Fic - "Who's Got Trouble?" Remus/Sirius, Remus/James
Title: Who's Got Trouble?, Part 7/7; Pairing: Remus/Sirius, Remus/James
VII
Sirius stood looking out the window, watching the spotlight sweep through the darkness. He felt deeply sated and completely unsatisfied all at once. He glanced over at Remus, who was perched on the desk, a drink cradled in his hands and guilt stamped on his face. He looked a million miles away.
“What happens now?” Sirius asked. He lit a cigarette, still watching Remus.
Remus gave his head a slight shake. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I… don’t….”
“If he needs you again, will you go to him?” Sirius asked, needing to know the answer.
Remus sighed. “I don’t have the strength to leave you again,” he said, almost sadly. Sirius’s heart jumped into his throat. To hear those words from Remus after all this
time -
“You left me once before,” he said, rather stubbornly.
He watched Remus nod. “I did.”
Sirius had to ask. “Why?”
Remus opened and shut his mouth. “It was… it was so confusing, Sirius. James had come home to find Death Eaters in Peter’s house, with Lily and Wormtail already engaged in battle. He summoned the Aurors right away, and when his call came, I couldn’t ignore it. There were so many bodies by the time I got there, and the Dark Mark hung above the house….” Remus’s eyes had a far off look in them, slightly horrified with the memory of what he must have seen that day.
“Lily had been hit with Avada Kedavra, and Peter had been shot down, and there wasn’t time to think. It was clear they had come to kill James, who had arrived back later than expected from his trip, and James had to get out of there, he had to. I wrote you that note, but I know it wasn’t enough. I wanted to write again, but correspondence with England was too risky, and we had to keep moving.”
He looked slightly horrified. "I don’t regret it,” he said. “James and Harry needed me. They wouldn’t have survived without me.” He brought his eyes up Sirius. “But James doesn’t need me now, not like he did then, and I won’t leave you again. I don’t think I could bear it - we’ve had too many chances ripped away from us.”
Sirius crossed to him. “What about James?” he asked. James, who had lost so much already. Was Sirius willing to take Remus away from him as well? He looked at Remus, trying to imagine having the strength to let him go again. He didn’t think he had it in him.
Remus looked miserable. “James… will keep fighting without me. This cause is more important to him than anything, and if he can save Harry… that will be all that matters to him. James loves me,” Remus said, quietly, “But I’m not the love of his life. That was Lily. Now it’s Harry.” Remus grasped Sirius’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “But you will give him the locket, won’t you?”
Sirius nodded. “Of course I will. I just hope it will be enough.”
“It will have to be,” Remus said.
There was a crash downstairs. Sirius and Remus both jumped slightly. “You really should learn to lock your door,” Remus said with a look concern thrown over his shoulder. Voices floated up the stairs.
Sirius moved to his office door, pulling it open. A sliver of light spilled in.
“It should be safe here,” he heard Pansy say. Her meeting must have ended early. He felt Remus come up behind him.
“Stay here,” he instructed. “Let me see what’s going on.” He took the stairs at a gallop. Pansy hovered over someone. “What’s happened?” Sirius asked, looking to confirm that the front door had been properly shut.
Pansy moved aside, and Sirius’s eyes fell on James, bleeding badly from a cut on his arm. “They broke up our meeting,” Pansy said, speaking quickly. “We only just got away, though I think some others were captured.” She trembled as she spoke, pressing a rag to James’s arm. James was going pale, making the dark patches under his eyes very prominent. It was the first time Sirius had seen him tired.
Sirius avoided his gaze.
“Pansy,” he said. “I want you out of here. There’s no chance the guards didn’t follow the two of you here.” When Pansy opened her mouth to protest, Sirius forcibly grasped her arm. “I’ll be right back, Potter,” he said, marching Pansy to the stairs.
He opened the door to his office. Remus stood in the same place he’d left him, concern etched upon his face. “What’s wrong?” he asked right away.
Pansy turned surprised eyes on them both, but said nothing. Sirius shook his head. “It’s James,” he said.
Remus made as if to move towards the door. “Is he hurt?” he asked. He looked dismal. “What does he need?”
Sirius put himself between Remus and the door. “He’s fine,” he said, “or he will be. I need you to make sure Pansy gets home safely, please.” He looked Remus square in the eye. “I’ll make sure James is okay.”
Remus nodded. “I know you will. Where do we get out?”
Sirius aimed his chin in the direction of a door on the opposite side of the office. “That’ll get you to the alley out back,” he said. Pansy had already made her way to the door. She stood with her hand upon the handle, waiting for Remus.
Remus spoke quietly. “Don’t say anything to him. Let me. I owe him that much.”
“Of course,” Sirius agreed, thinking he’d never want to be the one to give James the news. Not James. “I…I love you,” he said, very softly.
Remus gave him a wobbly smile. “I love you too,” he said, just as quietly.
“Now, go,” Sirius commanded. “And be careful.” He grabbed the bottle off his desk and made his way back to the bar.
“That’s quite a scratch you’ve got on you, Potter,” Sirius remarked, coming to a halt in front of James, his eyes closed, breathing heavily through his nose.
James opened his eyes slowly. Sirius could see pain there. He looked away. “It’ll heal,” was all James said.
The rag he held to his arm was nearly soaked through. Sirius found another. “Here,” he said, going to James and peeling the blood soaked rag from his arm. “A clean one should help.” He stood so close to James now that he could see the flecks in his hazel eyes. “That rag wasn’t tight enough,” Sirius commented, tying the second rag tight enough to halt the bleeding. “That should do it.”
James looked him in the eye. “Thank you.”
Sirius nodded, uncomfortable. “This should help too,” he said, setting two glasses on the bar and pouring a generous shot into each of them. He slid one glass down the bar. James caught it with his good hand and knocked back half its contents in one swallow. He grimaced.
“I wasn’t wrong about them following you,” Sirius continued, taking a large sip from his own glass. He exhaled loudly. “We should really get you out of here.”
James nodded. He stood. “I can probably make it back to the hotel. Thanks for the drink, Bla - Sirius. “ He swayed a little on his feet, and Sirius moved on instinct to help him. James held up his hand. “No, I’m fine.” He met Sirius’s eye. “I know about you and Remus,” he said after a long pause. Sirius felt a jolt of panic rush through him. How could he possibly -?
“That you used to be in love with each other,” James continued. And Sirius tried to relax. “And that you would probably be together now, if Remus hadn’t… if I hadn’t needed him. I just want you to know, I’m sorry for the way things turned out.” James grimaced again. “And not just with you and Remus. I’m sorry for how everything turned out.” His meaning was clear, and Sirius wanted nothing more than to agree with him. But he didn’t have it in him, not when he may have just taken the best thing in James’s life away from him.
Instead he said, “You have no reason to be sorry for anything, James.”
James nodded. He began to turn towards the front door when three armed men crashed in. Sirius jumped slightly, but James remained impassive.
“Potter?” growled one of them.
“That’s me,” said James, standing up a bit taller.
“We’ve a warrant for your immediate arrest,” the man said around a vicious smile. “You’re to come with me now.”
Sirius thought he would protest, but James only held his head high, casting a long look at Sirius before allowing himself to be escorted from the bar.
*
“You won’t be able to hold him for long. You know that.”
“I can hold him longer than a day,” Horace said. “Letting him go is not an option. I appreciate that he was once a friend of yours, Black, but Umbridge would never agree to let him out so quickly. At least, not before he spent a good deal of time with the Dementors.” Horace shuddered slightly. There were many particularly nasty aspects of this job, but handing over people to the Dementors was by far the most awful. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like a drink? I just bought a marvelous bottle of vintage port last week.”
Sirius shook his head impatiently, leaning forward in his chair. “I’m not doing this out of concern for Potter. I’m doing it for me.”
“What does setting Potter free have to do with you, other than maybe easing your conscience?”
Sirius smiled. Inexplicably, Horace was reminded of the boy he had taught. “I don’t expect him to be free for long, old man. I expect you to arrest him again, and this time on charges that will stick.”
Horace sat back in his chair and clasped his hands in front of his belly. “What sort of charges would those be?”
“Possession of contraband.”
Something clicked in Horace’s mind. “The locket… does he have it?”
Sirius shook his head. “No, but he will.”
Horace didn’t trust him. “We searched your place this morning, Black. It wasn’t there.”
“Do you think I’d put it somewhere you could find it? Give me some credit.”
“All right,” said Horace. “Suppose you’re telling me the truth. What possible reason would you have for ensuring that Potter is put away for life?”
“I’m leaving,” Sirius said. He paused. “With Remus Lupin.”
Horace’s eyebrows shot up. “I did not see that coming,” he said with a coy smile. “I always said you were sentimental.”
Sirius returned the smile, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll make sure Potter has the locket on him,” he said. “But I need you to do something for me.”
Hesitantly, Horace nodded. “What would that be?”
“I want out. I want use of your Floo for Remus and myself.”
“Remus Lupin is nearly as wanted as James Potter,” Horace pointed out.
“There’s no deal if I don’t have your guarantee that Remus and I both leave here unscathed. As a matter of fact,” Sirius said, sitting back, “I won’t be giving James the locket until I have complete proof that Remus and I will be safe. Tonight, at your Floo portal. I’ll give it to him there.”
“How will you even get him there?”
“When you release him, have your boys bring him there. Leave the rest to me. Potter’s got a suspicious mind though, so it’d be in your best interest to call off your men once he’s there.” Sirius leaned forward again. “Do we have a deal?”
Horace still didn’t trust him completely, and the idea of turning James Potter over to Voldemort still left him a little unsettled, but the truth of the matter was there was no real hope for Potter. He’d signed his own death warrant long ago. If Horace was the one to bring him in… well, a fat raise was the least compensation he expected. Still, it wouldn’t do to walk into this entirely alone. Dolores Umbridge would be delighted by the news.
He found himself nodding. “It won’t be the same without you here. I had grown rather fond of you, you know.”
Sirius smiled at him. “I’m certain whatever compensation your government gives you will more than make up for the lonely nights you’ll spend missing me.”
“Undoubtedly,” agreed Slughorn. “Until tonight then.”
*
It was raining.
He stood at the window, lulled into a false sense of calm by the sound. Tonight, the letter in his hand said. Tonight they would escape. He knew Sirius Black had many wretched qualities, but Severus had to hand it to him: he was still loyal to a fault.
*
He’d placed a closed sign on the front door of Sirius’s. He’d signed over the deed to the place to Pansy. He’d dressed for traveling. He sent a note to Remus, asking that he meet Sirius at seven, and another, longer note to Snape, hoping the man had enough decency in him to hear Sirius out.
He did not think about the future. He’d learned not to a long time ago.
Sirius regarded the locket, holding it up to the light. It didn’t look like much, as far as he was concerned, rather tacky and unimpressive. It didn’t hum in his hands or twinkle with supernatural force. But a piece of Voldemort’s soul was in it.
It was decidedly creepy. He shuddered and slipped it back into his pocket, hand brushing against a folded up piece of parchment in the process.
The front door opened.
Remus walked in, robes soaked though and looking grim and shaken, face drawn and shoulders hunched over. He rushed to Sirius immediately, giving him a long, anxious stare, and Sirius put his arms around him, unconcerned with the water that dripped off of Remus. He wanted nothing more than to cast the feel of Remus in bronze, to put it in his pocket and keep it with him always.
“Everything will be all right,” Sirius said, trying to believe the words.
Remus tried to smile, and failed miserably. “Of course it will,” he said. “James is coming here, then?”
Sirius nodded. “They have nothing to hold him on.”
Remus gave an absent-minded nod. “I should do this by myself. If you can give us a moment….”
The door opened a second time, and James walked in. He too was dripping from head to toe. He eyed Remus and Sirius for a moment, and Remus took a step away from Sirius.
“I should thank you for getting me out,” James said, turning to Sirius. Tension radiated off him.
Sirius shook his head. “Don’t thank me until you’re actually out of danger,” he said.
James frowned. “That’s not likely to ever happen,” he said.
“I have the locket,” Sirius told him, watching James’s face. “And a way for you to escape tonight.” He pulled the locket out of his pocket. “Here,” he said, offering his hand to James. The chain hung from his finger; the locket swung pendulously before him, glowing in the light. James’s eyes followed it as if hypnotized.
Sirius cast a look at Remus, who was watching James with bated breath, his eyes slightly glossy.
“That’s it,” James breathed. He reached out and cupped the locket, slipping the chain from Sirius’s hand. He looked at it as if it was the most precious thing he had ever held.
James didn’t look as if he believed what he held in his grasp. “What do you want from me in return?” he asked suspiciously, eyes finally moving to Sirius.
Sirius cast another quick glance towards Remus. He looked back at James. “Nothing at all,” he said. “It’s on the house.”
“I don’t know how to thank you -.”
“That fireplace over there,” Sirius said, nodding behind James. “It’ll take you wherever you need to go. There’s a special incantation for it.”
James studied Sirius for a moment, as if too overcome to fully grasp his words. Then he frowned. “Do you know it?”
Sirius shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.”.
James opened his mouth. “Sirius,’ he began.
Another door opened, towards the back of the room. Slughorn was highlighted in the entranceway, his bulbous belly protruding slightly. “Mr. Potter,” he said, quite loudly, his wand aimed at the three of them. “In possession of stolen goods.” He tisked. “I’m afraid I have little choice but to arrest you.”
Sirius slipped his hand casually inside his pocket. Both James and Remus had turned surprised eyes towards him. “No,” Remus said, taking a quick step towards James. “That’s not -.”
Sirius saw Slughorn give a rather delighted smile in James’s direction. “Sirius is a tricky young man,” he said, “but it turns out you have something he finds even more precious than this locket, and in the end, he - ”
“Hold on,” Sirius said. He pulled his wand. “Expelliarmus,” he said quietly. Slughorn’s wand flew from his grasp into Sirius’s hands.
“Potter’s not the one who’s in for the surprise today, I’m afraid, old man.”
Slughorn’s smile faded. “You sneaky bastard,” he said.
“It takes one to know one, wouldn’t you say?” He slipped Slughorn’s wand into his pocket. “I shouldn’t like to have to use this,” Sirius said, waving his own wand around. “But I will. The incantation for the portal, if you don’t mind.”
Slughorn remained silent and Sirius waved his wand again. “Now isn’t the time to be stubborn,” he said with a threat heavy in his voice. “The incantation. And be quick about it.”
“Has sense left you completely?” Slughorn asked. “You’ll be arrested immediately, you must know that.”
“It has and I do,” Sirius said. “Now give it.”
Slughorn nodded and reluctantly gave the spell.
Sirius held out his wand to James. “I’ll leave the honors to you,” he said. “But keep an eye on this guy.” He nodded towards Slughorn. James took the wand with a nod of his own. While he bent low to whisper the incantation, Sirius turned to Remus.
“Are you ready to go?” he said.
“Go?” Remus said. Comprehension dawned on his face. “No, Sirius,” he said. “I’m only leaving if you are.”
“Don’t be a fool,” Sirius said. “You belong with James.”
Remus remained determined. “I belong with you.”
Sirius shook his head sadly. “You know you can’t turn your back on this now. You’ve come too far, and you have to see this war to its end. I know you, Remus,” Sirius whispered, his eyes resting on Remus’s face. “You won’t be happy if you don’t.”
“I’ll be happy with you,” Remus insisted.
“You might be happy with me for a few months, even a few years, but eventually this life, it would suck away everything good inside of you. The guilt would eat you up, sending James into this battle alone. You’re a good man,” Sirius said, reaching out to touch Remus’s cheek. “You would never be happy unless you were helping to change the world. I know you love me,” Sirius continued when Remus opened his mouth to protest. “And I’ll always love you. But what we had….” He trailed off, forcing back tears.
“What about our dreams?” Remus asked. He voice broke just slightly.
Sirius swallowed. “We’ll always have those,” he said. “But this is reality. It’s cruel, and it’s heartless, but it is what it is. I don’t want to be the thing that holds you back, Remus, and I will be, if I let you stay with me.” Though it hurt to say it, Sirius knew the truth of his words. “The life you want, it’s with James now.”
Remus looked as if he wanted to argue with him, but he said nothing. He glanced at James, still bent over the fireplace, and looked back at Sirius, nodding.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Always.”
“I love you.”
“It’s all set,” James said from beside the fireplace. Remus walked resolutely over to him. They stood together, both still wet from the rain. Sirius met James’s eye.
James held out his hand. “Your wand,” he said to Sirius.
“Keep it,” Sirius said. “It won’t do me much good now.”
James hesitated. “What will you do?”
Sirius shrugged. “What I always do,” he answered. “Survive. There’s something else I want you to have,” he said, reaching into his pocket again. He pulled out a slip of parchment. “If you’re going to Hogwarts, this will come in handy.”
“I can’t believe you still have this,” James said, taking the Marauder’s map from Sirius’s hands. He looked up at Sirius, his eyes overcome with memories.
“I couldn’t bear to part with it,” Sirius admitted. He gestured to the fireplace. “You two had better get going.”
“Padfoot, I….”
“There’s no need,” Sirius said.
He watched them move together. Remus went into the portal first. He didn’t look at Sirius again. He would have bruises from Sirius’s hands on his skin. Would he mourn their fading?
“You are a good man,” James said with a slight smile, after Remus had disappeared from sight. Sirius tried to keep his face calm. “I was right all along.”
“Don’t let it go to your head, Potter. You might not be able to fit it into that fireplace if it gets any bigger.”
James gave a familiar laugh, and Sirius couldn’t help but smile in return. James stepped into the fireplace. In a flash of green smoke and ash, he too disappeared.
Sirius stared at the empty hearth.
“You know I’m going to have to arrest you,” Slughorn commented. He made no move towards Sirius.
“I do,” Sirius said.
The front door opened with a loud clatter. Sirius glanced towards it, expecting -
Umbridge marched into the room, her robes neatly pressed and her hair pulled back in its ridiculous bow.
Sirius aimed a look at Slughorn. “Is this your doing?”
Slughorn shrugged. “Sneaky bastard, remember? I had to ensure I had backup.”
Umbridge looked impatiently around the room. “Where are Potter and Lupin?”
“They’ve already gone to the Three Broomsticks,” Slughorn said. He held up his hands, as if showing he had no control over the matter.
“When did they leave?” she asked, already moving towards the hearth. “If it wasn’t long ago we can still catch them.”
Sirius drew Slughorn’s wand from his pocket. “Get away from the fireplace,” he demanded.
Umbridge paid him no heed. “We’ll have to follow them,” she said, pulling her wand and aiming it at the fireplace.
“I told you get away,” Sirius said. “I have no qualms about using this on you.”
She didn’t appear to be listening. “I knew Madam Rosemerta wasn’t to be trusted,” she mumbled. “We’ll need to inform Hogwarts immediately, send out as many men as possible…”
“Drop your wand,” Sirius said again, aiming his own. He couldn’t let her leave here -
The door banged open again, this time blowing completely off its hinges. A flash of green light hit Umbridge. She crumpled to the ground. Sirius and Slughorn both turned towards the door. Snape stood in the rain, robes drenched and stuck to his tall, lanky frame. His hair was plastered to his head. Water dripped from his nose. He really was one ugly piece of work.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Sirius said. He couldn’t believe how happy he was to see him.
“And miss an opportunity to see you standing alone with no friends left in the world? Not likely,” Snape sneered.
Sirius shot a glance at Slughorn, who stood watching the two with his mouth hanging open, his chins effectively piled up against his neck.
“I’ve got backup too,” was all Sirius said.
To his surprise, Slughorn chuckled. “She really did have the most awful taste,” he said. He bent towards the fireplace with a heavy groan, picked up Umbridge’s fallen wand, and whispered a spell. Both Sirius and Snape trained their wands on him.
Blue light flashed. A tired looking Death Eater’s face came into view.
“Dolores Umbridge has been murdered,” Slughorn told the man. “I expect a suspect list on my desk in the morning.”
The Death Eater in the fire nodded. “Of course, Sir,” he said. Sirius could already see the wheels grinding in his head.
The flames died just as quickly as they had appeared. “You two had better leave town,” Slughorn said, standing with some difficulty and turning back to them. “You know the incantation,” he said to Sirius. “But when your side wins, I want you to remember who let you go.’
Sirius glanced at Snape, who glared at him, but said, “We could probably use the services of someone as morally corrupt as you.”
Sirius felt his lip curl. “Coming from you, I’m going to take that as a compliment.” He sent a glance towards Slughorn. “I’m keeping your wand,” he said.
“Of course you are. How else am I going to explain that you got away?” He turned towards the spot where the door once hung. “If you’re not gone in five minutes, I’ll be back to arrest you,” he called over his shoulder, disappearing into the darkness and rain.
Sirius watched him go. He held the wand in his hand.
“You can go anywhere you want now, Black,” Snape said when Sirius turned his eyes to him. “You can even leave me here to take the fall.”
Sirius nodded. “Is that what you expect me to do?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Even after what you just did for me, you think I’d do that?”
“I didn’t kill her for you. That was for Potter and Lupin, for Dumbledore.”
“Well, get ready to be surprised then,” Sirius said, “because I’m coming with you.”
Snape looked about as excited at the prospect as Sirius felt. “It’s not an easy life.”
Sirius shrugged. “It never is.”
“Don’t get any romantic ideas about us being friends, walking off into the sunset together,” Snape cautioned. He tucked his wand into his pocket. “I still can’t stand you.”
Sirius laughed. He aimed his wand at the fireplace. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said.
End
Chapter 6 here; Chapter 1 here
VII
Sirius stood looking out the window, watching the spotlight sweep through the darkness. He felt deeply sated and completely unsatisfied all at once. He glanced over at Remus, who was perched on the desk, a drink cradled in his hands and guilt stamped on his face. He looked a million miles away.
“What happens now?” Sirius asked. He lit a cigarette, still watching Remus.
Remus gave his head a slight shake. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I… don’t….”
“If he needs you again, will you go to him?” Sirius asked, needing to know the answer.
Remus sighed. “I don’t have the strength to leave you again,” he said, almost sadly. Sirius’s heart jumped into his throat. To hear those words from Remus after all this
time -
“You left me once before,” he said, rather stubbornly.
He watched Remus nod. “I did.”
Sirius had to ask. “Why?”
Remus opened and shut his mouth. “It was… it was so confusing, Sirius. James had come home to find Death Eaters in Peter’s house, with Lily and Wormtail already engaged in battle. He summoned the Aurors right away, and when his call came, I couldn’t ignore it. There were so many bodies by the time I got there, and the Dark Mark hung above the house….” Remus’s eyes had a far off look in them, slightly horrified with the memory of what he must have seen that day.
“Lily had been hit with Avada Kedavra, and Peter had been shot down, and there wasn’t time to think. It was clear they had come to kill James, who had arrived back later than expected from his trip, and James had to get out of there, he had to. I wrote you that note, but I know it wasn’t enough. I wanted to write again, but correspondence with England was too risky, and we had to keep moving.”
He looked slightly horrified. "I don’t regret it,” he said. “James and Harry needed me. They wouldn’t have survived without me.” He brought his eyes up Sirius. “But James doesn’t need me now, not like he did then, and I won’t leave you again. I don’t think I could bear it - we’ve had too many chances ripped away from us.”
Sirius crossed to him. “What about James?” he asked. James, who had lost so much already. Was Sirius willing to take Remus away from him as well? He looked at Remus, trying to imagine having the strength to let him go again. He didn’t think he had it in him.
Remus looked miserable. “James… will keep fighting without me. This cause is more important to him than anything, and if he can save Harry… that will be all that matters to him. James loves me,” Remus said, quietly, “But I’m not the love of his life. That was Lily. Now it’s Harry.” Remus grasped Sirius’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “But you will give him the locket, won’t you?”
Sirius nodded. “Of course I will. I just hope it will be enough.”
“It will have to be,” Remus said.
There was a crash downstairs. Sirius and Remus both jumped slightly. “You really should learn to lock your door,” Remus said with a look concern thrown over his shoulder. Voices floated up the stairs.
Sirius moved to his office door, pulling it open. A sliver of light spilled in.
“It should be safe here,” he heard Pansy say. Her meeting must have ended early. He felt Remus come up behind him.
“Stay here,” he instructed. “Let me see what’s going on.” He took the stairs at a gallop. Pansy hovered over someone. “What’s happened?” Sirius asked, looking to confirm that the front door had been properly shut.
Pansy moved aside, and Sirius’s eyes fell on James, bleeding badly from a cut on his arm. “They broke up our meeting,” Pansy said, speaking quickly. “We only just got away, though I think some others were captured.” She trembled as she spoke, pressing a rag to James’s arm. James was going pale, making the dark patches under his eyes very prominent. It was the first time Sirius had seen him tired.
Sirius avoided his gaze.
“Pansy,” he said. “I want you out of here. There’s no chance the guards didn’t follow the two of you here.” When Pansy opened her mouth to protest, Sirius forcibly grasped her arm. “I’ll be right back, Potter,” he said, marching Pansy to the stairs.
He opened the door to his office. Remus stood in the same place he’d left him, concern etched upon his face. “What’s wrong?” he asked right away.
Pansy turned surprised eyes on them both, but said nothing. Sirius shook his head. “It’s James,” he said.
Remus made as if to move towards the door. “Is he hurt?” he asked. He looked dismal. “What does he need?”
Sirius put himself between Remus and the door. “He’s fine,” he said, “or he will be. I need you to make sure Pansy gets home safely, please.” He looked Remus square in the eye. “I’ll make sure James is okay.”
Remus nodded. “I know you will. Where do we get out?”
Sirius aimed his chin in the direction of a door on the opposite side of the office. “That’ll get you to the alley out back,” he said. Pansy had already made her way to the door. She stood with her hand upon the handle, waiting for Remus.
Remus spoke quietly. “Don’t say anything to him. Let me. I owe him that much.”
“Of course,” Sirius agreed, thinking he’d never want to be the one to give James the news. Not James. “I…I love you,” he said, very softly.
Remus gave him a wobbly smile. “I love you too,” he said, just as quietly.
“Now, go,” Sirius commanded. “And be careful.” He grabbed the bottle off his desk and made his way back to the bar.
“That’s quite a scratch you’ve got on you, Potter,” Sirius remarked, coming to a halt in front of James, his eyes closed, breathing heavily through his nose.
James opened his eyes slowly. Sirius could see pain there. He looked away. “It’ll heal,” was all James said.
The rag he held to his arm was nearly soaked through. Sirius found another. “Here,” he said, going to James and peeling the blood soaked rag from his arm. “A clean one should help.” He stood so close to James now that he could see the flecks in his hazel eyes. “That rag wasn’t tight enough,” Sirius commented, tying the second rag tight enough to halt the bleeding. “That should do it.”
James looked him in the eye. “Thank you.”
Sirius nodded, uncomfortable. “This should help too,” he said, setting two glasses on the bar and pouring a generous shot into each of them. He slid one glass down the bar. James caught it with his good hand and knocked back half its contents in one swallow. He grimaced.
“I wasn’t wrong about them following you,” Sirius continued, taking a large sip from his own glass. He exhaled loudly. “We should really get you out of here.”
James nodded. He stood. “I can probably make it back to the hotel. Thanks for the drink, Bla - Sirius. “ He swayed a little on his feet, and Sirius moved on instinct to help him. James held up his hand. “No, I’m fine.” He met Sirius’s eye. “I know about you and Remus,” he said after a long pause. Sirius felt a jolt of panic rush through him. How could he possibly -?
“That you used to be in love with each other,” James continued. And Sirius tried to relax. “And that you would probably be together now, if Remus hadn’t… if I hadn’t needed him. I just want you to know, I’m sorry for the way things turned out.” James grimaced again. “And not just with you and Remus. I’m sorry for how everything turned out.” His meaning was clear, and Sirius wanted nothing more than to agree with him. But he didn’t have it in him, not when he may have just taken the best thing in James’s life away from him.
Instead he said, “You have no reason to be sorry for anything, James.”
James nodded. He began to turn towards the front door when three armed men crashed in. Sirius jumped slightly, but James remained impassive.
“Potter?” growled one of them.
“That’s me,” said James, standing up a bit taller.
“We’ve a warrant for your immediate arrest,” the man said around a vicious smile. “You’re to come with me now.”
Sirius thought he would protest, but James only held his head high, casting a long look at Sirius before allowing himself to be escorted from the bar.
*
“You won’t be able to hold him for long. You know that.”
“I can hold him longer than a day,” Horace said. “Letting him go is not an option. I appreciate that he was once a friend of yours, Black, but Umbridge would never agree to let him out so quickly. At least, not before he spent a good deal of time with the Dementors.” Horace shuddered slightly. There were many particularly nasty aspects of this job, but handing over people to the Dementors was by far the most awful. “Are you certain you wouldn’t like a drink? I just bought a marvelous bottle of vintage port last week.”
Sirius shook his head impatiently, leaning forward in his chair. “I’m not doing this out of concern for Potter. I’m doing it for me.”
“What does setting Potter free have to do with you, other than maybe easing your conscience?”
Sirius smiled. Inexplicably, Horace was reminded of the boy he had taught. “I don’t expect him to be free for long, old man. I expect you to arrest him again, and this time on charges that will stick.”
Horace sat back in his chair and clasped his hands in front of his belly. “What sort of charges would those be?”
“Possession of contraband.”
Something clicked in Horace’s mind. “The locket… does he have it?”
Sirius shook his head. “No, but he will.”
Horace didn’t trust him. “We searched your place this morning, Black. It wasn’t there.”
“Do you think I’d put it somewhere you could find it? Give me some credit.”
“All right,” said Horace. “Suppose you’re telling me the truth. What possible reason would you have for ensuring that Potter is put away for life?”
“I’m leaving,” Sirius said. He paused. “With Remus Lupin.”
Horace’s eyebrows shot up. “I did not see that coming,” he said with a coy smile. “I always said you were sentimental.”
Sirius returned the smile, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll make sure Potter has the locket on him,” he said. “But I need you to do something for me.”
Hesitantly, Horace nodded. “What would that be?”
“I want out. I want use of your Floo for Remus and myself.”
“Remus Lupin is nearly as wanted as James Potter,” Horace pointed out.
“There’s no deal if I don’t have your guarantee that Remus and I both leave here unscathed. As a matter of fact,” Sirius said, sitting back, “I won’t be giving James the locket until I have complete proof that Remus and I will be safe. Tonight, at your Floo portal. I’ll give it to him there.”
“How will you even get him there?”
“When you release him, have your boys bring him there. Leave the rest to me. Potter’s got a suspicious mind though, so it’d be in your best interest to call off your men once he’s there.” Sirius leaned forward again. “Do we have a deal?”
Horace still didn’t trust him completely, and the idea of turning James Potter over to Voldemort still left him a little unsettled, but the truth of the matter was there was no real hope for Potter. He’d signed his own death warrant long ago. If Horace was the one to bring him in… well, a fat raise was the least compensation he expected. Still, it wouldn’t do to walk into this entirely alone. Dolores Umbridge would be delighted by the news.
He found himself nodding. “It won’t be the same without you here. I had grown rather fond of you, you know.”
Sirius smiled at him. “I’m certain whatever compensation your government gives you will more than make up for the lonely nights you’ll spend missing me.”
“Undoubtedly,” agreed Slughorn. “Until tonight then.”
*
It was raining.
He stood at the window, lulled into a false sense of calm by the sound. Tonight, the letter in his hand said. Tonight they would escape. He knew Sirius Black had many wretched qualities, but Severus had to hand it to him: he was still loyal to a fault.
*
He’d placed a closed sign on the front door of Sirius’s. He’d signed over the deed to the place to Pansy. He’d dressed for traveling. He sent a note to Remus, asking that he meet Sirius at seven, and another, longer note to Snape, hoping the man had enough decency in him to hear Sirius out.
He did not think about the future. He’d learned not to a long time ago.
Sirius regarded the locket, holding it up to the light. It didn’t look like much, as far as he was concerned, rather tacky and unimpressive. It didn’t hum in his hands or twinkle with supernatural force. But a piece of Voldemort’s soul was in it.
It was decidedly creepy. He shuddered and slipped it back into his pocket, hand brushing against a folded up piece of parchment in the process.
The front door opened.
Remus walked in, robes soaked though and looking grim and shaken, face drawn and shoulders hunched over. He rushed to Sirius immediately, giving him a long, anxious stare, and Sirius put his arms around him, unconcerned with the water that dripped off of Remus. He wanted nothing more than to cast the feel of Remus in bronze, to put it in his pocket and keep it with him always.
“Everything will be all right,” Sirius said, trying to believe the words.
Remus tried to smile, and failed miserably. “Of course it will,” he said. “James is coming here, then?”
Sirius nodded. “They have nothing to hold him on.”
Remus gave an absent-minded nod. “I should do this by myself. If you can give us a moment….”
The door opened a second time, and James walked in. He too was dripping from head to toe. He eyed Remus and Sirius for a moment, and Remus took a step away from Sirius.
“I should thank you for getting me out,” James said, turning to Sirius. Tension radiated off him.
Sirius shook his head. “Don’t thank me until you’re actually out of danger,” he said.
James frowned. “That’s not likely to ever happen,” he said.
“I have the locket,” Sirius told him, watching James’s face. “And a way for you to escape tonight.” He pulled the locket out of his pocket. “Here,” he said, offering his hand to James. The chain hung from his finger; the locket swung pendulously before him, glowing in the light. James’s eyes followed it as if hypnotized.
Sirius cast a look at Remus, who was watching James with bated breath, his eyes slightly glossy.
“That’s it,” James breathed. He reached out and cupped the locket, slipping the chain from Sirius’s hand. He looked at it as if it was the most precious thing he had ever held.
James didn’t look as if he believed what he held in his grasp. “What do you want from me in return?” he asked suspiciously, eyes finally moving to Sirius.
Sirius cast another quick glance towards Remus. He looked back at James. “Nothing at all,” he said. “It’s on the house.”
“I don’t know how to thank you -.”
“That fireplace over there,” Sirius said, nodding behind James. “It’ll take you wherever you need to go. There’s a special incantation for it.”
James studied Sirius for a moment, as if too overcome to fully grasp his words. Then he frowned. “Do you know it?”
Sirius shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.”.
James opened his mouth. “Sirius,’ he began.
Another door opened, towards the back of the room. Slughorn was highlighted in the entranceway, his bulbous belly protruding slightly. “Mr. Potter,” he said, quite loudly, his wand aimed at the three of them. “In possession of stolen goods.” He tisked. “I’m afraid I have little choice but to arrest you.”
Sirius slipped his hand casually inside his pocket. Both James and Remus had turned surprised eyes towards him. “No,” Remus said, taking a quick step towards James. “That’s not -.”
Sirius saw Slughorn give a rather delighted smile in James’s direction. “Sirius is a tricky young man,” he said, “but it turns out you have something he finds even more precious than this locket, and in the end, he - ”
“Hold on,” Sirius said. He pulled his wand. “Expelliarmus,” he said quietly. Slughorn’s wand flew from his grasp into Sirius’s hands.
“Potter’s not the one who’s in for the surprise today, I’m afraid, old man.”
Slughorn’s smile faded. “You sneaky bastard,” he said.
“It takes one to know one, wouldn’t you say?” He slipped Slughorn’s wand into his pocket. “I shouldn’t like to have to use this,” Sirius said, waving his own wand around. “But I will. The incantation for the portal, if you don’t mind.”
Slughorn remained silent and Sirius waved his wand again. “Now isn’t the time to be stubborn,” he said with a threat heavy in his voice. “The incantation. And be quick about it.”
“Has sense left you completely?” Slughorn asked. “You’ll be arrested immediately, you must know that.”
“It has and I do,” Sirius said. “Now give it.”
Slughorn nodded and reluctantly gave the spell.
Sirius held out his wand to James. “I’ll leave the honors to you,” he said. “But keep an eye on this guy.” He nodded towards Slughorn. James took the wand with a nod of his own. While he bent low to whisper the incantation, Sirius turned to Remus.
“Are you ready to go?” he said.
“Go?” Remus said. Comprehension dawned on his face. “No, Sirius,” he said. “I’m only leaving if you are.”
“Don’t be a fool,” Sirius said. “You belong with James.”
Remus remained determined. “I belong with you.”
Sirius shook his head sadly. “You know you can’t turn your back on this now. You’ve come too far, and you have to see this war to its end. I know you, Remus,” Sirius whispered, his eyes resting on Remus’s face. “You won’t be happy if you don’t.”
“I’ll be happy with you,” Remus insisted.
“You might be happy with me for a few months, even a few years, but eventually this life, it would suck away everything good inside of you. The guilt would eat you up, sending James into this battle alone. You’re a good man,” Sirius said, reaching out to touch Remus’s cheek. “You would never be happy unless you were helping to change the world. I know you love me,” Sirius continued when Remus opened his mouth to protest. “And I’ll always love you. But what we had….” He trailed off, forcing back tears.
“What about our dreams?” Remus asked. He voice broke just slightly.
Sirius swallowed. “We’ll always have those,” he said. “But this is reality. It’s cruel, and it’s heartless, but it is what it is. I don’t want to be the thing that holds you back, Remus, and I will be, if I let you stay with me.” Though it hurt to say it, Sirius knew the truth of his words. “The life you want, it’s with James now.”
Remus looked as if he wanted to argue with him, but he said nothing. He glanced at James, still bent over the fireplace, and looked back at Sirius, nodding.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Always.”
“I love you.”
“It’s all set,” James said from beside the fireplace. Remus walked resolutely over to him. They stood together, both still wet from the rain. Sirius met James’s eye.
James held out his hand. “Your wand,” he said to Sirius.
“Keep it,” Sirius said. “It won’t do me much good now.”
James hesitated. “What will you do?”
Sirius shrugged. “What I always do,” he answered. “Survive. There’s something else I want you to have,” he said, reaching into his pocket again. He pulled out a slip of parchment. “If you’re going to Hogwarts, this will come in handy.”
“I can’t believe you still have this,” James said, taking the Marauder’s map from Sirius’s hands. He looked up at Sirius, his eyes overcome with memories.
“I couldn’t bear to part with it,” Sirius admitted. He gestured to the fireplace. “You two had better get going.”
“Padfoot, I….”
“There’s no need,” Sirius said.
He watched them move together. Remus went into the portal first. He didn’t look at Sirius again. He would have bruises from Sirius’s hands on his skin. Would he mourn their fading?
“You are a good man,” James said with a slight smile, after Remus had disappeared from sight. Sirius tried to keep his face calm. “I was right all along.”
“Don’t let it go to your head, Potter. You might not be able to fit it into that fireplace if it gets any bigger.”
James gave a familiar laugh, and Sirius couldn’t help but smile in return. James stepped into the fireplace. In a flash of green smoke and ash, he too disappeared.
Sirius stared at the empty hearth.
“You know I’m going to have to arrest you,” Slughorn commented. He made no move towards Sirius.
“I do,” Sirius said.
The front door opened with a loud clatter. Sirius glanced towards it, expecting -
Umbridge marched into the room, her robes neatly pressed and her hair pulled back in its ridiculous bow.
Sirius aimed a look at Slughorn. “Is this your doing?”
Slughorn shrugged. “Sneaky bastard, remember? I had to ensure I had backup.”
Umbridge looked impatiently around the room. “Where are Potter and Lupin?”
“They’ve already gone to the Three Broomsticks,” Slughorn said. He held up his hands, as if showing he had no control over the matter.
“When did they leave?” she asked, already moving towards the hearth. “If it wasn’t long ago we can still catch them.”
Sirius drew Slughorn’s wand from his pocket. “Get away from the fireplace,” he demanded.
Umbridge paid him no heed. “We’ll have to follow them,” she said, pulling her wand and aiming it at the fireplace.
“I told you get away,” Sirius said. “I have no qualms about using this on you.”
She didn’t appear to be listening. “I knew Madam Rosemerta wasn’t to be trusted,” she mumbled. “We’ll need to inform Hogwarts immediately, send out as many men as possible…”
“Drop your wand,” Sirius said again, aiming his own. He couldn’t let her leave here -
The door banged open again, this time blowing completely off its hinges. A flash of green light hit Umbridge. She crumpled to the ground. Sirius and Slughorn both turned towards the door. Snape stood in the rain, robes drenched and stuck to his tall, lanky frame. His hair was plastered to his head. Water dripped from his nose. He really was one ugly piece of work.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Sirius said. He couldn’t believe how happy he was to see him.
“And miss an opportunity to see you standing alone with no friends left in the world? Not likely,” Snape sneered.
Sirius shot a glance at Slughorn, who stood watching the two with his mouth hanging open, his chins effectively piled up against his neck.
“I’ve got backup too,” was all Sirius said.
To his surprise, Slughorn chuckled. “She really did have the most awful taste,” he said. He bent towards the fireplace with a heavy groan, picked up Umbridge’s fallen wand, and whispered a spell. Both Sirius and Snape trained their wands on him.
Blue light flashed. A tired looking Death Eater’s face came into view.
“Dolores Umbridge has been murdered,” Slughorn told the man. “I expect a suspect list on my desk in the morning.”
The Death Eater in the fire nodded. “Of course, Sir,” he said. Sirius could already see the wheels grinding in his head.
The flames died just as quickly as they had appeared. “You two had better leave town,” Slughorn said, standing with some difficulty and turning back to them. “You know the incantation,” he said to Sirius. “But when your side wins, I want you to remember who let you go.’
Sirius glanced at Snape, who glared at him, but said, “We could probably use the services of someone as morally corrupt as you.”
Sirius felt his lip curl. “Coming from you, I’m going to take that as a compliment.” He sent a glance towards Slughorn. “I’m keeping your wand,” he said.
“Of course you are. How else am I going to explain that you got away?” He turned towards the spot where the door once hung. “If you’re not gone in five minutes, I’ll be back to arrest you,” he called over his shoulder, disappearing into the darkness and rain.
Sirius watched him go. He held the wand in his hand.
“You can go anywhere you want now, Black,” Snape said when Sirius turned his eyes to him. “You can even leave me here to take the fall.”
Sirius nodded. “Is that what you expect me to do?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Even after what you just did for me, you think I’d do that?”
“I didn’t kill her for you. That was for Potter and Lupin, for Dumbledore.”
“Well, get ready to be surprised then,” Sirius said, “because I’m coming with you.”
Snape looked about as excited at the prospect as Sirius felt. “It’s not an easy life.”
Sirius shrugged. “It never is.”
“Don’t get any romantic ideas about us being friends, walking off into the sunset together,” Snape cautioned. He tucked his wand into his pocket. “I still can’t stand you.”
Sirius laughed. He aimed his wand at the fireplace. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said.
End
Chapter 6 here; Chapter 1 here