Title: Bad Moon Rising
Book: Harry Potter Series
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Author: Green Bird
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but, if I did… I'd kill Cho.
Rating: PG-13 or more or something
Note: Happens somewhere during book #4, just so you know. Early November I figured, before Sirius talked to Harry in the fire. Slash. Little violence. Illness. Limes sooner or later… actually later. Angst too.
Notes on this Chapter: Sorry it took so long! Er...Lupe's getting sicker. A lot sicker. Vomit ensues, as well as an outburst and partial transformation… oh! And that one thing too… you know what? Just read it!!
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Bad Moon Rising
Fire and Flesh
The heels of worn hands rubbed fiercely at aching eyes, pressing them back into the skull and causing the werewolf to witness more stars then he had last night. Beyond the dancing myriad of white speckles in his vision he heard the clatter of dishes and the like as Sirius rooted around his kitchen. The kitchen that his own houseguest had banned him from working in.
Without a wand especially for himself and having had a rather entertaining encounter with Lupin's own bull-headed wand (much foul-smelling gas was involved) the dog had resorted to preparing food hands-on; something that was very dangerous. Twice he had touched the teakettle without remembering that it was indeed a red-hot object and that these things really did burn. He had never been permitted a stove in Azkaban and having only have had a year of real independent living (with a wand), the memory of cooking was taking a very slow time in returning to him.
It was his luck that their scones were eaten cold, because he had developed a severe hatred for a magical stove by the time the tea hissed in it's pot.
From his hunch in the chair, Remus turned bleary eyes up as Sirius dropped a cup, cursing fluently. The werewolf's hand moved to grip his wand, but the hard, dark stare he received from the action halted his fingers.
"I told you to stay put." Black muttered, removing two other teacups and filling them with the boiling water.
"You broke it." Lupin observed, looking down at the shattered porcelain.
"The shards will be there for you to deal with after breakfast, there'll be no magic before you eat. You don't even have enough energy to keep your eyes open."
"It has nothing to do with lack of energy." A cup and saucer was set between his hands and the heat from the water moved to his fingertips. A tea packet floated in the liquid, staining it an amber-brown. A single scone, alone and awkward on its plate, accompanied the tea and had been set by the wolf's right hand. "I'm not hungry."
"But you're eating." The chair opposite him groaned as Sirius moved into it, gripping his own cup.
"Padfoot…"
"Moony, humor me, please." It was a soft plea, but that now familiar hard stare that caught him over the ridge of Sirius' cup made it a command.
Wrestling the scone with his teeth, Remus stomached the unwanted nutrients down, washing it with the hot beverage that had caused such a fuss. Across him, Black studied like a watchdog, making sure that every morsel was taken in.
Remus' vision began to slip as he swallowed the last of his tea. Grey irises struggled to focus again, concentrating hard on his counterpart's hands as a focal point. A good minute passed of dizzying blurred pictures, but eventually everything became clear once more.
It was then he noticed the gentle way Sirius was holding his teacup. At first it seemed that the shattering of the first had taught his hands to be more cautious, but it became apparent that it was because it was hurting him to hold tight to the warm surface.
"Let me see your hands Sirius."
A blush rose to his thin face and a trimmed head shook in negitation. "It's nothing. Your stove bites, that's all."
Remus frowned, drawing the lines of his face deeper and the dog complied hesitantly, setting the tea down to turn both hands palm-out. Red burn marks painted themselves brightly across the skin, evidence of a clumsy encounter with a vicious teapot.
"It must have gotten word from my wand to give you a hard time." Remus plucked the thin willow stick from his pocket and motioned for Sirius to come to him. Giving a sour look at the idea of making the werewolf perform magic for his sake, he slowly came, kneeling on the floor and holding out his injured hands.
Very gently, Moony traced his fingertip across the wounded and raw skin, gaining an unearthly shutter from Black. The skin felt abnormally hot, as if it had become the metal that had inflicted it. The point of his wand came down and quietly he muttered some medicinal spell.
A cool, thick liquid seeped out, spreading as if butter over bread, to cover all the burn. The skin almost steamed at the fluid's touch, but lost its hurtful red complexion.
"As effective as ever." Black complimented, watching his skin ice over.
"I'd hope so." The wand flicked again and the broken teacup put itself back together, jumped onto the countertop, and fled to the cupboard.
. . .
The kitchen table was chosen to double as an investigation area; star charts and lunar calendars, zodiac and astronomy booklets, and an assortment of trinkets lay oddly out, each more puzzling then the next. The two men leant over the mess, each pointing out random constellations on the charts.
"Do you think that this cluster has any correspondence to the moon?" Sirius traced his finger across the paper, showing the intended path of the heavenly bodies.
Remus frowned at they dots on the parchment. "I never took well to astronomy."
"You think I did?"
The werewolf blinked at the statement. "Professor Senille loved you."
"Yes," Sirius hefted a chart in front of him, not really observing it, but wanting to look as if he was useful. "Only because of my name."
"Oh, yes." The werewolf tapped the Dog Star on the map. "She pointed your star out every chance she got."
"I remember whenever she was searching or reading us she always found la lune on you. It was all I could do to keep collected when she suggested you had a love affair with the moon…"
"The love/hate relationship." Remus shifted several already scanned pictures in his hands, muttering slightly. "It is really more of a hate then anything."
Tired of holding the useless chart, the dog set it down. "I wouldn't doubt that, especially now. Luna's never really done anything good for you has she?"
Before thinking, Lupin muttered; "She's brought you to me." A dark blush covered both of their faces simultaneously. Black looked as though he was going to speak, but the werewolf cut him off. "These Lunar charts are useless… they're years old." A pile was made out of the aged parchment.
Black's hair was ruffled as he scratched his head, glaring down at the mass of information. "I have no idea what we're looking for."
Remus coughed unintentionally, ignored it, and raised an eyebrow to his counterpart. "You were the one who suggested we look at this astronomically."
"Yes." A palm lay flat against the table and Sirius frowned at the books before him. "But I don't know what we're looking for… I do know what we are trying to find."
"Something odd and out of place…" Remus flipped casually through a random chapter about Sagittarius as Black took to holding up the annual calendar. "Something like…"
"Like this!" The calendar was slammed onto the table. "Look here at this month's moon!"
Lupin read beneath the large circle that represented the moon. His eyes widened painfully. "It's a sanguine."
"I was going to say eclipse, but I guess you could say sanguine…"
"A blood moon. It reaches a crimson tone in the middle of the eclipse." Lupin gripped the calendar, reading all the information he could. "These things do give a hell of a bad time if I remember correctly."
"So that's it?" Sirius looked over his shoulder, obviously excited that he'd been useful.
"It might be… but the month's before this…"
"Well, look here." The dog lay his index finger on a constellation map. "Look at this cluster here, I noticed it before. Its movement is odd and intercepts the moon's sky traverse… right there." Sirius scowled at the alignment, trying to remember back to what exactly this meant. "But the way that it's moving into this area… that's only been happening this past few months, starting directly on the cycle you told me."
"Perhaps." Remus pressed his fingers to his chin just as he always did in thought. "It's a good observation, and these eclipses have bothered me before. This might be it." He scowled deeper in serious debate. "But some things just don't add up… they happen so often that…"
"I'll need to read up on this constellation and the new position that it's taking to too, maybe that has something to do with it." Sirius held the map up yet again, eyes darting over it. He felt a sudden swell of pride in himself for the discovery. If this was truly it then what was wrong was not biological, but astronomical… and while they couldn't control the stars, eventually the movement would pass…
All thoughts were interrupted by Remus's sudden moan of surprise.
"What's wrong?" Sirius' ears pricked at the sound of distress, turning to stare at him in newfound fear.
A look of shock passed over the werewolf's features and he grimaced; another fit was on its way. Lupin felt his muscles cramp and gasped wearily as the pain shot his limbs. "Seizure." He coughed, gripping the table, as the muscles in his legs grew too weak to hold him steady.
"Oh no…" Sirius forgot whatever he had been on. He had not seen Remus's seizure last night, but he had heard it. What was he to do? Memory resurfaced of a night long lost to time… A young boy with shaggy brown hair lay on the floor, his eyes rolling and limbs thrashing. He and James had been so scared…
-I'll have to hold him. He might hurt himself…-
Once again, Lupin found himself enclosed within the safety of Black's arms. The werewolf's own were pressed tight to his sides in the embrace: preventing his limbs from flailing. He gasped at the sudden comfort, but had little time to appreciate it as the all too familiar pain tore him in two.
"Hold on… you'll be okay." Sirius whispered, more to himself then to Remus who had begun to shake. A reply to the statement would have been given if the werewolf had not pinched a fold of his protector's robe between his teeth to prevent doing the very same on his tongue. A thin hand held his head tight to Padfoot's temple and their breathing rasped. Black's lip shook at the sound of his friend's pain and he grappled for a stronger hold on him, burying his face into the wolf's tussled hair as the spell wound down.
They were almost prepared to let go when Remus felt the jolt come again, this time twice as strong and three times as fierce. His back curled and a pained moan sprouted deep within his throat. Fingers pressed themselves into Black's sides with bruising force as it roared within his head in its pass like the raging of a storm. Sudden spasms almost claimed both of their balance; nearly toppling them.
Padfoot felt that his heart was in his throat. He didn't know what else to do but hold Remus as he suffered; clawing and biting at his robes in desperation. A final cry sounded from the werewolf; loud and tortuous as he finally stiffened then fell limp and against his support.
"Moony…" Black gasped, cupping his head gently as the man in his arms trembled in his exhaustion. "Is it over?"
The answer didn't come, instead, quicker then would be advised, Lupin pushed away with all of his zapped strength and spun about to fall onto the counter. Before Sirius could assist him the wolf was pulling his way desperately over to the sink. Upon successfully tipping his head to the basin, he vomited.
Alarmed, Padfoot gripped Remus's shoulders and held him steady, making sure that in his heaving he wouldn't slam his head into the tap. The session was short-lived for the factor that all that had been consumed that morning was tea and the forced scone. Soon Lupin was left merely retching into his kitchen sink.
Gasping, the werewolf finally drew himself up, hands searching for a cloth to clean his face. Sirius took the liberty himself, wiping away any foul remnants as the water was turned on to wash away the rest in the sink. Moony's face looked to be on fire and he closed his tearing eyes as the cloth passed its way over his lips for a third time. His eyes stung so badly; they hurt even now when not in use.
Sirius' voice carefully roused him. "Are you done?" A nod. "Do you need to do it again?"
"I haven't much left to get rid of." His voice trembled the way it often does after such a spell.
The weakest smile that the dog could manage crossed his features and he held him gently by the shoulders. "Come on… that's enough of this studying for now. Please, just go and relax."
"Alright…" Lupin tried to bid his feet to take him to the study where he could rest, but the only action received from the command was a weak tremor of his knee. Embarrassed, he wrenched his entire body, bidding his legs to respond.
"Can't you walk?" Sirius repositioned his grip on his friend, one arm slipping around and supporting him. There was a look of surprise on Remus's face as he stared down at his unconscious limbs.
"This has never happened before." His brows knitted and he frowned.
"I can take you to your study. It's no problem." Sirius sighed as he hefted Remus's weight, one of the werewolf's arms wrapped around his neck and gripped weakly as he tried once again to walk. All he could manage was to keep them steady enough not to take both of them down.
It was an awkward site; two scarecrow-ish men stumbling down the hall, one literally dragging the other as it fought to move itself independently. Thankfully the only spectator to this was a groggy hippogryph.
Sirius huffed as Lupin finally collapsed into his chair. "Better then?"
"I don't know why this is happening… I never become lame after a spell!" Lupin glared at his knees reproachfully.
"It must be temporary." The dog blinked at him, hoping he wasn't simply being optimistic. "I bet it's just from the shock. You'll be okay."
Remus nodded, the motion making his head reel.
"Close your eyes and get some rest Moony." Sirius patted his shoulder and smiled, despite the attempt to keep a pleasant look on his face, a sort of frantic worry was laced to his features. "I've got to go out for a second…"
"What? That's not safe…"
Sirius raised his hand in defense. "As Padfoot." He assured. "I need to get Buck his lunch. I'll be gone no more then an hour, please just try to rest." A dark eye winked. "I don't want to find you wandering about again when you should be sleeping like last night. You wouldn't want me to tie you down."
Remus rolled his eyes and punched one of his numb thighs. "I don't think you need to worry about that."
. . .
Merely an hour later, sleep finally overpowered Lupin, leaving him snuffling in his armchair where he had taken to studying another book that had been conveniently resting on the side table. It lay folded in his hands now and his head fell down to his chest, scruffy chin resting on his collar.
Buckbeak watched the werewolf sleep closely, observing the rise and fall with every breath and the whimpers of sleep. Sirius had commanded that he guard him faithfully or no food would find itself to his mouth… that was an awful alternative.
A coarse-haired tail switched as two large black eyes blinked at the figure. The hippogryph did not exactly like the man in the chair. True, it bowed beautifully, but it took nearly all the attention that he so loved, walked restlessly at night and carried an odd scent on it. A scent that was so like his keeper's, but far more tainted. Dangerous… Maddening… Sickened.
The hawk-like head turned suddenly to see a large shaggy dog trotting down the hall to him. A sizeable hare lay dead in his jaws; freshly caught and killed. Buckbeak gave a hungry chirp, forgetting the sleeping one before him. The black dog dropped the hare and motioned to the chair quickly, requesting for quiet. It was hardly noticed by the hungry beast that plucked up the food in a hasty bow and retreated to the corner to lunch.
Padfoot watched the hippogryph a moment and then turned his gaze to the man asleep in the chair. Avoiding the creaking boards of the sensitive floor, the dog moved in close, touching his nose to one limp hand. The gesture was merely meant to be a check, but the simple examination became complicated as he breathed in.
The smell he received was not anything close to healthy or expected. The salty scent of blood and the sour bite of open skin filled his nostrils and panicked, Padfoot pushed his snout forcefully up the man's sleeve, questing out the smell.
Lupin woke with a start, the cold wet of a nose on his forearm startling him out of his rare and light sleep. He looked down alarmed to see Sirius in his dog form with his head half up his sleeve.
"What the…" The dog pulled away at the sound, shaken from its discovery. "What are you doing?"
The animal at his feet twisted oddly, dark body changing. Soon a man was kneeling on the floor in front of him, a look of terror on his face. Without a word, Sirius gripped Remus' wrist and pulled the fabric of the robe back. A circle of open flesh, hardly larger then a coin, lay embedded in a pale forearm. The skin around the flaming red was whitish and discolored awfully; a sore.
"How long have you had that?" Black had a look on his face as if he could not come to terms with this new horror.
Lupin wrenched his arm back and pulled the fabric of his sleeve over the wound. "They appear." He stated, fingers gripping his wrist as if to protect the sore from further inspection.
"Remus, that's nothing to take lightly! Doesn't it hurt?"
"It's just another symptom. I do not feel them after a time."
"After a time?!" Sirius's hand tried to gently remove his friend's so he might take another look, but the thin fingers gripped; determined. "Haven't you treated it? What if you get more? What if they grow?"
Remus's face seemed suddenly stony and Sirius took a moment to understand.
"There are more." The dog's eyes widened in surprise, he felt a turn of anger. "Have you've been hiding them?"
"They're not serious wounds!" Remus explained, almost pleading despite how his gaze was hard and set.
"They're sores! Rotting areas of flesh!" Black stood, face livid. "You tell me that's not serious? You go and hide this from me when they could be healed? What are you…"
"It isn't important, don't concern yourself…" His voice was growing tight…
"It is!" Sirius's anger could be scented now. "I have to…"
"Why do you have to take on this?" The explosion came faster then lightening, Lupin's face cracked from indifference to rage and his voice hissed frighteningly. "I will not submit myself to total dependency! I've let you help me, but I will not stop assisting myself! Aid me, yes, but I do not want a damn keeper!" A thin arm pushed suddenly down on the arm of the chair, throwing the werewolf upward and causing his book to tumble loudly to the floor. His limp legs looked to crumple under him but they held, almost as if fueled by his new anger.
Black stood shocked as he watched his friend teeter before him, eyes sharp and infuriated. Something was very wrong… this rage was only present before transforming… "Remus, calm down."
"No! Why must I? Why can't I rave on like the lunatic I'll eventually become?" Legs were trembling in effort. Lengthened canines were shown as he spoke and something of fear erupted in Sirius's stomach. The new beast before him seemed to realize it and smiled horrifically. "Not so helpful now when you see it?" It seethed, head rocking as it grinned insanely.
There was a yellow tint infesting grey irises. It moved like a rolling fog, devouring what it could of the weak man it possessed. Sirius stepped back from Remus, there was another hiss from behind him… Buckbeak had noticed the change.
The werewolf jerked its head in alarm and stared at the hippogryph. A barrel chest had inflated in threat, feathers poofing out in every direction as hooves stamped behind it. The action he had planned slowed; this attack was useless now that the animal knew.
Suddenly, it seemed as though the beast had been struck with something and its eyes rolled back into its head. Black's hand wrapped around Buckbeak's neck and he watched as the monster of his friend wound down. Slowly the old inhabitant of the body pushed his way back.
Thin legs continued trembling and hands pressed hard to the possessed eyes that had danced so fiercely now. Breaths became ragged and suddenly in sobs. The weakened legs finally gave out.
"Remus…" He moved a step forward but Buckbeak had snagged his robes in his mouth.
"Why does it crawl like this? Its movement… like insects." The whimper was coming from the huddled man upon his dusty hardwood floor. "God I'm cold…"
"Remus?" Sirius called louder, trying to rouse him once again. This time the tussled patch of grey-brown hair shifted as he turned to look at him. Everything stopped. If Black had been a least bit frightened before, it was nothing compared to the feeling of terror that was reflected at him now.
Lupin stared at him, face slack and frightened, eyes red and bloodshot. The look of awful recognition molded his expression. "Oh God Sirius… I didn't…" Remus almost looked as if he were going to crawl towards him, but decided against it. "Tell me I didn't hurt you. Tell me I didn't."
"You didn't."
"But I will." The whisper was soft, an observation more to himself then any other. "I will hurt you. There is no way to satiate that… that thing it makes me." Lupin gripped the side table and used it for leverage. His whole body was crooked. "I should never have asked you here."
Then, without giving him another look, Remus began to stumble towards the staircase at the end of the room, using his fisted hands to grope along the rough paneling of the wall. Twice he stumbled and picked himself up. When he caught the banister he turned himself around in a wide arch to fall upon the staircase. On his hands and knees, like the animal he was becoming, he crawled up the stairs step by step, heading to his bedroom. Halfway up his right leg became limp once more but he carried on oblivious, dragging himself to sanctuary.
Below him in the study, Buckbeak fought to keep hold of Sirius's collar.
* * *
There were no marks on his palms, no merits, nor scars, or any proof of his faulty teapot incident that morning, but despite of the lack of evidence and the healing that had taken place, it felt as if all of his skin had become that sensitive and raw burnt flesh.
When a cool brush of air passed him, a soft breath of the house and her many drafts, his entire body shook in response. It was eerie here, the feeling of the space he had taken up at the base of the stairs was anything but the warmth and hospitality he had felt last night in the den only a few steps away. The staircase herself lead upward into an attic of darkness, the void uninviting.
Remus had been up in that void for nearly two hours.
Sirius had gone back to the table and organized the maps, he had taken Buckbeak out to roam the small and forsaken yard, he had even tried to study up on the constellation he had become so set on… but against everything he did he was pushed back to standing at the bottom of these stairs.
What had happened not long ago was indeed a terrifying look at what was the real reason he had been called upon. No matter what illusions he had cooked up for being asked to come, this was the real and raw reason: Remus was loosing grip. He was no longer able to control his own body… the two separate beings that lived in him were melding together to something completely different. How could this happen? Was that the true power of the stars?
"I came to help." Sirius whispered to himself, glaring into the open maw of the stairs. "I promised not to leave." He gripped the banister of the stairway, and the hippogryph that had once again curled itself on the den's dusty floor peered up, a troubled look in its animal eyes.
The dog continued to think, urging himself on. So, if you're in pain, I'll heal you. If you're in the dark, I'll light a flame. The worn sole of a shoe pressed to the first platform of a creaking step.
"You can't get rid of me now Moony, not now that I'm so involved." The figure moved up the staircase without any more hesitation, heading into the dark recesses of the house's rafters. I care too much for you for that.
The upstairs of the small household consisted only of a water closet and the master bedroom. The doors to the bedroom were shut and the space beneath it against the floor was dark… Remus was most likely sleeping. Sirius rested his hand upon the old mottled silver doorknob, uncertain if he should simply enter before knocking. The thought of a knock seemed far too loud and harsh in the gentle nature he was taking this investigation, so he slowly turned the handle.
A heavy oak door swung inward, revealing the darkness of Remus's bedroom. It was a sizable room… he had seen it before when he needed to fetch fresh robes from the large wardrobe against the wall. Next to the lumbering thing a full size mirror stood, reflecting the dull and clouded light of the two adjacent windows. A curtain had been thrown across them and their grey cloth deadened the room's energy.
The main affair was naturally the sizable four-poster bed set centered against the far wall. Its draperies were drawn up and tied with cord to the posts, leaving the solitary figure in the bed's embrace quite visible.
With caution, Sirius crept around to the unmoving figure. He heard no snarl, nor whimper, or even snore as he approached, yet saw the body move in breath. Remus was turned onto his side, face away from Black, arms around his face.
For minutes all Padfoot did was watch his friend in silence, but in that silence his heart grew loud. He listened so carefully for the deep breathing of sleep, but it wasn't present. The sound instead was short gusts of air that rattled and occasionally paused.
"Remus?" He whispered. Was he awake?
Something cold spread through him fast and he inhaled the scent of the room: musk and dust, but something else made his dog nature shifty. Sweat… It was strong.
"Remus?!" His hand gripped the protruding shoulder aimed at him. Under the fabric of the werewolf's robes, the flesh burned hot. In panic Sirius wrenched his friend onto his back and cried in shock.
Lupin's eyes were open half-mast, only the bloodshot whites visible under purpled lids. A mouth hung open, trying to draw breath and there was the stain of blood upon the showing teeth. The source of it had apparently been the werewolf's forearm; bite marks bruised it darkly.
But, all of these things were unconcerning; the real factor of terror was the sheen of cold sweat that lay in beads over ghostly pale skin. His clothing, pillow, and grayed hair were matted with the salty liquid.
Sirius watched as a thin hand trembled in a shiver, tightly gripping on the cloth of the breast of Moony's robe. The dog pressed his hand to Remus's slack cheek. He was searing. A fever… almost as if fueled by Hell's furnace.
It was like the fire of that damned teakettle over again.
He felt himself break into a panic… What the hell was happening?
*~TBC~*
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A.N. Oh, I know I'm mean to leave it there, but I must! If my writing goes too long then less of you will read it. I'll try hard to get the next installment done quickly.
I don't know anything about astrology… so I would like it if someone emailed me and told me something interesting. Anything. Honestly…
Oh, and if you don't already know: the title 'Bad Moon Rising' is a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival… it's old Bayou Style music. I have no idea why I love it.
I reward my reviewers with tasty lemons! ~ Green Bird
Book: Harry Potter Series
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Author: Green Bird
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but, if I did… I'd kill Cho.
Rating: PG-13 or more or something
Note: Happens somewhere during book #4, just so you know. Early November I figured, before Sirius talked to Harry in the fire. Slash. Little violence. Illness. Limes sooner or later… actually later. Angst too.
Notes on this Chapter: Sorry it took so long! Er...Lupe's getting sicker. A lot sicker. Vomit ensues, as well as an outburst and partial transformation… oh! And that one thing too… you know what? Just read it!!
.
Bad Moon Rising
Fire and Flesh
The heels of worn hands rubbed fiercely at aching eyes, pressing them back into the skull and causing the werewolf to witness more stars then he had last night. Beyond the dancing myriad of white speckles in his vision he heard the clatter of dishes and the like as Sirius rooted around his kitchen. The kitchen that his own houseguest had banned him from working in.
Without a wand especially for himself and having had a rather entertaining encounter with Lupin's own bull-headed wand (much foul-smelling gas was involved) the dog had resorted to preparing food hands-on; something that was very dangerous. Twice he had touched the teakettle without remembering that it was indeed a red-hot object and that these things really did burn. He had never been permitted a stove in Azkaban and having only have had a year of real independent living (with a wand), the memory of cooking was taking a very slow time in returning to him.
It was his luck that their scones were eaten cold, because he had developed a severe hatred for a magical stove by the time the tea hissed in it's pot.
From his hunch in the chair, Remus turned bleary eyes up as Sirius dropped a cup, cursing fluently. The werewolf's hand moved to grip his wand, but the hard, dark stare he received from the action halted his fingers.
"I told you to stay put." Black muttered, removing two other teacups and filling them with the boiling water.
"You broke it." Lupin observed, looking down at the shattered porcelain.
"The shards will be there for you to deal with after breakfast, there'll be no magic before you eat. You don't even have enough energy to keep your eyes open."
"It has nothing to do with lack of energy." A cup and saucer was set between his hands and the heat from the water moved to his fingertips. A tea packet floated in the liquid, staining it an amber-brown. A single scone, alone and awkward on its plate, accompanied the tea and had been set by the wolf's right hand. "I'm not hungry."
"But you're eating." The chair opposite him groaned as Sirius moved into it, gripping his own cup.
"Padfoot…"
"Moony, humor me, please." It was a soft plea, but that now familiar hard stare that caught him over the ridge of Sirius' cup made it a command.
Wrestling the scone with his teeth, Remus stomached the unwanted nutrients down, washing it with the hot beverage that had caused such a fuss. Across him, Black studied like a watchdog, making sure that every morsel was taken in.
Remus' vision began to slip as he swallowed the last of his tea. Grey irises struggled to focus again, concentrating hard on his counterpart's hands as a focal point. A good minute passed of dizzying blurred pictures, but eventually everything became clear once more.
It was then he noticed the gentle way Sirius was holding his teacup. At first it seemed that the shattering of the first had taught his hands to be more cautious, but it became apparent that it was because it was hurting him to hold tight to the warm surface.
"Let me see your hands Sirius."
A blush rose to his thin face and a trimmed head shook in negitation. "It's nothing. Your stove bites, that's all."
Remus frowned, drawing the lines of his face deeper and the dog complied hesitantly, setting the tea down to turn both hands palm-out. Red burn marks painted themselves brightly across the skin, evidence of a clumsy encounter with a vicious teapot.
"It must have gotten word from my wand to give you a hard time." Remus plucked the thin willow stick from his pocket and motioned for Sirius to come to him. Giving a sour look at the idea of making the werewolf perform magic for his sake, he slowly came, kneeling on the floor and holding out his injured hands.
Very gently, Moony traced his fingertip across the wounded and raw skin, gaining an unearthly shutter from Black. The skin felt abnormally hot, as if it had become the metal that had inflicted it. The point of his wand came down and quietly he muttered some medicinal spell.
A cool, thick liquid seeped out, spreading as if butter over bread, to cover all the burn. The skin almost steamed at the fluid's touch, but lost its hurtful red complexion.
"As effective as ever." Black complimented, watching his skin ice over.
"I'd hope so." The wand flicked again and the broken teacup put itself back together, jumped onto the countertop, and fled to the cupboard.
The kitchen table was chosen to double as an investigation area; star charts and lunar calendars, zodiac and astronomy booklets, and an assortment of trinkets lay oddly out, each more puzzling then the next. The two men leant over the mess, each pointing out random constellations on the charts.
"Do you think that this cluster has any correspondence to the moon?" Sirius traced his finger across the paper, showing the intended path of the heavenly bodies.
Remus frowned at they dots on the parchment. "I never took well to astronomy."
"You think I did?"
The werewolf blinked at the statement. "Professor Senille loved you."
"Yes," Sirius hefted a chart in front of him, not really observing it, but wanting to look as if he was useful. "Only because of my name."
"Oh, yes." The werewolf tapped the Dog Star on the map. "She pointed your star out every chance she got."
"I remember whenever she was searching or reading us she always found la lune on you. It was all I could do to keep collected when she suggested you had a love affair with the moon…"
"The love/hate relationship." Remus shifted several already scanned pictures in his hands, muttering slightly. "It is really more of a hate then anything."
Tired of holding the useless chart, the dog set it down. "I wouldn't doubt that, especially now. Luna's never really done anything good for you has she?"
Before thinking, Lupin muttered; "She's brought you to me." A dark blush covered both of their faces simultaneously. Black looked as though he was going to speak, but the werewolf cut him off. "These Lunar charts are useless… they're years old." A pile was made out of the aged parchment.
Black's hair was ruffled as he scratched his head, glaring down at the mass of information. "I have no idea what we're looking for."
Remus coughed unintentionally, ignored it, and raised an eyebrow to his counterpart. "You were the one who suggested we look at this astronomically."
"Yes." A palm lay flat against the table and Sirius frowned at the books before him. "But I don't know what we're looking for… I do know what we are trying to find."
"Something odd and out of place…" Remus flipped casually through a random chapter about Sagittarius as Black took to holding up the annual calendar. "Something like…"
"Like this!" The calendar was slammed onto the table. "Look here at this month's moon!"
Lupin read beneath the large circle that represented the moon. His eyes widened painfully. "It's a sanguine."
"I was going to say eclipse, but I guess you could say sanguine…"
"A blood moon. It reaches a crimson tone in the middle of the eclipse." Lupin gripped the calendar, reading all the information he could. "These things do give a hell of a bad time if I remember correctly."
"So that's it?" Sirius looked over his shoulder, obviously excited that he'd been useful.
"It might be… but the month's before this…"
"Well, look here." The dog lay his index finger on a constellation map. "Look at this cluster here, I noticed it before. Its movement is odd and intercepts the moon's sky traverse… right there." Sirius scowled at the alignment, trying to remember back to what exactly this meant. "But the way that it's moving into this area… that's only been happening this past few months, starting directly on the cycle you told me."
"Perhaps." Remus pressed his fingers to his chin just as he always did in thought. "It's a good observation, and these eclipses have bothered me before. This might be it." He scowled deeper in serious debate. "But some things just don't add up… they happen so often that…"
"I'll need to read up on this constellation and the new position that it's taking to too, maybe that has something to do with it." Sirius held the map up yet again, eyes darting over it. He felt a sudden swell of pride in himself for the discovery. If this was truly it then what was wrong was not biological, but astronomical… and while they couldn't control the stars, eventually the movement would pass…
All thoughts were interrupted by Remus's sudden moan of surprise.
"What's wrong?" Sirius' ears pricked at the sound of distress, turning to stare at him in newfound fear.
A look of shock passed over the werewolf's features and he grimaced; another fit was on its way. Lupin felt his muscles cramp and gasped wearily as the pain shot his limbs. "Seizure." He coughed, gripping the table, as the muscles in his legs grew too weak to hold him steady.
"Oh no…" Sirius forgot whatever he had been on. He had not seen Remus's seizure last night, but he had heard it. What was he to do? Memory resurfaced of a night long lost to time… A young boy with shaggy brown hair lay on the floor, his eyes rolling and limbs thrashing. He and James had been so scared…
-I'll have to hold him. He might hurt himself…-
Once again, Lupin found himself enclosed within the safety of Black's arms. The werewolf's own were pressed tight to his sides in the embrace: preventing his limbs from flailing. He gasped at the sudden comfort, but had little time to appreciate it as the all too familiar pain tore him in two.
"Hold on… you'll be okay." Sirius whispered, more to himself then to Remus who had begun to shake. A reply to the statement would have been given if the werewolf had not pinched a fold of his protector's robe between his teeth to prevent doing the very same on his tongue. A thin hand held his head tight to Padfoot's temple and their breathing rasped. Black's lip shook at the sound of his friend's pain and he grappled for a stronger hold on him, burying his face into the wolf's tussled hair as the spell wound down.
They were almost prepared to let go when Remus felt the jolt come again, this time twice as strong and three times as fierce. His back curled and a pained moan sprouted deep within his throat. Fingers pressed themselves into Black's sides with bruising force as it roared within his head in its pass like the raging of a storm. Sudden spasms almost claimed both of their balance; nearly toppling them.
Padfoot felt that his heart was in his throat. He didn't know what else to do but hold Remus as he suffered; clawing and biting at his robes in desperation. A final cry sounded from the werewolf; loud and tortuous as he finally stiffened then fell limp and against his support.
"Moony…" Black gasped, cupping his head gently as the man in his arms trembled in his exhaustion. "Is it over?"
The answer didn't come, instead, quicker then would be advised, Lupin pushed away with all of his zapped strength and spun about to fall onto the counter. Before Sirius could assist him the wolf was pulling his way desperately over to the sink. Upon successfully tipping his head to the basin, he vomited.
Alarmed, Padfoot gripped Remus's shoulders and held him steady, making sure that in his heaving he wouldn't slam his head into the tap. The session was short-lived for the factor that all that had been consumed that morning was tea and the forced scone. Soon Lupin was left merely retching into his kitchen sink.
Gasping, the werewolf finally drew himself up, hands searching for a cloth to clean his face. Sirius took the liberty himself, wiping away any foul remnants as the water was turned on to wash away the rest in the sink. Moony's face looked to be on fire and he closed his tearing eyes as the cloth passed its way over his lips for a third time. His eyes stung so badly; they hurt even now when not in use.
Sirius' voice carefully roused him. "Are you done?" A nod. "Do you need to do it again?"
"I haven't much left to get rid of." His voice trembled the way it often does after such a spell.
The weakest smile that the dog could manage crossed his features and he held him gently by the shoulders. "Come on… that's enough of this studying for now. Please, just go and relax."
"Alright…" Lupin tried to bid his feet to take him to the study where he could rest, but the only action received from the command was a weak tremor of his knee. Embarrassed, he wrenched his entire body, bidding his legs to respond.
"Can't you walk?" Sirius repositioned his grip on his friend, one arm slipping around and supporting him. There was a look of surprise on Remus's face as he stared down at his unconscious limbs.
"This has never happened before." His brows knitted and he frowned.
"I can take you to your study. It's no problem." Sirius sighed as he hefted Remus's weight, one of the werewolf's arms wrapped around his neck and gripped weakly as he tried once again to walk. All he could manage was to keep them steady enough not to take both of them down.
It was an awkward site; two scarecrow-ish men stumbling down the hall, one literally dragging the other as it fought to move itself independently. Thankfully the only spectator to this was a groggy hippogryph.
Sirius huffed as Lupin finally collapsed into his chair. "Better then?"
"I don't know why this is happening… I never become lame after a spell!" Lupin glared at his knees reproachfully.
"It must be temporary." The dog blinked at him, hoping he wasn't simply being optimistic. "I bet it's just from the shock. You'll be okay."
Remus nodded, the motion making his head reel.
"Close your eyes and get some rest Moony." Sirius patted his shoulder and smiled, despite the attempt to keep a pleasant look on his face, a sort of frantic worry was laced to his features. "I've got to go out for a second…"
"What? That's not safe…"
Sirius raised his hand in defense. "As Padfoot." He assured. "I need to get Buck his lunch. I'll be gone no more then an hour, please just try to rest." A dark eye winked. "I don't want to find you wandering about again when you should be sleeping like last night. You wouldn't want me to tie you down."
Remus rolled his eyes and punched one of his numb thighs. "I don't think you need to worry about that."
Merely an hour later, sleep finally overpowered Lupin, leaving him snuffling in his armchair where he had taken to studying another book that had been conveniently resting on the side table. It lay folded in his hands now and his head fell down to his chest, scruffy chin resting on his collar.
Buckbeak watched the werewolf sleep closely, observing the rise and fall with every breath and the whimpers of sleep. Sirius had commanded that he guard him faithfully or no food would find itself to his mouth… that was an awful alternative.
A coarse-haired tail switched as two large black eyes blinked at the figure. The hippogryph did not exactly like the man in the chair. True, it bowed beautifully, but it took nearly all the attention that he so loved, walked restlessly at night and carried an odd scent on it. A scent that was so like his keeper's, but far more tainted. Dangerous… Maddening… Sickened.
The hawk-like head turned suddenly to see a large shaggy dog trotting down the hall to him. A sizeable hare lay dead in his jaws; freshly caught and killed. Buckbeak gave a hungry chirp, forgetting the sleeping one before him. The black dog dropped the hare and motioned to the chair quickly, requesting for quiet. It was hardly noticed by the hungry beast that plucked up the food in a hasty bow and retreated to the corner to lunch.
Padfoot watched the hippogryph a moment and then turned his gaze to the man asleep in the chair. Avoiding the creaking boards of the sensitive floor, the dog moved in close, touching his nose to one limp hand. The gesture was merely meant to be a check, but the simple examination became complicated as he breathed in.
The smell he received was not anything close to healthy or expected. The salty scent of blood and the sour bite of open skin filled his nostrils and panicked, Padfoot pushed his snout forcefully up the man's sleeve, questing out the smell.
Lupin woke with a start, the cold wet of a nose on his forearm startling him out of his rare and light sleep. He looked down alarmed to see Sirius in his dog form with his head half up his sleeve.
"What the…" The dog pulled away at the sound, shaken from its discovery. "What are you doing?"
The animal at his feet twisted oddly, dark body changing. Soon a man was kneeling on the floor in front of him, a look of terror on his face. Without a word, Sirius gripped Remus' wrist and pulled the fabric of the robe back. A circle of open flesh, hardly larger then a coin, lay embedded in a pale forearm. The skin around the flaming red was whitish and discolored awfully; a sore.
"How long have you had that?" Black had a look on his face as if he could not come to terms with this new horror.
Lupin wrenched his arm back and pulled the fabric of his sleeve over the wound. "They appear." He stated, fingers gripping his wrist as if to protect the sore from further inspection.
"Remus, that's nothing to take lightly! Doesn't it hurt?"
"It's just another symptom. I do not feel them after a time."
"After a time?!" Sirius's hand tried to gently remove his friend's so he might take another look, but the thin fingers gripped; determined. "Haven't you treated it? What if you get more? What if they grow?"
Remus's face seemed suddenly stony and Sirius took a moment to understand.
"There are more." The dog's eyes widened in surprise, he felt a turn of anger. "Have you've been hiding them?"
"They're not serious wounds!" Remus explained, almost pleading despite how his gaze was hard and set.
"They're sores! Rotting areas of flesh!" Black stood, face livid. "You tell me that's not serious? You go and hide this from me when they could be healed? What are you…"
"It isn't important, don't concern yourself…" His voice was growing tight…
"It is!" Sirius's anger could be scented now. "I have to…"
"Why do you have to take on this?" The explosion came faster then lightening, Lupin's face cracked from indifference to rage and his voice hissed frighteningly. "I will not submit myself to total dependency! I've let you help me, but I will not stop assisting myself! Aid me, yes, but I do not want a damn keeper!" A thin arm pushed suddenly down on the arm of the chair, throwing the werewolf upward and causing his book to tumble loudly to the floor. His limp legs looked to crumple under him but they held, almost as if fueled by his new anger.
Black stood shocked as he watched his friend teeter before him, eyes sharp and infuriated. Something was very wrong… this rage was only present before transforming… "Remus, calm down."
"No! Why must I? Why can't I rave on like the lunatic I'll eventually become?" Legs were trembling in effort. Lengthened canines were shown as he spoke and something of fear erupted in Sirius's stomach. The new beast before him seemed to realize it and smiled horrifically. "Not so helpful now when you see it?" It seethed, head rocking as it grinned insanely.
There was a yellow tint infesting grey irises. It moved like a rolling fog, devouring what it could of the weak man it possessed. Sirius stepped back from Remus, there was another hiss from behind him… Buckbeak had noticed the change.
The werewolf jerked its head in alarm and stared at the hippogryph. A barrel chest had inflated in threat, feathers poofing out in every direction as hooves stamped behind it. The action he had planned slowed; this attack was useless now that the animal knew.
Suddenly, it seemed as though the beast had been struck with something and its eyes rolled back into its head. Black's hand wrapped around Buckbeak's neck and he watched as the monster of his friend wound down. Slowly the old inhabitant of the body pushed his way back.
Thin legs continued trembling and hands pressed hard to the possessed eyes that had danced so fiercely now. Breaths became ragged and suddenly in sobs. The weakened legs finally gave out.
"Remus…" He moved a step forward but Buckbeak had snagged his robes in his mouth.
"Why does it crawl like this? Its movement… like insects." The whimper was coming from the huddled man upon his dusty hardwood floor. "God I'm cold…"
"Remus?" Sirius called louder, trying to rouse him once again. This time the tussled patch of grey-brown hair shifted as he turned to look at him. Everything stopped. If Black had been a least bit frightened before, it was nothing compared to the feeling of terror that was reflected at him now.
Lupin stared at him, face slack and frightened, eyes red and bloodshot. The look of awful recognition molded his expression. "Oh God Sirius… I didn't…" Remus almost looked as if he were going to crawl towards him, but decided against it. "Tell me I didn't hurt you. Tell me I didn't."
"You didn't."
"But I will." The whisper was soft, an observation more to himself then any other. "I will hurt you. There is no way to satiate that… that thing it makes me." Lupin gripped the side table and used it for leverage. His whole body was crooked. "I should never have asked you here."
Then, without giving him another look, Remus began to stumble towards the staircase at the end of the room, using his fisted hands to grope along the rough paneling of the wall. Twice he stumbled and picked himself up. When he caught the banister he turned himself around in a wide arch to fall upon the staircase. On his hands and knees, like the animal he was becoming, he crawled up the stairs step by step, heading to his bedroom. Halfway up his right leg became limp once more but he carried on oblivious, dragging himself to sanctuary.
Below him in the study, Buckbeak fought to keep hold of Sirius's collar.
There were no marks on his palms, no merits, nor scars, or any proof of his faulty teapot incident that morning, but despite of the lack of evidence and the healing that had taken place, it felt as if all of his skin had become that sensitive and raw burnt flesh.
When a cool brush of air passed him, a soft breath of the house and her many drafts, his entire body shook in response. It was eerie here, the feeling of the space he had taken up at the base of the stairs was anything but the warmth and hospitality he had felt last night in the den only a few steps away. The staircase herself lead upward into an attic of darkness, the void uninviting.
Remus had been up in that void for nearly two hours.
Sirius had gone back to the table and organized the maps, he had taken Buckbeak out to roam the small and forsaken yard, he had even tried to study up on the constellation he had become so set on… but against everything he did he was pushed back to standing at the bottom of these stairs.
What had happened not long ago was indeed a terrifying look at what was the real reason he had been called upon. No matter what illusions he had cooked up for being asked to come, this was the real and raw reason: Remus was loosing grip. He was no longer able to control his own body… the two separate beings that lived in him were melding together to something completely different. How could this happen? Was that the true power of the stars?
"I came to help." Sirius whispered to himself, glaring into the open maw of the stairs. "I promised not to leave." He gripped the banister of the stairway, and the hippogryph that had once again curled itself on the den's dusty floor peered up, a troubled look in its animal eyes.
The dog continued to think, urging himself on. So, if you're in pain, I'll heal you. If you're in the dark, I'll light a flame. The worn sole of a shoe pressed to the first platform of a creaking step.
"You can't get rid of me now Moony, not now that I'm so involved." The figure moved up the staircase without any more hesitation, heading into the dark recesses of the house's rafters. I care too much for you for that.
The upstairs of the small household consisted only of a water closet and the master bedroom. The doors to the bedroom were shut and the space beneath it against the floor was dark… Remus was most likely sleeping. Sirius rested his hand upon the old mottled silver doorknob, uncertain if he should simply enter before knocking. The thought of a knock seemed far too loud and harsh in the gentle nature he was taking this investigation, so he slowly turned the handle.
A heavy oak door swung inward, revealing the darkness of Remus's bedroom. It was a sizable room… he had seen it before when he needed to fetch fresh robes from the large wardrobe against the wall. Next to the lumbering thing a full size mirror stood, reflecting the dull and clouded light of the two adjacent windows. A curtain had been thrown across them and their grey cloth deadened the room's energy.
The main affair was naturally the sizable four-poster bed set centered against the far wall. Its draperies were drawn up and tied with cord to the posts, leaving the solitary figure in the bed's embrace quite visible.
With caution, Sirius crept around to the unmoving figure. He heard no snarl, nor whimper, or even snore as he approached, yet saw the body move in breath. Remus was turned onto his side, face away from Black, arms around his face.
For minutes all Padfoot did was watch his friend in silence, but in that silence his heart grew loud. He listened so carefully for the deep breathing of sleep, but it wasn't present. The sound instead was short gusts of air that rattled and occasionally paused.
"Remus?" He whispered. Was he awake?
Something cold spread through him fast and he inhaled the scent of the room: musk and dust, but something else made his dog nature shifty. Sweat… It was strong.
"Remus?!" His hand gripped the protruding shoulder aimed at him. Under the fabric of the werewolf's robes, the flesh burned hot. In panic Sirius wrenched his friend onto his back and cried in shock.
Lupin's eyes were open half-mast, only the bloodshot whites visible under purpled lids. A mouth hung open, trying to draw breath and there was the stain of blood upon the showing teeth. The source of it had apparently been the werewolf's forearm; bite marks bruised it darkly.
But, all of these things were unconcerning; the real factor of terror was the sheen of cold sweat that lay in beads over ghostly pale skin. His clothing, pillow, and grayed hair were matted with the salty liquid.
Sirius watched as a thin hand trembled in a shiver, tightly gripping on the cloth of the breast of Moony's robe. The dog pressed his hand to Remus's slack cheek. He was searing. A fever… almost as if fueled by Hell's furnace.
It was like the fire of that damned teakettle over again.
He felt himself break into a panic… What the hell was happening?
.
.
A.N. Oh, I know I'm mean to leave it there, but I must! If my writing goes too long then less of you will read it. I'll try hard to get the next installment done quickly.
I don't know anything about astrology… so I would like it if someone emailed me and told me something interesting. Anything. Honestly…
Oh, and if you don't already know: the title 'Bad Moon Rising' is a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival… it's old Bayou Style music. I have no idea why I love it.
I reward my reviewers with tasty lemons! ~ Green Bird
