No Control // Wolfstar

Ten

A light breeze shifts Remus' curtains in the early hours of the morning. He rubs his eyes sleepily, rolling over when the door to the dormitory shuts quietly. Remus leans up on his elbows, peering through his curtains to see Sirius' empty bed. Barely able to keep his eyes open, he falls onto his pillow back into a deep slumber.

A large bang and a string of curses awakes Remus for the second time that morning. He swats away the curtains blindly, blinking twice to clearly see James trying to simultaneously put on his boot and comb his hair.

"What are you doing?" Remus asks, his voice hoarse and deeper than normal.

"Quidditch tryouts Remus!" James shouts. He successfully gets his boot on, and throws the comb to the ground. "Agh no use combing it. It'll never stay put."

Beside Remus, Sirius swipes open his curtains just as annoyed. "Potter get the hell out!" he shouts.

James holds his broom between his legs while putting on his jersey and rolls his eyes. "I'm going!" He picks up his broom and dashes out of the room, letting the door slam behind.

Rather than falling back to sleep, Sirius pulls himself out of bed. He turns to Remus as he slips on a pair of sweatpants with raised eyebrows. "You coming?"

"To quidditch tryouts?"

"No. Get up, Lupin."

Remus obliges, though he isn't entirely sure why. He reaches for a sweater hanging off of James' bedpost. The large maroon sweatshirt is a little baggy on him so he rolls the sleeves up and slides on his slippers.

Sirius has his bag slung over his shoulder while he waits by the door. The walk to the mysterious destination starts to become familiar when they get to the seventh floor. Remus waits patiently as Sirius paces the floor three times, and a yellow door appears on the previously blank wall. He shyly follows Sirius inside, immediately gawking at the beauty of the transformed room. All the walls were windows displaying the magnificent sunrise over the grounds. The only thing in the room was a couch that faced the view.

"Like it?" Sirius says, walking over to the couch.

"It's beautiful," Remus replies. He walks around the perimeter of the room, staring down at the castle.

"I come here to draw." Sirius sits on the couch, pulling out his sketchpad and a row of colored charcoal sticks. Remus takes a seat beside Sirius when he pulls out two books from his bag. "Here."

Remus takes the books, studying the covers with a faint smile. His copy of The Outsiders and The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

"I used to read that one all the time in first year," Sirius admits, pointing to the dark navy cover of the second book. "It helped..." He clears his throat, moving to flip his sketchpad open.

The sun peeks over the hilly grounds, its light casting various shades into the clear morning sky. Sirius sketched out the detailed scenery with a black charcoal stick before using the colors to enhance it. Remus picked up The Tales of Beedle the Bard, reading some of the stories; he sits with his back against the arm of the couch, his legs bent just barely touching Sirius as he draws.

Peering over the top of his book, Remus examines the way Sirius draws. His grey eyes admire the sunrise, while speculating the intricate details of the castle off to the side. His hand moves fluidly, rarely stopping. The sunlight illuminates his eyes, giving them a sparkle of silver rather than grey, highlighting his features. The way his eyebrows furrowed when he came across a difficult pattern; the way his hair was consistently pushed back, yet still managed to fall in front of his face; the way he bit his lip when deciding what color to use next.

"Why do you draw?" Remus asks curiously, lowering his book to look at Sirius completely.

"Because I like it," he simply answers. "Why do you read?"

"To escape."

Sirius pauses, hovering his red charcoal above the parchment. "Escape from what?" He resumes his shading.

"The world." Remus closes his book and sets it aside on the floor. "Don't you ever wish you could be somebody else for a chance?" He shifts his positing to sitting straight up, his hands resting on his calf only inches away from Sirius. "I- When I read about someone else I can forget about my own life. All the parts I wish could just disappear. I don't have to be Remus Lupin."

Sirius leans forward, the intensity in Remus' eyes lighting a fire within his own. "What's so bad about being Remus Lupin?"

Remus' lips ghost over Sirius'. They stare at each other in silence for a second when Sirius suddenly pulls away. "I have to go," he says putting away his drawing materials hastily.

Remus watches him scramble to put his things away. The look in his eyes replays in Remus' head. He was scared. Surely he didn't know about his secret. What could Sirius Black possibly be afraid of?

The sounds of rummaging and footsteps had long gone. And before Remus knows it, he's alone.

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A/N: I know some of the chapters might seem a little boring or out of place but I promise there's some details that will be important and help later