The Shrieking Shack

Remus sat on the worn couch in the Gryffindor common room, a near-empty bottle of whiskey in his hands. Across from him, the fireplace roared with a welcoming heat that made his cheeks flush and his hands sweat just slightly. Or maybe that was the alcohol they’d shared, the five of them that sat together in this room an hour past midnight. 

Or maybe it was a certain black-haired boy who sat so close to him that their shoulders brushed. 

Either way, the atmosphere was buoyant despite the storm that rolled relentlessly on outside, complete with threatening booms and bright flashes of lightning. Lily and James sat on opposite sides of the oval that they’d created, and Peter sat across from both Sirius and Remus, a small grin on his face. The flickering lights cast shadows across their faces, making the game that they had been playing seem more daunting despite its primary nature. 

Truth or dare, a timeless classic, had been keeping them up for at least two hours now. Most of it had been mundane- it was a school night, anyway- but the stories that had interrupted or stopped the game completely had them laughing like they’d never done so before. James’ latest one had him admitting the time that he had clogged one of the bathroom sinks throwing up, and Sirius had to stick his hands down the drain to clear it out. 

“That is vile,” Remus groaned. “You’d owe me for life, Prongs. I’d never let you live that one down. I can’t believe Sirius managed to keep that secret until now.” 

“It was hard,” Sirius admitted, a throaty laugh making its way out. “I must’ve showered at least three times. I couldn’t look at him for nearly a week.” 

Lily’s laugh permeated the air like a warm breeze, ginger hair catching the light as she tossed it over her shoulder. “Maybe Sirius should be your girlfriend. Merlin knows I wouldn’t have done that for you.”

James shot her a wry look, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face for too long. Something about Lily eased every expression the young boy had, and when James looked at her it was clear he’d fallen so hard he didn’t know which way was up. 

Remus took another swig of whiskey and looked away. “Who’s next?” 

“I think it’s my turn,” James spoke up, gesturing for Remus to hand him the bottle. Obediently the amber liquid was passed over, only enough for a few more drinks before they’d be out. Thunder rumbled distantly, causing each of them to glance at the windows. A wicked smile spread slowly across James’ face, and when they turned back to the game, it had become a grin. 

“I have one. But it’s for two of you, so double or nothing.” James nodded to Sirius and Remus on the couch, taking a drink of the whiskey before holding it in the air. “You guys can have the rest of this if you finish it.” 

“Deal,” Sirius said immediately, reaching for the bottle. Remus rolled his eyes, though a slight trickle of unease slid down his spine and threatened to sober him up. 

“Let’s hear what it is first.”

“The two of you have to sneak into the Shack.” James raised his eyebrows, and another boom of thunder erupted as if emphasizing what a bad idea that was. Sirius glanced at Remus skeptically, white teeth flashing as he grinned. 

“Is that it, Prongs? Moony’s not even a full-blown wolf tonight.” 

“People have been saying it’s haunted for years,” Peter said seriously, the light of the fire casting him in shadow. “Before Remus.” 

The trickle of unease turned into full-blown chills, but Remus kept his mouth shut as he observed the discourse. 

“Not to mention it’s storming,” Lily added in, shaking her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. You can barely see through the rain.” 

“Dares aren’t supposed to be easy,” James reminded them, sitting up straighter. “It’s spooky, but that’s all. Unless you guys are scared.”

The bait was obvious and expected, so much so that Remus was surprised James threw it out there in the first place.

Yet somehow, he wasn’t surprised when Sirius took it. 

“Scared?” Sirius scoffed, nudging Remus with his shoulder. “I’m not scared. Are you, Moony?”

“Course not.” Remus turned as if eyeing the storm outside. “It is raining pretty hard, though.” 

Sirius groaned in response, leaning against the back of the couch and tipping his head back. “Moony.”

“Okay, okay,” Remus conceded almost immediately, shaking his head. “I’ll do it if you do.” 

“It’s decided!” Sirius’ woeful act immediately vanished, replaced with the excitement akin to a teenager sneaking out for the first time. “Hand it over, Prongs.”

James tossed the near-empty bottle to Sirius with a grin, and Sirius downed half of it in one drink. Then the curly-haired boy offered it to Remus, who took it almost hesitantly and finished it off at a much slower pace. When he’d finished, Sirius nudged him out of his spot on the couch and into a standing position. 

Waving him off, Remus got to his feet shakily. The room seemed to blur slightly around him, each movement throwing him just slightly off balance. Everything seemed tinged slightly red, and when he reached out, Sirius steadied him immediately. 

“I may have had a bit too much to drink,” Remus stated, and the five of them all burst into laughter. 

“May have?” Lily chided, but her tone had a teasing lilt to it that made Remus smile. 

“It’s more of an adventure that way,” Sirius chimed in, throwing an arm over Remus’ shoulder and ruffling his hair aggressively. “Ready to go?” 

“If you stop doing that,” Remus shut his eyes against the dizzy spell that the movement induced, heat flushing his cheeks. Distantly, he hoped that the alcohol disguised it enough to be unnoticeable. 

***

Getting out of the castle had been the easy part. Trudging across the castle grounds in the black of night as the rain soaked through their clothes? Not so easy. The rain had sobered him up almost immediately, chilling him to the bone. Though Remus had to admit that it did wonderful things for Sirius’ curly black hair, and the shirt that clung to his frame wasn’t so bad, either. 

Both of those things were also not what Remus was meant to be thinking of as they approached the Shrieking Shack, shivering in the cold. Mud had attached itself to Remus’ shoes, threatening to pull them off his feet as he made his way towards the Whomping Willow. The only bright side was that once they reached the Willow, the underground tunnels would keep them mostly dry until they reached the Shack. 

Sirius, who had been cracking jokes for most of the trip so far, had fallen silent as the Willow had reached their sight. Remus knew it made him nervous, a fact that amused him just a little. His friend had no concern for the Shrieking Shack or the ghosts that may haunt it, but a tree? 

A violent one, of course, but that was beyond the point. If the idea of entering the Shack wasn’t so unsettling to Remus, he might have poked a little fun at Sirius because of it. But the small building had haunted so much of Remus’ times that willingly walking into it on a night that wasn’t a full moon hadn’t been in his plans. He could hardly believe he had agreed to it, but he supposed that when it came to Sirius, there was little he wouldn’t agree to. 

When they reached the Willow, Remus dug around for only a brief moment before finding a stick long enough to tap the knot at the base of the tree. The storm had knocked off plenty of them, and the second the tree stopped moving, Remus could see the ease slide back into Sirius’ features. A smile of amusement ghosted over his lips, but as they made their way into the tunnels, it faded quickly. Before he knew it they stood in the rickety building, wooden floors creaking beneath them as they walked gingerly. 

“See, Moony?” Sirius gestured to the walls around them. “There’s nothing in here except bad memories.” 

Bad memories, indeed. Remus had gone through so much here- he had suffered, transformed, and even lost parts of himself that he was still fighting to get back. Gently he ran his fingers over various marks slashed into the walls, undoubtedly left by him over the years. But something about tonight seemed different than all the other nights here- for once, Remus wasn’t only afraid of himself. 

Remus felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and his stomach twist. Hastily he dropped his hand from the rotting wood, turning. “Sirius, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be in here.” 

“There’s nothing here,” was all Sirius said in response, along with a soft, “Lumos.” Through the wand’s eerie white glow, Remus swore he could see the shadows reaching out towards them. A shiver raced down his back and Remus turned away, trying to convince himself it was in his head. Every month he was here by himself, and none of this happened- if nothing else, it was the storm screwing with him. 

The slam of a door jerked Remus out of his thoughts, and his heart leapt into his throat as he spun. The door that they had entered through was now shut even though the two of them were across the room, and Remus hadn’t heard Sirius cast a spell beyond Lumos.

“James, if that was you, it wasn’t funny,” Remus called out shakily, and Sirius barked out a laugh from behind him. The sound made Remus flinch again, and mentally he cursed himself for the involuntary action.

“The way you jumped was a little funny, actually. I’m sure it was just the wind.” 

As if in answer a cold wind drifted through the splintered wood, brushing delicately against the scars on Remus’ cheek. His hair ruffled gently, and Remus forced himself to take a deep breath. Making his way over to the door, he eased it open, and when he found no resistance the weight on his shoulders lifted minutely. 

Just the wind.

“Where does this go?” Sirius’ voice echoed gently in the night, and Remus shifted his gaze from the door to where Sirius stood across the room. 

But the door that Sirius lingered in front of had never been in the Shack before, not that Remus could recall. And suddenly Sirius’ hand was reaching for a doorknob that shouldn’t be there , and it seemed to be pulsing urgently even as everything about it seemed to scream don’t touch me. 

Remus stepped forward, dread rising in his throat. “Sirius, wait-” 

But Sirius had never been a patient person, had always been the type to act first and think later. The second that Sirius’ fingertips brushed against the handle the door swung open with a bang. Freezing wind whipped through the room and seemed to suck Sirius in, pulling him into the room faster than Remus could blink. Before his eyes, Sirius vanished into the blackness of the room and the door slammed shut with a finality that echoed in his ears.

“Sirius!” Remus shouted, and before he knew it he was across the room, yanking at the doorknob like it would do anything. The door didn’t budge, firmly shut despite Remus’ attempts. Through the gaps in the wood Remus could see Sirius standing in the middle of the room, but he wasn’t alone- shadowy shapes solidified into corporeal forms, and suddenly Sirius was in a room with his mother, Regulus, and- and Remus. 

“You can’t escape us,” his mother seemed to hiss at Sirius. “You’re a disgrace. Look at everything we’ve built for you, everything you’ve wasted.”

Sirius’ face twisted into disgust, but beneath it, Remus could see the despair that shone through his eyes. It was as if Sirius had entered another world, with no memory of where he actually was or who he was actually with. Remus watched as Sirius’ wand clattered to the ground, breath fogging in the freezing air as he trembled before the figures. 

“You left me in that house,” Regulus whispered. “You left me with them.”

“I didn’t want to,” Sirius reached out as if to catch Regulus’ wrist, but the movement went right through his brother as if he wasn’t there. Desperation strained Sirius’ voice, and Remus watched as his face crumpled- crumpled - with the pain of leaving his brother alone. “Regulus-”

“This is because of you.” The form of Regulus pulled up his sleeve, and the sickening shape of a Dark Mark traced its way up his forearm. 

“No!” Sirius’ voice cracked as he tried to reach out again, falling to his knees when he missed this time. 

Remus slammed his fist into the rotting wood, fear and adrenaline racing through his body. “Sirius, it’s not real!” 

A shadowy figure seemed to materialize with each word that Sirius spoke, making its way closer to the boy on his knees. Heart in his throat, Remus felt the skin on his knuckles split as he hit the door over and over again. The figure seemed to pull at Sirius like it was taking from him, and the thought made it difficult for Remus to breathe. 

The fake Remus kneeled next to Sirius as if to help, a shadowy hand reaching out to tilt Sirius’ face upward. Obediently Sirius angled his face toward him, eyes open and pleading. Remus had never seen him this way- so open to comfort, so willing to let someone help him for once. It was a testament to how broken Sirius had to be feeling.

“Please,” Sirius breathed, and a tear traced its way down his cheek. Remus felt his heart break a little at the words even though he didn’t know what Sirius was asking for. Please, tell them I’m sorry. Please, help me. 

The shadowy figure swelled in the corner, drifting closer to the fallen boy. Sirius paid it no mind at all, as if he couldn’t even see the danger in the room with him. 

The fake Remus lowered his head toward Sirius’ slowly, almost hesitantly, as if worried about what Sirius would think. Remus watched as Sirius’ eyes flickered down to the fake’s lips, before fluttering shut. His mouth seemed to part just slightly, accepting, waiting, as the fake Remus’ lips brushed ever so lightly against his.

“I could never have loved you.” The words, haunting and jarring at the same time, were spoken from his mouth with an ease that Remus loathed. “You will turn out just like them, and I will hate you for it.” 

Sirius went still beneath the fake Remus’ touch, eyes not opening as the words sank in. His shoulders seemed to cave inward, and every semblance of restraint left Remus’ body at the defeat in the action. The shadowy figure approached and Remus swore, another spike of adrenaline surging through him. A spell left his lips before he could even realize what he was saying, wand pointed at the door, and with a shudder and a crack the door seemed to burst open in front of him. 

The shadows seemed to recoil at Remus’ entrance, and the freezing wind slammed into him hard enough to take his breath away. The room was absolutely frigid and raised the goosebumps on Remus’ arms within seconds, but none of it mattered as he stumbled into the room and fell to his knees beside the broken boy. 

Remus reached out just in time to catch Sirius as he collapsed, cold to the touch and trembling so hard that Remus was afraid he’d never stop. 

“Can you hear me?” Remus murmured, brushing Sirius’ hair out of his eyes. Sirius didn’t respond, eyes distant. The shadowy figure had disappeared, but part of Remus cried out that something wasn’t right . The figure might be gone, but it looked as if it had taken a part of Sirius with it. 

“Sirius, please,” Remus begged, hating the anguish that laced his words. “Please, say something.” 

“I can hear you,” Sirius said distantly, and Remus nearly wept in relief at the fact that not only could Sirius now hear him, but he seemed able to understand him, too. 

“We’re going home, okay? I need you to stand.” 

Sirius didn’t move, but Remus slung Sirius’ arm over his shoulder for the second time that night and forced his way to his feet. Though Sirius clung to him more than he walked, Remus forced himself to take one step after another towards the exit, and towards the castle after that. The rain whipped at him almost angrily, and by the time he reached the castle his arms shook from the effort of helping Sirius. What had happened to him in that room, Remus didn’t quite know- but whatever it was, it was as if a piece of him had remained there throughout their entire walk back. A piece that drained the light out of Sirius’ eyes and the color from his face. 

*** 

In the days that followed, Sirius sat in silence more than he laughed. His smiles became hollow, eyes shadowed by something Remus couldn’t quite ever reach. Though they walked side by side in the corridors, the space between them seemed to be filled with the ghosts of that night, with the things they didn’t know how to say. Remus didn’t know how to bring it up- what he had gained that night, and what he had lost. 

The Shrieking Shack still stood there, daunting and silent, but Remus dreaded the day he’d have to return more than usual. Whatever had been between him and Sirius, whatever unspoken bond had strengthened there, lay buried in a room that didn’t exist.