A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed. You know who you are!

Finally, Magical Creatures class ended. The Slytherins left, grumbling, to endure an hour of History of Magic. James and Lily headed off to the Quidditch field. Peter hurried towards the library to meet up with his Hufflepuff girlfriend. The rest of the Gryffindors headed back to the castle.

Remus glanced quickly at Sirius and then away. "I thought I'd wait for you while you go talk to Dumbledore, if that's okay." he said shyly. His eyes stole another peek at Sirius' face, hoping he wasn't reading too much into their kiss. His stomach fluttered when he saw a quick smile spread across his friend's lips. "Good idea, Moony."

Remus slipped into a sitting room across the hall from the stairs that lead to Dumbledore's office. He paced idly back and forth, his mind replaying the scene on the roof over and over. He still felt the soft pressure of Sirius' lips against his own and the strong embrace of Sirius' arms around his body. Or so he thought. Actually, he'd like to experience that kiss again, just to make sure he hadn't imagined it. He perched at the edge of one of the chairs, but nervously sprang up again after only a few seconds to resume his peregrinations around the room. His thoughts once again turned to his earliest days at Hogwarts -

The first few weeks of school passed by in a blur, but with each moment, Remus felt more at ease as he discovered more about his roommates. James Potter, intelligent, crackling with energy, the human Fizzing Whizzbee, as Sirius called him. James came from an old, wealthy wizarding family and had a number of distinguished ancestors who had risen to positions of influence within the Ministry of Magic. His passion for Quidditch made others think that he couldn't possibly be a decent student. How wrong they were. James was blessed with the ability to remember and catalog facts in his head without resorting to rote memorization. Academics came to him as easily as athletics.

Peter Pettigrew was short and somewhat bumbling. He had no intuitive sense of magic; he often needed explanations and practice in order to get things right. Remus thought Peter tended to over-compensate for that by displaying an alarming tendency to take on more than he could handle, but he had the courage, or foolhardiness, to see things through. For instance, in their first week Peter had taken a wrong turn on his way to Transfiguration and ran into a pack of third-year Slytherins. Thrilled by the happy accident that had placed a potential victim in their hands, they started picking on him. Rather than turn tail and run, he drew his wand and challenged his tormentors. He managed to survive until Professor Clark intervened. Peter emerged from the altercation a bit roughed up and with his hair transformed into grass, but the Slytherins all ended up with detentions. Peter felt it was a fair trade-off.

Sirius Black was quiet and reserved. Some people thought him aloof, but Remus felt it was more that he was very self-contained. He rarely offered information about himself and never suffered from any extremes of emotion. Outwardly, at least, although Remus sometimes sensed deep currents of emotions that he was sure Sirius wanted to hide. He was as smart as James, and disturbed some professors with his penchant for asking questions that were frequently much too advanced for their level of coursework. Sirius' beanpole appearance marked him as a potential weakling, and in those early days he was the target of a certain amount of attempted hazing from some of the older students. They made the mistake of assuming he was clumsy and uncoordinated. They soon discovered their mistake. Sirius was quite capable of defending himself and his friends with a bent for imaginative charms and hexes. And he had a wand hand with the quick reflexes and deadly accuracy of a striking cobra. Remus also noted that Sirius had an unexpected streak of recklessness. The more that he put his limbs, if not his actual life, in danger, the happier he was.

It struck Remus one evening as they were all getting ready for bed that he still had no information about Sirius' family, other than that his sister, Ara, was a seventh-year Ravenclaw. Remus didn't even know if the Blacks were a wizarding or mixed family or what line of business they were in. So he asked.

An odd look flashed across Sirius' face and Remus immediately regretted opening his mouth. He sensed he had trespassed in some way. The look was almost instantly replaced by Sirius' normally impassive expression. He looked evenly at Remus and said, "My family is in the jewelry business."

That brought an explosive snort from James. "Sirius, you make it sound like the Blacks sit around the kitchen table sliding beads on bits of string! Give him the whole story!"

Remus noted the somewhat sharp glance Sirius fired at James. But, his expression was calm as he turned back to Remus. "My family owns several jewelry stores called Les Etoiles," he said casually.

Remus' brows shot up. Peter yelped.

Les Etoiles was the most exclusive jeweler in the wizard world, with locations in London, Paris, Rome and New York. The legendary craftsmanship and breathtaking beauty of their jewelry was simply without peer. Remus remembered the fascination he felt the first time he had looked at the dazzlingly displays of rings and pendants and bracelets in the window of the store in Diagon Alley. His mother had told him that only the finest designers worked there and they had to be very talented in charms, as all the jewelry had magical properties. It took months of complicated spellwork to complete most items at Les Etoiles.

Remus had been speechless with amazement when he saw the pieces of jewelry with changing images. One large pendant showed a tree against an onyx background, its trunk and branches of gold, its flowers of rose quartz and rubies. Suddenly, the tree transformed and the flowers disappeared, only to be replaced by leaves of emerald and peridot. "Mum, did you see that?" Remus gasped in surprise. "It changed." He pointed to the pendant and again, it changed. Now the leaves glittered with the autumnal hues of garnet and carnelian and tiger-eye and citrine. Some of the leaves even floated off the branches to gather at the base of the tree. Eagerly, Remus waited for the last transformation. The brightly colored leaves vanished, leaving behind an icy glaze of diamonds and pearls twinkling along the wintry branches.

Next to the pendant was a bracelet, its stones depicting the thick foliage of a forest. Winking in and out of the trees were tiny, jeweled birds which flitted from branch to branch, making their way along the bracelet and disappearing entirely from time to time. A lightening-fast hematite squirrel scampered half-seen through the branches. Remus had been utterly entranced.

Now, looking at Sirius, Remus realized that his quiet friend was definitely pureblood and probably quite wealthy, although neither fact seemed particularly important to Sirius. Come to think of it, this son of famous jewelers was the only one of them who never wore jewelry, not even a watch. Odd, that.

Peter, gazing at Sirius with something akin to awe on his face, said, "Wow, I've been in your London store. Everything was so beautiful. Will you inherit that?" Realization spread across his face. "And, can you get us good deals when we want to buy engagement rings?"

James and Remus chuckled at Peter's impressionable reaction. Sirius smiled faintly. "Yes, when the time comes I can probably get you a good deal. Assuming, of course, that my parents are still speaking to me after I finally convince them that I have no intention of joining the family business." He stepped around Peter and climbed into his bed, immediately closing his curtains.

Peter glanced guiltily at James and muttered, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Nah, it's okay. It's just that Sirius and his parents don't see eye to eye about his future."

The flow of Remus' memories halted as his acute hearing caught the sound of the moving staircase. Opening the door a crack, he saw Sirius just as he stepped off the stairs.

"Pssst." Glancing toward the sound, Sirius spied a bright eye and toasty-brown hair through the chink in the door and sped across the hallway. Once in the room he stopped short, his eyes caressing Remus' face. /Pellucid./ The perfect word to describe the warm, smooth skin of the young man before him. He wanted to commit that delicate face to memory. Deceivingly delicate, as Sirius well knew. Remus might look slight and malleable, but he had a core of adamantine. Studious, intelligent with an indefinable sylvan beauty that seemed the polar opposite of the lethally dangerous, powerfully beautiful wolf that he turned into once a month. The contrast had intrigued and beckoned Sirius from the moment he first discovered the wolf.

Now irresistibly drawn to Remus, he stepped closer until there was barely a sliver of light between them. Remus' body leaned towards him, yielding to a similar attraction. "Umm," Remus tried to revive his vocal chords. His lips felt dry, so he quickly licked them. "What punishment is Dumbledore giving you?"

Sirius' keen gaze focused like a hawk on the darting, moist, pink flesh. He forced his eyes back up to Remus'. "Fifty points from Gryffindor. No Hogsmeade weekends for the rest of the year. Detention up until Christmas with Kettleburn, whenever he needs some assistance, and expulsion if I do any more climbing on school grounds. Do that again."

"That's rather harsh, isn't it?" Remus frowned slightly. "Do what again?"

Sirius smiled, his eyes glittering. In a voice suddenly husky, he said, "This." His lean, strong fingers slid into the hair on either side of Remus' head. With their mouths barely touching, Sirius slowly drew the tip of his tongue along the shorter boy's lips. Remus gasped slightly, his mouth opening in an involuntary invitation to more intimate, slithery explorations. A breathy moan escaped him at the feeling of Sirius' inquisitive tongue sliding past his lips, tracing a sinuous path into the wet cavern of his mouth.

Sirius had never savored a mouth so luscious and sweet. He was captivated by the sensation of Remus' tongue entwined with his own, the soft, eager lips pressed against his. This was a slice of heaven, these moments spent kissing, tasting, learning the liquid silk feel of Remus' tongue and the inside of his mouth, encouraging the invasion of his own mouth, thrilling to the sharp, insistent teeth that soon gently fastened on his lower lip. Sirius could have abandoned himself for hours in uncovering all the secrets of this mouth.

A long, searing kiss ended with Sirius sucking gently on Remus' lip, feeling warm puffs of breath against his face. Remus wanted more, needed muscle and bone against his body. His hands wandered down Sirius' sides and around his back to hug him in a tight embrace. Their feet shifted as Sirius stepped back towards the couch. They sank onto it in an awkward tangle of limbs, mouths still pressed together. Remus felt a hand drift down his back to cup his buttocks, its touch curious and possessive at the same time. He grabbed a handful of black hair, a thick, silken rope against his palm.

The sound of sneezing interrupted them. The doorknob rattled and a sniffling Filch came in, stuffing a handkerchief into his pocket. He stopped short, glaring at the two flushed teenagers sitting side by side on the couch. "What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be on your way to lunch?" His eyes darted around the room, a look of deep suspicion in them, wondering what magical trap these two had laid for him. "Well?" Filch barked.

Sirius looked up at him and answered quietly. "I wanted to talk privately to Remus about my visit to the Headmaster's office."

"You! You're the one who's been climbing up the castle! Would have saved us all a lot of trouble if you fell off! Now, get out of here!"

The boys left, and if Filch noticed the blush on their cheeks or the odd hitch in their gaits, he made no mention of it.

Afternoon classes were interminable. Remus and Sirius were so distracted by each other's proximity in Arithmancy that Professor Pegler came close to sending Remus off to the Hospital wing, thinking that her best pupil must be suffering from some sort of illness, as he couldn't seem to answer even the simplest question correctly.

Transfiguration followed Arithmancy. They had no sooner settled into their seats, unable to keep their eyes and barely able to keep their hands off each other, when a fuming Professor McGonagall banged into the room. The boys' cloud of passionate befuddlement was blown away in tatters by the power of her angry aura.

"On your feet, Mr. Black!" He rose slowly from his chair. Eyes blazing with fury, she stared at Sirius and proceeded to dress him down in front of the entire class.

"Quite an impressive stunt you pulled this morning, wasn't it?" She seethed. "How is it that you've once again put your personal agenda ahead of any consideration for your classmates or for your House, Mr. Black?"

"Professor, I merely accepted a dare to do something not expressly forbidden by school rules."

Nostrils flaring, she snapped. "Don't be disingenuous with me, young man! School rules don't expressly forbid you to set yourself on fire, either. Would you accept that dare?"

Before he could reply, she steamrolled on. "I think Headmaster Dumbledore was very lenient in only deducting fifty house points. If it had been up to me, I would have deducted far more for your unforgivably stupid display of bravado. What were you thinking?"

"I've been rock climbing for years, Professor. I know what I'm doing. There was no danger-"

She cut him off, her voice dripping with scorn. "And how will your climbing knowledge protect some impressionable second-year who decides to emulate you? Someone who does not have all your vast wisdom and boundless experience? How will your self-centered conceit help that student when he or she ends up in a broken heap on the ground? Have you thought of that, Mr. Black?"

"Professor, I've never tried to get people to follow -"

"Am I to believe you are unaware of all the times other students have followed your lead? Spare me, please! It's apparent to me that you thrive on causing as much mayhem as possible, and if it gets others in trouble, or serves to upset your parents, then so much the better!"

Sirius shook his head slowly, but did not flinch from her gaze.

"As a sixth-year you have a responsibility to provide a good example to the younger students. You consistently shirk that responsibility by instead concentrating on your famous pranks. You are much too clever for your own good, Mr. Black, and someday real life will throw your cleverness back in your handsome face and laugh while you try in vain to pick up the pieces."

Sirius still kept silent, but McGonagall was not yet done with him. "You are a very fortunate, privileged boy, with every advantage that birth and family can give you. Yet you waste your intelligence and your skills with this sort of perverse behavior. Will your parents be proud of this exploit?"

"I'm sure my parents will be suitably appalled." Sirius' voice was icily calm.

"Do not make the mistake of provoking me any further, Mr. Black!" McGonagall glared fiercely at him. "Never has any student of mine been more of a disappointment! Sit down!"

Remus felt a cold hand twisting his innards as McGonagall lashed out. He felt so bad for Sirius. Dumbledore had already meted out harsh punishment and Sirius had received some abusive comments from his housemates about the point deduction. McGonagall could have yelled at him privately, instead of trying to embarrass him in front of everyone. Remus' eyes darted to Sirius face. Although his posture was unbowed and his expression impassive, Sirius' cheeks were aflame with a furious blush. Surreptitiously, Remus reached for his hand under the desk and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Their fingers entwined briefly before they had to concentrate on their lesson.

Finally, class was over and they got away from McGonagall's gimlet-eyed stare. Sirius was off to Muggle Studies and Remus to Runes. Sirius wanted desperately to feel Remus' comforting arms around him, but there were too many people in the hall. However, they discovered that one good thing had come out of McGonagall's stinging rebuke. Sirius had earned a lot of sympathy from his classmates. Remus started off for Runes feeling better. By dinnertime, the entire school would know that McGonagall had ripped Sirius a new one, and even more people would be sympathetic to him, except for the Slytherins, but who cared about them?

After starting his Runes class with a surprise quiz, Professor Clark gave his students a choice of several different problems to research. They were allowed to use class time to go to the Library and begin. Remus decided to do an investigation into the similarities between Nordic and Celtic runes. However, once he collected several books from the shelves and curled up at his favorite table, the lines and symbols he looked at kept rearranging themselves into visions of long, black hair, or straight, elegant fingers. He found himself thinking of one night last year. It was the night he first dared hope that there might be a chance for something more than friendship with Sirius, the only night they had slept in the same bed.

TBC