DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter, its publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No money is being made for this. No copyright infringement is intended.
TITLE: Burdened Souls
AUTHOR: Relala
BETA: lady of scarlet
FANDOM STATUS: Fanon
William (Call me Bill, won't you?) Weasley sat within the thick darkness of the basement cellar in Number 12, Grimmauld Place with his arms and knees crushed up to his chest, looking very like a small boy huddling under the covers from the monster which lurked in the shadows.
Above him--through three floors of marble--he could hear the sounds of the men and women of the Order at the table, eating dinner. The telltale clink of crystal glasses filled with wine and the screech of a knife sliding violently across a china plate. Booming laughter, the complaint of a chair being shoved backwards, the faint sound of whisper-soft footsteps approaching the basement door--
Which was flung open with an echoing whoosh, coating the depths in brilliant yellow light and casting a stale breeze which swept up all manner of things. Blankets of grey dust filled the air, giant moths swirled towards the light, spiders were scent scurrying down from their disturbed webs to the cold floor. From atop the stairs came a scent of heavy musk which tightened his throat and made his hands unconsciously twitch. He pulled his lips back over his teeth in a snarl which trickled out of his body without him understanding its meaning.
A tiny chuckle.
"Challenging the big guns already, are we now, Little Weasley? Well, I don't doubt that all authority should be tested but I don't think you're up to that just yet, pup. Better rethink things. Before you bite off more than you can chew."
Bill growled softly once more as Remus Lupin descended into his safe-haven but kept it at a low level. He might not have understood what it meant inside his human head, but his body, which had been infected with the blood of an animal, understood its own actions and made them on its own. This was a part of him--a part which he had not yet accepted--that was now based entirely on an instinct far older than humanity and thus far stronger than logical thoughts. He was wolf, in a way that went far deeper than bodily forms.
"You're confused right now, Bill. Caged up in a body with urges and powers which at times you cannot control or comprehend. I know what it's like to be afraid of yourself. I know what it's like to realize that the monster lurks inside you. Enough of these growling games, I say. I came down here to offer you a hand out of this darkness...not to establish a hierarchy between us. Let me help you with this burden. You can't carry it alone, William, it just isn't possible. Accept my offer. We'll get through this together."
Bill makes a sound deep within his throat and moves forwards to the older wolf, collapsing into his arms with a wail. It's an inhuman sound but it isn't cruel or violent, rather it's the sound of a desperately grateful young man.
THE END
"Reviews are the only payment FanFiction authors receive. Even if it's just a word or two, leaving a review lets me know you've passed this way."