Jul. 27th, 2010 04:54 pm
Title: These Four Kings (Year Three 2/4)
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fox_confessorTitle: These Four Kings (Year Three 2/4)
Author: Dani (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
escribo)
Word Count: 1539
Rating: PG
(Pairings: in the future will be Remus/Sirius, Lily/James)
Timeline: December 8 (Saturday) 1973
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. I've not made nor seek any profit.
Year 1: one/ two/ three/ four/ five/ six/ seven
Year 2: one/ two/ three/ four
Year 3: one
As Sirius walked down the tunnel, he pressed himself tight against the cool stone wall and moved silently. His wand was drawn, a curse on his lips, and he struggled to listen for footsteps or the swish of robes in the dark. He’d already lost his footing once, tearing the knee from his trousers, but he was unwilling to use a Lumos charm, not wanting even its dim light to ruin his adventure. He knew this is how James would do it, too, and that it would make a better story when he finally made his way back up to their room, to Remus, so he felt it was his duty to stumble along in the dark. Besides, it made it easier to pretend that he was an auror on the trail of dark wizards, some of whom were probably relatives.
James had only just found the passage a week ago while serving detention with Filch, and they hadn’t had time to properly explore it yet. Sirius had planned to show it to Remus that morning, taking a chance that it would actually lead to where James thought it would--the Hog’s Head, and James had been close. Sirius had instead ended up in Honeydukes’ cellar and grateful for the invisibility cloak, but alone because Remus had stayed behind. He’d said it was too cold to venture out, even when it meant that he wouldn’t be able to buy the Christmas presents on the small list Sirius knew Remus had tucked away between the pages of his History of Magic text.
Sirius knew it wasn’t the cold that kept Remus inside. Remus had been the first one out the weekend before when there had finally been enough snow for Gryffindor to challenge all comers in a snow war, serving as James’ first lieutenant in the Battle of the Greenhouses when the Hufflepuffs had tried to rout them out on their northern flank. The weekend before that there'd been no snow but it had been bitterly cold when Gryffindor played Slytherin in the first Quidditch match of the season, and Remus had sat with them in the stands to cheer James on in his first match as Chaser. Sirius knew that Remus knew three different warming charms and one terribly clever spell to keep water out of his shoes, and declared Sirius a delicate flower when he said he’d abandoned the game altogether if Parsons didn’t hurry and catch the snitch already. Sirius knew it wasn’t the weather but the full moon that kept Remus inside rather than sneaking down to Hogsmeade with Sirius, not that Remus had to sneak.
Sirius’ daydreams of aurors and daring deeds evaporated as his thoughts turned to Remus and his red rimmed eyes, the tremor in his hands, and his pale cheeks. For most of the month, Sirius could almost forget Remus was a werewolf; or at least he could forget that it was something horrible. Remus almost never shied away from a prank or a plot, no matter how ridiculous it was, and Sirius hated that sometimes things like a trip into Hogsmeade were ruined for him because of something he couldn’t control. Worse were the days after, when Remus was forced to stay in the infirmary, his body torn apart. He’d go strangely quiet then, his eyes distant and his thoughts to places where Sirius couldn’t follow.
Lost in his own thoughts, Sirius stumbled when the floor of the tunnel changed unexpectedly, and he caught himself just in time to save his other knee, his fingers curling tight around his wand though he dropped his few bags and had to search around a bit to find them. The climb back up to the statue that hid the entrance to the tunnel was steep, and then it took him a while to find the catch that would let him back into the castle, his feet sliding out from beneath him again and again. When he finally slid out from beneath the hump of the statue and fell sprawling out onto the floor, his bags, their contents, and his wand went flying, and he sat blinking in the sudden light. Sirius was covered in dust and dirt, and not just his trousers were tore. Next time, he thought as he struggled to his feet, he’d use Lumos.
"Sirius?"
Sirius stopped short at the sound of his brother's voice and wished he'd not stuffed the invisibility cloak into his pocket. "Why are you creeping around up here, Reg?"
"You've been to Hogsmeade, haven't you?"
"I haven't." Sirius lied easily and then fidgeted as he watched Regulus looked at the packages and presents that had spilled from Sirius' bags. "Even if I had, I wouldn't tell you, would I."
"Mum says you're not allowed."
"Mum's not here." Sirius pushed past Regulus and grabbed his wand. When he stood, Regulus was still staring at him.
"I won't tell her."
"I don't care if you do."
"I won't." They stood staring at each other for a minute more before Sirius pushed past Regulus and began gathering up the things he'd bought, jamming them back into the bags.
"Sirius?"
"What do you want?"
"Did you already get something for mum and dad for Christmas?"
"No."
"Who are the chess sets for?"
"Not them."
"You have two."
"Well, it takes two, doesn't it."
Regulus picked up one of the boxes from the floor and held it out to Sirius. Sirius looked up at Regulus and bit his lip before he took it, slipping into the bag with the other. He'd spent most of his time in Hogsmeade picking out the two sets, one for Remus and the other for Remus to give to his dad. There was no way Sirius was telling that to Regulus, though. It was bad enough that James and Peter had hung about. Not that it was a secret. Not that Sirius had anything to hide.
"You already have a set," Regulus persisted when it was clear that Sirius wouldn't tell him anything more. He'd put his hands on his hips, looking very much like their mother, pretty if pinched, and the turn to their lips always wavering somewhere between a smile and sneer.
"What do you care, Regulus? They're presents. Why are you even up here? It's no where near the library or the common room. You've got no reason to come this far."
"I was coming to see you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Well, you have now."
"I thought maybe because you couldn't go to Hogsmeade with your friends that we could do something."
"Lupin is upstairs. I only came out for some air."
"Oh."
Regulus shifted on his feet, his hands crammed down into his pockets. It was something that he'd picked up from Sirius, something their mother always hated seeing Sirius do, and that thought made him grin a bit. They weren't very alike otherwise, other than they both had black hair and gray eyes, that they both had their father's nose and their mother's chin. Sirius wasn't willing to admit any other similarities, though he was more than happy to point out the differences, like how Regulus would likely never be as tall as Sirius or how his high, clear voice made it sound as though he were constantly simpering around his slight lisp. Sirius stood straight and tall now, towering a bit, and looked down his nose at Regulus.
"Did you want to get something for them together?" Regulus asked, unwilling to back down from Sirius, and for just a moment Sirius had a flash of the same disappointment he'd felt when Regulus had been sorted in Slytherin well over a year ago.
"Fine," Sirius said, giving just a little even as he turned to leave. He was unsurprised when Regulus didn't try to stop him, more surprised to find that he wished Regulus would. He made it nearly to the end of the hall before Regulus spoke again.
"Sirius? Are they for Lupin?"
"What?"
"The chess sets. It's just that I know he's sick a lot, so I was wondering if they were for him."
"He's not."
"Okay, but--"
"No buts. I told you before not to talk about him."
"I wasn't talking about him. I mean, I wasn't saying anything bad. I wouldn't. I mean, I haven't since."
"And those gits you call your friends?"
"They're in my house."
"You could have chosen differently."
"So could you have."
"I chose right, Reg. I did." Sirius jammed his wand into his back pocket and shifted his bags from one hand to the other. "You chose him over me."
"Who? Father?"
"He's never there, right? He's always off to one of his clubs and I was always there, and yet you still chose him over me."
"It wasn't like that. You know it wasn't. The Sorting Hat--"
"That's the easy path, right? You'll turn out just like everyone else in our family. Dark wizards, the lot of them, believing all that rot about pure bloods I'm going to be different, Reg," Sirius said as he turned on his heels and headed back up to Gryffindor. "I am different."
next
(skips ahead to year 5--sorry for the out-of-order-ness)
Author: Dani (
escribo)
Word Count: 1539
Rating: PG
(Pairings: in the future will be Remus/Sirius, Lily/James)
Timeline: December 8 (Saturday) 1973
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. I've not made nor seek any profit.
Year 1: one/ two/ three/ four/ five/ six/ seven
Year 2: one/ two/ three/ four
Year 3: one
As Sirius walked down the tunnel, he pressed himself tight against the cool stone wall and moved silently. His wand was drawn, a curse on his lips, and he struggled to listen for footsteps or the swish of robes in the dark. He’d already lost his footing once, tearing the knee from his trousers, but he was unwilling to use a Lumos charm, not wanting even its dim light to ruin his adventure. He knew this is how James would do it, too, and that it would make a better story when he finally made his way back up to their room, to Remus, so he felt it was his duty to stumble along in the dark. Besides, it made it easier to pretend that he was an auror on the trail of dark wizards, some of whom were probably relatives.
James had only just found the passage a week ago while serving detention with Filch, and they hadn’t had time to properly explore it yet. Sirius had planned to show it to Remus that morning, taking a chance that it would actually lead to where James thought it would--the Hog’s Head, and James had been close. Sirius had instead ended up in Honeydukes’ cellar and grateful for the invisibility cloak, but alone because Remus had stayed behind. He’d said it was too cold to venture out, even when it meant that he wouldn’t be able to buy the Christmas presents on the small list Sirius knew Remus had tucked away between the pages of his History of Magic text.
Sirius knew it wasn’t the cold that kept Remus inside. Remus had been the first one out the weekend before when there had finally been enough snow for Gryffindor to challenge all comers in a snow war, serving as James’ first lieutenant in the Battle of the Greenhouses when the Hufflepuffs had tried to rout them out on their northern flank. The weekend before that there'd been no snow but it had been bitterly cold when Gryffindor played Slytherin in the first Quidditch match of the season, and Remus had sat with them in the stands to cheer James on in his first match as Chaser. Sirius knew that Remus knew three different warming charms and one terribly clever spell to keep water out of his shoes, and declared Sirius a delicate flower when he said he’d abandoned the game altogether if Parsons didn’t hurry and catch the snitch already. Sirius knew it wasn’t the weather but the full moon that kept Remus inside rather than sneaking down to Hogsmeade with Sirius, not that Remus had to sneak.
Sirius’ daydreams of aurors and daring deeds evaporated as his thoughts turned to Remus and his red rimmed eyes, the tremor in his hands, and his pale cheeks. For most of the month, Sirius could almost forget Remus was a werewolf; or at least he could forget that it was something horrible. Remus almost never shied away from a prank or a plot, no matter how ridiculous it was, and Sirius hated that sometimes things like a trip into Hogsmeade were ruined for him because of something he couldn’t control. Worse were the days after, when Remus was forced to stay in the infirmary, his body torn apart. He’d go strangely quiet then, his eyes distant and his thoughts to places where Sirius couldn’t follow.
Lost in his own thoughts, Sirius stumbled when the floor of the tunnel changed unexpectedly, and he caught himself just in time to save his other knee, his fingers curling tight around his wand though he dropped his few bags and had to search around a bit to find them. The climb back up to the statue that hid the entrance to the tunnel was steep, and then it took him a while to find the catch that would let him back into the castle, his feet sliding out from beneath him again and again. When he finally slid out from beneath the hump of the statue and fell sprawling out onto the floor, his bags, their contents, and his wand went flying, and he sat blinking in the sudden light. Sirius was covered in dust and dirt, and not just his trousers were tore. Next time, he thought as he struggled to his feet, he’d use Lumos.
"Sirius?"
Sirius stopped short at the sound of his brother's voice and wished he'd not stuffed the invisibility cloak into his pocket. "Why are you creeping around up here, Reg?"
"You've been to Hogsmeade, haven't you?"
"I haven't." Sirius lied easily and then fidgeted as he watched Regulus looked at the packages and presents that had spilled from Sirius' bags. "Even if I had, I wouldn't tell you, would I."
"Mum says you're not allowed."
"Mum's not here." Sirius pushed past Regulus and grabbed his wand. When he stood, Regulus was still staring at him.
"I won't tell her."
"I don't care if you do."
"I won't." They stood staring at each other for a minute more before Sirius pushed past Regulus and began gathering up the things he'd bought, jamming them back into the bags.
"Sirius?"
"What do you want?"
"Did you already get something for mum and dad for Christmas?"
"No."
"Who are the chess sets for?"
"Not them."
"You have two."
"Well, it takes two, doesn't it."
Regulus picked up one of the boxes from the floor and held it out to Sirius. Sirius looked up at Regulus and bit his lip before he took it, slipping into the bag with the other. He'd spent most of his time in Hogsmeade picking out the two sets, one for Remus and the other for Remus to give to his dad. There was no way Sirius was telling that to Regulus, though. It was bad enough that James and Peter had hung about. Not that it was a secret. Not that Sirius had anything to hide.
"You already have a set," Regulus persisted when it was clear that Sirius wouldn't tell him anything more. He'd put his hands on his hips, looking very much like their mother, pretty if pinched, and the turn to their lips always wavering somewhere between a smile and sneer.
"What do you care, Regulus? They're presents. Why are you even up here? It's no where near the library or the common room. You've got no reason to come this far."
"I was coming to see you."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Well, you have now."
"I thought maybe because you couldn't go to Hogsmeade with your friends that we could do something."
"Lupin is upstairs. I only came out for some air."
"Oh."
Regulus shifted on his feet, his hands crammed down into his pockets. It was something that he'd picked up from Sirius, something their mother always hated seeing Sirius do, and that thought made him grin a bit. They weren't very alike otherwise, other than they both had black hair and gray eyes, that they both had their father's nose and their mother's chin. Sirius wasn't willing to admit any other similarities, though he was more than happy to point out the differences, like how Regulus would likely never be as tall as Sirius or how his high, clear voice made it sound as though he were constantly simpering around his slight lisp. Sirius stood straight and tall now, towering a bit, and looked down his nose at Regulus.
"Did you want to get something for them together?" Regulus asked, unwilling to back down from Sirius, and for just a moment Sirius had a flash of the same disappointment he'd felt when Regulus had been sorted in Slytherin well over a year ago.
"Fine," Sirius said, giving just a little even as he turned to leave. He was unsurprised when Regulus didn't try to stop him, more surprised to find that he wished Regulus would. He made it nearly to the end of the hall before Regulus spoke again.
"Sirius? Are they for Lupin?"
"What?"
"The chess sets. It's just that I know he's sick a lot, so I was wondering if they were for him."
"He's not."
"Okay, but--"
"No buts. I told you before not to talk about him."
"I wasn't talking about him. I mean, I wasn't saying anything bad. I wouldn't. I mean, I haven't since."
"And those gits you call your friends?"
"They're in my house."
"You could have chosen differently."
"So could you have."
"I chose right, Reg. I did." Sirius jammed his wand into his back pocket and shifted his bags from one hand to the other. "You chose him over me."
"Who? Father?"
"He's never there, right? He's always off to one of his clubs and I was always there, and yet you still chose him over me."
"It wasn't like that. You know it wasn't. The Sorting Hat--"
"That's the easy path, right? You'll turn out just like everyone else in our family. Dark wizards, the lot of them, believing all that rot about pure bloods I'm going to be different, Reg," Sirius said as he turned on his heels and headed back up to Gryffindor. "I am different."
(skips ahead to year 5--sorry for the out-of-order-ness)
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