Chapter 20
Sirius~
They’d all been back at school for two weeks and Sirius was already overrun with divination work. Sirius hated divination but he’d promised Marlene he’d do the class with her, he was prone to stupid decisions. Tuesdays were his least favourite day, he had 3 divination classes, back to back. It’s not all bad, at least Moony and James are in the class next door so they walk with him. Moony walks right by him, their shoulders pressed together. They don’t touch in public, Remus doesn’t want either of them to become targets. James hasn’t said much the whole walk, he’s too busy staring up and down the hall looking for Reg, he’s been avoiding James for some reason. It’s fine, Moony’s been filling the silence.
“So I told her, ‘Melissa, I’m not going to do your charms assignment, I don’t care if it’s bloody half-blood solidarity I’m not doing your work!’ and she was all like ‘ But, Lupin-’ and I cut ‘er off ‘cause what a-load bullshit is that?” Remus complained. Sirius loved it when he got all riled up about stuff, he slipped into a more slurred lazy wales accent, instead of keeping himself all sharp.
“You’re going to help her with it though, right?” Sirius asked.
“‘Course.” Remus rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. “Oi Prongs, say something.”
“Something.” he answered, ducking down a hallway to tap on a dude that looked vaguely like Regulus from behind.
“I’m going to kill my brother next time I see him.” Sirius shrugged as if there was no way of avoiding him yelling at Regulus.
“Leave it, Padfoot.” Moony brushed him off.
“But James is sad. Reggie could stop him from being sad if he just stopped fucking avoiding him.” Sirius whined.
“Leave it alone, Sirius. It’s none of our business.”
“Are you kidding me? This couldn’t be anymore my problem than it is. Reggie’s my brother and James is my best friend, this is my business.” Sirius explained.
“Sirius, don’t put yourself into an issue you don’t understand.” Remus warned. Sirius knew he was covering something up.
“Then you should tell me what you know and understand from the situation so I can jump into it.” Sirius said lightly as if he hadn’t just said what he’d said.
“Why would I know anything?” Remus asked, not denying anything.
“Because you know everything, mon amour.” Sirius buttered him up.
“Okay, yeah I know something but I’m not telling you. I’m not sharing something that isn’t mine to share.” Sirius hated this whole morally right route Remus was taking.
“But Moony-“
“No. I’m not listening to another word because I know you’ll keep going till you know.” Remus explained.
“But Rem, please. You know something about my brother, MY BROTHER. He’s a little shit sometimes, don’t protect him, you should tell me, my moonage daydream.” Sirius bargained.
“No.” Remus looked around the hall before pressing a quick soft kiss to Sirius forehead. “Go to class.” He said before disappearing into the classroom next door.
Marlene walked by pulling James along to his class then coming to a stop by Sirius. “What’s wrong with James? He spent all of transfiguration staring at Emmeline as if she’d ran over his grandmother with a fucking horse drawn carriage.” Marlene complained.
“You couldn’t have worded that in a weirder way.” Sirius laughed.
“Fine I’ll filter my literary descriptive genius for you. James looks sad. What is wrong?” Marlene smirked snarkily.
“I don’t know, no ones telling me anything. At least you don’t know, either.” Sirius reasoned with himself.
“I’m unaware of most things going on around me, so I don’t think you should find any reassurance from that.” Marlene grinned.
“Merlin, can you just let me take it as that?”
“Nope. You ask Rem though, I’m sure he’d know.” Marlene was trying to be helpful, he appreciated that even if it wasn’t working.
“He does know! But he won’t fucking tell me.” Sirius stressed.
“Well, when in divination.” Marlene sang.
“… Would that work?” Sirius asked.
“Only one way to find out, right?” She smirked.
“It’s kind of wrong and invasive though…”
“But,” Marlene held up her hand and gestured to him.
“We’ve never once claimed to be morally correct people.” Sirius continued.
“And,” Marlene gestured again.
“No one will ever know.” Sirius finished.
“Good man, good man!” Marlene clapped him on the back and pulled him into the classroom behind Professor Onai. They took their seats up the back, like usual. Marlene pulled out a quill and Sirius on instinct gave her his hand to sketch on. They both hated divination, so every lesson was filled with Marls drawing away on his hand. She was drawing a frog in a dress when Professor Onai plopped crystal balls down in front of everyone. Marlene lit up immediately, throwing her quill down.
“What if we see something we don’t want to see?” Sirius asked.
“It can’t be that bad.” Marlene replied.
“It could be.”
“It won’t be.”
“But, it could be.”
“But, it won’t be.”
“But, it very well could be.”
“But, you could very well be wrong.”
“And if I’m right?”
“Then you’re right-”
“I’m sorry, am I interrupting you two?” Professor Onai cut off Marlene.
“No, sorry ma’am.” Marlene saluted the professor causing a Ravenclaw girl at the front to giggle, Marlene shot her a show stopping grin.
“Thank you, as I was saying.” Onai continued, rolling her eyes. “The image that’ll come up will most likely be metaphorical, if something happens that seems unnatural or impossible it’s probably because it is.” She explained.
“Wait, fuck- we missed the instructions!” Marlene whisper screamed to him.
“You idiot!” Sirius whispered back.
“Me? You!” She replied.
“Are you kidding me? You totally started that conversation!” Sirius broke the whisper.
“Mr Black! Miss McKinnon! I am trying to help your classmates understand the task at hand and you are interrupting that! Since you know so much, would you like to come up here and show us how it’s done?!” Professore Onai yelled.
Marlene looked at Sirius (who was very ready to back down) and stood up, “Sure Professor, we’d love to!” Marlene smirked.
“We? Who the actual fuck is we?” Sirius whisper screamed to her as she hauled him up to the front.
“Look alive, Sirius! We’re about to embarrass the fuck out of ourselves.” She whispered, giving him a Cheshire cat grin.
“Fucking hell.” He sighed.
Marlene stepped up to the crystal ball and placed her hand on it, “Okay, so it’s quite simple, innit Sirius?” Sirius nodded. “First you’re gonna put your hands on it, like so,” She took her hands off it and put Sirius’ where she’d just moved hers from. “Now you’re gonna….” She looked around the table at all the things Professor Onai had laid out, her eyes lit up when they landed on salt and some other substance. “You’re gonna chuck some salt on your hands, like so.” She doused Sirius’ hands in salt. “Now, you’re going to pour this…. liquid onto your hands as well, like so.” Professor Onai took the liquid out of her hands before it could touch Sirius’ skin.
“That would’ve burnt the skin right off his flesh.” Professor Onai said it as if it wasn’t human skin, Sirius’ human skin. Sirius took his hands off immediately. “Now Miss McKinnon, you can take a seat next to Sybil and watch carefully.”
“I take your criticism and I shoulder it, thank you. You know a lesser person would’ve cried, Sirius nor I did.” She smiled at Professor Onai cheekily, just to be brushed off.
“And you, Mr Black, can stay as my assistant. Maybe you’ll actually focus if the attention is on you.” She added snidely.
“I think your theory might just be right, Ma’am. Dear ol’ Sirius does love when people look at him.” Marlene smirked.
“That I do.” Sirius agreed, blowing Marlene a overexaggerated air kiss.
“Marlene!” Professor Onai called out again. “So, we’ll start with putting your hands on each side of the crystal ball, no salt nor any substances are needed for this, all that’s needed is intent and a spell. Sirius, what is your intent?” Onai asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, what’s something you would like to know right now? Maybe about your future. Or maybe there’s someone in your life you’d like to check in on. Maybe you’d like to know how the next quidit-”
“Regulus!” Sirius cut her off, she gave him a stern look. “Sorry, I meant, I’d like to check in on my brother… if that’s okay?” Sirius asked.
“That’s perfectly fine. Okay, Sirius is going to think of his brother and I’ll perform the spell.” Professor Onai repeated a chant under her breath, staring intently at the crystal ball. Sirius felt his hands tingling and his shoulders tightening. His mind felt intruded on for a split second or maybe it was still feeling that way and he’d just stopped focusing on it the second his brother came into view.
Well, ‘came into view’ isn’t the best way to word it, it’s just his hand. His hand reaching up for something, sun reflected off of his dripping signet ring. Regulus’ hand flexed as he reached out further, desperately. “What’s wrong with him? Why can’t I see him? Why is his hand wet?” Sirius asked, concern in his voice getting more and more intense.
“Sirius, we can’t see him. Only you. Only the person with the intent can see, the rest of us cannot.” Professor Onai explained.
Regulus' hand got pulled down quickly and harshly, SIrius’ breath caught in his throat. For a few seconds it was nothing, then everything shifted, the air felt like it got thicker. Like a movie scene the camera angle moved, aiming down at his little brother, fighting for air while hands pulled him under water. Sirius screamed. Regulus fought against the hands, clawing on water to get to the top, Sirius felt the air in his lungs get ripped out of him.
Sirius tried to scream out for him but all that came out were raspy attempts, Professor Onai pulled at his arms to get him away from the crystal ball. Regulus’ hand latched around someone else and he called out to the person. It took a second but Sirius realised it was James’ hand, he only noticed because of the small scar on his hand and the bracelet he wears to distract from the scar. James pulled him up and for a minute there, SIrius thought his brother was safe - just to watch James let go the second Regulus got closer to the top. The hands around Regulus pulled him down deeper than Sirius could see.
Marlene’s arms wrapped around Sirius’ waist and pulled him away from the crystal ball, pulling him to the ground. “Sirius! Sirius, it’s just a vision! We’re shit seer’s I’m sure it meant nothing!” She assured.
He pushed himself out of her arms, “Stop it! Stop! Put it back on! I need to see it! I need to help him!” Sirius screamed, grabbing at the crystal ball, begging it to show him his brother.
“Sirius, put it down! It’s just a vision!” Marlene yelled.
“He’s drowning! I need- I need to help him! Please…” Sirius begged. Marlene came over to calm him down, wiping at tears he hadn’t realised were there in the first place. He pulled away from her, shoving the ball to Professor Onai and rushing out the door, Marlene ran after him but he hid behind a column letting her turn a corner he hadn’t gone down. Sirius stormed into the classroom he knew Remus, Mary and James were in. The professor immediately yelled at him, demanding to know what he was doing, he didn’t hear a thing he’d said. He was on a warpath to James, grabbing him by the lapels and pulling him out the door. Mary and Remus followed in suit.
The second Sirius had him outside of the classroom he pushed him against a wall. “What the fuck did you do to my brother?!” He yelled. Marlene came running down the hall the second she’d heard it.
“What? I didn’t do anything, Pads-”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, James!” He yelled, pushing him up against the wall again.
Marlene pulled at him from behind, reefing him off of James. “Sirius, stop it! It was just a fucking vision! Stop it!” She yelled.
“He hurt Regulus!” Sirius yelled back.
“No I didn’t! I wouldn’t!” James yelled.
Sirius started tearing up, anger boiled in him. “What the fuck did you do, James?” Sirius asked again, trying to push against Marlene but she was stronger than him.
“Sirius, that’s enough.” Remus came up to him, taking him from Marlene and wrapping his arms around him. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.” Remus whispered by his ear, soothing him.
“He hurt Reg.” Sirius croaked back.
“No he didn’t.” Remus promised.
“How can you be so sure? My vision wasn’t just bullshit, Moons.” Sirius sniffled.
“Visions are normally metaphorical-”
“I know that, Moony!” Sirius cut him off. “He watched Regulus drown in my vision- no, he fucking helped him drown! He let go of his hand! He let him drown! I know it’s fucking metaphorical, so what the fuck did he do to my brother?!” Sirius felt hot tears stream down his face.
“Sirius, it might not mean what you think it means.” Remus tried to console him.
“You know what it means, don’t you?” Sirius asked.
“Pads-”
“No, you know. You know and you’re not telling me?”
“Padfoot-” He tried again.
“No. Don’t.” Sirius held his hand up to silence him. James went to butt in but Sirius cut him off too. “Don’t you dare, James. Listen, I’ll leave it, alright? I’m leaving all this alone and behind… but I swear to Merlin, Morgana and Mordred, if I see you near Regulus again-” Sirius sucked in a harsh breath. “Just fucking stay away from my brother.” He warned.
“You don’t trust me?” James sounded hurt.
“With my life.” Sirius promised, “But not my little brothers, that’s not mine to trust you with.”
“Then why are you taking him away from me if he’s not yours to take!” James yelled.
“Because he’s my little brother and it’s my job to protect him and you’re a hazard to him, clearly. Stay away from him. I mean it, James.” Sirius wiped at his eyes.
“Sirius, you can’t fucking do this!” James yelled.
“I can and I just fucking did. Leave him alone, James. Don’t make me hate you for this, please.” Sirius begged.
James rubbed tears from his cheeks, his eyes going red and glassy, “Sirius, please.” He pleaded.
“Padfoot, you’re being unreasonable-”
“Don’t, Remus. Not right now.” Sirius turned and stormed off, Remus trailed behind him.
Sirius went to find Regulus’ classroom, he knew he wasn’t actually in danger but he had to check. Remus stopped him before he could make it, “Padfoot, can you just-”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Sirius brushed him off, turning the corner.
“Sirius-” Sirius turned the next corner before he could finish. “Sirius!” Remus grabbed onto his arm, spinning him around and pressing him against the wall. “Stop it. This isn’t how we resolve this type of shit.”
“You know something that’s hurting my brother and you’re refusing to tell me.” Sirius spat.
“It’s not mine to tell.”
“He’s my brother. My little brother, Rem. I know you don’t have siblings so you don’t get it, but you have to understand this is a bit more than something you can just write down to ‘not mine to tell’. I watched my little brother drown in a vision. Worst thing about it is my best friend let him get dragged down. Remus, Please.” Sirius felt his vision beginning to blur again.
“... Reggie likes James…” Remus answered, looking guilty. “James likes Lily but Reg likes James. James treats Regulus far too much like a boyfriend and it’s killing him, so I told him to distance himself from James. Understand your vision enough yet?” Sirius pressed his head to the wall, taking in a deep breath.
“Fuck.”
“Fuck, indeed.” Remus let out a breathy, humourless laugh.
“This is bad.”
“Very.”
“Fuck.” Sirius rested his head against Remus’ shoulder, breathing him in. Remus pulled him in, running his fingers through his hair, calming him down.
“Do you want to tell me about the vision?” Remus asked.
“Not really.” Sirius admitted.
“That’s okay. We should probably get out of the hall though… someone might see us.” Remus said, trying to stifle the stiffness in his limbs.
“Let them. Morpheus and his girl practically fuck in the hallways and we can’t hug? Let them see. I have enough on my mind to care about. Their stupid judgements are the least of my worries.” Sirius pulled Remus in closer, leaving a kiss on his cheek.
Remus lent down and pulled Sirius up to kiss him, properly, in public, for anyone to see.