Title: Full Moon Rising

Author: daemonwolf

Rating: PG-13 (for now, may change)

Distribution: ask, and ye shall receive

Notes: Just a few replies to my first four reviewers...

Nixiedark: Well, looks like you won't have to kill me now... um, may I make a suggestion though? Try decaffeinated coffee. Believe me, it'll do wonders for hyperness.

The Vampire Story Hunter: Heh, glad you've decided to try something new!

: Umm... here's more? It'd have been nice if I knew your name.... gets kinda awkward when you're trying to thank your reviewers and you don't know who they are... huh, I didn't even know you could review without leaving a name. (shrug)

aleclovemax: Here's your continuation!

Alrighty kiddies, this is the part where I shut up and you get to enjoy.....


Full Moon Rising

Chapter Two: Encounters with Werewolves

End of First Trimester

The medium-sized house in the middle of Godric's Hollow, or the 'Marauders' Hideaway' as it was affectionately called, was filled to the rafters with people on the night that James and Lily decided to reveal their pregnancy to what had become their make-shift family. All of the Marauders were present, as well as some of their friends from the Auror Academy and the Order. Lily glanced at James, her eyes twinkling with excitement. She after all had every right to be happy, with a son on the way and a loving husband and family by her side.

The time was nearing midnight when Lily and James decided to reveal their news to the party-goers. "If I could have your attention, please?" James called, tapping his wand against a wineglass. "Lily has something she'd like to share with you all."

With a smile to her husband, Lily stood up and smiled at the people gathered. "My friends, I have wonderful news; I'm going to have a baby!" Her announcement was met with stunned silence for a moment, then, as people recovered their senses, a loud cheering broke out for the happy couple.

The party continued long into the night. Good friends, good food, and a seemingly endless supply of Firewhiskey contributed to the festivities. Both Lily and James were congratulated left, right, and center; and people only began to leave when the sky lightened to gray outside. Eventually only the core of Marauders were left, allowing each of them to make their congratulations known personally.

Sirius leapt upon Lily as soon as the last non-Marauder was gone, changing mid-way to his dog form so that as he landed, it was with his paws on her shoulders and his tongue frantically licking her face. Lily only laughed and shouted, "down, boy!" leaving the dog to start running in circles in a futile effort to catch his own tail.

Remus, on the other hand, although he was just as happy as the dog, simply contained it better. "Lily, darling, congrats," he said, wrapping the pregnant woman in a tight hug. Without warning, he picked her up and swung her around, shouting "Lily's been knocked up!" before pulling her back into another bone-crushing hug. "We're all very happy for you," he whispered, finally letting the out-of-breath woman go.

"Thanks Remus," she replied when she could speak again. She met his smoky gray eyes shyly, wondering what would've happened had things been different for him—in every way he was the ideal man, a quiet intellectual who knew how to have a good time. The only slur on his record was the curse of lycanthropy that kept him from having a real life not dictated by the moon. Would it have been he that I married? Would the child now in my womb be his? What—she shook her head violently, stopping that train of thought in its tracks. She was married now, with a son on the way. It wasn't healthy to be thinking of one of her husband's best friends in such a manner, especially after everything they'd been through together. Shaken at her self-doubt, Lily backed into her husband's embrace as Peter chose the momentary silence to get his two knuts worth in.

"Congratulations, Lily," he said formally. "May the both of you live long and prosper." He flashed the Vulcan symbol at them, and grinned in embarrassment as everyone around him burst out laughing. Lily, however, only smiled and formed her own hand into the symbol, then grabbed the short, balding man into a hug.

"Thanks, Wormtail. You do know you're welcome to stay here with us."

Peter only shook his head. They had been through this same spiel before, trying to get him to move in with the rest of them. "As I've said before, no thanks. I don't know if I could stand living in the same house with a werewolf, two men who are sometimes not, and yourself. Especially while you're pregnant. I think I'd go crazy!"

Lily cuffed him across the head gently. "Gee, thanks, Wormtail. Don't I feel loved."

Sirius resumed his human guise and stepped in. "Don't forget, wormy. You'll always be one of us. Ain't no way to get rid of the Marauders!" He winked at the shorter man. "Which means, of course that eventually we will find out why you're so adverse to sharing the house with us. And then we'll ask her to become one of us!" While the rest of the Marauders were laughing at Sirius' antics, no one noticed Peter stiffen at the dog's comment that the Marauders would find him out.

Fortunately for him, James stepped in. "Alright gents, we haven't gotten to the best part yet."

Sirius interrupted. "Twins!"

James only laughed, leaving his wife to continue. "Padfoot, dear, would you do us, " she looked to James, "the great honor of becoming our son's godfather?" As she watched, Sirius seemed to collapse under the weight of something intangible. James suspected it was responsibility. Good, he thought, now the old dog with have to calm down. For they had chosen Sirius to be their unborn son's godfather for two reasons. The first was that he was James' best friend in the entire world, even before they had met Remus and Peter, and the second was that James hoped the responsibility of caring for a child would settle the sometimes too-wild man down.

With startling gravity that the other Marauders were shocked to see him possess, Sirius dropped to one knee and took Lily's hand in his. "Lily-Rose Evans-Potter? I would be—honored—to be your child's godfather." He kissed her hand, the picture of seriousness, then swept her into a hug as James looked on with pride. See? He told himself, I told you so.

Methinks I'll leave it here for now. Originally the chapter continued on, but it's late, I'm tired, and this seemed a better place to end it than it had in the first draft. Ergo, I end. Ta-ta for now, tee-hee for then!