The Dark Side Of The Moon: Teddy Lupin

[Dandinigirl13]

Description: 19 years after the demise of the dark lord, not a day goes by where orphaned Teddy Lupin does not wish that things could've been different. The wizarding world is now a safer place than it used to be, but Teddy soon learns that things are different when he discovers the unseen, but you'll have to find out who these are by reading on! And what's more, the unseen tell him certain dark truths about the world Harry Potter has now created, leading to revenge, love, hurt and action! (hopefully ) xD



Hello!!! Well, this is my second attempt at fanfiction, as you can see, it is set after DH. My first is on its way to being finished and is called Thora Jinks, if you like marauder era fiction, maybe you should check it out? haha
By the by, these are not my characters (well, one of them is ) but the rest belong to the amazing J.K.Rowling!
I hope you guys like it... And please, even if you don't happen to be a fan of it, please just leave any advice as long as it isn't abuse! lol

Ok, without further ado:

The dark side of the moon: Teddy Lupin.

Chapter one: Til death do us part.

Screams of pain and war cries deafened those within miles of Hogwarts castle. For a school, a place of education, it was more like a battlefield. In fact, it was a battlefield. The grass that surrounded it was scorched, whether by real fire or by wizard hand, it was hard to tell. Wizards and witches, young and old, talented or not, were engaged in full combat, never a moment passing by where a streak of green light did not flash. The night sky, though glistening with the beauty of heaven’s light, was streaked with a ferocious red. Dawn was coming.


It was the only corridor that seemed undisturbed, thought the woman. Her bright hair, so pink it was almost scarlet, swished behind her as she carried her shaking legs up the stairs. The torches above her head held little warmth for her.


Sweat immediately poked through her forehead. He wasn’t here. Nymphadora
Tonks instantly felt tears sting the corners of her eyes, but she couldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. This wasn’t the time nor the –


Her thoughts were interrupted as a man’s yell echoed throughout the walls, making her spine tingle. Then flashes of red light as strained curses, one after the other, were bellowed out into the night.


“Remus,” she breathed, tightening her grip on the wand in her hand. Tonks sped down the hallway, listening to her footsteps beat in sync with her frantic heart. She turned a corner –


“Stupefy!”



She had missed it by an inch, ducking so violently that she almost knocked her skull against the stone floor. Her wand slipped from her fingers, rolling steadily across the ground until it stopped dead. Tonks’s breath billowed from her lips, her face contorting into pain, feeling her side burn something awful. She tensed with fright. Her entire body seemed to tremble with the idea of death…she knew it was close…


But the curse never came.


Tonks looked up, dark eyes glistening with sorrow, ready to receive her fate. But as she examined the man before her, her heart began to leap with euphoria. His thin frame was slightly drowned by the dark brown, slightly shabby robes that he wore. His coat of a similar colour was battered and faded greatly. Dust blanketed his shoulders and mouse-brown hair, aging him all the more. Then there was the scarlet blood that was smeared across his cheeks…but none of this fazed her. She loved him despite it.


As his eyes met hers he lowered his wand wearily.


“Remus,” she wheezed, with a hysterical smile. The tears began to roll quite freely from her cheeks. Unable to contain it, she released a laugh of pure joy, one from the gut, a laugh that was quite out of place in such a situation.


Then her smile faded as she looked at him. Remus was quite still, quite calm, yet Tonks’s heart hammered in her breast as she saw the blazing look in his brown eyes.


“Dora,” it was merely a whisper, but it made his voice all the more menacing. Remus swallowed, his voice shook – the man was riddled with fury. “I thought you were with Teddy.”


“Well, now I’m here,” Tonks replied, with an apologetic smile. “Harry needs my help - ”


“I told you to stay with Andromeda,” he said sharply, veins pulsating at the side of his face. Remus’s lips trembled with rage. “I told you to stay at home where it is safe!”


“Remus, it’s done,” she said, anger rising in her a little, “I’m needed here. There’s nothing you can - ”


“Where is our son?” he demanded, chest rising and falling as quickly as the blink of an eye. He was furious. “Where have you left our son?”


“He’s with my mum!” Tonks cried, “where else do you think I would leave him, Remus?”


There was an awful silence. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Remus, with the weight and determination of his wife’s gaze, seemed to understand her reasons. His face crumpled into despair.

He dropped his head into his hands wearily. “You shouldn’t have come, Dora. I told you not to…”


“Well, I did,” she answered quietly, stepping closer to her husband. Her eyes were glazed with tears as she reached up to his face with trembling fingers, mapping his scars with her fingertips, “Remus, I - ”


Tonks’s words were lost in the roar of another man’s. She felt Remus’s arm come across her, shielding her from whatever hex had just been aimed at her back. She landed hard on the ground, just in time to see Remus’s lips utter a word. A cloud of icy blue mist was suddenly expelled from the tip of his wand. A red stream of light collided with it with alarming force, disintegrating in an instant. It dissolved into nothingness like shards of glass turning to dust. Remus’s shield had blocked the opposing wizard’s jinx instantly.


“Dora, go!” Remus roared over his shoulder, sending a green hex to the death eater down the corridor. “Now run – don’t stop. Get out of here!”


Dora nodded. She scrambled to her feet clumsily, stumbling over her baggy robes. She halted for one moment, realizing with horror, that this may be the last time she would ever see Remus. She gazed at him sadly, memorizing everything about him…his movement, his eyes and face…

"Dora, don't waste time!" Remus screamed. Another trail of electric blue volted towards them. Remus snarled, lashing round with the ferocity of a viper, wand poised. The hex crumpled with the air of a dying spider. "Run - just go!"


“Remus,” she croaked, “I love you.”


Remus sent another hex soaring through the air, punching the death eater square in the breast, the air rushing out of his lungs in a ragged, terminal gasp. The death eater tumbled backwards, as stiff as a shop mannequin. Satisfied that he probably wouldn’t get up, Remus turned to her. The light from the approaching dawn suddenly streamed through a stained-glass window, illuminating his eyes. She would never forget those eyes. They were burned into the back of her skull forever, and always would be.


Remus smiled gravely. “I love you,” he said breathlessly. “And tell…tell Teddy that I love him, too. Now - ”


Behind him, a black shape rose…


“NO!” Tonk’s voice cracked as she tried desperately to hurl Remus out of the way. The death eater had got to his feet…raised his wand…


It was too late for anything.


Tonks turned her frantic eyes to her husband as a flash of light, emerald green, suddenly snaked around his entire body like a richly coloured serpent. Her heart shattered. Sobs mounted in her throat, one after the other, as she saw the life leave his eyes. Remus’s last breath was a gasping one, sharp and brutally short.


Remus Lupin fell. Silent, unmoving.


Tonks leapt forward, catching the slumping body. The dead weight forced her to her knees, Remus's head lolling lifelessly into her lap. Eyes closed. “No…” she wailed, “Remus – wake up!” she beat her fist against his chest, tears falling off the end of her nose and onto his expressionless face.


And then suddenly a cackle that made the hairs on her neck stand on end sounded, ringing in her ears, and Nymphadora Tonks saw the green light envelop her too.






****





Teddy Lupin awoke with a jolt, his shirt almost plastered against his torso with sweat. He tore himself free of the covers and sat and the end of his bed, sweat-drenched, gasping for breath. He rubbed his temples, trying to banish the haunting thoughts in his mind, trying to stop the pain, almost like a perpetual migraine. He raised his brown eyes to the photograph on his bedside table.


There, before his eyes, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin. The werewolf and the metamorphagus. Smiling, blinking, moving, as if they were really alive. In his mother, he saw the face of a fresh-faced young woman. In his father, a proud man, even if he appeared slightly withered and older than his years. In the picture, though not as obvious, was Teddy himself – in the shape of his mother’s rounded stomach.


That picture had been taken nineteen years ago.


A smile softened his features for a passing moment, and then his face was set like stone. With a frown carved into his youthful face, he flourished his wand towards his bedroom window. The curtains flew open, flooding the room with morning light. As he had expected, the sky was a dismal grey. The bleak heaven’s stretched away across London.


He groaned and scratched his head, about to collapse into the mattress when a faint knock on his door sounded.


"Come in, Andromeda,” he grunted. Even though she was his Grandmother, he hadn’t called her ‘Grandma’ since he was a boy. Andromeda just seemed right to him. His door opened with a slight squeal and the aged face of a kind-natured woman poked through.


The pity in her eyes made him redden slightly.


"Are you alright, Teddy?” she asked, a sad smile playing about her face.


Teddy shrugged and pulled a new shirt over his head, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” He caught his reflection in the mirror across from him. Teddy’s light brown hair and dark eyes faced him, as well as his strong jaw. Across his neck was a thin scar, like hardened candlewax, that he had got from tripping over his own feet and cutting himself. Andromeda always said that he was as clumsy as Dora had been.


His Grandmother’s gentle voice interrupted his thoughts, “Ted, you do know what day this is, love?”


Teddy’s stomach gave a horrific lurch. Of course he knew what day it was, how could he forget it? He never would forget as long as he lived! Teddy turned to Andromeda, smiling grimly, “Course, I’m going up to the cemetery later.”


“Do you want me to go with you?”


Teddy shook his head, strands of his hair falling into his eyes. Andromeda had asked him this question ever since he was sixteen. “No, thank you. I think I’ll be able to cope on my own this time.”


His Grandmother nodded curtly, “Well, there’ll be some breakfast downstairs if you need it.”


As Teddy heard his door close, he put his head in his hands. The idea of going today was as haunting, as painful and as heart breaking as it had always been. The idea of visiting their graves was about as inviting as getting undressed in public. Teddy let out a growl, battling with his emotions, clenching his fists so tight his nails dug into his palms. He glanced back to the photograph of his parents, and then to his reflection.


At once he saw his father in his face. It sickened him to look at himself in his true form; the memory of having no memory was anguish beyond repair. Immediately he felt his skin tingle and his hair suddenly flushed vibrant turquoise. It was easier this way.






****








The wind was cold against his flesh, blowing knives into his shirt as he stepped off of the muggle bus. Surrounding him was not the busyness of London he was used to, but countryside that was blanketed in mist and smelled fresh, the humid air calming and tranquil.


Teddy had dressed quickly enough to avoid breakfast. His stomach was already churning, his heart felt as if it was about to leap into his throat. His Adam’s apple wobbled as he swallowed shakily, taking in the building not far from him.


A small church, the doors crafted with thick, dark wood. The pathway was strewn with gravel, with bits of wild grass poking through here and there. A tree, with naked, gnarled branches, was bent over like an elderly giant and the roots were clearly visible, snaking up the sides of the church like ivy. Teddy’s mood darkened as he pushed open the black gate, stepping into the church grounds. The gravel crunched beneath him.


Teddy’s eyes were fixed on the church, gaze full of anger and hatred. He didn’t believe that any God would do this to a child, take his parents away from him before he even knew them. He suspected Harry knew the feeling, too. Andromeda had always said that it wasn’t God’s doing, and that it was nobody’s fault.


Teddy scowled, trying very hard to muster the strength not to shout out in
anger and release every tangled emotion that held onto his soul. His fingers tightened relentlessly over the flowers he was holding. Daffodils. Some birds twittered overhead and one landed on a gravestone, ruffling its feathers. Teddy glanced at the large back raven; admiring the way the dim sunlight reflected wonderfully in the ebony wings, its dark eyes were as two buttons.


Then he caught the name carved upon the gravestone. Although it was partially covered with webs of miniscule, blue flowers, he could clearly read the name:

Nymphadora Tonks.
Beloved wife, mother, daughter and friend.
She will reside in our hearts forever.

The one next to it made Teddy’s breath catch in his throat:

Remus John Lupin.
Beloved husband, father, son and friend.
May he rest in peace.

Teddy angrily shooed away the raven, which started with fright and launched into the air with a screech. He kneeled at his mother’s graveside, glaring wildly at the dirt and soil. It was never meant to be like this.


He laid the flowers down on Tonks’s grave and breathed in, trying to take in the scent of the countryside. The air no longer tasted sweet, now it was bitter, as bitter as the thoughts that saturated his mind. Teddy pulled away the blue weeds from his mother’s graves and threw them elsewhere, so that he could finally stare at the name. He wanted to stare at it forever, just being here felt like being a fraction closer to meeting them.


On his father’s grave he laid a photograph of himself, like he had done every year he had grown. It was not a photo of his turquoise-haired mask that he hid behind, but one of his real self. He did not feel as sickened by his appearance now. What he admitted to his father in secret, the fact that this was not who he really was, he could never admit to his Grandmother, to Harry or not even to Victoire, one of his closest friends.


Teddy led on his back beside both his parents, watching the workings of the sky above him. Time passed with the clouds, and the evening started to dawn. He could already see the stars starting to wink down at him from the heavens. As the wind started to pick up he heard the church gate protest as the rusting metal screeched wildly.


“Excuse me?”


Teddy started as he heard the voice, sitting up at once and dusting off his jeans. Before him was a young woman around his age, with caramel coloured hair that curled at her shoulders, casually coifed. Her eyes were a mossy green, with pale freckles peppered across her pixie-like visage. She was smiling at him. Teddy noticed that two of her teeth were very subtly pointed, which was the only blemish to her beautiful face. Teddy frowned.


“Yes?” he answered, sitting up.


“Teddy?” she asked, eyes wide. He found himself wondering whether the girl had any veela blood in her - she was very attractive. “Teddy Lupin?”


“Well, that depends on whose asking,” he replied, with a smirk.


“Oh, no, no,” she laughed, “It’s nothing weird. It’s just – I was at Hogwarts with you…you were in the year above me.”


He smiled apologetically, wishing that she would leave him in peace to grieve. “Sorry…I don’t remember you,” he said quietly, “What’s your name?”


“Anna Grivsky,” she said, with a strange gleam to her eyes. “I was a ravenclaw.”


Teddy shook his head. “Sorry, no,” he said, leaning back onto the grass. On any other day he probably would jump at the chance to talk to her, but today he just wanted her to leave. The silence that followed was awkward, intolerable. He listened to the rattling of the naked branches around him, and the whistle of the wind as it flew into his hair and between the slender blades of grass. It was not long until Anna spoke again:


“I’m sorry about your parents,” it was barely audible. “They were really good people. I wish my mum and dad were that great.”


Teddy felt the warmth of her as she sat by his side. It irritated him even more, but he didn’t move away. Her scent met his senses…wild flowers and earth, like she spent every waking moment in a forest. “No, you don’t. You really don’t. ”


Anna stood, the wind toying with her hair. Teddy noticed that the sky had gone almost black, save for the moon and the stars. It was like a piece of ink-drenched parchment. Teddy thought of his father, and how much pain the moon must’ve caused him. Despite its radiance he despised it. Being a werewolf, he imagined, was probably one of the worse curses that could ever plague your life. He sighed, facing his back to her.


“You look like you could do with a drink,” he heard Anna say. “There’s a place down the road if you want to go?”


“No, thanks,” Teddy replied, irritated. Why wouldn’t she just go away? “You go, Anna.”


“Please,” she said, a little firmer than he had expected, because he sat up to meet her eyes. “It’s dark, and I’m not really a fan.”


Teddy surveyed the sky through his midnight-blue eyes, mirroring the night-sky. Andromeda would be wondering where he was. He hadn’t noticed how quickly time had passed by him, so he obliged. He knew it was probably just her way of trying to get him talk. After all, if somebody tried to attack her she was probably clever enough to stun the person. Teddy reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his wand.


“Lumos,” as he said so, his wand suddenly erupted into light, so that his features became shadowed and a little alarming to look at. He took one last glance at his parents’ graves before walking along the country road alongside Anna. It was utter blackness. He smirked as he looked at the young woman’s face – every feature was calm and placid. There was no denying that the darkness was something she definitely wasn’t afraid of.


“People used to say you were a metamorphagus at school,” Anna began, “Is it true?”


“Yeah, of course!” Teddy said, stung that she was the only person who had doubted it – how many people walked around with turquoise hair? “C’mon, how many normal people look like I do?”


Anna smiled, once again displaying those two pointed teeth. Teddy, for the first time, felt wary of her. Her beauty was almost threateningly so. He had read about vampires once in defence against the dark arts and hated the subject, hated the fact that his own father had taught it and he had never experienced his lectures. Teddy ignored the sense of foreboding and walked on, trying to banish the thoughts of fangs puncturing flesh and bone…


You’re thinking about my teeth, aren’t you?” Anna suddenly said, colour rising in her cheeks. It wasn’t really a question, more of a statement.


Teddy’s heart missed a beat. He was about to answer her when she spoke again, this time her like a knife edge.


"It’s alright,” she said, though her green eyes (which were considerably brighter in the night) told different. From the mossy green he had sworn he had perceived they were now vivid, bright, and abnormally vibrant.


“They weren’t always like this,” Anna continued, “ I’ll tell you how I got them one day - Oh, and in advance, can I just say that I am sorry?”


Teddy frowned, amused. “Sorry for what?”


The blood in his veins started to freeze. Anna's magnificence was suddenly diminished by a wicked smile that crossed her lips. Before Teddy could even think, around three cloaked figures were around him, wands held high.


“STUPEFY!”


And his world went black.


****




FEEDBACK: Pleeeeaaaaassse?

Well, there you go. Little bit of a weird first chapter, and you might think you know what's happening, but you might not...

Oh, and I think I know what you might be thinking: WHERE IS VICTOIRE?

Don't worry, Victoire will feature in this

[Dandinigirl13]

Hi, guys!

A huge thank you to:

Secunda, JJFinch, RemusJ, wandaXmaximof, NoraLupin, hplova15165, mel_trueblue, skrewtmaster, kittling, PureBloodGirl, Hermione3000 and Sibbelien!


And to Jess....I love you.... xD Sorry for forgetting you! LOL

And of course, anyone else is welcome to read! Oh, and if anyone spots a spelling mistake etc, then PLEASE tell me, i was in a bit of a rush so i may have made some mistakes...

Chapter Two: Markus

With a wince, Teddy opened his eyes. A distant throbbing pulsated at the back of his skull, sending pain spiralling through all the nerves of his body. He blinked vigorously, trying in vain to control his blurred focus. Even that hurt. Tentatively, he moved his fingertips, nails scraping across the cold ground beneath him. It was flat, and even though his other senses were at a disadvantage, there was no mistaking the musky smell of cement and stone. He was in a house.



With a horrific realisation, he remembered what had happened. In his mind’s eye, he saw Anna, her terrific green eyes, his parents’ graves, and the red light driving into his chest. Teddy swallowed and dragged in a heaving breath, the grate of air against his throat harsh and jagged, like the surface of an ancient cliff. Suddenly he blinked again, and he saw everything.



Teddy sat up with alarm. He was in a cellar. The walls were plastered with dull grey, only illuminated by the flickering light bulb shining above like a blistering sun. The only other thing in the room was a wine rack, shrouded with cobwebs, the bottles well and truly drained of their content. The air was damp and humid, thick with blankets of dust.



Suddenly he heard voices, the groan of wooden stairs. Teddy looked around him quickly – there was nowhere for him to go, nowhere to hide. He was about to stand when the cellar door swung open with a distressed shriek. Anna stepped through. Teddy glowered at her, not allowing himself to be softened by her beauty. Anna looked at him long and hard, standing quite still, until she turned back towards the open door.



“Markus!” she cried. Teddy felt a pang of surprise: her voice was timid, fearful. “Markus, he’s awake!”


As Anna’s words receded into silence, he watched her sit carefully on a wooden stool, gentle hands folded in her lap, toying with a ring on her left hand. She’s married, Teddy instantly knew. Her face was unsettling, and he saw a glint of sadness in her eyes as she gnawed on her lip. Anna’s caramel-coloured hair was now harnessed into an unruly garden of tresses on her head. Teddy’s breath was suddenly drawn out of him as he saw a red mark, glaring and sore, stretched across her cheek in the shape of a handprint.


Teddy hadn’t forgotten her words. “Who’s Markus?” he demanded.


She seemed to flinch at the mention of Markus’s name, for her body suddenly became rigid like a shop dummy. She shook her head, biting her lip again. Anna didn’t answer.


She didn’t have to. Teddy jumped as he heard a series of impatient footsteps slamming against the stairs again, magnified by the echoing of the vacuous cellar. It was obvious, though, Teddy observed, that more than one person was coming. His heart was thudding with anticipation, his heartbeat ringing in his ears.


He had to clench his fists very tightly to control his fear as a tall figure stepped into the cellar. Teddy looked at his knuckles: white as snow. He heard the figure step forward, taking tantalizing steps towards him, slowly, eerily. Teddy looked to the floor to see a pair of mud-caked boots.


The man before him was tall and broad. He was thickset, and heavy, angular brows obscured a pair of dark eyes, mirroring the dim bulb hanging just next to him. His brows were furrowed; prominent stress lines diminished his somewhat handsome exterior. Teddy noticed, that under the bulb light, vague white scars, like ivory, glinted over his face and neck. His skin was lightly tanned, yet his night-black hair held strands of grey too advanced for his years.


The man clasped his hands together in triumph, “ Lupin,” he grinned, a cruel glint in his eye. His voice was rough and husky, and Teddy saw, with a shudder, that the man’s teeth were also pointed like Anna’s. Suddenly an image came fleeting into Teddy’s head. A big, rangy man with matted hair and whiskers…long, yellowish nails, voice raspy and bark-like…


Teddy’s throat almost closed up. It couldn’t be true – he was in Azkaban! Teddy frowned, shaking with anger at the name about to rise from his lips, “Fenrir…Greyback?”


The man’s boisterous laughter filled the room. Teddy looked around him and saw that the others in the cellar were exchanging glances warily. Anna’s jade-green eyes were fixed intently on the cellar floor, seemingly frozen by the sound of the man’s voice.


The laughter stopped. His lip curled with disgust, “No,” he said flatly, “Fenrir Greyback is my father. I’m Markus.”


Teddy’s heart was throwing itself against his ribcage. He brought himself to his feet quickly, staggering back. The others behind Markus suddenly moved as if to chase him, but Markus simply held up a hand, chuckling. “Let him. He’s hardly a threat.”

Teddy fumbled in his back pocket for his wand, but found nothing but empty space. Horror filled him. He glared back at Markus.


“Loose something?” Markus smirked, holding up Teddy’s wand. “If I were you, I’d stay still. I don’t think you’re in a position to struggle.”


Teddy faltered, then drew himself up regally, defeated. As he observed the many people standing before him, he noticed the glint of their teeth, the strange colouring of their eyes, and the dirt under their nails. Werewolves.



“What do you want from me?” Teddy spat.


Markus smiled grimly, “your allegiance.”


“Allegiance to what?” Teddy spluttered. Then it came to him. “You?”


“Catches on fast, doesn’t he, boys?” Markus said, and a ripple of laughter ensued. After a moment, Markus added, “Like his father – ”


“You have nothing to say about my father!” Teddy roared. “Nothing. D’you understand? You’re nothing!”


Markus raised an eyebrow, pressing a hand to his chest in mock hurt, “I’m nothing? Is that a mark against me, or a mark against my kind?”


“Both.” Teddy replied, lips dripping in poison. “You ruined my father’s life.”


“Ruined? Lycanthropy is a blessing! It separates us from you. It’s an honour your father never deserved!” Markus’s lips curled into an awful snarl.


Teddy growled, fingers bunched into fists. He made to leap on Markus, wanting to tear him apart, to kill him, but Markus was too quick. Markus’s slender fingers held a wand, and with a flick and an utterance, iron shackles were biting into Teddy’s fists. Teddy was chained to the wall, like an animal, like a dog. His muscles screamed in agony as he tried to resist the chain. Failing and wheezing, Teddy fell onto his knees, head cast to the floor.


“Men who behave like dogs are treated like them,” Markus snapped, raising Teddy’s chin with his boot. Teddy squinted as the garish bulb light glared into his eyes, and he shook strands of turquoise hair from his face. “Now are you going to co-operate, or do I have to taste flesh before the full moon rises?”


Teddy stiffened. “I’m listening.”


“Good man,” Markus growled, scratching his chin with yellowing nails. “Now, your father – he was a good guy, it wasn’t his fault that your Grandfather thought it was clever to insult my father. Naturally, he was bitten – get over it. Just build a bridge, and get over it. Ok?"


Teddy clenched his fists so hard he was sure his skin might split. “What are you talking about?” he spat.


“Equality,” Markus said sourly. “Werewolves aren’t exactly the most popular folk. The Ministry hates us. I heard your father had to resign from Hogwarts because of what he was. Most of us here have been disowned at some point, and none of us work. Why? Nobody wants a flee-bitten piece of scum working for them! I suppose it didn’t help that we chose to fight for The Dark Lord - ”


“They murdered innocent people!” Teddy interrupted, voice strained. He regretted it when Markus cast him a glance which almost tore the air from his lungs, it was dangerous…he was sure he saw the shadow of a wolf pass through his face.


Markus continued, the expression on his face solemn, “It didn’t help that we worked for Voldemort, but we had every reason to. He offered us freedom, the chance to be on top. And what did the ministry have to offer us? Nothing. The very reason Remus Lupin died.”


“My father died to make the world a better place,” Teddy said, feeling emotion pulsate within him. They were the exact same words Harry had said to him, and he would never forget them. Harry Potter had been more of a father to Teddy than he ever knew. Teddy looked up into the merciless eyes of Markus, “the world is a better place now.” His words fell out with a whistle.


“Is it?” Markus snarled, eyes filled with lunacy. “Look around you. There are children here that have been thrown out by their parents, people whose family’s have been disowned, been sacked and tortured – is it really a better place? The prejudice is still here, Lupin. It’s because of the ministry, and people like your wonderful Harry Potter that this is happening and Voldemort is gone! Voldemort would’ve given us what we wanted. There would be no prejudice, no hatred. Your father went through it, tried to stop it, but let’s face it – he died for nothing.”



Teddy was shaking, so much that the chains around his wrists were jingling gently. Was Markus right? His head was saturated with doubt, like he had been kicked in the skull by a Thestral. He didn’t know what to think. What was Markus saying? That everything that his father had fought for had been a lie? It wasn’t Harry’s fault…was it?


“What – what are you actually trying to tell me?” he stammered.


Markus smirked, “simply that we are going to take up where Voldemort left off. People need to pay for this. And we want you with us, alongside us, fighting against people who think we don’t belong here – think of your father! It’s what he would’ve wanted.”


Teddy did think of Remus Lupin. He thought of the picture in his bedroom. His father, slightly withered but deliriously happy to be there, his soft brown eyes smiling up at Teddy as if they were really looking at one another. Teddy supposed that deep in his heart he knew that Remus Lupin’s happy expression was just a façade, concealing the years of pain, horror and prejudice within…but he never actually thought of it in the way Markus did. The war was all for nothing – if his father was still alive today he would still be an outcast. Voldemort may have been the most powerful dark wizard of all time, may have deserved death, but he offered things to the werewolves that the ministry and society would never. Freedom.


If it weren’t for Harry Potter, then maybe it would have been possible…

Teddy suddenly felt disgusted in himself as a wave of uncontrollable anger intoxicated him – it was not Harry’s fault, but Markus’s ideas – they made sense! It was terrifying.

A voice dragged him back to reality.

“So what do you say?” Markus’s voice rung clear and sharp like the blade of a dagger. Teddy didn’t answer, his gaze shifting from werewolf to werewolf. For the first time, Anna was watching him, her eyes, framed by an abundance of gold eyelashes, were glinting with tears. Teddy noticed silently, that the wedding ring was halfway down her finger, as if she was having trouble deciding whether or not to remove it.

At last Teddy shook his head, “I don’t know.” He looked away from Anna and then to Markus, “Do I have to decide now?”


Markus shook his head, an impassive expression plastered on his features. “You have until the full moon rises to decide whether you wish to finish what your father started.” With a flourish of his wand, the shackles evaporated into green mist. Teddy rubbed his wrists, gritting his teeth.


“How do I get out?” Teddy asked.


“Ralston will show you,” Markus clicked his fingers regally and one of the werewolves stepped forwards. His hair was the colour of dark chocolate, so dark against the startling brightness of his amber eyes. A thick, red scar ploughed its way through his jaw line. Warily, Teddy tailed Ralston out of the room.


The stench of wet dog met his senses as he advanced up the flight of wooden stairs.








****








Anna kept her gaze firmly at her feet as she heard Teddy Lupin and Ralston depart. A lengthy moment of time passed before she heard Markus’s voice again. It frightened her, the way his voice seemed to penetrate her soul and make her feel like a child. She flinched as his lips formed her name:


“Anna,” Markus said calmly, though his voice was flickering with disguised fury, “why aren’t you wearing your ring?”


Anna raised her eyes for the briefest of moments, just enough to catch her husband’s black eyes boring into hers, alight with anger. Her voice shook, and tears clung desperately to her eyelashes. “Sorry…” she whispered, slipping the ring back onto her finger hastily. The light reflected in her dark eyes like her last hope. She looked up and swallowed.


“Go.” Markus ordered, and the other werewolves shuffled awkwardly out of the room. When their footsteps ceased, Markus sighed angrily, folding his arms. “Are you trying to embarrass me?” he asked Anna, advancing on her like a vulture, “Are you trying to embarrass me in front of my own clan? What is wrong with you?”


“No…” Anna wiped away a tear quickly. Markus peered down at her. “It’s just…you’re using him. You’re using him to get to Harry Potter! It’s not Teddy’s – ”


Markus howled with rage at the use of Teddy’s name. His pupils dilated as he spluttered, “It’s him isn’t it? Lupin. You spend less than an hour with him and you’re already taking your ring off - ”


“No!” Anna cried. “No, Markus, it isn’t that! I love you!” She stood and tried to take his hand, but he caught her wrist in his fist, stopping her. She squealed. He was nothing of the man she had met when she was seventeen, none of the charm, the happiness or life seemed to be in his eyes, the way it used to be. Anna loved him despite it, and hated herself for it.


Markus snarled and hugged her to him tightly, the grip on her waist crushing.
“It’s alright,” Markus growled into her ear, “when all of this is over and my father is set free, you can go with dear little Lupin, if that’s what you want. You’re nothing to me!”


Anna recoiled in horror, feeling tears fall in rivulets over her cheeks. “No…Markus, please…”


Markus sneered in disgust and peeled her away from him, disappearing through the door. Anna gazed at the door for some time, wanting to run. She had given up everything for Markus, everything. She had surrendered her life to him by becoming one of his clan, loved him, and somehow his personality had become warped into a monster she didn’t know. Anna wanted nothing to do with Teddy Lupin, Fenrir or Harry Potter. She just wanted Markus.


Suddenly the cellar door burst open, screaming on its rusty hinges. She started with an
alarmed yell, in case it was Markus in another rage.


It was Ralston. His amber eyes shone like liquid gold, framed by furrowed brows. He looked worried. His dark hair was swept back across his face, and his breathing was shallow. He was obviously back from escorting Teddy.


“Anna,” he gasped, “Are you alright?”


She nodded. Turning away from him, she erased the tears.


“Did Markus hurt you?”


Anna shook her head, feeling her fuse become sharp. Why couldn’t he go away? She wanted to cry alone, without an audience to her humiliation.


Ralston hesitated, “Can I help?” he said softly.


“You can help by leaving me alone!”


Ralston blinked, stung. It was only when Anna heard the door close behind her, she knew, with a pang of guilt, that Ralston was gone. Then she succumbed to her tears and collapsed onto the cellar floor.


******


Well, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed chapter two!! It was a bit weird, I know, but hey - we're all weird at some point!


Feedback can be left here: Ralston is a funny name