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3 May 1995, London
Remus Lupin stood still in the forest where Harry had just sent him and his brethren with his portals. The trees were tall and close together, letting through just enough light to create a patchwork of shadows on the ground. Birds chirped softly overhead, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, adding a peaceful backdrop to the tense moment. A narrow path meandered through the woods, partially covered in fallen leaves and soft moss.
And yet Remus didn't move and neither did his brethren. It was hard processing what he had just witnessed just moments prior, the duel that was on a scale that he had never seen before. He had never experienced that kind of conflict, and he could say with certainty, that if either Harry or Dumbledore wanted to wipe out his people, then there was very little he could do to stop them.
Remus didn't know where he was, really, or why Harry sent them there. To be fair, it would have been very difficult to find a place to hold the battalion of Lycans that Remus was able to call upon, without breaking the Statute of Secrecy.
He must have looked like a madman when he apparated back from Gideon's farm, yelling at his brethren to get every single person he could muster at such short notice, saying that Dumbledore betrayed them and that they needed to be ready. Surprisingly, most agreed without hesitation, which was more than a little strange given that a lot of them opposed him during the meetings.
Remus suppressed his grief about what happened to Gideon. He had been a rock in his life, supported him from when he was a young werewolf, a calming presence that reminded him that not all of them were like Greyback. It was what convinced Remus that he wasn't a monster and stopped him from his self-destructive spiral.
He had been very anxious when Gideon had activated his distress signal and had followed him, only to see Harry essentially torture Remus' old mentor. To be fair, his guardian had just been attacked in broad daylight by their people, and this was probably just Harry expressing his rage about what happened. He was thankfully able to get there before anything drastic happened, not that it changed anything. Gideon was still dead, but this time, by Dumbledore's hand.
What the former headmaster had done was abominable on so many levels. The Light-enhanced Lycans had every single bit of individuality ripped from them, other than their zealous obedience to Dumbledore. Even the man confessing to have arranged Lily's death, was not enough to stop his control over them, even if Remus had to restrain himself from lunging at the former headmaster's throat.
The first Lycan suppressed his grief when he remembered that the redhead was gone. It was Harry's confirmation that did it, that made it fully official. His people's saviour was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. He was alone now, forced to lead his people and he didn't think he could, not anymore.
But who else was there to take his place? Gideon could have literally been the only choice. He was a well-known figure, one that often took care of young werewolves, back when they were all lesser beings. He had endured discrimination and fought against Greyback when the monster tried to recruit him. He would have been the ideal candidate if only he wasn't dead.
His train of thought was interrupted by one of his lieutenants, "Lupin, what the fuck was that?"
"That was Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter trying to kill each other."
One of them hesitated before commenting, "I knew the two didn't like each other, but this seems a bit extreme. I've never even seen this kind of magic."
"This is what happens when two magical juggernauts fight one another," Remus retorted, "And a taste of the destruction they leave in their paths."
"Who were the Lycans fighting with Dumbledore."
Remus didn't exactly blame them for their questions. After all, he didn't have the time to tell them anything and just ordered them to come with him. He took a deep breath, "I said that Dumbledore betrayed us, and I wasn't lying. He corrupted our brethren, enticing them with tales of revenge against Potter, before slowly moulding them to his liking. He turned them into his weapons, unthinking, unfeeling, and the sad part is that Harry Potter did not kill our Queen."
"How do you know?" another lieutenant asked with heat in his voice.
"Because Dumbledore said it himself that her death was his doing. He wanted this, wanted us to rush without doing anything, and turn us all into the monstrosities we saw before. I had my doubts before, especially considering the history between her and Potter, but this confirmed it."
"What history?"
Remus took a deep breath. This wasn't the time to keep more secrets. Hell, keeping this particular secret was probably why Dumbledore was able to sway so many of his people. He responded, "Our queen's identity has always been a mystery to you, and it was her choice. I wanted to honour her by not revealing this, but we're way past honour and traditions now. The Red Witch's true name was Lily Evans, or as she was known afterwards, Lily Potter. Harry is her son. They were not in good terms, and the history between them is complicated, but I never imagined that it would be enough for either of them would kill the other. I didn't know for sure, which is why I specifically told you all to stay down while I investigated the matter."
"And we wanted to kill him," one of them retorted with horror in his voice.
"And you wanted to kill him. But I don't blame you, and I'll try to talk with Harry to work something out. So, all of you, tell each of your groups about Dumbledore tricking us, that Harry didn't kill our Queen, and get them to stop any sort of attacks on him. Tonight is a night of mourning for our kind. We will bury Gideon and all other victims of Dumbledore's deception. I need some quiet to think of our next move."
They all nodded, and cracks of apparition filled Remus' ears. That should buy him more time while he thought of his next move. Something was brewing, something that he could feel in his gut. Lily must have known about it, and Harry definitely did. Whatever it was, it was enough to use his people as pawns, in their games. But Remus wouldn't allow that, not for anything in the world.
He needed to be ready and that made the next destination very clear. He needed to go to the Department of Mysteries.
His journey to the Ministry was quick. After apparating to one of the Department of Mysteries' hidden entrances, he made his way to Severus' office. The potion master had oddly thrived in his position of power, something that he never could have expected in a million years. He always expected the man to be harsh and abuse his position – the rumours of how he conducted himself when he taught potions in Hogwarts didn't help at all – but there hadn't been any issues with the Unspeakables. To be fair, he was still disguising himself as Saul Croaker, who wasn't a massive arsehole or acted like a dictator.
Sure, most Unspeakables probably knew that something had happened to Croaker. Considering how Lily just walked around the place, taking whatever she wanted without anyone stopping her, they must have assumed that she was blackmailing him or threatening him. However, they didn't exactly care. As long as they weren't directly affected and we left around to do their research, they didn't care about much, really.
The first Lycan entered the room and saw Saul Croaker's face get irritated, "Oh, it's you," before morphing back into Severus'.
Their relationship might have been miles better than what it used to be in school, but they still weren't exactly close. Some grudges were very hard to forgive, and almost turning Severus into a werewolf was one of them. Sure, the man knew that it wasn't exactly Remus' own fault, but he had to admit that while he didn't participate in most of the egregious pranks, he still didn't stop any of them.
Remus readied himself for another difficult conversation, "My investigation into Lily's death is done."
The potion master straightened himself and asked hoarsely, "Is she dead?"
"Yes. Potter confirmed it."
"So, he did kill her," the potion master murmured to himself with anger in his tone. He was probably planning thousands of ways to make Harry's life miserable. Even now, the man's hatred of James was still raging, despite the fact that the man had been dead for more than a decade. Then again, as skilled of an Occlumens as Severus was, emotional maturity was never his strong suit.
"No, he didn't. Dumbledore did."
"I'm sure that the boy told you a riveting tale of his heroism, but I would never trust a Potter's words…"
Remus interrupted him before he could start with a rant, "Dumbledore himself admitted it before they fought on Gideon's farm. It was his plan all along to trick my people into serving him and brainwashing them to follow every single order he gave. You should have seen them, Severus, dozens of Lycans with their eyes glowing white, that attacked with reckless abandon, who were ready to fight through everything, without even thinking about their own lives. They even hunted us down, tried to kill us all."
"This is very disturbing."
"That's an understatement more than anything. I got my people spreading the word that Dumbledore was the one who killed Lily, and to watch their backs, but if he attacks, there's not much we can do to stop him. Lily maybe could have, but she's not here anymore. Her son, however," Remus finished leadingly.
Severus growled, "I am not going to run to a Potter for help, and this doesn't sound like my problem. With Lily gone, this time for good, our alliance is over. We can't avenge her, not against Dumbledore of all people. I have my people, and you have yours and I will not endanger any of my resources, get my employees killed, trying to kill someone like Dumbledore."
"And what are you planning to do then? Live this lie of a life, pretending to be Saul Croaker until the day you die, because if you forgot, this was supposed to be a temporary measure while Lily took over. Dumbledore is now obviously trying to get back his control over Britain and was planning on using my people as his enforcers. Do you think he'll stop after a single setback? Do you think he'll leave you or your people alone, especially after you left him to rot when he was dismissed from his post as Headmaster? He will come for you and there's nothing you can do to hide. You need me, Severus. You need the firepower, and like it or not, we need someone to lead us, someone powerful enough to oppose Dumbledore."
That brought the potion master short. Remus knew that he would have come to that conclusion himself, but that he was just blindsided about what happened. Lily's death might have hit Remus hard, and he still hasn't mourned her properly, but Severus' relationship with her was far deeper. It was a very sore subject for both of them. They didn't have time to truly process what happened with Dumbledore's meddling and the constant recklessness of his subordinates since the former headmaster revealed it during their meeting.
After a minute in complete silence, "You're a fool if you think that Potter can fight Dumbledore. Sure, he's impressive for his age, but he's still a boy."
"You didn't see it, Severus. The way he fought Dumbledore and the way he used his magic was amazing. I've never seen anything like it before. He hurt Dumbledore, disarmed him, really. Isn't there a part of you that wants to avenge Lily, a part of you that is outraged by what happened? Dumbledore killed our leader and without Harry, my people would have suffered a fate worse than death. He'll come for us, he'll come for Harry, and he'll come for you, and alone, we can barely even stall him for a couple of minutes, but Harry could. He fought the man to a standstill after being ambushed. He disarmed him for Merlin's sake and I'm positive that he can do far worse, with the right backing and resources, of course. And the Department of Mysteries could help with that."
Severus' face looked as if it was carved out of marble, but his eyes were filled with passion. After a few seconds, he released a defeated sigh, "He is Lily's heir, isn't he? I'll help the boy, but only after you give me a memory of the fight. I need to see for myself."
Remus nodded and prepared to do so, only to be stopped by Severus, "Not now. There is something we need to do, now."
He walked up and opened a drawer, revealing a very expensive bottle of Fire Whiskey inside. He conjured two glasses and opened the bottle, "I've been saving this for when Lily officially takes over Britain. She was so close… Maybe her son will finish her legacy."
Remus raised his half-filled glass, "To the greatest woman to ever exist. To Lily."
Severus raised his own, "To Lily."
And just like that, they drank. They would never be close, both of them knew that deep down. There had been too much of a history between them, but for a single evening, as they finished this bottle of Fire Whiskey, Remus couldn't help but feel the suppressed grief he felt since he knew of Lily's death lessen slightly. He had no doubt that Severus felt the same way.
Today they grieved, but tomorrow, they would prepare. Something was coming, something that was very big, and Remus would not let his people suffer for lack of preparation. He would need to find Harry Potter. He would shed some light on what's going on. After all, he was Lily's legacy, her heir, and Lily had died saving his life. The path forward was uncertain, but Remus was resolute—he would lead his brethren through the darkness and ensure that Lily's efforts were not in vain.
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AN: This chapter was a bit of a filler; I'll admit to that. The last chapter drained me completely, and fillers normally serve as a bit of a break for me. Don't worry, we're going back to Harry in the next chapter. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.