Remus had spent a few days in the hospital wing after Snape's appearance, comfortable but bored. The potion had done wonders for his recovery when he could move around and not just wallow in bed for a week. The Gryffindor wished he had been on better terms with Snape before, and maybe he could have lived his life a little easier. Paying the man, of course, he didn't want to take advantage of, but it was a potion that could make the man a hero in the eyes of the lycanthropes.
James, Sirius, and Peter had come to breakfast the next day as promised. However, Sirius sulked in the far corner as he ate, still tense from what had happened the day before. Remus honestly wasn't sure when things would be better between them, and it made his heart twinge.
Every time they made eye contact that morning, he kept seeing the haunted stares that the Sirius from his time always gave when he wasn't paying attention and staring off into space; the desperation and loneliness that clouded his eyes always made Remus swallow nervously and take him to do something from their youth to cheer him up.
This Sirius wasn't burdened with thirteen years of Azkaban; his muscular build wasn't the skeletal frame he had possessed when they had finally met in the Shrieking Shack to find Peter had been alive this whole time. The guilt of never questioning Sirius' innocence crushed Remus as Peter cringed away from them all. He was more rat than the man he had ever been.
The coward.
He looked up at Peter and Sirius, almost able to see the versions of them he had known before they had disappeared and or died. Peter's full head of hair and youthful face were so different from the skittery man whose front teeth seemed a bit too big for his face and his stringy hair stuck to his forehead. Sirius' strong cheekbones weren't sunk into his face, and with no facial hair on his face besides a wisp of a start of a moustache. He remembered the way Sirius had always spent too long making his beard and moustache look good right before an order meeting, forcing Remus to ensure his hair didn't look messy.
"Remus, I have to make sure I look my best! Harry mustn't see any imperfections in his godfather."
"Sirius… it looks fine."
He had refrained from reminding him when Harry had seen him all snarls and deranged in the Shrieking Shack, letting Sirius have this little fantasy of being a perfect godfather when he was far from it. It didn't matter that not too long before he had coaxed Remus to bed him, whispering the name of someone he could never have. James.
Sirius was in love with James Potter, a love that would never be requited, and he had never given a sign of it to anyone until Remus had heard those quiet whimpers as they shared a carnal sin. Two men using each other, strangers and best mates. Forever stuck in this loop, the sloshing bottle in Sirius' hands with grief pooling in the red streaks of his eyes and Remus who did not know when to stop giving. He had once known the man he kept giving everything to, but now he almost seemed a stranger sometimes. He didn't dwell very long on their memories together because that opened a can of worms he did not want to deal with, something that had never happened here and wouldn't if he had any say about it.
Sirius had stepped into Azkaban as an adult and walked out a child in an adult's body. He was stunted from the years of despair and torture just to be cramped into his childhood house where unspeakable things occurred to him that he had run away from, stuck in a home of ghosts with no way out.
The Sirius that had been pushed into the veil had been so hellbent on making Harry like James that Remus thought this was a small mercy on his soul. He wouldn't be suffering stuck in a home he hated, and he would be with James, but he had left behind a reputation only cleared after his death and a grieving godson who had tried so hard to be what he wanted him to be.
He would never be the Sirius he knew, which was okay with Remus. He wanted him to be the Sirius he should have been.
Remus wanted the same for James; he wanted him to be more than a martyr of the war who sacrificed himself for his family. Even if it meant James would never marry Lily and they'd never have Harry. He would do that if that were the only way to save them.
He didn't know what he would do with Peter; he knew his soul wasn't unsavable, but every time he looked at him he saw the traitor he was. He would always be a follower, and there was never a guarantee that the one he would follow wouldn't be Voldemort. Fear made someone join the side that looked like it was going to win.
Peter would be something he would have to bring up with Severus if the man wasn't in such an acrimonious mood. Which seemed to be his default setting, but he could never tell. It was just how Severus worked, and he would be concerned if he was any other way.
Now, Remus spent most of his time hunkered down in the Common Room doing his school work or reading over history textbooks to try and get a little more comprehension of Purebloods and their culture. It seemed to be the next best research item for his and Severus' 'project'. He was glad he didn't have much to catch up on like he usually would shortly after a full moon, and he had Severus to thank for that.
Never in his life did he think he would willingly learn Pureblood history through a biassed textbook because finding one that gave the whole history without being demeaning towards Muggleborns and Halfbloods was damn near impossible with the information he was looking for.
It went from how Muggleborns had once been accepted, often called Magbobs, a term historians believed derived from the magic being bobbed up from nowhere. It was a funny tidbit he had shared with Lily, but it didn't relate much to what he was searching for.
He got a re-caption of the Statute of Secrecy of 1692 and how general opinions of muggles dropped through traumatic prosecutions of the magical communities. It was where Pureblooded families likely started their hatred of muggles, which was understandable to the people at the time because of the actions of non-magical people. Still, the way it carried through their history was staggering. The conditions of fear, resentment and uncertainty of muggles the pureblood ideology began to rise in followers.
This is where he was beginning to be pulled into the textbook when it started to speak of the banning of muggle marriages and how the ideologies of Purebloods began to trickle into a society where wizards now preached marriage between themselves. That marriage with muggles was shameful and unnatural and that it would contaminate the authenticity of magical blood.
Muggle and wizard marriage was common when the wizards who called themselves pureblood were a declaration of political and social intent rather than a biological fact (that fact interested Remus significantly, and he now had extensive notes on the subject). It was a statement of believing muggles and wizards marrying was reprehensible to elevate themselves higher into society when resentment and hate were high.
This led him down the rabbit hole with Salazar Slytherin and his dubious scholarships published around the eighteenth century that were supposed indicators of 'pureblood status'. Remus had read the oddest list of things, but he had written them down in his notes; some were commonly known amongst wizards now, such as the resistance to childhood illnesses and accidental childhood magic before age three. It nearly made him take a trip to the library to search on magic and whether Muggleborns were likely to show magic after three as typically children showed it through the ages of three to five.
Was there a real difference in the blood status of wizards? Besides the Pureblood's susceptibility to incest to stay "pure". It wasn't like he could hand out a survey to each blood status and ask when they had accidental bouts of magic for the first time to see if there were actual differences, but it was more likely that magic came to each individual at different rates.
The thoughts were beginning to drive Remus mad out of curiosity, and he honestly wished he hadn't thought about researching the topic. The only solace he had was that he had found a textbook on which Salazar Slytherin's indicators were not based, despite Pureblooded families' continuous citing of these indicators as evidence.
He then poured over the nineteen thirties when a Pureblood directory was published and how a minority of the families declared they had muggle ancestry; the most notable family was the Weasleys (considered blood traitors to this day).
Wizarding society subsequently went through many mixed marriages anyway. It climbed to the healthy levels they had today (which would dwindle as the first wizarding war was only a few years upon them, and many perished, whether in service to Lord Voldemort, the ministry, or Albus Dumbledore). The wizarding world population had been in jeopardy before Voldemort with Grindelwald's ideological thinking that nearly led to a war with the muggles, never mind the fact that muggles were already causing turmoil amongst themselves that ended with World War II around the same time. He had extensive knowledge of those wars because his mother's family had been deeply ingrained in it; nearly all the men in her family had been soldiers in some form or another.
Diving a little further into Grindelwald and his rise, he noted several people of interest, such as Newt Scamander and his involvement in magical creature activism that coincided with Albus Dumbledore's secret force against Grindelwald. However, unlike the Order of Phoenix, no name was ever given to them. The man had a habit of creating secret armies to defeat evil wizards.
He shuddered, even imagining Grindelwald's plan working. He was suddenly grateful to Headmaster Dumbledore for stopping the man, but Grindelwald only paved the way for another dark wizard with his ideology. Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort to many) and the destruction he would cause throughout wizarding Britain. It had yet to happen, but only a few years before the war would be at its catalyst. It was his and Severus' job to ensure a second war wouldn't be needed.
"Hey, Moony, what're you doing?" James asked, snapping Remus out of his musings over the textbook he was reading with a jolt when he practically dumped himself into the seat beside him.
"You're going to break the furniture landing on it like that, but I'm researching a topic because I finished my homework," he replied, waving his wand over his drying notes as warm air blew from it to dry the ink. Once it was safe, he rolled it up and shoved it into his bag. He didn't need James to wonder why he was researching Pureblood history.
"You're such a swot."
"I rather like being a 'swot', thank you very much," Remus sniffed lightly, closing his ink and settling it into his bag.
"You always do. I would never expect anything else from Moony," he quipped with a laugh, settling an arm around Remus' shoulder and ruffling his hair.
Remus made a disgruntled noise at James' intrusion, fending off the hand, messing with his hair, and giving a soft smile. "What has the great James intended to bestow upon me when he arrived in such an uncouth manner?
James barked some laughter, but it dribbled away into a more sober expression. "Er, well, what were you doing for the Sirius situation?"
There was a pang in his chest at the painful reminder of his and Sirius' still fragile relationship. In the common room, Sirius wouldn't cause too much of a considerable fuss over much, but when they all settled in their dorm room, he would find something to argue with Remus over.
He grew tired of it because he didn't know how to improve their relationship. Sirius refused to listen to anything involving Snape because he blamed the Slytherin for what happened at Halloween, no matter how much Remus apologised. It was useless because he couldn't explain why he did what he did.
Remus couldn't sit down and pop a story of a future that involved all their deaths to his friends. That would not be taken well at all, especially if James learned anything of Harry or the fact he had managed to date and marry Lily Evans. His ego would know no bounds.
They had some sort of improvement when Sirius wouldn't immediately scowl and insult Severus after the last detention he had served, but it didn't mean that the topic of the Slytherin still wouldn't cause an argument.
"I don't know, James, it's so complicated," he answered as honestly as he could, "you guys don't have to like Severus, but I won't change my stance on that. We have done enough damage and you need to leave him alone. Be civil."
"I know, mate, I- well, Sirius is stubborn, but Peter and I have steered clear of Snape."
"I know you have. I want you to be civil with him, but that is an improvement. Sirius is slow to come around to the thought that Snape didn't coerce me into smashing that pumpkin on his head and that it was my fault. Had some- er, bungled feelings and all that," Remus told him as he fiddled with the edge of his bag, "I've tried to explain that, but it's difficult contextualising what there is to say."
It was the fact he couldn't say it.
"Yeah…" James started, seeming lost for words as he sat back and ruffled his own hair. A fidget he possessed when he was nervous.
"It's fine, James, I'll sort something out," he assured, getting a doubtful look and emphasising it with, "Okay?"
"Okay," he acquiesced, holding his hands up in a defeated gesture, "I miss the marauders being together."
"A disagreement isn't going to tear us apart, James," he argued with a soft sigh, rubbing his eyes at the statement's absurdity. A disagreement wouldn't tear them apart, but other things could. They'd prevailed as friends until the height of the war, but no friend group could stay complete. Remus had been isolated from his friends because of their suspicions of him, Peter had betrayed them all and killed Lily and James, and Sirius had gone to Azkaban for said betrayal.
"I know, I know, it just feels like we are," James replied with a soft frown, "we can withstand anything in our friendship, but…"
"You miss everything being alright, I know, but I've been silent for far too long," he told him, a twinge in his chest reminding him of how long he had been compliant, "Is silence not an act of violence as well? I can't keep in good conscience if I don't help my friends be better. You were not being your best selves."
James seemed a little gobsmacked but nodded mutely, spurning Remus' following words.
"I know you lot can be better, what sort of friend would I be if I didn't help you reach your full potential?"
"Thanks, mate, you are a good friend," James choked out and lightened the moment by grabbing Remus around the neck and messing up his hair again.
Remus shouted in surprise, wrestling him off with a huff and glare, "You're a riot, Pr- James. An absolute riot."
His friend gave a slight blush on his face and looked more or less emotional and hadn't caught Remus' slip up, "Sorry, sorry. I just hope Sirius can see what you told me."
"I hope so," he murmured, though deep down he knew how Sirius could be and it would take more than words for him to truly understand him and accept it.
He didn't know how to reach Sirius; he wasn't sure he ever truly knew how.
Remus picked at his food lightly, lost in thought as his friends snickered with each other. Progress had been slow with Sirius, considering he had refused to speak about their problems and just been distant, as if the lack of argument fixed things.
He was tired of it, but the homework they had to finish before winter break was astounding, and he didn't have the time to pay complete attention to fixing all their problems. Especially with his side project research that he was doing, which he had boundless notes on, he needed to discuss it with Severus at some point and find out whether it had been a waste of his time. He had gone to trace the lines of Pureblood families that were as closely related to the Gaunts. He was trying to interconnect the last name Riddle to any sort of Pureblood family. Still, he was beginning to suspect that Riddle was muggle in nature, which meant that You-Know-Who wasn't a Pureblood but a Halfblood, and the thought of that was mind-boggling.
No one had ever questioned whether he was a Pureblood, especially not with the advocacy for Purebloods to have the highest standing. A half-blooded Dark Lord? The absolute irony wasn't lost on him. He wondered if Severus knew already, considering he had been the man's "right-hand" man towards the final years of his life. Maybe it was an inner circle secret.
He shuddered to even think about what it had entailed for the other man. His spying days with the werewolves had been hard enough that he couldn't imagine being the double agent that Severus had been for Voldemort and Dumbledore. Fenrir Greyback was hard enough for him with the trauma of being turned by said man.
"You alright, Moony?"
Remus turned to see Peter regarding him curiously, having seen him shuddering to himself, "Er, yes. I was thinking to myself, you know…"
"Yeah.." Peter murmured, clearing his throat awkwardly as he assumed he was dwelling on the situation with Sirius. He looked utterly at a loss on what to say to him, slightly fiddling with his fingers.
Annoyance surged into Remus, and he bit his tongue to keep something scathing from leaving his mouth, looking away from Peter before he said something he would regret. "It's alright," he mumbled before going back to poking at his food, "I know you aren't the best at being comforting. I don't think any of us are."
"I know, it's just-"
Remus didn't catch the rest of his words as he paused his assault on his untouched food, which had become a whirlpool of several unappetising colours. He found Severus staring directly at him. The Slytherin hadn't given him any updates as of late. As far as he knew, he was too busy to continue their mission of defeating You-Know-Who, considering they couldn't do much confined to school grounds and were swamped with schoolwork.
Severus inclined his head just slightly at the doors of the Great Hall before his gaze flickered away. He rose to his feet and gathered his things before striding out, obviously expecting him to find a way to do the same thing.
"Remus?"
He turned his head, startled when he remembered that Peter had been saying something, finding James and Peter looking at him with concern.
What concerned him was Sirius' suspicious look, and he knew that his friend must have seen Severus motioning to the door and leaving. How he was going to get out of this without half the school blowing up from Sirius' temper, he wasn't sure.
"Huh?"
"Are you sure you're alright? You've been spacey the whole meal."
"I am alright," he insisted, getting several looks of disbelief that irritated him. "Seriously, I am fine. Peachy even."
"And that's why you've made an artwork of your food, then?" James asked, raising one of his eyebrows.
Remus flushed and looked away from him down at his food, which looked highly unappetising. He wasn't even sure what he had piled on it in the first place. His mind was racing, and he needed a quick way to get away from his friends and get to the meeting with Severus.
He rubbed his face and looked at his concerned friends, deciding to play into his studying habits. "I've just been thinking about the essay for transfiguration. I think I will visit the library before curfew and get a few books."
"You need to stop being such a swot then, mate," James piped up with a violent enough shake of his head that his glasses nearly flew off his face. Peter snickered, but Sirius looked positively incensed.
"Whatever you say, James," Remus sighed softly. He didn't have it to get angry at them for the comment. Sirius was bound to cause a row he didn't fancy having right now; he could see it boiling just under the surface of his skin and steaming out his eyes. "I'll see you in the common room later, yeah?"
"And this has nothing to do with the fact that Snape was motioning you to the door just moments before?" Sirius thundered that a few of their peers began to watch them with curiosity.
He sighed imperceptibly and rounded on Sirius, eyes blazing and unable to stop himself from spitting, "I am sick of having this argument with you. I didn't know you controlled who I spent my time with, Sirius."
"I don't - I, but it's Sniv-"
"Don't bring up that nickname, and I mean it," he growled out in frustration, gripping the straps of his bag tightly, "We have talked and talked, and I've told you repeatedly that you will not change my mind about Severus."
"Yeah, right. Soon enough, we will see you constantly trapezing through the halls and forget about us because he'll have tricked you into being his best mate instead of ours!" he slammed his hands down on the table and began rising to his feet, but James pushed him back down into his seat.
"He isn't going to stop any sort of friendship I have with you. I've told you nothing will change how I feel about you all, okay?" Remus told him with an emotional conviction, "I would put my life on the line to save your sorry arse and being friends with Severus isn't going to change that. Not that he considers me a friend and more of a nuisance. Can't you believe me?!"
Sirius opened his mouth, but James put his hand on his shoulder and glanced over at Remus with a look akin to pity.
Remus sighed wearily where he was, knowing that almost all of the Gryffindor table was listening to their drama. "We can talk about this later, Sirius. Now I'm going to the library to look at transfiguration textbooks. See you later in the common room."
With that, he turned and forced his tired legs to move and avoid Lily's intense gaze. He was free to at least get to the meeting with Severus, though it had cost him some minor scrapes and bruises to his emotional state.
"I feared I wasn't clear enough," Severus said as Remus slipped into their unused classroom, a small spike of irritation sparking in him. He had had a hard enough time getting away from his mates even to get there; he hadn't had to do this in nearly a month, and Sirius constantly ranting that Snape was "stealing" him wasn't helping. At least he had gotten over the brainwashing bit.
He pursed his lips, saying, "I can't exactly follow you on a whim unless you'd like my friends thinking you bewitched me."
"Don't enjoy my humour, Lupin?"
It devolved into some banter about Sandra Tully and Severus and Lily suddenly being in the Slug Club before Severus interrogated Remus immediately about the potion he had been providing for him. Remus hadn't had the chance to ask what it was or how it worked. It wasn't precisely like Wolfsbane; he couldn't keep his mind, but his wolf had been almost- sedated. Tired and lethargic. Not enough energy to try and tear itself apart as much as it wanted to.
"Well, it made me sleepy and a bit shaky because I was too relaxed, but honestly, I have never felt better," he started, "It calmed my nerves as well."
"Any symptoms after several uses?"
"When it didn't knock me out on one of my transformations at first, and I was still awake for part of it, my muscles felt more- flexible. It didn't pain me as much," he told him, settling down and readying himself for the rest of the questions.
It took nearly twenty minutes for Severus to seem satisfied with his collected information as he jotted down notes, which lapsed into a long silence beside the sound of his quill scratching fervently at his notebook.
This lets Remus collect his thoughts on the topics he had swirling in his head, namely Peter Pettigrew. The rat had been occupying his mind more and more lately. If he wasn't occupied with his research or homework or even his strained relationship with Sirius, he was plagued with suffocating anxiety regarding Peter.
He didn't have a single clue as to how to go about him at all.
"Severus," he started, interrupting the constant quill scratching and continued when the man looked up, "I wish to speak to you about a few things."
"Yes?"
"Well," he nervously cleared his throat, "Peter, for the most part-"
He was interrupted by a scoff as Severus gave him a scathing look, setting his quill in the inkwell. "That rat? He is a lost cause, and I don't understand why you dwell so much on him."
"Severus!" Remus cried with shock, "he is still my friend, and he isn't a lost cause yet."
"Do you consider him a friend anymore?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow, "Or do you see the man who betrayed James and Lily? The rat who had no qualms about sacrificing an infant. The shifty coward sent Black to Azkaban so he could escape and only lost a few fingers. The disgusting man who spent years with the Weasleys posing as a pet rat. Wormtail, who crawled back to the Dark Lord at his first convenience."
The silence from Remus was all the answer that Severus needed.
"Even a worm will turn, Remus," he continued as he promptly snatched his quill out of the ink and continued his notes, "My advice to you is to get rid of the problem. Make sure he won't ever be able to do the things he did. He may be a coward, but he isn't idiotic. Never let the cards fall into his hands."
"That is also counting on the prophecy being the same and that it is Harry Potter that You-Know-Who targets," he retorted irritably, "and Peter will follow the same path. Are we not trying to change this?"
"Some children are simply born with tragedy in their blood," Severus snapped harshly, looking ready to kick Remus out of the room.
"You can't mean that."
"Is it not the truth? The prophecy foretold his place in the world before he was ever born. He was born with tragedy approaching him and all those around him," he replied, his quill scratching harder on the parchment. "And if not, it would have been the Longbottom boy. Not that he wasn't born the same way, parents tortured for the fact they could have been associated with the prophecy."
"Then would it have been better if he had not been born at all?" Remus questioned harshly, though he had honestly had the same thoughts. It was just difficult to truly internalise that Harry had the possibility of never existing again.
The thinned-lip look and a gleam of confliction in Severus' eyes was a silent answer, and Remus sighed softly, digging in his bag and pulling out his stack of notes. "I also wanted to talk to you about this," he changed the subject, knowing if they went on any longer, they might have a screaming match with each other.
Remus dropped the notes with some force onto the table next to Severus, the inkwell wobbling momentarily. "Skim through it, and we can discuss things."
All he got in response was a scathing look from the corner of Severus' eyes before he began to go through the notes.
It will be a long evening, Remus thought to himself, Hooray for me.
"Remus," Nymphadora's voice echoed behind him, a palpable relief in it. He turned to face her, a soft smile appearing on her face, seeing his mostly unharmed face. Her brown hair began to flutter into a soft pink, not as vibrant as usual.
Before he could speak, she had nearly knocked him off his feet with a ferocious hug, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her for a moment. The battle of Hogwarts was imminent, and the sounds of explosions against the dome rattled the very foundations of the castle. "You shouldn't have," he murmured, "it's Teddy who needs you."
"He'll sleep till dawn like his father," she told him firmly as she pulled back and gave him a stern look, "it's you who needs me tonight."
Remus opened his mouth to reply when there was a sudden shatter, and the spells and explosions against the magical barrier ceased. They broke apart as they neared the railing and looked out. The dome of magical protection was beginning to dwindle and shatter away. Sparks of the barrier started to drift down, a blinding snowfall.
He turned and glanced at Nymphadora before he reached out to her, and they stretched to reach each other, but before they could clasp hands, the castle shook from an unknown force, and the battle began. Death Eaters and magical creatures began to charge the castle, many being blown away by the onslaught of Order members, teachers, and students.
It spurred them to action; Nymphadora hurried to Remus and pressed him into a breathless kiss. "I love you," she told him before some errant spells began to fly in every direction. They flew apart as a long crack started to form on the floor, and the floor began to crumble and break. Someone did the same for Nymphadora, but on the other side.
"Come on!" Kingsley shouted at Remus, pulling him back from the slowly widening hole.
"Find me! I love you!" he shouted, his hand stretched out towards her again before a spell hit another part of the rampart they were on, and it shook debris loose, causing a cloud of dust to envelope everything.
It was the last time he had seen her, and he couldn't forget the wide-eyed shock and fear written on her face.
Remus sat down against the railing of the astronomy tower as he looked out at the stars, ragged from his lack of sleep. He had been having a bout of insomnia from all the stresses he had, and he was homesick for the home he had built with Nymphadora. One he wasn't sure would ever exist again, but the memories didn't show him mercy when they came unbidden to him at the most inconvenient times.
Dora spun in the kitchen to the radio, a song he vaguely remembered the name of.
Something like "The Sun" or maybe it was "Looking at the Sun", or was it "Staring at the Sun"? That was it. It had to be.
All he knew was that she had loved the song. It had been a great hit that year, and she constantly made him twirl with her whenever it came on (she always did it even when she had been heavily pregnant with Teddy). He could barely stand the song with how often she played it, and frequently, it would remind him of Sirius. His late best friend (at the time) loved songs like these, which often brought up unpleasant moments shared between them. He knew the two would have belted the song together, making Remus' ears bleed.
Sirius had done it enough by himself without adding Tonks to the mix. He had been obsessed with any sort of alternative muggle band. He and Tonks were more alike than the two realised.
"Come on, Remus, dance with me!"
He had always given in to her, and parts of the lyrics would often haunt him. It was a song he couldn't get out of his head whenever Nymphadora crossed his mind. "I'm not the only one, starin' at the sun, " he sang quietly, eyes closed as he imagined his and Tonk's clumsy waltz around the kitchen. "Afraid of what you'd find if you took a look inside…"
"Will we ever live in peace? 'Cause those that can't do often have to!" Nymphadora sang as Remus reluctantly followed her swaying, narrowly dodging her feet from stepping on his own. "Come on, Remus! Sing it too!"
"You're not the only one…"
"Starin' at the sun! Afraid of what you'd find!"
"If you stepped back inside."
Remus sighed softly; what he would give to hear the song again and to have his toes stepped on by his wife early in the evening while being forced to listen to a song he despised. Now, he sang it in solitude and found he didn't mind it much anymore. He couldn't even look back in anger at all the annoyances, only with grief and newfound fondness.
Nymphadora had changed him unknowingly. Her love had shown him he wasn't as unloveable as he had once thought. She took all of him, even the furry parts. It had taken Harry beating it into his head to truly take it in what he had and nearly lost from his cowardice. He believed he had made her an outcast in the wizarding world with their marriage, and Harry had lost it when he found out she was pregnant with Teddy.
He didn't know what he had been thinking of abandoning her pregnant and alone, not now with his new resolve. Remus had made mistakes that he wouldn't let happen again; he wasn't even sure they would be mistakes he could ever have the opportunity to make again.
Remus settled his face against the railing bars, relishing in the cold metal cooling his face. The wind blew and whipped his face, his nose growing numb and runny. His face flushed pink from the cold, stark against the white of his scars.
He didn't know what he would do without her; he didn't know anyone else who could love him the way she had. No matter how short their love lasted before he died. The thoughts continued to swirl as he watched as the snow began to fall, tossed around violently by the wind, creating swirls of white around the Hogwarts grounds. It was almost mesmerising.
"Remus?"
Remus jumped considerably high, whipping around and spotting an unwelcome figure. Peter was nervously fiddling with the edge of their halfway-finished Marauder's map. They had been fiddling with the map for half a year, and he knew it wouldn't be done until around the beginning of next year. Their nicknames wouldn't be added to it until his friends had decided to become animagi to help Remus during his transformations.
"You scared me, Pete," he said with some irritation as he rubbed at his cold face, turning to stare back at the snowfall.
He didn't hear a response besides some shuffling before Peter settled down right next to Remus, though his legs didn't dangle off the platform like his legs were. His were crossed, and he wasn't daring to lean too much near the railing, unlike Remus, who practically hung off it to stare at the weather.
"Are you alright?" After considerable silence, Peter asked, "You've seemed off the past few days."
"I'm fine," Remus told him firmly as he clenched his fists around two railing poles, letting the cold chill his hands and his anger.
"You sound so fine," Peter replied with a smidge of attitude, which deflated afterwards as he continued, "I'm sorry, it's just this year things have been so tense between us, and I just don't understand why and when you left bed earlier, I got concerned."
He didn't acknowledge Peter's words as he shifted and stood up, ignoring the stiffness of his body as he leaned on the railing and looked back at the scenery again. "How many times can the same person break your heart?" he asked. He knew that Peter would interpret it with his arguments with Sirius. Still, he closed his eyes and saw Nymphadora spinning him, a broad smile on her face, silent laughter spilling from her lips. He couldn't remember her laugh anymore.
Peter gave an awkward sound in the back of his throat, standing up and joining Remus by leaning against the railing. However, he shot nervous glances out and down towards the ground. "Well, uhm," he started, "as long as you love them."
"Of course," Remus sighed, turning and rubbing his hands heavily against his face, "I don't know what's gotten into me, Pete. This year has just been tense."
"It's okay, Remus. You've got enough to deal with because of Sirius without adding me into the mix."
'Even a worm will turn.'
Why did Peter forgive so easily? Remus had practically been curt and vaguely polite to him this year, yet he was forgiving him the second he muttered an apology.
Coward.
He turned to look over at Peter, staring at him intently as unbidden thoughts flashed across his mind. He could end it here; he wouldn't have to worry about Peter if he gave him a good enough push. He would go over the railing, and then he wouldn't be a problem. Remus wouldn't have to try to fix the problem.
Remus grew nauseous and disgusted with himself. How could he even think of getting rid of Peter that way? As if he wasn't violent enough, his condemnation doesn't liberate his friend from his future sins. It oppressed him and their friendship and could easily drive him towards his fate if Remus wasn't careful. Swallowing thickly, he looked away, clenching his fists together. "Don't forgive me so easily," he murmured.
"Huh? Remus, what do you mean?"
"How do you not hate me? I've practically ignored you like you aren't a friend because- because," he ranted, grabbing the ends of his hair in distress. He couldn't talk to anyone about this, and the one person he could, he had tried and gotten his perspective, which wasn't very helpful.
"Remus… I don't understand, y- you are my friend," Peter said, though his voice began to falter because he couldn't figure out what Remus was trying to communicate with his silence. His eyebrows raised on his forehead, surprised at his outburst. "You're not a pushover, not- not anymore. You've got James to back down on Snape…"
"I- it isn't about that, not completely-"
Peter interrupted, "Friends have ups and downs, but that doesn't mean we hate each other. We stick together through thick and thin, right?"
"Just because you don't require much to be happy, Peter. That doesn't mean you deserve only the bare minimum. Especially in friendships, they can make you bitter," Remus told him as he cast his eyes to the floor, "don't let us make you resentful. I know we all haven't been the best mates to each other, especially to you."
"Remus…"
"Peter, promise me," he turned and gripped Peter tightly on the shoulders, letting go quickly when an unbidden image from earlier thoughts appeared in his mind. "Promise me you won't let us mistreat you."
"I, I promise," he replied after a moment's hesitation as he tried to decipher Remus' almost crazed look, "I won't."
"Good, good. I'm sorry, Peter."
"I know, Remus. I know. Let's go to bed, yeah?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
He once again found himself in the astronomy tower, a place that always seemed to seek him out. Leaning against the railing and watching the snowy landscape. No one was out as it was past curfew except for nocturnal creatures, which occasionally skittered across the grounds. Hagrid's hut let out plumes of smoke in the distance, cosy looking even from this distance.
Remus knew he had to deal with Sirius lest their fight become irreparable. The tension was hurting the Marauders (at least he was on talking terms with Peter now), but he had no clue how to fix it. He couldn't tell his best mate he had lived in the future and been sent back into the past, could he? And if he did, would he believe him? The very notion of him having lived the future like some kind of premonition was insane, but Remus' mind wouldn't let go of the idea that if he told Sirius about his situation, things between them would get better.
If only Severus could give actual advice rather than tell him to get rid of his friends that he regarded as unsavoury, which was all of them. The problem was that Sirius still felt the same towards Severus as Severus felt about him, and Remus' feelings were entirely at odds with their views. He couldn't just back down like he had in the past; it was a constant clash between him and Sirius.
"What do you want, Remus?" Sirius asked from behind him, causing him to jump lightly. He had put a note on Sirius' pillow in the morning to meet him at the tower before he had scampered off to wander the castle as it was the weekend. He couldn't face Sirius until now; he had spent hours figuring out how to mend the bridge he had singed; one wrong step and the bridge would catch fire and crumble.
"I want to know why we've been having the same argument repeatedly regarding Severus."
Sirius let out a sarcastic bark of laughter as he suddenly moved closer to Remus, trapping him between him and the railing. "It's Severus now, is it? Are you sure you have no idea? That your brain cannot fathom why I dislike Snape?"
Remus looked behind his shoulder and glanced at the distance from the railing to the ground, trying to ignore a memory that caused the blood to rush to his face. He shoved him away and stepped away to gain some space. "I know you don't like him, but it shouldn't affect our friendship!" he continued breathlessly.
Sirius backed off a bit after the shove with a slightly curious look, leaning against the railing and crossing his arms. "But it does. I hate him."
"And? That is your opinion, and it should not affect anything that I have with Snape," Remus told him in exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose to try and stop a headache from forming out of frustration. A split decision later, he stated, "Never mind about Severus, Sirius. I asked you to come here because I need to tell you something."
Sirius scoffed at first as he looked at Remus as if their argument hadn't been surrounded by Severus the whole time, but he paused in his scathing remark when he heard the gravity in Remus' words. Not many things could get him to stop dead in his tracks, but something about his mate's tone had Sirius on edge. It was evident on his face.
"And what is it that you have to tell me?"
He cast a silencing spell without a word before he took a breath and stated with some hesitation, "Sirius- this, this is my past. I have lived this before. I don't know how I'm back, but I am."
Sirius stared at Remus, jaw slack as he tried to take in his words before he began to laugh a bit hysterically. "What sort of joke are you making right now, Moony?" he asked, swiping his hair back, grabbing it at the roots and tugging softly. He approached him a few steps and looked into his eyes to try and see any sign of deception.
Remus stayed silent as he gazed back into his friend's eyes.
"Remus?" he asked, looking desperate for the supposed punchline. When he received nothing, he let another laugh slip out. Not a laugh of mirth anymore but one of disbelief. "You expect me to believe that?! You went back in time and are here to relive your life?"
"I don't expect you to, but I can't prove it to you," Remus started, "I can't prove it to you, but- horrible things happened, James and you died. Peter went missing."
He was not going to tell Sirius about what Peter had done because he knew that if he believed him, Sirius would begin to hate Peter. It would become a complicated mess he did not want to deal with.
Sirius' laugh became hysterical as he doubled over, and his laughter didn't stop until it became a painful wheeze; he wiped tears from his eyes as he straightened up and leaned against the railing. "That is the most barmy thing I've heard you say in ages, Remus. And how did that happen?"
"James died protecting his son, You-Know-Who killed him," he told him, moving and wearily sitting on the ground and leaning his forehead against his knees, "you - well, you died trying to protect your godson, Sirius."
There was a palpable silence after that.
The only sounds were their heavy breathing, hitching gasps from Remus as he clung to himself and breathed heavily. He thought that he had gotten over this, speaking about the grief in his life that hadn't happened in this life. The hurt was still strong even after all this time. His hands trembled violently on his lap as his head remained pressed against his knees.
Of course, Sirius wouldn't believe him; it was such an absurd thought that he thought he might be believed and listened to. Sirius' strength was never listening to others; it was diving straight into danger to protect the ones he loved despite their protests. Sirius never backed down from anything; the conceivable idea of staying home to keep himself safe for Harry's sake was inconceivable to him.
"What about you, Remus?" In a quiet voice, Sirius inquired, "What happened to you?"
"Alone, I was alone, Sirius. For so long, and when I finally had someone, I lost them too-"
"Don't!" Sirius cut him off sharply, which caused Remus' head to snap up at his tone. "Just… don't."
He sighed softly, rubbing his hands over his face as he went to rise, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "What?"
"I-" he started, his face raw and vulnerable, "Remus, was I a good man?"
Remus shuts his mouth with an audible click, his face crumpling as he whispers, "You survived, Sirius. For as long as you could."
"But, but was I good?"
"That isn't the point. We were flawed," he told him, resting a shaking hand on Sirius' arm and squeezing, "After everything, don't blame yourself for who we became."
"But, what was the point if I wasn't good?"
"Sirius…" Remus started, hesitating before he began to spill everything he could tell him. James and Lily, Harry's birth, their deaths, arrest, Remus' lonely years, his year teaching Harry, Sirius' confinement in Grimmauld Place, the second war, Sirius' death, and the rest of the war he had been involved in. He conveniently left out the more unsavoury secrets (especially what had happened between them in secret) he held and the horrors he had witnessed.
Sirius listened without a word until Remus drifted into silence, the weight of the past for one and the potential future for the other settling heavily between them. Finally, breaking the silence, he spoke hushedly, "I'm sorry, Moony, I am."
"No, I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm so sorry for everything," Remus told him vehemently, wiping his eyes with his cloak.
"No, Remus, he wasn't your failure," he murmured as a bitter smile crossed his lips, "You didn't kill Sirius. He did… I did."
Remus met his gaze, his smile mirroring Sirius', but it held deep sadness. "You had every excuse to be the way you were, Sirius. It was twelve years in Azkaban. You were saner than most."
"But- but the mess I left behind, how-"
"Sirius," he cut off, reaching his hand towards him and grasping Sirius' tightly, "you were just part of that mess, but you weren't the cause. We all made our choices, some good and some. It's okay."
"It's not, Remus."
"You aren't the Sirius I knew before he died, nor do I ever want you to become him again," Remus said, exhaling heavily, "and I have the chance to change that."
"Not you, us. We can change things," Sirius started, seemingly energised by the thought of making things right.
Remus stopped him with a squeeze of his hand, shaking his head as thoughts raced. Of course, he should have known Sirius would try to dive head-first into the danger without a second thought. He had seen that impulsive side of him too many times before, and it had been the thing that had led to his death. He shouldn't have told him; it might have finally solved this fight, but it could have just put Sirius into a lot of trouble.
Sirius could get himself killed. The information could put a target on his back if someone inclined to look into his mind- any number of things could go wrong, but he had done it. This wasn't something he could take back; this was not something he could share with Severus, and he would have to deal with any consequences that arose.
"Can you trust me-?"
"Of course, Remus, always," he cut Remus off, nodding vigorously.
"-Sirius," he sighed softly, rubbing his hands over his eyes, "can you trust me to tell you more one day? There are so many things you would need to know before you could help me."
A flicker of frustration crossed Sirius' features as he insisted, "Then tell me."
"I can't- not now," Remus told him, thinking of how he was going to have to explain the fact he hadn't come back alone. Severus was still a sore subject for now. Sirius didn't know enough to enact anything, but he would have to keep an eye on him.
"Just trust me, please."
A mix of uncertainty and fear lingered in his eyes as he squeezed Remus' hand and nodded, "Okay."
Remus breathed out a sigh of relief, shoulders sagging in relief, "thank you, Sirius."
Sirius smiled softly, leaning against the wall and not letting go of Remus' hand, lapsing them into contemplative silence as the first snowflakes fell onto the edge of the railing. The castle grounds snow would grow by a few inches by morning light.
"Hey," Remus started, turning and looking at their joined hands, "do you want to spend the Hols with me and my parents?"
Sirius' grip tightened, which made him look up into his eyes, something akin to barely contained excitement and fear in his eyes. "Really? I'd have to ask… you know."
"I know, I have to ask my parents, but they'll love to. I just know it," he reassured, though he was nervous about Sirius asking his parents if he could spend his holiday at a known Half Bloods house. They were barely receptive to James being Sirius' friend, and he was a Pureblood.
"I'll ask and let you know, but- I would love to."
He knew Sirius would do anything not to have to go back to his home and into a den full of snakes who took any opportunity to bite him for just existing. "I'll be waiting for an answer then," he quipped, lighter than he had felt since waking back in his childhood bedroom.
The air in Hogsmeade was arid and cold, the Marauders parading down the snow-covered cobblestone as they laughed and chatted. Their breaths hung in the air like ethereal spectres caught in a dance with the frigid air; every exhale from them painted a fleeting ballet before it disappeared as momentarily as it had come.
The shop windows glittered with their festive displays, showcasing an array of trinkets and goods they advertised for the holiday. Laughter from other Hogwarts students echoed through the snowy village. A few third years slipped and slid down a sidewalk, squealing, and landed in a snowy bush.
Peter was bundled up in a thick scarf, as round as a snowman, with how many layers he was piled in. His excuse was his mum expected him to stay warm, and Sirius nearly pissed himself with laughter when he had first seen him. They walked alongside James Potter, his face lit with excitement as he hungrily eyed Honeydukes in the distance.
Remus watched them, calm and collected, as he smiled at the scene of his friends.
"Alright, lads, I think our first stop is Honeydukes," he stated, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Trying to give us a toothache before Hols even starts?" James asked though he looked just as happy about the prospect of visiting Honeydukes as Sirius was.
"What is the holiday about besides toothaches and too much candy?!" Sirius exclaimed as he hooked his arm with Peter and James and began to drag them down the sidewalk. He looked behind his shoulder and motioned with his head as he yelled, "C'mon, Moony!"
Remus shook his head fondly, trailing after them as Sirius manhandled their other friends into the bustling candy shop. He watched them dash through the place and head towards the more sour and reactive candies.
He took the opportunity to head towards the chocolate section, picking out a few bars for himself and a couple of chocolate frogs as presents for Peter. He was still an avid collector of the cards, and he always gave him a few every year.
As Remus began to head to the checkout, the cashier raised an eyebrow at the mass assortment of chocolate in his arms. It was a running joke between him and her; whenever he came in, she acted affronted by all his chocolate purchases.
"Morning to you too, Eilidh," he greeted as he set down his stash, digging out his small coin purse and setting down the exact amount.
Eilidh grabbed the coins without counting them and began to bag the awful amount of chocolate. "I see you've run out of your stash. It's only been what? Two weeks?"
"Three exactly!" He exclaimed softly, "And besides, some of it is for Peter for the Hols."
"Ah, presents for Christmas," she mused softly, finishing packing and passing the bundle over to Remus. "You have a good Hols, a'right? I'll see you when you come back. You're always my favourite customer, not those snot-nosed bairns in here on a daily basis."
"I feel so loved," Remus laughed lightly, adjusting the bundle underneath his arm and waving to her as he went to find his mates. He had to make sure they hadn't destroyed something.
Making his way through the crowded aisles, his chocolate stash secured, he spotted James and Sirius in a heated debate about whether the acid pops or the fudge flies were better. Peter was watching, amused as he dug through the packets of liquorice wands, his favourite despite most being black liquorice flavoured.
"Acid pops have so much more flavour," James argued as Sirius scoffed at him, "I don't see how you can like how those fudge flies wiggle in your mouth. It's disgusting!"
"Why you-!" Sirius cut himself off when he spotted Remus, turning to him and exclaiming, "Remus! Which is better: fudge flies or acid pops?!"
"Chocolate frogs," Remus announced, not about to get into this argument, "how about we get them all and feast on what we like?"
Sirius grumbled lightly as James nodded enthusiastically, "I agree, Moony! But let's skip those fudge flies-"
He was grabbed by Sirius, who shook him around slightly, "Hey! He said everyone's treats. I am getting my fudge flies!"
Remus shared a look with Peter as they rolled their eyes at their two mates' antics, it would only get worse from here.
Armed with their array of treats, they entered Zonko's Joke Shop, and Sirius was immediately drawn towards a display of enchanted snowballs that screamed when thrown.
Remus hadn't seen the product in ages, remembering when it had been banned in his sixth year after a mishap involving Sirius and a group of fourth years running in terror from him with the snowballs screaming at their heels.
Laughing to himself, he leaned his chin on Sirius' shoulder as he whispered, "You know, you got those banned in sixth year when you terrorised a group of Ravenclaw fourth years. Flitwick gave you detention for a month."
Sirius shivered lightly at how close Remus was, glancing down at him from where he was perched on his shoulder. A slow grin began to trickle onto his face at the news. He looked down at the snowballs and began to pile them into his arms. "You think I could get them banned this year?"
"Sirius," Remus warned lightly, pulling away and clearing his throat awkwardly, "don't even think about it."
"C'mon, Moony," Sirius whined, expanding the syllables in Moony as he bumped shoulders with him since his arms were full of the snowballs, "it's just a bit of fun."
"Only if you are terrorising James," Remus acquiesced, "but no one else! Terrorising younger years isn't funny."
He gave a long sigh, putting a chunk of the snowballs back and leaving about half in his arms. "James is going to hate me," he continued as a grin returned to his face, hurrying off to purchase the prank items before James found out the plans for them.
Remus shook his head fondly. He followed Sirius around after his purchase and rounded up their two other mates, letting them purchase their things before they left Zonko's. There was a mischievous gleam in Sirius' eyes when he occasionally glanced at James, who had no clue what his fate would be tonight once they returned to the dorms tonight.
As they stroll through Hogsmeade, chatting merrily with each other, Remus felt the place was a refuge from the turmoil beyond the Hogwarts walls. It was easy to forget everything he needed to do and the heavy burden that rested on his shoulders. It was only a brief respite, a small semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos.
After a few more visits to various shops, they entered the Three Broomsticks, chilly and ready to be warmed by the bustling shop and their butterbeers. Remus sported a hefty bag of gifts, including one for Severus, Lily, James, Sirius, Peter and his parents. He had struggled internally when he had finally purchased one for Regulus, but he couldn't bring himself not to send some sort of gift when he was Sirius' brother. He didn't know the Slytherin that well, but he couldn't not get Sirius' brother something. After badgering Sirius for it, he returned to Honeydukes to get Regulus' favourite candy. Surprisingly, it had been Sugar Quills.
James led them to a vacant table towards the middle, and they all settled around it. Sirius went off to get them butterbeers. They all took a moment to rest until he returned, sloshing the mugs onto the table.
"Tonight, we celebrate the Marauders!" Sirius exclaimed as he dropped into his seat, raising his mug high. They all cheered softly, clinking the glasses violently that Madam Jamie had glared at them from behind the counter; Rosmerta was striking in likeness to her mother, who currently ran the Three Broomsticks. It was odd not to see the younger woman giggling and joking with patrons.
Drinking and laughing merrily between jokes and snips at each other, they got lost in the simplicity of enjoying each other's company. Amidst the merriment, however, Remus made eye contact with Severus Snape, who had entered a few moments before and whom Lily and Xenophilius Lovegood were leading towards a booth near them flagged by two others.
His friends didn't take long to follow his gaze, swivelling in their seats to see what had gotten his attention. James went red in the face, looking on the verge of exploding. Looking ready to explode at how close Lily and Severus were sitting. He still wasn't over his jealousy of the duo's friendship. Sirius and Peter did seem annoyed with James, which added to the comedy of it all.
Remus nearly burst into laughter as he gave a swig of butterbeer. "Lighten up!" he exclaimed to them, always the mediator, "let's enjoy the evening!"
His cheer was a momentary distraction, prompting Sirius and Peter to let out a few chuckles. They nudged James, causing a small smile to appear on his lips, and they began to return to their previous celebratory mood.
"Mates for life?" James asked them all, accompanied by a chorus of cheers in response, clinking their glasses together again.
"To the end," Remus agreed, and Sirius shot him a soft look in understanding.
"To the end," Sirius echoed, reaching and squeezing him on the shoulder. A gesture laden with unspoken sentiments that were only known between them.
"To the end!" Peter and James joined in with enthusiasm for the moment, unaware of the subtle gravity embedded in those three words. The moment was filled with camaraderie, and their friendship felt invincible, something that could never be broken. If only Remus could believe that was true, but he would try.
They were packed into the compartment, Sirius and James being as obnoxious as possible to each other ever since Sirius had unleashed the snowballs on James a few days ago. The two had been pranking each other relentlessly in the dorms, and Remus and Peter were ready to strangle the two. The dorm had been an absolute mess by the time they left, and Remus had left the house elves a note of apology because they hadn't had time to clean it all before they'd all gone sprinting to the carriages to catch one before it left them at the castle.
As the train chugged towards their destination, the four friends sat in the compartment, trying to hide their laughter as Sirius described James' face in detail on the snowball prank. This prompted James to tell the itchy underpants he had tricked Sirius into wearing and how he had gone starkers in the dorm, and he had nearly gotten a picture of him scratching his bare arse. The two began a wrestling match, shouting and cursing.
Remus had to admit as much as he disapproved of their behaviour, it was nice to see James and Sirius getting along again.
On the other hand, Peter was content to watch the banter from the sidelines, occasionally interjecting with a comment of his own.
The Hogwarts Express was always a bittersweet experience for Remus, knowing that another year of school meant another year closer to graduation and the real world. The real world that he wished he didn't have to deal with, not the problems that he and Severus were trying to figure out and solve. But for now, he was content to enjoy each of his friends' company and the excitement of the Holiday break ahead.
They finally dug into the candy stashes they had bought at Hogsmeade after James and Sirius decided to stop trying to tangle each other, and the compartment finally quieted down for the moment. Who knew when the two would start up their banter again.
"So," Peter started after a while, "what are you guys planning to do for the Hols?"
"Well, you know Sirius is coming to my house for most of the Hols," Remus told him, "I don't think we have many plans, honestly. Probably drop by for a visit if you aren't busy doing something."
"You both can drop by my place," James offered lightly, "my parents say their bones get achy this time of year, so they don't like to take any trips."
"My mum is taking us to France to visit her family," Peter said apologetically, "I'll send you all a postcard!"
"Sounds good to me, Peter," James quipped with a smile.
"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "I'll be looking for the owl."
"I'll send two to you and Remus with the same owl," he promised, beaming.
They settled in for the rest of the train ride, excited at the prospect of a break from school. Remus smiled at the thought of spending the holidays with Sirius; the two could finally finish their project on a Goblin Revolt that Binns had assigned them unfairly right before the Hols. He couldn't wait to spend time with his friend without worrying about anything for at least a week or two.
As the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, the four friends gathered their belongings and exited the train. Peter and James split away from them when they spotted their respective parents.
Remus took Sirius' hands as they began to wade through the crowd, and he sped up, dragging his friend along when he spotted his mother's curly head of hair, which meant his father was nearby.
"There is my mum!" he exclaimed.
Sirius grinned at him, "Lead the way, Moony."
They push through the crowds of students and parents, finally reaching Remus's mum. "Mum!" Remus greeted her with a hug, "I missed you."
Hope smiled softly as she hugged Remus tightly, squeezing him until he gasped for air. She let go of him and peppered his face in kisses before she did the same to Sirius. "I missed you both," she told them as she pulled them close with an arm around both their shoulders, "you need to come visit more often, Sirius. We don't see enough of you."
"Of course, Mrs Lupin," Sirius told her with a grin as he draped his arm around her middle when Remus did and trapped her between them.
"You know I told you to call me Mum or Hope!" she argued mildly, squeezing the both of them before she shimmied out of their hold, "I insist!"
"Okay, mum!" Sirius agreed, not fighting her on that sentiment.
Lyall came from the crowd, holding two hot chocolates that he pushed into the boys' hands as soon as he saw them. "I'm here right on time, aren't I?" he mused softly, giving the two a side hug, "it's so nice to see the both of you. I'm glad you decided to spend the holidays with us, Sirius. The more the merrier."
"Of course, Lyall," he excitedly said, unable to keep his giddiness out of his face.
"Good man," Lyall cheered softly, clasping their shoulders, "now, let's go to the car. We have a long ride home. You know how Hope loves car rides."
"Yes, I do!" Hope huffed with hands on her hips, "I refuse to take the floo for something important like this. Car rides are a must once in your life when you're a muggle. Even half of one like Remus is."
The two began to walk off as Hope kept arguing her point, expecting the two to follow.
As they followed, Remus couldn't help but feel grateful for Sirius and his parents, for moments like these that made everything else seem insignificant. He knew they were all facing their battles, but for now, they had each other, which was enough.
Heyy So that took a while to get out almost a year to get this chapter out but ENJOY! and I think this might also have Wolfstar in it I am undecided just yet. Hope you enjoy reading and comment kindly (: