Chapter 1
Title: Moonstruck
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
In which Sirius meets Remus
Chapter 1
Though the boys had been planning this for weeks now, they hadn't planned it out all that well. They ended up waiting outside the Ravenclaw towers for a good 15 minutes before someone stopped by and said the password that would gain them admittance. Most of the good little Ravenclaws were already inside the dorms, since it was past 9 o-clock. Finally, a frazzled looking 7th year rushed past them on his way back from the Library, and unwittingly allowed the two Gryffindors inside the common room.
The boys took a moment to glance around the room, furnished with the signature blue and bronze color of the House. It was as plush as their own common room with a cheerful fire crackling by the right wall. The groups of students chatting around the fireplace gave the area a warmth that had been lacking in the Slytherin dungeons, which the two had got a glimpse at during one of their pranks.
James quickly located Lily, and was about to head over to her when Sirius grabbed his arm. "Hold on you idiot. What are you going to do, scare the living daylight out of her with your disembodied voice?"
The spectacled boy blinked at Sirius for a moment before making his decision. "Here goes." He stated before pushing the cloak off of both of them and heading towards his favorite redhead. Most of the students were faced towards the fire and away from them, so didn't notice the sudden appearance of the Gryffindors. However, it didn't take long at all after they heard Lily gasp.
"James! What are you doing here?" she asked, shocked.
~~~((*))~~~
While James was off gallivanting with Lily, Sirius looked warily around the room. This could take hours, and he needed something to amuse himself in the meantime. He considered scandalizing some of the Ravenclaws that had been glaring at him suspiciously since they noticed him. He glanced at a group of tittering 5th years who kept sending him what they must have thought were come-hither looks, and quickly headed in the other direction. He noticed a frail-looking boy sitting at a desk quietly reading and ignoring the commotion that had occurred around him. He seemed harmless enough.
"Hullo." Sirius said as he sat across from the boy. He was startled when the boy looked up with an intense golden-brown gaze. There was something intriguing about those eyes . . .
"Do I know you?"
"Umm. I'm Sirius Black." He got no response to that. "You know, star Gryffindor Chaser." He continued with his trademark grin. Still no recognition.
"I don't follow Quidditch."
"Oh." Who didn't follow Quidditch? "What's your name?" It was the only thing he could think of to say.
"Remus Lupin."
"Oh."
The other boy returned to his book, and Sirius found himself missing the feel of those eyes on him. He entertained himself by trying to figure out the boy's origins. He had a faint accent, sort of lilting. Lupin, was that French? He drummed his fingers on the desk as he tried to remember what his French cousin on his mother's side had sounded like. She had only visited them that one summer when he was eight. And he had spent most of the time hiding from her so she wouldn’t pinch his cheeks.
"Could you please stop doing that?"
What? Oh, the finger drumming. "Sorry." Sirius found himself saying abashedly. What was it about this boy that made him feel like a complete moron? He was usually so confident. James would say cocky or arrogant, but in the kindest way possible.
"What're you reading?" He wanted to hear that voice again. Preferably not chastising him.
"Intermediate Transfiguration." Ah. A 5th year then, Sirius had taken the class the previous year. It was one of the few classes he actually enjoyed; he excelled at transfiguration.
"I don't remember seeing you around." Hogwarts was a medium sized school. And even if Remus wasn't a Quidditch fan, Sirius was sure he would remember him from the Sorting Ceremony. Though he may have been distracted when James started raving about how the one new pretty girl (even then, Lily Evans) had been sorted into Ravenclaw.
"I transferred this year." Well that explained it.
"From where?"
"Beauxbatons."
“So, you’re French.” Sirius mentally patted himself on the back. “You speak English remarkably well.”
“Actually, I’m English. I was born in Sussex. My father is French and we moved to France after . . . when I was little. I spent most of my childhood there with my grandparents.”
"Why did you transfer?" But instead of answering Lupin just looked sort of annoyed. And ashamed.
"Look, I really have to finish this before tomorrow." He said, indicating the book in his hands.
"What are you working on? Maybe I can help."
"I don't need any help."
Now it was Sirius' turn to be annoyed. "I wasn't suggesting that you did. It's just that I've taken the class already, so I thought I could give you a few pointers."
Lupin considered.
“I have a test in the morning and I can’t seem to get this spell right. Tempus morpheus!” He pointed at a spare quill on his desk. The quill floated a few inches in the air, shivered, and then burst into a fine powder. “It’s supposed to turn into an hourglass, but all I can manage is sand.”
"You're saying the spell right, but your movement is all wrong. You're holding your hand too stiff. See you have to end the movement with a swish. That's what determines the type of hourglass." Sirius demonstrated.
"A swish?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm serious!”
"I know you are, you've stated that before."
Sirius looked at him incredulously. It appeared this bookish boy had a sense of humor after all. “Try it again, with the swish this time.”
Remus tried, but his movement was off, and the book he had been aiming at turned into a sundial. “Oh bugger. I’m much better at Defense Against the Dark Arts.”
“Here, let me show you.” Sirius said, getting up and moving behind Remus. He leaned one arm on the chair, and used his other hand to gently grasp the Ravenclaw’s wrist to guide his motion. Remus repeated the incantation, and this time there was a perfectly symmetrical hourglass standing before them.
“Perfect.” Sirius could only agree, as he stared at the glowing face before him. While Remus Lupin was a rather plain looking boy, the smile lit his face up from within, so that Sirius was transfixed. It was with great reluctance that he let go of the hand in his grasp. His fingers were tingling where they had touched the other boy’s skin.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
But before their conversation could progress further, they were interrupted by an enthusiastic yell from across the room. James, it seemed, had finally won that date with Miss Evans. He was practically floating as he came over to collect Sirius. Lily came over too, and started talking to Remus before they headed upstairs.
So he was a friend of Lily's. Interesting, Sirius thought. It was likely he would be accompanying James on his visits to Ravenclaw with a lot less of a struggle from now on.
“Goodnight Remus!” He called out. The pale boy turned to look at him with a soft smile.
“Goodnight Sirius.”