"I'm supposed to be meeting Lily in the library," Remus protested as Sirius dragged him by the hand up the steps to their dormitory. "I promised her we'd study for our Charms O.W.L. tonight."

"You can study later," Sirius insisted; "this is important, I promise!" He stopped at the door to their room, wiggled his eyebrows at Remus, and pushed it open with a dramatic flourish.

Remus's eyes went wide with shock as he peered around their room. Just a few hours ago, it had been covered in Sirius's sketches of Hogwarts for the Marauder's Map (they'd spent the past six weeks working furiously on said map, procuring an Expandable Parchment from Hogsmeade and painstakingly plotting out every nook and cranny of the castle) as well as a tornado of strewn books and socks and boxers, the disheveled room of four very disheveled teenage boys. Now it had all been cleaned out, the sketches gone and all four beds neatly made. Sirius had hung strings of golden lights around the beds and ceiling, and he'd filled the room with potions and candles that smelled of freshly-cut flowers. Beneath their back window, he had placed two chairs and a small circular table draped in satin white cloth. Two places were set in front of the chairs, fancy napkins and all, and a large prime rib covered in glaze sat on a serving plate surrounded by vegetables of all sorts.

"Sirius," Remus murmured, "is this a date?"

Sirius grinned at him. "I persuaded Peter and James to keep out for the night so we could have it all to ourselves. The food's courtesy of the kitchen house-elves, and look what I managed to get from the Hog's Head." Sirius ran behind his bed and pulled out a bottle of firewhisky from beneath it. "Fooled the barkeep with a bit of Ageing Potion—it took forever for me to figure out how to brew, but I've heard the stuff's fantastic."

Remus stepped inside cautiously, his hands in his pockets. "I wasn't even sure we were really dating," he admitted. "As opposed to just…snogging each other occasionally in dark corners."

"Well, I want us to be dating," Sirius said. "Even if we have to, you know, keep things under wraps from everyone else." Sirius knew that Remus didn't really care if the rest of Hogwarts knew about their relationship, and he was ashamed that he did, that he felt he couldn't take Remus to Madam Puddifoot's or wherever else normal people went on dates to. But he also knew that Remus understood how difficult it was for him to be vulnerable, because Remus was the most understanding person there was. So if Sirius couldn't take him out on the date he really deserved, he could at least do this.

Remus gave a little smile, the warm kind that instantly melted everything cold inside of Sirius. "I want to be dating, too," he said. "I'm just a bit surprised by this, that's all."

"It was meant to be a surprise," Sirius countered. "Come on—sit down, you git!" He gestured to one of the chairs.

Remus took his seat, amusedly allowing Sirius to serve him prime rib and fill his glass with firewhisky. "This looks amazing," he said as Sirius moved to sit opposite him and serve himself. "And it's the new moon, so I actually have an appetite for steak." Sirius had deliberately waited until tonight for their date, knowing that Remus always felt his best when there were no traces of moon in the sky. The view out the window beside them was of a sky strewn with glittering stars and nothing else.

Remus sipped his firewhisky and immediately made a face, coughing. "Oh, Sirius, that burns."

"It's firewhisky—it's supposed to burn, right?" Sirius took a sip of his own and felt the liquid sear his throat as it slowly made its way down; he put a hand to his mouth, his eyes watering, and Remus laughed at his expression.

The two of them ate in contented silence, savoring the food Sirius had ordered from the house-elves weeks ago. "I want the best meal you've ever cooked," he'd told them; "I'll even pay you for it." The house-elves hadn't accepted his money, of course, but he'd thought it was worth the gesture. At one point, Sirius reached across the table to grab Remus's hand; Remus squeezed back, drawing his thumb lightly across his knuckles.

"Remember that night we spent on the roof of your cottage?" Sirius said suddenly. "Last Christmas?"

Remus put down his fork. "Er…yes?"

"Well, that was the night I realized who you were for the first time." Merlin, what was he even saying? "I mean, I knew who you were, of course, but I…I hadn't understood how similar we were until then, how the two of us are made from the same broken things deep down inside. And I'm pretty sure that's when I started to like you." Sirius gave a wry, self-conscious grin. "Kind of messed up, isn't it, to realize you're interested in someone because you both had shitty childhoods?"

"I don't think so," Remus replied quietly.

"But that's not all I like you for, of course," Sirius said quickly. "I, er…I just think you're sort of amazing, you know?" Remus looked at him bemusedly. "I mean that—well, you were bitten by one of the most savage werewolves in the world as a little kid, all because of some stupid thing your dad said, and you have to go through these horrid transformations every month…and the entire wizarding world thinks you're some sort of abomination that needs to be wiped out of existence. It's all just so unfair, Moony—and yet the only person you get angry with about it all is yourself. I don't know how you're able to do it; I know I couldn't. That's how bloody amazing you are." Remus was filled with so much self-loathing over something he had no control over, and Sirius hated it more than anything. He wanted him to know he was loved and respected and appreciated, that the reason he liked to snog him so much had less to do with Remus being a fantastic kisser and more to do with Remus being Remus…he only wished he had better words to explain it.

Remus lifted Sirius's hand to his lips. "You're pretty amazing too, you know," he murmured. "You have your own reasons to hate the world, what with the way your parents raised you. They spent so many years trying to make you hate, but you never gave in. And now one of your best friends is a Muggle-born, and the bloke you're on a date with is a werewolf." He kissed Sirius's fingers. "That's pretty incredible, I think. That you were able to become who you are in spite of everything."

A sudden glow warmed Sirius's cheeks. "Really?"

"Really." With a smile, Remus leaned around the table towards Sirius, angling his head; Sirius eagerly arced forward to meet his kiss, his lips tasting of starlight and salt and firewhisky….

A sudden, forceful knock on the door yanked them apart. Sirius cursed under his breath. "James, this is really not a good time—"

"It's not James," a girl's voice said crossly. "It's Remus's study partner, wondering where the hell he's gotten off to."

Sirius glanced at Remus, going tense. Damn it. "How did Evans get up here?" he demanded. "I thought the stairs wouldn't let girls up to our dorms."

"I think that's only to keep us out of the girls' rooms," Remus said. He raised his voice to be heard out in the hall. "I'm sorry, Lily," he called. "Something came up. I—I can study tomorrow night, maybe?" Go away, go away, go away, Sirius prayed.

But Lily Evans did not go away. "Oh, honestly, Remus, not again." She threw open the door to their room, freezing at the sight of the two boys sitting at the table. "Oh, my God," she said. "Are you and Sirius on a date?"

Sirius choked on his breath. "What? No—of course not, Evans, what are you—"

"You are on a date." She glanced between Remus and Sirius, a large grin spreading across her face. "Of all the things I suspected went on between you lot, I never imagined this."

"Lily," Remus said quietly, "please don't tell anyone."

"I'll pay you not to tell anyone, even," Sirius added desperately. "Whatever you want, Lily, I'll even get James to stop nagging you—"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You don't have to pay me anything, you sod. Whatever you are, Remus is my friend, and I'd never do anything to hurt him." She twirled a strand of fiery hair around her finger. "Besides, even you aren't capable of getting James to stop nagging me; no one is. I might be able to get Mary to stop nagging you, though. I'll tell her you cornered me tonight and passionately confessed your love for me, and I rejected you for being an insufferable toerag."

"That…actually would be quite nice," Sirius admitted.

"It's more of a favor for her than for you, trust me. She could do loads better." Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "And just so you're aware, if you do anything to hurt Remus, I'll have you vomiting slugs for a week."

"I understand," said Sirius.

"Right." Lily nodded to Remus. "Meet in the library tomorrow night, then?"

Remus smiled. "All right."

"Great. I'll leave you two to your dinner, then." Lily winked at Remus and stepped out, drawing the door shut behind her.

Sirius stared after her with his mouth open; he felt suddenly unable to speak. Remus took his hand. "You all right, Padfoot?"

"I think so," Sirius murmured. "That was…not what I expected to happen."

"Well, that's Lily," Remus replied simply. "She won't tell anyone, I'm sure of it."

Sirius nodded, biting his lip; he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, Lily Evans wasn't such an awful person after all.