In the Den of Wolves
Summery: Every Auror must pass one final test: to totally immerse oneself in a corner of the Dark Arts. Will Sirius be able to pass with a little help from Remus? Contains slash.
Rating: R
Warnings: Slash between Remus and Sirius, obviously. Won't be a major plot device, but it will definitely be there. Mild language and, later, character deaths. Oh, and characters that are of my own creation.
A.N./ This story does have mostly characters that are my own. I don't know people's usual reaction to this, but I hope that you'll give them a chance. Remus and Sirius are still the main characters, though. I truly hope that all of you enjoy this (even more hoping than usual, which is saying a lot). If you do, please review. If you don't, please don't make a fuss about it.
Prologue: The Mission
Sirius looked over to James, grinning like mad. They were almost complete with their training. Soon enough they would become full-fledged Aurors, sent out to help protect the entire wizarding world. One more test to be passed, and that was it. Sirius looked around at the other wizards and witches in the room. Everyone sat quietly and very still, not wanting to break the heavy magic of silence in the room. Not many of them were left after the grueling training that led up to this point; only twelve of them sat there, not sure what to expect last. No one ever said it was going to be easy to become an Auror; Sirius knew this. That just made him more satisfied to be in the final ranks. He was also proud of his friends: James, who he knew would pass, as well as the happy newly weds, Frank and Alice Longbottom. They would all be fighting together and that sent a thrill up his spine.
Their head leader, a stout man with a large scar across his forehead dipping precariously onto his left eye named Maddock, walked into the room, seemingly surprised that the silence held such a heavy air. He looked over every remaining person. "Today will be one of your last days in training. You should be proud of what you have accomplished. You are now prepared to fully submerge yourselves into the endless realm that is the Dark Arts. You must learn to survive, defend, and most importantly respect the evils you will face.
"That is why an excises has been arranged to test your strength in the field. You are physically ready, but are you psychologically prepared? Are you ready to go into an abode where your worst fears and most horrible nightmares rest and where you will rest among them? We shall see."
He walked among them with his hands behind his back, pacing ever so slowly. Sirius' grin broadened as he looked over at James, who looked a curious mixture of excitement and nervousness. Or was that fear? He had never really seen the look on his friend. No matter what it was, he knew that they were strong enough to handle it. They would be able to live out their dream and fight side by side. The only thing that was missing was Remus. If it weren't for the Ministry's strict and, in his opinion, completely idiotic rule that forbade any "creature" of the Dark Arts, no matter how good they were, to work with any of their programs. "They are the very people we fight against," they say. It was a bunch of bunk, in Sirius' eyes.
Maddock stopped right in front of James, the Longbottoms, and Sirius. "What creature of the Dark do you fear the most?" he asked Alice, who was startled that she was first to be asked such a preposterous question.
She paused for a moment, not sure how to answer. So, she obviously chose an honest answer. "Centaurs, to tell the truth," she answered.
"Hmn … That is a peculiar beginning," Maddock said gruffly. "Why is that?"
"Well," she said, a little embarrassed now, "I've always learned that they can become particularly disgruntled and can produce more harm to a human than most know. Some wizards have not survived encounters with Centaurs and so much is unknown about them."
Maddock considered this and nodded in agreement. "Nice choice, young lady." Alice gave a timid smile, as if unsure why she should.
"And what about you, Longbottom?" Frank looked to his wife and answered reluctantly, "Banshees, sir."
"Fear most a woman's wrath, son? You're in for it, then." The room let out a nervous laugh and Alice smiled evilly at Frank as if to assure him that there was definitely truth in the statement.
Maddock looked to James, obviously curious of what his answer may be. James had passed all of his trails with flying colors and seemed so sure of himself that most thought it would be his downfall. There must have been some flaw to him. "And what you, Potter?"
Sirius saw a flicker in James' eyes that only meant one thing: that truth was afoot. Curious himself, Sirius leaned in to listen to James' low voice. James paused and sighed.
"My wife, sir," he joked boisterously and the room filled with laughter once again. Maddock himself let a laugh escape before he shook his head and moved on to Sirius. However, Sirius had caught on to the rhythm of things. He knew that deep down, the things that scared him the most were dementors, with their horrible joy sucking tendencies. He knew that out of every creature in the world, he would not be able to last even a week with them. So, he thought of a creature he could put up with out of all the evils in this world.
"Werewloves."
Maddock looked slightly taken aback. "Most ferocious." And with that, he was onto the next person.
"What did you say that for," James whispered, tapping his shoulder.
"If I'm correct, you'll see," Sirius said, very sure of himself.
After every person was questioned, from Centaurs to Trolls, Maddock stood before the entire room. He nodded to James, said "Vampires" (to which James just shrugged), and looked over the group.
"For one month, you will immerse yourself in the lifestyle of the creature you have chosen without any contact with the outside world. For one month you will live in disguise among a coven, a pack, an organization of Dark creatures and when you are finished, you will report back to the Ministry. After, you will have to identify where your group is located, the members in this group with a full personal history of every individual, and whether your group is for Light or, indeed, Dark." He looked over the group once more and nodded. "That is all."
As everyone was filling out, James hit Sirius on the back. "Nice catch, mate. I think you chose the easiest path, considering. Good eye," he congratulated. Sirius grinned, his pride swelling his head more than normal.
"Well, one would say that I have practice in this particular area of knowledge."
"Hell, I'd say," James said, grabbing his stuff to go.
"How do you feel about your pick?" Sirius said, following suit.
James considered this and shook his head. "I still hold with my first choice."
---
When Sirius stepped into the flat that he shared with Remus, he heard a loud crash and a cry erupt from the small kitchen on the other side of the room. He rushed from the door, his shoe still half on. Sirius couldn't push out the image of a death eater standing over Remus' now broken body or that of another pot roast burnt to a crisp. Both were too terrible to bear. Luckily, it seemed to be the latter. A disgruntled Remus, sporting blackened oven mitts, was pulling a dish out of the oven. The smell was almost too much and Sirius covered his mouth to keep from breathing in the fumes. The object in the pot was unrecognizable, and Sirius preferred that he didn't know what it had once been.
"Take out again tonight?" he asked, helping Remus with the heavy porcelain dish. They hoisted it up into the sink where steam rose at a rapid rate, burning their faces and eyes as they pulled away quickly.
"Oh bugger off," Remus said disgustedly. He threw the mittens in the garbage and sighed dejectedly.
"Oh, my poor Remus," said Sirius wrapping his arms around him from behind. Remus leaned into the embrace, sighing dejectedly. Sirius loved this, just holding Remus even for no reason at all. It reminded him that life was worth every second, easy or hard. And now after a long day, he knew exactly what they both needed. Just as Sirius began to kiss his way up the werewolf's neck, Remus pulled away, but not without a glint in his eye. There would be time for that later, he could see. And oh, how he couldn't wait especially after the news he had received. Speaking of which …
"So, how was the meeting?" Remus asked, turning in his arms and straightening Sirius' robes as he tried to hide the grin that had surfaced on his lips. He always tried to look uninterested, fearing it would reveal him too weak. It just made the moments where he was completely and unfathomably far-gone and unguarded that much fulfilling, so most times Sirius just let it pass.
Sirius then began to tell him about the last assignment and everyone's different positions. Remus laughed when he learned about James' misfortune, and audibly sympathizing that possibly the new Mrs. Potter might not ever see her husband tan again. Sirius also told him how he had outwitted the system with his choice. Sirius smiled proudly, expecting praise, but only found Remus' negative reaction.
"You know, the reason for the exercise is to make sure you are fully prepared for the field. You really should have readied yourself for the practice. You never know when it could come in handy." Remus said this with a slight frown on his face and Sirius huffed.
"Well, there wasn't anything I could think of," Sirius lied, unhappy that Remus' reaction was typical as usual.
"What about dementors. I know that-"
"I thought we weren't going to discuss that," Sirius said, looking at him pointedly.
"Oh, that's right. My Sirius is as perfect as they come! How lucky am I?" Remus smiled and kissed him on the tip of his nose. Sirius wrinkled it and smiled in response.
"So you're not angry?"
Remus sighed. "Of course not, Padfoot. I feel for you too much to make room for anger."
They kissed at that, slow and steady. Sirius backed up to the couch, pulling Remus with him as he fell onto the cushions. Remus fit perfectly on his lap as Sirius flicked his tongue over his bottom lip. Remus opened himself completely to him, their tongues tangling in sweet bliss. Sirius felt a knot twist in the pit of stomach and welcomed the pleasure with opened arms. He ran his hands over Remus' well-formed shoulders and down his surprisingly toned back. He spread his legs wantonly, letting Remus rest there as their kiss deepened even more. When Sirius reached down to grab his bum, Remus pulled away. Sirius couldn't help but whine.
"I think I can come with you!" Remus said, excitedly.
"Well, that was the plan before you pulled away." Sirius said this wickedly, reaching again for the prize of his desire.
Remus swatted him away. "No," he chuckled, "I mean on your mission."
"Really?"
"Yes. Dumbledore needed me to go on an Order assignment to find more packs that could promise to stay on our side since Voldemort has grown more and more powerful. Didn't you say that you choose your own pack to reside with? I can write to Dumbledore and arrange it so we can stay with this new family called The Abendroth House. It has a vast number of clan members and we could really use that many people on our side."
"You are a genius!" Sirius said, leaning into kiss once again. But Remus didn't give him much before he jumped up to write the letter immediately and Sirius groaned not knowing whether he had just won or lost the day.
A.N./ I really want to continue this because I have so may ideas, but if no one will read it because it has my own characters or because the idea sucks in general then please, please, tell me so I don't waste my time. Writing is never a waste, but if no one will read it then why bother posting? So, please speak your minds on whether this is good or not. Review, my friends, review!