It was a week before Valentine’s day and Remus was in pure, deep, heart wrenching agony. Their little group of four had made a promise to spend Valentine's day together with no lovers, partners, dates, anything. Just four friends hanging out like always.
Well.
Two of those so-called friends had already broken that promise. James had somehow gotten Lily, the it girl of the whole school who was way out of James’ league, to go out with him on the most romantic night of the year. Peter on the other hand confessed that he had had a girlfriend for the past three months and was naturally spending the day with her.
So that left Sirius and Remus. The two who had taken this promise seriously and had no one “special” to go out with like they had agreed.
Couple nights ago Sirius informed loudly in the common room in front of everyone that, and I quote “I am going to spend Valentine’s with the only person who did not betray me like those two rats in the corner, *pointing at James and Peter*, and that person is our lovely lovely Remus!” After this announcement he pretty much blacked out.
(He might have been a little drunk.)
So Sirius and Remus would be spending the day just the two of them. Alone. On the most romantic day of the year. In a school decorated with the most romantic things.
Oh and Remus was madly in love with Sirius.
Valentine’s day happened to fall on a Saturday that year which was awfully convenient to all the couples, but on the other hand it was excruciating suffering for those who were alone. Well to be exact Remus wasn’t going to be alone, he would have his best friend with him.
It was Tuesday when the school had been magically decorated according to the theme.
It was Thursday when the professors hopped in the same spirit as everyone else. No huge amounts of homework, no long essays, just pleasant classes.
It was Friday when the cards came flying during breakfast. Every year the whole school would send cards to their closest friends and loved ones and they’d owl those envelopes to those people. Remus was known as the Casanova of the Gryffindor tower and he naturally received a lot of those cards. Most of them were from those giggly girls who found him attractive, a few of them were a bit deeper. Remus always read every single card he got but this year he was stunned.
A card with the text “Will you be my valentine?” on the cover, written in a very familiar, messy but elegant, handwriting.
The inside said;
“Our lovely lovely Remus” might have been the exact words I announced to the whole school a week ago. But the truth is, I’d like you to be my lovely lovely Remus.
Despite my irresistible confidence I didn't have the guts to tell this to you face to face.
I apologise for that.
But if the stars align and you feel the same way, come to the astronomy tower tomorrow at seven in the evening.
I’ll be there waiting.
- Sirius Black
Remus was startled as he devoured the words written with dark ink. He looked around the Great Hall to locate Sirius but he was nowhere to be seen.
Remus wasn’t sure what to think. It could be a prank. It could be Sirius honestly feeling this way. God he wished it was the latter one.
But what if it wasn’t. He was so screwed.
He spent the whole day thinking about his options in the dorm and as the hours went by he came closer to figuring out what to do. He was dying to go if the card was actually from Sirius but would definitely not want to be a part of some joke.
All in all his conclusion was to take the invisibility cloak.
He fell asleep over his book he hadn’t managed to read a single page from. He was up way too late trying to catch Sirius sneaking in the dorm, but he never came.
—
As the hours went by the following day, he didn’t see even a glimpse of the one he was hoping to. It was like Sirius had vanished into the thin air all around. Remus quit trying to find him around noon and headed to the library to join the other weird loners and geeks who in their own words “were better off alone”.
The clock hit two.
The clock hit three.
Remus’ patience was coming to an end.
He wasn’t able to focus on the book he was reading at all. A little while later he found himself back in the dorm listening to one of those millions records Sirius had sneaked into the castle during their six years of studying. Remus remembered one day of their first year very well, when Sirius had “accidentally” blown a hole to the floor. The floor plank was still a bit loose on the exact same spot and up until their third year Sirius had used the hole to hide his records during holidays. There wasn’t even a slight chance for him to take them home.
Remus thought about all those small moments with a hint of sadness in his eyes. What if those moments would come to an end if this didn’t work out. He was so worried about every single detail that he didn’t realise the clock was ticking awfully close to seven in the evening.
“Shit! Oh bloody hell!”
Ten to seven, said the triangle shaped clock on the wall.
“Clothes, clothes, clothes”
He dug out every piece of clothing he had in his drawer to find something neater than usual to throw on. He settled on a basic white collared shirt and his favourite pair of brown wide jeans. His hair was a lost cause and it was not worth fighting over. So he grabbed the cloak and snuck out.
—
Remus was a rational man who wouldn’t get worked up about something foolish. Now however, his heart rate was speeding up as his steps brought him closer to the tower. His mind was running from one place to another and there was no coming end to the butterflies flying inside of him.
A few steps to the top of the tower.
He took those few steps and saw the most ridiculously beautiful thing he’s ever seen. There’s Sirius with his long curly hair tied to a bun with his wand. He was wearing a collared shirt with a tie, which was tied properly for once. He was holding a single red rose in his hand obviously trying not to drop it. There was a blanket with a setting of dinner on it and candles floating all around the place. The scene was so beautiful it took all Remus’ words.
Sirius seemed so honest and pure when he stood there glancing by turns to the watch on his wrist and the doorway to the top of the tower. Remus’ heart melted in that spot right then and there. He took off the cloak and met Sirius' eyes.
“You came,” Sirius breathed out in relief.
“How could I not?”