Chapter Six - Human Or Monster
A/N: Warning on Violence! This story is not for kids!
The night of the full-moon was creeping closer, Remus figured around four to six more days… He wasn't sure anymore. He lost track of the days once he'd woken up after being burned with that label on his chest. The wound wasn't healing well, it was puffy and red and it was starting to smell. And sitting against the back wall, with the bare skin of his back feeling the coolness of the stone which provided a bit of relief from the unrelenting heat, Remus gathered his knees closer to himself, managing to curl his body as he suppressed a sickening wave of hunger pangs shooting through his stomach, and Remus recalled that first night when he had first awoken in this hot and stuffy cellar….
.
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"Blackbird singin' in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waitin' for this moment to arise
Blackbird singin' in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waitin' for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly
Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night…"
That song was in Remus' head when he woke up. That song and a familiar pair of blue eyes were on the forefront of his mind… Remus pushed it all away… It hurt too much to dwell on it. And at first he was confused, he didn't know where he was and glancing around the room, it all came back to him. The attack on the werewolf colony he was in. Being captured and brought to this strange camp. Greyback, his red eyes and his malicious grin. The words he'd spoken to Remus… And the Death Eaters… The silver rod slipping out of its velvet bag… Werewolf: Classified Dark Creature….
And Remus remembered the pain, he gritted his teeth. It was all coming back and he forced himself to look down at his chest. The burn was hideous and inflamed. Remus took deep breaths, tearing his eyes away from it, glancing around the cellar once more.
At least, he was alone….
The wound was agony as Remus sat himself up. He felt a cold breeze go over him and he followed it to its source. It was a small window above, and he could see the midnight sky, its vast starry sky twinkling down. The stars seemed so very cold and icy… He could just make out the dog star… Sirius? Are you watching me? What have I gotten myself into? Remus swallowed, his throat feeling parched, his mouth dry. He needed water and he looked around, but there wasn't anything in the room but a bucket in the corner.
Remus crawled to the nearest wall, then used it to get himself back on his feet. His body trembled as he found his balance. He then staggered over to the bucket, hoping it was water inside, but he curled his lips in disgust when he saw it was empty, realizing the purpose of it being there. It was a piss pot! Remus turned himself around, one hand on the wall to keep himself from falling. There has to be a way out of here. He looked back up at the window, praying to the dog star…to Sirius for help, for a sign of anything that could be useful, but all it did was twinkle coldly, and it was so far away….
Remus searched the room… well, as far as he could reach. He'd almost choked himself when he realized he was chained by his neck with a metal collar that was bolted to the back wall. He searched every wall, every crevice, every crack for anything that might be useful… A hole, a secret door, or anything that may contain water… But there was nothing. Nothing but the four stone walls, the bolted chains, the scattered straw that stabbed at his feet, the tiny window and the door he couldn't reach.
Remus stood in the middle of the room, as far as he could without being choked. And aimed his hand at the door, "Alohomora!" he whispered, his voice raspy, causing him to go into a coughing fit. Nothing happened. Remus was quite good at wandless magic, it hardly ever failed him. Why didn't it work? Panic began to seize him, creeping into his chest, into his lungs and holding his heart. No… No, he couldn't lose his head, he chased away the panic and tried again. "Alohomora!" he choked out as loud as he dared, waving his hand. And nothing. Remus tried again and again, until he forced himself to give up and decided to try the bolted chains on the wall, because there was no point of the door being unlocked if he was still chained.
"Confringo!" Remus waved his hand. Nothing. "Confringo!" Nothing… "Confringo! Confringo! Confringo! Confringo!" Remus shouted. "Fuck!" he turned to the tiny window. "Some fucking help here would be nice, Sirius!" And he lost himself into a coughing fit that was so strong he fell to his knees. His eyes began to sting and the panic he'd felt earlier returned.
Remus crawled to the back wall, so that way he could move about without the collar pulling at his neck. He laid on his back, feeling dizzy suddenly. He closed his eyes and he focused on a desired destination, focused on every part of his body transporting away… Remus was trying to Disapparate, even risking himself getting seriously splinched, but he didn't care. As long as he was out of this place…but it was all in vain. It didn't work. He couldn't feel the familiar pull around his navel. Somehow, his magic was stripped, and he didn't know how that was possible. Perhaps, this cellar was heavily warded or Greyback had done something, put something in Remus' body or casted a binding charm to take his magic away.
There was no way out. And Remus kept his eyes closed. He couldn't bare looking at the stars again.
.
.
Ever since that night, Remus had hardly moved from his spot, only moving to sit or lay down or to stagger or crawl over to the piss pot in the corner when he was forced to relieve himself.
Remus licked his dry lips. Everything inside of him was hurting. His ribs and chest screamed in pain every time he would move, everytime he would take a simple breath. His muscles and nerves felt frayed from being under the Cruciatus Curse every evening for long periods of time. Greyback was trying everything he could to get Remus to talk, but Remus wouldn't give in. And now the night of the full-moon was looming closer. Remus could feel his body growing weaker and weaker. The past few days, he'd spent most of his time sleeping to save his strength…but he feared it still wouldn't be of any use… He needed food, he needed water, and most importantly, medical attention. Remus was afraid if he didn't get access to those things very soon, this full-moon was going to be his last.
From outside, Remus could hear the voices and activity going on throughout the training camp as if he were up there himself. Due to the full-moon approaching, all of his senses were sharpened. Remus could smell the blood from the wounds of his fellow werewolves as they were forced to practice combat training, brutal training that left them bloodied and bruised. He could see every small crack and crevice on the cellar walls that surrounded him with a sharper vision. He could smell the infection from his wounds starting to fester, growing on his flesh, leaking into his bloodstream, the scent of it was sour and sickening. And inside of himself, in his very soul, Remus could feel his wolf spirit growl with agitation to be let out. Remus suppressed it. He couldn't lose control, no matter what happened to him in this Merlin forsaken cellar, he couldn't lose control and prove to Greyback and his minions that they were right about him, that Remus was a monster… And most importantly, he couldn't let down his father…whose voice rang in Remus' head every time he'd felt the wolf stir within him. Keep yourself in control!
The sound of the door suddenly opening pulled Remus out of his thoughts. He wanted to cringe away in fear, but he forced himself to stay absolutely still and unbothered. He didn't dare think about who his sudden visitor could be and what they planned on doing to him.
"Get up, wolf!" the voice of Dolohov sounded through the room. "Greyback wants you to start earning your keep around here. We have no room for freeloading vermin at our training camp!" He kicked Remus hard in the thigh.
"You're going to be the punching bag for our wolf cubs!" Another voice sounded as a second Death Eater entered the room.
Dolohov kicked Remus again, this time a bit harder, causing Remus to flinch and his breath to hitch with pain. He uncurled himself quickly, aggravating the pain in his ribs. The festering burns on his body screamed out with agony, along with his sore and tender muscles, but Remus dared not show any more signs of pain. He was worried at what Dolohov was saying, a punching bag for the wolf cubs? It sounded like they wanted him to fight against children!
"No," Remus rasped out. "I'm not doing that. You can tell Greyback that I refuse to fight with children. And if he has a problem with that, then he can go fu…"
Remus wasn't able to finish his sentence. Dolohov pointed his wand at him and shouted, "Crucio!"
Remus dropped to his side, hitting the stone floor and gritting his teeth in pain. The wolf inside of him was howling to be let out so that it could fight back and attack the enemy that was hurting it. Remus fought against the curse to not lose control. He would not show these Death Eaters that he was nothing more than an animal!
Dolohov lifted the curse, leaving Remus to writhe on the floor.
"Get up, Werewolf!"
"I'd rather clean shit!" Remus snarled back.
"Even shit is too good for a beast like you!"
Remus curled his lip with hatred. Stay in control! But it was so bloody hard!
"Crucio!"
Remus didn't have time to prepare for the second attack. He let out a guttural cry as he writhed on the floor, the straw underneath him scratching up his skin. But that was nothing compared to the forbidden curse. After days of being tortured with it, Remus would have thought it would be easier by now, but it wasn't. It was just worse every time.
Once the curse finally lifted, leaving Remus to pant on the floor, gasping for breath…gasping to hold on…and his vision suddenly full of black spots, he heard Dolohov call out, "Get Macnair and Avery, tell them to bring the silver chains! The beast isn't cooperating!"
As soon as Remus was able to breathe again and his vision grew clear, he slowly pulled himself up to his hands and knees, slowly glaring up at Dolohov. The metal collar around his neck rubbed uncomfortably against the burn underneath from the last time the silver collar was used… And at the thought of feeling that burning, sickening pain again, Remus felt the wolf reach his surface, just enough to let its shadow show on his face.
Dolohov stiffened.
Remus bared his teeth and quickly swiped his foot under Dolohov's own, causing the Death Eater to lose balance, causing him to fall to the floor with his wand still gripped tight in his fist. With adrenaline rushing through his veins, Remus managed to quickly pin him to the ground and rip his mask off, revealing Dolohov's stinking bloody face, and Remus started punching him, even though he was fighting with himself to not fight like a wolf, to sink his growing fangs into the soft part of the Death Eater's jugular.
Dolohov yelled out in pain and shock, and tried to point his wand at him. Remus was just about to wrap his hand around the wand, when someone shouted, "Impedimenta!" Remus flew off Dolohov and straight into a stone wall, knocking the breath out of him.
"What do we have here?" Macnair snarled with a sick and twisted kind of delight. "The little beastie has decided to play with us?"
"You can't make me fight those wolf cubs! They are just fucking kids!" Remus gasped out with a snarl that he was sure showed off his sudden sharp fangs. And he was sure that his hazel eyes were possibly flecked with gold. That color betrayed the presence of the wolf just underneath his surface.
Remus was losing control and he began to panic. He thought about his father and how disappointed he would be in him. After years of teaching Remus to never let the wolf surface, to never allow the amber eyes of the wolf gleam in his own, and most importantly, no matter how upset Remus was or how near the full-moon was approaching, Remus always had to stay in control. No matter what… But, he was failing… He was losing control… And now they would know… They would know that they'd been right this whole time, Remus was nothing more than a dark creature.
Forgive me, dad….
Remus let out a growl as he pushed himself up to his feet. Macnair was backing him into a corner with his wand out, but Remus was quick, especially with some help from the wolf. He swung a punch at Macnair, his fist landing on his chest. Remus didn't dare attempt to punch the silver mask. The Death Eater gasped out. Remus swung for another punch, but Macnair dodge him, so Remus kicked the Death Eater in the knees, knocking him down. Remus threw himself on top of him, burning his fingers as he pulled off the mask and started punching him in the face, just as he had done with Dolohov. And right when Remus bared his fangs, aiming for Macnair's throat, Avery shouted, "Impedimenta!"
Remus was thrown off Macnair and slammed into a wall again. He lost his breath and laid on the floor for a few moments. He was now sure his ribs weren't just cracked, but were most likely broken. He couldn't breathe. It hurt to breathe! The wolf snarled, but it retreated back into the furthest corner of Remus' soul. It had been beaten.
The Death Eaters took their chance while Remus was winded. They flipped him on his back, and Remus stubbornly tried to fight his limbs out of their grasp.
"Get the cuffs on It's wrists, Dolohov! Before It gets all wolfed out again. I'll put the collar around It's neck!" Avery shouted.
A bit recovered from his and Remus' fight, Macnair had his mask back on. He held down Remus' legs with a tight-iron grip and laughed, "No matter how hard you fight, little beastie, you'll never beat us. You're nothing but a troublesome animal! That little display of yours just proved it too. A few more days of this and you won't be fighting anymore!"
Remus didn't say anything. He continued to fight out of their grasp. He felt the heavy weight of the metal collar and cuffs lift from his neck and wrists.
It was a moment… A moment of silence… And then… Remus felt the pressure and the dizzying pain… He let out a jarring scream as the silver touched his already burnt skin around his wrists. He thrashed his head around, trying to prevent them from putting the silver collar around his neck.
"Why don't we just spell them on It?" Dolohov asked with frustration over Remus' screams and thrashing. "It'll make things a lot easier for us!"
"No! Greyback insisted we do all this ourselves. He wants us to beat the fight out of It!" Macnair answered back.
Remus growled at the word It… The way It was being used… Remus' heart dropped… To hear himself referred to as an It and something to be broken… As if he weren't a person, a human being…was the hardest thing to hear….
But he kept fighting them… Remus kept fighting.
Avery held down Remus' head, forcing him still as Dolohov let go of his burning wrists to clasp the silver collar around his neck. The silver immediately burned Remus' sensitive, already-burnt skin, making him cry out as he tried to use his hands to lift it from his throat. But he couldn't… He couldn't move anymore… Remus tried to twist his body out of their grasp. His strength to fight had been caused by pure adrenaline along with the wolf. But now, the wolf was wounded, the adrenaline had run out, and Remus was left gasping and crying for air.
And Remus, he couldn't fight anymore… He couldn't and he felt wretched and weak. A defeated and broken animal, exactly what they saw him as… And so he stopped moving, he stopped fighting. He let the Death Eaters stand him up. He let them lead him out of the cellar, out of the cabin, and out to the training area where Remus could see the kids waiting for him.
.
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The werewolf kids were all standing around their training area, which was a wooden fence shaped in a large circle. The ground was hard compacted dirt littered with stones. Remus narrowed his eyes as he scanned the group of kids. There were probably about ten to fifteen kids that all seemed to be between eleven to seventeen years old. Most of the younger and smaller ones were covered in wounds and bruises. Their faces wore hard expressions, narrowing their eyes at the newcomer.
They're already corrupt… Merlin, help me! Remus desperately pleaded. If one of these kids were hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.
"Gather around, wolf cubs!" Greyback snarled as he shoved his way from behind Remus and the Death Eaters, almost knocking over an unsteady Remus. "This is what happens when you betray one of your own. Without us you are nothing but an animal. A filthy, stupid animal, who has no right to exist. So, let this be a lesson to all of you. I hope you learn to never make the same mistake that this creature has made! Is that clear?" Greyback shouted.
"Yes, sir!" the teens all shouted in fear. They all looked away from Remus, refusing to catch his eye. Remus wondered if they actually believed what Greyback just said or if they were too afraid to stand up to him.
Remus had to give everything he had to not fall. The silver was burning intensely into his skin. He could smell the combined scents of burnt flesh and blood coming off of him. Greyback growled as he stood next to Remus, managing to keep away from the silver chains.
"I've warned you, mutt! If you hadn't chosen that doggy owner over your family, you could've been the one training your young brothers and sisters!"
"I am not your family!" Remus said hoarsely. Sweat was dripping down his forehead, his body was shaking. He glanced at the children who were gaping at the brand on his chest. He was no longer wearing any clothing except for his tattered pants.
Greyback noticed what the kids were looking at. "Show me your loyalty, wolf cubs, by showing me how well you can fight this traitor!"
Greyback spelled the silver wrist cuffs and collar off. "Throw him in the fence!" he ordered.
And the relief from the silver… Remus almost felt his knees give out.
"You can't make me do this!" Remus snarled.
Greyback only laughed.
The Death Eaters threw Remus inside the fence, locking the door shut behind him. Remus tried to force it open, but it was no use. No way was he going to fight these children, even if they were all werewolves!
The wolf inside him howled to be let out. Remus remained in control. He refused to fight. If a kid attacked first, then he would use only defensive moves on them. It was the only tactic Remus could think of.
The first opponent was a tall fifteen or sixteen year old boy. He had black hair and his eyes were a complete amber color. Remus could tell that the wolf dominated the child. The boy circled around him, snarling as he sized him up. Remus could tell the boy was figuring out a way to attack first. Remus didn't do anything but crouch in a defensive stance.
The boy threw himself at him, Remus was ready for him. He dodged the boy, making sure the whole time that the boy was in his line of vision. The boy circled him again. He seemed more wolfish than man right now as he eyed Remus with his amber eyes, snarling his teeth at him. The boy jumped again and tried punching Remus in the face. Remus blocked the boy's hand with his own and pushed him to the ground.
"You don't have to do this!" Remus growled at him.
"Come on, Randy!" one of the werewolf children shouted from behind the wooden fence.
"Show that stinky traitor what you're made of!" another kid shouted.
Bloody hell! Remus thought as Randy attacked him again.
Remus dodged him, but did not move in time. The boy was on him in a second. Remus, who was already so weak from his injuries and burns couldn't keep his balance and he fell against the wooden fence. The boy punched his face and bit down on his shoulder. He was so lost from under the control of his wolf, that the boy was fighting more like a wolf than a man. Remus wondered if these were the fighting moves Greyback was teaching them.
Remus tried to shake the boy off, but the kid bit down harder.
"Get off me!" Remus shouted. "Trust me, you don't want me to fight you!"
Randy growled and said nothing, only biting down harder until Remus smelled fresh blood. It was his own. And he could feel the sticky trail flow down his skin and onto the dusty ground.
"I said enough!" Remus shouted.
Maybe it was the smell of Remus' own blood or how wildly the teen was fighting that gave him the strength to push the boy off him.
Randy fell a good foot away from him. Once the clouds of dirt cleared away, Remus could see the child laying on the ground unmoving. Remus couldn't tell if the boy was okay. He felt his face turn white at the possibility of the child being seriously hurt or dead.
"No!" Remus moaned. The children were all gasping at Randy. The older ones glaring at Remus with amber eyes and bared teeth. Remus knew he had made an enemy of himself.
Greyback jumped over the fence with Macnair right behind him to inspect the teen.
"He's just knocked out," Macnair muttered.
They both picked Randy up by the arms, with his legs dangling in the dirt. They carried him out of the gate to a wizard that was running towards them. Remus guessed he was their Healer, because the man started to run diagnostic spells before levitating Randy to the cabin.
Remus couldn't believe he'd hurt a child. Of all the times someone called him an animal or a monster, Remus tried not to believe that. Even during the past few days when he was chained up like an animal, Remus had managed to hold on to that knowledge that he was a human. He'd managed it by remembering his friends at his time at Hogwarts and the times he'd spent with his beloved Sirius. Sirius and James had always made sure how important Remus was to them and what their friendship meant. Remus also always thought of Harry, James' son, the only child that was as close as a son to Remus. It was those memories of his pack that'd kept him going, but now, Remus saw who he truly was. He was so stupid to have let his pack convince him that he was a human. Remus always knew deep down inside that he was not like his friends. He didn't belong in their world. He had no place with humans, especially now that he'd hurt a child, that he might've killed him. Remus began to lose all sense of who he was...
I'm not human, nor animal. I'm a monster….
Remus stared down at the dusty ground as shock began to take over his mind and body. He could see the Death Eaters' masked faces as they knelt down in front of him, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Remus' vision was blurry and his hearing was blocked by a drowning silence as they grabbed him by the arms roughly and stood him up. The Death Eaters then left the fence and signaled for another child to join Remus. Remus didn't know how he was going to fight another child when he'd already hurt one.
This time a young girl around the age of thirteen hopped inside the fence. She had a light tan complexion, her auburn hair was pulled up in a ponytail, her face was covered in brown freckles from being in the sun too long. To Remus' relief, her blue eyes weren't completely amber like Randy's had been. This told Remus that she might not be as savage as his first opponent had been.
The girl glared at him as she circled around him, trying to figure out the best way to attack.
She reminded Remus of Harry. She had the same determined look in her eyes that was also found in his cub's. Thinking about Harry gave Remus an idea, so he crouched down in defensive mode again. He tried to pretend that he was a D.A. teacher again and he was teaching these children combat. It wasn't much of a plan really, but it helped Remus cope through his situation.
The young girl took her chance and leaped in for a punch, Remus blocked it quickly with his hand. The girl tried again and Remus blocked it. Over and over the girl would kick or punch, but Remus blocked it easily. After a while, Remus began to notice that the strength she was putting into her attacks were not as strong for an opponent fighting to win. It was like they were both just training.
As soon as Remus noticed this, he caught her eye. Instead of anger and hate that he'd expected to see, Remus saw amusement and determination. She wasn't trying to hurt him!
The girl suddenly winked at him and Remus knew….
She didn't have to say anything. She wanted to pretend to knock him out. She just couldn't say anything because of all the werewolves and their super hearing around the fence. The girl spun around and kicked Remus. It wasn't so hard. Remus gave out a pretend shout of pain and fell to the floor. He closed his eyes and didn't move, pretending he was too weak to go on.
The werewolf children around the fence cheered once they'd realized Remus was down.
"Yay, Kaylie!" a girl shouted.
"You showed that flea-bitten mutt!" another girl shouted.
"You showed him not to mess with us!" a tall boy also shouted.
"Quiet! All of you!" Greyback growled, he entered the fence to check on Remus.
Remus could feel Greyback standing over him. He could smell his own blood from the bite-wound Randy had given Remus as it trailed down his shoulder, leaving a small puddle in the dusty rock strewn ground.
"I really thought you would have more fight in you, mutt," Greyback snarled. "Again, you disappoint me."
Remus didn't say anything. He kept his eyes closed while the wolf inside howled.
No, Remus said to it. It's not time to fight back.…
"Avery, Dolohov, take the wolf back to its cellar!" Greyback snarled before kicking Remus in the stomach and walking away.
Remus grunted from the impact and swallowed the rising bile in his throat.
Even though the knockout Kaylie gave him was fake, Remus felt just as battered as if he were knocked out for real. Remus had no fight left in him. He didn't even fight them when they put the silver chains back on him to take him back to the cellar. He gritted his teeth and cringed at the burning. The pain was ten times worse, it was so bad it silenced Remus' wolf.
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.
Once the silver chains were off and the metal collar that was chained to the wall was around his neck once again, Remus dropped to the ground and curled into a ball. He didn't care if he looked pathetic or weak. He didn't care if they laughed at him. He didn't even care that his shoulder and burns were still bleeding. Remus knew he deserved this. He knew he was a monstrous animal who should be chained to a wall. He had hurt a child and that was the worst thing Remus had ever done. He didn't even deserve Kaylie's unexplained kindness.
At the thought of Kaylie, Remus wondered why the girl had been so kind to him. He wondered how she'd known his intentions and decided to help.
She probably doesn't want to be here….
Remus wondered where the girl came from and how she'd ended up in this horrid place. Maybe, she was in a colony too that got raided and was brought here.
Or maybe she just took pity on me… Remus thought.
Then Remus' thoughts soon drifted to Harry. He wondered how his cub was taking the death of Sirius. Remus wasn't the only person Sirius left. Harry was Sirius' godson. They were becoming so close before Sirius….
Remus took a deep breath as he rolled onto his back and covered his face with his hands.
He could see Sirius' face, his warm blue eyes were always full of laughter. Remus could still feel his lips on his own, so loving and gentle. If Sirius were here, he would've been berating Remus for giving in with the Death Eaters and Greyback. He would've been scolding Remus for believing he was a monster.
But I am, Sirius... I've always been a monster. Even though you and James seemed to convince me that I wasn't in the past. You can't change a person for who they really are deep inside. And deep inside me, you'll find nothing but a beast.
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"Hey," a voice whispered in the darkness. "Hey you, wake up."
"Hmm?" Remus muttered in his sleep. "Sirius, it's too early..."
"It's Kaylie, wake up!"
That didn't sound like Sirius, and wait… Sirius wasn't here anymore….
Remus opened his eyes slowly, realizing miserably that he was still in the cellar with the collar around his neck, still chained to the wall. He looked up at the young girl standing over him. Thanks to Remus' good vision from the wolf, he was able to see a little clearer in the dark.
"What are you doing here?" Remus mumbled, sitting up slowly. Just sitting up was an effort that made Remus break out into a sweat. He panted as he leaned against the wall, not sure if he'll be able to hold himself up for long.
"That bite on your shoulder looks pretty bad. Those burns smell infected," the girl said, ignoring his questions. "I brought a Pain Potion from Matthew Chase. He's our Healer here."
"Why?" Remus breathed heavily. His whole body felt warm. And every wound he had, every burn and every bruise, burned with a fiery pain.
"I needed an excuse to talk to you, so I've volunteered to bring the potion to you. Greyback wouldn't allow Chase to come in and check on you, but he did allow the potion. I guess he doesn't want you to die yet."
"No, why are you helping me?" Remus whispered. He guessed it must not be so late at night since the girl didn't sneak down here.
"Because I know who you are, Remus Lupin," the girl whispered. Her serious blue eyes were searching his face.
Remus furrowed his eyebrows in thought, trying to remember if he'd ever met a young child by the name of Kaylie in the past.
"We've never met," Kaylie said, noticing his facial expression. "But you knew my father. He was part of the Order years ago. Death Eaters murdered him during a mission he was on. It happened a few years after You-Know-Who's downfall with Harry Potter."
Remus gazed at the girl, the wheels in his brain turning as he went through his old memories. He knew a good number of wizards who'd died from Voldemort's followers after the dark wizard went down. For a while, things were chaotic during that time in the wizarding world. Death Eaters were being arrested. Some were murdering witches and wizards that they'd believed had something to do with their leader's disappearance. Remus had spent that time drinking away the pain of his friends' deaths... The betrayal of Sirius... Remus was hardly ever sober and had lost track with almost everyone. He couldn't even fight for Harry, Remus had let him go.
Suddenly, Remus remembered a tall and thin man with light brown hair, round glasses and blue eyes. His name was Jonathan Porter. Remus remembered that he was a friendly enough bloke. He was also very smart. After the Order meetings, Remus and he used to enjoy playing chess together or would oftentimes exchange books with one another after having an intellectual conversation. James had laughed and called Johnathan Remus' twin. Remus always laughed along with him, however, Sirius never liked the man. Remus always suspected Sirius was jealous of his friendship with Johnathan, they had a lot of nasty fights about him in the past.
"Your father was Johnathan Porter," Remus smiled softly as he looked at his old friend's daughter. Now that he knew who Kaylie's father was, he could see Johnathan in her blue eyes and in the shape of her face.
"How did I not notice who you were, Kaylie Porter? You are the spitting image of your father. I never knew he had a young daughter at the time. During those times you had to be careful with who you trusted. You never gave out any information about yourself, even if you had a family."
Kaylie nodded. "It's understandable, Mr. Lupin. My mother told me all about those times and besides, I don't think you were in any position earlier to know who I was."
She handed him a potion. "Here, drink this. It's for the pain."
Remus gratefully accepted it and drank it. At once, he could feel his pain ease up. Kaylie then handed him a small canteen filled with water. Remus took it and drank it fast, then forced himself to slow down so he wouldn't get sick. Once he drank his fill, he handed Kaylie back the canteen.
"I'm sorry I can't give you anything else. It was all Greyback allowed for you."
"I understand," Remus frowned. He had to figure out a way to get out of here fast. Judging by how warm he was feeling and the intense level his pain had risen to while he was asleep, Remus guessed the infection had finally settled into his bloodstream, which meant he didn't have much time left.
"How did you know my plan when we were in the training area?" Remus muttered. The Pain Potion was making him drowsy.
"I'm very good at reading people," Kaylie answered as she sat down in front of him and crossed her legs. "My mother always told me I've inherited that from my dad. So I'd just noticed the way you were always on defensive mode when you and Randy were fighting. I'd also seen the way you reacted after you pushed him away. The others all thought you meant to kill him. They aren't happy with you. I think they are all just complete furbrains who have not noticed your facial expression afterwards. That's why I'd volunteered to go against you. Any of them were willing to kill you after Randy's accident, but I knew you had to get out of that fence."
Kaylie finished her story and studied him with an expression that was so much like her father's. It caught Remus off guard once more that he didn't recognize her right away. He wondered if Johnathan knew his daughter was a werewolf. Did he die before Kaylie got bitten or after? Remus wondered again how Kaylie ended up here.
Another thought struck Remus.
If her father was Johnathan Porter, then Kaylie should be going to Hogwarts. Even if she were a werewolf, Dumbledore would still have permitted her to attend school. He had made it happen for Remus. He wouldn't doubt in a heartbeat that Dumbledore would do the same for Kaylie. If Kaylie didn't attend Hogwarts, then how long had she been here? Where was her mother?
"What are you doing here, Kaylie? Where is your mother?" Remus whispered, he was fighting to stay awake now.
Kaylie's eyes traveled to the floor as she picked at her worn shoes.
"I don't mean to change the subject now, Mr. Lupin, but I think I better get going. Greyback's probably wondering what's taking me so long. I also have to report your condition to Chase."
Remus nodded. His eyes were already closing as he laid his head on his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs. Drowsiness and hunger pangs took over his body, and it was all Remus could do to not slide back down to the floor.
The young girl stood up and made her way back to the cellar door. Before she opened it, Kaylie asked, "Mr. Lupin?"
Remus slowly lifted his head up, "Yes?"
"I know you're figuring out how to escape. Either that or Dumbledore is working very hard to find you. If you do manage to find a way to escape or someone does come for you, take me with you."
"I promise I will," Remus whispered. There was no way he was going to leave Johnathan Porter's daughter here. Kaylie gave him a small smile, before she opened the door and closed it softly behind her.