Author's Note:

I'm a few chapters ahead (working on chapter 21 at the moment) but I'm trying to keep a few under my belt to have things for you guys to read as I mentioned before. Also I need to see Infinity War about two more times at least for the shock and emotional turmoil to sink in, but I am working on the story when I can.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the lyrics to "Stand" by Rascal Flatts, but I really wanted to incorporate the words into this memory — it is mostly paraphrased, but I love the words so much and I think that it has incredible meaning on so many levels.

Also, Pottermore claims that the Wolfsbane Potion was invented sometime after Remus Lupin finished his education and that it was one of the factors in Remus becoming a professor at Hogwarts, knowing that Snape could brew it for him. It has expensive ingredients and it makes sense that there was no way for Lupin to try it on his own. In my world, 1986 is the year of its invention.

Reviews and Comments: To Queen Helen: Thank you! I love that you half expected her to show up for the birthday. Sadly, she did not. Also, she doesn't have the address to get there… To ginnyweasley777: Thank you! Yes, Althea is falling for him a little and she doesn't want to admit it. Sirius is just looking for a good time. Thank you for saying that was the sweetest chapter! To Ugly-Duckling123: Thank you! Those are all great puppy names, but not quite what I'm looking for. Thank you for the suggestions though! To E-Dett: Aww, my dad used to have a dog named Duke, I do like that name. But I think I have the perfect name in mind! To geekymom: Thank you! Marauder is a perfect name and exactly what I decided to use! To darkhk: Ha, Weasley would be an interesting name, but nope. Thanks for the suggestion though! To DJDanger1: Thank you! I think Harry definitely enjoyed his first real birthday party!

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:

The One With the Second Best Day Ever

Once everyone had greeted the new puppy, who in the excitement of seeing so many people had promptly peed on the floor, Sirius let Tonks take Harry and the puppy outside to play.

Sirius grinned as he looked out the window and watched his godson throw the frisbee that he had gotten in the five other gifts that he had to open (which included all of the dog toys and necessities) and watched him chase after it, tail wagging in excitement.

"The dog was a good idea," he murmured, smiling.

McGonagall placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "An excellent one, I think. You're doing a great job with him, Sirius. Look at how he's smiling out there. This is a day he will always remember."

"I hope so. I just want him to be happy."

McGonagall smiled warmly. "He is, Sirius. He's a very happy little boy. You should be proud."

"I am. He just told me that he loves me, Minnie. It's the first time… since he was a baby." Sirius told her, surprised to find his eyes a little wet and he blinked back tears. "I thought my heart was going to burst."

McGonagall's smile deepened and she linked her arm with his. "He does love you. You are doing a really good job with him and being the father that he needs."

"I'll never be his father," Sirius told her, his eyes on Harry through the window. "I don't ever want to replace… James." The name came out almost like a whisper. "He would have been the most amazing father to him, you know?"

"James is gone, Sirius," she said quietly. "That doesn't mean that he wouldn't have been a great dad because you're right, he would have been an incredible father, but he's gone. You are his godfather, yes, but you are also the father figure that he needs right now. Be proud of what you have accomplished with him already. And don't be afraid to be a father to him, you won't be taking anything away from who is father is."

Sirius smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I am. And I will be the best godfather to him that I can be - father figure, big brother, friend, whatever he needs, I will always be there for him. I will stand by him and for him."

"That's right, you shake it off and you stand, no matter what."

Sirius grinned at her, hugging her tightly before moving to lean back against the kitchen counter where he could still peek out the window to spy on Harry and Tonks with the new puppy. "You always told me that when I took a stand for myself and for those I loved that I would be able to do great things. I had no idea that it was going to include raising James and Lily's son, but I guess that's why life's like a book with the end ripped out; we're not supposed to know where it's going to take us."

McGonagall watched him for a moment. "Sirius, you always were much stronger than you thought you were."

He nodded, remembering the first time that she had ever told him that.

He was thirteen.

It was the end of his second year at Hogwarts and he had gotten into a fight with a few Slytherins when they had called him a 'Mudblood loving tosser.' He had been talking to Lily Evans out by the lake and Avery, Rosier, and Snape had wandered over, taunting Lily about being Muggleborn and Sirius had snapped. He'd punched Rosier in the face and jinxed Avery. Evans had begged him to stop, but he hadn't been able to. And her friend Snape had done nothing to stop his friends from insulting her and it had infuriated him. He'd gotten detention and the next morning a Howler had arrived from his mum.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, HOW DARE YOU DEFILE YOUR ANCESTORS! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO AND OR CORRESPOND WITH THOSE WHO ARE BENEATH YOU! YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER HOLIDAYS!"

The letter had burned up at the table and Sirius had smirked at James. "Looks like I won't be able to come by this summer." He tried to look amused but the sadness in his eyes made James put his arm around his shoulder.

"Don't worry, mate. We'll jailbreak you if necessary. Do you think they'll really hold you hostage all summer?"

Sirius had only shrugged. To be honest, he wouldn't be surprised if his mother attempted to brainwash him into thinking like her. Now that he was strong enough to fight off the Imperius Curse, he had made her life a little more difficult. Of course, she could always chain him up in the basement again like she had last summer.

He shuddered at the thought.

But when he had arrived home for the summer, that was exactly what had happened. Not right away, he had first been banished to his bedroom, but when he had received a letter from Lily Evans asking about his summer holidays, his mother hadn't been pleased with his correspondence. He had then spent almost a month chained to the wall in the basement of his family home. His mother had claimed that he had needed to be taught a lesson and that being locked up was the only way that the lesson was going to be learned properly. His wrists and ankles were rubbed raw from the chains.

Kreacher, the family house elf, had brought him food twice a day, sneering at him. Regulus had snuck down to see him after the second week.

"Siri?"

"Hey, Reg, I'm okay," he told him, trying to smile at his eleven-year-old-brother in reassurance.

His father had belted him so hard that his back was still bleeding a little, but he kept it hidden from his brother. He had never wanted his little brother to see the pain his parents had bestowed upon him. It was his job to protect him. Always.

"Siri, why do you have to make them so angry? Why can't you just… do what they want?"

Sirius smiled warmly at his brother. "I want them to understand that I'm my own person, Reg, and I don't want to be like them. They're cruel and they're horribly set in their ways and I'm not going to stop being friends with people just because of their blood. We all bleed red, Regulus. It's all red."

Regulus had only stared at him, his bottom lip quivering. "What if… what if I'm not put into Slytherin House either?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment. Regulus would be starting Hogwarts that September and he was both simultaneously excited and terrified for his baby brother.

"It would be better if you weren't. I could protect you better. But the hat gives you a choice, Reg. I chose to be something different."

"Is Slytherin House bad?"

"No!" Sirius insisted, wincing at the muscle spasms in his arms and legs from a combination of the chained position he was stuck in and from the Cruciatus Curse, courtesy of his father only two hours earlier. "None of the houses are bad, none of them. It's just… our entire family is in Slytherin and the pressure in that house to do what the pureblood mantra is and does — that's a lot and I don't need that. I love Gryffindor, not because of the house, but because of the people in it."

Regulus stared at him, his eyes wide. "If I'm not sorted into Slytherin, this could be me next summer."

Sirius shook his head. "No, Reg, I won't let them do this to you."

Regulus was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "If you kept quiet, Mother and Father wouldn't… hurt you."

"My friend Lily wrote me a letter, Reg. Mother intercepted it. She claimed that the name Evans sounded too common and too simple to possibly be anyone worth my time. When I told her that she was Muggleborn, she sneered as if she had known the entire time."

"You should have denied it."

Sirius smirked. He knew better than to bother. "Reg, they know every pureblood in the fucking sacred twenty-eight. I couldn't have denied it if I wanted to. I told her we were friends and well, here we are. You do what you need to do, Reg, but I promise, if you decide that you don't want to be in Slytherin — don't let our parents force you. I'll protect you."

Regulus stared at him for a moment, then he turned and hurried up the stairs. Sirius had simply hung his head and tried not to scream from the pain. The day before the Hogwarts Express left for his third year, his mother had used the Cruciatus Curse on him again, making him promise to stop befriending Muggleborn scum and to make more of an effort to be nice to the Slytherins.

He had said he would, but only to make the pain stop.

When he had boarded the Hogwarts Express the next morning and Lily Evans had run towards him to give him a friendly hug hello, he had considered it. Regulus had been sitting next to him in the compartment and his eyes had narrowed the moment the redhead had come into the room. Sirius introduced him and Lily had smiled warmly, wishing him luck.

When the Sorting Hat had called out Slytherin, Sirius had felt his heart break. On some level he had known that it was the first step his brother was taking away from him. He'd excused himself from his friends, claiming that he needed to use the loo, leaning against the stone wall outside of the Great Hall to catch his breath.

Professor McGonagall found him there a few minutes later, rubbing his raw wrists and gasping for air amidst a small panic attack. She had wrapped her arm around him, tugging him into a nearby empty classroom and told him to breathe, gently guiding him back to his normal rhythms of breath.

"Mr Black, it's quite all right to be upset that your brother was put into a different house. Not all siblings are put together," she said kindly.

Sirius ran his hands through his shaggy hair and nodded. "I know, Professor."

McGonagall's eyes were on the marks on his wrist. "What are those, Mr Black?"

Sirius shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Nothing to worry about, Professor. I spent some time paying for my sins this summer is all. Punishment is what I deserve most, isn't it?"

Her nostrils flared angrily. "Those wrists are rubbed raw. You should go to the hospital wing to get Madam Pomfrey to take a look. They look quite painful."

Sirius only smiled at her. "I'll be fine, but thanks McG."

McGonagall didn't comment as she took a seat next to him in one of the desks. She tapped her fingers on the desk for a moment as if unsure on how to proceed.

"Black, you know that as your Head of House I'm a lot more than just your Transfiguration professor?" When he nodded, she smiled. "I'm here as an advisor… a friend and a confidant if ever you need anything. Even if it's only to talk."

"Talk about what, Professor?"

"Anything you want. Homework, classes, your parents, your brother, your friends, your home life… I am here for you."

Sirius nodded. "I don't have anything to talk about. My brother… he's a Slytherin, he's the golden hero of the Black Family now. I'm just the loser of the fight who keeps getting tossed back in and refusing to… toujours pur — that's what my mother says."

"And you don't believe those words, do you Mr Black?"

Sirius' eyes stayed on hers for a long moment and then he shook his head. "No, I don't. I don't know where my life is going to take me, but I do know that it's not going to be the direction that my family wants it to go and sometimes…" he trailed off for a moment. "Sometimes, I don't think that I'm going to get away. That I'm not strong enough to make my own decisions."

McGonagall smiled warmly at him, reaching out to touch his arm. "You are very brave, Sirius, and that's only one of the many reasons why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor. You are a lot stronger than you believe yourself to be. You may feel alone and helpless, like you've lost your fight — but you haven't. You have friends. You have a family here and you'll be all right. My grandmother used to always tell me to just stand and I always think back to it as being the best advice that I was ever given."

He nodded, oddly touched by her words. He did have a family here. He had James and Peter and Remus and Lily and Marlene and Dorcas and Mary. And he was beginning to see that if he wanted - he had McGonagall too.

McGonagall smiled at him. "You stand for yourself and for those you love, Sirius. Nothing in the world is more important because when push comes to shove, you taste what you're made of. You might bend until you break because it's all you can take. When you're on your knees, you look up, and decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong, but wipe your hands, shake it off — and you stand. You just stand and you keep holding on. Every time you fall down you get back up, and one more small piece of you starts to fall into place. You stand. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

He did understand. No matter how many times his parents beat him down, physically, verbally, and emotionally into submission, he kept standing back up; he kept choosing his own path.

"Yes, Professor."

"So you stand," she told him with a smile. "Life's like a novel that has the end ripped out. We're not supposed to know where it's going to take us or what's going to happen along the way. But those we keep with us and those we choose to spend our lives with; they make the difference. Family isn't always blood." She held her hand out to him and when he took it she tugged him to his feet. "Now let's go enjoy that feast while we can."

Sirius smiled at her. "Thanks, Professor."

McGonagall only nodded. "My office is always open, Sirius. No matter how big or small."

Family wasn't always blood, he thought. And McGonagall had always managed to remind him of that. He pulled her into a hug, surprising her, but she returned it in kind.

"Mr Black, I think that it's time we head back to the feast, is it not?"

He only grinned at her. "It is."

Sirius grinned at the memory. "Then you stand, Minnie."

When McGonagall smiled back at him in kind, he turned and watched Harry running around outside with the puppy and with Tonks. He was proud, he thought, he was very proud and he loved that little boy more than anything in the world. He had chosen his family and that family had chosen him right back.

~ ASC ~

That night as Harry finished getting ready for bed, Sirius picked up the puppy and plopped him into Harry's bed.

"I think that you wore him out today," Sirius said, as the puppy yawned, moved himself in a circle before he curled up on one of Harry's pillows, eyes closed. "What are we going to name him?"

Harry gently touched the soft fur, the puppy stretching under his hand. "I don't know."

Sirius tucked Harry in, grinning as Harry smiled happily at the dog next to him. "Well, we don't have to name him tonight. We have plenty of time."

Harry smiled up at Sirius. "This was the second best day ever, Uncle Padfoot. Thank you."

Sirius smiled, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead. "You are very welcome, Prongslet. Now, I know that your actual birthday is on Wednesday, and Uncle Moony and I are going to take you out someplace where we can play games and have some food. You'll love it. But today, we wanted to give you a party." He gently brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes, thinking about what Harry had just said to him. "Why the second best day?"

Harry's eyes were beginning to close and it made Sirius smile. "Second," he slurred quietly. "Best day was when you brought me here to be my dad."

Then he was asleep, curled on his side, the puppy next to him and Sirius couldn't get the smile to leave his face.

~ ASC ~

When Sirius woke up the next morning stretched out in his own bed, he felt relief and a little sadness. As happy as he was to actually be in his own bed for once, he was surprised to realize that he missed waking up beside the child. He padded into the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth before he snuck his head in Harry's bedroom.

It was just a little after seven and Harry was sleeping soundly, the puppy snuggled up against his back. The image made him smile and he headed downstairs. He noticed that Andromeda had tidied up the kitchen before she had left and he felt extra grateful that he didn't have that to worry about it this morning as he poured himself a glass of water and eagerly drank it, quenching his early morning thirst.

The owl flew through the open window, depositing his Daily Prophet and he rifled around in the kitchen drawer to find the money to pay him. He took a seat at the table and opened the paper, skimming it in earnest. He wasn't sure why he bothered to get the paper every day. He very rarely read it all the way through, but sometimes skimming the news articles made him feel like he had some clue as to what was happening in the world.

The article on the third page caught his attention immediately. His eyes narrowing as he read:

MAGICAL CREATURE REGISTRATION — TO HELP STOP A WEREWOLF!

It has come to our knowledge that there are many witches and wizards with the blood of magical creatures in their system, who have not come forward and registered themselves with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

"We're not trying to single them out," Simon Fawley reported. "But it's important for us to study all blood types, even those with one quarter Veela, half-giants, part-troll, part-goblin, part-fae, those bitten by werewolves, new vampires, and anyone else who may be unique. It's all about learning and helping others."

This has come as a shock to most people, who are unwilling to come forward and admit if they have any magical-creature blood in their system, but it should be done as soon as possible so as not to miss out on opportunities to help them find inner peace and to sort out what exactly the disease is that they may have.

This has become extra important today when Potioneer, Damocles Belby, told the Prophet that after years of hard work, he has founded a potion that helps one control the disease of the moon cycle, Lycanthropy.

"It is not a cure," Belby told the Prophet. "I must stress that as being most important. It is not a cure. But it does help someone who is suffering from the disease keep their memory when they are forced to transform into the monster that lives inside of them. Once bitten by a werewolf, you immediately have lycanthropy, a disease that three nights a month, due to the rotation of the moon cycle, will turn you into a bloodthirsty monster. The night before the Full Moon, the night of the Full Moon, and the night after the Full Moon — all affect those who have the disease. You will want blood and you will need to hunt, but come morning, when that fever breaks and you have turned back to your human self, all memory of the night before is erased. People are often afraid of these monsters because of what they can do and how they do not show remorse for any of the damage that they have inflicted due to memory loss."

Will this potion help them show remorse? Belby says no. What it does is allow one to keep their wits about them when the monster takes over their body.

Belby has been nominated to receive the Order of Merlin for his work on curing the dementia during a transformation of a lycanthrope in something he is calling the Wolfsbane Potion.

Anyone willing to try the potion and to see the effects must be monitored by Belby and his research team. Registration by the Ministry of Magic is required for all participants including making your name known on the official Werewolf Registry if you want to try the potion.

"The fuck is this," he mumbled under his breath, throwing the newspaper into the trash in disgust.

Dementia during a transformation of a lycanthrope.

Sirius grabbed the paper again. One of the things he had hated about being friends with Remus Lupin, was having to watch his best friend suffer. The disease as they called it, made him tired, feverish with chills, aching joints, lust-filled, hormonal, and testy. But the worst part always was the way that Remus' eyes would pour over every inch of their bodies the next day taking in every nick or paper cut and the guilt would fill his eyes before he hid it away.

Remus had always been convinced that he was a monster and that he would hurt one of them. And they hadn't exactly kept their distance from their friend when he had transformed, becoming Animagi to be with him during the full moon was something that Sirius had never regretted. But being with Remus during such a turbulent time meant that there had been a few close calls.

Sirius had been slashed and scratched a few times in his dog form, but James had always been quick with healing charms and when they did have to go to Madam Pomfrey, they were thankful that she never asked too many questions. He had a scar on his right thigh, another on his left hip and a third under his right ear. Any scratches made by a werewolf, even when he was transformed into his Animagus, scarred. But Sirius didn't regret a single one.

Only once had it been critical.

Sirius hadn't pulled him back in time and Remus had sliced James right across the abdomen. The white stag had fallen to the ground as his blood poured out and the howl that Remus had let out had chilled their blood.

It had taken everything that Sirius had to pull his friend away from his brother, from the smell of the blood that was attracting him. But he had done it. And Remus had been even more upset when he had discovered that they had lied to him. When he didn't remember what he had done, the guilt in which he assumed he had done the absolute worse, always consumed him. No matter what anyone had said, he took it to heart. He had the disease. He was the one who became a monster. It infuriated Sirius to watch him put himself down. He had never once in all of the years that he had known Remus Lupin looked into his soft amber eyes and seen a monster.

And if this potion, this Wolfsbane Potion, gave someone who turned into a werewolf the ability to keep their own mind when they transformed — that was a miracle. But there was no way in hell that he was going to let his best mate go down to the Ministry of Magic and register himself as a werewolf.

Lyall Lupin had done everything in his power to keep his son safe and free from the scrutiny of being seen as a monster. He had made him promise to stay under the radar as long he as he could. Sirius remembered how Remus had discovered why he had been bitten as a child; how much that discovery had hurt him.

He had been seventeen and it was the summer before seventh year and he had shown up on the doorstep of Potter House, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Moony!" James exclaimed, throwing his arms around his friend and tugging him into the house. "What is it? What's happened?"

Remus clung to James, the sobs wracking his body. Fleamont came into the entranceway, his eyebrow raised before moving to wrap his own arms around his son and his friend.

"It's okay, Remus. Come on; let's go take a seat, shall we?" Fleamont suggested, leading Remus into the living room. "Jamie, go and get Sirius."

James had only nodded, turning to find Sirius standing there. "Padfoot."

Fleamont kept his arms around Remus, until he pulled back, wiping at his eyes in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Are your parents all right?"

Remus nodded. "Yes."

Euphemia came into the living room holding a tray of tea and biscuits. She placed it onto the table, moving to sit on the other side of Remus and wrapped her arms around him, cradling his head to her breast as if he were a child.

"How's my boy doing?" she gently brushed her fingers through his hair, leaning down to kiss a new scar just below his ear. "Always so brave."

He blushed and hugged her back as James and Sirius moved towards him.

"I'm sorry to just show up like this," Remus began, but James shook his head.

"Don't be daft! What happened?"

Sirius nodded, sitting on the floor at Remus' feet. "Want us to get Peter here?"

Remus shook his head, wiping furiously at his eyes. "It's stupid. I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I don't want to bother Peter too."

Fleamont shifted over so that his son could sit next to his friend. "I doubt that. Would you like us to leave you boys alone to talk?"

Remus squeezed his hand gratefully. "It's all right. I know you… you know what I am — a monster."

Sirius scowled and James's eyes hardened.

"Stop fucking calling yourself a monster, Rem! You are the furthest thing from it!" James exclaimed as Sirius nodded from the floor beneath them.

Euphemia leaned over and kissed Remus' cheek. "You are a sweet boy — young man," she corrected, her eyes smiling warmly. "My boys are all young men now."

Remus blushed at her words - my boys. Euphemia and Fleamont treated Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all like they were their own children and he had never felt so blessed as he did when they were around. He closed his eyes as he spoke.

"I found out… I know how I…"

"How you what, Moony?" James asked, his eyes on his friend and his arm gently linked through Remus'.

Sirius reached up and touched Remus' other arm. "You can tell us, Rem."

Remus let out a slow breath. "I know why I was bitten."

Euphemia gasped. "Remus, knowing the why doesn't matter! It happened a long time ago."

Fleamont reached behind his son and Remus and touched his wife's shoulder, shaking his head. "He should know, Fee. Why do you think you were bit, Remus?"

Remus swallowed slowly, focusing on the feel of his two best friends as they touched his arms in reassurance of their presence. "My father… it was Dad. He… he made an enemy of a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Greyback? That vicious bastard who's following Voldemort and attacking all of those Muggles?"

"One in the same," Remus muttered.

"How did your dad know him?" James asked, patting Remus' arm gently.

Remus' hands turned into fists as he spoke. "Dad used to work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Ironic that his son would turn into a dangerous creature," he muttered, wincing when James and Sirius both kicked him lightly. "Sorry. But he… Greyback was questioned over the death of two Muggle children, not surprising, I know. Dad said that back then the Werewolf Registry wasn't controlled very well back then because everyone was so afraid of werewolves that they didn't press trying to find out who they were because they wanted to make every effort possible to avoid them all together. Greyback claimed that he was just a Muggle and a vagabond at that, who was shocked to even be in a room full of wizards in the first place. But my dad, he… he didn't trust him and he thought that he exhibited specific signs of lycanthropy, specifically in his behaviour. He tried to get the committee to hold him for twenty-four hours because the full moon was coming up, but the committee thought that he was innocent and told Dad that he was mad. They laughed at him."

Euphemia rubbed Remus' back gently, her hand squeezing his. "He was embarrassed."

Remus nodded, swallowing slowly. "He… he got so angry and he yelled out that all werewolves are 'soulless, evil, and deserving of nothing, but death.'"

"Rem," James said, wrapping his arm across his friend's shoulders. "Rem, he didn't know. Like you said, no one really knew about werewolves except to be afraid of them. He didn't know. He didn't mean what he said."

"He did mean it!" Remus insisted, pulling away from his friends and standing up. He dragged his hands through his wavy hair, his eyes wide. "Soulless evil! That's what he thinks of me!"

"No, he doesn't," Sirius said coldly. "Your dad loves you. Whenever I come to visit, he does nothing but boast about how smart you are; what kinds of things you've learned at school and to go on about happy you are and how happy it makes him. He does not think that you are soulless and he certainly doesn't think you're evil."

Remus didn't respond. He stood in the middle of the room, both of his hands still clutched in his hair as he spoke. "Dad was removed from the Ministry. They were going to alter Greyback's memory so that he wouldn't remember the Ministry of Magic, but he overpowered them with the help of two accomplices, who had been lying in wait for him, and he remembered what Dad had said about him and… he told his pack. He found out where we lived and two months before my fifth birthday, he snuck into my bedroom window and he… Dad saved my life, but he was too late for…"

Euphemia stood up, wrapping her arms around Remus, ignoring his attempt to get free. "And he realized that everything he had ever thought about werewolves was false. You were still his son. His pride and joy. The clever and lovable child that he knew and admired and on those frightful periods of the full moon when he was forced to watch you suffer, his heart broke a little more each time."

"He hates me, Fee." Remus murmured into her shoulder and then he began to cry again, his arms clinging to her as she soothed him.

After a few minutes, when he pulled away, wiping tears from his eyes, Fleamont stood up and wrapped an arm around his wife. "Remus, I knew your father before you met Jamie. I didn't know that his son had been bitten by a werewolf, but I did know that Lyall Lupin was spending his time doing endless research on werewolves, on lycanthropy, and on how to find a cure. He came to me about a potion, something that could take away your pain during a transformation. Of course, he didn't say those words, only that he was wondering if there was a way for a werewolf to undergo the transition without the pain. To be honest, I thought maybe that he had been bitten and was looking for himself, but there's nothing. I gave him a few healing and painless potions, but he always came back claiming that they hadn't worked. Then about four years before you went to Hogwarts, he disappeared, and I never heard from him again. He uprooted your family over and over again, Remus, to keep you safe." Fleamont insisted.

Remus shook his head, but he didn't speak.

James and Sirius each moved from their spot, taking Remus by the arm and tugging him over to the couch to sit between them.

"Listen to Mum and Dad, Moony," James said kindly. "Why did your dad decide to tell you this?"

"I asked him," Remus said simply. "Mum has been… she's speaking kind of incoherently lately. The cancer is eating away at her brain and sometimes she's not always clear on what she's saying and she said that… she told me that Greyback had bitten me because of Dad. I demanded of him what she meant and well, it all came pouring out of him."

"What happened after he had told you?" Sirius asked, his hand squeezing his friend's lightly.

"I told him that I blamed him," Remus admitted, his voice low. "That I could have had a normal life if he had just kept his mouth shut. We rowed about it. He yelled that he had given up his life for me; to protect me because of a mistake that he had made. He said that he regretted it more than anything, but that my being bitten was a wakeup call. He said that it proved that werewolves could be human-like. 'Human-like,' those were his exact words."

James' eyes widened. "Remus, he didn't mean it like that."

"He loves you," Sirius insisted. "He loves you and he loves your mum. He doesn't think that you're a monster. He knows that you're not."

Remus had only half-smiled at them. "He said that he loved me despite the disease and that my mum had made him promise to take care of me. He said that with Mum getting sicker, I can't stay there for the full moon that I need to find someplace to… Dumbledore said that I can go to the shack."

James nodded, his eyes on his friend. "We'll be there, Rem. I promise."

"Peter too," Sirius said with a smile. "Prongs and I will bring him. He'll want to be there for you."

Euphemia smiled, leaning down to kiss Remus' cheek. "And if you're not ready to go home just yet, Monty and I will make up the cot in Jamie's room for you for as long as you'd like it. You always have a place here with us."

Remus had only half-smiled. "Thanks, Mrs Potter."

Fleamont snorted. "Remus, for the hundredth time, it's Fee and Monty."

"Or Mum and Dad," James supplied with a wink.

Euphemia kissed her son's cheek. "Jamie, go get the cot ready for Remus. Moony is going to write a letter to his father letting him know where he is and when he will be going back home. I think that you both need a cooling off period before you speak again."

Fleamont nodded. "Just remember, Remus. Parents aren't perfect. But your dad loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Don't let his biggest regret and his mistake influence your relationship with him."

Remus had only stared at them, his golden eyes wide. "Thank you."

Euphemia beamed at him. "While Jamie digs out the cot, you two can come help me with dinner. We'll have steak tonight. Sirius, you can set the table while Remus helps me peel potatoes. I'm giving Darby and Rosa the night off so you boys will be helping me cook."

The memory made him smile. Remus had stayed with them for a week; going to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade for the nights of the full moon before going back home. He and his father spoke about it and Remus forgave him for keeping it a secret. As much as he wanted to blame his father, the fault belonged to Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who had decided to exact revenge on Lyall Lupin by attacking his four-year-old-son in the middle of the night.

Lyall and Hope had moved around a lot; kept him home and away from other children; had protected him until Dumbledore had shown up on their doorstep and promised that he would be able to attend Hogwarts and learn with the other students as a normal child. For the first time in Remus' life he was going to be able to make friends and he had. James and Peter and Sirius had all become the greatest friends he ever could have asked for and Sirius was thankful every day that he was friends with Remus.

Sirius' eyes stayed on the newspaper article. Potions had never been his strongest subject, James had been the potioneer of the group, but still not to the level that his father had been. Lily had been the potions princess, but as neither of them were around, he was the only one left. He wondered if there was anyway he could find out the ingredients to this new potion. Was it hard to make? What did it entail?

If this was something that he could do for his friend than he wanted to do it. He just had no idea how.

Persephone hooted at him from her perch by the kitchen window and he smiled. If anyone could find out for him it would be McGonagall. He grabbed some parchment and a quill with ink and quickly wrote out a message.

McG,

Just saw the Daily Prophet about Belby and this Wolfsbane Potion. Is it real? Have you heard anything? If anyone deserves that potion, its Remus, but like hell if I'm going to let him register with the Ministry as a "dangerous magical creature" just to obtain a sample of it. He has had a hard enough time finding work on his own, if the Ministry knew that he had lycanthropy they'd ban him from even more jobs than he's already lost due to his frequent absences.

I know he's too stubborn to ask, if he's even seen the paper, which I doubt as he never reads it, so I will ask for him. How can we find out what the potion entails and how the potion is brewed?

Thanks!

Love,

Sirius

Persephone hooted happily at him as he called her over to tie the letter to her leg. As he watched her fly off, he wondered again just what this potion really did and whether or not it would even benefit his friend. Or whether or not it was even worth getting his hopes up over.

Sirius didn't know, but he did know that it was a chance that he wasn't willing to give up.