Ignorance // Sequel to Oblivious

9

January 7, 1979

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

A fire flickered in the stone fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Remus Lupin stared into the yellow flames that licked up the sides of it's cage. He was squished up against his boyfriend, whose hands were weaved into Remus' curly locks of hair. Sirius was laughing at a joke that someone had said, but it sounded distant, almost as if it were underwater. 

" Remus." 

He was coming to the surface. He saw their mouths moving, but he couldn't hear.

" Remus? Are you okay?" 

He came out of his thoughts, up for breath. Maybe he wasn't drowning after all.

" Moony?"

Remus shook his head and snapped his attention to where he had heard the voice. Everyone's eyes were on him, boring into his mind with concerned glances. He smiled a little and kissed his boyfriend. 

" I'm okay."

" Hey, why don't we owl St. Mungos and see if we can go and visit your mum?"

Remus nodded slowly, grateful to have such caring people in his life. He conjured up a quill and some ink, as well as spare piece of parchment. The sound of the scratching pen against the scroll when he wrote soothed Remus' ears, if only for a minute.

He folded up the paper and sealed it with scarlet wax. Sirius stood up and reached down to pull Remus onto his feet. The lycanthrope took the outstretched hand and used his boyfriend's strength from hours of quidditch practice to haul his bodyweight into an upright position.  Sirius gripped his arm tightly, not wanting to ever let go.

Tight 

Tighter

"Sirius!" 

Sirius let go quickly and apologized sheepishly. 

" Lets go."

The boys weaved through the echoing halls together, yet separate, each man in their own thoughts, only connected through linked hands. The hooting of owls grew ever closer as they grew nearer to the owlery. The big wooden door held impending doom for Remus, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear back from St. Mungos. The fear of what the reply could hold reeled through his brain.

Sirius was momentarily pulled out of his own anxiety ridden thoughts when he noticed the mask that his lover was using to cover his true anticipation.  He squeezed the hand that was in his own for reassurance.

" You'll be okay."

Remus tried not to think about the fact the Sirius never mentioned his mom, never said that she would be okay.  And, Remus didn't know if he would be okay, He didn't find comfort in the words that spewed automatically from Sirius' mouth. 

The birds greeted the two with friendly hoots and Remus found himself drawn to their cheerful demeanor. He brought his long finger up to a particularly ruffled owl, letting it nip the appendage affectionately. Sirius silently took the folded letter from his boyfriend's unoccupied hand and tied it to the leg of an owl. He whispered the desired destination to it and watched as it flew off over the forbidden forest until it was no longer visible in the vast grey skies. He turned to watch Remus once again, wrapping his arms around the torso of the aforementioned. Remus' eyes gazed into the owl's, but he was not paying attention to what was happenings in his surroundings.

The small creature nipped a little too violently than intended and a speck of blood pooled on Remus' pale skin. He drew his attention to the wound and inspected it with hazy vision. He was back underwater.