Chapter 2
Remus
Remus made his first kill at eleven. A deranged vampire, driven insane with thirst. A level E his parents had captured and secured. A name on the list. He was taken down to the cells of the Hunter Association and handed a stake. Remus plunged it into its chest and watched it turn to dust.
That kill marked the start of his training. An apprentice to Fenrir Greyback. A spiteful, bitter hunter, with a reputation for killing any vampire that crossed his path, on the list or not. He was ruthless, and one of the most skilled hunters in the association. The Lupins thought Remus lucky to have him.
Remus was reserved, much like his mother and father. But just like his parents, he had cruel streak when angry. Fenrir helped hone that aggression. As a friend and a son, Remus was kind and friendly. A quiet boy never far from his books. But as an apprentice, Remus was focused and unforgiving. A calculated hunter never far from his weapons. A duality of rage and calm.
In the years that followed his first kill, Remus made several more. All still in cells, but gradually less and less incapacitated. Drugged and unconscious. Tied up. Weakened but free to roam. Completely loose. He beheaded, stabbed, shot and burned. He mastered every weapon he was handed and at sixteen, Remus was given the all clear to begin shadowing Fenrir on assignment.
---
The wind was cold, and the dark was setting in. A layer of snow from the previous night still blanketed the street. Absorbing every sound except the crunching from under his boots. The first few stars were out, and a full moon was staring to peak over the purple horizon. Remus clutched the yellow envelope tightly; afraid it might slip through his fingers if he wasn’t careful.
Greyback had given it to him just now. A letter with his name on the front. An execution he was to help Fenrir carry out. He wanted to open it with his parents.
Remus passed through the gate, a grin on his face as he approached his home. The windows were bright and even out here, he could hear his mother and father chatting inside. He didn’t bother knocking, pushing the door straight open and kicking off his shoes. He shoved his coat under the cluttered entry table and raced inside, waving the paper above his head.
“You’re kidding,” Lyall grinned the moment his eyes caught sight of the yellow. Remus just grinned back, and Hope squealed excitedly, jumping out of her chair and embracing her son in a tight hug. He towered her these days.
“Ooh, this is so exciting,” Hope exclaimed, pulling back and shaking his shoulders. Her eyes shining and mouth open in a wide smile. “Have you opened it?”
Remus shook his head.
“I wanted to wait and do it with you guys,” he muttered, flushing slightly.
Hope squealed again, pulling him by the hands over to the lounge. Pushing him down beside Lyall and taking his other side so he was sandwiched between them.
“Come on then,” Lyall said, patting him hard on the back, peering hungrily down at the envelope. “Let’s see the name.”
Remus nodded and took a deep breath. Feeling the air pump up his lungs. His chest expanding and shoulders rising. He slipped his thumb under the edge and gave it tug. The paper tore and the seal broke. Remus bit his lip. He turned it upside down and a white letter slid into his hand.
His parents sucked in sharp breaths. Remus held his.
He unfolded it, his eyes drifting past all the details and landing directly on the big black letters in the middle of the page. Davey Gudgeon. Level E. Remus exhaled as his parents wrapped him up in a hug.
“First of many,” Hope cheered. “I’m so proud of you.”
“We both are,” Lyall added, giving Remus another strong pat on the back. “A year of this and you’ll be fully inducted.”
Remus faltered, pulling out of the embrace and staring at his father. “A year? You think?”
Lyall just laughed, as did Hope on his other side.
“Have some faith in yourself son,” he huffed. “You’re a talented hunter.”
“I concur,” Hope added.
“We ought to celebrate this,” Lyall announced, rising up to his feet and clapping his hands together. “What do you say, Remus? Think this is the occasion to give scotch a go?”
Remus blinked and his parents chuckled.
“I’ll wash up a few glasses,” Hope said, joining her husband on her feet and bouncing out the door.
“And I’ll get the ‘you know what’ bottle from downstairs,” Lyall winked, following Hope down the hall.
Leaving Remus sitting stunned in silence. His father’s words still ringing in his ears.
A year. Fully inducted in a year.
A year was the minimum. Is that really all it would take? Would he be ready so soon? He’d only faced vampires in controlled environments so far. Gudgeon would be the first execution he’d even witness in the field. The first real kill he’d see. Remus’ stomach churned. Excitement and nerves surging up through him.
The wind outside howled, and he glanced back over the letter. Taking in his name below Fenrir’s. Reading through its frequented locations. Committing its description to memory. There were only a few days to prepare before they were due to face it.
I’m ready. I’m so ready to-
Remus’ head snapped up at the window and a shiver ran down his spine. He hadn’t heard anything, but he could have sworn that he’d smelt… Remus shook his head, sniffing the air again. There was nothing. He was just nervous about the assignment and his mind was playing games.
There’s nothing out there, he told himself, dropping his attention back to his book when all he spotted was his own startled reflection. Just relax.
He could hear his father banging around downstairs in the basement. Slamming cabinets and jostling bottles. He could hear his mother running the tap. Splashing water and chinking glass. Nothing outside. Nothing that would indicate-
TAP, TAP
Remus dropped the letter and jumped to his feet, reaching the holster he wasn’t currently wearing. He stared at window. Trying to see through the dark mirror and into the night. He hadn’t imagined that, had he? Something was out there, right?
He breathed in. Tuning out the cedar smell of the floorboards and the lavender candles his mum had in the back corner. Searching for… for something that wasn’t there. Remus swallowed nervously, not breaking eye contact with the tall, sandy haired boy in the glass.
Maybe it was an animal? Debris being blown around by the wind? If he couldn’t smell it… then it couldn’t be here… He was just on edge. That had to be it. That was the logical reason.
“Remus,” Hope called out from the kitchen, snapping him out of it. “On an entirely random note, have you seen the camera?”
Remus scoffed. Entirely random note. He had seen it though. It was on the table in the entry he’d just thrown his coat under. “Don’t worry, I’ll grab it,” he replied.
He gave the window one final glance, scanning the glass for something out of place. But Remus found nothing unusual, so he put the nagging thought aside, turned his back and walked into the hallway. It was exactly as it had been a minute ago. Family photos hanging on the walls. His parents wedding. Remus as a baby. Remus as a child. Remus now.
His mother had turned off the taps now, though it sounded like she was still fussing over something. His father was still making a racket, but it seemed more like he trying to clean up his mess. The wind outside was still blowing a gale. He could hear the trees swishing and swaying.
His eyes settled on the table and found the camera. He crept toward it. Calming reaching out and plucking it off the table. There. Easy. He turned-
TAP, TAP
Remus jumped, pointing the camera at the door like a weapon. That wasn’t his imagination. Something was out there. He still couldn’t smell anything though… that meant it couldn’t be a vampire… Maybe some kids playing a trick?
TAP, TAP
It was coming from the bottom of the door. Knocking barely above the ground. What did that mean?
TAP, TAP
Remus steadied himself, eyeing the exact spot he could hear the noise echoing out from. He probably should have grabbed a weapon, something to defend himself with if his instincts were wrong. But he didn’t. He was an apprentice with no real experience. Not even shadowing. He couldn’t smell vampire and that meant no vampire. He was naive.
Remus stepped forward once. Then twice. Then thrice. He grabbed the handle and pressed down. The door clicked and the hinges creaked. The wind outside blew it open, freezing air rushing over his skin and blasting his face. There was no one there. Nothing. Not even-
He paused. There was something.
A raven?
It was black with shiny feathers. Its beak was sharp and hooked. Its black beady eyes staring up at him. Its talons clawing into the snow. Was the raven responsible for the tapping? They were smart creatures. Was it trying to find shelter from the storm?
He crouched down. Putting the camera aside and holding out his hand for the bird. He loved animals. They were the purest form of life. Just creatures trying to survive with no sense of good or bad. Life living.
I didn’t even know ravens lived around here. That should have been the first red flag, but he didn’t see it.
The bird hoped closer, jumping onto his outstretched fingers. Its feet clawed around him, drawing blood. He ignored it, standing up and stroking the back of its neck. The bird shuddered and cawed quietly as Remus kicked the door shut.
“Warmer in here?” he asked it softly. The raven peered around the room and ruffled its feathers. Tilting its head back and forth, twisting it around. It loosened its grip on his fingers, allowing more blood to flow out of the tiny incisions. The bird watched the dripping curiously.
That should have been the second red flag, but Remus missed it again.
The third red flag was impossible to dismiss, but by that point, it was too late.
The raven screeched and opened its wings, jumping back to the floor. It was deep guttural cry that burst the quiet bubble and forced Remus to cover his ears as he watched in horror at the shapeshifting raven. Its wings stretched out and its feathers shrank back to its bones. It grew up tall. Its face growing pale as its eyes widened. The smell struck Remus like a stab in the chest.
The raven, the vampire, leapt forward before its fingers were even fingers. Its hands still sharp talons, it scratched across his face and Remus cried out as blood gushed from the wounds, barely missing his eyes. He fell backwards, trying to steady himself. He needed a weapon. He needed a-
“AAGGHH!” He screamed as he was struck across the chest, cutting through his shirt and deep into his skin.
His heart raced. His lungs roared. All he could smell was it. All he could feel was it-
“REMUS!”
Cold hands ringed his neck, choking him. He reached up to try free himself, but ice froze around his hands. Weighing them down, burning from the cold. He could see his mother in the doorway, face stricken with fear and a stake raised over her head. But her feet were frozen to the floor. She wasn’t moving. She couldn’t.
“HOPE! REMUS!”
A gunshot fired and Remus was thrust around. He felt the vampire bullet hit his chest and saw the light bloom, but he felt nothing and wasn’t released. He’d been used as a shield. His body bent in half as he was dragged at lightning pace down the hall, then yanked into the living room.
The vampire snarled and hissed as she grabbed him by the hair and exposed his neck. Remus screamed again. No. No. Stop. Please. Its cold breath brushed his neck, and another shot was fired. It hit Remus again. The vampire unharmed.
“LET HIM GO!” His father cried, standing in the doorway with his gun raised and face filled with rage. “PUT HIM DOWN!”
“REMUS!” His mother shrieked, ice crunching as it sounded like she was hitting it with her stake.
The vampire didn’t let him go or let him down. It laughed instead. A high-pitched cackle, just like the ravens. It was piercing and painful. Fangs scraped his throat.
“STOP!” his father screamed, raising the gun up again and running toward them But ice froze over the trigger and around his father’s feet, stopping him just out of reach.
“Hmm… I don’t think I will…” the vampire sung. Her voice just like her laugh. High pitched and cruel. Amused by the pain she was causing.
Lyall shouted again. Hope shouted again. Remus couldn’t make out their words. Her teeth were at his neck. She was going to… she was…
Stop! Please! Let me go!
He wanted to shout but his throat was too crushed. He wanted to run but he was stuck.
“This is going to hurt,” she teased and without waiting a single second, Remus screamed as the flesh of his neck was torn out. Blood gushed out of the wound. Into her mouth. Down her throat. His blood was inside her. Her teeth were buried in his body.
He shuddered and shook. He cried out as the sound of her gulping thrummed in his ears. His heart beating out of his chest. He could feel his blood oozing down his back and chest. The warm liquid soaking his clothes as it dripped across his skin.
Remus could feel her. Hear her. Smell her. She was everywhere. He wanted to be sick.
“LET GO OF MY SON!” “STOP!” “LEAVE HIM!”
Everything was getting darker. Everything was getting lighter. His vision was blurring. His body was getting too heavy. He couldn’t hold himself up… He slumped over and the teeth in his neck were gone.
“Okay,” the vampire laughed, and Remus was falling. He hit the floor. His body burned. Everything ached. “Who’s next?”
No… No stop…
Remus wrenched his eyes open, just in time to see the vampire diving for his father. He held out the gun but the trigger was still frozen. It wouldn’t fire. They collided. Remus screamed.
No! STOP! DAD!
The vampire had plunged her arm elbow deep through his stomach. Blood splattered across the wall and Hope screamed too. Lyalls face twisted in agony as the vampire laughed again. Remus blinked and his father slumped to the floor.
The vampire crouched down beside him, shooting a cruel smirk over her shoulder at him. Blood coated her lips. It was smeared down her neck. Specks of it splattered across her face.
“NOOOO!”
Remus blinked and he saw the blurry figure of his mother standing in the doorway. She must have freed herself.
No… mum… go…
Her face was streaked with tears. The stake raised above her head.
“Oh yes,” the vampire teased, floating to her feet as she cackled again. “What are you going to do?”
Remus opened his mouth and with everything he had he choked. Whispered. Begged.
“Mum… run…” Hope met his eye, and she did run. But not away. She ran forward. Stake above her head and screaming. She didn’t get far.
The vampire held up her hand and Hope collapsed. Screaming in pain.
“You should have listened to your son…”
Hope screamed again, writhing and twisting. Remus needed to help. He needed to save her. But he still couldn’t move. He was too tired. He’d lost too much blood. He was dying.
Mum…
The vampire crouched down and picked up Hope by the head. Remus couldn’t watch. The last thing he heard was his mother’s neck snap.
---
His wounds had started sealing themselves by the time people arrived. The sirens were loud, like her. The lights were red, like blood. Police asked him questions. He didn’t answer. Medics gave him a blanket and tried checking him over. He wouldn’t let them.
Moody showed up eventually. A gruff, paranoid old hunter with an eye patch and wooden leg. The association president. He took control of the crime scene and brought in his own team. Moody took one look at Remus’ neck and needed no questions to figure out what had happened.
There were arguments. About him. He ignored them. His parents screams still louder than anything else. Their bodies burned into his memory. He couldn’t separate them from her. Her pale skin and long black hair. Her grey eyes that flickered to red. Her fangs. Her hands.
He was eventually loaded into the back of a car. Abbot sat with him and spent half the drive saying stupid things like it would all be okay. How would anything be okay again? He’d gotten his parents killed and he’d… he’d been… if she was a pureblood…
They drove for an hour at least. Probably more. Remus wasn’t perceiving time very well. He was just reliving that nightmare over and over in his mind. The raven. His neck. His father. His mother. That thing. Remus could still feel her hands all over him. He could still hear her drinking. She wouldn’t let go. She wouldn’t stop.
“Remus?”
He looked up. Abbot was standing outside, holding the door open. She was smiling and gesturing for him to follow. He shuffled out in silence, keeping his head down.
It wasn’t windy, but the air was cold. Remus shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter.
The door behind him slammed shut and Abbot stood beside him. She was shorter than him. The same height his mum is. Remus swallowed. The same height his mum was.
“They’re really lovely,” Abbot said, taking the first steps toward the house. “They’re excited to have you staying.”
Remus followed her lead, though he didn’t share her optimism. His entire future was up in the air right now. His life.
The property was on the very outskirts of town, and it couldn’t be seen from the road. They slowly walked down a winding brick path, through a garden that probably looked impressive during the day. Abbot kept trying to make conversation and Remus made no effort to reciprocate. That woman had stolen his words.
This house was bigger than his old home. It had a wide porch that wrapped around the first floor, fitted with thin wooden columns and a matching railing. The upper level peaked out of the roof, in a few pointed peaks. The windows were all brightly lit behind the curtains, and he could faintly hear music coming from inside.
Remus probably would have thought it pleasant and homely, had he seen it twenty-four hours ago.
Abbot knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately, revealing a tall woman with dark skin and long hair. She was wearing an apron and what was probably meant to be a welcoming smile. Behind her was a boy about his age in pyjamas. Shorter than Remus but slightly taller than the woman who looked like his mother. They even had the same smile.
They spoke a little. Probably at him, but mostly amongst each other. At some point Abbot was nudging him forward and he was following the boy inside. The adults remained in the doorway speaking, but he was lead down the hall.
It was decorated similarly to his old home, with photos covering every free space of wall. Wedding pictures. Family portraits. Photos of the boy as a baby, child and teen. Remus was surprised to find two other boys featured in most of the pictures. Both pale with black hair and grey eyes, that looked strangely familiar and completely out of place.
He paid them no attention. He didn’t particularly care.
“Did you want a shower?” the boy asked as they started climbing the stairs.
Remus said nothing and the boy frowned.
“Or maybe a bath?” he tried again as they reached the second level.
Remus still didn’t reply. He couldn’t. If he opened his mouth, he was afraid of what might come out.
They stopped outside the bathroom and James eyed him curiously, looking him up and down. His eyes were wide, clearly bothered by Remus’ condition, but his smile hadn’t faltered. He seemed intent on being warm.
“I’m James,” he said, offering his hand. “I’m not sure if you heard me before.”
Remus didn’t take James’ hand, but he managed a nod to show he understood.
When his hand remained untouched, James drew it back to himself. He pushed the bathroom door open and gestured inside.
“The towel is fresh, and mum said Abbot was going to grab your suitcase, so I can bring you a spare change of clothes if you want.”
Remus glanced into the bathroom but said nothing. He had no idea what would be in that suitcase, but he knew for certain it wouldn’t be his favourite pyjamas. He’d worn those last night as a good luck charm for his session with Fenrir. They were still in the dirty wash.
“Or I could bring you some dinner?” James suggested.
Remus shook his head at that. There was no way he could eat yet. Besides, the meal he wanted would never get made again. His mums shepards pie. It was dish they had on good days. Hope probably would have made it tonight if… well… she hadn’t.
“Okay,” James nodded. “Do you want to see your room?”
Remus considered that for a second. It had to happen eventually. He needed to get used to the new space at some point. But that would just end with him falling asleep, and he wasn’t ready to face what his dreams had in store for tonight. So, he shook his head.
This apparently stumped James, who shifted awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. Clearly, at a loss for what to suggest next. Remus decided against holding him hostage and wordlessly stepped into the bathroom. He was just trying to be nice to an injured boy covered in blood.
This triggered the smile back to James’ face and he didn’t protest when Remus closed the door.
He undressed quickly, avoiding the mirror as he slipped under the shower. The water ran red, as it washed away his blood. The stream painful against his wounds, getting worse as it heated up. He didn’t mind though. It was nice. Like he was burning off her touch with every drop.
He scrubbed his skin with soap until it stung. He washed his hair so many times the bottles were half empty. He didn’t feel right no matter what though. She was still there. Under his skin. In his neck. Why wouldn’t she go?
He never heard the door open or James knock, but when he peeled back the shower curtain, his clean clothes were there and his bloodied ones were gone. Remus dried himself off, still avoiding the mirror, then slipped into the joggers and shirt. He was grateful to find one of his sweaters there too and slipped that over top. Relaxing into the familiar scent. Trying to remember it.
James was waiting in the hallway, sitting cross legged and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He jumped up when he saw Remus.
“Good shower?” he asked.
Remus shrugged. It hadn’t been bad, but it hadn’t been home.
“Did you want to see your room now?”
Remus shrugged again. He wasn’t fussed. James took that as a yes though and gestured for him to follow.
They passed another few doors and James dutifully explained what laid behind each one. Another bathroom. A linen cupboard. The laundry. Two doors were silently skipped before James pointed out his room. The door was open, and it looked like a mess. Remus didn’t say anything though.
“And this is yours,” James announced as they reached the end of the hallway. The door was already open and Remus stepped inside while James hung in the doorway.
It was simple. A window with its curtains drawn. A desk and a set of drawers beside a bed. The walls were decorated with a couple of paintings of places he’d never been. His suitcase was sitting laying open at the end of the bed. He couldn’t tell if it was in shambles from James, or the hurried packing Abbot had done.
“Do you want some company?” James asked, before quickly adding. “Or I can leave you to settle in alone?”
Remus shrugged for the third time, sitting down on the edge of the bed and running his palms across the covers. It was soft, but it wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t his bed.
“Are you sure you aren’t hungry?”
Remus shook his head and flopped onto his back. It knocked the breath out of his lungs and his muscles weren’t happy with the thump. He didn’t dare close his eyes, instead tracing the cracks in the ceiling.
“If you change your mind there’s a bowl of tomato soup in the fridge for you. Or you can just take something from the pantry. Help yourself to whatever you want.”
He wouldn’t, but Remus titled his head enough to nod anyway.
“Well, if you need anything else, I’m just in my room. Do you want the light off?”
Remus tipped his head in a yes and the room darkened.
“I guess I’ll see you in the morning then,” James said slowly. The door started creaking closed, but it stopped just before clicking shut. Creaking back open a touch.
“I know you’ve probably heard it a thousand times tonight already but,” James paused and took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry about what happened, Remus. I know I can’t imagine what it must feel like or what you’re going through, but I promise you’ll be safe here. We’re all happy to have you.”
James didn’t wait for an answer, going back to shutting the door. It creaked and creaked, and at the very last second Remus said his first words since it happened.
“Thank you, James.”