epiphany ♕ | 𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

55

WALKING THROUGH THE CORRIDORS stealthily was Sirius Black. He was tiptoeing his way toward the Order of the Phoenix meeting coordinates. He wasn't sure what to expect, or rather say, who to expect. Remus had multiple theories about what the meeting would be like, some more extravagant than others. Sirius knew he tended to be dramatic nowadays.

"Imagine if Professor Dumbledore takes out his wand and shows us how the Patronus speaks!" Remus whisper-yelled, trailing closely behind Sirius. "I've been thinking about it for some time. What if the mouth opens and closes while it says the message?" Sirius halted in his step.

"Moony, I love your theories." He wavered. "But as of now, let's just focus on getting to the meeting, yeah?" Remus pressed his lips into a thin line while nodding.

The walk toward the meeting was silent; only their footsteps made noise. Remus had a lot more to say, but to keep Sirius happy, he would stay quiet. It had been like this since the day Sirius confessed his feelings. They would exchange a couple of words before going into complete silence. Remus wanted to talk about it eventually, but with the circumstances they had, there was no telling when it would happen.

"We're here," Sirius whispered. Remus dazed off into the clouds. "Remus?" Sirius turned around to face the taller boy. He waved a hand in front of him, trying to get his attention.

"Sorry." Remus snapped back into reality. "I've been too deep in my thoughts these days." Sirius hummed, turning back around. He knocked on the door that was in front of them. It opened swiftly, showing the interior of a hidden classroom. There was a long table in the center of it, cloth cascading throughout the length. Many of the Order of the Phoenix members had already been seated, observing the two boys walking toward the empty seats.

"Moony, Padfoot," James called out. Sirius whipped his head towards the sound. Siobhán and James were waving at the pair, smiling slightly. He waved back while setting himself in a chair. Something about them was different, in a way. They looked much more reassured if that was even possible. Remus sat down next to him, eyes skimming the classroom.

"Something seems off with those two, don't you think?" Sirius whispered while leaning closer to Remus. He perked his head to catch a glance of Siobhán smiling, gazing at James with nothing but unconditional love. "A week ago, they were acting all gloomy..." he trailed off, "But today it's like they can see no one else but the other."

"They're always switching up." Remus put forth, emphasizing with his hands. "We all remember the time they argued and then were happy in a matter of 10 minutes." Sirius fought back a chuckle as the scene replayed through his mind.

"Don't even get me started on the time I caught James hugging Siobhán—I misread it for something else—in a very questionable way." Sirius looked around the vicinity, more members making their way inside. Remus, on the other hand, was baffled beyond comparison.

"What do you mean questionable?" He quickly spared a glance at the two. Gossiping at a time like this seemed unreasonable, and it was. But Remus and Sirius had always been ones for unexpected timing.

"Well, Siobhán's legs were around James's waist." Sirius's nose scrunched at the thought. "One of his hands was on her back, and the other was gripping her thigh." Remus raised his hand to keep him from speaking further.

"I think I get the picture." His tone laced with disgust. "Although, I have walked in on you doing worse." Sirius feigned offense, punching him playfully on the shoulder.

"Let's not talk about that era, yeah?" He spoke with shame. "Horrible and dark times." Sirius had considered those bits the worst years of his life. Many days consisted of his mother's constant abuse, depression beyond recovery, and the urge to relieve it with anyone that gave him the slightest attention. Maybe he was a bit selfish, but didn't he have an entitlement to it? After the hell he went through, who wouldn't become reckless?