The Comfort of Knowledge, Chapter 22

"Later."

All attempts to focus were unsuccessful as Remus' thoughts continued to return to that one word.

The promise.

He shivered involuntarily as he stared down at his food. What happened at the station felt like something out of a dream now.

"Cold?"

Though the voice was soft, Remus jumped at the interruption. To his left sat a newly sorted first year looking nervous and uncertain as she awaited his response.

Remus' lips twitched in amusement.

"Indeed," he responded with mock graveness. "Terribly cold. I think you must be made of stronger stuff than I."

Visibly relieved, the first year gave him a shy smile in return before quickly burying her face in a glass of pumpkin juice.

Turning back to his food, Remus' mind again returned to his encounter with Sirius and to that one word.

Did Sirius mean later tonight? Later this week? Later this year?

It shouldn't matter. He had already decided he would leave Sirius alone this year. He had to.

Barely suppressing another shiver at the thought of the dark-haired boy, Remus had only just resolved to turn his thoughts to less desirable territory when something cold and wet nudged his hand.

The first year next to him giggled in delight as a furry, black head peeked out from under the table.

Remus chuckled softly.

"Hullo again," he mumbled as the dog nuzzled his hand.

On either side of him, students were excitedly reaching under the table to welcome the newcomer. The dog permitted the attention but refused to be drawn away from Remus.

"I must say, you don't strike me as the canine type, Rem," came a familiar voice.

Remus turned in his seat to find a familiar Ravenclaw standing a few steps from the table with an amused look on his face.

Remus smiled.

"Don't I?" He muttered awkwardly, reaching down to scratch behind the dog's ears.

Remus and the student to his right shifted over to make room for his Ravenclaw friend.

Terry looked unchanged since they'd last seen one another and Remus found it oddly comforting.

"Now, is it just me," the other boy whispered conspiratorially as he settled in. "Or did Dumbledore's speech seem uncharacteristically somber tonight?"

Welcoming the familiarity of the other's presence, Remus nodded in agreement and embraced the much-needed distraction.

Absentmindedly scratching behind the dog's ears, the boys' conversation flowed easily until the sound of boisterous laughter from further down the table interrupted Terry mid-sentence. Remus leaned forward to locate the cause of the commotion and found James Potter and Peter Pettigrew.

"Ah, childish as ever I see," Terry muttered.

But at his words, the large dog barked loudly, causing the Ravenclaw boy to jump in his seat and knock over one of the glasses nearest him.

"Shh," Remus said soothingly, trying to quiet the dog as he reached for a napkin for Terry. "If Professor McGonagall sees you . . ."

But already, the professor in question had stood from her seat at the head table, squinting in their direction. With a frown fixed on her face, she began to make her way towards the Gryffindor table.

After another wet nudge to Remus' hand, the black dog disappeared back under the table. His wagging tail hitting students' legs as he made his way to the exit.

"Whose dog is that anyway?" Terry asked, dabbing at his stained robes.

"No clue," Remus replied.

Again, the amused laughter from James and Peter further down the table drew Remus' attention and he felt disappointment course through him.

Where was Sirius?

It was a matter of minutes before Remus found himself leading a small group of Gryffindors back to the common room. The first years—and their never-ending list of questions—was another welcome distraction.

"What's in that room, Remus?"

"Is there really a poltergeist?"

"Do you know where to find the entrances to the other house common rooms?"

Amused, Remus answered as best he could.

When the group finally approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Remus spoke the password so the students could hear then let the first years file in ahead of him.

After he passed through, one of the first years was back at his side in an instant. The girl smiled up at him but turned at the sound of laughter from across the room.

"Wow," she said in awe. "Who are they?"

Remus followed her line of sight and felt his stomach tighten.

There was a crowd gathered around the fire and two boys at the center of the circle.

Sirius.

He felt his heart constrict and had to clear his throat before responding.

Sirius was laughing, his carefree smile lighting up his handsome face. James had a mask on and was reciting what sounded like a muggle fairy tale to a small group of wide-eyed second years. Remus couldn't recall seeing the bespectacled boy pay much attention to younger students before.

"Seventh years," he responded at last. "The one wearing the mask is James Potter. You might have noticed him at the welcoming feast. He can be a bit, er, rambunctious."

"And the other one?" the girl asked, blushing brightly at the sight of the striking figure standing nearest the fire.

Remus sympathized.

"Sirius," he said softly, staring at the tall figure.

Grey eyes snapped to his and Remus felt his heart race.

"Sirius Black."

"Is he a friend of yours, Remus?"

"Er, well. . ." He felt his face heat up but was saved from having to answer when another first year pulled the girl away to get a closer look.

Remus continued to stare.

Both boys had changed over the summer.

He heard a soft snort to his left and turned to see Lily Evans apparently torn between disbelief and amusement. She smiled at Remus.

"Now what are they up to?" She muttered, but with genuine interest.

Lily seemed to be studying James the same way Remus had studied Sirius. Maybe Remus wasn't the only one who noticed the change in the older boys.

"Perhaps he's growing up?" Remus suggested lightly.

Almost on cue, James began illustrating his point by dropping to all fours and roaring loudly.

Lily laughed and gave Remus a grin. "Yeah, that must be it."

Remus smiled softly.

"There is something different about them this year though."

"Mm," Remus agreed.

"Nice summer?" Lily inquired warmly after a few minutes, both still studying the display across the room.

Remus could have sworn Sirius' head tilted ever so slightly in their direction at the question.

The common room was filled with noise. Surely, there was no way the other boy could hear their conversation?

"It was . . . quiet," he responded distractedly.

Before he could ask the same of her, the portrait opened again, this time revealing Professor McGonagall accompanied by a young man who didn't look much older than the seventh years.

Two girls nearby immediately began whispering.

"Now that is a good-looking wizard."

"Is he foreign?"

The wizard in question followed the professor further into the room and Remus frowned when he got a better look at him.

He was good-looking but something about him seemed familiar.

McGonagall's lips twitched at the sight of James on the ground with his mask on.

"All right, everyone," she said sternly. "Settle down."

The room quieted almost instantly and anyone who wasn't already looking in her direction turned to face her.

"As you all know, the staff's chief concern is always the safety of Hogwarts' students."

Her tone was even but Remus thought the professor sounded concerned.

"Taking into account recent activity in wizarding communities—including Hogsmeade—we have decided to implement some new security measures."

The common room immediately erupted with questions but the older woman cleared her throat and silence fell once more.

"In the coming weeks, you will notice some new faces at witches and wizards are here to help."

She paused.

"That said, I would like to introduce you to Dimitri Loukas. He has been assigned to Gryffindor House."

The portrait hadn't fully closed behind the professor before students began talking loudly amongst themselves.

McGonagall had assured them that more information would soon follow but that wasn't enough to stop them from speculating.

The newly assigned Dimitri had mumbled something about inspecting the rest of Gryffindor tower while the professor answered a handful of questions.

After the professor departed, the man reappeared at the foot of the steps almost instantly.

Dimitri's dark brown eyes scanned the crowd with a neutral expression fixed on his face. He stopped when he caught sight of Remus.

Without preamble, the man made his way past several wide-eyed students until he reached Remus.

"Lupin, right?" he asked quietly, offering his hand to Remus. "Dimitri Loukas."

Long, cold fingers closed firmly around his hand.

Dark hair. Dark eyes. Though it wasn't strong, Remus detected a slight accent.

"Shanks said to look out for you."

Remus felt his stomach drop as the fingers tightened almost painfully around his hand.

Who are you? Remus wanted to ask.

In an attempt to avoid revealing that the visitor had the upper hand in knowing who he was, Remus' mind continued to race with possibilities until a shadow fell across their joined hands.

Sirius.

Remus knew without looking but he turned to see him anyway.

The seventh year's smile was cordial—charming even—but the grey eyes looked menacing. Sirius was several inches taller than the other man and played this to his advantage, looming over him ever so slightly.

"Loukas, is it?" Sirius asked as the boy released Remus' hand.

The young man's dark eyes flashed as he took in Sirius' appearance as if searching through a catalog in his mind to identify him.

"That's right," he said smoothly, the hint of an accent still discernible. "And you must be . . . Orion Black's eldest. No?"

Sirius expression remained unchanged.

"That's right," he imitated the other's response.

The two stared at one another until Loukas let out a deep laugh.

"Well, Remus here was just about to give me a tour of the castle so if you'll excuse us . . ."

Sirius made no move to step aside.

"Well, unless you're a first year, I believe Remus is unavailable for tours this evening."

"Is that so?" Loukas asked in mock interest.

"It is," came Sirius' easy reply. "The title of 'prefect' doesn't come without duties, you know."

Remus felt like an observer in a dream.

What was going on?

James was looking over in interest and Remus wished the bespectacled boy would come over and pull Sirius away so he could handle this himself.

Whatever this was.

"Well, isn't that a shame," Dimitri replied dryly.

"Mm," Sirius agreed. "Fortunately for you, I am available for tours."

The thought of these two alone unnerved Remus beyond measure and he shook himself out of his role as observer. "Perhaps, Professor McGonagall should—"

"By all means, Black," Loukas interjected smoothly. "Lead the way. Or . . . should I lead you?"

There was a challenge in his words and after one last lingering look at Remus, the man began walking in the direction of the portrait.

Without hesitation, Sirius made to follow.

"Wait," Remus implored softly. "I think it would be better if I showed him around."

Sirius turned and put a hand on his shoulder. He squeezed reassuringly.

"Nonsense," he said, smiling warmly at Remus. "I'll take care of it."

Remus shivered.

He wanted to warn the other boy but he was unsure what exactly he would be warning him about.

Sirius must've noticed his concern because he leaned down, lips brushing against Remus' ear.

"Don't worry," Sirius whispered. "This guy's a Puffskein compared to my mother."