I'M SO SORRY GUYS! I've been on a school history trip to Berlin for a week (it's absolutely beautiful and so interesting) and then on holiday for a week. I'm sorry for neglecting my story but to make up for it I'm giving you TWO CHAPTERS (!) because I feel guilty. Enjoy! (She says hopefully ;P)

DISCLAIMER: I own no part of the Harry Potter books, films, etc. Everything belongs to JKR/Warner Bros.

All bits from the book(s)/film(s) are in bold

The Meaning Of Family

Chapter Sixteen

'Ah, Remus. I came as soon as I received your Patronus.' Dumbledore nodded curtly as he strode into Millicent Bagnold's office. 'Arthur! Lovely to see you again.' He smiled at Arthur, who smiled back nervously.

'So,' Dumbledore said serenely, looking around, 'we simply wait for the Minister?'

'Yes, if you sent her that Patronus, Professor,' Remus answered. Dumbledore nodded and smiled.

'And where is Mr. Pettigrew?'

'He's being detained by the Aurors, Professor. We've told them about him being an Animagus, so they've taken steps to ensure that he can't transform and escape if he wakes up.'

'Excellent.'

'Might somebody explain what's going on, please?' Arthur asked, not unpleasantly. Dumbledore nodded, looking a little abashed.

'Forgive me Arthur, in all the excitement I forgot that you had been informed of everything. You are aware that Remus is a werewolf?' he asked, and Arthur nodded. Dumbledore smiled again, and began:

'In their fifth year, Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew became Animagi, which, of course, is no mean feat for three fifteen year old wizards. They did this, I understand, to keep Remus company so that he may not be lonely or in so much pain when he became a werewolf every month. I learned of this only a few months ago – indeed, I was impressed that they managed to keep the whole thing a secret for so long. Anyway, I digress. James, when transformed, became a stag; Sirius a large black dog; Peter Pettigrew a rat – incidentally, Arthur, the same rat you bought your son Percy in Diagon Alley yesterday.'

Remus was only half-listening, but he was astonished to realise that it was only yesterday that he had witnessed Percy coming out of the Magical Menagerie with 'Scabbers' the rat on his shoulder. It seemed unreal, as though the whole process had taken months rather than less than twenty four hours.

'Now, as I understand, Peter Pettigrew was passing information about Lily and James Potter to Lord Voldemort before his downfall. He swapped roles with Sirius, and became their Secret-Keeper. When Peter learned of his master's destruction, he took his Animagus form and fled to Diagon Alley. It was rather a clever plan, all things considered. After all, he is unregistered – the Ministry have no knowledge of his being an Animagus – and so nobody but Remus and Sirius would know about him. Since Sirius was Lily and James's Secret-Keeper first, and the closest person to them, the Ministry naturally assumed that he was also their betrayer. I can only assume that Peter disguised himself and spread the rumour of his own death, before mixing himself up with a delivery of animals to a pet shop in Diagon Alley, where he could simply pose as a common or garden rat. Of course, this is merely a guess of mine.

'He was taken in by a family – yours – and presumably assumed that he was safe from discovery. However, Remus realised his true identity and went after him, and… well, here we are.'

Arthur struggled to take all this in. He said, 'Oh,' and then lapsed into deep thought. He didn't have much time to ponder, however, as at that moment the Minister for Magic entered her office, looking a little surprised to see them all there, but remaining composed.

'So, it's true is it?' she said, looking at them in turn, finishing with a long, questioning look at Dumbledore, who nodded gravely. She sighed.

'I never thought I might have the wrong man. Well, I suppose this will ruin my reputation now.'

'What I would like to know, Madam Bagnold,' Dumbledore said pleasantly, 'is how you came to find Sirius in the first place.'

The Minister sighed again. 'In February, I went to Hogwarts to ask you whether you had any information on Sirius Black, Dumbledore,' she said. Dumbledore nodded. 'You lied,' she added with a hint of annoyance colouring her tone, but she did not press the matter. 'Then, as I was walking away I met this young man –' she indicated Remus – 'who told me that he was asking after a friend of his that you might know about. Well, that caught my interest. I suppose I never could quite kick my childhood habit of listening in on other people's conversations. You put Black under the Fidelius Charm, and you were his Secret-Keeper. You divulged the secret to your friend, and to me too, as I happened to hear everything.'

Remus frowned. 'Then why didn't you come after me too?'

Madam Bagnold looked amused. 'You sound very put out that I didn't, young man,' she said, the corners of her mouth twitching. 'Sirius Black was my priority. Nothing else mattered at that moment, and as you were not mentioned at all during Black's trial, nor were you ever mentioned by any other Death Eaters we captured, I decided that you were not an issue that needed addressing. Black did not mention you when he was arrested either, so I assumed that he was not passing valuable information to you. You needn't look so offended that I didn't come after you.'

Remus sighed, a little confused. He was tired, baffled by everything and anxious. He worked up the courage to ask the question that had been weighing on his mind since they had arrived at the Ministry.

'When are you going to let Sirius out, then?'

'I haven't a clue yet. We'll need evidence from Pettigrew, of course, and then we'll have to hold a trial –'

'But that could take weeks!' Remus cried. Madam Bagnold glared at him.

'Please do not cut across me, young man,' she said imperiously. 'I assure you that, if all evidence points to Sirius Black being innocent, he will be released as soon as possible.'

'I suggest Veritaserum for both, Minister,' Dumbledore said quietly.

'But Black may take measures to prevent it working, such as Occlumency,' Madam Bagnold replied.

'He need not know you are to give it to him,' Dumbledore told her. She thought for a moment, then nodded.

'Very well. Veritaserum it is, then. Now if you will excuse me,' she looked at all of them, 'I must go and see to our prisoner.'

And with that, she swept from the room. Remus decided that, although he didn't quite like her, he couldn't help feeling a little impressed.

'Sirius Black?'

Sirius looked up from the floor of his cell, where he was mindlessly tracing patterns in the dirt with his finger and thinking about Remus. He was a little more than surprised to see the Minister for Magic standing over him, trying not to look nauseated. He frowned at her expression. It wasn't his fault that he hadn't had a shower for months. Showers didn't grow on trees when you were in prison; the Azkaban guards generally liked to take away every little privilege you had.

'What do you want?' he muttered. She glared at him, reminding him of an aunt that used to inspect him and Regulus for traces of dust or dirt or Muggles whenever she came to Grimmauld Place.

'How very nice to see you too, Mr. Black,' she said sarcastically. 'I was wondering whether you would like to come with us.'

Now that he was looking at her properly, he could see that, standing around and behind the Minister were several Aurors. Sirius scowled. He'd had enough of bloody Aurors.

'What are they for?' he asked suspiciously, nodding at the group of Dark wizard catchers.

'They are here to restrain you if you become violent or aggressive, Mr. Black,' the Minister replied, swiftly adding, 'so don't even think about it.'

Sirius sighed. 'Where are you taking me then?' he said without any real enthusiasm.

'The Ministry of Magic,' said the other.

'Oh,' Sirius replied, idly wondering why. 'Well,' he added, heaving himself up with a small groan, as he'd been lying in an awkward position for almost two days, wondering how long it would take before he literally couldn't move from this position, 'I suppose it can't be worse than here. But if you're going to kill me, may I request that it be quick and relatively painless?'

The Minister looked as though she were trying to suppress a grin.

'Come on, Mr. Black,' she said. 'You may have some very important information we'd like you to tell us.'

'Water, Mr. Black?' The Minister took a small goblet from her desk and held it out. Sirius eyed it suspiciously.

'No,' he said, ignoring the dryness in his throat, and the fact that he hadn't had anything to drink for two days. 'I don't know what you've put in it.'

'I assure you, Mr. Black, nobody at the Ministry is trying to poison you,' Madam Bagnold replied coldly. Sirius snorted.

'I find that hard to believe,' he retorted. 'Didn't you throw me in Azkaban for a crime I didn't commit just a few months ago?'

'Look, Black,' one of the Aurors growled, 'we can tie you to the chair and force it down your throat if you'd like.'

'I'm sorry,' Sirius said sharply, looking at the Minister. 'Wasn't I supposed to be the one getting aggressive?'

'Holland, please calm down,' Madam Bagnold said, sounding a little exasperated. Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. His thirst was beginning to get the better of him.

'Fine,' he said in a long-suffering voice. 'If it means that much to you all, I'll drink the bloody thing.' He grabbed the goblet from the Minister and drained it all at once. Suddenly, he began to feel very strange. He looked anxiously at Madam Bagnold, who swiftly drew her wand and pointed it at him, retreating several steps.

'W-what have – have you –' Sirius choked, suddenly very afraid.

'Incarcerous,' the Auror named Holland whispered. Just like on the night he had been arrested, Sirius found himself bound to the chair by long, thick black ropes.

'Hey – what –' he cried, struggling to escape the ropes. The Minister for Magic cut him off.

'What is your name?' she said. It was more of a command than a question.

'Sirius Black,' Sirius replied with an odd rapidity. It seemed as though his mouth were saying the words before his brain had time to consciously send a signal to it.

'You are Sirius Black, elder son of Walburga and Orion Black, brother of the deceased Regulus Black?'

'Yes.'

'You attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the year 1971 to the year 1978?'

'Yes.'

'You were best friends with James Potter?'

'Yes.'

'Where were you on the night of the 31st of October, the night that James Potter and his wife Lily were murdered?' Madam Bagnold suddenly looked very intense, as though she could not afford to miss this next answer. The Aurors all leaned in a little.

'I was staying in the Leaky Cauldron in London, as my own house had been recently raided and destroyed by Death Eaters. I was at the Leaky Cauldron until around 10 pm that evening, until I went to the house of Peter Pettigrew, as had been arranged previously. As I found the house empty and I thought this odd, I proceeded to the house of Remus Lupin, whereupon we both went to James and Lily's home, only to find it destroyed.'

There was a silence. The Aurors exchanged glances; Madam Bagnold appeared to be thinking very hard. Suddenly she whipped round and shrieked, 'Is nobody writing this down?'

There was a flurry of movement, as Aurors rushed around, finding quills and parchment and transcribing the conversation between Madam Bagnold and Sirius. Finally, the interview was able to continue.

'Why did you arrange to go to the house of Peter Pettigrew on the night of the 31st of October?' Madam Bagnold asked.

'I was Lily and James's Secret-Keeper when Dumbledore put them under the Fidelius Charm in order to protect them, as we knew Voldemort was after them for whatever reason. However, I persuaded Peter to become their Secret-Keeper instead of me. I went to his house that night to check up on him, as usual.'

The rest of the occupants of the room looked very interested all of a sudden. Through the fog in his brain, Sirius made half an attempt to wonder why, but before he could gain control of himself, Madam Bagnold was asking another question.

'Why did you persuade Peter Pettigrew to become the Potters' Secret-Keeper?'

'It was a bluff,' Sirius said – or rather, his mouth said; he himself didn't seem to have any choice about what information he was giving. 'I knew it was common knowledge that James and I were best friends, at Hogwarts and after we left. I thought the Death Eaters would come after me first. With Peter as the Secret-Keeper, once the Secret had changed hands, Voldemort and his followers could torture me all they liked, and I would be completely unable to divulge the Secret.'

'But that didn't work,' Madam Bagnold stated. 'Why didn't it work?'

'Professor Dumbledore discovered that Peter had been passing information to the Death Eaters for a while before Lily and James were killed. As soon as Peter became Secret-Keeper he went straight to Voldemort, who killed Lily and James and tried to kill Harry,' Sirius replied.

'And you had no hand in this? You are completely innocent?' Madam Bagnold asked.

Sirius nodded. 'I am completely innocent of all crimes for which I was charged.'

Madam Bagnold regarded him, then nodded and turned to her Aurors.

'Keep him here until the Veritaserum wears off. Figgins, Holland –' she nodded at two of the Aurors – 'you stay here with him, I don't want any trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if he passes out about now, he's been through quite a lot this evening, though he may become aggressive. If the worst comes to the worst, stun him if you must, but for Merlin's sake don't lay a finger on him. When I say I don't want any trouble, I mean it. Now, the rest of you come with me. We'll need to see Pettigrew – he should be about conscious by now.' She regarded Sirius once more before walking away, all but two of her Aurors in tow.

Figgins waited until she was out of earshot, then looked at Sirius.

'So, who's this Remus Lupin guy?' he asked. Holland looked mildly interested, and they both leaned forward to catch the reply.

Sirius, still bound to the chair, smiled a curious smile – it was blissful, and almost delirious, as though he were somewhere else entirely. 'He's the love of my life,' he said softly, and promptly passed out.

'So when will I be able to see him?' Remus asked, for the fifth time. He'd been asking for nigh on an hour, by Dumbledore's watch, and had grown more and more agitated with every request, taking to pacing around the Minister's office and looking at the clock every thirty seconds. Arthur had decided he had best go home, after waiting around for three hours, and the Ministry official in charge of them (whose name Remus still hadn't bothered to learn) had also been growing more stressed every time Remus asked for Sirius. Dumbledore supposed he couldn't blame him – after all, the extent to which he cared for Sirius was apparent and profound, no one could argue that – but his attitude was one of a restless, edge child. It was enough to test even Dumbledore's nerves.

'Please calm down, Mr. Lupin,' he said, troubling to keep his voice even and soft. All the same, no one could mistake the adult, authoritative tone. Remus promptly stopped fidgeting and looked ashamed.

'You will be able to see Sirius as soon as humanly possible,' Dumbledore continued, smiling kindly. 'Until then, I am afraid we shall just have to wait patiently.' The Ministry official nodded gratefully. Just then, Madam Bagnold swept in.

'Well,' she said, 'Black's statement matches Pettigrew's. We've just given them both the Veritaserum. As it turns out, Pettigrew was passing information to He Who Must Not Be Named. Yes, Albus, I am aware that you believe we should all call him by name – however, some of us find that less easy to do than yourself. Anyway,' she continued, 'Pettigrew had been passing information to the Death Eaters for several months before You-Know-Who was brought down. He also became the Potters' Secret-Keeper after he and Black swapped, and proceeded to betray the Potters' whereabouts to You-Know-Who. I shall need to make an official statement about this. No doubt, after that, the country shall be shouting for my resignation.'

Dumbledore smiled. 'And why would that be, Madam Bagnold? After all, you did catch the criminal in the end.'

The Minister looked reluctantly amused, but Remus couldn't see what was so funny. 'So when are you going to release Sirius?' he demanded. Madam Bagnold no longer looked amused; instead, her half-smile was replaced by a look of intense irritation.

'This boy's a pest,' she told Dumbledore, before turning to look at Remus. 'I have already told you, Mr. Lupin, Black will be released as soon as possible. I am afraid I cannot tell you to the exact millisecond, but we are doing our best, I can assure you.'

Remus looked sullen, and went to stand over in the corner with his arms folded across his chest. Madam Bagnold rolled her eyes. There was a knock on the door of her office, and an Auror stepped in.

'Black has regained consciousness, Minister,' he said. 'What shall we do with him?'

At the words 'regained consciousness', Remus's eyes widened in shock. 'What did you do to him?' he cried. Madam Bagnold sighed.

'You needn't worry, Mr. Lupin, Black fell unconscious for a while – it was merely a side-effect of the Veritaserum. It was quite probably also due to the ordeal he has suffered over the past few months. He will be fine.'

'Er… what shall we do with him then, Minister?' the Auror asked again. He looked nervously over at Remus, who glared back. This did not go unnoticed by any of the others.

'Since Mr. Lupin is so anxious for his return, I suppose you had better bring Black up here, Figgins,' the Minister replied. She gave him a Look; it reminded him of one Sirius had given him when he'd tried to comfort Harry. The thought of Sirius made him all the more anxious, and the five minutes' wait while the Auror went back and collected him was torturous.

It was nothing compared with the sight that arrived at the door when the five minutes was up.

If he hadn't known it was Sirius, Remus might not have recognised his best friend – Sirius looked half-dead. He was nothing but skin and bones, his face sunken and waxy, his eyes dull and empty. If Molly Weasley could see him now, she would make no comments about Remus's pallid complexion, his bag-of-bones physique, or his pitiful depression. Looking at Sirius, Remus felt like the most fortunate and ungrateful person in the world. He almost threw himself down at his friend's feet and begged for his forgiveness for not capturing Peter earlier, but stunned horror kept him frozen to the spot.

'Re-Remus…' Sirius murmured through parched lips. His face broke into a genuine smile at the sight of his old friend.

Remus felt like crying. Finding the strength to move he walked slowly forward towards Sirius, who suddenly collapsed upon him like he had no strength left.

'Oh, god, Sirius… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry….' Remus sobbed unashamedly into Sirius's ragged and torn robes, digging his fingers roughly into Sirius's matted, unkempt hair and remembering how soft and shiny it used to be…

'Don't be sorry, Remus, none of this was your fault,' Sirius said quietly, also sniffling but attempting to lighten the mood. He pulled away and looked at Remus, savouring the sight of his smooth, pale skin, his melancholy brown eyes (a little red at the moment), his sweeping tawny hair. 'You know, if there's one good thing to come out of this, it's definitely put me off breaking the law anytime soon.'

'Oh, shut up,' Remus said, and kissed him. For once he didn't care that there were other people in the room, not least Dumbledore and the Minister for Magic. It felt just the same as it had always felt whenever he was with Sirius – so right, as though they were alone, and nothing in the world could touch them. So long he'd waited for this, and the moment he'd got it it had been cruelly snatched away from him. Remus decided right there and then to make sure that he never lost Sirius again.

Sirius smiled, his lips still locked with Remus's. He was surprised and glad to discover that the Dementors hadn't taken all his happy memories after all – he knew, for instance, that the last time Remus had kissed him this passionately it had led to something very interesting indeed. (Not that he was going to even consider that right here in front of everybody. That was just… weird.) Perhaps they had tainted his memories of Remus a little though, because Sirius hadn't ever remembered him looking as beautiful as he did right then.

Madam Bagnold cleared her throat, and Sirius and Remus broke apart, blushing a little. However, she smiled and said, 'Well, I'm glad to see this was worth your nagging Mr. Lupin,' which made Remus turn even redder. 'Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Professor Dumbledore – you may go. I'll deal with Pettigrew.'

Sirius was too dazed and tired to muster the energy to be angry at Wormtail. Instead, he curled an arm around Remus's waist, leaning on him slightly for support, and followed Dumbledore out of Madam Bagnold's office.

Once they got to the fireplaces at the Ministry entrance, Dumbledore turned to Remus. 'I would like to take Sirius back to Hogwarts with me for tonight, Remus. He needs sleep, comfort and the supervision of Madam Pomfrey until he is fully recovered.' He walked over to Sirius, who was already half asleep, but who shook his head and clutched at his best friend.

''M going with Remus,' he muttered sleepily, laying his head on Remus's shoulder. Remus made no move to hand Sirius over; instead, he held him tighter.

'Well, I'm going with Sirius,' he stated. Dumbledore nodded. He looked too tired to argue.

'Very well. I must insist that you spend the night under Madam Pomfrey's care, Sirius, but if you wish Remus may come with you.'

Sirius nodded, his head still on Remus's shoulder. Remus looked down at him and brushed a strand of matted black hair from over his closed eyelids. Dumbledore took a handful of floo powder from beside the fireplace, threw it into the fire and announced, 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!' and stepping into the fire. Sirius and Remus followed.

Remus tried not to feel sick as the emerald flames swirled around him, and he spun rapidly in the hearth. He never had liked travelling by floo network – it was no better than broomstick or flying motorcycle.

He didn't much care that he was treading ash onto the carpet of Dumbledore's office as he stepped out of the fireplace; his only priority was getting Sirius to the hospital wing as soon as possible. Dumbledore escorted them there, then left them under the care of Madam Pomfrey, who was very hospitable and seemingly not surprised in the least, considering that it was almost four o'clock in the morning and they hadn't been students at Hogwarts for around three years. She put Sirius to bed and gave him all manner of medicinal potions, including one for a dreamless sleep, and tried to do the same to Remus; however, he refused to let her make him go to bed, and ignored her protests that he needed a good night's sleep, instead choosing to sit beside Sirius's bed and watch his peaceful slumber. In the end, Madam Pomfrey gave up and went into her office, leaving Remus at Sirius's bedside. He wouldn't let himself go to sleep, for fear that it had all been a dream, and that he would wake up in his own home, more afraid and alone than ever. He forced himself to keep his eyes open and managed well for an hour or so. Eventually though, sleep got the better of him, and he soon found himself slipping away into unconsciousness.

He was still there when Madam Pomfrey went to check on them both in the morning. Sirius's hand was in his, their fingers intertwined. They looked so peaceful, and it seemed a shame that they had been the ones to have to go through such a trial. She was almost reluctant to wake them up, but Dumbledore had requested that they be out of Hogwarts by seven thirty sharp, so long as Sirius was up to it, as they had 'important business' to attend to. She sighed and took one last look at the serenely sleeping lovers before bustling over to wake them up.

Arghhhh, what is it about chapter endings that I just can't do? Sorry about that, guys, it took me about half an hour to write a half-decent last sentence :L

I hoped you all like the fluffy yay-Sirius-and-Remus-are-finally-together-again-after-several-angsty-chapters-apart bit, I did my best. Probably more slash to come, I'm not quite sure – let me know what you think. :)