Sirius Black
Chapter Four:
Remus woke at seven thirty the next morning.
“Motherfucker!” He cursed as he checked the time. His alarm had been set for six. Shit, how did he manage to sleep in so late? Breakfast ended in half an hour.
He got ready quicker than what he considered humanly possible. He threw on gym shorts and a T-shirt. He considered putting on his Hogwarts jacket, as he hated how his arms looked-he still had scars from when he’d caught the chicken pox when he was seven. But he would rather have his bare arms exposed than have his father’s name written across his back.
He practically ran down to the hall-a huge room, with long tables and endless breakfast options. Remus spotted Evan next to Regulus and Pandora and made his way over to them.
“Hurry up, for fuck sake, Rosier, we’re going to be late!” He heard Regulus snap.
Evan, however, was resting his head in one hand and lazily stirring his cereal with the other.
“I can’t. I’m tired.”
“That’s what happens when you drink twenty vodkas.” Regulus retorted.
“I did not!” Evan said, snapping his eyes open.
“It’s called the art of exaggeration, sweetheart.” Regulus put on a fake-and extremely scary-smile.
“Hi.” Remus said lamely as he approached them.
Evan looked up, surprised. “Lupin? What the fuck, I thought you’d be at class by now.”
“Slept in.” He replied.
“Slacking, Lupin.” He joked.
“You too, Rosier.”
“Hey! I have an excuse. Term started five weeks ago for me. It’s week one and day one for you.”
“Point taken, point taken.” Remus held his hands up in surrender.
Regulus stood up. “Grab a piece of toast or something to eat on the go.” He spoke to Remus. “And you, Evan, you had your chance, come on.”
Pandora who’d been trying to contain her laughter watching her brother argue with everyone, now stood up.
“I should probably go now. Sprout will be expecting me. Nice seeing you again Remus.” She smiled to him. Then she rolled her eyes and acknowledged Regulus and Evan. “Boys. See you later.” And then she disappeared down the hall and out the doors.
Evan and Regulus left him once they made it to Studio B. He knew his way from here anyway.
He looked at his watch. Two minutes. He began to run.
He burst in the door at exactly eight o’clock. Everyone’s eyes turned to him as he entered.
His eyes scanned the people in the room. James, next to Sirius Black-for god’s sake, why did they have to be friends? Dorcas strapping on her shoes and Lily Evans was laughing with James. Barty Crouch Jr stood alone at the barre near the back of the room.
“Remus!” James exclaimed.
Remus shakily walked over to him. “Hi, James.”
“Have you met Lily and Dorcas?” James asked. Remus wondered if James had made friends with so many people he’d taken it upon himself to make sure everyone else had just as many.
“Dorcas, I have.” He waved awkwardly over to Dorcas at the benches. “Lily, I don’t think so.” He did not look at Sirius Black. He would not look at Sirius Black.
Lily Evans smiled at him. “Hi, Remus.”
He smiled back. God, he felt awkward. Way too many introductions for one week. Maybe he should’ve gotten Evan to just line everyone up and meet them one by one. Weird, yes. But less time consuming.
“Hi, Lily.”
“You from Windsor?” She asked.
“Who told you?” He joked.
She laughed. “My older sister went to college near there. I recognise the accent.” She twisted her fingers as she spoke. Her eyes brows furrowed, and it seemed subconscious. Remus had seen that look before. He guessed that Lily Evans probably didn’t have the best relationship with her sister. His heart softened a little.
“How long have you been dancing for?” He asked her. Their conversation was private now, James had gravitated over to the benches to talk to Dorcas. And Sirius Black had followed.
“Since I was eight. I came here when I was fourteen.”
“Who else was here back then?” He had been wondering when everyone had joined.
Lily’s eyes squinted in thought. “If I remember right…” She counted on her fingers, “James-he was my first friend here-Evan and Barty, Sirius...I think that’s all.”
“What about Regulus?” She’d said Sirius Black, weren’t they brothers? They were, he knew that for a fact.
“Regulus joined when he was fourteen. He’s a year younger.”
Remus hummed in agreement. “You have family in the industry?” It wasn’t a rude question. He hoped not, anyway. He’d been asked it. It probably wasn’t. He didn’t want to offend her.
“No, actually, but I never had to fight for this like Dorcas did. I knew Slughorn-the Head Choreographer-speaking of which, where is he? It’s five past.”
Remus looked at the clock. Well, at least he wasn’t the last person here, after all.
“Anyway, I knew Slughorn from a restaurant job I had back home. Whenever I applied here, I’m sure he was the reason I got in. He liked me, I wasn’t a stranger.” She looked up at him. “What about you? I’m guessing you’re Lyall Lupin’s son?”
Remus sighed. “Yep, that’s me.”
“Not the best relationship with him?”
“It’s not too bad-but I doubt I’ll be sending him a Father’s Day card.” He tried to play it off.
“Don’t worry, I’m no stranger to family issues.” She replied quietly.
So he’d been right. Well, he assumed so. And-god, why was everyone trusting him with their personal information? He’d had, like, one conversation with everyone. Did no one have any respect for their own privacy? Well, he was being hypocritical, he’d been in the school for at least ten minutes when he started spilling his life story.
He didn’t know how to respond to that, but he was saved as man burst in the door a moment later.
He was small, with greying hair and he wore a brown suit. He looked unnecessarily sophisticated compared to the dancers that were kitted in gym gear.
“Sorry I’m late, sorry.” He spoke, addressing the group. “Alright, first position.” He clapped his hands together, taking no notice of Remus.
Everyone rushed to the barre. Remus took a spot at the back, a good distance behind James. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he saw Sirius Black slip between the two.
Standing behind him now, Remus had no choice but to look at Sirius.
Remus could immediately tell that he was different from the boy he’d met at the bar last night. His attitude had most likely been largely affected by alcohol, though. His whole demeanour had changed-he held himself upright with flawless posture. The hint of elegance Remus had detected was prominent.
He was wearing his long hair in a loose bun, a few stray strands were tucked behind his ears. Remus noticed a single wisp at the back that had been untamed. It settled just above the centre of his shoulder blades.
Sirius paid him no attention, which Remus hadn’t expected giving their encounter the previous night. But the atmosphere in the studio had changed-no one was talking, everyone stood at the barre like statues.
They did their warm ups with perfection-Remus was glad that he was already familiar with the movements from past schools. The man-who, at this point, Remus had gathered was Slughorn-barely acknowledged Remus, despite a slight nod he first recognised Remus as a stranger in the group. He’d most likely been informed of a new member anyway, Remus assumed.
After the warmups and exercises were done, Slughorn clapped his hands once more. “Alright everyone, take five.”
Remus made his way to the bench but Slughorn called him back.
“You’re the new boy?” He asked sharply.
“Yes, sir.”
“Lupin, I presume?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Any relation to Lyall Lupin?”
Remus literally resisted the urge to curse in his face. Everywhere, he thought.
“Yes, sir. Lyall is my father.”
“Ah, wonderful! I worked with Lyall back in the old days. One of the finest in the business, if you ask me.”
Well, that was a surprise. He was aware that his father had a talent for getting people in the business to like him, despite his sharpness and his constant need to be in control. And yes, his father was one of the greatest in the industry, but people usually didn’t like him after working with him.
“Really?” Remus tried to act like he cared.
“Yes, yes. Got me this job at Hogwarts too, you know.” Slughorn replied.
Ah, there it was. He got him a job, which led to money which led to power. God, people were so shallow these days.
“He’s a fine man.” The words tasted like poison in Remus’s mouth.
“That he is.”
Then he addressed the group. “Alright, into positions for the audition solo.”
He turned back to Remus. “I’m assuming you’ve been informed about the upcoming competition?”
Remus had not, it seemed, been informed. “No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t been.”
Slughorn’s eyebrows furrowed. “Right, right. Well, Hogwarts Academy will be participating in the International Academy Championship of Ballet at the end of this year. I’m assuming you’ve heard of that, now.” He raised an eyebrow at Remus.
“Yes, of course, sir.”
The International Academy Championship was the hardest academy competition in ballet to exist in this day and age. It was basically the World’s Ballet Championship but for academies instead of companies. It was the toughest challenge for ballet academies. And winning, that could basically get you a ticket to any ballet company you wanted. He hadn’t heard of this year’s lineup, however. He should have suspected though, that this group would take part. Group A and Group B were the at the highest level of the academy. The Advanced. The Elites. If Hogwarts Ballet Academy goes to the championship, it will be from these people that they choose their contenders.
“Great, great. Now the rest of the group already knows their audition solo so I’m going to need you to learn it.” Slughorn told him. “The auditions will be held this winter. They will determine the group that Hogwarts will be taking to the championship” He patted Remus on the back. “You’re only a few weeks behind, and as you’re Lyall Lupin’s son, I doubt you have anything to worry about.” He winked as he turned to the group, who had now taken their positions on the floor.
Remus watched them as they started. It was a difficult dance. The choreography alone was extremely challenging, and adding emotion and attitude to the solo seemed nearly impossible.
He watched Group A dance, and he realised they were probably the best dancers he’d ever seen. Of all the schools he had attended, Remus had never seen anything like them.
James danced emotionally, not only in expressions but just by the way he moved.
Dorcas danced in the same way Remus had predicted yesterday: fiercely. It was obvious-even in her dancing-just how hard she had fought to get here.
Lily danced elegantly. All of her movements were fluid and precise. She was naturally beautiful, Lily Evans, and her dancing somehow reflected it.
Barty Crouch Jr, however, that was interesting. His dancing was empty. That was the only word could describe it as. His technique was unflawed, however he danced like he was being forced to, like he truly hated it. In a way, Remus thought that added to the delivery of the solo. Barty could play a good villain, Remus thought.
Sirius Black was at the front, right beside Remus, but he did not look at him. Remus didn’t care about him. As far as he was concerned, Sirius had fucked everything up here, because of his God complex. If he hadn’t blocked Regulus from making it into the A’s, none of the shit that followed would’ve happened.
So he ignored him and watched the rest of the dancers perform. He was quick enough at picking up choreography so he doubted it would take him long to learn.
For the rest of the class they practiced their solos while Slughorn made individual remarks on each person. Remus went to the back of the studio and began learning the start of the dance. After thirteen years, he knew how to pick up a dance by watching it.
No one paid him any attention and eventually Slughorn called the end of class.
He walked up to Lily and Dorcas and asked them about the championship.
“Shit, how come no one told you? It’s been all anyone’s been talking about since the start of September.” Lily told him.
Remus shrugged. “There’s a lot to filled in on, I suppose.”
Dorcas laughed at that. “True.”
“Basically we just have to learn that audition solo for December.” Dorcas explained. “And then whoever our examiner is will choose six people to take to the World’s. I’m guessing you know how they work?”
Remus nodded. Every dancer knew about the World’s. Two solos. Two duets. One group performance. And only six people. The competition would be high.
“The World’s are around May, right?” Remus asked. He might’ve felt nervous, had he cared more for ballet. It didn’t matter to him, not like it did to everyone else here. When it came to the audition solo, he’d learn the dance but he doubted he would put in much effort. He didn’t deserve it, maybe he was a good dancer, but he was in this school purely because of his family name. Which made him determined not to excel here.
“Yeah, just a bit before.” Lily replied as she packed up her duffel bag. Remus grabbed his own water bottle and followed the group out the door.
They headed to the hall for their break and Remus noticed for the first time the selection of foods. All healthy, all of it. The school most likely controlled the meals and how its dancers ate, Remus assumed.
The sat next to Lily and the group ate together, apart from Barty who grabbed food and headed out the door. He was very isolated from the rest of Group A. If it hadn’t been for his actions the previous night, Remus might’ve pitied him.
The group split after break, going in separate directions. They had a two hour class break now, in between their practices. Four hours of training a day, two hours of break around campus-excluding their break and lunch, after the morning and midday classes. It was more training than Remus had done at other schools, but the break was long. It was a bloody good thing they’d appointed Studio C as a hangout spot, he thought. Wandering around for hours didn’t sound exactly fun.
However, when James called to him and invited him to join them in Studio C, he declined and decided to do some exploring of the grounds.
He walked down further past Studio B and along the corridors. Twice he almost interrupted the younger age groups practicing. Most ballet schools took students from ages eleven to seventeen, first year to seventh year. But of course, Hogwarts was different. He’d learned from Evan that at the end of fifth year, auditions were held for Groups A and B. If you made it, you stayed in the school for another two years. If not, well then you weren’t Hogwarts’ problem anymore.
He walked for ages, mentally mapping out Hogwarts. Along with the younger age group studios, there was a large gym filled with what Remus considered to be the best equipment he’d ever seen. He stuck to the academy side of the campus, the other side was for the Royal Hogwarts Ballet and he didn’t fancy running into any professionals.
He was on the second floor when he came across double doors at the end of a grand corridor. Above them, in cursive writing it read “Stage”. Just by the entrance Remus knew that this must be the official stage. It had a more elegant presence than the studios.
Without thinking he pushed open the double doors and immediately halted.
The first thing he noticed was the music. Loud classical-Tchaikovsky, Remus thought-was blasting giving the impression of a live orchestra.
Then it was the stage itself, the room. Three tiers of crimson velvet seats sat in front of the stage. The stage itself was among the largest Remus had ever seen. Impeccable wooden floors and hundreds of lights lined the roof. Even when less than half were operating, Remus had to look away.
The third thing he noticed was the dancer. The entrance had led Remus to the side of the stage-most likely the dancers’ entrance. On the stage Sirius Black danced flawlessly, performing as though the seats were full of an audience.
Immediately, Remus felt his breath hitch. He watched him move swiftly and elegantly around the floor in complete awe. When Sirius leaped into a grande jeté Remus was convinced for a second that he might actually be flying. He was so captivated that he reached out and held onto the door for balance to prevent himself from collapsing.
When Sirius’ dance slowed, Remus became aware of his facial expressions for the first time. He was an extremely emotional performer. Remus had seen emotions well portrayed in ballet before-but never to this level. The pain that Sirius danced to was not an act, it was like it owned him. He wasn’t controlling the emotions-he was controlled by them.
Remus hadn’t realised he’d sunken to the floor until the music ended and Sirius stopped dancing. Remus was resting his head against the wall but froze immediately as reality hit him. He was sitting to the side of a stage, so moved by a dance he’d had to sit down-not that he remembered-and also, a dance by an oblivious Sirius Black, who, if Remus didn’t bolt of out here, wouldn’t be oblivious any longer.
He had only begun to push himself to his feet when a surprised voice called from the stage.
“Lupin?!” Remus groaned inwardly.
He cleared his throat and stood up, dusting off his trousers with the last ounce of dignity he had.
“Black.” He nodded curtly. “I was just-“ He didn’t actually know how to finish that sentence without saying something utterly stupid and mildly stalker-like.
“Watching my bag?” Sirius raised his eyebrows. Remus despised the amusement in his eye.
He was confused until he followed Sirius’ eyes to floor beside his feet, where Sirius’ academy bag was sitting. Of fucking course, Remus hadn’t even noticed.
“I-I wasn’t-It’s not-“ Remus stuttered like a maniac. Normally, he considered himself to be quite good with words-however that may have been due to the fact that he wasn’t really a talkative person. But now he found himself lost for anything to say. It was frustrating, especially giving his opinion of Sirius Black.
Sirius just continued to watch him with a smirk painted across his face. It was really pissing Remus off.
And yes, he’d never credited himself to be the best at coping under stress. And this was what he deemed a very stressful situation. Heat was rising to his cheeks and a strong sense of embarrassment was setting in.
“I- Look I wasn’t fucking cuddling your bag!” Yes, in hindsight Remus would see that this was probably among the worst things he could have said at that moment. However, in that moment, facing extreme mortification, he didn’t think before he snapped. In his eyes, this was shutting down Sirius’ suspicions before he’d even voiced them.
But Sirius’ smirk only grew into a grin, raising his eyebrows at Remus. “Oh I see, you were just watching me then?”
Remus wanted to crawl into a corner and hide in that exact moment. His cheeks were red-he could feel it-and Sirius Black looked completely calm and composed.
“No! I-I was just-!” What had he been doing? His mind went blank.
He scoffed at Sirius’ smile and pushed past him, striding in the opposite direction.
“Door’s that way!” Sirius called, pointing backwards once Remus turned around.
He rolled his eyes and walked out the door with his head up in a desperate cling to his last shred of composure. His cheeks were still burning as he walked down the hall.