Warnings: shonen-ai (boy/boy love), slight violence, angst, use of the "H" word

Disclaimers: All the characters, places, things, etc. in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Sue me and you'll only get heaps of Star Wars books and outdated lightsabers =P

Notes: In light of your reviews, I've uploaded this new version of my fic. And I've also added the "slash alert" to the summary. Thank you to everyone who reviewed ^_^ Constructive criticism is always appreciated ^_^

Italicized words are thoughts.

Dawn

By Ebony Raven

Chapter One: Sunrise

The sky was just beginning to lighten, heralding the approach of the sun. Peace and tranquility reigned all over the grounds of Hogwarts as students, faculty, and administration alike continued their undisturbed slumber.

But peace was nowhere to be found in Remus Lupin's mind. He was deep in the clutches of his ubiquitous nightmares, nightly reminders of his dreadful curse. He dreamt of blood and death, usually of countless strangers, nameless faces distinguished only by varying expressions of horror, fear, or disgust. On the worst nights, those faces would be replaced by ones he knew well; on these nights, he dreamt of his friends, either of him delivering the bite that would doom their lives for eternity, or of him feasting on their blood and flesh.

Fortunately perhaps, he did not dream of the Marauders this time. But his current dream was perhaps just as painful. For now he dreamt of that fateful night, the night when his life was changed forever. He could still feel the searing pain of the werewolf's bite, could still hear his own tiny voice screaming in a vain attempt to call for help.

Just as he thought he was going to die from sheer agony, without warning, he awoke. Breathing heavily, he tried to calm his racing heart. He hoped he hadn't woken any of his roommates up. Feeling apprehensive, he listened to the various sounds in his dorm room. He recognized Peter's incessant snoring, James's muttering ("…Lily…will you go out with me…no, don't hit me…"), and Sirius' quiet breathing. It seemed like they had slept through his nightmare.

Wait, was that Sirius' voice?

No, it was probably just James obsessing over Lily again. Remus breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his friends knew about his nightmares but still… He didn't want them to worry. They had already done so much for him.

Especially Sirius…

Remus blinked and waved the thought away. No use pining over what you couldn't have. He sank back into his depressed state.

"I don't deserve them…" Remus murmured forlornly.

He sighed again, this time a melancholy one, and fought back tears. He understood that his friends deserved to know about his dreams, if only for their own safety, but Remus was afraid. He was sure they would be disgusted or frightened and then he'd lose the best (and only) friends he'd ever had. At that thought, he started crying in earnest. He tried frantically to keep quiet but gave up the effort. He resumed his wallow in self-pity.

It may be selfish, but I'm not going to lose them over this. I'd rather die. 

*****************************************

"It's almost dawn…" Sirius noted absently.

He'd only been sleeping for a few hours when he suddenly woke up without knowing why. Then he heard it. There were whimpers coming from Remus' bed. Sirius sighed. Remus was having nightmares again. Sirius desperately wanted to go to him and…

Do what? Comfort him? Hug him? Kiss him? In your dreams, Black.

Sirius blinked in surprise. Where had those thoughts come from? He couldn't possibly feel that way about Remus, could he?

Sirius had never thought of himself as gay. Sure, he'd gone out with some guys but, for the most part, girls were his date of choice. But now that he thought about it, none of the relationships he'd ever had (with either girls or guys) had lasted more than a week or so. He didn't even think the word "relationship" applied to what he'd had with them. It was more like a passing fling than anything else. But Sirius didn't think it was because he was fickle or polygamous. He just didn't feel any sort of connection with those people.

But with Remus…

 With Remus, it was different. It felt right, like they were two parts of a whole.

"Bloody hell…" Sirius grumbled, "What in blazes am I thinking? I'm turning into such a sap…"

And all because of a certain werewolf. Albeit a certain gorgeous, understanding, kind, and intelligent werewolf.

Groaning in frustration, Sirius buried his head into his pillow. This was what happened when he didn't get enough sleep.

I'd better think of something else… Hmm… The whimpers have stopped.

And indeed they had. But before long, the whimpers were replaced by quiet sobs.

Sirius struggled with himself. He knew Remus was ashamed of his nightmares. Who knew what kind of reaction he'd get if he crawled into Remus' bed and tried to console him?

I don't care. He's my friend and I'm sure as hell not just going to sit here and listen to him cry.

With that, Sirius got up and started walking to Remus' bed.

I sure hope I know what I'm doing. 

******************************************

Well, that's the first chapter. It's my first attempt at making a fanfic so please cut me some slack ^_^ If I get enough positive or constructive reviews, I'll make the next chapter ^_^ So please tell me what you think! ^_^