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Lunaticus Book Three: New Moon Rising	By : JBankai89 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Remus Views: 12682 -:- 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
- 6
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A/N: The next update will be June 16^th, and until then I hope you guys enjoy today's instalment! I didn't have as much time this week as I usually do to edit, so apologies in advance for any minor mistakes!
Chapter Seven – The Return

When Harry had agreed to try 'being with' Ulrich and whatever that entailed, he realized quickly that his experience with Remus had utterly screwed up his relationship expectations with the beta.

Harry was genuinely shocked when in the fortnight following that first tentative barely-a-kiss, Ulrich had not tried anything to get them into bed more quickly. They ate together, Harry now finding himself seated with Ulrich, Adina, Tavish, and Greyback, which was a mildly unnerving experience—not because of whom he was with, but the fact that as the beta's courting partner, he was once more being regarded as a person of importance, at least within the pack, when all Harry wanted was to be seen as was another face in the crowd.

Aside from taking their meals together and occasionally wandering around the edges of the territory when they weren't busy with their respective pack duties, they did nothing that Harry correlated with a romantic relationship. It was more like a casual friendship, at least in Harry's eyes, but he had no idea how to address it, or even how he felt about it one way or the other. On the one hand, Harry was deeply grateful that Ulrich seemed to understand his reservations and thus was going slow for him, and on the other hand, he wondered just how long Ulrich would hold out before his pushy dominant instincts began to muck everything up.

While Ulrich had been more or less a perfect gentleman with him, the same could not be said for his attitude towards the other dominants in the pack. He was deeply territorial of Harry, and now instead of Harry skirting around the dominants, it had reversed, and the dominants had begun to steer clear of him.

“Ulrich,” Harry had said in warning at the beginning of their second week together, when he began to posture and glare at Anton, one of the dominants in the regular hunting party. At the sound of his name he turned to look at Harry, his brow furrowed in confusion. “I know some subs probably enjoy the whole possessive thing you're doing,” he began, his voice monotonous—it wasn't like this was the first time he'd had to say this. “But I am not some fair maiden whose virtue needs protecting. I can take care of myself, so knock it off or I'll use you as my test dummy when I start teaching my kids defence.”

“This isn't the muggle or wizarding world, where your claim that you are involved with someone is a sufficient deterrent,” Ulrich countered at once as his mouth twitched into a small frown, “if I don't, it's very likely that someone might challenge me for you.”

“And I am a person, not a piece of meat,” Harry replied heatedly, his eyes narrowing a little, “if you're gonna pull this shit every time another dominant gets within twenty feet of me, this relationship isn't going to last very long.”

Harry brazenly met Ulrich's gaze after he'd finished his statement to force the point home that he wasn't messing around, and the dominant's expression shifted quickly from frustrated to shocked as he stared back at Harry. Neither man blinked, and Harry could feel his eyes beginning to burn from the strain when, to his complete shock, Ulrich dropped his gaze.

The dominant stood from the bench and circled behind Harry; he was about to ask what he was up to, when he sat back down directly behind him, and his enormous, muscled thighs caged in his narrower hips. Ulrich bent forward and wrapped his arms securely around Harry's waist, while he buried his nose in the crook of his neck, scenting him so intimately that Harry felt a tremor run through him at the intimate contact.

“I'll try,” he murmured, softly enough that it was clear that the words were for Harry's ears only. “My instincts tell me one thing, while you ask for another. I cannot say that I will always be able to ignore the need to defend my claim of you, Harry, but I will try.” Harry smiled softly, and leant back into the embrace.

“That's all I ask.”

Following their discussion, Harry was subject to a strange combination of Ulrich showing him that he was indeed trying to do as Harry had requested, and him displaying his claim of him anyway, but in smaller, less noticeable ways. Harry had a feeling that Ulrich thought he was being covert in the way he would 'casually' embrace him or lightly perch his chin on the top of Harry head when another dominant passed them by, or the way he would scent him at dinner, checking for any indication that he had been near to another dominant during his lessons.

Harry felt caught between irritation at the Ulrich's behaviour, and strangely endeared to it at the same time. Something in him positively preened at the attentions the beta of the pack was giving to him, and Harry often wondered if that was due to his status as a sub werewolf, and if that was indeed the case, he had no idea how he felt about his instincts manipulating him like that.

In the evenings after he'd bid goodbye to Ulrich at the doors of the Sub House, he had brought his concerns to Tavish, but he wasn't nearly as helpful as Harry had hoped that he would be.

“Harry, it's a new claim,” Tavish said with a note of impatience in his voice, “the beta of our pack sought you out during the full moon and you accepted him. When Alpha claimed me, we fell into bed the same day. We're ruled by instinct, not morality; we're not used to the concept of taking it slow.”

“We've been seeing each other for barely a fortnight,” Harry replied, and didn't bother to try masking his irritation at Tavish's lack of support. “It's not sex or intimacy or whatever that's bothering me, it's the whole dominance thing. I'm not a...a toy, or a piece of meat, I'm a person. Why is it too much to ask that I be treated like one?”

“I know this is going to sound awful,” Tavish began, his expression falling a little as he paused and scooted back on his bed a little to fold his legs under him before he continued, “but it's just how it is. Being a sub here is loads better than a ton of other packs in the region. Where I was before...” he broke off and shuddered, the look on his face darkening in shame as he focused his gaze on his knees. “A little posturing isn't the end of the world. Dominants aren't the most well-rounded when it comes to self-esteem, and they're constantly paranoid about losing their mates. It's not that he thinks of you as less of a person, he's just afraid of losing you.”

Tavish paused, his expression thoughtful while he picked at a zit on the edge of his jaw. After a moment, he began to speak again,“some of it is part of our culture, though. I know you don't like it, but it goes against everything to not display claim on you. Maybe you should compromise, and not be so...so...sensitive?” Tavish's voice dropped to a soft squeak as he spoke the last word.

Harry bristled at the accusation that he was being sensitive, but he couldn't deny that Tavish was also right. To ask Ulrich to go against his instincts to accommodate him was a little selfish, now that he thought on it more, he felt a twinge of guilt worm its way into his mind.

He fell back onto the plush mattress without a word and jammed his eyes shut, hoping that tomorrow would come with answers with how to deal with his newest problem.

~*~

The following morning Harry got dressed in a haze and went down to breakfast, only to find that Ulrich was nowhere to be seen. His absence unsettled Harry more than he expected it would, and he stood there with his breakfast in his hands, uncertain where to sit, now that Ulrich was elsewhere.

“C'mon,” Tavish whispered as he caught up to him with his own bowl of food, and he dragged Harry off to the edge of the circle, and the pair plopped down onto the grass.

“Alpha took Ulrich off early this morning, Adina just told me,” Tavish whispered softly, while Harry speared a hunk of potato and jammed it into his mouth, despite the fact that he suddenly didn't feel very hungry. “The rogues killed a human last night, and left the carcass near our borders. Alpha needs to do some damage control before the wizard Ministry comes down on all of us for it.”

“Will they be all right?” Harry asked just as softly, quite keen to not be overheard, “I mean, will the Aurors arrest Grey—er, Alpha or Ulrich?”

“I doubt it,” Tavish replied with a quick shake of his head, “I heard that the victim was some muggle hunter, but it's better safe than sorry. Plus, leaving a carcass out in the sun to rot like that...it'll draw scavengers to us, and that's not exactly something we want to have happen, either.”

“Like...foxes or something?”

“Or something,” Tavish replied with a soft snort. “Thestrals, Soul Eaters...sometimes Chimeras will eat dead flesh if they can't find anything fresh.”

“Soul Eaters?” Harry asked as he cocked his head to the side, “you mean Dementors?” At once, Tavish's gaze hardened.

“Dementors look like fluffy little bunnies compared to Soul Eaters,” he said, his tone low and cryptic. “They're an Asian species of the Dementor, but much more dangerous. The rumour goes that the Ministry tried to acquire some to guard Azkaban, you needed less of them compared to Dementors, but they rebelled and half the prisoners lost their souls before the Ministry corralled them and reportedly destroyed them. Except...they didn't. They hid them away in deep forests where humans don't normally tread, and on occasion a human may cross its path, but everyone would just assume that it was a Dementor attack and leave it at that.”

“Okay, but...they sound just like Dementors,” Harry said, blinking in confusion. Tavish huffed a little, as though he was explaining a painfully simple concept to a particularly thick person. Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling as he was suddenly reminded of a school-age Hermione.

“No, Harry,” Tavish said, “Soul Eaters eat your soul, but that isn't the end. The particular Soul Eater that gets your soul does not just eat it, but owns it—controls it. That human will be bound to it...a mindless slave until the Soul Eater kills them and eats their flesh, or the body gives out, whichever comes first. Patronuses won't drive it away either, the only way to kill one is to injure it with a weapon made of iron and dipped in werewolf blood—which is why I think the Ministry dumped them here. Maybe they thought we'd finish each other off or something, I don't know.”

Harry thought over what Tavish had said quietly. To see someone who was usually so happy-go-lucky acting so serious was more than a little unnerving, and that in itself told Harry that he was likely not exaggerating. The Soul Eater sounded like a cross between a Dementor and an Inferi to Harry, and both creatures were fearsome enough on their own, and combined with its apparent immunity to the Patronus Charm, it sounded like a creature that he would never want to meet, and shivered a little at the idea.

“Exactly,” Tavish said to his physical response, “c'mon, let's eat, they should be back soon.”

~*~

It was a few hours before Harry could smell Ulrich nearby, and he felt his heart flutter a little and his muscles relax almost at once. He hadn't been wholly aware of just how anxious he was in Ulrich's absence until that moment, and he stepped momentarily away from his charges, all preoccupied with their copies of Magical Theory open in front of them. Ulrich closed the distance between them, and reached out to rest a hand on Harry's shoulder, then trailed it down the length of his arm before taking Harry's much smaller hand in his.

“You're back.”

“I am.”

“Crisis averted then?” Harry asked with a cocked brow, and Ulrich chuckled as he nodded.

“The carcass was a mess when we found it, but we're pretty sure that we got all the bits, and we burned them. It should keep any scavengers from getting too close.” He pecked Harry's lips lightly and offered his hand a squeeze. “Come find me after you finish with your lessons, yeah?”

“O-okay,” Harry replied with a faint flush to his cheeks, and smiled as he watched the beta lift his hand in a half-wave before he sauntered off towards the cabins.

Harry watched him go for a moment, then the voice of one of his pupils brought him back to reality.

“Harry?” Harry turned and saw Jordan, one of the fifteen-year-olds standing back and regarding him uncertainly. He was a little on the timid side, even for a sub male, and he always reminded Harry of Neville at that age.

“Yeah? Something you're not getting?” Harry asked kindly as he stepped over to him, and the nervous edge to his expression fell as he face broke into a relieved smile.

“Um, yeah, just this here...” He held out the book, and Harry took it from him, guiding the teen back to the group while he went over the section first by himself, then turned to Jordan and began explaining the concept—Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. As he went over it, Harry couldn't help but smile to himself. Hermione would be so proud.

~*~

The following week, Harry found himself on the edge of the territory, Ulrich's hands on his hips as he regarded him with a look of concern. The was a note of possessiveness to the look, but Harry did his best to ignore it. Ulrich was trying, after all, and Harry felt that it wouldn't be fair if he didn't at least try to meet him halfway.

“Harry, I don't like this, you off alone in the wood...”

“I'm just visiting with a friend, that's all,” Harry said for what was likely the hundredth time since he'd explained his plans to his courting partner. “She's human, you and I both know that Gr—that Alpha won't let her into the territory because she's a pureblood. We're sticking to the west side, where the rogues haven't been spotted, I have my wand, and Ginny isn't exactly helpless. We'll be fine.”

“Maybe I should—”

“—you are not coming with me,” Harry interrupted with a frown. “I may be a sub werewolf, but I'm not some weakling that needs a bodyguard.”

Ulrich didn't verbally respond, but instead tugged Harry closer, and he shivered a little when he felt, rather than heard the low growl escape the dominant. He sealed his lips over Harry's in a kiss, but despite the rough movements and firm grip, the kiss was gentle.

“Be careful, and don't let your guard down,” Ulrich whispered, and Harry smiled, nodding his head once.

“I always stay out of trouble, you know me.”

Ulrich snorted derisively as he let him go, but it seemed almost painful for him to do so. Harry offered him one last smile of reassurance before he turned and wove through the trees to the spot where he'd agreed to meet Ginny.

Harry picked his way through the wood, shivering a little as he felt the territory's warding tickle over his skin, and just made it to their meeting place when she appeared with a sharp crack of Apparition.

Ginny looked no different than the last time he'd seen her—all red hair and fire. She was grinning from ear to ear, dressed in dark slacks and a green jumper, her hair was loose around her face, but there was one thing that was different. It took Harry a moment to notice it, then he gasped as he took in the glinting of two rings on the third finger of her left hand—a diamond engagement ring, and a simple golden band.

“No way,” Harry said, his voice caught somewhere between a shock and amusement, “you married that Slytherin prat?”

“Eloped, actually,” she replied with a laugh, “Mum and Dad weren't super keen on him from the get-go, and the Malfoys just barely tolerated me. We figured the best way to avoid a lot of figurative bloodshed was to do it was quietly as possible. You're the only one who knows, so...”

“...don't tell Ron?” he finished for her, and she grinned.

“It's a little scary how well you know me sometimes,” she said with a laugh, and Harry merely answered with a grin of his own.

The pair fell in step together, and Harry led her along the edge of the territory, keeping close to the western side, and not daring to go too far east. While they walked, Harry filled Ginny in on life with the pack, as well as his relationship with Ulrich.

“And there's sparks?” she asked, her face alight with a reserved sort of hope for his new relationship.

“Definitely,” Harry replied with a small chuckle, “I mean, he's nice, and attractive, and cares about me, but it almost feels like there's something missing...”

“...he's not making you miserable?” Ginny offered, and Harry groaned. That was it.

“I really need to get away from that attraction to emotionally stunted older men...thing,” Harry muttered, and Ginny smiled softly as he continued. “I mean, Ulrich's so solid, I feel like he'd never hurt me, but can a nice, safe relationship with him be as passionate as what I had with...” Harry trailed off as a lump formed in his throat. Would he ever be able to talk about Remus without it feeling like his insides were being shredded with a blunt razor?

“It'll take time,” Ginny said consolingly as she reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, “and I think this Ulrich will be good for you. Hermione's told me about him a bit, and he sounds like a nice man...er, werewolf. But I have to meet him properly, you realize.”

“Planning to leave him alive afterward?” Harry joked, but her conspiratorial smirk wasn't exactly reassuring.

“If I approve of him,” she replied simply.

“Bit rich coming from you,” Harry replied with a snort, “considering I'm pretty sure everyone is horrified that you're dati—er, married to an effing Malfoy.”

“He's not that bad and you know it,” Ginny countered, and gave him a small shove, but her grin told Harry that she wasn't actually offended by his statement.

“So how did the ferret pop the question, anyway?” Harry asked, still somewhat stuck on genuinely dumbstruck that Ginny had actually married Draco Malfoy. “I can't exactly picture Malfoy on his knees.” Harry paused and wrinkled his nose. “Okay, now I can, and it's really disturbing.”

“Pervert,” she said, laughing as she shoved him again, then sobered up a little as a thoughtful, warm look crossed her face. “It was...sweet,” she said after a moment's pause, “he took me to Barcelona for our one-year anniversary, and while we were there he sort of...suggested it. Lucius had apparently been inviting round every eligible Slytherin girl to try and get him to break it off with me, and he wanted to show that he was serious about me, not just having me around to irritate his father or whatever they thought about him spending time with me.”

“That is sweet,” Harry agreed with a vague smile, “but if he hurts you, I'll rip his fucking bollocks off.”

“Please, Harry,” she said with a snort, “if he hurts me, I'd much rather the honour myself.”

“Fair enough,” he replied with a chuckle, “but if you—”

Harry broke off and froze in mid step.

Something was wrong.

“Harry?” Ginny asked uncertainly, “is everything—” Harry silenced her with a soft hiss.

“Something...” he whispered, and wrinkling his nose; whatever he could smell now was not a scent as he defined the word, but a feeling, like someone's aura. The scent made his nose burn, and he shuddered involuntarily. “Something's coming, you should go, and I'll get back to the territory.”

“I'm not leaving you if something is coming!” she whispered back, “I'd never forgive myself if I bolted and you got hurt.” Her voice was fierce despite the soft tone in which she spoke, but softened as she continued to speak, “d'you know what it is?”

“Not human...not werewolf either. I”m not sure what it is.” Harry whispered while he shook his head and looked around for any sign of something approaching them, but the forest was silent—too silent, Harry suddenly realized. The wind seemed to have forgotten to whisper through the trees, the birds were not singing, and the other animals of the forest were completely still.

A shuddering gasp sounded from next to him, and Harry whipped around to see Ginny's eyes cloud over, as though her eyes had suddenly filled with a dense, grey fog. Her knees buckled as she collapsed, and her limbs twitched as she lay there. She almost looked unconscious, except for the fact that her eyes were wide and unblinking.

“Ginny!” Harry cried as he crouched down and reached for her arm to shook her gently, but aside from the soft choking sounds she made and her jerking limbs, she made no sign that she was even alive. “Ginny, no! Please, please get up!”

The sound of a low, rattling breath filled Harry's ears, and he almost felt his heart stop as his eyes went wide.

He knew that sound.

Harry whipped around, one hand still on his friend (he trying to keep his head despite the panic he felt at how rapidly ice-cold her skin was becoming) and came face-to-face with what he knew at once was what Tavish had warned him about not a full week earlier.

The Soul Eater looked both exactly like a Dementor, and nothing like one at the same time. It did not wear a full robe, but seemed to be wearing tattered bits of fabric that could at one time have been clothes, and they seemed to be made out of the same dense fog that had filled Ginny's eyes. It was thin, skeletal, with grey, glistening skin that did not cover every inch of its form, and in the places where it was absent it seemed as though it had rotted away, and Harry could see ghostly white bone and tendon. Its sightless eyes bore into Harry with a look not unlike lust, and it drew another terrifying, rattling breath as it lifted a bony hand and pointed straight at Harry.

Harry gasped sharply and fell to his knees, his heart seemed to freeze when the creature pointed at him. His head spun, he made a grab for his wand and pointed it at the creature.

“E-Expecto Patronum!” Harry cried on reflex, and cursed as he watched the stag erupt from the tip of his wand and canter straight through the Soul Eater, having quite forgotten that the Patronus Charm was useless against this thing.

Iron...Harry thought as his mind began to blur, I need something made of iron...

But where to find something like that in the middle of the forest?

Harry's vision began to warp, his condition made worse by his panic at how he could possibly get himself and Ginny out of this safely when a sudden high, piercing shriek broke the silence of the wood.

Harry's vision cleared, and Ginny sit up sharply.

Directly before them, a man was bearing down on the creature, a bloodstained fire poker in his hands. Harry felt deeply chilled by the sight, but the blood, the weapon, and the dying creature was not what had drawn a shocked gasp from Harry's lips, but instead it stemmed from his recognition of the man who had come to their rescue.

Even without seeing his face, even if he could not scent it, Harry would recognize that old, tatty, brown cardigan anywhere.

Remus.
A/N: As far as I know, the Soul Eater thing is my own invention. If you want to use it in your own story, please credit me.
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Lunaticus Book Three: New Moon Rising