[HP] The Order of the Phoenix Family

Things happened in an instant.

Remus walked into his office, and the next second, the tip of the knife was on his lower back.He shuddered in pure raw horror, his heart racing with a buzzing in his head, hearing the office door shut and smelling the assailant's stench—slightly, but noticeably so up close.

"Hope you don't mind me borrowing your bathroom, Remus." The hoarse, ghostly voice whispered behind his ear, and as strands of cool hair clung to his neck, Lupine tried not to shiver. "I don't want to stink up your cozy little den."

"Hello, Sirius." Not good enough, he sounded like a hand had been grabbed at his throat, and dare Remus say it's okay with at least half of the knife that might have been in him and twisted while following . "It's been a long time."

Sirius let out a low chuckle, and Remus realized he was comparing it almost instinctively to his own memory.The peaceful life lasted too long, and he hadn't entered a real battle state like this for many years. The crazy surge of blood made him dizzy, and Remus took two deep breaths to prevent himself from panting due to the sudden intense depletion of oxygen in his lungs.

"Spread your hands out to the sides of your head," demanded the fugitive, "I know what you're capable of, so don't try to play tricks."

With no other choice, Remus complied and sarcastically said, "I'm flattered."

"I couldn't help but notice that as long as the door is closed, nothing that happens here can be heard from outside." His old friend said affectionately, the heat enveloped his back, bringing an unmistakable strong sense of presence.Sirius didn't exude any intimidation, as if he was sincerely greeting an old friend.At the same time, the point of the knife stayed firmly in place, he had always had the ability to hug someone and kill him at the same time, and Remus had no idea how crazy he was now. "Are you transforming here? Don't miss our old place?"

"So you bring someone else to kill me?" Remus replied, still feeling breathless, "Unless it's you, I'd prefer to curl up as a harmless wolf in my Under the desk."

Blake snorted softly, "Still hating that, huh?"

Not strictly speaking, Remus had long since stopped hating Sirius for that "joke", at least after Sirius betrayed James and Lily, he didn't care about that anymore.It's just that he's now trapped in this sound-blocking office with Black, who will never give him a chance to touch his wand before he's stabbed to death, and the longer he can guide Black to talk to himself The longer it takes, the more likely things will turn around.

But if it's a student coming in, or even Harry... all those little questions about his Patronus and his father... thinking of James and Lily's son, the blood of the child they'd tried to protect before dying on the floor of their own office Suddenly, a surge of bile surged up Remus' throat, disrupting his newly recovered breathing.While Black could have killed him anyway, cleaned up the office, waited for the next visitors - even invited them, he didn't think it would be too difficult for Sirius to imitate his own handwriting.Tomorrow is the weekend, and I'm afraid it will be two full days before anyone realizes that he is missing.

"Oh, one more thing." Blake said casually, "I also borrowed your desk, paper and pen."

Lupine stared sharply at the table, too frightened to notice that it had been moved, and it looked like someone had written a letter on it.He shuddered uncontrollably, it only took seconds for Black to kill him, and then lay in wait for the visitor to come close enough...

"Your comments to the students are so sweet, Professor Lupine." The attacker said with obvious enjoyment, "I can copy almost every word from my homework." Ron: After the last class today, if If it's convenient, please come to my office, I need your help on important matters. If you don't mind, please take your pet mouse, don't tell it where you are going, I believe it can help us without knowing it Busy. RL'. Then use the stove to throw it into the men's dormitory, which is very convenient."

Remus gasped, which was the reaction he tried to avoid under Sirius' threat. Black was probably completely insane, and 12 years of living with dementors was enough to drive anyone crazy.

"The little boy of the Weasley family?" he said reluctantly, "you have become so paranoid that killing Harry is not enough for you? You also need to take his best friend and an innocent little animal with you." ?”

Black paused before speaking, and Remus weighed his odds.If he kicks back, turns as fast as he can, and pumps his fist, maybe he can do enough damage to Black, or make the situation ugly enough, to force the other side to give up the idea of ​​​​making a move here today; can get the pocket With the magic wand in it, they are expected to perish together.

"Look, what do you think of me now." Sirius said more softly, he tensed his body, hesitating on the verge of breaking the boat.

"I've always been fair, and you know me." Remus focused on estimating the exact location of Black's head, throat, and other fatal parts, not on the weapon that would take his life. "You just used this little dagger to cut up the fat lady's portrait? She insisted that you took a three-foot long knife."

"Still so hyperbolic." Black shook his head, his voice tinged with sudden humanity, as if he and Remus were recalling at the same time all the embarrassing events that led to them being locked out in portraits in the middle of the night - even Remus might have been Worse than a knife, dragged by him into memory. "We both think we know each other, which just proves that we share something in common, doesn't it?"

"Actually, even Harry knew you better than I did, even when he was a baby." The murderer said it lightly, perhaps with a hint of regret.

A burst of rage swept through Remus's body, "How dare you say his name? Harry lost his parents because of you! Do you know what he heard when he faced the dementor? When James and Lily were killed Scream!" The point of the knife thrust forward, but Remus dismissed the idea, "But you don't give a shit, do you? Because you never fucking cared about anything in your life! I fucking I support James in trusting you, thinking that you at least have a heart-to-heart with him, even though countless facts prove that you have no heart at all!"

Black ducked to dodge his turning elbow, but Remus's fist hit him in the ribs immediately, and the fugitive let out a hoarse cry of pain, flailing the knife, which plunged into Remus' stomach and almost flinched. Hiding aside, Black's eyes widened, as if stunned that Remus hadn't even thought about defending.Remus didn't miss the chance, and punched him to the left and landed at his feet.The ensuing fight was uneventful, and at the cost of a cut on his arm, Remus finally kicked Black against the wall and managed to draw his wand.

"Except your weapons!"

The murder weapon spun out of Black's clawed fingers and jumped up, spinning and flying towards Remus, who ducked sideways instead of grabbing a sharp knife with his bare hands.When the knife fell to the ground, Black seemed to lose his fighting spirit, his head fell back to the ground, and he gasped for breath.Long hair covered half of his face, but Remus could still see the skull mask of hunger and despair.He could barely recognize Sirius Black, the most glamorous of the Marauders ever, in his vanquished man.

"You should have killed me when you got the chance," Remus panted equally, still overwhelmed by the shock of actually seeing Black. "Is it some kind of confession, Sirius? I bet I wouldn't do it for you." Sent to a dementor to do that."

Black laughed, a joyless laugh until his body curled up as if it couldn't handle the activity, and Remus couldn't deny the urge to do the same.As the illusion of invulnerability faded as he plunged into battle, his stomach, arms, and knuckles throbbed with pain, and blood dripped on the floor between him and Black, reminding him how close he was to death, and how he hadn't saved him. took his own life.

"Do .

"I don't need anyone to tell me anything to know you're crazy," Remus said, but his strength was draining.Black is still taunting his friends who overreached and sought revenge on him, which has been feeling less and less tenable.He asked Ron not to tell the mouse where he was going... making this ridiculous request might make the boy think it was a prank, and if he didn't think it was necessary, Sirius wouldn't bet on Remus' reputation Ron did the same.

"I know I've caught your interest, how much more lie are you going to tell yourself?" In the bruised and sunken eye sockets, the gray eyes cast a weary and impatient glance, "If you want, you can kill me We'll see. But I suggest you take this chance, he'll get away."

Of course Remus didn't kill him, not yet, but it's definitely not a good idea for Ron to see this.For 2 minutes Lupine forgot that Ron was coming, he wasn't sure why he was afraid of Ron finding Black and screaming for the whole school, he could say to protect the kid, but Black had been Subdued, the scene here is not so bloody and terrifying.

Sirius sat up halfway, turning a deaf ear to Remus' snarling "don't move", and reached into his arms to feel around.Rope spewed from the tip of Remus' staff, binding him before he could reach anything, bones rubbing against the cruel restraint, and Black fell back to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Then you can take it yourself." The fugitive contorted his face, trying to move himself into a slightly more comfortable position. His ribs on the left side must have been broken, and Remus found that he didn't have much pleasure in revenge. "Easy to find...you've tied me up stronger than those girls, don't tell me you're more timid than them."

"Don't play tricks on me," Remus warned, and Black smiled wryly.

"Please, Moon Face."

He utters the nickname with a sigh, which is more magic than pleading.Sirius had apparently seized one of his few robes after requisitioning his bathroom, and the fugitive was so thin that even Remus's old robes looked bare.Remus reached into the other's front and groped, trying to ignore the protruding bones, and found what Sirius wanted to grab just now - an old newspaper.

"In the photo of the Weasley family, the second from the right is Ron, look over his shoulder." When Remus unfolded the newspaper, Sirius reminded, "You've never seen that mouse, have you? No. Bringing a pet to class, and it sure doesn't want to be in your class..."

Remus' blood froze all over his body.

"It's fake," he said, but he shifted the wand that was pointing at Blake and poked it hard enough to almost pierce the newspaper, desperately zooming in on the photo.

"Believe it or not, I kind of hope it is, too."

The photo was a little fuzzy when zoomed in, but Remus could recognize it in his dreams.The color of the mouse's fur, the posture of lying on the boy, the front paw missing a toe...In an instant, countless images flashed in Remus's mind. Peter was tired from walking around Hogsmeade, and begged Remus Go to the deserted path with myself... When he came out, a chubby mouse was lying on his shoulder, expecting someone to feed potato chips...

The werewolf looked to the human for some kind of confirmation, but Sirius had stopped resisting the pain and confinement, and looked at the ceiling motionless, as if the soul had left the body after fulfilling its mission.Remus returned his gaze to the newspaper, where the rat was still there, lazily basking in the sun, trembling all over, unable to utter a word.

"I convinced James because I thought it would be safer to use him when everyone thought I was the Secret-Keeper," said his old friend in a monotonous voice. "Kill me if you want, I deserve it." .But don't let him go, promise me this."

Blake coughed as the cord disappeared, blood rushing into the places where the strangulation had left it ischemic, sparking yet another pang of pain that made him twitch and curl up.Remus did a quick check of his body, and yes, at least two broken ribs, probably from a fist or maybe from the last kick; judging by the pain in his knuckles, the moment he knocked Sirius to the ground The punch probably cracked Sirius' cheekbone, and the bruise from falling to the ground... Sirius dodged his hand deliriously for a moment, then stopped struggling and watched Remus hold his hands in disbelief. He lifted his face and checked for signs of a concussion.

"Did you realize you smeared blood on my face?" Sirius muttered as the ribs were strapped in place. "Even I noticed."

Remus' hand left him, and the right side of Sirius' face was stained red, as was the place on his body where he had touched it.The wound on his arm was still bleeding, and the blood from his abdomen had flowed into his pants.They all heard the bell for the end of get out of class.

"I've got to hide you first," said Remus, with a strange daze. "Ron can't startle Peter by seeing you."

Sirius blinked slowly, as if he didn't quite understand what he meant.The fugitive even flinched again when Remus stood up, trying to protect his ribs with his arms.Then Remus held out his hand to him, and Sirius examined it for a few seconds, then held it, allowing Remus to pull himself up.

Then, like a jigsaw puzzle falling into place, they embraced like long-lost brothers.Remus pressed his face into the bony shoulders and let out a whimper, remembering how to breathe for the first time in long, long years.

"Just promise me you'll keep me the best part," Sirius said hoarsely, ragged nails digging into Remus' back, his ribs about to relocate.

"Let's do it together." The werewolf shook his head lightly, "Together, Padfoot."

"very good."

He left Sirius temporarily in the living room behind the office, tending to the wound, cleaning up the blood and things they had messed up in their struggle.Then, Remus came to the desk and sat down, as a gentle and responsible teacher, waiting for the students to knock on his door.