"With help you could." Sirius said, sitting down next to his friend and shutting the Charms book. He shoved the notes written in Remus' neat scrawl to the side of the table and lifted Remus' head up to face his. "Okay, now, why try to have it a little closer?" He suggested. He got up and moved the dictionary over. Then he sat down next to Remus again, handed him the wand, and pushed him to stand up.
"What?" Remus asked.
"Try it." Sirius said, pointing to the book. "Just point and say ACCIO!"
"Okay." He pointed his wand yet again at the dictionary and half shouted, "Accio Dictionary!" The dictionary came flying towards the unprepared Remus, and whacked him in the face, sending him flying backwards on top of Sirius. Sirius caught him and the dictionary falling to the ground, placed the dictionary back onto the coffee table, and smiled.
"See, you just have to be prepared for it when it comes flying towards you." Sirius smoothed a piece of Remus' shaggy brown hair out of his face and looked at the cut that the dictionary had caused. He touched it slightly with his fingers, his eyes filled with concern.
"It's nothing." Remus croaked, getting up and touching the cut himself. It didn't sting too much, he could just go to Madam Pomfrey, she'd fix it within two seconds. He put the dictionary away in the book case on the other side that it came from, and became aware that Sirius was watching his every move.
He sat down next to his best friend and shoved all his notes and charms book into his book bag, which was on the floor next to the coffee table. He noticed that the other boy was following him with his eyes. He cleared his throat and sat back up, looking Sirius in the eyes. "So, where are James and Peter?"
"James has a date with Lily, and Peter has a date with Honeydukes." Sirius said. "We've got the common room to ourselves."
"How come you didn't go to Hogsmeade?" He asked.
"Gets boring after a while don't you think? I mean, sure, I go once in a while to fill up on our Zonko's supplies, but I don't have a reason to go otherwise. James goes with Lily, and Peter just needs to shove his face in. What about you?"
"Novelty wore off for me as well. Besides, it's nice having the Gryffindor Tower to yourself."
"It truly is." Sirius had an odd look in his eye as he reached out and touched Remus' hand.
Remus stopped breathing at that moment, when Sirius first touched his hand. He had been trying not to admit that he loved Sirius for along time, ever since he first realized it that long ago night time stroll they had taken in fifth year. How afterwards Sirius had helped his damaged human form awaken with such gentleness it had shocked him. He looked up into Sirius' eyes, and he breathed again.
"Er…" His voice was strained not only from the lack of sleep but the overworking he'd enforced on himself as well. He hadn't come to Hogwarts for six years so far to fail out and make nothing of himself. Sirius smiled.
"Remus? You okay?" He asked. Sirius took his hand away and stared at Remus with concern.
"Yeah, fine." He muttered. "Just tired. I'm gonna go to bed." He walked up the common room stairs and collapsed onto his four poster. Drawing the deep scarlet velvet curtains around him, he slid underneath the gold and scarlet covers and sheets, curling up against the pillows, breathing somewhat raggedly. Had he just seen a flicker of love in Sirius' eyes, directed towards him? A flicker of love that was more than just friendship, but maybe lovers? He inhaled and held it for a few moments, to make sure he was still alive and still needed air to live. He exhaled deeply into the pillow and fell asleep.
--------------------------------------------
Remus walked into his office at Hogwarts, looking around at the pictures on the walls. There were old witches and wizards, and there were even a few old Professor's he remembered being on the walls when he was taught in this same classroom. It'd been about four hours since the feast and he still hadn't unpacked anything, except a box, over in the corner, slid underneath the desk. He stared at it, like he had been for the past four hours, and kept getting up, reaching for it, but sitting back down. He wasn't ready to go that far back yet. Definitely not when he was going through so many flashbacks just being in the castle.
He walked over to his suitcase and opened it up. There wasn't much in it, a few shirts, with holes, and some trousers. A few ties, some cloaks, his wand, some books. He set out the Dark Arts books on his desk, along with his lesson planner and his clipboard, which held all the attendance records for each class. He turned to the closet, which itself opened out into another room, which would suffice as his living quarters. There was a living room equipped with a fire place, a couch, a reading chair, a coffee table, and bookcases. There was also a bedroom, with a bureau and end table, and a bathroom with shower and other necessities. He unpacked the rest of his things and sat down next to the fire place, tea and a book in hand. His eyes scanned over the words on the pages, but he wasn't taking them in. His mind kept drifting off, until he finally put the book down and stared into the flames.
---------------------------------------------------
He sprawled out on the couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common room, and sighed. He had the common room to himself, excepting Sirius of course. James and Peter had gone home for the Christmas holiday, and so didn't everyone else in the Gryffindor tower. He stared into the flames, and the dying embers that were falling off the burning log.
His thought once again, not surprisingly, were directed towards Sirius. Remus still hadn't told anyone else about it, let alone tell Sirius. He could see clearly the look that Sirius had given him, that had sent the butterflies in his stomach dancing and twirling an unruly dance that made his hands shake. He felt every time that Sirius walked into a room he was suddenly happier, in a better mood than he was before, even if he had thought he couldn't get any happier. He looked out across the empty common room, with it's array of gold and scarlet decorations, furniture and sculptures.
As he gazed at the two stairs cases, Sirius walked down the boys' side, reading a note from James, along with his Christmas present. Remus too had received his present, a copy of Hogwarts a History. Sirius sat down on the chair next to him, and looked up.
"He got me a gift certificate to Zonko's, the cheap, unoriginal bastard." He tossed the piece of paper onto the coffee table, next to Remus' volume, along with the note.
"Well, he got me a book, how original is that?"
"I got you a book too." Sirius said, smirking. Then he slapped himself on the forehead. "Shouldn't have told you that."
"It's okay, everybody gets me books. They don't know what else to get." Remus smiled at the others boy's distraught and then sudden relief as he reassured him.
"Want to exchange gifts now?" Sirius asked.
"It's Christmas Eve. Why not?" He asked. He practiced the Accio Sirius' present trick to bring him the gift. Sirius pulled his out of his cloak pocket. They passed each other the corresponding gifts and ripped back the packaging.
Remus looked at his. It was a copy of Catcher In the Rye, one that Peter had accidentally destroyed in Potions when they were paired up. He smiled. "Thanks Padfoot. It's very nice." He flipped through the pages, absentmindedly, and a note slipped out. It read,
Moony,
Happy Christmas!
Love, Padfoot
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He stared at the letter, and then realized that it was just the calligraphy paper that Sirius was trying to get rid of from his Aunt Una. He looked up at Sirius, who was now ripping back the wrapping on the present Remus had gotten him. It was "How to punish your enemy- For Dummies". "Thanks Moony."
Remus nodded, staring at the note again. Sirius noticed, and sat down next to the now upright Remus. "What?" He asked.
"It's just, did you write that line of X's?" He asked.
"No, that's just my Aunt Una's calligraphy paper, remember?" He said, patting Remus on the back. "Why?"
"No reason."
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)( Tee hee. This fanfic is so cute now that I look back on it.
At any rate, I'll still add more, because I want to actually know how crappy it is.
Any takers?)(