TITLE: How to Find a Mate in Less than Thirty Days [1/?]
AUTHOR: Samantha [kali_neba@hotmail.com]
RATING/CONTENT: PG-13, Sirius/Remus, some James/Lily, minor language, very minor mentions of sexual situations
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. JK Rowling owns the lot of them.
I want it all to go away I want to be alone
sympathy's wasted on my hollow shell
I feel there's nothing left to fight for
No reason for a cause
And I can't hear your voice and I can't feel you near
-- "Lost," Sarah McLachlan
Remus cracked his eyes open and hissed slightly as his eyes became adjusted to the blinding light in the infirmary. He blinked against the slight pain and focused on the window on the wall behind his bed.
"I'm glad you're awake," a kind voice commented, causing Remus to roll his eyes away from the window to focus on Dumbledore sitting next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I ended up between Snape and James in a duel," Remus replied, rising up from a sitting position.
"Tell me what you remember," Dumbledore suggested, leaning back in his chair.
"I remember studying for potions and getting distract by Sirius," Remus said, smiling slightly at Dumbledore and the Headmaster returned his smile. "I-I don't remember much after that. I know I passed out." Dumbledore nodded, rising to his feet and pacing down the length of the bed.
"Your birthday is next month, yes?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly turning and facing Remus. He narrowed his eyes, studying Remus's face for...something.
"I'll be seventeen, sir."
"Ten years to the day since the start of your....condition?" Dumbledore said, somehow managing to twist his statement into a question.
Remus swallowed. "Yes, sir."
"I've been afraid of this," Dumbledore sighed, sliding back into his chair, suddenly looking worn and tired, his eyes worried as he stared at Remus.
"Headmaster--" Remus began, but Dumbledore held up a tired hand.
"I knew this was a possibility before you even came here," Dumbledore stated. "But there was nothing definite. Most werewolves don't survive their first ten years. Either they're not strong enough, and can't handle the transformations. Or...or they get hunted." Remus looked down at his hands, trying to follow the Headmaster's train of thought. "But there were rumors. Rumors that I've spent a great deal of time researching. And now, now they are no longer rumors."
"Sir, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say," Remus said, glancing up at Dumbledore.
"Of course not." Dumbledore smiled sadly. "I appear to be babbling." He glanced around the infirmary, focussing intently at the corner by the door before turning back to Remus. Dumbledore watched the boy's face for a few second, seeming, to Remus, as if he was at a loss for words at the first time in his life.
"Remus, have you ever heard that natural wolves mate for life?" Remus nodded slightly in reply, remembering the Muggle book on wolves that Lily had given him for Christmas.
"A wolf who does not have a mate finds itself at a disadvantage in terms of survival. It cannot hunt to the best of its advantage, nor can it defend any territory it possesses," Remus stated, recalling the words he'd read repeatedly.
"Correct," Dumbledore stated, looking at him sadly. "Now, the wolf inside a werewolf, being at its core a magical being, takes the concept to the extreme. If a werewolf lives see the decade mark of its existence and has not chosen a mate during that time, then it will die." Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Your wolf cannot live without a mate." He stared hard at Remus. "Literally cannot live."
"Are you saying...." Remus trailed off, staring at Dumbledore, trying to find some resemblance to the kindly old man with twinkling eyes that had been the norm for six years. "Are you saying that I'm dying?"
"There is a way to avoid it, Remus," Dumbledore stated.
"Yes, to find someone whith whom I want to spend the rest of my life in a month," Remus replied, testily. He shook his head, running a hand over his face, suddenly feeling very tired. "I'm sorry, sir," he said, glancing up at Dumbledore. "I...This is a lot to process at once."
"I understand, and you should get some rest." He rose to his feet, but smiled down at Remus. "If you need anything, you can always come a speak with me." Remus settled back into the hospital cot as Dumbledore walked towards the door. Remus's eyes narrowed as Dumbledore paused at the corner by the door and muttered something that sounded very similar to a greeting. Then the Headmaster was gone.
"I'll never understand how he knows," Remus heard as Sirius pulled the Invisibility Cloak off. He glanced over Remus, his eyes showing more worry than Remus had seen in the boy in their six years of friendship.
"Where are James and Peter?" Remus asked, trying to make his voice sound light as he silently mulled over Dumbledore's news.
"There wasn't room for all four of us under the cloak, and Lily refused to stay behind. Her exact words were...." Sirius placed his hands on his hips and glared at Remus, "'James Wesley Potter, if you think that I'm staying behind, then you are mistaken, and if you insist on this unreasonable line of thought, then you and I will never, ever, be meeting behind the greenhouses again.' Then James went pale and started stuttering." Remus laughed softly, relieved that neither his laughter nor smile were forced.
"So they elected you to come in their place?"
"Actually, I, uh, stole the Cloak while James was trying to pry his foot from his mouth. I figure all three of them will be bursting in any minute now," Sirius stated, smiling sadly. Silence descended on the pair as Sirius claimed the seat the Dumbledore had vacated. "I-I heard what he said," Sirius said so softly that Remus almost didn't hear him.
"I figured as much," Remus replied, glancing over at Sirius.
"Do you think...what are you going to do?" Sirius said.
"I don't know," Remus whispered as the full truth of what Dumbledore had said finally hit home. Tears stung at his eyes as he glanced at Sirius. "I'm sixteen, Sirius. I don't want to die."
"You're not going to," Sirius stated with as more conviction than Remus was currently feeling. "You're a Marauder, Moony. We don't let each other die."
"You sound very certain, Padfoot," Remus said. Sirius reached out and touched Remus's hand.
"We'll figure something out. We always do."
---------------------------
Continued...
Feedback is appreciated.
AUTHOR: Samantha [kali_neba@hotmail.com]
RATING/CONTENT: PG-13, Sirius/Remus, some James/Lily, minor language, very minor mentions of sexual situations
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. JK Rowling owns the lot of them.
I want it all to go away I want to be alone
sympathy's wasted on my hollow shell
I feel there's nothing left to fight for
No reason for a cause
And I can't hear your voice and I can't feel you near
-- "Lost," Sarah McLachlan
Remus cracked his eyes open and hissed slightly as his eyes became adjusted to the blinding light in the infirmary. He blinked against the slight pain and focused on the window on the wall behind his bed.
"I'm glad you're awake," a kind voice commented, causing Remus to roll his eyes away from the window to focus on Dumbledore sitting next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I ended up between Snape and James in a duel," Remus replied, rising up from a sitting position.
"Tell me what you remember," Dumbledore suggested, leaning back in his chair.
"I remember studying for potions and getting distract by Sirius," Remus said, smiling slightly at Dumbledore and the Headmaster returned his smile. "I-I don't remember much after that. I know I passed out." Dumbledore nodded, rising to his feet and pacing down the length of the bed.
"Your birthday is next month, yes?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly turning and facing Remus. He narrowed his eyes, studying Remus's face for...something.
"I'll be seventeen, sir."
"Ten years to the day since the start of your....condition?" Dumbledore said, somehow managing to twist his statement into a question.
Remus swallowed. "Yes, sir."
"I've been afraid of this," Dumbledore sighed, sliding back into his chair, suddenly looking worn and tired, his eyes worried as he stared at Remus.
"Headmaster--" Remus began, but Dumbledore held up a tired hand.
"I knew this was a possibility before you even came here," Dumbledore stated. "But there was nothing definite. Most werewolves don't survive their first ten years. Either they're not strong enough, and can't handle the transformations. Or...or they get hunted." Remus looked down at his hands, trying to follow the Headmaster's train of thought. "But there were rumors. Rumors that I've spent a great deal of time researching. And now, now they are no longer rumors."
"Sir, I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say," Remus said, glancing up at Dumbledore.
"Of course not." Dumbledore smiled sadly. "I appear to be babbling." He glanced around the infirmary, focussing intently at the corner by the door before turning back to Remus. Dumbledore watched the boy's face for a few second, seeming, to Remus, as if he was at a loss for words at the first time in his life.
"Remus, have you ever heard that natural wolves mate for life?" Remus nodded slightly in reply, remembering the Muggle book on wolves that Lily had given him for Christmas.
"A wolf who does not have a mate finds itself at a disadvantage in terms of survival. It cannot hunt to the best of its advantage, nor can it defend any territory it possesses," Remus stated, recalling the words he'd read repeatedly.
"Correct," Dumbledore stated, looking at him sadly. "Now, the wolf inside a werewolf, being at its core a magical being, takes the concept to the extreme. If a werewolf lives see the decade mark of its existence and has not chosen a mate during that time, then it will die." Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Your wolf cannot live without a mate." He stared hard at Remus. "Literally cannot live."
"Are you saying...." Remus trailed off, staring at Dumbledore, trying to find some resemblance to the kindly old man with twinkling eyes that had been the norm for six years. "Are you saying that I'm dying?"
"There is a way to avoid it, Remus," Dumbledore stated.
"Yes, to find someone whith whom I want to spend the rest of my life in a month," Remus replied, testily. He shook his head, running a hand over his face, suddenly feeling very tired. "I'm sorry, sir," he said, glancing up at Dumbledore. "I...This is a lot to process at once."
"I understand, and you should get some rest." He rose to his feet, but smiled down at Remus. "If you need anything, you can always come a speak with me." Remus settled back into the hospital cot as Dumbledore walked towards the door. Remus's eyes narrowed as Dumbledore paused at the corner by the door and muttered something that sounded very similar to a greeting. Then the Headmaster was gone.
"I'll never understand how he knows," Remus heard as Sirius pulled the Invisibility Cloak off. He glanced over Remus, his eyes showing more worry than Remus had seen in the boy in their six years of friendship.
"Where are James and Peter?" Remus asked, trying to make his voice sound light as he silently mulled over Dumbledore's news.
"There wasn't room for all four of us under the cloak, and Lily refused to stay behind. Her exact words were...." Sirius placed his hands on his hips and glared at Remus, "'James Wesley Potter, if you think that I'm staying behind, then you are mistaken, and if you insist on this unreasonable line of thought, then you and I will never, ever, be meeting behind the greenhouses again.' Then James went pale and started stuttering." Remus laughed softly, relieved that neither his laughter nor smile were forced.
"So they elected you to come in their place?"
"Actually, I, uh, stole the Cloak while James was trying to pry his foot from his mouth. I figure all three of them will be bursting in any minute now," Sirius stated, smiling sadly. Silence descended on the pair as Sirius claimed the seat the Dumbledore had vacated. "I-I heard what he said," Sirius said so softly that Remus almost didn't hear him.
"I figured as much," Remus replied, glancing over at Sirius.
"Do you think...what are you going to do?" Sirius said.
"I don't know," Remus whispered as the full truth of what Dumbledore had said finally hit home. Tears stung at his eyes as he glanced at Sirius. "I'm sixteen, Sirius. I don't want to die."
"You're not going to," Sirius stated with as more conviction than Remus was currently feeling. "You're a Marauder, Moony. We don't let each other die."
"You sound very certain, Padfoot," Remus said. Sirius reached out and touched Remus's hand.
"We'll figure something out. We always do."
---------------------------
Continued...
Feedback is appreciated.