Chapter 32: Lions to a Serpent

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— 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟔

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— 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐄 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟔

⚠️ CW: Violence

        Sirius and Remus were running towards you, eyes wild in panic at the sight of you on the floor. As they grow closer, Remus' sole focus is on you while Sirius' face contorts in a combination of absolute disgust and raging fury as Severus steps out of the door from behind you.

        Remus shouts out your name. You could hear the fear in his voice as he drops to his knees and takes you protectively into his arms.

        "Remus," You weakly whisper into his chest, letting in the safety of his arms consume you.

        Before Severus could even take a step further in your direction, in one swift movement, Sirius is a blur past you. He lunges at Severus with a tight grip by the collar and throws him hard to the ground. "Stay the fuck away from her!"

        "It's okay, we're here," Remus coos in your ear, brushing strands of your tousled hair off your face. "I'm sorry it took us awhile."

        You look up at him, the cold sweat trickling down your temple in contrast to your chest slowly alleviating with relief. Tears stung at the back of your eyes. "How'd you—"

        He shakes his head. "Later." And his eyes hesitantly wander to your disheveled appearance. "W-What did he do to you?"

        You avoid his gaze, ashamed of what had become of you — weak and helpless. You felt your skin burn under his close examination. Your messy hair, bruises on your neck, the unbuttoned dress shirt, the wrinkled skirt. It was more than enough for Remus to piece together what Severus had done.

        The sight before him was like a stab directly to his chest. Remus has never seen you like this: vulnerable. To him, you were always a force to be reckoned with. Smart, headstrong, undaunted. And to see you in this state because he let James do what he's always done: provoke Severus. He could feel his heart plunging, sinking deep into a dark abyss, and letting it consume him with each pressing moment.

        Remus let this happen, it was his fault. He was a prefect for Godric's sake.

        "He..." You whisper, trailing off as you tug your dress shirt close together.

        Remus doesn't wait for you to finish and looks at the man in question. His gaze pinned at the Slytherin like the tip of a dagger. It may be Remus' fault, but he wasn't the one who poisoned you, wasn't the one who assaulted you.

        You could feel his hand clenching into a fist, shaking as it took all his strength not to leave your side and pounce on Severus just to gouge his eyes out for even breathing the same air as you. As you felt the flex of his muscles stiffen under his clothing, it was almost as if a shadow had cast over Remus' face, his eyes darkening and boiling with nothing but primal anger.

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