Disclaimer For Song : Running Out Of Time by Muse 33

Thanks To:

Melorie – If it's getting less corny I'm  hoping that is a sign my writing has improved. Haha and I know the third movie is coming out soon. 3  I'm so dreading it even as I'm loving it.

Loupetchien – o…..o ::quickly starts writing::

Suga hi – Glad you liked that chapter, was one of my favorites to write.

Pixiedust-207

HallowedINJECTIONx – Ne, hold off the guns. ;; I swear I'll do pretty much everything I can to get this story written.  And my beta Mari helps a lot by whining about how I haven't updated.

Uozumi

Drama-queen8  - Haha, Mari is actually my beta. 3 When she first started beta-ing the story a few months ago she requested that she be in the story somewhere.

Krazykat12992

Tamachan444

Juxtaposed – Crazy school teachers, don't they know I have better things to do? xp

Moony182

Rhiannan Star

PsYcHo SaM

Hannio

            "That git," Remus grumbled, running his fingers through his hair again, vaguely wondering why he wasn't balding instead of going grey with how often he was messing with his hair.

            He had finally gotten a chance to talk to Harry alone, and the boy had shocked him to the core, but pleased him also.  He really was a perfect mixture of James and Lily.  James's pure need for adventure and mischief, but Lily's sensibility that showed him when the adventure was really needed.  He was smart too, no doubt about that.  But then again, James and Lily had both been brilliant in their one ways.  Lily applied herself maybe overly to her studies, and James didn't apply himself enough to his studies, but both could perform spells that were unimaginable. 

            Then Severus had decided to grace them with his presence, doing all but directly telling Harry that he was a werewolf.  It was a lovely new fear, that Harry would find out.  It would be too much to bear if Harry rejected him over that.

            He felt as though he had literally gone back to when he was in Hogwarts in his first year.  There had been that constant caution and panic that Sirius, James, or Peter would discover the secret and hate him for it.

            Remus sank down onto his bed, pain gripping his chest tightly, until he wasn't sure if he could breath.  He had to pull himself together. The Halloween feast was tonight.
            He stood again and finished getting ready, before heading down towards the Hall.

I think I'm drowning
asphyxiating
I wanna break the spell

            Remus took great pride in the fact that he totally ignored the obvious looks that Severus had been sending him all night.  

            It nearly drove him mad, knowing that off all people, Snape was the one that he should have been able to trust, since after all, they had known each other back when things were the hardest, they had seen the other put to the test. Instead, the Potions Master was acting like a child, blaming him for his incapability to get a job.  Or maybe it really was years of hatred for Sirius that had been reawakened.  But Remus preferred not to think on that subject.

            He noted that Harry was also looking between him and Severus worriedly, and couldn't help but add that to a long list of mental notes.  It seemed that Snape was no nicer to the remaining Potter then he had been to the original.

            Remus stood silently after the Feast was over, bidding Professor Flitwick a good night, and retiring to his room.

            He had barely been in the room for five seconds when the door burst back open, and Severus came practically storming in, looking angry and triumphant in the same moment.  Remus spun in surprise, trying to keep his anger in check.

            "Where is he?" Severus hissed, walking around the room, as though searching for something –or someone-.

that you've created
you're something beautiful
a contradiction

            "What are you doing Severus?" Remus snapped, walking towards the other, getting ready to throw him out. 

            Severus stood up sharply, glaring at Remus, and throwing his hair out of his face.

            "Where is Black, Lupin?" he asked in a barely audible, but completely deadly tone.

            "How in bloody hell am I supposed to know that?" Remus growled.  "If the rest of the world doesn't know where he is, how am I supposed to?  Now, get out, before I tell the Headmaster you've lost whatever what was left of your mind."

            "He's in the castle, Lupin," Severus continued, as though he had heard nothing that the werewolf had said.  "He had to get help getting in the castle.  Now, who's the most sensible person in this castle that would be able to help him out, and not only was once his boyfriend, but also knows every single entrance and exit out of this castle, Lupin?"

            Remus stared blindly, his mind not processing past the line 'He's in the castle.'

            And he knew that Severus's insanity and rudeness came chalked up to nothing but his hatred that had built up for Sirius.

            "I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered flatly, grabbing Snape by the arm, and started dragging him to the door.

            "Oh, no you don't." Snape growled again, stopping and grabbing Remus's arm, and dragging him towards the door, in some weird ironic twist of fate.  "The entire staff is going to have to look for him.  And you are coming with me.  I know you let him in.  And though I can't prove it, at least if you're with me, you can't sneak off to see him.  And the Headmaster still has to be notified."

I wanna play the game
I want the friction
you will be

            "Dumbledore doesn't know about this?" Remus asked, in surprise, his head snapping sharply to look up at Severus.  "How do I know you're not making this story completely up?"

            "Peeves came to chant something at me about how Black had outwitted me again." Severus growled in an answer, still pulling Remus along.

            "A lot of proof that is!"

            At that moment, as though to purposely prove Remus wrong,  McGongall came running towards them.

            "Something is going on in the Gryffindor tower, we have to get up there immediately," she said sharply.

            Severus looked at Remus pointedly.

            "Fine." Lupin answered in a calm, soft voice, throwing his arm out of Snape's grasp, before hurrying after the Animagi Professor.

            It didn't take them long until they found the entire house of Gryffindor standing outside the threshold, the Headmaster amongst them, trying to find out what had happened. 

            It only took seconds after that for Peeves to come and make his statement to Professor Dumbledore.

            Remus scarcely heard the ghost, as he stared at the ruined painting, ignoring the careful glare he was receiving from Snape.

            But he heard the last part, and he almost swore it was something echoed from the past.

            "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

            And for a scarce moment he couldn't breath, until Severus hissed his name lightly, signaling for him to go with the Potions Master to look for the escaped convict.

the death of me
yeah, you will be
the death of me

            Remus stood in the empty hall for a brief moment after the Gryffindors had cleared out.  Severus was about to snap at him, when suddenly revelation seemed to cross over his face.

            "Couldn't you…sniff him out or something if you wanted to?"  Severus asked, half hopefully, half suspiciously.

            "I'm not a dog." Remus answered in disgust.  "I can't just put my nose on the ground and pick out a scent."

            Nevertheless he closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.  It was true that his sense were heightened the closer to the full moon he got, and they were pretty close, but it was still hard to pick out different scents, and there had just been dozens of people in this hall.

            But this was Sirius's smell after all, which always stood out in Remus's mind, and though it took him nearly fifteen minutes, he did eventually pick up a trace of it.

            He walked along the hall, his eyes closed as he followed the scent.  He walked back to the picture and paused where the smell stopped, before turning back around.  Sirius had retreated from the picture after slashing at the Fat Lady.  Back down the hall and…

            Remus paused, and took another deep breath, waiting for the smell to him again.

            But it didn't.

            He shook his head in frustration before turning to look at Severus who had been watching him in interest.

            "There were too many people here," he explained, half to himself, half to Severus.  "Maybe if we had been here before the entire Gryffindor house, but not after.  Everything mixes together."

            Snape rolled his eyes, but didn't protest as started to walk down the hall himself.

bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it

            Remus could barely keep his eyes open, as he slumped against the wall, yawning and watching as Severus searched desperately room after room.

            Finally the Potions Master came out of the last room gritting his teeth in frustration.

            He didn't say one word to Remus or even look at him, just headed straight down to the Great Hall.

            Remus slumped further down the wall, yawning again and rubbing at his eyes, before heading towards his room, a small part of his mind wondering where Sirius could be.

            "Snape really did that?" Harry asked in surprise.  "He didn't seem that bad except for that night in the Shack."

            "He did very well to keep that side of himself out of the public eye," Remus said dryly.  "I have labeled it Sirius Syndrome, symptoms are inability to think clearly." He said with a weak grin.

            "Guess I wasn't as smart as you originally thought though, since Snape was practically screaming werewolf in my face, huh?"

            Remus leaned back in his chair and laughed.

            "Even Hermione probably couldn't have figured it out just then, and believe me, it didn't bother me that much."

            They were silent for a moment, as Remus studied one of the nearby pictures.

            "Did you really lose Sirius's scent?" Harry asked softly, almost nervously.

            Remus turned to look back at Harry, his eyes looking sad again.

            "I did."  He answered, and immediately looked down.  "It probably would have been better for Sirius, because if I would have been able to follow it all the way… But I still wish I could be able to say I was able to find his out of all of those." He looked up again, smiling half-heartedly.

I won't let you murder it
our time is running out
and our time is running out

            Harry didn't say anything, partially not sure what to say.

            "That week was a full moon, you remember?" he said, becoming more like himself again, and looking at Harry once more.  "I had a dream that he came in dog form," he said, raising his eyebrows slightly, as though it were somewhat a joke.

            Harry looked surprised also.

            "But isn't it a possibility that he really came?"

            "It is." Remus answered. "Especially if he had found out I was in the castle by then. I should have told the Headmaster, but it tied back into the whole Animagus issue."  Remus explained.

            "Didn't you ever ask Sirius if it was him?" Harry asked, leaning forward on an elbow.

            "I never got the chance.  I figured he wouldn't want the subject brought up.  He never did like to talk about Azkaban." Remus said with a shrug.  "I should have asked him."

you can't push it underground
we can't stop it screaming out
 wanted freedom

            The clock chimed from somewhere behind Remus, startling both of them.  Remus grinned at Harry, before standing to check the time.

            "I told Molly I'd have you back by now," he said, turning to Harry.  "She's going to skin me."

            "Let me stay." Harry pleaded.  "Send your owl to her, asking for me to stay the night.  She'll let me.  I want to hear the rest.  You can't honestly expect me to go away knowing just half of it." Harry said, looking cross.

            "All right, all right," Remus answered, rolling his eyes.  "You're old enough to know what you want, that's for certain." He said, picking Artemis up, and starting to scrawl a note for her to take before sitting back down.

            "So, before I continue my story, I have a question for you." Remus said in what could be considered a slightly evilly smile.  "How do you get hold of the map?"

but I'm restricted
I tried to give you up
but I'm addicted

Author's Note – Review or email at vegetaztwinhotmail.com