seed moon fest snippets
Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and say that a story simply isn't going to be finished đ Anyway, here's my attempt at knocking Remus up for my own informal fest. It's nearly 3K words of unedited nonsense and unfinished scenes that was supposed to be a much longer fic that spanned all of OOTP.
Someone else with more brain cells than me should definitely knock Remus up during OOTP properly, as he deserves. Until then, enjoy this fragmented chaos:
---
September 1995
âWe need to talk,â Remus says as he unwinds his scarf.Â
âThe last time you said that to me, you wanted a divorce.â Sirius helps him out of his cloak and hangs it on the rack.Â
The corner of Remusâs mouth quirks. âCanât exactly divorce you twice, can I?â
âI suppose not.â Sirius examines him. âYou look a bit peaky.âÂ
âYes, thatâs what--â
âLupin! Black!â Kingsleyâs voice carries up the stairs. âOrder meeting!âÂ
Sirius sighs and runs a hand through his hair. âDuty calls. You can divorce me again after the meeting.â
***
Dumbledore hands out assignments at the end of the meeting--guard duty for everyone except Sirius and Remus, as usual. Sirius is ordered to stay in the house, and Remus is assigned to another werewolf pack, this time in Poland.Â
âNo,â Remus says, and the whole room goes silent.
âRemus,â Dumbledore says after a moment, âyou are the only member of the Order who is able to infiltrate the packs, and need I remind you of the importance of--â
âYes, Iâm aware of the importance of my missions,â Remus says dryly. âGiven how successful they were in the first war, I understand why you want me to repeat them. The answer is still no. I will not be infiltrating any wolf packs for the foreseeable future, and Severus, I will no longer require Wolfsbane from you.âÂ
âRemus,â Sirius protests, âyou canât--âÂ
âI can,â Remus says forcefully.Â
âBut this is your health weâre talking about!âÂ
âLupinâs no use to us if he wonât perform his missions as instructed,â Snape says. âOf course Iâll no longer be providing Wolfsbane to someone who refuses to make a contribution to the cause.â
âI donât understand why,â Molly begins.
âNeither do I,â Sirius says.Â
âRemus, if you could enlighten us--â
âSonorus!â Remus shouts, pointing his wand at his stomach.Â
A steady thud thud thud fills the room, and it takes Sirius several seconds to realize that the heartbeat isnât Remusâs.Â
âOh, Merlin,â he breathes as eyes widen around the table.Â
A flurry of emotions flash across Dumbledoreâs face--anger, disappointment, resignation. He settles on grim. âYou intend to keep the baby, then, Mr. Lupin?â
Remus flinches slightly, but he holds Dumbledoreâs gaze. âYes.âÂ
âVery well. Your services are indeed no longer required, and Severus will no longer provide you with Wolfsbane for the moon.â
âYou canât fucking do that!â Sirius shouts at Dumbledore. âJust because heâs physically unable to be your puppet-â
âItâs poisonous to the baby,â Remus says quietly, and Siriusâs mouth snaps shut. âWolfsbane, I mean. I canât take it while Iâm--while Iâm pregnant.âÂ
***
Dumbledore ends the meeting after that. Thankfully sensing that Sirius and Remus have a lot to talk about, the rest of the members file out of the kitchen quickly, leaving them alone.Â
âSo,â Sirius says after a moment. âIs it, er--â
âYes, Sirius,â Remus says tiredly. âItâs yours.âÂ
âOh, good,â Sirius says, and then quickly adds, âNot that it would have been a problem if it wasnât! Obviously, you were allowed to have a life these past thirteen years, and--âÂ
Remus kisses him. âShut up.âÂ
âSo, er, in JuneâŚâ
âYes. We could blame it on Dumbledore, really. Heâs the one who sent you to me after the Task.âÂ
âOh, Merlin.â Sirius passes a hand over his eyes, shaking with silent laughter. âThat would go over well, after tonight.âÂ
Remus smiles briefly, but it quickly drops from his face. âI didn't mean to break the news like this, and I know I made the decision without even speaking to you, but--â
âRemus,â Sirius says, âitâs fine, really. I mean, Merlin, a baby. Of course I wasnât expecting it, but I think itâs great.â
âDo you?â
âYes. I mean, itâs also insane. Iâm still a convict who isnât allowed to leave the most heavily-warded house in Britain, which also happens to be the headquarters for a secret organization fighting the darkest wizard of our time, and youâre a werewolf living through an era of unprecedented anti-lycanthropic legislation. This is madness, and yet, Iâm thrilled.â
Remus bites his lip. âCan we do this?â
âYes.â Sirius reaches for his hand. âWe can do this. I used Crookshanks to access my vaults last year, and I can do it again. We wonât hurt for gold. This is the safest house in Britain, so youâll move in here permanently. Weâll have nine months to make it, er, baby-proof, but yes we can do this. We will do this.â
âSix months.â
âWhat?â
âIâm twelve weeks along, so we have roughly six months to get everything ready, although the baby might decide to make an early appearance.âÂ
Sirius grins. âSix months it is. I like a challenge.â
âYouâre taking this rather well.âÂ
Sirius shrugs. âAlways wanted to have a baby with you.âÂ
âWhat?â
âIf we raise the baby here, weâre taking Harry in as well,â Sirius goes on, as if he hadnât just said something earth-shattering. âIâm not going to send him to his relatives for another summer, and then raise another child simply because theyâre my blood.â
âI agree,â Remus says. âBut you--want this? Youâve wanted this?âÂ
âWouldnât have gone about it like this, but yeah.â Siriusâs lips quirk. âNext time, weâll do it after I clear my name and weâre living somewhere that isnât a house full of dark objects.â
âWhat do you mean, next time?â
***
âSirius, whereâs Kreacher?â
âHogwarts,â Sirius says, and Remus blinks at him.Â
âHogwarts?â
âIâm not having him in this house once the baby arrives.â Sirius resumes his scrubbing, though perhaps with more force than is called for. âI grew up with that elf, and I wonât have the baby do the same. I wonât put them through that.âÂ
âOh, Sirius.â
âAnd I wasnât going to behead him like my dear old mother would have, so sending him to work in the kitchens at Hogwarts seemed like the best solution.âÂ
âThat was kind of you.â
***
âWell?â Remus asks, holding out his arms. âWhat do you think?â
Sirius circles him, examining the outfit.
âItâll do,â he finally declares.
âItâll do? I should hope so! This one alone costs more than I made in a year at Hogwarts.â Sirius had insisted on buying him a whole new wardrobe as soon as Remus started having difficulty fitting into his usual clothes. Heâll have to buy Remus new clothes every few weeks now as Remus increases in size, and doesnât seem to see an issue with that.
***
December 1995
âRemus is still staying here,â Sirius says, âand, er, thereâs something you should know before you see him.âÂ
Fred and George give him twin glares that could kill, and Sirius canât blame them--their father might be dying, might be dead already, and Sirius wants to talk about one of their former professors? But Harry looks inquisitive, so Sirius plunges on. âHeâs going to look a bit different when you see him. Heâs, er, pregnant, and he's pretty far along."
âPregnant!â Ron blurts, while everyone else stares at Sirius in shock.
âYouâre the other father, then,â Ginny says, and she doesnât sound surprised at all.
âAre you?â Harry demands.
âI am,â Sirius says. âItâŚwasnât planned, to say the least.âÂ
Remus comes into the basement kitchen as Molly and Sirius are in the middle of making breakfast, and he does a double-take at the number of people who have appeared in the house overnight.Â
âFill Remus in, Harry, wonât you?â Sirius asks over his shoulder as he prods at the bacon.Â
He listens as Harry recounts the events of the previous night. At the end, Harry adds, âAnd Sirius told us about the baby, so, er, congratulations, Professor.âÂ
âThank you, Harry.â
âDo you know if itâs a boy or girl, Professor?â Ginny asks.Â
âNo, we want it to be a surprise.â
Now that Arthurâs out of danger, his children are more than happy to pepper Remus with questions about the baby. He patiently answers all of them while they eat breakfast, and even lets Ginny feel the baby kick when she asks. Theyâre always more active after a meal.
After breakfast, the kids go off to nap, except for Harry, who lingers in the kitchen with Sirius and Remus.
âWhereâs the baby going to stay after theyâre born?â
âHere, with us,â Sirius says. âRemus has already moved in, and weâre turning one of the guest bedrooms into a nursery.âÂ
Harry nods. âIâm really happy for you.âÂ
âHarry,â Remus says gently. âThereâs a place for you here, too.âÂ
âOh, I didnât mean--â
âI know you didnât, but we want you to know that.âÂ
âI donât have to go back to the Dursleys?â
âDumbledore will want you to, and heâll probably try to force you to go,â Sirius says. âIf I have to kidnap you from Kings Cross myself, I will. Weâre not letting you go back.âÂ
âAs long as thatâs alright with you, of course,â Remus says. âIt wonât be easy, living with a newborn.âÂ
âAnything is better than the Dursleys,â Harry says fervently, and then he throws himself into Siriusâs arms. âThank you.âÂ
***
Pregnancy seems to calm the wolf, a side effect Remus hadnât been expecting. He still prefers moons where he can take Wolfsbane, but at least these transformations arenât traumatic without it. He still sometimes dislocates a joint or breaks a bone during the transformation itself, but Sirius tells him that while heâs the wolf, all he does is nest and sleep.Â
Moony has decided that the Black family library is the perfect place to build his nest, and he spends each moon gathering items from around the house and dragging them to the library. So far, heâs confiscated all the couch cushions, every blanket that had been moldering in a wardrobe, and three of Siriusâs cloaks.
***
Remusâs labor begins on a sunny Tuesday shortly after lunch, and he stays in early labor well into the night. Heâs able to go about his day mostly as normal, despite the increasing discomfort.
That changes in the early hours of the morning, when he grips Siriusâs arm hard enough to bruise and grits out, âGet Molly.âÂ
Their birth plan isnât much of one--theyâve been relying on Siriusâs years-old Healer training and whatever books they can lay their hands on. They canât risk telling anyone about the baby who wasnât at that initial Order meeting, not even Poppy. Molly has helped two wix friends through their own pregnancies, so sheâs the closest thing to an obstetrician that they have.Â
She helps keep Remus comfortable, checks to see how dilated he is, and coaches him on when to push. She makes sure Sirius is actively involved as well, and heâs the one to catch their son as Remus pushes him into the world.Â
âOh, fuck,â Remus wheezes as Sirius cradles the infant in his hands, tears coursing down his cheeks. âOh, fuck, I am never doing that again.âÂ
The baby starts to wail in earnest, and Sirius laughs, giddy and relieved and so fucking terrified. Molly helps Remus with the after birth, and then Sirius lays the baby on his chest.Â
âStill think heâs a Teddy?â Sirius asks softly while Remus cuddles the baby close. He presses his nose to the top of the babyâs head and breathes.Â
âYes,â Remus says finally. âHeâs definitely a Teddy.âÂ
***
Harry knocks on McGonagallâs office door precisely at eight, and it swings open immediately.
âMr. Potter, come in,â she says. âHave a seat.â
He sits in front of her desk, wondering what task sheâll assign him for detention tonight. Scrubbing all the toilets on the fifth floor with a toothbrush, probably. At least it wonât be lines with a blood quill, he thinks as he massages his hand absently.Â
âI have a message for you,â McGonagall says.
âRight,â Harry says, blinking at her. A message? Heâs here for detention.Â
âEdward John Lupin-Black was born at five-thirty this morning. Professor Lupin is doing well, and your godfather is beside himself with happiness.âÂ
âOh.â Harry blinks, absorbing this. âRemus had the baby?â
âHe did,â McGonagall says, and thereâs a ghost of a smile on her lips. âIâm sorry for the ruse, but serving you a detention seemed the best way to get this message to you. I was summoned to Headquarters for a meeting this afternoon, which is how I learned about the baby. Mr. Black also wanted me to convey to you that heâs looking forward to seeing you this summer, and that he loves you.âÂ
***
June 1996
The kitchen door bursts open and Sirius hurries in, his wand in one hand. He has a crying bundle in the crook of his other arm, and for a moment all the thoughts flee Harryâs brain.
âHarry? Whatâs going on, whatâs wrong?â
âTeddy?â Harry blurts.
Sirius holsters his wand and kneels before the fire, adjusting the baby in his arms. For a moment, the sight of Harryâs floating head distracts the baby, and he stops his wailing.Â
âWhere are you Flooing from?â
âMcGonagallâs office,â Harry says, jolted back to reality by the question. âSirius, I thought--I saw--you were being tortured! Voldemort kidnapped you, and he was holding you somewhere, and--â
âHarry, breathe,â Sirius said. âIt must have been another vision. Iâm safe; we all are.âÂ
âMy other visions have been real,â Harry says--hesitantly, because he wants to believe this is Sirius in front of him. âMr. Weasley did get attacked, and that old man really did die.â
âI know,â Sirius says, âbut we already know that Voldemort can get into your mind, and that Snape never completed your Legilimancy lessons. That means that Voldemort can plant visions in your head, ones that arenât real and never happened.â
âSirius?â Remus comes into the kitchen, knuckling sleep out of his eyes. He freezes when he sees Harryâs head in the fire. âWhatâs going on? Harry, are you alright?â
Harry explains the nightâs events as quickly as he can. He doesnât know how much longer he has before heâs discovered.Â
âYou should come through, Harry,â Remus says when he finishes. âIf Voldemort is giving you visions at Hogwarts, you clearly arenât safe there and thereâs no point in you staying.âÂ
âBut what if this isnât real?â Harry demands. âWhat if this is the vision?â
âVoldemort doesnât know about Teddy,â Remus says. âUnless you think Professor McGonagall is a spy, then weâre the only ones who know about the baby. This canât be a vision that Voldemort has planted in your head, because you know details he doesnât. This is real, Harry.â
Remus has a point, and none of his visions have ever been this vivid. Harry ducks back into McGonagallâs office for another handful of Floo powder, and then steps fully into the fireplace.Â
âHi,â Harry says, and he barely has the word out before Sirius engulfs him in a hug.
âHi, Haz,â he says into Harryâs hair. âIâm so glad youâre alright. Iâm sorry you were so worried.â
âItâs not your fault.â Harry pulls away. âCan I--â
âOf course.â Remus adjusts the bundle in his arms so Harry can see the baby. âMeet Teddy. Teddy, this is Harry. Heâs going to be living here with us, too.âÂ
âHi, Teddy,â Harry whispers. He reaches out a hand, and when no one stops him, touches Teddyâs cheek. âIâm--â
âYou brother,â Sirius says, laying a hand on Harryâs shoulder. âThis is your brother, Teddy.â
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hi hello sorry i disappeared i have been infected with brain rot of a different variety but i am back with some knocked up remus (feat. a very anxious james) only a little late for the seed moon
James stumbles through the front door of their cottage, bleary eyed and exhausted. Practice had run late that day, on account of their grueling efforts to prepare for the World Cup; James canât remember ever having trained like this before, and he still isnât even sure if theyâll be ready, physically or mentally. Hell, heâs still not even sure if he wants to participate.
Remusâ due date is far too close to the scheduled end of the Cup for Jamesâ liking; enough that James isnât even sure he wants him attending any of the matches.
Of course, heâs sure that Remus will call him ridiculous if he voices that thought out loud, and that heâll be at all of Jamesâ matches, sitting with Sirius in his suite, supportive but disinterested, and uncomfortable but unwilling to miss even a minute that James is in the air.
âEnglandâs chances of winning are slim, even with you there, so Iâm not about to have you sit out on what might be a career defining moment for you,â Remus had told him, when James suggested maybe he should refuse a spot on the national team. âI also donât need the whole country hating me because you decided you needed to sit home and rub my feet, soâŚâ
âYou barely even let me do this as is,â James said, while rubbing Remusâ rather swollen feet. âWhich is rude, by the way.â
âSo youâve said, James.â
âI just want to pamper you, Moonbeam.â
âI know, James.â
Remus had convinced him, in the end, by pointing out that Harry would love attending the Cup. This was playing dirty, in Jamesâ opinion, but that is, truthfully, the only way Remus plays.
James is obsessed with him. And his husband is correct, that much he can admit; James would hate having to miss sharing this experience with Harry.
Still, he worries. James thinks his worry might swallow him whole. While both Remus and Sirius have taken turns assuring him, time and again, that Remus will be fine, that the baby isnât going to come a month early, and that Sirius will be looking after Remus and Harry the whole time, James canât justâŚstop worrying. Itâs who he is. He frets.
Heâs in the process of wondering where, exactly, said husband might be, when he nearly falls and breaks his leg over a little bundle of fur scurrying around their foyer.
âFuckingâno, no, yikes, I mean yikes.â James tries so hard to keep his language child friendly, especially with the way Remus curses like a sailor, but he doesnât always succeed. Especially not when he has nifflers trying to murder him in his own home.
âNo! No, come here, youââ James just barely catches the thing by the scruff of its neck, and lifts it up in front of his face, squinting his eyes to try and read the name on its collar. âWhich one are you? Kerouac? Or Cassady?â
James does not understand why Remus brought home a little of baby nifflers, and he understands even less the names he gave them, but Remus is pregnant with his child, and James wants him to be happy, which means their home has since been filled with any number of various creatures for the last few months, some of them dangerous and some of them just pure pests. He still isnât sure which category the niffler falls into.
The little ball of fur tries to bite him. James has to resist the urge to march back outside and throw it into the forest.
âOkay, well, whoever you are, letâs get you back to your mummy and away from me,â he mutters, as he walks through the kitchen, on the path to their back garden, where James assumes heâll find the little thingâs siblings.
He does, indeed, find a veritable nest of nifflers, but he also finds his husband and his son, sitting atop the grass; Harry is giggling, his face and glasses splattered with dirt, and Remus is showing himâŚsomething, some kind of creature, thatâs curled up in the palm of his hand. Thereâs a small, easy smile on his husbandâs face, despite the dark circles under his eyes and the way that James knows his knees must be protesting, the way heâs kneeling.
Okay, alright, yes. Remus can fill their home with as many creatures as he wants, forever, pregnant or not.
âHello, my darlings,â James says, as he kneels between them, adding even more grass stains to his already impossibly dirty Quidditch uniform. âWhatâs this little beast weâve got here?â
He hardly even has time to breath before Harry launches himself at him. The niffler escapes at this moment, and of course chooses to run back into the house, because why wouldnât he?
âDaddy,â Harry says, seriously, âthis is a grass snake. They live in the garden. Not just our garden, but all gardens.â
âYes, because most gardens donât have colonies of nifflers,â James says, and makes eye contact with Remus, teasing him just a little. âBut I suppose they do have grass snakes, and thatâs a good thing, isnât it?â
Remus rolls his eyes, a bit of fondness glimmering there in the light. âI told you, the sanctuary will be here to pick them up within the week.â He lets the snake slither out of his hand and back into the grass. Then, he makes an effort to shuffle, on his knees, over to James and Harry, to close the small distance between them. He does not succeed.
James tries not to laugh. âLet me help you.â He lifts Harry up, places him atop his shoulders, and reaches out for Remus, lifting him up and to his feet.
âI would pretend to be offended that you didnât ask,â Remus huffs, âbut we both know I wasnât going to be able to get up by myself.â
James grins, and leans in for a kiss. âIâm surprised you even got down there, Moons.â
âIt wasnât easy,â Remus says, and goes in for another kiss. âHow was practice?â
âIâm beginning to think this whole Quidditch thing isnât worth it.â
Remus snorts. âThat bad, was it?â
James sighs. âI could sleep for days, if given the chance.â
Harry gently begins tugging on his curls. âYou canât. You promised weâd fly tonight, daddy.â
âI am going to be having words with Sirius about that broom,â he mutters. âYes, love, sure we will. But maybe a nap first?â
âSome tea and a nap,â Remus says. He has one hand resting atop his jumper covered jump, and one cupping Jamesâ cheek. âYou go shower, get yourself sorted, and Iâll have it ready when youâre done.â
James frowns. âRemusââ
Remus rolls his eyes, again. âProngs, Iâm pregnant, not bedridden. Harry and I can manage to put the kettle on without you. We survived all morning by yourselves, didnât we?â
Jamesâ shoulders shake with the force of Harryâs nods. âWe did! We fed all the creatures and took a walk out to the lake and then we saw the grass snake.â
âOh, well, I spoke too soon,â James says, seriously, unable to quite hide his grin when Remus laughed at his antics.
âYou did,â Remus agrees, just as seriously, and gestures for James to give Harry to him. He settles him on his hip, and they walk inside together, hand in hand. âGo on, go shower. When you get out Iâll tell you all about the kelpie we found in the lake.â
âSorry, the what?âÂ
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