Papa Moony

Disclaimer: I own nothing you notice, except maybe the occasional sarcastic remark…

Dedication: Dedicated to the 25th of July, because it's my last day of holidays until I go back to school.

A/N: This could possibly be the weirdest story I've ever written! I'll go out on a limb and see where this takes me… Have fun reading!

The werewolf shot through the trees, running as fast as its legs would carry it. Underneath the swift exterior beat the heart of a seventeen year old, struggling for some kind of control. He jumped over a fallen log and kept running, deeper and deeper into the forest. Behind him he could just hear the barking of a dog, and the sounds it made as it crashed through the undergrowth, trying to catch up to him.

A new scent filled his nostrils, something he knew, but didn't remember exactly what it was. He slowed down and came to a halt in a clearing. It was near, and it was small. A badger perhaps? A fox?

No. This was something different.

He sniffed the air, and pivoted on his two back feet. Putting his nose to the ground he followed the scent. He halted when he heard something up ahead. It was canine, but it wasn't the big dog he'd been out running. No, this was something else, something smaller. It was whimpering quietly in fear. He padded forward and stuck his nose into the bush that was the source of the sound.

He nosed around for a few seconds, and then felt a sharp pain on his nose. He withdrew it quickly and shook his head. Intent on knowing exactly what this was he grabbed a branch from the bush in his teeth and pulled. There was a loud cracking sound and the branch broke free. He tossed it to the side and peered into the bush. A two small faces peered back. Suddenly one of them opened their mouth and gave a sharp bark.

The werewolf jumped back in shock. Mentally scolding himself for being scared of something so small he walked forward again and started sniffing them. The one that had barked before growled. He growled back and continued sniffing them again.

He took a step back. Wolf cubs. But where was their mother? He shivered as the wind changed direction. And suddenly a putrid smell invaded his senses. His head snapped up and turned to look where the smell was coming from. With a backward glance at the two cubs, still snuggled together, he lolloped through the trees.

He knew what it was before he reached it. But that didn't stop him from looking. The she-wolf was on her side, as if she was running, with no visible wounds. The boy inside shivered as he realised what had happened. Deatheaters hunting for aurors in disguise. He looked up to the sky and watched as the moon set for the night. He felt his bones bend back into shape and slowly he regained his human form.

Remus was on all fours, staring at the ground. He had a discission to make. He slowly stood up and walked back to the clearing, looking at the cubs. He sighed. He couldn't just leave them there to die of cold and starvation, or to be picked off by predators.

He moved slowly to the bush, smiling slightly as one started to growl at him. He reached forward and quickly grabbed one with each hand by the scruff of the neck. Silently wondering what he was going to get himself into, he went to find a safer place, and to get himself out of the forest as quick as possible.

---

Remus stared out of the window towards the forest when Sirius plopped down beside him.

"What's up Moony?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? When you have a book on your lap, and you're not reading it, something is wrong."

Remus turned to look at his friend. Behind the fringe of shaggy black hair that fell in his face, Sirius's blue eyes were concerned.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired from last night," he muttered. "I think I'm going to go for a walk," he announced, and clambered through the portrait hole, leaving a bewildered Sirius behind him.

---

As Remus walked out the oak doors to the grounds, he pulled his cloak around him. Winter was slowly ebbing away, but that didn't deter the cold. He walked casually to the edge of the forest and then looked around to see if anyone was watching. When he decided it was all clear he slipped inside.

Stumbling over the occasional root he managed to navigate his way to the cub's hiding place. He pulled back the branches and peered into the crevice in the rocks where the two were snuggled up.

"Hi," he whispered weakly, suddenly realising that he should have brought food for them. He looked around the trees for something for them, but didn't see anything. Suddenly he felt incredibly stupid and he realised he was in fact a wizard, and quite good at transfiguration.

He looked at the cubs and judged by their size that they should be eating meat, so he turned the nearest rock into some food and pushed it towards them. They poked their noses up and sniffed the air for a moment, then ran over to the meat and started tearing off chunks.

Remus watched them and chuckled at their overall awkwardness. He was roused from his thoughts at a sound behind him, followed by a voice.

"Argh, crap!" Thump "Ouch. Damn it!"

Remus hastily covered up the still eating cubs and stood up, just in time to see Sirius stumble out from the trees, tangled in branches, with what looked like a bird's nest in his head.

"Padfoot? What're you doing here?"

Sirius sneezed. "I… err…"

"Were you following me?" emus asked putting two and two together.

"No… I umm… wanted to… um… err… Go for a scenic walk."

"Into the Forbidden Forest?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he said, fixing a lame grin on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Never mind, we should be getting back, it's getting dark," he said, walking past Sirius and through the trees.

Sirius untangled himself and ran after Remus. Halfway up the stairs to the school he worked up the corage to say something.

"What were you doing in the forest?" he asked.

"Taking a scenic walk," Remus said with a smile.

A/N: I know I know, slow start. But I swear it will get better. Could I possibly beg for a review?