Author's Notes: I am going to do a spin-off for Sirius's romance. :-) It will be posted once Finding Love is completely posted. For once I am going to finish the whole story before posting it. We'll see if that helps with my story arch and everything.

Thanks to Xhana, Padfoot (I only tweaked OANR a little, promise!), Mon2 (yes, there will be a little more with Snape), AffectedMangoO, Elkebaby, and Peegchica!!!

Oh, and on a personal note, school starts tomorrow but I don't have a job (I graduated in May and I'm certified to be an elementary school teacher) so…it's rather depressing but good news for my writing (oh, the eternal optimist!). So, I wrote 22 pages of Sirius's story the past couple days and I'm working on my Harry story as well…seem to have writers block on my Draco/Ginny story…but now I have time to work on that. :-)

And now…

Chapter 41

On October first, Remus decided that he and Sirius would spend the day at Windy Corner. Grimmauld Place was getting…well…grim. And Remus missed his cozy home. Cassius had just figured out a potion that would disguise Sirius when he Apparated or used the Floo Network. Sirius was now restricted to Windy Corner or Grimmauld Place, by Dumbledore's orders, but at least he could get away from the Noble House of Black once in a while. They arrived exactly at 8 am. Cassius was already sitting at the table. He looked up and smiled happily as Remus brushed the soot off his clothing.

"Remus, right on time." Tabby smiled from where she was serving the eggs onto a platter.

Remus sat down next to Cassius and Sirius sat across from them. "Sleep well last night?" Remus asked, brushing his lips across Cassius's cheek.

"Not really." Cassius shrugged, moving a little closer to Remus. He nodded at Sirius in greeting. "How are you, Cousin?"

"Glad to be away from that damn house." Sirius smiled. He and Cassius had been building their friendship for over a month. Sirius had been reluctant to admit it, but he liked Cassius. He wished he had known his cousin better growing up. Cassius still seemed distant but Sirius figured it would pass as more time went by.

"Hello!" Clara's voice called through the mudroom.

"Everyone decent?" Stevens asked.

"It was only one time, Stevens." Cassius grinned as Stevens walked into the kitchen.

"And I was aroused for weeks. Remus is a lot more muscular than he looks." Stevens winked over at Remus who winked back, laughing.

Clara greeted Tabby then turned towards the table about to speak to Remus when she noticed Sirius sitting there. Stevens followed her gaze and his smile disappeared.

"Clara, Stevens, this is Sirius Black." Remus made the quick introductions. Stevens nodded coolly as he moved to sit on the other side of Cassius.

"Nice to meet you, Sirius." Clara smiled warmly and held her hand out. Sirius shook it. A moment later, Tabby was levitating platters of food towards the table. Clara sat across from Remus and Tabby sat down on the other side of Sirius.

"Here." Clara handed Remus a folded piece of paper. "Today's the big day and I need final approval."

"What big day?" Cassius asked.

"I'm meeting with my supervisor about a promotion at work." Clara took a small bite of toast. "I'm so nervous."

"You'll do fine." Stevens said firmly before taking a big bite of potatoes.

"Yes, you will. You deserve this promotion." Remus glanced up from the paper. "Don't say 'I think' or 'I feel', you do."

"Could you change it on there?" Clara asked. Remus nodded, accio-ing a quill and making a few changes.

"Remus." Cassius murmured.

"Cassius." Remus answered.

"Clara." Tabby said promptly.

"Sirius." Clara laughed, nudging Sirius and pointing towards Stevens, mouthing his name.

"Stevens." Sirius was bewildered but willing to go along.

"Tabby." Stevens picked up his teacup. "Now we know we're all here." (1)

"Give me your toast." Remus held his hand out for Cassius's two pieces of toast. Sirius watched curiously as Remus continued to read Clara's speech, reached for the jam and spread it over both pieces before handing them back to Cassius. Cassius started to eat them immediately. "Looks great, Clara. If he doesn't give you that promotion, he's obviously a bloody idiot." Remus handed the paper back to Clara with a smile.

"Great." Clara let out a long breath. "I'm going to go. I'm too nervous to eat anything."

"I'll wrap you up something for later." Tabby rose. Clara nodded as she stood. She hugged Remus tightly.

"You'll do fine. You deserve that promotion. You're already doing the job. Remember that." Remus hugged her back.

Clara nodded and moved to hug Stevens. "I second what Remus said." Stevens kissed Clara soundly. "Love you."

"Love you." Clara started to move around the table to the fireplace.

"Where's my hug?" Cassius tugged on her robes. Clara flung her arms around Cassius's neck.

"If he doesn't give you the promotion, I'll hex him." Cassius stated, causing Clara to laugh. She gave Tabby a hug by the fireplace when Tabby handed her the covered plate.

"Wish me luck."

"Luck!" They all shouted.

A few minutes after Clara had gone, an owl flew into the kitchen window with two copies of the Daily Prophet. Remus grabbed money from the sideboard and paid the owl, taking the papers.

"Mph thrsh rbbsh" Cassius said, his mouth full of food.

"You don't pay for it so I can read all the rubbish I want." Remus messed up Cassius's hair affectionately.

"Can I have more toast?" Cassius asked. Remus nodded, handing Tabby one of the papers. He picked up two more pieces of toast from the rack and spread jam on them and handed them to Cassius.

"Why can't you prepare your own toast?" Sirius asked, too curious not to ask this time.

"He remembers what kind of jam I like." Cassius shrugged. "I can never remember if it's orange marmalade or strawberry."

"It's strawberry." Remus and Stevens chorused.

"But Tabby and I like orange marmalade so they're both always on the table." Remus added.

"Remus, I was thinking I'd take Clara out for dinner to celebrate her promotion." Stevens leaned around Cassius to look at Remus. "Which would she like more, Athens or Paris?"

"She's never been to Paris."

"No. But she loves Athens."

"Paris." Remus took a sip of tea. "Definitely Paris. And there's that wizard restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Aspasia and Gandalf went there for their anniversary last year and she just raved about it."

"I best get going then. Have to make reservations, and then get to practice. Come with me, Cassie?"

"He has a committee meeting at 9, he can't be late for work."

"He won't be." Stevens stood, glancing at Sirius. Cassius shoved his last piece of toast in his mouth as he went and grabbed his coat.

"I love you." Remus stood and kissed Cassius as he came back into the kitchen.

"I love you. Will you be here when I get home from work?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to stay the night?" Cassius's voice got softer. Remus nodded.

"Have a good day at work." He kissed Cassius again. "Bye, Stevens." Stevens waved and they flooed to Stevens's flat.

"He can't remember what type of jam he likes?" Sirius blurted out as soon as they were gone. There had been other instances of Cassius being very forgetful that Sirius had noticed. He finally had to ask.

"He has memory trouble sometimes when he doesn't sleep well. His father…" Remus paused, realizing he was telling the one person who started the events in motion that caused Cassius's memory loss. It was Julius Malfoy's doing, but Sirius had blamed Cassius. "His father punished him and he used Cruciatus, it affected Cass's memory."

"What'd Cassius done?"

"His father thought he'd done a prank that hurt Regulus, the summer before our sixth year." Remus said calmly, much more calmly than he felt.

"When Regulus had to go to hospital?" Sirius asked, gray eyes widening in understanding.

"Yes."

"I did that prank…I blamed Cassius."

"I know."

"Holy fuck." Sirius breathed, staring down at his plate. "Mother owled me the next week, disowning me, that's why I never went back. I only went to James's to let them cool down, I knew they'd be mad but… I never understood why she was so mad. She…after Aunt Malfoy died, Mother doted on Cousin Cassius. But I never knew. That's why he wasn't around much sixth year?"

Remus nodded. "He spent most of the year in the hospital wing. I was surprised when I met him to find out he was in the same year as Regulus. You'd never mentioned a younger cousin being at school with us."

"I hardly knew him. He was always thrown with Regulus during visits, and he hardly spoke. Regulus and I used to laugh that he was a mute." Sirius raised haunted eyes to look at Remus. "Is that why he doesn't like me?"

"Apparently he had reasons to dislike you before then." Sirius gave a small nod, he'd never been nice to his small pale cousin. "But…yes, it's a factor. You make him feel…not safe."

"Like I'll do something to get him in trouble again."

"Yes."

"Shit."

"Cousin Cassius." Sirius sat down next to him at the table. Remus was talking to Tabby as they fixed dinner. Clara had just left after telling them all that her meeting had been a success and that Stevens was taking her out for a celebratory dinner in Paris. She was glowing with excitement and happiness.

"Yes?" Cassius turned to look at his cousin, noticing how Sirius had addressed him in the formal fashion of the purebloods. They had begun a tentative friendship after Sirius had apologized for accusing Cassius of rape, but Sirius had never acknowledged their family connection before now. Cassius still didn't really trust Sirius, but he was trying, for Remus's sake. He grudgingly had to admit that Sirius seemed an all right guy, but he still couldn't totally shake the unease he felt when Sirius was near.

"I'm glad you and Remus…well…it's good. He's really happy." Sirius shook his black hair out of his eyes. "I'm sorry for all the years I was a git to you." Cassius stared, feeling shocked at hearing that Sirius was sorry. It was only the second time he'd ever heard Sirius be sorry for anything. "I'm sorry I blamed the prank on you - when Regulus was hurt. I didn't think Uncle Malfoy would hurt you." Sirius's gray eyes looked at Cassius earnestly. "I ran away, when Uncle told Dad I had really done it, I thought I'd be punished…like no food for a week or something – I didn't know what Uncle had done…and I hated living at home anyway. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Cassius continued to stare. Sirius started to look uneasy at Cassius' silence. "Please… accept my apology?"

"Yes. I do." Cassius said slowly.

"Good." Sirius smiled. Cassius smiled back cautiously. "It's important to Remus, you know, that we're friends."

"I know."

"He's my best friend."

"I know."

"I'd never do anything to what you two have." Sirius said quietly. "I've seen how much you love each other. I just want him in my life. I love him – I want him to love me. Remus always thought I could do anything."

"He still does." Cassius said. They sat silently for a moment. Cassius couldn't think what to say next.

"I hate being in that house again." Sirius growled. "I haven't been outside for a month, since Harry left for Hogwarts."

"Since you were seen on the platform, yes, I heard. It was foolish of you to risk being seen just for some sunlight."

"Fuck you, Cousin." Sirius's voice didn't have any real anger in it.

"You're still a fugitive. If they catch you, they will summon the Dementors for The Kiss. There will be no trial this time either."

"So it doesn't matter if I'm driven mad by that bloody house?"

"Not so long as you're safe." Cassius shrugged, he'd hate to be cooped up in Grimmauld Place too. It filled him with a sense of dread whenever he stepped foot in it, although it was better when Remus was there with him. "It's important that you're safe. It's important to Remus."

"Easy for you to say."

"If it's important to Remus, it doesn't matter what it takes or what happens."

"Did I hear my name?" Remus walked over and threaded his hand through Cassius' smooth hair. Cassius leaned into the touch. Neither man answered. "What are you two talking about?"

"Sirius having to stay at Grimmauld Place." Cassius answered, he'd tell Remus about Sirius's apology later.

"With the potion, he could spend more days here, couldn't he?" Remus asked Cassius who nodded as he pulled Remus into his lap. "That'll be good, won't it?" He asked Sirius who nodded, watching Cassius and Remus enviously. Remus smiled at him.

"I wish you would stop tormenting Snape." Remus said as he, Cassius and Sirius sat down for dinner at Grimmauld Place a couple weeks later. Sirius and Cassius had been laughing about Snape who had just left after delivering some information that Cassius was going to give to Kingsley the next day.

"I'm not tormenting him, I'm just reminding him that he's a 35 year old virgin and he won't be getting any from you. It's entirely different." Cassius took a bite of the ravioli Tabby had made for them.

"It's not. It's bad enough that Sirius and Snape are always at each other's throats without you contributing." Remus stabbed at a ravioli with his fork and put it in his mouth, chewing deliberately.

"He's a greasy git, Remus, he deserves it! Have you forgotten how horrible he's always been to you?" Sirius said huffily.

Cassius didn't say anything. He took another bite, watching Remus who was staring at his plate. Cassius put his fork down.

"Are you wishing or asking?" He asked quietly.

Remus raised his eyes and met Cassius's gaze levelly. "Asking." Cassius nodded and picked his fork back up and started eating again.

Not for the first time in the past few months, Sirius was amazed by how confident Remus was compared to how he'd been before Sirius had gone to Azkaban. He'd been so quiet. He'd let other people, like James and Sirius, take the lead. He'd never tried to stop them when they'd bullied Snape and now…Remus spoke up when things happened that he didn't like and Sirius had seen how Remus was the one his loved ones looked to for leadership.

1) This is a little bit I borrowed from "Life With Bonnie" one of my favorite shows. I love Bonnie Hunt and I laugh out loud at that show. :-)

There are three chapters left! Next Chapter: Halloween Festivities at Windy Corner!