A/N: Wow, there's a third chapter to this? You didn't think I'd leave it there, did you? Nope. My depression aint done with me yet. Remus's PoV this time. Lycanthropy and angsty musings abound. Yay.

The sun was just sinking behind the trees by the time Remus made his way home from his teaching job at a local primary school. He looked up at the sky, tinged with red and gold by the setting sun. It would be dark soon. The moon would be up in just a few short hours. Remus shuddered and tightened his grip on his briefcase, casting his eyes to the ground.

Already he could feel the wolf stirring inside him, its soulless, instinct-driven mind nagging at his own. 

He quickened his pace and at last he slipped through his front gate and into the dark, familiar confines of his home.

Making his way into the kitchen, Remus fished a small brown paper bag from inside his jacket. He tipped it over an outstretched hand and a small phial of liquid fell onto his palm. This was the reason he was late getting home. The wolfsbane potion couldn't exactly be bought at the nearest K Mart. One had to know just the right people to be able to get their hands on it, and even then it could be difficult, and expensive.

Pouring the steaming concoction into a glass, Remus downed the lot, grimacing at the bitter taste. Almost instantly, the ruthless mind of the wolf calmed and receded. He left the glass on the bench and turned to leave. Sirius's breakfast was still there, untouched by anyone but the ants. He checked the living room. The chair was empty, Sirius's book lying open, facedown on the arm. It struck Remus then how silent the house actually was.

"Sirius?" Remus' anxious voice rang eerily in the silence. There was no reply. "Padfoot? Hello? Anyone home?"

He climbed the stairs, a knot tightening in the pit of his stomach. Sirius's bedroom door was ajar and Remus tentatively pushed it further and peered inside. There was Sirius, asleep just as he'd been the day before, curled dog-like among the thick blankets and pillows. Occasionally he would whimper, lost in some dream, but there was a sort of sad smile on his face that Remus only saw when they talked of James and the marauders. A similar smile crossed Remus's lips and he turned to go. He did not see the stain. Hidden by shadows that stretched across the room, it remained undiscovered for now. But Remus's smile vanished as he turned, his face contorting with pain. Doubling over, he gasped and clenched his teeth, biting back cries of pain that escaped as muffled whimpers. Outside it was dark, and the moon was rising.

Remus felt the sickening feeling of his bones grinding and shifting, changing shape and size. Now curled in a trembling ball on the floor, clenching and unclenching his hands, Remus endured the familiar agony that tore through his body. At last, his whimpers calmed, becoming nothing more than a quiet whining deep in his throat. The transformation was complete.

He lay there, panting heavily for a moment, waiting for his vision to clear. Then he lurched to his feet and shook his head. His clothes lay in tatters around his paws and scratches gouged the walls where he'd raked them with his own nails. But the changes were merely physical. Thanks to the potion, he had retained his human mind. And for this, Remus was immensely grateful.  The black market stuff could be a bit unreliable sometimes.

"I'll feel that tomorrow," he thought bitterly, glancing down at the long claws that tipped his paws and back at the wall. His own nails would be a painful mess in the morning.  With a sigh, he began to make his way towards the stairs, pausing to pick up a TV guide from his own room. Late night TV wasn't exactly the best in the world, but it kept him from being bored. And Sirius didn't look up to a run around town, not that Remus would've had the heart to wake him anyway.  But he never made it downstairs. As he trotted past Sirius's doorway, his heightened senses caught a trace of a familiar, coppery smell.

In an instant, all thoughts of the Late News and Jerry reruns vanished. The TV Guide dropped from his jaws.  Nose to the ground, Remus pushed his way into Sirius's room, following the scent. Even with the potion, the presence of the wolf's mind was noticeable, nagging at the edges of Remus's consciousness, excited by the smell of blood.  Even before he found the dark red stain he'd guessed.  The thought had entered his mind the moment the smell had reached him.  He pictured the untouched plate on the kitchen bench, right beside a clean knife. 

All the same, the knowledge of what had happened didn't reduce the hurt and anger that surged through Remus's veins at the sight of his best friend's blood encrusting the carpet.

He sat down heavily, a million thoughts racing through his brain. But one stood out above the others.  Sirius wanted to leave.  For all the shelter, sympathy and friendship Remus had shown, Sirius wanted to get away from it all – away from the ministry, away from Voldemort, away from him.  At that moment Remus hated his wolfish form more than ever.  He wanted to cry, to scream, to grab Sirius by the collar and demand an explanation.  But all he could do was bare his teeth and suppress the howl that welled up inside him.  He glared back down at the stain at his paws and growled deep in his throat.  "Fine," he thought angrily, "that's it then.  I've done all I can for him.  I've offered him shelter, food and friendship, and if he wants to shut me out that's his choice.  I give up. You're on your own, Sirius." He got up and made to leave, taking one last look around the room.  In doing so he caught sight of the picture on the floor a short distance away from the stain.  The two smiling boys looked up, their faces unchanged by age or pain; forever trapped in a single, wonderful moment.  Remus looked down at the younger version of himself, still with his arm around Sirius's shoulders.  For a brief moment memories flashed through his mind like high speed movies.  He'd always been protective of his friends, always worried when his friends, especially Sirius and James, did something dangerous or stupid.  He'd practically had a heart attack the day they told him their plan to become Animagi.  In years that followed Sirius would laugh, saying that he'd stopped breathing for about a minute.  And Sirius and James would always be there for him the morning after the full moon, waiting in the hospital wing for him to wake up. James would be grinning at him sleepily with his glasses askew, and Sirius would be wide-awake, usually still with leaves stuck in his un-brushed hair, eager to plan their next adventure.

A mixed emotion filled Remus as he was jolted back to earth.  Part happiness, part longing and part terrible sadness.  He looked once more at the picture and felt his anger diminish.  Sirius was his brother in all but blood.  Even from the beginning Sirius had been like a younger brother, and there'd been a time when he'd risked everything for Remus's own happiness.  And now he was the one who needed someone to do the same. 

Behind him, he heard Sirius cry out and one pale hand reached beyond the blankets, reaching for something – or someone – visible only in his dreams.  This triggered something inside Remus.  To him the decision was plain.  As long as Sirius needed his help, whether it was accepted or not, Remus would give all that he had and more.  And maybe, however small the chance might be, he'd have some semblance of his old friend returned to him.  But now he had to face the problem of keeping him alive an in one piece until then.

He leapt effortlessly onto the bed and lay down at Sirius's feet like an oversized guard dog.  Using his teeth he pulled one of the blankets over himself and wriggled under it until all but his neck and head were covered.  Through half-closed eyes he glanced at Sirius, sleeping peacefully now.

It was still early and sleep was a long way off for Remus, so he sat alert at the foot of the bed. The smell of blood still filled his nostrils, a constant reminder of how close to the edge Sirius really was and how close he could have come to ending it all.  As dawn approached Remus felt exhaustion creeping up on him.  His mind began to wander and his senses dulled.  But he brought himself back to earth and remained alert and awake, not daring to rest his eyes for a moment, afraid that if he did, Sirius would be gone when he opened them again.

A/N: Hmm, short 'n' crappy. I'll update this as soon as I can, but since I don't have the internet myself anymore and am forced to use the school computers I guess that still might be a while. I swear the library woman's a bloody nazi with them. And any ideas would be greatly appreciated, as I'm not really sure where to take this.  And as always, review *holds out review tin and does bambi eyes* pweese?