#and not have to listen to sirius and remus’ bedroom activities

[ultravioletbrit]

“support” - Jegulus microfic - @into-the-jeggyverse - 443 words

“James? Could you come into the living room for a minute?” Sirius asks him.

“Sure.”

James follows Sirius into the living room and Regulus and Remus are already there. Sirius goes to sit in the chair beside Remus and James sits beside Regulus.

“What’s going on?” James asks them.

Sirius looks down, fidgeting with his hands and Regulus takes one of James’ hands. “Sirius has something to tell you.” Regulus says with a sigh.

“Are you okay?” James asks Sirius then turns to Regulus. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Regulus says lightly. “I’m only here because Sirius thinks you’re going to need emotional support.”

“He will, Regulus! He’s going to be devastated!” Sirius gives James a solemn look.

“Okay, someone tell me what’s going on because you’re starting to scare me.”

Sirius takes a deep breath. “Okay, well… erm… someone that Moons works with is moving out of their flat.” Sirius starts slowly. “And… well, they asked us if we’d be interested in taking over their lease… and… erm… we said yes.” Sirius finishes with a wince.

“You guys got your own flat?” James asks and Sirius nods very slowly. “Congratulations guys! That’s amazing!—”

“James…” Sirius cuts off James’ excitement. “It means we’re moving out.”

“Yeah! I’m excited for you both!” James says then turns to Regulus. “And that means—" Regulus is already smiling back at James. “—We’re going to be here. Just the two of us. Are you ready for that?” James asks and Regulus nods as his smile gets bigger and James leans in to kiss him.

“James!” Sirius interrupts them. “I’m not going to live here anymore!” He practically shouts.

“Yeah, I sort of figured that part out.”

Sirius huffs. “Why aren’t you devastated?”

“Am I supposed to be?” James asks Regulus, very confused.

“Apparently so. Do you need emotional support?” Regulus asks with faux sincerity.

“Oh… erm… yes?”

“There, there.” Regulus deadpans as he pats James on the shoulder.

“This is ridiculous! Aren’t you going to miss me?!” Sirius is still shouting.

“Of course! But we’re still going to see each other all the time.” James tells him “And Pads, we’ve lived together since we were eleven. I think we’re ready to try something new.”

Sirius huffs again and crosses his arms, slumping back in his chair. “You should at least be a little heartbroken.” He grumbles.

“Do you need emotional support, Sirius?” Regulus asks him.

“Fuck off, Regulus.” Sirius stands up.

“I really will miss you, Pads.” James tells him.

“Whatever.” Sirius mumbles as he stomps out of the room, Remus trailing behind him rolling his eyes.

“I think we should turn their room into a study.” Regulus says casually.

[wishvaish]

Some asked me why I hate the character Remus Lupin so much.

And people who have read my posts will think that probably it is related to my even more strong dislike for wolfstar. But surprisingly it is not at all related to that.

So, long story short is that I read a fic which was done so nicely that from there on me and remus were always on odds.

For those who want long story-

I was actually into time traveling fics a few years back. You know where hermione goes back in time and makes all things right.

This was one such fic. Where she is reborn as the twin sister of james Potter.

Now, one thing people should know about these fic is that here she is paired with prominent people we know from first war time.

More often it is not james, because of his epic love story with lily or the fact that her best friend will not be born if she is paired such. Others who are often paired with her are sirius, remus, Regulus and snape.

I was into sirius-hermione pairing and read all of them like drugs.

Now my expectations when reading such fics is that the romance take a little back seat and the drama related to war should provide more entertainment.

So mostly avoided fics where she travelled through 2-3 boyfriends to reach to her final guy. Sirius. But this story was exception.

I was reading one such fic in which this pairing was taged. Sirius and Hermione

In it sirius and remus both have feelings for hermione. And neither made a move because they knew about how the other felt and didn't want to come in the way of rthe other out of brotherhood.

We as reader are not told which one of them she has feelings for. Maybe both??????????????????The player witch😎.

Anyways. But this change when after the incident with snape in the shack, remus lets go of all his concern for his friend's feelings and makes a move to the girl.

All is well and good. And they slowly and steadily ease into the relationship. And things are in early stage.

This carries on for a few months where sirius is shown to be feeling remorseful for what he did to his friend. And is also a little heartbroken seeing the two together but he takes it like a champ and does not feel any ill will towards the new couple.

One day the marauders are planning some prank. During which remus starts taunting sirius because he still feeling bitter. Peter and james try to handle the situation but it keep on accelerating to no avail.

In the heat of the moment, remus decides to taunt sirius that he has got the girl they both wanted and tells in detail about what the two got up two just the last night. ( about their bedroom activities).

James first of all punches remus and breaks his nose for speaking like this about his sister. As if she were an object.

Turns out hermione was also nearby and listened to all this and confronts remus about using her and their relationship to make sirius suffer. She asks him if he would have asked her out if it weren't for his desire to punish sirius by asking her out.

This scene was done so fantastically that after that day lupin's character was gone for me. As soon as he comes as a prominent character in any fic, I take my leave or skip those parts.

Now obviously, the Hermione, sirius and james in that particular fic forgave poor lupin. But I never could find it in me to be able to do so. I simply was hoping till the end of the fic that they will just kick him out of their life.

This is my problem as a reader. I get too emotionally attached when the story is really well done. yeah I am malleable like that. 🥺🥺

I am once again reading a fic with sirius/ harry pairing, this too has a problematic remus but the author says that they are trying to aim for his redemption. It is called "RETURN FROM THE VEIL BY @jmagnabo92

This fic too is such where in the end the protagonist will forgive the bad guy but I will be left with even more bad feelings about this particular character than before.

So, this is the reason of me hating remus, not because of canon or wolfstar or any toxic story I read, simply a well done fic where he tried to take away the female protagonist from her destined male protagonist.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Mother doesn’t know best (one-shot)

Regulus Black AU 

Summary:  Walburga upsets Regulus. You will always be there to pick up the pieces.

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: M- smut

______

You could tell from the moment that Regulus walked through the door that he was in a hell of a mood. It didn’t take the two of you to be together for so long to know when he was in a horrible mood. You couldn’t help but be curious about exactly what Walburga did to piss your lover off so badly.

Regulus took his coat off and let it drop to the floor. Normally he would have neatly put the garment back in the closet. Regulus hated wrinkles and would have a fit if his coat had the slightest wrinkle on it. You would spend hours listening to him bitch about how annoying and sloppy wrinkles were.

You didn’t say anything as he sat down on the sofa and stared at the TV with a glare on his face. That look...you knew that look very well. Any time that Regulus was the least bit displeased THAT was the look that you saw on him.

Giving Regulus a few moments to cool off, you hung up his coat before turning around. Regulus’ grey eyes were still locked on the television. You crawled behind Regulus and wrapped your arms around him from behind. Normally you cuddling Regulus was enough to calm him down from whatever stupidity that his parents had caused.

Touching was your method of providing him comfort. It had been from the moment that the two of you had become a couple. While you came from a family that wasn’t the least bit hesitant to show each other love and affection, Regulus didn’t. The poor boy was touch starved from the moment that he was born. At first, Regulus was hesitant about returning a hug or letting you snuggle him. It only took a month for Regulus to enjoy the cuddles enough to be wrapping himself around you at any spare moment.

You snuggled your face against Regulus’ shoulder. He didn’t say a word as you proceeded to pepper his neck with kisses.

“Want to tell me what’s eating you?”

Regulus groaned but didn’t say anything. Mentally shrugging, you continued to kiss the same path over and over before getting brave and biting down on his earlobe. Regulus wiggled himself loose and rolled his eyes.

“Just stop, would you?”

Had he not been in the mood from hell, Regulus would have seen how stunned and baffled that you looked. You looked as if you had been knocked off of your imaginary unicorn. Regulus turned and walked out the door to the back garden leaving you blinking after him.

This had been the first time that Regulus remotely took his frustrations out on you. Normally that was never an option. It wasn’t your place to take the blame for his issues “whatever they were.”

You didn’t move to go after Regulus. When he was ready to talk about whatever it was that he was going through...he would come to you.

An hour later, you sat on the couch reading a book that you had borrowed from Remus. You were so lost in the story that you hadn’t noticed that Regulus walked back in. You also didn’t notice the embarrassed expression on his face. Truth was, Regulus felt awful. You didn’t deserve him taking his frustrations out on you. It wasn’t your problem that his mother knew how to suck the life out of anyone within five minutes.

Regulus wasn’t about to tell you that the reason that he was so pissy was because of his mother’s insistence that the two of you produce an heir. You didn’t need to spend the evening and the next few days wondering if you were “good enough” to be his wife. Regulus would stop that from happening at all costs.

As Far as Walburga was concerned, it didn’t matter that Regulus told her that you weren’t physically able to do that. Walburga didn’t seem to understand the words “it will not be happening.” Regulus accepted it and it was time that Walburga did too. If she was so desperate for an heir then she needed to go talk to her eldest son. Regulus assumed that Sirius probably had a few kids running around out there. The way that Sirius “got around” it wouldn’t be surprising if the Black family had multiple new family members that no one knew about.

Regulus waited a few moments for you to say something to him but you didn’t. He smirked when he realized that you didn’t know that he was in the room. Shaking his head, Regulus gently snatched the book away.

“Hey!”

You whined. Regulus gave you a smile before kneeling down in front of you.

“Hi.”

You reached out to stroke your fingers through his hair.

“Hi... I suppose that you are having a bad day?”

You said softly. Regulus nodded, taking his hand in your and kissing each fingertip.

“Something like that. Mum knows how to suck the life force right out of you. It's no wonder my father is nothing but a glorified statue.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

Regulus shook his head. You didn’t expect him to be wanting to talk about whatever it was that Walburga had done. Regulus was never much of a talker when it came to his family. He would put the issue away in an expertly secretive little file in his mind only for it to never be seen or heard about again.

“Would you rather me take your pants off?”

Regulus’ grey eyes rolled up at the prospect of sex. This didn’t surprise you. As much as you wanted to make a comment about Regulus not being so different from Sirius; you decided not to. If you wanted to make your lover feel better comparing Regulus to his brother was not a good idea.

“That sounds nice.”

Regulus replied. He stood up and offered his hand to pull you up from the sofa.

“Bed or here?”

You asked. It didn’t matter to you where the sex would take place. The two of you seemed to have sex wherever the mood would hit.

“Bed.”

Regulus commented before picking you up and carrying you into the next room. He closed the door with his foot before gently sitting you down. You stayed in the same place as Regulus began unzipping your dress. His fingers expertly tugged the zipper down toward your bottom. Regulus wanted nothing more than to tug the fabric off of you but he knew that would get him nowhere except a shopping trip to buy a new dress. The last thing that he wanted was to spend the evening stuck in a dress shop with other husbands who were bored out of their minds. Regulus would rather be feeding you his cock instead.

The moment your dress hit the floor, you turned in Regulus’ arms and pressed your lips to his. The kiss was the same as always...sweet and timid at first before moving to fiery and possessive. You internally smiled at the memory of the first kiss that Regulus had given you. He had been so timid and embarrassed at first. Now he didn’t care where the hell that the two of you were. When he wanted a kiss your lips were his for the taking.

“What?”

Regulus questioned as you started unbuttoning his shirt and tugging the garment out of his slacks. You shook your head with an innocent smile and kissed his chin once more.

“Nothing. Can’t I smile when I kiss you?”

Regulus rolled his eyes.

“There is no such thing as nothing with you. Good try though, sugar. Now, what do you want me to do to you?”

You sat down on the bed before reaching out to unbuckle Regulus’ belt. That was a silly question for him to ask. Regulus was always the more dominant in the bedroom. You assumed this question was always to see how interested you were in what he had to offer.

“Such a silly question, love. I know what you want.”

You replied, running a hand up Regulus’ now obvious erection. He bit his lip as you finally wrapped your mouth around his length.

“I suppose you do know.”

Regulus commented as his eyes fluttered closed. You opened your eyes for a brief moment to see the ecstasy on your lover’s face. Again, you internally smiled at the memory of the first blow job that you had given Regulus. How he lasted a whole five minutes was still amusing to you. The poor love was so embarrassed at the coming so quickly and kept offering promises that once he was inside of you he could definitely last longer.

As the years progressed, Regulus gained an iron grasp on his orgasm. You often found yourself begging him to come already because your jaws or your pussy was so sore from “activities” that you needed a break. There were only a few ways to make him come super quick and he refused to talk about them. Your personal favorite was giving him an inconspicuous handjob at bad times. The most memorable was a few weeks ago at dinner with Walburga, Orion, and a few of the other Black family members. You smiled at the memory…

It was another boring dinner or listening to Walburga and Orion talk about how wonderful their family was. You sat beside Regulus as the dutiful sweet little wife that he adored so much. The less that you caught Walburga’s attention the better. Regulus hadn’t said much that evening. Granted, he normally didn’t say much around his parents. He had learned years ago to keep his trap shut.

As Walburga started talking about Christmas plans, you let your eyes fall to Regulus’ lap. Now would be the perfect time for a handjob. You knew Regulus probably wouldn’t think so. Your prim and proper lover still didn’t exactly love the idea of public displays of affection. A handjob and him coming in front of his family would be a huge “hell no.”

You let your eyes flutter to Regulus’ face. He sat watching his mother with a bored expression on his handsome face. Regulus clearly had not picked up on your playful smile and for this you were thrilled. As carefully as possible, you scooted your chair closer to Regulus.

The moment your fingers stroked over his cock, Regulus’ eyes turned to you. He gave you a warning expression that said “not now” but you weren’t going to listen. So what if he spanked you later? You would have some fun at the time being. You only blinked at Regulus before continuing to lightly stroke your fingertips over his hardening cock. Regulus reached down and wrapped his hand around yours. You assumed that he was going to shove you away but he didn’t. Instead, he forced your hand open to palm him under the table cloth.

Regulus pressed his lips together as you got braver and began unbuttoning his dress pants.

“Y/n, no...please.”

Regulus whispered in your direction. You gave him a playful smirk before wrapping your hand around his length. Regulus discreetly put his hand over his mouth obviously hoping that his parents would assume that he was carefully considering their words. Little did they know what you were actually doing to their youngest son.”

Regulus rocking his hips pulled you from the memory. He whined when you let his cock drop from your mouth. Sitting up a bit straighter, you placed a kiss to his hip bone.

“Want to take me?”

“That’s a dumb question.”

Regulus said as he gently pushed you back on the bed. You knew that he wasn’t going to just shove in. That was for inexperienced kids. He always left you needy and soaking the sheets before ever considering pushing inside of you.

He gently stroked his left hand between your bodies to stroke your pussy. Regulus groaned feeling how wet you were. He knew to expect it but it was always such a pleasant surprise. His middle finger effortlessly slipped inside your opening leaving you gasping his name. Regulus continued to tease you for a few moments. One finger became two. Two fingers were pushing in as deep as possible. He scissored and pumped you to orgasm twice. Each time, as your orgasm approached, Regulus stopped moving. His grey eyes were locked on your face and a small smirk played at his lips. Regulus knew how to drive you wild just as you knew how to push him over the edge.

“Need you now.”

You whimpered as Regulus curled his fingers. If Regulus continued to tease you like this there was no way that you would last long. To your relief, he seemed to want sex as badly as you did. Both of you sighed the moment that he pushed inside of you.

“Take it all, sugar.”

Regulus ordered, trying his hardest to resist the urge to start fucking you as if he was a careless teenager. He stopped himself each time. You didn’t deserve just to have a sloppy mess made out of your pussy. Despite this being about him, Regulus would make sure that you were taken care of. The words “happy wife, happy life” could have never been more accurate.

The soft gentle lovemaking turned hungry and desperate within seconds. You reached up to wrap your arms around Regulus’ shoulders as his skin slapped against yours. The feeling of Regulus’ cock sliding in and out of you before filling you to the hilt was enough to make you want to come alone. Your body twitched involuntarily as the arousal became more intense. Suddenly you felt your body lingering on the edge of orgasm.

“Please don't stop. Please don’t stop.”

You chanted over and over. You were trembling all over as the pleasure exploded. Regulus moaned loudly. The feeling of your body strangling his cock was enough to bring him over the edge. He knew that this wasn’t going to last long from the get-go. Regulus stopped thrusting almost instantly. You could feel his cock throbbing inside of you for a few moments before filling you.

Regulus was the first to break away. He stroked his finger over your nose before lying down beside you. You didn’t fight as he pulled you into his arms.

“Do you feel better?”

You asked, yawning. Regulus nodded and kissed your head.

“You always make me feel better. Maybe a small nap is in order?”

You didn’t argue as you wrapped your arm around Regulus’ body a bit more tightly and prepared for a nap (and round two). Before falling asleep you made a mental note to thank Walburga for whatever it was that she did to him. You would assure her that you were there to calm her baby boy down...just as you always would be.

_______

@amelie-black​ @regulusslut​ @mellifluous-cosmos​ @fandomsxxregulus​ @realgaytrash​ @acciosiriusblack​ @fific7​ @quuenofblacks​ @siriuslyceleste​ @whymyparentscheckmyphone​ @criminalyetminimal​ @hazel-eyes5​ @lucasfilms77​ @exhsle​ @spiderxalmighty​ @rubyroscoe1​ @bennyberry​ @harold-pothead​ @mimisparkle12​ @teletubiswszpilkach​ @zievyimas​ @jessyballet @knreidy1 @brokencasbutt67-writer @authoressskr @moldy-old-boot @hankypranky @summer-novak @shaylybaby2032 @emiwrites3reads @shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @knight-of-gleefulness @stuckinsaudi1 @marichromatic @untoldshortsofthefandoms @deanwherescas @sprnaturallover @shitfaceddaniel @wontlookaway @mycuddlycorner

[clairecrive]

"Sunshine" - Sirius Black x reader [Requested]

This is for the anon: Sirius/Remus (You pick) with reader who has problem expressing themselves, so they use stuffed animals? To elaborate they have a dog which is happy, bird which is excited, cat when lazy, frog when sad, owl when tired, and unicorn for confusion? I know it’s complicated, sorry if this was a waste of time, Wish you luck!

A/N: I end up choosing Sirius bc idk it felt more fitting. Hope you like this x

Warnings: nothing, this is pure fluff, maybe language

Word count: 1.4K ish

(let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist)

(not my gif)

"Hey sunshine, I got your frog. What's wrong?" you say when entering the boys' bedroom.

It was just after breakfast so everyone was either hurrying towards their lesson or already in class, leaving the dorms and in general the Gryffindor tower empty.

Well, almost empty considering you and your precious boyfriend were still here.

As a matter of fact, you were on your way to class when Sirius' patronus found you and handed you a frog. Knowing exactly what it meant, you turned around and hurried back down the corridors.

Now, it may sound weird for your boyfriend to send you a frog, out of all the things, but there was a reason. Neither you nor Sirius was very good at reaching out and asking for help when something happened. Since it was something you had in common, you couldn't really blame him. But, after the first month of you dating, it was causing more harm than good and you knew that it was something you needed to work on if this relationship was to go on.

So you talked about it and came up with an alternative system. One that didn't involve words and therefore made reaching out and express your feelings easier. And yes, it involved stuffed animals.  Well, when you were in the same room anyway. You restored to patronus when you were not together.

If anyone thought it weird that both of you started carrying around stuffed animals, they didn't show it. Even if they did though, neither of you would have cared much since this method was actually working and had, in fact, saved your relationship.

It was also a great way to quickly check on each other. Receiving a dog, meant the other was fine, happy even, a bird would mean that something exciting had happened or the other had exciting news to share, But a frog, not that was something you dreaded receiving.

It was bad news. It meant that something happened and the other needed comfort or at the very least for their significant other to be there for them.

Hence the reason you almost ran to Sirius, doing your best to skip the step of the stairs that lead to the boys' dormitory without falling on your face.

Last time you had seen Sirius was yesterday night before heading to bed. You had slept in and therefore missed breakfast. What could have gone wrong in such a short amount of time, you wondered. You just hoped that it wasn't anything gravely serious.

The sight that welcomed you when you finally reached him was disheartening, however.

Sirius was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't move, nor when he heard your footsteps nor when you spoke. He just held up an open envelope for you to see and nothing else was needed. You knew what had put him in bad mood.

That goddammit psychotic abusive family of his.

Oh, how you hated them.

The idea that someone couldn't see how wonderful Sirius was and not only that but also the fact that they actively went out of their ways to send him hate and harmful letters even when he was far away and had cut any connections with them?

Fucking absurd.

Sighing, you walked to his bed and quickly stepped out of your shoes before lying next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" you almost whispered.

Propping you heard on your hand, you gently moved away some of his curls away from his face. He was still not looking at you but he softly shook his head at your question.

Okay, you thought.

You lowered your hand to his face so that your fingers could start tracing his beautiful face. Leaving a small kiss on his temple, you reached out so that your arm was around him. Your kisses slowly moved all over his face. His other temple first, then his forehead. His nose. His cheeks. When it came to his lips, you stopped and just hovered over them.

Gently turning his face to yours, you waited for his eyes to meet yours before speaking. "They don't know the real you, my love."

If only he could see himself the way you saw him. If only he could see how false his family's words were.

"Everything they say is a blatant lie because they do not know you"- emphasis on not - "because if they did, the would agree with me."

The sadness and the hurt in his eyes were so evident that you had to fought tears back. You knew that this was something he had to face on his own and that your words were just that - words. Almost useless. But you had to do something and if there was even the tiniest chance that he'd actually listen to you then you'd try anyway.

"And you know what I think?" you smiled softly at him, your fingers trailing over his bottom lip, "I think that you're amazing. Precious even."

You were sure this was going to come back to bite you in the ass when he was feeling better. Merlin knows how Sirius' ego doesn't need to be stroked. At least, in public, that's how he behaved. But you knew him. You were lucky enough that he had let you in and showed you this side of him that no one knew existed outside his close circle.

He didn't say anything but his eyes didn't move from yours so you took it as a sign to keep going.

"There's no one out there who is so effortlessly brilliant like you are, my love." Leaning back a little from his face, you put some space between you after leaving the smallest of kisses on his lips."And I know for a fact that there is no one out there who cares about others like you do." Emphasizing with your eyes the "no one" part, you were able to coax the faintest of smiles for him.

You had noticed that your weird facial expressions amused him and apparently they worked in these situations too.

"Do you know why I call you sunshine?" You continued, a smile still on your face but your tone more solemn. You had a feeling that it was something he had wondered about since the most obvious choice would have been finding a nickname related to stars. And you knew how much Sirius was interested and fascinated by them.

"Yes, you're named after a star but I don't think it really matches your personality. See? Another proof that they don't know you at all." You lean back to sit on your feet.

"People don't notice stars unless they look up at the sky." Taking one of his hands in yours, you start playing with his fingers. "But you, my love? It would be impossible not to notice you, Sirius." Leaving a kiss on his palm, you intertwine your fingers and hold his hand close to your chest right where your heart is.

"You shine bright like the sun, making everyone around you aware of your presence. And yes, sometimes it can be annoying, but you know what?" At this, his smile grew a little knowing that what you were saying was more than true. Everyone knew that Sirius could also be spelt annoying on most days, especially during class. He got bored easily since he didn't need to study as much as everyone else to understand a concept. Thus, making it his mission to make someone do something with him that isn't studying.

"Everyone misses the sun when it's gone and never tire of it when it's there." Squeezing the hand you were holding, you hoped to have helped a little. Maybe you did, or maybe you didn't but all your efforts were rewarded when Sirius smiled at you. This time he gave you a real smile. As a consequence, yours got bigger.

Letting his hand go, you cradled his face in your hands and gently pulled him to you until your noses were touching. His hands, in turn, moved on your hips and used them to pull you to him as well so that you were now straddling him.

"Come here, you big sap." And pulled you even closer to him so that his face was now in the crook of your neck, his breath tickled your skin. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders in a tight embrace. Oh, how much you loved this boy.

"Only for you, my sunshine."

[fandomlovingfreak]

Healing His Heart (12/?)

Young Remus Lupin/Reader

Rating: E for Everyone

Word Count: 1715

MasterList Link I AO3 Link I Wattpad Link I Tiktok Link

Summary: (y/n) is two years younger than him, a popular Slytherin, and Regulus Black’s best friend. Yet he can’t help but be attracted to her bewitching personality and sweet smile. Unfortunately, his er–problem makes it harder to get close to others. Despite his attempts to push her away (for her own good) she seems determined to worm her way into his life.

Enjoy

"What're you two so happy about?" Sirius asks the next morning. Something about his eyes says he knows what went down last night. Remus chooses to ignore it, sitting down next to (y/n).

"I was just telling (y/n) about one of the times I threw a stick, and you ran to get it before realizing what you've done."

"That was only once!" Sirius frowns, taking a large bite of his breakfast.

James chuckles into his pumpkin juice.

"The fact that it happened at all--" Remus pulls (y/n) to his side, grabbing a piece of toast off the platter.

Sirius pouts, "change the subject."

"Quit teasing him, Rem," (y/n) steals the piece of toast from his hand.

"Hey!" Remus watches as she takes a bite, "I was eating that!"

"Bummer," (y/n) finishes off the toast.

"(y/n)," Regulus walks up to the table, "ready for Potions?"

"Oh! I have to run back to my dorm to get my notes. I'll meet you there?"

"You should probably get going then."

(y/n) rolls her eyes, "yeah, yeah." She turns her attention back towards Remus, "see you later?"

"Library?"

(y/n) brushes her lips against his temple, "of course."

He watches her as she rushes out of the Great Hall. Maybe he's stared too far too long where she's disappeared because he hears Sirius's dramatic gasp. 

Remus turns towards his friend just as Sirius whisper yells, "You two slept together!"

"What?  How-- ?" James and Peter look at him with shock. He brushes his fingers through his bangs.

"How do I know?" Sirius laughs, "you two are not discrete whatsoever."

"I thought we were incredibly discrete--"

"Moons, you had your hands all over her all of breakfast. You're usually a bit more reserved than that."

"That's not a good enough reason to know that--" He flushes.

"Well..." Sirius makes a face, "I may have overheard the two of you last night..."

"You? What? Sirius!" Remus is-- appalled? Embarrassed? 

"I didn't stick around, nor did I interrupt! You should be thanking me. If it had been James, he definitely would've barged in without thinking."

"Hey! I would have not!" James elbows Sirius, "I wouldn't have, I promise Moons. It's Peter you should be worried about if you're doing that sort of activity in the dorm."

"Where else would I--?" He stops himself, unsure if he wants to know their answers but somewhat curious despite his reservation.

"Empty classrooms, closets," Sirius names places on his fingers.

"The common room in the early morning," James joins in.

"Hold up? Was that what that noise was last month at two A.M.?" Sirius asks, looking impressed with his friend.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," James hides a smirk behind his pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, I'm not having sex in any of those places." Maybe it's the ridiculous romantic in him, but he can't imagine doing anything sexual outside of a bedroom. Besides, (y/n) deserved even the little bit of romance he could put together in their current environment.

Sirius raises his eyebrows, obviously not convinced, "sometimes there are no other options."

He snorts, "I think I can control myself enough to get back to the dorm."

The other two exchange a look, seeming like they don't entirely believe that declaration.

***

"I have a brilliant prank to pull on the Slytherins," Sirius whispers to him in class.

Remus half hears this as he frantically scribbles down notes, "yeah?"

"Are you listening?" Sirius hisses.

Remus makes a noise in the back of his throat, hoping it seems like he is.

"Moony!" Sirius elbows him.

"Mister Black!" McGonagall's shrill voice rings through the classroom.

Sirius looks up sheepishly, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Do you have something to tell the class?"

"No, ma'am." He smiles in her direction.

"Good. Do you know the answer to the question I just asked?"

"No, ma'am..."

"Pity. How about you, Mister Lupin?"

"Gamp."

"Excellent. Perhaps if you paid a little more attention, Mister Black, you'd have known the answer."

"Sorry..." Sirius's usually pale cheeks are stained pink.

Remus gives him a look, going back to his notes.

"I'll tell you aft--" 

Sirius is shut up by a shrill, "Mister Black!"

"Sorry, ma'am..."

***

"What was the brilliant prank that almost got you detention?" Remus asks as they're walking from Transfiguration.

"Oh yeah! I thought it would be hilarious to charm their robes to look like Gryffindor robes. Reg was acting like the worst thing that could possibly happen to him would be being forced to wear Red and Gold... and well, I want to make the nightmare true."

"That's your whole plan?"

"Do you not think its great?" Sirius scoffs.

"I dunno. It seems pretty harmless, honestly." Their pranks had been legendary their entire time at Hogwarts. Why stop at a simple charm? "it would be more brilliant if we charmed them to be invisible." The words leave his lips before he can stop them. This could be pushing the limits of pranking.

Sirius grins, smacking him affectionately on the shoulder, "you're a genius, Moons! That would be perfect!"

Remus worries his lip between his teeth, feeling like he couldn't take back the words. The idea was in Sirius's head now, and once Sirius caught the scent of an idea that he liked, he tended not to let it go.

***

The prank logistics are laid out in the deep, dark night in the Gryffindor Common Room. Once the final fourth-year girl, with a stack of books the size of a mountain, leaves the common room, the boys huddle together at the table.

"I've researched the spell. It shouldn't be too difficult," Sirius lays out a book with the instructions for the spell.

Remus stares down at the book with the rest of them. He can't believe that Sirius had taken the time-- well, actually, he isn't that surprised he took the time and effort for this prank. Sirius always seemed to choose any distraction over school.

"Who's going to cast it?" Peter asks, looking nervous.

"I will, of course." Sirius grins.

"When?" James pulls the book towards him, moving his glasses up his nose.

"After dessert."

***

"You can't tell (y/n) anything!" Sirius looks at him seriously.

"I'm definitely not letting you turn my girlfriend's robes invisible, Pads." Remus leans back in his chair. The thought of anyone seeing her the way he gets to irritates him.  Nope, it's not happening.

"How--"

"I'll get her to sit by us. I refuse to let you prank her like that."

Sirius sighs, "fine. You know you're acting awfully protective for after the Full Moon."

Remus frowns, "She's my girlfriend! How can you blame me?"

Sirius makes a disgusted noise, "you're no fun in a relationship."

***

Remus watches as (y/n) walks down the hallway towards him. Just as she's passing by, he tugs her into the dark corner.

(y/n) nearly screams in surprise, but he covers her mouth with his hand. She stares up at him for a second before she registers it's just him. Remus removes his hand from her mouth, smiling sheepishly.

"What in the world are you doing?" she lightly smacks his chest.

"Don't wear your robes tonight at dinner, love." Remus pulls at her sleeve.

(Y/n) frowns, "what do you mean don't wear my robes to dinner? What are you scheming, Remus Lupin?"

He grins, "just trust me. Actually, come and sit by me tonight at dinner just in case."

"What are you planning, Remus?" Her frown deepens.

"Can't tell you. Would ruin all the fun."

"Nothing about what you're saying sounds like fun."

"Just— sit with me tonight. I'll give you one of my spare robes—"

"You think your spare robes," she tries not to smile, "is going to fit me? I'll be tripping every other step. Have you not recognized I am shorter than you?"

"I can fix that—"

"My god, Remus. What the hell are you planning?"

"I can't have you ruining the fun."

"So you're scheming against my house then?"

He laughs, "you'll see. Just follow me. I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"You're ridiculous, you know."

"I am very aware."

**

She is drowning in the robes he gives her. But he kind of likes it. Likes seeing her in his clothing, even if it is funny how the sleeves cover her hands. With a wave of his wand, he shrinks the robes just enough to look presentable.

"This is so stupid. I look ridiculous."

He wraps his arms around her waist, leaning his chin against her shoulder as she examines the robes in the mirror.

"What do you mean? They fit better now."

(Y/n) rolls her eyes, "I mean—  Gryffindor ? It doesn't look right on me at all."

Remus rolls his eyes, "that's the problem?"

"Of course," she turns around in his arms, "I've never been a fan of red."

Remus laughs, pulling her close to press his lips against hers. 

"Oi! What're ya doing?" James walks into the room with Sirius and Peter close behind.

"What does it look like?" Remus growls back.

"Wait—  is (y/n) wearing Gryffindor robes ?" Sirius comes closer to examine the familiar red fabric.

"Unfortunately." (Y/n) quips back.

"You told her!" James points an accusing finger at Remus.

"I told her nothing. Just don't want the two of you hexing my girlfriend."

"So we're dressing her up as one of our own then, eh?" Sirius laughs, pulling at her sleeve. 

(y/n) pulls her arm away from him, squinting. "What are you planning to do?"

James and Sirius share a look, "we are  not  telling you. You'd run off to little Reggie the moment we did. Gotta make sure she doesn't runoff. Keep an eye on her."

"Like Remus will let go of her for even a moment." James snickers.

"Shut up," Remus, though, doesn't let go of (y/n) 's hand.

***

Remus had attempted to pull her onto his lap at dinner, to which (y/n) shoved him away with a laugh. "As if Lupin."

"It was worth the try."

No one really notices (y/n) is at the Gryffindor table, too used to the Marauders doing as they please. 

And true to what Sirius had joked about, Remus didn't keep his hands from her at all. Usually, his hand resting on the top of her thigh, but occasionally he moved it to hold her hand in his or rest his hand next to hers, making sure they were touching at all times. 

Around dessert, Remus, Sirius, and James share a look before Sirius is snickering. He says something under his breath, waving his wand under the table, and— 

Peals of shrieks come from the Slytherin table.

(Y/n) sits up straighter trying to see what's happening at her house's table. One girl ducks down under the table, a few of the guys try to cover up—

"What did you do?" She looks over at Remus, obviously demanding an answer.

"A simple hex that turns clothing invisible—"

"Remus!" (Y/n) stands from the bench, "why would you do this?" She looks at James and Sirius, looking for an explanation from them.

"Don't look at us! It was your boyfriend's idea—"

Fuck.

"I would expect cruelty from those two," her burning eyes turn towards him, "but I would never have assumed you would think up something so horrible, Remus Lupin."

Maybe it's the disappointment in her eyes or how clearly she displays her outrage, but he feels cold shame run down his body.

"(Y/n)—it was a harmless prank—"

"Harmless?" Her voice has an edge of rage in the tone, "what is harmless about this? Do you really think  public humiliation is harmless ?"

"No, but—"

"What the fuck else is this besides cruelty? You're seventeen years old! What is funny about embarrassing children to you?"

He opens his mouth then closes it, not being able to figure out how to respond to that. James and Sirius begin to laugh.

"And you!" She turns her rage towards them. They immediately shut up, "Sirius!  That's your brother!  And James, I don't have any words for you. You're such an ass. All four of you should be ashamed of yourselves." She climbs over the bench, stomping out of the Great Hall. The rest of the hall, minus the Slytherin's have stopped eating, all attention on the Marauders.

"(Y/n)!" Remus tries to scramble after her but is stopped by McGonagall's stern voice.

"Sit down, Mr. Lupin." He turns around, feeling like he's been dunked in an ice bath, "Based on Ms. (y/l/n) 's outburst, I can infer this prank was the work of the four of you, am I correct?"

James, Sirius, and Peter nod slowly. He feels numb. "As Ms. (y/l/n) has already said everything I would have.  Quite a bit angrier than I would have dared to . I am sure you understand the severity of your actions and the punishment that comes. I'll see the four of you in detention every Sunday for a month, then."

**

"I can't believe she—" Sirius is enraged over (y/n)'s yelling after the prank.

"She wasn't wrong, Sirius," Remus's been trying to figure out what to do about (y/n) during the rest of dinner and as they walked back to the Gryffindor dorms. He feels  awful . There's no way she'll stay with him after this... It terrifies him to think he may have pushed away the...  love of his life.  And over a stupid prank of all things.

"What do you mean she wasn't wrong?" Sirius is pissed, but Remus knows he'll get over it. Even if (y/n) cost them their Sundays for a month, (y/n) is still like Sirius's little sister. 

"It was childish. A really stupid prank. Some of those kids are first years, Sirius."

Sirius considers this for a moment, "but we didn't prank her!"

"They're her friends... wouldn't you be angry if someone did something like that to one of us? Or to Gryffindor?"

"Well, obviously—"

"Then use your imagination to see why she's mad." Anger bubbles in his chest. He should never have suggested the  invisible part  of the prank. Sirius wanting to hex their robes to look like their own was enough! Why couldn't he control his damn tongue?

[lonelyyinchicago]

giving sirius the childhood he deserves part 3

it had been ten days since hope lupin had been rushed to hospital and pronounced dead two hours later. when the phone rang on the grey tuesday morning, sirius answered it quietly as remus rolled over and buried his head in his pillow.

“hello?”

a broken, tear stained voice replied.

“sirius? it’s umm it’s lyall. i’m just ringing to ask you how remus is and umm when he feels ready to come back home and sort through her belongings.”

sirius turned around to look at the man sprawled across the mattress. there was a small dark patch on one of the pillows where remus had cried in his sleep. sirius ended the call and sat down next to his shaking boyfriend.

“remus? remus baby?”

remus’ eyelashes untangled themselves as he looked up at sirius. he grunted softly to show he was listening.

“your dad wants to know when you want to go over there to-to go through your mum’s things. you know, start emptying the loft.”

remus rolled out of sirius’ lap and pulled the duvet high over his head. sirius smiled sadly as he leant over he leave a delicate kiss on remus’ neck.

“i’m going to make breakfast okay? and you have to come downstairs for it today - you can’t stay in bed forever.”

“watch me” remus mumbled.

in the kitchen, sirius rummaged through the through fridge just loudly enough to disturb remus and force him to come downstairs and complain.

“aww would you look at that! remus lupin has left the bedroom.”

remus looked around, only just realising that he had in fact made it downstairs and been tricked by sirius.

“fuck you.”

sirius grinned as he placed a mug of coffee in front of his boyfriend, who had dragged the duvet down from the bed with him.

“we should go see your dad today” sirius ventured after remus had finished his second cup.

remus looked up bleary-eyed.

“the sooner you get it done, the better” sirius said, reaching across the table to take remus’ hand.

remus nodded, raising his head to meet sirius’ soft expression.

“go get dressed then” sirius said, nudging remus slightly, “and i’ll finish clearing up in here.”

knocking on the door of a now one-man house, remus’ hand shook. slipping his hands around remus’ waist sirius pushed his forehead into remus’ back. lyall could be heard on the other side, unlocking the door, fumbling with the bolts and latches.

as soon as the door was open, remus was overwhelmed by the smell of lavender that he’d worked so hard to shield himself from the last week. collapsing into his dad, remus sniffed. suddenly shaking himself free, remus marched upstairs and immediately lost himself in the memories that were being held in the loft.

sirius shrugged at lyall who went silently into the kitchen. sirius walked the familiar route up to remus’ old bedroom, taking in the changes that had taken place. the pictures that had previously hung on the wall had been taken down; deemed too painful to look at.

sirius peered around the door surprised to find an empty room. just as he turned to head back downstairs, sirius heard remus’ voice above him.

“i’m up here love.”

sirius clambered up into the cramped space. remus was sat on a wide beam surrounded by boxes.

“what have you found?”

remus held up an A3 colouring book. sirius raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“i-i don’t want to be rude but what is that?”

it was remus’ turn to raise his eyebrows.

“it’s a colouring book. this one’s unfinished though - we clearly never got to the end.”

“we?”

“yeah. the three of us. we’d sit and just fill in the gaps sometimes. i don’t know where the pencils are though” remus added, looking around.

sirius sat in silence, the prospect of family activities a revelation to him. his thoughts wandered as he mused where he might’ve gone if he’d enjoyed the time he spent with his family.

he was returned to remus by the sound of small sobs.

“hey, hey. what happened?” he whispered, making his way through the maze of boxes. “oh.”

sirius’ voice dropped as he watched remus turn the pages of an old photo album.

“come on, let’s go get some tea. leave it for now, baby.”

sirius held out his hand and remus followed obligingly, still clutching the colouring book tight against his chest.

“dad?” as remus headed for the front door, he poked his head into the lounge. “we’re going home now, but i’ll come back in a few days.”

lyall nodded, his eyes dropping down to the book in remus’ arms.

“are you two going to finish that?” he asked with a small smile.

remus shrugged - “possibly.”

back home remus sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, looking down at the plain pages. sirius watched the tears fall for a couple of minutes before leaving the house and disappearing for ten minutes. by the time sirius returned remus’ head had dropped onto the table.

sirius left the little parcel next to his sleeping boyfriend, who woke up as sirius attempted to leave the room quietly.

he rubbed his eyes as sirius moved back across the room towards him, gesturing to the gift he’d left behind.

remus’ eyes filled with tears as he opened the package, revealing a brand-new pack of coloured pencils.

“i’ll leave you” sirius whispered as remus started dragging a red pencil across the paper.

remus’ arm reached out and sirius held the shaking hand.

“do this with me - it’s another thing on the list.”

“a-are you sure? i-i don’t want to intrude.”

“oh come here; sit next to me.”

sirius pulled out the chair and picked a blue pencil. remus watched as sirius’ expression changed from deep concentration to frustration as his hand slipped and the pencil slipped out of the lines.

“UGH!” sirius looked up, suddenly embarrassed. “i’m sorry” he amended quickly.

“you’re fine” remus assured him.

sirius smiled as remus looked across the table at him.

“what?”

“nothing” remus said with a small shake of his head.

“oh come on, what?”

“will you finish this book with me? like, complete the pages?”

“are you sure? you can take it back to your dad if you want?”

“why? don’t you like this?”

“no no, it’s not that, but your dad might prefer-”

“he doesn’t want any of this stuff anymore, so will you do this with me?”

“but i’m not very good at it.”

“you’re perfect.”

sirius smiled, pushing a piece of hair behind his ear as he looked up.

“i am pretty damn good.”

remus leant across the table and placed a small kiss on sirius’ nose - “thank you for the pencils.”

“of course. look, i promised you some tea, so i’m going to make that, and then we can continue doing this, yeah?”

“sounds good to me” remus said, going to the cupboard to get a packet of biscuits. “should we do this often?”

sirius turned around from the counter to face his boyfriend.

“i’ll bring tea, if you bring the pencils.”

“deal” remus said as they sat back down at the table. “deal.”

[ricablack]

Numbers

“Another one.” When Remus entered the small house and tapped his shoes at the entrance before taking them off and entering Sirius' living room, he had a letter with him. Sirius' attention, however, was only for a few moments on Remus before he turned his full attention again to the little boy, who was stepping towards him on shaky feet. “Moons, you see this? We've been training for an hour and little Harry is already running like a champion!” Pride and joy were reflected in his eyes just before pain and emptiness returned, being replaced by a plain face moments later. “Prongs would have been so proud.” Remus dropped the letter in the trash, like all the others before, and caught Harry, who had just lost his balance.

It was a difficult time for all of them and while Sirius tried hard to find his way in his new role as a father, Remus worked hard to lead the gossip magazines on the wrong track. Everyone wanted to publish pictures of the chosen one, if it were up to them, Harry would probably have been displayed in a glass case in the ministry foyer. Just now, just before Christmas, they were particularly intrusive and at each of his visits Remus had to be extremely careful not to be followed. So far nobody had found them, so far Harry was safe.

No one but him.

While Remus took over Harry, Sirius turned away and stared out into the rain. They were dead now for 50 days and while everyone said that it became easier with time, Sirius could only deny it. It did not get easier, not one little bit. Soon it would be Christmas and of course Moony and him would make it a great day for Harry, but it wasn’t the same. It would never be the same again.

The letter in the bin got an angry look. James and Lily had died, but his little brother was still out there and certainly tried to pull his head out of the noose just like all the other death eaters. He wouldn’t be his alibi, when they caught him he would be there to tell the gamot all the things the Blacks were so very proud of. He just wondered how Regulus had found out his address. These letters were not delivered by owl. Just another reason to be careful.

“Did you ever open one of them?” Carrying Harry and trying to get his watch back from the boy Remus settled down on the couch. He fought a war that was already won (by Harry of course! This watch would be added proudly to his uncle Moony collection). “No.” Sirius demonstrated what these letters were good for when he let it explode within the bin with a wave of his wand. Harry cheered in Remus’ arms, expecting more sparkles coming out of the bin - when Sirius let explode something it was always fun! Remus sighed but didn’t say a word.

It was the next morning, so early Harry was still sleeping, when Sirius nearly slipped on an envelope in front of the door. “Bloody bastard!” He looked around, trying to figure out if his death eater brother was still anywhere around here. Not a single sign anyone had been here, deep in the woods, at the back of beyond. In fact it was a place his brother would have liked: the silence, the solitude of this little cottage in the woods. Still he shouted at the trees, at the raindrops, dripping from leafless trees. “I won’t protect you from the aurors, do you hear me? I won’t help a fascist to avoid Azkaban!” He now had the letter in his hands, the envelope with Regulus’ neat handwriting on it, was about to rip it to pieces before he changed his mind. No. Maybe, to end this… another fiery look to the trees before he opened it, put out the content and gave it a look. “See? You don’t need to-” Sirius frowned. This wasn’t what he expected.

85. The number of people I saw dying.

Nothing else. Just this number and the note next to it. What was Regulus up to? Sirius turned the page but it was blank on the other side. Slowly he turned around and went back into the house, having completely forgotten what he wanted to do outside.

16. The age when I got the dark mark.

The next day he had pinned both pieces of paper to the inside of his bedroom door and looked at them thoughtfully. It was a riddle, wasn’t it? Some kind of mad little game his brother played with him and he didn’t know what was written in the letters before yesterday. He got one every day. He burnt 50 letters, starting the day the Potters died.

19. Death eaters I know by name.

54. The number of letters I sent you.

120. The number of letters I didn’t send you.

Sirius catched himself waiting for the next letter. Wanting to know which number was explained in the next one. Maybe it wasn’t exactly a game. Maybe it was something like a confession. Sirius was sure the aurors would be interested in the names of the death eaters, but somehow he didn’t want to let them know about this… conversation. It was bizarre, it was so very Regulus. When he remembered his childhood - before he even went to Hogwarts - it had always been this one thing about his little brother. Shy, therefore not very good with words when he spoke, but extremely studious. Bloody hell, why did he think about Regulus this way? He was a death eater, a fascist, probably a murderer and part of his family who would kill him the second they had the chance to!

235. Articles I collected about the Dark Lord.

Sirius pinned the note on the door, frowned and narrowed his eyes. He had to… he had to stop it. He collected the notes for two weeks now and it wasn’t like they made any sense. There was always a number and afterwards an explanation. Nothing more. No apologies, no begging for an alibi. He didn’t ask for anything and this was the point Sirius was so irritated about. He wasn’t exactly the most patient person (his name wasn’t Moony, okay?) and now he took the last note off again and wrote on the back.

What do you want to tell me??? Why those numbers?!

Really, he wasn’t the most patient person (he wasn’t patient at all) and he wanted to know now what was the point. No more numbers. No more waiting for more letters to arrive. Just an answer, just… Well, was this Regulus strategy to get him to talk to him? The thought struck him but he couldn’t help but feel trapped. He was too curious now to stop reading the letters and when Remus arrived the day before yesterday, having another letter in his hand, he couldn’t wait to read it. Moony just watched him with his thoughtful but warm smile, while he got goosebumps reading 14. Protection charms of your house. He wasn’t sure if it was a threat then, but felt relieved when the next letter said 6. Number of banishing spells I added to them.

He placed the note on his doorstep and if Moony wouldn’t have been there, he would have lain in wait. The only thing he did was to place a new alarming spell that would tell him when someone came close to the front door. Remus would stay for the night. He had looked at him somewhat questioningly but had not asked him why. It was 2am when the alarm awakened him and it was hardly 20 seconds Sirius needed to be there, at the door, staring at the new letter. No one was visible. “Come on Reg, you can’t tell me you answered it within seconds.” Sirius muttered while taking it, closing the door behind him.

1. thing I can’t do alone. 7. Horcruxes to destroy so he won’t return.

He wrote back within seconds. Or did he get behind the ward without being noticed? Did he activate it to let him know he was there? Was he still there? Somewhere in the dark? With a jerk Sirius opened the door again. “Come in but you won’t leave without telling me what a damn horcrux is.” He spoke to the trees. No one was there, impossible. But Sirius turned around, went into the cottage again, leaving the door open and wasn’t surprised to hear footsteps coming closer. This little… his brother had watched him. For how long? Strangely, he didn’t feel worried about it but nevertheless he pulled out his wand. “Sit down wherever you want and don’t even try to get me to protect you.” Suddenly all the pent-up anger was there again. Why did Regulus join them? Why did he follow the Dark Lord? Why did he think he could come here for help like nothing happened between them? So many questions appeared in his mind but the only one who could answer them was here, right? However, he wasn’t prepared to see his brother again when he finally turned around. He examined the slim figure that had sat down on the edge of an armchair as if he did not belong here. Regulus did not belong here either, he was an intruder, so everything was right with his behaviour here, right? Why didn’t it feel right then? . Taking a close look Regulus Black looked like prey. He had always been pale, but he looked paler than he had in his school days.There was something haunting in his eyes - something that Sirius could not define. Those grey eyes that looked at him now, attentive, as ever. The younger Black had always been the listener, not the type of person who liked to hear himself speaking. They were as different as day and night in everything they did, weren’t they?

It was a wasted time to wait for Regulus to start talking. Not if he was not asked to. “So tell me, why me of all people?” A death eater couldn’t expect a warm welcome by Sirius. And it didn’t seem like Regulus did. When his little brother finally began to speak the goosebumps were suddenly back. This voice, his voice, he couldn’t handle it without having flashbacks of everything that had been. This soft voice that had been there for him after mother and father were finished with their lectures about how a pureblood should behave, how a pureblood should act and how he was a bad person for not fitting in. It had no longer touched him as a teenager, but as a child they had been an anchor to each other. To be honest, he only half listened to him while being caught in the past but still there were some sentences that hit him hard. “You’re the only one I can be sure of being against him.” Was the first one followed by “I- I tried to warn you but I guess you weren’t at home?” The words needed a few seconds to arrive his thoughts, to sink in. Well, if he just opened that damn letter instead of burning it- “He’s not dead, Sirius. I have this one, but there are six more and I don’t know how I survived to recover this one.” He didn’t ask why Regulus knew about horcruxes. He didn’t even ask how he managed to get to know all these things he told him now. It had been in his notes, right? 235. Articles I collected about the Dark Lord. He knew Regulus was obsessed with the Dark Lord. But he didn’t know it wasn’t because he wanted to make him rise even more but preparing his downfall.

How couldn’t he forgive Regulus for following the Dark Lord when it had been the only way to discover his secrets? Sirius wasn’t sure about his own role in this story: he had to take care of Harry, but he wanted to prevent Voldemort from rising again. He wanted to help his little brother. He wanted to hear his story. And wasn’t this the most surprising thim to him?

[blitheringmcgonagall]

I was tagged by @littlejeanniebean to reblog a fic I’m proud of. I’m not particularly proud of this one, but it’s very fluffy and I feel like we could do with some baby Harry fluff??

Minding Harry

“Ooh, well done Harry! You’re such a good boy!”

Lily’s voice was warm and soothing.

Harry’s face lit up as he tottered precariously, then unexpectedly sat down with a soft thud. Harry’s face scrunching up, as if to cry.

Lily laughed softly, and Harry’s eyes widened before he smiled back, reassured.

“Mama,” he said, looking at her with his large expressive eyes.

“Yes Harry, Mama’s here!”

Her eyes were twinkling and adoring. Sirius stared at her in wonder.

……………….

“Dodie?” Harry said, eyes looking enormous as he raised his tiny eyebrows and looked from Sirius to James. (Dodie was what Irish people called a soother).

It was the tenth time he had dropped his soother onto the floor. And the tenth time that James had picked it up.

“Here it is, Sweetie!” said James, chuckling lightly, and handing it back to him.

Sirius watched enthralled. He had expected James to get impatient with Harry. He wasn’t sure why. Well he was, he supposed nobody had ever treated him like that. He had been handed over to a governess as a baby, someone capable and cold, seeing his parents for a few minutes a day, as long as he didn’t seek their attention.

Harry stared at the soother, clearly puzzled.

“Er, are you not supposed to wash that, Prongs?” said Sirius, mildly anxious.

He was sure that Lily had mentioned germs.

“Nah, dirt is good for you mate!” said James laughing at him.

“Will I check with Lily?”

“Relax, Pads!”

…………………….

“He’s over-tired,” Lily said with a wide yawn, handing Harry over to James. Harry was heavier now. She had taken to carrying him on her right hip, his tiny legs on either side of her waist. He could see James looking at his wife, utterly besotted, as ever.

“Silly Harry,” said James softly. “Come here till we get you off to sleep!”

James lifted Harry high in the air and he squealed with delight when James tossed him and let go.

“I’ve got you, Harry!” James’ voice was confident and excited, seeing Harry’s face beam with anticipation.

As he threw him up in the air, Harry’s gleeful shouts filled the room.

“James!” said Lily, with mild exasperation. “You’re supposed to be getting him to sleep!”

She was smiling indulgently at them.

“He’s a mini Marauder, Lils!” replied James proudly, bouncing Harry up and down on his leg. “Like his Daddy, needs a bit of excitement before he’s ready for sleep!”

“TMI, Prongs!” Sirius said with a mischievous smile.

“Unless you get him off to sleep soon, there won’t be any bedroom activities for you this evening, Mr.Potter!” Lily said, pursing her lips.

“Ugh! Like I said, TMI!” said Sirius, looking at Harry, vaguely horrified.

“Come off it, Pads!” said James. “Like I haven’t had to listen to all sorts of carry on coming from Moony’s bed all these years!”

Why had it always been Moony's bed?

“That’s different,” defended Sirius immediately. “We are a delight. Listening to you flirting in front of your child is… weird. Like... listening to your parents doing... stuff...”

James was unimpressed. “Your Godfather is an idiot, Harry, don’t listen to him!”

“Pafoo!” Harry called excitedly, lunging towards Sirius.

“Say goodnight to your favourite uncle, Harry!” said James kissing the top of his son’s head tenderly.

“Goodnight, Prongslet,” whispered Sirius, holding Harry close. Harry felt so soft and cozy, it made Sirius feel comforted. It should have been the other way around, he thought.

Harry’s tiny fingers had grabbed hold of Sirius’ t-shirt and soon his heavy head lay soundly against his chest, lulled by the regular rhythm of Sirius’ breathing.

“He’s asleep,” Lily said softly.

“Thanks,” Sirius said, preparing to hand Harry over to Lily.

“He likes it there Sirius!” Lily said. “I’m not going to risk waking him.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re sure!” Lily said, squeezing his arm.

Lily curled up on the couch beside James. Her head rested on his shoulder, her hand wrapped around his arm. Within minutes she was asleep.

“This parenting lark is very tiring,” muttered James, snuggling into Lily, head dropping to rest on top of hers, glasses askew.

Sirius bent down to look at baby Harry in his arms. He looked tiny, defenseless.

“So much for parental nookie, Pronglet!” Sirius whispered conspiratorially.

He yawned and lay back, Harry still wrapped up in his arms, his elegant neck stretched back.

.................

Which was exactly how Remus found him, two hours later. He prized Harry off carefully and carried him to his bed.

“No waking up without my permission, Harry!” said Remus quietly and firmly, as he stroked Harry’s sticking-up hair.

Harry momentarily opened his eyes, looked his uncle straight in the eye, and fell back asleep.

The log fire crackled merrily. Lily and James were still asleep, wool plaid blankets over them. His boyfriend was fast asleep, his long hair draped around him, leather jacket resting on his chest. He looked bloody gorgeous, Remus thought, he could have looked at him for hours. Was that beautiful man really his? He would never have believed it…

He did look at his beautiful Padfoot for some hours, book in hand, mug of tea beside him, friends carefree and dreaming, baby Harry fast asleep.

Tagging @i-heal-miraculously @araniaexumae @unfortunatelyimaginary @yumenouveau @ashes-and-ashes-dust-and-dust @of-stars-and-moon @holy-shit-its-wolfstar @alrightginger @elanev91 @frustratedpoetwrites @nisargasinha

[quartusbellum-blog]

SARA for the role of REGULUS BLACK using the faceclaim NICOLE MAINES. 

I am very excited about your portrayal of this character! Not only have you given life to the plots hinted at in the skeleton, but you’ve threaded new layers of meaning into Regulus’ story. I can’t wait to see them explored on the dash! 

ooc details

Name: Sara

Age: im a fandom grandparent

Pronouns: they/them

Activity Level: I’m around every day and enjoy making a mess of things in game

Other: No triggers though my character might end up triggering others. I’ll make sure to tag.

Acknowledgement: I acknowledge that the themes of this game may include triggering elements. I also acknowledge that my character may be harmed, coerced, or even killed (with player’s consent) during paras/events or may cause harm to or kill others during paras/events. Yep here4themess

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general ic details

Name: Regulus Arcturus Black

Age: 19 | January 23rd

Ships: Regulus is rather aromantic in manner so a romantic is unlikely. Even still, I’d be happy to try any ships, any nonromantic ships etc.  Warning: please read the whole app prior to seeking a ship with Regulus given that any sort of romantic/nonromantic/sexual ship might contain triggering experiences.

TBH my dream ships are probably more found family/family oriented… polyamorous with an asexual asshole who is a little skew?

Gender/Pronouns: publicly Regulus is still he/him but there will be a blending and fucking up of pronouns as Regulus explores and comprehends her gender (likely ultimate ending but nonbinary is also possible). This is different then how i sometimes write trans characters because in this game one aspect of her narrative will be the concept of growing up and understanding she can be who she wants to be. Even if Regulus knew from a young age (which not all trans people do), Regulus would have innately rejected the idea because of the pride his mother has(d) in having the two heirs at a cost. This became even more pressing when Sirius left his role as heir and it landed to Regulus–suddenly Regulus’ choices shrank even more. Its only in death that she has started to comprehend that there are choices now.

So pronouns will be flying ALL THE WAYS but mostly reflecting how the character is presenting EXTERNALLY to others. FC will remain static but may not be used all the time due to the lack of stable presentation.

For this app He/Him were used exclusively as up until perhaps the past year Regulus presented exclusively as he/him.

Headcanon for transitioning Attisgalli Corrective Draught.

Face Claim: please provide two face claim options.

Nicole Maines

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bio questions

Please note, while this game is “canon” up until the start of the Wizarding War it does not stay canon and it’s quite divergent at the start of the game.

biography:

The Black Family is too old of a family line not to have gotten… muddled (never muddied) in the past. It shows on the family tree in little notations (a dark red swirl like an ink blot on their shoulder for vampire) or in burn-marks where a person used to be (for scum of the earth traitor). Sometimes, Regulus’ mother sniffed when explaining this, certain family members couldn’t do what needed to be done.

A little pruning never hurt anyone–not any more then a little cultivating did.

Regulus and Sirius Black might have been half brothers but that was simply the most prudent action their parents could take to make absolutely certain the bloodline continued. Sure, children that shared both parents blood would have been ideal but with Druella only providing girls and Orion not providing any… Walburga Black was always very good at problem solving. Perhaps the only problem she failed to solve was her eldest son Sirius–or maybe she almost fixed it with Regulus.

If Sirius Black was loud and brash and bright–Regulus was the opposite. He was a late talker and when he did start talking it was almost always a last mumbled as a last resort. It wasn’t that Regulus wasn’t intelligent but that he struggled to organize his thoughts and provide them to others–something that continued through childhood, through Hogwarts, and beyond. He preferred chess and finding patterns within potions, charms, and even Quidditch to social obligations.

Prone to being misunderstood when he did attempt to make friends (he wasn’t threatening that girl, he was warning her so she wouldn’t be hurt), Regulus over values any and all friends or family he has. As such, any disowning, death, or friendship breakup has been taken incredibly personally. Its no excuse, and Regulus knows that now more then ever, but the need for connection and purpose helped drive his passion for Voldemort. Regulus believed in what Voldemort was fighting, becoming a Death Eater would provide a structure that Regulus knew he would need outside of Hogwarts while learning how to manage the Black family vaults and investments, and there was a social aspect, too.

For all that Regulus was good at strategy and understanding how seemingly fragmented pieces of information fit together: he was too slow to understand what Voldemort’s real goals were and what they ultimately meant for his family (and the wizarding world, but his family, of course, was paramount). Regulus Black never woke up one day and started believing muggleborns were ‘okay’ or that his innate belief system was wrong. He woke up one day and realized that the few people he cared about were in danger in a way they did not, could not, understand.

The vampire blood was easy to get, although he hardly thought it would work. He had long since been in the habit of visiting Narcissa and feeding the prisoner James Potter. Adding a fail safe into James’ layers of memory charms was not easy but necessary. Most likely, even with the blood, even with over a month of planning, Regulus was certain he was going to die.

Which he did. It just didn’t stick.

It’s been almost a year since then and Regulus isn’t sure if it was the potion, the vampire blood, the way he died, or if he’s finally just turning into his mother’s child in ways he never wanted to–but Regulus Black can’t seem to get a grip on his emotions, or his tongue, the way he used to. In some ways, though, its a relief–like finally being able to peel off an ill-fitting skin for something new.

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my character is:

Please Provide the Following

A Belief that is Wrong

Please Describe a Belief your character has that is wrong. It can be something we, as players, know is wrong (ex. prejudice against werewolves ).  Alternatively: How is your character lying to themselves (and how is is it shown externally).

Regulus has always had something about organization and if he thinks about it too much even he would have to acknowledge that it’s a lie. But Regulus generally doesn’t pay that much attention to the reality surrounding these habits, only the relief it brings him. His clothes are always pressed–even in his closet of a space with the Radical Alliance. The robes are cleaned, and charmed pressed, and hunt up in a very specific order. His bed is exactly one inch from the left wall. The trunk he keeps things in is under the bed and must not touch any of the posts or the wall. He keeps things perfectly separated inside the trunk. He counted the flur de lis on the carpet between his and Sirius’ bedrooms over and over and over again as a child. He can tell anyone how many panes of glass are in the windows at Hogwarts and even differentiate between wings of the castle. These habits (because, of course, that’s all they are, all they will ever be) didn’t start out so all encompassing but as Regulus grew up, as life became more complicated, choices too limited, finding ways to control it (even illogical ones) seemed to be the only answer.

If things are clean enough. If things are the right number. If he stops counting at the right moment, if he taps the right pattern : everything will be fine. There’s arithmancy in everything, he tells himself, because life has always been more bearable when he believes it to be true.

Job

Is Regulus Black Doing Anything? He isn’t sure, really. Certainly he doesn’t have a job–he’s never worked a traditional job a day in his life! He’s no longer a Death Eater. Can he continue to look after his family’s finances if he is, in a sense, dead?

Does he want to be alive? –Regulus wonders this sometimes, believing it not to be any sort of suicidal ideation but a simple, obvious question. Should he be alive? The answer is no.

Does he want to be–he doesn’t know.

As far as anyone knows (particularly Remus but also Marcus and Narcissa), Regulus Black has no job and is doing nothing but trying to pour his scrambled eggs of brain and impulse control back into some semblance of viability. Underneath that, Regulus Black is trying to pour his scrambled eggs of brain and impulse control back into some semblance of viability…and remember just what his next steps were supposed to be regarding the horcrux.

ooc questions

Writing Sample:

He’s at the stairs. Not the grand stars at the front of the house that fork and twist along the side of the foyer–but the back stairs. Servants stairs his mother would hiss if she saw them except none of their family have ever employed household staff.

House elves are bad enough, his mother says in his ear and Regulus jerks, expecting to feel her breath on his cheek but–nothing. Its nothing.

“I’ve food for the prisoner.” He says but its pointless because no one is listening. No one has been listening since Peter Pettigrew. Since Dumbledore. Since James. It is a mistake but they haven’t realized it yet.

He’s stood too long, frozen above the narrow staircase with a silver tray. Someone will see you–the thought hisses through his mind and Regulus knows, suddenly, with a clarity he’s been lacking: its not real. It’s not a part of this. A dream? The idea s fleeting and wilts under a brush of light as the curtains behind him are pulled open.

“Then go ahead, darling.” Narcissa says.  

The memory jerks, skitters, speeds up.

“I’ve food for the prisoner.” He says. “I’ve food for–”

Regulus is down stairs and the food is gone, shoved to the side. The lip of the tray is pressed into his ankle but Regulus ignores it because–James.

“Listen to me,” Regulus is saying. It’s strange, like none of this is real because he can’t feel any of it. The words fall from his mouth because where is his tongue? His wand is tight in his left hand, the swirls carved into its handle cutting into his palm. He should smell blood, he thinks.  

There’s nothing, though. The room is bleary with weak autumn light from a small window about ten feet above them. There’s a bed but James isn’t allowed to use it. He’s on the floor. Regulus is on the floor. No, he’s straddling James–James can’t move during this or else–or else.

James tenses under him and Regulus grabs a fist full of James’ fraying robes. “This is serious.” The robes are too tattered to bruise when Regulus’ jerks them. He can’t strangle James (and wouldn’t even if it would be a mercy)

“Why should I?” James, the fucker–it had been a month and he still had that smirk except there’s blood at the corner and this time (not the first time) Regulus can feel his stomach growl at the sight of it.

“It’s important.” Regulus has his wand pressed at James’ temple and his mouth brushes James’ cheek when he leans in to whisper. “You’ll thank me later.”

Regulus Black has never been good at mind magic.

When Regulus wakes up, he tastes salt water and bile.

Exploration:

Please share three things you’d like to explore. This could be a character changing sides, darker themes, or basic fiction tropes.

Family Lines: I think this game provides a particularly interesting set of circumstances regarding possible family lines. First there’s Narcissa and her condition–how did that happen? Possibly Regulus, trying to manage his life post cave and fucking up again ( or maybe it was a blessing?) I like to headcanon that maybe Alphard was a vampire and thats where the blood came from (open to other options). Speaking of, how has Walburga doing? And then there’s, of course, Sirius and all the brother’s baggage which is made even more complicated as (if this set up is accepted) Regulus sort of used Sirius’ best friend as a last will and testament–not that James remembers it yet. Last, … does Regulus even count as a live anymore and if not who has inherited ?

A Family Curse: The Black family has never exactly been known for its cool head and steady hands but Regulus, for all his somewhat muffled anxieties, has mostly stood out as awkward but not particularly memorable. In fact, it’s safe to say without his last name (and grades) Regulus probably wouldn’t have gotten much notice at all. That has largely changed now, although Regulus has trouble pin pointing why and how. There are a lot of factors, many of which no one else knows, and Regulus should care about that. He should be highly concerned–but those concerns evaporate before he can even generate a game plan to consider addressing it. Most seem to assume that its just Regulus taking after his mother. TLDR I’m interested in seeing what information he drops (likely not entirely clearly) without thinking it through and how the changes in demeanor and method impact both those who grew up with Regulus Black and those who didn’t. Don’t worry about wangst, I’m much more interested in throwing weird or intense tings at others then have Regulus mope.

Choices mixed in with all of that, Regulus has found himself well and truly on his own about making choices for the first time in his life. Sure, Remus might have ideas on what he should do, and Sirius, and Marcus, and Narcissa—but all of them have different goals, different expectations of what Regulus could do and in the end, Regulus doesn’t have to do anything. At the onset the only thing he does know is that he must do something about the horcrux…but how? When, where, and why? I want to see how different interactions with various characters might influence those choices and how Regulus handles managing his own reigns ow for better or for worse.

Gender: its so easy to boil gender and trans experience into one narrative but so often things are far…messier then that. Regulus is a character who hasn’t felt the ability to think overly hard (or pursue if he has thought of it) alternatives to gender even if the Wix Community at large is accepting (people turn into frogs, after all). This game provides a unique chance to explore gender through the lense of a character who is learning and failing and not overly confident (or overly feminine) but genuine in that (at least) if nothing else. Also, does being a vampire effect Attisgalli Corrective Draught?

Extras:

Anything else you’d like to provide?

[ruidodemagia]

That month was especially stressful. Not only were N.E.W.T. But the full moon has got close, and Remus suffered terrible mood swings that led him from irrational fear to reproach, to anger and tears in a matter of minutes. Of course, Sirius was the recipient of most of his releases, because like every month, Remus seemed sick and debilitated in those days, so Sirius followed them everywhere, watched him closely, loaded chocolates all the time in the pockets, in case it suddenly turns pale (Of course, this concern for his FRIEND had nothing to do with the butterflies he felt in his stomach when Moony looked at him, when he heard him laugh). Peter seemed to have moved to the library, and James was irritable, probably catching from Lily, who looked stressed too, so he spent little time with her friends in the common room or bedroom. Therefore, without the support of the marauders, and with the exams approaching, Remus looked especially weak, and Sirius especially worried, especially after having seen him wobble dangerously that morning when he tried to get up. Sirius had followed him everywhere, constantly asking him how he felt or if he needed anything, offering to bring him tea, food, shelter or whatever crossed his mind, until Remus had exploded. “Stop following me everywhere, Pads, I’M WELL!” Remus shouted “But Moony, you do not look well …” “But I have to be, I have to study and you don't stop following me and asking me questions, and you don't let me concentrate making all that noise around me” “I only offered you tea and cookies, your legs tremble when you want to get up, you look more pale than usual, I can't let something happen to you, Moony, be reasonable” “I AM REASONABLE, AND I WANT YOU TO LET ME STUDY, THAT YOU LEAVE ME LOOKING LIKE IF I WAS TO DESMAY IN ANY …

Remus staggered dangerously, and Sirius grabbed him before he could fall, and helped him sit on his bed. After the moment of panic, Sirius realized that he was hugging him, and that Remus was trembling under his arms, he was cold, and yet it was comforting. He realized that he didn't want to let go, he wanted to get drunk on his smell, to have the right to touch him when he wanted to, to warm his hands between his, to claim those lips … He walked away, with a flush on his cheeks, and without a word, covered him with a coat and went quickly to the kitchen for the promised tea.

When he returned, Remus looked somewhat sad and ashamed.

"Sorry, Pads, it’s true that I don't feel very well, and the N.E.W.T.s are made me crazy, I don’t want to scream you, it was bad and impulsive …”

“Don’t worry,” interrupted Sirius, passing him the cup “I know I can be intense, and I know you need to concentrate, it’s just that I care about you” he said with a warm smile.

“I know, me too, and that’s why I want you to have time to study too”

“There are more important things, Moony.” Sirius scoffed, and with a smile he returned to his own bed, ready to rest, thinking in that hug, and the old feelings that he could no longer hold, that he needed to confess. But the next day the exams would start and he couldn’t cause Moony more stress at that time.

—

A few weeks later, the exams had passed together with the full moon, and they had left Remus pale and weak, but quite relieved. In fact, everyone was calmer, so Sirius’ mind thought it was the right time to have a collapse. He had spent the last days in detention, after having caused scenes in all classes and in the dining room, when he decided to start a fight on the tables with a Slytherin who apparently “looked strange to Moony”. Of course, James noticed the dreamy glances at Remus, the sighs as Sirius played with the food thoughtfully, and looked askance at Moony, and above all, as he seemed to avoid Remus, and didn’t hold his gaze, but looked away, with a flushed. So James decided it was time to do something.

“Moony, we have to do something with Sirius, he’s acting very strange,” he said as he entered the bedroom.

“Yes, I know and I think we should. And I owe it to him, after how much he cares about me, and the truth is that I’m also a bit worried”

“All right, wait for him today after his arrest, I’ll be busy with Lily”

Remus looked at him strangely, but then simply nodded.

—

That night, when Sirius arrived from detention, tired and in a bad mood, he saw Moony sitting on the sofa in the common room, facing the fire, reading Muggle literature. He looked serene, although he had a slight frown, but when he heard him approaching he raised the face of the book, and smiled sincerely. Sirius saw the open expression on Remus’ face, and felt the usual butterflies. He returned the smile, feeling relaxed, and took the free place beside him. It was late and the room was empty, and free of the usual murmur.

“How was the detention?”

“Mmhp …” Sirius murmured, rolling his eyes.

Remus chuckled. “I can imagine,” he said, and he suddenly became serious. “Pads, I …”

“Don’t start the sermon,” Sirius cut him off.

“Sirius …”

“Please”

“It’s okay. But I know something is bothering you. I don’t know what, but I don’t like seeing you like that. "Remus hesitated.  "And I also care about you.” “A lot,” he added, after a few seconds, feeling his face heat up in a flush.

Sirius looked at him in amazement. “Also me, Moony. But I’m scared, what happens if I ruin everything? "He looked away, and lowered his voice to a faint murmur.  "What if…”

Remus interrupted him with an impulsive kiss, and Sirius felt as if all the butterflies of the world were dueling in his stomach. He didn’t have time to react when Remus walked away, completely embarrassed. “Merlin Sirius, I … I’m sorry,” he said.

Sirius blinked, surprised, and then came panic, and happiness, and love, and the urge to keep brushing those soft lips, and breathing that scent. Sirius tangled his fingers in the hair at the back of Remus’s neck, and pulled him into a new kiss. He licked and bit Remus’ lower lip, felt the warmth of his cheeks, the softness of his hair, as he ran it with his hands, and little by little the kiss became urgent and needed, and untidy.

They separated a few minutes later, with red lips and pink cheeks.

“So … what were you reading?” Sirius asked, trying not to seem affected by the recent activities.

Remus chuckled. “It’s a Muggle story,” he said, with a smile.

“Do you want to read me?”

“I’d love it,” Remus said, and settled back against Sirius, sinking his head into the hollow of his shoulder. Sirius enjoyed the view, took the opportunity to breathe Remus, and listened to the cadence of his voice, reading a book in which Sirius couldn’t and didn’t want to concentrate. Not now, not with so much beauty standing on him, not with so much love fluttering in his stomach and in his heart.

—

When James slipped into the common room, he found Sirius smiling and kissing the head of a Remus asleep on him. James smiled. “I’m happy to know you’ll stop acting strange, you can thank me later,” he said, and retreated to the bedroom, leaving Sirius confused and amused at the same time.

—————————————————————————

My mother tongue is Spanish, so please excuse me if there are translation errors!! 

—————————————————————————-

[maraudersandlily20]

The Lake House Stories: Part 1- A Cabin by the Lake

Hey Kiddos! I’m 100% overwhelmed by the love and support I’ve gotten for these stories. I’m so happy you guys seem to enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them! The next few stories follow a trip that the Marauders and the girls take to the Potter’s lake house over the summer. Happy reading

James had a lakehouse. The marauders had often joked that the Potter’s lived on the hair serum fortune that had taken up a collection in hell. He had always smirked, but his father;s odd work had meant that the Potter’s would want for nothing. It didn’t make them greedy, though. Mr. and Mrs. Potter made sure of that.

However, after ten years of amassing a fortune, Mr. Potter had decided to splurge and give his wife an anniversary gift. A lakehouse. The lake wasn’t very big, but the house was a decent size and they all had spent many summers there.

After 6th year had ended, James had offered his lake house to his closest friends, a way of celebrating them getting through school for as long as they had without dying. The year had left them reeling with excitement and energy at the idea of only one year left. They needed a way to get the energy out. So, James offered a room to Remus, Sirius, and Peter. There were two boy rooms, and Sirius had asked that he and Remus get one to themselves. “To spare your eyes,” he had joked as Peter and James had made retching noises.

It had been a happy but strange day for the two boys when Sirius had admitted, quite publicly, that they were dating, it had gotten mixed reactions. They had said it at the common room table, in front of quite a few of the Gryffindor students. Many applauded or laughed. There were exclamations of “I told you so,” or “You owe me ten galleons.” There were a few people who made disgusted faces, but they were ignored. And everyone who mattered loved the both of them too much to let it bother them. This admission had led to simple things they hadn’t felt comfortable enough to do before, like being able to hold hands in the hall, cuddling openly in the common room and quick kisses as Remus went off to do his prefect duties.

Mrs. Potter loved Sirius. She was so happy that he was living with them, and when he had sent a letter explaining to her that he and Remus were in a relationship, she had accepted it at face value, saying he was like her son and that it didn’t matter who he was in a relationship with. But the fact that he was with Remus made her ridiculously happy. Both of the boys were very dear to her and she was glad they were happy. She said, as long as they were using protection, Remus could spend the night with Sirius whenever they wanted. So, when they were invited to the lake house, she was extremely gungho about the two of them sharing a room.

On top of the other marauders, James invited Lily, Marlene, and Dorcus. The girls were thrilled at the chance to spend almost two weeks at the lake house and had jumped at the chance. Their friendship with the four boys was much stronger than it used to be, so they were appreciative of the perks.

Mr. Potter pulled the car down a small dirt road, the words of a familiar queen song fizzing through the radio the girls were quietly singing along to. The ride had been calm and quiet, after Mr. Potter had picked up them up from the train station. They had wondered if it would be awkward, but the older man had immediately cracked jokes to ease the tension. Lily liked him. The car ride had lasted for about an hour, as they left the bustle of the city behind them and went deep into the forest. They pulled into a clearing, where they saw the wooden, two story cabin, and behind it the small lake that was only accessible to the Potters.

“Merlin’s beard,” Dorcus whispered.

“Mr. Potter, I had no idea your hair cream had so much success.”

Fleamont Potter chuckled. In his warm accent, he said, “No need to be cruel, Lily Evans. It may not be the most glorious of things to be known for, but I have been able to support my family with that money, so I am grateful.”

“My dad uses your hair potion, Mr. P. Don’t listen to to Lily. She’s just jealous.” Marlene snickered, sticking her tongue out at her best friend. Lily glared for a second before it melted into giggles. In her head, though, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Her family had always been resolutely middle class, and though her parents worked hard, they would never be able to afford the nice luxuries that the Potters had. Lily shook her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts and tried to dwell only on the fact that she was going to be spending 12 glorious days in a bathing suit, soaking up the sunshine.

“Mr. Potter?” Dorcus said, popping her face between the front seat, her curly hair bouncing around her face?”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?” He parked the car and the four of them started exiting the vehicle.

“Of course.”

“Why did you never have any other kids?”

They opened the trunk and Mr. Potter started pulling their duffle bags out one at a time, the three girls standing in a semicircle around the trunk, hoping to help, though the older man waved them off consistently. He barked out a laugh at the question and it sounded so similar to James that Lily had to do a double take.

“Euphemia and I were already on the fence about having children. After James, we realized what a mistake we had made and decided to never try again.” The girls laughed at this admission, so hard in fact that Marlene had actual tears drip from her eyes.

“I think, dad, that it’s actually because you got the perfect child on the first try. And you really shouldn’t mess with perfection once you’ve attained it.” Their attention turned toward the cabin. James Potter was standing in the doorway, looking like he had walked out of the pages of a magazine, drenched in sunlight. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a light shirt that was completely unbuttoned, showing the creamy, smooth skin underneath. Lily seemed to forget how to breath, her eyes bulging out of her eyes at the sight of him. Her heart was racing and, distantly, as if she was in a tunnel, she heard Marlene and Docus snickering. James ran a hand through his hair quickly and trotted over toward the car.

Mr. Potter laughed, rustling his son’s hair. “Oh Jamie. If only you knew how miserable you made our lives. And still do sometimes.” The girls roared with laughter. James rolled his eyes and grabbed two of the bags. He looked over in Lily’s direction and winked. She couldn’t help but blush, her face matching the color of her hair.

“I hope the ride was bearable!” A voice called out to them. Lily looked in the direction of the noise and saw Mrs. Potter standing in the doorway, occupying the space her son had just been moments before. She had an apron around her waist and a towel between her hands, like she had just been pulled away from making dinner. Lily had only seen her in pictures, but was shocked at how beautiful the woman truly was. Mr. Potter had given James the wild hair and the darkened skin, but he had certainly gotten his looks from his mother. Her skin was smooth and her hair was like silk and pitch black. Her slim figure showcased a person who had spent many years of her life doing physical activity. Lily had heard the story of how James’ parents had met on numerous occasions and it still blew her mind.

Fleamont Potter had been trapped in an arranged marriage when he was 19. In one last jaunt of freedom, he had left his family behind and headed to England. There, he was greeted by new friends and a vastly different culture. He had fallen in love with the cobblestone streets, the bustle of the roads, and, after a week in London, had also fallen in love with a waitress in a tiny coffee shop. He visited every morning, even though he didn’t like coffee, and would wait until she got off her shift. They would spend endless hours, going to museums, art galleries, and clubs. She was also a witch, and had been able to show him the other side of London, things like Diagon Alley and they’d even taken the trip to Hogsmeade. After a month of adventures with his girl by his side, Fleamont knew that there was no way he could ever leave her. He had written to his parents, calling off his marriage and sending them an invitation to the wedding ceremony of him and a young and beautiful Euphemia.

Lily always thought it had taken a lot of courage for him to defy his parents’ wishes and marry the person he truly loved. It seemed like a fairytale. And for Mrs. Potter to be so brave, even knowing they wouldn’t approve, made Lily like her all the more.

“It was great, Mrs. Potter, thank you!” Marlene called, the three girls following after James and Mr. Potter as they walked into the cabin.

Mrs. Potter grinned in joy. “I’m so glad. We’re really happy you girls agreed to come. The boys have been rather antsy, waiting for you. Now the fun can really begin.” They exchanged excited glances, and Dorcus whooped in excitement.

“Trust me, Mrs. P., we are happy to oblige.”

They all filed in and took in the nature of the cabin. It was a clean home, quaint and small, with a lot of windows and cute lace curtains. The kitchen was rather large and smelled delicious. Lily saw a pan on the stove, the contents of what was inside permeating the atmosphere. To the right of the kitchen, there was a large living room with deep green cushioned couches. James walked past the couches and headed up the stairs to where Lily assumed their bedroom was going to be, his father trailing after him. Marlene squeezed Lily’s shoulder and gave her a sly grin.

“This is going to be the best vacation ever!”

Lily couldn’t help but agree. She made to follow after James to see their room, but her eye was drawn to the couch. There, in a heap of limbs, were Remus and Sirius. Sirius had his back against the armrest and Remus was lying in his lap, his head against his chest. The black haired boy had his arms wrapped around Remus’ shoulders. The taller boy was holding onto Sirius’ wrists, looking like a contented puppy. Lily couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips at the sight of them: a happy example of domesticity.

“Hi there, lads. Happy to see that the cuddle train hasn’t stopped.”

Remus peeked one eye open, a lazy smile pulling at his lips. He tried to sit up, but Sirius tightened his hold and wouldn’t him. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Sorry, Evans, I would give you a hug, but I’m afraid I’m being held prisoner.” She waved him off in humor.

Marlene rounded the couch, a sly glint in her eye. “Well, don’t mind if I do.” she said before launching herself onto Remus, making both boys groan at the sudden weight thrown onto them. Lily laughed a bit and looked up to see Mr. Potter walk down the stairs. Past him, James was leaning back against the wall, completely in his element, staring at her. The look of warmth in his eyes as he took her in made her heart flutter. She made her way over to him, their eyes connected and the pull between them feeling as strong as magnets.

“I’m happy you’re here,” he said softly, when she made it to him

“Not as happy as Marlene is. Thank you for inviting us. We really appreciate it.”

He shrugged. “It was Sirius’ idea. He really cares about you guys.” Lily snorted. The look of admiration only increased in James’ eyes.

“I can’t believe you guys have this place all to yourselves. I would never want to leave.”

“I know right? We have two set vacations every summer: India and the lake house. I don’t know how I would handle it if we didn’t make one year. I have tried to talk my parents into staying here for the majority of the summer, but they always say they don’t want to spend that much time with me.”

“Well, that’s fair.” Lily giggled. “You are pretty annoying sometimes.”

“And antsy. They didn’t let me invite friends over here until two years ago. I went crazy here by myself. My parents often brought their older, married friends, but for some reason, the kids they brought were always really young. It drove me crazy. When they finally said I could invite Sirius here, I was thrilled. Vacations have been so much better since then.”

Lily laughed. “I can only imagine baby James, playing alone in the water. What torture that must have been. Here, in this gorgeous place that only your family has access to. A true tragedy.”

He rolled his eyes. “Har har,” he said sarcastically. “My sides are splitting, really, you’re hysterical.”

“I know. It’s a gift.”

They stared at each other for a moment. The air between them had grown increasingly friendly in the past few months. After their argument in march, everything felt different between Lily and James. Lily knew how much James liked her, he had made it abundantly clear on that. Lily was gaining the confidence in her feelings and knew that she reciprocated them, but had been too nervous to come right out and tell him. She knew she wanted him and that she wanted to be with him, but she just hadn’t found the way to reveal herself. She cleared her throat and her eyes wandered over to the kitchen, where an adorable sight made her grin.

“Also, I love your parents!”

They both looked over to see Fleamont with his arms wrapped around his wife, though she was attempting to escape. They were giggling like teenagers, completely oblivious to the actual teenagers around them. James laughed. “I know. I lucked out in the parental department. But I think I’ve done pretty well in the friend department as well.”

Their gazes trailed over to their friends, who were lounging around the living room. Dorcus had taken a seat on the other couch, slumped down as far as she could be. Peter sat beside her, a deck of cards in his hands. He was attempting to show Dorcus a magic trick, without any real magic, and Dorcus had her head in her hands, laughing so hard her face was turning red. Peter had been working on his muggle magic tricks for the past few months and, though many of them didn’t work the way he meant, they still made everyone laugh.

Marlene was still on top of Remus. He was grinning down at her, still wrapped in the arms of Sirius. They had made a three part human ladder, lying on top of each other, looking extremely comfortable. Remus was gently rubbing Marlene’s back, her smile lazy and her eyes finding it harder and harder to stay open. The three of them whispering unintelligible words to each other, letting out child like giggles every few seconds. It looked like happiness.

Lily turned back to James. She felt an emotion suspiciously like happiness fill her chest. “I think this is going to be a good trip.” He nodded.

“Yeah, I think you may be right about that.”

[messr-black]

Basics:

Character’s Name → Sirius Orion Black

Character’s Nickname(s) → Siri, Padfoot, Pads, Black

Age → 18 years old

Birthdate  → 3rd November 1959

Zodiac Sign → Scorpio

Ethnicity  → British

Gender  → Male

Sexual Orientation → Bisexual

Blood Type → AB +

Species  → Pureblood

Appearance:

Hair color  → Black

Eye color → Bright grey

Height → 5′10′’

Weight →  Around 12 stone

Scars → He has a good few scars, from many different things. Most noticeably a long one across his shoulder blades from a particularly nasty argument with his parents.

Tattoos → None yet but he tends to get loads once he graduates.

Birthmarks → One above his right knee.

Piercings → He has one of his ears pierced.

Dress/clothing preferences  → In Hogwarts, usually his uniform without the tie. When he’s not in his uniform he usually opt for muggle band t-shirt and jeans, sometimes with a leather or dragon skin jacket.

Right/left handed/ambidextrous  → Left handed.

Glasses/contacts → Neither

Wizarding World:

Blood Status → Pureblood

School Attended → Hogwarts

School House → Gryffindor

War Alliance → Order of The Phoenix

Wand →  9’’, Unyielding, Unicorn tail hair core, Aspen wood

Patronus → Black dog (Those with the dog patronus are very loyal to those they care about, but can vary widely in personality, in extreme ways. Some are the silent type, speaking only to specific individuals and keeping within their comfort zone. They are hesitant in their situations and can seem to be stand-offish or intimidating to some. Others are quite bubbly, speaking to everyone and trying to be friendly and cordial. However when this demeanor is threatened they can become very blunt and harsh, showing aspects of the quieter dogs)

Boggart → Losing everyone he loves in one way or another.

Amortentia → The smell of fire burning (Particularly the one in the gryffindor common room), chocolate cake in the oven, the smell when it’s lashing rain and leather.

Mirror Of Erised → Himself after the war with his friends and Regulus by his side, all happy and safe.

Family and Relationships:

Parents → Orion and Walburga Black

Siblings → Regulus Black.

Grandparents → Arcturus Black III, Melania Black, Pollux Black and Irma Black

Marital Status → Single.

Significant Other → None technically but he’d say James.

Children → None.

Pets → An owl.

Other family members → Bellatrix Black, Andromeda Black, Narcissa Black Alphard Black, Cygnus Black and Druella Black to name just a few. James, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter

Friends → James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Petiigrew. Sirius is friendly with almost everyone, excluding most Slytherins.

Enemies → Most of his family, any blood purists and Severus Snape.

Religion:

The religion they follow (if any) → None.

Superstitions → He doesn’t have any.

Location:

Country of Birth → England.

Place of Birth (Town, city, etc) → Borough of Islington, London,

First Language → English.

Accents → Sirius still has quite a posh accent from growing up in Pureblood society but he does a good job at covering it up. It does become quite obvious though when he gets mad.

Schooling:

House → Gryffindor

Best Subject in School → Defense Against the Dark Arts

Worst Subject in School → Herbology

Additional Classes Taken → Charms, Transfiguration, Potions and Care of Magical creatures. He signed up for Astronomy but never actually goes to the class.

Quidditch  → Doesn’t play on the team but enjoys playing for fun.

Are they a Prefect?  → No.

Extra curricular activities  → The Slug Club.

Home:

Live with parents/grandparents/alone/other → Spent the Summer with James, currently loves in Hogwarts and is planning on getting his own place once he graduates.

House, apartment, etc → He would love a loft style apartment.

How Many Bedrooms? → He would like two.

Mode of transportation → Muggle motorcycle.

Picture of bedroom at home → In Grimmauld Place, this was his bedroom.

Address → N/A

Inner Workings Of Your Character:

Secrets → He’s an unregistered animagus.

Fears → Regulus picking the wrong side in the war, losing his friends to the war. Also wasps.

Worries → He’s afraid that he’ll do something to mess up again and that his friends will leave him.

Eating Habits → Sirius eats far more than he should.

Food preferences → He’ll eat almost anything but he particularly loves anything sweet.

Sleep preferences → Sirius likes to go to bed late and wake up late.

Book preferences → The closest Sirius ever gets to books is motorcycle magazines.

Music preferences → Muggle rock.

Introverted/extroverted → Extroverted.

Optimist/pessimist → Pessimist.

Hobbies → Listening to music, pranking, flirting, generally annoying people, flying, sex, drinking.

Pet peeves → People who chew with their mouth open, anyone who doesn’t fancy him, clocks that tick really loudly.

Prejudices → He instantly dislikes all Slytherins.

Proud of → Whoever invented sugar quills.

Biggest vulnerability  → The fact that he sometimes feels very very alone and reliant on his friends.

Embarrassed by → Sometimes he gets really bad nightmares which really embarrasses him in front of his friends.

Worst memory → When he told Snape to go the Shrieking Shack on a full moon.

Best memory → Being the first Black to be sorted into Gryffindor.

Skilled at → Non-verbal magic, flying, dueling, talking his way out of trouble, showing off.

Unskilled at → Dealing with upset people, staying calm when he’s angry, talking about how he feels, apologising seriously.

Attitude → Arrogant and conceited, but caring underneath it all.

Obsessions → Muggle music and bikes.

Stresses → His family.

Addictions → Cigarettes.

Allergies → He likes to claim that he’s allergic to cats but really he has no allergies.

Medical history → Has broken plenty of bones from general rough + tumble and recklessness growing up.

Favourite Object Kept In - And Why:

Their closet → His muggle leather jacket that he bought instead of the dress robes his Mother actually gave him the money for.

Their bedroom → His bed. He loves sleeping.

Their purse/bag → The mirror that James has a matching one to.

Their fridge → Chocolate milk.

Their desk → The Marauders Map. (On the rare occasion they remember to put it away)

Their pockets → An old Black family ring that his uncle Alphard gave to him.

Favourites:

Favorite Animal:  → Dogs.

Favorite Band:  → He couldn’t pick a favourite, he has too many that he loves.

Favorite Book:  → None.

Favorite Color:  → Red.

Favorite Country:  → Spain.

Favorite Drink: → He would never admit it but hot chocolate. Especially with a hint of rum.

Favorite Food: → Cheeseburger.

Favorite Flavor:  → Chocolate.

Favorite Movie: → Rocky Horror Picture Show

Favorite Musical Genre: → Rock.

Favorite Mythical Creature: →  Phoenix.

Favorite Number:  → 13.

Favorite Pastime:  → Hanging out with his mates.

Favorite Person:  → James Potter.

Favorite Place:  → Hogwarts.

Favorite Season:  → Autumn.

Favorite Song: → Black Dog - Led Zeppelin, mainly just for the name.

Favorite Spell: → Accio.

Least Favorite Animal:  → Thestrals

Least Favorite Band:  → The Hobgoblins

Least Favorite Book: → Lupine Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don’t Deserve to Live by Professor Emerett Picardy

Least Favorite Color:  → Green.

Least Favorite Country:  →

Least Favorite Drink: → Pumpkin juice

Least Favorite Food:  → Stew.

Least Favorite Flavor:  → Banana.

Least Favorite Movie: → He hasn’t really seen enough movies to have a least favourite.

Least Favorite Musical Genre:  → Classical.

Least Favorite Mythical Creature: →  Cornish pixies.

Least Favorite Number:  → 12

Least Favorite Pastime: → Homework/study.

Least Favorite Person:  → It’s a close tie between Voldemort and his Mother.

Least Favorite Place:  → His old house.

Least Favorite Season: → Summer because he has to leave Hogwarts and his friends

Least Favorite Song:  → You’re so vain - Carly Simon

Least Favorite Spell: → Crucio.

Sexual Life:

Gender You Last Had Sex With: →  Female

Dominant or Submissive: →  Dom 90% of the time

Fetishes:  → Bondage, public places.

Turnons:  → Battling for control, teasing others, high heels.

Turn-offs:  → Being teased.

Favourite Position: → Doggy style. “Table for two” - Girl lying back on a table with him between her legs, holding onto her hips and her feet on his shoulders.

How Active is Your Sex Life: → Very.

How Did You Loose Your Virginity: → To an older Gryffindor girl a few years ago.

Ever Impregnated Someone or Been Pregnant → No.

First Love: → He hasn’t been in love yet.

Who Do You Find Attractive → Almost everyone.

Marital Status:  → Single.

Do You Have A Significant Other (if yes, how do you feel about them): → Not really but once again, he would say James.

Personality Classification:

Jung → ENFP - The ENFP personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike Explorers, they are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd.

Enneagram → Type 8 - Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self- mastering, they use their strength to improve others’ lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.

Moral Alignment → True Neutral- A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run.

Four Temperaments → Sanguine - People with sanguine personality type tend to be lively, optimistic, buoyant, and carefree. They love adventure and have a high risk tolerance. Typically, Sanguine people are very poor at tolerating boredom and will seek variety and entertainment. Needless to say, this trait may sometimes negatively affect their romantic relationships. Because this temperament is prone to pleasure-seeking behaviors, many people with sanguine personality are likely to struggle with addictions. Their constant cravings may lead to overeating and weight problems.

Vices → Alcohol, cigarettes, recklessness, self doubt

Virtues → Loyalty, integrity, passion.

Tropes → The Charmer, The Black Sheep, Misery Builds Character, The Casanova, Everybody Smokes, Abusive Parents

Statistics:

Compassion → 6/10

Empathy → 6/10

Creativity → 10/10

Mental Flexibility → 5/10

Passion/Motivation → 9/10 (If it’s something he genuinely cares about)

Intelligence → 10/10

Stamina → 9/10

Physical Strength → 10/10

Battle Skill → 10/10

Initiative → 8/10

Restraint → 4/10

Agility → 8/10

Strategy → 7/10

Teamwork → 9/10  

[theelderswear]

Men Among Wolves: Chapter Three

Third chapter based on this post by @asktheboywholived

Chapter Two  -  Chapter Four

Sirius took a seat in the plush chair across from his father. Walburga stood by the door, stiff as a board. Orion merely observed his son.

“We have told you many times before that there are some things that will be expected of you.” Orion began, watching as Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned back. “Walburga and I have never really clarified, but there is the subject of producing an heir that we feel we must speak to you about.”

Walburga cleared her throat. “Your father and I have already chosen a wife for you, Sirius. 

Scoffing, Sirius picked at his fingernails. “No offence, mother, but in case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have much interest in the fairer sex.”

Orion clenched his jaw as he restrained an insult. They had to go about this topic delicately. “I know very well about your… preferences… Sirius. If you think that we don’t keep a close watch on your activities, you’re mistaken.

“That’s more than a little creepy.” Sirius shot back, smirking. He knew exactly what Walburga meant, it was just fun to push her buttons.

Unfortunately, Orion had had enough. “Hold your tongue, boy. We’re talking about the future of the Empire here. There is no room for personal feelings. You are to marry Bellatrix and produce an heir, and that is final.”

With that, he stood and stormed out of the room. Why, oh why did his eldest son have to be a complete and utter disappointment?

Walburga rolled her eyes at her husband’s dramatics. They’d discussed this situation before. She was going to explain it as calmly as possible, so as to not spook Sirius, and they would convince him that this was necessary without losing too much. Now Walburga would have to come up with something on the fly.

“You can’t be serious,” her son exclaimed, turning in his chair to look at his mother. “Me, marry Bellatrix?”

Sirius began laughing then, thinking it was all a joke. “You will marry her, and you will produce an heir with her. I’m not saying it’s going to be completely pleasant, however, we are willing to make you an offer. 

She was conducting this like it was a business deal. To be fair, it was as close to being one as was possible in this situation.

Leaning back in his chair, Sirius fixed his mother with a strong gaze. “And what offer is this?”

Walburga clenched her jaw in displeasure as she told him of her side of the deal. “Your father and I will let you have any one person you would like to have as an affair, all expenses paid, so long as it is kept discreet.”

The grin that spread across Sirius’ face at that moment almost made Walburga go back on the deal. Almost. The Empire needed this marriage to happen.

“Anyone? You mean, whomever I choose, and you can’t say a word about it?” Sirius probed, testing the limits of just how far his mother was willing to let him go.

Tightening her fists, Walburga gave a stiff nod. “Yes. Your father and I came up with certain terms,” she pulled out a page and a quill, placing them in front of her son, “and you are to sign this. There will be no negotiations or arguments about the contents of this document, and we are all to adhere strictly to what is written. 

Sirius quickly skimmed through the papyrus in front of him. It made some sense. Marry Bellatrix, treat her appropriately once she becomes Empress, produce an heir. In return, he got a lover of his choice, who would be granted almost as much luxury as his wife… so long as it never got out.

“Fair enough, mother.” he said, signing his name.

As he stood to leave, Walburga cleared her throat. “Sirius,” she called, refusing to look at him as he turned around.

“Yes?” Sirius sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

“Don’t think that your position as future Emperor will protect you if you muck this up. If you refuse to marry Bellatrix, to produce an heir, or if you let your relationship become public...” 

Walburga trailed off as she looked at her son. His face was completely devoid of any emotion.

“I know, mother. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time you’d made an attempt on my life. The whole empire knows how much you despise me, how much of a disappointment I am. But don’t worry. I’ll be a good dog and do what you want this time. 

With that, Sirius turned and stalked off, his mood the polar opposite of what it was a mere twenty minutes earlier.

Upon reaching his bedroom, he grabbed a vase and tossed it at a wall. It hit the floor with a loud crash, crumbling into a million pieces. He didn’t even notice Andromeda, who had been sitting at his desk.

Once he did, he immediately dissolved into tears. She got up and cradled him to her chest, rocking him back and forth as he crumpled to the ground. “Andy, I can’t do this.”

“Shhh, it’ll be ok, Sirius. Just cry, tell me about it later.”

Sirius struggled to remove himself from her grasp so he could look at his kind-hearted cousin. He hiccuped as he spoke, “No, no you don’t get it. I pretend like I’m ok with it, but it hurts so much knowing that my family hates me. That they would all be happier if I was dead. And now… now I have to spend the rest of my life married to the worst person I know.”

Andromeda just clutched him to her chest again. “Promise me.” Sirius whispered, eyes closing. “Promise me you won’t let them force you to do anything you don’t want.”

She just shushed him again, kissing his forehead. “I promise.” she muttered, but Andromeda didn’t really believe it.

After all, how was she supposed to fight an unstoppable force that had controlled every aspect of her life since even before her birth?

Remus watched as Gaius, Marius, Maria and Romulus filed into the tent, grim expressions on their faces.

They each took a spot around the map, and Romulus looked around at everyone to make sure they were ready. “I officially call this meeting in order. Maria, what are your ideas?”

Maria then launched into an explanation of her chosen locations. After her, Marius, followed by Gaius. Romulus went right after, and lastly they all turned to Remus.

“So, what do you have to say, Remus?”

He’d been rehearsing for all of last night and that morning, but his nerves were keeping him from thinking properly. Still, he managed to deliver his points almost how he’d practiced. Remus stumbled and stuttered a fair amount of times, but by the end, they looked impressed. “I didn’t think you’d put so much thought into it. Good job, Remus.” Maria commented, clapping him on the shoulder.

He blushed at the praise, murmuring his thanks. “Give us a moment to deliberate, cub.” Gaius said.

The group all turned inward, and Remus struggled to not listen. He was able to see them point to various locations, and had to dodge a few rocks being thrown behind them as spots were eliminated.

Finally, they all separated, and Romulus waved him over. “We’ve decided to go here.”

Marius said, pointing to an area Remus had chosen. It was a spot that was fairly close to a water source, but far enough from the current camp ground that they hoped the soldiers would give up looking before finding it.

Although his face stayed relatively plain, inside, Remus was beaming. He’d made a valuable contribution, and proved his worth, at least a little bit.

Romulus began to walk out. “I’ll go tell the pack, and we’ll try to be gone by the end of the week. Make sure to keep us updated, Marius.”

The spy nodded, rolling his eyes once he was gone. “He seems to think I have access to all of the information passed around. There are many things that even I, a General, am not told.”

Maria smirked. “Romulus always assumes that everyone can do anything. He knows, though. He just wants what’s best for the pack.”

The two exchanged soft smiles. Manius bid farewell to the other two men in the tent before taking his leave. Gaius followed shortly after, leaving just Remus and Maria.

“You did good today, Remus.” Maria commented, cleaning up the table.

Remus decided it would be best to help out, and the two swept all of the unnecessary rocks away. “Do you really think I’ll be able to replace you?” he whispered once they’d finished.

Maria heaved a deep sigh, taking a good long look at her protege. “I don’t know,” she admitted, worrying her bottom lip, “I don’t know, but I think it all depends on the decisions you make, and how much you want this.” Maria paused, searching deep in his eyes. “Do you want this, Remus?”

He nodded without hesitation, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “I do, I’m just worried.”

“Don’t be, Remus. You’ll do just fine.”

From outside the tent came a sudden onslaught of yelling and screaming. The two inside could only assume that the unfortunate news had been delivered. Remus stepped outside, followed closely by Maria.

“You can’t do this to us!”

“This is our home, we’ve been here for so long!”

“What are we going to do once the full moon comes?”

Protests could be heard from all around, and Romulus was struggling to be heard over the noise.

“Quiet!” roared Remus, standing beside his leader.

The pack stopped talking. “Thank you, Remus. Now, as I said, we will be moving locations due to an unforeseen complication-”

“Does it have to do with Atilius’ death?” someone at the back asked.

The mood became very grim then, and Romulus gave a small nod. “It does, yes. But please, do not dwell on our fallen member, not yet. For now, we must focus on packing up and leaving. Am I understood?” 

A half-hearted chorus of ‘yes’ came from the pack, who all went their separate ways to collect their things. “I hate delivering bad news,” Romulus said, running a hand through his hair, “It makes me feel like a monster. Well, like more of one than usual.” 

“Hey, we aren’t monsters.” interjected Remus. “We’re just humans who got stuck in a rut of bad luck. That’s all.”

Romulus chuckled and patted Remus shoulder. “Keep thinking that, kiddo. Maybe one day you’ll believe it.”

Remus stared, mouth agape, at Romulus’ retreating form. How could he just completely accept that he was a monster? Did he not feel any self-worth?

He didn’t have much time to dwell on the matter, however, as he had to go pack up his things as well. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, and going to sleep early would be the best for everyone.

Hahahaha let me die.

[lilevens-blog]

headspace 001.

01. What is your character’s headspace?

Lily has been particularly moody, as of late. The quiet amongst The Order has offered her no sense of peace or relief-- if anything, it’s actually probably denied her of it. Never having been a girl who can sit patiently for opportunity, Lily craves the stimulation of purpose and challenge; more simply than that, she’s not stupid. She feels the itch of something big about to happen, like a shadow in the periphery, and it frustrates her all the more, because she’s entirely unsure of how to prepare for this impending eventuality. Resultantly, a restlessness permeates all of her actions. 

She’s become mopey; skulking around the flat, avoiding her roommates at some times, brushing them off with a shrug of her narrow shoulders and a pointed glare, and at others (often only hours later) seeking them out, forcing them to talk to her or simply entertain her company (which can be exhausting in and of its own right, especially when she’s feeling insatiable). Her mood, as is most of the things Lily does, is infectious; it often affects those in her company, for better or worse. Perhaps this is why she has especially been avoiding James-- or perhaps it’s because, with nothing else to draw her mind, she is especially argumentative. And God knows they already spend enough of their time doing that. 

02. What is their current goal/focus?

It’s easier to answer this question backwards, so I will-- Lily’s current focus is not on the big picture. Generally speaking, Lily’s a naturally goal-oriented person, which certainly leads her to having a tendency to long-term assess situations-- but it’s all Lily can do right now to make it through a bloody day without losing her mind (or her cool). She can’t fathom the turn of the War; can’t fathom a “beyond” point-- not beyond this week, her current company, whatever. And so, although it took some heaving and hauling to accept, Lily has shifted her attention to the immediate. It’s the only thing she can tack down for certain, and she’s been clinging to that as a means of control and comfort in the silent turbulence of everything else about her. 

Despite her moodiness, and her particular emotional distance from James (and, by extension, the rest of the Marauders), Lily has remained (if nothing else) incredibly open to her friends. Especially with her flatmates and Hestia, Lily is still silently understood as an open ear to listen, and a freckly shoulder on which to cry; it is in these moments of honesty, where tension and pretense are dropped in the close quiet of a bedroom or a balcony, where she can say, without having to shame her pride, that, maybe, yeah, she’s a little scared-- these moments reinvigorate her, instill a purpose to keep fighting and acting and preparing for what’s next, for the sake of protecting her friends. It all comes back to her friends. That’s all she can think about-- their safety, and her role in securing that safety. She’s taken up to reading multiple DADA books as an outlet to do so; if she can’t actively insert herself into a situation in which she can feel as though she’s protecting her friends, then she’s going to bloody well prepare herself for it. 

03. What do you want to happen right now (short term development)?

What really needs to happen before anything else is a deepening of Lily’s interpersonal relationships. Whether they’re good, bad, or ugly-- Lily’s character growth requires first and foremost the establishing of these relationships in-game. While her biography outlines the generalities of where she’s at with each person right now, it’s really important to me that I feel these relationships out in-game in these first few weeks, to make sure that she’s coming from a true place, and to better understand the nuances present in every dynamic. Doing this will make clear Lily’s primary motivations and dominant emotions at this particular jumping-off point of the game, and set her up for the first mission-- whenever that comes. 

Give me the push and pull of Lily and James; the hexing and screaming, the cold shoulder, the distance and the passionate embrace that rounds that out, inevitable as ever; the gentle curling into one another, on the couch, on a back porch; murmuring softly, petting each other’s hair, placing soft kisses of comfort on exposed skin. Give me the relentless discomfort of Sirius and Lily in the same space, that impasse that can hardly be breached even in times of great struggle, even when they absolutely should be relying on each other; give me the defiant set of Lily’s jaw when she sees James and Sirius together, the way she claims her boyfriend thereafter, watching Sirius’s face the whole time; give me their petty need to outdo one another-- or better, give me a moment in which Lily and Sirius genuinely need to place their trust in one another. Give me the softness of Lily and Remus; their laughter, hushed sometimes, and raucous, on Lily’s part, at others; give me their long and profound glances, the brushing of hands, the moments close in a kitchen at dawn or dusk or the middle of the night, worry thick in their throats, and something else, too; the way they can read into those moments or not, depending on what they choose to do. Give me Lily and Peter-- Lily unable to figure out what angle, exactly, to approach him from; Lily’s irritation at Peter’s quietness, his lack of appreciation for the time she takes to notice him, however selfish a place that comes from within her. Give me Lily and Dorcas and Marlene, together and broken into pairs; smoking weed, looking into each other’s eyes, being more real with each other than anyone else. The eroticism that accompanies that kind of intimacy and vulnerability. Give me Hestia and Lily, the calmest of all; the cast of worry leaving Lily’s face when she’s in that soothing presence. Or give me none of that, but something else-- in whatever way, it’s incredibly important that relationship-building happen in the short-term to set up Lily’s dynamic in the group long-term.