Chapter Ten

Wake up.

Sirius.

Sirius, wake up.

"I am awake," he mumbled thickly.

"No, you aren't," Remus laughed. "Open your eyes, you prat."

Sirius obediently opened his eyes, blinking several times as he tried to clear his sleep-fogged mind. "What are you doing up?" he asked, frowning. "Thought you were supposed to be in bed."

Remus grinned, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I don't know what Severus made for me," he said happily, "but it's one fantastic potion. I feel better than I have in ages." He reached over and squeezed Sirius' hand. "Much of that's because you're here," he added softly.

"You look amazing," Sirius said, eying Remus up and down.

Remus flushed slightly. "Oh, this..." he said, fingering the open collar of his shirt. "It's just comfortable." The black button-down shirt was only cotton, but Sirius recognized it as an old favourite of Remus', worn through years of use to unbelievable softness. He'd tucked it neatly into his black trousers, but had left the top couple buttons undone. His hair just brushed his shirt collar, and his eyes shone.

"How's the arm?" Sirius asked, finally hauling himself out of the chair for a good stretch. "And what time is it, by the way?"

"Sore as hell," Remus admitted, "and just gone eleven." He moved his arm slightly and Sirius could see the edge of the thick bandages poking out from Remus' right sleeve. "I sneaked a peek at it when Poppy came by to change the dressings earlier. Not a pretty wound. It'll scar, and badly, but I'm told it'll heal well underneath."

"Malfoy's not going to get away with any of this," Sirius promised.

"Sirius?" said Remus. "I woke up in a rather good mood. I don't want to sully it by thinking about Death Eaters."

"But..."

Remus held up his hand. "Stop it, Sirius. This is what's going to happen. You're going to go shower and change. Then you and I are going to go downstairs and enjoy a perfectly lovely Christmas dinner."

Sirius grinned. "You win. That reminds me, though; I still have to wrap your present." He gave Remus a quick peck on the cheek. "And later," he whispered, "I'll thank you properly for my gift."

"I certainly hope so," Remus said, smiling.

Hours later, after Molly's excellent meal had been devoured and the presents exchanged, after the multitude of Weasleys had Floo'd back to the Burrow and Harry had gone for a walk with Tonks, the lovers were finally alone.

Sirius toyed with the bottom edge of his new navy jumper. "I've only been back a few days," he said, astonished. "How in the the world does Molly knit so bloody fast?"

Remus laughed. "I don't really know. Harry seems to get one every year, too."

"Did you see what Harry gave me?" Sirius asked, visibly brightening at the mention of his godson.

"Only about fifty times," joked Remus as Sirius picked the small charmed model of a scruffy black dog off a side table.

"Look," Sirius said, still utterly enthralled with the gift. He poked it with a finger as it walked around his outstretched palm. "He got me Padfoot!"

"And here I thought one Padfoot was plenty..."

Sirius stuck out his tongue, setting the dog back on the table. "Cheeky git," he said fondly.

"By the way," Remus said, swallowing the piece of chocolate in his mouth, "this is excellent chocolate. How'd you manage to get your hands on real Belgian chocolate when you're supposed to be cooped up in here?"

Sirius chewed on his bottom lip. "I... erm... had to ask Tonks to pick it up," he said with a sigh. "It's not really what I wanted to get you, but... "He shrugged. There wasn't much point in belaboring his lack of freedom.

Remus brought his mate's hand to his lips, kissing the fingertips gently. "I love it. And you. And we will clear your name, Sirius. It's only a matter of time."

Sirius scowled. "Not with Fudge heading the Ministry, we won't."

"But... That's right, I guess you wouldn't know, would you?" Remus said. "Fudge is gone; it's Amelia Bones in charge now. Has been for about six months now."

"Really?" Sirius was astounded. "She's the one who was so fair to Harry at his trial a couple years back, wasn't she? If she's the new Minister... Re, I might actually have a chance!"

Remus settled back on the sofa, snuggling into Sirius' shoulder as the other man draped an arm around him. "That you might," he agreed. "Dumbledore said he'd be by later on. He had the Christmas feast at Hogwarts, you know."

"Mmm," said Sirius, "those were such good feasts..." He leaned over slightly, nuzzling Remus' ear. "Do we have time?"

Remus turned until he was facing Sirius, gazing into the smoky grey of his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but never got out the words as Sirius kissed him, gently at first, then more firmly as they both melted into the embrace. Sirius traced Remus' lips with his tongue until they softly parted, dipping into that honeyed mouth over and over as passion overtook him. Remus groaned underneath him as Sirius flicked his tongue slowly along the line of his jaw, up to his ear then back again, nuzzling finally at the base of his throat.

"This... this," murmured Remus, arching his head back as Sirius' deft tongue slid along the hollow of his throat where his shirt buttons had been left undone, "is what I wanted to unwrap the most."

"Not interrupting, am I?"

Sirius' head snapped up so quickly that he bumped Remus' jaw.

"Ow!" Remus yelped, biting his tongue. "Um, Headmaster... erm... hello..."

Sirius brushed his hair out of his eyes and tried very hard to look as if he wasn't completely mortified. "How was the Feast?"

"Excellent, as always," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "I have something for the both of you. It's technically addressed to Remus, but it does involve you, Sirius, as well."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a puzzled glance.

"You may find it to be of use," Dumbledore continued, handing a thick sheaf of papers to Remus. "It was entrusted to me by our late Miss Granger. I daresay you already have some idea what it is," he added with a twinkle in his eye. "I am sorry I didn't have time to wrap it."

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other and then at Dumbledore before finally turning their attention to the small stack of papers sitting in Remus' lap.

The papers were rather dog-eared, as if they had been read and reread many times over. There were small lines of handwriting down the sides, making footnotes and comments. The heading though, was neat and bold.

Case For the Mistrial of Sirius Black.

"I think she meant non trial," Sirius murmured from his side. Remus shushed him quickly, looking back at Dumbledore.

"Sir, I don't know what to say..." His eyes flicked down the first page, noting the accuracy and detail that had been put into the information.

Dumbledore smiled gently. "The look on both of your faces is enough... though I wouldn't say no to a quick nip of firewhisky before I turn in."

Sirius rushed to pour drinks for them all, nearly spilling it in his haste.

Dumbledore settled into a chair, a benign smile still on his face. Sirius took a huge gulp of his drink, but Remus was still staring at the papers, sifting through them with a look of childlike wonder.

Hermione had obviously taken much care and precision with her work, as she had always done. Everything was neatly labelled, important notes were highlighted... It was a dream come true! With a case like this behind them, there was no way Sirius wouldn't be cleared.

Sirius would be finally free...

Remus glanced at his mate, casting a warm smile at him.

"Do... Do you think we might get a hearing sometime soon?" Remus asked Dumbledore softly.

"I will speak to Madam Bones in the morning if you wish."

Remus grinned, not noticing the way Sirius looked at him with his face lit up like that. Desire was written all over him.

Remus may not have noticed, but Dumbledore did. Taking a last sip of his drink, he stood.

"Well, dear boys, I must get back to the castle before Peeves decides to terrorize the first-years again. Have an enjoyable evening."

"We will," Sirius murmured, as Remus bid Dumbledore goodnight.

Soon it was just the two of them in the fire-lit room.

Remus picked up the papers again, gazing at them reverently. "Just think Sirius... Perhaps only in a few days... you'll be free."

Sirius stared into his firewhisky. Freedom felt strange and foreign to him; it was hard to believe. And no matter who was in charge now, he had lost complete faith in the Ministry long ago.

"Sirius?"

"If it happens, Re, it will be wonderful."

"If? Hermione has excelled herself yet again! These notes, this... this... The whole thing is just amazing! If this doesn't gain your freedom, nothing will."

Sirius couldn't stay somber when his mate was so excited. He indulged Remus with a rare grin. "Always the same, hey, Re? Finding the good in everyone. Even me."

Remus slowly put down the papers and went to kneel before Sirius, placing a hand on his knee. "I never had to look far, Padfoot. No matter what you ever thought of yourself, I didn't."

"I know. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with you."

"Oh?" Remus said coyly. "What are the other things?"

Sirius gave a growl and lifted Remus up onto his lap, wrapping his arms firmly around the man before capturing his mouth with his own. Tongues twisted and teased, tasting deeply of each other before they pulled apart, breathless.

Remus smiled. "Ok, I'm a good kisser. What else?"

He shifted to straddle Sirius, deliberately rubbing himself against Sirius' obvious arousal. Sirius growled again, his hands quickly dipping under Remus' shirt and trailing down to cup his backside.

Remus leaned into him, whispering hoarsely "And I have a cute ass. What else?"

Sirius laughed. "I don't recall saying it was cute. Of course," he added, "now that you mention it..."

Remus cocked his head suddenly towards the door. "Hear that?" he whispered.

"No." Sirius shook his head. "Oh, wait. I think it's just Harry and Tonks returning, though. Should we tell them our news now or later?" he asked, gesturing at the stack of Hermione's notes.

"Later," Remus said huskily. "I think right now I'd like to... ah, unwrap this present somewhere a little more private..."

Sirius grinned. "Race you!"

They drowsed in bed, sated and spent, the blankets draped loosely over them. Sirius lay on his side, one arm curled possessively across Remus' chest, while Remus lay on his back, staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"Padfoot," he said. "Have you thought at all about what you'll do once you're a free man again?"

Sirius mumbled something into Remus' shoulder.

Remus shifted onto his side, mindful of his bandaged arm, so he could face his mate. "Sorry," he said dryly. "Didn't quite catch that."

Sirius smiled sleepily. "I said I'd like to go for a walk."

"A walk?"

"A walk," Sirius clarified, "outside in the fresh air, with you at my side. And as a human, not as Padfoot." He wrinkled his nose and added, "Besides, the last time I went as Padfoot, Dumbledore made me wear a collar. And a leash."

Remus laughed. "I'd have loved to have seen that!"

"Don't count on it," Sirius snorted. "The collar – it's a possibility. The leash? Forget it!" He fell silent, and the soft snores a few minutes later indicated Sirius had fallen asleep.

"Happy Christmas, my love," Remus whispered as he gently kissed the other man's forehead, and closed his own eyes.

"I don't know why you insist on meeting in this hellhole," Snape hissed, trying to stamp a bit of warmth into his half-frozen feet before sitting down across from Malfoy.

Draco shrugged. "It's convenient."

"For you, perhaps." Snape hunched forward, dropping his voice to barely more than a whisper. "Why did you not inform me of your plans for the werewolf?"

"Do you inform me of your plans?" Draco asked, watching the lamplight reflect off the firewhisky as he swirled it around in his glass. "I wasn't aware it mattered to you what became of the creature."

Snape glowered at the young man. "That beast?" he said. "No. But had you waited, you might have known that the Veil doesn't appear to work in the traditional ways. What brought the Dark Lord back before is not necessarily going to work for you now."

Draco pounced. "And how does the Veil work, then?"

Snape shook his head. "It isn't known," he muttered, "but nothing... ah, material... from the werewolf was used. As far as I know, he wasn't even present – no part of him."

"I went through all that for nothing?" Draco couldn't hide the disgust from his voice. "Risked our entire operation, and for nothing?" He tossed back his firewhisky with practiced ease.

Snape stood roughly up from his chair. "Perhaps if you had not withheld information, you might have saved yourself some trouble. I'm not fond of surprises." With a swirl of his cloak, he disappeared into the frigid night.

"Oh, I don't know," Draco mused, half-aloud. "I think you'd be quite surprised by what I withhold."

The day after Christmas dawned cold and clear, the sky a brilliant blue unmarred by clouds. The bright early morning sunlight bounced off the previous evening's snow, sparkling and scintillating in a thousand shards of light.

Sirius, who – for once – had woken up in a tolerably good mood, took one look out the window and decided Remus had slept far more than enough.

"Moony, Moony, Moony," he chanted softly, punctuating each word with a nibble along Remus' jawline. "Time to get up."

Remus groaned, rolling onto his stomach and pulling a pillow over his head. "It's too bloody early, Padfoot," he mumbled, conveniently forgetting that just the other day he'd bemoaned waking up alone in the bed. "Wake me at a decent hour."

"It is a decent hour," Sirius insisted, bouncing lightly on the mattress next to Remus. "At least, I think it is."

Remus swatted blindly at him. "Stop bouncing, you mangy mutt!"

"Who d'you think you're calling mangy?" Sirius said in a mock-injured tone. He did stop bouncing, though, swiftly straddling Remus' buttocks. Most of the blankets had migrated to the foot of the bed during the night, and the thin sheet remaining did nothing to disguise his morning erection. He rubbed lightly against Remus' arse as he admired its slender contours. Leaning forward, he began nuzzling a path along Remus' spine, grinning delightedly at the other man's quiet moans of pleasure. "If you get up, I promise to – hey!"

In one swift and sudden movement, Remus had neatly flipped Sirius onto his back, and was now straddling him instead. He'd captured Sirius' wrists with his hands, holding them above Sirius' head. "Promise to what, Padfoot?" he crooned, rocking his own growing hardness against Sirius.

Sirius groaned, thrusting his hips upward. They were both still naked from the night before, but Remus had somehow maneuvered to keep the sheet between them, and the friction of Remus' cock against his through the thin cloth was maddening.

Bloody sheet, he thought, trying to struggle out from under it.

Remus ground firmly against his mate, effectively keeping the sheet in place. "Down, puppy," he laughed. "Teach you to wake a werewolf from a sound sleep." He leaned down, moving his tongue in slow circles around Sirius' nipples, occasionally nipping one which elicited a breathless gasp from Sirius.

"Re, you bloody tease," Sirius groaned. "I want to feel you next to me, not the bloody bedclothes!"

"I know you do," grinned Remus, working his tongue gradually along Sirius' throat to his ear. He bit the lobe gently and whispered, "But I think you deserve a bit of punishment for waking me up..." He let go of Sirius' wrists just long enough to intertwine their fingers, still keeping Sirius from using his hands.

"Kiss me, at least," Sirius said throatily, turning his head just enough so that Remus could do so. As Remus' mouth covered his, Sirius' lips parted, allowing Remus to slip his tongue delicately inside. He's tasting me, Sirius thought dazedly. All the blood seemed to have left his brain and centered itself much lower; he was achingly hard and Remus' relentless rubbing against him was so good, too good. He thrust incoherently up against his mate, pushing against that lovely hardness...

"Remus, I..." he gasped, and came suddenly, messily. A moment later, Remus did the same, kissing Sirius hard as he climaxed.

"Um... Good morning," Remus snickered into his love's shoulder as they both tried to catch their breath.

Sirius chuckled and wrapped his arms around his mate. "And a good morning to you," he said.