Of a Different Breed

Remus sat stiffly in the living room with Sirius, taping his foot anxiously. They had carried the girl up to his room, laying her down on the bed with a light blanket so she would be somewhat comfortable when she awoke. They would have gladly put her in a room that wasn't already occupied but they were still making slow progress restoring Grimmuald Place to a livable condition. While Sirius served time in Azkaban, several creatures and pests took over the house, Kreacher having made no real effort to remove them or stop them from getting in. It pissed Sirius off to no end, only seeming to delight the house-elf to see his master so angry. It wasn't until Remus was finally convinced to move in that they were able to stop more creatures from taking up residence in the old manor and start expelling the ones already there. So far they managed to clean up and restore two bedrooms, the living room, kitchen, and a couple of bathrooms which was all the two of them really needed. The living room was even working well enough at the moment to host Order meetings. Sirius' goal though was to get the entire house cleaned up and safe so once they had cleared his name, he could bring his god son, Harry Potter, home to live with him. Even with their current wards and protections around the house, it was just too risky for Sirius to host Harry. Hell, the more Remus thought about it, the more he realized their current house guest was a tremendous risk.

Sighing, Remus leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "Merlin, Sirius. What are we going to do?"

Sirius was lost in his thoughts, staring into the fire place. "We could get a hold of Arthur or Kingsley and see if they could help us get some identification on her if she won't talk to us. She's a child. She should be returned to her family."

"I don't know. Something just isn't right. Child or not, she's the BellaSera. Why was Greyback after her and why didn't she use her magic to get away?"

The black haired man was silent for a moment as he watched the flames gradually consume the logs. "She wouldn't have the trace since she isn't a witch, so using her magic shouldn't have been an issue. Maybe Greyback has done something to her? I don't know, Moony," he sighed, leaning back in his arm chair as he crossed his leg over his knee. "Just go wake up the kid and talk to her."

Remus nodded and stood up slowly. "Alright, but be ready if I call for you. Don't want her trying anything."

Sirius couldn't help but to chuckle. "She's a child. What's she going to do? Bite you?"

He rolled his eyes, walking off and making his way up the stairs. When he entered the room, the girl was already sitting straight up on the bed, staring at him with wide, vivid eyes. Her entire body was rigid, watching his every move closely, seeming ready to jump up and bolt past him at a moment's notice. What he didn't understand was why she was so scared. He had saved her from Greyback, so why would she be so afraid of him? Realization hit him just seconds after he questioned it.

"You don't have to worry," he promised her, speaking softly as he put his hands into his pocket. "I'm nothing like him."

She didn't move or let her gaze drift away from him. "Your scent is very similar to his. He turned you." It wasn't a question; she knew she wasn't wrong. The momentary confusion he saw flicker through her eyes told him she didn't understand why a werewolf turned by Greyback would help her. "I refuse to go back to him," she breathed, sticking her nose up in the air to allude confidence, but her voice easily gave her away.

"We won't make you, I promise. We want to help you."

The girl studied him for a few more minutes in silence. "He turned you," she repeated, this time more firmly. "Why would you betray him?"

Remus took in a deep breath. "I don't work for him or help him with his cause. He turned me when I was four to get back at my father for insulting him." He hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge her reaction but she was keeping herself composed in the same manner as before. He decided he would continue on with honestly. "I know what I am is scary. I don't like it either and I wish I could change it. I've spent years looking for a cure, but there simply isn't one."

She took in a deep breath, seeming to relax a little. "If you really are willing to help me, then I'll help you by giving you a potion that will keep you from transforming next week."

It was Remus' turn to stare. "That's not possible."

A small smile began forming on her face. "Greyback thought the same thing until I tricked him into trying the potion. He wasn't very happy with me, but the punishment was worth it to know I had some sort of power over him."

He was in absolute awe. She was just a young child, even if she was the BellaSera, it was an impressive feat to figure out a potion that could stop a werewolf from transforming during a full moon. "What can we do to help?"

"You can start by removing this necklace," she said softly as she lifted her hair away from her neck, already much calmer than what she had been moments earlier. "I heard you and your friend talking about me and what I am when you were downstairs. Greyback put this on me to block my magic and its charmed so I can't remove it."

Remus started to walk over to help her but stopped short as a new thought crossed his mind. "Once you have your magic again, what's to stop you from harming us?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "I have no reason to hurt you or your friend. Besides that, if I attacked either of you, then you wouldn't help me with my second request."

They stared each other down for a moment, trying to read one another before finally moving forward. He carefully unclasped the necklace before backing away with it, watching her carefully. "Do you want to keep it?" He questioned as he raised it up into the air, unsure of what to do with the piece of jewelry.

The girl quickly shook her head, black curls of hair bouncing. "I still can't use my magic while its around me."

"Alright then," he sighed. "Follow me downstairs? We'll get Sirius to get rid of it."

She gave a small nod, doing as she was told before stiffly taking a seat in the living room. Clearly she wasn't sure what she thought of the darker haired man yet, but Remus was just happy to have her at least talking to him instead of running away.

"Padfoot," Remus began, handing over the necklace. "Think you can get rid of this?"

Sirius sent them both a confused look before taking the necklace, sighing, and walking out to the backyard. As soon as Remus had sat down and made himself comfortable, Sirius strolled back in and planted himself in his armchair once more. "Why did I just do that?"

"Its what was keeping her from using her magic," his friend answered softly, noticing their guest's discomfort.

"So kid, do you have a name?"

She seemed taken by surprise as she stiffened up again. "Olivia, but I go by Olive."

"Pretty," Remus smiled kindly at her, wanting to see her relax again.

Sirius seemed less than pleased. "And does Miss Olivia have a last name?"

Her pale pink lips shifted into a frown. "I'm not going to talk with your ministry friends or give them any information. I won't go back home."

Growing irritated, he started to say something but Remus held up a hand to stop him. "That's not the most important thing right now. What we need to focus on is why Greyback is after you and making sure he can't find you again."

Olive shut her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. As she exhaled, eyes still closed, her appearance began shifting. She gained just a few more inches to her stature, her hair lightening and smoothing out from tight curls to wavy, sandy blonde. When she opened her eyes again, both men found a pair of warm, brown eyes watching them. "The wards you put up will protect me just fine and Greyback won't be able to recognize me in my real form."

Remus blinked, caught off guard. "Your real form? So a moment ago, that was?"

"Just a disguise to keep me hidden if I ran into someone who knew me. It was based off a muggle girl in France," she said with a small, proud smile.

Remus just frowned, watching her closely. There was something oddly familiar about her true form, especially her eyes. Part of him felt like he must know a relative of hers, but he just couldn't figure out who no matter how hard he wracked his brain. "Well what I want to know is why one of the absolute worst werewolves is so determined to capture you."

Olive's ears and face turned a bright shade of red. "When I was thirteen, I ran away from my adoptive father. I made it about a month before Greyback found me and basically kidnapped me. About two weeks ago when he was out, I managed to free myself and he's been tracking me ever since. It was hard to get far and stay hidden without magic."

The two marauders frowned as they watched the girl stare down at her hands. They knew it was common for the werewolf to go after kids and turn them. It was no secret he enjoyed the hunt and was trying to multiply the werewolf population. What was unheard of was him keeping a prisoner; there was no telling what all the child had been through. "How long were you with him?" Remus finally asked quietly.

"Three years. I'm sixteen."