A/N: I don't own the rights to any of these characters, settings or anything to do with Wizarding World. This is a work of fiction based on
the universe created by J.K Rowling.
CHAPTER SIX – SIRIUS
April 1977
Sirius was leaning against the castle wall, his guitar resting on his lap as he read through sheet music once again. It was one of the smaller courtyards he had found on one of the Marauder night's out; there were rarely other students there. Sirius set down the sheet music and hummed to himself as he tuned his guitar. A shadow fell across his face and Sirius looked up to find his younger brother standing before him.
"Picked up a new Muggle habit, I see." Regulus said and lent against the wall.
Sirius sighed and started packing up his things, "Thought you had said everything you needed to say to me in your letter?"
"I'm not here for me." Regulus responded, "Father is ill."
"I'm sure Orion will make a speedy recovery, he always does." Sirius said and got to his feet.
"It's not like the other times. He's at St Mungo's." Regulus said.
"And I need to know this because?" Sirius asked.
"Because he's your Father too, you can acknowledge that you know!" Regulus snapped.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "He lost that title a long time ago."
Sirius started to walk away when Regulus grabbed his arm, "Knock it off Sirius! This little crusade you're on is getting a little tired."
"Little crusade." Sirius mimicked and squared up to Regulus, "Let me say this for you one last time Regulus and I'll even say it nice and slow so you don't miss a word."
"Here we go!" Regulus snapped.
"I. Am. Done. I don't want anything to do with that family anymore." Sirius turned to walk away from his brother when Regulus spat at him.
"You don't deserve the pureblood that runs through your veins. If Mother and Father knew about you and your precious little boyfriend it wouldn't be me you'd hear from! And he wouldn't live to see another day!"
Sirius dropped everything, spun around and slammed Regulus against the wall, "Don't you EVER threaten Remus again, do you hear me? If you so much as breathe in his direction I will kill you. I WILL KILL YOU."
Panting, Regulus shoved Sirius away from him. "Settle down, no one is killing anyone."
Sirius glared at Regulus and stepped closer to him, inches away from his brother's face. "Don't you ever speak to me again. I don't want to hear from any of you ever again."
Sirius turned away from Regulus, picked up his things and walked away. His stomach churned and anger seemed to burn across his body. Why would Regulus think he would be interested in Orion's health? Orion wouldn't care about him unless he spilt some precious pureblood maybe not even then. Sirius hurried along the corridor towards the Great Hall, he needed Remus. Sirius resisted the urge to turn around and fight his brother; it was one thing to threaten him but to threaten Remus was another thing entirely. Sirius began to run down the stairs, he needed to put as much distance between him and Regulus as possible. When he reached the landing he heard a wave of voices, students talking over lunch. He walked into the Great Hall and strode towards the Gryffindor table scanning the hall for Remus but he wasn't there. Instead Sirius walked towards the Ravenclaw table and dropped down next to Frank Longbottom, who was engrossed in a game of Wizard Chess with Carodac Dearborn. Sirius gently rested his guitar against the bench and lent on the table.
"Who's winning?" Sirius asked.
"This is our second game, Carodac certainly seems to have a knack for it, though." Frank replied.
Carodac laughed, "You just make silly mistakes. Like that!"
Frank groaned as Carodac's Bishop swung his sword and took out Frank's Queen. Frank folded his arms and furrowed his brow, plotting his next move.
"So, Frank's got himself a big date tomorrow!" Carodac said and Frank chuckled.
"You finally asked out Alice?" Sirius asked.
Frank smiled, "Yeah, finally. We're going to have a meal together in Hogsmeade."
"Well I'll be damned." Sirius mused.
"Here's hoping it's the start of something good." Frank said.
Carodac nudged Frank, "If it stops you from talking about her day and night then I am all for it."
"You ass!" Frank joked and moved his Knight.
"I'm only joking, I think it's great. Unlike that move you just made." Carodac laughed.
"Yeah you're not very good at this game are you Frank?" Sirius noted, "Maybe you were sorted into the wrong House after all?"
Frank laughed, "I don't know Sirius, I think being top of my classes is a better indicator for my House sorting."
"You brought out cocky Frank!" Carodac laughed, "Not many people can do that…"
"It's a gift!" Sirius replied.
Sirius chuckled to himself and noticed Remus enter the hall. Sirius' stomach dropped, Remus was very pale, dishevelled and pained. Remus shuffled along the hall and dropped down on a bench at the Gryffindor table. Sirius watched as Remus helped himself to small portions of food, his hand shook as he lifted his fork. The full moon was tonight.
"Looks like Remus is having a rough day." Frank noted bringing Sirius' attention back to the table.
"Yeah, what did you guys get up to last night? Did James sneak in more firewhiskey?" Carodac questioned.
Sirius chuckled, "Something like that yeah."
Frank moved his Rook and turned to Sirius, "I haven't had a chance to tell you yet. But I think you and Remus are good together."
"I second that!" Carodac added allowing his Knight to take out Frank's Rook, "I know some people, Slytherin's mostly, seem to think otherwise but forget about them okay? As long as you lads are happy that's what matters."
Sirius smiled at Carodac, "Yeah... We are."
"Good." Frank said and nudged Sirius, "If things go well with Alice maybe the four of us can hang out together some time?"
"Hasn't even gone for the first date yet and he's already planning a double date!" Carodac teased.
"I've got a good feeling about it." Sirius said, "And I'm sure Remus will be up for a double date. Speaking of, I should go make sure he's alright."
"Yeah, looks like he's struggling to eat over there." Carodac noted, "Tell him I say hello and to drink lots of water. Always helps me."
"Water and grease. It's a winning hangover combination." Frank added and waved goodbye to Sirius.
Sirius chuckled and got to his feet, "I'll pass that on. See you two later."
Sirius picked up his guitar and sheet music and wandered across the hall to Remus. He sat down, rested his guitar next to him and began running his hand along Remus' back soothing him. Remus shrugged Sirius' hand off his back and shuffled along the bench away from him.
"What?" Sirius asked, dropping his hand onto his lap.
"Nothing." Remus snapped.
"Look I know today is a bad day for you-" Sirius started.
"Stop assuming you know how I'm feeling, Sirius. I fucking hate it when you do that." Remus interrupted and shoved his plate away.
"I'm sorry." Sirius whispered
"Yeah, yeah." Remus responded and got to his feet.
"Where are you going? I thought maybe we could go for a walk. I needed to-"
"You needed to do what Sirius? Make sure I'm okay? Baby me through the rest of the day? I don't need that, not from you."
Sirius sat there dejected, watching Remus storm out of the Great Hall. Sirius racked his brain trying to find what he had done wrong. Perhaps he was 'babying' Remus? Sirius just wanted to help him, the full moon is so draining on Remus. Sirius would give anything to remove the burden from him. But aside from that Sirius needed Remus right now, he needed him to hold him and tell him everything is going to be okay, that his family couldn't hurt him.
"First he's a dirty blood supporter and now he's a faggot."
Sirius looked up quickly to find Severus Snape sneering at him, his lip curled in hatred; Avery sat next to him throwing Sirius a look of disgust. Sirius glared back at them and got to his feet reaching into his jacket pocket for his wand. Before he could draw his wand he felt a hand on his arm, tugging him around.
"It's not worth it Sirius." Dorcas said and threw a glare at Snape and Avery, "Not for that scum anyway."
"They can't go around saying that sort of thing." Sirius snapped and Dorcas nodded.
"Agreed. But is losing house points and who knows how many detentions you'll get if you hex them right now. McGonagall is here, you know she won't turn a blind eye no matter what they say to you." Dorcas advised and slowly let go of Sirius' arm.
Sirius shot a glance at the Teacher's table and found McGonagall sitting with Flitwick. Frustrated, Sirius picked up his guitar and sheet music and headed for the door. Dorcas followed close behind him. Once in the Entrance Hall Sirius kicked a nearby suit of armour immediately cursing at the resulting pain.
"Well that was stupid." Dorcas laughed and Sirius rolled his eyes.
"I'm known for stupid behaviour." Sirius said and limped towards the staircase.
"Hey, why don't we go have a little fly around the Quidditch Pitch? You look like you could blow off some steam..." Dorcas suggested.
Sirius shook his head and continued towards the staircase, "Not today, Dorcas. I just want to go and lie down for a while."
"I'm going to meet the twins down there anyway, so if you change your mind you're welcome to join us."
"Thanks."
Dorcas nodded at Sirius and headed out the front doors. Sirius cursed under his breath as he limped up the stairs, Remus would be able to fix his foot in no time but Sirius doubted he would want to be in his company right now. Sirius continued in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room when he heard familiar laughter from a nearby classroom. He limped over to the door and lent against the doorframe. Peter and Marlene were in a heap on a pile of cushions, laughing and holding hands. Sirius cleared his throat and Marlene looked over at Sirius, smiling at him warmly.
"Heya Sirius", she said and propped herself up on the cushions, "We got a little sidetracked from practising nonverbal spells."
"Distracted is a bit of an understatement..." Peter said and Marlene slapped his arm playfully.
"I can see that..." Sirius noted and smirked at his friends, "You two haven't seen James have you?"
"He was sitting with Lily when we left the Common Room." Marlene said, "But that was over an hour ago now."
"I'll see if I can find him there, thanks." Sirius replied and caught Peter's eye, "Shall I close the door for some privacy?"
"Wouldn't hurt!" Peter replied and Marlene giggled shuffling closer to Peter.
Sirius winked at Peter and closed the door, catching a glimpse of the two of them sharing a kiss. Peter had really come into himself since he started Marlene, Sirius thought it was the best thing that could have happened to his dear friend. He wouldn't admit it to Peter but he had always worried about him. Sirius, James and Remus were forever trying to help Peter with his studies but more importantly his confidence. Too often Sirius had caught Peter looking dejected or shrinking away from opportunities. Since Marlene, Peter's schoolwork had improved and Sirius had noticed a brighter and more relaxed nature about him. It was a wonderful transformation.
Smiling to himself, Sirius limped along the hallway and climbed more staircases until, at last, he reached the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Inside on a beautiful day like this?" The Fat Lady asked.
"Galanthus Nivalis!" Sirius said.
"I see you're not in the mood for a conversation." The Fat Lady remarked.
"Just open the portrait." Sirius snapped.
Frowning, the Fat Lady's portrait swung open and Sirius limped into the Common Room. Sirius scanned the room and found James in an armchair by the unlit fireplace. He was sitting with his legs swung over the arm and nodding in response to Lily who was animatedly talking in the armchair opposite him. James looked up and smiled at Sirius' arrival. Sirius held James' eye for a moment and James swung his legs off the arm of the chair and frowned. Sirius limped across the Common Room and began climbing the staircase to the dormitory. He heard James and Lily behind him.
"Sorry Evans, can I raincheck the rest of this marvellous retelling of Carrie?"
"Sure James, is everything alright with Sirius?"
"I'm not sure... But I'm going to pop upstairs for a bit and see if I can help."
"Find me later?"
"Of course."
It didn't take James long to catch up to Sirius, the ache in his foot had gotten worse and each step sent pain shooting up his leg.
"Why in Merlin's beard are you limping?" James asked.
"Kicked a suit of armour." Sirius replied.
"Of course you did." James responded and pushed open their dormitory door.
James helped Sirius over to his bed, he took the guitar and rested it on top of Sirius' trunk. Sirius dropped down on his bed and gingerly pulled his leg up to rest atop the pillow James had conjured. Sirius lent his head back against his headboard, closed his eyes and sighed.
"Tell me what happened, Padfoot?" James asked, Sirius felt James sit down at the end of his bed.
"Regulus tracked me down this morning." Sirius said and opened his eyes. "Orion's sick."
James lent back against the end of Sirius' bed and shook his head, "Are they trying to get you to home because of it?"
"He's not at Grimmauld Place. He's in St Mungo's apparently." Sirius said.
"So it's serious?" James asked.
"Who knows. Orion has always been quite the hypochondriac... And even when he is actually sick he never lets anything take him out, you know what he's like." Sirius ranted.
"I do." James said, watching Sirius closely, "Do you want to see him?"
"Why?" Sirius snapped.
"Padfoot..." James said, "No one would blame you for wanting to see him. If he's really sick you may never see him again. I know you left them and I know exactly who your family are and what they support. But they are still your family..."
Sirius folded his arms and glared out the window, "No they're not."
"Padfoot..."
"No, Prongs. They're not my family. All they care about is blood purity and the Dark Arts. The way Walburga casts off family members for not being the perfect pureblood Black's... It's obscene."
"Could you reach out to your Uncle Alphard? You two have always gotten along, maybe Walburga has told him what's going on?"
"Alphard doesn't talk to his dear sister so much anymore... It's okay. I don't want to know about Orion. I just want to move on."
The boys sat there in silence for a moment and Sirius clenched his fists remembering Regulus' threats against Remus.
"Regulus threatened Remus." Sirius hissed through his clenched teeth.
"He fucking what?!" James bellowed.
"Yeah. Told me that if Walburga and Orion found out about Remus he wouldn't live to see another day." Sirius grunted.
"That son of a bitch." James growled. "Please tell me you tore him a new one?"
"I made a threat of my own... But it might be worth keeping an eye on him." Sirius suggested.
"Have you told Moony?" James asked and Sirius sighed, "What? What happened?"
"I saw him in The Great Hall, he's not doing too well today. I shouldn't have commented on that..."
"He shut you out didn't he?"
"Stormed out on me, yeah."
"Padfoot, it's not your fault you know that. It's a bad day for him. But we'll be there for him tonight, you know it helps him."
"Oh I know it helps him. But what about me? We're supposed to support each other. I really needed him after the Regulus run in..."
"Then tell him. Moony needs to hear this, he loves you Padfoot. Let him know how you're feeling."
"Yeah. I will."
James smiled at Sirius and motioned to his ankle, "So what are you going to do about that?"
"Well, depending on my next conversation with Rem he'll either fix it or I'll hobble up to the hospital wing. I can't be running around on a sore foot tonight, I'll need all four of my paws."
"Yeah don't think I'll let you use it as an excuse when I outrun you again!"
"Ha!"
The two of them laughed and Sirius thought back to James and Lily in the Common Room, a pang of guilt in his stomach for interrupting them.
"Hey sorry for pulling you away from Lily." Sirius said.
James shook his head, "Don't worry about it, she'll finish telling me about Muggle films again later. Did you know she likes cheesy horror films?"
"What? Lily does?" Sirius queried.
"Yeah, she saw Carrie last year and has been raving about it to me!" James said and shook his head, amazed, "She's something else."
"You really love her don't you?" Sirius asked.
"I do. I used to think I just thought she was really hot." James said, smiling to himself, "But she's not. She's beautiful. Everything about her is beautiful. There's so much to know about her and it never ceases to amaze me."
"Does she know?"
"I haven't said anything like that to her, no. But I will. Eventually. Right now I'm just enjoying getting to know her and vice versa."
Before Sirius could respond the dormitory door opened and Remus staggered into the room. James looked back at Sirius and raised his eyebrows, Sirius nodded in response.
"I'll leave you to it..." James said getting up from Sirius' bed.
"Thanks James." Remus said and walked over to Sirius.
James headed to the dormitory door and looked back at Sirius mouthing "be nice" before disappearing, closing the door behind him. Remus remained standing next to Sirius' bed and gazed down at Sirius' foot propped up on the pillow.
"Dorcas said you got into a fight with a suit of armour?" Remus asked.
"Something like that." Sirius responded, avoiding Remus' eyes.
"Sirius..." Remus said and gently sat down on the bed, "I'm so sorry."
"For what exactly?" Sirius asked and looked up at Remus.
"For shutting you out. For not letting you be there for me. For not being there for you. Take your pick, I've been so selfish lately." Remus ranted.
"You're not selfish." Sirius muttered.
"Don't do that, don't cut me any slack right now." Remus whispered and stared down at his lap.
"Fine. It hurts that when I need you the most you're not there for me!" Sirius exclaimed and sighed, "I ran into Regulus today, he told me Orion is sick."
Remus' head snapped up, "Why would he tell you that?"
"To guilt me? I don't know. I told him I wasn't interested anyway and then he... He..." Sirius' voice trailed off.
"He what?" Remus prompted and grabbed Sirius' hand.
"He threatened your life." Sirius whispered, shaking.
Remus quickly moved up next to Sirius and took him in his arms, "Hey... Hey stop it's okay."
Sirius gripped Remus tightly, "I swear. I swear I won't let them hurt you. I won't let them."
"I know..." Remus held on to Sirius and ran his hand along his back, "I'm not afraid of them, you know. We're going to be okay. I promise."
Sirius pulled back and stared into Remus' eyes, "I love you. You are the most important thing in my life."
"Don't let James hear you say that!" Remus teased and kissed Sirius. He pulled back again and smiled at Sirius, "I love you too. I know I can be a pain around the full moon, but I really do appreciate the way you care for me during it all."
"You're welcome." Sirius said and sat back upright, "So moving forward..."
"I will stop pushing you away. You have my full permission to pull me up when I'm being a right bitch." Remus promised and pushed Sirius's hair back from his face, "I want to be the person you can count on, no matter what. I promise I'm here okay? I'm all in."
Sirius pulled Remus towards him and kissed him fiercely. They rolled across the bed slightly and Sirius winced as pain ached in his foot again. Remus pulled back and frowned at Sirius.
"Shall I fix that?" He asked.
"Please..." Sirius sighed and fell back against the headboard.
Remus pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius' foot, "Episkey!"
Sirius felt a warmth in his foot and the pain slowly dissipated, he beamed up at Remus, "Thank you."
Remus pointed his wand at the dormitory door, locking it. Sirius cocked an eyebrow at Remus who winked in response and placed his wand on Sirius' bedside table.
"While I trust my ability to heal minor injuries, I think it might be best for you to spend some time in bed..." Remus said.
Sirius smirked and chuckled at Remus, "Is that so?"
"Yep..." Remus' voice trailed off and he kissed Sirius softly at first before Sirius pulled him tighter against him and Remus pinned him down, "I think you better let me look after you..."
"You won't hear any protest from me." Sirius gasped and pulled Remus' face back to his.
In that moment, Sirius vowed to himself that he would never give up on Remus, he would protect him until the end of his life.