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 - Since you were all so let down by the lack of emotion at the end of my last story, I emo'd it up here. Let me know what you think.
This is the conclusion to the series. While there will be another story, it's not part of this set, so let me know how you like the series as a whole as well as this chapter.
That also means I get a break from the nightly updates! The parody I promised will be up tomorrow night, and after that I'm taking a few days off. The first chapter of the next story will be up no later than Friday night.
Thanks for sticking with the series! I really appreciate all my regular reviewers, most especially meheeners, Lillei, SP-in-Sirius-Denial, Happy Dappy Drunk, and AffectedMangoO. Not to mention my new agent, Versipellis.
-Leaf
NEVER ONE TO LEAVE
"Remy?"
Remus rolled onto his side and did not respond.
"Remy, can we talk?"
"No," Remus whispered hoarsely.
"Right, you heard him," James stood abruptly from where he'd been sitting, out of the way on his own bed. "Out."
"No, I'm not leaving," Sirius insisted. "Remy…"
"Don't call me that."
"Out!" James said, more firmly now, shoving Sirius backward. Sirius fell back a few steps but did not rise to James' wordless challenge.
Remus lay in bed shaking. He'd been released from the hospital wing a few hours ago and had come straight back to bed, hoping things would make sense when he woke up. Instead he'd awakened to find Sirius back and the situation more confusing than ever.
"James, you've got to let me explain!" James had backed Sirius up to the wall and was glaring furiously at him. "You wanted answers, right? And I'm ready to give them! Please just let me talk!"
"Fine," James snapped. "We'll talk. In the common room. I won't let you hurt Remus anymore."
"I'm not going to hurt him!" Sirius insisted. "He has to know, James, he has to understand!"
Remus sighed, twisting back to face his friends. "Let him stay, James." As though it could possibly matter what Sirius had to say.
Sirius ran and knelt beside Remus' bed. "Remy, listen, it was my family. They're horrible, you know, I've told you…"
"Yeah," Remus didn't try to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "You've told me."
"But it's all right now! I've run away, I've quit my family. So everything's going to be…"
"What?" Remus looked at Sirius for the first time. "You ran out on your family?"
"Yes!" Sirius smiled hopefully. "See, it was all their…"
Remus let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "God, Sirius. You're so ungrateful, you know?"
"What?" Sirius asked confused.
"I know you didn't like your family very much, for whatever reason, but I never thought you'd be selfish enough to just throw them out. You know, I spent half my life searching for a family. I'd do anything to have what you've never wanted.
"Remy…" Sirius began.
"No!" Remus screamed, a sob escaping him. "You know how much family means to me, and you don't even seem to understand how lucky you are! Don't you know what it means, being family? It means you'll do anything for each other, protect each other, be a team. You can't just give that up! But you're so selfish, you told Snape…you…"
He broke down, crying. James moved to the bed protectively. "I think you can go now, Sirius."
"NO!" Sirius hollered, making both his friends jump. "God, you think it's so easy for me don't you? Not everyone has James' perfect family, you know. Families are just people, Remus, just a bunch of people, and sometimes you draw the short straw and you get stupid people, or mean people. And sometimes you get people who care so much about nobility and honor and respect that they'd shun their own son just for being different!"
Sirius was sobbing himself by now. James was still glaring at him, one arm tight around Remus' shoulders.
"But you don't care…" Sirius whispered. "They made me hurt you Remus, and I'm sorry, I'm so damn sorry I want to die. They made me let Snape into the Shack, and I hated them for it so I left."
There was a stunned silence.
"They couldn't make you," James said doubtfully. Remus was staring at Sirius, who had drawn his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hands.
"Yeah, they could," Sirius said softly. "They'd have done worse to Remus if I hadn't done it."
"What…what were they going to do?" Remus asked.
"My cousin Bella swore she'd tell the whole school you're a werewolf unless I ended our friendship." Sirius sighed, looking up. "I'm so, so sorry Remus. I didn't want to. I'd never hurt you, you've got to know that."
Remus nodded slowly.
James wasn't quite convinced. "Why would Bella want to end your friendship.?"
Sirius paused. He didn't want to confess the real reason - it would only hurt Remus more to think that the Blacks were ashamed to have their son hanging around him.
"Just to be mean, I suppose," Sirius said. "But I've taken care of it. Now that I left my family, my mother will stop Bella from doing anything to us."
"How can she?" Remus quavered. "I…I don't want everyone to know, Sirius…"
"Oh, Remy, I know you don't," Sirius came over and sat at the foot of Remus' bed. "Don't worry, I've got leverage."
"What leverage?"
Sirius forced a grin. "If she tells anyone, I'll go to Dumbledore and say she's an abusive parent. Apparently you can go to Azkaban for not feeding your children."
"She didn't feed you?!" Remus said indignantly. Sirius felt a rush of relief. Remus still cared.
"I got food other ways," he explained. "I wouldn't have starved or anything."
"Sirius…"
"Hey, it's okay." Sirius laid a hand on Remus' arm, and Remus did not pull away. "I'm not a part of that family anymore."
"But…" Remus frowned. "Where'll you go? During the holidays, I mean."
"I dunno," Sirius said uncomfortably, realizing he hadn't thought that far ahead. "Where's that place you go? I could…"
"You'll stay with me."
Sirius turned. James was looking at him oddly.
"Why…why didn't you tell me?" James asked, his voice breaking. "I've been horrible to you…"
"You were protecting Remus," Sirius said firmly. "Just like I was." He paused. "Did you mean that, about staying with you?"
"Both of you," James said. "My mum and dad won't mind. Neither of you is going back to being abused and starved anymore. And I'm not having you at some muggle orphanage either. You're going to be part of a family."
Sirius felt his eyes filling with tears. He turned away, trying to conceal them. "James…"
"We're family," James insisted.
"Yeah," Remus grinned slowly. "We are, aren't we."
"All that stuff you said about family being there for each other, protecting each other," said James, "we do that. We're family."
"Family," Sirius said slowly, tasting the word without hate for the first time. His face broke into a broad smile. "Yeah. Family."
The boys embraced.
END
A/N - Since you were all so let down by the lack of emotion at the end of my last story, I emo'd it up here. Let me know what you think.
This is the conclusion to the series. While there will be another story, it's not part of this set, so let me know how you like the series as a whole as well as this chapter.
That also means I get a break from the nightly updates! The parody I promised will be up tomorrow night, and after that I'm taking a few days off. The first chapter of the next story will be up no later than Friday night.
Thanks for sticking with the series! I really appreciate all my regular reviewers, most especially meheeners, Lillei, SP-in-Sirius-Denial, Happy Dappy Drunk, and AffectedMangoO. Not to mention my new agent, Versipellis.
-Leaf
NEVER ONE TO LEAVE
"Remy?"
Remus rolled onto his side and did not respond.
"Remy, can we talk?"
"No," Remus whispered hoarsely.
"Right, you heard him," James stood abruptly from where he'd been sitting, out of the way on his own bed. "Out."
"No, I'm not leaving," Sirius insisted. "Remy…"
"Don't call me that."
"Out!" James said, more firmly now, shoving Sirius backward. Sirius fell back a few steps but did not rise to James' wordless challenge.
Remus lay in bed shaking. He'd been released from the hospital wing a few hours ago and had come straight back to bed, hoping things would make sense when he woke up. Instead he'd awakened to find Sirius back and the situation more confusing than ever.
"James, you've got to let me explain!" James had backed Sirius up to the wall and was glaring furiously at him. "You wanted answers, right? And I'm ready to give them! Please just let me talk!"
"Fine," James snapped. "We'll talk. In the common room. I won't let you hurt Remus anymore."
"I'm not going to hurt him!" Sirius insisted. "He has to know, James, he has to understand!"
Remus sighed, twisting back to face his friends. "Let him stay, James." As though it could possibly matter what Sirius had to say.
Sirius ran and knelt beside Remus' bed. "Remy, listen, it was my family. They're horrible, you know, I've told you…"
"Yeah," Remus didn't try to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "You've told me."
"But it's all right now! I've run away, I've quit my family. So everything's going to be…"
"What?" Remus looked at Sirius for the first time. "You ran out on your family?"
"Yes!" Sirius smiled hopefully. "See, it was all their…"
Remus let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "God, Sirius. You're so ungrateful, you know?"
"What?" Sirius asked confused.
"I know you didn't like your family very much, for whatever reason, but I never thought you'd be selfish enough to just throw them out. You know, I spent half my life searching for a family. I'd do anything to have what you've never wanted.
"Remy…" Sirius began.
"No!" Remus screamed, a sob escaping him. "You know how much family means to me, and you don't even seem to understand how lucky you are! Don't you know what it means, being family? It means you'll do anything for each other, protect each other, be a team. You can't just give that up! But you're so selfish, you told Snape…you…"
He broke down, crying. James moved to the bed protectively. "I think you can go now, Sirius."
"NO!" Sirius hollered, making both his friends jump. "God, you think it's so easy for me don't you? Not everyone has James' perfect family, you know. Families are just people, Remus, just a bunch of people, and sometimes you draw the short straw and you get stupid people, or mean people. And sometimes you get people who care so much about nobility and honor and respect that they'd shun their own son just for being different!"
Sirius was sobbing himself by now. James was still glaring at him, one arm tight around Remus' shoulders.
"But you don't care…" Sirius whispered. "They made me hurt you Remus, and I'm sorry, I'm so damn sorry I want to die. They made me let Snape into the Shack, and I hated them for it so I left."
There was a stunned silence.
"They couldn't make you," James said doubtfully. Remus was staring at Sirius, who had drawn his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hands.
"Yeah, they could," Sirius said softly. "They'd have done worse to Remus if I hadn't done it."
"What…what were they going to do?" Remus asked.
"My cousin Bella swore she'd tell the whole school you're a werewolf unless I ended our friendship." Sirius sighed, looking up. "I'm so, so sorry Remus. I didn't want to. I'd never hurt you, you've got to know that."
Remus nodded slowly.
James wasn't quite convinced. "Why would Bella want to end your friendship.?"
Sirius paused. He didn't want to confess the real reason - it would only hurt Remus more to think that the Blacks were ashamed to have their son hanging around him.
"Just to be mean, I suppose," Sirius said. "But I've taken care of it. Now that I left my family, my mother will stop Bella from doing anything to us."
"How can she?" Remus quavered. "I…I don't want everyone to know, Sirius…"
"Oh, Remy, I know you don't," Sirius came over and sat at the foot of Remus' bed. "Don't worry, I've got leverage."
"What leverage?"
Sirius forced a grin. "If she tells anyone, I'll go to Dumbledore and say she's an abusive parent. Apparently you can go to Azkaban for not feeding your children."
"She didn't feed you?!" Remus said indignantly. Sirius felt a rush of relief. Remus still cared.
"I got food other ways," he explained. "I wouldn't have starved or anything."
"Sirius…"
"Hey, it's okay." Sirius laid a hand on Remus' arm, and Remus did not pull away. "I'm not a part of that family anymore."
"But…" Remus frowned. "Where'll you go? During the holidays, I mean."
"I dunno," Sirius said uncomfortably, realizing he hadn't thought that far ahead. "Where's that place you go? I could…"
"You'll stay with me."
Sirius turned. James was looking at him oddly.
"Why…why didn't you tell me?" James asked, his voice breaking. "I've been horrible to you…"
"You were protecting Remus," Sirius said firmly. "Just like I was." He paused. "Did you mean that, about staying with you?"
"Both of you," James said. "My mum and dad won't mind. Neither of you is going back to being abused and starved anymore. And I'm not having you at some muggle orphanage either. You're going to be part of a family."
Sirius felt his eyes filling with tears. He turned away, trying to conceal them. "James…"
"We're family," James insisted.
"Yeah," Remus grinned slowly. "We are, aren't we."
"All that stuff you said about family being there for each other, protecting each other," said James, "we do that. We're family."
"Family," Sirius said slowly, tasting the word without hate for the first time. His face broke into a broad smile. "Yeah. Family."
The boys embraced.
END