FIC: Once in a Blue Moon - Ch 11 (WIP)
Start of the story, including summary, full ratings, warnings, pairings etc. Here
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
You Can Try to Resist (PG)
It wasn’t quite dawn when Remus awoke the next morning. Although he’d spent many hours within the centaur community, he’d never truly realised how early their days began.
Several of the larger centaurs were raising a roof on one of their huts, whilst two of the younger centaurs were tending the large fire in the centre of the camp.
Remus looked blearily around the camp and soon spotted Romulus talking to Torin. He wondered if he’d been to sleep at all last night, but if the unruffled grass that was beside Remus was any indication, then it seemed that his brother, indeed, had not slept under the makeshift lean-to that night.
He looked longingly at the large cooking pot over the fire and felt his mouth watering as the tantalising smell of breakfast drifted in his direction.
“Looks like you’re sticking around for a day or two,” Firenze said from behind him, causing Remus to jump slightly.
“How do you do that?” he complained.
“Do what?”
“Sneak up on people like that.”
“Lots of practice,” Firenze grinned. “Are you coming to break your fast?”
Remus nodded and staggered to his feet. “Your father managed to talk Rom ‘round?” he asked as Firenze passed him a small wooden bowl and a spoon.
“Of course,” Firenze snorted. “He’s asked him to help us out at the stream, and it’s not like he can refuse when we’ve been so hospitable.”
“Sneaky,” Remus commented with a grin as one of the centaurs tending the fire poured him some porridge from the cauldron. “Does he really need help?”
“We could probably manage without, but your brother’s help will be appreciated. Father just doesn’t want him making rash decisions right now.”
“The stream’s that way, right?” Remus asked as he pointed his spoon towards the trees.
“It was,” Firenze muttered. “The latest storm broke the dam and it’s changed its course. We need to get it fixed if we want our water supply back. We’ve got enough stored for a week or two, but then we’ll be in trouble.”
“And you need Rom to help divert it?”
"Human feet have a much steadier footing in the steam; our hooves aren’t suitable for such work. The dam was natural in origin, so we’ve never had to do this before.”
“I’m sure Rom will help, and I will, too.”
“You’re already on the roster to help in the storehouse,” Firenze reminded him. “Theresa and Manus are returning with supplies this afternoon, so father wants to make sure that we’re as ready as we can be for them.”
Remus nodded as he tucked into his breakfast. He hoped that over the next couple of days he’d have time to continue trying to persuade Romulus to return to Hogsmeade.
-o-xXx-o-
“You’re still here then?” asked Peter as Sirius opened the curtains around his bed and forced himself to face the day.
“I guess so,” Sirius sneered. “What? Disappointed I’ve not been expelled?”
Peter looked as if he was about to reply that he was severely disappointed, but a strange look sent in his direction from James caused him to hesitate.
“Got something to say, Potter?” Sirius snapped irritably.
“Where were you the other night?” James asked.
Sirius gave a bark-like laugh and shook his head with amusement.
“What’s so funny?” James queried. He’d clearly not expected that particular reaction to his question.
“You are,” Sirius told him. “You’re actually arrogant enough and stupid enough to think I’d tell you anything. Where I was is my business and nothing to do with you.”
“You were seeing that weird kid from last year, weren’t you?”
“What’s it to you?”
“He lives in Hogsmeade, doesn’t he?”
“What’s this? Twenty questions?” Sirius snapped as he pushed James out of the way and stalked towards the bathroom. Unfortunately, it seemed that James wasn’t taking the anvil-sized hints Sirius was giving him, and he followed him into the white tiled room.
“Did you know it’s my birthday in a couple of weeks?” James asked, feigning casual indifference to whatever Sirius’s reply was going to be. Sirius simply ignored him. “We thought we’d sneak out to Hogsmeade that day, or rather during the night.”
“And you’re telling me because…?” Sirius asked impatiently.
“Well, you’ve been sneaking there since first year,” James pointed out. “So you must know how to get there without getting caught.”
“And you think I’d tell you?” Sirius laughed and shook his head in bemused wonder. “What makes you think I’m not going to simply tell McGonagall what you’re up to, and then gloat when you find yourself in detention?”
“Because I’m inviting you to come with us,” James replied with a smirk. “That way, if you tell, you’ll be in as much trouble as the rest of us.”
“You think I’d want to spend time with you?” Sirius laughed again.
“Thought you’d be grateful to have an offer of friendship from me and Pete.”
“I don’t need friends like you,” Sirius sneered.
“So, you’re not going to tell us how to get into Hogsmeade without going through the main gates?” a disappointed James asked.
“No.”
“Guess we’ll have to find another way to get to the Hog’s Head then.”
“The Hog’s Head?” Sirius turned to face James properly for the first time since he’d entered the bathroom.
“You’ve heard of it?” James looked surprised and his next words told Sirius why. “Wouldn’t have thought it would be your kind of place. It’s kind of a dive.”
“You don’t know anything about me or ‘my kind of place’,” Sirius snapped. “And of course I’ve heard of it. Dumbledore’s brother owns the place.”
“What?” James looked at him in astonishment. “Are you sure? How do you know that?”
“I heard it from a friend,” Sirius evaded.
“From Remus?”
“Why do you want to know?” Sirius asked, his voice rising, as worry over his friend came to the forefront of his mind again. “You spent most of last year hexing me and most of this year ignoring me. Now, all of a sudden, you want to chat and hang out with me! How stupid do you think I am?”
“I…”
“You’re pathetic,” Sirius raged. For more than a year he’d been bottling up his feelings of anger and frustration at his treatment by his fellow Gryffindors. Now he’d had enough, and since James Potter was too stupid to shut up and leave him alone, he’d find out just what the famous Black temper was like.
James backed away slightly as Sirius advanced on him.
“Afraid?” Sirius asked. “Good! Now you know how I felt! I’m a Gryffindor, same as you! I’m not evil! I’m not a Slytherin! You’re the one who’s afraid and cowardly.” He poked James in the chest. “You’re afraid of Remus, and I’ll always remember the day you ran away from him like a herd of angry hippogriffs were after you.”
“He g-growled at me,” James stammered as he realised he’d backed himself up against the wall.
Sirius growled deep in his throat as he advanced on James. James’s face went white and he stumbled as he edged towards the door.
“That’s it, Potter, run away again.” Sirius watched as James disappeared out of the bathroom. It was only after he was alone again that he began to wonder if he’d made the right decision.
Romulus worked for Aberforth Dumbledore and now that Sirius knew the true situation of the Lupin brothers, he realised that it would be hard for Romulus to obtain another job so easily. He suspected that it was not a coincidence that Remus’s brother was working for Albus Dumbledore’s brother. If the Lupins were staying in the vicinity, then Romulus would be continuing to go to work, wouldn’t he?
Sirius chewed this over in his mind for the next few days, messing up frequently in lessons as his attention wandered from the tasks at hand.
If he could just go and see Romulus and let him know that he’d keep their secret forever. He didn’t relish the idea of spending time with James and Peter, but he knew he had to start somewhere if he were to succeed in mending bridges with Remus’s brother. Going to the centaur camp was too risky, especially since the headmaster knew Sirius was likely to try to sneak there. But if Romulus was at work, then he couldn’t simply up and leave; he’d have to listen to him.
Finally Sirius had reached his decision.
“You still want to know how to sneak into Hogsmeade?” he whispered as he took a seat in the Great Hall opposite the messy-haired boy who had been the bane of his existence since arriving at Hogwarts.
James’ jaw dropped open and the hand holding his fork full of mashed potatoes seemed frozen in place.
“Yes or no?” Sirius asked impatiently.
“He’s just going to tell us and then report us,” Peter whispered as he glared across the table.
“I’m going to come with you,” Sirius said quietly.
“Why?” James asked once he’d recovered his voice.
“None of your business,” Sirius answered easily. “Do you want my help or not?”
“Okay,” James nodded, ignoring Peter’s protestations. He stuck his hand out across the table and Sirius shook it briefly.
“Truce?” he asked.
“Truce,” James agreed. He nudged Peter who repeated the sentiment, albeit rather reluctantly.
-o-xXx-o-
Life in the centaur camp was harder work than Remus had first realised. The days were long and the work exhaustingly strenuous. But Remus was not one for complaining, not when the alternative was leaving the camp and heading for mainland Europe and parts unknown.
The day or two at the camp had soon stretched to a week, then two. Romulus was still talking about leaving, but Remus noticed, with barely concealed glee, it was no longer taking Torin as many hours to talk him around.
Remus suspected, or at least he hoped, that if they could make it past the next full moon, then they’d be going home. Unless something went drastically wrong, Remus knew that he’d be returning to Hogsmeade for the full moon. He was sure that once they were back home it would be that much easier to persuade Romulus to remain there.
“And what makes you think you’re going back there for the full moon?” Romulus asked when Remus finally broached the subject with him.
“But I can’t just run around the forest,” Remus pointed out. “What if I attack someone?”
“And what if your friend Sirius has told the Ministry about you? What if they’re lying in wait for you to return on the night of the full moon?”
“He hasn’t told anyone,” Remus insisted.
“You don’t know that.”
“He hasn’t.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“I am sure.”
Something in Remus’s tone must have conveyed more to Romulus than he’d intended and he shifted uneasily as his brother’s piercing gaze bored into him. “Remus?” Romulus asked suspiciously. “What have you done? Have you been sneaking off to the school again?”
“He cannot have been,” Torin interjected. “He has been supervised at all times. For his own safety.”
Romulus breathed a small sigh of relief but he didn’t stop glaring at Remus. “I’m waiting…”
Remus’s hand moved automatically to his pocket and the mirror contained within it. He knew he’d given himself away when Romulus reached across him and roughly turned out his pockets.
“Didn’t realise you were so concerned with your appearance,” he commented in a slightly sarcastic tone as he took the mirror. “Hey, I recognise this…the day we left you were complaining about a mirror…Sirius dropped it…”
“That’s mine,” Remus cried, as he tried to take it back.
“I don’t remember giving this to you,” Romulus said as he turned the mirror over in his hands and looked at it curiously. “A present from Sirius, is it?”
“Yes,” Remus mumbled his admission.
“A communications mirror,” Romulus guessed. “Looks pretty expensive, too.”
Romulus continued to look over the mirror before placing it in his own pocket. Remus let out an involuntary cry and reached out to try to take it back.
“You can’t trust him,” Romulus said quietly. “Now I want the truth, have you told him where we are?”
Remus ducked his head and nodded once.
“Damn it, Remus!” Romulus shouted. “How long has he known? When did you tell him?”
“He guessed the first night we were here,” Remus whispered. “I think Dumbledore told him.”
“Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore?”
Remus nodded again.
“A good man,” Torin commented quietly. “He will not betray you.”
“You know Dumbledore?” Romulus asked in surprise.
“He has been a good friend to the herd for many years.”
Romulus nodded thoughtfully and seemed to be considering things. “It doesn’t change the fact that Sirius might have told the Ministry about us.”
“I think if he had, they would have been here long before now,” Torin wisely pointed out.
“He won’t tell anyone,” Remus repeated for what seemed to be the millionth time. “He’s my friend. He’s learning healing charms for me. He’s taking extra lessons to help me. He’s…”
“…your friend,” Romulus anticipated with a tired nod.
“I don’t want to be out in the forest on the full moon,” Remus pleaded. “I want to be back home.”
“You hate the basement,” Romulus pointed out.
“But I’m safe there,” Remus whispered. “You won’t let anything happen to me there. If I’m in the forest, I might…”
Remus didn’t dare finish the sentence, not even in his own mind. But he knew that Romulus knew exactly what it was he was afraid of. If Remus were caught on the night of a full moon, the consequences would be much worse.
-o-xXx-o-
Sirius crawled down one of the many tunnels that led from Hogwarts Castle to the village of Hogsmeade. James and Peter were close on his heels, eagerly breaking the school rules, and making far more noise than was strictly necessary.
“So, how did you know about this tunnel?” James asked.
“The Blacks have been coming here even longer than the Potters,” Sirius replied. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about it already.”
“The Potters aren’t known for being rule breakers,” James huffed.
“Not like the Blacks,” Peter muttered, still far from happy about the company he was keeping.
Sirius turned round to glare briefly at Peter. “Coming from someone who is breaking loads of school rules at the moment, you might want to consider shutting up.”
“We’re only breaking one school rule,” Peter argued.
“Really?” Sirius asked with barely concealed amusement. “Planning on getting back to the dorm before curfew, are you? That’s one rule broken. Then there’s leaving school grounds without permission, and I’d guess you’d want a drink when you get to the pub. That last one isn’t only rule breaking, it’s law breaking.”
“Fine, whatever,” Peter grumbled, cutting Sirius off before he could continue with the list of transgressions.
“So, are you going to tell us why you agreed to come with us?” James asked once they were out of the tunnel and wandering down the main street of Hogsmeade.
“No.”
“Look Black, I’m just trying to make an effort here,” James snapped.
“Oh don’t pretend like you’re actually interested in being friends,” Sirius barked. “You needed a way to sneak into the village and I was convenient.”
“I didn’t have to invite you.”
“No, you didn’t,” Sirius agreed. “You could have left me behind and hoped I wouldn’t report you.”
“Why didn’t you stay behind?”
Sirius frowned to himself, wondering why he’d agreed to tag along with James and Peter. At first, he’d told himself it was because he didn’t want them suspecting him and blaming him if they got caught. Then he wondered if maybe he was actually a little bit envious of the friendship between the two boys. With no real friends of his own at the school, he’d actually enjoyed plotting with them the last few days. He’d even admit - to himself, if not to the others - that when they weren’t making his life a misery, James and Peter were actually quite good company.
“Well?” James asked as they approached the pub.
“Don’t know,” Sirius replied with a shrug as he pushed open the weather-beaten wooden door that looked as though it had certainly seen better days.
“I’ll get the first round,” Peter said.
“No, I’ll get them,” Sirius offered as he scanned the nearly empty pub and saw that Romulus wasn’t behind the bar.
“Okay,” Peter agreed as he and James moved towards a table in the far corner of the room.
Sirius approached the barman who was clearly Aberforth Dumbledore. The resemblance between him and the headmaster was far too strong for him to be anyone else.
“You’re underage,” Aberforth said with a scowl. “Now hop it, before I owl the school and tell ‘em you and your pals have snuck out.”
“Does Romulus still work here?” Sirius asked, ignoring the comment about his age.
“Who wants to know?” Aberforth asked suspiciously.
“Can you give him these from me?” Sirius asked as he pulled out two envelopes from the pocket of his robes. The first contained a letter to Romulus that he’d spent considerable time over the last two weeks writing and re-writing. He hoped he’d managed to convey all he wanted to in the letter and that it might help the young man to start to trust him again. The second was a letter to Remus, penned in order to keep up the pretence that they had no way of keeping in touch. Sirius frowned to himself as he realised that it had been two days since he’d last spoken with Remus and that maybe they really didn’t have any way of communicating.
“This ain’t a ruddy post office,” muttered Aberforth, though he did take the proffered envelopes from Sirius’s outstretched hand. “He’s down in the cellar, if you want to speak to him.”
“Sirius?” a familiar voice asked and Sirius watched as Romulus popped up beside his boss. Romulus took the letters from Aberforth and looked at them curiously.
“You’re still here,” Sirius stated with a great deal of relief.
“You’re out of bounds again,” Romulus replied with a raise of one eyebrow. Sirius thought he could see a faint glimmer of the young man he’d come to know before the night of the full moon peering at him from behind the obvious tiredness and the barely concealed suspicion. “What are these?”
“Letters,” Sirius explained. “Please don’t take Remus away from Hogsmeade. I swear I won’t tell anyone…”
“For crying out loud,” Romulus interrupted him impatiently. He cast a nervous glance around the room and, with at a nod from Aberforth, gestured for Sirius to join him in a room off the back of the bar.
“Now we can talk without everyone in the building listening in.”
“S-sorry,” Sirius stammered. “I didn’t think anyone was listening.”
“Which is why it’s so dangerous for me and Remus to stay here,” Romulus sighed. “What if you accidentally let something else slip out without thinking?”
Sirius shook his head vehemently. “I won’t,” he insisted. “Please don’t leave.”
“I can’t believe you snuck out to the village just to pester me,” Romulus muttered incredulously.
“I wanted to know if Remus was okay, as well,” Sirius explained.
“Did you indeed?” Romulus asked as he pulled out an all too familiar mirror from his pocket.
“Oh.”
“I’ll give it back to him once I get off work,” Romulus said with a heartfelt sigh of resignation. “I can’t argue with both of you forever, and I don’t want you sneaking here again, you got that?”
“Got it!” Sirius repeated with a grin. “No more pubs.”
“No more sneaking out, full stop,” Romulus ordered.
Sirius chewed on his lip and suddenly found the stains marking the wooden floorboards to be rather engrossing.
“You’ll get expelled if you get caught.”
“I did get caught,” Sirius confessed. “Dumbledore’s got me doing extra lessons. Healing charms and stuff.”
“So Remus was saying.”
“I want to help,” Sirius whispered. “After the full moons… I want to be there, to help.”
“I’m not going to give you permission to sneak out of the school,” Romulus laughed. “Even if I had that sort of power.”
“But if I just happened to be there, you wouldn’t send me back, would you?”
“I suppose you could learn more if you got to put it into practice,” Romulus suggested quietly. “I’ll speak to Abe about you using the tunnel that leads to this place.”
“There’s a tunnel that comes right here?” Sirius asked with surprise.
“There’re probably more tunnels from the school than any one person knows about. At least if you’ve got Abe’s permission he can keep an eye out for you.”
“He won’t tell his brother, will he?”
“Of course he will, you dolt.” Romulus snorted and shook his head in wonder. “How do you think Dumbledore knows everything about everyone? He’s got spies all over the place.”
A moment later Aberforth stuck his head around the door. “You planning on doing any work tonight?” he asked impatiently. “And the young lad’s friends are wondering where he’s got to.”
“They’re not my friends,” Sirius muttered under his breath.
“Well, the taller one still seems worried about you,” Aberforth replied. “Threatening all sorts of punishments if you don’t appear soon.”
“That’ll be Potter,” Sirius sighed. “Any excuse to hex someone.”
“Not the Potter?” Romulus asked in surprise.
“That’s the one.”
“I’m glad to see you’re getting on better with the Gryffindor boys.”
“I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” Sirius said as he pushed his chair back and made to leave.
“Wait a minute, Sirius,” Romulus said as he pulled Aberforth to one side for a whispered consultation. Aberforth looked surprised, then suspicious, and finally resigned.
“Come on then; hurry it up,” he called out the door to where James and Peter were waiting. “Ruddy kids.”
Sirius let James and Peter go on ahead of him as they descended the stairs to the cellar.
“Where does the tunnel come out at the other end?” Sirius asked.
“Three portraits to the west of the kitchens,” Aberforth replied. “Right near the entrance to the Hufflepuff quarters. Get more from that house sneaking into the cellar than from any of the others.” He shot a sharp look at Romulus who had the decency to flush. Sirius grinned and tried not to laugh as he watched Aberforth pull open a hidden door on one of the barrels. It revealed a dark tunnel that was easily big enough for the young boys to crawl through.
“Thanks,” Sirius said as he climbed into the tunnel. “I’ll see you soon.”
Romulus nodded and waved before the door was closed behind them. The three boys were now plunged into darkness.
“Who was that?” Peter asked as they crawled some ten feet along the tunnel, waiting for it to expand so that they could stand up.
“None of your business,” James replied before Sirius could open his mouth.
Sirius drew in a sharp breath.
“Well that is what you were going to say, isn’t it?” James pointed out. “And you owe us both a drink.”
“We weren’t going to get served, we’re underage,” Sirius pointed out.
“Then you’ll have to buy us a round when we are of age,” Peter suggested.
“Assuming we haven’t all been expelled by then,” Sirius muttered. “Aberforth is going to tell Dumbledore we were out of bounds after curfew.”
“Can’t prove it though, can they?” James snorted.
Sirius shook his head and crawled to his feet. The ceiling of the tunnel was low and brushing the top of his head. He saw that James was in a similar position, and only Peter was able to stand up properly in the confined space.
“So, that’s Remus’s brother, right?” James asked conversationally. Sirius stumbled in surprise at the question that was spoken so confidently it was almost a statement. “I’m not totally stupid,” James continued. “He looks just like him.”
Sirius didn’t bother to deny the truth of James’ words; there wouldn’t have been any point. He was only surprised that James had been so observant on the one occasion that he had met Remus. Hidden by the tunnel’s darkness, Sirius smiled to himself at the lasting impression his friend must have had on the boy walking just a few paces in front of him.
They continued the rest of their walk in silence and soon found themselves in the corridor that contained the entrance to both the Hufflepuff quarters and the school kitchens.
“Fancy getting something to eat?” Peter asked as he tickled the pear on the painting that concealed the entrance to the kitchens.
“Sure,” James agreed. “Cake would be nice.”
Sirius made to continue along the corridor to the Entrance Hall but James’s voice called him back. “Don’t you want some cake?”
Sirius hesitated, waiting for the invitation to be rescinded or for it to turn out to be a prank. Then James disappeared after Peter into the cavernous kitchen, leaving him alone in the corridor.
The sound of laughter coming from the kitchen drew him closer, like a moth to a flame. The entrance was still open and the delicious smells of food were making his mouth water. He moved closer to the entrance and looked into the room. James and Peter were sat at a table with a huge pile of desserts in front of them. A trio of house elves was adding to the pile and Sirius licked his lips as he saw his favourite apple crumble sitting untouched at the edge of the table.
“You’re letting all the warm air out,” James commented before cutting himself a large slice of chocolate cake.
“Sorry,” Sirius mumbled, as he closed the door behind him and hesitantly joined the other boys at the table.
“Well tuck in,” James ordered with a chocolate-y grin.
Sirius gave a small smile of his own as he gave in to temptation and reached for the apple crumble. Maybe the other Gryffindors weren’t so bad after all
-
Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
You Can Try to Resist (PG)
It wasn’t quite dawn when Remus awoke the next morning. Although he’d spent many hours within the centaur community, he’d never truly realised how early their days began.
Several of the larger centaurs were raising a roof on one of their huts, whilst two of the younger centaurs were tending the large fire in the centre of the camp.
Remus looked blearily around the camp and soon spotted Romulus talking to Torin. He wondered if he’d been to sleep at all last night, but if the unruffled grass that was beside Remus was any indication, then it seemed that his brother, indeed, had not slept under the makeshift lean-to that night.
He looked longingly at the large cooking pot over the fire and felt his mouth watering as the tantalising smell of breakfast drifted in his direction.
“Looks like you’re sticking around for a day or two,” Firenze said from behind him, causing Remus to jump slightly.
“How do you do that?” he complained.
“Do what?”
“Sneak up on people like that.”
“Lots of practice,” Firenze grinned. “Are you coming to break your fast?”
Remus nodded and staggered to his feet. “Your father managed to talk Rom ‘round?” he asked as Firenze passed him a small wooden bowl and a spoon.
“Of course,” Firenze snorted. “He’s asked him to help us out at the stream, and it’s not like he can refuse when we’ve been so hospitable.”
“Sneaky,” Remus commented with a grin as one of the centaurs tending the fire poured him some porridge from the cauldron. “Does he really need help?”
“We could probably manage without, but your brother’s help will be appreciated. Father just doesn’t want him making rash decisions right now.”
“The stream’s that way, right?” Remus asked as he pointed his spoon towards the trees.
“It was,” Firenze muttered. “The latest storm broke the dam and it’s changed its course. We need to get it fixed if we want our water supply back. We’ve got enough stored for a week or two, but then we’ll be in trouble.”
“And you need Rom to help divert it?”
"Human feet have a much steadier footing in the steam; our hooves aren’t suitable for such work. The dam was natural in origin, so we’ve never had to do this before.”
“I’m sure Rom will help, and I will, too.”
“You’re already on the roster to help in the storehouse,” Firenze reminded him. “Theresa and Manus are returning with supplies this afternoon, so father wants to make sure that we’re as ready as we can be for them.”
Remus nodded as he tucked into his breakfast. He hoped that over the next couple of days he’d have time to continue trying to persuade Romulus to return to Hogsmeade.
-o-xXx-o-
“You’re still here then?” asked Peter as Sirius opened the curtains around his bed and forced himself to face the day.
“I guess so,” Sirius sneered. “What? Disappointed I’ve not been expelled?”
Peter looked as if he was about to reply that he was severely disappointed, but a strange look sent in his direction from James caused him to hesitate.
“Got something to say, Potter?” Sirius snapped irritably.
“Where were you the other night?” James asked.
Sirius gave a bark-like laugh and shook his head with amusement.
“What’s so funny?” James queried. He’d clearly not expected that particular reaction to his question.
“You are,” Sirius told him. “You’re actually arrogant enough and stupid enough to think I’d tell you anything. Where I was is my business and nothing to do with you.”
“You were seeing that weird kid from last year, weren’t you?”
“What’s it to you?”
“He lives in Hogsmeade, doesn’t he?”
“What’s this? Twenty questions?” Sirius snapped as he pushed James out of the way and stalked towards the bathroom. Unfortunately, it seemed that James wasn’t taking the anvil-sized hints Sirius was giving him, and he followed him into the white tiled room.
“Did you know it’s my birthday in a couple of weeks?” James asked, feigning casual indifference to whatever Sirius’s reply was going to be. Sirius simply ignored him. “We thought we’d sneak out to Hogsmeade that day, or rather during the night.”
“And you’re telling me because…?” Sirius asked impatiently.
“Well, you’ve been sneaking there since first year,” James pointed out. “So you must know how to get there without getting caught.”
“And you think I’d tell you?” Sirius laughed and shook his head in bemused wonder. “What makes you think I’m not going to simply tell McGonagall what you’re up to, and then gloat when you find yourself in detention?”
“Because I’m inviting you to come with us,” James replied with a smirk. “That way, if you tell, you’ll be in as much trouble as the rest of us.”
“You think I’d want to spend time with you?” Sirius laughed again.
“Thought you’d be grateful to have an offer of friendship from me and Pete.”
“I don’t need friends like you,” Sirius sneered.
“So, you’re not going to tell us how to get into Hogsmeade without going through the main gates?” a disappointed James asked.
“No.”
“Guess we’ll have to find another way to get to the Hog’s Head then.”
“The Hog’s Head?” Sirius turned to face James properly for the first time since he’d entered the bathroom.
“You’ve heard of it?” James looked surprised and his next words told Sirius why. “Wouldn’t have thought it would be your kind of place. It’s kind of a dive.”
“You don’t know anything about me or ‘my kind of place’,” Sirius snapped. “And of course I’ve heard of it. Dumbledore’s brother owns the place.”
“What?” James looked at him in astonishment. “Are you sure? How do you know that?”
“I heard it from a friend,” Sirius evaded.
“From Remus?”
“Why do you want to know?” Sirius asked, his voice rising, as worry over his friend came to the forefront of his mind again. “You spent most of last year hexing me and most of this year ignoring me. Now, all of a sudden, you want to chat and hang out with me! How stupid do you think I am?”
“I…”
“You’re pathetic,” Sirius raged. For more than a year he’d been bottling up his feelings of anger and frustration at his treatment by his fellow Gryffindors. Now he’d had enough, and since James Potter was too stupid to shut up and leave him alone, he’d find out just what the famous Black temper was like.
James backed away slightly as Sirius advanced on him.
“Afraid?” Sirius asked. “Good! Now you know how I felt! I’m a Gryffindor, same as you! I’m not evil! I’m not a Slytherin! You’re the one who’s afraid and cowardly.” He poked James in the chest. “You’re afraid of Remus, and I’ll always remember the day you ran away from him like a herd of angry hippogriffs were after you.”
“He g-growled at me,” James stammered as he realised he’d backed himself up against the wall.
Sirius growled deep in his throat as he advanced on James. James’s face went white and he stumbled as he edged towards the door.
“That’s it, Potter, run away again.” Sirius watched as James disappeared out of the bathroom. It was only after he was alone again that he began to wonder if he’d made the right decision.
Romulus worked for Aberforth Dumbledore and now that Sirius knew the true situation of the Lupin brothers, he realised that it would be hard for Romulus to obtain another job so easily. He suspected that it was not a coincidence that Remus’s brother was working for Albus Dumbledore’s brother. If the Lupins were staying in the vicinity, then Romulus would be continuing to go to work, wouldn’t he?
Sirius chewed this over in his mind for the next few days, messing up frequently in lessons as his attention wandered from the tasks at hand.
If he could just go and see Romulus and let him know that he’d keep their secret forever. He didn’t relish the idea of spending time with James and Peter, but he knew he had to start somewhere if he were to succeed in mending bridges with Remus’s brother. Going to the centaur camp was too risky, especially since the headmaster knew Sirius was likely to try to sneak there. But if Romulus was at work, then he couldn’t simply up and leave; he’d have to listen to him.
Finally Sirius had reached his decision.
“You still want to know how to sneak into Hogsmeade?” he whispered as he took a seat in the Great Hall opposite the messy-haired boy who had been the bane of his existence since arriving at Hogwarts.
James’ jaw dropped open and the hand holding his fork full of mashed potatoes seemed frozen in place.
“Yes or no?” Sirius asked impatiently.
“He’s just going to tell us and then report us,” Peter whispered as he glared across the table.
“I’m going to come with you,” Sirius said quietly.
“Why?” James asked once he’d recovered his voice.
“None of your business,” Sirius answered easily. “Do you want my help or not?”
“Okay,” James nodded, ignoring Peter’s protestations. He stuck his hand out across the table and Sirius shook it briefly.
“Truce?” he asked.
“Truce,” James agreed. He nudged Peter who repeated the sentiment, albeit rather reluctantly.
-o-xXx-o-
Life in the centaur camp was harder work than Remus had first realised. The days were long and the work exhaustingly strenuous. But Remus was not one for complaining, not when the alternative was leaving the camp and heading for mainland Europe and parts unknown.
The day or two at the camp had soon stretched to a week, then two. Romulus was still talking about leaving, but Remus noticed, with barely concealed glee, it was no longer taking Torin as many hours to talk him around.
Remus suspected, or at least he hoped, that if they could make it past the next full moon, then they’d be going home. Unless something went drastically wrong, Remus knew that he’d be returning to Hogsmeade for the full moon. He was sure that once they were back home it would be that much easier to persuade Romulus to remain there.
“And what makes you think you’re going back there for the full moon?” Romulus asked when Remus finally broached the subject with him.
“But I can’t just run around the forest,” Remus pointed out. “What if I attack someone?”
“And what if your friend Sirius has told the Ministry about you? What if they’re lying in wait for you to return on the night of the full moon?”
“He hasn’t told anyone,” Remus insisted.
“You don’t know that.”
“He hasn’t.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“I am sure.”
Something in Remus’s tone must have conveyed more to Romulus than he’d intended and he shifted uneasily as his brother’s piercing gaze bored into him. “Remus?” Romulus asked suspiciously. “What have you done? Have you been sneaking off to the school again?”
“He cannot have been,” Torin interjected. “He has been supervised at all times. For his own safety.”
Romulus breathed a small sigh of relief but he didn’t stop glaring at Remus. “I’m waiting…”
Remus’s hand moved automatically to his pocket and the mirror contained within it. He knew he’d given himself away when Romulus reached across him and roughly turned out his pockets.
“Didn’t realise you were so concerned with your appearance,” he commented in a slightly sarcastic tone as he took the mirror. “Hey, I recognise this…the day we left you were complaining about a mirror…Sirius dropped it…”
“That’s mine,” Remus cried, as he tried to take it back.
“I don’t remember giving this to you,” Romulus said as he turned the mirror over in his hands and looked at it curiously. “A present from Sirius, is it?”
“Yes,” Remus mumbled his admission.
“A communications mirror,” Romulus guessed. “Looks pretty expensive, too.”
Romulus continued to look over the mirror before placing it in his own pocket. Remus let out an involuntary cry and reached out to try to take it back.
“You can’t trust him,” Romulus said quietly. “Now I want the truth, have you told him where we are?”
Remus ducked his head and nodded once.
“Damn it, Remus!” Romulus shouted. “How long has he known? When did you tell him?”
“He guessed the first night we were here,” Remus whispered. “I think Dumbledore told him.”
“Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore?”
Remus nodded again.
“A good man,” Torin commented quietly. “He will not betray you.”
“You know Dumbledore?” Romulus asked in surprise.
“He has been a good friend to the herd for many years.”
Romulus nodded thoughtfully and seemed to be considering things. “It doesn’t change the fact that Sirius might have told the Ministry about us.”
“I think if he had, they would have been here long before now,” Torin wisely pointed out.
“He won’t tell anyone,” Remus repeated for what seemed to be the millionth time. “He’s my friend. He’s learning healing charms for me. He’s taking extra lessons to help me. He’s…”
“…your friend,” Romulus anticipated with a tired nod.
“I don’t want to be out in the forest on the full moon,” Remus pleaded. “I want to be back home.”
“You hate the basement,” Romulus pointed out.
“But I’m safe there,” Remus whispered. “You won’t let anything happen to me there. If I’m in the forest, I might…”
Remus didn’t dare finish the sentence, not even in his own mind. But he knew that Romulus knew exactly what it was he was afraid of. If Remus were caught on the night of a full moon, the consequences would be much worse.
-o-xXx-o-
Sirius crawled down one of the many tunnels that led from Hogwarts Castle to the village of Hogsmeade. James and Peter were close on his heels, eagerly breaking the school rules, and making far more noise than was strictly necessary.
“So, how did you know about this tunnel?” James asked.
“The Blacks have been coming here even longer than the Potters,” Sirius replied. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about it already.”
“The Potters aren’t known for being rule breakers,” James huffed.
“Not like the Blacks,” Peter muttered, still far from happy about the company he was keeping.
Sirius turned round to glare briefly at Peter. “Coming from someone who is breaking loads of school rules at the moment, you might want to consider shutting up.”
“We’re only breaking one school rule,” Peter argued.
“Really?” Sirius asked with barely concealed amusement. “Planning on getting back to the dorm before curfew, are you? That’s one rule broken. Then there’s leaving school grounds without permission, and I’d guess you’d want a drink when you get to the pub. That last one isn’t only rule breaking, it’s law breaking.”
“Fine, whatever,” Peter grumbled, cutting Sirius off before he could continue with the list of transgressions.
“So, are you going to tell us why you agreed to come with us?” James asked once they were out of the tunnel and wandering down the main street of Hogsmeade.
“No.”
“Look Black, I’m just trying to make an effort here,” James snapped.
“Oh don’t pretend like you’re actually interested in being friends,” Sirius barked. “You needed a way to sneak into the village and I was convenient.”
“I didn’t have to invite you.”
“No, you didn’t,” Sirius agreed. “You could have left me behind and hoped I wouldn’t report you.”
“Why didn’t you stay behind?”
Sirius frowned to himself, wondering why he’d agreed to tag along with James and Peter. At first, he’d told himself it was because he didn’t want them suspecting him and blaming him if they got caught. Then he wondered if maybe he was actually a little bit envious of the friendship between the two boys. With no real friends of his own at the school, he’d actually enjoyed plotting with them the last few days. He’d even admit - to himself, if not to the others - that when they weren’t making his life a misery, James and Peter were actually quite good company.
“Well?” James asked as they approached the pub.
“Don’t know,” Sirius replied with a shrug as he pushed open the weather-beaten wooden door that looked as though it had certainly seen better days.
“I’ll get the first round,” Peter said.
“No, I’ll get them,” Sirius offered as he scanned the nearly empty pub and saw that Romulus wasn’t behind the bar.
“Okay,” Peter agreed as he and James moved towards a table in the far corner of the room.
Sirius approached the barman who was clearly Aberforth Dumbledore. The resemblance between him and the headmaster was far too strong for him to be anyone else.
“You’re underage,” Aberforth said with a scowl. “Now hop it, before I owl the school and tell ‘em you and your pals have snuck out.”
“Does Romulus still work here?” Sirius asked, ignoring the comment about his age.
“Who wants to know?” Aberforth asked suspiciously.
“Can you give him these from me?” Sirius asked as he pulled out two envelopes from the pocket of his robes. The first contained a letter to Romulus that he’d spent considerable time over the last two weeks writing and re-writing. He hoped he’d managed to convey all he wanted to in the letter and that it might help the young man to start to trust him again. The second was a letter to Remus, penned in order to keep up the pretence that they had no way of keeping in touch. Sirius frowned to himself as he realised that it had been two days since he’d last spoken with Remus and that maybe they really didn’t have any way of communicating.
“This ain’t a ruddy post office,” muttered Aberforth, though he did take the proffered envelopes from Sirius’s outstretched hand. “He’s down in the cellar, if you want to speak to him.”
“Sirius?” a familiar voice asked and Sirius watched as Romulus popped up beside his boss. Romulus took the letters from Aberforth and looked at them curiously.
“You’re still here,” Sirius stated with a great deal of relief.
“You’re out of bounds again,” Romulus replied with a raise of one eyebrow. Sirius thought he could see a faint glimmer of the young man he’d come to know before the night of the full moon peering at him from behind the obvious tiredness and the barely concealed suspicion. “What are these?”
“Letters,” Sirius explained. “Please don’t take Remus away from Hogsmeade. I swear I won’t tell anyone…”
“For crying out loud,” Romulus interrupted him impatiently. He cast a nervous glance around the room and, with at a nod from Aberforth, gestured for Sirius to join him in a room off the back of the bar.
“Now we can talk without everyone in the building listening in.”
“S-sorry,” Sirius stammered. “I didn’t think anyone was listening.”
“Which is why it’s so dangerous for me and Remus to stay here,” Romulus sighed. “What if you accidentally let something else slip out without thinking?”
Sirius shook his head vehemently. “I won’t,” he insisted. “Please don’t leave.”
“I can’t believe you snuck out to the village just to pester me,” Romulus muttered incredulously.
“I wanted to know if Remus was okay, as well,” Sirius explained.
“Did you indeed?” Romulus asked as he pulled out an all too familiar mirror from his pocket.
“Oh.”
“I’ll give it back to him once I get off work,” Romulus said with a heartfelt sigh of resignation. “I can’t argue with both of you forever, and I don’t want you sneaking here again, you got that?”
“Got it!” Sirius repeated with a grin. “No more pubs.”
“No more sneaking out, full stop,” Romulus ordered.
Sirius chewed on his lip and suddenly found the stains marking the wooden floorboards to be rather engrossing.
“You’ll get expelled if you get caught.”
“I did get caught,” Sirius confessed. “Dumbledore’s got me doing extra lessons. Healing charms and stuff.”
“So Remus was saying.”
“I want to help,” Sirius whispered. “After the full moons… I want to be there, to help.”
“I’m not going to give you permission to sneak out of the school,” Romulus laughed. “Even if I had that sort of power.”
“But if I just happened to be there, you wouldn’t send me back, would you?”
“I suppose you could learn more if you got to put it into practice,” Romulus suggested quietly. “I’ll speak to Abe about you using the tunnel that leads to this place.”
“There’s a tunnel that comes right here?” Sirius asked with surprise.
“There’re probably more tunnels from the school than any one person knows about. At least if you’ve got Abe’s permission he can keep an eye out for you.”
“He won’t tell his brother, will he?”
“Of course he will, you dolt.” Romulus snorted and shook his head in wonder. “How do you think Dumbledore knows everything about everyone? He’s got spies all over the place.”
A moment later Aberforth stuck his head around the door. “You planning on doing any work tonight?” he asked impatiently. “And the young lad’s friends are wondering where he’s got to.”
“They’re not my friends,” Sirius muttered under his breath.
“Well, the taller one still seems worried about you,” Aberforth replied. “Threatening all sorts of punishments if you don’t appear soon.”
“That’ll be Potter,” Sirius sighed. “Any excuse to hex someone.”
“Not the Potter?” Romulus asked in surprise.
“That’s the one.”
“I’m glad to see you’re getting on better with the Gryffindor boys.”
“I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” Sirius said as he pushed his chair back and made to leave.
“Wait a minute, Sirius,” Romulus said as he pulled Aberforth to one side for a whispered consultation. Aberforth looked surprised, then suspicious, and finally resigned.
“Come on then; hurry it up,” he called out the door to where James and Peter were waiting. “Ruddy kids.”
Sirius let James and Peter go on ahead of him as they descended the stairs to the cellar.
“Where does the tunnel come out at the other end?” Sirius asked.
“Three portraits to the west of the kitchens,” Aberforth replied. “Right near the entrance to the Hufflepuff quarters. Get more from that house sneaking into the cellar than from any of the others.” He shot a sharp look at Romulus who had the decency to flush. Sirius grinned and tried not to laugh as he watched Aberforth pull open a hidden door on one of the barrels. It revealed a dark tunnel that was easily big enough for the young boys to crawl through.
“Thanks,” Sirius said as he climbed into the tunnel. “I’ll see you soon.”
Romulus nodded and waved before the door was closed behind them. The three boys were now plunged into darkness.
“Who was that?” Peter asked as they crawled some ten feet along the tunnel, waiting for it to expand so that they could stand up.
“None of your business,” James replied before Sirius could open his mouth.
Sirius drew in a sharp breath.
“Well that is what you were going to say, isn’t it?” James pointed out. “And you owe us both a drink.”
“We weren’t going to get served, we’re underage,” Sirius pointed out.
“Then you’ll have to buy us a round when we are of age,” Peter suggested.
“Assuming we haven’t all been expelled by then,” Sirius muttered. “Aberforth is going to tell Dumbledore we were out of bounds after curfew.”
“Can’t prove it though, can they?” James snorted.
Sirius shook his head and crawled to his feet. The ceiling of the tunnel was low and brushing the top of his head. He saw that James was in a similar position, and only Peter was able to stand up properly in the confined space.
“So, that’s Remus’s brother, right?” James asked conversationally. Sirius stumbled in surprise at the question that was spoken so confidently it was almost a statement. “I’m not totally stupid,” James continued. “He looks just like him.”
Sirius didn’t bother to deny the truth of James’ words; there wouldn’t have been any point. He was only surprised that James had been so observant on the one occasion that he had met Remus. Hidden by the tunnel’s darkness, Sirius smiled to himself at the lasting impression his friend must have had on the boy walking just a few paces in front of him.
They continued the rest of their walk in silence and soon found themselves in the corridor that contained the entrance to both the Hufflepuff quarters and the school kitchens.
“Fancy getting something to eat?” Peter asked as he tickled the pear on the painting that concealed the entrance to the kitchens.
“Sure,” James agreed. “Cake would be nice.”
Sirius made to continue along the corridor to the Entrance Hall but James’s voice called him back. “Don’t you want some cake?”
Sirius hesitated, waiting for the invitation to be rescinded or for it to turn out to be a prank. Then James disappeared after Peter into the cavernous kitchen, leaving him alone in the corridor.
The sound of laughter coming from the kitchen drew him closer, like a moth to a flame. The entrance was still open and the delicious smells of food were making his mouth water. He moved closer to the entrance and looked into the room. James and Peter were sat at a table with a huge pile of desserts in front of them. A trio of house elves was adding to the pile and Sirius licked his lips as he saw his favourite apple crumble sitting untouched at the edge of the table.
“You’re letting all the warm air out,” James commented before cutting himself a large slice of chocolate cake.
“Sorry,” Sirius mumbled, as he closed the door behind him and hesitantly joined the other boys at the table.
“Well tuck in,” James ordered with a chocolate-y grin.
Sirius gave a small smile of his own as he gave in to temptation and reached for the apple crumble. Maybe the other Gryffindors weren’t so bad after all
-
Chapter 12