"To the Dark Lord," the note begins.
"I know I will be dead long before you read this..." Remus does not read further. Instead, he crumples the the small piece of parchment and throws it across the dingy little room. It rolls on the old wooden floor, before settling in a corner full of cobwebs.
It is a war, he reminds himself, and this is just another casualty. He clenches his fists until they turn white, furious at his helplessness.
Remus' mind goes back to the missive he had received two weeks ago. A short note expressing the sender's regret at not having listened to his old friend, as well as the vague outline of his plan to destroy one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes.
The Gryffindor had not responded to the message, partly because he had suspected it was a lie, and partly because his old wounds had not healed well enough for him to do so.
When he received information that Regulus Black was dead, his first instinct was to blame himself for not replying and offering his help; help, that might have saved a life.
The Slytherin stood at the entrance of the Shack, staring into the darkness filled with howls and shrieks, until someone pushed him inside with a cruel snicker, and sealed the door.
The boy hesitantly stepped forward, wand lit with a shaky Lumos, the only source of light aside from the streaks of moonlight filtering in through the dark clouds. He jumped suddenly, causng the wooden floor to creak, slightly startled to see a moving shape in the corner.
He gently drew closer to the writhing beast who was hissing and screaming alternately. As the light fell on its features, Regulus yelped in shock and stepped back.
It was a wolf,of a rather large size, with extremely sharp fangs that seemed to want to tear him apart. The creature drew itself in further, almost as if it were trying not to hurt him. He quickly cast a Repelling Charm, deciding to stay safely in the other end of the room for the night.
So he crouched on the floor, leaning against the peeling walls, and somehow succeeded in catching a few hours of sleep through the terrifying growls and groans.
He opened his eyes to notice that the sun had started to rise and the noises had stopped entirely.
In the corner, sat a sobbing boy, perhaps a year or so older than him, bruised and bitten, with only a few shreds of cloth scattered about him.
His eyes widened as he realised what creature he had been dealing with, and his mind told him to run away instantly. Instead, he approached the werewolf, and held out his arm in friendship, going entirely against his instinct.
"Are you afraid they'll find out?" Remus asked, breaking away from the kiss breathlessly, for a moment.
His lover did not reply. He didn't need to, knowing the older boy could read him like a book.
When he leaned in again, Remus moved to the side.
"No," the Gryffindor said, his voice quieter, hurt.
"You don't understand, Remus. If my family finds out, if my friends find out-" Regulus' tone was shaking ever so slightly.
"What sort of friends would they be, if they did not accept this? Us?" Remus cut him off.
"They want me to join the Dark Lord. He doesn't approve of..."
"Werewolves." Remus finished for him, distaste evident in his eyes.
"Remus, please," Regulus begged, desperately.
"Clearly, this, whatever it is, cannot continue then. Perhaps you should return to your incredibly loyal friends." He spat out the word as though it were poison, before walking out, not forgetting to slam the door rather uncharacteristically as he did so.
They had not spoken after that, and Remus had never revealed to his friends, especially Sirius, about their clandestine meetings, neither had he told them about the letter he had received, proclaiming his former lover's change of heart.
He will always wonder if it would have made a difference had he done as much.
Notes: Written for the 500 Different Pairings Challenge.
Pairing: Remus Lupin/Regulus Black (333)
Word Count: 680
Well, since I am writing angst and light/dark pairings today, why not? This was fun to write, oddly enough, but my biggest fear is always people going OOC, so hopefully that didn't happen.
Happy Reading!