Work Text:
Remus, unwilling to acknowledge the persistently ringing telephone, chose to ignore it. It must have been the sixth time it had sounded when Sirius finally spoke up. "Pick up the phone, will you?"
Remus was beyond frustrated. It was 3:00 am, for Merlin's sake!
Who in the world could be calling at such an ungodly hour? Reluctantly, he answered the call, only to discover within five seconds who the caller was.
"I can't remember where Regulus sat."
"James..." Remus never expected to hear these words. Of all the things James could have said, this was the last thing he anticipated. "Are you alright?"
"Where was Regulus seated on the day we first invited him to the common room? Was he in front of me or by my side?"
“Why did it matter now?” Remus's anger dissipated, replaced by an overwhelming sense of weariness. He could hear James breathing rapidly, as though on the brink of despair.
"I've been trying to write about that day, but I can't remember him." James's voice trembled as he spoke. "I remember the color of your shirt, the drinks we had. But Regulus... Regulus is slipping away from me."
"James..." Remus was at a loss for words. "Why don't we discuss this later, when it's not so late..."
"I'm terrified that I'm forgetting him." James's desperation seeped through his words, piercing Remus's heart. "It's as if I'm losing him all over again."
Remus had witnessed James's downward spiral since Regulus's passing. It was evident every day, a constant reminder of the void left behind. James was but a mere shadow of his former self, aching for the companionship he had lost. It had been a difficult time for everyone, but Remus had assumed that they had all found their own ways to cope and move forward. He was mistaken.
He longed to implore James to cease this self-inflicted pain, to urge him to let the past remain where it belonged. After all, Remus couldn't recall where Regulus had sat all those years ago. But instead, he found himself uttering the only words he knew would bring solace to James's tormented mind.
"He was always by your side."