"Oh Merlin, I'm going to throw up..." Remus groaned. "Fuck."
"No, you won't," Severus replied. "You'll be alright."
"Sev... what if he doesn't get out? And even if he does, where's he gonna go!? He can't go back to that house!"
"Remus," Severus stated. "You need to calm down. Seriously, it will be fine. I told you, I'll come with if I have to. Do I?"
Remus shook his head. "No, you can go out with Harry."
The Slytherin nodded. "Okay. What do you want for breakfast?"
"Not hungry. I'm going to try and get some grading done-"
"No," Severus interrupted, giving Remus a slight glare. "You're eating breakfast. What do you want?"
"I'll just get myself some cereal, Sev. You can go back to bed if you want."
"I'd rather stay up with you." Severus wrapped his arms around Remus' torso, their noses touching. "So what are we going to do until you have to leave?"
"Depends, what time is it?"
"Uh... Seven thirty, so we have a little less than an hour."
"Well... Want to go cuddle on the couch?" Remus suggested. "Might calm my nerves a bit... But if you don't-"
"Let's go cuddle on the couch. I want to."
Their position wasn't completely unusual, but it was new to them. Severus was laying with his head on the armrest. Remus was laying between his legs, his head resting on the other's stomach. His arms were wrapped around Severus' legs. The Slytherin tangled his fingers in his lovers hair, running them through the thick, honey brown locks.
"This is nice..." Remus mumbled, eyes half lidded. "I like it."
"Maybe we should do this more often, then. Now shh."
The Gryffindor nodded, letting himself relax against the warm body that belonged to Severus.
So. Warm.
They laid like that until they heard feet padding on the floor.
"Hi Daddy..." Harry mumbled tiredly. "Morning Pappy." He saw what they were doing, shrugged, and decided to lay on Remus' chest.
"Still tired, cub?"
"Mmm-hmm. Sleepy."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remus grinned, tears forming in his eyes as he saw his best friend. His best friend, who he thought to be a traitor but was not.
He and Sirius made eye contact, held it for a moment, before Sirius looked away and at the floor.
He took his seat, waiting until everyone else did as well.
Finally, finally, everyone had taken their seat, and the Wizengamot started the trial.
"You are Sirius Black, correct?" one of them asked.
"Yes," the man replied. His voice was hoarse, loud, and angry. Remus smiled at Kingsley, who stood next to his friend.
"How do you plead?"
Kingsley stood and spoke in his deep voice, "Not guilty."
"You may be seated."
And now the interrogation begins.
"You were found guilty in nineteen eighty one as an accomplice to the Potter murders, along without fourteen counts of murder?"
"No."
"No?"
"I was never given a trial, lady. I was forced into Azkaban immediately."
Some of them, younger looking ones, made faces that showed their opinions.
They thought that was wrong, and Remus smiled. Sirius had a better chance of getting out if half of the Wizengamot already knew they were wrong.
The Wizengamot continued to ask questions. Remus thought they were all being stupid, any half-educated person knew the answers to the questions. He had a hunch they were just stalling until one of them could come up with a good question beside "Have you ever in your entire life had a row with James PotteR?" (which they asked five times).
Finally, one seemed to remember they had a brain (or grew one) and asked, "Why were you at the Potter residence the morning of November first, nineteen eighty one?"
"I was trying to find Peter Pettigrew. He was the real traitor-"
"You killed him and thirteen others!" An elderly man shouted.
"I was trying to find Peter! He's the traitor, he was Secret Keeper! Not me!" He sounded desperate, so desperate Remus felt his heart break.
He watched as Kingsley calmed Sirius down. Remus knew that if Kingsley were not there, Sirius would not know what to say or when to shut his bloody mouth-
"Lies!"
"Arnold!" a woman scolded. "Let the man speak! He speaks the truth, he was never given a trial!" She turned back to Sirius. "Is there any proof of this?"
"Yes! Yes-"
"Yes, we do, in fact, have proof," Kingsley interrupted. "Remus Lupin has provided us with letters. Well, he still has the letters, but I investigated them and they are completely real and trustworthy."
One rolled their eyes. "And does Me. Lupin have these letters or not?"
"O-Oh... Yes, actually..." He reached into his bag for the letters. "These are letters between James Potter and Sirius Black, dating from December of nineteen eighty and October of nineteen eighty one." He flipped through them. "These six are from September nineteen eighty one and October nineteen eighty one. They state that Sirius thought it best to switch Secret Keeper to Peter Pettigrew, as James and Sirius were closer, meaning You-Know-Who would go for Sirius before even thinking of Peter. James agreed. Two weeks after switching, they... they were k-killed."
They were all accio'd out of his hands. The letters were passed around for quite some time before someone spoke up.
"Seeing as... Seeing as these letters prove that Sirius Black would not've been able to necessarily tell He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at that time does not mean he did not tell him on an earlier date. Now-"
"Check his memories then!" Remus interrupted.
"Mr. Lupin, watch your-"
"Check his memories! Or just ask him, he's been given the strongest truth serum in all of Britain!"
"Silence!" one man hissed.
Remus glared at him. "Do it. I am not going to stand here and watch as you throw an innocent person into that inhumane prison again!"
They whispered. Remus was seething. Sirius was looking back, grateful.
"Sirius Black," one started. "Are you a Death Eater?"
"No."
"Have you ever been a Death Eater?"
"Never in my short life."
"Have you ever been on You-Know-Who's side?"
"Absolutely not."
"Did you inform You-Know-Who on the whereabouts of the Potters?"
"Definitely a no."
"Did you kill Pettigrew along with thirteen Muggles?"
"I have never killed anyone."
The man sighed. "These letters support it. Honestly, why would He want to wait? Why wait when he had been trying for a little less than a year to kill them? And Mr. Lupin was right, he has been given the strongest truth serum that is legal to administer... I say we call for a vote?"
The others murmured their agreement.
"Holy shit that was fast..." Remus muttered, not believing it. He had only been there... Okay, four hours was a long time, but most trials lasted days.
"Who votes Sirius Black be released into another's custody?"
Remus looked around and saw that only six or seven hands raised.
Bloody fuck.
"Who votes Sirius Black be found guilty on all charges?"
Two hands.
"Who votes he be found guilty on the murder charges?"
Four hands.
Remus hands started to shake.
He went through so much to get this trial.
"Who votes he be found guilty on the charge of being an accomplice to murder?"
Twelve. Hands.
"Who votes he be found innocent and released?"
Remus gasped. A few tears rolled down his cheeks. He clenched his hands into fists.
He smiled.
His best mate was finally out of that horrid place.
"A counting of the votes has been made. Sirius Black, you are now a free man," someone said. Congratulations."
His prisoners uniform was changed into trousers and a jumper, the chains were taken off his wrists and ankles.
"Court has been adjourned. Mr. Black, we are deeply sorry, and you are free to go."
Remus ran after Sirius as he left the courtroom. "Sirius!" he called quietly. "Sirius-"
Sirius turned around. "I need time to think, Remus. Leave me alone."
The wolf froze.
What?
He made to speak again, but he was too late.
Sirius was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He clutched to Severus, fisting the Slytherin's jumper. He started crying once he had returned home and hadn't stopped until a few hours had passed.
"Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?" Sev asked softly. "Did he not... get... you know, released, or-"
"H-He hates me!" Remus wailed. "He hates me! H-He was released a-and was walking out and I-I tried to talk to him but he just... He told me to l-leave him a-alone! He was so cold a-and... and now he'll never talk to me again!"
"Oh, Remus, you know that isn't true. What else did he say?"
"That h-he needed time to think..."
Sev smiled. "See? He probably really does need time to think. Maybe he's... hurt, Remi. Think about it, he was in there for four years. He might think you thought he was the traitor and he doesn't know how to feel about that.
"Why don't you visit him this weekend? If you have an idea of where he went, that is. Otherwise, send him an owl."
"I-I just can't lose h-him after just g-getting him back!" Remus cried. "He's just too... too..."
"Important? Close? Family-like?"
"Yeah, those things."
"You know what I think?" Severus shifted into a more comfortable position. Remus' head now rested on his chest instead of his arm, which was growing numb. "You need sleep. You've been up way too long, and I know you don't feel the best right now because the full moon is in a few days so you're more tired and emotional and stuff. So how about an early night? I'll give Harry his bath if he lets me and get him a snack and everything."
"Fine," Remus groaned. "Can you bring me some water when you come back?"
He smiled as lips touched his forehead. "Sure thing, Rem. I'll be back soon."
Remus was asleep in a matter of seconds after that, and Severus hadn't even left yet.
sorry this is shorter than usually and shitty. i wanted to get something out, i'm tired, and anxious, and just shit. so yeah.
Siri has been freed, wizards witches and nonbinary bitches.