This was Remus Lupin after six months undercover among the werewolf packs: his hair grew long and ragged, reaching unevenly down toward his shoulders in some places and picking up in curls in others, giving him a look that went well past "scruffy" and could better be described as "slovenly;" he was no longer clean-shaven but sported a layer of short, thick brown stubble that - as he had long ago predicted when they'd all started having to shave back at school - grew over his scar tissue in strange, irregular patterns; his eyes were reflecting the dim light from the hallway oddly, so that they were no longer brown but almost yellow, luminous around to his dilated, ever moving pupils; he wore Muggle-style clothing that covered him from neck to ankle, and though it was still mostly drab brown and grey in color, it was threadbare and worn, ragged in a way that no self-respecting wizard would ever wear; his stance, once so understated and perfectly calculated to slip under the radar of people's attention, now conveyed power, dominance, and no wish at all to appear understated. This was not a man, but a werewolf, a predator in a world of so much easy prey.
He stood quite still in the darkness of the cell while his Death Eater guide left the room. He gave no response at all to the muttered, "Just call out when you're done with him," as the heavy door closed behind him, plunging them into complete darkness.
For a moment, there was silence. Remus did not answer Sirius's question, nor move closer to him. The air inside the cell, no longer moving in and out of the open door, was once again going still - the atmosphere was stuffy, contriving to be humid and chilly at the same time.
Then, with a soft scraping sound, there was a small supernova burst of red light and a bursting corona of warmth. A ball of red and yellow flame had appeared in the air between Sirius and Remus, and as it floated slowly to the stone floor and settled there like a flower fallen from a tree, the shadows of the room shifted and Remus was finally striding closer.
"Look at me," he commanded. In the firelight he was holding up four fingers, his thumb folded inwards. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
no subject
He stood quite still in the darkness of the cell while his Death Eater guide left the room. He gave no response at all to the muttered, "Just call out when you're done with him," as the heavy door closed behind him, plunging them into complete darkness.
For a moment, there was silence. Remus did not answer Sirius's question, nor move closer to him. The air inside the cell, no longer moving in and out of the open door, was once again going still - the atmosphere was stuffy, contriving to be humid and chilly at the same time.
Then, with a soft scraping sound, there was a small supernova burst of red light and a bursting corona of warmth. A ball of red and yellow flame had appeared in the air between Sirius and Remus, and as it floated slowly to the stone floor and settled there like a flower fallen from a tree, the shadows of the room shifted and Remus was finally striding closer.
"Look at me," he commanded. In the firelight he was holding up four fingers, his thumb folded inwards. "How many fingers am I holding up?"