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"You're always with me on full moons," Remus said with a sigh as he pushed Sirius away."Yeah, because I love you."Remus laughed and leaned against the wooden wall of his shed. He had purchased the cottage with Sirius after the war, Remus officially buying it and Sirius handling the majority of the money. They were in the same town as Lilly and James, but were comfortably on the edge of it by the woods. It wasn't too far to town, but there weren't many neighbors around so it was plenty private, and quiet.That is, on the days Harry wasn't with them."It's Halloween and you should go out and enjoy it," Remus said with a smile. "I'll be fine here."Sirius rolled his eyes."Halloween fell on a full moon and I'm booked during full moons. For pretty much the rest of my life."Remus laughed, despite his soreness and irritability from the oncoming transformation. He really was not in the mood for this song and dance with Sirius tonight, feeling bad enough about missing Halloween because of his own transformation. Sirius shouldn't have to stay with him when he should be out having fun, giving that Sirius Black grin and being the life of the party.Besides, Halloween was more than just some holiday. It marked the official end of the Voldemort conflict, a narrowly averted disaster for James, Lilly and Harry, that nearly cost them all their lives. It was the time for house parties and celebrations, time off work, getting drunk, and kissing who you loved while thanking Merlin we had all made it through. Halloween was the celebration day, the prior one somber for remembrance for those we had lost."Sirius, you should go," Remus encouraged. "Really, I have my potion from Lilly to try out and everything. It shouldn't be that bad.""I'm not going to let you scratch yourself up while I'm out partying. I'm not a silly teenager anymore, Moony. Besides, even with Lily's potion, it still doesn't mean you'll be completely unscathed. And after-""Alright!" Remus bursted out. His nerves were frayed and he could feel his bones shifting uncomfortably beneath his skin. He sighed, apologizing to Sirius.Sirius kissed him on the temple, whispering, "It's alright."Then the transformation began....At the same time Remus and Sirius were together in the shed, Lilly, James, and Harry were walking through Diagon Alley. Lilly was marking things off her checklist for the party Halloween party. James, with little Harry on his shoulders and weighed down by shopping bags, admired her silently in the light of streetlights and jack-o-lanterns floating above them. The candle light brought out the fiery red of her auburn hair, and the light caught her green eyes and made them glisten.Most people thought Lilly was the luckiest in the world to be with a professional Quidditch player like James, but he knew that wasn't true. He knew he was the luckiest in the world to be with Lilly Evans, mother, wife, best friend, and future potions professor.Lilly looked up at James, smiling. She looked over at a vendor outside of Olivander's that was selling homemade cider."Does Harry want to try some of the sample cider?" She asked as she looked up at her son lovingly.James set Harry down, and held his mother's hand as they both approached the vendor. Lilly had Harry ask if they could try the cider, which the vendor was all to happy to let them do. She handed the small family a cup each, asking if James really was the James Potter.

While Lilly and James talked to the vendor about professional quidditch, happy to entertain all of her questions, Harry slipped away. In the group of people passing by, he thought he saw his Uncle Padfoot. Harry padded off to go say hi, quickly disappearing in the large and fast moving crowd of people.

Hardly a moment after he disappeared, James and Lilly realized their son was gone, and both apologized to the vendor for having to go so quickly. Lilly also left, hand in hand with James as they waded through the crowd anxiously calling their son's name.

"He really has to stop wandering," Lilly said to her husband as they entered the nearby sweetshop. Of all the places, Lilly thought this would be the most logical for Harry to enter first. It was the closest and had scents wafting out of it, after all.

...

But Harry was not in the sweetshop, or any shop. He turned the corner as he followed who he thought was his Uncle Padfoot down into a deserted, quiet, alley. Poor Harry had no idea that him following who he thought was his uncle been planned, and that it was really a disguised Fenrir leading him farther and farther away from all people and shops. Harry also didn't know, however, that his parents were on his trail and were hardly a block behind him.

Harry didn't see Fenrir transform from his beloved Uncle to his true werewolf from under the full moon, for Fenrir was too far ahead of him for that. But as Harry waddled down the corner, he didn't miss Fenrir fully transformed.

Harry was stuck in place as the werewolf stalked toward him, mouth dripping. More followers of Fenrir seemed to emerge out of the shadows and from behind dumpsters, one of them hexing the young boy to not be able to move anything except his eyes.

Harry shut his them, terrified, as Fenrir got closer and closer. He felt a pain in his arm, and assumed it was the scary werewolf just getting started on eating him.

Then he heard his father and mother, yelling spells, scattering, and the sound of a howl and escape of a werewolf.

"Harry!" Lilly cried as she undid the hex on him and threw her arms around her son.

"You can open your eyes, love," James said gently as he bent down on his knees to meet his son's eye level.

Harry did open his eyes, shaking and crying.

"I-I thought I saw Padfoot," he cried.

"You shouldn't have gone off," Lily scolded.

"Lilly-" James started.

"No, love. Harry, what happened was dangerous. You know that, right?"

Harry nodded, and cried in his parents arms until he could talk.

"I'm sorry," he whispered once he had stopped wailing.

"You're here now," James said as he patted his son's head. "We're all okay. That's what matters."

"Am I in trouble?" Harry asked.

Lilly laughed, kissing Harry's hair.

"No, love, of course not. You've already had enough of a fright."

"I promise I won't go off again!" Harry exclaimed as James put him on his shoulders again.

"I believe you," James said. "After all that."

Lilly and James stood and all started to walk back towards the shops. Lilly still had he wand drawn, looking around for any possible threat to her and her family. She was barely able to not burst into fearful tears, along with James, but they both didn't want to scare Harry more than he already had been tonight.

James was telling Harry a funny story about when he was little, trying to cheer him up. Lilly looked at the two of them, smiling. That is, until she saw the bitemark on Harry's arm.

"Harry..." she whispered as she pointed, seemingly frozen in place.

James stopped talking immediately, looking up at his son. He didn't notice his arm from his angle.

"What is it, Lilly Flower?"

"Harry did-did he bite you?"

Harry nodded and said, "Wolf."

The Potters didn't have a Halloween party at their house that night.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Lilly and James made eye contact, Lilly unable to hold back her tears now. James tried his best to steady himself, drawing his wand."Peter, first," James said. "He'll tell them."James' stag Patronus went on its way to relay the information to Peter. He then debated over what to do next."Home?" Lily asked as her tone grew more and more desperate. "I mean, is this a Dumbledore issue? What can be done?""Home's good," James said.They all apparated back, Harry being put off of James' shoulders."What's going on?" he asked as James put him to bed in his room. Lilly was downstairs talking to Peter."It's something complicated," James explained."What about the party?""There isn't going to be a party, love?""Why?""Because, there isn't.""But-"James rustled his son's hair and stood, saying, "Go to sleep now, eh? We can talk more in the morning."James was at the door when Harry asked, "Am I sick?""Something like that. Love you, sleep tight.""Love you."James allowed himself three deep breaths before he went downstairs. When he did, Peter was gone. Lilly had pulled out the big tea kettle, along with lots of mugs."He's getting Sirius," she said through red eyes. "James I-"He wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same....Thankfully for Peter, the wolf and the big black dog were still in the back garden when he arrived. He knew the risks of not being in Animagus form, but there wasn't time."It's Harry, he was bit."The wolf backed away from Peter as he delivered the news. Sirius shed his Animagus form in an instant, his face twisted in grief and surprise."How?!""He wandered off," Peter said as he peered back at the wolf.It seemed to be fighting itself, growling, scratching at itself, and stepping back and forth.Sirius looked back at the wolf, still no longer in Animagus form."Moony," he said gently as he raised his hands above him. "Moony, it's alright."The wolf scratched at itself more, growling and backing into the shed. Sirius locked him in, tears in his eyes. Whether they were for Remus, or Harry, or both, Peter didn't know."Let's go," Sirius said quietly before both of them apparated.There was a long, tense conversation over tea that night with everyone from old friends, officials from the Ministry, to Dumbledore huddled in the living room. It wasn't just the attack that was a tragedy, but the implications as well. There hadn't been any attacks since the war, along with deaths. If people were being bit like before, what else was returning from the times everyone was trying to move past?Sirius had his arm slung over James all night. Peter had his over Lily. The two parents were beside themself, knowing the pain Remus went through each moon, knowing the scars, knowing the secrets, and the difficulty it would give their son.The conversation continued until the sun came up. Everyone except the closet of friends departed as somberly as they came, promising to bring things over and help however they could. This was all along with wishing good luck on telling Harry the truth.Peter started to collect all of the abandoned mugs, needing to keep his hands busy. Mary, Dorcas, and Marlene quickly joined in while it dawned on Sirius that he could go get Remus now. Before Sirius apparated though, he turned to Lilly and James."It may be a minute before Remus can come. He had a hard moon," Sirius said gently.Lilly nodded."Of course, we understand," James said hollowly....Locked in the shed, Remus healed all of the minor cuts and scratches with relative ease once he transformed back. The more major gashes, across his stomach, left calf, and chest, were too difficult to fully heal at present.Remus' head was spinning, and he tried to take a few deep breaths before he continued.The shed opened, unlocking from the outside. Sirius walked in, grimacing at the Remus' deep gashes as he pulled out his wand, shutting the shed door behind him."You look like hell," Remus said dryly."You too," Sirius said before he healed the gash along Remus' chest.Remus successfully healed the gash along his left calf, although it took a good deal of effort. Sirius patched up the last deep cut, the one that stretch across his stomach. He gave Remus his robe, which was quickly slipped over his head, and offered a hand."I'm sorry for leaving last night, but you'll understand. Are you good to apparate?""I think so," Remus said with confusion. "What happened last night?"Sirius' face darkened as he said, "You'll understand soon enough."...Regulus Black handed Sirius and Remus both coffee before they could sit down. Remus took a quick sip before siting beside James and Lilly and asking what was going on. James stayed silent as Lilly explained that Harry had been bit."Does he know?" Remus asked."No," James said. "He's n the dark. He-he's already so scared."He hung his head, his eyes on the hand he had intertwined with Lily."He's still asleep," Regulus said as he leaned against the sage green wall between the kitchen and the living room."Should we wake him?" Marlene asked as she looked from Remus to Lily.Lily glanced at Remus, saying, "We wanted you to talk to him with us.""Of course," Remus said as he stared at his coffee.Only Sirius noticed, but Remus was starting to shake with anger. He put an arm on his shoulder in an attempt to help steady him."He just comes right back," Remus said quietly as he kept his eyes down on his coffee. "You think you're finally through, but you never are. Never.""Lupin?" Mary asked. "You alright?Sirius squeezed Remus's shoulder to ground him. As a result, Remus didn't shout at Mary."Sorry," he said. "No. None of this is alright. I...that monster has stolen so much from me." His voice was charged with anger yet barely above a whisper. "Now he's stealing it all from Harry."Regulus finished his coffee, and went to the kitchen to refill his mug."I say we let Harry sleep in," Dorcas said. "It's early, and I think we all need to get our bearings before we talk to him.""I agree," Sirius said. "That kid has hardly ever been awake before 9 o'clock."His joke got a half hearted laugh from the room. They sat in silence, drinking their coffees and staring at either the wall or the floor, all lost in thought. Eventually, there was the creak from a door opening upstairs. Harry came looked down over the adults in the living room, dressed in long-sleeved black and red flannel pajamas and dragging a green and blue knit blanket from Marlene."Come down, Harry" Lilly called lovingly with a smile. "Do you want some breakfast?"He nodded as he slowly made his way down the stairs, paranoid of falling."Hello," he said politely to everyone with a wave.The group gave a mix of greetings back to the four year old. Harry's eyes went to his dad, who was barely awake. Lilly got up to go make breakfast, bending down to kiss Harry's head as he took where she had been sitting. He snuggled up next to his dad, looking up at him as he went from nodding off to being out cold in a matter of seconds. He looked at his uncles Moony and Padfoot."Why is Daddy sleeping?" He whispered."He's tired," Remus said back quietly."You don't need to whisper," Regulus said before he took a long sip of coffee. "Your dad had a long night.""Why?" Harry asked."He just had a long night, love," Mary said. "Some things happened-""What things?""We'll tell you," Remus said, "In a bit."Harry nodded."Did you sleep well, Harry?" Dorcas asked."Yes.""Good," she said."Did you sleep?""No, love." Dorcas said. "None of us did.""Did you have any dreams, mate?" Sirius asked brightly.Harry smiled and shook his head."No. But yesterday I had a dream.""Really?" Sirius asked."I was stuck in a pumpkin. I had to cut my way out."Everyone laughed, and the mood lightened. Lilly came back with Harry's scrambled eggs and bacon, along with enough for everyone else. She also set out a box of muffins from the store, waking up James after she set them down.Everyone thanked Lilly, tucking into the food. Even if Harry was bit, he was still Harry. This was still the Potters. Now that the sun was up and everyone had more perspective, things were less hopeless.After clearing up the dishes and scraps, the time for the conversation came. Everyone went home except Remus and Sirius, saying they would all see Harry later. Harry, who now sat between his parents on the couch, and faced Sirius and Remus on the other side of the coffee table in the loveseat."Do you know what a werewolf is, Harry?" Lilly asked."No.""Well," she started and trailed off."You're a werewolf, Harry," Remus said."Because I got bit?""Yes, Harry," Sirius said. "You're a smart one.""Now," Remus said. "The thing about being a werewolf is that once a month..."...James and Sirius watch with Lily from the patio as James flies around the yard with Harry. They go slow, rounding corners and only a foot off the ground. James says he's a natural, but Harry has fallen off his broom twelve times in the last two hours since finishing the conversation."Thank you," Lilly said to Sirius and Remus while still watching James and Harry."Of course," Sirius said"Yeah," Remus agreed."You both must be exhausted," Lily said with a sigh. "I know I am."Remus is anything but tired. He isn't exactly ready to go run a marathon in his shape, but his mind is running on and on. He's working over plans and hypotheticals, trying to find the most realistic one. In front of him, Harry falls off his broom for the thirteenth time and starts to cry. James is on his knees beside him, kissing a skinned knee. Lilly turns to James and Sirius."It's just about naptime. Probably will all go to sleep ourselves, actually."Sirius laughs and gives Lilly a hug. Remus joins him.They pull away, call goodbye to Harry and James, before aparating back home.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sirius fell asleep quickly, and Remus left shortly after for Regulus' flat. He knocked on the black door lightly, stepping back when he heard Regulus' footsteps approaching the peep-hole. He was dressed in a green waistcoat, button down white shirt, and beige trousers along with dress shoes that didn't look a day old. It was the same outfit he had been at the Potters', down to the gold wrist watch Barty had given him on his nineteenth birthday."Remus, is everything all right?""Yes, yes, sorry-I just want to chat."Regulus nodded and opened the door wider for Remus. Remus walked through the neat entryway, (old, knock-off) dock martens on polished wood floors, to Regulus' home library/study. Regulus sat opposite Remus in a brown leather armchair."Tea?" He asked as he leaned forward in anticipation for whatever news Remus was about to give him."No, thank you. I won't keep you, you must be busy.""Yes, but I can afford tea. Honestly Remus, you look dead on your feet."Remus laughed at the cruel relevance of Regulus' joke."Never thought you would say something that kind to me while we were still in school, eh?" He asked with dry sarcasm.Regulus' features broke into a short-lived, but honest smile."True. People really do change, I suppose.""Yes. Now, I'll get to my point," Remus said.Regulus nodded expectantly."As you know, I'm a werewolf and Harry's now a werewolf. Both of us were turned by Fenrir. He was, back in the war at least, Fenrir was building an army.""I'm aware, but I don't know where you're getting with this."Remus nodded, thankful for Regulus' polite bluntness."You were a spy, on the inside. I hope to play the same role, and....kill Fenrir. For revenge.""Jesus."Regulus' brows knit as he thought about what Remus had said."Kill him?" He asked as he looked briefly at the floor. "You think you can kill Greyback?""Yes. For Harry, anyone else he tries to turn. I figure that maybe I could get close since I was briefly in his pack during the war."Regulus looked back up at Remus suddenly, his eyes wide."Are you going take him on right now?""Not yet! Soon, though. I'll need a story, a reason for them to trust me. And a story for the others, our friends.""So, a lie?""Yes.""You want me to help you come up with a lie to trick a group of werewolves and our friends?""And preferably the news as well, yes.""So, lie to our friends and lie to the news?""And your brother, obviously.""Goodness, Remus.""They wouldn't just let me go off looking for a dangerous murder alone. Especially since he must have recovered some of his followers.""But you think I will let you go off and try to kill him?""I know that you understand why I have to do it.""What about after? Won't Fenrir's followers come for you?""I'll just have to deal with them as well, unless they won't cooperate. There are new laws passed these days, for werewolves. It isn't like the 70s...but still. I mean, maybe it is a bad idea. Merlin knows I've hardly thought it through, I'm not at my best around full moons."

Regulus nodded and stood.

"You should go home and get some sleep. I'll try to come up with a story, but it might take a bit of time."

Remus nodded and stood.

"Thank you, Regulus."

Regulus nodded grimly.

"Of course. Come back tomorrow around tea and we'll discus if we still want to go on with this plan of yours?"

"Agreed."

"Good."

Remus shook Regulus' hand in an official way.

"I'll be here. Thank you."

"Of course, Remus. Anytime."

With a crack, Remus apparated back to the cottage. He slipped into bed beside Sirius and fell into a deep sleep.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"So the plan is to look like a traitor that went off the rails insane?" Remus asked Regulus over tea the next day over tea.Regulus nodded, stirring in his milk with his small golden spoon and looking straight at Remus."Exactly," he stated."But is that really believable?""With our fake evidence, it will be. I convinced people I really was a death eater working for Voldemort.""Yes, but it would make sense for you. Giving the Black's history and all."Regulus nodded and shook his head, solemn. Remus was about to apologize for broaching the subject when Regulus spoke again."Well, it's either that or fake your death."Regulus took a long sip of tea and looked black at Remus, who’s brow was knit with concentration."You aren't serious?" Regulus asked Remus with a short sigh. "This isn't a soap opera, Remus. If this is not believable there will be repercussions.”"But," Remus objected while still half lost in thought, "it's more convincing than me just randomly going off the rails. Honestly Regulus, I think this is the most believable option available to us."Regulus sighed again and finished his tea."A spell to fake your own death only lasts 72 hours.""How do you-""I've done the spell before, don’t ask why right now. It’s not important. Anyway, Remus, don't you think it would be incredibly suspicious if your dead body only lasted for three days? Obviously, our friends will go looking for you. That, and chew me out for letting you fake your death. Especially Sirius. In fact, he might even try the counter to the spell the second he's in front of your fake dead body in denial. If he did, all of this would make us look like fools.""But if he doesn't, then I get 72 hours.""Yes, but-""And there is a mystery to my departure.""We're lying to our friends, do you realize that?""I-I know, Regulus.""And Sirius.""I kno-""And Harry. Remus...they all might not trust you after this. You're jeopardizing everything by doing this, and no one is making you. Do you fully understand the weight of this? It isn’t just Greyback, and that you might die. There are layers to this plan of yours-""Yes, Regulus. I understand there are risks."Regulus nodded stoically as he let out another long sigh."Do you have any leads?" He asked tiredly. "So I can know if I should start the potion now or later?""There's a few," Remus said darkly. "I'm meeting one tonight."Regulus cracked his knuckles in an uncharacteristically boyish way and stood."We should start now then. To create a fake dead body is a combination of potions and advanced magic. It is also fairly painful-""Bring it," Remus said as he himself stood. “I’ve had worse.”"Alright then," Regulus said as he started for his study....Remus followed Lyn down the busy street of muggle London. She had changed since he had met her fresh out of school. Her clothes and hair were very well groomed, and she smelled clean and like soap. However, under her prim appearance, especially beneath her prim wrist length gloves, Remus could tell it was the same person under the surface."You're different," Remus said to her as they turned a corner and continued to speed walk past leisurely people shopping."I had to come and meet you here, and to do that I needed to fit in with..."She gestured quickly to the other women around her."Ah," Remus said. "Sorry-""Don't be," Lyn said harshly as she increased her pace. "Why are you joining?""I'm tired of it all," Remus said darkly, trying to be mysterious.He had gone over what he would say with Regulus over and over as they waited for Remus' dead body potion to become the right color and consistency. Part of what Remus was saying really was true. Even with the new laws for those with lycanthropy, there was still loads of discrimination and bias once you were a registered werewolf. But he had no desire to go back to the pack, except for revenge."Really?" Lyn asked skeptically. "You seemed pretty content with that family you made. Those old friends and whatnot.""I left them behind," Remus said in a way he hoped didn't seem to overly brooding. "I needed freedom."Lyn nodded and continued to walk somehow even faster, practically jogging now in her heels and pink pastel power suit."How did you get away?" She asked with mild interest."Faked my death.""By yourself?""I was a prefect once, Lyn."Lyn laughed heartily."Merlin, I remember that. You had a real stick up your ass in 5th year."Remus nodded and grinned naturally, just like he had practiced."Not anymore, eh?"Lyn shook her head, barely hiding a smile. She was supposed to still hate him, but Remus had a natural charm that made him hard to hate for that long."We're here," Lyn said as she made a sharp turn and walked into a brick wall. Remus followed, trying to stay his nerves....Regulus managed many a fake tear as he looked down at Remus' "corpse." The fact that his brother was in a mix of denial, hysterics, and grief helped aid the act. Remus had been in a "gardening accident" in the cottage garden when Sirius found his "corpse" on the ground with "blood" pooled around his head from where he had accidentally been briefly impaled.Harry was asleep back at the Potter's as Lily and James grieved with the others. That is, after they had got Sirius to stop checking to see if he was live by checking for a pulse. Sirius wasn't as heartbroken as the others yet because he refused to listen to James insisting that Remus was dead. To Regulus' relief, Sirius didn't think to go and check to see if it was a fake body hex before Remus' "body" was taken away to go the morgue.But it was hard for Regulus to be relived with the grief in the room stacked on top of his own anxieties about Remus. For all Regulus knew, this might as well be Remus' real death, because he had no idea if he would ever see him again. Even if Remus managed to kill Greyback and not die, who knew if he could come back as the same man and live the same life as he used to?Regulus used the opportunity of the fake funeral to outwardly express all of his thoughts, feelings, and inner turmoil. But deep down, he knew he still had a plan....Remus had never seen so many werewolves gathered in one place, or so clean. Their fingernails and teeth were still yellowed, but they all were dressed nicely and plain clothes and smelled of soap. They smoked and talked on the steps and around a large building as if they were just average folks milling around. The courtyard was brick as a base, just like the walls that enclosed it and towered so high that you couldn't see anything but the gray sky above them. In the courtyard, there wasn't a trace of wilderness, grass, or even weeds. That was peculiar, Remus thought.The werewolves fell silent as Remus walked through the courtyard and towards the big building. It was an old Victorian painted a deep blue that was surprisingly in perfect condition. Apparently they had upgraded since the war with Voldemort, while they all were in hiding. It wasn't impossible that they could all be doing well here, but Remus always thought they were scattered in the barest corners of England on the edge of society and the enchanted forests that teemed with magic. As he placed a foot on the first step up to the Victorian house, he realized his assumption had been-frankly-very stupid. Just because there hadn't been any attacks, sightings, crimes, or turnings, didn't mean the waters had calmed. Anything but, apparently. Considering these numbers of werewolves.But Remus was just going to have to work with what he had. With his fist concealed beneath his loose robes, he gripped his wand tightly. He would use everything in his arsenal, and if all else failed, expexcto patronum. That had worked last time, and he was stronger now.Lyn led him into a sitting room that matched the exterior of the house, it was full of antique furniture and knickknacks from what Remus assumed to be from somewhere in the late 1800s. The red Persian rug beneath him seemed to root him down the moment he stepped on it. He struggled against it, then looked up at Lyn. Her eyes were trained on his feet. She was doing wordless magic, and of course it was the dark kind that Remus couldn't counter without risking losing control and ruining his cover. He cleared his throat, trying to remain polite and dominant at the same time."Could you let me go?" He asked dryly, more of a command than a question. Of course he had forgotten about wordless magic.Lyn smiled darkly, her eyes glinted with menace. Remus felt a searing pain shoot up his legs the moment she let him go, and he promptly limped over to a chair and sat down. Lyn laughed, and Remus struggled to bottle his rage for later. Now wasn't the time."Is Greyback here?" Remus asked.Lyn rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting on a plush armchair opposite Remus."He will be, soon.""I don't think he would want you to mess with me then."Lyn rolled her eyes again, and stood."You don’t know that. I absolutely can mess with you before you reach initiation. You're soft, Lupin. Got a stick up your arse about following all the rules and you're too used to human comforts to match.""Anyone ever tell you how many fistfights I've been in?" Remus asked with grit."Anyone ever tell you how many people I've killed?""A fistfight's more honorable. More fair than when you massacre with the pack."Lyn slapped him upside the head. Remus realized he couldn't move his arms or legs to get her back."Fucking Gryffindor's. Hope Greyback punishes you so bad you stop mouthing off about honor and shite, and become who you're supposed to be.""Oi, I'll never be an arse like you," Remus said bravely before Lyn slapped him again.He didn't really care about the pain, he knew Lyn couldn't hurt him too bad before he saw Greyback, so he wasn't scared. He just gritted his teeth and pissed her off more and more, half enjoying it through his oncoming headache. Lyn stormed off a moment later, heels clicking on the wooden floorboards after she crossed the carpet.The headache set in with relative silence of the sitting room. Remus had had worse, but it wasn't a cake walk. He wondered for a moment if the pain would effect his magic and make it weaker, especially his Patronus. That scared Remus. In fact, this whole stupid idea scared him even more when he realized that he couldn't reach for his wand since he was still paralyzed in his seat. Lyn must have snagged it when she hit him.He swore in his head, over and over, as he strained to free himself. The thing was, he couldn't do it if he wanted to conserve his energy for Greyback. If he actually wanted to kill Greyback today, then he needed all he had in him to be pushed out in one rush. As much as it pained him, Remus stayed complicitly paralyzed.Greyback didn't come until hours later. He strolled into the sitting room, wearing a tailored maroon suit with his gray-black hair slicked back. He sat in the chair opposite Remus, where Lyn had earlier, and smiled grimly at him. Remus thought him looking humanist and clean was unsettling."So," Greyback graveled as he crossed his right ankle over his left leg and leaned forward. "You've finally come home again. My rebellious wayward son."He was referring to when Remus had lived in the pack while under cover for the Order. He had done well, but ultimately revealed himself as a traitor when the time came to do an attack on the first full moon he was there."Yes," Remus said grimly.Greyback smiled."You know you're in the paper?""Oh?""Faking your death, very dramatic! Difficult to do as well. I mean, cutting the ties with everyone with no real reason, then coming here? Leaving your devoted Sirius Black alone in this dark, scary world without the person he's been with through school, a war, and scandal after scandal? Really Remus, one has to wonder if you even have a heart."Remus smiled grimly and cleared his throat before he spoke."One doesn't need to wonder where I belong now. With no ties or responsibilities, I can finally go back to what's right. That is...if you'll have me. I know I've made mistakes with the pack and with you, but I promise I was only misguided. Besides, I was against Voldemort. It was never about me being against the pack. In the process to destroy Voldemort though...""You killed one of our own.""Yes. And I'm sorry."Greyback nodded."I'm sure you are. But just to make sure that you won't turn on me and the pack, if this happens to all be another one of your facades, Lupin, I have some precautions."Remus nodded and asked, "Initiation?"Greyback laughed heartily, something that unnerved him to his core."Oh no, Remus. See, that didn't work all that well last time, did it?"He shook his head. Greyback continued as Remus forced himself to not descent into a panic that Greyback would be able to sense."And you Gryffindors are so bloody loyal to what you think is just, I know torture or humiliation would only strengthen whatever resolve you might already posses. So, I have chosen to go with an old fashioned route of action.""Old fashioned?""Blood oath, Lupin," Greyback said as he reached inside his maroon jacket for a small knife.It was pure obsidian with a green handle engraved with a symbol that Remus unfortunately recognized; the Black family crest. It seemed to be a recent gift, judging by the smell of the polish. Remus suppressed a wave of nausea and anxiety as Greyback got up from his seat at the armchair, and walked to the far end of the room to grab a golden fruit bowl on a mahogany end table. He emptied the contents quickly, two oranges, three bananas, four apples, and a singular pear all placed in a neat line. Greyback then walked back with the empty bowl in one hand, knife in the other, and set the bowl down on the dark wood coffee table in front of Remus. Greyback stepped back, standing beside Remus and towering over him, casting an intimidating shadow in the dimly lit room."Now," Greyback drawled as he looked from Remus to his Black family dagger. "You'll notice this dagger is from a certain family?""The Blacks," Remus said as he maintained eye contact with Greyback."Yes," he said with a slow nod. "And since we are making a blood oath with a Black family dagger, we can also include the lives of members of the family in our pact. To...let's say, reinforce it.""Ah," Remus said grimly."I know you are close with the Black brothers, Sirius and Regulus," Greyback said with a small smile that showed he was enjoying himself greatly. "And so, as another insurance measure to make sure you will not be another one of those self-sacrificing Gryffindor's that have gone down in legend...If you break the pact and betray our family as long as I live, the Black brothers will both die as a result.”"But only as long as you and the pack live?" Remus asked, genuinely perplexed. "I thought pacts like these lasted both lifetimes, not just one."Greyback smiled and said, "With Regulus and Sirius thrown in, the specifics change. But it's not like anyone can kill me, despite their efforts," Greyback said.Remus laughed and said, "Of course. Shall we, then?""Eager, I like that," Greyback said as he positioned the bowl under Remus' arm and cut into his skin....Regulus had tracked Remus. The enchanted button he had placed in his friend's pocket was such magic juvenile yet completely untraceable, that it was only something someone like Regulus could come up with. His matching enchanted button let him know that Remus was in Northern France, of all the places, in a small urban city known for it's textiles and old brick walls and gothic buildings.Regulus had also found a way to make the enchanted buttons something like walkie talkie wire taps by dousing both of them in a complex series of elaborate and exotic potions all heated to the same temperature. It was no wonder that his friend's had called him a mad scientist back when he was in school, and still did today.So, through Regulus' enchanted pair of buttons he was able to hear what the other button sewn in Remus' pocket was picking up, and rewind if he missed anything. That had been done by some destruction of Black family silver from the Middle Ages, but Regulus was never against the destruction of a few coins for the greater good.So Regulus learned of Remus' situation of being forced into a werewolf pack via blood oath or else Regulus and Sirius would die, along with Remus himself, if Remus tried to betray the pack while Greyback was living. It was not the best of circumstances; however, it was not dire. Remus was trapped, without a doubt, but he wasn't forced to kill or hurt anyone. At least, not yet. Remus was also in no mortal danger himself since Greyback thought he was so useful.If Remus stayed in the pack, he might actually find a way to kill Greyback, under the pretenses that he would never actually be able to because of his oath. He could also, unknowingly, give information about the pack's plans and location for when Regulus eventually went to his friends and the Order for backup in the attack.Regulus waited.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Remus fought his inner self's preservation to not be afraid. He wasn’t as self-destructive as he was back in school. Back then, there was a part of him that actually felt at home in the pack.Now though, things were different. Remus wasn’t able to be selfish now and actually contemplate staying. He was an uncle, living a stable life, and had an actual job. Then, of course, there was Harry. The sweet, innocent, baby of Lily and James, two of the most amazing friends someone could ask for. Harry was the reason Remus was back with the pack in the first place. Harry was the reason why Remus would stay and try to find a way to outsmart Greyback.But just because he was unselfishly committed to saving Harry, Remus was not invincible to the mortal emotions of fear. In fact, Remus was very afraid of what would become of him in his current situation. Being with the pack brought out an impulsive, needy, and selfish side of him. When Remus was with his fellow werewolves, it was not just "the wolf" being let out from him. Rather, it was the worst parts of Remus coming to the light of day among the company of others. This was what made Remus truly afraid.

Yet, he knew how to suppress fear. It was necessary when living among the pack, especially now that Remus was no longer a new member that had the grace of being a rookie. Remus was known, feared, hated, and ignored by the others for how he had betrayed them back in his school days. He wouldn't have minded the werewolves' treatment if he didn't fear his safety from lack of allies and a loss of sanity from the absence of all conversation.

Remus managed to suppress his fears into the subconscious of his dreams. For the first few days with the pack, the nightmares weren't a problem for him. The pack was stationary in and outside the large house. Remus was given chores to do, menial ones that weren't affected by his slight sluggishness from his disturbed sleep. Remus carried things, cleaned, stoked the fire for diner, and wondered why the pack had changed so much since he had left. They had used to be unorganized in everything except rigid hierarchy and being dirty. Food was caught or picked fresh and mostly ate raw, back then. Now though, the pack ate large pots of soup with grocery meat and veg, pre-packaged nuts and fruits, and even drank from plastic water bottles.

As the days stretched duly on, Remus tried to wrap his sleepy mind around the pack's new way of life. Of course, he reasoned, the pack was laying low from aurors. Voldemort had fallen, along with many of his supporters. Now that many of the once-great wizard houses had fallen, werewolves, and other part-human or entirely magical creatures, were clearly next in line to be eliminated. Werewolves could not just walk down Diagon Alley shouting their identity for all to hear, they were targets. Remus, being protected, hadn't thought about it much. But now he need to hide was obvious to him; however, the complete change within the pack was so jarring to Remus that it was difficult for him to fully comprehend.As he struggled with internal and external conflict, Regulus was being ridiculed by his furious brother and equally furious friends, in his small, plant-filled, apartment study."Bodies don't just disappear, Reggie!" Sirius yelled as he stormed away from his brother.Sirius and his friends had stormed into Regulus' apartment, accusing him of being in a plot with Remus. They had all just been informed that Remus' body was missing from the funeral home's morgue. Remus' funeral was supposed to be tomorrow, and was pushed back a day due to bad weather, despite Regulus' insistence that they carry on with the plan and procession, in the pouring ice rain and mild hail.In hind sight, Regulus recognized that he could have been more subtle. Not even taking his history of fake body spells into account, urging a funeral director to stand around a graveyard during cold weather with small bits of pelting ice was a clear give away that the funeral was too overly-planned to be normal."What is Remus doing?" James asked tiredly, running a hand through his greying hair. "He clearly doesn't want us to know, so it must be dangerous."Lily nodded beside him, her green eyes glossy with stress tears. She was just as exhausted as her husband, caught between work, raising a small child, and late nights up scouring libraries, trying to find any research at all on how to aid werewolf transformations in children."I can explain," Regulus started as he began to sweat."What is going on?" Sirius asked with agitation. "Where is he?!""He's alive," Regulus relented.Marlene, who was sitting next to Marry on Regulus' sofa, sighed with relief."Thank Merlin," she whispered to herself."Where is he then?" Mary asked."Well-" Regulus began."Well, what?" Sirius snapped."Let him finish," Lily said sternly.Sirius paled, holding his tonged and looking intently at Regulus."I-" Regulus started anxiously.The study was completely silent despite being hopelessly over crowded."I told him not to do it," Regulus began. "I told him it was risky-""What?" James asked."I, it was obviously a risk-"

"You're repeating yourself, Reg," Sirius said. "Spit it out."

"Be nice to your brother, Sirius," Marlene chided.

"I'll be as much as an ass to my brother as I wish, McKinnon-"

"He's with the werewolves!" Regulus exclaimed at last.

There was a mixture of swears and curses at Regulus, Remus, and a host of revered wizards and witches. Regulus tried to keep his calm as everyone yelled at him. He had a long history in restraint, but in recent years his skill had dulled."Will everyone just shut up!?" He yelled at once.The room fell quiet, and Regulus began to speak about his conversation with Remus. As he continued, there were a myriad of reactions across the room. Eyes bulged out of heads, some cursed out Marlin, whereas others just cursed to themselves under their breath. Mary was the only one of Regulus' friends to stay absolutely silent throughout the duration of the story.Once Regulus finished, the room was loud with everyone talking over each other, again."How could you let him do that?!" Sirius yelled."It's suicide!" Lily groaned."He was in such bad shape after he came back last time," Marlene muttered."Remus is a true mate," James said to Marlene."I knew it, Reg. I-" Sirius was cut off by Mary."How do you know he's alive?" She asked."Magic, it's-"Sirius cut off his brother by clapping at a slow, sarcastic speed."Thanks, that's very specific. Have you ever considered teaching?""Shut up, Sirius," Regulus replied. "Anyways, it's a mix of simple and not-so-simple-magic. What you need to know is that I have sort of," Regulus lifted his hands to make air quotes as he said, "magic walkie-talkie.""What?" Lily asked.Regulus gave a quick overview. It took 15 minutes, and the longer he went on the less it seemed to make sense to everyone but him. When he finally finished, Regulus cleared his throat, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. He then explained what he had overheard through his "magic walkie-talkie" button."...Does that all make sense?""So," James started. "Remus is under oath to not kill Greyback.""Yes," Lily answered before anyone else. "But what should we do? If we all just run in, Remus might be put in danger. We might even be put in danger! I certainly could not take a pack of werewolves, especially with-""No one is going to take on the pack by themself," James said. "We need a plan that uses all of our strengths. Besides, there's a safety in numbers.""So what are we doing, then?" Marlene asked. "Do you have a plan, Regulus?""Not-not currently.""Of course you don't," Sirius said darkly. "Why would you?""Okay, Sirius you need to calm down," James said. "Emotions are running high, and we all are mad at Regulus.""I-""But we have more important things to put our attention towards," Lily said. "Like Remus and Harry.""So we're not going to storm the pack," Mary said thoughtfully. "We need to be strategic then, get them when they're at their weakest.""That's post-full moon," Sirius said without missing a beat."Exactly," Marry said as she turned to Regulus. "We attack post-full moon.""And kill Greyback?" Lily asked. "Then kill all the werewolves, and take Remus with us? You're just fine with genocide-""Have a better plan?" Mary asked."That's what we're trying to do!" Lily snapped."Maybe," Marlene began, "we can erase their memories. If they are all asleep, we can brew a potion for making the past month a haze.""And kill Greyback?" Lily asked. "Are we still doing that?""I'd like to kill the bastard," Sirius said quietly. "He deserves it," he said with a rising volume. "He should pay!""Calm down!" Regulus shouted at his brother."Let's not worry about Greyback right now," James said, taking authority of the room. "If we all attack right after the full moon, either Lily, Marlene, or myself, will have to stay with Harry. That means that our odds to fight the pack are worse than they would be. And let's be honest, they're already bad. So an attack is out of the question. Agreed?"There was a general sound of agreement in the room."Good," James said. "We've agreed upon that. Now, Marlene, how long will it take you to brew a sleeping/memory potion?""Well..." Marlene hesitated as she looked at the floorboards. "It would usually take a few months-""We can do it in two weeks," Regulus interjected. "I owe it to Remus, and to all of you. I shouldn't have let him go through with this idea.""Speeding up the brewing process is incredibly dangerous," Lily said. "And it decreases the chances of effectiveness-""I don't think we have any other option," James said kindly as he put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Regulus will be careful, Dorcas and you have pursued a career in potions, and Marlene is so smart as well-""And Mary, Peter, and I?" Sirius interrupted. "What will we do?""Help take care of Harry," Marlene said. "With this potion, Lily and I will hardly have any time to hit the books on lycanthropy. James can only do so much, and there is so much misinformation to sort through-""We'll do whatever needs to be done," Mary said. "Promise.""Well," Regulus said as he took in a deep breath. Let's get to work."...In the full week that Remus had been with the pack, he had gotten one night of quality sleep. Remus was still afraid of his fate as he stayed with the pack, but he was too tired to wake from his dreams or remember them. The sleeplessness had lost most of it's immediate effect, but Remus was still more irritable than usual. It didn't matter much though, since he never spoke with anyone anyway.That is, until Greyback joined him at dinner, sitting beside him on the front steps of the house.Remus could feel his own body tense as he stirred his spoon around his disposable bowl, trying not to look like he had been wearily watching Greyback most of the night. Greyback stretched out beside him, finely dressed and full of ease."Hello Remus," he said in a low, but jovial voice."Hello.""Enjoying your meal?""Yes, thank you," Remus said as he looked up to make eye contact.Greyback held it with him, asserting an unblinking dominance with wordless magic that made Remus' eyes water. Greyback laughed at his inevitable success, stretched, and set his bowl down beside Remus."Do you know how long my pack has been here, Remus Lupin?""No," Remus said calmly. "I don't."Greyback nodded."Ever since the war, my child."Remus felt a tension start to form in his throat. It had been a long time since he had heard Greyback's unsettling use of fatherly pet names."Oh, really?""Yes. It has been hard, being so far from home."Remus ate a spoonful of soup, resisting the urge to ask Greyback "Where the hell are we then?""We've been restricted," Greyback said. "No hunting, no woods, not anything. You must know what that is like, right? You and your...relations, my dear Remus. They can never truly connect with you as we would. As...as I would."Remus held eye contact."Anyways, my child. Tomorrow we leave. We will go out into the woods, and instead of residing in this home and courtyard, the pack will live in one of the most beautiful spots in the French wilderness. There is a cave system, dense woods, a stream of constant fresh water, and even a small field to the far of east. I think you will like it there, especially since you will be among my chosen few.""D-did you say chosen few?"Greyback nodded."You have proved yourself to be a hard worker, and you have much promise. I have seen it, young Lupin. You remind me of your father, all of that passion and sheer energy in your blood. He was the same, always so dedicated. Always so hellbent. Really, I am glad you didn't take after him completely."Remus swallowed."A thank you would be appreciated. Livia would kill to be in your position. You remember Livia, don't you?""Yes, she was one of the werewolves that was closest to you."Greyback nodded, solemnly."She was a good daughter, while she lasted. It's a shame, you two could have been such a great team...Oh well," Greyback finished the last of his soup. "What's dead is dead, isn't that right, Lupin?""Yes."Greyback looked out at the courtyard, overseeing the pack sit in small circles as they talked and ate together. In Remus' peripheral vision, he could see Greyback smile."Let's just hope you are not next to die, right Lupin?""Yes."Greyback nodded, grabbed his bowl, and went to join a group of werewolves sitting by the fire.If Remus was religious, he would have prayed. As he sat in silence, finishing his soup as his mind ran circles around what Greyback had said, Remus cursed his atheism. He cursed his rash thinking that he could take Greyback instead of becoming a pawn in his game....The potion was difficult to work with. The heat it was boiled at had to remain constant, so the flame was more or less constantly monitored. Ingredients were frantically searched for, and then added continuously to the massive cauldron in Dorcas' home lab. The stirring was done at odd, yet meticulously specific intervals. Dorcas and Regulus mainly did this, waking at odd hours of the night and early morning to stir.Marlene and Lily did the majority of reading about what ingredients were needed and searching for them. In addition to this, they monitored the potion's consistency and researched how to make their potion light enough to be able to turn into a gas. That in itself was very advanced potions, even with the usual 2-9 month time frame of brewing time.As the four worked tirelessly on the potion, James and Sirius cared for Harry and researched possible ways to aid the transformation process. Mary also helped with this research, in between keeping up the Potter house and cooking meals for everyone. Peter monitored Remus' location with what little free time he had from his work.As his friends worked tirelessly, Remus sat uncomfortably in the lap of werewolf luxury. Granted, he shared it with 7 other members of the pack that hated every fiber of his being. Greyback lectured them all every night about a potential that would be revealed in a week's time, once everyone was back to being adjusted to life out in the woods."You will understand exactly why each of you are my selected children," Greyback would always said. This was before his closing, "Now it is time for sleep, children. Tomorrow we rise at dawn once more. Be off, and dream well."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Remus felt chills wash over his body and overtake him like a plastic kid’s toy in an ocean wave. It was the sweat. A thin layer of it coated him, and he felt freezing and sick with heat all at once. He hated nightmares.It was dark, and Remus slowly sat up. The rest of the pack was asleep around him, most of them curled up on thin mats and blankets on the cave floor. Greyback was the only one that slept on a bed, physically elevated above the rest of the pack. It was obviously a visual representation of his power over them.Remus took a few deep breaths, glad he didn't wake anyone up, and tried to go back to sleep. It was well before dawn, and he already knew he would be exhausted tomorrow.He shut his eyes, willing himself to just sleep. It wasn’t long until he was dreaming again.A soft, elegant, and manicured hand reached out to him from underneath a pile of blankets. It was early evening, on a Friday. Usually, Sirius was out and about at this time. It was concerning for Remus to see him cooped up.“Sirius?” He asked as he sat on the bed. “Are you feeling alright?”“Mrph.”“Hm?”“Mrph.”Remus laughed and reached out to touch the form beneath the blankets.“Do you want tea?”“Mrphhm.”“Sorry?”A head poked out from underneath the blankets, coiling black hair frizzy and loose.“Yes.”Remus went up to go get the tea when everything started shaking. His dream fell away, and he opened his eyes to see Greyback smiling above him.“Rise and shine, Lupin!”“Urgh-“Greyback walked away from him, speaking to the other werewolves. Remus rubbed his eyes, ran a hand through his hair, and stretched.Merlin, he missed Sirius. If he saw him again, he would let him get away with so much more shite around their home. Not doing the dishes, forgetting to sweep, stacking up his books so they fall in heaps. It wouldn’t matter to Remus, as long as he could hold him in his arms again every night.Remus stood, feeling miserable as ever about still being where he was. He joined the pack outside the cave, all of them sitting around a large boiling pot. Inside was probably oatmeal, or some other sort of large quantity of mushy food.It was still dark, and a few candles were lit. In the low light, Remus could see the uncomfortableness of the werewolves around him. They were sore, shifting and trying to get some temporary relief from the growing need to transform. The full moon was getting closer, waxing with no urgency.The mush, which was in fact oatmeal, was distributed to each werewolf. Remus was about to eat when Greyback called for him to go on a walk with him. It was just barely sunrise, and a walk with Greyback was unsettling. Even if his life was not actually at risk, Remus could feel his heart beat faster with a sickly anticipation of some sort of gruesome demise.But he nodded and joined Greyback, walking in silence until they were beyond earshot of the pack.“Remus, Remus, Remus,” Greyback chided. “I know you, my son.”Remus stiffened.“Sorry?”“I know you’re dreams, and how they make you long for your old home. You say you have abandoned your former life, but you lie to me through your teeth.”“I made a pact with you. You know I cannot break it.”“Oh, but still. You mentally wander from me, from the pack. I can’t allow that.”Remus went stiff when Greyback stopped walking.“There are so many things I could do to make you beg for mercy, but no.”Remus held eye contact, his stomach coiling into knots of anxiety.“You are Lyall’s child. I cannot spare you for my violent urges.”“What is special about my father?”“He was one of the best.”“And?”Greyback laughed softly. Remus knew something was being held back from him. Everyone knew Lyall had been a great wizard, but Greyback said it with a tinge of envy.“What else is there to know about my father?”“You want to know more about him?”“Yes.”Greyback smiled, barring sharp teeth.“You’ll have to give up your dreams then.”“How do I do that?” Remus asked levelheadedly.“No hesitation?” Greyback said appraisingly. “My, my you’ve changed since your school days.”“How do I give you my dreams, Greyback?” Remus asked again, annoyed now.Greyback sighed playfully, almost smiling.“It’s wordless magic. You give me verbal consent and I take.”“And then you will tell me about my father?”Lyall had been a shadow on Remus’ life and family history. He understood his mother and who she was. He heard things about his father, how proud he was, how determined, how cold he got when he was mad. But really, he never truly understood why he was so much of a threat to Greyback. Why his only son, still a young and defenseless child, had to be turned.Was it for revenge? Did Greyback turn Remus because he just wanted to? Was his life a part of some larger plot? Was his own turning not even about him? No one could answer the questions he carried with him everyday, the unclear origin of a monthly reminder that he was forever changed.“Yes,” Greyback said to Remus’ request about Lyall.“Then I give you consent to take my dreams from me.”Greyback nodded, and gestured a jerky twist motion with his hand. Remus didn’t feel a thing, and held eye contact with Greyback.He was sweating at his brow, just slightly.“Just wait,” he told Remus.“What do you-“ Remus started before a molten hot feeling seemed to run through every vessel holding his blood. His entire body felt like it was ablaze from the inside. He fell to his knees by the sudden pain, clenching his jaw so he wouldn’t scream.“It’s powerful magic,” Greyback said easily. “But it will pass.”He bent down to be eye level with Remus.“Give it a few hours or so, and it will wear off. When it does, come back to me and I will tell you about your father.”Greyback didn’t need Remus to say anything to understand the rage in his eyes.“What? You thought I would just let you have no punishment after all of your fantastical sleeping hopes of leaving my pack? Absolutely not, my dear Remus. You are no longer a pup, you are a traitor. Traitors are punished, you of all werewolves should know that.”Remus wanted to lash out, to scream, to kick, to claw. But he wasn’t able to move or make any noise.Greyback stood, cracking his neck side to side.“Come back if you want to finally find out more about your father.”Greyback left Remus in the woods as the sun started to rise.As he screamed internally, his friends made progress on their potion. It was slow work, and there had been the occasional ingredient mis-measurement step back. Each day the moon waxed, the more fear grew in everyone’s hearts.Research over how to aide transformations had gone next to nowhere. A helplessness hung over Sirius and James’ heads, no matter how hard they tried to push through it.They didn’t tell Lily. It would be too much to try to break the news, the final fracture in a crumbling wall of a false put-togetherness. There was no time to fall apart, not yet. If this month didn’t bear anything to fix or help the transformation problem, they had their entire lives to wallow away at how hard and unfair it was.So Remus’s friends kept working through the hours of his isolated agony in the woods. When it was finally over for him, the sun had slanted its early evening rays through the trees. Remus watched the light slowly move and dim as he caught his breath and regained his strength.He got to his feet, barely before sunset. Every fiber of his body felt like it had been torn and poked through. So he walked slowly, not wanting to exacerbate the body-wide stinging sensation any more than necessary.The pack was eating dinner when he returned. They kept their conversations up, but shot long glances at him. A few stared, those were the ones that Remus slept among. The highest ranking in the pack under Greyback.Someone offered Remus food, but he denied it. Greyback wasn’t with the pack, so he must’ve been in the cave.Blood pounded in his ears the closer he got, his body trying to channel a fight or flight reaction to the person that had just tortured him. Remus was too tired to run though, and too resolved to struggle against knowing the truth about his father.Lyall looked up at Remus as he approached. He was reading by candlelight, a book from his small study in his hand as he sat upright in his chair. He had brought his desk from the house.Remus had helped carry it. He remembered the feeling of the polish on the oak, and how it’s smooth and sleek texture had made the desk even more slippery in his grasp once he had started to sweat.“Sit,” Lyall said as he gestured for the chair opposite him.Remus walked to the chair, sitting quickly as he tried to get his heart to stop beating so fast with a few deep breaths. He wasn’t going to die. He knew that, he just had to convince his body that this wasn’t truly dangerous.No, this was what he had endured that torture for.“My father,” Remus graveled in an involuntarily harsh voice.“Lyall was not just a wizard. He was a pureblood, part of a wizard I family that hailed from Wales. Truly, it was more renounced in the eighteenth century, when there was still an estate to be had. After the eighteenth century, the old family spread about through this island. Their reputation lessened, the greatness and status they had for years lost completely.”“How is this relevant?” Remus asked hoarsely, looking into Greyback’s eyes for some amusement that he could analyze and pick apart.“Let me finish.”“Fine.”“But even though the name was lost, the magic stayed great. It was never diluted, never made less pure and less powerful.”“So?”“So the family, the house, was still alive. But the prophecy had been forgotten.”“The-the prophecy?”Greyback nodded, his expression interested.“You didn’t know? Not even from your late-mother?”“We never spoke about magic.”“Ah, those muggles. Anyways, the prophecy had to do with the bloodline of your family. If it was ever diluted, made less than pure by a marriage with a muggle or halfblood, there would be a legendary and dangerous wizard born.”“Excuse me?”Why had no one told him this before? Why hadn’t Dumbledore, or Mad Eye Moody, or anyone from the Ministry or Hogwarts ever informed him? Remus had been so idle during the war, and all this time he was supposed to be a great wizard?“You’re the wizard, Remus. But I assume you know that already.”“I…I did.”“Hmph,” Greyback remarked with amusement. “Lyall knew the prophecy, he was one of the few who knew. Being in the family, the secret was passed down to him. It was meant as a warning, and an omen. Do not have a child with a muggle or halfblood. But your father didn’t listen. No, your father had an agenda.”“Against werewolves?”“Against werewolves, yes. He wanted a son to follow in his footsteps, a son to eradicate the entirety of werewolves worldwide.”Remus sat speechless.“I know,” Greyback said with a laugh. “It’s genocide.”Remus’ mouth was dry, his eyebrows knit in disbelief.“There is more I must tell you, Remus. The reason I know so much about Lyall.”“Yes?” He croaked.“We grew up together, friends as close as brothers. I knew him as well as he knew himself, and I learned his secrets only because he wanted to tell me them. Then, of course, I was turned. What do you think happened then, Remus? Our happy friendship continued? He stayed my brother? Lyall did not betray his childhood mate?”Remus stood, shaking and stumbling over his chair.“No, n-no. You didn’t know my father-““Oh, but I did! When I was turned, I tried to have him join me, just as your friends did for you in their animagi forms.”“No. How do you even know that?” Remus asked quickly. He moved to go, but Greyback held him in place with wordless magic. Remus shut his eyes tight, still seeing the candle light’s glow behind his closed lids.“I was seven,” Greyback said with a harsh laugh. I reached for him that night, changing before his very eyes. I had always had a gift and control for magic. I controlled the wolf inside me, speaking to him through my teeth.”“That’s impossible!” Remus yelled with still-shut eyes.“Not for me, Remus.”“No!”“Open your eyes.”Remus’ opened, commanded like a reanimated corpse. He couldn’t blink, he couldn’t even look away from Greyback. There was no relief.“He stabbed me with a stick. Your father, he had such an inane hatred for our kind that it overcame his brotherhood with me. He told our village I had tried to kill him, and I had to run away. I ran and ran, I had no family or friends who would harbor me. I lost my refined magic abilities and embraced the wolf. Then, I found the pack. I eventually became the leader, and I joined Voldemort.”Greyback cleared his throat before he continued to speak. Tears clouded Remus’ eyes, making Greyback’s frame blurry until the wetness obscuring his vision streaked down his face.“In the time since then, your father had grown up and joined the ministry. He had started his genocide, had you, and lived his self righteousness little life. But I couldn’t let him win. Not after what he did to me, not after what he did to you. He had you, Remus, to make you a weapon. Lyall had you as his son so you could be a murderer, a killer, a tool for his own agenda of revenge.”

“Am I no longer a weapon?!” Remus cried.

Greyback shook his head. Wordlessly, he silenced Remus.

“So I turned you. I took away what Lyall had taken from me, family. The most important thing, more important than war, or magic, or blood pacts and feuds. Remus, I saved you from him and his anger. I saved you from that life, by giving you this one. Yes, you are a tool. But you were always going to be one. All sons are extensions of their fathers.”

Remus wanted to scream. He wanted to curse Greyback for this. It couldn’t be true. He had to have more purpose than just inescapable violence. He had to be born to be loved. He couldn’t have been born to carry on some existential battle. Because Remus could fight against everything, nature, nurture, his world, the wolf inside him. Remus could fight it, and would fight it. He knew he could win. But he couldn’t win this, if it was true. Remus had no way to break through or resist what he had been born for.

It would always be a part of him. His family would be another uncontrollable wolf.

“You have a family now, Remus. You have the pack. And you have a purpose to help bring life instead of death. You, my Remus, are lucky that I saved you from your fate.”

Greyback stood, standing eye level with a magically-stilled Remus.

“Your father killed himself after you were turned. A true parent, a real father, would never do that to a child. But after a tool is destroyed? After a life’s dream is crushed? A legacy shattered? Oh, he would kill himself after that.”

Greyback had the gall to smile at Remus.

“In the prophecy, it was only the firstborn that could have the volatile powers. Once you were clearly turned into the thing your father hated, he knew he could not continue his legacy with you. So he killed himself, leaving you with your poor muggle mother. She gave you up, not knowing how to handle our kind. Then, some years passed in that orphanage until Dumbledore found you. He knew, of course, all about you. But he never planned to tell. He just wanted to use you, to covet you, to hold you in his hand like a chess piece or one of his Godforsaken lemon drops.”

Greyback sighed, clearly about to finish his speech.

“That is why you are special Remus. Because of your father, his failed family legacy, and your power. But I can give you what Dumbledore and your old life never could. I can give you family, the kind you would have had if your father was a better man. I can give you a family that understands you, that knows how you feel. I accept you Remus, for all you are and all you come from. I see you as a son, not a piece of a plan.”

Greyback freed Remus’ eyes and body. He fell to the floor, his knees giving out. It was too much, it was all far too much for his mind to handle. Remus wanted to run, his body begged him to. But he just stayed on Greyback’s floor, breathing like he was mid-sprint. Sweat and tears mixed together, and he didn’t know why either was falling.Remus felt like he didn’t know where he was. He could see the things around him, he could feel the floor. But none of it felt real. None of it seemed actual beneath his spread fingers.

Something touched him on the shoulder. Remus looked up, and saw it was Greyback. He was smiling, like he enjoyed seeing Remus break down from the truth. He was smiling like he had been waiting for this moment, holding out all hope for years.

Remus realized he had.

All at once he was on his feet, the room hazy white and spinning. He took off out of the cave, running beyond the pack and their communal dinner. He was running under a half moon, sprinting through the woods.

He didn’t know where he was.

He didn’t know where he was going.

He just ran and didn’t stop.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

(TW: mention of suicide/suicidal thoughts)Remus wandered for miles. The moon was mockingly shining above him. It’s light for this night was temporary, but the constant taunts and punishment it caused Remus was lifelong.He hated himself. Why had he been given so many problems in his life? He’d been given the type of problems that were too blameless and convoluted to properly self-pity about. Remus knew he had so much to be thankful for, and that whatever plagued him was not on par with the suffering of so many other people in the world.Yet, here he was out in a field. He seemed isolated, since he couldn’t spot any farmland. Maybe he was in a conserved space, a place where no one would hear or see him no matter whatever he did.Remus looked up at the moon and the stars, and thought.He could scream. He could kick up dirt, pull out from the earth dimly lit natural weeds and grass that went up to his knees. Remus could curse or pray with as much noise and fervor that he could create and expel.But Remus found himself only able to manage a whisper, a question. He asked it to whatever he thought had made humanity: God, the vague concept of the universe, and anything else that was out there.“Why do you give me these things? I’m not strong enough to take them,” his voice quavered as he started to tear and shake. “I am weak. I am weak!,” his body screamed in a whisper. “I’m not a hero, or a model, or anything. I’m just some weak coward. But you gave me a challenge for a legendary wizard.”Remus knelt down and sat on his knees, not clasping his hands like he had been instructed to when he prayed. He didn’t feel like he was praying, Remus viewed his one-sided dialogue as a conversation. He was begging for relief of some kind, something that would take the place of all that had been taken from him or twisted beyond recognition.The moon sunk down beyond the horizon, and Remus stayed in the field as the sun started to run. At some point, he laid down to sleep. There was no way to die when everything was all sloping hills, empty planes, and quiet woods. Not that he had any plan to hurt himself or end his life, he didn’t have any true motivation.All he wanted was for the pain to stop.When he woke up hazily in the last moments of the sunrise, he was still alone. He looked out and over the hills before him, then back the way he came. Remus wasn’t worried about getting lost. In the woods, he knew where he was walking without thinking. His body was always taking in every detail and texture in his peripheral vision and beneath his feet. Even after coming out here in the dark, Remus easily knew the way back to the pack. He turned to walk back the way he had came, following more of a vaguely felt duty to return to instead of a thought out reason. Suddenly behind Remus, he felt a a jolt of energy accompanied with a series of pops. He turned his heel, on his guard but ultimately not nearly fast enough to escape Sirius’ tackle.Even if the wind hadn’t been knocked out of Remus, he wouldn’t be able to say a word. Sirius laid on top of him, legs splayed and chest heaving.“You fucking idiot,” he whispered.Remus stared away from Sirius, at the dark silhouettes of Lily, Regulus, James, and Peter. They all looked a bit bedraggled and exhausted, but each one of them had a wide smile across their face.Sirius climbed off of Remus, sitting beside him.“I fucking hate you,” he started in a frantic flush that was full of emotion. “You don’t just leave! You don’t just take on your mortal enemy by yourself! I don’t,” Sirius took in a breath and couldn’t continue.The way Remus was looking at him, the cynical disbelief that he was real, silenced Sirius. He wanted to hold Remus tight and never let go, kiss him until both of their mouths would remember each other forever, make his breath shutter with a touch discovered on his dorm bed when they were 17. Sirius also wanted to punch him.“Hey,” Remus said as he reached out to touch Sirius’ cheek. “I’m sorry. I had to go. I couldn’t stay and-““I know,” Sirius cut off. “Just swear to me you’ll never do it again.”“I swear on my life,” Remus answered without hesitation.Remus sat up and embraced Sirius, holding him like a solider coming back home after years in battle. He had grieved a man who was never gone, but he felt blessed all the same to hold him again.“I missed you too,” Peter said awkwardly as he watched the couple.James shouldered him, his hand holding Lilly’s.Hugs were exchanged, necessary tears and swears shed, and Remus felt ridiculously lucky to be alive. After some time, James told Remus about how Harry had refused to eat peas. This, among the few other light domestic stories James told Remus, was the transition from current gratitude to more pressing worries. Remus told the small group about what Greyback had told him about his life, along with the vague plans that were in store for the full moon.After the others recovered from the news and embraced Remus, insisting him that he was so much more valuable and unique than any prophesied tool of his father, Regulus and Lily explained everything from the tracking button to the potion and their full moon plan.“I understand,” Remus said once they were finished. “Thank you for not following me to do the pack, or confronting me there. It wouldn’t have remotely been safe, and I care about all of you too much to-“Lily cut Remus off with a hug, pulling him into her tightly.When they pulled away, Regulus cleared his throat to speak.“So,” he said. “Post-full moon we put the werewolves into a deep sleep, arrest Greyback, and take you home.”Remus but his lower lip, trying not to think about how this plan would displace so many of the werewolves. It wouldn’t be right to hurt or kill them, that would obviously be genocide. But should they be arrested? How could you know if they needed to be or not? What crimes did they commit out of necessity to stay in the pack, or out of enjoyment?“Remus?” Sirius asked as he laid a hand on his shoulder.Remus flinched at the calming touch, his shoulders sore like the rest of his body. Sirius pulled his hand back, fighting a hurt expression.“Sorry. It’s a good plan, I don’t think there is a better one.”Sirius nodded, along with Peter. He cared deeply for Remus, but had never been great at expressing his emotions in words or acts of physical affection. He was the type of person to sit with you for hours and be happy to listen or talk about anything to cheer you up.Second to Sirius, he had been the most constant of his friends in the school infirmary.“Are you ready to go back?” Peter asked hesitantly.“Peter!” Lily hissed as if Peter’s tentatively question had been an official edict of banishment for Remus.He chuckled and said, “I really had better get back. Your smell will linger on me if I stay with you much longer.”Sirius nodded stiffly.“Just a few more weeks, then?” He asked.James made a sound of agreement.“We’ll keep working, then.”“Oh, James?” Remus asked suddenly. Before you go, I need to ask you…How is he? Have you noticed any symptoms?”James’ face fell as he said, “Not yet. Nothing about how to aide transformations either. He doesn’t really know how to communicate that well yet, but he doesn’t seem too much in pain. But I, I honestly don’t know,” James said with a breaking voice. “I wish I knew, or that what I was trying to do worked, or-“Sirius and Lily each put a hand on one of James’ shoulders. Regulus gave James a nod, communicating support in his strange, Black family way. Peter looked at Remus, giving him a smile with a knit brow that seemed to say, “Sorry we couldn’t be more put together.”Remus returned the look.“I should be going now,” he said gently to the group. “But thank you, all of you. We’ll be together soon. I’ll buy you all round of drinks.”There was a scatter of halfhearted laughter and promises before the small support group left, and Remus was alone again. Despite the brevity of his meeting a few of the people he loved, Remus didn’t feel depressed anymore. The weight on his chest was lightened, but still there. He had his purpose renewed, and he felt like a real person for the first time in weeks.He made his way back to the pack, feeling ready.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Remus returned to the pack with his head held high. They eyed him wearily, but did not taunt him. He had proved his worth after sustaining Greyback’s torture.Remus joined the elite group of werewolves that slept in the same den as him and Greyback. The pack leader in question was off on business.

Remus asked the a few in the group for their names, and later for everyone’s stories. They warmed up to him gradually, some more easily than others, and by midday he knew more about the group of four than he ever planned to.Lyn was in her early thirties, the second closest in age to Remus. She was Welsh originally, but she’d been traveling with the pack so long she had picked up a mix of their accents. She didn’t have a bit of magic, she was muggle through and through. But Greyback had kept her around, and she had rose the pack’s ranks, because of her grit.Darwin was one of the few Hispanic werewolves in the pack, the only one Remus knew by name. He was a bit older than Lyn, and had grown up in an orphanage and later worked in shipping somewhere on the English coast. It was unclear why he became a werewolf, or why he was bit. He didn’t seem very talkative, and it was unlikely that all of his jagged scars and old burns were from lycanthropic transformations alone.Mya was the oldest in the pack. She was Irish, freckled, and had been turned a few decades ago. Mya was closest in age to Greyback, finding him midway through the wizarding war. She talked slowly through a thick accent, always rubbing a crescent birthmark on her wrist.Alexander was in his late forties, a former professor at Oxford. He didn’t want to talk much, but he did say that Greyback had turned him a few years ago. He couldn’t go back to his family after that, and he joined the pack the night he was turned. There was something wild in his eyes, in the way that their shifty green irises emphasized that Alexander didn’t regret his choice. Remus couldn’t say that he grew particularly fond of his group, but he did care about them. They were gruff and naturals at being with the pack, and Remus missed home to a fault. But as the full moon grew eerily closer and closer, Remus was glad to at least have some connection to the people around him.Except when Greyback put hysteria into their hearts the night before transformation.They were all seated outside of the cave. Greyback stood on a chair, proclaiming all sorts of promises and future deals for the werewolves of now and tomorrow.“My children, we will rise! No longer will we face fear or discrimination. The veil between magic and humanity has yet to be yanked back!”Remus stiffened, forcing fear not to rise in his chest. Surely, Greyback didn’t seriously mean attacking non-magical people?“To rule, we must attack all. Why conform to wizard standards if we are not all wizards?! Come here, Lyn. Be my example.”Lyn rose regally to stand next to Greyback, flashing teeth proudly.“Lyn hasn’t an ounce of magic. But she is one of my best. She will lead those of you going to the town.”The pack clapped, Mya and Alexander cheering her name. Remus played along, moving his hands as he hoped Regulus was listening in.Greyback held up his hands for silence. He cleared his throat, Lyn still proudly standing next to him.“Now,” he began again. “I must continue. In order to truly take power, we must expand. And where better to expand pack but the capital?”There was a mix of mutters, gasps, and cheers when Greyback brought up storming Paris. Eventually excitement won out over all else, and he had to lift his hand for quiet again.“Now, who better to lead us through the city than…a master of the catacombs. Rise and stand with your sister, Alexander.”Alexander stood and walked towards Lyn, cheers, clapping, and other sounds of glee behind him. Alexander’s eyes were wide and bright, a satisfied smile across his face. It was easy to tell that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.The clapping for Alexander lasted even longer than Lyn’s. Remus looked over to Darwin and Mya. They were celebrating along with the others, and didn’t even notice Remus’ stare.“Now, now!” Greyback called with power in his voice. “Not all of you can go to Paris. I have assignments planned for each of you, based on your talents. The massacres will be legendary, believe me. Wherever you are, there will be blood.”Mighty cheers erupted from Lyn, Alexander, and the rest of the pack. Greyback cleared his throat, smiling wide with pleasure.“Mya, please remind the pack where you are from.”“Dublin, Ireland.”“And just what do you miss about Dublin?”“Not the wizards!” Mya laughed.Greyback nodded.“Maybe we can rectify that.”Mya stood up and walked towards Greyback, tipping her head back out of some release that must have come from oncoming revenge. The pack cheered for her, although less than they had for Paris.“And my two remaining selected sons,” Greyback called over the scattered calls for Mya. “Please come up here Darwin and Remus.”Remus and Darwin stood, Darwin sauntering forward while Remus was stiff. They stood shoulder to shoulder beside Mya, on the left of Greyback and before the entire pack.“The other half of you, my children, will be aiding in a massacre back home.”It took a moment for the words to sink in, but once they did, everyone was screaming. The werewolves were going to destroy the ministry, one bloody body at a time.Remus felt sick.“Darwin, my child. You have always been a natural at wordless magic. But truly, I want you to lead your quarter of the pack due to your tracking capabilities.”“Who will I be tracking?”Greyback smirked, drawing it out in the silence for a sickly dramatic effect.“Fudge, Dumbledore, Mad Eye,...”They all cheered for Darwin and all the people he would slaughter like a bounty hunter, but Remus couldn’t hear it over the blood pounding in his ears.“And Remus?” Greyback called over noise. “Remus is a legend, a destiny. Care to tell them all, my son?”Remus opened his mouth, and spoke loudly. He explained his family line, the prophecy, his father…until Greyback had finished his wordless marionette spell. After letting Remus’s dry mouth go limp, Greyback called out what the quarter of the pack with him and Remus would be doing.“We will be finishing the wizarding war, killing traitors to the Dark Lord!”Then, before anyone could move to divide into their groups, a pale purple has dropped from overhead. Everything went black for Remus, right after he dropped to the ground to a melody of other people’s screams and battle cries.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Regulus felt like he was the only one fighting off the surrounding horde of untransformed werewolves. Of course there was also Lily and Mary, but they were all separated.Marlene had gone to tell Fudge directly, James was on his way to tell Sirius and Peter. Support was coming soon, Remus just needed to stay alive until then.That was easier said than done. The werewolves were unpredictable, using a mix of melee, fists, and wordless magic. The harder Regulus fought, the more drained he became, and the more strength the werewolves seemed to get.“Stay back!” Regulus heard Lily yell in-between spells.Regulus heard a distant shout from Mary, more a mangled cry than words. In the corner of his eye, Regulus thought he saw the red splash of blood come from her temple.Over all the noise, there was the pop of a few aspirations, and more screaming. It was hard to see with the smoke. It had worked on a quite a few of the werewolves, but it had been used before it was finished.Regulus suspected Greyback was doing something to negate the effects of the magic-infused mist. Remus had told him that the pack leader had the raw power to rival a great wizard.At some point, Regulus slipped on an unconscious body and fell to the ground, wand flying away from him as he stumbled. Once he was in the ground, it wasn’t long until he was unconscious and tasting blood in his mouth.James had found Lily in the battle. She was holding her own, but there was something wrong with the air. It was almost as if it had been charged with electricity, or some other sort of power. James yelled this to his wife in between spells, as if she had the answer.When James’ best friend aparated a few feet away from him, James smiled. Maybe Sirius could sense it?But before James could ask anything if Sirius, he was already moving his way through the crowd. He shoved and pushed, running while yelling left and right. His many layers of clothing faded quickly in the weak sleep-mist.Remus woke up on the ground, blinking in disbelief as Sirius charged toward him. The man in question was being attacked, blood dripping from his cheek as he fought off sharpened nails and fists. Greyback, who was standing above Remus, motioned a stopping gesture with his hand. Every werewolf stopped fighting at once, frozen in their current motions. The mist lifted as the last few premature battle shouts faded from his friend’s mouths.Everyone was clearly able to see Greyback.“I take it you’re here for him?” Greyback asked casually while pointing to Remus.Sirius stepped forward, wand raised. Greyback laughed, freezing him in a moment’s use of magic.James rushed over to Mary, who wasn’t conscious anymore.Lily looked straight at Greyback, a direct view now that no one was fighting.“What did you do to our-“In an instant, more and more people aparated. Other friends of Remus, the ministry, and friends of friends. They were frozen too, along with everyone Lily had come with.Lily looked around, but then went back to eye contact with Greyback.“Do you know what you did to my son?” Lily called to him as she slowly raised her wand. “You hurt him, and for that you will pay.”Greyback held up a hand in pause.“I didn’t do a thing to your son, Ms. All I did was to your friend here,” he said as he gestured to Remus, who was still in a daze from the mist.“What?” Lily asked. “Is it because of his-“Greyback put a knife to Remus’ throat.“You move, I kill.”Remus, gaining real consciousness now, wanted to yell to Lily. Greyback couldn’t kill him. She had to move.Remus had to tell her, to yell the truth before it was too late, but he couldn’t open his mouth. It was as paralyzed as the battle field before him.Yet, Lily knew the truth. Greyback couldn’t kill Remus because of the pact they made. Still, she listened.“Your friend here could bring about a new age. His gifts will be wasted if you decide for me to kill him. And…”“So you pretended to hurt my son just to…get Remus back?” Lily clarified.“Remus is a dangerous wizard,” Greyback said lovingly. “He is my biggest asset, besides…”“What?” Lily asked.“Yourself. If you join me, Lily, I will not kill your friend. The two of you can be on the winning side! With your potions and his magic…the other pack elites will be ever-insignificant compared to you. Plus, if you don’t join the pack Lupin dies.”Lily didn’t hesitate, shouting a curse directly at Greyback and knocking him backwards. Remus scrambled up quickly, trying to free his friends with magic as Lily and Greyback dueled.The longer the fight went on, Remus knew, the less of a chance Lily would have to win. So, Remus struggled quickly to undo the marionette magic. It felt like unraveling a tapestry, picking apart thousands of interconnected threads.When he succeeded, only Sirius was free. The man in question charged towards Greyback to aid Lily, shouting curses the whole time. Remus faced the rest of the pack and it’s opponents. He raised his hand like Greyback had, and felt a painfully powerful pulsating sensation through the veins of his raised arm. The pulsations grew and grew as the invisible magic threads seemed to unravel around the people and around his arm instead.Remus grunted, put pushed harder. He had to be fast. He had to get free, to make it stop. As the pain in his arm climaxed, Remus heard a firm voice in his head.“Remember, never submit,” the voice said.Remus realized in that moment he had fallen for another trick of Greyback’s. By using this much wordless magic, he was fulfilling that prophecy set out for him. He was submitting everyone before him to his volatile prophesied magic.Remus tried to lower his arm, but he couldn’t. He tried to scream, to move his legs, his torso, to yank himself out of this magic stance. He couldn’t, it was as if he had done some marionette-magic on himself. All Remus could do now was pray.That was what he did before everything went dark again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sunlight filled a bedroom in a cottage house. Asleep, a young man battered and all but bloody slept on one side. It was the morning after a transformation, a battle, and a month through hell.Beside him laid a large black dog, curled up and snoring. It was late in the morning, but both would not wake for a few hours more.When they did, they would be all right.That same morning, a group of friends sat among a young boy in the living room. Most of the friends drank coffee, talking to each other and the boy while reflecting on recent and old scars. Last night had been the easiest Lily and James had ever had, a child slept undisturbed by any thought-of dangers.The werewolves had been arrested after the battle, a few of them with varying trials, prisons, and so on. Only one of them, the old leader, stayed completely alone. Most of the pack would have a few fellow werewolves wherever they ended up serving their time. It was not the end for them, but each would make a payment proportionate to their crimes.For all, life would go on beyond the Murder Uncle’s month with the pack.