The Pursuit

Chapter One

Author's Note: I originally started to write this with the intention of writing a one-shot however I found myself not being able to stop, so I'm going to be setting this over the same timeline as Goblet of Fire. The first few chapters have quite a self-loathing Remus and a broken Sirius, however I do have a happy ending in mind.

Remus and Sirius pairing.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured in this story, they belong to J.K Rowling.

September 1994

I sat alone at the table, in my worn-down cottage. The kettle whistled on the stove, I stood up to go make myself a cup of tea, making tea the muggle way was a habit I developed after Hogwarts, when I spent a lot of time at James and Lily's house. The guilt from my previous year teaching at Hogwarts had been eating me up for weeks, at first, I had felt confused and angry, before my mind settled on an all-consuming guilt.

Twelve long years Sirius had spent locked up in that horrible place, twelve years wasted, alone and scared when all along he was innocent. I should have done something, how could I have doubted him, the repercussions of my selfish pain had led to my friend's life being ruined. After James and Lily's death I had mourned, I mourned for the parents killed too young, for their orphaned son, and for that traitor Wormtail. I had also felt deceived, how could Sirius have betrayed us all, at the time I had believed it. Sirius had been acting strange for months, he constantly pushed me away, and had begun acting strange around me. Maybe Sirius had thought I was the traitor I supposed glumly.

I hadn't seen Sirius since the night of the full moon, when we had confronted Peter. Another reason to feel guilt-ridden I thought bitterly, if only I had taken my Wolfsbane potion, Peter would be locked up right now and Sirius wouldn't be on the run again. He could have been exonerated, allowing him to start again as a free man, to fulfil his role as Harrys Godfather. Everyone would be better off without me, I have ruined so much for so many. The only purpose I serve is infiltrating the werewolf packs for The Order of the Phoenix, and I had failed abysmally at that too.


Today like every day recently passed by with monotony. Whenever I try to rest I am plagued by nightmares, Sirius' crazed and gaunt face appears screaming at me, blaming me. Due to this I rarely slept for more than a few hours at a time. It was late when I awoke from another fitful night's sleep, I trudged downstairs to make some tea, my only comfort left.

As I sat there I picked up the Daily Prophet, I had read it over multiple times already, splashed across the front page was the Triwizard Tournament announcement. It was just asking for trouble, I was worried about Harry, so many people would be involved in such a large-scale event, it would be the perfect time for Voldemort's followers to sneak into Hogwarts. After the trouble at the Quidditch World Cup, it was clear that certain dark wizards were becoming confident once again. Peter had managed to sneak into Hogwarts for the previous three years, who knew what could happen amongst the madness of the Triwizard Tournament. The only positive I could see was that Mad-Eye Moody had replaced me as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, I remember him from the first war, he had trained Sirius and James as Aurors, but had also took it upon himself to train new recruits for The Order. Moody was strict and ruthless, but he was vigilant, and he would keep Harry safe to the best of his abilities.

I rose and placed my cup on the kitchen counter, I may as well try and get a couple of hours more sleep before I got up for the day. Making my way up the stairs I heard a strange noise outside. Pulling my wand from its holster I went to the window and discreetly looked out, I couldn't see anyone or anything, but the noise was getting closer, it sounded like flapping. I ran to the door and stepped out into the night, using my keen eyesight to scan the sky, there it was, some beast with a person on its back. It rapidly approached, I stood my ground poised to attack, "No" I croaked out, it couldn't be, please no.

Flying towards me was a Hippogriff, the only person I knew who could be flying on a Hippogriff was the one person I was both dying to see and avoid, Sirius. The beast's hooves thudded to the ground and the man on its back jumped off, his hair was lank and dirty, his clothes stained and ripped. I felt such sadness, the Sirius I remembered was so handsome and took such pride in his appearance, he shouldn't be reduced to this.

"Remus" he called out to me, he was smiling, how could he smile at me after all I had done.

"Sirius" I responded.

"Well aren't you going to welcome your fugitive friend indoors?" He enquired.

I nodded and turned to enter the cottage, he came in behind me "Can I get you anything?"

"A shower and some clean clothes would be appreciated" he answered seriously.

"Of course, take anything you need, my bathroom is upstairs and I have a cupboard in my room with clothes"

I sat at the table listening to the shower turn on upstairs, he was here and didn't seem angry, I had no idea what to say to him, twelve years was such a long time how do you even begin to apologize for such time lost. Finally, the water stopped, I went to the kitchen and made Sirius and I a cup of tea, as I brought them through to the living room he stepped down from the stairs. The clothes he had borrowed hung off his thin body, he had lost so much weight, it wasn't a surprise they starved prisoner's half to death at Azkaban, being on the run for the past year had undoubtedly also taken its toll.

"Is that tea?" He asked excitedly "I haven't had tea for years" He sat down next to me gratefully accepting the cup taking a sip savouring the taste "You remembered just how I liked it Moony"

"I wouldn't forget" I answered plainly.

"Is everything okay, I thought it would be all right for me to visit now you know it was Peter to blame, do you want me to leave?" Sirius had a broken look upon his face, he had been starved of everything in Azkaban, friendship and kindness included, and now I was treating him as a stranger not because I hated him but due to my own guilt.

"Sirius I'm sorry, I just don't know how you could ever forgive me"

"Forgive you? Remus, you are not to blame for this, Peter is to blame" His voice had become dark his loathing of Peter evident.

"I am glad to see you and I don't want you to leave, I missed you Pads"

"You mean it?" It was pitiful how hopeful he sounded.

"Of course, Padfoot"

Sirius grew quiet, I watched him closely his face looked vacant, I dreaded to think what horrors played out through his mind. I finished my tea and turned to Sirius "I think I might go up to bed and sleep for a few more hours"

"Can I stay?" He asked softly, gone was the confident man I knew, in the shack he had seemed crazed but now he was just defeated.

"Certainly, what will we do about the Hippogriff though?"

"I'll go tell him to go back to the caves where we were hiding, there will be plenty of animals to hunt there to keep him entertained"

Sirius dashed outside, it was lucky he had waited until now to come here, the first few weeks after the disaster at Hogwarts my house was staked out by the Ministry, it was still a risk nevertheless and I would have to discuss it with him in the morning.

He came back into the cottage "Right then I'm off up to bed" I said standing up.

"Would you mind if I slept with you?"

I stared at him momentarily stumped, realising my hesitation he added "I just don't want to be alone, it will be like when we were younger and would have sleep overs at the Potters"

"Come on then you mutt" I tried to joke.

I heard his heavy footsteps behind me as we made our way to my room, it had a shabby looking double bed, a small nightstand, and a cupboard it wasn't much but when work is as hard to come by as it is for a werewolf you learn to make do, granted I could have transfigured things but it was too much effort and the spells would eventually wane.

I slipped into my bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, when I came back into the room Sirius was already asleep a frown marring his face. I laid down beside him, all these weeks of worry and now he was here and I just didn't know how to act with him, my exhaustion soon took over and I woke up a few hours later, surprisingly not too my own nightmares but too the man next to me thrashing.

"James, Lily NO!" He wailed in his sleep, I quickly shook him trying to gently wake him.

"Sirius, come on its just a nightmare" His eyes cracked open and he hastily pushed me away his strength shocked me he wasn't as frail as he appeared.

"You're not real, stop with this torture I know I'm still in Azkaban! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I quickly realized he was stuck in some form of delusion "Padfoot it's me its Moony, you escaped remember, you flew here on a Hippogriff, Buckbeak, you are safe you don't need to worry"

He just sat there shaking fear and pain shining from his sunken dark eyes. I went over to try place a comforting hand on his arm but he just shrunk away from me, not knowing what to do I just sat on the opposite side of the room on the floor.

I don't know how long had passed then suddenly he spoke "Remus, is that really you?"

"Yes, it is Sirius"

"Merlin, I was so scared I thought I was back there that it was all some cruel nightmare"

I realised that I do have a purpose and that purpose is to try and repair the damage Azkaban had caused my friend, we were the last two Marauders, Peter no longer counted, and the Marauders were family.

"Come on Sirius lets go have some breakfast"

I placed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Sirius he swiftly began shovelling the food down his neck, I cursed myself for not thinking to offer him food when he arrived in the middle of the night.

"Sirius, we need to talk" He looked up from his food "It's not safe for you to stay here, the Ministry has been snooping around expecting you to show up, you need to hide somewhere safe"

"Where would I go?"

"I have been thinking about that, won't the Black properties all be in your name now?"

His face paled "I can't go to Grimmauld Place Moony, please don't make me go there"

"What about one of the other properties, I remember you telling us about a holiday home in school?"

"No, my mother gifted that to Narcissa and Lucius for their wedding"

"Can you not think of any others?"

"There is only Grimmauld, but I was burned off the family tree I don't think the property will belong to me"

"After your mother's death, the properties rights will have fell to you even though you were imprisoned, Goblins have no care for petty family disputes, you were the only direct living heir to your parents fortune, so it will rightfully be yours"

Sirius became silent again, this time it lasted hours he looked at war with himself, it must be a coping mechanism he developed in Azkaban, it was as if he was trapped in his own mind.

"Only if you go?"

What, if I go where, it had been hours since he had spoken "What do you mean Padfoot?"

"I will only go to Grimmauld if you come with me?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea"

"Why not?"

I opened my mouth to answer, however I had no excuse, I no longer had a job, I didn't have a partner, nor anyone to rely on me or expect me to be places, to put it bluntly I wouldn't be missed no matter where I was. I was just about as lonely as Sirius.

"I'll come with you"

"Thank you" he whispered.