Work Text:
September 2, 1971
His bedroom at home didn't have any windows. It's a shame, really, because Sirius so wanted to look at the stars, but no matter how many times he promised he'd never sneak out, never run away, they never relented. His parents, who slept on the side of the house facing the street, had one through which they kept a wary eye on their neighbors, one they reinforced with twenty or so charms to keep anyone from getting in. Or getting out, he'd found that out the hard way a few years ago… but that's not important. Anyways, this was the first place he'd ever stayed that ever had a window, and they were so high up in this tall tower and he'd hardly ever got to look properly at the stars before. One time, though, he and Regulus had gone to stay with their cousin Andromeda, and she'd made them cocoa and let them both bring their blankets and climb up with her to the roof almost every night. They lay up there for hours and hours and she taught them how to map the sky and pointed out the stars and constellations that bore their families' names. Andromeda was always his favorite cousin.
"I'm the brightest star in the sky, apparently," Sirius laughs nervously, pushing his hair back from his face. "And my dad's Orion the hunter, which makes more sense, I think." He crinkles his nose. "But yeah, that's… I thought I'd just… look out the window for a bit, if that's alright with you, mate? I'm sorry I woke you, it's Remus, right?" He holds out a hand and Remus just stares for a second.
The boy with the golden-brown hair and the light scars across his face had grown up stargazing with his mother and father. They'd sometimes go to the park on summer nights and spread a blanket on the grass and lie down together, Remus bracketed by his mother and father, who'd point up at the sky and trace patterns between the stars with their fingertips, naming each one and telling their stories. His dad's a wizard, but his mum's a muggle, and apparently, wizards and muggles know the same star patterns, isn't that weird? After a while, the three of them would fall silent, and Remus would nestle closer to his mother and stare softly at the moon with wide, bright eyes. At least, that's what his mother would always tell him, and she always sounds so sad when she does… but that's not important. He's so tired. Anyways, when he was very small, he used to love the moon, and he used to insist that the window remain open through the night so that soft moonlight could spill over him as he slept, and he'd be protected from the darkness.
Remus tells all this to Sirius in an eager burst and then stops abruptly, wringing his nightshirt in his hands. "But… I don't like to leave the windows open anymore. And when I woke up I didn't know it was you and… can… can you close it, please?"
Sirius bites his lip, pushing his hair back from his face again. He glances out the window, then back at Remus, who shifts his feet, staring at the floor.
Then he gestures toward the window he'd flung open so he could stick his head out and marvel at how far away the ground was and how much farther away still the stars hung against a deep blue sky. "Come on. I'll show you where I am in the sky! Andromeda taught me."
"We… we should be sleeping, right?" Remus mutters, twisting his nightshirt tighter. "We have classes tomorrow, and… and I don't wanna be late. Or sleepy."
Sirius tilts his head, considering him. "Okay. I don't know you, and I don't know why you don't like the windows open. But I promise nothing bad will happen to you."
Remus shuffles his feet. Sirius sighs.
"Come on, mate! We're in Gryffindor!" Just saying it sends a thrill through him. He grins at Remus. "Let's be brave!" He's still holding his hand out. He waves it for emphasis.
Remus stares at him, sighs, hangs his head, and grabs his hand. "We better not fall out the window," he mutters to his feet.
"That's the spirit, mate!" Sirius whoops, then claps a hand over his mouth, eyes darting around the dark room. Apparently, their two other roommates are heavy sleepers, though, because neither of them stirs, and he can still hear snoring coming from behind the curtains around James's bed. He giggles behind his hand, and Remus giggles with him.
Sirius pulls him to the window and they climb up onto the ledge underneath it, settling on their knees and holding hands for balance and pressed up against each other so they can stick their heads out the window together. There's only a thin sliver of moon today, sliced to pieces by tree branches, and Remus feels some of the tension disappear from his chest.
"Are you a star, Remus?" Sirius asks.
Remus scrunches his nose. "Hmmm… I don't think so. I think mum would've told me."
"Well… I can show you how to find me!" Sirius lets go of Remus's hand so he can point out into the sky. "Do you see Orion's belt? It's a line of three stars, over there."
"I see it!"
"It's pointing right at me! Just follow the line, down and to the left."
"I think I see you! You're really bright. You could be a planet."
"Andromeda told me Sirius is the Dogstar. It's actually the nose of Canis Major, see? There's a triangle sort of to the left of it…"
They pass a while tracing constellations together before they fall into a comfortable silence, staring out into the sky and the shadows sweeping over the grounds. Tomorrow, in the daylight, they'd be able to see the forest properly, and the sunlight on the lake…
"We could find you a star, you know," Sirius says quietly after a while. "I'm sure they don't all have names."
"My mum says the muggles have named almost all the stars already," Remus says seriously, "but only with random letters and numbers. And people find new ones all the time."
"Well, then I'm sure there's one out there for you to have. Let's see…" Remus looks over and Sirius's tongue is poking out from between his teeth as he scans the sky. He giggles.
"There! It's sort of next to mine, to the right and a little bit up. It looks a bit…" he tilt's his head, squinting, "bluish. I don't think that one's got a name or anything."
"I don't see it. Where do you see it?"
Sirius grabs Remus's hand again. "Here. Tell me when your finger is pointing to my star."
"I got it. Your star is right above my finger."
"Okay." Sirius pokes his tongue out again, wrinkling his nose in concentration. "It's just up a few centimeters… and diagonal to the right… there! Do you see it now?"
"I see it! I see it!" They turn to grin at each other.
"I hereby officially name that star Remus, after Remus… what's your full name?"
"Remus John Lupin."
"Remus John Lupin! Cheers!"
Remus giggles. "And I hereby name that star Sirius, after…"
Sirius hesitates. Remus nudges him with his shoulder.
"Sirius… Sirius Orion Black."
"Sirius Orion Black!" Remus crows. "Wait… your initials are S.O.B?"
Sirius's eyes go wide. "How've I never… oh, Merlin!"
Remus pulls back from the window, leaning against the wall of the alcove, clutching his stomach in silent laughter.
"Oh, Merlin! That's amazing! Remus, you're amazing!" Sirius pulls back from the window too, his eyes dancing.
When their laughter subsides they're sitting across from each other on the window ledge.
"I have a star now," Remus whispers, glancing out the window again.
"I have a star, too."
"My star."
"My star."
When James and Peter find them in the morning, they're asleep in the alcove against the window, legs intertwined across the ledge.