The Familiar Stranger

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

When: Listening to Fall Out Boy! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and to clarify, I never will.

A/N So, after leaving you with that cliffy, I'm back to finish the last part of the joint chapter. The problem is, I honestly have no idea how I'm going to get it where I want to without writing 3,000 words. I'm sure you won't mind though. Thanks to any reviewers (I would name you, but I posted the last chapter a couple of seconds ago, and I doubt you've reviewed yet.) Enjoy~

Chapter 11: Black, Part Two


Alan awoke in a dark room, lit only with some old candles and the light from a wand.

It took his eyes several good seconds to adjust to the darkness, but when they did it was obvious where he was.

Alan was lying on a moldy sofa, inside the Shrieking Shack. With that realization, Alan immediately shot up from the couch, only to sink back down in a wave of dizziness.

" I wouldn't do that if I were you. It seems the Whillow gave you a beating." Alan froze.

Sitting only a few feet from Alan's right, was a man. His long matted hair fell in dark strands around his face and he was skinny enough to be a living skeleton.

Sirius Black.

Alan felt the color drain from his face. " Sirius Black?"

Sirius grinned. In the dim lighting, his smile had a slightly haunted look, but Alan ignored it.

" Ah, I see my reputation precedes me." Sirius stepped back, looking downcast. His shoulders were drawn in and his grin had turned into a frown.

" No!" Alan blurted out.

Sirius eyed him, looking curious," You know, you're an interesting kid. I find you lying at the bottom of the Whomping Willow passage, with the Marauder's Map sticking out of you back pocket and an invisibility cloak."

Alan nodded, staring at his feet.

Sirius threw a glance at Alan, before continuing," With that information, I can only assume that you were looking for me."

Finally, Alan peered up at Sirius. Alan noticed that Sirius's eyes were the same shade of gray as his. The thought calmed him down slightly. He knew what he had to do.

" I was looking for you," Alan replied.

Sirius gave him an odd look," I know you're a Gryffindor," he said, indicating Alan's torn robes," but I don't think I know anyone, even a Gryffindor, who would go looking for a mass murderer for no reason."

Alan was silent for a moment. He'd never thought Sirius Black would be a dumb man, but no one had ever figured him out so quickly. Alan concluded that Sirius was either highly intelligent or extrememly reckless for rescuing a stranger who could've come here to kill him.

" I know you're not a mass murderer," Alan said," you're innocent."

Sirius laughed, manically. He seemed stuck between disbelief and giddiness.

" Let me assure you, I am very much guilty of murder."

" Putting your trust in the wrong freind doesn't make you guilty of murder. Peter Pettigrew is the murderer," Alan said, his voice rising.

Sirius froze, and for just a second he studied Alan.

" Who are you? The only people who know what really happened that night are Peter and I. Unless you've been talking to Pettigrew, there's no way you can know what happened."

" That is where you're wrong. I didn't have to talk to anyone to know you're innocent. Where I come from, it's common knowledge." Alan and Sirius were both standing now, though Alan seemed a little unsteady.

" And where exactly do you come from?" Sirius asked. His eyes were guarded, but Alan noticed, his wand wasn't drawn. Sirius obviously no longer saw him as a threat.

" I'm from the future, and I came here to seek your help," Alan explained, in a rush.

Sirius looked confused," You came all the way to the past to seek my help? Who are you?"

Alan took a shuddering breath," My name is Alan Black. I'm your grandson."


~ In the Point of View of Professor Remus John Lupin~

I felt as though I was immoblized. I couldn't seem to convince my feet to move from where they were planted on the floor.

A couple of feet over, Teddy seemed to be having the same problem. Is eyes were locked on mine, in shock.

So whoever had sent the letter had been talking about Teddy. This puzzled me a bit, as Teddy didn't appear to be a werewolf.

At least not exactly.

I bent down so I was eye level with Teddy and started to untie him. He watched me wearily for a moment before saying," Thanks."

" It's no problem," I replied, using my wand to untie the final knot," But what I'd like to know is how you came to be tied up in the bathroom?"

Teddy mustered a small smile," It's a long story."

" I see..." I trailed off for a moment.

" Is that all you wanted to ask me?" Teddy asked, expectantly.

I pulled him to his feet, slowly," If you're referring to why I'm not asking you if you're turning into a werewolf, it's because I didn't plan to. You see, Teddy, I'm-"

"Werewolf?" Teddy supplied.

I fixed him with a pointed glance," How did you know...?"

" Intuition, I suppose," Teddy replied.

" Obviously, it's more than intuition, and I expect you to tell me the truth."

Teddy opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off," But first, I'm going to take you to my office. As you already know, I don't have much time before the moon rises."

Teddy nodded, looking troubled. His hair had reverted to a black color.

I placed a hand on his shoulder," You'll be safe there, I promise."

He glanced up at me, his eyes were watery, but he didn't appear to be crying.

Then he lurched forward, hugging me tightly. I jumped a little, as I hadn't been expecting it, but then I relaxed.

I had no idea why, but in that moment everything seemed to come together. There was still a mystery to uncover, but I didn't care.

I finally felt happy again.


A/N Yes, it is short. :P But, it's a two-part chapter, so if you put them together...it makes one large chapter. Btw, my spell checker still isn't working, so I'm deeply sorry for any mistakes!

Anyway, now to answer some questions from my reviews:

To MissSadieKane: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like how I'm unveiling things rather slowly. To answer your question, A.P. classes (or Advanced Placement classes) are college-level classes that one can take in highschool. At the end of term, we have to take an A.P. test, and if we pass the test with a high enough score, we'll recieve college credit for the class. Thanks for asking. :)

To Aren: Thanks for your brilliant reviews :) And to answer your question, Junior Year of highschool equates to Grade 11. ( There are typically 12 years of pre-college schooling in America.) And I'm sixteen years old, so I should graduate from highschool in early 2013, when I'm eighteen.