An: Well here's chapter 4. I hope everyone enjoys and don't forget to review!

Update: I corrected some mistakes and added somethings to this just chapter. Every time I read through a chapter I find 15 things to change. I'll have to learn post and leave it alone. ;)

Beware the Wolf

Chapter 4 - Upsetting Developments

A week had passed and Harry had thought that now that Remus had finally left his room and (unhealthy as it was) let out some of his anger, things would become more…normal. They didn't. He'd seen little of Remus and the man continually stayed locked in his room.

The only reason he hadn't contacted Neville or Snape was that Remus was coming out for meals. It was the only time he came out, yes, but it was an improvement and progress was progress after all. At least he hoped so.

Harry had spent the majority of the last week at the beach very close to the cottage. Remus really didn't seem to care that Harry just wandered around. It was a bit bizarre actually.

The first few times Harry had come to ask Remus if he could go into town or to the beach the man had merely nodded his head. No questions asked, no inquiries about what time he would be back. That was uncharacteristic in and of itself, but soon Remus seemed to become annoyed at Harry's asking and told him as long as he was back to the house by dinner he was allowed to wander where he would. It was seriously confusing; especially with the way he had flown off the handle so spectacularly that one day.

He made a valiant effort to forget that first horrible encounter; it was harder still to forget the looks he kept receiving during meal times. It hadn't started off very harsh, just a glare here and there. Mostly reproachful looks. Soon, though Remus was giving him looks that rivaled Snape's on a particularly bad day. He had to resist the urge to flinch away at the anger he saw in his guardian's gaze. He tried to stay silent at meal times now, but that seemed to infuriate Remus just as much.

Remus had also checked his homework when Harry wasn't around. Harry was guessing he was doing it at night after lights out. The first time it had happened Harry had gone into the study to retrieve some parchment to write Ron and he had found his Transfiguration essay covered in so much red ink he was afraid that Hedwig had accidentally knocked over an ink well. He soon found out that wasn't the case.

One of his essays was waiting for him in the study for him to correct everyday. Harry wouldn't have been upset at all if Remus had just left it at correcting his mistakes. He would have been touched that Remus wanted to help with his education. That didn't seem to be why he was doing it, though. The remarks he made were scathing and sometimes a little hurtful.

'This is utterly atrocious. I was under the impression that you attended Muggle School as a child. I couldn't tell by the structure of this paragraph."

'Did you actually read what you wrote? I hope not. This is disgraceful.'

'These concepts are easily grasped by first years. Your examination of it woefully lacking. Unacceptable.'

Harry diligently corrected them without complaining in the hopes that Remus would be happy with him. He was sure he had failed miserably.

He noticed that it was getting worse the closer it came to the full moon. Harry tried to explain it away by saying it was only because it was the first full moon Mooney would spend without his mate, but he knew it was a flimsy excuse. Remus had always prided himself on his ability to contain his wolf. He didn't even seem to be trying anymore.

He was almost relieved when Remus and he made their way to Grimmauld Place to get ready for the full moon. As Remus walked down to the dungeon room he was to stay in during the transformation, Harry sat down to have a quiet night. That didn't last long. For some reason, Remus hadn't activated the silencing charms on the magically strengthened room he was in.

Harry didn't sleep at all that night. The sounds emanating from the dungeon echoed through the entire house and for the first time Harry wondered why the hell Remus hadn't gotten any Wolfsbane.

He tried to cast a silencio, but it was a localized silencing charm and would only silence an object or being, and he didn't know one that could silence a whole room. He did cast a silencer around the door, and while it muffled the sound, it didn't block it completely. By the time the sun rose Harry was exhausted and a bit nauseous.

He went down to the room to check on Remus before lunch, and while he looked battered, he was asleep on the bed just as he told Harry he would be. He left him some broth with a warming charm over it, a pitcher of cool water, and a glass. He hoped Remus would appreciate the gesture and eat a little when he woke up.

Harry searched the Black Library all day, pausing only to retrieve the dishes from outside Remus' dungeon room, but research was not his strong suit and so it was almost nightfall when Harry found out that room size silencing spells were more wards than charms and so were way beyond Harry's ability to cast.

That night was, therefore, nearly the same as the previous one, so Harry spent another sleepless night listening to the horrible howls, scratching, and bangs that accompanied Remus' transformation.

The third and last night, Harry couldn't stand it anymore. He had never been able to sleep during the day, and if he had to go without sleep for one more night, he was going to cry. He went to the floo and called Neville. Instead, he got Nev's Gran who immediately let him through to spend the night. Neville wasn't home, but was at a Herbology retreat. Madam Longbottom was gracious enough to let Harry stay anyway. He was eternally thankful to her for that. He slept the whole night through, flooing back before Remus awoke at noon.

Life continued in the same fashion it had before the full moon for exactly 3 days. The glares continued, Remus never spoke unless spoken to, and even then, he was very short with his answers. Harry's essays continued to look like they were bleeding and Harry was spending as much time out of the house as he possibly could. He was starting to think he had made mistake by not taking Snape more seriously. Remus wasn't getting better. Harry was really starting to worry about him.

On the morning of the fourth day, a letter came for Remus at breakfast. The unfamiliar Eagle Owl stayed only to nip some bacon off Harry's plate before taking off again. Harry didn't notice the man across from him becoming angrier and angrier until a fist slammed down onto the table. He startled and looked up into amber eyes. This could get bad very quickly.

"You went to the Longbottom's?" He asked Harry, voice low and gravely sounding, even as he raised it.

Harry's heart nearly stopped beating. He had totally forgotten about telling Remus he had left number 12 the last night of the full moon. 'Stupid' he thought, 'so stupid'

"I… Yes, sir."

"After I specifically told you not to go ANYWHERE without telling me FIRST!" He yelled as he stood up and, again, slammed his fist into the table.

"Well, I had meant to tell you." Harry explained hurriedly. "I didn't realize how bad your transformation would be, and you forgot to activate the silencing ward thing in the dungeon. It was only one night. I swear! I just forgot to tell you, I wasn't keeping it from you purposely."

"Really?" The man asked sarcastically, arms crossed over his chest. "You saw Mooney up close your third year, and you can't handle merely hearing him now. I find that hard to believe."

Harry was relieved to see the man was calming down and his eyes were going back to normal.

"It was way worse this time, and I couldn't sleep at all. You howled and banged into the door almost all night. I think maybe Mooney was just missing his mate, next time…"

"What?' Remus asked surprised, interrupting Harry mid sentence. His face looked surprised but it was slowly turning red. Harry realized his mistake immediately. Remus was getting angry again. His Uncle used to turn that color all the time when Harry was around.

"What did you say?" Remus' eyes sparkled menacingly. His voice was calm, it was an eerily scary calmness.

Warning alarms were blaring in Harry's head so he did the only thing he could think of. He lied. "Nothing. I didn't say anything." Harry got up from his chair. He was really starting to get scared. Remus' eyes were amber again and he was panting heavily.

"Who told you?" Harry just shook his head, unwilling to rat Snape out as well as implicate himself in something that Remus was so angry about.

"WHO TOLD YOU?" He raged suddenly, losing the calm facade he had been projecting just one moment ago. Harry was about to take off, just as he did that first day, when Remus suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the back of his neck in an unforgiving grip.

"No one told me, I… I just figured it out." Harry stuttered out as Remus dragged him to the study.

"You're lying." Remus said as he threw Harry chest down on the desk. "I don't know who told you but they had no right! You especially had NO RIGHT to know." He took out his wand and Harry was spun quickly around, bent over, and his chest was magically stuck to the desk. He tried to move his feet and found they were stuck as well. He wriggled and tried to free himself until he found his denims unceremoniously pulled down around his ankles. His pants were left on and Harry now knew exactly where this was headed. He was reminded forcibly of the few times Vernon had been lucky enough to catch him when he was small and had thrashed him.

His fears were confirmed when he heard a 'swish' and then a 'thwack' a half second before he felt the fiery hit on his upper thighs. In that brief moment he thought (read hoped) that Remus was just punishing him for leaving the house and using the floo without permission. Those hopes were dashed as he listened to what the man was saying as he unmercifully began to beat him.

"I can't believe *thwack* you think *thwack* you have any right *thwack* to even speak of him." *thwack*

"I have no idea *thwack* who told you *thwack* but you didn't deserve to know. *thwack* Sirius died *thwack* because of you. *thwack* He should never *thwack* have even been there." *thwack*

"But you had to run off *thwack* and play the hero *thwack* like always *thwack* and yet another *thwack* person died for you." *thwack*

"Maybe if someone had *thwack* done this sooner,*thwack* you wouldn't be as *thwack* arrogant and brash as you are!"

Harry had all ready lost the battle with his tears and was sobbing heavily into his arms by this point, not because of the pain, but because of the words being spoken. Not only had Remus accused him of being guilty of Sirius' death, but of others too.

"I'm sorry!" He cried desperately. "I didn't mean it to happen! I thought he was in trouble! I've never wanted anyone to die for me." He sobbed out between hits. The belt stopped hitting his backside just then, but his relief was very brief as Remus leaned down and whispered harshly in his ear.

"No you never mean it to happen do you? But it happened all the same, and now Sirius is dead and you are to blame. I'm not going to let anything like that happen again. You will learn to do as you're told, even if I have to take a belt to you to drive that message home."

But Harry still had a little fight left in him. "Bellatrix killed him, not me." He tried to stop crying and make his voice sound convincing, but he didn't succeed with either.

Remus grabbed Harry's hair and pulled it back hard as Harry let out a surprised yell. "You're the one who led him there. Lured him from safety with your own stupidity. It is your fault and I don't think I'll ever forgive you for it! You will learn though, if it's the last thing I do. You. Will. Learn."

Learn what Harry didn't know but he didn't have time to wonder because in a further fit of temper Remus slammed Harry's head down hard on the desk. Blood spurted from his nose. He didn't pass out, but he wished he had, as Remus continued raining blows down on his buttocks and thighs. It seemed like forever, but he finally stopped, threw the belt down on the floor, and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Harry was hysterical. He could barely breathe he was crying so much. It took quite a while to stop weeping. His entire ass down to his middle thigh still felt like it was on fire, but he could do nothing about that because he was still stuck to the bloody desk. He had been thrashed before, by Vernon, and held under the torture curse too, but he hadn't ever cried liked this before. The fact that is was Remus who had beaten him was the difference. He was supposed to care about Harry not hurt him, like the others. He did though, and Harry's heart hurt almost as badly as his backside.

He stayed like that all day until, finally, at dusk, the sticking charm wore off and Harry fell into a heap on the floor, exhausted, in pain, and heartsick. He laid there in despair not even trying to get up.

He had no choice now; he had to get out of there.

Harry woke up the next morning with an extremely sore backside and a nice goose egg on his forehead. His nose, thankfully, had not been broken. He dragged himself off the study floor and limped slowly up the stair, and went to take a shower. He took a quick peek in the mirror before getting in and discovered that he was covered in purple and black bruising from the middle of his thigh upward. It explained the continued pain, at least.

He waited until dinner to leave his room, still limping slightly as he went down the hall and to the stairs. He didn't meet Remus on his way to the kitchen but did spy him in the back garden looking at the sunset. He hurriedly made himself a sandwich, but before leaving the kitchen found a note on the table.

You are on restriction until further notice. All mail is to be presented to me before you open it or send any out. Leave your wand on the table; you have no need of it. You will be present at every meal starting tomorrow. Do not test me anymore than you all ready have.

-R

Harry stared for a moment before laying his wand down on the counter. The sick feeling in his stomach was nearly debilitating and as soon as he was safely back in his room, he collapsed on the bed and tried to think of a way out of this horrible, horrible, situation. Clutching his hand around the note he realized that it would be dangerous to fight with Remus; he would just have to cooperate. He sat for a moment before inspiration struck. They would be going back to Number 12 for the next full moon. If he could just make it until then, he could escape while Remus was unable to stop him.

He heard the backdoor slam downstairs and a moment later his name was called. As he made his way back down he hoped that his plan worked. He couldn't help but think the next few weeks were going to be dreadful.

AN:

Poor Harry! Thanks for reading!