Sirius paced the floor of the Shrieking Shack, waiting for news, any news, on Remus. All he knew courtesy of McGonagall was that Remus had been rushed to St. Mungo's after being tortured. Sirius' imagination had taken over from there and he kept flashing back to Frank and Alice Longbottom, prisoners in their own bodies for so bloody long.

That could not happen to his Moony. Not without Remus knowing how he truly felt. Life was too damn fleeting for this. As if it wasn't bad enough that most everyone had been convinced he was dead, having fallen through the veil. Sirius was eaten alive by guilt, even though he understood that this had to be. They needed as many advantages as they could for the final battle.

He ran a hand distractedly through his hair, wishing he had a drink or a cigarette or anything to occupy himself. The rituals of pouring and drinking or lighting and smoking might help to calm him down. As it was, he was fighting the urge to get to St. Mungo's right now and damn the consequences.

A tapping began on the door, and Sirius moved soundlessly to the door. He'd drilled a few peep holes in it ages ago, and he used one now, jumping back reflexively as a pointy beak nearly took his eye out.

A grumbling Sirius cracked the door open and allowed the bird in. "All right, Fawkes. You flying special delivery today?" The bird was not looking his best, so Sirius took the note and waved Fawkes off.

"He needs you. Please come. Your old friend, H. has something that should make your transition much easier. It can be found near the tree."

No news, no details. But he was needed. A part of Sirius' heart was full of hope. They'd been the best of friends in school but ever since he'd escaped Azkaban, there had been a subtle change in their friendship. The pure intimacy they'd shared, the dreams and passions, and even the circle jerks with James, seemed like a lifetime ago. Circumstances had changed the elemental charge of their friendship and Sirius worried that he wasn't likely to ever be so close to Remus again.

But Merlin, how he wanted Remus. He wanted Remus to the very core of his soul. It had been his obsession and fixation when he was in Azkaban

Sirius reached into a pocket of his robes, fingering the small bottle of invisibility potion. He had scant few of these left, and they were more valuable than anything he owned. He could easily get to the Whomping Willow before the potion wore off.

Sirius took the potion and then left the shack. He was one of the few wizards who could enter or leave the dwelling. Soon, he was at the willow and easily retrieved the cloak, dodging the branches almost half-heartedly. His spirit was subdued and all he could think about was Remus.

Now that he had the cloak, he fastened it securely over his head and went into Hogsmeade. There was an Apparition point at the outskirts of the city and one very close to St. Mungo's. He didn't spare any time, heading off at a run.

Within a few minutes, he was stealing into St. Mungo's behind some very cute mediwitches. He would have looked a bit closer, but he only had eyes for Remus now. Poking his head into various rooms, Sirius' agitation rose and he was shocked to find himself emitting a low, very Padfoot-like whine. It was a bloody miracle that nobody had noticed.

Then, he saw Dumbledore standing in the doorway of a room. Sirius moved as quickly as he dared. As he approached, the older man stepped aside, a grim expression on his face. Sirius had never quite worked out how Dumbledore knew when someone approached using a cloak.

"Glad you could join us. I'll leave you to him. Keep the cloak nearby if you need it."

"Thank you." Sirius swept into the room, suddenly chilled by the blast of air that pushed in when the door was secured. He did a quick silencing charm and then turned to his friend.

"Remus! What the bloody hell happened?"

Sirius was shocked at the state of his friend. Nasty bruises ringed his throat, one eye was swollen shut, and Sirius knew if he pulled down the light blanket that covered his friend, it would reveal more bruises. The worst thing of all was the haunted look in Remus' eyes.

Sirius sat on the bed. "Remus? Come on, look at me. Focus on me."

A sharp pain ran through Sirius as their eyes met. Suddenly, he saw in stark detail what had happened to his friend, how he'd been tortured.

"Oh Moony..." Sirius gathered his friend close, stroking his hair and rocking him back and forth. "We'll get a memory charm done. We'll make it better."

Remus shook his head. "No. I don't want to forget. Not yet." He pulled away and gazed at Sirius. "Could you do one thing for me?"

Sirius nodded. Remus had to know that he'd give his friend the moon and the stars. "What do you need?"

The areas of Remus' face that weren't covered by bruises turned red and he looked away. "They gave me a potion, or a charm, I can't tell which. But it's left me... in a state. Could you... ?"

Another flash of memory... what was it? Then, Sirius knew what Remus did. They had given him something that had enhanced his sexual desire. It didn't matter if the potion worked differently because of his wolf tendencies or if it was intentional. His friend was being eaten alive by sexual desire.

Sirius' body reacted immediately. He had wanted to fuck Remus for years. He gave his friend a small smile. "Lie down, mate. Let me get comfortable. If you're not ready, we don't need to do anything tonight beside me comforting you."