Parlez-vous français?
“Peter I need to find a way to get closer to Sirius”, Remus said with determination.
“I already warned you that he’s conceited and vain, and that it’s a bad idea to get closer to him,” Peter replied.
“But if you really want to get closer to him, I heard Sirius Black is looking for a French tutor.”
“That's perfect Peter! By the way, do you know where I can get a French textbook?” Remus asked.
“Yes, you can buy one from the office. Do you know French?” the shorter boy asked.
“No, I don’t. But there’s a first time for anything,” Remus replied.
Peter rolled his eyes and gave him a confused look, but didn’t really do anything to stop him
///
Sunlight streams through the window of a quiet library. Books are piled high on tables, and posters of historical figures line the walls. Sirius Black, handsome and with a hint of mischief in his eyes, sprawls on a chair reading a book. A knock sounds on the table, that makes him look up surprised to see the tall lanky boy from the courtyard the other day.
“Excuse me? Uh, hi Sirius. I'm Remus, from English class? You, uh, mentioned needing a French tutor…”the taller boy said while still tapping the table.
With a clear look of concealed shock, the black-haired boy raises an eyebrow but gestures for Remus to come over.
“Right. Lupin, wasn't it? So, you think you can handle teaching me proper French?”Sirius asked with a tinge of disbelief in his tone.
Full of nerves Remus gulped and then replied “Well, I, uh, I'm a quick learner! And this book seems straightforward.”
Remus sets the book down on the table. Sirius flips it open with a nonchalant expression.
Maintaining his nonchalant expression Sirius said “Let's see then. "Bonjour, comment ça va?" Basic pleasantries. Easy enough, I suppose.”
Remus started flipping the pages of the textbook trying to find the answer. “Right! So, it says here that "Bonjour" is hello, and "comment ça va " means... how are you?” he said trying to mask the fact that he was completely lost.
“So far, so good, Lupin. Now, what's the proper response?”the black-haired boy asked as a smirk drew itself upon his face.
Remus scans the textbook, brow furrowed, who knew that french looks like gibberish when you are dyslexic. He opens his mouth to speak, but hesitates fearing to mispronounce something and make a fool of himself.
“Stuck, Lupin? Or can't the great tutor answer a simple question?”Sirius sensing the tension, teasingly asked the taller boy.
“No, it's not that! I'll get it, just give me a second.”Remus replied, trying to hide the fact that he is flustered.
Sirius watched him with a mixture of amusement and something else. Remus took a deep breath as he got ready to answer.
“I, uh, I think it's " ça va bien"”Remus said with a newfound determination.
“Not bad Lupin,not bad at all ” the black-haired boy said surprised.
Remus felt a surge of relief wash over him. He wasn't sure if his answer was entirely correct, but at least it wasn't completely wrong. He managed to force a small smile at Sirius.
"Though, if you want to sound more natural, you could say 'Ça va, et toi?'" Sirius said, a hint of something playful in his voice. "'Et toi' means 'and you?' It's a more complete response."
Remus's cheeks flushed a little. He scribbled the new phrase down in the notebook he'd brought along, trying to appear focused on the task. This whole "tutoring" session was turning into something far more nerve-wracking than he'd anticipated.
"So, Lupin," Sirius began, leaning back in his chair. "Is this French tutoring all you have planned, or is there something else you'd like to discuss?"
Remus's heart pounded in his chest. Sirius's question was clear, and there was no more hiding behind textbooks or fabricated tutoring needs. He stammered for a moment, unsure how to proceed.
"I, uh…" Remus started, then stopped trying to catch his breath.
"Actually," Remus blurted out, surprising himself with his sudden boldness. "There is something else. Would you… like to go out to dinner with me? You know to like eat French food as a part of tutoring."
“Oh Remus, you’re too cute.But there is one problem.” Sirius said “My mother set a new rule that I’m not allowed to date anyone before my brother Regulus does
“But what if I got somenone to date your brother, would you consider it then?” Remus asked.
“I would consider it, but good luck finding someone crazy or brave enough to date Regulus,” Sirius said not even believing in his own words.