Keg of Glory.

8/6/2019 Keg of Glory.

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PROLOGUE

Two Years Ago:

Remus Lupin fell into the wooden chair at the kitchen table

with a sigh of exhaustion and wiped the dampness ofperspiration off his forehead with the back of his hand. Heclosed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wallwith a soft thud, wondering how he could have gonethrough so much of his life without an appreciation ofwooden chairs. Remus' body sagged against the cold, stifffurniture like a rag doll, his arms dangling uselessly at hissides, just basking in the glorious sensation ofsitting. His

chest rose and fell slowly as he gathered his thoughts, themuscles in his legs relaxing for the first time in twelvehours. A fiery sensation was burning in his calves and astabbing headache was building in his right temple - hehoped both forms of pain would ebb away soon.

Finally, Remus lifted himself forward with a grunt to pullthin, worn shoes off his feet and toss them onto the floor

carelessly. He vaguely noticed that one of them hadanother hole in the sole. He made a mental note to fix itlater, but wasnt really inclined to do anything about it now.It wasnt usually like Remus to leave things around sohaphazardly or procrastinate, but at the moment hecouldnt bring himself to care about tidiness or thecondition of his shoes.

He had spent the last twelve hours combing London for"Help Wanted" signs in store windows. He'd squeezedthrough bustling crowds of muggle shoppers, gotten lost inthe underground, and come dangerously close to hitting amotorbike while crossing the street. All for nothing. Therehad been no one to employ a nineteen-year-old boy whocouldn't even say where he had attended school for thepast seven years. The few employers who were looking to

hire had all snatched back their offers and sent him out thedoor within minutes as soon as they found thatout. In


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retrospect, Remus knew he probably should have realizedthat his search for employment in the muggle world wouldprobably not lead to great success. Or any success, for thatmatter. But at this point, he didn't really have a lot of

options.He stood up carefully, testing his balance on throbbing legsbefore taking a couple of steps over to the counter toprepare a cup of tea. He pulled out the teapot from acabinet overhead and filled it with water from the tap,pondering what to do next.

Remus had never had much luck in the job market because

of the wizarding world's discrimination against people withhis condition. The first year after leaving Hogwarts, he hadlived with Sirius in a flat, while James had moved in withLily and Peter spent time abroad. Sirius never mindedpaying most of the rent, as he had inherited a large sum ofmoney from his uncle and quickly found an internship atthe ministry in an Auror's office. However, after threestraight months of being unable to contribute to the rent

whatsoever, Remus had decided it was time to move out.Sirius had begged him incessantly to reconsider for the twodays it took Remus to make other arrangements, but hismind was already made up. Remus couldn't stand the ideaof being a burden on his friend, despite Sirius' assurancesthat this was not the case. He knew that it was unfair toask Sirius to provide him with living space, food and clotheswhen he had already given Remus so much. Sirius, James

and Peter were like his brothers, the ones who had takenhim in nine years ago and showed him that there wassomething to live for besides monthly transformations andsolitude. James and Sirius had taken the initiative at ageeleven to break through his bubble of seclusion like awrecking ball, changing his perspective of the worldforever. When Remus was with them, he felt safe, confidentthat the world was not as cruel as he had once thought. Histhree best friends had all risked time in Azkaban to becomeAnimagi, just to keep him company on the full moons. How


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could Remus possibly ask Sirius to give him anything else?No. He would never allow himself to become Sirius'responsibility.

Much as he tried to convince himself that this was the onlyreason for moving out, Remus couldnt deny that there hadbeen something else. During their final year at Hogwarts,Remus had begun to see Sirius in a different light. Hebegan to notice how Sirius' grey-blue eyes dancedwhenever he and James pulled off a particularlyspectacular prank. He noticed how Sirius always smelledlike a combination of grass just after the rain, mint andsometimes a hint of Firewhiskey. He noticed how Sirius' hairfell over his face with the sort of elegance that he couldnthelp staring at whenever he got the chance. He noticedhow when Sirius was pleased with something, his mouthquirked up in a half-smile that made every girl in thevicinity swoon with infatuation. He noticed that wheneverSirius complimented him or ruffled his hair or called him"Remmie," a tingling warmth blossomed in his chest thatcaused a momentary hitch in his breath.

And when Remus realized he noticed all these things, itterrified him. He could not be feeling that way about Sirius.It was impossible. Sirius was like his older brother, theperson Remus looked to the most for comfort and advice,even before James and Peter. He couldn't bear the idea ofSirius being disgusted with him. He neededSirius. Remushad done his best to suppress these feelings for the rest of

seventh year and during their time as flat mates. However,he eventually had to come to terms with the fact thatsomething had gone horribly wrong in his friendship withSirius: Remus had fallen in love with him.

After that finally clicked into place in his mind, he couldn'tstop thinking about it. Remus had found himself gazing atSirius whenever his back was turned and blushing at things

Sirius said. Remus knew that these were telltale signs ofmore-than-friendly feelings, and had no doubt that Sirius


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would eventually figure things out if they kept livingtogether. Sometimes he would notice Remus staring at him,and jokingly ask, "Can't keep your eyes off me, huh,Moony?"

At this, Remus would always turn a dark shade of pink andduck his head in embarrassment. Sirius just laughed it off,probably assuming that this reaction stemmed from Remus'shy nature, but Remus knew that Sirius was too clever tobe fooled for long.

Therefore, three months ago, Remus had moved into theold house he had inhabited with his mother before his

Hogwarts days. He couldnt deny that living on his own hadbeen extremely difficult - during those few months, he stillhadn't been able to find work. He was living off what wasleft in his mother's old Gringott's account, but he knew itwould only last another week or so.

And now, on top of everything else, his already slim jobpossibilities had been restricted to only muggle

occupations. Ever since Voldemort had begun recruitingwerewolves, the Ministry had passed an act that declaredall werewolves must turn themselves in to the Departmentfor the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures toensure that they wouldnt become "a threat to wizardingsociety." Any competent person knew full well that this was

just a fancy way of saying that werewolves could either joinVoldemort, or hand themselves over to one of the ministry

werewolf facilities, which were essentially prisons. Remushad, of course, refused to turn himself in, and was in effecta fugitive of the law. While Sirius and James had initially

joked that their marauding had finally rubbed off on Remus,the subject was no laughing matter. Remus couldnt showhis face in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, for fear thatsomeone from the Ministry should recognize him. He spenthis days trying to find work and his nights corresponding

with Dumbledore and other members of the Order.Sometimes Sirius or James would stop by to visit, but lately


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they had both been very busy with work and their ownmissions for the Order.

When the pot of tea began to scream shrilly, Remus lifted itoff the stove and poured the steaming water into a mug.He carefully tore open a teabag and dipped it in, stirringabsentmindedly as he mulled over his many concerns.When the pounding in his head returned with renewedviciousness, he stumbled over to the couch in the livingroom and sank into it. Bits of stuffing were seeping out oftears in the fabric, but Remus couldnt bear to part with thesofa. For one thing, he was flat dollar broke with no hope ofpurchasing a new one, and for another, he had many fondmemories of his mother sitting right in this spot, readinghim books or telling him stories about her years atHogwarts. He sipped at his tea and smiled reminiscently,wishing that his mother were still alive, if only to keep himcompany in this old house.

He picked yesterday's copy of the Daily Prophet up off thecoffee table and skimmed the front page. It was completely

taken up by an article covering the deaths of threemuggles in Surrey, which was apparently the work of DeathEaters. The Ministry was all in a dither, warning wizards totake extra precautions to protect themselves - as if theyhadn't been already. Remus snorted as he watched thepicture of the Minister giving a speech about the propersecurity for wizard homes in this time of distress. It allseemed so ridiculous to him. If Death Eaters wanted to

break into a house, a few domestic security charmscertainly werent going to stop them. He refolded the paperand deposited it back on the coffee table.

Just then, a screech owl soared through the window andlanded on the coffee table, ripping the paper with itstalons. Remus leaned forward and untied the scroll fromthe owl's leg. As soon as it was free from Remus' grasp, the

owl took off again, scattering pages of the Daily Prophetonto the floor. Remus unrolled the piece of parchment to


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discover that it was covered in Sirius' handwriting.

Moony,

Hope you're taking good care of yourself for tomorrow,

although I doubt that's the case. Try to get some rest.James is on his way back from France with Lily. He sayshe's going to try his best to be there tomorrow. I'll fly overlater tonight, probably between one and two, because it'ssupposed to storm here tomorrow and I don't want to getcaught up in that. See you then.

Padfoot.

Remus sighed. Sirius' letters were always short. He knewthat it was necessary, since the Ministry was searching forhim and they couldnt afford hinting at Remus'whereabouts or actions, but he hadnt seen Sirius since thelast full moon. Even though he knew that separation wasneeded in order to squash Remus inappropriate feelings,he still missed Sirius' company. It was becoming

unbearable to be apart from him for so long. He traced hiseyes over the words Sirius had written twice more beforeputting the letter in his pocket and looking at his watch. Teno'clock. It seemed like Sirius wouldnt arrive for years, eventhough there were only a few hours to go. It was times likethese that Remus resented the fact that his fireplace wastoo small to connect to the Floo network.

It never ceased to amaze Remus that his friends continuedto accompany him on the full moons in their Animagiforms. It had never occurred to him in all their school yearstogether that the arrangement might carry over into theiradult lives. Towards the end of their seventh year, Remushad mentioned in passing that he might move back into hismother's house after graduation so that he could use hisold cellar, which was already equipped with a cage and

chains from his pre-Hogwarts life, for transformations.When James and Sirius had demanded why, Remus lookedat them blankly.


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"What do you mean, 'why?'" he had asked. "You guys arethe only people who have ever seen me in werewolf form,right? You know, when I transform into a dark creature andtry to go on murderous rampages?"

"Yes," James had replied in exasperation, "but why do youhave to use a cage when you've got us? And don't callyourself a dark creature!"

Remus ignored the last part. "What do you mean 'gotyou?'" hed repeated. "I don't-"

"Merlin, Remus!" Sirius had interrupted, smacking himself

on the forehead. The other three turned to look at him insurprise. "You honestly thought we would stop staying withyou on full moons after we left Hogwarts?"

Peter and James had both rounded on the werewolf withincredulity in their eyes. Remus had stood there awkwardly,unsure of what to say.

Finally, James had shook his head and sighed. "Oh, Moony."

And that had been the end of the discussion.

Remus rolled up the letter and got up to put another pot oftea on the stove. In the reflection of the toaster (a muggleobject his mother had used to prepare food in, but Remushad never quite understood) he caught sight of himself.Even in the warped metallic reflection, he could make out

the grape-colored smudges underneath his eyes, thesallow, almost Snape-like color of his skin, and the thin,more angular appearance of his face. When Sirius arrived,he was sure to get a lecture. But he didn't mind. Eventhough he was an adult now, and didn't need Sirius or

James looking after him (as he constantly reminded them)it was sometimes nice to be reminded that someoneconcerned for his well-being. Even if that concern took theform of stern looks and reprimanding words.


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While Remus was waiting for his tea, he decided to cleanup the kitchen a little bit. He picked up some pieces ofparchment and a quill that were lying on the table andshoved them into his pockets. He also decided he ought to

put away his shoes, which were still lying on the floor.Just as he returned to the living room, there was a sharprap on the door. He frowned, wondering whom it couldpossibly be at this hour. His first thought was the Ministry.Maybe they had finally discovered where he was hiding. Ifhe didn't answer the door, would they leave? More knockssounded loudly at the door, shattering that hope. Remussighed in resignation, and gripped his wand, prepared forthe attack if it came. He dropped his shoes beside the sofa,went over to the door, and pulled it open.

"Lupin," drawled a voice Remus recognized fromsomewhere. "Nice to see you again."

Remus squinted into the darkness and made out thefeatures of Antonin Dolohov, who had been a year ahead of

him at Hogwarts, and another Death Eater he had neverseen before. Remus' heart beat stuttered.

"Dolohov," Remus said lightly. "To what do I owe thepleasure of this unexpected visit?"

"We've got a message," Dolohov replied darkly, a smilecurling his lips.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "A message?" He had a sinkingfeeling that he knew what it was about.

"Yes, a message," snapped the Death Eater Remus didntrecognize, "Or can't you understand human speech,beast?"

The man spat the last word. Remus felt a fleck of saliva hit

his cheek and wiped it calmly away with the back of hishand. Dolohov elbowed the man sharply in the ribs and he


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grunted.

"Forgive me," Remus replied smoothly, "I didn't realize yourduties included those of a carrier pigeon. Your masterobviously thinks very highly of you." Dolohov's companionscowled at him, but Remus ignored it. "Come in, please."He stood aside to let the two men into his house, andclosed the door quietly, his other hand still holding hiswand in a white-knuckled grip.

Dolohov and the other man took seats on the dilapidatedcouch, so Remus sat gingerly in the armchair across fromthem, waiting. Both of the Death Eaters were wearing dark,

hooded cloaks. Dolohov's was torn in places, but theother's looked fairly new. Both men had their sleeves rolledup to their elbows, so that the Dark Marks emblazoned ontheir skin were clearly visible. Remus wondered whetherthis was accidental, or a purposeful means of intimidation.He suspected it was the latter.

"I don't think you two have been properly introduced," said

Dolohov silkily. "Lupin, this is Lestrange."

Remus nodded politely at Lestrange, who made anoncommittal grunt in reply. Probably doesn't want towaste his breath talking to an animal, Remus mused.

Lestrange looked at his watch. "Let's get on with this," hegrowled. "We don't want this to take as long as our last

visit." He looked pointedly at Remus, a sneer forming on histhin lips. "Things got messy." Remus suppressed the urgeto shudder.

"Alright, let's get straight down to business," said Dolohovabruptly, like a real estate agent who was eager to close adeal. "As you may know, Lupin, The Dark Lord has madeoffers to several of your kind in the last few months. He

understands your situation, and is fully opposed to thediscrimination and suffering you endure at the hands of theMinistry."


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At this, Lestrange snorted, making it clear that he did notshare Voldemort's views. Dolohov glowered at him, butmade no comment. To Remus, he continued, "He knowsthat you have capabilities far exceeding those of an

ordinary wizard. He is willing to offer you protection andprey for the full moon, if you provide him a few services inreturn."

Remus' stomach did a somersault. So this was it, hethought. The Death Eaters had finally come to ask him to

join their ranks. Hed known this would happen eventually,though he had hoped for more time. He knew that if heopposed them outright, they would attempt to take him byforce, and Remus was not in any condition to fight with thefull moon so near. He decided he would have to play thingsout for now, and see where they went.

"A very enticing offer," replied Remus evenly. "Although, Imust point out that our problems with the ministry arecaused by your master's recruitment of werewolves. So youcan understand why I might be less inclined to serve him."

"The ministry would have found another excuse to lock upyour kind even if The Dark Lord hadn't begun to utilize yourtalents. We both know this," Dolohov pointed out.

"That's very true," said Remus, fingers twitching on hiswand. He searched for another reason to refuse their offer."But there is also the problem of my membership in the

Order of the Phoenix. You are aware of its mission, nodoubt?"

"Of course," snapped Dolohov. "I don't see why it should bea problem. The Order's trust in you is a powerful asset to

The Dark Lord."

"Well, all members are fully aware that I am a werewolf,"

said Remus mildly, and if Voldemort suddenly hasinformation on the Order, the first person they will suspectas traitor is the dark creature. I wouldn't exactly make the


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most inconspicuous spy."

"Potter and Black are in the Order," said Lestrangedismissively. "They would never suspect you."

"They might," said Remus softly. And it twisted his heart toknow that these two words werent part of the act. Theywere words that summed up one of his biggest insecurities:would James, Peter, and Sirius ever believe he might turnspy for Voldemort? Did they trust him? He was a darkcreature, after all. Surely their faith in him couldnt reachthat far. No, they would suspect him like all the rest, he wassure of it. He couldn't blame them.

"Lupin, what we're offering you is a chance to takevengeance on the world that has ostracized you," saidDolohov quietly.

"The only person I want vengeance on is Greyback, and lasttime I checked he was under Voldemort's wing!" hissedRemus. "You expect me to work alongside him?"

"Greyback," scoffed Lestrange. "The Dark Lord would notpunish you if you rid us of him, don't worry. He isnt veryuseful to us. Too conspicuous in his... feeding."

There was a pause.

"I'll have to think about it," Remus said finally.

"You'll decide tonight," countered Dolohov.

"I'll think about it," Remus repeated.

"Lupin, we didn't offer you this position for you to 'thinkabout it,'" growled Lestrange menacingly. "When we leavehere tonight, you will come with us, or we will leave yourcorpse on the floor. Take your pick."

Remus swallowed heavily. He could feel a bead of sweatcollecting at his temple. "I-"


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Suddenly, the teapot in the kitchen let out a high whistle.Dolohov jumped up at the sound, whipping out his wand.

"It's just the tea," said Remus. "I'll go get it." He rose to hisfeet and hurried out of the living room. In the kitchen,Remus lifted the kettle off the stove and peered around thecorner. The Death Eaters were not facing him, but ratherlooking at each other and murmuring in low voices. At first,he was surprised by their lack of watchfulness, but then herealized that this was precisely why they had waited untilthe night before the full moon to pay their visit. They knewthat he would be too weak to apparate, let alone fight themoff. They probably assumed that he was too feeble to evenperform magic; it was, of course, widely believed that itwas impossible for werewolves to become skilled wizardsanyway. But Remus thought that maybe he could disarmthem from this distance, if he was quick and had accurateenough aim. Instead of risking another peek around thecorner, which might seem suspicious if one of the DeathEaters saw him, Remus pulled out his wand and shifted thetoaster slightly on the counter until it reflected the livingroom. The stretched image of the two Death Eaters on thecouch had two dark blobs resting on the shoulders, and heknew that their backs were still turned.

"Expelliarmus!" Remus shouted as he spun around anddirected his wand at Lestrange. The unsuspecting DeathEater's wand soared out of his hand and flew across theroom, landing somewhere out Remus' line of vision. Both

Lestrange and Dolohov jumped out of their seats andturned to look at Remus, who was staring at Lestrange,amazed at his aim. Dolohov sent a curse straight forRemus' head, but he ducked behind the corner just in time.

"Lupin!" came the strangled voice of Lestrange as hesearched for his wand. Remus smirked to himself.

"Impedimenta!" Remus yelled, leaning around the corneragain. His spell soared past the intended target Dolohov


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and hit Lestrange right in the neck. Lestrange, who hadbeen kneeling on the ground searching for his wand,toppled over, hitting his head on the corner of the coffeetable as he went. The advancing Dolohov continued to fire

curses at Remus, who decided it was time to make his exit.He sprinted through the kitchen into the hall and passedthrough the first door he saw: the one that led to the cellar.He turned the lock, figuring it might buy him a fewseconds, and raced down the stairs. The cellar was filledwith boxes that stored Remus' old school books and hismother's possessions. He scurried behind a tall stackboxes, breathing hard. What was he going to do? He

thought of using the body-binding spell on Dolohov as hecame down the stairs, but Remus knew that any spell heperformed wouldnt last for very long. He was not strongenough. His mind was racing, searching for an escape,when he spotted a chain lying like a serpent on the floor.Remus suspected his younger self must have ripped it offthe wall at some point. It gave him an idea.

Moments later, the door banged open as Dolohov entered.

"I know you're down here, Lupin!" he shouted threateninglyas he descended the stairs. "There's no use apparating, notthis close to the full moon!" Remus almost snorted. DidDolohov think this was news to him? When he heard thefootsteps stop, Remus knew that the Death Eater hadlanded on the stone floor of the cellar and was lookingaround for him.

Remus looked out from behind the box and murmured"Petrificus Totalus!" under his breath, pointing his wand atDolohov's dark form. With an "Aargh!" Dolohov fell to thefloor. Remus raced out from behind the box, using thelevitation spell as he went. The chains flew up behind himand soared towards Dolohov. Remus took Dolohov'sshoulders lifted his stiff form off the floor a few inches so

that the chains could wrap around the Death Eater's bodylike cloth around a mummy. When Remus set him down


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Trembling violently, Remus wrenched his gaze away fromthe Mark. He picked up Lestrange's wand and took it inside,laying it carefully next to its owner's body. When Lestrangewoke up and saw the Mark above Remus' house, he would

leave, assuming that Dolohov had killed him. When peoplein the nearby village saw the strange smoky form hoveringthe sky, the Ministry would be informed, and they wouldarrive to find a house completely empty. They wouldassume he was dead. By the time Lestrange found Dolohovand realized that the werewolf had not been killed, Remuswould be hiding safely at Sirius'. He would be completelyhidden from both his pursuers. It was the perfect plan.

Remus had never been one for flying, but it was the onlyway to get to Sirius'. He picked up the Comet 260 Jameshad given him for his fourteenth birthday (in a failedattempt to draw Remus into the world of Quidditch he andSirius adored) and headed out the door, only stopping toslip on his shoes. He was too distracted to notice that as hekicked off from the front lawn, his wand slipped out of hispocket and toppled to the ground.

Remus was still shaky on a broom, even after all thelessons Madame Hooch had given them in first year and allthe times Sirius and James had forced him to play Keeperduring the summers when they trained for the Quidditchseason. In addition, the air temperature was close tofreezing at the high altitude and thick mist was coatingRemus' skin, making him tremble violently. All he could

think about was the warmth of the interior of Sirius' flat. Heimagined sitting by the fire, wrapped in a blanket, his bestfriend and (his heart clenched painfully) the love of his lifesitting beside him, reminding him that life would go on andthat he was safe.

But it was not to be. Forty minutes into his journey, Remusheard a loud clap of thunder overhead. His heart skipped a

beat, and he hurriedly directed the nose of his broomdownward, anxious to land. Luckily, he hadnt been flying


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over a city, where a man descending from the sky on abroomstick might attract attention. He touched down onthe edge of a small village and hurried, broom in hand, toan alley where one of the buildings had an overhanging

roof to protect him from the rain if it started to pour. And itdid. Massive droplets of water cascaded from the sky andsplashed against the gravel road with the rat-a-tat-tat of adrum roll. Remus knew he would never be able to fly inthis. He needed to get a message to Sirius, to tell him notgo to Remus' house in case Remus couldnt arrive at his flatbefore Sirius departed.

He reached into his pocket for his wand to cast thepatronus charm, and felt a churning sensation in the pit ofhis stomach when he discovered that his pocket wasempty. "No. Oh no!" He couldn't believe it. He had lost hiswand. Remus was searching around desperately on thealley floor when someone spoke behind him.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite werewolf. Miss me, Lupin?"

Remus spun around and found himself staring up atAntonin Dolohov. He realized in a split second that Dolohovmust not have returned to Voldemort after all, but ratherapparated to the outside of Remus' house and followed himhere. Before he could react, Dolohov swung and punchedhim in the ribcage, knocking him to the ground. A heavyblack boot stomped down on Remus' hand and he drew histhrobbing fingers into his chest with an unintentional

whimper.

"It's a shame you didn't take us up on our offer," saidDolohov mildly, aiming a powerful kick at Remus' stomach.

The werewolf yelped and curled in on himself. You're awerewolf! You've had worse than this, Remus remindedhimself forcefully. You've been in much worse pain, don'tlet him have the satisfaction!

"You could have become so much more powerful, gainedso much more freedom with the Dark Lord." Another kick.


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Remus bit his lip and refused to utter a sound. The DeathEater seemed not to notice. "Oh, well. Your loss." Dolohovreached down, wrenched Remus up by the collar of his shirtand slammed him up against the alley wall. Remus saw

bright spots spark before his eyes as he felt a warm trickleof wetness slide down the back of his neck.

"It's too bad that you were such a coward, werewolf,"Dolohov mocked. "Since you refuse join us, I'm going tohave to be an upstanding citizen and turn you in to theMinistry. I hear they have wonderful lodgings for your kind."

No! Remus thought, panicking. He couldnt go to that

place! He wouldnt! He-

But with another forceful shove, Remus' head slammed intothe wall behind him again, and everything faded toblackness.

.

Sirius was tired. That was the simplest way to put it. Hedbeen up since six, when his alarm for work had gone off.

That morning, he had already spent four hours dictatingnotes, making coffee, and writing memos - a new form ofcommunication in the department, since the endless pilesof owl droppings were becoming ridiculous - for an Aurornamed Kingsley Shacklebolt. Despite the fact that he wasonly about five years older than Sirius himself, he alreadyhad quite a reputation as a very talented Auror. While Siriuswas honored to be working with such a prominent figure, itwas difficult to stay focused during his afternoon trainingsessions when all he could think about was whether he hadsent that memo to the Department for InternationalMagical Cooperation or not. This afternoon's session had

been particularly difficult, since it had dealt with defenseagainst the Unforgivable Curses. Sirius also missed thecompany of James, who was in Auror training with him, but


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was currently on leave, spending his honeymoon in Francewith Lily.

Needless to say, when Sirius finally flopped down onto thecouch in his flat, he wasnt looking forward to a two-hourflight to Remus' and then an exhausting romp with awerewolf the next evening. He had a lot of work to do, andhe wasn't sure how things would go without Prongs there tosupport Padfoot in controlling Moony. He fleetinglyconsidered telling Remus that he just wouldn't be able tomake it tomorrow, because he had so much work to do. Heknew that Remus wouldnt argue - he was constantly tellingSirius that he didn't need him to be there on full moons,now that he had the old cellar.

But the moment these resentful thoughts occurred to him,Sirius felt sick with himself. He leaned forward and restedhis face in his hands. Cursing at himself, he shook his headback and forth in self-disgust. Was he really thinking aboutleaving Remus alone for a transformation just because hewas a little tired? In the four years since he, James, and

Peter had become Animagi, never once had Sirius evenconsidered the prospect of leaving Remus to endure thathell on his own. Not when there was something that he,Sirius, could do about it. Remus hadnt asked to become awerewolf, and he hadnt asked for Sirius to become ananimagus. He never asked for anything, dammit!

And that was why Sirius had to go. Because Remus would

never ask him to.

He remembered the first time the marauders had toldRemus about their animagus plan. In his mind, Sirius couldstill vividly see Remus' look of shock and horror at theirwords.

"No, you can't!" he had said, distress coloring his tone.

"You'll get hurt! I can't let myself hurt you!"

"Relax, Rem," Sirius remembered himself saying as he


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patted Remus' shoulder. "We can take care of ourselves."

Remus hadn't believed him. For months he had shot James,Sirius, and Peter furious looks whenever he caught themresearching animagi. "You don't understand," he would say."You just don't understand."

But they had managed it, in the end. In November of theirfifth year, a stag, a dog, and a rat accompanied thewerewolf in the Shrieking Shack on the night of the fullmoon. When Remus had changed back into his humanform, at first he was terrified to find that he wasnt alone."Did I hurt you?" he had asked, fear etched in every line of

his face. Sirius had shaken his head and ruffled Remus'hair.

"Told you we could take care of ourselves," he had teased.

Sirius missed Remus. Far too much. He missed waking upto the smell of food cooking - unlike Sirius, Remus skills inthe kitchen extended far beyond beans on toast. He missed

coming home to a smiling face, to someone who wouldactually listen when he wanted to vent after a particularlyawful day at work. He missed walking into the living roomand seeing one of his best friends curled up on the couchwith a book or writing a letter.

It was lonely to be living by himself, without any of themarauders for the first time in eight years. He knew that

Remus had moved out because he didnt want to be aburden, but he didn't understand that Sirius needed himtoo. Just in a different way.

Sirius stood up and walked over to the desk that wasshoved against the opposite wall. He pulled out parchmentand a quill to write a note to Remus. He made it short,including only his plans to fly over later that night and his

hopes that Remus was taking care of himself. Then hewaited for his owl, Remington, to return from hunting. Itdidnt take long, and while Remington ate his dead frog,


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Sirius carefully attached the parchment to his leg. "Takethis to Remmie, will you?" he said to the owl, who blinkedat him. Sirius took this as affirmation, and the owl spreadhis wings and took off out the window in a flurry of

parchment.Sirius decided that if he was going to be flying later thatevening, he might as well sleep for a while first. He trudgedinto his bedroom and shrugged off his heavy travelingcloak, before moving over to the bed and collapsing on topof the covers. He was asleep before his head even hit thepillow.

Hours later, Sirius awoke with a jerk and sat bolt upright inbed. What time was it? He looked at the clock on thebedside table. Two-thirty. He jumped out of bed and headedfor the door, only stopping for a moment to snag his cloakfrom the bedroom floor. He was late, and Remus wasprobably staying up to wait for him when he should besleeping. Sirius cursed under his breath as he grabbed holdof his broom and climbed through the window out onto the

fire escape. He glanced around quickly to make sure thatall the lights were out in the surrounding buildings, andkicked off into the sky, hoping that Remus wasnt worryingabout him.

Sirius knew that something was wrong even before hereached the house. He could feel it deep inside, as thoughthe feeling had taken root in his very bones. As he

approached the neighborhood where Remus lived, heunconsciously sped up, heart pounding erratically. It wasthe same feeling that swelled within him every month justmoments before Remus' transformation began. It as asense of foreboding, a feeling that something dreadful wasgoing to happen, even if he didnt know what or when.Everything just felt wrong. "Please be okay, Remmie," hemuttered to himself as he sped through the air, wind

whipping his hair into his face. Please.


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Then he saw it. Out of the misty darkness of the night, thecrisp, sharp form of the Dark Mark stood out like a brand,burnt into the sky. The serpentine tongue slithered backand forth through the clouds in a smooth motion that

mocked Sirius as he felt his insides solidify into a cold, hardlump. When he finally reached the ground, Sirius droppedto his knees and looked up at the sky, tears streamingdown his face.

Silence hung in the air like a thick cloud of smoke. Siriuswas numb. He couldnt feel anything. He couldnt hearanything. He couldnt see anything except that skull in thesky. It felt as though someone had kicked him in thestomach, or opened up a trapdoor beneath his feet, hurlinghim down into empty blackness. One thought penetratedthe senseless cocoon that surrounded him, paralyzing him,isolating him from the rest of the world.

Remus was gone.

Sirius tore his eyes away from the Mark and stared at the

ground in front of him, his dull gaze barely taking in thegrass waving gently in the calm breeze. Something caughthis eye, a thin brown rod laying not five meters away. Siriuspicked himself up and stumbled over towards it, unable tofeel his legs. As he looked down at Remus' wand,everything fell into place.

Remus was dead. He was never coming back.

"Oh, Moony," he whispered, before the tremors shudderingthrough his body became too much and he broke into sobsunder the weight of his misery.

...

When Remus came to, he found himself lying on a concretefloor. His head was still throbbing dully, and his ribs achedfrom Dolohov's vicious attack. He reached a hand around tothe back of his head and felt the all-too-familiar crust of dry


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blood caked into his hair. As Remus warily took in hissurroundings, he realized that he was in what seemed to bea prison cell. The cell was about three meters square and

just high enough for him to stand in if he hunched his

shoulders. One side of the cell was a brick wall, but theother three were made of tarnished metal bars that ranfrom floor to ceiling, braced with heavy rivets and thickcross-pieces. Remus reached out one of his hands and feltheat radiating off the bars from more than an arms-lengthaway. The bars were silver.

"I wouldn't touch those," someone murmured softly. Remusturned, startled to find that he wasnt alone. In the next cellover lay a boy a couple of years younger than Remus -young enough to still be at school. His sandy blonde hairstuck up with sweat and grime, and faint freckles weresprinkled across his nose and cheeks. The rest of his skinwas so pale it was almost translucent - Remus could almostsee his pulse thrumming sluggishly through the blue veinsat his throat.

"Where are we?" Remus asked quietly.

"Werewolf Confinement Facility Number 6," the boy repliedin an oddly flat voice. Remus noticed that he had an Irishaccent. "I saw them bring you in."

Remus nodded. "My name's Remus. Who are you?"

The boy blinked blearily, a faintly puzzled frown creasinghis forehead. "Who am I?" he asked, with a note ofconfusion that suggested the question was utterlyridiculous.

Remus shifted uneasily, his heart-rate accelerating. "Yes,who ware you? he repeated. Whats your name?

This was bad. This was very bad.

"I can't remember," said the boy in the same dull voice as


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before, closing his eyes. "I can't remember a lot of things."

Remus looked at him in horror. "What do you mean?"

"I can't remember a lot of things," the boy said again

without offering further explanation.

"What can you remember?" Remus demanded, trying tokeep his breathing under control, though he could feelhimself beginning to hyperventilate.

"I remember I was brought here three weeks ago," said theboy thoughtfully. "I can't remember anything before that."

Now, in contrast to his perviously rapid breaths, Remusforgot how to breathe completely. After three weeks, thisboy couldn't remember anything of his life outside theconfinement center? How? Unless

"They give you potions to make you forget," said the boylistlessly, rolling away from Remus and onto his stomach ina movement that was strangely dog-like. "But thats okay.Its better to forget."

Remus felt the sting of tears in his eyes and angrily blinkedthem away. Forget? He couldn't forget James, or Peter, orSirius. He wouldnt forget! He couldn't let himself.

As he forced this thought through his mind again andagain, his love for the three of them surged through him

like a river. Most of all, he felt his love for Sirius. He reallylet himself feel it for the first time instead of shoving itaway and pretending it wasnt there. He felt as though hewas on fire, burning with something so amazing, sowonderful, that he would never be able to describe it toanyone.

And then he deflated - it didnt matter how much he

embraced his feelings. Sirius would never know. Remuswished that he could go back a day and tell him about his


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love, to let him know that he was the most importantperson in the world to Remus, even if he didnt feel thesame. It would have been better than this, better thanknowing that Sirius would never know how much Remus

loved him.But Remus had to at least rememberSirius, if nothing else.He must figure out a way to remember. As he was thinking,he shifted slightly against the cold concrete floor and heardthe rustle of parchment. Sirius' letter.

Then it came to him, almost as easily as breathing. Remusknew how to keep Sirius alive in his memory, even if the

potions they had fed his neighbor caused everything else inRemus' past to fade away.

He wouldnt have to forget.

Keg of Glory.

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Transcript of Keg of Glory.