A/N: Wow guys...It's been a long time. Apologies for the longest hiatus. I've taken a few creative writing classes in the past few months, and I realized how bad my writing was ;_; Lost confidence in continuing this fic for a while. But somehow I chanced upon seeing the reviewers and story alerts for this fic, and I decided that I can't keep you guys hanging! Thanks to LoveLiterature, undiluted, Morgana-le-Fai, HermioneGrangerisME, RosieRoe, ShadowofaDarkSlytherin, Absidoodle, Lexis-RandomThoughts Mo, and The Erumpent Horn for your reviews! You guys keep me going~ My writing style may have changed since the last chapter, and I apologize for that, but rest assured I only work to further improve this fic!

And if you haven't already, please check out my other Sirius/Remus ficlet, Metafiction! :) I'd love to know what you guys think about it, it's an experimental piece of writing for me~

Enough jabber from me, on to the fic!

Of Apple Trees and Honey Bees

Chapter 9

Meanwhile, at the Hospital Wing...

"What do you reckon?"

"Mmm?"

"Wormtail, you awake?"

"...I'm hungry, Prongs."

James rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry, Wormy. But I meant to ask about Padfoot and Moony! Don't you reckon..." He trailed off.

Peter, still tightly bandaged and half-conscious on the warm Hospital Wing bed, half-opened his eyelids to stare at his friend.

"I'm not sure what you're on to, Prongs."

"Well, haven't you at least had some suspicions?" James prodded, raising his eyebrows at the word 'suspicions'. His round-rimmed glasses glinted against the refraction of the Hospital Wing lights.

Gaining consciousness, Peter shifted in his bed uncomfortably. "You know what they say about assuming, Prongs my friend. It makes an arse out of you and me." He paused. "Or in this case, you, and possibly them. It's like getting stuck between a rock and a hard place, or two very angry dogs that can bite..." He trailed off, possibly confusing even himself with his use of metaphors.

The bespectacled boy did not reply to his friend's comment. Instead, James stood up from the wooden stool beside Peter's bed, and walked towards the window overlooking the grand Hogwarts grounds. The full moon shone grandly overhead, fully waxed, its silvery luminescence showering over the dark forestry.

Any moment now, thought James.

Like clockwork, a mangled howl echoed faintly, followed by a series of softer barks. James turned back and looked at the bedridden Peter.

"It's the first time Sirius is alone with Moony in the full moon, Wormy. Without us. I just can't shake off the feeling that tonight will be different!"

He thought of both of his friends' rather peculiar behaviour as of late. Sure, James Potter was a troublemaker, Lily-lover, Marauder extraordinaire, but that did not mean he was blind to the sparks that had been going on between his two best friends. In fact, the electricity had been so intense, he was surprised Peter had not caught on. He had even heard Lily tittering excitedly about it to her girl friends, but then again Lily Evans was undeniably the most brilliant witch of the era and there shouldn't be any surpri-

James had to consciously and forcefully stop his train of thoughts then and there. Even his mental rants about Lily wouldn't stop. Such is the force of true love, which he was not in luck with. He set his bespectacled eyes upon the silhouette of the Shrieking Shack again. Hopefully his friends were at better luck in love than he was.

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The next thing Remus knew, he was warmly snuggled in the Hospital Wing bed. He blinked his honey-golden eyes sleepily. Other than a rather painful (and now bandaged) wound on his left shoulder, the werewolf found himself bereft of any other major injury. Most of the scratches he sustained from the night had very smoothly recovered, only leaving thin slivers of scars in their wake.

"He's awake! Remus is awake!"

Remus crinkled his nose at the sudden noise.

"Wha – ?"

James, Lily, Madame Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, and a sheepish Sirius (who had excitedly announced Remus' awakening to everyone) crowded over the small bed. Peter, who was still bed-ridden himself, waved cheerfully from his side of the room. Everyone was glad that their wolfy friend was recovering from his monthly affliction.

Lily hugged Remus affectionately, in turn receiving a jealous stare from James, who ruffled Remus' hair. Madame Pomfrey adjusted his bandages and gave him his dose of pain-be-gone potion.

While everyone tittered around Remus (and Sirius still shuffling shyly behind), Professor McGonagall suddenly cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"While I'm glad that our friend Mr. Lupin is well, I'm afraid there is some bad news I need to relay to all of you."

The small room was in stilled silence once more.

McGonagall pursed her lips in a slightly annoyed but almost hesitant way.

"It appears that you boys have been neglecting your detention duties, and the time allotted to all of you is almost over. Something needs to be done about that gigantic tree in my Transfiguration classroom!"

The Marauders visibly blanched, and Lily unconsciously touched the part of her face that was attacked by the gigantic tree.

"But Professor!"

"...there was no magic!"

"How could we possibly...?"

Professor McGonagall sighed visibly and put up a hand to silence the flurry of retorts. She was about to say something, when the Hospital Wing doors were flung open.

"I'm afraid that's rather unnecessary now, Minerva."

Professor Simpson made his grandiose entrance into the Hospital Wing, followed by an entourage of singing bluebirds. At a flick of his wrist with wandless magic, the birds dispersed, fell into single file, and started singing in the acapella tune one of the Weird Sisters' latest hits.

"What is the meaning of this, Charles? We are in the middle of a serious discussion!" McGonagall stared at the other Professor with a confused look.

"The tree problem has been solved, Minerva! I have been working at it all night, since I didn't to check on our dear chap Remus here," Professor Simpson said, while winking overtly at Sirius.

"I've crafted it into a treehouse!" he continued, gesturing wildly. "No magic, I swear," he defending, waving his splinter-bruised hands at the older Professor.

"And look what came with the tree! Such lovely creatures," Simpson continued, motioning to the birds. His bright eyes shone with tears, as though admiring his own offspring with pride. "Please don't let the boys cut the tree down! Nature is one of the forces that relates to both Muggle and Magic alike!"

McGonagall, still slightly stunned from the turn of events, probed a cursory glance at the Marauders who had their eyes twinkling hopefully at her.

"Don't worry Minerva! How about we change classrooms?" Simpson quipped. "I have a few innovative teaching techniques I'd like to try out with that tree."

"Well, since this has been the turn of events, I suppose..."

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The boisterous crowd around the Hospital Wing finally dispersed. With McGonagall's affirmative response to Simpson's offer, James, Lily, and the two Professors decided to get some butterbeers to celebrate the fortunate turn of events. Peter had fallen back asleep again, and Madame Pomfrey had retreated to her own quarters after the busy occasion.

The afternoon sun shone above the castle grounds, and streams of sunlight caressed Remus' sandy brown hair. The lycanthrope himself had fallen to a soft slumber after the exciting turn of events, and Sirius had stayed back, shifting uncomfortably in the wooden stool beside his friend's (now lover?) bedside.

Now that the reality of things had struck him, Sirius was unsure of his relationship with Remus. Sure, there was love...even, lust? He coloured visibly at the thought. His long, pale fingers threaded the simple pale green sheets on Remus' bed.

Sure, it was easy to admit his feelings in the spur of the moment – a nervous and at-the-brink-of-crying Remus was someone who made Sirius the most vulnerable to his own weaknesses. It wasn't that he had lied to Remus about his love last night...but there was something after that encounter with the whole gang that suddenly begged the question: Would this relationship, or fling, this thing, possibly even last?

His dark grey eyes clouded in confusion. There was no way he could deny the mutual attraction between them, but the thought of his other friends' opinions, or society's opinions, disturbed him.

Deep in thought, Sirius involuntarily balled up his fists that had been holding on to Remus' blankets. The sudden shift in movement caused the other boy to stir in his sleep.

"P-padfoot?" Remus blinked his golden eyes sleepily. "Wha– what time is it?"

To this, Sirius could not help but smile. He may have his reservations about society, but something in Remus' eyes, his person, told him that whatever conflict they would encounter, would be worth it.

The dark haired boy laced his fingers around the other boy's, earning him a blush and a choked response.

Yes, Sirius thought, loving Remus is definitely worth it.

"Sirius?"

Sirius tightened his hold on Remus' fragile hands, but not forcefully enough to hurt.

"I think, it's time," Sirius spoke, slowly, making eye-contact with Remus' own golden orbs, "that we show the world how great it is to be in love."

To be continued...

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A/N: That's it for now, guys! Please review, that's practically the only thing that keeps me writing! Let me know your thoughts on how I should continue this too, I'm honestly at wits' end trying to think of better plot progressions for this particular fic. I have in mind a few future fanfic projects are distracting me from writing this :O