Response to challenge #82 - The Other Werewolf Challenge
Title: What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This?
Rating: PG I guess, for adult themes
Characters: Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood
Notoriety was a two-sided coin, Remus supposed. Any other witch or wizard in his place would be horrified to find themselves alone in this draughty old shack with only a cloak to protect them from the winter chill, but he was grateful. Grateful because finally Severus’s outing of him had finally produced something good. Horace Slughorn had taken an interest in him, and it was he who Remus had to thank for the Wolfsbane potion that kept him human tonight. Human at least, unless the moonlight hit him, and that was why he was scrunched up in the corner of the shack, curled away from the slivers of light that found their way between the boards that made up the walls.
He’d been astounded to receive an invitation to a meeting of the ‘Slug Club’. Oh, old Sluggy had often had him join him for supper when Remus was still a student, but when Professor Slughorn (Remus would never think of him as ‘Horace’, no matter how the man coaxed) returned to Hogwarts, he was forgotten. Then after a few years, the invitation had arrived, and another, and yet another, until Remus was bound by curiosity to accept.
Professor Slughorn had plied him and all the other guests with rich food, matured mead, and only the finest of chocolates. Knowing full well that Sluggy never did anything unless it was to his advantage, Remus kept as much to himself as possible, and waited for the punch line. It came soon enough. Professor Slughorn wanted to have his biography written ‘Remus Lupin: Werewolf and Man’, he’d suggested, dedicated to him, naturally, and of course, he’d known just the person to write it.
Well. Remus wasn’t useless to the order yet. He certainly didn’t need his cover blown that badly. Sluggy had been most disappointed at his refusal, but he had offered to make his wolfsbane in return for occasional reappearances at the Slug Club, and that had proven a lure too great to refuse.
Remus shivered, and inched his legs back from the light again. He could have thought of more comfortable places to do this, but he needed to be here tomorrow when the rest of the pack woke up. His absence would be missed. This was the only shelter for miles around, so there was no other choice.
A wolf howled in the distance. One of his kind. By now he was used to the heart wrenching sensation it awoke in him. The need to call back, to step into the moonlight, to transform, to maim and kill and cause havoc. He fought it with all his being. There was a village not far from here where no doubt his bretheren were headed. The Order was forewarned of their location, and Remus had almost as little heart to be stunned by one of his friends as to be responsible for loss of life. No. No matter what it cost him, he’d stay here.
The howl was closer this time, and the knowledge that it was the cry of a female tore at him once again. The longing to mate was almost overpowering. As he imagined sinking his teeth into her neck, he could almost taste her blood, feel the lust overtake him, live the frenzy as he’d bite and nip and wrestle her to prove himself.
Just in time, he noticed that his foot had slid to where it was almost touching the shaft of moonlight. He jerked it back, reminding himself of the carnage he would wreak if he did allow himself to let go.
She was closer now. The next werewolf cry was louder. The moonlight faded, and he took advantage of the cloud cover to peek out to see who he was dealing with. A risk worthy of James and Sirius. He didn’t recognise that voice, nor the markings when he finally spotted her. He’d certainly have to find out more about her. It was up to him to track as much werewolf movement in this area as possible.
All night he played hide and seek with the moon as the female roamed the woods nearby. He could only conclude that she was not welcome in the pack, since her path was solitary, and her ventures towards the village seemed to be rebuffed every time. He supposed those werewolves that escaped the wizards would be more angry and territorial than ever. Not a night for a newcomer to show their face.
Sunrise found him exhausted, but even that would help his cover, since surely no member of the pack had slept this night either. Warily, he slipped out of the shack, heading in the direction in which he’d last heard her howl.
He found her fast asleep amongst some trees, her long, dirty blonde hair tangled, her face scratched, her arm bleeding - teeth marks, it looked like - her clothes dishevelled. She looked familiar.
Gently he touched her arm. Her eyes unglued from each other as she forced herself awake. “Wha… Professor Moody?”
He wracked his brains. It had been years since he’d taught at Hogwarts, and yet this girl seemed familiar. Obviously she’d been distinctive in some way.
“It’s Luna,” she said, offering him a serene smile. She didn’t seem surprised that he couldn’t remember her name. “Luna Lovegood.”
Now he remembered. Luna was that crazy girl with the radish earrings and the weird sayings.
“What happened Luna?” he asked, unable to resist the impulse to remove a twig and two leaves from her hair. “I heard you all night. How did you get bitten?”
“Oh. That,” the look she levelled on him suggested that he really shouldn’t need to ask. “Well, I was hunting a Blibbering Humdinger, and they can only be found in Werewolf infested areas, you know. Anyway, I was doing a story for my father…”
The rest of the story was lost on Remus. Somehow he should have known. He reached down and offered her a hand up. “Listen,” he said. “I think you should stick with me. I’ve got something that will help you.”
Rating: PG I guess, for adult themes
Characters: Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood
Notoriety was a two-sided coin, Remus supposed. Any other witch or wizard in his place would be horrified to find themselves alone in this draughty old shack with only a cloak to protect them from the winter chill, but he was grateful. Grateful because finally Severus’s outing of him had finally produced something good. Horace Slughorn had taken an interest in him, and it was he who Remus had to thank for the Wolfsbane potion that kept him human tonight. Human at least, unless the moonlight hit him, and that was why he was scrunched up in the corner of the shack, curled away from the slivers of light that found their way between the boards that made up the walls.
He’d been astounded to receive an invitation to a meeting of the ‘Slug Club’. Oh, old Sluggy had often had him join him for supper when Remus was still a student, but when Professor Slughorn (Remus would never think of him as ‘Horace’, no matter how the man coaxed) returned to Hogwarts, he was forgotten. Then after a few years, the invitation had arrived, and another, and yet another, until Remus was bound by curiosity to accept.
Professor Slughorn had plied him and all the other guests with rich food, matured mead, and only the finest of chocolates. Knowing full well that Sluggy never did anything unless it was to his advantage, Remus kept as much to himself as possible, and waited for the punch line. It came soon enough. Professor Slughorn wanted to have his biography written ‘Remus Lupin: Werewolf and Man’, he’d suggested, dedicated to him, naturally, and of course, he’d known just the person to write it.
Well. Remus wasn’t useless to the order yet. He certainly didn’t need his cover blown that badly. Sluggy had been most disappointed at his refusal, but he had offered to make his wolfsbane in return for occasional reappearances at the Slug Club, and that had proven a lure too great to refuse.
Remus shivered, and inched his legs back from the light again. He could have thought of more comfortable places to do this, but he needed to be here tomorrow when the rest of the pack woke up. His absence would be missed. This was the only shelter for miles around, so there was no other choice.
A wolf howled in the distance. One of his kind. By now he was used to the heart wrenching sensation it awoke in him. The need to call back, to step into the moonlight, to transform, to maim and kill and cause havoc. He fought it with all his being. There was a village not far from here where no doubt his bretheren were headed. The Order was forewarned of their location, and Remus had almost as little heart to be stunned by one of his friends as to be responsible for loss of life. No. No matter what it cost him, he’d stay here.
The howl was closer this time, and the knowledge that it was the cry of a female tore at him once again. The longing to mate was almost overpowering. As he imagined sinking his teeth into her neck, he could almost taste her blood, feel the lust overtake him, live the frenzy as he’d bite and nip and wrestle her to prove himself.
Just in time, he noticed that his foot had slid to where it was almost touching the shaft of moonlight. He jerked it back, reminding himself of the carnage he would wreak if he did allow himself to let go.
She was closer now. The next werewolf cry was louder. The moonlight faded, and he took advantage of the cloud cover to peek out to see who he was dealing with. A risk worthy of James and Sirius. He didn’t recognise that voice, nor the markings when he finally spotted her. He’d certainly have to find out more about her. It was up to him to track as much werewolf movement in this area as possible.
All night he played hide and seek with the moon as the female roamed the woods nearby. He could only conclude that she was not welcome in the pack, since her path was solitary, and her ventures towards the village seemed to be rebuffed every time. He supposed those werewolves that escaped the wizards would be more angry and territorial than ever. Not a night for a newcomer to show their face.
Sunrise found him exhausted, but even that would help his cover, since surely no member of the pack had slept this night either. Warily, he slipped out of the shack, heading in the direction in which he’d last heard her howl.
He found her fast asleep amongst some trees, her long, dirty blonde hair tangled, her face scratched, her arm bleeding - teeth marks, it looked like - her clothes dishevelled. She looked familiar.
Gently he touched her arm. Her eyes unglued from each other as she forced herself awake. “Wha… Professor Moody?”
He wracked his brains. It had been years since he’d taught at Hogwarts, and yet this girl seemed familiar. Obviously she’d been distinctive in some way.
“It’s Luna,” she said, offering him a serene smile. She didn’t seem surprised that he couldn’t remember her name. “Luna Lovegood.”
Now he remembered. Luna was that crazy girl with the radish earrings and the weird sayings.
“What happened Luna?” he asked, unable to resist the impulse to remove a twig and two leaves from her hair. “I heard you all night. How did you get bitten?”
“Oh. That,” the look she levelled on him suggested that he really shouldn’t need to ask. “Well, I was hunting a Blibbering Humdinger, and they can only be found in Werewolf infested areas, you know. Anyway, I was doing a story for my father…”
The rest of the story was lost on Remus. Somehow he should have known. He reached down and offered her a hand up. “Listen,” he said. “I think you should stick with me. I’ve got something that will help you.”