Sirius looked up as a shadow stealthily entered the quiet, darkened room. ‘Hi,' he murmured, his voice low and the darkened outline of a tall, gangly boy came to a halt.
‘Hey, you‘re okay?’ Remus whispered, stepping into the silvery light cast across the stone floor by the waxing moon.
Sirius nodded and smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner as he patted the bed next to him. ‘Pull up a pew, Moony,' he said in a hushed tone, casting a glance over at the other silent beds.
‘Generous of you, Padfoot,' Remus said wryly, sitting down in the offered space. 'Considering this is my bed.’
Sirius let out a huff of amusement then leaned into Remus' touch as the werwolf's hand lifted to cup Sirius’ cheek, checking the site of the earlier injury.
‘You healed yourself?’ Remus asked and Sirius nodded, waving his wand at the curtains and watching them shut before casting a Silencing Spell.
He looked at Remus as the other boy's hand fell from his face.
‘Regulus?’
Remus blinked almost imperceptibility. ‘He’s fine,' he said, a little shortly. 'Snape had healed him by the time I got to his common room.’
Sirius closed his eyes in relief. As much as he disliked his brother, he hated the thought of Regulus being hurt by his hand. Snape would be rejoicing in the animosity between the Black brothers, though, and Sirius felt a wave of resentment towards the hook-nosed student.
Bloody Snape...
Something clicked in Sirius' brain as he cursed the greasy-haired git and he frowned, opening his eyes and tilting his head as he looked closely at Remus' unusually tense and closed-up face.
‘How do you know that Snape healed him?‘ he asked, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Remus' stony facade wobble for a moment and he knew instantly what Remus had done. ‘You showed yourself to him, didn't you?'
He didn't need an answer; it was written all over Remus' face. 'Remus…why…? What did he say to you? He had a go, didn‘t he?’
Sirius felt anger bubbling up inside of him as Remus' jaw tightened, but the other boy just shrugged, his hand dropping casually to Sirius’ thigh.
‘I thought I might be able to explain…talk him around, but he wasn’t having it.'
'What did he say?' Sirius pushed and Remus sighed heavily, looking away.
'It was just the usual 'werewolf' bile - "half breed, animal, wait until my parents find out you've corrupted the noble heir of the family Black…"’
‘Prat,' Sirius spat viciously, fists clenching as he imagined himself wringing Regulus' scrawny little neck. He opened his mouth to curse his brother some more, but caught sight of Remus' face.
There was more...
‘What else, Remus?' he asked through gritted teeth. 'Tell me everything.’
He saw the werewolf swallow hard, his throat visibly undulating, and knew that this was going to be bad.
‘He said that once your parents found out about me, I’d never see you again,' Remus said, words rushing out fast and emotionless. 'That you would never choose me over your family and inheritance. That…that they’d see me put down like the animal I am for…for turning you.’
Sirius snarled and jumped to his feet; his, until now, slow-boiling anger flaring fast and hot. ‘I’ll go and fucking finish what I started!’ he fumed, but Remus stood as well, pulling him back down onto the bed.
