Everything was quite normal that Saturday morning at Hogwarts. The Marauders were the only ones left for the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts. Of course there were still these Slytherins Snape and Malfoy, but they didn't count, they weren't humans.

"Have you done you all your homework?" asked Sirius thoughtfully. James looked at him with a bewildered expression on his face.

"What did you say?" Remus asked.

"Homework? Since when were you concerned about homework?" James chuckled.

"I'm not." Sirius replied. "I'm just bored. At least if we had some homework it'd be something to do." Remus shook his in disbelieve and James grinned.

"Why don't you read a book if you are so bored Sirius?" said Remus returning to his book he was reading, 'Hogwarts: a History', about the fifth time.

"So do we still have any homework or not?" Sirius asked annoyed and the rest of the Marauders shook their heads. Sirius looked around bored and got up leaving the common room.

"Where did he go? Did I say something wrong?" Remus asked looking concerned. James shrugged his shoulders returning to his letter to Lily.

In the meanwhile Sirius walked down the corridor. He was going to the owlery, to check on Fwapster. And yet, he never made it. Asked later, about what happened, Sirius couldn't have told you. Somewhere on the way from the common to the owlery, he forgot. What did he forget? His memory?

***

Back in the common room,

"Hiya Sirius! Where have you been?" asked James.

"Owlery." Said Sirius, but he looked the other way.

"Sent anything?" asked Peter.

"No." his voice was expressionless.

"Hey! What's up? Is there something wrong?" asked Remus. Suddenly Sirius turned around and gave them a big grin. "Course not!" he laughed a big hearty laugh, "I was only putting it on." This was more like Sirius, Remus thought.

"Game of Exploding Snap anyone?" asked James, waving a pack of cards.

"Me." Answered Sirius.

Sirius was winning until he blew until he blew up his Hanger card and had to hand over the lot to James. "Ha! All mine! Wham, bang, thank you ma'am…Sirius?" Sirius was looking at James, staring at him. His eyes narrowed, his head was down. He seemed to be staring James out. His pupils dilated, his eyes were black and menacing. They suddenly looked like two volcano craters, empty, yet hiding fiery secrets deep below that might explode any time. And if you looked closely, you could see the hint of a flame, burning deeply.

"Sirius is everything ok? James asked putting the cards aside and looking at his best friend closely. Everything was quiet for several minutes as the three watched Sirius concerned, who was now shaking his head and smiling.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked but nobody answered. Only as he asked the second time somebody answered, James. "You were staring at me like if you were going to hex me on the spot."

"I would never dare to do that James, and you all of people should know that!" Sirius exclaimed which left James speechless. His best friend had just yelled at him without any reason. James go up and left the common room, followed by Peter who didn't want to become the next victim of Sirius' rage. "For what was that for?" Remus asked nervously sitting down next to Sirius where James had been sitting before. He had a close look at his friend who seemed to him so different then the person he had known before.

***

Sirius sat up, awake in bed that night. His hands were resting on his bent knees. He noticed how white his skin looked in the light: blueish white. The moonlight shone on his feet, but as a cloud passed, the light faded.

He sat there, staring, as if in a trance eyes fixed, but not focused, on his right hand. The clocked ticked. Second's passed. Sirius' hand began to clench. He was grabbing hold of his knee, tighter, tighter, with no reason for doing so. His eyes dilated and his mouth opened in a startled 'o'. Stop! He screamed at himself, stop! But his hand held firm.

Eventually, he managed to overcome it. He flung his hand away from his knee and heaved a sigh of relief.

Desperately, he looked around. Who had done that? It must have been an imperius curse. Yet try as he might, there was no one.

***

During the next morning somebody was still missing at breakfast and it was Sirius, Remus noticed. The curtains still had been still closed has he had the dormitory this morning.

As he had arrived in the Great Hall James and Peter were already sitting there quietly enjoying their breakfast. At least that was what Remus was thinking until he sat down opposite the two.

"Morning! Has anybody seen Sirius?" Remus asked and James gave him a daring look. "Sorry, I won't disturb you anymore my highness." Remus said amused trying to cheer up James. But after receiving another killing glare he shut up. Slowly starting to eat his breakfast.

Nobody dared to say a word, as things could only get worst. As Remus got up, James also got up following him out of the Great Hall. Just as the two went around a corner, James pulled Remus at his collar against the wall saying, "If you see *that* Sirius of yours, tell him I am finished with him." with those words he left, leaving Remus confused and worried in the deserted corridor.

As quick as Remus' legs could carry him he ran up to the Gryffindor common room. Wanting to speak urgently to Sirius even if he was still asleep. He would have to wake him up and tell him about James' strange behaviour.

But Sirius wasn't anywhere to be found in the Gryffindor tower.

"Weird." Though Remus, "Maybe I'll just wait here for him."

It was a dreary day. Rain lashed at the window and cold winds howled around the Hogwarts castle walls. Remus was just sitting down with a book, when he thought he heard a scratching sound outside, over the noise of wind and rain.

He got up and looked out of the window. Nothing.

He hadn't been sat down more then two minutes when it started again, this time closer. A hand appeared at the window.

Remus froze, but he knew he had to go and see what it was.

And there was Sirius, hanging from the windowsill, desperately trying to climb up.

"Sirius!" cried Remus, opening the window. "How the hell did you get there?!" Sirius didn't answer. Remus hauled him up, and after some difficulty, they were both standing, safely in the 5th year dormitory.

"Sirius?" Sirius looked at Remus with big frightened eyes. Then his expression changed and he smiled, "What?"

"What? What do you mean with what! You were just hanging out of the window, and now you are asking me why I want to know why?"

"Hey-calm it Remmie…can't you take a joke. I was just trying to get a good look at Melissa Mason downstairs in her underwear!"

At first, Remus almost accepted this, with a frown on his face. But then he turned, "Sirius. Melissa Mason is on holiday. There's nobody downstairs."

Sirius glared at Remus. When he spoke, there was a shiver in his voice. "N…No. She's not. Well-err. Remus…it's like, there's something I've got to tell you. It's just-I don't remember how…I'm…I'm…" Then his voice changed to cold, menacing growl. "I am not who you think I am."

The cold stare was back, only this time; there was a mad gleam in his eye. His eyes were so wide; you could see the whites all around them. His teeth bared in a malicious grin. His right hand rose, shining white, and he approached Remus.

"Are you hungry?"

Remus backed away. The hand, outstretched towards him, shone like the moon. "Am, I…am I what?" Remus asked, backing away faster.

"ARE YOU HUNGRY?!" Sirius shouted in a mad, deep, husky voice.

"No, I've just h-had breakfast, thank you." Remus stuttered.

"I haven't."

"Well, why don't you go and get some?"

"I am."

Remus was against the wall now. He could back no further. "Sirius!" Remus yelled. "What's happened to you? It's happened to James too…what's happening to you all?!"

"Nothing, in comparison what's about to happen to you." Sirius was whispering now.

The white hand came dangerously closer. It shook with energy, the blood vessels expanded, clearly visible, red against white. White, against the pink of Remus' neck.

***

Remus had blacked out suffocating under Sirius strong grip. As everything started to focus again, he was lying on his bed, with his hands tied to one of the posts and his mouth gagged. He noticed that he hadn't his shirt on anymore and his body was trembling from the coldness around him. He tried to scream for help but most of the sound was held back from the gag. He started to struggle against the ropes around his wrists, but with no great luck. The ropes only tightened themselves cutting deep into Remus' flesh.

He started to hear footsteps coming closer and his body tensed as he saw Sirius enter the room. Sirius looked over to Remus concerned and came up running to Remus' bed, starting to take the gag out of his mouth.

"Oh God!! Remus what happened?" Sirius asked and just wanted to reach out to untie Remus' wrists. The boy started to struggle under his touch, growling loud. Sirius recoiled looking with Horror at Remus' trembling form.

"What do you want from me?" Remus asked trying to regain his calm composure.

"I don't want anything from you. I…I just want to help…you." Sirius said concerned. But seconds later, he held with both of his hands on to his head like if he was having an excruciating headache.

"Sirius what's wrong…talk to me!" Remus said calmly at first but screaming out of the top of his lungs at the end.

"Stupid imbecile thinks he can fight the charm." Sirius voice had change again but his eyes stayed the same, full of concern and worry. About what kind of charm was he talking?

As Sirius was changing back to the evil and horrible person he had met earlier on, Remus came to the conclusion that somebody tried to control his friend. Maybe if he talked enough to Sirius, his friend could win against the charm.

"Sirius talk to me!! Sirius do something!! But don't freeze there doing nothing!" but no, the boy had other thoughts. He gagged Remus once more and then started to look for something in his pockets. Remus started to struggle as he saw Sirius pull out a silver dagger.

Just before the dagger was stabbing into his chest, Sirius screamed, throwing the dagger as far away as possible. The next thing he saw was Sirius falling unconscious; collapsing on the floor and everything went silent.