Author's note:

This is a bit of an in-between chapter. I needed to write it in order to make the rest of the story fit – so please stick with me!

CHAPTER 3

Sirius whimpered while Moony howled mournfully in Remus' head. He buried his face in his friend's shoulder as he sobbed both in pain and relief. He relished in Remus' sweet scent of freshly baked biscuits. He smelled like Moony, like his Alpha, like safety.

"It's alright, Padfoot," Remus murmured as he tightened his grip around Sirius' frail body. Remus' eyes watered at the obvious pain Sirius' mannerism portrayed. Sirius had never been one to let his pain show, preferring to bottle it all up and take it out on Snivellus later. Both James and Remus had tried many, many times to get Sirius to open up about his parents and his family's cruelty after he moved in with Flea and Monty, but he had stubbornly refused. To know that the emotional turmoil inside Padfoot was enough to make him sob and clung to his Alpha the way he did, broke Remus' heart.

"You're okay," he said. "You're free."

Sirius managed a shaky nod, the muscles in his neck sore and hurting. "Thank you," he chanted hoarsely, over and over again. Remus' heightened body heat fought against the inherent coldness that had settled in Sirius' bones during his time in Azkaban. The werewolf had always been ridiculously warm.

The door opened and Andromeda entered the small backroom, followed closely by her husband. "Oh Sirius," she breathed, motherly concern written all over her face. As a Black, she'd seen Sirius' father beat him up with a black leather belt more times than she'd like to admit. Andromeda puller out her vinewood wand and started murmuring pain-relieving and healing charms. Sirius moaned and shivered at the sensations running through his body.

"It's alright, love," Andromeda reassured her younger cousin as she pointed her wand at his ankles to heal his bones – a rather unpleasant affair. "The pain will pass."

"It hurts," Sirius croaked. Remus' gentle hands massaged his scalp soothingly. In school, Sirius had spent hours and hours lying with his head in Remus' lap, demanding the werewolf ran his hands through his hair.

"I know it hurts, Padfoot," Remus said soothingly when Sirius whimpered pitifully. "Andromeda is going to fix you, alright? She'll make the pain go away."

The elder Black had an uncanny healing ability. She had showed up at Remus' and Dora's cottage after every single full moon for the past two years, ever since she found out about Remus' furry little problem. He had never asked her to come, and Andromeda had never offered. She just showed up and healed his wounds when the lonely Alpha tore himself to pieces under the silver moonlight once again.

Andromeda's eyes scanned the small backroom. "Where's Nymphadora?"

Remis smirked, knowing that Andromeda's daughter would scoff in the most indignant way at her mother for uttering her full name – something that she had only ever allowed Remus to do, and only on certain occasions. It was a privilege he took great pride in.

"Auror business," he said with a shrug. "They needed to keep the Wizengamot in check."

Andromeda nodded courtly. The Wizengamot had erupted with the fury that rivalled a rampaging dragon in mating season. People were furious, and with reason. Andromeda continued to tend to Sirius wounds with a motherly tenderness that Remus was all too familiar with. Though her movements might be gentle, Andromeda's eyes blazed in anger. "Biased, incompetent bastards," she muttered under her breath. As Andromeda continued to curse Minister Bagnold's abhorrent incompetence to judge character, she did not notice her little sister slid into the backroom. Andromeda's movements stiller when her eyes locked with Narcissa's blueish grey ones.

She could not prevent the longing pull in her chest, nor the softening of her chocolate eyes as she saw the trepidation in her sister's movements. It reminded her of a more innocent time where Cissa had sought out her advice, but wasn't sure it was acceptable to ask for it.

"Meda," Narcissa said softly. And just like that, Andromeda's chocolate eyes hardened to stone again. Narcissa had no right to call her that. Not anymore.

"Andromeda," she corrected coolly. A flash of hurt crossed Narcissa's face before the blonde woman nodded.

A collective sigh of relief settled through the small room as Sirius' weak voice broke the sisters' staring contest. "Stop staring at your sister, Cissa," she said, amusement lacing through the croaked frailty with which he spoke. "You can ogle me, instead. I'm obviously the more handsome one."

Ted and Remus snorted in union. Because, yes, once upon a time Sirius Black had been a very, very handsome man. But right now, as he clung to his friend's ragged robes, his eyes bloodshot and every inch of his pale skin battered and bruised, his hair unkempt and greasy and his nails dark with his own blood and the humid dirt of his prison cell, Sirius Black looked nothing but horrid.

"Prat," Andromeda muttered.

"You love me," Sirius countered, his voice still weak. Whereas he would have spoken that sentence with an almost annoyingly large amount of confidence before, there was now a hint of hopefulness – of fear – in his voice, no doubt the result of two years in both mental and physical solitude.

Andromeda's eyes softened, "Aye," she whispered. "I do love you."

Sirius grinned triumphantly, though it cam out more as a painful grimace.

Narcissa pulled her wand out of the regal wand-holder hidden in her wide, green satin sleeve. Remus stiffened immediately and pulled Sirius closer to his muscular chest. The movement did not go unnoticed.

"I'm no threat," Narcissa said, her eyes on Remus and her face sporting a regally impassive façade only a true Black could muster. More than once had Remus wondered whether mastering that look was a part of their education. He wouldn't be surprised if it were.

"Please," Narcissa said softly.

Remus nodded and allowed the blonde woman to heal Padfoot.

Remus leaned against the wooden doorjamb that lead to his and Dora's room. They put Sirius in the master bedroom, for now. It had been twenty-four hours since Andromeda had forced her strongest healing potions down Sirius' throat and ordered him to bed.

"You're tired, love," Dora's soft voice came from down the hall, causing Remus' head to snap in her direction.

His eyes softened at the sight of her, ruffled bubbly-pink hair and matching dotted pyjamas, her toenails immaculately painted a darker shade of purple. She looked exquisite.

Remus stretched his hand out to her. A mischievous smile crossed Dora's face. She walked towards her lover, hips swaying seductively as she bit her lip just the way he liked. When she was close enough, she saw Remus' pupils dilate further as he pulled her against his chest and crashed his lips against her.

Truth be told, Remus was surprised it had taken him so long. The wolf was restless at emotional times like these, and he was often pulled to his lovely Dora as a result. When Remus was stressed, or emotionally drained, he tended to seduce his lovely pink-haired witch and shag the living daylights out of her.

Tonks loved that side of him. She eagerly tilted her chin up so he could deepen the kiss, his tongue gently glided across her under lip, asking for entrance. Remus smiled in their kiss as Dora's lips parted and she moaned softly. Remus forgot they were standing in the open doorway as his hands moved across her back, cupping her plump bum. He trailed sweet, feather-like kisses along Tonks' jaw and sucked on that sensitive pulse point under her ear. Remus continued to knead her arse rather firmly as his tongue flicked over her ear.

"You're so beautiful," he said huskily. The statement spread warmth across Tonks' belly, because she knew, in no uncertain terms, that she looked awful. Her hair resembled a untidy bird's nest, not having bothered to brush it after she'd woken up in an empty bed in their guest room, the blue bags under her eyes were about the size of an cauldron and she smelled like heavy sleep, not having bothered to shower yet – preferring to do that with him.

She rubbed herself against him, moaning as she felt his hardness against her stomach, and glided her hands over his muscular chest and behind his neck. Remus' fingers teased along the waistband of her pink pyjamas and she felt his fingers slid underneath them as the sound of Sirius' voice interrupted them.

"Oi!" he exclaimed, rather groggily. "You go, Moony!"

Remus sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, stealing a quick kiss before he walked into the master bedroom and sat on the edge of their bed. Tonks followed him and laid a hand on Remus' shoulder, not wanting to stop touching him after their rather heated moment.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked, his eyes skimming over Sirius' body.

"Fine," Sirius answered, his voice brisk and short. "I'm okay, really," he added, in an attempt to sound more polite.

"Would you like something to eat?" Remus asked. "Andromeda said you could have some porridge today. We'll see how that goes down."

Sirius nodded, suddenly noticing the hole in his stomach. "Yes, please."

Tonks smiled at pressed a kiss on Remus' forehead before leaving the room.

"Tell me how you're really feeling, Padfoot," Remus said once he knew Tonks was out of earshot.

Sirius stared at him a long time before he mumbled, "Everything hurts. It's better than it was yesterday, but it's not gone yet."

"The pain will pass, Padfoot," Remus said.

Sirius nodded and when the teasing twinkle in his eyes appeared, Remus was certain that he wasn't going to get anything else out of his friend. Padfoot might have broken down at the Ministry yesterday, but he was back to bottling his emotions up. "So," he drawled, and Remus could hear the amusement in that one word, "Princess still hasn't left your sorry arse, huh?"

Remus rolled his eyes. Tonks hated that nickname. The first time Remus had brought her to the Gryffindor table to lunch with his friends – after months and months of hiding away from her and taking abrupt turns to empty corridors whenever she appeared at the end of the hallway, of ignoring her rather obvious advances, his own heart crumbling a little more at the disappointment in her eyes every single time – James and Sirius had decided that the first witch to break to the werewolf's defences and steal Remus' heart deserved a special nickname.

Remus' smile was slow. "My arse is better than yours. That's why she's with me and not you."

Sirius rolled his eyes. They both knew there was no way Tonks would ever be with Sirius. Apart from the obvious family ties that would make the relationship incredibly awkward, Padfoot could never go after his Alpha's mate. They belonged together, no matter how often Remus had tried to make her go – to see if she really wanted to be with him, to love him, and not because she was his mate. He was afraid of tying her to him out of obligation, and not out of love. Merlin knew Remus had tested her, pushing her away time and time again, to see if she would come back to him, and not to the wolf he detested so violently.

Sirius and James entered their dormitory, hollering and laughing as they joked back and forth. They paused mid-step at the sight of Remus lying on his stomach, his broad shoulders shaking with heavy sobs.

"Moony?" James asked softly.

Remus only grabbed his wand and with a swift movement, the red curtains around his four-poster bed closed. As such, he didn't see the concerned look between his two friends.

"Tonks," James mouthed.

Sirius nodded and without exchanging any words – they were not necessary – they opened the curtains and crawled into bed with Remus, each on one side of him.

"Leave me alone!" Remus sobbed angrily, but Sirius and James only hugged him tighter. Thick tears streamed down Remus' red-splotched face as he buried his head deeper into his pillow. Although he wouldn't admit it in that moment, his friends' presence helped. It reminded him that he wasn't all alone in the world – even if the universe had tried its very, very best to ensure precisely that, even if a certain pink-haired witch wasn't by his side.

"What happened?" James enquired gently when Remus was no longer hiccupping through his tears.

The werewolf's face portrayed pure agony as he closed his eyes and recalled the events of that afternoon. He'd been sitting in his usual corner in the back of the library, working on his Arithmancy assignment, when Tonks had approached him with a bright smile. How that beautiful, bubbly girl still managed to muster such a bright smile after all the hurt Remus had caused her was beyond him. Moony howled in delight at his mate's presence.

"Wotcher!" Tonks said brightly.

Remus' jaw clenched, but he didn't look up. He gripped his quill tighter and tried to focus on his assignment, but Tonks knew he was acting. His eyes didn't move, though they changed colours every few seconds. She had noticed that his eyes tended to do that.

"We can go to Hogsmeade next weekend," Tonks said suggestively. In the back of Remus mind, he couldn't help but smile at her optimistic bluntness, though he kept his face impassive and nodded briskly.

Tonks stared at him for a moment, wondering whether this had been a mistake. Her friends told her Remus wasn't worth it, that he wasn't worth the effort. She had always defended him, but now – as she sat in front of him for the umpteenth time, about to ask him out – she wondered whether her friends were right. "I – uhm," she said, noticing how Remus' eyes closed at the sound of her voice. "I was wondering if – uhm," she felt increasingly insecure as Remus didn't look up at her. She had watched him often enough to know that he ALWAYS looked up when people spoke to him. He was polite like that. Tonks inhaled deeply and blurted out, "Will you go with me?"

Remus' knuckled turned white, before he slammed the large book closed. He stood up, forgoing his parchment, quills and bag as he practically ran out of the library, but not before mumbling – ever so softly, "You're too beautiful for me."

Tonks bit her lip and closed her eyes in a pitiful attempt to keep her tears at bay.

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with her?" Sirius asked.

"Of course I do, you blithering idiot!" Remus snapped.

Sirius and James wore matching smiles. They've had enough. Remus and Tonks belonged together, and they all knew it.

"Then go and ask her out!" James exclaimed.

"I can't," Remus moaned. "You know I can't."

"Don't pull this werewolf-shit on us," Sirius warned. "I haven't punched anyone since Minnie told me she'd take my broom away for the rest of the year if I punched another Slytherin. Don't make me punch you, Moony."

"Please do!" James exclaimed. "Maybe it'll hurt more than Moony's heartache and he'll forget about all the stupid reasons he can't be with her."

"They're not stupid," Remus grumbled, his temper rising.

"Yes, yes they are," James said matter-of-factly. "She wants you, Remus. She's a Metamorphmagus, for Merlin's sake. She won't care that you're a werewolf."

"Imagine their babies, Prongs," Sirius chuckled. "Cute little werewolf cubs with a bright pink fur, howling at the moon."

Remus groaned.

It had taken James and Sirius two entire days of persuading Remus that he was, indeed, worth it. That it didn't matter he was a werewolf.

That Friday night, four days after what The Library Incident, as James referred to it, Sirius had pulled Tonks away from her friends and lead her to an abandoned classroom in the third floor, claiming he had an important message he needed to get to her mother as soon as possible. He had opened the door to the classroom, pushed her inside and quickly closed the door behind her again.

Tonks furrowed her purple brows at the sight before her. A picknick blanket was laid out on the cold floor. All her favourite foods – Chelsea buns, biscuits, strawberry pie and loads of other sweets were carefully placed on it.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as Remus appeared from the shadows, his cheeks flush. He cleared his throat. "I – uhm – I wanted to ask you if you had any plans for tomorrow."

Tonks was afraid her heart might just burst from her chest with soaring happiness. She shook her head, the widest smile on her face.

Remus gulped. "Perhaps you'd be interested in spending the day in Hogsmeade with me, then?" he asked, hope shimmering in his chocolate eyes just the way it had done in Tonks' purple ones earlier that week.

Tonks crossed the room in a flash and flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she cried as Remus swirled her in circles, feeling lighter than he had in months as the scent of her sweet strawberry-vanilla shampoo invaded his heightened senses.

"I'm happy she kept you company," Sirius said, his face grave.

Remus stared at his friend for a moment, surprised by the sensibility of that statement, then pulled him in the tightest of embraces. Sirius' frail arms winded around the werewolf's back and held on tightly.

Tonks gently closed the door to the master bedroom, Sirius' breakfast tray still in her hands, as she saw the two long-lost friends reunite. They deserved to have that moment of reconciliation in peace.

I recently posted two Hinny-themed two-shots in my Missing Moments series. Please go and check them out.

Please review, they keep me motivated and give me inspiration!