I think your house is haunted
He was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was back in the very country where half his family still lived.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about his dysfunctional peers, he was currently on vacation with his best friend, and was going to enjoy his time, meeting again with Mary and Marlene, who he hadn’t seen in ages.
When he and James finally arrived at the airport’s gates, they were instantly surrounded by a large group of people, families, friends who came to see their close ones, so he searched through the mass, and instantly recognized the girl who was moving carelessly through the crowd to greet them.
“Mary !” he said, feeling all at once how much he missed his friend.
She responded with a huge smile and pulled him and James into a big hug.
They were so close back then, before they all had to leave to study abroad, and only Mary stayed in Australia out of their close knit friend group.
Their friend Marlene was the first to leave Australia, back when they were 18 years old, to pursue a career in basketball, a field in which she always excelled in, and that made her famous at only 21 years old, two years prior.
James and Sirius left when they were both 18, as Sirius came to live with James’ family, the Potters, who basically adopted him when he couldn’t bear his family’s pressure and rejection anymore.
Mary, who never left Australia, had formed a rock band at 19, with some friends she met at the Conservatory, including her now girlfriend Emmeline, and these weeks the two of them were going to spend together were her first long break in a long time.
Basically, everyone had moved on and gone on with their lives, but they all stayed in contact, and regularly shared updates about their lives.
But lately they’ve all been busy, so they were glad to finally see each other after so long.
- We have so much to catch up on, but first let me introduce you to Emmeline, she points her head towards the girl who was behind them, a little distanced to give them privacy.
Emmeline smiled and waved at them
After she introduced her girlfriend and band mate, whom the boys thought was lovely, they all happily headed to Mary’s car.
He was admiring the town he grew up in, the giant sequoias and the Black oaks, whose name was yet another reminder of his family’s presence. It was a reach, but even the name of that tree was feeding his already infested thoughts about how the Black House was everywhere he laid his eyes on. But he then laid his eyes on other things, like the parks he and his friends used to play in, back in the days where they were little. Or the trees - not Black oaks - they climbed during the summer, the tree house they had built, where they could spend entire afternoons, playing, inventing stories to escape reality, and reading for some, drawing for others...
He was lost in his contemplation of the Australian landscapes when James asked :
- Mary ? You didn’t tell us where we were going ?
- Right, I didn’t tell you, she admitted, turning the volume of the music down, ‘Do you remember my aunt Minerva ? Mary began
- Minnie ? Sure I remember her !
- Well, surely you remember she always wanted to own the place near the huge sequoia, that empty local who nobody wanted but her ?
- Right..
- It’s now my aunt’s coffee shop ! Mary announced proudly
- Wow, so glad for her ! James cheered, always enthusiastic at one’s happiness, ‘she fought so much for it ! How is she, by the way ?’
- Oh, she’s fine, she is in Denmark with her friend as we speak, to visit a castle or something…
Minerva, Minnie to her close ones, was Mary’s aunt, and a tall woman, who was this very very cool aunt, she owned a cottage near her coffee shop, she was always adventurous, and was living mostly with her roommate and suspected girlfriend Poppy, who is an high school teacher at the local school where they all lived. She was the group’s teacher, back in the days, and was herself very close to her students and always smiling.
So naturally, when Sirius heard Mary refer to Poppy as Minerva’s “friend”, he couldn’t help but to grin at her.
- I have so much to tell you , she turns fully towards Sirius and James... you should know that Lily is still living there too, working at my aunt’s coffee shop ! I think you remember her, she gives a pointed look to James, who blushes a little at/to the reminder.
‘Let’s go, then, Sirius says grinning, always eager to see James being the clumsy mess he apparently still was in Lily's memory.
The redhead was always James’ weakness, ever since they first met in middle school, they had been in the same primary school, then high school.
James’ infatuation was something that Sirius never really understood. He would confess to him that she was so beautiful it was impossible not to fall for her, and if you weren’t convinced by her otherworldly beauty, surely you would be by her wits and smarts. But Sirius hadn’t really tried6 then, therefore not seeing the appeal and a potential friendship. Lily hadn’t either, much to James insistence, he could reckon, to give them both a chance.
After years, and getting to know her a little, she he could say that she was nice, but she never really liked them, especially James, who was always trying to talk to her in some ways.
And Sirius thought that Lily was a little stuck-up, back then.
She was always followed closely by that obnoxious friend of hers : Severus. That guy was an asshole. Despite the fact that they didn’t get along, he hoped that Lily got rid of that toe rag, as she didn’t seem to like him very much anymore towards the end, he remembers.
They hadn’t seen her since they were 17/18. Maybe things had changed.
He was given a chance to get to like her, through the perspective of both James and...well, an old friend who he hadn't seen in a longer time than any other.
When they arrived there, Sirius couldn’t repress a whistle :
- Wow, you weren’t kidding, Minnie did a great job !
- I know ! She beamed proudly
She could be proud of her aunt, the old decrepit local was unrecognizable.
It was henceforth a beautiful little coffee shop, with many charms and rainbows on the windows, they were also drawings of australian mythical creatures, it was colorful and well decorated, even from the outside, it seemed very cozy and.
As they arrived and were about to go in the shop, Mary seemed to remember something before entering, and looked suddenly concerned as she bit her lips before saying :
- Ermmm, I forgot to tell you about something.
The boys were now watching her with furrowed brows, a question in their eyes, pressing her
- Remus is working there too ! You know, always with Lily, back then...still inseparables to this day, these two...actually, you’ll see him today...or tonight ! After you both left, he was a really great friend to me, too, and…
He was dumbfounded, how did she just “forget” to tell them that their ex-friend was there too ?
It wasn’t really a question of not liking him anymore, it was how it ended that really set the mood. They haven’t talked since he left, whether it was Sirius or James, Remus completely cut off the communication after he left, only to come back a year later he learned through Mary. He was struck by a weird feeling.
He was impatient to see him again, but also very worried at his own and others’ reactions.
- That’s fine, Sirius cut off, who knew how good of a friend Remus could be, at a worrying extent
- I’m sorry I didn’t mention it earlier...I was so excited to see you I forgot to mention that, and honestly, it’s such a shame you guys ended up fighting right before he left...I remember you were such great friends, back then...
At the mention of that name, Sirius felt a pit into his stomach, and James’ concerned eyes on him.
He tried to smile, but the result wasn’t convincing. Mary didn’t know all the details of what happened the two years they had spent together, and continued as she didn’t notice the sudden shift in Sirius' mood.
- Uuuh, yes, what a shame, he finally replied.
Projected back in Year 10 - Remus POV
*************************************************
- Class, this is Remus, a transfer student who comes from Wales, she turns towards him and adds, smiling softly :would you like to introduce yourself in front of the class, Mrs Pomfrey, a small but energetic blonde woman, rather young to be a teacher, he thinks,to the new student, or do you prefer to do it later ?
- Maybe later, if that’s okay
- That is okay, Remus, that’s why I asked ! You can sit wherever you want, I will hand you the sheets of extracts from the novel we are studying during the hour
- Thanks, mam’ (or Mrs)
- Oh please, call me Poppy, Remus, if that’s okay with you, the woman replied, brushing off Remus’ formality (or is it weird, this early ?)
A grinning boy with black long hair turned toward the new student, grinning at him, inviting him to sit next to him and a bespectacled boy, who was himself sitting next to a shy looking one with a soft smile, on one of the free seats that was left.
He went, quickly scanning the whole class, before sitting in the empty seat next to his
- Hi, Remus, the stranger said, My name is Sirius, this is James and...
- Glad to meet you Remus, why did you transfer school ? James asked immediately, cutting off Sirius’ presentation
- well, urmm, hello to you too ! And thanks for letting me sit next to you ! My dad received a promotion to come study here in Brisbane, he is a herbalist, so he asked if I wanted to move with him, and I said yes, and here I am, he cut short, the boy didn’t ask for his life story.
- So cool ! The third boy said, much at ease now, you must know a lot about herbology then ?
- Actually, I don’t particularly care for it, but yes, I know basic stuff, are you interested in it ?
- But have you not found anything interesting about it ? The third boy, whose name he still didn’t know, insisted
- Peter, stop bothering him with your endless questioning…You are going to scare him away before he could even get to know us, the long haired boy scolded him.
‘Remus, you don’t have to answer him at all, he likes to bore every poor people who have the misfortune to mention anything about plants
Ah, his name was Peter.
- Peter doesn’t bother me at all, actually, and it’s nice to meet someone who is interested in what my dad does, herbology truly is interesting, I just have different interests, he confided, now smiling to Peter
Peter smiled back, as Remus answered his previous question
- I was about to say that I think some facts and plats are interesting, and pretty cool to be honest, but I am not a huge fan overall
Sirius furrowed his brows, not used to being scolded that way, even so gently, by a fellow student
- So, what do YOU like ? He still asked, looking sincerely interested despite Remus own not so subtle scolding, and he was seeming surprisingly not taken aback, even so, he found that oddly refreshing
- Literature, I like politics, not in a ‘I want to be a politician when I’m grown’ way, tho... what else ?..ermm-music, of course ! Remus answered, still uneasy at the boy’s reaction to his friend
- What kind of poetry ? He thought poetry suited him (looking straight (not straight, tho, eh eh) from a poem), no homo
- French poetry, not really a genre, I know, but I am trying to learn the basics of french, actually, he confessed
Sirius raised his eyebrows, now looking even more interested
- Vraiment ? He asked, et quels artistes tu aimes, emphasis on the plural, grinning widely now
Remus stared at him in disbelief, silent for a few seconds before seeming to reconcentrate and responding with a thick welsh accent
- Bowie, J’aime beaucoup David Bowie, and eurrmm, et, Jeff Buckley, j’aime beaucoup...sa...euhmm...j’aime beaucoup sa voix, he quipped, suddenly lacking air, a little (a lot) bewilded at Sirius’ perfect french accent
Sirius smiled widely, then looked behind him “Jamie, I think I met my soulmate !” he said very dramatically, his eyes wandering everywhere, almost swooning.
A very bad faux faint, Remus thought. Still, he was amazed at the boy’s perfect french.
It was James’ turn to grin
- I thought I was your soulmate ! He said, now trying to sound serious (sirius, eh eh)
- You are my platonic one, Jamie, isn’t that enough for you, dear (deer) ?
- I guess I’ll settle..
- Plus, you still got Evans anyway, he said mischievously
James went bright red at his friend’s comment.
Sirius laughed, then immediately he went back to Remus :
- Soo, you like french ? He asked, slightly blushing as he laid his stormy eyes on him
Remus wondered if he imagined that, or if Sirius really did blush.
He learned later that Sirius was half french, the smug bastard.
**************end of the flashback****************
The door opened and they entered inside an even cuter and cozier looking place from the inside.
It seemed smaller from the outside, but when they went in, he remarked that it was, in fact, way bigger, as it was much longer than large.
It was (very) well decorated, with rainbow charms, different pastel colors on the walls, it was beautiful, no wonder this was Minnie’s coffee, you could see how much thought was put behind the design. The whole thing was very put together and ethereal.
They went inside the not so busy coffee, as it was already 5 PM, Sirius a little less confident than before, as he wasn’t looking for places to hide, if needed.
And almost immediately they saw the redhead who was bent over the wooden counter, rolling dramatically her eyes at what a mysterious person had said. The person was hidden next to her behind a portion of the wall, surely the drinks station, so they couldn’t see who it was.
- LILS ! We’re here ! Mary shouted, ignoring the few startled clients that began to stare
The girl immediately raised her head towards the voice, her eyes now wide open, and didn’t seem to mind either, as she rushed/practically ran into her friend’s open arms.
Sirius didn’t even have the time to greet Lily that the person she was talking to came out right after, and if he wasn’t nervous enough, seeing the Welsh boy in front of him certainly didn’t help at all, as he found himself uncharacteristically silent.
- Hello, Remus spoke, pointedly avoiding Sirius eyes
His voice sent Sirius spiraling again. Remus’ voice had changed within those 6 years, but he could recognize the thick welsh accent yet soft inflections in it anywhere.
Oh he had missed it over the years.
- Hello, he said back, gathering all his strength to form a half decent smile, not looking directly at him either, as if he was entirely laid back, contrary to his sudden sensation he was soon going to throw up.
James came to his rescue right away, while Sirius gathered his spirits.
- Hiya Remus ! Bloody hell, it’s been so long ! How have you been since high school?
Sirius often forgot how Remus leaving affected James too, as he was also James’ friend.
But James kept it for himself. He felt an urge of affection for the boy.
Remus didn’t have the time to respond as James pushed him into a big hug, facing the other side of the room, while making a “thumbs up” smile at Sirius.
Fuck, fuck fuck.
He was supposed to keep his cool facing him. They were grown ups. Adults. Well, they looked like adults. Not so much having the mentality that was supposed to come with it.
Sirius was overwhelmed with gratitude towards his best friend, at this moment.
He ought to talk to Remus, at some point. He needed to get his shit together. But maybe not immediately...
- Uh, hi James, yes, it’s nice to see you too, I’ve been fine ! I wanted to talk to you about the tour…Remus finally spoke
- Less small talk…! Mary cut him off quickly, earning a severe look from Lily, and three other very confused looks from Remus, James and Sirius ; the last one wondering why Remus wanted to talk to James about the tour.
They must have talked about it and he got interested. Remus was always taking interest in many different things, and found something interesting in everything, and everyone, for that matter.
She chuckled lightly and said that she needed to talk to Remus in private, right now.
Remus followed her, a few steps from the rest of the group.
Mary said something to him that Sirius didn’t catch.
Something to which Remus didn’t know how to respond, although he looked a bit sadder than before, and less solemn.
And Sirius had a full clear view of him now, as he was facing him.
The boy was still very lanky, like back then. Only now it suited his figure more, as he was a bit less thinner, and looked healthier, with a firmer jaw. He was wearing one of his eternal oversized wool sweater, even in the middle of summer, at least he had his sleeves up, clearing his forearm, which revealed tattoos he couldn’t really see, although he was sure that one of them was a moon, they were intertwined with old scars (he now had tattoos along with his scars).
Over that sweater, he was wearing a beige and pink apron, it was an odd color combinaison, but he was looking good in it anyhow, as expected from the boy. Could he look even a little less than perfect. He knew he was a little biased. But he could still admire the boy’s beauty, without having anything else involved. “Anything” meaning the feelings he once had. He continued further his not so subtle inspection of the boy’s figure.
He had freckles, the ones he had each summer, when he spent a little time in the sun, forced to read his books outside by a very convincing Lily. Who told him about the benefits of the so-called vitamin D.
His hair was a bit longer too, and fair curls were now surrounding his head, enhancing his long face.
Now his breathtaking eyes were surrounded by even longer lashes than last time. Or maybe it was the same but Sirius forgot a bit about it, or tried to convince him he did.
His eyes were under the light who shone through the shop’s large windows. The large windows, tainted in rainbow, were spreading little pieces of rainbows on his face, as he stood directly in front, accentuating the different tints in his eyes. His amber side was now looking like flame (cliché) under it, while the hazel looked almost entirely green (colored windows, spreading little pieces of rainbow on his face, accentuating the look in his eyes).
And now the past hit him full strength again.
His final conclusion was that Remus was even more infuriatingly beautiful, if it was even possible.
Oh, and also, that he was definitely fucked.
At last, because it couldn’t be avoided, he had those scars, only they were more faint, now. They were almost glistening under every source of light, back then, and now they were more tame.
Sirius immediately felt sick at the reminder/memory. He couldn’t help but stare.
Further description of the scars, as he still feels guilty and looks away at the sight, feeling a little sick at the reminder
He knew it would be hard, but not that much, as he thought that time worked its magic, but even 6 years later, he still couldn’t look at his eyes without feeling a painful throb in his chest.
And it was difficult to ignore as the boy’s eyes couldn’t get off of him either.
He was still the same boy he had known years ago, only now they were two strangers who were suddenly projected back in the past.
He tried to see if Remus was asking himself the same about him, but he couldn’t decipher his expression, and it hurt him a little more.
- I have to go now, Remus said, alarmed, I am running late for an appointment ! It was nice meeting you, I believe I’ll see you later tonight, I am sorry to leave in such a hurry ! He looked at Lily, searching for reassurance in a friendly face
- Bye Mmmoon-Remus...See you...emm-later, James responded quickly, earning a stern look from Sirius
Remus seemed not to have heard James’ slip of tongue/lapsus, or didn’t react, if he did hear.
Sirius didn’t know it was possible to be that embarrassed, but there he was, his best friend just called Remus the nickname he gave him long ago, a secret he should have kept for himself.
James was usually a good secret keeper, but that kind of info he couldn’t apparently be trusted with, he made a mental note for later ; for now he was dying of embarrassment..
At least, Remus had the decency not to react.
Mary looked rather confused, but Lily quickly pressed them to order something.
- Well, that was awkward, Mary said, I know your friendship with Remus didn’t end well, but man, I didn’t know you were hating each other that much…If I had known, I wouldn’t have booked you on his tour with him…she opened wide her eyes, as she realized what she had said
- You did what ?!
- The guide I was telling you about…
- Yes ? Sirius encouraged her
- It’s him.
- Our guide for a week and a half is Remus...? James clarified unnecessarily
- That’s what you were telling him earlier, and I bet he didn’t know we didn’t know, did he ?
- He did not..., Mary confirmed sheepishly
What now ?
Sirius was mortified, it must have been a joke, call it karma or a never ending curse…He was feeling faint, maybe if he did faint, he would later wake up and find out it was all a nightmare ? He needed to check… He pinched his arm, therefore confirming that he was fully awake, and feeling a little stupid as he pinched too hard and was going to bruise.
Dumb move on his behalf.
He was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the flow of information coming onto him.
James’ voice brought him back
- Sirius…?
- We already booked the tickets, he blurted, sounding alarmed.
‘We can’t go back’, this time more for himself than James
- You know we can, if you want, it wouldn’t be a problem, James whispered back to him anyway
- No, he rephrased, more firmly this time, It will be fine.
He knew that James wasn’t convinced.
Mary stood there awkwardly.
They were planning to do that for a long time now, they weren’t going to abandon it now, all because of Sirius’ inability to move on and be an adult about it.
Or because he was worried, because he knew Sirius was still affected by it.
- Is that why he left in such a hurry ? How embarrassing...he asked to Mary
- No , no ! He had an important appointment to attend, nothing to do with you, she was fast to answer
Sirius breathed a little, although he was concerned about his appointment.
James seemed to read in his mind as he went :
- Is it a serious (sirius) matter ?
- Well, I think you can ask him tonight, she said, mystically, she was always one to play matchmaker
He still couldn’t believe it.
They finally went on to stay at a hotel nearby.