To Stitches: Indeed, prejudices are usually inherited and irrational, it takes time and patience to get rid of such things from both parties. A delicate subject matter, if only we could find a solution and bottle world peace with it.

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The thick clouds allowed flickering, heavy light down into the valley below while the scream echoed all around.

Regulus groaned heavily, wondering at the miracle they hadn't all broken their necks with every toss around they got as he found himself laying out haphazardly on several sharp rocks on a very rickety pile of more disheveled earth that would probably go down if he breathed on it wrong. He eyed a much more stable-looking bit a good jump away, but still hesitated to move, especially as he had no idea where the others were. The sharp gust of wind that buffeted him wasn't giving him much choice, he took off at a run as the ground began shaking beneath him.

His feet lost purchase, he tried to jump the rest of the distance in vain, and found himself scrabbling maddly for any kind of hold, legs kicking wildly and a panicked scream already ripping up his throat. The clouds flashed away again, giving him just enough time to catch at a misshapen divot in the earth that looked like someone with jagged nails had scooped it clean away, and made his hand a bloody mess as he snagged it and finally pulled himself onto even ground, avoiding the hole that had saved his life.

He lay face down for a long time, panting and shaking, probably having pissed himself, cradling his injured hands that were possibly broken, though his whole body was a sore mess so it was hard to tell what the worst of it was.

He didn't remember screaming, but someone must have been drawn to him. "Reg! Regulus," it was a call of recognition, so he didn't have the energy to bother rolling over, someone did that for him.

It was Peter, his face was ghastly, and Regulus's eyes flickered curiously around himself again. He hadn't been so out of it he shouldn't have heard him approaching, and he was still on a very rocky ledge that had no visible ways of climbing in this tricky light, how had Peter scaled up and down so fast- oh right.

"Where is, what-" Peter was shaking him a bit while patting him down as if looking for an injury while also looking all around carefully, and Regulus just groaned and pressed his face to his chest, he didn't know what he was trying to ask, he was too exhausted.

The two jerked at once though when they heard the scream, and Regulus forced himself to sit up properly and take in everything again. It was female, they could hazard that guess, but Evans or Alice they couldn't tell. They were not in Hogsmeade, these mountains were too big, too old, and the valley that kept flickering below in the bright moonlight held no hint of familiarity to any of them.

Peter squeezed his shoulder, and then gently eased him back away, going and standing dangerously on the edge as he continued to look for something. "Stay here, alright, he won't bother making this climb."

"What?" Regulus tried to slur in confusion, but a horrible realization was already creeping up on him.

"Stay here," Peter said again, with such authority Regulus let his butt get very comfortable as Peter vanished again, only the hint of a long bald tail visible for a moment before that too vanished.

At first Lily thought they were back in Hogsmeade somewhere, but she was fairly certain there was no lake this big down by those mountains, nor did she really think the fuzzy, mossy something she went slipping around on that squelched oddly beneath her shoes and caused said scream could have happened around Hogwarts, so it was with great trepidation she hauled herself free of the water with no clue what else was waiting. When she splashed onto shore, she didn't even try to hide her relief as Potter came sprinting up to her, a look of stark concern on his face.

"I, thought it was, a boulder, at first-" she panted in exertion as he skidded to a stop beside her, looking around wildly for the danger. She pointed a shaking finger back, where the ripped head was just visible in the dark water. He didn't even look where she pointed. Instead he grabbed her arm and began pulling her with such strength, she half expected to be lifted clean off her feet as he got them running.

Alice found herself staring blearly at a hastily put out gigantic firepit. The logs were still smoking, and dripping wet, and she coughed heavily as she tried to scramble away, only managing a few feet before she found herself in the open night, her mind still too hung on how someone had practically been burning six nearly tree-sized logs in that huge thing to really figure out the danger as she spotted someone groaning and hunched in on themselves not too far away.

"Frank?" She called in concern, jogging over regardless of who it was, they were shaking and her concern spiked higher when they didn't even seem to acknowledge her. That was not her boyfriend though, the build was all wrong, she'd already figured out as she got within arm's reach, but then she heard a horrible snapping noise start to occur, and came to a cold stop as she realized Remus Lupin wasn't dying.

"No," the moan was the last intelligible thing that would be forced out of his throat this night, as his eyes, already half mad, began pinning in on her.

He was already nearly doubled in size, his jaw forming first, teeth flashing and snout scenting the air. His skin was still twitching like live bugs beneath the surface before silver fur began sprouting out, but the bones in his limbs and torso were still snapping and cracking loud as fireworks.

She didn't scream. She did draw her wand, but not for any defence she knew full well wouldn't work, instead she spun on the spot almost calmly, a crystal clear image in her mind for a plan as she took off back for the mouth of the cave at a dead run.

A howl finally pierced the night as she pointed her wand, her voice didn't even shake as she said, "Locomotor Lignum." The damp, half-dead and burned trees would make a pathetic barrier, but the last one stacked itself in front of the entrance just as something huge slammed into it, already causing half of them to tremble and shake in place. "Colloportus," she shot next, but was already backing away into the darkness behind her. It was a choice between spelunking this unknown alone, or hoping that spell that was supposed to seal a door shut worked on her makeshift contraption that wasn't technically a door, and she wasn't going to sit around and find out as she imagined him already rearing up to try again.

She was right to run, as Moony's now fully extended jaws and claws began tearing away at the obstacle, the magic only slowing him, not stopping. He muscled his way into a gap, and began shoving and forcing himself through, not caring for the way his fur and body strained painfully as the smell was too enticing. His head and a whole front limb went through before a painful shoot of pain did stop him, and he pulled himself out snarling viciously at whatever had just bit his tail.

Padfoot stood there, hackles raised. Moony huffed in derision and kicked at him before turning back, only vague recognition and the promise of food was more tempting, but then the black dog tried to do it again, and Moony found himself distracted by fury as he turned on him instead, chasing and snapping at his heels in retaliation.

Moony was faster, but Padfoot was more agile, taking sharp turns and calculated jumps while his pursuer only knew to keep up, not watch out. By the time Moony grew tired of his pursuit, he had to stop and scent the air again for his prey, and then huffed in frustration it seemed gone. He instead found something of the most mild commodities in the air instead, and loped easily around, Padfoot now following at his side as if nothing had happened.

The two found themselves howling in unison as they turned it into a race, Padfoot easily spotting below what Moony's goal was. He wouldn't lie, Padfoot found this almost freeing. It was the most they'd been able to just run in so long now. Their muscles bunched and released with exhilaration, the flickering shadows meant little to their sharp senses, the ground was nothing beneath their feet. Moony finally came to a stop, not even panting, but dipping his head down and began drinking deeply from the lake.

Neither let their guard down so much that they didn't swing around at something approaching, but both relaxed at the same time as they recognized Prongs at the opposite end of the lake. Padfoot had always been Moony's favorite visitor, the other two were simply creatures that weren't edible, but the large black dog was as close to pack as he'd ever known in his life. Moony seemed in an oddly good mood tonight though, as he not only huffed in recognition, but also began his way over with his tail high as if looking for another chase.

Prongs bellowed a warning though, lowering his weapons and scraping the ground in challenge.

Only now did Padfoot understand why he hadn't simply come over to join them. He caught just the faintest hint of Evans's scent in the air, and knew her to be hiding somewhere nearby. Shoving Moony with all his weight, he redirected his course to the closest precipice instead, and Moony let himself be distracted once more, now sniffing the air for something much better to whet his appetite, the bloody water satiating his tongue well enough he found no hint of the red head for now amongst Prongs's heavy scent.

Prongs grunted in concern from behind watching them depart alone, but Padfoot only needed to glance behind once and let his tongue lull out for a moment to promise a safe return, he should definitely stay where he was.

They began their rocky ascent just as the book finally began, Hagrid's Tale. Padfoot huffed for the fortuitous location they were in fact where Hagrid had been all this time, and not back in his cabin. Only the most aware part of his mind recognized it was his brother reading, and for the first time Sirius allowed some part of himself to be grateful that Peter would have sought him out, would be helping him stay low and keep an eye on him until they got out of this.

The two raced up the sharp incline too, but the rocks growing serrated beneath their feet and the steep ascent soon wore them both out before they'd even gone halfway. Moony began bounding down instead, but perpendicular to the way they'd come up. He kept tasting the air all the time, and Padfoot realized he was attempting to leave the heavy perfume of giants all around them.

When they were back on even terrain  once more there was half a mountain behind them and the lake where he knew Evans and Alice were. He had no idea where Regulus and Peter could be, but he tried to assure himself that they must somehow still be either upwind or too far away. It bothered him he hadn't a single clue where Longbottom could be around here, but he'd probably spotted the problem before anyone and attempted to bury himself underground first thing.

Sadly, Moony couldn't go another whole stride before he slammed into the barrier, and snarled in frustration. He took off at a quick lope parallel to the invisible barrier perfectly instead, and by the time they'd nearly circled halfway around the outside of the valley Padfoot even began to relax at the intoxicating exhilaration of running just to run.

Moony ran on instincts, one more powerful than any others. Feed. He'd never actually done so though. He did hear things, like the words echoing all around them describing this place that he kept trying to veer away from as much as the scent of the predators he knew instinctively to avoid. The voice did not connect to him in a way that mattered, for it was not screaming. The wind whipped viciously in all directions, buffeting new scents across his nose barely before he had time to sample them, but none of them were familiar, the dark forest he'd run about in for some time now. It was better than the last place he'd woken up in though, the screams he'd heard for the first time in his life, the blood that he did not crave but only drove him more wild to have what was right there.

It was only because he was trying to recall the exact smell of it to savor that he found just a tease of it in the air, and turned eagerly back towards the mountains.

Padfoot listened with absent disinterest as Hagrid's story wound down, no giants would be joining their cause, and the gamekeeper's injuries went unexplained. Then Umbridge intruded, and he let a thundering growl rattle out of him in disgust.

It was that one second of distraction that allowed Moony to change course, and Padfoot to only follow for a few paces before scenting the air himself to see what had caused it. Then his own instincts kicked in, a beat too late.

Padfoot lunged for his jowls, but even before his loose grip had sunk in Moony was lashing out with his opposite paw and caught such a sharp blow in his ribcage, the sound snapped around them and blood began leaking from the black belly.

The dog fell to the ground, stunned and whimpering, but Prongs wasn't here to get him to back off, and now Padfoot could smell it too, and it wasn't his blood Moony was now advancing on with salivating determination.

Not again.

He would not allow Remus to even think he'd come close to killing when all this was over. Moony was not going to so much as look at Longbottom tonight.

Padfoot gathered his strength, and pounced, tackling Moony off course just long enough to lock his own canines into his hind leg, and held tight.

Moony howled in outrage, twisting and lashing out with teeth and claws to be released, but Padfoot just held firm, he couldn't have let go now even if he wanted to, which no part of him did as whimpers and cries began searing from his own throat as every tear after bite went into his left side unrelenting.

A part of his mind absently wondered if he was going to tear Moony's leg right off. The rest of him wondered if there was going to be anything left to shred away as his vision began tunneling black. He missed the tiny little body that appeared out of nowhere and bit down with oversized teeth right onto Moony's ear, which distracted him only long enough to toss his head and howl again.

Padfoot did not even seem aware of his own high-pitched cries continuing that drew Prongs's stampeding forward, head bowed and tackling the two apart.

Frank watched the whole thing from seven feet away, but it wasn't his bleeding leg or even bars holding him in place anymore. His pursuit to find Alice was not forgotten, but he also didn't have to worry anymore that she was the one in danger as the chapter concluded, and they were all uprooted once more.

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Did you really think Moony would only show up once during this series, at the most dramatic moment possible? Oh no, I'm going to have a bit more fun with this through the rest of these books.

Fun fact, I was actually going to have it be Moony and Prongs running around in the Triwizard Maze, but as that has an actual date stamped on it I couldn't justify it. This day however, had no such restrictions.