Title: Full Moon Rising
Author: daemonwolf
Rating: PG-13
Distribution: ask, and ye shall receive
Notes: ::blinks:: that was fast... woaw. Aheh... can ye tell I'm new to this whole, 'review twenty seconds after the fic is posted' thing? Not that it's a bad thing, oh, no! But just... damn, it's a mighty cool feeling when people review your story so quickly. ::grins:: thanks, guys. And now for the individual replies:
Satern Mya: thanks for the compliments! Actually... 'Princess Wolf' is out of the book Blood and Chocolate. Yeah, it's a werewolf book, and a damned good one at that. I highly recommend it! Oh.. the author is Annette Curtis Clause if you want to check it out.
Shea Loner: ::shrug:: it's blue on my browser screen, anyway. And about Harry not being a 'wolf, well, you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you! This isn't a 'Harry's a werewolf' fic fer nuthin', y'know!
Eric2: The deal with the arm being healed is this: werewolves are notorious for their healing abilities. Ergo, since Lily's become a werewolf (and lost an awful lot of blood both giving birth and from her wounds) the healing factor's gone into overdrive to make her healthy again. If she hadn't been giving birth, the wounds would've taken longer to heal, but they would've healed nonetheless. And... as for Sirius convincing James not to kill Remus... you'll just have to read the first couple of chapters of His Lycan Lily for that one! One other thing. An epilogue?!?! Pardon me for being MOST indignant. I just don't see where or how you can even begin to think that this story is ended. Jeez-us! Literally, I'm speachless. For one thing, I haven't even gotten to the point at which Harry discovers his werewolf capabilities. And for another... when you clicked on the link to this fic, you did realize that in the goddamned bloody summary I practically yell to the fucking world that Harry's a werewolf, didn't you? Because if not, then I'm sorry I ever believed that was free from people such as yourself. I'll admit your previous questions have at least a shred of merit, but.. an epilogue?? I just don't see how you... ugh. ::goes off to question the intelligence of some reviewers and her own writing::
Countess D Lupin: dankeshoen, froilein... alright, so my spelling in German is off... but anyway, thanks for the review!
Starr2: You're right... I actually didn't see your review for chapter four until after I had posted it... sorry for that. Heh, see my reply to Shea about the 'Harry's not a werewolf' question, and as for the 'Lord I'm-a-douchbag'... Sirius doesn't strike me as the kind of person to fear a mass murderer. Not like the Weasleys do, anyway. Therefore, he's (in my opinion) more apt to make an immature comment like that than any of the characters in the Harry Potter series. Call it an immature moment on my part, as well. Ah well.. I'll tell him to keep his mouth shut in the future ::grins:: and by the bye, thank you very much for reviewing all my crap over at fictionpress. It meant a lot to me.. and just for you I will update Flipside shortly!
Final Spirit: You're very welcome, and as promised, here's the next chapter!
HanyouChick: hey, Abbika, welcome back! hehehe, you crack me up. To tell you the truth, I've never heard of a character named Jimbo on the Simpsons. Then again, it has been forever since I've seen the show. Jimbo's just the nickname I gave a friend of mine, who's name is also James. ::grins:: oh how we adore Inuyasha... ::huggles him:: he's actually the character I modeled Harry's half 'n' half form after. No one can resist the power of the puppy-dog ears, not even me! ::squeezes Inu until he pops:: uh.... whoops... guess I'll stick to my Inu plushies... less dangerous that way... ::sidles off:: hehe... and yeah, after reading the last chapter again, it might have been better for ol' Moldy Wart to go off cursing into the sunset... but... I'll leave it at 'huh'. Makes him sound less intelligent.
Hakkai - Gojyo - Goku - Sanzo: o.O' at penname... nice. ::sigh:: although, I do grow weary of trying to 'splain the same thing over and over and OVER again... for the last time... ::pulls out soapbox:: Yes, Harry is a werewolf. The only reason why he doesn't change at the full moon is because of the differences between bitten 'wolves and born-'wolves (whom I like to call pure-bloods, for lack of a better term). At the end of this chapter, I will add all the information you need to know (for now) about my 'wolves. It can also be found at fictionpress under my other penname gryphkin. So, if there is anyMORE confusion, please refer to that site. Thank you all very much. ::steps off soapbox:: sorry you had to be the reviewer whose head got blown off, but I needed to get that out.
Little Blue Girls: Glad you came along for the ride! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the previous one!
LadyLupinLover: you are too kind. As per your request, here is more!
Soria: ::nods:: it has been a long time, I know. Forgive me, real life kinda got in the way. Work has been pretty busy (we've 190 lights going out for the NFL kick-off!!), and on top of all that, my driver's test is tomorrow. So yeah, updates have been lacking. But I know just the remedy!
Lonlyheart: thankee for the compliment. Enjoy the chapter!
Full Moon Rising
Chapter Six: Number Four, Privet Drive
Two hours later, Remus Lupin returned from town, the items Lily requested tucked safely under his arms. Juggling his bags and the cloak that the night was too warm for, he fumbled his keys into the lock—and stopped when he realized that the door was cracked open. Wary, he set down the bags and pushed the door open slightly, reaching for his wand at the same time. The scene that greeted him was pure chaos.
The kitchen table had been overturned and broken, and scattered across the floor were remnants of decorations, as if a tornado had struck while James and Lily were decorating. But Remus' eyes skipped all that as they came to rest upon the greatest anomaly of them all—the body of James F. Potter. "James," Remus whispered fearfully. Wetting his suddenly dry lips, Remus tried again. "Prongs, old buddy?" Still no response from the prone form. Gulping past the tears that had suddenly sprung to his eyes, Remus shook the body, trying to elicit a moan of pain, a groan, a shout of "Surprise!", anything that would prove to Remus his fears were baseless. Unfortunately, all the werewolf found was a pair of glassy brown eyes missing their glasses and staring sightlessly in shock toward something only he could see.
"No," Remus whispered, unable to comprehend the truth. "No. James... you can't... not now... Prongs..." Keys still in hand, the werewolf broke down on the floor next to the body of his closest friend. How long he was there, he couldn't say. It felt like days before the tears finally stopped coming as easily, weeks before he could look at anything in the room without seeing his friend's glassy-eyed stare superimposed upon whatever surface he was gazing at, and months before he could get the energy to move through the house in search of the other half of the Potter duo—his other half.
"Lily!" Remus called, his usually soft voice carrying throughout the house. "Lily! You can come out now, they're gone," Remus' call trailed off to a whisper as he wiped angrily at the tears that were once again threatening to spill. Still trying to keep a brave front, he made his way upstairs to Harry's room. What he saw there shattered the fragile exterior he had pulled together, and for the second time in one night, Remus fell to his knees and cried.
Lily Potter was sprawled ungracefully on the floor next to Harry's crib, the blank look of death on her face that came with the Avada Kedavra curse. Her green eyes stared sightlessly past Remus, but unlike James, she wore a slight smile—as if she knew something the Dark Lord did not. What that could be Remus could not figure out as he regained control of himself and moved into the room to cup Lily's lifeless face with one hand. "What knowledge did you possess that made this price worth the effort, Princess Wolf?" Within seconds, Remus had his answer as a gurgle erupted from the confines of the crib.
"Harry?" Remus ventured shakily. His control threatening to break for the third time that night, Remus peeked into the baby bed—and breathed a sigh of relief. Harry Potter lived! For a moment, Remus was genuinely confused. How did Harry, minutes shy of his first birthday, live where others so much older and powerful had fallen? What made him so unique that the Dark Lord's most powerful curse had rebounded off of him, leaving the child with nothing more than a bleeding curse scar? "What did you do, kid?" Remus asked rhetorically. He reached into the crib and picked the child up, who only cooed and gurgled. Remus smiled slightly, and was about to go downstairs when the multiple "CRACK"s of the arriving Aurors and Order members resonated throughout the destroyed household. Too late for Lily or James, damn them, Remus thought as he made his way down the stairs past James' body and outside to meet the teams. As he exited the house, Harry picked up on the werewolf's mood and started expressing his unease the only way a child his age could—by making as much noise as possible.
"Shhh," Remus comforted even as his eyes met the wizened ones of Hogwarts' Headmaster. Tentatively, Dumbledore approached the man and child, his saddened eyes locked with Remus's.
"Are they all—" he let the question hang in the air as his gaze shifted to the destroyed house. Remus nodded mutely.
"Dammit. Then all hope is lost."
Remus's lips quirked in a small smile as he offered the now quiet Harry to the white-haired wizard. "Not all, Albus."
Albus whistled, amazed. "Well I'll be damned." Gently, the Headmaster of Hogwarts took Harry from his impromptu guardian and cradled him against his chest for a moment, as if reassuring himself that the boy really was alive. His blue eyes crinkled at the edges in happiness for a moment before he turned to the gathered and waiting Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix. "Hope has not been lost," he began, still cradling the child to his chest. "Lily and James, sadly, have passed on, but their son still lives. And with his life, the life of Voldemort has been snuffed. Rejoice, my friends, for although we have lost two of our own, the cause they gave their lives for lives on!" His normally calm voice was loud and impassioned by the end of his speech, jolting Harry awake so that his cries mingled with those of the witches and wizards gathered outside the house.
The cheering would have gone on for a long time, had not a pained howl pierced the revelry. The gathered wizards and witches parted, straining to see what could've made a sound so terrible during an event so joyous. Remus knew—it was the sound of a breaking heart. Even so, he strained along with the rest of the crowd to see what had made the noise, praying he would be wrong.
As the creature came into view, Remus's shoulders sank. It was, as he expected, Sirius. The big black bear-like dog padded down the aisle of people as if wounded, his canine eyes searching for evidence that this was all just another elaborate prank. His eyes met Remus's, and any hope that had been in them dimmed. He knew the truth. Remus's own eyes squeezed tightly against the tears that yet again were trying to escape his tenuous control.
Dumbledore watched this exchange with a heavy heart. For all he was grieving for Lily and James, he knew that their best friends were taking the couple's death even more harshly. With a sigh, he handed Harry over to the nearest pair of willing hands—and the biggest, as it turned out as Rubeus Hagrid was there to accept the tiny bundle. Dumbledore smiled slightly in thanks to the half-giant before turning to the man and dog in front of him. "I think," he began, "that it would be more prudent to continue this conversation outside of prying ears and eyes." He gazed meaningfully at the unregistered Animagus in front of him. "After all, those in the Ministry have been rather—generous—in their punishments for law infractions." The dog winced slightly, then gave an uncanine-like nod and led the way into the house. Dumbledore stepped back to allow Remus to follow, then turned to address the crowd. "Go home, my friends. Most of you will not be needed here tonight, and those that will, I will retrieve later. Go enjoy your new freedom." Many in the crowd gave the Headmaster of Hogwarts a grateful look before disapparating to their homes. Hagrid and a few others who had been close friends with the Potters remained, but Dumbledore left them to be dealt with by his trusted Gatekeeper.
Inside the house, Sirius had transformed back into his man-shape and was currently sitting on a nearby sofa, his head bowed in his hands. Remus was standing at one of the few remaining windows, staring out at nothing. Dumbledore couldn't help but sympathize with the two men, who had lost two of their closest friends in the same five-hour time period. But where is Peter? So lost in his thoughts was he that Dumbledore didn't realize he had spoken until Sirius repeated his statement.
"Yes, where is the little rat?" Sirius' mouth curled up a self-depreciating grin. "Where is our young Secret-Keeper?"
Dumbledore started. He hadn't realized his five former students had changed the Secret-Keeper. "And when did you change Secret-Keepers," he asked gently.
Sirius barked a laugh. "It was my idea, you know. I thought they'd be safer with Peter, since he was never ... there. Dammit!" Sirius stood up suddenly, tears shining in his eyes. "It's my fault," he continued, staring at his former Headmaster. "It's all my fault."
Dumbledore shook his head. "Sirius, you had no way of knowing Peter would turn. It's not your fault. No one here blames you."
Remus, who had at this point been standing at the window, walked over to his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I don't blame you," he said softly.
Sirius broke down, shaking Remus's hand from his shoulder and collapsing back on the couch. Dumbledore said nothing, allowing Sirius to recover. He remained motionless for a moment before tightening his jaw and standing up, a new resolve in his eyes. "Thanks, Moony. I'd—I'd better go. I—have some business to take care of." Despite Remus's protests, Sirius left the house. Remus shrugged and turned back to Dumbledore.
"So now what?"
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Now, we must take young Harry to a place where he will be safe. I know Remus, that you are very capable," he said as Remus opened his mouth to offer a place to stay, "but it would be best, I think, if Harry were to live ignorant of the world in which he is already a celebrity. Would you want him to grow up knowing that everyone in the Wizarding World spoke his name with reverence?" When Remus shook his head, Dumbledore continued. "Very good. I suggest we give him to Lily's sister and her husband. They have a child of their own, I know they'll get along famously." With a twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore led the way out of the ruined house and over to Hagrid, who looked to be a bit confused.
"Yeh wouldn' happen ta know where young Sirius keeps 'is bike, would'jer?"
Remus nodded thoughtfully. "He leaves it in the garage usually."
"Thanks."
"Oh, Rubeus, before you go, there is one thing," Dumbledore began, but interrupted Hagrid when he tried to give Harry back. "No, no, I want you to hold on to Harry. Actually, he'll be going to his Aunt's house, so if you would be so kind as to meet us there?" Hagrid nodded, still a bit befuddled, but left the two wizards in search of the motorbike.
"Dumbledore are you certain—" Remus began.
"Quite, Remus. Harry will be much safer with his Aunt than anywhere we could place him. Now, I must find Minerva. Where could she have gone?" With that, Dumbledore left Remus alone with his thoughts.
"Remus?" came Hagrid's call.
Remus turned around. The half-giant was walking slowly toward him, pulling Sirius's motorbike along with one hand while the other made certain Harry was tucked securely into his jacket. "Thought yer might like te say good-bye," he said, gesturing to the boy.
Remus smiled gratefully and stroked Harry's head. "I should probably say something really profound and exemplary of my wide range of knowledge about choosing your own path and we'll meet again, but given the circumstances," he chuckled softly, "my mind has had about as much as it can handle. But I will say this: I'll miss you. And I'll see you again someday, don't worry. Good luck Harry," he kissed the infant's head, then stood back as Hagrid smiled crookedly at Remus before getting carefully on the motorbike and taking off into the air. "And then there was one," Remus whispered, suddenly aware that most of the witches and wizards had left the ruined home of his two best friends. With a sigh that sounded a little more than world-weary, Remus took one last look at the place he had once called home before apparating away, leaving the house looking lonelier than ever.
Hey y'all, me again. I'm REALLY sorry for the long wait for this post, but as I mentioned earlier, life sorta caught up to me. But there is good news! I passed my driver's test! I am now a certifiable driver in the great state of New Joisey! ::does happy dance:: whoohoo!! Heh, yeah. That in itself was a part of the delay. So, sorry again, I will try to update sooner, I swear, but I can't promise anything. Classes start soon and on top of all that, if I don't update beforehand, in two weeks I'm going down to North Carolina. There IS a beach-house... but no computer. ::sigh:: ah well. Until next time!
One other thing... as promised, here is the information on my lycanthropic characters:
LYCANTHROPY:
Changelings: people who have been bitten
First change: first full moon
change at moonrise
no control over the lycan parts of themselves, except with the ingestion of wolvesbane
Following changes: every full moon
change when moon is fully above any obstacles on the horizon (trees, houses, etc.)
no control, except with wolvesbane
Susceptible to: silver bullets, beheadings, broken neck, fire
Strengths: enhanced strength, sense of smell, visibility (human and lycan forms)
enhanced speed, reflexes (lycan form)
Physical appearance
human: unchanged from original human form, except with strong emotion, when their eyes will take the color of their lycan forms
full lycan form: larger than normal wolves, red eyes, more powerful than regular wolves
Pure Lycans: those who were born lycan
First change: puberty
initial change at full moon
change due to fierce emotion (extreme rage)
before first full moon, change is only partial and uncontrolled
Following changes: MUST change at full moon
can change forms to half and full 'wolf at will
can change partially
complete control over 'wolf form (Animagus-like)
Susceptible to: silver bullets, beheading
Strengths: enhanced speed, reflexes, strength, sense of smell, visibility (human and lycan forms)
Physical appearance:
human: perfect vision, slightly longer than normal eyeteeth, slightly pointed ears (unnoticeable except by those looking for the point), eyes change color with mood
halfway form: eyes change to yellow, all teeth are sharpened (eyeteeth even longer), sharper nails, light dusting of fur all over, ears shift to top of head and become more wolf-like (think Inuyasha)
full lycan form: larger than normal wolf, yellow eyes, more powerful than regular wolves