CW: brief mentions of homophobia, scars, self-harm (Remus, as a werewolf)
Sirius woke up even earlier than usual that morning; 6 am. He supposed it was rather stupid to be so excited for school, even at 16, but he missed Remus- and Peter, of course. He missed his dorm room, sneaking down to the kitchens, pulling pranks on the staff, fooling around in class… missed Hogwarts, whenever he was gone.
He changed into a t- shirt and black jeans, pulling his long hair back into a ponytail. Remembering his parents weren't there to hit him for it, he put on some eyeliner, too, before leaning back and observing his reflection. Cane aside, he looked healthier than ever. A slight smile played on his lips, he was well fed and well rested, and the potions he had to take every day provided a frankly excessive amount of hydration and vitamins.
"Oi, earth to Padfoot!" James said from behind him.
He wheeled around. "Why are you up so early?"
"Eh, thought I'd just watch you admire yourself in the mirror, see how long you could go for," James smirked. "No, I don't know, I think I might be a bit excited to go back."
"Oh, yeah?" Sirius teased. "I get it, though, I am too. So excited. It's been forever."
"I know, every year it's like summer gets longer," said James. "Not that I don't appreciate the break or anything, but I like it better living with you guys- only don't tell Mum and Dad. I love them and everything, I just-"
"I get what you mean," Sirius said, before realizing that he did not, in fact, get what James meant. It had always been so black and white for him- Hogwarts was safe, Hogwarts was home, his parents' house was not. He had never thought of summer as a break, or something he could possibly enjoy, but he supposed that could change now that he lived with the Potters.
"Can you do my eyeliner like that, too?" James asked, cutting Sirius off mid-thought.
"Really?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow delicately.
James blushed. "Well, nah, if you don't want to-"
"No, no, of course I do!" Sirius said instantly. "I just wanted to make sure this wasn't one of your efforts to make sure that, erm, Remus and I don't get teased, or-"
"Bullied, more like," James said darkly. "But it's not that. Honestly, it looks cool. Like a Muggle rockstar."
"Thanks," said Sirius lightly, drawing the smudged black lines around his friend's eyes. "Looks good," he said, stepping back, biting his lip to keep from smiling.
"You're about to laugh," James accused, looking in the mirror. He almost choked at the sight of his reflection."No fair! How come it looks so normal on you?"
"Maybe you just haven't gotten used to it," Sirius suggested, although he privately agreed with James' assessment- that was not how eyeliner was supposed to look.
James hummed, amused. "I doubt it," he said, wiping the makeup off with his wand before Sirius could stop him.
"No!" Sirius groaned. "Ugh, if you'd taken it off the Muggle way you'd have a little bit of residue and I think that'd be the exact look you were going for."
"Next time," James said with a grin.
A couple hours later, Euphemia came upstairs to apparate with them to the train station. Sirius could feel tangible excitement in his stomach, which was embarrassing because, again, he was 16. When they got to King's Cross, Sirius immediately scanned the platform for Remus, but he wasn't there. Damnit. He'd probably already gotten to platform 9 ¾. Well, I'll see him soon enough.
James put an arm around Sirius as the two boys walked through the brick wall, waving goodbye to Euphemia. "See you soon, Mum!" James called.
"Thanks for everything, Mrs. Potter!"
He heard a faint, "Anytime, dear," before he stepped out onto Platform 9 ¾.
And, of course, the first person he made eye contact with was Regulus.
It was impossible for Sirius to ignore the hurt in his baby brother's grey eyes. I'm sorry, he thought, knowing the hardened expression on his face was sending the exact opposite message. He wished he hadn't had to leave Regulus. But Reg was safe- he was a Slytherin, his best mates were all purebloods, and most importantly, he liked women. He had never been Walburga's target. Maybe things were better for Reg with Sirius gone.
"James! Sirius!" Peter Pettigrew was running towards the other two, a wide grin stretching across his face. He was very freckled from the summer, and his hair was bleach-blonde from the sun. "I've missed you guys so much!"
They exchanged hugs until Sirius pulled away, trying to seem very casual when he asked, "Has anyone seen Remus?"
"No," said Peter immediately, looking worried. "Why? Is he okay? Did something happen?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that. He sent me a letter after his most recent moon and everything," Sirius said, "but I haven't been able to get in touch with him since, though that's pretty normal, considering- I'm sure he's fine, I just wanted to see him."
"Speaking of fine," said Peter, "what happened to you?" He gestured to Sirius's cane, looking worried.
James opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius stepped in smoothly and easily. "Jelly-legs jinx gone wrong, it's only temporary. Though I am going to tell the Slytherins it's an epic battle wound."
"Oh, good," said Peter, with obvious relief. "It'd be awful if something happened to you."
"No, no, absolutely nothing happened" said James, voice dripping with the type of subtle sarcasm that cut into Sirius like a knife while going entirely over Peter's head.
The three of them stood there, semi-awkward without the fourth Marauder, until Sirius felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.
"Remus!" he said, turning around and squeezing his boyfriend's hand before leaning in for a kiss. The decision to be open about their relationship with everyone at Hogwarts certainly had its drawbacks… but it was worth it. So worth it.
Remus's tawny brown hair had grown longer over the summer, leaving it with not so much more length exactly, but more wave and dimension. His green eyes seemed especially piercing as he looked at Sirius, clearly happy, but also inquisitive. "What happened?" he finally asked.
Sirius repeated his Jelly-legs story, but it was clear Remus didn't buy any of it. Oh, well, he'd explain further in private. "What about you, how are you, how is… everything?"
"I'm alright," Remus said, hesitating slightly before he elaborated. "It's hard, erm. At home. We don't have as much space as Hogwarts, so, it was a rough couple of months, but I'm alright." It was Sirius's turn to look Remus up and down, noticing several new scars and bandages. Remus's lycanthropy meant that he could heal his self-inflicted wounds, but particularly bad ones would still leave a mark that could take weeks or even months to fade.
Goddamn it, Sirius had to find this cure.
"Should we get a compartment, then?" Peter asked, gesturing to the train.
"Erm, I have to go check in with the other Prefects really quickly-" Remus said, to groans and eyerolls from Sirius and James alike.
"Well, you should be able to find us just fine when you're done," James said, pulling the Marauder's Map out of the pocket of his jeans with a wink.
Remus grinned, holding the parchment almost reverently. "Oh, definitely."
Sirius watched his boyfriend walk away, disappointed that he wouldn't be able to immediately maximize the potential to spend time with Remus... but even this did little to damper the genuine happiness he felt at being back.