Some Day | Wolfstar

Two

Sirius was leaning against a wall facing the portrait of the Fat Lady, hands tucked in his pockets. He was shielded from the eyes of the other students by a massive shadow casted by a suit of armour. He kept some distance to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, not all that excited about coming close to the first years.

He was not waiting for them.

He watched the students scramble in, and finally he managed to see Remus at the end of the line. A small boy was clinging to Remus' hand, looking more terrified than excited. Sirius watched Remus gently push the boy in.

"Already taking your duties to heart, I see," he finally spoke up. Sirius was not surprised that Remus Lupin was chosen as a Gryffindor prefect. The post suited him well.

Remus whirled around, startled. "Sirius," he breathed in, eyes finally fixing on the pale boy hidden in a shadow.

Sirius took a step forward, into the light. "Want to go for a walk?"

Remus looked as if he wanted to protest, but looking at Sirius once again, he nodded his head. "Not too long, though."

The two boys walked out of the front doors into the cool September night. Turning his head to look at Remus, Sirius finally noticed how tall Remus had got over the past couple months. Sirius was barely above his shoulder.

The two walked in silence until they reached the Forbidden Forest. "No, Sirius," Remus shook his head, making Sirius laugh. "I agree. I'm not in the mood for trouble tonight," he grabbed Remus' hand and pulled him down to sit under a tree.

"Just needed a smoke," he tried to lean his head against the trunk of the tree, but the messy bun at the nape of his neck was getting in the way. Sirius would've got his hair cut long ago had it not looked so good. He couldn't, and wouldn't deny its effect on his already good looks.

"A smoke, huh?" Remus turned his head to look at Sirius, who was now trying to get comfortable. "Wait, let me..." Remus murmured, pulling Sirius' wand out of his hair, freeing his thick, black curls from their confines.

"Thanks, Moony," Sirius placed his wand on the grass beside him, and pulled out a packed of cigarettes. Of all the things muggles had come up with, cigarettes had to be one of the best.

"Wanna do the honours?" Sirius held a cigarette out at Remus, who, with a flick of his wand, shot a small flame at the cigarette. Sirius couldn't help smiling at the way he flicked his wrist.

Sirius looked up at the sky. He was suddenly filled with a sadness so heavy that he almost cried out. The stars were bright and beautiful, but his chest felt so tight. So he focused on Remus. How their shoulders were pressed together.

Sirius could feel Remus' gaze on him, but he closed his eyes and took a long drag anyway. It felt good in his body.

Sirius wished he could tell Remus everything. Everything good, and everything bad. Although the latter outweighed the former alarmingly. But Sirius had never been very good with words. The only words he could get perfect were spells. Magic ran in his blood. Magic worth generations upon generations coursed through his veins. But that didn't make talking any easier.

"How were your transformations?" He finally rasped out, and Remus shot him a bored look. "Quite good. Fantastic, actually," he rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry," Sirius let out a guilty sigh, and took another drag.

"I just didn't know what to say," he whispered, letting a stream of grey smoke out of his lips. "Then don't say anything," Remus offered, and Sirius wondered whether he should be offended at how indifferent Remus sounded.

He decided to take Remus' advice. Closing his eyes, he shifted a little closer to Remus. It was getting cold. Remus didn't move away when Sirius leaned his head on his shoulder.

Instead, Sirius felt the cigarette leave his fingers. He wanted to protest, but only opened his eyes to watch Remus put it out against the grass.

"It's not good for you, Sirius," Remus threw it away. "I know," Sirius sighed, closing his eyes again. They stayed quiet for a while. It was Remus who broke the silence after some minutes.

"At home... is everything..."

"It's getting worse. So much worse," Sirius whispered. Unlike the year before, he had not spent the vacation at James'. He had stayed at home. Big mistake.

Sirius didn't understand how such animosity could rise from his own family. His blood. Wasn't that what mattered the most? Wasn't family more important than anything? Didn't family always come first?

Not with the Blacks, no. Apparently fucking not.

"Sirius..."

"No, it's okay. I... I'm here now. I'm alright," he smiled. A moment later, before Remus could respond, he added, "You've grown taller."

"So I've gathered," Remus laughed, and gave Sirius' hair a ruffle. It now flowed up to his shoulders in soft waves. "I see you've found a way to repurpose your wand."

Sirius burst into a quiet laugh. "Do you like it?" He asked, opening his eyes to look at Remus.

"I do. You look good like that," Remus said, and Sirius suddenly became aware of how close there faces were. Remus' chin was almost grazing his forehead. He pulled himself away.

"Thank you," he breathed out, and cleared his throat. "We should... we should get back to our dorms. You're a prefect now, we can't have you getting into trouble." Picking his wand up, he stood, and stretched himself.

The two boys fell into a slow stroll, the wind whipping at them. And when they moved a little closer to each other because of the cold, the stars above them might have burned just a little brighter.