Remus returned home that night, taking several bottle of fire whiskey into the old milking shed at the property, Eddie found him like that pass out hours later. She had stayed to look after Sirius who had turned into a hysterical state and it took her a few hours to move him into his room with the help of Harry and Charlie, he calmed enough to tell them what had happened before working himself into hysterical sobs again, Eddie gave him a calming potion so work on his hand which was cut up and bleeding from breaking the glass earlier. Once finished she gave him a sleeping draught that settled him for the night, she walked down stairs with a heavy heart to find Harry looking at the photos in the sititng room. Charlie had cleaned up the broken glass and alcohol before leaving to get back to the Burrow, she approached Harry placing a hand on his shoulder.
"They looks different then didn't they?" She states to which Harry nodds
"Before the world abused and broke them, they had so much life and love to give"
Harry turned to Eddie asking "He does love Sirius doesn't he?"
"Yes" She mumbles
"So why aren't they together?"
"Its complicated Harry, a lot has happened in their lives and they are far more guarded than what me or you are"
"But Sirius loves him, always has, I could see it and he told me when I asked"
"I saw it too Harry, Papa didn't want to see it. He loved Sirius then thought he was the traitor who killed his friends, he completetly ruined him, he didn't eat, sleep or function for a while, he drank himself to sleep every night because he still loved the man who everyone thought betrayed them. When Sirius escaped and he found him at the shrieking shack with you before proving his innocence it was a slap in the face for Papa, suddenly he had this man back in his life. The man he once loved but before that the man who has his best friend and confient. He had someone who craved and needed his attention, Sirius was so happy to have Papa with him and he hadn't had that in 13 years Harry. Werewolves are ostrasized from the world, treated like animals in certain cultures, we struggled a lot growing up, Dumbledore had me listed as a child of the ministry who was under guardianship of Hogwarts, he hired Papa as my offical tutor and gave us accomdation as we travel for my education, it was easiest for me to be in the culture of any language I had developed, once I finished my education Papa was unemployed and worked in muggle stores or as hire labour but with sick days every month he never kept them for long. Papa felt like a person again, vauled and respected because of Sirius but I think he was so grateful for a true friend he refused to see the love in Sirius' eyes. He didn't want to lose Sirius is the relationship failed and he thinks it would ruin him worst than before if that happened"
"So he is scared"
"Shitless" Eddie added "He would rather keep a friend for life than have a lover for only a small part of it"
"So we need to prove to him that Sirius' isn't going anywhere and that he deserves love" Harry summarized
"Yes and that Sirius isn't going anywhere, he needs to have Sirius keep reminding him that he loves him, that it isn't going to change and that he will keep on loving him regardless of whether he loves him back, he will give in with time but Sirius has to be willing to do things realy slowly"
"He will wait, he will do anything to be with Remus"
"Good, I want to see Papa happy and I think Sirius does that. Tomorrow get Sirius to send me an owl when he is awake, Papa wont stay angry for long he values Sirius friendship too much to risk losing him"
Harry nodded as he watched Ed step into the green flames and return to France to move her Papa from the milking shed loft to his bed in the cottage.
The next morning Remus woke up in his own bed and found a cup of tea steaming on his bedside table and a hangover potion, sighing over how well his daughter looked after him he drank his tea first before gulping the foul potion that removed his pounding headache and nausea. He showered, shaved away his three day growth and trimmed his hair, after dressing in a tshirt and jeans he went down stairs barefoot like normal. Remus took a deep breathe in, noting that they had company in the cottage as well as a deilous meal waiting gor him down stairs
Eddie was sititng at the breakfast bar talking with someone sitting in the kitchen around the small wooden table. Remus walked silently to Eddie, kissed her on the cheek saying good monrng before turning to face the guest.
"Morning Sirius, Harry"
Harry smiled at Remus, Sirius not quite meeting his eyes returned the greeting.
"Eddie lure you here with her crossiants?"
Eddie smiled and flicked her wand filling the table in the kitchen with crossiants, fried ham, poached eggs and spinach, another wand wave set out plate settings with cutlery, glasses and mugs for the juice and tea.
Remus growled happily at the meal, his stomach completely empty over night. Eddie placed a hand on his shoulder before he started serving himself, letting Harry and Sirius set a plate full before getting a place herself leaving the rest for Remus to finish which he did quickly.
Harry spoke after Remus had finished eating, noticing he didn't speak while eating "Eddie said there was some work that needed to be done to the house so we are here to help"
Remus looked at Eddie "I could of managed it alone but the offer is happily accepted" voice soft and light
"Whats there to do" Sirius asked, trying to act completely normal
"The roof has a hole I need to patch, gutters cleaned out, a lick of paint outside is needed, the milk shred needs the loft ladder repaired, the chicken coop needs to be re wired, Eddie?"
"I need to clean out the attic, would like to clean the basement" She glanced at Remus who frowned at her
"Also we have the car to tune up, fire wood to cut, the flower bed needs weeding, I have the vegie patch to harvest and the fish nets to be brought back in, oh and I have bread and jams to make with the excess fruit besides milking Millie"
Harry nodded hoping things would be easier with three qualified witch/wizards.
"I have spare clothes for you both, you will get dirty" Remus stated producing two changes of clothes for Sirius and Harry, who both went to get changed and explore the cottage for the first itme.
It was old and small but well looked after, the main door opening into a sitting room painted in a mocha brown with floor to ceiling book shelves full to over following with books, albums, journals and ordamites. The large floor boards gave a base for the worn brown leather lounges and arm charirs, old movie posters hung framed on the wall, a few photos sat on the shelves and a small bar sat at once side opposite a dirty grumby fire place. A lamp and a coffee table sat in the centre with a half finished chess game on it, and a large muggle audio system filled a corner surrounded by cds and records. they had just left the kitchen with its eat in table which was all doorless cupboards, mix matched chipped dinner ware. Being open planned it had no kitchen door merely an archway but had was an cut out window looking into the kitchen with a breakfast bar on one side and the back of the kitceken connected to the laundry The stairs before the kitchen lead the boys upstairs to find a bathroom where Harry changed. Once changed Harry went looking for his godfather, the first room he found looked like Eddie's room, large enough with a queen bed, waredrobe covered with photos and postcards, a dressing table with perfume bottles and jewlerry box on it as well as a arm chair and bookshelf that included a muggle IPOD dock.
Harry wandered down to the next room to find Sirius changed but starting at something on the bedside table. Remus room was nothing like Remus in harry's opinion, but he was leanrning he didn't know his old professor very well. It had a large king bed with dark blue sheets, a bedspread that was made up of patchwork band tshirts and travel sournior tshirts, two coffee tables acting as besides with books pile high on both sides stubby candles in holders on each ,though one had an ipod dock as well. This room had an ensuite Harr didn't look in but a waredorbe without the doors showing Remus' collection of tatted jeans, tons of t shirts and a leather jacket before Harry saw things that reminded him of his professor like the button down shirts and dress pants. Military stlye boots and ugg boots were scattered at the side of the bed as were plates and scrolls of parachemnt. Framed music posters hung on two walls. The other wall had dozens of black photo frames with post cards, tickets, programs, pressed flowers and photos in them. The photos were a mix of muggle and miagical but all black and white. Harry spotted his parents and Sirius in amny, Eddie at various stages of growing up and one fo Harry recently with Herminoe and Ron at school. He approached his godfather and found the cause of his silence, on the coffee table that seems like Remus usual side of the bed was one photo pinned to the wall with thumb nails. It was an polariod like the swimming shot of Remus but it was Sirius and Remus though Harry might not of recosided him if he hdnt loked closely in the frame. The was smokey and dark around them you could just make out the band playing in the backgorunf of the dirty pub, both boys look about 18. Each had a drink in one hand, Sirius with the same arm around Remus' shoudlers the other taking the photo. Sirius was dressed in black, black tshirt, black leather jacket and black hair pulled back into a ponytail, a thin layer of eye liner made his eyes really stand out. Remus had hair that hung down to past his collarbone wild waves of golden borwn hair with oddly placed plaits in it, he was wearing an off white tshirt that had holes in it with leather and copper bracelts on one wrist and an earing in one ear.
"that's Remus?" Harry asked
Sirius chuckled
"That is the Remus I fell in love with, the real Remus" He added looking around
"Bet you didn't know he sings, use to in a band, they almost got signed"
"No, I had no idea"
"Remus has lived a hard life, some of it wasn't his fault, like his furry problem the rest was but, he lived the rock n roll life for years, he an old academic rocker hippy he always was anything but normal, wasn't he just beauitful" Sirius smiled happily
"Still is, he still singing in a band actually" Eddie added from the doorway Both men turned to find Eddie smiling at them. "Papa is in milking shed fixing the ladder Sirius he will need a hand, Harry and I are going to start on the bread and jams"
SIirus walked to the shred to find Moony without his shirt, jeans torn and cut off at the knees which were hanging low on his hips while he worked fixing the ladder with sharp wand movments, he started patching holes in the walls, and removed cobwebs. Sirius looked around the shred all but two of the old milking stalls had been converted to storage, mixed with fishing gear, tools for the gardens or yard, odds and ends of wood pieces, trunks of clothing or blankets and one had chicken wire up the sides but with an open half door that was the owls nest with water and food plus straw underneath at the other end of the stalls was the untouched still used for milking their single cow. Remus climbing up the newly fixed ladder was up in the loft which acted as an office or study with a large desk covered in scrolls and books, small old fashioned writing desk with feather quills, more floor to ceiling bookshelves still full and a muggle lap top with a printer on a table off to one side. A old arm chair sat at one side with a coffee table that completed the little sanctuary. Sirius followed knowing Remus knew he was there but hadn't spoken to him "Nice setup" Sirius commented, Remus turned, glanced down regretting removing his tshirt but it was another warm day.
"Thanks, there isn't enough room inside for it"
"Your house is lovely Rem, fantastically you"
Remus chuckled his growling laugh
"Run down?" He jokes
"Understately beautiful" Sirius answers
Remus looks down embrassed
"Why didn't keep it from us Rem, you inherited this place while we were still in school but never let us come here"
"It's a cottage Siri..us, its not the massive Potter house with quiddick pitch and in the heart of a magical community. We are in rural France, miles from but surrounded by muggle neighbours. There isn't anything exciting about it, its run down, old and simple"
"I really wanted to see this place Rem, always did and it is everything I thought it would be, just fantastic"
Remus grunted awkwardly, walking down the ladder suddenly, he walked outside flicking his wand producing a thin ladder to the side of the cottage.
"I'm going to patch the roof Pads, did you want to do this or start the fire wood? We do outside work by muggle means because of the neighbours and the view anyone could have form the street"
"Hmm I'll start on the fire wood"
Remus went up the ladder and started on the roof, Sirius looked through window intot he kitchen seeing Harry and Eddie laughing as fruit flew around them going into different large pots which bubbled, blended and splash everywhere. He could hear muggle music's being played loudly from the sitting room and Eddie and Harry dancing around the kitchen singing along, SIirus laughed at the children before picking up the ax and starts on the fire wood. After several minutes of hard work Eddie walked out with a jug of chilled water, holding several stacked glasses in her other hand. Sirius put the ax down happily and gulped down the refreshing drink while Eddie yelled up to Remus
"Papa" Remus came down still shirtless but consideravly dirtier, he downed the water as Eddie spoke
"Sirius why did you let Papa talk you into chopping the wood? He does it in half the time"
Remus laughed, throwing his head back releasing a sudden feral growling laugh
Eddie hit Remus on the shoulder tutting at him disapprovingly. Remus picked the ax up and speaking over his shoulder "I finished the roof anways"
Sirius followed Eddie inside with his empty glass. He placed in in the sink before catching Remus out of the orner of his eye, Remus was cutting several piece of wood at once, using brute force to do it instead of relying on the ax blade like Sirius had done. Remus's natural thin and pale body glistened in the sun, sinewy strong muscles moved underneath his milky white scared skin. Werewolves had developed to look unthreatening at first apperance but speed and strength oozed from them when unguarded. Remus walked in a low stance, shoulders down and hips low creating a prediorty stalk all slow fluid motion when he thought no one was looking. Sirius was captivated watch an unguarded Remus, doing very demanding physical work with easy and chopping a giant pile of wood in the time it took Srius to do a few.
Eddie placed a hand on Sirius shoulder
"He is comfortable here"
"He is beautiful, how does he not see it?"
"What you call beuaitgul he calls a curse"
"But its part of who he is"
"He would sell his soul to be free of it"
"I would sell mine as well if it made him happy"
"As would I" Eddie sadly added.