Chapter 8
Remus twisted round at the sound of Snape's comment and gave a rather unmanly squeak. He reached blindly for something to cover himself with, neatly dislodging Sirius from the bed in the process.
Sirius, never particularly modest, casually picked himself up off the floor and walked to the wardrobe. "And to what do we owe this intrusion?" he asked icily.
"As the most recent addition to the collection of Headmaster's portraits, it is my honour to request your presence, and that of Lupin's before Professor McGonagall."
"Oh, you're the new errand boy," Sirius replied with a nasty smile.
"Sirius," Remus warned.
Sirius turned back to Snape and smiled again. "Fine, please be so good as to run along and tell Professor McGonagall that we will be with her shortly."
Snape sneered at him. "I may be at the beck and call of the staff of Hogwart's, but I am not at yours." With that he swept from the room, leaving Sirius and Remus to make themselves presentable.
"Look on the bright side," James commented. "We're young and gorgeous again, and he's old and just as ugly as he ever was."
"You don't seem surprised to see him here," Remus commented.
"McGonagall doesn't make idle threats," James replied. "She said he didn't have a portrait yet, so it was only a matter of time."
-o-xXx-o-
"Ah, there you are," Professor McGonagall said as they entered the painting with the bench once more. She finished writing something on the parchment on her desk and gave a longsuffering sigh.
"I suppose you both know why you're here?" she asked.
"It wasn't our fault," Sirius muttered sulkily. "We lost our clothes."
McGonagall raised an amused eyebrow. "And you had no other choice but to streak through the castle?"
"Exactly!"
"Mr Black, you are an animagus," McGonagall reminded him. "Did it not occur to you to transform during your journey?"
"Remus can't transform."
"Remus could have waited somewhere out of sight – there are plenty of places within the paintings – until you returned with clothing."
Remus cast a look at Sirius out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of that. He found it even harder to believe that Sirius had forgotten the most obvious solution to their predicament.
But of course, he hadn't forgotten, had he?
The easy way out of their problem wasn't as daring and amusing. There was no risk of being caught. It wasn't the Marauder way.
"I forgot," Sirius lied. He shrugged his shoulders and cast his face downwards. Remus knew that McGonagall knew as well as he did that it was to hide his amusement rather than a sign that he was sorry.
McGonagall sighed again. "Try not to let it happen again," she advised. "The last thing I need to hear over breakfast is tales of naked marauders streaking through the school."
"It won't," Remus promised, nudging Sirius with his elbow to encourage him to say likewise.
"Very well." McGonagall nodded approvingly. "You may leave Mr Black."
Sirius shot Remus a look of curiosity. Remus shrugged in reply, he had no idea why Sirius was being excused while he was forced to stay.
"It's nothing for you to worry about," McGonagall told him. "This is with regard to Remus's…er…family."
"Oh."
"It's all right," Remus interrupted. "Sirius knows. I'd like him to stay."
McGonagall nodded and waved them to take a seat on the bench. "Remus, I hope you don't mind, but I took it upon myself to make some enquiries about your son after I was made aware of your presence here."
"You have?"
"Since neither yourself nor Nymphadora survived the battle, I assumed you would be concerned for the boy."
Remus nodded slowly. "Harry agreed to be his godfather."
"So I'm told," McGonagall replied. "However, Harry is very young and has no experience in raising children."
Remus chewed on his lip as he continued to nod.
"Teddy is in the care of Andromeda Tonks."
Remus let out an audible sigh of relief. "He's doing all right, isn't he?"
"You can see for yourself," McGonagall told him with a kindly smile. "You can come in now," she called towards the door.
Remus gripped Sirius's hand tightly as the door opened, revealing Andromeda and Teddy.
"Remus," Andromeda greeted him with a sharp nod as she approached the painting. "Sirius."
Remus seemed to be stuck to his seat, at least until Sirius gave him a nudge, urging him forward.
He approached the frame to the real world and looked down at where his son was being held in his grandmother's arms. "He's grown so much," he whispered.
"It's been nearly six months," Andromeda reminded him. "As you can see, he's quite well."
Remus nodded and waggled his fingers at his son. "Hi there, Teddy. Do you remember me?"
Teddy gurgled a little smiled back at him.
"Do you remember me?" he asked. "I'm your Daddy. Do you remember?"
Of course the baby was too young to reply, but if Remus wanted to believe that his lively movements were a nod of agreement, no one wanted to tell him differently.
Sirius gave Remus a few minutes before he joined him at the frame of the painting. "And I'm your Uncle Sirius," he said with a grin as he waggled his own fingers to get the child's attention.
"Actually, you're his first cousin, twice removed," Andromeda corrected.
Sirius waved away her correction. "I'm your Uncle Sirius," he repeated with another grin. "He has your eyes," he said to Remus.
Suddenly Teddy's hair changed from brown to blue. "And his mother's hair," Remus laughed.
"We can't stay long," Andromeda told him. "But, if it's all right with Professor McGonagall, I'll try to come by once a month so that you can see him."
"Of course, of course," McGonagall assured her. "I'd be delighted to see you both. Just let me know when you're coming and I'll make sure that Remus knows."
"Thank you," whispered Remus, his hand still flat against the barrier to the real world.
"I'll walk you to the gates," McGonagall said a few minutes later when Andromeda had insisted she couldn't stay any longer without disrupting Teddy's daily routine.
"He's registered to attend Hogwart's," Remus told her. "The fees are…we hadn't saved the money yet…there's some in my Gringott's account…it's not enough…but…"
Andromeda nodded. "Teddy will attend Hogwart's, I promise."
They said their goodbyes and McGonagall left with Andromeda and Teddy.
"That was nice of McGonagall," Sirius commented.
Remus nodded but didn't say anything.
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see him looking so well?"
"Yes," Remus whispered. "I just wish I could touch him. He was right there and I couldn't touch him."
"But you got to see him," Sirius pointed out. "And, it'll take a least ten minutes for McGonagall to walk them to the gates. Ten minutes whilst we're alone here, in her office." The witch in the portrait on the other wall coughed to remind them of her presence. "Nearly alone."
"That's your answer for everything, isn't it?" Remus snapped. "Sex will solve everything."
"I didn't mean…"
Remus shrugged Sirius's hand off his arm and glared at him. "I know exactly what you meant. You don't understand anything!"
Sirius watched as Remus stormed out of the painting.
"You'd better go after him," the witch in the other painting advised.
Sirius nodded and hurried back to the bedchamber, assuming that was where Remus had gone. Instead he found the room empty.
James was arguing with Peter in the neighbouring painting, so Sirius joined them in there. "Has Remus been back here?" he asked.
James shook his head. "How much trouble did you get into? You want me to go tell McGonagall it was my fault?"
"Nah, she just told us not to do it again. But Remus stormed off."
"Over that?"
"No, not that. Any ideas where he could have gone?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"So, what have you done now?" Peter asked.
"Did you hear something?" Sirius asked James. "This annoying sort of squeaking noise. Wonder what it could be…"
"How long are you going to keep this up?" Peter asked.
"There it is again," Sirius commented. "Never mind, it can't be anything important. I'm going to go and find Remus. I'll fill you in later."
"Good luck," James said.
-o-xXx-o-
Remus stopped running when he reached the painting of an old Roman building near the foot of the tower where Divination classes were held. He sank down onto the steps and ran his hands over his face. He was already sorry that he had snapped at Sirius, but he wasn't quite ready to return and apologise just yet.
He just hadn't realised that seeing his son again would be so hard.
A couple of the Romans spoke to him in their native tongue, but Remus merely shook his head and waved them away. He didn't speak their language and suspected that they were simply telling him to move along from where he was sitting.
He wasn't sure what to expect from Sirius when he caught up with him. If he had thought about it for more than a solitary moment, he would have guessed that Sirius would do what he always did. He would sit down beside him, put his arm around his shoulders and hold him close while he told him he understood and everything would work out all right.
It therefore came as something of a surprise when Sirius finally tracked him down.
"Hiding out in the crowd," Sirius commented.
"I'm not hiding."
"Sure you're not. I figured something out today, you know?"
Remus looked him curiously as he sat down beside him. "And?"
"And I figured out why we are so great together."
Remus frowned, not expecting this at all.
"It's because we're both so bloody selfish," Sirius told him as he looked out towards the real world. It looked like Divination had just finished and the students from the class were passing by on their way to their next lesson.
It took a moment for Sirius's words to register in his mind, and when they did all Remus could do was stammer 'What?'
"We're both selfish," Sirius repeated with a firm nod. "I always knew I was; I'm a Black, so it's sort of in our nature. We're used to getting our own way and get real possessive. But you knew that already, everyone does."
"I'm not selfish," Remus mumbled.
"Yes, you are," Sirius told him. "Do you have any idea how bloody lucky you are? Do you have any clue at all how many people would envy what you have?"
"Oh yes," Remus sarcastically replied. "I have the great Sirius Black. How could I ever have forgotten."
"I'm not talking about me," Sirius snapped. "I'm talking about your son. You're dead. Like it or not you were murdered by a Death Eater…which means you are dead and buried somewhere out there. Tonks is dead too, but I'll bet anything she would envy you getting to see your son again. You get to see him, to watch him grow up. When he's old enough, you'll be able to speak with him. Do you have any idea how many of the dead would long for just a few minutes with their loved ones?"
"I…" Remus didn't know what to say. He gaped at Sirius, trying to process the reprimand he hadn't even seen coming.
Sirius drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all that."
Remus reached out and took hold of his hand. "Yes, you should. You're right, I am lucky. I just needed someone to remind me of that."
"Oh, come here," Sirius muttered. He pulled his hand from Remus's and pulled him towards him. They embraced on the steps for a couple of minutes.
"I suppose you want to do something here, right?" Remus chuckled.
Sirius shook his head. "No. You were right, sex isn't the answer to everything."
"Sirius Black turning down sex…I'd better make a note of the time and date."
"Oh, that was an offer, was it?" Sirius teased.
Remus laughed. "Do you know where we are?"
Sirius shook his head.
"The building at the back of us is the Roman Baths."
"Baths?"
"With fresh water instead of salt," Remus added. "Heated too."
"Why haven't we been here before?"
"Didn't know what it was," Remus explained. "I knew about the painting being of a Roman building, but not what it was exactly. At least I think it's the Baths, seems to be anyway." He pointed to a group of young men who were exiting the building. From the sight of them, they appeared to have been either bathing or had been caught in a sudden downpour.
"One way to find out."
Remus nodded and stood up. "I hope they let us in."
Sirius stood up and followed Remus up the steps and into the building.
It was immediately apparent that Remus's guess had been correct and they shed their robes and stepped into the heated water.
"Aaaah," Sirius gasped. "A hot bath…at last."
Remus leaned back closed his eyes. "I've missed this." He gave a sigh of contentment as he relaxed in the water.
"Pity it's so crowded," Sirius commented, with a sigh of his own. "If it weren't I'd be tempted to take you up on your earlier offer."
"You're not very observant all of a sudden," Remus replied, opening his eyes and grinning at Sirius. He nodded across the room and Sirius gasped to see two young men, perhaps a few years older than they were, locked in a passionate embrace.
"Whoa!"
"You know what they say?" Remus said with a grin.
Sirius shook his head.
"When in Rome…"
-o-xXx-o-
By the time of Teddy's second visit to the castle, Remus was fully reconciled to be grateful for the chance he had, and had persuaded Sirius to teach him a long-forgotten spell to make music come from his wand.
However, whilst Sirius had used it to cause disruption in class by having all the students' wands blare out muggle rock songs, Remus was planning to use it to play softer music for Teddy to listen to.
As they walked back to the Room of Requirement after the visit was over, Remus's thoughts turned back to the previous visit and what had happened afterwards. "I don't think you're selfish," he told Sirius.
"Liar."
"No, really, I don't. Not any more."
Sirius looked like he didn't believe him.
"If you were that selfish, you wouldn't want to visit Teddy with me."
Sirius blushed. "Come on, before my head swells too much to fit through the frames."
Remus chuckled and they continued on their way.
They arrived in the painting that led directly to their bedchamber, only to find Severus Snape was waiting for them.
"Snivellus," Sirius muttered.
"Severus," Remus said with a nod of greeting.
They hadn't seen much of the former Headmaster since his initial appearance in their bedchamber a month before. Which, in the opinion of all the Marauders, could only be construed as a good thing.
"Potter is refusing to let me through to your painting," Severus explained.
Remus peered around him to see that James was indeed standing guard at the entrance to the painting.
"Good work, Prongs!" Sirius called. "I don't want any grease on my belongings."
"As original with your insults as ever," Severus sneered. "I would not be here if the choice were mine…unfortunately it is not."
Remus mumbled something under his breath about childish grudges and stubborn gits. "Come on, let's get this sorted out once and for all. The library will do."
"You're not serious?" Sirius asked, not moving from the spot where he was standing, glaring at Snape with unconcealed venom.
"Now!" Remus insisted. "You too, James. I'll be damned if I'm spending eternity listening to you three squabbling."
They made their way through the bedchamber, some more reluctantly than others, into Peter's bar, and into Remus's library.
Peter, who after being caught had rarely moved from his own painting, followed them.
"Want something?" James asked coldly.
"I thought…"
"Well don't! You haven't the brains for it."
Remus felt a small twinge of sympathy for Peter as he scurried back into his own painting, but it wasn't enough for him to speak up on his behalf. Besides, it would be difficult enough to sort out the squabbling with James, Sirius and Severus, without adding the issues with Peter into the equation.
Severus took a seat on one of the sofas, Remus and Sirius sat on the one opposite him, and James stood sulking behind them.
Since it seemed that no one was prepared to make the first move, it was left to Remus once again. "Severus, how much do you know about Harry's final confrontation with Voldemort?"
"I know he defeated him."
"Do you know how? Do you know how he obtained the power to do so?"
"I was not a witness to the battle, but I know where the power came from. It was old magic."
Remus nodded. "Old magic that would not have been activated were it not for you."
James made an annoyed sound from behind him, but Remus ignored him.
"Just because he fancied another bloke's wife," Sirius muttered, folding his arms and glaring even more harshly at Severus.
"Loved," Remus amended quietly.
Severus neither confirmed nor denied his words.
"Although it may not seem so, I believe we all have at least a little in common, and it's long past time we learned to get along with each other," Remus continued. "We'll be here with each other for as long as Hogwart's stands, and the thought of spending eternity breaking up fights between you three makes me want to persuade some reckless first year to set my painting on fire."
"No one's asking you to interfere," Severus pointed out.
"Well I am!"
"Obviously."
"You could at least attempt to be civil," Remus snapped, his temper rising despite his best efforts to stay calm.
"I am being perfectly civil," Severus replied. "However, as I have already said, I have no wish to be here and am quite content to avoid you so-called Marauders as much as I can."
"Why are you here?" James asked curiously, and with as much civility as he had ever shown to Severus in his entire life.
"Professor McGonagall requested I try to ascertain where your paintings are hanging," Severus explained. "She has been unable to locate them herself, and as a portrait myself I am obviously able to access the paintings and see their locations that way."
"You can't tell her where our portraits are!" Sirius exclaimed. He reached for his wand and pointed it at Severus's chest.
"I am bound to the school," Severus reminded him. "I am duty-bound to report my findings."
"They'll get rid of our paintings," Sirius hissed.
"One can but hope," Severus replied with a cold smile.
"Enough!" Remus shouted. "That's it, I've had it with this bloody feud!"
"Uh oh," James murmured, edging back towards his own painting.
"Don't you dare," Remus said, pointing at the ground where James had previously been standing. James dutifully stepped back to his former position. "Right, who wants to go first?"
Remus wasn't surprised to find that there were no volunteers.
"Fine. Severus, I'm sorry I never stepped in to stop the others bullying you when we were back at school."
Severus shrugged, with feigned unconcern.
Remus turned to Sirius. "Your turn."
Sirius folded his arms again and looked away.
"Sirius, if you don't apologise right now, I swear you're going to be spending the rest of eternity celibate."
Sirius shot him look that told him that he didn't believe for a minute that Remus would be able to keep to that threat.
"Damn it!" Remus swore. "Is it so much to ask that you just swallow your bloody pride for once?" He turned his glare on James. "What about you?"
James looked more than a little uncomfortable as Remus glared at him.
"Let me show you something," Remus said, making a valiant effort to keep his voice even. He walked over to one of the bookcases and pulled out the book that activated the secret doorway.
On the other side of the door, steps led down into the room where he would have spent the full moons had his Lycanthropy remained with him after his appearance as a portrait.
"You should see this," Remus said as he held open the door and gestured to the other three to head down the stairs.
"What is it?" Sirius asked as he looked into the blackness below.
Remus took his wand from Sirius, said 'Lumos' and passed the lit wand back. "You'll see. Prongs, Severus, you too."
Reluctantly but curiously the three men made their way down the stairs.
"What are we supposed to see?" James asked, turning round just in time to see Remus slam the door shut and lock it with as many spells as he could think of. With a bit of luck they would have worked through their differences by the time they emerged.
Grabbing a favourite book from the shelf, he settled down to wait it out.
