Wasted—9/50 for the OTP Boot Camp Challenge at HPFC.
A scarlet envelope floated down from the sky above them, and fell directly into the custard that Sirius was about to eat. In the space of a heartbeat, the happiness that had been stretched across Sirius' face—caused by the food, of course—melted away. Despite knowing the letter wasn't for him, Remus felt the dread of opening the letter like a pit in his stomach.
Eyes from all around them turned to face the letter, each brimming with some anticipation. Sirius' mother, although rarely mentioned, had a reputation of being very entertaining to listen to when she was shouting. There was a sick relief in a lot of their faces, as well, and Remus closed his eyes against the world for a second.
Remus heard a rustle as Sirius pulled the Howler from his food, where it had begun to smoke. Then, without a word, he jumped from his seat and turned to the entrance to the Great Hall.
"Where are you going?" James called.
Sirius looked over his shoulder, eyes wide. "I can't let them hear this."
Sirius pulled open the heavy doors of the Great Hall and broke into a run so that he was out of sight in seconds. It took Remus less than that time to push away from his breakfast and start after him, ignoring James' calls from behind them.
Remus felt his heart climb out of his chest and into his throat as he broke into a run.
"Sirius!" he shouted. "Sirius, stop!"
He heard footsteps down one corridor and blindly followed the sound. As he rounded one corner, he found himself flying right into Sirius, who was on the other side.
They landed on the floor in a mass of limbs, and the letter dropped to the floor and exploded.
"Sirius. If you think your father and I will tolerate constant news and warnings about your foolish escapades, you are mistaken. Do not think for a second that we will hesitate to pull you out and have you tutored at home—we should have done that when you disgraced the family and were put in Gryffindor!"
There was abrupt silence in the corridor, and Remus met Sirius' eyes.
"Did you just—sit on a Howler?" Remus asked.
Sirius nodded, and Remus didn't know how to respond to the tears welling up in his friend's eyes.
"They've been coming more often now," Sirius croaked. "I tried to ignore them, but—Remus, I can't."
Remus murmured something soothing under his breath, reaching out to straighten Sirius' tie. "You have James and Peter and me to fight for you. Don't forget that."
Sirius smiled.
"Dishonour on the family! You've lowered our social standing by a five generations! You're not fit to be a Black. You're not fit to be alive. Your grades are ghastly, you are friends with Mudbloods—with mutts!"
Remus shifted back, uncomfortable.
"My son died the moment he was sorted wrong. Why do you do everything wrong?"
Remus yanked Sirius up by the arm and pulled him in the direction of the stairs. He pretended not to notice the tears that Sirius quickly wiped away, and the half-walk, half-run to the common room was a blur.
Once in the general safety of the common room, Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius, who was visibly shaking.
"I'm so sorry," Sirius whispered into the crook of Remus' neck.
"Why are you sorry?"
"I'm so sorry you have to put up with me, that you have to listen to my unimportant stories, and that you get in trouble for things that I do. I'm a waste of space, Remus. I'm a disgrace! Look at me! I'm so sorry. I'm silly and stupid and so, so sorry."
Remus shook his head, feeling Sirius' fervent nod immediately rub against his chin. "Listen to me, Sirius," he said. "I think you're the best person I know. You're very smart, you have brilliant ideas, and—listen to me—ordinary things don't stop you."
Remus placed a light kiss on Sirius' forehead. Then, he kissed the tip of Sirius' nose, and then reached his mouth. Lightly, so that Sirius had all the time in the world to pull away if he wanted to, he placed a kiss on Sirius' lips.
Remus felt Sirius' jolt, and then slowly felt the pressure being returned.
"I love you," Remus whispered into the kiss. "Please don't forget that I love you. You're the most important person in my world, and I have you to thank for keeping me sane all these years. Don't minimize that."
"I'm sorry."
Remus pulled away for a second. "You're completely forgiven, but please remember that I think your mother is a cow."
Sirius blinked, shocked. Then, face splitting into a grin, he pulled Remus back in and resumed their kiss.
"Agreed," he said. "Definitely agreed."