Hey everyone!

I'm so glad that over-all, most of you seem happy that I didn't go ahead and get those two together on the quiddich pitch. I had been afraid that you would all start to get frustrated with all of my "close calls." ^^;;;

Also, I received an anonymous criticism about the space between my updates and I want to say that I was actually VERY HAPPY to get it! In the review, the author said they were afraid to leave any criticism while signed in on their account. I just want everyone to know that they should never be afraid to leave negative criticism or constructive criticism. Of course, I only ask that my reviewers are polite about the way they say things, but I am on this site to try and improve myself. I truly love all of the praise I get in my reviews, but if any of you ever see something you don't like, or that you found odd, hard to understand/read, or clumsy, please, PLEASE tell me. If you dislike something, please let me know what it was that you disliked. I can't say that I will always take every bit of advice that I get, but I am always going to appreciate getting it.

Please don't be afraid to say what you're thinking, whether it is good or bad. I am here to grow and hopefully help other people grow.

Of course, if you want to leave a review that just says "I LOVE YOU!" I'll be just as happy for that one too 3 ^.~

ANYWAY!

Enough chatter and seriousness. Onward with the story!

***also, sorry this is so short. I've been sitting on what you're reading now for a really long time, trying to decide where to go next. I figured it would be better to go ahead and post what I have, even though it's short, rather than making you all wait. I hope you still like it!

For the next forty-eight hours, Sirius began to realize what a pathetic situation he was in. No one had been let in to see Remus, though he wondered if it would be appropriate for him to see his friend after what he'd said to him. James and Lily were both decidedly ignoring him, whispering intensely to each other instead, probably trying to figure out what had happened to Remus. Sirius was most angry that they wouldn't even let him help to avenge their friend. Just because he'd turned down the prospect of a romantic relationship with Moony didn't mean that he didn't care about him. He felt they were being unfair and fought the urge to throw a good old-fashioned temper tantrum, though he figured that throwing himself on the ground in a fit wouldn't help his reputation at the moment.

The saddest part of the whole situation, however, was that the only friend he was left with at the moment was Wormtail. Sirius wondered some times why they considered peter to be such a close friend. He'd begun to feel more and more like an obnoxious little brother. He never really wanted to be around the other boy, but there was an unconditional bond there. He felt obligated to include him, as though there were an invisible parent shaking their finger in his direction telling him to include little Peter.

"You don't seemed very bothered by all of this." Sirius muttered from where he was laying on the floor, his feet propped up on the couch Peter was sitting on

"Well I figure the teachers will sort it out." Peter said distractedly, his quill sloppily scribbling on the love letter in his lap. "I'm sure they've already figured out who it was. And Pomfrey can heal just about anything, so I'm sure he's fine."

Sirius sulked silently for a few minutes, his fingers drumming agitatedly on his own stomach and chest. He hated that his friend was so calm about all of this, though he was sure he'd be less calm if he told him the rest of the story. Peter likely wouldn't take well to the idea of two of his male friends having attraction problems.

"So, Wormy," Sirius asked, trying to sound casual but suddenly struck with an idea. "Is Helena still friends with that Debbie girl?"

"Sort of." Peter answered, not bothering to look up from his letter. "She was pretty upset about that thing with Lily, so she's kept a bit of distance. But I know she still has a lot of classes with her."

"Has Helena said anything about her and Remus dating?" Sirius asked, the words nearly choking in his throat before he could get them out.

Peter suddenly chuckled, finally looking up from his parchment to give Sirius a knowing look, one infused with a dash of jealousy. It was a look that Sirius often saw on his friend's face when they were talking about girls.

"Only that she was surprised since you're the one Debbie's always going on about. You better be careful, Padfoot. Stealing your best mate's girlfriend is the fasted way to ruin a friendship." Peter was shaking his head slightly as he went back to his business, obviously thinking that Sirius was fishing for information to get closer to Debbie, something that wasn't unheard of when it came to the black haired teen.

Sirius felt his stomach turn over at the thought of being interested in Debbie. Even before everything that had happened with Remus, when they had dated briefly, Sirius found her hard to stomach. She was a very pretty girl, which is what had first drawn Sirius to her, but he'd felt from the beginning that she was slightly off kilter. He never could put his finger on what it was, but he was certain that there was some sort of imbalance that she was dealing with.

"I thought I told you to keep away from me until you've sorted your issues." James said agitatedly as Sirius hurried over to the table he and Lily were sitting at.

"Will you come off it a second! This is important!" Sirius said, angry that James was still giving him the cold shoulder, but too excited about his revelation to fight with him. "I think I know who pushed Moony!"

"Oh? And who do you think did it?" James asked sarcastically.

"It was Debbie. I'm sure of it. He told me she'd been blackmailing him." Sirius said, his hands firmly on their table, not caring that the other students in the common room were staring at him.

James and Lily exchanged glances with each other, and Sirius thought they looked surprised. He thought, perhaps, Remus hadn't told them about his issues with Debbie and he felt a swelling of joy at the idea of Remus only trusting him with the information.

"At first I was really confused because Moony told me she was blackmailing him to make sure he would go out with her. But here lately she hasn't been tagging along behind him like she normally was." Sirius paused for breath, feeling like he'd finally unraveled the mystery and was in the process of regaining some standing in the eyes of his friends. "I thought it was weird so I looked into it. Turns out Wormy's girlfriend said that Debbie usually talked about liking me. I think she shoved him off the edge, and has been giving him a hard time not because she thought she might lose him to me, but because she thought she might lose me to him!"

Sirius paused, taking a triumphant breath, smiling at his two friends who were looking almost confused. He was thrilled at the idea of outsmarting them, but before his ego could inflate any further they both burst into peels of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Sirius shouted. "I'm being serious!"

"Just... just sit down, mate." James said through his laughter, patting Sirius on the shoulder as he did so. "I'm sorry I've been giving you such a hard time. I thought you were just being a prat, but I realize now that you really are just that blind."

"W-what?" Sirius asked, feeling both confused and slightly offended.

"Sirius," Lily began, attempting to cover her smile with her fingers, though her green eyes were surprisingly compassionate. "We've known from the moment it happened that Debbie had been the one to push him over that railing."

"And we've known she's had her eyes on you from the start." James added, ruffling Sirius' hair.

"But... did Remus tell you?" Sirius asked, still shocked that they'd already sorted out what took him so long to do.

"Only that she'd been blackmailing him to get him to date her." Lily said, patting Sirius' hand comfortingly. "But honestly, Black, he's as blind as you are."

Sirius was relieved to have the comfort of his friends back, and was also glad they were no longer pressuring him into making a decision about his feelings for Remus. He still felt so conflicted, and for a moment had considered not going to see their injured friend when Pomfrey informed them that visitation was allowed. Of course James refused to let him pass up the opportunity.

"Three ribs, one bone in my right leg, two in my right arm and a fracture in my skull..." Remus said to them in a slightly groggy voice when they asked if he was alright. "...still not as bad as transformation." He finished with a smile.

His friends, who had gathered around his bed laughed at his attitude. Sirius felt a warmth spread in his chest as he heard him laugh about his injuries. He was of course both terrified and furious about the extent of his injuries, but the admiration he felt blew all of those away. This moment was what Sirius loved most about Moony. His strength.

Upon first glance, most people would assume that Remus was a typical shy, bookish boy. They may expect him to be weak, easily hurt, and maybe even boring. But Sirius knew better. He had been granted a coveted seat in Remus' inner circle. He knew just how strong the other boy was. He saw the physical pain he went through every month and the emotional pain that the transformations left in him that he handled valiantly but could never quite shake.

"Did you see who pushed you?" Lily asked from where she sat on the side of his bed.

"No." Remus said, gingerly pushing himself up to a slightly more erect position. "The professors have been asking me non stop about it."

"Sirius did some pretty intensive sloothing and thinks it might have been Debbie." James said, tilting his head in Sirius' direction.

Sirius felt his face heat up as Remus' eyes locked with his. There was a silence that no one wanted to break for a moment as the two searched each other. While Remus was searching his friend's steely portals for any sign of dislike, Sirius was searching for something other that the hurt he knew he'd caused in the other boy. After what seemed like eternity Remus dropped his gaze, not seeming to find the disgust he was fearing.

"That wouldn't surprise me." Remus said as he straightened his bedding. "I'd suspected as much already, but didn't want to give the teachers unsubstantiated accusations."

"That means telling them things he cant prove." James whispered to Sirius, purposefully making it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I know what it means!" Sirius shouted back at him, shoving his arm, causing the whole group to erupt in laughter.

Sirius felt a comfortable sensation filling him up. He was happy to have things back to normal. Even Remus was laughing, and for the first time in what seemed like eternity, it wasn't a nervous laugh or a forced laugh. It was a perfect laugh. The perfection of sound that could only be created by his Moony.

It was startling to realize how often he thought of him that way now. As being his.

sorry it's so short!

I'll try to get more up soon!