"When we figured it out? Twelve, I think. Around there," Sirius replies, sliding the cloth down over Kieren's arms, his other hand slipping up to lighly comb through the hair just above Kieren's nape.

"It took us a good two or three more years to become Animagi," he continues, smiling a little at this part. It's been nearly a decade now and it's something he's still proud of. "There are dozens of spells involved, all sorts of strange potions and items required to accomplish it. But our goal, you see, was to be able to transform with Remus. As animals ourselves, we could keep him company on those hard nights."

He goes quiet then, lapsing into memories of dragging Remus out into the woods. Looking back, it'd been foolish. Reckless. It's by pure luck alone that Remus hadn't gotten loose on those nights, hadn't barrelled off to harm anything larger than rabbits and squirrels.

"Remus didn't know until we'd completed the spell," Sirius tells him, his smile faltering slightly. "And in all that time, we had to sit quietly and watch him become more battered and bruised with every full moon. Had to pretend we didn't know."