Pathetique
Chapter One: Happy Christmas
Two days after Christmas few lights shone from the slivered windows of Hogwart's School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, and in the dark the school blended gently into the frozen Scottish hills. The normally harsh winter kept most students at home during the holidays, even as this year's snow drifted from the night sky in soft cotton puffs, coating the spindly towers of the dark castle with a downy sheet of pristine white, like frosting on a fragile cake.
Alone in Gryffindor tower, sixth-year Remus Lupin sprawled on his bed in a house robe reading, hair wet and cheeks red from a warm shower. Lazily he sipped butter beer from its container, reveling in peace and quiet that was soon to be shattered.
Mere moments later the dusty haired boy's sensitive ears perked at the sound of footsteps running against marble, and he barely had time to kick the half-empty bottle under the bed before the door swung open, slamming hard against the stone wall of the dormitory. In walked Sirius Black.
"Dammit, Pads, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Remus slammed his book closed and glared up at his strangely out of breath friend. "Git."
Sirius shrugged, lobbing his few belongs towards his bed. A well-practiced throw, the bags sailed expertly past the thick curtains and landed with a dull thud on the mattress.
"You didn't tell me you were here for the hols," Sirius surveyed the room, eyes landing on his friend, "What are you doing here?"
Remus wiped his mouth and cleared his throat.
"Reading."
"Bloody surprise."
"I was at home for a week or so. But the change is always easier here."
Sirius nodded and sat down on his bed, taking a deep breath. A split second later his shoes were kicked off and he was on his way to the stairs leading to the girls' tower.
"Don't bother," Remus called, "no one there."
The light footsteps stopped.
"Sorry, mate."
Sirius reappeared around the curve of the staircase, sighing. He returned to his bed, slinking under the curtains.
"What are you doing here, Pads?" No answer came from the canopied bed. Remus tried again, "I thought you were home through New Years, big party and what as usual."
Still no answer. Rolling his eyes, Remus stretched and walked over to his friend's bed, pulling aside the drapes. Sirius was curled up on the bed, picking at the bedclothes, staring off into space.
"Earth to Sirius Black?" Sirius rolled to the other side of the bed as Remus sat down. "Will you please get off your throne and act like a human being for once?"
Clearly not.
"Fine," Remus moved to get off the bed, "do what you will."
"I ran away."
Remus sat back down with a start.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Remus leaned over his friend, who watched him, expressionless.
"Did something happen?"
"Not any thing in particular." Sirius rolled onto his back, staring at the dark canopy above them, fingering the drapes for want of something to do. "I just couldn't take it anymore. I snapped, I suppose."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I," Sirius snorted, malicious grin masking his face, "as I'm now disinherited."
Remus stared down at his friend in shock.
"It doesn't surprise me in the least. After all, when I make my disgrace public, what else is there to do? Such an ancient and noble house surely cannot tolerate traitors in their midst." Another snort. "Arseholes."
Sirius sighed, stretching his neck back into the sheets. "Either way I'm out now and even if I could weasel my way back into their favor, I'm not sure I'd really want to." He sniffed the air briefly, turning to Remus for the first time. "Have you been drinking, Moony?"
The dark haired boy eyed his friend quizzically as he disappeared from his perch on the bed.
"Moony?" Sirius elbowed himself to a sitting position just as Remus returned with his almost drained bottle.
"Cheers."
Sirius eyed the bottle suspiciously as he took a swig.
"Cheers."
Remus stood by with crossed arms as Sirius wiped his lips with his sleeve.
"What will you do?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. This place is bloody barren at winter, isn't it?"
Remus rolled his eyes and sat back on the bed, grabbing the bottle back and draining it.
"I meant about home. Where will you go? You can't mean to stay at school forever."
"Well, I'm here now." He grabbed the bottle for a drink, not realizing its lack of contents. "Hell, Moony." Remus shrugged, and Sirius turned the thing over in his hands, reading the peeling label. He looked up in shock. "Is this mine?"
Remus shrugged again.
"You rotten bastard." Sirius hopped off the bed and skirted across the cold floor towards his trunk, prying it open and rummaging within. "Anyway, I've spoken with James and his parents are adamant I stay with them until this is sorted, but they've gone to France and can't be back till New Years. So in lieu of living on the streets for a week, here I am."
"Here you are." Remus sighed, his hopes of continued solitude dashed. He lay down on the bed, running a hand across his forehead.
"Here we are!" Sirius barked a laugh as he scooped a second handle of alcohol from the bottom of the trunk and hugged it to his chest. "Thank Merlin!"
With more spring in his step now, Sirius bounded back to the bed, pouncing the spot next to his friend and tearing mercilessly at the lid. Unsuccessful, he stuck the neck in his mouth and gnashed at the cap with teeth and tongue until it popped loose and tumbled to the bed. Gently picking it up, he placed it in Remus' palm, eyes glowing devilishly.
"Happy Christmas, Moony."
"Just what I've always wanted." Remus thumbed the plastic before flicking it off to some far corner of the room. Sirius guzzled the drink as if parched. Remus grabbed it from him and took another swig.
"So," Sirius began after a brief moment of thought, "What else is there to do in this creaky old castle?"
This story should inch towards M by the fourth or fifth chapter, so be forewarned. Second Chapter forthcoming and mostly written, but I wanted to see if anyone was reading before I posted it. What do you think so far? I'm trying to go for a more realistic approach to what could be the Remus/Sirius pairing.