Chapter Seven
"Moony."
No response. Sirius poked Remus in the arm.
"Moony, wake up."
"Mmph," Remus mumbled into the pillow. He opened one bleary eye. "Sirius, it is the middle of the night. What is so bloody urgent that it couldn't wait until a decent hour?"
Sirius ran a hand over Remus' tousled hair. "You're really cute when you're asleep, did you know that?"
Remus groaned, stifling the urge to hit Sirius with something heavy. "You woke me up for that?"
"No," Sirius said. He leaned over and kissed the nape of Remus' neck. "I was wonderingâ Does Snape ever sleep here?"
Remus rolled over and glared at Sirius. "Don't do that. Ever," he said. "Don't kiss me and talk about Severus in the same breath."
"Sorry," Sirius said, wincing. "Good point."
"Anyway," Remus said, "he's always made it a point not to spend a night in this house. He only comes for Order business, or to bring Wolfsbane. Why d'you want to know?"
Sirius shrugged. "Just wondering." He swung his legs out of bed and felt around on the floor for his trousers. He decided not to bother with a shirt, especially as he couldn't find one in the dark.
"Going somewhere, are you?" Remus asked sharply. "You're not sneaking out, Sirius! There's too much at stake now!"
"Relax. I'm just popping down to the kitchen." Sirius leaned over, giving Remus a quick kiss. "Go back to sleep."
The kitchen was empty, and just cool enough that Sirius wished he'd looked a bit harder for a shirt.
Shivering slightly, he opened the pantry, reaching for the firewhisky he knew was there.
"Pour me one too, will you?"
Sirius nearly jumped right out of his skin. He whirled around, but it was only Tonks. She stifled a small yawn with one hand as she sat down at the table.
The glasses were still in the same cupboard as they'd been his entire life. Wordlessly he poured firewhisky into two of them, and brought them to the table.
"Brr," Tonks said, shivering. "Cold in here. Want me to poke the fire up a bit?"
Sirius shrugged, indifferent.
Tonks pulled out her wand and pointed it at the dully glowing embers in the fireplace, muttering a quick spell. The fire blazed to life once more.
"Bloody hell," said Sirius, staring at the flames.
"Sorry 'bout that," Tonks said sheepishly. "A bit of overkill, thereâ I expect we'll be baking in a minute."
"Mmph," said Sirius, downing his glass and pouring himself a second.
Tonks sipped at her firewhisky, eyeing Sirius over the rim of her glass for several minutes. "You're awfully quiet tonight," she said finally. "Where's Remus?"
"Sleeping."
"Ah. And couldn't you?"
"No."
Exasperated, Tonks slammed her glass down on the table, nearly knocking over the firewhisky bottle. "Damn it, Sirius," she said, quickly righting the bottle before it spilled. "We used to be able to talk to each other!"
Sirius said nothing and refilled his glass.
"Alright," Tonks grumbled. "I'll go. I just thought you might like some company, that's all." She left her half-full glass on the table and turned to leave.
"What's everyone not telling me?" Sirius burst out. "What's all this about more Death Eaters?" He looked up at her pleadingly. "C'mon, Tonks, you're family. Talk to me."
She slowly sat back down in the chair opposite him. "Sirius, I don't know any more than you do."
"Codswallop." He drained his glass. "I hate being cooped up in here, Tonks."
"I know," she said softly.
He poured a fourth glass. "It's like being back in Aksâ Azbâ Absâ Oh, you know," he frowned, "that prison place."
Tonks snorted. "Maybe you've had enough of that," she said, trying unsuccessfully not to laugh at him, as she picked up the firewhisky and put it away in the pantry. When she turned back around, her control broke and she burst out laughing; Sirius was face down on the table.
"'M not drunk," he slurred. "Really."
"Yeah?" said Tonks, one eyebrow raised. "Stand up then. Go on, I dare you."
"Don' hafta," Sirius said loftily, looking back up at her. "I like it here." His hair fell into his eyes and he tried to sweep it back with a rather grandiose motion, causing his chair to tilt precariously backwards.
"Sirius, I really don't think"
Crash!
"â that you should lean back like that," Tonks finished lamely as Sirius tried to untangle his limbs from each other. She immediately went over to help him, although Sirius didn't appear to quite notice that he had toppled over. She heaved him awkwardly to his feet, cursing him under her breath.
"You're bloody heavy, d'you know that?" she complained, struggling not to drop him. Sirius was leaning on her heavily, and Tonks contemplated leaving him on the couch in the corner. There was no way she could get him upstairs.
"Snape's up to something," Sirius said suddenly.
Tonks paused, biting her lip. "I know," she whispered. "We'll talk more, I promise. Now, can you walk? I can't carry you."
It was close to lunchtime before Remus dared to wake Sirius up.
"Rise and shine!" he called cheerfully, pulling back the heavy drapes to reveal a dazzling ray of sunshine.
Sirius groaned, burying himself deeper under the covers.
Remus chuckled, perching himself on the edge of the bed and tugging the covers off the other man.
A growl issued from Sirius, sounding so much like Padfoot that Remus had to blink to make sure he hadn't transformed in front of his eyes.
"You have no-one to blame but yourself." Remus lectured, leaning to pick a pair of jeans from the floor for Sirius to put on.
With lightening speed an arm snaked around his waist, pulling him backwards.
Sirius nuzzled his neck, a tongue lazily caressing him. "Come back to bed," Sirius whispered huskily, his mouth making its way stealthily to his ear.
"Mmm, as tempting as that sounds we have more important things to do." Remus wriggled out of his grip, thrusting the jeans at Sirius' chest.
"More important?" Sirius pulled a mock hurt face and Remus laughed.
"Just get dressed and come downstairs." Remus blew him a kiss then left him to get ready.
As he made his way downstairs he mused how he had ever survived without his mate. Certainly, leaving him there in that bed, his hair mussed up, his eyes still drowsy, was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.
God, why does he have to look so damn sexy, even with a hangover?
That wasn't exactly true, Remus mused, smiling at the others as he sat in the drawing room. Sexy, oh yes, but Sirius had never really suffered from hangovers.
Not like me.
Remus remembered only too well what he was like after having too much to drink.
It wasn't long before Sirius entered the room, barefoot and bleary eyed, but alert.
"So, what's up?" he asked the room in general.
Harry smiled. "You forgot already? It's time to decorate the tree!"
They spent an enjoyable afternoon trimming the tree. The Weasley's were in good spirits, having just received word that Ron was still improving. They planned on visiting him for Christmas. Molly invited Remus to accompany them, but he declined, not wanting to leave Sirius alone in the house.
"Don't be stupid," Sirius said briskly. In matter of fact, he thought a few hours on his own might be nice. Ever since his return he had been with people constantly and, apart from Remus, he felt rather uncomfortable around them all.
"Go," he urged. "I'll be fine."
"I'll think about it." Remus answered noncommittally.
Dumbledore joined them again for dinner that evening, but Snape was thankfully away.
The next day would be Christmas Eve, and Remus was racking his brain trying to figure out what to get for Sirius. He would have to go to Diagon Alley in the morning.
His face must have shown he was deep in thought because Sirius leaned close and whispered, "Is everything ok?"
"Mmhm." Remus smiled, enjoying the moment.
The fire was lit in the drawing room and they all sat around it. Dumbledore took the armchair closest to the fire and Remus was concerned by how tired he seemed, but Dumbledore was smiling contentedly, his gaze traveling from person to person, lingering a little longer on Harry.
Chatter eventually turned back to their conversation the previous night.
It was obvious Harry was more than a little worried, and as he voiced his fears Remus studied him, struck again by how young he was, when he had the aura of someone much much older.
"Do we even know how the veil works?" Sirius piped up from his spot next to Remus.
Every eye turned to Dumbledore, who sighed. "I'm afraid the veil remains as much a mystery as ever. We have our theories of course, and it has been studied at length for some time. That it is linked somehow to death is fact. That all who die can be reached through itâwe do not know. In fact I highly doubt it."
Remus knew why Harry and Sirius looked so downcast at that. If it could be used to reach anyone who had died then it may have been a way to contact James and Lilyâ Remus would have given anything to give them what they wanted.
"For now though, it is a time of celebration! Of loved ones returned, of friends and family. I will of course be nearby until the beginning of term, when I must return to Hogwarts."
The younger ones went to bed not long afterwards, but the others stayed up for a nightcap, though Remus poured very little into Sirius' cup.
Sirius frowned at his quarter full cup, his gaze flicking to Remus' almost full one.
Remus leant to whisper in his ear "I want you to be fully coherent." He said wickedly, his tongue flicking Sirius' ear, heedless of the small audience.
"What's the matter?" Sirius asked as Molly goggled at them. "Never seen one bloke lick another one's ear before?"
"No," she answered truthfully, "unless you count the other night upstairs." Arthur choked on his tea trying not to laugh, and even Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.
Sirius downed his drink in a single gulp, frowning into the bottom of his cup as though he was expecting more firewhisky to magically appear. When it didn't, he set the cup back down on a nearby table ruefully.
"Come on," he urged Remus, who sat slowly sipping. "Drink up. I want toâ umâ go look at the tree again."
Remus simply winked at him over the rim of his cup and didn't budge.
"Bloody hell," Sirius grumbled. He deftly slipped the cup from Remus' hand, quickly downing the contents.
"Sirius!"
"Look at that; you're done," Sirius said cheerfully. He turned, nodding his head towards the others. "Goodnight, all."
The tree was beautiful.
It stood in one corner of the living room, sparkling with myriad lights reflecting off the multitude of ornaments and tinsel. In the otherwise darkened room, it shone like starlight. Remus dropped to his knees in front of it, staring up at the tree in childlike wonder.
Sirius sat down a few feet away, but he ignored the tree, having eyes only for his mate. In the dancing, twinkling light, the years fell easily away from Remus' face, all the sadness and pain he'd endured for so long falling forgotten to the wayside. The grey in his hair became less noticeable, and it was easy for Sirius to see him still as the youth with whom he'd fallen so deeply in love.
Why didn't I say something before Azkaban? he wondered. All that wasted timeâ I hate time; it's nothing but a dirty thief. Look at all it stole from us
Remus turned to look at him then, a tiny smile curving the corners of his lips.
"Come sit with me," he whispered. His (so-beautiful, thought Sirius) amber eyes gleamed with naked lust.
Sirius knelt on the floor next to Remus, leaning in until their lips met. He gave a slight gasp as Remus' tongue slipped into his mouth, twining with his own. They stayed like that for long moments, tasting, devouring.
Eventually they broke apart, but only just. Remus' cheeks were flushed, his lips slightly parted. Sirius uttered a small groan at the sight of his lover looking so damned delectable.
"Upstairs," Remus said hoarsely.
"Yes," said Sirius.
There really was no need for words, which Sirius privately thought was a very good thing as he didn't feel up to making coherent ones at the moment, not while Remus was actually (oh gods!) undoing Sirius' shirt buttons with only his teeth and tongue.
His hands, of course, were busy much lower.
Remus' hot breath against his chest was indescribable, and Sirius moaned when his mate paused to thoroughly lick first one nipple, then the other, teasing them to hard little peaks. Remus' breath misting across them wrought delicious shivers throughout his body.
"Moan as loud as you like," Remus whispered, moving up to nuzzle Sirius' throat, his erection pressing against Sirius' own. "That door's not only locked, but warded and silenced as well." Gently he pushed Sirius backwards, down on to the bed, quickly divesting himself of his own clothes. "God, Sirius" he breathed, "you were meant to be naked for me"
Kneeling on the floor between Sirius' legs, Remus took him slowly into his mouth, lapping at his cock with long, slow strokes as Sirius writhed beneath him.
"Uhâ Moony" he moaned, helpless under Remus' ministrations. "Where'd you learn" His voice trailed off into a sigh as Remus slid Sirius' length out of his mouth almost entirely, lapping just at the head with tiny darting movements of his tongue. The sensation was dizzying, exquisitely maddening.
"Remus, please," Sirius pleaded. "Let me touch you." He didn't know how much more of Remus' teasing tongue he could take.
"Busy," mumbled Remus, as he moved his attention lazily along Sirius' shaft all the way down to his balls. He reached blindly for the small bottle of oil Sirius had brought upstairs earlier, opening it one-handed and slicking some of it over his fingers. Gently he prodded at Sirius' arse, slowly inserting one finger, then a second, grinning as Sirius' soft moans turned to louder – much louder – growls of pleasure. He bucked against Remus, unable to stop a whimper when the fingers were suddenly withdrawn.
"Aren't you the wanton puppy tonight," Remus murmured, positioning his cock against Sirius' tight entrance and slowly pushing in. He wrapped one warm hand around Sirius' engorged cock, fisting it in time with his measured thrusts.
"God, Padfoot," he crooned, "â so good, so good" His thrusts quickened, his breath ragged. Sirius cried out something wordless beneath him, digging his fingernails into Remus' back as his seed spilled out of him across both their bellies.
Remus gave a final thrust, coming hard inside Sirius, before collapsing breathlessly atop him.
Sirius suddenly laughed. "Yeah, Moony," he said. "That's what I wanted for Christmas. How ever did you guess?"
"What to get for the dog who's got everything," Remus snickered into Sirius' shoulder. After a moment he rolled off him, but remained curled around Sirius, one arm flung protectively across his mate.
"Are you staying here tonight?" Remus asked drowsily, "or are you planning to wander the house again?"
Sirius frowned. "I just have so many unanswered questions, Re"
"I know," Remus said, kissing Sirius' ear. "But they can wait till morning, can't they?"
Sirius rolled onto his side so that the two men were lying face to face. "Yeah," he agreed, snuggling closer and letting his eyelids droop shut.
"You know I don't care to meet you here," Snape hissed, sitting warily down at the gloomy back tables in the Severed Head.
Draco lazily smiled and said, "Did you have a better place in mind?"
Snape simply glared at him. "Let's just make this quick."
"Alright," Draco said. He leaned closer, withdrawing a small but heavy drawstring bag from the folds of his cloak. The coins in it jingled softly as he casually dropped it on the table between them. "Tell me what you know."