Ron was aware of only three things “ the incessant howling of the summer wind (or was it the howling of something else, something approaching rapidly?) over the dark, glimmering ripples of the river several yards away; his relentless exhaustion, which threatened at every moment to pull him off his feet; and, most of all, the reassuring camaraderie of the three people huddled around him.
“Steady, Ron,” Neville’s whispered hoarsely and propped Ron up with the palm of his hand. Neville’s voice squeaked with worry, but he held fast. Ron still couldn’t believe that he had agreed to go on this reconnaissance mission with Ron, Harry and Ginny. Especially considering that it completely flew in the face of what the older members of the Order of the Phoenix, including his formidable grandmother, had expressly told them only hours before. Neville had arrived with Mrs. Longbottom at Number Twelve Grimmauld, which had reclaimed its standing as Order Headquarters, on Wednesday evening.
The gloomy house had once again become home to a frenzy of activity, with Order members rushing in and out over the past three days and nights, at all hours. It wasn’t unusual for Ron and Harry to sneak down to the kitchen for a late-night snack only to find the room alive with people “ his Mum at the stove, dishing out a midnight supper to a surly Mad-Eye Moody and a more serene Kingsley; Professors McGonagall and Flitwick pouring over ancient spell books filled with charms to use against werewolves; or a weepy, angry Hagrid, sitting with a cup of mead in one hand and a handkerchief the size of a pillowcase in the other. The house was so busy, in fact, that no one noticed when the four teenagers snuck out several hours ago…
The night was bathed in the eerie half-light of the nearly-full moon which floated in the expanse of sky like a cracked crystal ball, foretelling only danger to those below. The Seine flowed blackly past the group of teenagers, as the skeletal frame of the Eiffel Tower, darkened at this late hour, menaced in the distance. The walking path that separated Ron and his friends from the river was nearly deserted “ only one couple stood staring at the water, the young man’s arms around the girl’s shoulders, hugging her close. As the couple ambled down the path, Ron’s heart ached for Hermione. At the idea that this place could actually be romantic and not terrifying. But he pushed these feelings away. He had to concentrate.
“Dad would have our hides if he knew what we were up to!” Ginny muttered gleefully. She had taken the news of Hermione’s disappearance very badly at first “ nearly as badly as Harry and he himself had. But now, with a dangerous but specific mission in front of her, his little sister had revived herself admirably. Like he himself, she seemed happy to have something to do, even if it didn’t get them any closer to finding Hermione. “Harry, when should we head out there?” She nodded towards the gravelly path, the tension and excitement noticeable in her voice.
“Ginny, you do realize that this is either going to be completely fruitless, or very very dangerous, right?” Harry pitched his voice low. “We aren’t talking about hexing or freezing spells here, we’re talking about a cold-blooded killer. An animal, really.”
“Oh, please, Harry,” Ginny scoffed. “Honestly, I love you dearly “” at Harry’s face flushed, and Ron and Neville couldn’t help but exchange foolish smirks, “-but this whole ‘hero’ thing is wearing a bit old. Neville and I were with you lot in the Ministry, and with these fellows at Hogwarts when the Death Eaters attacked, I am sure you and I can handle one werewolf, especially with the element of surprise on our “”
“Shhh! Hear that?” Harry stayed Ginny’s speech with a warning hand on her shoulder. The four of them were quiet, breathing as shallowly as possible. Ron tensed, straining to hear something above the whistle of the wind through the shrubs they were hiding in, over the beating of his own racing heart. And then he heard it “ the distant sound of people approaching. Two or three people, talking in low tones. One sounded more like a snarl or bark than anything remotely human.
“That’s Greyback, I’m sure of it “ but he’s not alone,” Harry’s jaw clenched, and he eyed Ginny warily, “Listen, Gin, maybe this isn’t such a great idea “”
“No, it is a great idea, didn’t we all think of it together? Now let’s do this before we lose our chance!” She stood up, her back rigid, at attention, ready for the next step.
Harry relented, holding out his hand to her. “Ron, Neville “ mates, you know what you’re supposed to do, right? The timing may be different, you may have to think on your feet and “”
“Go on, Harry! Ginny’s right, we’re going to lose our chance!” Ron’s head cleared of everything except for the present moment. The distant voices were getting closer, and their plan relied on two things “ misdirection and the element of surprise. They were going to lose both if Harry and Ginny didn’t get a move on.
Harry and Ginny took a deep breath, grinned nervously at each other, and then Harry started snogging her fiercely, backing her out of the shrubbery and onto the path. Ginny giggled shrilly in a very un-Ginny-like way, and stumbled a little, her arms around his neck. Ron rolled his eyes at Neville, who covered his smile with a trembling hand. Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t they, Ron thought dryly as his sister and best mate weaved sloppily from the bushes to the gritty path. They looked for all the world like two tipsy, vacationing teens who had snuck away from their class trip “ but Ginny’s wand was clutched tightly in her fist behind Harry’s neck, and Harry’s wand was stuck in Ginny’s jean pocket, right above his clutched hand. They were ready.
But appearances were what mattered right now “ and right now Harry and Ginny looked like fresh bait. Fresh bait for a restless, ruthless werewolf on the prowl for young victims. And that’s what all four of them were counting on.
Ron’s line of vision was blocked partial on the right “ the direction the low, growling voices were coming from - by a large, ferny bush. He risked inching up a bit, crouched low to the ground. He saw a misshapen silhouette about fifty yards away, moving haltingly down the path. The shape resolved itself slowly into two men “ well, one of them hardly resembled a man. It was Fenrir Greyback, caught somewhere in the lunar cycle and his own vicious instincts between wolf and man. His long, hairy arms were roped with muscle, his mouth a slavering maw. His eyes gleamed blue in the moonlight as he caught sight of the unsteady couple, now smack in the middle of his deadly path.
Greyback had his arm companionably around a smaller, thinner man, who was having a hard time walking. Greyback appeared to be urging him on. Ron leaned even further out, ignoring Neville’s intake of breath behind him. Though the men were now merely several dozen yards away, Ginny and Harry continued to pay attention only to each other, for all intents and purposes, appeared blissfully unaware of the danger coming to meet them. The smaller man twisted away from Greyback, and Ron caught his familiar profile in the moonlight. His heart sped up, and he clutched his wand firmly.
Neville’s intake of breath this time signified surprise rather than warning. “Professor Lupin!” He murmured, horrified. And the staggering man did, just barely, resemble their former teacher. His clothes, threadbare but usually neat as a pin, were filthy rags barely clinging to him. Lupin had never been a big man, but the transformation Greyback was forcing on him “ against all things moral in Lupin’s heart “ had ravaged him in a few days. Unlike Greyback’s partial transformation, which seemed to strengthen him, Lupin’s was destroying him. He kept letting out tiny, dog-like yelps, then seemed to catch himself, muttering nearly coherent sounds.
Ron could now hear Greyback’s jolly growl, “Lupin, my friend! Don’t you see what lies yonder in our path? Just the ticket to cheer you up!” Greyback clapped him on the back. “You will learn our ways, my friend, eventually. You and that clever Metamorphmagus you are so taken with “ she could be mighty helpful if she chose to be. Even if we have to make the choice for her, right?” Greyback finished in a cheerful whisper. Lupin attempted to wrest himself free of the larger man, but Fenrir held him tight. They were now no more than twenty-five feet from Ginny and Harry, who were still keeping up the pretense of not knowing the men were there.
Harry murmured something unintelligible to Ginny and she giggled drunkenly. He spun her around by her waist and caught Ron’s eye. Ron locked gazes with his best friend and he knew the time had nearly come “ and that Harry’s determination was only bolstered by Lupin’s unexpected presence.
“Get ready, on Ginny’s cue,” Ron muttered to Neville, and they both slowly got to their feet. “And try not to hit Professor Lupin, alright?” Neville grunted in what Ron took to be agreement.
Greyback was preparing to launch himself onto the “unsuspecting” couple, and drag his unwilling partner into the fray. Ron wasn’t sure that, once the fighting began, Lupin would be able to resist attacking his former students. He only hoped that he and his friends could act quickly enough, to prevent such a terrible dilemma.
Two things happened at once “ Ginny giggled again, shrieked playfully, and backed away from Harry, shouting, “What kind of girl do you thing I am?” This was Ron and Neville’s call to action, and they burst from the shrubbery with their wands held high. The other thing was Fenrir Greyback, in one fluid motion, pushed Lupin forward and leapt upward, landing heavily on Harry with triumphant howl.
Ginny’s shriek became authentic and she screamed at the others, “Now! Ron, Neville! Before he bites Harry!” The three of them turned towards the hulking form of Fenrir Greyback and shouted, “IMPEDIMENTA!” Greyback let out a frustrated yelp and collapsed on top of Harry.
Ginny hurriedly pointed her wand at fallen werewolf. “Levicorpus.” The enormous man became airborne momentarily and a rumpled but intact Harry rolled out from under him. Ginny waved her wand again and the unconscious Greyback fell in an untidy heap in the middle of the path. She rushed over to Harry and helped him to his feet. They smiled unsteadily at each other and Harry planted a kiss on her forehead.
A low moaning sound diverted their attention. Ron spun around. Lupin. The four of them approached him warily. Though their former teacher seemed more human than Greyback, it wouldn’t do to forget that he was, in fact, a werewolf.
Lupin got unsteadily to his feet, raised his head. Other than a slightly elongated snout and a slight paw-like curving of his hands, he looked like himself. Ravaged, exhausted, haunted “ but himself. Ron glanced at his mates and his sister, saw that they all had their wands pointed shakily at the very man who’d taught them how to handle this kind of situation. Lupin tossed his nearly-human face back, gazed up at the almost-full moon. A low, sad, keening sound escaped his mouth. Then he looked directly at Harry.
“Stun me, Harry,” he moaned. “Stun me now, before I attack one or all of you.” He twisted his head aside and barked feebly, as if disgusted at the mere thought of it.
“No, Professor, I won’t,” Harry’s voice was calm. “You know who you are, and the moon isn’t full. Greyback is unconscious, and whatever trick he pulled to force your change will wear off. You can fight it. We’ll wait.” Ron had no idea if this was true, or if Harry himself believed it, but he knew that none of them wanted to harm Lupin in any way unless absolutely necessary.
Lupin’s eyes were full of misery and doubt. “Alright, Harry, but if I try to attack any of you…you must contain me. I couldn’t live with myself if I knew I had subjected any of you to this…this sort of life,” Lupin closed his eyes, sat calmly, deep in thought.
Ron exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Neville, who gestured at Greyback’s still form. They both hurried over to him, conjuring rope that wound itself tightly around the large man. Ron saw Ginny and Harry gathered closely around Lupin, murmuring encouragingly. He had curled himself up tightly, his hands wrapped around his head. And much to Ron’s surprise and relief, those hands were each second smoothing out “ becoming less animal-like and more human. Lupin was doing exactly what Harry had said he could do. Convince himself human again.
Lupin removed his now normal-looking hands from his head, stared at all of them. He put one arm around each Harry and Ginny, who helped him to his feet. Ron was startled to see tears in his old teacher’s eyes. “You kids saved my life,” he began, letting go of Harry and Ginny. “If not in the literal sense, at the very least you saved me from damnation. Because, as much as I hate to admit it, I would have eventually weakened, given in to Greyback’s way of thinking, either through manipulation or threats or just pure old werewolf instinct.” He walked over to Greyback, rustled in his cloak, and emerged with his wand. He swayed a little on his feet.
“Professor?” Ron queried. “Professor? We really ought to get you back to Number Twelve, the whole Order is there, in fact they’ll probably have our hides for pulling this stunt, but who really cares at this point, fact is you’re safe and that’s all that “” Ron realized he was rambling and cut himself off.
“We can’t go back yet,” Lupin said softly. “I am almost ashamed to ask this of all of you, but I can’t do it on my own, not in the state I’m in.” He paused, thinking hard. “I won’t go anywhere without Tonks. And I have an idea of how to get her back…”
The four of them gathered closely around Lupin as he spoke, the moon now seeming to grin conspiratorially down on them, encouraging them onward.
The Time is Now by Hermione816
Chapter Notes: Things aren't going so well for our heros - Hermione, Fiora, Lupin and Tonks are missing. What are Harry and Ron doing to remedy the situation? And what can they accomplish - with a little help from their friends?