Black Walls

Archive: Padfoot...Snuffles SBRL, Azkaban's Lair (if Nezad wants it), Meant to Be, anywhere else, just ask
Summary: Sirius has just returned to the House of Black... but he doesn't feel comfortable there alone
Pairing: Remus & Sirius
Disclaimer: All characters etc belong to JK Rowling - I just 'borrow' them from time-to-time
Spoilers: GoF (but Sirius' conversation with Dumbledore in the hospital wing didn't happen), OotP
Author's Notes: Just a (very) short ficlet that came out of nowhere!
Thanks: to my ace beta zoomlens!
"Black, this was very touching. It's comforting to know that Sirius won't be alone, that he will be with his Remus." Lee

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Grimmauld Place. He hated the street, the house, the air surrounding the building and the family occupants. There was only one place worse, and he had escaped from there. He was truly trapped here, ensnared in the family home, unable to leave for fear he might be recognised. Even the Muggles were looking for him.

The Dementors would surely seek him out, wanting revenge for his escaping, so he bolted the doors behind him and tried to glance down the hallway. The walls and carpets were black, filthy like each room of the house. Even the house elf was dirty, preferring to take orders from a senile woman's portrait (which screamed "blood traitor" each time he walked past) instead of him.

Searching through one of the rooms, he found a large black curtain, which he fixed over the portrait. What she couldn't see, she couldn't scream at.
No visitors came, as only a handful of people knew the house existed, so he remained alone. Alone, except for the house elf, who hid photos of deceased family members so they couldn't be thrown away. Only two people had ever sent him letters here. He was thankful for any contact with the outside world, but reading about it did very little for his state of mind.

One of the letters was short, yet he knew it would be important over the next months and even years. The other had a deeper meaning for him personally. He would be having company in the house soon. Calling the house elf, commanding it to clean thouroughly, he picked up his wand and walked the house with renewed vigous, muttering "scourgify" in an attempt to tidy and clean.

Looking out of the grimy windows, wishing he had learnt the Glass-Cleaning charm, he gazed across the street, longing to breathe some cleaner air, to feel the sun on his pale skin again, to feel the wind in his long black hair. The sound of the doorbell ringing brought him back to reality, when the portrait began screaming again. Walking to the door, he removed one of the charms and stood back. The door opened, closing and locking itself behind the cloaked figure who had entered.

A smile broke out on Sirius' face for the first time in months, as his life's partner removed his cloak and stood in front of him. Their eyes met and they melted into a much needed kiss. The second letter had only been two words -- "I'm coming" -- but their actions spoke the unwritten words. The other letter lay opened, but forgotten on the table: "The Order of the Phoenix is based at number 12 Grimmauld Place".

Sirius could only think of the lingering kiss that stopped time until they both broke for breath. He might be trapped in his family's home, but his Moony was there to light the darkness. Just the two of them, and the entire house.
Forever.