It was late in the Gryffindor tower, the clock on the wall stated that it
was half past one in the morning, (with an added comment that 'You young
man should be in bed). The common room was deserted but for Remus. He sat
on the floor of the common room staring at the dying embers of the fire,
the glow imprinting itself on his eyelids whenever he blinked. He wasn't
tired, and didn't feel like he would sleep at all that night. His brain
wouldn't let him. His work wouldn't. At that thought he sighed and looked
down at the work that was spread across the floor. He picked up his quill
and started to right the properties of Solomon's seal for his potions
class. It was his last year at Hogwarts and so there was lots of homework
to prepare the seventh years for their NEWTs. Remus wasn't by any means far
behind with his homework but he liked to get it done before the deadline,
compared to the rest of his group of friends who he could usually find the
night before a piece of homework was due, slaving over it.
He wrote for half an hour before looking up and stretching his neck. He had nearly done then he could try and go to bed. He put the quill down on the floor and stood up stretching out all his muscles, gaining a sense of satisfaction at the pops and cracks coming from his horribly mistreated bones. He padded across the common room to the window that looked out onto the lawn and the gamekeepers hut. The sky was clear and a crescent moon shone down sending a pallid glow across the grass and the lake glistened while ripples of surfacing fish, and probably the giant squid, played out on the water. Remus opened the window and let the cool October air blow onto his face, blowing the hair out of his face. He loved the fresh air, and it seemed the only time that he had to experience it lately was during Care of Magical Creatures and at night whilst everyone was asleep, every other waking moment was spent indoors, eating, doing homework or in classes. It was a boring existence and there were lots of complaints about it from the seventh and fifth years, especially when you could hear the shouts of the other years from outside while they were stuck inside. That was why the windows were kept shut most of the time.
Remus leant out the window and shook his hair back again as another strong breeze came and then he drew himself back inside, away from the coolness. It had done the trick, he was more awake, and he could concentrate on the last few inches of his potions essays. He sat back by his paper and picked up the quill and started to scratch out the last few inches. He was so absorbed in finishing he didn't hear the footsteps coming down the steps to the boys' dormitory. He obliviously carried on writing and finished his last sentence with a flourish of his quill, throwing it behind him.
"Ow!" Remus jumped as someone exclaimed behind him. He turned round slowly unsure of who he would find there but let out a small sigh of relief. It was only Sirius. "Moony, you nearly took my eye out with that thing! Do you always throw your writing equipment around?" Sirius asked rubbing his forehead where there was a streak of ink; it seemed Remus had hit him with the quill.
Remus had the decency to look sheepish, though trying to suppress laughter. "Sorry Padfoot, didn't realise you were there." It was hard to sound sincere while laughter was trying to break free. He gathered up his papers and dumped them on the table nearby. "What are you doing up this late? You're usually snoring so loudly by now that the rest of us can't sleep."
Sirius chose to ignore the slight, instead he sat himself down on a chair at the table and propped his bare feet up on the table, leaning back in the chair. "Couldn't sleep." He said simply. He stretched out his arms as Remus had done not ten minutes ago. Remus pulled out another chair and sat down, propping his head up with his hands as he stared at Sirius. "Any reason?" Enquired Remus, he picked up a discarded Every Flavour Bean and started to flick it about while waiting for the dark haired boy to answer.
"Actually, yes, there was a reason." Sirius sounded nervous and unsure. Remus looked up and saw that Sirius was now sitting up straight and looking down at the table as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Oh yes?" pushed Remus, looking at his old friend with concern.
"Uhhh, you know." Started Sirius slowly, "There's a Hogsmeade visit next weekend." He stopped and cleared his throat. "Andiwaswonderingifyouwantedtogowithme?" He said the last sentence so fast it took Remus a few seconds to decipher it. He laughed when he did.
"What are you talking about Padfoot? We always go together, You, Me, Prongs and Wormtail always go together." He smiled at the nervous boy. He frowned as he saw that he wasn't happy, he was shaking his head slowly.
"No that's not what I meant Moony." He gulped and stood up. He started to pace back and forth by his chair with his hands behind his back. "See, the thing is Moony." He turned around to walk the other way, "The thing is, I was wondering if we could go together, just you and me, ummm, you know, spending some time together?" He stopped and faced away from Remus, staring out the window.
Remus sat there for a moment confused wondering what on earth Sirius was talking about, then it dawned on him and he blushed, smiling. He stood up quietly and made his way over to Sirius. He laid a hand on the taller boys shoulder, imploring him to turn around and face him. "You mean a date?" He asked as Sirius turned.
Sirius looked at the ground again and nodded, "I'm sorry Remus, I shouldn't have said anything, I mean, if you don't want to that's okay, let's just forget I said anything right?" He tried to walk off to the stairs to the dormitory but Remus stopped him.
"You're a silly puppy, you know that?" Laughed Remus. Sirius turned back, confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I would love to go with you to Hogsmeade." He said simply.
Sirius paused, blank faced for a moment. Then a huge grin spread across his face. "Do you mean it?" He asked
"Would I say it if I didn't mean it?"
Sirius let out a bark of laughter and swept Remus into a hug. "I didn't think you'd say yes. Thank you."
"Your welcome." Replied Remus, drawing back from his friend. He leant his head back and looked into the boy's eyes. He paused for a moment and then pressed his lips against Sirius'. There was no argument from Padfoot.
He wrote for half an hour before looking up and stretching his neck. He had nearly done then he could try and go to bed. He put the quill down on the floor and stood up stretching out all his muscles, gaining a sense of satisfaction at the pops and cracks coming from his horribly mistreated bones. He padded across the common room to the window that looked out onto the lawn and the gamekeepers hut. The sky was clear and a crescent moon shone down sending a pallid glow across the grass and the lake glistened while ripples of surfacing fish, and probably the giant squid, played out on the water. Remus opened the window and let the cool October air blow onto his face, blowing the hair out of his face. He loved the fresh air, and it seemed the only time that he had to experience it lately was during Care of Magical Creatures and at night whilst everyone was asleep, every other waking moment was spent indoors, eating, doing homework or in classes. It was a boring existence and there were lots of complaints about it from the seventh and fifth years, especially when you could hear the shouts of the other years from outside while they were stuck inside. That was why the windows were kept shut most of the time.
Remus leant out the window and shook his hair back again as another strong breeze came and then he drew himself back inside, away from the coolness. It had done the trick, he was more awake, and he could concentrate on the last few inches of his potions essays. He sat back by his paper and picked up the quill and started to scratch out the last few inches. He was so absorbed in finishing he didn't hear the footsteps coming down the steps to the boys' dormitory. He obliviously carried on writing and finished his last sentence with a flourish of his quill, throwing it behind him.
"Ow!" Remus jumped as someone exclaimed behind him. He turned round slowly unsure of who he would find there but let out a small sigh of relief. It was only Sirius. "Moony, you nearly took my eye out with that thing! Do you always throw your writing equipment around?" Sirius asked rubbing his forehead where there was a streak of ink; it seemed Remus had hit him with the quill.
Remus had the decency to look sheepish, though trying to suppress laughter. "Sorry Padfoot, didn't realise you were there." It was hard to sound sincere while laughter was trying to break free. He gathered up his papers and dumped them on the table nearby. "What are you doing up this late? You're usually snoring so loudly by now that the rest of us can't sleep."
Sirius chose to ignore the slight, instead he sat himself down on a chair at the table and propped his bare feet up on the table, leaning back in the chair. "Couldn't sleep." He said simply. He stretched out his arms as Remus had done not ten minutes ago. Remus pulled out another chair and sat down, propping his head up with his hands as he stared at Sirius. "Any reason?" Enquired Remus, he picked up a discarded Every Flavour Bean and started to flick it about while waiting for the dark haired boy to answer.
"Actually, yes, there was a reason." Sirius sounded nervous and unsure. Remus looked up and saw that Sirius was now sitting up straight and looking down at the table as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Oh yes?" pushed Remus, looking at his old friend with concern.
"Uhhh, you know." Started Sirius slowly, "There's a Hogsmeade visit next weekend." He stopped and cleared his throat. "Andiwaswonderingifyouwantedtogowithme?" He said the last sentence so fast it took Remus a few seconds to decipher it. He laughed when he did.
"What are you talking about Padfoot? We always go together, You, Me, Prongs and Wormtail always go together." He smiled at the nervous boy. He frowned as he saw that he wasn't happy, he was shaking his head slowly.
"No that's not what I meant Moony." He gulped and stood up. He started to pace back and forth by his chair with his hands behind his back. "See, the thing is Moony." He turned around to walk the other way, "The thing is, I was wondering if we could go together, just you and me, ummm, you know, spending some time together?" He stopped and faced away from Remus, staring out the window.
Remus sat there for a moment confused wondering what on earth Sirius was talking about, then it dawned on him and he blushed, smiling. He stood up quietly and made his way over to Sirius. He laid a hand on the taller boys shoulder, imploring him to turn around and face him. "You mean a date?" He asked as Sirius turned.
Sirius looked at the ground again and nodded, "I'm sorry Remus, I shouldn't have said anything, I mean, if you don't want to that's okay, let's just forget I said anything right?" He tried to walk off to the stairs to the dormitory but Remus stopped him.
"You're a silly puppy, you know that?" Laughed Remus. Sirius turned back, confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I would love to go with you to Hogsmeade." He said simply.
Sirius paused, blank faced for a moment. Then a huge grin spread across his face. "Do you mean it?" He asked
"Would I say it if I didn't mean it?"
Sirius let out a bark of laughter and swept Remus into a hug. "I didn't think you'd say yes. Thank you."
"Your welcome." Replied Remus, drawing back from his friend. He leant his head back and looked into the boy's eyes. He paused for a moment and then pressed his lips against Sirius'. There was no argument from Padfoot.