Love Sees More 3: Greyback's Pack

Chapter 8 - The Altercation

Remus Apparated back to the large tree just outside of the perimeter of the former werewolf colony. He immediately held his breath and froze, his eyes darting back and forth across the trees to make sure no one saw him. When he was certain he was alone, he released his breath and slumped back against the tree.

He knew he had to quit sneaking off, because his luck was going to run out sooner or later. Greyback didn't care if the werewolves left the compound, just as long as they were back in time for meetings. However, Remus knew it was an unspoken rule that as soon as he joined the pack, all magic stopped. Greyback despised magic, and Remus was certain that Greyback would be furious to know that Remus was still using it. Not to mention, if Greyback knew where Remus was sneaking off to, he'd be in even bigger trouble. Remus still hadn't given Greyback a reason to punish him, and Remus intended on keeping it that way.

Besides, the more Remus returned to Grimmauld Place, the more homesick it made him feel and the harder it was to return to this hellhole. If Remus went back to Sirius's house one more time, he was fairly certain he wouldn't have it in him to return to Greyback. Remus wanted nothing more than to go home, to forget this place forever, but he couldn't; he certainly didn't spend the last month here only to throw it away now.

Squaring his shoulders, Remus stepped out from behind the tree, ready to continue this ridiculous charade. The more time that this went on, the more Remus became convinced that Sirius was right - this whole thing was insane. Then again, at least Remus had been able to save Justin from the same fate that he and other werewolves endured month after month. Even if Remus didn't gain any useful knowledge from Greyback, he supposed that saving Justin was reward enough.

It appeared that most of the werewolves had returned from breakfast. As usual, the epsilons were all gathered around the mouth of the cave. They stared in Remus's general direction as he approached, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of their expressions. They didn't look like they were feeling much of anything - which was pretty common - but Remus was afraid they might be angry with him. Remus wouldn't blame them in the least if they were; Remus had only been there for a month, and he already outranked the dozen or so of them. Other than him, Althea was the most recent addition to the pack and she had been there for two years. Remus was pretty sure that the other epsilons, having been there even longer, wouldn't exactly be happy with him at the moment.

Remus knew he had to begin trying to sway some werewolves over to Dumbledore's side as soon as possible. He already figured it would be easiest to start with the lowest ranking werewolves, but then again, he wasn't so sure. Some of them would probably love nothing better than to report him to Greyback just so they could advance in the pack. Remus might be safe with one slipup since Greyback had already made him a delta, but if more than one werewolf reported him, he knew his time here would be limited. Greyback could only be fooled for so long.

So Remus decided to start with the very easiest - Althea. She still didn't feel like she belonged in the pack, even after two years, and since Remus was her first and only friend there, he figured he'd have the best luck with her. Hopefully.

Althea never stayed too close to the other werewolves, and today was no exception. She was sitting on the ground outside of the cave, her back pressed up against it. She was alone, and she had her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Little beams of sunlight were peeking through the canopy above her, and she seemed to be fascinated with the patterns it was making on the forest floor.

She looked up and smiled when she heard Remus approach. "Hi," she greeted, pushing her dirty blond hair back, which had been caught up in the autumn breeze. "So where'd you go off to?"

Remus sat down next to her, blinking. "What?"

"I asked before if you wanted to get some breakfast together," she explained. "You said you were going to take a nap instead, but I saw you go off into the woods. Where'd you go?"

"Oh. I did take a nap," Remus lied. He still couldn't believe how easily it seemed to come to him now. "I find the forest floor much more comfortable than any of the ruddy beds here."

"Oh, I do too, actually," Althea replied. "I remember the cot Greyback made me sleep on when I first got here. It was like sleeping on a piece of concrete, for Merlin's sake." She scowled. "Dunno why those above us even use them. Or why they would want to."

"It's a status symbol, I suspect," Remus said. "Just because they have something the epsilons don't, they think that makes them special. I doubt they like to use them, but they do just because they can."

"You're a delta now," Althea pointed out. "You're allowed to sleep in a shack if you want. How come it's not a status symbol to you?"

"Because I have common sense?" Remus teased, which made Althea giggle. "It's not worth throwing my back out just to look important. Especially not around here." A moment of silence passed, broken only by the sound of the breeze through the trees and the low din of the werewolves talking just around the wall of the cave. "Besides, I never had much to begin with. You think my wizard friends ever gave me such amenities?"

That was another blatant lie, but Remus was supposed to be playing a part. The part of a werewolf who had been oppressed and was fed up with the entire wizarding world.

"I guess not," Althea whispered. She picked at a blade of grass, bending it in different directions. "What about your parents?" she asked after a while. "How did they treat you after you were bitten?"

Remus closed his eyes briefly, but then looked up at the bright blue sky peeking through the trees. "My parents were wonderful. Not only did they completely accept it, but they took care of me. They built a shack for me in the backyard to use for transformations, so I didn't even have to leave home. And they never treated me like I was any less of a son - they treated me just the same as they always did." It felt good to be finally be honest about something, and Remus didn't think he could have lied about how wonderful his parents were even if he tried.

Althea pulled several blades of grass out of the ground and tossed them away in frustration. "Wish my parents did. They told me to leave and never come back. They said it was my fault that I was bitten at all, so I was on my own."

"I'm sorry." Remus didn't know what else to say.

Althea shook her head and changed the subject. "So why aren't you with your parents anymore? If they treated you so well, what on earth are you even doing here?" She lowered her voice on the last half-dozen words so the other werewolves nearby wouldn't hear.

"I would love to still be with them, but it's not possible," Remus said. "They passed away some time ago."

"Oh." Now it was Althea's turn to apologize.

Remus attempted to brush it off. "Like I said, it was a long time ago. My mum passed away when I was just six, and my dad raised me on his own after that. He died when I was seventeen."

"Wait," Althea said, turning towards him in curiosity, "you said both your parents accepted you after you were bitten."

"Yes."

"So how old were you when you were bitten if your mum died when you were six?"

"I was five."

Althea looked shocked. "Damn. I can't even imagine dealing with this at that age."

Remus suppressed the urge to respond with a cynical comment. He wasn't entirely sure if Althea's test had involved biting a child, but Remus assumed so. Greyback loved nothing more than to turn children; why would he choose anything other to test his potential followers?

"At least I was old enough to take care of myself when I was bitten," Althea continued, pulling Remus from his thoughts. "Although how anyone really expects us to take care of ourselves is beyond me, especially when they won't even give us proper jobs." She paused and added, "You were very lucky to have your parents, then."

Remus nodded. "I know I was. Believe me."

"What would have happened to you if not for them? Would you have gone to a colony?"

"Probably."

Althea seemed to think this over for a long time. "I know they're bad, but…I don't really know anything about them. My parents threatened to have me sent to one if I didn't leave. Yeah, thanks, Mum and Dad," she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "The way they talked about colonies, I could tell they were horrible places, but…"

"Let's put it this way," Remus interrupted gently. "Greyback was in a colony, and based on that information alone, I can absolutely understand why he is the way he is."

"Oh. Do you think that's why he's so-" Althea stopped and glanced around to make sure they were alone. She tapped her temple with her index finger and whispered, "Mental?"

"I'm sure there are other factors, but I'm positive that that's part of it." Remus leaned in closer to her, not wanting any of the other werewolves to hear what they were talking about. "You know that this place used to be a colony." When Althea nodded, Remus went on. "They didn't let you leave your cell except for meals. You weren't allowed to have anything to occupy your time - books or anything of the like. Imagine sitting there, day after day, doing nothing except staring at the walls. You had one pair of robes, and if they wore out, you were out of luck. If you got sick, you were still out of luck. If you were on your deathbed, they didn't care. One less werewolf to worry about. The rubbish that they served for meals could hardly be called food. And if you broke the rules or even so much as talked, you were beaten to a bloody pulp. So no, it's not surprising at all that Greyback is like this. It's all he knows."

Althea stared at him, her eyes wide, trying to absorb everything he had just said. "But…" she began, but she stumbled over her wording at first. "Well, you've never been to a colony, right? So how do you know all that?"

"I've never lived in one," Remus corrected, "but I have been to one. When I was-" Remus squinted, the details feeling a bit faded with time "-eleven, my dad took me to one. Just to see what it was like," he added hurriedly when Althea looked like she was about to interrupt. "I was a bit curious, and he wanted me to know what sorts of things other werewolves went through. He wanted me to see that they all weren't as lucky as I was. That was the first time I ever laid eyes on Greyback. It was during a meal, and they were under strict orders not to talk. Greyback did anyway, and they beat him for it until he bled."

Althea frowned deeply, taking in Remus's words. She swallowed before she admitted, "You know, I kind of feel sorry for him now."

"I do, too."

"Merlin, people are stupid."

"Er…who would that be? Because in here, you're going to have to be a bit more specific."

Althea laughed out loud, but then slapped her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't disturb any of the other werewolves. "I mean the world in general. They treat us the way they do and then they act like we're the ones who are in the wrong? It's insane. What else are we supposed to do? We don't have any options - we can't get jobs. What are our choices other than a colony or joining up with Greyback? And no one in their right mind would willingly go to a colony, so there's really only one option if we want any company at all. Then they blame us for associating with the most savage werewolf that's ever lived, who turned out the way he did because of people like them…" She seemed to realized she was rambling, because she cut herself off with an irritated growl. "I don't get it."

Remus saw his chance, and he took it. "Althea, what if there was a place - other than this - where you could belong? A place where you could live like an actual human and be accepted as one? A place where you could have a comfortable bed, and clean clothes everyday, and three proper meals a day?"

Althea smiled wistfully. "Three proper meals a day - that's something I really miss. My mum's cooking, too." She licked her lips. "I would give anything right now for a bagel with cream cheese. And scrambled eggs. And a doughnut! With cream filling and chocolate icing…"

"Oh, a girl after my own heart," Remus joked. "I am a chocolate addict!"

"And a hot cup of coffee!" Althea added. "Nothing makes chocolate taste better than coffee."

Remus paused and then said, "The place I'm talking about, there are things like that there." He hoped that his tone suggested that he was imagining the whole thing - just playing along with their little game. "And bacon and sausage."

"And orange juice?"

"Of course."

"And showers, and soap, and toothbrushes?"

"Yes."

"I really miss being able to wash my hair, too." She pulled at her messy hair, trying to thread her fingers through it, and frowning when they got caught up on tangles. "But you know there isn't a place like that, Remus."

"What if there was?" he pressed. "Would you go?"

"That would count as desertion of the pack."

"Yes, it would," Remus agreed, "but is that something you'd be willing to risk? Turning Greyback against you if you could have a fairly normal life? A real life?"

"Oh, Remus," Althea sighed, "I'd go in a second! Of course I would, but we both know that it isn't possible. If there was a place like that at all, neither one of us would be here. We chose this place out of desperation - because we didn't have a choice." She crossed her arms over her chest, leaned back against the wall of the cave, and stared off into the distance. "It's not like I enjoy being here," she mumbled.

"I know," Remus said quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just…sometimes it's fun to pretend that there is a place like that." He let his eyes drift up to the sky, watching the patches of blue in between the leaves.

She was silent after that, and Remus felt bad for being the reason, but his plan was in motion. All he wanted to do was plant the idea in her mind that there was a better place for them out there, and let her think about it for a bit.

"Oh, wonderful," Althea suddenly muttered sarcastically. "Just what we need."

"What?"

Althea was looking past Remus and pointing towards the front of the compound. "Guess who's coming."

Remus turned to look and saw Edmund Talon, Greyback's former second-in-command stalking towards them down the center of the compound, his stringy black hair flying out behind him.

Remus groaned, closed his eyes, and pressed his head back against the cave wall. "Please let him walk past us," he prayed aloud. "I'm really not in the mood for his attitude right now. He's got to be my least favorite person here. Even more so than Greyback at this point. And that is saying something."

"He's still really angry with you," Althea whispered.

Looking at her quickly, Remus asked, "How do you know? He didn't even seem to acknowledge me at the morning meeting. I thought that meant he'd finally decided to leave me alone."

Althea shook her head. "You missed breakfast. He was talking to the rest of the epsilons about what a fake you are. About how we all have to keep an eye on you, because you're bound to slip up sooner or later."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Remus rolled his eyes and then pressed his hand over them. Not for the first time, he desperately wished that this entire thing was over with and that he could go home. "I proved myself to Greyback! What the hell else does he expect me to do?!"

"I've no idea, but if you ask me, he's this close-" Althea held up her thumb and index finger a minute distance apart "-from getting himself killed. Greyback isn't going to tolerate this much longer, and look at the state he's still in from the last time he acted up." She thrust her chin in Talon's direction.

Talon was still a small distance away, but the purple bruise around his left eye was as plain as day against his pasty skin. His lips were also swollen with bits of dried blood around the areas where they had split. Remus doubted that he would survive another attack from Greyback.

"Well," Remus said, "he can't exactly give up now, can he? Not when he's spent this long trying to prove that I am an imposter. He's probably willing to die before he ever admits that he's wrong…"

Remus trailed off and his stomach suddenly twisted up in knots. After all, Talon was right. He was a bastard and Remus greatly disliked him, but he certainly didn't want Talon to be killed because of him - because he was the only one that saw through Remus's act.

Talon finally reached them and unfortunately, he didn't walk past them like Remus had been hoping. He stopped just in front of Remus and Althea, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking down at them.

"What do you want, Talon?" Althea demanded.

Talon chuckled cruelly. "I just wanted to let Lupin know that I'm still not fooled. I know he didn't bite that boy last night. As I've said before, he doesn't have it in him to bite anyone." He threw his eyes up to the sky. "I've never seen such a farce in my life! I can't believe I'm the only that saw through it! Are all of you that stupid?!"

Remus clenched his teeth in anger, but tried to suppress the feeling. He wasn't about to let Talon make him lose control. He took a deep breath, then coolly said, "Maybe you shouldn't use that particular word around here - stupid. I don't think Greyback likes it too much. You wouldn't want to…get hurt again."

Talon narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you? But personally, I am just dying for the day that Greyback realizes what a phony you are, and beats you to a bloody pulp." He paused for effect before adding, "He will someday, you know. It's only a matter of time before he sees through you."

"Keep telling yourself that," Remus replied.

"You didn't think anyone saw you, did you?" Talon suddenly asked, sounding genuinely curious. "When you Apparated in the woods not long ago?" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the front of the compound.

Remus's heart gave an uncomfortable thump, but he decided that the best thing would be to shrug it off. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

Talon tilted his head, regarding Remus carefully. "Don't you? I've said it before and I'll say it again - I know what I saw. You, very clearly, appearing out of nowhere behind some trees. So where'd you go off to? Reporting to those wizarding friends of yours? The ones you claim you don't have?"

Remus got to his feet, staring down at Talon. He decided to play along a little. "If you're so sure I'm up to no good," Remus said, grinning at his own choice of words, "then why don't you just go and tell Greyback?" He waited, pleased with the way Talon's expression faltered. "Oh. That's right. You can't, can you? Because Greyback wouldn't believe you, and you'd end up looking even worse than you do now."

Clenching his fists in anger, Talon took a step closer to Remus, glaring at him. Remus stood his ground. Even Talon wasn't stupid enough to physically attack Remus, even though it was clear that he desperately wanted to; Greyback would certainly kill him then.

"He will believe me someday!" Talon said through clenched teeth. "And I'll be welcomed back as his second-in-command. In fact, I'll be honored for being the only one to know from the start what a liar you are!"

Remus didn't say anything, but he was happy with the way he handled the situation. There was no doubt that Remus had to stop sneaking off, but if Talon was the only one who saw, it wasn't much to worry about; no one else would believe him now, and Talon was losing any composure he had had.

Althea got up next and stood just behind Remus. "Look," she told Talon loudly, "he's already proved himself to Greyback, so why don't you just leave him alone? And just…get over yourself."

Talon's expression quickly changed to one of amusement. "Hm, got yourself a girlfriend, Lupin?"

"No. She's not my girlfriend."

"I wouldn't blame you if she was," Talon said, looking Althea up and down. "She is quite a tart."

That made something snap inside of Remus. He couldn't care less if Talon made fun of him or called him names, but now he was just going too far. Before Remus even realized what he was doing, he had fisted his hands in the front of Talon's robes. He forced the other werewolf back until Talon was pressed up against the wall of the cave.

"Don't you ever call her that again!" Remus snarled. "You don't even know her!"

"Remus…" Althea said quietly from behind him. "Don't worry about it…"

"So you do like her," Talon said smugly. "You only stick up for girls that you fancy."

"She's my friend!" Remus bit out. "And you are a very sorry excuse for a person to talk about women like that."

Talon threw his head back and laughed loudly. Remus wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but it was the last reaction that he had been expecting.

When Talon's snickers finally died down, he threw his arms up in the air. "See what I mean?" he cried. "It doesn't make any sense! You have a fit when I call a girl a tart - and she is, by the way - but yet, you claim that you turned a seven-year-old boy last night! It just doesn't add up!"

"It's none of your business why I am the way I am," Remus retorted, "but I told you to never call her that again!"

"Remus," Althea tried again, "he's only trying to bait you. Don't let him - it doesn't bother me."

"Yes, you see?" Talon asked. "She's already resigned herself to the fact that she's nothing more than a-"

Before he could get the word out again, Remus had pulled him away from the wall of the cave and slammed him back into it. Talon's head connected with the stone with a soft thud. Remus didn't even know what he was doing, but he didn't think he could have stopped if he tried. He was just sick of this entire charade, of pretending to be someone he wasn't, and he had it with Talon egging him on all the time. He just had it.

Talon's words died in his throat, replaced with a low moan. His face screwed up in pain, reaching his hands up for the back of his head. He didn't move again right away, but then he opened his eyes to glower at Remus. "Just who do you think you are?!" Talon launched himself against Remus, forcing him away. Talon stumbled for a moment before he caught his balance, then he pressed a hand against the back of his head again. "Damn it! Greyback really did a number on me yesterday, okay? I don't need you adding bruises to my bruises."

Remus stepped a bit closer to him again. "You're really unbelievable, you know that? Let this be a lesson to you to stop next time when I order you to. Let's not forget - I now outrank you, and I won't hesitate to put you in your place again if I feel you deserve it."

Talon looked up at Remus for a moment before directed his eyes to the ground again. He kept running his hand gingerly over the back of his head. Meanwhile, Althea kept looking back and forth between the two of them as if she wasn't sure what to do. She almost looked shocked at the recent turn of events.

Just then, the silence that had fallen was broken by the very last voice that Remus expected to hear. "Is there a problem here?" Greyback asked. He was standing a short distance away, near the mouth of the cave. "Canin said you were fighting."

Remus's heart felt like it had somehow found its way into his throat. Would Greyback be angry with him for laying his hands on Talon? Greyback had never told him that he couldn't do so, but then again, Remus didn't think that Greyback would be okay with his followers beating each other up. This entire place would probably be in chaos if that were the case.

Remus took a step back from Talon, seeming to shrink a bit. He stared at the ground uncomfortably, wondering if he was about to be punished by Greyback for the first time.

"ANSWER ME!" Greyback roared.

"Bastard threw me into the wall of the cave! He made me bleed!" Talon cried. He had pulled his hand away from the back his skull, and his palm was indeed covered in blood. The sight made Remus's stomach curl in disgust. Had he really done that?

Greyback looked shocked at first, then he turned to look at Remus carefully. "Remus. I'm surprised at you." He stalked towards Remus, narrowing his eyes at him. "Explain yourself."

Remus felt sick, and his breathing had become hard and fast. He hung his head, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking - both out of anger at Talon, and out of fear about what was going to happen. He ran over his choice of words carefully. "I'm sorry, sir," Remus apologized. "He was out of line."

"How so?" Greyback demanded.

Remus forced himself to look Greyback in the eye. "He was showing insubordination. He kept insinuating that I'm not loyal to you, and that I'm even spying on you for someone."

"Oh?" Greyback whirled around to face Talon now. "Is that so? Talon, I underestimate you. I thought you would have learned your lesson by now."

"He's up to something, sir," Talon insisted, still rubbing at his head and flinching as he did so. "He Apparated away from the compound this morning. I saw him return not long ago."

Greyback's eyebrows went up, but then he chuckled. "You know, Talon, but you're not exactly the most trustworthy member of my pack anymore, so forgive me if I don't believe you. Is there anyone who can back up this claim of yours?"

"There's no need, sir," Remus said before Talon could reply. "I won't deny it." It was a spur of the moment decision to come clean about it, but a plan had suddenly formed in Remus's mind. He only hoped he could use it before Greyback decided to hurt him. Or worse.

"I see," Greyback hummed.

"You are such a liar!" Talon yelled at Remus. "You claimed not five minutes ago that I was the one who was full of it!"

"You're beneath me," Remus snapped. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"SILENCE!" Greyback screamed. "I don't believe I gave either one of you permission to talk amongst yourselves, now did I?"

"No, sir," both Remus and Talon whispered at the same time.

Greyback was silent for a moment, but then he turned to Althea, who had shrunken back from the scene. She was currently under the nearest tree, almost as if she was hiding in the shadow, trying not to be noticed. "Anything you would like to add, Jameson?" Greyback asked her.

"Everything Remus said is true," Althea said just loud enough for them to hear. She picked at a piece of bark on the trunk of the tree which came loose in her hand. "And he was sticking up for me, too. Talon was calling me names."

Talon rolled his eyes, but Greyback seemed satisfied with this. "Very well," he said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Remus, will you come to my shack please? I need to speak with you."

Remus swallowed hard, unable to find his voice. He looked down at the ground again and simply nodded.

"Ooooh!" Talon mocked, waving his hands around.

Greyback immediately stuck a finger in his direction. "Don't. You're not off the hook yet. I'll just deal with you later." Greyback looked at Remus again and ordered, "Come," before he turned and started walking back towards his shack.

Remus glanced quickly at Talon and then Althea. She looked at him apologetically, but before he could give Greyback another reason to be angry, Remus turned and followed him on shaky legs. He was absolutely terrified out of his mind. He had no idea what Greyback was going to do to him, and for a moment, Remus thought about just making a run for it. Dumbledore would certainly want him to leave rather than let Greyback harm him, but Remus continued to follow. He wasn't even quite sure why. His mind had suddenly gone blank except for one thought - what kind of shape would he be in once he got out of the shack?

To be continued...