Chapter 3: Moira's Lullaby
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"I shall do as the my Alpha commands."
The simple sentence spoken by James was enough to make all eyes in the Hall of Spirits turned toward Remus. Neither James nor Lily had ever seen their friend so lost, so torn, so disturbed.
"The council has spoken, and I will follow the council's wish. The girl will die," Remus whispered with such sorrow that broke James' heart, even if some part of him hated what his friend had just sentenced him to do.
James looked at his wife and sighed. Lily was still standing with her back to them, but he could read the tension in her shoulders, the way her body trembled with anger. How could she look at him knowing what he was about to do?
Severus was the first to speak, "Very well. You'll leave tomorrow sunrise. You are dismissed." James gave a tiny nod, not to the council, but to his friend Remus, trying to reassure the leader that he didn't hold against him what had happened tonight. But something told James that it was in vain, and that he wasn't going to be the only one tormented by his conscience.
James slowly stepped out of the circle, his whole body shaking with every step he took. He looked at Lily out of the corner of his eyes when he passed by her, and he could see the tears flowing freely down her cheeks, twinkling by the light of the moon. When he reached the edge of the village, James found he couldn't go home… not when he was feeling so unclean and tormented. Transforming into the form of the silver wolf, James released an anguished howl before running into the depths of the forest.
Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wishing he could do the same as James. "The meeting is over," he whispered when he opened his eyes. All the council members stood up from their places, except for Alice, who was rocking in the arms of her beloved Frank as she sobbed for the faith of the innocent child.
Lily looked over her shoulder at Remus with such emotion in her eyes that the Alpha could feel his stomach doing violent somersaults. In an instant, she closed the distance between them and, without warning, slapped her hand hard across his face, leaving a red and burning mark behind that did no justice to the wound she left in his heart.
Everybody but Remus was horrified by what they saw, but it was Severus who spoke first, "How dare you disrespect our Alpha? You will pay for this!" But before he could take a step toward the woman who was still standing defiantly with her hand raised, Remus looked at Snape over his shoulder, his eyes flashing in what was unmistakably the golden brown color of the beast.
"No, she won't," Remus commanded, his voice leaving no doubt that his will in this matter will be obeyed, or there will be consequences to be faced. His face softened visibly when he turned his attention toward the imposing sight that was Lily, even if his eyes still reflected the beast lurking inside.
"Lily, please, you have to…"
"Let the child's blood be over the heads of the council… and not over my husband's," Lily whispered in a strained, but menacing voice. The redhead finally lowered her hand, and without another word, turned around and left the sacred ground. The council members shared a knowing look among them, but wisely didn't say anything for fear of being the ones to release Remus' beast.
Severus, however, was not one to particularly care. He strode toward the Alpha until he was standing next to Remus and hissed, "Lily has broken pack law by attacking you in the Hall of Spirits. She needs to be punished, for the others can…"
"I don't care what the others think," Remus said, raising his head and locking his eyes with Severus', "You dare touch a hair in her head, and I promise you, Severus, Elder or not, I will have your heart for dinner."
The expression is Severus' face was one of pure hatred, his whole body shaking with the desire to attack. But he remained silent and sill until the tremors had subsided, his eyes never leaving Remus' face. The silence was broken only when Severus whispered, "Your love for her has made you weak, Alpha… Be careful. You don't want someone out there to exploit that weakness."
And with a mocking bow, Severus walked away from Remus, leaving the pack leader alone with his conscience.
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Midnight had fallen over the village by the time James came out of the forest. Shape shifting into the form of man, he dragged his tired body to the place he now felt he didn't deserve.
Home.
Standing in the doorway of his hut, James looked at the still figures of his family, bathed by the silvery glow of moonlight. His son, Harry, was sleeping soundly in the throw his grandmother had knitted for him, that always-present smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The sounds of his breathing were nothing short of a sweet lullaby to James' ears. He gave a silent prayer to Gaia for the blessing that was his child.
His eyes drifted to the woman lying on her side on the straw bed. Lily's hair was fawned over his side of the bed, the moonlight caressing every curve and crevice of her naked figure. And by the way her chest swelled with her breathing, James knew she was not asleep. It was an inviting sight, one that usually filled him with unbridled desire, but that did nothing but fill him with sorrow tonight.
It would not do to turn around and leave, for he knew she had heard him approach before he ever stepped inside the cottage.
"You must hate me…"
"Don't speak."
She raised her hand high in the air and beckoned for him to join her.
"I don't deserve to…"
"Don't speak."
She looked at him over her shoulder; his breath caught in his throat when he saw the pain in her emerald eyes. How could he have thought of turning away from her when she needed him as much as he needed her?
James reached the bed and took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers as he laid himself next to her. His arm draped over her waist, still locked with hers as James pulled his wife to him, her soft curves pressed against his sharp lines. He took a sharp intake of breath when he felt his desire pressed against her deliciously round bottom. How he could want her so much when there was so much hurt in his heart was beyond comprehension.
His lips found the scar on her shoulder, the bite mark that signaled for the entire world to see that Lily was his and his alone. He suckled on her skin, reveling in the salty flavor of it as she gripped his hand tighter in hers. His mouth traveled from her shoulder to her collarbone, to her neck, settling on the spot where her hair meets the back of her neck. Her breath quickened, and she bit her lip, reveling in his reverent ministrations.
James took her earlobe between his teeth and nipped at it, and then used his tongue to drink the drop of blood that she had shed, making her bite her lip harder as a small groan escaped her.
"Why?" he whispered, his free hand setting on her hip and slowly moving downwards, slowly kneading her flesh.
Lily twisted around in his arms until she was face to face with him. A tear escaped ran down his cheek at the unconcealed pain reflected in her lovely. And he understood why she had called to him the way she did.
She was feeling nothing but pain, and she wanted, needed, for him to make her forget what had occurred on this fateful day. She wanted deliverance, and James ached for the temporary release of his own heartache.
They moved until he was on top of her, her soft breasts pressed against his masculine chest, sending shivers down his spine. She wrapped her long legs around him, while his hands cradled her face, gently caressing her glowing skin. She was so beautiful it sometimes caught him by surprise, like a creature carved by Gaia's own hand.
He suckled on her bottom lip as if he were tasting the sweetest fruit in the entire forest. Her hands traveled down his shoulders to his back, making him feel as if he was on fire. He returned the deed by moving his calloused hands sensuously down her sides, caressing every exposed inch of her skin.
He slowly kissed his way down to the hollow of her neck, nipping at the spot that always elicited a moan from his beloved. And he was rewarded with one as she laced her hands in his wild hair and forced him to get closer still, until there was no inch of their bodies pressing against each other.
"Are you sure?" he breathed against her sweaty skin, flicking his tongue to taste her one more time.
"Please, James. Make me forget," Lily whispered, using her grip on his hair to guide him until she crushed her lips on his in a desperate kiss.
James couldn't hold on any longer, and he dove into the warmth he so desired. They feverishly made love to each other, seeking to feel something other than guilt, seeking to forget.
Seeking oblivion.
He swallowed her scream with his fervent kisses, and he released himself inside of her with a low moan. For one moment, there was nothing else in the world but the woman that was joined with him in the most intimate of ways, his in body, mind and soul.
"Ich Bin Ihr" he whispered, resting his sweat-laden forehead on hers. He went to move out of her, but she
just locked her legs tightly around his body.
"Stay," Lily pleaded, a tone of desperation in her husky voice, nuzzling his neck lovingly. She had told him many times that he smelled of forest and pinewood, and that it relaxed her to no end.
James was about to argue that he was too heavy for her, and that he didn't want to crush her, but the look on her face told him that she needed this as much as he did.
So James just nodded and captured her lips one more time in a sweet kiss, and rested on top of Lily's body until he heard her breathing softly, tickling his skin, signaling she was asleep.
But sleep did not come to James, for what he needed was something no one but Gaia could provide.
Absolution.
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The morning after
When Lily opened her eyes, she found herself alone in her marital bed, facing the window. She turned around to find James standing in the middle of room, her back to her, rocking their child in his hands lovingly. Harry had awoken and could be heard making contended noises as he grabbed a handful of his father's hair in his little hand.
Lily stood up and stretched languidly before slowly making her way toward James and Harry. A soft almost imperceptible sound reached her ears, and her heart tightened immediately. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back, not needing to look him in the face to know he was crying.
After a few minutes, James broke the silence, "How can I do this, Lily? How can I take a child like my Harry and… and…?" Lily wrapped her arms tighter around his waist and planted a kiss on his shoulder as Harry laid his head on the crook of his father's neck.
"How can I come back to my child? How can I ever hold him in my arms knowing what I've done?" James whispered, cradling his child to his body as if this were the last time he would see him.
"Harry forgives you, love," Lily said, one hand resting on his shoulder as the other played with Harry's hair, "and so do I." She kissed the side of his neck before adding, "And I'll pray for Gaia to forgive us all."
James wiped his tears with the back of his hand before turning around and handing Harry to his wife. "He must be hungry. He woke up almost an hour ago." He planted a quick kiss on Harry's head before saying, "I'll be back in 14 moons."
James was already at the door when Lily grabbed him by the wrist and stopped him from leaving. He looked over his shoulder at his wife, looking like a man that has been sentenced to his death.
"May Gaia show you the way, love," Lily whispered, the tears that were coming down her cheeks falling on top of her child's head. James turned around and closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a fierce kiss before kissing his son's forehead.
And with that, James left his beloved wife and son, and headed to the meinslich village at the bottom of the mountains of the east.
Little did James know that he was about to fulfill his destiny.
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It wasn't till the seventh day that James reached the village at the bottom of the White Mountains, otherwise known as Godric's Town. From the safety of the forest, the wolf watched the village for hours. He had memorized the outline of the village by heart, and had mentally traced the route he would have to take in his mission to search for the accursed one.
James had forced himself not to think of what he was going to do once he found her, and had tried pushing into his head that this child, as innocent as she might be now, would one day bring forth the destruction of Gaia's children, and had told himself again and again that he was doing this for the good of all those who walk on this earth.
He just hoped it would be enough when the moment of truth finally arrives.
Godric's Town was a lively place, full of music and laughter and wine. It wasn't a wealthy place; by far, most of the houses were rather poorly constructed and made out of rotten wood, mud, and straw, and the villagers were dressed in heavily mended garments. And yet, there seemed to be an air of contentment all around them as they gathered in the town's square, laughing merrily at the tall tales an old man was telling them and the children played games near the town's well.
It was the perfect place to raise a child.
"But she won't ever get a chance to know that," James whispered with a sigh, sitting down against a yew tree and closing his eyes. He thought about Lily and Harry, about how at this moment she was most likely teaching the young cubs of the garou village, and how Harry must likely was babbling happily at the sound of his mother's heartwarming voice. A sad smile appeared at the corners of James mouth.
Finally, darkness fell over Godric's Town, and the seventh moon appeared behind the mountains. With a tight heart, James watched as the people of Godric's Hollow went inside their houses, settling for the night.
Only a few village watchmen remained outside when James shifted into the form of the silver wolf, and left the protection of the woods, striding silently toward the village.
It was time to find the accursed.
The silver wolf walked near the shabby houses to glance inside. He encountered many pictures of families sitting by the fire, knitting, eating, reading, telling stories, and doing any of the mundane things every family does and never realize how special they are.
And then, he found her.
It was in one of the houses that were made out of mud and straw that he saw her. One of the walls had a small opening in it, probably made by an animal that had sneaked inside. The silver wolf used the opening to peer into the hut, and he stifled the urge to howl at the moon with what he saw.
Flowers of every kind covered the walls of the room: lilies, daisies, sunflowers, and roses… flowers in all the colors of the rainbow. There was handmade wooden crib at the far corner, beautifully decorated with a hand knitted quilt not unlike the one favored by his Harry. But James' attention was not held by the room, but by its two present occupants.
A woman was sitting in a handmade rocking chair with a small child cradled in her arms, singing a soft tune under her breath. The child had a hand up in the air and was wriggling her fingers happily, obviously enjoying the sound of her mother's voice. James had seen this picture dozens of times, but only with his beloved lupa and son.
The woman had wrinkles of happiness around her lovely brown eyes, and gazed at her baby with such love that it made James' insides squirm. `Gaia, please, don't let this child be the one,' he thought as the mother continued with her verse…
"Sleep, sleep, my little angel
May God be always with you!
May He keep you away from harm,
and blessings bring on your life."
The baby reached up with her other hand to grab a strand of her mother's golden brown curls, and that's when James saw it! On that delicately little hand, one that he would have loved to plan tiny kisses on, was a birthmark.
The shadow of the blossoming rose.
So, this was the child he had been sent to kill. The little girl that stared happily at her mother, without a care in the world, was the girl that could bring the end of days.
But before James could even contemplate what his next course of action was going to be, the hard galloping of hooves reached his sensitive ears. The sound was coming from the valley between the mountains, and it was coming nearer with every second that went by.
It was a sound that filled James with dread as an unfamiliar scent reached his lupine nostrils.
It smelled of death.
It smelled of destruction and decay.
It smelled like vampires.
He growled instinctively and ran down the road in the direction the galloping was coming from. James heard the town's watchtower cry out "INTRUDERS", and the town woke up around him as the men of Godric's Town ran from their homes and toward the intruders, some wielding swords and axes and some wielding shovels and pickaxes.
Run, James thought, take your wives and your children and run! He knew there was no way this people could stand against a kindred army.
James reached the end of the village, and knew things were much more worst than he originally thought. It was not just an army; it was a crashing wave of dark figures in armor, all mounted in what looked like the black shadows of winged skeletal horses. At least 300 hundred soldiers of the Dark Lord entered the boundaries of the village, all weaving their broadswords and obsidian shields emblazoned with the symbol of Prince Sirius, the Flammeus Draco.
There was no use running now.
The events that came next became a blur in James' mind. All thought of the girl he was sent to kill abandoned, James transformed into his Crinos form, and stood eight feet tall amongst the Kindred. With his claws and teeth, he bit and slashed his way through the younger kindred, trying to buy time for the women and children of Godric's Town to run to safety.
The villagers were surprised by his presence at first, but more surprised when they realized he was fighting for their side, and the wolf's presence seemed to strengthen their resolve to fight for their loved ones.
James was gifted in battle, and he was able to sense a pattern in the Kindred's strategy. They would hack and slash their way through the men and women of the village, but whenever they encountered a woman with a bundle in her arms, they would jump from their demonic horses to kill her and take the bundle from her hands, inspecting the baby inside. James had watched, unable to do anything to stop them, as they killed the child and threw the little bundle into the pyre.
It didn't take a genius to know that Prince Sirius had found out about the girl's location, and had sent his personal army to find her.
James heard the distinctive whooshing sound of a flying arrow, coming closer and closer, until he felt the burning projectile piercing his thigh. He howled in pain as he broke the tip of the arrow off and pulled the arrow from his body. He fixed his gaze on the kindred that had sent the arrow his way, and it wasn't long before the vampire was still on the ground, his head lying a few feet away from his body.
When dawn crept in, a bruised and bloody James finally collapsed from exhaustion after decapitating the last of the vampires that were sent to stop him. He felt himself transforming into his human form as the smell of burnt wood and flesh and blood and sweat crept into his nostrils.
He closed his eyes and tried to picture his Lily and their son. She would surely have awoken by now, probably feeding the little cub before going down to the river to bathe. He imagined the drops of water glinting from her skin; the way Harry grabs a handful of her hair and tugs at it, giggling at his mother's infectious laugh. The way Lily would ruffle his hair before planting a sound kiss in his tummy.
When his time on Gaia's earth comes to an end, he could not think of a better image to take with him to his grave. But he knew his time had not come yet. Applying pressure to the deep wound on his side, James stood up from the ground and took a look around.
Godric's Town was on fire… there was not a house, barn or cart that was not up in flames. He was surrounded by the burning bodies of men and kindred alike, some burnt beyond recognition, others still twitching and jerking as only a body that hadn't realized it was dead could.
He dragged his battered body through the now empty streets of the town, looking for any survivors that might yet be saved. He found none. He could hear the distant voices of the dozens of Kindred that were alive as they moved through the homes, searching for the accursed child. Somehow, they had been unable to find her yet. Had the mother been able to run away from the village? He hadn't seen any horses leaving the town, and the safety of the forest was a bit out of the way for a woman with a small child.
His feet took him toward the place where the girl's house had once stood. His knees gave in, and James found himself kneeling in front of the ruins, tears coming down his dusty cheeks. Had the girl and her mother been inside? Had the baby he was sent to kill met her end at the hands of the people that had intended to use her? Had a twisted turn of fate spared James of becoming a cold-blooded murderer?
A soft voice reached his ears, and he immediately recognized it. It was the voice he had heard hours ago, when the woman sang a beautiful lullaby to her child. Were his ears deceiving him? Was she still singing, or was it just a torturous memory being replayed in his head?
He looked slightly to his right, and his eyes locked on something rather incongruous… a sunflower. It was one of the flowers he had seen inside the girl's room, now red with drying blood. His eyes continued their journey in the ground, and more flowers came into view, and it suddenly struck him as if they were arranged in a trail, meant for someone to follow them.
So he did. He pushed himself from the ground and followed the path made by the flowers, his wounds forgotten as a sudden sense of peace and calm invaded his body.
A whimper.
There was no mistaking what that sound was… it was the crying of a child.
James ran toward the source of the sound. It was coming from behind a stone well 30 meters away from the village's boundary, and it grew louder with every step he took. He had to reach it first, or the ever-closer kindred would become aware of the child's presence.
He reached the well, and circled around it. He fell to his knees one more time at the sight that awaited him. There she was… the lovely woman with the brown eyes and golden brown hair… singing softly under her breath, even when the blood was trailing from the corner of her mouth and from the edge of the two arrows that were stuck firmly between her chest… and her child, the Accursed one, crying pitiably at the top of her lungs, the caking blood of her mother matting her pale skin.
The woman was dying. There was nothing anyone could do about it.
Already blinded by the loss of blood, the woman raised her head slightly at the direction where James laid. "Please… please don't hurt my child," she pleaded with a pained whisper, fresh tears falling down her now hollowed cheeks.
"I am… a friend," were the words that came out of James' mouth. He knew he was wasting precious time, but he didn't have the heart to let this woman know what fate awaited her child.
Surprisingly, at the sound of James' voice, the little girl stopped crying. The mother seemed to notice this too, for she used what little strength remained in her body to pull her baby closer, and dropped a fleeting kiss on her forehead.
"My name is Moira. What's yours?" the woman whispered.
"James. My name is James," James answered. His ears had already picked the sounds of the approaching steps of kindred soldiers.
"James, I have something to ask of you," the woman said, choking slightly at the end due to the thick blood already gathered on her lungs.
"Anything, my lady," James whispered reverently. He couldn't explain the respect, the admiration and the love he felt for this stranger at this moment. He instinctively knew he would do anything she asked of him.
"Take care of my child. Take her away… keep her safe…" Moira pleaded, her whisper echoing loudly inside his head.
James looked at the beautiful child in her arms. This was the child he had been sent to destroy. This was the child that could bring the destruction of every creature on Earth. He knew the consequences of not destroying the girl before it was too late.
At that instant, James remembered his lupa's parting words -"May Gaia show you the way." There had to be a reason why the kindred had reached the village on the same night he had, there had to be a reason why he had found the woman and her child before they did.
And with dizzying clarity, James realized he had found his destiny.
"Till my dying breath, my sweet Moira… till my dying breath," he whispered, taking her hand gently and planting a soft kiss on her pasty skin. Moira smiled at him, before turning her attention back to her daughter.
"And you… always remember that your mum loved you with all of her heart. Be happy, be loved, and be alive, my sweet child. We will meet again… when the time is right," Moira whispered, kissing the top of her daughter's head. The little girl giggled, and reached up with her hand until she touched her mother's nose.
And amidst the pain, the blood, and the tears, Moira smiled.
"Remember… I'll be with you… always," she whispered before placing the baby in the waiting arms of the werewolf. James looked at the beautiful little face that was smiling up at him, and a sad smile appeared at the corner of his lips. With the tip of his finger, he traced the outline of the girl's face, delighted by the way she moved her little hand and wrapped it around his calloused finger.
"What's her name?" James asked, his eyes still locked on the little girl.
"Hermione… her name is Hermione," Moira whispered. James finally looked up and knew her time had come. She had been holding onto life to keep her daughter safe, but now, she sought release from her pain. James reached up and gently cupped the woman's cheek.
"Close your eyes, Moira. It's time to go to sleep," James whispered. With a shaky breath, Moira smiled and closed her eyes.
It was the last smile she would ever give.
"Your sacrifice won't be in vain," James whispered. He became aware of the approaching sounds of the soldiers. He didn't have much time.
Planting a small kiss on the top on her forehead, he bundled the child tightly on the bloody rags and, transforming into a wolf, took the rags on his jaws and ran toward the forest with dizzying speed, his only goal to get this girl to safety.
Finally, the sights, sounds and smells of Godric's Town were nothing but a memory.
He didn't stop running until he reached a small creek. Placing the bundle on the ground, he transformed into the form of man. This girl amazed him; she had not cried once during the journey, as if she knew the urgency of their getaway and the danger involved if they were to be discovered. Taking her out of the bundle of clothes and cradling her against his body, he walked toward the creek and washed her mother's blood from her body. The girl giggled, and he found himself smiling genuinely for the first time in a week.
"Now, what to do with you?" he whispered at the child in his arms. He knew he couldn't take her back to the garou village for two reasons: first, Snape would make sure he would be shamed, dishonored and punished for his refusal to fulfill the mission, and second, the Elders would probably kill the child themselves.
He couldn't let any of them know about this. He wished Lily were there with him, for she would surely know what to do. But he couldn't let her know either. If she were aware of what he just did and the Elders found out, Lily would be punished right along with him. He would never let any harm fall to her.
A simple thought fleeted into his head. In Hogsmeade, a village located at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, merely a two-day journey from his own home, lived a man called Robert Granger. They had met six years ago, when Robert, a blacksmith, had ventured into the forest looking for a special tree from which to take wood to make a proper axe handle. The poor man had encountered a baby basilisk, and would have found his death if James had not been hunting nearby. James saved him, thus revealing the secret of his werewolf heritage. Sworn to secrecy, a grateful Robert returned home, and they had remained in contact for the last six years, James venturing from time to time to the meinslich village in order to exchange supplies and stories with his now good friend.
There had been one constant in many of the conversations he had shared with Robert: the human wanted a child. His wife, Jane, seemed unable to conceive one. When James had told Robert that his Lily had given him a son, Robert had looked up at him and said, "You are blessed, my friend, for having so easily what I so desire."
`Robert, you are in for a surprise.'
A boyish grin appeared in James' face as he moved the little girl closer to his face. She went to grab the tip of his nose, but he kissed her hand away before she could reach it.
"Child, I have found you a new mommy and a new daddy. They'll take care of you. I promise," James whispered soothingly, kissing her cheek.
A voice echoed in his head, and his mouth formed the words the voice whispered.
"Hermione… her name is Hermione."
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Hello, everyone! This chapter was long overdue, and I'm sorry for it. It was kind of stuck on the beta stage for more than a month, so I decided to post it without beta-ing. If anyone knows of someone that can beta this story (Another seems to be MIA), let me know!
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for the kind reviews. I know this story is unusual, but I'm hoping to make it worthwhile.
Some food for the brain:
1. Moira: according to Greek mythology, she was the deity assigned to give to every man his lot. Thought it was fitting name.
2. Flammeus Draco: Latin for flaming dragon.
Yours truly,
Anasazi
PS. I worked on a little fanflick this weekend. If you are interested, check it out - http://www.livejournal.com/community/harryhermione/420820.html
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