First Street Patrol, 1979

James kicked an empty cola can across the street, sighing irritably. This was absolutely not his idea of a mission, patrol or not. He'd expected a little more excitement, maybe a couple of bad guys (robbers, thieves, hijackers, anything!). After all, he was with Alastor Moody – the man all Death Eaters and a couple of Ministry officials wanted out of their way. Unfortunately, Moody even managed to scare away the garden squirrels that James had been hoping would launch on them, with his incessant talk about-

'Constant vigilance, my boy!' Moody exclaimed, his blue eye moving rapidly. That's what I tell your friend, Black, and all the other trainees!'

James inwardly recited the next few lines out of Moody's speech. He'd heard it at least five times in the same hour.

'The enemy knows no limits. He will attack anyone, anywhere and anytime.'

James rolled his eyes. He looked up at the moon and grinned. It would be full moon in two days, and they were going to let Moony out in the open for once instead of that dingy old basement in their building where Moony always tore himself apart. They'd discovered a nice desolate area outside the city that was perfect for a werewolf – open and close to nature.

'Why, I remember my first day on the job. I was-'

Suddenly, James's eyes caught something silvery up in the sky, and he raised his wand to get a better look. It looked like some kind of bird a falcon perhaps?

'What is that?' James asked, more to himself than Moody. He'd never seen a bird like it.

Moody stopped his rant and followed James's gaze. Instantly, he brought himself in front of black haired boy, covering and protecting him from any harm. James growled in frustration but said nothing and kept his wand ready. The bird didn't look dangerous by any means, but it was usually the most peaceful of things that turned out to be the most lethal.

'It's a Patronus,' Moody whispered, once the bird had gotten closer. He bent his right arm, allowing shimmering white talons to wrap around it.

It was a falcon, James realised. He recognised its markings from his Muggle Studies class. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen – sleek silver feathers that shone purer than the moon, sharp, attentive eyes and the proud, majestic stature of a true hunter. But as its head bent down to whisper in Moody's ear, James noticed that it was flickering, fading in and out in certain places. Whoever had produced it either hadn't used a very happy memory or wasn't being able to hold on to his magic very well.

Moody's eye rolled dangerously in its socket and his grip on his wand tightened, as the falcon finished its message and dissolved into the night air. 'Potter!' he growled, '15th - now!'

James eyes widened. 'Isn't that where-'

But Moody had already apparated, and James had no choice but to follow. He closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could, trying to quell the panic that was slowly rising up his throat. He found himself appearing in a dimly lit street, stretching to full height with a loud crack and an unexpected crunch under his feet. He looked down to see the remains of what appeared to be two wands broken to splinters beneath his right foot; and with a sickening feeling he realised, one of them – the deep maroon- was Remus's.

He heard Moody bark angrily, 'Motherfuckers escaped!'

There was a dome of sorts a few blocks away, seemingly made out of the same silvery material as the Patronus. James ran towards it, heart beating fast as his wand light revealed two figures slumped beneath it. The shield appeared to be disappearing as he got closer, and it wasn't until he'd collided into it with full force that he realised it was a Protego and likely to be transparent.

'Shit! Mr Lupin!'

John Lupin was lying flat on his stomach, his son shielded partly beneath him. Remus's face was pressed tightly to his father's chest, a protective arm wrapped around him. Both their blood stained hair spilled to the ground, covering most of their faces and making it impossible for James to know if they were conscious or even alive.

Were they breathing? Oh God, was Remus breathing?

James pressed his palms against the Protego, the magic holding it crackling dangerously where his skin made contact. The shield itself was weak but stable enough to keep entire bodies out. 'Mr. Lupin, let your shield down!' There was no response and James banged his fist against the shield with desperation, sending out golden sparks. 'Mr. Lupin!'

There was slight movement as John Lupin shifted his shoulders to look up and James nearly sighed in relief.

'Mr. Lupin, your-aaahhhh!!' James screamed in horror as Mr. Lupin's face rose up to meet his. The irises of John's eyes had gone white, almost silver, and distinguishable from the whites of his eyes only by the dark blue border around them. 'Oh, Merlin!'

James could hear footsteps running towards him, Moody, no doubt, probably expecting trouble after hearing his scream. James pushed his terror down and tried to meet Mr. Lupin's eyes without having bile rising up his throat.

'Mr. Lupin, let go of your Protego,' said James, his heart trying to beat holes through his chest.

But John didn't seem to recognise him at all. In fact, he was looking right through James. Could he see at all? Except for the slight rise and fall of his chest, John hardly even seemed to be moving.

'Potter, pull that shield down! They could be dying in there!' growled Moody, his wooden leg echoing noisily in the otherwise silent streets.

James turned away from John Lupin's empty gaze. 'I can't,' he replied desperately, putting his hand over Moody's wand as well. 'They're using wandless magic! If I pull it down, it'll hurt them!'

Moody touched the shield with a calloused finger, watching the rainbow of colours that appeared under the pressure. 'Son of a bitch…' His fake eye rolled on its own accord, inspecting the shield and its surrounding. 'It's not even; it's thinner in some places - to the back…' Moody's brow furrowed. 'The shield's weaker there. We might be able to get in.'

James nodded, walking around the circumference of the shield with his palms pressed tightly against the surface. He could see one of Remus's legs bent at an odd angle underneath Mr. Lupin and hurried his pace. True to word, there was a gap in the shield, and James felt himself sliding through it easily, immediately followed by Mad-Eye Moody.

'I'll take John,' grunted Moody, as he hooked his arms under Mr. Lupin's arms and lifted him off the ground. A soft whimper of pain escaped John's lips as his eyes slid shut, a bit to James's relief. 'You take the cub. Mungo's, and don't waste time.'

James nodded, distracted only for a moment as the Protego shimmered unsteadily and then disappeared completely. He kneeled down and pulled Remus against him. He was unusually light, James realised. Had he always been this way? James didn't have time to worry over how every inch of Remus's face was covered by blood and dirt, or how his every breath came out as shallow rasps – there wasn't any time. He tightened his arms around his friend and apparated.

When he reached Mungo's, there was already a group of five Medi-witches attending to Mr. Lupin, checking his pulse and other vitals as they levitated him to what James guessed was the Critical Ward.

'I'm going to Dumbledore's,' James heard Moody say before he disappeared with a crack.

James couldn't care less where Moody was going; his friend's life was slowly waning as they stood. 'Can someone please help me?' James called desperately, his eyes darting around for help. He pulled Remus closer to him as his friend's limp body threatened to slip from in between his arms. 'Hurry!' He screamed, even though he could already see two Medi-witches running towards him.

One of the Medi-witches – the dumpier one – pushed away Remus's matted hair from his neck to check for a pulse and froze instantly. 'Sir, your friend is a werewolf,' she stated, fingering the registry code at the nape of Remus's neck. James stared; the code was hidden so often with Remus's long hair that James had even forgotten it existed.

'I know he's a werewolf, ' James said, his throat going dry. He could feel a steady stream of wetness soaking his shirt where he held Remus's head; and he didn't have to look down to know it was blood. 'But he was atta-'

'Do you have its forms, sir?' the Medi-witch interrupted, her tone harsher than it had started out.

James could feel Remus's heart slowing down against his chest, and his own quickened with panic and desperation. 'No, I don't have any of his forms. Please, I just came in, and he was attacked and I-'

The Medi-witch raised a silencing hand. 'Sir, I need its forms. It's standard medical procedure. We're not allowed to treat dangerous magical creatures without them.'

James didn't know what forms they were talking about. He didn't know what forms Remus needed to save his life. Oh God, even if he apparated back to Sirius's flat to get them, he'd never make it on time. What if they left him here to die? They couldn't. Surely, they had better understanding of life than that. 'I-I'll get them, I swear. Can you please take him in…I don't know how long he's been like this. I'll run to his place and get whatever you need. Please-'

The nurse closed her eyes in frustration, clearly not interested in James's explanation. 'Sir, I understand your situation, but we cannot break Ministry rules. The hospital can get into trouble-'

'I DON"T CARE!' James screamed suddenly, unable to believe what was happening. 'HE'S DYING, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?' His voice cracked and he held Remus tighter, praying to all the Gods to help him, please help him. 'HE'S DYING AND YOU'RE LETTING HIM!'

The Medi-witch backed away warily. 'Sir, please, calm-'

'What's going on in here?' another voice interrupted, and James could see a Healer push through the crowd that had gathered around them. The crowd that was simply watching but doing nothing, saying nothing, offering no help at all. Just watching as a completely innocent man bled to death on the hospital floor.

The Medi-witch turned towards the Healer. 'The patient's a werewolf, Healer Greene and as you well know, we cannot accept it withou-'

Greene waved her off with a hand. 'Take him in to Ward Ten. Get started on the surface spells - stop the bleeding. I'll meet you there in a minute.'

'But the hospital-'

Greene turned towards her, his eyes glaring at her with fiery intensity. 'I make the decisions here, my dear, and if you don't follow my orders, I will report you.'

The Medi-witch fell silent. She gestured a few more to help her and together, they reluctantly peeled Remus away from James and levitated him away. James watched silently, telling his heart that things were going to be all right now. Remus was going to be fine - he was going to be alive and this Healer had helped them. He'd helped them when no one would and for this, James was eternally grateful.

'Are you family?'

James startled at the Healer's question but nodded firmly.

Greene looked grave but convinced. 'I need you to contact Natasha Lupin immediately. Tell her Remus is in Mungo's and that she'll also need to contact Lionel White. She'll know what you're talking about.'

James listened dumbly, not even bothering to ask how the Healer knew Remus or his aunt.

'Use the floo on the second floor. It'll be free at this time.' Greene turned to go, but James grabbed him by the shoulder for one last question.

'Will Remus be okay?'

Greene smiled. 'The Lupins are a strong breed. I'm sure he'll manage.'

James nodded but didn't stay long enough to watch Healer Greene go to Ward ten. Instead, he ran to the second floor and flooed to the Lupin cottage. Luck was favouring him today because he'd found Natasha Lupin drinking tea with Remus's mother and narrated both the day's events and the healer's instructions precisely. Natasha told him that she'd take care of the rest, while Mrs. Lupin burst into silent tears, thanking him profusely and asking him frantically if everyone was all right and if she could see them now. James had very few words of assurance.

By the time he was done, James was completely drained out of energy and the will to repeat everything all over again to Sirius and Peter. Instead, he sent an owl to both of them, somehow managing to write down only four words: Remus is at Mungo's.

For the next fifteen minutes, James sat on the cold, hard bench outside ward ten, with his face in his hands and a prayer on his lips. He still had a hard time believing everything that had happened. It had been their first mission. Their first mission and already they were being attacked. The realisation that the Order might not always be about excitement and adventures were staring to sink in and James found it hard to believe that his ideas had been so juvenile. Had he really thought Voldemort was a game? That everything the Order fought for was to be taken this lightly?

And Remus…

Oh God, he'd thought Remus was going to die. For that one small moment, when James had had his best friend in his arms, and they were refusing him treatment, he was sure Remus was going to die. The werewolf had told them about his hardships, the rules of the Ministry, and James knew a lot of them from long hours of research in the school library; but he'd never thought it would come to this. Where they were willing to give up a completely innocent life over a few fucking words written on paper. They'd referred to him as 'it', as a thing. James had seen that Medi-witch's expression – how uncaring and full of contempt her face had been.

There was a wet sting at the corner of his eyes, and James pushed the heels of his hands against them. The image of Remus's shattered body was plastered to the back of his mind, and he desperately tried to rid of it. He sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

'Prongs?'

James looked up to see Sirius staring at him and wheezing as if he'd run all the way here. Sirius's eyes moved from his face to his shirt and settled there, taking in the enormous bloodstain with horror.

'Is he okay? Is he alright?' Sirius rasped out, his gaze still fixed on James's shirt. His breathing seemed to quicken. 'Please tell me he's alright.'

James nodded, unable to say anything in fear of the dam that was threatening to break inside him.

'Oh Merlin!' Sirius pulled James into a tight embrace, panting against his neck heavily and clutching at the back of his shirt. 'Thank you,' he breathed. 'Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.'

'I thought he was going to die,' whispered James, finally able to find his voice. He pressed his eyes against Sirius's shoulder, ashamed as he left a small wet patch on his friend's shirt. But Sirius had no idea. He hadn't seen Remus the way James had. He hadn't been there, holding Remus while everybody was too afraid to even come near them. He hadn't been there. He didn't know anything.

'Don't say that,' whispered Sirius, disentangling from James. He sat on the chair next to where James had been sitting. 'Tell me what happened.'

James shook his head, as he settled beside Sirius. 'Maybe later.' He doubted if he could recount it at all in the near future.

Sirius looked at him for a while and then nodded. He didn't ask any questions after that and both of them sat in silence until Healer Greene had approached them with a smile on his face.

XxxxX

Remus could hear Sirius's voice somewhere close by and smiled. He didn't feel like opening his eyes really; it felt like it would hurt too much. Already there was a steady throb at the back of his head that he really didn't appreciate, especially since the transformation wasn't until a couple of days. Perhaps Sirius would lie beside him and stroke his hair comfortingly, like he always did when Remus refused to get up. Another smile stretched across his face at the thought, and he turned to his side to snuggle deeper into the pillow.

His eyes instantly shot open in pain, and he barely muffled the whimper that escaped from his lips. He saw red behind his eyelids and his brain screamed to move, but he couldn't because it would hurt even more if he did.

'Remus!' He felt Sirius's hands at his sides, slowly laying him on his back again. Remus opened his eyes slowly to meet with Sirius's anxious expression. 'How do you feel?'

Remus groaned and buried his face in Sirius's shirt. 'Like I've been run over by a bus.'

'That's quite good considering what you've been through,' said another voice, and Remus looked up from Sirius's shirt to see a Healer standing beside his bed. 'It's been a while since I've seen you, Remus. I don't expect you to remember me. I'm-'

'Healer Greene.' Remus smiled, remembering Mungo's after his initial bite. 'My dad broke a few of your teeth and my aunt threatened to sue you from hell and back. How could I forget?'

Greene smiled abashedly. 'Well, I was a bit foolish and insensitive then. I don't completely blame them.' He shrugged a little. 'You were always a bit of a miracle, even now.'

Remus frowned and looked around him, taking the pristine white walls and the clean scent of antiseptic. 'How did I get here?'

'James and Moody brought you in after they received your Patronus,' replied Sirius slowly.

Remus remembered the soft brush of feathers against him and shivered as the rest of the night's events started playing in flashes before his eyes. He felt Sirius's hand slide between his underneath the sheets. It said, I worried about you, and Remus squeezed back reassuringly, though he himself felt a bit at unease.

'James and Peter are in the tearoom with your mother,' whispered Sirius. 'They'll want to visit you when they know you're awake.'

Remus nodded but stiffened immediately when he felt Healer Green's hand on his wrist. 'I'm going to have to check your pulse, Remus. You had a lot on you when they brought you in.'

Remus didn't hear much of what Greene said, not really. He was concentrating too hard on the fingers on his wrist and the panic that was slowly welling up inside of him at the sight.

'Broken ribs, dislocated leg, head injury…'

Why was he holding so tight? Did they want to hurt him? To block his pulse, to move up to his throat, to strangle him; Remus saw flashes of his own blood pooling on the ground, seeping through his shirt…

'Mr. Black, as a roommate, I want you to make sure Remus doesn't perform any sort of magic for a week or so. Not even simple household spells.'

Remus's breathing quickened and his heart beat at a furious rate. His mind was screaming for him to move. To move and run. Run before those hands hurt him. Run before they pressed a wand against him and threatened to kill him. To fight back, to claw, to rip before they could do anything.

'He needs time to recuperate his magic. Right now, even Lumos can leave him drained of energy.'

Remus squeezed Sirius's hand painfully tight. Why wasn't he doing anything? Was he in this, too? Were the both trying to corner him, to chain him to the bed, or confine him to this white room forever? The muscles in his wrist spasmed under Greene's fingers and Remus itched to move away, but fear kept him still. Fear of what might happen if he did move…

'Remus, are you okay?'

Remus looked up to see Healer Greene's blue eyes boring into him. He tried to nod but all he could see were flashes of last night – white masks, red eyes, sharp teeth. The scar on his shoulder, now fresh, throbbed dully. Was it bleeding? Greene looked at him questioningly and followed his gaze as Remus looked back down at the wrist he was holding. The Healer immediately let his fingers slip as if understanding and Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

'Remus?' asked Sirius, shaking him slightly by the shoulder.

Remus looked at Sirius and smiled as if nothing had happened. 'Where's my dad? Is he okay?'

Sirius shifted his gaze towards Healer Greene, adamantly not looking at Remus. Greene cleared his throat and looked at the clipboard he'd been carrying. 'Your father broke his back, Remus. Apart from that, he didn't really have any major physical injuries.'

Remus nodded. 'I know. The De-' He stopped. The Order was a private group. He didn't think it would be wise to let out information about the attack.

'But if I'm not mistaken, he used wandless magic to produce a Patronus and a Protego.'

Was Greene allowed to know so many details about the attack? Remus met Sirius's eyes questioningly and was replied by a nod.

Green sat at the foot of Remus's bed. 'Wandless magic is very complicated, Remus. The ability to perform them grows with age but sometimes, even wizards as old as Dumbledore have trouble with it.' He shifted uncomfortably under Remus's enquiring gaze. 'See, when a wizard is using his wand, he's combining and channeling his magic through the core of his wand, which basically acts as a neutraliser between the spell performed and the magic used. But in wandless, the spell drains out the magic in his body in order to be truly effective.'

Remus remembered that painful pulling sensation when his father had linked their hands. 'Dad used blood magic also. He combined his magic with mine, I remember.'

'Only for the Patronus, Moony,' said Sirius slowly.

Greene nodded. 'It's why you feel so weak right now. Always bear in mind, that the magic in a wizard's blood is what keeps him alive, even after their muggle counterparts are long gone. You were close, Remus. If they'd arrived with you even fifteen minutes later, you wouldn't be here right now.'

Remus swallowed thickly. He'd already figured it out. He'd figured everything out a long time ago when he'd seen both their expressions, but had kept them going to delay it, maybe even to deny it.

'The Protego used up the last vestiges of your father's magic, Remus. He was dead when he reached Mungo's.'

Remus didn't talk, didn't move, didn't cry; in fact, he did absolutely nothing. Vaguely, he heard Healer Greene walk out of the room and close the door behind him. Sirius might have been talking to him, Remus didn't know. He felt his friend lie beside him under the sheets and stroke his hair softly. Somehow, it didn't seem that comforting anymore.

XxxxX

For those of you who didn't leave an e-mail address:

A person: Well, the update's here. I hope you had a good time reading it, despite it not being a perfectly happy chapter. Alex: Well, I'm glad you gave my story a chance and I hope this chapter is worth your while. Things will get happier, but I need to be sadistic for a few more chaps. Paddywaddy: I hope you like this chapter too, even if it is a little upsetting. Thanks for reviewing. Lyan: Wow! Um, I hope your still alive and that I've made it in time. Thank you for all the compliments. I love Remus's family too, and who doesn't adore Sirius? Jono: I'm honoured to say the lease. So, let's see. No, I don't think they'll be a threesome in the future. The patronus thing's been explained and Fenrir biting Remus is purely animalistic, which is exactly how I wanted to portray him. I think that's all your questions. Thanks for reviewing!