Warning: Torture and Darkness, you have been warned. Although, for the sake of my account's survival, certain chapters/scenes have been edited out…please follow link for details.
All characters belong to JK's fabulous HP series. Oh, Rowling said that Albus' gay. Waiting for her to out Lupin and Black.
Torture and Darkness
By T.A.F.K.A.F.A. and LiliTurin
Chapter 2
The night was dark, the moon covered with thick storm clouds when he awoke naked in the middle of the forbidden forest. Drowsy, he tried to get his bearings. Spotting the top of the castle, he determined that he was 5 km away, east-side. Then he realized, where were Sirius, Peter and James? Ah – James and Peter were serving detentions and Sirius…
He was gripped with such sheer terror, it momentarily knocked him unconscious – Sirius, the last thing he remembered was all-consuming anger, and lust as Sirius kissed him. And then, nothing.
"Sirius?" he whispered, gray eyes trembling in trepidation. "Sirius!" he cried. Was this a joke, was he hiding somewhere? But he has cried himself hoarse and still, Sirius did not come. He struggled to his feet. That's when he noticed the smell… sharp, nauseating – rotting blood.
He ran, intending to follow his nose, but there was no need. The vegetation was trampled, twigs and branches broken uncaringly, and… blood… everywhere. Half of him wanted to run away, back to Hogwarts,and just lie in bed, wait for James and Peter to take care of everything… wait for them to laugh and tell him it was all a joke. But in his core, he knew this was real, and last night, something unthinkable happened, and it was all his fault.
His heart beat so strongly, he could hear the thumping in his ears. It was then, he found him.
Lying naked on a clearing.
If he didn't know Sirius' scent, he would've deceived himself into believing that this was someone else. Flies buzzed atop the body, delighting at the feast laid down for them. The face was raw and bloodied, so torn-up was he that where the bruises end, oozing wounds would begin. Blank, unblinking eyes stared at the sky, face lined with trickling tears, grime and dried blood. His torso was so cut and shredded, Lupin could see bone and muscle in some places. His stomach looked like some piece of meat cleaved over and over by the butcher. "Sirius, no…" Lupin bit his fist, if he did not, he will scream until he loses his mind, "Oh Sirius, no…"
The clearing wasn't a clearing after all. It was just as big as Sirius, and it did not take long to realize how the clearing was created last night.
Remus' fingers trembled as he struggled to look for a place where he could safely hold Sirius, but he was just one huge open wound.
He didn't want this! Loathing, just murderous loathing gripped him. He looked about for their wand, intending to finish it all, when he heard a pathetic gurgling sound coming from Sirius. At first he could not believe it. But Sirius was breathing. It was so shallow and brief that he almost missed it.
It was foolish to cling to such an ephemereal hope, but Lupin clutched it like a drowning man clutching a life-line.
"Sirius, hang in there, please, don't die on me…" he whispered. He found Sirius' wand and cast a Blinding charm on them both. He has always been good in charms, everyone knew it, but he has never shown anyone how good he really was. This was better than an OWL. To everyone, they would be unperceivable—unless he willed it otherwise. Sobbing, he carried Sirius' body – corpse—no, stop it—and made his way back home.
"Oh watch it! Watch it!" Peeves cackled as something went through him. But seeing nothing, went about his pesky business. "Ei, wozzat?" a short-haired wizard yelped.
It was still before sunset, and only a few students were up and about. Lupin ran as fast as he could, trying vainly to save Sirius from more pain. A perverse notion crept into his mind: wasn't it too late for that? Look at him fool. You killed him. You shouldn't be looking for a Healer. You should be looking for a Gravedigger. Hot tears like raging rivers poured down his cheeks, falling like rain on Sirius' hair. Oh, if only his tears were like a Phoenix's…
Wait… Fawkes!
He grinned maniacally, laughing/ sobbing at the same time.
"Sirius – hiccup—listen – hiccup—I'm g-going to – hiccup—get you h-help," Lupin found a new well of strength as he changed directions and went straight to Dumbledore's office. More than a few students were up and about, but he phased through them like a ghost. The stairs were torture – they kept changing, and he had to go to Dumbledore's office in a roundabout way. He broke into a run, the sooner he got to Fawkes, the more chance that Sirius could be saved! His chest heaving, his eyes shining with exhilaration, he half-ran/ half-stumbled through the Headmaster's doorway, but instead of phasing through it as he intended, both he and Sirius bounced off. The majestic stone griffin ruffled its feathers, looking very irate. It scanned the corridors, but finding nothing extraordinary, resumed its previous pose.
For Lupin, the world seemed to fall apart. Putting down his lover, he scurried to the wall. Like a man possessed, he ran his hands all over the wall, but it remained solid – or he remained solid? He tried the ground, he could sink, but still would hit a barrier as he tried to cross over. Panic-stricken, he pounded the wall, as if by sheer strength and will he could reduce to rubble what has stood for over a thousand years. Even as blood, in rivulets, flowed down his hands, he refused to stop.
Behind him, Sirius' breathing grew more labored and shallow. He rushed toward his partner, cradling him and trying to comfort him as best he could.
"Ah, love, if I could," he sobbed, face so close to Sirius, their nose barely touched, "I'd take all your pain. Ah, love, forgive me."
He embraced Sirius. Then suddenly, he gasped as absolute abhorrence overwhelmed him. Muscle, skin and blood clung to his naked skin – coating him in a grisly vermillion/ ebony shade. But before he could completely lose his mind, the Headmaster's door opened.
"Who goes there?" Without even saying Lumos, the man's wand began to glow. Dumbledore, looking the same as usual, peeked through the door, his round eyeglasses hanging precariously on his hooked nose. Lupin froze, he thought that he could get to Fawkes and just, y'know, coerce tears out of him… but Dumbledore was another issue. It was a good thing they were invisible, but then, the Headmaster's eyes met his.
Dumbledore, nary saying anything, but only waving his wand, flicked Lupin into the room. The portraits of former Headmasters mumbled protests and gasps as a large, heavy velvet curtain suddenly materialized and covered them.
"Sirius!" Lupin cried as his lover was suddenly wrenched away from him. Dumbledore tutted and the pulling eased somewhat. It completely disappeared when they got inside the study. There was no fooling Dumbledore. The old wizard did not even ask what happened. He just took charge of Sirius, laying him down on his bed and calling to a house elf. An old house-elf apparated and with nary a glance at Sirius, waited on Dumbledore's orders. The Headmaster instructed the House elf to take some herbs of this and that plant, the shredded wings of a Japanese oni and some gold slug juice. He then conjured hot water and towels and began cleaning Sirius.
Dumbledore's here… he'll take care of everything.
After what seemed to be an eternity, Dumbledore finally managed to sponge off the dirt, caked blood and whatever else. Lupin felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He sobbed and sunk to Sirius' bedside. He wanted to hold Sirius, but not wanting to hurt him any more, he clutched Dumbledore's robes instead. The house elf arrived, carrying the poultice. Dumbledore began rubbing the sweet, chocolate-smelling cream all over Sirius' wounds.
"Fawkes' tears," Lupin whispered. He glanced at the phoenix at the corner of the room.
"… are useless," murmured Dumbledore, still not looking at Lupin. "His tears, I'm afraid would be wasted on Sirius, as this is a poison phoenix tears could not cure."
Lupin's eyes widened. "No! He won't be a werewolf!" He shivered. But would death be better? It was all too much for a sixteen year old boy. He buried his head on Sirius' blanket, crying, drowning in his pain.
He felt Dumbledore wrap him in a robe. "It wasn't your fault, dear Lupin... lycanthropy brings out our unconscious, and even the best of us has darkness lurking in his light. Fawkes could not get near Sirius – he is hurt in more ways than… physical. Even his soul is wounded, and he has closed himself from everything. He knew you meant him no harm, but he is still being eaten inside," his eyes refused to meet Lupin, for they both knew what happened, and the Headmaster did not want Lupin to think he blamed him.
Dumbledore's blue eyes shone with dammed up tears.
But it was Lupin who cried for them both.
To Be Continued
Yes, that's right… where's chapter 1? Just review, tell me you want it, and I'll send it through yer account. In requesting, you attest that you are 18 and older. Warning... it's really... bloody.