"Sirius?"
"Here," Sirius said at once shuffling out of the shadows behind the door, taking Remus' outstretched hand. Remus gave a little tug, whispering, "come here," and Sirius obliging straddled his lap on a bed, now the two were forehead to forehead.
It should have felt too intimate, they'd only had a chance to snog twice and both had been interrupted, they really hadn't explored much of anything for what they were doing to each other outside of even that, so this was quite the situation for the two to just be comfortably in each others arms. It was just that though, comfortable. All the emotions boiling inside Sirius now felt just slightly simmered, like steam finding its release in a teapot rather than all stewing up inside and blowing the top.
"Now tell me what's wrong," Remus whispered, their faces so close together their lips were already brushing.
"You've got enough to deal with Moony-" he tried to protest, unable to shake those fear-filled looks he continued to give every window, like the one they'd again had to glance anxiously through to check the phase of the moon on this new night.
"Doesn't matter, I'll still always hear what you've to save," Remus stated, their hands still clasped together growing painful from Remus' tightening. His other came up and hooked onto the back of his neck, fingers playing with the long black hair to make sure he couldn't back out.
Sirius breathed carefully, closing his eyes and finally feeling his heartbeat still as he whispered, "He laughed Remus! My first summer back, and the first thing he asked me was 'what's a mudblood?' I gave him hell for saying that word, telling him to never use it again because there was no such thing, we were all just people. He promised he wouldn't, said he'd never meant to offend me. Now, bloody five years later, and he laughs! It's my fault, I know it is, I should have been around him more, made sure he never, that I never let him-"
"Let him?" Remus cut in with a deep shake of his head. "Sirius no, don't do this to yourself. That boy in there may share your last name, but he is not your responsibility! He made his own choice, he's following his parents and told you to take a hike when you refused to do the same."
Like a damn bursting, Sirius then released a huge breath at finally saying this aloud. "I know that, it's just..." he trailed off without words for the disappointment he felt, like Regulus' fate was already sealed by this lone reaction.
It had only been the chapter title, his expression had been more surprise than truly cruelty, but Sirius couldn't shake it! He'd strode away through the nearest door lest he do something he regret, like use an Unforgivable curse on his little brother. It was honestly a miracle he'd found one that opened.
There was a silence before Remus leaned forward, now pressing their lips together in a firm kiss. Sirius returned it at once, craving any kind of release from his own mind, cupping his own hand around Remus' neck to tilt his head back and exalting in the almost instant relief of not having to know anything, just feel how happy it made him to share this and now have the pleasure of taking his own life by however he wanted.
Daring shot through him, and his tongue began tracing lips, seeking entrance, and as always Remus was willing, opening his mouth and the two outright snogging right there in that room. Their tongues explored every bit of reach, teeth even clicking together with the intensity and then Remus' hand moved to Sirius' hip, sitting him down tighter upon his lap.
When Sirius' hair tickled his own nose beyond his own capability to think past it though, he leaned back and brushed it out of his face, still breathing as heavily as when Remus had entered, but now for a wholly other reason. "Guess I believe you now, about that kissing others thing."
Remus just gave a sly smile back, hand still resting comfortably on his waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his other trying to pull his face back down from inside his hair. "Glad you've admitted superiority on this."
"No, no," Sirius resisted, letting their faces lean back down but refusing those tantalizing inches now just for that.
An insistent knock on the door cut off whatever would have been said next.
"Hell Sirius, I'll make Regulus apologize if you lot would get out of there already! You think we're enjoying all these Lockharts gaping at us, it's getting creepy!"
"I'm going to kill Wormtail," Sirius pleasantly informed his seat mate as he glared at the door.
"I'll help you bury the body," Remus promised even as he gently got Sirius to get off of him.
With a little huff Sirius did get up and stomp to the door, but couldn't deny he did feel better as he opened it and glared down at Wormtail while pleasantly informing him, "I hope you heard that."
"What, more death threats against me? Sirius, if you carried out every one you've offered against the lot of us, you'd be in Azkaban for a killing spree."
"Me?" Sirius mock widened his eyes and placed his hand on his heart.
"You'll still be his first victim," Remus promised as he pushed the two out of his way so he could step back through.
It really was creepy, the Lockharts eyeing everyone of them from every available wall space of the room. The adjoining bedchamber they'd surely just been in likely still had more, if either of them had cared enough to look, though they'd been a bit occupied to even find a light.
Sirius was already tempted to in there and do so now just for something to do, anything would be better than looking anywhere about the room than at his kid brother who had already so deeply betrayed him he wasn't sure if he could ever look at him again. When Remus had read that, Lily had gasped with insulted surprise, and the rest of them had muttered words of distaste and backed away from Moony as if just being associated with such a word was damning. Not his kid brother though, of course not, he'd gone snickering away like a little idiot!
When had this become his reaction, who had instilled it in him? His parents, fellows at school? He'd already witnessed Regulus hanging out with several he shouldn't be, and rather than do anything to stop him, he'd only furthered chosen to ignore his brother, and was now kicking himself for such neglect. What if he'd tried harder, made some real attempts to push him in the right direction...
Sirius was so focused on when exactly his inattention had turned into missing such a large detail as this reaction would occur that he completely missed the first few bits about Harry avoiding attention from Lockhart and Colin, something he couldn't blame the kid for it if he had been listening.
Potter and Pettigrew were still exchanging looks, it was clear neither of them liked the fact that their friends kept wondering off to talk about their problem without consulting them, but Frank turned away from their tiff without concern to start investigating this room. He didn't at all buy into the fact a man claiming to be so successful couldn't handle pixies, or indeed would make such a stupid decision as releasing them into a classroom like that. Something was fishy about this one, and he wanted to know if there was any evidence in here of his lying, or something more.
Alice let Frank wander off muttering about falsities as she made her way over to Evans, who was muttering mutinously about this whole entire chapter being centered around Quidditch. Harry's captain had woken him at the crack of dawn, and now they were spending pages hearing of Harry falling asleep to some stupid methods to do with the game.
She may have actually enjoyed the game, except for the fact that when she'd gone to the ones in her first year Potter had taken the opportunity to try and regal her the entire time. This child's experience wasn't proving much better.
"That Colin kid is something," Alice happily offered as she joined her. "Bet he'll be the top photographer for the next Daily Prophet before he even graduates."
"I'm happy Harry's not encouraging him and mostly ignoring him," Lily's scowl lessened slightly while talking to her.
Both girls were admittedly distracted as Lupin announced the arrival of the Slytherin team at the Gryffindors practice, everyone was well aware they were only there to pick a fight.
Frank briefly looked up from Lockharts desk, finding it quite despicable Malfoy had managed to buy his way onto a house team like that, but quickly went back to his rummaging. He'd normally be appalled to the idea of going through a teachers desk, but honestly he would have made an exception for this one even before his suspicions. This egocentric man needed someone putting a few pins in his life if this mess was any indication. The surface was covered in his plaques and trophies of awards, his Witch Weekly's Most Charming one at the very front and most highly polished. In the first two drawers he'd found nothing but quills and bottles of ink at a ready notice, the most ostentatious was a peacocks feather. In the next set he'd found hair care products and a wig he must test them on, a bottle of Ogdens old Fire-whisky, which he quickly put back away lest the Marauders get another hare up their butts for it, and finally nothing in the bottom one.
He'd just pulled out his wand to try a few spells and see if anything were hidden in this when the shouts of outrage echoed around, the Lockhart picture on the desk nearly fell off the broom he was riding and covered his ears. He looked to Alice first, who had her arm wrapped protectively around Evans' shoulders, then he really saw it wasn't so much protective as restraining. Her face was flushed red and she looked likely to murder someone, like Regulus, who looked more haughty than ever with all eyes on him.
Regulus held himself loose and proud just like he watched Sirius do all the time when bowing up for a fight, entirely unintentionally. He really couldn't understand what they're problem was, as he insisted again, "it's just a laugh, stop taking everything so sensitive Sirius."
He could tell others around him were just as upset he'd laughed again when Malfoy had called that Granger girl a mudblood. His own parents had insisted it was the proper word to use on Muggleborns, and this was always the reaction amongst quite a few of the older Slytherins whenever they heard the word, so he'd thought it was just to be expected and Sirius was exaggerating everything like he always did. He wasn't as sure now, seeing all seven of them look at him like scum instead. He wasn't backing down though, and instead crossed his arms and stood there purposefully. He wasn't taking it back, he had no reason to, and the only one it should really offend was Evans, and she was such a prick to them all anyways he hardly considered it a loss.
James still had his wand out, tapping it restlessly against his hip and aching to throw a multitude of curses. The only thing stopping him was just how much he did look like Sirius right now, but it was a quickly dwindling insecurity, Sirius would never stoop so low to laugh at something like this. He'd just raised his wand when Moony chose that moment to keep going, his voice much harsher than usual, and it wasn't hoarseness from one of their nightly wanderings this time.
Now the James and Sirius were the ones exchanging such heavy loaded looks, while Peter began edging around all three of his friends as if looking where to place himself encase of a fight. Remus was most certainly not happy about it, but was still of the opinion if Sirius was beating himself up already for Regulus just laughing at the word, Sirius would be in an even worse way if he actually snapped and attacked him, so he tried to persevere and keep a fight from happening.
Ron had attacked Malfoy in retaliation for his friend being called that, as he well should, Alice viciously thought as Lupin kept going around the tense silence. She was still thinking about doing the same for Evans, and was even more surprised Potter and Blacks own brother hadn't first. She had no idea what was holding them back, but it wasn't going to stop her if Regulus didn't fix that attitude in laughing about such a degrading word. She genuinely applauded Ron's use of slugs, wishing she knew that spell now.
Lily forced herself to turn away from that imp, patting Alice's hand in thanks but refusing to give any more acknowledgment to someone who could be so careless about such language as that Black. Least Potter had one thing going for him in that way, he'd clearly been moments away from making him apologize if his best mate wasn't hesitating on doing the same.
They were all grateful Ron was being dragged away from Malfoy before anything else could happen, even Regulus. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing now that he had everyone in the room despising him for something he'd just thought was natural, especially as many purebloods were in this room. He wasn't that surprised at Potter and Black not getting the joke, but he at least would have hoped Longbottom and Smith would, and was now trying to examine in his head the differences between those two and others even outside of Slytherin who had laughed along before. He still managed to scoff in disgust at that oaths deceleration that marrying muggles had saved their species, of course they wouldn't have died out, purebloods always prevailed.
Lockhart popping up again to give advice to yet another who must know as well, if not better than him had Frank again going back to his rummaging, bypassing the empty drawer for now and going carefully through all the surrounding paintings, only mildly paying attention to Ron explaining what had happened while at Hagrids. He found nothing of any more significance than Lockhart signing several of these as well, and errantly wondered if the man did them himself. He had to be good at something after all, and it clearly wasn't what he was boasting of in the fight against the Dark Arts.
Sirius finally drew his eyes away from Regulus glaring determinedly at them all, with no more of an idea what to do than when he'd first snickered at the beginning of the chapter. For the first time since his kid brother had been sorted into Slytherin though, he wanted one. He wasn't even sure to what degree, it seemed like a long lost battle to save the idiot from what their parents wanted of him, but Sirius still couldn't shake the feeling of failure Regulus had fallen so far already at the age of thirteen. Least McGonagall gave a nice, or terrible depending on view point, distraction with that detention.
"I think our Head of House is trying to do your son in this year Prongs," he happily told him to try and put some attention back on himself. He'd need to find a bigger space to try and talk his friends into some ideas, he didn't want Regulus overhearing.
"I think it's the opposite, she might actually be trying to give him a treat, as obvious as Lockhart's taken a liking to him," James rolled his eyes back, though they were still sour and glaring to the door.
"What say you Pete?" He redirected. "Care to place a bet? Think someone's going to do Harry in again this year. I've now counted two teachers making a good go of it."
"You're awful," Wormtail pleasantly informed him.
"Oh, you're right," Sirius theatrically clapped a hand to his head. "It is three, I always forget about Snivlius!"
All four of them burst out laughing, to Lily's disgust, but their amusement was short lived. Lupin kept going through Lockhart's bloody useless detention, and she'd thought nothing could be worse than lines, when Harry heard something that had them all freezing in place.
It became so stiff and silent in the room you could hear a ghost breathing, but no whisper of the words echoed again through here. Frank sprinted back to the desk and double checked the time when Lockhart himself said what it was, and spoke so softly the others thought it a guttering of the candle for a moment, "well, it's the same time now. Must mean that whatever it is, isn't here now."
Lupin still had to fight hard several times to swallow around a dry throat and finish, Harry's doubt of hearing this not managing to trickle into a single one of them. They would not think so lightly of someone after this kid again, not after last year, and Sirius now felt callous for his own joke. Something was going on this year, Dobby had warned them, and this was the start to it.
Frank gave Regulus one last look of distaste as if he wanted to blame all this on him, he still seemed entirely careless about the whole thing, and went back to that last drawer.
One quick spell revealed Lockhart did have something at least mildly worth hiding in here, and another had a stack of papers appearing. Frank slowly pealed through them, but it only furthered his confusion to find interviews. The one on top featured someone from Armenia, and it was clearly only the last page of whatever they'd been talking about in regards to a werewolf, then the same man thanking Lockhart for sending an advanced copy of his book. Why would these be so poorly hidden, they didn't seem to mean a thing. As intensely focused as he was on these, he hardly registered the magnetic pull of being dragged away.
Whoo! A quarter of a way through this series again already!
In writing this chapter, I realize I've been neglecting Frank and Alice's actual relationship a bit, and I'll try to work on that in the coming ones. Any in particular you guys want to see highlight more? I know I focus on wolfstar kind of infrequently as well, and Lily and James are a slow ball rolling...like it's still frozen in the ice for now.