A month later and a new boy had taken his place. This boy had friends, confidence, a smile; two visible eyes. Yet it was still Remus Lupin. And he had Sirius to thank for it all. Sirius had introduced him to an enormous amount of new faces, fresh people who wanted to hear what he had to say, people who laughed at his jokes; people who cared. Sirius had been the one to suggest he cut his hair, revealing his whole face, and he had never received more second glances. It was Sirius who had given him back his confidence, his laugh, his smile. Sirius had made him, him again.

Sirius, James and Peter were all his best friends now. They had a sort of gang, The Marauders (he had suggested the name), but James and (especially not) Peter could never be quite as special as Sirius.

Remus and Sirius both appeared to have severe insomnia, compared to James and Peter who both slept like logs, and they would sit up long hours into the night and early morning, talking. But tonight when Sirius had lain in bed for over three hours he pulled open his curtains and saw Remus' never slept in bed next to his own. Remus was gone.

Panic flooded Sirius' system, replacing his blood with ice (or fire he wasn't sure which), and he leapt out of bed. He was down the stairs and out into the common room in an instant (thank, God he wore proper pyjama's that night) but this only brought home the stark fact that Remus was no where in Gryffindor tower. He headed out the portrait hole immediately, ready to search the whole castle but a voice spoke drowsily,

'Where do you think you are going?' It was the Fat Lady , and she didn't seem pleased about being woken up at this time of night.

'I was just wondering, have you seen Remus?' He asked, in an attempt at being inconspicuous, which of course failed as it was obvious he had been desperate.

'He hasn't come out that portrait hole all night now back to bed!' The Fat Lady, who was suddenly alert and very on the ball snapped.

Sirius sullenly slunk back inside, an undeterminable fear gripping his insides. Where was Remus? He had grown to love Remus more than he felt should be mentally possible and he lived for their midnight conversations. He sat down in an armchair near the dying embers and watched the portrait hole, willing it to swing open and reveal Remus' slim form. But it didn't. Soon the fire went out entirely and he was sitting in almost pitch black, but for the faint moonlight streaming through the high windows. His eyes pricked and their lids drooped, he willed himself not to fall asleep, but he did and his mind was still on Remus. He dreamt of Remus. He was lost in a forest and Sirius was yelling to him but Remus couldn't see he was right there. Remus was crying, screaming for Sirius but he couldn't see that he, Sirius, was right there with him.

'Sirius!' Remus was yelling. 'Sirius!'

'Sirius?'