A/N: Ok, now we get to see just what Remus has been up to that's been taking so long. Unfortunately Tonk is not in this, but we'll see just what her story in Part Four. I mention things in this that refers to my short story 'Separate and Superior' which is as of yet still unfinished. You don't have to read it to understand this, but I recommend it if only for the fact that I create my own little werewolf culture.
Part Three: Whispers in the Dark
That night, Harry was unable to sleep. Thoughts of his lost friends made him much too troubled to calm down enough to rest. With Ron and Dudley snoring peacefully next to him, he had no one to talk to. So he decided to take a walk in the ungodly hours of the morning. Hours that were pitch black still with no sign of dawn yet on the horizon.
The Black mansion was much more intimidating at night, he decided as he traveled its hallways. The leering gazes of the many portraits, the ones that were awake, were slightly unnerving. And each portrait held the same darkness that gripped the hearts of Sirius' parents. It was quite easy to lose your way in the mini labyrinth. After nearly 10 minutes, Harry came to the conclusion that it was designed this way so that only those who should be there would know how to navigate. Uninvited intruders were obviously not welcome.
It was still hard to imagine that the entire manor was his. He no longer needed to worry about where he was going to live after he left the Dursleys, it was all right here. He pondered the changes he would make to it. Probably the same sort of changes Sirius was trying for; restoring it to its former glory minus the Dark influences. And he knew he would have to deal with Kreacher before the summer was out. Since his return, the Elf had been hiding from Harry and the others, but without permission to leave, he was a virtual prisoner.
As tempting as it was to kick him out, the danger of the Elf revealing their location, if he hadn't already, was too great. Harry didn't trust the Fidellius Charm that much to protect against an evil Elf leading the dark forces here. Yet for the moment, they were at an unspoken agreement to stay away from each other until a solution was found.
He wandered the halls for a while longer before coming to a new one he had never seen before. This mansion certainly was deceptively larger than it looked; perhaps there was a map somewhere that could ease his way come morning. At the end of this small turn-off was a set of large mahogany doors. Upon these doors were a set of brass knockers shaped like gargoyle heads with the rings through their ears.
As he reached for the doorknob, both knockers sprang to life, their lifeless eyes glowing in an unholy light. They growled at him so menacingly, he let go of the door and took a step back. What new trap was this carefully hidden in the bowels of the mansion?
"Who are you?" demanded the left gargoyle, baring his brass fangs. "Why do you seek that which is beyond these doors?"
"M-my name is Harry Potter," he stammered, trying to explain himself. "I just…"
"What's that?" asked the right one glaring at him. "Speak up, boy. Don't mumble!"
Harry figured the knockers in their ears stunted their hearing, so he obediently raised his voice. "My name is Harry Potter. I was just looking around, and…"
"Harry Potter you say?" asked the left, the shining yellow eyes dimming slightly so they didn't look so fierce.
"Yes, I'm Sirius' godson. The Master of this house." Hopefully they would know that name and respect him by association.
"Former Master you mean," giggled the right throwing him off-guard. "He hasn't been the Master since he snuffed it, eh?"
"You're our Master now, aren't you?" stated Lefty. All signs of danger from the two door knockers had disappeared, leaving nothing but two bantering enchanted gargoyles.
"How did you…"
"Told us he did. Told the whole house so there'd be no mistake. He said you were his heir. Now that he's dead, that makes you our Master."
"So how can we be of service?" asked Righty.
"What's behind these doors?" asked Harry, flabbergasted at the knowledge that the whole house hailed him as the new Master. It appeared his late godfather left nothing to chance. Now he was not only Master in legality, but in reality as well if the very mansion obeyed him.
"Can't say," Left shrugged. The boy frowned.
"But I'm your Master." Would he ever get used to that title? "I'm telling you to tell me…"
"We can't say because we don't know," insisted Lefty. "We're only door knockers. Our job is to protect the room, not to see it."
Harry sighed. Maybe he should have stayed in bed and counted ceiling tiles after all. But he was curious now and would not be able to rest until he found out what the gargoyles were hiding. "Fine. Then let me in."
"Love to, Master, but we can't," said Righty.
"What? Why not? I thought…"
"Not without the password, Master. It's the rule. Why else do you think we're here? You don't put bloody knockers on a door unless they have a purpose, do you?" It had a point.
"Well, what's the password?"
"Come come, Master, that would be cheating," Lefty chastised playfully.
"Can't we give him a hint?" asked Righty.
Left scoffed. "Where's the fun in that? He's a Black, inee? He should know this."
"I'm not a Black," Harry argued. "So how should I…"
"Master Sirius declared you his heir before he died. As far as Grimmauld Manor is concerned, that makes you his son. He took care of you, didn't he?"
"Fed you? Gave you a bed?" continued Righty. "He took you in as his own, commanded the house to treat you as his own, so that makes you a Black."
"Humans," sighed Lefty. "Don't know anything."
"So this password is something everyone in the Black family should know?"
The knockers didn't answer.
"Toujours Pur? Always Pure. The family motto."
"There now," said Righty. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" With that, the two knockers fell silent and the large doors swung open.
Harry sighed as he stepped into the large room. Well, that had just been ridiculous in its simplicity. The vanity of the Blacks permeated throughout this house even into its passwords. This familial pride made up its very foundations and he was unsure if he should try to change it. And Mrs. Black, only married into this family, seemed to embody the family's ideals. Her influence on the place was vast; she must have been a powerful woman in life. And some small part of him wished he could have known her, just to see that kind of power.
As he walked further into the room he could hear whispers all around him. Hasty, curious whispers that did not take care to be inaudible. It was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. There weren't even any windows to let in the light of the full moon. But the sounds surrounded him, making him feel very claustrophobic. Never one for darkness as it was too much like the dark cupboard, Harry fought to control the childish fear that rose in him.
"Is anyone there?" he asked quietly. The whispers immediately ceased, and he was left standing in silence.
"Who are you?" demanded a sudden voice. "What is your business here?"
"My name is Harry Potter," he said in what he hoped was a strong voice. "I'm the Master of this house." It still tasted strange in his mouth when he said it. It didn't feel right.
"Master?" came a new voice. "You can't be the Master."
"Why not?" Harry was slightly affronted.
"Because my brother is the Master."
"Who are you?" Harry asked, feeling curiously unnerved. As if his night wasn't strange enough.
"Regulus Black," the voice sounded annoyed, as though he shouldn't even need to introduce himself.
"Are you a ghost? Why can't I see you?" Harry peered around the room, trying to see the familiar silvery sheen of a phantom.
"Light your wand, boy," snorted a woman's voice. "You can't see anything in the dark, can you?"
"But I'm not allo…" A man's voice interrupted him.
"The wards I placed on this house are powerful enough that the Ministry itself would have trouble even pinpointing our location let alone know there is illegal magic going on."
"Your wards? Mr…. Black?" Sirius' father? The one who protected this house so much in life?
"Castor Black at your service, lad. Now light your bloody wand, will you?"
Hands shaking slightly, he did as he was told muttering a 'lumos' half expecting the Ministry to come and snap his wand for more underage magic. What he saw drove all thoughts of this from his mind.
-
Amber eyes gleamed dangerously into grey, promising no leniency. The two wolves circled each other slowly, neither wishing to hurt the other, but neither willing to lose ground. Muscles rippled beneath glossy coats of coarse fur, ready to spring at any moment. Their growls echoed off the walls and ceiling, attracting the attention of the other wolves of the house.
Remus was glad he had asked Severus for more of the Wolfsbane Potion in case his mission ran later than expected. Now he had complete control over his body where before it would be under the possession of a wild animal. He needed his human mind to win this fight. But he also needed this body, the body of an animal.
His opponent was unsure of his presence, and even more of his scent. The alpha wolf of the house must have known that there was something different about this loner werewolf off the streets. This knowledge made him that much more wary to allow the trespasser in. And that much more dangerous to cross. He would not let Remus near the others until he understood just why this new wolf was so peculiar. Even if it meant he had to kill him.
Remus tried to communicate his need to be allowed in to no avail. Previous wounds of similar fights made it necessary for him to rest. He did not want to fight the alpha. But with the loss of his lupine mind, so went many instincts of his kind. The wolf was ever present in the back of his mind, but silenced as it was never silenced during the rest of the month. It was hard to remember what to do to show he meant no harm. He never thought he would wish for his lupine mind to be stronger.
The other werewolf attacked suddenly with no warning, lunging for his throat. Taking Remus off-guard, the larger wolf easily gained the upper hand in the fight. Slashing and biting, the alpha pushed the intruder further away from the entrance to the main hall. He had to protect his pack from all outsiders. And if werewolf blood had to spill, then so be it. His ebony fur rose as he snarled louder, trying his best to frighten the intruder away.
For his part, Remus was trying his best to force his way in without hurting his would-be attacker. Come morning, they would no longer be wolves and blood that was shed would once again be human blood to account for. He would gain no allies by wounding the pack's leader.
As the fight escalated, more and more wolves of the house appeared from every hall and door. Most were curious about the intruder; few wolves would dare cross paths with a strong pack such as theirs, especially a loner already covered in wounds. Like their alpha, the werewolves could tell something was different about this new wolf. Something… not quite wolf. More human than is normal for the night of the full moon.
Between hits, the seasoned alpha snarled at his packmates to retreat to the basement. He would not put any of the females or pups in danger. No matter how docile the intruder was, he wasn't pack. And the unnaturalness of him was too great to ignore. Just because Remus would not move to the offensive did not mean he wouldn't. He did not become alpha by taking things at face value.
Amidst the scuffles of the pack to obey their angry leader, one small female pushed her way to the front. Ignoring the alpha's growls for her to get back, she cautiously tested the scent of the stranger. Her amber eyes narrowed in confusion as her animal mind struggled to comprehend what she was smelling. She knew this wolf. Something about him tugged at her primitive animal mind. But even as she knew this intruder, the same thing that unnerved the pack did the same to her. And she did not wish to test the strength of an intruder.
Yet, the small female couldn't let the feeling of familiarity go. Inching further toward the fighting males, she yipped softly at Remus. She wanted some sign from him that he was familiar. Perhaps a male from one of her previous packs. He did not answer, so she yipped again. Again, the intruding wolf did not answer, too focused on the attacking alpha.
She was roughly shoved to the side by her alpha who snarled at her to get away. He would not risk her safety to a stranger. It was his duty to protect her as her alpha whether she liked it or not. When he looked back to continue the fight, he was surprised to see the wolf with grey eyes flat on his back, exposing his belly and neck.
He was finally submissive.
Remus held his breath as he lay there, hoping this worked. He would not appreciate being torn apart on a miscalculation. All during the fight he struggled to listen to the faint voice of his alter-ego in the back of his mind. Of course, what the wolf in him wanted to do was challenge the alpha for control of the pack. Fortunately, Remus was able to convince it to submit. And according to the beast, this was the way to do it.
The alpha sniffed the fallen male, looking for any sign of deception. There was none. He bared his teeth at Remus, not allowing him to rise until he was satisfied. His black hackles rose in warning. What do you want, intruder?
Remus remained still. At least the attack had ceased for the moment. Only shelter, alpha.
Intruder not welcome. Alpha's pack! He growled low possessively. No one would take control of his pack.
Intruder not want pack, alpha. Intruder want shelter. Morning leave.
Remus knew that if he could stay until the moon set, he would have a chance to complete his mission. Until he transformed back into a human, the alpha would be impossible to reason with. He really should have waited until dawn to even approach the safehouse, but it couldn't be helped. He needed shelter. A werewolf caught outdoors on a full moon was as good as dead. And with his many wounds, he wouldn't stand a chance on his own.
The alpha stared down long and hard at Remus, daring him to try anything. Remus was just as determined to stare at the other wolf's muzzle, unwilling to look him in the eyes and start the whole thing over again. Finally the alpha backed away completely, convinced of his superiority.
Fine. Intruder stay. Morning leave.
Remus got up and agreed meekly. Morning leave.
The small tawny female's eyes followed him as he was shown a place to sleep, but she did not. She still struggled to remember how she knew his scent. And until she did, she would keep a safe distance. Years of hard life had taught her many lessons about trust and misplacing it. Every werewolf's life had.
-
The next day dawned brightly, promising another dreadfully humid day. The clouds lingering in the sky hinted at rain, but never delivered, instead containing all the heat. It would be nearly unbearable by noon.
Remus awoke uneasily, stiff from his night on a hard floor. His wounds had healed slightly, due to the quick healing properties of a werewolf. But they were still rather painful, and the usual soreness that came from transforming didn't help matters much. All in all, he felt like one who had had a dragon roll over him a few times. But he couldn't sleep the day away like he would have back home. He couldn't afford to. There would be time enough later to rest.
Pushing himself wearily to his feet, Remus noticed he was still alone in the small room he was shown to when the alpha let him enter. However, there were some robes laid out for him in the corner. Someone must have woken up before he did to put them there. Remus put them on gratefully.
When he exited, he made his way downstairs, impressed with the safehouse as he always was when he entered such things. For a pack who lived together, their usual home was nearly always attached to a sound building they could retreat to during the full moon. Nothing short of a Muggle nuclear weapon could cause a crack in its magical shield, so sturdy was it. And with a pack of wild werewolves running rampant inside, it had to be.
At the entrance to the real house, Remus found a young man, maybe 17 years old. Hardly a young pup, but not get a full grown wolf. He had strawberry blonde hair that was disheveled and eyes so light blue they looked like ice. His robes were as shabby as any werewolf since most wolves found employment in the magical world nearly impossible. Money was not something they ever had in excess. He could sympathize whole-heartedly, little as he had in common with the more feral breeds of werewolf.
Remus approached the adolescent pup cautiously, trying to appear as harmless as he could. Pups that age were rather easy to get excited and other werewolves tended to be more inclined to act according to instinct than Remus was. Just after a full moon was sure guarantee that the pup's mind was still very lupine. He stood 5 feet away from the lad, letting him make the first move. This was a delicate procedure. The pup eyed him suspiciously and breathed in the air around him. "You're… one we gave shelter to last night?"
Remus nodded, pleased that his scent had been remembered. Living amongst humans for so long, he had nearly forgotten that there were others with senses as keen as his. "Your alpha let me in."
"Your scent is strange. Different."
The elder werewolf knew that the boy must be referring to the changes the Wolfsbane Potion had on him. How it made him seem peculiar to the others since it hid his feral nature aside. He decided the truth would be best. "I was under the effects of the Wolfsbane Potion. It allows me to…"
"I know what it does," the pup snapped in irritation. "How did you get one? It's very expensive."
"Don't worry pup," Remus chuckled good-naturedly, easing the boy's frazzled nerves. "I didn't steal it. I know a Potions Master who was kind enough to make it for me."
Before the boy could question him further, the door behind him opened. "William? Leave the poor man alone, pup. He's wounded and tired and doesn't need you interrogating him like a criminal." A woman just younger than Remus came in scolding the pup.
Remus felt his heart constrict upon seeing the petite she-wolf. "Marie?" he whispered in shock.
Her chocolate eyes narrowed at him, distrusting the peculiar one. "My name is Anna. Marie was my mother. How do you know that name?"
"Anna, of course," he smiled slowly. "It's been years, hasn't it?"
She looked uncertain about this intruder now, remembering such feelings of recollection last night. "Have we met?"
"Use your nose," he teased gently. "You've grown lazy into your later years, Anne."
The she-wolf did so and suddenly looked as surprised as he had. Her defensive front went down immediately. "Remus? Is that you? What in the world are you doing here? I thought you had gone back to those spark shooters."
He reached out and embraced her, happy to see a familiar face. It had been much too long since he last saw the girl who had been his baby sister. Her mother, Marie, took care of him on many full moons when he had been a pup. But since his foster wolf mother was killed by Voldemort, and public views toward werewolves turned violent, he had distanced himself. In fact, what he had been doing for the past few weeks was the most interaction with others his own kind since he was 15.
"It's good to see you," he told her honestly. "You're looking good. How are things?"
She shrugged, leading her pack brother into the main house as ordered. "As well as can be expected." The uneasy shift of her eyes told him plenty. It was the same story in every pack and loner safehouse he visited. The second war was upon them and no one knew which way to turn. Memories of the last war and hundreds upon hundreds of werewolves slain served to remind them of the dangers of filthy wizards on both sides. Their hatred of all wizarding humans had been completed and none were eager to cross paths with them again.
"Where's Julian?" Remus asked, trying to change the subject. His sister only grew more unnerved at the mention of her baby brother who just recently turned 25 years old. Remus had never even met the youngest Laspron pup and was eager to.
"He left as soon as he heard the war was starting back up. There's a pack forming just north of London. He's gone to fight." Her eyes betrayed the worry she felt for her only remaining blood family. This was no light matter and many wolves would die no matter how much distance the wolves put between them and the humans.
"On which side?" He perked up. Dumbledore never told him about such a pack. Well, it looked like his return home would be delayed once more. This was not a matter he could leave uninvestigated.
"Our own side," Anna replied curtly as they walked into the living room where the main bulk of wolves were. The woman's chocolate eyes were lit with the fires of deep-set anger. An anger seen only in the eyes of half-breeds put under much abuse. "We owe nothing to those humans. No matter what side they're fighting on, it is never for us. So we don't fight for them."
Remus hadn't a chance to respond before he found himself face to face with the alpha wolf himself. The same one he had fought the night before. As strong a human as he was a wolf, this dark-skinned man was as lupine as they came. Remus doubted this alpha even had to worry about the split personalities many wolves experienced between their human and feral sides. He wondered if this man even had a human side. Even Anna, who was born a werewolf, had her moments of humanity. But this wolf, with his stone cold slate colored eyes, was truly only a wolf in human skin.
"Cale, this is Remus Lupin," Anna introduced them, presenting her brother to her leader. "Remus, this is Cale Morrison, the alpha of this pack."
End Part 3
A/N: Choppy? Oh yeah. Fun? I'm not quite sure. I'm sorry it took so long to get out, but once Remus made his debut, he put all halts to this thing. I was being hit with the worst Writer's Block imaginable and I'm just glad it's done with. For those of you who are Mary Sue allergic, don't worry your pretty little heads. Anna is harmless. No romantic junk, no mad crazy beauty or mind-blowing fighting skills. But I need more front line werewolves for this story and this was the only way to do it.
Trivia Time!
I have started a little game on my other stories so I thought I would do one here too. I will ask a question from any book or movie or whatever I feel like and I want to see how many people know it. Today's question is: What do you get when you multiply 6 by 9? Pay attention, this one is tricky and you either get it or you don't.
Review Time!
Shannon Snape: Thanks!
Closetfanficaddict: Oh, this isn't a writing ultimatum by any means! I will write and post with or without reviews. But it does get a little frustrating when all I get is radio silence. I hate it when writers threaten to stop writing if they don't get so many reviews and I'll never do that! Thanks for your support. Hopeully, I'll do the Dursleys justice.
Michelle: Thanks! I always wondered how the Dursleys would manage in the magical world. Unable to find a story with this in it, I had little choice but to write one! And I wasn't sure how the Buckbeak scene would be, so I'm glad you thought it worked out –smile- It was a rather 'see where they led me' scene.
Kungzoune: Thanks! I hope this chapter is to your liking. Please let me know what you think.
Samurai Demon-God Sekikage: Lmao, someone had too much sugar methinks ; ) But thanks so much for the encouragement! Unfortunately, this won't be a romance, but I will be sure to do a Blaise cameo if you would like.
Makotochi: Sorry it's a bit late, but I hope you enjoy.
Bobby: Who? Me? Torture my lovely characters? >- not me! –innocent look-. Lol. We'll just have to wait and see with Tonks, won't we?
Nuwie: What? You again? You goober! Just kidding! You know I love to hear from you! So yeah, your email's coming. And although I know how bad babelfish is, I'm going to use that and my limited knowledge of French to read your stories! Mwahahaha! Thanks for letting me use your idea, it just makes so much sense! Those three things you said you liked: the Sirius reaction, Moody, and the Buckbeak scene… those were the scenes I dreaded over. I had no idea if they were good or just terrible. Phew, I'm glad they weren't as awful as I was afraid they would be. I actually don't have a pet, I have a little brother and that's close enough. Lol. He has a fish, but that's about it for animals in our house, so I definitely went with my gut instincts on that one. That's why I always trip over scenes that include any characters as animals: I rarely get to observe animals. And yeah, you caught me, that picture did inspire my photo scene.
Japonica: Thank you for your encouragement! I know it's taken forever to come, but I'm on a much faster writing quota… let's see how long that lasts. Lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new installment!
Gaul1: thankees! Byes!
Fornax: lol, well, here's one of them at least. You'll just have to keep worrying a little bit longer for our favorite spitfire Auror.
Stoofie: thank you for you comments and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
Midnight Lady: Yeah, I'm a bit of an angst addict. I should go to an AA meeting, neh? 'hi, my name is Tirya and I have an angst problem….' I did hope it would seem original, I'm rather sick of the usual stories out there and wanted to write something not yet done. –crosses fingers- hopefully that is : )
Nandhp: Thank you! You asked for it!