Sirius helps Auguste lower the box on to the floor. A soft bubble of laughter rises out of Remus as he opens his arms for Mittens, who comes bounding right over. Mentos hisses at Auguste and runs to hide under the coffee table. Marshbutton does not give a fuck. She doesn't even get out of the box, just sits there like a verified sloth.

Remus cuddles Mittens into his chest and kisses his pink nose. He swats at Remus with a curved paw. Laughing, Remus tickles his belly and puts him down. Mittens runs over to Mentos, who starts licking his ear.

"I fed them canned tuna," Auguste says, leaning against a wall. Remus looks at him. "The white one didn't seem to be a big fan, but the other two ate just fine."

"Thank you so much," Remus says, a little dazed. Sirius, Regulus and Auguste in a room together can make anyone feel fuzzled.

But wait.

The other two.

Remus' heart makes a little leap. "I..." he turns to Sirius, who's suddenly gone quiet. "Mavis," Remus breathes out, chest heavy.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Sirius sucks his bottom lip in between his teeth. Remus covers his mouth with a hand.

"There was no time, I... I looked everywhere. I'm so sorry," Sirius says, taking a step closer. Remus shakes his head. "No, I... it's okay," he tries to smile. Regulus hugs him from the side. "Maybe she left the house before the fire," he says quietly. "We'll go look for her."

Remus' heart aches in his chest. He doesn't know what to say. "Thank you," he turns to Auguste again and receives a small smile. "Anything for a friend," he says in his deep voice.

"Come have breakfast," Sirius says, "Before it goes cold."

Taking the cue, Regulus drags Auguste into the kitchen. Sirius comes to stand by Remus, almost tripping over Marshbutton, who's left the box to conduct a much-needed quality assurance of the furniture. Remus gives him a weak smile. "Okay?" Sirius asks. Remus shakes his head the slightest.

"Come here," Sirius reaches up and pulls him into a warm hug. Remus lets his hands touch Sirius' back. "I'll go look for her, I promise."

"Take me with you," Remus sighs into Sirius' hair.

"You know I can't," Sirius sighs as well, "it's not safe."

"Do you think she died?" Remus asks. The words are heavy on his tongue, his mouth reluctant to speak them. "I don't know," Sirius replies, pulling him a little closer. "I can only hope not."

***

"We need to call the Aurors," Auguste says firmly, sipping on his blackcurrant. As it turns out, he's been granted immunity from Regulus' murderous tendencies. He's sitting on the armchair, one leg neatly crossing the other. "Before it becomes too late," he adds.

"I agree," Regulus says, scratching the back of Marshbutton's ear. He's sitting cross-legged on the couch next to Remus with Marshbutton hogging his lap. Mentos and Mittens have fallen asleep on Remus' other side, curled up together.

Sirius is on the floor, leaning against a wall with his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. He turns to Remus. "Well? What do you think?"

Remus looks down at his hands. The other three boys watch him, waiting for an answer.

"You're not going to say no, are you?" Regulus bites his lip.

"I won't," Remus shrugs, "But they won't do anything anyway."

Sirius leans his head back, looking at the ceiling. Auguste looks at him, "What does that mean?"

Sirius gives him a duh look. "The Ministry doesn't like werewolves. They'll only justify the anger of Remus' neighbours and brush it under the rug."

"That's impossible," Regulus frowns, "They burnt his house down!"

"Thanks, we didn't know that," Sirius rolls his eyes.

"So we're just going to... to let it go?" Auguste asks, ignoring Sirius' little attitude. "Surely not?" Regulus prompts. Sirius smirks at them, and Remus is positive he doesn't like it. "Of course not. We'll call the Aurors first," Sirius says, "And see if they'll say anything different. If not, I know what to do."

***

"James and Lily want to come over and see you," Sirius says, sitting down next to Remus on his bed. Remus feels a pang of guilt. He never called them back. "Is tomorrow okay?" Sirius asks.

Remus nods.

"I'll leave you to yourself?" Sirius goes to stand up, but Remus stops him with a hand on his wrist. Sirius goes still.

"Don't." Remus looks up at him. "Stay here."

Sirius sits back down, leaning against the headboard with a pillow propped against it to support his back. Remus moves back to lean against the wall, his legs dangling over the side of the bed. Sirius stretches his legs and lifts Remus' feet on to his lap so they form something like an asymmetrical cross. Grinning, he stops Remus from pulling them back. "Stay like this," he laughs. "We're both comfortable this way."

Blushing, Remus looks down. Sirius watches him, silent.

After some time, Remus blurts out a question that has been bothering him for hours on end, "Aren't you upset?"

"I told you, we're not going to let them get away with this," Sirius absently taps a finger on Remus' ankle.

Remus looks at him. Finding Sirius' eyes already on himself, Remus quickly looks back down. "Not... Not that."

"Then? Mavis? We'll go look for her."

"Not that either, Sirius."

Sirius doesn't reply for a whole minute. And Remus is too frightened to look up. But then he feels Sirius slowly shift, coming to sit cross-legged in front of him. "Because you're a werewolf?"

The word makes Remus shiver involuntarily. He manages a brief nod.

"I'm not upset," Sirius shrugs, "Why would I be? It's not even a surprise."

Remus' head snaps up. "Not a surprise?" He asks, voice shaky. "You... You knew?"

Sirius takes Remus' hands in his. It makes Remus go all soft, but then he remembers that this isn't the time. How is it so easy for Sirius to know when to touch him?

"Of course I didn't know," Sirius tells him. Remus looks at him. "I just... Well, I had my suspicions."

"How come?"

"Well, for one," Sirius says, "The scars. These," he pauses to lean forward and tap Remus' cheek, "Hardly look like an accident."

Remus looks down again. He wants to curl up and disappear. "Don't be shy," Sirius laughs, "I've spent quite a lot of time staring at your face."

Even at a moment like this, Remus has no control over his cheeks starting to burn. "Especially when you turn red like that," Sirius teases. It makes Remus ache right in the middle of his chest, the realisation that Sirius is going out of his way to be cheerful so that he can make Remus feel better. It makes him want to cry.

Everything makes Remus want to cry.

"What else?" He asks, his voice unsteady. Sirius is still holding his hands.

"Your visits to your mother. I wouldn't have noticed so soon, but... A friend of ours is part of this club that meets up on the first night of every full moon. And both times you came back looking pale and tired. It made me think..." Sirius says, "Well, it confirmed what I always thought, actually."

"Is that all?" Remus asks. He's a little surprised that Sirius could've noticed. No one else had, until he told them.

"Well, you also live in the bloody Shrieking Shack, so..."

Remus can't help laughing.

"The Shack was a pretty intriguing place back when we were at Hogwarts, wasn't it? All the rumours about it being haunted and whatnot. But curiously enough, the howling sounds only started in our first year, and ended when we left. And then you had it renovated, didn't you?"

"I had the cellar made soundproof. When I left home... my parents gave me some money. Most of it was spent on that."

They fall silent, still holding hands. Now that Sirius has explained it, Remus wonders how no one else figured it out. But who told the rest of Hogsmeade about it, then?

"Hey, Remus?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I think you're really brave," Sirius breathes out, his grip tightening ever so slightly around Remus' fingers. Remus looks at his lowered lashes, the way they arc so beautifully against the backdrop of his pale cheeks.

"I'm... really not," Remus says, making Sirius look up. " You are," he insists. "You don't see it, do you? Your whole life, the world's just been shit to you, hasn't it? But look how you've turned out," he pauses, "So... So good."

Remus is too lost in this feeling of floating to really think of a response. A compliment so simple, but it strikes him straight in the heart. It feels so warm, so beautiful. He wants to take this feeling and put it in a jar so that he can open it every time he feels sad, just to feel it again. To feel how wonderful it is again.

"I think you're so precious," Sirius sounds a little drunk. He's lost something. All of his self-restraint, if he had any, has abandoned him. He doesn't know what he's saying, but suddenly it feels like this is the only time he'll get to say it.

"If it were up to me, I'd never let you hurt."

Silence rushes in to fill the space left behind after those words. Remus tests them on his heart, weighs them to see how heavy they are. He has to reply. It's getting too tense, too loud inside his head.

"Whatever happens, to have a friend like you... I'm," Remus doesn't know where his words have fled to. "I'm so thankful for you."

"Friends?" Sirius asks. He's getting bold again. "Is that what we are, Remus? Friends?"

"Isn't that what you want to be?" Remus asks. His throat feels dry.

"No."

There's another moment of that loud, loud silence. Remus has never really thought that silence can grow louder. How does that even work?

He remembers the way Sirius reacted to that brief first kiss in Remus' bedroom. Somehow, it feels like that was so very long ago. What's made him change his mind now?

"Remus."

Remus looks at Sirius' eyes, glossy in the low light reaching into the room through the thick grey curtains. His cheeks are a soft rose, flushed. His lips are still parted from having given way to Remus' name.

This is the part where they kiss.

But before anything else can happen, there's a loud knock on the door. Sirius jerks away from Remus. He opens the door. Regulus pops his head in. "We made lunch," he says. "And you need a tour of the house, since you're stuck with us for a while."

Remus opens his mouth to say that he won't stay for long, but the two brothers seem to sense what he's going to stay. "Oh hush," Sirius rolls his eyes. He pulls Remus out of bed. "You're staying here whether you like it or not. Now come on, let's get you lunch."