Chapter 15
Visitors
Remus's feeling was correct, summer was not a pleasant affair—far from it. In fact, the summer had been so excruciating that Remus half-suspected his time at Hogwart's had been no more than a good dream. He spent just as much time in the shed as he had the previous year and when he did get an opportunity to go out in the fresh air, he spent most of that time trying to avoid his old neighborhood bullies—a task easier said than done.
Remus nimbly hopped over a garden fence to avoid his taunting pursuers. He was faster than any of them, but their numbers allowed them to spread out and cut closer to him.
"Vilky!"
"Bloody Vilk!" cried some of his wizarding tormentors.
Despite his fear and dejection, Remus thought with great relief that none of these bullies attended Hogwarts, they went to private witchcraft and wizardry schools, or had been accepted to some lower class public wizarding schools.
Suddenly a Muggle bully burst from the yard to Remus's left. He darted around him before galloping full speed into the forest, the only sanctuary that was not infested with sadistic, mean-spirited children. The bullies chased him through the trees but Remus finally lost them, their shouts fading away.
Remus slowed a little, his heart was beating fast but he was surprised to find he was not the least bit tired. He looked over his shoulder to be sure there were no more pursuers. The ground ran out in front of him. His momentum vaulted him over an incredibly steep hill. He soared through the air for a moment before crashing to the gully below and knowing nothing more.
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"Ugh," Remus opened one eye, then the other. His vision was a bit blurry but it gradually sharpened. Once his head stopped spinning he sat up.
The sun had gone done enough to make him feel colder and he was covered in runny mud. Remus shivered, he was not sure where he was. He lifted his nose and tested the air instinctively. He caught the scent of his dilapidated home to the west. He was about to head west when the wind changed direction. An overpowering scent danced in his nostrils. It was fresh, it was food.
Remus's cautious nature made him frown, but his stomach growled menacingly. It had not had a decent bit of food in nearly two days. The gut was victorious and Remus set off to the east. After several miles (though it did not really seem like such a great distance to Remus) he spotted warm golden lights in the windows of a small, but comfortable looking cabin.
The cabin however, was of secondary importance. The freshly killed pheasant hanging by the window with a few other pieces of choice game consumed his interest as well as his caution. He climbed up the rack and untied the pheasant before dropping gracefully to the ground, hugging the bird to his chest.
"Don't move."
Remus froze.
"Drop the bird."
Remus dropped the bird.
"Now turn around slowly."
Remus turned to face one of the most frightening men he had ever seen, made all the more terrifying by the fact that his wand was level with his throat. The man, whose wild white hair and beard obscured most of his face, seemed to relax slightly when he saw he was dealing with a small child.
"What do you think you're doing out here?" he asked gruffly.
" I-uh-hungry," Remus stuttered, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
"There is such a thing as asking you know," said the man who just seemed to realize his wand was pointed at Remus's throat and lowered it.
The man lumbered back toward his cabin, "Come in, I'll get you some food."
Remus hesitated then followed uneasily, thinking he had very little choice in the matter. As he entered the cabin, he was assaulted by a thousand different and powerful smells at once. The man seemed to have a potions work area occupying most of the cabin. Remus collapsed on an uncomfortable chair by the crackling fire place.
The white-haired man arched an eyebrow, "Good thing that mud on your clothes looks dry."
"I'm sorry sir, but I felt a bit faint," Remus smiled though he clearly had no reason to.
The man finished skinning a rabbit. He smirked, "How do you like your cute fluffy bunny?"
"Extra rare," said Remus without hesitation, going red when he realized what he said, "I mean, er…"
The man gave a hoarse laugh, "You're a strange kid," but nonetheless he carved chunks of bloody rabbit flank, slopped them on a plate and handed them to Remus before sitting in the chair across from him.
"Thank you," said Remus, using all his self-control not to devour the whole plate, but to pick up each piece and pop it gingerly in his mouth.
"Name's Damocles, Robert Damocles," said the man.
"Remus Lupin."
"And what the hell are you doing in the middle of the forest, Remus Lupin?" asked Damocles.
Remus thought it best to simply tell the truth so he recounted the village he lived in, the bullies, the chase, his fall, and his eventual wandering to the cabin. Though it was the truth, Remus withheld the fact of smelling the meat, he did not want this man who now seemed to be kind to write him off as a freak.
"Hmm, rough. People are apes," said Damocles, "Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to Zelda Lupin would you?"
"She's my gran."
Damocles smirked, "Then perhaps those bullies are lucky they didn't corner you into a fight. Lupins are famous for being vicious fighters when cornered, or in your grandmother's case, mildly irritated."
Remus merely grinned, he was used to such gentle jabs at his grandmother's, er, liveliness. Remus gestured to the numerous cauldrons whose smells were still battering his nose like a ship in a storm.
"What're all those for?"
At this Damocles sighed, "Just dabbling here and there. I want to work some things out on my own…What? Don't look at me like that!"
"Like what?" asked a puzzled Remus.
"Like you're not satisfied with my answer! Damn curiosity! It ruins people…" Damocles snarled.
Remus was startled but managed to keep some of his composure, "Well, you seem to be curious, experimenting and brewing all those different cauldrons."
Damocles snorted, "A smart one, don't come across those often. Oh curiosity is fine on its own, but when other people meddle in a man's curiosities, that is when troubles arise. Have you ever heard of the NulTumorda?"
Remus's recalled first year Potions and answered, not quite sure where Damocles was going, "It's a potions that complete isolates and dissolves small tumors."
"That's right, I invented that. I also invented Pollarne, the cure for polio many decades ago and several other potions you young people take for granted today. But then people started hailing me as a genius, as a great healer! When I had never made anything in my life that did not come from my own naked self-interest—my own curiosity," Damocles rambled with a wild gleam in his eye.
Remus shifted uncomfortably, "You mean, you didn't create those things to help people?"
"Merlin no!" spat Damocles, "There's enough worthless people taking up space in this world as it is. For every good potion I've made, I have created something terrible and destructive that counteracts it. I don't care if they help or hurt but just have the desire to make them. It is one of the few things I love. But no one will leave me alone," Damocles pounded his fist on the small stand by his chair and Remus jumped.
Damocles saw the boy's shaken expression and immediately became more sober, "I sorry. You've been forced to listen to a bitter old man's ramblings in exchange for a few scraps of meat."
Remus smiled easily as if nothing had taken place, "That's alright. I don't mind, you are entitled to your thoughts," he finished neutrally.
At this diplomatic tone, Damocles raised his eyebrow suspiciously but continued to be apologetic, "I'm just not used of visitors."
"You're a fine host," said Remus reassuringly, "Much more hospitable than others I think."
Damocles scoffed, "Then I would hate to meet these hosts of which you speak! Ah! Look how late it is! Don't you have parents who worry for you boy? I know my way to the village, I can lead you back home."
"Oh I can find my own way home," said Remus snapping his mouth shut as soon as the words escaped his lips. Damocles thought he was lost. Surely he would think Remus was strange in the head.
"Huh," said Damocles, leaning towards Remus for a moment but merely rising from his chair. Remus chastised himself for being so paranoid.
Damocles sliced a few choice cuts from the rabbit and dabbed the blood from them before slapping them in Remus's palm, "For the road."
Remus rose and thanked him profusely before heading out into the night.
When he arrived home, he was met with pure mayhem. Ministry cars, sobbing mother, Zelda screeching, "Derek you incompetent son of a flobberworm! WHERE IS MY GRANDSON?!"
Remus approached the throng sheepishly. Zelda was the first to see him and swooped on him like a great mother bird, "Oh Remus! Remus! What happened? Are you are alright? Does anything hurt?"
"Got lost in the woods," Remus mumbled with embarrassment.
After the chaos died down, and the Ministry officials rumbled away grumbling about careless parents, Remus was taken inside to be alternately coddled and chided by Zelda.
"Remus, you should know better than anyone how dangerous the forest is!" she cried after giving him one of her bone crushing hugs. Remus looked over her shoulder at Mr. Valent, who seemed to be barely containing his fury. There would be hell to pay.
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Remus was confined to his shed for the next several weeks, often forgoing food and water. He was utterly miserable and restless, thoughts of Hogwarts and his reading the only things keeping him from going completely mad.
When he was allowed out, Remus rather guiltily snuck off into the forest to visit Damocles, who was much more amiable when his pheasants were not being stolen.
Damocles, for his part, surprised himself by actually enjoying Remus's visits. The boy knew far too much for his own good but this made him excellent conversation. And the boy was endlessly polite and helpful, traits often talked about, but rarely found.
When Remus visited Damocles a last time before term started he found the old man cursing in frustration over his work. He noticed several melted and otherwise demolished cauldrons in the corner of the cabin.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked curiously.
"Nothing of importance," Damocles said airily but looked meaningfully at Remus, "Just an idea that came to me."
Hope you liked it! I cut out the bit on the marauder rescue mission, decided to save it for another time. Damocles/ Remus seemed to fill the chapter sufficiently. Hope you like. Oh! I would also like to take this opportunity to pimp my oneshot fic: Like a Star in the Day which features Sirius Black. I'm rather proud of it and would like feedback, good or bad : )
Also, next chapter is going to be pretty dark. It's cool. But of course I'd say that :P