Title: Jealous Guy

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Sirius/Remus and a tiny bit of Snape/Remus (forgive me!)

Chapters: 4

Dedication: For Demus, the best friend I've ever had. Love you.

Warning: Slash…

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter. Hence the lack of slash.

Jealous Guy

"I'm going to the library!" shouted Remus across the Common Room to Sirius who was surrounded by a mass of pretty, giggling girls.

"Right!" called Sirius back, though he sounded somewhat distracted and Remus wondered if he had even heard.

Someone tapped him on the arm and Remus turned to find himself face to face with James Potter. "There's a Marauder's meeting a eight O'clock, remember?"

"I'll be there," promised Remus. He patted James on the shoulder, smiled, and then slipped out of the Common Room. But he didn't head to the library.

#~**~#

James Potter sat on his bed in the dormitory watching Sirius Black fidget.

"What's up, Sirius?" he asked eventually.

Sirius stopped drumming his long fingers on his bedpost. "Remus is late," he said. "He's never been late for a Marauder's meeting."

"He's only five minutes late," piped up Peter, a small round boy. Peter was sprawled across the floor between James' and Sirius' beds. He was gobbling jelly worms as he waited and a trail of blue jelly coated his round chin.

Sirius, tall, lean and oddly beautiful, glared at Peter. "Remus is never late," he said and began to crack his knuckles slowly. James winced but said nothing. The clock on Sirius' bed ticked loudly. Peter discarded the empty packet of jelly worms and rummaged in the pockets of his robes until he found a chocolate frog.

Sirius finished cracking his knuckles, much to James' relief, and climbed off his bed. "I'm going to look for him."

"Remus doesn't need constant supervision," James said quietly but his words went unheard. Sirius had already disappeared through the dormitory door and the sound of footsteps on stone was growing increasingly distant.

"Something's not right," James told Peter, who shrugged and offered James a peppermint mouse he had just found under Sirius' bed.  

#~**~#

Sirius dashed through the Gryffindor Common Room ignoring invitations to play exploding snap and to 'go somewhere a little more private', from Arthur Weasley and a blonde-haired seventh year girl, respectively. He climbed through the portrait hole and sped down five corridors and three flights of stairs at breakneck speed. On his way he accidentally ran through Nearly Headless Nick, which was a similar experience to sitting in a bathtub filled with ice. "More haste less speed, Mr Black!" cried Nick after Sirius but the boy paid him no attention.

Finally, Sirius stopped outside the library. He panted for a moment and his breath formed clouds on the castle's cold air. With extreme caution he opened the door (the librarian had never liked him since he caused a two-hundred-years-old book on fire potions to ignite in fourth year). However, looking around Sirius discovered the library was nearly deserted with nobody but two young Slytherins attempting to break into the Restricted Section. "Good evening, librarian," said Sirius loudly. The two Slytherins dashed past Sirius and out of the library, fleeing from a woman who was not there. Sirius cackled for a moment then leaving the library he resumed the long journey back to his dormitory, presuming that he must have missed Remus on the way down.

"Are you okay, Mr Black?" asked a gentle voice.

Sirius started then smiled when he realised that the questioner was Dumbledore. The Headmaster smiled back at him and his bright blue eyes twinkled. "You'll excuse me if I seem nosy, Mr Black, but it is at least two years since I last saw you leave the library and I'm somewhat concerned."

Sirius laughed. "I was looking for Remus," he confided in the Headmaster. It was strange that Sirius, who firmly disliked most of the teachers, both liked and admired Dumbledore a great deal. "He said he was going to the library."

Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle and his old face became serious. "Mr Lupin has not been going to the library on a Friday for many weeks," he said mysteriously.

Sirius frowned. "Sir?"

"You might try the Dungeons, Mr Black," advised Dumbledore, with the serious expression still on his face. "I think I shall retire to bed with a good book now," he said, indicating that the conversation had finished.

"Yes, sir," said Sirius, wondering why he would find Remus in the Dungeons.

Dumbledore walked off a little way then turned back and nodded at Sirius. "The library is an excellent place to find good books," he said. "Quite excellent."

And then he was gone. Sirius shook his head, puzzled, and made his way down a nearby flight of steps to the Dungeons.

#~**~#

Sirius crept down the long passage to the Dungeons where Potions classes were held. The flaming torches made the shadows dance across the stone walls and at first everything was utterly silent. Gradually though, as Sirius moved towards the castle's foundations, he began to hear the tinkling sound of laughter. Even further, and he could hear two voices: one, quiet and honey-like, belonged to Remus Lupin- the other, quiet and slightly sinister belonged to Snape.

As a Marauder, and expert rule breaker, Sirius was used to spying and eves dropping. However, never before had he been spying on a fellow Marauder and one of his closest friends.

Never the less, Sirius hugged the walls and crept towards one of the Potion's classrooms. He crouched outside the doorway and listened to Remus and Snape talking.

"You add the powdered newt now," said Snape's voice.

"All of it?" asked Remus.

"NO! No, slowly and stir it at the same time."

"Right."

"Then mix in the dragon's liver."

So that was it, thought Sirius as he sat listening. Snape was giving Remus potions lessons! No doubt Dumbledore had forced Snape to do it. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief –for a moment he had thought Remus and Snape might actually be friends- and prepared to interrupt.

"You did cube the dragon's liver, didn't you?" asked Snape's voice.

"I was supposed to cube it!?" cried Remus in a tone of mock-horror. "Oh no!"

"You're teasing me," said Snape, laughing.

"Yes," said Remus.

Sirius paused, about to open the door. Something about this Potion's lesson sounded strangely cosy. Instead of disturbing them he gently pushed open the door a little way, and peered through the crack. He stared in astonishment at his friend and his enemy, who were giggling and flicking pieces of chopped arrowroot at each other.

"You're aim is crap, Remus!"

"It is not!" retorted Remus, flicking a piece of arrowroot at Snape and watching it miss by several inches.

"Surrender!" cried Snape.

"Never!" shrieked Remus.

Sirius' breath caught in his throat as suddenly Remus pounced on Snape and pushed him down onto the tabletop. The potion they had been working on lay discarded in a corner. "Take back what you said about my aim, Severus," said Remus, keeping Snape pinned to the table.

"I shall not!" said Snape, who was no longer laughing but staring at Remus as though he was fascinated by what he saw.

"Then you will have to-"

Exactly what Snape would have to do was never voiced as at that moment Snape leaned upwards and kissed him, quickly and fiercely on the lips.

And Sirius, spying through a crack in the doorway, let out a half-choking gasp and ran.

#~**~#

James Potter lounged on his bed and idly flicked through Quidditch Weekly. Peter was now sat on Sirius' bed and telling James about a girl he had met. Peter seemed oblivious to the fact that James was not paying the slightest bit of attention to him.

Sirius came into the dormitory and slammed the door behind him. "Have you seen the bloody time?" asked James. "How long does it take to get to the library and back?"

Sirius stared at him but said nothing. He looked wild-eyed and pale.

"What is it, Sirius?" asked James, the concern evident in his voice. "Has something happened to Remus?"

"Yes… No," said Sirius unhelpfully. He was shaking slightly with the enormity of what he had just witnessed and digging his nails deep into the palms of his hands.

"What happened?" asked James.

Sirius wondered whether he ought to tell James what he had seen but decided against it. Instead, he growled at Peter to get off his bed, picked up a freshly laundered towel and informed James that he was taking a shower.

And James was left wondering exactly what had become of his eight O'clock Marauders meeting.

#~**~#

Sirius let the warm water run over his head and down his naked body. He tried to think of other things, of Quidditch and girls, but the image of Snape kissing Remus kept popping unbidden into his mind. "Bloody hell," moaned Sirius, who had never before seen two men kissing nor thought about it much.

"Would it be any easier to take if it wasn't Snape," murmured Sirius to himself. Perhaps.

Perhaps not.  

The trouble was, he thought with some difficulty, not that Remus had kissed Snape. Nor was it that Remus had kissed another boy. Considering he had grown up with a dark, pure blood family, Sirius was remarkably tolerant of most things and guys kissing other guys was no exception. The problem was something different.

From in the dormitory Sirius heard James say, "perhaps he's drowned in there." He heard Remus' gentle voice say something in reply but it did not reach him.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Sirius?" called Remus.

Sirius ignored him

"Sirius?"

He ignored him again and hoped he would go away. There came the distant sound of James and Remus talking and then a brief period of silence in which Sirius relaxed, thinking he had been left alone.

"Alohomora." The bathroom door unlocked and Remus appeared inside. Sirius, who was perfectly used to being naked around his friends, shrieked in horror.

"We thought you might have hurt yourself. You've been in the shower for so long," said Remus, oblivious to Sirius' desperate scrabbling for a towel with which to cover himself.

"I'm fine," said Sirius.

"You sure?"

Sirius found a towel and wrapped it around himself with obvious relief. "Yes."

"Well, as long as you're alright. James and I were worried about you, you see. I once fell and broke my wrist, while taking a shower. You can never be too-"

"WOULD YOU PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" begged Sirius. "Please…"

Remus looked wounded and left.

Sirius banged his head against the shower cubicle. It was then that it hit him. His skin didn't crawl at the thought of Remus kissing another man- just Snape. Maybe he himself would rather like to kiss Remus.

And that was it.

Sirius was jealous of Snape.

#~**~#

Reviews, anyone?