Chapter 1
It was full moon.
Remus Lupin prowled the woods, so silent and yet so full of life. His heightened senses detecting rabbit holes and squirrels scurrying up the tree, away from the stranger, away from the werewolf. He sniffed at the root of the tree, and crashed his body into it. His body felt boiling hot, his skin taunt against his bones, and drool dribbled from his snout. He sank his teeth into his own flesh, whining at the pain and yet not stopping. His friend was not with him today, the black dog was not with him, and the werewolf was not happy about that. He howled to the full moon, the moon that had instilled fear and dread into his human part every month, a cloud drifted slowly, placing a veil over the moon and then revealing it seconds later as an afterthought. The werewolf howled again.
The human part of Remus Lupin cursed himself, why was he out in the woods? Why wasn't he locked into his padded garden shed, covered in chains and padlocks like an asylum? Why was he prowling the woods, with the ability to hurt anyone and everyone who was unlucky enough to be around him? The wolf part of Remus loved the woods, he loved being free and having the ability to dig up rabbits from their holes or pouncing on the occasional deer. The garden shed had instilled such a degree of fear into Remus that he could not look at it straight on, only through the corner of his eye. Yes, that was why he was out here on that fateful night, the garden shed had seemed so claustrophobic, so foreign, after the three years of not being locked in it. For the last three years, Remus had prowled the forbidden forest with his friends every full moon. The moon beamed down on him, and the werewolf howled again, missing his friends, missing the great black dog.
A distant wolf howled back, and the night wore on, with the chorus of howls that caused children all over the small village to burrow themselves into their parents' big, warm bed.
The next morning, the only sign of the werewolf was the scratches that covered Remus' body and the dark circles under his eyes. He was stretched out on the sofa, sipping at a mug of tea and trying to recover from the full moon, he's had plenty of experience, but each time it felt new and foreign, searing pain cutting through his body every month as if it's the first time. He nodded off to sleep, his mug of tea sitting on his chest, rising and falling with each breath he took.
A firm knock on his wooden door echoed in the living room, Remus woke with a start and spilt cold tea all over his shirt. He sighed, and reached for his wand to clean himself while stumbling towards the door. The door opened to reveal a familiar sight, and the scene reminded Remus very much of what had happened 8 years ago, when the 10 year old Remus had opened the same door to find the same man with the long white beard.
"Professor Dumbledore," Remus said, fully alert and poised with his wand pointing at the crooked nose, "What did we eat and play when you visited me when I was ten years old?"
"We ate scones and played gobstones." Dumbledore said after a moment of thought, smiling without his eyes, which had lost its usual twinkle.
"Come on in, Professor." Remus said, pulling the door wider and letting the old man in, "I wasn't expecting you."
"I wasn't expecting to have to make this visit." Dumbledore said, sitting down on the sofa which was imprinted with Remus' sleeping figure.
"I'll get you some tea, make yourself at home." Remus said, bustling into the kitchen and returning moments later with two mugs of tea.
"Thank you, Remus." Professor Dumbledore said, and slowly took out a lemon drop from his many pockets, "Lemon drop?"
Remus declined, and looked at the headmaster, for the first time since Remus knew him, Professor Dumbledore looked old, and tired. His blue eyes no longer twinkled with the knowing look behind the half moon glasses, and while the headmaster slowly popped the candy into his mouth, Remus knew that the reason for his visit was not to offer him candy.
"Remus." Professor Dumbledore said after a long pause, "When was the last time you saw Lily and James?"
Remus' heart sank at the mention of his friends' names, "Is something wrong with them? What happened?"
"Tell me, when was the last time you saw them?"
"Before they went into hiding."
"Their secret keeper was Sirius, right?"
"Yes." Remus said, he felt like the room was closing in on him, he looked down at his mug of steaming tea, and realised that his hands were shaking.
"Is something wrong, Professor?" Remus asked. Dumbledore did not respond, he was looking at Remus with a sad look over his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Professor?"
"Remus, my dear boy," Dumbledore finally said, "Lily and James Potter is dead."