The early January morning was blustery and snowy. Remus Lupin was preparing his for his imminent departure to join Fenrir Greyback's pack that evening. He would be arriving unannounced, hoping his unexpected presence would be more genuine for the cover story he had created for himself. He packed the most threadbare clothing he owned in a small, worn, and patched satchel. The satchel was charmed with an Undetectable Extension Charm, an Invisibility Charm, and several security charms. It held several vials of Wolfsbane Potion, which he would begin taking in his second moon at Fenrir's encampment, should the mission succeed.
The satchel also held an old lunascope, which would serve as one of two emergency Portkeys, if Remus were to find himself in mortal peril. He had charmed another Portkey for himself in the form of a chained necklace that would be invisible to anyone but him. Remus would only remove it for the full moon transformations, to save it from being snapped off by his own brute strength. Or, he shuddered thinking of it, the brute strength of the wolves around him.
Remus' mind and body ached as he thought of what was ahead of him; if he were successful, the werewolves' alliance with Voldemort might be foiled or prevented altogether. He was not optimistic, but it was one of the few tasks he was uniquely equipped to handle for the Order.
Remus stared out at the snow and wind in the waning light of day. It was time to go. Before he left, he cast "Expecto patronum!" and saw the silver wolf emerge from his wand. He directed it at Dora: "Leaving now. Do not reply." The wolf went trotting away, and he took its absence as his cue to leave.
Remus left his small cottage and Apparated to the mountain range where Fenrir was supposed to be keeping his pack. Remus did not have to walk far to hear and smell the werewolves. The smell of roasting flesh over campfires filled Remus' nostrils and burned his eyes. He frowned, but walked further into the encampment.
"Who's there?" a gravelly voice cried out.
"I am Remus Lupin, a werewolf," Remus announced himself. "I have been sent by Caspian." He repeated the lines as Caspian had recommended, upon being rejected from Caspian's own werewolf settlement.
The owner of the gravelly voice revealed itself. It was a small man, possibly Remus' age, who was dirty, missing several teeth, and whose clothes resembled rags. Remus fought the urge to grimace at the man's pitiful appearance.
"I am Cassius," the wolf introduced himself. "Do you know where you are?"
"No," Remus lied. Caspian had told Remus that the rejected wolves should not know they were being sent to Fenrir's pack.
"Have you heard of Fenrir Greyback?" Cassius asked.
"Yes," Remus said evenly.
"This is his pack," Cassius replied. "You are his now." Remus expected this welcome and greeting; Caspian had told him that rejected wolves were sent to Fenrir to be claimed by the new alpha.
Remus sighed heavily at Cassius. "Fine," Remus said.
"Fine?" Cassius looked at Remus in surprise. "This is not how most react."
"I don't care anymore," Remus lied. "I need a pack."
Cassius looked at Remus quizzically, but said no more. He gestured for Remus to follow him.
"Fenrir's here tonight," Cassius told Remus. "He'll be wanting to see you."
"Okay," Remus answered, as Cassius looked at Remus with the same astonishment.
"You are not afraid of him?" Cassius asked, wide-eyed.
"I need a pack," Remus said flatly. "It is why I am here." Cassius shook his head, but took Remus through the encampment.
Compared to Caspian's settlement, Fenrir's encampment was bleak. There was a large bonfire in the center of the encampment, around which many wolves were roasting poorly butchered hunks of flesh (Remus hoped it was deer or elk). Unlike Caspian's settlement, which had rudimentary huts to house the wolves, Fenrir's encampment had tents. By appearance, they were not magical tents, but rather, pieces of tarp hastily thrown over stakes of wood. Based on what Remus could see, Caspian's settlement was a resort compared to Fenrir's encampment, and Remus' own shabby cottage was a veritable palace.
At the head of a camp there lay a cabin. While it was also dilapidated in its own way, it was clearly the place where the alpha wolf resided. Cassius was taking Remus there, as the wolves in the encampment leered at the newcomer. Remus felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising, but walked steadily alongside Cassius to make it to the cabin.
"Wait here," Cassius ordered. The other wolf entered the cabin and stayed for several long minutes before he emerged.
"Fenrir will see you now," Cassius said, looking down at his feet. "Good luck," he mumbled at Remus.
Remus took a deep breath and walked into the cabin to face one of his biggest fears. The cabin was darker than Remus expected, but his eyesight adjusted quickly. Fenrir was lounging in a large chair – by all appearances, it was effectively his throne – and to his sides sat several female werewolves on the floor, looking up at Fenrir with adoration. The sight was revolting to Remus, but he made his way to Fenrir all the same.
"I was wondering when you might join us," Fenrir growled. Remus looked into the wolf's eyes and tried to hide his disgust. Fenrir was as much a feral werewolf as any could be; his nails were sharpened into claws. His hair was matted against his head, mixed with sweat, grime, and blood. His teeth were sharpened as well, particularly his canines. Everything about Fenrir made Remus feel on edge.
"I am joining you tonight," Remus said evenly. "If you will have me."
"You're mine now," Fenrir smiled wickedly. "Caspian sent you?"
"Yes. He deemed me unfit for his settlement."
"Why is that, Remus Lupin?" Fenrir sharpened his claws against the chair on which he sat; the screeching of the nails made Remus' hair stand in place, leaving gooseflesh on his skin.
"My alliances," Remus said shortly. "Or lack thereof, now."
"You have defected from the great Dumbledore?" Fenrir asked. "I don't believe you."
"I did not defect," Remus said boldly. "I was asked to leave."
"Is that so?" Fenrir smiled wickedly. "They did not want their pet any longer?"
"No." Remus' eyes were hard and set on Fenrir.
"And the girl? Your little plaything?" Fenrir asked, a glint of enthusiasm in his eyes.
"Not mine anymore," Remus replied curtly. "No thanks to you," he spat.
"She did not know?" Fenrir grinned roguishly. "You did not tell her?"
"No, she did not know," Remus lied. "She was disgusted by me and left me."
"You did not take revenge," Fenrir said. "Why not?"
"She is well protected by the supporters of Albus Dumbledore," Remus explained. "The supporters were disgusted by my behavior and ousted me. It would seem there is no welcome place for werewolves."
"You are beginning to understand, Remus," Fenrir explained in his raspy voice. "They do not want us. They do not care for us. We are their pets."
"And what of your association with the Dark Lord?" Remus challenged. "Are you not his pet?"
"The Dark Lord has fulfilled his promises to us," Fenrir explained. "My pack survives with his generosity." Remus was taken aback; how did any of the wolves in this encampment believe they were being cared for? The place was cloaked in despair and squalor.
"Defend the filth I saw, then," Remus said, challenging Fenrir once more. The female wolves at Fenrir's side gasped and stared at Remus' audacity. The game he was playing was risky, Remus knew, but it was essential to make Fenrir believe Remus' authenticity.
"You dare question the Dark Lord?" Fenrir roared. He stood and slapped Remus across the face, leaving behind a small trail of bleeding cuts from the sharpened claws.
"I will, if this is your definition of survival," Remus snarled. "What so-called Dark Lord allows his servants to live in degradation?" Remus stood tall, puffing out his chest, and looking at Fenrir in the eye.
"This is better than any of us had before the Dark Lord!" Fenrir shouted. "Better than your pitiful life as Dumbledore's pet!"
"I never starved!" Remus roared in return, keeping his hand on his wand. "These wolves are fucking starving, and you know it!" Fenrir pulled his own wand out on Remus, pointing it at him.
"I'd like to see you try," Remus dared, whipping his wand back at Fenrir. Remus saw Fenrir's wand arm twitch as Fenrir rasped: "Cruc-"
"Expelliarmus!" Remus shouted.
Fenrir attempted to torture Remus, but Remus was faster and disarmed Fenrir easily. Remus held both wands in his hand.
"I can outduel you, Fenrir," Remus said coldly. "You know this by now."
Fenrir grunted in rage, and lunged for Remus with his bare hands.
"Impedimenta!" Remus cast lazily, stopping Fenrir in his tracks. Fenrir lunged again.
"Stupefy!" Remus said calmly, sending Fenrir flying to the back of the cabin. The female wolves were agitated at seeing their mate thrown against the wall, and made to pounce Remus as well. Remus merely cast "Impedimenta!" in their directions, causing them to fall back as well.
"Fight like a wolf!" Fenrir roared. "Get rid of your wand!"
"Sure," Remus acquiesced. Remus stowed their wands in his cloak, and held his hands up in mock surrender. "I am without a wand now, as are you, Fenrir," he goaded. "Fight me!"
Fenrir sprung at Remus once again, but Remus countered with wandless magic. He held his hands up and cried, "Levicorpus!" at Fenrir, whose body was now hanging up in the air. Fenrir thrashed midair, furious at Remus.
"Liberacorpus!" cast Remus, again, wandlessly, leaving Fenrir to land in a heap on the floor.
"Try again, Fenrir," provoked Remus. Fenrir was nearly foaming at the mouth and fought back against Remus, attempting to pounce him and knock him over.
"Incarcerous!" Remus cried, extending his palms out. Ropes flew from his palms and bound Fenrir to the floor. The female wolves cowered against the walls of the cabin, at seeing Remus' superior magical prowess in comparison to Fenrir's.
"I do not need a wand to incapacitate you, Fenrir," Remus mocked. "If you are to remain alpha, I shall be your beta. I accept nothing less," Remus urged. "These are my conditions. The wolves here shall be given more resources, and I will do your bidding, so long as I am your beta. I will not hesitate to turn on you if you break the arrangement," Remus said coldly.
Fenrir was growling and straining against the ropes that bound him.
"You can accept my proposal or continue struggling," Remus ordered. "Make a decision." Remus' blood was pumping erratically and the adrenaline was rushing through his frame. He rarely behaved so viciously, but it was unfortunately the only method by which Fenrir would respect him.
"Fine," Fenrir grunted. "You're the beta now. I'll announce it." Remus took both wands from his cloak, undid the ropes that bound Fenrir, and returned Fenrir's wand to him. Just as Fenrir took his wand back, he cried, "Avada Ke-"
"Expelliarmus!" Remus responded, taking Fenrir's wand from the alpha werewolf again.
"Do not make me repeat myself, Fenrir," Remus said brazenly, handing the wand back to the alpha.
Fenrir stared at his wand and then back at Remus, apparently speechless.
"I will do as you ask, but you will not harm me," Remus challenged Fenrir. "Do we have an understanding?" Remus looked into Fenrir's amber eyes, waiting for the other wolf to break eye contact. At last, Fenrir blinked, and growled in approval at Remus' proposal.
"Get the others!" roared Fenrir at the female wolves in his cabin. The female wolves hurried to the exit and began shouting to gather the wolves to the bonfire. Fenrir grunted to Remus, to indicate he should exit the cabin as well and make his way towards the main fire. Remus eyed Fenrir warily, and held his wand close to his body. Fenrir did not strike again, seemingly afraid of Remus' magical abilities.
The two walked together towards the bonfire, with Remus walking slightly distanced from Fenrir. The fight between them had been successful, as Remus could already feel the pack bonds shifting in his favor.
"SILENCE!" Fenrir bellowed in his rough voice.
The other wolves became quiet immediately, and Remus saw the pack clearly for the first time. Fifty or so wolves were present at the encampment, with nearly a quarter of them being women. Remus suspected the women were all likely mated to Fenrir, causing him to shudder at the thought of Fenrir doing that to so many others. To Remus' deep shock, at least ten children were present at the bonfire. Based on their injuries and the way they cowered below Fenrir's voice, Remus suspected they were among Fenrir's young victims. His heart broke as he looked upon the scared faces of the youngest werewolves.
"We have a change to announce," Fenrir rasped. "It is time I chose a beta, and the appropriate beta has arrived this very night." The wolves around the fire were astonished; many of them became slack-jawed at the announcement.
"Remus Lupin is my beta," Fenrir announced. "He was once the pet of the crackpot Headmaster and has been rejected. He has accepted our alliance with the Dark Lord." Half-hearted cheers and claps were heard throughout the small encampment.
"You are to do as he says in my absence," Fenrir continued. "Insolence will be punished." The wolves looked frightened at the prospect, and yet Fenrir held steady. "We feast tonight in honor of our new beta!" Fenrir roared into the night.
Several werewolves made their way towards a pile of carcasses and began hastily butchering them to roast them over the fire; the entire scene was grotesque and disgusted Remus. His appetite had gone away at the sight of the mangled carcasses being torn apart by the hungry werewolves.
"You have been accepted," Fenrir grunted. "I will be informing the Dark Lord of my new beta." Remus' blood ran cold at the idea that Voldemort would know where he was, but for the sake of the mission, Remus had to be successful.
"Fine," Remus said, as nonchalantly as he could.
"The Dark Lord will be pleased you have defected," Fenrir said. "You will not be marked."
"I assume, because we are werewolves, we are not worthy of the Mark," Remus said flatly.
"Aye," Fenrir agreed. "I'm the only wolf allowed in his presence," Fenrir boasted. "You want to meet him?"
"No," Remus said truthfully. "Ask for more resources. The Dark Lord will never curry the favor of werewolves if we are living barely better than wild animals," Remus said bluntly. Fenrir grunted as he oversaw the other werewolves preparing the 'feast' for Remus.
"Meet the others," commanded Fenrir. "You may choose a mate from among the unmated ones."
Remus nodded weakly. This was where he drew the line. He was willing to expose his location to Voldemort, but he was unequivocally, categorically unwilling to lay with anyone other than Dora.
"Command them to build you a place to sleep," Fenrir continued. "Now." Remus sighed but did as Fenrir commanded.
"WEREWOLVES!" Remus bellowed, feeling every bit ridiculous as he commanded the broken figures in front of him. Nearly all of them turned to face Remus. His heart was moved with pity for them; it was evident they had been mistreated.
"You are to build me a place to sleep," Remus ordered. "It need not be as grand as Fenrir's. Begin now." The words slipped out of Remus' mouth, and he hated himself for it. Almost instantly, a group of wolves, including several werewolf children, began gathering materials and setting out to build something for Remus.
"You have been accepted," Fenrir grumbled. "It is done." Remus nodded and stared into the flames licking the bodies of the mangled carcasses. As he reflected on what he had done, he realized he'd reached a new depth of self-loathing for what he had accomplished, and what it took to achieve it.
…
The cold, hard January ground filled Remus' nostrils with the scent of muddy, frozen earth. He shivered, naked, in the woods surrounding the mountainside encampment where he'd been for just over a month.
Remus had been at Fenrir's encampment, serving as the beta. In the time Remus had been at the encampment, he had overseen major improvements to the lives of the werewolves there. Fenrir had convinced Voldemort and his Death Eaters to fund the encampment better, in an effort to keep them from turning to Dumbledore. The ramshackle tents had been replaced with rudimentary huts, not dissimilar to what Caspian's settlement enjoyed. Remus had his own hut, which he had enchanted and reinforced with every bit of magic he could think of, in an effort to keep others out.
Voldemort, according to Fenrir, had been delighted that a former Order member had defected to support the werewolves and his own cause. Remus had even been informed that should the Dark Lord succeed, he, as Fenrir's beta, would be gifted the young Auror he had once been with as Remus' own 'plaything.' It took considerable self-constraint not to vomit on the spot upon hearing that Dora would be offered as a 'plaything' for Remus' cooperation with the werewolves and Voldemort.
Panicked, Remus sent a Patronus to both Dumbledore and Dora to request that Dora be housed at Hogwarts for every full moon. Remus had no idea if they had followed through, but it improved his outlook slightly to think that Dora would be better protected against the bloodthirsty Fenrir, in case he wished to present Dora as a 'gift' to his beta any earlier than when Voldemort had promised her.
The thoughts of Dora as his 'plaything' and the brittle, biting winter air breathed new energy into Remus as he began scanning himself for injuries. The usual cuts, bruises, scrapes, and gashes littered Remus' body. He felt bite marks on his shoulder blade; he assumed they had to be Fenrir's, as Fenrir was now his alpha. Remus began looking around as the other werewolves began stirring from their own transformations. They all had two sets of bite marks on their shoulders; Remus thought shamefully that he had inflicted those marks to establish himself as beta, both in wolf form and human form.
It was the first moon with him as beta of the encampment, and per the agreement he had with Dumbledore, the full moon had passed without the use of Wolfsbane Potion. The following moon would be on Wolfsbane Potion, to see if anything went awry during the wolf transformations. Remus exhaled, wincing, as he lifted himself up off the cold, hard ground and trudged towards the encampment. The other wolves would help one another reach their huts. Remus resisted the urge to help; although his human nature screamed at him to help the others, his wolf screamed with as much force that he was beta now and he was too high ranking to assist the others. Conflicted, Remus returned to his hut to heal himself and oversee the food preparation for the day. Once he was dressed in his threadbare clothing and bandages for his wounds, he sealed the hut with his wards and made his way towards the bonfire.
"It was unusual for Fenrir to be here," one wolf announced. It was Aurelia, who had been the mate of Lewis, one of the wolves Remus had met at Caspian's settlement.
"Is it unusual? I should think the alpha would stay for the full moon," Remus noted.
"He leaves at full moons," Aurelia said, as she began peeling potatoes. "We don't know where he goes, but he arrives smelling of blood and flesh. He will sometimes bring his victims and take them."
Remus winced and forced the bile back from the back of his throat; he supposed that meant that Fenrir would use the full moon as an opportunity to bite or kill as many as possible, especially children. Remus had begun to suspect that Fenrir might have been eating his victims, particularly those who did not stand a chance at survival. Remus' stomach lurched at the vile notion, feeling glad that the prior night's full moon had been spent with Fenrir at the encampment.
Remus stared into the fire as Aurelia and a few other female werewolves came to begin preparations for the post-full moon feast. Aurelia was one of Fenrir's mates, but she was not the highest ranking one.
"R-Remus?" a small voice called. Remus looked down to see one of the child werewolves, Annie, looking up at him with tears in her eyes, and wearing rags over her thin, ragged, and bloodied frame. He had supposed the child was about nine years old. He bent down, wincing, as he crouched to balance himself on the balls of his feet.
"Yes, Annie?" he asked gently. Though Fenrir was harsh with the children and encouraged Remus to do the same, Remus could not bring himself to be cruel to them.
"What do you want us to do?" Annie asked in her small, hoarse voice. She had led two other young werewolves with her.
"Nothing, Annie," Remus said kindly. "You, David, and Hugh should go rest."
"Fenrir said we are to work," Annie responded hesitantly.
"Work by resting your eyes," Remus commanded. "Go, and tell the other children to do the same." Annie nodded gratefully and took the other children's hands in her own, leading them to the huts where the children stayed.
Remus grimaced as he got back up to his feet.
"You are an unusual werewolf, Remus," Aurelia stated. "The children are confused by you."
"Did Fenrir bring them here?" Remus asked quietly, as Aurelia nodded.
"All of them were near-dead when they arrived," Aurelia whispered. "Their parents told Fenrir to not bother bringing them back once they were infected. They cry something terrible."
Remus held his tongue. He struggled to keep his temper in check. Each time he heard of Fenrir's cruelty and viciousness, it took every ounce of self-control to keep him from murdering the other werewolf outright with his bare hands.
"Why do I confuse the children?" Remus asked.
"They have been told that they are to serve the alpha and beta," Aurelia explained. "They are no longer children, or human."
Remus balled his hands into fists and let the fists swing at his side. They are children, Remus thought, they should not have childhood robbed from them. Remus kept his opinions to himself; his agreement had been to do Fenrir's bidding so long as Remus could be beta. Though the lives of the werewolves had improved drastically in the last month – better housing, more consistent and edible food – they were still suffering greatly. The longer Remus stayed with the wolves, the longer he hoped to improve their lives.
"Have you chosen a mate, Remus?" Aurelia asked. "As beta, you are expected to have one."
"I am not interested in anyone here," Remus said curtly.
"Ask Fenrir to bring you someone, then," Aurelia suggested.
"I have my own plans," Remus insisted. "I do not need your assistance." His words came out more harshly than he had intended, but the effect was immediate. Aurelia hung her head and returned to her task of peeling potatoes in silence.
"Fenrir has said you have someone in mind," the cool voice of Petra chimed in. Petra was Fenrir's alpha mate; she was his first and primary.
"I do," Remus said truthfully. "She is currently unavailable."
"That will be remedied soon enough," Petra assured. "The Dark Lord keeps his promises." A shudder ran down Remus' spine. He wanted nothing to do with whatever Voldemort had planned for him, or Dora, for that matter.
"There are others you may mate with until she arrives, Remus," Petra continued. "You need not be celibate for your plaything."
"I'm fine, thanks," Remus said brusquely. "I know what I want."
"The beta should have a mate," Petra insisted. "Several females here would make excellent mates for you."
"Again, not interested," Remus replied hotly. He was fuming, but there was little he could do. Though he out-ranked the alpha female, he had little intention of earning her fury, and, by association, Fenrir's fury. Remus had learned the mating bond could be more powerful than the pack bond itself, when Caspian and his fellow wolves had defected from Fenrir's pack years prior.
"Suit yourself," Petra said airily. "Mating season is upon us, anyway. I'm sure you'll find someone by the end of the season." She smirked knowingly at Remus, as he shuddered and forced the bile back down his throat.
"I will return shortly," Remus announced to Aurelia, suddenly remembering his promise to Dora. "You and Petra will oversee the feast for now." Aurelia nodded and went back to her task.
Remus walked into the woods, far enough away from the encampment that he could Apparate. With a turn of his heel, he Apparated to the woods near his cottage to cast the Patronus. He thought of her smile, and her warm body pressed against his own, and cast "Expecto patronum!" The massive, silvery wolf emerged from his wand and he frowned at it slightly before instructing it to find Dora.
He spoke to it: "I'm safe. Do not reply." The short message contained nothing of how Remus felt. He felt disgusted with himself for what he'd become. He was a beta and could command the respect and will of nearly all the wolves in the encampment. He was a beta and was expected to mate with another wolf. He was a werewolf who lived with other werewolves. He was disgusted with himself and everything he had done in the last month, despite the improvements to the wolves' lives. He looked out on his cottage with nostalgia, but rather than enter it, he turned on the spot, Apparating back to Fenrir's encampment.