she said. Bella was still quietly sniffling. The Dark Lord nodded, a tiny movement that she almost missed. In one swift movement, Auriga stood and disarmed Lupin from where he stood behind her. "Imperio," she said, her voice soft in the echoing room. Lupin knelt at her command. "I remember you," she told him, "From Azkaban. You wouldn't help me...didn't want me..."

"Auriga," he said, his eyes pleading, "I can help you now. This isn't you-" She silenced him with her imperious curse.

Auriga took a last glance at the expectant expression of the Dark Lord behind her. This was her chance... "Avada-"

And suddenly, she couldn't move, and Bella gasped, and Potter was surrounded by statues. Auriga felt a wand at her temple, heard a rushing in her ears, and was released from her full body bind. Images flashed before her. Images of Grimmauld Place, of Order meetings, of a Hogwarts classroom with her at the front. She remembered teaching the Weasley twins, trying to help the fifth years with their OWLs and showing her first years the shield charm. The name, 'Professor,' suddenly made far more sense.

Auriga stumbled forward, overwhelmed by everything in her head, and found herself being held up by Remus once again. "I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears as she gripped the front of his robes. He smelt like chocolate and soap. "I'm so sorry."

"It's OK," he promised, his voice soothing and calm as he held her close. "Everything's alright." He pulled her down and protected her head with his arm as an almighty duel broke out between Dumbledore - who Auriga assumed had retrieved her memories - and the Dark Lord. Remus half-carried her towards an isolated corner behind a pillar, where only the occasional spell rebounded into their immediate vicinity.

The whole time his arms were wrapped around her, holding her her close and sheltering her, and she had her head buried in his chest not wanting to ever let go, not wanting to ever go back. There were a few successive loud noises, and Auriga's grip on Remus's arm tightened as she flinched each time, her eyes screwed tightly shut.

"MASTER!" Auriga heard Bellatrix cry, and this time Remus's hold on her tightened. She heard Potter's voice, and then Dumbledore's, and then a million pairs of footsteps and hushed whispers.

"Come on, Auriga," said Remus, trying to get up. She shook her head, her eyes still closed tight, her fingers still digging into his arm. "Come on. It's over. It's OK."

"No," was all she could muster the strength to whisper. "No...I..." She wanted to explain herself, but found that she couldn't. What had happened?

"I know," said Remus, finally getting her to her feet, with his arm still tight around her shoulders.

"What happened?" she asked, ignoring the stares from the Ministry workers as the pair made their way over to Dumbledore and Potter. Remus didn't look at her, nor did he answer straight away.

When he finally did answer, she took it to mean he didn't know either. "It's going to be alright," he said. And Auriga believed him.