"Remus, please," Sirius gasped, jogging in his attempt to catch up to his smaller friend, who appeared to have developed immense speed. Adrenaline, perhaps.
Without word, Remus continued along the corridor, before taking the stairs two at a time to make his way to the top.
"Uh!"
Remus' ankle clicked as he made to pull it from the faulty step, near the common room. With a small groan, he heaved it – stopping only when the pain increased.
After a number of attempts – each failing miserably – in the most un-Gryffindor way imaginable, Remus gave in and sat down on the step; one foot still trapped.
All too soon, Sirius' shadow appeared upon the stairs. He almost tripped over Remus in his haste to make his way upstairs.
Sirius, panting and tired, slipped down the wall – a couple of steps below Remus – to sit down and address the latter.
"Remu-"
"You should have told me sooner," Remus said; his chin between his knees, his eyes watery, though he did not look as though he had been crying.
Sirius closed his eyes to blink, though they remained shut for several more moments, before eventually he parted his lids, and looked back to Remus, whose eyes were also now shut.
Remus' figure looked so peaceful, he could have been sleeping. But from the way in which his hands clenched one another beneath his knees, it was clear that this was not the case.
"We didn't have the evidence, to begin with," Sirius responded sincerely.
Carefully, Remus opened his eyes to look back at Sirius; a dry smile on his face as a lone tear slipped down his cheek, "Meaning I wouldn't have believed you otherwise?"
"Well...yeah. James and I were considering telling you something similar anyway – on a mere hunch. But then we discovered the full extent of it all..." he admitted. Sirius hadn't meant to say so much, but here alone, with Remus, he felt he could say anything, and he knew that Remus would not move. No less if Remus' foot was free, either.
"How long have you known?" Remus asked him, no longer looking at him, nor smiling.
Awkwardly, Sirius shuffled, and found himself looking up at the stained glass window of Merlin opposite them, across the stairs.
When he received no answer, Remus cast a weary look at Sirius, and was surprised to find that his friend looked almost as sullen as he, himself, felt.
"Siri?" Remus added quietly, reaching a hand as far out as he could; fingers stretching in an attempt to seek Sirius' own.
With a sympathetic smile, Sirius turned to look back at Remus, and raised his hand to take his friends; relaxing their fingers together, resting upon the stone cold stair.
"A couple of days," Sirius answered after a short moment; his thumb rubbing circles upon the back of Remus' hand.
Remus sighed.
"I could kill him for what he did to you," Sirius suddenly spat, darkly.
"Hey, hey," Remus said, surprised to find himself to be the one comforting the other, despite the turn of events.
Sirius looked back at Remus, the anger fading from his eyes as he did so.
With a sigh of his own, Sirius stood up.
A sudden pang shot through Remus, which he hated himself for instantly – he had a sudden fear the he was about to lose Sirius, too, in that moment.
"Where are you going?" Remus asked him in a louder voice, the worry still a lingering aftertaste.
"We are going upstairs to the common room," Sirius answered, tugging on Remus' hand until he stood upright, wobbling slightly as his ankle throbbed amidst the stone beneath them.
"What for?" Remus asked, not really feeling up to spending his time with a load of people.
"You'll see," Sirius answered him with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I'm not up to any more surprises..." Remus answered, amused as he sensed Sirius' impatience at their lack of movement.
"Trust me, you'll love me for it."
There was a double meaning within Sirius' words, which Remus was quick to pick up on.
"Sirius, I'm-"
-going to come along upstairs with me, now. Come on," Sirius went on, his impatience becoming more and more evident.
"My foot..." Remus pointed out.
Both their eyes travelled down to look at Remus' foot.
"Whoa!" Remus announced, his voice echoing through the walls as Sirius put his arm around Remus, beneath his arms, to pull him free from the stairs.
"Are you okay to stand?" Sirius asked him once the task had been accomplished.
"A parallel," Remus said, looking off into the distance.
Frowning, Sirius turned to him, "Huh?"
"When I'm stuck.. I can't get out alone. I need someone.. Someone strong enough to help pull me out."
Understanding, Sirius remained silent, nodding carefully.
"Hmm," Remus added, coming back to the present.
"Are you okay to stand on that foot?" Sirius asked him.
"Why, what are you going to do, carry me?" Remus joked, pressuring the foot to see, and barely noticing the wince that had escaped his lips before Sirius had picked him up.
"Yeah," Sirius answered, belated.
"How subtle," Remus answered sarcastically.
The two of them were both aware of one another, of how close they were to each other, but neither addressed the point as they went up to their common room.
"Nargle," Sirius said with a shrug, to the Fat Lady who soon swung open to reveal the common room abuzz with a group of first, second and seventh years alike, crowded around something.
Sirius coughed.
Immediately, the gathering dispersed and broke apart, as Sirius settled Remus carefully onto his feet.
"What did you want me t..."
Remus' voice faded out as he looked in the direction Sirius was looking with a large smile on his face.
Resting on Sirius for support, Remus made his way over, across to a large cardboard box, in which much scratching could be heard from inside.
"Have a look inside, Remus," Sirius prompted, as Remus slowed down to look at him.
The portrait hole opened again as James and Lily entered, their knowing eyes immediately looking over to Remus as he approached the box.
Whispering broke out as they awaited Remus to approach the box, and peer over it hesitantly.
"Aww," he announced.
Chuckles broke out and a lone first year scrambled out of the closest arm chair as Sirius settled Remus into it, so he could still see inside the box.
"Do you like him?" Sirius said.
"I love him," Remus declared barely before the words had left Sirius' mouth, "Is he the Gryffindor pet, or something?"
"Remus, love, he's yours."
Sirius reached into the large cardboard box to bring out a young, brown kitten. Cradling the kitten to his chest, he perched himself upon the arm of Remus' chair, as Remus reached out to stroke the kitten; its legs pushing against Sirius' arm feebly in an attempt to get out of them and run.
"Mine?" Remus asked calmly. His emotions were far from organised, let alone calm, but the manner in which he delivered his words were calm; the last thing on his mind was to frighten the little creature before him.
"Yours," Sirius confirmed, manoeuvring to meet Remus' lips.
Remus' hand fell from the kitten, to Sirius lap, which he removed instantly, embarrassed by such.
A slight smirk radiated from Sirius, as he and Remus' lips conjoined.
"Get a room, Padfoot," James called from the doorway, earning him a nudge from Lily, who was watching the couple and the kitten together, with a look of adoration.
Remus and Sirius broke apart, smiling to one another, before Sirius turned to James and answered, "We've got one, but that one also happens to be shared by you and Pete. Or did you want a VIP show?"
The common room broke out into amused laughter, as James flushed crimson.
"Where did t-"
Sirius brief anxiousness faded as soon as it had appeared; fearing the disappearance of the kitten, whom he noted was sat with Remus, upon his lap, being petted softly, as the two of them looked at one another.
"What are you going to call him?" someone asked.
Remus raised his eyes to find the person asking, when his eyes found some chocolate stashed in the far corner.
"Remus?" Sirius asked him nervously, as it appeared he had gone into some form of shock.
"Chocolate," Remus said, casually declaring what he had seen.
"Great name!" someone shouted, as James muttered, "We should've known."
Sirius, being the only one to interpret the meaning behind Remus' outburst, tore his gaze from the caramel kitten and said to him, "Oh, that's yours too – the kitten was meant for tomorrow. But after today... I didn't think you'd be rushing to spend time with people."
Remus nodded in agreement. He hadn't really been listening, for the kitten had begun to wriggle around and paw at Remus' shirt, pushing itself up to look him levelly in the eyes.
"Yeah, you're my little Chocolate," Remus cooed.
Watching in a strong fondness, Sirius didn't note James' movement until the latter appeared beside him.
"Watch out, Pads," he whispered to his friend's ear, startling him, "Or you'll have a cat to contend with next."
This earned him both a playful punch from Sirius, and a nudge from Lily once again.
Naturally, the latter had him beaming.
As everyone focused on Remus and his new little friend, no one noticed James as he turned to Lily, who was grinning before him, and leaned across, meeting her lips.
She neither pushed him away, nor respond instantly.
When she did, a clap broke out from near them, causing others to turn in their direction.
Sirius nudged Remus to look, who turned and found himself smiling.
"There's so much love in this room..." a sixth year girl said aloud to no one in particular.
"And a family," a seventh year added, his eyes on Remus.
"Catching the young boy's gaze, Sirius looked around uneasy.
"Don't worry Padfoot," Remus said, pushing himself carefully out of the chair, and balancing unevenly to stay upright, "Chocolate is officially our son."
Leaving a speechless Sirius, Remus made his way over to the fireplace to settle the kitten to sleep.
James' sniggering, after finally leaving Lily, caused Sirius to turn to him.
"Hey, you're only jealous because Lily hasn't-"
...But, whatever Lily 'hadn't' no one found out, because James threw a cushion across at him, causing a mediocre cushion fight to break out.
The only onlooker, Remus, sat by the fire, warming up as he watched on in delight.
Yes, he'd lost a lot that day.
But at the same time, he'd certainly gained more than he thought he would.
And tomorrow? He would gain again; The chocolate was his.
Shallow? True.
The next chapter is definitely the finale... Likely to be posted tomorrow, I think.
The mental images for Remus (or young David Thewlis) with a chocolate coloured kitten...priceless 3