The Last Joke 10/15
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Summary: Falling in love with your best friend is never a good thing, especially when your best friend loves a girl. But when you find out that there is another friend who may like you, may that's the reason to try out whether the relationship would last... until the death will seperate us.
Warning: Spoilers to The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix books.
Disclaimer: I don't own the story or the characters. I'm just a fan who wants to have fun and fill the gaps ;)
Chapter Ten: The Task
It was another beautiful, sunny day. Slight breeze was blowing among the buildings in Diagon Alley, trying to lighten the gloomy atmosphere that had settled there a few months ago and didn’t want to vanish. What was more - it was spreading along the streets of the wizarding world, and even Muggles could feel its influence.
Diagon Alley became more silent; from day to day fewer people appeared there. They all were in a hurry, buying just necessary things and leaving as quickly as possible.
The world became darker. They all could feel it...
Remus ran into the Leaky Cauldron through the entrance from Diagon Alley. He glanced at the barkeeper in expectation.
“Room number twenty four,” he was told without hesitation.
Remus waved his thanks to the barkeeper and ran up the stairs to a long corridor with many doors. He quickly found the room.
“Welcome, Remus, I thank you for coming,” a friendly voice of the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry greeted him.
“Any time, Headmaster,” Remus said, still wondering what Dumbledore could possibly want from him that he had insisted on this meeting.
“I need to talk to you,” said Dumbledore as though he was reading his mind.
Remus was watching him curiously.
Dumbledore had offered him an armchair before he started speaking.
“That young witch from yesterday - I’ve heard she was accused of two murders,” he said gravely when Remus sat down.
Remus stiffened. “She... She needed help, not Azkaban!”
Dumbledore looked at him over his half-moon spectacles. “Have you read the morning Daily Prophet?” he asked.
“Yes. They made a bloodthirsty monster of her,” said Remus indignantly.
“You don’t agree.”
“I don’t.”
“She killed two people,” said Dumbledore, giving him a strict look.
“It wasn’t her fault. She was bitten during the previous full moon. She just did what was natural for her in her state...”
“It is natural for you, yet you have never attacked anyone.”
Remus was confused. What was this conversation all about?
“I’m lucky, I daresay. There have always been people who have never allowed me to wander over the land during full moons. If I was on my own, maybe I would become the same killer as her, who knows?”
“Naturally...” said Dumbledore thoughtfully. “So Sirius keeps you successfully under his watch...”
“He’s the best guardian I could wish for.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” said Dumbledore in a serious tone. “The young witch will get a Dementor’s Kiss.”
“Can’t we do something for her? When I found her yesterday in Diagon Alley, she was totally confused. She was crying, asking for help. When I finally managed to calm her down, a group of Aurors appeared. They bound her and dragged away with them like an animal,” said Remus bitterly.
Dumbledore stayed silent for a while.
“I’m sorry, we can’t help her,” he said at last. “She’s neither the first nor the last. People are afraid and this is the result. But no one realizes the werewolf segregation is the best way to strengthen the enemy’s lines. The Ministry of Magic itself persecutes werewolves, so they run to Lord Voldemort, who promised them freedom for their loyalty. Perhaps you should do the same. You’d be safer as his ally.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” said Remus, trying to sound politely. “He would kill me in the first place...”
“Not if you said you were wrong the last time.”
Remus was totally perplexed. Why did Dumbledore say something like that? He had to know that he, Remus, would never have done such a thing. Or was he just testing him?
“I’d rather spend my life in hiding than support someone like Voldemort and his people,” he said firmly.
Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled and a slight smile appeared on his face.
“I believe you would,” he said. “Well, I think we can move to the main point. I have got a task for you.”
“What is it?” asked Remus cautiously.
“I need you to spy on Greyback and his werewolves. I need you to go there and collect information for me. I know it’s very dangerous and you are still young, but you are the only one who can do it.”
Dumbledore was watching Remus, who was staring at him speechlessly. “If you need some time to think about it...”
“No, that’s all right,” Remus finally replied. “I think I could do it. I’m partly one of them, aren’t I? Perhaps I’ll be able to convince them.”
“So you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen carefully. Firstly: Learn as much from Sirius as you can. You may find the things he learned in the Auror course very useful. Secondly: Never risk! You are going there just to listen; I want nothing more from you. And the last thing: I know the task might be very exhausting for you and you could long for the support of your friends, but the fewer people know about the task, the smaller is the danger of being revealed. Do you still want to help me?”
“I do.”
Dumbledore squeezed Remus’s hand. “Thank you and good luck. I’ll be waiting for your report.”
Remus said his goodbye to Dumbledore and left the Leaky Cauldron.
Sirius walked into the kitchen. He wasn’t in a very good mood.
“You’re early,” spoke Remus’s voice from behind a newspaper.
“What about you? Shouldn’t you be at work?” asked Sirius in reply, surprised to see Remus at home so early in the afternoon.
“I had to leave. It started being dangerous. Today I was questioned by a Ministry investigator about that young witch from yesterday,” answered Remus, not even bothering to lower the newspaper and look at Sirius.
“Did he suspect you?”
“I don’t think so, but I didn’t feel safe there anymore. I heard she was going to get a Dementor’s Kiss...”
“I’m sorry,” said Sirius quietly.
“So am I... Look, here’s the list of the registered werewolves,” said Remus. He put the newspaper on the table and pointed at a not very long list of names in the Daily Prophet.
“Monsters,” growled Sirius, and Remus knew very well that he didn’t mean the werewolves.
He raised his eyes to Sirius at last.
“What’s happened to your hair?” he asked, surprised. Sirius’s long dark mane was gone; instead of it his hair was short as he had used to have during their school times.
Sirius scowled. “I bet with James Lily would refuse him if he asked her to marry him.”
“Oh! I can see who won,” said Remus, amused.
“That silly girl didn’t even hesitate! Who’d marry James, anyway?” Sirius was irritated.
“Don’t worry, you won’t be the lucky one,” Remus teased him.
“Stop making fun of me, you’re annoying!” snarled Sirius. “I was fooled. They’ve already bought a house in Godric’s Hollow, did you know?”
“I knew they were planning to buy one.”
“So you knew more than I.”
Remus didn’t reply.
“James asked me to be his best man,” said Sirius, finally calm.
“Congrats.” Remus folded the newspaper. “I met Dumbledore today,” he said abruptly.
“What did he want from you?”
“He asked me for a favour. I couldn’t refuse. I can’t tell you what it is, I just want you to be prepared I may be rarely at home from now on.”
Sirius gave Remus a suspicious look. “You can’t tell me?”
“No, sorry.”
“So I won’t ask. Just tell me whether it’s dangerous.”
Remus stayed silent.
“I reckon it is,” judged Sirius and frowned. “Be careful. I can’t help you if I don’t know where you are and what you do.”
“I’ll be, I promise,” said Remus, glad that Sirius took it so well.
“Don’t break that promise,” said Sirius and set off for the bedroom.
He was back in a couple of minutes, wearing his favourite jeans and T-shirt, and went out to the garden where his motorbike stood under an apple tree.
Two months had passed since the day Remus had agreed with the task Dumbledore had given him. It wasn’t hard for him to find werewolves. His animal instincts, news in the Daily Prophet, his new work in Knockturn Alley (Sirius didn’t know about it of course, Remus merely told him it was a part of his task and Sirius didn’t ask more), and watching people around told him everything he needed to know.
One day he met a temperamental girl in his age with long black hair and wild eyes, a member of Fenrir Greyback’s pack. After a short chat with her she agreed to take him to her comrades.
Greyback didn’t pay much attention to the young werewolf; he just made him swear loyalty to the Dark Lord. And so Remus became a rightful member of his pack. Now his comedy could begin.
Having Dumbledore’s advice in his mind, he wanted to stay in the shadow of the others. He never joined their discussions, but he listened carefully and found out many interesting things that could help the Order of the Phoenix. Because of his silence the other werewolves considered him not to be very smart, and he was absolutely satisfied with it. That was also the reason why they didn’t talk much to him and usually left him alone, except Rea, the girl who brought him there. She was the only one who was convinced he was smarter than he seemed. She spent a lot of time with him chattering, and he didn’t mind, because it was the simplest way to get to important information. She told him everything, but she wanted to know about him and his life in return.
And this was what might have brought Remus into danger, so he was very careful what to tell her. The story of his life was a mixture of truth and lies, speaking about a poor little boy bitten by some unknown werewolf while he had been playing out after dark. He told her his parents had used to lock him in his room every full moon, but he had longed for freedom. One night when he had been sixteen he had run away and killed a young woman. He was talking about the beauty of night, the sweet taste of blood, unlimited freedom. He hadn’t returned home. He had become a loner, and since that time he hadn’t been able to stand company during full moons.
Rea understood he would never allow her to spend such a night with him. That made him even more mysterious and interesting in her eyes, and she started spending with him as much time as she could.
This so-called friendship started being inconvenient for Remus. Rea was able to delay him till late night hours, sometimes till the next morning, and it became rather hard for him to explain to Sirius why he was so late when he could tell him nothing.
Even though Sirius didn’t ask anything, Remus could notice he started being suspicious. He was able to calm him down with three, four passionate nights, but the result was he felt absolutely exhausted the next day and Sirius was even more suspicious.
His other problem was called Rea. She got used to visiting him at work. Sometimes he would meet her in Diagon Alley or somewhere in London, and he started avoiding her whenever he spotted her in the crowd. Twice, she nearly saw him with Sirius, but Remus noticed her first and persuaded Sirius to go another way. It was another reason why Sirius started being suspicious.
Remus wanted to keep Sirius out of all. Firstly, it was less dangerous. Sirius couldn’t accidentally tell something he didn’t know and he himself was safer this way. Secondly, he wouldn’t agree after what had happened to Remus last time. They would have had a big argument, maybe even split up.
Neither James nor Lily or Peter knew about Remus’s task. James and Lily were busy with their wedding, which should have taken place in their new home in Godric’s Hollow. It was a small event, just the closest family and friends. Lily’s sister Petunia refused to come, but both her parents were there.
It was a lovely little celebration during a nice sunny day. Sirius was making fun of James the whole time, and James was teasing him in return.
Remus enjoyed the opportunity to be with his friends like this and to forget his task.
“Have you got any problems with Sirius?” asked the soft voice of freshly married Lily Potter by his side.
“No, why?” he asked, surprised.
“He told James a few days ago you were hiding something from him.”
She could read guilt in Remus’s face.
“I’m hiding something from all of you. I don’t want to bring you guys into danger.”
“Sirius said you’d been given some task from Dumbledore...”
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about it. Today belongs to you and I don’t want to spoil your most beautiful day,” he said to her with a smile.
Lily didn’t smile back.
“Sirius is very fond of you. Don’t ever forget that,” she said.
Remus glanced at Sirius, who was teasing James again together with Peter. His smile, his laughter, nothing of that was as cheerful as ever. It was a proof something had been troubling him for a long time and Remus could guess what it was.
Two days after the wedding when Remus was hurrying for a date with Sirius, he met Rea unexpectedly. He told her he had an appointment, but she didn’t pay much attention to his effort to shake her off. This date was important to him and he didn’t want to spoil it. They both felt their relationship was breaking down lately, and so they wanted to talk about it.
Rea kept asking him over and over again where he had been the last two days, and the only answer he gave her was that he didn’t have time to speak about it.
They reached the Leaky Cauldron. It took Remus some time to persuade her to leave him alone, and at the moment she was about to depart for real Sirius arrived.
Sirius and Rea sized up each other, and Remus noticed a sparkle of some unknown comprehension in their eyes. He could do nothing but to introduce them, then Rea finally left.
The both young wizards entered the Leaky Cauldron and ordered two bottles of Butterbeer.
“What’s up with you?” asked Remus when he noticed Sirius’s scowl.
“Who was that girl, now for real?”
“I met her at work.”
“A colleague?”
“A customer.”
“How long do you know her?”
“A few months.”
“She isn’t just your friend,” said Sirius abruptly.
Remus choked. “Excuse me?”
“I noticed her look. It wasn’t of a friend. She’s into you,” said Sirius and scowled even more.
“Don’t be silly...”
“Do you like her?” asked Sirius strictly.
“What is this supposed to mean!?” said Remus, annoyed. “I thought we were going to talk about us.”
“This is about us.”
“No, this is about your jealousy. There’s nothing between Rea and me. Understood?”
Sirius didn’t reply. He was drinking his Butterbeer without saying a word, and Remus didn’t have the energy to explain anything to him. And so the date, which should have helped them to overcome the crisis, separated them even more.
The next time Remus met up with Dumbledore in order to tell him news, he couldn’t bear the pressure he had been enduring for the last few months and he told the headmaster everything that troubled him. Dumbledore listened to him carefully, he didn’t interrupt him, and when Remus fell silent at last, he spoke to him in a fatherly tone.
“I could expect something like this to happen,” he said slowly. “You made a mistake. According to your words, I suppose Sirius was right. It seems the girl really fell in love with you and that is the greatest problem. She could destroy everything. But I must admit she is priceless to us. She trusts you and she tells you very much. Breaking her heart could become a very delicate thing.”
“She is cruel and bloodthirsty. I’m afraid of what she could do,” said Remus tiredly.
“I understand,” said Dumbledore. “On the other hand, your relationship with Sirius is breaking down.”
Remus sighed heavily.
“Remus, you should take a break,” said Dumbledore suddenly. “Stay at home with Sirius and try to save your relationship.”
“But...”
“No but. Quit your work, stop going to werewolves for a while, and if someone asks, tell that Aurors are after you and you are going to hiding. I can see myself you need rest. Stay at home and make up with Sirius, and when you feel like continuing your task, let me know.”
“And what about the information I could get for you?”
“Don’t worry. It is not your problem now.” Dumbledore smiled and Remus wondered whether he had found another way how to get to information from the other side.
It was raining the whole evening. When Sirius came back home, he found Remus standing in the garden in the cold rain. He walked out to him without saying a word.
Remus turned to him, giving him a wild look of desperation.
“Rea is a werewolf,” he said suddenly.
“What?”
“Rea is a werewolf. I met her at my work. I worked in Knockturn Alley. It’s a safer place for me than Diagon Alley these days.”
Sirius was puzzled. Why was Remus telling him all of this when he hadn’t wanted to tell him anything just a few days ago?
“Sirius, I don’t want it to end like this...”
“Nor do I,” said Sirius calmly.
“I need you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I was afraid you’d tell me the opposite one day.”
“No, never...” said Remus, looking into Sirius’s emotionless face.
“Come here,” said Sirius softly and hugged Remus. “I missed you,” he whispered.
“Sirius, I don’t want to lose you. I can’t tell you what I did, because it could bring you into danger. I’m going to stay here with you for a couple of days, maybe weeks, but then I need to go back to carry on with the task I was given.”
“We’ll talk tomorrow, OK? Let’s go to bed now.”
Remus tried to kiss Sirius, but he was stopped. The only thing Sirius allowed him was that Remus could snuggle up to him in bed and that was all.
It was nearly noon when Remus woke up. He felt tired of the last few months and he needed a proper rest. He went downstairs to the kitchen, still sleepy. He saw Sirius in the garden trying some spells on his motorbike. As Remus was watching him, he felt anxiety, and he knew if he ever lost Sirius, it would be as though he lost a part of himself.
He didn’t feel like eating anything, he was too nervous for it. Sirius had been unnaturally calm the previous day and it wasn’t a good sign.
Remus walked out to the garden. He sat down on the ground near Sirius, saying nothing. Sirius sank into the grass beside him, playing with his wand, looking grave.
“Have you already read today’s Daily Prophet?”
Remus shook his head.
“You’re on the list.”
It sounded like a death sentence.
“I was wondering when it would happen,” said Remus wearily.
Sirius gave him a worried look. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing lately, but I can see it’s been killing you. I don’t expect you to tell me everything, but tell me as much as you can at least.”
Remus looked at the cloudy sky. It seemed it was going to rain again.
“I left Diagon Alley because its atmosphere rapidly changed. After the incident with that young witch, who became a werewolf and killed two people, I didn’t feel safe there anymore. I could see Death Eaters strolling to and fro and I was afraid someone could recognize me. I found a new work in Knockturn Alley. It’s full of beings like me. Many of them are Voldemort’s supporters. They believed I was one of them, and it enabled me to collect lots of important information.”
“You became a spy for the Order?” asked Sirius.
“Yes,” answered Remus. “And Rea helped me very much. I met her there, in Knockturn Alley. She, too, is a werewolf hiding from Aurors. She was very informed. She told me loads of useful stuff.”
“So you started spending more time with her,” said Sirius reproachfully. “The time that should’ve been ours.”
“It was for the Order...”
“Remus, you let that girl fall for you. That’s the worst thing you could do. And don’t say it was for the Order,” said Sirius strictly. “It hurts the most.”
If Remus had felt miserable before, he felt even worse now.
“I will never allow that Rea to have you. I will fight for you,” said Sirius abruptly, scowling at the grey sky.
Remus didn’t doubt he was serious and he felt gratitude towards Sirius.
“You two should never have met,” he said in a low voice. “I didn’t want her to know about you and you about her. She killed many people. I don’t want you to become one of them.”
“Tell me, Remus, what do you really feel for her?”
“I’m afraid of her. I’ll better pretend to be her friend than letting her know I’m disgusted of her in reality.”
Sirius nodded. “I’d rather if you didn’t meet her again.”
Remus didn’t answer. He knew very well it was impossible.
In the evening of the next day they had a visitor they would never expect to come. When the sound of phantom bells echoed in the house, Sirius went to open while Remus stayed in the kitchen.
“You?” Remus could hear Sirius’s clear voice.
“May I come in?” The second voice was kind of familiar.
After a while Sirius’s younger brother Regulus entered the kitchen.
“Could you leave us alone, please?” Sirius asked Remus, who was gazing at Regulus with the same surprised expression as Regulus at him.
“Of course. I’ll be in the bedroom,” he said and went upstairs.
“What is he doing here?” asked Regulus after the sound of a closing door had reached his ears.
“He lives here,” answered Sirius calmly.
“You must be kidding!”
“I am not. We’ve been living here together for more than a year.”
“You’re insane!”
“Stop shouting and sit down!” said Sirius authoritatively.
Regulus scowled, but obeyed.
“How did you find me?” asked Sirius after a while.
“I spent some time in Andromeda’s house. She told me.”
“Andromeda? Do you think I’m stupid? You don’t like her,” said Sirius angrily.
“You are stupid. I’ve never said I didn’t like her. I just disapproved of her marriage with a Mudblood,” replied Regulus.
“Never use that word in my house again,” Sirius told him off.
Regulus just shrugged.
“Why are you here, actually?” asked Sirius coldly.
“I’ve come to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
“You and your friends from the Order of the Phoenix.”
“How come you know about the Order?” asked Sirius and sized up his younger brother with more than a suspicious look.
“You’ve got a traitor among yourselves. Someone from your side is passing down information to the Dark Lord.”
This was like a bad joke. Sirius was staring at Regulus with open mouth, absolutely perplexed.
“How... How do you know?”
“You learn many things when you live with Bella...”
“Don’t tell me you live with Bellatrix!”
“I did, but I don’t anymore.”
Sirius glanced at Regulus’s left forearm. Regulus noticed it. He pulled down the sleeve of his robes and hid his hand under the table.
“As for the werewolf, is he in the Order?” he asked as though nothing had happened.
“Yes, he is.”
“I bet he’s the traitor,” said Regulus, convinced.
“And I think you’ve got a fertile imagination,” retorted Sirius with pretended calmness.
“Really? Can you tell me what he does while you’re not at home?”
Sirius stayed silent. In reality, what Remus had told him about his doings during the last couple of months was too little. There were surely many things that stayed hidden from him and Remus didn’t want to or couldn’t tell him for some reason.
“You can never trust a werewolf,” said Regulus hotly. “They are treacherous, bloodthirsty, and cruel. They love killing...”
“Shut up! You know nothing about Remus.”
“You know nothing about werewolves. Get rid of him, or he’ll betray you sooner or later.”
“Remus would never betray his friends,” said Sirius resolutely.
“Sirius, you can’t tame a werewolf! He may behave like a cuddly pet now, but in the core they all are the same. After hearing the calling of the others of his own kind, he’ll forget his old friends.”
“That’s enough! I don’t want to hear any more!” Sirius was shaking with anger.
“As you wish,” snapped Regulus coldly and stood up, ready to leave.
“Where are you going?” asked Sirius strictly.
“Home,” replied Regulus.
“Regulus...”
Regulus had no time to react when Sirius grabbed his left hand unexpectedly, rolled up the sleeve and revealed a Dark Mark tattooed on his forearm.
“You stupid idiot! What have you done?” Sirius’s voice trembled in helpless desperation.
Regulus pulled out his hand from his brother’s grip and hid it quickly behind his back, glaring at Sirius angrily.
“That’s none of your business,” he hissed.
Sirius shook his head.
“Why did you come, Regulus? Did you really come to warn me?” he asked in a low voice.
“Believe me or not, I don’t care,” retorted Regulus, annoyed.
“This is not about whether I believe you or not,” said Sirius as though he was talking to a little child. “Regulus, if you’ve just betrayed your own people, you’ll pay for it with your life if they find out.”
“My life!” Regulus laughed madly. “Goodbye, Sirius. I don’t expect us to see each other ever again.”
After saying those words he ran out from the house and disappeared in the silence of the surrounding land.
During the next week Remus didn’t leave the house even for a single time. Sirius went right home after a daily Auror lesson and spent the rest of the day upgrading his motorbike. Even though Remus knew better ways how to spend his time, he would always be sitting in the garden, watching Sirius. Even if Sirius never sent him away, he didn’t pay much attention to him, and Remus didn’t dare to start any conversation while Sirius was working.
That day, too, it seemed it was going to rain. The sky was veiled with heavy grey clouds.
Sirius and Remus were spending time in the garden as usual; one working on his motorbike while the other one was watching him. Suddenly, Remus noticed a dark spot coming closer. He could recognize what it was.
“An owl,” he said.
Sirius looked at the sky as well.
They waited.
The owl made a circle above their heads and dropped an envelope right into Sirius’s hands.
“What does she want again?” Sirius was scowling at the handwriting. He broke the seal with the Black emblem, pulled out the letter and started reading.
At the next moment his face turned pale. He sank on his knees, dropping the letter from his hand, looking as though he felt sick.
Remus was immediately by his side.
“Sirius! Sirius, calm down! What’s the matter?”
Sirius wasn’t able to tell him anything. He was trembling all over with cold.
“Sirius, come to the house,” said Remus, but Sirius refused to stand up.
“Regulus...” he said in an unnaturally high voice, “... he’s...” His voice broke.
“Sirius, come to the house with me,” insisted Remus. “You need to calm down.”
At last, he managed to persuade Sirius to stand up and he led him inside.
In the kitchen he took out a bottle of Firewhisky and a glass from a cupboard. He poured the alcohol into the glass and stood the bottle on the table.
“Here you are,” he handed the glass to Sirius.
Sirius reached for the bottle standing on the table instead and wanted to drink from it.
“No!” Remus pulled out the bottle from his hands. “Here.” He gave him the glass.
Sirius drank the Firewhisky and finally stopped shaking.
“She... She wrote me I was responsible for Regulus’s death. Perhaps she was right...” he said desperately.
“Of course she was not!” said Remus firmly. “You wanted to persuade him, but he didn’t listen to you. You could do nothing for him.”
“I was harsh to him the last time...”
“I believe you had a good reason.”
“He knew he’d die. He told me we’d never see each other again...”
“Sirius...”
Remus took Sirius into his arms, stroking his hair, talking to him gently in order to calm him down. Sirius was gripping Remus’s robes, hiding his face, breathing heavily.
It started raining.
“Sirius, your motorbike,” Remus reminded him.
They walked out and Sirius conjured a big water-resistant sheet to cover it.
Remus noticed the letter and the envelope lying on the ground, and he took them with him back inside. He found out there was another piece of parchment inside the envelope.
“Sirius, here’s another parchment,” he said and opened it. “It’s a will!” he cried, astonished.
“Regulus’s?”
Remus nodded.
“What did he write?”
Remus looked through the short writing. “You’re the rightful heir of everything he owned - from his belongings to the house.”
“That stupid idiot!” shouted Sirius helplessly. “He knew how I hated that house!” He covered his face with his hands.
“Sirius,” Remus addressed him gently. “That’s OK. The house is yours and it means you can do whatever you want with it. You never need to go there if you don’t want to. No one can force you.”
He took Sirius’s hands into his.
“Thank you, Remus,” said Sirius quietly and let Remus hug him again.
If there was something good about Regulus’s death then it was Sirius’s and Remus’s relationship got better. Remus knew Sirius didn’t feel well and he was always close to him, and Sirius, longing for a comforting touch, searched for Remus’s embrace.
One day when the sky finally got cleared after dark rainy days, they were enjoying that little bit of sunshine in the garden under an apple tree. Remus, sitting on the ground, was leaning against the trunk of the tree while Sirius was lying in the grass with his head in Remus’s lap.
“I forgot to tell you, Lily’s pregnant,” said Sirius suddenly.
“Wow! That’s good news,” replied Remus and smiled at him.
“James wants me to become the godfather of the baby,” continued Sirius proudly.
Remus kissed him on the forehead. “You’ll be the best godfather the baby could wish for,” he said gently.
“You’re such a sweettalker,” said Sirius. He grabbed the collar of Remus’s robes and pulled him lower, so that he could give him a sweet kiss - their first real kiss after a long time.
Since that day Sirius’s mood was getting better, and Remus considered with a hurting feeling in his heart it was the right time to return to his task which meant to meet Rea again.
Back to Chapter Nine:
http://yukiowin.livejournal.com/3482.html
Link to Chapter Eleven:
http://yukiowin.livejournal.com/3872.html
Summary: Falling in love with your best friend is never a good thing, especially when your best friend loves a girl. But when you find out that there is another friend who may like you, may that's the reason to try out whether the relationship would last... until the death will seperate us.
Warning: Spoilers to The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix books.
Disclaimer: I don't own the story or the characters. I'm just a fan who wants to have fun and fill the gaps ;)
Chapter Ten: The Task
It was another beautiful, sunny day. Slight breeze was blowing among the buildings in Diagon Alley, trying to lighten the gloomy atmosphere that had settled there a few months ago and didn’t want to vanish. What was more - it was spreading along the streets of the wizarding world, and even Muggles could feel its influence.
Diagon Alley became more silent; from day to day fewer people appeared there. They all were in a hurry, buying just necessary things and leaving as quickly as possible.
The world became darker. They all could feel it...
Remus ran into the Leaky Cauldron through the entrance from Diagon Alley. He glanced at the barkeeper in expectation.
“Room number twenty four,” he was told without hesitation.
Remus waved his thanks to the barkeeper and ran up the stairs to a long corridor with many doors. He quickly found the room.
“Welcome, Remus, I thank you for coming,” a friendly voice of the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry greeted him.
“Any time, Headmaster,” Remus said, still wondering what Dumbledore could possibly want from him that he had insisted on this meeting.
“I need to talk to you,” said Dumbledore as though he was reading his mind.
Remus was watching him curiously.
Dumbledore had offered him an armchair before he started speaking.
“That young witch from yesterday - I’ve heard she was accused of two murders,” he said gravely when Remus sat down.
Remus stiffened. “She... She needed help, not Azkaban!”
Dumbledore looked at him over his half-moon spectacles. “Have you read the morning Daily Prophet?” he asked.
“Yes. They made a bloodthirsty monster of her,” said Remus indignantly.
“You don’t agree.”
“I don’t.”
“She killed two people,” said Dumbledore, giving him a strict look.
“It wasn’t her fault. She was bitten during the previous full moon. She just did what was natural for her in her state...”
“It is natural for you, yet you have never attacked anyone.”
Remus was confused. What was this conversation all about?
“I’m lucky, I daresay. There have always been people who have never allowed me to wander over the land during full moons. If I was on my own, maybe I would become the same killer as her, who knows?”
“Naturally...” said Dumbledore thoughtfully. “So Sirius keeps you successfully under his watch...”
“He’s the best guardian I could wish for.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” said Dumbledore in a serious tone. “The young witch will get a Dementor’s Kiss.”
“Can’t we do something for her? When I found her yesterday in Diagon Alley, she was totally confused. She was crying, asking for help. When I finally managed to calm her down, a group of Aurors appeared. They bound her and dragged away with them like an animal,” said Remus bitterly.
Dumbledore stayed silent for a while.
“I’m sorry, we can’t help her,” he said at last. “She’s neither the first nor the last. People are afraid and this is the result. But no one realizes the werewolf segregation is the best way to strengthen the enemy’s lines. The Ministry of Magic itself persecutes werewolves, so they run to Lord Voldemort, who promised them freedom for their loyalty. Perhaps you should do the same. You’d be safer as his ally.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” said Remus, trying to sound politely. “He would kill me in the first place...”
“Not if you said you were wrong the last time.”
Remus was totally perplexed. Why did Dumbledore say something like that? He had to know that he, Remus, would never have done such a thing. Or was he just testing him?
“I’d rather spend my life in hiding than support someone like Voldemort and his people,” he said firmly.
Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled and a slight smile appeared on his face.
“I believe you would,” he said. “Well, I think we can move to the main point. I have got a task for you.”
“What is it?” asked Remus cautiously.
“I need you to spy on Greyback and his werewolves. I need you to go there and collect information for me. I know it’s very dangerous and you are still young, but you are the only one who can do it.”
Dumbledore was watching Remus, who was staring at him speechlessly. “If you need some time to think about it...”
“No, that’s all right,” Remus finally replied. “I think I could do it. I’m partly one of them, aren’t I? Perhaps I’ll be able to convince them.”
“So you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen carefully. Firstly: Learn as much from Sirius as you can. You may find the things he learned in the Auror course very useful. Secondly: Never risk! You are going there just to listen; I want nothing more from you. And the last thing: I know the task might be very exhausting for you and you could long for the support of your friends, but the fewer people know about the task, the smaller is the danger of being revealed. Do you still want to help me?”
“I do.”
Dumbledore squeezed Remus’s hand. “Thank you and good luck. I’ll be waiting for your report.”
Remus said his goodbye to Dumbledore and left the Leaky Cauldron.
Sirius walked into the kitchen. He wasn’t in a very good mood.
“You’re early,” spoke Remus’s voice from behind a newspaper.
“What about you? Shouldn’t you be at work?” asked Sirius in reply, surprised to see Remus at home so early in the afternoon.
“I had to leave. It started being dangerous. Today I was questioned by a Ministry investigator about that young witch from yesterday,” answered Remus, not even bothering to lower the newspaper and look at Sirius.
“Did he suspect you?”
“I don’t think so, but I didn’t feel safe there anymore. I heard she was going to get a Dementor’s Kiss...”
“I’m sorry,” said Sirius quietly.
“So am I... Look, here’s the list of the registered werewolves,” said Remus. He put the newspaper on the table and pointed at a not very long list of names in the Daily Prophet.
“Monsters,” growled Sirius, and Remus knew very well that he didn’t mean the werewolves.
He raised his eyes to Sirius at last.
“What’s happened to your hair?” he asked, surprised. Sirius’s long dark mane was gone; instead of it his hair was short as he had used to have during their school times.
Sirius scowled. “I bet with James Lily would refuse him if he asked her to marry him.”
“Oh! I can see who won,” said Remus, amused.
“That silly girl didn’t even hesitate! Who’d marry James, anyway?” Sirius was irritated.
“Don’t worry, you won’t be the lucky one,” Remus teased him.
“Stop making fun of me, you’re annoying!” snarled Sirius. “I was fooled. They’ve already bought a house in Godric’s Hollow, did you know?”
“I knew they were planning to buy one.”
“So you knew more than I.”
Remus didn’t reply.
“James asked me to be his best man,” said Sirius, finally calm.
“Congrats.” Remus folded the newspaper. “I met Dumbledore today,” he said abruptly.
“What did he want from you?”
“He asked me for a favour. I couldn’t refuse. I can’t tell you what it is, I just want you to be prepared I may be rarely at home from now on.”
Sirius gave Remus a suspicious look. “You can’t tell me?”
“No, sorry.”
“So I won’t ask. Just tell me whether it’s dangerous.”
Remus stayed silent.
“I reckon it is,” judged Sirius and frowned. “Be careful. I can’t help you if I don’t know where you are and what you do.”
“I’ll be, I promise,” said Remus, glad that Sirius took it so well.
“Don’t break that promise,” said Sirius and set off for the bedroom.
He was back in a couple of minutes, wearing his favourite jeans and T-shirt, and went out to the garden where his motorbike stood under an apple tree.
Two months had passed since the day Remus had agreed with the task Dumbledore had given him. It wasn’t hard for him to find werewolves. His animal instincts, news in the Daily Prophet, his new work in Knockturn Alley (Sirius didn’t know about it of course, Remus merely told him it was a part of his task and Sirius didn’t ask more), and watching people around told him everything he needed to know.
One day he met a temperamental girl in his age with long black hair and wild eyes, a member of Fenrir Greyback’s pack. After a short chat with her she agreed to take him to her comrades.
Greyback didn’t pay much attention to the young werewolf; he just made him swear loyalty to the Dark Lord. And so Remus became a rightful member of his pack. Now his comedy could begin.
Having Dumbledore’s advice in his mind, he wanted to stay in the shadow of the others. He never joined their discussions, but he listened carefully and found out many interesting things that could help the Order of the Phoenix. Because of his silence the other werewolves considered him not to be very smart, and he was absolutely satisfied with it. That was also the reason why they didn’t talk much to him and usually left him alone, except Rea, the girl who brought him there. She was the only one who was convinced he was smarter than he seemed. She spent a lot of time with him chattering, and he didn’t mind, because it was the simplest way to get to important information. She told him everything, but she wanted to know about him and his life in return.
And this was what might have brought Remus into danger, so he was very careful what to tell her. The story of his life was a mixture of truth and lies, speaking about a poor little boy bitten by some unknown werewolf while he had been playing out after dark. He told her his parents had used to lock him in his room every full moon, but he had longed for freedom. One night when he had been sixteen he had run away and killed a young woman. He was talking about the beauty of night, the sweet taste of blood, unlimited freedom. He hadn’t returned home. He had become a loner, and since that time he hadn’t been able to stand company during full moons.
Rea understood he would never allow her to spend such a night with him. That made him even more mysterious and interesting in her eyes, and she started spending with him as much time as she could.
This so-called friendship started being inconvenient for Remus. Rea was able to delay him till late night hours, sometimes till the next morning, and it became rather hard for him to explain to Sirius why he was so late when he could tell him nothing.
Even though Sirius didn’t ask anything, Remus could notice he started being suspicious. He was able to calm him down with three, four passionate nights, but the result was he felt absolutely exhausted the next day and Sirius was even more suspicious.
His other problem was called Rea. She got used to visiting him at work. Sometimes he would meet her in Diagon Alley or somewhere in London, and he started avoiding her whenever he spotted her in the crowd. Twice, she nearly saw him with Sirius, but Remus noticed her first and persuaded Sirius to go another way. It was another reason why Sirius started being suspicious.
Remus wanted to keep Sirius out of all. Firstly, it was less dangerous. Sirius couldn’t accidentally tell something he didn’t know and he himself was safer this way. Secondly, he wouldn’t agree after what had happened to Remus last time. They would have had a big argument, maybe even split up.
Neither James nor Lily or Peter knew about Remus’s task. James and Lily were busy with their wedding, which should have taken place in their new home in Godric’s Hollow. It was a small event, just the closest family and friends. Lily’s sister Petunia refused to come, but both her parents were there.
It was a lovely little celebration during a nice sunny day. Sirius was making fun of James the whole time, and James was teasing him in return.
Remus enjoyed the opportunity to be with his friends like this and to forget his task.
“Have you got any problems with Sirius?” asked the soft voice of freshly married Lily Potter by his side.
“No, why?” he asked, surprised.
“He told James a few days ago you were hiding something from him.”
She could read guilt in Remus’s face.
“I’m hiding something from all of you. I don’t want to bring you guys into danger.”
“Sirius said you’d been given some task from Dumbledore...”
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about it. Today belongs to you and I don’t want to spoil your most beautiful day,” he said to her with a smile.
Lily didn’t smile back.
“Sirius is very fond of you. Don’t ever forget that,” she said.
Remus glanced at Sirius, who was teasing James again together with Peter. His smile, his laughter, nothing of that was as cheerful as ever. It was a proof something had been troubling him for a long time and Remus could guess what it was.
Two days after the wedding when Remus was hurrying for a date with Sirius, he met Rea unexpectedly. He told her he had an appointment, but she didn’t pay much attention to his effort to shake her off. This date was important to him and he didn’t want to spoil it. They both felt their relationship was breaking down lately, and so they wanted to talk about it.
Rea kept asking him over and over again where he had been the last two days, and the only answer he gave her was that he didn’t have time to speak about it.
They reached the Leaky Cauldron. It took Remus some time to persuade her to leave him alone, and at the moment she was about to depart for real Sirius arrived.
Sirius and Rea sized up each other, and Remus noticed a sparkle of some unknown comprehension in their eyes. He could do nothing but to introduce them, then Rea finally left.
The both young wizards entered the Leaky Cauldron and ordered two bottles of Butterbeer.
“What’s up with you?” asked Remus when he noticed Sirius’s scowl.
“Who was that girl, now for real?”
“I met her at work.”
“A colleague?”
“A customer.”
“How long do you know her?”
“A few months.”
“She isn’t just your friend,” said Sirius abruptly.
Remus choked. “Excuse me?”
“I noticed her look. It wasn’t of a friend. She’s into you,” said Sirius and scowled even more.
“Don’t be silly...”
“Do you like her?” asked Sirius strictly.
“What is this supposed to mean!?” said Remus, annoyed. “I thought we were going to talk about us.”
“This is about us.”
“No, this is about your jealousy. There’s nothing between Rea and me. Understood?”
Sirius didn’t reply. He was drinking his Butterbeer without saying a word, and Remus didn’t have the energy to explain anything to him. And so the date, which should have helped them to overcome the crisis, separated them even more.
The next time Remus met up with Dumbledore in order to tell him news, he couldn’t bear the pressure he had been enduring for the last few months and he told the headmaster everything that troubled him. Dumbledore listened to him carefully, he didn’t interrupt him, and when Remus fell silent at last, he spoke to him in a fatherly tone.
“I could expect something like this to happen,” he said slowly. “You made a mistake. According to your words, I suppose Sirius was right. It seems the girl really fell in love with you and that is the greatest problem. She could destroy everything. But I must admit she is priceless to us. She trusts you and she tells you very much. Breaking her heart could become a very delicate thing.”
“She is cruel and bloodthirsty. I’m afraid of what she could do,” said Remus tiredly.
“I understand,” said Dumbledore. “On the other hand, your relationship with Sirius is breaking down.”
Remus sighed heavily.
“Remus, you should take a break,” said Dumbledore suddenly. “Stay at home with Sirius and try to save your relationship.”
“But...”
“No but. Quit your work, stop going to werewolves for a while, and if someone asks, tell that Aurors are after you and you are going to hiding. I can see myself you need rest. Stay at home and make up with Sirius, and when you feel like continuing your task, let me know.”
“And what about the information I could get for you?”
“Don’t worry. It is not your problem now.” Dumbledore smiled and Remus wondered whether he had found another way how to get to information from the other side.
It was raining the whole evening. When Sirius came back home, he found Remus standing in the garden in the cold rain. He walked out to him without saying a word.
Remus turned to him, giving him a wild look of desperation.
“Rea is a werewolf,” he said suddenly.
“What?”
“Rea is a werewolf. I met her at my work. I worked in Knockturn Alley. It’s a safer place for me than Diagon Alley these days.”
Sirius was puzzled. Why was Remus telling him all of this when he hadn’t wanted to tell him anything just a few days ago?
“Sirius, I don’t want it to end like this...”
“Nor do I,” said Sirius calmly.
“I need you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I was afraid you’d tell me the opposite one day.”
“No, never...” said Remus, looking into Sirius’s emotionless face.
“Come here,” said Sirius softly and hugged Remus. “I missed you,” he whispered.
“Sirius, I don’t want to lose you. I can’t tell you what I did, because it could bring you into danger. I’m going to stay here with you for a couple of days, maybe weeks, but then I need to go back to carry on with the task I was given.”
“We’ll talk tomorrow, OK? Let’s go to bed now.”
Remus tried to kiss Sirius, but he was stopped. The only thing Sirius allowed him was that Remus could snuggle up to him in bed and that was all.
It was nearly noon when Remus woke up. He felt tired of the last few months and he needed a proper rest. He went downstairs to the kitchen, still sleepy. He saw Sirius in the garden trying some spells on his motorbike. As Remus was watching him, he felt anxiety, and he knew if he ever lost Sirius, it would be as though he lost a part of himself.
He didn’t feel like eating anything, he was too nervous for it. Sirius had been unnaturally calm the previous day and it wasn’t a good sign.
Remus walked out to the garden. He sat down on the ground near Sirius, saying nothing. Sirius sank into the grass beside him, playing with his wand, looking grave.
“Have you already read today’s Daily Prophet?”
Remus shook his head.
“You’re on the list.”
It sounded like a death sentence.
“I was wondering when it would happen,” said Remus wearily.
Sirius gave him a worried look. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing lately, but I can see it’s been killing you. I don’t expect you to tell me everything, but tell me as much as you can at least.”
Remus looked at the cloudy sky. It seemed it was going to rain again.
“I left Diagon Alley because its atmosphere rapidly changed. After the incident with that young witch, who became a werewolf and killed two people, I didn’t feel safe there anymore. I could see Death Eaters strolling to and fro and I was afraid someone could recognize me. I found a new work in Knockturn Alley. It’s full of beings like me. Many of them are Voldemort’s supporters. They believed I was one of them, and it enabled me to collect lots of important information.”
“You became a spy for the Order?” asked Sirius.
“Yes,” answered Remus. “And Rea helped me very much. I met her there, in Knockturn Alley. She, too, is a werewolf hiding from Aurors. She was very informed. She told me loads of useful stuff.”
“So you started spending more time with her,” said Sirius reproachfully. “The time that should’ve been ours.”
“It was for the Order...”
“Remus, you let that girl fall for you. That’s the worst thing you could do. And don’t say it was for the Order,” said Sirius strictly. “It hurts the most.”
If Remus had felt miserable before, he felt even worse now.
“I will never allow that Rea to have you. I will fight for you,” said Sirius abruptly, scowling at the grey sky.
Remus didn’t doubt he was serious and he felt gratitude towards Sirius.
“You two should never have met,” he said in a low voice. “I didn’t want her to know about you and you about her. She killed many people. I don’t want you to become one of them.”
“Tell me, Remus, what do you really feel for her?”
“I’m afraid of her. I’ll better pretend to be her friend than letting her know I’m disgusted of her in reality.”
Sirius nodded. “I’d rather if you didn’t meet her again.”
Remus didn’t answer. He knew very well it was impossible.
In the evening of the next day they had a visitor they would never expect to come. When the sound of phantom bells echoed in the house, Sirius went to open while Remus stayed in the kitchen.
“You?” Remus could hear Sirius’s clear voice.
“May I come in?” The second voice was kind of familiar.
After a while Sirius’s younger brother Regulus entered the kitchen.
“Could you leave us alone, please?” Sirius asked Remus, who was gazing at Regulus with the same surprised expression as Regulus at him.
“Of course. I’ll be in the bedroom,” he said and went upstairs.
“What is he doing here?” asked Regulus after the sound of a closing door had reached his ears.
“He lives here,” answered Sirius calmly.
“You must be kidding!”
“I am not. We’ve been living here together for more than a year.”
“You’re insane!”
“Stop shouting and sit down!” said Sirius authoritatively.
Regulus scowled, but obeyed.
“How did you find me?” asked Sirius after a while.
“I spent some time in Andromeda’s house. She told me.”
“Andromeda? Do you think I’m stupid? You don’t like her,” said Sirius angrily.
“You are stupid. I’ve never said I didn’t like her. I just disapproved of her marriage with a Mudblood,” replied Regulus.
“Never use that word in my house again,” Sirius told him off.
Regulus just shrugged.
“Why are you here, actually?” asked Sirius coldly.
“I’ve come to warn you.”
“Warn me?”
“You and your friends from the Order of the Phoenix.”
“How come you know about the Order?” asked Sirius and sized up his younger brother with more than a suspicious look.
“You’ve got a traitor among yourselves. Someone from your side is passing down information to the Dark Lord.”
This was like a bad joke. Sirius was staring at Regulus with open mouth, absolutely perplexed.
“How... How do you know?”
“You learn many things when you live with Bella...”
“Don’t tell me you live with Bellatrix!”
“I did, but I don’t anymore.”
Sirius glanced at Regulus’s left forearm. Regulus noticed it. He pulled down the sleeve of his robes and hid his hand under the table.
“As for the werewolf, is he in the Order?” he asked as though nothing had happened.
“Yes, he is.”
“I bet he’s the traitor,” said Regulus, convinced.
“And I think you’ve got a fertile imagination,” retorted Sirius with pretended calmness.
“Really? Can you tell me what he does while you’re not at home?”
Sirius stayed silent. In reality, what Remus had told him about his doings during the last couple of months was too little. There were surely many things that stayed hidden from him and Remus didn’t want to or couldn’t tell him for some reason.
“You can never trust a werewolf,” said Regulus hotly. “They are treacherous, bloodthirsty, and cruel. They love killing...”
“Shut up! You know nothing about Remus.”
“You know nothing about werewolves. Get rid of him, or he’ll betray you sooner or later.”
“Remus would never betray his friends,” said Sirius resolutely.
“Sirius, you can’t tame a werewolf! He may behave like a cuddly pet now, but in the core they all are the same. After hearing the calling of the others of his own kind, he’ll forget his old friends.”
“That’s enough! I don’t want to hear any more!” Sirius was shaking with anger.
“As you wish,” snapped Regulus coldly and stood up, ready to leave.
“Where are you going?” asked Sirius strictly.
“Home,” replied Regulus.
“Regulus...”
Regulus had no time to react when Sirius grabbed his left hand unexpectedly, rolled up the sleeve and revealed a Dark Mark tattooed on his forearm.
“You stupid idiot! What have you done?” Sirius’s voice trembled in helpless desperation.
Regulus pulled out his hand from his brother’s grip and hid it quickly behind his back, glaring at Sirius angrily.
“That’s none of your business,” he hissed.
Sirius shook his head.
“Why did you come, Regulus? Did you really come to warn me?” he asked in a low voice.
“Believe me or not, I don’t care,” retorted Regulus, annoyed.
“This is not about whether I believe you or not,” said Sirius as though he was talking to a little child. “Regulus, if you’ve just betrayed your own people, you’ll pay for it with your life if they find out.”
“My life!” Regulus laughed madly. “Goodbye, Sirius. I don’t expect us to see each other ever again.”
After saying those words he ran out from the house and disappeared in the silence of the surrounding land.
During the next week Remus didn’t leave the house even for a single time. Sirius went right home after a daily Auror lesson and spent the rest of the day upgrading his motorbike. Even though Remus knew better ways how to spend his time, he would always be sitting in the garden, watching Sirius. Even if Sirius never sent him away, he didn’t pay much attention to him, and Remus didn’t dare to start any conversation while Sirius was working.
That day, too, it seemed it was going to rain. The sky was veiled with heavy grey clouds.
Sirius and Remus were spending time in the garden as usual; one working on his motorbike while the other one was watching him. Suddenly, Remus noticed a dark spot coming closer. He could recognize what it was.
“An owl,” he said.
Sirius looked at the sky as well.
They waited.
The owl made a circle above their heads and dropped an envelope right into Sirius’s hands.
“What does she want again?” Sirius was scowling at the handwriting. He broke the seal with the Black emblem, pulled out the letter and started reading.
At the next moment his face turned pale. He sank on his knees, dropping the letter from his hand, looking as though he felt sick.
Remus was immediately by his side.
“Sirius! Sirius, calm down! What’s the matter?”
Sirius wasn’t able to tell him anything. He was trembling all over with cold.
“Sirius, come to the house,” said Remus, but Sirius refused to stand up.
“Regulus...” he said in an unnaturally high voice, “... he’s...” His voice broke.
“Sirius, come to the house with me,” insisted Remus. “You need to calm down.”
At last, he managed to persuade Sirius to stand up and he led him inside.
In the kitchen he took out a bottle of Firewhisky and a glass from a cupboard. He poured the alcohol into the glass and stood the bottle on the table.
“Here you are,” he handed the glass to Sirius.
Sirius reached for the bottle standing on the table instead and wanted to drink from it.
“No!” Remus pulled out the bottle from his hands. “Here.” He gave him the glass.
Sirius drank the Firewhisky and finally stopped shaking.
“She... She wrote me I was responsible for Regulus’s death. Perhaps she was right...” he said desperately.
“Of course she was not!” said Remus firmly. “You wanted to persuade him, but he didn’t listen to you. You could do nothing for him.”
“I was harsh to him the last time...”
“I believe you had a good reason.”
“He knew he’d die. He told me we’d never see each other again...”
“Sirius...”
Remus took Sirius into his arms, stroking his hair, talking to him gently in order to calm him down. Sirius was gripping Remus’s robes, hiding his face, breathing heavily.
It started raining.
“Sirius, your motorbike,” Remus reminded him.
They walked out and Sirius conjured a big water-resistant sheet to cover it.
Remus noticed the letter and the envelope lying on the ground, and he took them with him back inside. He found out there was another piece of parchment inside the envelope.
“Sirius, here’s another parchment,” he said and opened it. “It’s a will!” he cried, astonished.
“Regulus’s?”
Remus nodded.
“What did he write?”
Remus looked through the short writing. “You’re the rightful heir of everything he owned - from his belongings to the house.”
“That stupid idiot!” shouted Sirius helplessly. “He knew how I hated that house!” He covered his face with his hands.
“Sirius,” Remus addressed him gently. “That’s OK. The house is yours and it means you can do whatever you want with it. You never need to go there if you don’t want to. No one can force you.”
He took Sirius’s hands into his.
“Thank you, Remus,” said Sirius quietly and let Remus hug him again.
If there was something good about Regulus’s death then it was Sirius’s and Remus’s relationship got better. Remus knew Sirius didn’t feel well and he was always close to him, and Sirius, longing for a comforting touch, searched for Remus’s embrace.
One day when the sky finally got cleared after dark rainy days, they were enjoying that little bit of sunshine in the garden under an apple tree. Remus, sitting on the ground, was leaning against the trunk of the tree while Sirius was lying in the grass with his head in Remus’s lap.
“I forgot to tell you, Lily’s pregnant,” said Sirius suddenly.
“Wow! That’s good news,” replied Remus and smiled at him.
“James wants me to become the godfather of the baby,” continued Sirius proudly.
Remus kissed him on the forehead. “You’ll be the best godfather the baby could wish for,” he said gently.
“You’re such a sweettalker,” said Sirius. He grabbed the collar of Remus’s robes and pulled him lower, so that he could give him a sweet kiss - their first real kiss after a long time.
Since that day Sirius’s mood was getting better, and Remus considered with a hurting feeling in his heart it was the right time to return to his task which meant to meet Rea again.
Back to Chapter Nine:
http://yukiowin.livejournal.com/3482.html
Link to Chapter Eleven:
http://yukiowin.livejournal.com/3872.html