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Lunaticus Book Three: New Moon Rising	By : JBankai89 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Remus Views: 12595 -:- 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
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A/N: In an effort to lessen how much I have to do in November, we are, once again, changing the update schedule! Yay! So starting today I'll be posting a chapter every second day until the remaining 5 chapters are up. This means the next update will be Tuesday, then Thursday, then Saturday, then Sunday. Please enjoy today's update :)
Chapter Thirty-Five – Bending The Rules

When Harry woke later it was almost noon, and Remus was still fast asleep beside him.

As quietly as he could, Harry slipped from the bed and got dressed, then stepped outside with the intent of finding where his and Remus's clothes and wands had wandered off to, along with scaring up some food.

This plan fled from his mind however when he stepped out of the cabin and nearly collided immediately with a certain dominant that had been standing right outside of the door.

“Ulrich!” Harry cried as he clutched a hand over his heart, “you scared me. What are you doing?”

The questions were out of his mouth before he'd fully absorbed what he was seeing—Ulrich, carrying two bowls of food, with a wad of clothing under his arm that definitely didn't belong to him, given that he'd never known Ulrich to wear cardigans.

“Figured your mate would like his clothes back, and you two missed breakfast, so I saved you some.” He held out the two bowls, but awkwardly in order to keep the clothes from toppling out from under his arm.

Harry accepted the bowls almost mechanically, but still felt a little numb with shock at the gesture. He glanced up at Ulrich to study his face, but he saw nothing but the familiar warm and welcoming smile that he'd come to know so well, without the slightest hint of an ulterior motive or heartbreak in his eye.

He really was too good for me, Harry thought as he cracked a small smile.

“Thank you,” Harry replied at last, and offered Ulrich a smile of his own. “I—we really appreciate it.” He paused, but again Ulrich's expression did not change. Harry thought he should say more, but at the moment, he had no idea what he could say. He chewed the inside of his cheek nervously, and the silence between them extended past what was normal, and headed towards awkward when Harry finally spoke again.

“Erm, are you doing all right, with...everything? I was worried about you, I didn't want to, y'know, with Remus here...I didn't want to rub it in your face, I—”

“—I'm okay, Harry, really,” Ulrich interrupted, and smiled at him. “It was hard at first, but it's getting easier. I did love you, but you were never perfectly happy with me, not like you are with him. I can see it—hell, we all can. You two just...light up around each other. I couldn't give you that, so I think we're better off apart.” Ulrich's voice cracked a little, and his smile seemed to quiver for a moment. “I still would like to be your friend, though, if that's all right.”

“I'd like that,” Harry replied at once, “really, I would. You were my friend before all this, and you will be my friend after. As long as it's not hurting you to do that; don't force yourself on my account if you think it's going to be too painful.”

“How many times am I going to need to reassure you that I'm okay?” Ulrich asked as he arched a brow at him. Harry felt his face grow warm with embarrassment as the older man chuckled. “In the end, I think it was for the best. If you chose to stay with me out of misplaced guilt or something, I think we would have just crumbled over time, and it wouldn't be pleasant. It's better this way.”

“Well, as long as you're sure, then I'd be happy to be your friend,” Harry replied, and smiled warmly at the dominant. He mirrored Harry's smile, and offered up the wad of clothes to him. Given that his hands were full, Harry lifted an arm, and Ulrich leant in to tuck the clothing under his arm. In the process, he snuck a kiss to Harry's cheek, and Harry couldn't help but laugh.

“Trying to make Remus jealous, are you?” he teased, and Ulrich's easy smile twitched into a smirk.

“Just once more, for old time's sake,” he replied with a throaty chuckle, and lifted his hand to finger a wave. “See you around, Harry.”

Still a little red in the face, Harry slipped back inside the cabin just in time to see Remus begin to stir.

Harry wandered over to him with a smile on his face, and lifted his arm just enough to let the clothes drop to the floor by the bed. The soft clatter told Harry that Ulrich had the forethought to bring over their wands as well, but for the moment his focus was not on his clothes, or his wand, but on his mate laying in their bed.

He sat on the edge of the duvet, and set down the bowls of food on the bedside table while he watched Remus slowly wake up. While he waited for Remus to rouse himself, Harry reached out to stroke his hair lightly.

Remus's eyes flicked open, and he appeared confused for a moment, as though uncertain of how he'd gotten there, then his honeyed gaze flitted up to Harry.

“Morning,” Harry said softly, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he leant in to offer Remus a small kiss. When he pulled back, he saw the most curious expression upon Remus's face—he could see the flicker of angry jealousy in his eyes that Harry had come to know so well, but it was paired with something else—guilt.

It took Harry a moment, but he quickly realized that Remus could smell how close Ulrich had been to his mate, as Harry had known that he would. At the same time however, Harry could also see Remus determinedly trying to quash this feeling—and not act on it.

Harry brushed a hand across his scruffy cheek, and leant in to kiss him again.

“Ulrich came bearing our clothes, wands, and breakfast,” Harry said softly, “nothing happened; I promise.”

“I—I know it didn't,” Remus murmured as he sat up slowly, and drew Harry into a close embrace, “I'm sorry, I'm trying.”

“It's all right, Remus, just relax,” Harry replied, and kissed him again. This kiss was warmer, more heated, and he shivered as Remus tugged Harry into his lap, and ran his hands down his spine to cup his arse. Harry shivered, and slowly, albeit reluctantly, he broke the kiss.

“You know, I'm all for you re-staking your claim of me,” Harry murmured hoarsely, “but can we eat first? I'm starving.”

Remus nodded stiffly, his limbs shaking a little, and Harry bit back a curse, realizing too late just how hard Remus was fighting against his own impulses to reassert his claim on him.

Somewhat humbled by how hard Remus was trying, Harry quickly pulled him in for another kiss, though it was more a light peck when compared to their earlier kisses.

“Why don't you get our food, eh? It's right there,” Harry nodded to the nightstand, and he watched with a small smile as Remus's entire body seemed to relax at the suggestion. He shifted, pulling the blanket off himself for a moment, and Harry settled between his legs. Remus handed Harry a bowl of food first, still steaming hot as though it had just come from the kitchens, then grabbed his own. Harry took the liberty of tugging the blanket back over their legs, and he leant back against Remus's chest lightly before they settled in to eat.

“This part I could get used to,” Remus said suddenly, and Harry chuckled when the older man bestowed a whiskery kiss on his shoulder. “It almost feels like a honeymoon.”

“Well we never did get one the first time round...” Harry replied in a light tone, and angled his head to look up at Remus. “We could hide in here all day and shag, if you want.”

Remus barked a laugh, and cradled Harry's chin as he leant in for a kiss. Harry could taste the salt from the bacon on his lips, and Harry shivered with delight. He was certain he'd never tire of kissing Remus.

“As delightful as that sounds, I think I need to speak to Alpha first before we properly christen this place,” Remus replied softly, and cocked an eyebrow at Harry. Harry could not help but inhale sharply in surprise.

“You mean...?” he began, and Remus nodded.

“I loved teaching,” Remus said, and he gave Harry's waist a small squeeze. “There's nothing I regret more than being forced to resign in your third year. My job at the Ministry is enjoyable enough, but...” he paused and shook his head. “I think it'd be an honour to teach with you.”

Overwhelmed, Harry had just enough sense to set aside his half-eaten breakfast before he turned in Remus's embrace and kissed him hard.

Remus fell back from the force of it, and threaded his fingers through Harry's hair as he kissed him back.

“This is going to be so brilliant,” Harry breathed, “Professors Potter and Lupin...” Harry kissed him again, and Remus let out a soft groan as he arched up into his mate.

“I like the sound of that, but we still need to convince Alpha...” Remus pointed out, his voice as breathless as Harry's was.

“We'll convince him,” Harry replied reassuringly, and kissed Remus again, “I know that we will.”

~*~

After the impromptu christening of their bed, and then the bath, and their benches around the fire pit, Harry and Remus finally emerged feeling decidedly well-shagged and pleasantly exhausted. Despite Harry's weariness, he was excited and hopeful about speaking to Greyback. At the back of his mind there was a small, niggling voice of doubt that he'd agree to it, and he prayed that that little voice was wrong.

As they passed from the grouping of cabins and into the main area of the territory, Harry couldn't help but grin bashfully at the knowing looks many of the other subs were giving him—especially those who had helped him fix up the cabin. Tavish waggled his eyebrows as Harry passed him by; Sadie giggled audibly, and Leticia, who was having a late breakfast with Jade, began to eat her sausage very crudely, inserting it into her mouth as though she intended to suck it off.

Remus seemed to take note of this attention, and very casually slipped his hand from Harry's to wrap it around his waist. This time, Harry did not oppose this blatant show of claim, and instead revelled in it.

Swallowing a grin, Harry leant into the embrace as he wrapped his arm around Remus's waist, but barked a laugh when someone—Harry couldn't tell who—whistled at them, and Remus's face turned an attractive red.

They found Greyback talking quietly with one of the pack sentries, and untangled themselves from one another as they made their approach. They continued to hold hands as they stopped at a respectful distance, and waited for him to finish his conversation.

When at last the other dominant moved away, Greyback's expression settled into a glare as they stepped forward. The sour look on his face, paired with the negative feelings all but radiating off the alpha sent Harry's sub instincts into hyper-drive, and he unconsciously shifted closer to Remus.

“What do you two want?” he growled, and Remus immediately wrapped a protective arm around Harry, though his neutral expression upon Remus's face did not change.

“We had a proposal for you, Alpha,” Remus replied politely, and nodded to Harry. “Harry, would you like to tell him you idea?”

“Er,” Harry swallowed and tried to shake off the run and hide instinct that threatened to overwhelm his mind at that moment. Remus's arm around him tightened slightly, and spurred on by his mate's support, he launched into an explanation.

“You see, Alpha, my students have started to express an interest in learning to duel, and teaching upwards of forty pups by myself is a bit...er, challenging. Remus told me that you invited him back to the territory again, and...well, he used to be a brilliant professor when I was at Hogwarts, so I was thinking that maybe we could split the teaching duties.”

Greyback's gaze shifted from Harry to Remus and back again. His eyes were narrowed into a glare, though he did not seem exactly annoyed with them in the strictest sense, but more like he was fed up of dealing with them.

“Teaching isn't an appropriate role for a dominant werewolf,” he said at last, and Harry's shoulders sagged in disappointment. “I need my dominants in positions of protection for the pack, not showing our pups wizard magic.”

“B-but, Alpha,” Harry tried again, and winced when Greyback's gaze snapped back to him. “Isn't the role of teaching the pups to defend themselves against dangerous foes an...er, upstanding position within the pack? And Ulrich said that he was going to talk to you about revisiting how the subs are treated here, shouldn't that go for the dominants, too? In the muggle world, a lot of jobs and things used to be segregated by gender, and it never ended well. Isn't this sort of the same?”

“I agree that the subs of this pack need to not be coddled as they have been in the past, but this is different, Potter,” Greyback replied, his teeth clenched in frustration. “I cannot keep bending the rules to suit your fancy. I need my dominants in places of protection for the pack, not grading essays!”

“If I may, Alpha,” Remus interrupted when Harry opened his mouth angrily to protest, “more than half of Harry's students have dominant blood, and will come into their domineering traits as they come of age. I assume at that point you'll wish to assign them to hunting or sentry duty, or as protection for the subs who cannot fend for themselves. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to you to have them as prepared as possible, both physically as well as magically?” he paused, and regarded the alpha with a nervous edge to his gaze. When Greyback did not respond, he added, “I am not a very prideful man, but I always fancied myself a decent teacher, and over the years, I have had many of my ex-students approach me and tell me how much they enjoyed my classes. I would never see teaching as a profession just for the fairer werewolves; it is a noble title, one that I would be very proud to take up again.”

Greyback was quiet, and he was glaring at the pair as though he was regretting ever asking Harry to teach the pups to begin with. His anger continued to play havoc with Harry's instincts, and he instinctually pressed himself harder against Remus's side as they waited for a response. Remus adjusted his grip on Harry, and moved his hand up his back to squeeze his neck gently; affectionately. The strangest thing was, Harry found this touch more comforting than a full-body embrace, and he felt himself immediately relax.

“I will give you a one-month trial run, Lupin,” Greyback ground out after a lengthy pause. “You will take the dominant pups, and Potter will take the subs. If I see no improvement in their magical ability, Potter will take back your students, and I will assign you elsewhere. Is that clear?”

“Clear,” Harry and Remus said at the same time, and they both laughed, while Greyback rolled his eyes.

“Don't make me regret this,” he growled, and both Harry and Remus nodded.

“I promise, Alpha,” Harry said, “and...thank you.”

Greyback grunted, but did not offer up a proper response, and stormed off. They watched him touch the back of Tavish's neck, and bowed forward to whisper something to him, right before Tavish jumped up and he was half-dragged towards the cabins.

“I can't believe that worked,” Harry said as he leant against his mate, and his face split into a grin when he felt the low rumble of Remus chuckle next to him.

“Clearly you underestimated our amazing powers of persuasion,” Remus teased as he pressed a kiss to the top of Harry's hair. Harry tilted his head up, and grinned at Remus.

“Care to move this back to our cabin to celebrate?” Harry asked, and his dominant let out a soft groan of longing.

“As much as I would love to, I have something else that needs doing...I could use your help with it, though.”

“What is it?” Harry asked, his brow furrowed with confusion, a feeling that only grew when Remus's grin widened.

“Well, I only have the clothes on my back here, and I think I should probably go and get the rest of my things...those bookcases in our cabin look like they're begging to be filled.” He arched a brow at Harry, and he snorted at the double entendre.

“Hmm...I'd love for you to fill those bookcases...among other things.” Harry felt his face flood with colour at the weak comeback, but Remus only chuckled as he draped an arm around Harry's shoulders as he casually led him towards the territory's Apparition point.

~*~

During this move, Remus seemed to be much more selective about what he brought with him, and they managed to cart everything from Remus's cabin (as well as Grimmauld Place) in one trip.

Remus's clothes joined Harry's in the trunk at the end of the bed, his toiletries were set up next to Harry's in the bathroom, and two hours later, Harry was sprawled out by the fire, relaxing as he watched Remus charm the bookcases to widen, and meticulously organized the books that he'd brought. The sandwiches Harry had fetched for him from the kitchen tents were left ignored, and Harry was fairly certain that even a pack of stampeding Blast-Ended Skrewts couldn't distract Remus from his book-organizing.

Which was a shame, really, because Harry was simply dying to drag Remus back to bed. In the meantime, Harry decided it was as best a time as any to address what had happened when they were speaking to Greyback—assuming Remus was able to tear his gaze away from his miniature library for more than ten seconds.

“Remus?”

“Hmm?” he turned to Harry, a copy of Dangerous Beasts and How to Avoid Them in his hands. “Something on your mind?”

“I was just wondering...about what happened with Greyback...” Harry paused, uncertain how to best phrase it. Remus blinked bemusedly, as though he wasn't certain what Harry was talking about. “The...the neck thing you did...why did I go all...loose?”

Remus smiled knowingly.

“Ah, yes,” he said with a warm chuckle, “the neck thing.”

He set the book back down before he stood up, stretching his arms above his head, and his back and shoulders cracked audibly, making Harry wince. Still smiling, he sauntered over to where Harry as he sat up, his back against the side of the bench as he remained on the floor. Remus sat down next to him, and immediately rested his hand at the back of Harry's neck, making him shiver.

“Quite simply, it's an instinctual tool,” Remus explained. “You accept me as your dominant, your mate, and not just consciously, but instinctually you trust that I can protect you. When we faced Alpha today, so soon after the full moon, you are physically and mentally exhausted. Because of this, you will react to things a little differently than usual. When you saw that Alpha was in something less than a pleasant mood, your instincts as a sub are to make yourself as small as possible, or hide, if you can, from the perceived threat, because right now you are in no shape to face off with much of anything. When I do this—” Remus squeezed the back of Harry's neck lightly, but firmly, and he let out a tiny groan when he felt his entire body sag with relaxation, “—it is a method of reassurance, to help keep you calm and make your instincts realize that there is nothing to be afraid of.”

“So it's like your dominant werewolf parts telling my submissive parts that he'll protect me?” Harry asked, and Remus smiled at him warmly, and pulled him into a kiss.

“Oh, Harry,” Remus whispered between impassioned kisses, “I'll always protect you, no matter what.”

Harry smiled, something that bordered on a goofy smile—his lips pulled back in a wide, toothy grin as he settled himself into Remus's lap and kissed him again. The hand at his neck dropped to his back, and Harry immediately moved the limb back to his neck, making Remus chuckle with amusement. Harry wrapped his arms around Remus's waist, and after another few minutes of feverish, enthusiastic snogging, Harry leant forward with a small sigh of contentment, and rested his head against Remus's shoulder.

“It's so strange...” Harry mumbled as he sat atop his mate.

“What's strange?” Remus asked, his hand moving from Harry's neck to his hair, playing with the locks in a wonderfully familiar touch.

“I used to get...I used to get so irritated whenever Ulrich tried anything like that. The crazy dominance stuff, I mean,” Harry explained, shifting closer to Remus (despite the fact that it was physically impossible for Harry to be any closer to him). “But it doesn't bug me when you do it. I feel like you could throw me down in the middle of the dinner circle and shag me senseless and I wouldn't complain.”

“Hmm...a tempting thought,” Remus teased as he pecked Harry's forehead lightly. “I don't know why my doing it doesn't bother you, that's not a question I can answer. My best guess is that my actions are less...er...overt than his, in a way.”

“Or maybe we're just meant to be, like soulmates or something,” Harry teased, and Remus chuckled.

“I never quite realized how much of a hopeless romantic you are, Harry,” Remus murmured softly in a similar teasing tone. “As far as I know, soulmates don't actually exist, but what I can say is that we have known each other a long time, and my unforgivable acts against you aside, I suppose we just...know what the other one needs. Nothing is compelling us anymore, not magically, at least. We can just live our lives in peace.”

“In peace,” Harry echoed, sitting up a little to kiss Remus properly. “I like the sound of that.”
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Lunaticus Book Three: New Moon Rising