gold rush
Really, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to Sirius as it had but somehow the Gryffindor still found himself utterly confused by these unforeseen turn of events.
It had all started with Moony’s fifteen birthday last year, he supposed, when much more people than anticipated had shown up, almost filling the Gryffindor tower to its full capacity. Even people from other houses, people he had never met, people older and younger than them had shown up, all for Remus.
It was that night that Sirius had realized this simple yet somehow astonishing fact; Remus was popular. As in, widely and extremely popular.
Don’t get him wrong, it wasn’t hard to grasp what people found so enticing about Remus. If anyone knew how easy it was to love the curly-headed perfect, it was Sirius, yet what astounded him was just how many had seen what he had always been in his sight. He had always felt that Remus had been just his, in a way that he felt all of the marauders were specifically his, his pack, his friends for life. Maybe Remus even more than the rest. After all, he had been the first one to find out about his friend's secret and many more secrets to come, most of which would only stay between them. With all these new, strange people surrounding Remus, their eyes giving away each of their thoughts and intentions, some better and some worse, while speaking to him, Sirius couldn’t help as though something that had belonged to only him was slowly being taken away, a threat to the balance of his life.
James had somehow managed to interpret Sirius's unease as something completely different, striking it up to his ego, which to be fair was vain enough for an assumption like that, and liked to tease him about Remus's popularity ever since that birthday.
‘’Jealous you’re not the only player in Gryffindor?’’ he had asked as they watched some Hufflepuff flirt with Remus across the room that night.
From that day forward Sirius didn’t just have to digest the fact that Remus was widely popular but that, in fact, Remus was also widely desired. It stayed with him all throughout the rest of the year, noticing the stares in the halls he knew all too well himself, the giggles that followed his friend, the lingering touches and soft brushes that seemed to be purely accident yet accumulated throughout time.
He didn’t know why it had bothered him as much as it did. Perhaps it really was his ego, but James had always been as popular as him, deemed as attractive as him by just as many people, and it had never bothered him. He supposed it was a sort of possessiveness he couldn’t deny.
‘You don’t know him’ he kept thinking, watching how people interacted with Moony, his Moony, as though he was their best friend, casually coming up to him in the halls to ask him to help them revise or if he wanted to hang out with them ‘Not like I do’.
And really, they didn’t. They never could. Just because he had had a significant growth spurt and the soft features in his face, like those adorable cheeks that Sirius had loved to poke his fingers into had been replaced by sharp cheekbones and an ever-present grin of mischief was covered by blindingly polite smiles Remus was suddenly theirs to have? To take him away from Sirius?
It took Sirius about half of six-year to realize that his discomfort about Remus's popularity might stem from more than just his general possessiveness over his friends. Oh, how much more it was.
You see, in sixth year, Sirius had two major realizations.
First and foremost, Sirius was utterly, irrevocably and in an almost excruciatingly embarrassing way (only paralleled by James Potter’s love for his girlfriend) head over heels for his best friend.
Secondly, his best friend was kind of a slut.
It wasn’t that Remus acted slutty or behaved overly sexual in the way Sirius had done before he was struck by his life-changing epiphany. It was quite the opposite actually. Whilst Sirius flirted with practically everything that moved, people turned their attention to Remus on their own without him really having to ask for it. Perhaps it was the fact that he was openly queer, something accepted in the wizarding world yet usually still tried to keep on the down-low, that made so many young people looking for experience come to seek him out, or the fact that, once someone got past the scars and the large figure, he just looked approachable and friendly, with his oversized sweaters and offers of chocolate to anyone who looked just slightly down.
Whatever it was, Remus certainly didn’t seem to mind, arriving late at the dorm more often than not with a crooked tie and hair messier than usual, or on a few worse occasions with his shirt inside out or zipper still open. Whilst James and Peter, serial monogamists, loved to keep riding the joke of competition for the title of biggest Bachelor between them Sirius had to fight the urge to rip his skin off each time he saw any indication of Remus being romantic with anyone.
So yeah, there are only so many times you can track on the map who your best friend was spending time in a broom cupboard somewhere before hexing that exact person the next day before realizing they might be more than just a mate to you.
The problem was, Remus, despite his vast popularity and apparent experience, was completely oblivious to anyone liking him. In a way, it was almost comical if it wasn’t the cause of most of Sirius's suffering. For one, he wondered what kind of people he must be going out with if he was so bad at picking up signals. Just thinking how aggressively they must come onto him was enough to make them hex them whenever he saw them in the hall. But mostly it meant that no matter how hard Sirius tried - and he really, really wasn’t subtle about it- Remus just wouldn’t pick up on his gigantic crush on him.
‘’He’s so frustratingly beautiful I want to punch myself,’’ Sirius sighed as he reached out to run his hand through the other boy’s locks, pushing the hair out of his face and revealing a small cut that bloomed on his cheek.
James snorted into his pumpkin juice and Peter sighed while flipping a page from The Daily Prophet. It was customary for them to spend the first morning after the full moon, after all of them had gotten enough sleep from the exciting night, curled up with Remus in the hospital wing. Most of the time he was chipper and up by then and Madame Pomfrey would eventually let them all go. Some moons affected the werewolf more than others though, you could never be too sure. Sometimes the ingredients for the wolfsbane weren’t strong enough, or the weather or Remus's mood affected the transformation. In those rare instances, Remus was knocked out cold, just as he was now, sleeping soundly on his stomach, face sunken into the pillow and his mouth slightly parted, in the hospital bed that Sirius had enlarged with a spell to fit himself and their various breakfast supplies. Madame Pomfrey would usually have a fit but she knew of the marauder's tradition and, generally having a soft spot for Remus, would pointedly decide to attend to some business elsewhere for that time period, provided everything was back to normal once she’d returned.
‘’I thought the constant pining would be over now that James and Lily finally got together but you might be even worse,’’ Peter said lazily, his eyes not straying from this paper as he handed over the Quidditch commentary to James.
Sirius just sighed, feeling as pathetic as Peters's comment made him out to be as he resisted the urge to trace the freckles on Remus's face with the tip of his fingers.
‘’You know, I had an interesting conversation with Moony recently,’’ James said in a mischievous tone aimed to get Sirius's immediate attention. It succeeded, of course, Sirius head snapping around to face James with a demanding look.
‘’He looked a bit disheveled so I asked if he had come from another one of his little adventures in a broom closet-’’
Sirius could feel his face form into an ugly grimace at the mention, a sour taste on his tongue,
‘’And he got kind of flushed and said ‘Oh…no...haven’t had one of those in a while actually..’, you know, all shy and fidgety and suspicious,’’ James said in a perfect impersonation of Remus.
‘’And then I said ‘Oh, funny, neither did Sirius’ very pointedly and then he mumbled something that I didn’t quite get but I was totally wing-maning it for you, mate! You know, hinting that you got no game because you’re waiting for him,’’ James said excitedly. Frankly, telling James had been one of the most terrifying moments of Sirius's life but as expected James Potter was the best man to walk the fucking earth and accepted Sirius's feelings without hesitation. For better or for worse though, James was a hopeless romantic through and through and became entirely too involved in trying to get him and Remus together.
Sirius opened his mouth to say something to inquire more about the interaction when a familiar hum from his side interrupted him. He turned his head to see Remus slowly waking up, as usual, his eyebrows furrowing slightly before finally smoothing out and his eyes would slowly blink open.
‘’Morning, Moony,’’ Sirius whispered softly, letting himself sink more into the pillow to be at eye level with the werewolf.
Remus blinked at him a few times before he groaned, planting his face into the pillow. Also a custom after a hard moon. If Sirius could shoulder the burden, really any burden Remus might have to bear, he would do so in a heartbeat, but for now, all the could do was reach out pat the other bare and bandaged back sympathetically.
‘’Come on now, we brought you toast and croissants,’’ he said cheerily.
‘’I don’t want croissants, I want death,’’ Remus groaned, emerging his face from the pillows and glaring at Sirius who laughed while shaking his head. So dramatic. Adorable.
‘’They’re not just any croissants, Moony, they’re pain au chocolat, you’re favourites,’’ James said in a sing-songy voice, lifting his wand to let the plate float over Remus and Sirius's heads.
‘’And we got tea,’’ Peter said helpfully, already filling a cup for Remus.
Remus sighed affectionately at their antics but Sirius could tell he was in a bad mood nonetheless. He wanted to do something, maybe make a bad joke to cheer him up, when all of the sudden Remus shifted onto his side and placed his arms over Sirius, the werewolf's hands beginning to roam over his body, rendering his brain useless for a second.
‘’What do you think you’re doing?’’ he eventually managed to ask in a voice that was a little too high followed by a nervous, cut off a laugh as Remus got even closer. His hands began to glide lower and lower on his backside (someone please end his misery now) and Moony’s naked, warm skin was all of the sudden incredibly close to Sirius that he could smell him, that sweet yet masculine smell, a bit of healing ointment mixed with the smell of the woods.
‘’I don’t need tea, I need pot. You always have something on you, don’t you, Black?’’ Remus said and Sirius would’ve snorted if his lips weren’t so goddamn close to Remus's neck all he would have to do is tilt his head a little bit and he could bite into-
‘’Poppy will kill you if you smoke in here,’’ James laughed, the sound overshadowing the breath of relief Sirius released as Remus found something in his back pocket and pulled it out, moving onto his back and inspecting it.
‘’Bugger,’’ the werewolf mumbled when he saw that it was only cigarettes and Sirius couldn’t help but laugh.
‘’Sorry to disappoint,’’ he said.
Remus sighed, handing the pack back to him.
‘’It’s fine. I don’t really fancy pot first thing in the morning myself but it helps with the pain,’’ he said.
‘’I nicked something of Poppy’s pain potion and put it in the tea!’’ Peter called proudly and Remus smiled up at him, a sweet and beautiful smile.
‘’Cheers,’’ Remus said and Sirius couldn’t help it (he never really could around Remus, that urge to always touch him, always be close to him) as he reached out to ruffle the other boys' hair, earning him a grumble at which he only laughed stupidly.
They chatted amongst themselves as Remus's mood definitely lifted with the breakfast they provided him when all of the sudden they heard footsteps coming down the hall and they all shared the same, panicked look.
‘’Poppy? But she never comes back this early’’ Peter whispered frantically before stuffing the bread roll he had been holding in his hand into his mouth as one piece, filling his cheeks out and making him look like a hamster.
‘’Shit, shit, shit! Quick!’’ James called, pulling out his wand and letting the plate float under the bed or behind curtains while Sirius and Remus desperately tried to brush off all the crumbs from the bed.
The marauders were surprised when instead of the pointed sound of Madam Pomfrey’s shoes they heard giggles instead. Only a few minutes later two girls and a guy appeared around the corner. Sirius and James instantly recognized Ravenclaw's newest Chaser, Brad something, who was a year below them and the girls seemed to be from the same house as well.
Remus flushed greatly as he was not wearing a shirt, only his bandages barely covering his chest and practically curled into himself which Sirius recognized as a habit to hide his scars. Immediately he turned to glare at the intruders, annoyed that they would make Remus insecure.
‘’What do you want?’’ he asked, not caring that he was being rude. The trio who had seemed rather cheerful upon entering but upon Sirius Black’s infamous icy glare they practically shrunk, their eyes suddenly glued to the ground which Sirius noted with a smug smirk. Mcgonnagal had taught him something, after all, it seemed.
‘’I-..um-...well, we just came to-...’’ one of the girls began, her cheeks turning red under the intensity of all four marauders gaping at her.
‘’Did you come here for Remus?’’ James asked in a friendly tone, too good-natured to let underclassmen suffer in their presence. Sirius ought to curse Lily for that, stupid perfect head boy that he was now.
‘’Uh, yeah, we wanted to ask if we could borrow his notes from the last term for Filch but when we noticed he wasn’t at breakfast..’’ the guy spoke up, trailing off at the end of his sentence as he looked back at Remus and his eyes took in the naked skin. Sirius laughed humorlessly, already moving to get up and punch him straight in the face. Who was he to come in here and oggle Remus like that? Yet Remus, probably having recognized his friend's murderous intentions, just pulled him back strongly by the arm, making Sirius fall back against the bed frame and next to him.
‘’I’ll give them to you next time I see you, so, um, if you don’t mind…’’ he chuckled awkwardly. The girls flushed and began to thank him profusely meanwhile the guy was focused on the space between Remus and Sirius or rather the lack thereof. While Remus was telling the girls it really wasn’t a big deal and pointedly but discreetly trying to get them to leave Sirius's eyes met those of the guy and he couldn’t help but smirk as he leaned even more into Remus’s side, letting his eyes go down to Remus hand that was still around his biceps as if the other had simply forgotten to let go before glancing back up at Brad, Chad, whatever his name was, and raising his eyebrows in challenge.
His cockiness paid off and Chad scoffed once, running a hand through his hair before nudging the girls to his side to get a move on.
‘’Oh, right, we also got you these! U-Um…bye now, Remus! Get better!’’ one of the girls said as they were leaving, turning around to pull out a heart-shaped box of chocolates. She practically threw them on the bed, her face beet red before she turned around and sprinted out of the room to catch up with the others.
As they turned around the corner the hospital was completely silent and all four marauders just stared at the gigantic heart-shaped box on Remus’s legs before up at said boy's horror-stricken face. A moment passed and James, Peter and even Sirius burst out laughing as Remus cringed deeply, hiding his face in his face.
‘’God,’’ he groaned, pulling his hand off Sirius's arms and letting his fingers dig into his face and making him look like a Munch painting, looking down at the box as if it had committed a personal offence against them.
‘’Come on, they were cute,’’ Peter wheezed after he had composed himself. Sirius scoffed, reaching out to take the top off the box and help himself to some of the equally heart-shaped chocolates inside.
‘’The girls, maybe. That guy was practically undressing Moony with his eyes, dick,’’ he grumbled, scowling as he shoved the chocolate into his mouth.
‘’If there had been anything left to undress,’’ James remarked slyly, making Remus groan.
‘’Can I confess something?’’ the werewolf sighed as he leaned back against the frame of the bed and let his legs fall limp, revealing his bare chest in a way that made Sirius's stomach flip for a second. He could feel James' pointed stare and practically already hear the comment about his hypocrisy regarding undressing Moony with one’s eyes so he forced his gaze away and took another piece of chocolate out of the box.
‘’What is it, Moony?’’ Peter asked, also helping himself to a piece of the box. It was good chocolate, even Sirius couldn’t deny that.
‘’No, I thought better of it, you will make fun of me,’’ Remus said petulantly and Sirius chuckled.
‘’We’ll promise we won’t, marauder swear,’’ he said, making a cross-motion across his chest which Remus snorted at.
‘’Oh please, that doesn’t mean shit,’’ he said and Sirius smiled, recalling all the times one of them would swear on something only to turn around and keep doing the exact opposite.
‘’You’ll tell us anyway or you’ll know we’ll bug you until you do,’’ James said matter offhandedly, making a bowl of grapes appear from under Remus's bed and beginning to chew on them.
Remus sighed heavily, cringing at himself before lowering his head so his hair would fall over his eyes.
‘’I have no idea who any of them were,’’ he said quietly, in an almost agonizing way. James and Peter began laughing again but Sirius couldn’t help the smug smile that came over his face, feeling deeply satisfied.
‘’I usually remember people I talk to but I seriously can’t place them anywhere! Am I getting old?’’ the werewolf wailed.
‘’Oh, the curse of popularity, however, will our Moony get by?’’ James asked dramatically, letting a hand come up to his forehead.
‘’Maybe next moon we should demand an entry fee. Five galleons to see him, ten if they want a photo,’’ Peter joked and James, delighted by this prospect, began teasing about possible fan articles they could sell to the ones waiting in line.
Remus groaned and Sirius felt himself getting all too weak for the soft, defeated expression on the werewolf’s face as their eyes met while James and Peter kept teasing him.
Sirius smiled at him, taking another chocolate from the box and feeding it to Remus who took it with a small smile.
Mine, he thought. All mine.