Wandering through the Night...

As Harry and Hermione ran to help save the earlier Harry and Sirius from the Dementors, Mika made her way through the forest in search of Lupin. She knew that Hermione was right; as long as the moon was out and full, the werewolf was still a danger, even to her. But the moon was setting and would soon be down completely. She could only hope that she would find Lupin after it had done so.

The going through the forest was dark and treacherous. The fading moonlight shining through the trees cast strange shadows and ‘ghosts’ that often tricked the timelord into putting her feet where it was perhaps not very safe to do so. It was almost as if the forest did not want her to succeed in finding the creature that now took refuge within it.

The air grew warmer as she moved further and further away from where the Dementors were attacking the earlier versions of Harry and Sirius. Suddenly the sky behind her flared with a brilliant light and she could see the black, wraithlike figures dispersing into the night. ‘Atta boy, Harry,’ she said softly to the night air, knowing that Harry had succeeded in dispelling the foul guardians of Azkaban.

Now all the forest was silent. Mika stood still and listened hoping for some sign of where Lupin could have gone. There was a noise off to her right so she decided to try that direction first. Suddenly a large shape burst from out of the undergrowth. It was Buckbeak. She sighed and approached him to calm him down and send him back to Harry and Hermione. They would need him if they were to rescue Sirius from imprisonment and send him on his way. She whispered into the hippogriff’s ear and off he went, back in the direction from which Mika had come.

Silence again and Mika listened once more. Nothing. The sky had grown pitch black now that the moon had sunk beneath the horizon. Carefully, she picked her way through the forest looking for any traces of recent passage. Several times she stumbled, or only found large areas of broken branches which could only have been Buckbeak’s doing as he lumbered through the woods. She stopped again to listen, but nothing but the sound of the wind whispering through the tree branches above her greeted her sensitive ears. She suddenly felt hopelessly lost.

She wandered forwards, feeling her way, tree branches seeming to reach down and hold her back, scratching her face and arms – anything to impede her progress and prevent her from finding her beloved. Suddenly, a root tripped her and she fell onto her face into the leafy debris of the forest floor. As she began to hoist herself off the ground, something nearby caught her eyes. She reached out to touch the dark shape and came away with some substance on her fingers. She sniffed it. Blood.

Mika’s hearts raced. It could only be Remus’ blood. He must have been wounded by both Sirius and Buckbeak. Even a werewolf couldn’t stand up to the force of a fully grown hippogriff and come out unscathed. She could only hope that he wasn’t hurt badly. Nearing panic now, the timelord hauled herself up and attempted to follow the trail in the darkness. It was slow going and several times she was afraid she had lost the trail. She stumbled again, something poking her in the side. Thinking it was a twig or something she reached down to remove it and discovered that it was the wand they had borrowed from Mrs. McGonagall’s classroom. She had forgotten all about it.

Holding the wand before her she spoke the spell that Hermione had taught her. “Lumos!” she said. The tip of the wand glowed brightly allowing Mika to finally see the way. It only took her a few moments to locate the trail and follow it through the forest.

The steady trail of werewolf blood led her eventually to a small clearing deep in the woods. By now there was a faint glow on the horizon signalling the approaching dawn.

“Nox,” Mika said, ‘turning off’ the wand’s light. She stood, listening. She knew Lupin had to be around here somewhere; she could sense him. Then she heard it – a slow, laboured breathing coming from somewhere behind her. She turned just as a gust of wind blew aside a branch revealing a pale shape beneath it.

Almost frightened at what she may find, Mika approached slowly. Before her lay the pale, naked body of Remus Lupin, huddled unconscious and bleeding from numerous wounds. She dropped to her knees beside him and gently brushed the hair from his face.

“Oh, Remus,” she breathed to the unconscious form. “What have they done to you?”

Blinded by her tears, Mika began to examine his wounds, which were numerous, and some of which were quite serious. With tender care she placed her hands on the worst of these and used her healing powers to stop the bleeding and heal them as much as she dared. Her power to heal was formidable, but at a great cost to her own strength. It was possible for her to overdo it to the point of her own demise.

When the worst of his wounds were seen to Mika, now considerably weakened but steadfastly determined, took off her ripped and tattered robe and wrapped it around Lupin’s ashen, naked form. Cradling him in her arms she held him tightly allowing her now free flowing tears to fall upon his scratched and bleeding face. Even these had a regenerative effect closing up the many scratches and wounds that they touched.

After some time Lupin began to stir. Still holding him, Mika wiped her eyes and looked down into his face.

Slowly, Lupin’s eyes opened. “M… Mika?” he croaked, his voice more hoarse than ever. “Where am I? What… happened?”

“Shhhh, I’m here, Remus. You should rest. Everything’s all right,” she forced a smile and tried to comfort him.

He frowned, his memory of what had happened before his transformation coming back to him slowly. “Pettigrew…”

“Remus, please,” she urged, “don’t…”

“He… escaped,” he relived the events in his mind. “I… the moon…” His eyes closed tightly shut and Mika felt him go limp in her arms.

She was frightened and began to panic. “Remus!” she shook him gently.

A tear escaped from the corner of his eye. “I never wanted you to see me like this,” he whispered, barely audible.

“Hush now. It’s part of you and I would have seen it sooner or later. I’m glad for now I know what to expect.”

“But… but I know I’ve disappointed you…”

“No, Remus, no, it is I who have disappointed you by not finding a cure.” Her tears were beginning to flow anew.

He opened his eyes which were now more grey than their usual deep blue. “Oh Mika, I know there is no cure. I am resigned to that fact. You could never disappoint me.” Mika helped him to sit up for he was far too weak to manage on his own. He leaned against her as he spoke. “I didn’t want you to see me like this though. I… I was afraid you would leave me if you did.”

Mika looked at him, her eyes shining brightly in the growing dawn. “Don’t be silly. I would never leave you. I love you for who you are. Werewolf and all.” She gently kissed his forehead, holding him close.

He began to shiver and cough. Mika wrapped her robe more snugly around him and held him tighter. “Perhaps you would be better off without me…” he wheezed.

“Don’t you dare say such things, Remus Lupin. I would not be better off without you. In fact, I would be miserable without you. How could you even think that?” Angry tears began to flow now. She had run the entire gamut of emotions this night and was feeling totally drained emotionally as well as physically.

“I… I’m sorry, Mika…”

“It’s all right my love. You’re just tired and not thinking clearly. Once you’ve rested you will feel much better. I don’t care if you order me to leave I won’t. You’re stuck with me so get used to it.”

Lupin managed a slight smile as another tear escaped. “How did I ever get so lucky?” he gasped then passed out again.

Weak, tired, emotionally drained and very concerned for Lupin’s health, Mika wondered what she should do. She really needed to get him back to Hogwarts where he could be looked after properly. But she had no idea where the castle was or how she would transport the unconscious Lupin there if she did. She did have one option but she didn’t like to use it unless it was a life or death emergency. As she looked down at the unconscious form in her arms, it started to tremble. He was going into shock. She had to do something quickly.

Cradling Lupin in one arm, she reached beneath her top and pulled out a small disc that was attached to a sturdy chain about her neck. It was solid black save for one small depression in the centre which glowed with a golden light. She pressed this depression and it immediately turned green and started to blink steadily.

Within moments a familiar, reassuring whining, wheezing, grinding sound invaded the relative tranquillity of the breaking dawn. It was the TARDIS. She had fitted it with an emergency remote recall device ever since she nearly lost it at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean the night the Titanic sank. It used up a lot of power and there was always the risk of it getting lost forever, but it was worth the risk.

Gently Mika tried to rouse Lupin from unconsciousness. She was strong enough to lift him but not from the position she was currently in. Besides, her legs had gone to sleep! After a few moments, he began to stir.

“Remus,” she said gently. “Can you maybe sit up for a minute? I need to get you into the TARDIS.”

Groggily Lupin managed to slump forward enough for her to get up and get leverage. She went to lift him up but he waved her off and tried to stand by himself. He nearly managed it but fell forward. Mika caught him before he hit the ground and let him lean against her for support. He may be weak and wounded but he still had his pride. Her eyes swelled once more with tears to see so wonderful a man so weak.

Together they stumbled slowly towards the TARDIS which had taken the shape of a large red and white striped box. It wasn’t exactly camouflage but something that could be easily spotted by a lost and possibly wounded timelord in desperate need of help. It was another idea of Mika’s… just in case.

Supporting Lupin with one arm, Mika pulled the TARDIS key from around her neck and opened the door. Carefully she helped Lupin in where he promptly passed out again. The timelord gently lay him down on the floor and made him as comfortable as possible while she reset the coordinates to take him back to Hogwarts and the caring medical expertise of Madame Pomfrey.