I can only say I'm sorry guys.
Life's been hard. I've been trying my hardest to find a job, going on interviews all the time, but nothing's pulled through, so I've been kind of down. Plus I've had to help my mom so much with dealing with the aftermath of my dad's passing, it's just been a weird few months. And then when I did finally think about posting, my new puppies chewed up my laptop charger and I couldn't charge until I bought a new one.
So yeah, that's enough about me.
Here's the thing. I've really lost my mojo for writing in general. I think maybe someday it might come back, but right now I just can't see myself finishing the story like I wanted to. I'm going to try to find some way to wrap it up cleanly after what I already have written, which goes through the boys' fifth year at the moment. The problem is that I really had no ideas for sixth year, which gives me the sense that I'll be stuck in the same problem that I was when I got to third year back in 2012. I don't want to leave the story hanging again, so I'd rather just have it end, and leave it in a place where it may be possible to return someday without anyone being disappointed.
I know this sucks, but it's just what I feel I have to do. In the end, there will probably be about 50-55 chapters. It's been a long run, guys, but it had to end eventually, right?
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me for so long if you're still here. Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, and I hope you keep reading right up until the end. I'll try my best to update more often. Love you guys.
~SXS
FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.
After weeks of discussing and planning in letters, the Marauders decided that they would gather at Peter's in August. Peter had sent each of them his address so that they could Floo into his house directly, which was why Remus now found himself spinning out of the fireplace and into the blonde's living room with an overnight bag.
He was immediately tackled and nearly sent back into the flames.
Of course, this sort of thing wasn't uncommon when he met up with his friends after an extended period of time, because Sirius was always enthusiastic about seeing him. Remus didn't mind it at all, especially recently since it was an excuse to get a hug. But the long stripe licked up his cheek was new.
"Ew, Sirius!" Remus pushed at the mess of black fur, whose tail was wagging eagerly. It was the first time he was seeing Sirius's dog form after he'd had time to practice his transformation. He had definitely perfected the face, though the body was still a little lopsided, but as the pureblood had described to him in his letters, it was becoming more and more natural.
The doggish thing slid off Remus and onto the floor, tongue lolling happily out of its mouth. Once he was sitting up, he could see Peter and James sitting on the sofa across the room with grins.
"Alright Moony?" Peter asked.
"Yeah." Padfoot pawed at his leg and Remus started scratching him behind the ears without thinking, as if he were a real dog. He seemed to like it, though, as his tail thumped on the floor. "You can't stay like this, Pads. What if Peter's mother sees?" The dog whined, but then shifted, and Sirius was in front of him. He'd thought it would be more bizarre to see an animal turn into his friend, but somehow it almost seemed normal. He supposed four years at Hogwarts had desensitized him. "You're really getting there, though," he told him.
Sirius beamed. "I know. I was studying the dogs at the pet store while I still had the chance."
"I still can't believe that you had to give up your job just to be able to come here," James said.
"You lost your job?" Remus asked, not having heard about this in any of the letters they exchanged.
"Not exactly," Sirius said. "I could tell that Mumsy dearest wasn't going to let me leave to hang out with my 'filthy, half-blood delinquents' for a week, so I figured the only way I was going to get here was to sneak out. So I 'let slip' that the pet store was Muggle, and she grounded me indefinitely. I had to quit, but at least I can sneak out the window with my broom while she thinks I'm locked in my room." He let out a little sigh. He'd rather enjoyed working with the animals and being able to make some money for himself, but it had been the only way to be sure he could come and spend time with his friends. If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't fly his broom to a Muggle shop, he would have tried to keep working in secret.
"Hey, this is no time for depression," James said, jumping up from the couch. He whirled around and pointed at Peter. "Let's show Moony how good we've gotten."
"Yeah, okay!" Peter hopped off the couch and right before Remus's eyes, the pair began to change shape, growing fur, falling onto their hands as they became hoofs and paws. Seconds later a rat and a stag stood in front of him.
"That's fantastic!" Remus said. "You two look great!" Prongs bowed his head proudly. Wormtail scurried over to the werewolf and climbed up his hand, all the way to his shoulder. He scratched Wormtail's tiny head with one finger.
Sirius clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Now that we've all mastered our transformations, we can finally start planning Operation Full Moon Buddies!" Remus immediately shushed him, not wanting Peter's mother to hear.
"That'll have to wait until we're all back home," James said after returning to normal, agreeing that now was not the time or place to be talking about it. Sirius pouted, but he knew that his friends were right. Peter's mother didn't need to overhear them talking about her son spending nights with a dangerous wolf. "Let's do something Muggle-y!"
Remus smirked. "Gee, how specific."
"I'm ignoring your sassiness," the messy-haired boy said. "Alright, Wormy. Since it's your house and you're the Muggle expert, what should we do?"
Wormtail scurried back down Remus's arm so that he wouldn't crush him as he transformed back to his human self. Peter put a hand to his chin and hummed, thinking. "We could go into the other room and watch telly," he suggested. "That's about the most that I do on a usual day when I'm home for the holidays."
James and Sirius's heads tilted at exactly the same angle, eyes wide and curious. For a moment, Remus thought they looked like fraternal twins. "Telly?" they both asked.
"Television," Remus clarified. Sirius's mouth curved into an 'o'. Remus had told him about television before and he'd learned a little about it in Muggle Studies but he'd never seen one in action. James still looked confused. "It's better if you see it yourself."
Peter got up from the couch and led the way from the living room into the family room. Where the living room had been a bit more formal, with a coffee table, expensive looking decorations, elegant photos of Peter and his family, and a well-upholstered love seat, the family room was much cozier. There was a longer, well-worn sofa, candids and vacation pictures framed on the wall, and a television on a stand.
"Before we do anything else, can I just have a moment to enjoy these?" Sirius asked around a chuckle, pointing to a picture where a younger Peter was wearing hooded footsie-pajamas, complete with rabbit ears.
"I-I was only wearing those because my aunt gave them to me and she was visiting," Peter quickly said, face burning.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with wearing cozy pajamas," James said, coming to his friend's defense. That is, until he saw another photo where Peter was dressed in a puffy-sleeved shirt and tights, which Remus figured must have been a costume for some kind of Shakespearean play. "This, however, might be a bit wrong."
"Alright, lads, let's not give poor Peter an aneurism," Remus said, rubbing Peter's shoulder. "There's a lot more interesting things to see on the telly. Turn it on, Wormtail."
The blonde gave him an appreciative smile and then grabbed the remote and clicked the television on. The screen lit up with pictures and sound came from the speakers, and the pureblooded Marauders were instantly standing in front of it.
"This is amazing! How did all you tiny people get inside here?" James knocked on the glass. "Hello?"
"They can't hear you, James," Peter said. "It's recorded ahead of time. It's basically a wizard picture with sound."
"Oh." James frowned, examining the telly further, looking like he still had questions.
"You know, you two make better doors than windows," Remus said, but the subtlety was lost on them. He sighed and grabbed the two by their sleeves to drag them back. "Come sit down on the couch, will you? Being that close to the screen isn't good for your eyes anyway."
The Marauders sat side by side on the sofa and Peter started to click through the channels to find something to watch. This ability to switch between different pictures intrigued the dark-haired pair even more, but once Peter stopped on a film, their attention was focused instead on the plot.
"Do Muggles actually burst out into song at random like that?" Sirius asked.
"No, Sirius. This is a musical," Remus said.
"Do the characters realize that they're singing?"
"Generally no."
"When are we going to get to see this Wonka guy? The film's named after him and he hasn't shown up yet!" James said.
"We're only half an hour in, Prongs," Peter said.
"How did that guy get to be a teacher? He doesn't know what he's doing," Sirius said.
"Will you hush up and watch? I haven't seen this before," Remus said.
While there was still an occasional question, the boys were much quieter by the end of the film. Remus thought he heard soft sniffling to his left as the credits began to play ("There's dust in my eye!" Sirius insisted.). Just then, a woman walked into the room with a plate of biscuits. "How's everything going boys?"
"Great, Mum. Thanks for the sweets," Peter said as he stood and took the plate from her. His mother was a round woman, her body almost dome-shaped between her large bust and rotund stomach. She shared a face with her son, and dirty blonde hair, which she kept up in a tight bun. She reminded Remus of the perfect Mrs. Claus. "By the way, this is Remus." The werewolf waved his hand with a small smile.
"It's a pleasure," Mrs. Pettigrew said, walking over to shake his hand.
"Likewise," Remus said. "Thanks so much for having us over for the week."
"Oh, it's absolutely no trouble. I miss having Petey's little friends over." Peter flushed at the nickname and James and Sirius snickered. "Ever since he went to Hogwarts, he doesn't spend any time with his primary school friends anymore. Such a shame. But I suppose it's harder to keep in contact with them without giving away our little secret." She winked. "Well, enjoy the biscuits boys. Dinner will be ready soon and then we're going to head to the go-kart track."
"You're going to love it," Peter said excitedly. "It's like flying but on the ground." His mother chuckled.
"I guess that's one way to describe it to someone magical," she said. "I'll call you in a bit." With that she left the room.
Peter returned to the sofa and passed around the biscuits to his friends. "What do you want to do until dinner?" he asked.
"Let's keep watching telly," James said. "I want to see if I can predict when the adverts start and end."
.:~I~S~S~:.
Peter had always bragged about his mother's cooking, and after dinner his friends understood why. She made a feast fit for Christmas even though it was just a Friday night. Once they were full and satisfied, she gathered the boys into the car so they could head to the go-kart track.
"So this is what it's like to ride in a car," Sirius said excitedly as he climbed into the backseat.
"We haven't started moving yet," Remus pointed out.
"It isn't actually that interesting," Peter said from the passenger seat. "Especially in traffic. Then it's really miserable."
"What's traffic?" James asked.
"When there are a lot of cars on the road at once and you can't just drive straight through like you normally would. It doesn't sound that bad, but trust me, it is."
Mrs. Pettigrew started the car and the engine roared to life. "Why is it growling?" Sirius asked.
"That's just the motor. It's what powers the car," Peter explained. He was brimming with pride at being able to answer all these questions and impress his friends. Or Sirius and James at least since Remus was already familiar with most common Muggle things.
Sirius nodded slowly, and was grinning as he listened to the rumble of the engine. "It sounds cool. Like a wild animal."
"Wait until you hear the go-karts," Mrs. Pettigrew said. Sirius and James shared a mischievous look, and Remus wondered if it was safe to put either of them behind the wheel of any kind of vehicle.
Throughout the ride, the dark-haired Marauders were glued to their windows, watching the Muggle sights go by. They marveled at the different types of cars on the road, the names of the shops they passed, the people walking on the street. It was as if they were aliens having a holiday on a distant planet.
Mrs. Pettigrew parked when they reached the track, handed the boys some money, and told them that she'd be waiting in the car when they were done. As soon as they stepped out of the car, Sirius was enchanted. The place was bursting with the purr of engines and a greasy, tinny scent that Remus told him was 'petrol'. Bright lights illuminated a black track where twenty go-karts raced past in laps, causing gusts of air to ruffle their hair. The entire atmosphere was fast-paced and exhilarating.
"I think I'm in love," Sirius sighed dreamily, eyes wide and sparkling.
"So none of the girls at school do it for you, but we put you in a go-kart track and suddenly you're ready to wank off to the tires?" James teased.
Remus scrunched up his nose. "Prongs, you're disgusting. Come on, let's go get our tickets."
"Good idea! Me first!" Sirius bounded forward towards the ticket counter, pushing through about ten Muggles along the way. The young blonde woman behind it was wearing a tight, black and white checkered shirt, chewing bubble gum, and gave him a skeptical look. "One ticket for the fastest, awesomest, coolest go-kart ride you have, please."
Remus came up behind him putting a hand on his arm. "It's 'most awesome', Pads," he corrected and then turned to the girl apologetically. "Please excuse my dear friend, for he knows not how to speak or behave properly."
Her eyes grazed over both boys slowly, and she smiled, eyelashes fluttering. "No trouble," she said, winking. Sirius raised a delicate brow, the flirtatious gesture bouncing directly off of him, but it was not lost on Remus. He blushed, but didn't respond in kind.
"We'll take four tickets, please," he said.
The girl pursed her lips, blowing a bubble and popping it with her teeth. "Twenty quid," she told him. Peter and James had caught up with them by now and the former handed her a bill. She examined second pair in the same way she had the first as the tickets printed, and offered a smile towards James. The bespectacled boy ran a hand through his hair with a confident grin. She handed them each a ticket. "Have fun."
"I'm certain we will," James responded, giving her a wink of his own as the quartet turned and walked away. He was still smirking as they approached the queue. "It's so much more satisfying to flirt with someone who appreciates it," he said, though he looked a bit wistful.
They lined themselves up in the queue, and Sirius's fingers were twitching in excitement, desperate to get a hold of the wheel. He'd never driven before, of course, but watching what the other patrons of the track were doing while they waited was enough to give him a general idea. Unfortunately, seeing as it was a pleasantly warm July night, there was an abundance of other racers waiting ahead of them, and so the line was moving slowly.
"Why can't they let more people in at once?" Sirius whined. "Why are they letting them go longer than the last group? Is time going slower? I think time is starting to go slower."
"Maybe going to the water park isn't such a good idea if this is how he's going to act on all the queues," Peter mused.
"Just relax, Pads," Remus said. "We're almost there. We'll probably go next."
"How do you do this? I've never had to wait so long for something in my life!" Sirius complained.
"I know how we can pass the time," James said, waggling his eyebrows. "How about we make this race a little more interesting?" Easily distracted, Sirius turned to his fellow pureblood and they shared identical wicked grins.
"Okay. Loser has to…Hang out with Snivellus and be nice to him for a whole day!" Sirius said. James feigned gagging.
"Gross! But I know I'm not going to lose, so deal." They linked their pinkies together to signify their agreement.
Thankfully, the man at the gate leading onto the track itself started waving the next group of people through only moments after this. The Marauders handed over their tickets as they passed through and Sirius practically flew into his car. He and James took the ones at the very front.
The kart was small, not leaving a lot of leg room, but Sirius didn't care that his knees were almost touching his chin. He could feel the vibrations of the rumbling engine through his whole body, far more intense than the gentle humming of a broom (though he'd never forsake his first transportational love). One of the workers started to explain how to accelerate and brake, and warned them not to bump each other. Then he moved to stand on the platform, safely out of the way, and waved a green flag.
Sirius slammed down on the pedal and peeled out of the starting gate as fast as the kart would allow. It really wasn't anywhere near as fast as he could go on a broom, but it was still thrilling. Somehow, the struggle to control the clunky Muggle machinery, the lack of finesse that could very well lead to him spinning out and losing the race, posed as a challenge rather than a hazard. Being low to the ground, hearing and seeing nothing but the road ahead, made him feel like he was one with the kart.
It wasn't long, however, before the excitement of the new experience had to be put to the back of his mind. James was coming up on Sirius's right, and the messy-haired boy gave him a smug grin before pushing down harder on his pedal.
Sirius wasn't about to take that laying down.
A neck and neck battle ensued between the pair, both trying to use the curves in the track to their advantage, one pushing ahead just slightly only for the other to suddenly appear again in his peripherals. Lap after lap, the pair fought for the lead, until the lights on the side of the track flashed yellow to signal that they would need to return their karts to the gate. In a last ditch effort to win, Sirius faked James out, turning his wheel hard to the left, then even harder to the right. The bespectacled Marauder turned right quickly to prevent himself from being slammed into, but in the process lost control of his kart and started spinning out. Sirius tossed his head back in triumphant laughter as he zipped past his friend into the gate.
The boys were held up from leaving longer than they might have been while the staff righted James's kart and guided him into the gate. The boy himself was miffed, and when they were finally allowed to unbuckle and climb out of the karts, he immediately stormed out without waiting for his friends. They jogged to catch up with him.
"Can we attach a camera to you? I want to see every second of your day out with Snivellus," Sirius said, slinging an arm around James's shoulders. He was quickly shaken off.
"I want a rematch. You made me lose!"
"I did nothing of the sort," Sirius said with false innocence. "It's not my fault that you don't have the natural prowess to handle a go-kart in a crisis."
"You caused the crisis!" James shouted, throwing his hands into the air.
Sirius just shrugged with a coy smile. "Wherever it came from, I obviously have the superior driving skills."
"More like superior cheating skills," James muttered. "If this had been a flying race, then you'd be the one getting slimed on by Snivellus."
"Too for you bad it wasn't then," Sirius said with a grin. James was not amused.
"It's a shame you gave up on Lily," Remus said. "You being nice to Severus might have fooled her into thinking that you're actually datable."
James sighed drearily. "Yeah…" Then his brows drew together. "Wait. Was that a cleverly disguised insult?"
"Nothing gets past you, Prongs." This earned a laugh from Sirius and Peter.
James crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm perfectly datable! Why do you think all the non-Evans girls swoon over me?"
"Because they don't know you?" Sirius suggested. He was immediately swatted at. "Alright, alright. You can have a pass on this one. But I think you owe me some other form of punishment. No matter how gruesome."
"Deal," James said, shaking on it. "Nothing could be worse than Snivellus duty."
The boys headed into the small gift shop which contained cheap plastic trophies shaped like go-karts or '#1', model racecars, checkered flags, and a display wall showing off a selection of posters. Sirius was immediately drawn to the last of these.
"I know how I want to decorate my room," he said, eyes gleaming as he stared up at his options.
"Your parents will have a cow if they see those on your wall," Remus warned. But Sirius just pointed at him with a handsome, sly grin which made his cheeks heat slightly.
"That is exactly why I must buy them." He stared up at the posters clinically, then, trying to decide which to get. "What's that?" he asked Peter, pointing to one poster in particular. It featured a girl in a swim suit laying across something black and silver.
"That, my dear Padfoot," James said before the other could answer, "is a woman." He was promptly smacked.
"It's a motorbike," Peter clarified. "It's like a bicycle, but with a motor so it can go faster. The sound of the go-kart engine is nothing compared to one of those."
Sirius's face lit up at the idea. "Wicked." He looked up at the poster again and pursed his lips. The nearly naked woman in it was sort of ruining it for him, but he supposed that he didn't have much of a choice. He pulled the roll from the shelf below the display, along with a few others of racecars and go-karts. He still had some Muggle money left from the last few weeks of his work at the pet store, which he used to pay at the counter.
"Now I just need some Gryffindor stuff and my room will be perfect!" Sirius said as they left for the car park.
Remus shook his head, thinking about the reaction his friend was going to earn when his mother saw the new decorations. "I'll look for your obituary in the Prophet."
.:~I~S~S~:.
The rest of the week went by in a flash. Peter had lots of Muggle activities lined up, from miniature golf, to Muggle cinema, to roller disco. Sirius was slowly accumulating posters enough to paper his walls, especially once he'd actually seen a motorbike in action. Unfortunately most of the ones he'd found included scantily-clad, provocatively-posed women, as it seemed Muggle men associated sex with things like cars and motorbikes. It didn't make a lot of sense, but at the very least he could give his mother a heart attack with the almost-nudity.
The last day of their stay was the hottest of all, and so Peter finally felt it was time to take the boys to the water park. Remus, however, was not terribly thrilled about this, being that it would mean wearing swimming trunks and exposing his torso. His stomach was the most scarred place on his body, being that it was the easiest spot for the wolf to reach when it wanted to destroy itself in frustration, besides his limbs. None of his fellow Marauders had seen it, and he'd have preferred to keep it that way. But now they, as well as hundreds of Muggle strangers, would be treated to the disgusting, marred expanse of skin.
The boys brought their trunks and towels in a bag, planning to change when they reached the park. Once they'd paid their way in, they headed to the changing rooms. Peter handed out the swimsuits and they started to strip. While Remus was distressed over having his friends see physical proof of the monster they would someday spend the night with, he couldn't deny the lack of awkwardness over changing in such close proximity. It was nice to know that his friends were all comfortable enough with each other to be in such an intimate situation (although he was a little flustered at the few glimpses of Sirius he saw in the corner of his eye).
"Where should we go first?" James asked as they finished up changing.
"We should get on line for the slides while it's still early," Peter replied. "By noon this place will be packed and we'll be waiting an hour in each queue."
"I hate waiting," Sirius complained. He stuffed his clothes quickly into the bag. "Hurry up, Moony, so we can close the locker."
Remus was standing with his clothes balled up in his hands, facing away from his friends. He knew there was no use in prolonging it, so he took a slow breath in and out and turned around.
Sirius, James, and Peter got a quick glance and then were trying too hard not to look, though they were failing miserably. Their eyes were naturally drawn to the puckered, silver marks that took over the entire flat expanse of Remus's abdomen. "Just stare at it and get it over with," Remus said, a light heat to his voice. He kept his head turned away so he didn't have to see the looks of disgust as they took it in.
"It's not so bad," Peter said after a moment. "I mean, it's shocking the first time you see it, but then it's just there."
"Exactly," James agreed. "It looks cool, actually. Like you survived some sort of horrible accident, barely escaping with your life. Very manly." This elicited a tiny twitch of the lips from the tawny-haired boy.
Sirius moved closer, taking Remus's pinky with his own, which led to him finally facing his friends, amber eyes locked with blue-gray. "This doesn't change how we feel about you," he promised. Remus tightened his grip on Sirius's pinky before releasing it completely.
"I know. And thank you, lads, for trying to make me feel better. But I'm always going to hate how I look." This only made Sirius's expression go from gentle to determined.
"That's part of why we became Animagi. Once school starts, you won't get any new scars."
Remus looked at his friends and sighed. "You know I appreciate that more than anything in the world. But it still can't take back the ones that are already there." He moved to put his clothes into the bag, then the bag into the locker, closing it. His friends were watching in what had become an uncomfortable silence, not sure what to say, so he offered them his best smile. "Come on. Let's get out there before the lines get too long."
The boys walked side by side, the light tension dissipating as they discussed what slide they wanted to go on first. Remus forced himself to concentrate on his friends instead of the people in the beach chairs lining the paths, gazes lingering just a bit too long, soft whispers his overly sensitive ears could still pick up. It was unavoidable; the condition of his skin was an anomaly in the wizarding world, so here it was especially out of place. But at least people were attempting to be politely subtle.
Most people that is.
As they passed a group of boys about their age, one of them released a, "Freak," in a not-so-whisper. The comment stung, but Remus just kept his head down, prepared to continue.
But he wasn't the only one who had heard.
Sirius stopped in his tracks, feeling his blood begin to simmer. A dangerous smile spread over his face as he sauntered up to the group of Muggles. "Excuse me," he drawled, causing Remus to turn in horror. "What did you just say?"
The boy who had spoken spun around with a smirk. He was a ginger, his orange hair falling in a messier mop than James's, skin pale enough that it should have been shriveling in the unusually intense sunlight. His more-brown-than-green eyes scanned over Remus's body more obviously, this time. "I said he's a freak," he repeated, and they could hear that he was American. His cronies laughed, circling in around him, and James was over in an instant. "What, did he slice himself up trying to butter a crumpet?" He added a mock British accent to this.
"You better stop talking about our friend," James warned. "You have no idea who you're messing with."
"Oh, look. The freak has his own set of bodyguards," one of the others in the group said, a brunette with a bowl cut and a nose rivaling Severus's in length. "Not too good at their jobs, are they?" Remus wished he had the invisibility cloak with him right now so that he could disappear, as what could have been brushed off as a few stupid kids being pricks had quickly evolved into a scene. He was painfully aware of the people who now had an excuse to openly stare. Peter was trying to do what he could to block their views, but he could only cover one side of him at a time.
Sirius growled, baring his teeth in a canine gesture but the instigator seemed completely unfazed, smugly staring up at the pureblood. "Take it back, and we'll let you leave with all your limbs intact."
"Sensitive, this one," the final boy said, showing off his braces. "You his boyfriend or something?"
Something inside Sirius snapped. He didn't know if it was the fact that they were inadvertently poking fun at his secret desires, or that he just really wanted an excuse to lay into these bastards because honestly, they deserved it, but words started flowing from his mouth of their own accord. "Why talk about other people's flaws when you have a myriad in your own reflection? I could grab your nose like a handle and fling you into the wave pool, but you could always just take the two o'clock on this one's tracks. Just make sure pasty here covers up. Wouldn't want his skin to wind up matching his hair."
Each of the American boys flushed in turn, their expressions morphing from confident to angry, but none of them spoke. James took the opportunity to tag in. "What's wrong? They don't teach quick wit in the colonies?" Now it was the purebloods' turns to smirk, inclining their chins as the small crowd that had gathered waited for a rebuttal. None came. "Mm, that's a shame, isn't it, Sirius?"
"A darn shame, James." Sirius leaned in close to the ringleader, magic sparking behind his blue-gray irises. "Maybe next time come prepared before you start slinging insults." The ginger's gaze finally broke from confident to uncertain, likely seeing the hidden power in his eyes. To drive the point home, Sirius snapped his teeth at them and the three ran.
As he righted himself to the applause of a few bystanders, Sirius felt his rage start to cool. The adrenaline was still pulsing in his blood, however, making his hands shake and a little laugh let out as James clapped him on the shoulder. If it wasn't for the fact that the jerks were making fun of Remus, he would have enjoyed telling them off more. He turned around, immediately seeking out the werewolf to see if he was alright, but instead he only found Peter, who had his mouth quirked to one side. Sirius frowned, and left James and Peter without a word to go looking for him.
Though it was a bit of a risk, Sirius decided the best way to track his friend was to be Padfoot. He ducked behind a rubbish bin and transformed, easily catching the other's scent with his more powerful dog nose. The trail led him back towards the front of the park, and to the changing rooms.
Padfoot slipped quietly inside, spotting Remus on one of the empty benches with his head bowed. He let out a soft whine, but cut it off quickly, not wanting the other boy to notice him. Unfortunately, his senses were just as good as a dog's, in his human form.
"I know you're there, Siri," Remus said without turning towards him. "You don't have to hide." The black dog would have flushed if it could have, and padded across the floor towards him. He sat down in front of the werewolf, tilting his head as he stared up at him. Remus sighed, lifting a hand to scratch behind Padfoot's ears, causing his tail to wag. "You should have let it go. They weren't worth it."
This had Sirius changing back into his human form. He moved onto the bench next to Remus. "Of course it was worth it, Moons. I wasn't about to let those punks get away with saying shit like that."
"I would have rather avoided a confrontation. You only made more people look." Sirius only belatedly realized this, but he put a hand on Remus's knee anyway.
"What they said bothered you?" The other boy was quiet. "Then it was more than worth it. I only wish that we could have hexed them as a parting gift."
Remus smiled faintly. "It's a good thing you couldn't, or I'm sure the Ministry would have been needed to Obliviate a few hundred Muggles." Sirius shrugged. In his mind it was a small casualty. "Seriously, though, you need to watch your temper. It's gotten or almost gotten you into trouble multiple times."
"I can't always help it," Sirius said. "But I never get angry for the wrong reasons. Whoever incurs my wrath deserves it." Remus couldn't exactly argue with that. Sirius's hotheadedness was never sparked without a cause.
They sat in silence for a moment before Sirius spoke again in a softer tone. "I know it's not easy, but you shouldn't believe what they say. Some people can't handle seeing things that they don't understand, and others are just plain rude. They don't realize how great you are inside." He quickly amended once he replayed the words in his head. "Not that you're not great on the outside, because you are. I-I mean, you know, as one person appreciating another's pleasing physical qualities." He cleared his throat, scratching at the back of his neck as heat crawled up it to his cheeks.
Remus turned towards him and raised an eyebrow, bemused. "Did you just call me handsome?"
"In a roundabout sort of way, yes," Sirius said, smiling almost shyly, but only for a second before he was back to his usual bluster. "I mean, after all, you are a Marauder and a Gryffindor. Being handsome is one of the requirements."
Remus felt his heart flutter at the compliment, and he placed his hand over Sirius's where it was resting on his knee. "Thanks, Pads." He gave a light squeeze.
Sirius beamed. "No need to thank me, that's what I'm here for! Now for the love of Merlin, let's get in a damn queue before the afternoon rush."
