love, lupin

twenty-three

November 23rd, 1976
Tuesday

When detention with McGonagall rolled around on the Tuesday Remus wasn't in the cheeriest mood. There was nothing that had upset him.

'It was just one of those days' as Jack had put it at lunch when Remus had snapped at her for taking one of the chips from his plate.

"Greyback!" Black cheered as he walked in ten minutes late and while Remus ignored him McGonagall gave him a steely look.

"You didn't wait outside." Black frowned after ten minutes of silence, he'd not so discreetly ushered his table closer to Remus' and the Slytherin was trying his best to ignore him. "We always wait outside for each other."

Remus' wand continued to swirl in the air as it was halfway through binding a stack of papers.
"It was one time I didn't wait, besides you were late and we never specifically stated that we'd wait outside for the other to go in so I'm not obligated to wait." Remus didn't look at him but he could practically sense the frown on the Gryffindor's lips.
"Well then-"

"Silence boys." McGonagall scolded.

Two hours later, McGonagall bid them a farewell and after two hours of work Remus was almost done. He honestly juts wanted to go to bed and sleep off whatever bad juju he was feeling.

Black hadn't tried to speak again the whole time McGonagall has been here so he waited for words to spill out of the boys mouth and just as Remus expected, after thirty seconds Black's silk like voice sounded out.
"How are you Greyback?" Black asked as he set down a just completed stack of papers back into its box.
"Fine." Remus responded as he started on his last stack of papers, he would keep it short and simple. He didn't have the mental energy to deal with Black today.

"That's good." He sounded cheery and Remus cast him a suspicious glance. He had to admit that the last few encounters he had with Sirius Black were friendly. Too friendly for his liking. He hadn't really thought on it before as each interaction had been set apart by a couple days.

When he healed him after he was bitten by a Grindylow.

When he opened up to Remus in a detention.

When he expressed his admiration at Remus' act of kindness to the sobbing third year.

The idea that Sirius Black had suddenly had a change of heart seemed highly unlikely. He had to be up to something and Remus was determined to find out just what that was.

"what do you want from me Black?" Remus asked, keeping his voice as calm as he possibly could. He didn't have the heart to get all angry with him right now. Nor could he afford to do so in McGonnogals classroom.

"What?" Black asked and Remus looked over at him with raised brows, "i don't want anything." His tone was defensive and although he did, Remus didn't have to listen to his heartbeat to know he was lying.

"I'm not an idiot Black." Remus pressed as his eyes searched Blacks face with determination to break him into telling the truth.

"I didn't say that! I'm not lying. I'm not." Black pressed, he was just as determined not to break as Remus was to break him and neither were going to back down.

Both wore hardest expression and set lips. Remus was evidently a little more relaxed then the Gryffindor whose grip on his wand turned his knuckles white.

"Oh come on Black." Remus had spun in his seat, wand discarded as he propped his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together infront of him and a smirk played tauntingly on his lips.

Remus knew taunting would work, being belittled had always been a weak point for Sirius Black and anyone who had been around him for as long as Remus had knew that.