Rating: Yes, I know that I've updated the rating to M, but I've never been quite sure about the rating and I figured that it was better to be wrong than removed off fan-fiction. So, here it is.

Disclaimer: None of the characters mentioned in this story belong to me, but rather to J.K. Rowling, I promise to return them to her once I am done with them. The poem which this story features is taken from the novel, The Smoke Jumper by author Nicholas Evans.

Part Six – First Kiss

"The wordless language of look and touch,

The knowing."

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December 1977

Remus Lupin stumbled for what felt like the hundredth time and swore loudly, cursing his friend who was walking slightly ahead of him. He only cursed louder when he heard Sirius laugh.

"It's not funny, Black!" Remus shouted loudly, kicking snow in the direction of his friend. In his seventh year, Remus was still very short and thin for his age, especially compared to Sirius who was tall and had a strong build. Sirius stopped walking and waited for Remus to catch up, laughter still in his eyes.

"Of course it's funny, Moony. You're just so… cute when you can't do something." Remus looked up at his friend, astonished and hopeful, before banishing the thoughts he wouldn't allow himself to think. Even after all of these years, he hadn't learnt that Sirius was not for him. "You won't give up even when you're fighting a losing battle. Then you get in a really shitty mood and start swearing a lot. It's really cute." As Sirius had been talking the two boys had begun walking through the snow again, heading for the village of Hogsmeade.

"I am not cute!" Remus said indignantly. Sirius just laughed and patted Remus on the shoulder reassuringly, causing Remus to stumble again and curse. He glared at his much taller friend when he laughed and then hit Sirius hard on the arm when Sirius mumbled something suspiciously like 'Cute' under his breath. "And I don't see why we couldn't have gone through one of the tunnels to Hogsmeade." Remus mumbled.

"Because walking this way is more of an exercise. It's great fun too." Sirius bent down, presumably to tie up his shoelaces. "Besides, look at the wonderful view." Remus turned his head in the direction Sirius referred to and, not seeing anything, he was about to turn around and question his friend when he felt a great wet and cold ball smash into the back of his head.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted, turning around to face his friend angrily. He hated the cold.

"Just in the spirit of Christmas Moony." Sirius told him innocently.

"Just in – Just in the spirit of Christmas! Oh you are so going to get it." Remus said, bending down to gather a snow ball of his own before squealing when he felt another snow ball hit him squarely in the arse. "Damn it, Sirius!"

For the next ten minutes or so the sound of snow connecting with body parts and rather unmanly squeals resounded through the air, until Sirius hit Remus with a rather large snow ball, pushing him to the ground, spluttering. Sirius laughed as he moved towards his friend's prone figure.

"Oh dear, Moony! You seem to have fallen over there. Would you like a hand to help you up?" Sirius said innocently, standing over Remus' body. Remus was not fooled in the slightest.

"No thank you, Padfoot. I'm perfectly capable of standing on my own." And Remus began to sit up, but found himself stopped when Sirius seated himself on Remus' stomach.

"Are you sure about that, Remus? You seem to be having some difficulty."

"No thanks to a certain big lump situated for some reason on my stomach." Remus said, blushing and trying to wriggle his way out from underneath his much bigger friend.

"Big lump? I wouldn't say that, more like a fantastic specimen of male beauty." Sirius responded, his tone light. Remus snorted, trying to hide his actual agreement. He froze however, when Sirius started wriggling on top of him, apparently trying to get comfortable.

"Sirius, stop trying to suffocate me and let me up! It's getting cold." Remus said, pushing against his friend.

"Don't worry Remus, I'll keep you warm." Sirius said, and Remus felt a definite sense of foreboding when he noted the glimmer in Sirius' eye which usually meant that Sirius was up to something. His suspicions were confirmed when Sirius changed his position, spreading his much longer body over Remus' and resting his head on his friend's chest. Remus was silent for a moment, trying to stop the images Sirius' change in position had conjured.

"Sirius?" Remus said after awhile.

"Hmm?"

"You're suffocating me." Sirius' only response was to move closer to Remus. Apparently Remus' bigger friend was falling asleep. Remus sighed and shoved lightly at his friend. He was both delighted and saddened to find that Sirius rolled over. "I'm not a pillow. Besides, we have to get to the Three Broomsticks. You promised James that we'd meet him there and you can't leave him alone with only Lily and Peter for company." Sirius groaned and sat up slowly.

"Do we have to? Can't we just… stay here or something?" Sirius said, reaching up to run his hand through his hair – a nervous gesture he had picked up from James.

"No. It's cold out here." Remus said, beginning to shiver. "We either have to go on to the Three Broomsticks or we have to go back to school." Sirius groaned and stood up, turning in the direction of Hogsmeade. Remus slowly got up off the cold ground and followed him silently. The two friends continued walking for a time without talking, before Sirius suddenly stopped in the middle of the path.

"Sirius?" Remus queried.

"What? Oh, right. Sorry Remus, I was just thinking." Sirius said, still not walking onwards.

"About what?"

"Well… um… you know, just stuff." Remus was worried to say the least. Sirius never didn't know what to say. And when he did know what to say, he always said it, despite the consequences.

"Sirius, are you all right?" Remus asked, placing his hand on his friend's arm. Sirius started and turned to face Remus.

"Remus?" Sirius asked. "I'm about to do something that is probably incredibly stupid and you're possibly going to hate me for the rest of your life." Remus was really worried now, but he didn't have time to think about it, for Sirius' lips were abruptly on top of his own.

Remus' eyes widened in shock. For four years he had dreamt of kissing Sirius, but it had never been like this, always it was Remus who initiated the kiss, taking Sirius by surprise, and it had always been something needy and ferocious. But this was gentle and questioning. Remus groaned inwardly when Sirius pulled back.

"I'm sorry." Sirius said, causing Remus to look up at him, startled. "I shouldn't have done that. Don't know why I did actually. Wasn't really think—" Sirius was cut off abruptly when Remus launched himself at his bigger friend, kissing him intensely. This time the kiss was more fierce, a battle of tongues and Remus felt his knees begin to buckle. Without thinking it through properly, Remus jumped up, wrapping his legs around Sirius' waist. Sirius brought his hands around to steady Remus, not breaking the kiss for a moment.

For some time the two friends stayed wrapped up in each other's embrace, the cold forgotten as they thought only of each other. Finally though, Remus broke away from Sirius, in need of some oxygen. Slowly, he untangled his legs from around Sirius' waist and dropped gently to the ground. Neither of them said anything for a moment or two, instead they simply looked everywhere but at each other.

"How long?" Remus asked Sirius, finally looking up again at his friend. "How long have you been wanting to… kiss me?" Sirius refused to meet Remus' eyes, and instead looked back towards Hogwarts.

"Since that night on the Astronomy Tower, you know which one I mean. But I didn't think… How long have you been waiting, Remus?" Sirius finally turned to look at his friend, his grey eyes questioning.

Remus looked away, he didn't know if he could answer Sirius' question. How long had he been waiting? It seemed like forever. "Four years." He said quietly. Remus heard Sirius' sharp intake of breath but didn't turn around. He started slightly when he felt Sirius' strong arms on his shoulders moving him to face his dark haired friend. Remus looked down, afraid of what he'd see in Sirius' eyes and what Sirius would see in his, but then he felt his friend's hand on his chin, lifting his face up. Sirius smiled.

"You shouldn't have had to wait so long. Only you would be so patient." And then Sirius' lips were on his own again, and Remus felt that everything would be all right. All except one thing. He pulled away to look at Sirius again.

"Can we go inside now? It really is very cold." Sirius laughed and pulled Remus closer to him, kissing him once more fiercely before turning him around and walking back in the direction of the castle, their mission to save James from Lily completely forgotten.