The wolf's head butted at the hand dangling over the chair arm. The hand
swung limply, and the wolf growled, nudging the hand harder. The fire had
burned down to ashes hours ago, and the strongest smell in the room was the
scent of alcohol, coming as much from the man laying in the chair as the
empty bottle of firewhisky that lay at his feet.
The wolf growled again, turning away from the slumped figure to the door.
Pricking up his ears at the sound of voices, her trotted downstairs to the
kitchen.
Mrs. Weasley yelled, almost dropping the plate she was drying, as the wolf
squeezed in through the half open door. Tonks laughed and scratched him
behind the ears as he stopped in front of her.
"Wotcher Lupin."
Lupin growled softly and stepped backwards, eyes still fixed on Tonks. Mrs.
Weasley put down her towel.
"Is something the matter with him?" She asked, staring at Lupin but
addressing her question to Tonks.
"Only one way to find out. " Tonks replied. She stood up and walked towards
the wolf. He moved further back, encouraging her out of the kitchen. Mrs.
Weasley followed, and both women held their breath as they crept past the
portrait of Mrs. Black.
Lupin stopped in front of Sirius' room and whined. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks
exchanged looks, and Tonks stepped through the doorway. Then stopped.
"Ah." She said, and moved to one side, revealing the scene to Mrs. Weasley.
Sirius was slumped in an armchair by the fire, clearly drunk out of his
wits. Lupin sat at the side of the chair, and as Tonks and Mrs. Weasley
moved closer he lay his head on his paws, looking as aggravated as a wolf
can.
"Sirius!" Mrs. Weasley demanded, leaning over the arm chair. "Wake up this
instant! This is a disgraceful way to behave! If Harry saw you now....." She
trailed off, realizing that the tone that had reduced 25 years of worth
Weasley-son to quivering heaps was having absolutely no effect, mainly due
to the recipient being unconscious. Sirius hadn't even stirred.
"Let me" Tonks said, and Mrs. Weasley stood back, arms folded and a grim
expression on her face.
Tonks reached forwards, and slapped Sirius. Hard. The man sat bolt upright,
and the wolf at his side growled, a single warning note.
"Sorry mate." She said to Lupin, who regarded her with narrowed eyes. "It's
for his own good."
"Whas goin on?: Sirius demanded, words slurred as he blinked slowly,
sinking back into the chair.
"That is an excellent question." Muttered Mrs. Weasley, tapping her foot.
Tonks crouched in front of the chair, and waved one hand at Sirius.
"How many fingers?" She asked, pointing a single digit at the ceiling.
"Wha?" Sirius asked, squinting straight past Tonks. "'s no fingers!" Tonks
shook her head, looking over her shoulder at Mrs. Weasley, who now looked
as though she would liked to have slapped Sirius herself.
"Completely gone. Lets put him to bed, let his sleep it off. You can always
kill him in the morning." Mrs. Weasley glared at Sirius, who was now sound
asleep and snoring gently. Both women grabbed and arm and heaved him off
the chair, none too gently. Between them they dragged him to the bed.
Kreacher had already turned down the covers, so they let him fall onto the
bed and covered him with the blanket. Satisfied, they left the room. As she
blew out the lamp, Tonks turned to Lupin.
"Night. If he starts choking or anything, you know which room I'm in. But
I, er, I wouldn't go waking Molly if I were you. You know how it is." With
that, she closed the door.
As the door clicked shut, Lupin jumped onto the bed. He nosed his way under
Sirius' outstretched arm, and settled down. With one last glare at the
sleeping wizard, he fell asleep.
Sirius woke with a start to find Lupin staring at him. A very human, very angry Lupin. He tried to speak, and failed, the words dying on a tongue that felt like it had been intimately acquainted with sandpaper. He swallowed, and tried again. "What happened?" He rasped. Lupin continued to stare at him, and Sirius belatedly realised that he still had one arm flung across the other man's bare shoulders, Hastily he pulled the arm back, laying it on top of the covers. He realised that under the scrutiny of Lupin's gaze, his own ragged nails had suddenly become very interesting. "You got drunk" Lupin said accusingly. "Again." Sirius started to say something, but Lupin shook his head. "We've talked about this." The anger faded from his voice, replaced by a mixture of tiredness and sadness. "We've talked and talked and talked about this." "The nightmares..." Sirius began, and again Lupin interrupted him. "Oh, the nightmares the nightmares, of course the nightmares. You think I hear the screaming any less because I am in the next room instead of in here?" Sirius rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling as Lupin continued. "And why do you have to do this alone all the damn time? Isn't 12 years long enough to be alone?" Sirius whipped around at this. "Shut up!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Shut up! You haven't a clue in hell what you are talking about. Every single night. I remember. Every. Single. Night." He grabbed Lupin's shoulders and punctuated each word with an angry shake. Lupin did nothing but stare back at Sirius until Sirius ran out of steam. Then Lupin raised a hand to Sirius' face, not even trying to break Sirius' grip, and ran it gently down the side of his face, "Remember when you found out the truth about me? When you finally worked out where I went every month, and why?" The words were barely above a whisper, and Sirius had to strain to hear them. "Remember what you would do the night after the full moon? Every month without fail, and you always seemed to know when I needed it most." Sirius closed his eyes, resting his cheek against Lupin's hand. His hands loosed their grip on Lupin's shoulders, fingers playing over the white marks they had left there. Lupin smiled and carried on, voice still the same soft whisper. "You would come and hold me. Everytime, everytime I would go to sleep dreading the nightmares, and everytime I would wake up and you would be there. And suddenly it was OK. OK to go to sleep, OK to pretend everything was perfect even when it wasn't." Sirius opened his eyes slowly, as if afraid to break the spell. " I remember." The words were hoarse, as much from emotion as exhaustion. "But that was 20 years ago," The pain that leaked out into the words tore at Lupin, and he moved to hug Sirius. He tried to pull Sirius into his arms, but the gesture was made awkward by the other man being so much taller. In the end he settled for wrapping his arm's around Sirius' waist, and laying his head on Sirius' chest. Sirius held his breath during all this, only relaxing when Lupin stopped moving. "What are you.....?" He asked, trailing off as Lupin tightened his grip. "You were bloody hard to get rid of 20 years ago Sirius Black." Muttered Lupin, the words muffled. "Right when I needed you most. And now it's your turn. You've just acquired yourself a werewolf. Get used to it." With that, Lupin closed his eyes. The opened one. "And stop wriggling. Some of us are trying to rest." The eyes napped shut. "Yes sir." Whispered Sirius, smiling, and drifted back to sleep, on arm still holding Lupin tightly against him.
Sirius woke with a start to find Lupin staring at him. A very human, very angry Lupin. He tried to speak, and failed, the words dying on a tongue that felt like it had been intimately acquainted with sandpaper. He swallowed, and tried again. "What happened?" He rasped. Lupin continued to stare at him, and Sirius belatedly realised that he still had one arm flung across the other man's bare shoulders, Hastily he pulled the arm back, laying it on top of the covers. He realised that under the scrutiny of Lupin's gaze, his own ragged nails had suddenly become very interesting. "You got drunk" Lupin said accusingly. "Again." Sirius started to say something, but Lupin shook his head. "We've talked about this." The anger faded from his voice, replaced by a mixture of tiredness and sadness. "We've talked and talked and talked about this." "The nightmares..." Sirius began, and again Lupin interrupted him. "Oh, the nightmares the nightmares, of course the nightmares. You think I hear the screaming any less because I am in the next room instead of in here?" Sirius rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling as Lupin continued. "And why do you have to do this alone all the damn time? Isn't 12 years long enough to be alone?" Sirius whipped around at this. "Shut up!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Shut up! You haven't a clue in hell what you are talking about. Every single night. I remember. Every. Single. Night." He grabbed Lupin's shoulders and punctuated each word with an angry shake. Lupin did nothing but stare back at Sirius until Sirius ran out of steam. Then Lupin raised a hand to Sirius' face, not even trying to break Sirius' grip, and ran it gently down the side of his face, "Remember when you found out the truth about me? When you finally worked out where I went every month, and why?" The words were barely above a whisper, and Sirius had to strain to hear them. "Remember what you would do the night after the full moon? Every month without fail, and you always seemed to know when I needed it most." Sirius closed his eyes, resting his cheek against Lupin's hand. His hands loosed their grip on Lupin's shoulders, fingers playing over the white marks they had left there. Lupin smiled and carried on, voice still the same soft whisper. "You would come and hold me. Everytime, everytime I would go to sleep dreading the nightmares, and everytime I would wake up and you would be there. And suddenly it was OK. OK to go to sleep, OK to pretend everything was perfect even when it wasn't." Sirius opened his eyes slowly, as if afraid to break the spell. " I remember." The words were hoarse, as much from emotion as exhaustion. "But that was 20 years ago," The pain that leaked out into the words tore at Lupin, and he moved to hug Sirius. He tried to pull Sirius into his arms, but the gesture was made awkward by the other man being so much taller. In the end he settled for wrapping his arm's around Sirius' waist, and laying his head on Sirius' chest. Sirius held his breath during all this, only relaxing when Lupin stopped moving. "What are you.....?" He asked, trailing off as Lupin tightened his grip. "You were bloody hard to get rid of 20 years ago Sirius Black." Muttered Lupin, the words muffled. "Right when I needed you most. And now it's your turn. You've just acquired yourself a werewolf. Get used to it." With that, Lupin closed his eyes. The opened one. "And stop wriggling. Some of us are trying to rest." The eyes napped shut. "Yes sir." Whispered Sirius, smiling, and drifted back to sleep, on arm still holding Lupin tightly against him.