Author Notes:
Hey. Just so you know I have changed a few lines in the last chapter due to the fact I have been told James is a chaser, not a seeker… To be honest I didn't know JK had addressed the issue, and I haven't seen the movies… I just assumed he was a seeker because of the playing with the snitch in book five… But, as a sign of faith, I have altered the story. ;) I'm good like that! Thanks to Miss Anonymous hp for telling me.
Not to sound really stupid, but can you give me a page reference for where we are told that? I have read all the books, like, a billion times, but I swear I didn't notice… I am going mad… Thanks
Sirius' POV
Remus is practically clinging to me this morning. I know it is because he subconsciously knows I'll be leaving him for the longest time since we've been back.
I think I'll stay in bed this morning. After all, my Mate is far more important than my Quidditch-style body clock.
"Siri…" he murmurs in his sleep.
I tug him to me a little tighter and he makes a happy purring noise. He is pressed right up against my right side, with one of his legs hooked tightly round mine. His face is under my chin and he is clinging to my T-shirt.
I rub his back gently and stare up ate the ceiling. We are still in my old room; we decided to move when our new bed arrives… So I know, from experience, that there are thirty-nine knots on the ceiling, of which, I have decided, twenty-one are almost perfect circles, fifteen are oval and the others are of a shape I cannot put a name to. I also know that the two halves of the ceiling are subtly glossed in different shades, and that it takes the average spider three hours to cross from one side to the other.
Strange that I remember all that, huh? I guess it comes from the fact I spent too much of my childhood in this room; unwilling to come out, or, in fact, banished up here.
It should bring back loads of bad memories, like it did before. However, with Moony curled up next to me I really don't think I could ever feel unhappy.
"You really have to go?" he murmurs, jolting me out of my thoughts.
"Yes, Love," I reach with one hand to pet his hair. "We need money, so I need to get back to work."
"You can go tomorrow," his grip on my shirt tightens.
"No, I have to go today. I have an appointment today."
"I don't want you to…" he falls silent; not needing to finish his sentence.
"I know," I murmur. "If I had my way I would never, ever leave you, Moony. I love you, but I have to go."
I pull away from him gently and get out of bed. He whimpers and shifts to kneel on the bed next to where I am now standing. I kiss his forehead.
"Be good," I tell him, smiling gently.
He glares at me, the affect of which is ruined by the tears in his eyes.
I hug him tightly,
"I love you," I tell him firmly. "I will be back this evening. I promise."
He nods,
"Will you floo me when you get there?"
"No," I tell him sadly. "I don't have my own office, so I cannot floo you. I will see you again this evening."
He bits his lip,
"I do love you. Please come home."
He flushes slightly,
"I'm being really clingy, aren't I?"
I laugh,
"I hadn't noticed." I turn serious, "I love you, Moony. I will see you tonight."
I brush my fingers down his face gently, then hurry to get dressed for work.
Later
"Hey, Padfoot," Prongs greets me as I arrive at the Burrow. "I thought you were going straight home?"
I shrug lightly,
"I needed to talk to you first."
"Did you get the job?" he asks.
"Yeah, of course I did," I roll my eyes.
He laughs,
"Modesty always was your best quality!"
I grin,
"Which rather tells you what the rest are like!"
"So, why are you depriving your Mate and coming here instead?"
"Do you think I should buy Moony a puppy as a surprise, or let him pick one out?" I reply.
Prongs looks surprised,
"A puppy?"
"You know. Cute, fluffy, cuddly animals, generally the babies of dogs… You keep them as pets and take them for walks? Throw balls for them to fetch? Ringing any bells?"
"Ha ha, very funny Padfoot. I do know what a puppy is."
"Well? Moony suggested that he might like to have a dog at home to keep him company. So, do I get one as a surprise, or take him to chose one?"
Prongs shakes his head,
"You really love to dump random problems on me, don't you?" he laughs. "Ok, if you get a puppy I think it should be a surprise. That way he won't have to chance to back out."
"That is true," I nod. "I have to get home. Thanks for that." I gesture randomly with my hand.
"You're welcome."
I scowl,
"Shouldn't you be at tryouts?"
He shrugs,
"Yeah. I have an hour though, and I'm going to Apperate, so I don't need that much time."
I nod in understanding,
"Sure. Good luck."
He nods his thanks.
I wander back to my 'borrowed' Ministry car and head home.
Later, Remus' POV
I'm beginning to think that moving here wasn't the best of ideas.
The work is keeping me busy, true enough, but I am certainly lonely.
I have stopped taking breaks now, because I get too lonely whenever I do. James dropped in for a while, which was nice, but he left after two hours. He was no substitute for my Mate anyway.
I really need to get myself a job or something.
I fell guilty, too, as part of me hopes that Sirius hasn't been given his job back. That way he will have to stay with me.
Gees… I have truly become the stereotypical, overly emotional, submissive, useless partner that stays at home.
I hear the door. My Mate is home.
Sirius' POV
No sooner have I shut the door than Moony has thrown himself at me with a soft whimper.
"Hey, you missed me?" I hug him tightly.
He nods against my chest,
"Lonely without you."
I kiss his forehead,
"Guess what I have?"
"A job?" he looks up into my eyes.
"Yup," I grin. "I've rejoined the daily grind! I have my old position back, and the cubical near the corner."
"That's great," he smiles, though looks rather sad.
"It'll be ok," I reassure him. "I will be able to floo you regularly again, and I'll write you memos."
"The memos only work in the building," he tells me quietly.
"They do until you modify them," I grin. "Don't worry Moony."
He pulls away from me and walks into the lounge.
"I have ordered the bed," I tell him as I follow him.
"That's good," he drops down onto the sofa.
"I know you feel guilty because part of you wishes I hadn't got the job," I tell him as I sit beside him.
He flinches,
"I'm a terrible person, sorry, Sirius."
"Don't be daft," I rub his back. "You think I would be angry because part of you wishes I would never leave? That is about the best compliment I've ever had!"
He chuckles,
"True."
"Don't worry about it, Moony. I love you."
"Hmm…" he sighs and drops his head to my shoulder. "It isn't fair, Sirius. Why do people hate me all the time? I know I'm not the best person…"
"Yes, you are, Moony," I correct quickly. "You are the best person I've ever met."
"…but I'm only truly dangerous once a month," he ignores the interruption.
"I don't know, Love. I agree though, it is very unfair. There are people in the Ministry working to improve things for you."
He nods,
"Yeah, but they can't force people to like me."
"They can make it so that you don't have to tell them."
He nods,
"That might help some people, but if they liked me without knowing that… They wouldn't really know me."
"You won't be on your own all day either."
"True," he sighs again. "But Moony probably won't accept them as his pack. I don't want to work with people who don't know me."
"You would rather stay at home?" I ask, expecting a negative answer.
"Yes," he surprises me. "Yes I would."
Next day
"Black?" my boss yells across the cubicles to me. "You in here?"
"Sir?" I stand up so that he can see me.
"Ah! There you are. I want to talk to you, come along," he strides off down the corridor.
I shrug and start to follow him.
"I bet you're in trouble!" Tonks grins at me.
I glance at her,
"What could possibly have done to irritate him? I've been sitting quietly at my desk since I got in three hours ago!"
"You did send five modified memos to Lupin," she grins.
I nod and continue on my way,
"That's true."
I catch up with him at the end of the hall.
"Keep up!" he grins at me and gestures me into the lift.
"Where are we going?" I ask as he joins me and punches the button for level four.
"I have to talk to you about a rumour I heard, and I think I want to show you something," he tells me.
"Ok," I agree nervously. I know that level four is for the control of magical creatures and my mind skips to Remus.
We step out into the corridor as soon as the lift stops.
"Black," he begins as we walk along, "is it true that you are mated with a werewolf?"
I flinch,
"He has nothing to do with my job here, and don't…"
"Relax, Black, just answer the question," he smiles over at me.
"Yes, ok, yes it is true."
He nods,
"Yes, I thought so. Remus Lupin, isn't it?"
"He, Remus is a he, not an it," I snap.
"You are being to defensive," he murmurs. "To say 'it' in that context is just an expression. By 'it' I meant his name."
I nod,
"Sorry, sir."
He waves his hand casually as we keep walking.
"Remus is well?"
I scowl,
"He's fine."
"He stays at home?"
"Yes. Look, sir, what is this about?"
"Do you love him?" he ignores my question.
"Yes. What are you…?"
"Did you love him before he was a werewolf?"
"I didn't ever know him when he wasn't a werewolf," I give up arguing and just answer the question.
"I see," he nods. "Is he happy?"
I stare at him,
"He doesn't like being left alone," I reply after a pause, "but he is happy with me, yes."
He looks strangely pleased,
"Do you know what the Ministry keeps in these cells?" he stops walking abruptly and gestures down a corridor to our right.
"No, I don't," I have a bad feeling about this.
"Werewolf cubs," he tells me, watching me carefully. "Children who have been bitten and then abandoned."
"Why are you telling me this?" my voice sounds weak.
"At the moment there is one child in the cells at the end," he tells me. "The werewolves are strongly sedated before each moon to keep them safe. The sedative is cheaper than wolfsbane and does not need to be specifically prescribed."
"All drugs need a prescription," I murmur.
"Why do you think there is only one?" he replies.
I give him a pained look,
"That's sick."
"Yes," he surprises me, "it is."
"What do you want me to do?"
"I was thinking you might have another question."
"Why does the Ministry keep them?" I ask, worriedly.
"They do not experiment on them, if that is what you are thinking," he replies. "They keep them so that they can say with all honestly that they take care of werewolf cubs, and give them premium food."
I scowl,
"They are in cells!"
"And they are fed premium dog food," he nods.
I feel the blood leave my face.
"The Ministry will also happily give up the children to anyone who will take them," he continues, once again watching me carefully. "Then they can tell the pro-werewolf-rights protestors that they are finding new homes for the cubs."
My mind is working over time. I was thinking of adopting a dog for Moony, not a child. I'm not sure if that is what Remus had in mind when he told me he was lonely.
"You want me to take him… err… her home?" I look down the corridor at the cell door.
"I was thinking you might want to think about it."
We stand in silence for a time.
"How many others have you re-homed?" I ask.
"Fifty-eight."
"How many have died?"
"A lot more."
"How long have they been keeping them here?" I feel sick.
"It was a bill pushed through by Umbridge about six years ago," he replies.
"I hate that b," I tell him.
He nods,
"I imagine your lover does too?"
"Oh yes," I nod. I sigh, "Moony might just kill me for this… What do I have to do to claim… err… him?"
Later
"Alright," I twist round to face the boy beside me in the car. "We're home. Do you remember what Dumbledore told you about the house?"
My boss gave me the rest of the day off after I had claimed the boy, but before coming home I took a trip to Hogwarts so that I would be able to take our new 'cub' into the house.
He nods,
"Invisible house."
"That's right," I agree.
He doesn't seem to be able to speak many words, but he has picked up on 'invisible' somehow.
"Sleep?" he looks nervous.
I shake my head,
"No. No I won't make you sleep if you don't want to."
He smiles happily and holds out his arms. I scoop him up, get out of the car and kick the door closed with my foot.
"Inside is my Mate," I tell the boy. "He's called Remus, or Moony if you prefer."
"Sleep?"
"No, Moony won't make you sleep either. When we get inside I'm going to put you down. I have to speak to Moony, ok?"
He whimpers,
"Stay?"
"I won't leave you," I reassure him. "I just have to speak to Moony for a second, but I won't go out of your sight. Ok?"
He nods.
"Good boy."
I open the door and put the boy down carefully. I hear Moony coming down the stairs to greet me so I go to meet him at the bottom of the stairs.
He throws his arms around me,
"Sirius! What are you doing home?" he grins.
"I have a surprise for you, Love," I tell him almost nervously.
"What is it?" he looks interested, then scowls slightly, "will I like it?"
I laugh,
"I hope so, Moony."
"So it isn't like the earring you got in year five?"
"You like the earring."
He looks at the small gold stud in my left ear. I have taken to wearing it again, as the hole re-open itself when I was brought back. It closed up before when I was in Azkaban.
"It has grown on me," he admits.
"It isn't a piercing, or, actually, anything to do with my body," I reassure him anyway.
He nods,
"Ok, what is it?"
The boy looks up as move back over to him.
"Hey," I smile reassuringly.
"Hurt me?" the young werewolf asks.
"No," I tell him quickly. "Moony… err… Remus wouldn't hurt a fly. Don't worry. Besides, you trust me, don't you?"
He nods quickly and holds his arms out to me.
I pick him up and carry him over to my Mate.
Moony's eyes widen as he spots the boy. I sense the canine side of my lover assessing the situation.
"He's our new cub, Moony," I tell him, simultaneously gently for Remus and firmly for Moony.
He walks over curiously and the boy bears his neck to my Mate.
Moony considers this, then gently kisses the presented neck. The boy squirms happy and Moony takes him into his own arms.
"What's your name?" he asks.
The boy has nuzzled up against him and fallen asleep instantly, so doesn't reply.
"He doesn't have a name," I tell him quietly. "The Ministry don't bother naming abandoned werewolf children. He has been in one of their cells for the past year."
"How did you…?"
"Find him? My boss, who is thoroughly sympathetic to the cause, told me about him. He said that all I had to do was say I'd take him on and the Ministry would be only too happy to give him to me."
"That's horrible," Moony hugs the child closer. "He's only… three?"
"Three and a half," I nod. "Four in April."
"We are going to keep him?" Gees he looks so hopeful.
"Of course we are," I nod. "That is, if you think Moony will accept him?"
"He already does," he smiles. "He did the instant you said he was our cub."
I grin,
"Thank god! I was worried you might hate me."
"We have to name him," Moony rocks the child gently.
"Yeah," I laugh, "we need to do a lot of things, Love."
"We do?"
I shake my head in amusement,
"Food, toys, a bed, education, clothes, medicine, a pet… there are a lot of things to do."
"A pet?"
I laugh,
"Children like pets, Moony. We might need to get a puppy after all."
"Oh," he gets with the programme. "Wolfsbane, we need to get his prescription."
"I already have," I pull a piece of paper from my pocket. "It's a little different from yours, but it shouldn't cause Prongs any problems."
Moony nods happily,
"I never thought we'd have a child."
"I did," I tell him.
"You did?" he looks amused.
"I always thought we'd find some way to adopt. Well, not always, but after seeing you with Harry."
"We need to tell the others too."
"Yeah," I agree, but before I can say anything else there is a knock at the door.
I open it and instantly find myself with an armful of Prongs.
"I made it! I'm on the team!" he whoops and dances around the hall way with me.
I see the child wake up suddenly in Moony's arms. He looks scared.
"That's great Prongs, but please calm down," I grin before I can stop myself.
"Why?" he keeps beaming, then notices the direction of my gaze and turns around. "Oh."
Author Notes:
Well, that was a long chapter… I hope you don't mind that I have performed a cliché and given them the child… I do have a sort-of, I-think-this-will-work type plot; basically about the werewolf cubs.
I am sorry that I thought James was a Seeker, but as I said at the top of the page… Shrug, anyway.
One thing before I go. I haven't got a name for the boy let, so you can make suggestions if you like. Otherwise I will have to find a baby name book and a pin…
Thanks for all the reviews, I am, as always, surprised that you like this stuff so much…
