Sirius Black lay sprawled out on the worn leather couch in the dimly lit drawing room of Grimmauld Place, staring up at the intricate designs on the ceiling while twirling a lock of his dark hair in boredom. The warm hue of the lighting cast a halo over his pale skin, making him look almost angel like in his serene expression of boredom. He had been willingly stranded, as his dreadful parents, along with his younger brother Regulus, had gone to attend yet another exclusive pure-blood gathering, likely at the Malfoys’ estate—a tradition that Sirius loathed with every fiber of his being. The blood supremacy was an ideal he had grown up with, but after meeting his beloved friends and living at Hogwarts, meeting all sorts of different people, he had long since dropped the idea, unlike his dear brother Reggie, always the poster child.
Sirius sighed, and scoffed, remembering how the bastards had insisted he come along, Walburga’s taunting and cruel voice cutting the air and hitting his ears like a knife stabbing violently at his head, in the moment, he had gripped his hair so tightly, that a few black locks even got pulled out. Thankfully, a sudden bout of “illness” had allowed him to feign weakness and stay behind as they left, courtesy of a quick Sternius spell and a Curse of the Bogies (James had taught both to him, being a master of charms and all), which caused him to sneeze uncontrollably, and give him a visible cold. Walburga seemed pensive and suspicious at the sudden sickness, but a particularly hacking cough and a quick status charm had her reluctantly convinced. As the heavy dark mahogany door of Grimmauld Place closed firmly behind his so-called family, Sirius could feel the oppressive atmosphere lift ever so slightly. The silence that settled over the room like a warm blanket was both liberating, and suffocating. For one night, he would be free from their constant surveillance, yet he was all alone with only his rattling breaths and sniffling nose for company.
Sirius sighed, bringing a hand to his face and dragging it down with a groan. He couldn’t stand the stuffy sickness that had overtaken his body from his spellwork, so he quickly dashed to his trunk to down a Pepper-Up potion he had nicked from the Hospital Wing before winter break started—just in case. He let the cool liquid slide down his throat like butter, and grinned at the immediate relief as his spells wore off.
He then ran back to the sitting room, flopping down onto the leather couch, and his grin faded as he descended into boredom, thus his predicament. Sirius sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair when he glanced at the old rusting grandfather clock in the corner. It was still early. Too early to be resigned to a night of solitude. He pouted but felt a flash of hope as an idea sparked in his mind. A wicked grin graced his aristocratic features as he reached for the small mirror he always kept hidden in his robes. He tapped it with his wand, whispering “James Potter.”
A moment later, James' face appeared in the mirror, his curly and unruly hair as tousled and untamable as ever, and a shit eating grin on his face, eyes alight with curiosity. “Pads! What’s up?”
Sirius grinned back in true Sirius fashion, and brought the back of his hand to his forehead, leaning back and looking up dramatically with a woeful expression “Oh dear Jamsie poo, My esteemed family has abandoned me for the night,” Sirius said in a mockingly pompous tone, like a damsel in distress. He turned back to James with a wink, “So Grimmauld Place is ours for the taking, care to join me, my lovely Prongsie?” He said, waggling his eyebrows at the other teen, batting his eyelashes and giving the brown eyed boy his best expression of a kicked puppy.
James’ face dropped slightly, “I’m sorry Padfoot, I would if I could… but mum wanted us to all go on an outing today, I’m being forced along, plus, her birthday is coming up soon so I wouldn’t want to upset her… you understand, right?” James explained, his eyebrows knitted together as he spoke, willing his brother in all but blood to understand his reasoning.
Sirius drooped a little, but gave James a small smile, though he was a bit bitter “Yeah, I get it Prongs, don’t worry. Have fun! Tell Aunt Effie and Uncle Monty that I say hi!” Sirius said, truly meaning it. Euphemia and Fleamont had truly been such vibrant lights in his life. He didn’t know how he would have made it thus far without them. “I’ll try to come by for her birthday when it comes around, it's as good an excuse as ever to get away from here, and I miss seeing her lovely face”
James nodded at him, shooting him a grin, “‘Course Pads! I’ll let them know. I’ll get you something from Diagon, so expect an owl!”
Sirius laughed along, his heart swelling at his friends’ words. Merlin, he really was blessed to have met them. “Alright, alright, I’ll be here then! Go on, I’m sure Auntie Effie is waiting for you.”
James gave a quick nod and a sheepish grin, “You’re right, I was supposed to be down like ten minutes ago,” He said, rubbing his neck bashfully.
Sirius laughed as Euphemia gave a muffled call from downstairs “JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER IF YOU DON’T GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, MERLIN HELP ME–”
James stilled at the use of his full name, and took a deep breath before barking back “COMING MUM, GIVE ME A MINUTE!” He turned back to Sirius and gave him one last toothy grin, “Right then, mate, I’ll see you later, yeah?”
Sirius smiled right back, nodding, “Yeah, ‘course, now get downstairs before AUntie comes up there and drags you down by your ear.” Sirius said with a chuckle.
James winced at the thought, “Yikes, you’re right, I’d better go. Bye!” The mirror went dark as another muffled yell sounded from the bottom floor of the Potter Estate, “JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER I SWEAR TO MERLIN-”
Sirius sighed, “Bye,” he echoed to the empty room. He quickly composed himself and gave a low whistle, calling his owl, Aster, who was likely perched in the Black Library somewhere, which for some reason was the black owls’ favorite place to sleep. Sirius often found the pitch black menace snuggled up between random books about Necromancy and Dark Magic (It’s not like there were many better choices in the Black Library anyways).
The owl flew into the room with a low hoot, flapping its wings to land on the arm of the leather couch. Sirius smiled at him, ruffling his feathers lightly as he spoke, “Hey boy, I need to send two letters, you up for it buddy?” He asked the owl with a smile.
The creature looked up at him with a wide eyed gaze, and gave a higher pitched hoot as it affirmed his request, puffing up his sleek black feathers with his stare boring into Sirius’s soul.
Sirius grinned and pulled out two strips of parchment from one of the drawers in the room, taking out his trusty self-inking quill to pen out a message to Peter and Remus, all but begging them to come and save him from his misery and boredom in the estate.
He wrote out the letters and rolled them up, handing them to the patiently waiting owl, the animal in question giving an indignant squawk as Sirius’ ink stained fingers brushed its foot. Sirius laughed, it only made sense that the Black family owl was just as pompous as the rest of the family, after all. The owl hooted and gave him a look, to which Sirius shrugged and grinned at it, before reaching into a different drawer to whip out a few owl treats that he had smuggled from the Hogwarts owlery.
Sirius extended his hand with the treats as a peace offering, and Aster gave an inquisitive hoot, eating them with the vigilance of a starved man. Once the owl had finished feasting, it gave a satisfied whistle, taking the two letters that Sirius had handed to him prior, and setting off through the open window.
Sirius watched the owl leave, and sighed when he was once again left entirely alone in the Manor. He flopped over on the couch, laying down as he stewed in his thoughts. Hopefully the two other boys would be able to make it… He wasn’t sure what he would do if he was forced to rot in his misery all day long. Though he supposed anything would be better than attending that poncy pureblood ball. The quietness that rang through the house made a chill run through his spine, though. It felt nothing like home. The noisy banter of the Gryffindor dorms, the comforting aura of the Gryffindor commons, the lively chatter of the Great Hall, that was his home. This quiet air was such a far contrast, he couldn’t even pretend to be comfortable.
Sirius gave a short sigh, flipping onto his stomach and batting his legs lightly against the leather couch, humming a soft tune under his breath. He continued to hum quietly, closing his eyes. He wasn’t really allowed to sing, Walburga would have his head. Something about it not being “fit of a Black- blooded heir,” or something along those lines. Sirius didn’t agree of course, but he supposed silence was a small price to pay in return for temporary safety against his mothers cruelty.
Then, Sirius’ eyes snapped open. Wait! Walburga wasn’t home right then. That meant… he could sing! He could do whatever he wanted! His face melted into an easy grin, he quickly shifted into his dog form, his brilliant features merging and shifting into a shaggy black muzzle. His dog tongue lolled out of his mouth in his own dog grin as he took a breath and howled with all his might, letting out all his pent up energy through his voice.
Sirius heard a pop, and shocked himself back into his human form, wildly looking around for the source, his heart nearly beating out of his chest at the thought that maybe his parents had decided to retire from the ball early, before he remembered that was hardly likely. They would never leave a pureblooded party that early.
His breathing slowed a bit, and his heart settled as he squinted, his steely eyes roaming the room before they landed on the culprit. Kreacher stood, wiping down the dust in the corder off of the grandfather clock, turning to give a beady eyed stare in Sirius’ direction before tutting disappointedly. “Filthy blood traitor…” The elf muttered softly as he popped away after finishing his job.
Sirius gave a sigh of relief. It wasn’t his parents after all. Thank Merlin. He would have been done for if it was, they didn’t know he was an animagus, and if they caught him in that form making a ruckus? Well he could wave his quiet winter break goodbye to say the least.
Sirius was torn away from his thoughts as an impatient tapping sounds from the window. He turned to look, and was met with the sight of a very ruffled Aster, impatient and indigent at the window which must have closed on its own from the wind while Sirius was lost in his antics.
The teen ran up to the window and opened it, Aster gave him an unimpressed hoot, eyeing him up and down, muffled by the two letters in his beak. Sirius gave the owl a sheepish glance, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, mate” He intoned, meeting the owl’s glare.
Sirius reached for the letters, taking them in his hand as Aster puffed up indignantly and gave his fingers a light peck for his negligence to check on the window, the bird was annoyed by the light spatterings of snow in his sleek black feathers. Sirius grimaced, taking his finger to his mouth to suck on it lightly, relieving the sting of the owl’s beak. “Yeah, I guess I deserved that. Sorry Aster.” Sirius said to the owl.
The creature in question gave a small squawk before turning and flying back to the room he had come from, small disapproving hoots sounding from his beak as he flew. A dramatic bird he was, all the more fitting as Sirius’ companion.
Sirius shook his head in exasperation and fondness, the smile returning to his face as he held up the letters, almost bouncing in giddiness as he headed back to his seat in the leather couch before tearing the two open.
Sirius decided to read the letter from dear old Pete first, a grin still lingering on his face as he unrolled the parchment, his hands trembling with barely concealed excitement. Finally he’d be away from all this damned silence! His steely grey eyes skimmed the untidy scrawl, but his usual shit-eating grin faltered as he read:
Sorry, Padfoot! Mum’s caught wind of my grades– That P in Potions really got to her, and she’s gone into a proper fit. I’m grounded until further notice, and she’s got her eye on the Floo powder, so I can’t sneak out. Next time for sure! Hang in there, mate. :(
Sirius sighed, his disappointment rolling off him in waves, crumpling the letter and tossing it onto the nearby sleek wooden table with a frown. He slouched back into the seat, groaning softly as he put his head in his hands, praying to Merlin and Morgana that Remus would have a different answer. He muttered to himself bitterly, "Poor Wormy. At least I’m not the only one stuck in hell tonight, I suppose."
He gave another soft sigh, and sat up, back ramrod straight, taut with tension as he turned his attention to the second letter. This one was addressed in neat, meticulous handwriting. Remus’s script was so unmistakably his: precise, elegant, and careful, much like the other teen himself. Sirius’s heart lifted slightly as he unrolled it, smiling to himself at the other boy’s formal writing and poncy cursive.
Unlike Sirius, he hadn’t grown up writing all priss and proper, so it always amused him when he say Remus’ handwriting looking even better than his on most days– unless the full moon was soon, in which cases Remus would often face tremors in his hand from the unstable energy of the wolf, making his handwriting much less legible. Thankfully, this day was far from the next full moon, so at least that factor was on Sirius’ side, one more reason for Remus to not be able to refuse his urgent letter of help.
Sirius shook his head lightly, coming out of his thoughts and turning his attention to the parchment in his hands, taking a deep breath before scanning the paper:
Dear Sirius,
I’ll be there. Try not to get into too much trouble before I arrive.
Yours, Remus.
The worried expression melted off his face, and the crinkles all smoothed out into a wide grin, a delighted bark of laughter escaping Sirius’s lips. Of course Remus would come. He always did. Oh how he loved that boy. Moony was the absolute best. His short and to the point wording only amused Sirius more, that was true Moony fashion, alright. Folding the letter carefully, Sirius tucked it into his pocket, humming softly again, the grin still evident on his face, his cheeks hurting from maintaining his joyful expression.
Sirius walked up to his room, and hauled his old record player out from under his bed– courtesy of a christmas gift from his dear friend Marlene McKinnon, a gift that he had so far been successful in hiding from his mother. For if she knew he was hiding a muggle device in his room? He’d be immediately disowned. Not like that was so bad a thing, but still, risking his mother’s wrath in any form was not worth it.
He took the old player out and sat next to it, laying it on the floor by his side carefully. He then turned around and hauled his favorite vinyls from under a loose floorboard behind his bed. Merlin, his bed really was a treasure trove of stuff. He hoped Walburga would never decide to search it… Nevertheless, he shuffled through his pile of records. Black Sabbath, Queen, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Aha! David Bowie. Sisius grabbed the vinyl hurriedly, and placed it gently onto the record player, laying the stylus on top and grinning as the music began to play. He flopped over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, smiling at the music.
All his record had been gifts throughout the years from his housemates, friends, and from his own trips to muggle London with his friends from whenever he visited the Potters. That family really liked their outings. Sirius just loved music. It was his third favorite thing after his friends, and pranks. He loved each and every artist whose vinyl he owned, he even had muggle T-shirts of some of them.
He chose this particular one- David Bowie, as it was Remus’ favorite. Sirius had introduced it to Remus one night in the Gryffindor commons after the Marauders had been talking about music– courtesy of a record he had borrowed from Marlene. Remus had been enchanted and entranced by Bowie’s voice and music, and was immediately hooked, Sirius was thrilled.
In fact, the record he had playing at the moment– The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was Remus’ absolute favorite, and was a record that both of them shared– As Sirius had gifted the same record to Remus one christmas, and Remus had gifted him the exact same thing that day. They really knew each other well.
Now, listening to Remus’ favorite music, Sirius could not wait at all for Moony to arrive. It was taking so long… The teen tried to pass time listening to Bowie’s voice floating through the air from his record-player.
As their favorite song began to play, Sirius grinned, sitting up and humming along to the tune, eyes closed. The chorus began steadily, and Sirius couldn’t help but sing along, wishing Remus would hurry up and save him from the aching loneliness of his empty home.
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie
Sirius smiled as he sang, swaying to the sound, and as the music came to an end, he stood up, stretching and hearing his muscles pop. He walked back to the sitting room to pace in front of the floo, humming the tune under his breath as he did.
As the minutes stretched into what felt like hours, Sirius paced the length of the drawing room, glancing out the window every so often. The snow was falling in thick, heavy flakes now, and the darkened streets outside seemed eerily still as the boy awaited his fated meeting with the teenage werewolf.
Finally , the sound of the Floo network roaring to life echoed through the house. Sirius practically bolted to the fireplace, skidding to a halt in front of the green flickering flames, almost comically as Remus stepped through, brushing soot from his patched cardigan. The boy’s amber eyes lit up at the sight of Sirius, a soft smile curving his lips.
“Wotcher, Padfoot” Remus grinned at him.
"Took you long enough, Moony," Sirius teased, though the relief in his voice was unmistakable. He grinned back and ran forward to capture the taller boy in a fierce, bone-crushing hug. “Been waiting hours”
“You sent me that letter an hour and a half ago, Sirius” Remus deadpanned.
Sirius pouted dramatically, “The point still stands.” He huffed. “You made me wait, and for that moony, I will never forgive you!” He professed grandly, turning away and raising a finger to the air in indignance.
Remus gave a small chuckle at Sirius’ antics, "You try convincing my mum that trudging through snow in the middle of the night is perfectly reasonable," Remus quipped back, his smile growing. "She’s not entirely convinced you’re a good influence, you know."
"I’m not," Sirius said with a dramatic bow, before grinning at the boy again, giving him a saucy wink. "But you love me anyway."
Remus rolled his eyes fondly, but didn’t disagree. "Come on, then. What’s the plan?"
Sirius’ eyes practically twinkled brighter than old Dumbledore’s as he dragged Remus off to the drawing room.
The two spent hours in there, coming up with new prank ideas for the gang, playing wizard’s chess and a rather disastrous game of Exploding Snap that left scorch marks on the carpet. They talked and laughed, so much so that Sirius’ ribs were starting to ache at the constant ruckus. Sirius was basking away in the easy companionship that only Remus could provide him in times like this.
When the grandfather clock chimed midnight, rain began pelting against the windows, accompanied by the low rumble of thunder. Sirius stiffened slightly at the sound but quickly masked it with an easy grin, trying not to let anything slip through the cracks in his expression. "Looks like you’re stuck here now, Moony. Roads will be too dangerous, I think we’ve just about ran out of floo powder… and I doubt my family will be back tonight. They usually stay over at the Malfoy Manor at these events. So you’re not going anywhere." Sirius turned to Remus with a hopeful glance, praying that the other teen wouldn’t refute his assertion.
"Good thing I planned to stay anyway," Remus replied easily with a smile, giving the black haired boy a curious look. "You all right, Pads?"
"M’Fine, Moony," Sirius said too quickly, waving him off. "Let’s find somewhere to sleep, yeah?"
The sandy haired boy gave him one more curious glance, before nodding and following Sirius as he led the way through the manor.
The two wandered through the labyrinthine corridors of Grimmauld Place, peering into room after room. The mansion was eerily silent, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows on the walls. Each room they entered seemed to have an array of ornate, perfectly made beds, untouched and unwelcoming.
"Merlin, how many beds does one family need?" Remus muttered as they opened yet another door to reveal more grand but soulless furniture, as many as there were, none of them seemed comfortable enough to spend the night. The room was too cold, or the bed too creaky, each one just seemed… off.
Sirius laughed, though it was a bit strained. "Too many, clearly. This place is ridiculous."
Eventually, they settled on separate rooms. Remus chose a modest guest room with a comfortable-looking four-poster bed. Sirius lingered in the doorway for a moment, hesitating. "You’ll… be alright on your own?" he asked, trying to sound casual, but failing by the everlasting curious look on Remus’ face as he looked at the grey eyed boy.
Remus’ curious look melted into a small smile. "I’ll be fine, Sirius. Get some sleep, I'll be here in the morning."
Sirius looked at him uncertainly before reluctantly leaving the doorway, trudging off to his own room, sulking quietly. He didn’t want to be alone… But he couldn’t very well force Remus to join him– that would be incredibly weird of him… wouldn’t it?
Sirius let out a small sigh as he reached his room, slipping in and almost tripping over the record player he had left out earlier. He sighed again, sitting on the edge of his bed and rubbing his stubbed toe with a slight scowl.
He reached over, and carefully, so as not to break it, slid the record player and vinyls back under his bed. Sirius scooted further onto the bed and swung his legs up, laying down to stare at the darkened ceiling, wrapping himself up firmly in his blanket, shivering but not from the cold.
The thunder grew louder as the night wore on, each crack reverberating through the ancient walls of the house. Sirius lay in his bed, curled up tightly under the heavy covers, but his heart pounded with each booming roar. The sound reminded him too much of his mother’s rages, of the sharp sting of her hand or the cruel lash of her words, the thunderous echo of her hand striking his pale skin, leaving behind red welts of pain. Pain that he wasn’t allowed to heal with magic until it went away on its own. His own fault for liking muggles, she said. Muggle methods. No magic. But no muggle medicine either. Just. Nothing. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to stay put under the covers, to ignore the sounds outside, but the memories were relentless, even as he covered his ears, screwing his eyes shut.
Finally, unable to bear it, he transformed into Padfoot. The form brought him some comfort, his heightened senses grounding him, he could smell Remus a few rooms away, he could feel the bedsheets under his paws. He could see the textured wallpaper of his room clearer, but the thunder still made his ears flatten against his head. Whimpering softly, pitifully, he padded out of his room, nosing the door open and walked down the hall, his paws almost silent on the wooden floor.
He stopped outside Remus’s door, he could smell the other boy’s presence, warm and comforting. The smell of parchment and chocolate, coffee and rain. A smell he distinctly remembered from a potions lesson on amortentia… His thoughts were interrupted by another sharp crackle outside. Despite the thunderous echo, he could also still hear Remus’ soft, even breathing past the door. Sirius whined softly, scratching lightly at the wood. A moment later, it creaked open to reveal a sleepy but concerned-looking Remus. "Sirius?” The sleepy boy called, looking forward at the empty air, before looking down and registering the big black shaggy dog.
Padfoot whined again softly, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. Remus sighed almost amusedly, fondly at the dog. “What’s up, Pads? Why aren’t you asleep?”
Sirius gave another high pitched, drawn-out whine, nosing lightly at Remus’ checkered pajama pants. Remus looked at him curiously.
Another flash of thunder crashed down outside, the sound making Padfoot flinch, a pained whimper leaving the dog's lips as he flinched. Remus heard the sound and looked at him concernedly, reaching out to pet the soft black fur on Sirius’ head.
Remus stepped aside from the doorway, allowing the trembling dog to slip inside. "You’re scared of the thunder, aren’t you?" The teen observed, looking carefully at the dog, whose tail dragged pitifully against the ground in fear, its ears flattened on its head as it padded into the room.
At his question, Sirius turned to face Remus, Padfoot huffed indignantly but didn’t protest when Remus guided him to the bed. The boy climbed back under the covers and patted the space beside him with a warm smile. "Come on, then, Pads. I’ve got you."
Sirius then transformed back into his human form, sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed. "Sorry," he mumbled, not meeting Remus’s eyes. "It… The thunder…sounds like her , sometimes."
Remus’s expression softened further, and he reached out, placing a hand on Sirius’s shoulder. "You don’t have to explain, it’s okay. I’m always here for you Sirius, my star"
Sirius hesitated, but his eyes softened, glistening with unshed tears, then lay down beside him, the warmth of Remus’s presence easing the tension in his chest. They lay there in silence for a while, in eachothers arms, the storm raging outside but feeling distant now, muffled by the sounds of their synchronized breathing. At some point, Sirius drifted off slowly, his head resting on Remus’s shoulder, the other boy’s hand in his hair, stroking the silky locks softly, and for the first time in a long while, Sirius felt truly safe. “I love you, Remus, my moon” Sirius said softly, in his sleep. He didn’t feel it when Remus placed a soft, chaste kiss to his forehead. “I love you too” The other teen whispered to himself in the dark, pulling the black haired boy closer, as he too drifted off into a sweet, comforting sleep.
And despite all the beds in the house, that night, they needed only one.