Poets
Screams of agony and pain are filling the morning air of Caerphilly. They aren’t foreign to the population of the small village. They occur every few years. The source of the screams is and old, small and shabby house. The lupin property or rather the Lupin boy himself. Remus.
Nobody knows while hearing these noises Remus is breaking every single bone in his body just for them to grow back together in the span of a few minutes. Nobody knows he is turning back into his human form. They would kill him if they knew how much trouble he brings with him.
The monsters were never
under my bed.
Because the monsters
were inside my body and head.
I fear no monsters,
for no monsters I see.
Because all this time
the monster has been me.
Neighbours don’t ask what happened on these mornings. No one does. Poets were made to stop asking. The heroical society left them on the bottom. Taking everything from them, even the freedom of speech. Poets that tried to defend themselves got killed. The kings decided over their fate, putting them at use where they needed them. Enslaved them.
Poets are workers now. Every village is responsible for a different principal industry. Remus’ village are coal workers. They have to wear masks while working ensuring them to be quiet. Soldiers are keeping them at peace.
They took everything away from the poets and the volk fitted to their rules. So nobody asks. All that they have left is their imagination and these screams just let it bloom, everyone makes up their own little story why the Lupin boy struggles on these days.
Curled together on the floor Remus is shivering in a puddle of blood, sweat and tears. His eyes rolling back into his head. The soldiers hate his screaming. Doesn’t matter how rare it happens. They despise it as much as they despise him.
Remus wasn’t a quiet kid, Isn’t as adult either. You have to understand that the unit they are sorted in fits to the person, to some better than to others. Remus is a poet by blood. There are different kind of poets. Everyone has their own taste, their own style. Some like to rhyme others like to just write.
There is Remus the loud and open kind. Angry at the world for taking away what’s his and he lets them know. He uses his pain, anger and fear to make art with his words. He and Lily both do. They know each other since their sorting and were put in the same class. Back then he didn’t talk much in class to scared to miss something important. Lily came up to him though and asked him about the book he was reading. He didn’t stop talking since then.
Since then they are inseparable. Always together. The perfect partners in crime. Lily and Remus one person divided into two body’s.
They don’t stay down if someone is being treated unfairly at work. They don’t back away from opportunities to express themselves even if that ends in a beating. Remus doesn’t back down from punishment.
When he was whipped extremely bad he does sometimes ask himself why doesn’t he just shut up. It doesn’t matter though. Once a target always a target.
Sometimes they just pick him out of the crowed for nothing, used as a reminder of what power they hold over them.
Remus and Lily always had big dreams. They wanted to change the world together. When they were children it seemed so easy. They cleaned the lawns for their neighbours and walked from house to house reading poets for these that were willing to listen. A smile on a persons face was a success to them.
When they got older their world diminished to a realm, led by an narcissistic psychopath. Remus and Lily started to notice how fucked up everything is. They noticed that they were worth nothing. Used for work and nothing else. Used for the benefits of the Soldiers and Kings. The older they got the angrier they felt.
Eventually Remus and Lily decided the will act to change.
It started small with the age of twelve, hanging up billboards all around the village talking about the importance of freedom of speech. Looking back at the moment Remus is still proud, their article was impressive for their age. In secret people told them they enjoyed the article, Remus and Lily thrived on it. Writing more and more articles talking about various topics that were doubting and criticising the heroical society. They hung up one after another, even if the last one was ripped down by soldiers.
Remus was 14 when he was whipped the first time. He had been giving a speech on the square criticising Riddle. He’s lucky he is not dead, for the things he said he should have been.
At the moment he slowly gathers himself back up. Lily is by his side. She moves around him, helping him up and guides him to the sofa. His body aches but he felt worse. He doesn’t have bad wounds, nothing Lily can’t fix. When he doesn’t feel so nauseous anymore he decides to sit up. The Soldiers will be here any second. Lily hands him clothes, water and a bread roll. He isn’t hungry “ You eat it Lils” he says. “No, they’ll be here any minute and take everything edible with them so eat Remus or it goes to waste” Lily answered stern.
Lily never pities him and Remus appreciates that a lot. He always hated being pitied and would naturally lash out when he was. He doesn’t want to argue and she is right, it will go to waste if he doesn’t eat it. The bread roll is already a few days old but still good.
Remus head throbs and he would like to lay down when they here the soldiers arrive. Lily face is distorted by anger “ This is bullshit, you cant do anything about this and they are being pratts I think I should tell them that they can’t punish you –“ lily hisses but Remus cuts her off, balancing himself on his feet he puts his glass down. They had this conversation multiple times before “ Lily, that doesn’t help shit anyways, just ignore it, I wont get a whip so it can’t be that bad “ he smiles at her reassuringly but she obviously doesn’t buy it.
Remus doesn’t usually get whipped for small stuff like that but he gets punished in different ways, most of them some sort of humiliation. He gets over them eventually and even if he wishes it would be different that they hit him or scream at him then humiliate him he cant change it. Telling them about his problem is so absurd so unimaginable, they will kill him on the spot.
So Remus and Lily just watch the door until it bursts open. The Soldiers scatter in one directly to Remus to twist his arms on his back, he pushes him with the face on the table. It’s a really painful position. He looks up watching them all get into his house. Cheek pressed against the table. He tries to wriggle out of the grasp but the man just twists his arms tighter, he cant help but yelp.
There had been a Soldier switch yesterday. It happens ever few years and its really stressful. New Soldiers fresh from their training are cruel. They enjoy hurting people and act out by the littlest things other Soldiers didn’t care about. With the new ones there always are some old ones left, that are heads of the village.
Bulstrode grinned in triumph at Remus. “That guys, is the Lupin boy I told you about. Only trouble. Doesn’t value what we grant him.” He looks around the house.
Bulstrode is the oldest Soldier, head of the village. Bulstrode has his personal problems with Remus or rather with his father. Before Remus was born his mother had been going out with Bulstrode but decided to break it off, when she met Remus’ dad. Bulstrode never got over the fact that Hope would choose Lyall over him and decided to make Lyall’s life a living hell. So naturally the hatred hit Remus too, being so similar looking to his dad.
His father usually stays calm not caring to anger himself for Bulstrode or anyone really, Remus can’t do that the hatred for that man is burning in his veins only wating to bubble out of him.
Bulstrode gives some sort of speech to the Soldiers about Remus terrible behaviour, Remus doesn’t listen, his eyes fixed on a soldier shuffling from one foot to another on his doorstep. His long black hair tide in a bun on his head. Eyes a burning grey, Remus can see that from his awkward position. He’s beautiful.
Anger hits him again like a wave. This time at himself for finding the guy beautiful. A soldier. Shit. They make eye contact and it takes Remus breath away. The soldiers eyes are big and sad like he would start crying any moment.
Bulstrode bends down, close to Remus’s face with his own “ You mother would be so disappointed” He whispered, but Remus hears it. Before he can stop himself he spits Bulstrode in the face “ what do you know” he spits. Bulstrode holds Remus by his hair and slams his head twice against the table. Remus is sure his nose is broken, blood flows in an instant. Remus only registers lily crying out. Bulstrode stands back up, his face torn in anger “ Take everything edible and burn it, take everything valuable and every penny you find. Everything else you are allowed to destroy”.
So they do. They all run around Remus’s home, tearing things apart or smashing them. They take everything with them. The black haired boy apparently has a hand to find the for Remus most value belongings, packing them in a sack. He regrets only thinking he’s beautiful.
Eventually everything is either packed or destroyed. Bulstrode tells them to finish up. Before he leaves himself, he turns back to Remus “ Oh tell you father my greetings” the smile on his face is disgusting.
Remus looks around. The cupboards were either emptied or thrown around, they cut open the pillows so there are feathers everywhere. They ripped books apart, pages all over the room. His father is going to go ballistic.
He didn’t notice the black haired soldier right away, standing in the doorway, the bag in his hands. Remus was standing in the mess they left glaring at the Soldier. Blood smeared all over his face still pouring out of his nose.
“What” Lily grits out. The Soldier is clearly uncomfortable. He stretches out his arm, handing them the bag “ I packed everything I believe is the most valuable, I mean, Its stupid because everything is valuable at some point but I believe I could save some stuff” He blurts out.
Remus is still angry, the transition still lingering in himself. He narrows his eye, his voice dangerously calm “out”. He knows he’s scary. Lily told him once and he knows he scared his father sometimes too.
The Soldier swallows hard, a blush rising up his neck up. Remus cant help but find that absolutely gorgeous.
Oh how he hates himself.
The Soldier puts the bag down “alright” and turns around to leave.
He just leaves and that might be the most confusing part about the interaction. The Soldier didn’t put him to his place, he accepted the fact that Remus wanted him out.
“Who-“ Lily starts but doesn’t finish, Remus knows what she wants to ask, who the fuck is that ?