FIC: The Animagus & the Dog Shelter - 2/2
Title: The Animagus and the Dog Shelter
Rating: PG15
Prompt Set: Remus/Sirius 100.3
Prompt: 097 Shelter
Word Count: 9944
Genre: Romance/Humour
Summary: Sirius Black wants to get to know Remus Lupin better. He is an animagus and Remus runs a dog shelter. It’s fate - really!
Warnings: Slash and a bit of bad language.
Notes: Unbeta’d. Written for my 100quills prompts table.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
Sirius made sure he was back at the shelter well before dawn the following morning. This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that James had been whining non-stop, and practically all night, about all he had had to suffer the night before.
Remus arrived at the shelter and Padfoot made sure that he barked a nice friendly greeting as soon as he saw him.
“Hello, boy,” Remus said as he put down some food.
Sirius looked at the bowl and decided that it was a good thing he had eaten before he had left the flat. He didn’t have anything particular against dog food, only that he thought it tasted like cardboard and he had no intention of touching it.
“Don’t you want your breakfast?” Remus asked. “You’re not ill, are you?”
Sirius wondered whether it would be worth playing at being sick and getting sympathy, and how much he could get before Remus suggested a trip to the vet. In the end he decided it wasn’t worth the risk and other than a mild hangover, he was actually in pretty good health.
“Remus? You out back?” Lily’s voice drifted through from the front office.
“In here,” Remus called.
“How did last night go?” Lily asked. “Come on; I want all the gory details.”
“Gory?” Remus replied with a laugh as he finished feeding the rest of the dogs and went to greet her. Padfoot followed him eagerly. He had no intention of getting shut up away from Remus for the entire day.
He looked towards the bed he had commandeered the previous day, but it seemed that Sylvie had anticipated that he might like to sit there again, and she had got there first.
Padfoot put his nose into the air as he sat at Remus’s feet. Despite their war of the previous day, he liked to think he had a little more class than to fight her for the bed.
“Did you get laid?” Lily clarified with a wink. Padfoot barked his approval and went to Lily’s side, nodding his head, trying to persuade Remus to answer the all important question - preferably with a negative response.
Remus laughed as he put the kettle on and poured them a couple of cups of coffee. “No, as it happens. I didn’t get laid last night.”
“Why not?”
Remus frowned as he added several spoons of sugar to his own mug.
“Did something happen?” Lily asked.
“We had a bit of a fight,” Remus said. Padfoot tried to be sympathetic, but failed miserably. He’d leave the sympathy to Lily.
Lily took her mug from Remus and took a sip before she spoke again. “What about?”
“I suggested going back to his place and he accused me of being clingy,” Remus replied.
Padfoot remembered that excuse. He had heard it several times from Scott, ignorant, as Remus was now, to the real reason that Scott never invited his dates back to his house. The reason was, of course, the man he lived with. He might turn a blind eye to Scott sleeping around, but apparently drew the line at bringing other men back to their place.
Lily rolled her eyes. “You’re the least clingy person I know,” she said. “You know what you need?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“You need a decent bloke, who treats you right.” Padfoot gave a bark. “See,” Lily said. “Even the mutt agrees with me.” Padfoot let the mutt remark pass, but made a mental note for future reference.
“Scott isn’t so bad,” Remus replied with a shrug. “Only…”
“Only what?”
Remus shook his head. “It’s silly.”
“What is?”
“No, I’m just being paranoid.”
“You can’t leave it like that,” Lily insisted. “What is it?”
Remus sighed. “Do you remember back in fourth year?”
“Anything in particular in fourth year?” Lily replied. “Or just fourth year in general?”
“When we dated in fourth year,” Remus clarified. “You know, before I…”
Remus’s voice trailed off, but Lily was quick to fill in the blanks. “Before you decided you preferred to stick it in a bloke’s arse?” she suggested with a wicked grin.
“Actually I prefer to take it than give,” Remus teased.
Lily gave a mock shiver. “You remember when we talked about over sharing?”
“Sorry,” Remus said, not sounding like he meant it at all. “You know I can’t resist. Anyway, yes, then. Was I a bad kisser?”
“What?” Lily asked with a frown.
“Was I a bad kisser?” Remus repeated. “Only Scott never kisses me and I got to wondering if that might be the reason why. Since you’re the only person I’ve kissed who I can talk to about this…”
Lily shook her head. “Remus, neither of us had ever kissed anyone before we kissed each other. I don’t think it’s fair to judge you on how you used to kiss then…especially since within six months you decided you preferred to kiss boys.”
Remus’s head dropped to the table. “I’m a bad kisser,” he whined. “No wonder I can’t keep a bloke satisfied.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Lily scoffed.
“Then why won’t he kiss me?” Remus’s muffled reply was barely audible.
“Maybe he just doesn’t like kissing,” Lily suggested.
Padfoot growled. Scott hadn’t liked kissing him either. He was fairly sure that the reason stemmed from not wanting to get close to someone who was just an easy shag, though he recalled he had had a similar conversation with James before he’d found out about Scott’s duplicity. He had even persuaded James to kiss him and give him a full and frank assessment of his skill. James had protested until Sirius had pressed their mouths together with rather more force than was strictly necessary. James had told him he was a crap kisser, but since there had been little to no participation from James himself, Sirius was inclined to disregard that opinion.
Looking at Remus now, he wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He had no doubt that Remus wouldn’t squeal like a girl and insist that Sirius buy him a bottle of Ogden’s finest to take away the taste of another bloke’s mouth. James could be such a whiner.
“I guess,” Remus replied with a sigh. “Perhaps Scott isn’t the one for me…”
Now we’re talking, Padfoot thought to himself.
“I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s just perfect for you,” Lily consoled. “Maybe you could go back to that club and find someone else?”
“It wasn’t that great a club,” Remus told her. “Crap music, watered down beer, the usual idiots hitting on you every time you turn round.”
“So, you got hit on, did you?” Lily asked, perking up considerably.
“Sort of. Well, not really.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Padfoot looked at Remus and saw the flush begin at his collar and creep right up his neck and all over his face.
“Well, there was one bloke who… he didn’t really hit on me so much as feel me up.”
“Oooh,” Lily squealed. “Remus Lupin, you slut.”
“It’s not funny,” Remus replied. Padfoot meanwhile was suffering the awful feeling that came with knowing that he was about to be talked about, and not in the most flattering of terms.
“What happened?”
“There was this bloke…”
“Good looking?” Lily interrupted.
Remus shrugged. “I guess. He walked over to me, spilt his beer all over my trousers and made a huge deal about cleaning me up.”
“Maybe he was nervous?”
“Maybe he wanted to have an excuse to cop a feel and see how much I had to offer,” Remus replied with a snort.
Padfoot buried his head in his paws, slightly insulted by the half-hearted ‘I guess’ in response to Lily’s question, and wishing he hadn’t made such a fool of himself the previous night.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Lily insisted. “He was probably intimidated by your good looks.”
Remus snorted again. “I doubt it.”
“Why?” Lily questioned. “If he wasn’t that good looking, he could have been.”
Remus rolled his eyes. “Fine, he was bloody gorgeous, okay?”
“Better and better,” Lily crowed, while Padfoot pulled his head up and began to preen again.
“It’s probably best I never got his name,” Remus continued. “He’s the sort of boy my mother warned me about.”
“You’ve come out to your mother?” Lily asked in surprise.
Remus shook his head in horror. “Bloody hell, no, but if I were a girl, that bloke would be the sort she would have warned me about.”
Padfoot wondered if there might be a possibility of meeting Mrs Lupin some time in the near future. Thoughts of digging up her flowerbeds or chasing her cat - he’d bet anything she had one - were suddenly quite appealing.
“You should see him again,” Lily suggested, ignoring the practicalities of her declaration as only a girl could. Padfoot barked his approval again. “See, the mutt agrees, too.”
Padfoot was getting a little tired of being called a mutt and moved to sit a little closer to Remus again.
“Only in my dreams,” Remus replied with a grin.
“And did he feature in them last night?” teased Lily, rocking forward on her chair and grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Might have,” Remus answered mysteriously. “But I seem to recall you chastising me for over sharing a little while ago.”
Padfoot turned to growl at Lily. She might not want to know what Remus dreamed about last night, but he was dying of curiosity here.
Lily scowled. “You, Remus Lupin, are a tease,” she accused.
Remus laughed, but to Padfoot’s disappointment he refused to elaborate any further.
-o-
“Sirius, for the love of Merlin, it’s been a week. You can’t just carry on spying on him as Padfoot!”
James was complaining… again.
Sirius wasn’t really listening to him. He was trying to figure out what had gone wrong at the club. He was Sirius Black. He never had trouble talking to anyone, and certainly not when it came to asking a bloke out. But for some reason, when it came to Remus, he was finding himself in alarming new territory. First he had wasted months watching him from afar, too nervous to even say hello. Then, when he had finally worked up the courage to approach him, he had babbled like a brook and made a total utter arse out of himself.
“Maybe I should write him a letter?” Sirius suggested.
James laughed. “I don’t think your talent for writing dirty limericks is the way to get this guy. From what you’ve said, I think he has a lot more class than that.”
Sirius glared at James and went back to pondering the problem.
“Sirius, mate,” James said with a long-suffering sigh. “Just go and talk to him.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because every time I get within ten feet of him, my brain shuts down,” Sirius muttered.
James rolled his eyes and chuckled. “In that case, I don’t see much future for the two of you. Why not get someone to come and claim you from the shelter and forget about him?”
Sirius looked at James in horror. “You want me to give up? What sort of a Gryffindor would I be if I did that?”
“One who’s late getting back to his cage,” James replied.
Sirius looked at the clock, swore and apparated back to Remus’s dog shelter once again.
-o-
“Scott called,” Lily said as soon as Remus returned from walking Padfoot and the rest of the dogs in his care.
“What did he say?” Remus asked.
“He’s got to work tonight and he’ll give you a call tomorrow,” Lily replied. “That’s the second time this week; I think you should dump him.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Remus said with a smile. “Thanks for watching the place while I walked the dogs. Any other calls?”
Lily shook her head as Padfoot sat down at Remus’s feet and wondered whether he could somehow find a way to convince Remus to go round to Scott’s house. He was sure that Remus would break up with him as soon as he found out that he was ‘the other man’. All he had to do was find a way to send him over there.
An hour later he had an idea. All he needed to do was persuade James to go along with him one more time.
-o-
“All you have to do is phone Remus, convince him that you own me, and get him to take me home - to Scott’s house.”
“We don’t have a phone,” James pointed out.
“So, use one of those on the street. You do remember how they work?”
James nodded, much to Sirius’s relief since he had no idea.
“How do you know Scott will be there?” James asked.
“We’ll time it so that Remus arrives with me - as Padfoot - while Scott and his boyfriend are getting ready to go out.”
“And if they’re not going out tonight?”
“Then they’re staying in and it’s not a problem when Remus arrives,” Sirius pointed out impatiently.
“What if Remus insists that I come and collect you?” James asked.
“Tell him you’re bedridden. Tell him you’ve got the worst sense of direction in the world. Tell him you’re blind and I’m your guide dog. Make something up. Honestly, James, do I have to think of everything?”
“But-”
“I’ve got to go,” Sirius interrupted, not giving James a chance to argue any further. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer and quickly apparated back to the shelter, where he immediately turned back into Padfoot and sat down in the same spot he had been in when Remus had left for the shop.
Sylvie looked at him from her bed and he found himself very thankful that dogs - as a general rule - couldn’t talk.
-o-
“Your owner is as much trouble as you are,” Remus said, though there was an underlying tone of affection in his voice as he walked Padfoot to his owner’s address on the other side of town. “It’s a good job my plans for the evening got cancelled.”
Padfoot trotted alongside him, hoping that they had timed things correctly.
“I think this is the place,” Remus said as he pulled out a scrap of paper and checked the address. “You know, you could look a little more excited to be home.”
Padfoot gave a dutiful bark and followed Remus to the front door. He sat patiently while Remus rang the bell, waiting for the inevitable explosion that would happen when Remus saw how he had been deceived.
Padfoot heard the sound of footsteps before Remus did, and his ears perked up as he waited for the door to open.
“Yes?” asked the stranger.
“I’m returning your dog,” Remus said, sounding ever so slightly confused. “We spoke on the phone?”
“I don’t have a dog,” the man replied. “You sure you’ve got the right house?”
Remus pulled the paper from his pocket again and checked the address.
“That’s here,” the man said as he leaned over to see the paper. “But we don’t have a dog. Can’t have one actually - it’s in the rental contract.”
“This is so strange,” Remus said. “I had a phone call claiming this dog and the man I spoke to gave this address.”
“Maybe you misheard it?”
“I checked it back with him.”
Padfoot tried to see beyond the man at the door and further into the house. If Scott didn’t appear then Remus would leave without being any the wiser and the same trick would not work a second time.
It seemed as though the plan had failed when a familiar voice suddenly called out from inside the house.
“Who is it, Babe?”
The man at the door cringed, not unlike Sirius had done whenever he had been tagged with that particular nickname. He suspected that Remus hated being called Babe just as much as he and Scott’s boyfriend did. Remus, however, wasn’t cringing; he was frowning as he looked down the hall.
The boyfriend didn’t answer Scott’s question immediately. Instead he sighed and shook his head slightly. “Someone for you,” he finally called back.
Padfoot edged closer to Remus, knowing that all hell was about to break loose.
Scott appeared a few moments later, his face curious at first, but then twisting with fury as he spotted who was on his doorstep.
“You little bastard,” Scott hissed, glaring at Padfoot.
He flinched slightly and wished that his animagus form didn’t put him so far below eye level with the other man. He also wished that he’d remembered that Scott - a wizard himself - not only knew that he was an animagus, but had also seen him in his canine form.
Unfortunately it was too late to back out now.
Remus coughed with embarrassment. “I’m not sure what the dog’s done to you, but I think we’ll just be leaving.”
“Good idea,” the boyfriend commented. “You can take him with you.” He nodded at Scott and folded his arms across his chest.
“Not bloody likely,” Remus replied. “I didn’t know he was living with someone and I’d never have agreed to see him if I had.”
The boyfriend shrugged. “Suit yourself. You’re welcome to him if you want him.”
“I don’t,” Remus said. “Come on, mutt.”
Padfoot turned to leave with Remus, and he didn’t see Scott’s boot reaching out to kick him sharply from behind. He didn’t see the car coming towards him. He didn’t see either of those things, and as he slowly lost consciousness he was equally sure he didn’t see Remus Lupin - a muggle - pull something that looked remarkably like a wand from his pocket.
His last thought before he blacked out - regaining his human form as he did - was that he wondered how many years in Azkaban he would get for breaching the Statute of Secrecy by changing from a dog to a man in the middle of a busy street.
-o-
“He’s a bloody wizard,” Remus hissed at Lily as he paced back and forth around the waiting room in St Mungo’s.
“So you said,” Lily replied. “Several times. What do you suppose he was doing hiding out at the shelter as a dog?”
“Spying on me,” Remus answered as though this was obvious. “The Healers recognised him as soon as he came in. He’s a Black.”
“Really?”
“The eldest heir to the ancient and most noble house of Black,” Remus declared. “Pureblood fanatics and pioneers of nice little laws that stop us half bloods and muggle borns from ever taking our place in their precious society.”
“It’s not his fault they’ve introduced laws to stop us from being educated and trained in this country.”
“His father helped to draft the bloody laws! His family is the very reason that we’re not allowed to do magic without being thrown in Azkaban for it.”
“Maybe you should wait and see what he has to say for himself?” Lily suggested. “You said yourself that he’d tried to talk to you at that club. Perhaps he’s not like the rest of them…”
Remus shook his head. “I can’t risk it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to remember if I’ve done any magic around the shelter since I brought him there. I can’t believe I didn’t realise he was an animagus. I knew he was too smart for a regular dog, but I was too blind to realise why. I hope he didn’t see me do anything too incriminating.”
“Do you use your magic a lot?” Lily asked. “I’ve been trying not to, but it’s really hard when you know you can.”
Remus shook his head. “Not often. Just every now and then. I might use it to warm up my coffee if I’ve let it go cold, or I might use it to move the heavy bags of dog food about, or clean the kennels if I’m running late or really tired. I just don’t remember if I’ve done anything in front of Black. Though it might be fruitless to worry if he saw me before he passed out.”
“I think you should talk to him,” Lily said, nodding firmly.
“I’m going to just as soon as he wakes up,” Remus agreed. “And I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay out of Azkaban.”
“What do you mean?” Lily whispered.
“I mean that I modified the memories of everyone who saw him change into a human in that street, and I’ve every intention of modifying his memory so that he forgets he ever met me.”
“Remus, you can’t!”
Remus glared back at Lily stubbornly. “Watch me.”
-o-
Sirius Black was everything Remus remembered him to be and more. Seen in the bright light of St Mungo’s he was even more breathtaking than he had been at the club.
“Hello, Remus,” Sirius said with a small smile. “I’m Sirius Black.”
Remus nodded. “I know who you are.” He knew his voice was cold, but didn’t realise quite how frosty it was until he saw Sirius flinch and duck his head.
“You’re a wizard,” Sirius commented.
“Depends who you ask,” Remus replied. “My mother was a muggle, so according to you purebloods, I’m nothing.”
“I don’t share my family’s beliefs,” Sirius said.
“Really?” Remus asked sarcastically. “I hear the purebloods like to spy on the half bloods and muggle borns, to make sure they don’t perform any magic. You’ve been spying on me. Do you expect me to believe it isn’t for that reason?”
“It wasn’t.”
“Then why?”
“Because I…” Sirius’s faltered and looked away.
Remus nodded again. “I’m sorry, Sirius. If there was any other way, I wouldn’t do this.”
“Do what?” Sirius asked, looking up.
“This,” Remus said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at Sirius.
“No!” Sirius shook his head and tried to untangle himself from the sheets so that he could get out of bed.
“It has to be this way,” Remus insisted. “I can’t go to Azkaban and if you report me for doing magic, that’s where I’ll end up.”
“I don’t care if you’re a wizard,” Sirius said, reaching out to grab Remus’s wrist. “I think it’s great. I don’t care if your parents were both muggles. Really I don’t.”
“Then why were you spying on me?” Remus hissed.
“I wanted to get to know you,” Sirius replied, desperately hoping that Remus wasn’t about to do what he suspected.
Remus laughed. “The famous Sirius Black, pureblood heir and sophisticated member of wizard society, wanted to get to know me?”
“It’s the truth.” Sirius was starting to panic and he pulled Remus towards him. “You have to believe me.”
Remus shook his head. “Damn it,” he muttered, right before he pressed their mouths together.
Sirius was too stunned to kiss him back at first, but then he realised that this might be the only chance he got to kiss the man of his dreams and he was wasting it.
It was rough, with teeth clashing and tongues frantically exploring. Someone was whimpering, and he thought it might be him.
He had a horrible feeling that Remus was going to perform a spell on him, and rob him of his memories, but as long as they were kissing he was safe from losing him. As long as they were together he was safe.
He didn’t want to forget this feeling.
He didn’t want to forget Remus.
But he didn’t know how to make Remus believe him. He had spied on him and taken advantage of his hospitality. He had manipulated him and caused him to lose his boyfriend. He had done everything except simply tell Remus that he liked him and wanted to get to know him better.
He released Remus’s wrist so that he could pull him into his arms and hold him close.
Their mouths parted ever so slightly. “Don’t do this,” Sirius breathed into Remus’s mouth. “Please give me another chance.”
-o-
James looked at Sirius as he dressed and gathered his things together to leave St Mungo’s. “So, what exactly happened?”
“Got hit by a car,” Sirius replied.
“How did you manage to do something stupid like that?”
Sirius shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
“Do you remember what happened at Scott’s house?” James asked.
“Scott?” Sirius echoed. “Why would I go to Scott’s?”
“Because Remus is dating him,” James reminded him. He was starting to worry and voiced his concern.
“I don’t remember telling you Remus’s name,” Sirius said. “And I’m sure he’d have better taste than to hook up with a slimy git like Scott.”
“Apparently his taste in men is as crap as your own, because he did hook up with him and you did tell me his name. What exactly is the last thing you do remember?”
Sirius frowned. “Last night at the Leaky Cauldron. You conned me into paying for two rounds in a row.”
“I did not, and that was over a week ago.”
“I’ve lost a week,” Sirius asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “How did that happen?”
James shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I think perhaps your Remus Lupin might have the answer.”
-o-
Two hours after Remus had left St Mungo’s, secure in the belief that he would never set eyes on Sirius Black again, the man in question appeared at the shelter, this time in his human form. He arrived with another man, one who Remus recognised as the man from the park.
“Remus Lupin?” the man asked. “I’m James Potter.”
Remus gave a small nod. “Can I help you?” he asked, working on the basis that if all else fails then play ignorant.
“I believe you’ve met my friend Sirius,” James continued, gesturing towards the man in question.
“No,” Remus said with what he hoped was a polite frown of confusion. “I don’t believe I’ve had that pleasure.”
James snorted. “Oh, he’s good, Sirius,” he said with a grin. “Nearly as good a liar as you are.”
“Excuse me?” Remus replied, whilst Sirius voiced his protestations at being called a liar. James ignored both Sirius’s exclamations and Remus’s feigned confusion.
“I know you met Sirius at that new club the other night,” James said. “I was there and I saw him soak you in beer and make a complete prat of himself.”
“I’d never!” Sirius exclaimed.
“You did,” James replied without turning from Remus. “I was there and I saw you. So you might as well give up this whole innocent act and admit it.”
Remus frowned as his brain clicked into overdrive. “You’re the bloke who fell at my feet,” he said, feigning sudden recollection. “Sorry, I didn’t recognise you.”
“I take it back,” James said with a snort of laughter. “He’s a better liar than you are.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Maybe he really doesn’t,” Sirius suggested. “Perhaps his memory has been erased, too. If he was with me when I got hit by the car then he’d have seen you-know-what and…”
“You’re right,” James said. “But there’s one way to find out right now.”
“There is?” Sirius asked.
James nodded and reached into his pocket. “You know what this is?” he asked Remus.
Remus shrugged. “Looks like a stick of wood.”
“It’s a wand, a wizard’s wand,” James replied with a smirk.
“James!” Sirius hissed. “You can’t tell him about us.”
“Sure I can. If he isn’t one of us then I’ll erase the last few minutes of his memory and he’ll forget this even happened. But I don’t think that’ll be necessary, because I think Remus knows exactly what this stick of wood is, and I think he might have a similar one on his person somewhere. There’s only one way to find out.”
“You’re going to strip search him?” Sirius asked with a grin of approval.
James rolled his eyes. “Accio wand,” he said, pointing his own wand at Remus and grinning when Remus’s wand flew from his pocket and into his outstretched hand. “Now, what would this be?”
“Give that back!” Remus ordered.
“Looks like a wand,” James said in answer to his own question.
“You’re a wizard?” Sirius asked Remus. His eyes were wide with shock.
Remus sighed and sat down at his desk. He didn’t say anything. He wondered what the food was like in Azkaban and what would happen to Sylvie and the rest of the dogs.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say?” James asked.
“Like what?” Remus replied. “I’m a half blood who’s performed magic on a pureblood. Goodbye dog shelter, hello Azkaban.”
“I knew it!” James declared with triumph. “James Potter, detective supreme, solves another mystery.”
Remus looked down at his feet miserably.
Sirius snorted with annoyance and pushed James to one side. Then he dropped to the floor at Remus’s feet. “You’re not going to Azkaban,” he said softly. “I don’t know what I did to screw up so badly that you felt you had to erase my memories, but whatever it was, I’m really sorry.”
Remus looked up and saw the honesty in the grey eyes.
“Remus?” James said, drawing his attention away from Sirius. “Whatever he did that spooked you, I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm. He can be a bit of a prat at times, but his heart’s usually in the right place.”
Sirius began to nod, until he realised that there was an insult in there. “Remus,” he whispered. “I only wanted to get to know you better. I’ve been seeing you around for a while now, but I couldn’t seem to find the words whenever I got close to you. When I’m Padfoot I don’t have to worry about that. Whatever you’ve heard about my family, I promise I’m not like them.”
“He’s really not,” James added with a firm nod.
“If what I’ve done was so bad you can’t forgive me, then I promise you’ll never have to see me again, and I am truly sorry.”
Remus gave a small smile. “Very suave,” he said quietly.
“Huh?”
“When you spoke to me at the club you said it was all wrong because you were supposed to be suave and I was supposed to be nervous. Now it seems to be the other way round.”
“It is?” Sirius asked.
Remus’s smile grew a little wider. “Can I have my wand back, please?” he asked James, who placed it in his outstretched hand.
Turning back to Sirius, he ducked his head a little. “I’m sorry I tampered with your memories. You didn’t really do anything so bad; I just panicked when I found out who you were.”
Sirius nodded and grinned. “That’s the Black family for you - inducing panic wherever we go.”
Remus smiled and raised his wand to Sirius’s temple.
“Bloody hell!” Sirius exclaimed as his memories flooded back.
“What?” Remus asked, panic setting in again. “What is it?”
Sirius grinned. “I just remembered St Mungo’s.”
“You remember everything?” James asked, still sounding slightly suspicious.
Sirius nodded without turning to his friend. Remus’s smile had become a full grin and he found himself unable to turn away from the sight.
James watched his friend lean towards Remus and knew what was coming. He wanted to look away, but could not seem to bring himself to do so. Lips were touching, hands were caressing and clothes were being pushed aside. “Er…guys?” he asked tentatively. “You do remember I’m still here?”
“I think they’re in their own little world,” a female voice said from behind him.
James turned to see a redhead who - from Sirius’s descriptions - had to be Lily Evans. He hadn’t heard her come in. “How long have you been there?” he asked.
Lily shrugged. “Long enough. I’m Lily.” She held out her hand.
“James Potter,” James replied with a smile. “Do you think we should remind them we’re here?”
Lily shook her head. “Come on, let’s leave them to it. We’ll lock the door behind us.”
“You have a set of keys?” James asked.
Lily shook her head again. “Who needs keys?” she replied with a grin, pointing to his wand.
James grinned back at her and pointed his wand at the lock, securing it behind them. “I know a nice little café down the road, you know, if you wanted to…”
“Sure,” Lily replied.
“So, you’re a witch?” James guessed.
“Yes,” Lily answered cautiously.
“Do you share Remus’s talent for memory charms?” James asked.
Lily went from cautious to suspicious. “Why do you ask?”
James hooked his arm through hers as they walked down the road. “I have some very traumatic memories as a result of Sirius’s plans to get the man of his dreams. So, I was wondering if the girl of mine might be able to get rid of them for me.”
Lily laughed as they entered the café. It was a nice laugh, and James considered that on reflection, perhaps it had been worth it after all.
The End
Rating: PG15
Prompt Set: Remus/Sirius 100.3
Prompt: 097 Shelter
Word Count: 9944
Genre: Romance/Humour
Summary: Sirius Black wants to get to know Remus Lupin better. He is an animagus and Remus runs a dog shelter. It’s fate - really!
Warnings: Slash and a bit of bad language.
Notes: Unbeta’d. Written for my 100quills prompts table.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
Sirius made sure he was back at the shelter well before dawn the following morning. This, of course, had nothing to do with the fact that James had been whining non-stop, and practically all night, about all he had had to suffer the night before.
Remus arrived at the shelter and Padfoot made sure that he barked a nice friendly greeting as soon as he saw him.
“Hello, boy,” Remus said as he put down some food.
Sirius looked at the bowl and decided that it was a good thing he had eaten before he had left the flat. He didn’t have anything particular against dog food, only that he thought it tasted like cardboard and he had no intention of touching it.
“Don’t you want your breakfast?” Remus asked. “You’re not ill, are you?”
Sirius wondered whether it would be worth playing at being sick and getting sympathy, and how much he could get before Remus suggested a trip to the vet. In the end he decided it wasn’t worth the risk and other than a mild hangover, he was actually in pretty good health.
“Remus? You out back?” Lily’s voice drifted through from the front office.
“In here,” Remus called.
“How did last night go?” Lily asked. “Come on; I want all the gory details.”
“Gory?” Remus replied with a laugh as he finished feeding the rest of the dogs and went to greet her. Padfoot followed him eagerly. He had no intention of getting shut up away from Remus for the entire day.
He looked towards the bed he had commandeered the previous day, but it seemed that Sylvie had anticipated that he might like to sit there again, and she had got there first.
Padfoot put his nose into the air as he sat at Remus’s feet. Despite their war of the previous day, he liked to think he had a little more class than to fight her for the bed.
“Did you get laid?” Lily clarified with a wink. Padfoot barked his approval and went to Lily’s side, nodding his head, trying to persuade Remus to answer the all important question - preferably with a negative response.
Remus laughed as he put the kettle on and poured them a couple of cups of coffee. “No, as it happens. I didn’t get laid last night.”
“Why not?”
Remus frowned as he added several spoons of sugar to his own mug.
“Did something happen?” Lily asked.
“We had a bit of a fight,” Remus said. Padfoot tried to be sympathetic, but failed miserably. He’d leave the sympathy to Lily.
Lily took her mug from Remus and took a sip before she spoke again. “What about?”
“I suggested going back to his place and he accused me of being clingy,” Remus replied.
Padfoot remembered that excuse. He had heard it several times from Scott, ignorant, as Remus was now, to the real reason that Scott never invited his dates back to his house. The reason was, of course, the man he lived with. He might turn a blind eye to Scott sleeping around, but apparently drew the line at bringing other men back to their place.
Lily rolled her eyes. “You’re the least clingy person I know,” she said. “You know what you need?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“You need a decent bloke, who treats you right.” Padfoot gave a bark. “See,” Lily said. “Even the mutt agrees with me.” Padfoot let the mutt remark pass, but made a mental note for future reference.
“Scott isn’t so bad,” Remus replied with a shrug. “Only…”
“Only what?”
Remus shook his head. “It’s silly.”
“What is?”
“No, I’m just being paranoid.”
“You can’t leave it like that,” Lily insisted. “What is it?”
Remus sighed. “Do you remember back in fourth year?”
“Anything in particular in fourth year?” Lily replied. “Or just fourth year in general?”
“When we dated in fourth year,” Remus clarified. “You know, before I…”
Remus’s voice trailed off, but Lily was quick to fill in the blanks. “Before you decided you preferred to stick it in a bloke’s arse?” she suggested with a wicked grin.
“Actually I prefer to take it than give,” Remus teased.
Lily gave a mock shiver. “You remember when we talked about over sharing?”
“Sorry,” Remus said, not sounding like he meant it at all. “You know I can’t resist. Anyway, yes, then. Was I a bad kisser?”
“What?” Lily asked with a frown.
“Was I a bad kisser?” Remus repeated. “Only Scott never kisses me and I got to wondering if that might be the reason why. Since you’re the only person I’ve kissed who I can talk to about this…”
Lily shook her head. “Remus, neither of us had ever kissed anyone before we kissed each other. I don’t think it’s fair to judge you on how you used to kiss then…especially since within six months you decided you preferred to kiss boys.”
Remus’s head dropped to the table. “I’m a bad kisser,” he whined. “No wonder I can’t keep a bloke satisfied.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Lily scoffed.
“Then why won’t he kiss me?” Remus’s muffled reply was barely audible.
“Maybe he just doesn’t like kissing,” Lily suggested.
Padfoot growled. Scott hadn’t liked kissing him either. He was fairly sure that the reason stemmed from not wanting to get close to someone who was just an easy shag, though he recalled he had had a similar conversation with James before he’d found out about Scott’s duplicity. He had even persuaded James to kiss him and give him a full and frank assessment of his skill. James had protested until Sirius had pressed their mouths together with rather more force than was strictly necessary. James had told him he was a crap kisser, but since there had been little to no participation from James himself, Sirius was inclined to disregard that opinion.
Looking at Remus now, he wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He had no doubt that Remus wouldn’t squeal like a girl and insist that Sirius buy him a bottle of Ogden’s finest to take away the taste of another bloke’s mouth. James could be such a whiner.
“I guess,” Remus replied with a sigh. “Perhaps Scott isn’t the one for me…”
Now we’re talking, Padfoot thought to himself.
“I’m sure there’s someone out there who’s just perfect for you,” Lily consoled. “Maybe you could go back to that club and find someone else?”
“It wasn’t that great a club,” Remus told her. “Crap music, watered down beer, the usual idiots hitting on you every time you turn round.”
“So, you got hit on, did you?” Lily asked, perking up considerably.
“Sort of. Well, not really.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Padfoot looked at Remus and saw the flush begin at his collar and creep right up his neck and all over his face.
“Well, there was one bloke who… he didn’t really hit on me so much as feel me up.”
“Oooh,” Lily squealed. “Remus Lupin, you slut.”
“It’s not funny,” Remus replied. Padfoot meanwhile was suffering the awful feeling that came with knowing that he was about to be talked about, and not in the most flattering of terms.
“What happened?”
“There was this bloke…”
“Good looking?” Lily interrupted.
Remus shrugged. “I guess. He walked over to me, spilt his beer all over my trousers and made a huge deal about cleaning me up.”
“Maybe he was nervous?”
“Maybe he wanted to have an excuse to cop a feel and see how much I had to offer,” Remus replied with a snort.
Padfoot buried his head in his paws, slightly insulted by the half-hearted ‘I guess’ in response to Lily’s question, and wishing he hadn’t made such a fool of himself the previous night.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Lily insisted. “He was probably intimidated by your good looks.”
Remus snorted again. “I doubt it.”
“Why?” Lily questioned. “If he wasn’t that good looking, he could have been.”
Remus rolled his eyes. “Fine, he was bloody gorgeous, okay?”
“Better and better,” Lily crowed, while Padfoot pulled his head up and began to preen again.
“It’s probably best I never got his name,” Remus continued. “He’s the sort of boy my mother warned me about.”
“You’ve come out to your mother?” Lily asked in surprise.
Remus shook his head in horror. “Bloody hell, no, but if I were a girl, that bloke would be the sort she would have warned me about.”
Padfoot wondered if there might be a possibility of meeting Mrs Lupin some time in the near future. Thoughts of digging up her flowerbeds or chasing her cat - he’d bet anything she had one - were suddenly quite appealing.
“You should see him again,” Lily suggested, ignoring the practicalities of her declaration as only a girl could. Padfoot barked his approval again. “See, the mutt agrees, too.”
Padfoot was getting a little tired of being called a mutt and moved to sit a little closer to Remus again.
“Only in my dreams,” Remus replied with a grin.
“And did he feature in them last night?” teased Lily, rocking forward on her chair and grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Might have,” Remus answered mysteriously. “But I seem to recall you chastising me for over sharing a little while ago.”
Padfoot turned to growl at Lily. She might not want to know what Remus dreamed about last night, but he was dying of curiosity here.
Lily scowled. “You, Remus Lupin, are a tease,” she accused.
Remus laughed, but to Padfoot’s disappointment he refused to elaborate any further.
-o-
“Sirius, for the love of Merlin, it’s been a week. You can’t just carry on spying on him as Padfoot!”
James was complaining… again.
Sirius wasn’t really listening to him. He was trying to figure out what had gone wrong at the club. He was Sirius Black. He never had trouble talking to anyone, and certainly not when it came to asking a bloke out. But for some reason, when it came to Remus, he was finding himself in alarming new territory. First he had wasted months watching him from afar, too nervous to even say hello. Then, when he had finally worked up the courage to approach him, he had babbled like a brook and made a total utter arse out of himself.
“Maybe I should write him a letter?” Sirius suggested.
James laughed. “I don’t think your talent for writing dirty limericks is the way to get this guy. From what you’ve said, I think he has a lot more class than that.”
Sirius glared at James and went back to pondering the problem.
“Sirius, mate,” James said with a long-suffering sigh. “Just go and talk to him.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because every time I get within ten feet of him, my brain shuts down,” Sirius muttered.
James rolled his eyes and chuckled. “In that case, I don’t see much future for the two of you. Why not get someone to come and claim you from the shelter and forget about him?”
Sirius looked at James in horror. “You want me to give up? What sort of a Gryffindor would I be if I did that?”
“One who’s late getting back to his cage,” James replied.
Sirius looked at the clock, swore and apparated back to Remus’s dog shelter once again.
-o-
“Scott called,” Lily said as soon as Remus returned from walking Padfoot and the rest of the dogs in his care.
“What did he say?” Remus asked.
“He’s got to work tonight and he’ll give you a call tomorrow,” Lily replied. “That’s the second time this week; I think you should dump him.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Remus said with a smile. “Thanks for watching the place while I walked the dogs. Any other calls?”
Lily shook her head as Padfoot sat down at Remus’s feet and wondered whether he could somehow find a way to convince Remus to go round to Scott’s house. He was sure that Remus would break up with him as soon as he found out that he was ‘the other man’. All he had to do was find a way to send him over there.
An hour later he had an idea. All he needed to do was persuade James to go along with him one more time.
-o-
“All you have to do is phone Remus, convince him that you own me, and get him to take me home - to Scott’s house.”
“We don’t have a phone,” James pointed out.
“So, use one of those on the street. You do remember how they work?”
James nodded, much to Sirius’s relief since he had no idea.
“How do you know Scott will be there?” James asked.
“We’ll time it so that Remus arrives with me - as Padfoot - while Scott and his boyfriend are getting ready to go out.”
“And if they’re not going out tonight?”
“Then they’re staying in and it’s not a problem when Remus arrives,” Sirius pointed out impatiently.
“What if Remus insists that I come and collect you?” James asked.
“Tell him you’re bedridden. Tell him you’ve got the worst sense of direction in the world. Tell him you’re blind and I’m your guide dog. Make something up. Honestly, James, do I have to think of everything?”
“But-”
“I’ve got to go,” Sirius interrupted, not giving James a chance to argue any further. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer and quickly apparated back to the shelter, where he immediately turned back into Padfoot and sat down in the same spot he had been in when Remus had left for the shop.
Sylvie looked at him from her bed and he found himself very thankful that dogs - as a general rule - couldn’t talk.
-o-
“Your owner is as much trouble as you are,” Remus said, though there was an underlying tone of affection in his voice as he walked Padfoot to his owner’s address on the other side of town. “It’s a good job my plans for the evening got cancelled.”
Padfoot trotted alongside him, hoping that they had timed things correctly.
“I think this is the place,” Remus said as he pulled out a scrap of paper and checked the address. “You know, you could look a little more excited to be home.”
Padfoot gave a dutiful bark and followed Remus to the front door. He sat patiently while Remus rang the bell, waiting for the inevitable explosion that would happen when Remus saw how he had been deceived.
Padfoot heard the sound of footsteps before Remus did, and his ears perked up as he waited for the door to open.
“Yes?” asked the stranger.
“I’m returning your dog,” Remus said, sounding ever so slightly confused. “We spoke on the phone?”
“I don’t have a dog,” the man replied. “You sure you’ve got the right house?”
Remus pulled the paper from his pocket again and checked the address.
“That’s here,” the man said as he leaned over to see the paper. “But we don’t have a dog. Can’t have one actually - it’s in the rental contract.”
“This is so strange,” Remus said. “I had a phone call claiming this dog and the man I spoke to gave this address.”
“Maybe you misheard it?”
“I checked it back with him.”
Padfoot tried to see beyond the man at the door and further into the house. If Scott didn’t appear then Remus would leave without being any the wiser and the same trick would not work a second time.
It seemed as though the plan had failed when a familiar voice suddenly called out from inside the house.
“Who is it, Babe?”
The man at the door cringed, not unlike Sirius had done whenever he had been tagged with that particular nickname. He suspected that Remus hated being called Babe just as much as he and Scott’s boyfriend did. Remus, however, wasn’t cringing; he was frowning as he looked down the hall.
The boyfriend didn’t answer Scott’s question immediately. Instead he sighed and shook his head slightly. “Someone for you,” he finally called back.
Padfoot edged closer to Remus, knowing that all hell was about to break loose.
Scott appeared a few moments later, his face curious at first, but then twisting with fury as he spotted who was on his doorstep.
“You little bastard,” Scott hissed, glaring at Padfoot.
He flinched slightly and wished that his animagus form didn’t put him so far below eye level with the other man. He also wished that he’d remembered that Scott - a wizard himself - not only knew that he was an animagus, but had also seen him in his canine form.
Unfortunately it was too late to back out now.
Remus coughed with embarrassment. “I’m not sure what the dog’s done to you, but I think we’ll just be leaving.”
“Good idea,” the boyfriend commented. “You can take him with you.” He nodded at Scott and folded his arms across his chest.
“Not bloody likely,” Remus replied. “I didn’t know he was living with someone and I’d never have agreed to see him if I had.”
The boyfriend shrugged. “Suit yourself. You’re welcome to him if you want him.”
“I don’t,” Remus said. “Come on, mutt.”
Padfoot turned to leave with Remus, and he didn’t see Scott’s boot reaching out to kick him sharply from behind. He didn’t see the car coming towards him. He didn’t see either of those things, and as he slowly lost consciousness he was equally sure he didn’t see Remus Lupin - a muggle - pull something that looked remarkably like a wand from his pocket.
His last thought before he blacked out - regaining his human form as he did - was that he wondered how many years in Azkaban he would get for breaching the Statute of Secrecy by changing from a dog to a man in the middle of a busy street.
-o-
“He’s a bloody wizard,” Remus hissed at Lily as he paced back and forth around the waiting room in St Mungo’s.
“So you said,” Lily replied. “Several times. What do you suppose he was doing hiding out at the shelter as a dog?”
“Spying on me,” Remus answered as though this was obvious. “The Healers recognised him as soon as he came in. He’s a Black.”
“Really?”
“The eldest heir to the ancient and most noble house of Black,” Remus declared. “Pureblood fanatics and pioneers of nice little laws that stop us half bloods and muggle borns from ever taking our place in their precious society.”
“It’s not his fault they’ve introduced laws to stop us from being educated and trained in this country.”
“His father helped to draft the bloody laws! His family is the very reason that we’re not allowed to do magic without being thrown in Azkaban for it.”
“Maybe you should wait and see what he has to say for himself?” Lily suggested. “You said yourself that he’d tried to talk to you at that club. Perhaps he’s not like the rest of them…”
Remus shook his head. “I can’t risk it.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to remember if I’ve done any magic around the shelter since I brought him there. I can’t believe I didn’t realise he was an animagus. I knew he was too smart for a regular dog, but I was too blind to realise why. I hope he didn’t see me do anything too incriminating.”
“Do you use your magic a lot?” Lily asked. “I’ve been trying not to, but it’s really hard when you know you can.”
Remus shook his head. “Not often. Just every now and then. I might use it to warm up my coffee if I’ve let it go cold, or I might use it to move the heavy bags of dog food about, or clean the kennels if I’m running late or really tired. I just don’t remember if I’ve done anything in front of Black. Though it might be fruitless to worry if he saw me before he passed out.”
“I think you should talk to him,” Lily said, nodding firmly.
“I’m going to just as soon as he wakes up,” Remus agreed. “And I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay out of Azkaban.”
“What do you mean?” Lily whispered.
“I mean that I modified the memories of everyone who saw him change into a human in that street, and I’ve every intention of modifying his memory so that he forgets he ever met me.”
“Remus, you can’t!”
Remus glared back at Lily stubbornly. “Watch me.”
-o-
Sirius Black was everything Remus remembered him to be and more. Seen in the bright light of St Mungo’s he was even more breathtaking than he had been at the club.
“Hello, Remus,” Sirius said with a small smile. “I’m Sirius Black.”
Remus nodded. “I know who you are.” He knew his voice was cold, but didn’t realise quite how frosty it was until he saw Sirius flinch and duck his head.
“You’re a wizard,” Sirius commented.
“Depends who you ask,” Remus replied. “My mother was a muggle, so according to you purebloods, I’m nothing.”
“I don’t share my family’s beliefs,” Sirius said.
“Really?” Remus asked sarcastically. “I hear the purebloods like to spy on the half bloods and muggle borns, to make sure they don’t perform any magic. You’ve been spying on me. Do you expect me to believe it isn’t for that reason?”
“It wasn’t.”
“Then why?”
“Because I…” Sirius’s faltered and looked away.
Remus nodded again. “I’m sorry, Sirius. If there was any other way, I wouldn’t do this.”
“Do what?” Sirius asked, looking up.
“This,” Remus said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at Sirius.
“No!” Sirius shook his head and tried to untangle himself from the sheets so that he could get out of bed.
“It has to be this way,” Remus insisted. “I can’t go to Azkaban and if you report me for doing magic, that’s where I’ll end up.”
“I don’t care if you’re a wizard,” Sirius said, reaching out to grab Remus’s wrist. “I think it’s great. I don’t care if your parents were both muggles. Really I don’t.”
“Then why were you spying on me?” Remus hissed.
“I wanted to get to know you,” Sirius replied, desperately hoping that Remus wasn’t about to do what he suspected.
Remus laughed. “The famous Sirius Black, pureblood heir and sophisticated member of wizard society, wanted to get to know me?”
“It’s the truth.” Sirius was starting to panic and he pulled Remus towards him. “You have to believe me.”
Remus shook his head. “Damn it,” he muttered, right before he pressed their mouths together.
Sirius was too stunned to kiss him back at first, but then he realised that this might be the only chance he got to kiss the man of his dreams and he was wasting it.
It was rough, with teeth clashing and tongues frantically exploring. Someone was whimpering, and he thought it might be him.
He had a horrible feeling that Remus was going to perform a spell on him, and rob him of his memories, but as long as they were kissing he was safe from losing him. As long as they were together he was safe.
He didn’t want to forget this feeling.
He didn’t want to forget Remus.
But he didn’t know how to make Remus believe him. He had spied on him and taken advantage of his hospitality. He had manipulated him and caused him to lose his boyfriend. He had done everything except simply tell Remus that he liked him and wanted to get to know him better.
He released Remus’s wrist so that he could pull him into his arms and hold him close.
Their mouths parted ever so slightly. “Don’t do this,” Sirius breathed into Remus’s mouth. “Please give me another chance.”
-o-
James looked at Sirius as he dressed and gathered his things together to leave St Mungo’s. “So, what exactly happened?”
“Got hit by a car,” Sirius replied.
“How did you manage to do something stupid like that?”
Sirius shrugged. “I don’t remember.”
“Do you remember what happened at Scott’s house?” James asked.
“Scott?” Sirius echoed. “Why would I go to Scott’s?”
“Because Remus is dating him,” James reminded him. He was starting to worry and voiced his concern.
“I don’t remember telling you Remus’s name,” Sirius said. “And I’m sure he’d have better taste than to hook up with a slimy git like Scott.”
“Apparently his taste in men is as crap as your own, because he did hook up with him and you did tell me his name. What exactly is the last thing you do remember?”
Sirius frowned. “Last night at the Leaky Cauldron. You conned me into paying for two rounds in a row.”
“I did not, and that was over a week ago.”
“I’ve lost a week,” Sirius asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “How did that happen?”
James shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I think perhaps your Remus Lupin might have the answer.”
-o-
Two hours after Remus had left St Mungo’s, secure in the belief that he would never set eyes on Sirius Black again, the man in question appeared at the shelter, this time in his human form. He arrived with another man, one who Remus recognised as the man from the park.
“Remus Lupin?” the man asked. “I’m James Potter.”
Remus gave a small nod. “Can I help you?” he asked, working on the basis that if all else fails then play ignorant.
“I believe you’ve met my friend Sirius,” James continued, gesturing towards the man in question.
“No,” Remus said with what he hoped was a polite frown of confusion. “I don’t believe I’ve had that pleasure.”
James snorted. “Oh, he’s good, Sirius,” he said with a grin. “Nearly as good a liar as you are.”
“Excuse me?” Remus replied, whilst Sirius voiced his protestations at being called a liar. James ignored both Sirius’s exclamations and Remus’s feigned confusion.
“I know you met Sirius at that new club the other night,” James said. “I was there and I saw him soak you in beer and make a complete prat of himself.”
“I’d never!” Sirius exclaimed.
“You did,” James replied without turning from Remus. “I was there and I saw you. So you might as well give up this whole innocent act and admit it.”
Remus frowned as his brain clicked into overdrive. “You’re the bloke who fell at my feet,” he said, feigning sudden recollection. “Sorry, I didn’t recognise you.”
“I take it back,” James said with a snort of laughter. “He’s a better liar than you are.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Maybe he really doesn’t,” Sirius suggested. “Perhaps his memory has been erased, too. If he was with me when I got hit by the car then he’d have seen you-know-what and…”
“You’re right,” James said. “But there’s one way to find out right now.”
“There is?” Sirius asked.
James nodded and reached into his pocket. “You know what this is?” he asked Remus.
Remus shrugged. “Looks like a stick of wood.”
“It’s a wand, a wizard’s wand,” James replied with a smirk.
“James!” Sirius hissed. “You can’t tell him about us.”
“Sure I can. If he isn’t one of us then I’ll erase the last few minutes of his memory and he’ll forget this even happened. But I don’t think that’ll be necessary, because I think Remus knows exactly what this stick of wood is, and I think he might have a similar one on his person somewhere. There’s only one way to find out.”
“You’re going to strip search him?” Sirius asked with a grin of approval.
James rolled his eyes. “Accio wand,” he said, pointing his own wand at Remus and grinning when Remus’s wand flew from his pocket and into his outstretched hand. “Now, what would this be?”
“Give that back!” Remus ordered.
“Looks like a wand,” James said in answer to his own question.
“You’re a wizard?” Sirius asked Remus. His eyes were wide with shock.
Remus sighed and sat down at his desk. He didn’t say anything. He wondered what the food was like in Azkaban and what would happen to Sylvie and the rest of the dogs.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say?” James asked.
“Like what?” Remus replied. “I’m a half blood who’s performed magic on a pureblood. Goodbye dog shelter, hello Azkaban.”
“I knew it!” James declared with triumph. “James Potter, detective supreme, solves another mystery.”
Remus looked down at his feet miserably.
Sirius snorted with annoyance and pushed James to one side. Then he dropped to the floor at Remus’s feet. “You’re not going to Azkaban,” he said softly. “I don’t know what I did to screw up so badly that you felt you had to erase my memories, but whatever it was, I’m really sorry.”
Remus looked up and saw the honesty in the grey eyes.
“Remus?” James said, drawing his attention away from Sirius. “Whatever he did that spooked you, I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm. He can be a bit of a prat at times, but his heart’s usually in the right place.”
Sirius began to nod, until he realised that there was an insult in there. “Remus,” he whispered. “I only wanted to get to know you better. I’ve been seeing you around for a while now, but I couldn’t seem to find the words whenever I got close to you. When I’m Padfoot I don’t have to worry about that. Whatever you’ve heard about my family, I promise I’m not like them.”
“He’s really not,” James added with a firm nod.
“If what I’ve done was so bad you can’t forgive me, then I promise you’ll never have to see me again, and I am truly sorry.”
Remus gave a small smile. “Very suave,” he said quietly.
“Huh?”
“When you spoke to me at the club you said it was all wrong because you were supposed to be suave and I was supposed to be nervous. Now it seems to be the other way round.”
“It is?” Sirius asked.
Remus’s smile grew a little wider. “Can I have my wand back, please?” he asked James, who placed it in his outstretched hand.
Turning back to Sirius, he ducked his head a little. “I’m sorry I tampered with your memories. You didn’t really do anything so bad; I just panicked when I found out who you were.”
Sirius nodded and grinned. “That’s the Black family for you - inducing panic wherever we go.”
Remus smiled and raised his wand to Sirius’s temple.
“Bloody hell!” Sirius exclaimed as his memories flooded back.
“What?” Remus asked, panic setting in again. “What is it?”
Sirius grinned. “I just remembered St Mungo’s.”
“You remember everything?” James asked, still sounding slightly suspicious.
Sirius nodded without turning to his friend. Remus’s smile had become a full grin and he found himself unable to turn away from the sight.
James watched his friend lean towards Remus and knew what was coming. He wanted to look away, but could not seem to bring himself to do so. Lips were touching, hands were caressing and clothes were being pushed aside. “Er…guys?” he asked tentatively. “You do remember I’m still here?”
“I think they’re in their own little world,” a female voice said from behind him.
James turned to see a redhead who - from Sirius’s descriptions - had to be Lily Evans. He hadn’t heard her come in. “How long have you been there?” he asked.
Lily shrugged. “Long enough. I’m Lily.” She held out her hand.
“James Potter,” James replied with a smile. “Do you think we should remind them we’re here?”
Lily shook her head. “Come on, let’s leave them to it. We’ll lock the door behind us.”
“You have a set of keys?” James asked.
Lily shook her head again. “Who needs keys?” she replied with a grin, pointing to his wand.
James grinned back at her and pointed his wand at the lock, securing it behind them. “I know a nice little café down the road, you know, if you wanted to…”
“Sure,” Lily replied.
“So, you’re a witch?” James guessed.
“Yes,” Lily answered cautiously.
“Do you share Remus’s talent for memory charms?” James asked.
Lily went from cautious to suspicious. “Why do you ask?”
James hooked his arm through hers as they walked down the road. “I have some very traumatic memories as a result of Sirius’s plans to get the man of his dreams. So, I was wondering if the girl of mine might be able to get rid of them for me.”
Lily laughed as they entered the café. It was a nice laugh, and James considered that on reflection, perhaps it had been worth it after all.
The End