Winter at Hogwarts was always one of the most beautiful sights any student can be able to witness. Each of the houses’ common rooms can be lit up with the soft orange glow of the fireplace and everybody is finally able to wear the many layers their families had made them pack, around the castle. What everybody truly looked forward to though was the snow and considering how it was already the middle of December, snow was long overdue.
Sirius went on his daily rant about another random subject over breakfast with Peter who was blindly nodding and agreeing as he took more interest in his plate of french toast than one of his best friends’ tangents. For somebody who was attending a boarding school, Sirius had a lot to talk about. It was only when Sirius’s eyes wandered over to one of the windows behind the Slytherin table, did he let his interest be overtaken by another and make his chattering take a pause. Noticing the sudden silence in the air, Peter glanced up curiously at his friend to see what had caused the interruption in the conversation. He turned around to see what Sirius was so entranced by and it was only then he understood.
“It’s finally snowing Pete, you’ve got to come outside with me.” Sirius said from across the table as calmly as he could. Peter knew Sirius enough to sense the terribly hidden eagerness in his voice, almost like he can already feel Sirius jumping out of his seat and sprinting towards the front doors. Peter turned back to Sirius and his french toast and just gave his friend a slight shrug and scoff of amusement, not particularly interested in the snow as much as Sirius was. “You go ahead but I think Moony’s still in the common room if you wanna attempt to bring him outside,” Peter suggested as he guided another forkful of french toast into his mouth.
Sirius only gave Peter a smile and nod before he leapt out of the bench in search of his other friend. The sight of Sirius Black racing across the castle wasn’t unusual to students but his urge was strong enough to turn a few heads; some would even say they thought they saw the certain fifth year fly up a few steps as he passed. It turned out to be only a short 2 minute trip to the common room at the speed Sirius was going.
Remus hadn’t noticed the snow yet, as he was too busy reading in his favorite spot, a deep red couch that was perfectly placed a few feet in front of the fireplace. A small contented sigh left his body as he read the next line in his head, using both the warm glow of the fire and the white light that came through the windows to illuminate the pages. Remus loved Winter in a different way than Sirius did, though he liked the cold and the snow, what really got him to develop a fondness for the season was moments like these where he can enjoy the coziness of the fireplace with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other.
Sirius came into the common room, not seeming to mind that his heart rate was beating twice as fast than it was just a few minutes prior, and scanned through the room before his eyes landed on his friend turning another page in his book. He quickly made his way over and kneeled down in front of the couch and looked up at Remus expectedly with a smile that could replace the fire and sunlight that Remus was using to see the words he read so carefully. “Yeah?” Remus asked, slightly curious as to what Sirius wanted from him. “Come outside with me Moons, it’s the first snowfall of the year and you’re gonna enjoy it with me.” The words left Sirius’s mouth quickly, not wanting to waste any more time inside.
The scar faced boy finally put down his book and looked at Sirius with a bored expression, “Where’s James and Peter?” Now Remus typically wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend time with Sirius but the comfort he felt in the moment was enough for him to resist. Not liking his friend’s response, Sirius’s smile dropped as he tried to think of where the other two were, “Peter decided his breakfast was more important than me and James is probably with my brother in the library and as much as I hate it, we both know none of us will be able to drag him away.” His breaths started to get audibly heavier the more time he spent convincing Remus, the adrenaline he gained slowly slipping away in front of him.
After a few seconds more of silence between the two boys and debate inside of Remus’s head whether or not to leave his place, he nodded defeatedly and sighed, “Fine but not for long.” Sirius’s smile returned to his face and he stood up to assist Remus, gently taking the cup of tea and placing it down on the small side table then grabbing a hold of his hand and pulling the boy up, in hopes he’d go outside sooner, even if it was just a few seconds. The both of them made their way up to their shared room in record time, maybe because Sirius never stopped pulling Remus even after he got off the couch. No matter how many silent complaints Remus expressed throughout the journey, the boy felt like he was on fire just by Sirius’s touch. He could feel his hand getting rather clammier with each second that passed, not that Sirius noticed though, how could he when he could finally get to admire the snow? How could he when he hasn’t noticed anything in the past five years?
The moment Sirius stepped onto the snow covered grounds, he looked as if he had discovered what snow was for the first time, darting a bit ahead. Remus remained at his own pace as he was walking out of the castle, hands in his coat pockets and a feeling of adoration rose in him as he saw the black haired boy with a smile that somehow grew wider than the one he had back at the common room where he first proposed the idea. Sirius chuckled freely as he looked at the sky, watching as the snowflakes fell down on him, feeling the soft impact as each one landed on his skin. He looked back at Remus for a second with the same smile, letting Remus notice how there was already snow collecting on Sirius’s hair and eyelashes, he never will get tired of looking at Sirius, especially whenever he looked as if he were the happiest person alive. Sirius went back to his place beside Remus and was finally able to ease his excitement.
The two walked in the snowy weather for what seemed like forever, letting themselves slip away with the time as they got lost in their conversations about anything they could possibly think of. Most would be dazed by how talkative Remus could be about certain subjects but Sirius simply enjoyed the moments Remus talked freely. After a bit of time, they somehow ended up at the opposite side of the Black Lake which created the first lull in the conversation; but none of them seemed to mind, finding a bit of comfort in the silence and in each other's presence instead.
They both stared out into the view with a small smile, letting themselves admire how the snow gently fell from the clouds to coat their surroundings. Of course Remus has seen the beauty that Hogwarts had offered, he spent his whole first year in awe of the castle and every aspect of it, but he’s never actually admired it in the way he is now. Though he missed the book, tea and his spot in front of the fireplace, he doesn’t regret giving into Sirius, he never will.
After a few seconds of both of them staring at Hogwarts being covered in the flurries, Sirius heard Remus let out a soft sigh, one he might’ve missed if he was just the tiniest bit more focused on the scene laid out in front of them. He turned his head to look up at Remus, just now noticing how much taller they’ve both grown since their first year, only a bit of jealousy rising when he realized Remus had grown much more than him. His eyes seemed to have scanned over his face countless times in only a minute, having his smile grow out of his control once he saw the faint smile that Remus wore. Sirius had looked at Remus more times than he looked at his own mother, but something seemed to change within him. Maybe it was the light reflecting off of the snow, but Remus seemed to glow, in a way that made him look alluring. Something swelled inside of him but he couldn’t quite figure out what exactly it was at the moment. Sirius didn’t mind though, he’ll probably talk to James about it later. He let himself appreciate the brunette without any more thoughts as everything happened around them.
Remus was too deep in a trance by the sight of the fragile outlook to notice Sirius staring at his face. He lets himself get overtaken by waves of nostalgia and relief as he reminisces about some of the Winters he’s experienced previously, with and without his friends. His reverie was broken after a few minutes when he finally felt Sirius’s stare, gazing at the shorter boy with a confused smile. “It’s not anything but a stare,” Remus thought; but he felt more intensity from Sirius’s eyes than he’s ever felt. He suddenly felt far more grateful for the frosty weather as he felt heat rising to his cheeks, hoping Sirius saw it as nothing more than the effect of the cold. Remus glanced to his side quickly to cope with the awkwardness he felt from the stare and returned to look back at Sirius, who still had the same look on his face. He put on the same lazy smile as he usually would, watching the intensity in Sirius’s eyes slowly disappear as they soften and he refocuses on reality.
“Perhaps we should return to the school.” Remus suggested carefully. Sirius seemed to have gone back to his usual self as he nodded and started to walk back alongside Remus. Though neither of the two students said anything on their way back, they seemed to have sensed a change in the air. Neither knew in what way it had changed but they both silently decided to let the strange feeling surround them as they tried to figure it out, separately. Remus didn’t allow himself think of it as anything romantic, as Sirius hasn’t noticed anything in the past five years, but he’d like to think it was a step.