Lying Low at Lupin's

Disclaimer: Only the storyline's mine. I don't own the characters, the wording or the setting.

AN: This one's a Remus/Sirius ficlet, set during OotP. Again, I hope it's not too jumpy.

Lupin was lowering his wand. Next moment, he had walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.

He wanted Sirius to stay. He did not want to say goodbye so quickly.

"You'll see me very soon, Remus," said Sirius, turning to him. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Remus. "Yeah… of course I do."

Sirius grasped his hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Then he was gone.

"Remus," said Dumbledore, turning to Lupin, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready… if you are prepared…"

"I am," said Remus.

He looked slightly paler than usual, and his golden eyes glittered strangely.

"Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Remus swept wordlessly after Sirius.

Sirius was standing there. His face was white and gaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. In one swift moment he had crossed the room.

"Oh, Remus, it's lovely to see you!" he whispered, pulling Remus into a rib-cracking hug before holding him at arm's length and examining him critically. "You're looking peaky; you need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid."

Remus burst out laughing.

"What have you been up to lately?" Sirius asked Remus as Mr. Weasley bustled off to fetch the egg-nog and everybody else stretched and broke into conversation.

"Oh, I've been underground," said Remus. "Almost literally. That's why I haven't been able to write, Sirius; sending letters to you would have been something of a give-away."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been living among my fellows, my equals," said Remus. "Werewolves," he added, at Sirius' look of incomprehension. "Nearly all of them are on Voldemort's side. Dumbledore wanted a spy and here I was… ready-made."

He sounded a little bitter, and perhaps realised it, for he smiled more warmly as he went on, "I am not complaining; it is necessary work and who can do it better than I? However, it has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakeable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned normal society and live on the margins, stealing – and sometimes killing – to eat."

"How come they like Voldemort?"

"They think that, under his rule, they will have a better life," said Remus. "And it is hard to argue with Greyback out there…"

At this point, Remus found he could not continue. He looked around at Sirius, and saw that he had his face in his hands.

Remus felt a hand on his shoulder.

He was glad when Sirius broke the silence. "I had heard a rumour someone had been attacked by Greyback," he said, "and I thought… I thought…"

Remus nodded, and kept patting Sirius' arm sympathetically.

Sirius' grip on Remus' shoulder was now so tight it was painful. "I missed you."

"You know that I am a werewolf."

"But I don't care!" said Sirius, seizing the front of Remus' robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times…"

Sirius took a deep breath. "Remus, I love you!"

AN: Remember to read and review!

This time, Sirius and Remus were each sent on separate missions for the OotP and they met up again at Christmas. Remus told Sirius what he'd been doing on his mission and then Sirius confessed his undying love!

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