Blue

by siriusly delusional

Sirius spends summer vacation at the Lupin’s… Laughs are had, feelings surface, and Remus and Sirius go from friends to something more… Yes, I am fully aware this summary sucks, but the story won’t, I promise! Read and Review!

"Blue"

Written By: Siriusly Delusional

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All the characters belong to J. K. Rowling and the song 'Blue' belongs to Angie Hart.

Special Thanks To: J. K. Rowling for creating two of my most favorite characters in all the world, Remus and Sirius, and to the Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series for introducing me to the song 'Blue'.

Summary: Sirius spends summer vacation at the Lupin's… Laughs are had, feelings surface, and Remus and Sirius go from friends to something more… Yes, I am fully aware this summary sucks, but the story won't, I promise! Read and Review!

Chapter I

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Night Falls,

I fall,

And where were you?

And where were you?

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He was running. Fast. His heart was racing, beating, like it was about to burst from it's cavity. His breathing was paceless, quick and unsteady, coming out in short, uneven bursts. His shoes slapped hard against the London pavement, the sound echoing down the empty street, his way lighted only by the dim street lamps. His knuckles were white in their grip of his trolley's handle, his things securely strapped into it. In all of his seventeen years, Sirius Black couldn't remember running like this in his life…

Sure, he had ran… faster and harder than this, even. But this time it was different. His future depended on it.

Once he was satisfied that he was far enough away, he stopped to survey his surroundings. It was unremarkable; an empty street with no sign of life, streetlamps blotting out the stars in their brightness. He swallowed, hard, trying to do some quick thinking.

What was he to do?

Sirius licked his lips, wetting them, before an idea dawned on him: The Knight Bus. He looked both ways, making sure that no Muggles were watching. Then, reaching into his jean pocket, he unsheathed his wand.

"Lumos…" He murmured, holding his wand up into the air, waiting, waiting, then…

There it was: a huge, triple-decker purple bus careening down the road, streetlamps and mailboxes jumping out of its way. Sirius quickly murmured the counter spell and shoved his wand back into his pocket, running a hand quickly through his sweat-soaked black hair, his heart beat steadying. The purple bus stopped inches in front of him, nearly missing him. Sirius barely flinched, though. He was too busy thinking.

He hadn't actually thought about where he was going to go…

James was his first thought, but then he remembered that he was vacationing in Wales visiting family and wouldn't be home for the whole of June. Peter was also away, though Sirius couldn't remember where he said he was going, but, if memory served him right, it was somewhere in Spain.

And that left…

The conductor of the Knight Bus stepped out, his knees trembling from the bumpy ride, his face a pale, sickly green. "Gerron, then." He grunted at Sirius, gripping the silver pole to the right of the door for support as Sirius grabbed his luggage, pulling it on after him. He stood awkwardly in the aisle for a moment, hearing the conductor make some horrible retching noises before he clamored back onto the bus, looking just as green as ever.

"Got ch'er money, then?" He asked gruffly, looking at Sirius with irritation. Sirius nodded, his hand delving into his pocket and supplying enough money to get him a ride and a hot chocolate. That run had made him rather thirsty. The man snatched it quickly, giving Sirius a scrutinizing look. "Well, sit down, then."

Sirius did as he was told, sitting on the edge of the nearest bed. The conductor turned and shut the door, grumbling something under his breath and handed Sirius a steaming mug of hot chocolate before growling at the driver, "Take 'er away… but watch the bumps this time, will ya, Eldon?"

The driver merely grunted in reply before violently pulling the lever, sending the bus hurtling forward. Sirius hissed through his teeth in pain as searing hot chocolate spilled down his front.

"So… where're you headed then?" The conductor asked as though Sirius wasn't soaked with scalding hot chocolate, the sickly green color tinting his skin again.

"Er…" Sirius racked his brains. Where was he going to go? He knew that James would take him in a millisecond and that Peter would probably die after the honor of Sirius living under the same roof was bestowed upon him. But they weren't home. He bit his lip, hard. What was he going to do? Where was he going to stay?

"Well? Where are you goin'? There are a lot of other people waitin'… Haven't got all day, you know…" The conductor, whose nametag read the name Ferguson, grumbled, gripping a nearby pole tightly as the bus lurched.

"Er… Take me to…to…The Lupins'… They live just outside Kirstead Green in the woods…" Sirius answered, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. Why did he tell Ferguson he wanted to go to the Lupins'? The conductor nodded to him, shouting:

"Didja hear that, Eldon? Says he wants to go to the Lupins, they live outside Kirstead Green in the woods…"

Eldon merely grunted in response, giving the overly-large steering wheel a sharp turn. There was a loud pop and the scenery promptly changed to that of Kirstead Green. The woods were filled with lush foliage and opulent greenery and smelled like it does before rainfall. Scent had always been important to Sirius, something that only became more so after he became an Animagi. He vaguely remembered reading somewhere that scent was the sense closest related to memory, so perhaps this was the reason for it. He didn't know at the moment, nor did he care. Because at that moment when the bus stopped, he was sopping wet with hot chocolate, his hair was still slick and matted with sweat, and he was positively terrified.

"Well, we got ya here… Time to gerroff. Got many more customers, you know," said Ferguson, roughly grabbing Sirius' trunk and opening the door, quite nearly tossing it to the ground. Sirius managed to stand up, his legs feeling unstable. He was shaking slightly as he began to walk, slowly, towards the exit.

"Thank you…for the ride." He said in a voice that sounded strange, faraway and not at all his own. Ferguson muttered an impatient 'you're quite welcome, now gerroff,' and the second that Sirius stepped off the bus, it disappeared with another popping noise. Sirius tried in vain to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

It began to rain then. Hard. Drops of rain pounded down against him with about as much force as his heart was pounding against his chest. He stood there, trembling with fear and the chill of the rain and the cool night. There was nothing for it now, he would have to go. He searched through the darkness and the dense rain for the cottage that Remus resided in with his parents. It had to be around here somewhere…

He finally spotted it, a little walk's away. It looked like a particularly large, squat pumpkin, that just so happened to be wearing a straw hat. The cottage had two chimneys, one thin and crooked, the other thick and strong and in the middle of the roof, impersonating the severed stem of a pumpkin. It's roof made of thatched straw, the external wooden beams supporting it mimicking the grooves of a pumpkin's husk, the walls painted a bright, vibrant orange. Above the threshold, a shabby sign read in chipping gold painted letters: 'The Lupins'. Had Sirius not been so scared, he would have perhaps chuckled at the sight of the strange house, but no amusement came to him.

Quietly, carefully, Sirius trotted through the mud, pulling his trolley along with him, heading towards Remus' house. He blinked the rain out of his eyes, the liquid beading on his eyelashes and running down his cheeks like tears, soaking him to the bones, causing his teeth to chatter rapidly. He raised a trembling hand to the door, knocking on it cautiously, but hard enough for it to be heard…

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Remus was settled quite comfortably in a deep scarlet chintz armchair, his knees drawn towards his chest tightly, a particularly thick and shabby paperback novel held lovingly in his hands. It was his favorite book, a classic, and he had read it more times than he could readily count. His amber eyes devoured each word vigorously, as they did every time he read the book, completely absorbed in the story.

His mother was by the fire, her sunflower-blonde hair flowing down her back as she cooked, the smell of the thick, meaty stew and the faint aroma of incense filling Remus' nose, relaxing him and making him quite hungry. Mrs. Delphine Lupin was a serene, misty woman, a true Seer who was up to her ears in the art of Divination. Her movements were graceful and purposeful and she seemed off in her own little world as well, unwilling to be disturbed.

Mr. René Lupin was also off in his own little world, immersed in some math worksheets he was grading at the kitchen table, occasionally muttering something along the lines of 'how can you miss that problem, it's the easiest on the whole thing…' or 'very good, very good, they got the open lines and everything…' and then nodding his head and leafing towards another page. Remus' father was a Muggle Algebra teacher with shaggy, unkempt long brown hair and a goatee. He and Remus' mother donned clothing that was popular among hippies and Bohemians back in the sixties, with gauzy fabric, tanned suede leather, Bohemian jewelry and hemp sandals in the case of his mother. They were both extremely laid back in their own ways; Delphine was placid and clam, while René was mischievous and good-natured, Remus a perfect blend of them both.

They were each individually engrossed in the activity of their choice when a knock came to the door. His mother, stirring the stew with a glazed look over her eyes gave no outward appearance of having heard the sound, though she said in her mysterious and mystical voice: "Remus, mon cher, will you see who that is…?"

Remus nodded, placing his bookmark carefully back into his book and setting it down on the table next to him, running his hand over the cover, relishing the feeling of the glossy and smooth cover before allowing his fingers to be parted from the contact, letting out an inaudible sigh. "Oui, Maman…" Remus said, gently picking up the slightly steaming cup of tea that was placed on the table prior, taking it with him as he walked down the small hallway that led to the Living Room, attentively taking small sips of it before he heard the knock again, this time a little louder.

"Je viens…" He said softly, not realizing that the person behind the door probably couldn't hear him. Remus was a soft-spoken young man. He was wispy and slender with a nimbus of light brown hair that grew past his shoulders and was worn in a queue at the base of his neck. He wore clothes that covered him, shielding the scars that laced his body. He would sometimes bitterly refer to them as 'gifts' from his Lycanthropy. The Marauders had been the only people Remus had ever told about his being a werewolf and a few weeks before the summer vacation had started, Remus was deeply beginning to regret this. And all because Sirius had to go and…

Don't think about that Remus, he mentally scolded himself. Just don't think about what happened.

The knock sounded once more, louder this time, more urgent, and Remus was ripped out of his reverie. Holding the tea cup in his right hand, he reached for the doorknob with his left to see who was knocking.

The sound of shattering china filled the room and then there was silence, save for the rain that was still coming down outside. Remus' amber eyes were wide with shock as they took in a very wet and very cold Sirius Black. He gripped the doorway for support, his eyes never leaving the bright blue ones of the other boy. Remus opened his mouth several times before closing it again, occasionally managing a strangled type of sound low in his throat. He was completely thrown. Sirius was the absolute last person he had thought to see at his doorway.

"Well… Remus… Can I come in? It's very cold out here, you see. Not to mention wet." Sirius said softly, nervously, chewing on his bottom lip.

"S-Sirius, what are you doing here?" He choked out, leaning against the doorway so he could run a shaking hand through his hair. "You're supposed to be at home."

Sirius shivered from the cold and the rain, his teeth chattering slightly. "Ran away." He offered simply.

Remus looked at him, incredulous. "But why are you here?" He asked, his amber eyes widening even more. "Why not go to James' or-or Peter's or-or someone else?"

Sirius offered him a small, almost meek, smile. "They're on holiday, remember? And you never go on holiday."

"But… I-I'm not speaking to you!" Remus said, flabbergasted, his amber eyes swimming with confusion, anger and shock.

Sirius' smile widened a little, the overall effect bitter. "You just did." He pointed out.

Remus blinked, still angry. "Did what?" He asked, impatience ebbing into his tone.

Sirius gave him an odd look, one Remus was finding very hard to interpret. "Spoke to me." He said, his voice with the same, unreadable expression in it.

Remus glared at him, livid. He pulled away from the door, standing on his own now, his lean, toned arms crossed over his chest, looking very much as if he'd like nothing better than to punch Sirius square in the jaw. Sirius closed his eyes, waiting for the blow to come. But it didn't. Once the ebony-haired boy thought it was safe to open his eyes again, Sirius was greeted with a very strange reaction, one he did not expect.

Remus laughed.

He stood there, standing in front of a very wet, very downtrodden Sirius Black and he laughed like an utter loon. Sirius' pale blue eyes widened, confused, searching for a sign of cruelty in Remus' face. Perhaps he was laughing at him, at the idea that Remus could ever even begin to forgive Sirius, but that malice wasn't there. He was laughing at the fact that he had forgiven Sirius without even realizing it, without even meaning to. Remus Lupin was laughing at the complete and utter irony of it all.

By the time the laughter had subsided somewhat, Remus stepped aside, gesturing for Sirius to come in, and, when he had done so, the young lycanthrope shut the door, leaning against it and chuckling. Once he had completely regained his composure, Remus looked sternly at Sirius, one hand placed firmly on his hip, giving a look much like a disapproving teacher. "I hope you don't think that this means I've completely forgiven you…" He warned, looking up at the taller boy, who was shivering because of his wet clothes. "But I know that James and Peter are away and that you need a place to stay. Who am I to deny you that?"

Sirius nodded, looking grateful. "I don't expect you to completely forgive me, Remus… I did you wrong, I realize that." He sighed, looking at his feet before looking back into Remus' amber orbs. "D'you know where I can change? I'm getting rainwater all over your mahogany floors…" He gestured to the puddle now surrounding his feet. Remus smiled faintly.

"Yes, just go up the stairs and enter the first door on your left. I'll go and ask my parents if it's okay that you stay for a while…" Upon noticing the look of apprehension on his friend's face, Remus added, "don't worry, though, they're bound to say 'yes'… They aren't like your parents and James' parents… They're much more…laidback… Y'know, former flower children and all that…"

Sirius smiled gratefully. "Thanks, M-Remus." He said, opening one of his trunks and taking out a pair of dry clothes to change into.

Remus gave him a wry smile and a look that was impossible for Sirius to interpret. "You can call me Moony, Padfoot." He said quietly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear and allowing his smile to widen. "Just up the stairs and to your left, Sirius." He repeated, looking up at Sirius, still grinning before he went back into the kitchen where his parents were.

Sirius let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding.

Author's Notes: So that's it: the first chapter of 'Blue'. Isn't it swell? I sure hope it was enjoyable! Read and Review. Please exit through the doors on either end of the theater and dispose of all trash in the garbage cans on your way out. 3

Okay, so, René Lupin is really based on my Algebra teacher, who is the best math teacher in the world and who I still love, even though he cut his long hippie hair and now he looks like 'The Man'. I actually talked my friend Leah (Lylas, Leah! 3) into asking him, and I quote, "If you were a hippie back in the 70's and your son told you he was gay, how would you react?" Yes, he actually did answer it. And you know why? Because he's a hippie! Peace and love and all that crap lol! Anyways, because my math teacher is cool (and he doesn't know that I based Remus' dad off of him, even though he knows that I write fanfiction,) René's reaction is going to be what my math teacher's reaction would be. Wow, I really went off on a tangent there… anyway… the point is this: Renémy math teacher. Yup.

Peace out,

siriusly delusional