Disconnected
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canonical aspects or characters in the Harry Potter franchise.
Warnings: Female/male and male/male relationships (het and slash). Strong language. Sexual situations and content, both het and slash. Violence. Sexual assault.
A/N: Second chapter! The first subplot rewrite begins in this chapter, and I changed a hell of a lot of the general content as well, though the storyline remains the same. Please enjoy, and thank you all so much for the immense renewed interest! :)
Within the rapidly spinning world, George twisted on the spot, apparating with a sharp crack. And then both him, and the brightest witch of her age, were gone.
Chapter Two.
Remus Lupin walked along the silent halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, slumping slightly as he tried to get back to his common room as quickly as possible. It was two o'clock in the morning and he wasn't in a very good mood. Having spent most of the afternoon and evening shut up in the library with Lily, getting desperately needed help with his potions study, he didn't really appreciate being dragged out of a bed he'd only fallen into a couple of hours previous.
He scowled to himself as he headed up the stairs, praying that they wouldn't decide to move on him. This was all Sirius's fault. The only reason he should be up this late was if he was up studying for NEWTs, and as he'd already done more than his scheduled quota that day, in potions no less, he'd really needed the recharge sleep provided. Instead, here he was, having to go out and cover one of his best mates' arses, because in his haste to get some girl's knickers, he'd forgotten the most important rule of travelling the castle at night.
Never leave without the Map.
Shaking his head, he turned a sharp right and yanked on a tapestry cord, quickly making use of one of the school's many secret passages. He'd managed to agitate Peeves enough to created a diversion, risking getting caught by Filch in the process, just so that Sirius and his companion were able to sneak out the broom closet on the fifth floor they were stuck in, half dressed, without getting caught themselves. Never mind the fact that he was a prefect, so he should have been the one doing the catching. Had James not been such a deep sleeper, he wouldn't have been out at all!
He sighed. All that trouble, just for a bit of female. It didn't make sense to Remus. Couldn't he give it a rest for once? He blinked at that thought, laughing aloud before remembering that he was all but invisible, so laughing wasn't such a good idea. Granted, it probably wouldn't matter much, as random, invisible laughter wasn't really something out of the ordinary at Hogwarts, but he didn't want to take any chances.
And the day Sirius Black gives girls a rest, is the day the world comes to an end, he thought wryly, passing empty classroom after empty classroom. Besides, Mr Lupin, you certainly wouldn't say no if Andrew Garlow asked you out for a midnight stroll, now would you? It was your choice to go help! Stop being so grumpy!
Remus frowned. Why did his inner voice sound so much like their stalwart Head Girl?
Because she's the most sensible person I know. Well, she is until James comes into the picture.
He chuckled to himself, the fear of invisible laughter forgotten as years of outrageous displays from James and screaming rebukes from Lily played through his mind. James Potter and Lily Evans were certainly an enigma. Although, come to think of it, she did seem to be softening a bit, now that James had abruptly matured.
Losing your father would do that to you.
The thought had Remus's stomach twisting with something he'd never admit to being pity. It had been hard for James over the summer. Charlus Potter's death had been very sudden, and the shock and sorrow had still been lingering around him when he'd started the new year. Lily, his persistent, much loved crush, had been one of the first to notice, which Remus had found both surprising and wonderfully amusing, considering how much she claimed to hate the Head Boy. You could've heard Lily's shout from one of the train to the other when the redheaded girl had found out who her fellow Head was.
James hadn't reacted to that less than happy backlash, which had been the first of many out of character incidents that had only increased as the year had progressed. Remus knew that it was utterly baffling James's obsession, as was the considerable reduction in James asking her out.
In the past, James had asked Lily to be his girlfriend at least once a day. Now, it was barely once a week, if that. That unexpected turn of events had had a surprisingly effect on the redhead, so that she was now the one who seemed to be everywhere James went instead of the other way around.
Remus smiled, more than a little cheered. Maybe there was hope for them yet.
He was just about to turn the final corner and approach the entrance to Gryffindor's common room, when a loud crack suddenly rent the silence, followed by a tinkling sound, like breaking glass. He froze mid-step. That'd sounded a lot like apparition, which wasn't at all possible. You couldn't apparate anywhere on Hogwarts grounds. Everyone knew that.
So why did it sound like someone had just broken one of Hogwarts' only unbreakable rules?
Spinning around, he ran back in the direction the sound had come from, curiosity piqued. The closer he got, the more his confusion grew. He could hear someone talking, a teenage girl by the sounds of it, and with knowing a wide variety of students from all four houses, it puzzled him that wasn't a voice he recognized.
"Oh no. Oh, no, no, no! Bloody hell, George, look what you've done! Look! I don't even know where we are! How are we going to get home?"
"We're at Hogwarts! Come on!" a second voice answered, sounding tired, desperate, and distinctly male.
"Well, of course we're at Hogwarts!" the female voice replied, now sounding exasperated. "And stop it, we're not going anywhere! We're here, but the question is, wh-"
Remus interrupted the conversation by rounding the corner, a move that startled the two voices and made him come to a dead stop. Directly in front of him was a wand, the tip pointing right at his nose. He gaped silently at it, feeling his eyes beginning to cross, before looking up to see who was threatening him.
His mouth fell open further as he stared into the bluest eyes he had ever seen.
They were mesmerizing. Direct and intense, and so incredibly full of life that they took Remus's breath away. His brain shut down and he stared, gobsmacked, only managing to pull himself out of the deep blue pools when the owner allowed it by flicking his eyes over him and frowning. The wand didn't move.
"Who are you and where's the battle?" he demanded. Remus frowned as well, and since he was now able to breathe again, quickly returned the look. What he saw shocked him.
The person holding the wand was clearly far from healthy. He was practically skin and bone, his frame jutting at unnatural angles, his pallor yellowish in tint. Freckles dotted his skin, a strange combination of typical dark brown and red, and an atypical washed out, pale peachy colour that only made his emasculated appearance look worse. His visage defined the term 'sickly', and Remus looked away, confused as to why that fact made him so uncomfortable. He personally knew what sickly meant, after all. Needing a distraction, he looked up, and found himself gaping once more.
The only other thing that seemed alive about the man apart from his eyes was the hair falling all over his forehead. It was the colour of fire, thick and healthy, an almost outrageous contrast to the person who owned it. Remus stared at it in astonishment, randomly wondering if it as heated and silky as it looked. The thought caught him so off guard that it snapped him back to reality.
For Merlin's sake, Remus, pull yourself together, he scolded himself, eyes shifting back to focus on the wand still pointed at him. Your life could be in danger here, stop acting like an idiot!
"Answer me!" the man yelled angrily, those fascinating eyes narrowing to slits. "Who the bloody hell are you and where is the battle?"
"What battle? There hasn't been a battle here in centuries! And I should be asking who you are, not the other way around! How can you even see me?" Remus demanded, his own temper stirring. The man frowned at him again, his eyes snapping up to search the hallway urgently before focusing back on Remus, just as the Gryffindor was reaching for his wand.
"Don't move!" he bellowed. "You're not going to trick me! I know it's here, just as he is! Where is it? Tell me!"
The last part of the sentence came out in an almost broken sob, and at that point, the girl re-entered the conversation. She reached out and latched on to the man's wand arm, tugging at it in desperation.
"George, stop! Please, you have to calm down! If you actually looked around, you'd notice that this isn't what you wanted it to be! The battle isn't here, I don't think it will be for a very long time, and he isn't here either!"
Some of her words seemed to filter into the man's mind. He froze, his wand point still on Remus, his eyes darting over to meet hers. Remus took the opportunity to palm own wand, gripping it firmly but keeping it pressed against his thigh. Something obviously wasn't right with the situation, but he wasn't going to do anything drastic unless the threat level went up, or he figured out what was going on.
Tuning back into the conversation, he watched the girl tug at the man's arm as she tried to talk him down, her words rapid but gentle.
"Something went wrong, we went too far. I think no matter how hard you look, you're not going to find the battle or its results. And you're not going to find Fred either."
"He's… not here?" the man, George, whispered. Remus's brow furrowed as he spoke those words. He sounded heartbroken. Lost, empty, and so very young. It sounded wrong somehow.
"No, George. I'm so sorry, but no. He's not."
The sound that tore from the man's throat at her answer sent chills down Remus's spine. It was like the howl of a wounded animal, long and drawn out, and it contained so much grief it that it made Remus's throat tighten. His heart began to ache in sympathy as the man ended on a whimper, and the wand held against him fell.
Not ten seconds before its owner did.
The broken man's leg gave out, and the girl let out a small cry of fright as her arms sprang up to circle him, both of them falling to the floor in a tangled mess of limbs. Remus watched them fall with wide eyes, shocked at the level of disappointment he felt when all that fire literally drained from the man's eyes, leaving them cold and hollow. Blank.
Lifeless.
He was still trying to get his head around that abrupt and distressing change when the girl sighed and suddenly lifted her head, looking directly at him. Remus jolted and frowned again, shaking off his unease. How were they able to see him? And more importantly, why was he still standing there? He should be getting Professor Dumbledore, or McGonagall at the very least! The man, a stranger, had held a wand on him!
"I know that this is probably the last thing you want to do after having a wand in your face, but I'd really appreciate it if you would give me a hand to get him to the Hospital Wing," the girl said quietly. A muscle in Remus's jaw jumped as he stared down at her.
"How in Merlin's name can you see me?" he demanded. The girl smiled wistfully.
"You'd be surprised at the things I can do," she said. "But, please, I really do need to get him there and I don't know the way. He's really very sick. Please, Remus, you have to help me."
Looking the man over, pity swelled, and Remus sighed and crouched down, calling himself all kinds of fool as his soft heart got the better of him. It was clear that the man was very unwell, and maybe not just physically. He couldn't just leave him lying there. It wouldn't be right.
A fool he may be, yes. But he wasn't stupid.
"I never told you my name," he stated quietly, eyeing the two strangers. The girl's eyes widened and she swallowed hard before throwing him a nervous smile.
"I know you didn't, but it's right there. On your badge," she said, nodding at his chest. Remus frowned and looked down, stomach lurching sharply. She was right. It was right there.
Remus Lupin. Prefect.
His frown deepened as confusion ran through him. Since when had his prefect badge had his name on it? Since when had any prefect badge had anyone's names on them?
Something was most definitely up.
He raised his head again and looked into the girl's eyes. "Who are you?" he whispered. The girl sighed.
"My name is Hermione and this is George, my, ah, brother," she said, indicating the deathly silent man she was still holding. A sandy-blond brow rose. Her brother? They looked nothing alike.
Ignoring his disbelieving expression, the girl continued.
"We aren't bad people, far from it, believe me, and what George did to you, he only did because he's grieving and sick. He would've never maliciously set out to hurt you; he isn't that kind of person. He believes in retribution, but only when it's deserved, and I'm sure he'll apologize when he's able to, but right now we really need the Hospital Wing. If you would be so kind to escort us, I'd be in your debt."
Remus pressed his lips together and searched her eyes. They seemed sincere enough, but that could just mean she was a good actor; able to pull off the current earnest, world-weary and scared expression without batting an eyelid. Then again, why would someone with a malevolent intentions put so much thought into their backstory? Once they were in, wouldn't they use the opportunity to attack right there and then? And why would they want to go to the Hospital Wing of all places?
They really don't look like the eyes of a Death Eater, he thought, gut twisting in indecision.
"Please? If not for me, then for George?"
The werewolf's breath left him in a rush, and he clenched his jaw, annoyed that the indecision could be smoothed out so easily. He slowly stood back up and raised his wand, making the girl flinch and let out a small sound of protest. Relief collapsed her shoulders when instead of attacking her, he silently removed his Disillusionment and then conjured a stretcher.
"Thank you," she whispered in a shaky voice. "I don't know… just thank you."
It didn't take as much convincing to get the man on the stretcher as Remus thought it would''ve. He didn't make a sound as the girl helped him to his feet. His eyes were scarily vacant, and Remus looked away, swallowing hard, that solid knot of baffling dismay and unease once again sitting heavily in his stomach. The man lay down on the stretcher at the girl's soft encouragement, and while the girl took the back, wand in hand, Remus headed to the front. He picked the stretcher up, thanking his foresight for casting a charm that made their load as light as air, and began walking down the hallway, the girl following behind.
The only obstacle they came across on the way wasn't really an obstacle at all, which Remus found incredibly lucky. It wouldn't do to run into any other prefects during their confrontation turned rescue mission. The crunch sounded tinny and fragile, making him stop and frown down at his feet, to see glass and tiny bits of golden metal spread across the floor. Remus angled his head in consideration, trying to figure out what it was he'd stepped in, before shrugging and flicking his wand over the mess, vanishing it in an instant. The girl behind him made a funny little sound as he did, but when he looked back over his shoulder, her gaze was on the man on the stretcher. The only thing he could read in her eyes was concern.
For some reason, during the long but short trip to the Infirmary, Remus found himself copying her. His head turned on its own accorded and he continuously glanced over his shoulder at their patient, little pinpricks of relief buzzing to life in his chest with every glance. Because even though he gave the appearance of the opposite, the rising and falling of his torso proved that, yes, the man was still alive.
Although, with the deep-seated vacancy in his eyes, he might just be wishing he wasn't.
A/N: Don't forget to look me up on Twitter (my pen name is my user name), and more importantly, don't forget to let me know what you think! ;D