Anno: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

A/N: This chapter, by the way, is my favorite so far. Coincidentally, I think it's also the shortest.


"Don't even tell me not to come tonight."

"Excuse me?"

Sirius' eyes never strayed away from the broom he was polishing, and his expression never changed. "I said, don't tell me not to come to the shack tonight. You know fully well I won't listen. So you might as well save your breath now, and your anger tomorrow."

Remus shook his head, half tempted to just leave the room again, but he didn't. Usually, if James and Pete weren't around, he would have left, but he'd gotten better about not openly avoiding Sirius. "You have some nerve, Black."

"It would be wonderful, too, if you could start calling me Sirius again. Maybe even Padfoot." Still, Sirius had not looked up from his broom. If he had, he might have laughed at the look on Remus' face. He continued. "I also think it's about time the four of us start sitting together during classes and meals again. We can sit on opposite ends, if you like. I'd be willing to make that compromise."

Remus set his bag on the foot of his bed, staring at Sirius, thinking that maybe he had finally lost it because Sirius couldn't really be saying all of this. When he made no verbal response, Sirius finally looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Well?"

"You're not really in a position to be demanding anything from me," Remus told him, and he could swear that Sirius smiled faintly.

"This has gone on long enough-"

"It's been two months!"

"And if one of us doesn't start demanding something, things will never change."

Remus laughed once, coldly. "Oh. You want demands? I can do that."

"No, Rem," Sirius said gently, and his attention went back to his broom. "We've all been friends for over five years, and I refuse to let my mistake ruin it for all of us."

"Then you should have thought about that when you sent Snape to me, and James had to save him."

"Merlin, Remus!" Sirius exclaimed, and his broom was now forgotten, Sirius' practiced resolve shattered. Sirius was on his feet, stepping towards the other boy. "It was a mistake. I fucked up, I get that, and I am so sorry. I can't keep apologizing if you won't accept it. I never meant to hurt you, and I will regret that I did until the day I die. Why won't you let me make it up to you?"

Remus backed away from Sirius, matching the boy's steps. Finally, Sirius had Remus backed against the wall. Maybe this was the only way to make Remus understand… force him to react somehow.

Sirius stepped closer so that he was invading Remus' space, stepping closer until his hands were on Remus' shoulders and he had the werewolf pinned to the wall.

"Get off of me," Remus said, quietly.

Sirius shook his head, moving closer still, and wondering what Remus would do if he just kissed him. Even Sirius was smart enough to know that was a bad idea.

When his lips were next to Remus' ear, he whispered, "Be angry with me."

He could feel Remus' body shiver, and he didn't know if it was from sorrow or anger, and he didn't really want to know right now.

"I am angry."

"You're not. Be angry, Remus. Yell at me. You want me off of you? Push me off. Hit me. Do something, anything, to make yourself feel better."

Remus' hands remained at his side, and he was concentrating on not balling them into fists. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Liar."

"I wouldn't hurt you to make myself feel better," Remus insisted. "I'm not like you."

Sirius' eyes closed, but he didn't let Remus know this statement had hurt him. "You don't want to make me feel just a little of the hurt you've been feeling for the last two months? You don't want to make me pay?"

He knew, at any other time, that Remus wouldn't react. But the full moon was tonight, and Sirius wasn't talking to Remus. He was appealing to the wolf that he could hear in Remus' voice, that he could see just behind Remus' eyes, that he could feel tensing Remus' muscles.

"No," Remus practically growled. He was fighting the very creature Sirius was provoking.

"I could have made you a murderer, gotten you kicked out of the school, maybe even gotten you killed." He hesitated, knowing his next statement would be the worst lie he ever told, but it would get a reaction from Remus. "And you know what, if I had the chance to go back and change that night… I don't think I would. I'd do it all over again."

That hit the right chord. He felt Remus' whole body tense and barely had time to brace himself before Remus brought his hands up and shoved Sirius as hard as he could. The taller boy was thrown off balance and landed on the floor, but he was on his feet again in a second.

"If I had told him just five minutes later, then maybe James wouldn't have gotten to him in time."

"Stop it!" Remus shouted. "You don't mean that!"

"Then Snape would finally be gone… and maybe you would finally come to terms with what you really are."

It hurt Sirius enough just to say these things, but the look that Remus gave him after that remark nearly broke his heart. "If the wolf had killed Snape, you wouldn't be able to deny that the wolf is you… not a separate entity inside you."

Remus swung and hit Sirius squarely on the jaw. It forced him to back away, and it hurt like hell. Sirius knew that the punch had probably been the only way Remus could think of to keep Sirius from closing in on him again, rather than a reaction to his words, but he supposed those helped. Remus never lashed out like this, and Sirius knew it was the wolf reacting. Instinct was forcing Remus to fight.

"I am not my curse!" Remus shouted at him, and he surprised Sirius by stepping forward. His eyes had gone slightly yellow, and while it was Remus talking, it was the wolf's anger he was feeding off of. When he was close enough, he shoved Sirius again, and Sirius didn't fight it. He wanted Remus to react like this, to let go and finally allow himself to be angry.

Later, when they had both calmed down, Sirius would tell him that he was not his family and he would never hurt Remus on purpose. Then he would assure the boy that the wolf was in fact separate from him, and then maybe they could start forgiving each other. But for now, Sirius just wanted Remus to show him how he felt.

When Remus moved his hands to shove Sirius again, Sirius grabbed his wrists, holding him steady and forcing Remus to look at him. They stood still for a long time, not moving, barely breathing.

When Remus finally closed his eyes and sank to the ground, Sirius followed. He pulled the small body close and just held him. It was the only way he could let Remus know that he was there, and he wasn't going to leave. It didn't matter how angry Remus was, or even what Remus was; Sirius would always be there.

They were still huddled together like that when James found them, and hour later. He looked between Sirius and Remus, and said quietly, "The moon'll be up soon."