Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended-or any puns for that matter.

Warnings: Uh…language, thematic elements, and slight bigotry. Plus my geographic stupidity.

AN: Unlike Moon & Mud, the POV will switch much more. This particular chapter takes place during Moon & Mud's chapter 9.

/

Chapter 1: Three dog Night.

The train gave another piercing whistle as it raced down the tracks. It was noisy outside their compartment; students chattered endlessly about their plans for the summer holidays. Only three students didn't seem to be enjoying their three months of freedom, although one was asleep. The other two only conversed when it seemed necessary; normally they would be loud-almost obnoxious, but not today-something was missing and they both knew it.

Their plan(they made many in their lengthening careers.)and it could possibly one of their most daring one yet; both knew the risks that one of them would take; he was about to anger his entire family-not that that bothered him. It was just a big leap he was taking, or rather two, considering what he was going to do.

A snore on his right proved that the stoutest member of their group wouldn't be awake any time soon; nothing short of the apocalypse could wake him up. He rolled his eyes in disdain; trust Peter to sleep through something important. He looked over to see who he considered his best friend sitting right across from him. Playing with a filched snitch instead of messing around with already untidy hair; a sure sign that something was on his mind.

'Three guesses what.' He thought to himself.

Almost subconsciously, he brushed the handle of the Comet 360 he "borrowed" from his brother. He hated this-feeling so nervous. This wasn't a big deal, and he'd rather feel angry instead, but something seemed to prevent him from feeling it. Normally nervousness wasn't something he felt often. Maybe that was why he felt a strange compulsion to talk.

"Oi Prongs-it'll be a snap. I just nip down there-figure what's going on, bring em' back-nothing to it. Come back, and crash at your place. You said that'd be cool with your parents. So no biggie." he hated how that came out, even more when James just nodded absently.

The rest of the train ride was ridden in silence.

/

Touching down was the hardest thing he did, even harder than dodging his relatives that came to collect him at the station, even more than trying to find a safe place to fly without getting noticed. He looked around in hesitation; he was never invited here-ever. So he had no idea if this was the right place or not; in all the five years he known him, he hadn't once seen the place. Even though they had been friends for five years.

It was pretty countryside, with fields and hills-something he thought he'd see in a photograph. With his broomstick slung over his shoulder, he walked for what felt like miles. He finally came to a small house; it looked like it was in poor condition, but an obvious effort was made to maintain it; it gave the impression that no matter how hard the inhabitants tried, it would never look good. That idea made him flinch suddenly.

He was at their door; now he could finally get some answers-it still rankled him that Evans found out first-got the information about the situation first hand. She wasn't even there half the time, and somehow she knew about it first! It was annoying and he hated the way she had told them, all surprised that they didn't know-especially that the two of them had owled together-even using the telephone to ring each other up! He could still hear her voice in his head:

'Wait-you haven't heard? I found out after I tried to ring him up, but I got his mum instead. When I asked what happened, she ended up crying. They have no idea where he is…'

He swallowed, hesitating for a second before knocking on the door. Fidgeting on the steps, he didn't have to wait long. A frantic looking woman opened the door, her hair messily pulled back in a bun and clothes slightly rumpled. She was looking expectantly at him and for a second he floundered; her eyes were the same shade, and he realized that he was at the right place. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Mrs. Lupin?"

/

He looked. And looked. Then he looked some more. It was all he did. The Lupins were kind enough to let him roam around their property, and he felt bad for how Mrs. Lupin almost frantically doted on him. He tried to be on his best behavior, but he was stumped. The countryside that surround the Lupin home was vast, and he really had no idea where to look. It wasn't only until he saw the wand. It made him reel back in shock. It was left lying on the kitchen table.

"He always leaves it there when he goes out to…transform." Mrs. Lupin spoke in a quavering voice. "But he didn't come home the morning after, and we haven't seen him since."

"I-I see."

He stared at the wand-what would happen to his friend without it?

/

He didn't stay long, practically running out of Remus's room and he thanked Remus's parents again before setting off. Although he only had a few vague ideas, Sirius Black hoisted the broom he "borrowed" from his brother higher on his shoulder. He adjusted the rucksack given to him by Mrs. Lupin; it was filled with food and a map, even a portable radio. He smiled at their generosity, but his smile quickly vanished at the reminder of what he had to do.

/

He kicked off, feeling the wind blow through his hair as he soared up to the tree tops. Pulling the radio and the map out of the rucksack, Sirius tied the radio to the broomstick and opened the map. The creases were new and the colors fresh and bright. Landmarks stood out and bold text showcased the large cities and rivers.

"Right…if I were ol' Mooney, where would I go?" Sirius said to himself, studying the map, "Righto, well somewhere that'd I'd feel safe to transform in. Wouldn't feel right if I transform in a place where I could put others in danger. A secluded place all around-or maybe just only once a month to a secluded place?" Sirius looked closer at the map, trying to find the areas with smaller print. " Or maybe a hiding in a obvious place-in plain sight-" He looked for the large city limits. "Anonymous, with no one to give trouble to me." Sirius folded the map after a long look. "Well, better get to it." He angled his broom and raced off.

Sirius watched the sky darken as he flew on, the sun sinking further down; he liked watching it from this height, it felt like he was its equal. Soon he could see the flashing lights of a city in the distance. The sounds were still distant to his ears, and he looked eagerly below him; cities always made him feel excited and he realized with a jolt that this was London.

' I'm not sure if he'd be here, but I gotta start somewhere.' Sirius thought to himself as he scanned the city from above.

He passed the tourist hot spots, and the loud flashing signs that promised entertainment, going past the shops and traffic that clogged the roads. Sirius somewhat regretfully went past the pubs, and he briefly considered the hotels; maybe Remus was by the waterfront? This would require finesse; Sirius expertly turned the handle, making a hard turn and sped downwards.

/

He touched down by the waterfront, quickly walking under the bridges; he knew which parts of the city were inhabited by wizards and which ones were lived in by muggles. Sirius tired to look discreet as he tried to pick Remus out of the people who were living under the bridges. The stereotypical fire in a trash barrel could be seen, as beggars surrounded it despite the early summer air.

Sirius couldn't find Remus despite the fact that he was there for at least on hour, and he even asked others if he had seen him, and no one had.

/

Sirius was pretty sure that he looked at a good chunk of the city; he had searched for hours, both on his broom and off it. Despite its size, he did manage to see a good deal of it. The sky was becoming lighter, and Sirius scanned the skyline; the sight made him feel odd as he looked down to see the rougher districts close by-the only place he hadn't looked. The disrepair and poverty was obvious.

'I hope I'm wrong.' he thought as he descended down into an alley way.

/

This area was larger than what most would want to admit, and Sirius had barely started; he looked all around, feeling anxious-not for himself, but for Remus. If Remus was even here that is…

'Damn…he better not be here.' Sirius walked through a parking lot, watching as a young woman struggled to carry her groceries. Shrugging, he hurried up to her.

"Lemme help you with those."

"O-oh." she looked startled. "Thank you." she handed a few bags over.

"Don't worry-I won't bite." Sirius put on his best I'm-nice-and-charming-smile.

It seemed to work, the girl softened up a bit.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. My name's Gemma."

" Its alright-I guess there are a lot creeps out there." Sirius smiled "My name's Sirius by the way."

"Your joking."

"No I'm Serious. Trust me, you won't believe how many bad jokes I've gotten." he rolled his eyes.

"I can believe that." Gemma looked apologetic. "I know someone who's name is even worse. Shiloh."

"Yikes."

"Exactly. Oh-were here." she stood next to a worn and shoddy porch step.

"Wow that was fast."

"Yup." Gemma set her bags down on the steps as she opened the door. "I guess you wanna…" she trailed off, her eyes looking unsure again.

She gestured to come inside as she set the groceries down on the dusty table, and moved to the countertop.

"Well there is something you can do…" Sirius replied as she set groceries down on a messy table.

"Which is?" Gemma looked wary as she hurriedly grabbed the groceries from him.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine. He…left. His folks are really worried about him. He's uh…my height-kinda and he's got brown eyes and sandy-ish hair. Kinda pale and he's got some cuts…I think."

"Well what's his name?"

"Huh?" Sirius was momentarily confused from his nervousness.

"Well I need to know his name." she smiled again.

"Oh! It's Remus. Remus Lupin."

"Interesting name. Are all of your friends like that too?" she teased.

"Actually no, we've got two others named James and Peter."

"Wow-actually sounds boring compared to the two of yours." She turned her back to him as she unloaded her groceries.

Sirius laughed. "Yeah."

"So what's the story?" she asked, her hands working expertly.

"Hmmm? Oh, well one day he was here and the next…he wasn't."

Gemma turned around, her eyes looking sadly back at him. "So you came here? Even though you aren't from around here, isn't that right?"

'Not from this part of town anyway.' he thought to himself, instead he said "I guess it shows huh?"

"A little yeah." he got the impression that she was being polite about it. "Hmmm well let's see-"

Whatever Gemma was about to say was interrupted by the arrival of another. It was a young man. He was dirty, his clothes rumpled and despite that he still managed to look fierce. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Sirius and his mouth was a angry slash. Sirius repressed a shudder; this man gave the impression of a feral dog.

"Who's this?" his voice was rough.

"Ah this is Sirius." Gemma looked startled. "Sirius-this is Shiloh." she nodded towards the wild looking man.

"Why is he here? Another stray eh?" Shiloh eyed Sirius curiously. "Your not as cut up as most of em'"

"C-cut up?" startled, Sirius could only think of Remus.

"Yeah." now Shiloh was looking suspiciously at him. "But you actually don't look too bad."

"Ah…just got lucky I guess." Sirius didn't like the intense stare Shiloh was giving him. 'What the hell are they talking about?'

"Well don't be morbid, if that's the case, then we'll show him around." Gemma eyed Sirius.

"Gah! Another mouth to feed!" Shiloh snapped.

Gemma gestured for Sirius to follow her. The house was small and cramped, with clothes objects everywhere; it looked like quite a few people lived together in this derelict place. Pipes were visible, paper was peeling along the walls and was pockmarked with holes-as though someone had punched the walls quite a bit. Furniture was mismatched and looked more than just secondhand. Dirt was everywhere-it actually wouldn't surprise Sirius if Gemma and Shiloh were squatting here.

Everything was laid bare-the plumbing was visible, almost skeleton-like as it weaved itself around the crumbling, discolored plaster walls. Sirius dodged the items littering the ground, careful not to knock anything over as he passed a garbage bag over flowing with trash. Moving past the "Living room" and into the hallway, Sirius followed Gemma as she walked over a baby gate; it was connected to a door-less door way, its hinges were just large rust spots.

In the backyard was halfway fenced in on the right side, blocking the road close to them, and on the left side were a few houses that were smaller and if possible, in poorer condition that their's. A back alley led to not only the cluttered backyards of the other houses, but also worn and ugly apartment complexes. In Gemma's backyard discarded toys littered the yard beside old junk. Browning, sparse grass was grouped next to a large tree; how it managed to avoid the decrepit nature surrounding it, Sirius didn't know. A tire was tied onto the tree as a make shift swing. Looking up, he could see a pair of sneakers tied to a telephone pole; Sirius quickly looked down to see the people in the yard.

One was an old man, his back resting against the tree. His clothes shabby, but he wore a kind smile as he watched a toddler explore the yard. The child had a bright smile and was trying to scramble up as he toddled through the yard. Sirius watched as the little boy went past a young tan skinned man resting in a bright plastic lawn chair. A pair of cracked, oversized headphones were trying to play music that could be fuzzily heard. A tall, heavily muscled black man sat close to the younger, lighter skinned man as he worked with a large piece of machinery. He was watching them carefully, and Sirius had to repress a shudder as he saw the power sliding beneath the other man's muscles.

"Well I'm back." Gemma announced. Her face lit up as the little boy ran up to her.

"Mummy!" he shouted, racing towards her.

"Hey there!" Gemma laughed as she scooped the boy up in her arms "This is Sunny. Say hello."

"Gemma found him." Shiloh cut in.

"More like he found me." she walked over to the old man. "Sirius-meet Ambrosia."

"Uhh good to meet you…Sir." Sirius felt like was in the Headmaster's office again.

"No need to be so formal. Now come here, lets take a closer look at you."

Sirius moved forward, ignoring Shiloh's complaints of wasting space and having to feed another person. Up close, Sirius could see the way Ambrosia had aged-the solemn almost harsh lines in his face and the deep groves that gave the impression that they were exaggerated; the almost drooping quality of the flesh surrounding his eyes furthered the illusion, but the eyes themselves were sharp and clear.

Sirius jumped in surprise when he felt calloused fingers brush his hair away from his face and he tried to not stare as he felt the old man's gaze on him. He knew he was being studied, and Sirius turned to stare back suddenly unwilling to break away.

"As I thought-your human." Ambrosia sounded slightly…regretful.

"What?" Shiloh screeched "I knew it! He smelled like one! Way to pick em' Gemma!"

"I-I-I'm sorry. I honestly thought he was one of us." Gemma held onto Sunny protectively; the gesture made Sirius feel sick.

"I-" he didn't know what to say."

"What-what the fuck did you wanna say-Wizard-" Shiloh managed to put the most contempt he could with the word wizard.

"Hey relax man." the man with the headphones finally spoke up. "Technically we're wizards too."

"Shuddup! I refuse to be in that category!" Shiloh yelled back.

The headphone boy just rolled his eyes. "Christ, calm down."

"So, what are you playin' at?" the large black man spoke up for the first time.

"Ah-I'm." Sirius worked up his nerve. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Someone…like you guys."

This was met with skepticism.

"I'm being serious!" he tried not to shout.

"Really?" The black man asked. "I dunno what kind of sick prank this is, but you probably don't realize how stupid it is to try and play us."

"No I'm not-I just thought that-"

"That what-we'd all be broke ass trash?" the man coolly asked.

"No! Its just that I have to start somewhere!"

"Figures." Shiloh snorted. "All you wizard's are the same."

Sirius did feel a rise of indignation at that statement but before he reply, Ambrosia spoke again.

"Enough. The boy truly did not mean to be insulting."

"Ah-ah."

"So, now boy-about this friend of yours. Tell me." Ambrosia commanded.

"Well his name is Remus Lupin and he's about my height, sandy hair, skinny, and he gets cut up pretty bad all the time."

"I see. What else?"

"Hmm?"

"What I am asking is why are you searching for him?"

"Well-because he's my friend! He could be in danger somewhere! I want to know why he left-what if he is in some kind of trouble-what's going on with him. I have to find him, no matter what!"

"Alright then. You can stay here for the time being." Ambrosia continued "No matter how foolhardy or arrogant he is, his intentions are pure. However I do warn you boy, if you endanger us in anyway, I won 't hesitate to kill you; I'm not a fan of wizards' either."

"Understood…sir."

"Good." the old man smiled.

/

Sirius learned fast that their life was hard and he was treated perhaps just as harshly as they had been treated by other Wizards. As the days went by, Sirius felt a deeper connection to Remus; he was only just now understanding that Remus was one of the lucky ones, and that was really saying something. Money was hard to come by and it was obvious that even though they were squatting(which surprised Sirius even less now), they were still barely scraping by.

Sirius had a theory that Remus was with a group of werewolves(he hoped he was; being a werewolf alone sounded even more horrible.), and that was a sensible thing to do, and Remus was a sensible person. Sirius had no idea how long he'd have to stay in order to find Remus, since Gemma and Ambrosia were really the only two willing to help him actively search, so it was only until a couple of weeks later that something significant had happened.

It turned out that there were more werewolves in the city, and they had turned up at the squat to speak to Ambrosia. Sirius wasn't particularly meant to be there, but he hung back(wishing he had borrowed James's invisibility cloak as well) listening. What had really caught his attention was a name.

Fenrir Greyback.

The name alone was something that would send shivers down any wizard's spine; he was starting to get famous-Death Eaters were becoming a household names by now. A few new 'wolves' showed up, speaking the name so casually that Sirius felt the first traces of fear. He was spoken of with admiration and something even more dangerous-it sounded like Fenrir was recruiting. Even more frightening was the eagerness that other wolves expressed about him.

'Please Remus, wherever you are-be far away from this madness.'

/

"Wake up!"

Gemma's barely hushed shouts and shaking startled Sirius out of sleep.

"Hmmm-what is it? What's the matter?" he took in her disheveled appearance.

"Fenrir Greyback himself is coming here!"

Icy water plunged into his stomach. "What?"

"Yes-that's why there have been so many people in the house lately. They all knew he'd be here."

"Is…there a reason why?"

"…it's a meeting…I think its some sort of rallying cry."

"For what?"

"For getting a better life."

Sirius was about to speak, but Gemma cut him off.

"Listen, you have to get out of the city."

"But I haven't found-"

"Then stay long enough to see if he'll be in the crowed. If he's not, then I doubt he's in the city. Its not safe for you to be here; Shiloh isn't the only person who feels the way he does. Fenrir is going to change things."

"Do you believe in him?"

"…..I'm not sure, but finally someone cares enough to promise me a better life."

"Thank you for everything." Sirius couldn't really voice the feeling in his chest.

"Don't thank me yet-go up on the roof; there is a hole in the ceiling. You can look in through the crack for your friend."

/

Sirius grabbed his broomstick and waited. He didn't have to wait long; the squat swelled up with wolves. They all looked in the same state as Gemma and her group. Sirius ducked down after he saw Fenrir-he knew it was him when he first laid eyes on him. It was instinct. The man was large and filthy with wild eyes and a mean grin. Sirius could feel power radiating off the man in waves. He tried to block out the words that spewed angrily from his mouth. Sirius didn't need to know the exact words-the meaning was plain enough, and he had heard similar statements made by his family; except some concepts were different.

Sirius had more important things to do, and he desperately scanned the crowed for Remus. He felt his shoulders sag with both relief-he was glad Remus wasn't in that mess, and disappointment at not finding him. Sirius eased himself out of his uncomfortable position and looked out at the skyline to gather his thoughts.

'Well at least he isn't in there-something tells me he isn't here. I wouldn't blame him-who'd want to be in that mess. He's too smart to get mixed up with them anyway.'

Sirius's gaze ended up resting on the marina, where the sea was visible even at this distance and specks of ships on dark water. The only thought that kept reappearing in Sirius's thoughts were 'He's not here.'

'That's it!' Sirius stood up, ignoring the incriminating creek of wood and stared out at the sea. 'Of course-it makes perfect sense.'

Grabbing the broom, he mounted it and sped off, not noticing the look in Fenrir's eyes as Shiloh began to speak about their unusual guest. Instead, he headed for the marina.

/

High in the air with nothing but water below him, Sirius was relieved to be away from the city. The wind blew his hair crazily, and he ignored the slight chill in the air. Sirius knew he needed to endure the elements for a few days, and he just hoped to stay on course.

/

Days had past and Sirius had run out of food a few hours ago; he could barely get anything but static from his radio. Sirius longed to swipe the birds that flew past-they were annoying with their loud calls. The only relief was in the slight chilly breezes when the sky occasionally darkened.

/

The calm had broke and relief was brief; it had started to rain, turning into a violent downpour. Winds buffeted Sirius like a rag doll and lightening seemed to come out of nowhere, blinding him and Sirius could feel the heat despite being yards away. Thunder made him go deaf, and it occurred to him that he was much too high.

The rain clung to him, making him forget that he was ever dry and it stung at his eyes. He was flying blind, the wind shunted him about, the air having its own currents. He was being pushed, pulled, twisted, and dropped in every direction. Sirius could no longer tell up from down and he shut his eyes tight the only light coming from lightening searing his eyelids against the blackness-he actually shook from the thunder feeling it reverberate throughout his whole body.

There was nothing Sirius could do except to allow the storm to have its way with him. Shivering, he clung onto the broom for dear life. The wind shrieked, ripping him away from his bag-he felt lighter for it and his radio occasionally hit him or the broom. He tensed himself, teeth clenched as he felt a sudden drop and a violent wind tore him away.

The broom was spinning out control, the air became even more vicious as it sliced at Sirius with a thousand blades. He felt weightless- suspended, even as he was being hurtled through the air-

Crack.

He hit something. Then he was genuinely falling; no longer where he used to be. Sirius yelled in fear, he could feel himself being pulled away from the broom-something thick and heavy was separating them. The broom was yanked roughly from him, and cracked apart; He could feel his body going through something but he had no idea what. He waved his arms to stop the impact, but it didn't matter-

Then another crack, he was tumbling blind until-

The entire world turned black.

/

TBC…