Thunderstorm

It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, to say that it was simply dark and stormy was, in the opinion of Sirius Black, one of the biggest understatements he'd ever heard. Heavy raindrops beat against windowpanes that shook from the unrelenting gusts of wind. Thunder overhead sounded as though parts of the castle were breaking away.

This is what it would sound like if the world was ending, Sirius thought to himself. He huddled down into his warm blankets, frowning.

"I am not scared," he whispered angrily to himself. That was ridiculous. Sirius Black afraid of a little thunderstorm? Not in a million years.

Then...why aren't you asleep like the others?

"Not sleepy," Sirius whispered aloud. But that wasn't true. He was tired. He looked over at the beds of the others and could hear the snores of Peter and James. Also, distantly, the soft hush of Remus' steady breathing could be heard. A particularly loud thunderclap boomed out in the night and Sirius pulled his blankets over his head.

"I am not scared," he breathed again. The merciless thunder exploded and Sirius rolled out of his bed clumsily. He stood there for a moment, untangling the sheets that were wrapped around him and wondering what to do with his cowardly self. Quietly he slipped onto the end of Remus' bed, curling up at his sleeping friend's feet.

Remus felt the movement of something on his bed and sat up sleepily. He saw Sirius curled there, trembling a little from cold or fright, the latter of which he dismissed instantly as ridiculous. Nothing scared Sirius Black.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Remus asked in a harsh whisper.

"Moony, can I sleep here tonight?" Sirius' voice sounded little and scared, which made Remus do a mental double take. He had never heard Sirius sound that way.

"It is three o'clock in the morning and you have just woken me up. I ask you again; what are you doing in my bed?"

"I-I'm scared. Okay?" Somehow, admitting it made Sirius feel a little better. Remus was about to tell Sirius to clear off when another round of thunder sounded and Sirius winced, curling up tighter. Deciding that, at least this once, Sirius wasn't having him on; Remus lay back down and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he looked over at Sirius again. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Pads, are you cold?"

"What?" Sirius opened his eyes too.

"You can lie under the blanket if you're cold," Remus scooted to the side a little and lifted the edge of the blanket. Sirius crawled over and slid under the covers. That pillow was soft and warm, smelling of Remus' hair.

"Thanks, Moony," Sirius whispered. He leaned toward Remus and, briefly, their foreheads touched.

"Go to sleep, Sirius," Remus murmured. Sirius resettled himself onto the pillow, comforted by the presence of his friend. He sighed and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly. He didn't bat an eye as another loud clap of thunder sounded overhead.