A/N: Hello again! Thanks for the reviews (my three favorite people right now Made-in-Denmark, sinner vs saint, and TechNomaNcer28) I love hearing from you guys each chapter! Also thank you to the anonymous reviewer, Sara, for your amazing comments! You are actually not far from the truth on many of the guesses you made. You'll have to stick around and see how it all plays out. Just know that this is a novel length fic and not everything is going to happen all at once. I was doing the math the other day and I think there will be 9 Parts total to this fic. I have Part IV written already. Part V is mapped out. And chapters from other Parts are already written as one-shots because I couldn't wait to write them and just wrote them anyways. Alright enough rambling, PM me if you have any questions/comments. Enjoy the chapter, guys!
Easier to Lie
Part II
Chapter 2
"The face of the enemy frightens me only when I see how much it resembles me"
~Anonymous
Monday mornings were always the worse. But what made this Monday so particularly gruesome was that Damocles had to present a massive project on Werewolves to half-asleep DADA students, with a partner who wasn't talking to him. Not only that, but the fact that Remus didn't even have the guts to look him in the eye, gave Damocles a knotted feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Ugh…Damocles hated Monday mornings.
** "Werewolves can be distinguished from regular wolves by several significant but discreet characteristics, such as the pupils of the eyes, snout shape, and tufted tail. At all other times, they appear as normal humans; though will often seem to be ill as the full moon approaches. This condition is caused by infection with lycanthropy, usually occurring when a human is bitten by a transformed werewolf. There is no remedy to lessen or halt the effects of a transformation, and of course, as we all know, there is no known cure."
Despite his best efforts Damocles could not help but scrutinize the tawny haired boy as he took his turn to speak about werewolves. What he found fascinating was how easily Remus was able to compartmentalize the whole situation that happened yesterday in order to successfully present this project. It made Damocles grateful, sure, but what got Damocles even more was Remus reciting all this increasingly complex information from memory. It was almost as if he had been studying it his whole life, not just a couple of months. Once again, he couldn't help but marvel at how sharp the slighter man was.
Humbled, Damocles looked down at his notes and began to speak.
**"Lycanthropy is a magical illness known to be spread by saliva-blood contact; thus, a human bitten by a werewolf in wolf form will become a werewolf him or herself. However, if a human is bitten by a werewolf in human form, the victim will only acquire some lupine tendencies. On every full moon, a werewolf will go through an incredibly painful transformation from a human into a wolf-like creature. They lose the ability to think in a human way, becoming highly aggressive towards humans, even those they are close to. Though werewolves usually only infect their victims through biting, they sometimes take it too far and kill their victims…" Damocles continued speaking for a few more minutes before Remus flawlessly picked up where the blonde man left off. He started to wrap up their project by talking about the prejudices and laws surrounding werewolves in wizarding society.
Damocles' eyes drifted once again Remus, but soon he sensed someone's eyes on himself. Damocles turned his attention to the other students seated throughout the classroom and was met with a set of cold gray eyes.
Was Sirius Black staring him down?
Sirius Black was definitely staring him down.
He was glaring at Damocles as if he almost knew what went on between Remus and Damocles yesterday afternoon…
But no, that was impossible. There must have been another reason to explain why Black was looking at him with such…such…disgust.
Damocles stared back dauntingly until the dark haired boy looked away. Damocles was not about to be intimidated just because one guy didn't like how he handle his personal relationships.
Halfhearted applause followed the conclusion of their presentation and the two men quickly took their seats. Usually Remus and Damocles sat next to each other and the Marauder's sat a row behind. But today that obviously wasn't the case because Remus went to sit next to his Gryffindor mates instead. Potter clapped Remus on the back encouragingly as he sat down. Pettigrew, taking from Potter's example like always, added an encouraging nod. Black on the other hand barely acknowledged Remus' presence. He looked markedly uncomfortable.
Curious…
Was Black still giving Remus the cold shoulder for not going with him to Hogsmeade?
Well if that was the case then Black sure knew how to hold grudges.
Boy, Sirius Black was more of a git that Damocles had given him credit for.
Before he could brood more on this topic, the bell rang. Damocles decided then that he should try talking to Remus now if at all possible. He turned around to address him but the tawny-haired boy had already rushed out of the classroom, long before anyone else had had time to get up from their seats.
So much for that.
Damocles was hopeful that Wednesday's DADA class would bring more luck with speaking to Remus. But as with Monday Remus sat with the Marauders and Damocles was left listen to a mind numbing presentation on Quintapeds. Albeit, Black was a great speaker and knew a lot more about the subject than Damocles had expected. But the presentation, thanks to Dom's batty roommate Xenophilius, continued to veer off into completely unrelated topics. What the hell a Crumple-Horned Snorkack was, Damocles had no bloody idea. But apparently Lovegood found it fascinating.
Black, of course, did not.
He almost felt bad for Black.
Almost.
Upon the conclusion of this fascinating presentation, everyone woke up from their self-induced comas and slowly drew their attention to the front of the classroom where Professor Diddleman was starting to wrap things up.
"Here are your homework assignments from last Friday. Most of you did well, only a few of you forgot to mention the part about temporary shield charms. I'd advise you to look into those more thoroughly for they will be on the NEWTS as well as the exam this Friday. Alright, that's all we have time for today, I'll see you Wednesday. Those of you who still haven't presented, make sure that you're ready for next class!...Oh and Mr. Belby and Mr. Black I would like to see you before you leave."
Wait.
Why would Professor Diddleman need to see both of them exclusively? Were they in trouble? And for what? Damocles had no ties to Black except through Remus. He barely knew the bloke.
Well, this could be interesting.
Damocles exchange a confused glance with Black before rising slowly from his seat. Remus also looked perplexedly at the two of them, but left before Damocles could read too much into his expression.
The two boys walked up to the professor's desk one after the other. The tension between the two was palpable.
As expected, Damocles took the opportunity to speak first.
"Sir, you wanted to see us?" Damocles crossed his hands behind his back and tried to look considerate. Black on the other hand crossed his arms defensively and avoided eye contact.
How typical of him.
"Yes, I was ordered by Dumbledore to tell you two to go to his office immediately. It seems that your brothers have gotten into another mess of trouble. He would like speak to both of you on how best to...er...mediate..the situation."
Damocles responded confusedly, "Our brothers, sir? I'm not sure what you mean. I didn't think our brothers knew each other, nor was I aware that we would be called upon to help with any sort of mediation if they were to get themselves into trouble…I—"
"I know this all must be very confusing for the both of you, but be assured that Dumbledore will explain in more detail his reasoning for having you in attendance for this particular meeting. Now off you go…"
Sirius rolled his eyes and immediately turned on his heel. As Damocles watched him walk moodily out the door, Diddleman called his attention once more.
"Oh…and Mr. Belby? One other thing. I really enjoyed the presentation you and Mr. Lupin gave on Monday. It was really thorough, so much so that I would like to ask you to do an extension project…for extra credit…not that you need it, of course." The professor laughed jovially. Damocles was not amused. "The project will be to make study sheet which includes all the dark creatures we didn't have time to present in class. Do you think that's something you and Mr. Lupin can handle?"
Damocles stared at the professor, momentarily bewildered, "I…I guess so…but I should probably ask Rem—"
"Splendid then! I'll want the study guide by next Wednesday! Now off you go, before the Headmaster starts to wonder where you are!"
"Yes sir." Damocles replied curtly before walking out of the classroom.
He swiftly made his way through the halls, trying to make up for lost time…wouldn't want Black showing up before him and making Damocles look like a flaky student.
Wouldn't that be ironic?
As he rounded the last corner, something made him stopped dead in his tracks. A very heated discussion seemed to be taking place down the hall. Not wanting to interrupt, Damocles took cover behind an old suit of armor and tried to identify the voices he was hearing.
One was definitely Black's that was for sure…then again, second voice sounded like Black's as well.
It must have been his brother, which made a lot of sense considering he was half the reason they were having this meeting with Dumbledore in the first place.
Well then…two angry Black brothers in a deserted in a hallway together. This could be interesting.
"What is wrong with you," The elder brother whispered vehemently. "Are you…are you high?"
Silence.
"Good Godric, Regulus! Are you out of your bleeding mind? We're about to go see Professor bloody fucking Dumbledore and you're as high as a broomstick. Where did you get the drugs from this time, Regulus? Wait let me guess…Mundungus?"
"Mundungus? Mundungus doesn't have shit, Sirius."
"…You know what? Forget it. I don't care. You're pathetic. This whole thing is just pathetic. And why I'm always dragged into all your bloody bull shit, I'll never understand."
"You're calling me pathetic? Ha! At least I'm not the one who hangs out with mudbloods and blood traitors. Not to mention your "girlfriend" Lupin…who's a right bloody poofter if I've ever seen one." Damocles could literally hear the token sneer that went along his final statement.
Silence again.
"What did you say." The older brother's voice was low and shaking with barely concealed fury.
"You heard me."
"Where the hell do you come off saying that sort of shit Regulus?"
"Well unlike you, brother dearest, I'm not blinded by the biases of friendship. I see things that you don't want to see. I know things you'd rather not know. And…I have connections you don't."
"Connections?" Sirius responded incredulously. "What connections could you possibly…" His voice died off unexpectedly...with a realization perhaps? Damocles couldn't tell.
Regulus took this as an opportunity to elaborate, "Olysseus Belby. He's been telling me things …about his shirt-lifting brother and your precious friend. Any half-wit Hufflepuff could put the pieces together, Sirius."
Black didn't respond. Regulus took this silence as a signal to continue in his rant.
"You're so fucking blind aren't you? Your friend's been messing around with blokes right under your nose and you didn't even know it."
Silence.
"Mmm..bet that makes you angry doesn't it?...Jealous even…bet you wish he was messing around with you instead, don't you—"
"SHUT UP!"
Sirius' shout echoed sharply through the hallway, reverberating right through Damocles' chest. This was coupled by the sounds of scuffling and the rustling of clothes indicating that Sirius had gone to shake his brother by the arms or some variation of the sort.
The elder's voice suddenly turned to a deathly whisper as he addressed the younger boy.
"Shut up Regulus…shut your fucking mouth right now or I'll make you wish you were never born. What the hell would you know about my friends, Regulus? Hmm? That's right you don't know shit." Damocles craned his neck around the armor just in time to see Sirius push his younger brother back against the wall. "So why don't you go back to mummy dearest and mind your own damn business."
The younger brother retaliated with a whole new level of disgust. "Don't touch me you filthy piece of scum. And don't you dare talk about my mother that way. You don't even deserve to mention her name out loud, you dirty blood traitor. She's not your mother, and you…you are certainly no brother of mine. People like you make me sick." Regulus spit at his brother's feet with a ferocious hatred and then promptly turned around and stumbled down the hallway towards the entrance to Dumbledore's office. A minute later, Sirius followed.
Damocles was surprised that Dumbledore hadn't shown up in the process of all this. Then again, that could have made the situation a whole lot worse. Being a Prefect, Damocles supposed he should have broken the fight up before it had gotten serious, but the Ravenclaw knew that he had learned some valuable things about these two brothers that he might not have otherwise known if he had stopped the argument from happening in the first place.
"You do you realize that that you look like a ridiculous buffoon hiding behind that suit of armor." The voice that hovered by his ear made him jump a mile high.
"Bloody hell Olysseus, did you have to sneak up like that? You scared the living shite out of me!"
"It's Olly, Damocles. No one calls me by my full name anymore except Mother." Olysseus stood casually with his hands in his pockets. There were similarities between the two boys but the differences were noticeable enough that people would think twice before assuming they were brothers. He was much slighter than Damocles, for one. His tousled blonde hair partially obscured his eyes piercing grey-blue eyes.
"What so no one is allowed to call you by your full name anymore? Too cool for that now?" Damocles teased.
"I don't know Damocles, what do you think? The name itself is derived from the Greek verb "hate". Would you want everybody in the school calling you that? Probably not."
"Hmm…I don't know. I rather think it suits you quite well, Olysseus. I mean you hate school, you hate your professors, you hate Dumbledore, you hate me…frankly you hate a lot of things so it actually makes a hell of a lot of sense. Plus no one is particularly fond of you either." Damocles gave him a condescending smile.
"Oh hardy har, Damocles. Or should I call you Dom. Isn't that what your new pet calls you? Bet you when he calls you th—"
"Oh give me a break Olysseus. You're in Ravenclaw…I expected a wittier come-backs out of you. I mean come on...did you really think you could throw me off with something like that? Besides, we both know you're just jealous of me, Olysseus. Hell, that's probably the reason you've been acting out so much isn't it? What load of trouble did you get yourself into this time?" His brother was only a Fifth Year and already he had made a disappointing reputation for himself among the professors and students alike. It was hard to believe they were actually related.
"Trouble? I don't know what you're talking about. Dumbledore is off his rocker. I'm innocent of all charges, honest!" His younger brother crossed his heart, feigning innocence.
Damocles laughed. "Yeah well we'll see about that…oh and next time you get in trouble, try not to do something so horrible as to bring me into it…this is just a waste of my Wednesday."
"I'll try not to, Dom." Olysseus mocked.
Damocles took this opportunity to smack his younger brother upside the head and then proceed towards Dumbledore's office. An affronted Olysseus rubbed the back of his head gingerly and followed his brother down the hallway.
The kid needed a little discipline every once and a while. Who else was going to keep him in line? They didn't have a lot of order growing up. Their dad was never around, always traveling. And their mother was…well...in the nicest terms she was a push over. That left Damocles to carry out most of the disciplining when it came to his younger brother. He supposed that that was another reason Olysseus resented him so much. He hated Damocles like a son hates his father. To some extent Damocles was okay with that, but sometimes he wished he could just be the brother...that was all Olysseus ever wanted in the first place.
On another note, how did Damocles turn out to be such a good egg and his brother such a bad egg? Probably because he had always tried desperately to make his father proud; to gain his father's attention and such. And yet here he was: outstanding student, Prefect, captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team, loved by his peers, adored by his teachers, ready to walk right into a high paying internship at the M.O.M…and his father barely had time to give him a pat on the back. And to top it all off, the success which characterized Damocles life had become yet another reason for his brother to resent him.
He figured Black wasn't the only one with a brother who hated his guts and a family who didn't care for him one bit.
But just because he some things in common with Black, didn't mean he was going to start being all buddy-buddy with the bloke. Damocles couldn't help but laughed at the thought of actually being friends with the Gryffindor.
After all, Black was trying to steal Remus from him...
...like that was ever going to happen…
…the stupid git.
A/N: ** harrypotter. wikia wiki/ Werewolf ...sorry I didn't feel like writing it in my own words, pleeeease don't sue me, I cited...
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[jay-jay]