I got a lot more reviews than usual for this chapter...Thanks! I enjoyed
writing this chapter and hope you all like it!
Also I'm sorry for the weird lines that may or may not appear in this chapter...I tried but I couldn't get rid of them.
StarlessNight18: Thanks for reviewing! When a Home isn't a Home is kind of cancelled. I make no guarantees of ever adding to it, but there's a chance. I'm more likely to finish my other half done fic, which I'm most likely updating after I finish this one. But who knows. I'll try to add to that one for ya :)
Unregistered Person: At the beginning of your review I thought "Oh no, this person hates this fic...an egg fic can't be a good thing." But I found out that it was! I guess I like egg fics too, lol. It is a lot of fun to read stuff the way it would never really be...kind of what fanfiction is for, isn't it?
SiriLupin: Yah, Sirius does have a hard time, but would we have fun reading about him if he didn't? I don't think I would, lol. I'm glad you like the fic so far :)
HP-Azn: Here's more, lol. Thanks for writing!
Jemma Blackwell: Yup, three days is a long time. I don't know why I made it that long, it just seemed like things would get desperate by that time, but not too desperate...does that make sense? I don't really know, lol. And I kind of have him asking for punishment but not really. It's kind of like he feels there is no alternative, I tried to convey that but I know it's not that clear.
SexyBlack: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I though that Regulus and Lestrange being the attackers was kind of a twist, but not an out there kind of twist. Hope it was a good choice! Enjoy chapter 10!
Katie: So you like the chapter titles huh? They kill me to make, lol. I always pick something in the story that doesn't give anything about the chapter away. It's really not very easy! And I guess that's all you really have to look forward to since you've already read this chapter. Thanks so much for pointing it out my stupid mistakes!
Eizoku: So my story has made you laugh and cry? I'm glad you liked it! Isn't Remus a sweetheart, always there for his buddy...you'll get more of that here...
Willow Ann Rover: Thanks so much :) Your review made me smile! I am proud of myself, although I think I could have done better. The whole story was much better in my head, lol. Enjoy the update!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eating Chicken with a Spoon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not a word was spoken to Sirius the entire way back to Grimmauld Place. He dragged his trunk to his room and stayed there all day. He would have preferred to stay all night as well, but he was forced to eat dinner with the family.
The Black's were the kind of family where you had to 'dress' for dinner. Sirius threw on his plainest pair of dress robes and joined his family in the dining room.
"So...Sirius," his mother started in a frighteningly calm voice. "What have you done to disgrace us this year?"
Sirius finished chewing the bit of food in his mouth and swallowed before answering. "I've done nothing to disgrace you. You all choose to disgrace yourselves."
His mother glared. "How dare you?! You are my son and you had better start acting like a Black!"
"I'll never meet your definition of a Black! I'd rather die!"
"That can be arranged dear brother," Regulus declared, bits of food flying from his mouth.
With a look of disgust, Sirius retorted, "I believe it already was...wasn't it Reg."
Regulus glared and returned to his food.
"You have one year left at Hogwarts, you little brat, one year to become what you are meant to become. And if you don't meet our standards, the consequences will be dark."
"Everything in this family is dark! I don't want to be in this family and I will NEVER meet your standards," Sirius yelled.
"You will not raise your voice to us!" Mr. Black roared. Sirius turned to his father, a look of pure hatred on his face.
"You will try!" Mrs. Black said in a deadly calm voice.
Sirius just shook his head, biting his tongue and sitting on his hands to stop himself from doing anything rash.
Once everyone returned to their food Sirius began to eat as well. However, the fork he was holding soon flew out of his mouth and into his mother's hand. "Go to your room Sirius."
"No, I'm eating," Sirius muttered and began trying to eat his chicken with a spoon.
"Not anymore," she said summoning his spoon as well. Sirius growled and pushed back his chair, storming from the dining room to his bedroom.
Once there he threw himself on his bed and sighed deeply. He then sat up quickly and looked around his room. Scanning it over quickly he mentally picked out the things he wanted to bring with him.
He then opened his trunk and began throwing some old toys and knick knacks on top of all his school supplies. He even stuffed his pillow into the trunk and then sat on top of it. Tonight he was going to go to the Potter's, he thought with a smile on his face.
"What are you smirking at?"
Sirius looked up and saw his mothers frame in the doorway. He glared and said, "Nothing."
"It looks like you're going on a little trip, Sirius," she quipped. "And where do you think you're going."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Oh yes you are...Sirius you're easier to read than a book. Think you're going to those horrid Potter's don't you? Well I will not stand for that. No son of mine is going to live with such blood traitor's."
"I'm not going there," Sirius said quietly.
"You're right, you're not."
She pulled her wand out so fast Sirius couldn't even react. In seconds he found his arms bound together over his head, and his feet were off the floor. Sirius was hanging in the same manner that his dear friend Jack was all those years ago.
It was all Sirius could do not to lose his mind in fear. He knew that his mother would not do to him what he did to Jack, but he was terrified nonetheless.
"You're not going anywhere," Mrs. Black sneered and left the room, slamming Sirius's door behind her.
Sirius felt helpless tears well in his eyes as he hung there. His arms were already tired of holding all his weight. He didn't know what to do. For a while he just hung his head and cried. As he heard the grandfather clock downstairs chime 9:00, however, he knew something had to be done.
Mustering all of his strength, Sirius pulled his body up so that his mouth was level with the knot. He began gnawing at the knot, trying his hardest to untie it. He managed to loosen it slightly, but lost his arm strength. As he slipped lower one of his hands freed itself. However, like a noose, the rope tightened around his other wrist and he heard it snap painfully. Sirius was now tied to the ceiling by a broken arm.
He swung his good arm back up and held the rope so the pressure was off the injured one. Again he began gnawing on the rope until it was loosened. Freeing his hand, Sirius let himself fall to the floor, as silently as he could. He fell hard on his right knee, he knew he hadn't broken it, but it hurt like Hell.
Sirius slowly made his way to the hallway and peered out. He saw that the door to his parent's bedroom was shut and that the light was off. Looking down the hall in the other direction, he saw that his brother's door was also closed, though the light was on. Now the only thing that stood between Sirius and freedom was a particularly evil house elf.
He lifted his trunk with his good, albeit tired, arm. Dragging the trunk as quietly as he could, Sirius made his way to the fireplace in the kitchen. He threw in a handful of floo powder and stepped inside.
"Potter Place!" he called out. However, nothing happened.
"What the fuck?" he mumbled to himself.
Sirius jumped back out of the fireplace before the flames turned back to real fire and examined the fireplace. He took another handful and tried again, but nothing happened.
"'No son of mine is going to live with such blood traitors,' Kreacher's mistress says."
Turning around sharply Sirius looked down to find Kreacher staring up at him.
"Your mistress doesn't have much of a say in that, you little monster."
"Master Sirius is wrong. Kreacher knows that his mistress has blocked the fire place from going to the nasty blood traitors. Master Sirius can not go there!"
"She blocked the fireplace...well then it's a good thing I have more than one friend." Sirius whipped out his wand and stunned the house elf. He threw more powder into the fireplace and called, "Lupin Cottage!"
This time he felt himself spinning and a feeling of relief spread over him like a warm blanket.
Abruptly, he stopped spinning and fell out of the fireplace, landing hard on his bad arm and banging his knee on his trunk. By this time the pain was so much that he was ready to black out. He felt a pair of arms pulling him into a sitting position, and then all went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sirius....Sirius....wake up mate..." Sirius heard bits and pieces of these words as he fought to gain consciousness. He felt something wet on his forehead and a hand covering his own.
"Come on mate, wake up!"
Sirius slowly tried to open his eyes. When he finally cracked them open enough he found himself staring into the worried eyes of Remus Lupin. He found himself lying on a comfortable couch. The wetness on his forehead came from a damp towel resting there.
"Are you okay?!" Remus asked urgently, squeezing his friend's hand.
Sirius swallowed hard and shook his head. Tears began to well and slowly drip down his face. Remus wiped them away and pulled Sirius to him. Sirius hissed in pain as Remus squeezed his broken arm.
Remus pulled back and gently lifted Sirius's arm. It was hanging at an odd angle. He let it back down gently and stood up. "I'm going to go get my mum."
"Don't tell her anything, Remus...please!" Sirius begged.
"I won't...but she's going to ask you." Remus got up and left the room. Sirius tried to dry his tears. He did not want Remus's mother to see him crying like a baby.
A few minutes went by and Remus and his mother, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, emerged.
"Mum, this is Sirius," Remus said. "I think his arm's broken. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Sirius nodded, "I did something to my knee...I don't think it's broken though."
She nodded. "This is going to take a while, Sirius. I'm not the best at fixing broken bones so I take my time."
"I'm going to go owl James and tell him you're alri—here," Remus said. Sirius nodded and watched his friend go.
"How did this happen?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"And why's that?" she asked.
Sirius looked up at her with sad eyes as she gently prodded his arm with her wand. "It's personal. Please don't ask questions," he asked desperately.
She looked at him gravely. "Are you in danger of this happening again?"
He nodded. "And it will only get worse if it gets out!"
"What did you do to get yourself into such trouble?"
"I was born and grew up to become a good person."
"You're Sirius Black, correct?"
Sirius nodded.
"You come from a dark family?" she asked suspiciously.
"Yes, but I'm not like them I swear! That's why they did this to me!" Sirius said desperately, afraid she wouldn't want Remus to be his friend any longer.
"Ah-ha, so your parents did this."
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing. He had just been outsmarted by Remus's mum.
"Mrs. Lupin, please don't tell the ministry. If my parents find out that I've told anything they've done...they wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Please, I'm never going back there...no one has to know about this!"
"Calm down dear, my lips are sealed."
"Thank you," Sirius mumbled.
Silence fell upon them as Mrs. Lupin focused on fixing up his arm. Remus came back in after a few minutes and sat beside his mother, watching her work. Every time Sirius winced in pain, he involuntarily did the same. His mother caught him do it several times and smiled at him.
"Done," she declared a short while later. "It's going to be tender for a few days. We have some powerful pain potion I can give you. Just be careful when you use that arm."
"Thank you," Sirius muttered.
"Now about that knee?"
Sirius sat up a little higher and pulled up the leg of his khakis. His knee was covered in a nasty bruise and looked quite swollen.
"Can you bend it?"
Sirius moved it gently up and down. "Looks like it's just a sprain. I can fix that quickly." She set to work on that and was done in a matter of seconds.
"Honey, you take Sirius up to your room, okay? I think you both need some rest. I'll be up with some pain potion in a little bit."
Remus nodded. Sirius and he stood up. "Can you walk all right? You aren't going to pass out on me again are you?"
"I don't think so," Sirius muttered.
"Let's go," Remus said putting his arm around Sirius and guiding him to the stairs. They slowly climbed the stairs.
"Your mum is really nice Moony," Mrs. Lupin heard from the stairs, she smiled to herself and went to the bathroom to find the potion for Sirius, laughing to herself at the nickname he apparently had for her son.
Once they made it to Remus's room, Sirius sat on Remus's bed. Remus dragged his desk chair over and sat in front of him.
"What did they do to you? And why did you come here instead of James's?"
Sirius sighed deeply, not knowing exactly where to begin. "I guess I was just too mouthy at dinner...and then she caught me packing up some of my stuff. She refused to let me leave and...tied me up like she tied up Jack. She left me hanging from the ceiling for hours. I had to gnaw my way out of the rope. This arm got stuck...that's how it broke...it hurt like hell freeing it. Then I fell to the ground and landed on my knee. I was so scared that she's come back any minute...and do exactly what she did to him..." Sirius said, his voice cracking several times as he spoke.
"So why'd you come here? Not that I mind of course."
"They blocked the fireplace from going to the Potter's. My evil house elf informed me of that."
"I'm glad you thought to come here."
Sirius nodded and then buried his head in his hands. His shoulders began to shake with his silent tears. Remus moved next to him and pulled him into his arms, rubbing his back gently.
His mother walked in just then and put the potion down on his dresser. "Give him the amount you take," she mouthed to him.
"Okay," he mouthed back.
She waved to him and left the room, silently pulling the door shut behind her.
"You're going to be fine now Sirius," Remus whispered. "It's alright."
Sirius nodded and pulled back, drying his eyes. Remus took that time to get up and grab the pain medication. He poured the right amount into a little cup and handed it to Sirius. "It makes you kind of drowsy. Drink it all and I'll find you something to wear to bed."
"Okay," Sirius muttered and downed the potion, grimacing at the taste.
Remus threw him a pair of pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt.
Sirius quickly took off his dress robes and put the comfortable pajamas on. He then crawled into Remus's very large bed. Remus went to the bathroom for a moment and then joined him.
"I like your house a lot Remus...it's so cozy."
"That's because it's tiny."
"It's not tiny...it's cozy."
Remus laughed.
"And it smells really good."
"Really? What does it smell like?"
Sirius sniffed and thought for a moment. "Well...you I guess."
Remus again laughed. "Thanks I guess."
Rolling over onto his stomach, and burying his head into the pillow Sirius muttered, "You're so lucky, Remus. You have a great mum and a great house. How's your dad?"
"He's great too. He's away right now on business though. He could be back at anytime...I miss him. "
"I wish I had parents I could miss."
"I wish you did too. Go to sleep...I bet James will be here at the crack of dawn to get you!"
"I kind of wish I could stay here. Your mom seems so cool with my not revealing any information. I love James mum, but I know from experience that she doesn't like being out of the loop."
"Well...I'm sure you could stay until the full moon if you really wanted to. My mom wouldn't let you stay past that, though. She doesn't think it's safe enough."
"Would that really be cool?" Sirius asked, propping himself up on his elbows and looking at his friend.
Remus nodded. "I think so. I can talk to my mum about it in the morning."
"James won't be happy...but I can make him understand."
"He could probably stay for a while too."
"Really?!"
Remus laughed and nodded. Sirius grinned ear to ear.
"Go to sleep Sirius!"
Sirius laughed and then lay back down. He closed his eyes and was fast asleep in seconds. Remus watched him sleep and thought about all the shit his friend had gone through. If he had been in the same situation, Remus didn't think he'd have been strong enough to make it out alive.
Remus climbed out of his bed and went back downstairs. His mother was at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a book. She always enjoyed reading late at night and knew she'd be down there.
"You should be in bed honey."
"Not really tired," Remus mumbled sitting across from her.
She marked her place in the book and set it aside, staring curiously at her son. "How's Sirius?"
"Good...he was pretty upset for a while there...but he's sleeping now."
"Did you give him the pain potion?"
Remus nodded.
"Good. So are you going to tell me what happened to him?"
"Nope. He made me promise not to."
"Is it really as serious as he was saying?"
"Yeah, it really is. I've never met them, but I honestly think that Sirius's family is insane...he's never going back there."
"He had better not. I can't imagine what state he'd be in if he hadn't gotten here. Why would he ever return to a place where he's treated like that?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
"It's his home...he didn't intend on staying the whole summer. He was going to run away to James's house tonight or tomorrow. But I guess his parents blocked the floo network to the Potter's."
Mrs. Lupin shook her head sadly.
"Can he stay here for a while mum? He's supposed to go to James place, but he says he wants to stay here...and I want him to too...cuz it gets lonely way out here, you know. And it'll just be until the next full moon...please???"
Laughing, Mrs. Lupin nodded. "Of course he can stay, he seems like a very nice young man."
"Thanks mum! Ah, can James stay too? Don't want him to feel left out..." Remus continued.
"Sure, sweetie."
Remus beamed.
"It looks like you've made some very good friends at Hogwarts, Remus...I'm so happy for you. And they know about your--?"
"Condition? Yeah, Sirius and James figured it out at the end of first year and they're really cool with it."
"Did I hear Sirius call you Moony?"
"Yeah, they tried to make me feel better about being...a werewolf. Thought it was a cute name or something. They're always trying to make me feel better," Remus laughed.
Suddenly he turned quite serious and looked back up at his mother. "Can I—um—can I tell you something that I did this year without you getting really mad or anything? It's kind of embarrassing and...it just wasn't smart."
She looked at him concerned and nodded.
"Okay...well remember Brie? You met her at the train station at the end of fifth year."
"Of course, she was such a sweet girl. Are you still seeing her?"
Remus shook his head and looked down at the table. "Well we broke up a little over a month ago...she thought I was cheating on her or something because I would disappear a lot and wouldn't tell her where I was. She was terrified of werewolves, so I could never tell her why I disappeared. So she...dumped me. And, well, it broke my heart. All I could think was that I could never be really happy because...well because no one can love a werewolf."
"Remus..."
"No, just listen," Remus commanded and took a deep breath. "So that day I marched upstairs and got into the bathtub and filled it up. I just wanted all the pain to go away. So I let it go up past my chin...and then over my head...and just sat there. I lost consciousness and then woke up a few minutes later to Sirius holding me up and the water slowly draining. He had seen me go upstairs..." Remus looked up at his mom and saw tears pouring down her face.
"He told me how stupid I was being...he told me everything would be alright and that killing myself wasn't the answer...and he was right. He helped me move on."
"Why are you telling me this now?! Why didn't you tell me when it happened?"
"I was embarrassed mum...I almost made the biggest mistake of my life. I—I don't even understand why I did it anymore. If Sirius hadn't been there...I don't even want to think about that. And as to why I'm telling you now...see, it's like this, he helped me move on from Brie. I don't think I could have done it without him, I really don't. And now...he has all these problems and I want to help him. But I just don't know how to!"
"Oh, Remus...I think you're already doing that. I saw how you were comforting him and taking care of him. That's all you can do for him, and I'm sure that's all he did for you. He can stay for the next three weeks and you'll do everything for him that he's done for you. I think you're already helping him immensely, sweetheart."
Remus smiled slightly and stood up. "Thanks mum."
She stood up as well and went up to her son putting her arms around him and kissing the top of his head several times. "Don't you dare ever try to end your life again! You're strong Remus you can get through anything!"
Remus nodded. "I know...I wish the whole thing had never happened. I'm sorry it did mum."
"It's alright Remus," she whispered squeezing him tighter.
Remus laughed and said, "You're kind of hurting me mum."
"That's your punishment," she quipped. "Good night honey, I love you."
"Love you too."
With a last kiss to his forehead Mrs. Lupin freed him from her grasp and watched him leave the kitchen. She sat down and shook her head sadly, picking her book back up.
Remus returned to bed where Sirius was still soundly sleeping. He curled up beside him and was soon just as soundly sleeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"WAKE UP!!!"
Sirius and Remus simultaneously sat straight up in bed, looking first at each other and then at the source of the noise.
"James!" Sirius exclaimed. "Must you ALWAYS wake us up like that?!"
"Indeed," James said cheekily.
"Your mom showed me up here," he said to Remus.
Remus nodded. James sat at the foot of the bed and looked at Sirius seriously, "Remus wrote and told me you had a broken arm and a sprained knee. What the Hell happened...and why didn't you come to my place."
"I tried to go to your place as planned...but my parents decided they didn't want me at your house. So they blocked our fireplace from going to your house. So I came here. Do I have to talk about what happened yesterday?" Sirius asked in a small voice, like a child.
James gave him a small sympathetic smile, "No, you don't...but I'd like to know."
Sirius looked at Remus and gave his best puppy dog eyes. "Fine, I'll tell him."
"Thank you!" Sirius said and then rolled over and covered his head with his pillow.
Remus retold everything he could remember as best as he could. James became far more subdued as he heard the story. When Remus was done James removed the pillow from Sirius's head and forced him to sit up.
"Are you okay now?" James asked.
Sirius smiled painfully and nodded.
His smile slowly broke down though and he had to bite his lip to stop himself from crying.
"He's alright physically...but it left some mental scarring...right Padfoot?" Remus asked Sirius nodded. James crawled up next to Sirius and put his arms around him. Remus rubbed his back.
"Never again," James whispered. Sirius nodded and pulled away, wiping the edge of his eyes for any tears that may have leaked over. Remus squeezed the back of his neck gently.
"Let's change the subject," James declared. "When are we going to my house?"
Sirius looked up at Remus. "Actually, James...if it's okay with you, Sirius wanted to stay here for a bit. You can stay too...until the next full moon. My mum said it was fine?"
James looked momentarily confused and even slightly hurt. He looked from Remus to Sirius and back again several times and then broke into a smile. "That sounds like an excellent idea!"
Remus laughed in relief, he had thought James was going to protest it.
"I think I have to go back home today...and for tomorrow because tomorrow is my grandmother's birthday....but I can probably be back by Tuesday. I'll go home now and owl you after I ask my parents, okay?"
They both nodded.
"If you guys need anything just owl or something alright. Sirius, feel better soon, alright mate!"
Sirius smiled and nodded, giving James another hug. "I'll see you guys in a few days!" James then exited the room.
"You already talked to your mom?"
Remus nodded. "Last night after you fell asleep I went down and talked to her. I also told her about what happened with Brie..."
"You did?!"
"Yeah...I thought she should know. I thought she deserved to know."
"How did she take it?"
"She cried...but she wasn't angry or anything. I assured her it wouldn't happen again."
"Does she know about what I did to you...?"
Remus sighed and shook his head. "I think it best that she doesn't find out about that."
"I must say I agree."
"Hungry?" Remus asked.
"Starving! They didn't let me finish my dinner yesterday, and I haven't eaten a thing since."
Remus shook his head angrily. "Come on then!" He stood up and waited for Sirius to get out too.
"How's the knee and arm?"
"Very good...your mum did a superb job!"
"Let's hope she did as good a job on breakfast!" Remus replied and led the way downstairs to the kitchen.
A large plate of eggs, bacon and pancakes was already set out. Mrs. Lupin and presumably Mr. Lupin were already there, reading the daily prophet as they ate. They both looked up as they heard the boys enter.
"Dad! You're back!" Remus said and walked up to his father.
"There's my boy!" Mr. Lupin exclaimed standing up and embracing his son. He stroked his hair several times and then kissed him atop the head.
"When did you get in?" Remus asked.
"Around midnight. Apparently you had just headed to bed. Mum says you told her something important but wouldn't tell me what. Are you going to speak to me about this, too?"
Remus looked uncomfortable and backed away from his father slightly. "I guess you should know. We'll talk about it later."
Sirius watched the exchange with intense interest. He never really had any contact at all with his own father, though it couldn't have been like this if he had, and James's father was never around much either. Sirius was fascinated by the relationship Remus and his Dad seemed to have.
Mr. Lupin then turned his attention to Sirius and said, "You must be Sirius. Marie told me you'd be joining us for a while."
"That's me," Sirius said and shook his hand.
"She said you were in pretty rough shape last night. Are you alright now?"
Sirius nodded.
"He's fine dad, just sick of talking about it."
"Point taken. Anyway, welcome, Sirius," he said and sat back down at the table.
"Thanks," Sirius said, smiling. He and Remus sat down as well and ate a delicious, peaceful breakfast while Sirius got to know Remus's parents better.
They didn't question him further on the events of the previous night. They understood that he didn't want to talk about it and were willing to let it go.
Sirius knew he was going to enjoy his stay at the Lupin's.
And that's all for now. One chapter left to wrap it all up and tie up any loose ends! Tell me if there's anything you want to see in it, because I honestly don't even know what it's going to consist of. I'm sure I'll think of something though!
Please Review!!!
Also I'm sorry for the weird lines that may or may not appear in this chapter...I tried but I couldn't get rid of them.
StarlessNight18: Thanks for reviewing! When a Home isn't a Home is kind of cancelled. I make no guarantees of ever adding to it, but there's a chance. I'm more likely to finish my other half done fic, which I'm most likely updating after I finish this one. But who knows. I'll try to add to that one for ya :)
Unregistered Person: At the beginning of your review I thought "Oh no, this person hates this fic...an egg fic can't be a good thing." But I found out that it was! I guess I like egg fics too, lol. It is a lot of fun to read stuff the way it would never really be...kind of what fanfiction is for, isn't it?
SiriLupin: Yah, Sirius does have a hard time, but would we have fun reading about him if he didn't? I don't think I would, lol. I'm glad you like the fic so far :)
HP-Azn: Here's more, lol. Thanks for writing!
Jemma Blackwell: Yup, three days is a long time. I don't know why I made it that long, it just seemed like things would get desperate by that time, but not too desperate...does that make sense? I don't really know, lol. And I kind of have him asking for punishment but not really. It's kind of like he feels there is no alternative, I tried to convey that but I know it's not that clear.
SexyBlack: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I though that Regulus and Lestrange being the attackers was kind of a twist, but not an out there kind of twist. Hope it was a good choice! Enjoy chapter 10!
Katie: So you like the chapter titles huh? They kill me to make, lol. I always pick something in the story that doesn't give anything about the chapter away. It's really not very easy! And I guess that's all you really have to look forward to since you've already read this chapter. Thanks so much for pointing it out my stupid mistakes!
Eizoku: So my story has made you laugh and cry? I'm glad you liked it! Isn't Remus a sweetheart, always there for his buddy...you'll get more of that here...
Willow Ann Rover: Thanks so much :) Your review made me smile! I am proud of myself, although I think I could have done better. The whole story was much better in my head, lol. Enjoy the update!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eating Chicken with a Spoon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not a word was spoken to Sirius the entire way back to Grimmauld Place. He dragged his trunk to his room and stayed there all day. He would have preferred to stay all night as well, but he was forced to eat dinner with the family.
The Black's were the kind of family where you had to 'dress' for dinner. Sirius threw on his plainest pair of dress robes and joined his family in the dining room.
"So...Sirius," his mother started in a frighteningly calm voice. "What have you done to disgrace us this year?"
Sirius finished chewing the bit of food in his mouth and swallowed before answering. "I've done nothing to disgrace you. You all choose to disgrace yourselves."
His mother glared. "How dare you?! You are my son and you had better start acting like a Black!"
"I'll never meet your definition of a Black! I'd rather die!"
"That can be arranged dear brother," Regulus declared, bits of food flying from his mouth.
With a look of disgust, Sirius retorted, "I believe it already was...wasn't it Reg."
Regulus glared and returned to his food.
"You have one year left at Hogwarts, you little brat, one year to become what you are meant to become. And if you don't meet our standards, the consequences will be dark."
"Everything in this family is dark! I don't want to be in this family and I will NEVER meet your standards," Sirius yelled.
"You will not raise your voice to us!" Mr. Black roared. Sirius turned to his father, a look of pure hatred on his face.
"You will try!" Mrs. Black said in a deadly calm voice.
Sirius just shook his head, biting his tongue and sitting on his hands to stop himself from doing anything rash.
Once everyone returned to their food Sirius began to eat as well. However, the fork he was holding soon flew out of his mouth and into his mother's hand. "Go to your room Sirius."
"No, I'm eating," Sirius muttered and began trying to eat his chicken with a spoon.
"Not anymore," she said summoning his spoon as well. Sirius growled and pushed back his chair, storming from the dining room to his bedroom.
Once there he threw himself on his bed and sighed deeply. He then sat up quickly and looked around his room. Scanning it over quickly he mentally picked out the things he wanted to bring with him.
He then opened his trunk and began throwing some old toys and knick knacks on top of all his school supplies. He even stuffed his pillow into the trunk and then sat on top of it. Tonight he was going to go to the Potter's, he thought with a smile on his face.
"What are you smirking at?"
Sirius looked up and saw his mothers frame in the doorway. He glared and said, "Nothing."
"It looks like you're going on a little trip, Sirius," she quipped. "And where do you think you're going."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Oh yes you are...Sirius you're easier to read than a book. Think you're going to those horrid Potter's don't you? Well I will not stand for that. No son of mine is going to live with such blood traitor's."
"I'm not going there," Sirius said quietly.
"You're right, you're not."
She pulled her wand out so fast Sirius couldn't even react. In seconds he found his arms bound together over his head, and his feet were off the floor. Sirius was hanging in the same manner that his dear friend Jack was all those years ago.
It was all Sirius could do not to lose his mind in fear. He knew that his mother would not do to him what he did to Jack, but he was terrified nonetheless.
"You're not going anywhere," Mrs. Black sneered and left the room, slamming Sirius's door behind her.
Sirius felt helpless tears well in his eyes as he hung there. His arms were already tired of holding all his weight. He didn't know what to do. For a while he just hung his head and cried. As he heard the grandfather clock downstairs chime 9:00, however, he knew something had to be done.
Mustering all of his strength, Sirius pulled his body up so that his mouth was level with the knot. He began gnawing at the knot, trying his hardest to untie it. He managed to loosen it slightly, but lost his arm strength. As he slipped lower one of his hands freed itself. However, like a noose, the rope tightened around his other wrist and he heard it snap painfully. Sirius was now tied to the ceiling by a broken arm.
He swung his good arm back up and held the rope so the pressure was off the injured one. Again he began gnawing on the rope until it was loosened. Freeing his hand, Sirius let himself fall to the floor, as silently as he could. He fell hard on his right knee, he knew he hadn't broken it, but it hurt like Hell.
Sirius slowly made his way to the hallway and peered out. He saw that the door to his parent's bedroom was shut and that the light was off. Looking down the hall in the other direction, he saw that his brother's door was also closed, though the light was on. Now the only thing that stood between Sirius and freedom was a particularly evil house elf.
He lifted his trunk with his good, albeit tired, arm. Dragging the trunk as quietly as he could, Sirius made his way to the fireplace in the kitchen. He threw in a handful of floo powder and stepped inside.
"Potter Place!" he called out. However, nothing happened.
"What the fuck?" he mumbled to himself.
Sirius jumped back out of the fireplace before the flames turned back to real fire and examined the fireplace. He took another handful and tried again, but nothing happened.
"'No son of mine is going to live with such blood traitors,' Kreacher's mistress says."
Turning around sharply Sirius looked down to find Kreacher staring up at him.
"Your mistress doesn't have much of a say in that, you little monster."
"Master Sirius is wrong. Kreacher knows that his mistress has blocked the fire place from going to the nasty blood traitors. Master Sirius can not go there!"
"She blocked the fireplace...well then it's a good thing I have more than one friend." Sirius whipped out his wand and stunned the house elf. He threw more powder into the fireplace and called, "Lupin Cottage!"
This time he felt himself spinning and a feeling of relief spread over him like a warm blanket.
Abruptly, he stopped spinning and fell out of the fireplace, landing hard on his bad arm and banging his knee on his trunk. By this time the pain was so much that he was ready to black out. He felt a pair of arms pulling him into a sitting position, and then all went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sirius....Sirius....wake up mate..." Sirius heard bits and pieces of these words as he fought to gain consciousness. He felt something wet on his forehead and a hand covering his own.
"Come on mate, wake up!"
Sirius slowly tried to open his eyes. When he finally cracked them open enough he found himself staring into the worried eyes of Remus Lupin. He found himself lying on a comfortable couch. The wetness on his forehead came from a damp towel resting there.
"Are you okay?!" Remus asked urgently, squeezing his friend's hand.
Sirius swallowed hard and shook his head. Tears began to well and slowly drip down his face. Remus wiped them away and pulled Sirius to him. Sirius hissed in pain as Remus squeezed his broken arm.
Remus pulled back and gently lifted Sirius's arm. It was hanging at an odd angle. He let it back down gently and stood up. "I'm going to go get my mum."
"Don't tell her anything, Remus...please!" Sirius begged.
"I won't...but she's going to ask you." Remus got up and left the room. Sirius tried to dry his tears. He did not want Remus's mother to see him crying like a baby.
A few minutes went by and Remus and his mother, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, emerged.
"Mum, this is Sirius," Remus said. "I think his arm's broken. Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Sirius nodded, "I did something to my knee...I don't think it's broken though."
She nodded. "This is going to take a while, Sirius. I'm not the best at fixing broken bones so I take my time."
"I'm going to go owl James and tell him you're alri—here," Remus said. Sirius nodded and watched his friend go.
"How did this happen?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"And why's that?" she asked.
Sirius looked up at her with sad eyes as she gently prodded his arm with her wand. "It's personal. Please don't ask questions," he asked desperately.
She looked at him gravely. "Are you in danger of this happening again?"
He nodded. "And it will only get worse if it gets out!"
"What did you do to get yourself into such trouble?"
"I was born and grew up to become a good person."
"You're Sirius Black, correct?"
Sirius nodded.
"You come from a dark family?" she asked suspiciously.
"Yes, but I'm not like them I swear! That's why they did this to me!" Sirius said desperately, afraid she wouldn't want Remus to be his friend any longer.
"Ah-ha, so your parents did this."
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing. He had just been outsmarted by Remus's mum.
"Mrs. Lupin, please don't tell the ministry. If my parents find out that I've told anything they've done...they wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Please, I'm never going back there...no one has to know about this!"
"Calm down dear, my lips are sealed."
"Thank you," Sirius mumbled.
Silence fell upon them as Mrs. Lupin focused on fixing up his arm. Remus came back in after a few minutes and sat beside his mother, watching her work. Every time Sirius winced in pain, he involuntarily did the same. His mother caught him do it several times and smiled at him.
"Done," she declared a short while later. "It's going to be tender for a few days. We have some powerful pain potion I can give you. Just be careful when you use that arm."
"Thank you," Sirius muttered.
"Now about that knee?"
Sirius sat up a little higher and pulled up the leg of his khakis. His knee was covered in a nasty bruise and looked quite swollen.
"Can you bend it?"
Sirius moved it gently up and down. "Looks like it's just a sprain. I can fix that quickly." She set to work on that and was done in a matter of seconds.
"Honey, you take Sirius up to your room, okay? I think you both need some rest. I'll be up with some pain potion in a little bit."
Remus nodded. Sirius and he stood up. "Can you walk all right? You aren't going to pass out on me again are you?"
"I don't think so," Sirius muttered.
"Let's go," Remus said putting his arm around Sirius and guiding him to the stairs. They slowly climbed the stairs.
"Your mum is really nice Moony," Mrs. Lupin heard from the stairs, she smiled to herself and went to the bathroom to find the potion for Sirius, laughing to herself at the nickname he apparently had for her son.
Once they made it to Remus's room, Sirius sat on Remus's bed. Remus dragged his desk chair over and sat in front of him.
"What did they do to you? And why did you come here instead of James's?"
Sirius sighed deeply, not knowing exactly where to begin. "I guess I was just too mouthy at dinner...and then she caught me packing up some of my stuff. She refused to let me leave and...tied me up like she tied up Jack. She left me hanging from the ceiling for hours. I had to gnaw my way out of the rope. This arm got stuck...that's how it broke...it hurt like hell freeing it. Then I fell to the ground and landed on my knee. I was so scared that she's come back any minute...and do exactly what she did to him..." Sirius said, his voice cracking several times as he spoke.
"So why'd you come here? Not that I mind of course."
"They blocked the fireplace from going to the Potter's. My evil house elf informed me of that."
"I'm glad you thought to come here."
Sirius nodded and then buried his head in his hands. His shoulders began to shake with his silent tears. Remus moved next to him and pulled him into his arms, rubbing his back gently.
His mother walked in just then and put the potion down on his dresser. "Give him the amount you take," she mouthed to him.
"Okay," he mouthed back.
She waved to him and left the room, silently pulling the door shut behind her.
"You're going to be fine now Sirius," Remus whispered. "It's alright."
Sirius nodded and pulled back, drying his eyes. Remus took that time to get up and grab the pain medication. He poured the right amount into a little cup and handed it to Sirius. "It makes you kind of drowsy. Drink it all and I'll find you something to wear to bed."
"Okay," Sirius muttered and downed the potion, grimacing at the taste.
Remus threw him a pair of pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt.
Sirius quickly took off his dress robes and put the comfortable pajamas on. He then crawled into Remus's very large bed. Remus went to the bathroom for a moment and then joined him.
"I like your house a lot Remus...it's so cozy."
"That's because it's tiny."
"It's not tiny...it's cozy."
Remus laughed.
"And it smells really good."
"Really? What does it smell like?"
Sirius sniffed and thought for a moment. "Well...you I guess."
Remus again laughed. "Thanks I guess."
Rolling over onto his stomach, and burying his head into the pillow Sirius muttered, "You're so lucky, Remus. You have a great mum and a great house. How's your dad?"
"He's great too. He's away right now on business though. He could be back at anytime...I miss him. "
"I wish I had parents I could miss."
"I wish you did too. Go to sleep...I bet James will be here at the crack of dawn to get you!"
"I kind of wish I could stay here. Your mom seems so cool with my not revealing any information. I love James mum, but I know from experience that she doesn't like being out of the loop."
"Well...I'm sure you could stay until the full moon if you really wanted to. My mom wouldn't let you stay past that, though. She doesn't think it's safe enough."
"Would that really be cool?" Sirius asked, propping himself up on his elbows and looking at his friend.
Remus nodded. "I think so. I can talk to my mum about it in the morning."
"James won't be happy...but I can make him understand."
"He could probably stay for a while too."
"Really?!"
Remus laughed and nodded. Sirius grinned ear to ear.
"Go to sleep Sirius!"
Sirius laughed and then lay back down. He closed his eyes and was fast asleep in seconds. Remus watched him sleep and thought about all the shit his friend had gone through. If he had been in the same situation, Remus didn't think he'd have been strong enough to make it out alive.
Remus climbed out of his bed and went back downstairs. His mother was at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a book. She always enjoyed reading late at night and knew she'd be down there.
"You should be in bed honey."
"Not really tired," Remus mumbled sitting across from her.
She marked her place in the book and set it aside, staring curiously at her son. "How's Sirius?"
"Good...he was pretty upset for a while there...but he's sleeping now."
"Did you give him the pain potion?"
Remus nodded.
"Good. So are you going to tell me what happened to him?"
"Nope. He made me promise not to."
"Is it really as serious as he was saying?"
"Yeah, it really is. I've never met them, but I honestly think that Sirius's family is insane...he's never going back there."
"He had better not. I can't imagine what state he'd be in if he hadn't gotten here. Why would he ever return to a place where he's treated like that?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
"It's his home...he didn't intend on staying the whole summer. He was going to run away to James's house tonight or tomorrow. But I guess his parents blocked the floo network to the Potter's."
Mrs. Lupin shook her head sadly.
"Can he stay here for a while mum? He's supposed to go to James place, but he says he wants to stay here...and I want him to too...cuz it gets lonely way out here, you know. And it'll just be until the next full moon...please???"
Laughing, Mrs. Lupin nodded. "Of course he can stay, he seems like a very nice young man."
"Thanks mum! Ah, can James stay too? Don't want him to feel left out..." Remus continued.
"Sure, sweetie."
Remus beamed.
"It looks like you've made some very good friends at Hogwarts, Remus...I'm so happy for you. And they know about your--?"
"Condition? Yeah, Sirius and James figured it out at the end of first year and they're really cool with it."
"Did I hear Sirius call you Moony?"
"Yeah, they tried to make me feel better about being...a werewolf. Thought it was a cute name or something. They're always trying to make me feel better," Remus laughed.
Suddenly he turned quite serious and looked back up at his mother. "Can I—um—can I tell you something that I did this year without you getting really mad or anything? It's kind of embarrassing and...it just wasn't smart."
She looked at him concerned and nodded.
"Okay...well remember Brie? You met her at the train station at the end of fifth year."
"Of course, she was such a sweet girl. Are you still seeing her?"
Remus shook his head and looked down at the table. "Well we broke up a little over a month ago...she thought I was cheating on her or something because I would disappear a lot and wouldn't tell her where I was. She was terrified of werewolves, so I could never tell her why I disappeared. So she...dumped me. And, well, it broke my heart. All I could think was that I could never be really happy because...well because no one can love a werewolf."
"Remus..."
"No, just listen," Remus commanded and took a deep breath. "So that day I marched upstairs and got into the bathtub and filled it up. I just wanted all the pain to go away. So I let it go up past my chin...and then over my head...and just sat there. I lost consciousness and then woke up a few minutes later to Sirius holding me up and the water slowly draining. He had seen me go upstairs..." Remus looked up at his mom and saw tears pouring down her face.
"He told me how stupid I was being...he told me everything would be alright and that killing myself wasn't the answer...and he was right. He helped me move on."
"Why are you telling me this now?! Why didn't you tell me when it happened?"
"I was embarrassed mum...I almost made the biggest mistake of my life. I—I don't even understand why I did it anymore. If Sirius hadn't been there...I don't even want to think about that. And as to why I'm telling you now...see, it's like this, he helped me move on from Brie. I don't think I could have done it without him, I really don't. And now...he has all these problems and I want to help him. But I just don't know how to!"
"Oh, Remus...I think you're already doing that. I saw how you were comforting him and taking care of him. That's all you can do for him, and I'm sure that's all he did for you. He can stay for the next three weeks and you'll do everything for him that he's done for you. I think you're already helping him immensely, sweetheart."
Remus smiled slightly and stood up. "Thanks mum."
She stood up as well and went up to her son putting her arms around him and kissing the top of his head several times. "Don't you dare ever try to end your life again! You're strong Remus you can get through anything!"
Remus nodded. "I know...I wish the whole thing had never happened. I'm sorry it did mum."
"It's alright Remus," she whispered squeezing him tighter.
Remus laughed and said, "You're kind of hurting me mum."
"That's your punishment," she quipped. "Good night honey, I love you."
"Love you too."
With a last kiss to his forehead Mrs. Lupin freed him from her grasp and watched him leave the kitchen. She sat down and shook her head sadly, picking her book back up.
Remus returned to bed where Sirius was still soundly sleeping. He curled up beside him and was soon just as soundly sleeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"WAKE UP!!!"
Sirius and Remus simultaneously sat straight up in bed, looking first at each other and then at the source of the noise.
"James!" Sirius exclaimed. "Must you ALWAYS wake us up like that?!"
"Indeed," James said cheekily.
"Your mom showed me up here," he said to Remus.
Remus nodded. James sat at the foot of the bed and looked at Sirius seriously, "Remus wrote and told me you had a broken arm and a sprained knee. What the Hell happened...and why didn't you come to my place."
"I tried to go to your place as planned...but my parents decided they didn't want me at your house. So they blocked our fireplace from going to your house. So I came here. Do I have to talk about what happened yesterday?" Sirius asked in a small voice, like a child.
James gave him a small sympathetic smile, "No, you don't...but I'd like to know."
Sirius looked at Remus and gave his best puppy dog eyes. "Fine, I'll tell him."
"Thank you!" Sirius said and then rolled over and covered his head with his pillow.
Remus retold everything he could remember as best as he could. James became far more subdued as he heard the story. When Remus was done James removed the pillow from Sirius's head and forced him to sit up.
"Are you okay now?" James asked.
Sirius smiled painfully and nodded.
His smile slowly broke down though and he had to bite his lip to stop himself from crying.
"He's alright physically...but it left some mental scarring...right Padfoot?" Remus asked Sirius nodded. James crawled up next to Sirius and put his arms around him. Remus rubbed his back.
"Never again," James whispered. Sirius nodded and pulled away, wiping the edge of his eyes for any tears that may have leaked over. Remus squeezed the back of his neck gently.
"Let's change the subject," James declared. "When are we going to my house?"
Sirius looked up at Remus. "Actually, James...if it's okay with you, Sirius wanted to stay here for a bit. You can stay too...until the next full moon. My mum said it was fine?"
James looked momentarily confused and even slightly hurt. He looked from Remus to Sirius and back again several times and then broke into a smile. "That sounds like an excellent idea!"
Remus laughed in relief, he had thought James was going to protest it.
"I think I have to go back home today...and for tomorrow because tomorrow is my grandmother's birthday....but I can probably be back by Tuesday. I'll go home now and owl you after I ask my parents, okay?"
They both nodded.
"If you guys need anything just owl or something alright. Sirius, feel better soon, alright mate!"
Sirius smiled and nodded, giving James another hug. "I'll see you guys in a few days!" James then exited the room.
"You already talked to your mom?"
Remus nodded. "Last night after you fell asleep I went down and talked to her. I also told her about what happened with Brie..."
"You did?!"
"Yeah...I thought she should know. I thought she deserved to know."
"How did she take it?"
"She cried...but she wasn't angry or anything. I assured her it wouldn't happen again."
"Does she know about what I did to you...?"
Remus sighed and shook his head. "I think it best that she doesn't find out about that."
"I must say I agree."
"Hungry?" Remus asked.
"Starving! They didn't let me finish my dinner yesterday, and I haven't eaten a thing since."
Remus shook his head angrily. "Come on then!" He stood up and waited for Sirius to get out too.
"How's the knee and arm?"
"Very good...your mum did a superb job!"
"Let's hope she did as good a job on breakfast!" Remus replied and led the way downstairs to the kitchen.
A large plate of eggs, bacon and pancakes was already set out. Mrs. Lupin and presumably Mr. Lupin were already there, reading the daily prophet as they ate. They both looked up as they heard the boys enter.
"Dad! You're back!" Remus said and walked up to his father.
"There's my boy!" Mr. Lupin exclaimed standing up and embracing his son. He stroked his hair several times and then kissed him atop the head.
"When did you get in?" Remus asked.
"Around midnight. Apparently you had just headed to bed. Mum says you told her something important but wouldn't tell me what. Are you going to speak to me about this, too?"
Remus looked uncomfortable and backed away from his father slightly. "I guess you should know. We'll talk about it later."
Sirius watched the exchange with intense interest. He never really had any contact at all with his own father, though it couldn't have been like this if he had, and James's father was never around much either. Sirius was fascinated by the relationship Remus and his Dad seemed to have.
Mr. Lupin then turned his attention to Sirius and said, "You must be Sirius. Marie told me you'd be joining us for a while."
"That's me," Sirius said and shook his hand.
"She said you were in pretty rough shape last night. Are you alright now?"
Sirius nodded.
"He's fine dad, just sick of talking about it."
"Point taken. Anyway, welcome, Sirius," he said and sat back down at the table.
"Thanks," Sirius said, smiling. He and Remus sat down as well and ate a delicious, peaceful breakfast while Sirius got to know Remus's parents better.
They didn't question him further on the events of the previous night. They understood that he didn't want to talk about it and were willing to let it go.
Sirius knew he was going to enjoy his stay at the Lupin's.
And that's all for now. One chapter left to wrap it all up and tie up any loose ends! Tell me if there's anything you want to see in it, because I honestly don't even know what it's going to consist of. I'm sure I'll think of something though!
Please Review!!!