Author's Note: Special thanks goes to Saerry Snape, aka Yoda-Girl, Aku Maru, the Patron Saint of Vampire stories, Amissa's quite simply just Amissa and doesn't need to be anything else and last but not least, Babbitt, aka my Goddess without whom, Remus wouldn't even be appearing. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" belongs to the Beatles, George Harrison if you must be picky, and um…well- enjoy and review or I'll stop writing. (Yeah, that'll work… --)

Chapter Seven: The Werewolf

"Can I ask you a question?" Gabriel asked as he stared at the back of Erised's head. They were climbing up the stairs to a small, unassuming apartment over a bookstore in Muggle London. The only way in was through an old, beaten wooden door that at one point was painted bright red but now resembled a dull grayish white as weather beat against the paint, causing it to peel and flicker off. He looked over at the door and at the old rusty brass knob and nodded thoughtfully. "What if it's locked?"

"You're kidding, right?" Ari asked as she pulled out her wand and gripped the handle with her other hand. She moved it and surprisingly, it opened without trouble. She frowned, unnerved and stepped in, half expecting the room to explode.

Although it looked like it already had. It was a small efficiency with a bed in the living area, a small kitchenette and a door that led to the bathroom. Old clothes littered the floor, mixing with half-filled bottles of booze that had the labels peeled off. There was an unmade bed that was covered with books that were opened to various pages concerning Dark Cults and monsters and over them a huge calendar that had the day of the full moon circled in red. On the nightstand beside the bed was a gun that lay serenely beside empty Chinese take-out boxes and pizza boxes.

Erised frowned as she walked over and looked at the gun. It was an old fashion revolver, like the kind Van Helsing carried. She pocketed her wand again and picked up the gun, surprised how heavy such an instrument weighed. She looked down the muzzle, frowning and jumped when Gabriel grabbed it from her.

"There's no safety on this thing." He said, shortly. "Be careful." She watched as he expertly opened the side, to check for bullets, nodding shortly. He looked back at her. "One bullet. Silver. Wonder who's that for." He put it back down and turned away, "Look around, I'll check the bathroom."

"Look around for what?" She began to ask.

"Never mind, he's in here." From his tone, Erised was worried for a moment that Remus Lupin had killed himself. She followed Gabriel in and then exhaled. "Do you think he's alright?"

Gabriel nodded simply. "Just sleeping it off." He said, motioning to the bottle of Whiskey. "When was he bitten?"

"As a child." She said, squatting down and picking up the empty bottles to throw them away. "He's had to deal with this all his life."

"He's so young." Gabriel remarked, mainly to himself.

Ari looked over. "That's all this war is being fought by…youngsters."

The boy in the bathtub looked barely old enough to be drinking, yet alone wanting to die from it. The tub was a scene of innocent and waste all at once: with water that came up to his chest and two rubber ducks that floated around him. He was handsome over all, with a narrow face that had shaggy brown hair that hung all ways. He was slender and almost frail looking and in his green shirt and brown corduroy pants, he looked like he could be a teenaged musician rather then some fearful creature of the night. Gabriel walked over to the side of the tub, and kneeled. This close he could see fine wrinkles around the boy's eyes, and small pale scars that adorned his arms at all parts. Inwardly, Gabriel faltered and wished for a moment to stand and leave him alone.

"Remus." Ari called instead, eyes cold and determined, and for a moment, Gabriel was certain she had sensed his wavering. "Remus Lupin?"

The boy stirred, sinking deeper into the water with a moan, and then rising as he prepped himself to wake. Slowly, his eyes opened to reveal wise, sorrowful amber eyes. He looked frightened for a moment, then turned to see Gabriel before looking back at Ari. "I thought I told Albus to leave me alone." He said. His small hands reached to the side of the tub to brace himself as he lifted himself out. Ignoring Gabriel and Ari, he walked over to the towel rack and leaned down to grab one of the towels that was piled under it. He threw the towel about his shoulders after he patted his face and then walked into the main room.

Ari gave Gabriel a look and followed. Remus was shirtless now, searching for something relatively clean to wear. He put on an oversized sweater and then began to peel off his pants. Ari blinked, made an embarrassed sound and then looked down to study her boots.

"I don't know why you're here." Remus began, as he zipped up his pants and then walked to the kitchenette. "But let me save the trouble of asking. No, I'm not going to help in anyway so leave me alone." He looked over the top of his fridge door at them, smirking. "But thanks for dropping by."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Ari began, looking up. "Only you can help us."

"Then you're both screwed out of luck, aren't you?" He kicked close the fridge door and picked up a guitar that was resting on the side of the table, putting the strap over his frame, he reclined into a chair and began to strum on the cords. He began to hum a Beatles song, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and for the first time looked sincerely at peace and comforted. Go figure, Gabriel thought, the Beatles make everything better.

By the end of the song, finally understanding that they were not going to leave, Remus looked up at Ari, then glanced at Gabriel. "Does he talk?"

"Without end, whether you want him to or not." Ari began, not looking at Gabriel. "Mr. Lupin, do you who Count Dracula is?"

"Bela Lugosi."

"Not that one."

"John Carridine."

"Remus…"

"No, I never was. I was always partial to the Wolf Man actually." Remus said thoughtfully. He stopped strumming, and smiled to himself as he remembered something. "Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers at night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms…"

"…and the moon is shining bright or crave another's blood when the sun goes down, and his body takes to flight." Gabriel finished for him. Remus blinked, clearly unnerved as he set the guitar down and stared at her.

"So the rumors are true then?" He asked quietly. "He's really here?" Gabriel and Ari nodded softly at him. Remus exhaled, and looked around the floor for something. "I want pie." He deadpanned.

Ari blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Pie. There's a diner down the street. You can buy me breakfast and explain to me why on earth I, a disgraced exiled wolf, would want to help you."

And sure enough twenty minutes later, sitting in a corner of a bright red, black and white diner a Kaga, a Knight and a Werewolf sat eating various assortments of food. For the werewolf there was a small army of small white plates with every kind of pie that the diner had to offer, and beside them there was a bowl of vanilla ice cream for something he referred to as ala mode. Gabriel was currently chowing down on scrambled eggs, toast, coffee, and something white and grainy that he referred to as grits.

Ari watched with a small sign of disgust as he lobbed mounds of butter unto them, then stirred them with the mirth of a child receiving a mountain of Christmas presents. She decided then that she would never understand human behavior or their taste buds. Looking down at her water and bowl of tomato soup, her stomach turned and she looked away, pushing the bowl towards the center of the table with a grimace.

"Hey you ordered it." Remus said from between mouthfuls of Cherry and Chess pie.

Ari tried hard not to sneer as she blinked the sun out of her eyes. "I'm suddenly not hungry…"

"Okay then." Remus nodded, putting down his fork and looking over at her. He took a long drink of milk, before licking his lips. "How'd you piss off Count Dracula?"

"Crashed his party." She said, shortly. She looked over at Gabriel. "He's a Muggle, working for the Knights of the Holy Order, as an admirer of the Dark Arts…"

"Defense against the Dark Arts." Remus corrected, raising a finger. "Defense."

"Whatever, you should know what he is then…"

"Sure I do. They're the ones who employ that lunatic Van Helsing…they say he's even broken Rose Window of Notre Dame and that he cares nothing for tact. He'll kill as soon look at you…" Remus clearly was enjoying himself, turning to Gabriel. "Have you ever met him? I didn't catch your name…"

"I'm the lunatic." Gabriel replied, giving Erised a look over the brim of his coffee.

There was a long pause as Remus digested this information, and then he nodded ever so thoughtfully. "Awkward…"

"But you can call me Gabriel."

"Remus." He returned. "But you already knew that…" He looked over at Erised, as his face dropped his soft, childish demeanor. "Look, it's not like I support You-Know-Who, or any of his followers, but I can't help you…"

"Of course you can, you just have to be what you are."

"Thanks for the motivational speech but quite frankly I don't want to be what I am." Remus said as he stood. He looked suddenly tired and angry, and Gabriel felt his heart twist again for the boy. Remus kept looking at them from under his eyelids and looked pained at the prospect of walking away. Gabriel knew his type before; they were at heart good, decent men but scared for one reason or the other into inactivity. And again, Gabriel couldn't blame him and even prayed that there was another way. But there wasn't and he knew there wasn't.

So he was really going to hate what he had to do next.

"What if you change it?" Gabriel asked quietly, knowing Remus' attuned sense of hearing would catch the whisper. It worked too. The young werewolf paused, stiffened but didn't dare turn around. Gabriel could feel Ari's eyes on him and wished she would look away. He was already regretting this choice and would probably regret it for the rest of his life. "Dracula has a cure."

Remus' voice was just as low and Gabriel had to strain to hear it. "You're lying."

"I was bitten. That's the only way I was able to kill Dracula. I still have the scar if you don't believe me." Gabriel said, staring down at his plate. "Anna was able to give me the cure after I defeated him…but she died in the process."

Remus had turned now, and was staring hard at him for any sign of deception. The boy's young eyes were burning into him, displaying something that bordered on fearful hope and anguish. He didn't want to believe, to hope, but Gabriel knew that the promise of a cured life was too much to walk away from.

Gabriel pushed his plate away too. He wasn't hungry anymore either. "Well?" There was a long pause and for a moment Gabriel hoped Remus had seen through his bluff. He prayed that Remus would just say no and continue out of their lives.

But the boy didn't because now he had hope, however small it was, it was enough to force out three small, hushed words. "I'll help you."