The Moon Shines Tonight 02/

The Moon Shines Tonight 02/?

It was not long before the sun had risen over the tiny village, peeking through the cracked windows of the house. Sirius remained draped over the chair, his chin tucked against his shoulder as he snored quietly. Remus's suitcase lay at his feet, still open from earlier that morning. But Remus had left the tiny room, preferring the solitude of the second floor.

The stairs groaned and creaked in protest as he climbed them, leaning against the banister for support. It was darker up here; the windows were boarded over and the shutters were drawn. But here and there the sunlight managed to invade, letting quiet streams of light crisscross over the floor in various patterns. The hallway from the stairs led to locked rooms, which would not have caused Remus a problem had he had the energy to unlock them with his wand. He let his eyes follow the patterns of light upon the floor, slowly sinking down to them and sitting upon the dusty floorboards. With a content sigh, he grazed his finger over one tiny stream, gathering dust on the tip as he did so.

Oh, James, he thought quietly, this was your dream house…yours and Lily's…

He swallowed thickly, choking back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He had kept them back for fifteen years and he wasn't about to let them out now. But it had been so long, now. So long since he and Sirius had been here, so long since someone had lived here, so long since Voldemort had destroyed the lives dependent upon this house.

So long since they had died.

Remus lifted his hand, wiping the dust off on his wrinkled robes. James...James, you said this house was yours forever. You said your friends could call it home. Are you still here? Is this still our home? Or has Voldemort destroyed our promises, as well?

It was in that position, cross-legged on the floor, head bowed, that Sirius found Remus an hour later. Clunking his heavy boots upon the floorboards, the taller man crossed the room to his friend, crouching beside him. "Remus? Is this why you're here?" he asked quietly.

Remus lifted his head, looking up at Sirius. "What do you mean?"

"Are you here because of Lily and James?"

A quiet smirk grazed over Lupin's lips, and he clambered to his feet, dusting off his robes. "No. I'm here because I have nowhere else to go."

Sirius shook his head silently, straightening himself as well. "Yes, of course. I'm sure that's all it is. Just like you give up the warmth of the fire for a drafty hallway?"

"Would it be all right if I kept some things to myself for once, Sirius?"

"Whatever could you mean?"

Remus sighed, turning to go back down the creaky stairway. "I simply mean that you always find it appropriate to pry into others' business. I trust you with my life, you know that. But there are some things that I cannot tell even you."

Sirius almost laughed out loud. "This isn't another werewolf secret, is it?"

Lupin rolled his eyes, grasping the banister with one hand. "No. I would tell you if it were that."

Regarding his friend for a moment, Sirius tilted his head to the side slightly. "What is it, Remus? What's eating you?" he asked quietly, his sunken eyes softening considerably.

With a simple shake of the head, Remus dismissed Sirius's question, and disappeared down the stairway.

Sirius sighed to himself, looking around the dark hallway. It had seemed not too long ago that he had stood here, peering into Harry's nursery. James had patted him on the shoulder, and whispered into his ear that he was to be Harry's godfather. Not that long ago, indeed…

Reaching out a thin arm, Sirius grasped the doorknob to one of the rooms, testing it. He pulled away as he found it locked, and bit his lip in thought.

Deciding that some doors were better off left locked, he followed Remus down the stairs.

"Do you remember the time we found the entrance to the kitchen? James got so addicted to those cream puffs the house-elves handed out that we had to tie him down every night so he wouldn't go on midnight-snack hunts!"

Remus snorted loudly into his tea, just as he was about to swallow another drink. Sirius sat across from him, eyes gleaming with mischief at the carefully planned and executed remark. It had always been Sirius's trademark to catch people off guard with his jokes.

"Yes, I remember that. A little too well, really. Lily thought we were insane. She was about to tell Dumbledore that we were attempting to kidnap our best friend!"

"Not like we hadn't already tried that before, anyway."

Remus offered Sirius another cup of tea, shaking his head as he decided it was safe to swallow his own.

"But of course, good times always seem to outlast the bad ones, don't they?" Sirius asked his friend quietly, leaning back in his seat, and lifting the teacup to his lips.

Remus rose an inquisitive eyebrow, glancing up at Sirius. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come off it, Remus. You know I won't let up until you tell me what's been going on with you, lately. I know the full moon is soon, but you've never been this upset about it before."

"Haven't I, though?" Trying to somehow change the subject, Remus turned his head, surveying the still-dying embers of the fire. In one swift movement, he raised his wand and revived it, turning back to Sirius as he felt the warm air drifting towards them once again. "There. Much better, don't you think?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm waiting, Moony."

Sighing, Remus set his teacup on the battered table, lowering his gaze slightly. "Sirius. I know you've never been one to take no for an answer, but I need to ask you right now to simply let me be, for the time. You're always burning with questions, Sirius, and I simply can't answer them right now."

"Why not, Moony? Are we not the last of the Marauders?"

"No, we're not. Despite your deepest desires, Wormtail is still alive. We all agreed on that night that we would forever be Marauders, and I believe there is still substance to Wormtail's character, despite the wrong he may have done."

Sirius looked as though he were about to explode. "WHAT?" he bellowed, rising to his feet. "Remus Lupin! If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were serious!"

"I am."

The quiet affront seemed to calm Sirius slightly, but Remus could still hear the heaving of his lungs as he breathed in angrily. "You're insane," Sirius finally whispered. "Completely crackers."

"Be as it may, I believe it, Padfoot. People are always left with a little good in their lives. After all, you thought I was the spy, did you not? Yet I forgave you unconditionally."

"But…but it's Wormtail, Moony! Wormtail! The one who betrayed Lily and James! The one who left poor Harry an orphan!"

Remus looked up at the furious man, his lips set into a frown. "No. That was Voldemort, Sirius. Peter was merely acting as an aide."

"But Voldemort could never have found them, otherwise!"

Shrugging, Remus lowered his gaze once again. "Perhaps. But Peter didn't know what he was doing. He still doesn't. He's scared."

Sirius smirked, sinking back into his chair. "As he very well should be. If I ever get my hand on him, I swear I'll - "

"Sirius, you kill him, they'll put you right back into Azkaban."

"At least I'll have reason to be there this time!" Sirius clenched his hands into fists, digging his nails into the soft flesh of his palms.

Quietly, Remus looked back at his friend, almost pitying him. "And leave Harry with no one, again? You're his one hope, Sirius. You're the only adult he truly trusts." Seeing Sirius's coming protest, he held up a hand, and continued. "Yes, Dumbledore, McGonagall. He trusts them, too, but they're not the same. McGonagall is a teacher. McGonagall cannot break the rules for him. Dumbledore may, but Dumbledore has several other children to look out for, to protect. You're Harry's, and Harry's alone. He values that, Sirius. You've become a father to him."

Sirius snorted to himself. "A father that can never be there. A father that has to hide from authority and pretend he's a dog."

"But you're still there, Sirius. You're in his mind, just as his real father. But there's one greater difference between the two of you: he knows that he can reach you. He only sees James when danger is imminent. Imagine the associations he must make because of that. James, to him, means death. You, Sirius, you mean life to him. You give that boy hope. You can't throw that away for vengeance." Remus stared at Sirius for a long moment, unflinchingly, even as Sirius rose to his feet, and began pacing the room.

"But Wormtail has to pay," was the only thing to escape Padfoot's lips.

"He already has. He's been put under considerable pain and trials for his mistake, by his own Lord. Perhaps it's better to let Wormtail punish himself, Padfoot. Before we know it, he'll come crawling back to us, begging forgiveness. Then, Sirius, then we can put him in Azkaban. Then you can be free. But if Wormtail dies by your hand, you can never be free. Don't you understand that?"

Running a shaking hand through his matted hair, Sirius nodded silently, letting out a quiet breath. "And Harry would become Voldemort's."

"Exactly."