It began as a secret, just between him and Sirius. They were going to tell the others, but James was in detention at the time, and Peter was in the hospital wing sporting an almost-broken nose and a few nasty scratches due to his own carelessness near the Whomping Willow (though they didn’t tell the teacher that).

And by the time they had all gotten together again, Sirius had already given Remus The Look, which meant that what had begun merely as an excellent place to hold nocturnal parties had now turned into a room that was meant for them, and for them only. Remus at first felt a small twinge of guilt, but soon decided that James would have understood, had he known the exact situation. And Sirius… well, what he felt was probably enough to overwhelm any feelings of guilt that he may or may not have had about keeping the secret of the room between the two of them. At any rate, Remus never really felt the need to ask.

So the night that he saw a hastily scribbled note left under his pillow just after dinner (this time it was Sirius who had been in detention for most of the afternoon; something to do with a stunt involving a few bottles of Firewhisky and a new, somewhat explosive spell learned on the sly), Remus felt very little guilt indeed, mixed with nervousness and a prowling, restless sort of excitement. After all, there were only so many places that one could meet privately within Hogwarts, and very few of those that were entirely safe.

But this – this room they had stumbled upon after Sirius had recklessly shoved Remus against the cold stone wall in an empty hallway in a gesture of pure frustration late one evening (so very few private places indeed) – this was a god-send.

Remus crept downstairs, his side pressed to the stone. If he was caught now, just when they had found the perfect place, more than they could possibly ask for… but of course, he would not be discovered. He knew the castle all too well by now. They both did. His footsteps were almost soundless and he ghosted from step to step, avoiding the creaky stair and waiting a moment to ensure he could hear no sound other than his own carefully measured breathing before moving on.

Yes – he knew this school as if it were a part of himself. As if it was himself. In a way that James – clever, laughing, boisterous James – could perhaps never know. Oh yes, of course they all knew the same hidden passageways, the same out-of-the-way niches. But to truly know the castle as Remus knew it, then you had to be still and quiet, because you had to listen. You had to feel the building itself breathe in and out with the same breath that you did. And Remus had been listenening constantly, ever since first year and long before he felt any of what he felt now, in the dead of night when it was like no-one but he existed at all. Because this school was not just a school, but a home. And what you did in the privacy of your own home…

Privacy. It was his, theirs, at last.

He arrived finally at the right spot, and rapped softly with his knuckles. His own voice surprised him with its contained urgency. “Padfoot. Padfoot.”

The very wall seemed to shift at his words, and a door became visible for the briefest of moments, opening to allow him entrance. He slipped inside, a dark cloaked figure against the dark cloaked night. Pefect. It was perfect.

“Mooney. About time.”

Sirius greeted him softly, playfully, but there was a slight trembling in his voice, an intensity to his words that belied the careful nonchalance. His grip on Remus’ wrist was nearly painful.

“I came as fast as I could. I-“

Sirius shoved Remus against the wall harder than he had the first time, cutting his words short. This was their time now. Nobody would get in the way of it. Remus was more patient than Sirius, more wary, but Sirius was quickly wearing down those walls. Every touch, every involuntary gasp… it made Remus want to tear away everything and anything that prevented contact between them just as eagerly as Sirius seemed to.

His breath could no longer be held so cautiously in, could no longer be measured or controlled. The ground itself atop of which the castle stood seemed to shudder along with him, and the walls whispered to one another, telling one another what they heard, what they felt.

Remus, for once, was exceedingly glad that nobody else, James included, knew how to listen.