"I'm really not in the mood for this, Padfoot," sighed Remus. Sirius hooked his arm through Remus' and pulled him closer.

"You always get a bit jittery before a social event. You'll be fine once you get in there," he assured him. "A couple Firewhiskys wouldn't go amiss, either. That'll loosen you up."

"This isn't social anxiety, I'm just not in the mood to talk to anyone," he argued. Remus and Sirius walked through the quiet village of Godric's Hollow, two chocolate fruitcakes, as promised, and a large bag of presents in tow. After the shock of losing his job the previous day, it came as no surprise that Remus was in a less than celebratory mood. Sirius had managed to talk him into attending the annual Christmas party at the Potter's on the promise that they would go home whenever he was ready, regardless of how early it was. However, the closer they got to their intended destination, Remus' reservations about attending grew. His pace slowed as they approached the house, as though hoping if he walked slowly enough he might never arrive. Sirius sighed and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Do you really want to go home?" he asked gently.

"Yes and no," Remus replied honestly, shuffling awkwardly from one foot to the other before shrugging. "I don't know…"

Sirius dropped the large bag he was carrying onto the ground and pulled Remus into a tight hug, which he gladly returned. He felt the tension in his body ease and he let out a long, weary sigh, melting into Sirius' arms. It was funny how something so small as a hug could make him feel so much better.

"Do you require another distraction?" Sirius joked. Remus chuckled.

"As much as I'd love another distraction, I don't fancy doing it outside."

"Fair enough." Sirius rubbed their cold noses together and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "We could always go home and distract ourselves then come back to the party later?"

"You're determined to shag me, aren't you?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he smirked. "Seriously though, if you're not feeling up to it, we can go home."

Remus considered the offer for a moment before shaking his head, "No, I'll muster my Gryffindor bravery and stay for at least one drink. I'll see how I feel after that."

"Sounds good," Sirius smiled warmly, his eyes fixed on Remus' lips. Remus cupped his cheek and kissed him again, relishing the heat of Sirius' hot mouth as the cold air nipped his bare cheeks. Funny how a kiss could make him feel so much better than a hug.

"Oi! Get a room, you two!" called a familiar, jovial voice. Remus and Sirius broke their kiss and turned towards the small man with mousy brown hair standing behind them, grinning broadly. "Wotcher, Padfoot. Moony."

"Wormtail!" cried Sirius cheerfully, pulling his friend into a tight hug before lifting him off of the ground and spinning him on the spot. "How the bloody hell are you?"

Peter Pettigrew yelled and laughed as his arms and legs flailed wildly before Sirius placed him roughly back onto the ground, his feet slipping a little on the wet snow. He looked a little dazed, but happy, as his gaze, slightly cross-eyed, turned to Remus. "Better now I'm back on solid ground. How are you two getting on?"

Remus stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. "We're doing well, thanks. How's life treating you at Gringotts?"

Peter's watery blue eyes sparkled. "Ahh, life at the bank has improved immensely since we last spoke! I found a treasure there greater than anything goblin made! Here, I'd like you to meet someone…" he turned and beckoned a woman forward that Sirius and Remus hadn't noticed had been standing quietly off to the side as the three friends had gotten reacquainted. She was a willowy-looking woman at least a head taller than Peter, with frizzy brown hair and a thick woollen shawl wrapped around her slim frame. She looked a little nervous as she stepped closer to them.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Sybil," said Peter. "Sybil, this is Sirius and Remus."

Sybil held out her spindly hand in greeting to Sirius. "It's lovely to finally meet you both. I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things, I hope," Sirius joked, taking Sybil's hand into his own. "It's nice to meet you."

As soon as their hands made contact, Sybil's eyes widened and she gasped, "My dear man, you are a dark star."

Sirius' smile faltered, "Sorry, I'm a what now?"

"A dark star," she declared cryptically. "Dark tidings approach; on the morrow, the harbinger of death shall arrive at your door and two stars shall collide…"

Sirius raised his eyebrow sceptically and glanced at Peter. "Is she taking the piss?"

"Oh, not at all!" he said fervently. "I'm sorry, we probably should have warned you — Sybil here has 'the gift'."

"The gift?" asked Sirius, looking even more perplexed. Peter looked dreamily at Sybil.

"Yep, she's a Seer," he declared proudly. "And a bloody good one at that!"

Sybil blushed and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you! Well, I suppose I am more sensitive than most to the cosmic vibrations that permeate the known universe. My ancestor is Cassandra Trelawney, you know…"

Sirius dropped his hand by his side and took a step away from Sybil, looking bemused. She held out her hand expectantly to Remus and he stared at it apprehensively. He was half in mind about swatting it away and heading straight home, but social etiquette overruled his instinct and he reluctantly took her hand into his own. Once again, her eyes widened and she gasped, her grip tightening around his hand.

"You are a child of the moon!" she cried sorrowfully. "You have already suffered many great losses in your life."

The hairs on the back of Remus' neck stood on end and he found that he couldn't look away from those large, protuberant eyes boring into him. Sirius tsked and rolled his eyes.

"But you have phoenix fire in you, my dear man. From the ashes, another opportunity will arise," she declared in a warbling, mysterious tone.

Sirius snorted, "Come off it."

"Well, that's a relief," Remus laughed weakly, trying to pry his hand free from Sybil's vice-like grip. She may be spindly like a bird but she had a deceptively strong grip. Sybil's eyes grew impossibly wide, so wide that Remus had legitimate concerns that her eyeballs would pop out of her head. She grasped his shoulder and gave it a light shake.

"I see a moonchild!" she cried. "From death comes a child born of the moon and stars…"

"Alright, that's enough fortune-telling for one day!" Sirius cut in, snatching his bag off of the ground and grabbing Remus' arm. "Come on, it's bloody freezing out here."

"We'll catch up!" Peter called cheerfully after them. "Sybil wants to check out the local graveyard first."

"There is a powerful, mystic energy radiating from this hallowed ground," she breathed, shuffling dazedly towards the graveyard with Peter by her side, who watched her with great interest. Sirius glowered at them and shook his head before stalking off towards the cottage.

"Batty, that one," he muttered under his breath.

"Can we go home now?" Remus grumbled.

As they approached the Potter's cottage they could hear muffled voices and laughter from within. Sirius chapped the door loudly and a few seconds later it swung open, the muted Christmas music suddenly growing louder.

"Padfoot! Moony!" James greeted them brightly. "How're you doing, lads? Come in, come in, cloaks are being kept in the front room on the first floor."

Remus stepped into the cottage, wiping his feet on the mat, and shrugged out of his cloak, glad to be out of the biting cold. Sirius, however, didn't move.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing at James' lip.

"What?" he asked, touching the newly grown cigar moustache. "Don't you like it?"

"You look like a poor man's Freddie Mercury, mate," he teased. Remus snorted and James glowered at him.

"What are you on about? This is the height of fashion, Padfoot!" he protested, adding, "Magnum P.I. has one!"

"You, my friend, are no Tom Selleck," Sirius argued. James shook his head in disbelief.

"I invite you into my home and you insult me before I've even closed the front door," he grumbled, slamming the door shut behind him. "At least you brought cake."

"The cake's for Lily," Remus informed him, shuffling down the narrow corridor in the direction of the kitchen. "Besides, you wouldn't want to get any cake crumbs caught in that lovely moustache of yours."

Remus glanced into the living room as they passed by and saw a few people had already arrived. Harry was at the foot of the tree with Arthur's youngest son, Ronald, inspecting the large pile of Christmas presents, shaking one and trying to guess what was hidden inside.

Stepping into the kitchen, they found Lily hard at work constructing a large cheese and pineapple hedgehog. When she heard the trio enter the kitchen, she looked up from her centrepiece and smiled.

"Hello, boys," she greeted them warmly and pulled them both into a tight hug. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Sirius and Remus chorused. Remus held up two large Tupperware boxes.

"Two chocolate fruit cakes for the lady of the house, as requested."

Lily gave him an appraising look and kissed his cheek. "My hero. Just leave them on the counter and grab yourselves a drink. We've got butterbeer in the fridge."

"You got any Firewhisky?" asked Sirius hopefully.

"In the cupboard," she replied. "Bought it especially for you."

Sirius pulled a large bottle of Old Ogden's Firewhisky from the cupboard and poured three measures into plastic cups. "Oh Lil, if only I weren't already spoken for, I'd marry you myself."

"They're making fun of my moustache," James complained, taking one of the plastic cups Sirius offered him. "Tell them how dashing you think it looks on me."

"Oh, it's very dashing," she said lightly, adding more pickles and cheese to her hedgehog centrepiece. "I still think you look like a Burt Reynolds impersonator…"

Remus snorted into his drink and Sirius barked out a laugh, slapping a distraught-looking James heartily on the back.

"You said that you liked it!" he cried indignantly. Lily smirked.

"I said that I was happy for so long as you were, dear," she corrected him. James stroked his bushy moustache thoughtfully.

"I think it makes me look distinguished," he muttered.

"Uncle Remy! Uncle Siri!"

Harry and Ron came running into the kitchen closely followed by two taller, identical red-headed boys. Harry launched himself at Sirius, wrapping his arms tightly around his legs and nearly knocking his godfather off balance. Sirius grinned and lifted Harry into his arms. "Harry, m'boy! How're you doing? Merlin's beard, look how big you've grown since I last saw you! You're almost as tall as your dad."

"Harry, son," James implored. "Tell everyone what you think of Daddy's moustache."

Harry screwed up his face in contemplation, "I think it looks like a caterpillar."

James stalked out of the kitchen in annoyance as uproarious laughter followed him, muttering under his breath about 'bloody traitors' and 'no sense of style'.

"Uncle Siri, come play with us," Harry asked keenly. The Weasleys and Harry begged and pleaded for him to play and Sirius looked eager to join them, but he cast a furtive glance at Remus to gauge his reaction. He had promised Remus they could go home if he wasn't feeling up to staying at the party, but Remus couldn't deny him the chance to spend some quality time with his godson. Besides, he had Lily and James as back-up. He gave Sirius a small smile and shrugged.

"Knock yourself out," he said, taking a sip from his drink. Sirius grinned and lifted Harry onto his shoulders.

"Come on, lads! Let's grab our coats and broomsticks," he declared as he marched out of the kitchen. "I've got some neat aerial acrobatics they taught us at the Auror Academy to show you!"

Lily put the finishing touches on her centrepiece, looking it over once to check that it was perfect.

"Do you need a hand in here, Lil?" Remus offered.

"No, I'm on top of things, thanks." She flashed him a brilliant smile and handed him the centrepiece. "Put that on the side table in the living room for me, will you?"

"Sure, I'll be back in a minute."

"Oh, don't worry about me!" she said, waving him off. "You go in there and enjoy the party with everyone else."

"I don't mind keeping you company," he said hopefully, but Lily shook her head.

"I'm good," she assured him. "Go on, enjoy the party!"

Reluctantly, Remus left the kitchen and entered the living room where the Christmas party was in full swing. Peter and Sybil stood in the far corner of the room, deep in conversation with Arthur and Molly Weasley. By their confused expressions, Remus guessed that Sybil was giving them cryptic predictions about their future, too. Keen to avoid another unsettling conversation with Peter's new belle, he sidled through the crowded room to the opposite corner where Frank and Alice Longbottom stood chatting amongst themselves and sharing a plateful of appetisers.

"Evening Frank, Alice," Remus smiled politely at them. "Merry Christmas."

"Remus!" Frank gave Remus a firm handshake while Alice pecked him on the cheek. "Merry Christmas to you, too. How've you been?"

"Where's Neville?" asked Remus, avoiding the question.

"He's staying at Mum's tonight," Frank explained. "Gives us the night to ourselves for a change. I mean, we see each other every day at the office, but it's not really the same, is it?"

"We can't enjoy a drink at work," smirked Alice, taking a sip of her butterbeer. "Speaking of, how's your work going, Remus? You're still tutoring, aren't you?"

"It's fine," he lied, his stomach twisting horrible thinking about Mrs Davies. He tried to turn the conversation away from himself again, "How about you two? Sounds like there's a lot going on in the department at the moment. Sirius' been run off his feet the last few weeks."

Frank groaned and rolled his eyes. "Merlin, don't get me started. It's an absolute farce, I tell you! We're underpaid, understaffed, and mismanaged—"

"Are you complaining about the workload again, Longbottom?" boomed an authoritative voice. Alice squealed and quickly covered her mouth to stifle the sound and Frank's back went as straight as a rod. A large, burly man hobbled over to their corner of the room, his wooden leg tapping loudly on the floor with each step. He had one small dark eye fixed unwaveringly on Frank while his electric blue one whizzed wildly in its socket.

"M-Mad-Eye! What are you doing here? Ow! —" Frank stammered and quickly shut his mouth as Alice elbowed him in the ribs, drawing him a sharp look. She turned to Mad-Eye and smiled nervously at him.

"Auror Moody! It's so good to see you out of the confines of the office, sir." She pointed at the bottle of butterbeer in her hand. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Brought my own," he replied gruffly, pulling a hip flask from deep inside his travelling cloak. He popped the cap off and took a quick swig, grimacing at the taste before slipping it back into his pocket. "What was that you were saying about the department being underfunded and overworked ?"

"Nothing," said Frank quickly. "Only, we were just saying that the department could use more bodies. What with the increased workload and all…"

Mad-Eye glowered at Frank for a moment as though sizing him up. Remus took a half-step back, planning to make his escape from the argument about to erupt, when Mad-Eye gave a curt nod in agreement.

"I couldn't agree more, Longbottom. Bloody Crouch and his cronies sitting in their ivory tower dictating to me about budgets and margins. Dark wizards don't give a crap about us balancing the books!" he shouted. "I'm an Auror for Merlin's sake, not a bloody bookkeeper. Our job is to keep the streets safe!"

The tension in Frank and Alice's shoulders eased a little and they smiled and nodded in agreement. "Oh yes! We quite agree! Absolutely disgraceful…"

Remus took his opportunity to escape then. Slipping back into the crowd, he left Mad-Eye to rage about internal politics and corruption at the Ministry to the Longbottoms. Stepping back out into the hall, Remus almost had his legs taken out from under him as a streak of orange fur darted past and out of the front door's cat flap. Thundering footsteps followed moments later as a shaggy black dog came galloping down the stairs in hot pursuit of the cat, Harry clinging for dear life on his back.

"Padfoot!" Remus groaned as Sirius scratched and whined at the front door. He turned and looked expectantly at Remus, wagging his bushy tail.

"Open the door, Uncle Remy!" Harry cried. "We need to catch Jasper!"

Remus rolled his eyes and opened the front door for them. Sirius let out a loud bark of thanks and took off down the snowy path after the cat, Harry laughing and squealing with delight as they hurtled down a side street and out of sight. Remus closed the door and only managed a couple of steps when someone knocked on the door. Sighing, he turned and opened the door to be met with a huge, shaggy figure, so large that he blotted out the sinking sun.

"Evening, Hagrid," Remus greeted him politely. "Come on in…"

Remus spent the next couple of hours wandering aimlessly from room to room, engaging in small talk and avoiding answering the usual questions about how he was feeling and how work was going. Instead, he tried to steer the conversation back to whoever he was talking to: how were Arabella's kneazles fairing? How was Marlene's Healer apprenticeship going? Did Fabian really think that the Chudley Cannons were going to win the Quidditch League this year?

His evasive skills were put to the test, however, when, later in the evening, Professor McGonagall caught his eye and beckoned him over. Remus sighed and sidled over to where his old Transfiguration professor sat nursing a Gillywater Cocktail, her expression unusually stern. She patted the empty seat next to her and he sank into it, already feeling apprehensive.

"You've been avoiding me," she pointed out, taking a sip from her drink. He had, but he wasn't going to admit that.

"I've just not had the chance to come speak to you yet," he lied. Merlin, he'd been doing a lot of that this evening. "How are you, Professor? Are you staying at Hogwarts over Christmas?"

"You know fine well I am," she replied briskly. "I always do. How is the tutoring coming along?"

"S'fine," he replied shortly.

"You're a terrible liar," she mused. "Let me ask you again: what happened? Answer me truthfully, now."

Remus' heart sank. "You heard, then."

"I did," she confirmed shortly. She kept her voice low enough so that no-one else could overhear them. "Word travels fast amongst parents, they gossip worse than school girls. From what I was told, Chester Davies' mother took issue with your unique predicament."

"You heard correctly," Remus sighed.

"And she has taken it upon herself to spread the word to other parents?" she asked bitterly.

"It would seem so, yes."

"Foul woman," McGonagall hissed, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I remember her at school: she was an ignoramus even back then and it doesn't appear much has changed over the years. It's a wonder she got sorted into Ravenclaw."

"Stupid or not, there's nowt to be done about my situation, Professor. I'm just going to have to try and find work elsewhere."

McGonagall hesitated a moment before asking, "Wouldn't you consider coming to work at Hogwarts?"

Remus grunted, "I have considered it. A lot. I've asked Professor Dumbledore on several occasions to keep me in mind if any jobs became available, but he's always chosen to employ staff members with less... complex issues than myself. Not that I blame him; I'm sure it was hard enough having a werewolf on the premises when I was a student."

"We managed your situation just fine," said McGonagall briskly. "The Whomping Willow and Shrieking Shack are still in place if you or any student are ever in need of it. And of course, with the creation of the Wolfsbane Potion, there's an extra level of safety in place."

"I can't always afford the Wolfsbane Potion," he explained solemnly. "Even on a teacher's salary, I'd struggle."

"What if Severus made it for you?" she asked. Remus couldn't help but laugh aloud.

"Oh, I'm sure he'd love that," he sneered. McGonagall ignored his outburst and continued.

"We could provide you with a regular supply of the potion. You'd never have to worry about being able to afford it."

Remus' eyes narrowed. "Are you offering me a job?"

"A position may be opening up in the near future," she confirmed, albeit cryptically. "Why, would you be interested?"

Definitely , he thought. A spark of hope flared up inside of him, but he quickly tempered it knowing better than to get his hopes up — he knew all too well the higher your hopes got, the harder you fall. Instead, he asked the most pressing question of them all, "This all sounds very interesting, Professor, but I have to ask — what about Sirius?"

"What about him?" she asked curiously. He drew her a hard look.

"In the very small, extremely unlikely chance that I was offered a job at Hogwarts, I wouldn't accept without Sirius being able to live with me. I know that my...what was it Mrs Davies called it — 'life style choices' — might upset some parents more than having a werewolf on the teaching staff. But as much as it might shock or upset people, I'm not going to bow to pressure and pretend that I'm something that I'm not and sideline him for the sake of a job. Sirius and I are a package deal, so, it's all or nothing, Professor. And if that's a problem then I'm afraid you're going to have to find someone else for the job, whatever it is."

Remus half-expected McGonagall to order him detention for his cheek, but instead, her eyes watered and she smiled warmly at him.

"Very well. I shall speak to the Headmaster and pass on your terms." She rose to her feet and brushed her robes down before giving him a light pat on the shoulder. "You always had strong Ravenclaw leanings, Remus, but it's moments like this when I see the true Gryffindor in you come to the surface. I better get back to the castle before Filch locks up the gates for the evening. Please tell Sirius I was asking for him."

Remus frowned at her, "But...you didn't even tell me what the job was!"

McGonagall, pretending she hadn't heard him, simply waved him off and marched out of the room without another word.


"I don't want to," Harry whimpered.

"It's getting late, love," Lily crooned, stroking his hair and kissing his forehead. "It's already past your bedtime."

"I'm not sleepy," he protested weakly. "I want to play with Ron."

"Ron's away home, son," James explained gently. "His mum's taken him home because it's past his bedtime, too."

Harry groaned and buried his head into his mother's long hair. The party was in full swing and Harry was reluctant to go to bed for fear of missing something exciting, but he was struggling to keep his eyes open; playing with his Uncle Siri all evening had worn him out.

Remus stepped into the kitchen and found Sirius, James and Lily sitting at the kitchen table trying to coax Harry into going to bed. James looked up at Remus and gave him a small wave.

"How's the party going through there?" asked James.

"In full swing," he said, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Sybil is predicting everyone's demise. Mad-Eye looks ready to hex her."

James groaned and rose slowly to his feet. "I better go rescue everyone from her doomsday predictions." He looked towards Lily, "Are you okay seeing him off to bed?"

Lily placed another kiss on Harry's forehead. "Okay, I'll take him upstairs and read him his bedtime story. You go play host for a bit."

"I'll do it," Sirius piped up eagerly. "I don't mind reading him a story."

"Are you sure?" asked Lily. Sirius reached forward and took Harry out of her arms and into his own, holding him close. "Nah, it's no problem! Sybil's a bit of a handful — dealing with her is a two-man job. Besides, you guys have been so busy running the party that you haven't had the chance to enjoy any of it! I'll take care of this for you."

Lily looked relieved. "Thank you, Sirius."

James patted him on the shoulder. "Cheers mate. We'll have a drink waiting for you when you get back!"

As James and Lily wandered into the living room to join the party, Sirius beckoned Remus to follow. Harry nuzzled his head against Sirius' shoulder as they climbed the stairs, his eyes already drooping from tiredness but his grip on Sirius' shirt was unrelinquishing. Remus followed close behind, watching from the doorway as Sirius got Harry into his pyjamas and tucked under the covers of his small bed. Sirius knelt by the side of his bed, stroking Harry's messy hair and smiling softly at him. For all his antics and misbehaviour, Remus couldn't deny that Sirius had strong paternal instincts. Watching him interact with Harry this evening, playing with him, making him laugh, getting him tucked into bed like it was the most natural thing in the world...it was one thing talking about kids, but seeing the way Sirius had acted towards Harry tonight, Remus suddenly had a real and overwhelming sense of how just much Sirius wanted to do this with a child of their own. His desire was written all over his face and it was a hunger that Remus recognised in himself, a hunger that could not be sated no matter how much he tried to fill it.

"You ready for the lights to go out?" asked Sirius. Harry nodded and Remus flicked the light switch, shrouding the bedroom in darkness. Immediately, Harry whimpered and gripped Sirius' arm tightly.

"What's up, little man?" asked Sirius gently.

"I don't like the dark," he whispered. Sirius tried to calm him but Harry couldn't settle. He squirmed in his bed and wouldn't let go of Sirius' arm.

"What's wrong with the dark?" asked Remus curiously. He couldn't see Harry's eyes but he imagined that they were wide with fright.

"Fred says there are monsters in the dark," he whispered. "They wait 'til you're asleep, then they crawl out from under your bed and suck out your soul."

"That's not true," said Sirius. "There's nothing under your bed, Harry. I swear my life on it."

"Can you check?" he asked nervously. Sirius got onto his hands and knees and groped blindly under the bed then sat back up on his knees.

"All clear."

Harry, however, remained unconvinced. He refused to go to sleep unless they assured him that the dark was safe. Suddenly, an idea came to Remus and he drew his wand, tracing it in a wide arc across the ceiling. Harry watched wide-eyed and open-mouthed as the ominously dark ceiling transformed into a beautiful night sky, glimmers of white and blue light twinkled in a ceaseless cosmic dance across the spangled, velvet-black ceiling.

"Woah, Moony," Sirius whispered. "I'm impressed."

Remus pocketed his wand again and sat carefully at the end of Harry's bed, staring up at his creation. "Lots of people are afraid of the dark, you know — afraid of what they can't see and what they don't understand — but the dark is nothing to be afraid of, Harry. Stars can't shine without darkness."

Harry's breathing gradually eased and he settled into his bed. As promised, Sirius began telling Harry his nightly bedtime story and Remus listened with growing amusement as Sirius recounted to his godson a tale of his own creation, aptly named The Tale of the Four Brothers. The brothers — a rat, stag, dog and wolf — lived in an ancient forest and created a magical map which would lead them to buried treasure and take them on great adventures. He rolled his eyes when Sirius spoke of a gruesome bat that lived in the forest that always threatened to ruin their fun — he had a fairly good idea that Sirius was referring to a greasy-haired, hooked nose friend of theirs. By the time Sirius got to the part of the story where the dog rode a flying motorcycle, Harry was fast asleep.

As quietly as possible, they snuck out of the bedroom and onto the empty landing, leaving Harry to dream beneath the safety of the starry night sky.

Sirius let out a long sigh and leaned against the wall outside Harry's bedroom. "Merlin, I was worried there for a moment that he wasn't going to go to sleep. Good work with the night sky charm, by the way. Where'd you learn to do that? It's really pretty."

"It's a simple enough charm, I could teach you sometime," he shrugged carelessly, moving closer to Sirius. He rested his hands on the wall either side of Sirius' head, boxing him in, and pressed his lips to his ear. "I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. I could show you them now if you like?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You want to do something here?"

"Like we haven't done it before?" he chuckled, ghosting their lips together. "I've been thinking about you all evening and now that I finally have you to myself, I want to take full advantage of the situation. Besides, we still have a few of my sex cheques vouchers to work our way through, and I'd like to cash one."

Sirius' steel grey eyes darkened and he bit his plump bottom lip. "That is a very tempting proposition..." His eyes flitted towards the stairwell where they could hear the soft thump of music and muffled voices from the party beneath their feet. "You don't think they'll come looking for us?"

"I thought the risk of getting caught is half the fun?" Remus challenged, leaning in and kissing the sensitive spot on Sirius' neck. Sirius' breath hitched and his eyelids fluttered and closed as Remus sucked a line of kisses along his neck and jaw before crushing their lips together in a slow, teasing kiss. Sirius groaned and groped for Remus' hand, pulling him in the direction of one of the guest bedrooms.

Sirius popped his head in first to make sure it was empty before pulling Remus in with him, closing the door quietly behind them. The small guest room was sparsely decorated, with a small double bed in the centre of the room with a large pile of guest's coats discarded on top of it. It was just what they needed for their sneaky tryst.

"We'll have to make this quick," Sirius warned, grabbing Remus' hips. Remus pushed him against the door and kissed him again, carefully slipping his knee between Sirius' legs and brushing his thigh against the outline of Sirius' cock. Sirius groaned and pressed his hips more firmly against Remus' leg, increasing the friction.

"I've been thinking about you all night, too," Sirius whispered breathlessly as they intermittently kissed and groped each other, pulling at their clothes which suddenly felt tight and restrictive against their bodies. "Kept thinking about how sexy you look in your Christmas jumper."

Remus snorted and grinned, pulling the woollen jumper and shirt over his head and discarding them on the floor. Sirius cast a lustful look over Remus' bare chest and grabbed him by the belt, pulling him close again. "Much better."

Sirius pulled him into another searing kiss, their tongues teasing against one another as they fumbled with their belt buckles and zippers, desperate to feel their hot, bare skin pressed against each other. Remus roughly pushed Sirius' jeans past his thighs and took his hard cock in hand, swiping the sensitive head with his thumb and stifling Sirius' moan of pleasure with his mouth. Sirius pulled Remus' cock out of his trousers and mimicked Remus' movements, taking a firm grip at the base and pumping his fist back and forth in long, smooth strokes, each time eliciting a delicious, shaky moan of pleasure from Remus. Their kissing intensified and their breaths came out in hard, shallow pants as they wanked each other closer to orgasm.

Sirius fumbled with his free hand for his wand and momentarily released Remus' cock from his grip to cast a lubrication charm in his open palm. He gently pulled Remus' hand free from his own cock, shifted his hips so that their erections were pressed alongside one another, and began smearing the lube over both of their cocks at the same time. Remus let out an audible groan of pleasure and used his left hand to hold their erections together, gyrating his hips back and forth as they continued frotting against each other. Sirius fisted Remus' sandy brown hair and pulled him close, crushing their lips together as they moaned and panted into each others mouth, edging closer to their climax with each stroke.

Suddenly, Sirius arched his back and bumped his head against the door, his eyes clenched shut and his mouth opened in a silent cry as he came, spilling his seed all over their cocks and hands. The come provided extra lubrication for Remus and he slathered it all over his own achingly hard length — the kinkiness of it was enough to push him over the edge and he let out a low, hoarse groan as he came, his cock pulsing hot semen all over Sirius' crotch and trousers. Funny how a handjob could make him feel so much better than a kiss.

A wild, heated expression burned in Sirius' eyes and he immediately sank to his knees and took Remus' cock into his mouth, sucking and licking his and Remus' come like it was Amortentia. Remus slapped his hand against the bedroom door to steady himself, his thighs shaking as Sirius eagerly sucked and lapped at his now wilting length.

"Jesus Christ…" he whimpered helplessly. Sirius pulled his mouth away and slowly ran his tongue over his lips, his eyes holding a predatory glint in them that made Remus weak at the knees.

"That was very naughty," Remus whispered in a low, sultry voice, tracing his thumb across Sirius' lips. Sirius wiggled his eyebrows and playfully sucked Remus' thumb.

"I can't help myself," he protested lightly. Taking Remus' proffered hand, he pulled himself back onto his feet. "You know I love sucking your dick."

Without warning, the door swung open and banged against the back of Sirius' head.

BANG.

"Ow!" Sirius groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "Shit."

"Whoops! Sorry, is someone in there already?" came James' voice. "Is that you, Padfoot?"

Sirius popped his head out of the door, trying to keep it closed enough to give Remus the chance to get re-dressed in privacy.

"Alright, mate? How're you doing?" Sirius greeted him warmly as Remus tucked himself back into his trousers and forced his head through his Christmas jumper. James took in his friend's dishevelled appearance and his eyes narrowed.

"Are you and Remus shagging again?" he hissed. Sirius gaped at him.

"What? No!" Of course not. We're eh…"

"Looking for our jackets," Remus cut in. Sirius nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Yeah, we're just looking for our jackets. Harry's all settled in bed now and we're feeling pretty tired from the festivities. We figured we'd just make tracks."

The lie rolled easily off of Sirius' tongue and for a brief moment, Remus was convinced that James would buy the lie and they'd get off scot-free.

"Oh yeah? You looking for your shirt in there as well, Padfoot?" James sneered. Sirius blinked and then glanced down at his still bare chest.

"Ah right. About that…" he began. James rolled his eyes and thrust another guest's coat through the door into Sirius' hand.

"Just chuck that on the bed and come back down whenever you're done. Don't mess up anyone's coats!" he warned.

"We won't!" said Sirius brightly. "We'll be down in a minute."

James gave an exasperated sigh and retreated, muttering under his breath, "Pair of mangy old horndogs. I swear they've gotten worse as we've gotten older…"

Sirius closed the door and tossed the coat onto the bed.

"I think Prongs might be a tad pissed off at us," Remus mused lightly, fixing his belt buckle. Sirius waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah, he'll get over it," he said unconcernedly. "Could've been worse."

"How so?"

"He could've caught us shagging in his bed," he smirked. Remus snorted and pulled Sirius out of the bedroom and back to the party, glad that he'd decided to stick around for more than one drink.