Ellie drooped the shopping list she had been making and jumped over a big vase on the floor. She had to step over two piles of books and a small stool before reaching the door, where there was another impacient knock in no time.

“Oh, hold your horses, will you?” She reached the door, at last, and oppened to no other than-

“Sevy!”

There was a black dressed man with short shoulder-lenght hair on the door who certanly did not answer lightly by the name of Sevy.

“Come in, Sevy, don’t mind the mess!” and the young woman crossed the room in no time. Severus Snape, the Hogwarts Potions Master, tried to follow her, but he took a bit longer, for “mess” was an understatement: the room was filled with every sort of objects you could imagine and with a lot more than he ever though possible to fit in such a small room. The floor was covered in books, loose papers and a number of familiar objects, like a sword and an old broom, and some not-so-familiar, like something that looked like a Hungarian Horntail horn, and so were the chairs and tabble in one of the corners of the room, where Snape could see Ellie looking for something.

“Hello, Ellie. I came by to-”

“I have it ready.” she said with an amused smile.

“Well… ” he said, and he looked a bit taken aback.”You said you needed help so I decided to come a bit earlier.” she was still looking for something under every piece of furniture in the room. “Since you don’t need my help anymore, I’ll leave.”

“No, no, no, no, Sevy, please” she said, glancing under a chair. She noticed he was still looking at her and quickly looked at him too “I mean… I have it ready but I still want your opinion on it.”

“You seem rather busy” he said, when she looked over his shoulder to something by the door.

“Actually I was just going out. I have some shopping to do.” She walked slowly towards the door again, looking very closely at the floor. Snape sighed. He picked a piece of parchment from the table.

“Boomslang bone?” he asked, reading it “How did you run out of it?”

“Oh!, Thank’s Sevy! I was looking for that” she picked it from his hands and said “Well, it’s one of the things I used. Not very common, I know” she added hastly at the sight of his scandalized face “but you will see if it works.” Snape was looking very suspicious.

“You used boomslang bone with toad’s skin? And it didn’t explode right in your face?”

“Sorry, no. I hate to disapoint you, but as you can see my face is still in one piece. Which must mean- Well, come and see for yourself!” And she dragged him by the robes to the next room, which was as messy as the last, except for a long table from one side to the other of one of the walls, filled with tubes and a line of cauldrons all fuming and sparkilng differently.

They stoped in front of a tinny gold cauldron, with a green mixture stirring slowly. Ellie picked a small parchment from under it and handled it to Snape, who looked more and more suspicious.

“It’s all there” she said proudly. “I would have used a silver cauldron, but I couldn’t take the risk” and winked at him. But Snape didn’t seem to be hearing her at all. He was reading the receipt very closely and with each line he seemed to be slowly turning from suspicious to stuned.

He kept mumbling under his breath while reading it like if he was solving some long equation, saying things like “the gilliweed stableises it” and “cologin binds the grains, of course”, until he finaly reached the last line and, amazed, looked at Ellie, who was still smiling.

“I think you’ve got it…” he said, half admiring half envying her.

Snape was checking the recipe once more and then, after a final check on the cauldron, he said “I really think you’ve got it.”

“I still need someone to test it on” she said, now looking a bit worried.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know where he is.” he replied rather coldly.

“Don’t you know or don’t you care?” she asked, her cheeks going rather pink.

“I don’t know… but I also don’t care.”

“Oh, Sevy, I need him! How can I test my Wolfsbane potion without a werewolf?”

“Is that what you named it?”

“Well,” she said “it’s only a temporary name. I never was that good at naming. Besides, I’m not even sure it works.

Apparently” she added very grumply “I will never know, will I?”

“There are plenty of werewolves out there.” he said coldly. “You know where to find them, don’t you?”

“Of course I know where to find them.” she added, still grumply. She took the list from his hands and walked out of the room.

“Weren’t you going shopping?” said Snape, following her.

“I still am” she said, picking her wand from inside a flowers vase on a stool. “I was looking for this! Accio shopping list!”

About half a hundred papers came soaring into her hand.

“Nope.” she said, reading the first and throwing it away.”Nope.”

“I’ll be going then” said Snape.

“Nope. Bye, Sevy. Nope”

“Stop calling me Sevy, will you?”

“Nope.” and this time it was for him, together with a smile. “Nope. Oh, here it is!”

“Goodbye, Ellie. I’ll send you a werewolf if I see one.”

“Thank’s Sevy. I know I can always count on friends to send me nice things.” Ellie said. And Snape actually twiched his lips in a strange kind of smile.

*** *** ***

Chapter II >>

She didn’t seem to be getting the hang of it.

She wrote about a thousand letters when she was on her journeys throughout the world, studying magical creatures and inventing new potions. To her mum, to Oliver, her (much) younger brother, to Annie, to Lily, to Sery, to Petie and she even sent two owls to Sevy. But she never found the heart to owl Remus Lupin. Writing to him for the first time was not easy.

But she needed him. She had made it all for him. “I made it for all the suffering werewolves out there!” she said angrily to herself. But a little voice in her head kept asking very softly “If that’s true, why don’t you try it on another werewolf, then?”

And, very secretly, she had to admit, only to herself (she would cut her tongue before repeating it to anyone else!!), that she had attempted the wolfsbane potion with a small little hope in her heart named Remus.

And so she wrote:

“Dear Remus, I hope this letter finds you well. You must remember me, from Hogwarts. I remember you, you’re not easy to forget.” Cheesiest line!! And the wand quickly removed it. She went on “I was wondering if there is any chance of you to come by my place one of these days? I’d like to discuss some of my recent experiments with you. I trust you remember where I live. If not, please send an owl, and I’ll be glad to meet you anywhere else.”

It seemed very formal, but never-the-less, it had the invitation and that’s what it count.

She signed the letter and tied it to a little owl’s leg. “Don’t worry if you can’t find him, Perseus, I’m not sure there is anyone who knows where he is.” Perseus seemed very offended by theses words and assured her with his eyes that the message was has good has delivered already.

Ellie smilled and opened a window. She watched as Perseus flew out of the window and out of sight.

Now all she had to do was wait.

***

For two weeks there was no answer from Perseus. Ellie was regreting already to have send him. She was very fond of Perseus, and it seemed like this shot in the dark would never work and she might even never see her beautiful owl again.
Even so, she carried on with her life, while the Wolfsbane potion, with a Freezing Charm, was kept inactive.

One morning, an owl came swooping into the room. It had a letter from Oliver. He had just received his own Hogwarts letter, which she never doubted, and he was histerical with excitment. He kept asking about Quidditch teams inside school and if there was any chance he could be in a house team, even if first years weren’t allowed their own brooms.

Ellie laughed at his untidy writing and decided not to answer right away and let him dream a little more, for first years never made it into the house teams. He also said in his letter that mum had agreed to let him stay with her, Ellie, for a week. She added a reply to the owl saying “Ollie, I’ll pick you up next monday. Oceans of love, Ellie.” and quickly sent it back.

There was still a Flea-repelent potion she had to finish for some crazy warlock who kept saying his pumkins caught fleas, but she would be free then to spend a few days with her brother. They could even go together to Diagon Alley, for his shopping list.

She made her way to a small kitchen and was just starting some toasts when she found a small glass with “Bmslg. bone” writen on it.

“Oh, I was looking for this!” and she pocketed in her robes, wishing she could give use to it in a very short time.

*** *** ***

Chapter III >>

They had an excelent lunch, after which some wizard children arrived to spend some time with Mrs. Wood, and Ellie and Oliver took the chance to leave to Diagon Alley. Since Oliver couldn’t Apparate, and Ellie was not very fond of Floo Powder, they decided to take the Inter Knight Bus, the equivalent of the Knight Bus for longer journeys.

They arrived London nearly 1 hour later and they still heard the distant Big Ben ring 3 o’clock before going into the Leaky Cauldron to Diagon Alley.

Oliver had been there before, but the prospect of buying his own stuff made him over-excited about the whole thing.
He kept talking about how exciting it was to be going to Hogwarts and asking things like “Which house do you think I’m gonna be?” and “Who chooses the Quidditch players for the house teams?”

They bough his uniform, books, quill and parchment, his wand and, of course, his cauldron, in a shop where Ellie stoped for a while and helped choose the right and perfect cauldron for his brother, like if she was a very anoying and female version of Mr. Ollivander and his wands. This gave Oliver such a fit of giggles he kept teasing her all afternoon: “It is the cauldron that chooses the wizard, Mrs Wood, not the other way round!” (“Oh, shut up, Ollie!”).

After a quick ice cream at Florean Fortscue, Ellie decided to show his brother a bit of muggle London. She was very fond of muggles and she insisted Oliver should know at least a bit about their way of living, since they had achieve quite a bit without any magic. But that was a very unfortunate day to make that point, since there had been some football final and all the muggles seemed quite crazy, dancing around and singing and making all kinds of silly things because of a sport that involved only one ball… Oliver though it was so dull that Ellie decided to make it up for him returning to Diagon Alley and let him drool at the new Cleansweep that had just come out, the fastest broom ever.

It was 10 p.m. when they arrived at Ellie’s house. She conjured a little bed for his brother and made hot chocolate and cookies for them in the evening to enjoy while watching uncle Aramis old photo album of Quidditch achievements (he had been Keeper for the Dangerous Dragons, a scotish team).

Oliver fell asleep shortly after telling her sister that it had been the most perfect day of his entire life, “except for the day Scotland passed for the semi-finals of the Quidditch World Cup, of course.”

***

The week passed so quickly they were sure there had been some kind of time mistake. This also assured them they had been having a wonderful time. Ellie decided to give in at last and teach him how to ride a broom, and Oliver was flying like a natural by wednesday morning. By the end of the week, he was already an excellent Beater of the many objects his sister kept Mobiliarbing him, altough she kept saying a Beater is not suppose to beat things with the broom, but with the bat.

Finally, sunday night arrived and they returned to Mrs. Wood’s home, to have another excellent meal, like only she could make, and after dinner Ellie, kissed her mum and her brother (both slightly taken by emotion) and headed home.

She Apparated at her studio, and checked a potion that was due to start brewing by that night. It had been full moon exactly two days before and that potion was now slowly turning from yellow to purple.

Ellie had just entered the little kitchen’s door when a small owl came flying through the window.

“Perseus!” and she practicly strangled the owl in a tight hug. He hooted pleased with himself and showed her his leg, where a small parchment was tied.

She grabed it with an unexpected trembling of hands and read in excitment:

“I’ll be there monday morning. Remus”

*** *** ***

Chapter IV >>

By 5 a.m. she just gave up trying to sleep and went to her lab, to check and double check on the Wolfsbane potion.

She was very nervous about what would happen. She didn’t know how to ask him to be her lab rat, she wasn’t sure how he would react and she hadn’t seen him for ages!

She made some breakfast and actually managed to fall asleep on the kitchen table, over her arm.

This time, she was dreaming that a vampire had come, instead of Remus, and that he kept telling her he was Remus and she had made a mistake: he had never been a werewolf, he had been a vampire all along! Then she said “Rats! I’ll just have to start all over again!” when she heard a knock on the door. She tried to open it but the door wouldn’t open!

Next moment, she woke up and realised there was actually someone knocking at the door.

She quickly looked at a mirror by the door (she had markings on her face of the robes of her sleeve) and noticed her arm was numb.

“I’ll be right there!” she called, and the knocking stoped.

Picking her wand (which had fallen under the table), she removed the markings on her face and quickly crossed the room. Not sure whether to Alohomora it or opening the door herself, she ended up Yellowmora it, wich embarassingly turned the door to a bright canary yellow.

Outside, Remus Lupin frowned, looking at the door changing colors and hearing a number of weird noises that greatly resembeled someone triping over a pile of books.

Finally, the door turned wood-brown again and was obviously opened by a spell because the person inside, closer than she should be, cursed when the door flung open in a spilt second and hit her right in the nose.

Remus entered, very puzzeled by the whole thing, and saw Ellie hanging on to her nose while looking for something on the ground.

“Are you alright?” he asked leaning on her.

“I’b jus’ looging for by dose” Ellie said.

“Your nose?!” he asked in alarm.

“Joging! I’b looging for by wand.”

“Oh! Accio wand” Remus said and her wand came flying into his hand.

“Thang’s.”

“And your nose?…” he asked her in concern. But she was already moving to her lab (“I’ll be right back”). He looked around for a place to sit, but unable to find one he found safe, gave up and just waited standing for her return. Two minutes later she entered the room again.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

“Not at all, please. Are you alright?”

“I’ve taken a very strong healing potion. I just hope my nose doesn’t come of-center. I’m joking!” she added, looking at his very concerned look on her nose, trying to eye-mesure if it was still centered.

There was a very awkward silence (Ellie was sure he was not convinced that it was just a joke) broken by her sudden voice “How about a cup of tea?”

And they both walked towards the kitchen. Apart from the fact that he wasn’t very familiarized with the place, he still walked very smoothingly through the great mess that was the living room, and a lot faster than Snape had.

She indicated a high stool for him to seat and offered him a cup of tea.

“Hummm, this is quite tasty.” he said

“Thank’s.” And those were the only words they exchange for long minutes, while drinking in silence. Finally he looked up at her and spoke again “So, tell me, Ellie, what have you been doing these many years?”

“Traveling around the world, studying all sort of magical creatures and trying to invent new potions” The answer was so compact he winked blankly before finding his voice again.

“I’ve been travelling too.” he said. “I’ve been studying the dark arts. Well, self-defense against dark arts, I mean.”

“That’s all the old gang’s been doing for years. I mean, fighting the dark arts” and she suddenly remembered Sirius Black was in Azkaban because he had been in the dark arts and fell into silence again.

“I’m… I’m sor-”

“It’s okay.” he interrupted her.

After a brief pause he spoke again, determined to keep some memories out of his mind. “Well, you said in your letter you wanted to discuss something. A new experiment, is it?” he seemed very business-like suddenly.

“Yes. I’ve been trying some new… things.”

“And it’s got to do with dark arts, is it?”

“Hummm… yes, you can say that.”

“Wasn’t that why you called me?”

Suddenly it seemed a lot more difficult to tell him in person what it was. She had pictured this moment a million times in her mind. She would say “Oh, Remus, I found a cure!” and he would say “I’ve been waiting for this all my life! How can I ever thank you?” And they would break in tears and embrace with emotion (and in her wildest dreams they would kiss afterwords, altough she knew that part was just a dream) but now she couldn’t find the heart to say anything.

Knowing her silence was starting to be a little strange, she smilled and said “Come and see, then, I want you to tell me what you think.”

And she pointed the door to the lab. They walked inside and she picked the recipe for the the flea-repelant for punpkins.

“This is a new potion I’ve developed from the old Repelus by Godwin Groylock”

He took it in his hands and examined it. “Hummm” he said “I’m not sure you got the right person. I’m not very good in potions, you know.”

“But you’re good in dark creatures and fleas are certanly… dark… creatures…hum… I mean…”

But he was looking at her rather then looking at the potion recipe or the cauldron. She fell silent.

“I’m sure fleas are very dark creatures” he said with a smile “but I’m also sure this is not what you wanted to show me.”

She breathed very deeply and said “You’re right.” she took it from his hands and said very quickly “I’ve just finished brewing the Wolfsbane potion. It will prevent werewolves to become monsters every full moon.”

Whatever he though was the real reason for him to be there, he certanly never though it would be this one. Ellie was bitting her lips in expectation. She was sure he was very surprised by what she said. He seemed to be fighting an inner battle. He looked rather pale and suddenly very tired. For few long minutes, she just stared at him, while he stared at nowhere in particular looking fragile and scared. They seemed to have stoped breathing and the only sound came from some bubbling potion in the room. At long last, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Are you sure” he said, looking her very deeply in the eyes.

“I’ve not tested it yet” she said “but, yes, I’m dead sure.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. It was such a weird moment. He closed his eyes and seemed to be doing very quick thinking, then, looking at her again, he said “You said it has not been tested yet…”

The moment had come. She felt her heart bumping so hard it seemed it would to be coming out of her throat. For a split second she was sure he would say she was plain crazy and curse her before he left… forever.

But he just said “I’ll do it, then.”

His face was set… and her heart suddenly felt lighter than air.

*** *** ***

Chapter V >>

“I was in a small town in Greenland were the sun set only once a year” she said “I missed it so much… It makes you see all these little pieces of magic nature gives everyday in a brand new light.”

“I spent three months in Australia, in a place where there were trees only near a small water stream.” said Remus “I never though I’d miss trees so much… or fog.” he gave a very quiet laugh and added “I missed the english fog and rain, can you believe it?”

“And I bet you had never even noticed trees that much.”

“You’re right” he said thoughfully “I didn’t care much. Or I though I didn’t.”

The sun was sinking in a beautiful horizon painted orange and violet, and tinny pink clouds looked like strokes of a brush of a very skilled and tasteful painter.

They sat silently for a while. Then they heard a knock on the door. She went inside to open it and Lupin just sat there. He never expected his life could change so suddenly and so radicaly. If the potion worked, he would be letting go of something that was living inside him for so long that he though it was already a part of him. Ellie had already explained to him that the potion wouldn’t prevent him to change: it would only keep his mind human while in wolf skin. If it worked… she had added.

“Sevy!” he heard her voice from inside. And she apeared at a window seconds later “Remus, come in.”

He walked into the kitchen and crossed to the living room where no other than Severus Snape stood by the door. He hadn’t seen him in a long time, but he was just as he remembered: always in black, with a cold expression and that slimy hair he used to tease along with James and-

He realised thinking of James and Sirius of painful and was glad Ellie was talking again.

“I wasn’t expecting you!” she said in a surprised but happy voice.

“I’ve come to-”

“Oh, sorry,” she said quickly, looking at Snape’s expression on Lupin “You’ve met, of course!” she added.

“Yes” said Snape in a cold voice and shaking hands very quickly.

They had all actually been to Hogwarts together. And Snape clearly remembered Lupin well, for his expression was of absolute loathing.

“Do you want a tea or something?” she said “I was about to make some for us.”

“No, thank you, Ellie” Snape said coolly. “As I was saying, I just came to collect that receipt you promised me. You said I could come today.”

“Oh!” she said, suddenly remembering “I’m sorry. My brother was here all week and I just… ” she was looking very ashamed. “I forgot, Sevy. Let me just see if I can find a copy!” and she dashed off to her lab. The two men were left alone.
There was a very heavy silence between them.

“We hadn’t seen in ages” said Lupin, attempting conversation.

“Yes” said Snape, apparently disapointed by the change.

“Hum… You’ve been with anyone else lately, from our time? Besides Ellie, of course.”

“No.”

Silence again.

“I haven’t seen anyone either” Lupin said, rather quietly.

“Good thing, too.” said Snape with a twisted smile. “Dementors are such foul creatures.”

Lupin swalloed, slightly hurt at these words.

“I found a copy!” Ellie said, coming in from the lab in a perfect timing. She gave Snape a piece of parchment, aparently unaware of the daggering silence.

“There you are, Sevy.”

“Will you quit it with that Sevy thing?” he hissed, pocketing the receipt. He could tolerate her calling him Sevy when no one else was present, but in front of others was absolute torture!

“Don’t mind him, Remus, he actually likes it.” she said with a grin.

“I see you’re free from being called Remmy.” Snape said “You must tell me what spell you used on her to achieve it.”

But the “spell” used was so obviously shown by her sudden furious blushing that even Snape found the situation embarassing.

Luckly there was a knock on the door (“Alohamora!”) and in came Professor Dumbledore.

“Oh, we’re having a tea party, are we?” he said, his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.

“Professor Dumbledore” said Ellie, looking very pleased (and utterly relieved) to see him.”Please, come in!”

Lupin quickly looked away from Snape, who was looking murderous.

“We’re not having tea, but I can conjure it if you like” she said.

“Thank you, Ellie, that would be nice.” And taking the cups she had just conjured, they all drank in silence. Ellie was still feeling rather hot, and kept avoiding both Snape and Lupin’s eyes. “This is just lovely” said Dumbledore, breaking the silence “I trust this is not some potion I should fear” and his twinkling eyes made her smile and less nervous. “Yet, I have not come for this. I brought you something, Ellie.” and he took a thin tube from his robes.

“You have it, then!” she said, drooping her cup.

“Yes, I have it” said Professor Dumbledore, making the tea cup disapear before it smashed on the floor, and smiled. “It’s not quite as easy has it used to be. Phoenix tears.” he added, seeing the puzzled look on Lupin’s face. “I had to tell Fawkes a really good joke this time to make him cry out laughing.”

“Phoenix tears?” Lupin said at last.

“You didn’t use Phoenix tears on the potion, Ellie” said Snape, frowning even more than Lupin.

“Well, no, I didn’t” she said, taking the thin tube from Dumbledore’s hands “But that’s not the only potion I can make, is it?”

“Phoenix tears are very dangerous ingredients.” said Snape, looking really dangerous himself. Ellie knew he had understood what the tears were for. “You know that, Ellie, don’t you?” and it wasn’t a question.

“Dear Ellie” said Dumbledore suddenly “I must ask you to forgive me but it is time for me to leave. For us to leave” and he looked at Snape. “We have a lot to arrange for the beggining of the school year. I still have to see some candidates for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post. Take care, Ellie. It was a pleasure to see you again, Remus.” He opened the door and looked at Snape “Coming, Severus?”

Snape didn’t look much like going. He was still looking very intensly at Lupin, as if trying to read something in his eyes.
“Coming, Headmaster” he said at last. He glanced at Ellie to say goodbye, but, not only no words came out, he also had a deeply cold look in his face. He turned round and they both Desapparated.

*** *** ***

Chapter VI >>

“What?” she asked.

“What did Severus mean by dangerous ingredient?”

“Oh that!” and she waved her hand “That’s just Sevy, you know him!” She took some papers from the table, but she knew Lupin’s eyes were still on her.

“Why do you need it? I know Severus figured it out and he wasn’t pleased.”

“Oh, well” and she mumbled something, still reading the papers, not noticing some of them were upside down.

“Ellie, look at me.” He took her gently by her arm and looked deeply into her eyes. “I know what phoenix tears are for. They have healing powers.” She tried to avoid his eyes “You’re not going to use it in a potion, are you? Look at me.” Unable to keep avoiding him, she gave in. He had such beautiful eyes! She always loved his eyes… They seemed to show how strong and fragile his soul was. “It’s for you, isn’t it?” came his voice again. “Ellie, I won’t let you stay.”

She seemed to find her voice again.

“It’s not your call!” and she actually freed her arm. “Yes, it’s for me. I have to be present when you test the potion to make sure it’s working. I have to know what’s going on. I have to-”

“I quit, then.” he said very suddenly “I won’t let you take that risk! I won’t let you stand by me while I’m transforming!” She lost her voice again, looking flabergasted. She mouthed wordlesly and then…

“Fine!” she said, almost shouting, very much unlike her and looking positively furious! “Quit if you want to! Give up and go home! Why not? Be a monster all your life! Aaaargh!! What did you think testing meant, you… you… ” and, unable to insult him properly, she went storming into the lab. Two seconds later she returned, pointing her finger very threatnigly at his face “I always knew the risks I had to take! Do you think inventing a potion is just some mix-up of ingredients? This is not cooking, you know? You have to test it! Watch how it works! Have some kind of antidote ready in case something goes wrong. You have to check for signs of poisoning, for unexpected results…! This is potion making! It’s not some milk shake receipt! Why do you think there are so few of us, inventors?” And she looked very testingly at Lupin ” And why do you think it took so long for someone to do this kind of potion? Do you think I finaly made it because I’m a genius?… or because nobody cared before?”

He was very shocked to see her that angry. But she didn’t seem to care. She was blurting out things that were stuck inside her for far too long.

“Nobody cared for curing or treating werewolves because nobody cares about werewolves! All the potion makers I’ve met trying something connected with werewolves are developing poisons! Ways to kill you! Nobody wants to see you living! That’s why nobody ever even tried to invent this potion! I was kicked out of the Potion Making Convention three years ago just for suggesting this! I’ve received letters from the Ministry of Magic warning me, or threatning me, about the things I said at the Convention! I have been banished from the Confederation of Potion Makers!” she said acidly “all because of this little potion here that interferes with the natural and organized world of wizards, where creatures like giants, vampires and werewolves are not supposed to be treated as humans, are supposed to be killed !!!”

She took a deep breath and said in a calmer, but even more dangerously voice “And you’re telling me you can’t let me take the risks?”

There was an awkward silence. Lupin was looking deeply shocked.

“Banished?” he said slowly. “I had no idea…” he was looking rather pale. “And all because of…”

“Of this potion, yes, that you don’t want to try because I could get hurt. Remus, getting hurt is nothing next to the hope of seeing you safe. The mere hope was worth all of it. That hope gave me strenght when I couldn’t find a job at the simplest places these last couple of years. That hope gave me strengh when close colegues walked away and eventualy stoped owling me. It gave me hope to come back here, to my old place, starting a new life away from Hogsmeade, because some of the potion makers there kept looking at me as if I had some contagious deasease. Severus is the only potion maker I’m still in touch with.”

“I’m sorry, Ellie.” said Lupin, very quietly. “I know how that feels.” He had been banished half his life for beeing a werewolf. But that was something he couldn’t help. But she was someone who could help from being banished (all she had to do was forget all about the Wolfsbane potion) and yet… she didn’t quit and made it till the end. All alone. Yet she had made it.

“Are you sure phoenix tears will be enough?” he asked.

“I have other potions that will be ready by that time. But phoenix tears are usually very effective.”

“Ellie…” and he looked her deeply admiring her but also very concerned “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“And I want you to be safe.”

He took her hand and said “I don’t know how to thank you”. And she felt his warm and gentle lips on her hand.

“Oh well”, she said to herself that night, long after he’d left, “the kiss was right, only the place was wrong…”

*** *** ***

Chapter VII >>

She had to clean her house as well. Especially the little room in which Lupin would be sleeping during the experiment’s time. They had settled that two weeks before the full moon should be enough for him to start taking the potion, daily. She was going for a full month, but she was affraid the dose might be a little high.

And so, that morning, Lupin arrived quite early, with a small, battered suitcase.

“And here’s where you’ll be staying.” she said, opening a door he had never noticed before.

“Have I walked in the right house?” he asked with a smile.

“I know, I know, it’s all so clean-”

“And you can actually see the tiles of the floor!”

“Apreciate them while you can. This won’t last more than a week!” and she gave him a very nasty look.

He walked into the room, drooped his case and looked around. So this is where he would be transforming next full moon. It reminded him of the Shriecking Shack, where he had been for 7 years, with its grey and cold empty walls.

“Have you had any breakfast yet?” he heard Ellie’s voice.

“I’m not hungry.” he replied, and left the room, to join her at the kitchen.

“Well,” she said when he had seated “when do you want to start?”

“Is there any best time to take it?”

“As long as you drink it once a day… You should eat something, you know?” and she offered him some tea and toasts.

“Maybe just some tea, then. Do you think I could try it know?”

And Ellie just said “Finish your tea, then, and I’ll go get it.”

She went to the lab and looked at the twelve little cauldrons she had now with the Wolfsbane potion. She took a glass from a very clean and beautiful shelf and filled it with the potion.

“Here it is” and she gave him the glass.

He look at it quite suspiciously. Then he drank it in one shot.

He drooped the glass and let out a horrible “Aaargh!”

“Remus!” she cried at the site of his contorted face.

“Disgusting!!!” he said and looked at her alarmed face “What? It’s just disgusting. The taste, I mean.”

She let out a long sigh and looked at him, still shaking. He noticed she had brought another glass, filled with some red-blood liquid.

“I though you had complete confidence in your work.” he said, smiling again. “Glass reparus.” and he put the glass on the table.

“You never know… something could have gone wrong… and you could have been…” she quickly took the red filled glass to the lab and he noticed she was still very nervous.

“You have to monitor me now, is it?” he asked when she returned from the lab.

“Yes” and she blushed slightly. “I think I should start now, actually. Let’s see, ” and she took a piece of parchment from a drawer and kept looking for something while talking “What do you feel?”

“Hum… good I guess.”

“No diziness, no bluring vision, no stars dancing in front of your eyes?” she asked, looking inside a jar.

“Nope. Nothing.”

“Hearing voices-”

“Only yours.”

“Allucinations…” she lifted the plates from the table.

“Are you looking for something?”

“A quill” and she looked under the table.

“I don’t know if I’m allucinating, but here’s one” Ellie emerged from under the table.

“Oh, thank’s. I was looking for it!” she took it and started writing on the parchment

“July 25, 1987
1st potion: 9:35 a.m.
No weird sympthoms.
No apparent changes.
Looking good.“

“I’m looking good, am I? That’s good to know.”

“The experiment is looking good. You look just the same.”

“Oh.” and he made a very offended sort of look.

“Let me check the rest of you.”

“What do you want to check?” he asked in mock outrage.

“Everything. Take your clothes off. No, no, no, I’m just kidding!” she added hastly “I just need to check your pupils.” and before he took her first idea seriously, she took a magnifying glass from her pocket and looked very deeply at his eyes.
Surpressing the effect his eyes always had on her, she said “Your pupils seem fine. You can see a lot in pupils. Very closed pupils are usually a sign of poisoning.”

She wrote “pupils fine” on the parchment and finally seated again, looking at him.

“I though I would be feeling something different. But aside from the taste, it’s just like drinking water.”

“You won’t be feeling anything for almost two weeks, if everything goes right.”

“And what do we do now?”

“You can settle yourself in your room. I have to check on a flea-repelent potion.”

“Oh, those dark creatures are back.”

“Yeah, I made it for some lunatic old man but he says it was great and wants some more. As long as he as galleons, I’m here for it. The ingredients aren’t that cheap, you know. And I still have to earn some to live. Anyway, I have to make him enough to last for a couple of months. I won’t have much time for potion making. I have to check on you, now.”

Lupin suddenly remembered that brewing potions was what she did for living. It had never occured to him that potions and time making them cost money.

“Don’t worry” she said, looking at his worried face “I know my house doesn’t seem much, but I still got the galleons for us to survive for the next couple of months.”

“You’re investing on this potion from your own pocket?”

“I really have to check on that potion. Why don’t you… hum… settle yourself?” and she almost ran to the lab.
Lupin was beggining to understand all that was at stake for her in that little experiment. She had put in it her money, her work, her carier, her life. She had put everything she owned, everything she had and everything she was in that potion. He looked at the glass again, this time in a whole new light.

He had never tasted anyone’s dream before.

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Chapter VIII >>

“Sorry, Remus, but sugar makes it completely useless.” Ellie would say, and he had to drink it just as it was, mumbling “I sure hope this works, Ellie, or I might strangle you.” which she always found amusing. However, she could not hide from herself the every day the full moon got closer and every day she felt more nervous.

She could tell he was just as anxious as she was, though he could hide it more efectively.

During that time, she kept bumping “are you feeling alright?” at him at unexpected times, to make sure he wasn’t hidding something. But she knew, from her own observations, that he seemed just the same.

It was the eve of the full moon night. They were dinnig in the small kitchen some mashed potatoes Lupin had made and a very tasty would-be-steak made of vegetables. She could tell he wasn’t pleased with the steaks, but still he tried to eat the lot with a smile upon his face.

“Are you nervous?” asked Ellie after a long silence.

“I am.” he said without thinking. “I think I’ve never been so frightened about a coming full moon. It’s strange because I know all that can happen is that either I transform into a monster… or I don’t. For the first time there is hope that I keep my mind, but that seems to scare me more than the full transformation has for years.”

Ellie didn’t reply at once.

“I’m a little anxious, too.” she said at last. “But I know everything will go fine.”

And they sat there, talking through the night about everything except the coming moon.

***

Next morning, Ellie gave Lupin his glass right after breakfast. He drank without a word.

He helped her repot some weird plants she had at the back of the garden, and after lunch they decided to stay and play a bit of wizard chess. By 5 o’clock, Ellie started to check and double check everything that would be needed because the moon would rise in about an hour’s time.

“I’ve checked everything” she said.

“Have you got the… tears?”

She nodded. They didn’t eat at all, they were too nervous, and so, at a quarter to six, he entered his room. Ellie stayed at the door. They had agreed that he would be locked until she could tell it was safe. And if it wasn’t safe, she had the phoenix tears inside her robes.

“Ellie…”

“Go” she said “everything will be fine. I’ll see you in a moment.”

He looked at her as if it was the last time he’d see her and nodded. She locked the room. Any moment now, he would be starting his transformation.

She waited and heard him pacing around the room. The sun was setting and the full moon was rising. He kept pacing. Ellie kept listening. Any moment now…

He stoped pacing… and Ellie felt her heart sink.

Then a horrible cry came from inside the room.

“Remus!” and she felt an urge to unlock the door. She grabed the key but stood still, unable to do it. Another cry. She took the tube with the phoenix tears and opened the door.

Remus was screaming again. He was almost transformed. He didn’t look remotely like a man. She had never seen him like this before. He was curling in a corner, scratching himself anxiously, and growling. Ellie took a deep breath and a step forward.

“Remus” she called. There was a wolf now where the man had been. “Remus, can you hear me?”

The wolf stood up and looked threatningly at her. His eyes were not as beautiful as Lupin’s, but there was still something his in them. She stood there, certain that he would atack her, and certain that it had worked. She was shaking in uncertainty and fear.

“Remus” she tried again, and she felt her eyes were washing in tears “Remus, can you hear me? Are you alright?”

The wolf didn’t take his eyes off her and walked at her side. It seemed that he wanted to do something but wasn’t sure how to do it. He finaly laid his head against Ellie’s robes. And she knew she had made it.

She passed her fingers through his fur, gently, in caring gestures, guided by all the love she felt. He seemed to like it: he growled as if he was a cat purring.

Ellie spent the night with him, feeling his soft fur between her fingers, and he actually fell asleep on her lap.

She had made it.

***

It was nearly six in the morning. She hadn’t had any sleep at all, taking care of Remus. The moon was nearly setting. He was still sleeping when the first sunshine rays entered through the door.

He woke up and looked at her. But right at that moment, the moon should be setting because he shrugged, stepped away from her and started howling. He was in pain, and she didn’t know what to do. Before she had time to think, his fur began to shrink, and his paws slowly turned to hands, and his hears shortened… In what seemed like no time at all, it was all over.

“Remus!” she cried, kneeling at his side. Remus was lying on the ground, looking pale and exhausted. She took him in her arms and embraced him. He was so cold… “Oh, Remus, please tell me you’re alright.”

He opened his eyes very slowly and gave her a gratefull look. She took him on to the bed and gave him to drink from a tube she took from her robes. He drank and closed his eyes again. In less than two minutes he fell asleep. Ellie never left his bedside. And by noon, when he woke up, she was the first thing he recognised.

“Ellie…”

“Don’t try to speak just yet. Are you thirsty?”

He nodded and she gave him some water. He drank as if he had never had any in his life. Then he rolled over to get closer to her (she was sitting on the bed) and laid his head on her lap.

“Than-k you” was all he could say.

Ellie kissed his forhead and felt a tear on her hand. Remus kissed her hand and before she could stop him, he raised himself and embrassed her. She wanted to say “Remus, you should lie down. You shouldn’t make quick moves. You should rest.”

But all she managed to say was “Remus” before his lips silenced her with a kiss – a long gentle kiss which was followed by another and another and another. Ellie felt almost dizzy with the warmth of his lips. He kissed her neck and she could feel his hands searching for her body beneath the robes.

She seemed to be discovering her senses all over again: he smelled like passion, he tasted like lust, he felt like hunger and he looked so perfect. She was breathing faster and letting out sounds of pleasure, inebriating his hears.

It was like a wave of the ocean, filling her and embracing her. It was like a warm breeze taking over her, heating her skin with every touch. It was like being touched by the sun, his long beautiful fingers rushing through her hair, scanning every pore of her skin, burning in passioned love.

She felt like the whole universe had been created for the sole purpose of that moment and that suddenly everything made sense: the world had stoped but they were more alive than ever.

And during those moments lost in time, they weren’t Ellie and Remus: they were just one body and just one soul.

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Chapter IX >>