The Bonds of Spirit are stronger than the Bonds of Blood

Chapter Six

Sirius found himself pacing in front of the great fireplace in the Common Room. It was the middle of the night, yet sleep continued to elude him. Earlier he, James, and Peter had discovered that their dear friend Remus was in fact a werewolf. A werewolf! Now it didn't frighten the boys; they just wanted to find a way to help him. His transformations left him isolated and in pain and Sirius was not going to allow that to continue. But how could he possibly help? A human taking on a werewolf was rather a stupid idea, but there had to be someway the three boys could keep their friend in check during the dreaded full moon! If they could change shape, maybe they could be more useful to their friend. But how were they supposed to change? And what form should they take? Magic had a lot of solutions to problems, but this one seemed just out of reach for even a wizard. As he paced, he found himself falling deeper and deeper into his thoughts. It was at this moment that another joined him in the empty Common Room.

Lily found herself unable to sleep. She had tried everything she could think of to get her mind to shut down, but despite her best efforts her thoughts kept running in a loop. Sirius and his friends had seemed a bit off today. She couldn't figure out why, but sometime between their heading out to the grounds to goof around as usual and their return to the Great Hall something had changed. Remus had been rather fidgety. He kept moving the food around his plate with his fork. James kept trying to act normal, telling stupid stories that no one believed and joking. But even then the awkward air remained. Peter was even quieter than he usually was, something Lily couldn't believe was possible. And Sirius... Sirius spent the entire meal in contemplative silence. Lily had no idea what was on his mind, but he had clearly been determined to find an answer. Ever since the pair had shared their stories on the train, it seemed like they could read each other's actions a lot better. They had spent odd moments, mainly breaks from classes when their friends were busy with other matters, getting to know each other better.

One free period, while Alice and Lydia were off preparing for the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, Lily found herself alone with Sirius in the Common Room. James had had detention at that time, while Remus and Peter had decided to gather up supplies for the next class. The duo spent the time swapping stories of their time at home. Lily spoke more about her relationship with Petunia and how, even when they were at home, she ignored Lily and refused to acknowledge her existence. Sirius sympathised, as Regulus had been doing the same whenever the pair found themselves in the same room. Though there were moments where Sirius could swear Regulus was acting like his old self, trying to show Sirius kindness in a house full of cruelty. But he never had any proof of this, so he often swept the thoughts aside as wishful thinking. Lily had been thinking about their conversations often. She was glad that she was able to see this other side of Sirius. And she was glad to have found someone who understood her plight. Finally giving up on sleep, Lily walked down the stairs to the Common Room to find Sirius pacing in front of the fire. Curious, Lily spoke. "Sirius? What's got you so agitated this evening?"