outfit of the day
Remus had never worn a tie before going to Hogwarts. His mother had kindly left it tied the first time, so Remus only had to adjust it once the time to put on his uniform came.
Unfortunately, during the welcoming feast he had accidentally spilt pumpking juice all over it, and since he only had one, he knew he ought to let it be washed by the house elves, which meant the knot would be untied.
The next morning, when he woke up, he found, as expected, that his now fully clean tie was in fact, untied. With a heavy heart, he left the dorm without it, feeling a wave of embarrassment as he saw James, Sirius and Peter tying their ties by themselves.
A part of him knew it was an irrational feeling, that it shouldn't really bother him that much; but from Remus's perspective, he already felt different enough from the rest of his classmates.
Not wearing his tie earned him the scolding of some of the teachers, as well as the stern looks of others, which made Remus want the earth to swallow him whole. He was drawing too much attention on his first day, and he more than anyone should go unnoticed.
He didn't wear his tie the second day either, nor the third. In fact, he didn't wear his tie that entire week, which earned him detention.
"Just wear the bloody tie, Remus" James said, one day whe they were all in the dorm getting ready for bed. Remus, who was reading his book, didn't answer.
The next morning he woke up late. James and Peter had already gone down for breakfast while Sirius seemed to be in no rush. Remus was already making his way out of the door when Sirius called his name. Remus turned to look at him and Sirius smiled,
"Your tie."
Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm not wearing it."
"Why?" Sirius asked. Remus shrugged,
"I don't like it."
"Remus?"
"What?"
"You don't know how to tie a tie."
It wasn't a question, so Remus never answered. Sirius smiled again and jumped up from his bed, taking Remus's tie and putting it around his neck. Remus felt himself growing hot as Sirius's skillful fingers did the job, looking up the ceiling to avoid eye contac.t
"Cheers" he managed to say, once the other boy was done.
"No biggie" Sirius winked.
He went to the door, leaving Remus frozen in the spot and just as his hand held the doorknob, he turned around,
"You coming?"
Since then, Sirius would tie Remus's tie every day. After a fortnight or so, Remus was pretty sure he could do it himself, but he liked it better when Sirius did it.
It was a morning in sixth year when Sirius was tying Remus's tie, as usual. This time, however, Sirius's fingers lingered on the fabric a second more than usual, which made Remus look down at him. When their eyes met, Remus couldn't help himself, and he kissed him.
Years later, when they were getting ready for James and Lily's wedding, Sirius's hands were trembling with nervousness. Remus smiled softly and stood in front of him, taking the tie from his hands and inverting their usual disposition. Sirius couldn't help a little smiled and kissed Remus softly, knowing that no one could ever take what they had away from them.
Remus looked at himself in the mirror before leaving for the funeral. He wiped the tears away from his face once more, convincing himself that no one would notice he'd been crying. He did his best to ignore the hole in his chest, where his heart ought to be. He didn't wear a tie.