Title: Friends, Dogs, and Chocolate
Archive: Ask me first.
Pairing(s): none
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm doing this for fun and making no money off it. Everything belongs to Rowling, except the ratty old couch ... that's mine ^_^
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Dinner -- and the argument -- were over. Lupin and Sirius had returned to their rooms about an hour ago, and Lupin had not heard from him since. Not good.
Lupin knocked sharply on Sirius's door. No response whatsoever. "Sirius?" he called softly, walking in. He didn't see Sirius and a quick jolt of fear passed through him.
Then he noticed his friend lying on a ratty old couch with his back to the room. His robes almost matched the color of the dark couch. "Sirius?" He now stood just a few feet from his friend. Black growled at him without turning around.
"Go away!"
Lupin wasn't much surprised. Black had been pissed when they left dinner. "You want something to eat?" he asked, ignoring the gruff command. He hadn't eaten as much at dinner as he usually did.
"No."
"You sure?" Lupin pulled some candy bars from his pocket. "It's chocolate..."
"Screw your damn chocolate."
His friend shrugged. "Suit yourself." He ate most of the chocolate but saved some for his friend, just in case he changed his mind. Lupin saw him raise his hand to wipe his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked soberly, gently touching his friend's shoulder.
"Go away," he repeated.
"No," Lupin answered sharply, "not until you tell me what's wrong."
Black didn't speak for a few tense minutes, until he realized that Lupin was serious and not going anywhere. "Is Molly right? All those things she said..." his strained voice trailed off.
Lupin blinked in surprise. Black never cared what others thought or said about him. With his record, he couldn't.
But Mrs. Weasely seemed to have struck a nerve. Sirius sat up and looked at him for the first time since he came in. "Do I really act like Harry is James? I ... and I should have been looking out for him ... instead I was stuck in Azkaban! I was useless then, just like I'm useless now!"
Lupin sat down beside him. "That was not your fault, Sirius. Neither is this," Black looked away, "and you know it. Stop giving yourself hell for it."
He nodded but looked far from convinced. He lowered his head to his hands and stared at the floor. Lupin squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Go away," Black mumbled angrily, shrugging him off. He transformed into a dog and crawled under the bed. Lupin heard him turn and claw the carpet a few times before curling into a ball in the far corner.
Lupin sighed. His friend could be so stubborn. Black obviously wasn't going to talk anymore now and needed some time alone to think, so he decided to leave. "Okay, I'll go. If you want to talk, you know where to find me." He kicked the bed lightly. "Good night."
The only farewell he received was an irritated canine sigh from under the bed.
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A/N: Okay, that's it. Insanely short and stupid, I know :-P
