The rest of the day had passed quietly, and rather quickly after first class. All the Professors seemed to be on the same wavelength – letting all the students go at least a few minutes earlier. The only class they were forced to stay in until the bitter end was Potions. As the Potions Master never wished to waste any time that could be used to better their skills and hone their already attained abilities. In all their classes, they had to take notes. It was as it almost as if all of the teachers had gotten together to discuss that morning – and had all decided that since the students would be having fun that night – they were to not have fun during the day. Homework was set down in nearly every class – expected to be finished for the following day. This however seemed impossible – considering the goings on of that night to come, and the fact that the students had been assigned a 12-inch essay in almost all of their classes. It was certainly known among the Professors that a good portion of the essays would come in half finished – or not finished at all. Only few would take the time to actually do the work.
The time had come for the students to make their way to the Great Hall – as the bell had chimed out through the school signaling the end of classes. All of the 7th years made their way to the designated area, awaiting the appearance of the Headmaster. The four Marauders sat on top of their usual table.
"This is stupid..." James sighed as he crossed his legs. "If it was so imperative that we be here – shouldn't he make it imperative that he is here before us?"
"You don't know why he's late, James." Remus took a bite of his apple, chewing slowly as the juices rolled through his mouth.
"I don't care why he's late – I want to go change." James huffed once more, and suddenly sat straight as he remembered something. "Didn't that... that chick – what's her face, the robe lady-"
"Mari." Remus supplied for him as he held the apple out for Sirius to bite into.
"Yeah, her – didn't she say the robes would be delivered today?"
Remus watched as Sirius chewed. He then smiled slightly as he looked back at James. "She did. They should be in the dorms – probably in the common room."
"What to go see if they're there?"
"James, we have to stay for the meeting."
"Ah... I know... but I'm really excited – I can't wait to see what my robe looks like."
"You can wait another 10 minutes, James – you're not going to die."
"How do you know that?" James eyed Remus slowly, leaning forward. "Maybe we will... maybe there will be a huge fight of some sort – and I'll get stabbed."
"With what?" Sirius laughed suddenly. "An apple core? A quill? Maybe you'll be lucky enough to be smacked over the head with a text before you're stabbed with a quill in the eye – repeatedly... until the only way we'll ever be able to recognize you is just because your glasses will conveniently be sitting near by your corpse."
"Augh... that's so morbid Padfoot." Peter grimaced as he imagined the sight, and James laughed.
Remus stopped chewing at once. "I... I don't think that I want to finish this apple anymore..."
"I'll eat it!" Sirius quickly grabbed for the apple that was handed to him. "I love apples." He spoke as he took a rather large bite, his teeth piercing into the green skin. "Mmm..."
Remus eyed Sirius before rolling his eyes and turning to face James. "Dumbledore will be here soon enough. Infact – there he is." Remus pointed towards the opening door to the side of the row of tables at the front of the hall.
The Marauders watched as he walked towards the front podium, clasping his hands together, resting them on the worn wood. "I apologize profusely for my absence."
Everyone nodded and Dumbledore smiled as he tilted his head towards the 7th years.
"Thank-you for waiting. I can only imagine that most of you had it in your mind to leave?" He pointedly looked over at James – Remus smiled as James blushed slightly as he looked down. "I am thankful that you didn't though. And that shows great respect on your part 7th years." At this, everyone smiled. "What I have asked you to come here for is of course – regarding your gathering tonight. I have decided to make this a bit more... what's the word... Ah!" Dumbledore raised his finger as the thought struck him. "A bit more like a masquerade ball. We havn't had one of those at Hogwarts in years and-"
"What's a masquerade ball?"
Dumbledore looked down to one of the Hufflepuffs, and as he folded his hands together once more, he received the question with a smile. "Well Mr. McGuire, it is a ball – a dance if you will – which requires the guests to wear costumes and a mask to veil their identities."
"But we havn't got costumes..." the McGuire boy spoke again, his voice timid.
"No, you havn't – but you have got dress robes. And I expect you all to wear them." Dumbledore then continued to inform the students of his plans. "As I was saying before, we havn't had a masquerade ball at Hogwarts since I was a mere student and attended Hogwarts as a 4th year, and mind you – that was many, many years ago." He gained a collective apprehensive laugh from the students. "And as my favorite holiday has come to pass – I've decided to hold another one. You will each find a mask on your beds when you return to your dorms. Only you will be able to open the package – and your masks will be in an animal form – and whatever that animal has been known to represent will reflect upon your personalities."
"Why are you holding it for only the 7th years?" Sirius spoke up, rather loudly not at all afraid to interrupt the Headmaster. "Isn't that unfair?"
Dumbledore chucked to himself, and spoke as he reached up – stroking his small beard. "Indeed, I do suppose that some would find it to be an injustice to the other students Mr. Black. But I feel that since this is your last year at Hogwarts and the Wizarding World is ever changing..." Dumbledore trailed off slightly – referring the ever-growing activities of the Dark Lord. "That you deserve this gathering as a gift before you are forced to all become respectable adults and serve as aurors, doctors, trainers, Professors - before you are wished to help, and maintain the Wizarding community."
"Oh... Okay." Sirius nodded his head and took another bite of his apple.
Dumbledore smiled and addressed the rest of the graduating class. "Please be gathered here once more at 7:00pm to enjoy the masquerade ball." Dumbledore bowed slightly towards the students. "Thank-you for staying and listening to what I had to say. You may all leave and return to your activities. See you at dinner."
The 7th years all began to pick up their bags and move to leave the Hall. Remus watched as the door clicked shut after Dumbledore had left. "A masquerade ball?"
"Sounds like it'll be fun. I can't wait to see what kind of mask I get! I hope I don't get something stupid like a chicken..." James jumped off the table and picked up his bag. "Hey! Do you think there will be jewels on them?"
"It's a possibility." Remus also slid off of the table and gathered his bag. "They are probably enchanted to last only tonight – and by tomorrow morning they'll be gone."
"What... the jewels?"
Leaning towards Sirius, James whispered into his ear. "It's unfortunate how stupid he is sometimes..." Sirius broke into a wide smile as he looked over at Peter.
"No Peter... the whole mask..." Remus tried to sound kind but it came out in an annoyed tone, collecting more smiles from Sirius and James.
"Aww... well that's no fun." Peter sulked as the four Marauders began to walk towards the exit of the Great Hall. He paused slightly under the door, looking back. "What do you think it'll look like in here at 7?"
"I have no idea, but I'm sure it'll be bloody amazing." Sirius began to walk once more – throwing the slightly browned apple core into a dustbin. "Anything Dumbledore plans ahead for is bloody amazing."
"Mmm. Yeah, it is." Remus sighed as he began to walk up the steps. "Why don't we check to see what our masks are, and if we've gotten our robes yet?"
"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about our robes..." James perked at the mention of the robes, and began to climb up the stairs before everyone else. He skipped past the trick step – and stopped suddenly as he landed on the step above it.
"What? What's wrong?" Sirius held onto James' arm, steadying him.
"Did... did I fall in?"
"...Umm... no. You're standing on the step above the trick step, James." Sirius eyed his friend suspiciously as he held onto his arm.
"Oh... I could have sworn that I fell through it and dropped something." James shook his head. "And whatever it was that I dropped – cracked on the floor down there..." James looked over the railing. "And started screaming bloody murder. It was a horrid noise."
"...Well... you didn't drop anything, and nothing started to scream." Peter noted as he stepped up infront of Sirius.
"Yeah..." James ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I suppose not."
Remus furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at James. "What did you think you dropped?"
"I dunno... it was something golden. Like..." James began to walk up the stairs again. "Like – well, it's hard to explain." He paused slightly as he spoke, before continuing again. "But it... well... it looked like a golden egg."
Remus crossed his arms as all four of them ascended the stairs. "That's really odd."
"Yeah..."
"Do you think you saw the future or something?" Sirius smiled as he spoke.
"Don't be daft! I'm not bloody Seer." James frowned at his friend.
"Ahh – just asking mate – just asking." Sirius smiled once more from the corner of his mouth as they reached the portrait. Sirius looked up at the Fat Lady apagogically as he spoke the password. "Balderdash."
She grudgingly swung open after raising her eyebrow and lip in disgust – allowing the Marauders entrance to the Common Room. Just as Remus had expected – three packages were set on the middle of the table in the Common Room. One addressed to James Potter, another to Sirius Black, and the last to Remus Lupin. They all bore the seal from the robe shop they had been at earlier in the week. James nearly squealed with joy upon reaching the boxes. He picked up his own box and beamed with pride.
"I can't wait to show Lily!"
"Yeah, and I can't wait to see your face when she says you look like a fairy." Sirius smirked as he passed Remus his package.
"Hey now, I'm not the fairy in this situation." James smirked as he head walked towards the stairs.
"You may as well be." Sirius laughed as he picked up his own box, walking towards the stairwell. "You're close enough to being gay."
"Only half way," James corrected him raising his chin proudly in the air. "I'm not completely gay."
"And I'm the Queen of England."
"Take out the 'of England' and you're close enough." James ducked as Sirius made to smack him upside the head. He bowed dramatically infront of his friend, his hand sweeping infront of his body. "I apologize your majesty."
"Oh sod off!" Sirius narrowed his eyes at his friend as he turned to place the package from the robe shop on his bed. "Ohh... he wasn't lying when he said that we would have masks on our beds." Sirius gestured to the packages laying on each of their pillows.
James smiled widely as he picked up the package on his pillow. "Dumbledore is the best Headmaster EVER!!"
Remus smiled as he picked up his own package. He sat down on the bed and crossed his legs – placing the package on his thighs. He looked down at the package and slowly opened it – feeling magic surge through his veins as he did so. He was surprised to find that inside the package – lay a jeweled mask in the shape of a deer's face. He had expected it to be the obvious answer – a werewolf.
"What'd you get Moony?" James peeked his head around to look at Remus.
"A deer."
"A deer?"
"A deer."
James frowned. "Oh... You'd think I'd get the deer. Well... what'd you get Pads?"
Sirius looked up from his mask and towards Remus as he spoke. "A wolf."
"Huh..." James raised his eyebrows slightly as he looked down at his own mask. "I got a Raccoon."
Sirius smiled slightly as he lent over and looked at Peter. "What'd you get Pete?"
"...I don't want to tell you."
"Ah come on!" Sirius jumped up and walked towards Peter, still holding his mask in his hand. "You have to tell, we all told what ours were."
"Well you'd find out anyway later, wouldn't you?" Peter spoke quickly as Sirius advanced on him and Peter instinctively shut the package, which lay in his lap.
"Come on! Don't be hypocritical, tell us what you got." James smirked as he sat down beside Peter.
"I don't want to."
"Now, now Wormtail – you have to tell us," Sirius sat down on the other side of Peter, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "or we'll be forced to beat it out of you. Or, simply, we'll look under the paper."
Fear flashed in Peter's eyes for a moment before he sighed. "Fine...I got a chicken."
"A chicken!?" James began to laugh right away. "A chicken! Lord he's got a chicken! Moony did you hear that? He got a chicken!" James fell onto his back laughing hard.
"Oh it's not that bad..." Sirius tried to cover up his laugher as he looked down at the mask.
"Go on! Laugh it up! I don't care!" Peter sulked as he picked up his mask and walked away – leaving Sirius and James in a fit of laughter on his bed.
"A chicken!" James managed to squeal out before falling into laughter again – joined by Sirius.
Remus walked towards Peter and looked down into his hands. "It's not half as bad as you think, Peter. The mask is beautiful."
"Great – I get to wear a beautiful chicken mask to the ball." Peter sighed heavily. "I hate this mask."
"If you hate the mask – then you hate yourself." Remus reminded Peter smiling. He placed a gentle hand to Peter's shoulder. Remus' eyes met with Peter's as he spoke again. "Nevermind them, alright? Your mask is just as good as ours."
"...Yeah, I suppose. Thanks."
Remus smiled and squeezed Peter's shoulder before letting go and walking towards his bed. "Come on you two – I want to see what your robes look like."
"Yeah... alright..." James sat up wiping at his eyes. "Ahhh.... A chicken..."
"Shut up already!" Peter snapped quickly without thinking. "It's not that big of a deal! Just grow up!"
"Wow... sorry." Sirius sat up and quickly moved past James' bed to sit on his own, picking up the box that contained the robe.
Remus smiled slightly as he turned again to open the package infront of him. As he did so, a small letter fell out.
'Dear Mr. Remus Lupin,
I'm not sure why I'm writing you this letter. Oh – silly me! I do know, of course I know, otherwise I wouldn't be writing the letter in the first place would I? Oh dear, I'm getting off track again... anyway; I'm writing to tell you that I spent extra time on your robes. I just decided that I wanted you to look your best on this night. Oh no! That makes me sound as if I am insulting your friends, dear me...! That's not what I've intended at all! All right – before I dig a hole any deeper, I'd just like to wish you a Happy Valentines Day, and I do hope that you will enjoy yourself tonight. Salut, mon cher.
Yours,
Mari'
Remus laughed as he set down the letter. He imagined that Mari would have been blushing madly as she wrote, and berating herself for making herself sound foolish – for making herself sound like a schoolgirl with a crush. He wondered idly if she would be shocked to learn that he was gay. Remus quickly eyed the paper and folded it up, placing it into his bedside table to avoid any other eyes finding it. Once he had muttered the locking spell on the drawer – he turned back to the yet unopened package on his bed. He began to unwrap the package slowly – actually wondering what it would look like. In the beginning, Remus didn't really care – as he didn't want Sirius to take pity on him and buy a new robe for him – let alone buy him anything that Remus couldn't afford. Remus had forgotten about the robes until James had just mentioned it in the Great Hall as they waited for Dumbledore. With a sigh, Remus grabbed the robe by the shoulders and pulled it out. He gasped as the deep auburn robe unfolded out of the box.
All down the front of the robe, on either side of the fabric where it separated, lavish knots and swirls had been embroidered into the silk with a faded, but iridescent golden thread. The fabric shimmered in the light, and to contrast the underside of the deep auburn outside, the inside fabric was a light, creamy brown. Mari had embroidered all along the edges of the hood, all around the opening of the sleeves, and around the bottom of the robe aswell.
"Oh wow... that's really nice." Sirius walked over to Remus' bed and smiled as he reached down to caress the fabric. "You'll look great in it."
"...Thank-you." Remus turned and smiled at Sirius before turning back to his robe and gently folding the fabric up again to let it come to a rest inside the box. He turned again and wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck. "Thank-you so much for... for..."
"You're welcome, Rem." Sirius smiled into Remus' hair and wound his own arms around Remus' slender torso. "You're very welcome."
Remus tightened his hold around Sirius neck once more before letting go and kissing his lips gently. "What does yours look like?"
"Much the same as yours, different color and embroidery though." Sirius let go of Remus and shifted over to grab his own robe. "See? It's a really dark blue, with silver embroidery instead of golden. But they're in the same place yours are." Sirius acted as if he got a new dress robe as beautiful as his all the time. He didn't seem to be amazed at the amount of work that had gone into making his robe. But nevertheless – he was still thankful.
"That's really gorgeous." Remus reached out and took the fabric in his hands. "It'll go with your mask perfectly."
Sirius smiled brightly. "Thanks." He moved to fold the robe up again, and took Remus' hands. "Can you come with me somewhere?"
"Of course."
"Thanks... just a minute, alright?" Sirius smiled. The smile that spread across his face was a smile reserved only for Remus. Remus nodded as the smile caused his stomach to flip, and his skin to rise into goose bumps.
"Mmm..." Remus smiled in return as he willed his heart to stop beating so frantically. 'It was just a smile... he smiles all the time, Remus.' Remus shook his head as he turned to place the top back onto the box. 'It's not just any ordinary smile; it's a smile from the person you love. A smile from the person who loves you in return. A smile reserved specifically for you.'
"Ready?" Sirius' voice brought Remus back to reality. He smiled as he held out his hand. His other hand was in the process of coming out of his pocket.
"Mhm." Remus took Sirius outstretched hand and willingly followed Sirius from the dorm.
"We'll be back before dinner, alright?"
"Yeah!" James yelled back at Sirius, already wrapping his deep crimson robe around his shoulders.
Sirius smiled as he turned to walk down the stairs, with Remus following close behind him.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"You won't tell me?"
"No." Sirius smiled as he looked back over his shoulder at Remus. "As I said before, you'll see."
"That's not fun." Remus pouted slightly as they reached the portrait.
"Of course it isn't! Haven't you figured it out by now? My aim in life is to leech all the fun out of your life and send you slowly driving into the depths madness because of it."
Remus laughed as they descended the marble staircase. "You're a loon."
"I'm not a loon – I'm a wolf. The mask says so." Sirius smirked as Remus walked up beside him. "In any case – don't underestimate the power of a loon."
"Oh? And why is that, pray tell?" Remus looked up at Sirius as they walked, tightening his grip on Sirius hand instinctively as various people passed them by.
"Well, we're dastardly scandalous you know. Indeed we are. Most dastardly of them all."
"Them? Who's 'them'?"
"Well... all the other birds of course." Sirius winked as he looked down, retrieving a laugh from his boyfriend. "Loons are frighteningly beautiful you know – not unlike myself."
Remus smiled as he looked up into Sirius' eyes. They walked in silence for a while – watching each other's eyes - gazing at each other with such vast amounts of love and respect, melting completely into one another's presence. They had reached the door before Remus spoke. "You're one of a kind, Siri."
Sirius merely smiled as he bent down to quickly kiss Remus' lips. He then straightened up and led them towards the lake. His heart began to beat a little bit faster with every step they took, his mind started to buzz with more volume with every breath he sucked in and every breath he let out. Sirius felt his nerves start to build, topping the last nervous sensation quicker than the last.
"Why're you so nervous?"
"What?" Sirius was pulled from his thoughts. He looked down at Remus and smiled.
"I'm not nervous."
"Your hands are shaking, and your heart is beating like mad. I think from past experiences – I'd know when you are nervous or not." Remus spoke quietly, looking into Sirius' eyes as he did so.
"Oh..." Sirius laughed nervously (much to his own disappointment) and didn't dare test his voice again. He merely recovered quickly and smiled down at an ever increasingly curious Remus.
Sirius took a deep breath and ignored the quizitive looks he was receiving from Remus and kept walking towards the lake. Sirius walked through the brush until he came upon the place he hand intended to come.
"Sit down..." Sirius smiled at Remus as he motioned to a place on the ground for Remus to sit. He eyed Sirius before obeying and sitting down on the grass.
"What's going on?"
Sirius sat down beside Remus, on the same patch of grass. "Just... Nothing. Nothing's 'going on'... I just, here... read this." Sirius blushed as he handed Remus an envelope. His heart began to pound at a steadier rate – increasing in speed with every passing second.
Remus took the letter from Sirius' shaking hands and eyed him again. "Siri..."
"Please – read it?"
"...Alright."
Remus smiled before leaning forward, placing his hand to Sirius' cheek. He smiled warmly before kissing him softly and leaning back. Sirius smiled at him as he watched Remus move to open the envelope.
The seal was that of the Black Family. It had been pressed into red candle wax, and broke apart easily. Remus looked up at Sirius once more before returning his attention to the letter. He pulled out the parchment and felt his heart lurch for no respective reason. He unfolded the letter to be greeted with Sirius familiar cursive writing.
'Remus,
You've made it to your 18th birthday! A day that I never thought I'd live to see – you know, what with our – excuse me, my pranks and constantly getting into trouble. I'd never even dreamed to see the day that we'd all celebrate this day in our lives – or the fact that we'd soon all be seeing the last day of Hogwarts not soon after your birthday. There I go – getting off track before getting to the actual point. (I really do need to work on that, don't I?)
What I really want to say to you is too hard to actually tell you. I'd never be able to form the words and actually say them to you without turning into a heap of wibbling Sirius Black flesh. (There I go again...) Anyway – what I wanted to tell you was how I really feel about you.
And before you start to think otherwise - no, it isn't anything horrible – so stop your worrying.
We've been together for well over 6 months, and only after last Friday do I realize how much you have impacted my life. I never dreamt that the mere thought of loosing you would drive me into hysterics. That must show how much I love you, right?
You are, without a doubt in my mind, the only person I'll ever love. Much the same way you feel for me. I didn't think that I'd ever be able to express the way that I feel about you, and I still don't know how. You have made me so completely happy in the years we've known eachother; you've helped me forget about trivial family issues – you've helped me see the big picture (as cliché as that sounds, it's true).
Now I know that my words aren't as elegant as yours, and my voice not as strong as yours. But I also know that from the day I met you there was something about you that I absolutely had to know, something that I had to be a part of. Maybe that was just becoming a part of your life. But whatever it was, it's driven me to find out who you are, every bit of who you are. I crave to know everything about you, to touch your body and know what every inch of your skin and body look like. I crave to have you beside me, to feel your lips on mine, to love you.
There are so many things that I want to say to you. I want to string my words together in a graceful song to proclaim my love for you as you did for me – but that's impossible, right? Nothing can match your amazing words. All I know is that I love you, and will always love you. You've forever become a part of my life, and ultimately a part of me.
I suppose it all boils down to one thing, doesn't it?
What I wanted to ask you is if you'll be mine – not just for now, but for as long as it takes for the world to lie down and be still.
-Sirius'
As Remus looked up from the parchment, his eyes found a small box – and inside, lay a simple golden band nestled in black velvet.
"I'm not asking you to marry me... I'm asking you to wear this ring as a symbol of love for me... or something like that." Sirius spoke in a shaking tone; his eyes clear as he laughed nervously.
"...Sirius..."
"I know it looks stupid... It must look stupid." Sirius began in the same shaking voice. "Me – holding out a ring for another person and asking them to wear it because I love them..."
"It's not stupid Sirius." Remus smiled as he reached forward to brush the hair out of Sirius' eyes. "It's something that I'd never expect to happen, but it's not stupid."
Sirius smiled slightly at the touch and looked up into Remus' eyes, his hands still trembling – his heart racing faster now than it had before. "Do... will you wear it then?"
Remus broke out into a smile as he lent forward and kissed Sirius' lips. "Of course I will."
Sirius let out the breath he had been holding as he picked the ring out of the box. He moved to take Remus hand and fit the ring onto his finger. After he had done so, he brought Remus' hand up to his lips and kissed the ring. Remus smiled and wrapped his arms around Sirius neck, pulling him into a tight hug. The two sat in an embrace for a long while before Sirius pulled back, his chest vibrating with slight laughter.
"This is so cheesy."
"What do you mean?"
"Bringing your lover down to the lake, and all but proposing to them and giving them a letter that proclaims your love for them. Then, when they've finished reading – they look up to see a ring sitting infront of them..." Sirius shook his head as he spoke.
"But you didn't propose." Remus reminded him before leaning in and kissing him lightly. "And I don't are how cheesy it is, I loved every second of it. You keep forgetting that when you're in love – everything is cheesy." He kissed Sirius again before turning and resting his back against Sirius' chest.
"Yeah..." Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus, resting his cheek on Remus' head. The two sat in silence for a minute, listening to the quiet lapping of the water on the shore – and the songs of the birds in the trees. "C-can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"When you said you were going back to France... how soon is 'in a while'...?"
Remus froze. He felt his heart beat quicken beneath his breast as he drew in his lips. He forced himself to sit up and face Sirius when he eventually spoke. "In a while loosely translates into 'I'll be going back to France with my parents as soon as the school year is over'."
"...What?"
Remus looked down as he wove his fingers in Sirius'. "I'm leaving England. I'm moving back to France to stay with my grandmother. She has requested that my family comes to see her and live with her before she dies."
The silence that Remus received after he spoke was unnerving, and when he looked up, his eyes met with a face contorted with pain.
"So... so that means that after graduation – we won't... we won't..." Sirius took a deep breath as he looked down. He furrowed his eyebrows – feeling tears come to his eyes. "We won't see eachother again?"
"No, we will." Remus placed a hand to Sirius cheek. "We will see eachother again. I'll make sure of it. I promise you that I won't let that happen."
"Don't make promises that you can't keep... well... promises that you're not sure you can keep." Sirius looked down again, his bangs falling over his eyes to shade the falling tears.
"Sirius..." Remus forced Sirius to look up at him as he loosely clutched Sirius' chin with his right hand. "Remember this?" Remus held up his left hand, the golden band caught the sunlight and began to shimmer. "What does this mean?"
"...That you'll be with me until the world is still."
"Exactly." He placed both his hands to Sirius' cheeks, holding his head gently. "Don't doubt the promise I've just made to you. You of all people should know that I always keep my promises."
Sirius broke out into a smile as he spoke. "There was that time in 4th year when you-"
"Stop trying to cover up what you feel with humor, Sirius. You don't need to do that around me."
Sirius immediately snapped his mouth shut and sucked in his lips, biting down on them as he dropped his eyes. "Force of habit."
Remus smiled when Sirius didn't apologize. He then rubbed his thumb across Sirius' cheek, wiping away a tear. "I know. Old habits die hard." He lent forward and kissed Sirius lips gently before speaking again. "We'll be alright, Siri."
Sirius nodded faintly before leaning in, taking Remus in his arms, his eyes tearing up again. "I feel so stupid when I cry..."
Remus smiled against Sirius cheek as his hands laced into Sirius hair, rubbing the same place he had rubbed when James was crying that day in the hallway. "Don't... emotion is a natural thing to show."
"I hate showing it though."
Remus turned his head and kissed Sirius' cheek before returning his cheek to its prior position. "When you feel comfortable and secure enough around me to let your barriers down... Sirius that means so much more to me than your words."
Sirius let out a small single syllable laugh as he held Remus closer to his body. He then took a deep breath and lent back rolling his neck. His eyes found Remus' and he smiled. "How did I end up with someone like you?"
Remus smiled, his eyes closing slightly as he tilted his head to the side. "I don't know... but I do know that I'm thankful that you did."
Sirius ran his thumb over Remus bottom lip, his eyes following his thumb. He then closed his eyes and lent forward, gently meeting Remus lips with his own. The two met each other's lips repeatedly for a while with slow kisses, savoring the taste of one another's mouths.
Remus smiled against Sirius lips as one of many kisses ended. "Do I still taste like sweets?"
"I don't know, I'd have to find out..." Sirius smiled as he lent forward, lips opened slightly.
He wasn't prepared to have his own tongue met by Remus', the sudden warmth on his own tongue sending shivers through his body. Once he had relaxed into the kiss, he playfully ran his tongue along Remus' lips, slowly moving his way into Remus' mouth. He opened his lips wider as he found Remus' tongue with his own, pushing it gently into Remus mouth. Remus responded with a slight smile as he lent back only a little, wrapping his arms around Sirius' neck, pulling Sirius closer to deepen the kiss. Sirius moved his tongue in time with Remus' as he allowed himself to be pulled down by his lover. He shifted his hips slightly to rest his hips over Remus'. Remus raised one leg, propping this thigh against Sirius' hip and as they continued to kiss, Remus involuntarily thrust his hips up against Sirius gaining a slight moan before it was lost in a tangle of tongues. Remus ended the kiss and moved to kiss just under the point of Sirius' jaw, lightly dragging his tongue against the soft flesh.
"You didn't answer my question..." He ended his statement by kissing the shell of Sirius' ear.
Sirius propped himself up on one elbow in a single graceful movement, his other hand wound around Remus' chin, slightly pulling his head to the side so he would be able to kiss his neck. Sirius rest his thumb against Remus' lips – and tried his best not to show his surprise when Remus greeted the flesh with his lips, slightly taking the finger into his warm mouth. "What" he kissed Remus neck, sucking lightly at the skin. "question?"
Remus shivered as Sirius' warm breath fell against his neck and smiled. "Whether-" Remus breath caught in his throat making a quiet, shaking gasping noise as he felt Sirius slowly move away the fabric of his shirt and kiss the newly exposed flesh. "Whether I still taste sweet or not..." He kissed Sirius thumb again, enjoying the salty flavor that met his tongue.
"Ahh... that question..." Sirius kissed his neck again, slowly moving towards Remus' mouth. He placed one last kiss on Remus' chin before moving up to kiss Remus' lips. Lightly running his tongue against Remus', he whispered against Remus' lips. "Yes, you still taste like sweets..."
"Hmmm..." Remus laughed slightly as he ran his hand along Sirius' back, pulling him closer to his chest. He lent up and pulled Sirius into another kiss, curling his free hand around Sirius' neck. Before ending the brief kiss, he lightly nipped at Sirius' lip before finishing the thought he had nearly lost. "As much as I hate to end this..." He met Sirius' lips in another kiss, lifting his hips up again to meet Sirius' hips, which responded to the movement and pushed down. "And I do, but we have to get back to the castle..." Another kiss. "and dinner is going to be served soon..."
"I'm not hungry..." Sirius made a point of lightly grinding his hips against Remus, smiling when Remus moaned at the movement.
"God help me if we don't get up now..." He rolled his head to the side as his eyes slid shut, letting his lips fall open in wordless gasp when Sirius kissed his neck again. "We have to get up now..."
"Mmm... Why?" Sirius didn't stop his kisses.
"Because I don't want... don't... don't want leaves in my hair... and gra... grass stains on m-my clothes..." Remus spoke in a near whisper, gasping slightly with almost every time he paused.
"Then we'll make it the other way around... I'll get leaves in my hair and grass stains on my clothes." Sirius smiled as he looked into Remus' eyes. His lips were full and quite pink as he lent forward.
Remus placed a finger to Sirius lips. "No... If you kiss me again – then it'll happen."
"Don't you want it to?"
"God yes but not here... not now..." Remus took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly as he kept his finger to Sirius' lips. "Come on... lets go..." Remus pushed Sirius up slightly with his free hand, amazed that Sirius actually moved.
Sirius sat up and watched as Remus ran a hand through his hair, picking out the already present leaves. His eyes traveled down Remus' torso until they reached his crotch. He smiled as he looked back up at Remus. "I never knew that kissing did it for you."
"We've never waited long enough to find out that it did, rather, does - apparently." Remus voice started somewhat strong but ended in a quick and airy tone. His already flushed cheeks filled with more color as he looked down and pulled his shirt straight. He ran his tongue over his lips before speaking again. "Come on... we had better go now before I do something stupid."
"Oh... like what?"
Remus stood up and offered Sirius a hand. His voice was soft as he raised his eyebrows, challenging Sirius' eyes. "Like fucking you senseless in the middle of the woods... in plain view of the castle."
Sirius took the offered hand and grinned. "I wouldn't mind getting kicked out because of that,"
"I would." Remus smiled slightly as they began to walk towards the castle. "Are all the leaves out of my hair?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Remus?"
"Sirius?"
Sirius looked down and smiled as they walked towards the castle, hand in hand. "Thanks for taking the ring."
"It's not a matter of me just taking it... it's a matter of me accepting it and-"
"Remus..."
"...Sorry." He smiled up at Sirius apologetically before clearing his throat. "Your welcome?"
"That's better... I don't think you need to get all technical about saying 'your welcome'."
The two made their way up to the castle, and towards the Great Hall for dinner. They hadn't realized just how much time had passed since they left the dorm, but apparently – it was already 5:30pm – dinnertime. Dinner had come early that night – as the Great Hall had to be prepared for the masquerade ball in an hour and a half.
As they walked towards the large oak doors, Sirius spoke softly into Remus' ear. "When you asked if I had ever thought of having you in my bed with James... and you smiled when I asked it in return... umm... what did that smile mean?"
"What smile?" Remus paused for a moment as they passed under the doors. "Oh!" He smiled as he looked up at Sirius. "It was just that."
"Just what?"
"Just a smile."
"So... you don't want to... um... you know, get it on with me and James at the same time?"
"Lord of course not!" Remus laughed slightly as they began to walk up the length of the Gryffindor table. "I'd never want to have sex with James... it's too weird. Besides – I'm not about to share you with anyone. Not even James." Remus paused for a moment. "And if I can help it, not with your hand either."
Sirius broke into a bout of warm laughter as they sat down. "Well I'm glad to know that you don't want to share me with my hand."
"What's that?"
"Nothing James. Absolutely nothing." Remus jumped in before Sirius could speak. He smiled as he lent sideways to whisper into Sirius' ear. "And I only kiss him because he's got really soft skin and lips."
"What?!" Sirius laughed slightly. "And I don't?"
"No, you do... of course you do. God your skin is so completely gorgeous – but with" Remus cleared his throat slightly. "it's different... you know?"
"Yeah. It is." Sirius held out his hand towards Remus. "All is forgiven."
Remus smiled, taking Sirius' hand. "All is forgiven."
"What in God's name are you two talking about? What is it with these couples who speak in code these days?" James lifted one eyebrow, while the other was lowered. He placed his fork into his mouth after he finished speaking.
"Code...?" Sirius looked over at Remus. "We were talking in code?"
"...Apparently so." Remus raised his eyebrows and scooped some potatoes onto his plate, then scooping the same amount – if not more, into Sirius' plate. "Then again, it would seem like code considering he hasn't got a clue what we're talking about."
"Point taken." Sirius smiled in thanks as Remus set down the dish holding the potatoes. He then picked up a bowl of mixed vegetables and dished it onto both his and Remus' plates. "Then again, would he want to know what we were talking about?"
"No, I don't believe that he would." Remus sliced a bit of butter off of the block and let it melt from his fork to fall onto Sirius' vegetables. He then did the same to his own vegetables.
James sat with a blank expression on his face, watching as Sirius and Remus served each other dinner as if it was a normal, practiced occurrence. He was about to speak but couldn't find anything to say as Sirius asked Remus what kind of meat he would like – light or dark being the choices. James furrowed his eyebrows as Sirius placed a piece of white meat onto Remus' plate, and dark onto his own. James sat with his elbow on the table, with his fork in his hand. He continued to watch as Remus poured gravy over his potatoes and meat, then handing the container to Sirius, James watched as Sirius did the same. James cleared his throat, causing both Sirius and Remus to look up.
"...What?" Remus halted the shaking of salt onto his vegetables.
"You two... are very odd." James' serious face melted into a smile as he looked down, stabbing another forkful of mashed potatoes. "Very odd indeed."
"What did we do?" Sirius looked over to Remus and then back to James. "Honestly, what's so odd about dishing out your dinner?"
James finished chewing before he spoke again, and when he did – he pointed his fork towards the couple. "The fact that you served it to eachother is the odd part."
"We... we did?" Remus sat back slightly, still holding the saltshaker in his left hand.
"Uh-huh." James shook his head as he took a swig of his drink and looked at Sirius. "Remus did the potatoes and butter, Sirius you did the vegetables, and asked whether or not he wanted light or dark meat, and when he answered you served it to him." James then looked over at Remus. "Then, when you spotted the buns – you picked two up, placed one on his plate and the other on yours."
"He's right. You did exactly that." Peter laughed slightly at the expressions on the two Marauder's faces.
Sirius and Remus turned to look at each other; they then both looked at their plates and back at eachother.
Sirius raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "...Fancy that."
"Is... Is it a bad thing?" Remus turned to look at James, worry lancing across his fine features.
"No. It's not a bad thing, it's just... a weird thing." James laughed at the expression on Remus' face. "I've just never seen anyone serve eachother dinner, that's all."
"...Oh." Remus raised his eyebrows as he looked down at his plate.
Sirius took this break in the conversation to voice his question. "Do we do it all the time?"
"I dunno, but this is the first time I've noticed it." James smiled as he nudged Peter's arm. "Have you noticed it before?"
"Nope. First time for me too." Peter smiled shyly as he took a sip of his drink. "We should hurry up and finish... it's nearly 6 and I still need to shower."
"That... has got to be the most unfortunate mental image I've had to date..." Sirius sighed as Peter threw him a glare.
Dinner ended quickly as Dumbledore had requested for it to. And the students had completely vacated the Hall by 5 minutes after 6. All of the 7th years made their ways back to their dorms – all going to shower. It never ceased to amaze Remus how much hot water was actually used during one day at Hogwarts – but then again, this wasn't an ordinary place. Magic surely would have something to do with it. To save on space, Sirius and Remus shared a shower stall – considering most of the multiple stalls were currently occupied. Sirius and Remus grinning widely when James and Peter made a face at the suggestion. Remus tried his best not to advance on Sirius – and Sirius tried his best to stop any advances that had slipped by even with Remus' close monitoring on himself. They finished showering quickly – being the last four out of the stalls, and soon they all stood in towels, drying themselves off.
"I can't wait for tonight, you know." James picked up a second towel and began to dry his hair.
"Yes Prongsie, we know. You simply cannot wait to see Lily, nor can you wait for tonight OR to put on your new robe." Sirius laughed as James narrowed his eyes at him. "What kind of material was it?"
James paused for a moment before speaking. "Err... it was velvet. Why?"
"Just a harmless question." Sirius smirked as he looked past James towards Remus.
Remus was wearing a pair of black silk boxers, and stood facing the mirror, sighing as he looked at the scars across his face. They had faded to dull fleshy-silver markings, and when they caught the light – it only worked to make them more noticeable. Sirius' eyes roamed over his boyfriend's body, and he smiled. The way Remus' muscles glided almost effortlessly under his peachy-golden skin caused Sirius' heart to flutter. He loved the delicate curve of Remus' back, and loved the way his hipbones jutted out slightly – begging to be kissed and caressed. Remus' arms weren't skinny, neither were they large. They were somewhere in the middle – with just enough lean muscle mass to make a difference, and just enough slenderness to make his limbs look long and graceful. Sirius caught himself blushing as he watched Remus raise his arms to dry his hair further with his towel. The hair under his arms seemed to not even be there – and was only perceptible from the side at most times. Infact, all of the hair on Remus' body was close to his skin tone – if not his exact skin tone and this made it look as if Remus didn't have body hair at all. His chest was smooth and hair free – and the hair on his arms was thin and soft. Remus held the towel over his head as his body curved with a stretch, and, when the stretch ended – he rotated his shoulders and neck, releasing any built up energy. Remus then turned and threw the towel into the hamper, looking back into the mirror after he had rotated back to his original position. He sighed once more, puckering his lips slightly and he actually smiled at his reflection before rubbing his hands over his face. Remus jumped slightly when he felt arms encircle his waist.
Sirius kissed his shoulder lightly. "You smell good."
Remus smiled and turned his head slightly, looking into the mirror at both his and Sirius' faces. Sirius placed his cheek near Remus' ear and smiled wider than he had been before.
"We look good together."
"We do?"
"Yeah." Sirius smiled once more, flashing his white teeth before kissing Remus' cheek. "We had better start getting ready before we end up late."
Remus nodded as he followed Sirius out of the bathroom, and into the dorm. Remus was only aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt when he stepped foot into the dorm. All eyes flashed over in his direction – gawking at the scars on his chest, arms, and back.
"Jesus I never thought Remus for a cutter..."
"How'd you think he got all those scars?"
"That's disgusting... someone cover it up!"
Remus felt his face flush as Sirius stepped infront of him, pushing him towards his bed. He forced Remus to sit down on the bed while he pulled the curtains closed, leaving only the side Remus was on open. When Sirius turned back to look at his mate, he found him with his knees up to his chest crying.
"Rem...?"
"I can't believe how careless I was... oh God..." Remus sniffed loud enough for everyone to hear, causing the room to fall silent.
"Shh... it's okay..." Sirius tried to take Remus in his arms but was brutally shoved back.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
"Remus... Remus just... please..."
"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Remus rolled onto his side and curled up into a ball, his ragged sobs being absorbed by the pillow. Remus spoke through his hands, repeating what he had just said. "Don't touch me... don't... t-t-touch me..."
"Remus... sweetie... please... It's alright..." Sirius moved to sit on the bed. He placed his hand to Remus' shoulder, and was amazed when Remus didn't shove it off – or even twitch to make the contact end.
"They... they saw... and... God... they, they..."
"Shh..." Sirius rubbed his thumb across Remus' shoulder, and was completely taken aback when Remus turned around abruptly – launching himself into Sirius' arms.
Sirius soothingly pulled Remus close, letting the tears fall over his skin. He ran his hand tenderly along Remus' spine, rocking back and forth slightly to calm his lover. Remus had begun to quiet down only slightly when a 7th year poked his head around the corner. When Remus heard him speak, he met the boy's eyes.
"Listen, I'm... I'm really sorry for, you know... saying you were disgusting... because your not. You really aren't Remus."
Remus nodded his head slightly before burying it again into Sirius' shoulder, tightening his grip on Sirius' shoulders. The boy continued to stand where he was, watching the couple. He bowed his head and frowned slightly before speaking again.
"I really am sorry, Remus. Please accept my apology."
"Yeah, mine too..." The boy who had pegged Remus for a cutter stood forward with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry, Remus."
The third person, whom had asked where Remus got all the scars, had not stepped forward, but his voice rang out through the room sounding strained. "Sorry, Remus!!!" a muffling sound followed. "Get off! I said I was sorry!"
"Did you mean it?"
"YES! YES I MEANT IT! REMUS I MEANT IT! I'M REALLY SORRY!" The boy choked slightly before the grip on his clothes was released.
"Good. Because I do not, I will not stand idly by when one of my friends has been hurt." James growled as he stared down at the boy, his eyes narrowed – his voice dangerously serious.
"Could you two just... please leave...?" Sirius addressed the two boys still standing behind him.
"Yeah..."
"Uh-huh."
The boys both turned at the same time, leaving Sirius and Remus alone. Sirius gathered Remus up in his arms and lay him down on the bed. He then grabbed his wand, closed the curtains, and muttered a silencing charm as he did so. He placed his wand at the foot of the bed before crawling up to lay beside Remus. He wrapped his arms around Remus' slight frame, and drew Remus's back against his chest.
"I'm sorry."
"...Wha-what for?"
"For not being able to protect you, and..." He spoke quietly against Remus' neck - his breath sending shivers down Remus' body. "not being able to stop you from feeling this pain you don't deserve to feel."
Remus smiled slightly before turning to face Sirius. He folded one arm under his chest and placed his free hand on Sirius' cheek. "You don't need to apologize for something you didn't do."
"I know, but..."
"You didn't do anything wrong, Sirius."
Sirius looked up into Remus' eyes, his long eyelashes brushing against his bangs. "It's just... I hate seeing you upset, and knowing that it was in my power to stop you from feeling the way you do right now." He looked down again, feeling Remus' thumb lightly stroke across his cheek.
"Sirius... You can't protect me all the time. It's a given that they would have all seen my scars at some point during my school years... I just wasn't prepared for it to be today." Remus managed a smile, causing the tears pooled in his eyes to fall down his cheeks.
Sirius blinked once before looking back up into Remus' eyes. "How did this turn from me comforting you, to you comforting me?"
Remus laughed slightly as he lent forward, lightly kissing Sirius' lips. "I don't know... but it doesn't matter."
"Yes it does... I was supposed to be the one helping you... and... instead... you became the one to help me? It's not supposed to work that way."
"Well... I suppose, in a way, I've helped myself." Remus smiled as he continued to rub his thumb against Sirius' cheek.
"What do you mean?"
"Well... In an attempt to help you, I helped myself – by saying that they were bound to see the scars sometime in my school year. I don't think I would have realized that before if the roles hadn't switched."
"...Oh." Sirius sat up, running his fingers across his eyelids before crossing his legs underneath him and clasping his hands together.
"Je t'aime," Remus sat up himself, his voice soft as he wrapped his hands around Sirius torso, resting his cheek against Sirius' shoulder.
"What?"
"It means 'I love you', it's F-"
"French."
"Mhm." Remus kissed Sirius' shoulder, in order to calm himself down. He found it odd that kissing Sirius always calmed his nerves.
Sirius placed his hands over Remus' and lent back, kissing Remus briefly, then he whispered against his lips with his eyes still closed. "Je t'aime," He placed his lips against Remus once more before leaning back, smiling. "We should get ready for tonight."
Remus couldn't help but smile at the fact that Sirius had repeated 'I love you' back to him in French. This simple gesture sent Remus to the moon and back, and made him completely forget about what had just happened. He loved the sound of the words rolling off of Sirius tongue – and delighted that the familiar words were directed at him, and would only ever be directed to him, and him alone. "Yes... we should."
Sirius smiled and moved to get up, only to be held back by Remus' arms. "What's wrong?"
"Say that to me again."
"Err... What's wrong...?"
Remus smiled as he lifted one hand up to cup on Sirius' cheek. "No... before that."
Sirius was about to say 'we should get ready for tonight', before he smiled and lent forward, his was soft as his breath fell across Remus' lips. "Je t'aime."
Remus smiled in spite of himself before leaning forward to kiss Sirius. When the kiss ended, Sirius spoke in the same quiet tone as before.
"Why did you want me to say that again?"
Remus let his hand fall from Sirius' face. "I havn't heard anyone speak French in the longest time... and... I've never had anyone tell me they love me in French and really mean it."
"Really...?" Remus nodded, and Sirius continued. "Then from now on, I'll only tell you that I love you in French."
Remus laughed slightly before sitting back, trailing his hand along Sirius' torso. "You don't have to do that."
"I want to."
"Why?"
Sirius smiled gently as he looked into Remus' eyes. "Because it makes you happy."
Author's Notes:
YEAHIUNA.... LORD... I'm so sorry for taking about a millenium and a half for this chapter to be finished... I got sidetracked, I procrastinated, and then sidetracked myself some more. I couldn't keep going on with this chapter - or I'd turn out to be overkill, yanno? Anyway, Chapter 25's clue will occur in Chapter 27. (OMG... 27 chapters?! -faints-) Anyway... I'm about done now... I can't remember really who I wanted to address in this chapter, but in Chapter 27 - there will be a huge list of people I would like to address... -smiles- Yes, yes, it'll be wonderous.
Thank-you for the 19 reveiws I've received since the last chapter!! I can't believe I got so many... Anyway, Please continue to reveiw te WOTM, and.. HOOO MY GOD! 300plus reveiws?! KICK ASS!!! Also, 100,000 words? KICK MAJOR ASS!!! Just so's ja kno'... this whole story keeps going because of all of you. So, thank-you so much again. -smiles-
Spoiler: Uhm... I KNOW! I'll answer last chapter's spoiler - what fun!!! The movie was called 'Dirty Dancing', and OH YES, that will be OH SO FUN to write!! YES!!! Dirty dancing Sirius and Remus... It will be fine, it will be good, and people will get horny. Kehehehehe -launches into a loud cackle- Ehhem.. I'm spent.
TILL NEXT TIME - TO INFINITY, AND BEYOND!!! -knowingly infringes on copywrites- Kuahaha! . ... I'm spent this time, for real. Ta!!