The Night the Rat Escaped

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter characters in any way, shape, or form. The following is merely the ramblings of a bemused fan.

This is SLASH. If you do not like it, I'm sorry. You have been warned.

Remus was hunched over his desk, poking his wand aimlessly at the Marauder's Map he had confiscated from Harry earlier that day. Light was barely shining through the window to the side as a thin fog coated the sky and the milky, waxing crescent.

Tattered, creased, and even torn in a few places, this map was beginning to look as old as Remus himself. Yet,it still seemed to be operating just as well as ever.

"Hold on," Remus breathed, bolting upright.

Perhaps it wasn't functioning as well as usual. He could vaguely make out the name Sirius Black traveling along through the passageway that began at the Whomping Willow, and led to the Shrieking Shack.

What if it was working properly? Sirius couldn't actually be on the grounds, could he? Should Lupin tell Dumbledore? No, he thought, it's nothing, honestly.

But if it was…perhaps he should just go to the Whomping Willow to assure himself that nothing was wrong.

Grabbing his battered cloak off his chair, he dashed out of his office and made his way to the grounds. The cool night air whipping his face, as he headed quickly towards the Whomping Willow, fear increasing with each step.

What if Sirius actually was there? No, inconceivable. But if he was…would he hurt Remus? Remus was his friend, a fellow marauder. Yet, so was James…

"Immobilous," Remus exclaimed clearly, his wand pointing directly at the particularly large knot on the tree that froze all of the ordinarily thrashing branches of the ferocious tree. Taking a deep breath, he stepped across the threshold between him and his past.

It took him quite a while of trudging through the narrow passageway before he finally reached the haunted house that had been his fearful retreat once a month, when the moon shone bright.

The floorboards creaking as he stepped one by one, he suddenly heard a BANG come from above him. Muscles freezing, Remus hoped beyond hope that it was just a stray cat or an owl, not Sirius.

Climbing the stairs to investigate the noise, Remus was met by a sight that both crushed his hopes and yet filled his heart with joy.

"Remus!" the grungy looking Sirius Black growled joyfully.

Remus looked at his old friend, he looked even tinier than ever, his small stature trimmed due to malnutrition over the past 12 years. He was dressed in rags, striped with black and white, the mark of an Azkaban prisoner. Through the tears in Sirius' shirt, Remus could see an elaborate tattoo etched on his chest. Remus recognized it as ancient wizard ruins, but he couldn't quite decipher their meanings.

"Hello Sirius," Remus said stiffly,

"You aren't still angry at me are you?" Sirius asked, sounding a bit concerned,

"Well, you are an escaped prisoner," Remus said,

"You know what I meant," Sirius responded, "Angry about me choosing James over you,"

"Sirius, it's not that you chose Sirius over me, it was the issue in which you loathe,"

"I don't loathe that issue," Sirius chortled,

"Yes you do, why else would you side with James and never talk to me again?" accused Remus,

"Remus, I'm sorry about that, you have to believe me," he put his hands on Remus's wrists, but Remus drew back, "I don't loathe that issue, honestly. I was in denial,"

"Denial?" Remus raised his eyebrow, "You don't mean?" he broke off,

"Yeah," Sirius said, "I was scared of what James would do, I couldn't bare leaving either of you, but I thought you would be more understanding than James. And I have to admit, I am glad that I did side with James, because I don't know what I'd do had James died in vain,"

"What d'you care about that?" Remus retorted, "You murdered him!"

"No, I didn't!" Sirius exclaimed, "You've got to believe me!"

"What'd'you mean?" Remus asked,

"It was Wormtail, he killed James, and framed me for the murder of those 13 poor people," Sirius roared,

"No he didn't, he's dead, you killed him!" Remus pointed his finger at Sirius,

"He's not," Sirius chuckled slyly, "In fact, he's inside the castle,"

Remus felt a nerve trickle up his spine; this was becoming too odd.

"You're kidding," Remus murmured,

"Of course I'm not, he's in there as a rat. He belongs to some red haired boy," Sirius informed him,

"Ron," muttered Remus in disbelief,

"Who?" Sirius's rough voice asked,

"Ron Weasley," Remus said louder, "He's Harry Potter's best friend, you haven't been tracking him this whole time have you?"

"Of course I have, I wasn't going to get revenge on him, by just sitting in my cell in Azkaban," Sirius said gruffly,

"That explains why everyone thinks you're after Harry," Lupin marveled,

"Why would I be trying to kill my own god son?" Sirius retorted,

"Well, I never understood it either, but everyone said you'd gone mad," Lupin said, "Hold on. Why d'you want revenge on Peter?"

"I've already told you he killed James!" Sirius said,

"Yes, but how?" Lupin asked,

"Well, y'know I was James and Lily's secret keeper," Sirius said,

"Yes, I remember," Lupin murmured, grudgingly,

"I thought that Voldemort would suspect me of being their Secret Keeper, so I switched it to Wormtail. Voldemort would never think to interrogate him, I thought. Yet, I had never thought in a million years that that git would be in Voldemort's inner circle." Sirius told Remus, "Of course Wormtail told Voldemort where James and Lily were hidden, and as soon as they were murdered, I knew Dumbledore would think it was me. So I ran, gave my bike to Hagrid, who was collecting little Harry, and I escaped. The next day I ran into Peter, who was trying to kill me, seeing as I was the only one who knew he had been the Secret Keeper. He put on a whole big show, even cut off a bit of his finger, and blasted 13 people to smithereens before transforming into that repulsive rat form," Remus had been listening rapidly, barely able to believe that all of this was true, "The Ministry came within a few moments, arrested me and I was locked up in Azkaban for 12 horrific years,"

"Plotting revenge on Wormtail the whole time," Remus said,

"Well not the whole time," Sirius said modestly, "I thought about you quite a bit as well,"

"Me?" Lupin had to admit he was flattered, but nonetheless confused,

"Yeah, about you and me and about what might have happened, had I been brave and sided with you," Sirius admitted,

"So, you weren't joking about the issue?" Lupin asked,

"Of course not. Remus, I love you," Sirius said, his eyes becoming very large as he looked up at Remus, who had choked,

"Y-you love me?" he asked,

"I shouldn't have blurted that out should I?" Sirius turned his gaze away from Lupin, his disposition morphing from a pale look of malnutrition to a deep shade of crimson,

"N-no," Remus put his hands on Sirius's shoulders, "I love you too, I always have,"

"Truly?" Sirius asked,

"Of course," Lupin said. He bowed his head to reach Sirius, who was much shorter than he, and gently caressed his lips with his own. Embracing each other, their lips locked and then they pulled away.