This is the second part, and since ya'll seem to like it so much, I won't torture you and not post this.


"I think I'm still sane," I said aloud. It had been a week since I'd been put in Azkaban, and I was still sane, or at least I thought I was.

"That's what they all say," said the guard. He was human, and I was almost amused by his suggestion. Of course, these days a lot of things suddenly seemed amusing. I shivered as the felt the familiar chill that accompanied the presence of a dementor. I sank back on the mattress in a corner of the room, and reflected on the events since coming here. The first two days had been sheer torture. It was awful. I kept seeing replays of all the awful stuff that had happened to me, and always the werewolf chased me through my dreams. And somehow it didn't really seem all that important which side I was fighting on. Because wasn't Voldemort more like me than anyone?

"No, I can't join him. Not now, not ever." No, I wouldn't join him. Not because of Albus or Snape or anyone else, as a matter of fact, I had long since stopped caring about anything but escape. But I wanted vengeance.

The only way to get it is join Voldemort, said a little voice in my head. And somehow, this time, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.

"Hey, you got visitors!" the human guard remarked. The door slid open, and I could see Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and Sirius standing in the doorway.

"Remus?" Harry asked, and walked over to me.

"Hi, Harry," I said softly.

"You're okay." He sounded relieved.

"Depends on what you mean by okay. I'm not totally insane, if that's what you had in mind. Not for lack of trying, though. They sure gave it their best shot." Fudge suddenly came into view behind Dumbledore. I calmly walked over to him.

"Hello, Fudge," I said coolly. He seemed to relax until I spoke again. "You ever try to put me in here again, you may get me, but I'll take you out before I go." I strode past him, out into the corridor, with Dumbledore trailing behind.

"You can't just threaten Fudge like that!" he exclaimed.

"And why not?"

"He will throw you back in Azkaban!" I shrugged.

"So? What's your point? I mean, seriously, he can't do any worse to me than he already has. And this time, I would prefer to have an actual reason for being here."

"It took a lot to get you out of there once, Remus. I probably won't be able to do it a second time."

"Then next time, don't bother."

"I can't do that!"

"Sure you can. Just forget I exist. It's not hard. The rest of the world already has." I continued down the hallway, leaving Albus behind. But I could still hear his voice.

"Just before you go and do something stupid, Remus, know this. Harry cried himself to sleep all last week, knowing you're only in here to protect him. And if you go and get yourself killed, he'll blame himself for that, too." I stopped, considering Dumbledore's words, but I didn't look back at him.

"He's got Sirius, and Snape," I said slowly.

"Yes. He does. And he's very fond of them. But you're the one he'd die for. Don't ask me why, you're a vindictive little brat if I ever saw one, but he loves you." I stared at the floor. I had to go, had to catch that dirty little rodent Peter, and yet I couldn't leave.

"Tell him - tell him that I have to go. And I have to do this by myself. But I'll be back."

"He doesn't have to. I heard you." I turned to see Harry standing beside Albus.

"Harry," I pleaded. He shook his head.

"If your vengeance is more important, then go. But why do I get the feeling that you're considering joining the one I've swore to fight?"

"Harry, no. I wouldn't do that to you." He nodded.

"Maybe. But they say Azkaban changes people..." He let his voice trail off into silence, but I could hear the accusation in his tone. And that hurt. For a split second I saw myself as I knew everyone else did. A freak, something fit to be feared, and destroyed if possible. I stared at them for a moment. Then I turned and ran.
"Remus!" I heard someone yell, but I paid no attention. I had to get away. It was the night of the full moon, and the wolf in me was in perfect agreement with what I wanted to do at the moment. Run. I made it to the front door, and flung it open. I took one last look at the life I might be giving up for so trivial a thing as my revenge, then I surrendered totally to the wolf. For the first time in my life, I welcomed the changes, welcomed the savage wolf mind because as the wolf I could totally forget for a night, something I could never do as a human.

I tipped my head back and howled, a wild, vicious sound. Then I headed for the water that surrounded the prison. I leapt in, and started paddling. The wolf was a good swimmer, and I made it across without trouble. I paused for a second on the shore, looking back at the life I'd left behind, and then I turned back toward the forests ahead of me.
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I woke slowly. I sat up and looked around the room. I was in Sirius's old house, where I'd been staying, and surprisingly enough, there wasn't much damage. Of course, I reflected, it had been a long journey and the wolf had probably been too tired to do anything drastic. I groaned as I staggered to my feet, but actually I felt surprisingly strong, better than usual after a transformation. After a minute I plopped back down into a chair and considered what I was going to do. I had to catch Peter, but more than that: I had to bring him back alive. Some people had been unconvinced by Snape's testimony that Sirius was innocent, and Peter was the only person I could think of that could clear Padfoot's reputation for good. And yet, the only way I could think of doing that would be to 'join' Voldemort. I didn't want to. It wasn't that I was afraid of him, not really; I had long since stopped fearing any monster but the one that shared my soul. It was that if I 'joined' him, I might not want to go back to the life I knew.

I mean, there was Harry of course, but I knew all too well that he'd already given me up as a lost cause. Sirius hadn't perhaps, but if it came to a showdown between me and Harry, I knew he'd do anything necessary to protect Harry. But in a way, that strengthened my resolve. Because if I did truly join Voldemort, I could rest assured that Sirius wouldn't let me hurt Harry. And I made the choice: I would go to Voldemort, see what I could, and the rest would be up to him.
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"Look what I found sneaking around," sneered a guard to Voldemort.

"I was not sneaking around," I retorted. The guard didn't answer, which gave me time to review the plan that had seemed so straightforward up until five minutes ago.

I had found Voldemort's hideout easily, it was pretty common knowledge among those who worked with Dumbledore. The only reason that Voldemort hadn't been attacked there was fear. And of course a certain desire to remain among the living, which made what I was doing so stupid. Stupid enough to work.

"Remus," Voldemort practically purred, sounding quite delighted. "You may leave," he told the guard without taking his eyes off me. The guard left hurriedly, and Voldemort chuckled evilly as he stared at me.

"So, werewolf, why are you here?"

"To take you up on your offer," I said coolly, straining to sound casual. He raised an eyebrow.

"What offer, Remus?"

"Your offer that you could cure me, if I would join you."

"Very well. But what makes you think I need you?"

"You need a spy inside Hogwarts, don't tell me you don't. Dumbledore trusts me, and whatever he won't tell me, Harry and Sirius will."

"Why should I trust you?" I smirked. I had him exactly where I wanted him.

"Because I suppose you've heard that I was put into Azkaban and Dumbledore did nothing to stop it. To put it simply, they betrayed me, and I refuse to work with people I can't trust. Besides, if I play my cards right, I might even wind up your second-in-command."

"I have a second-in-command. Wormtail is doing an adequate job." I snorted, and this time I wasn't faking my contempt.

"Adequate, perhaps. But nothing like he could be. He was never top in any of his classes, but I was quite well known in school for my knowledge of the Dark Arts." That was true, I had been top in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Voldemort studied me carefully, sizing me up, trying to decide if he could trust me. Suddenly I winced as pain shot through me, but I didn't make a sound. The pain stopped abruptly, and Voldemort nodded approvingly.

"Very good. But know this, it will be much worse if you betray me." I nodded.

"Of course. I can see you share my ideas about being betrayed."

"Perhaps. Now, about that cure." He waved a hand, and two chairs appeared. He sat down in one, and gestured for me to do the same. I did, and he continued.

"I have been working on such a thing. Working, mind. I can make the wolf form like an animagus form, meaning that you wouldn't turn into a werewolf on the full moon, and that you would have total control on when you change. You would also keep your human mind, naturally."

"Have you perfected it?" were the first words out of my mouth.

"Yes. It's still dangerous, but usually not fatal."

"Usually, huh?"

"Yes, usually. But I believe you would do very well. If I chose to do it."

"What would I have to do?"

"Prove your intentions. I intend to storm Hogwarts in a few weeks time, and if you're faithful I'll cure you. If not..." He let his voice trail off, but his meaning was plain.

"I understand. What's the main objective of the attack?"

"Getting Potter. That's how I plan to test you." I froze. He wanted me to get Harry for him?! I tried not to show my surprise.

"What an honor. Good to know that you trust me that much. But it will be difficult."

"What else would it be?" he asked, and the confidence in his voice was disturbing.

"You know," I said as though it had just occurred to me, "it might be better for me to be an animagus when we attack. Sirius is an animagus, too, and his form is a huge dog. Not trying to sound double-crossing, but that's the way it looks to me." He nodded.

"Yes, that might be a good idea. Peter is far too small to be of any help in that area, and a large animal like that might be able to cause quite a large amount of damage if he wasn't taken care of quickly. Are you sure the wolf could handle him?"

"Absolutely. We used to play-fight in our dog forms, and I always beat him. The wolf is much stronger than him."

"Fine. We'll do it before we attack, I suppose." And then he turned and left, leaving me sitting there. It was stupid, but I somehow felt guilty for plotting against him. Oh well.
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