Boys Will Be Bugs

Chapter 91: Rescue

Cw// brief mention of internalised ableism and depictions of abuse

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Remus sat down on the roof, crossing his legs and trying to figure out what to do next. He wanted to look through Sirius's window to see if he was there, but that would involve lowering himself down and there was no way he could sustain that for long enough without falling. He couldn't believe he'd once been able to effortlessly scale the whole building, and he missed having that strength to hand.

'Now's not the time for a pity party,' Remus thought to himself. It was fine, he didn't need to climb a building. It had been dangerous the last time anyway, and needlessly risky. There must have been another way in. He stood up and walked all round the roof, looking for an entrance, but there was only one small window hatch and it was firmly locked shut. He didn't have his wand on him, and even if he did, he couldn't use magic to unlock it or else he'd be expelled. Then again, would that really have been much of a big deal by this point? If it was to save Sirius, he didn't really care if he was expelled or not. It wasn't as if he was particularly bothered about Hogwarts anymore anyway.

It didn't matter though, because the fact was, he still didn't have his wand. He had to do this by hand. He walked back towards the edge of the roof and peered over. Sirius's bedroom window was just below him. He was so close, and yet so damn far. He sighed. What was he doing? What the hell was he doing up here when he was so obviously unable to do anything? He felt useless right now. He wasn't a Gryffindor, or a hero, he was just a kid with shit muscles that didn't work properly and who needed a cane to walk, like an old man.

He hit his head in frustration and stood up again. Fuck that, he thought. Fuck being a Gryffindor, who gave a shit about Gryffindor? He was here for Sirius and he wasn't leaving without Sirius. He marched over to the skylight, lifted his cane up and brought it down with as much strength as he could muster. The window cracked slightly, and he smiled. The glass wasn't that thick. He brought the cane down once more, over and over again until the glass smashed into pieces. That was certainly one way of breaking in.

It wasn't a big drop, so Remus barely had to lower himself in before he could reach the floor. He was in some kind of attic, dark and dusty and empty. Considering he was still alone, either no one had heard him or the house was empty. Either way, he breathed a small sigh of relief, because he hadn't actually planned on what he was going to do if he ran into Mr and Mrs Black. It didn't bare thinking about, so he continued on his mission, while ignoring the sane and logical part of his brain completely. He just needed to be quiet and find Sirius's bedroom. He'd deal with anything else when it happened.

He didn't have to wait long.

He found the hatch in the floor that led down to the upstairs landing. He opened it as quietly as he could, but he couldn't stop the ladder from materialising in front of him with a slight bang as it hit the ground. At least he didn't have to lift the ladder himself. He peered through the hatch. He still didn't spot anyone, which was still a relief, but a part of him was beginning to suspect that Sirius wasn't here at all, and he'd broken a window for no reason. He was lucky this house was invisible to muggles, otherwise he risked having the police called on him. The stairs didn't have a banister, so he held his cane in one hand and used his other hand to grab onto the side of the ladder and make his way down.

That's where he suddenly came across Regulus. His breathing hitched in his throat and he stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the boy in front of him. Regulus looked utterly terrified, but he was standing outside what Remus assumed to be his bedroom door, his wand raised and a steely determination in his eyes, before he recognised who it was. He didn't lower his wand, but his expression of terror morphed into one of confusion.