Chapter Text
Remus sighed softly as he looked out the window, turning up the volume of the music playing over his headphones. He was in the passenger seat of his mum’s car, with all their belongings in the back seat and the boot. He was honestly glad his parents finally got a divorce. It meant he didn't have to stay up at night listening to his parents screaming at each other.
He knew that the divorce was his fault. His parents didn't know what they did wrong for their kid to turn out this fucked up. The arguing started when his school referred psychiatrist named Mr. Phelps. He said a lot of words that Remus didn't understand, and wrote down a prescription. Remus couldn't remember what it said, but now he had three pills to take in the morning.
After he came home from the doctor's, he heard his mum crying. She always locked herself in her bedroom to cry, and tried to keep herself quiet. When his dad came home, they started arguing. Remus couldn't hear much, but he knew it was about him. At first the screaming matches were weekly, then daily, then every conversation they had derailed into an argument.
After the divorce, Dad kept the house. Mum kept the car and Remus. She was going to move to a small town in the countryside down south. Apparently it was ‘a nice neighbourhood, and quiet too’. Mum said he would like it there. Remus didn't think he would. He looked it up on the family computer. It looked shit.
But he had Bowie, and his drawings, and Mum said that they might get a dog once they get settled down. Remus just hoped the kids were nice at school. He stared out at the landscape outside, which was rapidly turning from bustling towns to rolling hills. His mum hadn't said a word since they left Coventry. The sky was grey and overcast, as it always was in English Novembers.
Apparently he fell asleep at some point, because his mum was waking him up and the car was stopped outside of an unfamiliar house. He grabbed his suitcase and backpack from the car, then shuffled into the house. It was slightly bigger than their old one (though that wasn't hard). Desolate was the only word that Remus could think of to describe it.
The moving vans weren’t there yet, so he didn’t have a bed to sleep in. That night, Remus and his mum slept on the floor in the kitchen. It wasn't comfortable or warm but Remus was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.
In the morning, Remus' mum cried. He pretended to be asleep until she stopped. Then she took him to McDonald's for breakfast. She acted like nothing had happened. Remus could see the tear tracks down her face. He wanted to apologize for being such a burden, but he didn't know how to phrase it.
The moving vans arrived at half past 12. Remus watched from the kitchen as the men brought a bunch of furniture up the stairs. His mum asked him to help carry the smaller boxes, so he did. He wanted to cry for some reason. He didn't really know why. It seemed pointless, so he ignored the urge.
He sat in the corner of his room as the moving men helped to remake his bedframe. He should probably have been helping, but he didn't want to. When they finished, his mum dug through a box and found his sheets. She hung around in his room as he grappled with them to put them on his bed, and spoke directly to him for the first time in 2 days.
“Do you want to buy some new wallpaper?” Her voice was a little scratchy when it came out.
Remus looked around his new room at the blank walls. It did look very bare. He nodded his head and smiled appreciatively. The shop didn't have a massive range of options, but his mum pointed out a nice one with green & brown stripes. Upon closer examination, it had a forest-y kind of design. Remus chose that one. It was nice, actually. He thanked his mum because that's what you're supposed to do when someone buys you something.
After it was put up, he hated his new room a little less. It seemed less empty. His mum smiled again, but her eyes had a lingering sadness to them. He hugged her and she swayed, her trembling frame was worryingly thin. Remus sighed. He was going to cook dinner for her tonight, he decided. She deserved a break.
Maybe that wasn't the best idea, as Remus did end up setting the smoke alarm off. Twice. But, at the end of it, there were two somewhat edible plates of pasta on the table. He thought that his mum appreciated the gesture, even if the food was shit.
School always sucked, but it somehow seemed infinitely worse this time around. Having his first day a month and a half after everyone else wasn't ideal. It seemed like everyone was already divided into neat little groups that he didn't get a chance to be a part of.
He forgot to bring a lunch (they didn't have any food in the fridge) so Remus spent his lunch break sitting on the empty netball courts and listening to Hunky Dory. He visibly jumped when he sensed someone's presence behind him.
A lanky, dark-haired lad was there, grinning down at Remus. The stranger held out a hand to help him to his feet, which Remus did not take. He could stand up on his own, thank you very much. He took his headphones out and folded his arms, looking disgruntled.
“What?” He asked passive-aggressively. The boy barked a laugh, tousling his shaggy hair. Cute
“Nothing. You just looked lonely. I'm Sirius, what's your name?” He grinned, eyes tracking over Remus’ face in a way that made the boy in question a little self-conscious.
“Remus.” Said Remus softly.
“Not much of a talker then, Remus?”
Fuck. The way Remus' name rolled so casually off his tongue awoke something inside the boy that he was not yet ready to confront. He said nothing, not wanting to give Sirius anything to mock him for.
“Well, do you wanna join me and my friends? You seem nice enough.” Sirius shrugged, as if he didn't care too much for Remus’ response, and walked away without looking back. Remus realised after a beat that he was expecting him to follow, so he rushed to his feet and caught up with him.
Sirius’ friends were a… colourful bunch. James was an energetic, curly-haired lad who clearly had just had a growth spurt given how awkward his movements were. The other boy, Peter, was short and stocky with mousy brown hair and a smattering of acne on his cheeks. He was quiet, but kind.
In the hallway, James enthusiastically greeted a group of girls. The redhead (who was in Remus’ maths class) rolled her eyes, but waved back regardless. Remus wondered where on earth he got the confidence to do that.
The rest of the day flew by in a murky haze. Before he knew it, Remus was walking home with Sirius chatting in his ear. Peter took the bus home, and James walked in the opposite direction so it was just the two of them. It was nice, Remus thought, to be alone with him.