The Silver Lining

Author
The Wolfress

Fandom
Harry Potter

Genre
Angst/Romance

Main Pairing
Sirius/Remus [SLASH]

Fiction Type
Alternate Universe

Summary
As a child, Remus Lupin had never received any love, attention nor care. Cast away from his family at a young age, he was sent to work at an boarding school where he was oftened abused and bullied. But what will happen when he catches the eye of another and is sent to live a whole new life?

Disclaimer
I hereby proclaim that none of the characters mentioned in the story that appear in the original Harry Potter books belong to me. Ta da.

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WARNINGS:
This fanfiction contains homosexual content, meaning relationships between two people of the same gender. If you feel that material of this sort offends you, please close this window or click 'back' immediately.

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Prologue - The Ugly Duckling

The Ophrons were one of the richest people to ever exist in Britain. They were, in fact, the third richest, losing only to two other infamous households - the Malfoy and Potter households. All the Ophrons were the same - if he's a male, then he'd be tall and strong, commanding and clever, handsome and have the ability to have any woman he wanted; if she's a female, then she'd be stunningly beautiful, ladylike and proper, graceful and captivating; all alluring and intoxicating at times, but cold and unreachable at others. They would all have beautiful chestnut hair and striking pale green eyes. It had always been like that - not once had these unspoken rules been challenged. The Ophrons were much respected in the society, given their ancestral wealth and vast knowledge, bestowing upon them the heavy duty of up keeping their status and positive impressions on the public. They had managed perfectly so far, keeping the perfect looks and perfect manners and perfect intelligence. They prided themselves about it; never had there been impurities in the children that were born, and they all turned out the way Ophrons were supposed to be - cold, clever, politically intelligent, beautiful, and to sum it all up in one word - flawless. They allowed only internal marriages, so as all the legendary family traits can be kept strong. This plan went well for a long time, until one day, a different child is born.

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{...May 21st, 1962...}

Miriam Ophron gripped the bed's side as she bit hard into the ball of cloth stuffed in her mouth, muffling her scream. She was in the Birth Room, pushing with all her might to heave out her unborn child. Ladies in the Ophron household were forbidden to scream (since it was unladylike), and thus all women, when they gave birth to their children, had to go by any means to stop herself from screaming out loud. A painful tear came through her abdomen, and she gritted her teeth, giving another almighty push. All the colour had drained away from her face, and she panted, before concentrating again.

"Harder, push harder, milady! Just a little more!" the midwife urged, blue eyes shining. She simply couldn't wait to see what this baby would look like. Of course, as expected, it will have beautiful light green eyes, with tiny sprouts of chestnut all over his bald head. But the thrill was what achievements would this child bring - Would he be a great scholar and in turn benefit the world by becoming a lawyer? Or would he be a great doctor and save millions of lives? She grinned despite the labour her mistress was going through, and urged again. He could already see the head being pushed out of Lady Miriam's body, and held out her hands, a large towel in her arms, waiting to receive the infant. Squeezing her eyes shut, fingers clenching at the bed sides, Miriam gave one final push, and the baby slid right out of her, into the midwife, Cyndria's welcoming arms.

Cyndria's eyes lit with joy. Here it was, the long awaited bundle of flesh, the flesh and bones of the Ophron family, the child of the head of the Ophrons - Kalius Ophron's daughter. Tears leaked out of her eyes with joy as she reached with trembling hands towards the cloth that would wipe the blood from the baby and reveal properly its skin and hair colours, and brushed it carefully over his head. She lifted the cloth, heart almost stopping its regular rhythm because of anticipation, but instead of silky chestnut baby curls, she only saw -

"Oh god," she gasped, dropping the cloth and her hand flying to her mouth. Miriam, who was deathly pale and terribly tired, managed to notice this, all for the sake of making sure the baby had all the typical Ophron traits before she fell asleep, frowned slightly, her lips pursed, waiting to hear what Cyndria had just found out. The midwife turned, her eyes wide, her mouth trembling.

"Milady," she croaked out, her voice unsteady. "Milady." She stumbled over to the younger woman's bedside, where she slowly pushed away the folds of the towel to reveal what was hidden underneath.

Miriam's eyes went wide, and she gave an unvoiced gasp.

For on the head of the baby, where faint chestnut curls should have been seen, instead, there were barely visible tresses of sandy brown, tawny hair.

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{...May 22nd, 1962...}

"Come in."

Miriam pushed the large oak doors of her husband's large study open, her hands straining slightly, her body still slightly weak from the torment child birth had put her through. She walked steadily to where Luke Ophron was sitting behind his desk, reading glasses on, flipping through his newspaper and circling the occasional article. He looked up as she approached, and his expression didn't change when he recognized his wife. She pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down, hands twitching nervously, as she contemplated on just how exactly was she going to tell him what had happened. Her husband's eyes flickered to her nervous face briefly, and took off his glasses.

"I presume that you have come to inform me about the baby you delivered some days ago. How is it? Does it have all the appropriate traits?" he asked her curtly. He had not been present on the day of birth - Ophrons cared naught about offspring and love, family and affection; all they cared about was living up to the passed down Ophron expectations; and to survive fitly in the family, one had to be able to produce fit babies that would be well able to carry on the Ophron name proudly. If there was ever something wrong with the child, such as if they were born handicapped or mentally retarded as internal marriages can sometimes produce, they were either done away with quickly, or they are kept as some sort of servant in the mansion, with the rest of the family denying his relations to them. However, these incidents were rare and mostly forgotten about quickly.

Miriam took a deep breath. "This is exactly what I have come to inform you about, Luke. It's a boy child, and he was born yesterday. H-he..." Here she stuttered a bit, unsure of how to phrase the next part of the sentence.

"Yes?" the man opposite said sharply. There was something wrong about the way his usually cool and poised wife was acting, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "And?

"And..." Miriam's eyes dropped to the ground. "His hair isn't chestnut. It's a soft sandy colour - h-he has tawny hair."

She heard a sharp intake of breath, and then a moment of silence followed. The atmosphere was tense in that room, and after a while's consideration, she hesitantly lifted her head. His face was frozen at her news, and was breathing heavily. "What... what did you say?" he managed to grind out. She winced at his tone.

"He is born with tawny hair, and when he didn't open his eyes at first, we thought it was just a matter of time before his hair turned back to chestnut again, but no. He... he opened his eyes just minutes back, and... and..."

"...and?" His voice was soft now, filled with suppressed fury and disbelief. She gulped visibly.

"And his eyes are... golden."

---

"What did you say?!" Kalius Ophron roared. Miriam and Luke had decided right after their conversation to go and see Miriam's father to see what they should do, and to say that the head of the Ophron household had been outraged would be an understatement. A big understatement.

Both Miriam and Luke were now meekly looking down at the floor, unsure of what to say, what to do, and how to react. "Um..."

"I will not tolerate it!!" her father yelled. His eyes were blazing. "I can't believe this - a weird offspring while I'm in charge of the family!! I won't take it!"

"Then..." Miriam spoke up, timidly. "What should we do about hi- it?"

Kalius slammed back into his chair, his temple aching, veins pulsing, showing his rage. He managed to calm down somewhat before grinding out slowly, "I refuse to accept such a humiliation. We will keep it, but if it doesn't return to what it should be like by six years, then we're ridding ourselves of it. Forever."

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{...November 8th, 1964...}

Two year old Remus Ophron ran wildly, his bright golden eyes sparkling in the sunlight, as he chased after a young , black puppy in the huge Ophron gardens. The puppy barked, its tail wagging excitedly, as it gave a little leap and turned around, tongue lolling out, waiting for the little boy to catch up. Remus laughed, and reached out. The puppy jumped into his outstretched arms, and licked his face. Giggling, the boy cuddled his dear friend - his only friend ever, when -

"Well, well, well. So what do we have here?"

Remus froze, and immediately stood up, gaze dropping towards the ground and clutching the small animal. "Good afternoon, sir," he murmured in greeting, his voice quivering slightly. The puppy, sensing the sudden change in atmosphere and mood, whimpered softly and tried to lick his human's face. Remus' knuckles were white from gripping so hard, his body tense and nervous. He kept his gaze steadily on the ground, lips trembling from fear and anonymous.

"Keeping an animal and not telling your betters? We'll have to do something about it, won't we?" Kalius Ophron smirked, watching in cruel amusement as the small child's trembling increased.

It was two years since the birth of this odd child, whom they had decided to name as Remus. He, they had all insisted when asked just why on earth would they name a child with a name that had close connections with wolves, was a monster, a runt, a shame to not just the family, but to all their ancestors and the honourable name of Ophron. Even though only two of the deadline of six years had passed, basically the whole family had given up any hope that his eyes and hair will change back to its proper colour, but since all Ophrons were honorable people who kept to their words (or so they do it whenever circumstances allow them), they were all simply impatiently waiting for the day when it would be the child's sixth birthday, and they'd be able to see the end of that disaster. They all saw him as a disease, something that their own offspring shouldn't go near to, in case he might influence them for the worse or something. And so, all the adults told their children never to be his friends, to bully him if they wanted to - for his was a loser, a humiliation, and that he should be treated the way monsters should be treated. And so, that led to a lonely life for Remus the minute he was born, for even the servants were instructed to be communicate or touch him as little as possible.

Remus' eyes widened as he heard his grandfather's words. What was he going to do? Will he hurt his puppy? Desperately alarmed and frightened, he clutched the puppy even harder, causing it to yelp and try to squirm its way out of his grasp. Kalius' sneer grew wider as he took a menacing step towards the child. He bent down, eyes narrowed slightly, and stopped just next to the tiny, delicate ear, and murmur softly, "Kill it. With your own bare hands."

Panic settled in all parts of Remus' body. He took a step backwards, his breathing laboured and choking, he managed gasp out, "N-no!"

Rage built up in the head Ophron's eyes as he straightened up, smoothing his unwrinkled jacket stiffly. His eyes were almost bulging, but he managed to keep his cool, and hissed, "What did you say, boy?"

Gulping down a big breath, the child stuttered, "I-I can't k-kill him! H-he's m-my only f-friend!!"

Looking down at him, his eyes held no emotions as he formulated a new plan on how he could show to this monster just how unworthy he is, hurting him badly in the process, Kalius instructed, his face completely emotionless, "Very well. Stay here and wait."

Remus' petrified golden eyes followed his grandfather's silhouette as he crossed the garden and went into the mansion. The two year old could do nothing but stare, unable to breathe and unable to move. Millions of questions ran through his young, tortured mind - would he get beaten again, just like almost every day in his life? If so, with what? The normal fists and kicks routine he could stand, well, sort of anyway, but he hoped that the whip won't be used. The whip hurts a lot, and since they never bothered to give him medication of any kind after the punishments, nor put him under special care, it always left ugly scars on his back. His back was now littered with bitter scars, crisscrossing across his soft, pale skin, marring him. But worst of all... The boy's eyes threatened to leak as the thought came into his mind, would they kill his puppy? Bending his head, he pressed his lips to the still struggling animals' head, which calmed down immediately. It looked up at him, big, wide eyes innocent and not understanding what was going on and having no idea the danger that it was in, and attempted to jump on the ground so that they could play chase again. Remus saw this, and his heart saddened.

"No," he whispered. "Not yet. When we make sure that you're safe, we'll do that, yeah?"

But 'safe' never came. For at that moment, his grandfather came back, with two young children trailing behind him - Morpheus, his own older brother, at six years old; and Barnabus, his cousin, who was eight years older than he was, at ten. Remus stared. Barnabus was a mean child; he was also his grandfather's favourite. In Kalius' eyes, Barnabus was strong, brave, clever, cold, cruel, handsome, and will not stop at nothing when he wants to get something - the perfect Ophron. Remus, on the other hand, was soft, gentle, quiet, loving, sweet and peaceful, the traits that a 'true Ophron' should not have. The fact that his features were basically completely feminine didn't help either - his wide golden eyes, small nose and dainty mouth made him even prettier than a girl child, while Ophron boys and men are all supposed to be unbelievably masculine. A feminine male Ophron was unheard of. This had certainly lowered him considerably in the other Ophrons' eyes, and was the cause of some serious jeering and bullying.

Barnabus and Morpheus both eyed Remus with utter dislike and loathing. They were both taught since small that this child here was weird, bad, a monster, and someone that should be treated as lowly as possible at all costs. Barnabus gave a smirk as Kalius patted his shoulder, and said to Remus, "Well now. Since you are unable to kill that puppy of yours, I am now asking Barnabus and Morpheus here to do it for you. I'm sure they can handle it - while you, on the other hand, is entirely too cowardly to be fit as an Ophron gentleman. Now," he instructed, pinning Remus with an icy gaze, "give me that animal."

"No!" Remus cried as both of the other children took a step towards him, hands raised and ready to strike at Remus if need be. He turned and started to run, but he could he the other two chasing after him, their breathing becoming louder and louder. Tears started to flow from Remus' eyes as he ran the best he could for a two year old. He could feel them closing in on him, their fingers almost touching his clothes, ready to yank him back and take his friend from his arms, and then he'd be lonely again. Lonely. Again.

He stumbled upon a rock he didn't see on his path, and flew through the air to land nearby on the grass. His breath knocked out of him, he could only hold his breath in fright as the puppy jumped out of his arms and onto the grass, tail wagging excitedly, glad that it can move around by itself again.

"No!! Get off him!! Go away!!" he shrieked as the other two boys began to close round on the puppy. The puppy barked, its tail movement slowly beginning to cease as it noted the threatening posture and atmosphere radiating off the two boys. It whimpered, and backed up against a tree. Barnabus leaped, and soon he had the puppy in his arms, trapped, with Morpheus holding his muzzle, stopping him from barking.

The two boys walked jauntily back to the elderly Ophron, smirking at the boy lying crumpled on the grass. The puppy struggled in their strong hold, whites showing around its pupils as fear began to overcome him. Remus managed to get up, wincing, and crawled over to where his grandfather was standing, with Morpheus and Barnabus beside him.

His whole body still shaking from pain and fear, he tugged weakly at Kalius' trousers, his eyes still downcast. He had been told since he could speak that he was not to look at any other Ophrons in their eyes during conversations ¡V he is not worthy enough to do so. Looking at his grandfather in such a crucial moment would do nothing but put him in even more of a disadvantage. He had learnt that, many times, ending up being more hurt and scarred than if he hadn't done the offensive and looked at them.

"Sir¡K" he whimpered, wincing as pain assaulted again, "Sir¡K please¡K please don't kill my puppy¡K"

Smiling cruelly down at the two year old, Kalius turned to the other two boys and ordered, in a steel cold tone, "Kill it."

Remus' last thoughts were on the broken whine from the puppy and the thump of a now lifeless body on the grass beside him, and of his grandfather, brother and cousin walking away from him before his world faded into a sheet of blackness.

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{¡KMay 20th, 1968¡K}

Laera struggled to balance the tray she was holding as she walked briskly towards a bedroom at the very end of the East Wing of the mansion, a forgotten corner of the household. Her eyebrows went up as the milk almost spilled itself, then breathed a huge sigh of relief when it didn't. If it did, then she would either risk getting herself scolded - or Remus beaten up. And she would definitely not risk saving herself and then late in getting to Remus, thus making him late to meet his grandfather, which in turn would get him badly beaten up or whipped, just like he did almost every other day. She sighed. She didn't really understand why the Ophrons hated him so much - just because he's born unlike the 'typical Ophrons'? Hell, that's one kind of a sick joke.

She made a disgusted sound at her throat at the thought, and turned left down the corridor which held Remus' room. Not a room, she corrected herself, a prison. The place had no windows except a tiny hole at the side. It was small, less than one quarter of the rooms the other kids his age have. His room was thrust into this godforsaken forgotten place so that he'd have a hard time trying to interact with the other members of the household, which would 'deem him unsuccessful should he try to negatively influence the other children'. Bullshit, she thought angrily. Bloody bullshit.

Stopping when she reached a pair of small wooden doors, she knocked gently and opened a little gap, poking her head inside. "Remus?" she called, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Remus was still lying on his bed, eyes skyward as his thoughts wandered off to goodness knows where. He started when he heard her, and sat up immediately. His face was tense, fear evident in his eyes when he thought that he had been caught getting up late from bed, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Hi, Laera," he greeted, giving her a small smile, slipping off the bed and turning around to tidy the bed covers. Soft strands of tawny hair fell into his eyes, and he brushed it behind his ears. Laera found herself staring - this boy was just too sweet and gentle, how could these bastards of family members do what they do to him? He was the best boy she had ever served her entire life in the Ophrons' household. He was gentle, sweet, nice and polite, and he never ordered his servants around - instead, the servants were taught to order him around, for goodness sake, so that he would understand 'just how inferior he really is', as quoted from Kalius Ophron. Gah. She hated them, and she would give anything to see the boy happy.

"Here," she said, putting down the tray on the small table in the room. "Here's your breakfast. Eat it and get changed, your grandfather wants to see you in his office no later than eight forty," she instructed. "Wear your pale blue shirt and choose your own pants. That shirt is freshly ironed and should get past your grandfather's criticism."

Remus smiled sadly at her, golden orbs reflected a mind much more mature than what his own age should be. "Thank you, Laera," he said quietly as he walked over to her and gave her a hug. "You can go back now, I'll manage fine on my own. Should I take the tray and things back down to the kitchens?" he asked. "No, I'll come up and take them later. Just... be quick and don't be late in meeting your grandfather, okay?" she replied, leading him to the table and sitting him down onto the chair. He nodded, and quickly started on his sandwich. She gazed sadly down at him. He was much too mature for his own age, being deprived of a proper childhood - when he grew up, she felt sad just thinking about it - he would remember nothing but pain, rejection and sorrow, and no love. No childhood. No sunshine. No laughter, happiness, and family cozy times. He was denied of them all.

Slipping out of the room just as quietly as she had when she came in, she heaved a huge sigh as she walked down the corridor and back towards the kitchen, where the servant's quarters are. May the Lord be with you, she prayed silently, thinking of the jaded child in the chambers she had just left.

---

Remus stood nervously just outside the door of his grandfather's study, patting at his clothes. If his clothes ever had even the slightest wrinkle on them, he'd get punished. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm the desperate beating of his heart. Just cool it, Remus, he gently chided himself. You'll just mess it up even more if you're nervous, and that's hardly going to help any.

Giving his hair a final, desperate pat, he pushed himself forward mentally, and raised his fist. Just knock! he glared at his fist which was just a mere millimeter away from the polished oak wood. Raise yourself and knock! And with a strong dose of willpower, he knocked on the wooden door, holding his breath. "Come in," came a faint call from inside the room, and with one last desperate glance backwards over his shoulders, he pushed the door open and walked in.

His grandfather was standing just at the windows, his back facing him, hands linked behind his back. Remus stepped further into the room and closed the door quietly behind him, gulping nervously and standing still. His head bowed, his hands by his side, he greeted, "Grandfather."

There was silence for a while, before Kalius turned, a cool, expressionsless mask on his face. "Do you know what day it is tomorrow, boy?" he asked, his voice not betraying his emotions. Remus thought for a while, before answering cautiously, "...m-my birthday?"

"That's correct," his grandfather replied smoothly. "And which birthday is it?"

Remus' whole body froze. His... his sixth birthday. He had been told by Kalius a long time ago, on his third birthday, that if he doesn't change back to the way he should be by his sixth birthday, then h-he'd be... cast out of the family.

Abandoned.

Despised.

Alone.

"My sixth birthday, sir," he said, desperately fighting the urge to let the tremble seep into his voice.

"Very good, boy." Remus could hear the malicious smile creeping into the tone. "And I am sure that you have not forgotten the little deal that we have until your sixth birthday. And even if you believe miracles do exist, I don't - frankly, I don't think your hair and eyes and your whole person and character in general will change back to the way it should be. And therefore, today, I will tell you, just what exactly will happen to you from tomorrow onwards. And you are to listen to all these instructions carefully, for I will not repeat myself. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, sir," Remus managed to grind out, his mind still whirling with the thought that he'd be leaving this place, cast into a world where he would no more be loved or respected as he was in here.

"Now." Kalius walked back to his desk and sat down, a triumphant smirk on his face. "You will leave her tomorrow, and work in Mrs Graham's boarding school. You should be eternally grateful to us for supplying you with a place to eat and a place to live, for a monster like you should never deserve such luxuries. You will be given a new surname and if you ever even breathe out the slightest thought you've ever been one of this family, you'll wish that you've never been born. Is that understood?"

Closing his eyes in pain, Remus nodded slowly. Kalius' smile widened. "And of course, before you go, I have a treat for you, something that will make sure that you'll never forget us." Remus' head almost snapped up in surprise, but he kept his actions in check, uncertainty and alarm growing in his chest. "Come in," he heard his grandfather call.

The door opened once again, and two pairs of shoes stepped in. "Morning, grandfather," chorused two voices, sneer evident through the almost identical tones. Remus almost fainted - those voices belonged to Barnabus and another boy, Orcus, who was older than Barnabus by one year. A cold feeling gripped his heart, and he felt paralyzed. His posture went even more rigid when those two pair of shoes walked slowly and menacingly towards him after a small pause, and almost let out a shriek of surprise and terror when the two grabbed him. His head tilted up slightly, just enough to see his grandfather's shoes take him to the door of his study.

"Have fun boys," Kalius said with a huge smirk on his face. "But remember to send the servants to do the cleaning up afterwards. And make sure you do the job properly. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, grandpapa," jeered Orcus, his grip on Remus' hands tightening even more, drawing a small whimper from the six year old. "Good. I'll see you then." The doors opened, and Kalius Ophron was out of the door, the door closing behind him with a small click.

---

Remus' struggled to gain his breath back, heaving in deep breaths and shaking violently, trying to shield himself with his hands as his two cousins loomed nearer. They had picked him up bodily and threw him at the wall straight after Kalius Ophron had left the room, and he was here now, struggling to regulate his breathing and put up a defence of some sort.

Orcus and Barnabus laughed cruelly as they watched Remus trying in vain to defend himself. "Scared, are we?" Orcus mocked, jeering and aiming a kick at the small boy's ribs. Remus cried out, clutching his side, but was intercepted as a pair of hands grabbed his wrists and pinned them against the wall. The six year old winced as another foot connected with his ribs, but was unable to do anything to stop it. However, when he felt hands beginning to tear at his clothes, his eyes widened in horror, and he gasped, "W-what are you doing?"

Both of his older relatives smiled eerily down at him. "Why, we're going to have fun with you of course," Orcus whispered in his ear, and a tongue reached out, licking his earlobe, making it feel wet and slimey, disgusting and revolting. Remus' stomach did a big somersault as Barnabus pushed his head aside and began biting at his neck, licking and teasing, lust overcoming his eyes. Orcus, however, completely ignored the foreplay, and without warning, had all of Remus' clothes ripped off. The victim was, by now, sobbing and whimpering hysterically, his whole body trembling and quivering, trying hard to ignore the assault brought upon it.

Without warning, Orcus pulled down his trousers, and plunged into the smaller boy. Remus screamed as pain filled his abdomen, but Orcus took no heed and continued to plunge in again and again until he had reached the climax. He and Barnabus took turns at least twice each, and by the time they were finished, Remus was a heap of blood, bruises and cuts, his body slack, tears streaming down his face.

As both of the other boys cleaned themselves up and left the room, Remus could think nothing but of how glad he was that he could be finally out of this horrible place tomorrow.

...From the Wolfress...

Hey guys! How did you like that prologue? It's a bit rushed at the end, during the rape, but I'm guessing it's okay. Since I'm in such a hurry to start the actual chapter one, you won't mind, ne? Please leave a review, and I'll be posting up chapter one as soon as I've finished writing it!!

Arigato! Bye!

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