Night fell on the enchanted school of Hogwarts. Long after most of the students had gone to sleep, one solitary figure remained hunched before the fire in the Gryffindor tower. There he sat, unmoving, long into the night. He might have stayed an eternity for all he moved... if not for the tall shadow who came wandering through at about 2:00 in the morning.
"Remus?" the shadow said, approaching behind the chair.
Remus leaped half way out of his seat, startled, and looked sharply over his shoulder.
"Sirius," he breathed when he saw who had addressed him. He sank back into the soft cushions of the armchair. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Sirius said, taking a seat beside his friend. "We have a big test in Charms tomorrow. Shouldn't you get some sleep?" A note of concern trickled into the face of the trickster, though he hid it well behind the mask of a teasing grin.
"I'm... not tired," Remus lied. He looked back at the fire and again rested his chin on his fists with a soft sigh.
Sirius watched him, letting his own eyes rest on the young man's weary countenance. He saw the deep lines og thought, traced the delicate curve of his chin to the deep gray eyes veiled behind mist and scruffy bangs, then down to his glowing cheeks - pale skin he knew had felt tears often before. Sirius saw one thing quite clearly: Remus was tieed. Not just tired - exhausted.
"You didn't come down here because you're not tired," Sirius accused bluntly.
"I'll wager you didn't either," Remus answered dully, trying to steer the topic of conversation away from himself.
"Don't change the subject!" He bowed his head and shot Remus a jesting scold from under his eyebrows. "Fess up, Moony. What are you doing here?"
Remus sighed, this time a sound that bled with stifled despair. "Thinking," he admitted.
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere!" Sirius leaned back in the arm chair, stretching his long legs towards the warming fire. "And what subject, pray tell, has decreed itself so important it must keep the magnanimous Moony so riveted at such hours of the night?" He was putting on a grand performance, but Sirius's valient efforts to cheer his friend up were made in vain.
Remus answered in a quiet voice choked with bitterness. "You're a bright chap, Padfoot. Weigh the evidence and see if you can figure an answer. Tomorrow is a full moon. What else would I ve thinking about?" He moved one hand to grip the armrest tightly.
"Oh Remus..." Sirius whispered, reaching to touch his arm.
Remus turned his face away. Sirius could see his shoulders tremble slightly. He left his chair and knelt awkwardly next to the young werewolf.
"Oh Remus," he said again. "You shouldn't worry about that! You know Wormtail and Prongs and I will be with you..."
"But that isn't it, Sirius." Remus fixed him with an intense stare. Sirius saw that his friend's eyes were swimming in tears. "I've been alone too often to fear it any more. I..." He took a deep breath, trying to fend off the tears that so desperately longed for release. "It's terrifying to be imprisoned in a mind that's not your own. It's like a nightmare, only worse, because it's real..." At last the salty tears flooded his cheeks. "It hurts so much..."
Sirius put one arm around Remus's shoulders. Remus allowed himself to be pulled down into a gentle embrace and layed his head on the older boy's chest, sobbing with all the innocence and purest sorrow of a child. He was so quiet, Sirius realized - so used to hiding his pain, so used to being alone. Well, that would change.
Just then, two more robed wandererd appeared at the bottom of the stairway leading to the boys' sleeping quarters. They drew themselves toward the fire timidly as shamed hounds.
"Prongs. Wormtail," Sirius murmured. The two animagi nodded greetings in return. James Potter, called Prongs, perched on the currently unoccupied armrest of the chair. Wormtail, known to all others as Peter Pettigrew, leaned against the wall by the fire.
James began rubbing Remus's back. "Poor fellow," he said. "I can't imagine what it must be like..."
"Well you've got us, Moony!" Peter chirped shyly.
Sirius squeezed Remus's shoulders. "Yes, always."
"Always," James echoed.
Remus looked up at last, and smiled weakly to the others through his tears. He took Sirius and James's hands in his, then went and put his arm around Peter. The four Marauders joined in a circle, their hands clasped in the centre.
"Always," Remus sniffed. "Always and forever."
"Remus?" the shadow said, approaching behind the chair.
Remus leaped half way out of his seat, startled, and looked sharply over his shoulder.
"Sirius," he breathed when he saw who had addressed him. He sank back into the soft cushions of the armchair. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Sirius said, taking a seat beside his friend. "We have a big test in Charms tomorrow. Shouldn't you get some sleep?" A note of concern trickled into the face of the trickster, though he hid it well behind the mask of a teasing grin.
"I'm... not tired," Remus lied. He looked back at the fire and again rested his chin on his fists with a soft sigh.
Sirius watched him, letting his own eyes rest on the young man's weary countenance. He saw the deep lines og thought, traced the delicate curve of his chin to the deep gray eyes veiled behind mist and scruffy bangs, then down to his glowing cheeks - pale skin he knew had felt tears often before. Sirius saw one thing quite clearly: Remus was tieed. Not just tired - exhausted.
"You didn't come down here because you're not tired," Sirius accused bluntly.
"I'll wager you didn't either," Remus answered dully, trying to steer the topic of conversation away from himself.
"Don't change the subject!" He bowed his head and shot Remus a jesting scold from under his eyebrows. "Fess up, Moony. What are you doing here?"
Remus sighed, this time a sound that bled with stifled despair. "Thinking," he admitted.
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere!" Sirius leaned back in the arm chair, stretching his long legs towards the warming fire. "And what subject, pray tell, has decreed itself so important it must keep the magnanimous Moony so riveted at such hours of the night?" He was putting on a grand performance, but Sirius's valient efforts to cheer his friend up were made in vain.
Remus answered in a quiet voice choked with bitterness. "You're a bright chap, Padfoot. Weigh the evidence and see if you can figure an answer. Tomorrow is a full moon. What else would I ve thinking about?" He moved one hand to grip the armrest tightly.
"Oh Remus..." Sirius whispered, reaching to touch his arm.
Remus turned his face away. Sirius could see his shoulders tremble slightly. He left his chair and knelt awkwardly next to the young werewolf.
"Oh Remus," he said again. "You shouldn't worry about that! You know Wormtail and Prongs and I will be with you..."
"But that isn't it, Sirius." Remus fixed him with an intense stare. Sirius saw that his friend's eyes were swimming in tears. "I've been alone too often to fear it any more. I..." He took a deep breath, trying to fend off the tears that so desperately longed for release. "It's terrifying to be imprisoned in a mind that's not your own. It's like a nightmare, only worse, because it's real..." At last the salty tears flooded his cheeks. "It hurts so much..."
Sirius put one arm around Remus's shoulders. Remus allowed himself to be pulled down into a gentle embrace and layed his head on the older boy's chest, sobbing with all the innocence and purest sorrow of a child. He was so quiet, Sirius realized - so used to hiding his pain, so used to being alone. Well, that would change.
Just then, two more robed wandererd appeared at the bottom of the stairway leading to the boys' sleeping quarters. They drew themselves toward the fire timidly as shamed hounds.
"Prongs. Wormtail," Sirius murmured. The two animagi nodded greetings in return. James Potter, called Prongs, perched on the currently unoccupied armrest of the chair. Wormtail, known to all others as Peter Pettigrew, leaned against the wall by the fire.
James began rubbing Remus's back. "Poor fellow," he said. "I can't imagine what it must be like..."
"Well you've got us, Moony!" Peter chirped shyly.
Sirius squeezed Remus's shoulders. "Yes, always."
"Always," James echoed.
Remus looked up at last, and smiled weakly to the others through his tears. He took Sirius and James's hands in his, then went and put his arm around Peter. The four Marauders joined in a circle, their hands clasped in the centre.
"Always," Remus sniffed. "Always and forever."