Chapter 3
Remus
Remus knew it was very unlikely that Sirius had gone to the kitchens at all but since he had no better leads he decided to start there.
By the time he had finished convincing the house elves that he didn't need mugs of hot chocolate for all his friends it was well past curfew telling Remus that Sirius had either headed back to the common room or was somewhere without watching teachers or prefects.
The common room was unlikely after his strange outburst so Remus decided to make his way to the astronomy tower.
The next full moon wasn't for weeks but the gash in Remus's side from his last transformation was still not fully healed and by the time he reached the top of the stairs he was wincing and out of breath.
‘Remu?’ Beautiful worried grey eyes gazed at him from the railing of the small platform. Sirius had been rolling an unlit cigarette between his fingers which he shoved in his pocket as he hurried over to Remus.
‘You know I hate it when you call me that.’ Remus complained as he straightened and pushed off Sirius.
His best friend smirked at him. ‘Sure, Remu.’
He walked back the railing and Remus followed him snatching the fag he was about to light from his fingers.
Sirius pouted, ‘Please Remuuuuuu. Just one, I promise!’
Remus snorted, unlikely. He confiscated the next few cigarettes as well until Sirius gave up and sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the tower. Remus joined him and they sat in silence for a bit.
Remus looked at Sirius and quickly regretted it. Once he laid his eyes on the boy he could never seem to look anywhere else.
A strand of Sirius's sleek black hair had come out from the little ponytail it was tied in and hung in Sirius's face. His enchanting blue-grey eyes stared into the distance and his ears were filled with glinting pieces of metal.
‘Got more piercings?’ Remus asked in an attempt to make conversation.
Sirius beams at him, eyes shining. He loved being asked about his appearance. ‘YES!’ he shouted and Remus quickly shushed him. Sirius blushed and looked away. Sirius blushing? Remus thought, confused. I must be exhausted.
‘There's also something else,’ Sirius mumbled with barely contained excitement.
Remus snorted. ‘What did you do? Get a tattoo?’ Sirius looked right at him with a slightly guilty smile.
‘Oh Merlin,’ he shook his head. ‘You actually did? How did your mother not skin you alive?’
‘Uncle Alphard came over and I asked him for a concealment spell that should wear off right about…’ the boy glanced at his watch and grinned. ‘Now!’
He turned to the side and pulled back the neck of his sweater. He shifted closer to Remus, trying to grin at him over his shoulder.
‘Isn't it amazing, Moony?!’
It really was. Remus leaned closer and brushed his fingers over the four words written under Sirius’s neck in elegant handwriting that Remus recognized as Sirius's.
Moony
Wormtail
Padfoot
Prongs
‘It's beautiful, Padfoot.’ Remus murmured. Then he realised just how close they were sitting and abruptly pulled back.
‘How’d you even get it?’
‘Been planning it since last year, Lils helped me conjure up a fake licence, guess she assumed I wanted to go drinking.’
Remus looked at him curiously, ‘And how did you get her, of all people, to agree to that?’
He hesitated for a moment and then smirked as he told Remus, ‘She snuck out to the greenhouses with Mary after curfew and I took the fall for her.’
Remus eyebrows shot up. Lily had broken a rule? And hadn't told him about it? And here he was thinking they were close.
Remus threw his head back and cackled and Sirius joined him. After their laughter died down and they sat in silence again Remus took another moment to study him. He was trying to make his posture look comfortable and relaxed but he kept shifting so that there was never much pressure on his right leg.
‘Sirius…’ Remus asked slowly, not wanting to scare him.
Sirius turned to look at him, still smiling. ‘Yes Moonyyy?’
‘What did Regulus want?’
The smile dropped and he looked away. ‘Nothing.’
Remus sighed, ‘Fine. At least tell me what's wrong with your calf?’
‘What?’
Remus almost rolled his eyes. ‘I almost tear myself to shreds every full moon, Sirius. I know what a fresh wound looks like.’
Sirius’s eyes widened as he stared at him, then he looked away. ‘You can tell James.’ He murmered. ‘Please, Remu. I-I don't want him to worry even more.’
Remus stared at the slumped defeated figure of the boy that he'd known and loved for years and felt something inside him break.
‘I promise I won't tell anyone. But please let me help you.’ Remus asked him softly.
Sirius looked back up at him and there was so much relief in his eyes.
He slowly moved his hands to the edge of his left leg loose uniform pants and began to fold up the edge.
Remus took a sharp breath. Half of Sirius's leg was covered in blood soaked bandages.
‘Sirius…’ he breathed after a moment and the poor injured boy flinched.
‘What have you been taking for this?’ Remus asked as he turned to retrieve some bottles and his wand from his bag.
‘Um… not much,’ the other boy mumbled. ‘I couldn't use magic and mother forbade Kreacher from helping me even though she knew he wouldn't,’ he eyed the bottles Remus was lying out before him suspiciously. ‘Why do you have so many-’
‘This isn't my time to be interrogated, Padfoot. Have you done anything for it since you've arrived?’
‘I was going to try a healing charm that I've overheard my parents using but then the little brat Regulus bothered me.’ he said bitterly.
‘What did he want?’ Remus asked, again. Sirius hesitated but then told him.
‘He wanted to help me. Said he knew a good spell.’ Remus looked up from where he was slowly removing Sirius’s bandage.
‘And you're mad at him for this?’
‘You don't understand!’ Sirius sounded more angry than upset now. He shifted and winced when Remus's hand brushed his now open wound.
‘He was there! He was there and he watched! And did nothing! He's the only person in that godforsaken house that I care about anymore and he just lets them do this, lets them hurt me and every time they do it to him I’m there and try to help and I-’ his voice broke off and he buried his face in his hands.
Remus wanted so much to comfort him but he currently had quite a lot of blood on his hands.
He quickly removed it with his wand then cleaned and disinfected the wound before smearing on some potion that would ease the pain and rewrapping it in fresh cloth. By the time he was done, Sirius had lifted his face from his hands and was staring at the ground guiltily.
‘I'm sorry I bothered you, Remu. I should've kept it to myself. I-’
‘Merlin, shut up!’ Remus said angrily. Sirius looked at him surprised.
‘Why would I be bothered by the fact that my friend needs help and trusts me enough to assist him even though he's usually insistent that he can do everything by himself? We’re your friends, Sirius. None of us would ever dream of hurting you in any way. You can always trust us. Even Lily, and she fucking hates you guts.’
Sirius stared at him. It was almost midnight now and the moon reflected in his silver eyes. He stared for so long Remus again became aware of how little space was between the two boys' faces.
Sirius smiled softly. ‘Thanks Moony. That means a lot.’ Remus grinned at him, grateful for the distraction.
‘That's what us Marauders are for right? Now come one, if we stay up here any longer we'll freeze to death.’
He pulled himself up and offered Sirius a hand.
‘At least you can die knowing you helped the best haired student at Hogwarts’ he pulled his hair from the ponytail and threw it in Remus's shocked face. He laughed and pushed the other boy away, picking up his bag. ‘Only Hogwarts?’ he asked with a raised eyebrow.
‘Of course not. The world hasn't seen a head of hair like this in centuries. I was trying to be modest.’
They grinned at each other and continued the endless banter to the common room which was now empty.