Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, things, or places that belong to J.K. Rowling.

By: Sarah, email me at musical2be yahoo . com

PG-13 for some crude humor General/Humor/Romance

A History of Marauders and Everything In Between

Chapter 2: The Wolf Inside

The air was crisp and fresh as it hit his muzzle, vainly trying to slow him from his frantic run. Silver eyes looked up at the sky, eyeing the full moon with a look that almost matched contempt. The wolf howled a blood-curdling yowl and ran faster.

Paws crushed lush green grass but took no notice of the life that was being slowly killed by his dashing. He loped joyfully one moment, the scenery around him thrown into harsh relief by the moon's light, and the next he would be sprinting as fast as he could, looking for prey.

It was only a matter of time before he came to a small village that consisted of small houses that looked to be in poor shape. All of said village's occupants were safely tucked away in bed, blissfully unawares of the danger that lurked outside their windows.

The wolf prowled, looking for an open window or a door left ajar. At last he found what he was looking for and jumped through a window and into a small kitchen. He slinked up stairs and into the first room he found. Inside was a small boy, he could be only four, just perfect for what he needed.

The wolf padded over to Remus, sniffing and savoring every moment. He let his lips pull back from his teeth and lunged, expecting to boy to die silently. He realized too late that his prey was awake and he succeeded in simply biting the child but not killing. He turned and slunk away, there would be no more food in this village…

Remus saw the wolf but he didn't comprehend what it was and was too slow to pull away from the quickly coming teeth. He screamed in anguish as sharp canines pierced the skin on his right side. He found in only a matter of seconds he was transforming. Bones crunched and changed, stretching muscle to fit. His nose elongated into a thin muzzle and fur covered his entire body. Kind brown eyes turned golden and ferocious.

It was a matter of only a few seconds but by the time that his mum ran into the room Remus was a werewolf, a small one but dangerous none-the-less. His mother, Cathleen, cast a quick stunning spell but it was too late to reverse the effects…

Remus sat up with a gasp. Cold sweat dripped down his face and body and his breathing was labored. He looked around his small bedroom, not realizing that golden flecks were fading from his eyes. The eleven year-old ran a tired hand through his brunette hair and lay back down. He doubted that he would be able to sleep anymore that night, it was almost impossible to descend into the world of dreams after he had a nightmare like that.

Remus stared at the ceiling, thinking about his parents. His dad, Mitch, was always away on business and his mum had enough things to worry about so he couldn't tell her. He didn't have any friends; they were all kept away from him by mothers or fathers who didn't want their children associating with a werewolf.

He sighed, so what? He was dangerous for one night a month, that didn't make him a bad person. He just wanted one friend, just the one. He had a friend once; she'd had blonde hair and pretty hazel eyes. Amy, yes that was her name. They had talked about everything and spent just about each waking moment together. But her parents had found out about his lycanthropy and had quickly moved their family away, far away. He remembered with a half smile the day she left.

"Bye Remmie, I promise I'll come back real soon. Ma and Pa don't understand you, but I'll get them to listen to me. I promise I'll be back real quick." Amy had given him a last hug before her dad grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her away. She had smiled at him and he had smiled back, for her. He had to watch his only friend be taken away, but he didn't say anything. He was only eight, he thought she had been right and she would come back before long.

But she hadn't returned, and he knew that she never would. But every night, before he fell asleep, he said a prayer for his mum and for Amy. Hopefully she was doing better then he was.

Remus' eyes opened and he blinked confusedly, his room was filled with light. Well then, he must have fallen back asleep. That was a first, but it was very welcome. He sat up then got up. Taking a quick shower, Remus washed his hair followed by getting dressed. He slowly walked downstairs and sat at the kitchen table.

Looking up he smiled at Cathleen, "Morning Mum."

The blonde witch smiled tiredly at her only son, "Morning Rem." Everyone seemed to have a different nickname for him but he responded to most anything. She put some toast on the table then a few undersized sausages. It was meager, but that was what they had been living on for a few years so he didn't complain. It was better then nothing.

Breakfast was a silent affair, each person taking two pieces of toast and two sausages. But this morning the meal was interrupted by tapping at the window. With a slight frown Cathleen stood up and opened the window, allowing an owl to fly inside. When he heard the flap of wings Remus looked up, surprised to see the large bird in front of him.

Tied to its leg was a letter which Remus tenderly untied. It was addressed to him. He looked at his mum but her eyes were glued to the parchment and she seemed to be waiting for him to open it. He turned it over and eyed the seal before opening it and watching as two papers fell out. As he read the first one then passed it to his mother wordlessly. He glanced at the other, it was a list. He knew that Cathleen was a witch but him? A wizard? That must be a mistake.

Before he could ask the question that was nagging at him he found himself enveloped by his mum's hug.

"Oh! I'm so proud of you! With your father a muggle, I wasn't sure…" She finally pulled away, leaving a very surprised Remus in her wake. Obviously he didn't know that the Lupins were a long line of pureblood witches and wizards. Cathy picked up the list and scanned it, clucking a bit. "It'll be a push to afford all this but I think we can manage."

She looked up at her son's very confused face and just smiled. "Come on, dear, we're going shopping in Diagon Ally." She pulled him out of his seat and over to the fireplace. Following years of practice she put a log on the embers from the night before and waited for it to catch fire. She tucked the parchment into her pocket where it would be safe and pulled out a small pouch from a cupboard.

Offering Remus the floo powder Cathy instructed him on its use. "Throw it into the fire and step into the fireplace and say 'Diagon Ally' ok?"

He nodded and followed her instructions. The strange green flames tickled but he kept his focus. Taking a deep breath Remus said clearly, "Diagon Ally."