A/N: I hope everyone likes this fic. I'm not real sure how long it'll be, or how it's going to end, but I've been inspired by the numerous Sirius-runs-away-from-home fics to write one where Remus runs away from home. Anyway, this is definitely Sirius/Remus slash, so if that just doesn't float your boat, then I'd suggest you try a nice het fic. Please review, and NO FLAMES!
Disclaimer: I once dreamed that I owned Harry Potter, but I'm fairly certain that doesn't count.
Chapter One
"Remus Lupin, get down here right now!"
Remus sighed as he heard his mother calling for him from the front hall. He'd just returned home from his sixth year at Hogwarts a few days ago, and already he was dying to escape to one of his friends' houses. Remus' parents were two of the most prominent members of the Ministry of Magic. His father, Patrick, was the Head of the Department of Mysteries, and his mother, Livianna, was the Deputy Head of Magical Law Enforcement. They were also extremely overprotective when it came to their oldest son; they weren't so much afraid for his safety as they were for the safety of everyone he came in contact with. The Lupins were among the richest and most prominent pure-blood families in Britain, and as such, purity of blood was very important to them; having a werewolf for a son was a constant source of shame for them.
Remus couldn't really fault his parents for being terrified of him, but he just wished they were better at hiding it. Ever since he'd been bitten at the age of four, his own parents had been afraid to even be in the same room with him, a fear that had only gotten worse with time. Even worse, Remus' many aunts, uncles, and cousins were twice as bad. The entire family knew that Remus, the heir to the Lupin fortune, was a werewolf. His father's brother was constantly trying to talk Patrick into having Remus removed from the family will – in his opinion, Remus' Ravenclaw cousin, Tiberius, was much more suitable for receiving such fortune. After all, Remus' inheritance depended largely on his ability to produce an heir and carry on the family name, and what pure-blood witch would want to marry a werewolf?
If they only knew, Remus thought to himself as he mused on his parents while making his way down to the entrance hall. The young werewolf had spent the last year and a half in a relationship he knew his parents would never approve of – he was dating another boy, and if his mum and dad ever knew, they'd be sure to kick him out. Remus had known for nearly three years that he was gay, and had been hiding that fact from his parents ever since. He might have been encouraged by the knowledge that Tiberius was openly bisexual if he wasn't aware of the fact that being bi meant that Tiberius was at least attracted to women; he was perfectly capable of having kids. No, Remus' parents wouldn't even care that Sirius was just as pure-blooded as they were, nor would it matter that his family was also rich. Sirius had two very big strikes against him: one, he was a boy, and two, he hated his family. Remus didn't really care what his family thought, but he was afraid of what would happen if they found out about Sirius. His father had quite the temper, and would undoubtedly do much worse than have him removed from the family tree.
Remus' constant fear that his family might find out the truth about him, coupled with the obvious dangers of having to go through three full moons alone made every summer incredibly stressful. Unfortunately for Remus, this summer was likely to be the worst yet – his Uncle Charlie (his father's youngest brother) and Aunt Juliet were coming to visit, along with Uncle Drake and his son Tiberius. Charlie and Juliet's daughter, Carla was getting married in late July, meaning that it was time for the entire Lupin clan to converge on their ancestral home in preparation for the wedding. Charlie, Juliet, Drake, and Tiberius were arriving today; the rest would follow in the days leading up to the main event. The eminent arrival of Remus' entire family meant that he would be forced to share a room with Tiberius, which would make it even more difficult to hide the evidence of his relationship with Sirius (he had several photos of Sirius and himself in what could only be called compromising and somewhat pornographic positions, as well as a large number of letters from his boyfriend hidden in his trunk).
To say that Remus and his cousin hated each other would be a vast understatement. Tiberius was jealous of Remus; he was a werewolf, and yet it was only thanks to an accident of birth that he would receive the family fortune, along with everything that went with it. Remus, on the other hand, was angry that his close-minded cousin was constantly involving himself in Remus' business, and knew that Tiberius would stop at nothing to have him disinherited. Because of this, Remus had been forced to do what he could to make sure that his cousin didn't get to snoop through his things. Much as Remus hated blood magic and all it represented, he'd used it without hesitation to charm his school trunk and all of his other personal items to attack anyone who touched them if they didn't have both Lupin and werewolf blood.
When Remus finally reached the entrance hall, he held back a grimace. His mother was standing in the middle of the enormous room resplendent in expensive-looking lavender robes, her silver-streaked auburn hair piled on top of her head in an elegant bun. Outwardly, she appeared to be quite calm. However, Remus knew from the blank expression on his mother's face that she was nearly apoplectic with anger at his tardiness. "Just where have you been?" She asked in a sharp tone that betrayed her annoyance.
"In my room," Remus answered as politely as he could.
His mother narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. "Well, at least you're dressed properly," she said, eying his new dress robes appraisingly. "Your uncle and cousin will be here soon, and I want you looking your best. Is everything ready?"
"Yes, mother. The guest rooms have been cleared out for everyone, and the house-elves have set up another bed in my bedroom," Remus responded, keeping his own expression as blank as he could. He didn't want to betray how he truly felt about having his so-called family over.
His mother nodded in what might have been approval, before heading towards the kitchen to make sure that tonight's dinner was being cooked to her specifications. As she left the hall, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of his much hated relatives. Not even waiting for his mother to do so, Remus forced a smile to his face as he moved to answer the door, ignoring the feeling of dread that sprang up. When he opened the door to see his simpering Uncle Drake and horrid cousin Tiberius, Remus was tempted to yell, "We don't want any!" and slam the door in their haughty faces. Fortunately, he was able to resist the urge, and managed to politely welcome them to Greensfeld (the Lupins' mansion).
"Come in, Uncle Drake, Tiberius. How are you?" Remus nearly made himself sick at how terribly fake he sounded. Not that it really mattered – there was no true affection between him and any member of his family.
"Quite well, thank you, Remus," said Uncle Drake, as he and Tiberius ambled into the entrance hall, both wearing smiles that were just as forced as his own.
"Mother is in the kitchens, I believe, and Father is still at work, so I'll show you to your rooms, Uncle Drake. Tiberius, you'll be sharing with me. I hope that doesn't bother you." Remus said as two of the house-elves appeared to take their luggage. He hoped in vain that his cousin would refuse to share a room with him; it would make his life for the next few weeks much easier.
"Oh, it's quite alright with me," Tiberius said with a smile that made Remus glad of the precautions he'd taken to protect his things. His cousin was sure to attempt to go through them.
As June led to July, and the rest of the family began to arrive, Remus began to breathe easy. He'd made it through three weeks and one full moon of sharing a room with his cousin, and had only two more weeks to go before the wedding. Remus knew that Tiberius had spent hours trying searching his room whenever Remus wasn't there, trying to find anything that might get him out of the family. He also knew from the subdued expression the other boy always wore to dinner that he'd failed each time. What Remus didn't know was that it hadn't taken Tiberius long to figure out what sort of magic Remus had used to protect his privacy. Nor did he have any idea that Tiberius had finally found a way around the charms Remus had used.
Remus sighed in relief as he entered the cool house late one Saturday afternoon. He'd spent most of the day outside, doing his best to avoid his cousins and other relatives. Normally, he would have locked himself away in his room, but because Tiberius also had to use it, that was impossible. The heat of the outdoors had been made bearable only because he was able to stay away from prying eyes and write a letter to Sirius. However, Remus' unusual good mood was dashed when he entered his room to find his trunk open, and his cousin gleefully reading what could only be a letter from Sirius. (It covered two sides of parchment, and even from the other side of the room, Remus could make out his boyfriend's untidy writing.) This wasn't good.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Remus asked, his eyes flashing with anger.
Tiberius' ecstatic smile grew as he looked at his cousin. "Just doing a bit of poking around. So, our little Remmy's gay? Isn't that just wonderful? I bet Uncle Patrick will be absolutely thrilled when I tell him."
"Give that back," Remus growled.
"Oh, going all wolfy on me, are you?" Tiberius said, wiggling his eyebrows in amusement. "You know, I'm surprised I never noticed this before. After all, you've never dated any girls, as far as I know. And I saw that Evans bint practically give you a lap dance last year at the Quidditch Final. You're probably the only guy in school who wouldn't get a hard-on from having a piece of that thrown at you."
"Why you-" Remus leapt at his cousin, his anger getting the better of him. He could deal with Tiberius insulting him, but Remus wouldn't stand for anyone talking about one of his friends that way. But before he could do any damage to his cousin, Remus heard his mother bellowing up the stairs that it was time to prepare for dinner. He forced himself to release the other boy. Hurting Tiberius would only make a bad situation worse.
"Get out," he ground out, as he made his way to his wardrobe.
"You'd better look your best tonight, Remus," Tiberius taunted as he tucked the letter into his robes. "After all, this will most certainly be the last time you'll eat in this house."
An hour later, Remus was washed and dressed for dinner. He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. Remus didn't doubt that his cousin would make good his word and tell his father about the letter tonight. The fact that the entire family would be there, not to mention several of his parents' closest friends would only make things worse. He knew he wouldn't find any sympathy with anyone.
Just as Remus had known he would, Tiberius waited until the second course was served and conversation came to a halt before mentioning the letter. He flashed an annoyingly superior smile at the young werewolf before saying, "Uncle Patrick, has Remus told you he's finally started dating?"
At that, Patrick looked at his son in surprise. "No, he hasn't. Who is she, Remus? Tell me you at least had the sense to pick someone of pureblood. I won't have my son dating some half-blood or muggle-born girl."
Before Remus could answer, Tiberius said, "Well, Remus' lover is at least a pureblood, and a rich one at that. But I wonder why he never said anything. I only found out when I noticed a 'love' letter from that certain someone in his room."
"Well, who is it then?" Livianna asked in curiosity. Everyone had completely abandoned their meals, wanting to hear who their heir had chosen to date.
"Black," Tiberius said happily.
"Black?" Patrick asked in astonishment. "Do you mean Bellatrix? But I thought you didn't like her. Not that I know why, she's supposed to be quite beautiful."
"It's not Bellatrix," Remus said quickly, before Tiberius could say anything. "It doesn't really matter who it is, does it? I mean, it's not as if we're getting married, so-"
But Remus' hopes of changing the subject were dashed when his mother said, "Of course it matters, dear. We just want to make sure you're associating with the right people. Personally, I'm glad you've chosen one of the Black girls. If it's not Bellatrix, is it Narcissa? I thought she was engaged to that Malfoy boy, but I suppose I could have heard wrong."
"You didn't," Tiberius interjected enthusiastically. "Dear Remus isn't dating her."
"Tell me you're not dating that traitor, Andromeda," Patrick said in a somewhat dangerous voice.
"I'm not. She's with a muggle-born named Ted Tonks," Remus said, his very being giving away just how nervous he was.
"Then who is it? I wasn't aware of any other Black girls," his father said impatiently.
It was, of course, Tiberius who finally dropped the bombshell. "Oh, he's not dating one of the Black girls, Uncle. He's with Sirius Black, the other blood traitor. It seems that my dear cousin is gay."
At that, the entire table fell into a shocked silence. Remus closed his eyes, wanting to prepare himself for the upcoming onslaught of anger. He wasn't disappointed.
Patrick Lupin, his face red with rage, turned to his son and said, "Tell me that's not true. Tell me you're not a fucking queer."
Steeling his nerves, Remus took a deep breath before looking his father directly in the eye and saying, "I wish I could, but that would be denying who I am. I am, as you so kindly put it, a 'fucking queer'."
"How dare you!" His mother shrieked. "After everything we've done for you-"
"Everything you've done for me!" Remus exclaimed. He stood up from the table yelling, "Ever since I was bitten, you've done nothing but patronize me, treat me like a complete stranger! I'm your son! When was the last time you hugged me, or Merlin forbid, said you loved me?"
"You can't love a monster," Patrick shouted back. "And don't you dare take that tone with you're mother! We've given you everything, even let you go to school! I swear, we should have had you put down when we found out what you'd become!"
His father took a deep, calming breath before saying, "I'm going to give you one chance to keep your inheritance. End this – thing – you've got with that boy, and I won't disinherit you. Promise to find a nice, pureblood girl, and I'll let you keep the life you've got now."
All twenty of their dinner guests turned to Remus to see what his response to this would be. Remus made a show of thinking it over. He knew that all he'd have to do was say that the letter was a joke between him and his friends, that it didn't mean anything. He just had to say that he'd end it and never speak to Sirius again, and he'd be back in his father's good graces. But that would mean breaking the heart of the one person who truly loved him, the one person who would do anything to make him happy. Remus knew that he could never betray himself or Sirius like that, so he looked his father directly in the eye and said defiantly, "I'm sorry father, but I can't do that. I love Sirius, and I won't give him up just because you think it's disgusting. Do whatever you want, but I'm not leaving him."
Just as Patrick was raising his wand to curse his son, Tiberius stood up and moved down the table to whisper something Remus couldn't hear in his Uncle's ear. Remus knew that it wasn't anything good when he saw his father smile and nod in agreement. Patrick turned to his son saying, "Well Remus, you should thank your cousin. Although you won't be getting your inheritance, you will be allowed to live in this house. Tiberius has offered to show you what it is to be gay, in the hopes that you will turn over a new leaf and see the error of your ways. You will go to your room and get ready for bed now."
Remus was incredibly confused, not to mention worried. What did his father mean? What could Tiberius want to show him? Whatever it was, Remus knew he didn't want to stay around long enough to find out. He did as he was told and made his way back up to his room, planning to take the opportunity to pack his things and get out of this God-forsaken place.
He had no such luck. While he was in the midst of tossing the last of his clothes into his trunk, the door opened behind him and Tiberius walked into the room. He shook his head mournfully. "Oh cousin, I'd hoped you wouldn't try to leave. I see I was mistaken. Well, I suppose I'll just have to make sure you're punished even more, won't I?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Remus asked as he locked his trunk. He didn't even have to turn around to see that his cousin had his wand raised, and managed to duck just in time to avoid getting hit with a curse. Remus dove behind his bed, firing a hex at his cousin as he fell.
Tiberius also managed to dodge the spell, saying, "I'm saying that you're father has agreed to let me give you some 'special treatment'. Just to see how you like it, if you catch my drift."
Remus did. He went pale with shock as he realized that his own father had agreed to let him be raped by his cousin. "Stay the hell away from me, you fucking son of a bitch!"
Tiberius laughed. "Oh, I don't think so, cousin. You see, I made a promise to my dear uncle, and I don't go back on my word."
As Tiberius made to throw another hex at Remus, the werewolf used his quicker reflexes to tackle his cousin. He managed to land on top of the other boy and took advantage of his position to punch Tiberius as hard as he could right in the face. Remus felt a satisfying 'crunch' and knew that he'd broken his cousin's nose. He managed to force the other boy to drop his wand, and continued hitting him until he lost consciousness. Remus stood quickly, knowing that his family would have heard all the noise they'd undoubtedly made. He didn't have much time.
Remus glanced at his trunk, and knew that he'd have to leave it behind. He grabbed what little money he could find before silently making his way out of his room. Remus paused at the door to glance back at his cousin, wondering if he should tie him up, but decided he didn't have the time. Moving soundlessly towards one of the little-used back entrances of his house, Remus considered his options. He wasn't yet old enough to use magic outside of school, so he couldn't risk trying to apparate anywhere. He also knew that his parents would make sure the Ministry knew he was missing as soon as they realized he was gone, so using the Knight Bus was out, as was using someone's floo. Remus briefly considered muggle transportation, but, assuming that he could even find a taxi, he knew he didn't have any muggle money. He'd have to walk. Unfortunately, it was quite a long walk to London.