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Warning Sirius


Remus snuck out of the dormitory that night, after the other two had fallen asleep, and carried the Marauders’ Map with him as he moved down the steps by his wand light. James and Peter had insisted that Remus refrain from going to the Shrieking Shack that afternoon, afraid that Moody would be keeping his magical eye on the lot of them, hoping that Remus would go to Sirius to warn him. “It could be a trick,” James pointed out, “He might’ve fed you a load of tosh just hoping to have you lead him right to Sirius.” But as Remus lay there in the pale silver light of the night, the sound of James and Peter snoring filling the dormitory, Remus couldn’t stand not telling Sirius even another minute. He had to go or he’d have gone mad...

He managed his way through the castle without incident and across the grounds. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slid into the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack and started off down the corridor, his hands scraping the sides of the tunnel, feeling the stone and dirt and roots that stuck out along the way. His wand glowed blue-white in the dark. At the trap door, Remus climbed up and pushed the door open carefully, the hinges on it creaking. He could hear Sirius’s stereo playing from upstairs and he smiled - it was the Rolling Stones, he recognized Mick Jagger’s voice but not the song itself.

When he got upstairs, Remus found Sirius asleep on the bed, one leg hanging over the side, his mouth open wide, arms flung about carelessly… Remus might normally have considered leaping on the bed, Sirius-style, and smooshing him to wake up, and if the subject that he’d come to discuss wasn’t such a seriously pressing matter, he might’ve done just to revenge all the times Sirius had done it to him… but it just wasn’t that sort of visit.

Remus sat on the side of the bed gingerly and reached for Sirius’s shoulder, shaking him awake gently. “Padfoot,” he whispered, “Wake up. I need to talk with you.’

Sirius opened his eyes blearily. “Moony?” he murmured, “What’re you doin’ out here?” he squinted against the moonlight’s brightness, his eyes adjusting to being awake.

“I have to talk with you.”

“‘Bout what? Bloody hell, what time’s it?” Sirius was struggling to push himself up from the mattress, his hair sticking up all funny-like.

“Nearly two,” Remus replied.

Sirius stared at him a moment, then fell back against the pillows, “You ruddy wolf, bloody go to sleep like a normal human person!”

“I can’t. I can’t stay. I gotta go back to the castle after this, I have classes in the morning. But I had to talk to you. It’s important.”

“It’ll still be important in the morning,” Sirius murmured and he pulled Remus down onto the bed by the fabric of the pyjamas he was wearing.

“No, Sirius, listen to me… It’s about your parents,” Remus said.

Sirius’s eyes, which had been closed in mock sleep, popped wide open. He studied Remus a moment. “What about them? What’ve they done now?”

Remus said, “Moody says they’re lying and they’re telling the Ministry that you’re still there but they’re really searching for you everywhere. Voldemort’s gone and put a price on your head! Sirius, there are bounty hunters looking for you about the country!”

Sirius stared at him, a bit of a flicker of shock and fear playing on his face. “You’re kidding,” Sirius murmured.

“I’m not,” Remus replied. “Moody told me.”

Sirius paused, thinking on the idea of what it was like to be a wanted/marked man. He felt instantly more rebellious than he’d ever done in all his life and a smirk crawled across his face as he looked up at Remus. The grin danced in the flecks of his grey eyes. “How much am I worth, Moony?”

“Some obscene amount, the way Moody was talking,” Remus whispered. “Oh don’t act as though this is a good thing… it’s not. It means his Death Eaters are looking for you! It means you’re in danger, Sirius!”

Sirius actually laughed. “Bah. Death Eaters, shmeath-eaters! I could take on - and beat - the whole lot of them! They’re nothing but calloused gits, Rey! I ain’t afraid of a single one of ‘em.”

Remus whispered, “How can you be so calm about this? Sirius, the most evil dark wizard in the history of basically the whole world wants you dead and is willing to bloody pay galleons to see it happen and --” he shook his head as this made Sirius grin even harder. “You’re right filled up with madness,” he said, “You’ve got no soul. It’s all just madness within you, isn’t it?”

Sirius snickered, “You’d know all about the madness within, wouldn’t you, Remus?”

“If that’s a reference to my furry little problem --”

“Arrroooooo!” Sirius howled and Remus punched him in the arm playfully.

“Sirius, it isn’t funny! Voldemort wants you dad; it’s pretty common knowledge that when he wants someone dead --” Remus’s eyes were still filled with fear and Sirius took a deep breath, recognizing that he had to confront this before Moony got totally carried off with worry.

“Deep breaths, Moony,” he said, and he reached up and petted Remus’s shoulder. “I love you. I’m not going to let anything happen to upset you and if my dying is going to upset you, then I just simply won’t let it happen.” He smirked at this and sat up, “Oh, there-there, Moonykins. There isn’t a bloody soul can take me away from you.” And he hugged Remus to his chest.

Remus closed his eyes a moment, then he murmured, “You have to promise you won’t go getting yourself into trouble by going after them or something, no matter what.”

“I would never --” Sirius started but Remus interrupted.

“They aren’t above baiting you.”

“Baiting me?” Sirius asked, and he took Remus by the shoulders and held him out at arms’ length a moment, looking into his eyes. “What bait?”

“Me.”

“You?” Sirius’s eyes darked, “What do you mean? How are they baiting me with you?”

“Well… they haven’t yet. But they might try to. They’ve already tried…”

“Tried how?” Sirius’s eyes glowed with anger, “If they even lay a finger on you I’ll bloody --”

“They haven’t! Calm down!”

“Well explain!” Sirius said.

“Well, see, because of… of my dad being… gone, you know, and me being underage and all… apparently Moody has to decide where I’m going for the summer holiday --”

“Our tent with me, obviously,” Sirius said, shaking his head.

Remus shook his right back, “Apparently not. The Ministry’s seeking to place me in the care of someone for the summer.”

Sirius looked really frustrated. “Like who?”

“Well, three options were mentioned - and Moody is going to decide and -- well, one of the options was that your family offered to take me, saying they’re family friends and that you - since you’re supposedly there and all - saw to it that they were extending the offer to me on account of you being my boyfriend.”

The colour drained from Sirius’s face and for the first time he actually looked afraid.

You at Number 12 Grimmauld Place?”

“That’s what they’ve suggested.”

“No. No. Absolutely not. Fuck no.” Sirius looked as passionate as he had ever looked. “Over my dead body will you be at Number 12 with them! I’ll torch the place myself!”

Remus sighed, “Sirius - that’s exactly what I mean… if something happens… you can’t go blazing after me to them. You can’t. I refuse to let you.”

“If you’re being held captive by those evil bastards then I’m going to bloody kill the lot of them and there’s no amount of not letting me that you’re going to do that could stop me from coming after and saving you!”

“Sirius --”

“I’LL TEAR THE HOUSE DOWN WITH MY BARE HANDS IF I HAVE TO!”

“Alright that’s a spot dramatic there, mate.”

“BEAM BY BEAM ---”

“Sirius --”

“BRICK BY BRICK --”

“SIRIUS!”

“I can’t help it! I bloody can’t stomach the thought of them being anywhere near you! They’re cruel, they’re evil, they’re -- foul… mouth-breathing… dragon-breathed… horrible, wicked, terrible ---”

Remus interrupted him, “Well Moody’s not ever going to purposely send me there - he’ll pick one of the other two options.”

“Which are?”

“Newt Scamander or the Weasleys.” Remus said, “Honestly, I’m hoping he picks Scamander. I’m not sure how I’d deal with the full moon at the Weasleys… I’d have to tell them and I doubt they’d want me there after finding out, because of little Bill and baby Charlie.”

Sirius said, “Yeah…” He could still feel the anger burning off… but there was something more, too...

Remus said, “And Professor Veigler would be with Newt… I’d like to see Professor Veigler again… and Newt - Newt knows about my… furry little problem… already.” He smiled, “Plus he’s on expedition in Eastern Europe -- Sirius, imagine the things I could see and experience on a summer with Newt Scamander!”

“Yeah…” Sirius nodded, “That’s… that’d be really excellent.” The something more he was feeling, he realized, was a realization that as far apart as he and Remus had been recently with him being expelled and sent off halfway across the country from Hogwarts (and now even the Shack felt like a world apart), they’d be even further apart still if Moody sent Rey off with Newt Scamander… Knowing it was the right reaction, the one Remus wanted, Sirius smiled outside but inside he was picturing their tent, picturing himself all alone within it.

Remus was too caught up in the idea of summer with Newt Scamander - who he felt a lot more keen on since learning what had become of his beloved Professor Veigler the year before - to notice the cloud in Sirius’s eyes. He was too enamoured with the idea of it to think about the fact that he’d be leaving Sirius behind for a whole summer...

Sirius took hold on Remus suddenly, before he could notice, not wanting to bring him down from the excitement he was feeling - but also wanting to feel him closer for the very fear of his absence made Sirius feel alone already. So he pulled Rey down toward the pillows. “C’mere, Moony,” he said and he wrapped his arms about Remus.

Remus started to protest - he had classes in the morning to get to… only a couple hours away now, even… - but Sirius’s eyes were that wonderful shade of grey and there was something hanging in the air between them, something Rey couldn’t quite put a finger on, despite how tangible whatever it was felt. So he caved, laying into the pillow beside Sirius. They lay there, facing one another - one searching the grey eyes, the other hazel eyes that were somewhere between green and brown…

At some point, they fell asleep like that.

There was a sound downstairs that woke Remus up and he sat blinking into the dark at Sirius’s closed eyes and still face and he listened hard and heard more sounds and he quickly sat up and shook Sirius awake.

“Again? Ferfuckssake, Moony, I’m going to use the invisibility cloak, steal a vial of sleeping draught from Pomfrey’s, shove it in your throat and --”

“Shhh!” Remus slapped his hand over Sirius’s mouth to quiet him. “Someone’s downstairs.”

Sirius sat up, eyes wide.

Remus’s heart was in his throat. Bloody hell. He’d done it now. It had to be Moody - here to collect Sirius, to send him back to Number 12 or something. He’d lied and tricked Remus into coming out here and he had, he had brought him right to Sirius. Not only that, but he’d exposed his Shrieking Shack, his only safe place to go as a werewolf and now Moody would be watching the Shack and Remus’s secret would be exposed and he’d be expelled and he’d have to go to Number 12, too, and Orion Black was going to use the cruciatus on him and Sirius both and they’d both end up dead at Grimmauld Place and it was going to be horrible and --

Sirius drew his wand and sprang up and went to the window, fiddling with the wood that covered it. “Bloody hell these boards are on there too good,” he complained. He looked around, there was no where to go. He paced wall to wall like a caged animal, saying cuss words under his breath in a long, unpausing string. He was just about to try exploding the wall when Remus started to freak out from the panic.

Remus said, his voice a speeding mess of words, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come. Peter and James - they warned me - and I did it anyway, I’m such a git and now -- now this -- and James was ---”

“Calm down,” Sirius interrupted him.

“I can’t, I’ve gotten us killed,” Remus said.

“Not yet you haven’t, so shut up before you do the finishing touches. C’mon. We’re investigating. Wand at the ready.”

Remus got up, drawing his wand, and followed Sirius out onto the landing of the stairs and looked over the rail. Downstairs it was dark, but the moonlight threw two very distinct human shadows across the floorboards - one was tall and lean, the other short and round and Sirius mouthed, There’s two of them, and Remus nodded and drew a deep breath, feeling the calm courage of defense coming over him.

Two would not be Moody.

Two could only mean one thing…

It wasn’t Moody he’d led right to Sirius, but somehow he’d led someone else to Sirius…

It had to be Death Eaters, come to collect their bounty.

Perhaps Orion and Walburga Black themselves!

Remus’s heart leaped into his throat.

Together, they moved to the head of the stairs and carefully moved down a couple steps… careful not to make a sound… they needed the element of surprise.

“Stunners on three,” whispered Sirius, pointing to the shadowy figures across the room. “One… two…”

STUPEFY!

There were two bright flashes of red light as the wands shot the spells, striking the two forms and sending them prone to the floor. Sirius leaped down the remaining stairs head of Remus, who followed quickly, clutching his wand and they ran over to where the prone figures lay.

Sirius looked up.

“Bloody hell, Rey, it’s Prongs and Wormtail.”

Remus stood over James’s stupefied body - he lay flat on his back in front of the fireplace - and Sirius used his foot to turn Peter’s wide girth over - he’d fallen face-first.

“Well what in hell were they doing coming out here?”

“Probably following after you!” Sirius announced.

Ennervate,” Remus waved his wand at James and with a gasping breath James woke up, blinking up at the ceiling through his glasses, trying to focus on the people standing over him.

He looked up at Rey, then at Sirius. “You idiots, you’ve stupefied your mates!”

“Sorry about that,” Remus said.

Sirius ennervated Peter, who woke up spluttering and complaining his nose hurt. “I’m sorry, Pete,” Sirius said, helping him up, “We thought you were here to kill us, mate.”

“I wouldn’t kill you!” Peter complained, frowning.

“I know you wouldn’t,” Sirius said, “We thought you were Death Eaters, see.”

“Idiots,” muttered James, but he was smirking now.

“What’re you lot doing out here, though? I never dreamed it would be you two coming out here! You were so against the idea…” Remus looked imploringly from one to the other.

Peter said, “Well when we woke up and you weren’t there in your bed, James knew you’d come out here, and we were worried you might need help if Moody had followed you -- so we came out. And then we got out here and there wasn’t any sign of anyone being here -- and we thought maybe Moody had come after you…”

James said, “We were just trying to decide what to do when you stunned us.”

“We were sleeping,” Sirius said, “Like normal human people do at this hour!”

James said, “Well luckily, none of us are normal.”

Sirius’s face broke into a smirk in spite of himself. “A true point, Prongs.”

They all ended up in the bedroom upstairs, the four of them piled onto one bed, sharing Bertie Botts and laughing over the idea that Sirius and Remus had thought themselves defending off Death Eaters when it was only James and Peter (“should’ve known by those shadows, though,” Peter said, “there aren’t any short, fat Death Eaters shaped like me!”). One by one, they fell asleep through the laughing and talking and soon enough there were four boys, all crammed and curled into one full-size bed, laying in opposite directions, all fast asleep.