SABAISM | H. POTTER

TWENTY - FIVE. | MONSTER-IN-LAWS

"MY STAR," THE DERANGED FELON CROAKED; FAMILIAR ORBS GLANCING ABOUT THE CHILDREN, "MY PRECIOUS GEM, WHERE IS SHE?" The persuasive questioning of Gemini's whereabouts rang in Harry's ear as though Black had bellowed, leaving a boiling rancor behind. Of all the things...how dare this man attempt to weasel out any information from them, her friends? And for the first time in his thirteen years, Harry Potter poised his wand, not with the intention to defend himself, but to attack...to harm...to kill.

"Expelliarmus!," the criminal spelled, wielding Ron's wand, at sensing Harry's acrimony. But this, if anything, only seemed to intensify the Boy-Who-Lived's protective fury. "What? Scared of a child, are you?," Harry simmered; mouth stretched back into a snarl. And, without the knowledge of what he was doing, aggravation winning over, the boy started forward. "And she is not your Star. Why, she's not your anything. So get her name out of your fucking mouth!" But there was an abrupt movement on either side of the fuming boy, two sets of hands hastily catching ahold of Gryffindor robes, preventing him from launching himself at the man. "Well," Sirius spoke; taking in Harry's incensed state, "You're an angry, little thing. Aren't you?"

Ron, who seemingly dismissed from mind what position they were in, snipped, "Don't patronize him." And Sirius Black stared thoughtfully at the red head, something flickering in the depth of his shadowed eyes; at the freckled boy who stood right by Harry's side, in contempt of pain he surely felt. "Lay back down," the convict instructed the haggard ginger, "You'll only cause more damage to that leg by standing up." But Ron merely stared back, still upright in defiance, and refused, "Oi! I am not going to do what you say, none of us are. So just shut the bloody hell up!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper, all too cognizant of their circumstance of defenselessness. "Ronald," she hissed; smacking at his arm. But Ron, azure eyes afire, scathingly interjected, "No, 'Mione! This...this gutless wonder managed to ruin both Harry and Gemini's life! I am not going to just stand here and let him make bold comments or demand whereabouts when he is the root of all their misery!" Sirius Black, hand over his heart, lowly whistled, "Damn. I suppose it is true then, you know, what they say about red heads."

But, just before Ron Weasley was about to "accidentally" loosen his grip on an enraged Harry Potter, the four made out muffled footsteps from below. Someone was downstairs. "WE ARE UP HERE!," Hermione suddenly cried out; yanking the two boys apart from the threat, "HELP - SIRIUS BLACK, HE'S HERE! BE QUICK!" The person, semblantly in auditory range of the plea, changed course as the tread thundered up the worn staircase. The entrance to the room burst open in a shower of sparks; Professor Lupin hurtling into the area, his wand raised and prepared. "Sir, what're you doing here? Where is -," the later question fading off as Harry espied the werewolf who was out and about, on a full moon. Don't get him wrong, Harry was unbelievably grateful for the skilled wizard, but where the fuck where Gemini and Draco? "Not now, Mr. Potter," Remus dismissed; scrutinizing not just the people, but the entire room in complete detail, "Where is he, Sirius?" ...What?

Yet the other man, the frenetic man, showed every sign of understanding what was being asked of him; as he pointed in the direction of Ron. "What the hell have I done? I am, like, the last person in this room that fingers should be pointed at," Ron queried; eyebrows drawn together in perturbation. But both chaps, who now faced each other for the first time in over a decade, disregarded the rampageous teens. In place, regarding one another with an undefinable emotion painted over their faces. "B-But if that is the case...," Lupin brokenly muttered; amber iris' blinking with unshed tears, "Why hasn't he bothered to show himself? Unless..." - Lupin's eyes augmented unexpectedly; as though he'd caught sight of something beyond the battered man before him, something none of the rest could see, - "...unless he was the one. He was the one. And you...you swapped places...without informing me?" And, very slowly, seemingly ashamed, Sirius Black gestured in head in confirmation of Lupin's assumption. "Oh," Lupin breathed; not bothering to conceal the tears that slid down his cheeks, "Oh, my darling." And the children then watched as Remus Lupin heatedly stalked towards the criminal. No, not to attack. But, instead, to pull Sirius Black into a searing, unfeigned kiss.