Working for the Knife (Rhys)

[sarah jane oliveira]

January 1, 2029

With its two full moons like bookends, December 2028 had been destined to be a totally useless month for Sarah before it had even started. It had lived up to that reputation, too. In trying her best to keep up with the madness that was another Oliveira Christmas, she had inadvertently missed a dose of Wolfsbane Potion, which left her with no choice but to celebrate the dawn of 2029 at Claustrum de Lupus. A five-star hotel it was not, but Sarah knew that she couldn't risk having anything affect her reputation after having done so much to get her life closer to how she wanted it. There was enough prejudice against werewolves floating around, and at least the people who worked there were sympathetic.

Being back in her untamed wolf form felt more uncomfortable the morning after than Sarah had expected. She had spent plenty of time that way in the past, but it felt as though her lycanthropic nature had decided that she deserved a hangover despite not having had a drop of alcohol. (Some people got hair of the dog, and she got… dog hair.) After getting dressed, her head was still pounding, and it didn't help that she could hear the sounds of her fellow werewolves getting up and moving around.

Sarah, wondering why the social workers couldn't offer them breakfast on a holiday, left her room in the inn and began to force one foot in front of the other until she was down the stairs. She was achy, starving, and miserable, and the last thing she cared about was that it was 2029.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

the wolves will chase you
by the pale moonlight

drive your son
like a railroad spike

January 1, 2029
sarah jane oliveira

How did things change so quickly? A year ago, Rhys was having a good time welcoming the New Year with his family, girlfriend, and friends. And now Rhys summoned all his energy and remaining willpower to move his aching body from his room. Between the benders and the brief sober break (the night in jail), Rhys hadn’t given a second thought to his Aware Wolf potion. Rhys frowned slightly as he observed the destruction in the room. They always appeared brand new when they arrived. The entirety of the night was nothing in Rhys’ mind. Not a single memory remained. That was the first bit of peace he'd felt in a long time.

As it was dubbed, the ‘Werewolf Hotel’ never had a room shortage. It didn’t matter how many bodies filled the lobby. All were determined to memorize the marks on the floor rather than meet each other’s eyes. He’d just reached the bottom of the stairs, staring at his feet, but he glanced up. A Cursebreakers habit. Rhys always had the need to know his surroundings. ”Hey.” Rhys spoke gruffly, clearing his throat in some vain attempt to regain control of his voice. ”Happy New Year.” It was a long way from The Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, receiving their first wolfsbane potion as first years. Standing idly for a moment, Rhys didn’t say anything. ”Breakfast?” Dark circles lined his eyes, and his shoulders drooped slightly. Evident in his broad frame. Hopefully, this year was better than the last, although Rhys was afraid to challenge it to be any worse.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

January 1, 2029

Being watched by the social workers at the inn wasn't dissimilar to being watched by the prison guards at Azkaban, Sarah felt. She didn't like staying there any longer than was necessary because it seemed like she would get in trouble for it. No one tried to converse with one another, but there wasn't a need. Most of the people who stayed there were down on their luck, desperate for somewhere to go to transform safely. The place served its purpose, and then its clients left.

Sarah expected to go on her way, too, until she reached the last few steps. Standing in front of her at the bottom of the staircase was Rhys Greyback, although she wouldn't have realized it was him without his turning to look in her direction. It was especially surprising for Sarah because the last time she had seen him, Rhys had seemed as though he had his life together.

"Hey," he said and then cleared his throat. "Happy New Year."

Whether it was just because of the full moon or something else, Sarah could see that Rhys wasn't doing too well, either. He could have come to the inn out of an abundance of caution; she didn't know, but he looked exhausted. She assumed that her appearance was just as rough. While Sarah didn't want to be a teenager again, she was slightly nostalgic for the time before her expulsion from Hogwarts, when she and Rhys had been close. They had shared many of the same experiences into their adolescence, and he was one of the few people she had ever cared for.

It was a bit abrupt when Rhys asked her to breakfast, but Sarah accepted without a second thought. "Sure, yeah," she agreed. She needed breakfast; he probably needed breakfast, and there was no reason for her to turn him down. He wasn't propositioning her for anything more than a meal, and whatever was open was fine with her.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

the wolves will chase you
by the pale moonlight

drive your son
like a railroad spike

January 1, 2029
sarah jane oliveira

Rhys’s connection with Sarah had balanced out many others during his school years. Even on the rare occasion they would talk at length, it was never excessive. Instead, the pair seemed to share information in pieces over time. He supposed other werewolves at Hogwarts helped settle some of his anxiety, and if Rhys was honest Sarah hadn’t intimidated him as much as she did others. While he had tried to explain to Nell once during their third year that Sarah didn’t scare him, she didn’t quite understand. But Rhys chalked it up to Nell’s disposition.

The older Rhys got, the more he realized how werewolves would tend to stick close to one another. Like a safety in numbers, although appearing the opposite externally. Sarah quickly accepted his invitation. Their relationship was hardly anything like their school years. Somewhere down the line, their relationship had turned physical, Sarah giving Rhys a very stern warning not to make it weird. So, it never was. In fact, it was probably best for all for the pair to have an outlet of sorts. At least until Rhys, he loved Juniper, and then Sarah’s expulsion later.

Maybe it was a sign they both woke up here on New Year’s Day. If anyone could be a sounding board, it was Sarah. Another werewolf from a family affected by Fenrir. They’d both lost a sibling and both parents. It was bitterly cold this early. Rhys somewhat felt it against his normally warm core temperature. He glanced around. The streets were empty, as expected. There weren’t too many options. The pubs would serve breakfast on occasion. The Violet Hound crossed his mind, making his stomach lurch uncomfortably. ”Leaky Cauldron is always open on New Year’s Day.” Rhys commented. They could simply apparate and arrive.

Rhys always thought of the time he spent there after his seventeenth birthday. The week had flown by as he spent time with Nell when she wasn’t working for her sister or Flossie when she had a break from the ice cream shop. And, of course, Juniper, who he’d been dating then. Learning about their holiday hours resulted from long nights out after a fight or just a bad day over the years. After his first suspension and then Saffron’s death, and apparently now.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

January 1, 2029

"Leaky Cauldron is always open on New Year's Day."

Sarah was perfectly content with Rhys's suggestion. Mediocre pub food was as good as anything. Somewhere open with something edible wasn't a very high bar anyway, but they could have done a lot worse than the Leaky Cauldron. She didn't really care what they had available. Some sort of meat would do.

"Yeah, that's fine. Might as well walk there," she responded with a shrug, making sure that her cloak was fastened. Though they could have Apparated there, it wasn't that far, and Sarah wasn't sure that she would be able to focus well enough to keep from Splinching herself. Walking to the pub also gave her an excuse to converse with Rhys some more.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

the wolves will chase you
by the pale moonlight

drive your son
like a railroad spike

January 1, 2029
sarah jane oliveira

If he was honest, Rhys didn’t feel like talking to anyone. But when he’d seen Sarah, he hadn’t minded. Maybe because he knew she wasn’t the type to pry or try to fix anything as his other friends did. Nell would bluntly tell him what she thought, or Sienna would try some new roundabout way to convince Rhys to change something. Or Juniper—well, she hadn’t tried anything as such in a while. But he thought of the past and how any such discussions had led to a massive fight where Rhys often just left in the middle, slamming the door so hard pictures fell off the wall, and he’d return home drunk hours later.

It wasn’t like that now. No, they were friends now, but Rhys didn’t want to talk about it. Their walk was short, and there was hardly a crowd at the Leaky Cauldron. Many were no doubt still asleep at this hour. Something about the morning after a full moon typically left them waking up early the following morning, which was terrible. Not to mention, this was his second month in a row without Aware Wolf, and his body reminded him that he wasn’t as young as he used to be.

They were seated quickly, the bartender nodding to both as he recognized the pair. They’d hardly slid into the booth before someone appeared asking what they wanted to drink. ”Erm—coffee.” Rhys cleared his throat. His voice sounded dry and hoarse. Staring blankly at the menu, Rhys put it down, letting out a heavy, frustrated sigh. ”Can I ask you something?” Sober and exhausted, he couldn’t stop his mind from reeling. Running a hand over his face, Rhys leaned his head back before looking at Sarah again. ”Your son—how did you get him back?” Since Sarah and Rhys had reconnected, he had never asked. But now that he was in his own complicated situation—maybe she could give him some advice. After all, Rhys still didn’t feel he was in the wrong, and Sage was just trying to keep Amelia away from him.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

January 1, 2029

The Leaky Cauldron wasn't busy at all, which made it even more of a welcome sight. Not having to put up with noise or many other people was about as ideal an environment as they were going to get, because nowhere would be rolling out a red carpet for them. The service was prompt, though. As soon as they had gotten seated, they were being asked what they wanted to drink.

Rhys ordered a coffee for himself, and Sarah followed that up with, "Yeah, er, coffee." Her brain still felt a bit scrambled, and it felt even more so when Rhys, after looking at the menu, asked if he could ask her something.

"Your son—how did you get him back?"

"What?" Sarah replied initially, wondering what Rhys was on about. She hadn't so much as glanced at the menu, but that would have to wait. "No," she clarified once she understood what he had assumed. Despite her confusion, she was pleased that Rhys thought that she had custody of Sebastian, since it signaled that perhaps she was capable of wresting it back from Ares. "I haven't got him full-time or anything." Yet, she wanted to add.

"Legally, it's Callisto and then his dad," Sarah went on. The Ministry would likely require someone who wasn't a werewolf to be able to watch Sebastian during full moons regardless, though the good news for her was that he was attending MYSTIC at Hogwarts and would be old enough to board at MAGIC eventually. Sarah wasn't the biggest fan of her former school, but it was easier than if she had to coordinate people to watch him at all hours. Now, there were teachers for that. "I've got restrictions and whatever, but I'm working on it."

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

the wolves will chase you
by the pale moonlight

drive your son
like a railroad spike

January 1, 2029
sarah jane oliveira

The waitress left to retrieve their semi-fresh coffees. She didn’t seem all that interested in being there, let alone listening to their conversation. But, even sitting at the bar, Rhys had found a surprising amount of privacy at the Leaky Cauldron over the years. He blinked a few times at Sarah as she clarified the situation with her son. ”Right…” He supposed that made sense, even with the limited knowledge Rhys knew of what had transpired with Sarah after school. Nothing was ever straightforward in a werewolf’s life, even amongst family. But Sarah had never given Rhys a reason not to trust her. Despite the time that had passed, he still cared about her.

”Sorry—I guess I assumed…” She didn’t seem too upset that he’d asked, but both were a bit out of sorts with the recent full moon. Two steaming mugs were placed in front of them and the waitress explained some New Year’s Day special they were offering, although very robotically. ’For New Year’s Day, the special is—’ But Rhys cut her off rather abruptly. ”I’ll get that.” Looking at the menu, Rhys realized it was nearing lunchtime rather than breakfast. But he felt all turned around regardless. At least he would get some food in his system, maybe a beer after coffee.

The waitress waited for Sarah and then assisted other guests further in the pub. Rhys cleared his throat, sipping the hot coffee. Even if it was too hot to taste anything, it still helped. He supposed there wasn’t any other way to approach this subject, but Sarah was the only one who might be able to give him some advice. ”Erm—Sage is…” Rhys took a breath and let out a heavy sigh. ”Sage is keeping Amelia from me. She’s trying to legally restrict me.” His jaw clenched involuntarily. Rhys didn’t know enough about the law to know what her plan was to outmaneuver him. ”I’m not really sure what to do.” Not to mention back to back-to-back arrests for fighting weren’t helping him, and neither did many factors in his life.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

January 1, 2029

Though Sarah didn't doubt that Rhys had had his own problems in adulthood, they hadn't crossed paths quite as often as they might have. He hadn't joined Fenrir's pack, nor had he had anything to do with the Purifiers to her knowledge. There was every reason for her to think that he had gotten his life together in a way that she never truly had. He was even apologetic for having assumed that she had custody of her son, which she shrugged off.

After she had ordered a full English breakfast for herself and the waitress had left, though, Rhys continued their conversation. "Erm—Sage is… Sage is keeping Amelia from me," he explained. "She's trying to legally restrict me."

Restrict him? "What? Why?" Sarah questioned, finding it absurd. "Because you're a werewolf?" That was the only thing that she could think of. Compared to her, Rhys was downright responsible, though, and there was no way that Sage could actually hold his being a werewolf against him. There were laws against that.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

the wolves will chase you
by the pale moonlight

drive your son
like a railroad spike

January 1, 2029
sarah jane oliveira

Sarah was the first person to learn about the custody situation, which was part of Rhys’s latest troubles as he peered up into the sky from a very deep hole. Even if Sarah couldn’t quite give him the advice he sought, she was still someone in a similar boat. She could empathize in her own way. Her response to his confession prevented Rhys’s mind from wandering too far. Focus required energy he simply didn’t have. To her question—Rhys gave a light shrug. Surely, that must have been part of it, especially with the increasing support for HOWL over the past year.

”No…” He responded, though not confidently. The undertones were always there. His ‘troublesome’ schedule, not only his work but the full moons. With a heavy sigh, he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face before returning to his coffee. ”I got into a bit of a situation week before last while at dinner with her and Amelia. Some…bloody idiot had some opinions on werewolves, and I disagreed.” That felt like a fair summary to Rhys. ”I was outnumbered, but suddenly, I’m the bad guy for defending myself.” As he drank more terrible coffee, Rhys let it burn his tongue, if only to feel less like a zombie.

”Its like…” The frustration and hurt bubbled into his chest. ”This one bloody thing matters more than everything else. Like she’s been waiting for something to use against me.” Rhys had never been the tin foil hat type, but he felt like Sage would’ve wished anyone else father her child than him. He supposed who could blame her—not many people would announce their child's father was a Greyback from the rooftops of London. He refocused on his coffee before he got too worked up. Anyone who had ever been or was close to Rhys would know how important this was to him, as it would be for anyone who didn’t have proper parents or a childhood. And he didn’t even want to get into the suspension from work or all the other things he had to do per the letters and what his solicitor had said.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

January 1, 2029

Sage's keeping his daughter from him wasn't, as it turned out, because he was a werewolf, but that'd had something to do with it. As Rhys explained what had happened, Sarah was immediately reminded of the incident that had resulted in her expulsion from Hogwarts in their seventh year. Someone's worthless opinions on werewolves had given them the upper hand—surprise, surprise—and Rhys had been the one to suffer for defending himself. Not much had changed in the years since they had been at school, unfortunately. People were still able to express anti-werewolf views without any repercussions; the werewolves like them were expected to take it lying down, or else they would be portrayed as the ones who were dangerous and unable to be controlled.

Rhys continued on the same subject, saying that it was like Sage had been waiting for the opportunity to have something that she could use against him, and his recent altercation was it.

"Sounds about right," Sarah mumbled after taking a long sip of her coffee. "Probably taking advice from Ares." She knew that any thought that Sage and Ares were in cahoots probably wasn't true in actuality, but it was just like his playbook, too. Ares would use anything he could against her.

"Listen," she pressed after a moment. "It's shit, but you can get ahead of her. I'll help you."

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

the wolves will chase you
by the pale moonlight

drive your son
like a railroad spike

January 1, 2029
sarah jane oliveira

The coffee cooled quickly, leaving Rhys’s mug nearly empty. As he placed it back on the table, the waitress reappeared to top it off before walking away. This entire situation felt impossible, unreal, and unfair. After everything he had gone through in his life, this had to happen. ”And she knows what this means to me.” Rhys added. As Sage had offered him a free pass from the responsibility of fatherhood, Rhys had insisted he would not take it. To make Sage understand why someone like him would do that, he had to share how he was raised without parents or anyone to watch out for him. Just another orphan nobody wanted.

He supposed that’s what angered him the most. Sage was ripping this part of Rhys’s life, knowing it would not leave him with much. Sarah seemed to share a similar frustration with the father of her son, Ares. But at the end, she had metaphorically extended a hand. ”How?” He wasn’t used to feeling so unprepared about walking into a situation. As a Cursebreaker, Rhys never walked into a situation unprepared because it was a matter of life and death. This felt about the same.

The waitress returned with their plates. Rhys nodded wordlessly and stared at it. He was hungry but felt no will to start eating. Sighing heavily, Rhys looked back at Sarah. ”Dahlia and I got into another…disagreement just before Christmas. I doubt she knows…” Merlin, the lecture he’d gotten from Max the following day—it was not what he’d expected conversation with his younger sister would be like. ”She’s a good mother…I’m afraid she’ll make me look like Fenrir or something.” And make Amelia think that Rhys didn’t want her or that he was a monster. Those thoughts broke his heart. Maybe Sarah had some miracle he wasn’t aware of.

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