Hey everyone,
So this chapter is going to be divided into two halves. One part Remus after he's done watching the movie. One part Sirius and his response to seeing his old friend's reaction to said movie. Also, because I am writing this story weeks before I post it, COOKIES TO ALL THOSE WHO GUESSED BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! Well, virtual cookies as I can't visit you lot and hand them out, but you get what I mean.
You all are great,

Venquine1990

Chapter 40
The Curse Of Fame Is Broken

10th of March 1996
Shrieking Shack, Scotland
Remus' POV

For the last few weeks I have been trying to fill the gap left behind by my friends with the adoration of my fans and the enjoyment they seem to get out of being in my presence. I hated the fact that it never worked out the way I wanted it to and I hated it even more that Moony would always whisper in my ear that I know why. I just ignored the pesky mutt and kept at it, as I felt sure that I could replace my old friends for new friends through my fans.
This failed as well, so when Albus ordered me to come to Hogwarts, I felt ready to comply, orders or not. I admit that I had let my ego get the better of me when it comes to what I chose to wear to the visit, but I just wanted to make a better impression upon the new students than my old cloths must have made on the students back in my Third. I really hadn't expected Hogwarts herself to deny me entrance, not once but twice.

That Bill had refuted my belief that Moony was the cause for this before I could even voice this belief had also irked me. What I hadn't expected was for the young and ever-stubborn Ronald Weasley to show a strange sense of understanding alongside his usual rudeness. And my earlier plans had made me unable to deny that I didn't know the difference between fans and friends. I hadn't liked being in the students' position, but I had listened.
Mostly because the sight of the whole Lion's den being against my behavior had been like a slap to the face. I already knew, both from when I was a teacher and when I was – heh, I have to admit – spying on Harry, that he wasn't well-liked or generally accepted by all of his peers in the den, so I hadn't expected for them to be willing to stand up for him like this. And the fact that they believed that I kept their cub from the den had hurt.

I had listened as one of the students who I know doesn't care for Harry one bit points out how Harry never flaunted his status as Boy-Who-Lived and how this made the older student respect Harry, regardless of their Houses having been in feuds from time to time. I had listened as Ron spoke about how I wasn't forcing them to share in my fame, but forcing my fame upon them. And then he pointed something out that shocked me.
At the time that it had happened I hadn't even considered the fact that the sword I used had been made of Goblin silver, I had just used it. I hadn't even considered the fact that my gloves had protected me, but when Ron pointed out how grateful he and the others were that the gloves had done so, it had opened my eyes and I had seen the last few months in a whole new light. And the next question Ron had asked me had floored me.

When I had first heard that my predecessor was Lockhart, I had groaned and wondered what Albus had been thinking hiring that ponce. But even I had never imagined that the ponce would think himself more important or famous than Harry. I had thought back to the last few months and had actually doubted myself on whether or not I had behaved the same or if I had toed the line. I had moved my head without really realizing it.
And with a new sense of understanding I had listened to Hermione and to the young seventeen year old that spoke to me after her. Hermione had repeated Ron's words about the difference between friends and fans and had reminded me of why I had been denied entrance. But she had also spoke about how my friends wanted to be with me and how she would have loved me as her teacher instead of Hestia, though she did compliment the other as well.
And the other girl, young Emma Watson (Sue me, bite me, curse me, I don't care, I'm sticking to it, lol) tells me something I have been trying to deny to myself for the past almost seven months now. That Moony is the one in the right and that I am being the monster I always claimed him to be. All because some complete strangers are now finally seeing me for the man that my friends have always seen, instead of the monster the world claimed me to be.

And the fact that this all comes from a student who had admitted to me that she only took DADA because it's not an elective and that she planned to drop it after OWLS had shocked me. It had even shocked me more than the fact that she had already known of my illness by Christmas and that she – and apparently a lot of others – just didn't care enough to report me at the time. That me being me made them not care about my illness.
I truly just don't know what to think and this is worsened when Ron tells me that he has a test for me. One that, if I pass, will let me see Harry again. Instantly I hear Moony growl within me: "Take the damned chance, you bloody fool, and don't you dare mess it up. I am not going to fail my cub again, because you're too arrogant for the both of us combined. You want to be with cub and so do I, so take the damned chance NOW!"
And while he didn't say it, I know what he's not telling me. If I fail this test, I won't need the elf to pop me elsewhere, Moony will ruin me from within for the failure. And for the first time since I got back together with Sirius as friends in 1994, I fear for the beast within me. And so it was more this fear than my own need to succeed and see Harry again that made me accept the terms, even though I had temporarily missed some of them.

Because of this I hadn't argued the blindfold or the floating after Ron reminded me of the terms. Then I had heard something that had made me know I was right all along. Harry is somewhere close by or Bill wouldn't have been able to create the feeding line between it and Hogwarts. Because of this, I hadn't cared that the lot had led me somewhere deep into the forest, I know it's just a detour to make me believe we're heading somewhere else.
I had felt the unpleasant sensation of Elf travel, but it hadn't deterred me from knowing we were somewhere close to Hogwarts. But something had startled me, at least more than the sensation of landing on a large couch. The second we entered this new room, my heightened senses had picked up on Harry's scent. And it wasn't just his scent that betrayed his presence close by that shocked me, but the scent of his emotions.

Longing and hope were clearly coursing through the boy and so were an amazing sense of joy and care. But what hurt and ripped at me were the underlying emotions. Despair and fear. Harry was happy to see me, but he feared what I would do to him, just because I had lost myself to my fame and my ego. He wanted to be near me, but he didn't want me to take advantage of him. He wanted to trust me, but he was afraid to.
And the fact that the boy had slid the remote over to me from the other side of the couch and not spoken until he was near the door had brought this fact even closer to home. The boy had only spoken six words Press the button when you're ready but all the emotions I had been able to smell were also heard in the tone of his voice. I had pulled the blindfold off in the need to see him and reassure him, but he had already gone.

After this Ron had repeated Harry's words and explained about the difference in effect on electricity between weak wards and strong ones. The Weasley lot had left and again I had felt like a fool. "Why didn't I realize that Ron would entrust his older brothers as Keepers? Why didn't I realize that Harry would when they were so close while I taught them?" I had silently cursed myself for my multiple kinds of stupidity and done as told.
And the movie I have watched in the last two hours had indeed done as Ron said. At first I thought he meant present day me with the prince that was turned into a monster, but when Gaston came on screen, I instantly realized the truth. And while, after watching the finale, I know that my friends wouldn't want me dead, it still reminds me of something else. The fact that I slashed at Sirius just like Gaston stabbed the Beast.

The movie, more than anything my friends have tried to tell me these past few months, more than what I was told by my former students, more than what I smelled when I smelled Harry nearby, was an eye opener and by now the credits are rolling and that beautiful love song is playing in ballad form. But I'm hardly paying attention to this as I have my hand covering my eyes and I am just groaning in self-disgust and despair.
Every emotion I have ever felt because of Moony now courses through me again, but then for whole new reasons. "I am forcing my fame onto my friends just like Gaston was trying to force marriage onto Belle. And this whole time Moony has been like the Beast, caring and protective and actually able to see what is right in front of me. Amelia and the others were damned, bloody right. They were right and I was blind."

I groan again at this thought, but then a voice startles me. "Well, this looks promising." I look up from where I had my eyes hidden behind my hand while my arm was resting on my knee and look to the door. Sirius is standing in front of it and has his arms crossed and his left leg locked in front of his right one as he leans against the door. I wonder how long he's been there as he stands up and moves to sit beside me on the couch.
"Looks like that movie was able to do what we've been failing these past few months. Not surprising with how bloody incredible those Muggles are at making their stories come to life and all." I can barely believe that the man is able to speak so lightly about all of this as he just sits besides me and calmly looks at the screen. Yet then he turns his head and fells me with a stare as he asks me a four-worded question.

What do you think? I take and release a deep breath as I realize that the question isn't just about the movie, its story or its quality. The man is also asking me exactly what's on my mind in regards to everything that's happened the past few months. I look away from his gaze and mutter: "I think that it's wrong of me to listen to a Muggle produced story and not my own friends. I think that you guys had every right to be furious with me.
I think you had every right and reason to hide Harry away from me. I think it's wrong that I made the Fidelius constantly whisper my name in the ears of the Keepers. I think it's stupid that I knew all along about the difference between friends and fans and that I chose to ignore this. I think's stupidly wrong that a young teenager has a better handle on how to deal with fame than I do. I think that I would deserve it for that elf to pop me away."

Slowly as I speak, a grin forms on Sirius' face and he turns his own head away to shake it as I speak my last statement. He even goes so far as to tell me that we shouldn't take this whole thing too far. The easy, friendly tone of his voice astonishes me and I ask him if he's really willing to forgive me just that easily. But the question wipes the smile off his face and while he keeps staring at the screen, he doesn't seem to really see it.
"No Lupin, you are going to have to prove in the next few weeks that you're willing to not treat us the way you did before. I'm not willing to entirely forgive you, but I am willing to give you a chance to earn that forgiveness. And to be honest, I have two reasons for this. One is that I am done losing things. Azkaban, Voldemort and Pettigrew took enough from me, I'm not going to let something this petty take more away from me."

I cringe at the man's words, yet I am grateful for them at the same time. Sirius sighs and says: "The other reason is Harry. I am his guardian and I promised that I would adopt him once this whole thing was over. And I know him, Lupin. Thanks to his upraising, he has attachment and detachment issues. He let you into his heart and he wants to keep you there. And considering that only one small part of you is really hurtful to him, I can accept that.
I want what's best for my son and, regardless of that ego of yours that has been blowing up these past few months, you are good to my son when you want to be. And I know how much value Harry puts in those who knew his parents and that this makes you special to him. Which again brings me back to my first point as that goes double for Harry. Though I won't deny that, if not for those reasons, I wouldn't have given you this chance."

I listen to the man and several emotions run through me. Elation that what was almost broken 14 years ago can now finally be fixed. Excitement for both my only best friend left and the boy I consider a cub. Pride at how parental Sirius sounds as he speaks. A deep sense of understanding at his desire not to lose anything or anyone else after he lost his two closest friends. Amazement that Harry still cares for me. And gratitude for the offered chance.
I smile at my best friend and the man shortly sends me a smile in return. But then he turns back to the screen and his grin slips off his face again as he says: "It won't be easy, Remus. And I don't mean you earning my full forgiveness. I mean Harry. He's troubled. He has a lot of demons that he obviously wants to put behind him. And he already managed to do that on his own while here with a few, but – not all of them.
Now I know Harry. When you walk out of this room, he'll most likely hug you out of excited relief that you're still here and that you passed the test. But after that he will be a bit hesitant and distant with you, mostly out of that same hesitation. Accept that. Let him come to you. Don't force yourself on him, but make sure you use every opportunity you have to show him that you do want to be there for him. That's the best advice I can give you."

Giddy excitement and a soft sense of jealousy coarse through me as I hear even more evidence that Harry and Sirius grew close enough together that Sirius knows this about Harry. Yet I just let Moony out on the jealousy and while I imagine the inner beast tearing the somehow tangible emotions to shreds, I give Sirius a soft nod to convey to him that I will comply. And the man seems to be able to read my thoughts as he grins at me.
By now the credits have run their course and we seem to be back on the screen that we started on, when Harry told me to just press the remote before he left. But we both ignore this and just stand up. For a single moment the two of us stand face to face, me only just now realizing that Sirius had seated himself on the other side of the couch, and a sense of understanding and acceptance passes between us as we stare at each other.

Good on you, Remus.
Okay, so this didn't go as planned, but the whole thing just went way too well. I really like the way I got to portray Remus and his experiences of the last few weeks as well as Sirius and how much he has matured since Harry went down under. I wasn't too fond of describing how the last few months have broken the friendship between the two, but it was a necessary evil and I think I did the whole thing with this situation justice.
As for next chapter, a bit of a spoiler. Like I said, I am going to introduce a pairing that isn't entirely new to my writing, but I will still have a bit of a twist to it that will make it original and unlike the other time I used this pairing. Also, I am going to create an OC to worsen the 150 point loss experience. Pointless? Maybe. Necessary?
Unfortunately,

Venquine1990