Remus Lupin's Clock of Dumbasses
“Pete?” He whispers into the dark room. It’s late and Remus hasn’t been home in months but he just really needs someone to be around right now.
The room stays quiet and dark and Remus knows the house is empty. He shuffles across the main room and down the hall to his bedroom. The door creaks open slowly and dust swirls around in the air. He’d been on his latest mission for three months this time and he worries maybe the place has been abandoned. But Dumbledore would have told him anything pertaining to his friends so he knows at least no one is hurt.
He hears the clock move in the kitchen and goes to check it. Molly Weasly should be an inventor he swears. He watches as his hand moves slowly from Mortal Peril to Home. Peter’s tilts back and forth from In Transit to Work and Remus knows he must be up to order business himself. James, Sirius, and Lily’s remain firmly on Doing Stupid Shit. So maybe Remus didn’t ask for exactly the same clock the Weaslys use. He thought it’d be fitting. He wonders what they’re up to.
Suddenly Sirius’ hand spins around to Emotional Distress and Remus just sort of stares at it.
He would have to be a much better liar to say Sirius Black has never experienced emotional distress but the difference is Remus is usually there. Not sitting at home looking at this stupid clock wondering what happened. James and Lily’s hands stay firmly on Doing Stupid Shit and Remus starts to worry that Sirius is by himself. Despite what's going on between them Remus knows he can’t just sit here and do nothing when Sirius might need him.
He’s in the floo before he even fully knows where he’s going.
“37 E. Albemarle Street,” he says as he wooshes to Lily and James’. Now doesn’t seem the time to find out if Sirius' floo will allow him access. He's realizing he's never felt the need to check before.
Remus gets to Lily and James’ to find the place empty. The concerning part is that there are still potions brewing and it’s unlikely Lily would abandon her potions without good reason.
After storming across the way to find Sirius’ apartment also empty Remus starts to panic.
“Ok, ok, ok,” his breathing gets heavier as he panics. “Think, Lupin, think.” Sirius would go to James with a problem and James would go to Sirius. Lily then, who would Lily go to with a problem? Mary’s out of town at the moment, so, ok, Marlene.
Remus gets back in the floo.
Sirius knows it’s a cop-out to hide from emotional vulnerability as Padfoot but he really does feel much better this way. Regulus has promised not to die and now Sirius will pretend he never cared one way or the other. Much better than a discussion.
“Sirius, come on, time to stop being Padfoot,” Lils means well but Jamie’s pets are not a deterrent to being Padfoot.
“Why don’t you see if Marlene’s willing to feed the lot of us tonight love? I’ll wrangle Padfoot,” James says softly. Sirius stops paying attention to anything besides the warm fire he’s curled beside.
James lifts his face up towards himself to make Sirius focus. He growls, just a little.
“Hey,” James scolds. Sirius wilts and watches as James takes a deep breath.
“Look, I get it, falling apart in front of your brother was like traumatizing or something,” he pauses. “But Lils and I are maybe not handling the whole ‘we all die’ thing we’ll either. So maybe I need you, huh? Sirius you?” And of course, Jamie would guilt him into being a functional human being. Or just, you know, a human being. Sirius wonders if people are gifted with guilting abilities if they have normal mothers because Moony’s pretty good at it too. Although maybe things with Moony are fucked up enough for Sirius to just be guilty.
Sirius grumbles a little as he shifts back and James’ hand rests awkwardly on his back from where he was petting Padfoot.
“The guilt thing is not fair,” he pouts, “makes you sound like Effie.” James' expression falls and Sirius regrets bringing her up. It’s a constant struggle between them with Sirius' insistence on bringing them up, of reminding himself that they were real, and loved him whereas James’ attempts to handle their deaths is simply to not handle it even a little bit and not talk about them at all.
Suddenly the floo goes off and Remus Lupin quite literally falls into his lap.
Dorcas Meadowes was not prepared to feed eight people tonight but, well. Marlene’s captivated by future Potter, Regulus is sulking around her house and James and Lily are trying to stop whatever argument Remus and Sirius have already gotten into. So, dinner.
“HEY,” she yells to shut them all up for a minute. “Vance’s?” She asks after she catches their attention. They all look at each other a bit before nodding in agreement.
“James and I can pick it up,” Lily offers. Dorcas looks pointedly at Sirius and Remus. “Sirius can come too.” She adds.
“Ok,” she answers breathing in deeply. At least people will stop yelling and screaming and crying in her house. Probably.
After ordering the food she makes her way upstairs to check on Marls and finds her in her office with Harry.
“-so then if we could get the-” she cuts herself off as Dorcas swings the door open.
“Enough about the bloody war Marls, Lupin’s here, and he and Sirius are already chewing each other out, get in the middle will you?” She asks. Harry makes a confused face as Marls springs up from her seat. She nods happily before springing down the stairs around her.
“Sirius and Remus are fighting?” Harry wonders. He seems confused at the idea like at-each-other's-throats isn’t Black and Lupin’s default.
“You're trying to tell me the two of them, manage to work through their issues,” she asks incredulously. He seems to think for a minute.
“Oh,” he says suddenly. “They both thought the other was the spy, didn't they?” She narrows her eyes at him. She knows she can trust Marlene’s abilities and if she says he’s safe then he’s safe but she can’t help but be suspicious of the stranger that came barging in with a death eater, even if said death eater is Regulus, and knowing sensitive information.
“You know about the spy,” she asks warily.
He considers her for a moment before responding.
“Yes,” he states. “I want to tell you but I can’t be sure you’ll believe me.” And that makes her pause.
“They aren’t,” she hesitates, unable to say it. “Here. Are they?”
“No, no, no one that’s here right now,” he reassured her quickly. No one that’s here right now. Now Dorcas never knew how serious the rumors about there being a spy were but the implication that this person may have been in her house then she needs to know who they are. Right now.
“Colloportus,” she sends at the door. “No one will interrupt. You can tell me,” she demands. She can see it on his face when he agrees to tell her.