Title: On the Way to Nowhere
Archive: Here, but if you want it, just review and tell me you're taking it.
Rating: Mostly "R" I think that's how it'll stay.
**Remus**
Every so often, he could see Sirius looking at him. He felt the heated glance when he sat in potions and allowed the warmth to keep him from freezing when he crossed the yards. But the possessiveness had taken a toll on him. He'd grown too comfortable, too safe in that gaze. The world couldn't touch him, because Sirius was always there, growling lowly and staking a claim that he hadn't made yet.
Remus hadn't even offered that claim to Sirius, and while he luxuriated in it, he could not bring himself to allow that sort of bond to be made. Sirius was too uncontrolled, too absolutely passionate with anger. That part of him must be calmed, and when it subsided—then, and only when he was sure—would Remus allow that bond.
Not before. And as he sat, wrapped safely in the robes that smelled so richly of Padfoot, in the clear winter air, he realized that the bond may never have a chance. Because Sirius was too volatile. Even now, as Remus was bleeding, propped against a tree; even now as the full moon rose in the dark sky, a fire raged and burnt the snow and James came running across the open grounds, as Severus stepped back once…twice…
Even now…
Chapter Da Seventh
"Hagrid let me keep her in here," Sirius said. He fumbled with the lock for a moment, cursing his stupid decision to get a lock that was absolutely spell proof, and turned around helplessly to glare at Remus who was standing there with a bare smirk on his face. James looked a little green, even with the lovely Lily wrapped in his arms. Peter, as usual, was squeaking at James' elbow, peering between the tall bodies around him.
"Her?" James inquired.
"Yeah…" Sirius said happily. His breath steamed in the cold air and he rubbed his ungloved hands together. Christmas had passed, and they found themselves all together again. James shook his head sadly to himself and wrapped himself tighter around Lily. She had the foresight to wear pants on this excursion. "She's beautiful," Sirius finished.
James glanced sideways at Remus. "Is she alive?"
Remus shook his head. "No. Doesn't smell like it's alive." He pulled his gloves off and gave them to Sirius, who promptly pulled them on, and then Moony neatly opened the lock. He handed the heavy metal thing to Sirius, and stepped back away from the door—just in case he was wrong, and it was alive.
"So you have a really keen nose, then?" Lily asked. She raised her eyebrows and tapped a foot in the snow. All three of the friends stared at Remus for a moment but the boy shrugged.
"Mishap with a potion many years ago," he lied, "Have the best nose in the world, now." This lie, apparently, pleased Sirius greatly for he threw his arm around Remus' back and kicked open the door. There, in the dirty shed, was a black motorcycle. It fit Sirius so perfectly that four of them were silent for a moment, wondering how muggles had managed to capture the essence of the volatile Black in a simple machine.
Peter summed up the shock in one word: "Wow."
~***~
Lily snuggled into the couch and smiled at him. She, too, had a book and was opening it as she spoke: "So why are you with your friends, buying butterbeer?"
Remus said nothing for a moment and then set his book aside. "This place has many ears, Lily. And I believe we both know why I am not there, with them." He inclined his head to motion out the window. Already the skies were beginning to gray, and he would soon take leave of her to go down that passage to the Shrieking Shack. "Officially, however, I am leaving James and Sirius to restore their friendship."
"Nobody could have expected them to stay angry with one another," Lily said sensibly, "After all, James and Sirius have known one another for all their lives." She licked her lips nervously. "I was just wondering… Did I have anything to do with you two breaking up… You and James?"
"No." Remus marked his place in his book and stood up to return it to his dorm. He looked at her for a moment as he passed. He could smell the uncertainty on her. "If it will put your mind at ease, Lily," He said as he climbed the stairs, "James and I parted ways because I had developed feelings for Sirius. And we are all better for that, I believe."
When he returned to the common room, she was gone. He sighed to himself and pulled on his warmest robes. The castle never seemed so cold to him as it did when he walked through the halls that day. Almost everyone had gone home for Christmas. Unfortunately, though, Lucius and Severus were not among those that had gone. And he smelled them, in the hall around him.
If he had an extra moment, he might have been able to avoid the confrontation, but they blasted him in the back with a disabling charm, and he fell to the floor, numb and unable to move. It was Goyle and Crabbe who picked him up and carried him after the blond idiot and the slimeball, though. He tried, futilely to struggle, but the charm held. So he waited until he felt the first blast of frigid air hit him, and then he tried to see anything around him.
As the charm faded, they tossed him against the thin wall of the roof. And he was leaning backwards into the brick, fully aware that another inch would mean the end of his life forever.
"It seems," Lucius said, "That my father received a letter that informed him of a most distressing thing. You see, he tells me that Dumbledore wrote him and said I was assaulting other students." Lucius pretended to ponder this for a moment, and then frowned strongly. "He, much to my astonishment, seems to believe Dumbledore."
"How sad for you," Remus said. He stood up. The air was cold against him, and he stepped back, close to the edge. He stepped up, onto the ledge, saw them gape in open amazement.
Severus turned to Lucius and implored with him: "Please, Lucius, don't do this! You don't know what he is…"
"Filth," Lucius spat.
Remus smiled, felt all the open air beneath him. "Better filth than Slytherin." And then he stepped back off the roof…
~***~
Technically, Lily wasn't allowed to apparate. But she did so anyway. Maybe Remus had known she was there, maybe he was insane (which was quite frankly the angle was most inclined to agree with) or maybe he was just suicidal. But she saw him step up onto the roof, she stared up at him for all of a moment, and then apparated straight to the table Sirius and James were dancing on.
The whole bar nearly fell over when she appeared on the table next to James. She grabbed at his arm to steady herself. Sirius, however, was so astounded that he fell backwards off the table. She spun around and hissed at him: "Remus is on the roof!" She made motions with her hands, but they were effectively meaningless. "At Hogwarts," she said at last.
"So?" Sirius demanded. He stood up and rubbed his sore ass.
"So…" Lily hissed, "It's getting dark, and there's a full moon, and I don't think he's up there alone!"
With that, Sirius frowned so sharply he actually scared James so bad the boy fell off the table, taking Lily with him. When they recovered from the heap, Sirius was gone.
"Let's go," Lily said. She grabbed James by the arm and yanked him after her, out into the cold air. James, being the good perfect, had never bothered to break the rules when it came to apparating. He had not mastered the art like his friends. So she ran with him, all the way back up to Hogwarts.
~***~
Snape was a vicious, ugly boy, but he was not a killer. Not even when it came to his arch-rival, and the person who had humiliated him and his friends. He knew, as well as Lucius, that they had gone up to that roof to kill Remus. But the boy had jumped! He had jumped off the damn roof. Nobody in their right mind would jump off a roof!
So Snape was running down the stairs, the mantra in his head repeating incessantly: He's a werewolf, he's a werewolf, he's a werewolf…
But that didn't matter. Because if Remus died, then Sirius would kill him and Lucius, and probably a few other Slytherins just to even the score. And, Snape shrank in his robes, Sirius wouldn't give them a quick death. He'd make it painful. Snape made it down the stairs and ran out the doors, charged through the field.
There, in the distance, near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, was a fire that raged into the night air. Standing, outlined in all his dark glory, was Sirius. Snape looked behind him. James and Lily were running hard to get to him. But Sirius was closer, faster, and infinitely more angry…
But, Remus was nowhere.
~~~~~~~~~
theexquisitecorpse: I don't know so much about the sex. Maybe. I generally write lemons, but I don't know if I want to risk getting the story kicked off ff.net because of the ridiculous restrictions. Yes, Remus is free. Lily is safely in James' arms and now Sirius is… Well, he's a bit enraged at the moment, isn't he?
Dark Peppermint: I like your name. Thankies for reviewing at all. Honestly someone who reviews and just left an ! would make me happy.
Harle-chan: The s/r stuff is a-comin'
Anime Queen Omega: I'm glad you like it. Plan to update regularly. (hopefully Ff.net will let me.)
Michelle: I love Sirius and Remus almost any way you can give 'em to me. But I particularly like them just a tad darker.
magical me: I agree, there was a certain kind of darkness that was shared by both of them. For instance when Sirius and Remus are going to kill Peter in book 3.
sh I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 4&5. I like Sirius' possessiveness too.
Poll: Anyone curious as to where Remus is? Anyone have a guess?
