The pack is family
It was somewhere in the early afternoon, everyone was sitting around the huge common room doing their thing. Pandora, Barty and Xeno where playing a Board game, trying to keep the volume down without much success. Sybill was patching up Laslow, who had joined them about an hour ago with the words "I found a piano out in the woods".
At least he wasn't hurt too bad and he was back again. It had calmed Remus more than he had thought it would. Evan had went into the town to Shop for some groceries and said something about a library. He had been down there a lot, seeming even more like himself now that he could just do what he liked.
Remus had just cuddled up to Regulus in an oversized hoodie that was hiding hiding his skin, although the rubbing of the fabric over the bite was painful every time he moved. Scabior had cleaned the wound properly and given him something so it wouldn't get infected.
Scabior and Fenrir had finally went to lay down about three hours ago and Remus would have to wake them soon at their request. Somewhere close to the door, three others stood. Nott, McNair and Selwyn. They always kept to themselves and Remus didn't particularly had an opinion on them. Moony hated them though. They would gossip a lot and actually couldn't stand Remus for some reason.
Sirius and James were sitting over three books at the same time, studying. They had gotten some kind of assignments by Scabior.
Regulus held Remus close on the sofa they were sitting on. He wanted to see what Sirius was doing with James, that little brother jealousy not quite going away no matter how old he, Sirius, and James were.
He kept side eyeing the three whose names he hadn’t bothered to memorize. Something about them rubbed him the wrong way. They smelled weird, and he had glared them into silence for talking bad about others here. He hated them though they technically haven’t hurt him personally.
Regulus looked at the clock on the wall and then down to Remus,
“Mon amour, it’s almost time to wake Fenrir and Scabior.”
"Mhm, I noticed" he sighed, being comfortable right now "I'll be right back"
As he approached the doorway, he could hear pieces of the conversation the three had. "He's weak and boring. No way that Fenrir would ever even keep him around. Useless flea." Oh, so Fenrir wouldn't keep him around? Yeah, he'd show them.
Remus pulled the hoodie of, wearing a tank top under it that he had stole from Fenrir - it looked really cool, in his defense. He handed the hoodie to Regulus and left, the bite mark obvious to everyone. It had bruised quite a lot already.
To gladly would he have liked to see the aftermath of it, but he really needed to wake up Fenrir and Scabior. He would just ask Regulus later. He stopped by the kitchen and got two cups of tea and a few of the biscuits that Evan had made, knowing that Fenrir was generally just hungry at all times.
He knocked on the door to the room that Scabior and Fenrir shared and slowly opened it, entering the barely lit room.
"It's time to get up" he chuckled, seeing them cuddled up like that. He was happy that Fenrir had Scabior, someone he could fully rely on without having to be the stronger person.
He opened the curtains just enough to let in some light, waiting for the two to wake up so he could hand them the tray. It was getting heavy and he resorted to putting it down on Fenrir's nightstand, sitting down in the armchair that stood in the corner.
Fenrir groaned at the sun in his face and buried himself into Scabior’s hair.
“I know I asked you to wake us up but-“ He stopped and sat up,
“You brought food.” he remarked with a slow smile.
He nudged Scabior, “Wake up, dragul meu. Our son brought us food.”
Scabior chuckled "I've been awake for what, 15 minutes now? I just didn't want to wake you up yet"
“Oh, have you?” Fenrir smirked with a growl at Scabior, “Maybe next time I won’t even bother to wake you then.”
"You're making empty threats, pup, we both know that" Scabior chuckled, kissing Fenrir's forehead and intertwining their fingers.
He sat up, smiling at Remus. "Thank you" he nodded gratefully and carefully pulled the tray over his and Fenrir's lap.
Remus heart felt like it was melting when he heard Fenrir call him their son. Not even Lyall had ever called him that towards anyone, only his brothers. He had known Fenrir for all but three months at this point, maybe four, and in that time he had been accepted more than ever before.
While the two others were distracted by their food - hopefully - Remus quickly wiped away one or two tears. He really wasn't the best at processing his emotions. He just felt so safe, so accepted, so loved with the pack, specifically around Fenrir and Regulus, even Scabior, it was all new to him.
Compared to the rest of the cabin, the room was cold, it made sense since Fenrir was a living furnace most of the time and Scabior didn't really need heating, but Remus was shivering a little bit in his tanktop.
“Thank you, pup. Are you cold? You can close the window if you need to. Why don’t you have a jacket?” Gods, Fenrir sounded like a mother hen, but in the best way.
Remus didn't expect Fenrir to pay attention to him like that, so he was a little startled at first "Oh? No it's alright, I'm not that cold. It's warm everywhere else in the cabin. And uh-" he chuckled a little "I had a hoodie until like ten minutes ago"
Actually, he was cold. But he also didn't want to inconvenience anyone. He was kind of falling into a known pattern, maybe because the full moon had worn him out so much.
He just wanted to be noticed as little as possible so he would just go along with what everyone else said and asked him to do.
It was Fenrir's room so if he wanted the window open, he wouldn't complain. And if it wasn't absolutely necessary, he would show no emotions.
Scabior and Fenrir ate some of the biscuits, talking, but eventually Fenrir looked at Remus.
"Could you close the window? It's a little chilly in here"
It had snowed last night and it really was cold in here so remus got up without a second thought to close the window like Fenrir asked him to. The sound of Fenrir laughing made him freeze in confusion.
"Showing off our bond to the others, hm?" he chuckled, laying his head on Scabior's shoulder.
Remus face turned red and his head went to the mark instinctively
"They were being awful so I did the only think I could without being confrontational" he probably sounded a little like a pouty kid, but it came out like that automatically.
He closed the window and turned around. Scabior was smiling at him, leaning his head against Fenrir's. There was understanding in his eyes. He had to be the least judgemental person Remus had ever met, perhaps it came with his age - although he didn't know how old Scabior was exactly, he just knew that he was old - or perhaps it was just how he was.
He sat back down in the chair he had previously sat on, still a bit cold but better now that he wasn't constantly sitting in the cold breeze of the frosty weather outside.
"I can put the hoodie back on if you want" Remus mumbled, the words he had heard previously getting to him more than he wanted to admit.
He was deeply in his head about it, almost feeling...unworthy. In a way, they were right. He barely contributed to the pack, he was still learning a lot of things and he lacked a lot of practical knowledge that everyone else seemed to have. He tried to banish those thoughts, label them as stupid and intrusive, but deep down he believed them.
Fenrir frowns “Who was it? What were they saying? And no, don’t cover it up unless you want to. It’s a mark to be proud of, not ashamed.”
"It's okay, it doesn't matter, I probably overreacted" Remus tried to brush it of. He couldn't tell if he was shivering from the cold now or because of his emotions. He really didn't wanna bother Fenrir, especially immediatly after he woke up.
Gods he was so sensitive...and probably so annoying. He wasn't the only person around, everyone had their own problems that they were able to deal with perfectly fine. If he at least was able to contribute something, to protect or to fix stuff or to build relationships to other packs and non human groups like Fenrir and Scabior and some of the others did, or at least go shopping alone, maybe then it all wouldn't matter less, maybe then he would be more excepted.
He was actively trying to hold back tears now and it didn't help with the shaking or the goosebumps or the way his breath was changing. Hells...he was being really bloody obvious, wasn't he? It felt dramatic and really unnecessary, why was he being like that?
“If it made you upset, you weren’t overreacting. Now, what did they say?” Fenrir replied, humor gone.
Remus pulled his knees to his chest and kind of hugged them. Fenrir was being serious. Dead serious. "It...they said...they called me useless...and they...they said that there was no way that...you would...want to keep me around..." It started to get increasingly harder to get out the words as he spoke.
"It was...McNair...and his...his friends" Scabior immediatly sat up straight and put a hand on Fenrir's shoulder. "I'll talk to them" he said. If he let Fenrir go, or even Snatcher if this continued, someone was dying today, he was almost certain of that.
"Were they...were they wrong? I mean I...I can't really...I don't know how to...help a lot of the time...I need a lot of help...still...and I'm...I'm not strong..." Remus voice was quiet, almost as if he was talking to himself
“They said what?” Fenrir snarled, and then breathed again.
“Remus, listen to me. Look at me. You don’t have to make eye contact but look at me. You are not useless. If I didn’t want you around you would know that, trust me. You’re going to need help because you are new at this."
Fenrir sighed "You are new to the pack. And let me tell you something son, you are doing so well considering you and Moony have been alone your entire lives. I could give less of a shit if you were strong or not, you are strong. You are allowed to struggle.”
Scabior had gotten up in the middle of it, not leaving without putting his hands on Remus shoulders and pulling him in to hug him, comforting. He was there for him just as much as Fenrir was. Then he left to deal with them.
Remus was now crying, openly so, but he nodded. Fenrir's words got through to him, he understood and it helped him, but he was still hurt. The bond between him and Fenrir was special and it was cruel of them to have said something like that about him.
Yet, Remus staid where he was, just listening, in some sort of fight, flight, freeze response and obviously, his body had chosen freeze, like so often. He wanted comfort, he needed it, but he was afraid to ask or seek it out. Too often had he been denied it when he needed it most.
Fenrir gestured for Remus to come over and pulled him into a hug, he felt like it was the right thing to do.
“I’m just glad that you are here and that Scabior went down there instead of me because that would have been a blood bath.” He said, trying to joke but they both knew it would have not been nice to watch.
Remus leaned against Fenrir, letting himself be held by him, allowing himself to be vulnerable and safe in his arms, something he wouldn't even have thought of a few weeks ago. It made him feel much better somehow, he just accepted it and he was so grateful that Fenrir was there for him.
“We’ll wait in here until Scabior or Regulus comes in here to say we really good to go down there because if I go down there it’s not going to be pretty.” Fenrir remarked.
Remus nodded "Okay. I'm fine with that." He was. He didn't mind staying here with Fenrir a while longer, calming down and basking in that feeling of safety
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Regulus watched Scabior with wide eyes, he had entered the room in a rush and he looked pissed so naturally everyone stopped what they were doing to watch.
"You three. My office. Now." Scabior was calm, scarily so, but his eyes were a dead giveaway of his anger. If looks could kill, they would have been dead from the second he had entered the room.
McNair, Nott, and Selwyn froze obviously not expecting to be called out by Scabior. McNair sneers, Selwyn fidgets, and Nott looks angry.
“Are you kidding me? Did he go tell on us? That’s pathetic.”
"What is pathetic" Scabior calmly stated "is mishandling an Alpha's trust out of jealousy like that. He allowed you to stay, gave you refugee, all you would have had to do was be quiet and do your assigned tasks." Scabior walked closer to them, towering over them, still threateningly calm
"If I had not stepped in, none of you would be alive anymore by now. I have half a mind to kill you myself. I could, easily." As if to demonstrated, he grabbed Selwyn by his throat, he was the least attentive of them, and pressed him against the wall.
Scabior, the one that would always urge everyone to handle conflict without violence, the one that never raised his voice. To see him like that was a shock to most of the people in the room.
"So you leave willingly now and we will not hunt you down. Or you do not and you can see. what. happens." with each word, he pressed harder, leaving Selwn choking, squirming, unable to escape.
"Scabior- it was a joke amongst friends" McNair tried to diplomatically calm him "We did not know he would hear us"
"No" someone spoke up from the corner of the room. Laslow shook his head "No jokes. You make fun of us weaker ones. All the time. Remus isn't weak, he is more one of us than you are." he growled, protective. Moony and Remus were his brothers, they were part of the pack. and they cared for him.
Regulus watched the scene with interest but he didn’t know if he should laugh or wince. The three of them looked so angry and confused. He almost felt bad for them. He’s also internally cheering Laslow on. Laslow had grown on him the past few days.
The three quickly scramble towards the door after Scabior lets go of Selwyn’s throat and Nott glared at Regulus while McNair glared at Laslow like it was their faults the three of them were morons. Regulus scoffed and looked away from them.
"Fenrir allowed them to stay because they were homeless. But they were never nice. They never fully belonged" Laslow explained, knowing some of them hadn't been around yet when that happened.
Scabior made sure that they left and then went to his Office, not before telling Regulus to check in on Remus and tell Fenrir that they were gone. He also went up to Laslow, who had kind of joined the Board game but was mostly watching, smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"You did well, standing up for your brother like that. I am proud of you." It wasn't until the evening that they would see Scabior again
Regulus had made his way to Remus and Fenrir and hated to break up such a tender moment so he watched Remus be comforted for a while before clearing his throat and saying they were good to enter the commons again.
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Regulus was hungry, he forgot he had to drink blood to be healthy but he didn't know how to get any so he stiffly walked over to where James and Sirius were working. Sirius wasn’t working at all, he was doodling on his papers like a child.
Regulus tapped his shoulder. “I’m hungry.” he whispered. Now he felt like a child.
Sirius turned around and looked his little brother up and down, raising an eyebrow. "When was the last time you-" he stopped, because of James "well Scabior isn't here so you'll have to wait for him, can you do that?"
Regulus frowned, “I ate when mother died. I haven’t since. So I guess I can wait a little more.” Being this close to James was dangerous so he wanted to walk back to Remus but he hadn't exactly talked to his brother in a while now.
Had he really been isolating himself that much? He frowned deeper.
"Come sit with us for a bit? Technically we are supposed to look into some potions, but after what just happened I don't think Scabior will be minding us not continuing."
"Talking about Scabior, when was the last time we actually spent an evening at the tavern?" James piped up and at least three heads turned around.
"I like the tavern." Sybill nodded "It's fun there" "We would have to run it by Fenrir first, but I don't think he would mind it much either" Marlene smiled, obviously excited by the idea.
Getting a feeling of not belonging here, Regulus shifted from foot to foot just nodding. He was just reminded that he hardly knew Sirius anymore. Not that he hated his brothers friends, because he doesn’t. However, they were closer to him than Regulus has been in years.
Luckily the tavern was cozy.