The Lupin’s cottage sat in Garndwllt, Sirius had to drive their motorbike through the little village, earning distrustful looks from passer-by’s. As he reached the off-road leading up to the small abode, they slowed down.
The cottage seemed to be two stories high, but still extremely small in size. The majority of the land seemed to be made up of the garden. Flower beds protruded between vegetable patches and bushes growing various berries. A bomb shelter sat to the side of the garden, but looking more recently built than usual ones. A washing line was tied from each end of the garden, a clattering of various clothes hanging from it. A large pile of logs from different types of trees sat next to it, as well as an axe and a pair of gloves. Wildflowers and plants grew in between the planted ones, an array of colour gleaming under the sun. A Volkswagen bus sat near the front gate, decorated with an assortment of bumper stickers and flower patterns. The inside had bright-coloured patterned curtains. The faint smell of weed protruded from the van.
The cottage itself, held a sign just above the door, declaring itself the ‘Blaidd Bwthyn’. Sirius was curious to know what it meant. The roof was made of thatch, the walls made of rubble stone. All four windows were wide open, and Sirius could hear the faint sounds of Frank Sinatra playing. Through the lower windows, he could see a small kitchen, a pot of flowers by the sink, and in the other, Lyall Lupin pacing the living room with a quill in hand.
Sirius turned their gaze upwards, as he parked his bike. Through the left window, they could see light green wallpaper and another pot of flowers. Through the right window, Sirius spotted drawings of stars cut out and stuck to the glass. Behind the stars were beige wallpaper, a shelf of books, and a small plant. Sirius peered further, spotting a shadow on the bed, the figure seemed to be standing on top of his bed, reading a book. The figure started walking absentmindedly and came close to the edge of the bed.
The figure moved his leg a step further, and just as Sirius yelled out to get him to stop, the figure fell off the bed. After a few seconds, the figure walked, cane in hand, to the window and peered his head out.
“Sirius!” Remus called, a grin appearing on his face.
Sirius brightened at the sight of the boy.
They took their helmet fully off, and walked over to the door, a few seconds later, Remus Lupin pulled open the door and stepped to the side to let them in.
Sirius jumped at Remus, pulling him into a tight hug.
“I missed you.”
Remus quirked an eyebrow, “It’s been less than a week.”
“Still missed you”, Sirius muttered, refusing to pull away.
Remus wrapped his own arms around them, “I missed you too”.
The two finally pulled away from each other, and Remus awkwardly shut the front door.
“This is my home.”
Sirius grinned, admiring the small hallway of potted flowers and photos of a young Remus. He took in a hanged photo of Hope and Lyall, the two seeming to be in their mid-20s, standing in the street in Florence.
“Italy, right? Merlin, I loved it there. I think it was my favourite place to visit. Of course, my parents only went to visit family, but Andromeda convinced my mother to allow her to take me on an educational trip around some of the finest museums and art galleries. We saw the Sistine Chapel, it was absolutely magnificent.”
Remus smiled slightly, “I’ve never been.”
Sirius turned to him, “We’ll go together someday. I’m not quite fluent in Italian so you can guide me around with that sharp tongue of yours.”
Remus stammered, unable to reply, he whirled to the kitchen on the left side.
“Um. Did you want a drink or a snack?”
“Just some water. It’s boiling, you always describe Wales being rainy and cold.”
He turned on the tap, “It’s called a heatwave, Padfoot.”
“Ha. Ha.” Sirius replied, looking around the kitchen.
They touched the laced tablecloth placed on top of the circular wooden table. Another pot of flowers erupting from the centre, splotches of lilac, red, and yellow. Polkadot wallpaper lined the walls, the floors a dark wood, and the cabinets bright orange.
Remus handed Sirius the glass of water, moving back into the hall and across to the living room.
Lyall was sitting on the brown, pleather sofa, a quill and stack of papers in his arms. A small table sat in the corner, holding a record player, currently singing out Sinatra. A box of records were stacked underneath the table. Opposite the sofa was a tv, currently turned off, and sat upon a short unit. Homemade coasters placed on either side of it. A patchwork quilt was placed over the sofa, folded well.
Lyall turned as the two entered the room, “Sirius, good to see you.”
Sirius smiled, holding out a hand for Lyall to shake, “Good to see you too, Sir.”
Lyall stood up, patting their back, “Lyall, please.”
Sirius nodded, retreating back behind Remus.
He grabbed Sirius’ hand, “We’re going to my room, Tad.”
Lyall nodded, sitting back down, “Come back down when your Mam gets home.”
Remus walked back into the hallway, pulling Sirius with him.
“Buongiorno”, Sirius quickly said, before climbing the stairs after Remus.
Remus turned midway up, a wide smile on his face, “You’re the most awkward person around parents.”
“It’s called being respectful.”
“Haliwr.”
Sirius barked in laughter, grabbing Remus’ hand to follow him up the creaky, wooden stairs.
As they reached the top of the landing, Remus pulled Sirius towards a door on the left, his name was written on it in metal lettering, drawings done at various ages were sellotaped to the door, most incomprehensible scribbles until finally reaching a level of understandable but still shitty drawings.
Remus twisted the doorknob, revealing the room to Sirius.
Sirius recognised parts of the room from what he had seen through the window, beige wallpaper, cutout stars, a bookshelf, and various plants. Remus’ bed was fairly long but thin, tartan covers and a quilt with a knitted tardis in the corner. A small desk and chair by the bed was filled with open books, pieces of paper filled with writing, and small figurines from various tv shows and comics. A wheelchair was folded in the corner of the room, covered in stickers and ribbon that the other marauders had done a few years ago. Photos and letters decorated the walls and wardrobe door, Sirius recognised their own handwriting and face amongst them, as well as the rest of their friends.
A letter just above Remus’ headrest caught their eye, and they darted towards it. Staring at the neat handwriting, the family engraved parchment, and the writer of it trying so hard to sound cool.
“This is the first letter I ever sent you”, Sirius grinned, their eyes absorbing it in.
“The summer after first year. I was so surprised to get it back then, I thought you couldn’t stand me.”
Sirius turned, sheepishly, “I was entirely enamored by you. My parents didn’t want me writing to you lot, so I stuck in my father’s office the first night back and wrote to you.”
Remus flicked his eyes to Sirius’, “Tidy.”
“Such a sap aren’t you.”
Remus smiled, leaning against the wall, as Sirius flopped down on his bed and looked around.
"It's very… you. I like it."
"What was your room like?"
Sirius frowned, lifting his head to look at Remus, "You've seen my room."
"I meant your old room. In London."
"Ah", Sirius hummed in thought for a moment before grinning, "Imagine how Regulus would decorate a bedroom, but then add posters of bikes and half-naked women."
Remus snorted, "Women, huh?"
"I allowed myself one poster of Leif Garrett", Sirius shrugged.
"Only one?"
Sirius leaned back against the backboard, "Yep! Nothing like your collection."
They admired the vast number of photos taped to the walls, a majority of Sirius, and quite a few posters of Queen.
"I like photography."
Sirius gasped, his eye catching on a photograph across the room, and lifted a finger to point at it.
"You have a photo of James topless!"
Remus rolled his eyes, joining Sirius sitting on the bed, "Everyone has a photo of James topless."
The front door downstairs creaked opened and closed. A voice reached the bedroom, calling Remus’ name.
The two got off the bed, making their way back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Hope turned as they entered, her hands bundled with food.
“Sirius! It’s good to see you, I hope you’re having fun. Ask me if you need anything, okay?”
Sirius nodded slightly from where they stood in the doorway.
Lyall grabbed a knife and the tomatoes from Hope’s arms, placing them on the chopping board to cut. Hope placed the rest of the food in her arms on the table, before taking her attention back to the two teenagers.
“Remus, cariad, Rhys’ sheep got out again, could you please go wrangle them up for him?”
“Fine”, Remus huffed, walking into the hallway to get his shoes.
Sirius followed him, “Am I coming with you?”
Remus glanced up, as he tied his laces, “Yeah.”
“I’ll watch you in all your farmer glory.” Sirius grinned.
Remus smiled slightly, “I’m not a farmer.”
At that moment, Hope came over and placed a tweed flat cap on his head before walking back into the kitchen.
A shit-eating grin appeared on Sirius’ face.
Remus groaned, “Shut up!” He made to take it off.
Sirius reached down to stop him, “No, it’s cute. Honestly.”
Remus pouted, opening the front door and grabbing his stick, a long wooden cane carved from a fallen branch.
Sirius grabbed his other hand, pulling on the hat slightly, “Why do you never wear this? It’s cute! You’re like an old, farmer.”
Remus huffed a laugh, “Wait till you see me with the sheep.”
“Hot,” Sirius smirked.
The two walked along the road, hand in hand, until coming across a herd of sheep on the path. Spewing out from a broken gate that now hung open.
Sirius stood still as Remus walked over to the sheep, a few of them started following him straight away and he held his arms out to lead others back through the gate and to the field. Remus repeated this several times until they were all back.
He stood in front of the broken gate, “I need to fix this.”
Sirius leaned against the wooden fence and frowned, “How?”
“Might just have to add to the fence for now, Rhys has a shed just there, it should have some wood, nails, and a hammer.”
The two walked up the hill to the small shed, Remus piling planks of wood in Sirius’ arms. Remus holding the hammer and a small box of nails. They walked back down to the broken gate.
Two of the sheep had gotten back out, others slowly making their way.
Sirius grinned as an idea struck him, “I feel like you need a sheepdog.”
Remus’s face twitched in confusion before the realisation struck him. He took a look at Sirius’ excitement, “Fine. Go ahead.”
Sirius immediately turned, in his place a black dog barked.
He padded over to the sheep, the two slowly walking away from him. Sirius jogged around them, herding them back into the field. As soon as they were in, Sirius turned back and grabbed the wooden planks from the floor.
“I feel like I’m quite good at that.”
“You are.” Remus agreed.
Sirius held the wood in place as Remus hammered in the nails.
They turned to Remus with a grin, “The Farmer and the Sheepdog.”
He smiled, “Sounds like a fable.”
Just as they finished up, rain started to lightly fall.
Remus grabbed his cane, and stood up, “We should probably head back”, he looked up to the sky, “Looks like it’s going to get heavier.”
Sirius took his hand, “The famous Welsh rain.”
The two started to walk back.
“I think all of Britain is known for raining a lot.”
“Still”, Sirius hummed, “...Rain is very romantic, don’t you think?”
Remus turned to them, “I would say so, yes.”
The Lupin’s cottage came into view, just ahead of them.
“We’ve never had our romantic rain moment.”
Remus’ lip tilted upwards, “I suppose we haven’t.”
Sirius stopped walking, turning to stand in front of Remus, and wrapped their arms around his neck.
The rain started to fall heavier, drenching the two.
The two stepped closer, leaning into each other. The rain soaked them, but they ignored its ongoing onslaught. They consumed each other, oblivious to nothing else but the kiss in the summer rain.