Title: Delicate Treasures

Author: Stardrops

Genre: Romance

Rating: PG 13 (For slash and occasional swearing, precautions only)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I do, however, own the plot. I am very proud. But the rest belongs to our creative genius, J K Rowling.

Chapter Eleven: More Confusion

Sirius chucked one shoe on the floor as hard as he could. He stared down at it, grumpily examining his handiwork. He raised his hand to throw the other down, but found he suddenly didn't even have the strength to throw it down. He dropped it, where it fell with a feeble thump, and he lay back on his bed with a sigh.

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius glanced at his watch. It was only seven. James and Peter were downstairs with Remus, playing a game of Exploding Snap. He'd pleaded not to join in, he just wanted to be by himself to think for a while.

Poor James, he thought. How hard it's got to be for him, with Lily constantly making him jealous and angry towards other males. Eventually, he knew, she would realise that she did in fact like him. She had to. She'd be nuts not to, in fact.

And he was nuts for thinking that Remus would ever think romantically about him.

Remus was so perfect – so handsome, clever, thoughtful and tactful. He knew everything to say at the right times, and was the best mate that Sirius had ever had besides James. He knew that if by some absurd chance, he were lucky enough to secure a place in Remus's heart romantically, he would cherish him forever. But he was never going to get that chance, and fooling himself into thinking that would be just setting himself up for disappointment.

The door to the dormitory slammed, and footsteps could be heard. They were slightly tentative, yet also curious. Sirius groaned. This had to be James – only James would have known that the reason Sirius had excused himself was to be alone to think about his lack of love life rather than simply for being tired.

Sirius rolled over onto his belly. "For fucks sake, James, please go away. I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't want to talk about what?"

Sirius's eyes shot open as he froze completely. The voice didn't belong to James at all – it was much quieter and more inquisitive than James's often impatient tone. Sirius cringed as he rolled over to meet the eyes of Remus Lupin.

"I – uh … I was expecting …" Sirius stuttered, unable to think of any smooth way out.

"James, obviously," Remus said, smiling. His eyebrows creased as he sat down beside Sirius. "What's up?"

Sirius edged away from him, feeling guilty at the close contact. It didn't seem right to be enjoying Remus's company so much when Remus had no idea about it. Well – at least no idea about the WAY that Sirius was enjoying Remus's company.

"Uh … nothing, really, I'm cool," he bluffed, trying desperately to come up with a way to stop Remus asking any more questions.

Remus snorted and gave Sirius a reproachful look. "Oh, come on. We're buddies, remember? You can tell me stuff."

Sirius's heart seemed to wrench itself inside his chest and he felt his breath hitch at the obvious word usage. Buddies. Only buddies.

Remus cocked his head and looked seriously at Sirius. "Are you having trouble in the romance department, by any chance?"

Sirius's neck cracked as he sat bolt upright. He winced, rubbing it. "What makes you say that?" he asked accusingly.

"Well," Remus began, "because you have the exact same look that James gets every time he's thinking about Lily. And every time I've seen you these past few weeks, you've had this pained, frustrated kinda look. What's going on, Padfoot?"

Sirius's heartbeat was picking up it's pace. Remus obviously wasn't going to buy any lies tonight. He didn't think he could think up any elaborate story that would satisfy Remus anyway. And since they were all alone … and James obviously had Peter down in the common room. Perhaps James had concocted this whole arrangement as an opportunity for Sirius to tell Remus. He had to admit, the timing was pretty good. Perhaps … just maybe … telling Remus the truth wasn't out of the question after all?

Sirius took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Well, yeah. I guess I have been having a little trouble there."

Remus clapped his hands together. "I knew it! Now we're getting somewhere." He folded his hands and placed them in his lap as he paid his full attention to Sirius. "So," he said. "What's the problem, exactly?"

Sirius blinked rapidly. "Well … I … I like this person."

Remus nodded. "Yes, I gathered that much."

Sirius gulped. "And … I don't think they'll ever like me back."

Remus sat in expectant silence for a while, but Sirius offered no more. "Is that it?" Remus asked. When Sirius made no movement, Remus gave a short laugh. "Sirius! Come on! Any person has got to be mad not to want to go out with you. What makes you think that they won't like you anyway?"

"Well – I …" Sirius began. "Hey, wait a minute. What makes you so sure that they would like me?"

Remus pursed his lips for a moment. "Well," he started, dragging the word out as he thought. "You've got a great sense of humour, and you're really loyal. You're smart, and you aren't as big-headed as people are led to believe. Plus, you've got to admit – you're a bit of a spunk."

Sirius felt a slight flush rising in his cheeks at Remus's words, despite his desperate attempt to keep his pleasure hidden. So Remus really did think all those things about him? Wow – and he'd always assumed that Remus thought he was just an idiotic person who was good for a laugh.

"Well …" Sirius began, but Remus interrupted.

"Look, Padfoot, mate. You're being entirely too hard on yourself. Give this person a chance. Let them know that you like them, and see what they say. And if they don't return your feelings, they're obviously not worth it in the first place! What have you got to lose?"

Sirius sighed. "Because if they didn't return my feelings, I'm not sure I'd ever get over them."

Remus sat completely still, both eyebrows raised as he took in the fact that Sirius was being – well – serious. "You've never been like this with any of the other girls you've gone out with. Why is this one so special?"

Sirius took a deep breath and clenched his fist. It had to be now. It was the perfect opportunity, and he'd already wasted too many chances. Please, he prayed. Let him love me back.

"Because," he said, in a voice not much louder than a whisper, "I can't imagine living the rest of my life without them." Remus looked more and more intrigued every moment that Sirius was speaking. And once Sirius began, he just found himself unable to stop. "Every time I see them, I can't help smiling because they mean the world to me."

Remus stared at him, completely taken in by the change in Sirius. Where once a laughing, carefree teenager was was now a lonely, romantic man who was longing for someone to love and to love him. He swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "Who is it, Padfoot?"

Sirius breathed out a little and closed his eyes. "Look, it's …"

The door to the dormitory opened and Peter fell through the door, laughing and breathing heavily. He'd obviously just run from the common room, and was being chased by James. Sirius looked up, aghast, as they both collapsed into the room in a heap on the floor. Peter was busy laughing his head off, but James looked both distressed and guilty.

Sirius tried to swallow his disappointment. He could tell by James's face that he had been trying to prevent Peter from coming up here, a feat that had quickly changed into James chasing Peter in order to stop him from interrupting. He breathed deeply and cast a quick glance at Remus who was chuckling at the sight of Peter and James lying sprawled across the floor.

"What on earth are you doing, Wormtail?" Remus asked, getting up and going over to give them a hand to stand.

Peter smirked and flopped onto his bed. "Oh, James was trying to keep me away from all the action up here, and I outsmarted him. Well – I really outran him. And after all that, there wasn't even anything interesting happening!"

Sirius grimaced inwardly. Well, you didn't really give me a chance! He tried to chase this thought from his mind, and with a weak smile and nod of thanks to James, he joined in a pillow fight that had just begun between Peter and Remus.

James watched him for a few moments before grabbing a pillow too. He felt guilty still, even though Sirius had silently assured him it was all right.

Neither Remus nor Peter seemed to notice that the pillow fight was rather half hearted tonight.

Sirius lay awake for well over a few hours that night, when everyone else had gone to sleep. He could hear Peter's snores from the other side of the room, and he assumed from the deep, even breathing he could hear, that the other two boys were asleep also.

He sighed and turned over.

Remus's words came floating back. Every time I've seen you these past few weeks, you've had this pained, frustrated kinda look. He clenched his fists. Of course he was going to seem that way every time Remus saw him. Remus would have to be around to see him feeling like that, and if Remus was around, Sirius would be feeling like that. It was a vicious cycle.

He smiled to himself as he remembered Remus saying that he was a bit of a spunk. That at least was heartening.

Valentine's Day was approaching too quickly for Sirius. He found himself the night before Valentine's Day just sitting on the floor in the Gryffindor common room, glaring moodily into the fire. He was angry with himself for still not having the courage to tell Remus his true feelings, and panicked because he didn't know whether or not he should have gotten something for Remus to add to the collection of anonymous crap he'd already sent.

Remus had looked kinda sad lately – well, if sad was the right word. He'd always been the quiet one of their group, silently stronger than people gave him credit for and always helping others. But lately he'd taken it to the extreme. He was starting to withdraw from the Marauders and bury himself in his schoolwork. On more than one occasion, Sirius had spotted him staring longingly out the window as though he was thinking about something that was beyond his hopes to achieve.

Sirius wondered what it was.

He hated seeing Remus like this. James and Peter had noticed the change as well, but no one knew how to approach Remus without seeming like they were trying to change or accuse him of anything. It was difficult for anyone to try, and so no one did. They left him to himself, which probably wasn't the best idea, but it seemed like the easiest and safest method. Letting him sort out his own troubles was usually what the Marauders did.

Sirius hated this unwritten rule. And he wished more than anything that Remus would give a hint at what was troubling him so he could try to help.

At that moment, a spark flew out and landed on the carpet in front of Sirius. He stared at it as it glowed brightly for a minute and then faded completely.

It brought his attention back to the problem at hand – Valentine's Day. What on earth was he going to do?

Glancing at his watch, he groaned. It was nearly midnight. He had only a few minutes to think of something, and then he would have to go to bed or else he would die in classes the next day.

He thought for a moment back to the night long ago when he'd watched Remus sleeping in the night. He'd been frowning, and he'd looked troubled and even a little sad that night. He scrunched up his face as he tried to remember how long ago that had been. Either way, it was a while, so Remus had been feeling disturbed inside for quite some time now. This made him feel both stupid and angry with himself. How could he not have noticed?

A thought came to mind as he sat there picking at the threads of the carpet. He sat perfectly still for a moment, thinking about how lame it was – but after all, he could suss out Remus's reaction first, and he needn't ever tell Remus that it had been him who'd sent it. The plan was getting better. But he prayed with all his heart that Remus did like it. After all, it was coming from Sirius's heart.

The morning came – far to early in Sirius's opinion. He groaned as he opened his eyes, greeted by the sight of James smirking at him through the curtains.

"What?" he growled. It was early, the sun was very bright, and Sirius was tired. He was not in the mood to find out what James was looking so gleeful about, nor why in fact James was up so early on a Saturday. James was usually a cheerful riser, but as term went on he began to enjoy sleeping in.

"Oh … nothing," James replied, examining his fingernails carelessly, though a hint of a smile still played about the corners of his mouth.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sat up, leaning back on his elbows as he glared at James. "Then why the hell are you grinning at me like that? What's going on?"

James took hold of the covers and wrenched them completely off the bed, leaving Sirius in shock for it was rather cold in the dormitory compared to his snug warm blankets.

"Holy shit! What are you doing, you bastard?" he yelped, rubbing his arms furiously to create some heat.

"Get up already," said James. "It's Valentine's Day, and unless I'm muchly mistaken, your ego is in need of a boost. Which is why we're going down to breakfast now. So come along."

Sirius closed his eyes and flopped back down onto the bed. "I don't care, James. I'm not getting any Valentine's this year, and I don't care to watch other people receive theirs."

James raised an eyebrow. "You don't even want to see the reaction of a certain person close to your heart?"

Sirius opened one eye to see James watching him. He grabbed his pillow and smothered his face in it. "No," he said, his unconvincing tone muffled and lost through the fabric and padding.

James rolled his eyes. "What did you end up doing, then?"

Sirius froze as he remembered and felt himself flush cold. Shit. He must have been really out of it last night. It was going to be so embarrassing if James saw what he'd sent and … oh, god. Sirius didn't want to think about it. Of course, he could always pretend that he'd not sent anything, but then he'd have to put up with James harping on about him being a wuss and telling him that he had to act fast because he obviously had competition.

So he said nothing.

James sighed. "Fine. But at least come down to breakfast with me. Lily's going to be there, and I don't think I can face her reaction alone. I need my best mate there. Let's go."

Sirius lay there, his resolve weakening. He knew James would do this sort of thing for him if the opportunity had ever come up, and besides, he was beginning to suffocate under the pillow. It was hot, the fluff was tickling his nose, and the oxygen supply was running low.

"Please?" James wheedled.

Sirius breathed out heavily and removed the pillow. "Fine," he grumbled.

James and Sirius entered the Hall together. It had taken so long for them to primp themselves that by the time they got there, the Hall was filled with almost every student Hogwarts had. And, Sirius noticed, the ghastly decorations that went up every year. The girls must have gotten up early to do some decorating, he realised, because nearly every teacher on the Head table looked as pained at the sight of them as Sirius and James felt.

There were pink paper hearts on every table, and where normally the sky was, pink hearts were flying about and occasionally dropping down onto the students below, causing frustration in the boys and giggling in the girls. Sirius and James looked at each other and exchanged a silent groan.

Sitting beside Peter, James asked, "Have the owls come yet?"

Remus grinned. "Don't worry, Prongs, Lily hasn't got it yet." He looked up and saw Sirius hesitating. "Come sit down, Padfoot." He patted the seat beside him invitingly.

Sirius took it, a forced smile lighting his features as he uncomfortably sat as far away from Remus as his chair would allow. James watched him with a knowing but emotionless face.

Sirius poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip, trying to stop his hand from shaking so much. This was going to be bad. He hoped with all his heart that the owl he'd sent collided with the sun, or suddenly fell dead out of the sky on top of some old lady, or delivered it to someone on the other side of the world by accident. If anything, he really didn't want Remus to receive it in front of everyone.

A girlish shriek filled the Hall. Everyone looked up to see a flock of owls appearing through the thick pink hearts still fluttering about the ceiling. The owls seemed a bit bewildered, and many lost their navigation through the hearts, and for a few moments there was confusion while the Marauders snickered into their scrambled eggs.

Once the owls had sorted themselves out, the envelopes began to fall to the plates of their recipients. James had three dropped onto his plate, scattering sausage and egg everywhere, followed by another two that landed in his lap. Peter even had one that landed with a plop onto the table beside him. Sirius watched dejectedly as people excitedly tore open their envelopes, knowing fully well that he would receive nothing this Valentine's Day. But to his surprise, something landed on the table in front of him. He quickly reached his hand out to steady the envelope as it got dangerously close to falling into his greasy bacon, and looked at the name on the front.

It was his.

Someone had sent Sirius Black a Valentine.

He stared at it in shock for a moment, and looked over at Remus who was watching him with a smile.

"You look astounded," Remus observed. "You get Valentine's every year, what's the big surprise today?"

Sirius shrugged and slipped the envelope into his robe pocket. He'd open it later. He had just taken a forkful of egg to his mouth when a large envelope landed on his head, causing him to bite down hard on the fork and choke. Remus grabbed the envelope and looked at it.

"You got another one," he said to Sirius, who was wiping his mouth disgustedly and gulping pumpkin juice to stop himself coughing.

Sirius paused for a moment and then took the envelope. He couldn't fit it in his pocket, so he placed it beneath his plate. He quickly glanced over at James, who was engrossed in reading his own Valentine's.

Then he looked at Remus. To his surprise, there was nothing on the table in front of him. Sirius didn't know whether to say anything or not. Then he noticed something. Remus was holding an envelope.

Sirius gulped. That was his Valentine. The one he'd sent. What if Remus opened it now? What if he didn't? How would Sirius ever know if Remus liked it or not?

Wait a minute.

That envelope was pale pink, not white. And the letters were scrawled across in a sparkly pink pen. Sirius had never – NEVER – used a sparkly pink pen in his life. Nor was he ever intending to.

Someone else had sent Remus a Valentine.

Sirius was hardly surprised, but he felt a flush of jealousy and anger at the thought of someone else lusting over Remus. And with a sudden chill, he realised that Remus hadn't received his Valentine.

Suddenly, the thought of Remus not receiving it was worse than the thought of him getting it and thinking it was stupid. Particularly now that Sirius had competition.

He chanced a glance at Remus who was smiling happily. He was opening the envelope slowly and carefully, trying not to rip it. When he got the envelope open, he pulled out a single sheet of pink notepaper inside. As he read it, he blushed. Sirius was momentarily disturbed from his curiosity as he noticed once again just how handsome Remus looked when he was blushing.

"It's from – it's ," Remus stopped suddenly, and his face fell. He stuffed the letter roughly into his pocket and got up from the table.

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius, confused. "Who sent it?"

"No one," Remus said shortly. "I'm going for a walk."

Sirius watched as Remus left the Hall, his shoulders hunched and his pace quick as though he couldn't wait to be out of their sight.

Sirius stared at his plate of food. A tiny heart fell from the ceiling and planted itself in his eggs. It was staring up at him jeeringly, a reminder of the fact that while Sirius had gotten two Valentine's this year, he very strongly doubted that either of them was from the person he had sent one to. And on top of that, the Valentine he'd sent hadn't even gotten to its recipient. His heart sank slowly as he flicked the heart off and took a bite of food. He wasn't very hungry anymore.

A/N: Well, that was slightly longer than the last one. I hope it was a bit more eventful … I made a few extra twists that even I hadn't thought of previously. I wonder if anyone will guess what they are. Any guesses are welcome, perhaps someone will come up with something better than what I thought of!

Thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter. It was great to get your feedback, I really appreciate it. More reviews mean quicker update!

Ronin Daiymo: I'm saying it with you! Awwwwwww … there, happy:P kidding. Now. Glad you liked the 'almost there' part. There's another one in here just for you because you said you liked the last one. See, I'm thinking of you. :)

Grimy Grunhilda Grunt: No Lily in this chapter, so no gherkins this time! Did I make it suspenseful enough for you?

RoschLupin-Black: But if they all got together soon, then there would be no story! But yes, they will get together relatively soon. It's more than halfway through the school year now, anyway. :P

Coral: I'm glad you like the story, and I really am sorry that you don't like long stories with much suspense, but I'm afraid that yes, this story will probably take a while to resolve. The reason why it's focusing on Lily and James is because their story was a big part of the Marauders history, and its also meant to create some drama other than the whole Sirius's unrequited love for the while it takes to get further into seventh year. But I hope you enjoyed the story anyway!

Slow Story: Thank you for your review, you made me laugh. I'm sorry if you don't like this story, but no one forced you to read it. Thank you for your feedback, I will take it into account and cut back on Lily and James. Sorry to have caused so much grief and anger in you, I honestly hope you get over it.

Jamie: Okay! Okay! Okay:P hugz Jamie

Miss Anonymous Hp: I hope you slept well! Glad you're still reading, here's another chappie just for you. :)

Isis Fire Dancer: Yay! Someone who sympathises! I like you :P Yes, he shall confess before long. He almost did!

Lyth Taeraneth: Love your little action thing happening there! That was funny. :bows: your wish is my commander mas-s-ster :grins:

Not-yet-written: oh good! I'm glad you like it! Thank you so much for your review! I'll build up heaps of tension if you like :P

Nooka: Here's more for you! And I shall reveal all in due course. Promise. Hehehe. :P