It was a slightly chilly night for early June, though Remus supposed it was always a little colder sitting up on the rooftop of Gryffindor Tower. The sky was clear and moonless and the stars were shining exceptionally bright over the black lake. Usually, a night like this would be blissful for Remus. No moon meant no ache in his bones and little to no animalistic instinct trying to overcome the human part of his brain. These were the nights he most enjoyed planning or partaking in pranks with his friends or sneaking out to get drunk and just behaving like any other seventeen-year-old boy. Tonight, though, he felt numb.

His mind was in shock. For all of the terrible things that had happened to him in his short life, the one thing he had held onto for comfort was that he had two wonderful, caring parents and somehow he never thought to consider that they may not always be around.

She's not dead. He reminded himself for what felt like the thousandth time since he had opened the letter from home. She's sick and there's a chance she could get better. You haven't lost her.

Yet. Added another bitter voice in his head. A voice he quickly tried to shake off with a shuddering sigh as he tilted his head back to rest against the stone of the castle with his eyes screwed shut.

"Ah, there you are."

Remus didn't open his eyes or move from his position, but he heard the heavy footsteps of Sirius' boots coming toward him.

"I told you to go on with Prongs and Wormtail to plant that hair potion on the Slytherins," he said quietly.

Sirius snorted and he could hear the rustling of the boy's leather jacket as he was probably searching the pockets for his cigarettes.

"We put it off for the night. We're more concerned about you, believe it or not."

Remus' eyes opened with a start as he felt the warm, weighted material of Sirius' jacket covering his shoulders. Sirius sat down beside him, smiling around the unlit cigarette in his mouth. "You looked a little cold."

Remus forced a smile in return and pulled the jacket tighter around him. "Thanks." He watched his boyfriend light up a cigarette and inhale.

"So," Sirius said after a moment as he exhaled the smoke. "D'you want to talk about it?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't know what to say, really…" He looked back out into the dark night. He felt like his insides were completely knotted up and he had to keep swallowing past this awful lump in his throat. Sirius just waited patiently, blowing smoke rings which transfigured, somewhat sloppily but still quite impressively, into different shapes; a moon, a star, a heart.

Remus let a small smile slip. He sighed. "It's called cancer. Muggles get it sometimes and… well, they don't always survive it." He chewed on his bottom lip anxiously before continuing. "You can get it all sorts of ways, but if there's a family history, you're more at risk. My grandad died from it as well."

"I'm sorry…" Sirius muttered and Remus shook his head with a small shrug.

"I didn't really know him," he said. "Mum's family are all Muggles, so when I was bitten we sort of… lost touch with them." He pulled his knees closer to his chest and stared out into the distance, not wanting to see the sad look he knew Sirius was giving him. "It's easy to tell everyone your kid is away at boarding school without having to tell anyone he's a wizard. It's not as easy to explain why your five-year-old is covered in scars and bruises and always looks ill. So she cut them all off… she could have left me and Dad. She could have run back to her family and had a normal, Muggle life. A better life, not having to deal with having a werewolf for a child… she should have."

"Remus…" Sirius' voice was gentle, but clearly warning that he would not allow Remus to go down that path.

"Sorry…" Remus felt his cheeks heat up just a little and he went quiet. He let his head drop onto Sirius' shoulder and they both sat in silence, looking out at the sky. Sirius' arm snaked around him, pulling him closer before he pressed a lingering kiss to the top of his head that warmed Remus' entire body from head to toe. They rested their foreheads together. "Padfoot…?"

"Yeah?" Sirius pulled back to look Remus in the eyes.

"I… I have a sort of request," Remus said anxiously. "You could say no, of course, if you're uncomfortable… I completely understand, I just…"

"Anything, Moony," Sirius said, nuzzling his nose lightly against Remus' hair. "You know that."

"Would you come home with me at the end of term?" His voice was barely above a whisper as he asked and there was a heavy pause after that absolutely terrified him. He swallowed again. "I… I want her to know you."

More silence and Remus thought perhaps jumping off the roof may just be the only way to end the terrible pain he felt in his gut. Then Sirius' fingers lifted his chin, forcing him to meet his silvery grey eyes, a half smirk splayed on his face.

"You want me to meet your parents?"

Remus blushed and nodded. "Yes… b-but you really don't have to. I know it's sort of an awkward time and-" Sirius' lips softly pressed against his own, successfully shutting him up.

"Yes," Sirius said, his forehead still resting lightly against Remus'.

"Yes?"

"Yes," he repeated with a chuckle, and Remus' heart melted. "Anything, Moony... Anything."

They kissed again, Remus' fingers tangling in Sirius' soft, dark hair as he held onto the other boy like a lifeline and Sirius' arm that was still holding him around his waist pulled him gently, coercing him to sit practically in his lap where Remus had to admit he had never felt more safe and secure.

They didn't break apart until someone cleared their throat from behind them. Peter was standing, one leg on the rooftop and the other still inside the dorm room window, looking apologetic.

"Sorry to interrupt." He smiled sheepishly and held up a bag. "But Prongs and I figured you'd both murder us if we ran off to get drunk without you. And Moony could use a little buzz, I think."

Sirius looked at Remus, silently asking if he wanted to go. Remus nodded.

"Yeah." He smiled at Peter. "Thanks, Wormtail. You're right, I could definitely use it."

Peter's grin widened a little. "Excellent. I'm glad. We'll just let you two finish up out here, then." He ducked back inside.

Sirius stood and extended a hand that Remus took, allowing himself to be pulled up and into a tight embrace. They didn't say anything, they didn't have to, and together they went back inside to where James and Peter were waiting.

"Alright, Moony?" James asked, looking concerned as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Sirius had taken the bag from Peter and he and James excitedly praised their friend for his excellent selection of stolen drinks while Peter beamed with pride. James was pulling the invisibility cloak from his trunk while Sirius unfolded the map, glancing up for a second to wink and smirk at Remus.

"Yeah," Remus answered. "I think I will be."

James patted him reassuringly on the shoulder before throwing the cloak over all their heads.

"...Fuck," he muttered as all of them squeezed as close as possible. Looking down they could see that their feet were sticking out.

"We don't all fit anymore." Sirius laughed. "Godric, for the first time I think I feel old. We've grown."

Remus hummed thoughtfully for a moment, his eyes landing on Peter. "Pete, why don't you transform? I'll carry you."

"Good idea, Moony," Peter chirped, smiling brightly at the idea that only he could fix their newfound problem. His body began to shrink and within seconds a rat stood in his place. Remus bent down and offered his hand, which Wormtail sniffed at and quickly scurried up onto the boy's shoulder. Remus plucked him up and placed him carefully in the chest pocket of his shirt, where the rat then stuck his little face out.

"Ah, much better," James announced briskly. "On we go!"

—-

Lily had to admit that she hated being a prefect on the last few nights of term. There was nothing worse than being the person responsible for breaking up everyone's end-of-the-year celebrations.

Most students stuck to common room parties, of course, but others snuck out for more private shenanigans and Lily had lost count of just how many broom-closet snogs she had exasperatingly broken up in just the last hour. Including:

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Marlene!" Lily pinched the bridge of her nose as Marlene and Dorcas stumbled, giggling and disheveled, out from behind a tapestry.

"Sorry Lily," Dorcas laughed, flattening her skirt and watching Marlene try to discreetly wipe lipstick smudges from her face. "We'd have kept to the dorm room but Alice was in there."

Lily rolled her eyes but was smiling as her two best friends kissed again and helped each other pull themselves back together. "Yeah, yeah, I understand. You know I have to send you back, though. Ask Alice to go to the common room or something."

"Right," Marlene snorted. "We'll ask her."

"On Prefects orders." Dorcas winked at Lily.

Lily sighed. "Alright, fine. I never saw you. But for Godirc's sake used a silencing charm so you aren't caught by another Prefect or Filch."

Marlene grinned. "You're the best Lily." She took Dorcas' hand. "Back to the closet then, love."

"So romantic!" Dorcas chimed, fanning herself dramatically as she was pulled back into the cupboard by her girlfriend.

Lily waited until she was sure the other girls had charmed the door before she continued on her rounds.

The corridors were pretty much empty and very quiet other than the soft sound of Lily's own leisurely footsteps and the occasional portrait that greeted and made small talk with her, but other than that she couldn't help being slightly bitter that she didn't get to enjoy her last night in the castle for the year and she wished that Remus had been able to make the shift with her.

That's not fair, she reminded herself, feeling guilty. With the news he got, he deserves to be out getting his mind off things. Don't be selfish.

She looked down at her watch. Ten-thirty. At least there was only an hour left before she could return to the common room, certainly whatever festivities were going on up there wouldn't be over just yet. She could still have a decent night. She was already down by the dungeons, perhaps if she walked very slowly she could start heading back now.

Almost at the exact moment that the thought crossed her mind, there was a jet of light that hit her so fast she had no time at all to make a grab for her wand and deflect it. Her body went rigid against the stone wall as the body-bind took instant effect and she felt her heart begin to race.

"It's that Gryffindor mudblood, Evans," said a voice from somewhere she couldn't see. Four people, all with the hoods of their cloaks up so she could not see their faces, stepped into her line of vision and she held her breath as the one in front stepped closer.

"Perfect." He chuckled darkly, twirling his wand between two long fingers. She recognized the voice, but she couldn't figure out who it was. "In fact, I don't think this could have worked out any better." He turned to the side, towards one of the other cloaked figures. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The other person didn't say anything, they just hung their head, their hood slipping down further over their unseen face.

The first man shrugged and laughed, turning back to Lily who struggled slightly against the jinx even though she knew it was completely useless. "What a shame. I'd have thought you'd want to be the first to have a go at her. Ah well, what about you?" He looked towards the person on his other side, who jumped slightly when addressed.

"Er… w-well…"

That voice she definitely knew.

"Regulus…" She managed through gritted teeth. "You don't have to!"

The cloaked figure that was Regulus Black's head shot up when he heard his name and his hood flew back, revealing his face which went very pale.

"Shut up, Mudblood filth!" Snapped the fourth figure in the back. The high-pitched voice of Bellatrix Black. She quickly grabbed the back of Regulus' hood and yanked it back up so he was once again covered. "Let me do it, Mulciber!"

Lily felt her stomach twist and she could feel cold sweat starting to form on her skin. There was nothing she could do. She was trapped.

"Now Bella, all in good time," Mulciber sneered. He reached out with one hand and wrapped his fingers around Regulus' wrist. "Little Reggie needs this more than you do. He has yet to prove himself…" He pulled the younger boy forward, making him stumble slightly which made him a little less intimidating. Lily felt sorry for him.

"Come on then, Regulus." Mulciber coerced gently, using the hand on Regulus' wrist to force the younger student to raise his wand and point it at Lily. "You've got to learn how to use this. Curse the little muggle freak. It's easy if you imagine it's someone you truly hate… pretend it's that disgrace of a brother of yours."

Bellatrix cackled with laughter behind them, but Regulus didn't budge. He stood there completely still as if he himself were locked in a body-bind curse. Lily stared hard at him, silently pleading and hoping that he saw her, hoping there was some part of him that was still the boy his brother desperately missed.

Lily felt every nerve in her body relax as Regulus jerked his arm away from Mulciber, his hood slipping off again so that Lily could see his steel grey eyes glaring at the older Slytherin. "No. This is stupid."

"Stupid?" Mulciber repeated, clearly outraged. "You can't just deny orders because you think-"

"I don't think it's stupid," Regulus growled, standing a little taller with his shoulder back. "It is stupid! And I don't need to take orders from you. We're in a bloody school, Mulciber! You can do whatever the hell you want, but I'm not going to risk expulsion for you." He raised his wand at Lily again and she braced herself for whatever was coming, only to find her body suddenly released and she fell, slumped to the floor. She stood quickly and brushed herself off, whipping her wand out and pointing it back at Regulus, whose wand was still raised and pointed at her.

"You won't tell anyone about this, Evans." It wasn't a question.

Lily, still shaking but firmly standing her ground, hesitated for a moment before she nodded.

Bellatrix made a frustrated sound that resembled a dying cat and stormed off. Mulciber shook his head at Regulus and followed after Bellatrix, leaving only the final, silent person and Regulus, who still hadn't broken eye contact with Lily.

"You won't tell anyone?" Regulus emphasized, his eyes going from threatening to pleading in a flash. Lily knew what he meant. Don't tell Sirius. She shook her head and Regulus finally lowered his wand, slipping it into his pocket. His posture relaxed and it looked for a moment like he wanted to say 'thank you', but instead he looked at the other person that remained. "Let's go."

Lily didn't wait to watch them leave, and she hurried in the opposite direction down the hall as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her ears and her hand fisted so tightly around her wand that her knuckles were bloodless and white. She heard footsteps running quickly after her and she spun around, wand raised, and a hex on her lips.

"Lily, wait!"

"You!" Lily nearly screamed in outrage, jabbing her wand directly into Severus' chest. Severus' eyes went wide and he raised both hands in surrender.

"Lily, listen-"

Lily let out a sharp laugh, glaring daggers into the boy with disgust. "How dare you, Severus!" She growled. "How dare you try to speak to me after all you've done! After what you just did!"

"I didn't do anything!" Severus defended desperately.

"Bullshit!" Lily spat. Her blood was boiling. She gripped her wand, her mind racing with every jinx, hex, and spell she could think of to throw at him. "I told you a year ago I was finished with you, Severus. You continue to hang out with these… these terrorists!"

"They aren't-"

"That's what they will be! It's what they want to be once they get out of school and join that cult that's been murdering muggles and muggleborns! Innocent people, Severus! People like me!"

"Lily, you don't understand! You don't know what's actually happening to our world right now. Please, Lily, I can't protect you!"

"Protect me!?" Lily cried out. "What, like what you did just now? You stood there with your tail between your legs and did nothing, Severus! You are a coward!"

Severus' eyes hardened into a glare and he sneered. "And you think Potter can protect you?" Lily gasped in shock. "Don't think I haven't seen the way you look at him these days. I've seen you with him in the library, helping him with Black's pet werewolf-"

SLAP!

Lily's open hand connected sharply with Severus' cheek and he stumbled back in shock. Lily took a threatening step forward.

"You listen to me, Severus," Lily uttered venomously. "First of all, whatever you think I feel for James Potter isn't any of your business. And second of all, I don't need anyone's protection. Not his, and certainly not yours. Do I make myself clear? I can take care of myself."

"That's not how it seemed back there," Severus said.

"Outnumbering and attacking whilst my back was turned isn't what I would consider a fair assessment of what I'm capable of," Lily countered angrily, and whatever Severus had planned to combat her with faltered. Lily took a deep breath. "I'm taking fifty points from Slytherin."

"You told Regulus you wouldn't tell-"

"I never saw Regulus," Lily said coldly, standing straighter and delighting in the way Severus' eyes widened. "Just you. Out of bounds, after hours, and sneaking around after other people as usual." She stepped back, her wand no longer pressed into the boy's ribs. "Now, go back to your common room, Snivellus."

Severus stood still, clearly shocked by Lily's harsh words. Lily turned to walk away, and then, not feeling quite satisfied enough, she turned back and lifted her wand.

"Furnunculus!" She shouted and boils began to pop up all over Severus' face and, though not visible, under his robes and all over his body. Severus choked on air as he stumbled back away from her in horror and she smirked. "You should probably see Madam Pomfrey before you get on the train home tomorrow."

And before Severus could say or do anything else, she spun around, robes billowing behind her, and marched back to Gryffindor Tower.

—-

"Wow…" James and Peter both stared at Sirius in mild disbelief from where they were perched on James' bed. Remus in the Prefects end-of-term meeting and the boys were packing.

Sirius continued throwing things haphazardly into his trunk. "What? D'you not think I should?"

"No!" James said, shaking his head. "It's just… that's a huge thing, isn't it? Meeting his parents. Especially with everything that's going on with his family."

"How do you feel about it?" Peter asked.

Sirius sighed and ran his hand through his hair, then rubbed at his eyes. How did he feel?

"I don't know," he muttered. "Honestly, I'm too worried about Remus to even think about the fact that we're sort of… well…"

"Taking a big step?" Peter offered. Then he frowned. "Er… not to add any sort of stress to the situation, Padfoot, but do Remus' parents even know that he's… y'know…not straight?"

Sirius paused what he was doing and blinked a few times. "I… I really don't know, honestly." He sat on top of his trunk to get it shut. "Shit. This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?" Panic had suddenly risen in Sirius' chest as every possible horrible outcome played out in his head. Remus' parents could be disgusted with him and maybe even throw him out. It wasn't unheard of, obviously. Of course, even if they didn't mind the fact that their son was dating another boy, that boy was him, and he didn't have the best track record with parents.

"Bloody hell, what if they hate me?" He muttered, eyes going wide with fear as he looked desperately at his friends for support.

"Oh please, why would they hate you?" James rolled his eyes and stood up, crossing over to sit beside Sirius on the trunk.

Sirius gave him a deadpanned look and gestured to himself with his hand. "Because I'm me. Sirius Black: Every parent's worst nightmare."

James laughed and shook his head. "Cut the shit, Padfoot. My parents adore you. I think they like you more than they like me!" He slung his arm over Sirius' shoulder. "I'm relatively sure all Remus' parents want is for him to be happy. You make him happy."

"Sometimes…" Sirius mumbled, covering his face with his hands. "I didn't think about how stressful this could be when I agreed to do it."

"So then tell Moony you can't," Peter suggested quietly. Both James and Sirius stared at him, mouths agape and looking almost offended that he would even suggest that. Peter just shrugged at them. "If you really think that your being there will only make things harder for Remus, don't go. He can deal with having a sick mum all on his own and you can brood and whine around Prongs' house all summer about how you weren't there for your Moony and 'ooooh what a horrible boyfriend I am' and 'Moony deserves the whole world, I should jump off a cliff into a pit of inferi!'" Peter mimicked dramatically, throwing the back of his hand against his forehead and falling back onto the bed.

"I do not brood like that!" Insisted Sirius, folding his arms.

James snorted beside him. "You really do though- ow!" He winced as Sirus' elbow jabbed his ribs. Rubbing his injured side, James sighed. "Look, Sirius… Remus really needs you right now. I don't think he'd have suggested it if he didn't think it was what he needed in this situation. He wants you there. His mum is important to him, you're important to him, and he's afraid there may not be another chance to do this. And I know you, Padfoot. You wouldn't want to be anywhere else but with him while he goes through this mess."

Sirius knew that James was right and he nodded. "Yeah…"

James grinned. "Excellent. It's settled then, you're off to meet Remus' parents." With another encouraging pat on Sirius's shoulder, James stood up. "Bloody good thing too, because I can't deal with another trip home where you do nothing but brood over your barmy relationship." Sirius threw his pillow at him.

Sirius finna meet Remus' parents!

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