* Harry Potter; Mauraders' Era; lunch (next muggle studies);

[Freak Show Excess]

"D'you want to talk?"

Sirius heaved a tremendous sigh and brought his hands up, rubbing his face and running his fingers through his hair. Sighing again, he let his arms drop to his sides, getting up. He shimmied to the end of the bed, poked his head out and drew the curtains around him like blankets, messing his hair up pitifully in the process. He knew he probably looked ridiculous that way, but he really didn't care.

"Yes...no--I don't know." He replied non-commitally. The truth was that the slanderous paper had hurt him more than he cared to admit. He had always tried to keep his messy family life to himself-- hell, he wasn't sure if even James knew that much about his family, if he knew anything-- and for his private business to be strewn all across the school? It... hurt.

He extracted himself from the bed curtains and flipped his legs over the side of the bed with an air of nonchalance, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I..." he began. He didn't really know what to say to Remus. He supposed he should tell him 'It's okay, it was nothing,' but that wasn't true. "It's.. no big deal." He mumbled lamely, knowing it was a stupid thing to say, and also knowing Remus would know it was a bold-faced lie. He looked over at Remus, wanting him to understand.  

[Mistril]

"What about your sister? How can she be so... accomodating of Sirius and his betrayal of your family?"

Narcissa actually thought about this question, because she wanted to say something other than 'I don't know'. However, she had asked herself this question before and she was still getting the same answer now. So, she just had to work with what she had.

"I'm not sure, actually. She knows the people he associates with and how barbaric they are. I am truly at a loss when it comes to her." She paused, thinking about why her sister could still care about Sirius when he had betrayed the entire Black family. It didn't make sense. "Do you think I should... Oh, I don't know... I'm really not good at this type of thing, but... Talk with her or something?"

'Merlin, I must be losing it,' Narcissa thought to herself.  

[Mistril]

Once Venatici had spent some time with Ara, he grabbed his Ancient Runes and History of Magic books and headed back down to the common room. He looked around the room for an empty seat, and spotted one in the corner. He walked across the room, sat down and began reading his History of Magic book first. He wanted to make sure that he would be ahead once classes started.  

[comfylove]

Remus watched him try to explain, he could see that he was hurt over the things that had been said and he wanted to help, but he wasn't sure if it was even possible for him to. Not that he knew how. Remus just listened and nodded, and when Sirius told him that it wasn't a big deal, he knew better than to believe him, even though he wasn't going to make Sirius tell him the truth. At least not until he was ready. They both knew that what was said was bull, and yet they would more than likely go on pretending it to be accurate.

"All right," was all that Remus could bring himself to say. It wasn't in a sarcastic tone, but he tried to make his voice sound as understanding as possible without sounding nonchalant. When he figured that that might not suffice, he got up, and in two quick strides he yanked the curtain out of Sirius' right hand, drawing it back far enough so that he could sit next to his friend without invading his personal bubble. They were at that age when a hug seemed to be what would be seen as normal for this time, but borderline awkward. "It'll be fine, Sirius."  

[un de plus pamplemousse]

"Do you think I should... Oh, I don't know... I'm really not good at this type of thing, but... Talk with her or something?"

Severus snorted. "Can one make Bellatrix change her ways? Though, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt things..." He thought of the row that the confrontation might cause. "However, you may want to bring it up offhandedly, in a casual way. That way, she can choose whether or not to pick up on where you're leading her. One does not want to force Bellatrix into an argument. And I'm sure you, of all people, are very well aware of that." His lip twisted in a wry smile at that, thinking the girls, who seemed quite opposite and yet quite the same, probably got into many spats, like any siblings did.

He looked around the common room once again, noticing that everyone had either cleared out, or the few that were still there had gotten back into their little cliques and were sticking to the the corners of the room. "I wonder what happened to Lucius," he mused aloud, noticing that the older Slytherin hadn't been present at the feast, nor had he seen him come into the common-room.  

[Mistril]

"However, you may want to bring it up offhandedly, in a casual way. That way, she can choose whether or not to pick up on where you're leading her. One does not want to force Bellatrix into an argument. And I'm sure you, of all people, are very well aware of that."

"Yes, I am quite aware of that," Narcissa replied. And then she had a wonderful idea.

"Severus, I was just thinking. Maybe you could talk to her for me. You seem much more patient than myself, and we all know that patience is key in this situation." She looked at him hopefully, not wanting to make him feel pressured but wanting him to say yes.

"I wonder what happened to Lucius,"

Narcissa made a face that was a mix between sad and angry. Did no one know where Lucius had run off to? "I was wondering that myself, acutally," Was all she could reply.  

[Freak Show Excess]

Half of Sirius, the part that had been raised to keep his own problems to himself and keep up appearances that everything was perfect, appreciated that Remus was letting him make his own decisions on how to handle things. However, the other half of Sirius, the half that was scared and confused and thought he was all alone in dealing with his family issues and was sick of having to think things through himself, wished that Remus would've sat down and hugged him. Hugged him with the kind of hug that would tell him everything will be okay, because it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks, because they won't be there for him like Remus is, will they?

He let go of the curtain with his other hand and dropped it to his lap. Staring down at his hands, he thought over everything that had happened: the final fight with his mother that caused him to leave the house, winding up on James' doorstep looking confused and bedraggled and having to go through the humility of telling him and his parents what happened, the incident on the train with Bella, and now the fact that the whole school knew about it, let alone thought that he'd been digging through trash...

He sighed and lifted his head a bit, still unable to meet Remus' eyes. "I... I know it'll be okay. But... why does it have to be so hard?" Sirius asked numbly.  

[Tendara]

Fabian finished his stroll back to the common room. Wearily, he stepped inside and looked around. The various tables and chairs were scattered with eager students, glad to be back at Hogwarts, some nervous first years and a few students in a corner, whispering excitedly. He found a relatively empty corner, piled his extensive books on the table, and boredly flicked pieces of paper at the fireplace.  

[comfylove]

Partly because Remus thought Sirius needed some comforting, but also because it seemed right, he drew his arm back and placed it gently around Sirius' waist. He had meant to just put his arm around his back, but what he meant to do and what he wanted to do were two different things.

"That's just the way it is, Sirius." Remus told him softly, looking at his own feet and then back at his friend. "But you're here now. You're away from your family." Well, he was away from most of his family save for his brother and Bellatrix who unfortunately were a constant reminder of the horrors at home whenever Sirius would see them.

"And I want to see you happy," Remus finished, still looking at him as he leaned a little closer than a friend probably should without noticing what he was doing.  

[Freak Show Excess]

Sirius heaved a shuddering sigh and enveloped Remus in a bone-crushing hug. He knew he wasn't going to cry; he promised himself that he would never cry over his family, but the relief that washed over him from the simple act of hugging Remus was enough to make Sirius feel almost completely himself again. He buried his head in Remus' shoulder like a child with his mother. He was unused to this kind of comforting and was surprised at how much good a hug could do. He was still at a loss for words for how grateful he was to Remus for just being there for him, so he just sat there, hoping that Remus would understand.  

[Ky Jelly]

Rita smiled. "But having this many students it great don't you think? So many stories just waiting to be told!" She looked down at the paper she holding. "Speaking of stories, did you see my latest edition?" Rita asked, holding it out towards Hestia. "Hot off the press! Well, its more like warm now cause I made these on the train."  

[comfylove]

Remus was shocked by the sudden contact of a strong hug from his best friend, but he enjoyed it all the same, wrapping his arms easily around Sirius to draw him closer. When he felt Sirius' face so close against his shoulder and neck, it was a new and odd feeling, and he didn't know what to do other than to rest his head gently against his friend's as he tried to comfort him all he could so that Sirius could get back to his carefree, easy-going self again.

This contact made him think of what had happened at dinner, and silently he wondered if the footsies was on purpose and was directed at him. He had hoped that to be true, but he was still not convinced. There was no way that Sirius would ever feel that way towards him when he had several different girls swooning over him. He seemed content with that, pleased with that, so there was no way that he could be pleased with Remus doing the same.

But, he still wanted to bring it up when the time was right.  

[Freak Show Excess]

Sirius sat contented in Remus' arms until he wasn't sure how long they had been there like that. James or Peter might walk in at any moment, but Sirius found himself not exactly caring at this point. He had gone beyond feeling comforted by Remus to feeling something a little bit more when Remus held him closer. He got the strange feeling of wanting to stay in Remus' arms forever, as if as soon as Remus let go, this perfect moment would shatter and leave him empty and alone. He was startled that he felt that emotion so strongly, yet he couldn't quite discern what exactly he was feeling.

After a while, he lifted his head from Remus' shoulder and moved so that he was facing him. He looked into Remus' eyes, placing a hand on Remus' knee and speaking with sincerity and gratitude. "Remus... thanks."  

[comfylove]

Remus had known no comfort that compared to his moment, and while his mind raced of what to do next -- what would be appropriate and what would not be appropriate -- he found that worrying about propriety with someone so close to him, someone whom he could be himself with, was completely ridiculous. Slowly, he could feel himself melting in Sirius' arms and his blood boil beneath his touch, and he was certain that he was going quite mad indeed.

When he felt Sirius move his head to look into his eyes, Remus held his breath as his heart seemed to stop for a moment in time. The knee that Sirius' hand was placed on had heated with the touch. Yes, he was going crazy. "Of course, Sirius."  

[Freak Show Excess]

Sirius leant forward emphatically, his voice seeming to come from somehwere else. It was as if Remus' embrace had opened a well of emotion inside of him. "No, Remus. I mean it. Thank you. I... I've never... My parents never hugged me like that. I... I didn't know it could be so... It felt... good." He stammered and trailed off, realising that he'd said more than he meant to. Biting his lip, he looked away, hoping he hadn't just ruined this amazing moment between them. He couldn't think of anything he could've said to make matters worse, as Remus was clearly not into blokes. Wasn't he? Sirius' heart pounded and he felt as if it was trying to escape through his throat. Swallowing hard, the hand on Remus' leg twitched a bit; he was unsure what he should do with it. He decided that taking it off now would seem awkward, so he just left it.