Rating of R

I do not own the characters, JKR does. I simply borrow them.

Blood Chronicles

"...Greyback specializes in children...Bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards"
-Remus Lupin, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 334

What if, when Remus Lupin was bitten, Greyback stole him off into the middle of the night. What if he was never found. What if he never went to Hogwarts and never met three people that could change his life forever. What if he met one of them. Six years too late. This is that what if story.

I'm sorry for any mistakes you may find. I know that they're there, so no need to point them out. The most I can do is apologize. This has not been beta read but I really wanted to get the chapter out so I'd thought I'd give it to you guys anyway.

This is for all you anonymous reviews out there. I do love you. I really do. I just don't want to write replies to you in my fic. I'm sorry, and I know that's what most people do, but if you hadn't noticed after twenty-three chapters, I'm not one of them. So if you think I hate you, I don't. I want to reply to all of you. So, if the reply is what you're looking for, just log it, yeah? Thanks, and I hope that didn't sound as mean as I think it did. No hard feelings! Just thought I should say something!

Blood Chronicles

-

"John," Dumbledore's concerned flooded eyes focused on the shaken man that was twenty shades paler than he had been upon entering the room.

The younger man brushed off the comforting hand gently gripping his shoulder. He took a gulping lungful of air and then exhaled slowly. He counted to ten in three different languages. John repeated this procedure nine times. Albus Dumbledore was silent and waited patiently.

"Not now, Albus. I just..." John broke off, eyes fixed on something distant. Blank and unseeing as his mind ran the film reel of the conversation he'd had with Remus over and over again.

The repeated but gentle shake of his shoulder pulled him out of his recollections.

"John? Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Fine," he muttered, distracted. "I'd just..." His eyes sought out those of his old headmaster and pleaded.

"Like to be alone?"

"John nodded.

"You know where I am if need be."

John nodded. Dumbledore inclined his head in a silent dismissal.

John nodded.

"John?"

His back turned to Dumbledore, John halted but did not turn about to face him.

"Yes, sir?" He asked dully, quietly.

"What do you say? Do you really think it fair to let him suffer through a society that he could never dream of being a part of again?"

John didn't answer for a very long time. Instead, his mind was focused on days long since past and a boy forever lost to the world with grass stained blue jeans, a lopsided smile, and a talent for catching lightening bugs one handed without squishing them.

Daddy

Not my father

I love you, Daddy

I hate you

Up, Daddy

I hate you

Love you

Hate you

Without turning, John nodded and then left without another word. Once he rounded the corner he swept at the tears freely running down his face.

"I love you and goodbye, Remus, my son."

-

Sirius sighed, two plastic bowls and a half full box of Cheerios balanced on his hip, and opened the white door with his free hand. He smiled slightly when he saw Remus waiting for him with an eager expression in place as he waited on the other side of the door. His mind raced back to the conversation he'd had with Albus Dumbledore the day before and remembered that he had a purpose for visiting Remus.

Almost at once, he felt the small smile vanish from his face. He was on a mission. His hands tightened around the things that he carried. Sirius only hoped that he wouldn't fail it.

"Hi," Sirius said, relieved that his voice sounded normal.

"'Lo."

"Brought you some more Cheerios," he said with a lack of anything else to say and held out the mentioned cereal box.

Remus licked his lips and eagerly took what was offered to him. The golden Os spilled into the green plastic bowl and he ate them with his fingers one at a time. Sirius sat down with his own bowl and poured himself a bowl. He ate the food with his fingers and watched Remus as he did so. He couldn't get over how the other boy could make eating with his hands so elegant. So graceful. Too fucking graceful.

"So...Hows been stuff?" Remus asked after his stomach was satisfied for the moment.

All of their conversations always started like this and they were all capable of lasting a few hours. At least. After fifteen minutes had passed, the grim Animagus was was already lost in a world where nothing mattered and it was just him and Remus. He lost track of time after those fifteen minutes.

An unaccountable amount of time flew by until a lull finally broke their easy banter. The short break brought reality crashing painfully back to Sirius. His eyes traveled away from Remus while he spoke. He found that it was hard to look at him and talk to him at the same time all of a sudden.

"Graduation was yesterday," he said quietly, hoping that he sounded off handed.

"So did you graduate?" Remus smirked.

Sirius chuckled slightly in spite of himself. "Nope. Gotta start all over." He looked up seriously at Remus. "McGonagall had a heart attack."

The werewolf laughed, remembering all of the stories he'd heard about the tight lipped Transfiguration teacher.

"So have you got a place to stay?" Remus licked his lips, trying not to sound expecting. "A flat of your own?"

He hesitated. "Yeah."

"Cool."

There was a pause.

"Listen, Remus," Sirius sighed, deciding a blunt approach would be best. "Tyler has a place in London-"

"Wait...Tyler. Why are you talking about him?" There was a shape edge in his voice.

"It's small, but it's big enough for two-"

"That's...Nice, but I really don't care-"

"I'm giving you a choice," Sirius cut him off quickly. "You have options, Remus. An opportunity-"

"What kind of options are-"

"Don't interrupt me again. Yes, options." Sirius took a deep breath. "First off, you can go stay with Tyler and get registered. Or," he pushed on loudly, for Remus had opened him mouth with a look of protest on his face.

"Or...Or they'll turn you over the the Ministry. To...To take..."

It had to be the hardest thing he'd ever had to say.

"It's your choice. No one's gonna force you into either."

Remus was quiet for a moment.

"Those are my only options? What about letting me go?"

Sirius bit his lip and shook his head slowly. "Not an option."

"This Ministry."

Remus didn't even have to think about it. Didn't hesitate.

"Remus, don't. There are ways...You don't have to-"

"I thought you said no one was going to force me to do anything," Remus snapped. "I didn't know that that didn't apply to you."

Sirius fell silent.

"You're sure?" He asked, hating the way his voice choked on tears that he was struggling to hold back.

"Sure."

"What about some time to think-"

"No. Time is not going to change my mind."

"Then what will change you're mind?"

You

"Nothing."

"Rem-"

You, Sirius.

"Nothing."

Sirius just stared at him for a moment. The childish desire to jump up and scream and throw things and pound his fists on the floor and rip at his hair and hold his breath until he got what he wanted threatened to overpower him. For a second, he almost did just that.

His mouth opened. It wouldn't work. He closed it.

It opened again. And once again it failed to function. Again, he closed it.

Sirius stood, knowing he had to leave before he resorted to childish ways to get what he wanted and left quickly without looking back.

Remus stared at he door until the next morning.

-

"Dumbledore," Sirius spoke into the fireplace.

Tears rode the surface of his eyes and made them over bright.

"Ah, Sirius," the headmaster of Hogwarts greeted respectively. "The verdict, if you'd please?"

"Ministry."

Sirius thought about lying and saying Tyler's place as it left his mouth.

He left without hearing what Dumbledore had to say.

-