July
Looking for work
Prompt: Western
Warnings: Alcohol
Major tags: Flirting with a stranger, meet cute
Remus dusted the worst of the fine dessert sand off and opened the easy swinging door to the saloon. Tequila-based drinks seemed to be what people were drinking here, so that was what he ordered. In these places, everyone tended to know everyone, and it was hard not to stand out as it was, without making eccentric drinking choices.
He sat down in an empty corner and busied himself with an old newspaper, careful to portray a relaxed façade, until most of the curious eyes on him had moved on.
He took his time with his drink, trying to get a sense of this town by silently listening to arguments and gossip, watching people come and go. A man entered that made him do a double take. With sleek black hair, fair skin and clothes without the dust the rest of them were covered in, he was obviously wealthy. But he wasn’t adorned like any conventional landowner or other prominent person. He wore a plain shirt, boots and a hat similar to his own, only much less worn.
The way he walked, deliberately slow and cocky, and the way people looked at him, at the same time attentive and cautious to not be caught staring, told Remus he was someone to respect, possibly fear. A criminal boss of some sort? No. While the bartender left the man in line to go welcome the mysterious man, he didn’t seem as anxious as pleased. And the man acted friendly enough, chatting and laughing with the bartender in a slight accent. Was it French?
After getting a whiskey he looked around the saloon and his eyes fell on Remus, who for the first time got a good look at his face. He was gorgeous with sharp cheekbones and pale skin which should be impossible out here. He looked quizzingly at the chair beside Remus. Remus nodded approvingly and the man sat down with a dazzling smile.
“You’re new here.”
“Yeah.” Remus stuck his hand out “Remus Lupin.”
“Sirius Black.”
He took a sip from his glass and watched Remus up and down in a way that had him thinking he was measured for more than business.
“What brings you to our lovely town.”
It was something with how his eyes twinkled as he stretched the words out, something with how he swirled the whiskey in his hand and tilted his head watching Remus through his lashes that made Remus' breath hitch. It could of course be Remus' wistful mind playing tricks on him, but it reminded him of previous encounters he had with men who had been bent the same way as him.
Remus licked his lips and smiled his nicest smile. “I’m looking for work.”
“What do you do?”
“Whatever needs doing. I was a hand at a ranch, but drought and a diminishing stock made me redundant.” There was no need to say he’d been on plenty of ranches before that one.
“Hm. The drought is as bad here as most of the country.”
“I know. But I’ve heard there’s work in the mines.”
“Planning to stay, then?”
Remus shrugged. “Maybe. If I find something worth staying for.” There was no need to say anything about his condition, and that he had to get on his way whenever anyone started questioning why he went missing every full moon.
“And what might that be?” The man leaned forward, resting one underarm on the table and lowered his voice. “A good time?”
Remus prided himself on being a calm and sensible man. But it was nothing careful with the way he copied the pose, batted his eyelashes and whispered.
“I might show you a good time if you help me find a good job.”
In a town where he didn’t know anyone, this was a dangerous game.
“Would a job at the mines do?”
Remus nodded. “Do you work there?”
“Not really. My dad owns them.”
Oh. This was a dangerous game indeed. But the positively thrilled smile on the man’s lips made him think he was doing alright at it.
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Greyback’s revenge
Prompt: Thriller
Warnings: Violence, death threats
Major tags: Fenrir Greyback, kidnapped Sirius
Remus followed the shadow around a corner of Knockturn alley and ran as fast as he could through a narrow stairway, across a yard and into the back of a shop of some sort, crowded with flasks and vials. He continued through the shop, not caring about tipping over the gods as he went, not caring about the cursing wizards that turned his way.
In half his life he had been following Greyback, seeking revenge. Only now it had become urgent. The enchanted portrait he had found in Sirius' wake lay folded in his pocket and would repeat the same message again and again if he were to take it out. “You have 24 hours. By tomorrow I want you imprisoned, Remus. I want you to bite someone – anyone, I don’t care who – but I want it on the front page. I want to be certain you won’t bother me anymore. Or he dies.”
In reality, it was much less time. The transformation would begin in less than an hour now. By that time he would need to be locked up. Before that, he needed to rescue Sirius. If not, would he manage to lock himself up, knowing it condemned the love of his life? Or would he let himself bite someone innocent? He hated himself for even considering it.
He saw the hem of the black cloak he had been following disappearing into another room. He followed just in time to see him step into a fireplace with flames green from floo powder. He jerked forward and threw his arms around the waist of the figure, following. They fought and swirled together through the floo network, stumbling out into a dark unknown room.
Remus wasted no time. He briskly turned the struggling man on his back and pinned him to the floor and stuck his wand under his chin. “Where is he? Where is Grayback?”
“Please…” the man squirmed under him.
Remus had never been prone to violence. But that had been his fault. It was his softness, his inability to catch Grayback sooner, that had put Sirius in danger. Grayback was the one who had bitten him to punish his father for getting in his way. Remus should have known he would do it again. With raging ferocity Remus fisted the front of the man’s gown with his wand-free hand, lifted him an inch of the ground and slammed him down on the floor again. “Speak.”
“Ouch! All right, I’ll take you there.”
They got up, Remus still with a grip on the man’s gown so hard his knuckles whitened, in addition to tying his hands behind his back. “If this is a trap you are a dead man.” He said and burned the man’s neck with the tip of his wand a little for good measure.
They travelled through the floo network again. Remus recognised the house. He had been here before, in his search of Grayback, and was quite certain this was one of his many hideouts even though he had never caught him here. The man led him out and into the forest.
Remus began to wonder if he was being led into a trap after all when he picked up Grayback’s scent. He was here somewhere. He stuck a tongue-tying curse on the man and walked carefully until they reached a clearing at the top of a cliff. He gave the man a hard push and he stumbled and fell to his knees on the edge of the open ground.
“Jasper? What-“
The moment Grayback showed himself Remus cast a spell, binding him with silver ropes and coldly watched him squirm in agony.
“Where is he?” he hissed.
Grayback looked at him with fear but didn’t answer. A sound tore Remus' eyes away. The henchman – Jasper, apparently – had somehow escaped Remus’ binding curse and was now dragging a thoroughly tied and gagged Sirius away over the ground. Remus still had the man’s wand, but realised with horror that he needed no magic to push Sirius off the cliff he was heading to.
Grayback laughed a manic laughter. “How should it be, my boy? Catch me or save him? You can’t do both.”
This time Remus didn’t hesitate at all. In one movement he let his wand disintegrate the ropes, apparated to the cliffside, swooped Sirius in his arm and apparated again.
They stood panting, tightly holding each other, in their own cellar, the safehouse they created for full moons.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah.” Sirius breathed without opening his eyes.
“Are you hurt? Do you need something?”
Sirius shook his head.
“You need to talk to me. I don’t have much time. If you can’t change to Padfoot you need to get out of here.” Remus could already feel the twinging in his bones beginning.
Finally, Sirius looked up. “I’m ok. I was just scared.”
Remus cupped his cheek with a hand. “I would never let anyone hurt you.”
“I know.” Sirius solemnly looked him in the eyes as he transformed into his dog form.
The wolf and the dog did not play that night. They lay still and licked each other for a long time, then curled up as close as they could, seeking comfort in each other’s warm fur and soothing smell.
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Return to the dark side
Prompt: Dark fic
Warnings: Death threats, mention of suicide
Major tags: Breakup, controlling Black family
Sirius looked out over the Lake’s surface, still and dark in the warm summer night. Footsteps broke the silence and he could tell it was Remus even before he spoke.
“Are you all right?”
The concern brought tears to his eyes. He forced himself to stay motionless. He did deserve concern. He had once thought himself brave. Once thought he could fight for his rights and oppose his fate. He had been a fool. It was time to end this before he dragged anyone else with him in the fall.
“Sirius, love?” Remus sat down beside him and bent forward, searching to meet Sirius eyes.
"It's over."
"What?" Remus shook his head.
Sirius pressed his eyes close and forced the words out between gritted teeth. “I don’t want to be your boyfriend anymore.”
"Why? No. You can't mean this." Remus' voice was small, deflated.
Sirius turned away from him with warm tears streaming down his cheeks.
As Remus rose and his uneven breathing became more and more distant, Sirius felt the snare that was his life tightening around his neck, threatening to suffocate him.
He had no other choice. His father had made that much clear the last time they spoke. The words rang clearly in his head. “If this keeps going you know what happens. Don’t think it’s enough to kill yourself, like your stupid brother. His beloved Potter is still on the list. There is nothing you can do about it, if you try we’ll take his whole family. And if you want to save that dear Lupin of yours there is only one way. Return to our side, where you belong.”
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James’ realisation
Prompt: Whump
Warnings: Injuries
Major tags: James’ POV, teenagers, pining, additional Jily
It was warm, they had exams they should be revising for, and Lily Evans was within watching distance with her usual group of girls on their usual bench. How she could look so cute in her floral sunhat and at the same time so sophisticated with her pile of open books, was a mystery James could not explain. What he did know, was that he was bored and needed something to happen.
He nudged Sirius. “If we flew on our brooms, do you think we could hit the knot on the Whomping Willow with a pebble?”
Sirius smiled in a way that showed he was already convinced.
Remus, however, grumpily looked up from his Transfigurations book. “That was the stupidest idea I have ever heard.”
That, of course, made Sirius smile even wider and nudge James back. “Let’s see which one of us can do it first.”
Remus rolled his eyes and returned to his book. “Don’t blame me when you fall off and break your necks.”
James jumped to his feet and started running towards the castle after his broom, with Sirius following closely.
James' first thought was to stay well clear of the dangerous branches and simply drop the pebbles from above. But when he without success had to return to the ground to grab a new handful of pebbles he realised he had to come closer.
Sirius was already swishing fearlessly in and out of the tree’s reach, face deep in concentration. James flew a circle and calculated the angle, then went in for a try and was scraped on his arm by the absolute tip of a twig. He dived in for another attempt and crashed head-on into Sirius, coming out of nowhere. They both tumbled towards the ground.
A whack straight in James' face made a sharp pain spread through his nose and had him flip through the air. Somehow, he managed to land on both feet and, with the help of Remus, pull Sirius with him out of the tree’s reach before any more harm was done.
“Are you ok?” Remus pressed.
James pointed at his nose, but Remus wasn’t even looking. He was examining Sirius with a worried expression that only softened slightly when Sirius nodded.
“You fucking idiots! Next time you try to kill yourselves, remind me not to look.”
James pressed his hands to his bleeding nose and listened half-heartedly to Remus scolding. At least Lily was watching. Her expression was hard to make out through his tears, but possibly smiling. Or scowling.
Remus eventually ran out of insults to call them and cast a healing spell on his nose. “You should go see Madam Pomfrey just to be on the safe side.”
“Nah. No need.” He nudged Sirius again. “It’s no fun if it’s no risk, eh?”
Sirius only winced slightly. Actually, he looked awfully pale.
“Sirius?” Remus asked and tried to catch Sirius' gaze, but he wouldn’t look up from the ground. Just clutched one arm close to his body with the other.
“You are hurt. Fuck! Look at your arm.” Remus gently touched Sirius' shoulder and his voice grew softer than James had ever heard it. “Why didn’t you say something?”
His empathetic face turned to livid in an instant when he addressed James. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”
He then proceeded to swoop Sirius in his arms and carry him up the stairs and inside the castle, deaf to his protests.
James stared after them and came to a sudden realisation. Maybe he wasn’t the only one of them madly in love?
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The dog’s and the wolf’s first meet
Prompt: Suspense
No warnings
Major tags: Werewolf, animagi, pre-relationship
As a dog, Sirius' emotions are altered. They are still his own. But the previous concoction of wonder, anticipation, pride and fear boils down to pure suspense as he shifts form.
He lays down, head on his front paws, ears pointed and every muscle ready.
Will the wolf accept him? No "what if he had never come up with this" or "how pleased is he going to be tomorrow if this works". The dog is not stupid. It is well aware that this is all his plan, his responsibility. And that if it doesn't go well it will wound not only him, but the wolf as well, deeply. The wolf that he loves.
The adoration is simpler like this as well. No "what would anyone think" or "is it something wrong with me". Only love. Pair with the will to trust and protect.
The wolf fixes him with its eyes and takes a cautious step towards him. He waits.
At the same time as the emotions are more direct, impossible to escape by means of thinking, they are somehow easier to bear. He is body more than mind, like this. Every emotion is paired with a will to do.
This time a will to please the wolf. It trusted him a moment ago, in its human form. He wants to show it, it can trust him now.
He rolls over, slowly. Let the wolf have access to his neck, then his belly.
The wolf sniffs, then rubs his nose against his side lovingly, and relaxes its posture.
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The bench
Prompt: Teenagers
Warnings: Alcohol
Major tags: Teenagers, pranks, Hogwarts, pining, first kiss
Sirius woke up feeling like absolute crap. Damn fire whiskey. The other's laughter didn’t improve his mood one bit.
“Padfoot, did you buy a bench? An actual sitting bench?”
He rubbed his face and slowly sat up. There was a bench crammed in their dorm. With cast iron frame and wooden seat, the exact same model that stood in each and every corridor of Hogwarts.
“I think I did. Somehow seemed like a good idea at the moment.”
“Do you have the receipt?” Remus asked.
“Yes, but I don’t think I can return –“
“What? No! This is brilliant.” Remus' face lit up with a mischievous smile as he examined the receipt and the underside of the bench. “It even has a serial number. Perfect! This is going to be hilarious.”
Despite Remus' enthusiasm, Sirius had no plans to partake in any prank before a big cup of coffee and a slow breakfast. Luckily James and Peter agreed with him on that. Remus kept grinning eagerly, though, and when they were about done, he was practically jumping up and down on the seat. Sirius continued his grumpy charade and rolled his eyes; he would never admit how endearing he found it.
They simply took turns levitating the bench through the corridors. Professor McGonagall was the first to stop them.
“What do you think you’re doing? Put that bench back where you took it.”
Remus stepped forward, handed her the paperwork with an exaggerated bow of his head and then stood rocking back and forth on his feet. “Ah, you see, this is our bench. We bought it. So that we can have somewhere to sit wherever we go. There’s no rule against owning similar benches as Hogwarts, is there?”
Professor McGonagall looked at all four of them with pursed lips, before letting out a big sigh. “Go on then. But stay out of trouble.”
By the time she rounded the corner they were already falling over each other with laughter.
Filch demanded to see the serial number and was furious when it turned out to match perfectly with the one on the receipt.
They had a few days of great fun. Parking their bench outside of each classroom they went to, resting on their bench in the middle of the corridor and so on. But by the fourth day, only Filch still cared to stop them and Sirius was beginning to grow bored.
“Can’t we leave the bench now?” he suggested after breakfast when they were heading for their first lesson.
“You don’t see? This is when the real fun begins.” Remus grinned. “By all means, leave it here.”
He stepped past their bench parked outside the great hall and in the middle of the crowded corridor started levitating another bench with him.
“You coming?” he said over his shoulder with a smile that made Sirius’ heart flutter. What a genius. A cute genius.
Sirius, James and Peter run a few steps to catch up. Remus levitated the bench out on the greens and parked it by the greenhouses, right past several professors. No one stopped them. It was amazing.
They started parking benches in all sorts of inconvenient locations. Across the narrow dungeon corridor so that you had to climb over three benches to get to the Potions classroom. Sideways in stairways, held up by heavy sticking charms to not slide down but impossible to sit on. Just outside the bathroom door on fifth floor when Snape had just entered, locking him in.
The next morning Sirius followed Remus to stack as many benches as possible in the divination tower. When they reached the top of the stairs Mrs. Norris cold yellow eyes stared at them and the unmistakable grunting of Filch approached from below.
Remus quickly sat down and made a futile try to look casual on the clearly misplaced bench.
“He’s going to ask for the serial number.” Sirius whispered.
“Distract him!” Remus whispered back.
Sirius did not want to get caught, did not want this brilliant prank to end and maybe least of all see Remus get in trouble for it. He acted without thinking.
He pulled Remus close in an exaggerated display of a kiss. The inviting softness of Remus' lips took him by surprise. The craving for more that rose through his chest made him exhale and moan involuntarily. What was he doing? He pulled back, searched Remus' eyes for signs that he was upset, that he had gone too far and found the opposite. It was Remus' hand on his neck that pulled him back for one more round of his sweet warm lips before Filch reached them.
Professor McGonagall could not quite suppress her smile as they stood before her in her office. Both with red cheeks and ruffled hair, stealing shy glances at each other.
“No, Argus, there is no rule against kissing in the divination tower. However, seeing as the usually singular bench outside my office seems to have multiplied overnight, I think there is time to ban moving of benches.” She looked pointedly at the two of them, “Even privately owned.”