Title: A Life Deserved
Author: DarkAngelGirl (Kayla)
Summary: After GoF, Sirius goes to alert Remus of Voldemort's rising to find that he'd been captured by a bunch of worried townspeople.
Feedback: I'd love to here what people think. Please review or if you'd like to talk about it email me at KAYKEL1207@msn.com
WARNING: There is Remus/Sirius slash in this story. If that bothers you please don't read and flame me for writing it.
Spoilers: PoA, GoF
Rated: PG-13 since it is slash and a little violent.
A/N: This is my first Slash fic so please tell me if it sounds too awkward.
Lifehouse "Am I Ever Going to Find Out"
Silence is golden
but I think it's gonna kill me now
Everything I've seen
never seems to feel me now
No one ever told me that the world
could fall through, yeah
In between this
am I gonna find away
to defeat this
living inside yesterday
I'm alive I think its time to live
Like I am
Am I ever gonna find out
Remus Lupin unfolded the copy of the newspaper he was carrying. The headline on the front cover made him jump. He blinked and slowly read the article:
"Horrific tragedy at Hogwarts school. The Hogwarts Triwizard tournament ended most terribly. In the final task their were some mysterious events involving Hogwarts champions, Cedric Digamy and Harry Potter."
As he read this he felt his heart stop. He'd known that Harry had been chosen mysteriously as a fourth champion in the tournament. He had been alerted of that in a letter from Sirius not long ago and then it started showing up in almost every days paper. Had something gone wrong? He had to slow himself down in order to read the rest:
"These events have left Cedric Diggory dead. Though the Minister of Magic will not release these statements as true, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts insists that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is responsible. He went on to tell reporters that You-Know-Who has risen again. Potter turned up fine, Albus still refuses to release his accounts until "the right moment comes". Now the question is... are the Dark Ages on us once again?"
He had to breath deeply to keep himself calm. He knew Dumbledore would never lie, he knew that Voldemort must be back in power yet, the idea seemed unthinkable. He knew he had to find out what happened and how he could offer his services. He went inside of his house and wrote a quick letter to Dumbledore. He headed to the post office to get it sent.
"I'll do anything to help." he said as he was walking down the road "Anything, especially if it will help me get a hold on that rat Wormtail!" His words were dangerously angry. It wasn't the first time his mind raced to thoughts of Peter Pettigrew.
Peter, he was once the harmless,weak boy who used to tag along with the rest of them. Now, he was the reason that his best friend James was dead, he was also the only reason that Sirius Black was still running, even though he was perfectly innocent. The very thought made him want to scream. He felt that familiar feeling of rage. He had just found out that Sirius was innocent, he'd never betrayed anyone. They'd both forgiven each other for mistakes in life... and for once in his life he thought he could be happy, happy as he was at school.
'That's the only time I ever was happy', Remus thought bitterly, 'When I was with Sirius everything, even being a werewolf wasn't so bad.'
He and Sirius started a real relationship in their 6th year at Hogwarts. It had taken them both that long to realize that they were meant to be together. They had been so happy and all the horrors Remus had in his life were nearly invisible. After they had been together for years Sirius had distanced himself because he thought Remus was the traitor, then he got framed and Remus thought it was him. It was all Peter's fault.
"I'll get you Peter." he muttered his thoughts interrupted by the sight of the Post Office in the distance. He almost rushed to it when he heard a voice. It was his neighbor, an old wizard called Murdoc. "Uh.... hello." he said uncertainly.
The man glared at him "Stop there." he said gravely "Some of us need to talk to you now Lupin." Remus couldn't help notice that he was standing at a distance and that there was a group of people far behind him.
The other wizards and witches slowly closed in on him. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked angrily.
"Remus Lupin..." a young man said in a grim voice "Always the outsider. I never guessed how outside you were. Old Murdoc here says he saw something odd... through your back window a couple of weeks ago. Full grown werewolf... it was a full moon, you live alone, you know what I want to here."
"A werewolf?" he asked in disbelief that anyone had seen him. He had been practicing and had learned to make the Wolfsbane potion. He had sat in his bedroom the whole time, harmless."You believe the old man? Everyone in the community has something against me.... how could any of you take his word for it?"
"You-Know-Who has returned." spoke up a small witch "It's a fact.... I was a young girl during those times. All evil will return to support him. None of us put it past a thing like you to do just that! I won't live them again."
At that the very young woman raised her wand at him. "Those were horrible times..." he said sympathetically "but even if i was a werewolf.... you all know that Werewolves aren't evil by choice. One would never join Voldemort."
His use of the name made everyone gasp in shock. The witch stuttered but then yelled out "He is evil, as you are evil! It is our duty to take evil down, before it takes us."
He knew he was in terrible trouble but he started to feel self pity. "So, I am a werewolf!" he yelled "I was bitten when I was young. It wasn't my choice... and I'm human at the moment..."
"Are you really?!?" old Murdoc asked bitterly.
He was too busy feeling sorry for himself. Feeling the old pain of his life come in fresh and new he did not see the man behind him. The man yelled out a curse. Remus hit the ground stunned. The impact on the back of his head hurt... he felt like his head had exploded. He could feel the stabbing pains in his head yet he could not force his eyes open to look around. He felt several blows hit him in the head and he could not stay conscious. He drifted off. The men and women picked him up and carried him down another winding road.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sirius had duties to perform for Dumbledore. He had all ready alerted everyone else he had to and now he was heading to the home of Remus Lupin, where he was to lie low until further instructions. He really anticipated going back.
Remus ... the man's name alone was enough to bring every childhood memory back. They flowed through his head so fast he could feel each emotion and it was almost too much. He'd lost a lot of these great feelings in Azkaban. Growing up, taking chances, pulling pranks. They had been so carefree. James had loved the fun of it all, Sirius loved the danger, Peter did it because the rest of them did. Remus, he however was different.... he always took the jokes so seriously, so carefully, analyzing them so closely. "Be careful." he'd always warn but then a smile would cross his face and he'd say "but let's do it now!"
Of the four boys he'd always been the best with emotions. He showed his care so openly and was always willing to listen.
That was why Sirius Black fell in love with him. It started after James had realized Remus had a secret. Together Sirius and James had figured it out piece by piece.
Remus was so ashamed when they found out. Being a werewolf shamed him more than anything. Peter had severe difficulty adjusting to it and James was indifferent about it but Sirius cared a lot and offered full support.
He went to talk to Remus soon after and told him that he didn't care at all and that he still loved him. He'd been in love at that moment but it would still take years for them to admit it.
Then they all decided to learn to become Animagi for Remus. He'd been so grateful to them... and they had the most fun in their lives. It was an amazing last two years at school. Sirius sighed as he remembered the days that he and Remus were lovers, the thought they'd never leave each other. They were the best years ever but soon it was to end.
James ended up marrying his girlfriend Lily and they had a son. It was soon discovered that someone was a spy for Voldemort ... Sirius had no reason to believe it could have been Peter, he was so weak.... the only explanation available was that his own love Remus, was working for the Dark Side. He left him immediately with a weak explanation that they could no longer be together. He didn't give a reason.
So he went and switched the Potter's secret-keeper to Peter. It was a safety precaution, he though it was the perfect idea to keep Lily and James protected. Then if the spy told Voldemort he'd go after the wrong man. The perfect plan.... yet he ended up getting them killed. He wouldn't have ever suggested it but he had to think of the future. If his only love was a Death Eater... he might have given away the location of Lily and James. He didn't think he could find it in himself to not tell Remus the truth. Pet had been the real traitor. Sirius had gone to Azkaban knowing that he had left Remus for a false reason.... a horrible thing to think. Sometimes the Dementors there could sense his agony over losing Remus. Sometimes that was when he felt more insane.
As he knocked on the door and got no response, all the memories went away quickly.
He knocked even harder. No answer at all. He decided that even though the reason Remus was gone was probably easily explained, he still better check it out. He was worried and not used to it. 'In the old days' he thought to himself 'Remus used to worry about me'
He transformed into the big black dog and crawled around to the back door of the house. Nothing. Then he was big marks on the dirt path leading from Lupin's house. He ran further down the street, almost to the town. He saw big marks in the mud, footprints. He sniffed the ground. Remus had been there. All the time that Sirius spent as a dog paid off... he learned that people have very specific scents. He knew Remus too well.... he'd been a dog around his friends too many times... it was so easy.
He changed himself back to his human form so he could get a better look. Several bushes on the side of the path were torn and rocks were thrown everywhere. It looked as though there had been a big struggle.
There had been a fight here. Even as a human, Sirius had a high sense of smell and the smell here was recognizable. He could smell blood... and anger.
He followed the footprints and smells to a small house where an old lady was standing on the porch. He quickly pulled his cloak up over his head quickly. He was still on the run, he needed to hide but he still needed to talk to her.
"Excuse me madam?" he asked her raising his voice rather high "Did some people come by here? A large crowd?"
"You bet they did!" she yelled enthusiastically "Good citizens they are. They found out one of our neighbors was a werewolf. Can you imagine?!? Right down the road."
Sirius stopped breathing. Remus, if the villagers found out they must have taken him. "Really..." Sirius stated with fake interest "Why did they do it?"
"Werewolves, just another form of evil. Now that You-Know-Who has returned, we need to wipe out the evil, before it can join him."
"Where did they go?" he asked pulling his cloak tighter, concealing his face.
"Down South Cramson road." the woman said softly "They're taking it down to the old jail. Used it back in the old Dark Ages... did you hear me son? They are here once more, You-Know-Who is back. I can feel it. We've all heard, all his evil associates will be killed."
"Thank you." he said "I'll do my part to help."
"Be careful." she warned "Pull your cloak down for your own sake. Our men and women won't take to strange characters."
He nodded and was off. It all came together, Remus, the struggle, and the blood... he ran even faster. By the time he got to South Cramson he was panting but he did not stop. It was clear that Remus was in a lot of trouble.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remus awoke and groaned in pain. Had these people been beating him up since he was knocked out? His hand instantly went to his head, it hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before. He looked up above him.
"It's awake." said one of the people. They were still there, surrounding him. "Where.... are you planning to join your master? We know you are, so you better tell us where the evil is? Locate some evil activity for us, and maybe we wont kill you."
"I'll say it again..." Remus was calm even though he hurt so badly he could harder speak. He lifted the upper part of his body weakly and then yelled "I do not work for him and I would never! Just because I can lose control doesn't make me .... evil!"
A man took out his wand and muttered inn a low voice. He almost yelled out when he was thrown against the stone wall. He dropped to the floor. He tried to pull away but he was put down when someone hit him in the stomach. It took him a few seconds to realize from the intense pain that along with the sharp punch he had been stabbed. He was now bleeding heavily and he could feel it, all around him.
He was now sure that these people intended to kill him. It was harder and harder for him to fight back... the self pity that he always felt for himself came back full force. So what if they killed him? He'd always wanted to die for being such a thing, maybe they were doing someone a favor here. Werewolves were killed all the time and now more than ever, it seemed like he would not be the last.
Someone had hit him with something hard. It must have been one of the rusty bars from the rotting jail cell. Questions flooded from the people, they were just scared of being killed by the Dark Lord. He didn't listen. He was in horrible pain, he could hardly see straight. He must have blanked out some of the time when they had been torturing him and until know he didn't realize how badly he was hurt. He must have been hit many times because he felt numerous bruises on his body. He felt his consciousness slip away, the giant stab wound in his stomach had caused him to lose so much blood. He slipped downward across the floor. He didn't know who would help him now.
~*~*~*~
Sirius had gotten down the street. The jail building was easily recognizable. It was the oldest building on the street. He decided that there was no time to transform to dog and sneak in. He had to go in as he was... if they saw his face it would be too bad. He'd rather have people say they'd spotted Sirius Black then know his dog form. It was his only secret.
The first humans he saw were two wizards guarding the doors. He knew he could take them out quickly. He moved straight up to them. When one of them, a very tall wizard wearing long green robes saw him he yelled out.
Sirius raised a wand at them. "It's him!" one yelled "The Death Eater! It's.... it's Sirius Black."
Both men stood. Sirius didn't need his wand at all. The men were big and had a lot of strength but Sirius was light and fast. He kicked one man in the leg and he went crashing down, his partner fell on top of him. He used his wand and tied both men up magically, they'd live but they wouldn't be free for a while.
He moved down the dusty building. He saw the activity at the end of the hall. About seven or eight people sitting talking. They were standing around a cell. He caught some of the conversations:
"Why don't we just kill it?"
"Did you hear it talking to us? Like it did nothing wrong... amazing!"
"I'm so glad we got it, it lived a few homes away from me."
He snuck around. A few of the people had their backs turned to him. He muttered a useful curse he suddenly remembered from his days at Hogwarts. The three fell forward and then he was noticed. A cry of "Sirius Black." echoed among the remaining four. Two ran out of the building fearfully but two remained.
"So..." one cried trembling "The monster lied then... now we find You-Know-Who's top man here to save him."
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius yelled and the man's wand flew away. The two man were scared now.
"So.... so k... kill us." the other stuttered boldly "There are... more of us.... all around Black. You'll get taken down."
"Not today." he whispered grimly and muttered under his breath. They were both tied up also.
He rushed to the cell by the wall. "Alohamora." The lock clicked open. He pushed the door open and rushed in.
He saw Remus immediately. He knelt down by the other man's side and squinted. He looked him over and frowned... how could these people have the hearts to do this. He reached out to touch him and better analyze the wounds when Remus awoke.
His eyes flicked open but he could hardly see. His first thought was that he was hallucinating because above him was Sirius Black. "Sirius," he whispered weakly "No.... it can't be... he can't be here... no way."
"Yes it can be." Sirius replied "I'm right here..."
Now, though hurt and in a lot of pain, Remus was wide awake. He tried to sit up so he could see better but the stab wound in his lower stomach made him stop and fall backwards. Sirius caught him before he hit his head.
"Slow down all right?" he said concerned "You're in no condition to be doing that. I'm going to get you out of here before they all come around. Just relax and I will handle it."
He listened to Sirius and sunk back while the other man made a plan. "So..." he muttered closing his eyes and trying hard to distract himself, so he wouldn't lose consciousness again "Tell me Sirius .... h .... how did you get.... how did you find me?"
Sirius sat back down next to him. He looked at the man he had known so much about as a boy and smiled. He put his hand on his old love's head. "Dumbledore told me to find you... I'm sure you know why."
"Yeah..." his reply was bitter "I get the idea. Voldemort is back... the new war, I suppose?"
His bitterness surprised Sirius a lot. He had always been so light in the past... made the better of everything. He realized that he had bent over and was looking straight into his eyes. "Don't be upset." he said softly "It will work out Moony, somewhere deep inside you and I are still Marauders... we always got through before."
"Before..." Remus repeated the words. Before was so easy. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts and his physical weakness to realize the Sirius had kissed him on the top of his head. Finally he went back to his senses.
Maybe, if Sirius believed they could live through it... like they did before... maybe it also meant that he believed in other aspects of the past. With all the strength he could manage... he slowly raised his left arm. With all the force he could manage he pushed Sirius lower.
As Sirius felt the weak yet amazing force push him downward he knew what Remus meant. The past could live in the present. He allowed the hand to guide him downward and he kissed the man hard, on the lips.
It was just the same as those days when Remus would come back to his true from after transforming... he'd be extremely weak and visibly exhausted, but he'd always felt better with Sirius there. Even now, the one simple kiss made all his pain disappear.
"Wow." Sirius muttered under his breath as they pulled away reluctantly.
" I know what you mean." Remus agreed. He felt tired suddenly and said alertly "Sirius, I don't think I can get out of here with you. It'll be too much."
"You can do anything, if I say you can." Sirius was sharp but he agreed with one fact. Those townspeople had done some terrible things... he wouldn't be able to make it. "Where are you hurt most?" he asked knowing it would make all the difference in getting to safety.
He didn't have to say a word. They way he carried his body and the panting showed Sirius clearly. He touched his hands to the other man's stomach. "I need to see how bad it is." he said softly looking at the blood, now on his hands.
~*~*~*~
Remus cringed as Sirius helped him take off his shirt. He knew that is was bad. It didn't take a genius to figure out.
He heard Sirius talking "Listen to me." he said quietly "You know I failed healing charms at Hogwarts ..... but I need to do something about this or we won't be able to go on. I'm sorry if I hurt you, you know I'm trying."
"All right." he replied "You know I trust you Sirius."
Sirius tried his best to at least stop the most terrible wound. He ended up at least sealing it. "I hope that helps you a little..." he said "They'll do better late but for now."
"Thank you." was the only reply.
He was still too weak to be magically transported. It would be too much strain too ask him to bear. Sirius decided that he needed to physically move Remus to somewhere that was safe. They could go from there.
He summoned his strength and lifted him up as gently as possible. He felt the other man's arms go around his neck. He moved as fast as he possibly could. He didn't have a clue where they could go. He could not risk going back to the house Remus had left alone for days... they had to get away. The biggest problem though was the fact that he knew they couldn't go on without more help.
They stopped for a moment, they were deep in a dark forest. Animals howled and shrieked all around them. Remus opened his eyes and looked into the sky. "Oh... oh no... " he muttered "Sirius, tell me it's not the 24th please...."
Sirius did not speak. The full moon was to happen soon. "No.... not tonight... not now, I can't do this now."
He was immediately picked up again and Sirius wordlessly walked into a cave in the side of a hill. "Where are we?" he was asked.
"I stayed here on my way to see you."
As Sirius put him down he could only sigh. "Why tonight... I can't do it tonight. Sirius, you know I can't."
"It will be hard." Sirius replied "I'll be right here though."
"I miss you being there...."
" I miss it too. It was really wonderful.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It started as usual and in seconds he was a full grown werewolf. The last thing he thought as a human was that Sirius was changing right next to him.
He lost all human senses. He growled uncontrollably at the black dog, he didn't want to hurt it but he knew the wolf did not want it there. The dog leapt backwards and barked ordering him to back off. His human wounds did not affect him in this state but he tried to hold in in his animal mind to remember that something was wrong. He was weak, something was very wrong.
~~*~~*~~~*~~~*~~
It was a very long rough time. When Remus took back his own form he saw Sirius transforming back next to him. "How are you?" Sirius asked immediately "That was a rough one. Are you all right?"
"I.... I...." he replied but he couldn't speak. He felt dizzy, the whole cave was spinning. "Something's wrong with me.... I don't know."
Looking on, Sirius knew that something really wasn't right. "You look so weakened... when those people caught you, do you remember them using a curse, or a potion on you?"
"I wouldn't remember..." he gasped out "I was unconscious most of the time..."
He reached out and held his hand. "I need to get you help. I got to leave you here... I'll only be a minute, I am going to apparate just down the road from the Hogwarts grounds, Dumbledore said that if I got into any trouble to get down there as soon as I could."
The look on both of their faces showed that they did not care to part. There was so much that could go very wrong. What if someone looking for the "werewolf" found him in the cave? Or, what if Sirius was caught? So much could go wrong...
"Wait." Remus was calm yet shaking when he spoke up.
"What is it?"
"I.... I love you. I thought it was over but I still feel the same. Promise that if we live... you'll talk to me about this?"
"Of course." Sirius said smiling sadly "I still love you like I did when we were sixteen, we could get through anything then. We can get through anything now."
He disappeared.
A/N: So, how was it? What do you think? I love Remus/Sirius fic now and I hope you guys liked it. I should have the next chapter up in a few days. It's almost ready but I want to give a few days to see what you think so REVIEW!
Author: DarkAngelGirl (Kayla)
Summary: After GoF, Sirius goes to alert Remus of Voldemort's rising to find that he'd been captured by a bunch of worried townspeople.
Feedback: I'd love to here what people think. Please review or if you'd like to talk about it email me at KAYKEL1207@msn.com
WARNING: There is Remus/Sirius slash in this story. If that bothers you please don't read and flame me for writing it.
Spoilers: PoA, GoF
Rated: PG-13 since it is slash and a little violent.
A/N: This is my first Slash fic so please tell me if it sounds too awkward.
Lifehouse "Am I Ever Going to Find Out"
Silence is golden
but I think it's gonna kill me now
Everything I've seen
never seems to feel me now
No one ever told me that the world
could fall through, yeah
In between this
am I gonna find away
to defeat this
living inside yesterday
I'm alive I think its time to live
Like I am
Am I ever gonna find out
Remus Lupin unfolded the copy of the newspaper he was carrying. The headline on the front cover made him jump. He blinked and slowly read the article:
"Horrific tragedy at Hogwarts school. The Hogwarts Triwizard tournament ended most terribly. In the final task their were some mysterious events involving Hogwarts champions, Cedric Digamy and Harry Potter."
As he read this he felt his heart stop. He'd known that Harry had been chosen mysteriously as a fourth champion in the tournament. He had been alerted of that in a letter from Sirius not long ago and then it started showing up in almost every days paper. Had something gone wrong? He had to slow himself down in order to read the rest:
"These events have left Cedric Diggory dead. Though the Minister of Magic will not release these statements as true, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts insists that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is responsible. He went on to tell reporters that You-Know-Who has risen again. Potter turned up fine, Albus still refuses to release his accounts until "the right moment comes". Now the question is... are the Dark Ages on us once again?"
He had to breath deeply to keep himself calm. He knew Dumbledore would never lie, he knew that Voldemort must be back in power yet, the idea seemed unthinkable. He knew he had to find out what happened and how he could offer his services. He went inside of his house and wrote a quick letter to Dumbledore. He headed to the post office to get it sent.
"I'll do anything to help." he said as he was walking down the road "Anything, especially if it will help me get a hold on that rat Wormtail!" His words were dangerously angry. It wasn't the first time his mind raced to thoughts of Peter Pettigrew.
Peter, he was once the harmless,weak boy who used to tag along with the rest of them. Now, he was the reason that his best friend James was dead, he was also the only reason that Sirius Black was still running, even though he was perfectly innocent. The very thought made him want to scream. He felt that familiar feeling of rage. He had just found out that Sirius was innocent, he'd never betrayed anyone. They'd both forgiven each other for mistakes in life... and for once in his life he thought he could be happy, happy as he was at school.
'That's the only time I ever was happy', Remus thought bitterly, 'When I was with Sirius everything, even being a werewolf wasn't so bad.'
He and Sirius started a real relationship in their 6th year at Hogwarts. It had taken them both that long to realize that they were meant to be together. They had been so happy and all the horrors Remus had in his life were nearly invisible. After they had been together for years Sirius had distanced himself because he thought Remus was the traitor, then he got framed and Remus thought it was him. It was all Peter's fault.
"I'll get you Peter." he muttered his thoughts interrupted by the sight of the Post Office in the distance. He almost rushed to it when he heard a voice. It was his neighbor, an old wizard called Murdoc. "Uh.... hello." he said uncertainly.
The man glared at him "Stop there." he said gravely "Some of us need to talk to you now Lupin." Remus couldn't help notice that he was standing at a distance and that there was a group of people far behind him.
The other wizards and witches slowly closed in on him. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked angrily.
"Remus Lupin..." a young man said in a grim voice "Always the outsider. I never guessed how outside you were. Old Murdoc here says he saw something odd... through your back window a couple of weeks ago. Full grown werewolf... it was a full moon, you live alone, you know what I want to here."
"A werewolf?" he asked in disbelief that anyone had seen him. He had been practicing and had learned to make the Wolfsbane potion. He had sat in his bedroom the whole time, harmless."You believe the old man? Everyone in the community has something against me.... how could any of you take his word for it?"
"You-Know-Who has returned." spoke up a small witch "It's a fact.... I was a young girl during those times. All evil will return to support him. None of us put it past a thing like you to do just that! I won't live them again."
At that the very young woman raised her wand at him. "Those were horrible times..." he said sympathetically "but even if i was a werewolf.... you all know that Werewolves aren't evil by choice. One would never join Voldemort."
His use of the name made everyone gasp in shock. The witch stuttered but then yelled out "He is evil, as you are evil! It is our duty to take evil down, before it takes us."
He knew he was in terrible trouble but he started to feel self pity. "So, I am a werewolf!" he yelled "I was bitten when I was young. It wasn't my choice... and I'm human at the moment..."
"Are you really?!?" old Murdoc asked bitterly.
He was too busy feeling sorry for himself. Feeling the old pain of his life come in fresh and new he did not see the man behind him. The man yelled out a curse. Remus hit the ground stunned. The impact on the back of his head hurt... he felt like his head had exploded. He could feel the stabbing pains in his head yet he could not force his eyes open to look around. He felt several blows hit him in the head and he could not stay conscious. He drifted off. The men and women picked him up and carried him down another winding road.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sirius had duties to perform for Dumbledore. He had all ready alerted everyone else he had to and now he was heading to the home of Remus Lupin, where he was to lie low until further instructions. He really anticipated going back.
Remus ... the man's name alone was enough to bring every childhood memory back. They flowed through his head so fast he could feel each emotion and it was almost too much. He'd lost a lot of these great feelings in Azkaban. Growing up, taking chances, pulling pranks. They had been so carefree. James had loved the fun of it all, Sirius loved the danger, Peter did it because the rest of them did. Remus, he however was different.... he always took the jokes so seriously, so carefully, analyzing them so closely. "Be careful." he'd always warn but then a smile would cross his face and he'd say "but let's do it now!"
Of the four boys he'd always been the best with emotions. He showed his care so openly and was always willing to listen.
That was why Sirius Black fell in love with him. It started after James had realized Remus had a secret. Together Sirius and James had figured it out piece by piece.
Remus was so ashamed when they found out. Being a werewolf shamed him more than anything. Peter had severe difficulty adjusting to it and James was indifferent about it but Sirius cared a lot and offered full support.
He went to talk to Remus soon after and told him that he didn't care at all and that he still loved him. He'd been in love at that moment but it would still take years for them to admit it.
Then they all decided to learn to become Animagi for Remus. He'd been so grateful to them... and they had the most fun in their lives. It was an amazing last two years at school. Sirius sighed as he remembered the days that he and Remus were lovers, the thought they'd never leave each other. They were the best years ever but soon it was to end.
James ended up marrying his girlfriend Lily and they had a son. It was soon discovered that someone was a spy for Voldemort ... Sirius had no reason to believe it could have been Peter, he was so weak.... the only explanation available was that his own love Remus, was working for the Dark Side. He left him immediately with a weak explanation that they could no longer be together. He didn't give a reason.
So he went and switched the Potter's secret-keeper to Peter. It was a safety precaution, he though it was the perfect idea to keep Lily and James protected. Then if the spy told Voldemort he'd go after the wrong man. The perfect plan.... yet he ended up getting them killed. He wouldn't have ever suggested it but he had to think of the future. If his only love was a Death Eater... he might have given away the location of Lily and James. He didn't think he could find it in himself to not tell Remus the truth. Pet had been the real traitor. Sirius had gone to Azkaban knowing that he had left Remus for a false reason.... a horrible thing to think. Sometimes the Dementors there could sense his agony over losing Remus. Sometimes that was when he felt more insane.
As he knocked on the door and got no response, all the memories went away quickly.
He knocked even harder. No answer at all. He decided that even though the reason Remus was gone was probably easily explained, he still better check it out. He was worried and not used to it. 'In the old days' he thought to himself 'Remus used to worry about me'
He transformed into the big black dog and crawled around to the back door of the house. Nothing. Then he was big marks on the dirt path leading from Lupin's house. He ran further down the street, almost to the town. He saw big marks in the mud, footprints. He sniffed the ground. Remus had been there. All the time that Sirius spent as a dog paid off... he learned that people have very specific scents. He knew Remus too well.... he'd been a dog around his friends too many times... it was so easy.
He changed himself back to his human form so he could get a better look. Several bushes on the side of the path were torn and rocks were thrown everywhere. It looked as though there had been a big struggle.
There had been a fight here. Even as a human, Sirius had a high sense of smell and the smell here was recognizable. He could smell blood... and anger.
He followed the footprints and smells to a small house where an old lady was standing on the porch. He quickly pulled his cloak up over his head quickly. He was still on the run, he needed to hide but he still needed to talk to her.
"Excuse me madam?" he asked her raising his voice rather high "Did some people come by here? A large crowd?"
"You bet they did!" she yelled enthusiastically "Good citizens they are. They found out one of our neighbors was a werewolf. Can you imagine?!? Right down the road."
Sirius stopped breathing. Remus, if the villagers found out they must have taken him. "Really..." Sirius stated with fake interest "Why did they do it?"
"Werewolves, just another form of evil. Now that You-Know-Who has returned, we need to wipe out the evil, before it can join him."
"Where did they go?" he asked pulling his cloak tighter, concealing his face.
"Down South Cramson road." the woman said softly "They're taking it down to the old jail. Used it back in the old Dark Ages... did you hear me son? They are here once more, You-Know-Who is back. I can feel it. We've all heard, all his evil associates will be killed."
"Thank you." he said "I'll do my part to help."
"Be careful." she warned "Pull your cloak down for your own sake. Our men and women won't take to strange characters."
He nodded and was off. It all came together, Remus, the struggle, and the blood... he ran even faster. By the time he got to South Cramson he was panting but he did not stop. It was clear that Remus was in a lot of trouble.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remus awoke and groaned in pain. Had these people been beating him up since he was knocked out? His hand instantly went to his head, it hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before. He looked up above him.
"It's awake." said one of the people. They were still there, surrounding him. "Where.... are you planning to join your master? We know you are, so you better tell us where the evil is? Locate some evil activity for us, and maybe we wont kill you."
"I'll say it again..." Remus was calm even though he hurt so badly he could harder speak. He lifted the upper part of his body weakly and then yelled "I do not work for him and I would never! Just because I can lose control doesn't make me .... evil!"
A man took out his wand and muttered inn a low voice. He almost yelled out when he was thrown against the stone wall. He dropped to the floor. He tried to pull away but he was put down when someone hit him in the stomach. It took him a few seconds to realize from the intense pain that along with the sharp punch he had been stabbed. He was now bleeding heavily and he could feel it, all around him.
He was now sure that these people intended to kill him. It was harder and harder for him to fight back... the self pity that he always felt for himself came back full force. So what if they killed him? He'd always wanted to die for being such a thing, maybe they were doing someone a favor here. Werewolves were killed all the time and now more than ever, it seemed like he would not be the last.
Someone had hit him with something hard. It must have been one of the rusty bars from the rotting jail cell. Questions flooded from the people, they were just scared of being killed by the Dark Lord. He didn't listen. He was in horrible pain, he could hardly see straight. He must have blanked out some of the time when they had been torturing him and until know he didn't realize how badly he was hurt. He must have been hit many times because he felt numerous bruises on his body. He felt his consciousness slip away, the giant stab wound in his stomach had caused him to lose so much blood. He slipped downward across the floor. He didn't know who would help him now.
~*~*~*~
Sirius had gotten down the street. The jail building was easily recognizable. It was the oldest building on the street. He decided that there was no time to transform to dog and sneak in. He had to go in as he was... if they saw his face it would be too bad. He'd rather have people say they'd spotted Sirius Black then know his dog form. It was his only secret.
The first humans he saw were two wizards guarding the doors. He knew he could take them out quickly. He moved straight up to them. When one of them, a very tall wizard wearing long green robes saw him he yelled out.
Sirius raised a wand at them. "It's him!" one yelled "The Death Eater! It's.... it's Sirius Black."
Both men stood. Sirius didn't need his wand at all. The men were big and had a lot of strength but Sirius was light and fast. He kicked one man in the leg and he went crashing down, his partner fell on top of him. He used his wand and tied both men up magically, they'd live but they wouldn't be free for a while.
He moved down the dusty building. He saw the activity at the end of the hall. About seven or eight people sitting talking. They were standing around a cell. He caught some of the conversations:
"Why don't we just kill it?"
"Did you hear it talking to us? Like it did nothing wrong... amazing!"
"I'm so glad we got it, it lived a few homes away from me."
He snuck around. A few of the people had their backs turned to him. He muttered a useful curse he suddenly remembered from his days at Hogwarts. The three fell forward and then he was noticed. A cry of "Sirius Black." echoed among the remaining four. Two ran out of the building fearfully but two remained.
"So..." one cried trembling "The monster lied then... now we find You-Know-Who's top man here to save him."
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius yelled and the man's wand flew away. The two man were scared now.
"So.... so k... kill us." the other stuttered boldly "There are... more of us.... all around Black. You'll get taken down."
"Not today." he whispered grimly and muttered under his breath. They were both tied up also.
He rushed to the cell by the wall. "Alohamora." The lock clicked open. He pushed the door open and rushed in.
He saw Remus immediately. He knelt down by the other man's side and squinted. He looked him over and frowned... how could these people have the hearts to do this. He reached out to touch him and better analyze the wounds when Remus awoke.
His eyes flicked open but he could hardly see. His first thought was that he was hallucinating because above him was Sirius Black. "Sirius," he whispered weakly "No.... it can't be... he can't be here... no way."
"Yes it can be." Sirius replied "I'm right here..."
Now, though hurt and in a lot of pain, Remus was wide awake. He tried to sit up so he could see better but the stab wound in his lower stomach made him stop and fall backwards. Sirius caught him before he hit his head.
"Slow down all right?" he said concerned "You're in no condition to be doing that. I'm going to get you out of here before they all come around. Just relax and I will handle it."
He listened to Sirius and sunk back while the other man made a plan. "So..." he muttered closing his eyes and trying hard to distract himself, so he wouldn't lose consciousness again "Tell me Sirius .... h .... how did you get.... how did you find me?"
Sirius sat back down next to him. He looked at the man he had known so much about as a boy and smiled. He put his hand on his old love's head. "Dumbledore told me to find you... I'm sure you know why."
"Yeah..." his reply was bitter "I get the idea. Voldemort is back... the new war, I suppose?"
His bitterness surprised Sirius a lot. He had always been so light in the past... made the better of everything. He realized that he had bent over and was looking straight into his eyes. "Don't be upset." he said softly "It will work out Moony, somewhere deep inside you and I are still Marauders... we always got through before."
"Before..." Remus repeated the words. Before was so easy. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts and his physical weakness to realize the Sirius had kissed him on the top of his head. Finally he went back to his senses.
Maybe, if Sirius believed they could live through it... like they did before... maybe it also meant that he believed in other aspects of the past. With all the strength he could manage... he slowly raised his left arm. With all the force he could manage he pushed Sirius lower.
As Sirius felt the weak yet amazing force push him downward he knew what Remus meant. The past could live in the present. He allowed the hand to guide him downward and he kissed the man hard, on the lips.
It was just the same as those days when Remus would come back to his true from after transforming... he'd be extremely weak and visibly exhausted, but he'd always felt better with Sirius there. Even now, the one simple kiss made all his pain disappear.
"Wow." Sirius muttered under his breath as they pulled away reluctantly.
" I know what you mean." Remus agreed. He felt tired suddenly and said alertly "Sirius, I don't think I can get out of here with you. It'll be too much."
"You can do anything, if I say you can." Sirius was sharp but he agreed with one fact. Those townspeople had done some terrible things... he wouldn't be able to make it. "Where are you hurt most?" he asked knowing it would make all the difference in getting to safety.
He didn't have to say a word. They way he carried his body and the panting showed Sirius clearly. He touched his hands to the other man's stomach. "I need to see how bad it is." he said softly looking at the blood, now on his hands.
~*~*~*~
Remus cringed as Sirius helped him take off his shirt. He knew that is was bad. It didn't take a genius to figure out.
He heard Sirius talking "Listen to me." he said quietly "You know I failed healing charms at Hogwarts ..... but I need to do something about this or we won't be able to go on. I'm sorry if I hurt you, you know I'm trying."
"All right." he replied "You know I trust you Sirius."
Sirius tried his best to at least stop the most terrible wound. He ended up at least sealing it. "I hope that helps you a little..." he said "They'll do better late but for now."
"Thank you." was the only reply.
He was still too weak to be magically transported. It would be too much strain too ask him to bear. Sirius decided that he needed to physically move Remus to somewhere that was safe. They could go from there.
He summoned his strength and lifted him up as gently as possible. He felt the other man's arms go around his neck. He moved as fast as he possibly could. He didn't have a clue where they could go. He could not risk going back to the house Remus had left alone for days... they had to get away. The biggest problem though was the fact that he knew they couldn't go on without more help.
They stopped for a moment, they were deep in a dark forest. Animals howled and shrieked all around them. Remus opened his eyes and looked into the sky. "Oh... oh no... " he muttered "Sirius, tell me it's not the 24th please...."
Sirius did not speak. The full moon was to happen soon. "No.... not tonight... not now, I can't do this now."
He was immediately picked up again and Sirius wordlessly walked into a cave in the side of a hill. "Where are we?" he was asked.
"I stayed here on my way to see you."
As Sirius put him down he could only sigh. "Why tonight... I can't do it tonight. Sirius, you know I can't."
"It will be hard." Sirius replied "I'll be right here though."
"I miss you being there...."
" I miss it too. It was really wonderful.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It started as usual and in seconds he was a full grown werewolf. The last thing he thought as a human was that Sirius was changing right next to him.
He lost all human senses. He growled uncontrollably at the black dog, he didn't want to hurt it but he knew the wolf did not want it there. The dog leapt backwards and barked ordering him to back off. His human wounds did not affect him in this state but he tried to hold in in his animal mind to remember that something was wrong. He was weak, something was very wrong.
~~*~~*~~~*~~~*~~
It was a very long rough time. When Remus took back his own form he saw Sirius transforming back next to him. "How are you?" Sirius asked immediately "That was a rough one. Are you all right?"
"I.... I...." he replied but he couldn't speak. He felt dizzy, the whole cave was spinning. "Something's wrong with me.... I don't know."
Looking on, Sirius knew that something really wasn't right. "You look so weakened... when those people caught you, do you remember them using a curse, or a potion on you?"
"I wouldn't remember..." he gasped out "I was unconscious most of the time..."
He reached out and held his hand. "I need to get you help. I got to leave you here... I'll only be a minute, I am going to apparate just down the road from the Hogwarts grounds, Dumbledore said that if I got into any trouble to get down there as soon as I could."
The look on both of their faces showed that they did not care to part. There was so much that could go very wrong. What if someone looking for the "werewolf" found him in the cave? Or, what if Sirius was caught? So much could go wrong...
"Wait." Remus was calm yet shaking when he spoke up.
"What is it?"
"I.... I love you. I thought it was over but I still feel the same. Promise that if we live... you'll talk to me about this?"
"Of course." Sirius said smiling sadly "I still love you like I did when we were sixteen, we could get through anything then. We can get through anything now."
He disappeared.
A/N: So, how was it? What do you think? I love Remus/Sirius fic now and I hope you guys liked it. I should have the next chapter up in a few days. It's almost ready but I want to give a few days to see what you think so REVIEW!
