Disclaimer: If they actually belonged to me, this wouldn't be fanfiction, now would it?
Warning: 6 100-word drabbles. Oneshots. Slash. Duh. Some evil. Rating for safety.
Five Ways Remus's Mind Worked When He 'Embraced Black Like A Brother' (And One Way It Didn't)
1.
Remus's arms wrap around Sirius, pulling him close. The other man feels at once both very right and very wrong in his arms.
He's so thin! he thinks, mind somehow focusing on the inconsequential minutiae despite the gravity of the situation. He's skin and bones. I think I could count his ribs just holding him like this.
He loosens his embrace slightly, irrationally afraid of hurting this emaciated shadow of a man he once knew, of snapping him in half, but cannot bring himself to release him entirely until he hears Hermione shriek, the sound reminding him why he's here.
2.
Remus clutches Sirius against him, holding him tightly enough to hear bones creak, though he's unsure if the creaking bones are Sirius's, his own, or both. He's half terrified the other man will vanish if he lets go.
Thank God he's safe. His very mind seems to sag with relief as his body sags against his old friend, the exhaustion creeping up on him for the last decade and change finally making itself known. And this isn't the time to give in, he needs to focus, there are questions that need answering, but all he can think is, He's innocentinnocentinnocent…
3.
Remus pulls Sirius into an embrace, wondering how he's managed to stand here as long as he has without doing this already, wishing he could do more than just hug the man after twelve years apart, but there are eight eyes – six human, two feline – burning holes in his back, reminding him that he mustn't forget the children who are watching him, staring gape-mouthed, because he's a professor and Sirius… Sirius is an escaped convict, for all he clearly didn't commit the crimes for which he was convicted.
Despite this ultra-awareness of their audience, Remus still jumps when Hermione screams.
4.
Remus grips Sirius tightly, reveling in the knowledge that this is Sirius he's holding, that this isn't just another dream or an illusion, it is real and he can feel Sirius's too-thin body and rough clothes under his trembling hands.
I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to hold him, he thinks, doing his best to melt into the other man. I'd missed him so much, and now he's here, he's here. It's been too long… And it's all he can do to fight back choking tears, though whether they are tears of happiness or delayed grief, he doesn't know.
5.
Remus's arms encircle Sirius and he can feel the other man's arms close around him in response. He can feel the heat of Sirius's body permeating his very skin and swallows hard.
How the Hell is it possible for him to still look good enough to eat after twelve years in Azkaban? he wonders, then, How can I want to jump him when he looks like that?
Because he knows Sirius looks like a wreck, but it's Sirius, and Sirius will always be Sirius, and the ghost of what he once was lingers despite the corpse-like figure he has become.
And the Other Way...
Remus clasps Sirius in his arms, mind working swiftly.
Sirius was never supposed to get out of Azkaban, but now that he's free, it's probably best to revert to the original plan Remus had concocted with Voldemort: frame Peter for the death of the Potters then use his own influence with Sirius to sway the man to the proper side. It might even be easier if Sirius has truly been unhinged by Azkaban. Perhaps, with the help of the undeniably talented Black, Voldemort can be fully restored.
All Remus needs to do is use the Imperius Curse on foolish Peter.