Here it is the next chapter I hope all of you out there in fanfic land are enjoying this...

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter Remus and Sirius would be more than friends... Enuff Said.

Warning: If you haven't caught it yet this is Slash if this isn't your thing do me a favour and click the back button now.

Blood Moon

Chapter One: By The Light Of The Moon

Remus found himself in the hospital as he usually did but this time it was different, he hadn't realised at the time but he'd passed out from the pain. That meant it had be bad he usually was able to stagger back then collapse. Madam Pomferey had had to use a levitating charm to get him back to the school grounds.

Luckily it was the Christmas holidays and there were fewer pupils here than normal, in fact there were so few people here this year that there had only been one table needed in the Great Hall.

Remus had stayed because he'd had yet another argument with his parents. He couldn't deal with them. They had never accepted him and now he was older it was only getting worse.

And Sirius, well his parents had officially disowned him after he had run away and stayed with James over the summer. James and Peter had stayed this year for their friends and though they had never said Remus was happy that they had and told them so.

He was also thankful because it made the fact he needed to disappear once a month easier if there were fewer people to notice. In fact he was surprised at how few people had actually noticed it. Surprised but relieved. He'd seen Madam Pomferey shooting him concerned looks all morning but he pretended not to notice. It was easier that way.

But he was worried about the month's transformation. It was different. It had felt different he remembered very little about what had happened He would have to ask the boys if he had acted differently around them because there was something different and the remnants of the wolf's influence was goading him into finding out what it was.

Something had been different and he needed to know what had happened. And the best people to ask where the people that had the full moon with him as they had for over a year. As he thought of them they appeared through the door to the hospital wing three heads peeping round the door.

Madam Pomfery had head the door go and seeing who it was simply rolled her eyes and waved them inside. "Not long," She said severely "he needs rest." Before he turned and headed back to her office.

The boys had simply nodded and smiled but they truly had no intention of leaving anytime soon. They all bounded over to Remus, relieved to see him at least awake and clambered onto the bed around him.

"Jesus Moony," James said regarding his friend "You really took a beating this time didn't you?" Remus rolled his eyes. "Thanks Prongs, thanks for that and here I was thinking I looked shaggable and ready to party."

The friends laughed. But then Sirius leaned forward and said, "So Remus how are you really?" Remus frowned. They knew he always felt like shit after a transformation so what was Sirius really asking?

He looked at his friends and all of them avoided his eyes for one moment before they looked back at him. He knew it. He knew things had been different. He just hadn't realised how much.

"What happened last night guys?" He asked quietly. "Nothing Moony unless you count our usual night time adventures." James said then he grinned, "Which we totally have to discuss because we've got more information for the map." "Yeah, right." Remus said quietly. "That's why you're looking at me like I'm made of glass and might break at any moment." He shook his head. "Try again Prongs." "Really nothing happened." James said pushing his point forward. We were just asking how you are?"

"I feel like shit. You know I always do." Remus said bluntly. He eyed the boys until Sirius sighed. "All right so maybe something did happen last night." To which James slapped him round the head. "Sirius we promised."

"Promised what?" Remus demanded. "That we wouldn't say anything." Peter said heavily eyeing Sirius but he didn't say anything Peter had always been wary of Sirius' temper while the other two baited him endlessly. "And what would be so important that you wouldn't tell me?"

Remus' eyes went wide. "Oh hell I.. Oh guys please tell me I didn't hurt anyone! Please I don't think I could live with myself!" James' eyes went wide. "Oh Merlin Moony no! It was nothing like that!" "Then what?" Remus asked eyeing them all.

He looked at Sirius the longest, for some reason he seemed to be able to get more of out Sirius and he trusted Sirius to tell him the truth no matter how bad it maybe.

"You were different last night Moony. You wouldn't settle down. You didn't want us anywhere near you even though you knew us as your Pack. You howled and screamed and you really beat yourself up this time."

Remus was startled he hadn't done anything that bad since the guys had managed their transformations. What the hell was so different now? Remus shook his head. "I have no idea what this could mean." he said slowly. But something filtered through from his memory. The most painful Change since his transformation. He groaned softly. He was going to feel this for weeks.

"We could tell you were more settled than you would have been and you played for a little while but you seemed distracted and then when the moon rose fully…" Sirius trailed off.

"What?" Remus asked starting to get scared. What the hell had he done? In all the time they had been transforming with him he had never seen them act this way. "We were so worried about you." Peter said softly.

"James?" He asked softly. "Was just so weird." James said. "You weren't you. You looked at us like you didn't know who we were and just sat and howled when the moon rose. It was almost like you were crying."

Sirius looked at Remus then, "And we had no clue how to help you I've never seen Moony act that way before Re. It scared us."

What they were describing was scaring Remus he'd need to ask Madam Pomphery about the moon last night because if it was, what he thought it was he was in deep shit and he wasn't sure what he could do about it. From what he had read there was not a lot he could do about it he figured he'd face that bit when it came to it. Now he just wanted to rest and forget the fact that once a month he became a monster.

"We'll leave you to rest Remus." James said before motioning for the others to follow him out. Peter followed right away but Sirius lingered behind. "Do you want one of us to stay with you?" Sirius asked. "I don't mind." Remus smiled despite himself and shook his head. "Get back to school you are not using me as an excuse to get out of classes."

Sirius put a hand over his heart. "You wound me Remus!" He said good naturedly. "But alas I am busted." He winked and smiled. "We'll be back after classes, don't get yourself into too much trouble!" "I'm in the hospital wing Padfoot." Remus said rolling his eyes. "What could I possibly do here?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Need I answer that?" Remus blushed and looked down. "Okay point. But usually you guys help me with it." Sirius grinned and winked. "Have no fear my dear Moony we will be here to help you with it again as soon as classes are out."

Remus rolled his eyes and ignored the little flutter in his stomach that wink had caused. "I look forward to it Padfoot he said softly. Sirius grinned again and then followed the boys out of the wing.

He watched the door close and watched as Madam Pomfery, who had kept her distance until the boys had left made her way over to him with the potions and various concoctions she made him drink so he would have the strength to even move.

He took them grimaced at the fowl flavour but didn't complain compared to what he had just been through it seemed laughable that he would complain about the taste of potions that would make him feel better.

He looked at her and saw the worry shining in her eyes. "You know what happened last night don't you Madam Pomfery?" He asked softly.

She looked at him not avoiding his gaze. "Do you remember anything about your transformation last night Remus?" She asked steadily. Remus shook his head, almost out of instinct and then stopped.

If he concentrated he could remember something, it was only a glimmer but he knew it was something. He remembered a feeling. He remembered thinking the transformation had been more painful the night before.

Remus was used to the pain of transforming but he also knew that it had been nothing compared to the night before and that something had been different he also remembered something. A glimmer, a feeling.

What was it?

He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on it trying to chase it, trying to get the wolf, the wolf who was still quite near the surface to give up his secrets but Moony wasn't feeling giving it appeared.

Remus opened his eyes and the world moved and he put his head in his hands. "Whoa." He said softly. "I feel sick." There was a bowl there the moment before he dry retched with nothing more to bring up. He finished and looked up at Madam Pomfery

"It's usually bad but it's not usually this bad." He whispered sliding down the bed in an attempt to make the room stop spinning. "I thought it might be a bad morning but I didn't expect it to be this bad. You're not leaving the hospital wing for at least a day."

Remus wanted to argue but he couldn't find the energy to argue his case. "You know why I feel like this don't you?" Remus asked suddenly remembering the nurse's words about expecting a bad morning.

"I suspect nothing more Remus." She said softly. She sounded like Dumbledore Remus thought tiredly but that made it worse because it meant that whatever she suspected was likely to be true and he wasn't sure from the look on her face he wanted to know what she suspected.

But in the end his curious nature won out. Either that or his need to know so he could control the possible damage that could occur. In this case it was probably a bit of both. All the books he had read had told him little about his own nature and he had experienced his friend's fury on his behalf. He was used to it. He knew what the Wizarding World thought of him but it didn't help him trying to understand what was happening to him either.

He felt gratitude and fierce pride in his friends for sticking by him he had never imagined when he started the school all that time ago that he would have friends that accepted him despite what he was. He'd given up being mad at the world for hating him for something that had never been his fault. But it was nice to know that his friends cared enough to even have the energy over something that he couldn't change.

So of Madam Pomfery knew something good or bad Remus wanted to know about it. His parents had almost disowned him now that he was older. Remus found that kind of ironic considering his father was the reason Remus had been Bitten but pointing fingers was another thing Remus had given up along time ago.

It was him that had to live with being a werewolf his father simply pretended everything was fine in his own little perfect world.

Remus shook his head ridding himself of the thoughts of the family that he didn't really have anymore and looked at Madam Pomfery. "What's happening to me?" He whispered.

He hated how afraid he made himself sound in that one sentence but he couldn't help it he knew there was something going on inside him, something had got the wolf spooked and no matter how much he liked to pretend otherwise that also affected him as well.

Madam Pomfery sat down on the bed and said, "Last night was a Blood Moon Remus." Before he could say anything else she continued. "They're extremely rare but from what I know if it happens on a full moon and a werewolf is transforming it can have certain… ramifications for the wolf involved. I'd bet there are others in your position right now also. Though probably none as young as you."

Remus blinked. A Blood Moon? They were rare it was probably the only one that would come around in his life time and he again cursed the fact he was a werewolf because he had missed it.

Remus thought on what she had said he remembered reading something about the Blood Moon somewhere relating to his condition. But he couldn't remember exactly what it had said. It was in one of the more helpful books, probably the only one of its kind but Remus couldn't remember the exact passage.

"I vaguely remember reading something about that." Remus said slowly looking up at the nurse. "What does the Blood Moon mean for a werewolf?"

The nurse sighed. "The Blood Moon is a spectacular sight for anyone to see for wizards it increases magic but for a werewolf it increases their hold on the human side…"

Which made sense, thought Remus suddenly, the transformation and the fact he could still feel the wolf as though he could transform at any moment, and his senses felt like they were in hyper overdrive.

"And it also makes the wolf feel things, urges it wouldn't usually." Madam Pomfery said gently. Remus' ears pricked up at that and all of a sudden it felt he was like he was back in his transformation and he heard the wolf howl and a feeling of loneliness… heart wrenching loneliness over took him.

"The wolf…" He whispered "He's lonely. I've never felt anything like it." Madam Pomfery nodded solemnly. "I hoped it would not be the case but…"

She looked at Remus and said, "The wolf has discovered its need, it's want to find a Mate. Wolves Mate for life Remus you know that. For werewolves the same remains. But because the Wolf inside you is a magical being, a magical entity it will behave like other magical beings."

Remus was confused for a moment and then as the horror of the situation descended on him he realised what Madam Pomfery was getting at. All magical creatures weather it was an elf, Veela and in his case it appeared a werewolf had a Mate.

If they were rejected then they could die from the rejection but many of the magical beings also had a time limit on finding them before they died from the incomplete Bond. He realised that now the Wolf had been exposed to the Blood Moon that included him.

"Oh damn." He said softly.

Because honestly how else was he supposed to react, it seemed ridiculous and he would have laughed if he could have found the energy to try, but it was true. He had to find the one person that was meant to be with him forever, the one person that would never reject him or he would die because the wolf would not survive.

Remus didn't think it would be possible for his life to get any more complicated, but then Remus' life had never been easy, why would it start now.

He out his head in his hands. This was not how he wanted to start his day but since he didn't have a choice he knew he just had to deal with it the same as he had dealt with everything else that had been thrown his way.

Dealing, was after all, what Remus Lupin did best.