[Special] The Worst Place for a Perfect Reunion
The Magical Congress of the United States of America, better known as MACUSA, is the governing body that regulates and manages the magical community. It is, essentially, what the Ministry of Magic is in England; just for the United States.
Its headquarters are hidden within the Woolworth Building, concealed behind layers of magic. It is somewhat ironic that MACUSA, with its strict laws about separating from Muggles, chose such a prominent place for its base. But the moment you step inside, aside from the constant flow of witches and wizards moving between floors...
What truly stands out is the entrance; more specifically, the massive clock placed right at its center.
According to certain accounts, that clock shows just how close Muggles are to discovering magic at any given moment.
And for a long time now, its needle has never dropped below yellow; level four. A constant sign of danger.
Especially with the advancement of Muggle technology. Keeping the magical world hidden grows harder by the day, which is why Floo connections have to be reassigned constantly. It is also why every wizard is careful to follow the Statute of Secrecy; because Aurors will appear at your location the moment you raise the danger level even slightly.
And it is the reason MACUSA itself remains on high alert at all times.
Even so… that was not the most urgent problem MACUSA had that night.
Remus sat in a white room. In front of him, a plain table; a chain extending from one side, binding his hands. A single lamp cast light directly onto his face. Across from him sat another man with a stern expression, reviewing files and moving photographs, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Remus John Lupin. Hogwarts graduate with top marks, prefect. A war hero from the Second British Wizarding War, working under Albus Dumbledore himself. But after the war, just odd jobs; moving from place to place, until you disappeared a few years ago. And now you are here, found alongside several magical creatures, which you allowed to escape while Aurors were apprehending you. That will cause quite a few problems, you know that, right?" the Auror said, his tone sharp as he finally looked up at Remus, who remained calm even now. "Men like you don't end up in places like this by accident."
"Magical animals have nothing to do with human affairs, do they?" Remus replied evenly. "I was not about to risk them getting hurt after everything they have already been through."
"Are you implying those creatures would not be safe under MACUSA?" the man asked, his expression tightening as his fingers tapped against the table.
"Well… it is not exactly known for rescuing magical creatures and setting them free," Remus said calmly.
The man's finger struck the table harder this time. He stared at Remus in silence for a moment. Remus simply held his gaze, unbothered.
The man pushed a photograph forward until it rested directly in Remus's line of sight. It showed a grotesque creature; a twisted fusion of multiple animals, a true monster now dead, its chest torn open and completely hollow.
"Can you tell me what this is?" the man asked seriously.
"Well, even if I told you, you would not believe me. But that is what had us imprisoned in the basement of that mansion. Whatever it is… I truly have no idea," Remus replied.
The man frowned. "Do you think I am a fool, Mr. Lupin? Do you think something like this simply appeared out of nowhere? And was not perhaps the result of dark magic experimentation? Perhaps the work of a wizard trying to find a cure for his lycanthropy?" His tone turned almost mocking.
At that, Remus's expression tightened for a brief moment.
"Yes, of course I would look into your records. Bitten at the age of four by a werewolf. It is quite unusual that someone with that condition was even allowed to study. You could have been a danger to the other students. Tell me; do not people like you always search for a cure by any means necessary? Or else surrender to your beast, becoming something far worse?" he said, meeting Remus's eyes again, as if entirely certain.
"You can make all the assumptions you want," Remus said quietly. "But once you see what is in that basement, everything will be clear."
Then he fell silent, making it clear he would not say another word.
"That is exactly what I am waiting for. For the investigators to finish gathering evidence. Until then… you might as well get comfortable in your cell," the man replied with disdain, before standing and knocking twice on the door.
Immediately, two Aurors rushed in.
"Take him to cell two. Let him wait with the other one," the man said in a bored tone.
As the agents nodded, they moved to either side of Remus and pointed their wands at his wrists. The chains detached from the table and shifted, binding him to both guards from either side.
Remus stood without resistance and was escorted forward, handled carefully; as if they had already decided what he was… without needing to hear a word.
They led him straight into what looked like a dungeon; fortunately well lit. Rows of cells lined the space, filled with seated figures who glanced at Remus for a moment before losing interest. Some were clearly under investigation, others real criminals waiting to be transferred to a maximum security prison; though those seemed to be kept in separate cells.
Remus was pushed into one where only a single person lay inside, face covered with a newspaper, as if resting comfortably.
He rubbed his wrists as soon as the chains released him, the door shutting behind him with a heavy sound.
"Fuu…" he exhaled softly, turning to look at the rows of cells, feeling like he had ended up in a place no different from the one he had just escaped.
"I hope that kid is alright," he murmured under his breath, thinking of Grover. The last time he had seen him, he had been carried off by an unusually strong owl; something Remus had never witnessed in his entire life. "He mentioned Hogwarts… and someone named Harry. If the timing lines up… it should be about when James's son starts, right?" Remus said quietly, leaning lightly against the bars.
Without noticing that, the moment he said "Harry" and "James," the figure lying down shifted slightly…
And then suddenly sat up. For a brief second, neither of them spoke. Years passed between them in silence.
Remus turned at once, going completely still.
"Well, well, Remus… you look like hell. Finally, your appearance matches that mess inside your head."
Remus opened and closed his mouth for a moment before letting out a soft sigh, a faint smile forming.
"Well, you would be the expert on internal madness, wouldn't you, Sirius?" he said, looking at the last person he had ever expected to find in the same cell.
Without hesitation, the two of them stepped forward and pulled each other into a tight embrace; genuinely happy to see one another after so long.
"I heard you got out of prison. Didn't expect you to end up in another one," Remus added, pulling back slightly, his tone amused.
"Well, you know how it is. I can't stay out of trouble, and stopping wouldn't really be me. Besides, I did it to protect Harry; and that kid gets into worse trouble than James ever did… even worse than us," Sirius said with a grin.
"Harry? Then… he's here too?" Remus asked immediately, his expression tightening.
"Yeah. And he's just as troublesome as James was at his age… except bigger trouble. I've got so much to tell you; you wouldn't believe half of what I've seen," Sirius said, smiling.
"…Yeah. Me too," Remus replied, smiling back.
"By the way, you showed up at the perfect time. I've got someone working on getting me out of here… so we can take you along."
"Oh? You hired a magical lawyer?" Remus asked calmly.
"Ah, no. They've got influence in Europe, not so much in the States. And they're not wizards, which makes things complicated. So… they're doing it the less legal way," Sirius said casually.
Remus stared at him for a moment, confused; just before the guard assigned to watch the area suddenly dropped unconscious.
Then came the sound of metal footsteps approaching.
A man appeared; dressed in leather armor reinforced with metal pieces that faintly glowed with magical patterns, two swords resting at his waist.
"Well, you took your time. Thought I'd spend half my life in here," Sirius said as he spotted him.
"Getting caught was a nuisance. You're wasting valuable time."
The man simply shrugged, then drew one of his swords and, with a single swing, cut through the bars as if they were nothing more than butter.
Some prisoners jumped to their feet. Others only watched in silence.
Remus, for his part, was stunned.
"Our Merlin medallions don't work in this country. And we don't want trouble with MACUSA either. There are some very annoying people on this side of the world who would start poking into our business if we did," the man said calmly, before turning his gaze to Remus. "Hmm… well, that's inconvenient. According to the agreement, you were supposed to join us if we found your friend… but it seems I already did," he added, recognizing him immediately.
"Saying that after you risked your life to save my godson is almost insulting," Sirius said lightly. "By the way, how about two for one? I think Remus could use a new job," he added, pointing at his friend, who still had no idea what was happening.
"Hah. Another wizard… and if he's your level, I'm sure the old man will be so pleased he'll go bother those two elders who don't even have a wizard in their ranks," the man replied easily, then gestured with his head for them to follow him; straight toward the main exit.
Remus glanced at Sirius, a hint of concern crossing his face; wondering if his old friend had just dragged him into something dangerous.
But Sirius, clearly enjoying Remus's confusion, offered no explanation.
And so Remus simply followed… just like in the past.
Only this time… they were not all there.