Mischief Managed Y3: Anthem of Lamentation

Chapter Three: Could it Get Worse?

Summary:

Remus' continued disappearing act causes the other three Marauders to commiserate and James to come clean about information he hadn't been completely forthright about.

Sirius is pissed. Not only has his illusion of Remus being done with secrets shattered, but James is a bleeding moron. What else is new?

Song: Fix You by Cold Play

When you try your best, but you don't succeed

When you get what you want, but not what you need

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone, but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

.................................................

"James, I hate to inform you that I will have no choice but to murder Remus come fall term," Sirius groaned, holding the mirror up as he lounged on his bed. It was soooo dull being good all summer, resulting in a tedious period devoid of any excitement. The fact that they hadn't heard from Remus once this past month and their owls had returned without the letters delivered pushed him to the brink of his patience. The inability to communicate with Remus was a source of neverending frustration, and he was sure he would start losing his mind soon.

"I hear you, mate. Might I suggest the age-old method of locking him in a safe room and just never letting him out again," James suggested, trying to inject some humour into the situation. But the weariness in their voices betrayed their true feelings. They were both utterly drained, their concern for Remus weighing heavily on them.

"Thanks to his furry little problem, even a safe room won't keep him safe." He had meant it more as a jest, but the crushing, undeniable reality left him sounding bitterly regretful.

"You should have been there, mate. I don't think his dad was there at all. And Remus wouldn't talk to us. And then bloody Patricia showed up and started shoving us out," James lamented. Sirius knew that James didn't blame him for Remus leaving. It's not like he could have convinced the impossibly stubborn boy to go with the Potters or, at the very least, be honest about no one coming for him. But it felt like the blame had been thrust upon him, and he wasn't about to resist hurling it back to where it rightfully belonged.

"Yes, James, do tell me about the train ride again. You know, the one you let me sleep through like a lousy friend," Sirius hissed. It had been nearly three weeks, but he was still sore about it. The train ride had been the last chance before the summer to talk to Remus, and part of him felt that if he had been awake and had experienced more time to try to talk sense into the git, there could have been a different outcome, a better one.

"Look, how many times do I have to apologise for that, Black? You were ruddy exhausted, and it seemed like a kind notion at the moment," James huffed, clearly a little bitter about how the topic kept coming up.

Well, Sirius didn't care. The wrongness of how the train ride from Hogwarts ended left him ready to burst. And yeah, part of that was his fault... He should have made the most out of the few minutes left rather than fly off the handles and storm off, but going home had put him in a foul mood.

"As often as you need to apologise for letting Remus-Liar Liar Trousers on Fire-Lupin somehow convince you that slipping the mirror into my bag rather than letting him take it was a good idea. How the hell did you manage to muck it up so badly?"