Author's Notes: I finally updated! I wanted to give a huge thank-you to mamacita-san for being my beta and correcting all my writings. THANK YOU SO MUCH! This chapter, is one of my favorites, actually. It's more bonding and all between Remus and Caleb. Can you find the for-shadowing?...It's in there...somewhere...hahaha...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and crew.

DiscombobulatedDrummer

Remus was sleeping soundly as a certain convict walked in unannounced. Sirius walked over to the sleeping Werewolf. He smiled as he whispered Remus' name. Remus stirred a little but didn't wake up. Sirius, getting agitated, started poking his friend. Remus grunted as Sirius' index finger poked him in the ribs.

"Sirius, there are other ways to wake me up instead of poking me," Remus said in a hoarse voice that made Sirius squeak. "I thought you were over puberty," he added, sitting up and raking his fingers through his brown and gray hair.

"I am. You just scared me, that's all," Sirius replied, crossing his arms. "You know Caleb's been up for a while. Since 5:30."

"Really?" Remus asked. "Did you know that Caleb's a Werewolf?" Sirius' eyes got bigger at this information. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sirius. He practically told me," Remus replied, looking at the floor. "He had a nightmare last night."

"That's who was screaming? I wondered what that noise was," Sirius replied as he sat down in the chair by Remus' desk.

"Yeah, that was him. He told me that he was bitten not too long ago. Because of that, his father abuses him..." Remus trailed off.

Sirius stared at a piece of parchment that lay crumpled up on the desk. He glanced over at Remus, who was rubbing a white scar that traveled along his knuckles. "What are you thinking about, Moony? You can't hide that look," Sirius stated as he watched Remus' face change.

"I don't know what it is, Sirius. When Caleb described the night he was bitten, it…it felt like I was there," Remus replied as he turned to look at Sirius. He was scared.

"Are you saying--do you--think that you bit him?" Sirius struggled with his words. He didn't know, nor did he want to acknowledge that Remus could have bitten someone.

"I don't know what to think any more, Sirius. I can't remember."

"Hey," Sirius replied as he got up and slapped Remus' shoulder, "you never know. Maybe that kid can just tell really good stories."

"One can only hope," Remus answered, getting up.

His blue pajamas, slightly too long in the legs, lightly touched the wood floor as he walked downstairs. He calmly walked into the kitchen and noticed Caleb sitting at the table with Mrs. Weasley.

"Good morning, Molly, Caleb." Remus smiled as he took a cup from the cupboard.

"Good morning, Remus. Did you sleep well?" Molly asked.

"I slept well, yes'm," Remus answered, looking over his shoulder at Caleb. Caleb gave him a little smile as he drank his milk.

Caleb had black circles under his eyes, and Remus didn't look much better. His stubble stood out more, patches of hair missing where his scars where. He reached for a piece of toast as he sat down and yawned, glancing at the calendar.

"Hmm...what's today? Uh-oh," Remus thought, his mouth slowly dropping open.

"You could catch a fly with that mouth, Moony," Sirius said, seeing his friend's dazed face.

"Sorry, I--um--I'm going to take a shower," Remus announced as he left the kitchen and headed upstairs.

Caleb, with nothing to do, left. Sirius followed him into the study.

"That's a lot of books," Caleb pointed out as he rubbed his fingers on the spines of each of them.

"Yeah, Moony's read about all of them," Sirius replied, scratching his head.

"Who?" Caleb asked looking back at Sirius.

"Oh--Remus. I meant Remus," Sirius corrected himself. "He's read about every book in here, so go ahead and read what you will. I don't mind."

"Oh. Okay," Caleb answered, and he continued looking at the books.

"Hmm...what to read, what to read," Caleb thought to himself. Suddenly he came upon a thick book called Dark Creatures and Where to Find Them."Now, this seems interesting," Caleb whispered, taking the book from the shelf. He blew the dust off it and sat down with it on the couch.

He looked at the index and found the subject that he was interested in: Werewolves.

"Werewolves are very dangerous creatures," he read. "They strike at will. People that are bitten face a hard life, but most have become hidden in the forests of the wizarding world. Werewolves are able to track down their own kind even when the moon is not full. They have a certain scent that attracts others to them. Some Werewolves take in others as their adopted children."

"What?" Caleb questioned the text. "He wouldn't...would he? That's why I stay by him so much. He's a Werewolf. He has the same signs. But--he would have told me. He said he trusts me," Caleb said to himself. He started to breath heavily as the thought of Remus being feral hit him. "He could be with Voldemort...taking Werewolves in and teaching them to do horrible things."

Caleb slammed the book shut and headed for the door. As he opened it, a searing pain sailed its way up his arm. The door handle was silver. He screamed in pain.

"Hey!" Sirius yelled, pulling Caleb back from the door. "I forgot to tell you 'bout that."

Caleb struggled with Sirius. "Let me go!"

"Caleb, what's going on?" Sirius asked, trying to keep a good hold on the boy.

"Remus--he's like them! He didn't tell me! He's a Werewolf! He--he wants to use me!" Caleb shouted. Finally freeing himself from Sirius, he ran out the open door.

"Caleb!" Sirius cried as he watched the boy run down the street.

Sirius ran upstairs and into Remus' room. Remus had just slipped on his shoes and was about to button his shirt.

"It's Caleb! He ran away!" Sirius panted.

Remus looked at Sirius in confusion."What?"

"He found out about you. He thinks you're in alliance with Voldemort," Sirius answered.Remus jumped from the bed and ran downstairs, waking up Mrs. Black.

"Curses on all of you!" she yelled. "Get out of my house, you half-breed!"

"Aw, shut up!" Sirius yelled, pulling the curtain back to cover his mother's portrait. He looked around, and sighed as he realized Remus had already left the house.

Remus stopped in front of the tree he could see Caleb standing behind--close enough that Caleb could see him, but far enough away that the boy could still feel somewhat secure behind his tree.

"Hey, why did you run?" Remus asked gently.

Caleb kicked a patch of grass sullenly. His lower lip was thrust out and he looked as if he was trying manfully not to cry.

"You expect me to trust you," he burst out at last, "and then you don't even tell me that YOU'RE a--a Werewolf!"

Remus twitched guiltily as the barb hit home. "I--well--"

"You're a Death Eater, aren't you?" Caleb rushed on. He stared at Remus, his mouth a round "O" of incredulity as he heard what he had just said.

Remus was just as amazed. "I'm what?" he exclaimed. "What on earth makes you think that? Look here." He pulled up both sleeves of his sweater. Where the Dark Mark would have been, had he indeed been a Death Eater, there was nothing but pale, unmarred skin. "Do you see anything that makes me a Death Eater?" he demanded.

Caleb, having quickly realized the enormity of his accusation, had the grace to look ashamed. "I guess not," he said grudgingly. "But then, why didn't you tell me?" he asked indignantly, with a childish determination to not be the only one in the wrong.

Remus spread his hands in apology. "I should have, I know." He shrugged and grinned crookedly. "It's one of those things there's never really a good time to tell someone, you know?"

"Tell me about it," Caleb said with feeling. Remus laughed.

"I didn't want to frighten you," he explained. "You haven't known me for very long, and even though you're a Werewolf yourself, I thought you might be rather uneasy about the thought of living under the same roof with one."

Caleb squared his shoulders defiantly. "I don't scare that easily," he retorted.

"I can see that. I don't blame you for being angry. I'm sorry, Caleb, I should have told you." Remus thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what--let's make a deal. I'll promise not to keep secrets from you, if you'll promise me the same thing." He looked at Caleb inquiringly.

Caleb did a bit more grass-kicking, casting furtive glances at Remus as if waiting for him to grow impatient or dismiss the subject.

Remus waited him out. "Well?" he asked finally. "What do you think--do we have a deal?"

Caleb looked at him a moment longer, then nodded firmly. "I guess so. Yeah, it's a deal." He spat into his palm and held his hand out expectantly. Remus, slightly taken aback by the long-forgotten boyish gesture used to seal sacred oaths, took Caleb's hand with an amused look, and they shook on it.

Author's Notes: Please review and make me one happy person!

DD