Chapter 4
"The Cowardly Werewolf"
Severus thought the cottage fit Remus Lupin nicely. It was worn, but very homey. It made him think longingly of his own little house. He wondered if he would ever see it again.
"You see, I lock this here, and then this bar drops down from here. I really have no idea how I manage to get out. The lock is never undone, but the bars aren't broken, either."
Severus made a noise that indicated he was thinking and began to slowly walk around the perimeter of the cage. Ron was leaning against the side of the cottage, observing them quietly, casually munching on an apple.
"You could simply be slipping through the bars. I didn't get a good look at your transformed state, but you might be skinnier than you realize. Have you tried sedation?" Severus asked, toying idly with the intricate lock. Remus looked crestfallen.
"I've thought of that, but living out in the woods like this, I have no way of getting access to the potions necessary."
"Severus is a potions master. He could brew it for you," Ron quipped helpfully. "And we don't live too far from here, only a few days riding on a good horse. He could probably bring it to you."
Immediately, a jaded hope lit up the werewolf's eyes and Severus felt his heart twist.
"And of course, Ronald, seeing as I don't own a good horse, you are volunteering yourself to deliver it?" Severus shot back quickly. Ron swallowed thickly and then glanced away.
"I would do it. He is close to our village. If he killed someone..." Ron trailed off unpleasantly. Remus had a small smile on his face despite Ron's grim reasoning. Severus guessed it was probably the first one he'd had in a long time.
"Still, we don't know if it would work," Severus added, not wanting the werewolf to get his hopes up too high.
"And we might be gone for a long time," Ron said.
His curiosity sparked, Remus invited them inside and went about fixing tea.
"Why will you be gone? And what brought you out in these woods in the first place on a full moon? Everyone knows of the danger."
"We're on a rescue mission," Ron explained, stuffing his mouth with the buttery scones Remus had put on the rickety wooden table.
"Who are you rescuing?" Remus asked.
"The Prince of Gryffindor. He was kidnapped by Death Eaters," Severus said bluntly.
"That's terrible. You must both be very great warriors to be entrusted with such an important quest. Merciful, too. Not many would have spared my life. Sometimes, all I wish is that I could end my wretched existence, but I never have the courage to actually do it." The sadness in the man's voice, the utter defeat, was enough to earn pity from even the hardest heart. Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure of how to handle such an emotionally tense moment. Severus merely took a sip of his tea.
"If you find you can not kill yourself, perhaps it is because you still have a purpose in the realm of the living."
Remus arched his eyebrows in surprise, a small smile quirking his lips.
"I did not take you for the sort of man that would believe in fate."
"That's because I'm not. I merely told you what my mother would have said, had she been here instead of myself." Quietly, and without further comment, Severus got up from the table and left the cottage, presumably to be alone.
"Severus is an interesting man. I sense he has demons not unlike my own," Remus commented. Ron looked at Severus's empty chair and shrugged.
"He's not liked in the town by anyone. Everyone says he's heartless. He lives by himself at the edge of the village and doesn't have any friends. I am a servant of the King, the Captain of the Knights. I'm usually too busy with my training and my men to keep up with the goings on of the village, but I know that the other men in the village still bully him as they did when he was a child."
"And what of his mother? He seems to care about her very much."
"Dead. He's practically a hermit. Everyone was surprised when he pulled the sword out of the stone."
"Ah, is that why he was chosen to rescue the prince?" Remus asked. Ron ate another scone and then launched into the entire story. Remus listened attentively, practically starved for some human interaction after the many years he'd spent alone in the woods.
-
They decided to stay the night at the cottage, because Sal was still resting his leg, and neither of them were looking forward to another long ride through the forest in the dead of night. The day had been a restful one. Ron and Remus had discovered they both had a love for the game of chess. Ron, who claimed to have never been beaten, lost spectacularly to Remus three times in a row. He finally won a game, and from then on they'd played ten more games at least. Severus had made himself scarce after offering his words of comfort. He'd taken a bag and gone into the forest looking for potion ingredients. When he returned to the cottage that night, Remus had a hot dinner waiting for him and a warm pallet made by the fire. Ron was already deep asleep.
Wordlessly, Remus offered Severus a cup of tea and moved outside to sit on the small porch. For a long time they both merely watched the stars twinkling overhead, and the only sounds came from the forest around them.
"I talk to the stars. They keep me company. I know it's foolish, but I like to think that they are spirits, lost souls that couldn't quite leave the Earth behind."
"Yes, that is foolish," Severus replied, without any real malice. Remus flashed him a soft, weary smile.
"I believe your companion has a plot against you."
"I know," Severus replied, his attention lost to the starry sky.
"I don't think it is his own plan, but I have no doubt that he will carry it through, no matter what his personal feelings may be. A man that is so loyal to another that he becomes a living weapon is dangerous because he can think, but not for himself."
Severus was quiet.
"Ron told me about your journey, and how you were chosen. It all makes sense, in a strange sort of way, except for one thing."
"What confuses you?" Severus asked uncaringly, as if he'd had the conversation a million times before.
"Why are you doing it? If you do not desire to marry the prince, and you have no wish to be popular amongst the other villagers, why put yourself through this?"
The silence stretched for miles, it seemed, until finally Severus gently set his tea cup down.
"I have been a coward all my life. You think you know cowardice, but you don't, not really. You live out in these woods and deny yourself any human contact, when I can tell that is what you thrive on. Your greatest fear isn't of death, or of hurting someone. You are afraid your condition will make you live your entire life alone. You believe you will die alone, with no one to even notice or remember you, and that terrifies you. But here you are," Severus made a small gesture with his long hands to indicate the miles of forest surrounding them. "You face your greatest fear every day that you wake. And the fact that you have not returned to civilization speaks to me of great bravery and self-sacrifice."
Remus was stunned. All he could do was swallow thickly and wish desperately that he could erase some of the pain from his new friend, who seemed to understand his pain so well.
"Myself, on the other hand...I have been a true coward all my life. I do not wish to die as one. That, werewolf, is why I'm here."
There was a heavy silence that Remus was afraid to break. Eventually, he thought of something to say.
"Are you quite sure you're not just in it for a good piece of arse? Ron also let is slip that the prince is quite attractive..."
"I'm going to pretend that I did not just hear you say 'good piece of arse' so that I may continue to have a meager amount of respect for your person."
"Alright, you do that...cradle robber." The playful smile Remus flashed him, surprisingly, coaxed a small smirk of amusement in response.
The two men retired to bed shortly after, both of their souls a bit lighter.
-
The next morning found the men in good spirits and well rested. Remus looked better than he had in years, and Severus, while still grumpy, wasn't as grumpy as usual. In fact, he even greeted Ron at the breakfast table and complimented Remus on his cooking.
Unfortunately, though, the time came for Ron and Severus to leave. While Ron saddled up the animals, Remus pulled Severus into his cottage and pushed a small bundle into his hands.
"What...?" Severus asked confused.
"Just open it. It's a gift."
Severus carefully pulled back the cloth wrapping and arched an eyebrow when he saw what was inside.
"Claws?" He asked, genuinely confused. Remus smiled and pulled out Severus's arm, sliding one of the leather gloves on. The gloves were sturdy, and they strapped around his arm to offer protection and strength. Imbedded in the leather just over his knuckles were long, gleaming white claws.
"Not claws – teeth. Werewolf teeth, to be specific. Legend has it that werewolf claws and teeth are the only things that can pierce a dragon's hide or cause wounds that won't heal on a vampire. I'm sure on your journey that you'll come across both, so these might be helpful."
Severus was surprised for a moment, because no one had ever given him a gift before, but he quickly found his tongue again.
"Thank you." The two stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure what else to say. "Err...you know, since you've already transformed this month, if you'd like to..."
"I'd love to!"
Severus snorted in amusement and rolled his eyes. "Well, hurry up then. You'll have to pack a bag that will hold you over for a few days. It should take us at least that long to make it out of the forest."
Because Remus was still relatively weak after his transformation, Severus offered the man his donkey.
"The walk will be good for me. I'll need to be in better shape if I'm going to fight this foolish dragon," he offered as an explanation to hide his thoughtfulness. Ron just shrugged apathetically, as he did often, and ambled off at a slow pace so that Remus and Severus were not left behind. He seemed unworried and unhurried. If Ron thought for a second, though, that they'd faced the most dangerous thing in the forest already, he was in for a big surprise.
A/N: I'm so glad more people are taking an interest to this story. The last time I tried posting an adventure type story, I had about three faithful readers and that was it. I'll admit I'm not the best at the genre, but I really love writing this story so I hope that it shows. This chapter hopefully adds some dimension to Severus and Remus. I realize Ron is still a bit boring, but he'll become a bit more lively as the story progresses. I love the idea of Severus being able to tell what people are most afraid of almost instinctually. I think that is what might have made him a good Death Eater. He understands people's pain, but not their happiness. I'm rambling, so I'll hush up now, but the next chapter will probably be out soon. Some more familiar characters make their appearances in the next chapter. They'll be three of them, and they all have something in common. Any guesses who it will be?