I thought I was done with this one, but then I realized I had more to write. I'm just going to mark it as incomplete for now, and see where the muses take me.

88888888888888

For Lupin, the next 13 years passed by incredibly fast but, at the same time, mind numbingly slow. He drifted from job to job, keeping his secret hidden until someone found out and then moving on to the next one. His mind often drifted to Black, locked up in Azkaban with chains on his wrists and hate in his heart. Most of the time he felt no pity, but sometimes late in the night, Blacks words you're not listening haunted his dreams. What if he had listened? What would Black have said if the guards hadn't bound him tight?

Lupin did return to Azkaban, just one year before Black escaped from the prison.

"Last time you said I wasn't listening. Well, here I am now." Lupin had said staring at Black. The prisoner had just glared right back at him, his eyes narrowing with anger, and his jaw clenched against the metal muzzle strapped on his face.

"You had your chance. Now get out. Let me rot in peace" he had muttered bitterly through clenched teeth, the muzzle only muffling his speech slightly. He had refused to say another word, and Lupin had left the island, feeling confused and slightly guilty. If Sirius had been innocent, had Azkaban addled with his mind so much that he thought he truly was guilty? Lupin didn't know. All he knew was that his best friend was still gone, and that he was very much alone.

The next time Lupin saw Black, he was in the shrieking shack huddled on the floor with a cat on his chest and a wand pointed at his face. Broken chains dangled from his wrists and ankles, clinking in the moonlight. He looked up wildly at Lupin through the rusty metal muzzle that still clung to his face.

"Expelliamus!" Lupin croaked, and Harry's wand flew from his hand and landed Lupin caught it. He pointed both of them at Black and with a mutter made the dangling chains attached to blacks wrists and ankles bind themselves to the floor, securing his position in that corner of the room. Lupin was still hesitant, still unsure that his friend—his Padfoot,—was still buried in there under that mask of rust and metal. He had seen Peter's name on the map, but he was still unsure, he still didn't trust Black after all these years. Black gave a yell of surprise and struggled against the chains, Harry jumped back behind Lupin trembling with fear and rage.

"Where is he, Sirius?" Lupin asked, trying with all his might to keep his voice from shaking.

Sirius did not speak, the chains clinked in the silence. His eyes met Remus's and he held the gaze as he lifted a manacled hand and pointed at Ron.

"But then -" Remus began, "- why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless -"

Then all pieces fall into place. If Peter was alive, and in hiding, it could mean only one thing. Sirius had not done it. He had not done the crime he was in prisoned for. He had switched being secret keeper with Peter without telling anybody. That ment that—-Lupin's eyes widened, he walked up and knelt in front of Sirius, keeping their eyes locked. Sirius didn't flinch, he sat there frozen, staring back at him with a desperate, intense gaze..

"- Unless he was the one - unless you switched - without telling me?"

Sirius nodded, eyes bright with tentative hope.

Sirius was innocent. It had been Peter all along. That was what Sirius had so desperately tried to tell him all those years ago. Why hadn't he listened to his friend? His dear, dear innocent friend. He looked Sirius up and down; the muzzle, the chains, the grey ratted robes that billowed over his skeletal figure, his pale ashen face contorted darkly against the black bars of the muzzle and suddenly Lupin felt like crying. Sirius— his Padfoot- never deserved any of this.

Lupin stood up, backing away from Sirius. then in one swift motioned he lifted his wand, muttered a few choice words and watched as the chains and muzzle unlocked themselves then fell to the floor with a clang that made Sirius jump.

Without speaking a word, he bent down and took Sirius's thin hand in his own, then pulled him up into a warm embrace.

"Sirius! I am so sorry. Oh Sirius. -" he whispered, arms tight around his, shockingly-thin body.
Sirius was still silent, but he patted Lupin shoulder with his hand, then pulled out of the embrace to look Lupin in the eye.

"I tried to tell you." he whispered in a thin whisper.

" I know. I should have listened to you. I never gave you a chance though, did I? I'm so sorry, Padfoot."

Lupin looked up at Sirius, and was surprised to see that his friend was smiling at him. His eyes full of warmth—eyes that Lupin remembered to vividly from before when they had all been at school together. Eyes that said he was forgiven.

"It's good to see you again, Moony." Black said in the same thin raspy whisper. Lupin realized that because of the muzzle, this was probably the first time Sirius had spoken in over a year. Lupin looked his friend over again, taking in his skeletal frame, the dark bruise on his face, the red marks on his wrists from where the chains had bit into his skin. Slowly, Remus reached for one of his hands and winced as Sirius flinched—probably out of instinct—back away from him. But thenSirius paused, and finished what Lupin started; he grabbed lupins hand and smiled.

Everything was going to be alright.

888888

Thank you so much for reading, and as always please leave a review (the more reviews I get, the more likely I'll continue...just sayin).