DAMNATION
Lupin groaned as awareness began to sink in. He could feel his cheek throbbing but as he moved to touch it, he found that his wrists were still bound behind him. He knew that struggling against the restraints would be futile and instead focused his energy on heightening his senses. He could feel the ground beneath him; dirt and rock like sandpaper against his skin. He could tell it hadn't rained wherever he was, but he could smell it's omniscience in the air mingled with the smell of fire. A firm hand shook his shoulder.
"Lupin, wake up." This time he recognized the voice straight away and his eyes flew open. The world spun around him in a haze and Remus tried to shake off the feeling of vertigo as he looked up at the cloaked figure in the mask.
"Severus?"
"Don't ask questions, you must pretend you don't know who I am." Severus Snape told him in a hushed voice.
"What's going on? Why have I been taken captive?" Lupin asked despite the warning.
"Voldemort's been waiting to flush out somebody from the order. He wants Malfoy released from Azkaban. When Dumbledore heard the word that the Death Eaters were planning an attack, he asked me to be at every meeting to keep watch. I was sent to bring you to Voldemort." Snape's voice had a tinge of regret and Lupin closed his eyes, resisting the urge to feel betrayed.
"So what happens now?"
"We've apparated just outside the Death Eater's meeting. I've ordered the others to announce our arrival on the pretense that I wanted a moment alone to take care of some unfinished business. I don't know what Voldemort has in store for you, but whatever it is, you mustn't agree to help free Malfoy."
Lupin looked at Severus fearfully, wondering what type of torture the evil wizard was waiting to preform on him. He knew Severus was acting under Dumbledore's orders to the best of his ability, and was somewhat comforted by the fact that Snape had taken the risk to tell him everything he knew. Snape hauled Remus to his feet, steadying him as another wave of vertigo washed over him.
When he had righted himself again, Snape marched him into the circle of Death Eaters. Lupin looked around, trying to imprint every image in his mind so that he could recount the tale accurately...if he lived that long. The Death Eaters were gathered shoulder-to-shoulder surrounding a small bonfire. There were no sounds other than the roar of the fire and Lupin and Snape's footsteps as they advanced to the edge of the fire. Snape turned Lupin in a semi-circle so that he was now facing two people he loated the most.
The Dark Lord sat upon a throne, his eyes glowing a blood red, his face was that of a viper. To his left stood Peter Pettigrew, cowering back as Lupin's glare focused upon him. In an instant, memories of Sirius Black and James Potter flooded his mind, and Lupin was filled with blinding rage. He fought against Snape's hold on him, wishing nothing more than to murder Peter for all that he had done, but a jet of light erupted from Voldemort's wand and hit Lupin square in the chest. He fell to his knees with a howl of pain, letting out a gutteral growl as his entire body felt consumed by invisible flames. It seemed like a lifetime had passed before the feeling disappated, leaving his breathing ragged.
"Now that I have your full attention," Voldemort hissed. "Let me just say that I could have easily killed you. You're a werewolf, are you not?"
Lupin's cold stare was the only response and Voldemort stood up, coming towards him. He grabbed the front of Lupin's robes and jerked him to his feet.
"Even though it is not yet the full moon, I do have the power to bring out the wolf inside of you, so do not toy with me!" He let go of Remus roughly, and watched as he fell to his knees yet again. "I would have thought you to be stronger than this, wolf. You will make this too easy for me to enjoy. Release him."
Snape muttered a spell to release the binds around Remus' wrists and stayed close behind him until Voldemort waved him aside. Lupin looked from Voldemort to Peter, noticing that Pettigrew was watching with rapt interest.
"Do your worst, Voldemort." Lupin growled up at him. "You've murdered all of my friends, why not kill me as well?"
"By the time I'm finished with you, you'll wish I had." Voldemort raised his wand again muttering a spell that was unfamiliar to Remus, but one that he would never forget. He could feel the beast inside of him being drawn to the surface at an excruciatingly slow pace. He could feel his I-teeth elongating into deadly fangs and his blood ran like ice through his veins. He had never experienced this much pain during his transformations and cried out in agony at the endless torture. His face began to morph into a snout and he snarled as hair began to sprout all over him. His hands became like claws and he ripped at his robes to free himself. The tattered cloth fell in shreds around him as Voldemort muttered the counter-curse. Faster than it had taken for him to almost completely transform, Remus reverted back to his human state and fell forward on his palms, quivering from the lasting pain.
"Look at me, Wolf." Voldemort commanded. Lupin slowly looked up at Voldemort, the hatred burning in his eyes. "There is something you will do for me."
"I will do nothing for you!" Remus spat. "Do as you wish, but there is no duty that I will ever perform."
"Tell me, Wolf, have you ever tasted blood?" Remus felt as though the ground had been ripped out from under him at the words. "Fresh from the victim, it's warm and rich. There's a metalic sweetness to it that draws you in for more."
Remus felt his stomach turn in protest, but the wolf part of him was still too close to the surface and he licked his lips in anticipation. He forced himself to keep the beast at bay, knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.
"Tell me what would happen if you were to drink the blood of a human." Remus spoke nothing, and Voldemort continued. "You would be eternally damned, forced to walk this wasteland forever in an attempt to satisfy your thrist for blood. Nothing would redeem your soul; no spell nor mortal could save you, and even when you die you will be chained to this plane of existance to spend the rest of time driving yourself mad for just one drop of blood."
Remus' eyes shimmered with unshed tears of hate. "I am already damned." He spat coldly. "I don't need to drink blood for that."
Voldemort laughed viciously and snapped his fingers. Two Death Eaters stepped forward, one holding a woman who was bound and gagged, the other holding a dagger and a goblet. Lupin's eyes met the frightened girl's and the tears he had been holding back spilled down his face. Voldemort took the dagger, turning his attention to the girl.
"He is the one you should fear. The werewolf that haunts your dreams and chases you down. Only his bite isn't fatal, but I am." With that Voldemort slashed the girls throat, sending a spray of blood around her. Lupin could hear the girl gurgling and choking for air for only a minute until she fell back against one of the Death Eaters. Voldemort then filled the goblet with the blood that drained from her neck. Lupin got to his feet, ready to fight and flee, but was slammed down by three other Death Eaters that had come up behind him. The Dark Lord motioned Lupin forward and the Death Eaters drug him forward, holding his arms firmly.
"I beg you, please don't do this." Lupin asked in a moment of weakness.
"You had your chance, Wolf. There is no mercy." As if in a ritualistic rite, Voldemort dipped his hand into the goblet and began to streak the blood across Remus' face. He could smell it's coppery scent and shivered as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Voldemort was taunting him, teasing the wolf out of him, but Remus stayed strong. Then, in a final attempt to crush his resolve, the Dark Lord painted the blood across Lupin's lips.
Remus closed his eyes tight as if trying to shut out his surroundings. He felt the goblet being pushed against his lips and his head was forced back. The blood spilled over his face into his nose and in reaction, Remus opened his mouth. The thick dark liquid seemed to cling to his tongue and he fought to get away, his cries of anguish echoing in the night.
Chapter Three
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