𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 | remus lupin

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓰𝓾𝔂𝓼

SIRIUS WAS JUST so cool , Winnie thought.

It was a couple of weeks after his birthday and she hadn't had too many opportunities to see him. Now that she was no longer occupied with the prank war and planning choreography, Everett had been stealing her away on as many dates as he could. When she wasn't with him, she was studying with Lily, Peter, and Remus or practicing Quidditch and planning practices.

Now, it was night. Specifically, the time of night that hung between the setting moon and the rising sun and provided a silence so quiet, it was loud.

She'd snuck her way to the astronomy tower to do some last minute astronomy homework she'd put off and found Sirius. He was leaning gracefully against one of the tall columns, his school robes replaced with his signature leather jacket. He had a lit cigarette between his lips and he leaned out, staring out into the night.

So cool.

"Hey," Winnie said, stepping out of the doorway.

Sirius momentarily startled before relaxing after seeing her familiar figure. "Hey."

She stepped up next to him and leaned on the railing. The wind carried over the Black Lake and all the way up to where they stood, rustling her curls. Wordlessly, she reached out for the cigarette and took a few drags before passing it back.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, breaking the tension.

Winnie shrugged. "Kind of. Had a lot on my mind so I figured I may as well come up and get some work done." She gestured half-heartedly at the pile of books and star maps on the floor.

"Weren't you just up here with Lily and Peter the other night doing this?" Sirius asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Well, yes. But I didn't get as much done as them."

"That much is obvious."

Winnie snorted. "What about you? Couldn't sleep?"

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows slightly and rubbed the spot between them, not saying anything. Winnie noticed with mild amusement that it was something James did when in deep thought—scrunching up his face and pushing up his glasses by the bridge—and despite not having spectacles, Sirius seemed to have adapted the habit.

"I ran into Regulus today," he finally said after some time. "Said that now that I was 17, it was too late to change my name to Potter. That I had to keep the last name Black, despite not belonging there anymore."

Winnie felt herself tense up, her anger for the younger Black growing. She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Sirius," she finally said. "You're a Potter, no matter what last name you carry. You live in our house, eat at our table, hell, you even have a Christmas stocking with your name on it. Your name doesn't define your family, love does."

Sirius let out a small genuine laugh. "You know, James said almost the exact same thing."

"Glad to know my idiot twin still has some of his brain cells left. Now come on, I need help with some astronomy homework."

///

"Come on Remus, just one piece?" Winnie begged at dinner, eyeing the large chunk of chocolate he chewed on moodily. James found it amusing that Remus was in such a sour mood, especially since it wasn't near a full moon.