Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. You've all been really great. And double thanks to my wonderful beta, Broken I. You all need to read her story, Fait Accompli
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chapter five
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They spent a good few hours going through the things in Remus's spare bedroom. Among the boxes of old books and random household objects, they found all sorts of mementos from their years at Hogwarts, including a few pictures Sirius wished had never come to light again though they amused Remus to no end. Some of them would have to be shown to Harry, if only because James had once sworn to burn all those particular photographs before his children could get a hold of them (Especially the one with the banana and Professor McGonagall's tartan dressing gown). The infamous Christmas picture was unearthed and Sirius took a moment to perform a dramatic re-enactment of the scene, making Remus laugh hard enough to draw tears. However, when they found a stack of pictures from Remus's birthday party, Sirius grew very quiet and withdrawn. The party had been just weeks before James and Lily were killed. Sirius wanted to kick himself: what kind of person had a great time looking over old photographs when two of his best friends were dead? Before he could get too worked up over the memories, Remus pulled a few pictures out of the pile that was from James's bachelor party and handed them to Sirius, who grinned ruefully at his best friend, his bad mood dissipating.
"Who'd have thought you'd look so cute in a lampshade and a skirt?" Sirius wondered aloud as he looked through the pictures, drawing a mortified groan from Remus. He promptly snatched that particular picture from Sirius in case it could be used against him at a later date.
"At least I was wearing more than a pair of boxers and a Muggle cowboy hat," he retorted, which shut Sirius up for a moment. But when Sirius opened his mouth to retort, a loud knock came from the door. It made both of them jump in surprise. Sirius quickly dived behind a pile of boxes near the door. Remus stood up and dusted himself off while making sure Sirius wouldn't be seen. Then he anxiously went to answer the door. He looked out the small peephole. Relief swept over him as he opened the door to admit the visitor in.
A grim-faced Alastor Moody stood on his doorstep, wand clutched in his hand as his gaze shifted warily, vigilant as always. "Hullo Lupin. Storm's brewin' up out here. Mind if we come in?" he growled, his magical eye still roving around as his real one was fixed on Remus.
"We?" Remus asked craning his neck to see who was behind Moody, A blue haired rosy-cheeked young woman in bright pink robes was standing behind Moody, grinning slightly, clutching a battered umbrella. Seeing his confused look, her smile brightened and she waved.
"Wotcher!" she said, holding out her hand to Remus. He shook it, still curious as to why she was there. "Name's Tonks. Nymphadora Tonks."
"She's an Auror. One of Dumbledore's lot." Moody explained, moving past Remus. He stepped aside to let them both in. "Where's your dog?"
"My dog?" Remus repeated, a spike of fear suddenly running through him. "I don't—"
"Relax, Lupin," Moody gave him a smile that didn't reassure Remus in the slightest. "Dumbledore's told us all about the situation. I'm inclined to believe him, so you can tell your friend to come out from behind the door now because I won't kill him on sight."
Chuckling, Sirius stepped out from behind the kitchen door. "Hello to you too, Moody."
Tonks gave a squeak at seeing Sirius, but true to Moody's word, she didn't say anything about Sirius being a murderer or an escaped criminal. Quite the contrary: she was eyeing him as though he was a broomstick she wanted to buy. It made Remus feel suddenly jealous. As if sensing this, Sirius crossed the room and put his arm around Remus in a decidedly more-than-friends way. Tonks sighed dramatically and then sat down on the couch.
Moody seemed oblivious to all of this. Rather, he was looking around the house curiously. "Nice place," he muttered, sitting down beside Tonks. "Better shape than that trunk, heh!"
Remus didn't have any clue what he was talking about, and by the looks of it, neither did Tonks or Sirius. Clearing his throat, Remus looked at Moody and Tonks as Sirius sank into an armchair.
"Tea? Or something to eat, perhaps?"
"Tea would be lovely," Tonks said, smiling once again. Moody grunted his agreement, and Remus produced a full tea set on the low coffee table with a wave of his wand. Pouring them all cups, Remus handed one to Moody and the other to Tonks. When they had been served, Remus sat down next to Sirius again. Sirius sat forward, folding his hands in his lap.
"Dumbledore sent you?" he asked, eyeing Moody curiously. "Then you know what's been going on."
"Of course," Moody growled, pouring some sugar in his tea. "Got the full load of it right after the Potter boy fell asleep. Got your letter too—just as we were getting here."
At the mention of Harry, Sirius sat straight up, suddenly very interested. "How is he? Harry, I mean."
Moody shrugged, but he gave Sirius what Remus interpreted as a reassuring look. "Fine the last I saw 'im. Been hanging out quite a bit with those friends of his; the Weasley boy, and the smart girl, Granger."
Apparently pleased by this news, Sirius relaxed again. However, Remus knew it wouldn't be long before the subject of Harry came up again.
There was another knock on the door, causing Moody to whip out his wand and point it around, looking suddenly serious. Tonks had her wand out as well, her girlish manner gone; all business now. Sirius had ducked behind the armchair in case there was trouble, though Remus knew he'd be ready for a fight if something unfriendly was on the other side of that door. Remus stood up and moved to the door, and looked at Moody. The ex-Auror grimly fixed his magical eye on the door, then nodded slightly. Satisfied, Remus looked out the peephole and grinned, opening the door for a drenched Molly Weasley, her son Charlie standing behind her. They were huddling under the porch as the storm that had been brewing all morning finally began.
"Hello Molly, Charlie," he said, moving to hug Mrs. Weasley and to shake Charlie's hand. "Arthur still at work?"
"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said, moving inside the house with Charlie close at her heels. She took off her hat, pausing to brush a bit of water from Charlie's jacket despite his embarrassed protest. Only when Remus had closed the door did she continue speaking. "There' s a lot of work to be done, now that Fudge refuses to believe You-Know-Who is back."
Sirius gave Mrs. Weasley a small smile, which she returned briefly. Yet, Remus noted she still looked a bit stunned to see him. Charlie, however, seemed to have no problem with his presence, and, in fact, even gave Sirius a friendly grin (which Sirius returned in full). Moody and Tonks greeted the newcomers with nods and put away their wands, though Moody still looked wary.
Remus gestured to the other couch. "Sit, have some tea. We were just discussing what has happened since that night."
"Yes, well the children are still at school, of course." Mrs. Weasley accepted the cup of tea Remus poured for her and dropped a lump of sugar in it. "But I still wish Dumbledore would let me take Harry for the summer. I'd feel better if I could keep an eye on him."
"Mum, you know with the wards Dumbledore's got on Privet Drive, You-Know-Who's going to be hard-pressed to attack Harry there." Charlie said, giving his mother a patronizing look.
"And I'm sure he won't be there for long. He'll be able to join you all at the Burrow soon enough." Remus added, which seemed to placate Mrs. Weasley for a moment.
"Not safe enough," Moody muttered, leaning forward. "Dumbledore wants a round-the-clock guard on the boy. Plus, he's got to stay with the Muggles for as long as possible. Arabella's already going to take the first watch with Fletcher, and Tonks and I are on the next watch." The young woman nodded in agreement with this statement. Moody continued, "Dumbledore wants it kept quiet though. The boy's not to know we're there."
"But he'll want to know," Sirius protested frowning at Moody, who shook his head.
"Dumbledore's orders. You know how he is; I'm not going to question why," he said, which made Sirius glare at the ex-Auror. Remus put a gentle hand on his shoulder and Sirius subsided but was still slightly upset.
"Are we waiting for anyone else?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking over at Moody as she sipped her tea.
"Kingsley's still at the Ministry—working on your case, naturally," Moody said, shooting a glance in Sirius direction. "We'll talk to him later. We're off to meet with Podmore and Diggle next. Dumbledore's already got Dodge and Vance updated on the guard. He's got a whole schedule drawn up."
"When do Remus and I get our turn?" Sirius asked, focusing his attention on the task at hand now that he had somewhat calmed down.
"Remus is up with either myself or Molly," Moody replied grimly. "You, however, aren't on the list. Not safe to be out there since you're a wanted man."
Remus winced, for he knew how Sirius would react to such a decision being made without his input. Sure enough, Sirius stood up, looking furious.
"Too dangerous? This is my godson we're talking about! I swore to James that, if anything happened to him and Lily, I'd look after Harry. And I'll keep that promise, even if it means risking my neck!"
"Sit down, Sirius," Remus said sharply, glaring at him. "You know Dumbledore's right. This isn't about your promise, it's about keeping Harry, and yourself, safe."
Sirius glared at Remus, then shrugged, his expression carefully guarded. "Fine. You all can decide the fate of my godson without me then." Without another word, Sirius stormed out of the room. A moment later, they heard the slam of the bedroom door. Remus winced, knowing that Sirius in a temper wasn't going to be easily dealt with. An uncomfortable silence settled over the remaining group until Tonks finally broke it.
"Is he always like this?" she asked very quietly.
"Only when he's extremely hurt by something," Remus replied, sighing. "I'll deal with this. You all better go. Thank you, Moody, for letting us know about the surveillance situation. When Dumbledore gets the whole schedule done, make sure I get a copy." Moody nodded grimly as he stood up to leave.
"Right then," he said, and Tonks reluctantly rose as well. "We'll be seeing you all soon, I suppose. Goodnight then." Nodding to Molly and Charlie, Moody left with Tonks close behind him. When they were gone, Molly and Charlie rose as well.
"We better go then too," she said while giving Remus a tight hug, which surprised him slightly. "Do come and visit us, Remus," she said, as Charlie lingered by the couch, looking unusually bleak. "Arthur would love to see you again, I'm sure."
"Thank you, Molly," Remus said, honestly grateful for the sentiment. Molly glanced towards the hallway and then gave a tiny sigh and Apparated. Charlie only paused to give Remus a sympathetic look before he, too, Apparated. When they were gone, Remus locked the door and then braced himself to go deal with the furious Sirius.
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There was no noise coming from the bedroom when Remus reached the door, which was neither a good nor a bad sign. Remus knew from experience that when Sirius got into a temper, he could be alternately vicious or sulky. So it was with extreme caution that he knocked on the door, bracing himself for whatever might come. What he was not expecting was to receive no answer whatsoever. The house remained silent and that worried Remus. Sirius should have been in a frightful temper, throwing things and screaming at him. Remus opened the door fearing the worst.
The room looked exactly as they had left it this morning. Sirius stood by the window, arms folded across his chest, watching the storm rage outside. When Remus stepped towards him, Sirius stiffened and turned away.
"Leave me alone, Remus," he said coldly. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."
"Sirius, please," Remus said, taking another step closer. "You know you can't risk getting yourself caught by the Ministry, even to take care of Harry. He'd be furious—not to mention I'd be pretty upset too."
"I could transform, guard him in my dog form-"
"And get yourself caught by Muggle animal control?" Remus interrupted, shaking his head. "Besides, Arabella's only got cats. You'd look too suspicious so that's not even an option."
"I can't just sit here and do nothing, Moony!" Sirius began to pace, his movements harsh and angry. "Harry's out there all alone, probably confused or worried, and I can't do a bloody thing about it!"
"Do you think I'm enjoying this?" Remus snapped, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He watched Sirius continue to pace with a growing annoyance. "I care about Harry just as much as you do, and I don't want anything to happen to him—"
"Then let me protect him!" Sirius stopped his pacing directly in front of Remus, his eyes wild with a fierce sort of desperation that Remus had never seen in his old friend before.
Remus tried to take a more reasonable approach. "Padfoot, I can't lose you again. And if you die or get caught, Harry loses his godfather as well. I can't let you take that risk"
"It's not your decision!" Sirius thundered, and stormed out of the room. Remus followed with a sense of dread overcoming him as he ran into the living room. The front door was open, and there was no sign of Sirius anywhere.
"Padfoot!" he yelled, moving to the door. The rain was coming down in sheets now, and a streak of lightning illuminated the clearing around his house just long enough for Remus to see the shadowed figure of a large dog running off into the forest.
"Sirius!" he yelled again, this time running into the rain as he tried to catch his old friend. But it was no use; the dog was gone. Remus stood there, the rain beating his body mercilessly as he stared off into the trees, feeling sick at the knowledge that hit him like a Bludger:
Sirius was gone.