Sirius was walking back to his dormitory from dinner when he heard a loud crash around the corner. Curious, concerned, he followed the sound. What he saw made his heart stop for a moment. The new kid in his dorm, Remus, was held up against the wall by his throat. Evan Rosier held him up, a nasty look on his face. Severus Snape was behind him, holding Remus's schoolbag upside down, letting his belongings fall to the ground.
"Leave him alone," Sirius snarled, knocking hard into Rosier to get him out of the way. He fell to the floor with an "oomph" and Remus slumped to the ground, clutching at his throat and gasping for air.
"Knew you'd be friends with this ugly nerd, Black. You never did have good taste. Looks like he's been mauled by a bear." He was referring to the number of scars crisscrossing Remus's face. In the week since Remus had come to school here, Sirius had speculated many potential causes for the injuries. Of course, he hadn't speculated to Remus's face.
"Shut up, Rosier. You'll both leave now if you know what's good for you."
Snape raised an eyebrow, leering at him. "Is that a threat?" Rosier got to his feet, crossing his arms.
"'Course not," Sirius replies smoothly. "Just a warning that if you don't clear out I'll break your face."
Snape rolled his eyes and Rosier snorted. Sirius acted fast, adrenaline pumping. He punched Severus square in the nose. Blood shot from it, and Snape staggered backward. Sirius moved on, kneeing Rosier once, causing him to hunch forward. He kneed him again, hitting him in the face this time.
"What is going on here?"
The crisp voice from behind him made Sirius's insides go cold. Unfortunately, he recognized that voice far too well. He turned around, then fell back a few steps. He knew how this looked, and it wasn't good.
"Professor McGonagall, I can explain—"
She held up a hand, silencing him. "First, do any of you need to go down to the hospital wing?"
Rosier shook his head. Snape murmured, "I'm fine."
"Mr. Lupin?"
He looked up, meeting McGonagall's eyes. "I'm alright," he rasped. She shifted her glare back to Rosier and Snape, who burst into laughter.
"Quiet, you two." Her lips were thin, and they fell silent. "Come with me." She led them off to her office. Sirius let Snape and Rosier take the lead. He offered Remus a hand and an apologetic look. Remus got to his feet and smiled at Sirius.
When they all reached McGonagall's office, she faced them from behind her desk, lips pursed and eyebrow raised. "I've heard too much about the four of you butting heads this week. Now, I don't know what's started this, but I need it to end. And I expect it to end without violence, Mr. Black."
"Professor, please," Sirius insisted. Remus was still quiet. His eyes never wavered from his hands, which were clasped in his lap. "I don't know what you heard, but whatever it is, Snape started it. Him and his mates were the ones causing all the trouble. None of this was Remus's fault." Rosier cracked his knuckles menacingly from behind Severus. Remus was looking at Sirius, surprised that he was taking his side.
"And your involvement, Mr. Black?"
Sirius sighed, then nodded. "I was trying to defend Remus." He looked down at his knuckles, bruised and bloodied.
There was a long moment in which Professor McGonagall made direct eye contact with Sirius. Her gaze was piercing. "You could devise no better way to handle the situation? Physical violence seemed the best option?" Sirius had no response for this. "I see. So what I gather is that Snape and Rosier initiated this incident. Black, you joined in response. Lupin." At his name, he gave a start, looking up for the first time since they entered McGonagall's office. "I presume this was an unprovoked attack from your end?" Remus nodded.
"Very well. Black, Snape, and Rosier, I'll see you in detention this evening. The three of you may go. Remus, would you stay back a moment? I'd like a word."
Sirius shot him a last, sympathetic smile. He tried to be reassuring. He hoped it worked. Remus still looked shaken from the incident, nervous at being caught in such a situation. Sirius hung back until Snape and Rosier left the office before leaving himself. He watched them walk down the corridor toward their common room. Sirius, on the other hand, waited outside McGonagall's office door. After what just happened, he didn't want to leave Remus alone.
He sank down on the floor, back against the wall. Sirius stared at the wall before him for a moment, quickly growing bored. He pulled out a pen from his pocket, fidgeting with the cap. He'd long since broken the ink chamber, so it was useless for writing now. But he kept it around as something to mess with when he got anxious. He wondered how long Remus would be.
After a few more minutes, he shuffled out of the office. Professor McGonagall was standing behind him, her hand on his shoulder. She looked surprised to see Sirius there, but she gave him a reaffirming smile. He could've sworn he saw her wink, too. She let Remus on his way, and Sirius sprung up to walk beside him.
"Hey. Sorry about all that. Snape and Rosier are the worst, honestly. You alright?"
Remus was quiet, shrugging in reply.
Sirius stopped, gesturing to the empty classroom next to them. "Can we talk?" He waited for Remus's response with a raised eyebrow and head cocked to the side. Remus smirked and led the way into the room. As he leaned against one of the desks in the front, Remus felt a panic creep back up his throat. He swallowed, turning to face Sirius.
"You're keeping a secret."
"What do you mean?" Remus asks. He knows what Sirius means, but he's sure not about to divulge anything Sirius doesn't force out of him.
"You're only here for one term, yeah?"
Remus nodded. "Exchange program. Why?"
Sirius crossed his arms, shrugging. "So what do you have to lose by trusting me?"
"Sirius—"
"Look, you don't have to tell me anything. But I'm here to listen if you want to. I know what it's like to have a rough life. But if someone's hurting you—"
Remus reeled back, pulling a face. "No one's… no one's hurting me, Sirius. Are you alright?" Remus looked concerned, and Sirius quickly shook his head, shook off that feeling. This wasn't about him. He was fine. This was about Remus, and Remus was deflecting.
"Is it at home? Here? Snape, or Rosier maybe? I know McGonagall can seem strict, but she can help—"
Remus rolled his eyes, putting a hand to his forehead. "Sirius, stop! No one's hurting me, I'm fine." Then, realization dawned. "Wait, are you… Are you talking about my scars?" He laughed a bit, trying to ease Sirius's stress over his condition. "These are from a car accident, years ago. They don't hurt anymore, they just make me look a mess. I mean, sure, I wish they weren't here, but…" Remus finished meekly.
Sirius was fast to backtrack over his assumptions. "You don't look a mess, Remus. Your scars are a part of you, you don't need to hide them." He tried to smile, but it was obvious he was still kicking himself for overreacting. "They kinda make you look badass, really."
"Well, that's a first." He laughed, truly laughed. Sirius loved the sound, especially when compared with the anguish and confusion he'd heard from Remus so far that day. He smiled easily as he watched Remus. Sirius couldn't imagine anyone looking at Remus with anything less than fondness. Especially not Remus himself.
"What do you mean?" Sirius didn't mention that the scars appeared jarring at first. He was trying to move past that mentality. "You can't honestly tell me you've never heard that before. Scars are always badass, it's a rule."
Remus rolled his eyes again, but when he looked at Sirius it was with an affection that made Sirius's heart melt. "I suppose I've just always been a bit of a loner. Floater. I don't stay in one place too long, and I haven't exactly had people who've gotten close enough to get to know me like this. It's kinda weird," he added in an undertone. He almost hoped that Sirius didn't hear.
"Well, I'll tell you this. As long as you're here, I'm here for you."
A/N: Fortnightly – Postal Section 1: Exchange Student!AU (Remus Lupin); Writing Club - Character Appreciation 24: (plot point) someone being bullied; Book Club – Maeryn: (word) menacing, (plot point) warning someone, (dialogue) "You're keeping a secret."; Showtime 32: (dialogue) "I don't know what you heard, but whatever it is, [name] started it."; Count Your Buttons: O2: Pen; Ami's Audio Admirations 3: Write about someone who is a victim of bullying; Sophie's Shelf – Vault 53: (word) Stress; Emy's Emporium – Portugal 2: (trait) loner; Lo's Lowdown O3: (genre) Friendship; Bex's Biscuit Barrel – Jaffa Cake: 1. (word) Writing, 3. (emotion) anger, 4. (dialogue) "Your scars are a part of you, you don't need to hide them."; Seasonal - Days of the Year – July 3: Write about someone dealing with their body image – Bonus; Shay's Musical Challenge 9: Write about someone being bullied; Gryffindor Themed Prompts – Remus Lupin; Hamilton Mania – Act 1 – 1: (emotion) Lonely; Writing Month: July wc 1436