Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Cauldron To Conflagration ❯ Of Secrets and Lies ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: I big apology for this very late update. A very big thank you to whose reviews inspired me to continue this story -

 

Booklover00, wolf2q, kitty, GenaAmie, Christina, ALICE, Icywingsoffire, moonbeard, randy13, ONIX-21, Kellisina, Jeagerjaques615, KaiiDee23, lady love, Lykanthrope, BlueTopaz21, fan girl 666, Alice

 

I had hit a writer's block here and you guys kept me going. Thank you very much!! ^_^ I hope you like this chapter.

 

This chapter is actually dedicated to Alexandra who told me that she checked daily for an update on this story. I could definitely not keep you waiting after that ^_^ I'm really glad you liked this story and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

 

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Chapter 2 - Of Secrets and Lies

 

The next day, for Remus, was very weird. Up until now, he had been the oddball of the class - the weird kid who always sat in the front row. He was not very extroverted by nature and other people made no effort to come and speak to him. But today, random people smiled at him. He returned the smiled rather unsurely. When he sat down in his usual place, some kids from the back made it a point to come and sit next to him and begin small talk with him. He answered back politely enough.

 

At the end of the class, some kid even offered to do his homework for him - an offer which he politely but firmly refused. Jenilia, the most popular girl in his year so far, came to tell him that he looked cute that day. Remus turned bright red and stuttered a thanks which he did not think she heard. Flashing him a small smile, she left to join her friends and immediately began giggling with them, all of them glancing at him occasionally.

 

The students were more restless than usual and, for some reason that he could not understand, the professors gave him, by turns glaring and pitying looks. Remus was not used to being the centre of attention like this, especially since he didn't know what he had done. Peter did not sit next to him in class, preferring to go to the back benches so he had not yet had the opportunity to ask him what the hell was going on.

 

This was the last class of the day - potions. Professor Slughorn was finishing his lecture on the dangers and properties of the potion they had made that day. Remus stared at him in concentration, taking down notes. It seemed important for the exam and he was damned if he forgot any of it.

 

“Professor Slughorn,” came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned.

 

It was the same dark haired boy from before - Sirius Black, he remembered. Some of the girls squealed and even a few of the boys blushed. Slughorn was smiling serenely at him. “Yes, Sirius, my boy? What is it?”

 

Sirius flashed a charming grin. “May a borrow Remus Lupin for a while, professor? I need his help with something.”

 

Remus gasped in outrage. The nerve of that boy! And in Slughorn's class too! There was no way the shrewd old teacher was going to fall for that!

 

“Of course, of course…take him…”

 

Some of the students sniggered at the rather unfortunate wording. Remus turned bright red and Sirius smiled widely.

 

“But-“ Remus protested.

 

Slughorn smiled genially. “No buts, young man.” Once again, the class sniggered.

 

Sirius turned in a billowing of black robes. Some of the girls sighed. Shoulders slumping dejectedly, Remus followed Sirius out of the classroom.

 

 

“What do you want?” Remus snarled, stopping dead in his tracks once they were outside the Gryffindor house portrait hole. Sirius also stopped and turned, giving him an innocent look. He gave the password to the Fat Lady and held the door open for Remus

 

“What do you mean? Aren't you glad to be out of that boring lecture?”

 

Remus looked at him confusedly, walking through the door, glancing back at Sirius. Why was he being so nice?

 

“Well yes but I missed the notes and-“

 

Sirius smiled captivatingly. “Don't worry. I'll help you with them if you want.”

 

Remus stared at his stormy, light grey eyes and felt himself blushing. Where was the crude, brash boy from yesterday who had forced himself on him? This new Sirius was a perfect gentleman. Remus felt baffled.

 

“Umm, thanks, I guess…”

 

Sirius gestured for him to enter the common room and Remus gasped at the sight. It was entirely deserted and in strategic corners, there were candles, their soft glow lighting up the room in a very different way from usual.

 

Remus and Sirius headed towards the most coveted armchairs near the fireplace that were, by an unwritten rule, forbidden to first and second years when seniors were around.

 

“Why is the room empty?” Remus asked.

 

Sirius shrugged casually, settling down in the armchair. They were rearranged so they faced each other instead of the fire and between them, there was a table with 2 glasses placed on it. Handed one to Remus and took the other himself. Remus cautiously took a sp and was pleasantly surprised to find Madame Rosemerta's finest butterbear.

 

“How did you get this??” he demanded.

 

Sirius smiled mysteriously, as he took a sip from his own glass and held Remus's eyes over the glass.

 

“I have my ways.”

 

Remus, to his chagrin, blushed and looked away, quickly lifting the cup to drink to try and hide the color on his face.

 

“What is all this for?” Remus asked bluntly in the end. Sirius put his glass down and looked met Remus's eyes.

 

“I have already told you I like you, Remus. I would like to get to know you better.”

 

Remus felt his face flush with anger and embarrassment. “Yeah well people generally do that before they- they kiss someone against their will.”

 

Sirius did not look abashed. “Are you saying it wasn't good?”

 

Remus looked stumped. “Well, I- that is…”

 

When he reached out to pick up his glass from the table, Sirius caught his hand gently. Remus tensed, but Sirius only held it lightly in his own, leaving Remus free to pull away if he chose but Sirius was being…decent…so Remus decided to give him a chance.

 

“I would like to get to know you lot better, Remus.”

 

Remus looked away. “Wh-what do you want to know?”

 

Sirius caressed the hand in his gently. “Well, for starters, how come you joined Hogwarts so late? Students are generally enrolled in the school at 11 years of age but you must be at least…14?”

 

Remus nodded tensely. “15.” He didn't want to go into this…this problem that he had once a month when he became a beast…a monster…

 

Sirius didn't say anything, waiting for a reply. Finally Remus answered him.

 

“I- there were…circumstances. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more.”

 

Sirius nodded. “I understand.”

 

“What about you?” Remus asked. “You don't look 12 either.”

 

Sirius chuckled softly and Remus couldn't help but think it sounded…good.

 

“Yes I had to go abroad for…special studies. I returned to England last year. I'm 17.”

 

Remus nodded. “It must be difficult being older than everyone in your grade…being different…”

 

Sirius shrugged. “Not really. When I was away, I was younger than everybody there.” Then he smiled deviously. “Besides, being older has its perks. You get to boss over everybody.”

 

Remus glanced at him disapprovingly. “That's not right.”

 

Sirius smiled rakishly. “I don't really care. It's fun.”

 

Remus didn't approve but he didn't want to nag so he changed the subject.

 

“So you are already of age…why don't you attend 7th year directly? You said you studied abroad so this course must be very easy for you.”

 

“It is,” Sirius told him, “But my family believes that the experience of spending 7 years in Hogwarts is something I must not miss out on. Besides, I'm in no hurry to get a job.”

 

Remus remembered what Peter had said about Sirius being from a super rich family.

 

“So…do you have any siblings?”

 

“A younger brother,” Sirius replied. “You?”

 

Remus shook his head. “I'm an only child.”

 

“So then you must be spoilt, eh?” Sirius asked with a wink.

 

Remus withdrew his hand and sat back. His face fell. “No…not really.”

 

Sirius frowned. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it as an offence.”

 

Remus shook his head. “No, it's nothing.” He got up.

 

“Thanks for all this but I think I better get going now. I have homework to catch up on. The classes will be leaving any moment now so people will be coming in.”

 

Sirius didn't tell him that no one would enter the common room if he told them not to. He stood up too and came to stand in front of Remus.

 

“Alright then, Remus. It was a real pleasure.”

 

He gently caught hold of his right hand and with a graceful bow, brought it to his lips. Remus stared at this old time gallantry. If anyone else had done this, it would have seemed cheesy and down right weird but Sirius did it very elegantly. Remus mused that Sirius must be from a very old, traditional family to still so gracefully follow all these customs. Even his English had a refined accent to it that was very pleasant to the ears.

 

“Good bye,” he said awkwardly, then turned and walked fast towards his dorm, leaving Sirius to stare after him.

 

 

“What happened?” Peter demanded as soon as he entered the dorm.

 

“What are you talking about?” Remus asked defensively, dropping his bag on his desk. Peter rolled his eyes.

 

“Sirius Black took you out of class. And you're looking all red and flustered. What did you guys do???”

 

Remus scowled. “We didn't do anything!! We- we just talked.”

 

Peter looked quite skeptical. “Talked? Really? Is that why you're blushing so much?”

 

“I'm not blushing!” Remus shouted. “It's the butterbeer!”

 

Peter raised an eyebrow, getting more comfortable on the bed, taking a pillow on his lap and propping his elbows on it. “Butterbeer? Black got butterbeer?”

 

Remus half nodded, half shrugged, rummaging around in his bag for his notes, getting ready to start on his homework. “Yeah, I dunno where from.”

 

Peter looked at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?? He can get whatever he wants!”

 

Remus got irritated. “Would you stop with that already?? He can get anything, he can do anything! He's not that different from the rest of us, alright? He's…just a normal guy.”

 

“Just a normal guy, huh?” Peter gave him a crafty look. “So he's no longer a jerk?”

 

Remus stubbornly remained silent. Peter crowed triumphantly.

 

“Aahah! Somebody's got a little crush on him!”

 

Remus turned towards him angrily. “Shut up! I do not have a crush on him! It's just that…maybe he's not so bad…”

 

 

When Sirius returned to his dorm, James was idling around, getting bored.

 

“Well?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

 

Sirius shrugged and flopped down on his bed, taking his long coat off and throwing it negligently on a chair.

 

“I did the candles and butterbeer and gentleman shit.”

 

James nodded, opening his broomstick servicing kit. “Yeah, that always works.”

 

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. “Hmmm…we didn't get anywhere.”

 

James smirked. “Sirius Black didn't get any action? You're losin your touch, bro.”

 

Sirius threw a pillow at him. “Shut it. He bought it so it's only a matter of time.”

 

James was still smirking. “Hope so, buddy. Or next thing we know, you'll be faithful and shit.”

 

Sirius snorted. “Yeah sure. The kid can't be that tough to get into the sack.”

 

James shook his head. “Well you do pick the damnedest ones.” Then his eyes dreamy. “Not like my Lils.”

 

It was Sirius's turn to smirk. “Yeah the day Lily Evans goes out with you will be the day Malfoy likes tits.”

 

James laughed. “Or the day li'l Remus begs you for it.”

 

Sirius lay down on his bed, hands supporting his head on his pillows, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.

 

“Hey, its gonna happen, you know.”

 

“Oh would you snap out of it mate?” James finally asked, exasperated. “The bloke's gonna go out with you…jeez, you've never had any trouble with a guy or a girl before.”

 

“Hmm,” Sirius replied.

 

“What's got your panties in a twist this time?” James demanded.

 

Sirius looked away thoughtfully. “Because Remus Lupin is different…”

 

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When Remus and Peter headed to the common room, it was once again back to normal. Students were chattering, fighting, working and there was no sign of any candles or butterbeer. Remus decided not to tell Peter about that.

 

They found relatively comfortable seats near the window and settled down to do their homework. Just as he prepared to get started on his Transfiguration essay, Janine and the other girls who had tried to strike up a conversation with him earlier came by.

 

“Hi, Remus!”

 

Remus swallowed nervously. “Uh…hi.”

 

Janine twirled a strand of permed hair between her fingers and smiled, biting her lip.

 

“So…you left early from Potions today. I hope it was nothing serious.”

 

Remus turned red. “Uh…no, no it was- it was nothing…”

 

Janine frowned slightly. “But Sirius Black took you away! It must have been something important!”

 

Remus didn't have the courage to meet her eyes. “Uhh…I- that is…”

 

Janine's friendliness suddenly froze. She stood very straight. “I see. So it's true.” She sneered and Remus drew back in surprise. “You're his new toy.”

 

Peter frowned. “Hey, you can't talk to my friend like that!”

 

Janine threw him a superior glance. “I can talk to him however I want.”

 

Then she gave Remus an appraising look and smiled coldly. “I don't think he'd mind Sirius talking dirty-“

 

“Shut up!!” Remus yelled. “I don't know where you heard that but that's not true! I am nobody's toy!”

 

Janine and her friends laughed. “What you thought you actually meant something to him? Sirius Black doesn't share but Sirius Black doesn't belong to anyone. And surely Sirius can do much better than a scrawny little nerd like you.”

 

Against his will, Remus felt tears welling in his eyes but he blinked them away. He was damned if he cried in front of this bitch.

 

“Get lost,” he said through clenched teeth, turning away from them.

 

Janine flicked her hair over her shoulder and smirked. “Poor Sirius will want some…real fun after you.”

 

Remus put his pen down and sat back in his chair. He suddenly felt very tired. What had he been thinking?? Black was a well known playboy, the most popular kid in school; Sirius was that boy. And he, Remus, was the nerd, the awkward kid. But that was still ok. The most important thing - he was a werewolf. How could he allow himself to hope for any kind of a relationship, let alone with someone like Sirius? How would he explain to his boyfriend why he had to go away every full moon night and how would he explain his various scars and his half-dead appearance?

 

Remus closed his eyes.

 

“Peter?”

 

Peter looked at him in concern. “Yes?”

 

“Those- those people in class who were talking and smiling at me…was it- was it because of what…Sirius said? They all think I'm his- I'm his toy?”

 

Peter looked at him pityingly. “Yes,” he said hesitantly.

 

Remus didn't say anything. He should have known, he thought. What had he been thinking? That he had suddenly become popular? That he would suddenly lose all his awkwardness?

 

Is that was Sirius Black really was? Someone who used people? Then what did it matter that most people were quite eager to have a chance to be with any way at all…however he wanted. Yes, of course he was. Everyone knew that. Everyone but him.

 

And yet.

 

Stormy grey eyes flashed in his mind, dark hair falling into his eyes with casual elegance.

 

Yet the something in his eyes had seemed real.

 

 

Sirius did not bother going down to the common room that day. He had other more important plans. No, Remus Lupin was not like anyone else he had ever met. Remus Lupin cared nothing for his money or his status. That skinny kid was the only one who had ever stood up to him.

 

And when he had talked about his past, there was something…something hidden, something painful. Something because of which, he kept himself away from everyone. Something that put a withdrawn, hunted look in his eyes and he was determined to find out what.

 

Remus Lupin may have his own secrets to protect but Remus Lupin was now his to protect and he wouldn't let anything hurt him, not even his past.

 

 

A/N: So what will happen when Sirius finds Remus's secret???