A Bad Moon
(Re-uploaded - Apologies for this so soon, I've re-read it and found way too many annoying mistakes!)
This is a story for my lovely Jnz, whose Lily and Sirius inspired me to write again. Thank you hun, you're awesome and Remus misses you! (And I guess I do too! ;) )
A/N - This is the first fanfic I've written in about four years. Please be gentle, I'm very rusty!
This story takes place in the Marauder's fifth year at school, before James, Sirius and Peter had mastered the Animagi magic.
One Shot, Sirius/Remus, fluff and very light slash. Please R+R :)
"Incendio"
With a whispered incantation, a spark was sent to the empty fireplace, causing small blue flames to dance on the coals. It's flickering light in the grate etched shadows on the carpet, while it's warmth began to radiate into the Gryffindor common room.
Slipping his wand back into his robes, Remus huddled further into the sofa and turned his attention back to the heavy volume in his lap. Though a mild April sunlight streamed in through the windows, he had wrapped his house scarf around his neck in an attempt to stem his shivering. A row of scratches, caked with dried blood, marred his jawline and his eyes were rimmed red with fatigue. He turned a page and muttered to himself under his breath, his brow furrowed in concentration.
The common room was almost deserted, most of the students having chosen to spend their Saturday enjoying the sunshine outside. Faint shouts and laughter echoed up through one of the open windows. A pair of giggling first year girls came clattering down the steps from the dormitories, causing Remus to lose his place in his book. He shot an annoyed glance in their direction as they skipped to the portrait hole and then out of the common room. Though no sooner had he rolled his eyes and gone back to his reading, when the door to the common room opened again and three laughing teenagers walked in.
"James, that was so cool!" Peter babbled, looking at his friend in awe, "Could you teach me how do that loop-the-loop thing?"
James nonchalantly swung his broomstick over one shoulder and winked at Sirius. "It's not gonna do anything for your Quidditch, Pete! It's just a bit of a party piece – drives the girls wild!" He shot a glance over his shoulder at the girl coming in behind them, "Doesn't it, Evans?"
Lily Evans pulled the portrait door closed behind her and looked witheringly at James.
"What does, Potter?" she asked, hitching her bag back onto her shoulder, "When you keep stopping to fuss with your hair or when you're so busy showing off that you crash into a goal post?"
James snatched a hand to his gut as though wounded.
"Ouch, Evans!" he exclaimed, his expression one of mock-offence, "That cut me deep!" Lily shook her head despairingly and turned on her heel to go and sit in one of the armchairs.
"Smooth, mate," Sirius laughed, nudging his friend in the ribs. James lightly punched Sirius on the arm and sighed.
"One day, Si. She'll come round... one day..." His sentiment trailed off as he looked around the common room. But all at once his features lit up as he recognised the figure sitting on the sofa by the fire. With an elated shout of "Well, look who's here!", he led the way to the sofa and the three of them crowded around its occupant.
"Remus, we weren't expecting you back so soon, man!" James said delightedly. The werewolf looked up and gave him a weak smile.
"Well, we've got that practice O.W.L test for McGonagall next week. I wanted to come back a bit early to use the library and swat up." Sirius frowned a little.
"What did you do that for?" he asked, disgruntled, "I-... we could have sent you over some books. You've only been away a night, usually its two or three. Is that enough for you to recover, Rem?"
"You don't need to revise anyway, Moony!" Peter chirped, oblivious to Sirius's comments and jumping round the arm of the sofa to stand behind Remus, "You're really clever!" As though in imitation of James earlier, Peter punched Remus on the arm and laughed. Remus winced and let out a yelp of pain, causing the others to jump in surprise. Sirius knocked Peter's hand away with glare of disapproval and knelt down beside the sofa.
"Sore?" he asked anxiously, curling his fingers around Remus's.
"Not as sore as Pete's going to be," Remus threatened jokingly, though he spoke through gritted teeth and tentatively rubbed his shoulder. Amidst Peter's frantic jibbered apologies, Sirius reached out towards Remus's arm.
"Let's have a look," he offered casually. Remus groaned and stood his book upright to block Sirius's hand.
"Si, as long as I can turn these pages and use my wand, I don't care. It happens all the time, I don't need to be treated like an invalid once a month."
James leaned over the back of the sofa and scrutinised his friend's tired and sunken face.
"No offence, mate," he said, with a raised eyebrow, "But you're looking like inferi warmed up. Maybe you should go to see Pomfrey?"
"Pomfrey's got better things to do than play nurse for me," Remus replied irritably, trying to flick back to the page he had been reading, "I just want to sit and read about turning animals into household objects, is that a problem?" Sirius frowned a little in annoyance and snatched the book away, holding it behind his back. He stood up to escape the snatch of Remus's hand trying to retrieve it.
"You don't need to be so childish about this, you know. We're all trying to help you but you just throw everything back at us!"
Remus's eyes darkened and he shakily stood to face Sirius. Though his body shuddered with the effort of standing, there was a force in his voice which bit through his words.
"Who says I needed any help?" he growled, "I'm not a goddamn child, you know! It's my problem and I'm going to deal with it!"
"Oh, you're dealing with it, alright!" Sirius snapped back, "Dealing with it like a spoilt brat who won't take his medicine. You're being completely irresponsible coming back so soon, Remus! It's dangerous, not only to other people but to yourself!"
James held up his hands and took a step back from the sofa. He then beckoned to Peter, who still looked guilty for punching an undoubtedly werewolf-induced injury.
"C'mon Pete, we should probably leave them to it," James muttered.
"But shouldn't we try and stop them?" Peter asked worriedly.
"No, they're better off sorting it out between them. It's best not to get involved in a lovers' tiff. Lily and I have them all the time... at least, I like to think we do. Makes us seem more like a couple." James sighed wistfully and dragged Peter towards the portrait hole, no doubt to raid the kitchens before dinner. Peter looked anxiously back over his shoulder, only to see the two teenagers still arguing.
"You think I enjoy this, Si?" Remus questioned disbelievingly, fury boiling in his voice "Sneaking off every month, sitting on my own while every bone in my body is broken, my skin burns and my throat is ripped to shreds, only to have everything snap painfully back to normal when it's all over? To wake up only to remember that it has to happen again?" He squared his shoulders and looked the boy straight in the eye, "Yes, Sirius, I know I'm a monster. Cheers for reminding me that I could kill all the students at Hogwarts, that I could kill Dumbledore... that I could kill you..." Remus paused and looked at the floor, his mouth dry, "You know, maybe it's the moon talking here, or maybe I'm just being selfish, but sitting in that shack makes me realise just how much... how much I resent being what I am and-"
Sirius held up a hand to cut him off, his expression cold.
"You're right," he said dully, taking a step back "It probably is the moon talking. The Remus I know wouldn't be so quick to dismiss his friends." He handed back the book and walked through the empty common room to the stairs leading to the dormitories. He stopped with his foot on the first step, his long, black fringe flopping over his eyes. "I care about you, Remus... I care about you a lot. But the wolf turns you into something you aren't... I know you're better than that."
Without looking at Remus, Sirius stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way up the stairs. Remus swallowed hard. Then he swore loudly and threw himself back onto the sofa, knocking his shoulder in the process and causing himself to gasp in pain. Cursing under his breath, he started to snap through the pages of his book, trying to find his place.
"Bad moon, was it?"
A female voice made him jump. He looked over the top of his book to see Lily sitting at the other end of the sofa by his feet, slipping her bag onto her lap.
"Oh, it's you, Lils," he said, relieved, "I didn't think there was anyone else in here."
"I was just doing a bit of reading for McGonagall's test," Lily replied, holding up a book similar to Remus's, "I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon, though." Remus shrugged and pulled at a loose thread in his scarf. Lily sighed and shuffled a little closer to him, laying a comforting hand on his foot. "He's only worried about you, you know. We all worry about you."
"I know," Remus muttered, his eyes concentrated on his frayed scarf. He paused, as though meaning to say more, but his words caught in his throat. Lily tucked a curl of copper hair behind her ear and began to rummage in her bag. After a moment, she pulled out a golden wrapped bar of Honeydukes chocolate.
"Here," she offered, holding it out to him with a smile, "You never know when one of these might come in handy, especially around a dramatic little werewolf like you." Remus laughed a little and accepted the chocolate, breaking off a large chunk for her to eat before taking one for himself. Lily leant closer and wrapped her arms around him in a protective embrace. "I know how terrible it is," she said quietly, "But that's why we all want to help you. As for Sirius... you really mean an awful lot to him."
Remus swallowed his mouthful of chocolate and slowly enveloped his arms around Lily.
"... Thanks, Lils," he whispered, gratefully.
Sirius didn't look up as someone knocked at the dormitory door, but remained lying on his bed, staring moodily at the ceiling. At the third, more insistent knock, he called irritably, "It's a shared dorm, you know!"
The door opened and Remus walked hesitantly inside. He went and sat awkwardly on the end of Sirius's four poster bed. Neither of them looked at each other. Eventually, Remus broke the silence.
"I... I wanted to apologise... I was an idiot before and... and I shouldn't have bitten your head off like that... though I suppose it's better in this form and not as a wolf, right?" A smile twitched at the corner of Sirius's mouth and he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.
"I know it's hard for you around this time of the month," he replied, looking at the floor, "But the shack's there to keep you safe, Rem. What were you thinking of coming back so soon just to revise for a stupid test?"
Remus cleared his throat and blushed a little, trying not to meet Sirius's eyes. "Umm... that's not really the reason I came back."
Sirius looked at him, puzzled, "Oh?"
"No," Remus said slowly, playing with his tattered scarf again, "I came back because... because I missed you." Sirius regarded the other boy for a moment, at a loss as to what to say. Then he shuffled closer to him on the bed and took Remus's chin in his grasp, looking deep into his golden brown eyes. He pressed a firm but protective kiss to the werewolf's lips, causing him to let out a moan of adoration. Sirius broke off to regard Remus again, stroking a hand through his sandy hair, while Remus reached up to caress his cheek.
"Silly old, Moony," Sirius teased, his voice husky and low. Remus's eyes glimmered mischievously as he snatched another kiss from Sirius's lips.
"Is that you being patronising, Si? You'd better watch your language, I can still beat you in a fight." A slow, lazy smile spread across Sirius's face.
"Well, maybe not for much longer," he remarked casually, "We wanted to wait for the next moon when we had it perfected, but I don't see why you shouldn't know now... James and I have been working on something... a little surprise that means you won't be so lonely at the next full moon..."
Again, first fic in ages, very rusty, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please R+R :)