InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Who wears short shorts?"

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Remus still couldn’t believe what he read.

You mean when she cursed him? It was before. I think she used me to confirm her suspicions about us.

Bellatrix Lestrange was a never ending nightmare. The phone rang again and Remu exhaled. “What happened?”

Peter brushed his hand through his hair as soon as he saw Remus’ text, quickly followed up with his phone ringing. He had to light a cigarette before answering, because he knew it was going to be difficult for him to navigate this situation.

“Don’t freak out.” It probably wasn’t his best lead in.

Remus stopped a humph in his throat. “I think we’re passed that.”

“There was… more of the usual. But also some not.” He sighed heavily. This was going to be difficult to navigate, but if he played his cards right, it could wind up working in his favour. “She gave me a dark mark.”

“She what?”

“I guess she wanted to brand me? I was a little out of it after the first... bit. She Imperius’d me and somehow gave me a mark. I dunno how she was able to, but apparently it’s a thing.” He felt guilty telling this lie, but then again, it was the closest to the truth he’d ever offered to his friends since his capture in August.

The phone clattered to the ground. Muffled swearing followed.

“I need…” Remus groaned. “...putting you on speaker. Just Sirius. She gave you a mark? Like a dark mark?”

“I can’t say it works exactly the same since I don’t really know what the hell they are supposed to do, but it resembles the other one well enough.” He took a few drags on his fag before continuing. “But Remus… I’m the one that told her about us. It wasn’t intentional but… none of it was covered under the Order pact and… she seemed to have already thought as much and wanted confirmation. She made me turn.”

“Peter.” His voice broke a little. “Fuck. Peter. What … how … Shit. How does running away…” Remus sighed. “I wish you felt you could tell us sooner. I wish, fuck, I wish a lot of things...”

“It’s the second time she’s come after me, Remus. It’s obvious enough she knows I’m the useless piece of shite in this group that’s easily manipulated and she wasn’t very wrong, was she?” He sighed with a hand rubbing his face. “Maybe we weren’t always very subtle about the Marauders, but I gave this information up. It’s better for you lot… I’m the one that fucked all of this up. You wanted to know what’s bloody worse than the wolf -- this is it.”

There was a quick, cut-off yelp over the line: Sirius from the area by the door where he was pacing, starting an indignant sentence and then catching himself before it could get past his tongue. He'd be proud of himself for buttoning his feelings on comparing the werewolf to a dark mark back later.

"Sorry," he said gruffly instead. "Sorry. It's- sounds like Bella's the villain here, Wor- Pete. Not you. That's what it sounds like to me, anyway."

“Well yeah, she is, but I could’ve done better. I could’ve--” He groaned a little and squeezed his eyes shut. His cigarette was burning to ash in his fingers and it wasn’t until he felt it burn him that he dropped it in the ashtray. “It’s - it’s hard--” He didn’t particularly want to talk about this as he’d done rather well avoiding it for almost a year already. “It just isn’t easy to withstand. I’m sure you lot would’ve managed it though.”

There was a crash. The delicate sound of rickety and well used chairs tumbling. It paired well with the mutters of a werewolf.

“What the … Pete.” There was another crash, a scraping really. “We should have done better.”

“Remus, what-- what the hell is happening over there?” Peter snorted. “There’s nothing you could have done. There was nothing to be done.”

"Remus," Sirius said dryly; it turned out it was easier to keep calm when someone else was the one having a fit, "is trying to break my furniture, is what. And he's right. We could've...I don't know. Done something." He chuckled, no humour at all in it. "I could've cursed the fuck out of her when I had the chance, if nothing else."

“Why is he trying to break furniture? Remus… guys, c’mon. There literally was nothing to be done. They fucking kidnapped me, you wouldn’t have found me and you wouldn’t have been able to get past that many of them and… him.” He thought for a second and then added, “If it is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have gotten captured… fucking twice now.”

“Stop.” Remus sounded further away. A mix of exhaustion and bite. “You, Peter, have now lost the right to say stu… nay all things. You may only answer questions.

“First. By some great stupidity are you going to work today?”

“Wha-” Peter started but something about Remus’ tone told him to stop. He had already gotten into it with Remus recently and didn’t want to go there again. “Yes? Why wouldn’t I?”

Remus exhaled, long. “No. My questions. Your answers.” He paused. “Second, do you want to stay with the Potters or at The Flat?”

“The flat, I guess.” He had no idea what was going on with Remus, but he didn’t feel like getting on his bad side right now.

“Good. Good.” Although his tone may have implied the other thing. “Last one: do you want to pack up some clothes or should I stop by when you’re at work?”

“I can pack something before I leave.” He couldn’t help but feel like he was being treated like a child at the moment, but he wasn’t going to argue the point just then.

“Okay. And you’re off at five. I’d like you to come here right after.” Remus groaned again. Definitely more tired now. “Fuck. Pete. I need you to be safe. No more running.”

There was a comment on his tongue about Remus just coming to get him from work, but he didn’t voice it. Especially not at the last. “Okay. I’ll see you there.” After a beat, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”