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A Spice of Mystery Sauce


“I told you lot there was something funny about Veigler!” Remus said passionately, “I told you!” He looked wide-eyed between James and Sirius as they all three sat about in the little alcove off the Trophy Room passageway, where they’d decided to go to have a chat about what Sirius had seen in the forest. “I never would’ve guessed he was messing about with Fenrir Greyback, though, that’s just bloody terrifying.”

“I know,” Sirius said, nodding, “The moment they said the name, though, I just realized exactly what that smell was and it’s the same as Greyback smelled when we met him in the woods outback the Potter’s. Veigler’s been ‘round Greyback -- and somewhat recently, too. The smell is strong when you’re a dog.”

Remus shivered. “And I haven’t smelled Greyback since I was a kid when he bit me. Perhaps that’s why I was bothered by it but couldn’t figure out why.”

Peter murmured, “I knew there was something fishy about Veigler, too. Knew it all along.”

“No you didn’t,” James argued, “You thought he was ruddy awesome like the rest of us did. Only Remus saw through it before. Him and his bloody uncanny nose.”

Remus shrugged, “It’s a gift and a curse.”

Peter reddened for being called out like that and quickly scrambled, “Well how come we all were so stupid to believe him?”

“I think it was the falsum fidelus,” Remus said. “The spell that makes you seem trustworthy.”

“Oooh, like maybe he cast it on us when he was working with the screechsnap, you mean?” Sirius exclaimed.

“Perhaps,” Remus said, nodding. “Under the guise of teaching it to us, he actually puts us under the spell. Well surprise on him, it didn’t work on me, I don’t trust him as far as I could throw him and you lot know I’m not very athletic.”

They nodded their agreement with the statement.

Sirius said, “Well I certainly don’t trust him anymore - and I really wouldn’t mind throwing him right about now. Right into the lake!”

“What do you lot reckon the bit about The Hunter coming is all about?” James asked. “What’d he say exactly again Sirius?”

Sirius replied, “Nerimai said the Hunter comes with his dog and blood will run and then Veigler will know fear. And there was something about Veigler and a boy and that’s why Fenrir’s coming.”

“Well obviously it’s Fenrir that’s the hunter,” said James.

“But why would Fenrir’s coming mean Veigler’s blood if they work together?” Sirius asked.

“Perhaps Fenrir’s angry with Veigler for something,” suggested Peter, “So he’s gonna bite him!”

“Maybe. But the boy?” asked James, “What about the boy?”

“And the Hunter’s dog,” Sirius said.

Remus was rubbing his chin. “Well… wait. A hunter and his dog… According to Zosma, the constellation Orion is called the hunter.”

“What?” they all looked at him.

“Class tonight. Zosma was saying that in mythology, the constellation of Orion is called the Hunter and his dog is represented by the star Sirius. Orion’s bow hunts the prey that Sirius leads him to.” Remus stopped as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He hastened a look at Sirius, cringing.

“Isn’t your Dad named Orion?” asked James.

Sirius’s brows sank together, “Yeah, but…”

“And you’re Sirius and you’re a dog!” Peter squealed loudly, pointing at Sirius accusingly.

Sirius shook his head, “That makes no sense; I’m not leading Father anywhere. Especially not here - Father knows where Hogwarts is. And if Veigler’s working with Fenrir Greyback and he’s on the Dark Lord’s team then Father and Veigler get along, too, just like Veigler and Greyback.”

“Could you be leading your father somewhere else?” Remus asked.

“My place,” James said thickly, “You could lead him to my place. But you aren’t a secret keeper so it wouldn’t do any good for him to follow you there, he couldn’t find it even if he tried.”

“Well I can’t go back to your house, just in case. What if he found some way to break the charm?” Sirius sounded positively panicked now.

“You can’t break a Fidelus, the Secret Keeper has to tell it and mum and dad’s Secret Keeper isn’t going to tell anybody,” James said. “Besides, I don’t want you going back to that Grimmauld Place again where those wicked people treat you like rubbish. Where would you go if not to my place?”

“Mine,” offered Remus.

“But --” Sirius was ill. “I can’t lead Father to your place, either.” Sirius’s face had gone all pale and odd and he looked around at them all, frightened, “Guys - if this centaur prophecy is talking about me and my Father, I certainly don’t want to lead him anywhere, but I dunno how to stop it, seeing as I dunno where I’m leading him.”

James frowned, “We need more information.”

“I should’ve confronted Veigler when I had the chance,” Sirius lamented.

“He could’ve killed you if you confronted him out there,” James pointed out, “Very easily. It would’ve appeared an accident. As far as he knew, nobody knew he was out there. He could’ve just left you out in the woods and nobody ever would’ve known the difference.”

Sirius sighed. He knew James was right, but it was so frustrating, not knowing what to do next.

“We don’t even know if it is about you, besides,” James said, “It could be about anything. Centaurs are funny minded, they say stuff in riddles.”

“Yeah,” Remus said. “This is a riddle wrapped in an enigma with a spice of mystery sauce.”

In spite of himself, Sirius laughed at the way Remus had worded it.

“What we need to do is watch Veigler really close, see what happens next, and figure out what that lot really was talking about and what his connection to Fenrir Greyback is,” Remus said.

“And if he’s working with Greyback, then what his connection to the Dark Lord is, too,” James supplied, “‘Cos we already know that Greyback is working for Voldemort. So if Veigler is with Greyback, then he’s with Voldemort, too.”

Peter spoke up for the first time in some time, “Do you lot reckon that maybe Veigler is a werewolf?”

They all looked at Peter. “Veigler? A werewolf?” James sounded surpised. He looked ‘round at Sirius and Remus.

“It would explain why Nerimai said ‘your kind aren’t welcome here’ in the start,” Sirius said, “And what Veigler meant when he said ‘we aren’t welcome anywhere’, too.” He looked to Remus, too. “What do you think, Rey? Do werewolves know when they see each other? Like by instinct or something? Can you tell?”

Remus shrugged, “I dunno if I’ve ever met another werewolf.”

James said, “Well, it’ll be easy to find out. Next month, we try and find him during the full moon. If he’s left the castle then we’ll know.”

“That’ll be up to you lot, then,” Sirius said, “I’ll be gone, too. I’ll be with Remus.”

Remus smiled down at his hands at the words.

James said, “I reckon that’s the best course of action for now then. Find out if Veigler’s a werewolf and what his connection to Greyback and Voldy are, then figure out who the Hunter is and who the Dog is and where he’s being led to.”

“And the boy,” Peter said, “We need to figure out who the boy is, too.”

Sirius laughed, “We’ve got so many mysteries to figure out!”

“We’re a lot of Sherlock Holmes,” Remus laughed.

They sat about together for a bit longer, talking of happier things until the stress had left Sirius’s eyes and they knew that he was feeling better after the panic he’d gone into. It was very late by then and they were all quite exhausted, especially Remus, who kept nodding off on the flying carpet they’d brought him down into the passageway on (for bringing him over the chasms in the dark in the wheelchair had seemed a terrible idea). They only would have a few hours sleep before the morning classes by the time they got back to the dormitory, but they all put on their pyjamas and went to bed anyway, eager to take on whatever rest they could get.

The dormitory was quiet aside from the sound of Peter’s sniffley little sleep noises and James’s raspy breath. Sirius lay awake, staring up at the ceiling on his bed, his arm beneath his head. “You still awake?” came Remus’s voice from across the room.

“Yeah,” Sirius answered quietly.

Remus was quiet a moment, then there was a shuffling and Sirius looked over to see he’d sat up in his bed. Sirius rolled out of his and walked over, sitting cross-legged at the foot. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Remus nodded, though he was rubbing his leg ‘round the cast as he spoke, “I just -- thank you.”

“For what, mate?” Sirius asked.

“For being there for me,” Remus replied, “For coming out to that horrible shack and being with me. I know it couldn’t have been easy becoming an animagus and I don’t know that I properly thanked you yet for doing it.”

“It’s nothing, really, Rey.”

Remus shook his head, “It’s everything to me.”

Sirius smiled and he leaned ‘round and gave Remus a pat on the shoulder. “You’re welcome, then.”

Remus smiled, too. He sighed, “Sorry for getting you up. I didn’t mean to. You can go back to bed, I’m going to sleep, too, right after I shove some pillows under this infernal leg…”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Sirius said, and he stood up, turning into Snuffles quietly, and he jumped up onto the bed and curled himself beneath Remus’s leg, propping it up as he’d done in the Shrieking Shack.

Remus chuckled, “Are you sure?”

The big shaggy dog nodded.

Remus leaned back into his pillows, puffing them up for his head, as Sirius pressed his doggy face against Remus’s side protectively. Remus reached down and scratched behind Sirius’s ears with a smile as Sirius pushed his hand against Remus’s palm appreciatively. “You’re a good friend,” Remus murmured as he fell asleep.