Thanks to: Lucifersdaughter, percyjackson42, KekuleSalvador, Colin Creevey and green aura for reviewing!
Author's Note: I just really want to say thank you, I was surprised how well this was received. Also let me know if there's any characters or scenes (and by scenes I mean things that have happened that you didn't see not random things you'd like to happen) in particular you're interested in, no promises but there's plenty I can do for this and I'd be willing to take on board who/what people are curious about
Questions:
Is there a cure?
Yes
Is this important to the Gray series, like should I be expecting Alchemy to save John or is it just a side thing or was the salesman actually lying?
The salesman was telling the truth
May 29th 2018, (I: Chapter 15)
Lorcan Scamander was having a great day, it almost summer and the clouds had been sent on their way leaving just a shimmering golden orb hanging in the sea of blue sky. They were at Hugo's house for a play date, a welcome change from their usual home as Hugo was lucky enough to live in a muggle suburb with a muggle park within walking distance where they could play. It was also his and Lysander's birthday in two weeks, he couldn't wait. There'd be a party with all his friends who weren't in Hogwarts yet, they'd get lots of presents and there'd be cake. He'd heard rumors of a chocolate Hungarian Horntail birthday cake that would have flames coming out of its nostrils – one for each of them obviously – to blow out in place of candles, he couldn't help but grin at the thought because he couldn't wait.
"Hey Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Look at me!" Lysander yelled out excitedly and Lorcan tore himself away from his thoughts to turn his head, seeing his mirror image hanging upside down on the monkey bars, "Look Lorc, I'm upside down! I'm like a vampire!"
"Very good, Lys! Just be careful not to fall!" Lorcan called down from where he sat at the top of the slide.
"Actually, vampires don't sleep hanging upside down," Hugo pointed out, the bushy red head pausing in spinning around on the roundabout to state his fact, "Plus sunshine isn't exactly ideal vampire weather."
"Oh Hugo, keep an open mind," Lysander criticized in a cheerful tone as he climbed down from the monkey bars, "If a vampire wants to play in the sunlight then they should be able to, why not?"
"Same reason a werewolf can't stay human during the full moon."
"Why can't a werewolf stay human during the full moon? All they need to do is eat pixie dust."
"Why do I let you read?" Lorcan laughed in amusement at his brother's odd beliefs.
"Why do I let you climb up there?" Lysander countered playfully, "It's a slide, Lorc, you're supposed to… you know, slide not sit at the top watching us."
"Sorry, I get distracted by the view," Lorcan admitted with a blush and slid down immediately, "We live in the middle of nowhere, we don't usually get to see a muggle town."
"I like living in the middle of nowhere, there's the enchanted forest and the fields of the fairies," Lysander stated grandly, holding out his hands to gesture expansive land, "It's magical."
"Everything's magical to you, Lys," Hugo laughed as he abandoned the roundabout to come over to them.
"And that's why we love him," Lorcan offered and put his arm around his brother warmly with a grin that Lysander returned, "So next let's play dragons!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Lysander agreed, jumping up and down eagerly before stopping to look innocent while Hugo looked worried, "Except can I be a werewolf instead of a dragon?"
"Err… Sure, why not?"
"Ooh, can it be the full moon?" Lysander wondered excitedly, bouncing up and down again.
"Sure."
"Can I have taken pixie dust during the full moon so I don't transform?"
"Erm… Then you're basically just being a human," Lorcan pointed out in confusion and resisted the urge to point out that pixie dust really wouldn't help.
"No, I'll be a werewolf who just took pixie dust during the full moon," Lysander insisted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "There's a difference."
"Alright fine. I'll be a Hungarian Horntail in honor of the one I may or may not have heard Mum and Dad discussing," Lorcan announced with a wink as he gestured to himself, "What about you, Hugo?"
"I don't know," Hugo said and scratched the back of his head, glancing at the watch on his wrist, "We're supposed to be back before dinner, I think we should probably be heading back. I don't want us to get in trouble."
"Come on, if they wanted us back then they'd come looking for us," Lorcan brushed it off with a roll of his eyes, "Live a little."
"I feel like we should go back," Hugo insisted worriedly, "How about I go back and ask how much longer we can stay?"
"Fine. Why do you have to be so responsible?"
"Part of being ten," Hugo joked as he started to head off, "Just wait! In two more weeks you'll be the same!"
"Never!" both Scamander's cried in unison and Hugo fled laughing before Lysander turned back to him grinning.
"Okay so let's start without Hugo and as some background on my character, his name is Clancethrope Wiggenweld, he-"
"ROAR!" Lorcan yelled at his brother, holding his arms up and out wide which had his twin jump back in confusion, "I'm a dragon! I don't care what your name is! I just want to eat you!"
"Wait, how are you speaking English if you're a dragon?"
"Lysander, they're my thoughts obviously," Lorcan pointed out the rather obvious thing and Lysander inclined his head in understanding before Lorcan lunged for him again, Lysander shrieked and jumped out of the way, "You shouldn't have eaten pixie dust, you foolish werewolf!"
"Wait, how would a dragon know Clancethrope Wiggenweld is a werewolf who took pixie dust?" Lysander questioned in confusion as he came to another halt.
"You talk too loudly," Lorcan invented before lunging for a third time, "ROAR!"
This time Lysander fled laughing as Lorcan chased him through the park as a dragon, over the various play things until they finally ended up at the top of the slide. It was too narrow and the great dragon ended up being tricked into falling backwards down the mountain – which was surprisingly fun – and to his death.
"Oh no, dear dragon, I never meant for you to die as well! I'll try save you!" Lysander called down before sliding after him, Lorcan didn't move because he was dead but sorely regretted it as his brother landed painfully on top of him. He groaned, "Oh dear dragon – whose only crime was trying to murder me – I'm so happy you- Ooh, Lorc, look at that."
"Look at what?" Lorcan grumbled before noticing it, hovering right over his head was a strange glowing light, "What the hell is that?"
"I don't know but it's beautiful," Lysander gasped and clambered off him, gazing at it with awe as it circled around them, "Can we keep it, Lorc? Can we? I shall call him Shiny."
"Lys, I don't even know if that's a living thing," Lorcan pointed in confusion as he also got up to look at it, "It might be some kind of firefly… or just a spell."
"Quick! No!" Lysander cried desperately as the thing started to fly away, he bolted after it with arms flailing to try to grab it, "Come back, Shiny! Come back! My brother didn't mean to call you a spell, please don't be upset! Shiny, come back!"
"I really think we should stay in the park!" Lorcan protested as he chased after his brother, "Hugo should be back for us any second! Lys! Lys! Lysander Xenophilius Scamander, stop chasing Shiny this instant!"
"Shiny! Shiny! I love you! Come back and be my friend! Shiny!"
"If you really love Shiny then let him go where he wants!" Lorcan screamed and almost ran into his twin as he came to an abrupt halt, turning back to him.
"Do you really think that's the case?" Lysander wondered worriedly.
"Yes I do," Lorcan insisted firmly, putting a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder while Lysander looked away sadly before seeming to notice something.
"Well what if Shiny stops right here?" Lysander pointed out and gestured to beside them, Lorcan realized they were standing beside a muggle car or van, he forgot. The back doors were wide open though, revealing an empty compartment where Shiny was hovering as far away from them as possible. Lysander made a move to go in, "I think he wants to be found and be my friend."
"No!" Lorcan snapped and yanked Lysander back, "Lys, come on. You have to see this is really weird and suspicious, right?"
"No," Lysander stated innocently, Lorcan sighed in frustration. He'd have to be diplomatic.
"Well how about this, we go back to the park and if Shiny follows then you know he really wants to be with you. Okay?"
"Okay," Lysander agreed with a reluctant sigh, "Come on Shiny, come on boy, and come with Lysy."
"We're going now."
Lorcan took his brother by the arm to lead him away, hoping he'd be able to find his way back to the park. When he turned though, he was shocked to see a steely eyed man standing there dressed in black wizard's robes. He hadn't heard him and it wasn't like people could just appear out of thin air, well they could but just not silently. At least, he didn't think so. At any rate, he didn't look friendly and had a wand in hand.
"The only place you're going is into the van," the man growled, Lorcan felt his heart freezing in terror.
Lorcan noticed his wand arm twitching just in time to suspect he was going to use, he threw himself at Lysander to knock them out of the way from the burst of light that burst from the man's wand. Lysander started crying but Lorcan ignored it as he yanked him up, dragging them both up and behind one of the open van doors to use for cover from whatever second spell the man had fired which he heard slamming into it.
He felt his heart pounding in his chest, wildly trying to leap out and abandon its host just to save itself. He could feel his brother shaking from fright since he still held his arm as Lysander continued to cry. He wanted to cry as well, or scream into the silent street and run as fast as his trembling legs would carry him but some small, rational part of his mind drowned that out. He couldn't freak out, he had to focus.
"You think hiding behind a door will save you?" the man wondered incredulously.
"We-We're g-going t-to d-die ar-aren't we?" Lysander whispered to him in tears, Lorcan had a twin to protect.
He swallowed and turned back to the door, putting himself protectively in front of his twin. The hanging open door was all that was standing between them and the man but maybe he could use that, he could hear the man walking closer. As soon as he was close enough, Lorcan shoved the door closed as hard as he could, it smacked and the man cried out painfully as the metal door slammed into him.
"Run, Lys, run!" Lorcan yelled at his twin and pushed Lysander to get him running, pelting after him while their attack gave an annoyed grunt.
Shadows seemed to stretch out from under another car and suddenly the attacker was standing in front of them again, blood dripping down his nose and his face red where he'd been hit by a door. Lorcan instinctively shoved Lysander to the right and ducked himself to avoid the streak of a spell that flew over his head, both were missed but Lysander had kept running.
The attacker reached out to grab the passing boy, Lorcan grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the man. It missed his arm but struck his face, distracting him from Lysander who ran on by. Only to then pause, throwing a look over his shoulder as he seemed to realize that Lorcan had stopped running when he ducked.
"Keep running and don't stop! He can't chase both of us!" Lorcan urged his brother.
Lysander nodded, his amber eyes still streaming and his face fearful as he ran. Lorcan turned on his heel and ran the opposite way, not wanting to leave his brother but also thinking he was right that it was a good idea. With only one guy they couldn't chase them both and maybe Lysander could get help while Lorcan… Lorcan would think of something else. He had to dammit, he was too young to die, he and Lysander still had so much to leave for.
Lorcan weaved between cars to make him a harder target to hit, hoping Lysander could think to do the same. He didn't know if he was being followed, he daren't look back to check. Without warning, a man stepped in front of him out of a space in between two cars. Too close and too fast to avoid, Lorcan accidently ran into him. He opened his mouth to beg for help against his attacker but the man shoved him back and slammed his fist into Lorcan's face, he was shoved back against the car while his eye stung badly. He tried to look back to the new man, realizing two late he'd been wrong about a solo attacker as a spell from the second man struck him. And then the world went black…
"Hey Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Lorc! Wake up!" Lysander's voice yelled out desperately.
Lorcan's eyes snapped open to see the frightened face of his twin, he cringed immediately as his eye continued to throb. Apparently, the attack had not been a dream. He found he was lying on his side, he'd guess on the floor from the cold flagged stone on his face. For some reason, his wrist was also stinging painfully but he didn't remember injuring it.
He sat up slowly and Lysander threw his arms around him tightly, Lorcan hugged his twin and looked around to see they were in some kind of small dungeon. The walls were brick and there were no windows anyway, just a door that was opening… Lorcan pulled himself out of the hug and instead pushed Lysander behind him, holding out his arms protectively to keep his twin behind him. The man entering was the same one who'd tried to take them initially, except it seemed his face had been healed from the door.
"Oh you're both awake already," the man commented, "Saves on a Revival Spell."
"Wh-What do you want with us?" Lorcan questioned, hating the quiver of fear in his voice he tried so hard to hide.
He still needed to be strong for Lysander, maybe… maybe he could still think of a way out of this or… or Hugo, maybe he'd come back and seen what happened so he could go and get help. Yeah, there was probably a team of Aurors about to take this guy down… Right? Right?! There had to be, this couldn't be really happening.
"Our family isn't rich," Lysander added shakily, gulping fearfully.
"I don't want money, we're just going to do a little experiment with you," the man told them with a smirk and inclined his head specifically to Lorcan, "Since you've shown yourself more talented, you get to stay with us first while your weakling of a brother can go hang out with the muggle scum."
"It's not nice to call muggles scum. Or people in general scum," Lysander pointed out as the man started to approach them, much to Lorcan's horror. Lysander gave a high-pitched shriek as he burst into tears, "Please don't take me away from my brother! We're twins, we should be left together! Please!"
"I'm not letting you take my brother," Lorcan added more threateningly then he felt, regardless the inner calm part of his mind was drowning his other thoughts again. Except this time it was really determined.
"What are you going to do?" the man scoffed, pushing him aside to grab Lysander.
"NO!"
Lorcan threw himself at the man, tugging desperately at the fairly muscled arm to try pull him off Lysander. He was failing miserably though against the strength of an adult, seeing he was about to be brushed off… Lorcan did something he never actually thought he'd do, he bit down on the man's exposed arm as hard as he could. The man cried out in pain and pushed Lysander away to punch Lorcan off him, Lorcan's head spun as he fell back but he also noticed the open door.
"You bloody brat, you bit me!" the man yelled angrily.
"Lys, the door!" Lorcan cried desperately, gesturing at it as he tried to get up but the man proved to be the faster than them as he whipped out his wand.
"Crucio!"
Lorcan felt pain more intense then he'd ever felt before in his life course through his veins, more intense then he'd ever believed it was possible to feel. He felt as if every part of him was suddenly being drilled into with something on fire, every fiber of his being was in agony. He screamed and screamed, crying for mercy along with a second voice and howling in agony as he writhed on the ground, contorting to try escape the pain it was under.
And then it was over.
Lorcan lay there crying, choking on his tears as the waves of diminishing residual pain rolled through him. He was no longer convulsing but his body still trembled from the pain, he curled himself into the fetal position. Why was this happening to him? He was just a kid, he shouldn't be dealing with this. Nor should… His eyes snapped back open in panic as he recalled Lysander, forgotten in his pain. His brother was still standing there though, watching him shakily with a tear-stained face of his own. The man hauled Lorcan to his feet with a cruel smirk emerging from the angry expression, he didn't let go of him.
"You'll pay for that, you can get the muggle first instead then," the man growled as he frog marched Lorcan to the door.
Lorcan managed a look back and his amber eyes caught their twin as Lysander stood watching him go. Somehow he knew both of them were wondering if they'd ever see each other again, let alone be able to go home again and what even was planned for them. Lorcan flinched from the bang as the man slammed the door behind him, separating him from his twin forever.
