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Remus had lost a bet. That's what everyone thought when he and Sirius showed up with matching nose rings. But Remus and Sirius knew that was not the case. As his friends got a closer look into his nostrils than he had ever imagined, Remus only had eyes for Sirius. The two gazed at each other, smiling, while the others inspected their new jewelry. They remembered what the rings meant and no amount of nostril inspection could change that.
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Sirius and Remus were in love. Really and truly. They were made for each other, and even though they couldn’t share that with all the people they loved, they had each other and that was enough. After a few years of sneaking around in the corridors of Hogwarts, time spent snogging in the hidden places in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and many nights cuddling up wherever they could be together, the two knew that they wanted to spend their lives together. Their relationship was uncharacteristically hidden for Sirius and surprisingly nurturing for Remus...yet it just worked. Things were going well, and as soon as they graduated from Hogwarts, the pair moved into a small 1 bedroom in muggle London--not too far from Diagon alley, but in a place all their own.
For a few blissful weeks, they got to spend every moment together--not a care in the world. They loved sitting around together, watching muggle telly and heading to just about every show they could. They loved each other deeply. Their friends knew the pair moved into a flat together, but nobody knew they were more than roommates. Soon, it became apparent that they could not keep living like this--there was a war on and in true Gryffindor fashion, they needed to be a part of it. Remus and Sirius signed up for the order along with all their best mates. They felt invincible and terrified all at the same time.
Because there was a general air of ‘the world is ending, we need to make the most of every moment we have together right now’, Lily and James got married, and the guys decided to tell their closest friends about the most important thing in their lives: their relationship. James was pissed off he didn’t know sooner, but incredibly supportive of his mates. Peter appeared to be a little freaked out, but quickly came around when James threatened to pull out his wand. Lily pretty much already knew and let everyone know just that. That evening they told Lily and the Marauders was magic and they were flying high, so glad to finally share their love with their family. They knew they could eventually tell more people, but decided to hold off for a while--there were more pressing matters at hand.
Once their friends left, they settled into the couch as usual, but Sirius quickly got up. ‘Remus!’ He exclaimed. ‘Let’s get married right now.’ Remus laughed a sad laugh. ‘You know we can’t’ he replied, smiling at the suggestion all the same. Sirius spent exactly 456 seconds in contemplative silence before grabbing his coat and signaling to Remus to do the same. Remus went along with it. He knew he would do anything, so long as he could be by Sirius’ side. So the two took off running down the stairs and into the busy streets. Remus laughed as they passed groups of tourists, muggles leaving work for the day and groups of school children headed for a little afternoon snack from the shops. They didnt stop running until they stood, breathless, by the river.
Sirius grinned in the way that was especially for Remus, positively beaming! ‘Let's still exchange rings’ he said. ‘And because we can’t actually get married yet--although I certainly plan to win this war and fight for you next, let's not do marriage rings but NOSE RINGS! We can match. And every time we look at each other we will know we are bonded for life and nobody can tear us apart. It will be our secret!’ Remus surprised himself by nodding along, a slow smile forming as Sirius finished up his thought. ‘Okay'. Remus said simply. ‘I agree, let's be together forever and get nose rings as a sign of our love.’ Remus thought that might be the most ridiculous thing he had ever said, but Sirius responded by kissing him passionately right there in front of all the people milling about. Remus moaned with delight. Sirius stopped abruptly, grabbed Remus’ hand, and started running back towards the shops. They headed to the nearest tattoo shop that didn't look like they would get a terrible disease if they stepped foot inside.
Not half an hour later the two walked out of the shop grinning like idiots, their matching nose rings on display for all to see. Sirius winged like a baby when he got his done, but out of true love, Remus promised not to tell. Remus hardly reacted, he had been through much worse. On the way home, Remus told Sirius to wait outside while he popped into the shops. He came back with a bag and made Sirius wait to open it.
When they made it back to their flat, they were still elated at their choice to spend forever together. Remus pulled out the bag and whipped out the bottle of champagne and handed it to Sirius to do the honors while he grabbed the glasses. Sirius poured two glasses to the very brim and held his up, looking deep into Remus’ eyes. ‘To forever’ he said lovingly. ‘To us’ replied Remus, clinking the glasses, taking a sip, and moving his lips and attention to his life partner. He grabbed Sirius’ glass and set it down with his own then gently led Sirius to their room to spend the evening together. This was the best moment Remus or Sirius could ever remember. They couldn’t wait for what life had in store for them, in that moment they were sure that after the war, there would be many more evenings like this.