Rating – R

Warnings – A.U. timeline & concepts; rather dark; minor slash... if you don't know what that is, or you do know, and know you don't like it, get outta here; some non-consensual actions; language; spoilers; angst; some S&M

Archive – If you want to archive this, please ask me first...

Disclaimer – Harry Potter and all of the characters within these pages are the property of the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling. I make no claims to them what so ever, except for my small collection of Harry Potter paraphernalia!

Author's note – After reading the fifth book, I started thinking about the relationships between Remus and Severus, and Sirius and Severus. While Severus shows extreme hostility towards Sirius, he didn't seem overly malicious to Remus (I'm talking about when Harry sticks his head in the Pensieve and sees Severus' memories). So, that is basically the basis of this fiction. Keep in mind that Remus and Sirius have never met. Also, the title, Wolf's Rain, is taken from STUDIO BONES' new series by the same name. It's also the title of the current version of my blog.

[ one: recollection ]

Remus Lupin awoke to the mercilessly bright sun filtering through his dark curtains, the sound of an annoying owl rapping incessantly at the front door, and many small children screaming and laughing as they ran down the street. He rolled over, away from the sounds of a new day, trying to block out the cheerful light. He growled lowly as he twisted his side; it was still quite sore from a rather reckless encounter he'd had last night with a wild dog. Remus sat up slowly, and then stood naked in the middle of his too-bright room. He stretched languidly, working out the knots in his back and reveling in each snap and crack of the bones as they righted themselves. He sighed in annoyance as the laughter rang out once more, and scrubbed a dirt-stained hand over his equally muddy face.

Why do they always seem to be the noisiest the morning after the full moon, he thought as he yawned widely, exposing his incisor teeth that were curiously sharper than most peoples were. There should be a law around here: no loud noises until noon! Let sleeping werewolves lie!

Remus chuckled to himself and headed towards to bathroom for a much needed and desired shower, shave, and tooth brushing. He started his shower quickly, noticing that his wound was still oozing blood and grime down his body and onto his clean floor. He climbed in and stood under the pounding jet of hot water for several moments, watching the night's remnants being swept away. He washed quickly, cursing loudly when the soap stung his wound. He got out and dried himself carelessly before shaving, and then, after realizing that he could still taste blood in his mouth, grabbed his toothbrush. He frowned down at its worn bristles. He would have to buy another one this morning; it would be the third one this month.

"Stupid pointed teeth," he grumbled as he tossed the useless brush into the wastebasket and resorted to spreading the toothpaste over his teeth with his finger.

Feeling refreshed and more welcoming to the sunlight, Remus returned to his room and pulled on his favourite pair of jeans and a black tee-shirt; he had become quite accustomed to wearing Muggle clothing in place of his tattered robes all of the time. He then went downstairs, waving his wand at the teapot before answering the owl's indignant squawks. To his surprise, there were two owls waiting for him: the smaller own gave him his morning delivery of the Daily Prophet, and shrilly demanded to be paid. The other owl was a gorgeous snowy white, and was much more clam and dignified. She flew by Remus and settles down on the table, hooting expectantly. Remus shook his head, laughing as he shut the door

"You're becoming more and more like Harry," he chided amicably as he poured himself a cup of tea and made a stack of toast. "You both expect treats when you visit me! I feel like I'm wanted for my supply of chocolate rather than my friendship!"

Remus set some bits of toast and peanut butter down in front of the owl, the removed the letter attached to her leg. Settling down in his chair, he unrolled the letter and began to read.

Dear Professor Lupin; I hope this letter finds you in good health, and not too beat-up from last night. As you know, exams are next week. I was wondering if you could help with my stuff for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione's not much help these days; she's too busy with her own exams. Well, since you're coming to visit Hagrid after school, I guess I'll just meet you there. Thanks so much!

Harry

PS... Don't give Hedwig any peanut butter! She's getting too fat!!!

Remus looked up just as Hedwig gobbled down the last crumbs on her plate, as if she knew that she wasn't allowed to eat her favorite food anymore. He smiled at her and reached across the table to stroke her silky feathers affectionately.

"Harry won't be to pleased with me if you become to heavy to fly back to school, Hedwig," he joked. Hedwig hooted softly in response and flew out the door, but not before she snatched another piece of toast off of Remus' plate. He laughed again and closed the door behind, then returned to sit at the table. He picked up the letter and read it again, suddenly realizing how very much he missed teaching at Hogwarts, and not seeing Harry every day.

After a nasty rumour from an unknown source had circulated throughout the Wizarding community, Remus had chosen to leave his teaching position of three years. There had been few people who had believed the incredible story that Remus Lupin was a werewolf who hunted down unsuspecting children, and viciously raped them, and than devoured their poor, battered bodies. But he had thought it best to depart while he was on good terms with influential members of the Ministry of Magic. Only a few people knew the truth about him being a werewolf... Harry, Rubeus Hagrid, and Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Severus Snape, a childhood friend and Potions Master at the school, knew as well, and frequently concocted strange drinks that somehow allowed Remus to have more control while he was in wolf-form.

Sighing, he pushed himself away from the table and cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. Then, making sure his house was securely locked, he walked the short distance into Hogsmeade It was a village filled with witches and wizards, hags, vampires, goblins, and others sorts of magical creatures that would be too obvious living in an ordinary Muggle town. He smiled at many of the residents as he passed them, and spoke briefly with the ones he knew best. He made his way to the nearest store and bought his much-needed toothbrush. He quickly took note that he was receiving some suspicious glares, and guessed there were some people who actually believed the rumors about him, even though they had settled down after he left the school nearly five months ago.

Remus left the town quickly, not wanting to have any more ugly confrontations with horrified and disgusted parents. As he neared his house, he got a strange feeling, as though he was being closely scrutinized. When he turned around, he saw it was only a large, black dog... but when he looked at it a second time, he realized that it was the same large, black dog he had a fought with last night.

"I'll be damned," Remus whispered in awe. He crouched down and held out his hand carefully. He still had marks from those fangs on his side. The dog gazed back at him, almost as though he was sizing him up... as though he recognized him in his human body. Slowly, the dog crept forward and nuzzled Remus' hand happily. Remus smiled and scratched behind its ears, which he knew from personal experience to be a very pleasant feeling.

"Are you hungry, my friend?"

The dog looked up at him. Once again, Remus was amazed at how human-like the animal's eyes were. He stood and continued on to his house, aware that the dog was trotting along side of him, wagging its tail joyfully. When they reached the front door, the dog sat down on the porch and looked up at him expectantly. Remus smiled again and gave the dog some leftover chicken stew and a large bowl of cold water, all the while wondering just how the dog had managed to track him down; they had encountered each other quite some distance from here, in the mountains. He sighed in defeat, causing the dog to lift its head from his nearly empty water bowl almost immediately. It wandered over to where Remus was crouching on the porch and gave his hand an appreciative lick.

"You are quite welcome. Now... what is your name," Remus asked, stroking the great dog's thick fur, though not finding any identification of any kind. The only thing that served as a collar was a short length of rope around his neck, from which a small leather pouch hung. "Hello... what might this be?"

Carefully, he unwound the pouch from the dog's neck and opened it. When he pulled out a silver ring, he immediately dropped it on the ground. Cautiously, he picked it up, and realized that it must be white gold, or possibly platinum, as silver would burn his flesh. It was a plain band engraved with tiny runic symbols that Remus couldn't decipher. He tried the ring on, but it was slightly too large for his slender fingers; it was even too big for his thumb. Shrugging, he dropped the ring bag into the bag and reached out to wrap the rope back around the dog's neck. He paused, realizing the animal was staring intently at him, as though trying to communicate without words. Shaking himself, Remus tried to tie the rope back on, but the dog tossed its large head, not allowing him to continue. Warily, Remus withdrew his hands and, after another glance at the dog, tied the rope his own neck, and stuffed the small pouch under his shirt. They stared at one another for a very long time. Remus lost himself in the endless eyes of black.

After several silent minutes, the dog barked loudly, startling him so much that he fell back onto the porch. Blinking, he glanced at the Sun, and then cursed. He was supposed to meet Hagrid in fifteen minutes. Jumping to his feet, he ran his hands through his unruly brown and grey hair and started towards the edge of the forest. Though Remus did not care for some of the creatures in the Forbidden Forest, it was much faster to walk through it than to walk around it by the main road. Upon hearing footsteps, he looked back to find the dog was following him. Not that he minded; the Forbidden Forest was not the most friendly of places, even on the brightest of days. They walked side-by-side, scanning the trees that choked the path, acutely aware of the continuous noises in the shadows.

Though he was hardly fazed by the sounds, he welcomed his furry companion's presence. Remus knew that most of the creatures that dwelled in the dark woods were acquainted with Hagrid, and would never dream of harming a friend of the half-giant. Nonetheless, he was becoming increasingly nervous by the sounds emanating behind them; they sounded much like harsh, almost growling breath and heavy footsteps. He gripped his wand tighter and continued into the darkness.

As they neared the center of the forest, a loud snarl ripped through the air. Remus turned around in time to see a massive grey wolf leap out from the trees and launch itself at him. He panicked, and, forgetting his wand, threw his arms up in front of his face to try and fend off the savage animal. But he never felt the impact, or the searing agony of fangs or claws tearing at his flesh. He dropped his arms just as the black dog at his side jumped up in front of the wolf, absorbing the blow and knocking the other canine to the ground. Remus watched in awe as the two animals, nearly a match for strength and ferocity, fought each other ruthlessly.

After what seemed like an eternity, the grey wolf growled in rage, took another brutal swipe at the dog, and vanished into the trees looking rather battered. Remus waited only a second before cautiously approaching the dog, not knowing how it would react to him. Whimpering a little, the animal limped over to meet Remus' gentle hand, giving it a timid lick before collapsing onto his side. Remus gasped quietly when he spotted the shallow, yet long and ragged slash along his ribs. Blood was slowly seeping from the nasty looking wound, matting his luxurious fur and generally making a mess of Remus' jeans when he knelt down on the ground beside it.

Remus pulled off his shirt and pressed firmly against the wound, then picked up the dog, which weighed a lot more than he had originally thought. Concentrating hard on not jarring the poor animal and causing it even more pain, he made his way to Hagrid's house on the edge of the forest. He all but sprinted up to the front door, and when the man didn't answer the door, he began to relentlessly kick the wooden frame, hollering for Hagrid as loud as he could.

"Bloody hell, Rubeus! Answer the fucking door!" he shouted hoarsely, clutching his precious cargo. Finally, Hagrid pulled open the door, yawning sleepily. His boarhound Fang was staggering around tiredly.

"Why are ye yellin' at me for? I ain't hard'a hearin', ye know."

Remus shoved past his friend and placed the now unconscious dog on the large table; Hagrid wouldn't mind... there had been far stranger things on it. Hagrid ambled over to the dog and begin examining it with incredibly gentle fingers.

"This your dog, Remus?"

"No... but he just saved my life," Remus realized in amazement. He told Hagrid about his moonlit fight with a black dog, which he later met this morning while in Hogsmeade, and their trip through the forest.

"This ain't no ordinary dog ye got here," Hagrid said loudly over the bells that signaled that the school day was finished. Already, students were escaping from their stone confines for some fresh air and natural light before dinner. From the corner of his eye, Remus could see a tall, slender boy with shaggy black hair leisurely making his way towards the cabin.

"What do you mean, he is not any ordinary dog? He is large, yes, and has formidable strength... look what he did to me last night!" he exclaimed, pointing to his bare chest that revealed the angry red wound. "But how does that make him out of the ordinary?"

"Hi, Hagrid! Hi, Professor Lupin! How are y--"

Harry, who had just walked into the wide open door, stopped abruptly in the middle of his sentence, staring at the dog on the table. Remus hadn't thought Harry would have been upset by the sight of it; he had seen dead unicorns before, survived the deadly Avada Kedavara curse, outwitted a dragon, and had even watched a friend die by Lord Voldemort's hand. Still, Harry looked utterly appalled as he dashed across the room to the table.

"Sirius!"

"D-do you know this dog, Harry?" Remus asked, frowning.

"Yes! We need to get him to Madame Pomfrey immediately!"

"Aw, it's just a dog, Harry," Hagrid said soothingly. "I can heal him up real nice."

Harry looked horrified, and tears were beginning to form in his bright green eyes. "NO! This is Sirius... he's my godfather! He's an Animagus... come on, Hagrid!"

He dashed back out of the house without waiting for an answer and ran back up to the school. Remus and Hagrid looked first at the dog than at each other, and shrugged in a mute agreement. Hagrid carefully lifted up the dog into his arms and they hurried up to the school.

When they reached the Infirmary, not only was Madame Pomfrey waiting for them, but also Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, who taught Transfiguration and was an Animagus herself; she turned into a rather stern- looking cat. Harry was standing next to Dumbledore, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot. He reminded Remus of a frightened first year student, in place of the experienced sixth year he really was. No sooner had they crossed the threshold, Professor McGonagall was upon them, looking flustered.

"Hagrid, please put Sirius on the bed," she ordered. When the half-giant stepped away, she turned towards them. "Now, everyone...out! Yes, even you, Potter. I'll be a few minutes here. Be patient, Potter, or I'll take fifty points from Gryffindor!"

With the help of Madame Pomfrey, who was obviously allowed to stay, they urged everyone out into the corridor and shut the doors tightly behind them. Harry looked very disgruntled.

"I don't trust two girls with Sirius," he grumbled. "Why do we have to wait here?"

Dumbledore chuckled and patted the boy's shoulder affectionately. "When Animagi become severely injured in their Animal form, or fall into unconsciousness, they are unable to return to their true form to be healed. Therefore, a spell must be performed that is known only to the Animagi themselves; if others knew the incantation, they might use it against them. Professor McGonagall will perform the spell, and Madame Pomfrey will start to heal Sirius' wounds."

As if on cue, Professor McGonagall opened the door, beckoning them inside. Harry all but ran to his godfather. Hagrid and Remus hung back, unsure of what to do. They turned to leave but Harry stopped them.

"Will you stay with him, Professor Lupin?" Harry asked urgently. "I would, but I need to study for my exams... and I'm also very, very hungry."

"Of course, Harry," he said, smiling. "And how many times have I told you not to call me that? You may call me Remus."

"Sorry, Professor Remus," Harry said, snickering, before turning away and heading towards the Great Hall. Hagrid and Professor McGonagall followed shortly after him, bidding goodnight to Remus. He turned back into the room and approached Dumbledore, who was conversing in quiet, serious tones with Madame Pomfrey in the corner. The old headmaster looked up as Remus drew closer.

"You did not bite him in your fight last night, did you, Remus?" Dumbledore said sharply.

"N-no!" he exclaimed, mortified at the very suggestion. "Even when I am in wolf-form, I possess some control over my actions and my thoughts, and the potions Severus makes for me further my control. Even though my bite is not harmful to other creatures, I would never bite another being... I would never curse someone with this life..."

Madame Pomfrey looked beyond relieved and returned to her patient. Remus gazed over at the bed, but all he could see was a mop of black hair. Sighing, he glanced back at Dumbledore.

"Is he... is he really who I think he is?"

"If you think he is Sirius Black, you are correct," Dumbledore said, smiling mysteriously. "He is Harry's godfather... and he was on a reconnaissance mission at a great risk to his life. I'm sure you've heard rumors that the Ministry of Magic is finally sending a select group of wizards and witches to gather information on Voldemort's movements, the growing number of his Death Eaters... Sirius was gone for nearly seven months. We feared him dead. Severus, having returned early from his own mission, wanted to go back and look for him, but it was too risky. If Voldemort had spotted one of his own Death Eaters helping the enemy, things would not have been good."

Remus said nothing as he took in this information; he remembered Sirius Black from his own days at Hogwarts, but doubted whether the man would know him. Dumbledore smiled and left him alone in the dark; Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. He realized how late it had gotten, and assumed that she had gone down for dinner. Slowly, he crept towards the bed, not wanting to disturb the man's sleep, watching Sirius' slow, even breath. He was naked from the waist and above... and, when Remus really thought about it, he was probably naked below his waist, as well. He reached over and drew the sheets up a little higher so they rested just above his navel. Remus himself didn't have any problems with being naked in front of complete strangers, but he had no idea if Sirius did or not.

He glanced briefly at the few scars that decorated Sirius' chest and stomach, looking very pale against his tanned skin. He allowed his eyes to travel higher, focusing on his face. Sirius' hair was a dark as the night and quite long, fanning out like a shinning obsidian pillow. He had a few piercings in his right ear, but nothing too elaborate—just small, silver studs. There wasn't much Remus could tell about this man until he opened his eyes. To him, a person's eyes held their very soul: you could read into them, and know what kind of person they were. While Sirius had been in dog- form, his piercing gaze had been so intense and expressive... Remus could only imagine how his human eyes would look upon him.

Remus settled back into the wooden chair beside the bed and closed his eyes, his lack of sleep finally catching up with him. As he drifted into a light doze, he was completely unaware that the man he thought had been asleep was now gazing at him intently.

Smiling contentedly, Sirius Black rolled onto his side and dropped back into unconsciousness.

[end part one]

Reviews are respected and accepted with a smile; Flames are expected and subjected to extreme amounts of mocking and shame.

How's that for a first chapter? This is my very first Harry Potter fiction! I usually write for animé or games. In case you were wondering, yes, I have posted this here before, then removed it... I still don't know why I pulled all of my stuff from here, but anyways. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

So, tell me what you think of this so far! I love to hear comments and suggestions, as long as they're constructive. People who leave flames complaining about the inaccuracy of my fic are asked to please pull their fat heads out of their bums and READ the warnings and disclaimer above.