Chain of Being: Chapter 2

Vis felt an uprooted root hit his heel and narrowly avoided tripping. "Really, guys, what have I ever done to you?" He swallowed hard and raised both hands in a pathetic attempt at defending himself from the gang of three boys in a semicircle around him. "I didn't do anything."

            "You're alive, isn't that enough?" sneered the one in the middle. "Who do you think you are, freak?"

            "Vis Wane. Thought you knew that, Trenor." Bad move. Damn his smart ass mouth.

            The boy on the left kicked out a foot and Vis landed hard on the grass. He threw back a hand to push himself up. A foot stomped down on it, clamping his hand to the ground.

            "Get off!" yelped Vis. It's not like it hurt that bad. Actually, he was more relieved that Trenor wasn't wearing his baseball shoes.

            "Think you're special, don't you, freak?" asked Trenor, his foot still on Vis's hand. "Think you're better than us?"

            "No, I don't," said Vis. He yanked at his hand. It didn't budge. 

            "I don't want your cheek," snapped Trenor. He looked over at one of the other boys, a particularly bulky one with a crew cut. "Jack."

            Jack nodded and went behind Vis to yank both hands behind him. Vis cried out in surprise. He hadn't expected that. He couldn't figure out if it was it the fact Jack was faster than he looked or that he now had no means of escape short of yanking both limbs off that made him worried.

            "I've seen you in class, freak," continued Trenor. "Looking quiet. All innocent. You're not. There's something about you that isn't right, freak." He knelt down to be at eyelevel with Vis. "Scared of everything, aren't you?"

            "No, I'm not."

            "You can't even look at the drinking fountain without crying out for your mum."

            Vis reddened. He didn't exactly cry out for his mum. Yelled in surprise, maybe, but that was it. "I didn't cry."

            "Now, how do you explain the fact something about you just isn't right?" asked Trenor.

"Jeez, c'mon Trenor. What did I do to you?"

            "Nothing and I'd like it to stay that way."

            "Shut up and move, freak," Said Jack. He prodded their prisoner in the back. Together, the boys shoved him to a tree and with the length of rope one of the boys had brought, started trying him to the tree.

            "Why are you doing this?!"  Vis kicked and flailed. It took all three boys to pin him to the tree.

            "Cuz you're a freak, Vis. A freak," sneered Trenor. He shoved his face close to Vis'. "There's just something about you that isn't right. And I don't like that." He glanced over his shoulder at his friends. "Let's say we have some fun." They nodded and took out a length of silver chain link. Vis' eyes widened.

            "No no no no no…" he pleaded. "C'mon guys, no no…"

            Trenor grinned. "What a baby.  We're just going to tie you up for a bit. Hopefully someone'll find you. If they do, you're not going to tell them anything, are you? You know we'll just come back and tie you up again, right?"

            Vis was still mesmerized by the chain, its silver gleaming in the sunlight. "No, no no…"

            "Freak," Trenor laughed. He went behind the tree and bound Vis's hands with the chain, snapping a padlock to close it. He paused a moment, wondering what smelled like something burning and why the hell Vis was yelling so much. "Shut up!" He gestured to Will and Jack to start binding his waist and legs to the tree.

"Let him go!" Howled a voice.

            Trenor whirled around and saw a man sprinting towards them. "Let's get out of here." The trio ran off towards the exit of the park.

            Remus ran up to Vis, still chained to the tree and withering in agony. "What did they do? Are you alright?"

            "Bloody hell! Do I look alright?!" screamed Vis. "Chain. They chained my hands. Get it off! Please!"

            Remus looked behind the tree and saw the boy's chained wrists. He grabbed at the chain. "Damn!" He automatically pulled his hands back, feeling the burn on his skin. They were silver chains…and they were eating into this poor boy's skin. Remus' mind reeled for a split second. This boy was the werewolf. There he was thinking he was to save a bunch of boys from a werewolf when in actuality he had to save the werewolf from the boys. He pulled out his wand from his belt and whispered quickly, "alohomora". Thank goodness for primitive Muggle locks. He used his wand to unwind the chain from the boy's hands. The movement stirred the burning smell in the air. As the chain fell to the ground, so did Vis. Remus rushed to the boy's aid.

            "Are you all right?" repeated Remus.

            Vis sat on the ground breathing shallow breaths, nursing his sore wrists. "Yeah, I think so." Seeing that he would live, Vis cleared his throat, trying to play it off, hoping the stranger wouldn't think he was a freak like Trenor had announced to the world. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just great."

            Remus held out a hand to help the boy up. Vis ignored it and pushed himself to his feet, much to the protest of his aching wrists. He stood, keeping his eyes to the ground, and dusted himself off.

            "How are your wrists? Can I do anything?" asked Remus know quite well it would take a good healing spell to cure that kind of burn.

             "Um, yeah, I'm fine. Nasty allergic reaction that's all," said Vis.

            "I'm glad to be of help," replied Remus. "Remus Lupin by the way." He stuck out his hand. Vis flickered his eyes at it then looked Remus full in the eyes. Ice blue, cold and glazed.

"Look, I know you meant well, thanks, but you just made the rest of my life a living hell." Vis turned on his heel and stalked off. Remus was not going to let this go. He immediately followed behind the boy.

            "What do you mean?"

            "Those guys you got rid off, they're in my school. A-List. The populars who scorn all who are not. Me, I'm the target of the year. Now they think I need a bodyguard to babysit me."

            Remus could see the reasoning behind Vis' attitude. "Why are you the target of the year?"

            "Cuz of everything." Vis stopped walking abruptly and lowered his head. "Everything." He shook his head and kept walking. "Why the hell am I telling you this. You're just another guy on the street who actually had the stupidity to have the heart to help a freak like me."

            "You're not a freak."

            "How would you know? You don't know me?"

            "I don't, I'll grant you that," said Remus. He paused a moment. Had he really intended on befriending the child? Well, he couldn't exactly leave him. The boy, Vis, was going through what he had gone through as a child. No, he would never abandon anyone in need, werewolf or not. Remus lowered his voice, "But if there's anything I do know, werewolves aren't freaks."

            Vis froze in mid-step. He whipped around, eyes wide in surprise. "How did you know?" he caught his slip and stammered, "Um, I don't know what you mean. There's no such thing as werewolves." He turned red.

            Remus permitted himself a small smile. "You haven't adapted to your senses have you?"

            Vis narrowed his eyes. Lycanthropy did enhance the senses, full moon or not, to a lower degree of course. He had noticed something strangely familiar about the stranger before but hadn't really thought of investigating. His nose itched. Remus caught his eyes.

            "What do you smell?"

            "Something familiar," said Vis. He rubbed his nose, still not used to the sensitivity. Whatever he was sensing was something he was used to…during a full moon! "You're a werewolf?!"

            "A little louder will you?" frowned Remus.

Vis lowered his voice. "You're a werewolf?!" he hissed. Remus nodded slowly. "Wow…" Vis sat down on the ground right then and there, pavement and all.

            Remus knelt down right next to him. "You've never met any of our kind before?"

            "No. Never. Can't, really," said Vis in an awed voice. He looked up at Remus. "You don't look like a freak."

            "I'll take that as a compliment."

            Vis stared at Remus a bit. "Wow…" He squinted at the man. "You don't look like a werewolf."

            "Well what did you expect?" scoffed Remus. "A hairy mean old hermit type man who lures people into his cave for food during the full moon?" When Vis diverted his eyes and remained silent, Remus had to take that as a yes. "Obviously we're not."

            "I thought it would come, you know, after puberty or something," Admitted Vis. He threw his head back, sending strands of his black hair out of his face. "Jeez, I never thought I'd meet another frea-, er, werewolf."

            "There's a first time for everything," offered Remus.

            "I suppose," Vis pushed a hand to the ground to push himself up. His wrists gave up on him half way and he fell back to the ground. Vis looked down at his wrists. He had forgotten about them. They were all red and a bit black at the edges of the wound. He winced.

            "May I see?" asked Remus. Vis looked at him, sizing him up for a moment. Seeing that there couldn't be any harm in it, he held out his wrists. Remus gently held Vis' elbow to steady the arm. He frowned. "That's a rather nasty burn. You'd better put a bit of silver healing potion on it." Vis tactfully diverted his eyes. "You do have silver healing potion at home, don't you?"

            Vis frowned and mumbled, "Not really."

"Great Merlin, why not?" exclaimed Remus. "That's standard first aid!"

"Yeah, for someone who can get that kind of stuff," snapped Vis. "I don't have access to that."

Remus shook his head. "No matter," he took Vis by the elbow and helped the boy to his feet. "I'll prepare a vial for you." He started to walk off towards the exit of the park.

Vis blinked, unsure of what was going on for a moment. "Hey wait!" he jogged to catch up to Remus. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll have to make the potion for you. We'll need to go to my house for the ingredients."

"Hey, I'm not going to your house, you might try to, I don't know, rape me or kill me or something," protested Vis.

Remus looked at him, amused. "You're completely right but I assure you I will not do any of the sort. You have absolutely no reason to trust me. I am a dark creature as well after all," he lifted an eyebrow at the boy. "I'll prepare it on my front steps, so you can see what I'm putting in it, and you won't be in my house where I get you in a dark corner and have my way with you."

Vis seemed satisfied. "Lead the way." They were a few steps past the gate of the park when Vis thought to ask, "It's not far, is it?"

"On the outskirts of town actually," admitted Remus. "Not too far. I usually apparate to the city. It's really too bad you're not of age."

Vis cocked his head to the side and regarded Remus with interest. "Mr. Lupin?"

"Remus will do fine."

"Er, yes."

"What is it?"

"Are you a witch?"

Remus snorted and gave Vis a bemused look. "Excuse me?"

"Are you a witch?" repeated Vis. "You know, can you do hocus pocus and stuff?"

            Remus stifled his laughter. The question was just so innocent and so badly worded that he had to laugh. "Yes, Vis, I am, but for future reference, Magical women are witches and Magical men are Wizards."

            "Oh," Vis blushed. "Right. Sorry."

            "Quite all right," assured Remus. "I assume you are Muggle born."

            "More or less." Vis didn't bother to elaborate. "What's apperate?"

            "Apparition is when you disappear from somewhere to a different location via magic. It's very risky if you don't know how to do it, that's why minors are not allowed. You even need a license."

            "Magical poof-ing from place to place like the transporters in Star Trek."

            Remus rolled the analogy around in his brain, thankful he had made A's in Muggle Studies. "Yes, I suppose." They walked in silence for a few minutes before Remus finally announced, "Here we are."

            Vis looked up at the house they had stopped in front of. It was a small, slightly battered house with the forest at its back. Its pale gray shingles looked as if they had seen the worst and were living only to tell about it. There was a set of four steps leading up to a tiny front porch surrounded by white wood railing.

            "Expecting a haunted abandoned house? Or a cave, perhaps?"

            "No, not at all…it's nice."

            Remus rolled his eyes. "Right." It was all he could afford on his limited budget. He climbed up the steps. "Would you mind waiting out here while I fetch the potion ingredients?" Vis shook his head. "I wont be long." He disappeared past the stained front door and into the house.

            Vis looked around the porch to find a place to sit. No swinging bench, or plastic lawn chair, or even a garbage pail. He found a decently clean spot on the wooden deck and sat down Indian style. Remus appeared a few minutes later with a packing crate in his arms. It took him a second to realize Vis was on the ground. "Nearly missed you." He set the crate next to Vis and took his own seat. "Hopefully no one will care to look at what we're doing."

             Vis glanced over his shoulder. It was a dead end street, plus there were no people in sight. "Coast is clear." He watched Remus unpack a standard sized caudron and several vials of powders and multicolored liquids. "What's with the pot?"

            "Cauldron."

            "What you said."

            "Obviously it's where I'm gong to brew the potion."

            "Don't you need to have a fire or something to…I dunno…cook it?"

            "Yes, thank you for the reminder," Remus took out his wand and mumbled a few words. A little blue flame erupted underneath the cauldron. When he looked up, Vis' jaw was nearly on the floor.

            "You have a wand too?"

            "Oak, 11 inches. Werewolf hair core," said Remus automatically. "Ollivander never let up about it. Not too many of them around, after all."

            "Who's Ollivander?"

            "He's a maker of wands."

            "There's a wand store?"

            Remus shook his head. Muggles were so deprived. "Yes." Vis watched as he combined the necessary ingredients to make the healing potion. As the last bit hit the bubbling potion, a light poof of smoke went up from the cauldron. Remus carefully poured the potion into a flask and presented it to Vis. "There you are, Vis. One batch of silver healing potion. It'll speed up the healing process on any burn caused by a silver object…depending on its severity of course."

            Vis took the flask and swished its contents a bit, entranced by the swirling liquid. "Are you sure it'll work?"

            Remus took the flask back in one hand and held out the other hand for Vis to see. There were faint burn marks on the tips of his fingers. "I got that while I was trying to untie you," he explained. Remus tipped a couple drops of potion onto the burn. It disappeared within a few seconds.

            "Wicked…" muttered Vis. Remus gestured for Vis to give him his wrists. Vis complied. Remus poured several drops onto Vis' badly burned wrists. The burn slowly faded from being utterly raw to medium rare. "Hey, it's still charred around the edges."

"It'll take a couple more treatments to fully heal, and even then it'll be a little sore. But it's better than running around with a pair of first degree burns."

            Vis stared at his wrists, "Yeah." He knew what that felt like. He tugged his sleeves over the burns.

            "Three drops per hour for the next four," said Remus. He corked the vial and handed it to Vis, "Understood?"

            "Yes sir," Vis gripped the neck of the flask, "Thank you." He shot up from his sitting position and stood uneasily over Remus. "I…I've never seen anything like that…that magic before. I've never had any werewolf medicine either," he shook his head, "I don't even know why I'm trusting you."

            Remus stood up slowly, "I don't mean any harm."

"I know," said Vis quickly. "I…I just…I just know too much about my…uh, our kind."

"I figured as much," said Remus. "I'd be happy to answer any of your questions."

            "Thanks but…" Vis trailed off. "See, my mom…" he backed down the steps. "I'd better get going. Thanks a lot Mr. Lupin."

Remus watched the boy retreat down the block, "Anytime."