Heat

Title: Heat

Author: Christine C, aka Jazz Coyote

Rating: NC-17

Short description: An accident in Potions causes Remus to experience his first
heat prematurely;and James is his prey.






Heat

Challenge #54: Either James or Remus end up under the influence of a love
potion, aphrodisiac, or similar substance. Must feature an appearance by Severus
Snape.






It was one of those silly, petty, utterly average boyhood pranks that was so
unoriginal that, if not for its startling side effects, would have been completely
forgotten by all involved within a few hours.


The Gryffindors and Slytherins had double Potions that day, following a tradition
from time immemorial. The potion of the day was a Ripening potion, good for
use on one's tomatoes, bananas, or other vegetables or fruit. It had no
effect on humans. No other species had been tested with it yet. Which was unfortunate,
for when young Severus Snape went to take his flasked potion up to the teacher's
desk, that young rascal, Sirius Black, casually stretched out his foot and tripped
the boy, who fell gracelessly. His flask of Ripening potion flew from his hands,
shattering on the corner of a desk in front of him, and splattering all over
the robes of the young Remus Lupin. The rather pungent smell of the potion attacked
the were's hypersensitive nose, and set him to sneezing so violently he
stumbled back into the arms of his friend, James Potter.


"Hey, Moony, you alright?" James asked.


Remus sneezed a few more times, inhaling the mingled scents of James and the
potion.


"Yeah," he said once they died down. "I'm fine."


But by the time class was over, close observers would have seen a rim of gold
aroud Remus's eyes. And the young were was growing aware that there was
something seriously wrong.



* * *



That evening the Gryffindors were wondering where their favorite prefect was.
The Marauders, especially, were worried. Peter thought it strange that Remus
would miss dinner, since he usually would literally wolf down any food he could
his his hands on. Sirius was worried because he was secretly in love with Remus,
and hated not knowing where he was. James was worried because Remus had been
staring at him strangely at the end of Potions, and then had disappeared. And
Lily, while not strictly a Marauder, was worried because these boys had a tendency
to get into trouble, and the last thing they needed was yet another detention.


Her worries were lent credence when she and the other three were summoned after dinner
to the Headmaster's office.


They walked in slowly, troubled because none of them could remember doing anything
recently that warranted any sort of discipline. Well, except for the tripping
incident, but they'd already had the points taken away for that.


So it was with no small relief that they found their lost friend Remus there
already, though they were rather disturbed to find him tied down to the chair
he was sitting in.


"Ah," said Dumbledore. "take seats, everyone."

The four students sat slowly, casting curious and worried glances at Remus,
who was starting to struggle against his bonds.


The old man took a deep breath, then began. "I will be as blunt and clear
on this as I can be. Ripening potions have no effect on humans. Apparently,
they do effect werewolves. The potion spilled on Remus has sent him into his
first heat prematurely, which is why he is tied down, though I doubt the ropes
will hold for much longer."


Lily and the boys paled. They had done extensive research on weres when they
discovered Remus's secret, so they all knew what this meant.


"Weres usually don't go into heat until their late twenties. . ." Lily said, nervously twisting a lock of golden hair between her fingers.


"True, true" the headmaster sighed. "Because that is when
they finally have enough control over their wolf-self to prevent them from killing
their partner. I doubt Remus yet has that control. In addition, since he has
not yet claimed a permanent mate, his focus is the first scent he came across
after he was affected by the potion."


Dumbledore looked pointedly at James, whose eyes became wide as saucers. "But
he loves Sirius!" the boy blurted, panicked.


"I know," the ancient eyes seemed very sad. "That in him
which is still human is torn over this, for he had always hoped that his first
experience in that realm would be with the one he loved, and hoped loved him
in return. But fate, it seems, has decided otherwise. I know your heart is spoken
for as well, but do you love your friend enough to help him-- to spare his
life?"


Sirius clenched his teeth, confused emotions swirling through his being. On
the one hand, he was overjoyed to hear that his love for Remus was not as unrequited
as he'd feared it would be. On the other hand, it seemed James was the
only one who could help him now.


Peter's timid question interrupted his toughts. "Wait," he
said. "I never read that much on heats. Why does Remus have to have sex?"


It was Lily who answered. "Because of the hormones saturating his system.
They will continue to build until he satisfies the demands of instinct to mate.
The more hormones in his system, the more are released, in a vicious cycle until
the chemicals reach toxic levels, driving him through insanity to death."


Peter was appalled at this statement. "Well, can't he just. . ."
he made a gesture with his hands.


"No," Lily shook her head. "It's not the same. He needs the interaction of pheromones not native to his system. He needs someone else
to turn the process off."


"So," Peter struggled to put it all together. "He needs to
shag or be shagged, or else he'll die."


Lily nodded. "I'm afraid that's it."


"But in the meantime," he continued. "He's going to
break Sirius's heart and probably kill James."


"Not necessarily." Sirius spoke for the first time. "As much
as it kills me to say this, we may be lucky that James is the one he's
focused on. James is, quite simply, pack leader. Remus once told me that even
in the wolf form, he recognized that Prongs was not to be harmed, because he
was pack leader. If Remus cannot control his instincts, it might be that other
instincts will come into play to protect James, whereas they probably wouldn't
for any of the rest of us."


Dumbledore permitted himself a small smile, pleased that his students worked
so much out on their own.


James was torn. "Lily," he said softly.


"I know," she replied. "But I really don't know what
other ways there could be. I'll be fine. We'll be fine."


James nodded, relived at how calmly his girlfriend was taking all of this.
His eyes traveled to Sirius, who clenched his jaw.


"I'd rather he were alive," he said. "Remus and I will
just have to work things out when you get back."


James looked at Peter last, who said "I know you're not exactly
into blokes, James, but Lily and Sirius seem to be relatively alright with it.
I'd do it."


"You're right, of course." He looked over at Remus, taking
in the fraying ropes, and the way the glowing golden eyes seemed to look at
nothing other than himself. "What else might I need to know?"


Dumbledore re-entered the conversation. "Go to the Shrieking Shack."
He said. "Take the forest route, as Prongs. This will be faster for you,
and will help Remus work off some of the energy he is building right now. The
heat will probably last until sunrise. When it's done, both of you should
come back and go straight to the infirmary. I will be waiting for you there."


Sirius reached into a pocket to bring out a small tube. "Arthur Weasley
gave this to me as a good luck charm-- or rather, a charm to help me get
lucky. I think you'll need it more than me tonight. It's cherry
flavored." James took the proffered gift, the small tube wrapped in a
bright colorful label that read "Lion's Pride E-Z Glide" and
had an image of the Gryffindor Lion.


"Thanks, Padfoot," he said, then jumped as one of the roped holding
Remus snapped.


"Go now," said Dumbledore. "You need all the head start you
can get."


James stood."Right." He gave a terse nod to Peter and Sirius,
then bent to give Lily a swift, but solid, kiss. One last look into her eyes,
then he ran out the door, down stairs and halls, around a corner where he bumped
into a surprised Severus Snape who was even more surprised when he heard the
faint, "Sorry, Severus," and then through more doors, across a field,
and into the forest.


"Professor," Peter said after James left."Weres are only
contagious on the full moon, right?"


"That is correct," Dumbledore said. "And to night is the
last quarter moon, so James will be safe from that fate."


They watched nervously as the last ropes holding Moony snapped. The were stood,
eyes glowing, nose twitching. He took a deep breath, glaring at the rest of
them, and then followed James's scent down the hall at an easy lope.


"Well," said the headmaster. "Now all we can do is wait."




* * *




Prongs raced across the forest floor, dodging trees and leaping over creeks,
down the hill in a zig-zag pattern toward Hogsmead. The trees ended and across
a field of grass and heather, the ramshackle Shrieking Shack sitting isolated
and alone. Cloven hooves flew over the ground, leaping through an empty doorway,
and up the dilapidated stairway, where the form of Prongs melted into the panicked,
scrambling form of James. The young wizard reached the top of the stairs and
ran into a room, turning swiftly to bolt the door, though such an act might
only gain him seconds of time to get ready. Seeing that the empty room offered
nothing to barricade the door with, he proceeded to take of his clothes, knowing
it was better than having them torn to shreds and then have nothing to wear
in the morning.
Gods, he thought. I don't think I've ever been this
rushed for sex..




* * *




Moony raced along the hallways, following the bright red-gold scent of his
prey. He turned a corner, running into the still amazed Severus Snape. Both
tumbled to the floor, but Moony recovered first, pinning Snape to the ground.


"Dammit, Lupin, what is wrong with -- ulp!" Snape was cut
off as Moony's weight bore down on his neck, the were bending to sniff
curiously at his shoulder. It was now that Snape noticed the glow in the were's
eyes, and realized that while Lupin was still in a human form, his mind was
completely wolf. With this realization, he forced himself to relax, twisting
his head away to bare his neck in what wolves recognized as submission. It galled
Snape to no end to do his, but he'd rather live to fight another day than
have his throat torn out by the bookworm of Gryffindor.


Moony noticed the shift in his rival's behavior, and grinned a wolfy
grin. With a last admonishing growl, he leapt of Snape and continued on down
the halls. The latter stood slowly, rubbing his throat, thinking that Lupin
wasn't half as mild mannered as he pretended.




* * *




The inside of the Shack was dim to the eyes of humans, but as Moony stepped
in, it was bright with the scents of his pack. The skittering peridot of Wormtail, the steely hematite of his own scent, the deep garnet of Padfoot--Padfoot?--the
thought of the other canine did something funny to his heart, but was lost in
the fresh, leaping carnelian scent of Prongs.


Mmmm, Prongs. . . Moony made his way up the stairs, and warning sounding in
his mind as he followed the scent. Something to . . . be careful. . . of what?
Prongs was no danger, no threat. . . Prongs was pack leader. . .oh yes, be careful
for Prongs. He was not leader because he was stronger, but because
he was fastest and cleverest. . . Moony understood then-- he would have
to be careful to not hurt leader, an unthinkable sin to wolves.


He reached the top of the stairs, and by the strength of the scent, he knew
Prongs was just on the other side of the door. He tried to open it, but chuckled
when he was foiled by the locks on the other side. No, Prongs was smarter than
that. Stepping back, Moony ran at the door throwing his weight against the wood
once, twice-- on the third time the wood splintered, the door swinging open
to allow the were to enter.


Stepping in, Moony was treated to the sight of a naked Prongs, who looked very
much like a cornered deer.


"Ah, Moony," James swallowed nervously. "Don't you
think you should take your clothes off before you damage them?"


Moony stopped in his tracks, confused. What were clothes? He looked down at
himself. . . oh yes, the fur his other liked to wear. That's why he was
Pack leader, he was so smart. He fumbled clumsily at the buttons as James cautiously
stepped over. "Let me help." He offered, hand reaching for the buttons
that seemed to be giving the were so much trouble.


Moony acquiesced, but the close proximity to Prongs was maddening. He tried
to restrain himself, to let the pack leader help him, but he couldn't
help himself, he smelled so good. Leaning forward, he ran his tongue along James's
neck, delighting in the spicy sweet taste.


James, too, was surprised to find himself struggling for control. When Moony
had stepped through the shattered doorway, the pheromones the were was releasing
had hit him like a tidal wave, making him instantly hard. It was not something
he had expected, but he certainly welcomed it, as this would make things easier
on both of them.


He worked furiously at Moony's clothes, stripping him of his shirt, moaning
when his neck was assaulted by the were. He then fumbled with Moony's
trousers, struggling to free his cock which emerged swollen and angry looking.


Moony wrapped his arms around James, both gasping as their engorged erections
met. The were sealed James lips in a rough, heated kiss, tongues not so much
battling as roughhousing. James pulled them both to the floor where an old blanket
was laid out, Moony falling atop him as he struggled to reach for the lube.


"Hold on a minute, Moony," he gasped as he reached down to coat
Moony's prick with slick, cherry flavor. The were tried to hold back,
some distant part of himself understanding what the other was doing. But that
didn't help the fact that he wanted to be in Prongs, now! He
groaned as a slippery hand wrapped around his cock, pumping several times.


"Okay, Moony," James finally gasped, forcing himself to relax in
preparation. "I think we're as ready as we'll get."


With a triumphant grin, Moony buried himself in James's tight passage,
howling in delight as pleasure washed through his body. The howl died though
as he saw the grimace on his pack leader's face, and the small whimpering
sounds he was making.



Had he hurt Prongs?


James saw the concern on Moony's face. "It's just . . .a
bit uncomfortable. . ." he said, trying again to relax around the cock
buried deep in himself. "Just a moment. . ."


There was a moment as both tried to adjust, and Moony felt a faint relaxing
of the tight grip around his cock. Cautiously, he pulled back, then pushed back
in again. This time he was rewarded with a delighted gasp as his hit something
which made Prongs arch up off the floor.


"Ohh, Moony!" James cried. "Do that again!"


Moony grinned, and followed his pack leader's orders with enthusiasm.
Again and again, building speed as James moaned and panted and soon yelled his
pleasure. So intense was the feeling, James didn't notice as Moony's
nails broke the surface of his skin, blood staining the blanket beneath them.
Steadily they rose, passion pushing them farther until together they tumbled
off the heights of desire and down into the warm dark abyss of exhaustion. All
their troubles were momentarily forgotten, to be faced in time. But for now,
they were content to hold each other.




* * *




Epilogue


The Marauders had been stunned at the condition James came back in. They knew
Remus's instincts would protect James, and had even expected injuries,
but they hadn't expected to see his back torn into quite so many shreds,
or to see such depth to the bruising on his hips, shoulders and arms.


Remus had been more than chagrined when he saw the state of his best friend,
but James had merrily pointed out the welts on the werewolf's back and
stated that, although he couldn't remember much of the night before, it
looked like they'd both had a "hell of a night."


James told Sirius that, as a werewolf's first heat was the worst, it
was now up to him to take care of a horny Remus, to which the other readily
agreed. This made Remus blush deeply and Sirius was so charmed by this, he kissed
his love right in front of everyone.


Seeing a mission well accomplished, James then took the hand of his own lady
love and headed off for a well deserved nap.




FIN