Descend - Wolfstar + Marauders

The More Things Change

Remus arrived home in fairly high spirits. Sirius hadn’t returned from his ride before he had his shift at the soup kitchen, which he was honestly thankful for. The last thing he wanted was to get into another argument then have to walk out in the middle of it.

He’d been enjoying his time volunteering. It had only been a couple of shifts, but it was helping him stay focused. There were a lot of people who came in going through hard times, and he enjoyed being able to provide them with a friendly ear as much as the more material comforts they offered. He’d spent a good portion of the last two years living in tents or trailers himself thanks to his missions, and he knew what it meant to be poor. Hell, there had been times in his childhood, when they were moving around a lot (still hopeful for a cure that didn't exist) before finally settling in the north, where his family had been not far off the situation a lot of these folks were in.

A lot of the folks coming through seemed to be able to sense that. After all, he did have the look of someone who had lived rough, unlike a lot of the other volunteers. The others were genuinely lovely people for the most part, but the younger ones tended to be middle class uni students looking to do a little good in their free time.

As a result, the clientele were a bit quicker to trust him. They would swap stories (with Remus heavily obfuscating some of the key details of his own) and get into some interesting conversations. At times they'd landed on the topic of addiction. There were more than a few people who came through that were struggling with drugs and alcohol, and some of them were very candid about this fact. If they were honest with him, then Remus was honest back to the best of his ability. In the beginning he had expected this might be an issue for him, being exposed to that sort of stuff. It actually turned out to be somewhat cathartic. The couple of people he had disclosed his addiction to had been incredibly encouraging about his efforts to stay clean, even if they themselves were unable to do so.

It felt good to talk about it with people who understood. People who didn’t know him. Who weren’t invested in his success or failure. It was different to that support group meeting that he had hated so much. Informal, friendly, no feeling like he was exposing himself to an audience.

After getting word about the mission and the unpleasant business with Sirius that followed, it had definitely helped clear his head.

When he walked into the flat he saw Sirius sitting at the kitchen table. His good mood was instantly dashed at the look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked before he’d even finished closing the door.

Sirius didn’t answer right away. He didn’t seem angry or frustrated like he had earlier. He seemed… guilty. This did not sit well with Remus. Not at all.

“Can you sit down, please?” asked Sirius.

“Tell me what’s going on,” said Remus, feeling very much like he’d done something wrong even though he couldn’t point to what it was.

When Remus didn’t sit down, Sirius stood up. He walked towards Remus and leaned against the kitchen bench slightly, attempting to be nonchalant. It didn’t work.

“I have a message for you. From Dumbledore,” said Sirius.

“What is it? What’s happened?” asked Remus urgently.

“You need to see him. Tomorrow. He wants to speak with you,” said Sirius cagily.

Remus shot him a look of confusion. “He just wants to speak with me? Why is this message coming through you? Why are you being so weird right now?”

Sirius tapped his fingers against his thigh absently. He looked down, avoiding Remus’ eyes. He didn't seem to have an answer he was willing to give. Remus’s gaze hardened as the realization washed over him. He took a step back from Sirius, folding his arms across his chest.