Pain

by LBibliophile

Poem. He may have survived, but that fateful Halloween and the events that followed ripped Remus' world apart. It takes time for him to realise that it is real, not just a dream, the pain growing as the truth sinks in. Then the full moon hits; now it is Moony's turn.

I realised after I finished that I was imagining this poem set in the Shrieking Shack / Forbidden Forrest, but it would make sense if the Marauders had organised a similar setup post-Hogwarts.

---

Pain fades;
The full moon bathing
The world in light.

I seek the scents;
Dust, wood, blood, man,
But they are not there.

Of course, this is the man-cage,
Our place is the woods.
The thin barrier will not keep me from them.

I seek the scents;
Grass, trees, wind, night,
But they are not there.

I search for them;
Calling, calling.
Why do they not answer?

I see a shape,
Silhouetted against the moon.
Prongs!

No, only branches
Reaching high;
Prongs is fallen for his mate and child.

I see a shadow,
Flicker of dark motion.
Padfoot!

No, only a bush,
Crouching there.
Padfoot is caged, driven away.

I see a figure,
Scurrying through leaves.
Wormtail!

No, only prey
Passing by.
Wormtail is torn, ripped and broken.

I call for my pack,
Fallen, caged, torn; gone.
They can not answer.

Pain returns,
And I howl it to the moon;
The only one who ever stayed.