engie-ivy

[engie-ivy]

When Remus is suddenly not a werewolf anymore, there's only thing that could've lifted his curse: True Love's First Kiss

But... which one was it?

All the Boys I Kissed Last Month

“I'm not a werewolf anymore.”

Lily almost chokes on her tea. “Sorry, what?”

“I'm not a werewolf anymore,” Remus repeats.

“What do you mean?”

“Last full moon, I was in the Shrieking Shack, waiting for my transformation, and then… nothing.”

Lily blinks. “How… how is that even possible?”

Remus looks down at his hands. “There's really only one way my curse could have been lifted…”

“And that is…?” Lily urges.

“True Love's First Kiss,” Remus replies. “What else could it be?”

Lily's eyes widen. “You always said the chances of even having a True Love were almost zero, let alone finding your True Love, let alone having and finding your True Love as a werewolf!”

Remus shrugs. “Well, almost zero is apparently not zero.”

“Oh, Godric!” Lily jumps from her chair and runs around the table over to Remus to wrap her arms around him. “You found your True Love! I can't believe it! That's amazing!” She lets go of Remus and looks at him. “So, who is it?”

Remus scratches his head. “Well, that's sort of the problem…”

“Here you go.” Remus hands James the parchment.

James looks up at him. “What's this?”

“My Potions essay. Just make sure you're not too obvious when you copy it, so Slughorn won't notice.”

“Really?” James jumps up from his chair. “Moons, honestly, you're such a life saver! Godric, I could kiss you! In fact, I will kiss you!”

James grabs Remus’ face between his hands and gives him a big smooch.

“Tada!” Marlene twirls around in her new skirt.

Remus claps his hands together. “You look so pretty! Dorcas won't know what hit her! I can't believe you're finally going on a date. I'm so proud of you, Marls.”

“Aaaw, Remmie,” Marlene gives Remus an endeared look. “You're so cute. Come here, give us a kiss.”

She pulls Remus in and plants a kiss on his lips.

“I had a great time tonight,” Benjy whispers.

“Eh, yeah, sure, it was fun,” Remus replies.

Benjy suddenly places his hands on Remus’ waist, but before Remus can properly react to that, he moves in and presses his lips against Remus’.

It takes a moment for Remus to register what's going on, and then he places his hands on Benjy’s shoulder and gently pushes him back.

“Benjy, what are you doing?”

Benjy looks taken aback. “Eh, kissing my date goodnight at the end of the date?”

Now it's Remus’ turn to be taken aback. “Wait, this was a date? I thought… I thought we were just hanging out as friends?”

“Remus, I literally asked if you'd like to go out with me!”

“You didn't specify going out as what!” Remus says defensively, though, he's starting to realize, okay, this one is probably on him. “But regardless,” he continues. “Benjy, you're great, and I had fun, but I really only see you as a friend.”

Benjy nods. “Can't say I'm not disappointed, but that's fair.”

Remus takes another shot of Firewiskey. He knows he probably shouldn't, he already had too much, but it's a Gryffindor House Party, and he just wants to unwind.

Benjy shifts closer on the couch and Remus, feeling dizzy with alcohol, leans into him. Again, he knows he probably shouldn't, but it's fun to flirt a little and feel wanted. Through his haze, he realizes Sirius has already gone upstairs, which is very unlike him. Usually, James and he are dancing on top of the table until the early hours.

“I've got an idea!” Fabian loudly announces. He holds up an empty bottle. “Spin the bottle!”

The crowd of drunken Gryffindors cheer, and a moment later, they're all sitting in a large circle.

Everything is a bit of a blur, but Remus remembers both Gideon and Edgar landing their bottle on him. He remembers two kisses, but he can't for the life of him remember who was who.

He remembers his bottle landing on Mary. He remembers her giggling and saying ‘lucky me’, and the strong smell of her perfume.

“You don't know,” Lily says for the tenth time. “You don't know which one is your True Love.”

Remus shakes his head.

“Okay,” Lily pinches her brow. “So, we've got six options, right?”

“As far as I remember, yes,” Remus confirms. Though the idea that one of these people has to be his True Love does not exactly sit right with him. And neither does what this means for who definitely isn't his True Love, if he's completely honest.

“We're getting to the bottom of this,” Lily says, as she sits down across from Remus a couple of days later. She takes a piece of parchment and a quill out of her bag and starts scribbling. “Okay, we've got six names. I think we can start by scrapping Marlene, as, let's say, she's not your type and you're not her type.”

Remus nods in agreement.

“And let's scrap Mary as well. You might be her type, but she's not what you're into.”

“Agreed,” Remus says.

“And of course we're scrapping James.” Lily crosses out his name.

Remus rests his head on his hand. “Oh? Don't like the idea of James with someone else, now do you, Lils?”

Lily gives Remus a hard stare. “We're scrapping James,” she just repeats decidedly.

Remus leans back on his chair with a smirk on his face.

Lily ignores him and brings her focus back to her list. “So, we've got Benjy Fenwick, Gideon Prewett and Edgar Bones.”

Remus feels nothing but a slight dread in the pit of his stomach at the idea of one of them being his True Love.

Lily taps her finger against her chin. “I think that you should start spending time with each of them, and see if any feelings can develop.

Remus is playing chess with James when Lily comes running up to him. “Seven Minutes in Heaven, Gryffindor Quidditch Cup Party, fourth grade!” She exclaims.

Remus blinks. “Come again?”

“You kissed Gideon before!” Lily says enthusiastically. “And the curse wasn't lifted! So we can rule him out!” Out of nowhere, she takes out the piece of parchment. “Four down, two to go!” She says, with a swipe of her quill.

“What's going on?” James asks curiously, standing up and looking over Lily's shoulder. “Hey, why is my name on there?”

“We're trying to figure out who Remus’ True Love is, by going through all the people he kissed last month,” Lily explains briefly. “Don't worry, you've already been ruled out.”

“Aaaw, Lils, of course you've ruled me out,” James slings one arm around Lily. “You know who my one and only True Love is.”

Lily's cheeks slightly colour. “In your dreams, Potter,” she mumbles, before taking off.

James sits back down across from Remus.

“So, you've got some explaining to do.”

“Moony!”

Remus whirls around as the door to the dorm is suddenly flung open.

Sirius is standing in the doorway, looking bewildered.

“Padfoot? What's going…?”

“Moony,” Sirius repeats. “Oh, Moony.”

“Eh, hi?”

Sirius walks further into the room. “Prongs just told me what happened.”

Remus immediately feels embarrassed. Who kisses so many people in a month that he doesn't know who his True Love is? He scratches his head. “Right. Well, yeah… I guess it's kinda stupid. I mean, I wasn't expecting-”

“Moony,” Sirius interrupts. “Moony, you're not a werewolf anymore.”

“I'm not a werewolf anymore,” Remus confirms, slightly taken aback about the direction the conversation is going.

“It's gone, Moony,” Sirius says, and Remus notices there are tears in his eyes. “Your curse is gone.”

“It's gone,” Remus repeats softly.

And for the first time since the last full moon, it actually hits him.

He's been so focused on the True Love's First Kiss-part, he has barely thought about his Lycanthropy, but it's true. The loss of control, the pain, the stigma, it's all gone. He's free. Remus can feel tears well up in his own eyes, but before he knows it, Sirius arms are around him as he wraps him into a tight hug.

When they break apart, tears are streaming down Remus’ cheeks. “Merlin,” he says. “You must think I'm so stupid for not even knowing who my True Love is.”

Sirius reaches out and brushes the tears away from Remus’ face. “Oh, Moons. I wouldn't care if you kissed hundreds of men if the end result is you being finally free of that horrible curse.”

“Thank you,” Remus whispers, though deep down he wouldn't have minded if Sirius cared a bit more about who he kissed. “And I didn't kiss hundreds of men,” he adds.

“Pfff.” Remus lets himself fall onto his bed.

“You okay?” Sirius asks.

Remus rolls over onto his back. “I just spent the evening listening to Edgar go on and on about his workout regimen, and I can't even tell if it was better or worse than listening to Benjy yesterday talk non-stop about the self-help books he reads.”

Sirius winches. “Yikes.”

Remus sighs. “Yeah, but it'll all be worth it once I find out who my True Love is, right?”

Sirius looks down at his hands. He looks sort of… guilty. “There's something I should tell you,” he begins. “I think… I think you should consider me as a possibility for your True Love.”

“What?” Remus sits up on his bed. “Sirius, you-”

“I know! I know!” Sirius interrupts. “I know I sound totally presumptuous, and I'm just getting my hopes up...”

Remus wants to say that if only Sirius could have been an option, he would've been his actual preferred option, but he needs to stick to the facts, and factually, it can't be. And did Sirius just say ‘hopes’?

“I just don't think you should disregard it completely,” Sirius says.

Oh, Remus so badly wants to give in. To hell with broken curses and True Love's First Kiss, if there's a possibility that Sirius wants him, what does anything else matter? But Sirius isn't his True Love, and pretending he could be won't be fair to either of them, or to his actual True Love, for that matter. No, Remus needs to stay strong. “Sirius,” he says gently. “You know that I can't ignore-”

“You don't have to,” Sirius interrupts. “Remus, there's something I haven't told you…”

Remus walks into the dorm, or, well, slightly stumbles into the dorm. He notices Sirius laying on his bed, still awake, flipping through some Muggle magazine with a motorcycle on the front.

Remus walks over to him and lets himself fall onto the bed next to him. “You left early,” he says, or, well, slightly slurs.

Sirius glances up at Remus and then looks back at his magazine. “Wasn't feeling it tonight.”

Remus rolls over onto his front and pops his head up on his hands. “Pity. Was fun.”

“You definitely had enough to drink,” Sirius says shortly, like he has never gotten black-out drunk at a House party himself.

Remus pouts and pokes Sirius’ leg. “Would've been more fun with you there,” he tries, attempting to lighten Sirius’ mood, and it works, as Sirius can't help the smile spreading over his face.

He shakes his head, though. “You should go to bed, Moony.”

Remus doesn't know where he finds the courage (alright, the shots of Firewhiskey probably help), but he looks up at Sirius with big eyes as he asks “Goodnight kiss?”

Sirius' eyes widen. “Moons… You're drunk.”

“And I should go to sleep,” Remus says.

“And you should go to sleep,” Sirius confirms.

“And,” Remus adds. “I'll sleep better with a goodnight kiss.”

“I shouldn't…” Sirius says, but Remus can tell he's hesitant, so he decides to push a little further.

“Please, Pads?” He says. “Just a peck to help me sleep?”

Sirius bites his lip. “Just a peck?”

“Just a peck.”

Sirius leans in and lightly presses his lips to Remus’.

Remus feels a pleasant buzz in his stomach, and as Sirius pulls away, he feels warm, happy and content, and ready to drift off. Then, all of the sudden, he feels a tingling all over his body. His eyes fly open. “Something’s different.”

Sirius shakes his head. “Rem, you're not even going to remember this in the morning. If something’s different for one of us, it's for me.”

“No, something’s-” Remus pushes himself up, and immediately, the whole room starts spinning. Remus lets himself fall back on the bed. “Oef.”

“Go to sleep, Moons.”

“Yeah,” Remus mumbles. “I should really just…” And with that, he drifts off.

Sirius hides his face in his hands. “I'm sorry! I shouldn't have kissed you while you were drunk, even if it was just a peck. And I know it sounds totally presumptuous and arrogant of me to think that a small peck you can't even remember could have been your True Love's First Kiss, but you did say something felt different, so I just thought…”

“It's you,” Remus says, staring at Sirius in wonder.

“I don't know, of course, but I think that maybe you should consider the possibility that it could be.”

“No,” Remus says. “It's you. I know it's you.”

Sirius just looks at Remus for a moment. “You can't know that,” he whispers.

“But I do,” Remus says, not quite able to explain himself how he can be so certain, but he is. He knows, without a doubt, that Sirius is his True Love. “My heart was telling me that it had to be you the whole time,” he tries to put it under words. “But my brain was telling me that it couldn't be. Now that my heart and my brain are aligned, I know without a doubt that it's you.”

“Your heart wanted it to be me?” Sirius asks softly.

Remus chuckles. “My whole being wanted it to be you.”

A smile spreads over Sirius’ face as he reaches out and places a hand on Remus’ cheek. Then he leans in and kisses him, and this time it isn't just a peck.

That's how Remus gets his True Love's Second Kiss, which is much better than the first, if only because Remus is going to remember this one for the rest of his life.

[engie-ivy]

When Remus is suddenly not a werewolf anymore, there's only thing that could've lifted his curse: True Love's First Kiss

But... which one was it?

All the Boys I Kissed Last Month

“I'm not a werewolf anymore.”

Lily almost chokes on her tea. “Sorry, what?”

“I'm not a werewolf anymore,” Remus repeats.

“What do you mean?”

“Last full moon, I was in the Shrieking Shack, waiting for my transformation, and then… nothing.”

Lily blinks. “How… how is that even possible?”

Remus looks down at his hands. “There's really only one way my curse could have been lifted…”

“And that is…?” Lily urges.

“True Love's First Kiss,” Remus replies. “What else could it be?”

Lily's eyes widen. “You always said the chances of even having a True Love were almost zero, let alone finding your True Love, let alone having and finding your True Love as a werewolf!”

Remus shrugs. “Well, almost zero is apparently not zero.”

“Oh, Godric!” Lily jumps from her chair and runs around the table over to Remus to wrap her arms around him. “You found your True Love! I can't believe it! That's amazing!” She lets go of Remus and looks at him. “So, who is it?”

Remus scratches his head. “Well, that's sort of the problem…”

“Here you go.” Remus hands James the parchment.

James looks up at him. “What's this?”

“My Potions essay. Just make sure you're not too obvious when you copy it, so Slughorn won't notice.”

“Really?” James jumps up from his chair. “Moons, honestly, you're such a life saver! Godric, I could kiss you! In fact, I will kiss you!”

James grabs Remus’ face between his hands and gives him a big smooch.

“Tada!” Marlene twirls around in her new skirt.

Remus claps his hands together. “You look so pretty! Dorcas won't know what hit her! I can't believe you're finally going on a date. I'm so proud of you, Marls.”

“Aaaw, Remmie,” Marlene gives Remus an endeared look. “You're so cute. Come here, give us a kiss.”

She pulls Remus in and plants a kiss on his lips.

“I had a great time tonight,” Benjy whispers.

“Eh, yeah, sure, it was fun,” Remus replies.

Benjy suddenly places his hands on Remus’ waist, but before Remus can properly react to that, he moves in and presses his lips against Remus’.

It takes a moment for Remus to register what's going on, and then he places his hands on Benjy’s shoulder and gently pushes him back.

“Benjy, what are you doing?”

Benjy looks taken aback. “Eh, kissing my date goodnight at the end of the date?”

Now it's Remus’ turn to be taken aback. “Wait, this was a date? I thought… I thought we were just hanging out as friends?”

“Remus, I literally asked if you'd like to go out with me!”

“You didn't specify going out as what!” Remus says defensively, though, he's starting to realize, okay, this one is probably on him. “But regardless,” he continues. “Benjy, you're great, and I had fun, but I really only see you as a friend.”

Benjy nods. “Can't say I'm not disappointed, but that's fair.”

Remus takes another shot of Firewiskey. He knows he probably shouldn't, he already had too much, but it's a Gryffindor House Party, and he just wants to unwind.

Benjy shifts closer on the couch and Remus, feeling dizzy with alcohol, leans into him. Again, he knows he probably shouldn't, but it's fun to flirt a little and feel wanted. Through his haze, he realizes Sirius has already gone upstairs, which is very unlike him. Usually, James and he are dancing on top of the table until the early hours.

“I've got an idea!” Fabian loudly announces. He holds up an empty bottle. “Spin the bottle!”

The crowd of drunken Gryffindors cheer, and a moment later, they're all sitting in a large circle.

Everything is a bit of a blur, but Remus remembers both Gideon and Edgar landing their bottle on him. He remembers two kisses, but he can't for the life of him remember who was who.

He remembers his bottle landing on Mary. He remembers her giggling and saying ‘lucky me’, and the strong smell of her perfume.

“You don't know,” Lily says for the tenth time. “You don't know which one is your True Love.”

Remus shakes his head.

“Okay,” Lily pinches her brow. “So, we've got six options, right?”

“As far as I remember, yes,” Remus confirms. Though the idea that one of these people has to be his True Love does not exactly sit right with him. And neither does what this means for who definitely isn't his True Love, if he's completely honest.

“We're getting to the bottom of this,” Lily says, as she sits down across from Remus a couple of days later. She takes a piece of parchment and a quill out of her bag and starts scribbling. “Okay, we've got six names. I think we can start by scrapping Marlene, as, let's say, she's not your type and you're not her type.”

Remus nods in agreement.

“And let's scrap Mary as well. You might be her type, but she's not what you're into.”

“Agreed,” Remus says.

“And of course we're scrapping James.” Lily crosses out his name.

Remus rests his head on his hand. “Oh? Don't like the idea of James with someone else, now do you, Lils?”

Lily gives Remus a hard stare. “We're scrapping James,” she just repeats decidedly.

Remus leans back on his chair with a smirk on his face.

Lily ignores him and brings her focus back to her list. “So, we've got Benjy Fenwick, Gideon Prewett and Edgar Bones.”

Remus feels nothing but a slight dread in the pit of his stomach at the idea of one of them being his True Love.

Lily taps her finger against her chin. “I think that you should start spending time with each of them, and see if any feelings can develop.

Remus is playing chess with James when Lily comes running up to him. “Seven Minutes in Heaven, Gryffindor Quidditch Cup Party, fourth grade!” She exclaims.

Remus blinks. “Come again?”

“You kissed Gideon before!” Lily says enthusiastically. “And the curse wasn't lifted! So we can rule him out!” Out of nowhere, she takes out the piece of parchment. “Four down, two to go!” She says, with a swipe of her quill.

“What's going on?” James asks curiously, standing up and looking over Lily's shoulder. “Hey, why is my name on there?”

“We're trying to figure out who Remus’ True Love is, by going through all the people he kissed last month,” Lily explains briefly. “Don't worry, you've already been ruled out.”

“Aaaw, Lils, of course you've ruled me out,” James slings one arm around Lily. “You know who my one and only True Love is.”

Lily's cheeks slightly colour. “In your dreams, Potter,” she mumbles, before taking off.

James sits back down across from Remus.

“So, you've got some explaining to do.”

“Moony!”

Remus whirls around as the door to the dorm is suddenly flung open.

Sirius is standing in the doorway, looking bewildered.

“Padfoot? What's going…?”

“Moony,” Sirius repeats. “Oh, Moony.”

“Eh, hi?”

Sirius walks further into the room. “Prongs just told me what happened.”

Remus immediately feels embarrassed. Who kisses so many people in a month that he doesn't know who his True Love is? He scratches his head. “Right. Well, yeah… I guess it's kinda stupid. I mean, I wasn't expecting-”

“Moony,” Sirius interrupts. “Moony, you're not a werewolf anymore.”

“I'm not a werewolf anymore,” Remus confirms, slightly taken aback about the direction the conversation is going.

“It's gone, Moony,” Sirius says, and Remus notices there are tears in his eyes. “Your curse is gone.”

“It's gone,” Remus repeats softly.

And for the first time since the last full moon, it actually hits him.

He's been so focused on the True Love's First Kiss-part, he has barely thought about his Lycanthropy, but it's true. The loss of control, the pain, the stigma, it's all gone. He's free. Remus can feel tears well up in his own eyes, but before he knows it, Sirius arms are around him as he wraps him into a tight hug.

When they break apart, tears are streaming down Remus’ cheeks. “Merlin,” he says. “You must think I'm so stupid for not even knowing who my True Love is.”

Sirius reaches out and brushes the tears away from Remus’ face. “Oh, Moons. I wouldn't care if you kissed hundreds of men if the end result is you being finally free of that horrible curse.”

“Thank you,” Remus whispers, though deep down he wouldn't have minded if Sirius cared a bit more about who he kissed. “And I didn't kiss hundreds of men,” he adds.

“Pfff.” Remus lets himself fall onto his bed.

“You okay?” Sirius asks.

Remus rolls over onto his back. “I just spent the evening listening to Edgar go on and on about his workout regimen, and I can't even tell if it was better or worse than listening to Benjy yesterday talk non-stop about the self-help books he reads.”

Sirius winches. “Yikes.”

Remus sighs. “Yeah, but it'll all be worth it once I find out who my True Love is, right?”

Sirius looks down at his hands. He looks sort of… guilty. “There's something I should tell you,” he begins. “I think… I think you should consider me as a possibility for your True Love.”

“What?” Remus sits up on his bed. “Sirius, you-”

“I know! I know!” Sirius interrupts. “I know I sound totally presumptuous, and I'm just getting my hopes up...”

Remus wants to say that if only Sirius could have been an option, he would've been his actual preferred option, but he needs to stick to the facts, and factually, it can't be. And did Sirius just say ‘hopes’?

“I just don't think you should disregard it completely,” Sirius says.

Oh, Remus so badly wants to give in. To hell with broken curses and True Love's First Kiss, if there's a possibility that Sirius wants him, what does anything else matter? But Sirius isn't his True Love, and pretending he could be won't be fair to either of them, or to his actual True Love, for that matter. No, Remus needs to stay strong. “Sirius,” he says gently. “You know that I can't ignore-”

“You don't have to,” Sirius interrupts. “Remus, there's something I haven't told you…”

Remus walks into the dorm, or, well, slightly stumbles into the dorm. He notices Sirius laying on his bed, still awake, flipping through some Muggle magazine with a motorcycle on the front.

Remus walks over to him and lets himself fall onto the bed next to him. “You left early,” he says, or, well, slightly slurs.

Sirius glances up at Remus and then looks back at his magazine. “Wasn't feeling it tonight.”

Remus rolls over onto his front and pops his head up on his hands. “Pity. Was fun.”

“You definitely had enough to drink,” Sirius says shortly, like he has never gotten black-out drunk at a House party himself.

Remus pouts and pokes Sirius’ leg. “Would've been more fun with you there,” he tries, attempting to lighten Sirius’ mood, and it works, as Sirius can't help the smile spreading over his face.

He shakes his head, though. “You should go to bed, Moony.”

Remus doesn't know where he finds the courage (alright, the shots of Firewhiskey probably help), but he looks up at Sirius with big eyes as he asks “Goodnight kiss?”

Sirius' eyes widen. “Moons… You're drunk.”

“And I should go to sleep,” Remus says.

“And you should go to sleep,” Sirius confirms.

“And,” Remus adds. “I'll sleep better with a goodnight kiss.”

“I shouldn't…” Sirius says, but Remus can tell he's hesitant, so he decides to push a little further.

“Please, Pads?” He says. “Just a peck to help me sleep?”

Sirius bites his lip. “Just a peck?”

“Just a peck.”

Sirius leans in and lightly presses his lips to Remus’.

Remus feels a pleasant buzz in his stomach, and as Sirius pulls away, he feels warm, happy and content, and ready to drift off. Then, all of the sudden, he feels a tingling all over his body. His eyes fly open. “Something’s different.”

Sirius shakes his head. “Rem, you're not even going to remember this in the morning. If something’s different for one of us, it's for me.”

“No, something’s-” Remus pushes himself up, and immediately, the whole room starts spinning. Remus lets himself fall back on the bed. “Oef.”

“Go to sleep, Moons.”

“Yeah,” Remus mumbles. “I should really just…” And with that, he drifts off.

Sirius hides his face in his hands. “I'm sorry! I shouldn't have kissed you while you were drunk, even if it was just a peck. And I know it sounds totally presumptuous and arrogant of me to think that a small peck you can't even remember could have been your True Love's First Kiss, but you did say something felt different, so I just thought…”

“It's you,” Remus says, staring at Sirius in wonder.

“I don't know, of course, but I think that maybe you should consider the possibility that it could be.”

“No,” Remus says. “It's you. I know it's you.”

Sirius just looks at Remus for a moment. “You can't know that,” he whispers.

“But I do,” Remus says, not quite able to explain himself how he can be so certain, but he is. He knows, without a doubt, that Sirius is his True Love. “My heart was telling me that it had to be you the whole time,” he tries to put it under words. “But my brain was telling me that it couldn't be. Now that my heart and my brain are aligned, I know without a doubt that it's you.”

“Your heart wanted it to be me?” Sirius asks softly.

Remus chuckles. “My whole being wanted it to be you.”

A smile spreads over Sirius’ face as he reaches out and places a hand on Remus’ cheek. Then he leans in and kisses him, and this time it isn't just a peck.

That's how Remus gets his True Love's Second Kiss, which is much better than the first, if only because Remus is going to remember this one for the rest of his life.

[engie-ivy]

@wolfstarmicrofic 3rd: Prince

638 words

Remus is not riding off into the sunset with Prince Sirius.

A New Life

Prince Sirius is still rubbing at the bruises in his neck as Remus steers the carriage into the woods. “Merlin, that hurt!”

Remus tugs at the reins to make the horse go faster now that they're under the cover of the trees, and his eyes briefly dart over to the young man sitting beside him. “Be happy, Prince Sirius. Most people who get hanged only wish they can still complain about it afterwards.”

Prince Sirius winches. “True. Impressive trick you and James pulled.”

Remus shrugs. “Just a metal wire in the noose, to give you just enough room to breathe while hanging, plus a bribe to the executioner, and there you go. The whole kingdom gets to witness the hanging of the last member of the Royal House of Black, without you actually dying.”

Prince Sirius scoffs. “Still ridiculous that I had to be executed. I helped James from within to overthrow my family!”

“I know,” Remus sighs. “And King James knows. But after your parents’ cruel and terrible reign the people simply demanded the entire House of Black to be eliminated. Besides, as the previous crown prince, you have an undeniably strong claim to the throne."

“I have absolutely no desire to-”

“I know,” Remus says again. “But you do. So as long as you're alive, or, well, presumed to be alive, ambitious nobles can use that claim to cast doubt upon King James’ legitimacy, and even conspire against him.”

“Right,” Prince Sirius says. “So you gave the people what they wanted. The Public Execution of Prince Sirius Orion Black.”

“King James did feel bad about it,” Remus says, in a weak attempt to make it better. “But he had no choice. Stabilizing his still early reign to bring peace and prosperity to the land, after the havoc your parents wrecked upon it, simply must take priority over his own peace of mind.”

“I understand,” Prince Sirius sighs. “But I still think I could have been of great help to James. I know the kingdom and the inner workings of its nobility like no one else.”

“Look at it from the bright side, Prince Sirius,” Remus says. “You now get to leave all that behind you and start a whole new life the way you want to live it.”

“Which means you have to stop with the whole prince-thing, and start calling me just Sirius,” Prince Sirius says, poking Remus in the side.

“Auch! Would you stop it!” Remus bats Prince Sirius’ hand away. “Okay, okay, just Sirius it is. You're not being very prince-like anyway.”

Sirius grins as he leans back against the wooden bench and slings one arm around Remus’ shoulder. “So, this is the part of the story where you and I ride off into the sunset and start our new life together?”

“What?” Remus chokes. “What are you-? No!”

Sirius just keeps grinning at him, and Remus can feel his face heating up. He tries to compose himself and scrapes his throat. “I'm just doing what King James ordered me to do. Bring you to Godric’s Hollow at the border of the kingdom, so you can start your new life, and then I'll return to my place by King James’ side.”

“Aaaw,” Sirius pouts. “Come on, Rem. You have to admit that my version is a lot more romantic!”

“This has nothing to do with romance!” Remus looks away from the teasing smile on Sirius’ face and pointedly stares at the horse. “This is just me doing my duty.”

“Mmm,” Sirius hums. “And how long until we reach Godric’s Hollow?”

“Four days and three nights,” Remus replies.

“Well,” a smirk spreads over Sirius’ face. “That's plenty of time to make you fall in love with me!”

Remus refuses to look at Sirius, as he feels his face getting redder.

Oh, he's in trouble.

[engie-ivy]

okay, so I was just scrolling through ao3 looking for some cute wolfstar oneshots and I found that you had. a whole collection. of 87 of them??? and they're all so incredibly cute and well-written and everything I wanted and made me giggle and kick my feet??? and you just have. a whole bunch more on your profile as well??? you are a blessing to this fandom <3

(also, how do you manage to write so many? teach me your secrets)

I can't believe there are already so many😅 I guess the secret is that I've been doing it for a long time??

I love your enthusiastic reaction to my fics!! Really, thank you so so much! I'm glad that you found them🙂

[engie-ivy]

690 words.

Remus could never date Sirius’ ex.

Sirius’ Ex

“Isn't this… I dunno, crossing a line?” Sirius asks hesitantly.

“Nah,” James waves his hand. “Moony and I used to spy on your dates with Dearborn all the time.”

“You what?”

James scrunches up his nose. “Yeah, those are some hours of my life I'm never going to get back. Godric, your dates were boring.”

Really, the juiciest thing they got out of those spy-sessions was a goodbye kiss that lacked any passion. And Remus was always in a bad mood when they went spying on Sirius’ dates, so it was never much fun.

“Well,” Sirius says pointedly. “Excuse me for boring you while you were spying on me.”

“No worries,” James says easily, ignoring Sirius’ sarcasm. “Though it's a good thing you and Dearborn broke up, you two had zero chemistry.”

“True,” Sirius acknowledges, making a face remembering those dates.

“Well, let's see if we get more juice spying on Remus’ date!”

“Remus did say he and Fenwick are only hanging out as friends,” Sirius says, sounding a tad insecure.

“Let's find out if our Moony was telling the truth then, shall we?” James suggests, throwing the invisibility cloak over Sirius and himself with practiced ease.

Remus was telling the truth.

The whole thing definitely has a ‘two friends getting a drink’ vibe, no ‘first date’ vibe at all. James is already bored out of his mind having listened to Remus and Fenwick discussing their latest Potions assignment for the last twenty minutes, but Sirius and he are silently sitting at the corner of the table tucked away under the invisibility cloak, and they can't possibly leave without being noticed.

“So, guess what?” Fenwick says, placing their second round of butterbeer in front of Remus.

“Ah, you're finally going to tell me the big news?” Remus asks, picking up his mug and taking a sip.

Fenwick arches his eyebrow. “You're not one for guessing, are you?”

“Out with it, Benjy.”

Fenwick grins broadly. “I've got a date tomorrow!”

So definitely just friends, James thinks.

“You do?” Remus puts down his mug. “With whom?”

“Caradoc Dearborn,” Fenwick practically beams.

James quickly glances over at Sirius, but his expression hasn't changed.

“Dearborn?” Remus asks. “Sirius’ ex?”

“Among other things,” Fenwick replies dryly, taking a sip from his butterbeer. “But he says both he and Sirius are absolutely fine with the other dating other people.”

Remus shakes his head. “Still, I could never date Sirius’ ex.”

James notices how, now that the hypothetical situation of Remus dating Sirius’ ex is mentioned, a slight frown has appeared on Sirius’ face.

“Well, I'm not as close to Black as you are,” Fenwick reasons. “And besides, we're all seventh year Gryffindors, it would make things way too difficult if we can't date each other's exes.”

“Not just that,” Remus says. “I mean being the one who comes after Sirius. Being compared to Sirius.”

“I guess some comparison is inevitable,” Fenwick shrugs. “But it'll be fine. Caradoc and Sirius broke up for a reason, after all.”

“Still, I couldn't take the idea alone of potentially being compared to Sirius Black in a relationship,” Remus insists. “Sirius is just so… you know.”

“Eh, not really,” Fenwick says.

“So… perfect, I guess.” Remus sighs. “He's of course ridiculously good-looking,” he continues. “Merlin, those eyes and that hair… But besides that, he's so smart and talented, always top of the class! And he's utterly charming, but behind that charm, there's so much more. He's brave, of course, great with animals, kind and caring…” Remus trails off.

“Well, well,” Fenwick crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair, a smug smile on his face. “I see why you couldn't date Sirius’ ex.”

Remus’ face turns beet red. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he mutters, picking up his butterbeer and trying to hide his face behind his mug.

“So, that turned out to be interesting after all, didn't it, Pads?” James whispers, but as he turns to Sirius and sees the look on his face, he realizes that the next time he goes spying on a date, he'll have to do it on his own.

[engie-ivy]

(Wanted to write a fic for @wolfstarmicrofic 6th: Riddikulus, but it turned out longer than expected)

1022 words

Remus’ biggest fear must not be revealed to the entire school, even if it means Sirius must instead reveal his own.

Lay It All Out

The Slytherins were bound to retaliate.

After they had every Slytherin grow a beard just like Dumbledore’s, let every painting in the Slytherin common room sing Three Tiny Trollocks on repeat, and made each food item on the Slytherin table taste like pickles for an entire day (which even Slughorn reluctantly found very impressive, and which only stopped when Sirius and James broke the charm because Remus felt bad for the house elves putting their time and effort into preparing the normally delicious food), the Slytherins were bound to come up with a prank of their own.

Remus didn't suspect anything when he saw a box of chocolates on the breakfast table. He just assumed the house elves had added another treat to their already decadent breakfast, so he opened the box.

Out came a Boggart.

The laughs coming from the Slytherin table immediately confirmed who was responsible.

Sirius’ heart stopped in his chest. He knew, without a doubt, what Remus’ Boggart would turn into, and it would take only one person to connect the dots for Remus’ entire future to be over. Suspicions would lead to accusations. Angry letters and protests would come, and the only outcome would be Remus being expelled.

Sirius could not, would not, let that happen.

Without thinking about it for a minute, he pushed Remus aside and took his place in front of the Boggart, just in time before the creature could turn itself into the moon Sirius knew was coming.

The Boggart shifted.

Sirius braced himself. Once the Boggart had taken shape, in front of him stood… his parents. He could faintly hear people laughing in the background, but his focus was on the two people in front of him.

His mother smiled. “Oh, Sirius, we are so proud of you. You have proven yourself to be a worthy heir of the Black family.”

“Indeed,” his father added. “You are a true son of mine. You have shown yourself to be a Black through and through.”

His mother opened her arms. “Come here, my son. Embrace us, embrace who you really are deep inside.”

“No more pretending,” his father said. “No more pretending you are so different from the rest of us. You are and you always will be a Black.”

Then the sounds of the people behind him, mostly coming from the Slytherin table, reached Sirius.

“He's afraid of his mummy and daddy? Oh, Salazar, that's so pathetic!”

“What an absolute joke. He thinks he's so cool, but he's cowering in front of his own parents.”

“Oi, Reggie, look! Your mum and dad came to visit! Are you also peeing your pants or is that just your brother?”

“Come on, Black, give your mummy a hug then! You're not scared, are you?”

Sirius blocked the noises and the laughter out again, and lifted his wand. “Riddikulus!”

At that point, his mother and father both grew a beard and started singing Three Tiny Trollocks, while doing a silly dance. Some of the Slytherins whined at the memories that brought back.

And that's where Sirius is now. His wand still pointed at his bearded, singing and dancing parents, and with the attention of the entire Great Hall on him after just having revealed his biggest fear to the entire school.

Remus grabs his arm and pulls him out of the Great Hall into an alcove in the hallway. “What the hell did you just do?” He hisses.

He sounds angry, but Sirius has known him long enough to know he's hiding his real emotion, probably guilt, with anger. The way to make him act less angry is by making him feel less guilty, by downplaying the situation.

“What did it look like?” Sirius asks, trying to sound calm, but he can't help his voice shaking just a bit.

“Like you just exposed your deepest fear to the entire school,” Remus replies.

“Well, I didn't have much of a choice now, did I?” Sirius asks coolly.

“You could've let me face the Boggart, as was intended,” Remus argues.

“The stakes are a lot higher for you,” Sirius says decidedly.

“They're not going to let this go, Sirius,” Remus hisses. “They will continuously mock you! They know your biggest vulnerability now, and they won't hold back using it against you.”

“I know,” Sirius says sharply. “That is still better than what it could've meant for you, though.”

Remus crosses his arms over his chest. “I could've dealt with-”

“Being expelled?” Sirius finishes. “Maybe you could, but I couldn't.”

Remus gives Sirius an odd look. “You couldn't have dealt with me being expelled?”

Perhaps having been made to feel so vulnerable makes Sirius more honest than he normally would've been. “No, Moony, I couldn't. I need you here by my side.”

Remus swallows. “Thank you,” he says almost reluctantly. “And as that whole situation just now proved, I… I

I need you too.” He shakes his head. “I still think you shouldn't have put yourself into that situation for me.”

While still feeling raw and open, Sirius answers before he can think better of it. “It's what you do when you love someone.”

“You love me?” Remus asks breathlessly.

Sirius knows he can still easily play it off. ‘Of course, I love all my friends’, and just like that, it'll all be swept under the rug.

But maybe it's the way Remus is looking at him, maybe it's how his soul has already been laid bare, maybe it's how he feels like his every emotion is visible on the surface anyway, but something about it all tells Sirius that this isn't the time to hide, this is the time to lay it all out there.

“I do love you,” he says hoarsely. “In every way possible.”

Remus’ eyes widen. “Padfoot…” He takes a step forward and places a hand on Sirius’ cheek.

Sirius automatically leans into the touch.

“You are so amazing,” Remus whispers. “And your fears only make you braver. How could I not love you too?”

And with that, just outside the Great Hall with the laughter of the Slytherins fading into the background, Remus kisses him.

[engie-ivy]

Hello!! I binged your wolfstar fanfiction (A far cry from perfect) just in two days, and while I cried several times, it's been a real pleasure to follow the story. I'm really hoping you'll finish the fic! I really like your writing. Have a wonderful day/night

Hi! Thank you so much!

I've been writing A Far Cry From Perfect for so long, the story is really special to me, and it means a lot to hear someone is reading and enjoying it! Much much appreciated!

I will finish the fic!👏 I actually think it's only three more chapters😶

[engie-ivy]

(Don't let the whole 'Sirius catches Remus with someone else'-thing fool you, this is just silly Fluff!)

@wolfstarmicrofic 22nd: Hope

593 words

Sirius catches Remus and Caradoc together... studying.

Study Date

“It's not what it looks like!”

“Well, I certainly hope not!”

“Please, let… Let me explain… I-”

“What has he got that I don't have?”

“Nothing!”

“Is he cleverer than I? Neater than I? Better company than I?”

“No, I swear Sirius, it's not you!”

“Excuse me if I find that hard to believe right now, Remus.”

“What's going on?” James asks, as Peter, Lily and he enter the common room to find Remus sitting on the couch, books spread out over the table, face flushed, with Sirius standing in front of him, hands on his hips, glaring down at Remus.

Without taking his glare off of Remus, Sirius replies. “I just caught Moony with Dearborn red-handed.”

“Planning pranks?” James asks.

“Going to Hogsmeade together?” Peter asks.

“Snogging?” Lily asks.

“Studying,” Sirius says.

Peter gasps, but then he blinks. “Wait, what?”

“No, no,” Remus quickly says. “We were just… just chatting and then…”

“Well, then someone must have hexed your backpacks,” Sirius says lightly. “For your History of Magic books to come out on their own and fly open exactly on the pages about the Great Goblin War, and for your essays on that exact topic to just appear.”

Lily looks from Remus to Sirius with a frown. “Sorry if this is a daft question, but what's so bad about Remus and Dearborn studying together?”

“That's actually an excellent question, Lilyflower,” Sirius replies. “You see, I've asked Remus many, many a time to study together, but it was always ‘no, I don't like studying with someone, I do better studying by myself, I have my own process, I don't study well with others’. Now, as it turns out, it was just me he didn't want to study with. And if there's something wrong with me, he should've just said so.”

“No, Sirius,” Remus shakes his head. “It's not you, it's me.”

“Yikes,” James grimaces.

“No, I… Oh, Merlin, I'm really mucking this up, aren't I?”

“I don't get it, Moony,” Peter chimes in. “What's the problem with studying with Padfoot? I mean, his notes are kinda messy, but he's hella clever.”

Lily gives Remus a pitying look. “Just try to explain. Why don't you want to study with Sirius?”

“Yes, Remus, try to explain, why don't you want to study with me?” Sirius echoes.

“Because you're too distracting!” Remus eventually exclaims. “Godric, Padfoot…” He takes a deep breath, letting it all out. “Look at you. How am I supposed to concentrate? With the way your hair falls over your face when you're writing, or the way you chew your quill when you're focused on a text, or that glint in your eyes when you think of something good… I literally walked into a wall yesterday because you smiled at me! How can you expect clever words to come out of my mouth with you sitting right next to me?”

Sirius blinks a couple of times. “You… You hella like me.”

Remus groans. “Of bloody course I hella like you, Pads!”

Sirius runs a hand through his hair, and Remus audibly groans again.

“You know,” Sirius says. “I really only want to study together because I like spending time with you so much.”

“Well,” Remus says hesitantly. “Maybe we can spend time together not studying?”

“They're literally roommates and in the same class,” Peter whispers. “They spend time together all the time?”

“Sssh,” Lily hisses, slapping Peter's arm. “You're ruining the moment!”

“Like this weekend maybe?” Sirius asks, his cheeks slightly flushed. “In Hogsmeade?”

“Yeah,” Remus replies, blushing fiercely. “That… That would be nice.”

[engie-ivy]

(Don't let the whole 'Sirius catches Remus with someone else'-thing fool you, this is just silly Fluff!)

@wolfstarmicrofic 22nd: Hope

593 words

Sirius catches Remus and Caradoc together... studying.

Study Date

“It's not what it looks like!”

“Well, I certainly hope not!”

“Please, let… Let me explain… I-”

“What has he got that I don't have?”

“Nothing!”

“Is he cleverer than I? Neater than I? Better company than I?”

“No, I swear Sirius, it's not you!”

“Excuse me if I find that hard to believe right now, Remus.”

“What's going on?” James asks, as Peter, Lily and he enter the common room to find Remus sitting on the couch, books spread out over the table, face flushed, with Sirius standing in front of him, hands on his hips, glaring down at Remus.

Without taking his glare off of Remus, Sirius replies. “I just caught Moony with Dearborn red-handed.”

“Planning pranks?” James asks.

“Going to Hogsmeade together?” Peter asks.

“Snogging?” Lily asks.

“Studying,” Sirius says.

Peter gasps, but then he blinks. “Wait, what?”

“No, no,” Remus quickly says. “We were just… just chatting and then…”

“Well, then someone must have hexed your backpacks,” Sirius says lightly. “For your History of Magic books to come out on their own and fly open exactly on the pages about the Great Goblin War, and for your essays on that exact topic to just appear.”

Lily looks from Remus to Sirius with a frown. “Sorry if this is a daft question, but what's so bad about Remus and Dearborn studying together?”

“That's actually an excellent question, Lilyflower,” Sirius replies. “You see, I've asked Remus many, many a time to study together, but it was always ‘no, I don't like studying with someone, I do better studying by myself, I have my own process, I don't study well with others’. Now, as it turns out, it was just me he didn't want to study with. And if there's something wrong with me, he should've just said so.”

“No, Sirius,” Remus shakes his head. “It's not you, it's me.”

“Yikes,” James grimaces.

“No, I… Oh, Merlin, I'm really mucking this up, aren't I?”

“I don't get it, Moony,” Peter chimes in. “What's the problem with studying with Padfoot? I mean, his notes are kinda messy, but he's hella clever.”

Lily gives Remus a pitying look. “Just try to explain. Why don't you want to study with Sirius?”

“Yes, Remus, try to explain, why don't you want to study with me?” Sirius echoes.

“Because you're too distracting!” Remus eventually exclaims. “Godric, Padfoot…” He takes a deep breath, letting it all out. “Look at you. How am I supposed to concentrate? With the way your hair falls over your face when you're writing, or the way you chew your quill when you're focused on a text, or that glint in your eyes when you think of something good… I literally walked into a wall yesterday because you smiled at me! How can you expect clever words to come out of my mouth with you sitting right next to me?”

Sirius blinks a couple of times. “You… You hella like me.”

Remus groans. “Of bloody course I hella like you, Pads!”

Sirius runs a hand through his hair, and Remus audibly groans again.

“You know,” Sirius says. “I really only want to study together because I like spending time with you so much.”

“Well,” Remus says hesitantly. “Maybe we can spend time together not studying?”

“They're literally roommates and in the same class,” Peter whispers. “They spend time together all the time?”

“Sssh,” Lily hisses, slapping Peter's arm. “You're ruining the moment!”

“Like this weekend maybe?” Sirius asks, his cheeks slightly flushed. “In Hogsmeade?”

“Yeah,” Remus replies, blushing fiercely. “That… That would be nice.”

[engie-ivy]

(Not really micro and a day late, but I had to write the Valentine's prompt!)

@wolfstarmicrofic 14th: First I Love You

1110 words

Director's assistant Remus never expected to be working together with famous actor Sirius Black.

Never Expected

Remus never expected to have a crush on a filmstar. As a self-proclaimed film connoisseur (or a film snob as Mary calls it), he had always considered himself to be above such things. He judges actors purely on their performance, their persuasiveness, their story-telling abilities, always impartial and always objective.

Until he saw his first film starring Sirius Black.

Remus was floored. Turned out, he wasn't as above crushing bad on an actor as he thought he was. After being exposed to a couple more films with Sirius Black, once he got a bit more used to those piercing grey eyes with that mischievous glint and that ever-perfect hair effortlessly elegantly falling over that gorgeous face, he could see that Sirius Black is also a great actor. He can make you laugh, he can make you cry, he can make you love him and he can make you hate him, and as much as Remus hates the term, he eventually accepted that he is and always will be a fan.

Remus never expected to have a career in the film industry. He did go to the Film Academy, because he just has such a passion for films, he couldn't ignore that calling. But he isn't the type to go to all the industry parties to make connections with important people and build a career. He had expected that he would be doomed to doing one unpaid internship after the other, while making his money serving coffee.

During one of his internships, however, he met famous ex-filmstar and now famous film director Minerva McGonagall. Remus is nothing if not opinionated when it comes to films, and especially the techniques that go into making films, and he likes to share that opinion, doesn't matter how high a status the other person has. Surprisingly though, Minerva McGonagall wasn't offended by Remus’... outspokenness, but rather impressed, and she offered Remus an actual job in the film industry as her assistant director.

Remus never expected to be making a film with Sirius Black, to be on the same set as Sirius Black, to interact with Sirius Black, to give directions to Sirius Black, but yet, here he is.

And what Remus never ever expected was for Sirius Black to one day after filming ask Remus to practice lines with him. Practicing lines lead to conversations about, of course, films, films they love, films they hate, films they think are overrated and films they can watch over and over again. And when Remus talks about films, he forgets to be nervous, he forgets to be star-struck, and he just talks.

Though talks about films also lead to talks about their lives, about their experiences in the industry, the people they love, their hopes for the future. And Remus learns that in real life, Sirius Black is still breathtaking, still charming, still effortlessly elegant, but he's also a person. A person with a troubled past, with family issues, with fears and insecurities, and Remus loves him all the more for it.

Remus never expected to find Sirius looking at him so many times when they are on set together, for Sirius’ hand to linger on his when they reach for the script at the same time, for Sirius’ eyes to dart over to his lips when they're having their private conversations.

But there's always that voice in Remus’ head that's constantly telling him

He's too good for you

So when Sirius’ fingers stroke the back of his hand, Remus quickly jerks his hand back, when Sirius holds him a little too long hugging him goodbye, Remus pulls away, and when Sirius slowly leans in, Remus takes a step backward.

Sirius plays an eighteenth century nobleman who's struggling to stay in power as head of his family, without becoming as morally corrupt as the rest of them. They're currently filming a scene regarding a subplot where Sirius’ character has feelings for someone who's only second in line of a struggling family.

“Lupin, you're frowning,” McGonagall says. “Give me your thoughts.”

“It just…” Remus begins, trying to voice his thoughts. “Seems a little far-fetched that someone without money or social status could catch the eye of someone like Sirius’ character.”

McGonagall opens her mouth to respond, but Sirius is first.

“Why on earth would my character be concerned with money or social status when it comes to how he feels about someone?”

“They have nothing to offer him!” Remus says. “And I just don't think your character should ignore that!”

“He's not ignoring it,” Sirius counters. “It just doesn't matter to him.”

“But those things do matter,” Remus insists. “Pretending they don't would be naive, and naivety goes against everything your character stands for.”

“My character also stands for persuasiveness and going after what he wants despite the obstacles, and that includes the person he wants.”

“But he's also a man driven by ambition who's always thinking about his place within high society and never takes any unnecessary risks when it comes to everything he has achieved!”

“He can be all that when it comes to business, but still follow his heart in other matters.”

“His heart?” Remus asks.

“Yes,” Sirius says defiantly. “His heart. His brain is undoubtedly telling him all about the world of differences between them, and how difficult this is going to be, but in these matters, he listens to his heart.”

Remus shakes his head. “How can he be so sure what his heart wants after such a short time?”

“There's a connection between them, a connection you don't find often,” Sirius says. “Surely you must see that?”

“I do,” Remus admits. “But what remains if that fades?”

“It won't just fade,” Sirius says confidently.

"But how do you know that?” Remus asks almost desperately.

“Because I love you!”

A silence falls.

“He,” Sirius stammers. “He loves…”

“Maybe it's time for a break,” McGonagall says, looking from Remus to Sirius.

The set empties, until it's just Remus and Sirius left.

Remus says nothing, but just gets up and walks over to Sirius, until he's standing right in front of him, searching his eyes for the confirmation of his words.

“Do you really not want to give us a chance?” Sirius asks hoarsely.

Remus opens his mouth, but then closes it again and he can't help but laugh. Remus places his hand on Sirius’ cheek. “I was an idiot for thinking I could fight this,” he says. “But I still think you're going to break my heart.”

Sirius covers Remus’ hand with his own. “And I still think I can prove you wrong.”

Remus never expected he would ever want to be wrong so bad.

[engie-ivy]

(Not really micro and a day late, but I had to write the Valentine's prompt!)

@wolfstarmicrofic 14th: First I Love You

1110 words

Assistant director Remus never expected to be working together with famous actor Sirius Black.

Never Expected

Remus never expected to have a crush on a filmstar. As a self-proclaimed film connoisseur (or a film snob as Mary calls it), he had always considered himself to be above such things. He judges actors purely on their performance, their persuasiveness, their story-telling abilities, always impartial and always objective.

Until he saw his first film starring Sirius Black.

Remus was floored. Turned out, he wasn't as above crushing bad on an actor as he thought he was. After being exposed to a couple more films with Sirius Black, once he got a bit more used to those piercing grey eyes with that mischievous glint and that ever-perfect hair effortlessly elegantly falling over that gorgeous face, he could see that Sirius Black is also a great actor. He can make you laugh, he can make you cry, he can make you love him and he can make you hate him, and as much as Remus hates the term, he eventually accepted that he is and always will be a fan.

Remus never expected to have a career in the film industry. He did go to the Film Academy, because he just has such a passion for films, he couldn't ignore that calling. But he isn't the type to go to all the industry parties to make connections with important people and build a career. He had expected that he would be doomed to doing one unpaid internship after the other, while making his money serving coffee.

During one of his internships, however, he met famous ex-filmstar and now famous film director Minerva McGonagall. Remus is nothing if not opinionated when it comes to films, and especially the techniques that go into making films, and he likes to share that opinion, doesn't matter how high a status the other person has. Surprisingly though, Minerva McGonagall wasn't offended by Remus’... outspokenness, but rather impressed, and she offered Remus an actual job in the film industry as her assistant director.

Remus never expected to be making a film with Sirius Black, to be on the same set as Sirius Black, to interact with Sirius Black, to give directions to Sirius Black, but yet, here he is.

And what Remus never ever expected was for Sirius Black to one day after filming ask Remus to practice lines with him. Practicing lines lead to conversations about, of course, films, films they love, films they hate, films they think are overrated and films they can watch over and over again. And when Remus talks about films, he forgets to be nervous, he forgets to be star-struck, and he just talks.

Though talks about films also lead to talks about their lives, about their experiences in the industry, the people they love, their hopes for the future. And Remus learns that in real life, Sirius Black is still breathtaking, still charming, still effortlessly elegant, but he's also a person. A person with a troubled past, with family issues, with fears and insecurities, and Remus loves him all the more for it.

Remus never expected to find Sirius looking at him so many times when they are on set together, for Sirius’ hand to linger on his when they reach for the script at the same time, for Sirius’ eyes to dart over to his lips when they're having their private conversations.

But there's always that voice in Remus’ head that's constantly telling him

He's too good for you

So when Sirius’ fingers stroke the back of his hand, Remus quickly jerks his hand back, when Sirius holds him a little too long hugging him goodbye, Remus pulls away, and when Sirius slowly leans in, Remus takes a step backward.

Sirius plays an eighteenth century nobleman who's struggling to stay in power as head of his family, without becoming as morally corrupt as the rest of them. They're currently filming a scene regarding a subplot where Sirius’ character has feelings for someone who's only second in line of a struggling family.

“Lupin, you're frowning,” McGonagall says. “Give me your thoughts.”

“It just…” Remus begins, trying to voice his thoughts. “Seems a little far-fetched that someone without money or social status could catch the eye of someone like Sirius’ character.”

McGonagall opens her mouth to respond, but Sirius is first.

“Why on earth would my character be concerned with money or social status when it comes to how he feels about someone?”

“They have nothing to offer him!” Remus says. “And I just don't think your character should ignore that!”

“He's not ignoring it,” Sirius counters. “It just doesn't matter to him.”

“But those things do matter,” Remus insists. “Pretending they don't would be naive, and naivety goes against everything your character stands for.”

“My character also stands for persuasiveness and going after what he wants despite the obstacles, and that includes the person he wants.”

“But he's also a man driven by ambition who's always thinking about his place within high society and never takes any unnecessary risks when it comes to everything he has achieved!”

“He can be all that when it comes to business, but still follow his heart in other matters.”

“His heart?” Remus asks.

“Yes,” Sirius says defiantly. “His heart. His brain is undoubtedly telling him all about the world of differences between them, and how difficult this is going to be, but in these matters, he listens to his heart.”

Remus shakes his head. “How can he be so sure what his heart wants after such a short time?”

“There's a connection between them, a connection you don't find often,” Sirius says. “Surely you must see that?”

“I do,” Remus admits. “But what remains if that fades?”

“It won't just fade,” Sirius says confidently.

"But how do you know that?” Remus asks almost desperately.

“Because I love you!”

A silence falls.

“He,” Sirius stammers. “He loves…”

“Maybe it's time for a break,” McGonagall says, looking from Remus to Sirius.

The set empties, until it's just Remus and Sirius left.

Remus says nothing, but just gets up and walks over to Sirius, until he's standing right in front of him, searching his eyes for the confirmation of his words.

“Do you really not want to give us a chance?” Sirius asks hoarsely.

Remus opens his mouth, but then closes it again and he can't help but laugh. Remus places his hand on Sirius’ cheek. “I was an idiot for thinking I could fight this,” he says. “But I still think you're going to break my heart.”

Sirius covers Remus’ hand with his own. “And I still think I can prove you wrong.”

Remus never expected he would ever want to be wrong so bad.

[engie-ivy]

@wolfstarmicrofic 7th & 8th: Cupid & Arrow

487 words

Another notorious thing about Cupid’s Arrow is that it has no effect on someone if that someone is already in love with the first person they see. So, the fact that Remus is not affected by the potion at all, is something that Sirius absolutely must not know.

Cupid’s Arrow

“I don't know, Mr Black,” Madam Pomfrey frowns as she looks Remus over. “He doesn't seem to be having any symptoms.”

“But I saw him eat the chocolate!” Sirius insist.

“And you're sure it was laced with Cupid’s Arrow?”

“Absolutely sure,” Sirius confirms. “Emmeline left it out there for me to eat, but then Remus got there first.”

So, Remus is usually quite a put-together person, but he has a weakness, and that weakness is chocolate. Admittedly, taking a bite out of a random piece of chocolate lying around isn't the smartest thing he's ever done, but again, his weakness.

Of bloody course the chocolate had to be laced with the notorious love potion Cupid’s Arrow, which make you fall in love with the first person you see, and of bloody course the first person he saw had to be Sirius Black, as he came running up to him shouting ‘Remus, don't!’

And here they are, after Sirius took him to the Hospital Wing to see Madam Pomfrey.

“Eh,” Remus says. “Doesn't Sirius look… eh, swell, Madam Pomfrey? Like, he's such a… dapper fellow, isn't he? I like his, ehm, hair, and he's got these, ehm, eyes.”

“Right,” Madam Pomfrey says with a raised eyebrow.

“He really is the bee's knees!” Remus tries, immediately cringing at himself.

You see, another notorious thing about Cupid’s Arrow is that it has no effect on someone if that someone is already in love with the first person they see. So, the fact that Remus is not affected by the potion at all, is something that Sirius absolutely must not know.

Hence his current predicament.

Sirius frowns. “Remus, what's going on?”

“Oh, I love it when you say my name, you, eh, good-looking bloke,” Remus makes another attempt.

“Mr Lupin,” Madam Pomfrey says. “Why are you trying to fake love potioning symptoms?”

“You are faking!” Sirius realizes. “Why? And how are you not having any real symptoms?”

Remus groans. To hell with it then. It's not like it can get much more embarrassing than this. “BecauseI’malreadyinlovewithyou.”

“Excuse me?”

Remus takes a deep breath. “Because I am already in love with you!” He exclaims, before hiding his face in his hands, but only after he saw a glimpse of Sirius’ stunned face.

A moment of silence.

“Rem? Look at me please.”

Remus slowly removes his hands and looks up. He's a bit startled at finding Sirius’ face close, very close.

“There's a reason why I wanted the first person you saw to be me,” Sirius says softly. “I couldn't bear the idea of you being in love with someone else, even if it was only because of a potion.”

Oh. Oh.

Sirius gives Remus a soft smile as he reaches out to take Remus’ hand in his.

Madam Pomfrey scrapes her throat. “Well, I don't think you'll be needing my assistance anymore.”

“No, madam,” Sirius replies. “I can handle it from here.”

[engie-ivy]

A Far Cry From Perfect

New chapter: Good fortune

Sirius already feels guilty enough leaving Remus as a young widower, who doesn’t have a job because he has had to take care of Sirius, but who also always will have trouble finding a job, with the serious condition of his Lycanthropy. On top of that all, he’d be leaving Remus without any money, only debts to their family and friends that he, and Sirius knows Remus well enough for that, will insist on paying back, despite their family and friends protesting that he doesn’t have to. This money is a way to know that despite everything, the pain of losing his husband and the Lycanthropy, at least in financial aspect, Remus is going to be okay.

Read it on A03

[engie-ivy]

A Windows of Oppertunity now available as podfic!

There are only a few days between Remus’ seventeenth birthday, and the implementation of new legislation forbidding Lycanthropes to marry. Sirius has a small window of opportunity, and Sirius Black has never been one to waste an opportunity.

So honoured! Thank you!

@engie-ivy

[engie-ivy]

Happy New Year!✨

Enjoy some New Year's Wolfstar Fluff😃

1430 words

“If, in the upcoming year, you actually manage to convince Lily Evans to be your girlfriend, then I promise that before the year is over, I will get up on a table and loudly proclaim my feelings for Remus Lupin for anyone to hear.”

May We All Have Our Hopes, Our Will To Try

Happy New Year - Abba

“I swear this is gonna be the year.”

“Mate, for Godric’s sake, just give it up.”

James shakes his head, not taking his eyes off of Lily. “She's warming up to me, I swear.”

Sirius rolls his eyes. “And what gave you that idea? That she called you an arrogant pillock just a moment ago?”

“Her tone is changing,” James insist. “It may sound exasperated, but as of late, there's a hint of fondness underneath.”

“I'm not trying to rain on your parade,” Sirius says. “Really. I'm not. But I want more for you. You're a catch, mate.” Sirius clasps James on his back. “Best in every class, maybe except for me sometimes, absolute Quidditch hero, master of pranks, together with myself, of course. Do you have any idea how many girls are always looking at you? Who would give up half their house's points to be with you? There's so much more out there for you!”

“But I want her,” James says curtly.

Sirius sighs. “Yes, you've made that evidently clear over the last few years. Aren't you at least getting tired of constantly being rejected?”

Now James turns to Sirius. “At least I'm putting myself out there, putting my heart on the line. It's by no means a guarantee that my love will ever be reciprocated, but it sure as hell gives me more of a chance than you have, with your strategy of always keeping your feelings hidden for the object of your affections.” He turns his head to look at Remus.

Sirius cheeks colour and he slaps James’ arm. “Don't look!” He hisses.

“Really, Pads,” James says, looking back at Sirius. “It might not exactly be where I want it to be, but at least I know where I stand with Lily. You have no bloody idea how he feels about you, because you won't bloody tell him how you feel.”

Sirius crosses his arms over his chest. “Some of us are not quite as fond of rejection as you are.”

“There's a chance of rejection, by no means a certainty. If you would just take the risk…”

“Him and I have a close friendship that could be ruined,” Sirius reminds James. “Excuse me for not being willing to risk that.”

“Okay, fine,” James says, throwing up his hands. “Let's forget about reciprocation or rejection for a moment. I think Lily simply deserves to know she is loved, regardless of whether she loves me back or not. So I tell her, as often as I can. Don't you want Moo-”

“Ssst!”

“Don't you want the object of your affection to know that?”

“It'll probably just make him feel awkward,” Sirius mumbles.

“Or confident. Happy. Loved. And besides,” James shrugs. “If Lily ever does change her mind, she won't ever have to doubt where I stand.”

“Prongs, she's not gonna-” Sirius shakes his head. “You know what? Let's make a deal. If, in the upcoming year, you actually manage to convince Lily Evans to be your girlfriend, then I promise that before the year is over, I will get up on a table and loudly proclaim my feelings for Remus Lupin for anyone to hear.”

A grin spreads over James’ face. “Deal.”

It's five minutes to midnight and Mary is handing out glasses of champagne to everyone at her New Year's Eve party.

“Is everyone ready?” Mary asks excitedly.

“Well,” James says, holding his glass of champagne in one hand, while his other is resting on Lily's waist, who's leaning heavily against him. “I actually think Padfoot still has an announcement to make.”

Sirius glares at James, but he has given his word, Marauder’s honour, and he has been postponing as much as he could, with only five minutes of the year being left.

Here goes nothing.

He walks up to the table and climbs on top. All their friends, including one Remus Lupin, stop their conversations to stare at him.

“Right. Ehm, hello. So… I suppose I should tell you that…” Sirius takes a deep breath. “I, Sirius Black, have feelings for Remus Lupin. I mean, I'm actually quite besotted with him. In love, you could say. I'm in love with Remus Lupin.”

Gasps echo through the room.

“Finally,” Marlene says.

“I knew it!” Mary exclaims.

“What?” Fabian asks. “Our Remus?” Gideon asks.

“Sirius and Remus?” Peter squeaks.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Benjy says on repeat.

Caradoc is just opening and closing his mouth without any sound coming out.

Remus doesn't say anything, just stares at Sirius wide-eyed with his mouth slightly parted.

The new year arrives almost immediately after, and everyone snaps out of the shock by starting to hug and kiss each other and wishing everyone a happy new year. As they embrace him, people whisper things in Sirius’ ear like ‘good luck!’, ‘I'm rooting for you!’, ‘You've got some guts, Black’ and ‘I can't believe you just did that’.

Except for Remus. In fact, Remus seems to be avoiding Sirius completely.

“Give him some time,” James whispers as he embraces his brother.

Sirius just nods around the lump in his throat. This is why he had wanted to keep his feelings to himself, this is exactly what he thought would happen. Well, maybe it's not really… Maybe he had hoped…

“Give me your keys.”

Sirius, who ended up going home early and had just reached his motorcycle, turns around at the sound of the voice. “Excuse me?”

“Give me your keys,” Remus repeats.

Sirius stares at him for a moment, then shakes his head. “I hate to break it to you, Moony, but me having feelings for you is still no reason for me to give you my bike.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Remus retorts. “But you publicly embarrassing me is still no reason for me to let you drunk-drive yourself into an accident!”

“Drunk-dri- What are you even talking about?”

“Come on, Siri, you must be drunk off your arse.”

“Remus,” Sirius says. “I had one sip of champagne at midnight, and that's it. Do you really think I'd be that stupid?”

Remus blinks at him. “Then why… Then why would you… Why would you get up on the table and…”

“I'll admit that it wasn't my preferred method,” Sirius says. “But I had lost the wager I made with Prongs…”

Realisation dawns in Remus’ eyes, like the world suddenly makes sense again. “Ah, so you didn't publicly embarrass me because you're drunk, you publicly embarrassed me because you lost a bet.”

Sirius frowns. “I can't pretend I also would've done it if it wasn't for the bet, no, but honestly, I think I mostly ended up publicly embarrassing myself.”

“Can you at least try to consider someone else's feelings?” Remus asks angrily. “Do you, or you and James both, actually think it's funny to use pretending to be in love with me as a stake in one of your stupid bets? Did you ever consider what that would feel like for me?”

Sirius can only stare at Remus as he wraps his mind around his words, and suddenly he sees his anger from a whole new perspective.

“Of course you didn't,” Remus says, and he turns to walk away.

“Moony, wait!” Sirius rushes forward and grabs Remus’ arm, spinning him back around. “If you think what I'm thinking you're thinking, it's not what you think.”

Remus just gives him a cold look.

For Godric’s sake, Sirius thinks. He got up on a bloody table and announced his deepest feelings in front of all their bloody friends, he's not gonna let Remus walk away now still not knowing! For the second time that evening, Sirius takes a deep breath.

“I didn't believe James constantly publicly proclaiming his feelings for Lily would ever work, so we made a deal that if it did work, I would publicly proclaim my feelings for you.”

“Your…”

“My feelings. My true feelings. No pretense.”

“So you're actually…”

“In love with you.”

Remus opens and closes his mouth a couple of times. “You're an idiot, Sirius Black,” he eventually manages to say, which might not be as romantic as Sirius would've hoped for, but luckily, he continues. “Getting up on a table like that in the middle of the party, instead of just coming and talking to me.”

“So had I done that… you wouldn't have avoided me all night?” Sirius asks tentatively.

Remus takes a step closer and grabs the lapels of Sirius’ jacket. “My response would've been something like this.” And before Sirius can do anything, he crashes their lips together.

[engie-ivy]

Happy New Year!✨

Enjoy some New Year's Wolfstar Fluff😃

1430 words

“If, in the upcoming year, you actually manage to convince Lily Evans to be your girlfriend, then I promise that before the year is over, I will get up on a table and loudly proclaim my feelings for Remus Lupin for anyone to hear.”

May We All Have Our Hopes, Our Will To Try

Happy New Year - Abba

“I swear this is gonna be the year.”

“Mate, for Godric’s sake, just give it up.”

James shakes his head, not taking his eyes off of Lily. “She's warming up to me, I swear.”

Sirius rolls his eyes. “And what gave you that idea? That she called you an arrogant pillock just a moment ago?”

“Her tone is changing,” James insist. “It may sound exasperated, but as of late, there's a hint of fondness underneath.”

“I'm not trying to rain on your parade,” Sirius says. “Really. I'm not. But I want more for you. You're a catch, mate.” Sirius clasps James on his back. “Best in every class, maybe except for me sometimes, absolute Quidditch hero, master of pranks, together with myself, of course. Do you have any idea how many girls are always looking at you? Who would give up half their house's points to be with you? There's so much more out there for you!”

“But I want her,” James says curtly.

Sirius sighs. “Yes, you've made that evidently clear over the last few years. Aren't you at least getting tired of constantly being rejected?”

Now James turns to Sirius. “At least I'm putting myself out there, putting my heart on the line. It's by no means a guarantee that my love will ever be reciprocated, but it sure as hell gives me more of a chance than you have, with your strategy of always keeping your feelings hidden for the object of your affections.” He turns his head to look at Remus.

Sirius cheeks colour and he slaps James’ arm. “Don't look!” He hisses.

“Really, Pads,” James says, looking back at Sirius. “It might not exactly be where I want it to be, but at least I know where I stand with Lily. You have no bloody idea how he feels about you, because you won't bloody tell him how you feel.”

Sirius crosses his arms over his chest. “Some of us are not quite as fond of rejection as you are.”

“There's a chance of rejection, by no means a certainty. If you would just take the risk…”

“Him and I have a close friendship that could be ruined,” Sirius reminds James. “Excuse me for not being willing to risk that.”

“Okay, fine,” James says, throwing up his hands. “Let's forget about reciprocation or rejection for a moment. I think Lily simply deserves to know she is loved, regardless of whether she loves me back or not. So I tell her, as often as I can. Don't you want Moo-”

“Ssst!”

“Don't you want the object of your affection to know that?”

“It'll probably just make him feel awkward,” Sirius mumbles.

“Or confident. Happy. Loved. And besides,” James shrugs. “If Lily ever does change her mind, she won't ever have to doubt where I stand.”

“Prongs, she's not gonna-” Sirius shakes his head. “You know what? Let's make a deal. If, in the upcoming year, you actually manage to convince Lily Evans to be your girlfriend, then I promise that before the year is over, I will get up on a table and loudly proclaim my feelings for Remus Lupin for anyone to hear.”

A grin spreads over James’ face. “Deal.”

It's five minutes to midnight and Mary is handing out glasses of champagne to everyone at her New Year's Eve party.

“Is everyone ready?” Mary asks excitedly.

“Well,” James says, holding his glass of champagne in one hand, while his other is resting on Lily's waist, who's leaning heavily against him. “I actually think Padfoot still has an announcement to make.”

Sirius glares at James, but he has given his word, Marauder’s honour, and he has been postponing as much as he could, with only five minutes of the year being left.

Here goes nothing.

He walks up to the table and climbs on top. All their friends, including one Remus Lupin, stop their conversations to stare at him.

“Right. Ehm, hello. So… I suppose I should tell you that…” Sirius takes a deep breath. “I, Sirius Black, have feelings for Remus Lupin. I mean, I'm actually quite besotted with him. In love, you could say. I'm in love with Remus Lupin.”

Gasps echo through the room.

“Finally,” Marlene says.

“I knew it!” Mary exclaims.

“What?” Fabian asks. “Our Remus?” Gideon asks.

“Sirius and Remus?” Peter squeaks.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Benjy says on repeat.

Caradoc is just opening and closing his mouth without any sound coming out.

Remus doesn't say anything, just stares at Sirius wide-eyed with his mouth slightly parted.

The new year arrives almost immediately after, and everyone snaps out of the shock by starting to hug and kiss each other and wishing everyone a happy new year. As they embrace him, people whisper things in Sirius’ ear like ‘good luck!’, ‘I'm rooting for you!’, ‘You've got some guts, Black’ and ‘I can't believe you just did that’.

Except for Remus. In fact, Remus seems to be avoiding Sirius completely.

“Give him some time,” James whispers as he embraces his brother.

Sirius just nods around the lump in his throat. This is why he had wanted to keep his feelings to himself, this is exactly what he thought would happen. Well, maybe it's not really… Maybe he had hoped…

“Give me your keys.”

Sirius, who ended up going home early and had just reached his motorcycle, turns around at the sound of the voice. “Excuse me?”

“Give me your keys,” Remus repeats.

Sirius stares at him for a moment, then shakes his head. “I hate to break it to you, Moony, but me having feelings for you is still no reason for me to give you my bike.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Remus retorts. “But you publicly embarrassing me is still no reason for me to let you drunk-drive yourself into an accident!”

“Drunk-dri- What are you even talking about?”

“Come on, Siri, you must be drunk off your arse.”

“Remus,” Sirius says. “I had one sip of champagne at midnight, and that's it. Do you really think I'd be that stupid?”

Remus blinks at him. “Then why… Then why would you… Why would you get up on the table and…”

“I'll admit that it wasn't my preferred method,” Sirius says. “But I had lost the wager I made with Prongs…”

Realisation dawns in Remus’ eyes, like the world suddenly makes sense again. “Ah, so you didn't publicly embarrass me because you're drunk, you publicly embarrassed me because you lost a bet.”

Sirius frowns. “I can't pretend I also would've done it if it wasn't for the bet, no, but honestly, I think I mostly ended up publicly embarrassing myself.”

“Can you at least try to consider someone else's feelings?” Remus asks angrily. “Do you, or you and James both, actually think it's funny to use pretending to be in love with me as a stake in one of your stupid bets? Did you ever consider what that would feel like for me?”

Sirius can only stare at Remus as he wraps his mind around his words, and suddenly he sees his anger from a whole new perspective.

“Of course you didn't,” Remus says, and he turns to walk away.

“Moony, wait!” Sirius rushes forward and grabs Remus’ arm, spinning him back around. “If you think what I'm thinking you're thinking, it's not what you think.”

Remus just gives him a cold look.

For Godric’s sake, Sirius thinks. He got up on a bloody table and announced his deepest feelings in front of all their bloody friends, he's not gonna let Remus walk away now still not knowing! For the second time that evening, Sirius takes a deep breath.

“I didn't believe James constantly publicly proclaiming his feelings for Lily would ever work, so we made a deal that if it did work, I would publicly proclaim my feelings for you.”

“Your…”

“My feelings. My true feelings. No pretense.”

“So you're actually…”

“In love with you.”

Remus opens and closes his mouth a couple of times. “You're an idiot, Sirius Black,” he eventually manages to say, which might not be as romantic as Sirius would've hoped for, but luckily, he continues. “Getting up on a table like that in the middle of the party, instead of just coming and talking to me.”

“So had I done that… you wouldn't have avoided me all night?” Sirius asks tentatively.

Remus takes a step closer and grabs the lapels of Sirius’ jacket. “My response would've been something like this.” And before Sirius can do anything, he crashes their lips together.

[engie-ivy]

(Little sequel to You Make It Feel Like Christmas featuring the Christmas market date🙂, but can be read as a stand-alone)

@wolfstarmicrofic 22nd & 23rd: Sparkle & Anticipation

241 words

Sirius and Remus walk past the ice rink, hot chocolates in their hands.

“Growing up, my parents never had enough money to take me to the ice rink,” Remus says. “I pretended not to mind seeing my classmates skate when I couldn't. Then, this one Christmas when I was six years old, my dad had secretly been saving some money and he took me to the ice rink and spent all afternoon teaching me how to skate.” There's a sparkle in Remus’ eyes as he reminiscents. “When we were cold and tired and ready to go home, this lovely lady from the hot chocolate stand, who had seen me staring, gave me a free hot chocolate. It was the best thing I'd ever tasted.” Remus smiles fondly as he takes a sip of his current hot chocolate. “It was a perfect day and it's still my favourite Christmas memory.” He turns to Sirius. “What's yours?”

“Mine?”

“Your favourite Christmas memory.”

“Oh, eh…”

Remus looks at Sirius with anticipation.

“Well,” Sirius says slowly. “It's that time we were at the Christmas market together, drinking hot chocolates, and you just looked so beautiful with that soft, content smile and the Christmas lights reflecting in your sparkling eyes, that I couldn't help but kiss you right there and then.”

Remus’ eyes widen and he blinks. “What? What are you talking about? That never happe-”

Sirius cuts him off by pressing his lips to Remus’.