"It's the full moon tonight," she said. Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs and then wiped the sweat off his face with his hand.

"I know. Remus doesn't look good. Madam Pomfrey's staying with him somewhere tonight, but I don't know where."

"You don't look good either."

Harry looked up at her intense eyes then and laughed unexpectedly.

"What's funny?"

"I'm not a werewolf Hermione," he said, breathing heavily and wiping his palms on his pants again.

"It's the full moon tonight and you look as bad as Remus, maybe worse. And he shows up at the castle all of the sudden and stays with you in your father's quarters."

"So you think, that somehow I got bit, and Dumbledore brought Remus here to... what?"

"Teach you."

"How to eat people?" Harry laughed again and was surprised at how relieved he felt to be laughing despite how unwell he felt.

"That's not funny Harry. Why didn't you tell us?"

"There's nothing to tell. I never got bit. I'm not a werewolf. My dad is gone Hermione. I'm a mess. Sirius isn't exactly welcome in the castle, so Remus came to take over Potions and help me."

"So you don't have- a furry problem?"

Harry laughed again. "I'm not feeling well. Maybe I caught something, but I don't think Lycanthropy's contagious unless you get bit. And don't worry. Remus said he won't be back until after the last day of the full moon."

She gave him a look as if trying to discern if he was telling the truth or not.

"Look, I'm already a bear. I'd tell you if I was a wolf too."

"I heard Remus call you cub the other day."

"He's always done that."

"I know." She straightened the stack of books she was holding and wrinkled her nose.

"Look, I'll be in my father's quarters again tonight. You can come down for a while if you like, but I'm telling you, I'm sick. I won't be any fun."

"I'll come down after dinner. We can go over notes for the Herbology test."

Harry nodded, thinking that she really was a risk taker and was meant to be in Gryffindor. If she thought he was a werewolf then going to see him the night of the first full moon was probably not the best idea.

Harry was nervous as the day went on. After dinner he'd go back to his father's quarters and Dumbledore would be there. He wished it would be his father or Remus, though if Hermione was going to be there for a little while after dinner, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He could just go to his room after she left and try to sleep. Would Dumbledore stay there the entire night?

As classes ended that day, Harry felt worse than he had that morning in Potions, and he considdered skipping dinner to go out on the grounds. It was like his mind was fighting his body. His mind knew he'd asked for help because he shouldn't take the Asphodel, but his body really wanted him to skip dinner and hide outside until the moon came out. All thoughts of the possibility of Remus out on the grounds had flown from his mind, and as he came down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, he found himself heading for the double oak doors instead of the Great Hall.

"Harry." Harry turned at the sound of his name just as he reached for the large brass handle to open the doors. He turned and found the Headmaster there with a calm smile on his face. How had he not seen him standing right there?

"Perhaps you'd like some dinner?"

Dinner? What did Dumbledore care if he went out onto the grounds? Wait... he'd asked him. Dinner. Go to dinner. Harry turned and went into the Great Hall, the Headmaster close behind him, though he went to sit at the Head table instead of following Harry to Gryffindor.

"You look like you've been through the wringer mate," Ron said, and Ginny felt his wet forehead.

"You've got a fever. Have you been to see Madam Pomfrey yet?"

"Just a cold," Harry said, putting food on his plate just to distract himself for a little while, though he really felt like throwing up because he was nauseous with the thought of not being able to go out and get what he needed.

Harry ate a little and tried to get involved in Ron's conversation with Neville about the Chaser position that had just come open on London's Quidditch team, but his mind wandered and he was soon wondering if he could sneak out to the grounds. He looked up at the Head table and found Dumbledore smiling 'too' serenly at him, and when he felt himself turn red, he looked away.

"I think I'm going to go do some homework," Harry said.

"If I was sick I'd take the night off," Ron told him with a mouthful of potatoes.

"You look for any excuse to not do homework," Ginny replied, and Harry tried to smile as he walked away. As he left the Great Hall, Hermione came up behind him with her bookbag.

"Ready to study then?"

"Come on." He motioned for her to follow and lead her to the Dungeons, certain that Dumbledore was right behind them though he didn't turn to look.

Hermione looked around the quarters when he let her in, and sat down on the only living room chair. It was the first time she'd been in the quarters since Christmas.

"Ron ok with you coming down here alone with me?"

"He knows you're dating Ginny."

Harry nodded, wondering then if Ginny would be ok with Hermione being there alone with him, though as there was a knock on the door a moment later, Harry reminded himself that they weren't going to be alone.

"Who's that?"

"Don't know," Harry lied, and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants for the hundredth time that day as he opened the door and let Dumbledore in.

"Ah, hello Miss Granger."

"I just came down to study Herbology with Harry sir," she said, and he held up his hand.

"There is no need to explain to me. Madam Pomfrey noticed that Harry appeared to be sick and wanted me to come down and check on him since she is otherwise occupied this evening."

"Do you want something to drink?" Harry asked.

"Ah yes, tea would be nice." He moved past Harry to the kitchen, seeming to know the way, and Harry and Hermione stared after him as he disappeared through the doorframe to make tea.

"He seems to be at home," Hermione said, pulling out her notes, and Harry nodded, sitting on the couch.

Harry was almost amused as the Headmaster found one reason or another to stick around and not leave. Luckily Hermione didn't grow suspicious because she believed he was there to keep an eye on the two of them to ensure nothing innappropriate happened. Dumbledore made them tea and then busied himself looking through the many bookshelves in the room that belonged to Harry's father. Hermione studied with him for half an hour, and then said she needed to get back to the common room to make sure Ron studied for Herbology too.

"Thanks Hermione," Harry said, and she nodded with a smile. He walked her to the door and as she walked into the corridor he grinned and teased, "Satisfied I'm not a werewolf now?"

"Well you could have been." Harry half fancied growling at her then or showing his teeth, but didn't.

"I could have been," he agreed instead, and waved goodbye before shutting the door.

When Harry turned around he found the Headmaster sitting on one of the couches with a book.

"Does Severus allow your friends who are young ladies in the quarters unsupervised?"

"I'm sorry sir," Harry said. "It wasn't planned. She cornered me today after Potions. She thought I was a werewolf."

The Headmaster stared and Harry felt compelled to say, "Well I'm not. She wanted to come down and see for herself."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Remus appears, and you both look as though you've been fighting mountain trolls. Yes, she is a smart young woman."

Harry sighed and then wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve and then turned to look longingly at the door. What if he just made a break for it? It was a bad idea to ask Remus for help. He should have just taken care of this himself. He probably could have had asphodel by now.

"Harry."

He turned back around and found Dumbledore wearing a tired smile. "It's best not to dwell on it. Do you have homework? Or perhaps you'd like to play a game of chess?"

"No thank you sir. I think I'll just go to my room and lay down."

Dumbledore glanced at the clock on the wall above the fireplace and nodded before going back to his book. It was early, but Harry felt odd having him there. He did turn at the threshold to the hallway however and say, "Thanks for comming sir."

"Oh, it's not a problem dear boy."

Harry frowned and went to his room and shut the door. Not a problem? Harry was a problem and he was sure that's what the elder man was thinking. Harry sat on his bed and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. The man was sitting out there reading a book like Harry wasn't an issue at all. Maybe that's because he was used to locking Harry away with the Dursleys where he 'wasn't' an issue for him.

He lay down on his back on the bed and stared at his red canopy thinking he should calm down before he did something rash, but he felt like he should be moving, not lying still, and within a few minutes he was back on his feet and pacing. He sat at his desk and tried to study but his mind was too jumpy and he got up and paced again. After all of that, he was irritated to find that it had only been ten minutes since he'd come into his room.

Harry opened his door hard and stalked out into the living area, drawing Dumbledore's eyes. He went into the kitchen so he could pace there and not be watched, but after a minute the elder man came to stand in the doorframe and watch him.

"What do you need Harry?" There was a kindness in his voice that matched Harry's neediness.

Harry looked up, surprised that the man didn't want to just send him back to his room. Even after his father's help and Remus' kindness, Harry wasn't used to being asked what he needed.

"I need to get out of here."

"You asked Remus to get you someone to sit with you so you wouldn't go out."

"Well I changed my mind," Harry snapped, and immediately felt sorry for it. That made twice this year that he'd gone off on the Headmaster.

"Would your father want you to go out to the grounds?"

Harry continued to pace back and forth in the small space. "It doesn't matter what he wants, he's not here! He left me here."

"He did not leave you dear boy. He is very fond of you."

"Of course he didn't," Harry snapped. "He's dead."

Dumbledore sighed. "Would you like to play a game of chess?" he asked again.

Harry shook his head and hugged himself as he paced to keep his hands from starting to shake. Dumbledore shouldn't have mentioned his father. He didn't want to think about him. He didn't want to have another panic attack.

Harry glanced at him after a moment and Dumbledore seemed thoughtful. Finally the Headmaster asked, "Would you like a lemon drop?"

Harry stopped pacing and stared at the man. Candy used to work to keep the cravings at bay. Sweets didn't make them go away completely, but it did take the edge off some. Dumbledore didn't wait to be asked and pulled a drawstring pouch out of a pocket of his purple robes and opened it. He reached into it and then thought better of his actions and handed the entire thing to Harry. Harry reached in and took a lemon drop and put it into his mouth, not liking the sour taste at first but closing his eyes and willing the candy to take away the urge to run past the old man and out the front door.

"Better?"

Harry opened his eyes and looked into the bag. There were 3 more in there. Apparently the Headmaster was running low.

He didn't answer and the Headmaster tried to engage him again with, "Perhaps that game of chess?"

Harry didn't want to play and he didn't want to be in the same room with him, but he also didn't want to go back to his room where he felt trapped, so he followed him back into the living room and let him levitate the chess board and pieces to the coffee table.

The Headmaster won the first game (and Harry expected him to), and by the end of the second game the last lemon drop was gone and Harry wasn't interested in playing any more. He sat on the couch with his head in his hands and tried to keep his hands from fidgeting and his feet and legs from bouncing. He didn't know how long he sat like that before the Headmaster asked, "Was it like this during the last full moon?"

"No."

"Hm."

Harry couldn't remember when the last full moon was. Two weeks ago his father had disappeared, and two weeks before that... he supposed it had been Christmas or just before it. He couldn't remember.

Albus watched as the Gryffindor held onto the messy black hair on both sides of his head as if his life depended on it. His leg bounced and he kept his eyes closed, and Albus wondered what he was thinking about. He reminded him of Severus. How many nights had he sat with Severus here in these quarters in this very spot, or in his office? More than he could count. After Lily had died, he'd needed to sit with him for days, and on occasion after a bad meeting with Voldemort he came to sit with Severus to allow him to unburden his soul of the things he'd been made to do, or to help him after hours of being under the crutiatus.

There had been nights when he'd sat with Remus too after Lily and James' deaths and Sirius' capture, though Minerva had been the one to help Remus the most. He wondered then if Harry knew how close Minerva had been to his parents... to Lily and James that is. He'd long suspected that after their deaths, Minerva sat with Remus as much for him as for herself. And now Severus was gone without a trace, and Harry was a wreck. If the child had not been so consumed by cravings during the last full moon when his father was here, then it was obvious that his emotional distress was compounding his problem with asphodel and visa versa.

They remained silent for hours and finally, at four am, Harry got up without a word and went to his room and closed the door. Albus didn't know if he slept or not, but when he saw him at breakfast the next morning in the Great Hall, he doubted that he had.

* * *

"Did you sleep at all last night mate?" Ron's voice was low and concerned as he leaned in and whispered to Harry at breakfast.

"A couple of hours."

"Remus wasn't with you in the quarters was he?"

Harry shook his head as he held it up with one hand, elbow proped on the table. "He was somewhere with Madam Pomfrey."

Ron looked around and didn't see Remus at the staff table.

"It's defense first. I could take notes for you."

Harry was so tired he felt like he could fall asleep right there. He wasn't feeling any cravings right now so he thought he could actually sleep if he could just lay down. Maybe he wouldn't have any tonight. Maybe the last few days had just burned him out as far as cravings went.

"I think he should go to the Hospital Wing," Hermione said, and though Ginny didn't say anything from her seat next to Hermione across the table, Harry thought she looked like she agreed.

"She's busy," Harry said. But the Headmaster agreed with Hermione, and at that moment an owl swooped overhead and dropped a note next to Harry's plate in his loopy handwriting telling him to skip first period and go see Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione read the note upside down and looked smug but Harry wasn't in a mood to argue. Maybe she'd let him lay down if she wasn't too busy to see him.

"I know your upset about Snape and you have a cold Harry," Ron said as Harry picked up his bag off the floor, "but people have started to ask questions."

Harry's eyes came up sluggishly to meet his friend's. "You haven't been in the dorms for over a week except to change clothes and get school books and owl treats. Some of the others are asking questions." He leaned in close then and whispered, "someone even said something about you being sick like Snape was sick. I've been running interference for you. I told Dean yesterday that you cursed Snape and that's why he's gone, and you've been doing detentions at night and comming in really late and then leaving really early to go to the library to study to catch up on classes."

"And- they bought it?" Harry asked. He looked at Ginny and Hermione and Ginny nodded.

"We let a few people overhear us talking about it," Hermione said.

"You've been gone and in classes people don't get to talk, but you've become a bit of a legend the last few days," Ron said with a grin. "The Gryffindor who cursed Snape so bad that he's been out for two weeks."

"Great," Harry said, half in relief and half unhappy because when he didn't return people would think he'd killed him... his own father. Not that they knew he was Snape's son.

Harry got up and left a few minutes before breakfast ended and dragged his feet up through the castle to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey looked tired as she came out of her office to see who had come in.

"Mr. Potter. Come in and lay down. The Headmaster said you'd be in and he said you could miss your first two classes."

Harry looked around, hoping to catch sight of Remus, but he wasn't there.

"He's in a guest room, and he's all right, just tired."

"Did he stay here last night?"

She gave him a look meant to admonish him but it was soft.

"Do you think I'd discuss my patients with other people?"

Harry sat on the egde of his normal bed and she made a shooing motion with her hands to get his feet up off the floor and the rest of the way into bed.

"But I know what he is. He said he'd be with you because he didn't have potion."

"There are cabins in the Forbidden Forest. In particular there is one reinforced with magic. Now that is all I will say about it because you are going straight to sleep." She didn't have to tell him twice though. He closed his eyes and was out.

* * *

The nap helped Harry, but when he woke his cravings were back. Madam Pomfrey was waiting for him with a bag of liccorice snaps, lemon drops, and hard orange creme candy, and after giving him pepperup potion, she sent him on his way to class. Altogether Harry had only had four hours of sleep though, and was still dragging throughout the day, even with the pepperup potion. He wondered if this was Dumbledore's plan... keep him so tired that tonight he'd go straight to sleep. He might have if he didn't have other plans.

Now that Ron had told him what he'd said, Harry did notice his classmates, especially the Gryffindors giving him looks during classes, and by dinner he'd made the decision to go back to Gryffindor with Ron and Hermione. Maybe if people saw him they'd stop scruitinizing him some closely.

"Coming back tonight?" Ron asked when Harry left with his friends and didn't head for the dungeons.

"Yeah. I thought we could do some homework together."

"You still look tired," Ginny said. Harry noted a hint of sadness in her voice and felt bad then. Aside from meals he really hadn't seen much of her.

"I'll be ok. You can sit by me and keep me awake," he said with a smile. He pulled out the almost empty candy pouch and gave her an orange creme and put a liccorice snap in his mouth as they headed up to the tower.

At a table by the fire, Harry got out his defense text and started going over notes with Hermione, Ginny holding his left hand under the table. They'd only been studying for fifteen minutes when the portrait hole opened and the Headmaster walked in. His eyes scanned the room and quickly found Harry. Harry didn't notice him because he was writing down notes, but others did and they followed Dumbledore with their eyes as he made his way to Harry's table. The Headmaster never came into the common room so when he had reason to, the students took notice.

"Mr. Potter," he said, and Harry looked up into his blue eyes. Damn. He'd come for him in here? Harry looked around and found everyone but his friends looking at him. This was just going to cement what Ron had said to them if the Headmaster had come for Harry in the common room. "I believe you are supposed to be somewhere else this evening."

"Oh. Uh..." Harry let go of Ginny's hand and stood up. He put his notes and book back in his bag and stared at the ground as he followed Dumbledore out, though he did turn back to give a wave to Ginny.

Out in the dark corridor, Harry watched his shoes and wondered why Dumbledore didn't say anything as they started down through the castle.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"No," Dumbledore said gently and turned and gave him a half smile, hands behind his back.

"I wasn't trying to sneak away from you."

"If you were, I would not be angry. I realize that you are not exactly... in your right mind just now."

"I'm not crazy."

"No. But I believe you have about as much control over this at this moment, as Professor Lupin has over his transformation."

Harry frowned and griped the shoulder strap of his bag tighter.

"Ron said people were asking why I hadn't been in the dorms. He and Hermione and Ginny told people that I cursed Professor Snape and was doing detentions every night, and comming in late."

"Ah, thus also explaining away their Potion Master's absense. Miss Granger's plan?"

"Ron's."

As they reached the dungeon quarters and went inside, Albus said, "Harry," and Harry turned to look at him. "You are like your father in many ways except one. He would not ask for help even if he were dying of thirst and every person around him had extra water to give. It takes a man to accept help, as he has done many times. But it takes an even bigger man to ask for it."

Did the Headmaster just... compliment him? He wasn't certain.

"As much as you have no control over your current state, you asked for help to be arranged, much as Professor Lupin has no control and asked for help. I'm proud of you Harry."

"So- you're saying Remus is a better man than my father?"

He smiled. "Not at all. There are different ways to be adult, to be responsible... I merely wanted to express how proud I was in the choice you made."

Harry set his bag down in the living room chair, not intending to do any homework now that he was down here.

"I appreciate your thoughts Professor," Harry said, feeling angry with himself all of sudden for getting himself into this asphodel mess in the first place. "But I don't think anyone is proud of the choices I've made this year," he paused, and then added, "especially not me. I could have avoided this, and now I can't control myself." He turned and went down the hall to his room and shut the door. The cravings were nagging at him, but he was also tired and felt like he could just fall into the bed and sleep for a week. He took his shoes off and layed down, staring at some parchment that lay on his desk in the darkness. Sirius had started all of this, but Harry could have avoided all the hurt he was feeling now. Maybe he couldn't have avoided the asphodel, but he could have stayed away from his father. He could have told him to shove off, that he didn't want anything to do with him after all he'd done to him in the past years. If he had, he wouldn't be worried about him now. He wouldn't miss him. He wouldn't be having these panic attacks and craving the asphodel so bad.

He rolled over and went to sleep, and his negative thoughts followed him into his dreams, where his father and Sirius played chess at Grimmuald Place and the Headmaster stood over them telling them how bad they were. An open coffin stood in the corner against the wall and Draco was inside, and when Harry went to see if he was dead, his eyes snapped open and he transformed into a werewolf there in front of his eyes. "Don't fight it Harry. There's no way to escape," the wolf growled in Lupin's voice, and Harry didn't fight. He resolved to let what was going to happen, happen.

* * *

When Harry didn't come out of his room in the morning, Albus went down the hall and knocked on his door. There was no answer and there was still none when he called to Harry. Finally, he opened the door, fearing that the teen had somehow snuck out on his watch and was surprised to find a large gray and white bear lying on the floor, making the room seem even smaller and more cramped. Harry's bear form pushed up against the bed and dresser as well as the desk and nightstand.

"Harry?" he asked. Harry stared at him but didn't say (or growl) anything.

"It's nearly time for breakfast," he said, but he had a feeling Harry wouldn't be going this morning. His suspicions seemed to be confirmed when Harry didn't transform back into his human form.

"Would you please explain your actions?" There was still no response.

Albus took a breath and let it out slowly. Severus had told him that Harry's cravings were lessened or gone altogether in his bear form, and if Harry wouldn't answer him, he could only assume that he had transformed to keep his urge to escape out onto the grounds at bay.

"Can I assume you will not be attending class today?"

Harry turned his head away from Albus and rested it on his large furry paw.

"Very well, but there will be a consequence for missing class, which I will leave up to Remus when he returns tomorrow."

Remus isn't my guardian, Harry thought as Dumbledore left, and even if he were he doubted he'd be punished. Remus had never punished him before, not even in third year when he'd taught defense. No, it was better like this. As a bear, he'd never had anyone. As a bear, he didn't need anyone. He could rely on himself this way. Maybe it was fate, that he'd changed to this. Draco had called him a 'big ugly bear' but the truth was, he was just himself, and as soon as he got a chance, he was going out the front doors and out to the Forbidden forest where he didn't have to make any more mistakes. With his luck, he'd lose Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Remus. He didn't want that, and if he just separated himself now from them, it would be easier in the end. Harry closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

"I suppose this gives the saying, 'you're as stubborn as a bear' new meaning Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, crossing her arms that day after lunch. Dumbledore wasn't there but apparently he'd told Harry's head of house what was going on.

Harry stared at her. What did she expect? One person could only take so much before they really did become a basket case, and Harry didn't want that. Becoming a bear was the only way he knew to stop it, to make things right.

"What will Remus say?" she tisked. Not, 'what will your father say', and Harry knew she didn't say it because it had been too long. If he was alive he would have come back, or gotten word to them somehow. In just a few more days it would be three weeks since he'd disappeared.

"How long do you plan on staying like this?" Her voice had changed and Harry looked up to find that she was gone. His eyes traveled down to the floor and found her in her cat form. He stared at her.

"Well Mr. Potter?"

He turned his head again so he wasn't looking at her.

"It's not like you to be rude, nor childish."

How long was he planning on staying like this? Forever, or at least until he could get Ashpodel, and then forever after that.

"Will you at least give me a reason?"

"No." Harry didn't want to speak to her, but she was right, he was being both rude and childish.

"What will I tell your friends then? I'm sorry, but Harry has gone off to live as a bear?"

"That'll be fine," he said, and she gave a low growl.

"Really Mr. Potter. I understand that you're upset, but this is not the way to deal with it."

Harry clamped his mouth shut and didn't respond to any more of her questions or statements for the next few minutes, and when she left, Harry thought, if I'm dealing with something this way, then it is the way to deal with it.

Draco came by after dinner and transformed into his fox form and Harry did talk to him for a while, mostly about Severus because Draco had brought news that they were still looking for him.

"So you're really going to stay like this?" Draco asked, sitting up straight in the small area of available space by the door.

"Got some peace and quiet today didn't I?"

"You missed the minor explosion in Potions today. Professor Treylawney subbed today for Lupin and she had us mixing some kind of vile love potion. Teddy Knott inhaled some of the fumes coming off of his and got dizzy. He dumped powdered ants nest into his cauldron on accident and exploded his cauldron and workbench.

"Do you think they'll find him?"

Draco stopped talking and looked at him.

"He's Severus Snape. Do you think he'd let anyone kill him? This is the man who has struck fear in the hearts of students for years. The man that can't swim but somehow made it out of a river towing your sorry arse, tackled Sirius Black, and has survived years of exploding cauldrons."

Harry snorted and then laughed and accidentally transformed back into his human form because he had been thinking that bears don't laugh but humans do.

Draco turned back too. "Was that an accident?"

"Yes," Harry sat up and rubbed his stiff neck. Sleeping on a hard floor as a bear all day hadn't done his muscles any favors.

"The man that has a trademarked swish of his robes," Harry said with a little grin. The way his robes billowed behind him had always added to the fear students seemed to have of him.

"If you're the boy who lived," Draco said, "he's got to have some of your lucky genes."

Harry looked at him. "Think so?"

"I hope so." And Harry could tell that Draco's voice was filled with hope, but not certainty.

Harry stayed in his room that night in his human form. He would have gone back to Gryffindor but Dumbledore was still there since this was the last night of the full moon. Dumbledore did knock on his door to check on him, but Harry pretended to be sleeping. When he left, Harry waited for over an hour and then opened his door and peeked out into the living room. The lights were all off and Harry wondered if the man was sleeping.

Stepping lightly as he would have done at the Dursleys while sneaking out at night to get food from the fridge, Harry tiptoed down the hall and squinted to see if he could spot Dumbledore. He was sitting up in the tall chair in the living room, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. He crept to the front door and was glad to find that it hadn't been spelled closed. He prayed it wouldn't creak when he opened it and was pleased when it didn't make a sound. He didn't bother closing it for fear he'd make noise when it latched, and ran as quietly as he could down the hallway. He was done trying to stop himself from having what he wanted. There was so little he wanted in life anyway now that he had no parents and no family.

Harry kept expecting Dumbledore to come after him, to wake up and find that he'd gone, especially with the front door open, but he didn't and Harry made it out the front doors and onto the grounds with no resistance. He changed into his bear form and sniffed the wind for any sign of Remus, but found none. Stepping down into the snow, Harry wandered off, glad to be outside, finally, and began sniffing for the scent of Asphodel, hoping he could find some under all the snow.

As the night wore on and the darkest edges of the night gave way to a faint light on the horizon, Harry made his way into the forest where there was less snow on the ground, and let his nose lead him to his prize. He'd never seen asphodel in it's plant form, but his nose told him it was the right plant. He scratched at it with his paw until the red roots were exposed and let himself transform into his human form. He dropped to his knees, pulled at the root and stuffed some of it into his mouth, chewing it up. It tasted aweful, but he could feel it entering his system. Harry laughed and lay down on his back on the frozen ground to stare at the stars. Finally. If his father wasn't comming back, then there was no reason to stay away from the red dirt. There was no reason to stay in the castle, or to stay in his human form at all. As he stared at the sky, he felt like he was floating, and soon knew no more as he lost consciousness.