Remus hadn't spoken to Lux since his confession the other day, but not for lack of trying. It seemed as though wherever the blonde girl went, she wasn't alone, surrounded by Lily or Peter or even occasionally Marlene. In classes, she still sat with Lily Evans, during meals, she joined the other boys, but it was impossible to get her alone.
Since when had she become popular? Lux had always been a loner, between the way she kept her head down and her gaze hardened, why did she suddenly have friends, at the exact moment when Remus needed her not to? He wasn't about to make a fool out of himself by asking her on a date in front of a bunch of other people, after all.
He'd never been a lady's boy, not like James or Sirius anyways, always chasing after one girl or another. He knew better, because of his condition, he ought not expect for women to want him after the inevitably found out that he was a werewolf. Not to mention the danger he could've posed to them.
But Lux was different, for a multitude of reasons. She knew how it felt, to be a dangerous creature, to be not quite human, not quite beast. She understood the tightrope they walked upon, teetering on the edge of their primal, animalistic natures.
Now that he'd allowed himself to acknowledge the attraction that had been festering in him since the moment he met her, there was no stopping the floodgates, no keeping his mind off of her. Day and night, his thoughts remained fixed on a girl he'd once despised. He used to mock Sirius for the same thing, for obsessing over her, but now, he was in the exact same position.
It was Defense Against the Dark Arts, where she was seated two rows in front of him, watching her quasi-father teach with keen interest written into her expression, from what little of it Remus could see from his angle. Lily Evans was on her left, and just after Ingelger finished speaking, Lily whispered something into her ear, which caused the blonde to roll her eyes.
"Class dismissed." Ingelger clapped his hands together once, and everyone shot up from their desk, eager for the final class of the week to be through. Remus was perhaps the only one that wasn't excited for the upcoming weekend, since the next day was the full moon, and already his body was feeling the effects of the changing sky, aches and pains shooting throughout his bones.
Remus watched as Lux went up to Ingelger's desk, but before she could say a word, the professor held up a hand. "Later, Lux. I need to speak to another student."
"Who?" She frowned, but he didn't answer her, instead, peaked his head around her and meeting Remus's eyes.
"Mr. Lupin, if I could please speak with you for a moment."
"Is everything okay?" Peter whispered to Remus from where he was standing next to him.
Remus shrugged. "Can't imagine why it wouldn't be."
"I'll wait for you outside." He patted Remus on the shoulder, before sliding out the door of the classroom.
The rest of the students followed suit, eventually leaving Remus and Ingelger alone in the room together, the door shutting as the last two girls — Mary and Marlene — exited.
"Is everything okay, Professor?" Remus asked, stepping towards the professor's desk.
Ingelger placed his hands atop the wood, resting his weight against it as his icy eyes moved up and down, examining Remus. A involuntary shudder ran down his spine, one he knew Ingelger noticed, as the corners of his lips curved up ever so slightly in his typical sly smirk.
"I don't know, Mr. Lupin, you tell me. Is everything okay?"
Remus bit down on the side of his cheek. "I'm sorry Professor, but I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Lux is a foolish girl, Mr. Lupin." He began, his smirk diminishing, leaving a hardened expression behind. "For being as old as she is, for experiencing all that she has, I don't understand how she hasn't learned by now not to trust those around her."
"I don't understand—"
"Be quiet. I'm not done." A sparkle flickered across his eyes as he watched Remus flinch. "You're a danger to her. Don't deny it, Mr. Lupin, we both know it's true. You nearly got her killed. Had it not been for me, she would be dead. I've warned her about staying away from you, but it's evident that she refuses to listen."
"You want me to stay away from her, then?"
"I didn't say that." He clicked his tongue. "You and Lux, you're both able to make your own choices. I will not hold you back from being together, if that is what you truly desire. But I will warn you, if you lay a finger on my daughter, if a single hair on her head is harmed, you will have two very angry vampires on your little werewolf tail."
Remus's brow furrowed together. "Two?"
"Oh, don't be silly. Lux doesn't take well to heartbreak. I'm not the only one who will be after you, ready to skin you alive if you hurt her. Don't fuck with us, Remus Lupin."
"Remus," a voice called out the moment he stepped out of Ingelger's office, anxious sweat dripping down his brow, which he swiftly wiped away with the sleeve of his robe as he turned to face the person speaking to him. However, it wasn't Peter, as he'd expected to be waiting for him, but Lux, her eyebrows raised. "What did he want?"
"Could you not hear it? You know, with your…advanced hearing?" He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and to his surprise, she let out a soft laugh as she shook her head.
"No. I reckon Fulk put a charm on the door, to keep out anyone from eavesdropping. He's always been awful paranoid, hypocritical as it may be to say."
"I see." He pressed his lips together, considering this. He could be honest with Lux, tell her what Ingelger had said, but why? It would only upset her, potentially turn her off from wanting him, make her overthink things. "It was just stuff about some missing essays. Nothing of any importance."
If Lux knew he was lying, she showed no sign of it, simply nodding. Though as Remus got a closer look at her, he noticed she was paler than usual, her eyes darting around without any rhyme or reason, meeting his every other second before flying elsewhere.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded again, her jaw shifting slightly. "I just…well…there's a Hogsmeade visit this Sunday."
Remus blinked. Was Lux…nervous?
"We haven't really had an opportunity to speak about the conversation Sirius interrupted during that party." She continued when he said nothing, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Usually, she held herself with such stoic confidence, the sheer difference being presented to Remus was maddening. "Unless you already have plans, of course."
"I don't."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"It's…well…that time of the month tomorrow night." He said, giving her a knowing look, to which she nodded. "But it usually goes well, now that Prongs and Wormtail help me out. So hopefully I won't be stuck in the hospital wing for too long on Sunday."
"If you're not up to it—"
He held out a hand, cutting her off. "Of course I'll be up to it."
Her lips quirked in the faintest brush of a smile, a sun that just began to peak over the horizon. "Brilliant. Meet you at the Three Broomsticks at noon?"
"Of course."
The sun that was her smile expanded, and Remus felt his heart soar.
"Moony—"
"Bugger off." Remus spat, not looking up from the book he was reading, sprawled across his bed. It was a few hours away from the full moon, so he was getting some last minute studying done while he waited for James and Peter to arrive in their dorms.
"Come on, Moons, you can't ignore me forever."
"Do you want to bet?"
"I'm sorry." Sirius continued, sitting down on the edge of his bed, only for Remus to move his foot so he was kicking the boy, until he had no choice but to stand back up.
"I don't care."
"Please, please, just hear me out. I really want to come to the moon tonight. You may be mad at me, but I know the wolf in you isn't."
"The wolf in me wants to rip your throat out." Remus lied. He rarely remembered a thing about his time in wolf form, but he did remember a feeling of longing every time he transformed, as though there was something missing. A piece of a puzzle, gone. He apparently put up such a fuss in the Shrieking Shack, searching for the lost piece, that James and Peter began letting him wander around the Forbidden Forest, so he could hunt for his Padfoot.
But Sirius didn't need to know that. He didn't need to know shit.
"Please—"
"Fuck. Off." Remus shoved his book to the side, pushing himself up off of his bed, so he was level with Sirius. He was several inches taller than the boy, and glared down at him with fury written into his eyes.
"What do I have to do to earn your forgiveness?"
For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Until Remus finally settled on one simple answer; "Nothing."
Fuck this, he couldn't handle being in a room with the boy who'd used him as a weapon for one moment longer. Let James and Peter find him in the forest on their own.
So with one final glance, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Lux,
It is imperative that you meet me outside of Greenhouse 5 tonight at 11. There is an urgent matter I need to discuss with you.
- F. I.
Lux's skin burned as she snuck through the halls of Hogwarts, hoping and praying with every ounce of effort that she didn't get caught. If she did, she supposed Fulk could likely pull some strings to get her out of detention, but she was wrecking her brain over what he could possibly want to meet with her about — and at such a late time, in such an odd place. Greenhouse 5? She didn't even take Herbology! She'd assume it was some sort of prank, if she hadn't recognized Fulk's scrawny handwriting.
The cool air of the early spring night hit her as a gust of wind blew by, sending her hair flying about around her shoulders. Being outside at such a time wasn't a good idea, she knew that, but she was so close to the castle, nothing bad could happen to her.
Just as she reached Greenhouse 5, she peered inside, searching for Fulk. He'd technically said he wanted to meet her by the greenhouse, not inside of it, but she couldn't imagine him wanting to meet with her outside, not in such cold weather.
"Fulk?" She whispered as she opened the glass door, inching her head inside and glancing around. Though she was adept as seeing in the dark, being a vampire and all, it was no easy task in the near pitch darkness. "Fulk, are you—"
Her sentence was cut short the moment something heavy and hard collided with her temple, banishing her consciousness within a moment.
"Can't we just do it now?" A familiar voice hissed, the sound wafting through Lux's ears as she struggled to wake up. Her eyelids were heavy, and it felt as though her entire body was tied down, bound to a rock leaving every inch of her skin impossibly sore and difficult to move.
"No, we are waiting for her to wake up." Another voice responded. Just as the other one was, even in her borderline delirious state, Lux could once again sense the familiarity in the tone. She knew that voice…
Pushing back the pain radiating through her head, she forced herself to open her eyes, to find herself staring at the devil herself.
"Wakey wakey, Erzsebet." Adelais grinned cruelly, and Lux screamed.
"Quiet!" Adelais slapped her hard across the face, causing tears to bite at her eyes as she managed to swallow her scream. Where was she?
She glanced around, frantically searching her surroundings, to find only trees — trees upon trees upon trees, with a dozen or so people formed in a semi circle, and her at the center of their attention. Faces she'd prayed day and night she'd never have to see again; Euphraxia, Torquatus, Geoffrey, Melisende, Vsevolod, even Odo, holding a flaming torch to provide light to the Coven, with an expression of uncertainty. And in the center; the once second in command turned leader, Adelais Bartel.
Lux lurched, attempting to run, but she didn't so much as move an inch, as pain shot up her arms. Her arms, which were tied behind her back, keeping her firmly locked against a tree.
"Are you only now realizing you're trapped?" Adelais chuckled, folding her arms over her chest with a sly grin on her lips. "You never were a smart one. Bred for beauty alone, I suppose."
"Shame her parents wound up with that anaemic looking freak, then." Melisende called out, and the Coven burst into a fit of laughter.
"Don't fucking speak about my parents!"
More laughter.
"Aww, does little Lux miss her mummy and daddy?" Adelais tilted her head to the side, running a long nail down Lux's cheek.
Leaning as far as she was able to with the ropes holding her in place, Lux gathered all her courage, and spat directly on Adelais's face.
"You conniving little bitch!" She shrieked, wiping the liquid off with the sleeve of her dress. Her pale face was alight with fury, dark eyes narrowed in on her like a beast that had cornered its prey. "You're going to regret that, you fucking traitor. You're going to regret the day you were born. You're going to be pleading for death by the time we're done with you, you good for nothing harlot!"
"It's a wonder Philip actually saw something in her." Euphraxia chortled. "Though I suppose, she must be good enough in bed, since she's been whoring herself out to Fulk for twenty years."
For the first time since Lux's predicament had settled in, did the concept of her father reappear in her mind. Panic immediately grew in her, her breathing frantic, as she glanced around the trees, searching for Fulk. Surely he was tied up too somewhere, unless they'd already killed him.
No, it had been his handwriting, so he had to be alive. They'd kidnapped him, forced him to write the letter, and then…
She didn't even bother defending herself against such a baseless accusation as her and Fulk being intimate, as her tear filled eyes met Adelais's. "Where is he? What did you do to Fulk?"
"Oh Lux," She shook her head, her sly smirk increasing. "How do you think we got you here?"
"You—" Lux began, but was cut off by a rustling in the bushes, and when Fulk emerged, she felt her heart soar. He was alive, he was alive and here to save her from whatever torture the Coven had in store. "Fulk! Oh my God, Fulk, help me!"
His blue eyes met hers, and for the briefest moment, she saw regret flicker in them, before his expression returned to one of neutrality. "Oh my dearest Lux, you and I both know I can't do that."