Chapter 4: A Detour Home.

Lupin hovered precariously at the edge of the city, not really wanting to get seen by anyone from the Order. Technically he was supposed to be going strait home to Headquarters, but he'd decided he may as well kill two birds with one stone and get Sirius some underwear.

Lupin walked into the muggle shop across the road, and looked around cautiously. 'The Death-Eaters could be anywhere.' Lupin collected Sirius' underwear and left the shop, to a small ally round the back, where he dissipated, reappearing a few seconds latter in a small, dingy room, that was lighted by only a few, low burning candles.

Lupin waited for a few minutes, then growled a quiet welcome to the man that entered through the open door to his left. "You did as I asked then?" he said, pulling the shrunken scrolls from his pocket, and handing them over. "Dumbledore will be pleased." he added quietly, a hint of predatory hunger in his voice. 'Soon…'

His associate nodded, unfurling the scrolls. "Hmm, looks like Dumbledore knows what he's talking about. Shouldn't be long now before we've got them right where we want them."

"Yes. I think that Dumbledore's almost ready to move in. Should be ready to move in within the week. Then hopefully this whole damned war will be over."

His companion nodded, and reached over to shake Lupins hand, slipping a small piece of parchment into it. 'Better safe than sorry.'

Lupin slipped the note in his pocket, surreptitiously concealing the fact that he had suddenly realised he was partly transforming. The full moon wasn't for at least another three weeks, but lately he'd been having trouble with his changes, which seemed to be carrying after-shocks, and prior-effects, in the times leading up to and after the full moon.

He'd hoped no-one had noticed, as Sirius was likely to go to Dumbledore on his behalf, and the last thing Lupin wanted was for Dumbledore to be overly worried about him when they were getting so close to ending this war.

Lupin nodded to the man before him, who was refolding the scrolls and shoving them in his pocket, before turning and apperating back to the ally behind Number 12 Grimauld Place, and quietly letting himself in the back door.

Lupin slipped up the stairs and into his room, where he found Sirius already waiting for him.

"You're late. Where've you been?"

Lupin grinned, and chucked Sirius his clean underwear. "Getting you some clean washing, and some more laundry detergent."

Sirius grinned at him. "Aww Remus. You shouldn't have. Anyway, I'm not wearing any at the moment, cos I put them out in the wash. But then I realised we didn't have any laundry powder."

He leaned over and pulled Lupin onto the bed, dislodging his hands from his pockets. "Hey! You never told me you were having trouble with your transformations! How long has this been happening!?" he asked, grabbing Lupins wrists and holding them at eye level.

Lupin scowled inwardly. 'Dammit Sirius! Stop worrying about me!' "Oh, not long. Since the last full moon. It's happened before. There's nothing to worry about." Lupin smiled. "Honestly Sirius! Stop looking at me like that! It's not painful, if that's what you're worried about!"

"No. I just didn't think it was possible for werewolves to even partly transform without the full moon. Especially since you're taking wolfsbane."

Lupin leaned over, and kissed him, carefully extracting his wrists from Sirius' grasp, and pushing him back on the bed. "I'm fine, really." he whispered, brushing Sirius' long hair behind his ears, so it was out of his eyes. "Now how about you stop worrying about me, and try on those new underwear I brought you?"

Sirius grinned in a secretive way. "But I don't want to wear any at the moment. I'm actually quite comfortable without any."

Lupin laughed at him. "Sirius! Do you always have to be so blunt! No wonder Molly doesn't like you!" He teased, ruffling Sirius' hair, just to annoy him.

"Oi! Moony! Stop that!"

"Or what?"

Sirius smiled in a strange way. "Or I'll tell Molly you ambushed me in the hallway and did unspeakable things to me on Harry's bed!"

Lupin froze, a slightly shocked look on his face. "You wouldn't dare."

"And since when have I ever been one to turn down a dare from anyone?"

Lupin still looked slightly scared about the prospect of Molly thinking he'd done that, and he was sure that Sirius would twist the story even more by throwing in some rather vulgar details that Molly probably did not want to know.

"Sirius! You are unbelievable! I can't believe you would actually tell Molly that I did that… Then again, you probably would… It's you, after all, and at the moment I'm not too willing to put anything past you."

Sirius just grinned at him and messed up his hair.

Lupin scowled at him. "Git"

"Bastard."

"Mutt."

"Bitch."

Lupin hit him. "Am not!"

"Are too! You've always been a bitch! Even James said so!"

"And what did James know about it?"

"Actually a lot more than you think… Bitch!"

"Kamikaze."

"Damn straight!"

"You're impossible!"

"I know."

"You know, you are so infuriating! And stubborn! And immature!"

Sirius grinned roguishly at him. "Yeah… But that's what you like about me, isn't it?"

Lupin chucked a pillow at him. "You are unbelievable! Sometimes I don't know why I go out with you! You're crazy! And so damn attractive…"

Sirius grinned, and ruffled his hair again. "Yeah. Well, I guess crazy and attractive just come hand in hand these days, don't they? Must be why you're so damned good looking! Cos you're insane!"

Lupin pushed him off the bed. "Shut up you!" he got up and walked over to the door. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to have a shower." he grinned. "Without interruption." he said, heading out to the bathroom, and closing the bedroom door behind him.