RATING: This part PG
DISCLAIMER: All I own is my tortured imagination. Don't sue.
DEDICATION: This is just to thank all those lovely people who sent me feedback on part 1. I love you all. Oh, and as for the flamers - thank you too. I enjoy nothing more than pissing of small minded bigoted retards such as yourself.
Remus felt like the heroine of some badly written paperback novel, striding through the storm to meet his beloved. Of course, in paperback romances, being drenched in rain merely served to make the heroine look both stunning and helpless, and the besotted hero usually proposed on the spot. Remus felt like a drowned rat, and suspected that he didn't look much better. And he no idea of what his own hero's feeling for him were, far less how the story would end. But any ending in which they were together, no matter in what capacity, would be enough for him. And so he struggled on, towards the ruins.
He had overlooked them the first time because in his scrying crystal they appeared to be nothing more than piles of stone. Indeed, that was all they were - now. In the past they had been a settlement, with maybe twenty Muggles living there. They were very primative, and their homes were hardly comfortable. But the settlement had remained standing, abandonned, for over a decade after it's inhabitants had moved on. There were several places around the country with simelar stories. Remus knew of at least two where Sirius had retreats. In the summer of their sixth year at Hogwarts, they had holidayed together in one. Sirius' method was simple. He would find one of these abandoned villages, and set up what he liked to call a 'twisting place'. This would send him back in time to soon after the native inhabitants had left, bringing a few modern comforts with him. As he could not change the past, he removed all the traces of his presence before he left. According to wizarding law, nobody was allowed to spend more than twenty days in the past, so as to minimize the risk of anything being altered. Hence Remus' need for haste. Sirius had left a fortnight ago, and would have to move on soon or contravene the law. And Sirius was now more anxious than ever to preserve his integrity.
Remus arrived at the ruins, drenched and shivering, a little past midnight. Now all he had to do was find the twisting place. If there was one. It was always possible that he was wrong, although he doubted it. After all, what better place to hide than the past? A search team could comb this place twice over and never find him. Unless they knew what to look for, that is. It took nearly an hour of searching before he found it - a skeleton hut with some symbols carved on the post which must once has supported the roof. Smiling, Remus laid his hands over it, fingers spread. He closed his eyes, whispering a few words as he did so. He felt the two realities of the place begin to form within his mind. He focussed on the second, took hold of his sense of reality, and twisted. When he opened his eyes again, he knew he had been right. Appearently, it never stopped raining here, as he could still hear the downpour beating on the rough-thatched roof. Thankfully, he noted a small fire glowing in the grate. The room was plain, but Sirius had left his mark on it: a small foldaway table covered in maps; a mirror, basin, soap and comb tucked neatly away in a cornor; and rolls and rolls of parchment, along with a couple of quills and various colours of ink. Of Sirius himself there was no sign. A bedroll lay heating before the fire, so clearly he wasn't yet asleep. Remus didn't wish to risk the weather again, so he settled before the welcome heat of the fire to wait for his friend'd return.
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A screech outside roused Remus. He had dozed off in front of the fire. There was a brief moment of silence, and then Sirius burst through the door of the hut in a flurry of cold air, wand upraised. Seeing Remus rising to greet him, his menacing expression melted into a warm smile."Remus!" he cried, shutting the door behind him. "You found me, I see. How long have you been here?"
"Only a couple of hours," said Remus. He was uncertain as to what to do next. Although he badly wanted to rush over and embrace his friend, to hold him in his arms and know for sure that this was real, he wasn't certain how well this would be recieved. Sirius solved his dilemma for him by striding over and seizing him in a bear hug.
"It's wonderful to see you again." he said as he realeased him. "How did you find me? Was it Purus Coranis?"
"Yes. I didn't think you'd remember....." Remus said, oddly pleased.
"What? Forget a vow? Not I!" Sirius' tone grew more serious. "I'm not a fool, you know. Leaving the spell unblocked was a risk. Some of those pursuing me are as pure of mind as you or I. Although," the teasing note returned to his voice, "I doubt they would have the wit to find a spell outside the mainstream books."
"If it was such a risk, why did you do it?"
"Purely selfish reasons I'm afraid." Remus' heart sank. Sirius' voice held great sincerity. "I wanted you with me, Moony. Terrible of me, I know. Doubtless you have your own life to lead, but........I did so badly want to see you again."
Remus' eyes were bright with unshed tears, which he quickly blinked away. "I don't believe anyone's called my Moony for years. I missed you, you know. Even when I thought you had killed James, I still kept thinking about you." Remus cut himself off abruptly, not wanting to say too much. Sirius turned away.
"Oh Moony," he said softly. "I thought about you too. I thought about you a lot. And what must you have thought of me? Branded a prisoner, carted off to Azkaban......." his voice was breaking. Gently, Remus put an arm around his friend's shoulder and led him to sit by the fire.
"Don't worry about it," he said, soothingly. "What's past is past. I'm here now." Sirius laid his head on Remus' arm.
"I don't expect you to come with me, you know," he said. "It's going to be an uncomfortable few months, dodging aroud from place to place, until Dumbledore manages to dampen down the pursuit. Although it's lovely to have you here, I wouldn't inflict the life aof a fugitive on you."
"Don't give the matter another thought," admonished Remus. "Do you think I spent all this time looking for you just to say hello? Let alone getting soaked to the skin out there. Of course I'm coming with you. I fully intend not to let you out of my sight for at least a month."
"Good old Moony," yawned Sirius, "always looking out for me. I bet you must be pretty tired. I'm exhausted. I'm afraid I haven't made much provision for guests, but I have a spare sleeping roll." He got up, stretched, and went to unpack it. Remus stayed where he was, gazing into the fire. Already the hut was starting to feel like home. From now on, he decided, home was wherever Sirius was.
END OF CHAPTER TWO
To be continued END OF CHAPTER TWO