A/N: I'm only borrowing these characters.

11. Think Back

It was a commonly held opinion when they were students that Sirius and Regulus Black were mortal enemies. This, Remus knew, was an oversimplification of a very complex relationship. While the brothers had little in common and were nearly constantly feuding one another, they by no means hated one another. Slytherins and Gryffindors were like that, after all. They were on opposite sides of almost everything at Hogwarts.

Unlike Sirius who claimed to have been born a non-conformist, Regulus conformed to exactly what his parents wanted him to be. Remus felt that this was perhaps his way of getting love from his parents. After all, Sirius was the eldest son, handsome and engaging, and always the recipient of their negative attention. If Regulus had wanted any attention at all from Mr. and Mrs. Black, he would have had to get it by doing exactly what they wanted and doing it well.

As a student, Sirius had a "devil-may-care" attitude. He did what he wanted to do, regardless of the trouble it might cause him or the punishments those actions might exact. He was self-reliant, even at an early age. He would never have thought to have called on his powerful father to get him out of any of the punishments he endured over the years.

Regulus, on the other hand, was very reliant upon his family. Since the Blacks had been in Slytherin House since nearly the beginning of Hogwarts, his name alone carried a lot of weight among his friends. He liked to use his father's power to get or attempt to get whatever he wanted and, in general, his father complied with his wishes. Perhaps since Sirius refused to ever call upon his father, Orion Black jumped at the chance to prove his strength to all those at Hogwarts by responding to the needs of his younger son. And, because it proved successful, Regulus used the Black name whenever and wherever he could.

This trait, Remus remarked as he walked down a corridor full of third year Slytherins on their way to evening meal, was also apparent in Regulus' young cousin, Draco Malfoy. Draco had just recently had his arm in a sling after being allegedly bitten by a Hippogriff in his Care of Magical Creatures class, and had called upon the power of his father to have the creature disposed of. Draco, like Regulus, also had a habit of wielding his power over those who appeared weaker than he and a way of finding those weak spots. Remus had watched him belittle Ron for his family's modest means and Harry was also a favorite target because of his reaction to the Dementors.

"Well, at least we can count on the fact that Potter won't be with us much longer," Draco Malfoy was saying to his two companions, well within earshot of Remus as they all walked together. "If the Dementors don't get him, then Sirius Black certainly will."

"What makes you so sure he's after Harry?" Remus asked as he walked closer to the boys. "What makes you think he's not after you?"

Malfoy stopped suddenly and looked at Remus. Crabbe and Goyle followed suit. Malfoy looked Remus up and down in the arrogant way that Regulus always had done when he was confronted with Sirius' friends. The predictability of Draco's reaction made Remus smile. "Why in the world would he be after me? He went to the Gryffindor tower, where I would never be." Malfoy asked in a tone which implied that Remus had gone round the twist.

Remus gestured for Crabbe and Goyle to leave them and they did so at once. As with Regulus Black, Remus knew that Malfoy's arrogance could be easily broken. He faced Malfoy. They were nearly alone in the corridor. Most of the students had passed them and gone on to their destinations. "Black had been a student here; therefore, he would know that no students would be in their rooms on Halloween, so I assume he went there to throw people off his trail. And as for why he could be after you, well, you are his cousin after all." Remus said in a steady voice.

Draco looked around to make sure no one had heard them. "That's not…" he started to deny what Remus had said, but changed his mind. "How do you know that?" he said, his eyes full of fear.

"I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Draco," Remus began his lie. "It's my job to know the practitioners of the Dark Arts and the Black family is right up there. It wasn't too hard to see that Narcissa Black, Sirius Black's very close cousin, is married to Lucius Malfoy, your mother and father I gather."

"But she hasn't seen him in years," Draco stuttered. "Even before he went to prison they weren't in touch. Mother says that her aunt threw him out of the family when he was still in school and no one spoke to him after that." Draco genuinely looked scared and Remus almost felt sorry for him. And, Remus remarked to himself, the story of Sirius leaving the family had been twisted by the Blacks, exactly as Sirius had once expected that it would be.

Remus forced himself to laugh. "Nice try, Draco. Black was a servant of the Dark Lord. Surely, the Black family was ready to welcome him back in when he changed sides. Doesn't it make sense that he is trying to get a message to them through you? No one knows for sure that he was talking about Harry when he said "He's at Hogwarts.' With Bellatrix in Azkaban, that makes Narcissa and you his only family members not in prison."

Draco thought about this, his eyes shifting between Remus' face, the floor, and the hallway as he looked for a way out. "He doesn't care about us," he said quietly, looking down to the floor. "He didn't even tell them…"

Remus waited for Draco to finish his thought and when he didn't Remus pushed him further. "He didn't tell them what?"

"He didn't tell them that he changed sides. And if he did, they wouldn't have believed him. He hated them all, especially Aunt Bella, but my mother as well. Father even doubts that he did change sides."

"Really, when did your father say this?" Remus tried to keep his voice stern, but inside he was trembling.

Draco had the look of someone telling family secrets. "Right after Black escaped. I heard Father telling Mother that a spy had died right around the time the Dark Lord disappeared. He told her that Black most likely went to Azkaban for the crime another committed. A fitting end for him, Father says, to be accused of doing something you spent your life condemning. He thinks the Dementors must have worked on Black enough so that now he must complete the crime." Draco laughed under his breath at the thought of Harry in danger.

"Well, it sounds like your father is well informed on these matters," Remus flattered Malfoy. Malfoy smirked and Remus continued. "Since it seems like there is nothing to worry about, I won't inform the Headmaster about your…connection to Black. No sense having Dementors follow you around, unless of course, you'd like that?"

Remus could see that Malfoy was picturing himself swooning like Harry had done. "No, Professor," he replied. As Remus let him go he knew that Draco would not be telling his father or mother about their encounter.

Remus decided to skip dinner and he returned to his rooms. He conjured a fire and tried to put together everything he had learned. Snape, a former Death Eater who always hated Sirius, couldn't confirm that Sirius had ever been in the presence of Voldemort. Draco Malfoy's father felt that Sirius had been wrongfully accused and that another spy had actually committed the crime. While he never thought he would agree with Lucius Malfoy on anything, Lucius seemed to be on to something. Remus also remembered that, despite their disagreements, Sirius had been quite broken up when he heard of Regulus' death. Regulus was said to have been killed when he tried to leave Voldemort. So why would Sirius join with the person who had murdered his brother?

"What is it, Padfoot?" Remus said into the fireplace. "What is going on here?"

In the comfort of his solitude and the warmth of the fire, Remus thought back to Regulus' death. Sirius had been very upset and James and Remus found him at his flat very drunk. They sobered him up and a few days later Remus went back to check on him. "Moony," Sirius said when he opened the door. Before waiting to hear what Remus had to say or asking him in, Sirius turned around and walked back into the flat, leaving the door open. His feet were bare and he was wearing a tee shirt and jeans. It looked like he had been sleeping in those clothes as well. Sirius flopped down into a chair in the sitting room. "Are you checking up on me?"

"No," Remus replied, shutting the door and entering the flat. "I was just…"

"Stopping by?" Sirius cut across with sarcasm. He was unshaven and his long hair was messy. On another person this would look pathetic, Remus noted, but on Sirius it looked handsome in a rugged way.

"Something like that," Remus said then changed the subject. "It's freezing in here."

Sirius shrugged, "I hadn't noticed. I don't feel anything."

"Here," Remus said. "Let me help." And before Sirius could protest he had conjured a fire and walked into Sirius' bedroom to find a jumper. He found one on the floor and brought it back into the sitting room. Sirius barely moved as Remus slid the jumper over his head and helped his arms through it. He smelled of sweat and unwashed bed sheets, but not, Remus noted with relief, alcohol.

"You're like my mother," Sirius grumbled.

"I doubt your mother would stoop to do this for you," Remus joked and Sirius let out a small laugh, then a sigh.

"You know," Sirius began, not looking at Remus who had sat down in the chair across from him. "I hate them, but I miss them too. Isn't that strange? Their pure blood prejudices, their support of everything I distain, their practices, and the people they choose to associate with and marry, I hate it all. But since Regulus died all I can think about is the good times. How fun it was to be in a large family like that. Sometimes now, living alone like this, it's so quiet I think I'll go crazy. When I was a kid at Grimmauld Place, there was always so much activity. Relatives were always staying over. The girls were there so often they practically lived there. They even had their own rooms. House elves were always underfoot making sure we were taken care of." Sirius shook his head. "I miss that. I miss being part of a family."

"You ARE part of a family. James considers you his family and now that he and Lily have a kid on the way, it'll be an even bigger family." Remus was enthusiastic as he said this. Having been an only child and secluded from other family members, he could only imagine what it was that Sirius missed.

He continued. "And then someday you'll have kids and your kids can grow up with James'. It'll be like it was before for you." Remus felt an odd sadness as he said this, but struggled to sound happy at the prospect. Sirius did not seem cheered.

"Look," Remus said in a commanding voice as he changed the subject again. "Why don't you shave and shower and I'll make us some tea."

The room had warmed by then and Sirius reluctantly agreed. As he closed the bathroom door, Remus returned to the bedroom. Unlike Sirius, Remus did not grow up with house elves and knew some housekeeping spells. With a few waves of his wand he folded the clothes that lay on the floor and changed the stale smelling sheets, trying to keep his mind blank as he did so. He heard the splash of water in the sink and knew Sirius was shaving.

As he heard the shower turn on he entered the kitchen and began to clean up there as well. He found the kettle and heated it with his wand. He found some tea leaves and was measuring them into the pot as the bathroom door opened behind him.

Remus felt the lick of the steamy air from the bathroom as it hit the back of his neck. He didn't turn around. He knew that if he did he would see Sirius standing there naked. His black hair would be slicked back from his clean shaven face, allowing his handsome features to appear more prominent. His muscular chest would still be glistening with water from the shower. Remus willed himself not to turn around.

He heard Sirius walk slowly towards him. He pictured the body and those strong,sinewy legs as they strode across the kitchen floor. Sirius was standing right behind him. He smelled of shaving cream, shampoo, and the clean smell that was Sirius. Remus closed his eyes and felt his breath falter. Sirius was so close that Remus could feel the heat from his body and his warm breath. "Remus," Sirius whispered.

"No," Remus said out loud, alone in his room. He hadn't realized that he had closed his eyes. Now they were wide open as he stared into the fire, and his breathing was heavy. "Get a grip!" he told himself as he struggled to breathe normally.

Not wanting to be alone in his rooms, Remus quickly left for the Great Hall. With any luck, there would still be something left to eat and, through conversation, he could take his mind off of Sirius Black.

To readers and reviewers: Thank you LadyAnalyn, RemusLives, SomeoneAKAme, and MissFreddy for your reviews of the last chapter. Thanks everyone for reading!