Chapter Text
Remus was glad, over the following week, that he had the market to focus on. His full moon symptoms varied sometimes, but joint pain and anxiety were always present in some capacity. Lyra also grew more protective of him than usual, following him almost everywhere, when she was usually a pretty independent creature. She hadn’t been trained as a therapy dog per se, but she was always attuned to Remus’s symptoms. He was glad he had his store room full of his jams and apple butter, so he just had to pick the plums and apples, and milk the cows to be ready for the market.
Before he left Saturday morning, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked a bit worse for wear. His face was pale, he had dark circles under his eyes and his hands were shaking a little. He should be used to it by now, he’d been bitten so young, but he wasn’t sure there was ever a way to get used to lycanthropy. With the full moon that night, the last thing he felt like doing in this condition was going to the market for the whole day. But, he knew what he signed up for with the market, and he didn’t have any other means of income really, so he had to go. The only time he ever missed a market was when it was the actual morning after the full and he needed the recovery time.
The market was busy again, the people of Godric’s Hollow were eager to soak up the last bit of summer before autumn crept upon them. Remus put a cushioning charm on his camp chair as he sat in it, and that made a marked difference to the ache in his back.
“Sirius, look!” he heard early in the afternoon, the August sun high in the sky. “That’s where I got the jam last time.” And sure enough, the boy with the glasses and the messy hair came jogging over. “Hi!” the boy said to Remus.
Remus smiled at him. His muscles felt a little tight, and he realized just how little he smiled in the days before the full moon. “Hi. I’m Remus,” he said. “Nice to see you again.” Remus offered him his hand.
“I’m Harry. That’s Sirius,” Harry said, shaking Remus’s hand and pointing behind him. “We loved the jam.”
Remus blinked as the most beautiful man he’d ever seen joined Harry. He had a small smile on his full, red lips that Remus couldn’t look away from. He rose from the camp chair creakily, almost pitching forward. Sirius instinctively caught his elbow so that he didn’t knock over his jam jars. The spot where Sirius touched him seemed to thrum with an unseen current, which only intensified when Remus met his bright, silver eyes for the first time.
“Nice to meet you,” he said, his voice smooth and rich, like the best scotch.
“Same. I’m-”
“Remus. I heard,” Sirius said with a wink. “We did love the jam. Do you make it yourself?”
“Yes, I do,” Remus said shakily, willing himself not to stare too intently at this man’s lips.
“Harry and I finished the whole jar. We’d like a couple more.”
“Yes, of course,” Remus said, catching his breath and refocusing on the jars. Sirius selected two and was about to pluck a jar of apple butter off the table when Lyra started barking at the newcomers. “Just a moment,” Remus said. He leaned down to Lyra, petting her head and talking to her softly. He gave her a treat and she stopped barking, but her body language was still tense as she watched Harry and Sirius.
“Is your dog alright?” Harry asked.
“She gets a little…protective sometimes,” Remus said.
“Can I pet her again?”
“Maybe give her a moment or two,” Remus said. Lyra wouldn’t hurt Harry, but she might growl at him if she thought he was trying to get too close to Remus. Sirius was watching them with a small smile as Remus stood back up to face him.
“Do you come to the market every week?” Sirius asked, taking out his wallet to pay for the jam.
“Yes, usually. The winter can be a little tricky,” said Remus conversationally. He took the money from Sirius. When their hands brushed, Remus felt that jolt of electricity again. It must be because it’s so close to the full moon, he admonished himself. He really needed to get a grip and not embarrass himself in front of his customers.
“I can imagine,” Sirius replied, placing the jars into his canvas tote bag. “Do you go to any other farmer's markets?”
“No, I don’t,” Remus said. This one was enough to keep him afloat, but he didn’t really have a good reason for not branching out. He’d have to make so many more jars of jam if he took on more. That always seemed like too much with his condition and the general upkeep of the farm. But he did wonder sometimes if maybe he should try to get a spot at the Hogsmeade market or the one in Ottery St. Catchpole. He knew the Weasleys’ farm was in the latter village and he was sure they would help him out if he tried it. But at this point in time, he just didn’t have the energy.
“Pity,” Sirius said. “You’d probably do well.”
They lingered for a few more minutes but then Lyra started barking again and Sirius and Harry moved on to finish their shopping. “It’s alright,” Remus murmured to Lyra from his camp chair. She rested her snout on his leg and looked up at him with her bright, intelligent eyes. “It’s almost time to go home.”
The crowd was ebbing late in the afternoon so after he’d sat for a half hour without a customer, Remus felt he was done enough that he could pack up. His magic was a little wonky with the full moon only a few hours away so he took his time sending his belongings back to the farm. Finally, all that was left with him and Lyra. He scooped her up and apparated them home.
The first couple of times Remus had apparated with Lyra, he wondered if it was safe, but it didn’t seem to phase her. He was glad because then he didn’t have to find another way to travel to the market. He didn’t usually apparate straight into his house but everything ached and he needed to take the potion before dinner.
He took out the container of Wolfsbane potion and poured the last dose into a glass vial. Taking a deep breath, he drank the dose in one go, mostly to avoid the terrible flavor. He’d prepared dinner the day before so he took it out, warmed it, and ate it.
Then it was time to go.
Lyra bounded out into the field with an excited bark. Remus followed, wringing his hands a bit to stop them from shaking. The late summer evening was beautiful in the idyllic Welsh hills. Remus stopped to appreciate the view as he walked slowly toward the warded section of the fields and the adjacent forest on his land where he transformed. The wards were complicated, but he’d been able to cast them so that no living creature could go in or out of them without a human.
He slowly took off his clothes and set his wand aside. Since he had the Wolfsbane, he knew it wouldn’t get destroyed. He sat down in the grass and waited. Lyra sat down next to him, pushing into his side a little. The sun had set by now and the sky was rapidly darkening.
Then he saw the moon, full and golden in the horizon. He felt the pull in his joints, his mind. Lyra got up and stood guard as his body tore itself apart, changing and morphing on the spot. Grey fur, sharp ears, a long snout…all alien and familiar at the same time. Once the transformation was complete, the wolf stood, huffing with effort. His yellow eyes fell on Lyra, who barked once and took off running.
The wolf followed. He knew instinctively that the brown and white dog with the pale blue eyes was pack. They ran the length of the warded area. They nosed into the trees and underbrush at the edge of the forest. There were berries and plants to eat. They chased some rabbits and squirrels. As the night waned, and the moon arced across the sky, both animals curled up in the hollow of a tree to sleep.
Early in the morning, Remus came back to human consciousness, feeling a soft sprinkle of rain on his face. He groaned softly. Lyra was sniffing him all over, checking him for injuries, nudging him with her snout. The house felt very far away from the warded area but he didn't have the strength to apparate. He stood gingerly, starting in the direction of the house. Lyra stayed close, keeping a watchful eye on him.
When he arrived at the house after what felt like an eternity, he collapsed on the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.