A/N: I do not own Harry Potter

Written for round 11 Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition - Chaser 2 - Ballycastle Bats
Prompt: Must be inspired by Grimm TV Series
Optional Prompts:
5. Torn dress
9. Compass
10. 'With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.' - Eleanor Roosevelt

Wordcount: 2928

This AU - No Voldie Universe/ Marauders didn't know Remus was a werewolf - and they were casual friends at best during their time at Hogwarts.

New day, new thoughts

Sirius Black wasn't just any Auror, he was what was known as a Grimm. They were a specialised unit, specially trained to deal with crimes that related to the most dangerous creatures the wizarding world had to offer. Those that have sentience. This included a whole manner of beasts, Werewolves, Vampires, Wendigos, Anubis'. Some of these creatures had abilities hiding them from Wizards as well as Muggles, but the Grimm's had a charmed compass. This simple object not only guided them on where to find certain creatures but allowed them to see past any kind of cloaking magic, naturally occurring or otherwise.

Sirius sat at his desk, leaning on the back to legs of his chair looking through his latest case file. He leafed through the various pieces of parchment scanning for the details. It was definitely a werewolf attack, Sirius could tell without even looking at the crime scene photos. He pulled them out anyway - the moving images showed the Aurors moving around and analysing the home that had been broken into. The parents were killed, and he could tell from the bite pattern that it was a werewolf, that and the rather conspicuous kidnapping on a full moon. The fact that the children had been kidnapped was telling - the wolf was clearly using Wolfsbane. He must be, to be able to show that much control. That was his first lead; the wolf could be registered and getting the potion as part of the new Ministry Werewolf Control Programme. Unfortunately, that meant a visit to his least favourite potions master; Severus Snape.

"James, tell Scrimgeour I've gone out to see if I can get a suspect for that Werewolf case," Sirius called to his partner.

"A lead already? You're not trying to beat my record are you?" he smirked.

"Fastest suspect caught and charged? I don't know if I can wangle on this case, but I'll give it a good go!"

"So, what's the lead?"

"They must be using Wolfsbane, and you know what that means," he groaned.

"A trip to Potions Master Snivellus!" James laughed. "I'll send a Patronus when your physical evidence finally comes in then."

"Thanks, mate," Sirius said as he strode purposefully out of the door.

It didn't take long for Sirius to make it to the potions department. It was the darkest part of the Ministry building, and it was lead by none of other than Severus Snape. It would be fair to say that Sirius and Snape didn't get along. This was because Snape felt that Sirius was a good for nothing bully with a self-entitled attitude and no skill, and Sirius thought Snape was a greasy, hooked nose pillock.

"You know, every time I walk in here I expect this thing to go off!" Sirius joked as he displayed the compass. "Spends all his time in the dark, I can imagine you have never looked in a mirror, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if you up and turned into a bat! Are vampires allergic to shampoo? Or is that a personal preference?" he asked snidely.

Snape looked up from his desk, his pallid complexion almost glowed in the dim lighting. He merely sneered at Sirius showing his yellowing, crooked teeth.

"Get out, Black."

"No can do, Snivell's. Believe it or not, you get to be useful today!" Sirius jokes. "I need a list of the registered Werewolves that take your Wolfsbane Potion and a list of known private vendors."

Snape sneered at the man distastefully. He got up from his desk, practically gliding towards his filing system - a lot of small cubbyholes stuffed with roles of parchments - his long black robes billowing behind him. Sirius sniggered, the Potions Master would make a marvellous bat. Snape's long stained fingers caressed the Cubbyholes as he searched through his records. Finally, he pulled out two rolls of parchment; one of them was an incredibly thick roll, the other quite short.

"I fear you might have to use your brain to narrow the suspect pool further - I have a lot of customers," he smirked. "You do know how to use your brain, don't you?"

Snape made copies and thrust them into Sirius' chest, turning his back on the man and continuing his work, paying no more attention to Grimm Officer.

Sirius was soon back at his desk, he added the roles of parchment to his case file. Since children were the targets, he knew he needed to cross-reference his list with those that had a connection to children. The perpetrator had likely planned his attack - it had gone unbelievably smoothly, and there wasn't much evidence left behind, so the guy was smart too. He moved down the list methodically, for each one he checked a corresponding file for occupation, previous convictions, and if they were a consistent Wolfsbane user. Soon he had a much shorter list, and right at the top was his first suspect; Remus Lupin.

"Hey James, you know that Lupin kid we went to school with? Works at Hogwarts, also he's a consistent Wolfsbane user!" Sirius smirked. "I might just beat your record!"

"With that little evidence? Did Snivellus give you Felix Felicis while you were there?" he scoffed.

"Very funny. But Lupin has access to kids, he's smart, and it's the holidays! How on earth is he going to get whatever it is he gets from kids when he's not at Hogwarts! I'll break him, James, don't you worry!"

"Sirius, there isn't even any evidence of him hurting the kids, how exactly are you planning on questioning him?"

"Wait and see. I'll let you watch the Master at work," he smirked.

Sirius had Apparated to the rundown cottage that was Lupins known address outside of Hogwarts. It was a more like a run down shack, and it looked like it hadn't been lived for years. Sirius secretly hoped the guy had moved houses, for as a Werewolf that was a big 'no, no'. Legally they had to be registered, and their address had to be on file; otherwise, it's straight to Azkaban for six months. He banged on the door, hard. To Sirius chagrin, he heard movement inside, and the door was pulled open.

"Hullo, can I help you?" asked the man at the door.

It was Remus Lupin alright, the scratches across his face told him that. He looked worse for wear, but it was just after the full moon. His robes were torn, and he was sickly pale.

"Remus Lupin?" Sirius asked.

"Yea, can I help you?"

"Where were you between the hours of 22:00 and 06:00 last night and this morning?" he asked.

"I was here, I am a registered Wolfsbane user - you can check."

"I have checked, and you're just the right kind of Wolf I'm looking for," he smiled cockily. "Would you mind coming down to the Ministry for a few questions?"

"I'd like to know what it was about first!" Remus replied, crossing his arms.

Remus was used to the discrimination by now, but this guy shared a dorm with him at Hogwarts; he knew what Remus was like.

"Look Lupin, you seemed like a nice kid in Hogwarts, but it's a fact that people change after they have been turned. Now I have two children that have been taken by a Werewolf that was clearly on Wolfsbane, and at the top of my list is the kindly professor - who would be very able to cover his tracks - who happens to be a consistent Wolfsbane user, and teaches the victims."

"Fine, I'll come in. Only because I have nothing to hide." Remus pulled the door closed behind him and held out both hands. "I presume you going to restrain me? You never know what a filthy half-breed creature like me might do," he spat.

Sirius pulled Remus into the stone-walled interview room. He pushed Remus into a chair and chains reached forward or their own accord grasping Remus' feet and wrists. Sirius walked out of the chamber leaving him there on his own - making him sweat. Remus sat staring at the four walls as Sirius watched from the other side. There was a cloaking spell on the room, and the compass allowed him to watch Remus as he was left alone. The Grimm's often used this as a way to observe them before and after questioning.

"This guy is stone-cold. He's just sat there cool as a bloody cucumber!" Sirius exclaimed.

"You sure you've not got the wrong guy? Lupin was alright when we were at Hogwarts," James said as he watched beside him.

"It's a well-known fact that people change once they are bitten - scientific!"

"You're relying on the Muggle logic that is science?" James scoffed. "There is no magical basis for that comment Siri, I bet you twenty Galleons you have the wrong guy!"

"Will you need to go to Gringotts after work, or do you have it on you?" he asked. "Watch and learn, Jam, watch and learn."

Sirius grabbed his now considerably larger case file and took it into the interrogation room. He slammed the door behind him, casually strolling round to the other side of the desk, and threw down the file. Sirius sat down, eyeballing Remus with his intense stare. He pulled out the crime scene photos and pushed them in Remus' direction.

"Some of your handy work?" he asked.

Remus shook his head, flinching away from the pictures and hand covering his eyes.

"I don't want to see that," he said, his tone soft. "Is there any evidence that the children have been hurt?" he asked.

"Funny you should ask? No, none at all. So here your just going to be charged with the murder of Mr and Mrs Gruger, and suspected kidnapping and murder of their two daughters Maisy and Willow."

"I didn't do this, it's not who I am!" Remus shouted.

"Okay, I'll bite - who do you think did this? And why would they?"

"It's difficult for a Werewolf to speak out against their pack," Remus stated flatly.

"According to our records, you don't run with a pack?" Sirius questioned.

"Practically speaking that is true, but every wolf belongs to a pack. There is a link to the one that turned you - as sick as that is." he grimaced.

"So you're telling me that you think you know who did, but 'cause of some sketchy 'wolf-link' you can't tell me?" Sirius smirked. "I call that convenient."

"I never said I couldn't tell you, I said it would be hard," Remus clarified. "You said that people change after they are 'turned' - do you know when I was turned?" he asked.

"I think it's my job to ask the questions - wolf."

"Humour me," Remus smirked.

Sirius pulled out the parchment he had with Remus' registration details - there was no date.

"Yes, you see I was turned long before the registration process was properly in practice."

"But we were in the same year, that would mean…"

"I was a werewolf at Hogwarts. I was turned at the age of five by Fenrir Greyback," Remus began. "You know he did it intentionally, hard considering there was no Wolfsbane to help him keep his mind at the time. But he did, it was a way of seeking revenge against my father; he was much like you, felt all Werewolves belonged in Azkaban - I think I changed his perspective somewhat."

"Why was this never reported? There is no mention of this in your history."

"That's because the Grimms never really asked questions before, they just murdered us. It was a crime just to be a Werewolf, funny really considering I never really got much of a choice!"

"So if Fenrir is the one that turned you, are you saying that he is the one that kidnapped these girls?" Sirius asked.

The case was getting more complicated. If it was Fenrir, and he had started when Remus was just a child, there was no knowing how many times it had happened. How many children had the Grimms failed?

"As I said, I do not 'run' with the pack. I can only tell you what Greyback is known for, what his goal is. He is known for turning children, he enjoys it. He likes to nurture that bond, which is why he kills the parents - that way they will do anything for him. Fenrir does not like the status that Werewolves have been given. Do you know how hard it is to get a job? If it weren't for Albus Dumbledore being Headmaster of Hogwarts, I wouldn't have a job. And for me to get Wolfsbane each month, it takes nearly all the funds I have."

Sirius sat, entranced listening to the man's tale. Being a Grimm he had never thought he could be on the same side as one of these creatures, yet here he was completely invested in what Lupin told him.

"So, you're saying this has happened before?" Sirius asked, "How have these crimes not come through the Grimms office before now?"

"Fenrir is smart, he covers his tracks, you're relying on Aurors being able to tell that it's a Werewolf attack. Get the pictures again," he said sadly.

Sirius pulled them out and placed them in order on the desk. The corpses lay still in the photo, the blood still oozed though; Remus couldn't help but wonder why they wouldn't just use Muggle photographs, it would be easier to stomach.

"See here." Remus pointed at the bite marks on the throat. "That is overkill - the reason it came up this time is that Fenrir made it personal. This couple must have offended him, and that's why he picked them, the same reason he picked me."

"Hold on."

Sirius left the room, the file still spread across the desk in front of Remus. Unable to keep looking he collected the images and slid them into the portfolio. It wasn't long before Sirius rushed back in, a new file in hand.

"This is the one on the victims," Sirius said as he pulled out reams of parchment. He also took out his hand and with one flick the restraints were removed. "Wanna help me find a link to Fenrir?"

Remus smiled and took half of the parchments. Two cups of coffee later, Remus found the answer.

"Here, they attended an anti-werewolf march."

"Brilliant. Now, Fenrir isn't on my list of suspects, why is that?" Sirius asked.

"He embraces the wolf; he doesn't take Wolfsbane on principle. Fenrir believes it's a way for the government to control Werewolves, it's just another way for them to suppress us."

"Meaning, he will have had to use one of these vendors?" he asked, handing over the smaller scroll he had gotten from Snape.

"I would say this guy; Shyverwretch. He provides for a lot of unregistered Werewolves if rumours are to be believed."

"That's brilliant. Now I just gotta find the girls," he smiled sadly. "I guess you're free to go."

"Thanks. Maisey and Willow are good kids; I would be grateful to know they are okay."

"Anytime, is there any chance they haven't been changed yet?"

"It really depends, he would have wanted to keep them from dying, so it's all about timing. You need to be quick."

It was midnight, and Sirius had a full team of Auror's and Grimms stationed around the large dilapidated shack that was the home of the Greyback pack. The compass that he used to track down the creatures lit up like a Halloween pumpkin - they were definitely in the right place. Every Auror had charmed restraints, all imbued with pure Aconite. They snuck onto the premises, all of them under cloaking spells. It was hard to subdue or sneak up on a werewolf, so each Grimm led a small group of Aurors.

The battle was long and tiring, but eventually, all the Werewolves were subdued. It was interesting to see the range of ages, ranging from Sirius' generation, all the way down to the young children. They found Willow and Maisey huddled together, Willow being older was hunched around her sister protectively. Maisey was so small and helpless in her once beautiful dress now, it was torn. Beneath the shredded fabric Sirius saw a gaping, festering wound; a bite mark.

"No. Please no," Sirius sighed. He pulled out the compass, his greatest tool, and it confirmed his worst fear; Maisey and Willow had now been turned too.

"It's okay. We'll get you all sorted out," James smiled. "You know, how would you guys like to stay with me for a bit? My wife Lily and I can look after you until we find you a proper home, you can even play with my son Harry?" he smiled.

The little girls were nervous and scared. Sirius knew his opinion had changed, people are just people, bitten or not. After all, it was a Werewolf that turned out to be the most significant help in this case, and who could call those two sweet girls monsters? Fenrir was the only monster in his eyes.

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts," he said to himself, acknowledging a new perspective.

He left the crime scene, wanting nothing more than a drink, and a long chat with a friend. He needed to give Remus the news anyway, and that guy seemed like he would make a great friend, maybe even a CI on all his Werewolf cases.