Title: Who is Remus Lupin?

Warnings: Magical AU.

Rating: M

Artwork: Sirius x Remus ID by Sirius-x-Remus

'I hope I'm not being an inconvenience to you.'

Sirius's infatuation with Remus Lupin had not diminished the next day and he fed it unabashedly by visiting the other boy again, first thing in the morning. Remus certainly didn't seem to be complaining; in fact, he seemed almost glad for the added company and chatted merrily as he pottered around in the garden. His personality was as quirky as his infectious smile; Sirius could see it clearly in his quick witted humour and the odd mannerisms with his hands, despite his calm and intelligent speech. He was wearing a different kind of apron today - the kind that was made for cooks – to avoid getting mud and pollen on his clothes, paired with a pair of flip flops, a sun hat, and black rimmed glasses that he kept pushing up his nose with the back of his mud covered hands. There was dirt under his fingernails and feet, his sandy blond hair was curling messily around his face, and he looked for the world, nothing like a man who had inherited a fortune. Sirius loved it; and here, away from Mother's judgmental eyes, he stared at and admired Lupin without restraint.

'Not at all,' Remus waved away distractedly, holding up a glowing purple seed between his fore and thumb fingers up to the sun as he squinted at it. 'The house has been so empty since Alphard left. The company is more welcome than anything really.'

Sirius was reminded of the conversation he had overheard in the church the day before yesterday, when Remus had begged his mother to not be left alone. Feeling a sudden wave of sympathy, he touched Remus's cheek softly, causing the other boy to startle and look up at him in surprise. 'Dirt,' Sirius lied, smiling and rubbing the blonde's cheek with his thumb. The contact sent tingles down his spine and he could not stop, thinking about how perfectly defined Remus's cheekbone was or how the day old stubble scraped against his skin. 'You're a mess,' he laughed, faking sight of another patch of dirt and taking the opportunity to also touch the other cheek. Remus, bless his innocent soul, held still as invisible dirt was rubbed off his face, a faint blush of embarrassment spreading to the tip of his ears. This only made Sirius find him even more endearing. 'How did you get this?' he asked softly his fingers brushing back Remus's curls to touch a purpling bruise.

'Got punched.' Remus hissed when Sirius pressed a little too hard.

'Mugged?' Sirius asked, grey eyes widening in surprise.

Remus snorted. 'Bashed.' When Sirius looked confused, he explained shortly, 'for being a dirty little shirt lifter.'

Sirius's hands fell away from surprise at the blatant and almost careless admission. 'Oh. I-I'm sorry.' He tried to school his features but could not help but be awed by how effortlessly Remus had said it, without much thought to what Sirius might think or how he might react. Sirius himself had never even had the courage to come out to anyone except for his best friend in school, James Potter. His relationships mainly consisted of discrete shags in seedy alleyways, where he tried as much as he could to stay in the shadows to keep his face hidden. 'I hope they didn't hurt you too badly,' Sirius stuttered when he realised that his silence may be taken wrongly for disapproval. 'I didn't think Louth was so unfriendly to…people of different inclinations.'

Remus seemed amused by the way Sirius had phrased it. 'Louth's gay population lives quietly and inconspicuously, as is the case in every small town. I'm able to tell you freely because I know you aren't going to judge. You accepted Alphard after all.' He pulled his hat further down so that the bruise was fully covered and only a glimmer of gold could be seen of his eyes. 'Also it was a lucky shot. I made sure they won't bother me again. I'm a lot stronger than I look, you know.' When a dark eyebrow raised skeptically at him, his face set in determination. 'I bet I could pick that up with one hand,' he challenged Sirius, pointing to a crate full of potted herbs that he was planting from. He watched, lips quirked, as Sirius walked to the crate and tried and failed to lift it with both hands.

'There is a limit to bragging, Mr. Lupin,' Sirius huffed, feeling a little blow to his dignity when the crate did not even lift off the ground on his second try. 'You need to be something more than human to lift this at all.'

'You forget, Mr. Black, that I am not human,' Remus replied airily, waving his hat around in a flamboyant fashion. 'I am a wizard.' Saying this, he pulled out his wand from his back pocket and levitated the crate effortlessly to him.

'That's cheating!' Sirius exclaimed, appalled and marching back to Remus so that they were standing face to face.

Remus looked so cocky that it made Sirius want to kiss him. 'Well, you were stupid enough to assume that a wizard's strength would lie in his fists rather than his wand.' He laughed when Sirius, unable to say anything more, huffed, pushed him lightly on the shoulder, and sat back down. 'Come now, Master Black, no need to throw a fit.' He ruffled Sirius's dark hair playfully.

'So, how long have you lived with Alphard?' Sirius asked, clearing his throat and changing the subject when he found himself flushing from the touch.

'Two years almost. I've lived with him since I was sixteen,' Remus replied, crouching back down to inspect a particularly orange coloured herb with intensity. The entire garden was filled with plants such as this: odd, ugly, and a little bit rank – perfect for potions and research. 'I was already working at the lab by then, so it wasn't that much of a change.' He got down on his hands and knees, coming so close to the plant that his nose was actually touching the leaves. It gave Sirius the perfect opportunity to appreciate his rather well-endowed bum. 'My parents and I parted ways not so amicably, and I had nowhere else to go. It would only be courteous to offer me a place to stay in a house full of empty rooms, don't you think so?'

Sirius hummed in agreement, not failing to catch Remus's impish smile. It did strange things to his insides (his imagination and his groin) when that smile was being given to him while Remus was still bent over. 'How did you,' he hesitated, looking down at his muddy trainers, 'how did you know when to leave home?'

Sirius regretted his question as soon as Remus looked up at him with a knowing and sympathetic expression. 'You need to find a reason, Sirius, and also the courage to fight for that reason.' He placed a muddy hand on Sirius's shoulder comfortingly, completely unaware of the mess he was making on his expensive shirt. 'The prospect is frightening and you feel as though you can't survive without your family, but you will, I promise. I survived, and so did Alphard – well, until recently.' He laughed, but there was no humour in it.

Sirius frowned. It was an odd thing to say but he didn't prod any further. 'What if it isn't your survival that is scaring you?' he asked instead. 'What if you're afraid that someone else might not survive if you were to leave?'

Those amber eyes pierced through him again. 'Regulus?'

Sirius swallowed and nodded.

'Then I suppose you found your reason to stay,' Remus answered wisely, taking out a small shaving razor from his tool box and starting to scrape off thin layers of stalk from the offensively orange plant in front of him. He shook his head and smiled to himself. 'You really are every bit as Alphard described you, Sirius.'

'Oh?' Sirius's eyebrows arched. 'How did he describe me?'

'Different,' Remus replied, still smiling.

He did not elaborate any further, but Sirius already knew that he was comparing him to the rest of the Black family. It used to be true; Sirius was different, but he didn't think that applied any more. Not since he was sixteen and found that he had to shoulder the responsibility of his family and most of all, his brother. Sirius was now one of them and being here, in Louth, was proof. He had schooled himself to act exactly as he was expected to act, parried along with his mother's schemes, and was now taking advantage of a stranger's kindness to feed his own perverted agenda. Yet, Remus Lupin had somehow seen a good side of him; a different side that Sirius hadn't created as a façade or tried to fake. Remus had put Sirius above the likes of his family and somehow, that made him feel special and good.

Sirius wanted to be good.

Amber eyes looked at him expectantly, chin resting on palms and elbows on the dinner table. 'Well, what do you think?'

Sirius looked down at his plate of what could, in its loosest definition, be described as food. He had yet to figure out what it was, but Remus was watching him with such hopeful eyes that he hadn't the heart to ask. Before he could lose his courage, Sirius quickly forked a bit of meat and swallowed. 'Needs salt,' he replied neutrally, trying not to gag. It needed a lot more than salt; it needed a miracle.

Remus rushed to bring a salt shaker from the kitchen counter and sprinkled generously, before sitting down again. 'Better?'

Those eyes were going to be his undoing, Sirius knew. He gathered up all his courage and forked the smallest morsel of food he could manage. 'Not bad,' he managed, his eyes watering.

However, something in his face must have shown because Remus sighed despondently. 'You don't have to be so polite.'

Sirius spat it all out on to the plate, relieved that he wouldn't have to eat anymore.

'Or so rude.' He smiled when Sirius shot him an apologetic look. 'I really am hopeless at cooking,' he mourned, taking Sirius's plate from him and binning it. 'I'm sorry. I invited you over for lunch and everything, and I don't actually have any lunch to serve. Alphard was always in charge of meals.' Remus sighed and sat back down again, burying his face dramatically in his arms. 'At this rate, I'll starve myself to death or cholesterol myself into an early grave from eating takeout. I'm not good with instructions and precision; Alphard used to say I overthink things and fuss over the details too much. It was why I was so terrible at potions when I first came here.'

Sirius raised an eyebrow. 'I thought you were a prodigy. Isn't that why you didn't go to Hogwarts?'

Remus coloured, 'Ah, no. I never got accepted to Hogwarts or any magical school for that matter.'

Sirius didn't know that was even possible. He had always assumed that the letter automatically arrived when you turned eleven; he had certainly never heard of an evaluation process in place. 'Oh, I'm sorry.' He wondered if it would be rude to ask why. Remus didn't seem like he was going to offer up a reason and was fidgeting with the ends of the table cloth, almost as if he was contemplating changing the subject. Clearly, Sirius had touched upon a sensitive subject, a secret. Despite his curiosity, he let it go, 'I'm guessing you don't have any issues with Potions now; since you work for the Ministry and all.'

Remus smiled brightly, clearly grateful. 'I've conquered my demons. Alphard was a wonderful teacher and he taught me enough to not blow things up. The trick is to not think about it; work based on memory and instinct. Unfortunately, when I try that trick on cooking, that happens.' He pointed towards the bin. 'Some things are simply not meant to be.' He looked up at Sirius. 'I don't suppose you can cook? I'm starving.'

Damn, those blasted beautiful eyes that made his heart beat so hard that it was trying to jump out of his throat. 'We'll have to do with takeout today, I'm afraid.' Remus answered with a groan. 'But I can have a house elf sent to me tomorrow; Merlin knows we have more than enough. They're bound to serve all members of the Black family. As this house belonged to Alphard and you're his official benefactor, they will answer to you as well.'

Remus frowned, his head tilted in confusion. 'So your parents know you are here?'

Sirius's heart stopped.

'I assumed they wouldn't approve of you staying here; it's a Muggle town and Alphard wasn't the most popular member of the family. I thought you might be staying here against their wishes.'

'Ah,' Sirius stammered, trying to think of a lie believable enough to get himself out of suspicion. 'They know, but they think I'm here to get my inheritance sorted.' Remus was still looking at him suspiciously and he tried not to seem too frazzled. 'Sentimentality doesn't quite fly in our family, but Mother will believe anything as long as it involves money.'

'I see,' Remus looked unconvinced. 'Where did you say you were staying again?'

'Er…few blocks down the road; there's a small inn there.'

Remus hummed. 'Why don't you live here instead of that grubby little inn?' he offered, much to Sirius's shock. There was an almost calculative glimmer in his eyes and Sirius wondered exactly what was going on in the other boy's head. Did he suspect Sirius of ulterior motives; was he trying to keep Sirius closer to home to keep an eye on him? It was the latter, no doubt. 'We have more than enough room here and it would certainly save you the trip of coming every day. I know Alphard wouldn't want his favourite nephew to live in an inn, while he had place in his home and heart.' He smiled brightly and Sirius was almost convinced that it was just an honest offer.

Accepting it would mean Sirius would have difficulty communicating with his Mother freely. Not that they spoke much, but she asked for an update every other day through owl, and that was not something that could take place inconspicuously. However, not accepting would prove to Remus that Sirius had a hidden agenda, even if he wasn't strictly following it and was only still staying here to be with him. In that case, Sirius should accept. He was lying to his family and visiting Remus every day to feed his infatuation for the boy, so why stop. He would simply tell Mother tonight that he had managed to get inside and would continue his search more thoroughly; she would be pleased with the development, if anything.

'Yes, I would love to,' Sirius replied with a confident smile. 'I'll report in tomorrow morning with my luggage, shall I?'

Remus returned his smile. 'Nonsense. I'll walk you to your hotel right now and we'll fetch all your things. You shouldn't have to stay another night at that awful inn.'

The other boy was making sure Sirius had no time to contact his family or make changes, while simultaneously inviting himself into Sirius's room for inspection.

Cunning.

However, when they finally arrive at the inn Sirius was staying at, Remus refused to go past the entrance.

'You go on ahead, I'll wait,' Remus advised. When Sirius turned to look at him with a questioning eyebrow, he grinned weakly. 'I might have been banned from here for being drunk and disorderly.'

Sirius's eyebrows raised higher, all the way to his hairline. 'I thought you couldn't drink.'

Remus rolled his eyes in a condescending manner. 'I can't drink when I'm on medication, which is only a few days out of the month. I can drink as much as I like on other days, and I may or may not have crossed the line in there.' He shot Sirius a sly wink and then put on a fake innocent expression, making him laugh loudly. 'Go on then, get your bags. I'll wait out here.' He shooed, and Sirius, glad for the distraction, did not argue.

All the anxious plans Sirius had been making on their way to the inn dissolved and his heart finally slowed in his chest as he walked out of the lift and unlocked his bedroom door. He was clearly over thinking things; Remus had no ulterior motive for inviting him to stay at the house other than the goodness of his heart. He wondered if Remus would be so kind if he knew Sirius had only accepted because of his perverted infatuation with the sandy blond. Or that he was going to use this as a perfect excuse to fool his mother into thinking that he was making progress with his investigation of Remus Lupin, when in reality, he had no intention of pursuing her foolish plans any further. There were no grounds for her accusation and Sirius had seen that first hand. Remus was nothing short of a saint.

Sirius wrote down a quick letter to his mother, embellishing the details by writing that he had managed to gain access to Lupin's home and while the other boy was being elusive with details, he would continue to probe and manipulate as much information as possible. He also explained that he would not correspond as frequently with her so as not to appear suspicious. It was a letter every Black would be proud to receive; it sounded devious, conniving, and calculating – everything Sirius hated being and usually avoided. Yet, if it was enough to fool his mother and buy him more time with Remus Lupin, Sirius would be willing to write as many horrid letters as his quill would allow.

'Don't leave until I'm out of sight, do you understand?' he commanded his owl, Perseus, as he let it out of the cage and tied the letter to its leg. 'And don't come back. I'll be contacting Mother by Floo.' He did not wait for the owl to hoot its confirmation, flicking his wand quickly so that his bags packed themselves and stood, lined up, at the front door.

Now that everything was settled, Sirius finally began to feel a bubble of excitement in his stomach at the thought of being so close to Remus, every single day. He still wasn't sure what he wanted out of this or even if he intended to pursue his crush, but he knew that he Remus made him happier than he had ever felt in years and he needed to pursue that happiness, for however short a time. When with the sandy blond, it was easy to forget who he was and what he was trying so hard to protect. By the time he got to the reception to hand in his keys, Sirius was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

'The absolute gall of him; standing there when Benny told him never to come back.'

Sirius frowned with disapproval at the two women, wearing staff uniforms, gossiping in the corner rather than getting on with their jobs. There was another person other than him clearly waiting for service, but they paid him no mind, as if expecting him to resolve everything by himself. They weren't even trying to whisper, their voices loud and obnoxious.

'Oh, Helen, are you sure? He always seemed like such a nice boy.'

'Did you enjoy your stay, Mr. Black?' The receptionist – Barry, according to his name tag - asked him in an accent so thick that Sirius could barely recognise it for English.

'Yes, thank you,' Sirius replied impatiently, wanting to get back to Remus.

'I heard it myself; he pretty much admitted to it in his drunken stupor. I always knew he was trouble, from the moment he arrived here. I used to live near the Lupins until Patrick got his promotion.' Sirius's ears perked up when he heard 'Lupin' being mentioned. 'Lyall and Hope were lovely but I could see clearly that they didn't care very much for the son. Some days, it was almost as if they pretended he didn't exist. What a monster you must be for your own parents to not love you.'

'Here's your deposit back, Mr. Black,' Barry handed him back muggle paper notes. 'That's a hundred quid, but you should count it just to make sure.'

'Ah, yes,' Sirius counted, clumsy due to his lack of familiarity with muggle money and also due to the distracting conversation now happening right beside him.

'How dreadful! Poor Alphard, getting caught up with a boy like that! He was such a lovely man; always said hello whenever he saw us in the supermarket.'

Helen, a portly woman, nodded. 'Aye, he was. His entire inheritance went to that boy, do you know that? A hundred people, all family, showed up to the funeral and not one of them got a single penny. Convenient, isn't it?'

The other woman looked horrified. 'Oh, Helen, can't we do something about it? Report him to the police?'

Sirius drew in a sharp breath and he tried best to keep up the pretense of not caring, looking fixedly down at the money in his hand. What had Remus done and why was Alphard the victim? He looked back, searching for a familiar head of sandy blond hair and found the boy still standing at the entrance, completely unaware of the conversation going inside.

'And say what, Sarah? We haven't got much proof against him. Patrick says to just leave it be and not get into matters that don't concern me, but it isn't right!'

Sirius pocketed the money quickly and picked up his suitcases, not wanting to hear any more. He walked out of the hotel so quickly, he nearly tripped over his own feet and was panting by the time he met up with Remus again. The women's voices were still ringing in his head and he could not stop thinking and over thinking the conversation he had overheard, regretting his decision to run away and wanting to go back in and demand an explanation. He was so distracted that he didn't even notice when Remus took one of his suitcases from him and started chatting cheerfully. He looked so very innocent with his wide amber eyes and crooked smile that Sirius was having a hard time believing anyone would accuse him of anything. Remus would not have hurt Alphard in anyway, Sirius was sure.

He was sure.

He was definitely, positively, sure.

'Who are you, Remus Lupin?' Sirius found himself asking before he could think about it.

Remus let out a surprised laugh and patted Sirius on the back heartily, clearly taking it as a joke. 'You know, I find myself asking the very same question every single day.'

Hope you guys liked it and don't forget to review!

VioletNight97: Private messaging seems to be disabled for you so I hope you're reading this! Thank you so much for reviewing and also don't be too disappointed because James does have a small role to play in much later chapters. Keep reading! ^_^

Guest: Thank you so much! The plot is going to get more complicated from here on out, but hopefully, it will be much more enjoyable!

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