Disclaimer - You know the drill. You don't seriously think I created Harry Potter, do you? Give me a break, I'm not that smart. No, these characters are the sole property of J. Rowling and a number of publishing companies.
A/N -
meheeners - I'm thinking of writing a parody in which all my reviewers go lie low at Lupin's. Lie very low. If you take my meaning.
HappyDappyDrunk -Of course I will grin I'm glad you like it.
Rin the Kitsune - He's been having a bad time of it hasn't he? Poor guy.
Lillei - I'm glad you like the twist. Ha ha, I still didn't resolve the cliffhanger snicker
-Leaf
NEVER ONE TO LEAVE
Sirius went straight up to the hospital wing. He needed to see Remus and sort things out before he left.
Outside the room, he paused and looked in. Remus was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard and starting vacantly out the window opposite him. He looked utterly drained. Sirius felt his stomach clench at the thought of the pain he'd caused his best friend.
For a moment he almost turned away. James would tell Remus what had happened, Sirius knew he didn't have to do it. He could just leave. That would certainly lose him Remus' friendship.
But he deserves better, Sirius thought. I owe him this one last thing. He'll hear it from me.
Steeling himself, he walked into the room.
Remus looked up, hearing him enter. "Sirius!" He winced, and Sirius noticed with another pang how bruised his face was. He must have been throwing himself against the walls of the Shack all night.
"Hey…" Sirius came over to sit beside his friend. "How are you, Remy?"
"A bit better," Remus grinned. "Madam Pomfrey says I'm running her ragged."
"Yeah, well." Sirius forced a smile. "You look better, mate."
Remus was confused. "Were you here when I was asleep?"
"Er…yeah." Sirius didn't want to tell Remus he'd been sitting on the floor outside the hospital wing all day. That was something a friend would do, not a betrayer.
"I was waiting for you to come," Remus said softly. "I knew once you were here everything would be okay."
Sirius' heart twisted. He turned away.
Remus laid a hand on his arm. "What's wrong, Sirius?"
"Remus…" Sirius swallowed hard. "I have to tell you something."
"Wow, sounds serious." Remus' laugh was a bit forced.
"Remus, did James tell you what happened last night?"
"Oh that," Remus smiled in relief. "Don't worry, mate, he already told me. Snape found his way down into the tunnel and saw the wolf. But it's all right, Dumbledore's sworn him to secrecy." Remus sighed. "Lucky I didn't bite him."
Sirius tried to speak but found he couldn't. He buried his face in his hands.
"Sirius?"
"Remus," Sirius managed. "There's something else you need to know."
"What?" Remus really was afraid now. "Did something else happen?"
"I sent Snape down there."
"Down where?" Remus didn't understand.
"In the tunnel, Remus. I told him to follow you last night. I showed him how to get into the Whomping Willow. He wanted to know where you went every month, and I told him. It's all my fault."
"You…" Remus' eyes were wide with shock. "Sirius…you don't mean…you can't have…"
Sirius had tears in his eyes now. "I'm sorry, Moony, I didn't want to, it…it was just a prank. Just another prank on Snape."
"You sent him?"
"I thought maybe…maybe he'd leave you alone if…"
"You sent him into the Shack?"
Sirius looked up. He had never seen Remus look like this, a mixture of shock and disgust and fury. He wanted to deny it, to take back what he'd said, if only Remus would never look at him this way again. "Yes."
"As a prank? You thought that would be funny?"
Sirius hung his head.
"Get out of here, Sirius," Remus said, his voice breaking.
Sirius nodded and stood to leave. When he'd reached the door, he turned back. "Remus, you know I love you."
"Don't." Remus' face was pained, but his voice was steady. "Don't say that to me. If you loved me, you wouldn't have done this."
I did it because I love you, Sirius thought. I loved you enough to hurt you. And I hate Bella enough to give her exactly what she wants.
Unable to take any more, he turned away and left the hospital wing.
Remus Lupin curled up in his bed and sobbed.
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"Enough!" James bellowed at Sirius as he entered the room. "Enough lies! Sit down and tell me exactly what happened, NOW!"
Sirius ignored James completely, brushing past him. He went to his trunk and began to transfer things to his shoulder bag: a few changes of clothes, quills and parchment, his wand. Grabbing his broom from behind the trunk, he made his way to the window.
"Hey!" James barked.
"James, I'm leaving," Sirius said distractedly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Home."
"No, WAIT." James grabbed Sirius shoulders and shoved him roughly onto the bed. "Sirius, what's going on? You're helping Snape, you betrayed Remus, and now you're taking off in the middle of the night? What aren't you telling me?"
Sirius sighed. "James…don't, okay? I don't have time for this."
James pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius. "Make time."
For a moment Sirius considered telling James the truth. But James could not be trusted not to tell Remus. James wouldn't understand the power Bella held. James had a perfect, wonderful family who loved him. He wouldn't know what it was like to have your every move dictated by a family who resented you as much as you did them.
"Look," Sirius said urgently. "Maybe I didn't tell you everything, okay? Maybe there is something more going on. But you'll have to trust me to get it sorted out."
"Trust you like Remus trusted you?" James asked quietly, and Sirius felt slapped.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Trust me like Remus did."
James glared. "Why? Why in the world would I trust you, after what you did?"
Sirius shook his head. "You wouldn't. But trusting me got us all into this nightmare, and if you give me just a little time I might be able to get us out of it. I'm not promising anything, but I'm sure as hell going to try."
"What are you going to do?"
"No idea." Sirius climbed up into the window ledge and, holding his broom, jumped out. James watched him fall several feet before righting himself on the broom and speeding off into the night.
Peter came pelting up the stairs. "I heard shouting…where's Sirius?"
"Gone," James sighed. "Gone again."
A/N -
meheeners - I'm thinking of writing a parody in which all my reviewers go lie low at Lupin's. Lie very low. If you take my meaning.
HappyDappyDrunk -Of course I will grin I'm glad you like it.
Rin the Kitsune - He's been having a bad time of it hasn't he? Poor guy.
Lillei - I'm glad you like the twist. Ha ha, I still didn't resolve the cliffhanger snicker
-Leaf
NEVER ONE TO LEAVE
Sirius went straight up to the hospital wing. He needed to see Remus and sort things out before he left.
Outside the room, he paused and looked in. Remus was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard and starting vacantly out the window opposite him. He looked utterly drained. Sirius felt his stomach clench at the thought of the pain he'd caused his best friend.
For a moment he almost turned away. James would tell Remus what had happened, Sirius knew he didn't have to do it. He could just leave. That would certainly lose him Remus' friendship.
But he deserves better, Sirius thought. I owe him this one last thing. He'll hear it from me.
Steeling himself, he walked into the room.
Remus looked up, hearing him enter. "Sirius!" He winced, and Sirius noticed with another pang how bruised his face was. He must have been throwing himself against the walls of the Shack all night.
"Hey…" Sirius came over to sit beside his friend. "How are you, Remy?"
"A bit better," Remus grinned. "Madam Pomfrey says I'm running her ragged."
"Yeah, well." Sirius forced a smile. "You look better, mate."
Remus was confused. "Were you here when I was asleep?"
"Er…yeah." Sirius didn't want to tell Remus he'd been sitting on the floor outside the hospital wing all day. That was something a friend would do, not a betrayer.
"I was waiting for you to come," Remus said softly. "I knew once you were here everything would be okay."
Sirius' heart twisted. He turned away.
Remus laid a hand on his arm. "What's wrong, Sirius?"
"Remus…" Sirius swallowed hard. "I have to tell you something."
"Wow, sounds serious." Remus' laugh was a bit forced.
"Remus, did James tell you what happened last night?"
"Oh that," Remus smiled in relief. "Don't worry, mate, he already told me. Snape found his way down into the tunnel and saw the wolf. But it's all right, Dumbledore's sworn him to secrecy." Remus sighed. "Lucky I didn't bite him."
Sirius tried to speak but found he couldn't. He buried his face in his hands.
"Sirius?"
"Remus," Sirius managed. "There's something else you need to know."
"What?" Remus really was afraid now. "Did something else happen?"
"I sent Snape down there."
"Down where?" Remus didn't understand.
"In the tunnel, Remus. I told him to follow you last night. I showed him how to get into the Whomping Willow. He wanted to know where you went every month, and I told him. It's all my fault."
"You…" Remus' eyes were wide with shock. "Sirius…you don't mean…you can't have…"
Sirius had tears in his eyes now. "I'm sorry, Moony, I didn't want to, it…it was just a prank. Just another prank on Snape."
"You sent him?"
"I thought maybe…maybe he'd leave you alone if…"
"You sent him into the Shack?"
Sirius looked up. He had never seen Remus look like this, a mixture of shock and disgust and fury. He wanted to deny it, to take back what he'd said, if only Remus would never look at him this way again. "Yes."
"As a prank? You thought that would be funny?"
Sirius hung his head.
"Get out of here, Sirius," Remus said, his voice breaking.
Sirius nodded and stood to leave. When he'd reached the door, he turned back. "Remus, you know I love you."
"Don't." Remus' face was pained, but his voice was steady. "Don't say that to me. If you loved me, you wouldn't have done this."
I did it because I love you, Sirius thought. I loved you enough to hurt you. And I hate Bella enough to give her exactly what she wants.
Unable to take any more, he turned away and left the hospital wing.
Remus Lupin curled up in his bed and sobbed.
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"Enough!" James bellowed at Sirius as he entered the room. "Enough lies! Sit down and tell me exactly what happened, NOW!"
Sirius ignored James completely, brushing past him. He went to his trunk and began to transfer things to his shoulder bag: a few changes of clothes, quills and parchment, his wand. Grabbing his broom from behind the trunk, he made his way to the window.
"Hey!" James barked.
"James, I'm leaving," Sirius said distractedly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"Home."
"No, WAIT." James grabbed Sirius shoulders and shoved him roughly onto the bed. "Sirius, what's going on? You're helping Snape, you betrayed Remus, and now you're taking off in the middle of the night? What aren't you telling me?"
Sirius sighed. "James…don't, okay? I don't have time for this."
James pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius. "Make time."
For a moment Sirius considered telling James the truth. But James could not be trusted not to tell Remus. James wouldn't understand the power Bella held. James had a perfect, wonderful family who loved him. He wouldn't know what it was like to have your every move dictated by a family who resented you as much as you did them.
"Look," Sirius said urgently. "Maybe I didn't tell you everything, okay? Maybe there is something more going on. But you'll have to trust me to get it sorted out."
"Trust you like Remus trusted you?" James asked quietly, and Sirius felt slapped.
"Yes," he said firmly. "Trust me like Remus did."
James glared. "Why? Why in the world would I trust you, after what you did?"
Sirius shook his head. "You wouldn't. But trusting me got us all into this nightmare, and if you give me just a little time I might be able to get us out of it. I'm not promising anything, but I'm sure as hell going to try."
"What are you going to do?"
"No idea." Sirius climbed up into the window ledge and, holding his broom, jumped out. James watched him fall several feet before righting himself on the broom and speeding off into the night.
Peter came pelting up the stairs. "I heard shouting…where's Sirius?"
"Gone," James sighed. "Gone again."