Singed Memories

He didn't mean to snoop, honest. Harry was merely following Molly's instruction of tidying up the still dingy Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Harry hardly was in the mood to tidy, but Molly's angry glare was not exactly what he had wanted to witness that afternoon, Fred and George had already gotten the lot. He had meant to move Remus' worn luggage, the same he had seen on the Hogwarts Express those few years before, up to where Remus planned to stay the night. Harry neglected to retie the string that had meant to hold it shut, the locks had worn out quite a long time ago it seemed. The contents spilled hastily to the floor, causing Harry to panic.

He knew Remus would be back soon, along with the majority of the Order. He rummaged through the few articles of clothing, trying to put everything back to the way it was. As Harry grabbed a tattered woolen red jumper, he heard a soft thunk. To his surprise, he found a book resting where the sound had emitted, pages opened against the ground. The cover looked worn, much like the rest of Remus' belongings. Embossed in a gold font the letters 'R.J.L' were sprawled across the face and spine of the cover. It was a journal, Harry concluded. The last thing Harry wanted to do was pry into Remus' personal matters, so he softly shut the book and replaced it back in the case.

"I think you missed something," A raspy voice echoed. Harry jumped, swinging his head to the source of the sound. It was Sirius, fresh out of his afternoon nap. His hair was frizzy, unkempt, voice still thick with slumber. "There, next to his panties." Sirius was pointing at a small scrap of parchment, holding back a laugh. Indeed there it was, tucked slightly under a pair of Remus' undergarments. Harry quickly grabbed the scrap, but it was not a scrap at all; it was a photograph. Harry looked closer at the moving image, it was singed in the corner. Standing tall was a young and smiling Remus, his skin appeared to be less scarred, grin stretched from ear to ear. Placed next to him was a young woman, grin rivaling the one plastered on Remus' face. The two locked glances with one another, a gaze filled with admiration and possibly love. Harry could have sworn he saw a darkening tint grow on Remus' face. "You shouldn't stare too long."

"What?" Harry's head shot up, glancing back at Sirius, who had moved to the couch. "Oh! You're probably right." Harry placed the photo back into the journal. "Sirius," Harry asked, hesitating. Sirius glanced up from his hands, he was picking at his fingernails. His grey eyes still held the aftereffects of sleep. "Who was in that photo? With Remus, I mean." Sirius's face hardened slightly, his features growing stiff.

"Well..." Sirius's hand found a way into his hair, pushing long locks out of his face. He had managed to take a shower earlier that morning, his hair still appeared to be a bit damp. "It really isn't my place to—"

"Sirius," Harry interrupted. "Please. Everyone keeps secrets from me! It's not like I can't handle it, I can handle quite a lot, thanks." Sirius paused, as if he was weighing his options. His eyes darted from Harry, who had a distant look of anger drawn on his face, back to Remus' tattered case. "If you can't tell me, I'll ask Remus myself."

"And have him know you were snooping through his things?" Harry's face flushed, color rising to the tips of his ears. Sirius shot him a knowing grin, only for it to fall before he spoke again. "Listen," Sirius leaned in, placing his elbows on his knees, his hair falling to frame his face. "This isn't my story to tell. Remus'll share when he's open to it. It—it doesn't exactly have the happiest ending."

"Is she?"

"Yeah." The room grew colder, Harry felt a chill run up his spine. Of course she was, everyone seemed to follow the same fate. Sirius stood up, interrupting Harry's thinking. "Well, it smells like Molly made some of that beef soup for lunch, we might as well go and grab a bowl before those identical gits decide to spike it again," Sirius sighed. "We only have so many toilets in the house you know." Harry smiled at Sirius, only for a moment before he spoke up again.