yellow (remus lupin.)

thirty six.

THIRTY SIX.

Their bonding activity didn't last too long — most of the time was spent cleaning his room — and they were called down for lunch before they could rinse more information about each other out. In the afternoon, the partners switched around, and Anastasia was lumped with Remus until teatime. Sirius had been paired with Cara, and he could barely hide his enthusiasm as they sat outside in the warming golden sunshine.

"This reminds me of all those times we spent in the shack together." Sirius reminisced, pouring them both a glass of Molly's homemade lemonade each.

"Except this time you've had a shower and brushed your teeth." She joked.

Feeling the warm heat of August on his skin, Sirius felt the years of ageing drop off of him. He was now on his fourteenth year of being a criminal — as well as approaching his third year as a fugitive — and being outside was risky business for him. Thankfully the seclusion of the Grimmauld garden gave him a few hours of precious time in his daughter's company.

Music was playing distantly from the wide open windows above them — the source being Ginny and Tonks dancing around like mindless idiots as their form of bonding — whilst they soaked up being in the flora and fauna of the back garden.

"Come on then sunshine — " Sirius settled down into his garden chair and basked in the sun. " — what have you been doing all this time?"

"Nothing." She sighed, finally feeling honest. "I either work, or I'm at home asleep. Summertime is just me dossing about day to day, waiting for Stass to come home."

"You don't have Moony keeping you company?" He pried.

"Not now. He didn't want me anymore after that night in the shack."

Sirius was a sharp man, and he knew that Cara and Remus's relationship had disintegrated long ago. He couldn't help but feel guilty, as if his outburst at the pair of them was part of the reason they had split. He wanted to hear the truth from at least one of them, and seeing as Remus was a irritable recluse it seemed it would have to be Cara to spill.

"He's not very well, is he?" She spoke sombrely.

"No." Sirius was equally as miserable when discussing his closest friend.

In all the years he had known Remus, he had never seen him wasting away so badly. The last time he became this miserable was after the loss of James and Lily, but even then he kept himself going for his own sanity. Half of Sirius wanted to slap and scream at Remus, telling himself to pull himself together. The other half wanted to hold him under the covers and let him cry out whatever he required.

"How did the bonding go? Did you go in his room?"

"It was...something. I spent most of the time cleaning up his mess." She sipped her lemonade, the cooling citrus washing away her worries.

"You're the first person to go in there, he won't let anyone else in." Sirius revealed.

"I'm not surprised, it was like a bomb was detonated and the shrapnel was made from rubbish and dirty clothes."

"He needs to talk to someone." He hummed.

"Who? If he won't let anyone in, no one can help him."

"He let you in." Sirius turned to her with a knowing expression.

Cara didn't have a comeback, for once. He was right, she seemed to be the only person he still trusted to see him in all his vulnerability. She wouldn't know what to say to him, other than scream at him for breaking her heart fourteen months ago.