Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
~ Blackbird- The Beatles
Remus waited impatiently for Madam Pomfrey to finish her examination. He was anxious to see Sirius. When he tried to recall what happened, nausea threatened to overwhelm him. He could vaguely remember feeling very angry at one point about something and lashing out at Sirius. The canine cry of pain still rang in his ears. He felt like crying. He had hurt Sirius, just like he had tried to tell them he would. He had hurt the one person he loved most, when he had said he wouldn't.
It seemed like forever before he was released. He rushed from the room. It was lunchtime and the halls were filled with students headed to eat. Remus shoved his way through the crowds, holding back panic. James hadn't been to see him. Did that mean they finally saw the truth of how dangerous he was? He tried to shake the thought off. James and Sirius would never just abandon him without talking to him first. When the crowds thinned, he raced up stairs and down hallways. He ignored the calls to slow down.
He nearly sobbed with relief when he saw the Fat Lady. Shouting the password, he jumped through and up the stairs, calling Sirius' name. He flew through the door, finally pausing to take a breath. Sirius lay on his bed. He was on his back, one arm thrown over his face and one leg out from under the covers. With a muffled cry, Remus staggered over to him and stared at the bandage on his shoulder.
Hearing his name, Sirius stirred and smiled sleepily up. He stretched and winced, looking down surprise. He sat up and raised a hand to his shoulder. Worried, he turned to find Remus almost in tears. Without a word, he pulled the boy down beside him on the bed and held him close, pressing kisses to his face.
"I'm ok, Moony. I'm fine." Remus traced the edge of the bandage. He opened his mouth to speak and found he had to swallow a lump.
"It's all my fault. If I wasn't such a monster." Sirius turned his body so he was half on top of the smaller boy. He gave him a hard kiss.
"Don't… ever… say… that… again… Remus… Lupin." He ground out between kisses. He delved his tongue between Remus' teeth while slipping his hand up his shirt. Remus moaned and ground helplessly against the other boy as Sirius raked his fingernails over his stomach, bringing the shirt over his head. Sirius flung the offending article away and made his way slowly, torturously down Remus' neck. All the while he whispered all the reasons why he wasn't what he thought he was. He brushed the back his hand over the growing bulge, making Remus throw his head back, bucking his hips. He slipped a finger under the band of Remus' pants and pulled once before running it back up his waist.
Remus cried out when Sirius lowered his head to nip at a nipple before lavishing it with his tongue. He did the same to the other. Seeing stars, Remus reached out blindly for something to hold.
"Ow. Ow ow ow." Sirius fell onto his back, clutching his shoulder. Remus sat up quickly.
"Oh, god, I'm so sorry, Padfoot!" Sirius gave a weak chuckle as he took in the disheveled werewolf.
"We may need to take a rain check on that." Remus stared at him for a moment before he started laughing. Sirius joined in and pulled him back down. Remus tucked his head into Sirius' uninjured shoulder, reveling in the feel of Sirius' arm wrapped around him. He listened as Sirius' breathing deepened and evened out. He smiled and closed his eyes.
Sirius woke to the smell of chicken. His mouth watered at smell. He opened his eyes and saw Remus carrying a loaded plate. He sat up quickly, reaching for the plate.
"Oh thank Merlin." Remus laughed as he started shoveling down the food.
"What? No thanks?"
"Tank oo!" Sirius said around a large chunk of chicken. Remus wrinkled his nose and playfully cuffed him on the head.
"Chew your food! You missed dinner. Figured you might be hungry." He plopped down across Sirius' legs and stared up at the ceiling.
"James found out who helped you out last night. He said it was Emily Greenleigh." The fork holding his last bite stopped halfway to his mouth.
"Emily? That's odd. I never would have guessed her in a million years. She always seemed too shy." Remus sat up and set Sirius' plate on the side table. He picked up the vial and went to play doctor. The cut looked less red than it had that morning but the sight still made Remus' stomach roil. Quietly, he applied the balm and redressed it. He placed a light kiss to it and moved to stand. Sirius grabbed his arm. He understood his Moony well enough to know that he was blaming himself.
"It's not your fault, Moony." Remus nodded but said nothing. Sirius sighed in frustration. Were all werewolves this stubborn or was he a special case? He opened his mouth but was interrupted when the door to the room flew open with a bang. James and Lucas entered, both looking equally murderous. Lucas slammed the door behind him.
"I'm telling you, Potter. Stay away from my sister. She's nothing to do with you!" The pair stood toe to toe. Remus and Sirius stared, openmouthed at the scene. Lucas and James were the same height and the tension was palatable.
"All I did was try to talk to her about last night."
"There's no need. She can help on the moon, that's fine. But outside of that, she's off limits. You're just bad news."
"Bad news? Need I remind you that she sought us out? Not the other way around!"
"Emily's too sweet for her own good. It only gets her into trouble."
"What? Afraid that I might corrupt your precious sister? Maybe take her into the broom closet for a quickie?" Quick though he was, James was unable to dodge the punch. He fell to the floor. He spat and saw blood. He looked up at Lucas, whose voice got soft with a hard edge. Sirius gulped when he saw the normally bright purple irises darkened to nearly black.
"There are reasons for everything we do that you're spoiled ass will never be able to understand, Potter. Leave her be!" With that, he left the room. Remus helped James sit up, examining his cut lip.
"I'm fine, Moony." He stood and crossed to the window, staring out at the darkening sky.
"So don't leave us in suspense, mate. What brought all this on?"
"I stopped Emily downstairs to ask about last night. She promised she would tell. I think she was going to, too! If not for that brother of hers!" He swung around.
"He comes out of nowhere and drags me up here, muttering about corruption and consequences." Sirius crossed to the window, opening it a crack. He used his wand to light the tip of a cigarette and took a deep drag, staring into the darkness. Remus lifted an eyebrow at him. It had been awhile since Sirius had felt a need for tobacco.
"He was talking about the consequences of being of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses." He rubbed a hand absently over the small scar on his hip. Remus and James exchanged glances. Talking about the Most Ancient and Noble Houses was always touchy. Sirius liked to downplay everything about his family, playing off the abuse he was subjected to over the summer. It was silent for a moment as Sirius collected his thoughts. The tree gathered in the large window sill. Remus lit his own cigarette and passed it to James. Sirius stared at the orange glowing tip of his as he spoke.
"The Most Ancient and Noble Houses are the oldest and purest houses out there. James, you're pure but your family isn't as old. That makes the difference to us. Our families have customs and traditions that must be upheld. We are dedicated to the purity of our blood, which is why so many of them follow Voldemort."
"The Greenleigh family is older even than the Blacks. Everyone scrapes and bows to please them. Nary a move is made without their say so. It's said that not even the Minister of Magic will do anything without consulting them. Emily and Lucas are just pawns in a bigger game. Lucas, as the heir, is to assume the role of his father upon his death. Emily's life is even more meaningless. She will be sold to the highest bidder to make an alliance, gain power, or any other number of reasons. She's female and therefore nothing more than chattel. Used to advance the House of Greenleigh."
"Being in Gryffindor is a sin for which I am sure they are punished. Lucas is probably trying to protect Emily by keeping her from making friendships."
"But why? It's barbaric!" Sirius looked at James and shook his head.
"James, I know Everett Greenleigh. He's mad. He delights in other's pain. Those two having friends of any kind would allow him to have Christmas morning early."
~Fast Forward a few weeks~
Emily twirled a lock of hair as she studied the Arithmancy problem. She sat in the library, not noticing the lateness of the hour. It wasn't until Madam Pince came through, yelling at the few students left to get out, that she realized that she had missed supper. She had been trying to distract herself from the fact that tomorrow she was to return home for Christmas break.
She was so intent on the thought, that she didn't notice someone following her until it was too late. Her cry for help was muffled against the hand pressed to her mouth. She was yanked into a dark cove. It wasn't until she was pressed hard against the cold stone wall that she saw it was Thomas Avery. She stiffened when he pressed against her, thankful that she held her Arithmancy book to her chest.
"Hello, Emily. Fancy meeting you here." Emily tried to push him away.
"Leave me alone, Avery." She commanded with a tone that her brother described as her Princess Emily voice. Avery made a tsk-tsk sound and pushed her more firmly against the wall.
"Come, come my dear. That's no way to speak to your future husband." She fought to hold back nausea. Fear coiled its way around her heart when she felt his hands on her hips start to slowly move southward.
"I'll never marry you, you snake!" She pushed at him harder, making him laugh. He yanked her forward, gripping her tightly by her upper arms. She struggled.
"Don't be so sure about that, my dear. I intend to speak with your father very soon on the subject." She gasped and forcefully pulled away from his embrace. His laughter followed her down the hall, ringing in her ears. She walked as quickly as she dared. When he was out of sight, she raced to the nearest bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. Then she merely curled herself into a ball and wept.
A/N: The next chapter I am going to jump through time quite a bit. Please review if you liked it. Or if you hated it.
