Sirius waited until dinner the next day to ask his parents. All of his relatives besides his cousins had gone, and the family was enjoying the leftovers from the night before. Sirius patiently waited for a lull in the conversation. When it finally came, he spoke up, speaking quickly so as not to be interrupted.
“Mother, can I go to James Potter’s house for New Years? He asked me, and I really want to go. I’ve behaved ever since I got home, and I promise that if you let me go, I’ll do anything.”
His mother frowned. “Your cousins will be here still. I don’t want you away from the family.”
“Potter, did you say?” Mr. Black straightened up. “I don’t want you over there.”
“But they’re pureblood.” Sirius tried to keep his voice level.
“Doesn’t matter. The Potters are not the sort of family I want you associating with.”
“Why not?”
“They don’t hold views that I believe are appropriate for you to be learning about.”
Sirius sucked in his breath, trying desperately not to get upset.
“Well, I won’t listen to them, then. Now that I know, I won’t take them seriously. Besides, why would they talk to me about…whatever you don’t want them to tell me about?”
Bellatrix rolled her eyes, scoffing. “Oh, please. You don’t think they’ll fall for that, do you? You’re just looking for an excuse to get involved with people like them.”
“I don’t even know what ‘people like them’ even means, so shut up!”
“Sirius!” Mrs. Black glared at her son. “You apologize to your cousin now.”
Sirius looked into his lap. “Sorry.” His voice was barely audible.
“Anyways,” Mr. Black looked pointedly at his son. “I do understand that it is necessary to make you understand that some people do not have the same values as us. Only this exposure will make you ready to resist them. Will anyone else be there?”
“Yeah. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.”
“Pettigrew…I’ve heard the name before…where does his father work?”
“Does it really matter what his dad does? I promise I’ll behave myself, please let me go. It’s just for one night.”
His parents exchanged glances. Mrs. Black nodded.
“You may go as long as you behave yourself. That means no back talking, no harassing your little brother, and no messes.”
Sirius beamed. “I’ll just go and write James, then.” He jumped out of his seat, only to be stopped by his mother.
“Just one moment, Sirius. You haven’t been excused. Sit back down; we are eating dinner as a family. Family is the most important thing; without it we have nothing. You should be grateful. Not everyone has a family they can be proud of.”
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“John! You are going to be late! Do you just want me to take him?”
Remus was standing in the doorway of his house, waiting for his father. While his mother had originally planned to take him to James’, his father had offered to. However, now it seemed like his mother would take him after all.
His father poked his head out of the bedroom. “Don’t shout, Lisa. One minute, I need my shoes.”
“They are out here, John. You know, I would think that knowing you had something to do today would keep you from getting like this, but apparently taking your son to see his friends isn’t a good enough reason to lay off alcohol. Now he will be late! And you looking a mess too. I don’t know what they will think of us. But, of course, you don’t care.”
“I asked you not to shout,” Mr. Lupin picked his shoes up.
“I think I have a reason to shout. Remus has been looking forward to this, and you don’t even care. How do you think he feels?”
Remus opened the door and walked out to the car, not wanting to hear the rest of the argument. He sat in the front seat and waited for his father to come. He stared into the distance, trying not to be too angry with his father.
When his father finally came shuffling out of the house, they were fifteen minutes behind schedule. To top it off, Mr. Lupin was not as confident a driver as his wife. He had only learned to drive after meeting her, and being hung over did nothing to help the situation. The ride was silent; his parent’s argument had not put Mr. Lupin in a good mood. Remus could see that he was hurt. Sometimes he felt his mother was too hard on him. Then he would remember how much trouble his father’s drinking caused her, and he couldn’t blame her.
They pulled up to the house, a full twenty minutes late. Remus had known that James came from a wealthy family, but the house astonished him all the same. It was not only huge, it was beautiful. Remus pulled his bag out of the car and was about to walk up to the door when he heard his father’s door open. He looked back, alarmed. His father was getting out. His hair was disheveled and his face unshaven. Remus bit his lip. He wouldn’t come up to the door looking like that. He couldn’t. What would they say?
“I’m all right, Dad, really. You don’t need to-“
“I want to meet his parents. Your mother will want to know what they are like.”
“I can tell her.” Remus was now behind his father. “Dad, you can go home. I know you have a headache; you don’t have to stay here. I can do it on my-“
“Hey! He’s here! James, Peter, he’s here! Hey! Remus! Can you see me?! Up here!”
Remus looked up and saw Sirius waving from the upstairs window. Remus waved back, and Sirius’ head disappeared. A moment later, the three boys were out on the lawn, racing towards him.
“Blimey, Remus, you took your time.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Remus looked at the open doorway where his father was now standing and talking to who he assumed was James’ mother.
“It’s all right. Come on.”
Remus followed the others up to the house. They were stopped in the doorway by Mrs. Potter, a woman who Remus could tell was kind.
“Hello, dear. I’m glad you were able to come. Your father was just telling me you got a late start.”
“Well, we’re going to go now, Mum.” James started up the stairs, but Mrs. Potter stopped him.
“Remus hasn’t said goodbye to his father yet, James.” She looked at Mr. Lupin, laughing. “I don’t understand what it is about young boys, but they can’t sit still.”
“Remus has always been good at keeping still, actually. His mother and I are very lucky, I suppose.”
“Perhaps he'll have a good influence on James. He has the patience of a-"
"Mum!" James was clearly embarrassed by his mother's comments.
"Patience, James. Well, it was nice meeting you. I’m sorry you couldn’t meet my husband; he’s out right now getting some things for dinner.”
“It’s quite all right. Thank you for having Remus over.”
Remus thanked the heavens that at least his father was an intelligent and charismatic man. One wouldn’t think him a drunk. At the worst, the Potters would think he was a little careless with his hygiene.
“Well, I’m going. Goodbye, Remus. Your mother or I will be here in the morning to pick you up.”
Remus nodded. “See you.”
His father clapped him on the shoulder. “Have fun. I love you.”
Remus winced. “Love you,” he whispered. He just knew the others were snickering behind him. He waited for his father to leave before turning back to his friends. None of them seemed amused, but he didn’t feel any less embarrassed.
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Peter turned to Remus as they climbed the stairs.
“Why were you late?”
“Oh, nothing. My dad lost track of time is all.”
“You’re lucky,” Peter frowned. “My mother got here with me early. She spent almost fifteen minutes talking to James’ mum about me. It was horrible.”
They reached the top of the stairs. James led them into his room, which was the first door on the right. The room was large and decorated with numerous Quidditch posters. A broom polishing kit resided in a corner of the room. There was also a small bookshelf and a large bed. James sat down on it.
“You can put your things there, Remus.” He pointed to a space beside the bed. “Did you bring something to sleep on?”
“Just a pillow.”
“That’s all right. We’ve got loads of blankets, and a couple of sleeping bags. Mum will get them later.”
He looked out the window.
“Still light outside. Hey, do you want to see my broom?”
James was not an intentional showoff, but he couldn’t help but brag about his possessions. The other boys didn’t mind, for James, while proud, was not greedy. He allowed even Peter to try his broom, which proved to be a disaster. Poor Peter found himself flying through the air and landing in a heap on the grass. Luckily, he was unhurt, though it was difficult to tell what stung more, his bottom or his pride.
At about six thirty, Mrs. Potter called them in for dinner. At this point, Mr. Potter had arrived home, and he greeted the boys with enthusiasm. During dinner, he asked questions of all of the boys, something that made Peter incredibly uncomfortable.
“What does your father do?”
“I…um…well…he doesn’t…I don’t know.”
Mr. Potter’s brow furrowed. “He’s alive, then?”
“I…think so.”
Mrs. Potter glared at her husband, and he coughed and turned to Remus.
“Now, I know my wife met your father. What does he do?”
Peter noted Remus’ hands, which he was wringing violently under the table.
“He’s…well, he did work for the Prophet. Not now, though.”
Mr. Potter nodded. “So, he doesn’t do anything now?”
Remus was looking at his lap. “No.”
Mr. Potter seemed about to say something when Mrs. Potter interrupted.
“I met Mr. Lupin this afternoon. He seemed like a very nice man.”
“I’m sure he is.” Mr. Potter smiled reassuringly at Remus, who looked paler than usual.
The food was delicious, and despite his many questions, Mr. Potter was a pleasant and engaging man. It was easy to tell that James was his son. Peter found himself growing more comfortable by the second, and by the time he was finished eating, Mr. Potter had become friends with all the boys. Even Remus seemed to have loosened up. Then his parents had said they wished to speak to James alone. Confused, Peter followed the others up to James’ room.
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Mr. Potter sat down on the sofa, motioning his wife and son to sit as well. Looking at James, he spoke.
“I have to say, I’m surprised.”
James frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Your friends. They aren’t at all what I expected they would be.”
“Can we talk about this tomorrow after they leave?”
“Why not now?”
“I don’t know, Dad. Maybe because they are here now, and waiting for me.”
“I just think you should know what you are getting into, and to start thinking about it tonight. Friendships are connections, and who you choose to befriend can mean a lot for your future. None of those boys have anything to offer at all.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t nice boys, Charles.” Mrs. Potter grasped her husband’s shoulder. “I think they are all very sweet, very well mannered.”
“I’m not saying he can’t be their friend. All I am saying, James, is that they won’t contribute anything to you or your future. That Peter, he isn’t bright, and he never will be-“
“Charles!”
“It’s the truth!”
“Again, why are we having this conversation now?” James had stood up out of his seat. “I’m going to see my friends, Dad. We can talk tomorrow, if you want, but not now.”
He stormed out of the room, hoping that none of his friends ever found out what his father had just said about them. Whether it was true or not, he had not business saying it.
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Remus wanted to go home. He knew they were talking about him. He felt sick to his stomach, and he knew a headache was coming on. Mr. Potter hadn't liked him after all. He sat away from the other boys, his head bent, his hair falling into his eyes.
Sirius and Peter talked for a while before they noticed Remus’ absence. Sirius asked him if he was okay. Remus had replied, somewhat sharply, that he was fine, and Sirius had turned back to Peter with a shrug. He had remained solitary until James returned, looking upset. Seeing Remus, he sat down next to him.
“You okay?”
Remus nodded, and then shook, his head. He felt too sick to speak.
“Are you sick?”
Remus nodded again, closing his eyes. James stood up, holding out his hand.
“Come on. We’ll go see my mum.”
Pulling Remus onto his feet, they went downstairs, James keeping a cautionary hand on his friend’s back. Mrs. Potter was in the kitchen, and she ran to the boys upon seeing Remus’ face.
“Oh, my. You poor thing.” She felt his forehead. “No fever, but you’re paler than a corpse.”
“He said he felt sick.” James sat Remus down.
“Does anything hurt?”
“My head,” Remus concentrated on his breathing, and not on the extreme embarrassment of what was happening.
“Are you nauseous?”
“Not anymore.”
“Just a headache?”
“Yes.”
“He gets headaches all the time, Mum. Usually he just sleeps them off.”
Mrs. Potter looked Remus over again.
“Do you want to stay, sweetheart? Because if you want to go home, my husband will be more than happy to take you.”
Remus shook his head. He didn’t want Mr. Potter to think any less of him than he already did.
“I’m all right. I feel better now.”
“Well, if you’re sure… James, you watch him.”
“I will.”
He helped Remus back up the stairs. They went back into the bedroom. Remus made to sit on the floor again, but James stopped him.
“You can have the bed if you want.”
“I’m fine.”
James grimaced, but didn’t argue, letting Remus sit back down. He sat down next to him, ignoring Sirius, who was telling him to come over with them.
“One minute,” he said, not turning around. He was staring at Remus intently. Remus looked back at him, and was grateful to see that James didn’t find his plight humorous in the least. On the contrary, he looked concerned.
“Will you be okay?”
Remus tried to smile. Though he still felt ill, things were starting to improve. He knew that whatever Mr. Potter had told James hadn’t affected their friendship. James smiled back.
“Come on and sit with us, Remus.”
Moving just the couple of yards from his own solitary corner to the group of friends made a difference in Remus’ attitude. By the time Mrs. Potter called for lights out, Remus’ headache had nearly gone, and he was laughing and talking as much as any of the others were.
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Remus was also the first to fall asleep, leaving the other boys free to discuss him. Sirius in particular was anxious to hear the other’s theories on why Remus was gone so often. None of them really believed it was because of his mother, or that he had visiting relatives.
“So, what do you reckon is the matter with him?”
James shrugged. “I don’t know. He gets sick a lot, we know that.”
Sirius strained to think of a clue, something that would help them figure out what Remus was up to.
“Does he leave regularly?”
“About every month.”
“Maybe that means something.”
“I don’t know if we should be doing this,” Peter whined. “Remus doesn’t want us to know, or he would have told us.”
Sirius ignored him. “Maybe he has a rare illness, and he’s going to see a healer.”
“He was late today because of his dad, and he said his dad doesn’t have a job,” Peter offered.
“So, his dad’s a bum. What does that have to do with it?”
“Hey,” Sirius sat up straighter. “You know another thing? He always comes back beat up and sick.”
James was silent for a minute. “You don’t think his dad…?”
“Abuses him? I don’t know. Maybe he does. Still doesn’t explain why he leaves in the first place.”
James lay down. “I’m tired. What we’ll do is check the dates that he leaves when we get back to school, and see if they are significant or mean something. That’s bound to tell us something.”
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“Did you have fun?” Mrs. Pettigrew took her son’s bag as they walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah.” Peter grabbed a cookie from the plate his mother had set out for him.
“Your friends seemed nice.”
“Yeah, they are.” Peter seemed to only be half listening to his mother.
“Well, I hope you got enough rest, because today you are coming shopping with me.”
Peter sighed. “All right. When are we leaving?”
“Oh, not for a while. But Peter, sweetie, you really should comb your hair before we leave. It is a mess.”
Peter didn’t answer, biting into his second cookie. He longed to be back at school, free from the restraint of his mother. Remus’ disappearances and finding out what they meant was like a mystery he had read about in books. He couldn’t wait to begin what he was sure would be a marvelous adventure.
Hearts of Red and Gold by moonyschick
Chapter Endnotes: Hope you enjoyed! Please review.