"Remus Lupin?" Fenrir Greyback feigned surprise. "Oh my, what a familiar name…"
As he spoke, he scrutinized Lupin from head to toe.
"I wonder what your relationship is to Mr. Lyall Lupin?"
A shadow passed over Lupin's face. Yet he remained calm as he replied, "He is my father."
"Oh, I see!" Greyback adopted a dramatic expression. "No wonder the name sounded so familiar... Come to think of it, your father and I share a bit of history..."
"It was over thirty years ago. I was accused of 'murdering two muggle children' and brought to the Ministry's Werewolf Registry for interrogation."
Greyback observed Lupin's expression closely as he spoke with vivid exaggeration.
"Of course, the accusation was true. I did kill those two adorable little muggles..."
Greyback's playful remark drew a roar of laughter from the werewolves.
"But I successfully fooled those idiots at the Werewolf Registry—my ragged clothes and lack of a wand... I nearly convinced them I was just an ordinary muggle vagrant..." Greyback smiled. "But your father stepped in, my dear Lyall. He's far more competent than those idiots at the Werewolf Registry..."
"He pointed out all the werewolf traits on my body, demanded I be detained until the next full moon to see if my body would change, and accused me of being a 'soulless, evil, malevolent monster!'" Greyback said with a grim face.
A murmur rippled through the crowd, and the werewolves immediately glared at Lupin.
"I nearly blew my cover, nearly spent the rest of my life in Azkaban—all because of your father..." A faint smile flickered across Greyback's face.
"But thanks to the great Mr. Abraxas Malfoy... He vouched for me with the Ministry, clearing me of trouble; and through his introduction, I gained access to the Dark Lord—a greatness I'd never dared dream of before!"
"That was fortunate indeed..." Lupin remarked coldly.
"Indeed... Naturally, the moment my companions and I escaped, we began plotting our revenge..." Greyback snarled.
"On a night of the full moon, under cover of darkness, I slipped into the home of Mr. Lyall Lupin. His five-year-old son, that poor little boy, slept peacefully in his bed, utterly unaware of what was about to happen."
"As the full moon rose, I transformed into a werewolf. I took a gentle bite from that little boy and planted upon him a curse that would never be erased..."
A slight twitch played at Lupin's mouth. If one looked closely, one could see he was struggling to contain his rage.
"Well then, my dear Remus," Greyback said with a cold laugh, "I wonder which little boy this is that has any connection to you? Is he your brother? Or..."
"That little boy was me!" Lupin had successfully quelled his inner rage and spoke calmly.
"Oh, is that so? What a coincidence!" Greyback exclaimed dramatically. "In that case, I suppose I could be considered your half-father?"
"Though I wonder, did your father ever call you a soulless, evil, monstrous creature?"
"My father never liked me because of my werewolf nature... If I weren't his only son, he would have abandoned me long ago." Lupin remained utterly composed.
His brief words drew murmurs of agreement from the surrounding werewolves.
"Yes!" The werewolf named Abbot Hiberlay sighed softly. "My father was the same... He once tried to kill me. If not for my mother desperately stopping him..."
"My parents abandoned me after I was bitten by a werewolf," Ivan Sumarokov nodded in agreement. This Eastern European werewolf's English was quite broken.
...
The werewolves' murmurs flowed unceasingly.
They voiced their grievances loudly, complaining about the injustice and indifference they faced from the wizarding world.
Greyback's friend, the werewolf named "Jorman," leaned close to Greyback's ear and whispered a warning.
"Remus Lupin—he served Albus Dumbledore, taught at Hogwarts... He can't be trusted!"
"Yes, Remus!" Greyback nodded thoughtfully. "You're different from the others. You have a past..."
"I thought Albus Dumbledore would be different from other wizards," Lupin replied calmly. "I thought he wouldn't care about my werewolf nature..."
"I worked hard for him, gave my all, tried to teach every student at Hogwarts well..."
"Yet he still expelled me when the students discovered my secret; I begged him, but it was useless... I lost my job and had to leave Hogwarts in disgrace." Lupin's voice grew low.
"If there's anyone I most wanted to bite on a full moon night, it was Dumbledore..."
After a pause, he continued.
"The Ministry hunts us, wizards fear us... I could only seek a place that would take me in. I could only search for my own kind!"
Lupin's words struck a chord with many werewolves, bringing tears to their eyes.
Even Greyback sighed softly, glancing at Lupin.
"You must prove yourself to us if you wish to join!" he barked.
Then he grabbed the muggle girl he had just captured and tossed her before Lupin.
"Who is she?" Lupin frowned involuntarily.
"A muggle girl—my spoils from half an hour ago... Her flesh is tender, her blood delicious!" Greyback grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.
Lupin lowered his head to look at the muggle girl.
Her throat had been bitten through, blood-red bubbles continuously escaping. Her face was deathly pale, etched with utter despair.
Their previous exchange had been in English, and the girl seemed to understand—even if she couldn't grasp the meaning behind most of the words.
But she surely knew what awaited her in the clutches of these monsters.
"Go on, Remus... tear her apart, rip out her heart." Greyback's voice came from behind.
Remus Lupin closed his eyes and drew his wand.
Then only a flash of green light was seen.
...
"I prefer to solve problems with magic!" Lupin said coldly.
Greyback was momentarily speechless. The other werewolves around him now looked at Lupin with a hint of fear in their eyes.
Most werewolves had poor command of magic, as few had received proper magical training.
Witnessing Remus Lupin cast a flawless Killing Curse without uttering a sound filled them with astonishment and dread.
"Ahem, ahem... Good... very good... Welcome to our ranks, Remus!" Greyback cleared his throat a few times, easing his own awkwardness.
"So what's the purpose of gathering us here in Romania?" Lupin asked calmly.
"Purpose…" Greyback grinned again, his face contorted into a menacing expression.
"Of course, it's to gather more allies for the Dark Lord!"