Life never could be easy, could it?
It wasn't even the next morning that they were attacked. No, it was two hours after they'd finally gone to sleep, and only the complex security spells they'd laid into the building (Sirius' were loud and powerful; Remus' quiet and deadly) had woken them up in time to keep them alive. Or fighting in their boxers.
Remus hadn't decided which would have been a worse option yet.
It was only a small group, hardly a threat, but the fact that the Fidelus Charm had already been discovered was worrying, and that the Death Eaters knew their location more so.
"There's more to the spy. Dumbledore didn't tell anyone, and I don't think even he knew we were performing it tonight!" Sirius grunted out, as he shoved the last of their unconscious attackers into the living room. Remus was quickly packing all essentials into bags, shrinking them as they went.
"Listening spells? Or, if it is Pettigrew, he could be using his Animagus form and wandering in. We don't have any spells up that would keep him from hiding in the corner like that; the wards are already keyed to allow him in as a member of the Order." He closed the pack, and tapped it again with a Feather-light Charm.
"No, we really should look into those, shouldn't we? We need to tell Dumbledore; I don't think we can stay topside now…" Sirius pulled a face, looking over the mess that was their flat. Most of the furniture hadn't survived being used as shields to spells on the far side of legal, and the walls seemed significantly darker than they'd started.
He really hoped that wasn't blood; they would need to clean the place up before they left.
"We'll go meet him at Hogwarts; there wouldn't be any reason to spell the school; classes already started." Sirius snorted a bit in laughter.
"And what kind of Death Eater cares about the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, or who got detention for kissing in the Charms corridor after hours?"
"Sirius, not everyone is sent into Dumbledore's office for your laundry list of complaints. Do you still hold the record for detentions?" Remus finished the last of the bags, and moved to start repairing the couch. Sirius walked to the stain on the wall.
"I'll have you know that I do, and the only one to come close is James. And you're in no place to talk; you only got out of it because you were Teacher's Pet."
"And I'm a better liar than you."
"Not true! You were a terrible liar whenever we asked where you were going once a month!" Remus chuckled, glancing around the room. It looked none the worse for wear, discluding the unconscious Death Eaters tied up in the center of the room.
He scoffed. Only two; apparently they hadn't remembered who they were facing.
"I sent Patronus to the school; hopefully we caught him alone. Is that everything?" Sirius peered around the room. It felt too easy, being attacked by such a small number, and being ready to move on so soon after…
He was nearly deafened with the sound of dozens of Apparitions, moments later.
XxX
Dumbledore's first observation was that the flat was absolutely trashed. The second, that neither Remus, nor Sirius, nor their captives for that matter, were anywhere is sight.
He frowned. Perhaps they'd already left? Sirius' brief message had indicated that they were going into hiding as well, but he'd thought they had some information to pass on first.
Sirius had, or would soon, become the Potter's Secret Keeper. The sooner he could get away, the better.
There were obvious signs of a struggle, burn marks and spatters of blood marring most surfaces in the main room. A quick glance into the kitchen revealed that the fight hadn't spread, but someone had ripped the place apart in a hurry. Papers, utensils and even food from the cabinets lay scattered like fallen soldiers across the floor. He found it hard to believe either of them would leave the place in such disarray, but perhaps in a large hurry…?
He cleared away the mess quickly, and walked towards the bedrooms. Both were empty, save the same kind of chaos he'd found in the kitchen. No signs of fighting here either.
The bedding was in shreds, the mattresses ripped apart like there was some wild animal inside. If he didn't know Remus had ironclad control, he'd suspect this was caused by the wolf. Had one of their attackers been a werewolf? Or perhaps Sirius…? But why destroy things here? There didn't appear to be anything missing from the mattress.
He sighed, looking around again and beginning to repair the damage. He hoped that they had simply flown the coop, too quickly to clean up, but it was starting to look like they'd fled, perhaps chased by a second force. He'd need to assemble the Order and have them on the lookout.
At least this had gotten him out of the castle. He may be a patient man, but one more rant from Argus saying the castle had rats…
XxX
The room was dark, and smelled of mold. He really hated that smell, thought he might have an allergy to it, but he'd had to become used to it for his… job.
Really, he didn't know why he was here; they could do their tasks well enough without him hanging about. And what if one of them saw him, and somehow got word back to the Order…? It would be better to leave.
But his Master thought otherwise; believed he may know some way of getting information out of the captive that they didn't know.
While this was possible, he didn't find it likely; said captive didn't tend to have weaknesses that weren't painfully obvious. He was an astoundingly open person to those who paid even a bit of attention. At least, he himself had always thought so, and what else was he good for but what he thought? He hadn't been recruited for his brains, or his brawn. Just his ability to gather information.
Why not, right? As long as it kept him breathing…
There was a moan, from deeper in the room. Their captive was waking.
He backed into the shadows, as the others crowded forward, faces split into ugly grins.
XxX
Waking up sucked. Dreaming was almost always better then reality nowadays. Waking injured was no better. He was inclined to say it was worse, but at least it brought you out of sleep faster, like ripping off a bandage.
And it was a reminder he was alive.
"Ugh… what did I drink last night?" No laughter, no change in the breathing around him. Which meant that he was much more injured than he'd thought, and deathbed mourners were standing over him, or he'd been captured.
Please let him be dying.
The feeling of chains around his wrists, of cold stone underneath his hands, and the smell of rot said that he wasn't. Unless this was the weirdest hospital ever.
Cold laughter.
"You'll wish you was dyin', soon enough." He'd apparently spoken aloud. Someone leaned in closer, by his ear. He resisted the urge to lean away from the rotting breath.
"Why not make this go faster? We can skip this whole thing, if you tell us where the Potters is hidin'."
Remus grinned sharply, finally opening his eyes and glaring upwards at his captor, a burly man with blackened teeth.
"What makes you think I'll tell you?"
XxX
Sirius awoke, and almost immediately began cursing. It was not for any normal reasons.
He wasn't in a cell. He wasn't injured. He was alone, is a safe house, with most, if not all, of his worldly possessions. His location didn't appear to be know to anyone, especially the enemy.
And this was going to be a major problem.
Because if he was safe and alone, it meant that Moony had not come along for the ride. And there was only one reason he wouldn't have:
He had been taken by the Death Eaters. And Remus was the only thing standing between them and himself, and therefore simply a roadblock to finding the Potters.
He rolled onto his feet, glancing around. The bags they'd packed, somehow shoved into his cloak during the brawl (and that was just a nice way to say wholesale slaughter) lay scattered like so many soldiers around him, shrunken contents falling out of one through a small hole in the side.
He cast his wand at the pile, packing everything back together and flying into the pockets of his cloak.
He sent another Patronus, barely managing not to Apparate right back to the flat to see what, if anything, the Death Eaters had left. He needed to know where they were, and the only one likely to know that was their spy on the other side. And the only one who knew who that was would be Dumbledore.
Thankfully, Dumbledore was much quicker to answer his message this time than last. He looked harried, and had a trace of blood on his robes. Had he been to their flat already?
"Albus. I need to know the location of the Death Eaters base. I know we have a spy. Who are they?" He was shaking with nervous tension, hand twitching towards his wand.
"Sirius, what are you talking about? What happened at your flat?" Albus, to his credit, didn't look like he was going to say no. Or Sirius didn't think so. His mind seemed doused in cold water, unable to fully grasp things like expression. His other senses were in overdrive, dog-half pushing its abilities forward to defend its pack.
"We were attacked. Once, I think, to gauge our strength, or numbers. Or they didn't know who was inside. After I sent you that message, we were attacked again. We were overwhelmed. Remus… I think Remus got me out of there, somehow. A distraction, maybe, and a Portkey. Now, they are going to realize he knows where I am, and I know where the Potters are. We finished the Fidelus charm last night." Now he looked surprised.
"Already? And they already know… The spy can't tell us where their base is, don't you know that? Riddle has a Secret Keeper as well. Sirius, you know I can't allow you to go yourself. We need to get a group together and plan." Sirius was shaking his head, he could feel the sounds of the trees whistling around him.
"Can't wait,; I don't know how long they'll hold him alive, and I don't want him there any longer than necessary. Please…" Something was pressing at the back of his head, a thought.
"The spy… Remus thought it was Peter. That's who he was following when we found the Muggles that poisoned you."
"Sirius, those are serious allegations-"
"We weren't going to say, because… not enough proof. But Peter's a rat."
"That's not-" That wasn't right…
"No, he can be a rat. An Animagus, like me. He turns into a rat." His head felt light, maybe he'd hit it when he'd been transported here? How had Remus managed that, anyway, during the fight?
Had it been Remus? Or was this a trap?
He found his wand pointed at his old Headmaster.
"Sirius?"
"What did you tell us after Halloween in sixth year?" The wand was steady. So was the blue gaze looking back at him.
"I asked you where the rest of your little band was. And I told you that you would make great Aurors if you'd only stop trying to be the ones that Aurors hunt." He and James had been the ones caught that day. Remus and Peter were part of the second part of the prank, and it had been important for Dumbledore and McGonagall to be absent at the time. Slowly, the wand dropped again. He placed it in the holster on his waist, but kept his hand on it.
"Sirius, are you okay?" His head hurt, terribly. Not like a head injury… Padfoot was in overdrive. Emotion was easier as Padfoot.
"No, I… I need to get to Remus. Please… The dog is trying to help. He can't think as well, makes emotions easier."
His vision went grey, and he dropped to all fours, panting. He could smell Remus, but only on him and the throw pillow he only just noticed, lying further away.
Dumbledore crouched down to look him in the eye. He smelled worried. Sirius only registered that on a basic level. The thing in his mind intensified, a beacon of gold where all thoughts about Remus hovered in pale red. The beacon was… pointing towards something? A place? He snuffled the ground, trying to figure out to how to transfer this feeling into his human thoughts.
Dumbledore was talking, a mere buzz in his ears. He shifted back, holding onto the calling he could feel. Wondered what it was. Hoped desperately it was Remus.
"I think I know where he is. But I have to go alone, or I pick the team. I can't trust some of the Order to help."
XxX
For Death Eaters, they weren't incredibly creative in methods of torture, Remus noticed. Crucio spells seemed to be the only things they knew to do. In short doses, at least. They couldn't risk his sanity, couldn't risk him forgetting the information they were seeking.
He could smell Pettigrew here. That was a small pleasure, at least, being right. He'd kept him from being pulled into the circle of trust that James had created for himself, Lily and their unborn child.
They didn't know what to ask him. Where the Potters were, where Sirius was. Things he could keep deep in his mind, away from the part that longed to scream. Sirius would have moved away from where he'd sent him anyway. And he couldn't tell them where James and Lily were, though he used to know the address like the back of his hand. It lay underneath the shimmering layer of magic in his mind.
He could have told them that he'd killed Greyback, hid his body deep in the snow, where only the greatest of hunters would find him until spring, when the ices melted.
He could have told them information from the Order, not secrets but information. People's interactions. His mind was neatly segmented into 'private' and 'un-important.'
He was aware that he would only last so long without screaming out things, only a matter of time until they slipped him a potion, made him talk. He'd spent a long time making sure that when he talked, it wouldn't be anything helpful.
After that, Legilimency was their next logical step, and if that was unsuccessful, they would kill him, and move on to another victim. He hoped that by then Sirius and the Order had found a solution to his capture. Moving safe houses was a logical first step, changing codes and names.
His cell was cold, and empty at the moment. It was one of the breaks he was given, to preserve his mind and at the same time, hopefully making him tell them what they wanted to know. Solitude could be an effective weapon.
Not against someone who spent half their life hiding. But they hadn't thought of that.
They hadn't brought in any higher-up members, which was a bit worrying. They were likely looking for Sirius. He hoped he was well into hiding, but considering who Sirius was, it wasn't likely.
He found his thoughts were scattered. Hopefully it wasn't the curses; that would likely cause permanent damage. Something pushed at the back of his head, radiating a warm silver. When the spells came, he focused on that spot, and felt… safe. Calm.
It was in a spot of warmth, loving feelings that had grown stronger every time he and Sirius had been together. The silver was new, he hadn't felt it before their last night…
The full moon was soon. He hoped he would be running free, one way or another, not locked in a cage.
XxX
He couldn't believe Remus hadn't spoken yet. It would be so much easier than letting himself be tortured. Friends are one thing, but why would he sacrifice himself for them, especially when they had suspected him not long ago?
He thought it might be a werewolf thing, a feeling of pack. But Remus had always shown mastery over the wolf.
He didn't understand. Why did he put others before himself?
XxX
Mad Eye was dubious at best, but willing to listen. There were a few others he could trust, but Alastor was the one he wanted. He'd trained all of them.
"You have a sense of where he is? What the hell, Black." As he spoke, he was standing, tossing off the outer robes he wore, revealing fighting leathers beneath. Dragon hide, resilient to many spells and oddly flexible for such a thick material. Sirius was wearing a set as well.
"I'm guessing it's a werewolf thing. And I don't think Remus knew about it, or he would have said something."
"You sure it's not a trap?" He could feel the weight of the gaze, magical and not, heavy and thoughtful, but not judging.
"Dumbledore can't see it in my head, not that that says much. But… I can't say exactly how I know it's real. I…" He scowled, knowing that this was the key; if Alastor thought he was wrong, he was in this alone.
"Well, if it's a trap, then we'll surprise them. By being more prepared than they are. Let's get Kingsley, and those two teachers from Hogwarts. McGonagall, and Flitwick, he was a Dueling champion. You figured out where this thing is leading you yet?"
"Yeah. An abandoned neighborhood near Dufftown. Not far from the school, oddly enough."
"Got the exact address?" A flash of silver told him that Patronuses had been sent.
"No, didn't want to get too close. It's like a radar blip, or something. Gets stronger the closer I get, so I can't get an exact fix without walking closer. But I have it narrowed down to one street."
"Good enough. We'll likely be swarmed as soon as we get there, so we'll have to move fast, before they catch wind of why we're there are move." The or worse bit was left unsaid. It was the only way Alastor would express his pity for what was going on.
A few minutes later, they had an Auror and two teachers sitting in Moody's living room, grim faced and determined.
"All right, we have a single captive being held in what looks like a residential location, clear of Muggles. We don't know their numbers but they appear low, as earlier scouting didn't reveal anyone nearby." McGonagall was looking at him closely, probably seeing the stress and what was causing it. She was very good at doing that.
"Who's being held there?" Flitwick was focused on Moody, as was Kingsley. Sirius supposed they were both slipping into battle-mode, and Moody was their superior.
"Remus Lupin. He's been there for two days already, so let's not waste time."
"Wait, two days? What took so long?" McGonagall's gaze was sharp.
"I was the only one that knew about it, and I was unconscious at first. After that, I had Dumbledore check my head to make sure that the location I'd gotten wasn't planted for an ambush. Though it's still a possibility. And I scouted the location before I came here. So. Two days." Inwardly, he winced, trying not to think of what they were doing to Remus. Or how long it took for permanent damage from curses to occur.
Remus was strong, and he was going as fast as he could. That's all he could allow himself to think about.
His hands were twitching again. But he felt steady.
As one, they Apparated out of the room, arriving on an abandoned street. It wasn't a large area, maybe twenty homes branching off what was once a thriving thoroughfare and now barely had a single traveler. He didn't know why the place was abandoned, but he guessed it had to do with the Death Eaters as neighbors.
He gestured silently, towards one of the houses. They were all equally silent, following his lead. He hadn't been put in charge for a while, but settled into the role easily. They went along uninterrupted until halfway along the block, when two men walked out of the house on the end.
In seconds, the air was alive with flashes of color, and the two were yelling back to the house for back-up.
"Black! Get in there and get him out! We've got it here!" Moody had settled behind a car on the street. The others were engaged with the enemy, but none of them seemed to be struggling. Whoever had organized Remus' capture hadn't expected them to come.
Or this was a trap.
He got into the house, blasting away anyone who was in his way. Faster than he expected, but most of them were on the street. Not thinking ahead, to leave guards.
There was a door, partially open, leading down to what was probably an indoor root cellar.
He slipped down, listening closely. He could hear breathing, but over the pounding in his ears he couldn't tell if it was one person or fifty.
In the end, it turned out to be two.
Remus was the first thing he saw, standing in the middle of the floor with his eyes closed. A wand was held to his temple.
The man behind him wasn't familiar. Long well-kept hair and expensive robes. Probably a pureblood. He grinned nastily at him.
"Want to put that down?" Remus was breathing shallowly, likely unconscious. He wasn't slumped, though. Perhaps a spell.
He couldn't move, looking at Remus' face. There were random muscles twitching, signs of Crucio being done until the pain made the body incapable of staying calm. With therapy, he could recover.
"Now, unless you want him having a little accident." The man was smug, watching him. He clearly sure he had won. Sirius began to crouch, holding his wand out towards the ground.
Underneath his lids, Remus' eyes twitched.
"Now, hands on your head and eyes closed." He would be Stunned, Sirius knew, and they both would be brought to a new location. This was the plan. They wanted him, knowing that even if Remus didn't talk, he would eventually come for him. Their informant was good at their job.
He wasn't good at casting without touching his wand. Dumbledore could do it, he knew. Remus had, once or twice, but they'd never found a way to effectively teach each other.
He slowly closed his eyes, watching through his lashes as the man loosened his hold on Remus. Just enough to draw his wand away from his head.
Remus' eyes flashed open.
He elbowed backwards, falling forward as the man gasped. Sirius leapt, transforming in the air, landing on the mans chest heavily and baring his teeth. The wand rolled away, into the darkness.
"Sirius?" Remus' voice was weak, but steady. He couldn't hear anything like movement; he might not be able to stand.
He yipped in acknowledgement, but didn't change back. The man was heavier than him; it was only terror at his fangs that was keeping him from fighting.
"Black! Where the hell are you?" Moody was yelling from upstairs, but not long after footsteps were coming down the stairs.
"Lupin? Where's…" McGonagall. Ooh, she was going to be pissed when she realized.
"Move away, I've got him. Black, you have some explaining to do." He stepped away, letting his tongue loll out in a grin. A Stunner flew past him, hitting straight in the chest.
"A cousin of the Durmstrangs, I believe. We got the others, not one that we saw got away. Black, change back. I have no urge to translate Dog." He shifted back, and immediately made his way towards Remus, who had pulled himself against the wall. The place was small, fitted with chains into the walls. Stone floors and walls, likely older than the house itself.
"Are you alright?" The others came down, except Flitwick. He was likely watching the other captives. Remus nodded, slowly, like he could barely lift his head back after each drop.
"We need to get both of you to the Hospital. At Hogwarts, we shouldn't risk this to St. Mungo's. Moody, help me carry Remus. Sirius, are you alright? You look ill." Kingsley was gently lifting Remus off the ground, walking up the stairs. Sirius stood as well, following like a moth to the flame.
Behind him, they were talking of how to get the Death Eaters to… wherever their captives went. The Ministry? Hogwarts? Who knew.
The fireplace was Floo enabled. Kingsley was walking into it as he watched, calling out "Hospital Wing, Hogwarts," and vanishing into green flames.
Sirius already had a handful of powder when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back into blue eyes.
"Black. Do you need medical attention?" His head shook from side to side. He'd been grazed by a few spells, and part of his arm felt wet and warm, but nothing life threatening.
"We've called some more members to help clean up. Wait until then before following them, okay?" He nodded, head heavy. The gold in his mind throbbed.
XxX
Sirius sat watching while Remus lay on the bed, asleep with potions and spells coursing through him, healing the damage the curses had caused.
"They didn't cast too much, probably to keep from causing damage to his memory. That and his lycanthropy… he should make a complete recovery with a bit of therapy. You can both stay here until then, I imagine." Madam Pomfrey stood by him, smiling a bit.
His thoughts felt more focused, the closer he was to Remus. He really hoped this wasn't permanent.
"And after that? Do you think Albus'll have us go into hiding?" She shrugged.
"I don't know. But it seems likely." She turned to leave.
"Oh, he should be awake soon. Let me know the moment he wakes up." She disappeared into her office. Many years of them sitting by each others bedsides, all four of them, had desensitized her to Marauders loitering in her Hospital.
His arm was a bit numb. Madam Pomfrey had coated it with some salve to stave off any infection caused by unknown spells.
"Sirius?" He looked up in surprise, unaware of how long he'd been zoned out.
"Moony! Glad to see you awake. How're you feeling?" Remus tried to sit up, before groaning and flopping back again.
"Sore. Twitchy. Feels like I overdosed on Pepper-Up and then got in a brawl." Sirius snorted, relaxing into his chair.
"So. How'd you find me?" He closed his eyes, thinking back onto the gold in his mind. Absently, he prodded it, and heard Remus gasp.
"That's how. What is it?" He opened his eyes back up.
"I… It may be a mating bond. But that's just a legend…"Sirius leaned forward, grasping Remus' hand on the sheet carefully.
"What's the legend?"
"Just… destined pairs have a, well, bond. It depends on the people involved, the strength of their magical cores and lycanthropy. I suppose your Animagus counts. That's all I know. Most of the stories focused on specific people, legendary wolves that found their mates." Remus looked at him closely, trying to see his reaction.
"Sirius?" He blinked, looking back at him.
"I… okay then."
"That's it?" He nodded slowly.
"Yeah… It's not like you knew about this either. We'll have to look into it." Remus grinned at him.
"We'll have plenty of time. After all, I kinda doubt we'll be staying in the open after this. Frankly, I think we were lucky that nothing went seriously wrong."
"It was a trap." They both looked up to see both Moody and Dumbledore walking towards them. The old teacher looked troubled.
"I thought it might be. They didn't have nearly enough guards." Moody nodded.
"My bet was they were hoping you'd go in alone. The Potters going into hiding, you're the most likely choice for Secret Keeper." He was watching them closely, and it occurred to Sirius that none of them knew, for sure, that he was actually the Secret Keeper.
"The guy that was in the cell was waiting. I bet the whole thing was planned like that. Rem, I'm sorry to say that you were probably bait." Remus snorted.
"They wanted to know where you were. They were hoping I knew where you were. Or James and Lily. They didn't know which of us were the Secret Keeper." He closed his eyes briefly, and Sirius squeezed his hand a bit. The gold in his head strengthened, and seemed to settle a bit. The bond, if that was what it was, seemed to need contact to finish.
"Either of you were probably candidates, considering the rather public retraction of that Remus being a spy nonsense. Regardless, whoever the spy is knew you would be together, and that one of you knew where they were." Moody yanked a chair closer, sitting down heavily and watching them both. Sirius glanced at Dumbledore.
"I know your theory, Sirius, and I will be looking into it. However, as you both probably know, you need to-"
"Go into hiding. We know. We were about to depart when that second wave of attack came at us. But…" Sirius glanced at Remus, unsure how to continue.
"I need medical assistance for the curses. How long can we stay at the school when classes are already in session? For that matter, how have we been here as long as we have without being seen?" Dumbledore pulled another chair up as well, sitting down.
"Hogsmeade weekend. It's Halloween, didn't you know? There are very few students in the school at all, and we've had the paintings watching out for anyone coming this way. As to staying here…" He put his fingers together, considering.
"Both of you have vast experience from Order business. We can have both of you guest lecture in some classes. I'll ask the teachers to look at their lesson plans, and get the elves to set up some rooms for you near here. After that, we can organize a place for you both to go."
"Works for me. Sirius?" Sirius couldn't nod fast enough.
"Chance to stay connected and indoctrinate innocent children? Done!" Sirius was sure Remus would have smacked his if they hadn't been holding hands.
XxX
"We've set a tail on Pettigrew. If you both are correct, it won't be long until we get proof of it and can get him and, hopefully, some of his friends. Meanwhile we've kept him out of the loop on anything important without cutting him off completely. We don't want him to know we're onto him." Moody looked satisfied with all of this. Sirius wanted to move faster, but he could understand their reluctance.
"I could smell him, you know. Back there. He was in the room, hiding in the shadows." Remus didn't open his eyes as he said this, continuing his relaxation exercises. He'd been given regime of physical and mental tasks to go with the potions he was taking to recover.
"Unfortunately, werewolf senses won't hold up in court. Stupid, but true. Maybe in the future we can work on equality. But that's good; it means we're going after the right rat." Sirius nodded, rubbing at his eyes.
"Still stupid. Seriously, we're fighting someone who wants to subdue over half of the human race, and here we are the same thing to a different part. Soon as we can get people to listen, I'm attacking the whole thing."
Remus opened his eyes, looking over at him.
"I'll help. I want to hire you both permanently when you're out of hiding, by the way. You're both good and we'll need people to help the clean-up." Moody stood, using the chair as support.
"I'll leave you both to it." He walked out, quickly despite his rather obvious limp. Remus hoped it wasn't permanent, whatever injury that was causing him pain.
"Remus? You okay? You stopped your weird exercises…" Sirius was leaning close, looking at him with worry. Remus smiled, looking back up at him.
"Yeah. Just distracted. Have you ever heard Moody give someone a compliment before?" Sirius chuckled, but his face didn't clear entirely of concern. He did lean back, though, as Remus continued to move.
"Once, I think. But I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic; it was James, after all." The joke fell a bit flat. The situation felt bleak, despite their relative successes. James and Lily were in hiding, as were at least two other families of good people, driven from their homes because of a threat they couldn't seem to defeat.
People were dying, for no better reason than they were born to the wrong type of people, or for just being in the way, and all many of them could do was hide away to protect those they loved. Remus hated the situation, and knew Sirius did, too.
But what could they do? James and Lily, and their child, when he was born, (Remus knew it would be a boy; something told him it would) depended on Sirius never revealing their location.
And Remus? He was the one thing they would target, when Sirius was gone. Their last link to the Potters, whatever the reason Voldemort had for seeking them out in the first place.
He finished the stretches, but made no move to sit up. He had to focus on the positives, right? They were all alive, that was the major one. Their side had suffered major losses, but those he loved the most were safe. As guilty as it made him feel, that thought was helpful.
He and Sirius weren't at each others throats, far from it. He could teach, his one dream, at the one place that had felt like home through his entire childhood. There were still children to teach. Hogwarts was one of the safest places on Earth right now.
Sirius was watching him, and seemed to relax when he met his eyes.
"It'll be alright, Moony. We're going to get through this, don't forget it."