CLXXXIX: I Need Fallengunder

                                    

                                          
The Headmaster's office was stuffy and when they entered Dumbledore went right to the doors of his balcony and threw them open, letting in a cool Autumn breeze that ruffled papers on his desk and the feathers on the wings of the large, beautifully colored Phoenix that sat on his perch by the fireplace, preening. Remus stared at the bird and reached out a finger to run it gently over the bird's jewel-toned breast. Fawkes cocked his head at Remus and nipped affectionately at Remus's thumb as he stroked the bird.
Dumbledore paused on his way back to his desk and watched, commenting, "Very few people can pet Fawkes without losing a finger, Mr. Lupin - your time with Mr. Scamander growing up certainly gave you some interesting knowledge and abilities, didn't it?" he smiled and went to the desk, neatening up the papers that were scattered all over. Remus caught a glimpse of an old map of Scotland with markings and X's all along the western coastline before Dumbledore scooped it up and shuffled it into a pile of old newspaper articles and parchments.
"So you have made a delegation to Blackburn?" Dumbledore asked, "And how does Greer and her family fare?"
"Restless, as expected," Remus replied, and he let his arm drop from Fawkes and made his way over to the chair opposite of Dumbledore, lowering himself into the seat. He crossed his legs at the knee and shook his ankle, his worn leather loafers showing below several inches of argyle sock that was exposed below too-short trousers, worn at the cuffs from sewing repairs and extension charms over the years. "But I wasn't the only delegation there, I'm afraid."
"No?" Dumbledore slipped the pile of documents he had collected from the desk into the top drawer of his desk and then sat down, too, leaning back in his ornate chair and folding his hands over one another, laid over his belly as he looked through his half-moon glasses at Remus.
"Greyback had a delegation at Blackburn as well," Remus revealed, "A man from the Great North Woods pack - Winston, he was called, according to one of my - er - esteemed colleagues."
Dumbledore nodded. "I see.
"He claimed knowledge of You Know Who, saying that He Who Must Not Be Named was not defeated that night and that he will soon rise more powerful than he was before." Remus hesitated when Dumbledore didn't seem to respond at all to that news and he felt something in his heart tighten. "This is... as you suspected, isn't it, Dumbledore?" Remus murmured.
Dumbledore peaked his fingers before his chin, rubbing the tips of them over his lips, and murmured, "Unfortunately, yes."
Remus looked away. "Then you're telling me -" Remus stopped, emotion getting the better of him, and had to regain himself before continuing, "You're telling me that James and Lily died for nothing? That it's all been for nothing?"
"Not for nothing, no," Dumbledore said. 
"But if You Know Who is still alive - then it is for nothing!" Remus paused, then, "Sirius said he saw the body, sir. He said there was a body."
Dumbledore shook his head, "You know the Auror report has said there was no body at the scene to verify that claim. It has been speculated by many that Sirius himself took the body --"
"That isn't true, none of that dung they've said about Sirius over the years is true," Remus pressed, "You know that now, Dumbledore, you know that now that he has explained himself." Remus shook his head, "And if Sirius says there was a body, then I believe him."
Dumbledore sighed heavily, "I know that Sirius is not lying, and I look forward to the day that we can finally get the entire wizarding world on board to know the truth of Sirius's innocence. Unfortunately, until the day that we have Sirius's name cleared, the Auror's report is all that we have to go by and the aurors that were on the scene that night did not find the body of Voldemort there."