Remus and Tonks follow Cilantro hand in hand into a lovely gated area. It's lit by shimmering little bugs, casually going about their business sipping nectar from the asphodel blossoms.
"This is a very special place," she says, pausing to push open the gate. "Enter with care," she looks at them both meaningfully, "for you will see only what you take in with you." She steps away and with a nod from her, Remus and Tonks venture forth side by side. It is peaceful here, it feels mystical, just as in the rest of the Garden of Dreams, but here, there something... more. This feeling grows as they near the fountain. The water bubbles up out of an odd, almost abstract human figure and cascades down it, pooling and bubbling in a shallow, shell-shaped basin. Even through the broken and roiling surface, the werewolf and his wife can see coins and small objects have been thrown into the water.
Remus sighs, knowing neither of them has a coin to toss in.
He feels his wife's hand slip from his and looks up as she wanders away from him, off toward another fountain. He walks slowly around the fountain once she's gone, his hands thrust into his empty pockets, until he comes back to where he had been standing, then pulls his hands out. As he does, he notices there's a button on his pocket that's loose, and he absently pulls on it. It comes off in his hand, making him frown, and sighing again, he throws it into the fountain without thinking. He turns toward the gate and rubs his neck, growing a little impatient, and is quite unprepared for what happens. He hears a voice.
His voice.
It's tinged with a sarcastic irony, so much so that when Remus turns around quickly he expects to see a sneer on the speaker's face.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise."
The two Lupins eye each other closely and it is obvious to both they are as different as night and day. Remus notes that his double, in addition to appearing quite wealthy, lacks any trace of ever having been attacked. The Other Remus eyes his double and frowns with undisguised disgust. "Pathetic, what you've done with yourself," he says, and Remus snorts. "What? This?" he points at the scratches on his face, then shrugs slightly. "I had no control over that, believe me." The double replies, "so you had an accident. You could at least dress yourself as befits a wizard. Or are you actually as poor as you appear?"
Remus looks down at himself, an odd sense of amusement slowly giving way to mild annoyance. Then it dawns on him. "Do you know anyone by the name of Fenrir Greyback?" Remus asks, and his double grimaces. "The werewolf? Oh, God, don't tell me...you're a werewolf?" The revulsion in his voice pushes Remus closer to real anger, but when the double says, "you could have avoided him! You could have--" Remus loses his patience. He says tersely, "I was five. My father insulted him. Tell me what I could have done to avoid that." The double glances around and folds his arms as he draws himself up. "It's a little difficult to dress as befits a wizard, as you say, when no one wants to give you a job." The double looks away and as he does he sees the ring Remus is wearing.
"You're married?" he asks in disbelief, then adds, "what woman would have a werewolf?" He looks around and sees Tonks, who is having her own experience, and laughs. "Surely, you're joking!" Now, Remus gives his anger its head and steps closer to his double. "Don't you dare," he says dangerously, "insult me all you like, but don't you dare insult my wife." The double looks away again and says off-handedly, "please tell me you at least have sense enough not to breed." Remus, eyes narrowing and anger rising, takes another step forward. "Please tell me you haven't! I know far too many people just like you... pompous, arrogant, privileged... You think your wealth and status in life give you the right to look down on others less fortunate or different." He forces himself to calm down, but doesn't give his double a chance to reply.
"This may come as a shock to you, but it doesn't. You're no more entitled than I am disadvantaged. Any child Tonks and I had would be better off than yours, because that child would be taught humility and tolerance. What would you teach yours?" The two Lupins stare at each other in silence, one completely at a loss for words, the other filled with a new sense of self and almost daring his double to refute him. He hears Tonks laugh suddenly and looks in her direction, and when he looks back, he is alone. As he straightens and recovers himself he notices something floating in the water and scoops it out. It's a button but not the one he so casually threw in. He closes his hand and holds it tightly for a moment, then slips the flower-shaped button into his pocket as he sits down on the bench beside the fountain.
"This is a very special place," she says, pausing to push open the gate. "Enter with care," she looks at them both meaningfully, "for you will see only what you take in with you." She steps away and with a nod from her, Remus and Tonks venture forth side by side. It is peaceful here, it feels mystical, just as in the rest of the Garden of Dreams, but here, there something... more. This feeling grows as they near the fountain. The water bubbles up out of an odd, almost abstract human figure and cascades down it, pooling and bubbling in a shallow, shell-shaped basin. Even through the broken and roiling surface, the werewolf and his wife can see coins and small objects have been thrown into the water.
Remus sighs, knowing neither of them has a coin to toss in.
He feels his wife's hand slip from his and looks up as she wanders away from him, off toward another fountain. He walks slowly around the fountain once she's gone, his hands thrust into his empty pockets, until he comes back to where he had been standing, then pulls his hands out. As he does, he notices there's a button on his pocket that's loose, and he absently pulls on it. It comes off in his hand, making him frown, and sighing again, he throws it into the fountain without thinking. He turns toward the gate and rubs his neck, growing a little impatient, and is quite unprepared for what happens. He hears a voice.
His voice.
It's tinged with a sarcastic irony, so much so that when Remus turns around quickly he expects to see a sneer on the speaker's face.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise."
The two Lupins eye each other closely and it is obvious to both they are as different as night and day. Remus notes that his double, in addition to appearing quite wealthy, lacks any trace of ever having been attacked. The Other Remus eyes his double and frowns with undisguised disgust. "Pathetic, what you've done with yourself," he says, and Remus snorts. "What? This?" he points at the scratches on his face, then shrugs slightly. "I had no control over that, believe me." The double replies, "so you had an accident. You could at least dress yourself as befits a wizard. Or are you actually as poor as you appear?"
Remus looks down at himself, an odd sense of amusement slowly giving way to mild annoyance. Then it dawns on him. "Do you know anyone by the name of Fenrir Greyback?" Remus asks, and his double grimaces. "The werewolf? Oh, God, don't tell me...you're a werewolf?" The revulsion in his voice pushes Remus closer to real anger, but when the double says, "you could have avoided him! You could have--" Remus loses his patience. He says tersely, "I was five. My father insulted him. Tell me what I could have done to avoid that." The double glances around and folds his arms as he draws himself up. "It's a little difficult to dress as befits a wizard, as you say, when no one wants to give you a job." The double looks away and as he does he sees the ring Remus is wearing.
"You're married?" he asks in disbelief, then adds, "what woman would have a werewolf?" He looks around and sees Tonks, who is having her own experience, and laughs. "Surely, you're joking!" Now, Remus gives his anger its head and steps closer to his double. "Don't you dare," he says dangerously, "insult me all you like, but don't you dare insult my wife." The double looks away again and says off-handedly, "please tell me you at least have sense enough not to breed." Remus, eyes narrowing and anger rising, takes another step forward. "Please tell me you haven't! I know far too many people just like you... pompous, arrogant, privileged... You think your wealth and status in life give you the right to look down on others less fortunate or different." He forces himself to calm down, but doesn't give his double a chance to reply.
"This may come as a shock to you, but it doesn't. You're no more entitled than I am disadvantaged. Any child Tonks and I had would be better off than yours, because that child would be taught humility and tolerance. What would you teach yours?" The two Lupins stare at each other in silence, one completely at a loss for words, the other filled with a new sense of self and almost daring his double to refute him. He hears Tonks laugh suddenly and looks in her direction, and when he looks back, he is alone. As he straightens and recovers himself he notices something floating in the water and scoops it out. It's a button but not the one he so casually threw in. He closes his hand and holds it tightly for a moment, then slips the flower-shaped button into his pocket as he sits down on the bench beside the fountain.