Marius Lestrange has his affairs in order. (sang_pur) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2008-05-20 11:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [1979-05] may, ! npc, marius lestrange, remus lupin |
Remus and Marius Log
Who: Remus, Marius, and an NPC Muggle Policeman
What: A run-in
When: 20 May 1979, afternoon.
Where: Muggle London
Rating: PG
Status: Finished log.
Remus had been having a very rough time over the past week, and it didn't help that the full moon was drawing so close. It made him antsy, emotions intensified and running high, and -- well, this time around, quite reckless. He'd lost it around the time family of some Order members had been murdered, that much he knew; with his own parents gone, there was no one close in his family for the Death Eaters to lash out at in order to get at him. It had been so, so easy to just give in and vandalise Grimmauld Place, and steal one of the white peacocks from Malfoy Manor with Marlene -- Merlin, what had he been thinking? Perhaps that had been the problem -- he hadn't been. It was lucky for him that James called him out on his actions, for it was only then (and the incident the night before with Marlene arguing with Lestrange) that Remus realised what and idiot he'd been. On top of it all, sleep was becoming something of a rarity these days -- between juggling patrol watch, training, a full time job, and having difficulty sleeping in general, Remus could usually be found with circles under his eyes, looking more weary than ever.
But just because he was tired didn't mean he could just stop for a rest. The flat was out of food again, and someone had to buy it -- Sirius didn't know the muggle marketplaces as well as Remus did, she he felt it was up to him, else they end up with nothing but cleaning liquids for the tea (again). He was walking down the sidewalk, now, making a mental list in his head of everything he needed to buy and not entirely paying attention to where he was going as he approached the shop.
Marius, though he did his best to keep his habit from his father, still hadn't been able to kick his craving for muggle cigarettes he'd developed growing up in France. It was just different there, and all the cigarettes were muggle and you bought them in magical stores, but here he had to stoop to sneaking off to London occasionally to a muggle store and picking them up. It wasn't as if he was dodging around exactly, but he certainly wasn't inviting Regulus or Severus along with him either. It was with an odd mix of determination and French pride that he set off on this particular trip, and as he gazed through the throngs of filth his eyes caught a familiar figure.
It took him a minute to place the young man, not having seen him often, but he had seen him in Hogsmeade once or twice, and of course in the heat of battle, and figuring he might as well have a bit of fun while he was out he stepped up right behind him and stepped on the back of the boy's shoe hard.
"Pardonne-moi," he drawled out slowly, waiting to see if Remus would recognise him or not.
The step on the back of his shoe made Remus stumble, but he caught himself and looked back to see who had tripped him up. He might not have even recognised the man, mumbled an "It's alright" and just continued on his way, had Marius not spoken. It was the French that made him realise who it was, and Remus stopped in his tracks, glad that he hadn't run into Marius somewhere alone. Still, they weren't just surrounded by other witches and wizards -- there were muggles all around them, and for all Remus knew the man would have no issues killing the innocent people around them should he want to start something. Despite his thoughts, warning him to just back off, turn around and go home or finish shopping and not instigate anything, there was that little, mischievous part of him he fought to keep down urging him to make some smart remark.
He's as good as a Death Eater, if he isn't one already, he thought. Say something to get him angry, get him to lash out. Cause a scene. Draw attention. If anyone from the DMLE came, he'd get arrested, hopefully -- and in the mean time you'd have the satisfaction of finally getting your anger out on something that would actually feel the pain when you strike. Sometimes Remus forgot himself, his first thoughts not to go for his wand, but to reach out and physically attack -- to get the feedback of his fist colliding with the enemy, knowing he struck because he could actually feel the aching pain in his knuckles from the force of it all.
But he was getting ahead of himself. All Marius had done was step on the back of his shoe, and already he was thinking of starting a fight? Remus tried to remind himself it was because the full moon was so close that he was feeling this way. There was no need to start anything, and yet he spoke anyway. "I'm surprised to see you here," he said, voice sharp and cold. "Have you decided to lower your standards to shop with the common people, then?" Uncalled for. Unprovoked. Oh well.
Marius's smile grew as Remus's words came forward with thick hostility.
"I find that when I am bored, muggles can be a plentiful source of entertainment," he said in a low tone, leaning forward so his voice would be heard by only Remus. "And what are you doing here? Shopping for funeral flowers?" he asked, smirking in a way that made it clear he found the thought amusing. Of course he did, though he'd not had anything to do with all the funerals he'd been keeping up with what went on in the journals and he'd seen Remus's name everywhere offering his condolences.
"If so, I will buy some and send them along as well. Such a pity," he said, his mouth still twisted into a cruel smile. "Lives lost forever because silly children can't learn to keep their tempers. In France we are above these petty acts of revenge," he said confidently, putting a hand on Remus's arm to keep the two of them next to each other as dozens of people streamed past. "In France, if we were doing this, it would be because it would be fun."
And that had been all Remus needed to hear -- although it was a little more than he had been expecting. Rage flared up within him, that same white hot anger he felt when Greyback had mentioned his mother's screams and Remus actually tried to resist, because he knew Marius was just trying to make him angry. Unfortunately, it worked a little too well, and without anything to take his anger out on in a satisfying manner for so long, Remus' control snapped. He didn't bother reaching for his wand, and only half because there were muggles around -- the other half was because he wanted to get his hands around the French bastard's throat. Which was exactly what he attempted next, no more words, no more taunting -- Remus lunged at him, nearly snarling, with every intention to try and choke Marius to death right there in the middle of bloody muggle London.
Marius hadn't been expecting Remus to take the bait quite so well, and for that reason, the younger man had his hands around his throat before he had a chance to move to the side. In France though, unlike in England, gentleman weren't trained to only use their wands, and though it hurt like hell, and he could feel his lungs burning in his chest, Marius kept his composure and brought his knee up hard into Remus stomach, twisting at the same time to pull away. He could feel Muggle hands pulling at him and he realised that apparently these idiots were attempting to help him, since the attack likely had looked unprovoked. Unwilling to owe anything to Muggles though he pushed at them as well, wanting only to get Remus to release him so he could beat the shit out of him.
After only another second he wrenched himself free and muttering something in French, brought his fist around hard, dodging around a muggle to give him leverage and hitting Remus as hard as he could with a left hook. The crowd gasped, and parted slightly since it was clear the two men had no intention of stopping and they had some sense of self-preservation apparently.
Remus was surprised that he'd managed to catch him off guard, but he didn't falter, squeezing the other man's neck, pressing his thumbs against the centre of his throat to cut off his air supply. However, his grip didn't last long, hands slipping off as soon as he felt Marius' knee hit his stomach. Remus doubled over, clutching his stomach even as muggles were trying to separate the two from fighting, but he shrugged them off, pulling away from their grasps -- he wasn't done yet. He remembered feeling helpless and afraid when he had been faced with Greyback, unable to use his wand, and he had fled like a coward. Although Remus was not sure what he might have been able to do differently, or that his parents might still be alive if only he had stayed to fight the werewolf, he wasn't about to run away this time.
Marius' second attack struck him as well, right in the jaw, and Remus stumbled back again into the people around them, nearly knocking over one of the muggles in the crowd. Only a small, quick glance was spared to see if the person was alright, before he focused his attention back on Marius. Remus was by no means experienced in fighting without his wand, but he hoped to make up for that just by striking quickly and with all the strength he could draw out from within himself. He ignored the pain in his jaw and lunged at Marius again, throwing a punch of his own directly towards his face.
Thrilled to be getting out a bit of energy, Marius had no intention of stopping, and should he have to kill every single one of these muggles afterwards to cover his tracks, so be it. The punch that Remus threw connected with Marius's left jaw hard enough to cause him to stumble backwards, and in doing so tripped over a muggle child and began to fall backwards. Not about to go down alone he grabbed at Remus's shirt, getting a good hold on it so the two of them fell back together and as soon as Marius hit he rolled, throwing a leg over Remus, even as he gasped for air, attempting to get above him so he could punch him more easily.
He was glad for all the schoolyard bullying he'd done growing up as the pain of the fight was nothing compared to the adrenaline and nostalgia he felt as he continued to block punches and throw his own. He was almost completely lost in this, with no mind to the crowd when suddenly the group around them dispersed rapidly. Muggle Law Enforcement no doubt... France, England, Peru... it was the only thing to cause poor people to give up free entertainment like this.
Had Remus been paying attention to anything else besides the fight, now, he would have been worried about the child Marius had just tripped over -- but he didn't notice why Marius fell, only that he was falling and, apparently, taking Remus down with him. Even if Remus had stopped to check on the child, he wouldn't have put it past Marius to strike while he was distracted -- French or not. He struggled with Marius to gain the upper hand, pushing back when he tried to roll them both over, but Marius had the advantage, pinning Remus to the ground. Unable to easily throw Marius off, Remus punched Marius again, using his other hand to grab for his throat again but could not keep a firm grip -- instead his hand slipped down to grab the collar of Maruis' fancy clothes, and he pulled hard, ripping the fabric, trying to pull Marius off of him.
Unfortunately, he'd left himself completely open to Marius' fists, and after a couple direct hits to his face Remus was left dazed, finally letting go of Marius' top to block some of the punches. He was sure he felt blood trickling from his nose, as he could certainly smell it, and Remus looked up at him with a feral grin, eyes dropping to an exposed part of Marius' throat with a strong urge to bite -- that was one thing, however, that Remus would never let slip from his control. It didn't matter who the person was, Death Eater or not; he would never bite anyone. He'd managed to hit Marius one more time, not realising they were being approached by the muggle police until he heard a voice speaking to him, bringing him out of his violent rage and back to the present. Shite. The last thing he needed was to get locked up for the night, especially in a muggle prison.
"Get up, both of you," Marius heard a voice from above shout authoritatively as he felt some sort of muggle stick connect with his leg. Had this muggle just hit him? The man was about to lose his life and he had no clue, but the sheer shock of being knocked about by a muggle had him dazed enough that he let go of Remus immediately and stopped struggling. He looked up at the red-faced man, apparently winded from having run to get to them in the crowd, and half rolled away from Remus. His wand was in his pocket, but the crowd had gathered again. He couldn't kill now. He wasn't about to let himself be arrested, but he couldn't use magic just yet.
"He stole my wallet and my watch," Marius said immediately, his accent thicker than usual. "I am visiting my sister in London and I got lost in the alleyway and he accosted me."
Of course, Marius had no wallet, that was a given, but also a given was that if you looked at Marius, and how he was dressed, and then looked at Remus and how he was dressed, only one of them would be stealing wallets and it certainly was not the one who had every stitch perfectly tailored.
As soon as Marius had rolled off of him, Remus quickly got to his feet, taking a few steps away from him -- even though he was very tempted to give Marius a swift kick and then make a run for it, but he didn't know if he would be able to escape the police, and that would only land him in even more trouble. Resisting arrest tended to be frowned upon in both the wizarding society and the muggle world. "I didn't steal anything," he protested, but he was struggling to think quick on his feet to come up with an excuse to why they had been fighting. "This man -- I bumped into him, and the next thing I knew, he was throwing a punch at me. I was just trying to defend myself." Even Remus knew how weak his excuse sounded.
Marius gave Remus a look that looked sincerely offended.
"And why should I do that monsieur? I wanted only to find a gift to take back for my niece that remains in France," he explained. "But I have proof," he said, addressing the officer. "He dropped my wallet in the alley when I fought back. He was not expecting it I think. If we return you will see it still behind the crate where it landed," Marius said confidently, shooting Remus a smirk as he turned away from the Muggle Law man. He knew better than to use magic on a muggle, but he was hoping Remus would assume the worst. This game was far more entertaining than any other thing he had to do on this day.
The officer looked between the two of them and reached to grab Remus's arm and pull it behind his back.
"If the wallet is there, you'll be going to jail boy," he said firmly. "And if it's not, you're both going there," he added, giving Marius a look that would have caused many men to flinch. Fortunate for Marius, he'd grown up with Rodolphus Lestrange and did not flinch easily. Also, since for now the man seemed to only want to take hold of Remus, Marius was able to slip his hand into his pocket to reach for his wand just in case. he still planned on handling this without magic, but if anything got out of control he had a bit of insurance on his side now.
The officer began leading the two of them toward the alley way that Marius had indicated. The crowds had mostly dispersed and it seemed in his cockiness this Muggle didn't deem it necessary to make an attempt for back up. Idiot.
"It was at the very end of the alley, monsieur," Marius said politely, making every attempt to sound the part of the foreign tourist who had been mistreated.
Proof? Remus couldn't figure out what Marius was playing at, but he did know the last time he'd been caught in an alleyway with a Death Eater, it didn't turn out so well. The officer escorted Remus down into the alley behind Marius, and although he was trying to cooperate, Remus still resisted a little and the officer had to push him along. No, this wasn't good at all; Remus couldn't reach for his wand and it was only the two of them against a Death Eater. The muggle had no idea what he was getting into -- he was now regretting getting into this fight at all. He made sure to keep his eyes on Marius the entire time, fully prepared to pull away from the officer to get his wand should Marius reach for his own.
Then again, if Marius was faster than him... just one spell and he could be dead in a matter of seconds... it was only when they neared the end of the alley that Remus made an abrupt stop and yanked himself away from the police man, starting to reach for his wand in attempt to try and protect him from Marius, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The officer had Remus up against the wall of the alley, pulling his arms behind his back. "Resisting is only going to make this worse, boy," the officer said, even as he was slapping a pair of handcuffs onto Remus' wrists so he wouldn't try to run away again. This was not looking good for him. How could this man not understand that Marius was going to kill them?
Marius couldn't have planned this better if he'd tried, because he was hoping that fear of what he might do would cause Remus to attempt to escape and that was exactly what had happened. The handcuffs snapped on to Remus with a satisfying click, and Marius waited for the officer before leading them deeper and deeper into the alleyway.
"It was behind this set of boxes, monseiur, though they all look the same to me," Marius said, sounding apologetic. Now that Remus had made a bit of menace of himself the officer of the law seemed far more willing to believe Marius and turned to help him look. He continued pushing Remus along with him, but after a minute had his back turned on Marius completely which was the opening the Frenchmen had been looking for. Taking both of his hands together to make them into one fist, he struck the man on the back of the head hard, causing him to collapse instantly on to a heap on the ground.
"Don't move, Lupin, or shout for help, or he is as good as dead," Marius warned, reaching down to feel for a pulse to see if the man was still alive. He was.
Remus heard the officer hit the ground before he saw him, and he felt a frightening, twisting in his gut that maybe he had just been killed. But no, there had been no green light to signify the killing curse, and he hadn't heard Marius cast the spell... he turned around to see what had happened, just in time to see Marius bend down to check the police officer's pulse. Why hadn't Marius just killed the man? Was he going to kill him? Remus couldn't decide which was worse -- the fact that it was possible he was about to be killed in an alley like a dog, or that he wasn't afraid of dying.
It would definitely explain his reckless behaviour recently. Remus always thought he'd be much more afraid in another situation like this, but it seemed after his parents were murdered, it didn't really matter. Throwing himself in front of curses, playing petty pranks on purists, getting into fights in the middle of muggle London -- why hadn't he noticed himself acting this way earlier? It wasn't just the damn full moon; the loss of his parents seemed to take away his sense of self preservation.
However, the last thing he wanted was to see anyone die, especially because of him, and so Remus heeded Marius' warnings and stood still where he was. While he didn't call for help, he didn't remain silent and asked, "what are you going to do now, then?"
"Think what you will of me, I am not a murderer," Marius lied. "At least I do not wish to be unless you give me no choice."
Certainly, he could kill them both, but where was the fun in that? Wouldn't the game get exceedingly more interesting if someone from the other side could no longer be quite as certain of him as he was before?
"I can not risk my father finding out about this though," he added, which was the truth. "I do not wish to displease him and he would no doubt be irritated at both my location and my carelessness. I will need your wand," Marius said, leaning in toward Remus and reaching into first one pocket and then another, before locating what he'd been looking for. "This man will not remember our faces, nor the situation, and then you are free to go."
Making quite sure that he could still see every move Remus might make, Marius cast a memory altering charm on the officer using the other man's wand. It would do, but because with another's wand magic could be unpredictable, the odds that the man would remember even the last few weeks were slim. This should all end up in the Muggle Newspapers though, and then it would be easy to track him down and kill him later. Marius didn't actually intend on letting any Muggle who dare touch him live in the end.
"Turn around so that I can rid you of those Muggle things," Marius said, indicating the handcuffs. With any luck, by the end of this, even if Remus still believed him to be a Death Eater he would be confused, and confusion always made for interesting run-ins later on. He doubted any of the other Death Eaters would approve, but this was more entertaining... more French. Suddenly there was a stirring at the other end of the alley and voices could be heard.
"As is fate, no good deed goes unpunished," Marius drawled, rolling his eyes. He slipped Remus's wand into his cuffed hands. "Apparate now before they see you, and tell no one. It will not look good for you, your wand being used on this Muggle, and I have no desire for my father or his wife to find that I have left you in such good condition," he said, a slight smirk playing on his face again.
"Au revoir."
Remus had immediately backed up as soon as Marius reached for him, but unfortunately, he didn't have far to move before there was a wall against his back. Thankfully, all Marius did was take his wand instead of punching him again as Remus was expecting -- although, confiscating his wand didn't mean anything good was going to happen, either. Oh, hell. The last thing he needed was that kind of evidence against him. While still serious, Remus supposed it could have been worse -- Marius could have killed the man using his wand. He didn't want anymore blood on his hands (unless, of course, it was from a Death Eater).
He was surprised when Marius actually offered to help remove the handcuffs. Eyeing Marius suspiciously, he half turned around, attempting to keep an eye on the man while giving him access to his cuffed wrists. Although, he didn't know what he could do should Marius be lying aside from run, and with only one way to go, he could easily be hit with a spell if he'd tried. Why was he doing this? Wasn't he a Death Eater? This was a fantastic opportunity for him to kill them both. Remus didn't say a word, however -- he's had his moments of saying stupid things, but he wasn't about to ask Marius why he wasn't killing him and putting the idea into his head.
He kept his mouth shut the entire time, only moving when he heard voices at the entrance to the alley -- shite, where they coming down here? They had been gone for several minutes now. Perhaps they were starting to wonder if something had gone wrong; they'd only been supposed to be looking for a wallet, after all. He felt his wand being slipped into his hands, and he grabbed it tightly in case the other man changed his mind. He wasn't even going to abandon him to be caught with an unconscious police officer? Remus turned more to frown at Marius, clearly confused at the situation, but there was no time to waste -- he quickly apparated away, directly into his and Sirius' flat, not waiting to see if Marius was apparating too. He just hoped Sirius was home to help him get these bloody handcuffs off.
Well, despite the confusion with everything else, there was one thing that was certain: He clearly needed to find a new place to buy groceries now.