Title: Hogwarts Bouncy Castle of Love

Artwork Disclaimer: "Hogwarts Castle" by Luntary ( luntary. deviantart )

Warnings: Magical AU and extreme silliness that might cause cringing.

Rating:M

A/N: So for those of you who have already read this story, I've just decided to split it into two chapters because the original was too long. It's still the same story and hasn't really changed!

Part 2

'Is everything to your liking, Sir?'

'Yes, yes, it's all good,' Sirius waves the waiter away without as much as a glance at the man. In fact, Sirius has not once shifted his eyes from his date - the stunning Remus Lupin - all night. Not that the werewolf did not look ravishing all the time, but tonight Remus has made an extra effort to look good since Sirius had mentioned they were going to a very fancy restaurant. He is wearing a cream shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and folded to the elbows; and dark brown slacks that fit his bum so very nicely that Sirius has had to walk a few steps behind the man in order to exercise his God given right to stare at the man's firm buttocks. (Awwooooo, Padfoot had howled the entire way). Remus has also tied his slightly long, wavy hair into a sleek ponytail, calling attention to his bright amber eyes and curly lashes.

'Sirius, is it just me or has that waiter been staring at us the entire time?' Remus asks, dipping his pita bread into the hummus.

They are in a Middle Eastern outdoor restaurant called, The Magic Carpet. It is known mainly for its ambience, where each seating is in fact, a floating hand woven carpet with a perfect view of the night sky. There are a few coloured glass lanterns that surround them and food is served in shared platters to amplify the romantic atmosphere. It gives Sirius an opportunity to sit beside Remus, rather than opposite, and also brush shoulders and thighs as they eat. To be honest, Sirius has brought Remus here with the full intention of laying back on the carpet after dinner, holding hands, and watching the stars.

'Don't mind him,' Sirius assures with a smile. 'He's just a little paranoid because of the thing that happened last time I was here.'

Remus raises an eyebrow. 'There was a thing that happened the last time you were here?'

Sirius avoids looking directly at Remus's eyes as he explains, 'I may or may not have burned one of their levitating carpets. It wasn't entirely my fault!' he defends when he feels misjudged. 'There was this flambeau and it looked so sparkly; and Padfoot, who is my inner Animagus, kept egging me! Of course, I paid for the damages, but I still had to drop the Black name to get a reservation here.' Sirius clamps his lips tightly when he realises he is rambling and Remus is sniggering behind his hand. He doesn't mind being laughed at if it means he gets to see that adorable dimple form in Remus's left cheek.

'Well, that explains the madness,' Remus says, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. 'I thought your last name was familiar. You are of the Noble and Ancient House of Black.' At this point of realisation, Sirius's dates usually do one of two things: they fall all over him because the Black name (riches) has suddenly made his more attractive, or they run the opposite direction because the Black name inspires more fear than necessary. Remus does neither. He sits there, calmly helping himself to some more lamb. 'I'm supposing you're a runaway or estranged in some way,' he says between swallows. 'Given that you aren't wearing your family ring and that you're dating me. Oh, don't look so surprised. I work for the Prewetts and they've educated me enough on which Purebloods to watch out for.'

'Am I someone to watch out for?' Sirius asks unsurely, still not believing that Remus is taking the reveal of his last name so casually.

'With the amount of trouble you cause, I would certainly say so,' Remus replies humorously. He leans in to quickly peck at the tip of Sirius's nose, causing said nose to turn bright red. 'Lucky for you, I find your propensity for mayhem quite endearing.'

Sirius grins, scooting closer to Remus so that their sides are nearly overlapping with each other. Remus's skin is warm where it touches Sirius's, providing Sirius the perfect excuse to lean in closer and rest his head upon the werewolf's shoulder. He practically keens when Remus reciprocates by carding nimble fingers through his hair. 'I discourage mayhem for a living, you know,' Sirius states as a matter-of-fact-ly. 'I'm training to become an Auror, though right now, Moody isn't too happy with me and is threatening to put me under suspension after I jinxed his face to sprout tentacles. It was an honest mistake; what is a bloke to do when caught by surprise.' Sirius looks at Remus beseechingly, hoping the werewolf will be sympathetic to his plight. 'Everyone in the unit thinks I'm a criminal mastermind in the making and should be sent to Azkaban. Even James.' He pouts.

Remus scratches the back of his ear consolingly and Sirius's inner Padfoot goes so wild that he suggests Sirius hump the other man right here, right now. 'I'm sure you're simply misunderstood.'

Sirius looks up at Remus suspiciously. 'You're being sarcastic, aren't you?'

Remus pats Sirius's cheek and replies sombrely, 'Yes, love, I am.'

Sirius would have been offended, but he is too busy feeling elated over Remus calling him love. The reasonable part of his mind (which sounds a bit like James) tells him that Remus is northern and it is fairly common for him to use endearments like love and sweetheart and pudding, but Sirius has never really listened to James and is certainly not about to start now. Also, he very much wants to be called pudding. 'What about you, Remus? How did you decide on your profession and working in a carnival?'

'I didn't,' Remus replies, chewing on his food thoughtfully. 'I didn't have much of a choice, being what I am. I was home schooled all my life and taught healing by our family doctor, who had cared for me since I was very young and taken a shine to me. He's the one who pushed for me to take the certification examination and become a proper healer.' He smiles in remembrance. 'He was the Prewett's grandfather; a good man. I grew up with Gideon and Fabian, so it was only natural for me to work with them in the carnival. Though if Fabian asks me to do the kissing booth one more time, I will have to look for a new job.'

'I would buy all your kisses,' Sirius says, fluttering his eyelashes at Remus and eliciting a laugh from the man. Sirius is nothing if not a man of moment and he finds that this is the perfect moment to cup the back of Remus's head and pull him down for a gentle kiss. Their lips slide slowly and tentatively against each other, Sirius discovering the fullness of Remus's lips and how it fit perfectly within his. He hears the hitch in Remus's breath when he pushes his tongue past the man's open lips, and another low moan when their rough tongues brush against each other. Sirius can feel pleasant tingles all over his body and they intensify when Remus wraps both arms around Sirius's shoulders and pulls him closer. When they finally part, both of them are out of breath and looking into each other's eyes with silly grins on their faces.

Remus licks his already wet lips, reddened from their kissing. 'Hey,' he says huskily, his lips lightly touching Sirius's with ever word. 'When we're done, would you like to come to my place for some tea?' His hand is playing with the collar of Sirius's shirt, fingers dipping lightly to trace Sirius's Adam's apple and collarbone seductively.

Sirius swallows and feels his hammering heart threaten to beat right out of his chest. 'Is this real tea or symbolic tea?' he asks stupidly.

Remus smiles lasciviously.

Hump, hump, hump, Padfoot screams and Sirius has to threaten him with no walkies to shut him up. 'I'm going to regret saying this,' Sirius starts, his hands rubbing up and down Remus's sides. 'But…'

'You want to wait till the third date?' Remus asks, reading his mind. Sirius expect derision in the werewolf's voice, even laughter, but hears none even when he nods in affirmation. Remus does stop the soft butterfly kisses he had been bestowing Sirius's neck but does not move away, keeping their bodies close.

'I'm traditional that way,' Sirius smiles, feeling relieved. It isn't that he isn't sure, but he wants to wait so that Remus is sure. Sirius has discovered mathematically, that his dates often find him unbearable by the second date and give up on him. He doesn't want to invest in something that will not lead anywhere, especially when he is serious about committing to Remus.

Remus laughs, kissing Sirius's cheek before turning to the front. One of his arms remain securely around Sirius's shoulders, as they sit in silence for a while and watch the stars.

It is only when the waiter brings their hookah pipe and they are sharing their fourth puff of apple mint together that Sirius has the courage to confess. 'Remus,' he starts, waiting for the other man to hum in acknowledgement before continuing, 'I think I'm falling in love with you.'

Remus blows out three perfect rings of smoke. 'You don't even know me yet.'

Sirius shrugs, mustering his most charming smile. 'And I'm already beginning to fall in love with you. Imagine what will happen when I get to know you further.'

Remus hasn't replied to any of is owls.

Sirius has sent four owls over the course of five days and Remus hasn't gotten back to a single one of them or even acknowledged them.

On the first day, Sirius reasons with himself that only a few hours have passed and it is plausible that Remus is too caught up with work to reply. He goes to work as he does every day and anxiously checks the windows for any returning owls that might happen by.

On the second day, Sirius is angry. He is angry with Remus for not even gracing him with a reply after promising him a third date. Sirius is also angry with himself for sending another owl, explaining exactly why he is angry.

On the third day, Sirius begins to question himself. He wonders if he has done anything wrong and consequently finds that he has done very little right. He has mostly been himself in all their dates; obnoxious, loud, and mischievous – all qualities that he has often tried to hide on dates. But he had felt comfortable and accepted around Remus, so he had dropped any false pretences. He then starts to wonder what he could have done differently. Could he have made his breath mintier? Could he have worn a tighter shirt? Could he have not talked at all for the entire span of the date? He sends Remus a letter asking his opinion.

On the fourth day, Sirius does not go to work. He stays at home and eats copious amounts of ice cream while watching terrible muggle serials on the telly. He does not take a shower, change his underwear, or for the matter, bother wearing any underwear. When James comes to check up on him, he receives quite a shock. After he had coerces Sirius into wearing something, for Merlin's sake, they open a large bottle of Firewhisky because James claims that he cannot not take any more of Sirius's whining about Remus without alcohol dulling his brain. In his drunken state of despair, Sirius cries big fat tears of misery, blows his nose into an empty parchment, and sends it to Remus by owl.

'You know, on the fifth day, normal human beings usually go through a stage of acceptance.'

'Acceptance of what?' Sirius asks distractedly, wondering how he is going to escape the notice of the guard seemingly following his every move. This is the fourth guard Sirius has encountered and he is at his wit's end about what to do. James isn't helping with his whining and complaining.

'That maybe this bloke, Remus, isn't that into you?' James states with a sigh. 'Sirius, is it really necessary to go to such lengths for someone you've only known for two weeks, half of which he has spent ignoring you?'

Sirius looks back at James with incredulous eyes. All his life, he has always relied on his best friend to understand him and tag along with his schemes, however ludicrous. He cannot believe that James is questioning him now after nearly twenty years of friendship. 'You don't get it, James. He is the one! When we're together, I feel like I've known him for a lifetime.' He waves his hands around wildly to make a point. 'As if I was incomplete this whole time and suddenly he comes along, and I'm whole again.' He presses his fist to his chest, feeling his heart beat wildly just at the thought of Remus. 'He's the only person in the world who doesn't think I'm odd or mad or immature.'

'His actions would say otherwise,' James mutters as he rolls his eyes.

Sirius ignores him. 'Jamie-boy, I am falling in love with him. I need him!' he pleads, widening his eyes as Padfoot does when desperation makes him resort to begging.

James rubs his face with both hands. 'Yes, Sirius, I understand that, but is stalking him the way to go about it?'

Sirius cannot believe that James is still questioning him on this matter. 'We're not stalking! We're merely observing!' he defends, his cheeks hot and red. Stalking is if Sirius goes to Remus's home and spies on him through the windows. Sirius is not a stalker. He also does not want to get arrested for trespassing. Coming to the carnival grounds, however, is perfectly acceptable as it is a public place and Sirius is merely browsing through the area Remus may or may not work in.

James breathes in and out four times before speaking calmly and logically. 'We could just go to his booth and talk to him,' he suggests, completely missing the point of this whole exercise. 'I'm sure he would have a good explanation.'

'But then that would show me of as desperate,' Sirius whines petulantly.

'Sirius,' James says, his voice wearing thin of patience, 'you have sent him four letters in four days and you are currently stalking him in a carnival. No one has any misconceptions about you not being desperate.'

Nonsense. James clearly does not know what he is talking about. 'Look, James,' Sirius appeals, 'you know I wouldn't be asking this of you if Prewett hadn't banned me from every single bouncy castle in this Merlin forsaken carnival.' He looks back at the bouncy castle in front of him; a perfect replica of Hogwarts and reminiscent of the very first day his eyes fell on the miracle that is Remus Lupin. It is ironic that the exact same bouncy castle would have a perfect view through the windows of Remus's medical cabin. 'My picture is up in every single booth as caution!' He points toward the guard sitting in the corner of the bouncy castle. He is in fact, the ticket master but Sirius refers to him as a guard because every time he comes within five feet of the castle, the man chases him away. All of the ticket masters have treated him similarly, as soon as they see the resemblance of the (rather fetching) photo stuck up on their booths with Sirius. The Prewetts are so thorough that they have even included a photo of Padfoot beside Sirius's, in case Sirius decides to go incognito. 'They are following my every move so I can't even sneak away to use the cloak! Also, you know I have terrible coordination in a crowd; Padfoot drives me insane.'

'Sirius, Padfoot is you,' James exclaims in exasperation. 'You don't see me complaining about my inner Animagus stag asking me to head butt everyone.'

James is lying, because that is exactly what James tries to do when he is drunk enough. Also, Sirius has it much worse since Padfoot always tries to coerce him into sniffing other people's bums. 'Come on, James, for the sake of friendship!'

Sirius knows from experience that despite the reluctant faces James is making, his friend will not deny him. Sure enough, James rubs his face with his hand, muttering about how much he is going to regret this as he grabs one of their two way mirrors from Sirius. He stomps off into a darker corner, away from prying eyes, to shrug on his invisibility cloak. Sirius follows the dips in the grass from James's footsteps with practiced ease. He waits for a few minutes, tapping his foot impatiently until James's voice resonates from the small pocket mirror in his hand. To a normal passer-by, Sirius looks like he's preening narcissistically (which is not unusual for him), but in actuality, it was a remote communication device he and James had used to pull pranks in their school days. These days, James uses it to check up on Sirius when he's late for work or ask advice about which tie he should buy. Horrible, boring, grown up things.

'He's not in.'

Sirius doesn't know why he bothers looking into the mirror; James is invisible. 'Are you even looking? I told you, you need to go up to the Astronomy Tower and jump really high.'

'I am jumping high! All I see is some woman.'

Sirius frowns and looks up where he knows the Astronomy Tower to be. Sure enough, there is an occasional shoe clad foot that appears, presumably when the cloak slides around with every jump. Judging by perceptual mathematics, James's jumps do not seem to be particularly enthusiastic. 'You are flopping!' Sirius spits in accusation. 'I asked you to jump!'

'If I jump any higher, Sirius, I will be flying with Merlin in heaven! These kids are already petrified because they think I'm some kind of evil ghost!' James hisses back angrily, through the obvious screams of terrified children. 'I am telling you, he's not in! There is some woman with blond hair sitting there instead, reading the Prophet.'

'Well, maybe he's-' Sirius stops dead when he feels a hand rest on his shoulder. Swallowing, he turns back to see one of the Prewett twins (he still can't differentiate them) looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

'I got a call from security that a certain black haired individual was loitering around all our bouncy castles, displaying very suspicious behaviour,' Prewett explains calmly, folding his arms over his chest. His chocolate brown eyes bear deep into Sirius's grey, clearly displeased and unsympathetic. 'Imagine my surprise when I come over to check and it's none other than the illustrious Sirius Black.' Prewett's deadpan voice told Sirius that he has not in the least bit surprised. 'What are you doing here, Black?' He asked sharply when Sirius showed very little remorse for his actions.

'I came to see Remus,' Sirius mumbles when he realises that Prewett has thought one step ahead of him and blocked all signs of exit. Running will be futile.

Prewett's jaw tightens as he frowns, his ginger eyebrows practically touching. 'You need a very different sort of Healer if you're looking for medical attention in a bouncy castle. Now tell me the real reason you are here.' He taps his foot loudly as he waits, so that Sirius feels like every tap is actually the tick of a clock.

Padfoot has already deemed Prewett's stern glare as a sign of being a bad dog and is making Sirius avoid those awful accusing eyes. Sirius considers many excuses but finds that they all come short of one thing: common sense. So he settles on squaring his shoulders and simply telling the truth, 'I'm spying on Remus.'

Surprisingly, Prewett looks unperturbed; as if people spying on Remus is an everyday occurrence. Sirius sincerely hopes not, for the sake of his already fragile heart. He hopes Prewett's stoicism is only a result of his professionalism. 'Well, he isn't here,' he informs Sirius tightly.

'I told you so!' James's voice hollers from the mirror in Sirius's hand.

'What was that?' Prewett asks, looking around in alarm for the source of the voice.

Sirius quickly stuffs the mirror back in his pocket, mentally cursing James and his big mouth. 'Nothing,' he dismisses with a wave of his hand. 'Where is he? I've tried to contact him, but haven't had any luck.'

Prewett doesn't reply him immediately, his eyes regarding him with caution as if sizing him up. Sirius isn't sure what exactly Prewett is looking for, but it has him wondering if the man knows about him and Remus going out. Remus did mention that their families were close. For the first time, Sirius feels conscious and a little bit inadequate. He hopes that he appears fit for a person as wonderful as Remus. 'Remus is on bed rest,' Prewett says finally, when the silence threatens to make Sirius internally combust. 'The Full took a toll on him this time, but he refuses to go to Mungo's for help.' He shrugs, trying to look nonchalant but his stance betrays his worry. 'You know how they tend to treat werewolves there; shoving ten of them in one room and giving them the bare minimum. He really hates it. Last I checked on him, his parents were tending to him since he can barely even get out of bed. That must be on…' He scratches his rough chin as he tries to remember. 'Wednesday.'

It is Friday today.

Sirius feels like a fool for not even considering the full moon. He has never considered Remus's lycanthropy a massive issue, but to disregard it completely is cruel and apathetic. He has created all this fuss and grief over nothing, when Remus is probably in a lot of pain and suffering. Perhaps Remus is even wondering why Sirius has not visited him once.

'James,' he says loud enough for his voice to carry through to the mirror in his pocket. 'Abort whatever you are doing now.' He takes a deep breath, squares his shoulder and says with steely determination, 'We have a new mission to undertake.'

He ignores the loud groan that answers back.

For some reason, Sirius has always imagined that Remus looks like his mother. Perhaps it is because of Remus's body, wiry but bordering on too thin. Or perhaps it is because of his bright amber eyes and his curly lashes. It may also be because Sirius thinks Remus is the prettiest person he has ever seen and it is very hard to imagine that Remus may have inherited such beauty from a middle aged man. This is not to say that Mrs. Lupin is not pretty; but Mr. Lupin is, oddly enough, much prettier. There is very little difference between the two Lupin men, except perhaps that Mr. Lupin appears a bit more filled out and has slightly darker brown hair. His age also shows through in the fine lines around his eyes and mouth, but it enhances his looks rather than taking away from it.

'Hello,' Mrs. Lupin says in a friendly tone, though her blue eyes regard him with caution.

'Ah, hello,' Sirius greets, shuffling his feet with a sudden bout of nervousness. Somehow, he did not anticipate meeting Remus's parents will be this stressful. 'I'm here to visit Remus. Prewett mentioned that he isn't doing too well.'

'Oh!' Mrs. Lupin's demeanour changes and her stance is much more inviting. She allows him in through the front door. Mr. Lupin who had gotten off his couch upon Sirius's arrival also relaxes and sits back down with his paper. Sirius wonders who exactly they were expecting him to be, to be so guarded. 'Do come in. I'm afraid Remus is only doing slightly better today. His wounds have healed, but he's terribly tired. I think he's asleep so he might not be the best of company.' She closes the door behind her. 'I'm sorry, dear, I didn't quite catch your name.'

'Sirius,' Sirius replies distractedly. He really only wants to see Remus and wishes Mrs. Lupin would stop talking already so he can go into Remus's bedroom.

'Sirius? I don't think he's ever mentioned you,' Mrs. Lupin says thoughtfully, tapping a finger to her chin. 'Are you friend of Remus's from work?'

Sirius frowns, a little disgruntled that Remus has not mentioned him to his parents even once after two wonderfully eventful dates. 'No, I am his boyfriend,' he presumes this, though he has not yet asked Remus officially yet.

Mrs. Lupin's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline in surprise and she turns her head to look at her husband. There are unintelligible sounds coming out of her mouth and Sirius cannot fathom why she is so incapable of speech. Surely it is not so hard to imagine a handsome man like Sirius to be anybody's boyfriend.

Mr. Lupin, on the other hand, looks nonplussed and turns a page of the newspaper he is reading. 'I always did tell you he was gay,' he says conversationally, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 'This should really not come as a surprise to you after all these years.'

It seems Sirius has ousted Remus to his parents.

'Er…' Lily has always scolded Sirius for lack of timing, but Sirius has never truly felt the truth behind her words until now. 'Perhaps I should come back later?' he asks reluctantly, turning to go when Mrs. Lupin jaw is hanging so low it threatens to hinge off. 'Maybe once you've dealt with the whole,' Sirius waves his hands around, trying to find a tactful way to say it, 'my son is a ponce thing.' Suffice to say, tact is not Sirius's strong point. 'Er…' he shuffles awkwardly when Mrs. Lupin replies him with silence. It is not a cruel silence at least, he reassures himself. It seems more like she is trying not to have a heart attack which is marginally better.

'Go in, Sirius. Hope will bring along some tea later once she's recovered,' Mr. Lupin gives his permission, still not looking up from his paper.

Sirius does not need to be told twice and rushes to Remus's bedroom before either of the Lupins change their mind. To Sirius's disappointment, Remus is fast asleep. His lack of propriety has him poking Remus in the shoulder and calling his name a few times to wake the werewolf, but Remus does not respond at all. Not to be downtrodden easily, Sirius instead takes the opportunity to stare at Remus inappropriately. True to Mrs. Lupin's words, there are no traces of wounds or physical suffering. Remus looks as beautiful as ever. The only indication of any sort of hardship are the large circles under his eyes and the feverish sheen of sweat layered over his pale skin. As Sirius leans down to lay a kiss to Remus's hot forehead, he is struck with the need to help. He wants to make things better for Remus, so he does the only thing he knows will help.

He turns into Padfoot, jumps onto the bed and snuggles under the covers, careful not to put too much of his weight on the werewolf. Sirius knows his Animagus form is not exactly a lap dog. It isn't that Padfoot is fat; he is just a big boned dog. Sirius has read in many places that dogs are good for healing. Also, Padfoot is a perfect excuse for Sirius to sleep in Remus's bed without having Remus's mother go into complete cardiac arrest.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Lupin is still surprised when she comes into Remus's room, dropping the tray of tea and biscuits she is carrying. Somehow, she interprets Padfoot's affectionate licking as a large black bear trying to eat her son and she screams bloody murder. It doesn't wake Remus up, but it is enough to have Mr. Lupin come running with his wand out. Mr. Lupin later explains to Sirius that Mrs. Lupin is a muggle and did not really know about Animaguses and wizards turning to animals by will until today. Sirius thinks her reaction is ridiculous since her son turns into a werewolf every month, but does not express his opinion. He has caused enough mental damage to the Lupins today. He leaves after that, afraid that the longer he stays, the more harm he does to poor Mrs. Lupin who seems close to having a meltdown. Bad dog, a voice that sounds like Lily scolds him as he walks back to his motorbike.

When he goes home, he sends his sixth owl in five days. In it, he writes:

Remus/Moony,

Our third date at my place, Sunday night. I'm cooking.

Later, we may have tea.

Get well soon.

Doggy Kisses,

Sirius

'Lily, I am having a crisis,' Sirius states urgently, through Floo call to the Potters on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Lily looks up from feeding Harry to the fireplace, and then shrieks. 'Oh my God, Sirius, you are on fire!' She cries, dropping the jar of baby food in her hands in terror. She rushes to the fireplace and kneels in front of him with her wand at the ready.

'What?' Sirius is taken aback at her concern and then realises that there is copious amounts of grey smoke coming through his fireplace to the Potters and polluting their dining room. 'Oh, you mean the smoke?' He laughs, coughs a little and waves it off. 'No, no, that's my chicken burning. Or maybe it's my potatoes. I really can't tell anymore.'

Lily makes that face, as she does every time Sirius is around. It is a mixture of disbelief, exasperation, and a need to strangle. She is about to stand up, when she frowns as if in realisation. 'Wait, you said burning,' she states the obvious, as she looks at the smoke still billowing out of her fireplace. 'Sirius, have you turned the oven off.' Sirius doesn't even need to admit that he hasn't thought of it. She reads his face perfectly and with a cry of horror, she throws Floo powder into the fireplace and barges into Sirius's flat with all the finesse of a drunken elephant. She roughly shoves him to the side, coughing from fumes so thick that Sirius can barely see his hands in front of his face. She vanishes the smoke with a quick swish of her wand and turns off his oven. 'Sirius, you irresponsible bastard!' She rounds on him, her green eyes boring into his furiously. 'You will stand right here while I bring my son,' she commands. 'Then, I am going to tell you off properly. Don't move a fucking muscle!'

Sirius does as he is told. He is rebellious, but not suicidal. He much rather give up his dignity than suffer the wrath of Lily Evans when she is in a colossal strop. He waits with his hands clasped at the back and his feet apart in a triangle, bouncing on the balls of his feet occasionally because he is Sirius Black and he has too much energy bundled in his core to be still for a single moment. When Lily finally comes through the Floo with Harry in her arms, he closes his eyes and waits for the inevitable lecture that she is going to give him.

'Sirius Black,' Lily whisper screams because she doesn't want to startle Harry, who already looks like he has had a good cry on behalf of Sirius's burning potatoes. 'I do not understand how a grown man can be so thoughtless and irresponsible! If you have time to give me a call in times of crisis, why do you not have the common sense to turn off the oven first?' She shoves a finger into his face, her face matching her bright red hair. 'Your house could have caught fire! You could have caught fire! Sirius, do not laugh! I am serious! You could have been hurt!'

Sirius covers his mouth with his hand to stifle his giggles. 'Lily Evans, you actually care about me.' His laughter is abruptly cut off by a sharp slap to his cheek. Sirius is hit with a sense of déjà vu; it seems getting slapped by Lily Evans is becoming something of a norm for him.

'Of course I care about you, you twat!' She replies angrily. 'I can't believe you would ever think otherwise.' Sirius would have felt touched by her sentiment if she had not slapped him again on the other cheek before turning to his blackened oven. 'Now, tell me why you were attempting to cook when we all know you have the culinary skills of a hippogriff with no limbs?'

Sirius rubs his sore cheeks. 'I have a dinner date tonight with Remus and I told him I would cook,' he mumbles, looking at the mess he has made of dinner with disdain. The kitchen itself is in shambles; unidentifiable stains everywhere, random splatters of oil on the wall, potato skins on the floor, and charred flakes of black where Lily pulled out the burnt remains in haste.

'Oh Sirius,' Lily sighs exasperatedly. 'Couldn't you have just taken him out for a movie? Must you always make things difficult?' Despite her condescending tone, she is already rolling up her sleeves and shooting cleaning spells around the kitchen. 'I know you want to impress this bloke, but if he has agreed on a third date, then I would say that he has accepted worse sides of you than just being a bad cook.'

'But I want him to think I'm cool!' Sirius whines so petulantly that even Harry frowns at him. Sirius sticks his tongue out at his Godchild, who retaliates back in kind. 'Also, I don't know how else to apologise for outing him to his parents. Or for frightening his mother into an early heart attack. Or sending him half a dozen angry owls when he was sick. Or-'

'All right, all right!' Lily interrupts before Sirius can finish, her palms up. 'If you were to list everything you did wrong, we're going to be standing here forever. Just, go play with Harry while I salvage something out of this mess you made.' She shoos him away and Sirius might have been disgruntled, but he is too busy being relieved that he will not be serving Remus burnt potatoes.

'Third date today, Harry,' Sirius sing songs, as he bounces his Godson in his arms as they walk to the living room. 'Do you know what that means?' He is courteous enough to let Harry gurgle and babble his guesses before answering excitedly. 'It means Uncle Sirius has bought a new box of condoms.' Harry claps both his hands together in congratulations. 'Not that I'm being presumptuous,' he explains then realises that Harry would not understand such a big word. 'That means, to boldly assume. So, not that I am being presumptuous, but my arse does look very fetching in these jeans and Remus would be hard pressed to resist me. Once I'm done impressing him with my bedroom prowess, I'll ask him to be my boyfriend. He will of course say yes.' Harry starts to lean forwards, wanting to be put down so that he can run around Sirius's carpeted floors. 'You know, Harry, I feel like you're the only one I can talk to about my love life these days,' Sirius sighs, plopping on to the sofa as he watches his Godson curiously turn the knobs of the television. 'It used to be your father before this, but ever since he's married your mother he's been acting all mature. It's as if he hasn't got any time for me anymore, what with your mum now trying to get him new friends. The kind with families and children, and maturity. You know, if things work out today, Remus and I will be like a family. Then your mummy will have to invite me to these parties.' He shares a grin with Harry, who is now jumping up and down on the balls of his feet, using Sirius's coffee table as leverage. 'You know, Harry, I get the feeling that you aren't listening to me either.' Sirius huffs when Harry confirms his statement by trying to eat some form of dirt he finds under the coffee table.

Sirius shrugs and turns on the telly. Harry is not a troublesome baby and simply settles down on his diapered bottom, watching cartoons with his Godfather. Sirius dimly considers cleaning Harry's dirty fingers which has made purchase on more fluff bunnies found under Sirius's sofa. But then he realises that Lily is not here, and sometimes a man (even one as small as Harry) must be allowed to do what he wants to do without the interference of women.

Soon enough the whole flat is starting to smell like good food and Sirius's mouth waters. He thanks Merlin that Lily Evans is middle class and therefore has grown up cooking her own meals rather than having house elves do it. Sirius respects that she has kept true to her roots despite being married to James, who insists on employing the luxuries he himself has grown up with in the Potter home. Sirius is just about to commend Lily on how fantastic of a woman she truly is (and sneak in some puppy kisses because Padfoot likes to share his love), when the doorbell rings. Sirius leaps out of the sofa so quickly that he stumbles on both his feet and nearly falls on his face. By the time he catches his balance, Lily is already at the door with a smile so wicked that Sirius feels his heart drop.

'Hello, Remus, nice to meet you again!'

Sirius practically runs to the door, shoving Lily out of the way and then leaning against the door frame in what he hopes is an effortlessly cool way. He brushes his hair out of face and does his best smouldering gaze, as he greets Remus, 'Hey.' He winks and grins, ignoring Lily's eye roll. Sirius makes no attempt to conceal the way his eyes rove over Remus, taking in the oddly appealing brown corduroys and dark green t-shirt. His white healer's coat is hanging over his shoulder in a neat rectangle and Sirius's dirty mind already starts to conjure up all the fun they can have with it later.

'Can I come in?' Remus asks drily, his lips quirking in an amused smile.

Sirius only then realises that he has been staring at Remus for a good five minutes with the daftest (besotted) expression on his face. 'Oh! Yes, of course!' He exclaims, moving aside to let Remus in. 'Lily was also just leaving, wasn't she?' He looks at Lily pointedly, hoping she will leave soon and not sabotage anything. 'She had to work long hours today, so I was taking care of Harry for her.' Harry takes the opportune time to fall over while waddling on his unsteady legs and then burst out crying. 'See, he's missing me already. Can't be away from his Godfather for a second.' He laughs weakly as he helps Remus hang his coat.

Remus is wearing that amused expression again, as he walks towards Harry and picks him up. 'Hello, love,' he coos and Lily mimics him, sounding more pigeon than human. Lily says she has a soft spot for men with babies, but Sirius knows that it is actually a fetish for gruff men being cute and gentle. 'Do you remember me?' Remus asks, bouncing Harry up and down to make him laugh while checking for any possible injuries.

'You really are brilliant with children,' Lily fawns, her emerald eyes glittering with adoration. Her Northern accent, which she has repressed in the face of being Mrs. Potter, is creeping back up when faced with another fellow Northerner. However, where Remus's Geordie is pleasant and almost musical to Sirius's ears, Lily's Yorkshire sounds garish and comical. To Sirius's chagrin, the two Northerners have gone off their own tangents and are enthusiastically chatting about all things Northern (and rather common, in Sirius's opinion). There is a spark and chemistry between them that makes Sirius insanely jealous. After loudly coughing a few times to get their attention and failing miserably, Sirius finally gives in to his inner Padfoot and leaps between them like the attention craving whore he is.

'Lily, I believe you said you had some urgent business to attend to?' Sirius practically, growls, picking Harry up by the arm pits and depositing him into Lily's arms. 'I know how little time you have every day, what with your schedule,' He wraps an arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the front door and away from Remus. 'And it's almost Harry's bedtime, too. Poor chap can barely keep his eyes open.' He opens the door, kisses both Harry and Lily on the cheek and then closes it just as Lily waves goodbye to Remus. 'Ready for dinner?' He asks, turning to face Remus with a grin. 'We have…' Sirius realises he has no idea what Lily has managed to cook and falters. '…food! I'm sure you're famished.'

Remus laughs, allowing Sirius to take his hand and lead him to the dining room, where Lily has not only laid the table but also set the atmosphere by enchanting floating candles around the room. 'Smells lovely,' Remus comments, sitting down on the chair Sirius pulls up for him. 'I must admit, I was a little apprehensive at first, but knowing that Lily cooked dinner tonight alleviates my worry.' He chuckles when Sirius blushes abashedly. 'Did you really think I was so daft as to believe you would actually cook? Sit down now, and you can start by serving me some chicken and apologising for scarring my mother for life.'

After that, Sirius must admit that his date goes swimmingly well. He has made very amusing conversation throughout dinner; not said anything too stupid (except for when he admits to Remus's dad being very beautiful); and even makes Remus salivate when he brings out the chocolate ice cream (and concedes to being only slightly jealous). By the time they settle down with some nice warm Indian chai on the sofa in front of the telly, Sirius is so besotted with Remus that he cannot see straight. In fact, he doesn't even know what they are watching; can barely hear beyond unintelligible sounds and the rapid beating of his heart. He is also pretty sure that he has lost all hand eye coordination because he has dribbled tea down his front more than once.

'You've got tea all over your shirt,' Remus confirms, laughing and wiping the front of Sirius's shirt with his hand. It only has the stain spreading further and also sends Sirius's heart into frenzy. 'Best take it off, before it makes any more of a mess.'

Sirius's face is close to combustion, but he complies and quickly takes it off.

Remus's eyes widen and he moves back a little. 'Whoa!' he cries, putting his hands up. 'I meant, you should go to your room and change. You really have no concept of foreplay, do you?' Padfoot confirms this by barking, hump, hump, hump, in Sirius's head. 'You've been watching too much porn if you thought that was an invitation for sex.' Sirius is utterly mortified. His streak of not doing anything stupid has burned to ashes and his face is already aflame. Thankfully, Remus does not seem disgusted and only laughs as he places a warm hand in the centre of Sirius's naked chest. 'Oh well, it would be a shame to let this opportunity go to waste.' His hand wanders down to Sirius's stomach, then curls around his waist and pulls him closer so that their chests are touching. 'Bedroom?'

Sirius is sure he faints after this, because there is a huge gap in his memory and he cannot remember how he and Remus actually end up in the bedroom. He is almost completely sure that they were sat in front of the telly not seconds ago. Yet, he is now laid on his back, shirtless and with his fly open, as Remus kisses his neck. He sincerely hopes Remus has not noticed his sudden spell of unconsciousness. To make up for it, Sirius runs his hand up Remus's back and under his shirt, and pulls the werewolf into a scorching kiss. Remus is right in the sense that Sirius does not bother with foreplay and pushes his tongue insistently into Remus's mouth, warring and battling until Remus is left out of breath. When they finally pull apart, they are both panting and Remus looks down at him with wide amber eyes, dilated with lust. Sirius uses Remus's daze to take hold of Remus's waist and flip them over. He makes short work of Remus's t-shirt and trousers, leaving the werewolf in only his boxers and socks (Sirius has read somewhere that sex is better when your feet are warm).

'Sirius,' Remus moans, when Sirius starts a hot trail down the man's chest (tonguing each nipple), his stomach (dipping his tongue into his bellybutton), his hips (nipping at each bone), and then finally lower. At times like this, Sirius has very little control over his inner Animagus and is thus pushing his groin against Remus's leg needily, even as his mouth busies itself. His tongue works in broad, quick strokes and his cheeks hollow. His hands are already preparing Remus for the love making Sirius has boasted to his Godson about; only stopping to caress Remus's inner thighs and bring them to wrap around his waist. Sirius's enthusiasm and lust make up for his lack of patience. Remus is not even given a chance to breathe in between moans; his whole body arching high off the bed and his fingers trembling as they card through Sirius's hair.

When Sirius finally replaces his fingers with himself, Remus is panting. Sirius holds the man's chin between his forefinger and thumb, urging him to open his eyes and look. When their eyes finally meet, silver on gold, Sirius feels his breath taken away by how beautiful Remus is and how much his heart swells just from just looking at him (Awoooo, Padfoot howls in adoration). Remus smiles warmly, almost as if he knows exactly what Sirius is feeling, and slowly leans forward to pull them into a kiss. He allows Remus to set their pace; a slow and steady roll of hips that takes Sirius in deeper with each move. Sirius leans their foreheads together, clutching Remus's waist tightly and gasping every time their hips meet. He watches every change of expression on Remus's face; every drop of sweat that rolls down the side of his neck; and every flex of muscle as it strains and pulses under Sirius.

He only lets his eyes drop shut when he feels his orgasm near, sliding a hand between their bodies to grasp Remus. When they come, they do so together; Sirius seeing bursts of white light behind his eyelids. He collapses on top of Remus afterwards, his limbs feeling like jelly. The werewolf certainly isn't complaining; slim, pale fingers running through Sirius's sweat soaked hair. Sirius can feel Remus's heart beating thunderously inside his chest, skin warm and soft underneath Sirius's palm.

'Remus?' Sirius asks, as he tries to catch his breath. When Remus hums, he reluctantly lifts his head from where it is nestled under Remus's chin to look up at the werewolf. 'Will you be my boyfriend?' Somehow, in Sirius's head where he's rehearsed this moment many, many times, the question did not make him sound so much a like a teenage girl. In fact, only yesterday, his bathroom mirror had told him that he looked very dashing during his confession.

'I thought I already was,' Remus replies with a laugh. 'My mum would be horribly upset if she knew you lied to her.'

'Remus!' Fabian's infuriated scream rings outside the medical cabin so loud that Remus nearly slips out of his chair in fright. 'Remus, your mutt is going to drive me bankrupt!' Fabian storms in, his eyes blazing as he settles his gaze on Remus. 'Get him out of here this very moment!'

'Oh, Sirius did mention he would pick me up today,' Remus states almost nonchalantly, walking to his window. Sure enough, he can see a black dog, tongue lolling and bouncing high on all four of its limbs on the Astronomy Tower. Remus is surprised that this time he hears no children screaming in terror or adults complaining about Grims in the carnival. When Remus waves, Padfoot's tail starts wagging in excitement and he bounces so high that Remus is afraid he might topple right over. 'I'm coming,' he mouths with a smile and one last wave, before turning to Fabian. 'All right, let's go. My shift is over anyway, so I'll take him out of your hands.'

'Remus, I want him out of my life!' Fabian spits, starting to fast walk towards the Hogwarts Bouncy Castle. 'I have security watching him all the time and yet, he manages to slip by using that bloody Animagus of his! The only reason I can't ban him permanently is because of his last name and his affiliation with the Potters.' He runs a frustrated hand through his hair and Remus can clearly see that Fabian is at the end of his wits. 'Do you know what he did today, Remus? Do you?'

Remus probably does, but he doesn't mention it to Fabian because then the other man will find out that Remus actually finds everything Sirius does utterly adorable and hilarious. Nearly a year of dating and Remus has still not gotten over the novelty of Sirius's silliness despite warnings from multiple people. If anything, they have moved surprisingly quickly; already sharing a home together and being invited to the Potter's "couple parties". It is mostly because Sirius is an impulsive little bugger who manages to have Remus going with his flow (which is sort of like the forceful piss you have when you've held it in for very, very long). The only reason they are not already married is because Remus is afraid his mum might stop breathing all together from the bombarding of information.

'That twat sneaked in through the backdoor of Florean Fortescue's and ate an entire tub of ice cream. Then he hung out in the haunted houses and terrorised all the children and adults by leaping on them. Then he enchanted all the crystal balls in the Divination tent to show pornography and lewd messages! Now, he's wreaking havoc in the most expensive bouncy castle in the world and if he makes Hogwarts collapse one more time, I swear to Merlin…' Fabian illustrates exactly what he plans to do by clasping his hands together in a wringing motion.

Remus knows Sirius has already spotted him at the gates, because he can see a blur of black dog bounding from window to window. Padfoot's enthusiasm, like his human counterpart, is uncontained. He is running from Astronomy Tower to the Divination Classroom, down the staircases and through hallways, stopping in classes. As he runs, he stops at every third window to bounce playfully and say hello to Remus with a mighty bark. Remus waves every single time, grinning foolishly and making Fabian roll his eyes.

'Why must you date that prick? I always thought you were the smartest and most sensible person I've ever met. You live in a clean home, you do your taxes, you earn money honestly; why, Remus, why?' Fabian laments in what Remus thinks is a gross overreaction.

Sirius is not so bad honestly. He is fun and he always makes Remus laugh, even on the worst of days. He is ridiculously good looking, kind, and he adores Remus to pieces. He even helps out during Remus's transformations and while Remus's parents are still a little intimidated by him, Sirius has learned not to do or say anything that might potentially send Remus's mother to an early grave. It is no wonder that Remus feels a little bit giddy when he sees a large black dog transform into a man, as it leaps through the castle gates. Despite having already transformed, he still barrels into Remus with all the affection and excitement in the world, and peppers his face with kisses.

'Miss me?' Remus asks, with a laugh; not bothering to stop Sirius even when Fabian shoots him a disgusted look. He tucks Sirius's black hair behind his ear, the same hand moving down to trace his high cheekbones, his square and slightly stubbly jaw, and his thin pink lips. Grey eyes close, short but thick dark lashes fluttering in pleasure from the attention. I love you, Remus wants to say but doesn't know a less sappy way to say it in public. He vows to do so when they are alone, along with much, much more. 'Let's go home, love.' He says, wrapping an arm around Sirius's waist and kissing him softly. They both tune out Fabian's warnings of 'the mutt never coming back here'.

As they walk away, Remus looks back one last time at the castle. He has never been to Hogwarts before; his lycanthropy had robbed him of the opportunity to do so. But he thinks if it is anything like this carnival castle, then it must be a wondrous place. After all, it is how he met Sirius. To many, Sirius in a bouncy castle may spell disaster, but to Remus it is where he has found love. Thus, in his mind, he newly inaugurates it, the Hogwarts Bouncy Castle of Love.

End

Too cheesy? I can't help it. Remus and Sirius are just that cute in my quirky imagination. If you liked it, don't forget to review!