A/N: This is an AU.

I might post a prologue for this fic later on if you're confused at how Sirius didn't get sent to Azkaban.

The title of this fic is from a Ted Hughes poem of the same name. An excerpt has been included below.

Chapter One: New Pack

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Warnings: Nothing for this chapter.

Shippings: For now, you just need to be aware of established RL/SB. Later on, there may be other ships.

***…***…***

The wolves lifted us in their long voices.

They wound us and enmeshed us

In their waiting for you, their mourning for us,

They wove us into their voices. We lay in your death,

In the fallen snow, under fallen snow.

As my body sank into the folk-tale

Where the wolves are singing in the forest

For two babes, who have turned, in their sleep,

Into orphans

Beside the corpse of their mother.

Life after Death, by Ted Hughes.

***…***…***

"Mr Lupin?"

Remus turned around and came face to face with one of the older teachers, a Ms Smith. He smiled wearily and gritted his teeth.

"The headmaster would like a word with you."

The problem with working in a muggle school, he thought, was that he never quite knew what to expect. Remus wished that he had taken Muggle Studies at Hogwarts but he realised that even if he had, he would probably still be confused. Muggles were far stranger than the wizards and witches he had known in his lifetime.

"Yes, of course. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Remus knew what this was about. He'd been missing too many lessons. Not only was it one or two days a month for the full moon, but since the death of Lily and James Potter, he'd missed a few weeks. He had to help Harry settle in, of course. However, he remembered the disapproving look the Headmaster had given him when he'd suddenly stopped showing up to work for three weeks and realised that skipping work without any explanation was probably a bad idea.

He supposed it was also because stuck out like a sore thumb, even when he acted like a proper muggle. The truth was that he couldn't work in the wizarding world because no one would hire a werewolf. He was deemed too dangerous to work with other witches and wizards but at the same time, he was pretty odd by muggle standards too…

"Oh, and Mr Lupin?" Ms Smith smiled.

"Please, call me Remus," Remus muttered, packing away the last of his paper in his briefcase. Writing with paper was somewhat strange, after years of writing with parchment and quill.

Ms Smith grimaced. "Be ready for hell," she whispered, before shooting him an apologetic look.

When she left the room, Remus allowed his weary smile to fall away.

He couldn't afford to be fired. Not now that they had three mouths to feed.

***…***…***

Remus knocked on the Headmaster's door and waited. He wondered bitterly what his father would have thought of him working in a muggle school. His mother wouldn't have minded so much but his father would have been thoroughly disappointed.

His father, John, had always wanted Remus to become some successful wizard, but then Remus was bitten by Fenrir Greyback. After that, his father was always disappointed, no matter what. His mother died when he was fourteen and his father had died when he was seventeen. The only family Remus had left was Sirius Black and Harry Potter; everyone else was either dead or... well, just plain evil.

"Remus, come in," the Headmaster's voice sounded from behind the thin wooden door.

Remus opened the door and stepped inside the Headmaster's office. It made him feel like a teenager in trouble again, like back when Sirius and James used to coerce him into breaking school rules. Back then, the feeling was exhilarating. These days, it was awful.

"Sit down, please," the Headmaster, Mr Wright, began, "no need for anxiety, Remus."

So Remus sat down in the chair opposite Mr Wright and waited for the letdown.

"You're a great teacher, very good at what you do," Mr Wright began, "however-"

"Am I fired?" Remus asked miserably.

"Well, yes. I'm sorry, Remus. I can't keep you here much longer."

"Please, Mr Wright, I need this job-"

"I'm sorry, Remus, but you can't just disappear for three weeks and expect me to ignore it!" Mr Wright exclaimed. "Times are tough. I can't pay someone who isn't committed. I'm sorry, Remus, I am. I've given you warnings before. There are other, more qualified teachers who would die for your job."

Remus sighed and shook his head. "I have nowhere else to go. I have a family to support and I can't afford to lose this job…"

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that, son. Perhaps you should have thought about that before you took-"

With a shake of his head Remus stood up, took his briefcase and left the room. He closed the door on his way out, ignoring Mr Wright's insistent apologies which followed him all the way out. Ms Smith was outside when he emerged.

"How did it go?" She asked anxiously.

Remus pursed his lips. "Fired."

Ms Smith gasped and, for the first time since he came to the school, Remus really appreciated her company.

"Oh no, Remus dear, that's terrible!" Ms Smith wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He couldn't hug her back because he was clutching his briefcase so he stood there awkwardly for a few moments until she pulled away.

"What will you do?" She asked.

Remus shrugged. "I really don't know."

Which was the truth. What would he do?

***…***…***

Sirius was cradling Harry in his arms when Remus came home.

The boy was crying and Sirius, looking miserable and tired, was whispering comforting words to Harry, trying to make him calm down.

Remus bit his lower lip. "You want a break, Padfoot?"

Sirius glanced up and widened his eyes. "Oh Merlin, Remus, I didn't hear you come in."

"It's alright, Sirius, let me look after Harry for a while. You go take a nap."

Sirius looked ridiculously relieved when he handed Harry to Remus. He gave Remus a peck on the cheek (Remus pulled a face at the gesture but remained silent) and then he turned around and disappeared down a corridor.

It still felt wrong living in the house down the road from James and Lily's. Harry was whining softly now. Remus patted him on the back. He'd been restless ever since that day, the lightning bolt scar on his head standing out starkly against his pale skin and bright green eyes. Lily's eyes.

Remus sat down in the worn armchair given to them by Dumbledore after they moved in. Harry loved this armchair. Remus hoped it would settle the boy down.

"Come on, Harry, it's alright," Remus cooed, "you're alright."

Harry's crying gradually become softer until it stopped altogether. Remus rocked Harry back and forth a few times and the boy finally fell asleep. Remus sighed, holding Harry close to his chest. How was he going to get a job? Who would hire him now?

Remus stood up carefully and carried Harry to his bed. He tucked Harry in and whispered "goodnight".

By the time Remus got back to his shared bedroom with Sirius, he was unbelievably tired and stressed beyond belief.

"Busy day?" Sirius murmured when he collapsed in bed.

"Yes," Remus groaned, "it was awful."

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut. "I got fired."

"Oh."

Remus sighed. It was rather uncomfortable, lying down in his button up shirt and trousers, but he really didn't care. He just wanted the day to end.

"Hey, Moony, don't worry," Sirius leant his head on Remus's shoulder, "it's not the end of the world."

Remus huffed. "Unless you want to go out and get a job-"

"I can't get a job, remember?" Sirius quipped, exasperatedly, "Dumbledore banned me from leaving the house until we track down Peter."

"Right. Sorry," Remus mumbled, "I forgot."

"I wasn't supposed to be looking after a kid," Sirius said very quietly, "and James and Lily weren't supposed to die, and Peter wasn't supposed to be working for Voldemort. This wasn't supposed to be our life."

"Well, sometimes terrible things happen." Remus replied sleepily.

Sirius laughed drily. "Well put, Moony. Well put."

A few minutes later, Sirius rolled over and fell asleep. Just as Remus was about to follow Sirius's lead, he heard a cry from Harry's room.

He sat up but his head was heavy. It was an effort for him to open his eyes, but he managed. Remus wondered why they didn't put Harry's cot in their room. He made a mental note to tell this to Sirius the next day.

He made it to Harry's room and picked the little boy up, hushing him until he fell asleep again. When Harry was in his cot, Remus lay down on the floor and closed his eyes. The walk back to his room was too far, anyway. And the carpet wasn't too uncomfortable…