Author's Note:

Alright! The penultimate chapter! Next Sunday will be the last one to conclude the first year!

I'll keep these notes short and sweet so you can get to the good stuff, but Thanks again for the love!

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

The Last Moon

Remus arrived back to the exact spot he stood with professor Zilar before but was disappointed to find it empty. He sniffed and searched the air for where the metallic scent was the strongest, leading him into a thicker brush of trees. He followed what he discovered as a trail of blood littering the foliage and bark until he reached a clearing in the wood. There was another, like him, hunched over a pile that he couldn't quite discern in the middle of the clearing. The other stood up straight, and Remus could see that he was much larger than he, towering at least twice the size of himself. He stalked over, making him shrink back down and tuck his ears back again. As he sniffed Remus over, he was close enough that he could see his bloodstained claws and muzzle. When he was done giving him a once over, he startled Remus by roaring loudly in his face enough to echo through the forest and make his eardrums ring.

The other took off quickly passed Remus, leaving him in the clearing alone. Once he was sure he was alone, he walked over to the mound to see what the other werewolf was hunched over. Now that he had a closer look, he could see that hidden beneath a pile of dirt and leaves was a set of eyes staring back at him. He curiously dug and brushed away at the dirt, revealing the rest of the body… or at least what was left of it. After exposing him to the night air, it was obvious to him now that it was the source of the scent he'd followed since he transformed. He didn't recognize his professor in his current state, so the sight of his mangled body on torn limbs didn't do much to faze him. The most seeing him accomplished was causing an incredible amount of frustration that he didn't get to tear into him first. He sniffed the air again hoping to find another trail that would lead him to the satisfaction.

The forest had been much more welcoming than the shack. The deeper he travelled the wilder the wood became in comparison to its borders. The trees changed in shape in colour that reflected and illuminated the foliage with the moonlight Eventually he'd reached a point deep enough where the trees stopped moving with the wind and instead moved on their own. It was a completely different place than when he'd arrived, even the creatures he could hear scurrying and rustling in the night he could sense were completely native to this wild reach. Therein seemed to rest the problem for him… it was all only just the creatures.

It seemed that what he forgot when he was human was all present memory while he was a werewolf. Nights of tearing the floorboards and clawing at the walls, windows, and doors were all very prevalent in his mind as if they were spread out days ago rather than months at a time. Memories of being enclosed seemed to stir up more feelings of rage and animosity. He broke into a run, not even sure for what he was searching for anymore. The farther he pressed deeper into the woods, the more desperate he became to find something to sate him.

He must have traveled a dozen miles alone. The solidarity was frustrating him so much that when he finally took a moment to stop, he lashed out and ripped at the trees and dirt around him. It didn't matter to him that when his claws and teeth gnashed against whatever would show resistance that he in turn was hurting himself, just hurting something felt good. He thought of the shack again, how the walls were like stone in a guise of wood and the windows were an unbreakable veil; neither of which would show any more damage than superficial marks. This was so much better, feeling the tree bark splintering and the earth tearing beneath him.

His rampage was interrupted when a large branch swooped down and knocked him off his feet, knocking him back in the air a considerable distance from the tree. He stood up and roared in a similar fashion the other wolf showed him, only not nearly as terrifying. His ears perked up as he sensed he wasn't alone. Remus hunched over again and braced prepared himself to attack when he saw a wolf with crystal blue eyes, and fur as white as the full moon in the sky emerged from behind trunk, far enough away that he could only just make it out, but close enough to spring and attack if he needed to. He snarled in their direction hoping to scare them away, and was disappointed to see the wolf not budge an inch. Instead a dozen other wolves emerged from behind the surrounding trees, making him feel strangely isolated and endangered. He was the only making any noise. The pack stood around in complete silence focused on him. His snarls turned into whimpering and he looked around to find an opening in the wolves to escape only to find they had him enclosed.

There is no need to be afraid; you are safe here among us. A female voice rang through his ears. Remus knew well enough that the voice wasn't coming from outside, but rather in his head. He couldn't explain how, but he knew the voice belonged to the white wolf. The other wolves sat down in affirmation of the words ringing through his ears. I am Yuna, leader of this pack. It is not often we find lycanthropes stalking our wood. The word sounded like a far off whisper in his mind, like he'd heard it in another life but couldn't quite place it. It stopped mattering him in a few seconds. Now that the other wolves had been pacified, he hunched himself over again to prepare to run. We cannot allow you to roam free. She said, making the other wolves stand again. I know you may not know yourself, but I know you, child. The humans will come when the sun has risen and you will have much to face with them. Remus wasn't sure of what she was eluding to, but the longer she droned on in his head, the more frustrated he felt as a low growl built in his throat. You won't satisfy your savage hunger here. The last thing he could remember was lunging in the opposite direction of Yuna to run before another wolf flanked him from the side and knocked him out cold.

x-x-x

At first light in the morning well before the rest of the castle woke, two figures strode into the Forbidden Forest with their wands drawn. One of them being Professor McGonagall, who had fashioned herself with a thick dark-green travel cloak along with Professor Dumbledore, who both drew deeper into the wood with steady determination and worry for their mission.

Routine broke when Professor Zilar didn't return to report back to the castle that Remus had reached the shack and transformed. It didn't take long after that to put two-and-two together that he'd run off to the forest, or had been taken. Fortunately when Zilar had initially joined the faculty, he'd passed on basic knowledge of basic tracking skills to follow a werewolf's path that led the pair to a clearing near the border of the forest and school grounds. In the daylight, it wasn't hard to deduce what lied beneath the messy pile of dirt and leaves on the far end. McGonagall still approached it warily; covering her mouth and nose upon discovering Ellis Zilar's broken and slashed body, staring at it for a few moments before shaking her head. Doing best to save face, she brought her hand back down to her sides.

"What are we going to do Albus?" She asked as he steadily approached. "There will be questions. The Ministry will want him to answer for-for what's happened to Ellis..."

"They will make him answer for crimes he hasn't committed, I'm afraid."

"You don't believe he was capable?"

"I believe he was more than capable…" Dumbledore waved his wand revealing one of the more gruesome slashes across Zilar's chest. "Guilty however..." "Right, your 'theory.'" She replied sounding slightly annoyed. "There may not be time for that, the lacerations alone are enough to convince the Wizengamot to—"

"I will deal with the Wizengamot when the time comes. For now, we need to get him safely back to school and alert his parents." Dumbledore said while cutting her off and waving his wand again that the leaves and foliage around him unraveled and loomed together to form a fabric that wrapped itself around Zilar's body, cocooning him until they two would undoubtedly need to bring him back along with Remus.

xxx

As they finished, a large white wolf walked into the clearing from a break in the trees, grabbing both professors' attention. As she approached it became more apparent that she'd been carrying something on her back. It was Remus. Professor McGonagall gripped her wand tightly in her hand, ready to stun the beast and take the boy when the opportune moment arose when a very clear voice in her head stopped her from attacking.

My pack found the boy and kept him from harm, though unfortunately not from himself. Said the voice of the wolf, echoing in their minds. Professor McGonagall lowered her wand. Yuna walked until she was stood in front of them, carefully leaning down until Remus rolled off of her back. Almost every inch of him was either cut or bruised There was another. Was the last thing she conveyed before bowing her head and sprinting off in the other direction until her white coat was no longer visible in the wood.

Almost immediately, Professor McGonagall shed her green cloak and wrapped it around Remus to cover him, being mindful of his injuries. She then scooped him up and looked at Dumbledore, who still had a dreamy look in his eyes as he stared off into the direction of where Yuna ran off.

"Hagrid did mention to us that there were other werewolves in the forest."

"Yes, I gathered that too, but it certainly was not what I expected. Especially considering, well." She gestured to the bundled up Remus in her arms.

"Indeed. Shall we?" Dumbledore pointed the way with an open hand. As they began to leave the clearing, he flicked his wand towards the professor and the wrapped body levitated, following close behind them as they journeyed from the woods back to the castle.

"Professor, should he be around the other students?" Said Professor McGonagall, making Dumbledore give her a quizzical look. "I simply mean he is injured… it might raise questions."

"Nothing our matron cannot handle. Now that the poison is out of her system, she's opted to restore him by this afternoon at the latest, which places him in time for your Transfiguration exam if I'm not mistaken."

x-x-x

He was in his old house again, sat on the armchair with his feet on top of the coffee table. Remus realised he wasn't in control of his actions again when he brought a cigarette to his lips. He took a deep drag and blew a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling before burning a hole into the cushion to put it out. He'd been planning. Getting into the house was the easy part. He hoped a wizard like Lyall Lupin would be stupid enough to go soft in muggle comforts and not enchant the locks. Since he now had time to kill he figured he'd enjoy himself before the real fun began. The animosity in his thoughts made it clear to Remus who he was. He was Fenrir Greyback in his home the night of the attack. He'd been the main character in his recurring nightmare again, only now it seemed different. The colours were brighter, the sounds clearer and the smells were stronger. He could practically taste the tobacco in the air. He didn't remember this all from previous dreams. It was as if he were truly there.

He turned his head towards one of the curtains to see the full moon light peeking through, and smiled as he stretched and cracked his neck. It felt good knowing he had a control over his transformation that night, at least until he needed it. He stood up to get to work, walking carefully around the living room to find something to pick up a scent. With the musk of tobacco in the air, it was much easier to pinpoint something rather than have a mix of others. This was a delicate operation, and he needed to be meticulous… plus, he rather liked the taste of Lambert and Butler. He kicked around the toys and socks on the floor, hoping one of them would elicit a strong smell, only finding purchase from the bundle of clothes that reeked of Remus conveniently placed on the sofa.

The next part was familiar, the way he could pinpoint the direction of the smell after bringing one of his small shirts to his face and inhaling deeply. He could detect faint traces of how Remus ran through the living room and kitchen, being more prominent as it spread through the back of the house. Greyback stopped first at the hallway, looking at all of the family photos of the Lupins. First was the happy couple, then the couple with a bundle of joy. It made him feel sick, like a perfect ignorant family. When he stopped at what he gathered was the most recent family picture of them all smiling together, the glass splintered. They looked entirely too blissful. He caught a glimpse of his own reflection in one of the shattered pieces, but before Remus could get a good look at his face, he'd already turned to continue down the hallway.

Greyback had tried the first door on this left, turning the doorknob until the new scent swept over him when he cracked the door. The anger rose in him again as the memory of the night before was fresh in his head. How close he'd come to luring a muggle away to attack until Lupin interfered. How he'd kept him for hours on end asking stupid questions and throwing around baseless accusations. How he insulted him.

His arrogance would not go unpunished.

Almost as quickly as he'd opened it, he closed the door, still gripping the doorknob tightly as if he'd intended to draw blood. Thinking of it now, it would have been easy to kill Lyall and his wife in their sleep. There wouldn't have been time for him to frantically reach for his wand, let alone protect his muggle wife from having the flesh peeled from her bones… Then again, the revenge he had in mind was much sweeter. He let go of the door handle and turned to Remus' scent again, inhaling the air once more to allow him to see the trail leading to the last door at the end of the hallway.

Just as carefully as before, he'd opened the door without a squeak of the hinges. Greyback treaded lightly on the carpet and took a deep breath through his nostrils once again to soak in the savory smell he'd been practically watering his mouth for all night. He drew his own wand from inside his jacket pocket and flicked it toward the window, making the glass panes silently slide against one another to allow in a breeze as well as the full moon's light filtering through the curtains. He sat down at the edge of the bed and pulled back the covers to reveal the face and pungent aroma of a much younger and smaller Remus, completely asleep and devoid of scars. The anticipation had been building to this point. He was going to get his payback. He nudged the young Remus awake, and knowing how the current moment of the dream sequence played out, Remus had waited for the point of view to change. To watch the transformation from his own young eyes, reliving the worst of his memories. But nothing changed.

Young Remus wiped the sleep from his eyes and stared back at him waiting for his eyes to adjust. The moment he mistook him for his own father made it even more obvious this dream would be different from the others. His little voice grated in his ears as he asked him whether or not is was bedtime, and Remus could feel the hair on Greyback's neck prickle as the curtains parted enough to expose him completely to the moon. He answered in a strained voice as he could feel his transformation begin... but it wasn't like anything Remus remembered.

Even in his dream in Greyback's skin, Remus could remember the night before. He could remember the he incredible pain, the uncomfortable shifting and elongating of his bones stretching and ripping his skin. It was difficult for him to remember a more terrible experience, despite what he was witnessing through his dream now since most of it had been blocked for good reason. Even so, he could feel his body going through the same changes but they weren't painful, in fact it was quite the opposite. Transforming for Greyback felt good, like his body had been ready and waiting. It was a relief, like the human side of him was a coat he simply shed and the wolf was the real version of himself. Through his alteration, he wasn't even paying attention to the little boy crying and scared on the bed.

"Wh-What's that noise?" Asked the younger Remus, making Greyback turn his attention to him, breathing heavily and ragged. "I'm scared." He could tell now that the boy couldn't see the werewolf in his room just yet, which made the anticipation that much better. What a surprise he would be in for. The only thought crossing his mind was how scared he was right to be.

Just then he let out a horrible yell as the realization came to. It was a bit disorienting at first, being so sensitive to noises had that drawback. Greyback quickly lunged at his face a second too late as he'd brought the blankets over his head, still wailing. He knew he wouldn't have a lot of time left as he could hear the rustling around in his parent's room down the hall. Not wasting a moment, he swiped the blanket, shredding it with his claws and tossing it to the floor before roaring loudly in the boy's tearstained face.

Remus wanted to close his eyes, as he knew what part came next, but no matter how tightly they were shut, the scene still played without interruption in his mind. He grabbed the younger version of himself by the arm to bring him closer and felt his teeth sink and tear through the skin of his face, making the wailing eerily cease immediately. Remus felt his own face burn in that instant, like being forced to watch himself get bitten caused a reaction.

In a moment of admiration if his work, he looked at the passed out little boy, seeing his teeth marks etched in his skin like a signature. The two longest and most prominent lacerations in parallel lines looked deepest and drew the most blood, where the smaller ones in-between just began to for their own pinpricks all along his face.

A second later a new scream pierced the night from his mother who'd been standing outside of the doorframe as his father blasted him with a stunning spell that made him take a step backwards after dropping the boy back onto the bed, effectively staining the bed sheets red. He was hit by another spell, then another, then another before roaring in frustration. The spells stopped when Lyall's sudden realization of who he was changed his tune. Remus watched as angry tears filled his father's eyes and in righteous anger threw more aggressive curses. Before more of the nasty ones could hit him, Greyback jumped out of the open window an escaped.

x-x-x

Remus's eyes fluttered open in the hospital wing, his face still a bit sore from his dream. Still adjusting to the light, he looked down at his hands to see bandages individually wrapped around his fingertips and thumbs. He wasn't as sore anymore, but he still had vivid memories of the night before of practically scratching the bark off of trees that he was sure was the reason why they were dressed. Unfortunately it wasn't the only thing he'd remembered. It had been in fact the only full moon night that he was able to fully recollect in his mind at all. He pushed the nightmare towards the back of his mind now that he could focus on the waking world. There was too much at hand now to worry about his unsettlingly vivid nightmares.

"You'll be fine taking those off now if you'd like." Said a female voice, making Remus smile in relief in getting to focus on something else. It wasn't until his brain caught up with his ears that he recognized it, knowing it didn't come from Madam Pomfrey… or any other member of the faculty. He sat up quickly, almost making himself black out again from the rush of blood to his head when he saw a girl with a familiar set of blonde pigtails sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Thalia? y-you shouldn't be here." He said, looking around frantically, only realising then that he'd been shirtless with more dressing wrapped around his chest. Still, he instinctually grabbed the blankets to cover himself. "Madam Pomfrey— y-you can't see me like th—"

"It's alright." She said, looking down at her lap. "She left a few minutes ago the greenhouse. Besides I wanted to make sure you were okay... after last night." Remus remained silent, getting more and more stressed out the longer she sat there. It was passed the point now of pretending to be ill with sickness since he had bandages all over him. She looked up to him then quickly back down, slightly pursing her lips. "I won't tell anyone if that's what you're afraid of."

"I'm not afraid." He replied as a knee-jerk reaction, not really fooling her or him. They sat in a few seconds of silence before he asked the question hanging in the air. "How…?"

"Someone I care about is the same. So I know the signs." She said, looking up at him and finally making eye contact. He tilted his head at her. "And it's hard not to notice you disappearing once a month. At the full moon." Remus looked away and started to feel sick. Someone else knew. He could practically see everything unravel in front of him now.

"Has anyone else…?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He hoped with everything he had in him that she'd say no. If the headmaster made anything perfectly clear it was that no one could know.

"I don't think so. Everyone does believe you're ill. At least in the classes we have together. Which isn't much, but… No one really talks about it anyway." She shrugged. It made him feel relieved, and even still worse. He was thankful that the charade was still intact, but had he really been drifting by this invisible the whole time that no one noticed? Or cared? Remus sat up a little straighter as he thought about his friends all sitting around enjoying their company without him... then he thought of Lily doing the same and the feeling got worse. Thalia must have sensed his mood as she cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her.

"I should get going, the matron will be back any minute now." She stood up and flattened her skirt "I really am glad you're okay." She said with a small smile. "I remember you told me you liked chocolate frogs on the train, so I brought you one since I really didn't get to last time. It helps." He looked over to the stand next to his bedside and smiled weakly at the unopened box.

"Thank—" He looked back to her and she was gone, disappearing behind the curtain and footsteps clicking farther away "you…" Remus reached for the chocolate frog and unwrapped it, making sure to catch it in his bandaged fingers before it jumped away and took a bite to negate the spell as he picked off the chocolate limbs. It was difficult to eat it the way he wanted with the bandages. Using his teeth, he bit at the fabric of his index finger to unravel it. The cloth turned darker brown the closer he got to his skin like there'd been a lot of blood, but by the time he'd reached his flesh there wasn't a scratch on him. His fingernail had completely grown back.

"Snuck one of those in your knapsack did you?" Said Madam Pomfrey, startling him. He didn't hear her walk in but judging by her demeanor, Thalia must have just missed her. Whatever the case, he was happy to see her healthy. "I meant to take those off before I left, sorry about that. As soon as we're done, you'll need to go back to your common room to get ready."

"Right. Class. Exams." Remus replied as she waved her wand in small circles, making all of the bandages unravel themselves into a neat roll in her hands.

"Your exams have been postponed until next week." She said without looking at him.

"What? But why—" Remus stopped himself. Attacking the trees and himself weren't the only things he'd recalled about the previous night as he remembered the dead eyes of the professor staring back at him from the ground.

"There's a memorial service… I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Remus, but professor Zilar is gone."

"Gone…" He echoed, staring down at his unscathed fingertips. She checked his torso and made the same motion to have his dressings removed. As if knowing what he was thinking, she spoke again.

"No one is sure as to what from as of yet. If only I'd not been ill, I may have been able to…" She sighed deeply. "It won't start for a few hours, but you're well enough now that you should spend time with your friends."

xxx

After her routine check ups to make sure he was okay to leave, Remus climbed up the enchanted staircase to the seventh floor, hearing whispers of the students as he passed them by. He was selfish enough for a few seconds to think they were about him, knowing now that Thalia knew his secret. As he walked by, in passing he could hear how they were all about the same thing, yet none of them about him. Professor Zilar. The stories and rumors started as vague ideas, and grew more preposterous the higher he went until eventually they began closer to the truth.

Maybe an old enemy put a hit out on him. Y'think?

I heard he was attacked by something in the woods.

Must have been something big, yeah?

I mean it was a full moon. Could have been a werewolf.

From what I heard he's torn up enough that it could have been a whole pack of them.

The questions and suggestions all rang through his ears like church bells, each hitting him harder than the last. It reminded him of where he was at the same time the year before in the muggle school, listening to the students privately chat on about their theories of what happened to an accidentally bewitched teacher while he rushed away from the spotlight as fast as he could. Thinking of his former croaking teacher made him realize just how far he'd come since then from honing his magic to making friends, only to end up in the exact same position of running away from the truth by avoiding anyone smart enough to realise that what happened was his fault.