Remus smiled and waved at Sirius, but the other boy chose to ignore him. Sirius was perched at the very edge of an armchair, legs curled up under him. Remus shrugged to himself, and sank down into a chair across from Sirius’s. He fished his book out from his pocket again, and then resumed his reading. Chapter 12; Hints and Tips for practical Defence. Remus sat there contentedly for a good ten minutes, his eyes flicking back and forth across the thin pages, taking in all the scrawly faded words. Suddenly he realized that Sirius had achieved something – he’d been silent for more than five minutes! Remus raised his head that had been bent low over the book, and gazed into Sirius’ unfocused grey eyes. He seemed transfixed by the wall opposite him. Then, out of nowhere he said calmly,

�You fancy Jo don’t you.� Remus stared at him, horrified that he could think such a thing.

�What do you think?� Remus replied sarcastically and rather indignantly.

�I dunno, that’s what I’m asking you. For all I know, you could fancy blokes!� Sirius answered casually.

�She was just telling me something,� said Remus quickly, desperate to change the subject and deciding it would be better if he didn’t tell Sirius exactly what Juliet had told him. She had been reluctant enough to admit to Remus.

�Well if she was telling you that she fancied you you’re a bit slow. A blind Hippogriff with no brain could tell that she likes you,� Sirius retorted with a glare, trying to keep his voice calm so as to cover the growing jealousy in his heart.

�Shut up,� Remus said weakly, and ran a pale hand through his mouse-brown hair. “And what if I did fancy blokes?� he continued quietly, studying Sirius’s face intently. Sirius was completely taken aback by his friend’s words, and wasn’t sure what to make of them.

�Are you pulling my leg?� he finally managed to murmur, gazing disbelievingly at the other boy.

�I never pull people’s legs. It’s a very rude thing to do if you ask me,� Remus replied, attempting a mock-solemn expression. Sirius sighed and lowered his eyes to the wooden floor, unable to look Remus in the eyes.

�Remus, don’t joke with me,� he half-whispered.

�Sorry,� said Remus, closing his book once again and placing it on the floor beside his chair.

�So what’s this about you fancying guys?� Sirius inquired, failing to hold back a small grin.

�You want to know the truth?�

�Yes,� Sirius answered simply, nodding and looking up at Remus again.

�Well it all started back in first year. I’d always felt a bit left out. It was always you and James this, you and James that. Everyone knew you two by name and sight, but I was always referred to as ‘that short one’. Or ‘James mate’. I put up with it till third year, but then you started acting different. You two talked to me a lot more, (and Peter joined our little gang) especially after you found out my secret. Back then we were just James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. No Prongs or Moony then,� Remus paused in his speech, seeing that Sirius was about to interrupt.

�You mean when we found about you being a wolfie, before we were Animagi?� he asked cautiously. Remus grumbled something inaudibly, then rolled and clicked his tongue impatiently.

�Yes, well done,� Remus continued in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “Anyway, after that, I sort of started to like you.�

�Like me?� Sirius interjected.

�Well yeah … in a different way from the way I liked James and Peter,� he paused hesitantly, searching for the right words. “I’ve tried to ignore my feelings for the past two years and, well, that’s it,� he finished awkwardly, hoping that he’d made sense. Sirius merely raised an eyebrow and stared at Remus as if he were one of the weird plants they were occasionally told to repot in Herbology.

�Well you did ask for the truth,� Remus murmured cautiously, suddenly regretting telling Sirius all that he had.

�It’s not that. I just didn’t know you felt that way,� Sirius replied softly, then looked up and noticed a small tear that was slowly falling down his friend’s cheek.

�I understand if you don’t feel the same, but thanks for letting me get it off my chest anyway,� mumbled Remus, shaking his head slowly and causing a lock of hair to fall into his eyes for the second time that day. This time Sirius smiled, and leaned forward in his chair, lifting a hand to tuck the offending hair behind Remus’ ear. Remus managed a small smile at his, but it soon faded as he felt a few tears escaping the safety of his blue eyes.

�I love you, even if you don’t feel for me,� Remus ventured, deciding that if he didn’t confess now, he never would.

�Well that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all day!� Sirius replied.

�Really?� asked Remus, haunted by a niggling doubt that was telling him Sirius was pulling his leg. Sirius slowly leaned closer to the other boy, gradually decreasing the gap that divided the pair. As their lips met, Sirius smiled a faint smile, before they both closed their eyes, relaxing into a soft kiss. Suddenly Remus pulled away, his eyes and mouth both wide open.

�We can’t do this,� he said, reality knocking him on the head like a crateful of hammers.

�We just did,� replied Sirius casually, reaching out to wipe a tear from Remus’s cheek.

�No I don’t’ mean it like that,� Remus said, hunching over and placing his chin in his cupped hands. “I mean, what will James say?� he added, wishing he hadn’t got himself into this mess in the first place. But those soft, dark lips, those dark, grey eyes …

�Who cares what he thinks? Anyway, we could keep it a secret, at least till the end of seventh year,� Sirius said eagerly.

�But for how much longer Paddy? James is bound to be suspicious even if he doesn’t find out,� said Remus quietly.

�Hey, we’re rejects anyway. My family hates me, and you’re a werewolf. For all we know he might feel happy for us!�

�Your family doesn’t hate you.�

�Don’t lie, and don’t change the subject either.�

“You’re not a reject to me.� Sirius sighed, gnawing his bottom lip and staring blankly at the floor.

�You’re not a werewolf to me,� replied Sirius in almost a whisper, taking hold of one of Remus’s delicate hands in one of his one larger, rougher ones.

�Sirius Black, I do hope you’re not going all soppy on me!� Remus remarked, squeezing Sirius’s hand.

�Of course not! Me? Soppy? I just can’t resist your tiny little hands! And they’re so soft!�

�Um, ok then … my hands are only small compared to your giant ones, and they only seem soft because touching your hands is like rubbing sandpaper!�

�What’s wrong with rough hands?�

�Nothing! I’m only saying,� Remus broke off, his ears pricking up as he heard someone mutter the Gryffindor password on the other side of the portrait hole. Before either boy could let go of the other’s hand, James practically jumped into the common room.

�Hey why weren’t you two at dinner? Why are you holding hands? You’ll never guess what Lily said to me earlier!� James babbled, beaming down at Sirius and Remus once he’d skipped across the room to them.

�We weren’t hungry,� the two blushing boys said in unison.

�We’re holding hands because – “ Sirius started, then looked helplessly at Remus.

�Because we were having an arm wrestle,� Remus finished with a nod.

�Well you’re doing it all wrong,� declared James confidently. “First off, your elbows should be resting on a table. But never mind about that. Ask me what Lily said.� Remus and Sirius exchanged withering glances. They’d heard this one before. About a thousand times before.

�Hmm, let me guess. She nearly confessed her undying love for you?� Sirius guessed with a smirk, causing Remus to burst into a fit of giggles.

�Not quite, but that’s pretty close!�! answered James enthusiastically. “After I caught up with her, she was still crying and she said that I was an insensitive toad! That’s a lot better than last week!� he finished with a wide grin.

Remus snorted at that, mumbling so that only Sirius could hear, “Well anything’s better than having chairs hurled at you isn’t it?�

�That sounds promising!� Sirius said encouragingly to James, kicking Remus lightly in the shins. James glared warily at the two of them, knowing that there was some private joke going on.

�Well, I’m going to bed. See you in the morning,� he told them, making his way over to the staircase that led up to the boys’ dormitories. “G’night!� he called back over his shoulder, before disappearing up the dark staircase. Remus and Sirius stared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting into hysterical shrieks of laughter. Maybe this whole, ‘keep it a secret’ thing wasn’t going to be so bad.