This Is Invigorating

    "It will only be for a few minutes..."

     Surely if Remus had repeated this to himself enough, he would not feel so guilty for what he was contemplating in his mind. A few minutes... now what was the harm in such a minuscule amount of time?

     "Sirius will never know..."

     Certainly he wouldn't! He was fast asleep in Remus' bedroom, blissfully unaware of his friend's plotting. An apocalyptic meteor couldn't disturb him from his slumber at this point. To be fair, Sirius needed a good, deep sleep. He was preparing to fly north to Edinburgh, up in Scotland, on a job for the Ministry... bouncing from one city to the next along the way.

     Remus' Birmingham home was quite a distance from there, but he had volunteered to let Sirius lodge at his house for the night. He offered up his bed, resolving to spend the night on the sofa that had belonged to his mother at one point. While Sirius might have been having a serene rest, Remus was rather uncomfortable. It wasn't the couch itself that was unpleasant, but rather the view from the window across the room.

     Two lucid, silver handlebars were peaking out ever so slightly from above the windowsill, reflecting beams of moonlight that spilled across the sitting room floor. They belonged to Sirius' motorbike, one of his most prized possessions.

     Up until this moment, Remus could not see why it was so cherished. It was a slightly old, worn scrap of a vehicle that wasn't as fast or serviceable as a good broom was. Yet every day, Sirius made it a point to polish and tinker with the contraption, only to have it end up gleaming slightly and leaking oil all over him. Whatever made Sirius happy...

     However, those handlebars were now glimmering so badly that they almost seemed unearthly. Remus squirmed slightly and forced his amber eyes away, turning over on his side and facing the backing of the sofa. The light was still unavoidable; pearly, maddening, and casting shadows on the couch.

     Slightly irked, Remus pushed himself off of the sofa, blanket still over his shoulders, and crossed to the window. He was about to draw the curtains, but looked down and saw the motorbike in its whole form. Remus was incredibly flummoxed on the spot. The motorbike had looked so commonplace under the sunbeams, but in the light of the moon, it seemed completely otherwise.

     It seemed foolish to give personification to such a piece of junk, but in this new perspective, the motorbike looked slightly... dangerous, yet appealing, all at one time. The thick and treaded wheels, the monstrous engine, the glossy leather seat... and those damned lustrous handlebars. Remus eyed it slowly, and blinked, resisting the urge to just hop on it and fly off... God knows where. He didn't care at the moment. His thoughts were purely on riding it.

     "No," Remus chastised himself, shaking his head. "It's Sirius' motorbike and not yours. Taking it without asking him would only betray his trust..." Ever so slightly, he opened the window and touched the motorbike. The impulse to drive grew even stronger.

     "Surely.. Surely leaving it to lean against the house is a stupid idea. Leaving it out.. in plain view.. for just anyone.. to snatch away." Remus chewed on his lower lip, and gave himself an ultimatum. "That's it," he whispered aloud. "I either wheel it behind the shed, where it would be perfectly safe... or I leave it out to the public eye and let it be stolen." He shut the window and headed to the coat rack in the hall, where he then reached for his cloak and put it on over his pajamas. Remus then went back down the corridor and to the right, where the entrance to his bedroom stood.

     Ever so cautiously, Remus pushed the door ajar. When it emitted a loud squeak, he winced. However, Sirius didn't stir at all. Remus continued to proceed and reminded himself to oil the hinges the next time he had the chance. Every time his feet hit the floor, the wood groaned and creaked under his weight. And each time it did so, it was uncannily louder. Remus was swearing silently to himself.

     He reached the nightstand by the bed, where Sirius' keys sat by the lamp and an empty glass. One glance at the tranquil expression on Sirius' dormant face made Remus feel even guiltier than before. This was complete nonsense… what use were the keys if he was only going to wheel the motorbike behind the shed?

     'Still…' he thought. 'What if I was to be attacked outside… or I needed a quick getaway?' If Remus had been in clearer state of mind, he would have known how unlikely it was that such things should happen. However, his incentive to ride the motorbike was strong enough to justify that. He quickly grabbed the ignition key and crept out, not even bothering to shut the door.

     After slipping on his shoes, Remus headed outside and around the house. There sat the motorbike in all of it's untamed beauty, leaning against the wall. He supposed that if it had a mouth, it could be commanding him to hop on top of it.

     Ride me… Ride me!

     Slightly shaking, he headed over to it, removing the kickstand. Grasping the motorbike firmly by the handlebars, Remus felt himself to be like something of a toreador… holding the horns of a bull, instead of a motorbike.

     He had obviously misjudged the weight of the motorbike, as his arms sagged under its mammoth size. Once he had a firm hold on it, he slowly pushed it near the shed. The impulse seemed to be remitting. 'There.. I don't even know how to ride it in the first place.' Remus leaned it behind the small shed and folded his arms. A smile crossed his face as he realized he hadn't surrendered to temptation. 'I do have a strong will…' With that affirmation, he trudged back off to the house. He would have slept off that night in peace if the gleam of the motorbike didn't catch his eye and driven him over the edge…

     In an almost primitive, animalistic way, Remus leaped onto the motorbike and clung to it with an iron grasp. Even though he was just straddling it, he felt taller then he had ever felt in his whole life. Maybe he was just intoxicated by the rush in his blood…

     "Fuck it," Remus growled slightly, putting his left foot on one of the stirrups. "It's practically begging to be ridden." Immediately, he jammed the key into the ignition and turned it. The motorbike rumbled loudly, like a large, angered tiger. If his blood had been rushing before, it was positively speeding like a bullet. Swallowing the lump in his throat and feeling incredibly intimidated, Remus lifted his other foot into a stirrup. His balance must have been off, for at that moment, the motorbike nearly toppled over and crushed him. With his last bit of strength, Remus righted himself, and started driving off.

     At first, the motorbike was still firmly on the ground. Remus, not used to a motorbike in the least bit, careened sloppily through the field behind his house, smothering the weeds and long grass under the huge wheels. After crashing through the wire gate penning the field several times, he was beginning to wonder how one made it fly.

     Taking a guess, and feeling slightly bold, he leaned backwards into a pop wheelie, grasping the handles even more tightly. Fearing he would misjudge his intuition, Remus tried to put the motorbike back down before it cowed him… he then realized that it was too late. The motorbike shot off into the sky like a rocket.

     To put it simply, the adrenaline that pumped through Remus' body was unlike anything else he had ever felt before. Sure, when riding a broom, one gets the same soaring sensation in their stomach. But brooms were easily controlled and moved at your lightest command. The motorbike presented more of a challenge… bucking from time to time like a wild horse, and being slightly stubborn about turning. He could now honestly see why Sirius as so enamored with the motorbike. Frankly, he couldn't blame him. Remus was so giddy that he felt inclined to laugh, his hair whipping about his face. He did not deny himself this pleasure and let out long strings of laughter. He had no restraint on the emotions running though him, not caring if anyone down below could hear his fits.

     'This is invigorating, if I do say so myself,' Remus thought, grinning from ear to ear like a maniac. 'I'll have to do this more often… What Sirius doesn't know won't hurt him.'

     Unfortunately, it would harm Remus. After about five minutes of swooping through the air like a hawk, the motorbike jerked and began to slow down. Remus immediately panicked, the joy fleeting and being replaced with fear. He vainly tried to increase the speed and altitude, only to end up colliding with the ground and being tossed off with amazing force. After landing about ten feet away, Remus groggily opened his eyes as his head pounded with great fury. He felt a few sharp pains in his body, but for the most part, was fine. However, he was worried about the motorbike. Remus was sure that if he ruined it, Sirius would have a hard time speaking to him again.

     To his surprise, the motorbike, though on it's side, appeared to be in better condition then he was. It's front wheel rolled aimlessly on it's axle, whilst the engine hummed softly.

     "Smarmy little bastard," Remus muttered, pushing himself up. With a slight limp, he hurried over to the blasted vehicle. It took him a few tries, but eventually the motorbike was on its two wheels and being rolled back to the shed. After that, Remus forced himself to bed, not bothering to even clean some of the cuts and bruises he had gotten in the process of riding the motorbike.

     Once he was settled in his couch again, Remus reflected on the little outing he just had. 'On second thought, it wasn't that great', he thought grumpily. 'That motorbike… that ride… it was a nauseating, shaky, unsafe, simpleminded amusement. On top of that, I nearly killed myself.' Remus was positively sure that he wouldn't try anything that stupid or daring for a while.

     Though he did remind himself to make a copy of the ignition key the next chance he had…

     'Just in case, I…er... have to move it again.'

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The End