"I'd love to show you my poster collection, darling." Sirius smiled languidly at the tall boy in front of him, who sat enraptured in the pureblood's charm. "They're upstairs in my dormitory, and I think you'd really enjoy looking at them. There's one that I think you'd really like. What say you and I head up there now, and we can take a look. If you really like, I'll even let you touch it." Sirius continued, eyes roaming along the body in front of him.

"I'd like that." The boy whispered loudly, stroking Sirius' arm seductively. It had been a week since Sirius had accidentally revealed his sexual preferences to the Gryffindor common room in an incident involving some leather cuffs, a tub of chocolate spread and an attractive German, but several curses and threats from James had ensured that the information had not seeped its way out of the house.

However, it was both a blessing and a curse, as since the revelation Sirius had seen it as a go ahead to flirt excessively with males within the griffindor common room, in the logic that they all knew already and therefore no harm could be done. A surprisingly large number of Griffindor males had 'volunteered' their services since, and this was merely the last in a long line of males to grace the pureblood's lap.

James watched silently as Sirius took the boy's hand, coaxing him upstairs to their shared dormitory with a mixture of disgust and amazement at the speed with which his friend had managed to snare a partner for the afternoon. Shaking his head, James turned to watch the boy next to him, trying not to let unwelcomed pity shine through on his facial features.

"Rem-" James started, watching Remus cough lightly into his hand, before running the same hand over his brow tiredly. "I'm - I'm sorry you had to see that." James finished, looking over at his friend with a worried crease marring his brows.

"See what, James?" The werewolf asked casually, eyes never leaving the table where his books rested, unfocussed.

"He's a knob, you know how he is." James retorted, unphased by Remus' faked ignorance. "If he even had a few brain cells, he might realise what an absolute idiot he's being. However, if you think he's going to realise what an arrogant arse he is at times without at least a little help from you, then you're going to find him very much lacking, I'm afraid. Please, for the love of all things magical, help him out a little, or the bastard's going to become impossible to live with."

"He's a big boy, Prongs. He can sleep with whatever idiots he likes." Remus replied curtly, shutting the large volume swiftly as he glanced at his watch. "Its midday, I'm going to go and see if Hagrid needs a hand with his new litter of graphorns. I'll see you later, Prongs."

"Bye, Rem." James sighed, glancing over to Peter with a roll of his eyes as the werewolf left. "O! what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!" He grinned at the rotund boy, rolling his eyes once more as the boy looked at him blankly. "Never mind, Peter." James stated, throwing himself off the sofa and heading for the dormitory stairs. "The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!"


"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" James exclaimed as he stormed into the dormitory, completely unphased by the topless boy underneath his best friend, who let out a squeak as the pureblood's temper shone through the room. "Are you an absolute idiot, or do you enjoy single handedly ruining your own life in some sick, sadistic way?"

"Will you excuse me for a moment darling, it appears I have some business to attend to." Sirius smiled at the boy below him, jumping off the bed and drawing the curtains around the boy whilst casting a quick silencing spell around the curtains face dropping. "Have you got a problem, Potter?" Sirius hissed, throwing his hands in the air. "First you tell me I'm in love with Remus, then you decide I should think about whether its really him I want, and now you have the nerve to interrupt me when I genuinely attempt to work out whether or not he is replaceable? What the hell am I meant to do, hmm? Lie around pining?"

"And how's sticking your tongue down every person's throat working out for you, hey? You're going through them faster than a stunning spell by McGonnagal, Sirius, and so far you've yet to spend the entire night with any of them. So, I'm guessing you're still having the same little problem we talked about a few weeks ago?" Sirius had the decency to blush when he stated it, eyes screwing shut as he remembered the conversation with clarity. Looking down to his hips hopefully, he knew without the glance that the current boy lying wanting in his bed was having no effect on him.

"Not exactly." Sirius whispered, blush growing as he remembered the reaction Remus had elicited in him during the few kisses they had shared. "When Remus-well-you see..." He started, trailing off as he watched the exasperated face of his friend shift to face his own opening curtains.

"Sirius? Are you coming back to bed?" The pureblood scowled lightly, eyes closing in frustration as he tried to imagine a different voice coming from the curtains. He went to move towards the bed, but a strong hand on his chest restrained him.

"I think it might be best if you went downstairs, Brad." James stated kindly, grinning at the boy reassuringly. "Me and Sirius have some maraudering business to see to, I'm afraid, and an event of such a large scale cannot be planned in a matter of minutes. To waste but another moment waiting to plan would surely lead to our darling house master Minerva discovering the intricacies of our ideas and interrupting immediately. Apologies, I digress, but I'm afraid it's better if you return to your own room for the time being." The boy - Brad, Sirius supposed - looked to the Black for confirmation, and a swift nod from the canine lead to a sigh being emitted from his lips, as he dragged himself off the bed and down the stairs.

"Thanks for the cover, Prongs." Sirius smiled, patting James on the arm in a friendly manner.

"Oh, but there is a maraudering event to see to. I shall call it 'the night of glorious, glorious puppylove'. The guestlist will of course be rather short, and there shall be no actual touching between guests due to the fact that would be maraudering incest. I would help you more, but I'm afraid, my dear Padfoot, it is high time you grew up and learnt to plan your own parties." James smiled, walking out of the dorms with a customary nod.


Prrrrrawr.

"Evening Osmund." Remus whispered tiredly as he watched Lily's cat Pandora blaze through the otherwise dormitory, the final beams of sunlight glancing through the room to the little kitten's pleasure. Resisting the primal urges to hunt the tiny animal, Remus sighed as he felt the wolf press forward in displeasure. "No. I refuse to eat Pandora. You two will just have to try and get along, no matter how lovely cat steak may or may not taste. I don't even want to think about how you know the taste of cat meat, thank you ever much."

The wolf growled in displeasure as Remus grinned, glancing over at the plate of meat James had kindly left on his bedside, knowing the wolf's carnivorous appetite so close to the full moon. Picking up the last slab of raw meat with a grimace, the academic in Remus winced as he contemplated the brutality and feral nature of eating raw meat, but before he could degrade the act further, he threw the meat airwards, letting the wolf roll forward for but a moment to tear into the tender flesh.

"I hope you're content now." Remus huffed, leaning back into his pillows contemplatively. Grrrrr. "What's got your tail in a knot, hmm?" Remus asked himself, feeling the wolf pressing on him incessantly.

Many people had tried to explain the presence of the wolf in the days of the month where the moon was not full. Several werewolves had said it was like a presence in the back of the mind, whilst some said it was more like having another, smaller person resting within the torso. However, in Remus' point of view, it was not like having something inside you at all. It was more like having a spite alongside your body, which no one could see and only you could feel.

A benevolent spirit, resting constantly upon the back, arms wrapped tightly around the body as the human lives out his days, never truly interfering but always ready to take over, to slip into its partner's body at a second's notice.

The pain of the mental intrusion is minimal; in fact some regard it as a rest, and only the physical change brought on by the moonlight is regarded as difficult. It brings a short gap of time where the wolf is off your back, where control is sacrificed in favour of the beauty of submission. However, no such convenience can occur without consequence. For Remus, the consequence of becoming temporarily feral was too large, and the potential for the wolf to overthrow his mental barriers too great for him to even consider allowing the wolf more than a couple of moment's free reign away from the necessary days,

Some chose to ignore this, to accept the presence of the wolf within their bodies, until eventually either the wolf won or the two souls combined. Fenir Greyback was the most well publicised case of this, but Remus knew there was at least a few colonies in the british isles where the entire group was feral or near-feral.

Rrrrrgrr. "Stop it. We're not going feral, despite your wishes." Grrrawrrr. "What is that noise for?" Remus hissed, shuddering nervously as he felt the wolf's sharp, swift inhalations tickle the hairs on his neck. The wolf pushed the boy up off the bed, dragging him leftwards, leading the boy in the direction of-

"Oh. Oh no. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Remus groaned as he felt the wolf lead him to the end Sirius' bed. "Not you too, Osmund." Lips pursed as the wolf pushed his body down onto the bed into a seated position, and it took all his physical reserves to prevent the wolf from pushing him into a lying position to bask in the scent of their canine companion. Remus reached over to Sirius' pillow, surprised to see his own small comfort blanket tucked slightly under the duvet. Scrunching the blanket into a small ball, he compressed it in his fists desperately, pressing it between each finger angrily. "I don't need another voice telling me how much I love someone who is so clearly unobtainable."

"Stop being so selfish, you hear me? He can do so much better than us, and don't pretend you can't see it. It is best that he stays away for a little while so that this can continue on its path like any normal teenage infatuation." Remus continued, placing the small sheet back under his friend's duvet. Feeling the wolf attempt to drag him up angrily, he let the wolf in for a slight second, trying to work out what was going on.

The pain that overtook his stomach was enough to explain it all, and he looked over to the now empty plate on his bedside. Groaning as he rose to a standing position, Remus stretched tensely. Too proud to ask someone to go in his place, Remus threw a cloak over his knotted shoulders, tying the catches with deft fingers in order to prepare for the journey across the castle in search of some large steaks, knowing the wolf would not leave him in peace if he was this hungry so close to the full moon, especially not if Remus was denying him access to another 'basic necessity of life'.

"Remus Lupin, you need to accept that this is just a stupid adolescent phase." Remus huffed exhasperatedly, throwing his scarf on rapidly in order to ready himself for the cold winds that blew through the castle at night.

"What's just a phase?" A voice from the doorway stated, and Remus' blood froze as he turned to face the entrance, eyes trailing the long lithe form that filled the frame. Moving away from the canine's bed, nodded at the boy with false calm, smiling in what he hoped was a charming manner.

"Oh, nothing. Lily's cat is in the room and the wolf was feeling a bit hungry, I was just trying to convince him it was alright. I'm going to go and get some more meat for him now, have no fear." Remus grinned, eyes almost feral as he felt the wolf glide through him, attempting to take over for a moment to seize power of the situation.

Sirius grinned, leaning against the doorframe nervously. "Right. Well, I shan't hold you up then." He declared, eyes giving away the butterflies in his stomach at being left alone with the werewolf.

"Watch out for Pandora, I think she's under your bed. Would you like anything from the kitchens?" Remus asked politely as he moved to the door, nodding to Sirius as their paths crossed and he muttered a declination. For the shortest of moments, Remus could have sworn Sirius' arm darted out to stop him, but as he turned to glance at the pureblood, the hand rose, running its way through the silky locks instead. Remus stopped for a second, letting a deep inhalation pass his lips as the wolf pushed for dominance so they could claim their mate, but he turned on his heel once more, heading for the kitchens at a rapid pace without so much as glancing back.


"Bloody cat." Sirius growled, scooping the tabby feline from under his bed in one fell swoop. "Out of all the dorms you could have picked to inhabit when your slave isn't around, you picked the one with two canines in it. And they say cats are smart." He huffed, throwing the cat to the side callously. A hiss emanated from the bespeckled creature as it flounced off dramatically, out of the dorms at its own pace.

Sirius clutched his head angrily, fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose as he cursed his own indecision. He'd some so close to grabbing his friend's arm, to just letting all this emotional crap spill from his mouth until the werewolf either kissed him or killed him. Either alternative was preferable to this never ending sea of nothingness.

Imagine if you'd grabbed his arm, you complete and utter dolt. Sirius thought angrily in a voice that resembled a certain red headed griffindor. You could be in here kissing his face off, instead of sitting on the bed, thinking about what could have been. And guess what? Now he's gone to the kitchens, where the crazy little house elves will attempt to romance him with their tiny hands and massive eyes. Hell, Lily's down in the common room, she might even interrupt his journey, and use the opportunity to harass him in the way only I should be allowed to harass him.

They're probably all attacking him as we speak, throwing him to the ground so that he can be ravished. Why, unless I leave imminently, they will probably do things to him that none but I should do! He is probably screaming my name now, begging me to come and rescue him from the horrors of the kitchen.

And when I arrive, he shall cry in disbelief, before throwing himself into my arms dramatically, as I carry him away into the night to safety. Oh, how we shall laugh! And then, once we are safe, I will kiss him into next week, not letting his lips leave mine for more than a second - unless, of course, they have somewhere much more fun to move down to.

"To the kitchens! I'm coming, Remus!"


"Remus! Where do you think you're going?" Lily smiled as the werewolf walked past her in the corridor, arm resting on his as she looked deep into his eyes.

"I'm going to the kitchens, I'm a bit peckish. Would you care to accompany me?" He asked politely, offering a hand to help her rise should his offer be taken.

"Why, yes thank you." She smiled, insides feeling a little fuzzy as he linked their arms, leading her out of the common room. Well, after all, you may not be attracted to him, but he is still an attractive man. Sirius is a lucky lucky boy.

Looking at the man on her arm, Lily confirmed what she had said only moments before. Whilst the delicate features of Remus Lupin weren't as immediately breathtaking as the classic beauty of Sirius Black, his amber eyes, high cheekbones and eversmiling lips were more than enough to get the blood pumping. Having seen his body during the summer months, Lily knew he had nothing to be ashamed of underneath his robes, either, regardless of the scars that criss crossed his torso. She let her arms close for a moment as her head rested on his arm, slightly ashamed of the thoughts of Potter that passed through her mind.

"Lily?"

"Sh, I'm not coming on to you. I just wanted a moment, and knew that you wouldn't take advantage." She smiled as he looked down at her, untangling his arm from hers and letting it rest across her shoulders tentatively.

The pair walked in amicable silence for a while, trailing through the empty corridors at an relaxed pace in their comfortable position, until Lily couldn't resist. "So, let me guess, you're imagining I'm a certain someone with jet black hair, a gorgeous roman nose and sinfully full lips right now?"

"Not you too."

"Come on, Rem, you're hardly subtle. You've got to let go and let yourself love, or you might never get another chance." Lily stopped, letting his arm drop off her shoulders as she rested her hands on her hips.

"Why wont you take a risk and go for it? None of us will care if you're gay, and Sirius is clearly head over heels in love with you. Yet you continue to hold back and stop yourself from just going for it. If you don't take a chance, you'll never win the jackpot."

"Oh for heavens sake Lily, you're lecturing me about letting go and allowing yourself to love? Have you seen the looks you've been throwing to a certain Potter boy recently? Yet your own bloody prejudices wont let you date him, as you're convinced that he's this absolute nightmare child who'll never grow up." Remus argued, hands resting on his hips as he mirrored her stationary position.

"Me and James aren't like you and Sirius."

"You and James are exactly like you think me and Sirius are." Remus countered. Lily went to respond, but the scuffling sound became more and more eminent, and Remus lifted a hand to silence the redhead.

Lily squinted as she watched Remus' head drop, tilting in an effort to listen to something her ears weren't sensitive enough to hear. He stood motionless for a moment, until his head lifted to look the redhead square in the eye. "You hear that?"

And suddenly she did, a light scuffling noise somewhere in the distance. "Its getting closer." Remus whispered as she noted the noise getting louder, the echo in the empty corridor making it seem as if the sound surrounded them. Suddenly, she spotted Remus' head snap leftwards, and her eyes followed, widening as she spotted a lithe body tearing its way around the corner.

"MOONY!"


Oioiii

Guess what? This is now officially the longest story I've ever written! yaaaay... *Looks guiltily over at Reasons Why Liking Remus Lupin Is Wrong in the knowledge it now feels inferior*...

And, to 'celebrate', I feel I need to spring clean my account by getting rid of the 'dead meat' that is 'We're Charmed', a really rubbish story I started when I was 13. I am a bit gutted about having to delete it, but it is absolutely awful and contains the worst Mary Sue I have ever seen in my life!

I had a narcissistic moment earlier, where I just stared at the list of people that have me on author alert/story alert/favourite author/favourite story. You all rock.

Shameless self promotion - Taste In Men is now 4/5 complete, have a gander? Its all getting a bit weird over there now, and is very nearly complete!

Song Of The Week - "Hello, I wrote a song for you called 'Welcome To The Jungle'"- Hot Club De Paris.