Chapter 4
The days that followed their first kiss were both exhilarating and nerve-wracking for Remus. He felt like he was living in two worlds—one where Sirius Black was his best friend, just like always, and another where Sirius was his, in a way that felt too fragile to share with anyone else.
For Sirius, however, the boundaries between those worlds seemed to blur effortlessly. He would smirk at Remus over breakfast, his foot nudging Remus’s under the table. He’d brush his hand against Remus’s arm when they walked to class or lean in closer than necessary during a game of chess in the common room. Each little touch sent a thrill through Remus, but it also filled him with anxiety.
James and Peter weren’t stupid. If Sirius kept up with his not-so-subtle affection, it was only a matter of time before one of them noticed.
"Will you stop that?" Remus hissed one afternoon as they sat in the library. Sirius had been idly tracing patterns on the back of his hand with his quill, his grey eyes glinting with mischief.
"Stop what?" Sirius asked innocently, though his smirk betrayed him.
"You know what," Remus muttered, glancing around. Peter was a few tables away, struggling through an essay on magical creatures, while James was nowhere to be seen. Still, Remus’s paranoia wouldn’t let him relax.
Sirius sighed dramatically, setting his quill down. "Fine, fine. I’ll behave. For now."
Remus gave him a look that was half warning, half fondness. Sirius had a way of making him want to strangle him and kiss him in the same breath.
But despite Sirius’s best efforts to test the limits of their secrecy, their friends didn’t seem to notice. Days turned into weeks, and though Remus’s nerves were constantly on edge, he began to believe they might actually pull it off.
That was until James Potter finally put the pieces together.
It happened on a quiet Sunday evening. The Marauders had the Gryffindor common room mostly to themselves—Lily and her friends had commandeered a corner to work on homework, but the rest of the room was empty.
James, Sirius, and Peter were sprawled on the sofas near the fire, halfway through an intense discussion about their next prank. Remus sat in the armchair, pretending to read a book but mostly watching Sirius out of the corner of his eye.
Sirius caught his gaze once, and the small, private smile he gave Remus made his stomach flip. It was quick, almost imperceptible, but when Remus glanced at James, he saw the glint of suspicion in his friend’s hazel eyes.
James didn’t say anything right away, but over the next hour, Remus could feel his gaze darting between him and Sirius. It made his skin prickle, and when Sirius reached over to steal a chocolate frog from his pocket—his fingers brushing against Remus’s in the process—James raised an eyebrow so high it nearly disappeared into his messy hair.
"Alright," James said suddenly, sitting up straight and clapping his hands together. "Peter, why don’t you go get us some snacks from the kitchens?"
Peter frowned. "Why me?"
"Because I’m the mastermind, and you’re my trusted minion," James said with a grin. "Go on, Wormtail. The team needs you."
Peter muttered something under his breath but got up anyway, shuffling toward the portrait hole.
As soon as he was gone, James turned to Sirius and Remus, his expression suspiciously calm. "So," he began, "when were you planning on telling me?"
Sirius froze mid-bite of his stolen chocolate frog. "Telling you what?"
James snorted. "Oh, come on, Padfoot. You two have been acting weird for weeks. The looks, the little touches, the sneaking off together—do you think I’m blind?"
Remus’s stomach dropped. He looked at Sirius, panic written all over his face, but Sirius just sighed and leaned back on the sofa, crossing his arms.
"Alright, fine," Sirius said casually, as if they were discussing the weather. "Remus and I are… together. Happy now?"
"Wait, you’re not even going to deny it?" James asked, his eyes widening.
"Why would I?" Sirius replied with a shrug. "You’re annoyingly perceptive, Prongs. I figured you’d figure it out eventually."
James turned to Remus, who was still frozen in his chair, gripping his book so tightly his knuckles had gone white. "Is this true, Moony?"
Remus swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I… yeah. It’s true."
For a moment, James just stared at them, his expression unreadable. Remus’s mind raced with worst-case scenarios—what if James was angry? What if he didn’t understand? What if he thought it was a betrayal?
But then James broke into a wide grin. "Well, it’s about bloody time!"
Remus blinked. "What?"
James laughed, shaking his head. "I’ve been waiting for you two idiots to get together since third year. The tension was unbearable."
"Wait, you knew?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowing.
"Not for sure," James admitted. "But I had my suspicions. And I was right, wasn’t I?" He smirked, looking far too pleased with himself.
Remus exhaled a shaky breath, relief washing over him. "You’re… you’re okay with this?"
"Of course I’m okay with it," James said, his tone sincere. "Why wouldn’t I be? You’re my best mates. I just wish you’d told me sooner. It would’ve saved me a lot of speculation."
Sirius grinned, leaning forward to ruffle James’s already-messy hair. "You’re a good bloke, Prongs. We knew that, obviously, but it’s nice to have confirmation."
"Oi, hands off the hair," James protested, swatting him away. "And don’t think this means you’re off the hook for keeping it a secret."
Remus frowned. "We weren’t trying to keep it from you. It’s just… complicated."
James’s expression softened. "I get it," he said. "I mean, I don’t really get it, but I can imagine. It’s not like we live in the most accepting world, is it?"
"No," Remus said quietly, his chest tightening.
"Well, don’t worry about me or Wormtail," James said firmly. "You’ve got us, alright? Always."
Sirius reached over to clasp James’s shoulder. "Thanks, mate. That means a lot."
James grinned again, his usual mischievousness returning. "Just don’t start snogging in front of me, yeah? I don’t think I could handle it."
Sirius smirked. "No promises."
Remus groaned, burying his face in his hands. "You’re both impossible."
"That’s why you love us," James said cheerfully.
And as the three of them fell back into easy conversation, Remus felt a warmth settle in his chest. The secret was still theirs to keep from the rest of the world, but at least now, they didn’t have to carry it alone.