Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.

Prologue

Sirius panted as he dove behind a wall, leaning his back against it to try and catch his breath. He could hear the faint sounds of jinxes and curses being thrown from all directions. He let out a startled yelp as a piece of the wall was blasted off, nearly missing his head. He swiftly got up and swung around the corner, just in time to join James in fending off a particularly powerful group of death eaters. The duo dodged flying curses and jinxes as they ran behind another wall, both sweating and shaky.

"There's too many of them!" James exclaimed. Sirius nodded in agreement, taking in deep breaths to regain his energy.

"Where's Remus?" Sirius asked. His anxiety levels had been extremely high since the war had started, and all he could think about was the man he loved and if he was okay.

"I'm not entirely sure. He got separated from me when this flurry of death eaters came out to try and ambush us." The two tensed as they heard a faint cry of pain, a cry they were all too familiar with.

"REMUS!" Sirius made to run out from behind the wall, but James pulled him back.

"Let me go, James! Remus could be hurt!" Sirius pleaded, trying desperately to wrench himself free from his best friend's grasp.

"Sirius, if you go out there, you'll be ambushed! It's not safe!" James reasoned.

"That's exactly why I need to get out there! Remus could be HURT, James!" Sirius was now hysterical, yanking with all his might to get out of James' iron grip. Sirius yanked himself free and ran out from behind the wall, James yelling after him. He dodged curse after curse as he searched frantically for that familiar mop of chocolate brown hair. His heart dropped in his chest when he finally found the boy he was looking for, kneeling on the ground in pain. Wasting no time, he rushed over to his crush, tossing his wand to the ground as he fell to his knees next to him.

"Remus! Remus, it's okay, I'm here, I'm going to help you…" He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and immediately tensed at a sticky wet feeling coating his arms. He turned the boy over to face him and choked back a sob. There, stuck deeply in the boy's flesh, was a silver dagger. Remus' eyes met his, the werewolf's own flooding with tears of pain and fear. Sirius didn't realize he was shaking as he looked at his longtime friend and crush, knowing exactly what he had to do. Slowly, he reached down and grabbed at the handle of the dagger, staring into Remus' green orbs.

"I'm sorry, Moony...but I need to do this. I really don't mean to hurt you." Taking a deep breath, he gripped the handle tightly before quickly yanking the blade out. Remus let out a howl of pain as more blood began to soak through his clothes. Sirius held the dagger in his hand now, examining it for any distinguishing features. It was then that he saw it. Engraved neatly on the handle was a single name: Bellatrix Black. Sirius stripped off his shirt and ripped at the hem of it, using the material as a bandage to try and stifle the bleeding. Remus could feel himself falling forward in his weakness, Sirius barely catching him before he could fall to the dirt. Remus' eyes began to flutter and Sirius, knowing what this meant, panicked.

"Remus, no! Don't you do it! Don't you bloody dare close your eyes, Remus!" Sirius pleaded. All the latter could do was watch as his friend gave him one last parting look before he fell limp.

Sirius shot up in bed, panting heavily. He felt a shift next to him and looked over to see Remus slowly sit up in bed also, his hair disheveled and bags under his eyes. Remus looked in his direction, a flicker of worry coating his features.

"You had another one, didn't you? Another nightmare." His boyfriend asked. Sirius shivered slightly and nodded. Remus scooted closer to him, wrapping him in a comforting embrace.

"This war is driving me crazy, Remus. I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop worrying about one of us getting hurt or killed fighting in it." Sirius ran his hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. Remus held him tightly, inhaling his scent and breathing his own exasperated sigh.

"It was only a dream, love. I promise. We're all going to be just fine." The werewolf soothed.

"You don't know that." Sirius whispered, trying to keep his tears back. Remus held onto his lover tighter now, watching as the storm raged furiously outside their window. He sat there for what seemed like an eternity with Sirius in his arms, listening to the patter of the rain coming down against the window pane. He felt Sirius's muscles relax as the young man fell back into a now peaceful sleep. Remus smiled and lay back down, still holding onto his lover. He held on, because as much as he didn't want to admit it, it could be the last time he ever got to hold him like this.

The next morning found the couple sitting on the doorstep. A large suitcase sat beside Sirius, the young man gazing into the forming sunrise. Remus glanced at him, trying to hide the worry residing in his heart. Sirius sighed, his hair falling limply around his face.

"Remind me again why you can't fight in this war?" Sirius inquired. Remus sighed, still seemingly upset at the fact.

"Apparently, it has something to do with the lycanthropy rules. I'm not allowed to partake in any wars due to the fear of, as they put it, ''spontaneous transformation''. It's barmy, if you ask me.'' Remus replied. Sirius turned to look at his boyfriend, seeing the bags under his eyes.

"Remy, you look bloody terrible. Did you get any shut eye last night?'' Sirius fretted. Remus ran a hand through his hair and managed a small smile.

"Love, I'm fine. Don't worry so much." He laughed. Sirius frowned, taking Remus' hand in his own.

"I'm serious. This war is a big deal. I just want to be sure that you'll be alright." Sirius looked into his lover's eyes, seeing them shining with tears.

"Siri...promise me you'll be careful?" Remus asked. Sirius placed a gentle kiss on his hand, smiling at him all the while.

"I promise. You're the moon of my life."

"You're the stars in my sky." The two broke apart as they saw James approach the residence, a suitcase in one hand, and his wand in the other. Sirius and Remus looked at each other knowingly before Remus pulled Sirius in for one more kiss. Sirius gave Remus one last sad smile before standing, grabbing his suitcase before heading in James's direction. Remus stood and watched as the two friends apparated away, his heart aching with sadness, worry, and most of all, fear.

"Promise me you'll be safe…"

The days that followed were what Remus would describe as trepidatious. No matter what he did or where he went, he found himself overcome with worry about his boyfriend. The war had started only three days prior, and he could barely keep himself occupied long enough to stop worrying about his loved ones who were out there risking their lives, wondering, praying, that they were alright. Civilians had been advised to stay in the safety in their homes unless absolutely necessary to travel. Well, to Remus, he didn't feel safe unless he was with Sirius...and that was the part that hurt the most. He spent the duration of Sirius' absence doing mundane little chores around the house, if to serve no other purpose than simply easing his mind even in the slightest. Days slowly turned to weeks, and Remus found himself missing Sirius more and more. So far, there had been no indication that Sirius and James were okay. The Daily Prophet was quiet about anything pertaining to the war, and Remus hadn't received a single letter from either of the men. Though he was growing increasingly concerned, he didn't let these concerns pester him by adding to his already extensive list of things he was worrying about. James and Sirius would be fine...they had to be.

The wind whistled through the trees as the peak of night settled in. The cloaked figure approached the edge of the forest, the secret headquarters coming into view over the horizon. The figure made the short trek down towards the building, stopping once met at the entrance by the guard. The two made eye contact before the guard held out his hand. The figure obliged, holding out his left arm. The guard pushed the cloak's left sleeve up just enough to see that the figure indeed had the mark, which is what they used to identify those on their side as well as communicate with their leader from afar. With only a simple nod as confirmation, the guard released his arm and moved aside to let the figure pass. Once inside, the figure walked down a long narrow hall to an office room, where he would be given his mission.

''Remove your hood.'' The figure removed his hood, his blonde hair sticking up only slightly on the ends from the static build up.

''Peter Pettigrew. I see you made it. Are you ready for your mission?'' His leader spoke, but only loud enough for the young man to hear. Peter hesitated for a moment, but soon gave a silent nod of the head as confirmation. His leader grinned, pleased that he was in control of the cowardly man.

''Pettigrew, I know that recruiting these types of people to our ranks will not be easy. Hell, I wouldn't even dream of associating with scum like them if I wasn't desperate. But the Ministry forbids them from fighting in the war due to fear of overpowering strength, and spontaneous transformation. That's exactly why we need them on our side. With these additions to our ranks, there's no possible way we can lose this war. Your mission is simple: I need you to recruit Remus Lupin.''

A/N: I am aware that is a short chapter. This is because this is only the prologue. Often, I will start each new story with a short prologue to jump into the story. Depending on the feedback the prologue gets, I will determine from there whether or not the story will continue or if the idea will be scrapped. So, leave me some reviews if you'd like to see the story progress! ~CrimsonRealist