Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Lunaticus Book Three: New Moon Rising	By : JBankai89 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Remus Views: 12599 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, I gain nothing from this but a way to pass the time.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
A/N: Longest chapter in this fic, and last 'filler'-y type chapter. Next update will be September 28^th.
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Stay

Warm, late summer sunlight fluttered against Harry's cheek like butterfly wings, and before he had even opened his eyes, he knew something was off.

Not wrong, exactly, just off.

For starters, he seemed to be propped in an upright position, instead of laying down.

The second thing that added to the off-feeling was the fact that he could smell nothing but a single dominant werewolf, which was odd, because he knew for a fact that he had returned to sleeping in the Sub House. At the same time, he could hear none of the familiar noises of the territory—no children screaming and playing, none of the idle chitchat of the other occupants of the house—nothing.

Nothing, save for the sound of someone breathing softly next to him.

Harry opened his eyes, and at once all the pieces came together.

He found himself in Remus's sitting room, and he had apparently fallen asleep with his head perched on Remus's shoulder, which explained the dominant scent that he had detected. He couldn't recall falling asleep, but then, it had been a trying few weeks—to say the least—and perhaps it was none too surprising that they'd fallen asleep like that.

Remus let out a soft groan, and his eyelids fluttered open. He looked around, blinking bemusedly, and as his eyes fell on Harry, he let out a low chuckle.

“Looks like we fell asleep,” he observed, and Harry echoed his laugh.

“Looks like,” he agreed as he yawned and stretched, the action causing his spine to pop in a few places. “I better be getting back, I have lessons, and I'm supposed to start on animal transfiguration with the kids this week...”

“Have time for a spot of breakfast before you go?” Remus asked as he stood up and stretched. “And you can use my bathroom if you want...”

“Sounds like heaven,” Harry replied with a purr, and kissed Remus once before he headed towards the shower.

Harry had half-expected Remus to sneak in after him, and was therefore somewhat surprised when he acted the part of a gentleman and let him shower alone. Harry used a few freshening charms on his clothing from yesterday after a quick wash, and when he exited the bathroom and headed for the kitchen, he was enveloped in the delicious smell of Remus's excellent cooking.

The table was leaden with a modest spread of sausages, eggs, toast, and tea. Harry's stomach gave an audible rumble, and Remus smiled warmly at him as he added the finishing touches to their breakfast, summoning jam, a pat of butter, and cutlery.

“This feels oddly familiar,” Harry remarked as he sat down and began to serve himself, while Remus mirrored him.

“I believe the first time we accidentally woke up together, I made enough breakfast food to feed ten of you,” Remus replied, and Harry grinned at him.

“I've missed this, you know,” he said fondly. The dominant met Harry's gaze and cocked a brow at him. “Not just the being with you part, I mean. But little things...waking up with you, talking, your fantastic cooking...it feels like...like...coming home.”

For a moment, Remus seemed unable to react, and merely stared across the table at Harry in quiet surprise.

“That...I have no words for how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Harry,” Remus said softly, while he offered Harry a warm smile, and reached across the table for his hand.

Harry happily threaded his fingers with the older man's, and offered the limb a gentle squeeze.

~*~

When Harry had bid Remus goodbye and returned to the territory, he was privy to the reverse of what he had been expecting, and he noted how a number of dominants (the ones who usually took any opportunity to cop a feel) were veering away from him, and in their eyes Harry caught expressions of muddled disappointment and suspicion. He frowned, confused by the attitude, but given that he was already bordering on late, he did not pass it much thought as he hurried to the area of the territory he used for their lessons, but he was quickly intercepted by Greyback.

Harry stumbled back, startled by the alpha's sudden appearance, and the alpha himself looked deeply irritated.

“You did not return to the territory last night,” he said, and Harry frowned. What am I, five?

“Is that a crime?” Harry asked mildly, unable to keep a note of sarcasm from his voice. Greyback narrowed his eyes as a lightning-fast his arm shot out, and he grabbed Harry by the throat. It was nowhere near hard enough to bruise, but the hold was enough to spark Harry's warning instincts. He tensed his muscles in an effort to keep still, while his mind practically screamed at him to run from the perceived threat.

“Don't push it, Potter,” Greyback growled, “I've already given you more liberties than most subs—more than I should have, I'll warrant. You're part of my pack, you're my responsibility, whether you like it or not. I keep tabs on my subs, so that if one wanders off we can find them before a rogue dominant, or something else, gets to them. You haven't the strength to match a dominant, something I thought we'd drilled into your head by now. If you're going to be out all night with Lupin, tell someone.”

“You sound like a mother, not an alpha,” Harry retorted as he wrenched himself out of Greyback's hold and took a small step back. He knew that talking like this to Greyback was a fantastically stupid idea, and he had absolutely no idea where these words or his anger was coming from. However, now that he'd started, he felt like he couldn't stop. “It was an accident, all right? We nodded off when we were talking, and when we woke up again it was morning. You knew full-well I was going to see Remus, so I have no idea why the hell you're so pissy at me.”

Sudden pain temporarily blinded all of Harry's senses, and in the same instance, he found himself sprawled on the ground.

“Harry!”

Harry groaned, and he felt a hand brush his upper arm while he cradled his aching cheek. The nearby scent was a submissive one, one Harry recognized immediately as Tavish.

“Watch your mouth, Potter,” Greyback growled, apparently unconcerned that he'd hurt him, “you're a sub of my pack, which makes you my responsibility. If you don't like it, you're welcome to leave.”

He eyed Harry for one more moment, then strode off as though nothing had happened.

Harry watched him go, anger and frustration bubbling in his chest as he glared at the alpha's back.

“Are you all right?” Tavish asked, and Harry turned to him, his friend's brow knitted together in worry, while his hand still rested on Harry's arm.

“I've been better,” Harry muttered as he stood up with a soft groan, “it'd be nice if Alpha didn't treat the pack subs like we're a bunch of five-year-olds, though...”

“Harry, you're a sub,” Tavish said, emphasizing the word as he led Harry towards the Healer's cabin, “I don't know how many times we've all told you this, but you're no match for a dominant werewolf in strength if one were to corner you. Alpha keeps tabs on all the pack subs—it's to keep them safe, not baby them. Usually, the subs appreciate being looked after, they're not so bitchy about it...”

“Bitchy!” Harry sputtered, “I'm not being bitchy, I'm angry! I appreciate being given a place in the pack, and a job that I enjoy, I do, but, Tavish, for all his bravado about taking care of his pack, he just means the dominants, doesn't he? The subs are just a bunch of stupid kids who can't fend for themselves—”

“We cannot match a dominant in strength,” Tavish snapped, enunciating each repeated word carefully, as though he was speaking to a child. He bared his teeth, and his anger was so acute that Harry's mouth immediately snapped shut. “I'm not sure how many more times we need to all tell you that before it sinks in. You are a submissive werewolf, Harry. A strong one, a good omen for the pack, but you are still a sub. You wander off into the forest on your own, if you come across a dominant who takes a fancy to you and doesn't play by our rules, you will have no chance of surviving it. Believe me.”

Harry did not respond, but eyed Tavish oddly. His expression had darkened, and there was an anguished look in his eyes that told Harry one thing—he was speaking from experience. At some point, Tavish had been subject to the horrible treatment he'd heard described so many times over the last six months. For Tavish, it was not an abstract concept that subs were weaker and more in danger than their dominant counterparts—for Tavish, it was real.

Despite his frustration at Tavish's attitude and Greyback's reprimand, Harry forced himself to keep quiet as they made it to the Healer's cabin, where Daanish took a look at his cheek.

“No concussion, and unfortunately there's nothing that I can do to make the bruise go away any quicker,” he explained as he prodded at Harry's cheek, making him wince. “Alpha-induced injuries need to heal naturally, no magic or potion will quicken the process, I'm afraid.”

“Why not?” Harry asked as Daanish straightened up and walked over to a store cupboard, and extracted a small pear-shaped bottle, which contained a thin green-brown solution, the same colour as steeped mint tea.

“Dominant and Alpha magics block outside sources from tampering with the injuries they inflict upon their own pack members...sort of a punishment, for the injured party to be given a reminder of the wrong that they've done.”

“So...Sit In The Corner and Think About What You've Done magic?” Harry asked, and Daanish chuckled softly.

“Something like that, yeah,” he replied with a nod, and held out the bottle to him. “Take this, a mouthful every four hours. It won't get rid of the pain completely, but it'll at least take the edge off.”

“Thanks,” Harry muttered as he closed his fingers around the little bottle and pocketed it.

Harry spent the day doing his lessons with his pupils, and though he'd thought he'd been doing an okay job of keeping his sour attitude in check. However, he did not miss the way his kids skirted around him nervously, and even his most outspoken students like Vyvyan and Gina stuttered when they spoke to him.

The entire day left Harry completely knackered, and in the late afternoon as he was assigning homework and finishing up, he had begun to daydream about going to see Remus that evening, paired with a hearty meal and a good, strong cup of tea.

At long last, Harry packed up the homework that needed correcting into his rucksack, along with a change of clothes, pyjamas, and his toothbrush—he wasn't exactly planning to spend the night, but if he nodded off again he liked the idea of having some extra clothes handy—and headed for the territory's Apparition Point.

About halfway there, all of Tavish's dire warnings came full- circle when he was intercepted by a dominant.

He slunk out of the trees, his shoulders hunched a little, and he smiled at Harry in what he seemed to think was an attractive smile. Instead of it endearing him to Harry in any way however, it left him feeling distinctly unnerved. Harry recognized the man at once as one of the dominants from the execution circle—Silas—though this fact did not exactly reassure him.

Silas approached Harry slowly, and he did not like the predatory edge to the dominant's stride, and immediately took a nervous step back. Silas smiled again, and flicked a strand of white hair from his dark blue eyes.

“Can I help you?” Harry asked, and gritted his teeth in frustrated embarrassment when his voice escaped him with a light tremor.

“I certainly hope so, Harry,” he replied smoothly, and stopped just short of touching him, but still well within his personal space. Harry stepped back, and Silas mirrored it. He smiled, but again instead of leaving Harry feeling reassured, he continued to feel deeply unsettled by it. “I couldn't help but notice you...at the execution circle, I mean. I never thought I'd find myself interested in a male sub, but you...you have a certain allure about you. And now that you and Ulrich have parted ways—”

“—let me stop you right there,” Harry interrupted, and held up a hand. “I'm not interested. Not even remotely interested. I'm sure you're a wonderful man, but my wonderful man lives outside of the territory, and—ack! Let go!”

During his explanation, Silas had reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist to tug him close. He squirmed in the dominant's hold, but it did nothing more than elicit a pleased sort of purr from the other man, as though Harry's struggling was somehow attractive to him.

“But he's not here now, is he?” Silas asked as he brushed the tip of his pointed nose along the edge of Harry's throat, “not here to prove that he owns you? He's that decrepit, old, self-loathing thing, isn't he? Regis or Reiner or something? Are you afraid of bedding a true wolf?”

Harry narrowed his eyes at Silas as he spouted off insult after insult. However, the dominant had been so busy with his verbal barbs and the added task of trying to pin Harry's arms down while he pawed at him that he had left one significant area exposed.

Without pause, Harry immediately brought his knee up sharply, and he slammed it into Silas's groin as hard has he possibly could.

Silas let go of Harry at once with a howl of pain as he cupped himself, bowing forward as he did so, leaving his head at eye-level with Harry's. Again, Harry did not hesitate as he cracked his fist against Silas's cheekbone, hard enough that in the dominant's somewhat weakened state, it was enough to knock him down. Unfortunately, the sharp crack that rent the air, as well as the ache in his fist that followed told Harry that he may have done some damage to his own hand in the process, which, in his estimation, was a small price to pay for finally being able to put a dominant in his place.

“You...you little...” Silas hissed between sharp gasps of pain, just as a third voice joined the commotion.

“Well he did say no...” Ulrich said as he glared down at Silas, “what were you expecting?”

Silas staggered to his feet while he muttered a string of curses and hobbled off as he all but radiated rage and embarrassment. The moment he'd gone, Ulrich turned to Harry, but unlike Silas, he kept a respectful distance.

“Are you all right?” Ulrich asked while his eyes fell to Harry's purpling knuckles, “I saw Silas sneak off after you and I was about to intervene when...” he trailed off and shook his head. “I guess you really can take care of yourself.”

“Fine,” Harry replied as he flexed his hand reflexively, but immediately regretted it when sharp pain lanced through the limb. “It's what I keep telling you lot, maybe now you'll actually believe me.”

“I think maybe we need to reconsider how we treat our subs around here,” Ulrich replied with a wry smile. “Go to your mate, I'll let Alpha know where you've gone...and what Silas tried to do.”

“Thanks, Ulrich, on both counts,” Harry replied, and smiled at him. Ulrich returned it, and Harry was surprised at how little sadness he saw in the dominant's expression. It was open and friendly—just like the Ulrich he had always known. Harry felt no guilt about breaking it off with him, he knew it had been the right decision on all sides, but at the same time, he was relieved that Ulrich seemed to be making a genuine effort to move on as well, and return their relationship to the cordial, friendly one that it had been before.

“Any time,” he said with another smile, then nodded towards the Apparition Point. “Get out of here, I know you're dying to see Remus.”

Harry offered him a small, grateful smile, then turned and hurried out of the territory without looking back.

~*~

The second that Harry appeared outside of the cabin, he saw the curtains in front of the window by the door fall back into place, as though someone had been peering outside mere moments before. A second later, Remus opened the front door and beamed at him, as though it had been weeks since they'd last seen each other, and not a few hours.

Abandoning his dignity entirely, Harry grinned as he ran at Remus, and he felt a sense of now-familiar peace wash over him as the older man pulled him in for a kiss.

“What happened?” he murmured without preamble, and it was only then that Harry noticed just how tense Remus was at that moment. “You smell like a dominant...and one that I don't recognize.”

“One of the dominants tried to get handsy with me, even after I told him that I was involved with you,” Harry explained, and eyed Remus curiously, for save the way every muscle in Remus's body seemed to be tense and taut, he showed no other outward signs of the werewolf jealousy that Harry had been expecting. “He wouldn't take no for an answer. So I...er, showed him why underestimating a sub is a bad idea.”

Remus chuckled a little and dropped a hand to Harry's back as he led him inside, and pressed a kiss to the top of his head while he nudged the door shut with his heel.

“Is that how you got that charming bruise on your cheek?” he asked mildly, and Harry frowned. In all the excitement of his pseudo-assault, he'd completely forgotten about it.

“Er, no...that was Greyback,” Harry replied, and bit his lip when Remus's hands tensed on him. He did not speak, but instead led Harry silently over to the sofa, where he conjured a roving tea platter, and pressed a full cup into Harry's hands.

“Start from the beginning, tell me everything.”

Harry obeyed, and started from his departure that morning, to his argument with Greyback, and later with Tavish, and ended with the attempted assault by Silas. All throughout his explanation, Remus kept his hands on him, but not in an overt sort of way like Ulrich used to. It was gentle—a hand on his knee, or rubbing his back, but not clingy or over-the-top. Harry could sense that Remus was upset at Greyback's treatment of him; he had become more tense as Harry's explanation progressed, but at the mention of his attack, Remus finally interrupted him.

“Can I see your hand?” Remus asked, and Harry blinked.

“What?”

“Your hand,” Remus repeated, “may I see it?”

Harry lifted his hand to show Remus, and it was only then that he realized that his knuckles had gone black and blue. His centre knuckle was badly swollen, and when he tried to flex his fingers, he gasped as the pain shot all the way up his forearm.

His vocalization of pain made Remus visibly wince, and he reached out slowly to cradle Harry's hand very gently, and prodded the affected area with the tip of his wand very lightly, though it still managed to sting.

“Hairline fracture to your knuckle and a sprained wrist...Merlin's Beard, Harry, how hard did you hit him?”

“I dunno, hard enough that he fell over?” Harry replied, and Remus chuckled softly.

“Clearly he underestimated you,” Remus mused as he prodded Harry's hand once with his wand, and the pain, swelling, and bruising all vanished instantly.

“It seems to be going around,” Harry replied dryly as he took his hand back and flexed it experimentally. “Thanks. It'll be nice when it isn't so shocking to the pack wolves that a sub can fend for themselves, though...”

“Not all subs are as tough as you,” Remus countered, his tone mild, and not confrontational. “Many have no desire to fight. If they are taken care of and safe, many want little more than that.”

“I can't speak for them,” Harry replied as he returned to his abandoned teacup before he leant into Remus's side. Remus immediately wrapped an arm around Harry and pulled him close. After everything that had happened that day, Remus seemed to need to exert some sort of visible claim over Harry almost as much as Harry needed to be comforted by him. “I'm not Hermione; I won't force the other subs to think a certain way because their ideals don't mesh with mine. But having a choice one way or the other might be nice, instead of just being dismissed as weak because I'm a sub.”

“Harry, the one thing you have never been is weak,” Remus said, and Harry smiled a little when the older man brushed a light kiss to his temple. “People struggle to see past tradition sometimes; they can't fathom a new way of thinking, because the way things are may not affect them adversely.”

“Like being a dominant in a pack where subs bend to your every whim?” Harry asked, a note of bitterness in his tone. Remus did not respond, but he tightened his arm around Harry protectively.

~*~

As the evening passed, the couple slowly gravitated away from more serious topics, and instead simply content to enjoy each other's company. Remus cooked, Harry helped him clear up, then over tea in the sitting room, Remus read while Harry corrected essays.

At least, Harry thought Remus was reading.

Harry had been curled up at his end of the sofa, stack of horrid essays on his knees, and over the last hour, Harry could not help but notice the way every time he glanced up, Remus's eyes would suddenly flit back down to his book.

The other tell that Remus was using the book more like a prop instead of actually reading it had to do with the fact that he'd been on the same page for the last forty minutes.

“Is it a difficult passage or something?” Harry asked mildly when he caught sight of Remus's eyes flitting up again.

“What?”

Harry turned to Remus, and chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning at the mildly startled look in the older man's eye.

“Well, you've been on the same page for over half an hour, so...are you having trouble with it?”

“Let's just say having you here is a little distracting,” Remus replied with a chuckle, and nudged Harry with his toe.

“Well, if I'm that distracting, I could always go...” Harry made a big show of standing up and making a move towards where he'd left his bag, and let out a small yelp when Remus immediately abandoned his book, reached up, and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist to tug him back down. He landed halfway in Remus's lap with a laugh, his back pressed firmly against the older man's chest.

“Don't even joke about that, Harry...” Remus said, his voice losing its teasing tone as it lowered to something closer to a purr, and once again, Harry felt as though Remus had set him aflame with a single phrase.

Harry turned in the awkward embrace and kissed him hard, and he heard Remus let out a tiny sigh of relief as he returned it. One arm held Harry close, while his opposite hand moved up his back to entangle in his hair, mussing it up more than usual. Harry shifted, trying to turn more fully towards Remus, but his position did not allow him to go very far.

“Harry...” Remus whispered his name like a prayer, and tightened his hold on the younger man. It was less possessive and more needy, as though he feared what might happen if he lost contact with him.

“I'm right here,” Harry replied just as softly, and kissed him again. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“I don't deserve you,” Remus murmured with a weak laugh while Harry mirrored his dominant's embrace, and tightened his hold on the older man.

“Let's not start that again, all right?” Harry said, while he cocked a half smile at the older man. “In the last few months, you've done everything you can to better yourself...you're back to the Remus that I fell in love with. There's no one I'd rather be with.”

“My life was so empty without you,” Remus said softly, a faraway, mournful look in his eyes, “I cannot tell you how happy I am that you're here with me now.”

“Things were never right, after we split up I mean,” Harry replied, and reached up to brush his fingers along Remus's cheek, “It might sound a bit cheesy, but I feel like...it's always been you.”

Remus kissed Harry again, and drew him closer. Harry turned and clambered into the dominant's lap in a more secure position as he returned the kiss, while Remus's arms dropped to his waist, holding him close.

“Tonight...will you stay?” Remus asked, his breath tickling Harry's damp lips, and it took him a moment to process what Remus had asked him.

“Sorry...what?”

“Tonight, would you mind staying over?” Remus repeated, and added quickly, “I'm not expecting anything from you, it's not that, I just enjoyed waking up with you this morning, it was like old times again.”

Harry answered with a kiss, and he felt every muscle in Remus's body immediately relax.

“I'd love to stay,” Harry said at last, “provided you don't carry me anywhere.” Remus smiled warmly at Harry's statement, a flicker of amusement in his eyes at Harry's conditional agreement, but when he responded, Harry was shocked by what he heard in lieu of some sort of gentle taunt in reference to his dislike of being carried places.

“I believe that can be arranged.”

Harry didn't bother sending an owl to Greyback to inform him that he was spending the night—again—with Remus. He assumed that the alpha would be able to work it out on his own. He knew that there was every chance that he was setting himself up for another punch to the face, but at the moment, he could care less.

Harry and Remus spent the rest of the evening by the fire, bouncing between simply relaxing together, and snogging like a pair of teenagers. By the time they were ready to call it a night Harry was in a state of pent-up sexual frustration, but he was uncertain whether going further so soon was a good idea or not. They'd only just gotten back together, after all—he didn't want to mess it up by rushing things.

It felt both alien and familiar all at once as together they got up, and Remus showed him to his bedroom. It was a tiny space at the back of the house with a small queen bed and wardrobe, and nothing else. There was a window just above the bed, displaying the crescent of the waxing moon in a clear sky, but the window was crooked and roughly hewn, as though it had been created in a hurry.

“This room didn't have a window originally,” Remus explained, as though he sensed Harry's thoughts, “I've never been very good at renovation charms, so it came out a little...lopsided.”

“It's great,” Harry replied, and laughed when Remus eyed him dubiously. “Well, okay, the window's not, but...being here, that's the great part.”

Harry felt himself flush a faint pink at his words, only belatedly aware of how wistful and borderline cheesy he was beginning to sound, and he mumbled something about needing to use the toilet, and rushed out of the room.

He took care of business, then re-entered the bedroom with his rucksack over his arm just in time to catch Remus tugging on his pyjama bottoms, giving Harry a delightful three-second view of the older man's bare arse. Harry bit his lip to try and stifle a grin as Remus whirled around upon his re-entry, his eyes a little wide.

“You were faster than I thought you'd be,” Remus said by way of explanation, and this time, Harry did laugh.

“It's hardly the first time I've seen your arse, Remus,” Harry pointed out, and arched an eyebrow, which seemed to only further the older man's embarrassment.

“Yes, but, last time we sort of...rushed into things. I want to do it right this time.”

“Nowhere in my manual on good relationships is everything thrown off the rails by nudity,” Harry said as he strode forward, pecked Remus lightly on the lips, and rested a hand against his bare chest. “Just relax. It's not like this is a new relationship for us, more a...do-over. Besides, if one of us is not ready or does not want to do something, we can use our miraculous capacity for speech to articulate to the other that thing. Right?”

“Right,” Remus echoed, and Harry felt him physically calm down, the taut muscles under his fingers softening as he relaxed. “Thank you, Harry.”

“What for?”

“For being a voice of reason when I'm too afraid of mucking this all up to think clearly.”

“We'll be reasonable in shifts, yeah?” Harry said as he grinned up at him, “that way there's more time for hopeless romanticism.”

“I like that idea,” Remus replied with a chuckle, and leant in to kiss Harry lightly. “Be back in a mo'.”

Without another word, Remus headed off to take his turn in the bathroom, while Harry dug into his rucksack and pulled out his own set of pyjama bottoms and tugged them on. Without waiting, Harry slipped under the duvet and immediately felt something of a tidal wave of calm wash over him as he was enveloped by Remus's scent. It had been so long—too long, since he had experienced such perfect peace like this.

When Remus returned to the bedroom, he appeared marginally surprised that Harry was still there. Harry arched a questioning eyebrow, and Remus smiled sheepishly.

“I keep thinking this is one of my wild dreams about you,” Remus explained as he slipped beneath the covers with him, and immediately Harry cuddled up close and rested his head against Remus's shoulder, while Remus wrapped an arm around his submissive.

“Wild dreams?” Harry prompted, and Remus chuckled softly.

“Not like how you're thinking,” he explained as he rolled over a little to look at Harry as he spoke. “Nothing kinky, or sexual...just...us. You being here, spending time with me, eating together, talking...normal things like that.”

As Remus talked, he idly traced the contours of Harry's face with his fingertips, apparently entranced by him in some strange way. Harry did not miss the soft, almost disbelieving tone in which Remus spoke, as though despite the physical evidence, he was still surprised that Harry was there at all.

Harry reached up and took Remus's hand, then with his other he wrapped it around the back of his dominant's neck and pulled him in for a gentle kiss. Remus seemed to melt under Harry's touch, and he smiled a little as he eased back to admire the older man—his mate.

“I'm here, I'm real, and I'm not going anywhere,” Harry murmured before he kissed him again. “I'll be here for as long as this thing between us works, so if it's a year, or ten, or for life, I'll stay. I love you. Do you still love me?”

“I never stopped,” Remus answered without missing a beat, and they both smiled widely at each other.

Harry let out a soft, contented sigh as he eased back down in the bed, revelling in being held like this, in the way Remus's warmth transferred to him, how comforting his scent was, and how the dappled moonlight that danced across the blue-grey bedspread seemed to complete the perfect scene.

The moonlight, though pretty, did remind Harry of something he'd rather not think on.

“We're going to need to discuss what we're gonna do for the full moon,” Harry said suddenly, and Remus's hand, which had been idly running through his hair, tensed momentarily before it resumed its gentle, idle strokes.

“I've been giving it some thought,” Remus replied, “because I know that I'll need you to be nearby during that night—our wolf forms are different, and I'll need to defend my claim of you, whether we want to do that or not.” Remus paused, and Harry did not missthe note of regret in his voice as he spoke—he did not want to claim Harry, and despite all the positive changes Remus had made so far, the vehement desire to not treat Harry like a piece of meat still came as something of a shock. Harry was impeded from asking about it however when Remus pressed on quickly.

“I'm not exactly keen to return to the territory, but I don't want to isolate you here, either. I was thinking maybe we alternate—one moon out here, one moon with the pack, and so on. Do you think that would work?”

“We could try it, see how it goes,” Harry replied with a slight shrug, “it's weird to think of passing a moon with just one other person for company and not a pack, but you've done it for years so it must not be that bad...”

“I never found a pack where I felt like I truly belonged,” Remus said, “except for—you're much more social than I ever was. I had friends, yes, but in general I was the quiet one.”

“Hmm,” Harry intoned, certain that Remus had stopped himself from saying that the Marauders, for all intents and purposes, had been his true pack. Given that Remus had been best friends(and in the case of Sirius, more than friends, Harry remembered) with his father and godfather, Harry couldn't quite work out whether or not he was grateful for Remus cutting himself off when he did. “Well...if you're nervous about seeing the pack again, we could always try doing the first moon together here, alone, to sort of...I dunno, cement our relationship in our wolf forms before we're in front of the pack?”

Remus draped an arm across Harry's chest, and Harry's muscles twitched at the faint tickling sensation as he turned his head a little to look at Remus. The older man's expression was thoughtful following Harry's suggestion, and neither positive or negative.

“Are you sure that's what you want to do?” Remus asked softly, “you've grown accustomed to running on the full moon with a pack around you. Wouldn't being just with me come as something of a shock to your wolf?”

“Probably,” Harry replied honestly as he shrugged, “but I'm more worried about you and Ulrich in the same space without your human rationality present. I don't want either of you to get hurt.”

At the mention of Ulrich's name, Harry felt Remus tense. Harry bit his lip, but did not speak as he watched Remus. His expression seemed to shift from neutral to anguished and back again, though once more the jealousy Harry had expected to see was curiously absent.

“You...you still care about him, don't you?” Remus asked nervously, and Harry was reminded suddenly of something Tavish had said to him months earlier.

“Dominants aren't the most well-rounded when it comes to self-esteem, and they're constantly paranoid about losing their mates.”

With that in mind, Harry reached up to stroke Remus's cheek, then kissed him lightly in reassurance.

“I care for him in the same way that I care for Tavish, and Hermione, and Ginny, and Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys,” Harry explained, “he's a friend, nothing more. Even when I was with him, I could never love him—not how he loved me. It was you—it's always been you.” Harry kissed him again, a little more deeply this time, and Remus held Harry close, while Harry in turn gripped his dominant just as tightly. When they finally broke apart, Harry whispered, “just in case you're ever wondering who comes first.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Remus purred as he held Harry close, and the pair settled down again. Harry used Remus's shoulder as a pillow while draped an arm across the older man's chest, and Remus held him close. Harry heard a soft sigh of contentment escape the dominant, and he smiled indulgently at Remus's blissful happiness, and how it was he himself, Harry, who had brought it out of him.

Regardless what happened on the full moon, Harry knew without the shadow of a doubt that things were finally beginning to go right, and the dark days were well and truly behind them.
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Lunaticus Book Three: New Moon Rising