Written for The Hunger Games Competition. Prompts: Word: melodious, Emotion: merciful, Dialogue:"I just want to understand." Weapon: a baseball bat, Genre: Mystery

Warnings: Non-graphic torture, death, murder, suicide, insanity, non-detailed smut (which I don't think even needs a warning as It'd pass as a T rated scene), and lots of WolfStar cuteness and fluff (of course).

Brief are the Lives of the Wicked

Because the lives of the wicked should be made brief
For the rest of us death will be a relief - Sweeney Todd.

"Halloween," Sirius said. "Halloween and we're just sitting around here."

"I agree," Dolohov replied. "This is boring."

"Is this what you do for Halloween?" Sirius asked, stretching across the chair, trying not to knock his feet against Remus who looked so comfortable stretched out at the other end. "I didn't realise you were all so... dull." His gaze moved down Remus' body, as his thoughts drifted to the things he would love to do to him if they were alone.

"Dull?" Lucius drawled. Sirius' eyes quickly snapped away from Remus, meeting the gaze of the blond. "I don't know who you've been hanging out with for the last... eight months, but we most certainly aren't dull," he spat the last word as though it were a disease.

Sirius smirked.

"Let's do something," Dolohov insisted.

"We had so much fun last Halloween," Snape said, a cruel smile on his lips.

Sirius shared a look with Remus. He knew exactly what 'fun' they had last Halloween. As Sirius' eyes darted around the group he saw smiles on every face except on Remus' and Regulus'.

Remus' eyes moved down to his lap. He had stiffened at the words and Sirius longed to reach out and comfort him, but there was time for that later.

"So where?" Sirius asked. "That is, if there's anywhere actually scary in this town..."

"The Graveyard?" Dolohov suggested.

Sirius snorted. "What? Are we twelve? Graveyard on Halloween, we can just hang around with all the kids drinking alcohol they stole from their parents."

"The Haunted House," Regulus suggested, looking hopefully at his older brother.

It was Remus' turn to snort.

"Exactly, child's play," Sirius laughed. "just like a kid to suggest something like that."

The pair ignored the glare Regulus threw in their direction.

"What about the Asylum?" Rodolphus suggested.

"Is it abandoned?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"Of course," Snape drawled.

"So, should we vote?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"Haunted House?" Regulus repeated, but silence followed.

"Graveyard?" Sirius said in a mocking tone. There were no votes.

"Asylum?" Lucius said.

There was a murmur of agreement around the room.

...oOo...

"Do you need anything else?" A melodic voice asked, and Sirius' breath caught at the sound. He slowly looked up, his eyes meeting beautiful amber.

He couldn't tear his gaze away.

He missed what the others around the table replied, just saw the pain shining in the teen's eyes as he tried to keep his composure. Sirius tried to focus.

"Disgusting queer -" he heard someone laugh.

"Just the bill," Sirius interrupted.

"Leaving already, Black? You're no fun?" Lucius drawled.

"It's pretty pathetic if your idea of fun is taunting servers in restaurants," Sirius retorted.

"But he's a queer," Rabastan said as though it was cause enough.

"That's why I'm in a rush to leave," Sirius spat back. His gaze met amber again. "The sooner we get the bill, the sooner we can go."

He disappeared, returning quickly with the bill.

"Don't want to leave someone like him a tip," Barty said, placing the exact money onto the table. They all stood up, Sirius getting up last and slipping a tip under the folder the bill arrived in.

With a shy smile and a whispered apology in the boy's direction, he followed the group from the restaurant.

...oOo...

"It's been abandoned for years," Rodolphus explained, shoving the door open. "People are scared of the legend."

Sirius pushed the door closed behind them.

"Legend?" Remus asked, after Sirius had caught back up.

"Legend?" Sirius repeated.

"Yeah. Crazy old Ariana," Rabastan laughed. "She was tortured by some boys, her father killed them all in front of her. It drove her insane and she ended up in here. Legend is that she tortures boys that come in here, for revenge."

Regulus shivered.

"It's an appropriate place for us to be," Barty commented.

Sirius and Remus shifted closer together as laughter ran through most of the group.

"That's an interesting legend," Remus whispered.

"So... we're on the look out for an insane ghost?" Sirius asked.

"It's just a story," Snape sneered. "Ghosts don't exist."

Sirius grinned at Remus. "You say that now, but just wait until Ariana gets you."

One of the boys snorted and the group continued walking through the abandoned building, peering into rooms as they passed, looking for somewhere to stop.

"Group Room," Sirius suddenly said, pointing to a sign still screwed into the wall.

Lucius took the lead walking down the hallway to a room at the end, his eyes moving across it in disgust.

"It's wet in here," he muttered.

"The ceiling is coming down," Barty said, following in and looking around.

Remus moved to go after them, but Sirius put his arm out, halting him. He looked around the room from the doorway, taking it in properly. "Looks dangerous," he warned.

"It's only water," Rabastan smirked, walking further into the room and kicking at the puddle.

The lights flickered dangerously and each set of eyes was on him as the electricity shot through his body. A horrified scream pierced the air before he fell to the floor, his body spasming for a few moments before he stopped, laying motionless face-down in the water.

"Rab!" Rodolphus shouted, rushing forward. Sirius grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Don't touch him," Sirius warned. "You'll get electrocuted too. We need to turn off the electricity before we can touch him."

Rodolphus tried to shake off Sirius' arm, but Sirius held tight, Dolohov grabbing the other one.

"Do you want to die?" Barty snapped. "Don't move again." He edged forward, trying to get a look at the unmoving figure.

"He's not breathing," Barty finally said, looking back at them.

...oOo...

"I don't understand. I just want to know why you keep coming here," the server asked. "Is it your friends? A trick?"

"It's not a trick. Look, I know nothing about you, but I just want to know everything," Sirius said. "They aren't my friends – I'm staying with my cousin and she asked her boyfriend to show me around. I'm not like them, trust me."

"Why should I trust you? Don't you think I'm a freak too?" The boy spat, but Sirius could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"Because I fancy you. I just want one chance," Sirius insisted. "If you're not interested afterwards, I'll try and leave you alone, though I can't promise."

"So even if it doesn't go well, you'll still bug me?" he looked slightly amused.

"That's pretty much it. I'll prove to you that I'm a good guy."

"One chance," the guy agreed.

"So, can I know your name?"

"It's Remus."

...oOo...

"Here's the plan," Dolohov said, looking between the group. "We can't touch Rabastan until the electricity is off, and none of us know where the power box is. So we'll split up and search."

"There were two hallways leading off the reception," Sirius replied.

"Okay, so two groups," Lucius said. "If you find anything, meet back at Reception."

Sirius and Remus followed Antonin Dolohov and Rodolphus Lestrange down one of the hallways, their gazes lingering on the plaster peeling from the walls and the wall-paintings.

"Rodolphus, you start here, Sirius, you start at the end there," Dolohov pointed. "I'll go around that corner."

"Watch out for the ghost," Sirius teased.

Dolohvov quickly disappeared. Sirius followed to the end, looking into the first room.

All he saw was rusted railings across the ceiling and mould covered curtains hanging down the walls. Bits of plaster covered the floor.

His eyes moved across the rotten old beds and he was fascinated how people had actually lived in the place.

Sirius turned back to Remus who was looking in the room facing, and shot him a smile. "Come on, love," he said, moving to another room.

"Sirius, are you okay?" Remus asked.

"Hey, I'm the one who should ask you," Sirius said closing the distance between them, longing to touch the beautiful boy in front of him. "Are you all right, love?"

"I am," Remus whispered.

Sirius nodded. He hated that Remus saw what happened to Rabastan. It was his job to look after Remus after all... and that included protecting him from all this.

...oOo...

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Remus asked, looking at the dark-haired teen.

Sirius gestured to the shoulder bag. "I was thinking we could go for a picnic."

"A picnic?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I was hoping you would know somewhere perfect," Sirius replied. "I've bought loads of different things, wasn't sure what you liked."

Remus stared at him.

"This was a stupid idea," Sirius muttered. "Okay, how about I take you out to dinner and see a movie?"

"You set up a picnic for us?" Remus repeated.

"Yeah, it seemed like a good idea. The weather is perfect and I made some sandwiches and pasta and bought some fruit and chocolates and cakes..."

"You've done all that for a picnic?" Remus repeated. A smile spread across his face. "In that case, I know somewhere really nice. Did you bring a blanket?"

"It's on my bike," Sirius said. He led Remus a little way away and Remus' eyes widened at the sight of a motorbike.

"Here," Sirius said, grabbing one of the helmets, and pushing it onto Remus' head before putting his own on.

"You'll need to direct me, and feel free to hold tightly."

"The lengths you're going through to get my arms around you," Remus teased.

"What can I say," Sirius said, moving closer. "I can't get the thought of you behind me out of my head."

Taking Remus' hand, he led the speechless teen to his bike, and Remus was glad that the visor hid his blush.

.

The pair lay on the blanket, looking up at the very few clouds.

"So, how did I do?" Sirius asked.

Remus rolled over to look at him, seeing the nervous expression on his face and the way Sirius' eyes were darting to his lips.

"A perfect date," Remus replied.

"First date," Sirius corrected. "I'd like to take you out again. I'm only down here for the summer, but I like you and when I go back I'd like to still -"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Remus interrupted. "Let's just make the most of the time you're here." He leaned over and softly brushed his lips over Sirius'.

...oOo...

Rodolphus stepped into a room and looked around at the chair set up in the middle.

His eyes lingered on a sheet on the floor before moving to the walls to see if there was a way to turn off the power.

He needed to be able to get to his brother.

He paid no mind to the medical equipment in the room.

So transfixed was he with helping his brother, he didn't hear the soft footsteps or notice the object coming towards him until it connected with the back of his head.

...oOo...

"You are the most beautiful person I've ever met. You're amazing, Remus. I could spend hours listing the things I love about you."

He watched Remus' cheeks turn the most perfect shade of red.

"But what I wanted to tell you was that I'm going to be eighteen next year – you knew that already, but on the day I turn eighteen, I plan to pack my bags and be with you forever."

"You don't need to -"

"I swear on my life that I will. I would die for you, kill for you. I would do anything for you, Remus." He hesitated. "No. I just won't go back. I'll find a job, I'll support us, I'll -"

"It's a year and a half," Remus said. "It'll give me time to save too."

"Me and you forever," Sirius whispered.

...oOo...

Antonin Dolohov found a room which was full of wires and plugs and what looked like a few power boxes. He headed to the closest one and began to examine it.

He heard footsteps and turned around.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped, turning back to look around the room. The biggest mistake he had ever made as he hadn't prepared for the arm to wrap around his neck from behind. As his hands came up to free himself, a knife plunged into his lung.

"Do you know what'll happen now?" came a whisper. "A slow and painful death. Imagine drowning on your own blood." The arm moved from his neck and Dolohov fell forward into the wall, clutching at the knife, howling in agony.

"And I'm going to enjoy watching it happen." The man stood by the door, his eyes on Dolohov until he was silent and still, before leaving the room.

...oOo...

Sirius felt Remus shaking as they lay together in the abandoned cabin, undoing the buttons on his shirt.

Amber eyes flicked up to meet his as the shirt was opened and Sirius smiled softly back.

"Are you..."

"I've never been surer of anything in my life," Sirius murmured. He reached for Remus, slowing pulling his t-shirt off his head and running his hand over Remus' arms. His fingers stopped at a scar and he looked properly at Remus, who was diverting his gaze.

"Remus?" He whispered.

"It's nothing," Remus muttered.

"Remus, who did this?"

A long pause before his amber eyes met Sirius' in shame. "Me," he whispered. "I did those."

"But why?" Sirius whispered.

"It helps."

There was a long pause.

"Have... have you changed your mind?" Remus asked.

"About us?" Sirius asked, shocked that Remus could ever think such a thing. "Nothing could ever stop me wanting you. I love you."

...oOo...

The force of the blow caused Sirius to drop to his knees. With a throbbing head, he looked desperately around for Remus before slowly slipping down to the floor and closing his eyes for a couple of minutes.

"Sirius?"

Sirius opened his eyes again.

"You've been gone for almost an hour," Regulus said, rushing up to him. Sirius glanced around, noticing Remus on the floor next to him, looking down at him in concern.

"I'm fine, my head... it hurts," Sirius muttered.

"What happened?" Barty demanded.

Sirius felt arms pull him up from the floor.

"Looks like he was hit with something," Regulus said. "This screen?"

All eyes turned to the screen next to where Sirius was laying.

"It's on a stand, maybe someone pushed it into him?" Remus suggested softly, not looking at anyone.

"Bloody hurt," Sirius muttered.

"Where are the others?" Barty demanded.

"Searching," Sirius replied. "Did you find anything?"

Regulus and Barty shook their heads. "Let's head back to reception."

...oOo...

Sirius moved slowly, his arms shaking as he tried to support his weight. No matter how beautiful he had found Remus in the past, this moment topped all others. He watched as Remus tried to meet his gaze, though his eyes kept fluttering closed before Remus would peek up at him again through his long lashes.

Sirius felt like he couldn't breathe.

Remus' body arched up against him, his lips desperately seeking Sirius' and Sirius pressed even closer to him, closing the distance between their bare skin.

"Have I told you I love you?" Remus murmured, his fingers moving across Sirius' back, trying to find purchase. His hands moved higher and fingers dug into Sirius' shoulders.

"This would be the first time," Sirius replied.

"I should have said it sooner," Remus whispered.

"No," Sirius replied. "I like that you said it now. The first time we made love is also the first time you told me you love me, it makes this even more perfect."

"It is perfect."

"It's about to get better," Sirius promised, moving away slightly, giving his hand space to move down Remus' chest and over his stomach until it found something that caused Remus to make sounds Sirius would never want to forget.

"I love you," Sirius whispered in return.

...oOo...

"I feel dizzy," Sirius muttered. "Can we go outside and get some air?"

They headed to the doors and Sirius leaned against the wall as the others tried to open the door, only to find it locked.

"It looks like we need a code to get through," Lucius said, looking slightly less composed than usual.

"Code?" Regulus asked.

"Maybe Rabastan... maybe that power surge triggered something?" Lucius suggested.

"Well, we can't get out without the code," Sirius muttered. "Better get back to the others?"

Regulus and Sirius led the way back to reception. Remus and Lucius followed, Remus keeping a safe distance from the blond and watching him warily.

"The Door is locked, is there a security office anywhere?" Sirius asked as they approached Snape and Barty at the Reception desk. "Unless there is a code written here?"

He watched the rest look through the desk, coming up with a map of the building, but nothing else.

"We're next to the Security Office now," Barty said, his eyes moving across the map. "There's also a 'main office' on the forth floor if this doesn't work."

He turned around to where a curtain half covered an old door behind them and pushed it. Sirius walked in last, pushing the door closed behind him.

As the door clicked shut, the television turned itself on.

The group looked up.

"Did anyone touch anything?" Snape demanded.

They all shook their heads.

"Maybe it was the ghost of -" Sirius suggested.

"There is no ghost," Lucius replied as the picture came into focus and the room was filled with loud screams coming from the television.

Snape, Barty, Regulus, Lucius, Sirius and Remus all stared at the television in horror.

"Is it a movie or something?" Regulus whispered.

"No," Lucius replied. "It's... that's..."

"It's Rodolphus," Snape murmured. "But that makes no sense?"

"Electro-shock therapy," Barty said, moving closer to the screen. "That's something they used to do here. He's getting..." he spun around. "We need to go and save him."

Silence haunted the room and all eyes moved back to the screen, looking at the unmoving figure – one that wasn't reacting the bolts of electricity shooting through his body any more.

"Before you got knocked out, did you see anyone?" Lucius demanded, turning to Sirius.

Sirius quickly shook his head, his eyes unmoving from the screen. "It was just us," he whispered.

Lucius' eyes narrowed as he looked around.

"He couldn't have hooked himself up to this machine alone," Lucius told them.

"Are you saying that someone did this intentionally?" Regulus asked.

"Not just this. Didn't you see in the first room? The wires seemed to have been purposely left in the water. They were hidden behind a curtain so it was deliberate. I had assumed it was a prank, maybe someone had set it up at a different time, but now I'm not so sure."

"What do you think happened?" Remus asked.

Lucius continued to look between them, ignoring Remus' question.

"So?" Sirius asked, determined that they answer it. "What do you think is going on?"

"I think someone is doing this on purpose," Lucius hissed. "But who?"

"Sirius, did your group split up?" Regulus asked.

Sirius nodded, refusing to look at Remus again. No-one needed to know that he spent most of that time whispering naughty things to his boyfriend.

"So did we," Regulus confirmed. "So there was a point where each one of us was alone."

"Wait," Snape drawled. "You're saying that one of us is murdering his friends."

"I agree with Lucius, we all saw it," Barty said, pointing up at the screen. "Something bad is happening here."

"Then we find the code for the main door and get out," Sirius insisted. "Let's start looking!"

"Wait," Regulus said, looking around the group. "Where's Dolohov?"

"You don't think it's him?" Sirius asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Well, he was with your group. Rodolphus gets..." Snape gestured to the screen. "You were knocked out and we have no idea where he is. So either he's the one doing it, or there is another body out there."

...oOo...

"Sirius. Remus is in the hospital. You wanted me to let you know if anything happened to him, well, I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't. They hurt him."

Sirius quickly hung up, heading straight outside to his motorbike He strapped the helmet on and rode away. It didn't matter that his parents would be furious and it didn't matter that it was three-am.

The only thing that mattered was Remus. He had to see for himself that Remus was okay.

...oOo...

"We need to leave," Barty said. He looked between the people in the room through untrustworthy eyes.

"Regulus, you stay in here with me," he continued. "We'll see if we can get the security cameras working. You lot – there's the main office a few floors up. Go and look for the code."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "You better keep your eyes on my brother at every second, because if something happens to him because I'm not here to protect him..."

"We can lock ourselves in," Barty replied.

Sirius' eyes narrowed further.

"I don't trust you with him. You can just as easily unlock the door after you kill him. Regulus is staying with me."

"I'm not going to hurt your brother," Barty said, his hand gently touching Regulus' back to stop Regulus from arguing.

"I'm staying with Barty," Regulus insisted.

"Fine," Sirius snapped. "Just lock the door and stay safe, right!"

...oOo...

"Sirius?"

"I'm here love," Sirius whispered.

"How?"

"Lily called me. I'm here to look after you. Tell me who hurt you."

"I... I don't know," Remus whispered. "My sexuality isn't a secret around here after all. It could have been anyone who is homophobic."

Sirius knew he was lying, but he didn't push. He would ask Remus soon for the names so he could punish them. They put Remus in the hospital, he was going to do the same to them.

"How long are you down for?" Remus asked.

"Long enough for you to recover. Know anywhere I can stay?"

"We could stock up and stay in the cabin?" Remus suggested.

"Oh, so no proper heating, limited electricity... whatever would we do to pass the time?" Sirius teased.

"Or if you would miss those things, there's my flat," Remus offered, worried that Sirius wasn't into the cabin idea.

"I'd prefer the cabin," Sirius whispered. "I don't need anything else, only you, Remus."

"When can I leave?"

"In a couple of days," Sirius replied. "Can I have your key to your place? I'll stay there for now, if it's okay?"

Remus nodded. "Just the thought of you sleeping in my bed..." he blushed, trailing off.

"If I could, I would spend every single night in your bed and never leave you," Sirius assured him. "It's August now. Just over a year until I can leave home, Remus. We'll be together forever."

...oOo...

It was like Lucius was begging for it.

He threw the noose over his head and gave Lucius a quick push almost in a single move. Lucius' cry was cut off as the rope tightened around his neck, nearly decapitating him in the process. Clawing at his throat for air, he struggled helplessly, grasping for air while hanging over the pit of the stairs.

He watched the hypnotic way Lucius Malfoy's body swung back and forth until he stopped fighting against the rope.

It was just too easy, he realised. He blamed stupidity. Who really went over to a destroyed staircase and looked down three floors?

...oOo...

Sirius texted Regulus to let him know he'd be gone a week or two and made sure to have the cabin ready for Remus.

Not much electricity was offered to the cabin, and what little there was, was used for the fridge.

Sirius stocked it with food that could be cooked on the fire in the corner, or eaten cold. He had brought as many blankets as he could find for the single bed which was the perfect size for them to snuggle up together on.

He kept his phone charged at Remus', and when it was time for Remus to come out of the hospital he turned his phone off for his stay, determined nothing would ruin his time with Remus.

Remus would never tell him the names of who had hurt him.

...oOo...

Snape had almost expected it. He was quick enough to move out of the way as the baseball bat swung towards him.

"What are you doing?" He snapped.

He received an arrogant smile in return and rushed forward, grabbing the bat with both hands as it came for him again. His gaze moved down in horror to his hands where the bat had connected with his fingers, loud cracks filling the air as the bones shattered.

Before he could even do more than cry out in pain, the baseball bat connected with his face, sending him flying backwards onto the ground. He could feel the blood flowing from a broken nose and he watched the figure advance towards him.

"You killed him," the man hissed.

"He killed himself," Snape replied, desperately looking for a way out. He tried to painfully push himself off the floor, but wasn't fast enough.

...oOo...

Remus stared out at the dark as he sat with his back against the cabin. Tablets clutched tightly in his hand and bottles of alcohol surrounding him.

He would be lying if he said he hadn't been planning this for some time now. Sirius only managed to delay the inevitable and no matter how much he loved Sirius Black, he had to do this.

He knew Sirius would be better off without him. Sirius Black – the son of one of the most powerful families in England. They almost sounded like the Mafia.

Remus snorted to himself in amusement, shifting and feeling the ache of the beating he had received earlier that day. He should be in hospital now, but what was the point?

Sirius Black – heir to his family. He would find a nice wife, run one of the most profitable companies and attend parties with other millionaires.

He'd quickly forget about Remus Lupin, and that was the way it needed to be. Remus took a swig from one of the bottles next to him.

Sirius felt a need to protect him and he didn't doubt Sirius' love, but because of Remus, Sirius was trying to give up his own life. Remus didn't deserve him, didn't deserve for Sirius to do that.

Without Remus, Sirius could begin to live.

One by one Remus drank the tablets down and lay on the ground and closed his eyes.

...oOo...

He stared down at the disfigured form on the ground. He was certain that Snape had stopped breathing twenty minutes ago, but each blow of the bat was in retaliation to a blow that his love had suffered, or an insult thrown in his direction. They were the ones that destroyed the most beautiful person he had ever met, so they deserved to suffer slowly.

He only wished he had more time to enjoy this. To watch the life leave their pathetic and worthless bodies.

"Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me," he sung softly to himself. This was the day they were going to run away together and he still had a promise to keep.

He dropped the bat and made his way back to the security office, smiling as he thought about the months he had spent working on the Asylum, fixing it up.

The front doors had activated when he had pushed them closed when they arrived. The television had turned on due to a sensor by the door.

Only he knew the code to open the door.

73687

Remus.

He banged on the door of the office. "Something is following me, let me in. Please!"

He heard the lock open and rushed into the room, allowing Remus to slip in behind him. He slammed the door behind him and locked it.

...oOo...

Sirius ended the call.

No. It was a lie. He hadn't lost Remus. He had seen Remus two weeks ago when they had made their plans. They had talked every single day. It had been months since the hospital.

Remus had been happy – Remus had said so himself.

His eyes scanned the letter – the one that prompted the call to ensure that it was true.

'I can't do this any more, it's just too much. You're the only one that's kept me going for so long, but I'm sinking faster than you can pull me out. I'm failing you. I promised you and I just can't do this.

I'm not as strong as you believe I am.

I'm sorry my love. I'm so sorry.

But this is goodbye.

I love you.'

With a painful tightening in his chest, he headed outside and climbed onto his bike.

...oOo...

"Where are Severus and Lucius?" Barty asked.

"I don't know."

"We heard a lot of screaming," Barty replied.

"Same here," Sirius replied. "I went looking but couldn't find them."

Regulus watched him in horror, but Barty seemed to believe his words. Sirius knew that his brother was aware of what was happening now. He knew he wouldn't be able to pull the wool over Regulus' eyes for too long.

"Maybe we should leave?" Regulus suggested, his eyes fixed firmly on Sirius.

"Have we got a code?" Sirius asked, his eyebrows raised.

"We'll break down the door," Barty confirmed. "We need to get out of here and call the police."

"I'm with you," Sirius agreed, unlocking the door and walking with the other two, Remus leading the way.

He couldn't resist letting his gaze drop for a moment, it wasn't often Remus walked ahead of him and Sirius wanted to make the most of the view.

"What are you staring at?" Regulus whispered, snapping Sirius from his thoughts.

"You've been acting weird all day, staring into space and everything," Barty commented.

"Of course I have," Sirius replied. "I had plans for today. Plans I made over a year ago."

"Big plans," Remus whispered apologetically.

"You see, I fell in love. It was funny really, I was staying here for the summer last year and I fell in love. We were going to run away together... today. We were going to leave."

"Why didn't you?" Barty asked.

Barty's eyes widened as he took in the gun pointed at him.

"Because he's dead," Sirius whispered.

"Who?"

"Remus Lupin, and you killed him," Sirius hissed. "Do you deny it? Do you even feel sorry or care?"

"That weird little queer?" Barty laughed.

"Funny you call him a queer as though it's an insult yet you and my brother have... something going on," Sirius replied. "You took my Remus away, now I'm going to take something precious from you."

...oOo...

Sirius had used his own savings to pay for it. There were very few people there. Remus' sick mother had left the hospital for the day to attend too. Sirius sat by her side, allowing himself to be as weak as the sobbing woman.

"He had a young man," she had insisted. "I've never seen my son so happy. The funeral was paid for by him. I'm so grateful, I had so little money and hadn't wanted to sell his belongings you see."

"I know," Sirius replied. "One more year and my family wouldn't have stopped us being together. We were going to be together."

Understanding flickered in her eyes and she had taken Sirius' hand tightly in hers as she realised that he was the one that Remus had loved.

"I loved him more than anything," Sirius assured here. "I would have done anything for him – I would have killed for him, I would have died for him."

"Those boys," she whispered. "Always the same ones. The Snape boy and the Crouch boy – worse than the others. They were the ones who put him in the hospital," she confided in him.

Sirius' breath caught at the revelation of the names and Remus' mother continued talking about them, naming each person that hurt Remus.

Now he knew who would suffer.

...oOo...

He watched his younger brother crying over the fallen body, but didn't feel any pity or sorrow at his actions.

"You were there," Sirius whispered.

Regulus turned and stood up, shaking. His eyes moved to the gun in Sirius' hand and he stepped in front of Barty, who was panting and clutching his shoulder.

"I just want to understand," Regulus whispered. "Why?"

"I loved him more than life," Sirius replied.

"Killing us won't bring him back," Regulus said.

"That's not the plan," Sirius replied. "I only planned to kill him. I won't hurt you, you're my little brother. Remus said you were scared. That you didn't want to be part of it."

"He did?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied. His gaze moved to Remus. "He thinks you should leave now whilst I finish Crouch off."

"What?" Regulus asked, his voice rising.

"Remus. He said that you need to leave."

"Sirius, Remus is dead."

"I know," Sirius replied impatiently. "But he's still here with me."

"So what happens when you've killed everyone?"

"I end this," Sirius said. "I told him that we'd be together. I told him when I turn eighteen, the first thing I'm going to do is come back for him."

"That's today... you end what?"

"I'm still going to be with him," Sirius whispered.

"No Sirius," Regulus begged. "You haven't been taking your medication, you're sick. You need help, I'll help you -"

"Move out of the way."

"No," Regulus whispered. "You said you'd die for Remus, that you'd kill for him? Well, maybe the Black brothers are the same when it comes to love. I'd die without Barty. If you kill him, you're killing me, so you might as well shoot me first so I don't have to live without him."

Sirius' hand shook slightly, his eyes moved to Remus.

"You'll never forgive yourself for hurting him," Remus whispered.

Sirius lowered the gun.

"Love you, Regulus," he whispered, reaching behind him and unlocking the door. Regulus stepped forward.

"So when you say you're going to be with him..."

Sirius smiled and looked down at the gun. "Sirius, please don't -"

"I have an hour, Regulus," Sirius insisted. "I'm sorry, little brother, I have to do this. I can't live without him."

"I'm sorry too," Regulus said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them hurting him. Please don't leave."

"You're lucky I'm feeling merciful," Sirius murmured. "He should die for what he's done, but I can't do that to you."

...oOo...

"Sirius, you can just move on," Remus said.

"How?" Sirius whispered. "I lived for you. You're my soul-mate. I would have killed them for you – I would have died for you."

"I'm sorry," Remus replied.

"Don't be – they drove you to this," Sirius said, tears flowing.

"I should have been stronger."

"And I should have been here for you," Sirius shouted. "They'll suffer for what they've done, I swear it."

"I don't doubt that."

"What, no trying to talk me out of it?" Sirius asked with a slight smirk.

"Just remember, I love you."

"I love you too, and I made promises to you that I intend to keep."

...oOo...

He climbed on his motorbike and sped towards the Cabin. He pulled up close by and let his precious bike drop, dropped the helmet down and rushed over to Remus.

"You don't have to do this."

Sirius smiled and reached out, wishing he could hold Remus again more than anything. He would be able to again so soon.

"It's my choice to do this," he whispered.

...oOo...

Two figures sat on the grass as they watched the police and an ambulance rush to the scene. A crowd around the body before it was covered and brought into the ambulance.

Not a single pair of eyes looked their way.

Holding each other tightly, they watched the scene until finally everyone had left, leaving them alone together in a place that was special to only them.

"Just us now," a soft voice said.

"Like I always promised you," came the reply. "When I said forever, I meant it."

Word Count - Exactly 6000 words.

So much thanks to: Lynn, Firefly, Raybe and Jordi for helping me so much on this with ideas and discussing murder and such :D