Chapter 3
Remus, in fact, was not at school the next day. Nor the next, or the one after that.
Three days of school and two weekend-days would pass him by until he felt able to get out of bed.
Of course, currently, it is Sunday, and Sirius Black has dragged James Potter to their local public library- perhaps, in the hopes that Remus Lupin would be there.
He was not.
Neither was Peter.
Great. Just great. Confined to the library with his only friend, without even his new ones to chit chat too.
Well… that couldn’t be so horrible.
Sirius, as if this could make the two materialize, sat at the table with James.
James watched Sirius with an insufferable type of smile on his face, not bothering to break the silence as if he knew Sirius would break it eventually.
Which he did, the moment the two had been sat for longer than a minute.
“…… Where do you think he is?”
James sighed, unimpressed with Sirius’s less-than-impressive resolve. “I don’t know, mate, maybe he has a life? Not that you’d know what that’s like.”
James ducked out of the way of a cuff aimed at his head, continuing on without a care.
“At any rate, I’m right and you know it. Remus probably is just busy. Not to mention, you barely seem disappointed that Peter isn’t here.”
Sirius frowned. “What, are you?”
“Uh- yeah! He’s cool- you just have been soooo starry eyed over Remus-“ James batted his eyes, putting on a high voice and holding his hands out. “Ohh, Moony, you’re so cool! Let’s be friends- even better, do you wanna go on a daaaaate?”
This time, James didn’t move quick enough, and Sirius’s fist knocked him upside the head.
Not hard, though- Sirius had learned his lesson, eventually- and learned to keep his hands soft.
“Shut up! I do not like him like that! I just think he’s cool.”
“So cool that you lay awake at night thinking about him?”
Sirius huffed, a grumbling look on his face. “No.”
Sirius, in fact, had not slept well last night.
Not that he ever did, but last night had been for a different reason.
Sirius’s sleep issues were long-standing, and he tried his best to hide what it did to him. It was the product of his house, certainly, but- he’d stick it out. If not for him, then for-
“Hey- hey, earth to Sirius Black?”
Sirius blinked, looking at James with a look at said ‘ah, fuck, what did I miss’.
James’ expression seemed a bit more worried- I mean, he knew that Sirius never had a good time sleeping, of course he did. Sirius was his best friend- and yet, his joke, about laying awake at night, seemed a bit too close to home.
“Siri, are you okay?”
Sirius shook his head, as if clearing his head like an etch-e-sketch.
“Uh, yeah? All the time. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’m awesome. You’re just annoying.”
Despite Sirius’s best efforts, and for all his attempts at deflecting, James eventually pried the story out of him.
A long few hours passed as Sirius talked and talked, and James listened.
Talking turned to consoling, to theorizing, to plotting, to chatting, to laughing, and eventually the two sat and laughed like they’d been having the times of their life all day.
Eventually, the two heard small footsteps approaching, and they fell quiet, watching in the direction of the sound- they were much too small to be Peter’s or Remus’s.
And, in fact, rounding the corner was Sirius’s younger brother, Regulus.
The two got on about as well as siblings can- they fought, sure, all siblings did- but James was pretty sure that Sirius had broken someone’s arm for Regulus before.
And, Regulus seemed to almost look up to Sirius.
He was a few years younger- three years, about- and much, much quieter. Sirius’s parents certainly preferred Regulus.
Sirius leaned back in his chair, casting a smile at Regulus, signing a greeting.
‘Reggie! Get tired of your books?’
Regulus shook his head, his sign much smoother and faster than Sirius’s. ‘Oh, please. I got tired of mother, is all.’
Sirius nodded, casting a look at James. “Do you care if he stays?”
James had been spacing out in Regulus’s general direction, blinking back to earth when he was asked a question. “Oh! Oh- no. No, he can stay.”
A smile in Regulus’s direction (which was unreturned), and James turned back to Sirius.
“Well, it always stands, you know.” He didn’t say it, but a glance cast towards the younger Black told Sirius all he needed to know. He can come too. If you two want it. If you need it.
Sirius nodded, a sigh as he stretched his limbs out, careful not to rest them on the table (what if he messed up Remus’s things? Peter’s too).
“Well, we’ll just have to see, won’t we, Prongs?”
James nodded seriously, making an exaggerated show of agreement. “Oh, of course, Padfoot. A calculated move, to wait.”
They went back and forth like this for a little, each time more exaggerated and embellished, until neither could continue for fear of laughing themselves to death.
Regulus, though he’d left his hearing aids at home, could tell that the two were doing something stupid- he didn’t need to be able to hear for that.
Since when had Sirius Black, problem causer extraordinaire, ever been not stupid?
Dancing and jumping and lauging too loud and making friends in all the wrong places (though, Regulus thought James was okay enough), Sirius Black at least had friends as stupid as him.
The bell rang out, and Sirius sighed.
Time to go home- suppose it wasn’t so bad.
It was late (4:30pm on a Sunday afternoon, to be precise), and the parents were probably getting annoyed.
James stood up, casting a look between Regulus and Sirius, then waved, and was off.
Leaving Sirius to walk back to his family- not alone, quite. He had Regulus, of course.
Sirius could always count on Regulus to be there.