The Shrieking Shack

The Morning After

"Moony, you OK?"

There was no reply.

"Bloody hell," said Sirius, glancing back at James and Peter, who were collapsed on the floor, exhausted. "I think he's out cold."

"Give it time," James muttered. "Poor chap's worn out."

Sirius nodded and looked at Remus again. He was on the wooden, splintered floor, curled up in an almost fetal position, his normally soft hair stuck to his face by sweat. "He looks so pale. So cold. Merlin, he always looks dead," Sirius remarked. He grabbed the blanket off the bed and covered his friend with it, and then he sat down next to him with a sigh, resting his arms on his knees.

"Can we go back now?" Peter whined. "I'm starved. I don't want to miss breakfast!"

Sirius grimaced. "Wait for Moony to wake up, you insensitive cad," he muttered. "We can't leave him here alone. He needs us."

James smirked. "He needs you, Sirius."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

Sirius's eyes narrowed, and a loose strand of long black hair fell in his face. "No. Tell me. What's what mean?"

James shrugged. "He's developed a particular fondness for you, Pads. That's all."

"And vice versa," said Peter, snickering.

"We're friends, asshole. I care about him. He cares about me. Damnit, Prongs, if it were you lying here, half-dead, I'd help you!"

"It's not just that," James said. "It's all the time. You two are attached at the hip."

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. Then a thought struck him. "You're jealous," he commented.

"Of what?"

"Of me and Remus! Because you and I are best friends, and you're scared you're losing me to Moony!"

James choked. "Jealous? My dear boy, I don't get jealous. I just think you're both looking a bit, well, queer."

It was a tired old argument. James and Peter enjoyed thinking that Sirius and Remus were "together" just because they liked spending time together and because Sirius always nursed Remus's werewolf wounds. "I'm not arguing about it anymore, James. It's old. Can't you think of anything new to tease us about?"

"Nope," James replied. "This one suits me fine."

"Well, I'm glad you're having fun. It's tragic that you have to pick on us to have fun when you have the bounty that is Snivellus, but hey, whatever charms your socks."

Remus, meanwhile, was waking up. "Pads?" he said softly.

"Shush, Moony. Let me handle this," Sirius said, not looking at him. "What's so wrong about being gay, anyway? Nathan likes blokes, and we like him fine. I'm not sure why you'd target me and Remus for the same thing. Not that we're gay," he interjected when he saw James's face light up.

"Pads?" Remus said.

"Shut it," Sirius said absentmindedly. "James, you can get off your high horse already, seriously. You just don't like to see anyone else have any fun because you can't get Lily!"

Remus's hand brushed against Sirius's leg. "Sirius?"

"Moony, what?" Sirius nearly shouted, and then he looked down. "Oh god, oh god! Moony! I'm so sorry! Oh bollocks! Oh mercy!" He reached down and helped Remus sit up. "I'm so sorry! Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

James and Peter gave each other knowing looks. "Breakfast?" said James. Peter nodded, and the two boys got up and walked out the door. "We should leave the two lovebirds alone."

* * *

Thomas walked out to the Shrieking Shack, nervous but feigning courage. He held his wand in his hand, ready for anything, but he didn't expect much trouble.

"Hey, Thomas! What are you up to?" It was his neighbour Roger, out for a walk with his aged bulldog.

"Taking care of something that should have been taken care of ages ago," he replied grimly, checking his deep robe pockets to make sure he had all his protection charms on him. Roger's dog sniffed the air expectantly for a moment but soon realised that no dog treats were forthcoming.

Roger eyed the wand in Thomas's hand and frowned. "Trouble, eh?"

"Trouble indeed," he muttered, continuing on his journey. He wasn't sure he wanted to explain what he was doing; he wasn't even sure of what he was doing. All he knew is he needed to get out to the Shrieking Shack and finally sort out this mess, once and for all.

A few minutes later, Thomas came upon the ramshackle building, and he trudged across the grassy field and the Shack's overgrown garden until he neared the front door. Then he stopped. Come on, you're a grown man. You can do this, he told himself. You've seen worse horrors. For a moment, he couldn't remember what those horrors were. Then he remembered his mother-in-law, and a fresh sense of courage came over him.

The Shrieking Shack was small and rundown. The paint was peeling, some of the shutters were broken, and the whole structure creaked noisily. Monster or no monster, he decided, it just didn't suit their quiet village. And now that he was moments from going inside, he suddenly wished he'd paid more attention in Defence Against the Dark Arts when he'd been at Hogwarts.

Creak! Creak! The house's movement in the wind was the only sound he heard besides his own heart. He made his way carefully up the rotted front steps and stood before the door. What now? Do I knock? Or just break it down? He decided there was at least no harm in knocking, so he gave it a try. Nothing happened.

Thomas shrugged. Well, I hardly expected anyone to be in, did I? He tried the door handle. The door wouldn't budge. He pushed harder. Still nothing. He pointed his wand at the lock: "Alohamora!" he exclaimed, his voice wavering. Then he tried the door again. No change. OK, there has to be a way in, he told himself. He moved over to the windows and found that they were boarded up. He shrugged and pulled at the wooden slats. They didn't give. He tried a couple of spells to break them, even one to burn them, and nothing. His spells hit and fizzled out; the boards were protected by some serious magical charms. I was right. Something's definitely amiss about this place.

He walked around the side of the building and found more boarded-up windows and more overgrown weeds. There was a back door, but it didn't open any easier than the front door had. Bloody hell, he thought. How do you get in?

Suddenly, Thomas heard a gasp and a series of giggles. He hurried to the front of the house again to see who was there and found a young boy and girl out in the road, clearly marveling at the notion that someone was foolish enough to try and get in such an awful place.

"Hey, kids," he started, and they took off running, screaming, perhaps believing him to be the Shack's monster come to life. Thomas shrugged and then sighed. It seemed like there was no way to stop this creature, not if he couldn't get in the building, and the village of Hogsmeade would be stuck with it forever.

***

"Where's James? And Peter?" murmured Remus, sitting up and brushing dust and splinters off himself.

Sirius shrugged. "Forget about that."

Remus looked at him and scowled. "You were fighting again!"

"James started it!"

"Merlin, I'm so tired of this! We used to be such good friends. I don't know what happened," Remus said, looking around for his clothes.

"What happened, Moony my friend, is James decided we're poufs."

Remus chuckled. "That again? Just because we're friends? Then I suppose you and James have been shagging for years, eh?"

"Maybe he wishes we had," Sirius mused. He pictured it for a moment and then shook his head. "Come on, let's find your stuff and get out of here. I could use some food."

Knock! Knock! Sirius and Remus looked at each other, worried. "What the hell was that?" Sirius asked. "Is someone knocking?"

Remus listened intently but heard nothing else for a moment. "I think it's just the Shack, Pads." But then he heard a spell being cast. "Dear lord," he remarked. "Some poor fool wants in here!"

Sirius got up and tried to peer through the wooden boards outside the window. "Can't see a bloody thing," he muttered. "No one can get in here, right?"

"No one. Dumbledore told me even the most powerful wizards can't get in. Dumbledore's the only one who knows how. And a couple Ministry officials. Must be some kids or something, on a dare."

The two boys heard nothing else, so Remus got up off the floor and gathered his clothes together. Sirius waited patiently, looking everywhere but at Remus, while Remus dressed.

"You don't have to look away like that. You've seen me," said Remus. "Hell, I was lying there on the floor naked!"

Sirius's cheeks turned pink. "That's different."

"How?" Remus asked, pulling his t-shirt over his head.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, Moony. It just is."

"Well, I'm dressed now, anyway. Just need to put my sneakers on," Remus said, and Sirius turned around. "Thanks for hanging around with me."

"No problem. It's what friends do." Sirius glanced at the door that James and Peter had disappeared through. "Well, some friends."

Remus sighed. "Don't worry about it. They don't need to stay. They've been with me all night long as it is."

"But they should stay!"

"No. It's OK that they don't. To be honest, I'm sort of glad they didn't."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Remus shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing."

"Oh, bollocks. Two people have said that to me this morning now, and it's getting annoying. Why can't anyone answer my questions honestly?"

The other boy took a deep breath and looked down. "I like spending time with you alone, OK?" he mumbled. "I like this time we have together without those two clamoring for pranks and casting silly spells on everyone. I just enjoy this quiet time. With you."

Sirius smiled. "I enjoy it, too. And I don't see why wanting a little time to hang out together makes us queer, I really don't. James is just jealous."

Remus turned and began walking slowly, painfully, toward the door. "Or perhaps James is right," he said.

* * *

"So, how did it go?" asked Martha. "You seem uninjured, at least."

Thomas sighed and put his wand down on the hall table. "I can't even get in the building. It's sealed up tight. There are all sorts of powerful charms on it."

"Oh," she said, slightly disappointed. "But at least that means the werewolf can't get out, right?"

He grunted. "Well, I doubt it's in there all the time. Most of the time, it's in human form, and I'm not sure that's a great place to spend your time if you're fully human."

"Who knows? Maybe it's nice inside. Did you look in the windows?"

"They're boarded up."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you couldn't pry the boards off?"

"I told you. It's sealed! Anyway, I could really do with a spot of tea." He walked into the sitting room and collapsed in his favorite chair while Martha bustled off to their small kitchen to put the kettle on.

She came in a few minutes later with a pot of magically brewed tea and some muggle biscuits. "So, whatever are you going to do?" she asked, handing him his cup and pouring one for herself. "Does this mean we just have to give up and put up with it?"

Thomas took a biscuit and looked at her. "I don't think so, Martha. It's my duty to protect my family, to make sure they're safe. I wouldn't be much of a man if I just sat back and put up with it, would I?"

"Your family? The kids are grown now," she pointed out.

"So I need to protect you!" he shouted. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry. It's just that this makes me so angry. We have a bloody werewolf next door who'd kill us as soon as look at us, and we're just supposed to ignore it?"

Martha sipped her tea. "Well, if you can't get in the Shack, there's nothing you can do, is there?"

He grunted again, swirling his tea around in the cup. "Yes, actually, there is something I can do. But first, get rid of this bloody tea. I need some firewhiskey."

* * *

What? Sirius thought. Did he just say...? "Remus, wait up!" he called, running after him. "What did you mean by that?"

Remus shrugged and looked away. "By what?"

"You said James was right. About what? That we're queer?"

"I don't know what I meant," Remus muttered, turning to walk away again.

But Sirius grabbed his arm. "No. You know what you meant. Explain."

Remus struggled to break free, but Sirius was too strong. He sighed. "Well, we must look gay, Sirius. I can see why he'd say that."

"That's not what you meant. You said that maybe he was right. Are you gay, Remus? Do you think I am?" Sirius growled.

Remus swallowed hard. "Well, aren't you?"

Sirius stared at him for a moment, and then finally released his arm. "Go back to the castle, Remus."

"Sirius, I_"

"Go back. Now."

Remus shrugged and walked away, confused. Normally, Sirius had a pretty good sense of humour about the "gay thing." And he clearly seemed to have no problem being affectionate. Why had he snapped like that? It made no sense.

Remus would never admit it, but he'd been attracted to Sirius for a few years. He had been fighting his feelings; he knew they were wrong, that people would disapprove, that he might even suffer more for being gay than for being a werewolf. He had tried to like girls, he really had. He had tried to pass off his feelings as mere confusion; after all, he hadn't had many friends over the years. Or perhaps he was just curious. But he was becoming increasingly aware that his feelings for Sirius weren't mere confusion or curiosity, not when he couldn't stop thinking about him, fantasising...not when every time he thought of kissing a girl, he made a face.

He had started to believe that Sirius felt the same way. Sirius always found opportunities to touch him--to stroke his hair, pat him on the back, anything. Sirius dated girls, but sometimes, Remus thought Sirius looked at him the way he looked at them, and it confused him.

I thought he was gay. Or bisexual, at least. Why is he so angry? Was I wrong? Have I been reading him wrong all this time? Then a thought struck him: If Sirius reacted so strongly to Remus's assuming he was gay, how would he react to Remus's feelings? Merlin, I can never tell him. Ever. I can't lose him. He turned around to find Sirius following him at a slow pace. He walked back until they were walking side by side. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I don't really think you're gay. I must have misinterpreted some look, some word...I'm not very good at reading people. I'm sure whatever it was, it meant nothing."

Sirius kicked at a tuft of grass. "Or perhaps it was wishful thinking on your part?"

"Why would I wish you were gay?"

Sirius chuckled. "Because you're gay."

Remus's blood ran cold. "Why would you say that? I'm not gay!"

"Well, why would you say I am?" Sirius retorted. "God, what bloody fools we are, both thinking the other's homosexual. No wonder James thinks we're snogging."

"Well, let's be honest with each other then. Right here, right now," Remus said, although he wasn't planning to be honest at all.

"OK. Are you gay, Remus?" Sirius asked.

Remus snorted. "Of course not. Are you?"

"Don't be silly. I'd hardly be dating all those girls if I were, would I? Anyway, it's disgusting. Two boys..." He shuddered.

Remus chuckled as light-heartedly as he could. "Yeah, it's pretty weird."

"Well, I'm glad we got this sorted out," Sirius muttered. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"It's OK," said Remus.

He was surprised when, a moment later, Sirius reached out and took his hand in his.