Of a Different Breed

Olivia had been a house guest at Grimmuald Place for three days and Sirius was already tired of playing host. He and Remus rarely saw the sixteen year old. When she did leave Remus' room to eat or help with the occasional chore, it was practically a fight to get her to acknowledge one of them, let alone actually speak to either of them. Sirius didn't have the patience for her silence or stubbornness, only growing further agitated each day. Remus, on the other hand, was far more compassionate and understanding, gladly taking up residence on the couch to accommodate her and give her a private space. He missed his own bed though as his bones began aching tirelessly in preparation of the coming full moon. Eventually though, he would have a room in the house cleared out for her if he could get his friend to cool off a bit.

"I'm telling you Moony," Sirius grumbled over dinner. "Don't trust that girl, not one bit. Something if off about this whole bloody situation."

Remus frowned as he sat down at the table, absentmindedly stirring his soup. Olivia hadn't left the room at all that day, not even to eat. "She's a child, Padfoot. A child that's been through a lot I'd imagine after spending so much time with Greyback. Give her a break."

The dark haired man groaned in protest. "Sixteen is hardly a child. She has no manners, no sense of appreciation for what we're doing for her, everything we're risking. I do not enjoy catering to an ungrateful brat."

"Sirius!" He scowled. "You of all people should be understanding. Imprisonment isn't kind to the mind--different people handle the trauma in different ways. She needs time to relax and realize she's safe."

His spoon clamored against the bowl as he glared up at Remus. "Three days, Remus. Three days and we don't know anything more about her than the night you brought her here. This is getting out of hand! For all awe know, this is a set up and she isn't doing a thing to help her case!"

Remus sighed and put his spoon down more calmly than his friend. "Why the hell would she have been so desperate to get away from me outside the Leaky Cauldron if she was sent to infiltrate us?"

"Its called deception. You could ask dear old Snivellus all about it," he snapped bitterly but hushed for a moment. "That's it. We'll call the Order over and we'll see if Snape recognizes her."

He shook his head almost immediately. "Not until after the full moon."

"Moony-"

"No," He frowned, his voice firm. "There's enough going on right now as it is. Don't make this any harder on me."

Sirius scowled, looking away from the man in front of him. He knew no amount of persuasion or arguing would get him to budge at this point.

"Four days and recovery time if I need it. That's all I'm asking for."

"Four days is a lot of time for her if I'm right," he frowned.

A small smile crept onto Remus' face, bending some of his old scars. "For her to do what? Learn we're two bitter, middle aged men with no jobs or lives? Padfoot, that's already fairly obvious. Only thing surprising she might find out is how we bicker like two old maids."

Sirius rolled his eyes but his shoulders visibly relaxed as his tension ebbed away. "Well at least go get her so she can clean up the kitchen. She's been in that damn room all day."

"Oh hush and go to bed. I'll take care of the mess/"

Giving him a rough, single pat on the shoulder, Sirius got up and headed towards the stairs, leaving Remus alone at the table. He couldn't help but to sigh a little when his friend was gone--he had hardly touched his food and there was o way the dark haired man would actually go to bed so early. He rarely slept. Thirteen years of being wrongly locked away in the wizarding world's tightest prison had made its mark on the man and had left him riddled with nightmares when he shut his eyes. No, it was more likely that the troubled animagus would shift forms and enjoy the canopy of stars instead of attempting to rest. Remus just gently shook his head and tried to finish his own dinner.

The house was quiet when Remus began washing the dishes. He let his mind go blank as he hand scrubbed each one with a sponge, trying to use the muggles' way of doing things to clear out his head and distract him from his body's worsening pain. He was ready for the full moon just to get it over with so he could feel his version of normal once more. He was worried, however, about how his transformation was going to affect Olivia. He didn't imagine it would be easy for her, even if he stayed locked away and out of her sight. He could see it in her eyes how afraid of him the poor girl really was, and that was without him being in his transformed form. Hearing him growl and howl from the basement would probably be just as painful for her as having him room about free as a wolf. Part of him was considering more and more each day about asking Molly and Arthur Weasley to host her temporarily during the full moon. Only problem was no one else int he Order was currently away that Grimmuald Place had a house guest outside of Sirius and Remus.

"You know," a soft, almost meek voice resonated from the entry way to the kitchen. "You worry really loud. Its honestly hard to think."

Remus quickly turned around and found Olivia standing there, dressed in a long satin night gown with a white cloak draped over it. He didn't have the faintest idea where her clothes were coming from--she had brought nothing but herself and a bit of money--but he knew right then probably wasn't the best time to hound her about it. He was shocked to see she had come to him, that she was talking again without any pushing, and he didn't want to scare her off so soon.

He gave a light laugh as his body relaxed again. "Sorry about that, I guess. Not used to having someone in the house who practices natural legilimency."

Olivia didn't say a word but walked further into the room. He noticed her fidgeting nervously with the sleeves of her cloak, trying to keep them pulled all the way down to her hands as the fridge swung open on its own. She didn't so much as glance back towards him as she scanned the shelves for food.

"I made potato soup. Want me to heat you up a bowl?" Remus offered kindly.

She gave a small nod, backing away from the fridge silently to give him space and keep him a comfortable distance away from her. her eyes stayed glued on him while he worked. Remus didn't mind it though, he was just glad to see her okay and out of the room. When he turned to serve her the bowl, he found her patiently sitting at the table in the dinning room, waiting on him while still fidgeting with her cloak sleeves.

He gave her a kind smile as he brought the food over to her along with a glass of water. "I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to eat today."

Gently shaking her head, she kept her gaze down on the soup as she ate. "I was busy today."

"Busy? Doing what?"

She took a few more bites before responding to him. "Making your potion."

His eyes widened a bit. Of course he had forgotten about her promise to make him a potion to stop his transformation that month. He hadn't put any real faith in her, still doubting anything could stop a werewolf from transforming at the full moon, but here she had been slaving over a cauldron all day to help him. He wondered where she had gotten the ingredients from since he had forgotten to help her. "Oh. Its finished?"

Olivia nodded again as she ate, letting silence wash over them both once more. Every once and a while when she would take a fresh bite, she'd lift her gaze up for just a moment as if she was checking to see what he was doing and if he had decided to leave her. It was clear in her eyes when she met his worried stare that she was thinking about a lot. He wasn't going to push her to talk though, just happy they had been able to chat a little and she wasn't secluding herself off again--nothing was keeping her there to sit and eat near him but her own decision. When she finished her meal, she looked up at him and a small vile with a rosy pink liquid appeared before him on the table.

Curious, Remus picked it up and uncorked it. Sweet, almost floral notes washed over him from the potion, the fragrance alone already seeming to soothe his mind and body. "This is definitely very unique," he breathed, carefully rotating the bottle around in his hand, watching the light dance off the substance within.

"I'll drink some of it first if you don't trust me."

He quickly detached his focus from the potion and looked to her once more. "Oh no, you don't have to do that. I don't believe you're trying to hurt me or Sirius for that matter. You've had plenty of opportunities if that's what you were here for."

"Good, I'm glad." It was such a weak response, hardly portraying any real feelings of relief or satisfaction. If anything, it felt as if she didn't believe his words. Part of him wondered if she had over heard his conversation with Sirius earlier.

Frowning, Remus watched her closely as she started to stand with the dirty dishes. "Olive," he said gently, remembering the nickname she preferred to Olivia. "Don't let Sirius get to you. Thirteen years in Azkaban really changes a person."

Her entire body seemed to tense up once more, hearing the word Azkaban. "He was in Azkaban?"

"Of course," he said, the teen catching him by surprise once more. "You've never heard about Sirius Black before?"

She shook her head, hesitantly sitting herself back down. "Why was he in Azkaban?" She didn't seemed frightened or any less comfortable than earlier to be in Grimmuald Place, knowing she was living with someone the ministry deemed a criminal, she just seemed curious, almost truly intrigued. It finally seemed as if they had real ground for a conversation she cared about.

"Well, its a bit of a long story," he admitted. "The full version, with the truth of the matter."

Olivia glanced towards the clock on the wall. "I can't sleep anyways. Tell me it, so long as you don't mind staying up?"

He couldn't help but to smile; there was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity to talk with her and maybe get to know her a little better. "Can't say that I get much sleep so close to the full moon."

"So what happened?"

Remus took a moment to breathe in and figure out where was the best place to start. I assume you've heard at least of the boy who lived and of You-Know-Who?" He waited until he reaffirmed his thoughts with a nod to continue. "Well, Harry Potter's parents were very dear friends of mine and Sirius. We were both especially close to James growing up. Our other close friend from our Hogwarts days was named Peter Pettigrew. The four of us were inseparable. James, Sirius, and Peter all knew about my condition and each because unregistered animagi so I wouldn't be alone on the full moon. They helped me stay out of harms way and keep myself from hurting anyone or doing something I'd regret because, as I'm sure you already know, a fully transformed werewolf isn't so much interested in other creatures in animals as it is humans and wizards.

"Any how, when we heard that You-Know-Who would be coming after the Potters, a group of us put them in a safe house protected by a secret keeper, but no one knew who the secret keeper was. It had to be that way to ensure the Potters' safety and the secret keepers safety as much as we hated it. After James and Lily lost their lives and Harry became the boy who lived, Sirius and Peter dueled. At the time, it looked like Sirius had obliterated Peter, only leaving one of his fingers left at the scene, and we all assumed he had been the secret keeper and Peter had figured out he was a mole for You-Know Who. is family--the Black family--were known for their devotion to You-Know-Who and support of blood supremacy, you see. So basically over night Sirius became one of the most wanted wizards alive and was taken to Azkaban.

"As it turns out, Peter had been the secret keeper though and had given up the Potter to save his own skin. When Sirius went after him, Peter shifted into his animagus form to escape, but Sirius' spell managed to blow off one of his fingers. Sirius some how got out of the prison last summer though, with everyone still not knowing the truth, but he had found Peter and was determined to catch him. It was only when I was Peter for myself, still alive, that I understood and believed my dear old friend once more."

Olivia blinked, looking a little surprised. "Thirteen years in Azkaban for something he didn't do? That sounds terrible. I was with Greyback when he broke out so it makes sense that I wouldn't have heard of his escape even if it was all over the papers."

Remus nodded quietly, fingers figeting with the cork of the potion vial. "He definitely didn't deserve what happened. Once things cool down a bit, we'll start preparing a case to clear his name though. But, with all that said, don't take his bitterness personally. After all that mess he sometimes struggles to hold onto the person he is, but I promise you he is a good man overall with a good heart."

"I know you're right. I don't feel any actually evilness around him. He may be a little damaged from his experiences, but he's nothing like Greyback."

His soft smile returned once more. "I'm glad you can see that. I want you to feel safe and comfortable here, no matter how long or how little you're staying with us."

Her lips curved upwards, the sight warming his very soul. "Thank you. Really."

"Of course!" He beamed back at her. "And you're welcome to come out of the room anytime--don't let Sirius' piss poor attitude keep you alone and shut away all the time."

She nodded, still wearing her small smile. For once, they sat in comfortable silence, listening to the clock tick quietly in the background as they mulled over their thoughts. Eventually, Olivia stood up but made eye contact with him, most of the fear in her eyes having vanished. "I the faster you drink that potion, the faster you'll feel better."

He chuckled lightly as he watched her send the dishes floating carefully into the sink. "Alright. You going to try and get some rest now?"

Olivia nodded slowly. "I'm going to try."

His smile couldn't help but to grow, amused with her. "Well, you know where to find me if you need me," he reminded her and nodded his head towards the couch.

"Good night, Remus."

"Sleep well, Olive," he returned gently as she made her way to the stairs. Once Remus heard his room door open and shut again, he moved to the living room with the potion, collapsing onto the couch with a sigh. Olivia hadn't done much of the talking, but it was progress and he was more than satisfied with it. She had sat comfortably with him, actually left his room, and voluntarily participated in the conversation. Her attempting to talk with them and open up, even if it was very slow, was all he could really ask for.

He let himself relax as he uncorked the potion once more, brought the vial to his lips, and quickly downed the substance. He expected to regret it immediately or not feel much of a change, but he couldn't have been more wrong. As the potion moved down his throat, through his system, and was absorbed into his body, everything began to change. His aching vanished, leaving behind an exhilarating feeling of health and overall well being, but he felt energized as well. His body felt so much stronger. He was tempted to go outside, to go for a run and just laugh at the sky and enjoy the cool air, but he didn't move. He shut his eyes and let the sensations overwhelm him. Wolfsbane potion had never had any effect remotely similar to Olivia's potion, and for the first time in years, he wasn't afraid of the full moon.