A/N I AM SO SORRY IT'S TAKEN SO LONG!
You would think that minus 40 before windchill would make cozying up and writing an easy thing to do right? Yeah, Didn't work as well as I'd've liked it to, but I've been trying to edit this for awhile and I think I've got it now. Do enjoy.
And, yeah, I still don't lay claim to much.
6 January 1974
The Lupin family opted to apparate to King's Cross to put the boys on the Express, the alternative being a lengthy, cramped, and bumpy car ride. Lyall had taken his eldest son to St. Mungo's the day after he'd arrived at their cottage, but brain and spinal injuries were not something that the medical community liked to trifle with, even with magic on their side. Romulus was better than he had been by far, but there was only so far the healers were willing to take things before allowing him to heal on his own. As it was, the two boys were weary and under the weather when they arrived on the platform. Romulus, though free of the brace, was still stiff, sore, and remarkably silent.
Remus was dealing with his usual pre-moon jitters. He'd been up since before the crack of dawn. He was bursting with so much energy that he didn't actually think it was possible to burn it all. He had a craving for a rare steak despite having eaten breakfast less than twenty minutes previous. And his senses were on overdrive; lights were brighter, sounds were louder, smells were more pungent, and every brush of his jumper against his skin felt more like an itchy scratch of rough wool despite his clothes being so well worn that they were incredibly soft.
Moony, as the wolf had been dubbed- which was also used interchangeably with his own name by his friends, was agitated, irritable, and obsessively protective. Which in turn made Remus twitchy, snippy, and paranoid.
Arriving on the platform at a quarter to eleven didn't exactly help matters either. Having bade Mr. Mynarski goodbye at the house, the Lupins made their farewells to their father and clambered onto the train, the cacophony of the platform only slightly muffled.
"Moony! We were wondering when you'd show up!" Peter called from the end of the car. "We're down this way." Remus turned his wince into a nod and heaved his trunk to follow Peter. Romulus followed suit, pulling his wheeled case behind him since his trunk was still in New Brunswick.
"Is that Lupin?"
"Course it's Lupin, he's with Pettigrew."
"No, they're both there!"
"Lupin, you alright?"
"Where've you been mate?"
The relief when the trio finally entered the compartment three cars down and shut the door was evident. Romulus collapsed into the seat, his eyes closed and his head against the wall. Remus was about to join him when he was enveloped in a rather fierce hug from Sirius. Remus's back went ramrod straight and every fibre in his being stiffened.
"Could you please let go?" Sirius, who had spent the holidays with his parents, had flung himself at his friend as he had as each of the others arrived. "Sirius?"
"I think he's had enough mate." James said gently, coming to Remus's rescue.
Awkwardly. Sirius let go and retreated. Muttering his apologies all the way. A faint smirk ghosted across Romulus's face before the compartment door slid open and a Hufflepuff in their year poked her head in, taking a moment to look between the brothers before settling on Romulus. "Lupin! So the rumours are true! It's so good to see you again. Where have you been?"
While Romulus said nothing, Remus felt the urge to growl at Pinto. Romulus just stared blankly at the doorway, and a frown creased it's way across Pina Pinto's mouth. "Are you alright?" she asked, tilting her head to meet his eyes.
"He's a bit under the weather at the moment. Still weary from the road here." Remus supplied, mentally shouting at Moony to calm the hell down.
"Oh, well, I'll see you in class then." And with that, the door slid shut once again.
The elephant in the room, while not mentioned as pleasantries and stories were exchanged between James and Peter, still hung heavy in the air and curious glances were directed at Romulus every few minutes. Remus sprung to his feet the moment the door closed after the fourth 'well wisher'- a seventh year Ravenclaw who seemed more interested in gossip than her housemate's well-bering. "We'll see you later,'' Remus stated briskly. "Need some air." He gently tugged his brother's hand and left the compartment without another word. Had he glanced back, he would have seen the baffled silent conversation between the remaining three occupants.
He'd let go of Romulus's hand, but continued to lead him to the end of the train, shooting razor sharp glares at anyone who dared so much as look at the pair as they walked. Just before the door that led to the back of the train, Remus grabbed his brother's hand again and slid sideways into the abandoned tea compartment. He lifted his wand and siphoned as much of the dust from the surfaces as he could before plopping the pair of them onto an old and moth-eaten sofa.
The first half of the journey was quiet and uninterrupted after the move to the tea compartment. Romulus was asleep on the sofa, which was really more of a loveseat, crumpled against his brother. Remus was startled out of his daze when he heard stuttering footsteps enter the compartment- they stopped almost immediately.
Standing in the doorway, looking incredibly torn between wanting to stay and wanting to turn and find somewhere else, was Severus Snape. He met his peer's eyes with his usual sneer, but behind it was a very well masked plea for mercy. If the full moon hadn't been so near, and Moony less active, he wouldn't have noticed. But the fuller the moon got, the sharper his senses got. It was irritating, really, to be able to make out conversation from across the great hall when it was full of chattering students, or to be able to smell what someone had eaten for breakfast four hours after they'd eaten it. Smelling emotions was something that was new to Remus. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew that Snape smelled nervous.
After an eternity that was probably mere seconds, Remus nodded his head to the side, indicating a vacant seat that was relatively dust-free.
Snape raised his brow.
"What?" Remus asked quietly, trying not to wake his brother. "Do you think I hexed it and waited in an abandoned compartment for three hours just to get a laugh?"
"It's not below you." Snape shrugged, "Why else would you camp out in this dingy place?"
Remus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Probably for a reason similar to yours." he said as his classmate sat, almost snorting when Snape seemed pleasantly surprised that nothing happened. "Rom's been through a lot lately, and we aren't exactly in the mood to be hounded about what's happened."
Snape accepted the explanation with a nod and pulled a battered old book from his bag and was engrossed in seconds.
Upon arriving at the castle, Romulus ducked immediately out of the throng and bolted up the marble stairs. Those that noticed him go, let him. Remus knew that he'd have been tugged along if he'd been needed, but what the Ravenclaw needed was some time alone with his thoughts. Remus walked all the way to the front of the hall to the head table and stopped in front of Professor Flitwick.
The hall quieted significantly. Students just didn't walk up to the table that often. Unless they were James Potter or Sirius Black, in which case it usually resulted in entertainment and detentions for the pair.
He could feel hundreds of eyes on his back. He could almost taste the curiosity. SO he took a breath, squared his shoulders, and looked across the Head Table at the tiny professor. "Could I have a word?" he asked, just loudly enough that Flitwick could hear him.
"Of course my boy." he replied, even more softly that Remus had spoked, knowing that he would be heard, before hopping off his high stool and leading the way to a chamber off the hall.
"I can get Minerva you know, she's just-
"No, sir. That's alright. It's you I wanted to speak with."
"I take it this had something to do with the young man I saw try to sneak upstairs?"
"Yes sir." Flitwick nodded for Remus to continue, so he did. "I'm not sure how much you know about what happened…"
"Nothing, I'm afraid. Mrs. Betts has not sent any word, and I've never had any correspondence from his stepfather. I'm not sure he knows how to contact me come to think of it."
"He does. Well, Ben can use owls at least. Anyway, Romulus was… well, he was sort of abducted and then he was pretty hurt and he hasn't said anything but-"
"Remus," the professor interrupted gently, "I appreciate you telling me, but this is really something that I should discuss with his mother."
An uncomfortable silence followed, "I…" Remus broke the quiet after only a moment, "I don't think that'll be happening Professor."
The half-goblin sat with a sigh. "I'm afraid that if he's run off again, I do need to notify his guardians Mr. Lupin. I can't just turn a blind eye and pretend he isn't here."
"That's not what I meant sir."
Flitwick watched his student shift uncomfortably from foot to foot confusion all over his face before a sorrowful understanding settled upon his features. "Are you sure?" The question was whispered, but the meaning echoed in the room.
"No."
"But you are confident."
Remus merely nodded his confirmation, eyes on the floor while Flitwick took in the information.
"Do you mind my asking how you know?" the small professor asked, his tone indicating that it was indeed a question rather than a polite instruction.
"I'd rather not." He murmured, not that he would have agreed anyway.
"Thank you my boy, I'll make sure to keep an eye on him."
Remus nodded once more and returned to the place that had been saved for him at the Gryffindor table; Flitwick presumably left through another door because he didn't return to the hall. His friends managed to disperse the hush that had fallen upon his return by hopping up on the table and demanding to know who he'd been snogging and why Sirius hadn't been invited.
As he slowly came to after the first full moon of term, Remus became increasingly aware of a numbness. Of the only part of his body that didn't hurt like hell became his focal point. The point for concern. Eventually he realized that he couldn't feel his right arm at all. Did I rip my own arm off?! Did I mangle it so badly that Pomfrey had to amputate it? As he lay in the hospital wing, trying to coax his eyes open, he decided tht maybe that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It's not as if it's my wand arm… and that makes five less claws to shred me apart…
"Lupin! I told you to stay in bed!" The matron's clipped tone pulled Remus from his thoughts and pulled his eyes open. She must have noticed his stirring, because Pomfrey looked straight at him and said "And if you set one foot on that floor I will strap you to the bed." Remus followed her gaze as she continued, setting her focus on her next patient. "In bed or back to class."
It took a moment for everything to start to make sense, but when his brain focussed and took in it's senses, Remus found himself looking at a near mirror-image of himself. Romulus was pale and gaunt, with dark rings under his eyes and his head had been lolled against Remus's shoulder where he appeared to have slept. With a barely perceptible nod, Remus indicated that his brother should listen to their keeper.
For Romulus's sake, Remus stayed in the hospital wing until Madam Pomfrey let him leave in time for dinner on Friday.
Romulus definitely needed the rest. In the great hall, Romulus barely gave his own house table a glance, bearing left behind Remus to the Gryffindor table. When he still followed towards the tower, Remus pulled James to the side.
"Why do you need to sneak into the tower Remus? You live there!" he whispered across the alcove he'd been pulled into.
"I don't think McGonagall would be too pleased about Rom slipping into another common room again, and unless you want him to know about the cloak…"
"Wait," James put his hand up to stop Remus. "He's coming into the tower?"
Remus glanced out at his brother with a resigned sigh before responding. "He's not sleeping James." A hand went up. "I know what you're thinking, and he's not really… dreamless sleep isn't a good idea. He's been through his own personal hell. I'll take the floor, but he hasn't been able to sleep without me in the room since he showed up." I happen to sleep a lot better with him there too, but James doesn't need to know that.
James's features softened and he pulled the silvery cloak from his pocket. "It's your own fault if you get stepped on."
Remus tucked the cloak into his own pocket and ducked back into the corridor. "I've got to make a detour, but I'll meet you back in the dorms."
"Moony, you know we have a toilet in the tower right?" Peter asked.
Remus shrugged. "I mean, if you want me to drop the load adjacent to your bedroom then I will…"
"Go." Sirius interrupted. "I'd like to be able to wank in the shower without needing to vomit."
He didn't actually go to the loo. Remus just ducked around the corner and threw the invisibility cloak over himself, following at a distance and then waiting to gain entrance with the next group to request admittance from the Fat Lady.
The next several weeks progressed in a similar manner. The Lupins became interchangeable in classes, and those few professors who realized the change were complicit. Marking each student's work as their own.
Most days of the week, Remus pretended to be in Ravenclaw, giving Romulus the advantage of being less prominent- the attention that the Gryffindors drew was at the group, not the individual. And, let's face it, Remus was enjoying the absence of Slughorn's disdain in potions.
In the evenings, one of the Lupins would slip into the Gryffindor common room, unnoticed by the portrait and the prefects. True to his word, Remus had given his bed to his brother and had taken the floor himself. That lasted all of three hours before Rom snapped awake in a cold sweat and dropped his hand off the bed to grasp his brother's. If the other boys noticed, they didn't say anything. Between the three of them, they'd experienced several instances of a half-asleep Remus growling at them if they walked too close.
Sirius, of all people, had delicately broached the subject of Romulus's disappearance to Simmons and MacArthur, and they had agreed to only disclose it to Flitwick if the need arose, claiming that they had grown accustomed to the silence, but that they were relieved that their roommate was alive.
By Romulus's birthday at the end of January, Remus was starting to question whether or not the arrangement was as temporary as he had made it out to be. He debated broaching the subject to Madam Pomfrey to see if there was a way to help. As much as he loved impersonating his half-brother, Remus did miss being himself. And he knew that his friends missed it-and their privacy. Whether they mentioned it or not.
Moony told him to shut up whenever such thoughts arose.
Whenever Moony deigned to make an appearance, Remus closed his eyes and focused on the fortress in his mind, shuttering the windows and deadbolting the doors that had worked their way open. But everytime he did that, Moony got agitated, and whenever Moony got agitated, Remus got agitated.
The new routine continued, uninterrupted but for detentions and Romulus's birthday-Peter and James had disappeared from the dorm early that morning, long before breakfast. Remus only found out why after dinner, when every desert plate presented itself with a graham cracker-chocolate-marshmallow sandwich. They managed to pull a smile out of Romulus Lupin for the first time in weeks- until early March.
Professor Flitwick was standing just outside the great hall, pointing him out to a man dressed in an odd sort of uniform. He wore a brown hat with a wide brim, a bright red tunic with a leather belt and a white lanyard, and navy trousers with a bright yellow stripe that ballooned out from the hip to the knee. The tiny professor must have noticed the pair of them watching, because he jerked his head in signal. "We'll be back later." Remus offered to his friends, who had yet to notice anything out of the ordinary. "Don't wait up." He gently tugged on Romulus's arm and together they left the hall.
In Flitwick's office, the four sat around the desk, but Remus was still waiting. He'd heard another set of footsteps following them through the corridor. "Are we expecting anyone else Sir?"
The professor looked around and sighed. "Take off that cloak or get our Mr. Moody."
"Auror Moody." with a flourish and rippling air, Moody appeared. Since last they'd met, Moody had acquired a long scar running from his left ear across his neck. It was still fairly pink. "Can't never be too careful."
"I believe you are both acquainted with Auror Moody," Flitwick began before his old student cut him off.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that only one of you was abducted. Are we conspiring at something?"
"I don't believe you've met Constable Xavier Martin?" The charms professor inquired, ignoring Moody's question. Both Lupin boys shook their heads in the negative.
Constable Martin offered his hand across the table and both shook it, though Romulus was quite hesitant to do so. "I would like to know why there are two also. Not to accuse, simply for curiosity." Remus couldn't place the accent. It was all hard around the edges and fairly clipped.
Flitwick looked at Remus, as if asking for permission to divulge the answer. Remus looked at Romulus and swallowed. "Rom hasn't said anything since he got out of hospital."
"How do you help us then?" Moody grumbled. "He sign or somethin'?"
Remus shook his head. "I saw bits of it."
Moody nodded his head in understanding, but Martin just looked more confused. "Thought they broke the link." The auror said after a beat, Martin looking more and more lost.
"Holden Leeder tried to break the link connecting to a cursed letter that was sent, but he only ended up entangling himself in the magic." the professor explained. "He resigned in the hopes that a lack of contact would break that bond. But naturally occurring telepathic links are very rare. I don't know that anyone ever tried to sever one."
"You can think at one another?" Martin asked, somewhat in awe.
"Not really, It's more of a subconscious thing. I dream I'm him sometimes." Remus explained, motioning to his half-brother. "Not sure if it works the same the other way 'round" I sure as hell hope it doesn't. "But sometimes I'm him and sometimes I dream his nightmares."
All three men nodded in understanding, and the Constable, who Remus realized must be from the Bureau of Enforcement, Arrest, and Restrain of Canada, pulled a folder from his tunic and enlarged it.
As Remus relayed the few details he remembered- having only witnessed them second-hand and, while he didn't forget his own dreams completely, his recollection was fuzzy-and with each passing word, Romulus retreated further into himself. With each question in his direction- answered, assuming it was even acknowledged, with a sharp nod or shake of the head. With each movement, Remus heard his siblinlg's breathing shallow and his heart rate increase.
At long last, Remus had caught up to the part that he knew best. Because he had lived it, and what a strange experience that had been.
"It was dark when we finally came across a gravel road. Walked down the left of it for a bit, which was odd but I mean, they drive on the wrong side of the road," Martin cocked his head in such a way that got the point of 'we drive on the wrong side of the road? You Brits are the ones who are wrong' "so I, well, we just did it, and then there was a big car- not that it was a car for sure, it just sounded like a big engine and all I saw was lights- but then this voice popped into his head and said 'jump out of the shadows little Lupin' and jumping into the road just sort of happened as a reflex."
The law enforcement officials both furrowed their brows and scribbled out some final notes. "The rest we know from the police report." Martin placed his notes in the file and returned it to it's pocket, retrieving another in its place. Moody straightened and flicked his wand to check that the door was still locked and soundproofed. "Now, this may be distressing for both of you," Because we're the perfect bloody picture of calm now! Remus thought, his leg twitching in a rapid and restless pattern. "But I'm going to ask you to go over what we've found. Let me know if it gets to be too much." He opened the file. "A week ago a site was discovered in Maine near the Canadian border. It appears to have been a hunting camp of sorts at one time, but had been expanded," The constable pulled something from the stack of documents and slid it across the desk so that Remus and Romulus could see it.
It was an aerial photograph that showed a clearing in a dense forest. In the clearing were three buildings. Two were small and wooden, while the third was long, narrow, and stone. In the centre of the clearing was a burnt-out pile that must have been a fire pit. Next to a fine, squiggly gap in the tree canopy, was a single rusted farm truck.
Remus wasn't the only one to hear his brother's breath catch. The constable glanced down at the next document in his file and stood, tilting his head at the Auror to indicate that he'd like a word.
He tried not to listen. He really did. Remus just didn't try that hard not to eavesdrop. From another room, presumably the charms professor's quarters, the voices were low, but still quite clear to his ears.
"I understand this is your country, I know that, but this feels too much for the boy. Why do we not ask the stepfather?"
"Stepfather weren't there that's why"
"Maybe not, but surely he could identify his own wife. Putting this on a fourteen year old seems a bit insensitive."
"Insensitive? The boy could have information vital to your investigation!"
"He is also already traumatized."
Remus missed the last of the conversation because Flitwick had to excuse himself for class, but had wanted to ensure that they were all right. "I can send for a professor who isn't teaching." But both Lupins shook their heads. Having an adult present wasn't going to suddenly make anything any less difficult.
With a sigh and an uneasy glance between them, Moody and Martin returned to their seats. "Do you recognize that place?" Moody asked, pointing to the image on the desk.
Romulus pulled the photo closer, hands trembling- he nodded.
"Are you sure?" Moody asked, Yes "There are interior shots as well." No. The shaking of the head was significantly more frantic than the nodding .
"I'm sorry you had to stay in such squalor." Martin soothed. He pulled another photo up from the pile, but he didn't show it to them straight away. "There was no one living there when it was discovered, but there were, ah…"
"Remains" Supplied Moody quietly.
Romulus's face paled and his brow began to shine with sweat. The image was placed on the desk and slid towards them. Remus fought the urge to vomit. It was a picture of a woman's face, and Remus couldn't take his eyes off of it. The blood had been cleaned away, but the skin was pale and littered with scratches. On the neck and shoulders the scratches were closer to the gouges that Remus had seen on the walls in the cellar, the furniture in the shack, his own body. Chunks of flesh were missing- throat ripped out by animals.
"Put it away." Romulus demanded, his voice slightly raw from disuse, suddenly on his feet.
Moody was the first to react. He snatched the image from the desk and flipped it over, returning it to the bottom of the file with an apologetic glance at the remaining three in the room. "Would you be able to identify this person for us?" he asked with surprising gentleness in his voice.
But Romulus was on his feet, violently pacing the room. Remus on the other hand couldn't get the picture out of his head. But he hadn't actually noticed the face; he'd been drawn to the rest of it. And he was trying very desperately to keep his meal. The full moon was the next night and as much as he hated it, he'd learned the hard way that he needed as much nourishment as he could in the days leading up to it.
"Ça ira, calmez vous s'il-vous plaît…" Ah, Remus thought, recognizing a few words, strange as they sounded. He's French. It must've slipped out in a moment of panic, but it did get Romulus to stop pacing.
"Calm down?" He wasn't shouting, his voice was low, and dangerous, and scared. "You show me my mother mauled on a slab and tell me to calm down!" The pacing resumed. "I heard what happened! Who in their right fucking mind thinks that a teenager needs to see it?" By the end, he was shouting. He pulled Remus, still in a trance of sorts, up by the shoulder and steered him out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them. It made a muffled thump as it closed and was not nearly as satisfying as it should have been.
Remus found himself jerkily steered down the hall and through another doorway. "Out." Romulus growled, and a light pattering of feet scampered out of the room. Remus was led forward, turned a few steps and released as his guide finally collapsed against a wall and began to sob. A bathroom. They were in a bathroom. Romulus had read his brother well, the second his shoulder had been released, Remus lunged forward, dropped to his knees, and lost the battle with his breakfast.
A/N Again, I'm REALLY sorry it took so long to update. Getting home at five thirty and havaing the sun already have been down for two hours throws you for a bit of a loop when it comes to productivity in the evenings. I really enjoy hearing what you have to say, so if htere's anything you'd like to say or ask, please do. Hopefully it won't be so long between chapters again.
The One Eyed Wolf- OUT 31 JAN 2021
