A Letter from Home

Part III

After checking that Remus wasn't in the Great Hall, and taking a moment to ram a handful of bacon into his mouth, Sirius pelted out into the grounds. Spotting Remus by the lake with a pile of toast, he hurried over and flopped down next to him.

Remus' fist clenched round a piece of toast, causing butter to dribble out over his knuckles. He didn't look up, but said in a hostile tone that told Sirius that he was not welcome

"What?"

Sirius spoke unconvincingly lightly.

"You seem a tad annoyed about something this morning Moony mate."

Remus glowered at the trees on the over side of the lake.

"You reckon?"

"And the thing is, I...uh...kind of don't..."

"You don't remember do you." It was a statement, not a question. "You were out of your head, you irresponsible prick.

Sirius' face darkened.

"Don't you get all prefect on me. I got a letter from my parents yesterday, and..."

"For Merlin's sake!" Remus chucked the screwed up toast as far across the lake as he could. "You can't go getting wasted everytime the send you an owl!"

"Yeah?" Sirius growled, his voice lowering dangerously "You've no idea, you've no idea what my life's like with them."

"And you think you have any idea what my life's like?" Remus snarled, "You think I like turning into a murderous self-mutilating beast once a month? You've no idea." Sirius could almost taste Remus' contempt.

There was silence for a moment. Remus took a savage bite of another slice of toast and muttered something.

"What?"

"I said, what you did was, you kissed me," Remus spat. He glanced up sideways, through his eyebrows, to glare angrily at Sirius. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Sirius blinked.

"I was drunk."

"You didn't kiss James, or Peter."

He paused, then replied in a falsely seductive voice.

"Well...maybe I like you."

"Fuck you Sirius."

Sirius grinned nonchalantly.

"If you like."

"You arrogant bastad."

"Tut tut, such language from a prefect." Getting no response, other than Remus' glower intensifying, he stole a piece of Remus' toast, then, deciding he didn't really want it, dropped it in the lake.

"Remus?" Sirius said softly. Remus turned his head to look suspiciously at the other boy, surprised at the change of tone. "What would you do if I did it again?"

"Did what?" Remus asked warily. Sirius leaned closer to him.

"What would you do if I kissed you again?"

"I'd hit you again," he replied frankly, trying not to show how much the question unnerved him.

"In that case," Sirius smirked in Remus' face, "It's a good job I can defend myself this time, isn't it?"