In the time before the Dementors came into being Azkaban hda been guarded by a series of water monsters. It had been treacherous to cross the waters to place the prisoners in their final home, which is why it was eventually decided to give the isle over to the Dementors.
Now it was even more treacherous to visit the place, wizards and witches spoke with fear of the guards. They told their children that the Dementors would come for them if they were bad. Dementors sucked the very being out of a person, and kept it somewhere within their horrible personages.
Night was the worst time to be at Azkaban prison. The powers of the Dementors were added to by the all to human fear of the dark. On all levels the prisoners screamed, those with windows pleaded to the stars above.
'Full moon,' Sirius Black noticed as he turned his gazed at the window. 'Time for frolicking...'
A icy chill fell over the man as a Dementor stopped by his cell.
"No!" he whimpered at the black figure. "Don't take that memory." He brought his knees up to his chest. 'Remus, James....even Peter...'
The nights spent with his friends ran through his mind, slipping away like the tide, all fleeing into the place the Dementors kept their charge's good memories. Sirius began rocking in time with his mind's cries. The full moon, Remus, 'alone'. He stopped rocking in the realization that tonight, for the first time since their Hogwarts days Remus would be alone on the full moon.
Unconsciously he began to shift into his animagus form. At the cell door the Dementor made a sound. The dog quickly shifted off his back and stood facing away from the window. The dog smelled confusion on the being beyond its cell, but wasn't too concerned by the figure. Instead he turned toward the window. 'Remus.'
The wolf could smell the humans not to far from him, he lunged at the smell. A burning pain lanced across him as he came into contact with the silver surrounding his position. In the distance he could hear another canine talking to the moon, calling it down to play. 'Pack.' His mind produced, the other dog was part of his pack. 'No alpha!' he growled, trying to get the other dog to come to him.
"We should put him down," senseless noise filtered through from beyond the silver. "He is even more of a danger now that none of his keepers are here."
"Now, now Severus." The wolf cried again for his packmate, for any packmate. "He is human most of the time. We don't kill senselessly, and neither does he even in his current form."
"No," the wolf bent his head down to the silver circle and whimpered. "However, that won't stop him from killing us because he thinks we're a threat. Lupin is not exactly himself right now."
"Severus!" the wolf howled again, 'where is my pack?' "That is uncalled for!"
The wolf paced out the confines of his space. 'My pack. My pack. My pack.'
The room's two human occupants continued their nonsensical discussion as the wolf watched them warily. He wanted to run again, he wanted to not feel the wrongness around him. Something had happened to his pack, and as the leader he needed to go out and find out what.
Searing pain brought Remus Lupin abruptly to consciousness. "Silver!" he yelped and pulled his arm to his body.
"Very astute," sneered the other occupant of the room. "It seems like your brain has made it through the night undamaged."
"Severus," Remus sighed.
"Or maybe not," the sneer got more pronounced. "I don't believe I ever gave you permission to call me by my given name."
"You did once," Remus stood up slowly, he wavered and put his hand out for support, only to hiss in pain as he came in contact with the Silver bars. "Will you let me out?"
"I don't know..." Snape raised an eyebrow. "I am fond of having bars between us. That they are silver and therefore poisonous to you only makes my heart grow warmer at the sight."
"Snape?" Remus asked quietly.
"Fine!" Snape snapped. He crossed to the cell and opened it up with a small key. "Now get out of here before I decided to mince you up and use you for experiments."
"Severus!" McGonagall said reprovingly as she entered the room. "There is no call for you to be so unpleasant. You are a guest here in these halls, just like Remus, therefore you will be polite when speaking to him."
Snape gave Remus another sneer before quickly exiting the room.
"Was he here all night?" Remus asked as he took the seat that Snape had vacated.
"Yes," McGongall sighed. "Which is why I don't understand the enmity with which he just treated you."
"It's easy," Remus combed his hair with his fingers. "He wanted to make sure that I didn't get out and hurt anyone."
"Don't be jumping to conclusions." Dumbledore stirred from his chair. "Severus was really concerned."
Remus shook his head. "I'll see you next month?"
"You are always welcome here my boy." Albus smiled. "Anytime, for any reason."
"Thank you," Remus bowed. He gave another bow to McGonagall before stepping over to the floo. "Lupin House."
The fireplace that Remus stepped out of was the most ornate piece in the room. The Lupin family had fallen on hard times a few generations ago and had sold their ancestral home. The story that Remus had always heard was that his great grandmother had absolutely refused to part with the fireplace that had been in the Manor's entrance hall, so the family had moved it with them to their new house.
The new house was a glorified farm house. Slightly more luxurious than the real thing, it had come with a few undevelopable acres, which had made the asking price just within the Lupin's means. Over the years it had fallen into disrepair, but as none of the 'first families' were ever likely to call on a downtrodden former alley it hadn't much mattered.
When Remus's father died during his seventh year Remus had inherited the house, and a huge pile of debts. With help from James and Sirius those debts had been paid. Remus hadn't been able to find steady work yet, but he figured it was only time. After all, who would turn down someone with Albus Dumbledore's patronage, even if that person was a werewolf?
'Everyone, that's who.' Remus thought bitterly. It wasn't Albus's fault at all, it was Sirius's fault. If the two of them hadn't been friends then potential employers wouldn't keep looking at him like he was about to reach across the desk and kill them. 'How many time am I going to have to hear the words, 'We would hire you, but I am not sure the other's would feel safe with a were wolf working here.''
A large imposing owl stood at attention on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Remus gave it a brief glance, which unsettled the bird somewhat, before going to the refrigerator and pulling out the sausages he had put there before heading out to Hogwarts.
He placed the meat on a plate and sat down opposite the owl. He took a moment to study the bird, it was primarily black with a few brown feathers. "Upper class bird," he muttered as he began to eat. The bird tilted its head, almost as if it was questioning his statement. "The color of your feathers aren't natural, and the only people with enough money to pay for a charm like that are the upper class," he explained muzzily.
Remus wasn't surprised when the bird's only answer was to stick out it's leg. He untied the letter and placed it next to his plate. The bird stared at him. He sighed, "Let me get something into me. Then I will read through whatever it is that your master wants me to read. How's that?"
The bird gave itself an all over shake but refused to leave the room. Remus rolled his eyes and resumed his breakfast. The bird, discontent with the way it was being treated, hopped over to the chair next to Remus and gave a hoot.
Remus bared his teeth at the bird and snarled, this causing it to rear back. The barely managed to open it's wings and right itself from being sprawled over the dingy kitchen floor. It flew over to the window muttering to itself and shooting Remus looks every so often.
Remus gave a snort as he finally finished off the meat, and levitated the plate to the sink. He looked at the owl consideringly, before picking up the letter. He looked at the directions which were simple enough.
Remus Lupin
Lupin House
He didn't recognize the handwriting, so it obviously wasn't one of his normal correspondences. The bird gave an annoyed hoot. He shoot it an amused glance, then sobered. 'It is a sad state of things when you find joy in making an animal annoyed my boy.' He sighed.
He turned the letter over and paused over the seal.
Tojours Pur
He stared blankly for a moment, what would the House of Black want with him?
End Notes:
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