The Ghosts of the Past (The Marauders' Story)

THE SUBDUED MONSTER STRIKES

After James and Lily went back to Godric Hollow and the crowd dispersed, Remus and Sirius walked to the main road together, where they parted.

Remus Apparated outside his house and alarms wailed. Before Remus could realize, he found himself surrounded.

"Remus Lupin..." said the nearest man.

"Who are you?" demanded Remus, starting to move his hand discretely towards his pocket where his wand was.

"Why, we're your brothers, Lupin!" cackled another.

"What?" said Remus, slightly faintly.

"They are working for me, Remus." The evident leader came up to the front. Remus began to feel sick as his hand froze. He had nightmares about this face sometimes.

"So we meet again, Remus," said Fenrir Greyback. "And I have an offer for you."

"I am not going to accept any offer of yours!"

"You belong with us, Remus. Fellow werewolves," said the most brutal werewolf of all times, waving his hand at his minions. "Come and join us. The Dark Lord has much to offer to us."

"You are working for Voldemort?" said Remus.

"Of course, what did you expect? He gives us a fair share of his victims to savage, you know, especially pretty girls—"

Remus stared at him in horror.

"Maybe he'll let you have one of your friends? Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Longbottom or Miss McKinnon?"

"You haven't—you haven't caught any of them?"

"Not yet, but we will," said Greyback reassuringly. "You will join us, Remus Lupin, because whether you like it or not, you are one of us."

"I'm not!" shouted Remus, glaring at him, snatching out his wand. Instantly two of the crowd grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Remus—what have the wizards ever given us? Perhaps you care about Mr. Potter and Mr. Black. But are they worth betraying your own race and dying for?"

"They are," said Remus, through gritted teeth, as one of his captors dug his nails into his arms, drawing blood.

"You will call the Potters to save you now," ordered Greyback, waving his hand and making a screen appear, giving view into the living room of Godric Hollow, where James and Lily were talking.

"No!"

"Do it. Otherwise they both die," said Greyback, taking his hand toward the screen.

"James, Lily!" shouted Remus. "They are coming to take you!"

As the two of them looked up in shock, a werewolf came forward and pressed a wand against Remus' arm. Remus cried out and collapsed as electricity shot through his arm. Through his blurred vision, he saw James and Lily standing up, looking horrified.

"Don't come," croaked Remus. "It's a trap..." But he knew his friends couldn't hear him.

"Where are you?" cried Lily.

Greyback grinned at her. "You'll find us in Bluebell Woods."

"No—Lily—" cried Remus, but Greyback waved his wand, and the screen disappeared.

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Later James and Lily realized that that they had been foolish to go there alone, but they had been so worried about Remus that they hadn't thought it out. The group of Death Eaters left there captured them at once and took them to a dilapidated building.