Remus had to take each piece they gave him separately, carefully. It was impossible to look at the whole.
"Wonderland," he repeated flatly.
Remus was the only half-blood of this lot. The only one who'd been brought up at all in muggle culture. Pureblood James, and even moreso Heir of Ancient Anti-Muggle-and-Mudblood Royalty (however much he disagreed with those philosophies) Sirius, shouldn't know about Wonderland. Nor had they been particularly drawn enough to muggle literature—or even wizard literature—to have come across it themselves. The only likeliest way for them to know would be if Lily or Remus himself had mentioned it to them once.
And he couldn't remember.
"That's from a muggle novel. A satiric fairy story. Is there also someone here named Alice? Or Queen of Hearts? Or White Rabbit?"
Perhaps this was all in his mind, and that was his subconscious telling him he'd gone mad. Placing him where "we're all mad, here!"
He should really stick to that point—again, don't engage with a reality until you know it is indeed real…
…but he can't.
When the other part is so pressing.
And so much harder.
In part because… Remus hadn't known the circumstances leading up to it all. Other Order members had filled him in after the fact. But in bare bones, so cruciatingly far from sufficient. There had been a prophecy. It may or may not have been about Harry—even if prophecies had any merit at all which was far from given. But either way, it had painted a target on James and Lily's backs. They'd gone into hiding. A large part of their protection was the Fidelius charm. Supposedly, Sirius had been the Secret Keeper, but betrayed the secret to Voldemort, who found and killed them. Peter had tried to catch Sirius and likewise been killed. And Remus…
…Remus had been left out of all of it entirely.
Either because he'd been undercover—quite literally underground—on assignment at the time. So perhaps the others couldn't reach him.
Or perhaps because Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone reach him. Knowing Remus would betray the cause and abandon his post the moment he heard of such things, to run back and try to help his friends. Which could be construed as trying to protect Remus. But the way it had turned out…
Or because…?? Too much. Too much. First…
"Peter was… what? The secret keeper? The traitor? Why?"
—And the most crucial point, that almost occurs to him too late.
no subject
"Wonderland," he repeated flatly.
Remus was the only half-blood of this lot. The only one who'd been brought up at all in muggle culture. Pureblood James, and even moreso Heir of Ancient Anti-Muggle-and-Mudblood Royalty (however much he disagreed with those philosophies) Sirius, shouldn't know about Wonderland. Nor had they been particularly drawn enough to muggle literature—or even wizard literature—to have come across it themselves. The only likeliest way for them to know would be if Lily or Remus himself had mentioned it to them once.
And he couldn't remember.
"That's from a muggle novel. A satiric fairy story. Is there also someone here named Alice? Or Queen of Hearts? Or White Rabbit?"
Perhaps this was all in his mind, and that was his subconscious telling him he'd gone mad. Placing him where "we're all mad, here!"
He should really stick to that point—again, don't engage with a reality until you know it is indeed real…
…but he can't.
When the other part is so pressing.
And so much harder.
In part because… Remus hadn't known the circumstances leading up to it all. Other Order members had filled him in after the fact. But in bare bones, so cruciatingly far from sufficient. There had been a prophecy. It may or may not have been about Harry—even if prophecies had any merit at all which was far from given. But either way, it had painted a target on James and Lily's backs. They'd gone into hiding. A large part of their protection was the Fidelius charm. Supposedly, Sirius had been the Secret Keeper, but betrayed the secret to Voldemort, who found and killed them. Peter had tried to catch Sirius and likewise been killed. And Remus…
…Remus had been left out of all of it entirely.
Either because he'd been undercover—quite literally underground—on assignment at the time. So perhaps the others couldn't reach him.
Or perhaps because Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone reach him. Knowing Remus would betray the cause and abandon his post the moment he heard of such things, to run back and try to help his friends. Which could be construed as trying to protect Remus. But the way it had turned out…
Or because…?? Too much. Too much. First…
"Peter was… what? The secret keeper? The traitor? Why?"
—And the most crucial point, that almost occurs to him too late.
"'Apparently' you 'will'? How do you know?"
We can't risk him manipulating you