A/N: Yes, I'm starting a new story. Yes, I know I swore I would finish the next story before I posted it, but I decided I wanted to post it anyway. I'm not sure how people will react to this kind of story. Personally, I've never read anything like it, so I hope it is sort-of original.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm not making money off of this story. If you recognize something in this story - I don't own it. J. K. Rowling does.

The Truth About Werewolves

Sirius Revenge

Flashes. Bangs. Shouted curses. Urgent shields. The bright lights and noises that surrounded the old werewolf were enough to make him dizzy.

Not that he was really that old, by human terms. Only 32 years. However, by werewolf terms, that was about 420 moons, and very old indeed. Remus was amazed he'd made it so long. Most werewolf vessels killed themselves long before that age. But Remus had been very careful to stay in control, and he was rewarded with a very long life. But there was no time to dwell on that . . .

Remus ducked down another alleyway, dodging a flash of red light. Most humans didn't know it, but a werewolf considered the red light just as deadly as the green light. If there enough people casting it, and the spells were strong enough . . . Well, he didn't have time to dwell on that either. They were in Diagon Alley, the Order of the Phoenix was trying their hardest to fight off the Death Eaters who were flashing curses at the screaming civilians. Remus was among the Order, of course. He wouldn't want to be a Death Eater. Most werewolves didn't.

It was a rough battle. Children, who had been shopping for school supplies, ran screaming through the Alley, searching for their parents, or at least a safe place to hide. Remus started down the alleyway he had ducked into, and plucked a very young, crying girl from behind a few stray boxes. He lifted her so that she could cling to his back, then climbed through the window of the shop to his right. He carried the sniffling child up to the roof, where several other children were hiding with a few guarding parents. Most of them only had a vague education in Defense Against the Dark Arts, many years ago, when they had been in school, along with whatever Fudge and the Ministry had decided to put in their "guides to elementary home and personal defense." They wouldn't really be able to defend themselves if some Death Eaters found their way up here. Then again, the Death Eaters were down on the street for sure, and Remus had no reason to believe they would bother coming up here. He turned to leave.

'Oopsie . . . ' thought Remus, and vaguely wondered what someone would do if they heard a werewolf say oopsie out loud. Luckily, he hadn't. He had turned to face a handful of Death Eaters' wands staring him in the face. There was a great flash of bright red light, a scream somewhere in the back of his mind, and then nothing.

oOo

Snape, currently dressed in the oh-so-fashionable Death Eater robes and skull mask, watched as he and his fellow Death Eaters stunned Lupin, who fell with a nice 'thud!' His fellow Death Eaters let their wands slacken in their grips, triumphant in the fact that they were about to kill such a bothersome enemy of the Dark Lord. Snape did not slacken his grip on his wand. Professor Dumbledore had made his instructions clear - he was not to reveal himself unless it was for a very important cause. Snape felt that this would count, at least under the Headmaster's manner of thought. He was about to turn and stun his fellows when Lupin did something that caused everyone around him to jump with shock.

He bolted upright, with a look of pure terror in his eyes, and began to moan with utter pain. Having been hit point blank with five stunners from Death Eaters who were by no means weak, Lupin really ought to have been out for the rest of the night, at least. He'd only been down a few seconds. Not only that, but there was nothing in a stunner that should have caused such a reaction as the werewolf now gave.

After a moment, Lupin stopped moaning, and looked around him with unfocused eyes, as though he couldn't quite believe he was sitting there. Then, just as the Death Eaters recovered from their shock, he stood, and barreled straight through them. Snape stepped forward, and caught his arm just as Lupin was about to jump off the building. No matter how many Death Eaters were around you, jumping off the top of a tall building would only result in death, faster and messier. He threw Lupin to the ground, slightly to the side, as to not throw him straight back to the Death Eaters.

Lupin growled at Snape, and charged the edge again. Well, if he had such a death wish . . .

Snape shook the thought from his head, seeing the Headmaster's angry face in his mind's eye, and grabbed Lupin's arm and once again pulling him away from the edge.

"Aww, let him jump, if he's so eager," said a nasty voice beside him. It was Bellatrix. If something scared Snape, it was Bellatrix. She was more insane (and more creative) than the Dark Lord himself. "Is the poor mutt too scared to stay here and play with us?" she asked in a scary mother-like voice, tilting her head in mock-concern.

Lupin stared at her, and Snape noticed his eyes were glazed over, and rolling rather madly. Perhaps he'd been under the Imperius Curse? Surely the Death Eaters would have known? . . .

"Kill me."

'Please don't kill me' was a plea often heard by Death Eaters. Or else, 'Please don't kill him/her.' Always please, as though Death Eaters responded to politeness. But never had Snape actually heard anyone ask them to kill them (except if it followed a nice round of torture, in which case the person was usually too insane to speak anyway). But here was Lupin, on his knees because he couldn't seem to hold himself up, and asking for death.

Snape wondered if Professor Dumbledore would be as angry with Snape if Lupin had asked for death. Deciding he'd be even angrier for supporting Lupin's suicidal tendencies, Snape stepped forward, not quite sure what he would do.

There was a loud bang behind them. The Dark Lord had appeared in the middle of Diagon Alley, and was tearing it to pieces. Giggling, Bellatrix ran off to meet him. The others followed her, less amused.

"Please . . . " moaned Lupin, and he ran for the edge, Snape grabbing him fully, and took him further back this time, where the Dark Lord couldn't see.

Snape pulled him around, so that they were face to face. "What the hell are you doing, Lupin?"

Lupin continued to stare at him with that glazed, horrified look in his eyes. He pulled away again, and Snape had to snatch the other's wrists to stop him from hurdling over the edge of the shop.

"You don't understand," whispered Lupin, and he pulled Snape closer. "I have to do it now - before he comes back!"

Snape stared at him. While he'd secretly suspected that Lupin would eventually go insane, he had been hoping it wouldn't happen in the middle of a Death Eater battle. Especially a Death Eater battle that had civilians and children running around like moving targets. And anyway, Snape could see no good reason why Lupin would go mad from a few stunners, nor why Lupin wasn't lying unconscious on the ground, as was the common effect of stunning curses.

"Please!" begged Lupin, "Before he comes back! Let me go!"

"Before who comes back?"asked Snape, always curious about a mad man's rambling. (Well, I am. They must be saying something, or else they wouldn't say it. Remember Crouch?)

"Him," stressed Lupin. "That beast."

The only beast Snape could think of was the werewolf. However, Lupin, being a werewolf, rarely referred to himself as a beast. If Lupin meant Bellatrix, Snape could hardly blame him, but the fact remained that Bellatrix was not a 'him.'

"What, you mean the Dark Lord?" Snape couldn't think of any other 'him' that Lupin would call a beast.

"Who?" said Lupin, sounding quite confused. "No, him!" Lupin pointed at himself.

"The werewolf?" said Snape, extremely confused now. Lupin, and most werewolves, were generally very good about admitting that the werewolf was a part of themselves, not separate beings.

Lupin nodded his head, and, as though this explained everything, set off to charge the edge again. Snape caught him, and pulled him back to face Lupin again.

Lupin was moaning again, his eyes wide and mad. "You don't understand!" Lupin stated very clearly. "Let me go." There was a threat in his calm voice that was clear to Snape. Snape, however, felt that a man, even a crazy man, splatting onto the street wouldn't be good for the morale of both the Order and any stray children still on the street.

"What are you doing, Lupin?" he asked again.

"I've got to end it before he comes back!" moaned Lupin. He still wasn't holding his own weight. Snape tried to lift him off his knees, but Lupin started pulling away. Snape held his wrists in a vicelike grip so that he couldn't jump.

"Before the werewolf comes back?" questioned Snape.

"Yes!" said Lupin, trying to force himself out of Snape's grip.

"Where has the werewolf gone?" stressed Snape.

Lupin stopped struggling and stared at Snape like he was the crazy one. "He's been stunned," he stated, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"What?"

Lupin growled and began tugging to get away once again. "You don't understand!" he shouted, grunting with the effort of trying to break free.

"Then you'd better bloody well tell me, if you expect me to let you go hurdling to your death!" said Snape.

"I want to die," said Lupin in a harsh whisper. "I want to die before he can come back and hurt me again. You have no idea . . . " Lupin started banging his hands against Snape, who still had Lupin's wrists in his hand. Snape took a step back. "I've wanted to die ever since he came." Lupin continued. "I don't know who I am . . . I don't know what's going on around me. I don't know anything, except what he tells me. I don't feel anything except what he wants me to feel - pain, of course, and depression and anxiety over things I don't even know about." Lupin shook his head, as though trying to chase the thought away. "I don't want to feel it anymore. I want to die!" But Snape wouldn't let him go.

oOo

Below the two men, the street of Diagon Alley was falling apart. Most of the shop owners had long ago fled through their fire places, and many civilians had followed after them. Shop windows were shattered, and doors broken down so that the shoppers could get away from the pandemonium of the street. Abandoned or lost children cowered and cried in any corner they could find, or in huddled groups, just trying to stay out of the way. And for some reason, no matter how many Death Eaters the Order stunned, there seemed to be no end to them. Those who had fallen were quickly replaced by a fresh dueler. The Order was growing tired, and becoming disheartened. Many had fallen, or had disappeared, like Lupin.

Fred and George Weasley set out fake wands where ever they could, to fool the Death Eaters, but nothing stopped the Order from picking them up, too, if they weren't careful. They set off distracting, and sometimes dangerous, firecrackers. All manner of tricks and traps were being set, but even still, the Death Eaters never seemed to lose numbers, and new were refreshed, while the Order members were worn out from fighting.

And then Lord Voldemort appeared.

Whatever problems the Order had been having before now doubled as the Death Eaters rallied around their leader, who looked happier than any Order member ever wanted to see him. Voldemort raised his wand, and the world began to collapse around them. Explosions erupted all along the street with every wave of Voldemort's wand. He laughed as Order members ran for their lives, screaming for retreat.

Children and their guarding parents screamed as they were crushed beneath the collapsing buildings. Others ran out of hiding to follow the Order, hoping they would be led to safety. No one dared stand up to Voldemort - who would be able to, and live?

oOo

Above them, Snape tore his eyes away from Lupin, to stare in horror as the Dark Lord destroyed the Alley. He grabbed Lupin, and pulled him forward, and Lupin fell to silence.

"We need to get out of here - apparate!" he whispered urgently, still throwing glances over his shoulder at the destruction below them.

"What? I can't apparate!" Lupin protested.

"Of course you can, that's how you got here!" shouted Snape distractedly.

"No! You don't understand! I can't do anything! Only he can do that stuff!"

Snape stared at him for a moment in horror. Then, he pulled Lupin back into the building to find a fireplace to escape into, calling for the terrified children to follow them.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter - I worked hard on it, instead of doing my homework like a good college student. Please read and review, and I'll try to get the next chapter of all my stories out as soon as possible.