When We Fell In Love

Chapter 10: Kissing

Remus was genuinely happy. They had decided to meet every Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours, always in the Room of Requirement. They did not do anything special: they talked, sometimes studied, and confessed their crushes—both the famous ones and the more embarrassing ones.

Remus had admitted that he was completely in awe of David Bowie—whom he was sure was a wizard—, although he had not told anyone how much Bowie reminded him a little of Sirius: that mysterious aura, a cursed rockstar, and that charm that made everyone fall at his feet. However, he tried to avoid Sirius as much as possible because he did not trust his own eyes, knowing exactly how he looked at him every time Sirius showed off in front of James or some girl.

As the days grew shorter and the cold more biting, Remus noticed that Regulus was becoming increasingly gloomy and withdrawn. He knew that watching James double down on his efforts to win over Lily hurt Regulus deeply, just as Remus felt like dying every time Sirius flaunted a new conquest—which had been happening far more often lately.

It was the last Sunday of November, and Remus had just recovered from the aftereffects of the last full moon; he still felt a bit weak but tried his best to keep up appearances so as not to raise any suspicions—too many people already knew about his furry little problem .

He was lying on a sofa, legs stretched out on the chaise-longue, when the door to the Room opened gently. Remus turned his head to see Regulus approaching with silent steps.

"Hey, Regulus."

"Remus. Is it just the two of us today?"

"So it seems; I'm not sure if the others will show up later. Come, have a seat." A comfortable silence settled between them, and Remus turned his attention back to the book lying in his lap. Regulus pulled a book from his bag as well, and they stayed like that for several minutes until Remus suddenly felt someone's eyes on him. He looked up and saw that Regulus had closed his book and was staring at him intensely.

"Can I help you?" Regulus shook his head slightly, unconvinced. "Do you want to talk about something?" Remus encouraged, but Regulus lowered his gaze to the floor. "There's no one here right now, and I think I've shown you over the past few weeks that you can trust me." Remus looked around, waiting in silence to hear what the other boy had to say.

"Jamejslasp..." Regulus' voice was so low it was incomprehensible.

"Sorry, Reg, but I didn't catch that."

Regulus took a deep breath. "James kissed me." Remus' mouth fell open in shock. "Just before our first meeting here."

"But... It's been almost two months!" Remus blurted out, sitting up straight on the sofa.

"I know how long it's been, thank you very much."

"And since then...?"

"Since then, nothing. He treats me like it never happened, and he keeps showing off to Evans. If only he knew..."

"You're not going to tell him about Lily, got it? It's not your place." Remus' voice grew deep and threatening, something wolfish that he could not—and did not want to—hold back.

"Do you think I'd risk having her, you, and Louis ruin my life? No thanks, I'll pass."

"Good." Remus relaxed again.

"I just... wish that moment of weakness had never happened. What kind of game is he playing?"

"I can't say. But I can tell you that, as much of a jerk as he might seem, accepting all of this isn't easy. Maybe he's a soulless prick, or maybe he's more confused than you are. Have you tried talking to him?" A strange sound came from Regulus' nose.