((Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is the multi-chapter fic I was talking about. I wrote it for the Remus/Sirius Big Bang and I'm able to put it on here now. I really encourage you to go check out that community on livejournal to read all the other fics and to look at all the art! ))
"I don't think you should go in there, Remus."
Startled, he stopped in his tracks, outstretched arm hanging in the air, reaching for the doorknob. "Why not?" His eyes found the familiar forms of James and Peter sitting on either side of the door to the second year dormitory.
"Sirius," Peter said simply, bringing his knees to his chest with some difficulty. "He's…" The blonde trailed off uncomfortably, looking to James.
"Upset," James supplied, rubbing at his glasses with the corner of his sweater. A similarly uncomfortable air hung about him. "Dunno why… but I reckon he'll be alright in a bit. Just needs some time to himself…"
Remus shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other. "Well, maybe we should check on him, just to see if he's alright." The idea of seeing Sirius upset disturbed him just as much as it apparently did the other two, but he had to be sure his friend wasn't doing anything… drastic.
Of course, Sirius had never made himself out to be the type who would do something drastic, but Remus knew from experience what being "upset" could do to a person. Although, Sirius was a different—probably much stronger—person entirely that would never have dark thoughts like Remus did.
James replaced his glasses and glanced up at him with a mischievous little grin. "Good idea, go check on him. He won't kill you."
"K-kill me?" His hand paused in midair once more.
"Yeah, he put a crack in James' glasses last time we went in there."
Remus swallowed and closed his hand around the doorknob. "I bet you two said something thick to him." Though entirely plausible, the statement was really only meant to reassure himself. "I'll be right out."
A chorus of "good luck" followed him into the dark dormitory.
With curtains drawn and candles snuffed, the familiar dormitory became downright spooky. Remus pulled out his wand, hesitating for a moment before deciding not to light it. Instead, he tossed his bag onto his bed and took a few steps towards the place he knew Sirius' bed would be. Squinting into the darkness, he could see the faint outline of the curtains drawn around the bed.
"Sirius? Are you there? It's Remus." He kept his voice quiet, as if talking to a wounded animal. If he kept calm and didn't upset Sirius further, he wouldn't get hit as James had.
The sound of sheets crinkling answered the question well enough. He chanced a few more steps, continuing until he stood close enough to touch the hangings. "Is something wrong?"
A hoarse voice he scarcely recognized answered back. "Sod off."
Against his better judgment, Remus grabbed a bit of curtain, but didn't pull back just yet. "I just want to know if you're alright…"
Remus knew he wasn't good at this sort of thing; nothing he could say would make any difference in the least. He supposed no twelve-year-old boy knew how to comfort someone, which was why his friends had opted to sit in the hall instead. Not only had he no clue what to do, he felt highly uncomfortable in the presence of someone so clearly distraught, especially if that someone was Sirius.
"I'm fine."
He could have dropped it right then, could have walked right back out of the room and announced that Sirius was "fine." But that didn't sit well with him, especially when Sirius did not sound fine at all. Remus just couldn't go back out there without finding out why.
But a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him it wasn't his place to meddle. Sure, he'd been friends with Sirius for nearly two years now, but he didn't want to assume they were close enough for something so personal. It would have been better if it was James standing in front of the curtain. Though they were all friends, everyone knew Sirius and James got along best.
His hand trembled as he peeled back the curtain at an agonizingly slow pace. Sirius or James would have torn the thing open with a dramatic flair, but not Remus. Remus just slid it back in an excruciating strip tease.
There lay Sirius, sprawled out on top of all the sheets with his face buried in the pillow. It took him only a second to snap to attention. "I told you, I'm fine!"
It was obviously a lie. His thick black hair lay in disarray, as if he'd been tugging at it in frustration. Red, swollen eyes glared and tears stained his cheeks.
Remus bit his lip as he let his hand fall away from the curtain. It had been a mistake; he should have left Sirius alone and minded his own business. But it was too late for that. "Can I sit down?"
Great, after finding one of his friends in a right state, all he could say was "can I sit down." As he silently cursed himself, a curious thing happened. Sirius sat up and shifted over to the foot of the bed.
"I guess."
Remus eased himself onto the bed, careful to keep his distance from Sirius. The other boy turned away, rubbing his eyes furiously and staring in the opposite direction. They were certainly not going to make any progress like that. Well, at least he had gotten further than James.
He needed a new approach; questioning Sirius obviously did not work. "Um, Sirius?" The words were out of his mouth before he could recall them. Sirius glanced up only for a moment.
"What."
His mind worked furiously as he tried to think of something, anything. He shouldn't have even opened his mouth. Saying 'nothing' now would ruin any progress he had made; if any progress had been made to begin with.
"Did you know that Sirius is the brightest star in the sky? It's twenty-six times brighter than the sun."
The daftest things came out of his mouth sometimes.
An odd choking noise bubbled out from Sirius' throat, something between a snort and a laugh. "No. No I didn't." He paused to rub at his nose with his sleeve. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
Remus picked at the hem of his old sweater with a little frown. "I guess not. Forget I said anything."
Silence filled the room. At least he'd gotten Sirius to speak in full sentences, if only for a minute. The quiet buzzed in Remus' ears for far too long, causing him to fear he had messed everything up. Relief flooded over him when the other boy opened his mouth again.
"You can't say something mental and then just take it back." Sirius watched him with a hint of amusement in his haunted grey eyes.
"Well… that's your name, Sirius," Remus began, unsure of what exactly he was getting at. "And… I don't know what's wrong, but you'll be okay because you're twenty-six times brighter than the sun. Well, I mean you don't give off light, and I don't mean bright as in smart, but I'm not saying you're not smart…" His cheeks burned and his eyes darted away to rest on a spot on the floor. It had to be the stupidest thing he had ever said.
Sirius seemed to think so too, for at that moment a weak laugh filled the dark room. He slouched forward, covering his face with his arms and shook for a moment or two while Remus just fidgeted awkwardly. Finally, the laughter subsided and he looked up once more. "Thanks… I guess." And with that he slid his arms around the other boy for a split second in the most awkward hug Remus had ever received.
"Um… you're welcome?" Remus folded his hands into his lap, finding his face had grown hotter than ever. "I suppose I should do my homework now."
After a long moment of staring at his hands while Sirius' gaze burned into him, Remus got to his feet and scrambled towards the door. He could hear Sirius chuckling from the bed behind him.