The Storm

Archive: Fanfiction.net and anyone else who wants it. Just email me and let me know!

Summary: After difficult day, Remus gets angry, then drunk, and then angrier.

Spoilers: Hmmm… It is a post the boys leaving Hogwarts,' pre Harry fic!

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: They ARE mine! ALL MINE! MWHAHAHA… Don't sue JK – I'm only joking! They're yours, not that you appreciate it! How could you do that?? You know what I'm talking about lady!

Originally posted: RLSB

Notes: This fic is very loosely based on a scene from the brilliant BBC mini-drama, Cambridge Spies! So if you think part of the fic is a little familiar, and you've seen the program, you'll know why! I guess I should say that I don't own Cambridge Spies either!

Warnings: Angst!

Dedications: I would like to dedicate this fic, firstly to Jasmine, who whilst very brilliantly betaring fics, makes sure the UK's cows udders are working correctly, lest their milking capacity diminish and a milk shortage occur! I think that needs a special thanks all of its own! Also, many thanks to Aesa, who so very kindly helped me with any final mistakes and plot follies! Finally I would like to thank Kathrine, who also helped to fix the fic (Yes, I need a lot of help as my writing often sucks)! Thank you all!!

Feedback: YES PLEASE!! I LOVE FEEDBACK! I used capitals for emphasis!

The party at the Potter's house would be in full swing by now and probably had been for hours, everybody celebrating. The reason behind the celebration didn't matter as much as the actual celebrating itself. That was the way in these troubled times. Their world as they knew it was collapsing around them, so let's throw a party. Let's all try and forget.

Sometimes Remus Lupin found himself joining in, partying with the best of them, everyone trying to take their minds away from reality, but there were times when their recklessness and irresponsibility really got to him, especially tonight. He could see why people wanted to forget… he wished he could do the same, but it was so much harder for him.

Since being bitten as a young boy, Remus had been cursed with Lycanthropy. Remus was a werewolf, and being a werewolf, especially in these times, was difficult, to put it lightly. Suspicion everywhere in the magical world, people trying to work out who was trustworthy and who wasn't.

As a werewolf, Remus was considered very untrustworthy, at least by the Ministry of Magic, who incidentally had made there feelings about him exceedingly clear. Although the Ministry would never disclose the identity of werewolves living in the community, not through compassion, but for the fear of causing mass hysteria, they had introduced a new method of keeping tabs on the magical communities undesirables.' Branding. Nothing as medieval as scoring the flesh with a scalding hot poker, but it had ultimately had the same affect, leaving him with a small vulgar tattoo on his left shoulder blade. A number. In this world, he was only a number.

In a way he didn't really blame the Ministry. True, he resented them a great deal for how they treated him and his kind, however they had only acted in ignorance and through fear… fear of Lord Voldermort. But, there was the injustice of it all. It was Voldermort who had caused all of this, yet he was the one being punished. Remus was being punished for Voldermort's crimes and nobody seemed to care. Rather then doing something… doing anything to somehow remediate the injustice, people had chosen to ignore it. They'd rather block out the realities, slipping into their own make believe worlds, while he suffered. Why couldn't they see it? Albus Dumbledore, a good man who was working day and night, trying to combat the evils of their world had informed everyone, more then once, that darker times were coming… that the storms were on their way and they needed to be prepared. But preparing meant facing the truth, and very few people were willing to do that.

........

Remus sat in his chair, listening to the distant rumble of thunder as droplets of rain began to fall outside with an increasing frequency, as he mused over his newly delivered papers. The papers. A collection of papers he had to carry with him at all times containing all his personal details, for example his name, address, but most importantly his number, to be presented on request.

Sirius had been as outraged as he when Remus received the first letter, informing them of the Ministry's plans and had been the first to beat down their door, shouting, screaming – generally making his presence and opinion felt, but it hadn't changed anything. The move was announced to the public, perhaps as a publicity stunt to try and regain their confidence after some recent setbacks in the fight against Voldermort, and that was the end of the matter. He had wanted to tell Sirius of the latest development – the arrival of his papers, but unfortunately for Remus upon arriving home from his job at the Ministry, Sirius had informed him that James Potter, fellow Marauder and one of their best friends was having yet another party. After hearing that Remus did not wish to attend, Sirius had quickly given him a kiss and then left, not wanting to miss a moment of it. James and Lily often threw parties and Sirius always had to go, had to be the life and soul. Even when they all knew what was going on in Remus' life, they still threw their infamous parties.

........

Remus hadn't gone to the party, but had decided to have his own little indulgence – a bottle of vodka. Why? To be honest, he wasn't quite sure. Possibly to forget the thoughts plaguing his mind, or possibly out of a kind of self-spite. Even though he was a werewolf, he was still affected by large amounts of alcohol. His inhibitions were lowered, his mental capabilities seemed to alter slightly and on occasion his coordination seemed to be affected. Remus knew all this would happen to him and he hated the idea of not being fully in control of himself – perhaps something to do with the lack of control he had when he was the wolf – but he had resolved himself to do this…

So, with a sigh Remus twisted the top of the glass bottle, discarded it on the floor - he had a feeling that he wouldn't be putting it back on any time soon - and raised the bottle to his lips, allowing the clear liquid to seep into his mouth until it was close to full. Swallowing, the Vodka burnt his throat and he shuddered away the empty, bitter taste. Once the burning sensation had ebbed, he withdrew the bottle, absentmindedly swirling the contents, after a few minutes repeating the process.

After an hour of this, an idea - quite out of the blue as he'd been trying his hardest not to think of anything - struck the drunken werewolf. He was going to join the party. Remus decided that he might as well attend the event that had drawn away his lover when he should have been at home with him. Yes. He'd go there and show them all… something. What exactly he was going to show them, his intoxicated mind hadn't quite figured out yet.

........

He didn't know how long it took to get him there or even how he got there, but after staggering through the rain, an almost empty bottle of Vodka in his hand, he somehow found himself outside Godric's Hollow, his robes now plastered to his thin frame. Due to the spontaneity of the idea, together with his incapacitated state, he had forgotten about the practicalities of going out in the rain – without an umbrella or raincoat, you're going to get wet. Fumbling around for the door handle, he eventually found it, gripped it as hard as his wet hands could and pushed it down causing the door to swing open.

And there they all stood, scattered around the Potter's, candle lit front room, totally unaware of anything outside. After muttering a quick drying charm, Remus stumbled his way through the crowd of people. The amount of alcohol he had consumed, together with the smoky and loud atmosphere proved very disorientating on his heightened werewolf senses, making it quite difficult to pinpoint the identity of anyone. Fortunately for him however, there was someone who wasn't drunk and had just spotted him.

"Hullo there Moony," Remus heard and recognised the happy voice of his lover's best friend, James Potter. His vision was slightly obscured from the smoke in the room - apparently some wizards had taken up the Muggle activity of smoking - so the messy-haired boy seemed slightly blurred around the edges. "I'm so glad you came," said James wrapping one arm around the werewolf. "I thought Sirius-"

"Talking about me?" Said a loud, slightly drunken voice through the crowds, interrupting James mid sentence. "And molesting my Moony here to boot." Sirius pushed away James' arm and replaced it with his own. "Thought you weren't coming, love."

Remus hated seeing Sirius acting this way… so happy and carefree. Life wasn't happy and carefree, at least not for him – didn't he know that? And Sirius had been drinking. All of them had. Whilst he had sat at home, contemplating the seriousness of all their situations, Sirius and his supposed friends had been attempting to reach new levels of uselessness. True, in their school days, he had found seeing his friends under the influence amusing. Observing how it affected them, giving their eyes a strange glossy' appearance and their faces a vacant expression, the way their reflexes and responses became slower - the loss of coordination making them appear as if they were children just learning how to walk. Perhaps the most interesting to observe, was their mental deterioration - their slurred speech and erratic outbursts of emotion. But now it was tedious… tedious and pointless. It was currently an extremely hypocritical thought, but one that he still believed very strongly. Here was a room filled with some of the best of their world and yet they were allowing all their skill and power to be wasted like this, achieving nothing but hiding the truth. Remus found himself flinching away from Sirius, almost in disgust. "Moony?" Even in his state, his couldn't help but notice what Remus had just done and the hurt was reflected by the quiver in his voice.

"I… I don't know why I…" Remus' voice trailed off as he tried to remember what he wanted to say.

"Hey Remus," said another friendly voice through the crowd, this time belonging to James' red-headed wife Lily, holding two glasses of what looked like red wine. "We're so glad to see you. Joining the party I see," she said kissing him on the cheek and forcing one of the glasses into his free hand.

"Erm… thanks Lily… thanks." Lily entwined her fingers with her husbands.

"Just you haven't been to one of our parties in ages," she chirped happily.

"No…" Remus' voice trailed off again as he lifted the almost empty bottle of Vodka, twirling the clear liquid around, before pouring what remained into the wine glass and causing some of the now pale red liquid to spill over the top of the glass onto the wooden floor.

"Remus, love, what are you doing?" Asked Sirius curiously.

"I'm just having a good time… just like all of you," replied Remus, lifting the glass to his eye line and examining the red wine mixed with vodka more closely.

"Moony, are you drunk?" asked James, in a half amused, half concerned voice. Remus didn't answer, deciding to respond by pouring half the contents of the glass down his throat, then pulling a face at the strange taste. Remus noticed James exchange perhaps a worried glance between Sirius and his wife, before attempting to make the strange situation a little more light. "Come on then, who are you?" He asked trying to laugh, "And what have you done with our responsible Moony?"

"He's on holiday." Another swig and the glass was empty. He held it out to a bemused Lily. "I need to be refilled." Lily turned her head to Sirius, looking for some kind of guidance. "Well?" Asked Remus, a hint of irritation creeping in.

"Er... okay." Lily took the glass off Remus, but she didn't leave her husband's side.

"What's the matter?" asked Remus. "Come on everyone," he said in a very obvious, fake, cheery voice. "There's drinking to be done. Let's all get drunk. It's fun."

"Come on Remus," said Sirius hesitantly. He'd never seen Remus act like this and wasn't fully sure of the way in which he should handle the situation.

"Go?" Questioned Remus, his forehead crumpled as he examined Sirius. "But I just got here."

"And I think we should go now." There was nothing like one's wasted loved one to sober a person up, and Sirius now felt very sober.

"I am not leaving," hissed Remus, surprising even himself – something that Sirius noticed and was enough to prompt him to asking the question on everyone's lips.

"Remus what's the matter? What's happened?" Remus rubbed his forehead in annoyance and felt a sudden wave on anger sweep over his body. To him it was obvious what the matter was. Why couldn't they see? In blind frustration, Remus decided to get everyone's attention be throwing the empty bottle he was still holding onto the floor, causing the glass to loudly shatter into hundreds of tiny shards. There was a gasp from the crowd. The music stopped and everyone turned to the direction of the commotion… and him. Now he had their undivided attention.

"For Merlin's sake, what is wrong with you all?" Shouted the usually composed werewolf.

"Moony… Remus," stuttered Sirius in astonishment. "What's the matter?" He tried to approach Remus, who backed away from him. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"What's wrong? What's wro-"

"Remus you're shouting," interrupted Sirius, trying to reach out to and touch Remus, only to have his hands knocked away. "Remus please… did something happen?"

"Of course something's happened. Have you all been placed under some kind of memory charm? The world is falling down in front of your eyes and you can't see it. Our society is falling apart but rather than doing something about it, all you can do is go to parties, get drunk and celebrate! What the hell is there to celebrate?" There was a sea of shocked faces as Sirius again tried to touch and hopefully, subdue his mate. But, Remus was having none of it. "Albus Dumbledore keeps telling us all that the storm is coming, well it's already fucking here and not one of you cares!" Remus for the third time pushed Sirius away from him and then proceeded to push his way through the stunned crowd until he reached the front door.

"Remus," called Sirius following his mate, with an expression of utmost concern, watching him as he opened the door and ran out into the street. It was still raining ferociously and Remus now stood alone in the rain, his body outlined in lamplight, as the dagger-like droplets of water pelted his body. "Remus please," said Sirius, raising his voice over the din of the storm. "You're going to catch your death, love." Sirius approached him with caution as James, Lily and his other concerned friends gathered in the doorway. "Remus…" Sirius reached out a hand, placing it tenderly on his shoulder. "Remus." He breathed a silent sigh of relief as Remus turned to face him. His shoulder length, light brown hair now clung to his face in thick, wet tendrils.

"Sirius the storm… it's raining." He looked desperately into Sirius' pale blue eyes, willing him to understand as he raised his trembling and extremely wet hands and cupped his mate's face. Sirius gasped as contact was made – Remus' hands were cold. "Can't you feel it," said Remus, keeping his eye's fixed on his mate's. "It's here," he whispered. The lovers looked at each other with such intensity, until eventually Sirius understood.

"Your papers came." One small, simple sentence, but it caused the fully grown werewolf to shut his burning amber eyes and lower his head, falling into Sirius' arms in tears. "I'm sorry," came Sirius' soft and soothing voice, "I didn't know… I'm sorry, love." Remus clung to him tightly, whilst his mate nuzzled his hair, whispering loving words. The streets were cold and silent apart from the comforting sound of the rain, as they stood there, moon-stained, drenched in water and the light.

........

Time passed and eventually one person summed the courage to approach the couple, carrying a much needed gift. It was Lily.

"I brought a blanket," she said nervously. Remus didn't move but Sirius looked up and nodded, smiling weakly.

"Thanks Lily." There was an awkward silence. "You know, I think we're going to-"

"Go? Sure," said Lily unfolding the blanket and wrapping it around the both of them. "Take care of him." Sirius nodded again, sparing a quick smile for a worried looking James who stood in the doorway before disapparated with Remus held safely in his arms.

........

Remus was now sleeping in their bed. Upon apparating home, Sirius had helped Remus to the bedroom, undressed him and had just pulled the duvet over him. He had watched his lover fall asleep almost immediately on his head touching the pillow, murmuring something inaudible before slipping fully into deep the abyss. Sirius observed his mate as he perched on the edge of the bed running his fingers through Remus' golden, usually-silky-but-now-tangled-from-being-caught-in-the-rain, brown hair. He looked more Remus-like now… calm… peaceful… and nothing like an hour ago.

He was quick to remove his own clothes and slide under the covers next to Remus, pulling the werewolf close to him. After getting comfortable, he idly allowed his fingers to glide over the lightly muscled back of his mate, resting them where he knew Remus' number was, before bending down his head and placing a gentle kiss on the area of pale flesh. Remus was so much more than a number.

What an unfair world,' he thought, as he draped an arm over Remus, To treat such a kind, gentle and wonderful person in such a… a derogatory manner.' Sirius wished he could do something to make everything better for him. That was what Remus wanted. That was why Remus had gotten so upset. He needed someone to make everything better. And Sirius wanted to do that for him. But, yes, sometimes he also wanted to forget it all, just for a few hours… pretend everything was normal… didn't everyone want to escape sometimes? Was that so wrong? Perhaps, tonight, it had been.

As he closed his eyes, a rattling on the window pain reminded him that in his hurry to get into bed and hold his lover, he had forgotten to close it. He moved quickly to pull down and fasten the window, then turned his attention to the curtains, which he drew, noting that the storm was still raging and seemed to show no signs of disappearing anytime soon. Pulling the long grey drapes together, he hoped that he could separate it from him and Remus… protecting them… if only for a night.

The End