Chapter Text
The train rattled past the city, carrying Remus further from the squat and the boys who had trusted him to lead them through the summer. He hadn’t said goodbye — not properly. Just a nod, a muttered promise to return, though he knew he wouldn’t. The gang belonged to shadows, and Hogwarts belonged to light.
Noah’s kiss still lingered on his lips, a memory pressed into him like a bruise. Quick, fierce, and unforgettable. But now it was gone, tucked away with the rest of his secrets. James, Sirius, and Peter would never know. They couldn’t.
The Potter house was sprawling and warm, with polished floors and the smell of bread drifting from the kitchen. Euphemia Potter greeted him with a smile that made Remus feel both welcome and exposed. He muttered thanks, keeping his eyes low, his jacket heavy with the weight of hidden truths
James bounded down the stairs, hair sticking up in every direction. “Moony! Finally. Thought you’d gotten lost in Knockturn Alley.”
Sirius appeared behind him, cigarette dangling from his fingers, grin sharp as ever. “If he had, he’d have fit right in.”
Peter shuffled nervously, clutching a biscuit Euphemia had pressed into his hand. “We saved you a bed,” he said, voice small but earnest.
Remus smirked faintly, masking the ache in his chest. “Beds. Food. You lot are spoiling me.”
James clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the point. You’re staying here until term. No arguments.” But Remus didn't miss the face James pulled for only a second when he said that. Remus had only let them know his parents where dead in 2nd year so they knew his home live was tricky but Remus kept quiet about it. So they did to.
That evening, the four of them sprawled across James’s room, laughter spilling into the night. Sirius told stories of sneaking out of Grimmauld Place, Peter tried to keep up, and James plotted pranks for the coming year. Remus listened, smiled, even laughed — but inside, he was somewhere else.
He thought of Noah, of the stairwell in the squat, of the way he had looked at him like he wasn’t broken. He thought of the gang, of the fights and the smoke. And he thought of the silence he carried, the truth he couldn’t share.
For now, he would play the part they expected: clever, scarred, loyal. But beneath it all, Remus Lupin was hiding — hiding Noah, hiding the gang, hiding himself.
And as the night wore on, Sirius caught his eye across the room, grin fading for just a moment. It was nothing, maybe. Or maybe Sirius saw more than Remus wanted him to.
The Potter house was louder than the squat had ever been. Remus sat in the corner of James’s bedroom, book open but unread, listening to the chaos.
It should have felt safe. It did, in a way. But safety made him restless. He wasn’t used to warmth without suspicion, food without fighting, beds without broken springs. He wasn’t used to being seen without being exposed.
Sirius flopped onto the bed beside him, cigarette dangling from his lips. “You’re quiet, Moony. Quieter than usual.”
Remus smirked faintly, closing the book. “I’m always quiet.”
“Not like this,” Sirius said, eyes narrowing. “You’ve got that look. Like you’re carrying something heavy and pretending it’s nothing.”
Remus’s chest tightened. He thought of Noah — of the stairwell kisses.
James burst in before Remus could answer, dragging Peter behind him. “We’re planning the first prank of term. You in?”
Remus forced a grin, slipping the mask back on. “Always.”
For the first time, Remus wondered if hiding himself would be harder than hiding Noah.