A/n- Well, this thing gets longer and longer... It's controlling my life! Not that I have a life...

Disclaimer- Lalala....

Rating- Mild chapter. For now... I guess.

Chapter Keywords- You'll find out eventually.



Seeing Grey - Part XXXVII - Of Three's and Summerset



You know, this is going to drive me to my grave. Remus mumbled irritably. James let out a disgruntled sigh, leaning the seat back. Before any warning was issued, the back legs gave way and he crashed to the floor, Sirius laughing fanatically.

I knew you guys couldn't go more than two hours looking so dead-serious. Something like that always happens. he said as James rubbed his head.

Alright Moony, I've had enough of the damn decoding. Now my brain really hurts. he grumbled, fixing the chair with a flick of his wand.

Only a few more pages, please? Remus asked, mocking a childish frown.

Not gonna work, Lily tries that on me all the time. James laughed, grinning to himself. It works with her though...

I'm going to go crazy if I don't figure this out, I mean... I know there's something simple that I just don't see. Remus mumbled, skimming through the journal once again.

Don't get your pants in a bunch over it, the book's not going anywhere.

Padfoot's right-

That's a personal first-

Just don't work on it for a while, maybe it'll come back to you. James finished.

Sighing quietly, Remus admitted there was some logic to what they had to say. Shoving the books and papers away from him, he crossed his arms and stared his friends down.

What do you suggest we do then?



Caleb,

Hope everything's alright down there, and I pray to God the runts haven't killed you. Yet. Anyway, I'm going to stay at Sirius' house for a while, Viator knows where he lives if you need me. Seeya,

Remus

Handing the letter and a slip of meat to the bird, Remus grabbed his broom and bag, and set off out the door with his friends. He wondered how they were going to get to Sirius' house anyway, as he had no idea how far it would be, but noticed that neither looked worried about travel. They waited a few minutes in the dark, looking at their watches, until at the strike of eight James pulled out his wand.

All he did was hold it out straight for maybe a second, and for no reason at all, a very funny-looking trolly bus had parked itself on Remus' front lawn.

What the- he began, watching as Sirius and James carelessly walked aboard.

Don't worry, it's just the Night Bus. James said, popping his head out a window. Shrugging to himself, Remus hauled himself inside, finding a row of neat little beds and couches. He sat down there, looking around curiously.

When did this come about?

Ah, it's fairly new. I heard about ti from one of our servants. James said as he rummaged his pockets for candy. I set up a tab with them, that's how me and Padfoot got here in the first place. What, you don't think we actually flew here did you?

Where to Mr. Potter? The young driver asked, tipping his hat at James.

My house. Sirius butted in, and the driver took this as a known address, setting off with a jerk.

So you pretty much have your own personal chauffeur?

I guess. James shrugged. Well, I'm gonna sleep for a bit, if no one minds.

Sleep away.

So anyway, what was with all that journal stuff? I had no idea what you and James were going on about earlier. Sirius asked lazily, leaning back on the sofa across the aisle.

The guy that wrote it, Cor, he worked on trying to find a cure for most of his life, the journal covers a hundred and twelve years-



Our life span is triple than norm... Anyway, we think there's the basis of a cure somewhere in his work, we just have to decode everything and put it together. It's like a really pig puzzle with half the pieces missing.

So you're what, like making history or something?

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Remus nodded. Not many people bother to worry about us, other than ourselves that is. The world is convinced killing us off so it wont spread is the best way of dealing...

That's a bunch of bullshit. I mean, whenever a new disease is discovered, no one goes and shoots whoever has it to keep it from spreading. That's a bunch of shit. Sirius blurted out, causing James to stir in his sleep.

Glad to see someone so... Enthusiastic about it. Maybe you can help at some point. Remus wondered.

Anything I can do, count me in. I mean, if kids like Jason and Corey are being murdered by our own government, I think the system needs a little rebel action.



Sorry about that. Sirius grumbled, shutting his door behind him as the three ran into his room. I didn't figure Uncle Lou would actually come here to fight.

Noting how uncomfortable Sirius was with the yelling going on the floor below, Remus dug out his wand and cast a silencing charm on the room.

Hey, how'd you do that? Sirius blinked.

Third year Charms... James said offhand, smiling to himself. Lory was in our class that year, remember?

Yeah! She sat next to me...

So obviously you learned nothing. Remus concluded, lying down on the bottom bunk of Sirius' bed.



So... What're we gonna do? James asked, completely bored after less than half an hour. The silencing charm was beginning to wear down, as every now and then the sound of a shattering vase or a loud yell could be heard from below. They were all more than a bit sick of sitting around.

We could always transform and chase the neighbors around.

Remus can't. James pointed out.

Um... I dunno. We can't leave here, they're about to start world war three downstairs. Sirius mused with a slight tone of disgust.

Remus smiled wickedly, and bit his lip in thought.

Hey James, does the Night Bus do overseas?

I suppose, I don't see why it couldn't.

Grinning, he dug into his satchel, and pulled out a bit of scrap paper. Tapping it thrice and muttering the password, the detailed instructions on how to get ot the Underground revealed themselves.

Care to go on a bit of a road trip?



Stay back... The guards are a tad, well, pushy. Remus muttered, approaching the gate. He put his hand right up to it, not touching it, but holding closely. A minute later the two brothers popped out, thrilled at first to see the new Simmers. Upon seeing the raven-haired duo behind him though, they went stern.

They are not supposed to be here, this isn't a travel lodge.

Come off it Michael, we need to crash for a while. Besides, I have to check up on a few people. Remus said, walking by them carelessly. James and Sirius followed, after a long pause, and hesitantly wedged by the two very large men.

And this, my friends, is the Werewolf Underground. he said with a sarcastic sort of mysticism. They smiled dumbly, already plotting havoc to wreak upon the little town. Remus read their faces and immediately told them off.

Don't even mess with these people, even the kids can kick your ass. Padfoot should know this well. he reminded, Sirius going red.

Can we go get some food? James asked, stomach lurching again.

Yeah, I'm gonna go track down a few people... I'll meet you back at the restaurant in an hour or so.

Sounds good. they both said, and dashed off together.



Remus? Hey, what's up? Caleb asked after squinting to make sure the poor lighting wasn't deceiving him.

Not a lot.

Yeah, we got another one of your saves last week. Catching on. he said with an approving sort of nod.

Thanks... Hey, where are the runts?

Oh, they're off with Mel.



You don't pay attention to who you help, do you kid?

That chick from last Wednesday?

Yes, the chick from last Wednesday. Caleb muttered, face going slightly red. She loves the little brats, so I have her sit every now and then. I'm running out of aspirin anyway... Pity some of those Muggle painkillers can kill us. Damn canine reactions... he said with a short laugh to himself. Sit down, stay a while. he added, conjuring another chair. What brings you this way when you should be working? Caleb asked with the mildest of subtleties.

Sirius and James are here, we ran out of things to do and Sirius' parents were kind of involved in a nasty row.

Whoa whoa, you brought your little posse here?

Don't bug out, they're not going to tell anyone. Remus laughed. Sirius flips out all the time about how unfair everything is for us, he's not about to spoil this. And James, well, as long as I don't get between him and Lily he'll never say a word. Besides, there's food here. That's more than enough to keep him under control.

Caleb let a sigh escape, and he nodded his head. Keep in mind that a good hundred disgruntled werewolves will be after your head if either of them do slip up.

Comforting thought.

And very true. If you stayed here three days you'd understand... You know what it's like to live in secrecy. Here, it doesn't matter. You're normal, and not part of some statistic. It's almost unreal... he said lazily, smiling in a dreamy way.

A little bit of heaven on earth, eh?

The chunk of life we were denied is all right here, most of it anyway. None of us could ask for anything more.

I could. Remus grumbled, scrunching his face up irritably. We shouldn't have to live in seclusion, hiding ourselves. It's no better than a military refugee camp! I mean, dammit Caleb, this might be better than living alone, but it's still wrong. This is just a collection of lost souls, a bunch of people trying to live out their second chances. If this was so great and Godly, why the hell do we have guards at the gates? Why the hell do we live in the middle of bloody nowhere? he snapped, going furious at the thought of what happens to those who weren't so safe.

Because we'll be killed, alright? Deal with it.

I don't want to deal with this! No one should have to deal with this! he said, trailing off miserably. God dammit, I can't stand it. This shit is driving me insane.

Caleb stood up, and turned around, busying himself in the kitchen. There's no point getting passionate over it. he finally said.

No point? Hell, there's a point Caleb, no one else wants to see the point. Things will never change if I don't get all bloody passionate about this, we'll never managed to fix anything.

Just shut up. his friend said quietly, but in such a tone it sounded as though he had shouted violently. Stop it. You can't change a thousand some years of prejudice, alright? This is the first step.

Don't ever tell me I can't change something. Remus shot back, getting to his feet. Never. I'm going to be pissed about society, and I will change things. I don't care if it means living five hundred years, because dammit, I will not sit around watching our entire kind suffer because of some old pointless hate. he spat, face contoured in anger. Rage against the world.

Back turned away, Caleb smiled to himself. There was no denying the ferocity in Remus' voice, and the anger swelling inside of him.

That boy's gonna change the world Elise, I'm serious. Inner Eye or nothing, I know he's going to change it all.

Then we have to help, as much as we can. Could be pointless, but... You're right. He's going to do something radical. I can feel it.



This place is kick-ass! Free food! James said happily as a very inflamed werewolf came to join them. Slopping into a seat ungracefully, Remus showed no sign that he had even heard.

Somfin' wong? Sirius asked thickly through what appeared to be his third plate of steak.



Eh, chipper up! Free food! James repeated all too happily.

God, is that all you think about? Remus snapped. James swallowed his bite, and uncomfortably looked down.

Remus grumbled. Didn't mean to snap at you... I'm in a foul mood.

That much we surmised on our own. Sirius commented lightly. And whatever's bugging you, it's nothing a steak can't cure.

I'd swear if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a werewolf.

You mean he isn't? the waitress asked, laying down another plate for each of them. Sirius shook his head, and she shrugged, slightly disappointed.

Dammit Moony, did you have to say that? I actually had a chance with her. Sirius growled.

Is that all you think about? Getting laid?

You don't? both James and Sirius asked, mouths ajar.

James, you have a girlfriend-

he said with a devilish smile. Remus cringed at the thought, trying to think of something else before he lost all desire to eat the meal in front of him.

New topic please. he said meekly, tearing apart his slab.


Jason and Caleb yelped, jumping down from atop a low roof as if it were a foot. They scrambled forward, and tackled their friend into the mud, laughing joyfully.

Didja get my letters? they both asked as one.

Smiling, Remus stood up as the twins lost their attention and jointly tackled Sirius to the ground. James started laughing, amused that the Beater was so easily taken down.

Who's he? Corey asked, giggling as Sirius tossed him up in the air a few times.

This is my friend James. James, meet the runts, Corey and Jason. Remus introduced. Sirius whispered something to the twins, and before Remus could utter a warning, James joined the party on the ground.

Holy crap! he blurt out, laughing. Strong little buggers! I thought Remus was hard to hold back!

For a good hour they stayed outside, having a mud-fight with the destructive twins and two other young werewolves, until Caleb managed to pull Remus inside without being pelted in slop.

Bad news. he mumbled.

What now?

I found some records from the men in Cor's research team.

How's that bad? Remus asked, sitting down on a comfy plush chair by the crackling fireplace.

You know our illness? The post-moon disease?



Found out how it originated. he said, pulling out a thick packet of notes from a desk drawer, sitting down opposite his friend. I took some tests when you came down with it, and just now everything's making sense. he said, trying to find a specific file.



It's not genetic, like everyone thought. There's a few disorders we have from recessive traits that are fairly rare, and this was thought to be one of them... Just a blood-spread illness.

I don't see-

This isn't genetic. It's not bacterial either... For a while I thought all the results were wrong, but I crossed them over with a guy from Cor's team. Caleb muttered almost to himself, finally finding the paper he had been looking for. He handed it to Remus, pursing his lips.

This doesn't make any sense, I mean, everything that this says would indicate the disease is artificial... he mumbled.

Caleb said quite suddenly, bring his fist down on the armrest.

Blinking twice, Remus tried to think over what he heard, and what he saw.

You don't mean... he said slowly, flipping through the packet, comparing notes and results. I mean, no...

It's very true. The entire ordeal is man-made, purposely released, oh, a good four hundred years ago, just to kill us off. It reacts with an altered chromosome we have and triggers failure in the majority of our vital organs. It strikes after the moon because the cells it affects are weak after the transformation, when everything in our body is trying to revert back to human. Caleb informed him solemnly. The immune system can't fight it, because whoever created the virus configured it so our system wouldn't recognize it as a foreign substance for a limited time.

How is it possible to survive then?

Well, it depends on the person in question. We each recover from the moon at a different rate, and you're abnormally fast to switch to full-human. The virus can only survive so long, and after the werewolf is gone completely, the affected chromosome changes back to it's stronger self. This triggers the body into recognizing the virus, and then it can counterattack.

But it's still risky at that point... You'd be so weak after the virus initializes that the immune system couldn't help much by then. Remus muttered, going through the papers, mind blurred. This is... Hideous.

I traced it back to the Russian Ministry, but I can't be positive. I know it originated in Eastern Europe in the 1500's. There are no records at all of any such disease plaguing our kind before then. It came on very suddenly, so that was my first clue that it wasn't nature's course.

Do you have anything to find a cure off of, I mean, if it's like poison, the venom can lead to an antitoxin.

It's impossible to restrain a single part of the virus, and we don't have proper technology to research. Muggles aren't far behind our mechanics... The American wizards are years ahead of everyone else, but even they don't have what can help at this point. Right now, we need to dig up old news and link this all together. Caleb said seriously, face devoid of any emotion.

This makes me sick. Remus spat. Whoever made this could've devoted their skills to a cure, not a plague. Instead of helping they decided to kill us off... Cold hearted bastards. he muttered. Caleb put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his rage.

You're letting the wolf take over. he said calmly. Come on, get back to your friends. I'm going to take some of this to a few other locations where I have contacts, maybe someone can fill in the blanks. You're in no danger, so go back and live a little. I only told you so you could keep an eye out for other clues... Just relax, ok?


James and Sirius were fast asleep on the hammocks by the time the silvery moon rose high in the night, illuminating a figure in the light of the fire. Papers scattered about disorderly and a hand on is head, Remus Lupin cursed the grave of whoever caused this problem.

Something isn't right... he mumbled, flipping through pages upon pages of diagrams and research notes from Cor's team, and Caleb. One little thing... Something doesn't add up. Dammit, why can't I figure it out... he grumbled in a rasp voice, throat dry.

You alright?

Jumping up slightly, Remus blinked in the dark, looking about for the owner of the voice. A shadow moved closer, hanging inside the room from the window.

he wondered, using his wand to lighten the fire more.

You look a lot worse since the last time I saw you. the boy said calmly, now sitting on the windowsill. Garade still looked the same. Dark haired and wild-eyed, having such a rebellious aurora about him it seemed to touch everything nearby.

He leaned a pair of crutches against the wall, and Remus saw his leg had been bandaged tightly.

I've got a problem on my hands and it's really pissing me off. Remus said quietly, not questioning the injury.

Then stop.

It's important.

So? It's not going anywhere, and you're not getting any younger. the kid said with a shrug, kicking his feet about absently. Don't worry about some mind boggling mystery, and for Christ's sake, don't be doing paperwork. You can't be any older than me.

Do you want something? Remus finally asked, looking up from the infinite list of numbers.

Not particularly, I'm just a bit curious. Not many people go out of their way to save a complete stranger... But I see now you're far from the ordinary werewolf. he added.

There's no such thing as an ordinary werewolf. You can't generalize a few hundred people who have nothing in common. Remus said dryly, trying to find another packet of papers.

Nothing in common, eh? Garade asked, chuckling to himself. So being on the run from Ministry's, society, and occasionally themselves isn't common to everyone? We're all loners, we're all pretty dark people. And all the new ones, who've had it less than a year, they're all wallowing in self-pity.

Before we were bitten, we were each different. One curse does not change an identity.

You don't believe what you're telling me. he interrupted, still smiling in a cocky manner. I suppose there is some truth to what you're saying though. Before I was bitten, I was a telepath. he said, grabbing his crutches and crawling out the window. He stood there for a moment, leaning, and laughed shortly.

Maybe you should convince yourself of what you preach before you try to convince others.

He hobbled off in the dim light, leaving Remus with his own thoughts.

he muttered to no one in particular.



A/n- Well, a bit of a more dark chapter for you, I was getting sick of happiness. My other fic reverted my mind back to angst, so... Yeah. Thanks to all you reviewers... Terra, thank you for the few little grammar-spelling fixes. I don't have spellcheck XP.

Good news for now.

This fic is officially back on track, I hope anyway. It might be a little slowed down, but chapters will continue to come until I can say otherwise. So rejoice, or whatever...

Iggie

Fic of the Day- HP and the Legend of the Golden Serpent by Camille: Now, if you haven't read this... My God, do you live under a frickin' rock? With a whopping 1625 reviews, it's safe to say this is a fandom masterpiece. May at first seem too cliched, but give it time, and you will enjoy it. Trust me. 1625 reviews cannot lie.



Notice! I started the sequel. Yes, I'm ahead of myself... It's only the prologue, and I'm not going to post. But, well, this officially means this fic is gonna be completed unless I have to go back to the hospital or something. So... Rejoice!