Disclaimer: If you recognise it then I don't own it. Sadly. All characters are property of the marvellous JK Rowling.
A/N: Oooo, I've been getting reviews! That's very nice of you all and I've been reading and responding when I can via email (just so I'm not taking up unnecessary space on this chapter doing it). Anyway, it took me this long to update because I've been spending ages planning the entire story and I've planned it all. I think I got to twenty chapters with it but it may change slightly before the end.
This is Remus/Harry slash. Don't like? Don't read!
Chapter Two
Remus resolved then and there that things were going to change. Harry didn't know it yet but he was about to become the first person that Remus Lupin had ever voluntarily become physically close to. Not in a sexual sense, Remus scolded himself as his mind made the leap from 'physical' to 'sexual' and felt his face become a little warmer at the unbidden thought.
He watched Harry surreptitiously, hoping that Harry wouldn't be able to sense his eyes upon him, as he wondered how best to get closer to Harry. Remus questioned whether Sirius telling Harry about him would make things easier or harder for him in the long run but dismissed it; this was Harry he was talking about. Harry had spent a lot of time trying to get closer to him and Remus had constantly pushed him away until neither of them could take any more. Surely he would accept Remus if he was so desperate to become close to someone and he, Harry, was his chosen object. After all, everyone else was close to Harry and he felt distinctly cut off from him simply because he couldn't do as they did.
Harry's eyes met his for a moment and Remus felt a slight flutter of anticipation in his stomach. Could he really do this? Harry smiled warmly at him and Remus knew he couldn't keep hurting him. He rose to his feet and walked over to Harry.
"I thought you didn't do the whole 'close to people' thing?" Harry asked when Remus sat down next to him and winced at his own words. Sirius had just told him not to mention it. "Ignore me; I'm an idiot."
"No you're not," Remus told him, smiling slightly at Harry's current sense of unease after most likely being told quite explicitly that Remus was never close to anyone and never had been. The thought was an unhappy one, one which he was soon to remedy. Hopefully, "and I don't usually do the 'close to people' thing, as you so aptly called it. I just…" He trailed off and Harry was left watching him in interest. This was certainly a new development.
"You just what?" Harry prompted when Remus didn't pick up his sentence again. He wanted to reach out to the man and press his hand comfortingly over his but under the circumstances Harry didn't think that would go down very well.
"I'm just tired of being alone and I see you with Sirius and I think that I want to be like that with you but… I can't," Remus managed to say whilst he kept his eyes away from Harry and stared into the fire in the grate.
"Yes you can. It's just a matter of how much you want it," Harry told him confidently. Confident and usually correct advice was something Harry was getting better at. He seemed to be the one Tonks came to the most when she needed advice, mostly because Remus would always be nice but not necessarily truthful in a bid to save her feelings and Sirius would always laugh at her. Harry was the only one from whom she could get any real honesty.
"A lot," muttered Remus and Harry smiled slightly, the action caught in the corner of Remus's eye before he turned back from the flames to Harry. "Can I be like that with you?"
"I don't know. Can you?" Harry asked him and Remus wondered just that himself. Had he left it too long now so that he could never be close to another person again without feeling uneasy or could Harry honestly help him?
"I hope so," Remus sighed and leant back into the sofa, suddenly feeling very desirous of a hug and to be wrapped in someone else's arms. Harry reached forwards and squeezed Remus's hand gently with his own. He wondered whether he was being a little too hasty by doing such a thing with Remus so soon but they had to start somewhere. He let go of his hand after a moment and got up to leave; there was still the matter of Snape walking around the house feeling thoroughly pleased with himself after foreseeing and reversing Sirius's prank upon him. Such behaviour could not go without some retribution.
"I'm going to go attack Snape for a while, I take it you're not interested in joining me?" Remus shook his head and Harry tried to look shocked and disappointed but failed on both counts. "Okay, I'll talk to you later then."
Another brief smile and a slight touch to Remus's shoulder and he was gone, leaving Remus feeling quite warm on the sofa on his own. He felt happy, he realised, for the first time in quite a while. He could be close to someone… he could be close to Harry. He could be just like everyone else and curl up next to another person without wanting to go and find a secluded area of the house all for himself. For once, things might go quite well for him.
A pair of arms grabbed Harry from behind, one of them covering his mouth as he was pulled backwards and under his own invisibility cloak. A kiss was pressed to his temple and Harry scowled as he spun round to face his assailant. He wasn't particularly surprised to find Sirius, but that still didn't mean that he enjoyed being attacked in his own house.
"Smile, gorgeous, you've officially joined the Snape Hunt." Sirius flashed him a smile and wrapped his arms round him. "Plus, you have the added joy of being with me. Tonks is sulking because she's on her own and I got to you first."
"How lovely to know," Harry said, pulling a face and tried to free himself from Sirius's grasp. He knew that whatever plan he and Tonks had made together was very unlikely to work on the highly intelligent and extremely cautious man. It was beginning to be said around the house that he was becoming very like Mad Eye. Mad Eye himself said that he wasn't nearly cautious enough to be considered as such and suggested a magical eye to Severus. He didn't take the suggestion well.
Harry slipped into his Animagus form and, before Sirius could do a thing, he was racing off down the landing and to the stairs. The small, black wolf didn't hear the giant dog coming up behind him, and the giant dog was unable to stop before it was too late. It was for this reason that Remus found himself bowled off his feet at the foot of the stairs by a dog and a rather small wolf. He wasn't spectacularly pleased. Sirius seemed more disappointed than anything however and went on to plotting something similar in which Severus was at the bottom of the stairs and the whole incident was intentional.
Remus smiled proudly down at the little wolf as it pounced about and licked his face. Remus pulled a face and pushed Harry away and a moment later found himself flat on his back with Harry sat on his chest and his neck being nuzzled and tickled by the young wolf. Sirius laughed as he turned back into himself and wandered off with the Invisibility Cloak, clearly having given up on Harry and Snape for the time being. Remus was left alone on the floor with the energetic wolf bounding about him, his mind wandering back over things such as Harry's first transformation with McGonagall and the image of his own Patronus imprinted in his mind.
It was a shame that Harry had been forced to learn to become an Animagus from McGonagall since his own godfather had mastered it but he was a rather poor teacher. Sirius always felt disappointed in Harry when he didn't manage to transform and it showed. Naturally that hadn't helped Harry and in the end both had given up with the other.
Throughout all their trials and tribulations concerning the Animagus transformation and Harry, Remus had watched the little wolf, his Patronus, wandering around the room whilst Harry had attempted time and time again to become it. Until finally it had happened. He had always assumed that the little wolf Patronus he had was because he was a werewolf; it was only when he saw Harry transform that he realised the mistake he had made and felt warmth fill him at the sight.
"Interesting, hey?" Harry asked Remus, jolting him out of his reverie.
"What is?"
"The fact that you would let me leap all over you when I'm a wolf but if I tried that now you'd never let me near you again," Harry explained. "Clearly your problem is with the human form as much anything, not the people concerned."
"That is interesting," Remus said as he led Harry off towards the lounge where they had been before, "although I'd rather you didn't lick my face again."
"So what do you reckon?" Harry asked as he glanced covertly at Tonks, who in turn was doing the same to Remus. Harry realised suddenly how odd it must look to an outsider and stopped looking at her, turning back to Sirius who was grinning inanely.
"I reckon that if she was any further head over heels she'd be the right way up again," he replied and Harry struggled for a moment with odd images of Tonks spinning slowly in the air before snapping out of it and turning back to his godfather.
"You're going to set them up, aren't you?" Harry muttered as Remus got up and moved closer to them. Sirius only grinned wider and Harry was now certain that Remus was going to be in for a very unfortunate time. Sirius was almost certainly going to make them date, whether they wanted to or not and Harry was fully aware of the fact that Remus was gay. Tonks still wasn't. "You do remember the fact that Remus is gay, right?" Harry muttered to Sirius.
"Ah you know Remus," Sirius replied mildly. "He won't hurt her, especially if I push them into it."
"You're bloody awful, you know that?"
Ten minutes later Sirius had managed to twist the situation entirely to his advantage and was standing outside in the hallway with Remus, Tonks and Harry. Their conversation was light and casual but Harry knew that somehow Sirius was orchestrating the whole thing. He had never known that his godfather could be so manipulative. He was definitely going to be watching where their conversations were steered in future.
Sirius laughed and rolled his eyes. "And when was the last time you went on a date, Tonks?"
"Oh shush, I haven't been out in a while, so what? It's not like I'm the only one who hasn't!" She glanced purposefully at Remus at this point. Only Harry seemed to notice the way Sirius's eyes lit up and knew for certain that this was the point he had been pushing the conversation to all along.
"Well why don't you both go out together?" Sirius asked slyly. "Since neither of you have been out in so long then surely a date together would be of some benefit?"
"I—I…" Remus stammered and Harry felt very sorry for him. Not quite sorry enough to stop things from going any further though.
"I think that's a brilliant idea!" Tonks said brightly and turned to Remus looking very enthusiastic. Harry didn't think that he would be able to resist the look of joy at the idea if it had been directed at him. Sure enough, Remus didn't think that he could either. He wasn't pleased by the way he knew Sirius had set this up, nor was he too impressed with the way Harry had failed to get him out of the mess entirely. He felt sure Harry had known where things were going and had done nothing for him.
"What do you say, Remus?" Sirius asked and Remus gave him one of the coldest looks he had ever seen. Sirius's smile only widened. Harry gave his hand a slight squeeze next to him but it wasn't going to get him out of this mess.
"Do I have much of a choice?" Remus asked grimly.
"Not in the slightest!" Tonks grinned, oblivious to the reluctance on her date's face. "Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere…" Remus sighed.
"As long as he's with you," Sirius added for him. Needless to say, Remus wasn't particularly pleased with this addition and he began to wonder just why he hadn't told Tonks he was gay. It would certainly make things a hell of a lot easier on him, but then again he'd have to tell someone a very personal piece of information about himself and he'd never enjoyed doing that. He kept his mouth shut and decided to go along. He really hadn't been out in a while, it might be somewhat enjoyable.
"Now be off with you!" Sirius said and Remus stared.
"Sorry…? You expect me to venture into public like this?" Remus asked, glancing down at his robes.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Are you under the possession of a wand or not?" He waved his wand over Remus and made him instantly more presentable.
"Are these your robes?" Remus asked him in disbelief. "I cannot believe you put me in your robes! Do you know what—"
He was cut off as Sirius pushed the two of them out through the door that Harry had not seen him open. The door slammed shut and they could still hear Remus ranting at Sirius though the door. There was silence and murmurs on the outside followed by two cracks.
"He hates you," Harry said bluntly and Sirius laughed before wrapping an arm round his shoulders and leading him away towards the lounge where the rest of the Order would be relaxing and complaining.
"He'll get over it, he always does!"
