The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

Frank Longbottom is a Betraying Sodcake

Gideon and Fabian Prewett were in the Entrapment Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when Newt Scamander arrived, Lily and James Potter in his wake. The Prewetts looked up from where they were going through newly delivered reports in a pile on the one lone desk. Newt looked around the office - it was the first time he'd been in it since Garm Tyr had vacated it and it looked quite a lot different. The new Entrapment Officer, Chase Volsung, was younger and less sympathetic than Garm Tyr had been, and his office had a decidedly cleaner, more organized look to it than the motley mess of Garm's office.

Gideon looked up from the stack of notices he was sifting through. "Mr. Scamander - James, Lily... What are you lot doing here?"

Newt looked around the room. "Wh-where is Mr. Volsung?" 

"Out of the office," Gideon answered.

"Out on the job," Fabian added.

"Night before the full moon isn't it?" Gideon supplied, "Busiest time of the month for the poor chap."

Fabian waved the stack of reports, "Look at all these bloody reports! Loads of people reporting werewolf sightings."

"Three different ones claiming to see Greyback going about his business in three different countries simultaneously."

"Because none of these people are nutters," Fabian said.

"Wh-what are you l-looking for?" Newt asked.

"Same as you, I'm guessing, seeing the Potters are here..." Gideon answered. "Sorry our brother in-law has to be such an arse. What'd Remus do to deserve it, huh?"

James hesitated, "I, uh..."

Newt cut him off, "Ac-actually I'm h-here to - to see Mr. Volsung."

"And we're here to get the Lupin report so you won't have to," Fabian said bluntly.

James sighed. "So Bil told you?"

Gideon and Fabian glanced at one another. "Well, a version of, anyway...." Gideon said, pausing. He paused. Then, narrowing his eyes, he asked, "He is mad right?" He put the stacks of reports down, staring at James imploringly.

"Mad?" James asked, hesitant. 

"Yeah. Like the time he insisted he saw the grim," Fabian said. "You know..."

"...because it doesn't make sense that Remus Lupin is a -- werewolf." Gideon whispered the last words.

James suddenly remembered poor Bilius being locked up for observation at St. Mungo's during his fourth year at Hogwarts and how broken Bilius been then, and he felt a jolt of guilt passing off Bil's claims as madness. Yet to say Bilius wasn't mad was to say that Remus was a wolf and betray Remus himself. James looked at Lily.

"He isn't mad - it's just there's been a misunderstanding, that's all," Lily said simply. 

"Well, our guy's already gone out on the report," Fabian said, shrugging. "There's nothing here at all."

"Yes, we know," James said. "He's already been 'round about the flat and caused a bit of havoc, and --"

Suddenly there was a commotion in the corridor outside the office - loud, boisterous laughter that was a little bit too familiar - and a few people went running past the door. James, being the closest to the door, ducked out into the office to look what was happening. He stood there a moment, staring, then shook his head, "Oh bloody hell, now what've you done..." and bolted off down the corridor.

Lily gasped and ran after James, leaving Newt and the Prewitts standing in the office.

 "Okay, but - he isn't one right?" Gideon asked.