Remus Lupin had barely enough time to catch the boy before he hit the ground. He'd known someone had been tracking him for a while. Knowing Greyback, Remus had expected the tracker to be someone who might actually have a good chance of taking him down. The last thing he expected was to find out his tracker was a near emaciated shadow of a young boy werewolf. A waft of the boy's scent made Remus' blood boil. Just by the boy's scent he could tell the boy knew Greyback on a far too personal level. If it was even possible, Remus felt his hatred for the monster who made him into one reach new heights.
Fenrir Greyback was a vicious bastard, not particularly concerned with the well being of humans, but Remus had always assumed Greyback took care of his pack. An Alpha looked out for the good of pack. Remus didn't like spending time in werewolf camps, but he'd picked up things from them. Packs generally took good care of cubs. He didn't think even Greyback would go against that. The times Remus encountered any of them they looked well cared for and they never reeked of-defilement.
He looked down at the skinny boy with dirty blond hair and made his decision. He picked up the boy and disapparated them to his home.
His home was small; nothing more than a shack really, if he was to be honest. It was rather open and plain, but Remus liked it that way. He wasn't that fond of being confined and being able to oversea the rest of his house from his bed helped, He liked the smallness. It was comforting. It made him feel safe.
Remus heaved a sigh as he put the still, too small, unconscious boy down on his bed. Something was very wrong, aside from the fact any child taken by Greyback was wrong, it was something else. Remus kneeled down next to bed to get a closer look. Bruises were splattered across the boy's arms, hidden by the short sleeves of the ratty t-shirt he wore, and he reeked of dried blood and filth. A good long shower would definitely do him some good once he woke up, but the boy would undoubtedly be hungry and thirsty when he came to. Remus walked to his kitchenette and tapped the kettle with his wand. He didn't have much in the way of food, but some not quite stale bread toasted would be enough for a stomach not used to regular meals.
The water hadn't even boiled before Remus heard a soft murmur from the bed. Remus turned to see the boy slowly sitting up. He touched the bed and tried to take in his surroundings through his obvious grogginess. Remus took a couple steps towards the bed and the boy's head shot up like a startled deer. Remus stopped in his tracks and their eye's locked. For a couple of seconds Remus only heard his own breathing as he watched the dizziness lift from his guest's eyes, only to be replaced in rapid succession by confusion, recognition, and then fear.
In a blink, the boy scrambled backwards and fell off the other side of the bed with a small squeak. If the boy wasn't so blatantly scared out of his wits, Remus might've laughed. He went around the bed to see if the boy was alright, and was hit hard with shock at the terrible display before him. The boy prostrated himself, barring him his neck, making soft keening noises as he stretched his throat as far as he could.
Forcefully swallowing the risen bile in his throat, Remus tried to figure out how he would go about handling this, shoving all fantasies of Greyback's death to the side. He knew what that behavior meant. He had shown his submission to pack leaders on occasion, but never like that. He'd never even gotten down on his knees. Next thing he knew the boy just might roll over to show his stomach.
The poor boy had to be the Omega of Greyback's pack. It explained everything perfectly. He'd been used as nothing more than a thing, and probably by the entire pack too. Remus had seen Omegas of other packs, but none treated as badly as the one lying in his bed.
One day, Remus was going to make sure Greyback died the slow painful death he deserved, but first he needed to focus on the boy.
Remus crouched down next to him and very lightly touched his shoulder. He said softly "It's alright. There's no need for that right now." He withdrew his hand as the boy tensed under his touch. Remus bit his lip in indecision before he got up and briskly walked back to the kitchen where the water boiled.
"Why don't you come sit over here and have some tea with me?" Remus said warmly as if he hadn't seen the display. He hoped it was the right thing to do. For the most part he was flying blind on how to deal with a pack-oriented, battered, child Omega. He wanted to boy to at least feel comfortable with him. After he made clear that such submissive behavior wasn't needed, Remus would just ignore any such manners that came to pass. Which they unfortunately and undoubtedly would.
He busied himself with preparing the tea, putting cups and saucers on the table, and toasting the bread. He pretended he wasn't monitoring the boy from the corner of his eyes.
The boy's eyes peeked over the edge of the bed observing Remus' every move. He slowly crawled back onto the bed seeming so uncertain even with his expression blank. As Remus poured the tea, the boy slid off the bed and walked cautiously, but clearly drawn in by the smell of food. Remus felt his heart almost break at the hopeful look the boy tried so valiantly to hide.
Remus sat down, picked up his cup of tea, and smiled at the boy. The boy stopped two feet from the table still looking hopeful, but eyeing Remus with suspicion as well.
"Come on, sit down and have a cuppa." Remus gestured to the seat opposite of his. The boy looked at Remus, and then the chair with the same suspicion, before making up his mind and sitting down.
Silence fell between them as the boy stared at the teacup, the teapot, and finally the bread, but he never made a move. His arms hadn't even lifted an inch from his sides.
Remus couldn't help but frown as he, once again, found himself unsure of what to do. He was way in over his head. Of course, the boy wouldn't just accept anything when he'd already shown apprehension about Remus' intentions. He didn't want to call attention to things that would surely embrace them both just to break that apprehension. He needed to tread carefully, but pretend as if he's not.
"Oh, how terribly rude of me." Remus stretched out his right hand over the table, "I'm Remus Lupin." The boy just eyed the hand. Deciding a handshake wouldn't come anytime soon, Remus made a sweeping motion with his arm, "And this is my humble abode."
He received not even a hint of a response from the boy, and was at a loss. Pressing the boy would get nowhere, but he wasn't getting anywhere in the first place. Remus took a sip of his tea and slid the plate of toast closer to the boy. Remus was pleased as he saw the boy's hands actually move, even if it was only to come up and grip the edge of the table.
"Why am I here?" The boy spoke so softly Remus almost thought he imagined it.
"Well, you passed out and I didn't think the forest was a good place to leave an unconscious little boy." Remus gave the boy a smile, even if the boy couldn't see it with his eyes firmly set on his hands.
Remus asked in a slightly joking tone, "What's your name? I can't really go around calling you 'boy' all the time."
The boy's eyes shot up and back down again; seeming to sneer for just a second. The expression was eerily reminiscent of someone, but Remus just couldn't recall whom.
The boy spoke again with a blank face, but his tone was resigned,"My Master calls me boy."
Remus said matter-of-factly, "All the more reason to call you by your proper name then." He took a leisurely sip of his tea and ignored the way the boy's eyes shot up and down again or how he clenched and unclenched his hands on the edge of the table.
"Please drink your tea and eat something. You must be starving." He wasn't all that surprised when there was no impact. They say in silence with the boy's knuckles turning white as he clenched the table. "You should take me back, Sir." The boy said abruptly, startling Remus out of his observational gaze.
Remus asked, "Do you want to go back?"
This time the boy's head shot up and for a moment he looked straight into Remus' eyes. It was clear the boy didn't believe the intention behind the question, but there was also a desperate wish to believe. The boy had such expressive grey eyes.
Far too soon, the boy bowed his head again.
"My-The leader of my pack will be angry with me for being late." The boy spoke softly again and after a pause he continued, "He'll be angry with you for taking me here instead of the den. His anger isn't pretty, Sir."
Remus considered the boy's words. He felt heartened by the fact the boy had changed his form of address for Greyback and he seemed to take Remus' wellbeing into account, although that just might be a ploy to convince Remus to take him back.
"Oh, I've done more than enough to ensure his wrath. Trust me, me taking you here is only fuel to an already raging fire, nothing more. He doesn't know where I live, so I'm quite unconcerned about him. Do you want to go back or not?"
The boy looked up again and held his gaze a bit longer this time. Although the boy's behavior was frustrating, Remus felt like he was making some headway. The sheer disbelief in the boy's eyes had vanished leaving only desperate hope in it's absence.
The boy asked," Would your pack accept me?"
Remus was taken with his formulation. No obvious pleading, no obvious despair, no endless questions, just one simple question. The answer to said question would help the boy assess Remus' position and power. How absolutely Slytherin of him. The fact Remus was all alone was a bit of a sore spot, but he tried his best to hide it.
Remus admitted, "I have no pack." He drank his tea quickly to avoid any close scrutiny.
"But-how?" The boy asked with genuine confusion this time meeting Remus' eyes. Even if it was a sore point, Remus couldn't suppress a small smile.
"I don't care much for indulging my-baser side." Remus chose his words carefully suddenly aware of how adverse the boy in front of him might react. After all, being raised by Greyback came with a certain disrespect for human life. The fact the boy was an Omega didn't exclude the possibility he could have tasted human flesh, killed someone, or believed in the monster's teachings.
The silence was for the first time, deafening for Remus, the boy stared at him having discarded his shyness and nervousness in favor of observing him like he was an anomaly.
The boy stated simply,"So, your a nice werewolf then."
Remus nearly choked on his tea. That statement captured what he'd been striving for all his life in the simplest of terms. A self-deriding smile touched his lips and for a moment Remus swore he saw the lip's of the boy quirk upwards before the boy ducked his head back down. To Remus relief and joy, the boy actually swiped one of the, now cold, pieces of toast and started to nibble it. Remus watched the boy savor the toast as if it was the best thing in the world, and a dangerous thought crossed his mind.
The boy, afflicted the same way he was, and in obvious need of protection and care, had accepted him. He could raise the boy. They could be a pack together. Remus could have a pack again. He would have someone to care for and to share his life with. A euphoric feeling took hold of Remus before his more rational side intervened. If the boy's parents were alive he'd have to return him to them. Remus couldn't deny the boy that. Of course, chances were the boy's parents might reject him, after all Remus' own parents had been an exception to the rule. Then again, the boy's statement could be proof of an open-minded upbringing, or perhaps fanciful dreams of an abused child, but with a little guidance.
The boy's gentle voice broke Remus away from his own fantasies, "James." was the only thing the boy said, and this time Remus did choke on his tea. Some of it went down the wrong pipe in his throat and some of it shot through his nose resulting in a spray over the table.
Remus asked after he had recovered from his coughing fit, "Excuse me?"
The boy spoke again barely more than a whisper, "My Name is James."
Remus looked at the boy, who had shrunken into his seat, and he felt stupid for his reaction. James a was common enough name, and Remus had met others with the same namesake over the years, and he'd never reacted like that. It was a little unexpected and sudden."
The boy murmured, "You can call me Jamie I guess."
Remus explained, "I'm sorry, but that was a bit unexpected. A dear friend of mine was called James." Unwilling to dwell on the matter any further he shook his head forcefully. He looked up at the boy who was looking at him curiously with his head cocked to the side ever so slightly. Yet again, something about the boy reminded him of someone else, but he was far too tired to give it any serious thought. Remus glanced at the clock above his fireplace and wasn't surprised when it read: long past the time for all furry things to be in bed. Remus grinned at the clock and the memory of his seventeenth birthday. The day James, Sirius, and Peter had given him the clock. Even after everything that had come to pass, he still loved that clock. He shook his head again, and turned to face the boy.
The boy was observing him, looking over the rim of his teacup, like Remus was some great enigma he wanted to unravel. Well, in the morning he'd talk to the boy some more and end that delusion. For now, the clock was correct and it was time for some rest.
Remus spoke a little too loudly, "Well, Jamie."
Starled the boy immediately lowered his eyes, and put down the cup so quickly that it clanged against the saucer. Remus refrained from letting out a sigh. He knew that half an hour of sitting together and some progress wasn't going to magically heal the boy; if only it were that simple. Remus continued in a quieter tone, "What do you say about you going to take a shower and then we'll get some sleep, alright?"
The boy looked up again with that heart wrenching stunned look. He nodded slowly, but stayed firmly planted in his seat. Right, the boy didn't handle unclear ordered well it seemed.
Remus said, "Come on you go and shower. The bathroom is right over there." He pointed to the only other door in the house aside from the front door, just right to the side of the kitchenette, "There are towels under the sink and I'll find you something to wear. We'll have to burn your old clothes." Remus finished waving a hand at the boy's-at James' clothing.
James looked up at him, nodded again, and this time he did get up and walked over to the bathroom. He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder at Remus silently seeking permission. Remus gave the boy an encouraging nod, and James opened the door.
"Toss your clothes and I'll burn them. I'll put new ones on the counter in a minute." Remus called through the bathroom door.
Remus had been finishing up the dishes when the door opened slightly and a tattered t-shirt and jeans were tossed unceremoniously onto the kitchen floor. Remus smiled in amusement and went to pick up the clothes. He took a better look at the rags. As expected the back of the t-shirt was stained in blood, some fresh and some months hold, and the jeans weren't any better. Remus hadn't wanted to bring up any possible wounds with James yet, but the fresh blood meant he was bleeding even this night, so they would have to be treated. Remus dropped the clothes with a sigh and burned them with a simple Incendio. He went to hs cupboard and opened a drawer and got out a shoe box. Inside was an old set of pajamas, the last Christmas present his mother had ever given him. They'd still be far too big for the boy, but a simple resizing spell would fix that.
Remus walked towards the bathroom, and the door opened before Remus had a chance to. A freshly washed James appeared in the doorway. The towel wrapped around his body up to his chest. Cleaned and covered in the big towel the boy looked even younger and more frail than he probably was. Remus felt another surge of protectiveness for the boy.
"Sorry, Sir." James said taking a step back into the bathroom, and looking down at his feet.
Remus said,"Never mind, Jamie." He held out the pajamas, "I brought you something to wear, but first I'd like to have a look at your back. I noticed you were injured."
The boy stiffened and Remus was tempted to retract his offer, but he knew he couldn't'/ If the boy had any recent wounds, they needed to be cared for before they went to sleep, or he might get an infection.
"Just put on the pants, and lie down on the bed please."
The boy relaxed a little, accepted the clothing, and walked towards the bed. Remus turned away to give the boy some privacy and after a few moments he heard James voice filled with uncertainty say, "I'm ready, Sir."
Remus turned towards the bed and found James laid on the bed with his head resting on his folded arms. Remus was appalled at the sight of the boy's back. He knew there'd be scars from transformations. He'd reckoned there'd be scars and wounds from beatings, but to find James' back utterly littered with scars and fresh welts was almost too much to take. Remus blinked away a few tears and ignored his impulse to take James into his arms and try to comfort him, but that wouldn't do, at least not now.
Remus backed away from the bed towards the bathroom, "Jamie?"
James asked in return,"Yes, Sir?" not moving an inch, but his voice strained.
"I'm going to get some salve for your wounds, and a potion for the pain, alright?"
Remus barely heard the boy's soft affirmation as he took out the medicines from the bathroom cabinet. Sometimes his wolf's senses were a blessing.
James didn't move a muscle as Remus sat down next to him on the bed, making sure to keep as much distance between them as he could. He opened the jar of healing salve Severus had made for him, and lightly rubbed it against the boy's wounds, They stayed silent was Remus applied the salve aside from James gritting teeth and occasional moan out of pain. James needed a thorough check up in the morning, and he had an acquaintance nearby who worked with these kinds of things. If there was any time for him to call in his favor, now would be it. Remus couldn't bring himself to go to Hogwarts just yet, even though the boy seeing Poppy would be a good idea, but he'd work with what he had for now.
When he finished, Remus picked up the pajama top and put it in the boy's hand, "Put this one and get under the covers. I'll give you the potion before you to go sleep."
Remus got off the bed and turned his back to the bed once again. As he heard the rustle of fabric he decided to make some chit-chat in hope it might make the boy trust him a bit more. Even though, Remus had the feeling if he asked James to jump off a bridge he just might obey him, "The salve and position were made by a-associate of mine. Right now he's working on something that might help us with our-situation. He'd one of the best potions masters in the wizarding world, so it'll only be a matter of time before he comes up with something." Remus stopped his talking when he heard the boy get settled into bed.
Well, James was under the covers, as Remus had told him to be, but James was obviously uncomfortable, fidgeting with the cover as he had been clutching the table and looking down at his hands. Remus couldn't help himself. He leant over James a little, pushing the vial into one of his hands, and tugged up the blankets with his free hand. The boy's body was as taut as a string stretched as far as it could go, but he did accept the potion and raised his eyes to meet Remus' gave James his space, but help his gaze. It only took a few seconds before James uncapped the vial and drank the contents.
Jame said, "Thank you, Sir." Handing back the empty vial, James laid back against the pillow.
"You're welcome, James." Remus said softly.
He watched the boy get comfortable and his breathing even out as he dozed off. Remus took out one of the kitchen chairs and transfigured it into a far more comfortable chaise lounge.
Remus covered himself with an old quilt and settled himself in for the night. His dozed off with thoughts of his own pack, grocery shopping, and calling in his favor in the morning.
Origional Story: It were a tale by poppendol