TITLE: A Matter of Privacy

AUTHOR: Lady Sirius

PAIRING: RL/SB

RATING: NC17

FEEDBACK: Of course all rights to Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling

- I only wish that Sirius and Remus were mine, other than in my heart!

DEDICATION: To my glorious, talented, wondrous and everlastingly sexy

inspiration - Gary Oldman - and to my Remus - Amber - for whose friendship and devotion I shall be everlastingly grateful.

A Matter of Privacy

Chapter Two - Another Fly in the Ointment

Remus Lupin picks morosely at his food, pushing it around on his plate as if he were an engineer trying to design a new type of road or something, not even seeing what it is, actually. He tunes out the happy chatter of those about him, not even noticing that Sirius' voice is not among those, and not caring. He has been invited to this dinner at James' place as more of an afterthought - as in if we don't let him come, he'll sit at home and mope alone, so let's give him the pity-invite. Right. Otherwise the guest list consists of the members of the wedding party - James and Lily, of course. Sirius. And Hestia. He tries not to glower at her too obviously, but the wolf inside wishes to rip her head off. And shit down her neck. Of course he controls him, even as he thinks what a pity it is that he can't watch that happen. Remus is clearly not himself tonight at all.

Hestia - he can't help but steal glances at her. They've sat her beside Sirius. How fucking obvious can they be? Lily is blatantly playing matchmaker, and Hestia is going along with it all. Not that other girls haven't tried, of course they have. He's found their notes in the mailbox, tucked into Sirius' pockets, thrown at him even as they walk down the street together - which the oblivious animagi never seems to notice - and when he collects them and presents them to Sirius, his lover merely laughs and chucks them all, claiming he has no need for them, he has Remus. But this - this is different. Hestia has something about her, something different - an almost masculine quality, but in a feminine way, if that makes any sense. And she loves quidditch as much as Sirius does - no matter how Remus tries, he cannot get into it, nor discuss it in any intelligent sort of way, cause he just doesn't give a damn. But Sirius and Hestia have heated, rollocking discussions on the subject - and dammit, why is she looking at his Sirius that way?

At least they're not talking about fucking quidditch now. No, the topic for discussion is the wedding. Much better. NOT.

"When do I get to see your dress?" James is complaining, and Remus can hear the gentle smack of Lily's hand upon his arm.

"At the wedding!" she laughs, "and not a moment before!" Hestia is giggling as if that is the biggest joke in the world. Remus has never seen her act so girly before. So... flirtatious. It seems as if every time he looks up, she is touching his Sirius, and it requires all of his self-control not to explode right then and there. Does it assuage his injured feelings even a tiny bit that Sirius doesn't look as if he is enjoying it at all? No, not really, Remus is too far gone to be that logical.

"Hestia, your dress is in!" Lily exclaims, "let's go try them on, why don't we?" As if they hadn't just had their fittings, and that for the men as well? Hmmph!

"Sirius," Hestia begins to wheedle, standing behind him and fingering those long dark tresses, which he pulls irritably from her grasp, "Come on, I'll give you a look-see of what you'll be getting that night..."

Remus clenches his jaw tightly. Good thing he isn't eating, he'd have choked over her words.

Sirius looks distinctly uncomfortable, squirming away from her demanding fingers. "No, I'm good," he says, "I'll just wait and be surprised, shan't I?"

"Okay, but if you change your mind, come on back to James' room," Hestia giggles, leaning so close to him that her breath is on his ear. He tries not to be too obvious when he bends over his plate, as if it were suddenly the most fascinating object in the room. The two girls trip off gaily, leaving the gentlemen to their own devices.

Instantly, Sirius straightens up, and begins to moan, "James, I don't want to do this and you fucking know it!"

"Do what?" James looks surprised. "Be my best man? Sirius!"

"No, don't be a prat, that's not what I mean. The part about hooking up with Hestia. I don't want to date Hestia. I don't want to date anyone..." He tries not to glance at Remus, but how can he not be aware of how miserable the lycanthrope is? And how strained things have become between them since the day Sirius told him of the news. This would be a good time for Remus to speak up, and claim what is his...but his lips remain sealed. Sirius sighs.

"Look, I've not seen you date anyone since school, I worry about you Padfoot," Prongs replies. "It's obvious that Hestia likes you, she's a nice girl. So have a little fun, why don't you? 'Sides, I wanted to ask Moony something."

Remus jerks his head up in surprise. "Me? What've I done?"

"Nothing yet, relax, mate," James laughs. "I just wanted to ask you if you would do a favour for Lils. One of her cousins is coming from the continent for the occasion, and she doesn't know anyone here... so..."

"So you want me find her a date?" Remus asks, confused.

"Not exactly, Lils has already told her you'd be her date..."

"Wh-what-what?" Remus splutters, spittle falling from his lips in his excitement. Sirius quietly hands him a napkin, when normally he would have used his own finger. But appearances...

"It's only for one night, Remus, and it won't hurt you to have a date. Either of you. It must be awful boring, just the two of you in that little flat, night after night after night..."

Boring isn't the word Remus would use, and neither would Sirius. Fun, happy, cozy, intimate, loving, together - these are the words they would use - but how to explain that to James? They can't.

"Her name is Cosette, you can just meet her at the house, right before the wedding, I'll point her out to you. Or something. Maybe I'll tell her to wear a big red carnation in her buttonhole," he teases, breaking into a big guffaw.

"What about Peter? Why doesn't he take her?" Remus suddenly suggests, "don't want him to complain, now we do?"

"Peter might not make it he said," James frowns, "I'm not sure why. I think there's something going on with him. We never see him any more..."

Neither did any of them, actually, and the three fall silent for a moment.

"James, why don't you get Frank to be your best man? He won't mind, I'm sure..."

"Oh ho, like hell he won't - Alice would skin him alive and you know it. Besides, Pads, you're my best friend, who else would I ask?" And James turns his big expressive eyes on Sirius, who simply scowls and looks away.

"Don't wanna date," he says stubbornly.

"Okay, give me one good reason why not, and I won't make you," James declares. "Mind you, I said one good reason. And I'll be the judge of it."

Sirius bites his lip thoughtfully. How badly he just wants to scream out, 'Because I am in love with someone, very much in love, and I'm happy with him and he with me, and I don't want to date Hestia, or anyone else!' Surreptitiously, he peeps from beneath his lashes at Remus, who looks like a model for the Easter Island statuary. No help in that quarter, obviously. Please, Remy, please, he intones to himself. But not a peep does he hear. He sighs loudly.

"Thought not," James grins. "It'll be fun, you'll see. It's about time you met the right girl and settled down, anyway. Both of you." He claps each of them on their shoulders. "Excuse me, gents, nature calls," as he exits the room for the loo.

The puppies are alone now. But they aren't speaking, as a heavy silence descends between them.