Sep. 26th, 2011 04:08 pm
Fic: These Four Kings (Year Seven 3/?)
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fox_confessorTitle: These Four Kings (Year Seven 3/?)
Author: Dani (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
escribo)
Word count: 5300
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Lily/James (in the future will be Remus/Sirius)
Timeline: September (Friday) 1977
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/ two/three/four
Year 4 (coming in the future when work quits eating my brains! Sorry for the out-of-order-ness)
Year 5 one/ two/ three/ four/ five/ six/ seven/ eight
Year 6 one/ two/ three/ four/ five/ six/ seven/ eight/ nine
Summer one/ two
Year 7 one/ two
"How long do you think that's going to last before Moony snaps?"
James followed Sirius' line of vision to where Remus stood on the far side of the D.A.D.A.'s classroom with Sabine. She was hanging onto Remus' arm, onto his every word, laughing too loud at Remus' attempts to cast a Patronus charm. He wasn't having much luck, no better than Sirius, with barely a thin silver wisp poofing from the end of his wand before it dissolved into nothing. James could see what Sirius meant. With every twittering giggle from Sabine, Remus scowled a bit harder, an unusual show of frustration from a boy long accustomed to keeping his emotions suppressed from all but the best of his friends.
"How long did your last relationship last?" James asked, hoping to distract Sirius a bit. He'd been on edge ever since they'd begun working this chapter in Defense, convinced that his use of Dark Magic to save Remus' life had doomed them both.
"We're not talking about me. And that's not a relationship. Who even says that?"
"Anybody capable of maintaining one for more than three days."
"He's just seventeen."
"So am I." James twirled his wand between his fingers, grinning as he watched Lily attempt to cast her charm. "So are you for that matter."
"Only for another month."
"I don't think he's serious about her, if that helps."
"I know that."
"I wonder sometimes."
"She got him tossed out of the library last night."
"I hope it was worth it."
Sirius huffed but didn't say anything. James took advantage of the momentary break in Sirius' whinging to try the charm again. He hadn't managed more than a silvery wisp, either, but he was sure of his happy thought--she was smiling at him from across the room. This time when he cast the spell, the wisp took on a shape--not quite an animal, at least nothing anyone else could recognize but from the size he knew then what it would be, and he laughed out loud. "C'mon Pads, try again."
"It's no use."
"Nonsense. Give it your happiest thought."
"I don't have one."
"Bollocks. How about the when you left--"
"What does he even see in her? She sounds like a herd of doxies."
"Congress."
"What?"
"A congress of doxies, that's what they're called when there's more than-- Nevermind. He's just having a good time. He deserves it."
"I know that," Sirius bit out sharply, but James only shook his head. Sirius had been carrying on like this for the entire week Sabine and Remus had been together--angry when she took Sirius' usual seat in the Great Hall, sulking all night when Remus went with Sabine to the library. In fact, the only time James could remember Sirius smiling at all this week had been this morning at breakfast before Sabine showed up with apologies, attempting to cajol Remus into forgiving her for getting him tossed from the library James guessed.
James wasn't sure how much more of Sirius he could take before he moved on to another idea to get Sirius to admit to Remus how he felt. He decided, as he gathered his books together at the end of class, that perhaps this plan merely needed a tweak--a slight nudge toward the inevitable outcome.
"Listen, why don't you grab a date and come out with us tonight." James tried for casual as they left the classroom and walked just behind Remus and Sabine as they headed toward the Great Hall and lunch. He could tell that Sirius wasn't buying it.
"Out where?"
"Behind the greenhouses. Lily is bringing some wine and Wormy procured a couple of bottles of firewhiskey. Remus is coming--"
"With her, I suppose."
"And Peter and his girl. C'mon. There are at least three girls following us right now who would hex each other for the chance to go out with you."
Sirius looked over his shoulder and grimaced to find that James hadn't actually been joking. "I think not."
"Then find some boy. I'd start with the Ravenclaws."
"How very droll, James. How terribly clever of you, start with the Ravenclaws."
"I'm being helpful."
"I bet you are."
"I don't know how your sort gets on, is all."
"I don't have a sort, tosser. I can't even believe we're having this conversation."
James stopped Sirius just outside the Great Hall with a hand to his shoulder, leaning in so that he wouldn't be overheard in the stream of fellow students who moved around them on their way to lunch. "Just come with someone. At this point I don't even care if it's--"
"Don't even suggest it."
"I told you before, you either have to be happy for Moony or ask him out yourself, but we're all tired of the wounded puppy act."
"Did he say--" Sirius blurted out, his eyes going wide as he grabbed the front of James' robes.
"He didn't say anything. Scared you to think that he might, though, didn't it." James raised his eyebrows at Sirius' dirty look but said nothing more.
"Fine."
"Fine."
***
That night, the wine disappeared first and fast, Lily having transformed four hot house roses James stole for her into passable if tremendously delicate goblets that dissolved into a mass of soggy petals before they could be filled a third time. The boys had passed around one of the two bottles of firewhiskey, until they had all become slightly tipsy. While a drunk James grew increasingly affectionate and Peter became of a philosopher of sorts, pontificating in an easy way about nothing in particular, it was Remus who held Sirius' attention. Drunk, Remus could finally relax, the whole of his being going slack and at his ease. He smiled more, his eyes bright in the crackling firelight, and he developed a kind of biting, relentless cheerfulness.
A trip back to the greenhouse for more roses had left Remus slightly breathless, his cheeks pink, as he leaned against Sabine, his arm tossed over her shoulder. He dropped the roses into Lily's lap and then stepped over James' long legs with an agility and elegance that Sirius could see Sabine admired as well. Sirius couldn't help but notice how his well worn jeans pulled tightly as he bent over Peter to retrieve the wine bottle, upending it when he realized it was empty. Sabine was still holding onto his elbow as they both swayed precariously close to the fire and Sirius was quick to jump to his feet.
"Careful, Moony," Sirius said as he reached for Remus' hand. He couldn't help his grin either when Remus smiled brightly at him in return. Remus was wearing a red Gryffindor jumper he'd borrowed from James for the night and Sirius decided then that he'd buy Remus one of his own for Christmas. His smile softened at the thought, though it was quickly erased when Sabine pushed herself between them and took Remus' hand in her own.
"I can help him," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "He prefers me, anyway, don't you, Remy?"
"Remus."
"What?" Sabine and Remus both asked, Sabine with a glare.
"His name. He hates being called Remy."
"Not by me."
"No more arguing," James called, interrupting Sirius before he could bite out a reply. "You two have to get along. It's the rule."
"Since when?" Sirius said, returning Sabine's glare with a haughty stare of his own as he looked down at her.
"Since now. Or you'll both have to drink more wine until you're fast friends."
"That's unlikely," Remus murmured so that only Sirius heard.
"What did you say, Remy dear?"
"I said it's unlikely to happen," Remus said more clearly though he continued to smile benignly, never breaking eye contact with Sirius. "Since, we're out of wine."
"We didn't have enough to begin with," Sirius answered.
"Not nearly," Remus said, a laugh hiding in his words.
Sirius had nearly forgotten they had an audience at all until Sabine stood on her toes and slid her hand over Remus' cheek to turn his face toward her. Before she could kiss him, Sirius spotted a flash beneath the collar of her shirt.
"That's a pretty little necklace," he said. Sirius reached into the V of her tight blouse to lift out the silver charm that hung on a chain around her neck and held it balanced on his fingertip. "Have you seen this, Remus?"
"Almost as pretty as yours." Remus still sounded quite amused as he reached up to push his thumb over the lump of mangled tin hidden beneath Sirius' shirt. Sirius could feel his cheek warm up at Remus' touch but before he could think of anything to say, Sabine was batting Sirius' hand away and pulling Remus down to sit near the fire. Sirius quickly reached to help Remus down in a practiced move before sitting next to him. He didn't dare look at James though he knew without looking up that James' expression would be smug, the insufferable git.
The girl Sirius brought, a pretty little sixth year Hufflepuff, moved closer to him, tugging at her short skirt. She didn't break in her conversation with Peter's date, another Hufflepuff with chestnut hair and a large chest. Sirius couldn't remember her name but knew his girl was called Jessnina. They were laughing across the fire with Lily, though Sirius missed the joke as he continued to glare at Remus and Sabine.
"I'm up for it if James is."
Sirius heard Peter say, and Sirius turned as James laughed loudly. "Up for what?"
"A game."
"What kind of game?"
"A Hufflepuff game," Jessmina said, laughing harder as she crawled to her knees and had to tug at her skirt again before she reached into the front of her jumper. "I have something I stole from my sister."
"It's not stealing if you--"
"Let her finish, Sirius. You are in a foul mood tonight. Pass him the bottle again, Pete."
"Too right, James." Peter used his wand to pass the bottle along, making it bump against Sirius' shoulder until he grabbed it. "I wouldn't mind seeing what Jess has beneath her sweater."
Peter's laugh became a bray as soon as James joined in, but this time Sirius was stopped from making a comment when Remus shook his head and touched his hand to Sirius' leg, his let it go enough to distract Sirius completely.
"What is that?" Peter asked. He appeared to be slightly disappointed when Jessmina pulled what looked like a long thin crystal bottle hung from a gold chain from beneath her top.
"Fascinium," she said.
"Really?"
Jessmina hummed and smiled at him beguilingly. "My sister works for a company that brews all sorts of love potions and makes these little gift things."
"That's mildly disturbing," Remus whispered as he leaned across Sirius to look at the bottle more closely.
"It's perfectly harmless. It's not like it's Amortentia. Besides there's not enough to do more than make someone fancy you a bit. We play a game with it, and with this," she said, producing a sneakoscope from her pocket.
"What kind of game?"
Jessmina looked around toward Peter's date--Mary, Sirius remembered--and they both laughed. "You just take a sniff and then say what you smell."
"That sound a lot like Amortentia," Remus said.
"Since when do you know so much about love potions, Moony?" James called to him but Remus just laughed, dropping the bottle and leaning back onto his elbows.
"They don't make Amortentia. It'd be illegal. This is a lot less powerful."
"What does that do?" Peter asked. He wrinkled his nose when Mary took the bottle from Jessmina and held it beneath his nose.
"I don't think--"
"Here," James said, sitting up and reaching for the sneakoscope. "I'll go first."
When Mary handed him the bottle, James uncorked it and breathed in deeply. He laughed as he put the cork back in and passed it back. "Fresh mowed grass."
"I knew it," Lily said, "James is in love with the Quidditch pitch. The rest is probably broomsticks and sweaty socks."
"Absolutely but beneath it all, orange blossoms." James' smile turned blissful as he reclined back on his hands and gazed over at a surprised Lily. They said nothing more between them, but Sirius could tell by the look on both their faces that James had said exactly the right thing.
"I'll do it!" Sabine said and flashed Remus a grin that he missed completely. Sirius almost felt sorry for her.
Jessmina took the bottle back from Mary and the sneakoscope from James before she crawled over to kneel in front of Sabine. As she uncorked the bottle, Sabine leaned in eagerly and took a small, short breath.
"Sour sherbets!" She said, smiling again as she looked to Remus and Sirius could see that Remus blushed. The sour sherbets had been James', sent in a package from his mother, and a candy that none of the boys liked. Sirius supposed that answered the question about where they went.
"Laundry, like a clean shirt, starched," Sabine continued quickly before she lowered her head again and sniffed. She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head slightly before she let her glance flicker to Remus again, confused. "Like medicine and I don't know. Hospitals. That can't be right. Who would like that?"
Sabine caught herself then, her eyes sliding to Remus' cane before her whole face brightened. Suddenly, Sirius didn't feel sorry for her at all but quite hated her. "I went to the infirmary after you fell, Remus, last week. Sirius said you fell but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let me in to visit you."
The transformation at the last full moon had been easier on Remus since he was reunited with his pack but it still had required a couple of days stay in the infirmary, mostly because of Madame Pomfrey's overprotectiveness. Sirius hadn't blamed her though he'd known how irritated Remus had been about it. At that moment, Remus was frozen, staring open mouthed at Sirius.
"It was my fault," Sirius rushed to say before anyone else could fill the weird silence that was only disturbed by the crackling of the fire. "I tripped him. Not on purpose," he added, when Sabine turned on him, her mouth open in shock.
"It doesn't matter," Sabine said, clearly believing that her moment was just as momentous as she thought Lily's had been from the way she smiled at her from across the fire. She took Remus' wrist and balanced the sneakoscope in his hand. "You go next."
Sabine was nearly breathless as she waited for Jessmina to open the vial and Sirius decided he most definitely hated her. He flashed his eyes at Lily as if he meant to tell her right then before he caught himself, biting back the words, shocked into some kind of silence when he saw James looking positively triumphant. He was so distracted, he almost missed when Remus said, damp wool.
"Sheep," Peter immediately crowed, looking ridiculously proud of himself when the others laughed along, James the loudest.
"More laundry," Lily said. "Proof of my skill at matchmaking."
"Wet clothes is certainly a theme, there," James said. "But I have to say it's quite surprising from a bloke who color codes his sock drawer."
"I don't," Remus protested but he was laughing, too. "Neatness is not a failing, Potter. And it's not just clothes, not just-- It smells like a sweater or a scarf. It smells as if someone's only just come in from the rain."
"Go on," Sabine says, still pressing herself against him, her hands clutching at his shoulder.
Remus looked down at her before he leaned forward to sniff again at the vial Jessmina held out to him. "Leather," he said quietly. "Like an old satchel or—"
Remus stopped and shrugged his shoulder, shook his head slightly, enough to make his fringe fall into his eyes, unwilling to elaborate. Sirius thought for a moment that Remus had looked at him when he said it, Sirius filling in the round spaces of the "o" and the hard edge of the "r" of Remus' or, knowing that it was ridiculous to keep living in the twists and turns of Remus' words but it was like he couldn't help himself. Instead he thought about his leather boots, the leather book bag he'd carried since third year, the leather jacket he acquired when he got the motorcycle and that he wore on the weekends. Was wearing then. Sirius looked a bit triumphant at Sabine's confusion as she tried to apply the smell of leather to herself before she gave up, and shook her head.
"What else," she demanded, her fingers closing on Remus' wrist, the pale pink tips of her fingernails digging into his skin slightly.
"Nothing else," Remus said, not looking at anyone now. "There's nothing else."
The sneakoscope began a slow circuit, picking up speed as everyone looked at it, its whine lost to James' crowing laugh. "Out with it, Lupin. I've most shamelessly laid bare my very soul. You're in good company at least."
Sirius reached for the sneakoscope and lifted it from Remus' hand, weighing it in his own. He liked knowing that he had Remus' full attention and likely his gratitude as well for giving him an out to say whatever he wanted with impunity.
"What else, Remus," Sirius said, his voice low and soft, as if he most desperately wanted to hear the answer (he did) and confident in the knowledge that Remus would neither deny him an answer or the truth now that he could give it freely (he was). "I can guess if you'd like."
"No. I think not. Merlin knows what you'd say," Remus said as he straightened up, his line of sight going past the fire. "Cigarettes. Cheap ones."
"You don't smoke," Sabine said but her lips clearly tripped over the you, changing it from I only at the last second.
"Rarely," Remus said.
"And only when he's trying to look tough," Sirius added, grinning to think of the many they've shared.
"Moony doesn't have to smoke to look tough." Sabine reached up as if to trace that pink tipped nail over the worst of the fading scars across Remus' face. Sirius caught her hand by the wrist and drew it down.
"Don't call him that," he bit out, taking a bit of perverse pleasure in the way she gasped.
"Enough," James called out imperiously. "It's Black's go, though I'll remind him that ladies are present."
Jessmina moved over and pulled the stopper to offer the vial to Sirius as he let go of Sabine's hand, taking Jessmina's instead to draw it forward. He breathed in deeply of the potion and gave his answers without hesitation. "The library. Transfiguration section."
"Always knew you had a thing for McGonagall," James drawled.
"Parchment, you arse. Like the pages of an old book."
"Title?" Remus asked and Sirius only raised an eyebrow at him. He'd be able to say it if he wanted--the book that gave him the final answers that allowed him to connect with the wolf each full as Padfoot. James cut him off before he had the chance.
"Madame Pince, then. Probably since the last detention you had to serve with her. Carry on."
"Midnight."
"Midnight's not a smell," Sabine said shortly.
"The Forbidden Forest after the moon's crested, the loamy smell of earth and the wind blowing through the trees and over the lake. It smells like midnight."
"Fine," Lily conceded, sitting up and finding a smirk of her own. "Midnight. What else?"
Sirius leaned forward, his eyes closing as he breathed in deep. Jessmina leaned in with him as if she could smell it, too. "Strawberry jam."
Sirius opened his eyes in time to watch James' eyes dart to Remus, whose mornings weren't complete without toast and jam, and followed. He found that Remus was staring back, his eyes narrowed and hungry, but then it was gone as quick as it'd come. Remus was back to looking like the Remus most people saw though Sirius couldn't forget what he had seen. He was lost to it, missing completely what anyone else said or if there was actually a winner to their game. He was only brought back by the sound of James' laughter. When he finally looked away from Remus, the girl Peter had brought was standing up and enthusiastically explaining a new game.
"Do all Hufflepuff games involve kissing in the end?" James asked, still laughing.
"Most of them."
"I knew I asked to be placed in the wrong house," Peter said.
"This is a Muggle game," Lily said. "We call it spin the bottle."
"What do you know about kissing games?"
"More than you think, Potter."
"I'll go first!" Peter was practically bouncing on his knees as he grabbed for the still half full bottle of firewhiskey. He spun it carefully, going pale when the slender neck lands toward James. "That doesn't count!"
It was Sirius' turn to laugh at Peter's panic stricken face. "It absolutely counts Wormtail."
Peter went red in the face at Sirius' use of his nickname in front of the girls, which made James laugh even harder. Peter spluttered for a few minutes, and for a second Sirius thought that Peter might actually tell him off but when his words finally came, they weren't what Sirius had expected at all (though still not a surprise). "Not boys with boys or girls with girls!"
"Especially girls with girls," James said, winking at Peter. "Here give me the bottle. Let's make this a bit easier."
James cast a spell on the bottle before charming it to float above the fire. "There. You start, Jessmina."
Jessmina called spin and they all watched as the bottle wobbled above the fire before stopping to point at James. Jessmina's eyes widened as she looked first at her friend and then at Lily before she rose to feet and crossed to James. She bent over him, her short skirt showing a terrifying amount of thigh as she kissed him. When it was over, Lily had her arms crossed over her chest and Sirius had his humor back, thinking that it served her right for interfering.
The game moved quickly then: Peter's spin landing on the girl he'd brought, both giggling into their kiss so much that Sirius couldn't help but wonder how they got on alone. Then Peter's date landed Sirius, Sirius drawing back when he felt the quick dart of her tongue. He still didn't suspect anything when James' spin landed on Lily. It wasn't until Lily landed on James, and James winked at her did Sirius realize how else James charmed the bottle.
Lily noticed, too. "That bottle seems to have had a little help."
"Whatever do you mean, Evans?"
"I can't imagine. Your go Sabine."
Sabine laughed and clapped her hands, yelling spin and not waiting for the bottle to stop before she turned to kiss Remus. She grabbed his shoulders, catching him off guard. Her first kiss landed on his chin before she tried again, trying to turn it into something deeper. Remus was the first to pull away, embarrassed by the way everyone except Sirius was laughing and teasing the happy couple. The sound of his spin was almost lost to the sound of it, but it died away quickly when the bottle completed three shaky orbits to land on Sirius.
Sirius gaped at the bottle, shocked that it was pointing at him. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything beyond the buzz in his own ears or see anything more than the look that Remus was giving him. It was only the absence of James' laugh that made Sirius look up. There was guilt written all over James' face, a sight that was so singular that Sirius wished he had a Muggle camera so that he could capture the moment.
Peter was on his back, his hands over his stomach as he laughed. When Sirius finally looked away from James, he could see tears streaming down Peter's face. He could barely get his words out, hissing them high pitched between his giggles. "Own... Rules... Caught..."
The only other person not laughing was Sabine. She grabbed at Remus' arm the moment Remus began to move toward Sirius. Sirius beat him to it, though, thinking first to keep Remus from having to put pressure on his knee, and second that he didn't care if he did have an audience for this. He'd take his second kiss no matter who was watching, and his third as well if he was right about James' charm.
Sirius knelt over Remus, straddling his legs. He tilted Remus' chin with his thumb and pushed his hand through Remus' hair, going a bit weak when Remus smiled at him, the corners of his lips tipping up slowly. Sabine gave a huff of protest and someone behind them whistled in the seconds before Sirius kissed Remus with an open mouth, turning his head so that no one else could see when he deepened it or when Remus responded in kind, their tongues barely touching before Remus pulled away. Sirius brushed his nose against Remus', leaning in--wanting more--before pulling back just as quickly.
"That wasn't fair," Peter called, having gained some control though he was still sniggering to himself. "We couldn't tell if you actually kissed."
"He kissed me, Peter," Remus said very quietly. His eyes were still closed.
"No more games!" Lily called, and when Sirius looked over his shoulder from where he still straddled Remus' legs, she was taking the bottle from the fire. She took a drink and passed it James. When it reached Sirius, he stood and took a long drink before offering it to Remus. He took the bottle, their fingertips touching, before Remus sipped at the remaining whiskey. Sabine was watching Remus, too, her arms folded over her chest.
After that, the party broke up a bit, Peter disappearing in the direction of greenhouses with his date after James and Lily wandered off toward the lake. Jessmina was sitting with her arm crossed, sighing every so often in Sirius' direction but he ignored her in favor of trying to think of something to say to Remus. Remus was still sipping from the bottle of firewhiskey, determined, it seemed, to finish it off alone as Sabine watched.
"I'm cold," Sabine finally complained, frowning when Sirius pointed his wand at the fire without a word and made it blaze hotter. "I want to go back to the castle."
"What's stopping you?"
Sabine glared at him but before either of them could say anything, Remus put a hand on each of their shoulders. "We'll go back to the castle."
"Fine," they answered together.
"Sabine and I will go to the castle," Remus said, slurring his words slightly. "And you, my dear Padfoot, can stay here with-- Where did Jessmina go?"
Sirius and Sabine looked to the place where Jessmina had been sitting just a moment ago and found it empty.
"You're a terrible date. You'll have to find her and apologize. It's not polite to leave a date half through."
"I don't care about being polite."
"Which is what makes you so charming."
Sirius helped Remus get to his feet, handing him his cane when he swayed slightly. The empty bottle fell from his fingers and Sirius picked it up. "You're drunk, Moony."
"Mr. Moony's do not get drunk." Remus hooked the proffered cane over his arm as he spread them out wide. Sabine wrapped her arms around his waist at the same time Sirius reached out to steady him. "They may tipple from time to time. They may imbibe only enough to be sociable you see, but they most certainly do not get drunk."
This time when Remus took a staggering step, he tripping a bit over a tree root. Sirius took the cane from Remus' arm and put it into his hand. "Maybe we should just get you back up to the room."
"Nonsense! The night's still young. It is, isn't it? That is just one moon I see, right?" Remus tipped his head back to look up at the sky, dragging Sabine back for a couple of stumbling steps. "Merlin! Could you imagine if there were two?"
"I really think you should go back to the tower, Remus," Sirius said as he tried to ignore the way Sabine was pressing her face into Remus' neck. He tried to pull her away so that he could steer Remus back up to the castle but she wouldn't budge.
"No thinking, Pads. You always say don't think."
"I tell you not to overthink things."
"Same thing."
"Very different things."
"I'm going over there," Remus said, ignoring Sirius completely and pointing to the greenhouses. Sabine laughed again and Sirius found the sound more grating than he had all night. He had the strong urge to hex her, especially when she began walking backwards toward the greenhouses, tugging Remus along with her. "We're going over there," Remus said. "And I don't intend to think at all for at least the next quarter hour."
"Remus--" Sirius pleaded but Remus only drew himself up tall, and as steady as he could manage.
"Sit!" Remus commanded, pointing his finger at Sirius, and Sirius sank back onto his knees, his eyes narrowing. "I'm going to finish my date, because I'm unfailingly polite. Professor McGonagall once wrote that in a letter to my father, did you know that?"
Sirius shook his head.
"I'm going to go over there, Sirius, and I'm not going to think. Or overthink. And then I'm going to owl my mum--in the morning probably because I'm not feeling well right now."
"Then let me take you back to the room."
"No," Remus said. He motioned for Sabine to stay where she was before he stumbled back to where Sirius was kneeling, and bent so that only Sirius could hear him. Sirius was surprised when his speech came out clear, with none of the drunken slurs left. "In the morning I'm going to tell my mum all about my date because that's what she wants, and I'm exceedingly polite and always do what I’m told. Except I'm going to leave out the part where I kissed you--"
"I kissed you."
Remus turned quicker than Sirius thought him capable at that moment and kissed Sirius hard and fast, stunning him into silence, before drawing back. "That's the part I'm going to leave out. Now, where was I?"
"You were telling me to sit," Sirius whispered.
"Yesprecisely," Remus said, slurring the words together until they were almost unrecognizable. He smiled lopsidedly at Sirius, and reached out to scratch behind Sirius' ear. "Good boy."
"Woof."
Sirius watched as Sabine and Remus walk in the direction of the greenhouses, though he turned away before they reached the path of the gardens. He sat for a long time, watching the stars and thinking about the evening. He knew that James would want to offer up an apology, and that Remus would want to pretend none of it happened. He decided he didn't want that from either of them. What he wanted was-- Sirius stood and extinguished the fire with his wand. He wanted Remus to be happy, just as he had told James before. As he kicked dirt over the charred ground, he made another decision--if Sabine made Remus happy, then Sirius would be happy for them. With his hands buried deep into his pockets, Siruis trudged his way back up to the castle alone.
continue
Author: Dani (
escribo)Word count: 5300
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Lily/James (in the future will be Remus/Sirius)
Timeline: September (Friday) 1977
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/ two/three/four
Year 4 (coming in the future when work quits eating my brains! Sorry for the out-of-order-ness)
Year 5 one/ two/ three/ four/ five/ six/ seven/ eight
Year 6 one/ two/ three/ four/ five/ six/ seven/ eight/ nine
Summer one/ two
Year 7 one/ two
"How long do you think that's going to last before Moony snaps?"
James followed Sirius' line of vision to where Remus stood on the far side of the D.A.D.A.'s classroom with Sabine. She was hanging onto Remus' arm, onto his every word, laughing too loud at Remus' attempts to cast a Patronus charm. He wasn't having much luck, no better than Sirius, with barely a thin silver wisp poofing from the end of his wand before it dissolved into nothing. James could see what Sirius meant. With every twittering giggle from Sabine, Remus scowled a bit harder, an unusual show of frustration from a boy long accustomed to keeping his emotions suppressed from all but the best of his friends.
"How long did your last relationship last?" James asked, hoping to distract Sirius a bit. He'd been on edge ever since they'd begun working this chapter in Defense, convinced that his use of Dark Magic to save Remus' life had doomed them both.
"We're not talking about me. And that's not a relationship. Who even says that?"
"Anybody capable of maintaining one for more than three days."
"He's just seventeen."
"So am I." James twirled his wand between his fingers, grinning as he watched Lily attempt to cast her charm. "So are you for that matter."
"Only for another month."
"I don't think he's serious about her, if that helps."
"I know that."
"I wonder sometimes."
"She got him tossed out of the library last night."
"I hope it was worth it."
Sirius huffed but didn't say anything. James took advantage of the momentary break in Sirius' whinging to try the charm again. He hadn't managed more than a silvery wisp, either, but he was sure of his happy thought--she was smiling at him from across the room. This time when he cast the spell, the wisp took on a shape--not quite an animal, at least nothing anyone else could recognize but from the size he knew then what it would be, and he laughed out loud. "C'mon Pads, try again."
"It's no use."
"Nonsense. Give it your happiest thought."
"I don't have one."
"Bollocks. How about the when you left--"
"What does he even see in her? She sounds like a herd of doxies."
"Congress."
"What?"
"A congress of doxies, that's what they're called when there's more than-- Nevermind. He's just having a good time. He deserves it."
"I know that," Sirius bit out sharply, but James only shook his head. Sirius had been carrying on like this for the entire week Sabine and Remus had been together--angry when she took Sirius' usual seat in the Great Hall, sulking all night when Remus went with Sabine to the library. In fact, the only time James could remember Sirius smiling at all this week had been this morning at breakfast before Sabine showed up with apologies, attempting to cajol Remus into forgiving her for getting him tossed from the library James guessed.
James wasn't sure how much more of Sirius he could take before he moved on to another idea to get Sirius to admit to Remus how he felt. He decided, as he gathered his books together at the end of class, that perhaps this plan merely needed a tweak--a slight nudge toward the inevitable outcome.
"Listen, why don't you grab a date and come out with us tonight." James tried for casual as they left the classroom and walked just behind Remus and Sabine as they headed toward the Great Hall and lunch. He could tell that Sirius wasn't buying it.
"Out where?"
"Behind the greenhouses. Lily is bringing some wine and Wormy procured a couple of bottles of firewhiskey. Remus is coming--"
"With her, I suppose."
"And Peter and his girl. C'mon. There are at least three girls following us right now who would hex each other for the chance to go out with you."
Sirius looked over his shoulder and grimaced to find that James hadn't actually been joking. "I think not."
"Then find some boy. I'd start with the Ravenclaws."
"How very droll, James. How terribly clever of you, start with the Ravenclaws."
"I'm being helpful."
"I bet you are."
"I don't know how your sort gets on, is all."
"I don't have a sort, tosser. I can't even believe we're having this conversation."
James stopped Sirius just outside the Great Hall with a hand to his shoulder, leaning in so that he wouldn't be overheard in the stream of fellow students who moved around them on their way to lunch. "Just come with someone. At this point I don't even care if it's--"
"Don't even suggest it."
"I told you before, you either have to be happy for Moony or ask him out yourself, but we're all tired of the wounded puppy act."
"Did he say--" Sirius blurted out, his eyes going wide as he grabbed the front of James' robes.
"He didn't say anything. Scared you to think that he might, though, didn't it." James raised his eyebrows at Sirius' dirty look but said nothing more.
"Fine."
"Fine."
***
That night, the wine disappeared first and fast, Lily having transformed four hot house roses James stole for her into passable if tremendously delicate goblets that dissolved into a mass of soggy petals before they could be filled a third time. The boys had passed around one of the two bottles of firewhiskey, until they had all become slightly tipsy. While a drunk James grew increasingly affectionate and Peter became of a philosopher of sorts, pontificating in an easy way about nothing in particular, it was Remus who held Sirius' attention. Drunk, Remus could finally relax, the whole of his being going slack and at his ease. He smiled more, his eyes bright in the crackling firelight, and he developed a kind of biting, relentless cheerfulness.
A trip back to the greenhouse for more roses had left Remus slightly breathless, his cheeks pink, as he leaned against Sabine, his arm tossed over her shoulder. He dropped the roses into Lily's lap and then stepped over James' long legs with an agility and elegance that Sirius could see Sabine admired as well. Sirius couldn't help but notice how his well worn jeans pulled tightly as he bent over Peter to retrieve the wine bottle, upending it when he realized it was empty. Sabine was still holding onto his elbow as they both swayed precariously close to the fire and Sirius was quick to jump to his feet.
"Careful, Moony," Sirius said as he reached for Remus' hand. He couldn't help his grin either when Remus smiled brightly at him in return. Remus was wearing a red Gryffindor jumper he'd borrowed from James for the night and Sirius decided then that he'd buy Remus one of his own for Christmas. His smile softened at the thought, though it was quickly erased when Sabine pushed herself between them and took Remus' hand in her own.
"I can help him," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "He prefers me, anyway, don't you, Remy?"
"Remus."
"What?" Sabine and Remus both asked, Sabine with a glare.
"His name. He hates being called Remy."
"Not by me."
"No more arguing," James called, interrupting Sirius before he could bite out a reply. "You two have to get along. It's the rule."
"Since when?" Sirius said, returning Sabine's glare with a haughty stare of his own as he looked down at her.
"Since now. Or you'll both have to drink more wine until you're fast friends."
"That's unlikely," Remus murmured so that only Sirius heard.
"What did you say, Remy dear?"
"I said it's unlikely to happen," Remus said more clearly though he continued to smile benignly, never breaking eye contact with Sirius. "Since, we're out of wine."
"We didn't have enough to begin with," Sirius answered.
"Not nearly," Remus said, a laugh hiding in his words.
Sirius had nearly forgotten they had an audience at all until Sabine stood on her toes and slid her hand over Remus' cheek to turn his face toward her. Before she could kiss him, Sirius spotted a flash beneath the collar of her shirt.
"That's a pretty little necklace," he said. Sirius reached into the V of her tight blouse to lift out the silver charm that hung on a chain around her neck and held it balanced on his fingertip. "Have you seen this, Remus?"
"Almost as pretty as yours." Remus still sounded quite amused as he reached up to push his thumb over the lump of mangled tin hidden beneath Sirius' shirt. Sirius could feel his cheek warm up at Remus' touch but before he could think of anything to say, Sabine was batting Sirius' hand away and pulling Remus down to sit near the fire. Sirius quickly reached to help Remus down in a practiced move before sitting next to him. He didn't dare look at James though he knew without looking up that James' expression would be smug, the insufferable git.
The girl Sirius brought, a pretty little sixth year Hufflepuff, moved closer to him, tugging at her short skirt. She didn't break in her conversation with Peter's date, another Hufflepuff with chestnut hair and a large chest. Sirius couldn't remember her name but knew his girl was called Jessnina. They were laughing across the fire with Lily, though Sirius missed the joke as he continued to glare at Remus and Sabine.
"I'm up for it if James is."
Sirius heard Peter say, and Sirius turned as James laughed loudly. "Up for what?"
"A game."
"What kind of game?"
"A Hufflepuff game," Jessmina said, laughing harder as she crawled to her knees and had to tug at her skirt again before she reached into the front of her jumper. "I have something I stole from my sister."
"It's not stealing if you--"
"Let her finish, Sirius. You are in a foul mood tonight. Pass him the bottle again, Pete."
"Too right, James." Peter used his wand to pass the bottle along, making it bump against Sirius' shoulder until he grabbed it. "I wouldn't mind seeing what Jess has beneath her sweater."
Peter's laugh became a bray as soon as James joined in, but this time Sirius was stopped from making a comment when Remus shook his head and touched his hand to Sirius' leg, his let it go enough to distract Sirius completely.
"What is that?" Peter asked. He appeared to be slightly disappointed when Jessmina pulled what looked like a long thin crystal bottle hung from a gold chain from beneath her top.
"Fascinium," she said.
"Really?"
Jessmina hummed and smiled at him beguilingly. "My sister works for a company that brews all sorts of love potions and makes these little gift things."
"That's mildly disturbing," Remus whispered as he leaned across Sirius to look at the bottle more closely.
"It's perfectly harmless. It's not like it's Amortentia. Besides there's not enough to do more than make someone fancy you a bit. We play a game with it, and with this," she said, producing a sneakoscope from her pocket.
"What kind of game?"
Jessmina looked around toward Peter's date--Mary, Sirius remembered--and they both laughed. "You just take a sniff and then say what you smell."
"That sound a lot like Amortentia," Remus said.
"Since when do you know so much about love potions, Moony?" James called to him but Remus just laughed, dropping the bottle and leaning back onto his elbows.
"They don't make Amortentia. It'd be illegal. This is a lot less powerful."
"What does that do?" Peter asked. He wrinkled his nose when Mary took the bottle from Jessmina and held it beneath his nose.
"I don't think--"
"Here," James said, sitting up and reaching for the sneakoscope. "I'll go first."
When Mary handed him the bottle, James uncorked it and breathed in deeply. He laughed as he put the cork back in and passed it back. "Fresh mowed grass."
"I knew it," Lily said, "James is in love with the Quidditch pitch. The rest is probably broomsticks and sweaty socks."
"Absolutely but beneath it all, orange blossoms." James' smile turned blissful as he reclined back on his hands and gazed over at a surprised Lily. They said nothing more between them, but Sirius could tell by the look on both their faces that James had said exactly the right thing.
"I'll do it!" Sabine said and flashed Remus a grin that he missed completely. Sirius almost felt sorry for her.
Jessmina took the bottle back from Mary and the sneakoscope from James before she crawled over to kneel in front of Sabine. As she uncorked the bottle, Sabine leaned in eagerly and took a small, short breath.
"Sour sherbets!" She said, smiling again as she looked to Remus and Sirius could see that Remus blushed. The sour sherbets had been James', sent in a package from his mother, and a candy that none of the boys liked. Sirius supposed that answered the question about where they went.
"Laundry, like a clean shirt, starched," Sabine continued quickly before she lowered her head again and sniffed. She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head slightly before she let her glance flicker to Remus again, confused. "Like medicine and I don't know. Hospitals. That can't be right. Who would like that?"
Sabine caught herself then, her eyes sliding to Remus' cane before her whole face brightened. Suddenly, Sirius didn't feel sorry for her at all but quite hated her. "I went to the infirmary after you fell, Remus, last week. Sirius said you fell but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let me in to visit you."
The transformation at the last full moon had been easier on Remus since he was reunited with his pack but it still had required a couple of days stay in the infirmary, mostly because of Madame Pomfrey's overprotectiveness. Sirius hadn't blamed her though he'd known how irritated Remus had been about it. At that moment, Remus was frozen, staring open mouthed at Sirius.
"It was my fault," Sirius rushed to say before anyone else could fill the weird silence that was only disturbed by the crackling of the fire. "I tripped him. Not on purpose," he added, when Sabine turned on him, her mouth open in shock.
"It doesn't matter," Sabine said, clearly believing that her moment was just as momentous as she thought Lily's had been from the way she smiled at her from across the fire. She took Remus' wrist and balanced the sneakoscope in his hand. "You go next."
Sabine was nearly breathless as she waited for Jessmina to open the vial and Sirius decided he most definitely hated her. He flashed his eyes at Lily as if he meant to tell her right then before he caught himself, biting back the words, shocked into some kind of silence when he saw James looking positively triumphant. He was so distracted, he almost missed when Remus said, damp wool.
"Sheep," Peter immediately crowed, looking ridiculously proud of himself when the others laughed along, James the loudest.
"More laundry," Lily said. "Proof of my skill at matchmaking."
"Wet clothes is certainly a theme, there," James said. "But I have to say it's quite surprising from a bloke who color codes his sock drawer."
"I don't," Remus protested but he was laughing, too. "Neatness is not a failing, Potter. And it's not just clothes, not just-- It smells like a sweater or a scarf. It smells as if someone's only just come in from the rain."
"Go on," Sabine says, still pressing herself against him, her hands clutching at his shoulder.
Remus looked down at her before he leaned forward to sniff again at the vial Jessmina held out to him. "Leather," he said quietly. "Like an old satchel or—"
Remus stopped and shrugged his shoulder, shook his head slightly, enough to make his fringe fall into his eyes, unwilling to elaborate. Sirius thought for a moment that Remus had looked at him when he said it, Sirius filling in the round spaces of the "o" and the hard edge of the "r" of Remus' or, knowing that it was ridiculous to keep living in the twists and turns of Remus' words but it was like he couldn't help himself. Instead he thought about his leather boots, the leather book bag he'd carried since third year, the leather jacket he acquired when he got the motorcycle and that he wore on the weekends. Was wearing then. Sirius looked a bit triumphant at Sabine's confusion as she tried to apply the smell of leather to herself before she gave up, and shook her head.
"What else," she demanded, her fingers closing on Remus' wrist, the pale pink tips of her fingernails digging into his skin slightly.
"Nothing else," Remus said, not looking at anyone now. "There's nothing else."
The sneakoscope began a slow circuit, picking up speed as everyone looked at it, its whine lost to James' crowing laugh. "Out with it, Lupin. I've most shamelessly laid bare my very soul. You're in good company at least."
Sirius reached for the sneakoscope and lifted it from Remus' hand, weighing it in his own. He liked knowing that he had Remus' full attention and likely his gratitude as well for giving him an out to say whatever he wanted with impunity.
"What else, Remus," Sirius said, his voice low and soft, as if he most desperately wanted to hear the answer (he did) and confident in the knowledge that Remus would neither deny him an answer or the truth now that he could give it freely (he was). "I can guess if you'd like."
"No. I think not. Merlin knows what you'd say," Remus said as he straightened up, his line of sight going past the fire. "Cigarettes. Cheap ones."
"You don't smoke," Sabine said but her lips clearly tripped over the you, changing it from I only at the last second.
"Rarely," Remus said.
"And only when he's trying to look tough," Sirius added, grinning to think of the many they've shared.
"Moony doesn't have to smoke to look tough." Sabine reached up as if to trace that pink tipped nail over the worst of the fading scars across Remus' face. Sirius caught her hand by the wrist and drew it down.
"Don't call him that," he bit out, taking a bit of perverse pleasure in the way she gasped.
"Enough," James called out imperiously. "It's Black's go, though I'll remind him that ladies are present."
Jessmina moved over and pulled the stopper to offer the vial to Sirius as he let go of Sabine's hand, taking Jessmina's instead to draw it forward. He breathed in deeply of the potion and gave his answers without hesitation. "The library. Transfiguration section."
"Always knew you had a thing for McGonagall," James drawled.
"Parchment, you arse. Like the pages of an old book."
"Title?" Remus asked and Sirius only raised an eyebrow at him. He'd be able to say it if he wanted--the book that gave him the final answers that allowed him to connect with the wolf each full as Padfoot. James cut him off before he had the chance.
"Madame Pince, then. Probably since the last detention you had to serve with her. Carry on."
"Midnight."
"Midnight's not a smell," Sabine said shortly.
"The Forbidden Forest after the moon's crested, the loamy smell of earth and the wind blowing through the trees and over the lake. It smells like midnight."
"Fine," Lily conceded, sitting up and finding a smirk of her own. "Midnight. What else?"
Sirius leaned forward, his eyes closing as he breathed in deep. Jessmina leaned in with him as if she could smell it, too. "Strawberry jam."
Sirius opened his eyes in time to watch James' eyes dart to Remus, whose mornings weren't complete without toast and jam, and followed. He found that Remus was staring back, his eyes narrowed and hungry, but then it was gone as quick as it'd come. Remus was back to looking like the Remus most people saw though Sirius couldn't forget what he had seen. He was lost to it, missing completely what anyone else said or if there was actually a winner to their game. He was only brought back by the sound of James' laughter. When he finally looked away from Remus, the girl Peter had brought was standing up and enthusiastically explaining a new game.
"Do all Hufflepuff games involve kissing in the end?" James asked, still laughing.
"Most of them."
"I knew I asked to be placed in the wrong house," Peter said.
"This is a Muggle game," Lily said. "We call it spin the bottle."
"What do you know about kissing games?"
"More than you think, Potter."
"I'll go first!" Peter was practically bouncing on his knees as he grabbed for the still half full bottle of firewhiskey. He spun it carefully, going pale when the slender neck lands toward James. "That doesn't count!"
It was Sirius' turn to laugh at Peter's panic stricken face. "It absolutely counts Wormtail."
Peter went red in the face at Sirius' use of his nickname in front of the girls, which made James laugh even harder. Peter spluttered for a few minutes, and for a second Sirius thought that Peter might actually tell him off but when his words finally came, they weren't what Sirius had expected at all (though still not a surprise). "Not boys with boys or girls with girls!"
"Especially girls with girls," James said, winking at Peter. "Here give me the bottle. Let's make this a bit easier."
James cast a spell on the bottle before charming it to float above the fire. "There. You start, Jessmina."
Jessmina called spin and they all watched as the bottle wobbled above the fire before stopping to point at James. Jessmina's eyes widened as she looked first at her friend and then at Lily before she rose to feet and crossed to James. She bent over him, her short skirt showing a terrifying amount of thigh as she kissed him. When it was over, Lily had her arms crossed over her chest and Sirius had his humor back, thinking that it served her right for interfering.
The game moved quickly then: Peter's spin landing on the girl he'd brought, both giggling into their kiss so much that Sirius couldn't help but wonder how they got on alone. Then Peter's date landed Sirius, Sirius drawing back when he felt the quick dart of her tongue. He still didn't suspect anything when James' spin landed on Lily. It wasn't until Lily landed on James, and James winked at her did Sirius realize how else James charmed the bottle.
Lily noticed, too. "That bottle seems to have had a little help."
"Whatever do you mean, Evans?"
"I can't imagine. Your go Sabine."
Sabine laughed and clapped her hands, yelling spin and not waiting for the bottle to stop before she turned to kiss Remus. She grabbed his shoulders, catching him off guard. Her first kiss landed on his chin before she tried again, trying to turn it into something deeper. Remus was the first to pull away, embarrassed by the way everyone except Sirius was laughing and teasing the happy couple. The sound of his spin was almost lost to the sound of it, but it died away quickly when the bottle completed three shaky orbits to land on Sirius.
Sirius gaped at the bottle, shocked that it was pointing at him. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything beyond the buzz in his own ears or see anything more than the look that Remus was giving him. It was only the absence of James' laugh that made Sirius look up. There was guilt written all over James' face, a sight that was so singular that Sirius wished he had a Muggle camera so that he could capture the moment.
Peter was on his back, his hands over his stomach as he laughed. When Sirius finally looked away from James, he could see tears streaming down Peter's face. He could barely get his words out, hissing them high pitched between his giggles. "Own... Rules... Caught..."
The only other person not laughing was Sabine. She grabbed at Remus' arm the moment Remus began to move toward Sirius. Sirius beat him to it, though, thinking first to keep Remus from having to put pressure on his knee, and second that he didn't care if he did have an audience for this. He'd take his second kiss no matter who was watching, and his third as well if he was right about James' charm.
Sirius knelt over Remus, straddling his legs. He tilted Remus' chin with his thumb and pushed his hand through Remus' hair, going a bit weak when Remus smiled at him, the corners of his lips tipping up slowly. Sabine gave a huff of protest and someone behind them whistled in the seconds before Sirius kissed Remus with an open mouth, turning his head so that no one else could see when he deepened it or when Remus responded in kind, their tongues barely touching before Remus pulled away. Sirius brushed his nose against Remus', leaning in--wanting more--before pulling back just as quickly.
"That wasn't fair," Peter called, having gained some control though he was still sniggering to himself. "We couldn't tell if you actually kissed."
"He kissed me, Peter," Remus said very quietly. His eyes were still closed.
"No more games!" Lily called, and when Sirius looked over his shoulder from where he still straddled Remus' legs, she was taking the bottle from the fire. She took a drink and passed it James. When it reached Sirius, he stood and took a long drink before offering it to Remus. He took the bottle, their fingertips touching, before Remus sipped at the remaining whiskey. Sabine was watching Remus, too, her arms folded over her chest.
After that, the party broke up a bit, Peter disappearing in the direction of greenhouses with his date after James and Lily wandered off toward the lake. Jessmina was sitting with her arm crossed, sighing every so often in Sirius' direction but he ignored her in favor of trying to think of something to say to Remus. Remus was still sipping from the bottle of firewhiskey, determined, it seemed, to finish it off alone as Sabine watched.
"I'm cold," Sabine finally complained, frowning when Sirius pointed his wand at the fire without a word and made it blaze hotter. "I want to go back to the castle."
"What's stopping you?"
Sabine glared at him but before either of them could say anything, Remus put a hand on each of their shoulders. "We'll go back to the castle."
"Fine," they answered together.
"Sabine and I will go to the castle," Remus said, slurring his words slightly. "And you, my dear Padfoot, can stay here with-- Where did Jessmina go?"
Sirius and Sabine looked to the place where Jessmina had been sitting just a moment ago and found it empty.
"You're a terrible date. You'll have to find her and apologize. It's not polite to leave a date half through."
"I don't care about being polite."
"Which is what makes you so charming."
Sirius helped Remus get to his feet, handing him his cane when he swayed slightly. The empty bottle fell from his fingers and Sirius picked it up. "You're drunk, Moony."
"Mr. Moony's do not get drunk." Remus hooked the proffered cane over his arm as he spread them out wide. Sabine wrapped her arms around his waist at the same time Sirius reached out to steady him. "They may tipple from time to time. They may imbibe only enough to be sociable you see, but they most certainly do not get drunk."
This time when Remus took a staggering step, he tripping a bit over a tree root. Sirius took the cane from Remus' arm and put it into his hand. "Maybe we should just get you back up to the room."
"Nonsense! The night's still young. It is, isn't it? That is just one moon I see, right?" Remus tipped his head back to look up at the sky, dragging Sabine back for a couple of stumbling steps. "Merlin! Could you imagine if there were two?"
"I really think you should go back to the tower, Remus," Sirius said as he tried to ignore the way Sabine was pressing her face into Remus' neck. He tried to pull her away so that he could steer Remus back up to the castle but she wouldn't budge.
"No thinking, Pads. You always say don't think."
"I tell you not to overthink things."
"Same thing."
"Very different things."
"I'm going over there," Remus said, ignoring Sirius completely and pointing to the greenhouses. Sabine laughed again and Sirius found the sound more grating than he had all night. He had the strong urge to hex her, especially when she began walking backwards toward the greenhouses, tugging Remus along with her. "We're going over there," Remus said. "And I don't intend to think at all for at least the next quarter hour."
"Remus--" Sirius pleaded but Remus only drew himself up tall, and as steady as he could manage.
"Sit!" Remus commanded, pointing his finger at Sirius, and Sirius sank back onto his knees, his eyes narrowing. "I'm going to finish my date, because I'm unfailingly polite. Professor McGonagall once wrote that in a letter to my father, did you know that?"
Sirius shook his head.
"I'm going to go over there, Sirius, and I'm not going to think. Or overthink. And then I'm going to owl my mum--in the morning probably because I'm not feeling well right now."
"Then let me take you back to the room."
"No," Remus said. He motioned for Sabine to stay where she was before he stumbled back to where Sirius was kneeling, and bent so that only Sirius could hear him. Sirius was surprised when his speech came out clear, with none of the drunken slurs left. "In the morning I'm going to tell my mum all about my date because that's what she wants, and I'm exceedingly polite and always do what I’m told. Except I'm going to leave out the part where I kissed you--"
"I kissed you."
Remus turned quicker than Sirius thought him capable at that moment and kissed Sirius hard and fast, stunning him into silence, before drawing back. "That's the part I'm going to leave out. Now, where was I?"
"You were telling me to sit," Sirius whispered.
"Yesprecisely," Remus said, slurring the words together until they were almost unrecognizable. He smiled lopsidedly at Sirius, and reached out to scratch behind Sirius' ear. "Good boy."
"Woof."
Sirius watched as Sabine and Remus walk in the direction of the greenhouses, though he turned away before they reached the path of the gardens. He sat for a long time, watching the stars and thinking about the evening. He knew that James would want to offer up an apology, and that Remus would want to pretend none of it happened. He decided he didn't want that from either of them. What he wanted was-- Sirius stood and extinguished the fire with his wand. He wanted Remus to be happy, just as he had told James before. As he kicked dirt over the charred ground, he made another decision--if Sabine made Remus happy, then Sirius would be happy for them. With his hands buried deep into his pockets, Siruis trudged his way back up to the castle alone.
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BRB, SOBBING FOREVER.
DAMN IT, ESCRIBO!!!! I read this on the bus home because I thought, yay, something to cheer me up as I endure public transport! BUT NO. IT DIDN'T. ;___; I was all, yay! They're going to get together! They're going to kiss and it will be so obvious to everyone that no one - not even Messer's Moony and Padfoot - will be able to deny their obvious love for one another. BUT NO. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. THEY'RE STILL ALL CONFUSED AND PINING.
I swear, if Remus loses his virginity to that jerk Sabine I WILL CRY FOREVER AND EVER. I will short out my computer with my copious tears!! It will be awful!
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I have a lump in my throat.
Re: I have a lump in my throat.
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Ohhh, this was so nice, and so much nicer than I'd come to expect. And GOD, the KISS. The Spin-the-bottle kiss. How the fuck do you manage to WRITE a scene in slow-motion? That read better than any kiss I've seen on film. *swoons*
P.S. I hate Sabine. Not really, I actually felt really bad for her when she tried to not call him "Remy" by switching to "Moony" and still got shot down. :(
P.P.S. Re-reading now.
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As much as I love this fic, there are times when I want to jump through the computer screen and STRANGLE THESE BOYS for not getting together yet!
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Where would be the fun in that, though? ahaha The only thing I'm willing to say is that I'm a huge fan of happy endings and I totally think these boys deserve one.
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Nice to see this chapter,I thought you had abandoned it or something :)
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Not abandoned! Sometimes it takes me longer to figure out pov. I have the rest written but in a very dense outline so there's a lot of revision. It doesn't help that I keep signing up for fests, either :D Next part is already up though and I hope to keep at a quicker pace for a bit at least.
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Please oh please let us have some fluff next! Some nice, wonderful Remus and Sirius moments <3 PUH-LEASE!
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Thanks for reading!
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(I don't know if I've posted a comment on this masterpiece yet or not, but I'm unlurking a bit to tell you that I think this is one of the most wonderful things I've ever read in any fandom. I love the way you write these boys, and Lily too. This has become my head cannon the for Marauder's years. Keep up the fabulous work!)
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i can't wait to read more!
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