He’d been watching when it happened.
A splash of colour arching across the sky, a resounding boom, and then a fiery blast eating away at the ship, consuming wood and fabric and rope with such speed it made Remus’s head spin.
The wind howled, and inky waves lashed furiously against the ship’s hull, throwing up icy droplets into the air and over the wooden railing.
Sirius - for that was his name; Remus had heard one of the his crew-mates call to him - was rushing across the deck, ushering his fellow men into lifeboats, urging them from the blazing ship and into the sea below.
Remus’s stomach clenched in painful knots, which only loosened when Sirius himself climbed into the last of the boats and finally descended into the water, leaving the ship and its crumbling form behind.
Remus lingered as the men began to paddle away, their backs painted in the gold and crimson of firelight.
And then the frightened bark of a dog rent the air, echoing like a death sentence.
And Remus couldn’t even muster a modicum of surprise when Sirius whirled in his seat and stared in abject horror at the black shaggy dog still trapped on the ship, debris raining down in charred, smoking chunks around it.
“Padfoot!” Sirius cried, leaping up. He jumped from the boat and swam back to the burning ship, ignoring the terrified cries of his dark-skinned, wild-haired companion.
“That idiot,” Remus hissed under his breath, already swimming after him, clearing the expanse of sea with a few strokes of his long, powerful tail.
He’d been watching Sirius - against his father’s wishes - for many weeks now, and it was only too typical of him to risk his life for a dog, of all things.
Unfortunately, Sirius reached the ship before Remus, and he wasted no time in hauling himself onto the deck.
Remus watched with growing terror as Sirius struggled to the dog’s side, curling a hand into its fur and lifting it into his arms - just as one of the flaming sails came crashing down in a cloud of smoke and rubble, crushing the planks where the dog had been standing.
Come on, Remus thought, gnawing anxiously at his bottom lip. Come on, get out of there!
The pair reached the edge of the ship, and Sirius set the dog down, pointing to the lifeboat still bobbing above the waves.
The dog jumped - and landed, miraculously, inside the tiny boat.
Its landing jostled the boat violently, but the wild-haired man gave a great whooping sound and pressed a kiss to the dog’s ear. “Well done, Pads!”
He’s gonna make it, Remus told himself firmly. He’s gonna be fine.
From his place on the burning deck, Sirius tensed, muscles quivering as he prepared to jump.
Crack!
An overhead beam had come loose and swung wildly through the air, colliding with Sirius’s head - and knocking him into the ocean below.
“Sirius!” the wild-haired man shouted, eyes wide and horror struck. Beside him, the dog gave a series of distressed barks, straining to peer over the side of the boat.
An icy fear was working it’s way through Remus, seeming to freeze the very blood in his veins.
No…no…no!
Gritting his teeth, he dove beneath the surface, squinting through the darkness of the water. Above, the muffled shouts of the sailor-men echoed eerily, but Remus refused to hear them; he had to find Sirius before it was too late.
Down Remus swam, clawing desperately through the freezing depths, his heart beating a violent staccato against his chest.
Don’t be dead, don’t be dead, don’t you dare be dead -
There!
A flash of alabaster skin, a wisp of raven hair, the coppery gleam of a brass coat button -
“Sirius!” Remus bellowed, rushing forward.
Sirius’s face, usually so energetic and lively, was a slack, emotionless duplicate, kohl-smeared eyelashes fluttering weakly against his cheeks.
Remus didn’t allow himself a moment’s hesitation; he hooked his hands under Sirius’s armpits and hoisted him over his shoulder, cradling his head in one palm. Thankfully, the storm began to recede as Remus broke the surface, and the sky lightened as dawn approached.
Mermen were naturally stronger than humans - and Sirius was already shorter than Remus - so it didn’t take much effort to carry Sirius to shore. But when Remus set Sirius down on the sand, his head lolled back, and his mouth parted to reveal startlingly blue lips.
Remus felt sick.
“Sirius,” he whispered, fighting to keep the desperation from his voice. “Sirius, please. Wake up.”
For one, terrifying moment, there was only silence -
And then, as the sky began to clear and the sun rose to gild the beach, Sirius began to cough.
-
Sirius had died and gone to heaven.
It was the only explanation; he couldn’t suppose why else the most beautiful man he’d ever seen was crouching over him, stroking a hand through his hair, the morning sunlight gilding his head in a brilliant halo.
“Are you…an angel?” Sirius coughed, wincing at the rough scrape of his voice. His clothes were clinging to him uncomfortably, and he already had a killer headache.
“Sirius!” The man cried, delight ringing through each syllable.
Sirius’s name had never sounded so wonderful.
“Do I know you?” Sirius asked, groaning as he struggled to sit up. The man hovered a tentative hand over his shoulders, as though concerned he might fall over. The way Sirius’s head spun, he thought it was a valid concern. “I’m sure I’d remember if we had.”
The man’s face reddened - and, oh, it was undoubtedly the best thing Sirius had ever seen. He could die happy now (if he wasn’t already dead).
“I - No, we don’t know each other,” the man replied, a musical lilt to his voice. It was an accent Sirius couldn’t quite identify, but one that he adored all the same. “You were…hurt.”
“Ah,” Sirius agreed, scrunching his eyes against the sudden onslaught of fire and smoke that ravaged his memory. He’d been about to join James and Padfoot in the boat, and then…then…
“Did you…save me?” Sirius asked, peering up at the man from beneath crinkled brows.
The man’s face, if possible, flushed even brighter - but as he opened his mouth to respond, a series of excited barks sailed down the beach, followed by a familiar voice and a thundering of footsteps.
“Sirius!” James cried, falling to his knees and flinging himself into Sirius’s arms. “I thought we’d lost you! I thought you’d died!”
Padfoot appeared at James’s side and nuzzled his way into their embrace, showering Sirius in enthusiastic licks.
“Padfoot! Jamie!” Sirius exclaimed, laughing as he ruffled Padfoot’s ears. “You found me!”
“Must you always be so dramatic?, Potter?” came a second voice, and Sirius glanced over James’s shoulder to find Regulus standing a few paces away, dark hair tied in an elegant knot at the back of his neck. He wore an immaculate green coat and cream breeches, and appeared, by all accounts, relatively normal.
But Sirius could read his younger brother better than anyone; he noticed the tremor to his hands, the thin, pressed line of his mouth.
Regulus had been worried about him.
“Aw, thanks for the concern, Reggie,” Sirius teased, grinning. “Good to know you care.”
Regulus scowled and flipped him two fingers, but as he turned away, Sirius thought he caught the beginnings of a smile working its way across his face.
“Is he okay?” a woman called, approaching at a more sedate pace. Her fiery red hair fluttered through the air in long, tumbling waves. “No head trauma?”
“No worse than usual, Lily!” Sirius called back, eliciting a snicker from James.
“I’ll tell you what, mate,” James muttered, releasing Sirius and shaking his head, “it’s a miracle…we really thought you were a goner.”
His voice shook, and Sirius rested his hand on James’s shoulder, squeezing. “I’m okay,” he promised. “Really.”
“Fuck me if I know how,” Regulus remarked, whose language always seemed to loose its refined edge when their darling mother wasn’t present. “By all accounts you should be dead.”
Padfoot barked his agreement, shaggy tail waving like a flag behind him.
“Oh!” Sirius exclaimed, scrambling to his feet, “that was all thanks to Pretty Boy over there!”
He gestured over his shoulder, but when he turned, he found only an empty stretch of beach.
“Maybe he’s not as okay as we thought,” Lily snorted, coming to stand beside James. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side.
“No, really!” Sirius insisted, squinting up and down the beach. “He was right here! He saved my life!”
“Uh huh,” Regulus drawled, kicking up a spray of sand with the boot of his heel. “Sirius, when’s the last time you got laid? Must’ve been a while if you’re hallucinating hot men.”
“Ha ha,” Sirius muttered distractedly, still examining the shoreline for a hint of the mysterious stranger.
He couldn’t believe the man had disappeared so completely; maybe he really had imagined him.
But as he turned his back on the beach, a hint of movement caught his attention.
Sirius whirled just in time to catch a flash of scales as something disappeared beneath the ocean, leaving only a faint ripple across the surface of the water.
Whoever you are, Sirius vowed silently, I will find you. No matter how long it takes.