Okay, here's the next part. There is one more chapter in this story after this. I suppose this chapter could be considered the 'falling action'. It is entirely Sirius' POV. Enjoy!

PART FOUR

The ride on the Knight Bus was long, exhausting and terribly boring. In the seconds Sirius had from throwing out his hand to the moment in which the Knight Bus arrived, he had only barely begun to register what had just happened. He pushed past the teenager greeting him onto the bus, shoving a handful of Galleons at the driver. Without a second thought, he gave the driver the location of the Potter Manor as his desired destination. He took a secluded seat towards the back of the large, purple bus, not wishing to attract attention. The ride was one long brooding session. As much as he wanted to push the events of the night from his mind, flashes of them would not stop appearing before his eyes. He just wanted to get to James'. He wanted to confide in his best mate – tell him everything and in turn, be told that everything would be all right – even if it wouldn't.

Witches and wizards boarded and exited the Knight Bus for what felt like hours. When finally, the driver pulled up to the gate that was so familiar to Sirius, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was more than happy to get off of this bus. He grabbed his trunk, nodded to the driver, and exited the vehicle swiftly. It wasn't until he had reached the door that he realized how incredibly rude it was of him to arrive at the Potter Manor unannounced on Christmas Eve. He could hear voices inside. There were clearly several Potters here. Sirius was lucky James' parents hadn't decided to go away for the holiday. If that had been the case, he would have been truly stranded. Heaving another great sigh, Sirius resigned to knock on the door and simply explain his dire reasons for crashing Mrs. Potter's Christmas Eve party. Surely, she would understand.

He knocked loudly, stepping back to await a greeter. The door opened, revealing two wizened faces he did not recognize. Assuming they were some distant family of James', Sirius greeted them kindly. He smiled warmly, inquiring about James' current location. The two women nodded at him softly, turning from the doorway in search of James. Sirius let himself in, setting his trunk next to the door. He vaguely wondered if he looked as shitty as he felt.

It took nearly no time for James to arrive at the front door. His great aunt had informed him that some 'dark haired hoodlum' was looking for him. He was curious to see who this stranger was. He was shocked to realize that it wasn't a stranger at all.

"Sirius!" he shouted, coming up to his best mate, confusion contorting his face. That look alone confirmed Sirius' earlier suspicions about his appearance.

"Hey, James," Sirius tried to sound casual. He was worried his voice might break as his defenses rapidly fell. "Mind if I, ah, stay the holiday?" He fiddled with the hem of his shirt awkwardly. He wasn't quite sure how to tell his best mate what exactly had transpired earlier that night.

James nodded, beckoning Sirius to follow him up the main staircase. Sirius lugged his trunk behind him slowly. When they reached the safety of James' bedroom, the bespectacled boy turned a concerned expression in Sirius' direction.

"Christmas didn't go as well as you planned, yeah?" James asked in the most casual voice he could muster. The look on Sirius' face screamed rejection.

Sirius shook his head before lowering it to his hands. James sat next to him, laying an awkward hand on Sirius' shoulder. He was sure the boy would not cry, but the comforting gesture seemed necessary all the same. "Wanna tell me about it?" James asked gently.

Lifting his head, Sirius nodded. He knew, if he wished to spend the holidays here – and possibly every holiday until graduation – he would need to explain the details of his situation to James and his parents, though he was sure he could skip the specifics with the latter. After a brief pause in which Sirius gathered himself, he launched into the tale of Bellatrix and Regulus and his mother's rage and his own disowning. He explained how Remus had been dragged into it, but that it wasn't his fault. He begged James to keep this between the two of them. He could not let Remus feel responsible. James swore to oblige. When Sirius was too tired – both physically and emotionally – to say another word, he simply looked at James sorrowfully.

"Well," James said, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily, "You know you're always welcome here. Mum loves you. She'd probably prefer you to live here than at your house anyways." He smiled broadly. "Summer holiday will be great with you around all the time."

At this, Sirius finally cracked a grin. James slung a friendly arm around his shoulder, steering him out of the bedroom. "C'mon," James said lightly, "I've got a great aunt I know will just love you. She's got a thing for long, black hair." With a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, James was bounding down the stairs back into the midst of the party. Sirius followed at a slower pace. He decided to put the earlier events out of his mind – at least for now. It was Christmas Eve, and he was finally where he wanted to be. He wasn't going to let his wretched family ruin anything else for him. Not today, not ever.

In the early hours of Christmas Day, Mrs. Potter organized a bedroom for Sirius to sleep in, encouraging him to stay as long as he needed, whenever he needed. Sirius had not yet had the time to explain to her that he would never again be going home. She left the room, smoothing the bedcover one last time with a benevolent smile on her face. Not even two minutes after her departure, James snuck in. He had a knowing smile on his face and an owl perched on his arm.

"I thought you might want to owl Moony," he said, shaking the owl off of him and onto Sirius's nightstand before taking a seat next to his best mate.

Sirius grinned, practically emitting appreciation through his skin. He stroked the owl gently from his spot upon the bed Mrs. Potter had just spent so much time making for him. "Thanks, James," he said sincerely.

James nodded and stood, heading back out the way he came. "'Night, Sirius."

Sirius lifted a hand in farewell. As soon as the door snapped shut, he turned to his trunk and dug around for a quill and parchment. Talking to Remus was exactly what Sirius wanted to do at that moment, even if it would be a slow reply.

Remus,

I thought I'd let you know that I'm spending the remainder of the holiday at James'. Things didn't work out as well as I know you wanted them to with the family. But it's all right. It's not important. I'm attaching your gift. I hope you like it. This poor owl's got a heavy load. I miss you, Rem. I wanted to come back to school to spend Christmas with you, but I needed to come here. I'm sure you've guessed that I won't be returning to Grimmauld Place again. I think James' mum will like to have me around for the holidays though. She'll really have her hands full, of course. Happy Christmas, Rem.

Love,

Sirius

Feeling satisfied with what he'd written, Sirius tied the parchment to the owl with his gift for Remus. Giving it one last stroke, he opened the window across the room. "Make sure he sends me something back!" Sirius called as the white owl swooped gracefully into the night. He watched it fade into the darkness, his heart lighter than it had been since he'd left Hogwarts.

The next morning arrived faster than Sirius liked to admit. He enjoyed his sleep, even on Christmas morning. The Potters, however, did not seem to share Sirius' enthusiasm for his bed. James was up at the crack of dawn – though he'd only gone to bed a few hours earlier – and he would be damned if Sirius were allowed to sleep any longer with a pile of presents under the tree. Sirius rolled out of bed groggily at James' repetitive insistence. It was easier to join him then try to resist him when he was so bloody excited. He still acted like a seven-year-old on Christmas morning. Sirius wished Lily could see this.

Sirius stumbled down the stairs, rubbing his eyes furiously as he shuffled into the living room. Mrs. Potter was beaming at him from her armchair next to the Christmas tree. James was digging into his pile of presents like it was his sole purpose in life to reach the bottom. Sirius would have chuckled if he wasn't so tired. Mr. Potter was nowhere to be found, but the smell of eggs told Sirius exactly where he was and what he was doing. Mrs. Potter beckoned Sirius forward, holding out a steaming mug of tea. He drank it thankfully.

"We sent your present to your house," she said, smiling brightly, "but the owl seemed to realize you weren't there and turned back halfway. He's just arrived, actually." She patted the family owl affectionately, not realizing the bird had actually flown to Hogwarts and back last night. It must have arrived at some point in time during the party last night, delivering Sirius' present before resting wherever it was that James had found it.

Sirius smiled. "You didn't have to," he said honestly – something he told her every Christmas in his Thank You letter he sent her from Hogwarts. He set down his mug, taking a seat on the floor beside James. Mrs. Potter only smiled, waving her wand at the pile of presents before James. A few parcels flew over his head to rest at Sirius' feet. The boy shared a knowing look with the woman before both rolled their eyes at James' behavior. He did not seem to have noticed Sirius until his mother sent a few of 'his' presents flying away.

"Hey, Siri," he said casually, ripping open another package in the process. The boy could have filled a bathtub with the amount of sweets he'd received. "I think Remus sent you something."

Sirius' heart skipped a beat. He saw the small package with Remus' neat and tidy handwriting on it. It was the perfect size to slip into his pocket. He was not sure if he wanted to open this in front of James' mother. Merlin only knew what might be inside.

Slowly, Sirius peeled back the bright colored paper of the present he knew was from James. Inside was a piece of cloth with moving pictures of bludgers flying every which way. When Sirius lifted them out of the box properly, he saw that they were actually boxers. Well, that was a relief. He wasn't sure how excited he'd be to wear a shirt like that around Hogwarts. It'd make everyone dizzy just looking at it. Under the boxers was a Quidditch magazine with a picture of the seeker from the Holyhead Harpies doing an amazing dive for the snitch, over and over. Sirius rolled his eyes. This woman was James' secret love interest. Maybe he'd slipped the magazine into the box by mistake.

"Thanks mate," he said, clapping James on the back to make sure he heard him. When James looked up from his mountain of sweets, Sirius held up the presents James had given him.

James grinned, peering at the boxers fondly. "Welcome," he said, "And I got you a year's subscription to that magazine. Could be interesting," he finished with a shrug. Sirius smiled. James had just pulled his present out of the pile. Sirius wondered whether he should cover his ears.

As James pulled the paper off of the thin parcel and removed its top, he gave a loud whoop of excitement. "Tickets to see the Harpies!" he shouted, standing from the floor to envelop Sirius in an incredibly unmanly hug. "Bloody brilliant!"

Sirius shrugged at Mr. Potter as he entered from the kitchen to see what James was screaming about. He shook his head before returning to the kitchen. "Two tickets, mate," Sirius explained when James had taken his seat on the floor once more. "Take whoever you like." James punched him, muttering something about Sirius being a 'stupid git' for thinking he'd want to take anyone else but him. Sirius chuckled. The next present James lunged for resulted in an even more comical reaction. It was Remus' present, which Sirius had helped pick out. It was a pair of boxers identical to the ones James had bought for Sirius, except that they had snitches zooming all over them. James positively beamed with happiness. It was just the sort of thing James would love, making the fact that James had bought Sirius a similar pair just that much more entertaining.

After a few moments of beaming, James said quietly to Sirius, "Shouldn't you be jealous that your boyfriend is giving me underwear for Christmas?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, smiling slyly. Sirius made a playful swing at him, catching him in the ear. James shrunk away, holding his ear defensively. "Git," he muttered as he shoved one last package at Sirius. "It's from Mum and Dad," he informed. James didn't seem to know what it was.

Sirius opened it carefully, turning just far enough from James that he couldn't see it. Inside, he found tickets to the exact same Quidditch match he had bought for James. He and Mrs. Potter laughed simultaneously.

"Great minds think alike," she said from her armchair. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"We can bring Pete and Remus now," Sirius said, finally showing James what the Potters had gotten him. James looked outraged.

He turned to his mother, "You bought him tickets to see the Harpies and not me? Ridiculous!"

Sirius and Mrs. Potter laughed harder. "Well," she said in her defense, "I assumed he would bring you."

"You should never leave something as important as this to an assumption," James reprimanded, "Besides, he'd definitely bring Remus, just to spite me." Sirius smiled sheepishly.

"I guess it's a good thing we have four tickets then, isn't it?" he concluded.

It wasn't until later that night, after two delicious, hearty meals and a long conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Potter about the specific details of Sirius' situation that he was given the chance to open Remus' gift. It was with a light heart that he did so, having just received a loving hug and several assurances that the Potters would 'positively love' to add him to the family.

He peeled the plain, brown paper back carefully, as he sat upon his new bed in his new bedroom. He was careful not to rip the paper in any places. When the neat, unfolded square of paper lay beside him, he took the cover from the thin package. Inside was a perfectly folded piece of parchment. He lifted the letter from the box, placing it aside to peer at what was below it. It looked like… a mirror. He was confused now. Maybe, it would be best to read Remus' letter first. Like the paper on the package, he opened the letter very carefully.

Sirius,

That bloody owl of yours won't leave until I give it your present. I bet you told him to do that, didn't you? Well, I opened yours when it arrived. I couldn't help myself. I loved it, Sirius, I really did. I'd ask where you got all those pictures from, but I'm not sure if I really want to know. I remember James or Peter taking some of them, but others… Are you stalking me, Mr. Black?

I'm so sorry about your family, Siri. We'll talk when you get back. This isn't exactly the right way to discuss the matter. Just know that I love you and your family never deserved you in the first place. The Potters are lucky people, but yes, Mrs. Potter will certainly have her hands full with both you and James for a whole summer. Please don't destroy her house, at the very least.

I'm sure that you've looked at your present by now. You always open the present before the card, no matter how many times I try to explain proper etiquette to you. And you call yourself a 'well-mannered Pureblood'! I don't believe it. Well, yes, it's a mirror. But it's not just a mirror. Look into it and say my name. Go ahead, try it. Love you, Padfoot.

Moony

Sirius put the letter down, suddenly feeling giddy. With a great smile on his lips, he grasped the mirror from its packaging. "Remus Lupin!" he cried into it. Suddenly the mirror reflected what looked like a red blanket or curtain of some sort. "Remus?" Sirius called timidly, wondering if the mirror had been broken on its way to him.

Then he heard something. It sounded like… Peter?

"Oy, Remus! Sirius finally opened your present!"

"Peter?" Sirius asked as the plump boy picked up the mirror from its resting place that Sirius now assumed had been Remus' bed.

"Hey, Sirius," Peter waved in greeting, grinning. "Remus just jumped into the shower. He's been carrying this bloody mirror around all day waiting for you to use yours." Sirius peered at him sheepishly. "Figures, you'd finally open it the one time Remus puts it down." He chuckled.

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't have much free time. I didn't know what it was." He paused looking at Peter slyly. "You could always just… slide me into the bathroom, you know."

Peter laughed. "No need," he said, "He's right here," Peter turned the mirror. Sirius could see Remus, fully dressed in his pajamas, toweling his hair down. His breath caught in his throat. It felt like forever ago that he and Remus had last seen each other.

"Hey, Sirius," Remus said, beaming at him as he grabbed the mirror away from Peter. "How are you?"

Sirius hadn't quite found his voice yet. After several seconds of silence, he blurted out, "This is bloody brilliant, Remus!" Remus laughed.

"I thought you'd like it." Sirius nodded profusely. "Go get James," Remus continued, "I'd like to say thank you for his lovely present." Again Sirius nodded. He dropped his mirror to the bed, calling for James loudly as he walked to his door. A few seconds later, both boys reappeared in the mirror. "Hey, James!" they heard Peter call from the background of Remus' mirror as a pudgy hand appeared from behind Remus' head.

"Hey, guys," James said, looking at the mirror quizzically. "Is this safe, Sirius?" James asked, his mind immediately jumping to pictures of that Dark Lord everyone was so afraid of getting a hold of the mirror. For his comment, he earned another punch in the ear. He shook his head at Sirius. He never understood why he always went for his bloody ears!

Remus smiled rolling his eyes at the black-haired boys. "Thanks for the chocolate, James."

James' entire demeanor changed. "Anytime, Rem. What is this thing anyways?" He had flipped the mirror over to inspect the back of it, allowing Remus and Peter to see nothing but a bedspread.

"It's a two-way mirror," Remus replied, as James righted his mirror again. "Say the name of the person in possession of the other one, and you'll be able to communicate." He waved his arm, indicating the conversation they were having at that very moment. James nodded, his facial expression betraying his silence. Remus knew he was plotting. As James opened his mouth to speak, Remus cut him off. "Yes, James, you can borrow it," he paused as a devilish smile graced James' lips. "BUT that does NOT mean you can sneak it into Lily's dormitory!" Immediately, James' face fell.

Sirius laughed openly, grabbing the mirror away from James. "Can I sneak it into your dormitory, Mr. Lupin?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Remus' only response was a small chuckle and an exasperated shake of his head. "Well," Sirius said loudly, hoping Peter could hear him as well. "I'd like to speak with my boyfriend privately now. So… James, Peter, bugger off!"

"All right, all right," James said, backing out of the room. He peeked over his shoulder to shout a quick gratitude at Remus for the snitch boxers. Again, Remus laughed.

At Sirius' insistence, Remus turned the mirror to show him that Peter had indeed descended the stairs into the Common Room. When Sirius was satisfied that no one was listening in on their conversation, he spoke in a solemnly serious voice.

"I'll get to visit you a lot more during holiday now," he shrugged trying and failing to manage a genuine smile. He knew he could let his guard down to Remus, if no one else. He knew Remus understood. He wouldn't be pitied by Remus, but he would be comforted. That was all he wanted.

Remus lay back on his bed, levitating the mirror over him so he didn't have to hold it. His brows knitted together in thought. He knew Sirius was trying to be tough, but he also knew what Sirius wanted. "You know you're better off now, Sirius," he said, lowering his voice in a comforting gesture. "You don't have to be subjected to their abuse anymore. And you'll fit in perfectly with the Potters." He offered Sirius a small smile.

"I know, Rem," Sirius's defenses were stretched thin. "But you should have seen her. She had me against a wall by my neck. I think, had the whole family not been there, that she would have killed me." Remus did not doubt it.

"Isn't it just that much better now that you don't have to deal with any of that?" Remus reasoned, "I know they're your blood, but blood doesn't make a family. They have never been a family to you." Sirius nodded. As always, Remus was right and there was no denying it.

"Regulus was in on it," he said suddenly, realizing he had not shared this piece of information with Remus previously. "He and Bellatrix were in on this together. That's why Regulus asked me to come home. They planned this." His voice broke and he stopped. His own brother had him disowned. It was worse than anything else. Just admitting it out loud made it feel ten times worse. Remus was silent, having no idea what to say. He had no siblings, but even if he did, he didn't think he'd understand the betrayal Sirius was feeling from Regulus at that very moment. Remus vowed, silently to himself, to get revenge. For Sirius. Sirius was far too rash, but Remus was careful and clever. They would never know he had done a thing.

"Just sleep, Siri," Remus said gently. "Sleep and we'll talk again tomorrow. I'll see you in just a few days." He smiled warmly. "I love you."

"Love you too, Rem."

Okay, there you have it! In case there's any confusion, Sirius' gift to Remus was a photo album. Andddddd... the final chapter should be out over the next few weeks. I'm still tweaking it to make it exactly what I want it to be. Thanks for sticking by me!