A Valid Interjection

"I think we should tell Harry."

"Hmmm?" Remus forced his rather pleasantly fogged mind to clear for a moment. He wasn't *entirely* certain what Sirius had just said, but it had been something involving Harry... and that wasn't quite what he expected to hear when Sirius was nuzzling his neck rather passionately.

"Harry. I think we should tell him."

"Oh." Well, that cleared that up. "Sirius, I really can't have this conversation in the middle of *this.*" He reluctantly pushed the other man away, and straightened his robes in an effort to calm himself down. Where had this come from? Not that it wasn't certainly a very valid issue, but it had simply sprung out of nowhere.

"May I ask what brought you to this sudden conclusion?"

"I don't know." Sirius shrugged, running a hand through his hair in what Remus recognized immediately as a nervous gesture.

"Obviously *something* had to have brought it on. I'd hate to think I'm such an abysmal partner that your mind's been wandering this entire time." He gave a faint smile, quite curious as to where Sirius was going with all of this.

"No, of course not. I just... Harry and I have been getting closer, you know? He's started talking to me a lot more, and I just... this is *important*. I feel almost like I've been deliberately keeping it from him."

"I wouldn't say that," Remus told him with a thoughtful frown. "It isn't exactly as if it comes up in conversation often."

"No it doesn't but..." Sirius sighed again, leaning back against the couch they'd been utilizing just a few moments ago. "And I mean, he's at that age..."

"Sirius, do you want to tell Harry about us, or the facts of life?" Remus asked, with a small smile.

"You know what I mean." The words were accompanied with a stern look that Remus knew better than to take seriously.

"I do. I honestly don't see any reason *not* to tell him. I'd imagine it would be a bit of a shock..."

"A bit?" Sirius gave a gruff chuckle. "I don't think he'd figure it out on his own unless he walked in on us--"

"Yes, well," Remus cut him off quickly, deciding he didn't really need to actually hear the rest of that sentence, "I do wonder how you plan on bringing this up to him."

"That's what I need to talk to you about." A rather sheepish grin spread slowly over Sirius' features. "I mean, I'm not doing this by myself..."

"You want me there?"

"Only makes sense." Sirius shrugged, draping an arm casually around Remus' shoulders. "I mean, he looks up to you a hell of a lot, Moony. I think it would be better coming from both of us."

"No you don't, you simply don't want to suffer alone. But I think you may have a point." It would be better, coming from both of them. Not that it was something Remus was looking forward to. As mature and responsible as Harry was, he was still fifteen. And he still had very set views of his godfather and old professor.

"How do you think we should do it?"

"How do *I* think we should do it?" Remus raised an eyebrow, shifting to look at Sirius. "This is *your* idea."

"But I'm asking your help."

"Fine." Remus sighed, wondering why in the world Sirius had chosen *now* for this little chat. "We just have to be honest with him. But not *blunt*," he added quickly.

"I figured that out on my own." Sirius rolled his eyes. "I just... How do you think we should bring it up in conversation?"

"We sit him down and tell him there's something we need to talk about," Remus said, simply. "We start out telling him how much a part of our lives he is, and how we both feel paternally towards him, and that there's something he should know."

"Merlin, Moony, you make it sound like one of us is dying!"

"No, I'm setting it up so it's not as difficult to tell him that we're together."

"Is that the term we want to use?" It seemed Sirius really *hadn't* thought much about this.

"What term did you want to use?"

"I don't know. I don't... I don't go around telling people that you and I are a couple. They pretty much just figure it out." Sirius shrugged, and then groaned. "Maybe we shouldn't. I mean, he's bound to figure it out eventually. Right?"

"I'm sure he is," Remus nodded, "but is that really how you want him to find out? Imagine how awkward that would be. Having to try and explain things in a rushed panic, everyone embarrassed, and most likely all talking at once. No, I think sitting him down and explaining things is the best way to go about this."

"But... Okay. Once we've had the 'this is very important' talk, what next?"

"Well..." Remus wondered why *he* was left with strategizing everything. It hadn't been his idea, though he was going along with it. "These things are hard to plan, Sirius. And we don't know exactly what Harry's reaction is going to be. A lot depends on that."

"Just... come on. A general outline of what we should say. Please?"

"Fine." Remus was getting very close to annoyed. "We just tell him that recently--"

"Since the summer isn't exactly 'recent', Moony. That's... over half a year ago."

"Yes, well, it's just easier to say recently rather then 'over half a year ago.' As I was saying: recently you and I have become much closer then we were before, and... and..."

"And?"

"And I don't know what to say after that," Remus admitted. "I'm sorry, but I get rather lost when it comes to actually *saying* the words."

"What words were we using again?"

"That we're 'together.' I think that's an inoffensive--"

"Inoffensive? What would be offensive?"

"I... I don't know. But that just seems to be a vague and mild way of putting it."

"Rather then saying something like 'we're shagging?'" Sirius offered.

"I think we should leave the entire sexual aspect of our relationship out of the discussion. I'd imagine that would be implied simply by the fact that we're together."

"As a couple. You have to be specific."

"I think Harry's bright enough to realize what we mean."

"Just in case..." Sirius shrugged.

"Fine. Together as a couple. That just sounds... cluttered. Either we say we're together, or we say we're a couple."

"Fine, we say we're a couple," Sirius decided.

"All right. So we say we've become close, and that we're a couple, and we love each other very much--"

"Do we have to add in the emotional stuff?" Sirius asked nervously.

"Why wouldn't we?" Remus asked a bit coldly.

"It just sounds... I don't know. Silly," Sirius shrugged.

"Us being in love sounds silly?"

"No! But saying it... It just seems kind of patronizing. Obviously if we're together, we're in love. We don't need to ram it down his throat. He's fifteen; it'll probably just make him uncomfortable."

"Fine. Fine. We won't say that." Remus rolled his eyes. Why did Sirius have to be so difficult?

"All right. So we're close, we're a couple..."

"And we felt that he should know." Remus finished.

"And that's it?"

"Well, then we wait for his reaction," Remus explained. "I'd *imagine* he'd be a bit shocked, and that he'd need some time to adjust to it. But I don't think he's going to be *upset* over it."

"What if he is? Merlin, what if those muggles that raised him brainwashed him? What if he hates us?"

"Sirius. Calm down. The Dursleys did *not* brainwash Harry. And I doubt there's much that could make him hate you. He loves you, and he'll accept us. After a period of shell-shock."

"And you're sure?" Sirius seemed quite insecure about it.

"I'm sure," Remus assured him, kissing him quickly. "And... it's *us*. It isn't as if you're trying to tell him that you've started shacking up with Snape."

"Yeah, you're right," Sirius said, nodding in agreement. "And never, ever mention the idea of me and that greasy git again."

"I won't." Remus promised, folding his hands in his lap.

"So we sit him down...?"

"How about this," Remus offered. "*I'll* do all the talking."

"That sounds like a *really* good idea," Sirius agreed. "Now, where were we..."

Remus grinned in a very lupine manner, curling up closer to Sirius as the other man leaned down to kiss him. They'd tell Harry over the spring holidays. Or come summer, if they didn't get the chance before then. And it would be a bit of a relief. Sirius's fears were all unfounded and downright silly. Harry was *not* going to throw any sort of tantrum or fit over the fact that they were a couple. He'd most likely be happy for them both. And that was that.

Remus pushed all those--and any other--thoughts out of his mind as Sirius became yet again very interested in his neck.

Hopefully, this time there wouldn't be any interruptions.