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Remus sighed has he picked up the discarded bottles of wizard and muggle alcohol from the night before. He glanced at the large lump on the couch. Sirius was still in a drunken slumber.
Remus placed the bottles into a recycling bin by the backdoor of his small cottage. He then set out to clean the split alcohol from the worn carpets and furniture and just about everything Sirius had touched before falling asleep. It was Sirius' turn to make breakfast since he had to work in the small muggle store in the nearby town.
Very few people knew of Sirius' little alcohol problem. Well, it wasn't exactly little. Sirius was in fact an alcoholic and was able to get Remus to buy him liquor by telling him it helped relieve of his nightmarish memories of his time in Azkaban. Remus vowed that this time he wasn't going to get any. He didn't need Sirius beating on him for something as small as cleaning up the room.
Money couldn't have been tighter. Remus was used to penny-pinching and hunting for every sale item that was of use to him and clipping every coupon he knew he needed. Sirius, unable to withdraw anything for his Gringotts account, was guzzling down all of Remus' hard earned money with all the alcohol.
Now the house at least smelled somewhat decent. Remus had a plan to leave the house long before Sirius woke, "forgetting" to make him breakfast. He just hoped that he would be able to carry out the plan. He didn't want to spend another night crying for the man that was being drowned by all the alcohol.


Remus made it through the door with a sigh of relief. In his arms were the groceries that he knew they needed. Nothing alcoholic at all. Sirius was waiting expectantly in the worn armchair.
"What's in the bag?" He asked in an irritable tone. Remus hesitated slightly.
"Groceries." He replied simply, not in the mood for talking. Sirius got up and followed him into the small kitchen.
"You didn't make me breakfast." He growled.
"I didn't have time to." Remus replied as he started to put the groceries away. "I had to be into work early today and you were sleeping like the dead."
"Did you at least get me some ale?" Sirius said, picking through the bags.
"I couldn't afford it this time." Remus said, "Money's tighter than usual for me right now, Padfoot. It's hard for me to pay for the extra food, never mind luxuries."
"No ale?" Sirius said, "Well, go back out and buy some!"
"I don't have the money and you shouldn't be tainting yourself with that stuff!" Remus hissed. Sirius glared at him angrily for a minute before striking him. Remus let out a small yelp.
"Go back out!" Sirius bellowed, shaking the walls of the cottage slightly. Remus looked up at him, terrified. He had read in a muggle study that people who are getting over alcoholism or quitting smoking tend to be violent and short-tempered.
"I don't have the money." Remus choked, on the verge of tears. Sirius had never before struck him and he hoped that he never will again.
"Yes you do!" Sirius yelled, "You just don't care if I have nightmares! You don't care that I have to relive those horrible moments over and over again in my mind! You just don't care, do you Remus?!"
"I do care!" Remus cried, "I just don't have the money and I don't want you tainting your body with that junk. Here, try this energy drink I got from the store. It's cheaper than alcohol and better for you."
"And why the bloody hell do you think that I would drink that crap?!" Sirius yelled, "You drink it and go get me some ale."

The next day Remus had the day off. Sirius slept well into the afternoon, so he decided to write a letter. It was to Harry because he didn't think that anyone else would listen to his problems. Also, he had a good feeling that the teen would be more than happy to listen and let Remus release his emotions. The poor boy was probably happy just to get some news of what was going on in his former professor's life.
The reply came much sooner than Remus expected. Hedwig at arrived that night with Harry's reply while Remus was in his room, avoiding Sirius at all cost while he was drunk. He placed a bowl of water before the owl, unable to spare any food for her. Then he opened the letter.

Dear Remus,
Wow, I didn't know that he was an alcoholic. When did he start drinking? Was it before he went to Azkaban? Are you doing alright?
Sorry about that, I just can't help but think about this. And I am a little worried. People can do things that they wouldn't normally do while drunk, but I bet you already know that. I really need to know this though, have you told anyone else? You know, for a little more help? Maybe he needs to go into rehab or a support group.
Sorry that this letter is so short compared to yours. But I have limited time you know. And thank you for the energy drink. Too bad he wouldn't drink it. It was good.
Sincerely,
Harry

Remus smiled. At least Harry was willing to talk to him. Unfortunately though, his reply will have to wait until the next day. He could here Sirius coming up the stairs, ready to curl up in a drunken slumber. Remus, of course, would go into the living room once he was sure that his drunken lover was sleeping soundly. There was no way that he was going to sleep with the strong scent of ale being blown into his face.


Remus had gone through his morning routine once again. It seemed that Sirius had vomited in the bedroom. Remus had spent an hour disinfecting the area. Of course, there were the empty bottles of ale and stains that had been left from Sirius spilling some of it as he stumbled throughout the house. One good thing was, was that the empty box that Remus had designated as the recycling bin was full. Meaning that he could maybe buy a little more food for the two of them. Hopefully Sirius wouldn't ask for ale.
"Remus!" Sirius yelled down the stairs, "MOONY!! Where are you?"
"I'm in the kitchen!" Remus called back, wincing. He had been hoping to have left the house once again before Sirius had woken. No such luck.
Sirius stumbled in to find Remus sorting out the bottles and other recyclables. No breakfast was on the table, for Remus had already eaten his meek meal. The dishes had been washed and carefully put away in the order that Remus found fit.
"Where's breakfast?" Sirius spat. "You didn't make me breakfast again."
"I apologize for having other things to do, Sirius." Remus said, "You must understand that you aren't my only responsibility."
"I will be if you want to keep me as yours." Sirius sniffed, "Now I want breakfast. Eggs preferably."
"You ate the last of the eggs yesterday." Remus sighed, "And I haven't gotten my pay check yet, so we will have to make due until the end of the week."
"I want eggs." Sirius said stiffly.
"There are no eggs." Remus said with an annoyed sigh. Sirius seemed to notice the recycling suddenly and his eyes lit up.
"Are you going to buy me more ale?" Sirius said, "I fear that I have run out."
"Oh, Sirius." Remus sighed, "There are other ways to prevent the memories. You do not, under any circumstances, need alcohol to do that."
"You don't care do you?" Sirius asked coldly. "You don't love me anymore. You most likely stopped loving me when I was wrongfully accused."
"No, I still love you Sirius." Remus whispered, "I always have."
"Then you will buy me more ale!" Sirius yelled.
"But, because I love you, Sirius, it gives me more reason to withhold alcohol from you." Remus said, "You shouldn't drink that poison like you do. Its binge drinking, Sirius. You could die from alcohol poisoning. Please, Sirius. I don't want you to die like that! I don't want you to poison yourself like that! I want to grow old with you and lead a happy life-"
"SHUT UP!!" Sirius bellowed, "You don't care! You never have cared since we've been reunited!"
"No!" Remus cried, "No! I have cared about you! I wouldn't be doing this unless I didn't care about you!"
"Just go do whatever the hell you do during the day!" Sirius yelled, dismissing Remus. He turned on his heels and went back to the bedroom. Remus stood in the kitchen for sometime afterward. This isn't the Sirius that he had fallen in love with. The Sirius he loved would never drink anymore than Remus. But why did he change like this? Why does he claim that Remus no longer loves him? How could he claim this?
'I'll have to tell Harry about this.' Remus thought as he gathered his things and left the cottage for the day.