Of Apple Trees and Honey Bees
Chapter 7
It was the night of the full moon.
The clock struck ten, and Remus was escorted by a tense Professor McGonagall out of the grand Hogwarts castle, as usual under the pretense of visiting some sick relative or other. They had met the ignorant pity of passerby who happened to cross paths with them. Remus had gotten used to the mystified glances that always happened during this time, ranging from hushed whispers of curious third years to the customary pitiful looks from the sixth and seventh years. Ironically, it was unbeknownst to the general Hogwarts population the worst fate the young lycanthrope faced during each full moon.
Peter was still stuck in the Hospital Wing due to his injured condition, and James had volunteered to look after the pudgy Marauder. Someone had to tend after the mousey haired boy, and the bespectacled Potter boy was not one to leave his companions alone. This left Sirius the sole responsibility to accompany a transmogrifying Remus in the night the moon waxed to its fullest.
Unfortunately for the canine Animagus, James' invisibility cloak had been confiscated earlier by the Gryffindor headmistress due to a failed prank on their Slytherin counterparts; it was another story meant for another day. At any rate, Sirius had no choice but to sneak out towards the Whomping Willow without the aid of an invisibility cloak or any concealing spell.
A few hours earlier, in the Gryffindor Boys' Dorm Room...
"You don't need to come over tonight, Sirius," Remus coaxed a pouting gigantic black dog, "I'll be fine tonight."
The duo were on the floor of their dorm room, with the other two Marauders were at the Hospital Wing.
Siri-dog whimpered, and gave Remus a wide eyed puppy dog stare whilst wagging his tail dejectedly.
"Aww, come on Sirius. We know that tonight might be more dangerous for your Animagus, since James and Peter aren't around. Who knows, the wolf might be more than aggressive this time."
As though not understanding Remus' ever pragmatic logic, Siri-dog merely whimpered while rolling on the maroon carpeted floor. I'm cuddly and you can't resist my canine charms, right? the Animagus seemed to suggest.
Remus ran his hands through Sirius' thick dark mane, causing the latter to growl and bark contentedly.
"I don't want you to get hurt because of me, Sirius," Remus whispered while nuzzling the top of Siri-dog's head. The latter perked a questioning ear in response.
"You're important to me, you know?"
They made eye contact, with Remus holding Siri-dog's head gently. "So please don't get hurt for my sake." Siri-dog merely looked back at those amber eyes, captivated and stunned by the sandy haired boy's confession.
Despite Sirius' endearing Animagus form, it dawned on Remus the rather intimate stance they were in, and he quickly backed away.
Surprised at the other's sudden movement, Sirius quickly transfigured back to his human self. "Remus?"
Having the human form of his affections suddenly appear so close to him, Remus' face turned bright red and he stuttered, "I-I've got to go now. See you tomorrow, Sirius."
Remus felt Sirius' eyes following him as he hastily wore his robes over his Hogwarts pullover, and all but ran out of the Gryffindor tower.
This left a stunned Sirius alone on the floor, hair dishevelled from Remus' earlier pets.
"...But, I want to take care of you, Remus," Sirius muttered to an empty dorm room.
Professor Simpson stopped a tense Sirius from sneaking out of the Hogwarts grounds. It wasn't difficult to notice the hooded shadow or the rushing footsteps across the stony corridor. It was just Sirius' luck that the Professor's office was situated near the Gryffindor quarters.
"Don't you know its after hours right now, young man?" He held a gentle yet firm grasp on the young Black's shoulders, while raising his auburn eyebrows elegantly. He felt Sirius' shoulders tense up more.
"Listen, fake-grandma, Remus needs me. I don't care if you give me more detention than my pathetic life is worth, but just let me get to him now."
The professor loosened his grip on the young Black, but did not let go just yet.
"Since you know where Remus is now, I assume you're well acquainted with his condition, and the danger that accompanies it. I'm afraid I cannot let any vulnerable student walk into the fangs of a fully transformed werewolf."
"Remus may be dangerous tonight, but that does not mean he needs to suffer alone through this. We've figured out how to suppress his lycanthropy when we're around. So please let me help ease his torture tonight."
Simpson saw the passion and pleading through the young man's dark eyes as he continued, "There are many things in life that we cannot choose, Professor. Remus did not choose to be fatally dangerous, and neither did I choose to fall in love with him – but these things happened anyway."
"Please, sir. Please let me help him."
The auburn haired professor released his grip on Sirius, and smiled.
"Go then, boy, to where your heart leads you. But I will be expecting you in my office tomorrow; this issue needs to be discussed further."
The steely gazed Sirius nodded and ran into a fast sprint towards the Whomping Willow.
A/N: Thanks to brenna963, Absidoodle, GDNGHT, ramencrow, and LDeathNoteL for reviewing! ;)
We've got some pseudo-confessions going on in this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think! :)
Btw, I've written another Sirius/Remus another, called Metafiction. Hope you guys can check it out :)