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Remus was 11 and had been in St. Mungos hospital most of his short life.
They would occasionally refer him elsewhere, but he always ended up back at St. Mungos.
See, the boy was born wrong. Or at least that’s what he chalked it up to. He had been sick since birth, and doctors couldn’t fix him, so it was just his fate. To live a miserable life in a hospital and eventually die.
Fun.
It wasn’t always bad. He had a few friends, like James. James wasn’t sick but his mum worked at the hospital, and he liked to help out. And that’s how they met. He was helping out, and they started talking, and Remus had thought that James wouldn’t ever talk to him again but he kept coming into his room. So there’s that.
And he couldn’t forget Peter. Though, Pete could forget him. Peter wasn’t the best with memory, but it was okay.
The three of them sometimes played card games in Remus’ room, or ate the “delicious” hospital food together when Remus felt like moving.
And other than that, Remus knew most of the staff too. He had been there that long.
At least they were all nice.
And on the bright side, Remus got most of the day to himself, because James and Peter only came around after their school let out. That meant he had plenty of time to read his books.
And that’s just what he was doing, nose buried in Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hide, when the boy knocked on his room door.
He usually left it open, so the doctors would have easy access to him in case of an emergency. And usually, doctors didn’t knock like that. So he looked up.
The boy standing in his doorway was different. He had black curls that touched his shoulders, and stormy gray eyes. He was skinny, but not sickly skinny like Remus. His skin was pale, almost vampire-like. And he had a pretty smile, but a mischievous one at that.
“Hiya. I’m Sirius.” The boy shifted a bit in the doorway, smiling.
Remus was taken aback a bit, just staring for a minute before stuttering out “I..Uh. Remus.”
Sirius smiled at him again and walked into the room further.
“So..What’re you in for? I’m here with my brother, but so are my parents so it’s okay, he’s not alone.”
Remus tried to follow the boys words, but he talked really fast. Remus was able to keep up, but not without a bit of struggle.
“Uh..I have a disease.”
Sirius, hearing this, looked slightly cautious.
“Is it contagious?”
“No. It’s just chronic. Had it since i was born.” Remus answered slowly.
“Oh okay.” Sirius started getting closer again, looking around. “Here often then?”
Remus nodded a bit, now looking back at his book.
Sirius persisted.
“You get lonely?” He was now sitting in the chair across the room.
“No. I read.” Remus muttered.
Sirius let out a strangled sound at that. “Reading can get boring!”
“Then it’s a good thing i have friends.” Remus was getting annoyed now.
Sirius didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he did, and didn’t care. Remus didn’t dare look up to find out which.
“Well, that’s good. My brothers in here a lot. He doesn’t have friends, he’s not allowed so most of the time i’m the only real company he’s got.” Sirius spoke in a way that made it seem like his fast paced talking was natural for him.
Remus wanted this kid to leave. He just wanted his alone time. “Well if you’re the only company he’s got, maybe you should go back to him.”
“Yea, i will later. The doctors are doing some test and i hate seeing him cry. He hates it too.” Sirius seemed slightly quieter with his statement now, catching Remus’ attention again.
“Why would he cry?” Remus looked up as he spoke. “Are they experimenting on him or something?”
Sirius let out a sort of laugh, but it didn’t seem like it was a funny laugh.
“Nah, no experiments. He’s deathly afraid of needles though. And anything that would pierce skin, for that matter.”
Remus understood that. He himself used to get scared of the tiny pins that went into his arms. He still didn’t find it enjoyable, but he’s gotten more used to it.
They sat quiet like that for a bit.
After a few minutes a nurse walked in, Sirius recognized her as Regulus’ nurse. He stood quickly.
“Mr. Black, your brother is asking for you. He’s done with his treatments for today.”
“Right. Thank you, er..”
Remus spoke quietly. “Madam Pomfrey.”
Sirius gave him a grateful smile.
“Right! Pomfrey. Thanks Remus! Well i best be going, if Regulus is wanting me. Gotta check for ladybirds. His fear of those is nearly as bad as his fear of needles.” Sirius flashed a small smile back at Remus before walking off.
And then he was gone, like most everyone else.
Remus wasn’t sure if he really cared all that much if he ever came back. Sirius was loud and talkative, and had interrupted his reading.
But somewhere in him Remus knew he had actually enjoyed sirius’s mindless banter and rambling, even just a little bit.
~
The next day, Sirius had in fact come back.
He talked for a long time about his school and his family and how they have to always be proper, and how he loves it when Regulus is at the hospital because he gets to meet practically anyone that the nurses will let him. His parents had stopped trying to stop his behavior after the 5th time he’d ran in to see newborn babies. Regulus had been 3 when that happened.
Remus learned a lot from the others rambling. He learned that Regulus wasn’t chronically ill, just had a very weak immune system due to being born early, causing him to be in and out. He learned that Sirius had a disliking of his own parents because of how strict they were at times. He learned that Sirius actually was friends with James at school too and that when Remus gets well enough, Sirius suggested they all hang out. How he had already come up with a plan with james was beyond remus, but seemed fitting for both of them.
Remus also learned smaller things he probably wasn’t supposed to have noticed. Like how Sirius gets quieter when adults walk by and how he flinches when theirs a crying kid a few rooms down. Remus attributes this to the boys parents or brother immediately, but doesn’t exactly know how they’ve made him so silently cautious.
Remus suspects Sirius will eventually tell him or accidentally give him a hint, with how much he seems to enjoy talking to him.
Remus finds that he does actually enjoy listening to Sirius. Not because his words make sense all the time, because they certainly DO NOT, but more because Sirius talks like he wants to be there talking to him.
And that makes remus feel better.
Days and Days went on like that. Sirius would come into his room during his “quiet time” and start talking about whatever he felt like talking about.
“Did you see that Chudley Cannons win last saturday?”
“Have you got a new book?”
“My uncle alphard has a bunch of old storybooks that i could lend you.”
“I was wondering..”
“Would you rather…”
Literally anything that came into his mind, it seemed like Sirius thought he had to say it out loud or else he’d explode.
And he never forced Remus to talk back.
Remus suspected he was just happy to have someone who would listen to him without telling him to shut up.
He learned more and more about this boy every day.
And day by day he started to look forward to sirius coming in.
Even on days when his energy was low.
Even on days when he was too tired to focus.
On those days, Sirius seemed to be quieter with his yapping. He didnt tone down his usual excitement, just put it in a quieter manner as to not disturb remus.
Remus appreciated that.
~
Before he knew it, Remus had developed a certain fondness for Sirius.
Which was why when Sirius didn’t show up one day, Remus was disappointed.
He assumed maybe he was just busy with his family. Or maybe Regulus had asked him not to leave him.
But then he didn’t show up the next day. Or the next.
Eventually Remus understood. Sirius wasn’t coming back.
He didn’t bother asking the nurses about it. And he didn’t want to ask James or Peter when they came around either. James seemed to not even know that Sirius had stopped showing up.
So he just let the hurt he felt simmer inside him.
~
Remus eventually, by the grace of whatever entity was out there, had made it to 17 years old. Still stuck in this same hospital, but he was used to it by now.
He sat on his bed while James and Peter played chess in the floor beside him. He tuned out their banter, and read his book. This was routine for them.
It was normal enough, in fact, that Remus was able to get so lost in his book he didn’t hear the knock on the door.
“Mate, you made it!”
“Yeah, sorry i’m late. Had to go get Remus a present.”
And Remus recognized that voice.
Though it was deeper and more grown up than before, he couldn’t mistake it.
It was definitely Sirius Black.
Remus’ head shot up so fast he nearly made himself dizzy, and he stared in disbelief.
Sirius had definitely grown a lot. He was taller, but not so tall he towered over the room. his hair was somehow longer and still just as beautiful, his eyes still storm gray but somehow much more vibrant, if gray could be vibrant. His smile had something behind it that Remus just couldn’t quite place, and he suddenly felt that rush in his bones he had felt anytime sirius came in to talk to him at 11.
Remus opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.
“Hi Remus. Happy Birthday. Sorry i didn’t get to tell you i wasn’t coming back…My parents sort of…It’s complicated. But i’m back!…”
Remus stared at him. No words could form.
He didn’t know how to feel, or if he should be angry with him or what. But before he could think of anything, Sirius continued.
“Its okay if you’re angry with me. I just…I hope that..We could get to talking again? Be friends again eventually? If that’s alright? So much has happened in these years that i have been dying to tell you.”
Before Remus fully registered his actions he was nodding.
“Um..Sure. Yeah. Sure..”
Sirius smiled.
Remus smiled back for the first time.
And Remus felt something in the air shift. Because someone had came back, for once. Someone had WANTED to come back even after years.
So Remus was going to be just fine. He and Sirius were going to be fine.