Omni (omni_sama) wrote in lupin_snape, @ 2008-06-01 23:42:00 |
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Current mood: | restless |
DARKSIDE CHALLENGE: Fic: "The Castle Gate" (R) part 1/3
Title: The Castle Gate
Part: I: "Something Like a Fairytale"
Author: me (aka: rip_von_christ and omni_fabulae on lj)
Rating: R
Pairing(s)/character(s): Snape/Lupin; Bellatrix, Tonks, Teddy Lupin (more or less)
Challenge: Dark Challenge
Prompt: Teddy Lupin
Summary: A bedtime story about a wolf who tries to pretend he's a man.
Disclaimer: I own no rights. I am merely borrowing the characters. I'd hand them back in one piece, but that might not be entirely possible...
Warnings: spoiler, highlight to read-- Cannibalism. Character death (NOT Lupin or Snape). Also, this isn't really officially beta-ed. A friend glanced over it, but...yeah. If you spot something, let me know.
Notes: ...would be spoiler-ific, so shall be posted at the end of the story itself.
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“I have a bedtime story for you. Are you comfortable, dear? Yes? Good, then I’ll begin…
“Once upon a time, there was a wolf. He wasn’t like other wolves. No, this wolf looked like a man. He had fooled the world into thinking he was a man, actually. But this was a lie. He was so good at his disguise that he even managed to trick a young woman into marrying him. Now, most of the young woman’s family hated this union, because they could tell he was not what he seemed. Even so, the woman married the wolf and even bore him a child—what a horrible little abomination that was, I’m sure you can imagine!
“One day the wolf received a letter from an old friend-turned-enemy, asking the wolf to come to his aid. At first the wolf didn’t know quite what to make of this letter, since he thought that the man who wrote it had betrayed everyone not long ago. As it turns out, however, the wolf always had a soft spot for the man, and so wanted quite desperately to believe he wasn’t a traitor after all. Clinging to this desire, the wolf went to the meeting place the letter described—a small abandoned cottage in the middle of the woods.
“When he arrived, he found the man waiting for him at a table, a large bowl of warm stew and a tall glass of red wine set before him. ‘Please, eat,’ said the man, motioning towards the food with a wave of his hand. ‘You have arrived later than expected, and I’ve already had my fill. This is yours.’
“The wolf hesitated, unsure if he could fully trust the man. But, since he wanted so much to believe in the man, he decided to trust him—not only in regards to the food, but in every sense. His decision was probably also helped along by the obvious growl from his greedy stomach. Despite his human appearance, the wolf was still very much a base creature with animalistic motivations. So, he sat and ate. He ate and ate and ate, devouring the stew with ravenous zeal. Licking his lips, he washed the meal down with the dark red wine. ‘Delicious!’ he exclaimed when his gullet was finally clear. On and on he praised the man’s talented cooking, declaring that it was the finest pork stew he had ever had. The man smiled ever so slightly at the praise.
“Now, here it should be mentioned that this tale is reminiscent in many ways to another. I’m sure you’ve heard that old story told by muggles and wizards alike, about a girl and her red hood. This time, however, the roles are reversed. Here the wolf sits in her place, eating the food offered by his host. Here the girl disguises herself as someone the wolf trusts, watching with cold contempt as the wolf devours meat that never came from a pig, and fluid that never came from a grape. The similarities stop there, really. It reminds me more of another tale, in all truth… Are you familiar with Thyestes and Atreus?
“Ah, no, don’t get up. Lay back, dear. Lay back. My story is not yet finished, though it is drawing ever closer to the end.
“After the wolf ate his fill, he asked the man what he could do to help him. The man, as I had just let slip, was not actually the man at all, however. He was the aunt of the wolf’s wife. She had disguised herself as the man, you see. This was because she discovered that the man was a traitor after all, but not to the wolf and his comrades. The man was a traitor to his master, and was plotting against him. As it turns out, he was going to try to enlist the wolf’s help in this vile plot! Luckily, the aunt, who was very loyal to the master, had intercepted the letter and read it before sending it on to the wolf. The man was imprisoned for his treachery, and the aunt devised a trap for the wolf. A trap which worked quite perfectly.
“It was unexpected, however, to hear the wolf beg the man for forgiveness. Stunned, the aunt-in-man’s-clothing listened as the wolf professed loyalty and even love to the man. Love! Did that mean the wolf’s love for the woman was a lie as well? Surely it must! The aunt was furious. Not only had the wolf defiled her niece and polluted her bloodline with his seed, but he had done so through nothing but lies and trickery! All that time he had been in love with the man, not the woman.
“Filled with contempt, the aunt decided to hurt the wolf, but not physically. Instead, knowing full well the effect it would have while he thought her to be the man, she told the wolf how much she loathed him. ‘Disgusting!’ she spat, curling her lip as she had seen the man do so many times before. ‘Who would ever love you? You make me sick, you know. Mangy, low-bred, man-eating mutt…’
“Hush now, love. Settle down. I know you’re eager for the end, and it is coming…
“The wolf was struck dumb by these words, his face reflecting all of his hurt and confusion. At last he gathered his wits and stuttered out objections. ‘But I’m not… I’ve never…’
“Again attempting to imitate the man’s mannerism, the aunt raised a brow and flicked a glance down at the bowl. ‘Only a true monster could have eaten that stew and liked it.’ She raised her borrowed eyes back to the wolf and watched the realization and horror slowly dawn on his face. ‘That you loved it as much as you did only serves as proof of what you truly are.’
“Really, dear, there’s no reason to be so alarmed! It wasn’t a human in the stew. It was nothing but an abomination, something which never should have existed in the first place. Even so, it is a sin for the wolf to eat it. More a sin for the wolf to savor it.
“Here the aunt stunned him and brought him somewhere to be locked up tight. Here one might think the story ends. Of course, it does not.
“The aunt pressed the man and the wolf for answers, keeping them both in different cells. The man she allowed to have nourishment, but none was given to the wolf. For days the wolf went without food. Finally it came to be the night of the full moon, the one night a month when the wolf would be forced to shed his human guise and be seen in his true form. This night the aunt decided to show her niece what it was she had married. You see, the aunt had been keeping the niece locked away as well. The niece was such a blight to the family tree…even worse than her mother. The niece even dared fight against her aunt and the master. Such a foolish child, really. So, the aunt set out to educate her.
“There had been speculation about wolves who pretend to be men. Some say that regardless of what form they take, the wolves can recognize their mates and will refrain from harming them. This seems to be false, however. Well… Then again, there could be several different reasons for the outcome witnessed by the aunt… For instance, the wolf could have chosen another for his mate instead of the woman—the man, in other words. Or, perhaps starvation outweighs mating bonds. Really, though, I think it is merely that the speculations were incorrect. Whoever thought such a thing up obviously never knew about real wolves. They don’t mate for life. They hunt in packs, and only the alpha male and alpha female may mate. This is not a life bond. If a stronger male challenges and dominates the alpha, he usurps him, thereby taking his mating rights. Considering this, don’t you think it’s silly to think that a wolf in man form would take a life mate? It’s even sillier to think that this imaginary mating bond would protect the human partner. Most likely the wolf would have reacted the same way if the aunt had put the man in the cell with him that night instead of the woman.
“In fact, she thought she might test that theory. She decided that on the next full moon, she’d put both the wolf and the man into the same cell.
“They should be bringing the wolf shortly… All snug, Severus? I do hope those ropes aren’t cutting into you too badly. We certainly wouldn’t want the scent of blood ruining our experiment. Oh, and I suppose it would be prudent to mention that every time I visited him in his cell, I was polyjuiced as you. As far as he knows, you’re the cause of all his woes. Do enjoy your visit with him, dear. Good night.”
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NOTE: Thyestes and Atreus-- They were brothers. Thyestes slept with Atreus' wife. When Atreus found out, he invited his brother to a feast. Seems odd, except that it was an incredibly cruel revenge, considering that the feast was made from Thyestes' children. So, Atreus watched coldly as his brother consumed his kids. Gotta love them Greeks, no?
Chapter 2
Chapter 3