Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This was all Remus Lupin’s fault. 

Sirius had only wanted to cheat on his Ancient Runes exam. He didn’t even need to cheat, he just wanted to prove that he could.

Besides, making a potion that showed him the answers seemed a whole lot easier and more efficient than actually studying. 

The potion was simple: mandrake root, slug slime, pixie wings, spiders legs, and willow tree sap. Stir three times, think about your intention, and the “reality you wish to see” will appear in the swirling green liquid. 

So here he was, sitting in a small unused classroom near the Gryffindor common room thinking about his intention. 

It had all been going perfectly to plan, (Well, he had had to use doxy wings instead of pixie wings because Slughorn had none when he raided his store cupboard the night before, but his copy of Advanced Potion Making had stated it was a suitable replacement in 98% of potions, and he’d kept the quantities the same!) until Remus Lupin walked in. 

Sirius had just finished putting in the final ingredient when the door opened to reveal his friend. Sirius’ eyes flicked to him briefly as he leant against the doorway. 

“I thought I told you not to make that potion?” He said, but there was no hurt in his voice, only humor, and Sirius knew without looking that he was smiling. 

Sirius stirred the potion once. Ancient Runes exam answers. 

Sirius looked up at Remus and gave him a wink in lieu of response.

He stirred the potion twice. Ancient Runes exam answers. And - oh, did Moony just blush? He looks so pretty when he blushes. 

And that was when it happened. Sirius’s mind had the smallest, tiniest, unintentional thought, and suddenly he was thinking about making Remus blush like that again. What he wouldn’t give to be able to hold his hand, or - or kiss him. How he wished that there was even a possibility of a reality where they could be together. 

He stirred the potion a third time. 

There was a sickening bang as the potion exploded below him.

Sirius felt the force of it knocking him back, he heard Remus shout and felt a sharp pain run through the back of his head. 

And then everything went black.

Chapter Text

There was a bright light glaring above Sirius’ head and for one foolish second he thought that maybe he had died and that this was the afterlife. But the ground was hard and unforgiving and somewhere to the left of him an overhead light was flickering. 

He blinked his eyes awake, taking in his soundings. One minute he was in an abandoned classroom in Hogwarts, all stone walls and floors and ornate windows, and now he was… here? 

The room was stark white, it reminded Sirius of the one time he had been admitted to Saint Mungo’s as a kid, lino floors and painted white walls. He was laying between rows of desks and chairs, the walls lined with posters of those old muggle books Remus liked to read. A classroom of some kind, but none like one Sirius had ever seen in Hogwarts. Hogwarts classrooms were homely, this felt clinical, impersonal.

When he finally moved to sit up it felt like his head was spinning uncontrollably and there was a pounding pain coming from the base of his skull. He shook his head, but that did nothing to relieve the haze of dizziness, so he sat there for a second, wondering where he was and how he was going to get back to Hogwarts without the teachers noticing his absence. He wondered if Remus was okay, he couldn’t see him in the room, perhaps he hadn’t been close enough to the blast for the potion to send him here, or maybe it had sent him somewhere different and Sirius would need to find him too before his return. 

Once the dizziness had almost subsided Sirius clambered to his feet, shoving his hands into the pocket of his robe to check if he still had possession of his wand. He felt a wave of reassurance wash over him as his fingers wrapped around it, he would be able to apparate back, as soon as his head was clear and he knew where exactly he was apparating from.

He took one last look at the classroom before stumbling towards the only door which opened out into an equally white hallway. 

Stepping out, Sirius immediately felt the desire to retreat back into the classroom. The hallway was lined with people, moving in every direction, and they were all dressed like muggles. Some of them were carrying books, swinging around the large backpacks on their backs as they talked to their friends. Even more of them seemed to be staring down at small rectangular blocks, that lit up when they tapped their fingers in unrecogisable patterns. They were all giving Sirius odd looks, staring at his wizarding robes in silent judgement. Sirius suddenly felt the need to flee, he needed to get out of this building right now. 

He took off at a jog, careful to dodge and weave around the strange muggle students who continued to stare at him. Until he rounded a corner at full pace and knocked squarely into someone’s chest. 

A pile of books and a cane came crashing to the ground around him and he stared up at the person he had run into. He was wearing a knitted jumper and his head was adorned by brown curls that Sirius would recognise anywhere. 

His hands had thrown themselves around Sirius’ waist to steady himself and Sirius looked up into his amber eyes, his hand was on his shoulder without Sirius even realising it. 

“Moony.” He breathed out. 

Instead of the look of relief Sirius had expected to wash over his face his confusion just seemed to deepen. 

“Sirius,” he said, “what the fuck are you wearing?” 

And that was when Sirius realised it. There was something off about Remus’ face as he gazed up into it. There wasn’t a scar to be seen.

Chapter Text

“Sirius, what the fuck are you wearing?” 

Remus had a crooked little smile on his face, a smile that was so familiar yet looked so wrong. It didn’t tug against the scar that crossed his bottom lip, because there was no scar on his bottom lip. How could this person smile just like Moony without, well, without being Moony. Because this Remus, if he was even a Remus at all and not some evil creature pretending to be him, couldn’t be his Remus, his Moony. Right?

“I, uh-“ Sirius didn’t know what to say, his mind was still spinning, his head was still throbbing. Was this Remus? Wasn’t it?

”You know you’re a bit early for halloween, right? It’s February.” Remus teased.

The smile had only grown as Remus’ eyes ran up and down his body and Sirius felt at a loss for words under Remus’ full attention. Which, if Sirius was being honest with himself, wasn’t a new occurrence, not by a long shot.

“Are you wearing a tie?” Remus asked, one of his hands moving from Sirius’ hip to hook under the knot of his tie and run down the length of it before letting it fall back against Sirius’ chest. 

Sirius watched the expression on his face grow softer, a familiar furrow appearing in his brow the longer Sirius remained silent.

Remus moved his free hand up to cup Sirius’ cheek, his fingers brushing behind his ear, under his jaw. Sirius felt his face heat up as Remus angled his face a little closer. ”Sirius, are you okay? You’re worrying me a little.”

Sirius took in a breath. Maybe this Remus wasn’t his Remus, but there was no way anyone could fake the look he was giving him right now, the look Remus had given him when he had told him he had ran away from Grimmauld Place, the look of care and concern even when they hadn’t spoken in months at the time. Sirius made the decision, that whoever this Remus was, he could trust him.

“Remus, can you get me out of here?” He asked, his voice coming out quieter than he expected, and then to show his sincerity he added: “Please.”

”Yeah,” Remus replied, his voice equally as soft, “yeah, okay.”

Remus’ hand lingered on his cheek for a second before he bent to retrieve the fallen cane and books, which Sirius took from him once he was upright again, tucking them under his arm.

”You don’t have to carry my books for me, Sirius.” 

“I know.” He said, but he made no move to return them. 

Remus rolled his and began to walk off in the direction he had come from before Sirius had ran into him. 

This felt so familiar. This was so familiar. Remus always hated when Sirius insisted on carrying his things for him after the full moon, this Remus was clearly the same. 

This Remus had known him. This Remus must have a Sirius. Was he here too? What would happen when Sirius ran into him? Did they swap places? Was he at Hogwarts? Was he a muggle? 

He supposed this Remus was a muggle. He clearly wasn’t a werewolf and he didn’t seem to know what Sirius’ robes were.

And if this Remus wasn’t a wizard, then it stood to reason Sirius wasn’t either. They attended a muggle school after all, that’s what this was, it must be, but what were those little boxes all the students seemed to hold?

Before Sirius even realised they were stepping out into the fresh air outside, out into the hussle and bussle of a city street that seemed familiar yet so different. 

London. Sirius wasn’t sure how he knew, the air felt different, he didn’t think he’d ever even been in this area before. But living here all this life, Sirius could recognise London in any scenario.

”What do you want to do?” Remus asked, his voice as soft as it had been inside. “Do you want to go home?”

Home. London. Grimmauld Place.

Did Sirius still live there in this reality? Were Sirius’ parents nicer if he was a muggle, if they were muggles? Sirius didn’t want to find out. 

“No.” 

“Okay,” Remus let out a breath, “we can go to mine then, but we’re taking the bus, I’m not getting on that bike again.” 

And with that Remus turned away, heading in the direction of where Sirius assumed a bus stop would be. 

Sirius scampered after him, clamoring onto the bus that appeared just as he arrived. He stood in the isle beside Remus, struggling to shift the books he was carrying into one arm so he could use his other hand to hold on.

His thoughts were flying around in circles. Sirius had only ever used a muggle bus once, when Remus had come to visit the Potters over the summer and they had caught one to the next town over to watch some amateur band play in a grimy pub. But even with his limited experience, Sirius knew for a fact that this bus couldn’t take them all the way to Wales, at least, not in a timely manner like the night bus could, and this bus was not moving fast. 

“Are we riding the bus all the way to Wales?” He asked before realising that maybe he should have stayed silent, because Remus was looking at him with confusion set in his brow again, and maybe he might clock on that Sirius was not his Sirius.

”Why would we be going to Wales?” 

“Uhhh,” Sirius stammered out, “I don’t know. Why would we?” 

“Okay.” Remus said, a frown set into his mouth, but he didn’t say anything else which Sirius was eternally grateful for.

Chapter Text

It look almost 30 minutes but finally Remus signaled the bus to stop and Sirius followed him off. 

They arrived at a quaint red bricked apartment in one of the outer suburbs of London, a place so muggle his parents would never set foot in it. Sirius loved it immediately.

Remus ushered him inside and Sirius was hit immediately with the feeling of being in the Lupin’s cottage in Wales. The walls in the front entry way were lined with pictures of Remus, young Remus and current Remus, Remus with his mother, Remus with his grandparents, Remus with Sirius and James and Peter. The flat even smelt like the Lupin cottage, as if Hope still burnt the same scented candle or baked the same chocolate muffin recipe. 

Remus kicked off his shoes and tugged on Sirius’ arm, leading him through the kitchen and into a narrow hallway, breaking him out of the trance-like state he seemed to have fallen into. “Mam’s not home ‘till five.”

Sirius could do nothing but nod dumbly as he followed Remus into what must be his room. 

And Remus’ room it was, he had navy sheets on his bed, a small bookshelf lined with books, and a little desk and tallboy stacked with even more. There were papers strung across the desk and a calendar pinned to the wall. And there were photos, Sirius couldn’t quite make them out from where he stood in the doorway but he knew who they were of, James and Peter and Marlene and Lily and Dorcas and Mary. And himself, there were so many that were of himself. 

As he walked further into the room, his eyes caught sight of the picture frame on the bedside table which caused him to double take. It was taken close up, his face tipped back in the beginnings of a laugh, eyes squinted shut. Remus’ hand was around his jaw, his face pressed to Sirius’ cheek in what could have been a kiss if Remus wasn’t laughing too. 

It felt so intimate. So unlike him and the Remus he knew. He felt like he could stare at it for hours, analyse every detail, as if it alone would help him pick apart the intricacies of this Remus’ relationship with himself. Were they…? No he couldn’t even think it into words. 

“So,” Remus started, breaking his train of thought right before he began to spiral, “mind telling me what this get up is for?”

Remus waved a hand in gesture to Sirius’ robes. 

Right. Muggle. Sirius had almost forgot about that part, almost. 

Sirius watched as Remus moved around him to sit on the end of the bed, propping his cane against the foot of it. Sirius still had Remus’ school books tucked under his arm. He deposited them on the desk before beginning to pace the room. 

How would he explain it to Remus? He would think him crazy surely, and if Remus thought he was crazy he wouldn’t help him, and if Remus doesn’t help him how will he ever figure out how to get home, it’s not like he can just apparate across alternate dimensions, and Sirius had barely gotten his apparition license as it was. He had to tell him though, he had to explain it somehow or he’d never get home. 

Sirius took a deep breath, stopping a few paces from where Remus sat. Here goes nothing. “I’m a wizard.” 

“Yes,” Remus deadpanned, voice dripping with sarcasm, “I can see that.” 

“No, Remus,” Sirius prayed that his tone would convey the fact that he was, well, serious, “I am actually a wizard! I was brewing this potion, and you told me not to, but I did it wrong and now I’m here and I think this is like an alternate universe or something, because you know me but you’re a muggle. Which means… merlin I don’t even know what that means.” 

Sirius let out a breath, staring at Remus who looked back at him with a blank face. 

“You’re a wizard?” He asked.

”Yes.” 

“From an alternate universe?” 

“Yes.”

”And you expect me to believe that?” 

“Yes!” Sirius ran his hands through his hair and tugged. Merlin this was pointless, what was the point of having Remus there to help him if he wasn’t even Remus? 

Sirius heard Remus sigh from his position on the bed, “Can you, I’m not saying I believe you,” he interjected with a pointed finger, “but can you prove it?” 

Prove that he was a wizard? He was wearing robes, he had a wand, what more could… He had a wand! 

“Yes!” He said, pulling his wand from out of his pocket, he saw Remus watching him with an amused face. “I can prove it, watch this.” 

Sirius walked over to the desk, pointing his wand at one Remus’ books that sat atop a stack. “Wingardium leviousa.”

Nothing happened. 

The book didn’t float. It didn’t even move. 

“Wingardium leviousa.”

Nothing.

”Wingardium leviousa.”

Still nothing. 

Sirius felt panic building up in his chest, even first years could manage that spell but he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t feel any magic. Remus was on him in an instant, pushing him down to sit on the bed. 

“Breathe Sirius, breathe.” 

Sirius took in a deep breath, registering Remus kneeling below him on the shaky exhale.

“Remus, please you have to believe me.” 

There must have been something truly desperate in his voice, because Remus just nodded, lifting himself up to sit beside Sirius.

When he finally spoke again his voice was gentle, “Why don’t you just tell me about it instead.”

Tell Remus about the wizarding world? Sure he could do that. He vaguely wondered in the back of his mind if this was breaking some kind of ‘statue of secrecy’, rule, but surely that didn’t extend to this kind of circumstance. 

“I’m a wizard, and you and I, and James and Peter, we go to this school, and the girls they go there too. It’s for wizards and witches to learn… well, magic really. It’s exam season right now, and we’re really close to graduating, and you’re obviously stressed because you don’t think anyone will hire you, which is ridiculous, and I’m just looking for excuses to get out of work, because I don’t want to apply myself, and, well.” He drew in a deep breath, “Basically I found a potion that would let you see the future you want, or something similar to that, but I fucked it up, and instead of seeing my exam answers I ended up here, and I can’t sense any magic. I, I think I’m stuck here Moony.” 

Sirius looked up from where he’d been looking at the floor to see Remus’ eyes on him. 

“Okay,” his voice was gentle but Sirius could tell that he still didn’t believe him, “can you break it down for me.”

”Sure.” Sirius nodded.

”You’re a wizard?” Remus’ voice lacked the sarcasm it had before.  

“Yes.”

”And me, James and Pete, we’re wizards too?” 

“Yes.” Sirius nodded, “Well, you’re also a werewolf.” 

“I’m a werewolf?” Remus repeated. Sirius could feel the sarcasm beginning to creep back into his voice even as he tried to hide it.

“Yes. You were bit when you were five, and you didn’t think Dumbledore would let you into Hogwarts, but he did. You kept it from us for a really long time because you thought we would hate you, but we didn’t and we never could. And we help you out on full moons now. We became animagi…”

Sirius stood up with a start. “Yes, that’s it.”

”What’s it?” Remus asked, voice laced with concern. 

“I know how I can prove to you that I’m really a wizard! There’s no magic in this world so I can’t call on it to cast spells but Padfoot is a part of me, I can transform into him without magic.” 

“Alright.” Remus said, expression still filled with disbelief, “let’s see it then.” 

Sirius stood directly in front of Remus and closed his eyes. It took a little bit longer than normal, he felt as if he had to search somewhere deep inside of him to find where Padfoot lay dorment, when usually the transformation was almost instantaneous. But he found it. 

When he opened his eyes again his vision had begun to shift. He watched Remus grow bigger as he begun to shrink down and everything around him went to black and white, the scents around him merging together in an overwhelming array. 

When he finally became Padfoot he let out a bark, looking up at Remus who stared down at him in shock. 

He transformed back, feeling the shift come easier this time. He kept looking up at Remus from where he knelt on the floor, the same shocked expression still plastered on his face. “So,” he grinned, “do you believe me now?” 

Remus blinked down at him, scanning his eyes up and down Sirius’ body. It felt strangely reminiscent of the first time Sirius had transformed for his Remus and he felt a pang of pain in his chest at the thought. 

“I- uh-“ Remus swallowed, “yeah, I believe you.” 

Chapter Text

“Sirius!” Remus shouted as he watched the potion explode with a sickening bang, sending his friend flying across the room. 

Sirius’ back hit the stone wall and Remus was on him in a second. He felt cool leather under his hands as he gripped Sirius’ shoulder. Hadn’t Sirius been wearing his robes just a second ago? 

“Sirius, Sirius, wake up!”

Sirius groaned, screwing up his eyes and reaching up to rub his head. 

“Padfoot, are you okay?” 

“Yeah I’m…” Sirius began, trailing off as he blinked open his eyes, which darted across the room before landing on Remus and widening in a way that would be comical if Remus wasn’t very concerned for him. “Remus what happened to your face?”

His face? Did he get some of the potion on it?

But Sirius wasn’t looking at anything spilt on his face, his eyes were trailing along the scar that bisected his face, travelling from his eyebrow, across his nose and stopping on his left cheek. 

“Well, fuck you too, Black.” He said lightheartedly, or at least he tried to, but given the way Sirius flinched away from him it had definitely not come out lighthearted. 

“Come on then,” he said, standing up and holding out his hand to help Sirius up, “how’s your head? Do you need to see Pomfrey?”

”Who?” Sirius asked as Remus pulled him up. 

Shit. It was worse than he thought. 

”Shit.” Remus said, dragging his hand down his face, “shit, shit.”

He couldn’t take Sirius to Pomfrey, as much as she liked the Marauders she would have to report Sirius for cheating, and he could be in serious trouble. It could lead to expulsion, which maybe Sirius didn’t care about, but Remus certainly did.

”You don’t look physically injured,” Remus said, surveying the back of Sirius’ head where he had hit the wall. “We’ll head back to the dorms, and you can have a lie down and then you’ll be right as rain.” 

Remus nodded to himself, ignoring the pieces of exploded potion littering the classroom as he walked out the door. He watched as Sirius followed him with a dazed expression. He seemed confused, as if everything Remus said was spoken in a foreign language, but he followed, stepping out into the hallway. 

His eyes widened, looking around at the stone walls and floors, the vast, open windows and painted portraits that lined the hallway as if he’d never seen them before. 

“Remus, where the fuck are we?” 

Remus blinked at him, shit this was bad.

“The fifth floor corridor,” he responded, although he knew that wasn’t what Sirius meant, “the common room is just upstairs to the left, come on.”

He began to walk, feeling Sirius fall into step beside him, slipping his hand into Remus’. 

Sirius was holding his hand. Why on earth was Sirius Black holding his hand?

Remus lead the way to the Gryffindor common room, fighting against the urge to mention the handholding lest Sirius untwine their fingers. 

Remus uttered the password for the common room, turning to Sirius to let him go ahead. But Sirius had stopped moving, he was staring back at Remus as if he had suddenly grown two heads. 

“Come on.” He said, ushering Sirius through the portrait hole. He needed to find James, James would know what to do. 

As they stepped through the common room threshold Sirius stopped again, watching a book fly across the room, summoned by a third year studying in an armchair. 

Remus followed his line of sight, seeing James sitting beside Lily and Marlene on the sofa.

“Oi, Prongs!” He shouted, nodding his head towards the staircase as he ushered a frozen Sirius towards the dorms. 

James got up instantly, following them up the stairs as if he could sense something was wrong. 

“What’s up with Padfoot?” James asked as soon as the door to the 7th year boys dormitory had closed behind them. Peter was already in the room, looking up at them from his chess book as they entered.

“What the hell is a Padfoot?” 

”That.” Remus said.

“I just saw a flying book.” Sirius said with comically wide eyes, “why are you all acting like this is normal?”

“What did you do?” James asked, turning from Sirius to Remus: “what did he do?” 

“He brewed the potion, it exploded.”

”You told him not to brew the potion.”

”Like Sirius ever listens to me.” 

“Moony, Sirius only listens to you.” James said, crossing his arms over his chest. “So what is wrong with him?” 

“I don’t know,” Remus shrugged, “I think he’s given himself amnesia.”

”But he remembers us,” James said, “you remember me right Sirius?” 

“You’re my brother of course I remember you, James.” Sirius sat down on the nearest bed, which was Remus’, but he tried to ignore that fact. “What the fuck is going on? Where are we? Am I dreaming? I’m dreaming right?” 

“What else has he forgotten?” James asked. 

“He made a strange comment about my scars.” 

“Has he done anything else weird?”

”I don’t know,” Remus looked over at Sirius sitting on his bed, “he freaked out when we went through the portrait hole, and I, I could have sworn he was wearing his robes when the potion exploded.” 

“Maybe he doesn’t have amnesia, but he’s forgotten magic?” James suggested. “Think about it, the book? Magic. The portrait hole? Magic. Your scars? Magic. Our nicknames? Magic.” 

“James, there’s no such thing as magic.” Sirius interjected. 

“See!” James said, pointing a finger at Sirius. 

“I don’t know,” Remus said, “I think it’s something else,” he shrugged, “he just seems… off.”

”Oh for merlin’s sake just ask him!” Peter piped up from across the room. 

“Right,” said James, “Sirius what happened?” 

The room fell silent as Sirius looked between the three Marauders. 

“I’m not entirely sure.” He began, “I was in the English classroom, waiting for McGonagall, when all of a sudden I felt like I was falling, fainting maybe, and then I woke up and Remus was there but we weren’t in the English classroom, we were, wherever the hell here is, and everything is weird and everyone is acting weird and I’m kinda freaking out a little.” 

Sirius seemed to spit out his entire explanation as if it was one long sentence, not stopping for breath until he was finished. 

The other Marauders blinked at him in confusion. 

“What’s an English classroom?” asked Peter, who had moved to stand beside James and Remus during Sirius’ speech.

”A class to learn English? You already speak English, Pads.” James contributed. 

Remus continued staring at the other boy, a realisation dawning on him. Sirius had definitely been wearing his robes when the potion had exploded. Whoever was sitting on his bed wasn’t Sirius Black. 

“It’s a muggle class.” Remus finally spoke, “he’s a muggle.” 

It was James’ and Peter’s turn to look a Remus in utter shock. 

“Sirius isn’t a muggle.” James protested. 

“No, but this Sirius is.” 

“What do you mean this Sirius?” Peter asked.

“I don’t know how to explain it, I don’t even know how to prove it, there’s just something wrong about him… the way he smells is-“

”The way he smells?” James interrupted. 

“Yes! I don’t know it just feels wrong,” Remus continued, “he smells like Sirius but not our Sirius.” 

“Could be polyjuice potion?” Peter suggested. 

“No, I don’t think it is, this Sirius knows us, but he doesn’t know magic, he still feels like Sirius, not an imposter, he’s just,” Remus shrugged again, “off.” 

“So what do you think happened?” James asked. 

They all turned to look at Sirius who had remained silent during their conversation. “I know it sounds crazy,” Remus said, “but I think this Sirius and our Sirius swapped places. I think he’s from another universe, where magic doesn’t exist.” 

“Another universe?” Peter asked, “how would we even prove that?”

Remus shook his head, he had no idea. It was a wild theory at best. And if it really was true, what hope did they have of getting their Sirius back? 

“The mirror!” James shouted, causing Remus’ head to snap up from where he had been looking at Sirius again. “You said Sirius was wearing his robes right?” 

Remus nodded. 

“He always carries his mirror in his robe pocket. Maybe we can reach him, wherever he is.” 

Remus shrugged as James pulled his half of the two-way mirror from his own pocket “it’s worth a shot.”

”Sirius?” James called into the mirror, “Padfoot? Pads?”

Chapter Text

“Sirius? Padfoot? Pads?” 

“Um” Remus said from where he sat across from Sirius on the bed, “I think your phone is on.” 

“My what?” Sirius asked, reaching into the pocket of his robe when Remus pointed. 

“Padfoot!” James yelled from the mirror. 

“Oh my god, Prongs!” Sirius yelled back as Remus, curly-haired, freckled and scarred, stuck his face into the frame beside James. 

“Where are you?” 

“I’m,” Sirius started, looking at Remus across from him who looked back with a mixture of confusion and amazement. “I’m in Remus’ room.” 

“That’s not my room.” Remus from the mirror replied. 

“No,” Sirius said, looking back at other Remus. Alternate universe Remus? Muggle Remus? Merlin this was confusing. “I think I’ve traveled to an alternate universe.” 

“Yeah, we know.” Replied James. 

“What do you mean you know?” 

“Well there’s a Sirius here and he’s not you.” He explained. 

“Sirius is there?” The Remus in the room finally spoke up, his eyes wide with shock and concern, “is he okay?” 

“He’s fine!” James called through the mirror. 

The potion really had made him swap places with the Sirius from this universe and now he was possibly breaking a million statutory of secrets laws, not to mention the fact the task of getting himself home in one piece had now doubled in difficulty. 

Despite sensing the answer before he spoke Sirius asked the first thing that came to mind when he discovered his doppelgänger. “Can I see him?” 

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Remus in the mirror replied. 

“Why not, Remus?” He asked. 

Both Remuses replied at once. 

“Well you could…”

“The potion clearly…”

”Sorry,” said the Remus in the room, “you were asking the other Remus, wizard Remus.” 

“Yes, um,” Remus in the mirror blinked, “the potion didn’t just take you to another universe it brought its Sirius here. I have a feeling you’re unable to exist in the same place at the same time. Talking or seeing each other through the mirror might not do anything, but I don’t think that’s a risk we should take, same with me and the Remus you’re with.” 

“Hey, if you’re with another Remus,” interjected James, “then is there another me?” 

“Yes,” Sirius replied, “he’s not here but there is another James, and Peter too, and everyone actually.”

“That’s so cool. I wonder what muggle me is like.”

”We need to figure out how to reverse the potion.” Remus, ever the voice of reason, interrupted. “What exactly did you do to make it send you across universes rather than show you those test answers?”

”I used doxy wings instead of pixie, but other than that, nothing different.” 

“There must have been something.” Remus said. 

“Well, I got a little distracted with the whole intention thing when you showed up.”

”So this is my fault?” 

Sirius shrugged, “A little bit!”

He glanced up at the Remus across the room who was looking at him with furrowed brows before his face seemed to morph into one of realisation. Sirius made a mental note to ask him about it later. 

“Okay guys,” James piped up, “This isn’t helping us. We need to figure out how Sirius got there and why Sirius was transported to that specific universe.” 

Sirius looked at the photograph on the nightstand. If his theory was correct, he had a pretty good idea why the potion had transported him to this universe. 

“I can work out the why,” he offered, “if you can come up with the how?” 

“Can do.” James replied. 

“Call back if you find anything?” 

James nodded, “Good luck.”

Sirius was about to put the mirror away when muggle Remus spoke up, “wait sorry, would I be able to speak to Sirius? My Sirius that is.”

”Yeah of course,” Sirius replied, “Remus make sure you’re not in view of the mirror.” 

“Why can’t I be in the mirror?” The Remus next to him asked. 

“No sorry, not you, the other Remus. Merlin this is confusing.” Sirius shook his head. “Okay, from now on you’re Remus,” he pointed to the Remus in the room with him, “he’s Moony,” he pointed at the mirror, “other Sirius is Sirius, and I’m Padfoot.” 

Once he’d received confirmation from Remus and the Marauders he passed the mirror across the bed. 

“Hey,” Remus said softly, eyes laced with concern, “are you okay?” 

“Yeah,” Sirius heard himself reply, in a voice softer than his had ever been, “yeah, I’m okay. It’s absolutely crazy here Rem, but I’m okay.” 

Remus chuckled softly, a smile on his face, “okay.” 

“I saw someone make a book fly! Flying books Remus!” The Sirius in the mirror sounded excited. 

“You can turn into a dog.” Remus said, eyes lighting up with that familiar Moony spark. 

“Oh my god, that is so cool.”

”Yeah.” 

Faintly he heard Sirius asking the marauders if they could all turn into animals, promoting them to promise a demonstration when he hung up the mirror.

”We’re going to figure this out, alright?” Remus promised.

“Don’t figure it out too fast, this place is really cool.”

Remus rolled his eyes, “I miss you, too.”

“I miss you Rem, I’ll see you soon.”

“See you.”

Sirius watched the interaction, watched the soft look on Remus’ face, the tender smile and felt a twisting feeling in his stomach he couldn’t quite identify. The picture on the nightstand, the way they spoke to each other, it felt like they were but, but they couldn’t be surely? But if they weren’t, why else had the potion brought him here. 

There was something in this universe that Sirius desired, a potential future that he wanted to have, whether consciously or not. As much as he would like not to, he knew he’d have to figure it out, to speak to Remus about it if he ever had a chance of getting back home and bringing this Remus back his Sirius. 

Chapter Text

They sat in silence. Thoughts echoing around Sirius’ skull as he processed the conversation. He looked up at Remus who had moved to sit against the bedhead, long limbs stretched out in front of him, legs crossed at the ankle. He caught sight of the photo frame beside him, taunting him. Maybe he could discuss it with this Remus, if they were together here maybe it wouldn’t be so weird. But how was he supposed to tell the Marauders about this? How was he supposed to look Moony in the eye and tell him the reason he was stuck in an alternate universe with a muggle Sirius trapped in Hogwarts was because he was in love with him? He couldn’t. 

Before he could work up the courage to ask about their relationship, Remus broke the silence. “So what exactly was this potion supposed to do?”

Sirius sighed, “it shows you the future that you desire, it was supposed to show me the answers to the ancient runes test but-“ he allowed himself to trail off, gesturing around the room.

“All this happened because you wanted to cheat on a test?” Remus raised an eyebrow. 

It really shouldn’t have taken Sirius aback at how Moony-like the disappointed look Remus gave him was. 

“Yes. I- don’t give me that I’ve already heard it all from Moony.”

“You found a potion that lets you see the future and you use it to cheat on a test?”

”Yeah?” Sirius shrugged. What else was Sirius going to use it for. It’s not like divination was an exact science, he couldn’t use it to find out anything significant about his future. Although the supposed Remus wouldn’t know that, being a muggle. 

“You- I- okay,” Remus stumbled. “But how did it send you here? Why did it send you here? There must be something here you want but don’t have in your universe.”

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. 

“There’s nothing I want,” Sirius said, the statement coming out far more defensively than he intended. “My life is great.”

”Mmhmm” Remus nodded, looking sceptical. 

”It is!”

Remus hummed in response, raising his eyebrow minutely. There was a faint look of mischief in his eyes. So Moony-like. 

“You’ve already figured it out haven’t you?”

He shrugged, the ghost of a smile tugging at his mouth. So so so Moony-like. 

Dread filled Sirius as he looked at him. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

”Mhmm” Remus hummed with a nod.

Sirius sucked in a breath, “Are you, are we, are we a thing?” Sirius asked. "You know, like together?”

Remus’ brow rose higher into his hairline, his lopsided smile growing wider as he watched Sirius, propping his head against this fist.

“Are we dating?” Sirius breathed out. 

Remus’ smile widened even further, a look of pure joy crossing his features. “Yeah, yeah we’re dating.”

”Publicly?” Sirius blurted out before he could stop himself.

Remus laughed softly at that, before he allowed his expression to sober, taking on a serious note that reminded Sirius of Moony when discussions of werewolves or the full moon arose. 

“Yeah, yeah. Gay marriage has been legal in the UK since like twenty-thirteen, I mean sure,” He paused for a second, taking in a slow breath, “some people suck, but not the people that count, our families, friends, they all love us and accept us and it only made the friend group awkward for like a week or two once we told everyone.” He finished with a laugh, something that would have seemed natural and unforced to anyone who didn’t know his mannerisms as well as Sirius did, even in a different universe. 

It took him a second, he was too busy watching Remus’ body language, searching for similarities, that he didn’t fully process what Remus had said. 

“Wait.” He said, “I’m sorry. Did you just say twenty-thirteen? Twenty-thirteen? As in two thousand and thirteen, the year?”

Confusion furrowed deep in Remus’ brow, “Yeah?”

“But it’s- that’s- what year is it now?”

”Twenty-twenty-three.” Remus said slowly, as Sirius watched the realisation dawn on him. “What year do you think it is?”

”Nineteen-seventy-seven.”

”Nineteen-seventy-seven?!” Remus repeated, “Shit that, that complicates things.”

”Yeah.” Sirius said, fiddling with the sleeve of his robes.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Sirius’ eyes darting between the room and Remus and his own lap. What was he going to do? He’d trapped himself here in an alternate universe that somehow existed in the future. And worse still he’d manage to trap another version of himself in his world. His world where he had magic but none of his friends knew he liked boys. Where he was head-over-heels in love with Remus but he didn’t have him. Where he was stupid and selfish and did stupid, selfish, messed up things. 

Remus broke the silence again, as if sensing Sirius’ train of thought, “Are you out?” he asked, bringing the conversation back to something Sirius still wasn’t sure he wanted to discuss. “Do people know you’re gay?”

Sirius shook his head, staring down at his hands again, “I’ve never told anyone, not even James.”

“But you know you’re in love with me, with Moony, right?” Remus asked, causing Sirius’ head to whip up, but the shit eating grin from earlier that he had expected to see wasn’t there. Instead Remus just looked soft, patient. 

“In- in love?” Sirius felt himself stutter before taking a grounding breath, closing and opening his eyes slowly as he did so. “I- yeah, I’ve been in love with Moony for years.”

“Okay good," Remus said with a gentle smile, “that’s good, I was worried you might not have got there yet. Am I- do you know if I, Moony, feels the same?”

”I- no, I don’t know.” Sirius said with a small shake of his head.

“But you know I’m queer, right?” Remus asked, eyes widening at the blank look Sirius gave him. “God, I’m not straight in your universe? Am I?”

Sirius shrugged, giving Remus another shake of his head.

Remus nodded, eyebrows furrowing as he stared down at his knee, supposedly deep in thought.

There was another bout of silence before Remus spoke again. “I think you should tell him.”

“You do?” Sirius asked, understanding immediately what Remus was talking about as a feeling of dread pooled in his stomach. 

“Yeah, I do.”

“Is that how it happened for you?” He asked, curious to find out more about Remus’ life with the other Sirius.

He didn’t think he could ever do that, tell Remus how he really felt. Risk their friendship, risk the marauders, risk running through the forest under the full moon, risk curling up in Remus’ bed when memories from home would haunt his dreams, risk annoying Remus in the library while he studied, risk planning pranks and hiding in closets to avoid detention. Risk everything, all over a massive ‘what if’.

“No,” Remus said with that same fond smile, “I confessed to you actually.”

Sirius felt his eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise, “Really?” 

“Yeah,” Remus laughed softly, “it was nearly a year ago now, we were, it’s cliché, but we were at a party, your house, we were celebrating the name change and I was a little drunk.” He smiled that secret, genuine, Moony smile, “we were in the bathroom, I don’t even remember why we were there, just sitting in the bathtub. I wanted to kiss you so bad, so I did and I was shitting myself I thought I’d fucked it all up but you kissed me back. I’ve never been the confident one, but the way you were looking at me I felt like I could do anything, so I asked you to be my boyfriend and we’ve been together since.”

Remus smiled at him wistfully and Sirius couldn’t help but grin back. 

“But you think I should tell Moony?” He asked. 

“Yeah”

“You don’t think he’ll do the same as you?” Sirius tried to bite back the hope climbing up his chest. If Remus could confess to his Sirius maybe Moony would confess to him. Then he wouldn’t have to risk losing him. Not again. 

“I mean he might,” Remus shrugged, “but I knew you were gay, and I had James yapping in my ear about how you felt about me, it was a lot easier than I think it might be for Moony.” He smiled at him, but his grin didn’t quite reach his eyes, the look on his face almost sympathetic. “He’d do it, I think, but it might take him a while.”

Sirius shook his head softly, “why do you care, if me and Moony get together?”

The soft smile remained on Remus’ face as he shrugged, “I’m sympathetic to your cause, you’re the extension of the love of my life, I want you to be happy.” Sirius watched Remus swallow thickly, the smile dropping from his face completely, “and my boyfriend, the love of my life, is currently stuck in an alternate dimension where magic is real and it’s somehow still the seventies, and there’s nothing I can do to bring him back besides sitting and waiting.” He shrugged, trying and failing to pull off nonchalant, “so meddling with your love life is the perfect distraction.”

“Okay.” Sirius smiled, giving Remus a look he hoped was reassuring. “ What would I say to him?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged again, “just tell him how you feel.”

“What if it’s not the same as you and Sirius? What if he doesn’t like me back?”

Remus sighed, giving him a fond look as he ensured Sirius was looking him in the eye, “ I don’t think there’s a universe where I’m not in love with you, Sirius Potter.”

“What?” Sirius blinked. 

“I said there’s not a universe where I’m-“

“No, I got that part, I mean I’m processing it, it’s a lot to take in. I meant the part when you called me Sirius Potter.”

“Oh.” Remus said, mouth falling open, “right, I guess that makes sense. You never changed your name. You still live with James though right?” His eyes widened in concern, “please tell me you live with James.”

“Yeah, I live with James.” Sirius reassured him.

That answered one of the questions that had been swirling in his mind. His parents clearly weren’t any better being muggles. He wondered what they had kicked him out for in this universe. Obviously he wasn’t a blood traitor, things like that didn’t exist in the muggle world. He guessed it didn’t really matter, no matter the universe he was never going to be a good enough son for them.

“And Regulus?” Remus asked.

“What about Regulus?”

Sirius watched as Remus’ eyes widened, “Oh.”

Chapter Text

It took Sirius five minutes to pick his jaw up off the floor as James and Peter returned to their human forms. "I- that's- I-"

"I know." Remus said, smiling down at him where he still sat on his bed. "I didn't know what to say when they did it in front of me the first time either." 

"So you can't..." Sirius trailed off, asking a question with the dog-like tilt to his head Remus thought he had developed from Padfoot. Seeing it on this Sirius felt odd, out of place, but somehow just right. A Sirius mannerism in every universe.  

Remus felt dread seep into his stomach as he registered the question. This Sirius didn't know about him, didn't know about magic or werewolves or transformations. What if he reacted badly? Muggles didn't believe in werewolves, they didn't have the same prejudices as people in the wizarding world, but what would they really do if they discovered the truth? Remus wasn't sure he could handle Sirius discovering he was a dark creature all over again, couldn't handle the rejection. Even if this Sirius would be leaving soon. 

He took a deep breath, looking down at his foot as he scuffed his shoe against the floor. He settled on a response: "No. Not exactly." 

"Not exactly?" Sirius asked. 

Remus lifted his head up to met his eyes. Sirius, sitting on his bed in a leather jacket with rumpled hair, looking so much like his Sirius but so so different. The first person that made him feel okay about his condition, the first person that didn't treat him as different or lesser or broken, just sitting there, not knowing anything about it at all. It felt wrong. 

"I- I'm-" 

God why was this so hard? He realised that he'd never actually had to tell anyone that he was a werewolf before. His parents knew, they had been there when it happened. The Marauders knew, they had figured it out, had ambushed him in the dorm at the end of first year and demanded to know every detail. Lily knew, she figured it out too, in fourth year when she approached him much more delicately than the Marauders had. Snape knew, he- well he doesn't really matter now. 

Remus swallowed, Sirius' eyes not leaving him the entire time. "I'm a werewolf." 

Remus watched Sirius' eyes light up, "that's so cool! Can you turn into a wolf at will like those werewolves from Twilight? Or is it more of a only on a full-moon type situation?" He asked, gesturing with his hands excitedly as he spoke. 

Remus shook his head, feeling a smile creep up his face. This was Sirius, of course he wouldn't care, even if this version of him didn't really understand the dangers of lycanthropy, his only base of reference for it coming from muggle fiction. Part of Remus was curious to know how those myths had occurred in a universe without magic.

"What's Twilight?" Peter asked.

Sirius gasped. "You guys don't have Twilight?"

James, Peter and Remus all shook their heads simultaneously. 

"Wait," Sirius asked, "do vampires exist here?"

"Yeah." Remus replied, "but not like Dracula vampires, they're more like a subspecies, pretty rare, like Veela."

"You have Dracula but not Twilight?" Sirius asked looking affronted, Remus shrugged in response. "And what the hell are Veela?" 

"They're nymphs, really pretty." James said as way of explanation. He sat down on the bed closest to Sirius, which happened to be Sirius' own. "It's not important. What is important is figuring out this potion." 

Remus blinked, it was rare watching James be the voice of reason, switching to the 'headboy mode' (as Sirius had dubbed it) which he only used around the first years. Remus could tell he was concerned for Sirius, this one and theirs. 

Remus followed his lead, sitting down on the bed next to Sirius as Peter took the spot by James. 

"What do we know about the potion?" James asked. 

"Well it was supposed to show Padfoot his future test answers." Said Peter. 

"But he used doxy wings instead of pixie." Added Remus. 

"And you distracted him." Peter pointed out.

"I did not!"

"He said you did."

"I didn't!" Protested Remus, "how could I have distracted him, I was literally just standing there!"

Peter shrugged, giving Remus a look as if he knew exactly how Remus could be a distraction but didn't want to say anything. 

"Okay." James said, subdued, still using his headboy voice. "Let's start with the doxy wings. Peter and I will go check out the remnants of the potion, see if there's anything in the reaction that can help us reverse it. 

"Why you and Peter?" Asked Remus. 

"Well, Sirius really shouldn't be wandering about the castle and someone needs to stay here with him. And no offense Moony, but you're absolutely pants at potions." 

Remus shrugged, watching James and Peter leave and feeling a sense of dread wash over him at the prospect of being left alone with Sirius. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about Sirius, about the way he looked at him. Something about the way Sirius had spoken so softly to the other Remus through the mirror. Something so kind and intimate and exactly like what he wanted that scared him. 

He swallowed, looking at Sirius across the bed from him as the door closed softly behind James and Peter. Sirius looked back at him, soft confident smile so different from the confusion and fear that had overwhelmed his features when Remus had first saw him in the abandoned classroom. 

"So, Moony, because you're a werewolf?" he asked, making Remus blink in confusion, he hadn't expected the abrupt change in conversation. 

"Yeah." Remus nodded. 

Sirius laughed softly, it was the same laugh, not quite the barking laugh that echoed through the common room when he wanted attention, it was the same soft laugh Sirius reserved for his friends, for Remus. "That's a terrible nickname!"

"You came up with it!" Remus retorted, indignant. 

Sirius laughed again, deeper this time. "No, it's cute." Sirius' face sobered, still smiling at him, "you're cute. Different, in this universe, but still the same."

Remus felt his face heat up violently. He hoped Sirius wouldn't notice. "Cute?"

"Yes. Cute. Handsome. Hot. What is a man not allowed to compliment his boyfriend in an alternate universe these days?"

"His boy- what?" Remus spluttered. 

He watched Sirius' face fall. "Oh." He said in realisation. "You're not- oh." 

"You- We're-"

Boyfriends? Boyfriends. 

"Yeah." Sirius nodded, a soft smile on his face, sympathetic. 

Boyfriends, boyfriends, boyfriends, boyfriends, boy- 

"Are you freaking out? You look like you're freaking out a little."

"I'm not freaking out." Remus said. 

He was definitely freaking out. Sirius Black was his boyfriend, Sirius Black was his- 

Remus tried to compose himself, tired to come up with something, anything to prove how much he was not freaking out about this situation. "Boyfriend?"

"Yes, Remus." This time Sirius' smile was laced with amusement. "God, you're so cute." 

Remus blinked at him. 

"This is a role reversal," Sirius chuckled, "you're usually way more confident than me about this whole relationship thing, I freaked out for days when I found out you liked me." 

Remus blinked at him. 

"Is that because of the whole werewolf thing? You looked scared shitless to tell me. I don't know why, its kind of badass. And the scars are hot. I assume that's what they're from, the scars." 

Remus blinked at him. He nodded.

"I don't know why that would be a barrier, James and Peter clearly don't care and I'm sure other me doesn't.”

Remus blinked at him. How could this Sirius know nothing about him and everything all at once? It was terrifying, having someone as close to a stranger as possible read him so clearly. But Sirius knew him, even if the Remus he knew was different, they were still the same person, different experiences happening to two identical souls.

“It's not like illegal to be gay or something in this wizard world is it?"

Remus blinked. "It's kind of frowned upon everywhere." 

"Jesus, is it like the nineteen-eighties here?"

"Nineteen-seventy-seven." 

"What? That's crazy!" Sirius' eyes widened as Remus frowned. "Wait, is David Bowie still alive? Oh my god were you alive for the release of 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust'?"

Sirius was talking a million miles a minute. Remus couldn't possibly begin to process all of the things that he had told him. Where he was from it wasn't nineteen-seventy-seven or even the eighties and it was perfectly fine to be gay and he was confident when it came to relationships and Sirius and he were dating and- 

"David Bowie is dead?" 

Sirius stopped his rant, looking at Remus in silence. "Oh, shit. Sorry."

Before Remus could figure out what to say, about any of it, the door swung open with a bang, making him jump. 

James rushed in with Peter on his heels, "guys I think I've figured it out!" He declared, holding a slightly damaged potions book in his hand. He looked between the two of them, still sat awkwardly on Remus' bed, "what happened?"

Remus shook his head, clearing his thoughts. They had bigger problems to solve right now, his and alternate Sirius' relationship could wait. "Nothing, Prongs. Tell us what you found."

Chapter Text

"So Regulus and I moved in with the Potter's together?" Sirius asked, watching as Remus' face sunk. 

Sirius could barely look at the pitying smile on Remus' face. "Yeah. Two years ago now." 

He and Regulus had left together, they had both gotten out. Sirius wondered just how different his life would be if Regulus had left with him. He thought about it everyday. It hurt, it hurt like a burning weight on his chest. He hadn't been able to save Regulus. He'd loved him and it hadn't been enough. Why was this universe different? What had he done different? 

Why did this Sirius get everything that he wanted? 

Living with James, no longer having to be a Black, a life with Regulus, dating Remus. He had everything. Everything. How was it fair? None of this was fair. The potion had sent him to a reality where he had everything that he wanted. And he had never realised just how badly he wanted it. 

He cleared his throat, trying to wipe away the jealously he was sure was written plainly across his features. Fancy that, being jealous of yourself. "And we legally changed our names?"

"You did," Remus nodded, "Regulus didn't. Between you and me I think he has a bit of a crush on James." He smiled at him, a teasing smile, and Sirius fancied that this was a conversation he and his Sirius had had before. 

"On James?!" Sirius gasped. "Regulus has barley even spoken to James!" 

"God, our universes are so different." Remus said with a smile and a shake of his head before his expression sobered again, that look of pity returning. Sirius hated it. "What happened for you? You moved in with James?" 

Sirius took in a deep breath. "Yeah, just after fifth year, after I-" He paused.

How could he possibly begin to tell Remus what he had done to him? How he had betrayed him so badly that he thought they would never speak again? He couldn't. Couldn't live through that again. Remus didn't need to know. He hadn't asked about that, he'd asked about- 

He swallowed, images of that night flashing back to him, the second worst night of his life. "My parents tried to get me to join this group of evil wizards they're associated with, I refused and they, well they didn't like it. I had to leave, or they would have, I think they would have killed me if I stayed." He watched a shock flashed across Remus' face before he schooled his features back to something sympathetic. "I tried to get Regulus to come with me, he wouldn't." He sighed, shaking is head, "we haven't spoken since."

Remus looked distraught, reaching out to take Sirius' hand across the bed. "Oh Sirius, I'm so sorry." 

"It's okay. I'm glad he's safe in this universe. He deserves to be happy." Sirius nodded, registering tears welling in his eyes. He cleared his throat, looking down. Plastering a smile on his face he looked back up at Remus and said: "Even if he does have a crush on my brother." 

Remus smiled, soft and gentle, he rubbed his thumb slowly over Sirius' knuckles. It felt electric, Remus' hand in his. Sirius felt jealous of himself all over again. He had this everyday, god did he even know how lucky he was? 

"Do you want to see him?" Remus asked. 

"What?"

Remus pulled one of those rectangular boxes out of his pocket, looking at it before shoving it back in. "It's three o'clock, he'd be home from school by now, and we can't do anything while we wait for the others to come up with a solution." He stood up, walking to the end of the bed to retrieve his cane. 

Sirius thought about it. See Regulus? A Regulus that actually wants to see him. There are very few things in the world he'd like more. But he felt nervous, it felt wrong somehow. He wasn't sure why. But he knew that he would regret it if he said no. 

Sirius drew in a breath. "Yeah, okay."

Remus smiled down at him, reaching out a hand to pull him to standing. "Okay, let's go."

Fifteen minutes later they clambered onto the bus. Sirius was wearing one of Remus' hoodies, it was too big for him in the sleeves, but it smelled like Remus, almost like Moony, but slightly off. His robes had been shoved into a tote bag which he held over his shoulder, in an effort to look inconspicuous.  

“What about you?” 

Remus looked up at him from the seat beside him, the bus wasn’t too crowded and they were able to find seats next to each other. “What about me?” 

“Tell me about your life, I want to find out more about you, all we’ve done is talk about me.”

“There’s really not much to tell.” Sirius gave him a look and Remus shrugged in response. “Really! I don’t know. Spent most of my childhood buried in a book, moved from Wales with mam when I was 14, met you, became slightly less of a nerd. That’s really it.” 

“Just your mum? Lyall’s not in the picture?” He knew Remus and his dad had a rough relationship in his universe, but it seemed like this Remus and his dad didn’t have a relationship at all. He thought back to all of the photos in Remus’ apartment, of his mum and his grandparents. None of them were of Lyall. 

“Nah, divorced before we moved. Couldn’t handle the whole chronic illness thing.” He sighed, tapping his cane against his leg. 

Sirius’ heart sunk, anyone who didn’t know Remus would assume he was nonchalant about the whole situation, but Sirius knew him, knew how he would hide his bitterness behind jokes and disinterest. “Their divorce wasn’t your fault.”

Remus shrugged. “Yeah, you’ve told me that before. I just can’t help thinking they would still be together if it wasn’t for me.” He looked up at Sirius with a sad smile before looking down at his lap, fiddling with the hem of his jumper. “What about, about Moony, what is he like?” 

“A lot like you, obviously. He’s a massive swot, can’t get him away from a book for longer than a few minutes. He’s honestly the smartest person I have ever met, and the kindest, and the bravest. He’s been through so much, but he doesn’t let it make him cruel. A bit of a moody git sometimes, sure.” Remus laughed softly at this, “but he has every right to be, his transformations are horrible, it hurts so much to watch him go through it. But he’s so brave he just does it all like it’s effortless.”

”How did it happen? Is it like in fiction? Was he bit?”

“Yeah. He was five years old, Lyall pissed off the wrong person, this werewolf named Greyback. He went after Moony for revenge.” Sirius smiled sadly, “he’s transformed every month since.”

Remus elbowed him, a sideways smile on his face. “Good to know my father is an arsehole in every universe.” 

Sirius elbowed him back. “You and me both.”

The Potter residence was only a short bus ride from Remus’, and before Sirius knew it they were getting off the bus and walking through the streets of expensive London townhouses. Sirius felt nervous, the idea of seeing Regulus again finally hitting him. Does he tell him? About who he is and where he is from? Or is it better to keep him in the dark, why burden this Regulus with the troubles of his life. 

Sirius had just decided to act like he was this universe’s Sirius when Remus stopped at one of the houses, walking up the steps to knock on the painted black door.

The door opened less than a second later to reveal a flustered looking James Potter. He was almost the exact same, same glasses sitting lopsided on his nose, same untamable hair. 

“And where the hell have you two been?” He asked, crossing his arms in a way that reminded Sirius overwhelmingly of Effie when she was mad. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “did you skip school to fuck?”

”James!” Remus hissed. 

Sirius probably would have freaked out over the implications of James’ statement if he hadn’t spotted Regulus standing behind him. 

He looked so different to the brother Sirius remembered. His hair was a little bit longer, curling around his ears and falling in front of his face in places, neat, but still messier than the perfect sleek backed look their parents had always required. His eyes were brighter too, his cheeks a bit fuller. He looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He looked happy. 

“Reggie.” Sirius said, pushing past James to throw his arms over Regulus’ shoulders. 

He was taller than Sirius. He wanted to cry, last time they had been this close Sirius had been the taller one. 

“Uhhh,” Regulus said, pulling back from Sirius, “are you okay?” 

“Yeah.” Sirius smiled, he felt tears well up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. “I’m okay.” 

He pulled Regulus back in and he went without protest, albeit a little stiff. He could vaguely register James and Remus having a whispered conversation behind them. 

“What happened?” Regulus asked as he pulled away again. But he wasn’t looking at Sirius, he was looking over his shoulder at Remus, waiting for an explanation. 

“It’s a long story.” Remus said. 

They gathered together in the Potter's living room. Sirius looked between his lap and Remus, between Regulus and James and back to Remus, bracing himself to explain the situation all over again. 

Sirius braced himself, taking a deep breath. "I'm a wizard from an alternate universe and I accidently swapped places with the Sirius from this universe and now we're both stuck until James, Peter, and Remus from the alternate universe where I am from work out how to reverse the potion." Sirius spat out in one run-on sentence. 

"What?"

"Huh?"

Regulus and James said at the same time, twin looks of confusion crossing their faces. 

Sirius opened his mouth to repeat himself, to promise he could prove it to his brothers when the sound of James' voice came from his tote bag. 

"Padfoot. Padfoot are you there?"

He fished the mirror out from his bag, coming face to face with the the carbon copy of the man sitting across from him. 

"Prongs!" Sirius greeted him with a smile, "I found other you!"

"What the fuck?" The James on the couch said, as the James in the mirror shouted "Wicked!"

"Oh, um," Sirius paused, "one second." He said, addressing the mirror. "This is a magical mirror that lets you communicate with whoever holds the pair," he held up the mirror, "James in my universe has the other half." 

James blinked at him open-mouthed. "That's me?" He asked, pointing towards the mirror. 

Sirius nodded. 

"Wicked." Said James. 

"So, it's basically a phone." Interrupted Regulus. 

"No," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "It is nothing like a phone. I can see Prongs in the mirror."

"You can do that with a phone too." Regulus argued, crossing his arms to match Sirius. 

Sirius frowned. Moony had shown him a muggle phone when he had visited his house in Wales last summer. It had a cord attached to the wall, and you spoke into it and could hear whoever you wanted to call. It was a cool invention and Sirius remembered being fascinated by it, but it wasn't like his mirror. It wasn't portable and you couldn't see the person you were speaking to in it. Sirius told Regulus as much. 

"Okay," Moony's voice came through the mirror, "that's not really important right now. Prongs thinks he knows how to reverse the potion."

"Hey! That's Remus' voice." Said James, pointing between the mirror and Remus sitting next to Sirius on the couch. 

Sirius heard Moony laugh, muffled from the distance he was away from the mirror but unmistakable, "Hi, James."

"I'm sorry," interjected Regulus with a serious look on his face, "if you're not Sirius, then where the hell is my brother?"

"Hi Reggie!" Called the other Sirius through the mirror, "I'm in a castle. In Scotland. They have magic wands and shit and people can make stuff fly."

Regulus looked almost affronted. Sirius wasn't sure he had ever seen that expression on his face before, something that could almost be labeled as concern. Sirius looked at him for a while, unbale to tear his eyes away from his brother, his brother he never really got to have, not like this. 

He cleared his throat, looking back at the mirror in his lap, "Alright Prongs, what have you got?" 

Chapter Text

James' plan was simple, and seemed to make sense to everyone who wasn't Sirius, who unfortunately, the plan relied on. 

They had gone back and forth across the mirror for almost an hour. Apparently, prophetic potions, like the one wizard Sirius brewed, don't typically have antidotal recipes as they don't tend to produce hazardous side effects. They also don't tend to send the brewer to an alternate universe, but here they were. The lack of an antidote was their biggest problem, but James theorised that an antidotal potion wouldn't work anyway, as they had no means of giving it to Sirius, at least not to the Sirius that brewed the potion, who would have to be the one to take the antidote. 

James had suggested that the other Sirius find the ingredients and brew the potion from where he was, doing everything the exact same to replicate and reverse the potions effects. But that hadn't been possible. Apparently there was no magic in Sirius' world, it didn't matter that the other Sirius was magic, without any magic in the environment to call on casting spells and brewing potions was impossible. They had hit a stumbling block there, unable to see a solution, until Remus, beautiful, brilliant Remus, had suggested that he brew the potion. Sirius had laughed at that, but the others had gone quiet, he looked across the dormitory as each of them genuinely considered it. 

James had gone silent for a minute, thinking it through before looking back into the mirror at the other Sirius. "It could work." He had said. 

And well, it was the only theory they had. So here Sirius sat, in the stone classroom he had woken up in this morning with a bubbling potion beneath him and a man who was his boyfriend but also wasn't sitting across from him.

He had protested that it wouldn't work, that he didn't possess any magical powers, he couldn't recreate the potion. James had nodded at that but ultimately they had decided it wouldn't matter, so long as they could replicate the conditions, there should be enough residue magic from the explosion that morning to return both Sirius' to their rightful places. 

So here he was. Brewing a potion. 

He had told the others in the mirror that he had been meeting with McGonagall that morning and had been standing in the English classroom when he had been sent here. James had instructed the other Sirius to return there. They weren't sure if that was necessary, they hoped that just replicating the potion on this side would be enough to send them home, but they didn't want to take any chances. 

“Put the doxy wings in now.” Remus said. 

“Didn’t James say you were pants at potions?” Sirius teased. 

Remus rolled his eyes. “Trust me Prongs would be a much better help right now, but he said it wasn’t replicating the conditions close enough.” He shrugged, “so you’re stuck with me.”

”Not a bad place to be.” Sirius smiled, watching a deep red blush paint its way across Remus’ face. 

They sat in companionable silence, with Sirius stirring the potion and adding in the ingredients as Remus directed. Before Remus finally broke it with a question, his nerves showcased clearly across his scarred face. “Why do you think Padfoot swapped places with you?” His brow furrowed. “If one alternate universe exists, it makes sense that there’s more, potentially infinite different universes. Why yours? Why you?”

Sirius looked back down at the bubbling potion, he was pretty sure he knew the answer, from what he had seen of the Marauders and their life at Hogwarts it was one of the few major differences in Sirius’ life. He lived with James, he was cool and popular and athletic, adored by his friends, well liked by most teachers as many were clearly willing to turn a blind eye to his mischief. He had magical powers for crying out loud! He had everything Sirius had ever wanted, except for a relationship with the man that made Sirius’ life everything. 

He wasn’t sure how to say it. Remus had freaked out when he discovered they were together in his world, but even though he didn’t say it, Sirius could tell that it was something he wanted. Something that this Remus, in all his fear and bravery, was terrified to pursue. 

Sirius loved Remus. And Remus loved Sirius. They were terrified but they wanted it so so bad. And that was why Padfoot had swapped places with him, not some Sirius who was a world famous rockstar or a politician or a free loving hippie or a Roman soldier. Just a simple, teenage Sirius, who had gone through the beautiful terror of wanting Remus, of loving Remus, and had discovered just how wonderful it was to move past that fear and have Remus be his. 

Maybe Sirius wasn’t just here by chance. Maybe he was designed to be the push they both needed. 

“I think you know, Remus.”

Remus sighed, “no, I don’t.”

”You do.” He insisted, taking a deep breath, here goes nothing, “Padfoot is in love with you Remus.”

Remus scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

He gave him his best pointed look, raising an eyebrow as Remus appeared to grow even pinker than before. 

His eyes grew wider, “You’re serious?”

”Have been since the day I was born.” Sirius joked, “but really, think about it. The potion was meant to make him see the future that he desired, and it sent him to my world, where you’re my boyfriend. What else could that possibly mean.”

”I- You’re- But-“ Remus spluttered, eyes comedically large. “But I would know if Sirius was in love with me.”

Sirius raised is eyebrow further, watching as Remus appeared to spiral internally.

He wanted to help him. Every bone in his body wanted to reach out and take his hand, to reassure him that it was okay. But part of him knew that Remus needed to process this by himself. His Remus was always like that, while he often went to Sirius for comfort he needed time to think, to sit quietly before taking through his decisions. 

So that’s what Sirius let him do, returning to the potion and the silence that had filled the room prior to the conversation, even if the silence was a little more tense than before. 

After a minute he heard Remus draw in a slow breath. “Sirius is in love with me.”

He raised his head to look at him but he didn’t look happy, he looked distraught. 

“Is that such a bad thing?” He asked in a whisper, it seemed wrong to speak louder in the heavy atmosphere that plagued the classroom air. 

“Yes.” Remus breathed out, “I can’t burden him with all this, with me.”

Sirius was about to protest but Remus cut him off, still speaking soft and slow, “you don’t understand. I don’t have a future, Sirius. I’ll probably never be able to find a job after we graduate, I’ll have to live in constant fear of being discovered and forced to register, or worse. It’s not the kind of life Padfoot wants or needs, I won’t force him into it.”

Sirius sighed, watching Remus fiddle with the hem of his jumper, a nervous habit his Remus did too. “But Remus, Moony,” Remus looked up at the use of his nickname and Sirius smiled softly, “he already knows all this, and he loves you anyway. In spite of it. Because of it. You’re not a burden to him just because your life is a little difficult. He knows what he’s getting into and he’s choosing to do it. Because he loves you. Me and my Remus, we’re not always perfect or happy, we have our issues, but we choose to face them together, because we love each other. I have to believe that if Padfoot and I are similar in any way it’s that we would do anything for you Remus, anything.”

Remus let out a wet laugh and Sirius pretended he didn’t see the tears welling in his eyes. 

“But what if you’re wrong?” He asked after a minute, picking at the hem of his jumper again, “what if doesn’t feel the same as you? Maybe that doesn’t carry across universes.”

”Trust me,” Sirius said, reaching over to place a hand on Remus’ knee, “that part I’m sure on.” 

Remus gave him a gentle smile in response and they fell back into a comfortable silence as Sirius mixed in the final ingredients of the potion. 

“That’s it?” He asked, looking over at Remus who consulted the potions book beside him. 

“That’s it.” He nodded, “you just need to stir the potion three times and think of home.” 

Sirius laughed, “like the Wizard of Oz?” 

“Exactly like the Wizard of Oz.”

Sirius picked up the stirring spoon, but was stopped by Remus’ hand on his arm. “Wait, just before you go…” He started. 

“Yeah?” Sirius asked when it became clear Remus wasn’t going to finish his sentence. 

He watched as Remus got up, moving to kneel right in front of Sirius and throw his arms around him in a fierce hug. “Thank you.” He whispered into his shoulder, almost inaudible. 

“Well,” Remus said, clearing his throat as they pulled away, “good luck.” He nodded, “until we meet again.”

Sirius laughed, “no offense Moony, as fun as this has been, I think I’ve had enough inter-dimensional travel to last me a lifetime.”

Remus laughed at that as he moved to stand beside the classroom door. 

Sirius picked up the mixing spoon. 

He stirred once. 

He thought of Remus, a different Remus to the one that stood before him, but so achingly similar, two sides of a coin, two identical lives diverged by circumstance, entwined and separate. Two versions of the same beautifully brilliant boy. 

Remus Lupin. His best friend.

He stirred twice. 

Remus Lupin. His boyfriend.

He stirred the potion a third time. 

Remus Lupin. The love of his life.

He felt himself be pushed back by a strong force as he was thrown across the room. Then he was encased in darkness.

Chapter Text

"Well," Sirius said, tucking the mirror back into his bag, "I guess that's it. James, Regulus, it was lovely to meet you, I-”

Sirius was cut off from his farewell by an armful of James, who tackled him into a bear hug reminiscent of the one he received after every quidditch game.

“I’ll miss you.” He said into Sirius’ shoulder. Sirius watched Regulus roll his eyes behind James’ back, but his smile was fond, it was a truly unnerving look to see on the face of his stone-cold little brother. 

“You met me an hour ago, James.”

”I know,” said James, pulling away from him to grin at him, “but you’re still my brother, so I’m going to miss you. And I’ve never met a wizard before so I’m savouring our time together, even if you can’t cast any spells.”

This time it was Sirius’ turn to roll his eyes. “I can turn into Padfoot if you’d like?”

“Oh my god would you?” Asked James, his eyes lighting up like a kid let loose in Honeydukes. 

Sirius laughed, feeling the shift come quicker to him than the previous time, he watched James’ jaw drop as the world shrunk around him and he felt the familiar comfort of being within Padfoot’s body. He barked, licking James’ outstretched hand before shifting back into his human body. 

“I- wow- that’s-”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen James speechless.” Piped up Regulus from behind him, who looked equally impressed, if Sirius did say so himself. 

“We should go,” said Remus, “if we want to be in the English classroom before Sirius finishes brewing the potion.”

”Yeah, of course, just” Sirius looked at Regulus, standing behind James, the brother he was going back to back home and the brother he had lost. “Can I speak to Reggie first? It’ll just be a minute.”

Remus and James nodded, leaving the room to give the brothers some privacy. 

“I-” Sirius began, looking down at his feet, “I’m sorry I know this is weird, you saw your brother just this morning and this means nothing to you but I just wanted to tell you that I love you, just in case he doesn’t.”

”He does.” Said Regulus his face neutral. 

“Good.”

”All the time,” he added, a smile creeping onto his face, “it’s honestly very annoying.”

Sirius let out a laugh that he desperately hoped didn’t sound as much like a sob to Regulus as it did to himself. 

“We’re not close?” Regulus asked, “in your universe?”

”No.” Sirius shook his head. 

Regulus gave him a sad smile, “he’ll come around.”

“How do you know?” Sirius asked.

”He’s me.” Said Regulus simply, “I may not be a wizard and I might not know all the circumstances that drove us apart, but he’s still me, in some way. Stubborn and desperate to please everyone, even if those people aren’t worth it. But Sirius?”

”Yeah?”

”Don’t give up on him, okay? He’ll come around.”

”Is that why you’re here, living with the Potter’s, because your Sirius didn’t give up?”

“No. Well, a little.” Shrugged Regulus, “I just realised that you needed me and I needed you, more than either of us ever needed them. Your stubbornness did get me to move in with James though, which was not my first choice.”

”That’s not what I heard.” Sirius smiled.

”I have no idea what you’re taking about.” Regulus replied, imitating Sirius’ impression.

Regulus’ expression softened, “just good luck, okay?” He reached out to pat Sirius’ shoulder, but he didn’t pull away when Sirius turned the gesture into a hug. 

“Okay.”

“Padfoot, we’ve really got to go.” Remus called from the doorway. 

“Alright, okay, I’m coming.” Sirius gave one final nod to Regulus before following Remus out the door and into the crisp London afternoon. 

After a bus ride that felt both far too long and far too short at the same time, Sirius and Remus found themselves standing outside the empty school building, where all of this drama had started this morning. It had only been a few hours since Sirius had been away from Hogwarts, but it felt simultaneously like years and no time at all. 

“Well, this is it.” Remus said, directing Sirius around the side of the building to a door he knew would be unlocked.

Sirius was too distracted to ask him about it, or make a quip about Remus being such a swot he needed to break into the school after-hours. In a few minutes he would be standing in front of Remus, his Remus, and he had a decision to make. Follow Remus’ advice and confess his feelings, at the risk of potentially losing Moony all over again, or play dumb, act as if he didn’t know why the potion had sent him there. He could say it was Regulus, them living together, them escaping together, that could certainly be a plausible explanation.

But maybe Remus was right, and Moony did like him back, maybe this was his chance, the push he needed. 

Maybe Remus already knew, he had no idea what the other Sirius had told him. Was he disgusted when he found out? Happy? Did he not care at all?

All the questions and thoughts about what he should do next had sent Sirius’ mind into a spin and before he even knew it they were standing outside the classroom door he had walked out of that morning.

”Here we are,” said Remus, “the English classroom.” 

Sirius stepped inside after him, eyeing the posters on the wall and the big desk at the front of the room with the gold plaque that read ‘McGonagall’. 

He wanted to ask Remus what he should do, what he should say when he saw Moony again. Instead he said: “why do you have an English classroom? What’s the point of a class for a language you already speak?”

“It’s not, that’s not what it’s for.” Remus said with a shake of his head, “you know what never mind, that’s not important.” He paused, worry clear on his features, “are you sure it will work?” 

“As sure as I can be,” Sirius reassured him, “Prongs is one of the best potion brewers I know, if he thinks it will work, then I know it will. Your handsome, but not quite as handsome as me, boyfriend will be back before you know it.”

”You’re identical.” Remus said, screwing up his nose.

”Hmmm, no.” Sirius shook his head, “I think you’ll find I’m definitely the better looking Sirius.” 

Remus rolled his eyes, but Sirius could tell that some of the tension had left his shoulders, so he considered it a win. 

“Have you decided what you’re going to say to Moony?”

”Yeah,” Sirius swallowed, “I think I’m going to tell him the truth. I’m terrified, but he’s my best friend and even if he doesn’t feel the same way, he should hear how I feel. I think, I think he would like to hear it, and I need to say it, if there’s even a tiny chance that we could have what you two have.” 

“That’s good, Padfoot,” Remus smiled, “I’m glad. I hope it works out for you, I know it will.” 

“How do you know?” 

Remus shrugged, “I just do.” 

Sirius felt a returning smile cross his face, even if all he felt in the stomach was butterflies, he felt genuinely happy in this moment. “I don’t know how long we have before the potion takes effect, but I just wanted to say thank you, for everything.” 

“You’re welcome,” Remus nodded, “and thank you.” 

“Whatever for?”

Remus shrugged, “for the little adventure, and for the opportunity to meddle in my own love life, not many people can say they’ve done that.” 

They both laughed and the conversation died down to a silence that wasn’t awkward, it was a nice, homely, familiar silence, a comfortable kind of silence that shouldn’t exist between two people who technically had only met a few short hours ago, but had also known each other half their lives. 

“How should I tell him? Do you think?” Sirius asked breaking the silence after a few minutes. 

“I think-”

But Sirius didn’t get to hear what Remus thought. He was drowned out by the pulling feeling in his abdomen, by a force that pushed him across the room, and the blackness that overtook his consciousness. 

Chapter Text

“Padfoot! Padfoot! Sirius!” 

Sirius' eyes blinked awake, taking in the sandstone walls of the classroom, dimmed in the afternoon light, before his eyes fell on Remus leaning above him. His head was pounding, a dull pain spreading from the back of his skull from where he had landed on his head for the second time that day, but he figured a headache was a small price to pay for completing interdimensional travel in one piece. 

He sat up with a grunt, surveying Remus' appearance, identical to the Remus he had just left but different in so many ways. It wasn't just the scars, it was the look in his eyes, the way he smelt, the way his presence felt to Sirius, his magic. There was no doubt that this, this was his Remus.

“Moony?”

”Yeah," Remus smiled down at him, something soft, gentle, "hi.”

”Hi.” Sirius repeated, feeling a little dumb as a matching smile crept along his face. 

He was home, Remus was here, and everything was going to be okay. 

Before Sirius could say anything else, or move himself away from the cold stone wall, Remus was on him, folding his body over him and pulling him into a fierce hug. ”Merlin, we were all so worried, are you okay?”

”Yeah," Sirius said into his shoulder, wrapping his arms around Remus as hard as he could. "I, my head hurts a little, but I think I’m alright.”

Remus pulled away, resting his hands on Sirius' shoulders as he surveyed him up and down. Sirius' felt a blush creep up his face that he tried (and failed) to tamper, ducking his head and running his hands through his hair.

Remus ducked his head to meet Sirius’ eyes, concern etched in his brow. “Can you stand?”

Sirius took a mental survey of his body, besides his headache, which was rapidly depleting, thanks no doubt to a stealthy healing charm Remus must have cast, he felt fine. More than fine, if he was being completely honest. “Yeah, I think I can stand.”

Remus stepped back, pulling Sirius to his feet. He didn’t step away once Sirius was standing, so Sirius didn’t either, leaving them to stand close together, far too close.

“I can’t believe that worked.” Remus confessed. 

Sirius raised his eyebrow at him, “you didn’t think it would?”

”I don’t know,” Remus said, dropping his head to look at their feet, their shoes so close they were almost touching. “I didn’t know what to think, I thought I’d lost you.”

”Nah, you can’t get rid of me that easy.” Sirius quipped, causing Remus to look back up at him, a hesitant smile on his face. 

”Sirius do you, um, do you know why the potion sent you there? To that universe specifically, I mean.”

This was it. This was the perfect time to tell Remus his feelings. Before they met back up with the Marauders, before they moved onto the next drama in their lives, before things got complicated. 

Sirius opened his mouth to explain, to confess, to say something, but instead what came out of his mouth was a quick, panicked: ”Uh, no, no idea.”

Sirius watched Remus’ expression drop, the flicker of hope dying behind his eyes. ”Oh, okay. It’s just that the other Sirius said something, and I don’t know I kind of thought that-”

Shit. Shit. Shit. He was fucking this all up. He had to do this, he had to be brave. He loved Remus, and Remus, well he hoped he liked him back, he was pretty sure he liked him back. And if he didn’t? Well, he would just have to deal with the consequences of that later. 

”Remus.”

Remus cut off his mumbling rant, looking at Sirius with apprehension. ”Yeah?”

”Moony.”

”Yeah?” 

Sirius gulped. ”I-”

“Yeah?” Remus asked again, his voice soft this time. He spoke just above a whisper, as if any louder tone may scare Sirius away. 

Sirius stared down at the floor between them, his polished school shoes and the tracksuit pants that he had borrowed from muggle Remus, Remus’ scuffed school shoes with the hole in the heel that had been repairoed twice and glued together because Remus refused to let James or Sirius buy him a new pair. 

He was so intent on staring at their feet, that Sirius hadn’t even noticed Remus move until he felt his hand touching his. His touch was light, his movements slow, giving Sirius time to pull away. Sirius watched their hands as he knotted them together, his touch remaining soft, but firmer, solid, reassuring. He gave Sirius’ hand a gentle squeeze. 

”I, um, I like you, like a lot, like,” Sirius took a grounding breath, looking up into Remus’ eyes and seeing what he hoped was hope there. “Like you’re the first thing that I think about every morning and my day doesn’t feel right until I’ve seen your face, even if you’re grumpy and yelling at me to shut up. And I think about you all the time, I wanna know everything about you, I wanna know what book you’re reading and what you had for breakfast. And if I’m not there, or you’re talking to someone else, I feel like I’m missing out, and I’m jealous because they’re talking to you and I’m not. And I was over in that other universe and I was so jealous of myself, because he had everything I ever wanted. I’ve been in love with you for years, Remus, and I had to say something, it would kill me to not say anything if there was even the slightest chance. But I, I understand if it’s not mutual, if you don’t feel the same, we can pretend-”

Sirius’ speech was cut off by the force of Remus pressing their lips together, his hand coming to grip Sirius’ hip firmly, as if he was afraid that Sirius would disappear. It was messy, their teeth clanked together as Remus pushed his lips into Sirius, more force than any kind of affection. Sirius’ hand found its way into Remus’ hair and gave it an experimental tug, and suddenly they were kissing, like really properly kissing. Remus’ tongue ran along the edge of his lips, pushing past his teeth and into his mouth. Sirius felt his canine dig into his lip, but he really couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt himself make a small noise in the back of his throat, Remus making an answering one as he dropped their entwined hands in favor of gripping Sirius’ other hip. Sirius’ now free hand traveled up Remus’ back before stopping to fist the fabric of his shirt by his shoulder. Somewhere in the back of his mind Sirius registered how he and the alternate Remus had been in a similar position that morning, when they had run into each other in the hallway. 

“Hey!” Sirius pulled back, breaking the kiss but keeping within Remus’ personal space. “That’s not fair.”

”What?” Remus blinked back, looking dazed and thoroughly kissed, but also thoroughly terrified. 

”I was meant to kiss you first!” Sirius replied, trying his best to look indignant. 

Remus just blinked at him, looking incredibly confused, but also utterly gorgeous, his lips puffed up and a flush on his cheeks. “I, what?”

”Remus in the other universe kissed Sirius first, this one was my turn.” Sirius explained, all but stomping his foot. 

Remus snorted, moving one of his hands up to grip Sirius’ cheek with a besotted grin on his face.

“You’re ridiculous.” He said. But then he kissed Sirius like being ridiculous was the most attractive thing in the world. 

The kiss was slower this time, softer, gentle, Sirius had never been kissed quite like that in his entire life. He knew right then and there that he wanted to be kissed like that every day, to be kissed by Remus every day, if he would let him. 

Remus was the one to pull away this time, looking down at Sirius with that soft, flushed smile. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been in love with you for years too.”

”Even when-” 

”Even then.” Remus nodded, his expression sobering, “but Sirius, are you sure that this is what you-”

”Yes.” Sirius cut him off, his voice coming out louder than he expected. “I’m sure, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.”

Remus’ smile returned, hesitant at first, but Sirius watched as it grew to mirror his own.

As they both stood there in the empty classroom littered with potion debris, grinning at each other like idiots, Sirius decided that love was a very good look on Remus.  

“I wasn’t lying, before, when I said I didn’t know why I was sent to that specific universe.” Sirius explained, “sure, we were together and I was insanely jealous, and it gave us the push I needed, the push we needed. But I don’t know why the potion picked that universe, you know why?”

Remus’ brow furrowed in confusion, he gave a soft shake of his head as he answered, “no, why?”

”Because don’t think there’s a universe where I’m not in love with you.”