remus lupin

It was rather easy to see how spooked Remus became at the mention of their wolf escapades. Curious, at the mercurial emotions of a shamed werewolf, Fenrir discreetly placed a minor charm against eavesdropping. The cafe wards would have opinions on anything stronger than a charm of innocent buzzing in a gossip's ears.

Keeping an eye on the other table with his mark, he murmured low under the chatter. "Not a proposition, kid. Do you feel that pull towards each other? Even now, I can still feel it, but it is the strongest as a wolf. Any thoughts as to why that would be?"

remus wasn't used to the connection that pulsed underneath him, the gravitational pull towards the brute man. he normally wouldn't take orders from someone he just met, but this was different. the moment the man said the word wolf, remus' back straightened. it was innate for him to glance around, always sensitive to others knowing about it, especially with how sensitive the politics were around it. "maybe you've put a curse on me or something," remus guessed with a shrug, but he knew the answer. and maybe he knew it longer than you would willingly admit. "how long have you known?"

mk-marlene

She took one too many drinks because what else could she possibly do once people started leaving and there was no sign of whoever was responsible for the letters. Marlene was annoyed in ways she couldn’t even begin to process. So after doing her best to remain sarcastic but optimistic for her friends’ sake, the witch had found it better to sit by the bar and drink until enough time had gone by. She could’ve stumbled on her high heeled boots had she not mastered the art of being drunk often already, as she began searching for her friends to finally leave.

She found Remus inside a large room, eyes closed and she could tell she’d taken him by surprise. “Hey hey, it’s me,” Marlene reassured him in a hushed tone. “You’re alright, we can leave now.”

remus blinked owlishly at the person who stirred him from a deep and comfortable sleep. of course he would fall asleep at a party on some random couch, the nicest surface he could find that wasn't already taken by other people. he squinted at the person until they came into focus and he grinned as he realized who it was. "mars, my favorite blonde" he said, his voice a cocktail of tiredness and drinks that still didn't sober him up. "leaving? oh, thank merlin," remus sat straighter and became more conscious as he looked around to see there were far less people there. then he remembered what made him drink more; the letters, the void of conversations, and the pretentiousness of the entire evening. "someone knows marlene...about me."

#remus x marlene

hcalingherbs

"There's nothing much to share. They have an amazing greenhouse out back. It's full of plants. I may have snuck in there. The doors are open. Can you believe it?" Mary MacDonald, drawn to plants as though they could save her life right on the spot and those of hers friends as well. "I may have snatched just a tiny little sapling." She held up a small bag, enchanted to stay upright even when stashed away.

Her face lit up with a smile as she heard the other's words. "Oh, thank you! Are you sure the floral design isn't too on the nose?" Given her unnecessary amount of mentioning said plants. "You look great. More confident than usual. Perhaps there's something about that." Dress up and all. - @its-remuslupin

"why, mary macdonald, you might be the best thief I've ever know," Remus commented confidently, his face brightening. even though his area of knowledge about thieves was not extensive. "i won't tell a soul, trust me." at her words, remus couldn't say that he gave any attention to the florals or decorations and he glanced over them with a different appreciation. "do i?" remus asked, grinning. "well i certainly don't feel confident, so i'm glad that isn't apparent. i tried to dress for the part, but didn't have anything else that says 'i'd rather wear nothing than be stuffed into a tight suit robe set so i can do parlor trick conversations with people i don't know or care about.' sadly, this was the best i could do. now, should we dance? perhaps we should get out alibies straight in case they ask where we went."

#remus x mary

Fenrir listened intently to the words tumbling out of the stressed man. Dismissing the mention of the Dark Lord, now was neither the time or place to convert his wayward pup in this war, he elected to acknowledge the other points.

"Galas are rarely under-stimulating. If I had to hear those fake sugary sweet high-pitched voices going on about 'how long it's been' or 'how ravishing' they look, I wasn't sure what I'd do, so I was hiding in the library." Removing his hand, Fenrir continued, "The Ministry and their sycophants throwing this party hardly care about those outside their circle, nor do they pretend to. Now drinking, I can always get behind."

Fenrir called for a house-elf for a drink, while he waited to see if Remus would stay.

"yeah, well, i'm not really a fan of them either," he nodded reluctantly. remus was still deciding how much to trust fenrir, someone who he barely knew. there were only so many people who knew what he was on, on the one hand, and it had been a while since he added another name to that list. he was a skeptic, he was a stray. he didn't know what he was and every other definition eclipsed him. it was bound that remus would find fenrir at this event. he found him in the middle of a forest under a full moon. "i think the ministry has always been self-absorbed; it would be concerning if it wasn't," he said. remus dropped down into the nearest seat and accepted the drink. he tipped the glass toward fenrir. "so is the big plan to hide out here all night?"

hxpkirk

"Well, if one goes missing, I won't tell." Mafalda said with a laugh. "Sure, two heads are better than one, right? Surely one of the bedrooms must have one?" She asked. "Right? Paintings and sculptures are for posh twats, books are way better. Imagine how many early or out-of-print editions they have in there!"

"well then i'm happy to have you as an accomplice. but don't worry, i'm not going to ask you to watch the door or anything. mostly because that wouldn't be very nice of me but because i already knicked the thing." remus grinned and walked beside her. "i think they should really donate these resources to the library...who knows how much they're keeping from us that we'll never know. purebloods really set up the rest for failure by withholding valuable information." remus continued to prattle on and shared with mafalda the book he stole. "this one is about darker spells used in 19th century italy."

#remus x mafalda

meda-rp

Event 001

"These things never get less boring, do they?"

#mrsmevent #event001 #mrsmstarter

"at least there's cake," remus said like it was a consolation and grinned mostly because even that hadn't been the most delightful. still, remus found himself at these events hoping that it might prove itself successful and remus would continue to pretend he was opportunistic. "at least it can be a good night out regardless. needed to get out of my place anyway."

#remus x andromeda

location: burke manor status: open to all ! | post letters

remus didn't know what he was doing, but he felt obligated to stay. leaving would raise more suspicions and he couldn't afford any of that. not when someone in this manor knew what he really was, a dark truth that he shoved way down and only told a select trusted few. remus had thrown back one shot, then two, and then the manor was starting to look like a hell trap and more of a fun house. remus could feel his senses blurred beyond comprehension but he found a couch in one of the rooms and draped himself on it. sleep, that's what he needed. the drinks lulled him to a peaceful state where he thought of his friends, food, and good memories of school. but when he blinked his eyes open he squinted at the person he now shared the room with. "you're not dumbledore," he said, his words crowding each other. "do you work here?"

the room was too loud, too warm, and smelled faintly of spilled champagne. remus checked the time and not for the first time that night. he would give it another hour before he could reasonably slip out without his absence feeling like an insult. his social stamina was a finite currency, and tonight, he was bankrupt.

then came the rustle of paper.

it started as low, collective murmurs. dozens of letters were suddenly dispersed through the crowd. remus watched, his back straightening, as people began ripping them open. the event invitation hadn’t mentioned anything about this. in his experience, unexpected theatrics in a room full of wixens rarely ended in anyone’s favor.

and then, a weight landed in his own palm. his own envelope. he slid his thumb under the seal. the wax snapped.; a cold, familiar dread settled heavy in the pit of his stomach.

he read over the elegant, sweeping cursive. the words didn’t just register; they hit him like a strong gut punch, knocking the air clean out of his lungs.

how many people would still respect you if they knew what you really were?

the room seemed to tilt. the overlapping sounds of the crowd muted into a dull, underwater hum.

it wasn't a new question. remus had been asking it of himself in the dark for over a decade. it was a thought he had carefully siloed away, an open secret shared only with three men he would die for. but seeing it written down—inked onto paper by an objective, outside hand—turned everything into a harsh reality. it brought a sharp, cold panic straight to his lungs, tightening his chest until he could barely breathe.

he scanned the room, his eyes from face to face, searching for a tell. any lingering looks. a smug, knowing smile reserved just for him. a pair of eyes that lingered on him a second too long. who? the paranoia spiraled. could it be any of his personal friends playing some twisted joke? no. never. not about this. they would never go that far. was it someone at the ministry—one of his father's colleagues? or worse. was it someone recent from fenrir greyback’s pack?

remus swallowed hard, his throat tight. the clock was still ticking, conversations still flowed, but he was stuck between time. someone in this room was watching him bleed open.

#mrsmevent

hxpkirk

"I'm curious, what do you think it look like?" Mafalda asked, a small smirk crossing her face. "Size of this house, am I right?" She laughed. "I was looking for a balcony for a quick smoke, but I ended up in here instead." She looked around. "It's kind of amazing, isn't it? A room filled floor-to-ceiling with books. It's the kind of thing I dreamed about when I was a kid."

"i think it looks like an innocent man just walked out of the library because he loves to read and definitely wasn't thinking about stealing anything," he smiles back at mafalda. "so glad that's not what happened though." the house was big, bigger than anything he had stepped in that wasn't hogwarts or sirius' place. that was too grand for him even when he bummed it on the couch or a spare bed. "i suppose i was trying to find a balcony too, but got too distracted. mind finding it together? could use a break. yeah? it's amazing right? they should really open this room up. i couldn't give two shits about objects and art...this is the real good stuff."

#remus x mafalda

Fenrir hummed in understanding. It was nearly palpable that Remus clearly felt a great turmoil. That Remus needed to run. He was much more used to the instinctual pulls of alpha to those he had and had not sired. Yet, Fenrir could remember the raging beast caged in his chest when he was first turned, before he came to terms with it, so he tried to give space for Remus to come around.

He kept his hand on the other's shoulder. "Talk to me." There wasn't a question in the tone.

remus wouldn't say he was avoiding fenrir when there was a whole room of people worth avoiding, but greyback might've been at the top. they both had senses that could find each other and now, remus knew there was a connection that could cut through them just as easily. he only offered a shrug when fenrir cornered him with a question. "i don't like parties, not like this. not when we're at war and i bet half of them are followers of him." words were pouring out of him before he could stop anything. "but money is money, right? that's what everyone seems to care about. donate to this cause, but not this one, not the one that actually needs help and families are starving or mourning someone and they don't have enough money to bury someone." remus looked up and his hand passed over his tired face. "fuck, sorry, maybe i should drink more."

hcalingherbs

Only once in her life had Mary ever been to such an event, not counting the yule ball during her time at Hogwarts. And such a place, grand as it was had the best of gardens. Ten minutes she'd allowed herself to just wander the ground and peek through the glass into what she hoped was the greenhouse. Of course, entering would have been a whole other thing, though she'd been tempted.

"I won't tell if you won't." Mary chuckled, glad that if she had to run into someone while sneaking back inside through the libraries doors to the garden, it had to be Remus. - @its-remuslupin

"nothing to tell," he smiled when he saw it was mary. one of the only supportive reason for remus to be there were his friends also found purpose there. remus didn't want to spend the entire evening in his head when he could just as easily enjoy himself. "what kind of trouble are you getting into? and why are you not sharing it with me? you look amazing tonight by the way, marls."

#remus x mary

hcalingherbs

Boredom and a desire to explore, mixed with the curiosity as some seemed to wander. Just like that Estelle had found herself in the hallways of the manor, walking about as her heels would echo across the floors, wooden and otherwise only to be muted by the carpets in different corners of the place. Until she bumped into someone, a face familiar enough to anyone who paid attention during their time at Hogwarts, shared as it was.

"And what does it look like, Lupin?" Her eyes gave expression enough that her head did not even require to tilt. Of, curious as she was, any answer would be fun to twist. - @its-remuslupin

remus was immediately guarded when he stepped closer to estelle travers and wish he had stayed in the room behind him. "just exploring," remus lied and looked around as if everything was normal. he didn't like that the entire party swam with purebloods and those who could possibly be death eaters. "i've never seen so many...restricted books."

#remus x estelle

mk-marlene

She'd been finding her way around the manor to escape boring conversations all night, not getting exactly where she wanted to go after having had one too many drinks. That was how she ran into Remus, turning on a corner hoping to come out on the main ballroom and finding herself in the library and in front of her friend instead. She was about to greet him when his words had her raising her brow, an amused expression taking over her features. "What is it supposed not to look like?"

#remus x marlene #event001

remus had been told that his friends would be there, one of the few reasons why remus would attend an event like this when he could be at home in a way he much preferred. he roamed around the room, mostly eyeing the plates of hors d'oeuvres and taking advantage of the flowing drinks. he gave himself a reprieve and wandered the halls, nearly walking into marlene in the process. "thank merlin it's you, you nearly made me jump out of my skin," he said, swallowing his breath. "the good stuff isn't even out in the main room. there's loads of things in the library-swear i saw a first edition of italian spells."

Overwhelmed at the gala, Fenrir had slightly desperately taken to wondering the quieter hallways until he had stumbled upon the library. Taking upon himself to start cataloguing the titles to calm himself down, he wondered through the spotless room. He heard the footsteps before the smell hit his nose. The rogue pup was here.

Anxious words filled his ears and he chuckled before he could help himself. "If you are looking to make off with something, far be it for me to speak out." Fenrir clapped a large hand upon the other's shoulder. "Lost, Mooncalf?"

#remus x fenrir #event001

it took remus a few more days to fully wrap his mind around who fenrir greyback was and the undeniable bond between them. he had spent his entire life believing his parents’ lie: that his attacker was just a stray wolf who had gone mad for a single night, a faceless monster that ran for the hills. so he grew up on that twisted truth had inverted remus’ view of himself. now, everything he believed fractured into pieces. all he knew for certain was the carnal instinct that spiked in his chest whenever fenrir was near, as if his very senses were bowing to a master.

he heard the heavy crunch of footsteps and felt that familiar, suffocating presence he attributed to fenrir before he even turned around. "no—no, not at all... just a small detour," remus said, his eyes glancing over fenrir’s left shoulder, looking for an escape route he knew he couldn't find. "the way back to the party is..." he trailed off along with his confidence. "i just needed some space, too."

At Remus' continued hesitation, Fenrir realized that the other wolf truly had no clue. He knew he had turned the other, but wasn't sure when. A pang swept through him at the thought; something akin to regret for not taking the boy to be raised among them, before it was swept aside for the usual simmering rage at humans. Remus' ignorance about werewolves was surely the fault of the witch and wizard who raised him.

"Fenrir," a smirk crossed his face as he recalled that night. "We did work on a project a few weeks ago. For someone like you, you did a hell of a job tracking down what we needed. Bit rude though, leaving right after moonset without even a goodbye."

remus' senses were already clued in and his interest was spiked as well as his soft panic. there was nothing that prepared him for this and he didn't even know what this was. remus wasn't one to hesitate at a fight, he would use brute, stubborn force if necessary. it seemed whatever this was, the only way out was through. remus went still in his seat, knowing that name and all that came with it. the reality of it all clicked into place. he barely remembered his full moons, but there was something about a few weeks ago where he met another wolf in the middle of the forest. instead of ripping each other into ribbons, they had hunted together. remus never did that other than chasing rodents and field mice in the woods. "right, it wasn't personal," he said, more intentional in his words now that he knew what he was up against. "i-i don't really remember the specifics."