Stranger in a familiar place
Remus
The castle seemed both unchanged and foreign as Remus slipped through the corridors, his too-large robes dragging across the flagstone floors. He clung to the shadows, his heart pounding with every step.
The youthful face that had stared back at him in the forest stream haunted his thoughts. How was this possible? A curse, surely, but why? And why now?
The questions whirled in his mind as he pushed open the heavy library doors, slipping inside with a practiced silence. The smell of parchment and ink filled the air, comforting and familiar.
“Focus,” he muttered under his breath, moving quickly toward the shelves.
His hands trembled as he scanned the spines, searching for anything on curses or time magic. Temporal Anomalies, Obscure Hexes and Their Effects—he pulled out a likely-looking tome and sank into the nearest corner, flipping through the pages.
Every flicker of movement in the corner of his eye made his heart jump. He couldn’t afford to be seen, not like this. Not until he understood what had happened to him.
A sound broke the silence—a creak of the library doors. Remus froze, clutching the book to his chest. Footsteps echoed softly across the floor. Someone else was here.
He crouched lower, peering through the gaps in the shelves. The figure that entered moved cautiously, their head turning as though they were searching for something—or someone. Their robes hung awkwardly off their frame, and though their face was hidden by a hood, their movements were sharp and purposeful.
Remus’s grip on the book tightened. He didn’t recognize the figure, but something about them set him on edge.
---
Sirius
The air inside the library was cool and still as Sirius slipped through the doors, his steps light and measured. His heart was pounding, though he wouldn’t admit it to himself.
The events of the night didn’t make sense. He’d stared at his reflection in the water for what felt like hours, hoping it was some sort of cruel joke. But the face that had looked back at him was unmistakably his own—just fifteen years younger.
Shoving the thought aside, Sirius focused on the task at hand. If there was any place in Hogwarts that could hold answers, it was here. He scanned the shelves, his gray eyes flicking over the titles: Hexes and Curses Through the Ages, Ancient Magics of the Forgotten Eras.
“Come on, come on…” he muttered, running his fingers along the dusty spines.
A faint noise caught his attention—a scrape, subtle but distinct. Sirius’s head snapped up, his senses immediately on alert. He squinted into the shadows between the shelves and caught the faintest movement. Someone was here.
---
Remus
The stranger was getting closer. Their movements were careful, deliberate, the kind that only someone used to danger would make. Whoever they were, they weren’t a student sneaking into the library for a late-night thrill.
Remus’s mind raced. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself, but the figure was closing the distance too quickly.
His foot caught the edge of a chair, the noise echoing through the silent room. He winced, freezing as the figure stopped in their tracks.
“Who’s there?” the voice called out. It was sharp, cautious—but young.
Something about the voice sent a jolt of recognition through Remus, though he couldn’t place it. He hesitated for a moment before stepping out into the dim torchlight, clutching the book like a shield.
The stranger turned toward him, their hood falling back to reveal a face that made Remus’s breath catch.
They were young, messy-haired, with striking gray eyes. The face looked familiar—too familiar—but his mind struggled to connect the dots.
“What are you doing here?” the stranger asked, their tone guarded.
Remus swallowed hard, his mind racing. “I… needed a book,” he said cautiously.
The stranger raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.
---
Sirius
Sirius stared at the boy who had stepped out of the shadows. He was pale, his thin frame swamped by robes that were clearly too big for him.
But it wasn’t the boy’s appearance that made Sirius pause—it was the scars. They were faint, just barely visible in the dim light, but Sirius’s sharp eyes caught them. There was something hauntingly familiar about the way the boy moved, the way his eyes darted around like he was calculating an escape.
“What’s your name?” Sirius asked, his voice low and steady.
The boy hesitated. “What’s yours?”
Sirius’s lips twitched into the barest hint of a smirk. “Fair enough.”
The boy’s nervousness didn’t sit right with Sirius. He reminded him of someone, though he couldn’t put his finger on who.
“You’re not supposed to be here, are you?” Sirius said, taking a slow step closer.
“And you are?” the boy shot back, his voice sharper now, as if he was trying to mask his unease.
Sirius stopped, tilting his head. The kid had spirit, he’d give him that. But there was something else—a sense of recognition he couldn’t shake.
The boy clutched his book tighter, his knuckles white. “I don’t want any trouble. I just… needed to study.”
Sirius narrowed his eyes. “At this hour? What’s really going on?”
---
Remus
The stranger’s questions put Remus on edge. The way they stared at him, their gray eyes boring into him as if they were searching for something, made him feel exposed.
“I told you, I needed a book,” Remus said, his voice firm despite the pounding in his chest.
The stranger didn’t move, their expression unreadable. For a moment, Remus thought they might press further, but then they stepped back.
“Fine,” the stranger said, their tone carefully neutral. “Take your book and go.”
Remus blinked, surprised by the sudden shift. He nodded quickly, clutching the book as he moved toward the exit.
As he slipped out of the library, he felt the stranger’s eyes on his back.
---
Sirius
Sirius watched the boy retreat, his mind racing. Whoever that kid was, he wasn’t just some random student. The scars, the way he carried himself—it all felt too familiar, like an echo of something Sirius couldn’t quite remember.
“Who are you?” he muttered under his breath.
The library was silent once more, but Sirius had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he saw the boy. And the next time, he wouldn’t let him slip away so easily.