Hi guys!

So, we're coming into the home stretch. I'm like 99% sure that I want to do the rewrite of Harry's years, with Sirius and Remus as his parents, but that is a huge thing that I can't really focus on just yet. Maybe next summer, since I'm actually going back to school in like two weeks! Also, I'm just really excited in general that I finally was able to write Super Stars, in case any of my readers here happen to like Sailor Moon as well. I've been trying to make that word-baby come out for years!

Starrya47, I know, I never really understood why Sirius would have done something like that either, which is why I tried my best to portray it as an accident. Even then, it's difficult to give him no blame because this is a really big accident, but I hope that this chapter will make up for everything ;)

Kam, sadly there was no way to skip it, so the best I could do was make it like it was not just a heartless prank. Sirius is too impulsive sometimes, but let's hope he matures out of that someday.

Alright guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think you will ;D Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and faving, and I'll see you next time. Love ya!

~SXS

FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.


On Dumbledore's orders, Sirius had remained waiting in the Headmaster's office for him to return with James and Severus. It was the longest thirty minutes of his life. He had no idea whether James had been able to catch Severus before he got to Remus, and every possible scenario was running through his mind as he anxiously awaited news. James could have been too late, finding Severus's dead body half-eaten in the Shack. Or James might have had to face off with the hungry werewolf, being injured in the process. Or Dumbledore could have called in reinforcements to take Remus down, and now they were hauling him away thinking he was a threat to the students. He was halfway to ripping his hair out, he was so nervous.

Finally, when he was starting to think he should go down to the grounds himself to find out what was happening, the door opened and the old wizard walked in with James and Severus in tow. Sirius sagged in relief. Both boys looked completely unharmed, thank the gods above. But when he caught sight of Dumbledore's face, he tensed again. He looked like a completely different man, his normally warm and cheerful disposition having been replaced by stern displeasure, giving a hint to the true power spoken of by the wizarding world. Sirius shrank automatically in his seat.

Dumbledore moved around them to stand behind his desk, staring down at the three boys over his half-moon spectacles. He was silent for a long time, and it was obvious that he was trying to calculate exactly what he should say before speaking. Eventually, he took in a slow breath and closed his eyes. "We are all very lucky that tonight's event did not end as badly as it could have. Mr. Potter, your bravery and quick thinking saved multiple lives tonight. For that, I'd like to award you 500 points, and a good night's sleep. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir," James murmured, the points meaning nothing to him, and then turned to leave the room. He caught Sirius's eye as he walked out, but where the other pureblood had been expecting to see sympathy, the hazel eyes reflected the kind of anger and distrust he hadn't seen since first year. Sirius was stung, but he could only watch his messy-haired friend leave.

When only three remained in the room, Dumbledore said, "I would like an explanation."

Severus sprang forward. "Black tried to send me to my death!"

"I did no such thing!" Sirius cried in his defense. "You pushed me to my limit!"

The Slytherin sneered at him before another wicked smirk stretched over his lips. "What's wrong, Black? Can't handle when someone teases your little boyfriend?"

Sirius growled and would have jumped at him if Dumbledore hadn't interrupted with a sharp, "Enough!" Both dark-haired boys glared at each other, but calmed themselves. "Come here, the both of you."

Sirius and Severus stepped closer to Dumbledore as instructed, and the Headmaster took out his wand. He held the tip to Sirius's temple, and as he pulled it away, the Gryffindor felt as if something was being tugged out of him from the inside of his head. When the wand was within his sight again, there was a silvery, foggy goop on the tip. Sirius realized then that Dumbledore must have pulled out his memory of the night. He put the memory carefully into a glass vial before repeating the actions with Severus. He then took both memories to a pedestal Pensieve and dumped one in so that he could see what happened for himself.

More long, silent minutes passed while Dumbledore watched both Sirius's and Severus's memories of what had led to the events of the night. When he pulled his head back the second time, he looked more solemn than angry, and he stepped back to his desk, sitting.

"I believe I have a thorough understanding of what transpired," he said. "Severus, it was incredibly insensitive of you to speak to Sirius the way that you did, especially of one of his closest friends at a very difficult time. Therefore, you brought it upon yourself when he spoke rashly. However, Sirius, it was not right of you to jeopardize Severus's safety or Remus's secret by using his transformation as an attack. It is only fair that I punish the both of you. You will each serve a month's worth of detention. Furthermore, Sirius will be suspended from the Quidditch team, and Severus's Prefect privileges and duties will also be suspended, indefinitely."

While it was heartbreaking that Sirius couldn't participate in his favorite sport anymore, he was more than ready to accept his punishment. He believed he deserved more than that, though he was certain that once Remus found out what had happened, he'd be punished emotionally as well. Severus, however, was less than pleased. "I'm the one who almost died tonight!" he cried. "Black and Lupin should be expelled!"

Dumbledore's blue eyes turned to ice as he stared down at Severus, silencing him. "I'm not quite through with you yet, Severus. As I can see that you seem to believe Remus's condition needs to be exposed, I have no choice but to force you to take an Unbreakable Vow of silence." The Slytherin opened his mouth to protest and Dumbledore held up a hand. "It is not your decision whether Remus belongs in this school. Up until this night, there have been no instances of anyone being injured or worse by Remus's other form. There is no reason to make any students uncomfortable with information that is not their business. Sirius, we will need you to bear witness."

Sirius felt a rush of gratefulness for the Headmaster's prudent thinking. He watched as Severus grudgingly obeyed Dumbledore's wishes, stepping closer and putting his right arm out in front of him. Dumbledore took it with his own right hand, and the pair knelt on the floor. "You'll need to stand with your wand touching our hands," the elder wizard instructed Sirius, who did as he was told. Dumbledore then stared into Severus's eyes, and began to speak. "Will you, Severus Snape, promise to keep the secret of Remus Lupin's lycanthropy, and never reveal it to anyone, living or otherwise?"

Severus looked ready to snarl at being forced to make this promise, but he nodded stiffly. "I will." As he said this, a flame appeared from the tip of Sirius's wand, startling him, but not enough to make him move. The flame coiled around the clasped hands, enclosing them without burning their skin.

"And will you, Severus Snape, promise to never speak of the events that occurred tonight to anyone who does not already know what has happened?"

"I will," Severus repeated, and another flame shot out from Sirius's wand to surround their hands.

"The vow has been made," Dumbledore said, and the flames became an entire sphere around their hands before dissipating. He released Severus's hand and stood again. "Now. I believe it's time we all get some rest. Good night, gentlemen."

Sirius was certainly in agreement with Dumbledore, as he felt completely drained. But even though he wanted to just go back to his bed and collapse, he was hoping that he would have a chance to speak with James and Peter about what had happened, especially because of the look James had given him. He left the office ahead of Severus, and practically sprinted down the corridor, not wanting to have another confrontation with the Slytherin (even though he really wanted to punch him in the mouth).

He made his way back to the Tower and up to their dorm. Peter was sleeping by now, or at least pretending, having likely heard from James that everything was alright. His fellow pureblood was sitting up in his bed, waiting. He was still wearing the same expression that he'd shown Sirius in Dumbledore's office, and Sirius was taken aback. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You nearly got me killed and ruined Remus's life! I think you deserve a dirty look," James whisper-shouted.

Sirius was hurt that James would use such an accusatory tone. "You almost act like I did it for no reason! Do you honestly think I would purposely betray Remus that way?"

"No, but I am pretty pissed that I almost got eaten tonight," James said, and then took off his glasses to rub at his eyes.

"That dungeon dwelling prick provoked me!" Sirius cried. "He was saying terrible things, and I just-"

"You just spoke out of your arse," James interrupted. He put his glasses back on and looked across at Sirius. "Look…I'm not the one you have to apologize to. I mean, I think you do owe me an apology because I almost died saving Snivellus and I probably hurt Moony in the process." Sirius flinched a bit at the thought. He was also painfully aware of the fact that they had now left Moony to his own devices for the rest of the night. "But you of all people know how upset Remus gets over stuff like this. I'd start working on my speech." With that, James laid down and closed his bed curtains.

Guilt bubbled in Sirius's stomach and he looked out the window at the moon. He had no idea what he could say to Remus except to just tell him the truth. He just hoped the other boy would understand.

.:~I~S~S~:.

Sirius's sleep was restless and filled with horrible nightmares, ranging from watching Remus being taken away, to watching Remus walk away from him forever. Eventually, he gave up on sleep entirely when it was late enough into the night (early enough in the morning) that Remus would have been brought back to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let him go anywhere near the other boy, however, and hardly wanted to let him in to the hospital at all because Remus was in the worst condition that she'd ever seen him before. This only made Sirius feel even worse for what he'd done. Moony must have torn himself up because they weren't there for the first time in months, and if he'd gotten even a hint of Severus's scent, it probably drove him mad.

It was hours before Madam Pomfrey finally stepped out from the curtains where Remus was hidden, and said that Sirius could go in and wait for him to wake up. The dark-haired Marauder stepped inside and his breath hitched.

Remus was covered in more bandages than he'd ever seen on him after a full moon. They were soaked red with blood and the skin that was visible was covered in bruises and scratches. All of it his fault.

Sirius felt sick to his stomach. He had never thought that one slip of the tongue could be enough to wreak so much havoc. How could he have been so stupid?

It took the entire day for Remus to finally start to stir, and when he did, Sirius's heart was pounding as hard as it could in his tightened chest. The wounded werewolf's eyes squeezed more tightly shut and then opened only after struggling, the amber irises looking more like rusted Knuts. "S'rus?" he croaked. "Merlin…Feel horrible…" His eyes slid shut again and his hand blindly searched out Sirius's by weak movements of his fingers. The other boy's heart clenched and he moved to take Remus's hand.

"Moons…" Sirius murmured, squeezing Remus's hand gently where it sat nearly limp in his own. "Something happened last night…"

This had Remus forcing his eyes open again, putting together the pieces and assuming the worst. He looked far more alert than moments before. "Did I hurt someone?"

Sirius felt his innards twisting and threatening to make him be sick and cry all at once. He steeled himself and shook his head. "You came close, but James saved him. I think you took it out on yourself, though."

"What happened?" Remus was trying to sit up, but winced as pain radiated through his body, and stayed still.

The pureblood took a long breath, trying to ward off the choke in his voice. He looked away, at their linked hands. "I…I told Snape how to get past the Willow."

There was silence. Remus's grip on Sirius's hand became like a vice. Yet the pain of his surely breaking bones was nothing compared with the fiery, liquid gold fury directed at him when he peeked in his direction. When their gazes met, Remus finally snapped. "You did WHAT?!"

Sirius was starting to tear up from the pain of his hand being crushed. "It was an accident, Rem, I swear!"

"An accident?" Remus asked with a manic laugh, finally throwing Sirius's hand back at him, which he brought gingerly to his chest. In spite of his weakness, he managed to find quite a bit of force for his voice. "How exactly does one accidentally reveal the secret hiding place of a bloody werewolf on the night of the full moon?!"

"I-It just slipped out! He was egging me on, and he said such…such horrible things, Moony, I just…I said it without thinking!" Panic started to settle into Sirius's heart as he took in Remus's expression. He'd never seen the other boy look at him like that before.

"Oh yes, that's quite obvious," Remus deadpanned. "You've been reckless before, but to go so far as to retaliate to some teasing by essentially sending Snape to his death?!"

Sirius shrank back. "It wasn't like that!"

"I know he says some shit things, but they're just words! You can't let them have such a power over you! How could you be so careless? Don't you have any self-control? Any respect?!"

"Remus, you're not listening!"

"I don't need to hear it! I can already picture exactly how it went: 'Look at the sorry excuse for a pureblood out of bed past curfew.'" He did a crude impression of Severus's drawl, before switching to Sirius's posh accent. "'Oh look, it's Snivellus. He's making fun of me. I should make him pay by getting him killed! Hey, Snivellus! Why don't you go visit Remus at the Shrieking Shack? Here's the directions on how to get down there!'"

Remus's depiction of him casually throwing around that sacred information hurt. Was that really what he thought of Sirius? "He was talking about you!" he snapped. This made Remus freeze with his mouth open, poised to speak again. Sirius looked down at his lap. "He was talking about how you didn't belong in the school because of what you are, and saying that your parents were glad to be dead and not have to deal with you. I had told him to shut up a few times, but that was the last straw."

Remus was dumbfounded. Knowing that Sirius was defending him rather than himself was inappropriately touching. It didn't excuse his doing something so horrendously stupid, but somehow it had redeemed him slightly.

"I know saying sorry doesn't mean anything because it's already done. But as soon as I'd said it, I wished I could take it back. He just made me so angry, and to have the gall to bring your parents into it when they haven't even been gone two weeks…" Sirius's voice was tight, though he tried to keep his composure. "I am sorry, though. And I understand that you can't trust me anymore. Just…know that I never meant to hurt you."

Remus still didn't quite know what to say. Somehow it had been easier to make the decision to be mad at Sirius when he had thought that he was just responding to some jibe about his family or blood status. Now he was conflicted. On one hand, Sirius's loyalty to him and his parents was sweet. It certainly brought out his doggish nature. On the other, this was becoming a dangerous pattern. More than once Sirius had been in trouble for standing up for him, like at the water park, or even so far back as first year before they were friends with James and Peter. Now that he thought more deeply about it, Sirius didn't tend to get anywhere near as fired up when comments were directed at himself, or even at their fellow Marauders. Only when it was Remus.

This made his heart thud just the faintest bit harder in his chest, as he dared to think the impossible. Was there a bigger reason for this than just loyalty and friendship?

By now he hadn't spoken for a decent length of time, enough to make Sirius start to stand up to leave. Weakly, he reached out to stop him, with a hand on his knee. "Sirius…" His face and voice had softened from the fury they'd been moments ago. "Why do you get so angry when people are mean to me?" He stared up at his friend's eyes that were shining more silver than blue. "Tell me the truth," he added, doing his best to keep the desperate hope from his tone.

Sirius swallowed nervously, pulse quickening as he tried to decipher Remus's expression. Was he suspicious? Why else would he specifically ask for the truth, as if he expected a lie? What would happen if he did tell him the truth?

It took a moment for Sirius to decide what he should say. In the end, he felt like he had nothing to lose. If he didn't tell him now, and Remus forsook their friendship over this incident (which he was likely to do either way), he'd never get another chance. If he did and Remus found him disgusting, then their friendship would still be over. Either way, he was about to lose the most important person in his life, so he might as well make sure he knew how he felt.

"It's because…I…" He took a deep breath. "I love you."

While there had been one or two scant instances in the past when the Marauders had said they loved each other, it was obvious enough to Remus that Sirius meant this entirely differently. And his heart was absolutely bursting to hear it. Tears immediately sprung to his eyes and while his anger couldn't be completely forgotten, it was at least shelved for the time being as he reached forward with both arms, inviting Sirius in to him. Said dark-haired boy was confused at first, but then saw the warm look on his friend's face, and his own dams broke as tears started to roll down his cheeks. He practically threw himself (carefully) at his friend and hugged him, burying his face in his neck.

"I love you, too," Remus whispered to him. "You stupid idiot."

Sirius hadn't expected this turn of events. For Remus to not only embrace him, but then return his feelings, brought on a fresh wave of sobs as all his guilt and pining rushed out of him at once. "I'm so sorry, Moony," Sirius murmured against his skin. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I know," Remus said, all the strength he could muster being used to keep hold of the boy in his arms. "I know."