Once in a Blue Moon (COMPLETE)

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“Who’s picking us up from King’s Cross?” Remus asked as the Hogwarts Express ground to a halt in the station.

Sirius shrugged. “Don’t know. Probably Mother.”

“She hasn’t changed her mind about me visiting, has she?”

“’Course not. Be too late now anyway, and there’s no way she’ll make a scene in front of all the other parents.”

Remus nodded and they reached to get their things from the luggage rack.

“I’ll get it,” Sirius said, reaching up to grab Remus’s bag.

“I can get it myself,” Remus told him. “I don’t need you carrying my things for me all the time.”

“You didn’t used to mind.”

“That was before I knew why you were doing it.”

“Damn it, Remus,” Sirius muttered. He was about to say more, but the appearance of Charlene stopped him. “I’ll go check if the first years are managing with their trunks,” he said instead, darting out through the door as quickly as he could.

“Was it something I said?” Charlene asked.

“Don’t mind Sirius,” Remus told her.

“You two are back to being friends now then?”

“You knew we’d been arguing?” Remus asked.

“Well, yeah. Everyone knows.”

“They do?” Remus hadn’t realised that it was common knowledge and wondered what else everyone knew about their fight.

“No one knows what you were fighting over,” Charlene continued. “Mary thinks it was over me, that Sirius wanted to ask me out or something. It wasn’t that was it?”

Remus shook his head. Mary had been close to the mark, but still miles off, and he was very relieved about it.

“What was it about then?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Remus told her. “Don’t worry about it.”

Charlene didn’t look entirely convinced, but they really didn’t have time to discuss it further. “Come on, I want you to meet my parents.”

“What?”

“My parents,” Charlene repeated. “They want to meet you.”

“Why?”

Charlene rolled her eyes. “Why do you think? I wrote and told them about you.”

“Did you tell them everything about me?” Remus asked.

“They knew about you being a you-know-what anyway. They read the Prophet.”

“And they’re okay with it? With you going out with me I mean?”

“They haven’t really said, that’s why they want to meet you. They want to check you out.”

Remus nodded nervously and followed Charlene off the train. Her parents were standing near to the ticket office and were clearly sizing him up well before they were close enough to be introduced. He tried to remember his manners as he held out his hand to Mr Grahams.

Further down the platform, Sirius helped one of the final struggling second years with his trunk. When he hopped back onto the train in order to fetch the youngster’s broom for him he happened to notice Benjy lurking in one of the empty compartments.

“What you doing in here?” he asked. “You do know we’re in London, right?”

“He’s avoiding his parents,” Philip said from behind Sirius. Sirius turned and saw that Philip was leaning out of one of the windows overlooking the platform. He was grinning widely and clearly enjoying himself at his friend’s expense.

“What’s the problem?” Sirius asked. “Is he in trouble or something?”

Philip shook his head. “Nah, he’s just embarrassed at being collected by Mummy and Daddy. Most seventh years get to make their own way home after they leave school… like me. Did I tell you I’ve got my own flat?”

Sirius nodded. He had heard all about Philip’s new flat, as had Benjy and anyone else unfortunate enough to be in earshot the day he had sealed the deal.

“You can’t wait in here all night,” Sirius told Benjy as Philip leaned back out of the window once more.

“I’m hoping they’ll give up and go home,” Benjy replied. “Give them an hour or two and they might think I’ve apparated home from the school gates.”

Philip laughed. “I think your mum’s heading this way,” he teased.

Sirius looked out of the window and Philip pointed out Benjy’s parents. “Looks like they’re talking with my mother,” he said. He turned back to Benjy. “You could be in for a long wait; my mother can talk forever.”

“Damn,” Benjy muttered. “Suppose I’d better go see them. But I swear, if she tries to kiss me hello, I’ll hex her lips off.”

Sirius laughed and stepped off the train, handing the broomstick he was still holding to the second year. Sirius then said goodbye to Philip and made his way over to his mother, Benjy following reluctantly behind him.

“Sirius,” Walburga said in her usual exasperated tone. “Come here and say good evening to Mr and Mrs Fenwick.”

Sirius dutifully turned to Benjy’s parents and greeted them politely. Benjy was lurking the side, trying to look like he wasn’t really with the rest of them.

“We’re so relieved that Sirius is finally making some suitable friends,” Walburga told Benjy’s parents. “It’s been so difficult since the Sorting Hat erroneously sorted him into Gryffindor. Such a shame that this was Benjy’s final year at Hogwarts.”

Sirius groaned quietly and looked around the platform, hoping that Remus was making his way across to him so that they could leave.

“So, where is it then?” Mr Fenwick suddenly asked. “Never seen one close up before. I must say, I was surprised to hear Orion was letting a werewolf stay with you during the holidays.”

Sirius bristled at the way Mr Fenwick referred to Remus as ‘it’.

“Oh, you know us,” Walburga replied cheerfully. “We’re always looking out for those less fortunate.”

“Of course, of course,” Mr Fenwick said. “I say, is Orion still going for that Senior Warlock post at the Ministry?”

“Oh, yes,” Walburga assured him. “As long as he manages to put in time in all the Ministry departments, he should get the position without any trouble. He’s the only pureblood in the running. The promotion will elevate the family back where it belongs.”

The Fenwicks nodded sympathetically. Sirius scowled, but declined to say anything. He had known for years that his mother was a snobby social climber; the Blacks had been at the top of the ladder for years, even if she was now hanging onto the rungs by the very tips of her fingers.

“Which department is he working in at the moment?” Mrs Fenwick asked.

“The Spirit Division,” Walburga replied. “He’s been there for two months now. He’ll be moving to the Werewolf Registry next week. He’s hoping to do a lot to sort out the Department; up until now it’s been in total shambles.”

An increasingly irritated Sirius listened as Walburga continued to talk to the Fenwicks about his father’s work and werewolves generally. From the way Walburga was talking, it seemed that his father had only agreed that Remus could stay with them in order to help further his career. He was also a little concerned at the things that his mother was saying were being considered for the werewolves of England. The ideas ranged from magically tagging them with some sort of brand, to testing new and dangerous potions on them. He didn’t like the sound of any of them, and he doubted Remus would either.

“I suppose he’ll be wanting to speak with the young werewolf over there, and get it’s view on things,” Mr Fenwick commented.

“Remus isn’t an ‘it’,” Sirius snapped at the older man.

“Sirius,” Walburga warned.

“Well, he’s not!” Sirius snapped.

Sirius could see that his mother’s face was turning a rather interesting shade of red, but he had no intention of backing down.

Then he felt the familiar weight of a hand on his shoulder and a sense of calm came over him.

“Good evening, Mrs Black,” Remus greeted her, removing his hand from Sirius’s shoulder and holding it out to her. “Thank you for inviting me to stay for the summer.”

Walburga didn’t take his hand. Instead, she gave a sharp nod and something that might – from a distance – have passed for a smile.

The platform was almost clear when Walburga finally decided that they would return home. She would never involve herself in trying to push her way through the crowd if she could do otherwise.

By the time they left, Sirius had listened to her talking about his father’s work with more parents than he could count, and she had made sure that all of them knew that Remus – the werewolf – was staying with them for the holidays. Sirius had to give her credit – when she introduced Remus to the various families, she made it seem as though it was merely a coincidence that he was staying with them at the same time that Orion was going to be working in the Werewolf Registry.

“Sorry,” Sirius whispered to Remus as they trailed after Walburga. “I didn’t know she was going to put you on display like that.”

Remus shrugged and tugged his bag over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I figured your parents would have some sort of ulterior motive for inviting me to stay.”

“I didn’t.”

Remus laughed briefly. “You think purebloods like the Blacks would let a werewolf into their home out of the goodness of their hearts?”

“I would,” Sirius replied. “And Uncle Alphard did, too.”

“I’m sorry, Sirius. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s okay. You’re right. I should have known my parents would have something up their sleeves.”

They reached the barrier and followed Walburga through to the main station. She hurried them on impatiently, never having been that comfortable within the crowded muggle station, and Sirius tugged Remus along with him. It didn’t really matter why his parents had chosen to let Remus stay with them - the important thing was that they had.

-o-xXx-o-

“I’ll show Remus to his room,” Sirius said as they entered Grimmauld Place.

Walburga waved them away as she called for Kreacher.

“You’re in the Green Room,” Sirius explained as they made their way up the stairs.

“From what I can remember, all the rooms are in shades of green,” Remus replied.

“Yeah, most of them are,” Sirius agreed. “But only the one overlooking Mother’s herb garden is actually called the Green Room.”

“Your mother likes gardening?” Remus asked in surprise.

Sirius couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up at the idea of his mother on her hands and knees in the mud. “Never touches it,” he explained. “Kreacher cultivates what she tells him to, but we can hardly call it Kreacher’s herb garden, can we?”

“Why not? If it’s his?”

“He’s a house elf,” Sirius replied, shaking his head, still trying not to laugh. “Besides, Mother is the one in charge of it, even if she doesn’t tend to it.”

Remus shrugged; sometimes he just didn’t understand the Black family at all.

The room had been aired, and Sirius told him that he could use anything in it for as long as he was there. “You remember where the bathroom is?”

Remus nodded. “Just down the hall on the left, right?”

Sirius nodded. “I’m going to go and see if Regulus is back yet.”

Remus put his bag down on the floor and looked around the room. It was like standing in a museum. The four-poster bed was huge, with ornate carvings on the headboard and the posts. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought the bed had never been slept in. Beside it was a matching bedside table with handles on the drawers that looked suspiciously like snakes. There was also a large wardrobe with similar handles and one door slightly ajar. On the other side of the room was a desk with a quill and inkpot waiting beside a pile of blank parchment. The silver and green lamp on the desk had a twin on the bedside table, and they looked so delicate that Remus was almost afraid to touch them.

There was a boarded up fireplace with a mantelpiece containing various small knickknacks. Remus wandered over to the mantel to take a closer look at them. “Oh good, more snakes,” he muttered with a shiver. He could only hope that there were no live ones lurking around the darker corners of the building.

“Does the werewolf need anything?” a small voice asked from behind him, causing Remus to spin round, startled.

Kreacher was standing a few feet away, his trunk of belongings alongside him.

“No, thank you, Kreacher,” Remus said. “I’m Remus, by the way.”

“Kreacher knows who you is. You is the werewolf.”

“But my name’s Remus.”

“You is the werewolf,” Kreacher insisted.

Remus shrugged and gave up, dismissing Kreacher after assuring him that he would call him if he needed anything. He wondered if it was his imagination, or whether Kreacher had really looked quite so annoyed at the thought of Remus summoning him.

He was just in the middle of putting his things away into the wardrobe when the door to his room opened. “Is Regulus home yet?” he asked as Sirius poked his head round the door.

Sirius shook his head. “No, his flight has been delayed. He’ll be back late tonight. Father is going to stay late at work, and then go and collect him on the way home. He just flooed in to tell us.”

“It’ll be nice to see him again,” Remus said. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s holding in there,” Sirius said as he took Remus’s scarlet and gold slippers from his trunk and placed them near the bed. “At least I think he is. He and Uncle Alphard were very close, and there’s only so much you can put in a letter.”

“He’ll be home soon. That’ll be good… you know… being with his family again.”

Sirius nodded. “Yeah. Anyway, Mother says that dinner will be in half an hour. Just leave most of the unpacking until tomorrow. Just get your wash things and pyjamas out and leave the rest.”

“My pyjamas are at the bottom of the trunk,” Remus said with a sigh. “I put the ones I wore last night into the wash for the Hogwarts house elves. I did it automatically. My spares were packed first, so they’re right at the bottom.”

Sirius laughed. “I’m sure that if you write to one of the staff they’ll send the things you put in the wash here.”

Remus shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve got plenty of clothes here, it’s just that my night things are at the bottom.”

Remus leaned over his trunk once more and pulled out a large handful of clothing, dumping it onto the bed in one large heap.

“Some of these are looking a bit frayed,” Sirius commented as he fingered the cuff of one of the shirts.

“I know,” Remus replied. “I’ll have to get some more school robes for next term. Your parents will take us to Diagon Alley at some point, won’t they?”

“I should think so,” Sirius said. “Or they may let us go on our own, now that we’re sixteen.”

“As long as I get to go at some point,” Remus said as he pulled a pair of pyjamas from the bottom of his trunk.

“Well, we’ll have to go and get our new books for N.E.W.T.s,” Sirius reminded him. “And I need some new robes, too.”

Remus nodded in agreement and they continued to chat until they went downstairs for dinner.

-o-xXx-o-

That night Sirius was woken up by the sound of a tapping noise. At first he thought it was an owl at the window, but a quick glance at the glass confirmed that there was no bird trying to gain access to the house. Turning over he tried to get back to sleep, putting the noise down to his imagination, or maybe Regulus and his father returning home.

He had barely closed his eyes however, when the tapping sound began again. More awake than before, Sirius realised that it was the sound of someone knocking on his door. “Come in,” he called, assuming it was probably Regulus, eager to see him and not wishing to wait until morning.

“Are you awake?” Remus asked from the doorway.

Sirius sat up and looked at Remus with surprise. “I am now,” he said with a grimace. “What’s up?”

“Sorry,” Remus mumbled. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Sirius was tempted to point out that it was the middle of the night, but with things still being so tense between them he wasn’t sure how that comment might be taken. Instead he nodded and sat back against the headboard, wondering what it was that couldn’t wait until morning.

Remus came into the room, closed the door behind him, and scurried over to the bed. He sat on the edge, his left leg tucked under him and his right dangled down onto the floor. Sirius tried not to notice that Remus had chosen to sit on the side of the bed that was furthest away from him.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” Remus began. “Back at school, when we were talking out by the lake.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “We’ve talked out by the lake loads of times. Any chance you could be a bit more specific?”

“When we talked about you…touching me,” Remus clarified.

Sirius sighed. He was really too tired to be having this particular conversation right now. “You used to touch me, too,” he finally said.

Remus nodded. “I know. I didn’t realise how much until afterwards. I had to keep stopping myself from…” He waved his hand vaguely as his voice trailed off.

“You don’t have to stop,” Sirius said.

“I want things to be back the way they were before,” Remus said, his words coming out in a rush and his gaze focused on the silver trim of the dark green bedspread.

Sirius didn’t say anything. If he was entirely honest with himself, he didn’t want things to go back to the way they were before, but if Remus was determined not to give him a chance, then that would at least be better than where they were at now.

“Sirius?” Remus questioned. “Don’t you want the same?”

Sirius nodded, albeit rather slowly and a little reluctantly.

Remus finally looked up at him and smiled. “We’ll get things back to normal this summer,” he said. “You’ll see.”

Sirius smiled back; he was not entirely convinced. Then, before he could say another word, Remus was pulling back the covers on his bed and crawling in beside him. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“We used to do this,” Remus replied. “We used to share a bed every night.”

“But…”

“Do you want me to go back to the guest room?” Remus asked quietly.

Sirius shook his head and burrowed back beneath the covers, stretching out alongside Remus.

“It’s just for the holidays, you realise?” Remus whispered.

“Just for the holidays,” Sirius repeated as he stared up at the ceiling. Of course Remus wouldn’t want to share his bed back at school.

They lay in silence for a few minutes until finally Sirius broke the silence again. “Well, this is awkward, isn’t it?” he commented.

“It didn’t used to be,” Remus replied.

Sirius turned to face him and frowned. “There didn’t used to be a foot of empty mattress between us.”

Remus met his eyes and nodded before scooting closer. When there was only an inch or two between them he stopped and gave a small sigh. “This isn’t working, is it?”

“Do you remember how we used to lay before?” Sirius asked.

Remus nodded. “I think so.”

“Maybe we should try that?” Sirius suggested.

Remus nodded and turned onto his side, curling up closer as he did. “Where did I usually put my arm?” he asked.

Sirius took hold of the arm in question and placed it around his torso. “Right about here.” Then he slipped his own arm around Remus’s back and hugged him close.

“Does this feel different to you?” Remus whispered into his chest. “Laying together, I mean. It used to feel more… I don’t know… it just feels different.”

“Good different or bad different?”

Remus shrugged slightly. “I don’t know, just different.”

Sirius smiled to himself and closed his eyes. He could take a wild guess at what felt different, but he knew that if he spoke his suspicions out loud, Remus would no doubt bolt. Instead, he kept quiet and savoured the sensation of Remus rubbing up against his hip as he moved to find the most comfortable position, as aroused by their close proximity as he was.

The next morning Sirius awoke to find that Remus was still in his bed, still wrapped around him and still very much turned on by their night together. He was resolved that by the end of the summer Remus would have forgotten all about Charlene, and his ridiculous and stubborn insistence that he was straight.

-o-xXx-o-

Dinner in the Black household was always a formal affair, even when there were no guests whom Walburga was eager to impress.

Sirius was seated beside Remus and opposite Regulus, who was talking animatedly about an old lady he had been talking to at the airport whilst waiting for his flight.

Sirius could tell that his parents weren’t listening at all, but he and Remus were both fascinated by airports, neither of them having had the chance to visit one.

“So, Remus,” Orion said when Regulus had finished his story. “How would you like to visit the Ministry of Magic with me on Monday?”

Remus, a little startled by the offer, could only nod mutely. Although he certainly hadn’t enjoyed his previous visit to the Ministry, he knew that visiting as a guest of a worker, instead of as a recently captured runaway, was sure to be an entirely different experience.

“Can I come, too?” Sirius asked, with Regulus adding his own plea a moment after.

“Certainly not,” Orion replied. “I’m not having all three of you underfoot all day. I just thought that Remus might like to see the Registry and the Containment Facility, especially since he will be visiting the latter during the full moons.”

“Why would Remus need to go to the Containment Facility?” Sirius asked suspiciously. “He has a safe place to transform back in Hogsmeade.”

“Remus’s Hogsmeade residence is not on the Floo Network,” Orion replied. “It will be far easier for him to floo to the Ministry. The Containment Facility there will also have qualified Healers on hand for the morning after.”

“Madam Pomfrey is up at Hogwarts,” Sirius replied. “She’s a great Healer.”

“Nevertheless, Remus is in our care for the duration of the holidays, and it will be far better for everyone if we use the prescribed Ministry facilities.”

“But-”

“Enough!” Walburga snapped. “He will go to the Ministry Containment Facility. It’s good enough for the other werewolves, and it’s more than good enough for him.”

Remus placed a calming hand on Sirius’s arm, successfully halting further arguing far more than Walburga’s command had done. “That’s all right,” Remus said. “I’d like to see the Ministry facilities. Thank you, Mr Black.”

Appeased by Remus’s co-operation, Orion began to talk about the Registry and the various things he would be showing Remus when he visited.

-o-xXx-o-

“Good morning, Mr Black.” The young witch, who in Remus’s opinion was wearing far too much makeup, called out the greeting from her desk at the entrance to the department sign-posted ‘Werewolf Registry’.

“Good morning,” Orion replied as he strode past her.

“Who’s that?” Remus asked as he gave the young woman a small wave and followed after the older man.

“I’m sure I wouldn’t know,” Orion replied. “Just the receptionist. No one important.”

Remus glanced behind him and saw that the witch had heard his reply, and from the look on her face, was far from pleased with it. Remus gave her a small apologetic smile, to which she responded with a wink at him and a rude gesture towards Orion’s retreating back.

Remus grinned and hurried to catch up with Orion.

The older man walked purposefully through the department, greeting anyone who spoke to him, but rarely by name.

“The Register itself is over there,” Orion said, pointing across the room to where a large book was displayed on a golden podium. “It’s updated magically with all the most recent information on every werewolf in the country. The Head of the department takes care of that task on the first day of every month. You may take a look at it later, if you wish.”

Remus nodded and looked over at the book. He knew his name was already in it. Although most minors who were werewolves were only registered when they came of age, exceptions were made for those who were known to the authorities, those like him.

“So, this is the werewolf who’s staying with you?” a jovial looking man asked as he halted his progress through the department, juggling papers and books as he did.

“Yes, this is him,” Orion replied. “I thought he might like to see the Registry and the Containment Facility, before the full moon in a couple of weeks.”

“Very good, very good,” the man replied, turning to Remus with a smile. “I’m Angus Billington. You need anything, just give me a holler.”

Remus nodded and – once Angus had managed to juggle all his items to one hand – shook his hand.

“Good to meet you,” Angus said before turning to Orion. “The old goat wants to see you right away.”

“He does?” Orion asked.

“Yeah, he’s been screeching something about missing records all morning. Needs you to look into it.”

“Remus, take a seat and I’ll be back as soon as I’ve dealt with this.”

“No need for that,” Angus said. “Let the lad wander around. There are wards protecting the restricted areas; he can’t get into any mischief.”

Orion nodded reluctantly.

“I could go look myself up in the Register,” Remus suggested.

“Capital idea!” Angus agreed and Orion nodded his own approval of the idea.

“I’ll be back shortly,” Orion told him.

Remus nodded, and as soon as Orion was on his way he turned back towards the golden podium. Angus was walking alongside him and told him how to use his wand to quickly find what he was looking for in the Register.

“I’m not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts,” Remus told him. “I’m not seventeen until next March.”

“Ah, yes,” Angus replied with a nod. “In that case you’ll have to use the index at the back. It’s easy enough, just time consuming flicking through all the pages.”

“That’s okay,” Remus said.

“I think Orion might be gone a while anyway,” Angus said. “The old goat, that’s the Head of the department, has been in a foul mood all morning.”

Remus suspected he might be correct; he hoped that his bad mood didn’t rub off on Orion Black. The wizard wasn’t the most sociable of men as it was.

“I’ll have to leave you here,” Angus said as they reached the podium. “I’ll be around though, so just holler out if you need anything.”

Remus promised that he would and stepped up to the podium, curious as to what he would find in the book that held the details of all the werewolves in Britain.

The book was heavy and thick, and the writing in it was of the large and loopy variety. But it was readable and Remus soon found his name in the index. He turned to page seven hundred and thirty to see what the register said about him.

Name: Remus John Lupin
Date of Birth: 10 March 1960
Place of Birth: St Mungo’s Hospital, London
Primary Residence: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland
Secondary Residence: Hogsmeade Village, Scotland

Father: John Lupin
Mother: Celeste Lupin

Guardian: Fenrir Greyback (see custody case number JV72991)
Residence: Dangerous Creatures’ Camp (DC8), Cheshire

Date Infected: 8 May 1966
Date Reported: 9 May 1966 by John Lupin (father of registered werewolf)
Bitten by: Fenrir Greyback

Victims infected: none known

Remus skimmed down the page reading the notations and shivering as he realised just how much the Ministry already knew about him. Everything from the location of the scar from Greyback’s bite to the colour of his hair and eyes was included in the book. He was also surprised to see that he had his own Case Worker, although he couldn’t recall ever meeting the witch in question.

There was also a detailed chronology of what had happened after he had gone on the run, together with the names of all the relatives who had been approached with a view to taking over his custody during Albus Dumbledore’s enquiries. Remus hadn’t realised there were quite so many of them, and he felt his heart sinking as he looked at all the names on the list. Only one was not followed by ‘refusal’, and that was the name of Romulus Lupin. Unfortunately, his name was followed by ‘request refused – location Azkaban Fortress’, along with the date of his request to take over custody. Remus felt his eyes watering as he realised that Romulus had made his request on the very day he had been sentenced to Azkaban. In the middle of his own crisis, Romulus had still been thinking only of him.

One thing that Remus didn’t expect to see on the page was the current location of his parents, but there it was, right in front of his eyes. The address of his parents when he was bitten, together with their current place of residence, was written right there, apparently in case of the death of Fenrir Greyback before Remus came of age.

Remus waved over a nearby witch and begged a scrap of parchment and quill from her. It took only a moment to note down the address, which was right in the middle of London, and he quickly pocketed the parchment, resolving to find a way to visit the house as soon as he could.

He looked over towards Orion’s office and saw that he was still not back yet. Giving a sigh he turned back to the Register and decided to see what it had to say about Fenrir Greyback, since he was the only other werewolf he knew.

It only took a few moments to find him in the index and flick to the appropriate page, or pages as it turned out to be.

The information started off much the same as his own. Name, date of birth and so on and so forth. It was further down the page where things were different, at the part where the list of victims infected began. Unlike Remus’s page, where there were no names, Greyback’s page included a long list of names, dates and locations of victims who had been unfortunate enough to be bitten by the older werewolf. It also included whether the victim had survived and whether they were werewolves, too. The list was so long that it went not only onto the opposite page, but over to the one after that as well. Remus eventually found his own name about half way down the third page.

“So many,” he whispered as his finger traced down the page.

He felt cold as he read down the list, knowing immediately that no single werewolf could have accidentally bitten so many victims. The dates were almost all a full moon apart, and Remus suspected that those missing dates were simply nights when the victims had either never been found, or had not come forward. He knew that many werewolves chose to live in hiding, in fear of the prejudices they would encounter if they came forward, and he had no doubt that the list of Greyback’s victims was far from complete.

He wondered how the older werewolf had managed to avoid execution, but even more than that, Remus wondered why Fenrir Greyback had chosen to help him.

-

A/N: Just so you know, my beta's holiday is now over, so no more lightning fast updates from this point onwards. We are now back to one chapter every two or three weeks.

Also, the voting at the Quibbler Awards ends tomorrow (20th). Once in a Blue Moon is nominated for best WIP and Best AU, so if you think it is deserving of the nomination, especially since it is up again some stiff competition, please consider stopping by there and voting for it. There is no need to register at the site to vote and the process appears to be quite simple. http://quibbler.this-paradise.com/