"Remus" she urged, pushing the parchment towards him, "just write it".

Remus bit his lip, staring at the old scratched table in front of him. It had only been a few days since he had been allowed out of the hospital wing, where Sirius had been with him almost every day, if not almost every hour. He stayed that way for minutes, staring at the table and wringing his hands, making sure he didn't give in and look at her. Making sure he didn't even glance at her, because if he did she would convince him to do it; and that was the stupidest idea that had ever occurred. Ever.

So he shook his head, and continued to study the graffiti on the table, tracing his fingers over the hearts and initials, over the old students who had etched what they were revising and when. Looking down, and refusing to speak.

"Look," he finally came out with, a good five minutes later, "I…I just can't". The girl opposite merely raised her eyebrows, and chuckled.

"It's not that hard; you put the quill in the ink, and then write the symbols on the parchment." Remus just scowled at her, attempting to look as angry as possible, and failing miserably; the amusement evident in his eyes.

"Cow" he opted for instead, "I mean it's too hard. They'll just think I'm a twat and laugh…I mean, how do you tell someone you love them? How do you tell someone you love them when you can't even work up the courage to tell your friends you love someone?"

Lily reached across the table and grabbed Remus' hand. Squeezing it, she replied, "You write them a letter, hope to Merlin they don't laugh, and if they do, you enlist the help of James Potter to make it seem like one giant prank". Remus laughed and raised his quill, finally convinced, and wrote his heart on the parchment.

Sirius ran panting up the stairs, tears shining in his eyes.

He was an idiot to ever have listened to James, to get his hopes up like that. He wrenched open the door, pulling off the invisibility cloak at the same time, throwing it at James' head.

"Gaa!" James shouted, startled, "You made me jump…what's wrong?" he asked, staring at the blackened mood of his best friend.

"You were wrong, that's what!" Sirius yelled in return, kicking his trunk in the process. Sensing the direction of the conversation, and how loud it was to become, James quickly locked the door, and cast a silencing charm around the room. "Pads…" he began.

"I was an idiot for trusting you. You and your 'instinct'! WELL YOU WERE WRONG! Totally and utterly wrong!" Sirius collapsed onto his bed.

"Padfoot," James tried again, "Padfoot, please tell me what happened." Concern growing in his voice, James walked slowly to Sirius' bed. Sitting warily beside him, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Head in hands, Sirius began to explain, "Remus was down there. Talking with Evans." Sirius' shoulders began to shake as the tears spilled over, "he-he was writing a letter t-to someone he loved. Someone he loved. A-and he was nervous because he thought they would laugh, and we would laugh, so he hasn't told us and he was worried about not having told us, and-and he loves someone. Loves someone! Someone not me. And I was stupid."

James sighed, looking at the boy next to him. He had seen all sides of Sirius; happy, gloating, sad, depressed. But heartbroken Sirius was definitely the worst. "It's a pickle" he said, earning himself a token Black glare. "Come on Pads, there's not much you can do, we don't know who this 'someone' is, and until we do, you will have to calm down and act normal. If he tells us, then pretend to be happy for him, at least, for me. Then (if it isn't you) when they break his heart, you'll always be there to pick up the pieces. Plus we will prank their brains out." He added with a grin.

Sirius looked up at James for a long while, not sure whether to be annoyed or happy, so settled for elbowing him in the ribs and calling him a "poofter".

"I think you'll find that that is you Master Padfoot" James replied with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, but you must be gay." Sirius replied, "Because everybody wants ma bootaaay." The only reply he got to this was a pillow hitting him on the head, and James making his way back to his own bed. "Hey!" he shouted to the retreating boy.

"Night, Pads"

"Night Prongs," he replied huffily, pulling the curtains on his bed.