Everybody Talks
Remus walked off the stage feeling good about himself. It wasn’t often that he felt proud of something he had done so he was going to relish every single second of it.
He noticed people staring at him and normally that would make him panic with paranoia but he didn’t bother at all. He knew he sang quite well though he would never say it out loud, too afraid to jinx it.
“Remus, mate, that was bloody brilliant!” James said running up to him with a broad smile on his face. “Got all the girls pining over you, I swear.”
“Cheers” Was all Remus is capable of saying, suddenly uncomfortable with the mention of girls. Don’t get him wrong, he knows he’s utterly gay and doesn’t mind it but telling other people about it still gets him every time.
“Oh, I wanted you to meet one of my mates. Well, I just met him myself but he seems very nice,” James said so fast Remus had the urge to tell him to calm down. He found it very funny the way the bloke was acting like they had known each other for ages. “This is Sirius,”
All of a sudden it was like everyone stopped moving. Remus felt the greetings getting caught in his throat.
Because of moments like this Remus Lupin is awfully aware he is, indeed, a homosexual.
It wasn’t even his fault, the bloke would make anyone gay.
Handsome doesn’t even begin to describe Sirius.
His hair was so dark that the lights reflect on it, the tips brushing his shoulders like a cascade Remus would do anything to drown in. His eyes are a shade of blue different than anything he had ever seen - and that is saying a lot since a load of brits have blue eyes - they’re greyish like the sky when a big storm is being carried away. His lips were the perfect shade of light pink, slightly curled up in a grin that translated into “I know I am absolutely gorgeous”. He was a good few - many - inches shorter than Remus, the perfect size in his opinion.
Not only were his looks astonishingly perfect, but his clothes also added even more beauty than ever thought possible. The way pine green trousers hugged his thighs so perfectly paired with the maroon button-up that showed a bit of his chest was enough to make Remus go mad.
“Hello, dear,” Sirius greeted softly with a wide smirk, tilting his head to the side “Put on quite a show, you did”.
“Glad you liked it.” Something in Remus’s head wanted to scream for not being able to flirt back. They looked into each other's eyes fascinated, both lost in thought.
“Lads, are you guys alright?” James said, ruining the moment completely oblivious, “The staring is getting a bit excessive, almost creepy.”
“Shut up, James,” Sirius barked and proceeded to bicker with him just as old friends.
༄༄
Sirius was barely keeping his nerves in his body, tapping his foot and snapping his knuckles the way would drive his mother wild. He could only think of Regulus at home, watching him, curled up in covers pretending to be sick so the punishment would fall to Sirius.
As a producer touched his shoulder all his worries faded to the back of his head and his face took the same worry-less smile he wore when everything was falling apart but no one could know.
He concluded that the audience enjoyed it best if someone came in smiling.
“Evening,” He said into the mic after he put it on the stand. Though he would never admit it, his ego relished how a few ladies cheered a bit louder than they should.
“Hello,” The judge in the middle says calmly, “What’s your name, boy?”
“I’m Sirius. Sirius Black. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Minerva,” With every word leaving his mouth, he would check out the mental boxes of things he needs to do to guarantee his success. “Dumbledore, Slughorn” He greeted tilting his head forward.
Although he often thought of himself as effortlessly charming, he was trying very hard to be likable and approachable because when he was in the audience there was nothing he hated more than someone who could barely speak or was too cocky.
He just needed to find balance.
“So, Mr. Black, how old are you?” Dumbledore asked him kindly with an I-know-what-you’re-doing smile.
“Sirius, please. I am sixteen,” His smile grew slightly as he heard a few ladies cheer a bit.
“And why, Sirius, are you here? What makes you different than any other person that came up on this stage?” It was an opportunity that Dumbledore was giving him to charm the audience.
Be humble, but not annoying, he thought.
“Well, I came here to overcome my insecurities” Lie. He loved being the center of attention, he wasn’t insecure about it in any way. “And I am doing it for my brother, you see. He loves to sing but the boy can’t hit a note to save his life,” That made everyone giggle and he couldn’t help but add looking into the closest camera “I love you, child.” In the fit of laughter, there was a wave of ‘awn’ that made Sirius smile.
Regulus never sang, ever, but the way everything he did was done to perfection if he ever sang he would probably be great. But it was a great excuse to make Regulus smile and know that he’s loved, he tended to forget it.
“Show us what you got, kid” Slughorn finally spoke with a light smile. A good sign.
Just before the first note, he looked at the wing wishing his brother was there to cheer him on. James was there smiling broadly in encouragement with Remus by his side. He showed a small grin that made Sirius get flustered and maybe - most likely - made him blush. James elbowed a boy next to him talking quickly as he just nodded his head.
Sirius grabbed the mic stand for stability as he sang the first few words. He didn’t have a personal connection to the song he chose but he could hit the high notes in his sleep and he was able to be very attractive while singing it.
Hopelessly Devoted To You by Olivia Newton-John is Sirius Black’s song.
He put all the sadness he could muster into the first few words as he put his right hand over his heart like it was the only thing holding it together, because, yes, he is dramatic. And as he started singing the chorus he ran his fingers through his hair the way he knew he looked good doing it and grabbed the mic stand to belt his lungs out. Just the way he did when the song started, he did some over-the-top choreography with his hand while looking at some random girl in the audience making her friends giggle.
By the time the last chorus comes around, he stroked his last blow, putting both his hands on the stand, making sure to flex his muscles just enough so the fabric of his shirt tightened a bit around his arms.
Once the song is over, Sirius was absolutely delighted by the way people cheer him. Although he knew he was a good singer, no one - other than Regulus - heard him sing, ever, so the validation of it all made Sirius smile big.
“You have a beautiful voice, kid,” Slughorn said once the applause had settled. “Plus an amazing stage presence. Not often do we see kids your age with such easy charm and confidence. It’s a yes for me”
The praise hit him harder than he would have liked to, making him smile shyly hating the way his cheeks heated up. He managed to thank him without showing how much that meant to him.
“You see, Sirius, I am a huge Olivia Newton-John fan and I really enjoyed your rendition of this song,” McGonagall said to him with a ghost of a smile, “You are young so there are some places that need a bit of cleaning up but overall you were great. There’s no other possible answer than yes.”
Sirius was glowing, almost floating as he turned his head towards Dumbledore. He knew Minerva McGonagall was the hardest judge to impress and he was able to impress her.
“I have the feeling that hundreds of teenage girls will want my head if I say anything other than yes.”
Sirius couldn’t hold himself from jumping in excitement as he thanked the judges and waved the audience goodbye.
In all of his thrill, he needed to hug someone, and by destiny or not, that someone was James Potter. The boy hugged him back nearly falling as they spun in their embrace.
“That was amazing, mate. Quite the rockstar you were there” James said as they pulled apart.
“Thanks, James” He said, turning himself to one particular tall man.
Not all the adrenaline in the world prepared Sirius to see a smiling Remus Lupin looking at him.
“You looked worryingly attractive singing,” Remus said while touching the other boy’s shoulder lightly, and though it wasn’t much it made Sirius’s mind stop working earning a low chuckle from Remus.
“See Pete, I told you the flirting is absurd” James whispered a little too loud making Sirius look at him, only to note he was talking to someone he hadn’t seen. Seeing how confused Sirius was, James introduced them, “This is my neighbor, Peter Pettigrew. Didn’t know he would be here but I was watching the auditions and saw him. Crazy fate, I guess”
“Truly,” Peter spoke a bit shyly “Your voice is absurdly good, Sirius. Great belter you are”
“Oh, you’re the bloke that smashed Defying Gravity, aren’t you? You gave me chills, I swear” Sirius said, deciding he liked Peter.
The three of them spoke and Remus joined eventually to add a snarky remark here and there that made them laugh. The easy talk between them created a comfortable atmosphere like they had known each other for ages.
༄༄
Regulus couldn’t be happier.
His brother had absolutely killed the audition. Although he cringed a couple of times when Sirius was doing the “I am not flirting but I am going to drive you crazy” things he loved to do, Regulus enjoyed the performance.
The judges were obsessed with Sirius, he could tell.
He wished he could’ve danced and sung with his brother, cheering him on from far away but his mother was already home by the time Sirius was on.
As soon his mother stepped in the house Kreacher told her everything emphasizing how Regulus had nothing to do with it as he was sick. His mother, as usual, didn’t bother to check in just thanked the butler and went to her chambers, most likely to feed her rage to drop it on Sirius when he came back.
They were in for a really long night.
The telly remained on as Regulus stared at his ceilling, still listening to Sirius’s competition, unable to stop himself from seeking mistakes in other people’s performances.
For a second, he allowed himself to imagine what would happen if Sirius won. Their mother would be disgusted, so naturally, Sirius would be glowing with happiness. With all the money his brother would get from the competition they could rent a small flat just like their cousin Andromeda did. Then, Sirius would make his first record and Regulus would be the first one to hear it and he would love it, just as much as the rest of the world. Sirius would go on tour all over the world leaving Regulus with Uncle Alphard until he had finished school - because, yes, Sirius would force him to go to proper school, not the weird teacher that came into their house.
And just before Sirius stepped on the first plane he would make a promise to call every night, and he would.
Sirius had always been a man of his word.
༄༄
“Okay, mate, good luck,” Peter said giving James a quick hug, being proceeded by Sirius’s longer and tighter embrace.
“Alright, make those girls fall in love with you, James Potter,” Black said with a smile. They hadn’t known each other for more than two hours but acted as if it had been years since they first met. There were the “two opposite sides of the same heart” friendship but they were more like the “same heart” kind of friendship. Remus found it amusing.
Remus, who preserved his personal space a bit more, didn’t hug James, just gave him a nod and a tap on the shoulder. Weirdly enough James seemed so comforted that he walked onto the stage as if he owned it.
He had this easygoing confidence aspect to him that even if he was being a little cocky it wouldn’t be unsufferable, it would just be sweet.
Remus, Sirius, and Peter stood in the wings quite tense for their friend.
“Hello,” James said with a kind smile waving to no one in particular “I’m James,” He said before anyone had a chance to ask.
“Hello James” Dumbledore said with a small smile as if he found the young boy’s excitement curious, “How old are you?”
“Just turned seventeen” It was absurdly sweet how he could barely keep himself from jumping up and down with joy, “Can say hi to my parents?”
“Sure, why not”
“Mum, dad, hi. I’m on the telly” James said waving frenetically to a camera while smiling like a fool. There’s a collective sigh from the audience seeing the boy smiling. It amazed Remus how he did absolutely nothing but had everyone wrapped around his fingers already.
“Alright, alright, boy, gonna sing for us or what?” Slughorn asked laughing lightly and James simply nodded still grinning.
Remus looked at Sirius, admiring the way his eyebrows furrowed together and his bottom lip was caught between his teeth, clearly nervous. As everyone quieted down to wait for the song to start Sirius grabbed Remus’s hand anxiously keeping a tight grip.
James looked great with his large jeans, white shirt that was a bit too tight on the chest, red jacket, and beaten-up scarlet converse. Plus his messy black hair and silver glasses gave him a joyful look that matched his personality all too well.
With no warning, James started singing Everybody Talks by Neon Trees. At first, he just stood there taping his hips lightly to keep the rhythm looking very comfortable with the mic in his hand, letting all his charm through his words.
Just as the pre-chorus started he walked - strutted - forward getting as close as he could to the judges and giving them a guilty smile, just a movement of shoulders and a wide grin, before jumping back and falling to his knees.
James had this amazing thing he did while performing, Remus noted, he was somehow not aware of the crowd, he sang and danced with the same ease you do when you’re alone in your room. That kind of talent was so captivating that before the chorus was over the audience was already on their feet and clapping.
He embodied the song so beautifully, running and jumping on that stage like a happy dog. Or maybe a stag, ever so beautiful, drawing every eye in the room to him. And though he did so much he never missed a beat or a note.
James was made for the stage.
Once the song ended, James looked more energetic than he did in the beginning, somehow. The little shit wasn’t even out of breath.
Needless to say, he got all ‘yes’ from the judges who shared the look of ‘after that, there’s no way I can say anything else other than yes’ splattered in their faces.
James was shining as bright as the sun when he hugged Sirius. They stayed in that embrace for a bit before Sirius pulled Remus by the hand he was still holding to hug James. Peter understood the queue and entered the hug so the four of them stayed like that, a mess of arms and emotions.