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Saving Remus Lupin	By : AngelUpSideDownCake Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Remus/Sirius Views: 1503 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all characters within that series are owned by JK Rowling. I make no money in any way from this work.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 5
The Sofa

Remus sat in the shower, the warm spray raining on him from overhead, completely lost in thought. His back and torso stung where the cuts were trying to heal, and every muscle in his body ached. He'd been through hell and back, and, somehow, he was only just now confronting that this may just have some lasting consequences on his mental wellbeing. When he closed his eyes, he saw the darkness and thought of the basement, of the endless hours waiting for the Death Eaters to come in, for his torture to begin. Every sting he felt in his skin had him thinking of Voldemort cutting into him, demanding the information. Finally now, he felt he could stop running for a moment, could take a second to collect himself.
On top of everything Remus had just gone through, Voldemort had wanted to drag Dora into it. Dora, who he wasn't even sure he could be with anymore, and who could have been captured, hurt, just because she was in a relationship with Remus. He'd thought being a werewolf would've been dangerous enough for her, but this... he hadn't anticipated this.
Then, there was Sirius. What in the world Sirius was doing, trying to win Remus over with his stupid charm and handsome smiles, he couldn't be sure. And yet, there he was doing it, and Remus didn't have the energy to fight it. Or, maybe, he didn't want to fight it. Surely that was unfair to Dora, though.
Remus hadn't talked to her yet. In his mind, they shouldn't be together anymore. He'd been certain that night before being captured that they needed to split. They hadn't really ever been happy, and having her move in right after her graduation had been idiotic. Right away things hadn't felt right, surely she'd felt it too. And, yet, it seemed she was bent on forcing their relationship to this picture of perfection, like Lily and James' relationship. The world felt like it was ending some days, and he supposed she just wanted something to go right. Dora was jealous and possessive, though, and Remus didn't feel like he could manage a relationship with someone that way. Or, maybe he just didn't feel the same way and so he couldn't accept her feelings? It was too much to think about then, when everything seemed so bleak.
Lost in his reverie and surrounded by the sound of falling water, Remus didn't hear the yelling at first, but he did hear the loud thump from the kitchen. Quickly, Remus stepped out of the shower, not turning the water off incase it was the Death Eaters having caught up to them, and whispered a drying spell before pulling on the jeans he'd brought in with him. Silently, he crept out of the bathroom, across the bedroom, and over the threshold into the sitting room, only to see Sirius, now unconscious and wrapped in black ropes, in the middle of the floor, just outside the entrance to the kitchen, and a familiar figure standing over him.
"Dora?" The woman turned toward him and instantly her red, spiky hair changed to a more familiar, slightly longer bubblegum pink as she launched herself at him.
"Remus! I was so worried! I'm so glad you're ok!" Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she was pressing wet, hot kisses into the side of his neck. "But -" and she held him back at arm's length as her hair darkened into a worried black, "what happened to you? What is all of this?" She was looking at the words and insults Voldemort had inscribed on him.
"It's fine, don't worry about it."
"But, Remus!"
"It's fine! Look, what have you done to Sirius?!"
"Remus, Sirius is a Death Eater - he's a cousin of mine, and believe me the whole lot of them are rotten. He would have hurt you!"
"No," Remus shook his head, trying to explain. "That man is my friend. He helped keep me alive and he helped me escape without being followed. He's defected from the Death Eaters." Despite hearing this from Remus himself, Dora shook her head.
"No, I don't believe it. He's probably a spy." She eyed him warily, as if he'd wake up suddenly and announce that she'd been right the whole time and he was sending Voldemort upon them.
"Don't be ridiculous Dora." Remus went to lift his wand hand to undo the restraints on his friend. Dora's hand was on his arm in an instant, trying to stop him.
"No, don't!"
"Dora, it is alright, really. He's my friend." She shook her head.
"I don't trust him. You're making a mistake."
"No, I'm not. If you're so worried, leave then. I'm not going to have you treat him this way after he risked his safety to help me escape." Remus pushed past Dora, cast the spell to remove the binds, and levitated Sirius, leading him back to the bed in the bedroom, where he placed him down. When he turned back around, Dora was in the doorway, a torn expression on her face. Clearly, she was angry at being snubbed, but she also didn't want to leave Remus now that he'd just come back. Remus sighed and ran a hand through his short brown hair.
"Look, Dora, I asked you to stay with the Order. Last night Vol - er, You-Know-Who - said he was going to have Death Eaters bring you in. He planned on using you to get to me." She gave him a confused look.
"Why are you calling him that?"
"Sirius told me that they've been working on a trace for his name. I already mentioned it to Kingsley when I floo'd earlier and I planned on telling the Order and the Ministry later when I debrief everyone on what happened." Remus walked toward the doorway and guided Dora into the sitting room, shutting the door behind him.
"Remus, I'm sorry, but I really don't feel like we can trust Sirius."
"Dora, do you trust me?" The witch nodded her head, meeting Remus' gaze.
"Then let it go. I trust him, and that's all that matters."
"Doesn't it matter how I feel? Where is he going to stay? Here in our flat? I'm not going to stay if he's here, Remus." Remus felt himself getting angry already. He supposed she had a right to who stayed in her home, but he felt certain that she was being unfair in this. It was the same feeling he felt whenever she didn't want him to leave to visit James, or if she wanted him to go out with her when all he wanted was to be left alone. It was that air that she exuded - that things had to be her way or no way. Remus couldn't continue on like this. The last time he'd tried to get away from these feelings he'd ended up walking into a Death Eater trap!
Remus knew that what he was about to do was what he wanted, what he had already decided he was going to do. And, still, he was apprehensive. He'd wanted to break things off with Dora later once everything had calmed down, not immediately upon his return. What difference did it make, though, really? If he waited or if he did it now, the end result would still be the same. Remus ran a hand through his hair again and walked over to the sofa. Dora followed him.
"Listen, Dora, I've been wanting to talk to you anyway. That night I left, I had been doing some thinking. It seems to be, that you want me to always be by you, and always pick you over everyone else."
"No, that's not -" Remus shot her with a sharp stare. Anything else she was going to say, she held back, and Remus continued.
"Dora, let me finish. I care a lot about you, but when I look at James and Lily and their relationship and then I look at ours, it's just not the same. You've been nudging me and prodding me about marriage, but, Dora, the reason I haven't asked you yet is because I don't want to get married. Everything I've gone through these last few days, that didn't change that. I feel the same way towards you now as I did before I left, and, if anything, I feel like we should part even more. You-Know-Who wanted to hurt you just to get at me. I can't put you in that kind of danger."
"What are you saying Remus?" He could tell, as her eyes became glossy and started to redden, that she knew precisely what he was saying and just wanted to hear the words aloud.
"Dora, I want us to break up." The words rang out in the small flat and there was a moment of silence. Remus had expected yelling, or loud crying - something dramatic and angry. Instead, Dora stood up, nodded, and disapparated without a word, leaving him alone in the sitting room and Sirius unconscious in his bed.
҉
Sirius woke up with a wicked headache, disoriented, and in a strange bed. What happened? He sat up, and looked around the room, trying to remember the events of earlier. Remus had been a werewolf, they'd escaped Malfoy Manor, they'd gone to Remus' flat, he'd taken a shower, there'd been a woman... someone he thought might've been Dora, and she'd stunned him. How had he ended up in the bed, though? Tentatively, Sirius stepped out of the bed and walked toward the door. He cracked it open, as quietly as he could, just in time to see a woman - was it the same woman from before? The woman earlier had short red hair. This person had longer black hair. Then, he heard a low voice.
"Dora, I want us to break up." So that is Dora. Sirius was surprised to hear Remus breaking up with her, and so soon after returning. The woman stood and disapparated. Sirius felt like he was intruding, like he shouldn't have seen what he did, but it was too late now. Gently, Sirius pulled the door open the rest of the way, and he saw Remus look up toward him.
"Oh, Sirius, you're awake."
"Yeah, I just woke up." Remus was already standing, walking toward him.
"I'm sorry about Dora. She doesn't trust you. I tried to tell her that you helped me escape, but she's already made up her mind, and, well, she's a little headstrong."
"No, don't mention it. Was that her just now? I could of sworn she had red hair when she stunned me."
"Oh, yeah, that was her. And, yeah, she probably did. She's a Metamorphmagus."
"Oh," Sirius drew out the word and found himself somewhat impressed. "Now, that there, that is wicked." Remus nodded.
"Yeah, I guess it is pretty awesome. Try finding her in a crowd though when she can look whatever way she fancies." He laughed to himself, probably at a far gone memory.
"So," Sirius began, "what is there to eat around here?" Remus shook his head.
"No, there isn't, but I can take you somewhere there is."
About half an hour later Sirius found himself seated opposite Remus in a muggle establishment, wondering what on earth he was doing there.
"What is this place again?"
"It's called a pizzeria," Remus explained. "They serve pizza."
"Right, right. And, what is pizza, exactly?" Before Remus had the time to explain to Sirius what this 'pizza' was, a muggle girl with bright blond hair came up, chewing on bubblegum.
"Hello, welcome to Louie's Pizzeria, my name is Cindy and I'll be your waitress today." She sounded very bored as she laid menus infront of the two wizards. "What can I get you to drink today?"
"I'll have Coke," Remus stated. Sirius wasn't sure what Coke was, but, afraid to say the wrong thing infront of the muggle, decided to go with that as well.
"I'll have the same thing, thank you." The blond nodded and walked off. "Remus, what did I just order?" Sirius turned concerned eyes toward Remus'.
"It's a muggle drink. It's sweet and bubbly, very good."
"Bubbly? How do they get it bubbly if they don't use magic?" Remus smiled like this was the most hilarious thing in the world.
"They carbonate it."
"What does that mean?"
"Carbon dioxide is a substance that they pump into beverages and it makes them bubbly." The waitress was already walking back with a black tray, on which there were two glasses filled with brown, fizzy liquid.
"Here you guys go." She placed one infront of each of them then pulled out a pad of paper and a strange, featherless quill. "Now, did you guys want any starters today?" Sirius looked at Remus, helpless.
"Cindy, I think we're just going to get the pizza today."
"Alright and what'll you have?"
"We're just going to split a pepperoni pizza." The blond scratched away at her pad of paper.
"Did you want to double the pepperonis on that for two quid?" She hadn't even bothered to look up.
"No, thank you."
"Alright, that'll be right out." The waitress finally looked up from her pad, gave them a brief smile, and walked away, as if this was a completely normal and very boring conversation. Sirius was completely baffled.
"Quid?" He looked toward Remus again, annoyed at the amused grin he saw there.
"Muggle currency," Remus explained.
"How do you know so much about muggles?" Remus shrugged.
"My mum. She was a muggle, so when I was growing up we would sometimes go into the city and she would teach me about the muggle ways. I also took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts."
"Why would you take Muggle Studies if your mum was a muggle?" Remus smiled.
"You know, my mate James asked me the same thing all the time. He just assumed I took it for the easy credit, but, really, I found it fascinating to hear about the muggle world from the wizarding perspective."
"Rubbish. It absolutely was for the easy credit."
"No, no, really!" Remus was smiling and Sirius thought that this, absolutely, was an ideal sight to hold. He'd have to find more ways to make Remus smile, especially after everything he'd been through recently. "Have you tried your Coke yet?" Sirius looked dubiously at the bubbling liquid infront of him.
"No, I haven't. To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to."
"Just give it a go. It's sweet, I think you'll like it." Sirius wrapped his hands around the cold glass and lifted it to his lips, taking the smallest of sips. It was extraordinarily sweet and it burned a little in his mouth. Sirius was suddenly reminded of acid pops and looked up at Remus quickly.
"This isn't like acid pops is it?"
"What?"
"It burns a little."
"That's the carbonation! It's totally normal and harmless, trust me." Sirius wasn't sure if he believed Remus, but, seeing as his tongue was still in one peice and the burning didn't really burn so much as fizz on his tongue, Sirius took another sip and then another.
"I think I might kind of like this." Remus gave a small laugh.
"I thought you might." Sirius grinned but then let a somber thought cross his mind.
"Remus," he began, "We need to talk about the Death Eaters." Remus had his own Coke lifted to his lips, but Sirius didn't miss how he'd paled slightly. The other man placed the glass down and looked into his eyes.
"What about them?"
"Well, they are going to come after me and you once they realize I'm not coming back. The only reason they didn't chase after you was because they were terrified of you and I was already chasing you as an animagus. I'm certain they don't think I'm dead. They'll come looking for us soon if they haven't already started." Remus nodded his agreement.
"Look, Sirius, you can stay with me. At least until we figure something else out. You've done a lot for me, and I really thank you." Sirius found himself gazing into brown eyes. Remus seemed entirely sincere. For some reason, Sirius found the honesty in that gaze difficult to handle.
"Hey, don't mention it. I didn't want to be there anyway. Besides," and here he winked at Remus, "I couldn't let them do anything to someone as fit as you now, could I?" Remus rolled his eyes at the comment, taking it as a joke.
"Really, Sirius, I just broke up with my girlfriend and you're already hitting on me?" Sirius shrugged.
"You just have that kind of affect on me, Remus."
"Oh, whatever, you prat. You acted like that all through Hogwarts, don't think I don't know what you're like." Sirius just grinned at Remus and they fell into a silence, not entirely uncomfortable. Perhaps Sirius was being a little too straightforward with Remus, but he suspected that Remus wasn't entirely unresponsive, if the wolf was anything to go by. Still, Remus really had only just broken up with Dora, and he had gone through a lot lately. Sirius shouldn't be hitting on him at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to.
"So... what is the plan, then?" Remus looked thoughtful for a moment then sighed.
"Well, I'm exhausted. I'd really enjoy a good long nap. However, Kingsley really needs to be briefed on everything that's happened. Sirius, how long do you think until the Death Eaters come looking?" Sirius shrugged.
"They probably started earlier today. I don't think they'd come looking here though. I don't think they'd suspect that I'd defect, at least not right away." Remus nodded his head, then turned his eyes towards the kitchen door where the waitress was coming through, carrying their food on a large black tray and heading toward the table.
"Here's your pepperoni pizza," Cindy announced as she placed the tray on the table between them. "And here's some plates. Would you like some more Coke sir?" Cindy had faced Sirius directly and was pointing toward his drink, which was half empty. Remus' glass, by comparison, was still nearly full.
"Oh, no thank you."
"Alright, just let me know if you need anything else." She turned away from them then, her blond ponytail swishing, and the two wizards felt it safe to return to their conversation. Sirius turned back toward Remus, fully intent on continuing to discuss their plans, and instead took in what it was that they were about to eat.
"Remus, what is this?"
"It's pizza." Remus was already helping himself to a slice. "It's very good too."
"There are no forks or knives. What do you eat it with?"
"Your hands, like sandwiches."
"But it's all greasy. And the cheese is getting everywhere." Remus took a big bit of his pizza then and his face said everything to Sirius. Remus looked like he was in food heaven. Hesitantly, Sirius used the pizza spatula to transfer a slice to his plate, then picked it up, needing two hands to avoid the cheese sloughing off the end and onto his plate, and took a tentative bite. Bliss. It was hot and nearly burned his mouth, but it was quite possibly the best thing Sirius had ever eaten.
"Merlin, this is delicious!"
"I know! I never understood why it wasn't served at Hogwarts." Sirius expressed his agreement by quickly finishing his peice and then eating another and another. Before they knew it the two wizards had completely finished the pizza.
"Mate," Sirius announced, leaning back into his chair. "That was amazing. Why do muggles have the best food?"
"No idea, but it is delicious."
"My mum would burn me from the tapestry just for eating this lot." Sirius smiled at Remus, who looked concerned. "Oh, don't worry, I'd let her. Pizza is worth it." Remus still looked concerned. "Honestly, Remus, it's not a big deal. She's going to burn be me off the blasted thing anyway, I don't really care." Remus seemed to let it go, but still had a worried look.
"Will they come for you?" Sirius nodded.
"Yeah, I think they will. Mind you, not because they are worried about me. They'll want to punish me as much as you." Remus nodded his head in understanding.
"Well, my flat is fortified. They won't be able to track you there."
"Thank you for that. Are you worried about Dora at all?" Sirius thought maybe he shouldn't have asked, but Voldemort had said Death Eaters were after her. Then again, if Sirius could judge by how she'd acted upon seeing him in the kitchen earlier in the day, she would be able to handle herself.
"Earlier when I floo'd the Order I explained everything. She's going to stay with another member of the Order at all times until this blows over. She's probably with Molly or Alastor now. Besides, she's training to be an auror herself and she's very good at hiding in plain sight."
"Well, that's good at least." Remus' eyes flicked over to Sirius' left and he turned to see their waitress approaching again.
"How was everything?" She asked the men.
"It was great, thank you Cindy," Remus answered.
"Did you guys save any room for dessert?" This piqued Sirius' attention. If the Coke and the pizza had been good, he wondered about the dessert. However, Remus was already shaking his head no.
"Oh, no thank you. We'll just take the check." Sirius watched the quick exchange as the waitress handed the bill to Remus and he fished out some papers and gave them to the waitress. Shortly after, the waitress was walking away and Remus was standing, so Sirius followed suit.
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Overcast skies that threatened snow greeted Remus as he and Sirius left the pizzeria. It was cold and he was so tired. Still, he knew that before he'd get any sleep he had to check in with James, who he was sure was worried for him. The flat was very close to the pizzeria and so they were able to walk there very quickly. Sirius had been surprised to see that Remus lived in an entirely muggle neighborhood. Since both he and Dora had been very familiar with muggle life, they had decided to stay amongst them, figuring that Death Eaters would try to avoid being among a non-magical community unless they had to.
They'd only been walking for about five minutes or so and they were already nearing the flats where Remus lived. They crossed the threshold into the flats and went up to the second floor to flat 2C and stepped inside.
"Remus!" Remus was immediately greeted with an armful of a tall, athletic wizard.
"James what are you doing here?"
"I heard you were back and I had to see you! You git why didn't you tell me as soon as you got here? Lily has been beside herself with worry and -" James just then spotted Sirius who was still in the hall outside the flat. "Who's your friend, Remus?"
"That's Sirius Black. He helped me escape from the Death Eaters." Remus knew that the name would ring with James, that the Black name was synonymous with the Dark Arts, and hoped that James would be more open-minded than Dora had been. After a moment, James seemed to come to a conclusion, and, with a smile, held out his hand to Sirius.
"Hello, Sirius. I'm James. I'll need to thank you proper for helping out my best mate here." Sirius grasped the hand and returned the smile with a grin of his own.
"Nah, think nothing of it. Remus helped me out as much as I helped him, if not more," Sirius protested as they stepped further into the flat.
"Still, I'll have to buy you a pint some time."
"Well I can't say no to a pint, now." Remus breathed out a sigh of relief. At least that was one less stress he'd have to worry about.
"I brought some butterbeer," James announced. "I'd like to hear about what happened." James' blue eyes met Remus'and he knew he wasn't going to get away with trying to put the conversation off.
"Well, alright then I suppose." Remus conceded to Jame's questioning look and the wizards went into the lounge, where there was indeed the promised butterbeer. Remus grabbed one from the coffee table and sat heavily into the sofa. Sirius sat down next to him, and the weight and warmth was comforting, reminding him of how Sirius had been his only comfort in the basement. He took a long pull from his drink and sighed, looking up to where James was seated in the plush arm chair to the left of the coffee table. "What do you want to know?"
"Well, Remus, for starters, what happened? All we know is that Dora told us you two had a row, you left and didn't return. Now you're back. We feared the worst. I was starting to have to consider the possibilities if you didn't come back, or... or..." James shook his head to clear the thought. Remus knew he'd meant if he'd died. It wasn't terribly uncommon in these times. James cleared his throat. "Anyway, you're back, mate. I just want to know what happened." Remus sighed.
"For starters, did Kingsley brief you on You-Know-Who?" James nodded.
"Yeah, he said you received intelligence that Vol - er - You-Know-Who is tracking people with his name?"
"Maybe not yet, but it could start up at any time. Sirius told me about it." James' eyes flicked over toward Sirius, looking for more explanation.
"He wants his name to be feared by everyone. He's going to start having his lackeys attack anybody who dares to say his name." James licked his lips and nodded.
"Well that's good to know. Remus, what happened to you, though"
"Well," Remus began, taking another drink of butterbeer. "Dora and I did get into a row. I went to a bar in muggle London and I got jumped in an alley. Sirius was there." James' eyes shot over to Sirius, and he looked like he was starting to question his initial acceptance. "It's ok, James. There was a lot of them. Bellatrix Lestrange was there. They brought me in, but Sirius would visit me at night. He brought me food and tried to make me comfortable. I waited until the full moon and I made my escape. Sirius followed me so the others wouldn't and we got a head start on an escape. Now we're here." Sirius nudged Remus with his elbow. "Well, that's the watered down version of the story, anyway." James' eyes hardened, and Remus know that his friend understood he had left out what he didn't want to relive.
"Why did they take you? Why didn't they just kill you on sight?"
"The Death Eaters know he's your Secret Keeper," Sirius spoke up next to him. "A good choice, too. He didn't give in, no matter what they did."
"Of course he's a good choice. He's my best mate." James puffed out his chest with pride in his friend. "I trust him with my life, and the life of my family. There's no better man than Remus." James turned toward Sirius. "Now, in all seriousness - hah! Sirius!" Remus couldn't help the snort that came from him as he tried to stifle his chuckle. Sirius just rolled his eyes, probably having heard the joke a million times prior.
"Yeah, yeah, go on with it, you git."
"Sorry, mate, sorry. Anyhow, why aren't you werewolf food?" Sirius grinned.
"An excellent question, James. One that is best answered with a demonstration!" Sirius immediately stood up from the sofa only to immediately transform into the large, shaggy, black dog that Remus woke up to earlier that day. It seemed like ages ago now.
"Cor blimey! You're an animagus. I'm impressed, I must say." James nodded his head and smiled a bit. "But, only a little. You know, it's not that impressive." Sirius barked loudly at James as if to argue his point, then immediately reverted back to his human form and decided to actually argue his point.
"What do you mean 'not that impressive'? Mate, that is some serious magic-work there! Most wizards take years to learn that if they even ever do." James had a smug smile on his face.
"If you must know, I've been roaming around with Moony for some time, myself. And your form just isn't as impressive as mine."
"Moony?" Remus buried is face in his hands, embarrassed. It was such a stupid nickname.
"Oh, Remus didn't tell you? That's the wolf's name." Sirius turned toward Remus and his embarrassment grew.
"Look, I was turned when I was really young and so I named it Moony to, I don't know, make it easier to deal with, ok?"
"Aw, Remus, it's ok. It's adorable, really." Remus groaned.
"It's not adorable, it's stupid." The sofa dipped next to him and Remus felt Sirius' hand on his back.
"Nah, I like it. Besides, the name I came up with isn't much better." Remus looked curiously at the other wizard, urging him on. "It's Padfoot." Sirius shrugged. "I called myself that cause I'm so quiet, but as I've gotten older I've realized it's kind of silly. Still, it's stuck." Remus shook his head.
"No, it's great." Sirius smiled at him and Remus felt like it was the nicest smile in the world.
"Oh, Merlin, just snog already, it's disgusting!" Remus looked at James, shocked.
"But, Dora -"
"Has already told everyone you're a terrible git and is crying about how you broke up with her," James interrupted. "Not to worry, though. Honestly, you two had been fighting for months. Everyone saw it coming. Although," he gestured toward Remus and Sirius, "this is a bit fast, mate." Remus sat up straight and jumped from Sirius a bit.
"It's not like that, honest."
"Yeah, we just met, mate," Sirius added. James rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, sure. Anyway," and he stood up, ready to show off. James loved to show off. "I happen to also be an animagus. And my form is much more impressive."
"James," Remus protested. The last time he'd taken his form in his flat there had been butterbeer all over the floor and there was still a scratch in the ceiling (mostly because nobody had been bothered to repair it, but that wasn't the point).
"Calm down, Remus. I won't go knocking anything over in your precious flat." James rolled his eyes and pulled out his wand. With a flick and a few murmured words the coffee table was pushed back, giving James plenty of room. A moment later, James had morphed into the large stag that was his animagus shape.
"Ok, then, so you're a deer, what of it." James snorted and presented his antlers toward Sirius, threateningly.
"Prongs keep it together. This is a small flat and I do not feel like repairing the sofa again."
"Prongs, eh? That's what they call a big deer like you?" James allowed himself to become human again and glared at Sirius.
"Well it's a whole lot better than Padfoot, isn't it?"
"Look, I don't know how a deer could possibly be more impressive than a dog that looks like the Grim."
"I'm huge, didn't you see me? I could stomp the daylights out of a dog like you."
"Guys!" Remus did not have the energy to deal with any bickering, even if he knew it would straighten itself out in the end. "Stop. It's better than Wormtail, just remember that and have a drink." James started laughing, but Sirius just sat confused.
"Our friend," Remus explained. "He's an animagus too. He turns into a rat, so we called him Wormtail."
"He hates it, too!" James laughed and they all sat down together, the previous tension gone.
James stayed for a while longer before announcing that he had to go. Lily would be wanting an update on Remus and, besides that, Remus and Sirius both looked like they could pass out at any time.
"Sirius," James announced as he was getting up to leave. "I'll have to come by again and take you for that pint I promised earlier. And, Remus," Remus looked up from where he was having trouble staying away on the sofa, "You'll need to come by sometime soon." Remus nodded, knowing that Lily would want to see him and that she hardly ever left Godric's Hollow as the Death Eaters were looking for her and her unborn child. With that, James gave a nod and there was a small pop! as he disapparated, leaving the two wizards next to each other on the couch and some empty butterbeer bottles on the coffee table.
Remus knew he should get up and go to his bed and transfigure the sofa into a suitable sleeping arrangement for Sirius. Instead, he found that he was simply too tired to move. His eyes drifted shut and he let his body lean against Sirius' shoulder.
҉
Sirius looked down at the mass of light-brown hair that was Remus and sighed. The other man was already asleep and Sirius knew he would be soon as well. Unable to help himself, he turned his face toward the other man and pressed a brief, chaste kiss into his brown hair, smiled, and allowed himself to relax next to the other wizard as he gave in to his own exhaustion.
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Saving Remus Lupin