AN: Just a reminder this story is a rewrite of my earlier unfinished story titled 'Shoulders to the Wind', and as such various parts of 'Moon Rise' are very similar to the original, SttW.

Moon Rise…

Chapter One:

Remus shivered helplessly as he stepped inside the outwardly dilapidated Shrieking Shack. Despite the old building's derelict appearance it was quite secure; fortified by several charms and powerful spells.

Magic,he mused, was a truly amazing tool.Or a truly devastating weapon…

His tremors increased and he wearily removed his robes, worn material sliding easily off of thin, thickly scarred shoulders. Using a simple reducing charm coupled with a bit of transfiguration Remus shrunk his clothing to the size and shape of a brass thimble, placing it and his wand high atop the ancient brick fireplace and wedged in the convenient gap, discovered by Wormtail in 7th Year, between stone and the bare wooden slats of the eaves.

Task completed Remus settled himself in front of the large, magically barred window and watched as the sun dipped below the green horizon, exchanging its dusty ember light for the milky glow of the rising moon. ((AN: I am aware that the moon can actually be seen in the sky throughout the day and does not rise as such, but I thought it lent a bit of dramatic imagery to the scene. Sue me…or not, I'm poor.))

The silvery orb rose steadily to illuminate the darkened sky and Remus felt his eyes drawn with it. His pupils contracted, eyes flashing dangerous amber, before throwing his head back with a guttural scream. Legs giving out, Remus collapsed to the floor, boards creaked and swirls of dust were spewed into the still air with the force of his knees slamming against the hard ground.

Another scream chilled the air in the quiet streets of Hogsmeade as his entire body convulsed, blurred, and finally reshaped itself into the sleek brown form of a large male wolf. Jumping lithely atop an overturned table Moony gazed longingly at the moon outside the window and let loose a terrifying howl.

Not far off in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks a mangy black dog pricked up his ears. He was thin and his coat was matted and filthy, but he still cuts a formidable shadow as he dashes across the magic lit streets. Pausing for only a moment the dog disappeared between some trees, reappearing moments later in the rundown building, sniffing cautiously at the air as he crept slowly across the threadbare carpet.

The wolf ended his soul wrenching howl with an anguished whine and Moony tensed and growled low in his throat, springing from his perch he stalked down the blood stained corridor and into a common room littered with broken furniture, lunging purposefully at the intruder. As he brought his jaws down around the large mutt's throat something made him pause. The animal stared straight into the wolfs golden eyes with an otherworldly silver gaze.

Something in Moony's brain clicked on and he pulled his attack at the last second, playfully pinning the Grim to the floor and licking his face. The dog whined happily and nuzzled against his mate's furry neck. Suddenly the large sable wolf reared back and fixed the animagus with a meaningful, intelligent stare; one that Sirius, for the life of him, could not interpret, and promptly nipped the black dog on the chin before taking off, a silver streaked brown blur in the dark surroundings of the shack.

Tongue lolling and tail wagging happily Padfoot jumped up in hot pursuit.

For the first time in 43 such occasions, Remus spent the morning after the full dozing in and out through the steady sunrise with no new injuries or scars. And as the last of the post transformation tension leeched from his thin frame Remus fell into a deep, relaxed sleep.

When he woke several hours later it was to his dimly lit room and a quietly reading Andromeda perched comfortably in the chair by his door. She looked up with a smile.

"Well there you are at last sleeping beauty. We were beginning to worry."

"I was tired."

Remus replied simply, causing the older woman to bite back an amused smile.

"Well I should think that was obvious. How do you feel then love?"

Smiling and stretching slowly Remus inventoried his body before he decided on his answer.

"I actually feel pretty good. I had the most wonderful dream…"

Sitting up, Remus trailed off as he took in his bare arms. Confusion marred his pale features and he abruptly jerked his shirt over his chest starring in awe at his undamaged torso. Looking up he saw Andromeda barely concealing a grin, familiar grey eyes sparkling joyfully.

"Wha- Where is he?"

Outside Remus' bedroom door Sirius Black was pacing in abrupt jerky movements as he debated whether or not to go in. His once tanned skin was sallow and hung from his long frame where his muscles had given way to starvation, his black hair hung limply about his slumped shoulders, and his mouth was creased with new lines but his eyes were still bright and he exuded the same nervous energy that got him so many detentions when he mucked about in McGonagall's class.

Suddenly the door was flung open and Sirius froze mid step.

"Moony I-"

The rest of his sentence was unceremoniously cut off when Remus' fist slammed into his jaw, propelling him backwards as he lost his precarious footing. Before he could fully recover from the blow, Sirius found himself with his arms full of a sobbing, smiling, and half naked werewolf.

Remus buried his nose in the crease of Sirius' neck searching out his familiar scent. His deceptively slim legs wrapped tightly around Sirius hips as he tried to climb into his lover's body.

Falling against the opposite wall with a small grunt at their combined weight Sirius clutched desperately at the man in his arms. Silver eyes met gold before they dove against each other, lips clashing messily in a brutal kiss. Trembling fingers grasped for a more secure hold on Remus' hipbones as Sirius heaved him up and stumbled slowly back through the door to Remus' room, neither man noticing the absence of Andromeda or the subtle silencing charm encompassing them.

By the time Sirius had dumped Remus on the edge of the bed the smaller man already had Sirius' belt undone and the loose jeans riding low on his hips. Pausing momentarily in his feverish kissing of Remus, Sirius pulled the tatty t-shirt over Remus' tawny head, trailing his tongue wetly down the other man's pale neck, causing him to shiver. Shoving Sirius' borrowed jeans down to his knees, Remus dug his fingers into the other man's arse, bruising the pale skin with the force of his grip.

Insistent hands pushed Remus' boxers down past his hips and then warm, strong fingers engulfed both of their straining erections in a firm grip. They quickly found a rhythm, ignoring the way their hipbones collided with bruising force. Teeth caught sensitive flesh and nails scraped blunt tracks in their skin as they drove each other higher and higher. Their mingled breaths sounded harshly in the unnatural quiet of the room, tongues meeting in sloppy open mouth kisses that left them both panting. Lust darkened eyes met with a tangible intensity as they each spilled over Sirius' clenched fist.

Sirius groaned when he felt the first searing jets of Remus' release coat his hand, his own rushing up to meet it, leaving them a sweaty, sticky, sated mess of warm limbs and quiet smiles. Coming back to his body after being shot into orbit Sirius pressed a tender kiss to the top of Remus' sandy head, noticing for the first time the liberal sprinkling of grey there.

Leaning back slightly, still reluctant to break contact with his lover, Sirius let his eyes trace the evidence of four long years spent transforming alone. His practiced gaze slid over old silvery scars to rest on the newer pink tinged lines crisscrossing his lover's body before coming to rest on a particularly jagged scar below Remus' bellybutton.

The white, only slightly puckered edges marked it as several years old but Sirius didn't remember Remus having a scar there, and the angle of the mark wasn't possibly self inflicted, even by the supple body of the wolf. Looking up sharply he searched Remus' face for answers before his eyes were drawn to a modest picture frame sitting innocuously on the bedside table.

Having followed Sirius' careful survey of his body, Remus self consciously shifted to pull the sheet over himself, eyes following to where Sirius' were glued on the small wood frame atop his night stand.

Feeling his lover stiffen beneath him Sirius tore his eyes from the bewitching photo to stare into Remus' hooded eyes before moving the sheet back off his abdomen to gently trace his fingers across the magically inflicted scar.

"Wha-"

His voice caught and Sirius stopped to clear his throat, peering at Remus with a question burning in his eyes. Slender fingers wrapped around his over the scar and Remus nodded toward the bedside table.

"Dani, er Danika, she's just turned three. That was at her party."

Slowly, almost timidly Sirius crawled up his lover's body, straining to reach the frame and pulling it closer, cradling it in shaking hands as he settled on his knees next to Remus.

He stared transfixed for several moments, taking in the details of the picture.

Remus was sat in a familiar looking high back chair, his eyes were tired but his smile was genuine and threatening to split his face in two. On his lap sat a small girl with jet black hair and amber eyes. She was also smiling widely, showing off two perfect rows of tiny baby teeth and matched dimples. Father and daughter, and it was obvious that they were- sharing the same colored eyes and posture, were both waving madly at the photographer. They continued to smile and wave for several moments, finally they looked at each other and grinned before the scene repeated.

"She's absolutely beautiful Moony."

He said at last, meeting his lover's gaze. Remus gave him a fleeting smile, fidgeting nervously with the cuff of the sheets before blurting out;

"She's yours. Ours, I mean. She's ours. Danika Lupin-Black."

Sirius felt the tension drain out of him with sudden relief. He'd suspected, he'd hoped; looking at the picture he had picked up on several familiar features, but hearing Remus say the words lifted a tremendous weight off his chest.

By the time his brain caught up with the situation Remus was beginning to worry about Sirius reaction. He was definitely not expecting Sirius to swoop down and take his lips in a passionate kiss, breaking off abruptly to blurt out the painfully obvious question of; "How?"

please r&r and let me know what you think of this version