Disclaimer: Okay, the plot is mine. Everything else is J.K. Rowling's. Although I'm sure she never intended this to happen to her dear characters…
Warning-ish: Originally in this story I had Remus as a Ravenclaw and Peter as a Slytherin. Then the fifth book came out. Ask me how much I hate it that ALL main characters are Gryffindors… Grrr… Anyway, set in the Marauder's sixth year. Oh, yeah. And this is slash. SLASH! nods Yep. In this story this means Remus and Sirius, two boys, are more than just friends… Eventually, anyway…
A Typical Winter's Day
It was a typical Scottish winter day. That is to say it was bitter cold and grey with a biting wind and frigid rain. Remus Lupin had moved from the Common Room to the Library and was much happier despite how much colder he now was. It was a Saturday afternoon and Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin less than an hour ago. Needless to say, the celebration was still going on in his dorm. He had left to find some peace and quiet.
*****
Sirius Black was restless. Now the match was over he had nothing to do. It was far too nasty and cold to be out without a good reason, and there was no Hogsmeade trip. He was also running out of options indoors. Lily and James were attempting to study in the Common Room while Peter was apparently attempting to blow himself up in the Great Hall with Exploding Snap. Neither had held his attention for long. He grabbed his bag and went off in pursuit of Remus.
He found a Ravenclaw, Emilia, one of Remus's friends, making her way to the Library and learned that Remus had gone to the Library to study. Figures, only Remus would leave a party to study. He really was ridiculously studious. Even for a prefect. He set out with Emilia for the cold, silent domain of Madame Tarian.
*****
Remus had no warning at all before a pair of large, warm, calloused hands clamped over his eyes and a deep, rich, slightly scratchy voice whispered, "Guess who?" in his right ear, the soft lips belonging to said voice just barely brushing his ear.
"Oh, Severus, you're late!" He murmured breathlessly as he wheeled around to face a stunned, immobile Sirius Black. He wasted no time in bursting out laughing.
"Whoever said you're the serious one was sadly mistaken." The voice was still stunned, but he had broken into a very wide grin. "I'm proud, Moony. You got me with that one."
"I know…the look on your face, mate…" He grinned back. "So…I'm assuming there was a reason for seeking me out?"
"Well… not really. But, now you mention it, I'm having more trouble with Arithmancy…"
He heaved an amused, resigned sigh. "Alright, then. Sit down and show me."
Sirius grinned again and sat down close, very, very close, to Remus.
And hour later their thighs were virtually crushed together as Sirius leaned over Remus yet again to point out a problem.
"But…" he hesitated, his arm on Remus's hand.
"But what?"
"Well…I still don't understand how you get that" he pointed "from that." he pointed higher.
"Sirius! I've explained it three times already. You've understood harder things than this the first time. Are you sure you're concentrating?"
He sighed, "I'm sorry, Moony. You're right. I just can't concentrate."
"It's alright." He glanced at his watch. "Come on, let's get some dinner."
Sirius smiled broadly. "Brilliant! I'm starving!" He began haphazardly throwing his things in his bag and stood, looking expectantly at Remus.
"Alright, alright. Give me a minute…" He stood and finished gathering his things up. "Oh, and Sirius? Don't call me Moony."
*****
Later, as Sirius was sitting with Lily and James at the Gryffindor table, he wished he hadn't been quite so eager to leave the Library. Lily and James were great and all, but now that they had determined just how serious they were about each other they were always together. Sirius didn't resent them, nor was he jealous, exactly. Just… lonely. He sighed and looked at Remus again. He was sitting with Emilia at the Ravenclaw table. He wondered what it was they were talking about. And why it was important enough to keep Remus from the Gryffindor table and talking to him. After gazing longingly at the Ravenclaw table for a few more moments his gaze shifted to the Slytherin table. He noticed that Snape was watching one of the occupants of the Ravenclaw table much the same way he had been looking at Remus, though he was sure that he hadn't had that underlying… something… in his eyes.
He had no more time to dwell on that, though, as Remus left the Ravenclaw table to join him while Emilia went and sat with Snape.
*****
Sirius was sure that Remus hadn't meant to sit that close to him at dinner. Not that he'd minded, really, just… He couldn't even define it. There was just something about it…
For one thing Remus wasn't a big fan of physical contact or proximity. If they were sitting just a bit too close for it to be considered just friendly it was Sirius who slowly shifted closer, not Remus. Not until tonight. Which he supposed was why dinner had bothered him.
Any other thoughts on that particular subject were conveniently ignored.
But then there had been the conversation…
+++++
Remus gestured to the area of the Slytherin table where Snape and Emilia sat just a bit too close to each other with a slight nod.
"Will you look at those two?"
"What about them?"
Remus looked at his friend as though he was both blind and suffering from recent brain damage.
"What do you mean what about them? Look at them! The way they're sitting. The way they lean towards each other when one talks..."
"And?"
"Just the way he was looking at her when she wasn't sitting with him…"
For some reason Sirius looked uncomfortable.
"Yeah?"
"Honestly, Sirius. Are you completely oblivious? Those two are meant to be. The looks. The body language. I just wonder what's taking them so long… They've been playing this game since third year at least."
If Sirius had looked uncomfortable before he was about to panic now.
"I've…gotta go…"
And he fled the Hall, leaving Remus alone at the Gryffindor table.
+++++
Laying in his bed it was only the fact that the others were sleeping that kept him from laughing out loud.
Oh yes, Remus, I'm the one that's oblivious… How could the sod not see…he had practically sat in Sirius's lap…and if they had both turned to face each other at the same time they would have been all but kissing…
The fact that he had already been thinking that he had been looking at Remus almost exactly the way Snape had been looking at Emilia was also less than comforting. And he couldn't help but think how at the end of third year, after he, James, and Peter had learned about Remus's lycanthropy, he had discovered that little ticklish spot just below Remus's left shoulder.
No, he wasn't the oblivious one. But he also didn't feel like defining much of anything between them. Maybe in the morning…
*****
Some mornings Remus almost regretted getting out of bed. This was one of those mornings.
It was only two days until the full moon. Every muscle in his body ached and he was totally exhausted. If it weren't for the fact that he missed enough class as it was he probably would still be in bed. And, of course, the Slytherins were being especially vile to him today. Even Snape was being more horrible than usual, though Remus thought it was mostly due to the fact that Emilia had insisted on having Remus study with them tonight… It really was amusing how jealous of him Snape seemed to get. Remus had, of course, no designs on Emilia. No, his affections were engaged elsewhere…
*****
It was the full moon tonight and this was the night Sirius had chosen. He watched from the Common Room window as Madame Pomphrey escorted his already weakened friend out of the castle. Waiting another ten or so minutes he saw the young nurse reenter the building. The sun was setting quickly over the tree tops. Sirius climbed the stairs to his dormitory and gathered his cloak, preparing against the damp chill outside.
He traveled as quickly as he could through the darkening castle and slipped ever so carefully through the massive front doors. The winter air greeted him as he stepped out and began to run across the grounds. He glanced up just in time to see the last beam of the sun become completely blocked by the trees. Looking back he began to see the silvery light of the rising full moon he cursed and stopped, catching his breath. He removed his cloak and let it fall to the ground. Picking it up again he continued on his journey.
*****
The really odd thing, Remus mused as he slowly regained consciousness, was that he could never remember having dreamed as the wolf before. But it had been a pleasant dream, so he didn't mind, really. And yet, the dream would have terrified him had he dreamed it as a human… it had been comforting, though. Soothing and familiar…
He nestled deeper in the tattered but soft bed, it was Sunday, after all, and froze as an arm draped itself over his body, warm and heavy and somehow very familiar…
An equally familiar head of black hair nuzzled his neck as its owner's source of heat, Remus, turned to face it.
Blue eyes slowly blinked open and looked into amber ones.
"Sirius, what are you doing?"
The reply was muffled since Remus was being pulled closer to Sirius, but he was able to make out, "…sleeping, of course…"
"No. I mean, why are you here? When did you get here? Did I hurt you?"
"'m fine… let's sleep, Moony…"
"WHEN? WHY? You know how much danger you were putting yourself in!"
Sirius finally seemed to give up on sleep and really answered. "I wasn't in danger."
"Not in… Think about what you're saying! Any human is in danger!"
"Ahhh… but I wasn't human, was I?"
"Not human. You've finally lost it, haven't you?"
His answer was a sigh. "Remus? Do you remember a black dog?"
"…I dreamt about one…"
"No, you didn't. Werewolves only dream in human form. If ever, that is."
"How…"
"In studying to self-train to become an Animagi, Remus, one learns many things."
"What?"
"An Animagi. James and Peter are close, too."
"You… you're an Animagi? How? WHY? What were you thinking? Anything could have gone wrong!"
"For you, you daft sod. And nothing did go wrong, so it doesn't matter."
"…me?"
"Yes, you. It was supposed to help ease the pain some. Did it work?" Remus blushed as Sirius began to look him over carefully for injuries.
"No… I'm
fine… Sirius… Stop! I'm fine, it worked, okay?"
"Alright." He moved back
slightly from Remus.
"But… why? Why go through all that for me?"
Sirius looked him in the eyes and smiled. "Why do you think, Moony?"
And it was all so remarkably clichéd that, had anyone else seen it, they both would have been mortified. But as Remus returned the smile and felt his heart constrict pleasantly, he didn't care. And once he pressed his lips to Sirius's he didn't care about much of anything for a long time.
finis