Long, thin limbs wrapped themselves around their owner as he curled up in an arm chair. Remus Lupin had returned to his secluded cottage in the countryside a few weeks before, the events from the end of the school year weighing heavily upon his heart.
"Sirius….."
An explosion of old emotions mixed with new ones every time he thought of his old friend. Seeing the dark shell of the man he loved for the first time in almost 13 years was almost too much for his heart to handle. Then learning that he had been wrong for all these years…it was Peter, not Sirius, but Peter who had handed James and Lily over to the Dark Lord. Peter, their friend. Peter, the last one anyone expected to turn traitor. Peter…the one who had framed Sirius.
His new feelings of anger towards Peter were nothing compared to the guilt he felt for thinking the worst of Sirius. Remus tightened his grip around himself and let the darkness of his living room surround him. He buried his head in his arms, trying to fight off the pain and tears. He wanted to see his old friend, wanted to know he was okay. He doubted Sirius would ever come again.
"Why would he?" the werewolf thought. "I of all people should have trusted him. Instead I believed he had done it. For so many years I hated him and hated that some part of me still loved him. There is no reason for him to want to be near me when I turned my back on him all those years ago."
A scratch at his door brought Lupin out of his thoughts. He waited, hoping he wasn't hearing things. Some part of him wouldn't let him get his hopes up. Another scratch, and another, and another soon followed. Remus quickly untangled himself and ran towards the door, taking down his charms as he went. He threw open the door to reveal a very familiar large, black dog looking up at him. Those dark eyes clearly saying to him: "We need to talk."