Round IX of Ficlette Fiasco II -- a Harry/Remus ficlette in Inevitable land.

[mhalachai]

A Remus/Harry ficlette for the Ficlette Fiasco II. (master list found here)

Once Upon a Twilight
by Mhalachai
Disclaimer: JKRowling owns all things Harry Potter. Laurell K. Hamilton owns all things Anita Blake. I am but borrowing the characters for a brief time and shall return them intact at the end.
Summary: For anonymous, Remus and Richard's pack. Set in the Inevitable universe, in the future at an unspecified date.

~~*~~

Remus Lupin was nervous.

No, nervous didn't quite cover it. He also was panicking, terrified and anxious on top of his nervousness. It was almost unseemly in a man of his stature and advancing years. But still....

Beside him in the still automobile, Harry gave him an encouraging smile. "It'll be fine, trust me," he said easily.

"You don't know that," Remus contradicted.

"I do know that." Harry slapped Remus on the shoulder, then slid out from behind the wheel. "You're my guest and so everyone will be nice to you."

Remus shook his head, the pull of the moon burning in his guts. Soon, he would change. Soon, he would become the animal that always lurked in his head.

Harry rounded the car and opened Remus's door. "The change is easier when you're with pack," Harry said.

"They're not my pack," Remus said, tight-lipped. He stood up in these strange-fitting muggle clothes, hoping desperately he wouldn't embarrass himself by shifting early.

"But they invited you here," Harry reminded him. "Richard said it was all good, and Jason wanted you to come."

"What about Anita?" Remus asked involuntarily. Each meeting with the intense necromancer had left its mark on Remus, sometimes mental, some physical.

Harry shrugged as they trudged into the woods. "Anita understood why I wanted you here," he finally said. "She's okay with it." Harry paused and breathed in the forest air. "Come on," he urged Remus playfully. "Run with me."

The boy... no, the young man, took off into the woods, and Remus had no choice but to follow. The trees flashed by, details sharpened in the twilight. Remus had tried for years to convince himself that it was all right to feel this affinity with nature, but when he was alone on the night of the moon, he always fought it.

Tonight, there was no fight. Others joined Remus and Harry on their dash over the forest floor, but it was right. They were like him, these people. Human, but not. Animal, but not. But they were complete.

They spilled out into a clearing full of werewolves, some shifted, some not. A man sat on a throne-shaped stone, power radiating off him. It felt safe, like home, and Remus came to a halt in front of that man, Harry at his side.

For the first time since he'd been slashed by Fenrir Greyback, Remus knew that finally, he belonged.

Comments

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Lovely. We've never really heard how Remus feels on full moon, nor if he's ever interacted with other werewolves on a social basis, ever. That's what fanfic's for!

(Though this ficlette makes me all kinds of curious about whether Harry will be a lycanthrope or not!)

One spelling catch: as they trudged into the woodz.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

(Though this ficlette makes me all kinds of curious about whether Harry will be a lycanthrope or not!)

I think this just might be known as "Mhalachai trying to hide a plot point until she's ready to tell us about it." Though if you go check out an earlier drabble she did -- one where Anita confronts Snape -- you'll note that Harry refers to her as his "lupa", so that might be a hint.

Of course, this isn't necessarily canon for Inevitable unless she says it is. ;-)

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Oh, and did I forget to mention that this was lovely? Yes, I did.

Well, I'm saying so now.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Me? Try and hide a plot point under layers and layers? Surely you jest.

PS it's all canon. Unless it's all cannon.

PPS I'm really running on a sleep deficit today.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know she's hiding the plot point, like the sneaky writer she is! But such delicate obfuscation deserves recognition, I think.

(mainly so mhal knows that more Inevitable chapters would be nice - as if she needed any more encouragement ;) )

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

The more I delve into writing about werewolves, the more I think tht JKRowling gave Remus a raw deal. I mean, he's a lonely wolf. Poor puppy. Plus, I have much Remus love.

Thanks for catching the spelling mistake. Sometimes I'm a dope :P

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Happens to the best of us. Though I do think "woodz" deserves this icon by copperbadge. It's just so...street ;)

[heeroluva.livejournal.com]

I agree it is nice to see how Remus feels during this, something that's never really seen in the actual books.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[laney-1974.livejournal.com]

Wonderful little ficlette! I love Remus and this gives him the belonging that he so deserves.

And Harry running with Remus... Interesting.... *g*

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it. I always feel so sorry for Remus, being all alone (without any other werewolves, i mean).

And hey, all they were doing was running through the woods :)

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

I wish Remus could be this lucky. To know that he wasn't alone and shouldn't be alone and that being pack was also being safe.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I agree. Remus is the tragic loner figure in the HP books (the nice one; Snape's on the other side of that coin) but it still sucks. I wanted to give him a touch of pack, if only for 400 words.

[(Anonymous)]

Absolutely beautiful...I love the way Remus transitions from feeling so nervous and alone to belonging. The way the werewolves could run always seemed like the best part of being a werewolf to me.

E.A.V.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. I Just took up running myself (jogging, actually.... okay, more like shuffling at this point) but it's just a great feeling to be in the woods and running for no reason other than to run. So nice.

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

Awww, lovely. And nicely ambiguous on whether Harry will actually change. I quite liked how you sublty highlighted Remus' issues, both with his community and his own personal self. Nice.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to maintain this ambiguity, not not to be all "OMG WILL HE CHANGE???!11!!?" because then everyone would kill me and that's not the sort of tone I want IN to have :)

Any Remus character study needs to address his very conflicted nature. I think that he might even give Richard a run for his money in the "Issues" department.

[iamabee-buzz.livejournal.com]

I should hate you for how you so consistently disguise hints regarding Harry's wolfness, but I don't. I love Remus...and Rowling gives him such a raw deal in the HP books! Yay wolfie belongingness! *dances*

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

No need to hate me, I'll get to that answer in time :D And thanks!

Need more...

[enelya-fefalas.livejournal.com]

My god. You really enjoy torturing us all don't you? *really wants to know if Harry will shift*
"The change is easier when you're with pack," Harry said
Makes you think: Is Harry speaking from experience or word-of-mouth?? >_

Re: Need more...

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Makes you think: Is Harry speaking from experience or word-of-mouth?? >_

Yes, he is.

*ducks*

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

This is just lovely. Somehow I missed this when you first posted it. It's a beautifl, sad, haunting look at Remus' previous live, and the ways it might possibly change in the future, for good of course.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) It's more of a teaser for one of the things I might do for the sequel... or not. We'll see how it goes. But I do have much Remus love. He's such a suffering character.