Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Deliver these to Caradac Deadborn and those to Edgar Bones. In hand, if at all possible,” Dumbledore said, absently pointing at two different stacks of heavy books. “I’m afraid Arabella Figg has not yet confirmed our supper appointment for tonight. If you would be so kind, stop by her hotel and remind her in person, Remus. She hates phone calls with a passion.”

Remus nodded, calculating how he would carry the books alongside the four maps he already had hanging on one shoulder inside of a bus. Or rather, buses. The symposium they were all currently attending didn’t bother to put visiting professors in the same hotel, so they were all scattered throughout London.

In the two years that Remus had worked as Professor Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore’s assistant, delivering books and chatting dinner plans with old academics was far from the strangest thing he had ever done. And even if Snape - Dumbledore’s other assistant - called Remus “the errand boy”, he didn’t mind doing those things one bit.

Most of the professors and researchers even remembered his name after the third or fourth time Dumbledore had sent Remus personally to ask them a question that could’ve been an email. At twenty-five, Remus has had tea with over half of the UK’s thinking community. It was a good thing Remus had always been at ease with old people. His contact list was seventy percent octogenarians, twenty percent friends and family, and ten percent unsaved Tinder dates.

Not terrible for an aspiring History professor with expertise in folklore and legends. 

“Do you need me to escort Professor Figg to the restaurant, sir?” Remus asked and ignored Snape’s disdainful sneer. The slimy bastard didn’t look up from his laptop, but he hadn’t typed a single word since Dumbledore began enumerating Remus’ tasks for the day. 

Snape did that a lot. He always knew what Remus was supposed to be doing and made a point of loudly complaining if Remus didn’t do it the way Snape thought was right. Dumbledore was always in earshot when that happened but never seemed to be paying attention.

Therefore, it was no surprise when he ignored Snape once again and smiled kindly at Remus. “I’m sure Arabella would appreciate the company of a handsome young man such as yourself, but it will not be necessary, my boy. Just make sure she knows where and when to go.”

“Alright.” Remus began piling up books in his arms with ease; his long thin limbs were deceitfully strong. Those were particularly heavy tomes, but Remus didn’t mind it. 

He was precariously but successfully carrying everything out of the hotel suite Dumbledore was staying in when Snape opened his mouth. “Professor, I’ve finished correcting Lupin’s mistakes on your slide presentation for today’s lecture. There were quite a few.”

“Thank you, Severus. There was no need, though. Remus sent me a revised version just this morning.”

“Oh. I…  see.”

Remus flipped Snape off and closed the suite’s door to a satisfying affronted huff from the other assistant. 

His good spirit didn’t last long, though. Soon enough, Remus found himself alone on the streets of London with three different stops to make in opposite directions. And, of course, because it was London, a thin drizzle was starting to fall. It wouldn’t be a heavy pouring, but it would be enough to damage the books.

He shielded them with his torso. The things one did for a good CV entry. Remus was not a particularly ambitious person, but he dreamed of becoming a professor at the exclusive Hogwarts Private Boarding School, the very place his father and grandfather had attended back when the Lupins still had a little money. It was the best educational institution in the UK and if Remus couldn’t go there as a student, he wanted to go as a professor. 

For the only son of a family just above the line of poverty, there was just one way to do it: through a lot of hard work and by making the right connections. Remus had been the only kid from his school to get into college - and on a scholarship no less. He studied hard and earned the top marks he got. 

But none of that would’ve been enough without the help of other people. In particular, one Lily Evans Potter, whom Remus had met at the campus library when they realized they were looking for the same book. Remus, daring to be gallant to the clearly pregnant girl, offered to wait until Lily was done reading it, but she only accepted on the condition they would meet up to discuss the book over tea.  

Tea led to dinner and dinner led to a book club sort of thing. In just a couple of weeks, Remus and Lily had become inseparable. Even after giving birth, Lily would call and text almost daily before being able to return to classes. Remus couldn’t be gladder for having her in his life. His first real friend - and Lily came with her radiant husband, James Potter, with whom Remus had clicked right away. To top it all off, there was their adorable little son Harry who had taken to calling Remus “Uncle Moony”. Ever since Remus’ mother had passed away, he hadn’t known what family felt like anymore. He did know.

Lily had been the one to introduce Remus to Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and academic juggernaut. As it turned out, Lily had attended Hogwarts as a girl and had kept contact with her teachers. She had heard Dumbledore was looking for a new assistant and had praised Remus often and loudly enough to secure him an interview.

Meeting Dumbledore had been as daunting as it had been a weird experience. Remus had poured over all of Dumbledore's various books, papers, and lectures in preparation for days. But when he sat down with the old professor at his office in Hogwarts, all Dumbledore wanted to know was what kind of food Remus preferred. He had seemed quite satisfied when Remus admitted to having a preference for chocolate of all things. 

“I see,” Dumbledore said and sipped his tea. “I believe there is a place for you among my assistants, Mr. Lupin.”

Remus didn't know what to say to that, so he had just mimicked Dumbledore and swallowed much too hot tea. He was so stunned by the old man, he hardly felt it when his tongue got burned. 

Dumbledore continued. “Yes, indeed. I know just the job for you. Can you start on Monday?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Excellent. You have quite an interesting perspective on the Deathly Hallows myth, if I may say so.”

“Oh,” Remus was surprised. He had published a paper on the subject in his first year in the college newspaper. Had Dumbledore read it? “So have you, Sir. Half of my citations came from your book on the matter.”

“Yes, but I seem to remember my opinions raised some eyebrows in the academic community and Dean Fudge thought it best to quash the discontentment by banning the book. I don’t think the library has carried it ever since.”

Remus shook his head. “It doesn’t. But I’m still a cardholder of the library from the neighborhood I grew up in. I requested the book from them. Dean Fudge’s ban doesn’t extend that far.”

That seemed to satisfy Dumbledore, who had smiled amicably. “I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Lupin.”

Ever since that day, Remus had been able to juggle classes, a part-time job at the campus library, and his position as assistant-researcher almost without a hitch. That meant his social life had shrunk to visits at the Potters, babysitting Harry, and unsuccessful random first dates, but Remus was happy with that. Time was a precious commodity and Remus preferred to spend the little he had on the people he had grown to love most.

Especially since he wouldn’t be seeing any of them that week. As the assistant of the guest of honor, Remus had been busier than ever. The symposium would last only a week, but Monday already had Remus run all over town in social meetings, deliveries, and one particularly unpleasant encounter with Dumbledore’s rival academic, Professor Grindelwald. Altogether, Remus had been able to get only four hours of sleep to keep up with all his tasks.

And Tuesday wasn't looking much better than Monday had. The day would be a long one. Remus fished his phone from his pocket and typed in the various hotel addresses he would be visiting. The furthest away would make him take two buses, a train, and a twenty-five-minute walk to arrive. About two hours and a half just to get there.

Just out of curiosity, Remus clicked to see how long it would be for a car ride. Not that he had the money to spend on an Uber. Dumbledore was the guest star and was given a luxury suite and a personal driver, but his assistants barely had the money for a meal and the metro fare to get to the symposium. What little money Remus was able to spare was for—

Forty minutes by car. In a dry, comfortable seat. Possibly with the heat on, so Remus’ increasingly wet sweater could dry out a little.

If James was there, he would have already ordered the car. But then again, James Potter was the heir to way more money than Remus ever thought he’d see, so it would’ve been a no-brainer decision for him. Lily, on the other hand, came from a middle-class family. She’d be more practical.

But she would’ve ordered a car as well. Even if it was just to make sure all the books were unharmed.

Remus opened the Uber app and ordered the regular option. He tried not to flinch when the price cut out what he was expecting to spend on dinner that night. Hopefully, Professor Figg always had sandwiches with her and she had yet to fail to offer some to Remus whenever they met.

His phone buzzed as a driver accepted the request. It had to be a new driver since he had no reviews yet. Remus frowned. What kind of name was “Sirius Black”? Not that he was one to complain about names, being called Remus Lupin. At least Sirius Black was the cool sort of weird.

In less than three minutes, a black Land Rover stopped in front of Remus. He ignored it, stretching his neck in search of his uber. According to the app, the car should’ve been there but no other cars were stopping. 

The driver’s window rolled down and the most beautiful man Remus had ever seen leaned forward. He looked like a movie star dressed as a rock sensation; long black hair tied in a messy bun, a perfect pale face, and mischievous grey eyes. “Remus Lupin?”

Remus eyed the stranger suspiciously. “Yes?”

“Hop in,” he smiled, which only made him more handsome. It was infuriating. “Your Uber is here.”

“You’re Sirius Black?”

“Yes.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Nope. I’m Sirius. Siriusly.”

The bad pun shocked Remus out of his stupor. To be sure, he checked the car’s plate number. It matched the one showing on the app, so Remus opened the door and climbed in.

Inside the car, it was gloriously dry. Remus let go of the books, maps, and whatever else Dumbledore wanted to be delivered, setting himself on comfortable leather seats. There was even a place where he could hang his jacket and available chargers for all kinds of phones.

Remus blinked, unable to hide his surprise. He caught Sirius’ eyes in the rearview mirror - the driver was openly watching him settle down. “I think you’re in the wrong Uber category.”

“Probably? I wouldn’t know. It’s my first week.” Sirius’ smile hadn’t wavered yet. “All set there?”

Remus nodded and Sirius launched the car. He didn’t just drive away like a sane person, no. They went from zero to sixty miles per hour in a flash. Remus grabbed at the front seat for dear life, which only made Sirius laugh.

“Fucking hell!” Remus yelped.

“Sorry, sorry,” Sirius said between chuckles. “The car is a new purchase, I’m still getting the hang of it. I’ll slow down.”

“It’s… okay,” Remus lied, but didn’t let go of the front seat until he realized his sleeve had slipped back to reveal the array of scars on his hands and wrist. He quickly withdrew his hands after that. Stupid skin disease. He never healed right, which had been a problem when he was a young boy full of energy. Every single wound, tear, or scratch was permanently marked on Remus’s body.

Sirius didn’t seem to notice, thankfully. He was busy driving like a regular person. Or trying to. Remus had the sneaking suspicion this Sirius Black character didn’t do anything like a regular person.

“So, what’s up with all of that?” Sirius asked after a few minutes of silence. When Remus didn’t answer, he added, “Come on. That’s a lot of books. Can’t blame me for asking.”  

“My boss wants those delivered to a few colleagues.”

“Do you work for a publishing house?”

“No. He’s a professor. I work as his assistant.” 

Sirius nodded sagely. “You seem like the type.”

Remus frowned. That wasn’t the first time he heard someone say something like that about him. But it was the first time Remus was insulted by it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You seem smart.”

“Oh.”

“And prickly. Like a professor.”

“Fuck you.”

Sirius grinned and watched Remus from the rearview mirror. 

Remus caught himself smiling too. “Eyes on the road, driver.”

Sirius opened his mouth with undoubtedly a cheeky response, but Remus’ phone buzzed. It was a call from an unsaved number, but one that Remus knew all too well. He groaned but picked it up.

“Yes?”

“He wants you to buy lemon cakes on your way back,” Snape informed him. At least he was straight to the point. 

“You could’ve texted that. Why didn’t you just text that?”

“And he needs you to pick up his suit at the dry cleaning, errand boy.”

“Oh, there it is. Enjoy passing slides at his presentation.”

Remus turned off the call before Snape had a chance to respond. He sighed heavily and began rearranging his mental plan to fit two more stops.

“Was it the professor-boss?” Sirius asked, interrupting.

“Worse. The other assistant.” Remus pointed at the books and maps. “After I drop these at the address you’re driving to, I have to go all the way west to deliver those. Then, I need to convince an eighty-year-old socially anxious lady to attend a grand dinner. And now, apparently, I also need to buy lemon cakes and pick up my boss’ dry cleaning.”

“Cerebral work.”

“I’m putting my degrees to good use, yes.”

Sirius looked at him over his shoulder. “Do you have many degrees? You seem like you’re my age.”

Remus shook his head, feeling a little self-conscious. “Just school and undergrad. I’m in the middle of my Ph.D. right now.”

“Let me guess.” Sirius turned to examine him in earnest, completely ignoring the road ahead but somehow managing not to crash into any other cars. “I can’t decide between History or Literature.”

“It’s the books. They make me look well-read since I read so many of them.” Remus answered. Sirius laughed loudly, which made Remus decide that if he had to die in a car accident, at least the driver would be a gorgeous bloke that found him funny. Not the worst demise. “Are you in college?”

“Not my style.”

Remus supposed it wasn’t. Sirius Black and his many earrings and tattoos seemed like he would fit right in a rock band or a movie set, but somehow Remus had trouble imagining him sitting still in a classroom. 

Sirius turned back to look at the street. “How come you sounded more annoyed at the other assistant than at your boss?”

“I shouldn’t bad mouth someone who isn’t here to defend himself,” Remus said and tried to mean it.

Mischief twinkled in Sirius’ eyes. “But if he was…”

“Then, I’d say it’s because he’s an elitist wanker whose beaky nose is stuck so far up his own arse he doesn’t realize his biggest contribution to the world is professionally kissing ass.”

Sirius smirked. “I’ve met a few of those over the years. I find the best way to deal with them is to teach them a lesson they won’t forget. A good prank to set them right.”

“Well, this guy doesn’t learn.” Remus sighed. “I heard he was bullied or something in school. I don’t condone it, but… Honestly, he’s so easy to prank. Once, I switched the red ink from all of his pens for blue ink. All but one. He nearly ripped off the stack of papers he was marking and when he got our boss to look into it, I picked up the unadulterated pen and started to mark my stack. For a moment there, I thought he was going to either punch me or start crying.”

“Academic pranks, hm?” Sirius said, a smile forever playing on his lips. “They’re the wildest.”

Remus smiled too. “It’s a dangerous life we live on campus.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, but like before, it didn’t last long. Sirius turned on the radio, letting a generic pop song fill in the car. He hummed to it absently, tapping his fingers on the wheel. Remus couldn’t help but notice he wore a lot of rings. They suited him in a way he had never seen in a guy before.

Not that he had a lot of experience in that regard. He had dated a girl in school if holding hands and spending recess together was considered dating. His first real kiss had happened two months into college and Remus still could hear Mary McDonald’s sweet laughs whenever he thought of it. The first time Remus slept with another man, he had been so nervous he considered bolting to the door. But since Benjy Fenwick, there have been a few others, some who stuck for a couple of weeks, some who didn’t. 

Nobody permanent, though. Nobody Remus had loved. So, he made do with some Tinder dates and occasional hookups. Lily was always talking about how Remus would find his person one day. The one, like she had found James. 

Remus wondered what Lily would say of him fancying his flirty, mischievous Uber driver. Not exactly the serious boyfriend material she was hoping for, that’s for sure.

Eventually, they arrived at the first hotel. The rain had picked up, but the traffic was light, so Sirius had no problem finding a place to park right in front of the main entrance. As Remus began gathering his things, Sirius turned to him.

“Do you want help carrying those in?”

“Oh, no. Thanks, but I can manage it,” Remus answered, thinking of his next steps. “This one is the quickest stop. I just have to drop the books at the lobby and have them ring the professor.”

For a second, Sirius seemed disappointed. He bounced back quickly and flashed Remus a brilliant smile. “Well, it was a pleasure driving you around, Remus Lupin.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Sirius Black. I’ll give you the five stars and everything.” Remus tried to think of a joke to relate Sirius’ name to stars, but nothing came to mind. He just smiled and left, feeling awkward. “Bye.”

Remus dashed inside the hotel. Not five minutes later, he was done with his first task of the day. He had left the books and the maps for Professor Bones at the front desk with a note, but the professor happened to be finishing up lunch at the hotel’s restaurant. He picked them up personally and invited Remus for tea, but Remus declined politely. 

Now, what was the shortest route to a metro station from there? Remus was fussing with his phone when a familiar voice called, “Hey, Remus!”

He looked up and found Sirius’ Land Rover still parked at the same spot. Sirius waved at him excitedly, his window down again. 

“What are you still doing here?” Remus asked, confused. “Did I not end the trip…? Oh, no. Was there a problem with the payment? I have cash on me--”

Sirius laughed and shook his head. “Don’t stand in the rain. Climb in.”

Remus did, though for the life of him he couldn’t explain why. Still, the familiar comfort of the inside of the car was so good, Remus ignored the new pop song still playing. “I’m serious. If there is a problem with the payment, I have cash. Maybe not enough here, but I can transfer you the rest.”

“There was no problem with the payment. It went in before the ride even began.” Sirius was still smiling, but it faltered a bit. “I, hm… Well, that was my last ride for the day. I’ve reached my daily goal.”

“It’s barely 2 p.m.” Remus narrowed his eyes. 

“What can I say? It’s a thriving business, Uber driving.” Sirius waved his hand dismissively. “I have to go back to London proper anyway. I figured you could use a free ride.”

Remus stared at him, puzzled. Sirius looked completely at ease, even bored. But there was something behind his grey eyes that seemed almost anxious. He kept looking pointedly at Remus as if daring - and dreading - him to call him out on his bluff. Remus looked out of the window, at the hotel guests who most likely would order a car to go into town.

“Yeah, all right,” Remus buckled up. “I could use a free ride.”

Sirius grinned. “Brilliant.”

“But on one condition.”

“What?”

Remus smirked. “Turn off the fucking radio. That’s not proper music.” 

Sirius laughed again. “Whatever you say, Remus.”

🐺⭐️

Out of all the things Sirius thought he’d be doing now that he was back in England for good, becoming an Uber driver was not one of them. He had James to thank for it, of course. The bastard had taken a good look at Sirius and dared him to hold a steady job for a week. He dared him. Like Sirius would ever refuse.

Not that it hadn’t been an interesting couple of days. Much better than the two-month slump Sirius was in before that. But, as he had told James over and over again, he just needed some time to figure out what he was going to do with himself. After graduating from Hogwarts, Sirius had taken a little bit of a gap year and traveled the world. The gap year turned into gap years. Almost five now.

It wasn’t until Baby Harry was born that Sirius began coming back more often than not. He got involved in different projects all over the world, but nothing long-lasting. He couldn’t bear to think his godson would forget about him if he stayed away for too long.

Now Harry was almost four years old. If Sirius was all the way in Uganda or Paraguay or Romania, he would lose Harry’s entire childhood. He couldn’t have that.

So, back he was, and this time for good. James and Lily were brilliant for having him at their house all the time, but Sirius could tell he was imposing. Buying and decorating an apartment had kept his mind busy for a couple of weeks, but other than bothering his best mate’s family and social meetings with old acquaintances, Sirius didn’t have a lot to do with himself. 

The truth was, Sirius didn’t need to work. He was independently rich since he was fourteen. Great-Uncle Alphard had left his personal wealth entirely to Sirius as a final fuck you to the rest of the Black Family. Sirius didn’t need to worry about money even after being disowned thanks to “his lifestyle”, which surprisingly had more to do with Sirius’ point-blank refusal to work at the family company than with his coming out as gay.

Although the fact that Sirius also refused to marry any of the “ideal candidates” his mother presented him with didn't help to mend their relationship, especially when Sirius asked if she had any male candidates available as well. Well, bugger that. He had suffered in his mother’s hand for far too long. He refused to endure a minute more.

But after completing his mandatory education, Sirius had to admit he was a little lost. Sure, James was always glad to have him over and he had come up with hundreds of enterprises they could open together, but Sirius just never had Prong’s drive. He’d much rather support his best mate in whatever he’d choose to do. Besides, Sirius was sure any of his family’s many contacts would be happy to hook him up with an office job, but he’d rather throw himself into the Thames river before he did that. Still, Sirius couldn’t really think of anything he wanted to do. Just what he didn’t.

That was why James had made his dare. “It’s not that you don’t want to do anything. You just can’t. You wouldn’t be able to keep a steady job to save your life, Padfoot,” James sneered over drinks one late night at his house. Harry was sleeping peacefully on Sirius’ lap, a chubby hand curled onto his jacket lapel. 

“Not all of us have become boring, Prongs,” Sirius shot back but hadn’t meant it at all. James seemed happy in his adult life. In fact, he had it all figured out. James had done the impossible and actually married Evans after years and years of pining for her. They had a beautiful and comfortable home. And they had Harry, the most wonderful kid in the entire world.

Sirius was ecstatic for James. And if he was a little jealous too, well… That was no fault of James. The man wouldn’t stop suggesting things for Sirius to do to get his life together.

“No, honestly,” James said. “I don’t think you can physically handle working for a living.”

“Look who’s talking. You just move the Potter family money around. Lily is the hardworking member of this family.” For all his ideas, James had settled on working in his father’s investment company. It was thriving under him, even if it was mind-numbingly boring work. 

James faked offense, but his eyes sparkled behind his glasses. “Fair enough, but that doesn’t make me wrong about you.”

“I’ll show you how wrong you are,” Sirius swore, walking right into James’ trap. “I’ll get myself a job and I’ll be the perfect, er,  job-worker for an entire week.”

“Such a long time and as a job-worker, no less,” Lily chimed in from the kitchen sink, where she was doing the dishes, not even bothering to contain her sarcasm. “Please, promise me you won’t dupe some poor small-business owner into hiring you just to quit the following week.”

“Nah, Evans. I’ll be my own boss.” Sirius smirked, an idea forming in his mind. “And I already know what I’ll be doing. Now put down that plate! I said I was going to take care of it.”

“Right. Hand Harry to James and get on it, then.”

“But he chose me as a pillow! Can’t disappoint the little lad like that. It wouldn’t be right.”

The next morning, Sirius had bought a car. If he could’ve driven his old motorbike he would’ve, but he was informed that was not how Uber worked. Besides, after staying locked up in James’ garage for years, the bike needed some special attention before getting any real action. That was a project Sirius had been putting off. Once it was done, he truly would have nothing else to do.

But not anymore. Car in hand, Sirius began his working-class adventure as an Uber driver. His first day went by unremarkably. A lot of passengers in a rush, very few interesting conversations. The best moment had been driving James and Harry back from daycare and hearing all about Harry’s adventures with the Weasley kid. Other than that, working was pretty boring. 

And then Remus Lupin climbed into his car.

Sirius couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was about him. Remus dressed like a stereotypical professor, all sweaters and brown pants, even though he was only twenty-five. He was tall — taller than Sirius, even taller than James. He had a gentle face, but it was covered in scars, just like his long fingers and thin wrists. Beneath the messy curls and mountains of books laid a handsome man with a shy smile. 

When Remus cursed at him, Sirius knew he was a goner. He didn’t even bother to wait before bombarding Remus with way more questions than it was advisable as his driver. But every answer just lured Sirius in. Who knew academic types could be this funny? Besides, Remus was a prankster. It was like someone had made him for Sirius.

It had been a no-brainer decision. As soon as Remus disappeared into the picturesque hotel, Sirius turned off the Uber app and settled down to wait. Thanks to the miserable weather and a demanding boss, Remus barely had to think before allowing Sirius to chauffeur him around town. They spent the entire day talking between stops. Remus was not kidding, he had a lot of tasks to accomplish that day.

But with Sirius’ precise driving, everything was done before 6 p.m. Sirius was just working out the courage to suggest topping the night off with dinner when Remus returned from the sweet shop and sighed in relief. 

“I can’t believe I’m gonna go to bed before 3 a.m. tonight,” he said, grinning dreamily. “If I can mark all the undergrad papers by nine, I’ll have time to finish my own homework and I’ll be in bed by eleven.”

Sirius tried not to look too disappointed. “Christ, Remus. Do you ever stop?”

“No rest for the wicked.” Remus fished something from the sweet shop bag and handed it to Sirius. It was a small box. Sirius looked from it to Remus and realized Remus’ ears had flushed red. “This is a ‘thank you’. For driving me around town, I mean. I didn’t know what kind of sweet you like but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with chocolate, right?”

The next day, Sirius was still annoyed at himself. He groaned. “I should’ve kissed him yesterday. Dammit, I should not have let him out of the car with just a goodnight.”

“Yeah, you messed up.” James’ voice was amplified by the car’s sound system. That was how Sirius could discern the vroom and woosh sounds Harry was making in the background. “But it’s okay! You’re still in the game, Pads. Any luck?”

“Nothing yet.” Sirius surveyed the street. He had woken up extra early that morning and had joined James for a jog. It was something he hadn’t done since their school days when James was intent on both of them making their house’s football team. Sirius had not missed it.

Still, it had been nice going for a few laps with James. It helped clear his mind in a way all the traveling around hadn’t. It was the James Effect: whenever Sirius was having emotional issues, Prongs was right there to untangle everything for him. Not that meeting Remus was an emotional issue, but certainly not closing that deal was. 

But it would be fine. Especially since James didn’t even care that Sirius was planning on dropping the Uber thing entirely just to get another chance at seeing a cute bloke that waltzed into his car. That was the good old James, the helpless romantic. 

He also had a habit of encouraging Sirius’ less sensible ideas, which is why they were on a forty-minute phone call as Sirius drove around the hotel where he had picked up Remus the day before, trying to find him on the street. Which was not creepy, like Lily had said. It was… It was…

It showed a bloody effort. 

“He’ll show up at some point,” James said, still as excited as he was when Sirius told him his plan. “Then, you just do the thing you do and sweep him off his— Not the vase, Harry! No, no. Mama is gonna kill me if you break it.”

Sirius smirked. “Break it, Harry. It’s horrendous.”

“Oi! That is Lily’s grandmother’s vase. It survived the war.”

“It shouldn’t’ve. It should’ve died for the greater good of your house’s aesthetic.”

“Wanker.”

Sirius chuckled. “Did I tell you he swears a lot?”

“Your passenger? Just four times.”

“He does. It’s hilarious.”

“I’m sure it is, mate. Does he have a name?”

“Yes, but I’m not telling you. I learned my lesson.”

“I promise I won’t stalk him online, Padfoot. Just a quick Instagram check, for reference.”

“Last ‘Instagram check’ ended up with you finding out where the guy I liked went to school and his parents’ house. In Norway. No way, Prongs. Besides, he has this really peculiar name. You’d find him in no time.” 

“Peculiar? Now you have to tell me.”

Sirius turned on the hotel’s street again. “It’s really, really weird. Like, proper bizarre.”

“You’re named after a star and a color. Not one to judge, really.”

“No, listen to this. He’s called— James!!”

“Maybe I’m partial, but I certainly wouldn’t call ‘James’ weird.”

“What? No!” Sirius grinned and narrowly avoided crashing into another vehicle. “I’ve found him!”

And he had. Remus was rushing out of the hotel, this time with three paper bags and some sort of package in his arms. He looked glorious in a worn-out jumper, messy curls fluffing as he jogged. With those long legs of his, he’d be at the bus stop in no time. Just a few feet away. 

Sirius braced himself. “Prongs: I’m going in.”

“Godspeed, Padfoot.”

Sirius turned off the call and drove onward. He timed it just so he could stop exactly in front of the bus stop at the red light. Sirius pulled down the window and grinned at a distracted Remus. “Hey, you.”

For a second, Remus didn’t react. Sirius dreaded having to repeat himself, which would undoubtedly ruin how cool the scene played out in his head. But, thankfully, Remus turned to look at him, a cute frown on his scarred face. 

And then he smiled. “Are you bloody stalking me?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow, admirably keeping his cool under those scrutinizing brown-green eyes. “I was in the neighborhood. It so happened that I spotted this overworked assistant running around and felt charitable.”

“I don’t need your fucking charity,” Remus stared at him, all good humor evaporating. 

Sirius blinked. He then sighed dramatically and put both hands up in defeat. “Okay, I am stalking you. There, you caught me. Can you hop in now so we can pick up from where we left off yesterday?”

Remus looked around. Other people at the bus stop were watching the scene curiously, but he ignored them. He looked at the light, which had gone from red to green. Cars were starting to move. One honked at them.

“Come on,” Sirius insisted. “You look really well-rested. How did you like those extra hours of sleep yesterday?” 

Remus fought off a smile. He managed to keep a neutral expression as he looked back at Sirius. “I’m not paying.”

“I’m not charging.”

“You’re a terrible Uber driver.”

“Quite right.”

Remus finally cracked a smile and hopped in. As Sirius took off, Remus threw the bags on the seat, but carefully let down the package. “It’s a pie of some sort,” Remus explained when he caught Sirius watching him from the rearview mirror. “I’m supposed to take it to the symposium when I’m done with the other things.”

“When we’re done with the other things,” Sirius corrected him. “We’re in this together.”

“You’re a weird one, Sirius Black.” Remus shook his head, but he was smiling. 

“The good sort of weird? The sort that makes you smile even though you don’t want to?”

Beneath his light curls, Sirius could see Remus’ ears getting redder. He nodded.

Good. “Where to first?”

“Hm… I think we should start at Diagon Alley.”

“My favorite place in London,” Sirius said and drove away. 

Just as the day before, they talked all day long. Sometimes Remus would tell him very detailed stories about his days in college. Other times, Sirius would talk about his travels. Remus knew a lot of random historical facts about the places Sirius had been, complete with dates and names of important figures. He also knew all kinds of creepy and intriguing legends. Unlike tour guides, he made it all very fascinating to hear. 

But apparently, Remus had never left the U.K. His family was from Wales, but other than going there for Christmas, he’d stayed in England all his life, with the odd visit to Scotland where his boss stayed for most of the year. Not for a lack of wanting, judging by the way Remus listened intently to everything Sirius had to say. This time Sirius wasn’t the only one asking questions. Remus wanted to know all about the places he’s been to. 

It made Sirius want to take Remus to an airport and book the first flight anywhere. 

Whenever they arrived at a hotel or bookstore — wherever Remus had to go, and there were a lot of places — Sirius would wait for him patiently. Things were going so well, they had time to share a fag before hitting the symposium proper. 

“My best mate tells me it’s a filthy habit,” Sirius told Remus, passing him the cigarette. “But I could never stop, not since I was fifteen.”

Remus eyed him with an expression that was starting to feel familiar. He looked serious at first, but the corner of his lips was almost curved into a smile. “And why did a posh boy like you decide to start smoking at fifteen?”

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but used his best aristocratic voice, the one his parents insisted was the proper way of speaking. “Am I the posh boy? You are the one with the higher education.”

“Yeah, but I don’t sound like I’m related to the Queen.”

Sirius chuckled. “Bugger off. I’m an Uber driver.”

“You’re not, though.” Remus passed him the fag. “You’re just lost.”

Sirius stared at him for a moment in stunned silence. If anyone but James had told him something like that, he’d decked them immediately. But as he looked at Remus’ gentle eyes, he didn’t feel attacked. He felt seen.

“I guess I am, a bit.” Sirius took a last drag and squashed the cigarette under his boot. 

Remus nodded but didn’t say anything. It was not like they knew each other enough to have these sorts of conversations. It was safer to stay on anecdotes where he saved the day or some funny tale about a prank he and Prongs played in school. Easy topics, light conversation. And yet, Sirius didn’t mind the way Remus seemed to get him. 

“Shall we deliver that pie?” Sirius asked, turning to the car. 

Remus followed him inside quietly, settling down in the back seat. They drove the first couple of blocks in silence until Remus perked up.

“Have I told you about the day I made the other assistant believe he was going blind? Bet your mate Prongs would’ve loved that one.”

“What? How?!”

And just like that, they were back to talking nonstop. When they got to the symposium, Sirius parked the car and insisted on helping Remus deliver the pie at the right conference room. Not that it was a two-man job, but he didn’t want the day to end. They both went in and Sirius was delighted to see that most people in there dressed just as poorly as Remus or worse still. 

He was also very impressed. Almost every white head in there turned to greet Remus with a smile or a nod in acknowledgment. What should’ve been a five-minute delivery service turned into fifteen, easy. No sign of Remus’ boss or the other assistant, though, which was good. It was one thing for Sirius to witness Remus pretend not to notice that a seventy-year-old lady was hitting on him. It was quite another to meet the people he worked with daily. 

“All done,” Remus declared as they stepped out of the building. It was a quarter past six, but this time Remus didn’t mention anything about his sleeping schedule. Instead, he eyed Sirius’ car. 

That was it. The chance Sirius had been waiting since morning. He was so eager, he didn’t notice Remus opening his mouth.

“Do you want to have dinner with me?” Sirius asked.

At the same time, Remus blurted out, “Wanna grab a bite?”

They stared at each other for a second and burst out laughing. 

“Yeah.” Remus smiled. “I do.”

Sirius nodded enthusiastically. “Brilliant. My treat.”

Remus opened his mouth in protest but apparently thought better of it. “Cheers. I’ll choose the place, then.”

They ended up in a pub a couple of blocks away. It wasn’t the kind of place Sirius would take someone on a first date, but Remus clearly enjoyed it. He also found a small booth in a corner, far from prying eyes. Sirius couldn’t really complain. It was private enough that they shouldn’t be bothered by the other patrons.

Once they each had a pint and some fish and chips, Sirius could see the appeal. The pub was exactly the type of place Remus would feel at home in. Charming in its own way, and the furthest thing from the pretentious places Sirius was used to. He could easily see Remus spending an afternoon there, pouring over a book or having a deep conversation about some obscure local myth.

“Do you take all of your dates here?” Sirius asked, feeling a little jealous of these imaginary people.

Remus cocked an eyebrow, mouth full of chips. “So, it is a date.”

“Of course it’s a date.”

“I should’ve dressed better, then.”

Sirius snorted. “I do look forward to seeing you in a tweed jacket, Professor Lupin.”

“Shove it, Black.” Remus chuckled. “And no, I don’t take my dates here. But I’ve always wanted to.”

“Glad to make your dreams come true.” Sirius smiled and slung an arm around Remus’ shoulders. It was slightly awkward, as Remus was taller than him, but when they sat down it didn’t make much of a difference. 

Remus looked from the hand now settled on his shoulder to Sirius’ face. They were very close, closer even than when they were sharing cigarettes. He seemed relaxed, though. The specks of green in his eyes were almost entirely brown in the pub’s low light and his scars were paler than in the day. Remus smiled, not shy but not assuming either. That was it, Sirius couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

“You’re so perfect,” Sirius whispered and leaned forward for a kiss.

That was when Remus’ phone buzzed, startling them both. 

“Fuck me,” Remus swore, taking the cursed things from his pocket.

“I’m trying to,” Sirius mumbled, but Remus wasn’t listening. He was frowning at the screen. “Is it the other assistant? Forget pranking him, let’s just kill the bastard.”

“No, it’s my boss.” Remus’ face fell and he looked at Sirius apologetically. “I’m sorry, I have to take it.”

“It’s okay. But he’d better not be making you run all the way across town at 9 p.m.”

Remus chuckled but took the call. He mumbled a couple of ‘yes, sir’s and ‘sure’s. It was the most polite Sirius had ever heard him sound. The call ended shortly and Remus looked crestfallen.

“You have to go, don’t you?” Sirius said, trying and failing to hide his disappointment.

“I’m so sorry, Sirius. This has been… Honestly, this has been brilliant.” Remus’ smile was so genuine it made Sirius’ heart leap inside his chest. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in a while. Can I… Can I have your number? So we can do this again, just not during the busiest week of my life?”

Sirius nodded and added his number to Remus’ contact list. He had to assure Remus three times that yes, he still wanted to pay the bill. In return, Remus told him at least four times that they would definitely repeat the dinner. As Sirius watched Remus dash out of the pub, he sighed. What a day.

Three hours later, though, when he got a “goodnight, cheers for today” text from Remus, Sirius could not stop grinning. What a day indeed.

🐺⭐️

Remus had not slept well. He rarely did when he went to bed angry. Granted, that wasn’t something that happened that often. Remus was a calm person, just like his mother had been. But he had gone to bed angry the night before.

As it turned out, Dumbledore had summoned him to organize the Q&A at the professor’s final lecture. It was annoying work, making sure that everyone stood in line and waited for their turn. Usually, he wouldn’t have minded, but he did this time. Remus was fairly certain the symposium had people on staff just for that. Snape was right there on stage with Dumbledore, he could’ve organized the line. Truly, there was no need to interrupt Remus’ date with the most infuriatingly beautiful person he’d ever met.

But that was just half the reason Remus had gone to bed angry. The other half was entirely Sirius’ fault. Sirius and his gorgeous smile. Sirius and his bright eyes. Sirius and his unbelievably generous heart. 

It had taken Remus less than a minute in Sirius’ presence to figure out he’d come from money. Old money, the kind that shaped you as a person. In college, Remus had met enough pricks with the exact same accent to know to avoid them. If he was honest, it wasn’t until he met James Potter that Remus had stopped hating anyone who sounded like that on sight. Which was why he’d given Sirius the benefit of the doubt in the first place. 

What a monumentally moronic move. Because now, Remus was falling quickly for the poshest man in the entire world. Sirius was everything Remus had always resented. An arrogant bastard, privileged beyond imagination, rich to the point of absurdity. The bloke had bought a car just to prove a point. He had spent the last five or so years traveling the world, partying and drinking and touristing everywhere. He hadn’t done anything for the past two months and could still live comfortably in a roomy loft in the most expensive part of London. 

And yet, Remus’ heart jumped every time he thought of him. In two days, Sirius’ infallible generosity and devious wit had done more for Remus than a lifetime of normal, reasonable people. With him, Remus felt like he could spend hours rambling about his stupid little interests and Sirius would be hanging to his every word. He seemed to find all of Remus’ silly jokes funny. Hell, Sirius had dedicated the last two days to driving Remus around London just to spend time with him. 

No one had ever done so much for him. So, truly, was it that surprising that Remus wanted nothing more than to see Sirius again?

Remus sighed, happy to be alone in the lift with his thoughts. This week couldn’t end soon enough. Maybe when he wasn’t so overworked, he’d come back to his senses and find things about Sirius that he didn’t like. Lily always said Remus was the world’s biggest overthinker, so it couldn’t be that hard for him to talk himself out of fancying Sirius. It just so happened that, at the moment, there was nothing about Sirius Black that didn’t make Remus want to smile.

The lift arrived at Dumbledore’s floor and Remus shook himself off. He had to concentrate for two more days before sorting the Sirius mess out. Just two more days and Remus’ life would be back to its boring, normal state.

When Remus finally entered Dumbledore’s suite, he was pleased to see there were no signs of Snape anywhere. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the morning, Dumbledore offered to order Remus some breakfast, but Remus got out of it by accepting only some tea and chocolate biscuits. 

“For today I only have one task to ask of you, my boy,” Dumbledore said, ignoring the last ten minutes in which he had Remus go through all his ties in order to choose one that was just the right tone of light blue. “I need you to fetch a few signed copies of ‘Hogwarts: A History’ I forgot in my office.”

Remus blinked. He took a sip of his tea and popped a chocolate biscuit into his mouth. “In your office, Sir?”

“Yes.”

“The one at Hogwarts?”

“Quite right.”

“That’s in Scotland, Sir.”

Dumbledore just smiled pleasantly. “The copies should be on my desk. If I could have them with me tomorrow by 6 p.m., that would be lovely.”

Fuck.

Remus ate another biscuit. “Of course.”

He stood up, bid Dumbledore goodbye, and exited the room. He made it all the way out of the hotel calmly and waved goodbye to the doorman. It was only when Remus got to the street that he began to truly freak out. How the fuck was he supposed to get to and back from Scotland in two days?! Did Dumbledore mention any budget for train tickets?

Fingers trembling, Remus fished his phone out and called the first person he could think of.

“Remus! Hey!” Sirius’ voice sounded so excited, it was almost enough to calm Remus down. 

But not quite. “Hi.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. No. Hm…” Remus kicked himself mentally. “Are you busy today? And, I guess, tomorrow?”

Sirius took a moment before answering. “Not particularly. Don’t you have the symposium thing going on, though?”

“About that… I need to go to Scotland and get back here by 6 p.m. tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

Remus felt his stomach sink. “Sorry. This is mental. I shouldn’t have called you, Sirius. I’m sorry. I’ll just catch a bus or a train there. Shouldn’t be too expensive and I can probably get a refund later. I’m sorry again. I’m hanging up now.”

“No, don’t!” Sirius chuckled. “I was just surprised, is all. Of course I’ll drive you, Remus.”

“I didn’t ask you to,” Remus whispered, despite the smile forming on his lips and how tight his grip on the phone suddenly got.

Sirius snorted. “No, you didn’t. But I’ll do it anyway. However, there is one condition: you have to sit at the front with me. We’re going on a road trip after all.”

“Deal.”

Half an hour later, Remus spotted the Land Rover and hopped in. The front of the car was just as fancy as the back, if not more. It was more spacious too. He could get used to sitting there.

Sirius grinned at him, looking sharp in tight jeans and a black shirt. “What is that?” He pointed at the paper bag Remus was carrying.

“I got us lunch,” Remus explained with a shrug. “And some snacks. It is a road trip, after all.”

To Remus’ surprise, Sirius didn’t say anything. Instead, he was staring at Remus, expression unreadable. He probably didn’t even register what Remus had said. Too busy looking at… With a pleasant rush, Remus realized it wasn’t all of his face that Sirius’ grey eyes were focusing on. It was his mouth. 

Very well, then. Remus leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sirius’. 

It was barely a kiss, but he smiled as Sirius’ face, usually so pale and composed, flushed. 

“Thank you for doing this,” Remus whispered. 

“You’re very welcome,” Sirius responded in the same soft tone. He pressed another kiss to Remus’ lips. “Very welcome indeed.”

The first few hours of the road trip went smoothly after that. It was just like the previous two days; Remus and Sirius would talk about everything and anything, cracking jokes and teasing each other. But there were some small differences too. Sometimes Sirius would rest a hand on Remus’ knee. Other times, Remus would play with a strand of Sirius’ hair as he spoke. There was much more touching, though no proper snogging yet.

They stopped for lunch and moved to the back seat. Remus had his legs on top of Sirius’ lap, who was in the middle of an animated tale on one of the many pranks he and his best mate pulled in school. Remus wasn’t sure the sandwich in Sirius’ hand would survive the tale.

“Honestly, it was brilliant! Classes were canceled for the rest of the day.” Sirius laughed. “All it took was a bit of tape and imagination. My brother was mortified, but that’s what he gets for being a right git.”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “You hadn’t mentioned a brother yet.”

Sirius blinked. Some of the excitement left him, but there was unmistaken love in his eyes as he spoke. “Yeah. He moved to France a few years ago. We don’t talk much, but we were close before we went to school. Sometimes he sends me postcards telling me how his life is. It was nice getting back to London to find those waiting for me.”  

“Postcards? That’s old school.”

“And untraceable,” Sirius’ tone went from fond to venomous. “Can’t have mommy dearest knowing we’re still in contact.” 

The mood in the car shifted and Sirius wouldn’t meet Remus’ eyes anymore. Instead, he focused on a  small dried splotch on Remus’ trousers, tracing it with his fingers as he munched on his sandwich. 

Remus finished his in one bite. “I’ve always wanted a brother. Or a sister, it didn’t really matter. Just someone to play with, I guess. But there was no way my parents would have another child. I was a handful already. It’s hard to take care of a kid that doesn’t stop bleeding.”

Sirius looked up, curious. He didn’t say anything, so Remus pressed on. “It’s a skin disease. Not contagious or anything,” he added quickly. “I don’t heal right. So, every scratch, every wound… It stays. I’ve gotten better at not getting them over the years, but it was hard as a small lad. That’s why I like books so much. Can’t get hurt reading them.”

“There’s always paper cuts,” Sirius offered, shrugging.

“Definitely.” Remus raised his palm, showing two scratched fingers. “And they hurt like a motherfucker.”

Sirius smiled and took Remus’ hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed his fingertips. Remus swallowed hard and it must have shown on his face since Sirius smirked and licked one of the fingers. 

“Mustard,” Sirius explained with false innocence, but Remus’ brain was too foggy for him to respond. 

“Come on,” Remus said after a while. “Let’s keep going or we won’t make it in time.”

“Whatever you want, Remus.”

It took a lot of self-control and a good mental scolding for Remus to move his legs out of Sirius’ lap. The fact that Sirius made to grab them to keep them in place but stopped himself at the last moment did not help with that.

Somehow, though, they were back on the road in no time. Remus wasn’t sure if he was happy or disappointed. They were quiet for a while, listening to the playlist Remus had selected. No pop songs, just proper music. 

Eventually, Sirius turned to him. “Here’s what I don’t get.”

“Good thing we still have five hours of travel. Go on.”

“So rude. Prongs would love you.” Sirius shook his head and Remus tried not to be pleased by the possible approval of Sirius’ best mate. “Anyway,” Sirius continued. “Why couldn’t your boss just buy new copies of this book and sign them again?”

Remus rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t just bloody ask him that, could I? He’s my boss. If he says ‘go to Hogwarts and fetch my books’, I have to say yes.”

“Hogwarts?” Sirius blinked. “That’s where we’re going? Your boss works there?”

“Didn’t I mention that?”

“I think I’d remember if you’ve mentioned your boss works at Hogwarts.”

“Well, he’s the Headmaster.”

Sirius gaped at him. “You work for Dumbledore?”

Remus frowned. “What? Do you know him or something?” It made sense. Sirius had gone to a boarding school of some kind, judging by his stories. There weren’t that many and they all competed against each other. It wouldn’t be a stretch for him to know the headmaster of the most famous one.

“Everyone in the country knows who Dumbledore is. He’s always on the news.” Sirius shook his head dismissively, but Remus could see the engines turning behind his eyes. “I just didn’t know he was such a massive prick of a boss.”

He didn’t know what was happening, but Remus was fairly sure Sirius was hiding something from him. He was acting extremely weirdly. “Well, I want to teach at Hogwarts one day, so he’s the one to impress.”

“That’s for sure,” Sirius said, still clearly distracted. 

It was no good trying to talk to him after that. Remus tried a couple more times but barely got any responses. He eventually gave up and decided to take a nap. When Sirius didn’t protest that either, Remus leaned on the window and closed his eyes, trying not to get too annoyed at the sudden change in attitude.

🐺⭐️

Sirius was going to murder James. And Lily. That left Harry alone, but then again, Sirius could always raise him not to be the worst wingman in the history of the world, like his parents were.

Remus worked for Dumbledore. There were only two people that, as far as Sirius was aware, worked as his former Headmaster’s assistants. Snivellus and Lily’s friend from college. And since Remus was definitely not the slimy wanker that made Sirius’ school days a little worse just for existing, that only left one possibility. 

Lily knew Remus. And she hadn’t introduced him to Sirius yet. That meant they had been orbiting each other for years, both of them going in and out of the Potters’, but never at the same time. What were the odds of that?

Sirius scoffed as he drove into Hogsmeade Village in search of a place to stay the night. He was willing to bet Remus was the “Uncle Moony” Harry always went on about. Sirius had resented Uncle Moony ever since he’d first heard of him. Who was this random guy that brought his godson chocolate cake and illustrated books? That had helped him memorize the alphabet and danced with him to old rock songs? 

As it turns out, he was the incredible man sitting by his side. Sirius looked over at Remus, who was still dozing, head plastered against the window and snoring softly. Moony. It suited him. The right amount of whimsical, just as Remus had made his life in the last three days.

Oh, Sirius was so going to murder James.

He parked the car near the Three Broomsticks. The end of the steady movement had Remus shifting in his sleep, but he didn’t wake up yet. Sirius considered walking in and asking Madam Rosmerta for a room on his own. It was late, but he was confident he could smuggle some keys out of her by flashing a few smiles, though he didn’t want to flirt with the innkeeper in front of Remus. He’d done it enough as a teenager as is.

Instead, Sirius touched Remus’ arm lightly. “Moony, we’re here.”

Remus sighed and opened his eyes slowly. In his sleep, he looked younger. It made Sirius wonder what it would’ve been like if Remus had attended Hogwarts with James and him. There had been Peter too, but they never talked about him anymore. Not after Peter had outed Sirius to the entire school in their seventh year. 

No, that was a bad memory. Sirius focused on Remus. Would they have shared a dorm if Remus was in Hogwarts? He was a Gryffindor, Sirius was sure of it. Maybe a Ravenclaw, that Sirius could deal with even if he didn’t like the sound of that. No, Remus was a Gryffindor. They would’ve shared a dorm for sure. At that thought, Sirius hoped Rosmerta’s rooms had only one bed in them. 

Remus stared at Sirius groggily, a smile on his lips. He blinked, recognizing their surroundings. “Hey… Are we… Are we in Hogsmeade?”

“Yes, and just in time for supper. We can spend the night here and walk to the school in the morning.” Sirius smiled too but frowned when he saw the suspicious look on Remus’ face. “What?”

“I didn’t leave you instructions on how to get here. And I know for a fact Hogwarts doesn’t show up on any GPS because I was there when Dumbledore had the anti-tracking installed.” Remus blinked again, all sleep gone from him. Back to sharp, intelligent eyes. “So, what house were you in, you knob?”

Sirius raised a single eyebrow. “Take a guess.”

“Gryffindor,” Remus answered without hesitation. 

Sirius kissed him. This time it wasn’t a chaste kiss at all. Their lips connected hungrily, and then came their tongues. Remus sucked on Sirius’ bottom lip and his fingers interlaced on Sirius’ hair, pulling just enough. Sirius grabbed him by the rings on his jeans and climbed onto Remus’ lap clumsily in the tight space of the car. Remus’ moan reverberated through Sirius’ entire body and he could feel himself going hard from the sound of it alone.

“Let’s get a room,” Sirius gasped. Remus was out of the car the next second. 

The night chill sobered them long enough to book a room. Rosmerta had immediately recognized Sirius, and also the look in his eyes whenever he’d brought a date to her inn during Hogsmeade weekends. She handed Sirius a room key with a smirk, shooting Remus a sly glance as he fumbled with his phone a couple of feet away.

“Enjoy the stay, Black.”

“Cheers.”

Sirius and Remus made it to the back of the inn without jumping on each other’s bones, but as soon as Sirius closed the room’s door behind them, Remus pressed him against it. He kissed Sirius hard, leaving no space between their bodies. Sirius pulled him closer still, pinning himself between Remus and the door as Remus’ mouth moved to his neck, to his jaw, to his ear.

“Bed,” Remus ordered, voice raw. “Now.”

Sirius nodded, not trusting himself to speak. There was gloriously just one and Sirius climbed onto it, leaning on his elbows. Remus followed him, positioning himself between Sirius’ legs. There was a hungry look in his eyes as Sirius took off his own shirt. It was the hottest thing Sirius had ever seen. Who knew sweet Remus and his blushing ears would turn into this in bed? 

“You okay?” Remus asked, hands hovering over Sirius’ fly.

“Yes,” Sirius breathed out. “Now make me feel fantastic.”

Remus smiled. And did.

The next morning, Sirius woke up on top of Remus and felt sore all over. He hoped it would become a common occurrence. Remus radiated warmth beneath him, still fast asleep. They were both naked and sticky, and in the light of the morning, Sirius could see every scar on Remus’ body. They were not pretty - it was a lifetime of barely healed injuries. But they were a part of Remus, so they were special.

Just a few moments later, Sirius was tracing a particularly nasty-looking scar on Remus’ chest when he shifted beneath him. “Morning,” Remus said quietly, a smile tugging on his lips.

Sirius kissed him. “Good morning, Moony.”

“What time is it?” Remus moved an arm to grab his phone, but the other one laced Sirius’ waist, keeping him in place. “Bugger that, almost seven already.”

“There’s enough time.” Sirius started placing kisses on Remus’ neck.  

“There’s a ten-hour drive in front of us,” Remus complained, but only half-heartedly. His hands were already under the blanket and on Sirius’ ass. 

“I drive fast.” Sirius focused on Remus’ earlobe and felt a hardening reward pressing against him. “I can shave off an hour or two.”

Remus hummed. “You’d better make it bloody worth the price of risking our lives for your reckless driving, then.”

Sirius smiled and pushed Remus’ legs open gently, but the sound of Remus’ phone buzzing froze them both in place. They exchanged one worried look and Sirius shook his head no. But Remus reached for his phone regardless. On the screen, an unsaved number was calling.

“Probably just—” Sirius started dismissively, but then he saw the look of horror on Remus’ face. His whole body had gone stiff and his hands had let go of Sirius as if he was radioactive. It was a little insulting if Sirius was being perfectly honest.

The call went unanswered and neither of them moved. The number started calling again. 

Remus soldiered on and accepted it. “Good morning, Snape.”

Never in his life had Sirius gone from turned on to repulsed so quickly. He jumped off of Remus, feeling dirty. As Remus hummed a couple of yes’s and no’s, Sirius, now aching for a long, hot shower, stood up and began gathering their various discarded garments from the floor. 

He had dressed himself and was almost done assembling Remus’ outfit — missing just one of his socks — when Remus rolled his eyes. “I’m not alone right now, so I’ll talk to you later. I’ll be back with the books in time.”

He ended the call, but not before Snape had let out a, “how unprofessional, Lupin.” 

“I can’t believe you work with Snivellous,” Sirius hissed, shaking his head. “I thought I was done dealing with him.”

Remus frowned. “And why do you have to deal with him?”

“Because we’re— This is— Hm—” Sirius froze, blinking rapidly. He spotted Remus’ sock under the bed. “Oh, here. Found it. I’ll go settle our stay and find us something to eat.” 

He escaped the room before he could embarrass himself any further. Remus joined him outside fifteen minutes later and they crossed the path to Hogwarts each holding a cup of tea and sharing pieces of buttered toasts. 

They were almost at the school’s entrance when Remus stopped abruptly. “Wait a minute,” he eyed Sirius suspiciously. “You were a Gryffindor and you knew Snape. He was the guy you and your best mate bullied in school.”

“Bullied is a strong word,” Sirius protested. “He gave as good as he got.”

“Whatever, not my point. You know James and Lily. You’re friends with them, best friends in fact.” Remus’ eyes widened and he pointed at Sirius. “You are Harry’s godfather! Uncle Padfoot!”

At that, Sirius couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “Yes, Moony, I am.”

“Moony…? You’ve been calling me that since yesterday.” Watching Remus figure things out was fascinating. Sirius could do that all day. “Wait, is James ‘Prongs’? I did think some of the stories sounded familiar.”

“But no less fantastic to hear.”

“James tells them better.”

“Don’t break my heart, Remus. It’s too early for that.”

Remus shook his head. “How have we not met yet?”

Sirius laced their arms together. It was weird doing that so openly on Hogwarts’ grounds, but Sirius wasn’t an ashamed teenager anymore. He could touch a bloke in public if he bloody wanted to. “I was wondering the same thing yesterday when I figured it all out. I think I’m going to have to murder James for failing us like this.”

“Count me in.” Remus placed a kiss on Sirius’ hair. “Lily too. She’s been trying to play matchmaker with me for years. How terrible are they at this?”

“It did take them seven years to get together. They are horrific. Poor Harry needs better examples in his life.” Sirius smirked. “At least, he has us now.”

Remus smiled softly. “You did it again, Padfoot.”

“Did what?”

“Talked about us like we’re a thing. It’s the second time this morning.”

Sirius felt a cold hand close around his heart. But then he looked at Remus’ face. There was no rejection there, just bewilderment. As if he couldn’t believe Sirius was thinking about them as a unit. It was ridiculous, considering their excellent night together. But that was Remus too, mind always racing, and Sirius felt like he was starting to understand how he worked now.

A familiar ‘ahem’ interrupted them. Sirius turned to find his very favorite professor staring at them. Minerva McGonagall was still as formidable as she had been when he was a student, just a splash of white on her hair. 

“Minnie!” Sirius exclaimed. 

“Professor McGonagall,” Remus greeted, kicking Sirius on the shin. 

“Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin. I was wondering how long you two would wait in the morning cold before coming in.” McGonagall’s eyes lingered just a second too long on their linked arms, but she made no more notice. “Mr. Lupin, I would invite you for tea, but Professor Dumbledore explained you are on a tight time frame.” She motioned to a pile of books neatly packed waiting on the floor. “I took the liberty of fetching those myself.”

“Quite right!” Remus let go of Sirius and picked up some books. “Thank you so much, Professor. This is an enormous help.” He unceremoniously shoved the books into Sirius’ arms and picked up the rest. “It’s great seeing you.”

“You too, Mr. Lupin. Do come to visit more often, my office is always open.” McGonagall turned to Sirius and some of her usual harshness softened. “It is good seeing you again, Mr. Black. And in excellent company no less.”

Sirius grinned. “It’s good to be back.”

“Send Mr. and Mrs. Potter my love.”

“Will do, Professor.”

“Now off you go, there is a long trip ahead of you.” McGonagall waved them off. “You’ve attracted enough attention.”

It was true. A few passing students had stopped to watch the interaction. Sirius could swear he heard his name being murmured, or at least a “Padfoot” and for sure one “Prongs”. It seemed the Marauder’s legacy had been well secured. Mischief managed.

They said their goodbyes and marched back into the village. Sirius turned to Remus, intending on continuing their conversation, but Remus was already rambling about how much he liked Hogwarts. 

“My father came here, you know?” he said, eyes bright. “And my grandfather too. I heard so many stories. Every time I visit, I feel a little closer to them. As if this is where the Lupin family truly belongs. Is that silly?”

Sirius shook his head. “Not silly at all. Especially because one day you won’t be coming just to visit. You’ll be a professor here. You’ll teach Harry and all his mates. And you’ll help Gryffindor win the House Cup.”

Remus chuckled. “Only if they deserve it.”

Sirius smiled, lost in the sound of Remus’ laugh. “They will.”

🐺⭐️

The trip back went by much faster. Remus and Sirius spent the entire morning sharing stories about James and Lily, trying to figure out moments in the past couple of years that they could’ve met. To the Potters’ credit, there weren't many. 

Remus was always busy with college or work, and Sirius had hardly spent more than a week in London before taking off to another country. The best they could come up with was Harry’s birthdays, but the only one Remus had attended was exactly the one Sirius didn't make because his flight was canceled and he spent the entire day in an airport in Bangladesh. 

“That was when I first considered coming back for good,” Sirius said as he sped through the road. Remus was pointedly staring at him, both to soak in the image of Sirius and to avoid thinking they were going to crash every five seconds. “I don’t ever want to miss another of Harry’s birthdays again.”

“Did I ever tell you I was there when Harry said his first word?” Remus smiled at the memory. “It was ‘magic’. Lily had made dinner and I was doing the dishes, telling her about a book I was reading. Harry was dozing off, but he woke up when I talked about the witch character. James was sleeping too, but he didn’t wake up.”

Sirius grinned. “Prongs was never one for books, he preferred to watch the movie.” 

Remus recalled having that exact conversation with James. “Anyway, Harry must have recognized the word, because when Lily said it, he repeated it perfectly. Ma-gic Now, that woke up James right away.”

“He called me that night.” Sirius shook his head, smiling brightly. “We had a bet it was going to be one of our names.”

“Why would it be your name, Padfoot?” For some reason, the nickname had stuck in Remus’ mind. He couldn’t call Sirius anything else. Wouldn’t, even.

“Because I’m his favorite, obviously.”

Remus shook his head. “Of course you are.”

That’s how it went for hours. They didn’t stop for lunch, both of them resolved to shorten their time on the road at all costs. Remus offered to drive after a while, but Sirius insisted on doing it himself, thankfully. Remus was not looking forward to driving a car more expensive than his entire year’s earnings. Besides, he couldn’t drive as fast as Sirius, which meant that they wouldn’t have arrived at the London suburbs over an hour earlier than predicted. 

If Remus had talked at length about all the myths and legends from places Sirius had visited, then Sirius had just as many stories to tell about this part of the city. “See that park? I used to go there with Regulus when we were children. I climbed that tree there all the time, the tall one. It drove our governess up the wall and— What?”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “Of course you had a governess.”

“That’s the part you picked up on?” Sirius laughed. “We had a butler too. Hated his guts. He never had a thought my mother hadn’t thought of first. I used to call him ‘creature’.” His voice was calm, but Remus could hear the bitterness underneath. “Last time I saw him was when they disowned me. He was smiling, the wanker. Kept nodding every time my mother finished a sentence.”

“Oh.” Remus frowned. “I’m sorry your family is a bloody nightmare. Good riddance.”

Sirius turned to him, shocked. They had stopped at a red light and he didn’t move when it turned green. For a moment, Remus thought he had upset him and he was about to apologize when Sirius began shaking with laughter. 

“You’re right, Moony. Good riddance,” Sirius said when he finally calmed down enough to speak. “Besides, I started living at the Potters’ after that. It was brilliant. They’re just as much my family. No, more even. I can’t wait until I can take Harry to climb that tree. Right now, Evans only lets me take him… There! That playground over there. There’s only so much adventure one can have at the swings.”

“Can’t go too crazy with a three-year-old,” Remus smirked. “Chubby legs and all.”

“Not yet, no. But just you wait. He won’t be three forever.”

After that, Sirius began pointing out every place he had taken baby Harry to. His eyes were soft and there was a permanent smile on his lips as he spoke. Sirius had even stopped driving like a lunatic as if Harry was in the car with them and not a bunch of books. 

They were both so entertained, neither noticed the red light that started blinking on the car’s panel until a loud bang sounded from the engine.

“What was that?!” Remus shouted, grabbing his seat for dear life.

Sirius just laughed. “That’s nothing. All the driving around must’ve taken a toll on the engine. I’ll fix it once I’m home. Just a couple of tweaks and it’ll be good as new.”

“You know your way around an engine?”

“You sound so surprised. Should I be offended?”

“No, it’s just…” Remus frowned, trying not to imagine Sirius bending over the car, hands dirty with motor oil. “Nevermind.”

Another loud noise. A “poof” this time.

“That doesn’t sound like nothing,” Remus said.

This time Sirius didn’t say anything and that was definitely worrisome.

Remus looked at the time. He touched Sirius’ arm. “James and Lily’s is close from here, right?” Remus didn’t always have the best sense of direction in the suburbs. It all looked the same to him.

“Yeah.” Sirius’ eyes widened. “Do you want to go there? Right now?”

“I’m sure James has some sort of toolbox, so you can take a look at whatever is clearly going to make us break in the middle of London in rush hour.” When Sirius still seemed doubtful, Remus changed tactics. “Besides, I’m famished anyway. Lily always has food in the house. And we can see Harry. He should be back from daycare by now.”

That last point did it. “He’s been back for an hour,” Sirius said, mind racing behind bright grey eyes. “He’ll be showered already and Evans is probably starting up dinner.” Concerned colored his face, reigning in the excitement growing in his features.“But don’t you have to be at the symposium at 6 p.m.?”

Remus shrugged. “The car needs to be working for that to happen.”

Sirius didn’t need to be told a third time. He drove off the main street and they were parking in front of the Potters’ house in minutes. They made it to the door and Remus could see Sirius’ entire posture changing — he relaxed, the way one did when they got home. Sirius had a key, so they entered without knocking, but Remus rang the bell just to announce their presence. 

They were welcomed by a running toddler with open arms. “Uncle Pafoot!” Harry screamed, crashing onto Sirius’ legs. 

Sirius laughed and picked him up. “Padfoot, Harry. Pad-Foot.”

“Pafoot!”

Sirius shook his head in defeat, eyeing Remus with exasperation. That was when Harry saw him. “And Uncle Moony!” He made to grab Remus’ face.

Remus let him hold a finger. “Hello, Harry.”

“What is this?” Lily asked, poking her head out of the kitchen. She had her apron on and her dark red hair up in a messy bun. “Sirius! And Remus…? What are you two doing together?”

“Wait, what?” James followed her from the kitchen. He pointed from one to the other. “Did I forget I invited you over for dinner or something? Padfoot, I thought you were still with your mystery passenger—” James’ eyes widened. He pointed at Remus. “Remus Lupin!”

Remus frowned. “Yes, that is my name.”

“The peculiar name! Easy to find online!” James pointed back at Sirius, who was grinning his shit-eating grin. “You sly wanker!” James ran a hand through his already messy hair, staring at both of them, eyes sparkling behind his glasses. “I like this. I approve of it.”

“Excellent. I was quaking in my boots with anticipation, so that’s a relief to know, Prongs.” Sirius rolled his eyes and booped Harry’s nose, sending the toddler into a fit of giggles. “Where’s my old toolbox? That stupid car is acting up.”

As James and Sirius searched the house for a toolbox, Harry still firmly secure in Sirius’ arms, Lily turned to Remus. She had her hands on her hips, nose scrunched. Classic annoyed Lily pose. “Why am I the only one still confused about what is going on here?” 

Remus walked up to her. “Sirius and I haven’t had lunch.”

That triggered Lily’s motherly instincts instantly. And her gossipy ones too. She dragged Remus to the kitchen, leaving Sirius and James to watch over Harry. In seconds, there was toast and cheese on the table, as well as an assortment of pastes and fruits. 

“Tell me everything,” she commanded and, once Remus had swallowed the bread she shoved into his mouth, he did.

An hour later, Sirius and Remus were back in the car, rushing through London. Sirius had fixed whatever was wrong with the car — he had explained it to Remus, who simply could not be bothered to care now that the godforsaken red light was gone and no suspicious noises were happening anymore.

They were both well-fed and had promised to go back to the Potters’ on the weekend to, as James put it, properly explain this mental story. Sirius was buzzing with a frenetic energy, which came in handy considering he was probably breaking about a thousand traffic laws to get Remus where he needed to be in time. 

And he did. Remus jumped out of the car at 5:54 p.m., gathering all the books in his arms. He stopped just to press a kiss onto Sirius’ lips and say ‘wait here’ before running inside to the main conference room. 

It was 6:01 p.m. when Remus dropped the books on top of the only empty table. He had time to arrange them neatly in two piles before the doors opened and Dumbledore entered, Snape in toe, followed by other great scholars. They were all in deep conversation and nobody seemed to notice how out of breath Remus was as he smiled at them. At some point he had to give up smoking. Maybe go for a run. 

Or just spend more nights with Sirius. That was great cardio.

Dumbledore gestured for his guests to settle around the room. “There are refreshments waiting for you all. Enjoy!” He walked up to Remus and surveyed the books with an approving nod. “Thank you very much, Remus. It seems all is in order.”

Remus smiled, but his eyes slipped to the clock hanging on the wall. Dumbledore followed his gaze. 

“Severus,” Dumbledore called and Snape quickly made his way to him. “You and Remus have worked very hard this week. Go enjoy a free night. I shall expect you two to return for lunch tomorrow.”

“I could stay, Professor,” Snape said, barely managing to subdue his eagerness. He eyed the professor he had been talking to, some great chemist. “It is no trouble. You need someone to take notes.”

“Unfortunately, this is a Wizengamot meeting and only members can attend,” Dumbledore said, not unkindly. “Boring work, but essential. I’m sure you boys will be a part of it one day, if you are so inclined. Until then, go enjoy your night off.”

Snape narrowed his eyes, clearly disappointed, but said nothing. He nodded at Dumbledore and left. Remus shrugged. “Thank you, Professor.”

“Not at all, my boy.” Dumbledore turned to his guests, but looked over his shoulder, a sparkle in his blue eyes. “And Remus, tell me something. How is young Mr. Black doing?”

Remus felt his ears grow hot. “Quite good.”

“Excellent, excellent. Have a good night.”

“You too,” was all that Remus managed to say before rushing off as well. 

He found Sirius standing outside of the Land Rover, phone in hand. He smiled when he saw Remus arrive. “All good?”

“Just in time.” Remus stopped beside him, leaning on the car. Sirius was looking at him expectantly, in a way that made Remus’ stomach flutter with butterflies. He cleared his throat. “So, I’m done for the day.”

“Oh, really?” Sirius smiled, putting his phone away and taking Remus’ hand in his. 

Remus laced their fingers together. “And I’m not expected back until lunchtime tomorrow. That’s for the symposium closing event.”

“Hm,” Sirius acknowledged, eyes glued on their hands together. “No last-minute drives anywhere, then?” 

“Don’t think so, no.”

“What a shame.”

“Yes.”

They were quiet for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s presence. Whatever they had been doing in the last few days, it felt like it was over now. Rushing places together, running errands throughout town. There would be none of that anymore.

But Remus wasn’t ready to let go of Sirius quite yet. It was quiet now and he still couldn’t think of a single reason not to want the man standing in front of him. He probably never would.

“Sirius.” Remus inhaled. 

Sirius looked up. “Yeah?”

Remus forced himself to speak instead of just staring at Sirius’ luminous eyes. “We never finished that conversation, did we?”

“Which conversation? We’ve had a few these last couple of days.”

“The one about you and me. As… As something.”

“Oh.” Sirius’ eyes softened. He brought Remus’ hand to his lips and kissed it. “That conversation.”

“That one,” Remus confirmed. “We’ve also never finished a proper dinner together. At least, not one that didn’t end with my running off somewhere.”

“Yes, that was exceedingly rude.” Sirius nodded, gravely. “Well, Moony, I think we have our course for the night.”

Remus mimicked him. “I think we do, Padfoot.” He smiled and pulled Sirius to himself. “But first, this.”

He leaned forward and kissed Sirius. Remus hoped he never, ever, had to stop doing so.

🐺⭐️

“Don’t bloody rush it.” Remus sounded like he was trying hard not to panic. His voice was slightly higher than normal, but he wasn’t shouting. In fact, his voice was barely more than a whisper. “Just… Be gentle about it, will you?”

Sirius nodded, focusing on Remus’ firm grip on his torso. He could feel his boyfriend’s entire body go tense in anticipation, his breathing coming in and out shakily. Sirius knew that, whatever he did, he couldn’t muck up this moment. He and Remus had been dating for five months now and he had waited just as long for this. And it was all up to Sirius to get it right.

“Don’t you trust me, Moony?” Sirius asked, flashing a confident grin at Remus.

Who met it with narrowed, distrusting eyes. “I don’t see why I should.”

Was he scared? They had talked about it at length. Sirius had no intention of going too fast. Neither of them wanted an accident to happen and for Remus to get hurt. But if that was it... 

“We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” Sirius said in earnest. “It can wait. It’s not a problem.”

“No.” Remus leaned against Sirius, “Sorry I’m being difficult. Just go on. I do trust you, Pads.”

“Oi! Hurry up!” James shouted from the sidewalk. “My arms are tired here.”

They both looked at him from Sirius’ motorbike. James had been the one to insist on filming Remus’ first ride on it. Nobody had asked him to bring a camera. 

Sirius shook his head. “What a git.”

Remus let one hand go from Sirius’ side and flipped James off. “Are you getting this alright, Prongs?”

“Not in front of the baby!” James protested, throwing Lily and Harry a worried look. They were sitting comfortably on a picnic cloth, enjoying the little show from the comfort of their house’s garden. It was a miracle Harry hadn’t napped yet, considering how much food everyone had for lunch.

Lily shrugged and played with her son. “Harry has seen worse, haven’t you, my darling?”

“Worse, worse!” Harry agreed happily.

“And isn’t Daddy the worst?” Sirius asked.

“The worst!”

James ran a hand through his hair. “That’s what I get for recording things for prosperity. Slander and betrayal. Just wait when you two are getting married and want to make a cute video about your relationship. There shall be none of it on film.”

“I think we’ll survive that.” Sirius rolled his eyes. He looked over his shoulder to Remus. “Ready?”

Remus held on to him again. “As much as I’ll ever be.”

Sirius nodded and turned his bike on. He had finished repairing it the week before. There wasn’t a lot to do, but his new repair shop was keeping him busy. It had been Remus’ idea to open it in the first place. Well, Remus had made a comment about how handy Sirius actually was as a mechanic in that tone of surprise of his. That in turn had made Sirius want to keep proving himself. 

One thing led to the other and now Sirius was the owner of Black Repairs. He was gathering clients fast, which filled his days and gave him a sense of accomplishment he hadn’t felt since graduation. 

“Here we go,” Sirius announced and rode forward. 

Remus’ grip on his turned iron clapped, a disproportional reaction to how slow they were going. Lily and Harry cheered, and slowly Remus seemed to relax just slightly. He tightened his grip again when Sirius made a turn to go back, but all in all, it was a successful first ride. 

“How was it?” James asked as he helped Remus out of the bike.

He was smiling, mostly at Harry who came to assist his dad. James wiped off a leaf from Remus’ jumper and Harry did the same to Remus’ shoes. Sirius didn’t know how he managed not to combust with laughter.

But then Remus shook his head.“I’m never doing that again.”

“Come on, Moony!” Sirius said, following him. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“I said I’d do it once and I have.” Remus pointed at the bike. “So, you can keep your fucking deathtrap on two wheels the hell away from me.” 

Sirius took his hand and laced their fingers together. “And people call me dramatic.”

“Okay, boys.” Lily stood up, taking Harry up in her arms. “I think that’s enough excitement for today. Are we watching that movie or not?”

“Actually, we should be on our way,” Remus said apologetically. “We have a guest coming tonight for supper.”

Sirius could feel Remus’ eyes on him and soon enough, everyone else was also staring. He braced himself and looked straight into James’ eyes. He needed his best mate’s strength. “Regulus is visiting from France.”

“Oh,” James said, eyes widening just slightly. He made a good recovery, though, and nodded. “Best get going, then.” He frowned. “Wait, for supper? You actually have food at your loft?”

“We’re obviously ordering in.”

“Now, that makes sense.”

Remus sighed. “We really do need to start going grocery shopping. Still, I also have a few things to finish before Regulus shows, so…”

Sirius perked up at that. “Yes, you do, Professor Lupin. Did you guys hear it? Remus is giving his first lecture at Hogwarts next week! Subbing for McGonagall. Which is something I’ve always wanted—”

“Do not finish that sentence,” Remus and James said in unison. 

“In any case,” Sirius continued, dismissively, “Moony has a class to prepare. And I want to take a look at the car. It has to be in top condition for the trip.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant, Remus!” Lily said.

“You’re gonna kill it.” James nodded.

“Cheers. But you really don’t have to drive me all the way there,” Remus said for what must have been the thirtieth time. “Seriously.”

“I siriusly do, though.” Sirius kissed him on the cheek. 

He looked around, at the people surrounding him. At James; his best mate, his brother. At Lily, who had carved a permanent place in his heart through her sheer brightness. At Harry, for whom Sirius would do absolutely anything. Sirius had always felt at home with them, these people who knew and loved him best.

And then he looked at Remus. Sirius had found in him the last piece of the puzzle. If he had been lost before, now he was found.

“Come on, Moony.” Sirius pulled Remus to him. “Come ride with me.”

“Yeah, alright.” Remus smiled. It took him a second to realize where Sirius was leading him to. “Wait, not on your bike, though!”

“That’s how we’re getting back.”

“I think the fuck not.”

“Moony!”

🐺 The End ⭐️