Summary: AU What if Dumbledore never became headmaster? Remus wouldn't have been able to go to Hogwarts. When Sirius becomes a healer they meet at the ministry. RLSB SLASH

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Many thanks to my wonderful beta Versipellis! Remaining mistakes are my own.

CHAPTER FOUR

Remus liked visiting his parents, they still lived in the small cottage he grew up in. Because he was a werewolf, his dad couldn't just Apparate him. So he had to take the bus. He didn't mind though, the bus ride was only a couple of hours and it gave him a chance to quietly sit down, think and stare at the landscape passing by. He was obligated to visit his parents every two months as they were still his legal guardians. They would be until they died and then the ministry would take over.

As soon as he walked through the front door his mother hugged him. 'Oh Remus, have you been eating enough? I think you've lost weight again.'

Remus wriggled out of her hug, he had to duck his head so she wouldn't see his smile. He'd never admit he liked her fussing, 'Oh, Mum, I'm fine. How have you been? Where's dad?'

'Your father is still at work, he's been working overtime a lot lately, but he should be here within an hour.' She put her arm through his and led him to the kitchen. 'We've been fine, a bit worried about you though. How's your new job going?'

Remus sighed, he knew he couldn't tell his mum he'd lost his job, she'd worry too much. 'It's going rather well. What did you make for dinner?' He hoped she hadn't tried to make something new, he loved his mum, but she was a terrible cook.

'Oh, don't you worry, I've made cottage pie. No need to run.' She laughed as she said it.

'M'sorry mum, didn't mean anything by it.' Remus laughed too. It felt great to be home.

---

At the ministry Sirius was starting to wonder whether becoming a healer had been a good choice after all. The full moon had been better then he'd expected, but the work before and after the full had little to do with healing so far. At least he was done sending out owls and next week werewolves from Scotland would come in for their check-ups. And then there was the full moon tonight.

He was curious to see Remus again; he had to admit, after a week the boy had drifted to the back of his mind. But even with everything going on, he had lingered there. He'd make sure to give him enough painkilling potion tomorrow before he went home. That would put Sirius's mind at ease. That and knowing Peter had agreed to be the secretkeeper. As a matter of fact, he almost seemed happy. Sirius figured he was proud to get such an important job, protecting James' family. Obviously he hadn't given Peter enough credit in the past, he would've expected him to be scared.

Ah well, he'd better get started on the potions he'd need tomorrow. He'd be on his own tomorrow but Bandaid was doing the lock-up today.

---

Remus was on time for lock-up. He had waited a long time to see Sirius again. He was nervous, maybe his expectations were too high, but he'd be devastated if they wouldn't meet up. He wasn't even sure what he expected, maybe Sirius had already forgotten about him. Probably, he thought, as he saw Bandaid walking down the stairs.

Bandaid had locked Remus up last. Remus couldn't help but feel like an animal when he was in the cage. He heard the door close and when Bandaid couldn't be heard anymore, the other werewolves started to talk.

'Yes, both me and my husband have joined the Dark Lord. It's the best choice if you want a better life.'

'He promised that we would be treated equally.'

'It can't be worse then how things are now, did you hear about the new branding?'

The man in the cage next to Remus turned toward him. 'What about you boy? Have you joined him yet?'

Remus looked up at the older man. 'I don't think he'd be interested, I never went to a magical school.'

The man frowned. 'But you support the cause, right?'

Being treated equally sounded pretty good to Remus. 'Sure.' It's not like it really mattered what side he was on, and he didn't want to be an outsider among werewolves too, life was hard enough.

---

Sirius was worried, he had carried Remus to the bed in the healing room and had patched the other werewolves up and sent them home. But Remus was still unconscious; he watched the thin chest rise and fall for a while but snapped out of it. He hurriedly started to heal scratches and bruises. It must have been a bad transformation, he thought. He picked up a soft cloth and started to clean of the blood.

Remus started coughing while Sirius was gently bandaging his left foot. Sirius was immediately by his side.

'Hey.' Remus saw Sirius smile hesitantly, 'How are you feeling? I was getting worried, you wouldn't wake up.'

'I'm fine.' Remus croaked. 'Ill be fine.' He tried to sit up a little, but Sirius wouldn't let him.

'You can stay here for a while, Bandaid has a day off.' Sirius reached for the potions. 'Here drink this one, you'll feel better.' He brought the potion to Remus' lips and made sure he drank it all.

'I made some extra for you to take home.' Sirius pushed Remus hair out of his face and kept his hand there. 'You'll feel better soon.' He looked into Remus' eyes and resisted the urge to lean down.

Remus felt like he couldn't breath, Sirius was so close, and his hand was so warm where it lay on his head. Suddenly Sirius pulled away, and Remus couldn't help but feel disappointed. 'What time is it?' He asked in a small voice, trying to hide his feelings.

'The moon set almost an hour ago.' An uncomfortable silence fell.

'There you go, your foot will be alright now, here are your clothes, oh, and don't forget to take these vials with you.' Sirius obviously wanted Remus to leave. Remus bit on his lip to ignore the disappointment. What had he done wrong?

Sirius didn't know how he felt, he had almost kissed Remus, he was sure of that. The werewolf was almost dressed, good. He pressed the vials in Remus' hands.

'There you go, see you next month.' He gently pushed Remus toward the door.

He watched Remus walk toward the stairs. Really, this was for the best. This couldn't go anywhere and with James and Lily – His thoughts stopped when he saw Remus stumble. In a second he was by Remus' side supporting him, oh Merlin, were those tears? He panicked, he hadn't meant to hurt Remus.

'Hey, I - ' Sirius didn't know what to say. 'Im sorry, okay, it's just, I work here and - '

He took Remus' head in his hands to wipe away the tears with his thumbs. Remus felt so soft and cold, Sirius automatically held him closer to comfort him. He brushed Remus' hair back and could feel him shivering. His heart was beating so hard, he couldn't think straight. Before he realised what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around him and brushed his lips against Remus'.

Sorry about the long wait and the cliff-thing, exams are over, so expect faster updates. Im not very happy with this chapter, let me know what you think, please.