I Think We're Alone Now

DISCLAIMER:

The song "I Think We're Alone Now" was written by Ritchie Cordell and sung by Tommy James & the Shondells.

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"Children behave."
That's what they say when we're together.
"And watch how you play."
They don't understand.
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"Come on Remus, this way," Sirius Black called as he grabbed Remus Lupin's hand and pulled him through the kitchen. Grimmauld Place was an ugly, dark house, but Remus' presence always seemed to brighten it, somehow. He wished Remus could stay over more often. It was the summer after third year. James was on a family trip through Europe and Peter was stuck working on his summer potions essay, so it was just the two boys, not that Sirius minded. He tugged on Remus' hand again. "Let's go out the back door."

"Sirius!" came a shriek from behind him. Sirius, immediately realizing his mistake, released Remus' hand and turned towards his mother. "What are you doing, holding that boy's hand?"

"I was just trying to get him to come faster," Sirius quickly explained.

Mrs. Black walked over to her son. "Don't you ever do that again. You hear me?" Sirius only nodded. "I said do you hear me?" she asked again, this time adding a slap to Sirius' cheek.

"Yes, Mother, I hear you. I won't do it again."

With a nod, to herself, Mrs. Black walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the boys once again. She only took notice of them when they were doing something she didn't approve of.

"Come on Sirius," Remus said softly. Both boys walked out the kitchen's back door into the yard. Only when the door was closed behind them did Sirius let out the curses.

"Damn bitch," he muttered quietly, rubbing his sore cheek. He cast a quick glance at Remus. "It was my fault though. I shouldn't have grabbed your hand where she might've seen." The Black's were some of the worst Dark Wizards in England. They were bigoted, hypocritical, and revered violence. Sirius knew he didn't belong here. He didn't hold on to any of their beliefs. The fact that he was friends with Remus was proof of that. However, there was nothing he could do about it now. He was only thirteen years old; he had to put up with his parents for a bit longer.

"Don't worry about it, Sirius." Remus gave a small comforting smile.

"Yeah, but I know you hate it how she talks about you like that. 'That boy,' and such nonsense."

"I said don't worry about it. Come on. You said you were going to show me the creek."

"Oh yeah," Sirius said, suddenly regaining his spirits. It was hard to be down when Remus was nearby. Plus, he really wanted to show Remus the small creek just a few minutes from the house. It was a nice secluded spot, perfect for the new couple to get away from prying eyes. "Let's go!" Sirius grabbed Remus' hand again as they both raced down towards the water.

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And so we're running just as fast as we can;
Holding onto one another's hand.
Trying to get away into the night.
And then you put your arms around me,
As we tumble to the ground and then you say,
"I think we're alone now,
There doesn't seem to be anyone around.
I think we're alone now,

The beating of our hearts is the only sound."
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Down by the creek, Remus sat under the fleeting shade of a tree. Sirius was laying his head comfortably in Remus' lap. The night air was cooling down as darkness overtook the sky. Soft chirps of crickets could be heard in the distance. For once in his life, Remus felt content. He and Sirius had just realized their budding feelings for one another at the beginning of summer break. For the past two months, they had been inseparable.

For a good portion of that time, they stayed at Remus' house. Though poor, his parents were more than willing to have company. In fact, they were thrilled that Remus had finally found some friends. Sirius' parents, though, didn't like him to be away too long. If he was under their eye, they could monitor his behavior, and beat him if it wasn't what they wanted. There couldn't have been two more opposite families than that of the Blacks and the Lupins.

"I'm glad we're alone now," Sirius said into the comfortable silence. "But I think we have to go back. My parents will be angry if we miss dinner."

"They'll just make us eat in the other room," Remus said, coming close to complaining. He despised being in their presence. Even Sirius' little brother, Regulas, was just as bad. They didn't know about Remus' lycanthropy, but being poor was enough to make him an enemy in their book. Of course, it wasn't hard to make that list. James, a Pureblood, was just as hated as Remus.

"Would you rather sit with them?" Sirius asked, raising his head. A ghost of a grin was on his face. Slowly, his grinning face leaned towards Remus. An outstretched hand brushed against Remus' cheek. Their lips met briefly, as gently and soft as the summer breeze. They had only shared a handful of kisses over the past few months; both were inexperienced and a bit shy about their attraction to one another. Still, each kiss was memorable to Remus. Sirius always tasted of the sweetest things, making Remus dizzy.

Sirius pulled away, looking pleased with himself. Though it was the quickest of kisses, it still left Remus breathless. His heart was beating fast.

"I can feel your heartbeat," Sirius said, his hand coming to rest on Remus' chest. Remus could feel his cheeks flush. Sirius had a way of making him feel so happy. Happier than he'd ever been in his whole life.

"We better head back," Remus whispered softly.

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Look at the way.
We gotta hide what were doing.
Cause what would they say,
If they only knew.
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"It was so much fun! We saw so much, especially in France." The four boys were sitting around James Potter's kitchen table. A plate of cookies sat in the middle, half empty now. James was recounting his month long trip with excitement. Peter listened with rapt attention, but Remus' mind was elsewhere, as was Sirius'. They all would be spending the night at James' and both boys, while happy to have their friends back, were a bit gloomy. They had spent so much time together, it seemed a bit weird to be amongst others. They would miss their alone time.

"Sounds great, James," Sirius said enthusiastically. "But did you happen to bring us anything back, mate?"

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't," James said with a grinned. "But later. First I want to know what all you guys've been up to." He glanced between all three of them.

"Well," Peter said timidly, "I've just been doing my summer homework. That potions essay is terrible. I've had to rewrite it three times."

"Peter," Sirius said sadly, "summer is not for homework. It's for fun. Homework is for the train ride back to Hogwarts." The table erupted with laughter.

"Fun, huh?" James asked. "What did you do that was fun?"

"The usual, mate. Being punished and yelled at by my parents. Plus, Remus and I spent lots of time together."

"Time with Remus?" James laughed. "I thought you were gonna say you met a girl."

Sirius' grey eyes locked with Remus'. For a split second they looked to be in intense pain. Remus understood. James and Peter could never know about the two of them. They had discussed it before. So, Remus was prepared for what came next.

"A girl? As in one? No way mate." Peter and James laughed loudly.

"Sirius, you are so full of yourself."

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And so we're running just as fast as we can;
Holding onto one another's hand.
Trying to get away into the night.
And then you put your arms around me,
As we tumble to the ground and then you say,
"I think we're alone now,
There doesn't seem to be anyone around.
I think we're alone now,

The beating of our hearts is the only sound."
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That night, Sirius woke up feeling thirsty. Seeing very little in the darkness, he made his way to the bedroom door. He opened it slowly and slipped out, heading down to the kitchen. Sitting at the table, a full glass of water in front of him, was Remus.

"What are you doing up?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Sirius," Remus said softly, a smile coming onto his face. "I'm glad you're here."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I just... missed you, I guess."

"I've been with you the whole time."

"I know. It's just different... you know? With everyone around. I guess I just got spoiled."

"I know what you mean. I missed you too." Remus smiled and it made Sirius' heartbeat quicken. "I bet we could sneak outback for a while, if you wanted."

"I'd like that."

As quiet as could be, the two boys grabbed hands and snuck out the back door. Outside, they ran to the apple tree at the back of the lawn. The half-moon cast a shadow on the ground; once they reached the shadow, Sirius pulled Remus down to the ground. They rolled on the ground, laughing, enjoying the feeling of being so close.

"Remus?" Sirius was on his back on the ground, Remus straddled over him.

"Yes, Sirius?"

"We're alone now."

With a genuine smile, Remus leaned down and kissed the other boy. When Remus made to pull away, Sirius stopped him. He wanted more. The most that Remus could ever give. He wanted friendship, acceptance, and a love that would never die.

Sirius lifted his head the few inches that separated them, pressing their lips together once more. A deeper kiss than before. A longer kiss than before.

"Remus..." Sirius' voice shook slightly as their kiss ended, "I... I love you."

Even in the pale light, Sirius could see Remus' eyes widen. Then they softened with the kindest look Sirius had ever seen. "I love you too, Sirius. I think I always have."

"You know," Sirius sat up to look him in the eyes, "it'll be difficult for us to keep this up. We'll need to keep it from everyone. Are you willing to go through that?"

"I've thought about that a lot since summer started. I know I will do anything for you, Sirius. It may be hard, especially with my lycanthropy, but if you can handle it, so can I."

"We won't be able to spend time like this once school starts again."

"Well, we can always sneak out like this," Remus said with a grin. "I'll take whatever I can get."

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"I think we're alone now
There doesn't seem to be anyone around
I think we're alone now
The beating of our hearts is the only sound"

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