Awkward: Quite a story, huh? The only characters a writer can use to
lighten the story are either killed or imprisoned. And Remus isn't really
the one to joke. So, yes, it's hard. I had to laugh when you said I had
great control. My first intentions were only to mention James and Sirius
and Peter every once in a while when it seemed necessary. Then it became
that thirty or so chapters from their point of view seemed necessary. I
really couldn't control myself. Once again, I think I wrote too much. On
with the chapter, then.
This Parrot has ceased to Be: I don't recommend it, really. I would before, but it's not very well written. It would explain why I don't kill Jamie (did I spoil that?), and what happens to her, etc, etc, but you don't have to.
Prongs4: Yeah, it's Luna Lovegood. She played a role in Jamie's story, and this is sort of where the mystery is solved. At least for those who read the story.
Nikki: Yeah, Rebecca dies, but not Jamie. The only reason Jamie's in here is because she's the main character in my first story (which I don't recommend reading because it's nearly a year old now and not very well written).
GollumGal: Oh no. Hmmmm... Lupin won't know about Sirius because in book 3 he still isn't sure (until he finds Pettigrew, that is). But I will have a certain someone hint at it at the very very end. Please, oh please oh please don't hate me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since losing everyone around him, it'd been increasingly difficult to harness himself.
Remus waited, looked back at his house, decided he was too close, and began to walk further through the trees until he could see nothing but the woods around him. He was lost – and he desperately hoped that's how it would stay.
He fiddled with the edge of the sleeve of his cloak. He knew he would most likely destroy his clothes after transforming. He'd never minded before, but this was one of his last. Sure, the Lupins had been fairly wealthy, but they'd also been dead for four years. And with his condition, Remus found it hard to find any paid work to keep things going.
And with one child, and another on the way, he wouldn't have any room for wasting a thing.
The wind blew like harsh ice, Remus shivered violently, and immediately decided against it. Either he woke in the morning with torn robes, or he woke in the morning near frozen to death.
Hesitantly, he approached a strong-rooted tree, and brought out a long cord of rope. He was shaking now. His hands were too cold to tie the knots.
He brought out his wand, and bound himself to the tree as tightly as possible. His hand limp in it's place on the tree, he dropped his wand to the ground.
His arms were open, as if beckoning the wolf to posses him.
The moon rose, and before he could properly contemplate it's beauty, he lost awareness of the world around him.
The moonlight struck him, subtly at first like a thousand needles moving across his skin, then twisting inside as his bones reconfigured.
The pain wrenched him from his upright position, and the thick ropes cut into his skin. His mind told him to scream, but all that issued from his mouth was an infuriated howl.
His heart abandoned its customary rhythm – bringing forth a faster, wilder beat... the beat of war drums. The heartbeat of a hunter.
Someone had bound him here on purpose... to starve him. He snarled, and turned his head towards the ropes that held him.
The floodgates of rage were opened, and the wolf could still sense the pain of the man. Whatever thoughts Remus had kept inside of him – all the pent up feelings – were here to be spent on this wretched wolf's violent struggle to free himself and tear the world to pieces.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Where's Father, Mum?"
Rebecca smiled. Jamie sounded far too eloquent for a two year old in muggle standards, only proving she had to have some magical ability. The body grew twice as fast, so the child had time enough for their magic to develop as well.
Rebecca stopped smiling, letting the question register in her mind. "He's..." She hesitated, resorting to simple honesty. "He's in the forest, dear."
Jamie giggled. "Why's he in there?"
Rebecca suddenly concluded a bit of story-telling wouldn't hurt. "He's out... saving someone. Someone defenseless."
"Do they live in the woods?"
"They come and go."
"What's he saving them from?"
Torture was too strong a word for her, but it was all that fit. "A monster," she said.
Jamie grew excited. "What kind of monster?"
Rebecca hushed Jamie because Luna was sleeping. But in her mind it was because she didn't have an answer Jamie would understand.
Jamie lowered her voice obediently. "He's fighting it right now?"
Rebecca twisted the wedding band that she bore on her left hand. Her eyes searched the ceiling for nothing in particular.
"Yeah. He's fighting his monster."
~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed and things got no better. Weeks then rolled into months and what was no better grew worse.
Money had become tight – too tight. It seemed the roof over their head and the clothes on their backs was all they had left of the living Remus Lupin's parents had made.
Remus was downtrodden, defeated, desparate – but Rebecca seemed impervious... even cheerful.
She smiled at him. "Things'll get better," she'd say.
If things were getting better, Remus couldn't see it.
Luna was walking after a few months; a sure sign she was a witch. On the other hand, the talking would need some working on. She was still babbling nonsense, but Remus had to admit it was cute.
He had received a letter from Dumbledore basically listing what the Order had recovered from Godric's Hollow – for whoever it may have held value to to come forward and claim what was left. Remus faintly wondered why Dumbledore had waited so long to tell him while his eyes scanned the list.
They were small things – a chair here, a book there. But there was something at the bottom of the list that caught his interest. A mirror. A small, charmed mirror.
~
"McGonagall must've thought I was talking to myself."
"Flitwick was oblivious. I used a muffling charm."
"No wonder I could barely hear you," James had muttered.
Remus recalled raising his head irritably. "What's this noise about?"
"McGonagall thought she could split us up by giving us separate detentions."
Sirius had stood proudly in light of his brilliant plan. "But we thought differently."
"Nobody separates Sirius Black and James Potter."
Remus could remember rolling his eyes. "I should have known."
~
He shook off the memory. That mirror might have held some value to James – or even Sirius for his own twisted reasons – but it certainly did Remus no good.
Where the other mirror was, he didn't know. He assumed it was with Sirius... but Sirius was gone. Maybe it was still with the rest of his things at the flat – assuming he still had the flat.
Perhaps he'd sold it right before in preparation for running. Or maybe he'd planned on killing everyone who could testify of his guilt so there'd be no need to.
What had he been planning? When he came down to the bare basics of this plan of dear Padfoot's, Remus found it wasn't as morbidly brilliant as it had seemed. It was rather rash, as if prepared in a hurry.
Remus laughed dryly. It was exactly the kind of thing Sirius would come up with.
Numbly, he threw the letter in the fire, with no intention of replying.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lucius sat amidst an air of superiority. The chair he had positioned himself in was high backed, elegant, and somewhat exalting.
He waited patiently until the doors had been closed, and the lights turned off upstairs. Then he smiled.
Everything he could ask for was before him – money, family, and a shameful yet prideful corrupt popularity among those high in office. But one thing was not within his grasp – the satisfaction of completion. Lucius Malfoy was a man that always carried out his plans.
And his plans were murderous. He concluded Jamie didn't matter anymore – it was too late. They'd already impressed upon her their disgusting tolerance of the filth around them. Whether out of vengeance, fear of prosecution, or just sheer annoyance, Lucius planned on ridding his life completely of Rebecca's presence.
And, he thought, what better day than the day of the full moon?
~~~~~~~~~~
This Parrot has ceased to Be: I don't recommend it, really. I would before, but it's not very well written. It would explain why I don't kill Jamie (did I spoil that?), and what happens to her, etc, etc, but you don't have to.
Prongs4: Yeah, it's Luna Lovegood. She played a role in Jamie's story, and this is sort of where the mystery is solved. At least for those who read the story.
Nikki: Yeah, Rebecca dies, but not Jamie. The only reason Jamie's in here is because she's the main character in my first story (which I don't recommend reading because it's nearly a year old now and not very well written).
GollumGal: Oh no. Hmmmm... Lupin won't know about Sirius because in book 3 he still isn't sure (until he finds Pettigrew, that is). But I will have a certain someone hint at it at the very very end. Please, oh please oh please don't hate me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since losing everyone around him, it'd been increasingly difficult to harness himself.
Remus waited, looked back at his house, decided he was too close, and began to walk further through the trees until he could see nothing but the woods around him. He was lost – and he desperately hoped that's how it would stay.
He fiddled with the edge of the sleeve of his cloak. He knew he would most likely destroy his clothes after transforming. He'd never minded before, but this was one of his last. Sure, the Lupins had been fairly wealthy, but they'd also been dead for four years. And with his condition, Remus found it hard to find any paid work to keep things going.
And with one child, and another on the way, he wouldn't have any room for wasting a thing.
The wind blew like harsh ice, Remus shivered violently, and immediately decided against it. Either he woke in the morning with torn robes, or he woke in the morning near frozen to death.
Hesitantly, he approached a strong-rooted tree, and brought out a long cord of rope. He was shaking now. His hands were too cold to tie the knots.
He brought out his wand, and bound himself to the tree as tightly as possible. His hand limp in it's place on the tree, he dropped his wand to the ground.
His arms were open, as if beckoning the wolf to posses him.
The moon rose, and before he could properly contemplate it's beauty, he lost awareness of the world around him.
The moonlight struck him, subtly at first like a thousand needles moving across his skin, then twisting inside as his bones reconfigured.
The pain wrenched him from his upright position, and the thick ropes cut into his skin. His mind told him to scream, but all that issued from his mouth was an infuriated howl.
His heart abandoned its customary rhythm – bringing forth a faster, wilder beat... the beat of war drums. The heartbeat of a hunter.
Someone had bound him here on purpose... to starve him. He snarled, and turned his head towards the ropes that held him.
The floodgates of rage were opened, and the wolf could still sense the pain of the man. Whatever thoughts Remus had kept inside of him – all the pent up feelings – were here to be spent on this wretched wolf's violent struggle to free himself and tear the world to pieces.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Where's Father, Mum?"
Rebecca smiled. Jamie sounded far too eloquent for a two year old in muggle standards, only proving she had to have some magical ability. The body grew twice as fast, so the child had time enough for their magic to develop as well.
Rebecca stopped smiling, letting the question register in her mind. "He's..." She hesitated, resorting to simple honesty. "He's in the forest, dear."
Jamie giggled. "Why's he in there?"
Rebecca suddenly concluded a bit of story-telling wouldn't hurt. "He's out... saving someone. Someone defenseless."
"Do they live in the woods?"
"They come and go."
"What's he saving them from?"
Torture was too strong a word for her, but it was all that fit. "A monster," she said.
Jamie grew excited. "What kind of monster?"
Rebecca hushed Jamie because Luna was sleeping. But in her mind it was because she didn't have an answer Jamie would understand.
Jamie lowered her voice obediently. "He's fighting it right now?"
Rebecca twisted the wedding band that she bore on her left hand. Her eyes searched the ceiling for nothing in particular.
"Yeah. He's fighting his monster."
~~~~~~~~~~
Weeks passed and things got no better. Weeks then rolled into months and what was no better grew worse.
Money had become tight – too tight. It seemed the roof over their head and the clothes on their backs was all they had left of the living Remus Lupin's parents had made.
Remus was downtrodden, defeated, desparate – but Rebecca seemed impervious... even cheerful.
She smiled at him. "Things'll get better," she'd say.
If things were getting better, Remus couldn't see it.
Luna was walking after a few months; a sure sign she was a witch. On the other hand, the talking would need some working on. She was still babbling nonsense, but Remus had to admit it was cute.
He had received a letter from Dumbledore basically listing what the Order had recovered from Godric's Hollow – for whoever it may have held value to to come forward and claim what was left. Remus faintly wondered why Dumbledore had waited so long to tell him while his eyes scanned the list.
They were small things – a chair here, a book there. But there was something at the bottom of the list that caught his interest. A mirror. A small, charmed mirror.
~
"McGonagall must've thought I was talking to myself."
"Flitwick was oblivious. I used a muffling charm."
"No wonder I could barely hear you," James had muttered.
Remus recalled raising his head irritably. "What's this noise about?"
"McGonagall thought she could split us up by giving us separate detentions."
Sirius had stood proudly in light of his brilliant plan. "But we thought differently."
"Nobody separates Sirius Black and James Potter."
Remus could remember rolling his eyes. "I should have known."
~
He shook off the memory. That mirror might have held some value to James – or even Sirius for his own twisted reasons – but it certainly did Remus no good.
Where the other mirror was, he didn't know. He assumed it was with Sirius... but Sirius was gone. Maybe it was still with the rest of his things at the flat – assuming he still had the flat.
Perhaps he'd sold it right before in preparation for running. Or maybe he'd planned on killing everyone who could testify of his guilt so there'd be no need to.
What had he been planning? When he came down to the bare basics of this plan of dear Padfoot's, Remus found it wasn't as morbidly brilliant as it had seemed. It was rather rash, as if prepared in a hurry.
Remus laughed dryly. It was exactly the kind of thing Sirius would come up with.
Numbly, he threw the letter in the fire, with no intention of replying.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lucius sat amidst an air of superiority. The chair he had positioned himself in was high backed, elegant, and somewhat exalting.
He waited patiently until the doors had been closed, and the lights turned off upstairs. Then he smiled.
Everything he could ask for was before him – money, family, and a shameful yet prideful corrupt popularity among those high in office. But one thing was not within his grasp – the satisfaction of completion. Lucius Malfoy was a man that always carried out his plans.
And his plans were murderous. He concluded Jamie didn't matter anymore – it was too late. They'd already impressed upon her their disgusting tolerance of the filth around them. Whether out of vengeance, fear of prosecution, or just sheer annoyance, Lucius planned on ridding his life completely of Rebecca's presence.
And, he thought, what better day than the day of the full moon?
~~~~~~~~~~
