CHAPTER 10! Bloody hell. I can't believe we're here already! :)
"Moony!" Sirius laughed, throwing himself at the sofa where his friend was situated, perching precariously on the arm and draping himself over his friend's side. "I have found you!" The dog declared, smiling at the boy below him, who appeared utterly unaffected by the fact that the higher boy was covered in multicoloured flecks.
"It does appear you have, Pads." Remus smiled, eyes glinting as he leant against the boy momentarily. "Was there a reason that I needed to be found? I did not realise that I was lost."
"You must have been lost, Moony. All civilians, great or small, are lost in a void of nothingness when they are not subject to my magnificence. Surely you, oh smart one, would have realised that by now."
"How could I forget." Remus smiled, shifting along the sofa slightly to allow Sirius to slide in alongside him. "What have you been up to today?" The werewolf asked, leaning back against the sofa to view his friend thoroughly. "Is there a reason you're covered in what I'm assuming is some sort of sherbet?"
"Well you see, fair moonikins, what happened was simple. I was on a stroll through the forbidden forest with a lizard dressed as satan, when Snivelly jumped out from behind a tree, which was, with hindsight, precariously balanced. Dressed in attire usually found on some sort of drug dealer, he opened his coat to reveal a large selection of pocket watches, which he began throwing at me. Due to my natural speed and grace, I escaped uninjured, though it upsets me to reveal that my coconut filled with rum punch was knocked flat out of my hands, and its juicy contents splayed horrifically across the forest floor. How I mourned for that cocktail!
"Anyway, back to point. Once I was positive Snivelly had left, I returned to the precarious tree to check on the wellbeing of my reptilian friend. Unfortunately, he had been caught in the crossfire, and a small leopard print clock was embedded in his skull. After much strife and an awkward conversation with Mrs Satan, a gypsy high on citric acid assisted in burying the evidence of the harsh murder. My trusting nature told me that we would be fine in the company of such a person, however my judgement was unfounded, as she quickly grabbed me, hiding me in her shiny PVC purse and taking me to Timbuktu.
"Whilst in Timbuktu I formed an unlikely alliance with a sea turtle, who said that for a string of hair and a shiny penny he would introduce me to a chicken that owned a magic flying carpet. Although I did not possess a shiny penny, I was able to raise such funds after two hours of busking Led Zep songs, and was rapidly acquainted with the chicken, who immediately declared that he had heard me performing Led Zep, and was disgusted my cheap imitation of their brilliance. Nonetheless, he agreed to take me on his magic carpet, so long as I would treat him to a night out in hogsemade.
"Never one to miss a drinking opportunity, I agreed to take him into the city, and so we flew on the magic carpet into the Three Broomsticks. However, I was unaware of the 'no poultry' rule which is strictly enforced. Once we had been removed from the premises, I had an angry bird on my hands - not the first time, let me tell you! - and so to abate him, I broke into Honeydukes, unaware of the burglar-preventing sherbet sprinkler system. Covered in sherbet, I sprinted back to the castle, unaware that behind me the poor poultry was being castigated for my heinous crime.
"And that, my dear Moony, is how I found myself covered in sherbet." Sirius finished, smiling at his friend's relatively unamused face.
"So, in other words, Lily hexed you." Remus surmised, allowing a hint of a smile to grace his lips.
"Why, however did you guess?" Sirius laughed, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders, trying to ignore how the muscles underneath had tensed at the contact.
"Well, you do not like sherbet. If something appears on you which can be deemed unpleasant, then it can usually be assumed Snape or Lily has something to do with it, and since i doubt that Snape would see covering you with sherbet as an apt punishment for whatever it is you did wrong, I shall assume that it is Lily who has tarnished your hair with these multicoloured flecks." Remus stated, looking feverishly at his own hand, gripping the edge of the sofa tightly.
"Impressive deduction, I must say. Though I rather preferred my explanation, as it involved a gypsy high on citric acid and a lizard dressed as satan, two stock characters that your explanation is lacking in." Sirius smiled, tugging his resistant friend closer.
"I do worry about your mental state sometimes." Remus muttered, allowing Sirius to lean against him for a moment.
"So do I, but if I was normal you wouldn't love me so much." Sirius teased, flicking the werewolf's nose softly.
"True true." Remus smiled, dusting the flecks out of his friend's hair. "I assume that you've began planning revenge already?"
"But of course. I've yet to work out the specifics, but it involves a magic fireless candle, two rolls of ductape, a potted plant and this fantastic muggle thing called 'play doh'." Sirius smiled, laughing at the look of confusion on his friend's face, and sighing dramatically. "I'm terribly bored, Moonster."
"Oh no, whatever shall I do with a bored Padfoot?" Remus laughed, leaning back on the sofa to face his friend.
"How about we play the 'LFMAWTF' game!" Sirius declared excitedly, rocking up and down on the sofa with excitement.
"Why do I have a horrible feeling I wont like this game?" Remus muttered in response. Sirius laughed, reaching over to ruffle his friend's hair as it fell softly over his face.
"Oh trust me moonshine, you will. Or at least, you'll like the consequences, trust me." He hummed, smiling encouragingly at his slightly worried friend.
"Can you at least tell me what the abbreviation stands for? And perhaps explain the rules, that would be rather helpful." Remus smiled nervously, watching his overexcited friend with anticipation.
"It stands for 'lets find moony a woman to fu-"
"Sirius!" Remus laughed, placing his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Lets not play that game, shall we? As fun as you may think it, it would involve the humiliation of one of your fellow marauders."
"You don't have to play, as it only requires finding a girl, so only one participant is required in the principle stages of the game, and that's me. So, Moonikins, what do you like in a girl? And it is in your best interests to not say 'nothing', or I'll be telling Matilda Bullstrode that you're manically in love with her."
"Fine. Find someone who's small, quiet, and not intrusive." Remus sighed, a smile playing on his lips. Sirius paid him no mind, continuing to gaze around the common room, analysing its occupants critically.
"They sound boring. I'm sure you'd prefer tall, dark and interesting, yes?" He replied offhandedly, shooting an excited grin at his friend. "They're much more fun."
"Fine. Whoever." Remus muttered, hints of red highlighting his cheeks. "I really don't want to have this conversation right now Pads. Osmund is pretty much in control, and I'm tired, and -"
"Who the bloody Nora is Osmund?"
"Oh, sorry, Lord, did I say that out loud?" Remus muttered in response, cheeks glowing. "Osmund is... well, the wolf. Please don't laugh, I know I shouldn't have named it-" Remus started, before realising that he'd already said to much and his companion was laughing so hard that tears were flowing rapidly out of the corners of his eyes.
"Osmund!" Sirius laughed, calming for a second before catching sight of Remus and bursting into peels of laughter once more. "Os-Os-Os..." He tried, snorting slightly as laughter continued to ring out through the common room.
Remus sighed exasperatedly, lips twitching upwards momentarily as he registered the smile on his friend's face. "Yes yes, laugh it out. Ha ha ha, very funny."
"Os..." Sirius started, laughing once more, eyes closing in mirth. However, the laughter subsided immediately as he opened his eyes to spot a girl stood in front of Moony.
"Hi Remus!" The girl smiled, as Sirius struggled to retrieve her name. "You've been so helpful to me with my herbology recently-"
"I know, isn't he a doll?" Sirius interrupted, leaning across to drape a possessive arm over his friend.
"-erm, yes. Well, I thought that maybe, to repay you, I could buy you a drink in the Three Broomsticks?" The girl asked, hair framing her face in an annoyingly pretty manner.
"Why that would be wonderful, I'm sure we'd enjoy that!" Sirius responded, tapping his highly embarrassed friend on the knee lightly. "Wouldn't that be lovely, hmm, Remmie? This lovely lady is going to bring some drinks over to our table on Saturday."
"Sirius-" Remus started exasperatedly, throwing an apologetic look towards the girl, who seemed as determined as ever.
"I actually meant as a sort of date. Just the two of us." She smiled at Remus, turning her shoulders to fully face the werewolf.
"Me and you, darling? Well, I'm flattered, but you're not really my type -" Sirius started, smiling at her once more.
"You have a type? I thought it just had to be a girl with a pulse." The girl quipped lightly, turning to face Remus. "I actually meant just me and you, Remus. I really like you, and would love the opportunity to speak to you without unwelcome interruptions."
"Oh, I see how this is!" Sirius exclaimed, glaring daggers at the brave girl. "Well I'm afraid he is not free this saturday, as he's going to Hogsmead with me." Sirius stated, draping himself onto Remus' lap. "Sorry, darling."
"I'm really sorry Cassandra, I really have to escort Sirius here into town this saturday. He can't be trusted out alone. Maybe some other time." Remus smiled kindly, placing a hand on her arm softly. "See you next week."
"Bye Remus." She called with a smile, glaring daggers at Sirius.
"Thank Heavens for that, I thought we'd never get rid of her!" Sirius bounced, returning to a sitting position. "Man, she was annoying. Some women, eh?"
"I thought you were telling me a moment ago that I should get a woman?" Remus quipped, raising an eyebrow at the mystery that was Sirius Black.
"Not one like that!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air dramatically.
"What's wrong with Cassandra? She fulfils all your earlier requirements! Dark, tall, interesting..."
"Yes, well, she is not what I want in a Moony partner. Have no fear, I shall find you one eventually. And anyway, you're going to Hogsemade with me this weekend - after all, James and Peter both have detentions, and there's no way in hell I'm going alone.
"Ok, I'm sure I can manage that." Remus smiled, looking at the clock on the wall speculatively. "Four hours until the moon rises." He whispered somberly, standing painfully. "What say we go down to the kitchens before I have to head over to the shack?"
"I say, my moonikins, that is the best suggestion you've made all day!" Sirius laughed, attaching himself to his friend's arm and swinging them down the corridor.
"My darling Lilyflower!" James yelled across the common room as he entered, draping himself over the occupied sofa as his compatriot Peter stood awkwardly alongside the furniture. "What a pleasant day to see you on, my precious petal. The sunlight really brings out the colour of your e-"
"Did you want something, Potter?" Lily interrupted rapidly, lips pursed in annoyance. "Because if not, I would appreciate it if you could bugger off. We're busy."
James raised an eyebrow at the usually hardworking Lily, eyeing up the copy of 'Witch Weekly' lying in front of her. "But of course, my darling. I always want something, but am far too much of a gentleman to just take it." Recognising that Lily's eyes were narrowing in a rather threatening manner, James looked around desperately, finally spotting the other two marauders entering the common room through the portrait. "Pads! Moony, my darlings! Fancy seeing you here."
"Alright, Prongsie boy? I see you're with the Missus, who is, judging by the fawning look on her face, going to break her vow of prongsie celibacy within the hour. Keep going lad, me and Moonster are going upstairs to fornicate." Sirius called casually, draping himself over Remus dramatically.
"Am I not invited today?" James laughed in reply, pulling a saddened face. The pair laughed for a moment, before resuming their journey upstairs.
Suddenly, Peter stood up too, heading for the staircase with intent. "Where are you going, mate?" James asked rapidly, grasping his friend's arm as he walked past.
"I was going to go up to the dorms - I need to get my transfiguration book so I can start that essay McGonnagal set us." Peter stated, regarding James with mild confusion. "Why is that important?"
"Oh, Nothing. I just think the puppies could use with a bit of free time." James smiled, grabbing his own transfiguration book out of his bag. "Here, mate, you can borrow mine, lord knows I wont be starting that essay for another three or four days yet!"
"Why do Sirius and Remus need time alone together?" Lily asked, intrigued by the turn the conversation had taken. "Have they had a fight or something?"
"No, no. Sirius and Remus never fight, don't be silly." James answered, sitting up marginally straighter and removing his arm from the back of the suite.
"What about that time in fifth year, where they went three month-"
"We don't mention that, Lily. It was a very dark time which we do not speak of and do not acknowledge. It may as well have not had happened, for all intents and purposes. Sirius would never be that stupid again, either. Or not without suffering a long and painful death at my hands, at least." James muttered darkly, forcing Lily to strain to hear him. Peter glanced across the table worriedly, hoping the annoyed look on his friend's face would pass quickly.
"Right. Ok. So why do they need time alone?" Lily pressed, touching James' arm lightly.
"I don't think that's any of your business, Evans." James stated, moving away from Lily rapidly. "They just do, ok?" James stated, grabbing his bag and jumping up swiftly. "Oi, Davies? Mind if I come and sit with you?"
"He-he ditched me!" Lily muttered under her breath, blushing furiously. Peter looked up briefly, wishing he had Sirius' confidence and could have turned a phrase at that moment. But alas, by the time the poor rat had thought of an adequate reply, the moment had passed, and Lily was talking once again with the popular girls.
Sometimes, Peter really wished he wasn't one sandwich short of a picnic.
"Why Moonikins, dragging me up to an abandoned dorm, how romantic!" Sirius swooned, collapsing onto the nearest bed dramatically. "Take me, you fool!"
"Well, how can I resist an offer like that?" Remus quipped calmly, placing his bag on his bed softly. Digging around for a moment, he unveiled two bars of honeyduke's finest. "Want one?"
"I'm never one to refuse free chocolate." Sirius grinned, catching the thrown chocolate bar with an ease that would be expected from a Quidditch player. "And lord knows you get the good stuff, too. No chocolate frogs for my moonster, eh?"
"No no, only honeyduke's finest." Remus smiled, digging ever deeper in his bag in search for a small box, finally grasping it with thin fingers, avoiding the daggers Sirius was sending him as he pulled a cigarette out of the slim packet.
"Don't look at me like that. The wolf likes it, Pads" Sirius pushed down the mental image of a bohemian werewolf called Osmund sat in a cafe somewhere with a cigarette, and instead turned to focus on his friend. "Its non-conformist. It is against the rules. It is dangerous and daring and about taking what you want regardless of the consequences. Yes, the wolf loves it." Remus finished, lighting the cigarette with a nonverbal and moving over to the open window, leaning out to gasp at the fresh air outside. Sirius watched quietly for a moment, tracing the whisps of smoke that trailed out of Moony's mouth, before walking to the window to join his friend.
"That's a terrible habit, moons. I bet you taste like a bloody ash tray" Sirius stated lightly, teasing the cigarette out of his friend's hand and putting it out on the side. "As much as a cigarette might make me look more rebellious, no one wants to snog a pile of ash." He stated, wrinkling his nose as he climbed onto the windowsill, curling up opposite his friend. "Not to mention, the wolf also loves killing people and licking its own arse, but I don't see you engaging in any such behaviour when the moon is not full now, do I?"
"Its not like I've got anyone who's going to complain about how I taste, do I?" Remus stated, surprising Sirius with the slight bitter glint to his offhand statement. Taking one final breath, the werewolf leaned out the window, dragging it closed with a resounding 'click', standing up as he began eating his chocolate bar.
They ate in silence, while Sirius slowly pulled himself to a standing position and repositioning himself on his bed, devouring his own bar in a matter of seconds. Remus looked up to tell him off for eating so quickly - no doubt he'd end up with indigestion eating at that speed - but was immediately distracted.
"Pads. You've got some... chocolate. Corner of your lips." The wolf coughed, staring at Sirius' lips intensely. Sirius smiled, licking his lips dramatically, making sure they were fully clean before he climbed off his bed and headed for the standing boy.
"I'm such a dirty boy." Sirius laughed, stepping as close to the boy as possible without actually touching him. Leaning up, he whispered softly in his companion's ear "Do I need punishing?" in a voice usually reserved for lovers or potential partners.
Suddenly, before Sirius' small brain could contemplate what was happening, he was pressed against the wall, the werewolf matching his stride and effectively trapping the pureblood, chocolate abandoned on the floor.
"Don't tempt me, Sirius. Not today." Remus muttered, pressing Sirius harder into the wall, as his nails dug rivulets into his palms, placed softly in fists on his friend's chest. "27 days out of the month. 27 days. I can deal with it. I can resist. But not today... Sirius, the wolf, the wolf wants-"
"What. What does the wolf want." Sirius whispered hoarsely as he tried to comprehend what was happening, relaxing the muscles in his body as he watched Remus with curiosity. The werewolf placed his forehead on that of the animagus complacently, and closed his eyes with a resigned huff. However, before Sirius had a chance to ask what was wrong, his lips were silenced by those of another.
Electric shocks ran through every muscle in Sirius' body as he felt the energy pulsing through him, originating from his lips. Too surprised to act, he simply stared at the closed eyes in front of him for a moment, before relaxing into the kiss, letting his eyes close naturally as he began to register the feelings running through his body.
It was as if someone had opened a door in front of Sirius, shown him the light, the pot of gold that was right in front of his nose. He felt Remus' hands rise to cup his face, as his own clutched desperately at the werewolf's waist, now all too aware of the few inches between their bodies.
It explained everything. Sirius suddenly realised why he wanted to see, hug, touch, feel Remus all the time. Why the werewolf was different. Why Moony was different than James, or Peter, or any of the countless girls that he'd been with.
Then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. Remus ripped his lips from those of Sirius, restraining the canine softly as he whimpered and tried to regain the contact. "I'm going down to the shack. Don't follow. I don't want you down there tonight. I can't have you down there tonight. I'll see you in the morning, Pads." Eyes closed, the werewolf rested his forehead on that of the canine for a moment, before spinning on his heel and all but running to the door.
"Moony..." Sirius whispered, sliding down the wall contemplatively as the memory of Remus burned across his lips. He kicked himself internally, at not realising that there was...something... between himself and Remus at an earlier, more convenient date. Preferably on a day when it wasn't the full moon, and he had a chance to spruce up a bit. Maybe get a good Bowie track playing, or something. Sirius didn't want to just kiss Remus. He wanted to romance him, make him feel as Sirius felt.
"Hey, what's going on with Remus? He just steamed through the common room at a speed that would have made roadrunner sweat! Do you have any-" Peter stopped short, noticing Sirius' odd resting place on the floor. "What're you doing down there?" Peter asked, staring down at the crumpled teen. When the teen stayed silent, not seeming to register that Peter was talking to him, the mousy teen huffed angrily. "Has someone put something in the pumpkin juice? Seriously, why on earth are you all acting like you've lost your minds?" When there was still no answer, Peter glanced at Sirius once more, noticing the dazed look on his friend's face. "I'm going to go and get James." He stated, more for his own benefit than that of Sirius.
Peter was more than glad that James was in the common room, shortening the distance he needed to travel for help. James swanned in quickly, stopping in front of his canine friend. He crouched down in front of Sirius, trying to get some eye contact. "Sirius. Sirius. What's going on?" James reached out to touch his friend's shoulder, relieved to finally get some sort of reaction from Padfoot.
"He kissed me." Sirius smiled idiotically, a lunatic grin breaking out across his face. "He. Kissed. Me." Sirius laughed, before the smirk was wiped off his face in a millisecond. "Where is he?" Sirius frowned, glancing over James' shoulder to see where his partner had gone.
James frowned momentarily, wondering who Sirius was talking about. However, when he realised that Padfoot was glancing towards the bed of their wolfie friend, a grin broke out upon his face. "Oh. Ohhhh."
"What? Who's Sirius been kissing? Who are we looking for?" James rolled his eyes at his naive friend, throwing him the 'I'll tell you later' glance. James smiled at Sirius, spinning to sit next to his best and oldest friend.
"Pete? Can you do us a massive favour and get everything sorted for tonight? I'm going to try and make sure that this one is 'sane', in the loosest sense of the word, so that he can come out with us tonight." James smiled, glad when Wormtail didn't put up a fight and left the pair alone. "So. Remus bloody Lupin."
"Remus bloody Lupin." Sirius smiled, leaning his head against the wall. "I don't know what happened, we were just flirting like we usually do... Then suddenly I got a bit close, and, well..." James watched as Sirius did a strange thing with his hands, that he supposed was meant to resemble kissing. In reality, it more closely resembled an elephant harassing a penguin. "It was raw, and messy, and imperfect, but at the same time completely 100% perfect. It was what I've been expecting every other kiss to feel like, and then some. I feel light headed, I feel like I want to run out there and grab him and never let him go."
"That's deep." James muttered, twiddling his thumbs nervously. James loved Sirius like a brother, but this was the sort of thing that they did not talk about, especially since Sirius had come out of the closet (before walking back in, but James had now taken the liberty of assuming that Sirius was, once again, gay, or bisexual, or pansexual, or whatever crazy term the boy was using that day). He glanced at his watch, before calling to Pete to check he had everything. "Well, this has been a pleasant, if not entirely unexpected, revelation. However, we do not have time to bask in the fact that I, James Potter, had figured out that there was some Moony-Paddy loving going on way before either of you did, as It's 5.30 Pads, and we need to get going." James jumped up, spinning to face his best friend, still sat on the floor slightly dazed. "Well? Are you coming?"
"Remus told me that I shouldn't go down to the shack tonight." Sirius stated mindlessly, before a smile broke out across his face, and he bounced to a standing position. "Lets go!" He laughed, bouncing towards the door. "I want to see what the wolfie will do to me!" The pureblood laughed, thumping his friend's arm. "And what do you mean 'you figured it out'? If you knew about the canine love-in, you could have at least informed me, the lover, about it!"
"But there is no fun in just telling you the answer. Its much more fun to watch you flounder on your own." James laughed merrily, returning the thump with a lighthearted thwack. "And don't expect me to watch if the wolf starts making the moves at you." James replied, moving towards the door behind his friend. "Bestiality really doesn't do it for me."
"Bugger off Potter!" Sirius laughed, as the three headed for the shrieking shack.
Wolfie was named using a random name generator. Rather hilariously, I had to do the thing 4 times to get a good name, as the first three that came up were Silvester, Remus and Ernesto! The Remus one made me laugh - bloody random name generator's too smart for its own good...
Song Of The Week - Black Dog, Led Zeppelin