Chapter 1

The problem with living in a muggle block of flats was that there were far too many muggles wandering the halls when the only resident wizard needed them to be empty. His wand was in easy reach, but with two of his neighbours gossiping just eight feet down the hall, Remus Lupin had nothing else he could do but try to find the set of keys the landlord had given him.

He heaved his shopping from one arm to the other as he struggled to find the keys to his flat amidst the assortment of miscellaneous rubbish in his pockets. A couple of apples tumbled to the floor and he swore under his breath. Finally he felt the cold metal of his keys and let himself into the flat.

He dumped his groceries on the counter and returned to the hall to retrieve the runaway apples. He didn't even know why he'd bought the damn things. He didn't even particularly like green apples, much preferring the red. Sirius was the one who'd liked the green.

He realised, as he was unpacking his shopping that he'd also bought far too much. Having spent so much time living at Grimmauld Place, Remus had got into the habit of doing the shopping for the household, making sure that there was plenty of food in for unexpected visitors. Not to mention keeping Sirius well fed, since the man could eat like a horse.

Remus finished putting away the shopping and reasoned that at least most of the stuff would keep for a while. He grabbed one of the apples and sat down at the table to munch on it as he flicked through his post.

A couple of bills, his copy of the Daily Prophet and a few circulars. There was nothing there to hold his attention for long. He tossed the bills to one side, it's not like he had the money to pay them right away anyway, and wandered over to the sofa.

He settled back and closed his eyes, and within a minute was fast asleep.

He would have probably slept right through until the morning, and regretted it if he had, were it not for the sound of a familiar voice ringing through his flat.

He opened his eyes and stared blearily at the silvery patronus in the form of a phoenix. Dumbledore's voice was calmly requesting that he floo to his office at Hogwarts at 8pm sharp. Remus glanced at the clock, it was already five to eight and his flat, located high in the tower block, didn't even have a fireplace. He'd just have to apparate to the nearest public floo and hope there wasn't a queue. Dumbledore's office was rarely open for someone to access by floo, and he didn't know how long it would be open this evening. He'd just have to keep his fingers crossed that he managed to get there in time.

-o-xXx-o-

Sirius was bored. As someone known for being generally loud and a vibrant presence in any room, he was finding his current predicament to be somewhat frustrating.

What was the point of being loud if no one could hear you?

What was the point of anything if you had as much substance as the morning mist?

Grimmauld Place had been his first point of call. He'd been there all of ten minutes before he'd decided that he was a fool to have even gone back there. He'd hated the place while he was growing up there, and even the rowdy Weasleys hadn't managed to make it completely tolerable after his release from Azkaban.

Worse still, Remus hadn't returned and only now did he realise that he had no idea where his friend was living.

He'd made his way north to Hogwarts, hoping to see how Harry was doing. That had been nearly as big a mistake as returning to Grimmauld Place. Watching Harry hadn't been the best idea, and had only brought home to him how much he was missed.

He'd lurked in Dumbledore's office for a while and had watched as he had sent his patronus to summon Remus. Finally, his luck seemed to be changing.

Sirius had never been known for his patience, and he was desperate to see Remus again. Even if he couldn't see or hear him, Remus was his oldest friend and surely wouldn't begrudge him hanging around. But, if luck was on his side, perhaps Remus would be able to see him, and even help him find a way out of this mess.

Remus arrived in Dumbledore's office a few minutes after eight. He looked dishevelled and tired. Sirius frowned as he looked the other man over. He looked like he'd lost weight, and Sirius wondered if he'd been taking care of himself properly.

"Remus," Dumbledore greeted him with a force smile. "Thank you for coming at such short notice."

"I'm sorry I'm late," Remus offered. "I'm not on the floo network and there was a queue at the nearest public one."

"That's quite all right." Dumbledore waved his hand dismissing his concerns. "I'd have asked you to apparate but I imagine you're still recovering at the moment. Although the floo network is still being watched, the Ministry is well aware that I am interviewing for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher yet again. Since you have previous experience and left your post here of your own accord…well, if anyone asks I'm sure you'll know what to say."

Remus nodded whilst Sirius looked out the window at the newly risen moon. He hadn't even realised that the full moon had passed. He wondered how Remus had coped without Padfoot, and whether he'd managed to obtain any Wolfsbane potion this month.

Sirius's mind wandered as he listened to Dumbledore as he made idle conversation with Remus. "If you have something for Moony to do, why don't you get to the point and tell him?"Sirius muttered to himself, wondering even as he spoke why he was whispering when no one in the room could hear him at all.

"There have been reports of werewolf activity in Derbyshire," Dumbledore finally commented. "You may have read about it in the Daily Prophet?"

Remus nodded, confirming that he had.

"I know this is a bad time," said Dumbledore sadly. "The loss of Sirius must have hit you nearly as hard as it did Harry?"

Sirius jumped slightly, startled to hear his own name being spoken.

"I'm doing all right," Remus replied quietly. "I'm trying to keep busy, take my mind off things, you know…?"

Dumbledore nodded. "You never told him, did you?"

Sirius frowned and looked at Remus. Told him what?

"The time was never right," Remus replied. "I always thought there'd be another chance."

"I was wrong," Dumbledore commented quietly. "It's hit you even harder than Harry."

"You have a mission for me?" Remus asked, blatant in his effort to change the subject. Sirius frowned, curious to know what it was that Remus hadn't told him. Unfortunately, without a voice there was no way to get the conversation back on the track that he wanted.

Remus stayed with Dumbledore for another half an hour, Dumbledore assuring him that the other interviewees had taken much longer to be interrogated.

"I'll head to Derbyshire first thing in the morning," Remus assured him as he left, with, although he didn't know it, Sirius close at his heels.

-o-xXx-o-

Remus let himself back into his flat and made his way to the bedroom.

Sirius looked around the flat with open curiosity. He soon spotted the unpaid bills and wondered why Remus hadn't settled them immediately. He was normally so thorough about things like that; he hoped it wasn't money worries.

There were dirty pots stacked in the sink, most of which looked to have been there for several days. He suspected Remus wasn't eating properly, if the state of the kitchen was anything to go by.

The fruit bowl on the beaten up coffee table was full, and Sirius reached out automatically for one of his favourite apples, swearing in frustration when his hand passed through the fruit. It was only later that he remembered that Remus didn't even like green apples.

"Were you expecting me?" he asked, even though Remus wasn't even in the room, and couldn't hear him even if he were.

Even though he knew it was probably only habit that had caused Remus to buy the apples, Sirius couldn't help but hope that maybe, on some instinctive level, Remus knew he was there.

After he'd exhausted his exploration of the poky kitchen and sparsely furnished living room, Sirius wandered towards to the bedroom. He raised his hand to knock on the door, remembering too late that his fist would simply pass through the wood. He stumbled into the room, his tumble even less graceful than his fall through the archway back in the Department of Mysteries.

"Well, that was smooth," he muttered as he picked himself up. "You'd think, being like this, it wouldn't hurt as much."

He mumbled crossly to himself as he looked around the room. It was as shabby and empty of personal effects as the living room had been. A couple of dog-eared paperbacks were on the bedside table, his wand and pocket watch beside them. A rickety chest of drawers was the only other furniture in the room.

Sirius looked at Remus and was surprised to see that he was still wide-awake.

"Can't sleep?" he asked conversationally.

Remus's inadvertent reply was barely more than a whisper. "What am I going to do without you, Sirius?"

"Can you hear me?" Sirius asked excitedly. He hurried to the side of the bed, hope blossoming in his heart. "Remus?"

Remus didn't reply, and the tiny bloom of hope withered and died.

"It's not fair," Remus complained to the world in general.

"You're telling me," Sirius replied with a snort.

"I always thought I'd have more time, another chance."

"Chance for what?"

"Each time I let one slip by, I told myself they'd be another."

Sirius listened silently after that. It was less disconcerting for him to listen to Remus talking to no one, than to be repeatedly ignored. Unfortunately, Sirius's curiosity was not going to be sated any time soon, and Remus wasn't revealing anything more than what he'd already said.

Eventually Remus slept, leaving Sirius to linger, bored and dissatisfied, in the silent flat.

-o-xXx-o-

By the time the sun came up Sirius was feeling much less despondent about his situation. He'd always been curious about Remus's missions, now he was being given the unique opportunity to see for himself what his friend did for the Order.

His exuberance lasted until well after they'd arrived in the small bed and breakfast where Dumbledore had reserved Remus a room. It was helped along by the delusion that he was just on holiday with Remus, relaxing a little during the summer.

The only thing marring his enjoyment was the fact that he was still no nearer to finding a way of rejoining the rest of the world.

"So, Remus," he called out over the sound of the shower. "Got any theories about the function of the archway?" As usual, there was no answer. But Sirius was nothing if not persistent, and he told himself that if he just repeated the question often enough, Remus would eventually hear him and be able to help.

-o-xXx-o-

Keeping busy was the key. That was what Remus had been telling himself over and over since the day Sirius had fallen through the veil. As an unemployed werewolf, that was easier said than done. Thankfully the mission for Order couldn't have come at a better time. He needed a distraction, and this was ideal.

If only he could do what he usually did on such missions, and shut out the thoughts and memories of those he'd left behind.

But putting Sirius from his mind wasn't easy, he was more on his mind now than he'd been when he was alive.

If Remus had been given to flights of fancy, which he wasn't, he'd have wondered if maybe Sirius was still with him, at least in spirit…and whether that was why he was finding it so hard to stop thinking about him.