where you go, i follow

Merry late Christmas and happy holidays to all! Sorry for the late Christmas fic, but I was on holiday and this fic almost slipped my mind. Key word, almost. However, this is a very special fic because it is a, drumroll please, SECRET SANTA FIC!

I'm very excited to announce that this fic is for . . .

Audrey! (halcyon epochs)! YAY! Please go ahead and check her out, she's a great writer. Today's fic will be fairly angsty, as per the request of our very special person. Without further ado, here goes!

"We're engaged."

Nymphadora Tonks, princess of the kingdom of Hufflepuff, walked into Remus's room rather haughtily and sat down carefully on the circular bed that adorned the already extravagant chamber.

Remus looked up from the desk with a mild expression.

"And who decided that?"

Tonks wrung her hands. Remus, sensing her uncomfort, rose from his chair and set down his glasses. He came around the side of the bed, and sat down next to the worried princess. Tonks wasn't one to be a dainty character. As far as Remus knew, she was a kid for whom he had looked out for since she was an infant in his shaky arms. The Tonks he knew was the girl with short pink hair who walked around in neon trousers and a new a pair of socks every week,

Looking at this Tonks, he felt uneasiness growing in his stomach.

"How can we be engaged? You're more than 10 years my junior, and you already love-"

"Do you think they care?" Tonks looked away. "They only want power, and what better way than to do that than combine Hufflepuff and Gryffindor?"

Remus was the crown prince of Gryffindor. He had been adopted by the king and queen after his own parents had passed away. His good friend, James, was the prince of Gryffindor, and had given up the throne to Remus to be with his love, Lily of Ravenclaw. Remus may have been eternally grateful to James, but he had left the royal responsibilities of Gryffindor to Remus.

He turned Tonks around so she was facing him. Tears stained her usually cheery face, and her bright pink hair had faded, showing the brown roots underneath.

"No." Remus shook his head in disbelief. "They can't. They only want us all to band against Slytherin, cause of that idiot, Snape. He's such a-"

Tonks wrenched her hands from Remus's, not attempting to stem the tears flowing down her face. "We can't stop them! Who are we kidding, Remus? We make up these fake hopes that one day, one day, we'll be free from the pressure of being royals and just run away. But we don't get it." She let out a small sob.

"We're bound here forever."

The words hit Remus like a staggering blow. As much as he would try to deny Tonks's words, try to comfort her, they would forever haunt him. He sat in a dumbfounded silence, at a complete loss.

Tonks dried her tears and got up so quickly Remus fell over. Her face arranged itself back into the plain expression she remained in the present of her relatives. Tonks hailed from the Black family, the only female descendant who was unmarried. Perhaps, Remus thought, that's why this pressure comes.

"I've invited Sirius to stay with us for a few days."

He turned his head fast enough and immediately felt a sharp pain in his neck. Tonks showed no emotion, but her lip quivered slightly as she said, "I thought you might want to see him one last time."

Remus felt as if his heart had shattered into a million places and lodged themselves in his stomach.

"What?" he whispered.

Sirius was the youngest male descendant of the Black name. He was Tonks's uncle, and James's best friend. He and Remus had developed a close relationship over the course of time, close enough that it eventually became romance. They both knew that their relationship was forbidden, so the would meet twice a month on the secret road along the Gobbledok River, along the outskirts of Hogwarts territory.

Remus always had a dream of running away from Gryffindor, in the rumored Muggle territories beyond Hogwarts, one where there were no kingdoms or responsibilities to hold them back.

"Tonks, you can't. You can't, I . . ."

He broke off. The prospect of seeing Sirius, of telling him about the marriage, seemed too much to bear.

"I can't leave him."

Tonks allowed a sad smile to flit across her face.

"You already are, Remus."

When Remus arrived in the throne room, the king and queen, Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, were already present. Along with them, he also saw Tonks sitting with her parents, Theodore and Andromeda Tonks, rulers of Hufflepuff. He hurried to take his seat, and was about to speak when the king shot him a silencing look and turned back to Andromeda. She was saying something about the marriage, and it was evident Fleamont wanted Remus to hear.

"You have to understand, Your Highness. My sisters, Narcissa and Bellatrix are loyal to the Black family, and they wage a war on Hufflepuff if they ever heard of this alliance. You know how the Blacks, Malfoys, and Lestranges are loyal to Slytherin."

Fleamont looked thoughtful, while Euphemia got up to soothe the agitated Andromeda.

So this is what the marriage is about, thought Remus. They want us to band against Slytherin but in secret.

He glanced at Tonks, who was concentrating so hard on her lap Remus thought she might burn a hole through her dress. She was going to burn it later anyway.

"I understand your concern, Andromeda, and it is nothing but my greatest desire to help you. We shall fix the marriage as soon as possible."

"What of my sisters? What if they hear of this news?"

They fell into a grave silence once more. Remus stood up.

"What about Sirius?"

He saw 5 confused faces turn towards him. Rushing to explain his meaning, he said, "He is from the Black family. Though he may have been disowned, they may still be willing to correspond with him and any news he has about Gryffindor."

"What is your meaning, Remus?" Euphemia asked.

"My meaning is, Sirius could feed the Blacks false information, allowing Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor time to conduct the marriage and make a plan to ally themselves against Slytherin."

Tonks glanced at Remus, a look of intense betrayal on her face. She didn't want this marriage any more than Remus did, and from his words, it seemed as if he was encouraging it. Remus stared guiltily back, trying to convey with his eyes that he was not betraying her.

"It is a fine plan," Fleamont announced, "but how will we implement it? Sirius is not with us, and we do not have time to summon him here and conduct the wedding in secrecy and in a timely manner."

Suddenly, the doors of the palace burst open and light flooded the dusty halls of the hall. Remus made out a silhouette standing in the massive doorway. The figure stepped forward, and revealed himself. Before he could see the face, Remus's heart skipped a beat. He would recognize the crooked smirk, messy hair, and stormy eyes anywhere. Sirius Black was standing in the Gryffindor palace.

Before anyone else could even react, Remus erected himself from the chair and ran into Sirius's already open arms. Had his parents and Tonks's not known that he and Sirius shared a close bond as friends, many questions would have arisen. However, when Remus led Sirius into the hall, both of them not letting go of each other's hands, he saw smiles grace the previously grim faces of the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor rulers. Fleamont clapped a hand on Sirius's back, Euphemia ran forward to give Sirius a hug, and Tonks stood up to greet Sirius.

Sirius went over to ruffle Tonks's hair. "Need a new hair job, sister?" He called Tonks "sister", despite their relation and age difference. Tonks gave a small, forced smile, and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Just had other things on my mind."

Sirius's smile didn't waver, though Remus saw a small crease appear on his forehead. He went to greet Theodore and Andromeda, and resumed his place at Remus's side.

Leaning in ever so close, he whispered in Remus's ear, making him shiver with pleasure.

"Missed you too, Remus."

"Sirius, son," Fleamont declared in a booming voice. "As happy as it makes me to see you, we have many things to do over the course of this coming fortnight. We have a wedding to plan, as you may have heard, within your family."

At his words, Remus noticed Sirius frown. He felt a stab of fear, and interrupted Fleamont.

"Father, Sirius must be tired. I will take him up to the guest room and explain the plan later."

Fleamont looked surprised at being interrupted, but quickly recovered. "Of course. Sirius, go with Remus and rest. We have much to discuss."

Remus closed the door of his room behind him, leaning his head on the frame and sighing. He could hear his heart beating loudly, in anticipation of what was going to happen. How could he tell Sirius about the marriage? How could he leave Sirius?

He turned around with a sigh of resignation to find himself pressed up against the door by Sirius. His usually light gray eyes had turned into a dark stormy color, like a hurricane raging, and he was breathing heavily. Remus shivered, and intertwined his hands with Sirius's.

"I missed you, Moony."

Moony was a nickname Sirius had called Remus since childhood. Remus gave a shaky laugh.

"Missed you too, Padfoot."

Sirius reached up and cupped Remus's face, and captured his lips with his own. Remus sighed into the kiss, his own hand coming around to rest on Sirius's waist. The kiss heated up, both clinging to the other with a kind of heedy passion, as if they would die if they let go.

Remus, in attempt to get closer to Sirius, pushed him and they both fell onto the bed. Sirius laughed lightly.

"Need to go somewhere?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

This time, Remus pressed his mouth to Sirius's fiercely, and Sirius's tongue demanded entry into Remus's mouth. After some struggling, he complied and groaned as Sirius flipped them over so that Remus was on the bottom. His hands traveled from Sirius's waist into to his hair, feeling the silky locks.

And behind Remus's closed eyes, he saw fireworks. He saw Sirius, laughing, holding his hand and running. He saw their first kiss, tentative and sweet, with many awkward giggles. He saw Lily and James screaming with pleasure when they saw them. He saw Sirius, Sirius, Sirius, laughing, crying, just Sirius and Remus, the star and the wolf.

He saw Sirius at his wedding, tears in his gray eyes, refusing to look at Remus.

He broke away from the kiss, and pushed Sirius away from him. Sirius got off of Remus, a look of concern on his face.

"Remus?"

He tried to turn Remus's face towards him, but Remus shook his head. He closed his eyes as tears streamed down his face, refusing to let his lover see what was paining him. Sirius scrambled off the bed to come around to Remus. He saw the tears and ran to Remus.

"Remus? Remus! I'm sorry! Did I go too far? I'm sorry, I-"

Remus shook his head again and wiped his tears away. He opened his eyes to Sirius, crouching in front of him, a troubled look on his face.

"No, no, Sirius. You could never go too far."

"What is it? Did someone hurt you? I can go summon the king and inform him-"

"When was the last time you told me you loved me?"

Sirius broke off for the second time, staring at Remus in confusion. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Remus, I don't know what's going on but-"

"Sirius, please."

The defeated look in Remus's eyes softened Sirius, and he cupped Remus's face. Remus closed his eyes, though he made no attempt to move away.

"I love you."

All at once, Remus felt all his emotions hit. He kissed Sirius, and started crying again.

Sirius, between kisses, whispered, "Tell me what's wrong, Moony."

"I'm getting married."

Sirius opened his eyes wide and darted away from Remus. Remus's heart dropped, and he found that, just like Tonks, he couldn't look Sirius in the eyes anymore.

"What?"

"I-They-We-"

Sirius moved away as Remus tried to reach a hand out to him. "No," he breathed. "No, no, you wouldn't do that, that's not-"

Remus shook his head. "Sit down. Please. Let-let me explain."

Sirius closed his eyes. "Explain."

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes, I think so-"

"What do you mean "think so"? We need to have everything or we'll get caught."

"I know Moony, get off my case for just a second!"

The two princes stared at each other, feeling as if they were looking in a mirror. Both were black clad in robes of ebony. They had packed weapons and provisions, as well as a map from Fleamont's study of the Muggle territories beyond Hogwarts. The only difference the average person would notice was if they saw the whites of their eyes. From one hood, eyes of a silver hurricane were visible, while from the other liquid amber eyes could be seen.

Remus took off his cloak, revealing a villager outfit and a troubled expression.

Sirius leaned back and bit his lip, obviously fighting back a smile. "I'm impressed, Moony," he said, smirking, "you even manage to look attractive in a commoner's dress."

Remus rolled his eyes and hit Sirius on the shoulder. "We have more pressing matters at hand, Padfoot."

Both men looked at each other. Then, Sirius stepped forward and kissed Remus, a soft, sweet promise. Remus kissed him back, putting all his strength and emotion and hoping Sirius would get it.

They stopped to breathe and put their head together. "We'll get through this, Sirius," whispered Remus.

Flashback

"Andromeda and Theodore Tonks, queen and king of Hufflepuff kingdom."

"I know who they are, Moony."

"Then you must know that they are receiving increasing pressure to take action about Slytherin, along with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It's like a looming death threat over our heads."

Sirius took his head out of his hands. "That doesn't explain the marriage."

Remus sighed. "I'm getting there."

"Due to Lily and James's marriage, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are already allies. Now, to make a more powerful enemy for Snape to face, Hufflepuff wants to unite itself with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

"I still don't get it."

"Tonks and I are getting married."

Sirius turned white. He stood up, and it seemed as if he was in a great shock.

"I don't understand," he whispered. "You and . . . Tonks?"

Remus nodded gravely. "She doesn't want this anymore than I do, but what can she do?"

Sirius came to Remus, sitting beside him and grasping his hand tightly. "Oh, Remus."

They sat there, holding hands and not saying a word, when suddenly Sirius stood up and Remus looked at him in surprise. "Sirius?"

"We'll run away," said Sirius. His eyes gleamed and a wicked smile spread across his features.

Now it was Remus's turn to shake his head in disbelief. "No. No, no, no. We are not running away, Sirius."

"I can't believe you convinced me to run away."

Sirius only chuckled in response. Remus supposed there was logic to the plan. If they ran away, everyone would assume that they opposed the marriage between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor royals. Unfortunately in Hogwarts, civic and familial loyalty came before anything else. Therefore, the Black family and Gryffindor would be forced to come to a truce, as Sirius was technically the heir to the Black family's treasures. As long as he was alive. The truce would leave Slytherin without one of its most powerful allies, and, if worst came to worst, Hufflepuff would have to ally with Gryffindor no matter what.

"Hurry up!"

Sirius huffed, "I'm not as fast as you. I suppose it helps, being named after a wolf."

Remus groaned and ran slower, as for Sirius to catch up. If they weren't in Muggle territories by the time the guards discovered them missing, it would be next to impossible to escape again."

"Sirius! What are-are you looking at my arse?!"

Sirius shot him a guilty glance and a quick smile. "It's quite nice."

Remus rolled his eyes and made to grab Sirius. He put an arm around Sirius's waist and was about to pull him along when he felt something slippery. In the dark, he was not able to see it, but he started to dread what it was.

"Sirius, Sirius, what's-what's on your back?"

But Sirius did not answer. Remus removed his hand from behind Sirius and heard a thud as Sirius fell to the ground. Remus fell on his knees beside him, and searched around for a stick, a torch, anything, anything, because Sirius wasn't talking and something was wrong-

He heard Sirius cough, and grabbed his head.

"Sirius! Sirius, please, speak to me."

A horrible garbling sound came from Sirius's mouth, and Remus resumed his searching for a stick when a flickering light fell upon his face.

Remus stared in horror. His hand was slick with blood, and there was an arrow sticking out of Sirius's back.

"No! No, Sirius, wake up, wake-"

"He won't wake."

In the flickering light of the torch, another face came into view-a face Remus knew all too well, the face that they all loathed and feared.

Severus Snape was holding an arrow to Remus's head, a grotesque smile on his ugly, misshapen face.

"I meant to go for you," he said silkily, and it made Remus want to punch his crooked nose. "Must've accidentally hit Black instead. But no worries, his family will be quite happy once he's gone."

Remus dared not make a move when an arrow was being pointed at him. But he still had a sharp tongue.

"Pity you don't have any family to grieve you once I kill you, Snivellus," he snarled.

Snape growled and pressed the arrow further in Remus's skull, sending a sharp pain and a trickle of blood to come running down his face.

"If I were you, I would keep your mouth shut, Lupin, unless you want me to cut your tongue off."

He adjusted so Remus could see him better. "Right," he said, "You're going to go back with me to Gryffindor. Once the king and queen see their darling prince in way of death, they'll easily hand Gryffindor over to me. I'll have Andromeda Tonks overpowered by her sisters to take over Hufflepuff, and I know James and Lily will come running to save you: thus, leaving Ravenclaw mine for the taking."

Remus made a mental noise of frustration. He should've known better than to go out without precautions! And now, Snape would take over Hogwarts, and Sirius, Sirius was bleeding to death in his arms . . .

Sirius grunted, and both men looked down at him.

"Oh, and as for your boyfriend," he drawled, "he only has 5 minutes, at most, to live. I suppose you may talk to him while I tie you up."

"Remus . . . Remus . . ." whispered Sirius.

Remus strained to listen.

"Sirius? Sirius, stay awake, I'll find a way to escape, please . . ."

"Leave . . . me . . ."

"No," said Remus firmly. "No, I'm not leaving you. Where you go, I follow, Sirius."

Sirius laughed weakly. "A bad . . . habit . . . of yours . . . but I'm . . . going to die. Remus, leave . . . leave now."

"No."

"I love you, Remus." He closed his eyes, gave one last final breath, and Remus was left helpless as the love of his life died in his arms.

"No! No, Sirius, please. Come back to me."

Remus's voice broke. There was now only one option left. To stay with Sirius and to save Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

He took a deep breath and stood up. Immediately, Snape's voice shouted, "Stay where you are!", and he heard and arrow being strung into a bow. He followed the sound of Snape's voice and found himself face-to-face with an arrow once more.

"You evil scum," he spat. "Trying to ruin all 4 kingdoms, sabotaging our peace. You tried kidnapping Lily from Ravenclaw and taking over Gryffindor But it didn't work. You tried taking over Hufflepuff by having Narcissa Malfoy claim Tonks as her niece. But that didn't work either. Now, you try kidnapping me and leaving Sirius to die alone. No."

Immense rage came over Remus, and he dove on top of Snape, who let out a sound of mixed surprise and outrage. In the struggle, Remus grabbed the arrow from Snape and held it to his head.

"I won't let you do that either."

Snape sneered. "As if you've got the guts to kill me-"

He broke off. Wide-eyed, he looked down to see an arrow protruding from his abdomen, and Remus's hand holding it. He dropped to the ground, dead.

Remus pulled out the arrow and stumbled back to where Sirius's body lay. He cradled it in his arms, and as his tears fell out, he whispered for the last time, "I love you, Sirius Black."

Then he drove the arrow into his stomach.

Don't look at me. I can't believe I did that either. Wow, this story went way overboard. I hope you enjoyed this story, Audrey, and I hope you have an amazing New Year! Thank you, and see you next year in 2019!

-Parvati Patil