Hello! I'm back!!!! Pretend I never left please! So, I have AP's and our spring drama, and my violin all-state auditions in three weeks, so don't expect anything till after then. but after that, pester me please. I need to get these chapters out.

IMPORTANT!

Italics = what Remus is thinking.

"Quoted italics"= what wolfy has to say about it.

"Regular quotes" = normal speaking.

COMENSE READING IN 5...4...3.…2.…1!!!!

The world came to Remus through a grayish brown fog, choking his human senses . Secondhand air filled his lungs, already absorbed, murky, and moist, like industrial fumes, while his sight swung around, veiled and tunneled. As his hearing stretched a mile wide his head whipped around, primordial instinct and bestial intent telling him that he was no longer alone.

What is that? Remus wondered, to which a prominent growl took over. Moving with unnatural accuracy, Remus leapt towards the trunk of a high tree, clinging to the bark like glue. He looked through his fog to find himself twenty feet in the air, balanced, crouching, and ready to strike.

What am I doing?

"Hunting." the wolf replied, shifting their body towards the distant noise.

Hunting what?

"Three beings. Listen to their pace. Their rhythm. Their volume, One is a large man. His gait is wide. His first companion is a smaller man who struggles in the forest roots."

We're hunting men?

"Two men."

Who is the third ?

"Tell me. Use your senses." Remus stretched his hearing further, wrapping it around the impending sound until he was sure of what he heard. The large man, his feet heavy and pounding. The smaller, fumbling. And a third. The rhythm was shorter, and more consistent than the others.

Four legs?

"Well now, aren't we a smart one?"

He is leading the humans….. Not a centaur. A dog? A big dog.

"Now that we hear him, it will not be long for him to do the same. Stillness is the advantage, as is altitude. He will be lead to this spot, but cannot reach us."

Why are you telling me this?

"I may seem a parasite, dear one, but I am not entirely maniacal. I am teaching you. Be still now."

Why are you-

"Be still now! Obey me or this will be difficult."

Remus clenched his fingers into the bark, balancing his weight so he was poised to strike.

"Oh the glory of thumbs. Perhaps it is the only downfall of my kind….. Our kind, really. Isn't that advantageous for the both of us? Access to your human form? Certainly it will assist our hunt."

I hate you.

A jolt of pain jolted through his head, plunging his world into blackness and panic. The wolf had stolen his sight.

What did you just do!? Remus shouted into the depths of his mind. His own voice echoed in his ears.

"Precautionary. Wouldn't want you to disobey, now would I?"

I don't want to hunt anything!!

"We'll then I'll just push the rest of your senses away from you. Would you like that?"

Okay, Okay!!! I'll hunt, I'm sorry!

"Choose your prey."

What?

"I know you understood me. Choose your prey. Quickly now."

……Not the large one.

"A shame, I do enjoy a challenge. Why not the small human?"

I don't want to hunt a human!!

Remus felt his muscles seize. In one stroke the wolf had stolen everything. He was gone to the world, suddenly lost in his own mind.

"Not wise. I thought you were a fast learner. I suppose I was wrong."

Stop it! Give me my eyes back! Give me my Body back!

"You're not still fighting, are you? Do you want to lose complete consciousness? Or would you like to at least know what the body you currently inhabit is doing?"

Please!

"Say you'll hunt the human."

I-

"Say it! You insolent little scum!"

Okay! I'll hunt the human! Please give me my senses back!

"…If you insist."

Remus saw his sight flicker on like a faulty light bulb, sputtering and dim. He heard the cadence of his approaching prey closer than before.

"I will maintain control of this hunt, but you will learn . As of now, we are still. Silent. We are invisible."

The footsteps grew louder, only a dozen meters away. The dog, still leading the way, bound forward with a triumphant bark, scratching at the bark of Remus' tree.

"What is he barking at now, another owl?" A familiar voice sounded tired and agitated.

"Nah, nah." Said a deeper voice. "He's got somethin' now."

"Up a tree? What could he possibly find there? We need to find my son, not a bird."

"Down boy, Down!" the deeper voice called the dog off. The dog, a droopy but vicious bloodhound, ignored him, continuing to howl up the tree until he caught Remus' eyes. The wolf glared down through Remus' pupils. The bloodhound's barks faded to whines as he slinked away.

What are you going to do?

"Hunt human…. Ah. Even better, he is your familiar."

familiar?

"Your prey. Who is he?"

…..Dad!

"What we are going to do." growled the wolf, "Is put on a little show."

Remus shuddered internally. You're using me as bait now.

"Bait is a harsh word, don't you think? I simply think of you as a resource. Resources are meant to be used…. Showtime!"

Without warning Remus felt his fingers unravel from their branch, releasing their grip until he hung desperately by one hand. He let out a shriek.

"Remus!?" John ran forward, peering up into the branches. "Remus!"

"Dad!" he heard himself yell helplessly. His fingers broke loose of their grip one by one.

Are you crazy!? We're way too high up! We could die from this fall!

"He will catch us. Trust me."

I have no other choice, do I?

"Now you're learning."

"Remus! I've got you!"

A sudden blur of falling, and Remus felt the warmth of his father's arms.

"Remus." John whispered, burying his face in his son's hair.

"Dad, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to cause any trouble!"

"Its alright. Everything is alright. I was so worried-"

"how touching."

"…..Moonrise is in about an hour. We must hurry back."

"Wait!" Remus pulled away. "We can't go yet."

What are you doing?

"Separating the flock for a wolf's feast."

Remus glanced at his father, and then to the large man behind him, who watched with an obvious curiosity.

"Dad…" Remus whispered, his voice quivering hopelessly. "That man. tell him to go back, okay?"

"Why? Remus, what's the matter?"

"Just tell him." he breathed. John turned to look at the larger man.

"Hagrid, thank you very much for your help. Would you go back and alert Professor Dumbledore that we have found him? We aren't too far, We can find our way back."

The man named Hagrid cocked an eyebrow, but nodded. "I'll do tha', yeah."

"Thank you."

Hagrid called his dog to his side and retreated, his footsteps slowly receding into silence.

For Remus, the world suddenly moved into slow-motion. John's slow and clumsy movements were obvious to his quick eyes. Before the man could even turn around he was crouched and ready to strike.

You can't do this! You can't! He's my father!

His teeth were bared. A growl escaped his throat. His feet were steady and balanced. As Remus resisted, he felt the failure of his own senses. He gathered his energy slowly, from the corners of his mind, and in a last resort, pooled his concentration. He attacked his own mind. wolf screamed in his ears, but it no longer dominated his thoughts. For a spare moment, Remus was in control.

And with a desperate glance up at his father, his last ounce of energy left him. The world tilted over into agonizing blackness.

He snuck through the portrait hole as dinner began, hoping that most people would be eager for food, and his entrance would go as unnoticed as possible. The common room was deserted, with the exception of a group of 7th years laughing loudly by the fire, and a pair of fifth years snogging near the entrance. They wouldn't care about a puny firstie walking to his dormitory, but just in case, he tip-toed towards the stairs. If he made it up to the landing, he would be safe. He could close the door to the empty dormitory (he had seem James and company headed towards the Great Hall), change into night clothes, shut his curtains tight around his bed, and catch up on the mountain of homework he had missed until sleep overtook him. Everything was going according to plan, until-

"Remus?"

He swore to himself. Remus plastered a smile to his face as he turned to see Lily Evans and Alice Drew starring at him from across the commons. Luckily, they were at a far enough distance not to notice the gash along the side of his face, or the dark circles beneath his eyes, or any other abnormality that might bring about their concern, but it wasn't long at all before they ran closer, and caught sight of his degraded condition.

"Hi Remus!" Alice smiled, as usual, until she looked closer at him. "Are you alright?"

"Remus where did you go?" Lily frowned. "I thought I would see you in potions, and then you never showed up, I was worried....."

"I was sick." He said quickly. Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Sick?"

"You must have been pretty sick! You were gone for days!"

"What happened you your face?"

"I um.... fell." lame. He thought. So lame. They will never believe you. Get your story straight!

"You fell?"

"Well, yes." He ran his hand through his hair. "When, um.... When McGonagall called me into her office, she thought I looked ill. I...... I passed out in her room.... Fell ....onto something. I don't know what. But I had some sort of Flu. Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let me leave."

They both seemed to accept his response.

"Well, are you alright now?" Lily's eyes seemed to beg for him to be alright. He couldn't lie. Not to her. She just wanted to know what had happened to him. She was sweet, after all, maybe she would accept him...except that he couldn't trust anyone. Those eyes were just manipulating him into spilling his secrets. He wouldn't let them. He wouldn't tell Lily. A good person or not, he couldn't trust her. In this thought, he found the courage to lie once more.

"Oh yes. I'm Fine." He smiled wide to convince her, which it did. He felt oddly guilty. "I'm rather tired though. I'll see you in the morning."

He fled up the stairs before she could keep him any longer. He slammed the door as tightly as he could, sinking his entire weight against it. His body ached, his head throbbed, and his brain screamed for sleep. Reluctantly, he pushed himself towards the bed and removed from his bag the assignments Professor McGonagall had so kindly compiled for him. The papers covered his mattress. He got to work, not even bothering with pajamas, as sleep was now far from priority. He sighed.

Not even three weeks here yet..... He thought. This is going to be a long year.

----------Fin--------------------------------------------------------------

Woo! Well, pretend that didn't take me a year to post, and this is pretty good! yay! REVIEW! PLEASE!