Padfoot and Moony

Sirius Is Not Well

      Lily paced impatiently in the empty corridor, wringing her hands. She was waiting for someone. A few students wandered past her, but none of them stopped. She absentmindedly stared down the corridor and then peered into the classroom she was standing next to for the umpteenth time as if she'd forgotten it was empty and had to check.

At last a tall, gangly boy appeared at the end of the corridor and hastened his steps to reach her. "Hey," he said, smiling.

"Hi," she replied and ushered him into the empty room, closing the door behind him.

"So, why am I here?" Remus lent back on a desk, looking expectantly at her.

"Please sit down, I feel so tiny next to you." Remus chuckled and sat down backwards on a chair and rested his chin on the back. Lily stood awkwardly for a second and then sat down on the desk opposite. "Okay, um, Sirius. I wanted to talk about Sirius, and James actually." Her voice was wavering nervously and she flushed.

"Sure," he smiled. "Don't seem so nervous. What did you want to say?"

"You like him don't you?"

Remus looked suddenly flustered. "Wh- How? I don't.. No?" Lily looked silently at him, and something of the extreme anxiety in her eyes made him open his mouth again. "Yes. I do."

Lily sighed. "And I do too. I mean, I like James."

"You do? Why? Is something wrong with you?" Remus exclaimed, only half jokingly.

"N-no, I don't think so. Look, it's just I thought we could help each other with it and all?"

He was silent for a moment or so. "You want to talk to me about James?"

"Yeah, basically. You can talk to me about him too! If.. Er, if that's what you want." Lily flushed nearly as red as her hair and Remus chuckled.

"Go on then, tell me about how on Earth you managed to like James."

*****

      Sirius stood in the dormitory, staring at Remus' plant on the window sill. He wondered whether at their house in London Remus would bring the whole garden inside, or manage to control himself and just have a few potted plants, but Sirius highly doubted that.

James and Peter sat downstairs waiting for him in the common room - they were discussing what to do and what to buy on the Hogsmeade trip.

They wanted to talk about it all together but none of them had any idea were Remus had disappeared after class ended. Maybe he was in the library, Sirius thought to himself, scuffing his foot into the ground.

Realising how long he'd been missing just to go to the bathroom, Sirius trudged back down the stairs and made his way over to James and Peter.

"Hey Pads," James said, glancing up at Sirius' stony expression in dismay. "What's wrong?"

"It's been a long day and I couldn't sleep last night," he grumbled, sinking back into an armchair.

It was true, Sirius hadn't slept at all, he had just lay there listening to Remus muttering and calling out in his sleep. He had heard these noises more often recently, and he could tell that Remus was getting the same reoccurring nightmare. He had no idea what it was, but at least twice every night Remus would call out "no, get away from me. I don't want to hurt you". Sirius was always tempted to wake the sleeping boy and tell him it was alright, but he stopped himself every time.