Decision by Twix

Remus Lupin stepped inside the kitchen of the small cottage and nearly dropped his cane in surprise. An owl was sitting just inside the open window above the sink with a letter fastened to its leg. Of course, Remus knew the only person who would be writing him was Sirius, but he hadn't been expecting a reply owl so soon. He must be closer, Remus thought. He quickly took the letter from the owl and opened it. Remus didn't move and barely breathed as he eagerly read the letter.

When he finished reading, he exhaled slowly, taking in the contents of the last paragraph. So this was it. Sirius was coming to Bristol, and they would stay there in the cottage. Together. Did this mean they were going to start over and try again? That was obviously Sirius' intention . . . is that what Remus wanted?

Deep in thought, Remus walked into the drawing room and sat down at the desk, where a clean piece of parchment, a quill, and a pot of ink were waiting for him. He set the letter down in front of him.

What did he want? A part of him immediately said, of course he wanted to work things out with Sirius. He was ready to put the past behind him and start over again.

But, yet . . .

They wouldn't be able to go back to normal for a long time, back to the way it had been--whatever that meant. Who knew how long Sirius would be on the run and what might be in store for Remus for the upcoming years? Remus didn't want to let Sirius down. He couldn't bear to hurt him again. He loved Sirius. He loved him more than Sirius knew, and it was because of this love that Remus didn't want to risk hurting him again. He refused to put Sirius though all that. And, as selfish as it sounded, Remus had to admit that he didn't want to be hurt and disappointed again either.

Remus glanced down at the letter again. All my love, Pads. Then it hit him.
Sirius loved him.

And because of this love, Remus knew the only way they'd get through it all, was if they were together. Neither the past nor the future mattered right now. What mattered was that more than anything, Remus and Sirius needed to be together. They both needed the love, the company, the safety, and the comfort that they could only find in each other.

Remus picked up his quill, dipped it lightly in the ink, and wrote:

Sirius,
I'm sorry that I took longer than usual to reply, but last night was the full moon, and I needed to rest. Everything went as well as it could have gone. Your cellar has a few marks on the wall, but other than that, no harm done.

I'm sure there was no reason to worry about Harry. I think it's wonderful that he's one of Molly's "chicks," and so should you, Padfoot. Harry needs a mother figure in his life, and as he has no godmother, Molly is perfect for the job. If their own children are any indication, she and Arthur know what they're about where kids are concerned. You can rest easy knowing that extra eyes are watching out for him.

I hope Harry's year is getting off to a good start. Did you know Mad-Eye Moody is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I sent him an owl before term started telling him what I covered in the classes last year. I imagine the students are having an interesting year with him.

Did you read in the Daily Prophet about Mad-Eye's being attacked at his house the night before term started at Hogwarts? It's difficult to say if this was a real attack or something out of Moody's imagination. I don't know about you, but I still feel very uneasy about this. Someone could have been trying to keep him from Hogwarts, away from Harry.

Unfortunately, I know just as much as you do about the Quidditch World Cup. But once again, Rita Skeeter wrote the article, so I would definitely want to get those happenings confirmed by an official. I would write Arthur, but I'm sure he's plenty busy with work these days. If Harry was at The Burrow, perhaps he went? I hope everyone there is safe and sound. Having taught five of the children makes me feel closer to that family than I have a right to, I guess.

You know, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Wormtail was the one to conjure the Dark Mark. I would like to think it was just some drunken Death Eater trying to cause some chaos, but I suppose that's hopeless, isn't it? The way the article said the Death Eaters fled when they saw it in the sky . . . I have a feeling this is something much more serious.

Please get here as quickly and safely as you possibly can, Padfoot. The house is practically sparkling now, and I'm impatiently cleaning little nonsense things. It is a good thing your uncle has a large library, or I would have gone mad by now.

Remus paused before continuing and set down the quill. He rubbed his face with his hands and stared at the parchment for several minutes. This was it, and after the words were committed to parchment, they would be committed to heart as well. Then again, they really already were. He took a deep breath, picked up the quill, and wrote quickly and surely.

And you have certainly not misunderstood me. I know it will take time and patience, but after thirteen years of misunderstandings, I'm more than willing, Padfoot.

Love,
Moony