Chapter 7: In Order to Learn

Remus could not begin to guess the amount of time he'd spent gazing into the fire.

Professor Nevar had been unsympathetic in his punishment of the two boys. According to the headmaster, it was necessary that Sirius remain confined within the school for the remainder of the year—meaning no quidditch, no grounds…and no Remus.

When he'd first heard the punishment six weeks ago, Remus believed this was a particularly light punishment considering the circumstances. Nevar was capable of many things and simply restricting Sirius from going outside seemed uncharacteristically lenient.

However, after only a few days without so much as a glimpse of the dark-haired boy, Remus immediately began feeling the effect of the punishment.

He missed Sirius. Badly.

Remus himself—who had been forced to wear a device around his wrist to keep track of his location—was visited regularly by one person who could not be less like Sirius.

It seemed Asher's father had stepped in at his son's behest and made it known his son was entitled to certain privileges. Those privileges allowed Asher to visit Remus at will, as long as it was outside of classes and before nightfall.

Asher, ecstatic he could now verbally harass Remus without consequence, rarely missed an afternoon.

If Asher or any one of the school officials were to wonder about Remus' whereabouts that day, they would find the boy in a dusty room he'd only recently discovered.

Remus sat in the small library, amidst a mountain of books, trying all he could to find out the history of this world, and more importantly, why he of all people came to be in it.

It seemed the change had somehow suppressed the wolf…although Remus could still feel it within him.

That hunger.

At the moment, Remus held an old book that looked as if it did not belong with the volumes of other tomes about potions and spells.

From beginning to end, nearly all of the pages were illegible, though it seemed to Remus that they were deliberately worn down and sabotaged. He flipped to one of the last pages on which only certain parts were visible.

relocate abruptly as they enter adulthood

often causes a negative reaction to the individual's ability to adapt

without this, he or she cannot survive

presence in either realm will be tested

failure to adapt to the intended environment, their existence will be terminated

Remus' mood, which had been quite melancholy as of late, had lifted a little at his newest find.

He was mildly skeptical, but couldn't help feeling that he may have finally found something that would be of use to him.

Remus was startled to hear the study door close sharply.

He snapped the book shut, turning to see, much to his displeasure, a familiar predatory gaze once again looking him over.

"Asher," he acknowledged.

With each day that passed, the other boy seemed to become bolder.

Remus, who was once nearly comforted at the knowledge that no boy, not even Asher, was allowed to come near him, was becoming more worried by each visit that Asher would begin taking liberties that had not yet been given to him.

He was clearly growing tired of being allowed to look but not touch.

"Remus," the boy responded.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Remus asked calmly, sliding the book back onto the shelf.

The older boy's eyes shone with thinly veiled lust.

"I told you to call me by my first name. We are friends after all, aren't we?" Insincerity laced his tone. "And no…it is after four. Classes are out for the day."

He stepped closer to Remus and continued in a low voice.

"You tease me," he said. He lifted a hand and grasped Remus' collar tightly, pulling him nearer to his body.

Remus tensed and pushed hard at the boy, immediately putting distance between them.

Asher laughed.

"That's okay, Remus," he said. "Do you want to know why?"

Remus made no attempt to answer and Asher did not wait long to hear one.

"I complete my schooling this year, Remus. A new set of privileges are in store…privileges to go along with possession. When I graduate, you will be given to me. Mine to do with as I please. Mine to take."

When Remus remained impassive, the boy stepped closer.

"You don't believe me, do you?" He whispered savagely.

But instead of being enraged at this, his face adopted a wide grin and he looked as if he was holding back a laugh. "Don't get any ideas about Black, Remus…I will have you."

"My father met with Nevar today," he continued. "You are the school's prettiest prize, Remus, and my family has never settled for less than the best. My father will make sure I have you. Maybe even sooner than you think."

With the unnerving smile still glued to his face, he stepped away, out of the study, seemingly satisfied with himself, and Remus, for now.

Remus let out a breath.

Asher had looked…obsessive.

He shivered and thought back to a conversation he had heard between James and Sirius. They had spoken of their inability to control things—of not being able to help some of the things they did…but Asher…his actions seemed his own.

Remus thought of the first night he had roamed the halls of the school.

A strong, vile scent had filled his senses…the food…

Remus pulled out the book again and searched with a renewed sense of interest. But in that book and all the others, he found nothing he hadn't already known.

He needed to get to the school's main library.

Perhaps there he could find some sort of information about Nevar and his followers.

He glanced down in frustration at the bracelet around his wrist.

How could he possibly get in there without someone finding out? He leaned his head back, already feeling the hopelessness of the past few weeks washing over him once more.

He heard footsteps approaching the study and quickly attempted to hide amongst the furniture.

Remus did not think he could handle another encounter with Asher.

The door opened with a soft click and Remus held his breath knowing that, between his poorly chosen hiding spot and his irremovable bracelet, he could easily be found.

It was mere seconds before the footsteps came to a halt right next to where he was huddled against the back of a chair.

He looked up and shook his head in confusion when he could find no one but himself within the small study…and a sudden idea occurred to him.

He sat up a little straighter.

"Sirius?" He whispered anxiously, his voice slightly more hopeful than he would have liked.

A familiar head of dark hair appeared out of thin air, but Remus felt his heart sink slightly.

James Potter stood before him, an unsettled look on his masculine face.

"Sirius asked me to come," he stated, looking nervously back towards the door.

"How did you get in?" Remus asked, breathless and surprised to see someone besides Anna or Asher.

"I slipped past the wards when Asher came through. It was Sirius' idea…he watches Asher pass through them every day. I'm surprised it worked."

"How is Sirius?" Remus asked, a little too quickly.

For weeks, he dreamt of their kiss and awoke grasping at nothing—or grasping at a pillow where he wished more than anything that Sirius lay. Remus' one comfort in this foreign world….

"He's—" fine, James had started to say, but couldn't quite force the word out. "Awful."

Everyone's talking about Asher's visits He comes back with stories of how you've already agreed to be his. Sirius can barely go a day without fighting...although that in itself is not unusual," James said with a slight smile.

But his face immediately turned serious again.

"Listen, that's one of the reasons why I'm here: you've done something to Sirius. The professors are furious…they can barely control him anymore."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, standing up.

James stepped back suddenly. He looked Remus up and down…his eyes glazing over like all the others did.

He shook his head, putting more distance between them, before answering.

"I don't know quite how to explain it…it's almost as if he's stronger now. He isn't afraid of what they can do…"

Remus frowned but James pressed on.

"I don't know what Nevar's planning…whether he will actually give you to Asher. But Sirius seems to think so…he asked me to give you this." He took out a folded piece of parchment, handing it to Remus with his arm outstretched, then quickly stepping back.

Remus tucked the note in his pocket without opening it.

"You got him in a lot of trouble, you know," James said suddenly.

"I hadn't meant—" Remus started, but was interrupted.

"I have to get back to the castle." James turned away, heading briskly back towards the study door before pausing, the stiffness in his posture lessening slightly.

"Is there anything you need?"

Remus hesitated for a second, a thought coming to him. He held up his wrist so the other boy could see.

The reflection of the bracelet glinted in James' eyes and the bespectacled boy nodded in understanding before exiting through the study door.

Even hours after James had disappeared, leaving him alone in the darkening room, Remus still felt better than he had in weeks. With James' help, he may just be able to get into the main library…and perhaps then he could finally figure out a way back to his own world.

For some reason, he knew that it wasn't this idea that brought about his hopeful mood.

In the back of his mind, the chance to see Sirius again made his stomach flip. He knew that, if James was able to figure out a way to get the bracelet off, the first stop he would make wouldn't be the Hogwarts library.