Moonlit Horizons

Moonlit Horizons

Chapter Ten - In which Sirius exercises his vocal chords… in the bath. (no, stop grinning…)

By Dizmius.

A Remus Fic for a friend of mine

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~*~

Anna woke up in a large fourposter bed, the rich golden colours creating a sense of warmth and glistened on the cold stone walls. Anna rolled over and stretched out her arm to see if her watch was still on the table where she had left it…

"OW!"

Anna jumped at the noise, and at the realisation that she'd just whacked Remus Lupin in the face.

"What was that for?" Remus asked, rubbing his forehead

"What are you doing here?" Ana managed to stop gasping at the shock of having Remus suddenly appear…

"I…" Remus frowned. "Came to wake you up… And you looked so peaceful… I sort of didn't.."

"You were watching me sleep!" Anna said indignantly. "You were watching me…"

Oh this is going so well… Remus thought sarcastically to himself. Yes you were watching her sleep, you just don't want to admit it….

"You're beautiful when you sleep." Remus hadn't realised what he'd said until he'd heard himself say it. That was not going to happen…

Anna's jaw dropped.

Remus coughed, "Anyway, I came here to err.. wake you up, because… you've missed breakfast and Dumbledore wishes to see you in person after you've er… woken up… and so… yeah…" Remus was well aware that he was babbling and just walked backwards till he hit the door, "I'll wait out here.."

Remus shut the door behind him and groaned. Nice one Remus.

~*~

Anna had said nothing about it when she had met Remus a few minutes later, which was a great relief as he didn't want to start acting like a complete twit in front of the whole of Hogwarts just yet, thank you very much. He led her along a few twisting corridors before slamming a door wide open and striding over to a lump of blankets on a bed in the corner.

"Are you planning on waking up anytime soon?"

A mumble replied from beneath a pile of duvets.

"Hung over?" Remus asked with a hint of a grin.

"S'not my fault.. Hagrid… got me drinking." Sirius' head poked out from a corner of the duvets. "Feel awful."

"Maybe Madam Pomfrey can do something for that…"

"NO!" Sirius moaned, then noticed Anna's presence in the room. "Bloody hell woman, I'm not dressed. Have you no decency?!" He grinned jokingly.

"I didn't want to know that." Anna moaned. "I can't see anyway. You're successfully buried under... is that four or five duvets?"

"Five." Sirius kicked back the pile of duvets, and rolled over to try to locate his robes, which were lying in a crumpled heap in the floor. "Like my pyjamas?"

"They have… dare I say it… little black dogs running round on them." Remus laughed. "Typical."

"Present from Dumbledore." Sirius picked up his robes and woozily headed towards the bathroom. "I suppose I'll have to get changed in there…"

"Can I make a suggestion?" Remus asked, "Take a bath whilst you're in there."

"Are you telling me I smell?" Sirius arched an eyebrow.

"In a word… yes. You reek." Remus shrugged. "Hagrid's fault, yes?"

"Totally." Sirius nodded and shut the door behind him.

"Tactlessness is the only way to deal with him." Remus sighed as he flicked his wand towards the mess of duvets Sirius had left. They immediately folded up into neat piles in the corner. "He has this thing about duvets, I think it's got something to do with the fact he hasn't had one for the best part of fifteen years."

"Why didn't he have duvets before?" Anna asked.

"You don't get luxuries like that in a wizarding prison cell." Remus sighed, "To update you on the facts, Sirius was imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit, or rather a dozen murders he didn't commit. He was in there, believed guilty by everyone for over 10 years." Including myself. Remus thought hollowly.

Anna didn't no what to say to follow that. She didn't need to, for the melodic sound of Sirius singing wafted through the wood door.

"And I can't descraaa-aaa-aahhhhhbe, but it's something about the waaaaaa-aaay you look toniiiiiiiiiiight, taaaaaaakes my breath awaaaaa-a-aay! Its that feeling I get aboooooooout you deeeeeeep insiiiii-ii-ide…"

Remus cringed. "As you can see, he enjoys stretching his vocal chords on a regular basis, I take that as a sign that he's happy."

"Does he like Elton John then?"

"Who?" Remus furrowed his brows, "I'm not exactly the guru for Muggle music."

"He sang the song that Sirius is er… butchering."

Meanwhile Sirius had switched songs-

"I'm still staaaaaaaanding, even after everything, looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid… Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm still staaaaaaanding, after this time, picking up the pieces of my life without you on my miiiiind… I'm still standing! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!…. Beow beow beooooooooooowwwww!"

"Oh Merlin have mercy, he's going 'Beow'." Remus buried his head in his hands.

"Excuse me?"

"His impression of some Muggle musical instrument… Believe me, I've been through this before. It can only get worse."

"I heard that Moony!" Sirius bellowed from the bathroom. "At least I can dance, unlike you… As you so wonderfully demonstrated on our graduation… How many pints of mulled mead had you downed?"

"He's lying." Remus said quickly, a blush rising up his cheeks.

"You're dancing in there?" Anna asked worriedly.

"Thank you for that wonderful visual." Remus moaned, "I don't think that sort of enlightenment is appropriate at such an early hour in the morning."

"I am NOT dancing, I'm in the bath, thank you very much." Sirius' voice sounded indignant.

"Sirius, I'm going to be sick…" Remus wailed.

"What? I'm not THAT bad… just ask Eddie."

"Who's Eddie?" Anna asked, "Eddie's not a boy is he?"

"No no no." Remus laughed. "Eddie… or should I say Edea was the last girl he was known to be being er… serious with, or as far as you can get to serious being Sirius."

"That sounded so odd." Anna mumbled. "Do I get to meet this Eddie?"

"Probably not, she works for the Ministry, very busy lady, we haven't seen her for a long time..." Remus explained, "Anyhow, you have an appointment with Dumbledore… And I'm sure you're glad to get away from the ever so melodic charms of Padfoot… I should probably how you the way, I don't think you'd appreciate getting lost."

Anna nodded and watched as Remus brushed the dust of his fraying robes. He looked slightly sallow this morning, the tired look in his eyes more pronounced.

"Coming?" Remus had seen her watching and was eager to change the subject to something that he could handle easier. "So, what do you think of it?"

"Think of what?" Anna asked, waling with him past a few coats of armour that were reciting Shakespeare.

"Here, Hogwarts, Magic…" Remus glared at one of the coats of armour as it started to adopt a feminine voice and croon Juliet's lines from Romeo and Juliet.

"I don't know what to think." Anna answered slowly, "It's strange, and its exciting, and its…"

"Dangerously near what I'd call suicidal!" Snape had entered the corridor talking in clipped tones with his wife, who seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. "What did you think you were doing?"

"Well, as far as I could see, I was picking up my research…." Draezyc smiled and waved at Anna, mouthing "testosterone" as she followed Snape who was still muttering, round the corner.

"I like her." Anna said simply.

"Don't think much of that slimy Death Eater of a husband of hers though." Remus muttered under his breath. "But Draezyc's always been more subtle with the barbs."

"She's insulted you too?"

"Oh never outwardly to my face." Remus shook his head. "No, she's too clever for plain simple insults."

She sounded worried about me… She actually sounded like she cared that people were saying things about what I am… I wonder if…

"Tell me what you're thinking." Anna had noticed his thoughtful expression and was looking at him with a worried expression. "You suddenly just go quiet and look like the world's about to collapse."

"I sometimes fear that it will." Remus sighed, "I was thinking… that next time I come to say good morning, I'll wear a helmet."

Anna smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you… You were so quiet."

Remus smiled in response, but kept on walking,

"Are you going to show me the village today as well?" Anna asked, as Hogsmeade came into view through one of the windows. Remus's eyes lingered on the tattered room of the shrieking shack, it looked so small from here. So insignificant.

"If that's what you'd like to do." Remus nodded, pausing only to mutter the password to Dumbledore's office. "Or maybe you'd prefer to go in the evening, when they have all the lights and its all very…" he paused. "You'd like it."

"Alright, this evening it is then Mister Lupin, consider it a date."

Remus didn't have time to reply as she had disappeared up the stairs to Dumbledore's office door. He shut his mouth and turned back to the main corridor.

Stop thinking silly thoughts. Oh. Merlin's Beard… She just… Remus! Stop thinking in monosyllabic clauses, get a hold of yourself… She actually said…

Remus gave up with his inner argument and walked off towards the Library with a grin plastered to his face.

TBC

One review for the last chapter???? ONE REVIEW???? That's PATHETIC… review more. Or or.. or I kill Remus. (evil grin) oh yes, I've appeared in this story twice now… you just don't know who the hell I am… heheheh.