Carve Me Open / r.l. + s.b. /

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"He's clever like that," Remus sighed. "Scourgify."

The bowls and platters were cleared of crumbs and oil, and Remus neatly stacked them in a pile. The room had been cleared not long after, and all traces of a 'party' had been removed. It was as if nothing had ever been amiss. Let's see if Ivan would take away points now!

Remus looked at his bed longingly, sighing in defeat as Sirius's sleeping form rolled over on some sort of pillow. It was a faded blue color, which had confused Remus because his pillow had been gold. He moved across the room quietly, not wanting to wake anyone with squeaky floorboards, but froze as he neared the bed.

Just under Sirius's arm had been his old, ruddy stuffed elephant. Ellie. Her ears, no matter how much his father swore it had been a him, were still a pale shade of cobalt, a new patch sewn in where a hole had torn through. The eyes dangled by a thread or two, and the trunk had been twisted beyond all repair from his tossing and turning. Yet, even from a distance, he could smell his home. Lupin Cottage. Lilac and baby powder. His mother. His father. It was all there.

If he closed his eyes, he could picture the Cottage. So small in comparison to the expanse of the valley, a tiny dot within miles and miles of meadows and fields. The walls outside his window were covered in vines and morning glory's, a bird's nest just on his windowsill every spring.

"We sent an owl to your parents," James murmured awkwardly. "Your mom said that it would make you feel better."

Upon opening his eyes, Remus found that Sirius had curled around Ellie tightly, cocooning her in his arms against his chest protectively. He didn't have it in him to slip her out of his grasp, so he left them be. However, something in the back of Remus's mind told him that Sirius needed her more than he did.

"It did," Remus admitted. James sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing the back of his neck.

He hadn't changed. He might have been a talented young wizard and Chaser on the Quidditch team—but he was still God awful at communicating.

"How come you were in the hospital wing," James asked bravely. It had obviously been a question burning inside of him for quite some time. He said it with confidence, yet slight hesitation that made his voice waver.

"I got hurt," Remus began in an attempt to be vague but lost heart to do so. It hadn't been his perfect world, nor would it ever be, and in this one, he would have to make things the best he could. If Remus didn't tell James, then Sirius eventually would. Not that Remus thought Sirius would betray him, but he understood the loyalty he showed to all of his friends, and making him keep a secret as grand as this was unfair. As cruel as this world could be, Remus didn't want to be the person to cause a rift between brothers. No matter how jealous of them, he could become. He looked at James, gathering all the courage he could muster. "I have something to tell you."

"Yeah?"

The moment had come. With Sirius, it had been thrust upon him, and there was no chance to turn back. There was no way out with Sirius, and he was forced to tackle the situation head-on. The stakes had been higher, the risks much more significant. Now, there was a point of return with James, and he could easily walk away from it if he wanted to. A small part of him did. It was the easy way out, for now.

But there was a difference between easy and right, and if Remus truly wanted to be James's friend, he would have to do what was right.

"I-I..." he stuttered. "I just wanted to tell you that I- well, I'm –"

"It's alright, mate," James reassured him coarsely, not meeting his stare. "I don't judge you."

Remus let out a sigh of relief. Another burden lifted off his shoulders. He had the feeling James might have been a bit more open to the idea of his condition than Sirius, but to know that both of them were accepting him with open arms made his heart race.

"Thank Merlin," he groaned. "I didn't want to keep it from you, you know. I didn't want to keep who I am a secret anymore."

"Yeah, no, I totally get that," James muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, it isn't like you... had a choice, right?"

"Well, I think if I had the choice to pick between being a human and a Werewolf, I'd go for the human one,"

Remus laughed. James deadpanned.

"Wait, you're a Werewolf?"

Remus's smile faltered, the air catching in his throat.

"Yeah," he drawled. "That's what you were talking about, right?"

James stuttered to himself a minute, turning a comical shade of pink and avoiding any and all eye contact with Remus for several seconds. Remus watched in mild amusement, curious yet frightened.

"No, no, no – I mean, yeah. That's what I – look, mate, I don't care what you are. You're still my friend."

Remus smiled to himself, shuffling his feet together.

"Thanks, James."

"Don't mention it."

Remus glanced back at Sirius with an endearing smirk.

"I suppose I'll be sleeping in Sirius's bed?"

"Unless you'd like to wake up to his putrid morning breath and the theatrical migraines, I would assume so."

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Ah. This made me so warm onthe inside. I hate having consistently sad, heavy chapters. So here's a bit offluff and wholesome friendship for you.

Also, if you'd like, you can take a look at the links in my profile and follow me. I post updates about my writing and the process on those accounts sometimes. I'll also be posting trailers and such. Totally not seeking clout, but I just thought you guys might be interested!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter <3