Chapter 42
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter
WARNING: I honestly have no idea what to put here as a warning, but this chapter may be hard for some people to read. Specifically after the events of Chamber of Secrets, some stuff happens. It could be a bit confronting.
"…get on the team and then I'll show him!" Remus and Severus walk out of the entrance hall and deeper into Malfoy Manor, meeting the four they're looking for in the dining room. Well, Severus walks, Remus hobbles along with his walking stick. The full moon was two days ago and a particularly bad one. Jamie and the boys had opted to stay with Lucius and Narcissa a day longer than usual so that Severus could look after their Dad.
"Yes Draco, I'm sure you will. You know there is more to Quidditch than besting one boy," Lucius points out to his Son who seems outraged by the very idea.
"Not if that boy is better than every other Quidditch player I've ever seen combined!" Sevrin and Benoit exchange a look at each other, grinning mockingly.
"Does someone have a crush?" Sevrin asks, he and his twin chuckling as Draco turns purple in the face, obviously about to explode in outrage. From Benoit the laughter seems teasing yet fond, but in Sevrin…something about it just seems cruel.
"Remus! Severus! How wonderful of you to join us!" Lucius greets desperately upon noticing them.
"Dad, Daddle!" Jamie says, "Thank Merlin," She adds under her breath, Draco glares at her, she ignores him. Remus snickers at the name slightly, he still thinks it's hilarious. Severus elbows him in the stomach.
"Splendid timing boys," Narcissa tells them, Remus chuckles.
"Nice to see you too Narc, Lucius. What's going on Little Dragon? You seem a bit worked up."
"I was just telling Mother and Father that I'm going to get on the team and get the snitch and win my house the Quidditch tournament and then my house the house cup and everything will be entirely splendid, and I'll get to watch him lose." Remus sighs.
"Draco –"
"You should have seen his face when Gryffindor won last year, he was mocking me, I could tell."
"Draco I'm sure he wasn't –"
"Tell them Uncle Sev!" Draco requests, as though it were that obvious, the other three adults and three kids turn to Severus who shuffles on his feet awkwardly for a moment.
"He actually sort of was," Severus admits, Lucius and Narcissa glare at him, Jamie laughs, "What? He is! Arrogant as he is it's of no surprise."
"SEE!"
"SEVERUS!" Remus calls, scandalised, Severus rolls his eyes, "I thought you were planning on fixing things, not making it worse. Making it up to him this year, remember?"
"Yes, yes, I promise, no more cracks about his fa…ther." Severus' eyes widen at the mistake, looking over to see his husband looking like he's about to explode, "Oops." Jamie glares daggers at her Daddle who avoids the gaze of both her and his husband.
"We'll talk about this later Severus."
"Yes Love."
"I don't think I've ever seen Uncle Remus so angry," Draco whispers to his Father who facepalms.
"Draco, do you recall one of the things about Lycanthropy you learnt being a Werewolf's brilliant hearing?" Draco's eyes widen as he turns to look at Remus who looks entirely done with life. Sevrin laughs at him, Benoit walks over to Severus and hugs him around the legs, Severus putting an arm around the nervous boy's shoulders. He doesn't do well with confrontation.
"Sorry Uncle Remus."
"Draco, never apologise for something if you're only sorry you got caught. Unless it's actually going to get you out of trouble. Then always do it. I've forgotten my point. Look, both of you, just leave the boy alone this year. Draco, there is honestly no reason for you to interact with him unless you are partnered by a teacher. Severus, stop tormenting your students. I already had a conversation with a very concerned Molly, that's not a situation I'd like to deal with again."
"When did you see Molly?" Severus asks him, Remus raises an eyebrow, "No tormenting students, be nice to Potter, anything else?"
"Neville."
"Fine."
"The station, she and Arthur were at the station when I dropped Jamie and Blaise off last September. The boys and I met Ginny, the baby Molly hadn't had yet. She's adorable, apparently you've actually given one of her brother's recurring nightmares." Severus scratches his head awkwardly.
"Right, be nicer. Got it, I can be nice." Narcissa legitimately snorts at that, Severus glares at her, "Watch it or I'll throw a chicken at you."
"What are you, my mother?"
"God I hope not," Remus mutters, "What a nightmare that would be."
"Are you two here for a reason?" Lucius asks, suddenly having realised they weren't supposed to be in his home until this afternoon, Severus groans, sinking into a seat at the table and covering his head in his arms. Remus takes that as his cue to answer the question.
"We found out who the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is."
"Who?" All three Malfoys and Jamie ask at once, Remus looks like he can't decide between being annoyed or amused.
"Gilderoy Lockhart."
Over the next few weeks, prior to the new school year starting, they see significantly less of the Malfoys than usual. Draco and his friends still turn up at their house at random points, Blaise stays over a few times when his Mother isn't home by 10, as is the standard rule. Not one she knows about either, she's just never noticed he's not there when she's gotten home later. Then Draco stops coming.
It's not until late August that they find out what's wrong, Narcissa is sick.
Lucius shows up at their house, tears in his eyes as they freeze in the middle of eating their breakfast/drinking potion.
"You'll want to hurry," He tells them before flooing back to his home.
They drop everything and go through, Remus still in his pyjama bottoms and no shirt, hobbling through because it's a full moon tonight and he feels shit but left in such a hurry that he forgot his walking stick. They find Draco sitting at the bottom of the stairs, tears in his rather dead looking eyes, until he sees them, then he breaks. Remus grabs him, picking him up despite the weariness, despite the pain, and gesturing for Severus, Jamie, and the twins to go on without him as he takes their God-Son back to his room.
Remus holds Draco until he falls asleep, tucking him in as he leaves, sniffing out the others easily and finding them in the Master Bedroom.
He walks in to find a pale Narcissa, laying in bed, and looking like she hasn't moved in a while, Jamie on the bed beside her, hugging her gently. Benoit is sat at the foot of the bed while Sevrin sits on the other side of Narcissa from Jamie, holding her hand.
"Narc?" Narcissa chuckles a bit.
"That old name," She croaks out, "I told them not to worry you but, well, it's time to worry now."
"What's wrong?" Remus asks, sitting beside her on the bed, he notices Lucius in the corner of the room with Severus and apparently having a meltdown. Severus leads him out of the room but not before Remus hears that Andromeda, Ted, and Tonks are on their way. Narcissa looks dubiously at Jamie who sighs.
"I'm going to go check on Draco," She declares before leaving the room, kissing her Aunt on the forehead before she goes. Benoit follows after her, Sevrin leaving after Narcissa nods at him to follow his brother.
"They don't know. Could be a number of things, could be none of them. The leading theory amongst the healers is that everything my Parents did when I was young has finally caught up with me."
"Why aren't you in St Mungos?" Narcissa looks sad.
"I was, for a full month. It was bad when I got there, they've done their best but…they suggested I come home and be more comfortable." Remus understands, he wishes he didn't. He takes her hand, holding it tightly in his own.
"We'll be okay Narc, I promise. We'll find a way to be." She nods, squeezing his hand as much as she can manage, it isn't much.
"I know. Look after them Remy, please." Remus startles at the name, tears spilling out of his eyes as he nods.
"Always, Narc, always."
"Remy, I-I'm sorry, for everything my family has put you through, for everything my sister did to you," She tells him, he shakes his head.
"None of that is on you, her mind was completely shattered. But, for what it's worth, I forgive you. All of you. I love you Narcissa, you've been like a sister to me for so long." Narcissa nods.
"And you me, I love you too Little Brother."
Remus leans down and hugs her, holding her for a while until she goes back to sleep, he then leaves to find the others.
Lucius is not okay.
None of them are.
A few days later, she's gone.
Remus can never believe how sudden it all was, though, he supposes, for Draco and Lucius, it was a long and drawn out hell.
Draco sits in his room, worrying. His Father is planning something and he knows it, but what to do?
He's fairly certain he heard the word Basilisk, which is worrying enough, but combined with mudbloods and Salazar Slytherin…Draco is pretty sure his Father isn't dealing with his Mother's death very well. And okay, really, who is? His Uncle Remus gave himself quite a few new scars during the full moon, and he'd finally been calming slightly to a more normal point. He won't ever talk about what went wrong to begin with, no one will, but Draco's pretty certain part of the problem is related to why Remus freaked the shit out when he asked a question about his Aunt Bella.
The thing is, all his Mother has cared about for a long time is protecting children. She'd quietly told him about her worries when he was born into war time, and about how much her siblings and she went through, how much his Father did. Now it seemed his Father was ignoring his Mother's greatest wishes in a fit of rather murderous grief. But how could he stop it without getting his Father into deep shit? His first instinct is to tell his Uncles, but his Uncle Sev actually works at the school, isn't it his duty to report a possible threat and have it dealt with? No way Uncle Remus doesn't mention this to his husband, not when it's the safety of the students at risk, one of his Father's best friends or no.
Might be easier to work out if he could talk to someone, but even Dobby's been disappearing lately.
So that left the question, what to do?
He decides to speak to Jamie about it, he can always count on his cousin and he knows she won't tell her parents. If he requests it, she won't tell her brothers either. He's not close with either of the twins. Benni's too shy and Sevrin gives him the heebie-jeebies in a way he just can't make sense of. His Father says the same about the boy. So when he speaks to her, the first thing he does is request she tell no one, and then explains the situation, asking for advice.
"Well, there isn't much you can do, but maybe there's someone at school who can help. You can somehow give them a hint that something is up without letting them know who you are?" She suggests, he looks thoughtful, "Use your Slytherin sneakiness. And let me know if I can help."
Eventually school goes back, and with it, Severus' piece of mind.
Remus silently places a bet with himself over which will happen first, Harry doing something stupid, or Remus getting fired. He holds out hope that his Nephew will refrain from anything too reckless this year.
Remus,
If they don't manage to kill themselves by the end of the year, I may just do it for them.
Harry and Ron apparently decided the train was far too boring a way to get to school. They nearly destroyed your tree.
Read the Prophet.
Sev
Remus looks at the letter nervously before hearing a tapping that lets him know the owl with his paper has arrived. Remus goes and grabs it, reading about a flying car, and sighs.
If you lose a bet against yourself, who pays?
Sev,
Please tell me they haven't gotten themselves expelled.
Remus
Remus,
I think at this point Harry almost wishes he had, or is missing the detention with Hagrid from last year.
He's serving it with Lockhart…
No Expulsion, though it was a close thing.
May have made another bad impression…oops?
Sev
Remus sighs, though he supposes it could be worse. Then there's the letter that arrives the next morning.
Remus,
This. Damned. Kid.
A cat, Remus, there's a petrified cat! Mrs Norris has been petrified, Filch is beside himself, did Del ever mention what kind of tea he likes?
Also there was a message written in blood on the wall beside the cat, and flooding on the floor.
And who is standing at the scene when we arrive?
Harry. Potter. Well, and the other two.
He didn't do it of course, but of all the damned people.
Del would never have allowed her Son to be raised like this. I think James and Lily would be proud though, especially Lily. He reminds me of her sometimes.
Sev
Sev,
English Breakfast, and remind him that petrification is curable, yes?
Where did the blood come from? What did it say? Is everyone all right?
Are you?
This school is going down hill and I really am beginning to think you should look for a new job.
Remus
Dad,
For the record, I am only letting it go because of Auntie Cissa and am kindly chalking this up to grief, but Dragon used the 'M' word today in reference to a Muggle-born student.
Fred and George told me about it, they were planning ways to get back at him. I told them he's my cousin and I'll deal with it, but now they're being all wary of me. It was bad enough just being a Slytherin, but now a Black too? Things are getting awkward.
Still, they're leaving Dragon alone. I hear him say it again though and I'm setting his hair on fire. My Uncle's Father invented Sleakeazy, I blasted know how to make it combust!
Jamie
Remus,
'The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir… beware.'
We'll be fine, Albus is taking this threat surprisingly seriously.
You can bet your blasted britches that the Golden Trio will find a way to get themselves into further trouble though.
Sev
Sev,
The Chamber of Secrets? The one that was supposedly opened twenty years ago? When Myrtle died? That chamber?
Because if only the heir can open it, and Tom opened it last time then…
Seriously Love, just quit.
Remus
Jamie,
If they are going to be twats about your family, perhaps it is their hair you should be setting on fire.
Honestly, to judge someone based on family, it's ridiculous.
As for Draco, just talk to him. He's got a lot going on, as you know, and school is probably stressing him out and leaving his Father and such.
However, if he doesn't let up about this sort of thing, tell your Daddle.
Je t'aime Bébé
Dad
Remus,
Are you suggesting Harry is the heir to Slytherin?
Sev
Sev,
Yes, however I am not suggesting he's the one who did this.
Which I realise doesn't make sense.
But I stand by it.
Remus
Remus,
So,
Harry's a Parselmouth.
Sev
Remus sighs, this kid's life is bloody unbelievable, and now he's getting letters from Draco because 'Of course everything else wasn't enough, he's a bloody parselmouth as well!'
Remus,
They're at it again.
The girl's been petrified.
So has another student, and Sir Nicholas.
Albus is talking about shutting down the school.
Sev
Dad,
'You'll be next, Mudbloods.'
Actual phrase used by Draco Malfoy after the first message in blood. Only just found out about it.
If it weren't for everything going on, I would tell Daddle. He's got enough going on at the moment.
On the other hand, George got over being a 'twat' as you put it and swayed Fred over to non-twat territory. They both apologised, I turned their hair into spaghetti, and now their baby sister is missing. To be honest, I think most of their original reaction was because of the Chamber being opened and everything. Still, now Ginny's missing, the teachers have no idea what's going on, and I'm pretty sure I saw a rogue Dobby.
I don't know what I'm meant to do.
Jamie
Remus,
There was another message,
'Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever' and Ginny Weasley is missing.
They've sent Lockhart after him. This kid is going to die Remus.
He's going to bolt.
I've told Minerva if both of them aren't back safely tomorrow I'm going to scour the bloody castle and find a way down there myself.
She says she'll be right behind me, neither of us are letting a student die on our watch.
Sev
Sev,
Please don't die,
either of you.
Remus
Jamie,
Leave the teachers to handle it, keep George and Fred out of it, and I swear to god, set Draco's freaking hair on fire if he tries to make a crack at a Weasley right now.
Dad
Molly,
I heard about what's happened in the school. I wasn't sure how much of an opportunity to get an explanation you've had.
If you'd like to come over for tea, I can tell you everything I know.
For now, rest assured that Minerva and Severus are tearing the castle apart trying to find her.
Remus
Remus spends the night panicking, just generally freaking the hell out. He can't lose his husband, he really can't. He knows they have to save Ginny, and by god he hopes they do, but dammit he's lost so much already and it's not fair!
…it's not fair.
Molly does come over for tea, just a few hours after he sent the letter. He explains what he knows of the Chamber and what's happening and such, leaving out that Harry's an heir to Slytherin. She really hadn't been given any information, and whilst none of what he gives her is particularly comforting, she is relieved to at least know more about what's going on. He promises to keep her updated, she does as well.
Remus,
We've no idea what happened, Ginny doesn't remember much and Harry doesn't want to talk about it. Albus knows but also won't say.
Lockhart's lost all memories, apparently the imbisule obliviated himself.
Everyone's been unpetrified.
Harry's saved the school.
Gryffindor won the house cup again.
I'm so done.
Sev
Remus sets the letter aside, glad everything worked out but now rather disinterested.
"My name's Tom, Tom Riddle."
Remus doesn't think he's ever regretted hearing a sentence so thoroughly.
The Locket in his hands seems to be burning pain into his very soul and it's all he can do not to throw it and kick it and scream. The box beside him seems to be laughing at him while the rain pours down, the only thing bringing him any modicum of comfort.
Remus picks up the letter he'd received over an hour ago, when he'd first come to sit out here on his front door step.
Remy,
I lost my brother a long time ago as I know you did yours. This locket was a gift from him, given a week before the attack. It is and has always been my memory of him, but now there is no one left to keep the memory alive. It is my hope this locket may become a reminder of your own brother so that he may always be near your heart.
Who knows, perhaps you'll remember me too.
Your fellow wolf and Packmate,
Eleenie Randona
With the letter had been another from her husband letting him know that Eleenie had been murdered, not that it will be legally counted as such, when a wizard had found her safe place during the full moon and killed her. He also thought he should know that their son had been killed during the war because Eleenie had refused to join you-know-who, along with details for the funeral should he choose to attend.
It's then that another owl arrives with yet another letter and Remus seriously considers setting anything and everything on fire because can't anyone tell I am not in the mood to deal with any of this?! Still, it's from Dumbledore so he figures it's probably important in some fashion.
Remus,
After some unfortunate circumstances, Hogwarts is, unsurprisingly, in need of a new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Your name was suggested and I certainly agree you would be a brilliant fit.
If you are interested please reply and we shall make a time to meet,
Albus Dumbledore
Well, he hadn't been expecting that but, maybe he can be to some kids what Eleenie had been to him. A competent teacher, a confidant, a friend. Plus, what better way to try and keep his various charges out of trouble? Sadly that now includes his husband. Who'd have ever thought Pansy Parkinson was the one having a boring time at school?
Of course, someone would need to watch the boys during the school terms. His parents have been saying they don't see them enough. Remus' main concern is how Benoit would take such a separation…still, it does not hurt to have a conversation.
Albus,
What time works for you?
Lucius Malfoy paces his study, it's all so unthinkable.
"House-elf gone, Draco's going to kill me. How on Earth did that child and the Weasel and the mudblood figure it all out?!" He mutters to himself angrily.
"Well, if I were to hazard a guess, I'd suspect the page about Basilisks, that someone slipped into Granger's bag, gave it away," Draco says from the doorway, Lucius turns to look at his Son in shock, "Tore it out of a book in Flourish and Blotts before school began."
"Draco? You…you dare to –"
"I dare to? No, don't you turn this on me. I don't know what the hell you were thinking but if you thought I was going to let you murder a bunch of children you were dead wrong. Get help Father, you need it. Or else Mother won't be the only thing you've lost."
Draco turns up at Remus and Severus' place, looking rather anxious.
"Little Dragon?" Remus asks as he walks into the room.
"Can I stay here tonight?" Blaise walks into the room as well, freezing when he sees Draco who seems too out of it to really register what's wrong with that.
"I'm happy to share my room," Blaise tells Remus, worry for his friend, even if Draco won't admit that's what they are, clear on his face.
"Of course Draco, you're always welcome here."
It's a month before summer holidays end when Severus arrives home with Jamie and Blaise after having been shopping for birthday presents for Andromeda. He immediately knows something is not right and stops the children before they even reach the porch.
"Kids, go next door to Alexandre's place," Severus tells them, "Take this, call your Grandpa, tell him to get Aurors to our house." Blaise hesitates but Jamie grabs him by the collar of his shirt and takes the phone from her Daddle's hand before dragging Blaise to their neighbour's house.
Severus enters the house, wand out, looking around. He smells blood, listening, he hears no movement. Then he walks into the living room and sees Remus against the side of the kitchen counter.
"Remus," Severus says quietly, going to his side but keeping his wand out.
"Severus," Remus croaks weakly, blood pouring out of him from several wounds.
"Remus, where are the boys?" Severus asks as he casts healing spells, but none of them work. That's when he sees the weapon on the floor in the kitchen. A silver knife, "Shit."
"Benni, I-I hid him. He might've found him. Severus, you have to save him," Remus tells him, voice growing louder at the end. And really, that just means it wasn't a whisper.
"Where? Who might have found him? Are they still here?" Remus' eyes widen as he looks behind Severus. Severus turns around to see his seven-year-old Son, Sevrin, standing there, covered in blood, a manic smile on his face.
"Rin?"
"Salut Papa. Attention à rejoindre le jeu."
"Join the game, what game? Sevrin what is going on?!" The boy giggles, Remus pulls himself upright, despite his numerous injuries, dragging Severus behind him.
"No more."
"Oh non Père, le plaisir ne fait que commencer!"
Suddenly, Remus finds himself bound to a dining room chair while Severus is trapped by an invisible force to the kitchen table.
"DAMMIT WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
"Well, you see. You've been touched by evil, by filth, you have to be cleaned Papa." Severus blinks at the boy in front of him.
"What?" Severus asks breathlessly, Remus struggles against his bonds, gagged as well, all his cries and pleas muffled.
"Let's start with the skin, shall we?" Suddenly, Severus feels his clothing vanish. Then he feels the skin on his left shin get ripped away, he screams. "I'm not happy about this either Papa, but it has to be done." He shreds off more skin. Slowly going around the body. Remus twists about aimlessly as he tries to get free, his eyes catch the moon. The full moon was yesterday, it's still mostly full. Remus knows Werewolves are, for lack of a better term, powered by the moon.
I wonder, he thinks, After all, aren't humans always saying I'm a werewolf no matter the moon cycle? Remus focuses on the moon, he focuses on it with all his energy. It's rather sudden, when it happens. Like the potential had always been there and a dam holding it back had burst. Suddenly Remus feels the strength of the wolf fill him. The burn left from the silver knife intensifies, but he breaks out of his bonds and hurls himself at his deranged son.
"Oof!" Sevrin grunts as Remus hits him, the two tumble to the ground, Remus pulling himself back up unstably. Sevrin throws his hands out at him and Remus is thrown back against the wall. He crumples to the floor, looking up at his son as tears fill his eyes.
"Rin, please, stop this," He begs, Sevrin walks over, looking down on him like he's nothing but a dung beetle.
"DON'T ACT LIKE THIS IS MY FAULT!" Sevrin screams, he holds a hand out and the silver knife flies into his hand, "YOU'RE THE MONSTER, NOT ME!" Remus' eyes widen, breath caught in his throat.
"No…" Sevrin rushes at him with the knife, Remus throws a hand out to stop him, only the silent everte statum bounces off the boy and shoves Remus back into the wall again. The blood loss, the burning silver, the concussion, Remus knows he's not getting back up again. Then Remus hears Severus groan and remembers how it feels to be flayed. Bellatrix had done it to him numerous times during his capture. For once, Remus focuses on that time, he feels the panic in his throat. He thinks of his friends, he thinks of the people he lost, he thinks of Peter, who he knows was the real traitor, and of Sirius. He thinks of Minnie, and Eleenie, and her son, and Bellatrix, and Regulus, and Tom, and Del, and everyone and dammit but he's not afraid, not right now. He's fucking pissed. Remus pulls himself upright, grabbing his son's arm as he swings at him with the knife and shoving him against the wall.
"I am not a monster. Sevrin, please, stop this. We can talk this through," Remus tries to reason, Sevrin meets his eye. His eyes glow red and suddenly Remus is on the ground screaming and in agonizing pain. Pain he recognises, pain he can't ever forget.
My son just cast the cruciatus curse on me, he thinks as the spell ends and his brain starts functioning again, how does he even know it? But that's not even the question, not really. Because he knows what it means to cast an unforgivable with nothing but glowing eyes. Suddenly he feels a burning pain erupt in his chest, he looks down to find Sevrin has stabbed him with the knife again, only this time it's in his heart. Remus vaguely recognises the crack of someone apparating, his head too busy swimming with burning agony to really recognise what that means.
The Aurors arrive, quickly taking in the scene around them. Severus bleeding out and missing skin on the kitchen bench, Remus on the floor, lots of blood, Sevrin kneeling over him, hands around the knife.
"STUPEFY!" Moody shouts as soon as he sees the boy pull the knife from Remus' body and turn to face them. The look on his face had been enough information for him, "Secure the house," Moody directs to his team, "We need to get these two to St Mungos."
"Benni…have to save Benni," Remus tells him when Moody comes over to him.
"Where?" He asks, not stopping to question who Benni is or anything else.
"Under the bed…third door on the right, he's under an in-invisbility cloak," Remus chokes out, pointing to the hallway, Moody nods, shouting the instructions to others as they apparate Severus and then Remus away.
By the time they reach the hospital, Remus is unconscious. Severus has been for a while.
When Remus comes to, he sees his parents and his kids, two of his kids, sitting in his hospital room.
"Hi," He says weakly, blinking sluggishly, "Pain potion?" He asks, Lyall nods.
"Daddy, are you okay?" Jamie asks, it's then that he remembers what happened, everyone in the room can practically see it as the memories come rushing back.
"Oh god," He whispers, horror on his face as tears start falling from his eyes.
"Right, both of you, out, now," Lyall demands of the kids. Jamie stands, it having been drilled into her since she was a toddler that when Daddy starts getting overwhelmed, get help, and then get out of the way. But Benoit doesn't move.
"Benni, come on," Jamie insists as Remus starts sobbing uncontrollably. She doesn't want to hear this. She doesn't have the strength to watch her Father's heart break. But Benni won't leave, "Let's go see if we can sit with Père," She suggests, picking him up and taking him out of the room.
"Remus," Hope says, taking her son's hand.
"He-he…" Remus doesn't finish his sentence. His cries and sobs turn to tormented screams. His son had done this, his seven-year-old son! How could he? How could anyone but how could he. His baby boy, how could he be capable of this, no he's his baby boy, he's just a kid, he couldn't have he COULDN'T HAVE!
Remus isn't even aware that most of that came out verbally.
The healers put him back to sleep.
When he wakes up again, he doesn't believe what he sees.
"I'm hallucinating, aren't I?" Del looks down at him, tears in her eyes.
"No, no hallucination," She tells him, taking his hand for the first time in years, "There's a set of circumstances that you can apply for a chaperoned leave from Prison for. Technically, this isn't one of them," She admits, he chuckles slightly though it quickly turns to a sob, "Albus worked it all out for me. It's good you woke up, I've only got an hour left." She runs a hand down his heavily bandaged chest, "What did he do to you?" She asks him, he closes his eyes, pain in every inch of his body, yet none of it from his wounds.
"So much."
"What happened?" Remus shakes his head, she nods, "Fair enough. But you'll need to tell someone, you know."
"I know."
He doesn't know how long it is after Del left that Moody comes in, it seemed like eternity and a second.
"What happened?" He asks, Remus knows him well enough to hear the concern in his voice.
"I don't know. He-He snapped. Benoit was drawing in the living room, I was in the kitchen, then I heard a scream from my room. I ran down and found Sevrin kneeling in front of our wardrobe with a knife. I-I don't know where it came from or what he was even doing in there to begin with," Remus says, getting worked up, "Suddenly he was running at me with it. I tried to get the knife from him, that's when I found out it was silver." Remus pauses, taking a breath and ignoring the tears streaming down his face, "He was screaming. Screaming that I deserve this, that I'm a monster." Remus shuts his eyes, like he's unable to bear even seeing a room at the moment, but the dark makes the memories more potent and he quickly opens them again.
"Did he know about your condition prior to yesterday?"
"Not that I know of." Moody tries to be delicate.
"Is it possible this was a reaction to finding out?" There is no way to be delicate about that.
"I-I don't know but…Mad-eye he was powerful. I couldn't stop him, and believe me, after he went for Benni I really tried." Moody frowns, "Spells disippated, I couldn't even make a grab for the damned knife."
"Where'd the invisibility cloak come from?"
"I made it." Moody looks shocked. Actually shocked. Remus has never seen so much expression on his face. Remus also doesn't care right now, "I've made one before but it, regrettably, caught on fire. I made a new one a few years back."
"Do you have any idea how he might have found out about your Lycanthropy?" Remus shakes his head…then stops…then his eyes widen.
"Oh fuck. The book."
"Book?" Remus sobs.
"Lily, and James, and the others…we were…" He begins sobbing uncontrollably again. Moody goes and grabs Andromeda from the waiting room, knowing from experience he won't get sense out of the man right now. Tonks had told her parents what happened after Moody had filled her in. She's too junior still to have responded to the call, but he told her everything anyway, didn't believe in sugar-coating the job to those who want in. Andromeda had floo'd to the hospital immediately.
"What book?" Moody asks when Remus calms again, now staring off into space with a desolate air.
"Where's my husband? What happened to him?" He asks with very little emotion. Alastor sighs.
"He's fine. Been asking for you actually. Jamie, Benoit, and the Zabini kid have been staying with Malfoy. What book?" Remus slumps even more into the bed, though Andromeda certainly hadn't thought it possible.
"When we were kids we wanted to help people. After an argument with Binns in History about the rights of Werewolves we started writing a book. A book about the biology and psychology of a Werewolf. Severus and I finished it about eight years ago, it's stored with all our old notes. All of it would have made it more than obvious what I am. It was all kept in the bottom of the damned wardrobe," Remus finally explains.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Remus stares at the wall, knowing he should mention his son appearing to have the same connection to the Cruciatus curse as he does to the Imperius. He doesn't. Remus isn't sure why he's even protecting him, but he is. That thought alone has tears streaming down his face as he lays back down properly and says nothing.
Moody leaves soon after.
Severus is released the next day, though his condition as a Zombie is now known and recorded. Remus would have loved to hear him try to explain why they hadn't gone to the hospital, well, he should have loved to. Severus comes to see him, there are still healing marks and scars, all of which should clear up in the next few days. The wonders of magic.
But Werewolves and Silver are a different story.
It's another week before Remus is allowed to leave. Moody had told Severus everything which means Remus doesn't have to. He'll always be grateful for that.
Two weeks later there's a trial. They win. Sevrin confesses to all of it quite willingly. Ecstatically in fact. His Père is a monster, his Papa a traitor to the human race. His Father has disgustingly mutated blood running through his veins, he was only trying to drain it. His Papa's skin had touched the creature's. It had to go. And Benni…he'd spent too long with them. There was no hope for him. Really, Sevrin was doing him a favour in trying to get rid of him.
Even those biased against Werewolves wanted to vomit. Two of the wizengamot did. Minister Fudge did not feel a scrap of guilt in sentencing a seven-year-old boy to Azkaban. Not this boy.
Benoit doesn't speak. He screams every night. Always sleeping between his parents now. Jamie often joining them and curling into her Dad's other side. They'd had to engorgio the bed. Blaise sleeps beside Severus now when he stays over. Blaise and Jamie don't tell their parents that after the Aurors arrived, the two went over to the house. Don't tell that they're the ones who managed to get Benoit to stop fighting the Aurors. Don't mention that they saw Sevrin. Don't mention that the blood covered house, the shreds of skin around the place, and the ravings of their mad brother (Because yes, Blaise is family too.) haunt them day and night as much as it all does the others.
Remus and Severus had sat the two of them down one night, three days after the trial and asked if they wanted to know what happened. The two of them and Blaise had not been allowed at the trial exempting the times they had to testify, though Benni did not do so. They said no. Perhaps that made them both cowards, but there were some things they just don't want to know.
A month later, Jamie sleeps in her own bed. She wakes up in the middle of the night, no longer used to being alone, and hears someone walking around. She grabs her wand from her nightstand and enters the living room to find Benoit putting picture frames in a box. He looks like a deer caught in headlights when she walks in. Jamie stares at him for a moment, then she walks over and starts taking down the ones too high for him to reach and put them in the box as well.
When their parents wake up the next day, they find most of the photos in the house gone. All the ones with Sevrin in them. In their stead are drawings. Jamie's almost photographic drawings of their remaining family members. There's a frame missing in the centre of the mantle. Jamie claims that one is a work in progress. But even Prongs in stag form makes it onto the walls, though none but Jamie and Remus know that's who it is.
Remus and Severus get the hint. They want to move on with their lives.
It's the adults who don't know how.
A week later Remus has all the kids at Lucius' place along with their parents.
"This was all highly debated once more after…certain events took place," Remus begins, shaking slightly, "But we've decided to go ahead with it."
"We considered keeping this a secret, but for the sake of keeping the welcoming feast calm we thought it best to announce this now," Severus tells them all before gesturing for Remus to take over again.
"I have officially been hired as Hogwarts' new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor." There's a beat of silence before he's being tackled by excited children, their parents all glad about this as well.
Now if only they can keep Harry out of trouble for the year…
The next day all the kids are at Remus and Severus' place, partly because they wanted to, and partly because their parents had decided the two of them had caused their hyperactivity and thus should have to deal with it. Benoit is as subdued as he usually is, but Remus can see the immense relief in his face at life continuing around him, even if he isn't quite ready to partake in it yet. It had been him that really convinced Remus to go to Hogwarts. He hadn't wanted to leave Benoit, who hated being separated from his parents even before what happened with his twin. Benoit had said nothing, but he walked out of the room, into Remus and Severus' room, gotten Remus' suitcase, dragged it back to the living room, and then proceeded to begin polishing the name tag. Remus had nodded, 'Okay then'.
Remus can't help but wonder if maybe Benni needs Remus to leave. If he's angry or hurting because Remus is the reason he lost his brother. He certainly wouldn't blame the lad for thinking exactly what Remus does. Severus slapped him when Remus voiced such things, Remus has stared at him in shock.
"If you ever again insinuate that you were in any way at fault for him…you weren't, Remus. The look in his eye? I've seen that kind of crazy before, it's the same look in Voldemort's eyes when his plans are being carried out how he wishes. It was the same look he had when Bella told him she'd tortured me after stopping me from getting you out. No one is at fault for that kind of madness. It just is."
That was the night something occurred to Remus.
"Severus, why was there a silver knife in our room?" Severus had looked around awkwardly for a moment.
"You never know what might happen." Remus had almost wanted to look further into that, but given what had just happened, he felt that, despite there probably being a deeper meaning, Severus really did mean for it to be taken at face value.
So the day after their announcement of Remus' new position within the school, Lucius shows up, closely followed by Minerva McGonagall. Both surprised to see the other for half a second before realising they're here for the same reason.
"Kids, go back to the Manor," Lucius directs, for all the world sounding like 'Lord Malfoy' pure-blood aristocrat and not one to be argued with. The kids seem confused and worried but all go through, Draco and Theo hauling Vince and Greg away from their breakfasts. Jamie looks her Uncle over, Lucius' face softens as he nods once. She understands, takes Benni's hand, and goes through the floo as well.
"What's going on?" Severus asks, both he and his husband watching their guests warily as they join them at the table.
"Have either of you seen the Prophet yet?" Minerva asks, Remus and Severus both shake their heads. Lucius grabs the copy he sees on the corner of the table and passes it to them.
"I realise this is very inappropriate but, of all the people to work out how to do this, I am completely unsurprised it was him," Severus tells them all, Lucius sighs at him though none disagree, "Re?" Remus has frozen, staring at the Newspaper, hands shaking as he holds it, Severus puts his hands over them, pulling his Husband against him.
"We're concerned he may go after Harry." Remus bolts upright.
"Why the hell would he do that?!"
"He handed the boy's parents over to you-know-who with the intention of him being killed, no doubt he'll want to finish the job!" Remus looks at Minerva with some mix between shock and horror before he simply gets up and storms out of the room.
"He's been a bit…touchy, lately," Severus tells them, "Even excluding…well…a lot got brought back up."
"So long as he doesn't drink himself into St Mungos again," Lucius comments dryly, eyeing the largely empty liquor cabinet.
"Yes, that is one thing I also felt to mention, he is aware that that…habit is going to have to be broken before he gets to the school, yes?" Severus nods.
"Albus brought it up when he came here after… anyway, it's not exactly a secret he's got an on-going problem there. Remus has always said he's not an alcoholic, guess this is his chance to prove it."
"You seem awfully calm about Black's escape," Lucius observes, Severus sighs.
"Oh good, I was hoping it was working." Lucius and Minerva look slightly amused for a fraction of a second.
"I know you two have spent years looking into what happened, trying to prove his innocence. Do you still believe him innocent?" Severus nods.
"I don't know what happened that night, but I do know Sirius Black, and he didn't do it. He's also not going to hurt Harry. That being said, if he tries, it won't work."
"You're sure?" Minerva asks, Severus smiles lightly though it does not reach his eyes.
"Minnie, my husband is a Werewolf who considers twelve of those students to be his Pack's cubs. If Black is guilty, and if he poses a threat to the school or its students, he will not be getting away this time."
"And you?" Lucius asks, Severus seems confused, "If it is you who's confronted with him?"
"He's not laying a hand on any of my students." The two seem satisfied with this, both standing to leave.
"Don't be surprised if someone from the Ministry shows up to speak to you both," Minerva warns.
"Would you like me to take the kids tonight," Lucius offers, Severus shakes his head.
"No, I appreciate the offer but, I'd really rather have them with us." Lucius nods.
"Of course. You know where to find me if you need me."
Jamie and Benoit aren't all that surprised to come back and find a very drunk parent throwing up with another exasperatedly rubbing circles into the first one's back, a helpless and resigned look on his face mirrored by the kids.
NOTES:
French translations were done on google translate and thus can be guaranteed to be grammatically incorrect. However, what I was aiming for is this:
"Hi Dad. Come to join the game?"
"Oh no, Father, the fun is just beginning."
