Fate's Chosen (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter 17: Home At Last

Marauder Mansion, Borough of Islington, London

"Oh Remus..."

"I'll be alright, Padfoot. It's nothing I haven't gone through before."

Remus attempted to smile reassuringly but the discomfort of his condition made it look like a grimace instead.

"Well, now that I'm here, you'll never have to face this alone again."

That was a promise Sirius intended to keep until he took his very last breath. It was the night of a full moon and it seemed that it was bound to be agonizing for his lover. The effects of Remus' curse were currently worse than what Sirius had been used to. Turning a sickly pale, Remus looked significantly older than he really was with how weak and exhausted he felt. He had been forced to endure countless miserable nights alone, not one friend there to help ease the pain of his transformation. Sirius figured that was the reason why the man was hurting more. There was also the added stress of the custody claim. It was taking far too long and Dumbledore was nowhere close to backing down.

"Are you sure you want to stay inside? I can accompany Moony, I've missed running as Padfoot." Sirius admitted, brushing back a lock of Remus' hair from his forehead.

They were seated in front of the warm fire, huddled together on the plush couch. Remus was leaning his whole weight against Sirius, not that the Animagus minded, not at all. Sirius was willing to do anything to make up for the years that they were separated and they benefited from the close contact. They needed the constant reassurance of the other's presence; both were more than a little touch-starved. Remus now feared abandonment and Sirius may have mostly recovered from the hell-on-earth that was Azkaban but the trauma was ingrained deeply in his mind. They would never have the hollowing, all-consuming feeling of loneliness ever again if they could help it.

"No... You know that despite the Wolfsbane, Moony's been rather...difficult lately." Remus said, frustrated.

It was quite strange, actually. Sirius had obviously expected Moony to be more active since the wolf was closer to the surface during the full moon but Moony had been a different type of restless the whole day. Consequentially, Remus had to bear headaches and sudden bursts of anger/mood swings. Sirius was definitely confused; Remus didn't know what was going on either. As far as they could remember, Moony had never acted that way before. He was usually calm as long as one of his pack mates was around, especially his mate.

"I'd rather stay here, alone with you. At least that way, I won't be able to hurt anyone in case..." Remus trailed off with a sigh.

Sirius knew that wasn't exactly the greatest idea since Moony loved being out in the wilderness and having the space to run free. However, Remus could be so stubborn sometimes and Sirius didn't want to argue with his lover in his weak physical state. Sirius nodded begrudgingly and helped Remus stand and strip, knowing it was almost time for the transformation. Remus backed away and readied himself for the inevitable excruciating pain that was coming. However, he couldn't anticipate his wolf urging his magic to act out. He wasn't transforming, not yet, but there was still an odd constricting feeling in his chest. He felt as if his heart and lungs were burning up.

Something's wrong! Remus panicked internally.

"Remus?! Remus!"

Alarmed, Sirius watched as Remus struggled to stay on his feet, wide-eyed and clutching a clenched fist to his chest. The werewolf's eyes were flickering between warm brown and blazing amber. What was happening to him? He had taken Wolfsbane, had the potion not been brewed right? Had Kreacher somehow tampered with the potion? If he did, Sirius was going to murder that house-elf, damn the consequences! Remus was currently distressed, nothing else was more important than figuring out why (except Bambi, obviously).