Blue Moon

Chapter 3

Impossible green eyes stared up solemnly into the rough face of the young alpha of the Greyback pack. Fenrir looked away awkwardly as the tiny pup continued to stare, his eyes seeming to ask a question Fenrir in all of his inexperience and youth had no answer for. Not that there really was an answer to the question those luminescent eyes were asking him.

'Why?' They pleaded with him for an answer.

Somehow, the consoling words that were coming from the female werewolf crouched next to the pup didn't seem to be registering. He continued to stare at his alpha before him, silent and serious. Slowly Fenrir tore his eyes from where they had unknowingly locked onto the small hut where the two bodies had been found that morning, the roof of their hut crushed in by the weight of the large oak that had fallen during last night's storm. Silver eyes locked again with green and this time they didn't stray.

Perhaps the young pup knew just as well as Fenrir did. His parents were dead.

There were no words.

The large warm hands of his godfather tightened around his calves as Harry clung to his back. He tried to stop the tremors wracking his body by clinging tighter to the older were's back and burying his face between the stiff shoulder blades. The silence that had filled the clearing in front of his waterfall was deafening. Tension saturated the air as alpha and alpha stared each other down. After several minutes, Harry gathered the courage to try and peek around at his alpha – no, his former alpha.

Emerald eyes met swirling silver and, to Harry's surprise, Fenrir Greyback sighed and relaxed his aggressive stance, shifted his weight and looked off to the side. A few minutes passed with Harry looking at the normally straight-forward and confident alpha as he seemed to struggle with what to say.

"Harry," and didn't that surprise him even more, as he honestly didn't think the alpha even remembered his name, let alone that he would stoop to speaking with a lowly omega. "Are you well?"

Harry stared in bewilderment at the older werewolf, the strongest were in Great Britain, the most ruthless of all alphas, as he peered at him with those trademark silver eyes of his from the corner of his eye. He honestly couldn't understand why his old alpha was asking him that now. He'd never bothered to ask after his health before and there had been plenty of opportunities.

Harry nodded his head quickly and looked away submissively, unsure of how to react in this situation but also not wanting to anger the dangerous wolf across from him.

Below him, Sirius let out a sudden snarl, and Harry involuntarily gave a harsh flinch at the sound. He got the impression that the older wolf had been holding himself back during the short conversation.

"No he's not well Greyback." Sirius snarled, a low growl rumbling up through his chest and mixing with his words. "Which you would have known if you had bothered to do your duty as alpha! He probably wouldn't have survived the bloody night if he hadn't been brought to me!" Harry got the feeling that Sirius probably would have leapt across the clearing at the younger alpha if Harry hadn't been attached to his back like a rather cumbersome growth.

Embarrassed and afraid of the other alpha's reaction to Sirius' words, Harry didn't dare look across the clearing as it fell into a strained silence. Several minutes passed as he pictured the alphas staring each other down. Sirius never took his firm grip from the legs of the precious package at his back. There was no way he was letting his godson go back to the pack that had abused and neglected him for so long.

Fenrir glared into the furious face of the alpha across from him and leased a vicious growl from his throat. His words stung, and the critique of his ability to lead his pack infuriated him. But a movement above the other alpha's shoulder stopped him dead before he could even twitch in the direction of the bastard currently asking for a beat-down.

The small omega was burying his face into the shoulder blades of Sirius Black. He was hiding; frightened of his own alpha to the point that he would rather hide than face him. But then again, thinking back on how little he had actually seen of the pup, especially these last few years, he was probably very used to hiding from his pack.

Fenrir stared at the fluffy mass of black hair for several minutes while Sirius, clearly having seen something in Greyback's attitude change from aggressive to passive, straightened and waited for the other alpha to make a move.

'Look at me.' Fenrir's gaze bored in to that head of hair, wanting to see those eyes, even if just for a moment. He didn't know why it was so important that the pup looked at him. It hadn't been important for a long time, not until that moment. But as he gazed at the downturned head of the young teen he had practically raised until things turned for the worst, it was suddenly the most important thing in the world.

But Harry's head remained down.

After several minutes Fenrir's shoulders relaxed, he straightened and locked eyes with the other alpha once more.

"I'm taking him back with me." Sirius' voice was like steel, leaving no room for argument. "Clearly he won't be cared for like he deserves in your pack, so I'll take him off your hands." Clearly the Black alpha was going to stop there with that biting remark, but catching Fenrir's quick (not imploring) look towards the pup on his back, he hesitantly continued. "He'll have a home with me, a family. We'll treat him well, make sure he grows up strong…"

Fenrir looked into the sincere gray eyes focused intently on his.

Sirius Black defected from the Greyback pack when he was only sixteen. Fenrir could still remember those defiant gray eyes staring up at him from his forcibly-subdued position on the hard ground. The black werewolf had had the guts to stand up to Fenrir over the harsh treatment of trespassers on Greyback territory. Fenrir, knowing very well that looks could be deceiving and that the father and son werewolves could well have been a threat to the pack, had gathered several of the male weres in the pack and mercilessly killed the trespassers, letting their bodies float down the Talla River.

That was the first time that Sirius had witnessed "pack justice" and he, along with James and Remus, were appalled at the over-exerted force and murder of two wolves that could very well have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He stood his ground even as his friends backed down when faced with the angry alpha. Two days after the altercation, Sirius left the pack. He disappeared for three years before suddenly returning to conquer the territory bordering Fenrir's, taking over the old pack and creating his own.

Fenrir had known Sirius Black as a brash, immature, but strong young wolf. The alpha that stood before him now was a well-known werewolf whose pack adored him, whose allies admired him, and whose enemies feared him. He was a good alpha, though Fenrir would never admit to it aloud, and he took care of his pack.

Sirius hadn't asked for permission and so he wasn't waiting for an answer. However, he had seen something akin to regret in the other alpha's eyes. Something in the way that he kept glancing at Harry told him there was more to the story than he knew, and he probably cared for the young pup even more than he himself knew.

Sirius wasn't a cruel man. He'd grown out of that immaturity a long time ago and had learned to be more empathetic as a leader who was responsible for the survival and happiness of his pack. Therefore, he wanted to give the other man a chance to say his piece if he wanted it; to apologize or explain, though neither was characteristic of the harsh alpha, and Sirius knew this well.

However, the longer the Greyback alpha stood silently, the more Sirius simply wanted to turn and take his godson back to the safety of his pack. To sequester him away so he could heal from his wounds and the years of maltreatment he'd received indirectly and probably directly from the other werewolf.

Nodding once in acknowledgement, Sirius turned on his heel and nimbly crossed the river landing firmly on the other side. He walked back towards the tree-line leading into his territory, advancing at a steady pace, feeling Harry shift slightly on his back as he went.

Fenrir gazed as the Black alpha took a member of his pack into his own territory. Even knowing he had every right to fight to keep his omega, his pack member, and that he would most definitely win the fight, the silver-eyed alpha stood still.

Now that the little omega's back was turned towards him, he could see how puny the little wolf had become. His spine was clearly visible, poking up against the thick fabric of the clearly-borrowed t-shirt. His thin arms were stretched around the thick shoulders of the man onto whose back he clung, highlighting even more the lack of fat or muscle. The bandages peeking out from his shirt-collar and sleeves kept Fenrir's feet planted firmly on the ground.

Watching them walk away, Fenrir made a move to turn back towards his territory, knowing that trying to keep the pup here would only make things worse for him.

He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye as he was turning and his head shot towards the retreating duo. Green eyes clashed with silver one last time as the little omega gazed at his former alpha. Fenrir's breath caught at what he saw in them. He didn't see fear or guilt or anger as he had subconsciously been expecting earlier when he had been trying to catch the little pup's eye. At first, as they looked at him all Fenrir saw was sadness; sadness so profound that the large alpha's breath caught in his throat. As he was carried further away the look changed to something else. Gratitude. Gratitude for letting him go when they both knew he could have stopped it.

And somehow, that was worse than the sadness.

Harry felt like he was in a dream. He was back in the healer's hut, laying among the soft pillows and blankets and fighting sleep.

He was free.

It was sad to think that was the adjective he was using for his situation, but the word continued to scroll through his mind. An endless loop of Free…Free…Free. He had a new pack, a godfather who promised to care for him just for being him, and he was laying in the first bed he had touched in years. Free.

Sirius had left him several minutes before to "Get him some proper-fitting clothes for once." Poppy had gone to collect some herbs from her garden, supposedly for a poultice for his burns, and so Harry was left to his thoughts.

But not for long apparently, as he suddenly heard the slow creaking of the heavy wooden door swinging open.

Expecting to see one of two faces, Harry was surprised to see a head of platinum blond hair peeking through the door and light blue eyes peering from side to side before resting on his own. The boy seemed to be his age or slightly older with his tall frame with gangly limbs still trying to catch up with his height. Despite this, as he stepped fully into the hut Harry noticed his polished appearance. From his perfectly-groomed hair to his shiny black shoes and white dress shirt with black trousers, the boy put off an air of sophistication that made Harry feel like a hobo in his oversized shirt and naturally messy hair.

The boy stood there for a moment, inspecting the small green-eyed teen in the healer's bed before seemingly making up his mind and striding purposefully towards him.

Harry withdrew slightly, not expecting the move, thinking the boy would leave again after not seeing Poppy in the large space.

Instead, he strode straight up to Harry's bedside and held out his spotless hand in greeting.

"Harry Potter I presume?" He said in a posh voice that seemed awkward coming from one so young. After Harry's hesitant nod he continued, keeping his hand outstretched. "I apologize for not being able to greet you sooner. I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."

Not wanting to seem rude, Harry's hand quickly shot out to shake the larger one in front of him before letting go a moment later.

"Nice to meet you." Harry said while looking into the light blue eyes of the boy before him, never having actually seen blue eyes on a werewolf before, let alone such bright blonde hair. Realizing he was staring, he quickly looked away, blushing slightly at the smirk that had appeared on Draco's face.

"Never seen a white wolf before then?" Draco asked smugly. The playful smirk stayed firmly on the boy's aristocratic face, making his features appear far more pleasant than they had been when he had been so serious and formal moments before.

Harry's head snapped up in curiosity at Draco's words. "A white wolf?"

Still smirking, Draco backed up a few paces before swiftly and smoothly shifting into his wolf form. Lo and behold, the next thing Harry knew there was a pure white juvenile wolf standing next to his bed, staring up at him with those same light blue eyes, and surrounded by a pile of clothes. Somehow, even if it wasn't really there, Harry could still tell the prat was smirking.

Slowly, Harry reached out, mesmerized by the pure white of the wolf's fur. He'd heard of white wolf's before of course, but had never seen one in person. They were supposed to be extremely rare, the white fur being a recessive trait that was very difficult to pass on in its pure form. Draco stood there indulgently as Harry's hand made contact with the fur between his ears. Harry marveled at the softness as he stroked the wolf's head.

Thinking he probably had taken too many liberties with someone who was pretty much a complete stranger, Harry started to withdraw his hand. He was stopped however, when the rather large white wolf hopped forward a step and shoved his head under Harry's hand, his mouth coming open in a happy canine pant, his tail wagging slightly behind him. A large grin appeared on Harry's face and he let out a small laugh at the young were's antics and continued to pet his head tentatively before growing more confident and adding a few scratches under his chin and some ear rubs.

A half hour later, when Sirius finally returned with a stack of clothes and some other necessities for his new charge, he was stopped by the bizarre scene before him. Harry was right where he left him, but there lying next to him on the spacious hospital bed was an addition the alpha certainly hadn't anticipated. Draco Malfoy was curled up next to him in his very identifiable wolf form, Harry's hand draped loosely over his large head. Both teens were clearly sleeping peacefully. Smiling to himself mischievously, Sirius left the pile of clothes on the chair next to Harry's bed and silently retreated from the hut.

Draco had been reluctant when Sirius had told him to go keep Harry company for a bit, not having even gone to the meet-and-greet with the rest of the pack because of his difficulties interacting with strangers. However, Sirius somehow knew that once the two met they would either hit it off famously, or be at each other's throats in minutes. He's glad it was the former.

Fenrir returned to his pack after having wandered through his territory, telling himself he was simply checking the borders when really his thoughts were consumed by the events that had transpired in such a short period of time.

Those green eyes haunted his memory. Looking at him in gratitude; gratitude for letting him leave. For letting him go to live with another pack where he wouldn't be tormented, wouldn't have to (apparently) live in a filthy hidden cave behind a waterfall at the edge of the territory.

As much as he wanted to make himself believe he hadn't seen everything that had been going on between his pack and the little omega, he couldn't claim complete ignorance. He'd seen the shoving, the biting, the withholding of food until there was nothing but scraps left. He'd seen the sneers, the chasing, and even some of the violence, though he had put a stop to any open violence amongst the pack. He knew a lot of it had been happening, but had it really been so bad that the pup had felt the need to hide away, and ultimately leave for another pack?

Fenrir remembered the omega before Harry, an old man even back when Fenrir took over the pack when he was a young werewolf. He had been too fragile to treat roughly of course, but he was also looked up to by many of the younger wolves for his wisdom. He was a patient old wolf that had accepted his role in life long ago and understood the importance of an omega to a pack. Every pack needed to have balance, and having a wolf to take out their frustrations ad aggression on was fundamental to a pack's health. The previous omega took none of the harsh words or actions of his pack mate's to heart. There was an understanding there that was absent with Harry as the omega.

There was no respect, no consideration or care for the little omega. Only resentment, hate. Fenrir had seen this, but chalked it up to punishment for his disrespectful actions that his beta and his beta's son always claimed he had committed. However, a punishment wasn't meant to breed mistrust for one's own pack. It was meant as a resolution for both parties involved and was integral to the pack's balance.

Suddenly, Fenrir had a lot of questions for his beta and many others of his pack.

Walking into the clearing, Fenrir glanced around for the signature red hair of his beta and his kin. However, his eyes locked onto amber before they found their original target.

Remus was staring at him solemnly and expectantly. The memory of his scent in and around the hidden cave came to the forefront of his mind and his eyes narrowed. Making a sharp beckoning gesture with his head, Fenrir moved off towards his hut, watching as his Caretaker took what seemed to be a deep bracing breath before rising from his place and following his alpha.

Fenrir stopped next to his hut, held the door for the amber-eyed wolf, and ignored the curious stares of the rest of his pack as he followed him inside and firmly closed the door.

Waiting for Remus to turn and face him, he inspected one of the most important members of his large pack. Remus had been Caretaker of the Greyback pack for years, and he'd been a damn good one. Now as he stood there facing his alpha, shoulders tense, lips pursed, and eyes hard, he was a far cry from the gentle, quiet, caring wolf he was on the day-to-day.

Remus had been waiting for this moment. He hadn't thought it would be his alpha that first confronted him about Harry's disappearance, but all-the-better really. Even if Fenrir wasn't solely responsible for the omega's treatment, he could have easily put a stop to it and didn't.

"Remus. You took Harry to Sirius Black? Why?" The question was delivered in a hard voice. The tone with which Sirius' name was mentioned made Remus' hackles rise. Sirius' defection from the pack had always been a sore point for him.

"Why? Why not? Harry would receive much better treatment from Sirius' healer than from ours." Remus struggled to keep his voice calm. No use accidently challenging the clearly irate alpha at this juncture.

"He was this pack's omega! He should have been brought to his own pack regardless." Perhaps if he had been, then Fenrir could have at least righted some of the wrongs done to him, starting with his health.

"His own pack?" Remus asked incredulously. "Since when has this pack ever treated him with even an ounce of care? He would have been taken to Filch and more than likely would have died under his care or at least come out twice as bad as he was going in!" Seeing Fenrir about to protest, he interrupted angrily. "It's happened before! And not just once. Harry has gone in for treatment multiple times. Every time he leaves he's in worse condition! No one would have helped him here Fenrir. Not a single member of this pack would risk their place in it by helping the Weasley boy's favorite punching bag!" Panting from his rant, Remus paused and straightened up, realizing he had said more than he meant to with his last sentence.

Fenrir had clearly been ready to shut him up moments before, but his last sentence had him perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

Remus gulped slightly and resigned himself to revealing something his alpha would no doubt shoot down the moment it left his lips.

"Ron Weasley has had it out for Harry from the moment you took him in when he was three years old. He has bullied him, beat him, sabotaged him, and oppressed him at any given opportunity. He has built up his reputation by destroying Harry's. He has used his father's connection to you to spread lies and hatred amongst the entire pack. Arthur knows what his son is doing and allows it, and even willingly plays a role in it. Anything to secure his son's place as future beta."

"Arthur would never-"

"And you!" Remus interrupted again, feeling his courage grow with his anger. "You fell for all of it! You pushed him away! Made him the omega!-"

"He did that himself!"

"You let him be abused!" Remus roared. No doubt, everyone within a hundred feet of the alpha's hut could hear the conversation now. "You could have stopped it! You could have done something! He was all alone! Instead you stood by, pretending to be blind, as a child under your protection suffered and almost died! You don't deserve to be called an alpha!"

Fenrir roared, his chest filled with guilt and rage he slammed Remus bodily into other side of the hut, overturning a table and two chairs to do so. Remus' head knocked back into the hardwood wall with a loud thunk, but he wasn't done yet. Years of pent up anger, frustration, grief, and self-loathing poured out in an endless stream of words.

"You never should have taken him in if you were just going to throw him away! I could have helped him. I could have loved him like a son, but you! You selfish, fickle, bull-headed brute! You just had to have him for yourself, and then not let anyone else get close by making him the omega! You could have stopped it! You knew how special, how strong Harry was! You should have known something was wrong that day! He could have bested every one of those pups!" Tears gathered in the corners of Remus' eyes for the first time since his best friends' deaths.

"Exactly!" Fenrir roared, scant centimeters from the Caretaker's face. "He could have! But he wouldn't! He had the chance to be my beta, but he threw it away! He threw it back in my face! How could I even look at him after that? He betrayed me!"

Remus was incredulous. "That is the most ridiculous piece of shite I have ever heard in my life! Who would choose to be an omega!? Harry loved you! Anyone could see that! And you broke him!"

Fenrir flinched back. Happy emerald eyes flashed through his mind, laughter dancing in their depths. No. He shook his head to rid himself of the doubt.

...

Arthur had pulled him aside to talk before the coming-of-age tournament could begin.

"Fenrir, I need to tell you something and you're probably not going to like it."

The young alpha braced himself for what his beta was about to tell him, sure that some of his pack-mates had gotten into some kind of trouble or the other that he would need to bail them out of. He glanced at his young charge nervously standing on the other side of the clearing, clearly fidgeting.

"It's about Harry."

Fenrir's attention quickly focused back on Arthur.

"What about him?" Concern washed through him, though he tried to conceal it.

"I spoke with Ron this morning. He said he talked with Harry and he told him something rather disturbing." Fenrir glanced again at his charge, seeing him staring intently at the ground.

Seeing that Arthur was clearly reluctant to continue, Fenrir pressed impatiently. "Well?"

Arthur sighed. "The boy plans to throw the tournament."

Scoffing, Fenrir let out a gruff laugh. "Arthur, your boy is pulling your leg! This tournament is all Harry has been able to talk about for months! Plus, he's the most promising pup we've got. I don't think he could throw it even if he tried." Not noticing Arthur's offended look, Fenrir smirked roughly as he looked over at this protégé, barely able to see him now for all of the pack members crowding around to watch the first fights. "Anyway, why would he?"

"Ron tells me he's afraid of you, Alpha." The answer was sure and direct and gave Fenrir pause. Sure, he never held his punches when telling Harry about his experience getting to the position of alpha, but the boy had never shown fear in the face of his tales.

Dismissing the thought, Fenrir looks back to his clearly-delusional beta. "That's enough of this Arthur, we should be watching. We'll just have to let the pup's fights speak for themselves."

With that, Fenrir ascended the stairs to the dais overlooking the small dirt arena, noticing they had finished just in time for his pup's first fight. Seeing Harry look up towards him, he sent him a wink of encouragement and then turned to the side to say to Arthur, "Harry would never fear me."

Afterwards, Fenrir reconsidered the conversation with Arthur and decided it must not have been as far-fetched as he thought.

...

Fenrir shook himself from his depressing thoughts, and focused back on the amber-eyed wolf he currently had pinned to his wall. Sneering, he spat his words in the dense wolf's face. "He lied to me, betrayed me. Sure, maybe he didn't deserve everything he got as an omega, but he chose that life himself."

Remus gazed at the man he had once respected. Fenrir had once been an alpha worth following. He was their liberator, their victorious leader. He led them with a firm, but fair hand. He treated everyone in the pack with respect, with care. The werewolf standing before him now was nearly irreconcilable with the were from all of those years ago. He'd become twisted, bitter. Somehow, Remus thought that what happened all those years ago with the young alpha's protégé had played a big role in who Fenrir was now.

No longer angry, but sad and tired, Remus turned his head to the side in a show of submission. Slowly, Fenrir released him and stepped back.

Remus walked to the door, opened it and looked out at the many curious eyes directed towards the alpha's hut. Most of them turned away abashedly, while some (the less-friendly ones) stayed glued to his form.

Sighing, Remus looked over his shoulder at the still-fuming alpha at this back.

"I hope you find your happiness one day Fenrir. And I hope that when you do you can recognize it when it's right in front of your face." The Caretaker stepped out and closed the door softly behind him.

The next day, when Fenrir went to finish speaking with his long-time Caretaker after having cooled down, he would find his hut empty, his meager possessions conspicuously absent, and nothing left of the gentle wolf but his lingering scent fading slowly from the hut.

AN: Thanks for reading Chapter 3 of Blue Moon! Finally right?! It took me a really long time to squeeze this chapter out for many reasons, technical and personal, but thank you guys who have stuck with it this far! And thank you everyone for the encouraging reviews! Let me know what you think. It was hard for me to get passed my writer's block on this one, since I needed to present Fenrir as not wholly absolved of resposibility in Harry's treatment, but also to not make it so we would never want them to be together cuz he was such a dick for absolutley no reason. There's still some work to be done on that front for those of you who still can't forgive him. Fear not! So, here we are! Hope you guys liked it. 'Til next time!