Broken Mirror (Sirius/Remus fanfic)

[Sirius Black!]

I'm putting this on here so Bianca can read it.. sorry if it's crap, it's my first Marauders story, and my first slash ;D feel free to comment, but you don't have to xD

CHAPTER ONE

Light brown eyes peeked out through the gap in the four poster bed. Only a beam of moonlight lit up the room at all. Giggling was heard, although all the other boys in the Gryffindor fifth year boys’ dormitory were asleep by now. Remus Lupin watched a tall, rather thin fifteen year old with shaggy black hair steal into the room with a very pretty blonde girl. Sirius put a long finger to the girl’s lips, which caused her to laugh with her mouth closed. He kissed her gently on the forehead, and she went to kiss him on the neck. He shook his head, and nodded towards the rest of the room, indicating they could go no further. It was a lie. He was just trying to lead her on further, making her crave him more. There was hardly anything he could do left that would make her do so any more. Sirius knew this, of course he did. He did it for himself more than he did for her. By holding her off now, he was making her seem more desirable for him. They gave in too easily. Remus knew that Sirius had grown bored of it ages ago, and now he had to keep himself amused with them.

The girl tried again to kiss him, but Sirius turned his head in a heartbreaking fashion. She looked put off, but he whispered something in her ear that caused her to giggle once again. He kissed her on the cheek, and Remus could almost swear that he could see her blush from across the room. It was the same show, night after night, and it didn’t matter what night of the week it was. Sometimes it was the same girl for weeks at a time, but Sirius was never a boyfriend. He refused to be given such a title. It was too much of a responsibility, and he knew that it would create a harder time to break things off. He tried not to get their emotions involved, but Sirius was only fooling himself. Practically every girl in Hogwarts desired him, even if they didn’t admit it.

Remus looked away briefly, not interested in seeing any more of what they might be doing. He found her reactions nauseating. It might not have been so bad if it was the first time he got this show. When he looked back, he noticed Sirius walking towards him, but knew he was heading to his bed right next to Remus’. Remus laid back, pretending to not have been looking. He looked through another crack in his four poster, and watched as Sirius laid back in his own bed casually, with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankle. Sirius’ grey eyes evaluated the top of his bed with a sly grin on his face.

“You awake?” Sirius asked suddenly, catching Remus off-guard.

“Yes,” Remus admitted. He had been contemplating lying, but decided against it. What would be the point? He would merely lay there with his heart hammering in his chest, wondering if Sirius would have some sort of sixth sense that would allow him to know that his friend was secretly awake. It was irrational, but it still bothered him. Although he had to lie a lot, especially due to his condition, he couldn’t lie to his friends. Not the ones who supported him even after finding out what he was.

“I thought so,” Sirius replied, simply.

Remus was set up there. He had to interpret what Sirius meant. Had he seen Remus peeking out at him? He felt suddenly embarrassed. A few seconds ticked by, and the silence felt unbearable. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Out of his peripheral vision, Remus could see Sirius drawing the curtains around his bed slowly.

“I’m going to see her tomorrow,” Sirius suddenly said, and as Remus looked, he definitely noticed Sirius trying to stare him down. “I just thought you should know.”

Without another word, the final curtain closed, and Remus felt even more isolated than usual. The words seemed very cold, and he definitely knew that Sirius meant by that. It was humiliating to think about. It had just been a casual touch here, or a gaze there. It didn’t mean a thing, and now one of his best mates was treating him strangely. Remus closed his eyes, forcing sleep onto himself. It took a while, and lots of tossing and turning, but finally he slept. When he awoke the next morning, he found that Sirius had disappeared from his bed. Of course he had. Sirius had never been known for being a late sleeper, so why the change now?

He got ready for his day, and then slipped down the stairs into the common room. It was full of students getting ready for class. James, Sirius and Peter were nowhere in sight, and Remus sighed. They had gone to breakfast without him … again. He ignored the looks he received as he walked through the common room. He hadn’t done anything in particular, but the scars always got his attention. He pulled the sleeves up over his hands and held them there self-consciously. He always wore too many clothes, all in attempt to make his imperfections less noticeable.

“…and then!” Sirius cried out as James and Peter were roaring with laughter. “He turned to her and said, ‘Funny, because I read in the paper that your mum was a hag!’”

Laughter erupted from the Great Hall. Apparently people had been eavesdropping on the story. It was hard not to when Sirius spoke though. He always had a very loud voice.

Remus took his usual seat across from Sirius.

“Look who’s finally awake,” James said, tossing the jug of pumpkin juice carelessly across the table. Remus caught it, although that didn’t stop it from sloshing everywhere in the process. He just wiped it away with a nearby napkin, and poured himself a drink as James continued. “Peter tried to wake you, but you weren’t having any of it.”

Remus raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Really?”

“Yeah. Took advantage of you too, he did,” James replied with a grin.

Remus laughed, softly, while Peter blushed and stumbled over his words embarrassedly.

“I’m sure he did,” Remus said with a voice as quiet as his laugh. “Although I must say that ignorance is bliss in this case.”

[Remus John Lupin]

Awesomez! I'm just gonna be Remus-y and make a nice list of things that stood out to me

1) The girl's never described as exiting the dorm, so I was rather confused when Sirius started chatting to Rem while I still assumed she was there? xD

...

That was it, no further comments apart from that it sounds AWESOME. The characters don't go OOC and it really makes me want to read more!

[Sirius Black!]

LOL. Well, I assumed it would be figured out when Remus looked away for a few moments as Sirius said "goodbye" or whatnot ;P
Thanks for the feedback xD

[Sirius Black!]

CHAPTER TWO

In the weeks that followed, Sirius seemed to ease up on Remus. Things seemed like they were going back to normal, but every now and then, Remus swore he saw Sirius glance at him for just a moment too long. He had a feeling that Sirius wanted to tell him something, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. Remus tried to keep the awkwardness at bay by keeping all the Marauders together whenever possible; that way everyone felt normal, and no rumours would have the ability to circulate. He found himself rarely alone with Sirius anymore, and he wasn’t sure if it was his doing, or if it was Sirius’, or a combination of the two. His mind felt scattered when he was alone with him, and he had so many questions and comments in his head that he couldn’t pick one to blurt out. The only time Remus didn’t feel tense those days was when he was patrolling with Lily Evans.

“Are you feeling alright lately?” she asked casually one Friday night as they made their rounds. She glanced at him as they turned the corner. He knew he looked rubbish. Even looking at his reflection in glass he could see the bags under his eyes. The worst part was, it wasn’t even close to the full moon.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine,” Remus replied in an offhand tone, hoping that she would drop it.

Lily frowned. “Did you and Black get into a row or something?”

Remus felt himself take a sharp intake of breath. He glanced at the floor and didn’t know how to reply. Was it that obvious that something had changed between the two of them? Lily had always been very good at picking up on small things, and this was the one time that he really wished that she wasn’t quite so good at it.

“I guess you could say that,” he answered. He hoped that it would settle the matter, but she still didn’t seem satisfied. Luckily, she didn’t ask any more questions for several moments. Instead, the two discussed petty matters such as coursework and what James had been plotting in order to get her attention. Remus did this with Lily on a regular basis, and actually enjoyed spending time with a girl. He didn’t feel any pressure from her whatsoever and felt comfortable around her. He knew full well that she had no interest in him romantically, and at the same time, he knew she wouldn’t go telling the Marauders anything that he said about them. It was never bad things, it was mainly small things about them and what they had done. He never gave details about large or dangerous things. She was still a Prefect after all, and a Prefect who disliked all three of his best mates. She always took his stories neutrally, and very rarely spoke poorly about them in his presence.

Remus and Lily made it back to the Gryffindor common room after curfew. She hurried straight off to bed, and left Remus alone. The common room was empty, and for that he was grateful. It was very hard to get alone time at Hogwarts, so the only time one could do so would be late at night or early in the morning. It always felt like someone was pestering you about something. He sank into a chair in front of the fire and placed his face in his hands. He could literally feel the tension in his shoulders. He wished that it would all go away. He wished that everything could be like it was before. The full moon almost seemed like a great escape, and he was almost looking forward to it. Suddenly, however, Remus felt hands on his shoulders.

Remus took in a deep breath and didn’t exhale. He tensed up, knowing exactly who it was behind him. It was the first time he had ever been touched by him in this way. Other than friendly hugs in the four years previous that they had known each other, Sirius Black had never touched Remus Lupin. It just wasn’t what guy friends did to each other. No words were spoken, and Remus didn’t look at Sirius. He just felt as Sirius’ fingers worked at the knots in his shoulders. He could feel his heart hammering, and Remus’ intensified hearing told him that Sirius’ pulse was normal. Sirius’ aura was relaxed. Remus didn’t know how in the name of Merlin Sirius wasn’t as panicked as he was at that moment. Only weeks ago Sirius had practically told Remus off for getting close with him, and now he was rubbing Remus' shoulders. Remus couldn’t help but not enjoy it as much as he would have if they hadn’t have had the confrontation.

Sirius’ hands moved off of Remus’ shoulders, and down his front somewhat. Remus’ heart rate increased dramatically, and he heard a soft chuckle behind him indicating that Sirius’ fingers had felt Remus’ heart through his chest. Sirius merely helped Remus out of the zip-up sweater he was wearing, leaving him in a t-shirt.

“I haven’t seen you this jumpy since we first told you we knew what you were, mate,” Sirius said, casually, as he strolled around the chair and stood in front of it, blocking the fire. He folded the sweater and put it on the armrest. “Something got your knickers in a twist?”

He was wearing a grin as if he knew exactly what was going through Remus’ brain. He felt like pinching himself to make sure that this was real. It had to be real. The heat of the fire, and the previous touches of Sirius told him it was real. Was it really happening, though, or was Remus reading too much into it? He had never been hit on by male or female, so he wasn’t sure if he was just imagining it. Was it all just innocent? It felt too good to be innocent.

“I…” Remus began, but Sirius swooped down on him faster than he could get his sentence out. Sirius’ lips were on Remus’ before he even knew what was going on. Remus’ eyes widened in the kiss, and knew in that instant that this was no dream. It took him a moment to unclench his fingers from the armrests, and to close his eyes and to relax into it. He pressed his lips harder against Sirius’ eagerly, and he could feel Sirius’ lips curl into a grin at the same time. Sirius’ hands were soon in Remus’ light brown hair, and he put pressure on his fingers, allowing Remus to know to stand. He did what he assumed Sirius wanted him to do. Remus clasped his hands around Sirius’ back, and together they stood there in their embrace, neither of which wanted to end it. It seemed too perfect. An empty common room, the roaring fire in the background. It was all so strange, and all so foreign for Remus. Who knew his first kiss would go towards one of his best mates? And who knew he would enjoy it this much?

[Sirius Black!]

CHAPTER THREE

In that instant, Remus forgot about all the jealousy that he had felt about Sirius’ previous flings. He forgot all about his anger at Sirius ignoring his feelings for him, and had forgotten about all the times he went to bed hurting more than any transformation could. He lost himself in the kiss, and completely forgot where he was. He moved his hands up Sirius’ back, holding him close. He couldn’t make himself pull away, nor did he want to. He could have stayed like that forever, not moving. He tried to memorize the way Sirius’ lips felt on his own, and the way it felt like he was overpowering him in the best way possible. It lasted too long for it to be considered any sort of accident. He never would have imagined this would have been the way that the two of them would first have physical contact, but he couldn’t really think of a more perfect way.

Sirius’ hands moved from Remus’ hair and down his front, examining his body. His touch sent shivers up Remus’ spine, and he let out a gasp of surprise, ending the kiss. His light brown eyes met Sirius’ grey ones, and he didn’t feel ashamed. It felt too… right.

“What the hell?” a voice broke out in the common room.

Sirius took a quick step back as if electrified. Both Remus and Sirius’ faces snapped to the side to see who had called out. There stood a girl in fourth year who neither of them knew very well. She had extremely blonde hair, which was currently up in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing an expression as if she had been sleeping only moments previous. Regardless of that fact, her eyes were wide with shock. Despite the fact that neither of the boys could put a name to the face, they knew in that instant that she clearly knew who they were. Her hands were limp at her side, and she was clearly looking for an explanation. She shook her head, and a few strands of hair fell out of her ponytail.

“Look, if I’m interrupting…” she began, with obviously no intention of finishing her sentence.

“No, no, not at all,” Sirius said in a voice that was a lot calmer than Remus would have expected. “Are you alright?”

Remus was confused. It wasn’t a question that he would have expected. Remus didn’t move a single inch, especially considering his heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest. He couldn’t believe this was happening. The moment that he felt like was the best in his life had quickly turned into the most horrifying. He glanced sideways at Sirius, wondering what in the world he was going to say.

“Yes, of course I’m alright,” the girl replied with a tone of suspicion. “Why?”

“You just came downstairs, your eyes closed. Do you sleepwalk often? Are you awake right now?” he asked. He actually managed to sound genuinely concerned. He walked over to her, and then placed a hand on her small shoulder. He shook it gently, and she shrugged him off.

She merely stared up at him with a blank look on her face, as if not sure to believe him or not. The look that she gave Remus moments later was just as confused looking.

“I-I’m going back to bed,” she said, simply. She raised an eyebrow at both of them, and then disappeared up the stairs back to the girls’ dormitories.

Sirius turned back to Remus, but his aura had changed. No longer did he see joyous to see Remus, but rather quite the opposite. He looked as if he was sickened at the sight of him, and the expression made Remus’ heart sink. It was almost like if the two of them together alone was fine, but the moment reality set in, Sirius couldn’t believe what he did. Without another word, Sirius walked up the staircase, leaving Remus to stand there, feeling like a deer in the headlights. He couldn’t figure out what just happened. When he looked into Sirius’ eyes only minutes before, he swore he finally saw something that he had been yearning to see for years. Instead, it turned back into something worse. Remus stood there for what seemed like hours, although he knew it was only moments. He was actually afraid to go upstairs. What was he supposed to do?

With slightly slumped shoulders, he finally decided that he should go to bed. He ascended the stairs, and as quietly as he could, he entered his dormitory. Sirius was sitting on top of his covers, and he had his eyes closed tight as if he had a headache. Remus began to change out of his clothes, and he could tell he was being stared at. He glanced sideways, and could see that Sirius had now opened his eyes. Remus didn’t care. Regardless of what had just happened, they had changed in front of each other countless amounts of times. He continued to change anyways, and when he got into his pyjamas, he put himself into bed. He could feel that he was still being looked at, and when he finally full on looked at Sirius, he realized that Sirius had closed his eyes again.

“Either talk to me or don’t,” Remus said in an extremely small voice.

A long pause followed, but Remus didn’t look away. He didn’t know why he wanted Sirius to talk to him. It was like he wanted reassurance that he hadn’t done anything wrong personally.

“How did you not hear her?” Sirius asked, finally. His voice was just as quiet as Remus’, but a lot more demanding. It honestly intimidated Remus.

“What do you mean?” Remus asked.

“The girl!” Sirius exclaimed, less quietly now. He always had a hard time controlling the volume of his voice, especially when his emotions were involved. “You know what you are! You should have been able to hear her the moment she left her dormitory!”

Remus felt like he had just got punched in the stomach. ‘You know what you are.’ The words stung more than he could explain. It was almost like Sirius was accusing him of being something different than what Sirius was himself. Remus looked around the room to make sure that Sirius hadn’t woken any of them up. They were currently discussing two major things that Remus didn’t care for the others to know about. Yes, James and Peter knew about him being a werewolf; but his extreme attraction to the remaining Marauder? No one knew of that. He had always made sure of it.

“I… I guess I got a little distracted…” Remus answered. He chanced a lopsided grin, but Sirius’ face remained hard.

“You wanted someone to see, didn’t you?” Sirius demanded, and his tone of voice was very dangerous. Remus recoiled a little by the tone. He remained silent, and Sirius continued with, “You wanted her to see! Don’t lie to me!”

His voice had nearly reached shouting level, and Remus didn’t know how to reply. He had never truly been on the receiving end of Sirius’ impatience or anger, and it was making him feel about two inches tall. The empty feeling in his gut only made the moment worse. How did this become of their night?

“God, Lupin, and I thought you knew discretion? I would have thought you of all people could appreciate a secret!” Sirius was now shouting, and the way he spoke sounded as if he couldn’t help what was spewing out of his mouth. He was now kneeling on his bed as he kept his eyes locked on Remus.

“Wassgoinon?” a disgruntled voice asked. Remus glanced over and saw James sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. Looking again, he saw that Peter’s eyes were open, although it looked as if he was eavesdropping and didn’t want to be spotted.

“NOTHING!” Sirius shouted, angrily. Without changing into his pyjamas, he pulled the curtains around his bed closed roughly. Remus could hear Sirius get under the sheets just as terribly.

It didn’t take long for James and Peter to go back to sleep. Remus closed the curtains around his bed slowly and carefully. He laid under the sheets and stared up at his ceiling. His heart was racing faster than he ever felt it. He could feel tears in his eyes, but he blinked them back. He felt stupid for his eyes watering, and he felt stupid for his heart racing. How did he even feel this attraction for Sirius? Hadn’t he learnt from the way Sirius treated girls that nothing in his mind was permanent? Hadn’t he learnt by now Sirius’ short temper? Remus couldn’t help but think he had just made the worse mistake in his life. Not only had he ruined things between himself and Sirius unintentionally, but now he felt like things couldn’t go back to normal in the Marauders. Not after that. There was too much in that kiss. It was like everything that had been unsaid between the two had come out during those few moments. Suddenly, Remus wished he hadn’t memorized what Sirius’ lips felt like on his, for in that moment, it was all he could feel.

...feel free to leave comments

[Remus John Lupin]

Moremoremoremoremore!
I love it, you write Rem so well I almost feel terrible at it xD

[Sirius Black!]

CHAPTER FOUR

Years had passed since that moment in the Gryffindor common room. No one mentioned anything the next morning, and luckily, the girl seemed to have kept her mouth shut. It took until the summer before their seventh year before things got back to relatively normal, although neither James nor Peter were willing to ask what had happened. They had both assumed that Sirius and Remus had just grew apart in their fifth year, but it was safe to say that everyone was happy when things got back to normal. In their seventh year, James finally started to date Lily and calm down with the pranks and bullying. He seemed legitimately happy for once, and Lily started to try to get to know Sirius and Peter as people. Although she obviously still wasn’t crazy about either of them, she managed to not be rude to either of them. As Sirius’ promiscuous ways began to no longer have the same effect on him, Lily seemed to like him a lot more. It wasn’t like he suddenly became the type to hold down a steady girlfriend, but he wasn’t out every night either. All of them also managed to pass their last testing at the end of their seventh year with excellent marks. The day before their graduation found the five of them sitting outside under a tree next to the lake. Sirius was skipping stones, and Lily had leaned against her boyfriend of eight months with Peter at their side while Remus sat in a tree.

“I can’t believe it’s all over already,” Remus said, sentimentally. “Doesn’t it feel like it was just yesterday when we started Hogwarts?”

“Yeah,” Lily said from below him. She squeezed James’ hand fondly. “It seems like yesterday I was going out of my way to get you into detention.”

James laughed and kissed the top of her head. “So much time wasted.”

“It was not!” Lily exclaimed as she turned around to face him. She had the same determined look on her face that she always did when she was expecting an argument. “If not for those six years, you would have never grown and realized the… er…wrong of your ways.”

She obviously didn’t know how to word herself, so her speech ended rather anti-climatically. All the Marauders looked away to grin. She herself ended up just sighing, and leaning back onto James’ chest. She knew that it was not a battle worth fighting, nor did she really have any fuel. Remus leaned against the trunk of the tree and stared with an absent mind at Sirius as he skipped stones. So much time wasted… Those words echoed in his head without them meaning to. He couldn’t help but wonder if he and Sirius had continued some sort of secret affair what they would be today. More than anything, he was pleased that he still had their friendship, but would it have been so wrong if they had something more? Remus tried to not think about it anymore. What was in the past was in the past. Every time something had happened between them, Sirius would only grow distant and cruel. It wasn’t worth the pain, really. It was a waste of time thinking about the ‘what ifs.’

Graduation the next day was an extremely emotional occasion. It was to take place outdoors, considering the sky was blue and clear, and the weather was warm. The Marauders all stood together awkwardly in a crowd of people waiting anxiously to be seated. Peter kept fidgeting with his graduation hat, and Remus kept adjusting his robes, for they were a tad too big. Sirius looked like the robes had been made especially for him, and James looked quite handsome himself. The crowd was a mass of red, yellow, black, blue, silver and green. There were family members, friends and other students. The current crowd seemed to lack females, but it was due to the fact that they were all in their dormitories still, trying to look their best.

“Nervous?” a female voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

All four turned to see Lily standing there in her red and gold graduation robes. Her hair had grown since she was fifteen, and was now halfway down her back. It was curled elegantly, particularly near the ends, and it looked as if one of her friends had applied makeup on her, not that she really needed it. She looked amazing, and she was glowing, although her bright green eyes told a very different story. She seemed immensely nervous herself, despite the fact her question had a tone of teasing in it.

“Not at all,” Sirius answered her.

James grabbed her hand, and just as he did, Professor McGonagall stood in front of the crowd, and she pulled out a list. She began to call out names, and when they shouted that they were present, she rolled it up and pocketed it. She looked around, and actually had a hint of a smile on her face. It was almost like she didn’t want to risk a real smile in case she jinxed the special moment.

“If everyone’s here, then please go take your seats according to House in the front,” Professor McGonagall explained. “Gryffindors in front on the left side, followed by the Hufflepuffs; and then on the right side, Slytherins in front, please, followed by the Ravenclaws.”

It was hectic as everyone tried to get there first. James and Sirius opted for the method of jumping over chairs to get there first. Remus didn’t do such a thing, but he sort of wished he had instead of being trapped in a slow-moving mass of students. James and Sirius had apparently saved seats on either side of them, and Remus and Peter sat next to Sirius while Lily sat next to James. Professor McGonagall looked down at the five of them, and Remus could have sworn she smiled at them proudly.

Both Dumbledore and McGonagall said a speech before handing out their diplomas. It didn’t take too long, as there was only about ten seventh years per house. When the last person got their diplomas, a mass of shouting, cheering, and throwing of hats into the air ensued. Many girls had tears in their eyes, and running down her face. The whole thing Remus found bittersweet. Although he loved Hogwarts more than anywhere else, he also felt as if it was time to leave. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, now. He knew how hard it was going to be to find a job outside of the Ministry with his condition and he wasn’t looking forward to it. It took only moments for an arm to be slung around his shoulders. He looked up to see that James had Sirius and him under James’ arms, and then Peter under Sirius’ arm. Lily was off and chatting with some of her girlfriends.

“This is it, boys,” James said with an air of overdone pride. “We’ve been working with our noses raw from being stuck in books for the last seven years…”

Peter snorted and Sirius laughed.

“We’re not all Remus,” Sirius joked as he chanced a grin at Remus.

Remus blushed. He wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed or not. Instead, he threw off James’ arm. “Enough. We can get sentimental after a round of drinks when we get back.”

“But why?” James said, draping his arm back around him. “When I can tell you how proud I am of how much of a man you’ve become…”

Remus laughed. He couldn’t help it. In all honesty, he was trying to just not think about the fact that seven years had passed. Seven years gone, and now they’d all be on their way. Were they all going to be able to keep in touch as much as they would hope? Would they all eventually drift away? It all seemed like too much. With all of his thoughts, he realized that he was no longer listening to the conversation going on around him. In fact, he had neglected to even notice that James and Sirius were no longer in their midst. Remus opened his mouth to ask, but a voice broke out that grabbed his attention.

“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” a voice asked, extremely loudly. Remus turned around to see that Sirius was standing on stage, with James standing behind him. Slowly, the whole crowd began to turn around curiously. Remus couldn’t help but suspect that Sirius had magically magnified his voice. When all attention was back to them, Sirius continued with, “James has a special announcement he’d like to share with all of you.”

Sirius took a step back, and then James stepped forward. He put a wand to his throat and mouthed something, and then he looked at the ground briefly. Remus looked over and saw a couple of Professors give each other sceptical looks, and for good reason. They all were clearly wondering what the two most popular Marauders were up to. However, when James began to speak, it was clear that he was not up to his old antics.

“I just wanted to start with, when I first started Hogwarts and met Sirius, all I wanted to do was have fun, and be as happy as possible. Little did I know on the first day I would mean the girl of my dreams on my first day. Then I saw her, Lily Evans. However, she clearly did not feel the same,” James paused, and many people in the audience laughed. Lily herself was rather red in the face. Their eyes noticeably met, and he continued with, “She became the focus of my day, while I became the annoyance of hers. Somehow, by some miracle, at the beginning of this school year, I don’t know if I Imperiused her without realizing… whatever it was, she finally took me… and I haven’t been the same since. I want this feeling to last forever… Lily Evans, will you marry me?”

[Lena Marie Becket]

mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-begs-

[Annelise Westerhof]

CHAPTER FIVE

A silence fell over the crowd and even the teachers looked stunned. Lily’s green eyes were wide as she stared up at James on stage. Several moments passed as if time suddenly stood still. Remus looked around and realized that many people looked as if they didn’t know whether they should laugh or not. Indeed, this did seem like some sort of prank, but it would no doubt be a cruel one if it was. Lily began to walk forward towards the temporary stage that had been placed outside for the graduation, but she was not the one to speak first.

“No!” a voice shouted loudly, sounding extremely angry and hurt at the same time.

Severus Snape strode forwards with his green and silver graduation robes nearly tripping him every few steps. His usually pale face was suddenly red and it looked like he was going for his wand. Lily turned her attention away from James suddenly and back to Snape. Her eyes were blazing as he approached her and as he grabbed her hands, she pulled them away. Even at a distance Remus could see the hurt on Snape’s face. Due to the silence in the crowd their words were audible to most people who were listening.

“Don’t do this,” Snape said, obviously trying to keep his voice low.

“As far as I recall, you calling me that filthy name years ago caused you to no longer be apart of my life,” Lily replied rather savagely. “If you don’t mind …”

She turned to go back to the stage, but Snape grabbed her by the upper arm again. She spun around so quickly Remus was surprised that she didn’t get whiplash. She jerked her arm away roughly and said, “Enough!”

Up on stage, James looked almost worried as if Snape was actually going to change Lily’s mind, whatever it was. Snape and Lily’s eyes met and there was a long pause. Neither of them said anything and Snape’s complexion returned to normal. No one said anything and none of the teachers interfered. It was almost like they were wondering what was going on as much as everyone else was and wanted to see what was going to happen. Finally, Snape turned away from Lily and began to storm back to Hogwarts with his head down. He ripped his graduation hat off of his head and threw it to the ground. He disappeared through the Hogwarts doors and no one seemed really sure of what happened. Professor Slughorn then took the opportunity to retrieve Snape’s hat off the ground, dust it off and then return to the line up of teachers who were still watching the whole event of what was going on. James honestly looked as if he was about to be sick.

Lily took a deep breath as if trying to regain her patience. She then kept walking forward although she was obviously a little shaken up. She walked onto the stage and then looked sideways at the crowd watching her. Even the Slytherins seemed to be interested, although they were muttering amongst themselves in a way that didn’t seem at all friendly. Remus kept an eye on them just to make sure they weren’t about to do something horrendously embarrassing, like throw food or something equally immature. They didn’t seem like they were actually going to do anything, however, so he turned his attention back to Lily and James.

By that point, she had walked up to him and grabbed his hands. Then, with an audible voice she said, “No.”

The Slytherins then took the opportunity to laugh and yell obscene things at James onstage. James looked immensely hurt, but it didn’t seem like he was paying any attention to anyone around them. A few Professors took the opportunity to tell off the rude Slytherins and many grew bored and decided to wander off. A select few girls from Slytherin stayed, although Remus suspected they were only doing so to gossip about it later.

“W-what?” James said, unsurely. It was the first time since knowing James that Remus had ever heard James stutter. He leaned closer to Lily as if he was suddenly wishing that he hadn’t decided to make his proposal public. Remus couldn’t help it; he couldn’t just leave his mate onstage looking so emotionally fragile. Remus left where he was standing and weaved his way through the crowd until he got on stage as well. He stood next to Sirius in order to not be in Lily and James’ personal bubble, but close enough that he was still there if James appeared to be an emotional wreck afterwards.

“James – I’m not accepting a proposal from you in front of the entire school,” Lily said a little sternly, but at the same time she sounded amused. “Look, we’re both only eighteen. Just give it some time.”

“I don’t need time,” James insisted. “I’ve known I wanted this since I was eleven…”

Lily touched his cheek with her fingers and then turned to Sirius and Remus. “Do you mind giving us some privacy?”

She didn’t sound at all impatient. She then took James by the hand and led him off stage. He kept his gaze on his feet and didn’t make eye contact with anyone else in the crowd. Everyone slowly dispersed, and Remus felt as if this was a part of a dream, and that this wasn’t really happening at all. What girl refused a guy publicly for marriage? Sirius let out a low whistle.

“Didn’t expect that,” Sirius said honestly with his hands in his pockets.

“Nor did I,” Remus admitted as he watched Lily and James disappear into the castle. “I suppose we should get packing?”

The boys looked for Peter, and when they couldn’t find him they went off to the Gryffindor common room alone. The train home would leave first thing the next day and although Remus had packed away most of his books already, he had been procrastinating packing anything else. Usually he was the first one all packed up, but this year it was different. This year he had the sudden realization that it would be the last time he would do so. It would potentially be the last time he even step foot in Hogwarts. All those thoughts came rushing back to him as he and Sirius stood alone in the boys’ dormitory. Sirius had begun packing without saying a word, which was quite uncharacteristic for him. There seemed to be some kind of tension in the air, and as Remus stood there, he realized it was the same sort of tension that used to be there when the two of them were alone together. He hadn’t felt it for years.

Sirius finally turned after several moments with a shirt in his hand. He was staring down at it quite hard as if concentrating on it for some reason. When he finally looked up, he seemed a little lost. “Look, Remus…”

He paused when Remus looked at him. The shirt had apparently become interesting again. He twisted it and then abruptly threw it onto his bed.

“Look, I’m sorry for all the bad stuff that’s gone on between us, okay?” Sirius said rather quickly, as if he was just trying to get it out of his system.

“You don’t have to …” Remus began, but Sirius cut him off.

“Yes, I do have to. It was all my fault anyways. I mean, I was just being stupid,” he continued.

The words stung, although Remus knew that it wasn’t Sirius’ intention. Remus merely nodded and returned to packing. He knew that Sirius was apologizing for the kiss they shared two years ago. Remus didn’t want him to. He didn’t want to have heard those words. The way Sirius had said it was like he hadn’t wanted to and that he had regretted it since he did it. Remus tossed a pair of trousers into his trunk a bit roughly. It wasn’t his temper that caused him to do it; for he didn’t really have much of a temper … instead he did it because he felt hurt. How could he honestly have thought only yesterday that time was wasted between the two of them? Remus felt stupid to think that anything was ever mutually felt between them. He didn’t understand, for it wasn’t like Remus was the one who had made a move on Sirius, it had been the other way around! Remus turned to speak, and when he did so, he saw that Sirius had turned as well with his mouth open as if about to talk. Their eyes met, but at the same time the dormitory door opened and in came James and Lily, and James was grinning from ear to ear.

“She’s done it!” James exclaimed, loudly. His hazel eyes were puffy as if he had been crying moments pervious. Sirius grinned and Remus swore he was going to tease James about the red eyes. However, he said nothing and allowed James to continue with, “She’s agreed to marry me!”

Lily smiled shyly and then held out her left hand to show an engagement ring there. Remus recognized the ring for he had seen it in James’ trunk before when rummaging for the Invisibility Cloak. James had claimed that it was a present for his mum when he was asked, and said it was from his dad and just wanted James to hold onto it so his mum wouldn’t find it. That had been months and months ago. Remus knew then that James had been planning what he was going to do on graduation. The unsurprised look on Sirius’ face told him that he had been in on it as well.

“It was the ring my dad used to propose to my mum,” James said as he wrapped an arm around Lily. He looked down at her and smiled despite the fact that she was looking away.

Remus liked the way James looked at Lily. He held the look of love.

“Anyways, I should probably get packing,” Lily said after a few moments of silence. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She kissed James and then disappeared out the door. Both Remus and Sirius congratulated James wholeheartedly and at that moment Peter finally came through the door. He sat on his bed with his legs crossed, and seemed pleased as well when James told him the good news. The four of them packed as if nothing had changed. They chatted animatedly as if James had not just gotten engaged, and as if nothing had ever happened between Sirius and Remus. It was like they were eleven again and that it was their first day of Hogwarts again.

“So,” James said after Peter had successfully struggle to close his poorly packed trunk. “Is everyone still good to come to my house until we can sort out what we want to do?”

[Sirius Black!]

CHAPTER SIX

The train ride back to London proved to have a very different aura than it usually did. Many of the graduates ran between compartments in order to have one last word with everyone before they potentially never saw each other again. The Marauders’ own compartment door seemed to never be shut due to the traffic coming in and out. Most of the people were coming to bid farewell and good luck to James, Sirius and Lily, and although Peter seemed a little jealous of the attention, Remus didn’t mind. He had merely kept his eyes out the window and reminisced in his head about the past seven years. How it all seemed to fly by. As much as he had imagined his Hogwarts years ending, he never really gave the thought that it truly would end one day. Even now he had a hard time thinking it was real that in September he wouldn’t be returning. He found it quite strange. What he found even stranger that despite the fact they were heading back to London, he would not be going home like usual, but instead be going to the Potters’. The family had graciously invited Remus and Peter to spend the summer, or until they found a job of their own, whichever came first. Remus still didn’t know what he wanted to do, however. As he glanced around at his friends, he suddenly became worried that he’d be the only one who was unsure of what he was going to do.

The train arrived at the station and Remus, Peter and Lily followed as James and Sirius pushed the smaller students out of the way so they could be one of the first ones off. Usually Remus would object, but he didn’t want to ruin the last of the school-related fun that James and Sirius would have. They got off the train and immediately headed over to Mr and Mrs Potter. His hand was slinked around her waist in a casual way and they greeted all five of them with a smile. They were older for a couple with an eighteen year old boy, and could have most likely been mistaken for James’ grandparents instead of parents.

“Hello Charlus, Dorea,” Sirius said in an extremely casual manner as if they were old friends. James’ mother was actually Sirius’ great-aunt, but she had lost contact to most of the family due to differing opinions on life. She had not been burned off of the tapestry due to the fact she didn’t act as if she had bad blood with her relatives, but she had said that she was surprised. She always supposed that she hadn’t been blasted off due to the fact that she had made a respectable pureblood marriage. Although she had been Slytherin, no one would have been able to guess by the way she behaved. She was a very nice woman and did everything she could for James and Sirius.

Dorea smiled and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Hello Sirius, dear, how was your school year?”

“Absolutely splendid,” Sirius replied with a grin. Remus and Peter caught each other’s eyes and tried to not laugh at his overdone politeness. “How have you been?”

“Well, I have some unfortunate news,” she answered, a frown appearing on her face. “Yesterday your Uncle Alphard passed on.”

It had evidently been something that he wasn’t expecting. The smile slid off of his face, although moments later he corrected his facial expression dramatically. “Oh…”

“He’s left you some money,” Dorea said. “I’ve taken the liberty of withdrawing it for you. It’s in your room … it’s quite the hefty amount, I do have to say.”

“Thanks,” he said, now a bit distractedly. He either seemed to think that Dorea was exaggerating on the amount of money that he had inherited, or that he was somewhat in shock. He turned back to the others and said under his breath, “He was my favourite uncle…”

“Oh, Sirius, I’m sorry,” Lily said as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Sirius merely shrugged. Lily then said her goodbyes to James, as her family was waiting patiently.

“Don’t forget about me, will you?” she said a bit sarcastically. “Owl me every now and then.”

“I’m obviously going to do more than that,” James said, glancing at the ring on her finger. “Let’s tell my parents when you come to visit… you know, after they’ve had time to settle us all.”

She nodded and flung her long, red hair over one shoulder before kissing him again. “Hopefully I’ll see you soon!”

Before he could say anything else, she bounded off to her parents and left. James frowned somewhat, and then rejoined the group of boys. The Potters, Remus, Sirius and Peter left for the Potter home by Apparation, which every boy could successfully do now. Peter had taken the longest to accomplish this, as he had Splinched himself a handful of times before he got it right. He had even threatened to stop trying after he left his big toes behind, but the other Marauders had persuaded him to keep going regardless. He had finally successfully mastered it, much to the surprise of everyone.

They got to the Potter home, and James led the way inside. All of the boys had been there at some point or another, although Remus had been there the least amount of times due to the fact that his condition seemed to coincide a lot with when James invited him over. It was a large home and was nicely done up. It had a bit of a cottage feel, but the one thing Remus loved the most about it was the fact that it was practically in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by a thick forest. Times like this it were very convenient that the Potters were wealthy. Although it sometimes made James’ ego even larger than it already was, it was nice for they could all spend at least one summer together. Besides, it didn’t put pressure on James to necessarily find a job immediately.

Dorea and Charlus both headed off to the kitchen to start making dinner, and allowed James to show the boys to their rooms. They immediately headed for the rather vast staircase in the middle of the entrance room. They all used magic to carry their things up the stairs: even though this was their second year being of age, they still enjoyed using it whenever possible. They went to their left and all the way down the corridor overlooking the foyer to the door at the end. James opened it to reveal his room. It was the same in some ways since Remus was last there, but also different in others.

His room was large with a very big window overlooking the garden. It was the best room in the house, and apparently it had been his room since he was born. His parents always knew if they were to have a child that they would put him in that room. They themselves opted for the only bedroom on the bottom floor. His room was painted a deep brown, but not like the colour of his walls really mattered anyways. The majority of the walls were covered in posters of his favourite Quidditch teams, and gradually more and more photographs were attached to the wall as well. Remus automatically headed to the most recent photo taken. It was of the four of them just yesterday at graduation. He never realized before how weak he looked, especially next to his best friends. Both James and Sirius were waving frantically, Remus had a bit of a grin on his face, and Peter looked as if he still couldn’t believe that he was friends with the most popular boys at school. Remus looked away from the photo and noticed the large amount of photos of Lily that were now plastered on the walls. They all looked like they had been taken by James, considering the annoyed-yet-amused look on her face in most of them. She smiled in the photos whenever she saw Remus looking at her through them. Remus felt rather proud of all the photos he had all over his walls. In his own room, the photos were kept in an album for safekeeping.

James flopped on his bed, and his trunk flopped next to it. He looked dreamily out the window momentarily before saying, “Oh, right! I’m supposed to be showing you lazy buggers to your rooms…”

He stood up again, and the three boys followed. With magic, he made the door next to his room fly open, and of course it was the room that had been designated for Sirius. Sirius had definitely made himself at home for the while that he stayed there. The walls were white, and there were occasional photos on the walls of the Marauders. It seemed as if he refrained from putting up photos of half-naked girls like he did back in Grimmauld Place; probably due to respect to Mr and Mrs Potter. On his bed was a suitcase, in which Remus assumed was the inheritance from his uncle. Sirius seemed like he was carefully avoiding looking at it. He lazy flicked his wand and his trunk crashed to the floor and burst open, causing some of his clothes to scatter. Remus began to look at the pictures on his wall. He couldn’t help but notice that he was missing in most of them.

“Right, next room, shall we?” Sirius said, quickly.

“This one will be yours,” James said to Remus as they got to the room over. This room was a nice shade of green, which happened to be Remus’ favourite colour. He had a good-sized bed, a dresser, along with a bookshelf, which he couldn’t help but wonder if it had been there before the Potters knew Remus was going to come to stay. His window, like Sirius’, looked straight out into the forest. Some trees were so close it looked like the branches had the full chance to scratch against the window.

“I’m just going to unpack,” Remus said, allowing the others to show Peter to his room, which would no doubt be the room next to his own.

He set his trunk gently down at the foot of his bed and opened it. On top was the photo album that he brought with him to Hogwarts. It was the only one he had. The beginning of the album was just photos of himself as a kid and pictures of his parents. It really showed in great detail on how his werewolf affliction affected the Lupin family. The earliest pictures of himself and his parents showed a very happy family. The photos showed him grow into a vivacious child, but then there was suddenly a gap. There were photos missing from the ages of eight to ten, and when the photos resumed, the entire family dynamic seemed to have changed. No longer wearing new clothes, it appeared as if the entire Lupin family went without. Remus knew that his father lost his job due to the stress of it, and his mother did all she could to help young Remus. They all appeared a lot skinnier, and shabbier.

Remus thumbed through the photos in order to not look at those ones at that particular time. It was hard enough knowing that his parents had always wanted more than one child, and the reason why they didn’t was because they couldn’t deal with a werewolf son plus other children. They had never expressed this in those exact words, but Remus had always asked as a youngster why he didn’t have brothers and sisters, to which his parents just avoided the answer. Remus was now at the photos of him and his friends. Unlike some of James and Sirius’ photos in which many other students made a number of cameos, Remus’ always had the same friends. James, Sirius and Peter; just in a different order each time. Most of the pictures had been taken during the holidays such as Christmas, Easter and the summer of each school year, but Remus didn’t need more than that. The photos he hated looking at the most were the photos from his sixth year where the seemingly animosity between Sirius and Remus had been at its worst. Either Remus or Sirius seemed to be missing from the photos, or if they were in a picture together, there was a distance between them.

He closed the album and then slid it under his mattress. He didn’t want to litter the walls with the photos. As Remus began to fold and put away his clothes, he couldn’t help but think about what he had seen on Sirius’ walls. He knew he wasn’t imagining it; Remus had definitely been in fewer pictures than any of the other Marauders. He felt irritable and resented Sirius for it. What had he ever done to deserve that? As he threw his last jumper in the drawer and shut it rather roughly, the door to his room burst open. In the door stood James.

“Want to come out and play a round of Quidditch before dinner’s ready?” he asked.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Remus John Lupin]

Still loving it, keep them coming!

[Sirius Black!]

CHAPTER SEVEN

Remus hesitated for a brief moment. He was rubbish at Quidditch, but at the same time knew that it would keep his mind off of what he had noticed had been lacking on Sirius’ walls.

“Yeah, fine,” Remus agreed, and together he and James left to the backyard where Sirius and Peter were waiting.

It was a beautiful June day with only a few scattered clouds in the sky. Peter’s cheeks were pink from the warmth and all the boys excluding Remus had changed into shorts. James opened the shed in the yard and pulled out four brooms. They were all modern ones and he tossed one to each of them. He then grabbed what looked like a second-hand Quaffle and surprised the Marauders by pulling out a struggling Snitch from his pocket.

“Woah, where’d you get that?” Peter asked in awe.

“Couldn’t leave Hogwarts without a souvenir, could I?” James replied with a grin. He had obviously only taken it out in order to show off for moments later he pocketed it and said, “Follow me.”

They had all walked into the forest that surrounded the Potter house until they reached a clearing. They played a modified version of Quidditch in which Peter was on James’ team and Remus was on Sirius’. Peter and Remus were supposed to block the other person’s team-mate from throwing the Quaffle into baskets that had been put on the trees years ago. All four were to keep a watch out for the Snitch and to catch it in order to win. After a rough game in which James and Sirius hexed each other a handful of times in order to get possession of the Quaffle, Peter surprised everybody by grabbing the Snitch. They decided to call it an evening due to the fact it was getting dark, and flew to the ground.

“You used a Summoning Charm, didn’t you?” Sirius demanded as they put their brooms away.

Peter shook his head as he continued to look awestruck.

“What are we to do now?” James asked as he healed himself of a minor cut on his left forearm.

“Pub?” Sirius suggested. “On me? Uncle Alphard really did leave me a lot…”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How much?”

Sirius couldn’t help but grin. “Enough so I can live comfortably for a while without having to work. So what do you say? Pub night it is?”

“Aye,” James answered appreciatively. “After dinner, of course, though. Mum wouldn’t be too happy if we skipped out on it.”

As everyone sat down to dinner, Remus couldn’t help but feel envious o the position that Sirius was in. Despite the fact that the boy was talented and smart, he now didn’t have to work. Remus, although academically gifted, was also a werewolf and that therefore would cause him to have a hard time finding work. What he wouldn’t give to be financially comfortably backed enough to not have to stress about it. He frowned as he stabbed his potato with his fork. Even James was in no rush. His parents were rich and would no doubt allow him to stay with them as long as necessary. Although Remus knew that his parents would support him as much as they could, he couldn’t get the vision of his pictures out of his mind. He was sick of being such a burden to them. He just wanted them to be happy and stress-free.

After dinner, everyone thanked Charlus and Dorea Potter and then headed upstairs to wash up. They all separated into their rooms and Remus closed his door quietly behind him. He walked over to his wardrobe and flicked through all of his clothes. They all seemed so… shabby. James and Sirius would look handsome while Remus and Peter would just fall into their shadows like usual.

With a sigh, Remus merely changed into the first change of clothes he put his hands on. It didn’t matter anyways. He ran his fingers through his light brown hair to make it lie flat. He then exited to find the other boys waiting for him. Peter had chosen a red shirt that clashed horribly with his natural flush. James was dressed semi-formally while the only thing Sirius had done was change into a grey polo. He was still wearing the same faded jeans that had grass stains on them from Quidditch earlier. Regardless, the shirt brought out his grey eyes dramatically. Remus looked away quickly in fear of Sirius thinking that he was staring. They all moved to the foyer.

“I have the perfect place in mind,” Sirius said abruptly before anyone could ask. “I guess we’ll have to do Side-Along Apparation because you guys don’t know where…”

Without further ado, Sirius grabbed James by his upper arm, turned, and then two Disapparated. Within moments he returned and then grabbed Remus by the upper arm. Remus flinched, but then their eyes met. The two had avoided touching each other in any way – even innocently – in two years. It made Sirius’ touch feel electrical. Before things could get awkward, both boys turned on the spot. They appeared on a very busy street. The sun had set ages ago and everyone walking up and down the street was dressed elegantly. It was clear that it was a Muggle area. Remus glanced across the street to see a line-up to a building which had loud music vibrating from it. Before Remus even knew that Sirius had left again, he returned with Peter.

“I thought you said a pub?” Remus said, his eyes not leaving the line-up.

Sirius had already begun to cross the street. “Club, pub; what’s the difference, really?”

Remus caught James’ eye and James grinned and shrugged. Feeling it best not to argue, Remus followed the others into line. The girls in front of them kept looking back at Sirius and James. Both boys seemed oblivious. It took a good half an hour before they got to the door. When they entered, they were greeted by the immediate heat of a room overcrowded with people. The room was dimmed and there were dancing people everywhere. The Marauders followed the girls who had been in front of them in line. Sirius managed to beat them to the bar and not only did he buy a round for the Marauders, he bought a round for the girls as well. They already looked as if they were buzzed. The two brunettes in the group of five girls looked at Sirius as if they would like nothing better than to jump his bones. It already looked like they were going to have company for the evening. Remus began to drink quickly and finished his drink faster than the others, so he ordered another.

The nine of them moved to a booth. The boys were squished in the middle as the girls sat on the sides. The brunettes sat next to Sirius with a redhead on their other side while a blonde sat next to Remus and an Asian sat next to her. Sirius and James talked to the girls enthusiastically as Peter ordered more and more drinks as everyone emptied their glasses. Remus drank sullenly and as the night wore on, he found himself staring moodily at Sirius who was chatting animatedly with the girls and unnecessarily touching them. James and Peter appeared somewhat bored and were talking to each other. Peter was so drunk that his cheeks were bright red and it looked as if he was fighting off sleep.

However, James looked up as Sirius let out a yell of pleasant surprise. Evidently, the brunettes next to Sirius had thought it would be an excellent time to start kissing each other. Peter dropped his glass and it went crashing to the floor.

Remus ducked under the table in order to retrieve it. It had broken, so Remus pulled out his wand discreetly to fix it. When he emerged from under the table, Sirius had begun to snog the girl who was directly to his right. Remus put the mug back on the table harder than he had meant to.

“Care to dance?” the girl asked Sirius.

Sirius nodded and followed her out of the booth. The other brunette looked jealous and crossed her arms over her chest. Peter seemed to have a lot of liquid courage for he managed to ask the red haired girl to dance as well. She looked Peter up and down, and when she didn’t get an offer from either of the other boys, she accepted.

Remus watched the brunette dance against Sirius. He knew he had a scowl on his face.

“Jealous?” the blonde next to Remus whispered in his ear.

“What?” Remus replied a little too quickly. “Jealous? No, of course not.”

“Come on,” she said with a gentle smile on her face. “Let’s see if we can make him jealous, too.”

Remus was too intoxicated to deny it. He allowed her to take him by the hand and lead him into the crowd. Remus was not a dancer but it wasn’t an issue as she pushed herself against him. It wasn’t long before the pretty Asian girl persuaded James onto the dance floor. However, their dancing looked more like they were just having fun than her just trying to hit on him. He spun her in circles, and she ended up dipping him. Their dancing became so enthusiastic that the people around them moved out of the way.

Before Remus could object, the blonde forced his hands to her lower back and she pressed herself even more against him. His vision was extremely blurred, but suddenly it didn’t matter anymore for the lights went out.

“Let’s make him really jealous,” she breathed into his ear.

Just as suddenly as the lights went out was her lips pressed against his. They were so much softer than Sirius’ had been. Her hands were in his hair and without thinking, Remus responded to it. He felt like in that moment he wasn’t himself. He pulled her closer to him and didn’t even notice that the lights had come back on. Remus forgot that he was in the middle of a crowded room or that he was supposed to be making Sirius jealous. He didn’t even know what her name was.

She broke away from him and looked at him curiously. She then grabbed his hand again and began to lead him away. They passed right by Sirius and the brunette. Sirius was looking determinedly away. The blonde led Remus to a door and then walked through it. On the other side was a staircase that she began to ascend. Remus followed her until they reached another door. They were then on the rooftop and he could feel the vibrations of the loud music on his feet. The blonde pulled him back to her and began to kiss him again. She then pulled him down to the floor and pulled him on top of her. Within a few moments, however, images began to flood his mind … mainly of Sirius. He tried to ignore his thoughts, but he was having a hard time concentrating on the girl. Finally, he pulled away from her and stood up shakily. The blonde laughed light-heartedly.

“I was a fool to think for a second you were actually straight,” she said, although she didn’t seem at all angry. On the contrary, she seemed like she found him endearing.

“It’s not that,” Remus replied as he tried to keep his balance. “I-I mean, you’re very pretty…”

“I’d bet you twenty quid that in the morning you won’t remember what I look like,” she joked. “Look, how about we find your mates to come take care of - ”

At the same exact moment, the door to the roof opened and out burst Sirius.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Lena Marie Becket]

i hate cliffhangers! >_< mooooooooooooooooooooooore!!!!

[Sirius Black!]

CHAPTER EIGHT - you're all almost caught up to how many chapters I have on the site I post it on lol

The blonde girl slipped through the door as Sirius stepped out onto the rooftop. Sirius watched her go and as the door shut behind her and then he focused his attention onto Remus. Remus was somewhat surprised that Sirius’ little dance partner hadn’t followed him out as well. An awkward silence hung between them as they both merely stared at each other. It was almost like the music that was coming from the pub had dimmed.

“What was that?” Sirius asked, sounding innocently enough. He put one hand into his pocket and strode forward casually. He then abruptly changed direction and stood at the edge of the building and looked down curiously.

At first Remus had no idea what Sirius was talking about, for his mind had become momentarily blank. This had been Remus’ first time drinking properly and didn’t think he particularly like the side-effects of doing so. It was like he was suddenly single-minded and could only focus on one thing at a time. Sirius appearing seemed to wipe away the memories of what had happened literally only moments before.

Sirius, however, did not let Remus continue for he turned back to him and said, “Suddenly because you’re liquored up, you’re straight?”

Remus felt immensely flustered. He began to stutter sentences that he could not finish and looked around hopelessly as if he were expecting what he was supposed to say written on a wall.

“Because of blondie there, you’re suddenly no longer attracted to me?” Sirius asked.

Remus looked up suddenly and his eyes met Sirius’. Although Sirius’ eyes were now glazed and his speech was slurred, Remus could still see the boy he had known he was attracted to since they had met. He didn’t even bother trying to think of something to say to this, especially due to the fact that within two large steps of his feet, Sirius was suddenly right in Remus’ personal bubble. Remus let in a sharp intake of breath. Even though it was June, the nights were still a bit chilly. Sirius put a hand to the back of Remus’ head and into his hair, although he made no further movements.

“Tell me, Moony,” Sirius said, although his eyes were staring at Remus’ mouth in a drunken fashion. “When did you realize that you didn’t want me anymore?”

Sirius leaned in, but Remus took an unbalanced step back. He raised a warning finger at Sirius and said, “No. Don’t do this again! Look at what you did last time!”

Sirius didn’t seem able to comprehend what Remus was trying to say. “Oh? What happened last time?”

“You ignored me for months afterwards!” Remus exclaimed, incredulously. “You cannot tell me you don’t remember! What? I’m only good for you when it’s convenient for you?”

It took a few moments for what Remus had said to sink in for Sirius. He stood there, swaying somewhat, but still managed to look as handsome as ever. He bit his lip.

“What? Do you want me to shout my attraction for you from the rooftops?” Sirius wondered a bit sarcastically. “Let everyone know? Yes, I’m sure that will go down well.”

“I know that’s not why you avoided me after you...” Remus found himself having a hard time saying the word ‘kissed.’ They had never truly spoke of it before, and never with such blunt words. “After you made a move on me.”

“’Course it was,” Sirius replied. “That girl... she came downstairs and saw us. I didn’t want it to happen again.”

“You’re Sirius Black, for Merlin’s sake!” Remus nearly shouted. “You knew where there were other places instead of just the common room! You’re not stupid so don’t feign that you are!”

“Fine, you’re right,” Sirius said, sounding more sober than he had the whole evening. “I’ll just go inside then. Leave you to your thoughts.”

He sounded quite unlike himself, and he didn’t argue any further, which was strange for him as well. Sirius had a famous Black temper and always had to have the last word. Instead, he just gave up easily. He walked over to the door leading to the rooftop, and when he went to open it, found it locked. Sirius fumbled with his wand and seemed to have a hard time remembering the simple incantation that would open it. Remus watched Sirius struggle for several moments before taking pity on his friend. He pulled out his own wand and walked forward purposely.

“Oh, move,” Remus instructed, grabbing Sirius’ shoulder from behind. Sirius obediently moved and Remus pointed his wand at the door and glanced at Sirius, whose eyes were now shut despite the fact he was standing. Without unlocking the door - or even thinking, really – Remus leaned forward and kissed Sirius lightly on the lips.

At first there was no response for Sirius had evidently fallen asleep while standing up. After a few moments, however, he seemed to realize what was going on. He kissed back, although rather sloppily. Remus, who had sobered up just a little bit in the chilly air, didn’t care how sloppy the kiss was. All that mattered was that he was kissing Sirius again. It was only their second kiss, but it was definitely better than their first. No one walked in on them this time and it seemed like they would remain uninterrupted.

Remus took a step forward in excitement and soon Sirius’ back was against the door. The intensity heated up and Remus’ hands were in Sirius’ somewhat shaggy hair. Sirius’ own hands were on Remus’ lower back and pulling Remus towards him roughly. The two remained in the same embrace until Remus pulled his hands out of Sirius’ hair and moved them down to the top of Sirius’ jeans. He moved his hands adventurously up under Sirius’ shirt and along his body. Sirius responded by kissing Remus deeper and running his hands up Remus’ back.

A loud knock from behind them let them know that they weren’t quite alone anymore. Remus pulled away and admittedly felt quite shocked at what he had done. He wiped his mouth and Sirius did the same with half-closed eyes. It looked as if he hadn’t even registered what he had just been doing. Remus wrenched the door open to see James standing there, supporting Peter precariously.

“That blonde girl told us you two were up here,” James said, adjusting his weight onto either foot. He didn’t look the least bit suspicious and seemed rather tired. His glasses were somewhat askew, but he didn’t have any hands free to fix them. “Are you guys ready to leave now?”

Remus nodded, although he felt it was amazing that no one could hear how loudly his heart was thumping. He had yet to get over the high of what happened. “Yeah. We tried getting back downstairs, but the door locked behind us, and Sirius was having a hard time with the spell.”

James shrugged. “Well, you’re free now. Let’s go.”

At the same time, the three boys turned on the spot. They all disappeared and landed right outside of the Potter residence. James had used Side-Along Apparation in order to get Peter home as well. James seemed a little bit grumpy, but no one said anything to each other as they tried to get inside as quietly as possible. They hadn’t wanted to appear inside in case one of James’ parents got too surprised. Remus helped James get Peter up the stairs (as Sirius was having a too hard of a time getting himself up the stairs, never mind helping someone else) and put him to bed. James then left as well without a further word which left Sirius and Remus alone in Sirius’ room. Remus wasn’t about to press his luck and try again, even though it was all he wanted to do and all he could think about.

“Remus?” Sirius asked, suddenly.

Remus’ heart rate became even faster. “Yes?”

“Can you get me a bucket, I’m about to - ” before Sirius could even finish his sentence, he vomited all over the floor.

It was definitely not what Remus was hoping Sirius was about to say.

[/justify][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Remus John Lupin]

Haha, best ending evah