Chapter 1: Strangers in the night.
Disclaimer: Anything recognisable from the Harry Potter books is totally the property of the fabulous J. K. Rowling. We don't make anything from this, nor do we want to. We write purely for out own enjoyment.
Note: This story is set in the summer after Harry's 7th year. There are certain discrepancies within the story as I started writing it before publication of OoP. It is now an AU fic that follows the first four books. Thank you for reading.
88888888888
She had been able to smell it for a couple of months. Especially when the day was warm and the wind in the right direction. But now, as the moon was only hours away, it smelt different. The scent was tinged with fear, and something else, panic. April could feel the change starting to build in her. The wolf was beginning to surface. She would be fine when the transformation came, but there was no telling about the stranger; it hadn't panicked around the moon before this month.
She grabbed an old dress and cloak that she didn't mind getting ripped, put on some old shoes, and headed out of her house. She lived in a small village, right next to a wood, out of the way of the other residence, but nowhere so private that she lacked contact when she needed it.
Standing outside, April closed her eyes and let the scents of early evening fill her nostrils. There it was, stronger than ever now, but where was it coming from? She turned ninety degrees and sniffed again. Repeating this until she was sure of her direction, April headed off into the village.
It was too late; the change was coming. The stranger was more difficult to locate than she had expected. April knew that she had to get back to the wood, out of sight. She would have to try to find them in her other state, hopefully stopping anyone from getting hurt.
April collapsed as the transformation hit. The adapted Wolfsbane potion she made lessened the pain and gave her the ability to remain in control of the creature she would become.
A real scream filled the darkness, and it wasn't so far away. The stranger was turning too but, as she feared, had no such help. It was male as well, that much she was certain of.
Most months she let the wolf have control, let the instincts drive her, unless she strayed too far near a populated area. After all it was part of who she was and while she wouldn't endanger anyone else, she wouldn't deny it either. But tonight she had to keep another in check. Whenever a fellow wolf was met there was always the debate of just far she should let the wolf inside indulge its instincts. That wouldn't be an issue though if she didn't find him soon.
Remus awoke to birds singing. He shivered in the cool May morning breeze. He was stiff and uncomfortable, his muscles screaming when he tried to move. When he opened his eyes they complained about the dappled sunlight light coming through the trees above him. It became apparent that he was naked in the woods, bark and twigs sticking in him, the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands filthy and covered in tiny scratches. He also had a deep gash running over his left shoulder and row of scratches down his right leg.
His worst fears had come true. Remus had no clue what had happened the night before, none at all. He could remember the realisation as the sun set that the Wolfsbane hadn't worked, the panicked attempt to restrain himself obviously having failed.
It took a few minutes to realise that there were one too many hands on his chest. A third hand, elegant and pale but just as dirty and scratched lay next to his own on his bare chest, it's touch warm and delicate. He scrabbled round to find an equally naked woman curled in the foetal position next to him, sound asleep on the forest floor. Mortification mingled quickly with embarrassment.
She was quite lovely. Her skin was pale and looked soft, not nearly as scarred as his own, and her strawberry blond hair fell in delicate curls round her cheeks and settled on her shoulders. Most of her torso was discreetly hidden by her position, but he could see that she was slender and curved in all the right places.
April woke up alone as she usually did after the full moon, although she hadn't expected to do so this particular morning. She stood up, wincing as her muscles complained, brushing the bits of bark and other forest remnants off her body and gingerly inspecting a row of deep scratches down her lower back. She was quite accustomed to waking up dirty in the wood. The trees would provide cover until she got back home.
She was surprised by her own disappointment that the stranger had been gone when she woke. April wanted to know what had happened for any werewolf to be out of control like that. If he didn't believe in the Wolfsbane then he needed a good talking to and if something had gone wrong then he needed to make sure that it wouldn't again. There was the possibility that he might always be a muggle and had just realised what was happening to him, hence the sudden panic, and would never have heard of brewing potions. It was lucky she had been around to distract him. She should probably find him before next month's full moon; after all it was only polite to introduce yourself to someone who's seen you naked, she had no such advantage over him, only having seen the wolf, and she should at least know the name of the wolf that had been her nighttime partner.
April started back towards home, picking her path carefully so as to not hurt her feet anymore. When she got home she ran a tepid bath and set about getting cleaned up. It had become something of a ritual.
She sat on her bed, rubbing an antiseptic lotion into her cuts and bruises. April would follow this up with a good cooked breakfast. Usually she would stay in the house the day after her change, to give her feet and hands some time to recover from their night in the forest. But she might venture out today.
He was horrified, how had he not noticed that the potion was useless? Remus paced his small home; he had moved there a couple of months ago after the people around him at his last residence had discovered his nature. He was now washed and dressed but still hungry. Hopefully that meant he hadn't eaten in the night, there was no way for him to know just then.
A regular supplier had provided the Wolfsbane for him since it had first been discovered; except for that year he had been a teacher at Hogwarts. But a month ago, he had been informed that the price would be increasing dramatically, due to a shortage of the main ingredients. He had been forced to seek out a different, cheaper source. He now knew what made it so cheap. Inferior substitutes must be replacing the missing ingredients. He now faced the same battle all over again. He rubbed his tired face, yawning into his palms, the urge to spend the day in bed sweeping over him.
There was a soft knock on the door. He very rarely had visitors and they always made it known that they were coming.
April waited outside; sure that she had followed the scent from her waking spot in the trees. When he opened the door she was certain. The smell of wolf flooded over her, and it was familiar and masculine. She had to consciously stop herself from gasping; the night's full and uninhibited transformation had left him with the most feral scent that her heightened wolf-senses picked up on immediately. He looked exhausted and his robes were shabby. His hair was flecked with grey, which gave him a 'salt and pepper' sort of look, but he wasn't old by any stretch. Despite how awfully tired and ill he looked, she was surprised; it had never occurred to her that he might be this pleasing to the eye.
He had half thought he imagined her, but when she was stood on his doorstep he couldn't deny that she was real. She was wearing a light dress that he would have thought more at home in the very height of summer and a moss green cloak over the top that was fastened with a tiny silver clip at her neck. Her legs were bare but she didn't look cold and the cut of her dress, coupled with her diminutive height, suggested that she had fine breasts. He was all too aware that the last time he had seen her she'd been naked. Her eyes were pale yellow, reflecting the wolf within, and they were searching his face. Her smell was different too; Remus would have guessed what she was even if he hadn't already known.
He said the first thing that came into his head: "Who are you?"
She smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you too." Her voice was as soft as her complexion and had a charming note of humour to it. "…I wanted to know if you're alright." Genuine concern crossed her face.
"I'm alright now…" he trailed off, sounding apologetic.
April noticed how self-conscious he looked, he clearly wasn't used to meeting his own kind. "You don't remember anything do you…? Of last night I mean."
He cleared his throat; "No, I don't." He admitted
"You didn't hurt anyone. I made sure." Relief fluttered over his features, the tension in his shoulders visibly reducing, as he seemed to sag in front of her. "I'd been able to smell your panic even before the transformation, I looked for you, once you changed you must have sought me too, you were remarkably easy to locate." April stopped, wondering if he would only want to know that he didn't hurt anyone, or if he wanted every detail. "…Why were you so out of control? What happened?"
Remus was slightly taken aback; he had never met someone so open, or anyone who seemed so accepting. He supposed she would understand; she had probably faced the same prejudices he had. Remembering his manners, he stepped away from the door. "You'd better come in."
She stepped inside. His home was small and cosy, the door led straight into one room, a sitting room on the left and an open-plan kitchen on the right.
He watched her take everything in, her nostrils dilating a little and he felt under scrutiny. "You live alone?" it was a question, but he was sure that she was just establishing what she already knew.
"Yes." He confirmed. Taking her lead, he tentatively searched her scent for anything, but none of it he wanted to talk about, she had used an antiseptic, eaten a full English breakfast and her scent was her own, therefore she too was also likely to live alone. "Would you like a cup of tea, I was thinking about making one?" He hadn't been, but it seemed the polite thing to say.
"Yes please." April watched his back as he walked into the kitchen, itching to shower him with questions, but all too aware of his discomfort.
"Sit down." He called after her and she followed him, sitting at one of the chairs round the small wooden kitchen-table, inspecting her hands while she waited for her tea or for him to say something else.
"I only have tea bags, I'm afraid."
"That's quite alright," She couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't use tea bags, unless they believed in divination of course. There were a few moments of uneasy silence before he put their cups on the table. April was relieved that he wasn't one of those people who made dreadfully weak tea.
"Thank you." He said, seeming much more comfortable. "…For last night I mean. I had changed my supplier of Wolfsbane and hadn't realised that it was useless, I'm a hopeless potions brewer myself." He sipped at his tea and yawned into his hand, she watched him, somewhat transfixed. April found it hard to believe that this genteel man had been the beast she'd spent the night with. "I tried to restrain myself but that obviously didn't work." He set his cup down resolutely, his gaze lifting onto her.
"I'd hope that someone would do the same for me." She had a lovely smile.
"When I use the Wolfsbane potion I'm fit for nothing but sleeping, how come you managed to keep me under control?"
She tucked her hair behind one neat little ear. "I brew my own potions; one month I made a mistake with the procedure and I discovered that I had inadvertently adapted the formula so that I could exist in some form of harmony with the wolf side me. I can let the wolf have almost total control, but still be able to step in if I stray too close to a populated area. I can also have full control if I wish, but I don't like to deny what I am too much."
He seemed to take all this in and April finished her tea, waiting for him to speak.
"What's your name?" He asked mildly, only just realising that he didn't know.
"April…" She smiled again and he couldn't help returning it. "Born in the month of." Her smile weakened and she added: "Bitten in the month of, too." She looked down at the tabletop and then seemed to regain herself. "I don't know your name either…" Her eyes were alert and interested, he really felt like she wanted to know.
"Remus."
She lent back in her chair, being careful of her back, a light of amusement in her eyes. "You don't happen to have a twin do you?"
"No; luckily I don't." He was surprised, and let it show in his voice, not many people caught on to the significance of his name right away.
"How long have you lived here, a couple of months?"
Again he got the impression that she was just confirming things she already knew. "That's right. I thought there might be another wolf nearby but I was never certain." It was his turn to search her face.
"Neither was I, not until last night anyway." She stifled a yawn and he realised that he hadn't noticed how tired she looked.
"I'm sorry, don't let me keep you, you probably want to get some sleep." He picked up their empty teacups and put them next to the sink. "Thank you again for your help."
"Like I said, I hope someone would do the same for me." She stood up, her chair scraping across the floor.
He walked her to the door, holding it open for her. "It was lovely meeting you."
She put her hand on his upper arm; "And you." Her touch felt so familiar that it shocked him. He looked down at her little hand on his robe and then back at her face, she was awfully close.
April couldn't help being transfixed by his eyes as they raked over her; their bodies seemed to inch closer and closer together. She was filled with the most delicious sense of anticipation. Was it her that wanted to do this though, or was the wolf still too close to the surface? She cleared her throat and looked away from him. "I should probably let you get some rest." She said, taking her hand off his arm and treading out of the door onto the steps.
"Yeah." His voice sounded flat. The moment she took her hand away it felt as though he'd lost something. Remus gave himself a good mental shaking, what was he thinking?
"Remus…" She turned back to him. He looked up expectantly. "Don't worry about the Wolfsbane, I can brew enough for two. I grow all the plants I need and the other stuff's easy to get. Just come and see me."
"Where do you live?" He felt a wash of relief that this wouldn't be the last time he saw her.
"Mine's the house that's sort of half in the wood, at the end of the Village… Do you know the one?" She was annoyed at herself for standing there and ringing her hands.
"Yes, I know the one."
"I'll see you soon then." She smiled again, her face so warm and friendly. He stood at the door and watched her all the way up the road until she walked out of sight.
88888888888
A/N:
Romulus and Remus were twin Brothers in Roman Mythology, the sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia. The twins were thrown into the Tiber by their great uncle Amulius, but were suckled by a she-wolf and rescued by a shepherd. On reaching Adulthood they killed Amulius and founded Rome.
Romulus killed Remus and reigned alone until he disappeared in a storm.
(Information found in the Hutchinson Encyclopaedia.)
Any comments on this would be welcome, I'm (Martha) not sure where this is going, but it seems fun at the moment.
I'm hoping it will fit in with our other stories ('Wrongs Darker than Death or Night', 'Before they were famous' and another one about Sirius and Heather that's in the pipeline!) You don't need to read those though!