December: Can't Catch A Break: The Little Bakery - Remus

[James Potter]

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WIZARD?

Elliott Thomas, aged twenty, Unspeakable of the Department of Mysteries, was reported missing last night by concerned colleagues. Mr. Thomas was last seen at work four days ago; his family denies any knowledge of his whereabouts. Any information regarding this case should be reported immediately to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Oliver Thomas of The Daily Prophet implores the public to be on the watch for his brother, and to take precautions themselves.

Every day, every damn day, there was something in the Prophet to make his blood boil.

At least you're not desensitized enough that it can't bother you anymore. Exposure hasn't changed you that much...

With some of the senior Order members, James had seen the stoney way they approached news like what he was reading about an old classmate. Things like this were part of the job, and not letting disappearances or reports of murder get to them, it was a way to handle the stress of the war. To simply use Thomas' disappearance as a number: add one to the tally of purebloods gone missing. And likely dead - Unspeakable? They'd want him to spill anything he knew...

That was their way of coping, of detaching from the horror behind the neatly printed words. Because what cause would Thomas, who James remembered as a soft-spoken but sarcastic guy content to do his work and not much else, have to run away? Other than if he was being pressured, or chased, or if he'd been flat-out abducted. He'd been taken, or was on the run. Fleeing. His family left unawares, likely desperate for news, as desperate as Thomas was to be rid of the threat. Which'll only happen when the war's done.

But James struggled with detaching. How could he, in good conscience, not feel something at seeing this? How could it not anger him? Upset him? Beyond feeling on behalf of the bloke in question and his family, Thomas' disappearance meant that the Death Eaters were growing in confidence. No longer were they content with assaulting muggleborns; this was a strategic, high-profile target. It meant that his comrades and himself weren't making the progress they had vowed to in what seemed to be a lifetime ago.

It was a middling sized advertisement, Thomas' image not really seeming sure of why he was in the paper at all, and James read it over a few times, unable to move on to the next as he waited for Remus to show up. Fine way to start brunch. The blokes had found time to meet one-on-one, a rarity as of late, and as he drank his coffee black (not the sugary thing Willa had made him when she'd worked there, sadly the other waitresses hadn't ever been able to get it right) he tried to recount anything of the missing person that could help in an investigation. Thomas was a pureblood, but the family hadn't ever seemed to take an official stance one way or the other...his brother working for the Prophet showed a leaning against Voldemort, though...Could he have written something that would prompt this?

The young father was pulled from thought as he was joined by one of his oldest and closest friends, who'd been hard to track down these last few months. On Dumbledore's orders, Remus had been infiltrating the werewolf camp - a difficult task for anyone, but an especially heart-wrenching one for his friend. James honestly didn't know how he was keeping himself together, but was grateful he'd taken the time to meet up. James had planned on sharing some funny stories from home - there'd been a bit of carelessness with his Invisibility Cloak after a mission that Lily would likely never let him live down - but instead of starting with that, he handed the paper over, folded so Remus could see the missing person's report.

"Morning, mate - seen this?" He'd ordered tea for the table, and poured his brother a cup with a frustrated sigh. "You'd think one of these days we'd stop seeing shite like this."

[Remus Lupin]

Ever since he’d started running with the werewolves, things in his life had changed in a way he wasn’t expecting. Every month - and sometimes more often - he was meeting with the man who had changed him, earning his trust. He had transformed in a pack seven times now, and was admittedly missing his school days where he had friends running with him, causing havoc in the forbidden forest. Those had been better days, when he didn’t feel like everything was falling apart. While the lives of everyone around him seemed to be moving forward, it was like everything in his had been put on hold. His marriage to Charlotte had been a defining moment, and one that he felt he hadn’t enjoyed as much as he had wanted. Five days before the wedding he’d been forced to spill his secret to the Order, with all of his coworkers learning that the things they feared were closer than they knew.

And right after? He’d met Fenrir for the first time, and learned that his mother’s supposedly natural death had been anything but. That it was the price they all had to pay for his father’s refusal to join the other side of the war. Remus couldn’t be angry with his father, not for standing up for what was right. But he’d felt a burning anger for the Death Eater’s ever since, one that he simply couldn’t shake. Everything about his life had changed with just the exposure of the truth, and he knew it was affecting his relationships with everyone. Sirius, in particular, had seemed a bit off for a few months now. Even when they were meeting their nephew, something between them had been strange. It wasn’t anything he could place, but it was enough to make him worry. And yet, there hadn’t really been time to see any of his brother’s, not with how busy they all were within the Order.

He should have been looking forward to breakfast with James, ready to pass on stories and hear all about the things Harry was getting into. But he was apprehensive and unsure, feeling like his spot in their group of four was slipping out of his hands. His wife would tell him he was reading into things, that their bond couldn’t be broken just because the war was creeping closer daily. He wanted to believe that, but he didn’t. Remus wanted to think that when this war was over, they’d all fall into routines of seeing each other weekly. Maybe Peter and Daisy would have some kids as well, and everything would be fine. It had to be.

Entering the cafe, James was easy to spot. The young father looked rough, but didn’t they all these days? Ambling over, Remus sunk into the spot across from his friend, taking the newspaper and cup handed to him gently. He sat the Prophet down, a sinking feeling hitting him as his eyes caught sight of Elliot Thomas’ face. Elliot was a pureblood, an unspeakable, a risk. This was far from the days of hunting down the murders of muggles to try and piece together Voldemort's plans. He had never been very close to Elliot, but the two had been decent friends in school. Remus couldn’t say he’d even thought of the man in the years since they had graduated, not until today.

“Don’t think they’ll find him,” he muttered under his breath, folding the paper so he wouldn’t have to stare down at the former Ravenclaw. “Should we reach out to Leon and Emmeline? I’m sure this news is hitting them harder.” The two former Ravenclaw's had been good friends with Elliot, at least from what Remus remembered, and he was sure they were both distressed.

[James Potter]

You don’t think they’ll find him? James was taken aback by the muted words, by Elliott's uncertain face being flipped over and replaced with an advertisement for Quality Quidditch Supplies' holiday sale. I was taken for two weeks. Willa was gone for four. And we...we're fine.

But that was two years ago. Things are different now. They're not as...patient.

You won't know until you know. No use giving up until then.

"They might," he countered with a smile that was, admittedly, slightly forced. He wanted to hold out hope for Elliott, for anyone who was in the clutches of the other side or on the run from them. But the tension in the air that he'd always felt while out on missions had followed him even into the innocuous bakery. Maybe it was the time out in the field, maybe it was being at the head of missions, maybe it was being more aware of the realities of their world - hell, maybe it was paranoia. But James didn't feel that the shift was all in his head. The balance of power seemed to be swaying away from his people, and it was an unsettling notion, to say the least. We'll get it back. We always do. The back-and-forth is...it's just part of it all. He’d ask Aberforth about Elliott after this time with Remus, see if his Commanding Officer knew of the situation, if another team was already on it. If they were, and even if they weren't, James gave a hearty nod to Remus' next. The couple had spent years close with Elliott; they should know that their friends and comrades had their backs, that they weren’t dealing with this alone. And…

"Definitely. And Zach has his sources - I bet he can find some clues...I, ah...There's something I wanted to tell you, doesn't feel like there's a good way to do it, but here goes," James said with a bit of an awkward laugh. "Wanted to see what you and Charlotte are thinking about doing for Christmas - our home is open to you both, as always. It's Harry's first, would mean a lot if you were there. I've been reading him that muggle story about the reindeer with the red nose - last detail to work out is how to make Prongs' immitate it, then I've got the day in the bag." The young father smiled, hopeful that he'd have enough spare time in the coming weeks to figure out how to bring the character from the page to life. It would be so worth it, he could hear Harry laughing, see him reaching for that glowing nose, or the jingle bells hanging from his antlers, like he did with the baubles on their tree. And he could see his wife beaming at them, happy. James felt the need to make this year's holiday spectacular. Adding Harry to their family - while the most wonderful thing - was coming with challenges. Lily's worries over their son were more intense than James had predicted, and while she was beginning to lighten up, he didn't know what better way there was to show her that everything was okay (well, as okay as possible) than by securing an unforgettable day of celebration with their most loved ones.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus couldn’t understand how James still had hope. They weren’t winning this war, not even close. Sure, both he and Willa had gone missing and come back alive - shaken, but alive. But that had been earlier in the war, when it still seemed like they had a fighting chance of winning. Elliot had been missing for four days, and that wasn’t a good sign. If Remus had to bet, they’d find his body here in the next few days, and that would be that. And then there’d be another funeral for people to go to, before the next day when someone else went missing or mysteriously died. Tomorrow someone else would be looking up at them from the Prophet. That was simply their reality now, and there was no point in acting like everything was going to be fine.

Not everyone sees the war from two sides.

    There’s no point in holding onto hope.

He sipped his tea as James spoke, eyebrows raising at his friend’s awkward laugh. Remus hadn’t given any thought to Christmas this year, his mind too busy with details for his next full moon. But a Christmas at the Potter’s house sounded like a good time, and it would be nice to feel like a family again. “I haven’t given it much thought,” he said as he sat his tea down, giving James a smile, “But it sounds like a nice time. I have to talk to Char of course, but I’d say you can probably count us in.” It would be good for all of them to maintain some sense of normalcy in these times. A good Christmas together was just what they needed. “What are you thinking about getting Harry for Christmas?”