Chapter 8

He woke the following morning to the smell of breakfast permeating his senses. He looked around the room and saw he was alone. Moving to the bath, he quickly cleaned himself up and threw on a dressing gown. When he returned to the bedroom, he found Wendy seated at the small table, already dressed. "Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Some, and I believe that breakfast will help a great deal." While he still needed his cane, he was not leaning on it as much this morning. "Thank you," he said as she handed him a cup of tea.

"I'm afraid I have to leave soon. I received an owl from the Ministry this morning, and it seems they have one of those things that only I can take care of," she said regretfully.

"Only you?" he questioned.

She explained pompously, "As the most unsavory of Aurors, I get a lot of interesting tasking. There are some things you Gryffindors just don't want to do. You need people like me." She smiled slyly.

He chuckled softly at how silly she was acting. "When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure. I never know how long these things will take. It might be best if you went home rather than wait here," she replied simply.

He tried to hide his disappointment and forced a weak smile. Could this possibly be a ploy to get rid of me? he wondered. "I suppose you're right. Once I have my strength up to Apparate, I'll head home. There's still some stuff left to clean up that they didn't get to this summer." Suddenly, he had an idea. "When do you think you might come by to give the library a once over?" he asked optimistically. He knew he wasn't supposed to remind her in order to win the bet, but he didn't care.

She wasn't exactly looking forward to spending time around Black. "I was wondering when someone would bring that up again. If it's not too late when I finish up, I'll stop by this afternoon. I'm not sure exactly when I'll find time after today. I'm starting my duty cycle again." She finished her tea and gave him a brief open-mouthed kiss. "Feel free to take any of the clothes you want."

It was mid-morning when Remus returned to Grimmauld Place. He dropped the valise in the entry and decided to see if Sirius was in the kitchen before heading upstairs. The kitchen was deserted. Once he made it to the third floor landing, he called out, "Sirius?"

"Up here," came a muffled voice.

Remus deposited the bag in his room before heading up to the fourth floor where he met Sirius outside Buckbeak's room.

"Glad to see you're still alive. I got a little worried when you didn't come back last night. I thought you might have splinched yourself somewhere," said Sirius.

Remus shook his head. "No. I ended up staying at Wendy's. She had the same concerns about my well-being and wouldn't let me leave."

Sirius leered. "So, you spent the night with her."

Remus crossed his arms in disbelief. "Honestly, your mind is always in the gutter. I stayed in her guest room, alone, if you must know. We're still in the 'get to know you' phase of our relationship."

Sirius shook his head. "I still can't get over someone like you with an aristocrat like her." Actually, it was more like an aristocrat like her choosing someone like Remus. She had been as fervent in pureblood beliefs as the rest of his family.

"We talked about it. She's sick of the aristocratic ways and likes my commoner charms. Besides, I'm a friend with you, aren't I?" He leaned confidently against the wall with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Are you sure you didn't sleep with her?" Sirius asked suspiciously after seeing that grin.

"That, Sirius, is my business." He started back downstairs. Let Sirius think what he wanted.

"Remus, wait. You're lucky if she's everything you say she is. I'll admit, I'm jealous. You've found something special and I'm stuck here," he said bitterly. "I just have a hard time getting past how she used to be. Maybe the fact that she's accepted you means that she really has changed."

"As I have been trying to tell you," Remus replied with an air of satisfaction.

Shortly before dinner, there was a knock at the door. Remus had his sleeves rolled up, cooking dinner. "Would you mind?"

Sirius stomped upstairs and cracked the door, surprised to see Wendy standing out in the rain. Of course, she had cast a charm so she wasn't wet, but he still enjoyed making her wait. "Well, well, well, look who's here? Come to mingle with the riff raff?" he asked in a condescending tone of voice as he blocked the door.

"Oh grow up and open the damn door before I decided to wake up dear old mum," she replied gruffly. This was why she had not wanted to come here.

"You wouldn't dare?" He thought she probably would.

"If you don't open the door I will." She brandished her wand.

Now there was no doubt she would, and he opened the door. "He's down in the kitchen. Your timing is impeccable; you're just in time to join us for dinner." Sirius gave her a wry grin, knowing their idea of dinner would not match hers.

That was not a prospect she was enjoying; she had hoped she had arrived late enough to avoid dinner. Before heading down the stairs, she stopped him and whispered menacingly, "Look, there's no love lost between us. You won't forgive the things I did as a kid and I'm not asking you to. All I'm asking is that we put our differences aside for one night. I hate arguing during a meal. And just so you know, I'm perfectly happy ignoring you, but if you decide to snipe at me, I'm not going to let it go. I can't let it go. So just bloody well shut up and behave for one fucking night!"

"What language from a lady," he admonished. He crossed his arms and asked snidely, "So, do you present Remus with a completely different persona? Does he know who you really are?"

"He has seen my darker side, though not as often as you do. Dammit, Black, I like him, okay? Just get over it." She headed down to the kitchen. She hated the fact that Sirius seemed to bring out the worst in her. When she entered the kitchen, she said, "Smells...interesting."

Remus laughed softly. "Well, we don't quite have the resources available that you do. I assure you, it is quite edible."

"I'm sure it is," she replied politely. "I came over to check out the library, but I suppose I can do that after we eat." From the look and smell of dinner, she would have preferred eating at home, but one thing she had learned as a child was how to be polite when faced with an unpleasant task.

They actually managed to have an almost pleasant dinner. It was simple, but didn't taste as bad as it had smelled. What made the dinner pleasant was that Sirius remained quiet. Remus of course, found the silence uncomfortable, but it was preferred to the arguments that normally occurred between Wendy and Sirius.

"That wasn't bad, Remus. Thank you," she said as she finished eating.

"I only wish I could have done better." Once again, he was embarrassed by his simple means.

"It was good enough." She stood and glanced between the two of them. "I think I'm ready for the library. I will ask that no one disturb me while I disarm the room. It will take me about twenty minutes. I'll let you know when it's safe."

"She's going to get herself killed," said Sirius soberly after she left the room.

"Do you really believe that?" asked Remus. He had gathered the library was dangerous, but he had never thought she might be placing herself in mortal danger. After all, she had indicated that she had been in there before.

"No. I'm not that lucky. The fact she knew how to get in the dining room leads me to believe that she also knows how to get into the library. I don't even want to know what we'll find in there." He remembered hearing the girls whisper about the library from time to time and none of it had been pleasant. Of course, as soon as they noticed his presence, they had always changed subjects.

It only took Wendy fifteen minutes to disarm the room. The charms were the same ones that had been there all those years ago. The five additional minutes were so she could save a few things from the room. She had seen and heard of the previous house cleaning efforts and knew that many valuable Dark Artifacts had been destroyed. She would spare the more valuable ones here from that same fate.

Out of her pocket, she pulled a miniaturized traveling case and enlarged it. With a wave of her wand, nearly two-dozen books flew into the case, many of them ones Severus had requested. De-activating the protective charms, she quickly removed some of the Dark Artifacts from the shelves and placed them in the case as well. She knew her time was running out. A quick scan of the room showed she had what she wanted. She magically sealed and shrank the case and about the same time there was a knock on the door. "Enter," she called out.

Remus cautiously opened the door. "Is it safe?"

"It is. I know that Albus is against Dark Magic, but it would be a shame to destroy all these books. They might provide some insight for the upcoming war." Most of the books on Dark Magic remaining were duplicates of ones in her library. She knew that saving them all would be noticed.

"We'll catalogue them and send the list to Albus. Are any of these artifacts overly dangerous?" Remus looked around the room and saw many gruesome objects on display. If he were so inclined, he was sure he could sell them for a handsome sum in Knockturn Alley.

Sirius was looking around the room. He had never been in here before. "I wouldn't be surprised. That was some fun stuff we had to deal with in the drawing room. I imagine some of the stuff in here has to be worse than what we found there," he replied dryly.

"Not overly so, as long as you are careful," she replied.

"Then why was the room sealed?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"Probably for the books and the records and a few of the more dangerous items. Edgar used to keep me locked out of the library, or so he thought." She sneered at Black. "He had all sorts of interesting records. I'm sure if you go through the desk, you will find all kinds of information on the Dark Lord's first rise."

Sirius circled around her. "Dark Lord, huh? Sure you aren't on his side?" he asked suspiciously.

She replied acerbically, "Oh grow up. I was in Slytherin and surrounded by Death Eaters. Everyone in my social circle called him that. Less cumbersome than You-Know-Who, don't you think?"

"Why not simply call him Voldemort?" chided Sirius.

She shrugged. "To each his own. Look, I've done you a favor. I can stay and help, but not if you're going to treat me like that. My time is valuable." She truly hoped that she could just leave. The prospect of spending the evening in the same room as Black was an unpleasant one.

"And how do I know you haven't taken anything out of the room?" he asked suspiciously.

"With the level of suspicion you show, you should have been in Slytherin," she replied evasively, knowing this comment would sidetrack him from his original inquiry.

"You take that back!" he demanded as he moved closer to loom over her, his hand in his pocket, clenched around his wand.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Remus. He noticed them both staring at him in amazement. "I am sick and tired of the two of you always at each other's throats. I trust both of you and you are both my friends. Sirius, you have been my friend for more than twenty years. Wendy, I am very fond of you. All I ask is for the two of you to both grow up and forget petty childhood grudges. Sirius, Wendy is not going to jinx you so quit antagonizing her. Wendy, don't give him the satisfaction of giving in to him. Do you think you can do that? For one evening, at least? We are going to be working with each other for some time, after all."

Wendy and Sirius both glared at each other. Wendy sneered, "I have already explained to Black that I am more than happy to ignore him, but I will not back down if he goads me."

Sirius started to protest when Remus interrupted him, "Sirius, enough. I don't want to hear any more arguments."

Sirius scowled at the smug look she gave him once Remus apparently chose her side. He watched her move next to Remus and lean against him, wrapping her arm around his waist as they began perusing the bookshelves. His scowl deepened as he watched Remus place his arm around Wendy's shoulder. He had never anticipated Remus deserting him like this.

As it neared midnight, Wendy announced, "I must be going. I have to go to work tomorrow. I think we've cleared the dangerous stuff out of the room, though I would like to seal it back up to keep Kreacher out."

"And would you share those wards with us?" Sirius asked sharply.

"It's advanced magic, Dark Magic, that takes some time to perfect. It took us nearly two years to work out how to get in here. I don't think either of you are capable of performing it correctly."

Sirius looked at the two of them and remembered that Remus had admonished him about goading her. "I'm going to bed," he said gruffly and stormed out of the room.

Wendy chuckled softly. "He's always been partial to drama."

"That he has. Do you really have to go?" he asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.

She placed a book back on the shelf after determining it wasn't overly dangerous. "I do. I wish he had left earlier. I couldn't stand his scowl whenever I got close to you." Actually, she had rather enjoyed finding a new way to torment Sirius, especially one so pleasant.

"He's jealous, you know," Remus stated as he pulled her close.

"I know. I'll try to get together with you this week, but I can't make any promises. I'm not home every night." She stretched up to kiss him. When she pulled away, she teased, "You're entirely too tall."

He brushed her hair and smiled playfully. "And you're entirely too short."

"Hey, now. I'm not short. I'm even taller than average." She pushed him onto the couch and straddled him. "That's better. Now I can kiss you without getting neck strain." She leaned forward and kissed him passionately.

He returned her kiss, probing her mouth deeply with his tongue. This was something he had wanted to do all evening, especially with the way she had been brushing against him. Unable to ignore his desires any longer, he pushed her onto her back and draped himself over her. He didn't want to let her leave.

"Remus, I really ought to go," she said reluctantly.

"What if I don't want you to?" He pressed against her, making his desires known.

"Not here. Not with him here," she replied as she half-heartedly tried to push him away. She really didn't mind him between her legs.

He nibbled at her neck. "We could go back to your place."

"Mmm. Tempting," she replied. Knowing what was in store for her at the Ministry, she really ought to go home and get some sleep. It was really quite late.

"But?" he asked as he continued to lavish attention on her.

"You make it so hard to think straight," she replied. His touch felt wonderful and a part of her didn't want him to stop.

"Then don't," he replied quietly between kisses.

She reveled in the feel of his hands exploring her body. "Remus," she pleaded softly as she rubbed her hands along his back.

"Yes, luv?" he asked, before capturing her mouth in his to delay any argument. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, but we've only had one date. Isn't this rushing things a bit?" she whispered weakly. This was not the right time for her to become romantically involved with someone in an equally dangerous line of work.

He explained between kisses, "Given all the time we've spent together...I like to consider this...our fifth date. The first...being that night in the diner owned by your friend, Lou...the second...the night I consoled you...the third would be...when I asked you to dinner...and the fourth...this past Wednesday. After all, we did spend most of the day together." He flashed her his smile.

"So you're saying our fifth date was cleaning out this library under Sirius' scowling gaze?" she asked playfully as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Why not?" He rubbed his hips against her, letting her feel his arousal. "We did spend the evening together and now you don't have to feel like we are rushing."

"I thought the wolf only came out before full moon?" she asked playfully between kisses.

"Perhaps you bring it out in me? Now, should we go to your place?" he asked hopefully and nuzzled against her neck.

It was very hard to think clearly with him nibbling her neck and his hand rubbing her thigh. Besides, it had been a long time since she had felt this way about anyone and she didn't want to fight it. "Okay, but I'll need a couple minutes to secure the room, first."

He kissed her deeply one last time, barely resisting the urge to take her right there. "Hurry," he whispered urgently.

She tried to clear her mind in order to reset the wards. It took her a little longer than it should have, but she did it. A quick pat of her pocket reassured her that everything was safe. As soon as she closed the door, Remus swept her into another kiss and pinned her against the wall, his hand rubbing between her legs.

"Not in the hall," she admonished playfully and led him outside.

With a crack, they left Grimmauld Place and arrived in Chelsea. They left a trail of clothing as they worked their way upstairs and only stumbled once. Many years of pent up frustrations were about to be relieved, on both sides.

When Wendy fell against the bed, she kicked off her knickers, finally free of her clothing. She pulled away just long enough to throw the covers clear of the bed. She pulled Remus onto the bed and ran her hands through the hair on his chest. Feeling his erection pressed against her stomach, she whispered, "Take me."

This was one order he was not going to argue. He reached down and found she was quite ready for him. Slipping his fingers into her, he searched for the nub that he heard about, hoping his inexperience would not be too noticeable. Once he heard her soft moans, he knew that he had found what he was looking for.

After teasing her for a short while, he positioned himself to do as she had asked. He moaned as he penetrated her. She was warm, slick, and tight and it felt wonderful. He could feel her wrap her legs around him and he realized how much he had missed this. As he thrust into her, he felt like a teenage boy having his first sexual encounter, and he thought it might be as brief.

His tension was building and he did not have the presence of mind to resist his urges. Thrusting harder and deeper, he knew release was near. Pulling himself tight against her, he was pleased to feel her using her legs to pull him closer. He was panting and could feel a sheen of sweat forming on his skin. As he reached climax, he couldn't hold back the cry of relief.

He collapsed on top of her after he was spent, unable to support his weight any longer. After kissing her several times, he rolled next to her. He was pleased when she snuggled against him.

"We shouldn't have done that," she said.

"Oh? Did you not enjoy it?" he asked nervously. He knew that he had finished rather quickly and his inexperience must have been painfully obvious, but she had not seemed disappointed at the time.

She quickly reassured, "Oh, no, I enjoyed it immensely. It's just that being intimate can change a working relationship." She ran her hand across his chest, surprised that she really did have a man in her bed.

"Change can be a good thing, you know." He still feared that he had been too forward.

"I suppose it can. Why did you have to be so damned sexy?" she asked as she ran her hand through the hair on his chest.

He chuckled softly. "Me? Sexy? That's not a word I think I've ever heard used to describe me." He had to admit the compliment pleased him. The moon broke through the clouds and illuminated her bedroom. He could see several scars on her exposed skin. He traced one of them on her back. "Where did you get these?"

"Mostly magical creatures, though a few are human inflicted," she replied uncomfortably, not really desiring to discuss her past injuries, or the fact that some were werewolf inflicted.

"It's a shame such beauty has to be marred with such marks." He could feel one particularly nasty gash on her lower back and frowned.

"Flatterer. Beauty is not a word I associate with me."

"Well, I beg to differ. When I saw you that first night, dressed like..." He was trying to choose a word to complete the thought.

"A whore? Why is that so hard for you to say? It's just an undercover persona." She found it amusing how uncomfortable that made him. Undercover assignments had always been her favorite part about being an Auror. You could be anyone you wanted. She had about a dozen different characters she played.

"Because you aren't a whore. Anyway, seeing you in that dress, it aroused desires in me that were long dormant. And then, with your little hard to get routine..."

She interrupted, "That was no routine. I truly despised you. After making persecuting werewolves a bit of a hobby, it's hard to turn away from that. I'm really glad you persisted, though. You're just too damn charming to hate." She nuzzled against him and kissed his chest.

"I'm very glad to hear that." This was such a wonderful feeling, one that he had yearned for, but was sure he would never experience. After their first couple of days together, he hadn't anticipated this ever happening. He could hear her breathing slowing into the steady rhythm of sleep and he carefully reached down to pull the blankets up over them. For now, he would enjoy sleeping with her in his arms.

Remus woke when he felt Wendy stirring. During the course of the night, she had nuzzled against his chest and draped her leg over his body. "Good morning, beautiful," he said softly.

She was startled to find someone in bed with her. "Remus?"

Gently, he brushed her hair out of her face. "You didn't think I would leave, did you?"

She smiled back at him. Actually, she had expected him to be gone. Most of the lovers she had taken over the years did not spend the night. "I don't know. I guess I hadn't thought too much about it. What time is it?" From where she was, she couldn't see the clock.

"Just after seven. Plenty of time," he replied as he kissed the top of her head. "Assuming you weren't completely disappointed last night."

She reassured, "I most definitely wasn't disappointed." Running her hand down his stomach, she found his engorged manhood. She had never understood the morning erection, but was more than willing to take advantage of the situation. With a light touch, she rubbed him before trailing a line of kisses down his chest and stomach. Pushing the blankets away, she teased his tip with her tongue before taking him fully into her mouth.

He gasped at this new sensation. Oh, he had heard about getting a blowjob numerous times from Sirius. Sirius had enjoyed enumerating the places on campus where he had received them. Remus tightened his grip on the sheets as she gently ran her teeth along his shaft. Once she pulled away, she gently blew on the moist tip, causing to him shudder at the sensation.

Once again she teased his tip with her tongue, before taking him back into her mouth. He moaned once she wrapped her hand around him and began pumping.

His body reacted involuntarily to this new stimulus and before he knew it, he was on the verge of orgasm. "Wendy," he said weakly, trying to get her attention, but she only seemed to make her stimulation more intense. "Wendy!" he proclaimed more urgently and was surprised to hear his voice crack. He knew he couldn't hold it anymore and felt the heady rush of release.

When she was sure he was finished she looked up and licked her lips. "How was that?"

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her where he could kiss her. He was slightly surprised by the salty taste. "It was wonderful, but I fear you've left me spent," he replied.

She snuggled against him. "We still have time for you to recover," she replied slyly. "After all, I don't have to be at work until nine."

Much to Sirius' dismay, Remus was spending more and more time away from Grimmauld Place. Remus would come over during the day when he wasn't otherwise occupied with Order business, but he generally left in the evenings. Sirius was torn. He couldn't remember Remus being this happy, but he was afraid that Wendy was just stringing his friend along, using him for entertainment. He had long ago stopped trying to convince Remus that Wendy was not to be trusted. Remus had made it quite clear that he trusted her implicitly.

Sirius looked up when he heard Kreacher muttering quite loudly about what a disappointment he had turned out to be. They should have gotten rid of the elf first thing upon moving into the house. Kreacher was an impediment to whatever they were doing and was thoroughly useless as a house-elf. He didn't clean anything or do any cooking. All he did was root around the house trying to save possessions that members of the Order were trying to get rid of. Unfortunately, Albus had dictated that Kreacher had learnt too much to be set free and was vehemently against doing away with an innocent, though seemingly insane, house-elf.

Sirius' thoughts of figuring out a way for Kreacher to have an accident were disturbed when he heard the front door open. He looked up and saw Remus coming down the stairs. "So, you've decided to grace me with your presence?" he asked sarcastically. "Or did you just come for your potion?"

"Sirius, I'm sorry. It's just been really busy. I try to spend as much time here as I can, but..."

"You've got a girlfriend now. I've heard it before," he replied glumly. Gesturing behind over his shoulder with his thumb, he said, "Your potion's on the counter."

Remus quickly downed the vile concoction, took a seat at the table and poured himself some tea to wash the taste out of his mouth. He was trying to decide if Sirius was truly irritated with him or just being Sirius. "It's not that. Order business has kept me quite busy. I'm not ignoring you on purpose. It's just... Sirius, it's a wonderful feeling. These last few weeks... I've never felt this way before," he said excitedly. "She's a wonderful person. I don't know how to explain it."

"Are you in love with her?" Sirius asked incredulously. Remus had certainly made it sound like he was.

Remus considered this question carefully. "I think that I am."

Sirius had expected that answer, but he still couldn't believe it. "Why?"

"Despite all our outward differences, we are very similar inside. We are both outcasts and misunderstood by our peers. I can understand why she is miserable."

"Miserable? Her? You must be joking. She comes from a prominent family, married into another, and is quite wealthy from that marriage, I might add, and has a successful career as an Auror."

He wasn't about to discuss her past with Sirius. The last thing he needed was to give his friend more ammunition to use against her. "It's complex. Let's just say, I understand her like no one else she has met."

"And is she in love with you?" This was the real question. The one Sirius thought he knew the answer to and the one that Remus was ignoring.

"That, I don't know," he replied sadly.

"You haven't told her, have you?" Sirius asked snidely.

Remus stared into his teacup. "No. I'm afraid to tell her. What if she doesn't return the feeling? I'm sure that would ruin everything." He couldn't face the rejection.

"You should tell her now and save yourself the heartache in the future," offered Sirius. This might be what it would take to end the affair. He refused to call it a relationship.

Remus shook his head. "It's too soon; it hasn't been a month yet. If she doesn't love me now, she may grow to love me. I want to give her time. She's admitted she really hasn't had any long-term relationships and I don't want to rush things."

"What would you be rushing? You're already sleeping with her. This way you could find out if she's just using you for sex."

"I prefer to remain ignorant for the time being." He sipped at his tea. "I'll choose a few months of happiness over the possibility of it ending now. You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same."

Sirius was silent for several seconds before saying, "You're right. I would do the same. And I guess this way you are keeping a close eye on her and would know if she does anything suspicious."

Remus checked his watch. "Well, I had best be getting upstairs. The moon will be up soon."

"Nice to see I'm good for something," replied Sirius sarcastically.

Remus sighed. Sirius had been doing this for the last couple of weeks, ever since he had more or less taken up permanent residence with Wendy. A part of him felt bad for not spending as much time with Sirius, but this was the first time he had found a woman willing to accept him for who he was.

Remus stretched, trying to work out the stiffness leftover from transformation. He noticed he was covered with a blanket and wondered how that had happened. He had been too tired and weak in the early hours of the morning to move, let alone cover himself with a blanket. He jumped when he heard, "Good afternoon," come from the far side of the room. He watched as Wendy got up from where she had been sitting against the wall. "Wendy?" Embarrassed of his post transformation appearance he pulled the blanket tight around him, even though she had seen him naked before.

She smiled warmly at him. "I came by to look something up in the library and decided to check on you first. I think Sirius was hoping I had arrived sooner and would find you in your wolf form."

He assumed this was a half-truth since he knew there were few books in the Black library that she did not have in her more extensive collection. "He knows the potion renders me harmless."

"Well, since he doesn't really trust Severus, I think he was hoping you might still be dangerous. How are you feeling?" she asked as she set a tray of food next to him.

"I'll sum it up in one word and spare you the details, miserable." He tried to remain relatively civilized as he ate the food she had brought with her. As was the case after transformation, he was completely famished and still feeling slightly wolfish. His instincts compelled him to prove the term 'wolf it down' had been a true description, but his rational mind fought this urge, narrowly winning.

She sat next to him on the nest of blankets. "I've been going through some of the books in my library, and I have a couple I'm going to lend to Severus. They might prove useful in his refinement of the Wolfsbane Potion."

Remus choked on his food. "Refinement? What makes you think he's refining it? I'm sure he'd be happy if I dropped dead tomorrow and he didn't have to brew it for me any longer."

She shook her head. "How little you know about Severus. The more difficult the potion, the happier he is brewing it. As for refining it, he has been doing so since you taught at Hogwarts. Didn't you notice any differences in it as time went on?"

He shrugged and took a long draught of water. "I don't know. I thought it was just my body getting used to the whole process."

"It's become one of his new pet projects. Of course, it won't do him any harm if he improves it. I dare say it would go over quite well on the lecture circuit if he could derive a significant improvement over the original."

"Severus? On the lecture circuit?" Remus asked incredulously.

"You really don't follow the Potions community do you? Despite the fact he teaches at Hogwarts, he does publish and speak quite frequently. Even though he doesn't particularly like you, he is devoting quite a bit of time to helping you."

This was the last thing he had expected to hear about Severus. After the incident fifth year, Severus had almost refined his dislike into hatred. "I hadn't realized. Why hasn't he said anything about it?"

She shrugged. "Probably because none of the refinements have been a drastic step and the fact he doesn't want anyone to find out about his research. If the Dark Lord were to find out, he would surely want Severus to refine it in a way that would allow the Dark Lord's minions to control werewolves. I think we can both agree that would be a very bad idea. He would no doubt create an army that could terrorize the populace on the full moon."

Remus shuddered at this thought. It was something he had never contemplated, but it would be a true horror if it became a reality. "And you're helping Severus with this?"

She shook her head and chuckled. "No. While I got my Potions NEWT, I'm no good at theory. I'm more of a 'brew established potions' type of person. I collect books and thought a few of them in my collection might be helpful. I'm heading over to Hogwarts this evening to drop them off."

"You know that Umbridge has been appointed High Inquisitor, don't you?" he asked. He had heard stories about how the atmosphere at Hogwarts had changed since her arrival.

Wendy shrugged, "I'm an Auror. What's she going to do to me?"

"I've heard that she's letting her power go to her head. It might look odd for you to stop by and see Severus," Remus added.

She gave him a confident smile. "That's where I have an advantage over all of you; I went to school with him. While we weren't exactly close friends in school, she has no way of knowing that. As an Auror, it's understandable for me to have a certain amount of interest in potions, as well. Besides, worst case, I Obliviate her. I'm sure no one would object."

He was trying to determine if that was a joke. "You are kidding, aren't you?"

She wasn't, but decided to make him feel better. "Of course I am. I'm not going to get myself in trouble with the Minister's pet at Hogwarts. Of all the Aurors out there, I am probably the one they would least suspect of supporting Albus. I'll be fine." She noticed he had finished the food. "I'll go down and draw a bath for you." Returning to the where she had been waiting for him to wake, she retrieved a dressing gown. "I'll be back shortly to help you downstairs."

"Wendy, I," he started as she was leaving the room, but he lost his nerve. When she turned to look at him, he finished with, "I wanted to thank you."

She knelt down and kissed him softly on his lips. "You're quite welcome. Now, wait here for me. I don't want to hear you falling down the stairs." She smiled at him affectionately.

Once she was gone, he threw off the blanket and pulled on the dressing gown. He was upset with himself, but he wasn't sure if it was from almost telling her how he felt or chickening out before he finished his declaration of love. It had been a very pleasant surprise to find her waiting for him when he woke. It was even more surprising that she had been so supportive. Surely this would prove to Sirius that she was not the person he had known in childhood. He also thought it was an expression of love. Not having a lot of experience with relationships, he wasn't sure if this was something the man declared first or did he wait for the woman?

Wendy turned from drawing the bath and saw Sirius standing in the doorway.

"Still alive, I see?" he commented.

"What do you want, Black?" she asked defensively and crossed her arms.

"I want to make sure you don't do anything to harm my best mate." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he noticed she had a vial in her hand.

"Are you still on about that? Honestly, if I were going to do something to hurt him, would I do it here where you could strike immediate revenge on me? No, I'm not an idiot. Regardless, I'm not going to do anything to hurt him. I'm here to help."

"Then what's that in your hand?" he asked gruffly. "What did you put in the water?"

She held up the empty vial. "This is a soothing potion to help him recover. I told you I'm not an idiot."

"Yes, nurse your little pet werewolf back to health," he replied sarcastically. "That's all he is to you, isn't he? A plaything. Something for you to use and throw away when you are done or until a better toy comes along."

She wasn't sure if Black was just goading her or trying to find out information. She clenched her jaw to keep from lashing out at him. Once she could trust herself to speak, she replied, "I'm not discussing my personal life with you." Forcing her way past him, she said, "Excuse me, I have more important things to attend to."

"If you hurt him, I'll make sure you pay," he threatened.

Slowly, she turned to face him. "And how, pray tell, are you going to do that? I think I've proven, on more than one occasion, that I'm better than you. And that was before I had a dozen years of practice as an Auror. Besides, you're stuck in this house. I can easily avoid you. And if you do hurt me, you had best hope you kill me because I take revenge very seriously." The look in her eyes left no doubt that she was telling the truth. She spun out of the room to fetch Remus.