Padfoot's Weakness - HP / Marauders time travel

19: Sirius Reminisces

Sirius pouted, pausing as he flopped around on top of Remus. The boy grunted in pain, shifting so his knees were up and pushing into Sirius' back.

"Fine, you're no fun," the raven-haired boy huffed. "Wait, if I ask Renley to be my girlfriend, what the hell should I do?"

"I dunno," Remus replied distractedly, turning the next page of his novel. "Take her to a restaurant or something."

"Noooo!" Sirius shrieked, grabbing onto Remus' shoulders and shaking the poor werewolf back and forth until he was dizzy. "It has to be more... more special! And creative!"

After the poor victim of Sirius' shaking was released, he groaned and took a moment to keep still. "Look, Padfoot. Do something she likes. Simple as that!"

"Fine. Wait, what's something she likes a lot?" He goes silent, frowning in thought. "I have an idea! What's something you and Renley have in common?"

Remus shrugs, not even listening to Sirius' talking.

The gray-eyed boy grumbled, quickly knocking the werewolf's book out of his grasp yet again.

"Oh for the love of—"

"Teeeeell me!" Sirius pleaded. "What's something you and Renley have in common? What does she like when she talks to you?"

Remus sighed, rubbing at his temples. Why does he put up with his crazy friends again?

"Alright, uh... I suppose we like reading," the boy with caramel-colored hair managed to brainstorm. He honestly has no idea what Renley and himself have in common.

"EW!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, it was a book that we first talked about. I think it was "Julie's Book of Fantasies" or something similar."

Sirius pouted, making a childish harrumph sound and falling back onto Remus' bed. "Lameee!"

//
1997
Third Person PoV
//

Sirius smiles faintly at the flashback. Poor Remus had to put up with his crazy friends.

His smile slips as he comes to the realization that nearly everything reminds him of Renley, or Henrietta. He can't ever seem to decide on what to call her.

Glancing over at the nearest window, he realizes it's growing dark. With nothing else to do, and still hoping the whistle would work, Sirius drops down onto the old bedroom's mattress. The silky sheets seem to soothe his worries, almost. He wants nothing more than to sleep away his worries, but he knows he needs to be awake in case he misses something.

Eventually, he decides to simply take a nap. He slips his shoes off, too mentally exhausted to take anything else off, and disappears under the comforting bedsheets. Just before falling into a slumber, he grabs onto the whistle in his pocket and places it onto the nightstand.

Sirius inhales the horrible smell that reminds him of his parents, but is eventually able to slip into a deep sleep at the delusion of Renley/Henrietta being with him in that bed, in his embrace, and most importantly, being close to him.

//

His sleep is both burdened and blessed with memories of the Marauders and Ren—er, Henrietta.

It's a long night. He wakes up several times, either smiling or crying. One time, he awoke emotionless.

Halfway through the night, Sirius sighs in frustration. He reaches for the lamp on the nightstand, fumbling blindly through the darkness. The moon is out, one phase away from being full, but its light is blocked by one of the window curtains.