Disclaimer: See the first chapter.... I don't own Setsuna Meiou (Sailor Pluto), the owner of Chronos. She belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, as all my extras seem to. I do own the restaurant/pub Chronos. Don't steal it! My pub! MINE!

WARNINGS: Just to remind you, there's going to be Remus/Sirius slash! Hee hee. Can't live without it. And also some very angry, kind of abusive parents. Also this chapter has a lot of sadness. Just so you're forewarned.

First Appearances: Siri's grandmother, Delphinus. You'll love her, I promise. Siri's Aunt Kayleigh, his brother-in-law Brad, and Remmie's brother Henri. I made them up! Don't steal them!

~*~*~*~*~

Year 8 - Meet The Parents



"It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black."
-the Rolling Stones, 'Paint It Black'



~July 8, 1982 - Sirius' Bedroom~

"Gotcha!" Sirius crowed, grabbing hold of Remus' ankle. "Thought you could get away, did you?"
He pulled Remus into his lap and held him tight, nuzzling his neck. Remus giggled and squirmed in his arms. "Gerroff, Siri!"
"Suppose I don't want to?"
"Well, *I* want to get up," Remus said in a teasing voice. "For some reason, sitting in your lap is *very* uncomfortable. I can't imagine why."
"Oh, that was subtle," Sirius said, and they both giggled. Sirius began tickling Remus. "Better?"
Remus giggled madly, tears streaming from his eyes. "Come on, gerroff!" He twisted around in Sirius' grasp and pinned him to the bed.
"Mmm, I like this better," Sirius said, his voice growing huskier.
"Me too," Remus murmured, leaning down and placing light, teasing kisses on Sirius' neck and shoulders.
Sirius moaned, and rolled over, meaning to pin Remus underneath him and take him right now, regardless of the fact his family was scattered all throughout the house and would most likely overhear them. But -
*CRASH*.
"What the hell!" Sirius shouted. They had rolled right off the bed.
Remus began giggling again. "Your bed's not big enough, love!"
"What's going on up there?" Mrs. Black's voice called from the foot of the stairs.
"Nothing, Mum!" Sirius yelled back. "Remmie just pushed me off the bed!"
"Stop horsing around!" his mother ordered. "I thought the chandelier was going to fall right off the ceiling!"
Remus looked at Sirius in amazement. "You have a chandelier in this house? I'm surprised. Your parents didn't seem the... chandelier type."
Sirius sniggered. "I'd forget it was there, if it weren't for the dust and dead spiders falling into my food. D'your parents have one?"
"You jerk," Remus said, punching him in the arm. "Dead spiders my arse. No, we don't have a chandelier. You can't imagine what a shame it is - we're French and we don't have a chandelier in the dining room. My parents get so embarrassed when relatives come for a visit."
"Really?" Sirius asked.
"Really really," Remus said.
"You can have ours if you want. My bed's right over it - an hour or so and it'll probably come down."
"SIRIUS!"

~July 17 - the Potter house~

Sirius and Remus dismounted the motorcycle, taking off their helmets and shaking out their hair. Remus was very glad to be off. He really didn't care for riding on it, even though he thought Sirius was as sexy as hell on it...
"You're getting a car if you want me to ride with you all the time," he told Sirius as they went up on the porch and knocked.
"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius pouted.
Remus shook his head and was about to reply when the door was opened by a very excited-looking Lily. "Come on in," she said happily. "Jim's waiting....."
"What did you want to tell us, Lil?" Sirius asked as they followed her into the dining room.
"Not just yet," she said. "Not until Grace and Peter get here. Sit, sit, sit!"
They sat. James seemed to be just as excited and nervous as Lily; he kept fiddling with his keys and getting up to peer out the window. Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. It wasn't like Jim to be like this. What was up?
The doorbell rang and they all nearly toppled from their chairs, and James' arm gave a nervous jerk that sent his keys flying into the fishbowl. Lily bounced to the door, looking extremely jittery by now, and returned with Grace and Peter, who looked just as dumbfounded as Sirius and Remus felt.
"Are you going to tell us *now*?" Sirius asked.
"After dinner," Lily said, starting to go into the kitchen, but Sirius caught her by the arm.
"Lil, you're so jumpy and excited you'd smash a thousand plates if I let you go in there," Sirius said, "And never mind the fact that Jim's family only has plastic plates. Sit down, take a deep breath, and tell us what's up."
Lily took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. She was beginning to look like a fish out of water. They all struggled not to laugh at the look on her face. Lily looked helplessly at James, who opened his mouth and was only able to make a strange gurgling sound.
"Lil! Jim!" Sirius said impatiently. "Before we're as old as Nicholas Flamel, please!"
Lily couldn't seem to talk. Instead she whimpered and held out her left hand. On the third finger glimmered a gorgeous diamond ring.
They stared at it for a few minutes. Then Sirius got up, walked around the table, and seized James and Lily in a bone-crushing hug.
"Siri!" James howled, finally regaining his voice. "That hurts!"
"Shut up," Sirius said cheerfully. "You prat, why didn't you *tell* me sooner?"
"Because I wanted to make sure Lil said yes," James replied.
Sirius looked at Remus, Peter, and Grace, and rolled his eyes. "He wanted to make sure she said *yes*," he repeated, and said to James, "You're daft, I hope you know that. Why *WOULDN'T* she say yes?!"
"I dunno," said James, blushing. "But you never know...."
Sirius looked like he was going to make a sarcastic comment, but Remus interrupted him. "Congratulations," he said, getting up to hug them both. "I can't see what took you so long. You were the most obvious couple since Pete and Grace."
"Or you and Siri," Lily replied, being hugged by Grace. "*You* two took forever."
"Oh, be quiet," grumbled Sirius. "Where's the food?"
"You and food!" Remus said. "They tell us the most important news of their lives and all you can say is 'Where's the food?'"
"I said that *after* I hugged them," Sirius retorted. "Can I help that they chose dinnertime to announce their engagement?"
"Sorry," said James, not sounding the least bit sorry. "One question, Siri."
"Which is?" "For some reason I feel like having a stupid great prat as my best man," James sniggered. "D'you think you could fill those requirements?"
"Anytime," Sirius beamed. "And I'm not a prat."
"Sometimes you are."
"I know you are, but what am I?"
"Don't start that!" Lily said hastily (American comedy was not her forte). "Grace, help me bring in the food, ok?"

The rest of the dinner party was much more relaxed and fun, now that James and Lily had gotten their stressful announcement out of the way. After dinner, James and Sirius brought the others to tears of hysteria as they acted out a wedding with James as himself, Sirius as Lily, and a hat stand as Sirius.
"That hat stand shows talent," Peter giggled.
"It does," said James, pretending to be in awe. "It even does a better job than the *real* best man."
"Hey," said Sirius. "I can make a *good* best man. All I gotta do is stand there for an hour or so, hand you the rings, and not get drunk until *after* the ceremony."
"A challenge which may prove difficult," Remus teased, earning himself a glare from Sirius which quickly turned into a grin.
"Y'know, Remmie, it's extremely difficult to stay mad at you."

~August 22 - Sirius' bedroom~

"Love?"
"Mmm?"
"Your parents will be home soon."
"Don't remind me."
"I think we should tell them," Remus said, sitting up and looking down at Sirius.
Sirius opened an eye. "Why today? You want to ruin my good mood?"
"No," Remus said, picking nervously at a corner of the sheet pooled in his lap. "But they have a right to know. All the times we keep saying we're going over to Jim's or Pete's.... I mean, *nobody* goes to Jim's twice in one day, we usually get there once and stay all day.... and how we always run up to your room or mine with barely a hello.... I'm sorry, I'm rambling. But putting it off will only make it worse."
"I know," sighed Sirius. "But I don't want to."
"Love, we have to tell them sometime."
"Soon, soon, I promise," Sirius groaned, sitting up and sliding his long legs out of bed. "Like next week, maybe. Or next month."
Remus sighed as he got out of bed and began to dress. "All right. Next week - and as soon as possible. No putting it off after this! I'm not going to give in next time!"
"I promise, Remmie," Sirius said, yawning and pulling on his bellbottoms. "Next week." He gave Remus a look. "And what about *your* parents?"
Remus suppressed a shudder. His parents were likely to be the worst. Especially his mother.... she had always had a favorite daydream of becoming a grandmother many times over and having three daughters-in-law and a son-in-law.
"It's more likely she'll get *two* of those," he thought, but managed a smile. "I know, Siri. We'll tell them all the same day. Okay?"
"Okay," Sirius said, giving him a gentle kiss. "Two birds with one stone and all that, right?"
"Something along those lines. Even though *we're* the ones likely to be killed."

~August 26 - the Black home~

"Er.... Mum? Dad?"
Mr. and Mrs. Black looked up to see their son standing in the doorway of the parlor, looking uncharacteristically nervous, with Remus standing behind him and looking paler than they'd ever seen him.
"What is it, son?" Mr. Black asked. "Is something wrong? Come in here and sit down."
Very nervous (why nervous, why me? I never get nervous! he thought), Sirius plopped down on the sofa. Remus dropped down beside him, looking like he was on the verge of fainting. Sirius tried to steel himself. His grandmother, his aunt, his sister, and her husband Brad were in the room too. It was already hard enough just to tell his parents without everyone else hanging around....
"Is something wrong?" Mrs. Black asked, worried. "Baby, are you hurt? Did something happen?"
Sirius winced mentally at the old pet name, and shook his head. "No, Mum. I, er, I have to, er, tell you something."
Mr. Black put down his paper and frowned impatiently. "What is it? You're not in trouble again, are you?"
"Don't be silly, Brendan, they're not in school," Mrs. Black said, then smiled warmly at her son. "What is it, lamb?"
Sirius fought a groan. This wasn't any easier with his mother treating him like he was still three years old.
"Well, er, I...... um......."
"It can't be your Apperation test. You passed." Lyra said.
"No, it's.... well...."
"Is this about a girl?" his father asked sharply. "You didn't get her pregnant, did you?"
"Dad! No!" Sirius said. "But ..... er..." Remus dealt him a swift kick to the ankle, making him wince. He looked at Remus, who gave him a firm glance and a nod.
"Well, I ..... kinda...... um, I'm, uh.... with someone," Sirius said.
His father raised an eyebrow. "That's nothing to be afraid of telling us. Who is it?"
"Well, it's...... um.............. Remus," Sirius said helplessly.

Silence reigned.

"This Remus," Sirius added, looking from his father to his mother and back again (Remus buried his face in his hands). He was very afraid to see that his father's moustache was bristling and an odd purple color was seeping up from under his collar. His mother was pale, but trying to smile. His aunt and Brad looked shocked, and Lyra seemed to be hiding a giggle. His grandmother, however, looked close to tears of joy. She got up, crossed the room, and pulled both her grandson and Remus into a tight hug (now I know where Siri gets it, Remus thought).
"Dear, are you...... are you serious?" his mother asked.
"Yes, Mum." Sirius replied softly. "More serious than I've ever been." He snuck another look at his father, who looked torn between shock and fury.
"But what about that sweet Lily girl?" his mother persisted.
"She's been going out with Jim for a long time, Mum," Sirius sighed. "I told you. They're engaged."
His aunt chose that moment to speak up. "Sirius! What are you thinking?"
Sirius peered over his grandmother's shoulder. "What d'you mean, 'what am I thinking'?"
"He's - he's - well, a boy," his aunt stammered, and looked at Remus. "Nothing against you, dear... but, I think...... well, you'd be better suited to a young woman..."
Sirius pulled himself free of his grandmother's embrace. "Auntie, you're only worried about what your bridge club will say," he scowled, taking Remus' hand and pulling him to his feet. "A scandal in the Black family - 'oh, my nephew's shagging one of his best friends, who happens to be another guy.'"
His mother and his aunt gave identical gasps of surprise.
"Don't talk to your aunt that way," Mr. Black said, his voice trembling in anger.
Sirius gave him a rather cool look, but when he spoke, Remus could hear him fighting to control his temper. "Sure thing, Dad."
"You'd better start showing some respect-" his father started, throwing down his 'Daily Mail' and standing up. "You - wait a minute. Where are you going?"
Sirius was already at the door, keys in hand. "Where do you think? Remus' house, to tell his parents. And get another *wonderful* reception. Thanks *ever* so much for being supportive."

He slammed the door behind him and walked to his motorcycle, taking such long strides that Remus had to jog to keep up. "Siri," Remus pleaded. "Siri, please, you have to calm down - I know they're not supporting it but - you can't talk to my dad like that, you can't!"
Sirius paused beside his motorcycle and closed his eyes. "I know. Hold on a minute." He took a few deep, calming breaths. Remus eyed the house, hoping Mr. Black (who stood 6'5" and weighed over two hundred pounds) wouldn't take a notion to march out and collect his son. But nobody came to the door or the windows; Remus supposed they were still in the parlor, frozen with shock.
"Okay," Sirius said softly. "I'm ready."
They mounted the bike and took off. Remus tried to take deep breaths and calm himself for what he knew was coming. All in all, he still thought Sirius' family was going to take the news much better than his own.

When they reached the Lupin house, the door opened. Remus gulped - had his parents found out already? Had the Blacks told them? Perhaps traveled by Floo Powder to drag their wayward son home? But his mother was smiling, and she beckoned for them to hurry as they approached her.
"Remus, darling, hurry, you're brother's home!"
Remus gulped again. Oh, right. Henri was visiting for a few days. It just figured he'd have to come home on a day like this.
Resigned to his fate, Remus followed his mother into the kitchen, pulling Sirius along with him. Henri was entertaining his father, Gill, and Serena with a story, but he cut himself off when Remus and Sirius entered.
"Rem!" he said, getting up, grabbing his younger brother in a headlock, and rumpling his hair playfully. "How are you?"
"Fine, fine," Remus grumbled, squirming out of his grasp. "Unhand me."
Henri's glance twitched to Sirius. "H'lo, Fido," he said (get it? Sirius? The Dog Star?).
"H'lo, minou," Sirius responded. (French for 'little cat'. Retaliation for being called Fido.)
Henri rolled his eyes and went back to his story as Remus hoisted himself up on the countertop. Sirius leaned against the counter, arms crossed, sighing a little as Henri finished his story and began another.

When Remus' brother stopped for breath, Remus spoke into the silence. He'd better do it now, or they'd never get a chance, with his stupid, self-centered prig of a brother running at the mouth all night and day.
"Mum? Dad?"
They all turned to look at him (Henri looking irritated that Remus had interrupted his story).
"What is it, sweetie?" his mother asked.
Remus would have groaned if it weren't for the even stupider pet names bestowed upon his boyfriend. "I - well, Sirius and I - need to tell you something..."
"What is it?" his father asked, peering sternly over the frames of his spectacles. "You're not in school, what can you possibly do now?"
"Shh, Daddy," said Serena, who was smirking widely. Damn her, Remus thought. She knew very well what was coming.
"Well, I..." he paused and looked at Sirius, who gave him an equally helpless look.
Mr. Lupin looked at Sirius as well. "Sirius? What's going on?"
Sirius heaved a heavy sigh, and pushed his long hair way from his face. "I guess what we're trying to tell you is........ well, we're in love."

No one spoke for almost a minute. Remus cringed, expecting the yelling to start at any moment. But everyone looked too stunned to speak, including Serena. She mustn't've though they'd had the guts to go through with it. Mrs. Lupin's eyes had filled with tears.
"In love," Mr. Lupin repeated, making them jump. "With each other, you mean."
"Yes, Dad," Remus said. "I -"
His father held up a hand to silence him, still looking at Sirius. "Sirius, have you mentioned this to your parents?"
"Yes, sir."
"And how did they take it?"
"They're just as mad and disgusted as you all seem to be," Sirius scowled.
Mrs. Lupin burst into loud tears. "Remus!" she wailed. "How *could* you? I thought we raised you right -" "Heloise," Mr. Lupin said sharply, and she fell silent. Mr. Lupin turned back to his son, frowning. "How long have you waited to tell us?"
"A - a - a year," Remus whispered.
"A year," his father repeated, and closed his eyes. Silence fell once more. When he looked up at last, he said quietly, "I think it would be best if you left now, Sirius."
Sirius didn't argue or protest. He just nodded meekly, thought about giving Remus a kiss, decided against it, and squeezed his hand instead. Remus gave him a wavery smile in return, and Sirius left.

Mr. Lupin waited until the sound of the motorcycle died away before he spoke again. "Guillaume. Henri. Serena. You are excused. Go to your rooms or something - but if you eavesdrop on this conversation I will make you *very* sorry."
Remus' siblings retreated, knowing full well that their father meant what he said. Remus slid off the counter and sat weakly in a chair. His father was still looking rather sternly at him, and his mother kept sniffling and wiping her eyes on her apron. Remus wished he was a hundred miles away. Hell, he'd rather even be at Sirius' house right now. Even yelling was better than this cold silence. Yelling would end eventually. The silence would too, but the coldness would stay forever. Even if Remus dumped Sirius straight away (an impossibility), he knew his parents would never see him the same way again.
"Remus Jean Lupin," his father said. Bad sign. Use of middle names is always a bad sign. "I don't know what kind of trick you're playing at. You can't be serious about this. If this is some sort of -a - a fling, or a - self-exploration thing, I suggest you drop it at once. You know you have to be extremely cautious about who you get involved with."
"He knows what I am," Remus whispered. "He knows and he still loves me."
"Sirius may be playing along with you. He's always been that way - I can see it. Stringing along a girl or two here or there -" -so he knew about Serena and Sirius- "-and trying to lure you into it too. See if it's any better that what he's used to. Well, I won't allow it." His father stood and stared piercingly into Remus' eyes.
"Do you hear me? I forbid you to see him ever again. Don't even mention his name under my roof. Now go to bed."

Remus hurried away, before his father could get any madder. He managed to hold in his tears until he reached his room, then broke down completely. It just wasn't fair! Why wouldn't they listen? Didn't they care? Remus knew he and Sirius would be together forever. Why couldn't his parents just accept it? He wasn't stupid; since he was twelve he had known a werewolf's difficulties of finding and keeping a mate. And his father making Sirius out to be an awful person... Sirius wasn't awful. He was sweet and gentle, loving and devoted. And being separated from Sirius was going to be horrible. The terrified dread he usually felt over his transformations were doubled. All summer long Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail had come to visit him during the full moon; but it was likely to be miserable the next time. His parents were always scared of him during the full moon. They'd lock him in the basement and leave him alone to take out his rage on himself. His mother always took care of him afterwards, cleaning his wounds and trying her best to make him feel better, but the thought gave Remus no comfort. He at least wanted Padfoot by his side.

~*~*~*~*~

Sirius opened his front door, mentally steeling himself for the screams that would follow. But none came. Almost the entire house was dark. Only the night lights in the kitchen and at the top of the stairs were on. Sirius trudged up the stairs and down the hall to his own room. As he passed his parents' room, his mother's voice called, "Is that you, Sirius?"
"Yeah, Mum." he replied, waiting to see if there was more. But his mother didn't say anything else, so he went into his room and closed the door. Not bothering with the light, he undressed and climbed into bed, where he lay on his back, absently fingering the star on his necklace. He closed his eyes. What was Remus going to do? The full moon was less than two weeks away. Knowing what was going to happen to his love made him want to cry. He might have started if there hadn't been a knock on his door.
"Come in," he grumbled. Even though there wasn't a person in the house whom he wanted to see right now.
His father opened the door and ducked into the room (the door was just a little to short for him). "Sirius, I want to talk to you."
"Come to tell me that my feelings are immoral and wrong?" Sirius said bitterly.
His father's hand twitched as if he was longing to hit his son, but he didn't. Like Sirius, he had a very bad temper which had a terrible habit of slipping its leash sometimes. He'd have to do his best to keep it under control. Instead, he sat down on Sirius' bed and frowned. "Sirius, I can't allow you to see Remus ever again."
"Why the hell not?" Sirius snarled, sitting up.
"Because I just talked to Mr. Lupin. We've agreed that you two should not be allowed to see each other. If you're not around him, you'll have time to - well, figure out where you stand. If you're trying to, well, explore your - ahem - sexual tastes, I suggest you stop experimenting with boys. It's not right."
"I see," Sirius said as his father got up. "I can't be with Remus because you don't want me to be. You're just so worried the neighbors'll find out I like the boys a little better than the girls, right? You can't have a gay son. It'd ruin your reputation."
This time Mr. Black really did hit his son, a hard smack across the face that left Sirius' cheek blazing red and stinging with pain.
"Shut your mouth right now," he said furiously. "And if I *ever* see or hear of you and Remus being together ever again, I will make that slap look like a mother's kisses."
He left, slamming the door behind him. Sirius pulled the blankets over his head and growled.
"Big man, thrash it out of me when talking doesn't work," he mumbled to himself, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

~September 12 - Remus' bedroom~

The full moon had been nearly a week ago, and Remus was still in bed, recovering. Neither of his parents dared to try their menial healing powers on him, so he was forced to lie still in bed and endure the horrid itching of his slowly healing wounds. He couldn't scratch through the layers of bandages, and it drove him mad. But the itching was good - as long as he took up all his time thinking of a way to alleviate it, he didn't have to dwell on other things.
Sirius, for one. Their separation was terrible. Remus went through pain as he'd never experienced before, either physical or mental. He knew it was the wolf in him longing for its mate. He cried himself to sleep every night; oh, how he longed to get up and go to Sirius, and damn the consequences. Anything to stop the pain and misery that shrouded his heart.

~Sirius' Journal - September 30~

-I can't stand it anymore. God, I miss Remmie so much. It just hurts constantly, and I can't make it stop. Dad won't even let me go see Jim or Pete, just in case I'm sneaking away for a secret tryst with Remmie. They have to come visit *me*. I wish I had parents like Jim's. They've known about me and Remmie for a *long* time - Jim told them, I expect - and they're just wonderful. His mum even went as far as to proclaim us 'cute', but we got her to stop calling us that. It was a little embarrassing.
God, I miss Remmie. If I could just *see* him, talk to him... never mind making love. I'd just be content to hold him forever. I read up on werewolves last year. Says they experience terrible pain - headaches and such - when they're separated from their mate for long. I hope that's not true. I don't want to think of my Remmie going through that.
I've got to do it. Soon. Sneak out and get my Moony.
If only we could just get away.....-

~October 4 - the Black home~

"Sirius, we're leaving now," Mrs. Black called.
"M'kay," Sirius mumbled, not looking up from the 'Daily Prophet'. He had been avoiding speaking to his parents ever since breaking the news about his and Remus' relationship. When he couldn't *not* answer them, he replied only in grunts, nods, and one-word answers.
His father came into the room. "Did you hear your mother?"
"I heard. Not going."
"Yes, you are." His father crossed the room and yanked the Prophet out of his hands. "Look at you," he said in disgust. "Hair not combed, still in your pajamas. It's four o'clock in the bloody afternoon!"
"So?"
"You're not going to the Posts' looking like that," his father growled through gritted teeth.
"I know. Not going anyway."
"Yes - you - *are*," his father said, grabbing him by the shoulder and yanking him to his feet. "Get upstairs. I'm giving you five minutes to get dressed and do something about that hair."
Sirius trudged upstairs as slowly as he possibly could, then flopped down on his bed. He waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty.
"SIRIUS BLACK!" his father roared from downstairs. "GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"
"NOT GOING!" Sirius shouted back.
Thunderous footfalls sounded on the stairs as his father approached. The door swung open and hit the wall so hard it sent Sirius' framed poster of the Beatles tumbling to the floor. Mr. Black stood looking down at his son, his face turning brick red. "Get going *now*," he said. "If I have to dress you myself I *WILL*."
"No you wouldn't," Sirius smirked. "Be afraid I'd kiss you or something."
"Don't you *ever* talk to me like that ever again," Mr. Black whispered, his thick Irish brogue getting deeper as his anger increased. "I am your *father*, laddie. You'll deserve a whipping if I don't start getting some respect. Now get dressed."
He left, slamming the door behind him. Sirius knew not to push his father any further. Grumbling, he hung the Beatles back up and rummaged in his drawers for a clean t-shirt and jeans. He knew very well that his parents were making him come to the Posts' with them because they wanted him to date the Posts' daughter, Emily. As an attempt to make him forget Remus, he expected. Forget Remus? He fingered the charm on his necklace and shook his head. Never happen. With a sigh, he dragged a comb through his hair, considered putting it in a ponytail, and decided against it. If his dad was in such an all-fired hurry to get moving, he wouldn't hold them up. The Posts would just have to deal with a long-haired kid today.
He pulled on his boots and thumped downstairs, going as slowly as possible. His parents were waiting for him in the hall, looking impatient.
"You're wearing *that*?" his father asked sharply, taking stock of Sirius' tight black t-shirt and even tighter bellbottom jeans.
"What's wrong with it?" Sirius sighed.
"You look like a damn hippie. Get upstairs and put on some good trousers and a tie."
"No thanks," Sirius snapped. "I think I'll stay home."
"We've already decided you're going," his father reminded him.
"Please, lamb, just get dressed up nice," his mother pleaded.
"No, I'm not going," Sirius said stubbornly, sitting down on the stairs and giving them a defiant look. "I don't want to. You're just going to try and hook me up with Emily."
"What is wrong with Emily?" Mr. Black asked.
"She's such a sweet girl," Mrs. Black said.
"Remus is sweet."
"I told you never to mention him again," his father said.
"Shit on that. I love Remus. I'm not going anywhere."
"Fine," his father snarled. "You just stay here then. Cry over your damn sissy boyfriend. I don't give a damn about either of you. But perhaps you should do some thinking while you're here. Think about whether you value your family or some sissy crybaby more. Leyna! Let's go." He slammed the door behind him hard enough to shake the house. There was another crash upstairs as the Beatles took another dive.

Sirius watched his parents leave from the living room window. He felt tears stinging at his eyelids and growled softly to himself. Crying was no good, so he shouldn't even start.
Still, the tears threatened, and Sirius gave a quick, impatient shake of his head. Enough of this. He'd go in the kitchen and get a cup of tea. Yes, good idea.
As he passed his grandmother's room, she called, "Sirius, is that you? Come in here."
"Hi, Gram," Sirius said bleakly, going into her room and looking at his grandmother, who was sitting in her rocking chair with a book on her lap. "D'you want some tea too?"
She didn't answer for a while, just looked calmly at him, a tall, tanned teenage boy with long dark hair and tears in his eyes. She could see he was fighting not to cry, to be a man. But better to let him cry. Tears like this needed to be shed. So she said quietly, "It's your friend, isn't it? The one you're in love with?"
He nodded, and she set her book aside and held her arms out to him. And Sirius did what he hadn't done since he was five years old - allowed himself to be folded into his grandmother's embrace and cried long and hard on her shoulder. She leaned forward and rocked him as best she could (he wasn't a tiny boy anymore; he was much to big to sit in her lap), stroked his long hair, and soothed him.
After awhile the tears subsided and he rested his cheek against her knee, sniffling. Delphinus reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out her handkerchief, which she handed to Sirius.
"Thanks, Gram," he sniffled, taking it and mopping off his tearstained cheeks.
She finger-combed his hair back and began to braid it. "You really do love your Remus, don't you?"
"More than anything," Sirius said hoarsely. "I'd die for him if I had to, Gram."
"I know you would," she said softly, finishing the braid and tying it with a piece of yarn. "And he would do the same for you."
"It's more than that," Sirius whispered. "They *can't* keep us separated, Gram. We're... we're together for life."
Delphinus carefully tilted her grandson's head to the side, so the light fell on the left side of his neck. It sparkled on his earring and highlighted what she expected to see - a small mark, in the shape of a crescent moon. She kissed her finger and touched the mark gently. "He's a werewolf, and he's marked you as his mate."
"Don't tell Mum and Dad," Sirius said, panicking. "Please, Gram - if they knew about - that - that Remus is a werewolf..."
"Shh, darling," she said to him. "It's all right. I won't tell them. And your Remus is a very sweet young man. Your parents will come to their senses eventually."
"No, they won't," Sirius said bitterly. "Remember how they never left Lyra alone over that Jack guy?"
Jack had been a very sweet, kind man Lyra had met just after she graduated from Hogwarts. He was a true gentleman, and even Sirius, who tended to get a little suspicious of all his sister's dates, liked him. But since Jack was divorced, Mr. and Mrs. Black had immediately come to the worst conclusions about him, and forbidden their daughter to see him. Poor Lyra had been hounded day after day, and there had been more than one argument that drove Sirius to his room with a pillow over his head. Finally, Lyra, who was sick of the whole mess, had broken up with Jack. Later Jack moved to America, and they hadn't heard anything from or about him since.
"Yes, love, I do," his grandmother murmured. "But you're not like Lyra. I know you won't give in. And the magic is impenetrable. Your Remus is your mate for life, and you have to be together. There's nothing your parents can do to reverse that."
"I know," Sirius sniffed. "But I can't make them see that. God knows when I'll ever get to see Remmie ever again..."
"His parents are gone," his grandmother remarked, not looking at him, but out the window instead. "He's home alone; everyone else is gone."
Sirius stared at her. "Gram, what-?"
She put a finger to her lips. "Hurry," she whispered. "Go to him now. Your parents won't be home for a while - and if they come home early I'll cover for you."
Sirius stood. "Thanks, Gram," he whispered, and kissed her cheek before Apperating from the room.

~*~*~*~*~

Remus was lying on his bed, reading, when a small *pop* noise made him jump. He looked around, wondering what it was. It was Sirius, peeking at him from under his hair with a shy smile. Remus noticed his eyes looked rather red.
"Siri-love? How - I didn't hear the bike..."
"If my parents found my bike gone they'd kill me. I Apperated."
"But what are you doing here? If my parents come back and you're still here -"
"I don't give a damn," Sirius said, coming in and closing the door behind him. "Remmie, I'm sick and tired of all this. We can't let our parents run our lives *for* us -" he sighed. "I just had a talk with my gram, and she made me realize something. We're letting our parents push us around, and if they have their way we'll never see each other again." He sat on the bed and took Remus' hand. "I don't want that to happen," he said softly. He was crying again. "Remmie, it *hurts*, being away from you for long. Hell, I miss you even if I haven't seen you in two hours. And if our parents have problems with it, to hell with them. I love you and I'm not leaving you."
Remus was crying by now as well. He sat up and pulled Sirius into a hug, and they rocked back and forth for a little while, sniffling. Then Remus looked up at Sirius. "You're right. We're being stupid. What should we do, then?"
"Well, the only thing we can do... get jobs, save up money... get ourselves a flat and move out. If we're away from them, they can't bother us as much. We'll just tell them we've got money and a place to live, we're leaving, and there's nothing they can do about it."
"All right," Remus whispered. They were silent for a little longer, then Sirius spoke up timidly.
"Remmie?"
"Mmm?"
"I reckon we've got an hour or so before our parents get back. Want to.. I dunno, go out to eat or something?"
"Anyplace but Diagon Alley," Remus said, wiping his eyes. "That's where my parents went shopping."
"Okay," Sirius agreed. "And I know where to go to avoid my parents seeing us by accident."
"I'm afraid to ask."
"Don't be," Sirius laughed, going into the bathroom and splashing his face with cold water. "I'm really taking you out to dinner. No sex clubs, I promise. I've never even set foot in one, you know."
"You'd better not," Remus scowled, changing into a better shirt and combing his hair. "Just how will we get to this fabulous no-sex club?"
"Walk."
"It's that close?"
"It's only fifteen minutes away. You don't want to walk with me for fifteen minutes?"
"Of course I do!" Remus said, offended. "You doubt it?"
"No," Sirius said, smiling softly. Remus could have melted at that smile. He had missed it so much...
"Okay, lead the way," he said, taking Sirius by the arm.

~*~*~*~*~

They had a lovely walk to the restaurant, walking hand-in-hand and so close their shoulders touched and their hips brushed. It was nice, Remus thought happily. He had missed Sirius so much.
"Here we are," Sirius said, coming to a halt in front of a black-brick building. A sparkly silver sign over the door read 'Chronos'. "See? It's got a pub downstairs."
Remus looked skeptically at the building, then at Sirius. "Love, are you *sure* this isn't a sex club? It sure *looks* like one."
"It isn't, and how would you know?"
"Oh, shut up," Remus giggled. "All right, I give in. Besides, I'm hungry. I sure hope you brought some Muggle money - I don't have any."
"Don't worry about it," Sirius said cheerfully, patting his front pocket. "I've got enough for dinner."
The hostess looked up as they entered, smiling brightly. She was a tall, slim woman, with deeply tanned skin and amazingly long forest-green hair, dressed in a dark red sweater and black tights. Her eyes interested Remus. They were a deep purply-red color which he had never seen before.
"Sirius!" she said. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"
"Very well, thanks," Sirius said with a grin. "How's by you, Setsuna?"
"Very good," she replied, and turned her garnet eyes on Remus. "And who is this?"
"This is my boyfriend," Sirius said proudly. "Remus Lupin. Remmie, this is Setsuna Meiou. She runs this place."
"H'lo," Remus said, shaking her hand.
"H'lo," Setsuna said, then stepped back and tilted her head to the side. Her dark eyes surveyed Remus carefully. "Mmm. You have good taste, Sirius. He's cute."
Remus blushed as Sirius laughed and kissed his temple. "Yeah, I think so too."
Setsuna smiled. "A dinner date?"
"Precisely," Sirius said. "Got a table for an old friend?"
"Indeed I do," Setsuna replied, plucking a couple of menus from a pile beside her. "And since I'm so nice, I'll even bring you to your table myself."
She led them to a small, cozy corner table, handed them their menus, and kissed them both on the cheek before departing. Remus gave his lover a curious glance. "How d'you and Miss Meiou know each other?"
"Oh, don't be so suspicious, Remmie-chan," Sirius said, grinning. "She knows me and Jim pretty well, since we usually had to roust Jim's cousins out of the pub after particularly good football games. Or Quidditch games, for that matter."
"Then she's -?"
"Yeah, she's a witch. But shh - she serves a fair amount of Muggles in this place as well."
Remus nodded and opened his menu. Mmm. Caesar salad with cold chicken and grated egg on top. Baked cod. Spaghetti with garlic bread. Mmm, how to choose? It all sounded so good.
"Nothing with eggplant," Sirius said.
"I beg your pardon?" Remus asked.
"'Suna really hates eggplant. She won't even serve it here."
"Oh. Well, I don't mind it."
"You know what I always wondered?"
"No, what?"
"Why do they call it eggplant? It doesn't even look like an egg."
"You know, I've always wondered that too..."

~*~*~*~*~

Their dinner was superb (Remus had gotten the baked cod, while Sirius had gone for an Italian chicken sandwich). Sirius paid the tab and they left, bidding Setsuna good-bye.
"Oh, 'Suna," Sirius said, pausing at the door. "If my parents happen to ask around....."
"I haven't seen you since last summer, and I don't know a Remus Lupin," Setsuna said, shaking her head with a smile.
"Thank you, dear."
They walked back to the Lupin home, not casually now, but hurrying. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin would be home soon. Remus was relieved to see the house was empty as he and Sirius approached. They ducked inside before the neighbors could see them together.
"Thank you for the lovely night, Siri," Remus said shyly. "I had a wonderful time."
"You're more than welcome," Sirius murmured, kissing his forehead. "And I meant what I said, Remmie. Our best bet is to get away."
"I know," Remus said. "Don't worry about it. I can get a job in Flourish and Blotts' - Mr. Perkins has asked me many times."
"Just the place for you, a bookstore," Sirius smiled. "And I'll work for Dad. Believe it or not. He'll be thrilled..... maybe."
"Why wouldn't he be?"
"He's not too happy with me right now. But you know how he is - engineering is important to him. I'll just ask him if I can work as a stockboy or something."
Remus wrinkled his nose. Sirius noticed the look and laughed. "I know, love. Not the ideal job. I'll live." He kissed Remus again. "I'd better go. My parents ought to be home soon too."
"All right," Remus said reluctantly.
"Just tell me the next time your parents'll be gone."
"Okay," Remus whispered, hugging Sirius tightly. "I love you."
"Love you too." Sirius replied, then kissed Remus again before Disapperating.

~*~*~*~*~

His parents still weren't back when he got home. Sirius went into the kitchen and found his grandmother already there, pouring some tea.
"Hi, Gram," Sirius said, kissing her cheek. "How did you know I was home? And that I wanted tea?"
His grandmother shrugged. "I just got a feeling. Did you and your Remus have a nice time?"
"Yeah," Sirius said, smiling as they sat down. "I took him out to eat."
"Chronos?"
"Yes." Sirius looked at his grandmother, astounded. "Gram, sometimes I think you know too much."
Delphinus smiled. "How is he?"
"Good - well, as long as I'm with him. Did you know, werewolves experience both physical and mental pain when separated from their mate for very long?"
"Yes. I knew." She looked up and her grandson. "What are you going to do?"
"I want to move out," Sirius confessed. "I want to take Remmie and run away. But we don't have the money. Or a place to stay."
"You'd be surprised-" she cut herself off with a string of loud coughs. "Excuse me. I meant to say, you'd be surprised what a few months' difference can make."
"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.
His grandmother shook her head as a car pulled into the driveway outside. "Never mind. Your parents are home. Just... be patient, okay?"
"All right, Sirius said softly.

~October 14 - Remus' bedroom~

The phone call couldn't have come at a worse time.

The phones in the house had been installed for looks (when the Lupins' Muggle friends visited), and just in case anyone needed to call home quickly. The phone beside Remus' bed was a stubborn thing. It just kept ringing.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other, then at the phone.
"Shit." Sirius grumbled. "Don't answer it."
"I have to, it might be my mum," Remus said unhappily. "Hold on a minute."
"If I *can*."
"Shh!"
Remus leaned over and picked up the phone. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mum. What? No, I'm sorry, I was out in the yard."
Sirius snorted and Remus glared down at him. "What? No, that wasn't anything," he said to his mother, wishing mentally that she'd hurry up. He was dying here. "Okay. Okay. Okay. Yes, I'll do it." Come *on*, Mum, he thought. Sirius closed his eyes and sighed impatiently.
"Yes..... no, Sere's off at her friend Bunny's."
Sirius raised a hand to his mouth and bit it to stifle his moans. This was getting ridiculous.
"*Okay*, Mum. Yes. Yes. I'll see you in a bit, then." Remus stretched out his arm and hung up the phone, then sighed gratefully. "Phew."
Sirius took his hand out of his mouth and groaned. He looked up rather pleadingly at Remus. "No more interruptions?"
"I hope not."
"Do we have time?"
"Maybe. Mum's home in fifteen minutes."
"Shouldn't take that long. We're guys. Go ahead, finish what you started."

And Remus did, very satisfactorily for both of them.

~November 11 - Flourish and Blotts'~

"Hey, Remmie!"
Remus turned from shelving books to see James and Lily walking into the shop, and he grinned at them. "Look who it is! England's most promising couple. How are you?"
"Very good," James said as Lily kissed Remus' cheek, but then he dropped his jolly manner. "Hey, is it true? That your parents aren't letting you and Siri see each other?"
"Jim," said Lily sternly. "We shouldn't be taking up Remus' time-"
"Oh, don't worry about it, Lil," Remus said, slipping the last copy of 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' into its place. "All done." He checked his watch. "And right now's the beginning of my lunch break."
"Cool," said James, his smile returning. "Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, okay?"
"Sure," said Remus. "Just a second." He went into the back room and snagged his coat, then paused at the door of Mr. Perkins' office. "Mr. Perkins? I'm going to lunch now."
"All right, Remus," Mr. Perkins said, looking up from his account books with a smile. "I'll see you in a bit, then."
Remus waved and joined James and Lily, who were waiting for him at the door. They made their way through the crowded street and into the Leaky Cauldron. After ordering beef stew from the innkeeper, Tom, they sat down at an empty table to talk. Remus told them about the reception his parents had given the news. James shook his head.
"That sucks," he grumbled, spearing a bit of potato with his fork. "And now they won't let you see each other?"
"Yeah," said Remus, then smiled. "But you know Siri. He does everything he can to bend the rules."
Lily giggled. "Yes, that's right. What are you going to do, though?"
Remus shrugged, poking at his stew. "The only thing we can do, I guess. We're saving up money to get ourselves a flat. We'll just move out and our parents will have to accept it."
"Do you think that'll work?" Lily asked, her brilliant green eyes anxious. "What about school? I thought you were going to be a teacher."
Remus shrugged. "I dunno. That'll have to wait for now. I'm just hoping getting away from our parents'll ease the pressure a little bit, you know?"
"You're probably right, Remmie, you usually are," James said. "And they've got to come to their sense sometime, am I right?"
"I hope so," Remus sighed. "Hey. Have you heard anything from Pete lately?"
"It's funny," Lily said, stirring her stew around. "We've been seeing him less and less lately. I see Grace a lot, though - you know, we both work at Miss Kaiou's together - and she says he's been acting weird lately." She shrugged and flipped her copper hair back. "But then, Pete's always been a little weird."
"Agreed," said Remus, checking his watch. "Ugh. I'd better go. My time's almost up."
"Okay," James said, and they all stood up together and hugged goodbye.
"Take care, Remmie," Lily said.
"It'll turn out okay," James said encouragingly.
Remus smiled. "It just might, Jim. See you."

~Sirius' Journal - November 21~

-I'm worried about Gram. She hasn't been feeling to well lately, she says. She looks like she's feeling horrible. Mum says it's just a cold. Maybe so, but Gram *is* almost ninety. Colds aren't that easy to deal with when you're that old, you know? I told Remus about it. He said it'd be okay, but I dunno. What would I do without Gram? She's been so sweet about this whole thing with me and Remmie. I'm sure she'd help us convince our parents to let us live together. It might not be that hard to do, actually. Dad's been pretty mellow lately. I think it's 'cos I'm working for him. He seems to think hauling freight all day keeps my mind off Remmie. It's true I'm usually thinking about the stuff I have to do at work every day, but Remmie's not far from my mind, I can tell you. I just don't say anything about him out loud.
Dad and Mum set me up with a few girls but I didn't do or say anything to encourage them. I think they got bored of me fast. Not that I care. I just want to be with Remmie....... soon...... We'll run away together.-

~December 11~

-Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Evans request the honor of your presence
At the marriage of their daughter, Lily Rose Evans, to James William Potter,
On the Seventeenth of June 1983, at St. John's cathedral in London.
R.S.V.P. before March twentieth, 1983-

~January 2 - Remus' bedroom~

"Oh, Siri...."
"Shh, love."
"But...."
"Your parents won't be home until late, you said. It'll be okay."
"Oh, but Siri, what if they come home early?"
"Well. We'll just have to take that chance, won't we?"
Remus giggled. "You're so bad sometimes. Do you know that?"
"I thought you liked it when I was bad," Sirius smiled at him, snuggling close.
Remus blushed. "Oh, stop it!"
"All right. I won't tease anymore.... if you give me what I want."
"You win. But it's more like a tie. I want it too."

~*~*~*~*~

Around one in the morning, after she and her husband arrived home, Heloise Lupin pushed open her son's bedroom door, wanting to say good night. "Remus, we're -" She stopped at once, and paled at the sight which met her eyes.
Remus was sprawled out on his bed, fast asleep, dressed only in pajama bottoms. And sleeping beside him, his arms wrapped around her son (and wearing the tightest jeans she had ever seen), was that awful Sirius Black.
It didn't take her long to realize what had happened. They might have still been half-dressed, but Mrs. Lupin was not stupid. Their mussed appearances, not to mention the rumpled bedclothes and the clothes tossed into an untidy pile on the floor... what looked like their shirts, a leather jacket, and... oh, my......... she paled.
Her husband slipped an arm around her. "Is he asleep?" he asked, but then he saw what she was looking at, and felt his anger beginning to rise.
Remus stirred and opened his eyes. He looked around and froze when he saw his parents standing in the doorway, his mother looking faint, his father looking enraged. "Mum! Dad!" he gasped, sitting up too quickly and knocking Sirius in the forehead with his elbow.
"Dammit!" Sirius grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. "Remmie! What the -" he stopped, noticing Remus' parents standing there for the first time, and gulped.
Mr. Lupin took two long strides over to his son's bed, and grabbed Remus by the shoulder. "What - in - BLAZES - D'YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
"Dad, let me explain," Remus begged, and cried out as his father gripped his shoulder harder, hurting him.
"For goodness sakes, Devereaux, don't hurt him!" Mrs. Lupin shrieked, seeing her husband raise his hand. He brought it down quick and hard - just *hit* this damn kid, teach him some respect -
But he didn't hit Remus. Sirius had caught him by the wrist, and was now glaring at him, his eyes icy with hate.
"You bastard," Sirius snarled. "Hitting your own kid - what gives you that right?"
"Shut up," Mr. Lupin hissed back. "What gives you the right to break into *my* home while I'm gone and - and - and take *advantage* of my own son?!"
Sirius dropped his wrist in disgust, pulled back his hair, and turned his head sharply, so they could all see the mark on his neck. "Goddamn it, are you *blind*? Don't you *see* that? Do you know what it means?"
Mrs. Lupin gasped, realizing the truth, and sunk weakly into a chair, her hands over her mouth. But her husband was unmoved. "I know very well what it means," Mr. Lupin growled. "And it doesn't mean a thing. Not to me, anyway." He turned his glare on Remus. "I told you to stay away from him."
"Dad, it's not that easy," Remus said desperately. "We can't be separated - the magic's irreversible - we're mated for life and -"
He was cut off by his mother's shriek of anguish, and noticed the angry glare in his father's eyes.
"And how exactly did he get you to claim him?" he whispered, his voice trembling with rage. He looked up at Sirius through narrowed eyes. "Got you drunk, I expect. Or on drugs - worthless punk, you drugged him, didn't you?!" he shouted, this last directed at Sirius.
It happened so fast even Sirius didn't know how it happened - one minute he was fighting to control his temper, and the next, Mr. Lupin was pinned to the wall, Sirius' hand at his throat.
"Shut up," Sirius growled, thumping Remus' father against the wall. "Just shut up. If you *must* know - though it's none of your business - I left everything up to Remus. I let him decide if he was ready for sex - and I didn't pressure him at all. And I most certainly did *NOT* drug him or get him drunk."
"Siri, put him down," Remus begged, tugging at his lover's arm. "Please, don't hurt him!"
Sirius let go of Mr. Lupin's collar, letting him sink to the ground, where he slumped, coughing. Remus and his mother knelt beside him as Sirius looked down at him, hatred clearly etched on his face. Remus was afraid of him at that minute. He loved Sirius, loved him dearly, but Sirius' seemingly uncontrollable temper frightened him badly.
Mr. Lupin coughed again, weakly, then looked up at Sirius. Remus could see fury in his eyes, but fear was also present in his gaze. He was beginning to realize that Sirius was stronger and fiercer than he looked - capable of murder, if the circumstances were right - and very protective of Remus.

"Sirius!"
They all turned at the sound of that voice, which seemed to be coming from outside. Sirius strode to the window facing the street and pushed it open. As he turned, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin could see long, jagged scars running down his otherwise lovely back, and they looked at Remus, who hung his head and nodded slowly, answering their unasked question.
Sirius leaned out the window to see Lyra, looking scared and pale, standing below. "What?"
"It's Gram," Lyra called, her voice trembling. "Oh, Siri...her cold's worse.... she's going to die..."
"But she was fine when I left," Sirius said, as Remus joined him at the window.
"It got worse really suddenly," Lyra said, a desperate note in her voice. "She wants to see you... Mum and Dad are with her now - please come home!"
"I'll be right there," Sirius said, and ducked back into Remus' room and began pulling on his boots, not bothering with socks, ignoring Mr. and Mrs. Lupin as they stared at him with wide eyes.
"Love, what's going on?" Remus asked as Sirius zipped up his leather jacket and gathered up the rest of his clothes quickly.
"Gram's dying," he said softly, before giving Remus a kiss and dashing from the room.

Remus paused for a second, staring into the darkened hallway, then made up his mind. As quick as he could, he put on his shoes and a shirt, and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" his father croaked, trying to get to his feet.
"I have to be with him," Remus said, and ran down the stairs and out onto the porch.
Sirius was just mounting the motorcycle. "Love, wait!" Remus called, panicking, and rushed to join him. He swung himself up onto the bike without thinking about it, and Sirius turned to look at him.
"What about -"
"I don't care, they're fine," Remus said. "Let's go!"
Sirius started up the bike, and they shot down the road like something shot from a cannon. Remus clung to his lover and prayed they'd get there in time, that he hadn't held Sirius up just a moment too long, forgetting to be afraid as Sirius urged the bike on faster.
They reached the Black house so fast they could have set a world record; Sirius had barely turned the bike off before he ran into the house, Remus following.

~*~*~*~*~

"Maybe we're wrong," Mrs. Lupin said timidly to her husband, as they stood listening to the sound of the motorcycle fading away. "Maybe Sirius really does care for Remus."
"As much as I hate to admit it, I think he does," Mr. Lupin muttered. "And Remus really does love him, if he's claimed Sirius as his mate."
"He goes through so much pain already," Mrs. Lupin said. "We're only causing him more by keeping them apart."
"You just figured that out?" a voice asked, and they turned to see Gill standing in the doorway, looking at them over the frames of his rose-tinted shades. "I'm sorry, Mum, Dad, but that's dense of you."
"But we can't admit we're wrong -" Mr. Lupin started.
"Why the hell not?" Gill demanded. "Just why not? Rem's got enough problems. What he really needs is someone who can comfort him in a way you guys can't. And I don't mean sex," he said hastily, seeing their expressions. "Just someone who makes him feel like he's worth something.... someone who sees him as beautiful even when... you know."
"You're right," Mrs. Lupin said helplessly. She turned to her husband. "Devereaux, what will we do?"
"If his grandmother really is dying, the Blacks are going to go through a hard time, and I don't want to disturb them." said Mr. Lupin slowly, running his fingers through his hair. "As soon as things calm down a bit, I'm going to see if we can't meet with Brendan and Leyna Black and talk about this."
"Thank you," Gill sighed, relieved. "It's about time, Dad."

~*~*~*~*~

Sirius skidded to a halt in the doorway of his grandmother's room; she was lying in her bed, looking pale and trembly, with Sirius' parents, aunt, sister, and brother-in-law gathered around her. He went over and knelt beside her, taking her hands, which were very cold. "Don't die, Gram!"
She turned her head to look at him. "It's my time, dear. Remember what I told you when you were little? After your grandfather died?"
"Even stars burn out sometime," Sirius whispered. "No, Gram, no. You'll be okay - we'll get help -"
He looked up at his mother, a desperate look in his eyes. "Mum, do something -"
"We've already sent for the doctor," Mrs. Black said softly. "There's not much else we can do."
Delphinus raised her head and looked at Remus, who was standing just inside the doorway. "Come here, Remus."
Remus came forward obediently; she gave him a rather stern look and said, "You take good care of my grandson. If you don't, I'll come back and haunt you. Do you promise?"
"I promise," Remus whispered.
"And take care of your Remus, darling," she said to Sirius. "Protect him and keep him safe. And the rest of you -" -she seemed to be mainly addressing Mr. and Mrs. Black- "- you leave them be. They're in love; the magic is impenetrable. Leave them be."
She closed her eyes. "I love you all," she said softly, and was still.

It was completely silent for almost a full minute; then Sirius began to cry softly. Remus held him close and stroked his hair, letting him cry on his shoulder. Mrs. Black and Lyra were clinging to each other, beginning to sniffle as Brad looked on; Sirius' father was looking out the window and occasionally giving a long sniff, his arm around Sirius' aunt, who was sobbing into a handful of tissues.

~*~*~*~*~

Sirius was still being held by Remus, sniffling, when the doctor left. By now the family was in the living room, all rather red-eyed. Mr. Black came over to where Sirius and Remus sat. Remus looked up, fearful, but Mr. Black put a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Remus, I appreciate that you want to stay with Sirius. But if you don't mind... we have a few - things to sort out."
"Yes, sir," Remus said softly, and kissed Sirius' cheek. "Don't cry, love. I'll be back."
He Disapperated. Mr. Black sat down beside Sirius.
"You've been seeing him, haven't you?"
"Yes," Sirius sniffed. "So what?"
His father regarded him quietly for a moment, not speaking. Sirius stood up, wanting to go to his room. But then his father spoke again.
"Why?"
"Because I love him," Sirius whispered. He turned to face his family. "I don't care if you all think I'm weird or something. I don't care if you don't like me anymore. But I really do love him. And I'm his. Forever." He carefully brushed his hair aside and turned his head. "Do you see?" he asked softly.
His mother crossed the room and looked carefully at his neck, then gasped.
"Oh, Sirius.... if you had told us before..."
"You didn't let me," Sirius said as his father joined them. He peered down at Sirius' neck.
"What's that?" he asked curiously, noting the moon-shaped mark.
"Dad, Remus is a werewolf," Sirius said.
"He is?" Mr. Black asked. This was news. Nearly forty years of marriage to a witch had prepared him for all kinds of unexpected things. Finding out his son's boyfriend was a werewolf wasn't that surprising; there were worse things, he supposed. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"That mark means he's claimed me as his mate for life," Sirius said. "That's what Gram was talking about. The magic can't be reversed. Do you know what happens to Remmie when we're apart?"
Everyone shook their heads (except Brad, who looked terrified. So what. He was a scaredy-cat).
"He gets headaches. Worse, migraines. And it's not just his head. I looked it up... werewolves, like real wolves, claim and keep only one mate forever. And being away from them for long - days at a time, I mean, not like just a few hours at work - they go into... I don't know, some kind of state.... they're in tremendous pain all the time. Headaches, body aches, you name it." He looked up at his father. "And that's what my Remmie is going through. That's why I need to be with him. I never want him to be hurting. I want him to be happy, and he can't be without me." He shook his head. "I'm going to bed."

He left the room. Brendan and Leyna exchanged looks. Sirius had given them a lot to think about - could they be wrong? One thing was sure - they'd have to talk with the Lupins soon.

~January 5 - the graveyard~

The Blacks and the Lupins watched Remus and Sirius standing at Delphinus' grave, holding hands. Sirius was holding back tears with all his might, and Remus was talking to him softly. James, Lily, Grace, and Peter hurried up to them and helped Remus comfort Sirius. For the first time, the four adults realized how perfectly their sons fit together; watching Remus gently pull Sirius into his arms and how Sirius leaned against his lover and finally let the tears fall.
"We're being stupid," Heloise murmured. "Look at them."
Brendan nodded. "We have been stupid. If we allowed them to start seeing each other again-"
"Without sneaking around," Devereaux said, smiling slightly.
"-They'd be happier." Brendan approached Sirius and his friends, all of whom looked at him nervously (but none as nervously as Remus). "Sirius. Remus."
"Yeah, Dad?" Sirius sniffed, taking the tissue Lily offered him.
"Yes, sir?" Remus asked fearfully.
"You really do love each other, don't you?"
"That's what we've been telling you," Sirius mumbled.
"You're sure?" Devereaux asked them.
"Absolutely, Dad," Remus whispered.

"All right then," Brendan said softly. "Then we take back what we said. You can - er - see each other again."
This was unexpected. The six teenagers exchanged amazed looks.
"What? Really?" James asked.
"Really," Heloise said. "As long as you understand that there are some people who... won't take to your relationship..."
"I've known that for a while," Sirius muttered, but Remus frowned at him and squeezed his arm gently, shutting him up. The adults looked amused. Taking courage from this, Sirius spoke up hopefully. "Is it okay if Remus sleeps over tonight?"
"If he sleeps in the guest room," Sirius' father said, and smiled at the look on his son's face.

~February 3 - the Lupin home~

Life after that improved greatly for Sirius and Remus. Things were not perfect, not by a long shot, but finally having their parents' blessing made things a hell of a lot easier. And not having to sneak around made it easier on Remus' poor trouble-hating stomach. Yes, Sirius was still upset over his grandmother's death, and there were a few people who were weirded out over their relationship - Brad was one, Henri another, and Remus was sure none of his relatives in France would take to the idea. But he really didn't care. He had Sirius back and was happy for the first time in a long time.

He was sitting at the kitchen table that morning, still in his pajamas, reading the 'Daily Prophet' and trying to eat the porridge without tasting it. Just as his mother got up to pour more coffee, the doorbell rang. She went to answer it, and soon returned with Sirius, who looked quite pale and stary-eyed and not quite all there.
'Sirius? Is there something wrong?" Mr. Lupin asked curiously.
"Saw yourself in the mirror, didn't you, Fido?" Henri sniggered.
"Shut up, minou," Sirius said absently, shaking his head to clear it and running a hand through his hair. "It's... well..."
"What is it, love?" Remus asked, happy for a diversion from his porridge.
"Well, last night my parents went to see a lawyer who read them my gram's will," said Sirius, still looking dazed.
"Well, what did you get?" Gill asked.
"My parents and my aunt got... like books, trinkets, clothes, that sort of thing," Sirius answered. "And my sis and her husband got Gram's vacation house in Majorca. But.... Remmie.... I ... I got..."
"Don't hold us in suspense!" said Serena irritably. "What did you get?"
Sirius looked almost fearful. "I got.... her house. And all her money."
"Her *house*?" Henri asked, at the same time Mrs. Lupin asked, "How much money?"
Sirius named a figure which made them gape at him, totally stunned.

"That... that much money?..... and.... a house?" Remus said weakly.
Sirius seemed incapable of speaking. He just nodded wordlessly.
"Your parents are letting you *keep* it all?" Gill asked.
Another nod.
"You'll never have to work a day in your life," Serena said, awed.
Remus stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend. "What are you going to do?"
"Um......... well......." Sirius said, looking at Remus' parents uneasily. He looked back at Remus and said timidly, "I think I'll ask you if you want to live with me."
No one spoke for a minute. Then Remus got up and hugged Sirius. "Oh, love, of course I will!"
"That is," Sirius said hastily, shooting another uneasy glance at Remus' parents, "Only if your parents say it's okay.... and it's not like we can move in right away.... the place needs fixing up and all..."
"It's almost like proposing," Gill sniggered, but held up his hands in defense as Sirius glared at him. "I'm only kidding."
"I can, can't I?" Remus asked his parents, looking rather pleadingly at them. "Please?"
"Well...... I suppose you can if you want to," Mr. Lupin said, and then asked Sirius curiously, "Your parents are actually letting you keep it all?"
"Yeah," Sirius said weakly, clinging to Remus tightly. His legs felt like spaghetti. "Yeah, they actually are."
"Can we see it?" Mrs. Lupin asked, looking excited. Remus knew that look. Already she was probably planning drapes and carpets and God knew what else, for a house that wasn't even hers. Oh, well. Let her dream.
"We-ell," Sirius said hesitantly, "I'd - well, I'd kind of like to show Remus first - by ourselves, I mean - see if he likes it....." he looked at Remus. "If you don't like it, love, we can always buy our own house - hell, we probably *could* move to France if you wanted -"
"Why don't we wait until I see it first?" Remus teased gently, and kissed him on the nose. "Let me just get dressed, okay?"
"Okay," Sirius said. "And I think I'll sit down before my legs give out on me."

Remus dashed upstairs and was back in five minutes; he tugged impatiently on Sirius' hand. "Come on!"
"Hang on," Sirius said, trying to eat his muffin and drink his coffee all at once (Mrs. Lupin had insisted he eat something; she had been afraid he was about to faint). "Mmmpmmhpm."
"What?" said everyone.
Sirius swallowed with some difficulty. "I said, the house'll still be there by the time I finish eating." He drained his coffee mug and stood. "Thanks, Mrs. Lupin, that was good."
Remus was nearly dancing with impatience. "Come on, let's go!"
"In a hurry, are you?" Henri teased.
"It's not every day your boyfriend inherits a fortune he wants to share with you," Gill laughed.
"Don't forget your coat!" Mrs. Lupin called after them. "And - oh, never mind." Too late, they were already gone.

~*~*~*~*~

Remus was very glad Sirius had borrowed his father's car today; the house was in Kent and it was freezing outside, and to make it worse a slushy snow/rain mixture started falling just as they left the house. But it was warm and dry in the car. Remus turned the radio up just a little more and then leaned back with a content sigh. "Your bike is wonderful, love, but I definitely prefer this."
"And on days like this, I do, too," Sirius said, peering out through the hazy rain as he turned down Smith Lane. "Okay.... it should be coming up on my side, help me keep an eye out for it. 117."
They squinted closely at the house numbers and mailboxes. The houses here were spaced rather far apart, and most were surrounded by trees.
"There it is," Sirius said, and Remus looked to where he was pointing. All he saw was trees, a mailbox, and a dirt road leading off Smith Lane.
"Where's the house?"
"Set back from the road a bit. Hold on."
He carefully turned down the dirt road. It was very dark down here, Remus noted. They seemed to be driving through a tunnel of trees.
But then - bam. the tunnel suddenly opened out into a huge clearing, and the house loomed into view as Sirius pulled up to it.
It was a rather nice house, built American log-cabin style (like a cabin at a summer camp, kind of). It was only one floor, but it was very long, and surrounded on all sides by a wide veranda. All the shutters were closed (good, no broken windows to contend with), and it looked in good shape.
Sirius turned off the engine, but didn't make a move to get out of the car. He was gazing up at the house with a dreamy look on his face, and as Remus turned to him he saw a tear run down his cheek. "Love? are you all right?"
Giving himself a quick shake, Sirius looked back at Remus and smiled. "Yeah, I'm all right."
"You're crying."
"I am?"
Remus caught the tear on his fingertip before it rolled off Sirius' jaw. He held it towards Sirius, who looked at it and bit his lip.
"Old memories, Remmie. We used to come and visit Gram here every Saturday. That was before Grampa died - she moved in with us afterwards because she got too lonely being here alone." He fumbled in his pockets and finally pulled out a tissue, and quickly wiped his eyes. "Come on, let's go in."
They dashed from the car and to the safety of the veranda (which the roof overhung. that was nice). Sirius pulled a set of slightly tarnished keys on an old leather fob from his pocket, selected the right one, and unlocked the front door.

It was only slightly warmer in the house than it was outside, and twice as dark. Sirius shivered and shoved the keys back into his pocket, mumbling. "If we want to do any work in this place we might want to have a space heater." He pulled out his wand. "Lumos!"
Remus did the same, and they held their wands high to cast as much light as possible about the room they had just entered. It was sort of a small entrance hall - a 'mud room', if you will - with a fancy scrolled archway just to their right. Sirius led the way through, into what Remus assumed was the parlor.
The room was filled with the ghostly shapes of furniture covered with old sheets. It was almost as dark as night in here, since the windows were shuttered, and very, *very* dusty. Remus sneezed. "D'you have a torch, or some candles?" he asked hopefully.
"Not on me. But let me see -" Sirius took Remus' hand and led him through the living room. A hallway was to their left, and the kitchen to their right. They went into the kitchen, and Remus looked uncertainly around the room, holding both wands so Sirius could search the cupboards. There was a trapdoor in the corner of the room, set into the black-and-white checked linoleum, and opposite a door which Remus assumed lead to the backyard.
'Aha," Sirius said triumphantly, pulling a pair of kerosene lanterns from a cupboard. "Perfect." He shook them, and sighed. "Not so perfect. They're dry. I think there's more kerosene in the shed... I'll be back."
He dashed out the way they had come. Remus studied the old copper-colored refrigerator and the huge, stainless-steel double sink. A loud screeching noise made him jump, and he ran back into the living room.
The sound was quickly explained. Sirius was outside, opening the shutters and latching them so they stayed open. The room had a large bay window that took up most of one wall, facing out into the front yard, and three regular-sized windows on the east wall. Sirius finished struggling with the last shutter and rushed back in, carrying a can of kerosene and panting, his hair dripping.
"Hinges are rusty," he said as Remus took the kerosene from him. "I'll have to oil them sometime." He shook his wet hair out, then pulled it into a ponytail. "Okay, let's have some light."
They went into the kitchens and Sirius carefully filled the lanterns and trimmed the wicks, then he used his wand to light them. "Much better," he said, satisfied, as the pale yellow light flooded the kitchen. "Here." He handed one of the lanterns to Remus. "Ready to see the rest of our little home?"
"Yes, please," Remus said, taking his hand.

Besides the kitchen and parlor (which was so large it would serve as a dining room as well), down the narrow hallway was a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small study that Remus fell in love with at once. He would have dearly loved to start taking down some of the dusty, yellowed books which sat on the shelves lining every wall; but instead he said to Sirius, "Which room should we have, love?"
"This one," Sirius said, and led him across the hall. The door he opened now was to a third bedroom, and Remus gasped when he saw it. It was easily the largest. It had two more bay windows like the one in the living room, a fireplace, a corner bookcase, and a huge, lovely wardrobe. But the best part of it was the magnificent four-poster bed under one of the windows.
"It looks like the one in the Shack," Remus said, sitting down on it. "Well.... okay. It's a different color (I think), but other than that it looks the same."
Sirius sniggered and leaned down to kiss him. "So *that's* why you like it," he said seductively, and tried to pin Remus to the bed. But their movement caused the bed to cough up an enormous cloud of dust, and they stopped, coughing.
"Okay, scratch that idea," choked Sirius, waving the dust away from his face. "We'll have to clean this place up before *anything* goes on in here."
"Maybe it's just as well," Remus said, brushing dust from his coat. "We've been here a while now, Mum'll start to worry soon. And you still haven't shown me the yard."
"All right," Sirius said, and they went back into the kitchen and out the door Remus had seen earlier.

The back yard was enormous. Stairs led down from the veranda to a cement, fenced-in patio. A gate opened out onto the rest of the yard, and there was even an old barn and horse paddock. Sirius pointed to a large tarp spread over the far end of the patio. "The swimming pool's under there. Of course, we're going to have to spend a fortune getting it cleaned and filled and all." He sighed. "There goes my inheritance."
"You couldn't spend all that money on just a pool," Remus said, shivering.
"Ready to go home?" Sirius asked him, noticing how cold he looked and putting an arm around him.
"Yes," Remus said, then smiled. "Pretty soon, *this* will be home."

~March 1 - 117 Smith Lane~

"Ooof!" James grunted as he and Sirius shoved the bookcase back into place. "Goddamn, this is heavy. What's it made out of, rocks?"
"Probably," said Sirius, leaning against it and panting.
"You weaklings," Lily teased from across the room, where she was washing the windows.
"D'you want to try and lift it?" James asked her.
"Ehrm.... not especially."
"Then don't make fun."

After a month of scrubbing, painting, cleaning, remodeling, and rearranging, the house was almost ready to be lived in. The smell of dust and mothballs had been replaced with the nice smells of paint, wallpaper paste, and Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover. James and Sirius had spent a whole day crawling all over the house, oiling hinges and doorknobs, so now all the shutters were open, allowing the sunshine to stream in and making the house bright and cheerful. The renovations were done. All that remained was to clean everything, fix the mailbox (which Sirius' Uncle Vic had accidentally hit the other day), and move Sirius and Remus' stuff in.
That was the best part of having large families and lots of friends. Almost everyone Sirius and Remus knew had helped out with the house at some point, the most frequent and faithful helpers being their parents, James, Lily, Grace, and Peter. Both Remus and Sirius had had a bit of a tendency to object to James and Lily helping -didn't they have a wedding to plan, after all? - but James and Lily waved off their protests.
"It'll only be a small wedding," Lily had said, smiling.
"And we've done almost everything," James had added. "Now all we have to do is make sure it all comes together smoothly."

Well, as neither Sirius or Remus knew anything about planning a wedding, they just had to take it as the truth. Besides, they didn't know how they'd have gotten so much done so fast without their help.
"Okay, kitchen floor's wet, don't walk on it!" Grace said, coming into the parlor. "It should be dry in a few minutes, then I'll wax it. Would you *look* at this?" she held up the rags she had used on the floor, her button nose wrinkled in disgust. "Totally gross. I'm going to throw these out." She ran outside and tossed them into the Dumpster, and came back in, followed by Peter, who was wiping his brow with a handkerchief.
"Okay, I fixed the mailbox," he said. "I think cementing it back in was the worst part."
"Thanks, Pete," Sirius said, crawling over to the phone which sat on the floor beside the kitchen door. "Who wants what on their pizza?"
"Sausage!" Remus called from the bathroom, where he was standing in the tub, putting up a new showerhead.
"Green pepper," James said.
"Extra cheese," said Peter.
"Hold on!" Sirius grabbed a scrap of wallpaper and pulled his pencil out from behind his ear. "I've got to write this down. Sausage, pepper, extra cheese... Lil?"
"No pizza for me, I want a garden salad," Lily replied, as she and Grace began rehanging the freshly-washed drapes.
"Me too, please," said Grace.
"I'll have a turkey sandwich, dear," Mrs. Black called from one of the bedrooms, where she was making the bed.
"I'd like one too," said Mrs. Lupin, who was helping Lily and Grace with the drapes.
"Chili dog with the works!" Uncle Vic bellowed down from the attic, where he was cleaning the windows.
"Okay, I think that's all," Sirius said, after calling up the pizza parlor and giving his order. "Jim, you wanna help me go get the lot?"
"Sure."
"Remmie?"
"I'd like to, love, but I want to get this showerhead up," Remus called. "Can you manage with just you and Jim? I'll come if you need the help....."
"We'll be okay," Sirius said, coming into the bathroom and kissing him. "Back soon. Love you."
"Love you too."

Sirius and James left in Sirius' car (he had finally gotten one; a lovely black Camero with a *very* loud engine), picked up the lunch, and brought it home. They all ended up eating on an old sheet spread out on the parlor floor (brand new carpet. take no chances!). And back to work.
"We could by stock in aspirin," James sighed as he and Sirius prepared to move the other bookcase, so Grace could vacuum under it. "I've had more backaches than I can count."
"Buck up," said Lily. "You wuss."
"Hey, remember the conversation we had about that earlier?"

~March 27 - 117 Smith Lane - 3:10 A.M.~

"Whew," Sirius said, sliding into bed beside Remus. "I think I had too much to drink."
"I know you did," Remus said, kissing his forehead. "You're in for some pain tomorrow."
"Ugh. Don't make me think about it."
They had finally moved into their new home yesterday, and had invited all their friends and family over for an impromptu housewarming party. Remus had been rather glad there were responsible adults there, though - all of his and Sirius' friends had been far less rowdy than they would have under other circumstances. Meaning their nice, clean house had stayed relatively nice and clean.
"I like this bed," Remus said, pulling the blankets up to his chin. "Even if it isn't the same color as the other one." (After being washed, this bed's hangings turned out to be a deep red.)
"It's much nicer without twenty years of dust," Sirius agreed.
It was quiet for a minute. Remus was beginning to doze off when Sirius snuggled closer. "What, you're falling asleep already?"
"I *was*," Remus said, opening an eye. "Aren't you tired?"
"Nope. I was kind of hoping you'd help me with that."
"You really never learned the definition of 'subtle', did you?"
"No. And it doesn't get anyone anywhere, so I don't think I'll need to. Besides, this bed needs breaking in."
Remus sighed. "You win. I guess I can't refuse. It is our first night here and all...."
"I knew you'd see it my way," Sirius said with an evil leer.

~April 20~

The phone rang at five that morning. Remus stirred and grumbled crossly. Sirius opened one eye and grumbled, "Why did we put a phone next to our bed?"
"Just in case," Remus yawned, leaning over him and snagging the phone. "Hello? Mum?" "Hasn't anyone in your family heard of owls?" Sirius groused as the phone cord got tangled in his hair.
"Shut up," Remus hissed. "Mum, what's wrong?"
"It's your sister," Mrs. Lupin said tearfully.
Remus gulped. "Sere? What happened? Is she okay?"
"I don't know," sobbed his mother. "She's missing!"
"Missing?" Remus yelped, making Sirius open his eyes and look questioningly at him. "W-when? How? I mean, did someone kidnap her?"
"No," his mother said. "She's - what?" A pause, then some muttering, and shuffling noises as the phone was switched to another person.
"Remus, I think you'd better come here," his father said heavily.
"Okay, Dad.... Siri and I'll be there soon..." Remus said, then hung up and jumped out of bed, going to the wardrobe and pulling out the first outfit he saw. "Siri, come on."
"What's going on?" Sirius mumbled sleepily, sitting up and finger-combing his hair out of his eyes.
"Serena's missing," Remus said, dashing into the bathroom. He was out in record time. "Get dressed, love," he said impatiently, seeing that Sirius wasn't even out of bed yet.
"S'too early," Sirius mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Remus dashed back into the bathroom, held a washcloth under the cold water, then ran back into the bedroom and stuck it down the back of his lover's undershirt.
"YAAAHH!" Sirius screeched, jumping. "Good Lord, that's *COLD*!"
"Good, now get moving," Remus ordered, handing the washcloth to him and running out of the room.
Sirius grumbled, but now he was wide awake. He got dressed, washed, and combed and went into the parlor to find his boots. Remus was practically dancing with impatience. "Come on!"
Sirius pulled on his boots. "You could have gone on ahead," he grumbled before they Disapperated.

~*~*~*~*~

They arrived at Remus' parents' house to find it in chaos. Mr. Lupin was on the phone, calling the Muggle policemen. Mrs. Lupin was crying at the table with Henri beside her, trying to comfort her, and Gill was leaning against the counter, chain-smoking the awful-smelling French cigarettes he preferred. As soon as Remus and Sirius Apperated, Mrs. Lupin leapt up and seized them both in a hug. "Thank goodness you're here!"
"Mum, what's going on?" Remus said, as he and Sirius steered his mother back to the table. "What happened to Serena? Where's she gone?"
"We don't know. She didn't leave a note or anything," Gill said between puffs.
Sirius coughed and waved the smoke away from his face. "You didn't have an argument with her, did you?"
"Nope," said Gill.
"She has been acting funny lately, though," Henri added.
"How long has she been gone?" Remus asked his mother. "I mean, when did you find out she was missing?"
"Around half-past four," his mother replied. "I got up to get a drink of water, and when I passed her room I thought I heard her talking to someone, so I went in to check on her. But she was gone!"
Gill stubbed out his cigarette and immediately lit another. "Rem, she never said anything to you, did she? Was she... I dunno.. not happy or something?"
"How should I know?" Remus asked irritably. "I think she's been to our house maybe once, and she seemed fine then."
Mr. Lupin hung up the phone. "The policemen are on their way." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wish I knew why she's doing this.... when she gets home... I'll personally make sure she can't sit for a week!"
"Dad, spanking her won't work," sighed Henri, then glared at Sirius, who was standing by the window, which he had opened. "Do you *mind*, Fido? It's freezing in here!"
"Shut up, I can't breathe," Sirius snapped, giving Gill a Look.
Gill smiled apologetically and stubbed out his cigarette. "Sorry." He reached instead for a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "These'll have to do, I guess."

By the time the policemen arrived, they had tried calling (or fireplace-calling) everyone they could and searching the neighborhood, but with no luck. Sirius even tried asking James and Lily, but they hadn't seen Serena either.
"It's no use," Sirius said, coming back into the kitchen (he had gone into the living room to use the fireplace). "Nobody's seen her."
"But how'd she get away?!" Mrs. Lupin wailed. "We'd have known if she used Floo Powder - she can't Apperate - and if she walked or drove or flew someone would have seen her!"
Mr. Lupin went to let the policemen in, who had just arrived. While he talked to them in the living room, everyone else just paced nervously around the house.
"I can't think of a single possible place she could go," Mr. Lupin said to the policemen, looking helpless. "We've called everyone we could think of, including our relatives in France, and there's certainly no way she could be there."
"Does she have a boyfriend?" one of the officers asked. "Did she go off with him?"
"I don't think she has a boyfriend," Mr. Lupin said, and Remus gasped loudly and clapped a hand to his mouth.
"Remus?" his mother asked curiously. "What is it?"
"Siri!" Remus said, ignoring his mother and looking at Sirius. "What about -"
"Oh no," Sirius said, his eyes widening. "God, she wouldn't!"
"She would," Remus said.
"Remus! What are you talking about?" Mr. Lupin demanded.
"Grub Jointly," Remus and Sirius groaned together.
"*What?*" The Lupins and the policemen said all together, looking mystified. And at that same moment, the door opened, and Serena walked in, wearing a very short white dress, arm-in-arm with none other than Grub Jointly.

Years later, Remus wondered why he hadn't died of shock right that minute.

"Hi, everyone!" Serena said happily, then noticed the policemen. "Hey, what's going on? Are you finally arresting Sirius?"
"Ha, ha," Sirius said sarcastically.
"Serena! Oh, my baby!" Mrs. Lupin sobbed, crushing her daughter to her.
Mr. Lupin ground his teeth, looking furious, but didn't say a word to Serena until he had thanked the policemen, apologized for bothering them, and shown them out. As soon as their patrol car pulled away, he turned to his daughter.
"Where the DEVIL have you *BEEN*? Your mother and I have been worried sick! And who is this?" he demanded, noticing Grub for the first time.
"This is my husband, Gregory!" Serena said cheerfully.
"Your *WHAT*?!" the other Lupins and Sirius screamed in unison.
"My husband!" Serena said. "Didn't you hear me?"
"Dear God," Remus said, holding on to Sirius' arm for support (and to keep Sirius from tackling Grub. They were glaring at each other - they had been opponents at Quidditch last year).
"Y-you're too young to get married!" Mrs. Lupin cried.
"I think I can handle it, Mum," Serena said.
"B-b-but- your education! You-"
"I'm not dropping out, Mum! I'd have to be crazy to leave Hogwarts!"
"But....." Mrs. Lupin said helplessly, and couldn't seem to finish. Instead she sunk into the nearest chair, staring at her daughter.
"What were you thinking?!" Mr. Lupin roared. "Your mother's right! You're too young to get married!"
"Remus is only two years older than me and *he's* practically married," Serena scowled.
"We aren't *talking* about your brother," Mr. Lupin growled. "We are talking about *you*."
"Oh, but Daddy, you're not being fair!" Serena wailed, stomping her foot. Sirius smothered a giggle. Serena could be very childish at times. And now was one of those times.
Remus was torn between watching Sirius and Grub (who still hadn't said a word. Most likely he was still trying to figure out what was going on). While his parents were arguing with his sister, Remus could see Sirius was fighting not to laugh. He sighed inwardly. If Sirius started laughing out loud it would only make things worse. There was only one thing to be done.
"Mum, Dad," he said, and they looked at him in surprise. "I'm glad Sere's home and all but.... um.... I think Siri and I should go, and let you discuss this in peace..." He elbowed Sirius, who nodded in agreement, still choking back his laughter.
"All right....." Mr. Lupin said distractedly, and so Remus and Sirius Disapperated.

"Be glad I didn't kill you," Remus said as they climbed back into bed to catch up on their sleep.
"What?" Sirius asked innocently.
"Don't act all innocent. If you had laughed out loud I would have killed you. This is *serious*, dear!"
"I was only laughing at the fact that *Grub Jointly* is your brother-in-law," Sirius said sweetly.
"Shut up! You have a stupid brother-in-law too! And you still have to put up with Grub!"
"We're not married," Sirius said smugly. "So he's *not* related to me in any way. Ha ha."
"One more comment like that and you'll find yourself sleeping on the sofa, Fido."
"Oh, I was only kidding, Moony! You're ever so mean!"

~May 16 - Grace's House~

"I really don't know what's wrong with him," Grace said helplessly, twisting her handkerchief. "He's been acting so *weird* lately...."
Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily were over at Grace's house. She had asked them to dinner, and in the middle of the meal had broken down completely. They managed to get her to tell them what was wrong, and she had told them that Peter had been acting strangely as of late.
"He goes off for hours at a time and doesn't tell me where he's going," she continued. "Even his parents don't know. When I ask him about it, he changes the subject or doesn't answer at all!"
The others exchanged glances. "Well, Pete's weird, is all," Sirius said uncomfortably.
"Don't feel too bad, darling, Peter doesn't seem the type to cheat on you," Lily said comfortingly, patting Grace's hand.
"But what else *could* he be doing?" Grace wondered aloud. "He's been reading a lot lately too... writing things down... he doesn't spend as much time with me as he usually does...."
"Maybe he's joined a book club," shrugged James, and he and Sirius sniggered. Grace and Lily glared at them, while Remus rolled his eyes.
"Books aren't life-consuming," Lily snapped. "You insensitive clods."
"So you *say*," Sirius replied. "*You've* never had to pry a book out of Remmie's hands at bedtime."
James sniggered again as Remus turned beet-red and smacked Sirius upside the head. "Shut up, you really are an insensitive clod," he said. "We're not talking about books, we're talking about *Peter*."
"Yes, I remember," James said, calming down. "I'm sorry, Grace. But maybe he's just... I dunno, planning a big secret surprise. Maybe buying you a house or something. Don't worry about it too much, dear. Pete's a good guy. Whatever he's up to can't last long, and it'll probably end up being something you didn't even need to worry about."
"Yes, you're probably right, James," Grace sighed. "Who wants dessert?"

~June 17th - St. John's cathedral~

"Do you, James William Potter, take this woman to be your wife?"
"I do."
"And do you, Lily Rose Evans, take this man to be your husband?"
"I do."
"Very good. The rings?"
Remus sniffled and dabbed at his eyes with his hanky, watching as Sirius handed one of the rings to Lily. She slipped it onto James' finger. Sirius handed the other ring to James, and James put it on Lily's finger. Then they clasped hands and turned back to the minister.
"By the power vested in me by the Church of England, and by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
It was no good. Remus finally dissolved into tears as James raised Lily's veil and kissed her. On Peter's other side, Grace began to cry as well, and she and Remus went to hug each other, trapping Peter (looking heartily embarrassed) in between them. Nearly everyone in the church was crying; out of the corner of his eye Remus saw Sirius duck his head slightly and swipe at his eyes with his sleeve. It happened so fast no one else noticed it but Remus.

~*~*~*~*~

Sirius shook his head slightly and reached for his glass of wine. "To the bride, and to her stupid ugly git of a husband," he cackled.
"To my dumb prat of a best friend and best man," James retorted, and he and Sirius clinked their glasses together.
"I'll drink to him," Sirius sniggered. "Bloody gorgeous, he is."
"You'll drink to lint, so that's nothing new," Peter teased. Sirius shot him a dirty look.
"Now don't drink too much, dear," Mrs. Black said from the other table.
"Aww, Mum, I won't." Sirius perked up as the DJ put on the BeeGees. "Remmie! Want to dance?"
"Only if you leave that here," Remus said firmly, plucking the wineglass from his lover's fingers and setting it down. "I don't fancy having wine spilled down my back. Or trying to explain to the Muggles at the tuxedo place where the stain came from."
"Oh, all right," pouted Sirius, and steered Remus off to the dance floor.

Dancing with Sirius was quite an adventure that night. Remus had to do most of the leading, especially after Sirius finished off his seventh glass of wine. He leaned against Remus and let him guide them through the dances.
"I told you not to drink that much, love," Remus sighed. "You're in for a hangover tomorrow."
"Don' care. S' a good cause t'celebrate," Sirius slurred. "Hey. Look at Lil n' Jim."
Remus looked. His friends were dancing close together, looking happier than he had ever seen them. They didn't even seem to be noticing anything but each other, and in the bright light they were, for a fleeting moment at least, a god and goddess. For a moment he stopped and looked, caught up in the beauty of it all, and almost started crying again. But then Sirius' foot slipped, almost bowling them both over, and he tightened his grip on Sirius and started moving again.
"They're so perfect for each other," Remus said, his eyes misting over anyway.
"Not the only ones," Sirius mumbled, planting a sloppy, alcohol-smelling kiss on his cheek. "So're we."
Remus blushed. "I think so, too," he said softly.
Sirius looked at him shyly from under his hair, and Remus began to think perhaps Sirius wasn't as drunk as he seemed.
"Cawe - sorry - *can we* go outside for a minute?" Sirius asked him.
"All right. But not long. They'll be cutting the cake soon."

They left the reception hall and strolled around the grounds, avoiding the gazebo where several guests sat chatting and smoking. Once out of sight of the gazebo, Sirius turned to Remus and took his hands.
"Remmie, I love you so much," he said softly. He saw Remus start to speak, and put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Shh. Let me finish, love. I don't think I'll ever have the courage to do this again."
He reached onto his pocket and fumbled around, muttering to himself. "Where did I - aha! Right here." He pulled out a small gray jewelry box. Remus' eyes widened.
"Siri, what-"
Sirius smiled. "I know we can't get married. People are a lot more open-minded these days, but not *that* open-minded." He opened the box. Inside glimmered two plain golden rings. "But I thought - if you want to, that is - we could wear these as, ehrm, well, I guess you could call them promise rings. Because if there ever comes a day when we *can* get married, love, I want you to know I would in a second. So.... I guess the question is, will you 'marry' me?"
He waited. Remus was still staring at the rings. Sirius began to sweat. Oh, great. This wasn't looking good. He wished he had had a few more glasses of wine. Now Remus would tell him he was crazy, or-
But then Remus looked up at him, and Sirius saw he was crying.
"You bloody stupid git," Remus whispered. "You knew I'd say yes." He put his head on Sirius' shoulder and broke down completely.
"No, I didn't," Sirius murmured, stroking his hair. "But now I do." He took one of the rings out of the box, and took Remus' left hand. He kissed it before sliding the gold band onto the third finger.
Remus' breath caught as he took the other ring and put it on Sirius' hand. He looked back up at Sirius, blinking back more tears. "I love you, Siri."
"I love you too, Remmie," Sirius said softly, and pulled Remus into his arms for a nice, long kiss.


That wedding was one of the most beautiful nights in Remus' life. He remembered it years and years later, even after his own perfect world had collapsed and the old memories gave him nothing but pain...


To Be Continued

(Coming Soon : Year 9, the second Post-Hogwarts year! Sirius and Remus are quite happy together in their little home, and far from bored. They have their jobs to go to, and Remus has started college. In between, they deal with housework, relatives both old and new, James and Lily's big news, and Peter's increasing strangeness. Wait, what's this? Snape? What's he doing back, you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see!)