The conductor of the Knight Bus approached the bed that Sirius had collapsed on. Remus had dragged his trunk next to the bed and perched himself on the edge, watching Sirius.
"You'll need to pay up front, I'm afraid," the conductor said, looking down his nose at the boys and not at all regretful about having to charge them right away. "And where exactly is it you're going? The Knight Bus is an emergency transport for stranded witches and wizards, not a refuge for teenagers running away from home after a family spat."
Sirius glared at the man. He jabbed his wand so his trunk opened, and then summoned his money bag.
"You're not underage, are you?" the conductor asked, watching. "You know you're not to do magic if you are—I'll have to report you to the Ministry."
"I'm seventeen," Sirius lied coldly. Of course, he could barely call himself sixteen, but the conductor didn't press it. He told him where James lived and pulled out a couple of galleons—one for him and one for Remus—to pay for it. Then he got off the bed, took his trunk, and levitated it to one of the upper levels of the bus so he wouldn't have to deal with the jerk anymore. Remus followed him silently.
When Sirius walked to the far corner, several beds away from the nearest sleeping passenger, and stumbled into a bed (it was rather unsteady, as the bus kept jumping from place to place), Remus crawled in beside him. Sirius didn't know how long they just lay there, silently holding each other. It felt like a long time—Sirius suspected that the conductor was leaving them for last on purpose, but he didn't care. He felt numb. The reality of what had happened, what he'd done, was finally starting to hit him. He couldn't go back. Ever. Honestly, he couldn't imagine ever wanting to, but to know he couldn't...and hearing his mother say he wasn't her son anymore...
Sirius remembered when his cousin Andromeda had gotten married—married to a 'disgusting, deplorable Mudblood!' Walburga had taken both Sirius and Remus into the room with the Black family tree tapestry and made sure they watched while she burned her off it. She'd also taken the opportunity to deliver a long lecture about blood purity and its importance, warning her sons that they must never do anything that would bring such shame and dishonor to the Black family. Sirius recalled Regulus listening with rapt attention while he himself just mourned the loss of his favorite cousin and wondered why, if blood was supposedly so important, it was so easy to just burn her off.
You are no son of mine, Sirius Black!
Sirius shivered involuntarily. Right now, at this very moment, his mother might be in the same room, making another black mark on the tapestry, and this time burning off his name. Was running away enough to merit that?
You are no son of mine, Sirius Black!
Sirius hated his parents. He'd hated them for years, and he would never forgive his father for what he'd tried to do. He knew he'd made the right decision. He told himself so again and again.
Right decision or not, Sirius had not considered the implications of it. He was homeless, and that was a scary thought. There wasn't any worry that James's parents would refuse to take him in—Mr. and Mrs. Potter were two of the kindest people Sirius knew—but his home with them would be a temporary one. And how would he pay for books and other supplies? He had the key to his own Gringotts vault, so he wasn't sure if his parents had the power to keep him from accessing his money or even to empty his vault and return the gold to theirs. But if they did, how would he support himself? And what about once he left school? How long would the Potters be willing to let him stay with them?
Coming from a family as wealthy as his, Sirius had always been able to afford whatever he wanted, had never learned the value of a galleon. Even if the fact that he was the only one with a key to his own vault was enough to ensure that whatever was inside it was his, he didn't even know how much was in there. He didn't even know what he would and wouldn't be able to buy with it.
Sirius decided that he would return to London tomorrow and find out what state his funds were in. Once he knew where he stood, he might have a better idea of how to plan...what to do...
Although the December sky was still dark by the time the bus reached Sirius and Remus's stop, it was already morning. As the two fugitives followed the sneering conductor downstairs, Sirius noticed that the bus was empty except for them. He'd been right, then, about them being last. But it didn't matter.
Sirius and Remus climbed off the purple vehicle with the trunk, and the Knight Bus disappeared with a bang as soon as Remus's feet touched the ground. Both boys looked up at the familiar house in front of them. There were lights on, which was a relief to Sirius, because he didn't want to disturb the Potters in the middle of the night, asking for a place to stay. The walk to the front door had been cleared of snow, and Sirius hurried up it, shivering with the cold, and rang the doorbell.
He could hear Mrs. Potter's voice ask James to please get the door, and a moment later the door opened, giving Sirius a view of his yawning best friend in his pajamas.
"Sirius?" he said, taking a step back and staring at them. "Remus?" His hazel eyes surveyed the sight of the two shivering boys and the trunk. "What's going on? What are you doing here?"
"It's kind of a long story," Sirius said, readjusting his grip on his trunk. "Do you mind?"
"Oh," James said, stepping back further to allow them room. "Sure, come on in. Mum was just making breakfast, I'll ask her to make extra for you, hold on..."
"James, who is it?" Mrs. Potter asked, stepping into the entrance hall from the kitchen on the right, a spatula in her hand. "Oh," she said, seeing the extra teenagers. Then she smiled. "Sirius, what a surprise. We weren't expecting you."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said hurriedly. "I've just...had a falling out with my parents and I didn't know where else to go...Do you mind...would it be all right..."
"Of course you can stay with us," Mrs. Potter said kindly. "James, why don't you go set up the guest room while I finish breakfast? Don't fret, Sirius, you and Moony are both always welcome here, stay as long as you need to. Are you all right?" she asked in a very motherly tone that Sirius had never heard from his own mother as she guided them into the kitchen. "You're not hurt, are you? You do look quite shaken up, Moony especially."
"We're fine, now that we're away from there," Sirius sighed, sinking into the chair she pulled out for him. "We just...had a fight...my father threatened Remus."
"Remus?" Mrs. Potter asked, turning around to look at them.
Sirius nudged Remus, who looked up at James's mother. "I...er...go by Remus now," he said softly. "That's...the name my parents gave me, and Sirius decided it was more fitting that I be called that than Moony."
Mrs. Potter smiled. "I agree. Remus is a lovely name. James," she added, as the boy crept back into the kitchen. "Go wake your father, tell him that breakfast is nearly ready and let him know that we have guests."
James sighed. "Yes, Mum," he murmured before disappearing again.
Fortunately, Mr. Potter was just as welcoming as Mrs. Potter. They made it clear that Sirius could stay the duration of the Christmas holidays, come back for Easter if he desired, and even stay the summer if he hadn't resolved things with his family by then. After breakfast, Sirius thought he'd be tired and want a nap, but he wasn't. Neither he nor Remus had slept a wink on the bus, but Sirius was too anxious to sleep now.
"I need to go to Diagon Alley," Sirius murmured in an undertone to Remus as the Potters cleared the table. "Do you want to go with me or would you rather stay here and sleep?"
"I want to go with you," Remus whispered back, squeezing Sirius's hand under the table. "I like the Potters; they're very nice, but I don't want to stay here by myself."
"Okay," Sirius murmured, giving Remus's hand a reassuring squeeze in return before getting up from the chair and approaching James's mother. "Excuse me, Mrs. Potter?" he said politely.
"Yes, dear, what is it?" she said, flicking her wand so that the clean breakfast dishes flew back into the cupboard.
"May Remus and I borrow some Floo powder? We need to go to Diagon Alley for some errands."
"Of course, Sirius," she said. "It's by the fireplace. Is there anything you need? Would you like James or I to come with you?"
"No, we should be fine," Sirius said. "And we shouldn't be gone too long."
"Do you want to wash up first?" she asked. "I've asked James to get the guest room ready for you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said. After a long day and a long night of travel, a shower sounded amazing. He let Remus go first and then went after him, pulling clean robes on after he finished.
"Remember to take the travel pouch with you so that you can come back," Mrs. Potter said once Remus and Sirius were both back downstairs. She handed them a small purple drawstring bag, which Sirius stowed in his cloak. He took a pinch of Floo powder, dropped it in the fire, which turned a harmless green, and then stepped into it. After a quick and clear, "Diagon Alley!" he stumbled out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace. Remus emerged behind him a second later.
Sirius held his boyfriend's gloved hand in his as they walked down the long, cobbled street to the enormous white building at the end.
"Sirius," Remus murmured in an undertone, leaning closer to him. "It doesn't bother you?" He nodded at all the people who were passing by, wrapped in their cloaks and hurrying to their destinations.
"That I'm holding hands with a werewolf?" Sirius asked quietly. "They don't know you're a werewolf. Besides, no one's even looking at us, not really."
"I know they don't know I'm a werewolf," Remus murmured. "But they can tell I'm male...I thought you said that people didn't approve of boys being together."
"A lot of people don't," Sirius conceded. He gave Remus's hand a squeeze. "But I don't care anymore. I'm estranged from my parents; what more can happen to me? I don't care who knows I'm in love with you."
They made their way to Gringotts. Fortunately, in the early morning on this frigid day, the bank was not busy and Sirius and Remus got a goblin immediately. To his relief, the goblin confirmed that since the vault was in his name and he was the only one with a key, even though he was underage, Sirius was the only one who had access to his gold. They went down to the vault so that he could see how much was in there. He determined that he had plenty to last him through his next years at Hogwarts, but once he left school he'd need to find a job soon. He'd always planned to move out at seventeen, banking on his parents giving him some start-up money to find a place while he looked for work, but now it seemed that he might have to infringe on the Potters' hospitality for at least the summer after school before he saved up enough to get his own flat.
It was a relief, however, to know that he'd get through the next couple of years all right. He would worry about finding a job and a home for himself once the time came, and that was still a long way off. Feeling better, Sirius withdrew more gold for himself, and decided to use it to buy the Potters some nice Christmas presents while he was in town. He knew Mr. Potter was rather bookish, so he got the older wizard one of Flourish and Blotts's new releases. James was easy; all Sirius had to do was go to Quality Quidditch Supplies and grab the first thing that looked interesting.
As they walked down the street, Sirius noticed a hat in the window of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions that he thought Mrs. Potter might like, and decided to get new robes for himself at the same time, as he'd grown a few more inches since the last time he'd bought any.
"Some for you as well, dear?" Madam Malkin asked once Sirius was standing on a pedestal with an enchanted measuring tape taking his measurements, smiling at Remus.
"Oh, that's not necessary," Remus mumbled, looking at the floor.
"Remus," Sirius murmured, looking his boyfriend over. Remus's robes were the oldest pair he'd ever seen, gray, and torn in many places. Not to mention the fact that they were much too short on him. They were the same ones he'd had when he'd left the Containment Center at eleven years old, and Remus had grown even more since then than Sirius had. Walburga and Orion never considered him worth spending money on for new robes, and it hadn't ever occurred to Sirius to get him any. "Let's get some new robes for you too while we're here, come on."
"But I don't need them, Sirius. I have robes."
"I don't care, Remus," Sirius said firmly. "You could use new ones and there's no reason for us not to get them."
"You know I've got no money, Sirius," Remus argued.
"And that's why I'll pay for them," the other boy countered. "Consider it my Christmas present," he added when Remus still looked hesitant.
"All right," Remus sighed, and Madam Malkin smiled and escorted him onto a pedestal, finding a measuring tape for him too.
With new black robes that actually fit him (and that Sirius thought made him look quite sexy, though he kept that part to himself), Remus looked more human than ever. They were on the way back to the Leaky Cauldron to return to James's when Sirius stopped in his tracks, staring at one of the shops.
Remus kept walking at first, not quite realizing Sirius stopped. "What is it?" he asked, standing beside his boyfriend and also looking at the shop.
"You still think you're not human?" Sirius whispered in Remus's ear. "You still think you're not really a wizard?"
Remus didn't respond.
"Come on," Sirius said, striding up to Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. "I'll prove it to you."
A bell rang as the two boys entered the store, and Mr. Ollivander appeared from around a corner.
"Ahh, Mr. Black," he said, smiling. "Hazel, eleven and a quarter inches, unicorn tail hair. You've been taking good care of it, I expect?"
"Yes, sir," Sirius responded, pulling his wand out.
"Excellent," Ollivander said, taking it and inspecting it for a moment before returning it to its owner. "Well, what brings you in here, then?"
"My friend needs a new wand," Sirius explained, gesturing to Remus. "This is Remus. He's on foreign exchange from Beauxbatons. I accidentally broke his when we were practicing dueling last week."
"Sirius, no," Remus objected. "No, you can't."
"For an exchange student, you certainly don't seem to have an accent," Ollivander said suspiciously, stepping closer to the pair and inspecting Remus curiously.
Remus blushed and looked down.
"That's because he was brought up here," Sirius said, thinking quickly. "His family only moved to France a few years ago, just before he started school. That's why they wanted to send him on exchange," he added. "They want him to have at least a year in Hogwarts, since he's technically British and all."
Ollivander seemed to buy it. At any rate, he didn't press the matter further. Instead, he turned around and began looking through boxes of wands. "Tell me," he said, his back turned to them as he sifted through the many wands. "What was your last wand made of? What was its core? How long was it? The wand chooses the wizard. If the wand you bought in France chose you, your best bet will probably be a wand with similar properties this time around."
Sirius and Remus looked at each other, Sirius beginning to worry slightly. This was more difficult than he'd thought. He didn't just want to make up properties—what if he chose ones that were completely different from whatever wand would be best for Remus?
"My last wand didn't choose me," Remus said quickly when Sirius couldn't think of a response. He watched his lover with curiosity; he'd never seen Remus lie to anyone before. Ollivander turned to look at him, too. "It was my grandfather's. He died just before I was born, so my parents kept his wand for when I was ready to start learning magic. The wand worked well for me, but I've read a lot about wands, and from what I've learned...perhaps it would be better for me to start fresh."
Ollivander nodded at Remus, and went into the back to look through more boxes.
"That was brilliant," Sirius whispered into Remus's ear, and he saw him smile.
"But only if it works," Remus murmured back. He turned to Sirius. "Sirius, what's going to happen if a wand doesn't choose me? Wands only choose witches and wizards. Mr. Ollivander will get suspicious. What if he figures out what I am? What if he reports us? Sirius, just think of the trouble you could get in if the Ministry finds out you were trying to buy me a wand! Perhaps we just leave now, get out quickly before he comes back."
"No," Sirius said stubbornly. "This is exactly the point—wands only choose witches and wizards. One will choose you, Remus, because you are a wizard. You'll just see." However, Sirius wasn't as confident as he tried to portray himself to Remus. What if his parents, the Ministry, the rest of the world, and Remus himself were all right? What if he really was an animal? He's not, Sirius told himself. He can't be. But what if he was animal enough that no wand chose him? What would happen?
Sirius tried to push these thoughts away, tell himself that a wand would choose Remus and it would all work out, but when Ollivander returned and Remus tried wand after wand with no favorable results, he found his worry growing. He could tell, too, that Remus grew more and more nervous with each failed wand. It didn't seem to bother Ollivander at all, though, who just pulled out wand after wand as if he didn't expect one to work before he'd tried half the store. Sirius recalled that he'd tried many wands before finding the one that worked for him, but he didn't think it had taken this long.
Remus waved every wand Ollivander handed him, until one wand he just stared at instead of waving.
"Remus, what is it?" Sirius asked, stepping forward and looking at him. "What's wrong?"
A hint of a smile was on Remus's face. He looked directly at Sirius, waved the wand, and Sirius found himself upside-down.
"Hey!" Sirius shouted, and Remus giggled behind his hand before letting him down.
"Reed," Ollivander smiled, taking the wand back and putting in its box. "Fourteen and a half inches, dragon heartstring core."
"You see?" Sirius whispered triumphantly as Ollivander packaged the wand for Sirius. He wrapped his arm around his waist and squeezed for a second before paying for the wand.
"I don't believe it," Remus murmured as they left the store, shaking his head. "I can't believe a wand...chose me."
"Of course it did," Sirius beamed. He pecked Remus's cheek quickly.
They were both quiet as they made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, but it was a good quiet. For the first time since Sirius had realized Remus was a human, he felt a glimmer of hope that the werewolf himself would come to accept it, too.
"Come on," Sirius said once they returned to the Potters'. They went up to the guest room and put their packages in Sirius's trunk—except for Remus's wand, which he took out of its box and handed to its owner.
Remus stared at the wand, shaking his head with a slight smile on his face. "Why did you get this for me, Sirius? I'll never be able to use it. Not in front of anyone, anyway."
"I got it to prove to you that you're a wizard," Sirius said, digging through his trunk and extracting a piece of parchment. "That and...I need you to do a spell for me."
Remus gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What spell can I do that you can't?"
"Incendio," Sirius said.
"You can do Incendio," Remus said. "I've seen you do it a million times."
Sirius shook his head. "It has to be you." He took the parchment he was holding and straightened it out, placing it on the nightstand next to the guest bed. He took a few steps back and gestured at it. "Go on."
Remus took a step forward, looked at the parchment, and then up at Sirius. Sirius could see him swallow. "That..." he said softly. "That's my ownership paper."
"I know," Sirius murmured. "I want you to burn it. You're a wizard, Remus, you can't deny it anymore, not now that a wand chose you. You're free, and I'm not going to let a stupid piece of parchment stand in the way of that."
Remus looked at Sirius. For a long time they just stared at each other, Remus's golden eyes into Sirius's silver ones. Sirius did not look away, did not waver. Eventually, Remus shifted his gaze to the parchment.
"Do it," Sirius whispered, walking over to Remus and stepping close to him. "You have to."
Nodding, Remus took a deep breath and lifted his wand. "Incendio," he whispered.
Both young wizards watched as the parchment with Orion Black's signature and bearing the purple Ministry of Magic seal burned and curled into ashes, and was no more.