The Secret Darkness

Anna Maxwell and Chase Yuy

A.N: Okay! This would be our first HP fanfic as I (Chase) am a little slow on the uptake and have not read the books up until now. I'm currently reading them. Loving them. Yeah, I know, one more trend I follow, but not to be popular, I promise. Their just that bloody good. Anyway... Have fun kiddows and enjoy!

The sun was setting by the time Remus was trying his best to get out of the dorms. He felt sick... It was setting quicker, wasn't it? He could feel the moon rising and his head spin. The door behind him clicked and he heard footsteps coming towards him. He should have left hours ago...

"Remus! What are you still doing here?" Sirius Black demanded in a whisper. He glanced out the window of the Gryffindor common room and frowned at the red glow coming in the window. "We haven't got much time."

"I hadn't noticed..." the smaller man gasped sarcastically. He felt Sirius' arm wrap around him to pull him upright and he leaned into his friend. "It's draining me," he murmured. "It's never done this before."

Sirius' dark eyes regarded his friend carefully. His frown deepened as he noticed how pale Remus was, more so than usual, at any rate. "Come on, then. No homework for you tonight." He directed them towards the picture hole.

"I don't think they'll take my excuse," the werewolf said as he stumbled.

"Well, you're ahead of it anyway. You're a disgusting over-achiever. It's almost unforgivable." Sirius replied, catching him easily and pulling him through the hole and into the hallway. "Ah, damn, the stairs." he grumbled.

Remus clung tightly. "The sun'll be down any minute," he murmured. "I could kill you and never know difference... the potions in the shack."

"We'd best hurry along, then, hadn't we? I'd hate for you to be left to explain why I suddenly turned into confetti." Sirius pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of his satchel and draped it over them. "Wouldn't do for Filch to find us." He quickened their pace. They had to make it to the grounds.

"Does James know you have it?"

"Errr...he won't mind if I borrow it for a bit." Sirius hedged, ignoring the look Remus gave him. "What? It's not like he's supposed to have it either."

Remus managed a small smile. "Good point." They hit the last step and Remus stumbled forward, dragging Sirius with him. The smaller man gave a sharp, bit off cry and he felt his friend pull him closer. Filch's footsteps sounded around them, but from where they couldn't tell.

Sirius quickly pulled them against the wall and pulled Remus tightly against him. He forced himself to breathe softly. Merlin's beard...of all the times for Filch to be poking about... He peered through the cloak at one of windows...they did not have time for this.

Remus groaned slightly, trying his best to keep quiet. "We have to go," he managed through clenched teeth.

Sirius reached slowly into his robes and pulled out his wand. It was an awkward angle underneath the cloak, but he managed to aim it at a door down the hall and whisper, "Alohamora!" Filch automatically turned at the click and head that way. Sirius pulled Remus up and pulled them into a brisk walk. They made it to the doors and slipped out.

And the moonlight hit. Remus collapsed onto the ground, arms wrapped around himself. His cry broke the still, quiet night air.

Sirius cursed aloud. He had a good two minutes, maybe, before the transformation was complete. He scooped the agonized boy into his arms and ran, dropping the cloak in the process. He ran as fast as he could, which as any teacher who tried to give him detention knew, was extremely fast. He liked to think it was related to his Animangus form, but whatever it was, it was about to get him into the forest before all of Hogwarts found out Remus was a werewolf.

His scream echoed through the forest and Remus began trying to push away. "Let go," he whimpered.

"No." Sirius growled. "The further in we get the safer you'll be. The closer to the shack we get, the closer we are to the potion. There's time, there's time..."

"I'll... kill you... I can't..." He struggled against his friend and landed on the ground with his growing werewolf strength.

Dark hair fell in his eyes as Sirius bent and grabbed Remus' hand. He met the golden gaze head on. "I trust you." he whispered. He yanked Remus up and into a run again. They still weren't far enough in. Remus was still in danger...

Remus' eyes went wide and he stopped still, causing Sirius to stumble. They were round and gold, the last hint of humanity hiding within them. "Please go," he murmured. "Can't... hold it off..."

"What's all the noise out there?" a voice called from the edge of the forest.

"Run." Sirius whispered. "Run, as fast as you can, you can't be caught, Remus."

Remus nodded slowly. He'd make it to the shack. To the potion... Then he'd come back to give them a scare. It would save them both if all worked to plan. It was the only possibility they had. He took off as fast as he could as his hair lengthened and he felt himself slipping away. Why was he running again? The potion...? Who needed it anyway? It was such a trivial thing. Why would a werewolf give into petty human desires to keep that soul of his?

No! he told himself. He had to save Sirius! He dove down under the Womping Willow and stumbled down the stairs.

Sirius leaned heavily against a tree and sucked in deep breaths. He turned his face towards the sky, black and endless above him except for the moon, the damn moon which hung there as if to mock him. He'd thought the moon was pretty once, nice to look at. Now it was another enemy. His list seemed to be growing.

"Sirius Black! I should have known!" a voice growled from the trees. He was the head boy at the Slytherian house and he thought that he was the head of all the dorms. It was much to his glee that he'd found Gryffindor's most trouble-making student out and about after dark. Not that he was really supposed to be out, but if he came back hauling Black, Filch surely would let it pass.

"Get out of here." Sirius snapped. "I don't need hassels from the likes of you right now."

"And all I need to do is haul you in to Filch. What the hell are you doing out here anyway, Black?"

"Oooh, cursing now, are we, Snape? Think that makes you more impressive? I guess for you every little bit counts, doesn't it?"

The Slytherin's eyes narrowed. "You're pushing it, Black," he growled as he reached out to take hold of Sirius' collar. He stopped dead when he heard a growl from the woods.

Sirius froze, calculating the time in his head. There was no way Remus could have gotten to the shack and back that quickly, which meant..."Run!" he hissed. "Snape, go!"

"I won't be fooled by you," the dark haired boy hissed.

Sirius grabbed him by the collar of his robes and shoved him into a tree trunk. "Damn you, get it through your thick head that I'm not playing with you!" He violently shoved the other boy away. "Now get!"

Golden eyes appeared with a howl echoing throught the forest and Snape gasped. "A werewolf...?" His eyes turned sharply on Sirius. "Lupin."

A/N: Bum Bum Bum! Oh, by the way, before anyone starts saying "but the potion isn't invented yet!" This is oh so very slightly AU. So yeah... Stay tuned for more! Keep in mind Anna and I are both University students and we have crazy scheduals. Beware of this and don't yell about postings! DON'T YELL!

Ahem... Anywho. Please review! We're addicts! It gets us through the day...

AM & CY