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August 1981
the Potter-Black residence
"We can't trust Remus anymore," Sirius muttered as he slowly sipped on the coffee.
"I beg your pardon?" Thea asked incredulously.
"We. Can't. Trust. Remus," Sirius said firmly.
Thea sat down across from him as he stared at her with hard eyes, his hands clutching the mug.
"He's one of your best friends, why wouldn't you trust him?" Thea asked, her furrowed eyebrows giving away her confusion.
"Because we can't," Sirius said with a slightly annoyed voice.
"Not a good enough reason," Thea challenged.
"Because these times are hard, Thea!" Sirius yelled, "because someone's trying to kill your brother and your best friend! Because Remus has a motive to give away their location!"
"And what would that motive be, Sirius? His Lycanthropy?" Thea asked with narrowed eyes as her knuckles grew white around her own mug.
"Is it about his Lycanthropy?" Sirius mocked.
"Are you fucking joking? First you command me not to talk to one of my best friends-" Thea shouted.
Sirius opened his mouth to protest.
"No. And then you question the fact that I know a very obvious fact, if you know what to look for, about one of my best friends, wow, Sirius," Thea continued.
Sirius stood up with offended eyes.
"I'm only trying to protect us," Sirius yelled.
"Sit back down, Sirius Black, and continue to talk like a civilized adult," Thea instructed as she looked up at him, "and for the record, I don't need your protection. Based on the fact that I have a higher level position than you in the Order."
Thea knew that struck a cord, that's why she said it. Sirius had been on edge and picking fights and she was not having it that day.
"Well excuse me for caring, then," Sirius yelled.
"Do not get passive aggressive with me," Thea countered as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table, "and never insult me ever again by talking to me as if I were a child. If you want me to listen to you in a case of why we shouldn't trust one of our most trusted friends, then you cannot speak down to me."
"He's not your best friend, he's my best friend. Has been since first year. You met him at second year, at best," Sirius haughtily countered as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I-," Thea stuttered as she was at a loss for words.
"That's right, you don't know what I'm going through," Sirius grumbled accusingly.
"Stop acting like you're going through all of this alone, Sirius," Thea said desperately.
"Oh please, Thea, my brother is being threatened by one of the most insane wizards of all time as well as one of my best friends and one of my other best friends might have given away their location," Sirius argued.
"But he's not your brother Sirius," Thea said in a dangerously low tone, "he's my brother. We have the same blood running through our veins. We grew up together. We did everything together. And my best friend is his wife and my nephew. My nephew's life is also in danger."
"Your parents thought of-" Sirius argued.
"You left your brother," Thea said in the same tone, "you left him for the fucking dogs."
"It was not-" Sirius protested.
"Oh, but it was," Thea growled, "he's had to take on an extreme amount of responsibility in your absence."
"He enjoys-" Sirius tried protesting once more.
"And the only reason why you could leave is because you had a brother that loved you more than anything to fall back on," Thea continued, "so do not insult me by claiming that the pain you are going through is any worse than mine."
Sirius was shocked to silence. She never talked about Regulus in an argument.
"I- I can't believe you," Sirius whispered as he blinked back tears.
"Shit," Thea muttered as she turned away and held her head in her hand, "I'm sorry, I went too far."
"I just want the best-" Sirius said quietly.
"I know," Thea interrupted, "this is one of the reasons why I love you. It's just- I have to spend all day with men talking down to me because of my gender or my age or the fact that I'm literally shagging one of the aurors, that I just-"
"I'm sorry for talking down to you. You deserve to know the reasons why," Sirius muttered.
"I'm sorry too. For bringing Regulus into it and for saying you weren't James's brother, it was unfair," Thea sighed as she turned around.
Sirius had silent tears streaming down his face as he looked down, his hands on his hips.
Thea walked forward and wrapped her arms around him. He buried his head in the crook of her neck.
The only sound that was heard was Sirius's sniffling and Thea's shaky breathing.
"I'm scared," Sirius admitted.
"Me too," Thea said with a level tone.
"And because of Remus's furry problem, I just think we need to distance ourselves. It leaves him in a vulnerable position with the Death Eaters, who knows what they might have bribed him with," Sirius explained as he pulled away and looked into Thea's eyes.
"Etoile," Thea said softly as she gently caressed his face, "then he'd be alone."
"But he wouldn't be a threat to us," Sirius spoke softly.
"But, etoile, then he would be even more of a threat. That's what they want, they want to get you alone and thinking that you're alone. Because if it's just you vs the whole lot of them, then, I don't know," Thea explained.
Sirius hung his head and dug it into the palms of his hands. Thea pulled him in, so the back of his head hit her chest.
"It must be awfully lonely to be Remus Lupin," Thea whispered.
