A/N- Ugh, I don't know what came over me, but suddenly 10,000 words just magically appeared on the page and I've decided to post it on a whim. So basically I binge-watched all of Queer as Folk (the UK version) in one night and I had to start writing a fanfiction in which the Stuart Alan Jones character is replaced by Sirius Black and the Nathan Maloney character is replaced by Charlie Weasley. Yes, this is a muggle AU and please mind the mature rating. It's not too explicit, but I don't think its tame enough to be rated T. Also, I don't usually like reading or writing stories with such a wide age gap between the paired characters, but hey, at least I made Charlie of consenting age, unlike his character in the wonderful television series this fanfiction is based on. I take many lines directly from Queer as Folk, but I did change the plot around quite a bit to fit the Harry Potter characters. I'm not sure if I'm going to write more than this, but if you want more, please let me know. It might be fun to explore these characters, so who knows? Could make for an interesting chapter fic instead of a one-off.


Charlie Weasley pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it between shaking fingers. Taking a puff, he tried his best to calm his nerves. It would not do well to look like a frightened child while standing on this particular street.

Charlie was quite honestly terrified. He wasn't sure why he chose tonight of all nights to sneak out of his house and travel west to Canal Street. He'd never really done such a thing before. Broken the rules, that is. He was always the good child. Got decent grades, but wasn't a total swot like Percy. Able to have a good laugh, but didn't go out of his way to be funny like Fred and George. He wasn't the oldest, the one everyone looked up to. No, that honor went to Bill. He wasn't the youngest, the one everyone babied. Ron and Ginny got the brunt of that particular love from the family's matriarch. He was just Charlie. Good ol' Charlie Weasley. No real defining characteristics. The one who was constantly overlooked. It bothered him sometimes, but he'd rather have no adjectives tacked onto the beginning of his identity, than have everyone label him the gay one.

Charlie watched the people as they strode by, barely giving him a second glance unless it was to leer. It was unsettling actually. He didn't even know why he was here or what he expected to get from this experience except to become even more uncomfortable in his sexuality than he already was.

He tapped his finger on the fence post he was leaning against, quickly gearing up to make a hasty retreat.

No, he scolded himself. You can do this. Just ask someone where to go.

"Excuse me," he said, stopping an older gentleman in his tracks. "I mean… I'm just looking, but I don't— I mean what's the best place to go?"

The older man stuffed his hands into his pockets and promptly replied, "Well it depends on what you're after. If you want bastards," he spit out, his posture suddenly turning hostile, "you'll want to go in there." Charlie followed the man's pointer finger and barely registered the name of the club before the man was shouting again. "And if you want wankers, go in there. And if you want selfish little mincing piss-tied dickheads, then pick a building. ANY BUILDING! It's full of them!"

The man turned and strode away leaving a mystified Charlie in his wake. Well… bollocks. That was a raving success, Charlie. Well done.

Charlie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took another drag of his cigarette and reached into his pocket for another, but he was all out. Bill always used to say, when your pack is empty, the night is over. Charlie hoped things were going well at University for his older brother. God he missed him.

While heading back to the carpark, he leaned against a railing and finished his cigarette, taking one last look at Canal Street and the complete failure this night turned out to be. Perhaps he would try again another night. And perhaps he wouldn't.

The embers were slowly eating away at the paper and he knew it would all be over the second the flames reached his fingers. And that's when Charlie saw him for the first time.

This man walked with purpose, like he owned the world and just happened to let everyone live in it, rent-free. He wore a long-sleeved button up shirt and skinny trousers, all in black. His dark hair was a bit longer and slightly wavy, framing his chiseled facial features that belonged on royalty. His lips were always curved up as if nothing could deter his pleasant mood, but his smile hinted at mischief and mayhem. And those eyes were like nothing Charlie had ever seen before. On the colorful street, the gray of his irises contrasted beautifully. That silver gaze landed on Charlie for only the briefest of moments before it moved on. All Charlie knew was that he wanted this man to give him a second glance, unlike all the rest, and he spent every spark of his remaining energy following the man with his eyes and silently willing for him to turn back. And then he did.

Charlie was struck dumb and he looked away quickly. What am I thinking? Is this what I really want? Isn't my night supposed to be over?

"Had a good night?"

Charlie looked up at the owner of the melodious voice that contained just the softest Irish lilt. He was fairly certain he had never heard something more beautiful.

"Yeah." That one word was all that he could utter and it would have to do.

"I'm Sirius," the man offered. Charlie raised an eyebrow waiting for him to explain that statement. He's serious? What did that mean? The man only grinned wider and offered no explanation. "Got somewhere to go," he asked instead.

I should really get home. "No." What are you doing?

"Want to come back to mine?"

The question was like music to Charlie's ears and he didn't even realize he was nodding his head until the man was holding out a hand. "Ok," he choked out.

The tall, dark stranger sent him an amused expression as if he were looking at a small kitten that got his head trapped inside an empty napkin box. Charlie couldn't find it in himself to mind. He took the man's hand.

"Sirius," a voice called from the carpark. The man wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulders and just sent a little wave to the obviously annoyed man sitting on the hood of a jeep. Sirius. That's his name, Charlie concluded. "I'm keeping it then, shall I?" The man next to him only smirked in response. "Right then. Good luck getting to work. Git."

While the tall brunette was clearly aggravated as he entered and started the jeep, it was evident to Charlie he was one of Sirius's closest friends. And that Sirius did this sort of thing a lot. Charlie searched his soul to see if he minded and surmised that at this particular moment, he really, really didn't.

It was only a few minutes before they reached Sirius's flat. (Charlie said flat, but it was decidedly better than a mere flat.) Taking up the entire top floor, Sirius lived in the most beautiful place Charlie had ever seen in real life. Considering Sirius was the most beautiful person Charlie had seen in real life, the flat was definitively fitting.

"Nice kitchen," Charlie remarked and immediately regretted. Sirius took out a water bottle from the cooler and gulped the whole thing down in one go. "It's great, it's really nice," Charlie added and wanted to smack himself in the head for being so idiotic. Sirius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and continued to not say a word. Charlie knew he should probably shut up now, but silences were hard, especially for a boy in a family of nine. Silences were a rarity and right now, they weren't sitting well with Charlie, because it suddenly hit him that he was in some stranger's place, alone, just this random bloke and plain old Charlie Weasley. "I never cook. Takeaways, that's me," Charlie continued awkwardly. He didn't think he was fooling Sirius with the line, trying to make himself seem older than he currently was, nor did he particularly care. He just wished that he would shut up already.

Sirius headed out of the kitchen and strode to the back of the flat where Charlie presumed his bedroom was. Charlie watched, captivated, as Sirius stalked toward the door, slowly unbuttoning his top and shoving it over his shoulders, showing off his lean, toned back. Charlie knew he was still talking, but at this point he had no idea what he was actually saying. It was probably something horribly embarrassing like his allergic reaction to peanuts or the time he thought his older brother's lizard was a baby dragon that hadn't started growing yet.

Abruptly, Sirius spun around, his dark locks dancing across his face like he had practiced that move a thousand times over in order to get it absolutely perfect. Charlie probably thought that this was exactly what the man did in his spare time. It proved very affective, however, at shutting Charlie up, so he would be eternally grateful for all that practice.

"You staying out here or what?"

Charlie's heart leapt into his throat. He could hear the rapid pace of his heartbeat like the bass of a catchy pop song urging him to move forward. He took a few steps closer to Sirius, his eyes never leaving those colorless depths that marked each side of Sirius's face. The man across form him took two steps closer as well and now they were face to face. Charlie was surprised to find out that he was actually a few centimeters taller. That fact did not stop Sirius from taking control, however, and soon their lips were connected.

This wasn't the first time Charlie had kissed someone. Of course, those kisses were with girls. He remembered practicing with his best friend when they were in year eight. He remembered the spattering of girls he took to school dances and kissed good night. Charlie had kissed before, but he had never been kissed before. Kissing a bloke was altogether different, because they were both fighting for dominance which created a certain kind of dance unlike any other.

It wasn't long before Charlie had Sirius's face in his hands desperately trying to explore the man's mouth with every inch of his tongue. He didn't even realize he was being lead into the bedroom until they were already there. Sirius shifted his weight which caught Charlie off balance and suddenly he was lying flat on the most comfortable bed Charlie had ever felt before. He didn't even have time to run his hands over the soft satin sheets before Sirius climbed on top of him, undoing his belt expertly with one hand.

Soon they were both stark naked and Charlie was struggling to rein in his fear. He'd never done anything like this before, especially with another man, and he was predictably terrified out of his mind. But he wanted this. He really wanted this.

Sixteen years he spent hidden from the world, too afraid of having an identity that most people would deem inappropriate and wrong. He knew the nineties were more accepting than the eighties, and the eighties were more accepting than the seventies, and so on and so forth. But there was still a decent portion of the population that did not understand— were unwilling to understand— and found this all deplorable.

Sirius rubbed their cocks together and Charlie had never experienced anything quite like this before. Nothing he could imagine while he masturbated could possibly compare to the real thing. Not even close.

"What do you like," Sirius asked suddenly.

Charlie should probably be annoyed that this man was suddenly inquiring about his telly habits out of the blue, but he was honestly grateful. He was awfully close to cumming after just a little bit of frottage, and he hoped the distraction would save him from the embarrassment for a little while longer.

"Er… like Doctor Who."

"No, what do you like in bed," Sirius reiterated, making Charlie's cheeks color. Well, so much for holding off on the humiliation. Sirius seemed highly amused, but now joined his hands into the mix, stroking their shafts together.

"This is fine," Charlie groaned as the warmth in his belly grew deeper. He was getting terribly close.

"Rimming?"

"Huh," Charlie mumbled, hardly paying attention.

"Do you like rimming," Sirius asked with a twist of his wrist that had Charlie arching his back.

What the fuck is rimming? "Er yeah. Of course," Charlie lied.

Sirius suddenly stopped his assault on Charlie's senses and the redhead wasn't quite sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He felt confident that he leaned more towards the latter and would no longer care if he came all over this stranger's silk sheets.

"Great," Sirius piped up. "Care to give it a go?"

Charlie blinked. "Uh what do you mean exactly?"

Sirius's smile was blinding and Charlie was certain now that Sirius was messing with him. Again, Charlie knew he should feel annoyed with the man on top of him, but he wasn't in the slightest. It was a strange phenomenon.

Charlie felt a smile creep up on his face and he noticed the flash of surprise in Sirius's eyes before it was gone. "I can show—" Sirius started, but was cut off by the ringtone of his landline. Charlie desperately wanted to know how Sirius was going to finish that sentence and cursed the caller on the other end. "It's two in the morning," Sirius muttered distractedly. "Who would be calling— oh!"

Sirius reached for the phone on his nightstand while keeping Charlie trapped underneath him and answered the call. "No! NO! No way," he said with a grin a mile wide. "Now? Really?" Whatever was going on, Sirius was excited about it, which inexplicably lead to him jerking Charlie off again. In between the phrases "Are you certain?" and "Alright, no need to snap," Charlie came into Sirius's hands which he wiped onto the bedspread without a care in the world. Charlie gasped for air as he came down from his orgasm, trying to get his breathing back under control, all the while listening to Sirius, who still straddled his lap as he spoke on the phone with the mysterious caller.

"What?… Oh just some bloke… I don't know— Hey what's your name?"

It took Charlie a second to realize Sirius was talking to him. "Uh— Charlie."

Sirius smirked. "Say hi to Alice, Charlie," he said placing the phone down by his ear. Too bewildered to actually say anything, Charlie just stared at the man in complete bewilderment. Charlie was pretty sure his silence didn't matter one bit to Sirius who took the phone back before Charlie could utter a word, and continued his conversation as if it hadn't been interrupted. "…No… Ok fine, I am, so what?… Sorry, sorry Alice. I don't know what I'm still doing here. I'm on my way… What?… Yeah, yeah…" Sirius paused and rolled his eyes at Charlie. The redhead was completely baffled. "I'm putting on pants as we speak. See you soon." Sirius hung up and flung the phone onto the pillow by Charlie's head. "Well this was fun, but I gotta go."

The heat on Charlie's legs finally disappeared and he only laid there naked for a second before scrambling out of bed and following after the whirlwind of a man named Sirius.

Still shirtless, but already clad in a tight pair of black pants and low-riding dark jeans, Charlie found Sirius searching his tabletop for something.

"What are you looking for," Charlie asked as he pulled on his own pants.

"Keys."

"I think your friend has your car."

"Ah Remus," Sirius said with a snap of his fingers. "He'll want to be there anyway."

Charlie grinned at Sirius's antics as he began flailing around looking for the telephone. Charlie had never seen such a cool bloke act so uncool. But Sirius's excitement was oddly infectious and Charlie found himself wishing he could be a part of whatever it was that made him act this way.

Sirius found the phone and started pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room as he punched in his friend's number, which was oddly short, Charlie noticed. He must have this Remus bloke on speed-dial. "Remus! Wow, you answered on the first ring. Are you still up? I'd ask if you pulled a bird, but first of all— disgusting— and second of all, look who I'm talking to. You were most likely watching Doctor Who again. I think you and this kid would probably get on splendidly. Apparently he likes Doctor Who as well…"

Charlie could feel his cheeks color as he buttoned up his white colored shirt.

"…Oh you love me; don't deny it. Now come get me…. Why? Because it's happened. Alice just called… Yes… Yes! Now get over h— you know what, never mind. I'll call a cabbie. Meet you there." And then Sirius hung up without saying goodbye.

By this point, Charlie was fully clothed and his windbreaker was draped over one arm. Sirius was still shirtless, which Charlie wasn't particularly upset by. "Er, well I should probably get back. Have to study for finals."

"Finals?"

"At MU."

Silver eyes, heavy with skepticism, landed on Charlie. "How old are you?"

"Twenty," Charlie lied and obviously so.

Sirius smirked. "Bollocks. What year were you born?"

Shit. "1979."

"No you weren't. You had to think about it. No one has to think about what year they were born. How old are you," he repeated.

Charlie grimaced and licked the moisture back into his mouth. "Eighteen," Charlie tried again.

Sirius stepped up very close until their noses practically touched. It must have looked a sight with tall, dark, and handsome Sirius shirtless and barefoot, and lanky, pale, ginger-haired Charlie fully-clothed. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen," Charlie replied without thinking. Sirius was just so close and the oxygen was having a hard time reaching his brain. Sirius stepped away and the air rushed back to Charlie's lungs, but he was a bit disappointed by the amount of empty space between them all the same.

Sirius grinned. "Are you some kind of genius?"

Charlie quirked up an eyebrow in confusion. "Doubt it."

"So you don't go to Manchester University," Sirius concluded, still grinning that wicked grin.

Charlie snorted and smiled back. "Clearly."

Sirius's grin grew wider like he was pleasantly surprised by how Charlie handled being caught. Suddenly his head cocked to the side like he was deciding something important about Charlie and was trying to come at the problem from a different angle. "You coming with then?"

Charlie looked up from under his eyelashes in disbelief. "Where are we going?"

Sirius chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."


"Have you seen her?"

"I was waiting for you," Remus explained as Sirius jogged up beside him. "She's in room 7A."

"Well come on then," Sirius said rushing past Remus and into the hospital. A tall redhead was steps behind Sirius and Remus blinked.

"Wait— what?" Remus charged after his best mate as the three men traversed corners seeking out the room they were looking for. "You brought him," Remus huffed as Sirius took another bend in the corridor.

Sirius glanced over his shoulder at the tall redhead who smiled shyly. "Yup."

Remus almost tripped over his own he feet; he was that astonished by the simple answer. Who is this kid, Remus wondered, but his thoughts were quickly derailed when 7A came into view. Sirius and Remus rushed at the door, swinging it open with a flourish and there she was.

"Oh. My. God." Sirius left his mouth open as he stared in awe at the bundle in her arms.

And there he was.

"Now I have a rule," Lily said holding up a finger. "No crying. Understand? Neither of you shed a tear, or I will start crying and I really can't handle that right now."

"Cross my heart," Sirius said vaguely as he stepped up closer to the bed with eyes wide.

"What he said," Remus added as he skipped up next to Sirius, giving a short nod to Frank and Alice who were seated on the other side. Remus exhaled at the sight before him. "He's perfect Lils."

Lily smiled down at the baby boy, her eyes tearing up despite her protests. "I know," she choked out.

"Well, what's his name," Remus asked as both a distraction and out of supreme curiosity.

"We were thinking Henry," Alice said. "That was the option we landed on before you got here. Do you think it's too royal, though? Frank thinks so."

"How many kings have been named Henry," Frank asked rhetorically, holding up his hands in defense. "That's all I'm saying."

"Well we wouldn't want that now would we," Sirius murmured, stroking the baby's small hand with his index finger. "Nobility causes nothing but trouble."

"He could go by a nickname," Alice pointed out in frustration.

"Hank?"

Frank and Remus shared a grimace.

"No, no. Harry," Lily voiced softly, still not looking up from her son's face.

"Brilliant," Sirius announced. "Remus run a check on Harrys."

Remus laughed, but did as he was told. "Well Harry Osborn in the Spider-man comics. Bit of an anti-hero, but that means he's cool. There's Harry Truman, American President during World War II. Er— oh, Harry Houdini!"

"Harry Connick Jr," Sirius added. "He's fit."

Lily snorted and held back a grin as she pondered this name. "It's decided," she declared. "His name will be Harry. Harry Potter."

The world seemed to shrink in on itself until this particular room was all that existed. The silence was meaningful, but short-lived as Lily shuffled Harry up into Sirius's waiting arms. "What do you think Sirius?"

Sirius smiled down at the baby in his arms. "I think he's perfect." He shifted his gaze to Remus who grinned broadly at his best mate. Then Sirius's gaze landed over his shoulder and Remus turned around to see the tall redhead that Sirius had taken home earlier was still in attendance. "What do you think?"

The young man pointed at himself in shock. "Me?"

"No the poster of the uterus behind you," Sirius quipped.

"Oh— um… well, Harry's a great name. Really… Uh, but I find it a little odd that you forgot about Prince Harry. You know, since you don't want to name him after a royal, it seems like a bit of an oversight."

Remus gaped at the boy in front of him until he heard the sound of laughter behind him. He then turned and gaped at Sirius and Lily who were both in a fit of hysterics.

"Fuck," Sirius bellowed, wiping tears from his eyes.

Lily backhanded him half-heartedly. "No swearing."

"That's never going to happen, Lils," Sirius promised.

Lily shook her head in mild amusement. "I know." She turned her attention to the redhead and raised a perfectly plucked ginger eyebrow. "And you are?"

"I'm guessing Charlie," Alice spoke up, before the redhead could answer and Frank and Remus shared a bemused look. How did she know that? The man in question blushed beet red and ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment, his body language a clear sign that Alice had guessed correctly. The brunette flashed Sirius a knowing glance, but it was ignored.

"Like Prince Charles," Sirius roared, sparking another round of giggles from Lily and Sirius.

"Well, I doubt he ever goes by Charlie," Remus interjected, smiling as well because Sirius's laughter was infectious.

"Oh I'm starving," Lily moaned as her giggles subsided.

"Oh fecking hell, we should have stopped off to get you a burger or something," Sirius said. "I'm sure the cafe food is right awful."

Lily laid a comforting hand on Sirius's forearm. "It's alright."

Sirius frowned. "No it's not. Here—" Sirius shifted the still sleeping Harry into his left arm and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. He flipped it open expertly with one hand, pulled out a couple tenners, and handed them to Charlie. "Get some pretzels or something from the vending machine. Oh, and coffee," Sirius ordered.

"Charlie, you don't have to do that," Lily spoke up apologetically, trying to reach for the money, but Charlie had already stashed them in his pockets.

"I don't mind," Charlie replied with a smile and slipped out the doors. Once he was gone everyone turned their attention to Sirius who faked obliviousness to their collective scrutiny, too busy looking down at the newborn child with undisguised fondness.

"So you brought the kid because…" Remus finally asked.

Alice snorted. "He was jerking him off when I called earlier."

"Ugh," Lily complained affectionately.

"How old even is he," Frank added.

"Sirius," Remus asked again. "Why'd you bring him?"

There was a distinct pause before Sirius shrugged. "He was there. One of the most important phone calls of my life and he was there. I couldn't just leave him. You don't mind, right Lils?"

Lily shook her head fondly. "As long as you're here, what do I care if you brought one of your trophies."

"He is pretty," Sirius mused. "And speaking of me being here, I wanted to be here for the actual birth, Lily Potter. I can't believe I missed it."

"Trust me, you did not want to be there," Lily assured him. "It wasn't nice."

"But I promised I would," Sirius reminded her, obviously trying to keep up the easy, pleasant banter, but failing significantly when his voice faltered at the end.

Lily reached out and pulled Sirius closer to her. "You are now," she encouraged taking a deep breath to calm herself. Remus could tell she was clearly on the verge of tears.

Remus, Frank, and Alice shared a pointed look and silently agreed to leave Lily and Sirius alone for a bit. They needed a little time to themselves. The three of them exited the delivery room with little fanfare and Sirius and Lily didn't seem to notice.

As they settled themselves outside room 7A in a nearby sitting area, Alice, of course, was the first to break the silence. "So how are you doing Remus?"

Remus inhaled deeply and let out an exasperated huff. "I'm well actually."

"Any health problems," Frank inquired bluntly.

"Aside from the obvious," Remus replied with a cheeky grin. "I'm doing great. Really."

Frank and Alice were both surgeons at this hospital (heart and brain respectively) and were always quick to make sure Remus was doing alright. Considering the amount of time he spent in hospital over the years, being diagnosed with HIV at such a young age, Remus was actually very grateful to have two medical professionals as friends. He had convinced himself that these short consultations in regard to the status of his health meant he only had to schedule half the check-ups that he was supposed to, which meant less time in examination rooms. Of course, no one knew that he viewed his relationships with Frank and Alice Longbottom in this way and everyone assumed he was sitting his required medical treatments. He wasn't going to tell them otherwise. It was just easier that way.

Charlie rounded the corner carrying five cups of coffee precariously between his arms and chest and a bunch of cracker bags were clenched between his teeth. Remus smirked.

Frank and Alice stood and retrieved some of the cups, thanking Charlie. Remus ignored them and stood up to look through the slot in the door into the room where Sirius and Lily were seated together on the hospital bed, laughing through a bout of tears as they stared affectionately down at little Harry. Remus smiled.

Charlie stepped up next to him and handed Remus a cup of coffee. He nodded his gratitude and took a sip, continuing to watch his oblivious friends. He heard Charlie shuffle nervously beside him and glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye.

"So, how old are ya," Remus asked.

"Old enough," Charlie said evasively, and pulled out a brand new pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his windbreaker.

"Did you just buy that," Remus asked.

Charlie glanced down sheepishly at the contents in the palm of his hand. "He gave me twenty pounds. There was plenty leftover… and well…" He shrugged. "Do you want one?"

Remus snorted in strangely soft exasperation. "I quit."

Charlie raised a brow, and shook out a cigarette from the pack into his outstretched hand. "Well good on you. I wish my brother didn't introduce me to these things in the first place."

"So he has a brother," Remus confirmed.

Charlie laughed. "I have five brothers. And a sister."

"That's a large family then," Remus mused, taking a sip of his coffee, before adding with casual indifference, "So, do they know?"

Charlie fiddled with the unlit cigarette, realizing that you can no longer smoke in hospitals, but clearly still needing the familiar stick between his fingers out of habit. "Nope. Does yours know?"

Remus tried to scowl, but he was positive it came off more like an amused smirk. People always assumed they knew him. It was damn frustrating. "My mums know I'm straight, yes. Almost got myself disowned when I came out as heterosexual," Remus joked.

"Mums? Plural?"

Remus nodded and took another sip of his coffee. He wasn't going to explain his whole life story to some affair of Sirius's he'd never see again.

"Huh," Charlie said with little contemplation. The redhead looked through the small window staring fondly at his best mate. "So how do you all know each other?"

"Boarding school," Remus answered, seeing no harm in responding to such a simple question, although he didn't plan on going into further detail than that.

"And, is the baby— I mean—"

Remus raised a brow in surprise. "What?"

"I was just wondering if the baby was his," Charlie asked a bit breathily as if he severely regretted bringing it up.

"Sirius isn't the father," Remus answered for some inexplicable reason. "He's the Godfather."

"Oh." Charlie started fidgeting again, and Remus knew he wanted very badly to ask more questions, so he cut him off.

"Who's the—"

"You sure do talk a lot," Remus interrupted.

"Yeah, I've noticed. Just one of my many faults, I'm sure," Charlie sighed, finally looking away from the couple inside and focusing his attention on Remus. "Where's the father?"

"He died," Remus replied bluntly, hoping this would finally stop the audacious questions this stranger kept asking.

"Oh… I'm sorry," Charlie mumbled in apology.

Remus was taken aback by the sincerity and even though Charlie clearly wanted to ask more questions, he stopped himself and remained silent, just staring blankly at the wall over Remus's shoulder. Remus sighed and decided to throw the lad a bone. "James Potter died in an RAF training exercise when his jet's engine failed. This was four months ago. Sirius and him were practically brothers."

Charlie's gaze focused once more and his blue eyes pierced right through Remus. The brunette had never said those words out loud. He'd never explained how one of his best friends in the whole world was taken from them at such a young age. It hurt immensely, but was oddly cathartic.

Suddenly the door to 7A swung open and Sirius emerged ranting, "Peter sent flowers. Why didn't I get her flowers?" Sirius's eyes landed on Charlie whose mouth was slightly agape. "Get some flowers Charlie, will you," he asked before stuffing another tenner in the front pocket of the boy's trousers.

Remus chuckled despite himself at Charlie's puzzled expression as Sirius started striding away. Remus grasped Charlie's shoulder in commiseration. "The shops are closed you know?"

Charlie nodded. "I'll— I'll figure it out," Charlie promised, before stepping around Remus and heading back down the hall to the reception desk. Remus watched him go with a shake of his head, before following Sirius up the stairs, catching up once they reached the top floor and headed for the roof access door.

"He's not your servant, you know, Lord Black," Remus teased once Sirius swung open the door and stepped out into the twilight air.

"Call me that again and I'll punch you in the face," Sirius grunted, before taking a step up to the railing and looking out over the Manchester skyline, still lit up in the early morning darkness.

"Are you going to jump? It'd be just like the soaps, having a birth and death in the same episode," Remus quipped before stepping up beside his friend and grasping his shoulders in a brotherly grip. When Sirius hadn't returned his banter, Remus gave up on the pleasantries. "It's weird isn't it? I mean… he's real. Just seeing him, it's like— I don't know what it's like, actually. I mean it's brilliant, but it's weird."

"He looks just like him," Sirius murmured after a rather long silence. "Except—"

"The eyes," Remus interjected. "Yeah I noticed that too."

Sirius stepped back until he was standing behind Remus and wrapped his arms around him. "I miss him." The sad quiet lasted a few seconds, which was a few seconds too long for Sirius, who suddenly lifted Remus's arms up on either side of him. "That's it. Arms out, like Titanic!" Remus laughed ruefully as Sirius started shouting, "King of the world! I'm king of the world!" into the quiet night.

Remus shook his head. "I'm always Kate Winslet. How am I always Kate Winslet?"

"Better question: how is it we've done this enough times for you to say 'always'?"

Remus physically shook with laughter as he lowered his arms and turned around to face his friend. "Because you're a nutter who might snap if I don't indulge your every whim."

"Ouch. You wound me, Remus," Sirius teased, lifting a hand to his heart with faux anguish.

"Come on," Remus urged, turning his friend around. "Let's get you off this roof. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you now that you have responsibilities, Godfather Sirius."

"Shut it," Sirius groaned but made his way back to the roof access door and down to the top floor, Remus following behind him.

They passed a good-looking blonde nurse on the way who eyed Sirius like a piece of meat. Remus raised an eyebrow as Sirius smirked. "Had him," Sirius explained.

"Listen, you're going home. It's been a long night— what are you doing?" Sirius reached into the recesses of his trouser pockets and pulled out a tiny bag with two white pills. He popped one into his mouth before Remus could even begin to object.

"Want the other," Sirius asked, offering up the little pill.

Remus scowled. "You know I don't."

"It's not a needle. Just thought I'd ask." Remus frowned, which turned deeper as his friend popped the second pill into his mouth and swallowed. "No matter. More for me."

They continued to walk in silence until they reached the first floor again and stepped up to Lily's room. Remus was silently seething but didn't want to make a scene. Sirius had been good all night. Well… decent at least. Remus knew the disappointment in his expression was palpable as they entered Lily's room.

"Sirius Black, look at what your boy brought me," Lily demanded with a pleased grin, indicating the flowers on her bedside table. "Did you tell him I liked tulips or was that just a good guess."

Sirius looked at the bouquet in admiration. "Complete guess I assure you. Well done Charlie."

Charlie preened at the compliment and Remus eyed him carefully. Perhaps he needed to have a talk with the lad. "Yes well done, Charlie," Remus repeated. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Charlie looked up hesitantly but when no one spoke up to oppose the idea, too busy saying heartfelt goodbyes to each other, he stepped out into the hallway with Remus, who shut the door with barely disguised disgust. "Look, you seem like a nice kid. How you got those flowers… I won't ask. But I feel like I should warn you off of Sirius."

The redhead scratched the back of his neck. "Why?"

"I love the man, don't get me wrong. He's one of my best mates in this whole fucking world, but… people get dragged into his mess of a life sometimes and then he drops them without a second glance. Strange enough as it is to admit, I don't particularly want to see you get hurt. So I'm warning you now that he'll be done with you sooner than you might probably like."

Charlie didn't even react, but continued to stare at Remus as if he hadn't said a word. "… And it seems like you don't care that this was a one-night stand at all, do you?"

Charlie seemed to ponder that for a second before shrugging his shoulders. "Ask me again tomorrow."

Remus snorted derisively. "I doubt I'll see you again after tonight."

Charlie tilted his head to the side in deliberation of that statement. "We'll see," Charlie stated with a shit-eating grin that should have set Remus's teeth on edge, but oddly didn't.

However, Remus was still taken aback by that announcement. "What do you mean by tha—"

He was interrupted by the swing of the door and out came a slightly more staggery Sirius than the one who entered minutes earlier. His dark-haired friend draped himself over Charlie who caught him eagerly, and then turned his attention to Remus. "He's a calendar that kid. A great big stopwatch just staring me in the face, you know? Because he get's older, that's all Harry can do. Do you know what that means," Sirius asked turning his attention to Charlie, who hummed in question. "It means I'm getting older." Sirius frowned and then smiled as another thought entered his mind. "Mind you, they don't always live." Remus's eyes widened in shock as Sirius chuckled darkly. "Meningitis, that's a good one."

"Sirius, what have you taken," Remus asked, suddenly and immensely worried about his friend. "That's not E. You only took it five minutes ago. What is it?"

"I don't know," Sirius said, his eyes drooping. "It was expensive though."

Remus sighed. "You don't even know what you're taking? Sirius, are you alright."

Sirius smiled dreamily. "I'm great. I feel like a star." Sirius reached around and pulled Charlie's face over his shoulder until the redhead's lips found his own. After a soft kiss that seemed to last far too long, Sirius leaned back and chuckled again. "A star, Remus. Get it?"

"I get it," Remus said, unamused, and looked at Charlie pointedly. "Listen, why don't you leave him alone," he told Sirius. "I'll take him home."

Sirius grinned smugly and leaned close to Charlie's ear, whispering something that Remus couldn't hear, but from the way Charlie flushed a deep red that practically matched his hair, Remus could guess it had to do with sex.

"I'll take you home," Remus told Charlie imploringly, hoping he would take the hint. His friend was not in a good place, clearly.

Charlie and Sirius stared at each other for a long time. Sirius's gray eyes were practically begging Charlie to go home with him and Remus gaped at his best mate in utter surprise. He'd never seen Sirius beg before.

Charlie smiled warmly back and nodded his head. He then turned to Remus. "I'm going with him," Charlie said with just the tiniest hint of an apologetic tone.

Sirius grinned so broadly, he looked unhinged. Perhaps he is, Remus pondered.

"Good boy," Sirius said, before dragging Charlie down the hall and out of sight. Remus just stood there, doing nothing. He didn't know what to do. Would spending the night with Charlie really be so bad for Sirius? Remus was starting to believe it wouldn't. He shook his head and promised himself that he would check up on Sirius tomorrow morning. He'd need to drop off the man's jeep anyway.

Remus let out one final heavy sigh before going back into the room to say good night to Lily and Harry.


"What the fuck?!" Sirius looked around his bedroom with nothing short of absolute hatred. At what or who, he did not know.

He felt a stirring from what he guessed was his bedmate last night. Why didn't I kick him out, Sirius wondered.

A tuft a red hair emerged from the silver silk sheets and from within came an annoyed snuffle. "Ngh— It's too early," the voice groaned and flipped over to face away from Sirius.

Sirius glanced over at the alarm clock on his bedside table. "It's half eight."

Wide blue eyes, the bluest Sirius had ever witnessed in his life, emerged from the confines of Sirius's luxurious bed. "Shit!" The boy scrambled off the mattress and began frantically searching for his clothes. "Shit, shit, fucking bloody shit!"

Sirius smirked at the young man's vulgar words and he watched with interest as the ginger tried to pull on a pair of Sirius's trousers in his haste. As Sirius was a bit thinner and shorter, plus he was prone to wearing quite slim pants anyway, the redhead was having a tough time of it. The pants stopped halfway up his leg and the kid lost his balance falling back onto the bed ungracefully. Sirius chuckled until he caught sight of his walls and windows again and frowned. "What the fuck is that," Sirius demanded of the boy, indicating the graffiti.

His bedmate swiveled his head immediately and snorted. "You kept going on about it being your family tree. Not sure how that's possible."

Sirius squinted his eyes at the offending paint job trying to figure out what his drugged out self was thinking when he painted the abstract swirls and dots. Ah. Stars and constellations of the night sky. Of course I'd consider that my family tree. Better than the real thing anyway.

"Well fuck," Sirius cursed once more. "I just had those windows cleaned. Edie's going to bugger me a new asshole when she sees that." Then he shrugged and hopped out of bed, heading for the living room. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

The redhead scrambled out of the bedroom in only his pants at Sirius's proclamation with even wider eyes than earlier. "What is it?"

Sirius indicated what once was his priceless dining set with a sweep of his hands. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT?!"

The boy (and Sirius really needed to remember his name, because it was oddly bugging him more than the sight of his table) winced and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well, you were adamant about creating a time machine of some sort. You got it into your head to convert your wooden dining table into a box, like the Doctor's TARDIS. You just kept going on and on about wishing you were sixteen again, and I kept telling you that time machines don't actually make you younger. You could go back in time but you'd still be the same age as you are now. And sixteen ain't all that great anyway."

Sirius couldn't stop himself from gaping at this kid who he had apparently burdened with his deepest fear. And he was only sixteen years old? Fuck.

"And so then you said, 'Well I'll just have to create a time machine that turns me young again.' Next thing I know you whip out some nails and a hammer from the cupboards and I wasn't about to step in your way. Sorry."

Sirius had the urge to reply with an easy, "That's alright, I don't blame you," but prevented himself from doing that when he realized just how mental that would sound. Instead he mumbled to himself, "Why does nobody ever stop me?" He saw the kid flinch out of the corner of his eye and almost apologized. Okay. I've gone mad, Sirius decided.

Sirius's eyes once again traveled his flat and stumbled onto a miniature figurine on his coffee table. He stepped up to it and analyzed the little trinket. A smile graced his face for something he couldn't remember. And why couldn't he remember? He was growing very frustrated now. "What's this?"

Sirius felt the boy hesitantly step up beside him. "I think that's the thing you bragged about whittling for Harry. It's supposed to be a stag."

Harry! "Oh fuck," Sirius sighed as the events of the night before came rushing back to him.

Charlie (that was his name!) plucked his trousers from the back of the sofa with an amused grin that had Sirius thinking back to how he fucked this young man over the armchair. And on the sheepskin rug. And against the pinball machine. Sirius blinked. He was surprised he got any sleep at all.

"Listen I got to get to school," Charlie said as he pulled on trousers that actually fit his long legs. "It's all the way uptown so I should probably—"

"I'll drive you," Sirius interrupted.

Charlie stared at Sirius like he had grown two heads. "Really?"

No, not really. I was kidding. Get out of here. These were all things Sirius should have said, but instead he went with, "Sure."

Charlie opened his mouth, presumably to thank Sirius (or tell him to "fuck off"), but his eyes suddenly focused and he said, "Your friend still has the jeep."

It was the perfect excuse to say, "Oh well, enjoy the train," and move on with his life like normal, but it was becoming exceedingly clear to Sirius that he was, in fact, fecking losing it. "Ah Remus. I'll just give him a ring."

Sirius walked over to the kitchen, feeling Charlie's incredulous gaze on the back of his head, and picked up the phone from its receiver, punching Remus's speed dial number, which was "1" of course. His friend answered on the third ring, which meant Sirius had woken him up. That, combined with last night's abhorrent drug use, lead Sirius to conclude that Remus was just going to kill him. "Hey get up. You have to take me to work." There was no way he was mentioning the kid until after Remus arrived. The man was bound to be upset enough as it was.

"Fuck off," Remus replied succinctly, a hint of sleep still in his voice.

Sirius smiled. He wasn't too upset then. "We'll meet you out front in ten."

"Ugh, fine," Remus groaned and Sirius could hear the rustle of sheets that indicated Remus was exiting his bed. "Wait— we? What do you mean by w—"

Sirius hung up immediately and grimaced down at his phone. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Why did he say "we"? Sirius spun around at the sound of bare feet on the his hardwood floor and watched as Charlie half-consciously buttoned up his white collared shirt. Sirius wanted to rip that shirt right back off that lean body and ravage Charlie like he had done the night before. And he felt pretty confident he'd never once had thoughts like that the morning after.

"Is he coming," Charlie asked.

"He'll be here," Sirius said with a casual wave of his hand. Eventually, he silently added.

Sirius strode to the kitchen, picked up a half-empty bottle of scotch, and inspected it. He took a big whiff and was proud to say it only made him want to chunder a little.

"Sirius," Charlie spoke up from his spot upon the ground where he was pulling on a pair of socks and lacing up his oxfords. Was he really wearing those last night, Sirius asked himself, in shock that he hadn't noticed the schoolboy shoes earlier. Then Charlie's sky blue irises greeted him and Sirius remembered what distracted him from everything else.

"Hmm?"

Charlie smirked, and Sirius was again surprised to learn he wasn't annoyed by it. "Clothes?"

Sirius looked down at his pantsless self and grinned. "You have a point. Are you sure you aren't a genius?"

Charlie only smiled and Sirius was struck by how innocent he looked while kneeling on the floor. When Charlie stood up to his full height, it was hard to remember that he was only sixteen years old.

Sirius left the boy to get ready for the day. He splashed his face with cold water, brushed his teeth quickly and ran a dollop of gel through his hair to tame the curls. From his wardrobe, he pulled out a striped collared dress shirt (and no it wasn't the same color as Charlie's eyes, shut up) and a dark pair of gray trousers. He slipped on a pair of shiny black Tom Ford lace-ups and gave one last cocky smirk at his appearance in the mirror before rejoining Charlie back in the living room. He pulled two apples from the fridge and tossed one to Charlie before telling him to follow him downstairs. Remus pulled up in front of his building just as they arrived.

"Oh fuck," Sirius huffed out at the appearance of his jeep. He scrunched up his face to keep from both screaming at the world for its stupidity and from laughing at the picture this created when he thought about dropping Charlie off at school in this.

Remus emerged from the driver's side spouting off apologies. "The kids in the neighborhood got to it. Fucking stupid little buggers. This is your fault you know?" Remus's accusatory gaze landed on Sirius who held up his hands in mock surrender. Remus sighed. "You just had to prove a point."

"If you don't say anything, they never learn," Sirius reminded him. "It was just a harmless kiss in front of those homophobic teenagers. I didn't think they'd retaliate like this. Fuckers."

In red spray paint across the side of his beloved black jeep was one word: Queers.

Sirius's silver eyes flew to his left where Charlie was staring at the side of the jeep with his mouth agape and Sirius had to bite his lower lip to keep from bursting into hysterical laugher. Remus caught the direction of his gaze and frowned at the redhead.

"What is he doing here," Remus asked Sirius.

"We're taking him to school, of course," Sirius replied easily and with a giddy clap of his hands he made his way to the driver's side door and took his rightful place behind the wheel. "Well… get in," Sirius demanded of Remus and Charlie.

"You're going to take me to school in this?"

Sirius looked across the passenger's seat and out the window to where Charlie was still staring at the word with apprehensive eyes. Sirius frowned. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Sky blue met pale gray with more determination than Sirius had ever seen before. On anyone. "Nope." Charlie smiled wickedly and that made Sirius grin in return. He hardly noticed his best friend sighing heavily and folding up the front seat so Charlie could get in the back.

Once everyone was situated, Sirius turned up the radio and drove, his heart soaring for the first time since James died. Heading upstate on a beautiful Monday morning with his sulking best mate in the passenger seat and a steely-faced teenager in the back would never be considered a common occurrence, but this was the most normal Sirius had felt in months. He was hungover and exhausted and dreading work, but the smile on his lips felt real for the first time in ages. Did he really want this to be over so soon?

It wasn't long before Charlie's directions brought them to the outskirts of his school building. Sirius couldn't help but feel annoyed that they hadn't been seen by any of his schoolmates and when the long pathway that lead up to the front doors came into view, a brash idea entered his mind. There was a Queen song on the radio and he turned up the volume until he would no longer be able to hear Charlie's inevitable protestations, before veering onto the pathway that had probably never been driven on before. Students of all ages and genders scrambled out of the way and Sirius laughed and laughed. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Remus chuckling as well and that only made Sirius laugh harder. The end of the path came into view and Sirius stepped hard on the brakes, his tires squealing across the cobblestone road, before abruptly stopping in the middle of the courtyard.

The remnants of "I Want to Break Free" blasted through the speakers and the three men let it. Finally, Remus lowered the volume to almost nothing. "You are mental," Remus disparaged, but his smile ruined the disappointed affect and Sirius ended up taking it as a compliment.

Sirius winked. "I know. Well off you go then, lad," Sirius encouraged to the boy in the back. "Learning awaits."

Charlie seemed to be on autopilot as he exited the vehicle once Remus pushed forward his seat again. "Charlie," Remus said suddenly as the seat fell back to its upright position once more.

Charlie turned away from all the stares of his fellow students and looked at Remus. "Yeah?"

Sirius watched as Remus eyed the redhead carefully. "It's tomorrow. So I'm asking again."

Sirius raised a curious brow, but didn't interrupt the moment as turquoise met chocolate with contemplation. Charlie quirked his head to the side.

"Charlie," someone called from the steps and Sirius looked over to see who would dare intervene on such a mysterious and interesting interaction between Charlie and Remus. She was a pretty young thing with wild pink hair and over her shoulder was an extra book bag that seemed much too large for her and a red and gold tie. He guessed that she had been waiting for Charlie.

Charlie, however, ignored her and turned his attention to Sirius. He rounded the car to the drivers' side, leaned down, and crossed his arms on the open window. "Will I see you again?"

Sirius leaned forward like he was going in for a kiss and then brought his apple between their mouths crunching down on it's crisp peel.

"Sirius," Charlie warned, and the frustrated groan of his own name out of the mouth of this kid had Sirius seriously considering answering Charlie's question in the affirmative. But he couldn't. "Will I see you again," Charlie demanded again. As it turns out, Sirius couldn't answer in the negative either.

Remus hopped back in and slammed the door shut. "Could you drop me off at work," Remus asked.

"Answer me. Sirius Black?"

He'd never been struck speechless before. It was an uncomfortable feeling and, like any time he felt uncomfortable, his smarmy mask of indifference took over his facial features. Sirius smirked and put the car into reverse. He stepped on the gas and Charlie shook his head as his arms fell from the open window. "I'll see you again," Charlie affirmed, his voice carrying across the courtyard and reaching Sirius. Charlie jutted out his chin with so much confidence, Sirius was obliged to believe him. So he didn't reply with a "No you won't," like he was normally wont to do.

Sirius reversed the whole way off the school's grounds without looking back, his gaze firmly on Charlie's shrinking figure. He felt a slight dip as the curb ended and knew that it was time to turn around now. Sirius felt the urge to stay and it was a strong one. For the first time in his whole life, Sirius wanted to exit his jeep and sprint toward someone. Then he would snog the daylights out of him in front of all these people. The vision was tempting and that fact alone was upsetting. What was happening to him? With one final push of his mind, he twisted the steering wheel to the right so that the whole school could see the word "Queers" once more before he left. His gaze finally left Charlie's and like a spell had been broken, he was able to put the jeep into drive and leave uptown Manchester. He didn't look back.

With each kilometer further from a certain redhead, Sirius felt his smile grow weaker until it was gone altogether. It was then that Remus finally spoke up.

"Padfoot."

"Oh you're using my childhood nickname," Sirius noticed. "This must be serious."

Remus hummed in agreement. "You didn't say 'no'."

"Hmm?" Sirius didn't even know why he was playing dumb, because that act certainly never worked on Remus.

"Are you going to see him again," Remus asked.

Sirius snorted. "Of course not."

Remus was clearly unconvinced. "Then why didn't you say 'no' when he asked if he would."

Sirius turned into the ASDA where Remus worked as a manager without answering. When he came to a stop, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel trying to come up with a response that made sense, but he honestly didn't have one. So Sirius just shrugged and flashed Remus his signature smirk. "Don't know."

Remus huffed in mock annoyance, shaking his head. "Well, I think all you did was get yourself a stalker."

Sirius's smirk turned into a genuine smile at that and he laughed. "Delightful, isn't it?"

Remus hung his head in dismay. "I don't think I'll ever understand you."

Sirius turned toward his best mate until they were facing directly opposite each other. "Well that's worrying."

"Oh?"

"If you of all people don't understand me, then no one ever will."


Charlie stood watching the spot where the jeep had disappeared for a long time. He didn't notice the stares or the pointing or the whispers. He didn't notice much of anything really. His mind was filled with only one question: Was it all a dream?

"Charlie? Earth to Charlie." A hand waved in front of his face and he was effectively pulled out of his trance.

"Tonks."

Tonks smirked up at him, her green eyes so wide with amusement they hurt to look at. "Who was that," she asked as she roped his tie around his neck and slung his bag over his shoulder. Charlie thanked his early-morning self for having the foresight to call his best friend and have her pick up his things and give an excuse to his parents as to his whereabouts that morning. He was certain she did a wonderful job.

Charlie smiled down at her and knotted his tie with expert hands, before he once again looked down the lane where the first man he'd ever been with disappeared moments ago.

"Charlie who was that?"

Charlie's eyes remained on the spot in the distance when he answered. "I don't know really. But I'm going to find out."


Sirius Black.

It was an unusual name to say the least. According to the man, everyone in his family was named after the stars. Orion. Regulus. Bellatrix. Alphard. Arcturus. Draco. Cygnus. Pollux. Considering no one had ever had the pleasure of meeting his family, most thought he made all these names up. When asked why they thought he might do such a thing, they would say, "To make himself seem more mysterious and important." Since he named himself after the dog star, the brightest star you can see from Earth, one could see their point. However, whether he made up the name Sirius or not is quite inconsequential, for the man happened to live up to it. Fake or real, it was certainly a fitting moniker.

Sirius was a dog. He was a sexual being who could pull any bloke he set his sights on, and you felt lucky when those sights landed on you. Being with Sirius Black was practically legendary, the lovable fucker that he was.

And Sirius was also the brightest star in any room in which he found himself. The minute he stepped into the club, his smile shined so brilliantly it was practically blinding. Love him or leave him, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't notice him.

There were many men that flitted in and out of Sirius's bedroom and all of them had the greatest night of their lives. It had always been enough for them. One night and then it was over, each bloke leaving with a story to tell their mates.

Yes, Sirius Black had had many men, but there was one that refused to be just one of the many. He wanted to be the last.