Remus was on a mission, one that could make his life much easier if he found a way to pull it off.
He was going to reinvent himself as a drunk who enjoyed moon-watching alone. It would make his life easier if people thought he had a strange quirk and a drinking habit rather than having the average wizard or witch putting the clues together and realizing he was a werewolf.
To that end he bought a large bottle of liquor from Rosemerta and put it somewhere he could find without being spotted by anyone in the castle.
Wolfsbane wasn't really affected by liquor, especially after the fact.
And if anyone had a good reason to drink, it was Remus.
Once he had his cover story in place, he made his way to the Shrieking Shack while everyone was about to leave for dinner.
McGonagall was rather understanding about his desire to find a way to avert the suspicious gaze of the more perceptive students like Granger, and thus made sure to comment about his "odd drinking habit" within hearing range of the girl in question.
She was the sort who believed in authority figures too much and would likely look the other way if they came up with a believable enough lie.
Once he was far enough in the woods, he transformed and went exploring.
He wanted to find the source of the odd howling he had heard for two months straight. The howling that not a single person heard outside of himself, save for Fang who refused to go anywhere past the acromantula...as if he knew something was there that wouldn't like his presence.
The deeper he went, the more the hairs on his neck stood up. With his heightened sense of smell, he was picking up a new scent that said something had claimed this area of the forest. Something canine and powerful.
It wasn't Sirius, because Remus would have recognized that pretty fast. No, this was familiar, but at the same time not.
That was when he heard it, as the moon reached it's peak over the treetops.
A long, low howl that seemed to pulse with unrestrained primal feeling and power. The woods around him began to lighten with a strange glow, which only grew stronger as he grew closer to the source. The howl was louder, even more invigorating to his wolf side, and when he got within range of the ones making it, Moony took over and began to howl as well.
This wasn't one of the howls he used to make when Sirius was being ridiculous and was in the mood to cause mischief (he had nearly been busted a few times when Sirius convinced Moony to howl as loud as he could for no reason), no, this was a howl of something older, more in line with nature.
It was like something had clicked inside of him and he felt more at peace with his wolf than he had ever thought possible. As if they were one and the same, not a wizard who had the bad luck to be bitten at the wrong time.
The glow seemed to settle, though the howl slowly died off.
But that wasn't the end of the strangeness. Oh no.
Once the howl faded into the night, Remus became acutely aware that whatever made the scent markers had taken notice of his presence...and were already surrounding him.
Even if he wanted to escape, it was far too late.
A long, fierce growl came from his left. It was soon followed by others, some more territorial than others.
That was when he saw it. A great white alpha wolf more like living moonlight emerging from the trees, illuminating it's path with a strange trail of fading paw prints.
It gave off a low growl as it revealed a pack of large, almost mythical wolves in the trees. There was a young adult wolf with bangles on it's leg and had tawny hair almost like his own. A tan wolf with an odd collar-like thing around it's neck sniffing the air. A raven black, almost bluish colored female with a spiked collar around her neck. A black gray wolf with a cross-shaped scar snarling at him.
And of course there was the great white wolf prowling around him, testing him.
Moony was not an alpha. It knew that at a base level. When the white wolf came close to him, he didn't try to fight it, or attempt to establish dominance in any way.
The wolf came near his neck, and like a beta, Moony submitted without a fuss.
He felt the sharp pain of teeth at his neck, before the wolf released him from it's grip. The fact he didn't struggle or move meant the wolf didn't kill him.
The black and gray wolf chuffed, asking the alpha if they were really accepting the tainted wolf into the pack.
The alpha wolf growled back. Moony wasn't part of the pack...yet...but they would tolerate his presence so long as he didn't try anything.
Remus had the feeling that "trying anything" included telling the staff about the fact there was a wolf pack in the forest. Considering Hagrid hadn't seen hide or tail of these majestic lupines, it was obvious they didn't want to attract human attention.
If he had, he almost certainly would have brought it up to Dumbledore or someone, and generally that was something wizards didn't really want around children. Most wizards chased off wolves from their area, as they thought it was only inviting trouble with werewolves later.
He wasn't going to begrudge a wolf pack a home, since it was pretty clear they were avoiding the castle and village. Or the humans anyway.
The next morning...
Running with the wolf pack had been an...interesting experience. He had taken out a half-grown rabbit and eaten it. Sure, he was only allowed to run at the back of the pack, since he wasn't fully part of it, but aside from being tired and feeling full from the rabbit, he wasn't in any pain. Not even the usual aches he got from shifting back.
He reached for his liquor and poured a generous helping before knocking it back.
No one questioned his fake story, and Granger (once she smelled the strong liquor on his breath) seemed to take it at face value. At least the suspicion in her eyes appeared to drop enough that she was considering the idea of him being a werewolf just that. Suspicion.
He wasn't stupid enough to transform in front of the girl.
He wasn't the picture of health, but he also wasn't a total skeleton anymore either. But even learning how to hunt like a wolf had done wonders for him. Being able to let go of his human mind and hunt with the pack (even at the back of it) was liberating. Dogs didn't care much about Dementors, though the pack never came close enough to the human settlements to notice the foul beasts.
Frankly considering he enjoyed being around the pack so much, he was openly wondering why he bothered sticking around in that depressing shack in the first place.
Then the cold Scotland wind would hit him, and he'd remember. The shack wasn't fit to live, but it was still warmer than the small cave he'd found.
Besides, Crookshanks refused to come within a mile of the pack, and he needed the cat's help to get to Peter.
There was also his pup to consider. Little Harry... he was vulnerable so long as Peter remained alive. Remus would protect him, but he was also open to a sneak attack from that damn rat.
The only hitch in that line of thought was the fact that he had yet to see Harry. No one who looked like a younger James Potter with green eyes, or Lily's fiery auburn hair. And Sirius had checked, every time he slipped into the castle.
Not a single hair of his pup among the third years, because he had no doubt his pup could ace any test presented to him. Neither James or Lily had been such a slouch at homework that they got held back a year.
So Sirius waited, and tried to see his godson from the shadows.
When he spotted Remus with the pack, he made a point to stay out of sight and well out of scent range.
Thanks to Black paranoia and plain common sense, he had not marked any territory within the forest. He usually did his business in the village, where the human scents masked his...preferably when someone was out of the house where he could use the toilet. There were a few abandoned houses that were perfect for that purpose...and if that failed a simple charm to obscure his face and a busy bar meant he could waltz past Rosemerta to use the loo.
He wasn't stupid enough to order anything, and no one really paid any attention to someone only coming in to use the restrooms. Especially since he made a point to avoid it during Hogsmeade visits.
So the months passed. Sirius could tell the wolves were becoming more and more in tune with the natural magic of the land, as if they had been cut off from it until recently. The glow around them was almost enough to illuminate half the bloody forest.
He wasn't foolish enough to believe he was being accepted as a potential pack mate...they only tolerated him, especially the beta called "Tsume". Out of all of them, only Blue or Toboe warmed up to him, though not enough to really convince the alpha Kiba.
Seeing them shift into humans had been a surprise, but it made communicating a thousand times easier. He was good at speaking dog, but he wasn't that fluent in wolf. Not like Remus was.
It was when the Weasley kid found Peter that Sirius acted. He snagged the kid, who held on tightly to that damn Peter and bolted into the shack with them both. He heard the yelps from the boy and girl, but ignored them. His only focus was on Peter.
In the forest...
Kiba had been uneasy all day. He could feel the winds of ill intent since this morning. As if this was a pivotal moment which would bring great change to the pack as a whole.
The last time he felt one this strong, they had found and bonded with Chesa under moonlight. Her presence had done something to the pack, making it stronger.
Kiba always believed it was her influence that they had been saved from that world. That he had been granted the power to free the wolves from the shackles of that place.
Every time they howled at the moon and began glowing, he could feel more of his kin seeing the path home, and going through.
The rare humans wolf-touched had seen it as well, though most chose to stay with what they knew.
For better or worse the moon wolves were returning to the world, freed from the prison which a mad wizard had trapped them, obsessed with reaching Paradise.
Since he couldn't hunt or sleep, Kiba went exploring. Tsume too his right as he always did, along with Blue. Hige was too easy going to really feel comfortable with taking the other side of their alpha. Blue, on the other hand, felt it made her more connected with the pack if she acted as the secondary beta.
They went closer than they ever dared to the human areas. That was when they felt the unnatural chill.
Skirting around the dementors, which were more a nuisance than anything to them, they followed the pull to the shack.
As the moon rose, they merely paused under the canopy of trees, avoiding the humans.
Then it happened. A long howl from the tawny wolf that usually hunted with them came from the clearing. Except this time it sounded feral, more wild.
Kiba's hackles raised. He let loose an answering howl, this one dominate and powerful. There was a brief pause, before the tawny wolf let out a second, less feral howl.
Hige suddenly darted past the trees, attracted by the movement of his favorite snack.
He had acquired a taste for rats, and this one seemed especially appealing.
He snatched up a fat gray rat missing a toe, and almost snapped it's neck...if Kiba hadn't barked at him. This thing had the same feel as the not-dog called Padfoot. Which meant trouble with the humans.
Tsume, when he got a good sniff of the rat, growled in agreement.
Better to let Padfoot deal with this not-rat.
Hearing something crashing in the forest, Kiba and the two betas went to investigate where Moony had gotten to, while Toboe and Hige guarded the not-rat.
Seeing Moony growling at the human children, Kiba let out a long low growl of his own. Moony backed off, to the relief of Padfoot. What followed was a series of growls, barks and yips. It was clear to anyone with sense that Kiba was 'talking' with the werewolf, with the other two flanking him.
Moony stalked away from the children and the downed man and slunk to where Kiba was. The white wolf indicated Moony should find the rest of the pack. The werewolf bolted for the trees, not giving the children a second glance.
But the danger was far from over. With the werewolf out of the way and the downed man slowly coming to, the unnatural cold seeped into the ground and frost crept along the grass and trees.
Kiba's growling had increased, as had Tsume's. Blue didn't hesitate, and with Kiba's permission she went to guard the children.
She was the most maternal of the pack, and was rather fond of children even when she was still a pet. Padfoot accepted her help gratefully. He was already coaxing the children to stay close to the half-wolf. The girl had tentatively pet Blue, who licked her in the face. That seemed to calm the rest down.
Seeing the foul demons drift to the group, Kiba made a decision.
Like a streak of white lightning, he and Tsume took off and tackled the closest one.
The howl brought all the memories of Darcia and the death of Chesa to the forefront, as if the monster thought bad memories would protect it.
The pack had battled it's past a long time ago, when depression first hit realizing without Chesa they might never find Paradise. They were a pack without a plan, held together purely on faith and loyalty.
Kiba's attacks became much more vicious. In answer to the howl, Toboe bolted out of the trees and slammed into a demon that came too close to the children. He was small and the youngest, but none of the pack doubted his ability to fight.
Out of them all, he was the fastest next to Kiba. He was also the kindest.
Suddenly a silver doe appeared, driving several of the demons away. It was quickly followed by more silver creatures.
Kiba shared a look with Padfoot. The pack took off into the treeline before the squat man with the strange hat. Blue gave the girl one last lick before bolting as well.
They had no idea of the chaos they left in their wake.